Thoughts and postings from an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. , . It is not a bad thing for us, that the route known as the Goldene Strae or the Golden Road as we will get to know it- has escaped the attention of so many. It has been spared being overrun by hordes of tourists and as you will discover the Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic says Belgrade must resolve the disputes between Kosovo and Serbia, but not due to pressure from the European Union. Vucic told RFE/RL's Balkan Service in an exclusive interview that relations between Belgrade and Pristina must be normalized "because that is our life...we have to live next to each other." "If [we cannot act] as best friends, [we must act] as someone who knows we must live and work together successfully in order for all of us to be successful," he said. He said Serbia was preparing for "difficult talks" scheduled to open in Brussels on January 27 and that neighborly relations were in the interests of both ethnic Serbs and ethnic Albanians living in Kosovo. Pristina declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and has since been recognized by 111 countries. Belgrade has rejected the statehood proclamation and continues to refer to Kosovo as "Kosovo and Metohija," its official name when it was an autonomous Serbian republic. An EU-brokered agreement in 2013 would allow ethnic Serbs in Kosovo to have their own police force and courts, but the agreement has not been ratified by either of the countries' parliaments. Vucic, 45, is head of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and was approved as prime minister in 2014. The SNS is in a fragile ruling coalition with the Socialist Party of Serbia. He said normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo will be the "hardest thing to achieve" but will leave both sides simultaneously "displeased" and "deep downcontent." Vucic said he "despises" those who take populist positions on the Kosovo issue to appeal to Serbian nationalists and that he had told ethnic Serbs in Kosovo about difficult policies that Belgrade has adopted. He added that while he had "lived through the booing, attacks, and political disappointments," he believes everything his government has done was in Serbia's best interests and that "we will continue our dialogue with the [Kosovar] Albanians." Economic Interests A Priority Vucic summarized his goals in the upcoming negotiations in Brussels as establishing security and safety in Kosovo, guaranteeing "economic progress," and resolving all existing problems between the Serbian and Kosovar governments. He suggested the talks between Kosovar and Serbian officials, to be moderated by the EU, could take months to reach "some new agreement" and that the whole normalization process could take three or four years. The EU says a full normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina is necessary before Serbia can join the bloc. Vucic told RFE/RL that he wanted to open a new topic at the Brussels talks that would result in "a faster flow of people, goods, and capital" between Kosovo and Serbia. "I do not want us to have blockades, confirmations, papers [that] we issue at the administrative line, as we call it, or the border, as Albanians are calling it," he said. Vucic said Serbia's flagship airline, Air Serbia, needed ethnic Albanian passengers to fly from Belgrade in order for the carrier to establish its first regional transatlantic flight to New York City, noting that "even Greece does not offer a transatlantic flight." He added that Air Serbia hopes to tap into the large "colony of Albanians in New York" and that the two countries must "harmonize our economic interests." Ties To Russia Vucic rejected charges that Serbia is constantly trying to balance relations between Russia and the West. He said that while Belgrade had "traditionally good" relations with Moscow and always seeks to improve them, accession to the EU is a top priority and strategic goal of the Serbian government. Vucic suggested Serbia was not concerned about continuing to receive its natural gas from a pipeline that goes through Ukraine and would like the EU to explain to Belgrade the negative and positive reasons for either realizing or rejecting the Nord Stream and South Steam pipelines from Russia that bypass Ukraine. The South Stream, which would have passed through Serbia and led to sizable financial profits for Belgrade, was canceled by Russia in 2014 after EU officials made it clear it would not gain the bloc's approval. Germany -- which exerts great influence within the EU -- favors the completion of the Nord Stream project, which is currently a topic of heated debate in Brussels. Written by Pete Baumgartner based on translations by Darija Fajkovic and Deana Kjuka Uzbek authorities have canceled a controversial plan to demolish an ancient minaret and replace it with a fountain in the eastern city of Andijon. A local official said the decision to indefinitely suspend the demolition has been made by a special government commission that visited the site, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reported on January 6. "The commission [from the central government] met with local residents who had filed complaints against the demolition plans. The residents voiced their opinion and then the commission decided to disallow the removal of the minaret," said Abdussafi Rahmonov, a high-ranking official at the Andijon provincial government. The more than 700-year-old minaret and prayer room -- which are part of a historical religious complex in central Andijon known as Musalla -- were built in the second half of the 13th century. The initial plan to demolish the complex had sparked angry reactions by activists, historical preservationists, and many local residents, who sent a protest letter to Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyaev last year calling on him to spare the historic site. The activists had argued that the removal of the ancient Muslim structures would be illegal because they are protected as historical monuments. The Ashland Town Council has appointed a familiar face to temporarily replace Faye Prichard, who departed the council after 14 years for a position on the Hanover County Board of Supervisors. James Foley, a pricing director for Hunton & Williams LLP, was nominated and unanimously appointed by the council Tuesday night and will serve as an interim council member until a special election is held in May. Five candidates submitted applications, three of whom were interviewed after two withdrew their applications, said Mayor George Spagna. Foley, 55, served on the council from 2010 to 2014 but did not seek re-election for the current term. More than 10 community members encouraged Foley to seek the position, he said. When I was first elected, I invested a lot of time getting up to speed, and it takes six months, really, to get up to speed, Foley said. I have a better appreciation for serving. I saw where I was needed, and Im willing to help out. During the meeting, Spagna said that during the search, he wanted to find someone who was committed to the town. He added that citizens should notice no interruption of the function of the Town Council. The council also passed a resolution directing Town Attorney Andrea Erard to file a petition that would allow the town to advertise for a special election May 3. Prichard, a Democrat who also had served as mayor, was voted to the Ashland district seat on the Board of Supervisors during the Nov. 3 general election, defeating Republican opponent Web Stokes. A resolution was passed acknowledging Prichards service, and she was presented a key to the town and personal gavel. The council also formally accepted Prichards resignation Tuesday night, which was effective Dec. 31. Three pastors from the Richmond area who support Donald Trump filed a lawsuit in federal court Wednesday against the State Board of Elections to eliminate the requirement that voters in Virginias March 1 primary sign a statement of affiliation before casting a ballot. Attorney Chuck Smith did not file the suit at the behest of the Trump campaign. But it follows the threat of legal action Dec. 30 by the moguls Virginia campaign chairman, Corey Stewart, and the billionaire businessmans angry tweets on the pledge. The plaintiffs are Stephen A. Parson, formerly of the Richmond Christian Center; Leon Benjamin; and Bruce L. Waller Sr. Parson gave an opening prayer during Trumps Oct. 14 rally in Henrico County. Trump said in a statement that while his campaign is not involved in the suit, he supports its goal. The Republican Party is working to disallow independent, unaffiliated and new voters. Hopefully the RNC (Republican National Committee) will straighten this mess out with the Republican Party of Virginia, Trump said. If they dont stop excluding people the party is doomed. Hillary and the Democrats love this. The Republican Party in Virginia keeps losing. They really need to be smart and win for a change. While my campaign is not involved, I fully support Dr. Steve Parson and his fellow plaintiffs. He is representing millions of disenfranchised people in America who have felt left out of the political process for years, and that has to stop. It is going to take us all working together to make America great again! The suit charges that the required statement in which voters would fill out a form that says My signature below indicates that I am a Republican violates the Voting Rights Act, the 1st and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution and state law. The suit asks the court to issue preliminary and permanent injunctions barring enforcement of the requirement. Smith filed the suit in Newport News but will seek to have the case heard in Richmond. On Dec. 16 the State Board of Elections at the request of the Virginia GOPs State Central Committee certified that voters must fill out the form in order to cast ballots in the March 1 GOP primary. Had the party chosen to run and fund its primary, rather than have the state administer the election, the pledge would have been legal, according to the suit. While state law certainly permits the party to choose whether it will have a closed convention or a state-sponsored open primary, the party does not get to decide who is and who is not an acceptable voter among those otherwise rightfully entitled to vote. The suit argues that the pledge requirement is unlawful on its face and is especially repugnant when set against Virginias sordid history of discrimination. It alleges that the pledge violates the Voting Rights Act because it conditions the right to vote on saying I am a Republican, and that will disparately burden blacks and Hispanics. It claims that incorporating the pledge into primary voting will cause long lines and interminable waits for voters, and that poor people, including minorities, cannot afford to wait hours to vote, and that blacks could face backlash in their communities for being identified as Republican. The suit claims the pledge violates the 1st Amendment on free-speech grounds and the 14th Amendments guarantee of equal protection under the law by disenfranchising voters who are unwilling to publicly declare they are Republicans. Finally, it charges that the State Board of Elections violated state law by establishing the new requirements 76 days before the March 1 primary, rather than the required 90 days. Martin Mash, a spokesman for the State Board of Elections, said: We dont comment on pending litigation. David DOnofrio, a spokesman for the Republican Party of Virginia, noted the party was not named as a defendant and said it had not yet reviewed the suit. On Dec. 27, Trump released a twitter barrage against the Virginia GOPs requirement. Trump blasts Virginia GOP for requiring 'statement of affiliation' in March 1 primary Trump says the requirement. in which primary voters must signify that they are Republicans, will cost the GOP independent, unaffiliated and new voters. It begins, Republican Party of Virginia, controlled by the RNC, is working hard to disallow independent, unaffiliated and new voters. BAD! Trump tweeted. In subsequent tweets he called the requirement a suicidal mistake, and stupid. Party officials have defended their push for the statement of affiliation as a means of preventing Democrats from participating in the Republican primary and said it would help them build a statewide voter list that could help the party in the future. On Dec. 29, John Findlay, executive director of the state GOP, emailed a letter to the partys 128 unit chairmen, defending the requirement. For reasons unknown to our party at this time, Donald Trump has decided that this is an attack against his campaign, Findlay wrote. Let me be very clear, the statement of affiliation is not designed to favor or hurt any candidate whatsoever. Virginians do not register by party and can vote in either partys primary contests, though not in both. But Trumps camp, led by Stewart, the chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, countered that the requirement was pushed by the upper echelons of the national Republican Party, as an attempt to confuse and scare off new voters Trump is attracting and to improve the odds for establishment candidates who are lagging behind Trump in the polls. The state GOPs governing body voted to require loyalty pledges prior to primaries in 2008 and 2012, but later scrapped the idea before voting. According to a release sent out about the suit, the litigants sent a cease and desist order on Tuesday to try and persuade GOP officials to drop the pledge requirement. When there was no response, Smith filed the suit. One huge practical question is whether the case can be resolved before the March 1 primary, said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond. During the apartheid era all right-thinking people insisted on divestment from companies doing business with the South African regime. Today the BDS movement boycott, divestment and sanctions reviles and shuns Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, for offenses sometimes real but mostly perceived. Meanwhile, the Obama administration has begun to normalize relations with Cuba. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has embarked on a trade mission to the Castro brothers dungeon. Jason Miyares, a Republican newly elected to the House of Delegates, where he will become the first Cuban-American legislator in that body, has urged McAuliffe to visit with some of the dissidents there. Doing so would send an important signal to the regime and perhaps an even more important signal to the people of Cuba. But the governor isnt interested. For some reason, Cuba holds a bizarrely romantic fascination for many on the left some of whom have even worried publicly that introducing American-style commerce to the country might destroy the supposed authenticity that cruel dictatorship and stark deprivation have inflicted upon it. We doubt McAuliffe numbers among that misguided lot. Whatever their illusions, at least they embrace certain ideals. McAuliffe is driven by wheeling and dealing, which have always been his first love. It looks like nothing was found at this location. Maybe try a search? Search for: Search A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. This Position Is Closed to New Applicants This position is no longer open for new applications. Either the position has expired or was removed because it was filled. However, there are thousands of other great jobs to be found on Rigzone. Roanoke Adventist Preparatory School continues its citrus fruit sales in January with a one-time-a-year special offering. For the month of January, the school will offer the unique Honeybell Oranges in three size quantities: whole case, half case and 10-pound boxes. Honeybells are known throughout the United States for their unique sweet flavor and juiciness. Also available are navel oranges, grapefruit and pineapple oranges. Navel oranges and grapefruit are available in whole and half-case sizes. The pineapple oranges are only available in the full-case size. A full box is the equivalent of 4/5 bushel, and the half case is equivalent to 2/5 bushel. All fruit is guaranteed fresh. The deadline to order fruit for January is Tuesday, Jan. 12. Fruit will be available for pickup Monday, Jan. 25, between the hours of 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. To place an order, please call RAPS fruit order line at (540) 759-1771 or call 977-0346 and leave a message on extension 112. Orders may also be placed on the school website, www.rapschool.org. RAPS has sold fresh citrus fruit since 1973 as a fundraiser for the school, with all profits going to its worthy student scholarship funds. In addition to fresh citrus, the school also offers a variety of nuts in 1-pound bags. These include English walnuts, mixed nuts, amaretto chocolate-covered pecans and chocolate-covered raisins. Nuts are available on-site on fruit pickup dates on a first come, first served basis. Pricing information is available on the school website. Submitted by Susan Timmons Dave LeGault has used his passion for cooking to develop a side business thats seasoned his familys life. I look at cooking as an expression of love, he said. I love to see that expression on their faces: Oh my, this is so good! and I take a lot of pride in that. About six years ago the Roanoke County resident, who cooks for his family of six, experimented with blending his own steak seasoning. He gave some away to family and friends, calling it LeGault Salt, and it was a hit. Two or three years ago I was giving away 200 to 300 jars at Christmas, he said. People were coming to me in January and February to ask for more. Taco seasoning was his next concoction. People said, Dave, you need to sell this. Thats how Big Lick Seasonings, with its motto, Season. Cook. Eat. Repeat, joined a growing cottage industry of gastronomic offerings originating right here in Southwest Virginia. LeGault mixes and jars the seasonings in his basement at home on evenings and weekends by day he is a human resource trainer for Carilion and sells them online at BigLickSeasonings.com. Its mostly a one-man operation except for the help he gets from his wife, Kate Henretta, who helps with jarring, packaging and distribution. Without her help and support, LeGault insists he wouldnt be able to manage the business. The weeks before Christmas were busy ones for the couple. I had many late nights mixing and jarring, he wrote in an email. We made daily trips to the post office (and by we I mean Kate) to ship to folks in far off lands, such as Colorado and Texas. I had several customers who bought large quantities of jars (like up to 25) to give as Christmas presents, and we did really well this year with the gift boxes we offer and ship right to the recipient. Mixing herbs and spices is more labor-intensive than one might think. LeGault orders ingredients from Georgia and Massachusetts and buys kosher salt locally. He carefully weighs the ingredients, grinds them in small batches and stirs them by hand, using a restaurant-grade food processor and bowls. Once blended, the seasonings have to cure before theyre bottled. LeGault Salt, for example, takes up to seven days to dry because LeGault uses fresh garlic not powder in the mix. Inspired in the kitchen LeGault, 46, drew on his passion for cooking as he came up with the six seasonings he currently sells. The crawfish and shrimp cookout he hosts every Memorial Day was the inspiration for his Blackwater Seafood Boil (Its like Old Bay, he says. Only better.) He blends two types of chili seasoning as well as an Italian-influenced blend called Dipilicious, good for mixing with olive oil as a dip for warm crusty bread. LeGault is pondering adding lemon pepper, Cajun seasonings and blackening blends to the lineup. He prides himself on using full transparency on his labels: listing all-natural ingredients with no MSG or anti-caking additives. LeGaults products have a decidedly local flavor (pun intended): Big Lick is, of course, named for Roanoke. So is Star City Chili. Blackwater gets its name from the Virginia river. The labeling thought up by LeGault and implemented by a local graphic designer is a stylized version of Mill Mountain and its star. As one would expect, LeGault cooks with his own seasonings and publishes recipes on his website and Facebook page. The family Thanksgiving dinner included turkey rubbed with Dipilicious and mashed potatoes seasoned with LeGault Salt. Blending is his forte LeGault intends for his blended seasonings to build a business that he can pass along to his blended family. When he married Kate (who had been his high school and college sweetheart) three years ago, she moved to Roanoke from Florida, where shed been practicing law, and they each brought two children to the marriage. Connor and Addy are both 10, Eleanor is 7 and Riley is almost 6. My goal when I first started was [to] pay for Christmas or vacation or both, and pass down something fun for the kids, he said. Its cool to think about making a legacy. LeGault incorporated Big Lick Seasonings in May 2014 and starting selling that autumn. He doesnt advertise or market except through his website and his Facebook page, Big Lick Seasonings. His seasonings are not currently available in stores. Local customers who order online can save on shipping costs by indicating theyll do a local pickup. And I am Little Mr. Delivery Dude, LeGault said. My wife or I will meet you where you need to drop off an order. I had grand ideas of going to farmers markets to sell the seasonings, he said. But life happens when you have four kids and a full-time job. Back for more He has, however, set up tables at his childrens elementary school fundraisers and at a recent church fair. Decembers holiday bazaar at St. Marks United Methodist Church in Daleville was an example of how much fun it is for a vendor to meet his customers face-to-face. Peggy Lootens of Troutville bought Taco Bueno from LeGault at the St. Marks bazaar. Taco seasonings are getting so hard to find because of all the preservatives, said Lootens, who said she is allergic to additives. I am thrilled, she said about LeGaults Big Lick Seasonings. The best part about it was that I had several folks come to me and tell me that they came to the fair, specifically hoping to be able to purchase more Big Lick Seasonings, as they had bought some the year before, LeGault said. One lady even brought her empty jar. Thats what makes it really satisfying: the folks who come back for more. All recipes courtesy of Big Lick Seasonings Daves Star City Chili I believe that all chili tastes better the next day, after all the flavors have had time to get to know each other, Dave LeGault notes. Serves 4 1 pound ground beef 1 medium onion, chopped 1 green pepper, chopped 4 tablespoons Star City Chili Seasoning 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 2 (15-oz.) cans stewed tomatoes 1 jalapeno, finely chopped 1 (15-oz.) can kidney beans 1 (15-oz.) can pinto beans 1. Brown meat, adding onion and green pepper about halfway through. Drain off fat if necessary. 2. Stir in Star City Chili Seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes, and jalapeno. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer for 30 minutes. 3. Stir in beans. Simmer for about 1 hour. Note: Try substituting black beans for the pinto beans. If you wish, serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, tortilla chips, corn chips, cornbread, chopped green onions or cilantro Blackwater Low Country Seafood Boil This is Dave LeGaults take on a low-country seafood boil. Serves 12 4 pounds small red potatoes 5 quarts water 4 tablespoons Blackwater Boil Seasoning 2 pounds kielbasa or hot smoked link sausage, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces 6 ears of corn, halved 4 pounds large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined (optional) 1. Add potatoes to large pot, then add 5 quarts water and Blackwater Boil Seasoning. 2. Cover pot and heat to a rolling boil; cook 5 minutes. 3. Add sausage and corn, and return to a boil. 4. Cook 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. 5. Add shrimp to stockpot; cook about 4 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Drain. If desired, serve with drawn butter, cocktail sauce and crusty bread. Enchilada Puffs of Peace The name was coined by Kate Henretta, says her husband. I apologize in advance for my measurement approximations in this recipe, he adds. But thats how I usually cook. Heres what you need: A rotisserie chicken from the grocery store About a half cup of cream cheese About a cup of shredded cheddar cheese (use Mexican blend if youre feeling frisky) A cup or more of enchilada sauce 2 tablespoons of Taco Bueno Seasoning 16 to 24 refrigerated crescent rolls (the number depends on how much you stuff in them) 1. Pull meat from chicken and shred it; it should yield about 2 cups of meat. 2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 3. Combine both cheeses and the enchilada sauce in a microwaveable bowl. Nuke it for maybe a minute just long enough for the cheeses to get a little melted. 4. Stir in the chicken and Taco Bueno Seasoning. At this point, you figure out if my guesstimates have worked for you. Add a little more enchilada sauce or cheddar cheese, if you want. Its all good. 5. Put a heaping tablespoon (or soup spoon, or ladle, or whatever) of the mix onto the wide part of each crescent roll. Pull up those two corners. Roll that sucker up like you know what youre doing. Dont forget to either spray your cookie sheet with Pam or use parchment paper to keep them from sticking and so your family wont hate you for ruining these puffs of love. 6. Sprinkle each puff with some more shredded cheddar. Itll melt and look really cool and its all about the presentation. 7. Bake for the length of time directed on the package of rolls, or until rolls are browned and filling is bubbly. Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams are painting different visions for the future of Georgia. Kemp is promoting his stewardship of the economy and saying Abrams is weak on crime. Abrams rebuts that she has a much more equitable vision for the state's economy and an approach to crime that balances safety and justice. Kemp and Abrams debated Monday night. Kemp is making perhaps his clearest commitment yet that he wont pursue any new restrictions on abortion or birth control. Abrams says Kemp is weakening womens rights and access to reproductive care. Officers are searching for a man who robbed the downtown Wells Fargo branch Wednesday morning, Roanoke police said. Spokesman Scott Leamon said the man displayed a note to bank tellers at the bank in the 200 block of South Jefferson Street about 10:30 a.m. What the note said was not available. Leamon said the man did not appear to be armed. The suspect took an undisclosed amount of money and fled. The suspect is described as a black male, 20 to 30 years old, 5-foot-10 to 6-1 and between 185 and 220 pounds. He was wearing a dark sweatshirt, blue jeans, white T-shirt and black rubber-soled shoes in a duckboot style. He was wearing a painters-style mask and a black, shoulder-length wig with red or maroon highlights. No Wells Fargo employees were injured during the robbery, Leamon said. Anyone with information can call the Roanoke Valley Crime Line at 344-8500. CHARLOTTESVILLE Defense attorneys for two of the six alleged gang members accused of killing a Waynesboro auxiliary police captain filed motions Monday asking a judge to throw out several charges. Lawyers for Daniel Mathis and Travis Leon Bell, also known as Kweli Uhuru, asked a judge to dismiss several firearms charges after claiming they are not predicated on crimes of violence, according to court documents. The alleged gang members also including Mersadies Shelton, Shantai Shelton, Anthony Stokes and Gert Arthur Wright III, also known as Halisi Uhuru were indicted on 36 counts, including racketeering charges, murder, kidnapping, witness tampering, narcotics conspiracy, multiple convenience store robberies (under the Hobbs Act) and firearms offenses related to those charges. In their motion, the defense asked a judge to drop the five charges of using a firearm in the commission of robbery, according to the documents. In its motion, the defense claimed the robbery charges under the Hobbs Act must have an element of physical force in order to qualify as a crime of violence. The document equated physical force to violent force and defined it as capable of causing physical pain or injury to another person. The motion stated that robbery under the Hobbs Act does not meet the requirement of a violent crime because it can be accomplished by putting someone in fear of future injury to his person or property, which does not require the use, attempted use or threatened use of violent force. Defense attorneys for Mathis and Bell also filed a motion to dismiss three of the charges related to the alleged kidnapping and slaying of Waynesboro Auxiliary Police Capt. Kevin Quick. The prosecution charges that siblings Mathis, Mersadies and Shantai Shelton, as well as Bell, kidnapped and murdered Quick with the intent to prevent his communication to law enforcement regarding the commission or possible commission of a federal offense of carjacking, according to the documents. Three of those counts charge four of the defendants with using, carrying, brandishing and discharging a firearm during and in relation to the kidnapping, murder and witness tampering charges alleging that each of those predicate charges are crimes of violence, the documents stated. The defense claimed those charges do not qualify as crimes of violence because kidnapping, murder and witness tampering are indivisible crimes and are not categorically violent. For the charge of kidnapping, the motion claimed that kidnapping under Virginia Code does not describe separate crimes. Instead, the document said the charge describes different means of committing the single offense, such as by force, intimidation or deception. The defense raised a similar objection to the charge of murder, stating that a categorical analysis asks whether the most innocent conduct prescribed therein qualifies as a crime of violence. The documents state that the most innocent conduct in a murder charge can include murder by poison, which does not necessarily require the use, attempted use or threatened use of physical force. The motion put forth a similar argument for the witness tampering charge and said it requires proof that the defendant killed, or attempted to kill, another person with intent to prevent the communication by any person to a law enforcement officer or judge of the United States of information relating to the commission or possible commission of a federal offense. The defense claimed that because there are different degrees of kidnapping, murder and witness tampering, the firearms charges should be thrown out because not all degrees of the charges can be considered crimes of violence. The motion claimed the prosecution has not proven the overarching charges of murder, kidnapping and witness tampering were violent crimes. Defense attorneys for Mathis also filed a motion to exclude the testimony of the governments gang expert, Gary Clore. Lawyers for Mathis claim the prosecution failed to provide a written summary of the experts testimony. The document states the governments notice provided a list of topics to which the witness will testify, but said it is inadequate as it does not describe the substance of the testimony or the opinions. In the prosecutions notice of expert witness, Clore is described as a 16-year law enforcement veteran who has worked with U.S. Customs in the United Kingdom, as well as the Fluvanna County and Greene County sheriffs offices. In court, he is expected to testify about the origins, nature, organization, rules and activities of the Bloods street gang. In a $6 million lawsuit, Virginia Sen. Creigh Deeds claims his son died as the result of neglect by the states fragmented mental health system. Deeds mentally troubled son, Gus, was released by Bath County authorities after six hours in emergency custody in November 2013 when mental health workers failed to find an available psychiatric bed in the region. The next morning, Gus Deeds, 24, stabbed his father multiple times and then shot himself to death at the senators Millboro farm. Investigators determined beds were available. The tragedy prompted Deeds colleagues in the General Assembly to confront the way Virginia treats people with mental illnesses, especially those in a crisis. They created a statewide bed registry so that mental health care workers can more easily find a private placement, and if they cannot, state hospitals must take the patients. Mental health workers say the bed registry has a flaw in that people are often sent far from their homes, but the benefit is that no one in a crisis is sent home. Virginias mental health care system failed my son, Gus, Deeds said in a statement released Tuesday by John Lichtenstein, a Roanoke attorney who filed the lawsuit. I am committed that my sons needless death shall not be in vain, and that no other Virginia family suffer this tragedy. Deeds lawsuit, filed in Bath County Circuit Court, blames the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and the local mental health agency that handled the case, the Rockbridge Area Community Services Board. Michael Gentry, a mental health worker for the community services board, is also named as a defendant. The lawsuit alleges Gentry failed to take proper steps to have Gus Deeds committed after his father had him detained temporarily on an emergency custody order the morning of Nov. 18, 2013. Deeds was released later that day after Gentry said he could not find a placement even though it later became clear that at least five facilities in the area had room that day to admit him. The following morning, Deeds confronted his father outside a barn at their Bath County home. Creigh Deeds was stabbed 13 times, but he managed to escape and was flown by helicopter to a nearby hospital. A short time later, Gus Deeds fatally shot himself with a rifle. According to the lawsuit, Gentrys inadequate search for an empty bed was nearing an end when he received a call from Gus Deeds mother, begging that her son not be released. Gentry brushed off Pamela Miller Mayhews concerns that her son would kill Creigh Deeds and himself if he was not hospitalized, the lawsuit alleges. The local and state mental health system acted with a complete neglect for the safety of Gus, the lawsuit alleges. Maria Reppas, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Behavioral Health, declined to comment, citing a policy of not discussing pending litigation. John Young, interim executive director of the Rockbridge Area Community Services Board, also declined to comment. Young would not say if Gentry remains an employee of the agency. The lawsuit was filed Nov. 19, and did not receive widespread media attention until this week, when its contents were reported by The Rockbridge Advocate, a monthly news magazine in Lexington. A key part of the 23-page document is the assertion that systemic problems at the root of Gus Deeds mistreatment had been identified and then ignored by the state two years earlier. In a 2012 review of the mental health system conducted in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, the states inspector general documented the fragmented way in which people with psychiatric emergencies are treated by state hospitals, community services boards and local jails. The Commonwealth of Virginia breached its duties to provide emergency services to those in mental health crises, including Gus, when it failed to implement the policies and recommendations of the 2012 Inspector General report, the lawsuit alleges. Among the missed opportunities, according to the lawsuit, were the establishment of better protocols between community services boards and state hospitals, the designation of an official to intervene when a psychiatric bed could not be located, and the creation of an online registry of available beds to assist in the search process. What we all saw after Virginia Tech was a significant investment that was eroded during the recession, said Debbie Bonniwell, chief executive officer of Blue Ridge Behavioral Health Care, the community services board serving Roanoke. Theres a tendency after a big tragedy to invest in the crisis end of the spectrum when there is a tremendous need for more prevention and early intervention for people experiencing mental illnesses or substance abuse. Bonniwell drew a parallel with physical health. You wouldnt build more emergency departments to treat someone with gangrene from a broken arm. You would provide services to treat the broken arm when it was first broken. Since the Deeds tragedy, the General Assembly has increased general fund spending on mental health services by $161 million, but the bulk of that went to a Medicaid waiver program to support low-income individuals with serious mental illnesses. About $11.5 million was spent specifically on legislation to address shortcomings in finding beds. Of that, $8.5 million expanded capacity at state hospitals so they could be the provider of last resort, $2.8 million went to expand time periods for emergency custody and temporary detention orders, and $233,586 to create and maintain the bed registry. For rural areas lacking private psychiatric hospitals, the bed registry has been a significant improvement, said Melanie Adkins, emergency services director for the New River Valley Community Services Board. Instead of calling around to hospitals only to be turned down while the clock is ticking on the detention order, the computer program shows them all the beds available across the state. Placements, though, are farther away. But in Roanoke, the bed registry meant fewer beds available for local residents, as patients from elsewhere are filling the Carilion and LewisGale wards. The community hospitals are designed to treat acute patients needing short stays, and the state hospitals are set up for more seriously and chronically ill patients needing long-term care. But with the state as the last resort, acute patients are ending up at Catawba Hospital and chronic patients at Carilion. In fiscal year 2014, 93 of Blue Ridges 1,364 involuntary commitments were sent to Catawba. The following year, 184 of its 1,519 commitments went to the state hospital. It seems to be mixed up, Bonniwell said. Carilion psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Milam agreed and said since the Deeds tragedy more people are being hospitalized and more people are turning to emergency rooms for psychiatric care. Mental health workers said there still arent enough services to help people access care that would prevent crisis and are concerned that the state might close Catawba. There are so many people who need inpatient care that it is just ludicrous for any talk about closing a hospital, Milam said. A General Assembly committee chaired by Deeds is expected later this month to sift through a number of bills that seek more reforms to the system. His lawsuit provides a step-by-step narrative of the Nov. 18, 2013, treatment of his son, who was well-known by both family members and local mental health officials to have serious psychiatric problems that included prior suicide attempts and hospitalizations. Concerned about his sons deteriorating mental condition, Creigh Deeds went to a Bath County magistrate that morning and obtained an emergency custody order. The order authorized a deputy sheriff to transport Gus Deeds to Bath Community Hospital, where he would be evaluated by a mental health staffer from the local community services board. If such an evaluation finds that someone is a danger to themselves or others, Virginia law allows for a temporary detention order, which places the patient in a secure mental health facility for further evaluation and treatment. At the time, emergency custody orders could last no more than eight hours. It took nearly three hours for Gentry to arrive at the Bath hospital from his Lexington office. After spending just five minutes with Gus Deeds, Gentry determined that he should be committed. But before he could obtain a temporary detention order, Gentry first needed to find a mental hospital with space to accommodate Deeds. Gentry would later tell state investigations that he contacted 10 facilities none of which had an open bed before his eight hours ran out. However, phone records later showed that Gentry never called three of the hospitals he listed; two of them had beds available that day. The lawsuit also states that Gentry never reached out to 22 other private or state hospitals. Local mental health providers had a responsibility to hospitalize Gus, Lichtenstein said in a statement about the lawsuit. Instead, they released him, even after they were made acutely aware that because of his illness, Gus was a danger to others and himself. On January 2, 2016, Susan Ruth Brooker-Gross, of Blacksburg, died suddenly. Susan was born in 1950 in Ohio, daughter of Ruth and Charles Gross. Intellectually precocious and musically talented, she progressed steadily toward her PhD in geography, excelling in the Lake School District and at Michigan State, Bowling Green, and the University of Illinois. Shortly afterwards she took up her professorship at Virginia Tech.Over time, her interests turned to the administrative aspects of higher education; at her death, she held the position of IT Director of Policy and Communications and her contributions to the University will be greatly missed.Susan's family consisted of James E. Brooker, to whom she was married for 35 years until his death in 2015, and her son, John Brooker. Together they built and then inhabited a winsome homestead in the Blacksburg countryside.In recent years Susan channeled her innate musical instincts to learn the flute, well enough to participate in the Blacksburg Community Band. After a long period of tending to the home front during her husband's long illness, Susan was beginning to travel again, visiting relatives in Michigan and Connecticut.In addition to her son John, Susan is survived by her daughter-in-law, Margaret Lawton, and her brother Jeffrey. Funeral services will be held 1 p.m. Thursday, January 7, 2016, in the McCoy Funeral Home Chapel. Interment will follow at 2:30 p.m. in the Southwest Veterans Cemetery, Dublin. The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the McCoy Funeral Home 150 Country Club Dr. SW, Blacksburg. Tuesday morning's low temperatures of 13 at Blacksburg and 18 at Roanoke were the coldest since March 6, and Wednesday morning is likely to be similar or even a tad colder. After this pretty sharp punch of Arctic air, the temperature begins moderating back to near normal on Thursday and Friday, with highs in the 40s and lows in the 20s and 30s, before warming up even a bit more over the weekend with some 50s highs as southerly winds ahead of a central U.S. low-pressure system bring in milder air and moisture. We'll start seeing some showers on Friday and off and on through the weekend. It appears for now that the next batch of cold air -- which will be quite stout -- will trail most of the storminess and moisture, arriving Monday near the back edge of any precipitation. That is why chances of significant widespread snow do not look high in Southwest Virginia early next week, despite whatever extraordinary snowfall forecasts you may have seen on social media. This could change if another low-pressure system forms along the cold front and moves northward along it on Monday, throwing moisture back longer into newly arrived cold air, but even then it would probably be a borderline rain-changing-to-snow episode mostly in the higher elevations. We will probably get another round of upslope snow showers by Monday and/or Tuesday, which I wrote extensively about in Wednesday's Weather Journal column. The extended forecast continues to look generally cold through mid-month with an occasional storm system riding across the South. At this time there are no real solid-looking winter storm threats yet but it's the kind of pattern where at least modest snow or ice setups could pop up fairly quickly. The Obama administration said new executive actions on gun control will withstand any legal challenge, a claim that might be put to the test by gun sellers, Second Amendment advocates or Republican lawmakers. Legal experts say two areas are most ripe for challenges: Is the administration overstepping federal law as President Barack Obama seeks to expand which gun sellers must conduct background checks of buyers? And how will the administration handle a mental health component on background checks? Republicans on Capitol Hill were quick to criticize the proposals, but some critics, including in the National Rifle Association, also hinted that the measures may not merit a challenge. JUNIOR doctor representatives and the government will meet the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) later this week in an attempt to avert strike action. The British Medical Association (BMA) said junior doctors would take strike action for the first time in 40 years after the latest round of negotiations in the long-running row ended on Monday. The BMA has now written to all NHS trusts across the country notifying them that there will be a 24-hour strike from 8am on Tuesday, January 12 by all junior doctors, except those on call to provide emergency cover. There will also be a 48-hour strike, which will also not involve doctors on emergency cover, from 8am on Tuesday, January 26. All junior doctors will walk out on strike between 8am and 5pm on Wednesday, February 10. But an ACAS spokesman said: "We have invited the sides involved in the junior doctors' dispute for Acas talks this Friday. Talks are expected to start at 10am." The BMA said on its website it had "consistently and clearly asked the government for the key assurances it would need in order to re-enter negotiations." A spokesman said: "These assurances have still not been given to us. In September, the BMAs junior doctors committee took the decision to ballot junior doctor members on support for industrial action. We have continued to request the key assurances for genuine negotiations. The result of the ballot of more than 37,000 junior doctors in England was announced on November 19, with more than 99 per cent having voted in favour of industrial action short of a strike and 98 per cent for full strike action, demonstrating the strength of feeling among the profession. POLICE investigating a brutal attack on Maltby pensioner Tommy Ward have arrested a man and a teenage boy. The pair were picked up this morning on suspicion of attempted murder and aggravated burglary and handling stolen goods, respectively. Both were in custody this afternoon and being questioned by officers. Mr Ward was found badly injured at his home in Salisbury Road, Maltby on Thursday, October 1. A safety deposit box and a cash amounting to 30,000 were found to have been stolen. Det Insp Richard Partridge said: This remains an incredibly active investigation and our officers continue to piece together what happened to Mr Ward. Id like to issue a further appeal for information following the arrest of these two people, to encourage anyone living locally who hasnt yet come forward to speak to police. He added: The publics assistance in this inquiry so far has been very helpful and were very grateful to everyone who has provided information or offered their assistance as we investigate this brutal and shocking crime. We think that there are still people out there with information that could prove crucial and Id urge those individuals to come forward. Officers urged anyone with information about the attack to call them on 101, quoting incident number 408 of October 1. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or email enquiries@southyorks.pnn.police.uk. Two 19-year-old men remain on police bail after being arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and burglary. LUSCIOUS lashes landed a Rotherham beautician a top three spot in an international make-up contest. Zoe Mizon (pictured), from Rawmarsh, impressed the judges in the online World Volume Lash Master competition. The 32-year-old mum of one was the joint second best-ranked UK entrant. She said: I am delighted with the result and I will be getting a ranked certificate to state I am third best lash master in the world this year which I feel is a massive accomplishment. I just cannot believe that I have been selected as one of the best in the world it hasnt yet sunk in. I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for all theire support and good wishes. Zoe, who works at the Beautylicious Salon in Rawmarsh, plans to begin passing on her skills by giving tuition later this year. GOVERNMENT funding of 1.5 million has been confirmed to help hundreds of redundant Tata steelworkers find work. Specific training and accreditation courses at FE colleges will be developed with the Skills Funding Agency. An additional 350,000 has been announced to support supply chain businesses hit by Tatas announcement of 720 job losses, including 490 in Rotherham. Rotherham Borough Council leader Cllr Chris Read said: In very difficult circumstances, this is welcome news from the Government, accepting the case we made for extra funding to support the training needs of people facing redundancy from Tata. In addition, I am writing to hundreds of companies involved in the supply chain to Tata, opening a conversation about what more can be done to help prevent the loss of more jobs as the knock-on consequences are felt in the wider economy. The Government is also considering a request from the Sheffield City Region for another 2.5 million in business support grants. UK Steel Enterprise the regeneration subsidiary of Tata has pledged 1.55 million for job creation. The SCR also has between 3 million and 4 million available from its existing Business Investment Fund for affected supply chain businesses. MP John Healey also welcomed news of the support, saying: The minister promised me she would turn round our bid for funding quickly, and I am pleased to hear the Government has agreed to part of our request and confirmed nearly 2 million. Now we need the remaining 2.5m to support businesses in the supply chain, and I will be pressing the minister to release that as soon as possible. We need to give our steel workers and our local economy all the help we can. In its 2015 state of the railroad report, released to employees on Jan. 4, 2015, Kansas City Southern (KCS) said the company will see many of the same challenges in 2016 that it faced in 2015, creating a "cautious" outlook for the year ahead. We expect continued volatility in oil and natural gas pricing, which means our energy business, just like our peers businesses, will again be difficult to predict, said KCS CEO David L. Starling and President Patrick J. Ottensmeyer. The strong U.S. dollar will make American exports more expensive and less attractive to other global producers, which may impact many of the products we move, such as steel and paper. Beyond these key indicators, there are various other factors that signal softness in the global industrial economy, but we must focus on making the best of market dynamics at hand. For these reasons, among others, we are cautious about our outlook for 2016. Despite these challenges, we will proceed with many of the planned strategic capital expenditures that will drive our longer-term growth in areas such as plastics, automotive and intermodal. However, we will need to be extremely thoughtful about the cost side of our business and must ensure we are using our financial and human resources assets wisely. As such, we will remain flexible and respond quickly to evolving circumstances in order to protect our profitability in the short term. Starling and Ottensmeyer added, however, that the company demonstrated resilience in 2015 in every aspect of its operations, finances and marketing, and is well positioned for future growth. That said, we operate in an industry that must consider both the long and short term timeframes and we can say with confidence that our long term future is bright. Just as in the past, we will get through this period of economic uncertainty and will make the appropriate strategic capital investments that will facilitate industry-leading growth when macro-economic dynamics shift in our favor. For the foreseeable future, however, we will need to continue to be nimble and resilient. KCS demonstrated its resiliency in 2015 and we should all be proud of our meaningful accomplishments. We will operate with this hallmark mentality through 2016 and we should be excited by the future prospects for our great company. This state of the railroad report provides an overview of KCS primary accomplishments in 2015 and the progress planned for 2016. Highlights include: Installation of 40,000 ties and 20 track-miles of rail between Beaumont, Texas and Dequincy, La., completing a three-year program for track upgrades over this rail segment. Installation of 132,000 ties on the line from Kansas City, Mo. to East St. Louis, Ill. Installation of 76,000 ties and five track-miles of rail in the areas of Artesia, Columbus and Aberdeen, Miss. Continued annual tie cycle programs on the Pittsburg subdivision from Kansas City, Mo. to Pittsburg, Kan.; Laredo subdivision from Laredo to Corpus Christi, Tex.; and New Orleans subdivision from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, La. Replaced 38 miles of curved rail and other priority rail areas across the system. Additionally, this past July, KCS opened a new, state-of-the-art intermodal terminal in Wylie, Tex., providing an annual lift capacity of 342,000 containers, 1,500 parking spaces, and 400 container stack spots. For the full breakdown of KCSs 2015 accomplishments in both its U.S. and Mexican operations, by division, click HERE. Canadian stocks were little changed Tuesday, unable to trim recent losses amid ongoing concerns about the domestic and global economic outlook. Low oil prices are hurting Canada and there are few signs of an imminent rally in commodities. Oversupplies of crude oil have offset escalating tensions between the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries' top producers Iran and Saudi Arabia. The S&P/TSX Composite Index was down 7 points, or 0.05 percent, to 12,920, near its lowest in two years. The Energy Index was up 0.6 percent as traders ound bargains among beaten down energy stocks, but weakness continued to emere among consumer product makers. Canadian Oil Sands Limited's (COSWF, COS.TO) shareholder Seymour Schulich sent a letter to shareholders, urging them to reject Suncor Energy Inc.'s (SU, SU.TO) hostile bid. Suncor added 0.34 percent. Meanwhile, a Shell-led joint venture obtained a key permit for an LNG facility in Kitimat, B.C. Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan (POT.TO) should acquire Intrepid Potash Inc. after failing in its bid last year for Germany's K+S AG, according to analysts at Bank of Nova Scotia who spoke to Bloomberg. Potash shares slipped 2.3 percent. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Market Analysis India has completed all formalities to procure 36 Dassault Rafale fighters for the Indian Air Force and all documents related to the government-to-government deal were delivered by New Delhi to Paris on the New Year's Eve, media reports said, citing official sources. The agreement is reportedly on the same lines as that for the Mirage 2000 aircraft signed in the early 1980s. IAF will buy all the Rafale aircraft from Dassault, the French aircraft builder and integrator, in a flyaway condition. The deal has to be signed during the upcoming visit of French President Francois Hollande for Republic Day celebrations in Delhi on January 26. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Cooper Tire & Rubber Company (CTB) announced that it has entered into an agreement to purchase a majority of China-based Qingdao Ge Rui Da Rubber Co., Ltd. or GRT. Cooper will own 65 percent of the entity, which will be renamed Cooper Qingdao Tire Co., Ltd. or CQT, for approximately 600 million RMB or $93 million including the acquisition and initial investments in the operation. The transaction is expected to close during the first half of 2016 pending certain permits and approvals by the Chinese government. CQT is expected to serve as a global source of truck and bus radial (TBR) tire production for Cooper including Roadmaster brand tires for the North American market as well as TBR tires for Asia and other . Passenger car radial (PCR) tires may also be manufactured at the facility in the future. It is estimated that at full capacity, CQT will be capable of producing approximately 2.5 million to 3 million TBR tires annually and nearly the same number of PCR tires within the existing one million-square-foot production facility, with room for further expansion at the location. Upon closing, CQT will join seven other tire manufacturing facilities in the Cooper family of companies with three U.S. plants in Findlay, Ohio; Texarkana, Arkansas and Tupelo, Mississippi, as well as facilities in Kunshan, China; Melksham, England; Krusevac, Serbia and a joint venture plant near Guadalajara, Mexico. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Apricus Biosciences, Inc. (APRI) reviewed its 2015 corporate progress and highlighted its plans for 2016. In 2015, the company Initiated and completed enrollment in its fispemifene Phase 2b clinical trial for the treatment of symptomatic male secondary hypogonadism. Vitaros monthly sales in Europe tracked on a 111,000 monthly unit run rate, which is expected to grow in both existing and new markets with additional launches throughout 2016 by the company's commercialization partners. Also in 2015, Apricus Biosciences completed and reported top-line data on the Phase 2a clinical trial of RayVa for Raynaud's phenomenon secondary to scleroderma, licensed the U.S. development and commercialization rights for Vitaros from Allergan plc, and expanded Vitaros partnerships to include parts of Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. Looking ahead to 2016, Apricus said it will continue to leverage Vitaros as a cash-generating asset through royalty and milestone payments as well as expanding the product's market reach. The company expects to obtain European approval for one or more variations to the approved Vitaros product with the goal of enhancing the profile of Vitaros. The company also expects to re-submit the New Drug Application for Vitaros' approval in the U.S. in the second half of 2016, complete the Phase 2b clinical trial and report top-line data for fispemifene in symptomatic secondary hypogonadism in the first quarter 2016, and initiate a Phase 2b at-home dosing clinical trial with RayVa in the second half of 2016. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Early signals are pointing to another rough session on Bay Street Wednesday, as crude oil prices collapsed near their lowest in more than a decade. Saudi Arabia slashed prices for European customers in a bid to hurt Iran, US WTI crude oil was down $1.12, or 3 percent, to 34.86 a barrel. Also, fears of weak demand from China have hurt most commodities and subsequently shares of Canadian resource producers have dropped sharply in recent months. The S&P/TSX Composite Index was down 7 points, or 0.05 percent, to 12,920 on Tuesday, near its lowest in two years. In corporate news, RBC (RY.TO) is set to raise mortgage rates, the Globe and Mail reports. Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. (VRX, VRX.TO) plans to appoint a new chief executive while its CEO, Michael Pearson, remains under hospital care, the Wall Street Journal reported. Online music source iHeartRadio has signed partnership with Bell Media (BCE.TO) for Canada. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Market Analysis Congressman Steve Israel, D-N.Y., a member of the House Democratic leadership, announced Tuesday he will not seek re-election this November. After nearly sixteen years in the House, Israel said he decided it is time to pursue new passions and develop new interests, including spending more time writing his second novel. "I considered this decision deeply, but ultimately, I want to be a team player and ensure that my district, which is the only competitive district in House Democratic Leadership, remains in the hands of Democrats when I leave," Israel said. "The 2016 presidential turnout will help assure that," he added. "We've fought too hard for everyday Americans and against special interests to risk it." Israel served two terms as Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee before assuming his current role as Chairman of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee. The congressman said he is proudest of the work he's done to help New York's veterans and military families, securing $8.3 million in backpay. In a statement, President Barack Obama praised Israel's efforts to expand economic opportunity, deliver on America's promise of equality, honor its commitments to veterans, and protect communities from gun violence. "As a leader of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Steve fought to advance our shared values and to build a future where every American who works hard can get ahead," Obama said. He added, "I'm grateful for Steve's service, and I look forward to working with him throughout the remainder of his term." Israel's announcement comes on the heels of news that longtime Democratic Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., will also not run for another term. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Political News American teenagers now prefer to smoke electronic cigarettes over traditional cigarettes, and officials complain that e-cigarette ads are luring them into it. "The same advertising tactics the tobacco industry used years ago to get kids addicted to nicotine are now being used to entice a new generation of young people to use e-cigarettes," CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden said. Many e-cigarette ads include themes like sex & rebellion which may be enticing to youth who are exposed to marketing https://t.co/FAkuLGrRmZ CDC (@CDCgov) January 6, 2016 About 69 percent of middle and high school students were exposed to e-cigarette advertisements in retail stores, on the Internet, in magazines/newspapers, or on TV/movies, the CDC says. E-cigarettes companies increased their spending on ads from $6.4 million in 2011 to $115 million in 2014, researchers say. During the time, e-cigarette use in the past 30 days increased from less than 1% to almost 4% among middle school students and from less than 2% to 13% among high school students. Remember, peer pressure and slick marketing work on kids. You aren't cool unless you pee your pants. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com More Science This Week Stories Following North Korea's claim that it has successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., blamed President Barack Obama's foreign policy for allowing an escalation of the communist nation's nuclear weapons program. Rubio, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, noted he's been warning about the danger of Obama's policy toward North Korea and other rogue nations on the campaign trail for months. "I have been warning throughout this campaign that North Korea is run by a lunatic who has been expanding his nuclear arsenal while President Obama has stood idly by," Rubio said in a statement Tuesday night. He added, "If this test is confirmed, it will be just the latest example of the failed Obama-Clinton foreign policy." Rubio claimed America's enemies are taking advantage of Obama's weakness and said the country needs new leadership that will stand up to people like North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. During his bid for the GOP presidential nomination, Rubio has repeatedly called for a more aggressive U.S. foreign policy. Other Republican candidates also attacked the Obama administration over North Korea's alleged hydrogen bomb test. The candidates took the opportunity to slam Obama as well as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. In a post on Twitter, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said the alleged test shows the "danger of continuing feckless Obama/Clinton foreign policy." (Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore) For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Political News Australia will on Thursday release November numbers for imports, exports and trade balance, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. The trade deficit is called at A$2.970 billion, up from the A$3.305 billion shortfall in October. Imports were worth A$29.90 billion in the previous month and exports were at A$26.59 billion. Australia also will see November figures for building approvals, with forecasts suggesting a decline of 3.0 percent on month and an increase of 3.9 percent on year. That follows the 3.9 percent monthly increase and the 12.3 percent yearly spike in October. Malaysia will provide November figures for imports, exports and trade balance. The trade surplus is called at 12.0 billion ringgit, down from 12.16 billion in October. Imports are expected to surge 12.0 percent on year after easing 0.4 percent in the previous month. Exports are also called higher by 12.0 percent following the 16.7 percent jump a month earlier. Thailand will see December results for its consumer confidence ( ); in November, the index score was 74.6. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com . . Army, popular committees control Kolat Al-Salah area in Mareb MAREB, Jan. 05 (Saba) The army troops backed by the popular committees managed to purge Kolat Al-Salah area of the mercenaries in Mareb province, a military official said on Tuesday. The official explained that the army forces controlled Kolat Al-Salah area east of al-Jawf crossroads in al-Jadaan after violent battles left a number of dead and wounded among the aggression hirelings. He pointed out that the army and popular committees repulsed the mercenaries attempt to advance on the range of hills overlooking Kufal camp and destroyed a number of their military vehicles. The army and popular committees targeted a gathering of the mercenaries in Kufal camp with Katyusha rockets, killing and wounding dozens of them, the official added. BA Saba Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp Telegram Telegram Email Email Print Print [05/January/2016] Saudi-led coalition intensifies strikes in Sanaa SANAA, Jan. 06 (Saba) The Saudi-led coalition on Wednesday intensified its bombardment on the capital Sanaa, targeting several areas in Al-Sabeen district. A security official told Saba that the hostile warplanes targeted al-Nahdain area and the Presidential Palace with more than 15 missiles and high-explosive bombs. The bombardment in Al-Sabeen caused damage to a number of houses and residential buildings in the nearby neighborhoods, the official added. On Tuesday evening, the aggression war jets bombed al-Nahdain area in Al-Sabeen district and Wadi Ahmed area and the airport in Bani al-Harith district, which resulted in damage to the citizens houses and nearby residential buildings. BA Saba Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp Telegram Telegram Email Email Print Print [06/January/2016] More raw footage of the New Years Eve goings-on in Koln, Germany. A voice off-camera asks the guy recording it if hes ever seen anything like this before, and he replies that he cant say; hes waiting to see what 2016 brings (at around the 1:20 mark). You can clearly see a lot of unsafe handling of fireworks in a very crowded public square, and explosions going off perilously close to the glass front of the train station, as well as the face of the landmark cathedral across the way. You can also see that the crowd is mostly male, and very loose-knit, in groups of maybe half a dozen or so just milling about. (Seems that young men have a higher tolerance for this kind of jackassery than just about anyone else.) At around the 3:30 mark, an off-camera voice says Schweinerei in Koln piggery in Koln. Meanwhile, a police cruiser slowly circles but doesnt pick anyone up. More fireworks, more shots of cop cars and paddywagons; then, around the 4:45 mark, a brief snatch of a male voice speaking Arabic. Its followed by a blurry shot of some little kids lighting Roman candles. Lots more bangs, booms and flashes follow; its hard to make out whats going on. Most of the people, in the foreground anyway, appear to be moving. In the back, some knots of others mostly male are just hanging around. Around the 6:30 mark, the camera zooms in on a backpack lying unattended on the ground while some police in bulletproof vests (but with helmets off) cluster nearby, then inspect it, possibly for explosives. When a paddywagon starts circling the area, some of the revelers start walking slowly. But in the background, you can still hear lots of fireworks going off. One thing you cant see is anyone groping anyone, let alone whos doing it to whom. Maybe the angle was all wrong? In any case, police are using videos like these to try to identify possible perpetrators, and are asking for the publics help. Meanwhile, whats being done to prevent further criminality and brawling sounds neither adequate nor reassuring, particularly since it manages to come off both sexist AND racist: With a catalogue of rules of conduct and a new rule that even major celebrations without an official organizer must have security measures in place, the police and the mayor of Koln, Henriette Reker, want to prevent assaults like those of New Years Eve from becoming regular occurrences. It is important to prevent such cases from ever happening again, said Reker on Tuesday after a crisis meeting with investigators. In the meantime, we have heard that its happened in other cities, too. Naturally, that doesnt comfort us, Reker added. Among others, Hamburg has had to deal with similar excesses. In future, large events must be regarded differently, the crisis committee said. For that, they want to take preventive measures that are to take effect in the coming Carnival festivities. Among them, rules of conduct for young women and girls, so that such things dont happen to them, says Reker, referring to the sexual assaults on New Years Eve. There is already a code of conduct, which will now be published and soon downloadable online. Among the rules will be to keep an arms length between oneself and strangers, to stay in ones own group, and not become separated from it, to ask for help from bystanders in case of emergency, and to become involved as a witness, or to inform police. There will also be rules for carnival-goers from other cultural circles, so that no one will get mixed up as to what is festive behavior in Koln and what has nothing to do with openness, in particular sexual openness. Whether such incidents can be ruled out through such regulations is a big question, however, they said. Translation mine. From other cultural circles has got to be the cutest no-Im-not-racist-but-really-I-am bit of euphemistic sophistry Ive seen in a while. And how about that arms-length rule for the ladies? Yeah, Im sure theyll have no trouble enforcing that! After all, hasnt it been our feminine duty to police the sexual (mis)conduct of males since forever? And hey, it saves the cops having to step in and uncomfortably set aside their own sexist training and upbringing, too! The article goes on to note that video surveillance is also on the agenda, which I guess is whats meant by that vague talk about a security concept for unorganized large-scale celebrations. On the surface of it, that doesnt sound so bad. Look for it to be promptly abused when legitimate and peaceful protests go down, though. Meanwhile, no word from the police chief, Wolfgang Albers, as to the identities of any of the perpetrators. My hunch is that they cant possibly ALL be Middle Eastern, or refugees. White men, and Germans are no exception, are every bit as capable of violence and opportunism when theres a big, disorderly crowd to give them cover. Throw a little alcohol and some ill-aimed fireworks into the mix, and youve got sexual terror just waiting to happen. The timidity of the police in the face of it all has got to be pretty damn emboldening, too. Meanwhile, a German blogger has a useful reality check for media and authorities alike: 1. When, in Koln, of a group of around a thousand men, about 100 men commit crimes, the correct headline is not Koln: Thousand men attack women. 2. When the police tell the local prosecutor, All signs to date clearly indicate repeat offenders known to police, and they have nothing to do with refugees, then the word refugees also doesnt belong in a correct headline. 3. Really it doesnt. 4. Even when headlines in which such words as a thousand men, refugees, and molested women come up promise to get a lot of clicks. 5. Journalism has nothing to do with clicks, but with facts. 6. Pro-tip: Facts are whatever is firmly proven. 7. There is no correct headline with false facts. 8. So cut that out. 9. We dont like to say it, but wrong headlines like those of the 1000 refugees, who molested the women of Koln, make us not very inclined to care about rescuing journalism. 10. Once spread, headlines cant be unwritten. The impression that 1000 refugees in Koln molested women is what remains. Forever, no matter how many explanatory articles are being pushed after it now. 11. Cant you just hear PEGIDA, the AFD, and so on and so forth, laughing at how nicely the lie-press does their business for them? 12. We Princess Reporters, the last bastion against the hordes of Darkness, will be spending today sighing. Translation, again, mine. So yeah. Sensationalism in the media, as well as incompetence and stupidity on the part of authorities? Not a good look. And fascists like those of the AFD and PEGIDA are the only ones whom it will benefit in the long run. Also, the antifascist site, Netz Gegen Nazis, has its own theory as to the criminal motivations of these repeat offenders known to police and it happens to coincide with something the police also said (which I translated in my previous entry): On New Years Eve in Koln, according to current reports, it came to various sexual assaults with the goal of robbing women, who were on their way around the main train station. In the first press reports there was talk about 1,000 men, some of whom perpetrated crimes but it was just a big New Years Eve bash in front of the Cathedral. In the meantime, the police are looking at several hundred suspects, who were acting on motives of thievery and went about it in a targeted and strategic manner, as the police reported: The victims happened to be around the Cathedral during the New Years celebrations, and in front of the train station, when several men surrounded them. The size of the perpetrator-groups varied from two or three to up to 20 persons, of North African appearance according to eyewitnesses. The suspects used targeted groping of women to distract from the actual crime: Theft of valuables. Particularly wallets and mobile phones were taken. In some cases the men just kept going and touched women, most of them coming in from elsewhere, inappropriately. This criminal method is called the dancing up trick. Unlike what early press reports suggested, it has nothing to do with disinhibited men, or refugees, or Muslims, but to repeat offenders, known to police, with clear criminal motivations that also extended to massive sexual assaults. After New Years Eve, around 30 crimes had been denounced. Meanwhile, there are now around 90, among them 15 sexual assaults and one rape. Again, translation mine. A few paragraphs later, they go on to cite a pertinent tweet by Anne Roth: People who only care about protecting women when we get attacked by foreigners are racists. Whether in Koln or Kabul. Exactly. You cannot fight sexism with racism. Both tend to crop up in the same people, and both stem from the same slimy place. Both have to be tackled together, or nothing of worth gets accomplished. Bear that in mind the next time you hear right-wing bullshit about refugees, okay? A first-of-its-kind journey along India and Pakistan border What binds the two most talked about nations - India and Pakistan together? What makes the I give my consent to Sakshi Post to be in touch with me via email for the purpose of event marketing and corporate communications. Privacy Policy SNc Channels: Search About Salem-News.com Jan-06-2016 00:24 TweetFollow @OregonNews Barzani Suggests Turkey Chooses New Path for Oil Barzani, a prominent Kurdish politician, abruptly visited Turkey in recent days, Alwaie News reported. Photo courtesy: tr.hawarnews.com (ANKARA) - Barzani's trip at these critical moments raised many questions since Kurds have always been considered one of the main enemies of the Turkish government. In this regard, a Turkish journalist spoke on condition of anonymity due to security reasons with a Alwaie News correspondent in Ankara and said: "Moscow and Ankara's relations (are) strained after Turkish fighter jets had shot down a Russian Su-24 bomber. "After downing (the) Russian craft, Turkish authorities were extremely concerned about the future of their country, especially when Kremlin Authorities started to react " He went on to say: "At this time Barzani seized the opportunity. He travelled to Turkey and asked Turkish officials to increase relationships between Turkey and Iraqi Kurdish Region. "In fact, Barzani promised the Turkish authorities that in return to some concessions he will provide some of which Turkey needs and they were imposed sanctions or threatened by Russia." The Turkish journalist also said: "Since Barzani knows that the Russians have been informed about oil transportation routes by ISIS to Turkey, he suggested Turkish authorities to choose a new path that goes from Iraqi Kurdistan which is comparatively safe and inaccessible for the Russians." In this meeting, Erdogan asked Barzani to suppress the PKK (Kurdish People's Party) and to get tough on Kurds in Turkey. He also tried to seek Barzani's support due to growing differences with Kurdish leaders in Turkey. _________________________________________ Foreign-affairs | Human-rights | Military | Business | Most Commented on Articles for January 5, 2016 | Articles for January 6, 2016 | Articles for January 7, 2016 Tiny house being built in Salina to help homeless people in Missouri For the fifth year and second in Salina, a local group is partnering with Tiny House Ministries to help homeless people in Missouri. 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Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe The Marinwood CSD did not want to share it with the public. As a continuing public service, we will post videos of our local CSD meetings... Brisbane, Australia -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/05/2016 -- Coffee and Love are two words often found in the same sentence, but rarely would you find it like this. In 2006 a young Australian boy packed his bag and travelled to Europe for an end of University holiday. Little did he know that a chance stopover in Sicily, Italy would have him eventually marry the girl of his dreams and bring Sicily's favourite coffee, Bellcaffe, into boutique Australian cafes and coffee connoisseurs' cups. "A friend of mine suggested I visit his family hometown in Sicily while I travelled through Europe. So I did, I set aside 5 days out of my 6 week holiday to explore Sicily. It was there at one of his relatives homes tasting sweets and coffee where a meeting with one of his cousins Luisa Giurdanella changed everything" says Matthew Murray. "It was a very special moment". The real challenge though was the language "I could not speak any Italian and she could speak only a few words in English, but I knew deep down I had to get to know this girl" The two stayed in contact via telephone and where possible skype for seven years. This long distance relationship was unique from many others with not just the time but the distance. Over 8.804 miles (14.168 km) came between the two lovers. This was only overcome by Matthew visiting Luisa five (5) times during that period. A 28 hour one-way journey (consisting of 3 different planes and one bus). Matthew slowly learned basic Italian and found it very difficult to converse with Luisa's Family. "In the early days it was quite difficult, I couldn't hold a conversation especially with her family. I remember eating at Luisa's house for a family dinner and family lunches and all I could say was hello, how are you?, good afternoon, good night etc.. So I shut up and just at the food which was delicious. I think I fell in love not just with Luisa but also the Italian cuisine" The long-distance relationship for seven (7) years was not always smooth sailing, there was a few difficult periods where the relationship was tested. "Being so far apart for so long was difficult however the 'language barrier' amplified everything. When we did briefly see each other it only made the time together that much more special and sweeter. But after being so happy with Luisa for that short period of time the hardest thing for me was making that lonely long journey back to Australia. That was the worst part and the months after." On the back of a very difficult period in 2012 Matthew travelled the long journey alone from Australia to Modica, Sicily to surprise Luisa only a few days before her sister's wedding. Luckily it turned out well for Matthew and he successfully proposed to Luisa and some will say that the rest is history. The couple married in St Peters Church (San Pietro) Modica Bassa on 25th September 2013. Even the marriage ceremony was unique, the couple had two priests present at the ceremony, one speaking Italian and one speaking English. But it was not just the women of Italy Matthew wanted to take back to Australia. It was the Espresso coffee, Bellcaffe Italia, a local coffee manufacturer (less than 4kms from Luisa's house) caught the young Australians palate. "In Australia I could never tolerate a short black coffee, it would be sour or bitter, I come here to Italy and I have it every morning with my breakfast and I love it, I said to myself that I had to bring this coffee back with me and share it with Australia!" The couple now reside in Brisbane, Australia and are planning a family and growing their coffee business. For more information on trying the Italian espresso coffee visit: www.matteocoffee.com.au About Matteo coffee Matteo coffee distributes gourmet Italian espresso coffee in Australia. The difference between Italian espresso is that it is aged and has a more refined taste than Australian roasted coffee. MEDIA CONTACT: (Mroad Pty Ltd) Matt: 0417782056 Email: sales@matteocoffee.com.au www.matteocoffee.com.au New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/06/2016 -- Bit error rate (BER) is the number of bit errors per unit time or bit error ratio is defined as the ratio of total number of bits transferred over a communication medium to the total number of bit errors at the recipient side. Bit Error Rate (BER) testers are the systems used to detect the BER over any communication link as radio link, optical fiber, copper cable or others. When the data is transmitted from one place to another over a communication medium, there is a chances of error get introduced within the information data, especially because of the noisy environment of the medium over which information is transmitted. In short it is used to test the quality of link or the medium of communication, if there is less bit error rate which indicates good quality of system. Request Full Brochure of this report: http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/8389 Traditionally, bit error rate was associated only with radio links for communication, later bit error rate or bit error testing is applicable on other system also as Ethernet links, fiber optics links and other types of link system. Bit error tester doesn't only test the performance of links/medium but it tests the performance of whole system including transmitter receivers and the link between them. The key trend of Bit Error Rate (BER) tester market is the demand of Bit Error Rate (BER) tester because of compliance testing and validation of 40GbE & 100GbE networks will increase. The key growth drivers of Bit Error Rate (BER) tester market are increased demand of modular BERTs, increased growth of digital interfaces in global market, new and advanced emerging standards like 40 gig & 100gig are also the factors supporting the growth of global Bit Error Rate (BER) tester market. On the other hand lower education level in emerging regions, lower awareness of end user about Bit Error Rate (BER) tester's applications & also the competition for standalone BERTs are the key restraints for Bit Error Rate (BER) tester market. Segmentation of Bit Error Rate (BER) tester market is done on the basis of product type, end user, applications & Geography. On the basis of product type, global Bit Error Rate (BER) tester market is segmented into two segments, traditional Bit Error Rate (BER) tester (BERT) or unframed BERT & other one is functional Bit Error Rate (BER) tester (BERT) or framed BERT. Functional Bit Error Rate (BER) tester is expected to witness higher growth rate owing to its high usage in maintenance and installation of network applications. On the basis of end user, global Bit Error Rate (BER) tester market is segmented into following segments; service providers, component system manufacturers (C&SM), enterprises & others (government contractors and contract manufacturing companies). On the basis of applications, global Bit Error Rate (BER) tester market is segmented into following three segments; installation and maintenance, research and development & manufacturing. Geographically, Bit Error Rate (BER) tester market is segmented into seven regions which are ; North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Japan, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), and Middle East and Africa (MEA). Among all the seven region Asia Pacific is the highest contributor in term of revenue in global Bit Error Rate (BER) tester market, and is expected to maintain leadership during forecasting period as well in market of Bit Error Rate (BER) tester across the globe. Request Full TOC: http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/8389 The key players of global Bit Error Rate (BER) tester market are Agilent Technologies Inc., JDS Uniphase Corporation, Anritsu Corporation, Centellax Inc., SHF Communication Technologies AG, Luceo Technologies GmbH & others. Key points covered in the report 1) Report segments the market on the basis of types, application, products, technology, etc (as applicable) 2) The report covers geographic segmentation North America Europe Asia RoW 3) The report provides the market size and forecast for the different segments and geographies for the period of 2010 to 2020 4) The report provides company profiles of some of the leading companies operating in the market 5) The report also provides porters five forces analysis of the market.- About Persistence Market Research (PMR) Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients' business needs. PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients' business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMR's engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values. Greenville, SC -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/06/2016 -- Whether it's a criminal trial or a civil litigation matter, having quality legal representation is key in any case. Not only will an attorney use their knowledge of the law to fight for their client's rights, but they'll also thoroughly educate their client on what they need to know about the legal process. Consequently, having help from an attorney can significantly increase a person's chance of getting a favorable outcome. It is with this in mind that De Bruin Law Firm is announcing the launch of their new website. The purpose of this new site is to educate South Carolina citizens about the laws surrounding estate planning, criminal defense, criminal domestic violence, drug defense, real estate and business matters. The site will have information, articles, and videos related to these types of cases as well as other areas. Aaron De Bruin, one of the experienced attorneys at the helm of the firm, stated "Our mission is to take care of our clients in the best possible way. We realize that one of the most important things we can do for them is to educate them on how to handle the circumstances that pertain to their case. That is exactly what our new website aims to do. The information they will find there covers all areas of the law in which we practice, which includes a myriad of things from business to real estate to criminal law." As De Bruin continues, "We realize that the legal arena can quickly become overwhelming and confusing. We believe that this new website will help clarify some important information for our clients. We want to help them understand the legal options they have and encourage them to pursue what is rightfully theirs with the help of a qualified attorney. We're bringing all of our knowledge and experience to the table for the sake of our clients in an effort to help them win." Whether we're dealing with a domestic violence case or helping a family with an estate planning issue, we want to make sure we're there for our clients every step of the way. The new De Bruin Law Firm website will be one way that we can continue to assist the people of Greenville around the clock." Visit debruinlawfirm.com to learn more about De Bruin Law Firm and see what their new website has to offer. About De Bruin Law Firm The De Bruin Law Firm is a full-service law firm dedicated to serving its clients in a multitude of legal issues. The experienced De Bruin Law Firm team is dedicated to creating a firm that can offer a wide variety of legal insight to its clients. With Gary De Bruin's twenty-plus years of experience in corporate law, employment law, business planning and business transactions, Aaron De Bruin's litigation experience as a former prosecutor, and Bryan De Bruin's experience in real estate and business transactions with a hands-on customer service approach to every real property and refinance closing he does, clients of the firm are provided with an extensive range of legal services in areas of Business Law, Estate Planning, and Criminal Defense. Teton Village, WY -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/06/2016 -- The New York Times January 1, 2016 expose details how CDC officials retracted warnings about cell phone radiation based on information retrieved as a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. As a public service, Environmental Health Trust (EHT) is posting, obtained as part of the FOIA request, detailing how the cell phone industry directed changes in the CDC website content. These documents detail how information on the risk to children's health was deleted, information on cell towers never saw the light of day and a scientist well known for affiliations with the wireless industry came on as a consultant to the CDC. At the behest of the CDC's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's then-director Christopher Portier, PhD, the agency began a three-year systematic review of the health risks of cell phone radiation in order to incorporate scientific information from the 2011 determination by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer that cell phone and other wireless radiation is a "possible human carcinogen." CDC composed new text for its fact sheet on cell phones and health in order to incorporate new research. The New York Times expose did not include these key points gleaned from the internal documents: 1. INDUSTRY FUNDED RESEARCHER STARTED CONSULTING TO THE CDC: In June 2014, the CDC posted on its website specific advice to reduce exposures, especially regarding children. Immediately after the CDC posted these cautionary warnings related to cell phone radiation, the CDC hired as a scientific consultant Kenneth Foster, PhD, a researcher whose work is often funded by the wireless industry. According to the internal documents, on June 11th a CDC official states in an email that Dr. Kenneth Foster is a "SME (subject matter expert) we now have on board and...If we want to develop any new fact sheets on non-ionizing radiation matters, his scope of work covers that as well and he can quickly draft them for us." CDC officials then discuss engaging Foster to review the new cell phone fact sheet (page 254 of the internal emails). Why should we be concerned that Kenneth Foster is lending expertise to the CDC? Foster has a long history of close ties with industrypublishing multiple industry funded articles that seem to conclude there is little risk from cell phone and other wireless radiation. For example, a widely publicized review by Foster with CK Chou was funded by the Mobile Manufacturers Forum and concluded that the radiation dose to a child's brain from cell phone use does not differ from adults. However, a recent new paper published in the IEEE exposes glaring inconsistencies and systematic errors in Foster and Chou's review. EHT Senior Medical Advisor Robert Morris, MD PhD, and expert co-authors, document, "what appears to be a deliberate distortion of the science and a boldfaced effort to downplay potential risks to children using mobile devices," and take the unusual step of calling for the Foster and Chou paper to be withdrawn from publication. Foster also published several other often cited reviews of research on the health risks of wireless systems, funded by the Wireless Alliance, that minimize the research showing health risks to children. Strangely absent from the FOIA response is any record of direct communications between Foster and CDC staff as they worked together on non-ionizing radiation website content, although the documents specifically references that such communications were initiated. The end result was a change in advice, and a deletion of information that effectively removed any foundation for concerns. 2. THE CDC DECIDED AGAINST SHARING INFORMATION ON THE RISKS OF CELL TOWERS NEAR SCHOOLS AND HOMES: In emails written in 2014, CDC officials contemplated adding content about cell towers that never made it to the agency website. The agency noted, "Similar to cell phones the data appear to be contradictory but this is where CDC could be of service to clarify the research." A CDC official describes how people were trying to stop a cell tower up on top of a local elementary school and "people had signs in their yards protesting the tower because of radiation concerns. So it's definitely information people are looking for" (page 94 of internal documents). EHT notes that information on cell tower research was never added to the CDC site. And finally: What lay behind the successive watering down of CDC information on the risk to children from cell phone radiation? 3. INFORMATION ON THE RISK TO CHILDREN IS REMOVED PIECE BY PIECE: On August 18, 2014, the bulk of sentences cautioning the public of the greater risk to children from phone radiation were removed becauseaccording to what CDC officials state in the emails"We thought the struck language was hard to understand." (page 397 of internal documents). In fact, according to the internal documents, this precautionary wording was developed by considering the precautionary stance of other governments and expert groups (page 142 of the internal documents). Some recent precautionary advisories from government officials include these from France, Israel, Cyprus, Belgium, and Germany. Please take a look at the re: wording about children's health that was deleted from the CDC website in the language below: "Do cell phones cause health problems in children. It's too soon to know for sure. Children who use cell phones and continue to use them as they get older are likely to be around RF for many years. If RF does cause health problems, kids who use cell phones may have a higher chance of developing these health problems in the future." Currently, there is no longer a statement about children anywhere on the webpage. It is unknown at what date this text was deleted but was sometime after August 20, 2014. See below the information that was deleted about "caution in" cell phone use. "Can using a cell phone cause cancer? There is no scientific evidence that provides a definite answer to that question. Along with many organizations worldwide, we recommend caution. More research is needed before we know for sure if using cell phones causes cancer." "The rejection of WHO/IARC and then-CDC agency chief Dr. Portier's advice to reduce exposures to cell phone radiation reveals a stunning disregard of science at the CDC. These internal documents show that the CDC retracted simple precautionary advice already being provided to citizens of governments in Israel, Cyprus, France and Belgium. Why are US agencies witholding this information from the public? Why was an industry-supported scientist brought on to consult with the CDC?" stated Devra Davis PhD MPH of the Environmental Health Trust. SEE IT FOR YOURSELF OLD Factsheet Pre-June 2014: Read the pre-June 2014 CDC Cell Phone Fact Sheet http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/radiation/factsheets/224613_faq_cell-phones-and-your-health.pdf PRECAUTIONARY Fact Sheet: June to August 2014: Read the CDC Fact Sheet put up from June through August 2014, here at the Microwave News site: http://microwavenews.com/sites/default/files/docs/CDC.NCEH_.CellPhoneFAQ.6.2014.pdf CURRENT NON PRECAUTIONARY Fact Sheet Post-August 2014: Read the current CDC Fact Sheet, here on CDC's webpage. http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/radiation/cell_phones._FAQ.html READ THE INTERNAL DOCUMENTS HERE https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_kxgDa6MzAcLUZaaTdfNjd0Tms/view?usp=sharing The New York Times Expose: CDC's Retraction of Warnings about Cell Phone Radiation http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/02/technology/at-cdc-a-debate-behind-recommendations-on-cellphone-risk.html?_r=0 MISSING EMAILS WILL LIKELY DETAIL FURTHER INDUSTRY INFLUENCE EHT has more information related to missing emails referenced in the internal documents which will be shared in a follow up post. About Environmental Health Trust Environmental Health Trust (EHT) educates individuals, health professionals and communities about controllable environmental health risks and policy changes needed to reduce those risks. Currently, EHT is raising awareness on how to reduce exposure to cell phone and wireless radiation. The Environmental Health Trust maintains a regularly updated database of worldwide precautionary policies detailing how countries are taking action to protect public health and features lectures of EHT experts. Please visit http://www.EHtrust.org and on Facebook. Deerfield Beach, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/06/2016 -- Zion Research has published a new report titled "Polyester Fiber Market (Solid and Hollow) for Carpet & Rugs, Nonwoven Fabrics, Fiberfill and Other Applications: Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis, and Forecast, 2014 2020." According to the report, global demand for polyester fibers was valued at USD 73.5 billion in 2014 and is expected to cross USD 115.0 billion in 2020, growing at a CAGR of slightly over 5% between 2015 and 2020. In terms of volume, the global polyester fiber market stood at 42 million tons in 2014. Polyester fibers are derived polymers. They are specially derived from the chemicals like napolyethylene terephthalate (PET) and monoethylene glycol. The nonwoven bonded fabrics provide frequent folding property to the product. The polyester fiber provides the features like good elasticity, wear and tear property, low humidity absorption, creases free, quick drying, abrasion free, and water resistance and low humidity absorption capability. Browse the full "Polyester Fiber Market for Carpet & Rugs, Nonwoven Fabrics, Fiberfill and Other Applications: Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis, and Forecast, 2014 2020" report at http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/polyester-fiber-market-for-carpet-z37560 Polyester fiber market on the basis of product is segmented as solid polyester fiber and hollow polyester fiber. The solid polyester fiber dominated the market and accounted for around 80% shares in total volume consumption in 2014. The polyester fiber market is mainly driven by rising demand for solid fibers. Owing to its unique characteristics, solid polyester fiber has been emerged as a potential substitute for traditional fibers such as cotton and nylon and expected to grow the market size for the years to come. The polyester fiber on the basis of the application is segmented as carpets and rugs, nonwoven fabrics, fiberfill and others. Rising disposable incomes in addition to dynamic lifestyles is expected to drive the growth of home furnishings market. Thus, the carpets and rugs are accounted for a notable share of the home furnishings market. The rapid growth is expected in this application segment due to the growth of building and construction industry. In addition, the consumers focus on enhancing interiors, particularly in business and company environments, is probably going to boost the demand for wall-to-wall carpets and successively the polyester fiber market. Get Sample research Report at http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/polyester-fiber-market-for-carpet-z37560#RequestSample Polyester fiber market is growing across different regions like North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. Asia Pacific dominated the global polyester fiber market in terms of volume as well as revenue. It accounted for around 80% in total volume consumption and revenue generated in 2014. Strong demand for polyester fiber from emerging economies such as China, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc. is expected to further trigger the growth of this industry in the region. North America, Latin America, Europe accounted for small share of the global polyester fiber market. The key manufactures profiled within the report include Alpek S.A.B de C.V, Indorama Ventures Public Company Ltd., Sinopec Yizheng Chemical Fiber Company Ltd., Far Eastern New Century Corporation, Jiangsu Sanfangxiang group, Reliance Industries limited, Mossi Ghisolfi group, Tongkun group, Nan Ya Plastics Corporation, Zhejiang Hengyi group Co. Ltd., and Zhejiang Hengsheng Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd. Polyester Fiber Market Product Segment Analysis Solid Hollow Polyester Fiber Market - Application Segment Analysis Carpets & rugs Nonwoven fabrics Fiberfill Others (Apparel, home textiles, industrial, etc.) Polyester Fiber Market - Regional Segment Analysis North America U.S. Europe Germany UK France Asia Pacific China Japan India Latin America Brazil About Market Research Store Market Research Store is a market intelligence company providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. Market Research Store experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants uses proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge. Each Market Research Store syndicated research report covers a different sector such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food and beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports strive to serve the overall research requirement of clients. Contact US Joel John 3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138 Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442 United States Toll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA) Tel: +1-386-310-3803 Email: sales@marketresearchstore.com Website: http://www.marketresearchstore.com Blog: http://mrsreports.blogspot.com/ Just Published: "Offshore Crane Market - Global Forecast to 2020" Fast Market Research announces the availability of the new Markets and Markets report, "Offshore Crane Market - Global Forecast to 2020", on their comprehensive research portal Pune, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/06/2016 -- Browse 75 market data Tables and 68 Figures spread through 113 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Radioimmunoassay Market" http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/radioimmunoassay-market-172815697.html Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report. The technique of radioimmunoassay is basically used to measure the concentration of specific antigens by using specific antibodies. This technique is mainly used for research purposes rather than diagnostics purposes. This market constituted 2.3% share of the global immunoassay market. Radioimmunoassay has applications in the field of clinical diagnostics, and is used in hospitals, contract research organizations (CRO), laboratories, pharmaceutical companies, and others. It is used for the early detection and diagnosis of cancer, recognition of endocrinological disorders, and various other applications. Pharmaceuticals companies use the RIA techniques for medicine and drug testing. Radioimmunoassay also has its application in the research purposes, and this segment contributed a share of 65.9% to the overall market in 2014. Talk to Our Research Analysts for More Info@ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalyst.asp?id=172815697 Over the years, there has been a significant growth in the utilization of radioimmunoassay technique in Europe owing to the advancements in medical research, clinical trials, and pharmaceutical industries. Over the next five years, the growth in the Asian radioimmunoassay market is expected to be centered in China, India, and Japan. The European radio immunoassay market contributed the largest share in the global market, and was valued at $121.5 million in 2014. It is projected to reach $154.6 million by 2020, at a CAGR of 3.9% during the given forecast period. The limitations of the global RIA market are its high cost; government restrictions; and continuous innovations in the biomedical research for other immunoassay techniques, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Major companies operational in the radioimmunoassay market are DIAsource ImmunoAssays SA (Europe), Immunotec Inc. (Canada), and DIAsource ImmunoAssay S.A.(Europe). Some of the major players in the global radioimmunoassay market are DIAsource ImmunoAssays SA (Belgium), Beckman Coulter, Inc. (U.S.), IBL International (A Tecan Company) (Germany), PerkinElmer, Inc. (U.S.), DRG International, Inc. (U.S.), MP Biomedicals, LLC (U.S.), Cisbio (France), Euro Diagnostica AB (Sweden), DiaSorin S.p.A.. (Italy), EMD Millipore (U.S.), Izotop (Hungary), Berthold Technologies GmbH & Co. KG (Germany), and Stratec Biomedical AG (Germany). Get The Sample Copy Of This Report: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsample.asp?id=172815697 The research study is aimed at identifying emerging trends and opportunities in the global radioimmunoassay market along with detailed classifications, in terms of revenue. It provides comprehensive competitive landscape and identifies the key players with respect to market size and market share. The research study also includes a detailed segmentation of the global radioimmunoassay (RIA) market on the basis of type, application, end user, and geography. Apart from the market segmentation, this report also makes use of the Porter's Five Forces Analysis, which provides an in-depth analysis of the market by providing a detailed process flow diagram and market dynamics, such as drivers, restraints, and opportunities in the global radioimmunoassay market. About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets is world's No. 2 firm in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. M&M's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical infographics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers. We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository. Subscribe Reports from Healthcare Domain @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Subscription.html Contact: Mr. Rohan Unit No. 802, 8th Floor, Tower - 7, Magarpatta City SEZ, Hadapsar, Pune 411013, Maharashtra, India Tel: 888-6006-441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Visit MarketsandMarkets Blog @ http://mnmblog.org/market-research/healthcare/medical-devices Connect with us on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsandmarkets Cases of scientific malpractice in Brazil increased significantly between 2009 and 2012, according to a study looking at article retraction in scientific journals. The study, published in Science and Engineering Ethics, says that this could threaten the countrys growing popularity as a research partner. The paper looked at retracted research articles in two major Latin American and Caribbean databases: the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) and the Latin American and Caribbean Center on Health Sciences Information (LILACS). Out of 2,000 articles from around the world published in the databases between 2009 and 2014, 31 were later pulled back, including 25 articles from Brazil, the researchers found. Editors and publications should focus on developing policies to handle retractions of scientific papers and speed up the creation of means to punish scientific misconduct. Gilson Volpato, Sao Paulo State University, Brazil Plagiarism was the most common reason for retractions of Brazilian articles, accounting for 46 per cent of all cases. This was followed by bad representation of data, the addition of citations by journal editors to boost their own or the journals standing and concerns over the true authorship of the papers. The study shows that retractions are on the rise in the two databases: from just one to two a year in 2004-09 to seven in 2011 and nine in 2012. Most of the retractions from Brazilian authors appeared in less influential journals, the study highlights. Although this may suggest a growing problem with scientific integrity, researchers say it could also be a sign that journals are paying closer attention to publishing ethics. Brazil has been investing in research integrity initiatives, which could be resulting in stronger editorial and author attitudes toward publication ethics, says Renan Almeida, a professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and lead author of the study. He says the increase in retractions came after Brazilian development agencies implemented several initiatives to communicate good practice and stem scientific misconduct. The Federal University of ABC in Brazil created an office in August 2015 to improve research integrity. The office aims to educate staff and students about misconduct and it investigates allegations of scientific malpractice. We also planned a course in scientific writing and authorship for the beginning of 2016, says Igor Freire, pro-rector for research at the university and head of the office. Our actions aim to focus on graduate students to instil a culture of good practice from the beginning of their academic life. But Gilson Volpato, professor at Sao Paulo State University, Brazil, says the high incidence of malpractice in Brazil could be down to increased pressure on scientists to demonstrate the value of their work.He says that Brazil has strongly invested in increasing scientific output without paying attention to quality. Editors and publications should focus on developing policies to handle retractions of scientific papers and speed up the creation of means to punish scientific misconduct, Volpato says. New research into the potential for sparing land from food production to balance greenhouse gas emissions has shown that emissions from the UK farming industry could be largely offset by 2050. This could be achieved if the UK increased agricultural yields and coupled this with expanding the areas of natural forests and wetlands to match its European neighbours. The new study suggests that by upping forest cover from 12% to 30% of UK land over the next 35 years -- close to that of France and Germany, but still less than the European average -- and restoring 700,000 hectares of wet peatland, these habitats would act as a carbon 'sink': sucking in and storing carbon. This could be enough to meet government targets of 80% greenhouse gas reduction by 2050 for the farming industry. Agriculture currently produces around 10% of all the UK's damaging greenhouse gas emissions. The new woodlands and wetlands would be more than just a carbon sink, say researchers. They would help support declining UK wildlife -- including many species of conservation concern -- provide more areas for nature recreation, and help to reduce flooding. However, to make space for habitat restoration, and to meet rising levels of food demand, land sparing would depend on increases in farm yields, so that food needs can be met from less farmland. The new study, published today in the journal Nature Climate Change, is the first to show that land sparing has the technical potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions at a national scale. advertisement "Land is a source of greenhouse gases if it is used to farm fertiliser-hungry crops or methane-producing cattle, or it can be a sink for greenhouse gases -- through sequestration. If we increase woodland and wetland, those lands will be storing carbon in trees, photosynthesising it in reeds, and shunting it down into soils," said senior author Prof Andrew Balmford, from Cambridge University's Department of Zoology. "We estimate that by actively increasing farm yields, the UK can reduce the amount of land that is a source of greenhouse gases, increase the 'sink', and sequester enough carbon to hit national emission reduction targets for the agriculture industry by 2050," he said. The study originated from a workshop run as part of the new Cambridge Conservation Initiative, which convened leading experts and asked them to "look into their crystal balls," says Balmford. "We wanted to know what food yield increases they reckoned were achievable in the 2050 timescale across crop and livestock sectors," he said. This included researchers from the Universities of California, Bangor, Aberdeen, East Anglia, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Forestry Commission, Rothamsted Research, ADAS UK Ltd and Scotland's Rural College (SRUC). The potential they identified included improving farm management and optimising breeding programmes to produce plants that are better at capturing soil nutrients, sunlight and water, and to produce more efficient animals that produce less methane. advertisement The researchers then used these and other data to produce a series of modelled scenarios that projected long-term farm yields. Scenarios ranged from yield declines through to sustained yield growth that averaged 1.3% per year until 2050. If yields rise, the area of farmland required for food production can decline -- allowing countryside to be spared. By converting spared land back to natural habitats of woodland and wetland, which would have been a large portion of the UK's native land cover in the past, a carbon sink is created that the research suggests could come close to cancelling out agricultural emissions in just a few decades. Dr Toby Bruce, co-author from Rothamsted Research, said: "The current findings show the value of land sparing for reducing greenhouse gases. To allow this productivity needs to increase on the remaining land, for example, by minimising crop losses to pests, weeds and diseases or by improving crop nutrition." Importantly, says Balmford, the research team did not allow themselves the 'get-out-of-jail-free card' of increasing food imports. Overall food consumption looks set to rise substantially -- some 38% -- in the UK by 2050, and the researchers locked into their future models the contribution that UK production makes to its food supply. "We made sure we met expected production requirements in all our figures, and then explored the consequences of different ways of achieving them," he said. However, it is not all or nothing, say the researchers, who conducted lots of sensitivity analyses around different ways of using spared land, and different levels of yield growth, consumer waste, and meat consumption -- which has a disproportionate environmental footprint "Reducing meat consumption appears to offer greater mitigation potential than reducing food waste, but more importantly, our results highlight the benefits of combining measures," said Balmford. "For example, coupling even moderate yield growth with land sparing and reductions in meat consumption has the technical potential to surpass an 80% reduction in net emissions," he said. Added Balmford: "We need to turn our minds to figuring out policy mechanisms that can deliver sustainable high yield farming that doesn't come at the expense of animal welfare, soil and water quality, as well as safeguarding and restoring habitats. "The right incentives need to be provided to landowners to spare land. Subsidies under the EU's Common Agricultural Policy could be redirected so that landowners get paid properly for taking land out of food production and putting it into climate regulation. "If we are serious about saving the planet for anything more than food production then the focus has to be on increasing yields and sparing land for the climate. We need to look objectively and dispassionately at every option we have for achieving that." In Colombia, bean crops contribute significantly to the region's agriculture. Because these important crops are vulnerable to pests and diseases, growers often need to rely on chemicals to protect valuable crops. New research on the use of kaolin (aluminosilicate clay) contains information that can help bean producers limit the use of conventional pesticides and develop new strategies for integrated pest management. The authors of the study in HortScience said previous experiments in temperate regions have shown that kaolin foliar sprays have insecticidal attributes. "However, this type of research in tropical areas, specifically in Andean regions, is virtually nonexistent," they noted. The researchers from Universidad Nacional de Colombia studied the greenhouse whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood), one of the most prevalent pests in the region's bean crops. The study design consisted of three experiments using four treatments: no insecticide (control), synthetic chemical insecticides, foliar applications of kaolin at 2.5%, and foliar applications of kaolin at 5% (weight/volume). Foliar applications of kaolin at both doses controlled 80% of the population of whitefly in different stages (eggs, nymphs, and adults) in all three experiments. Analyses showed that the percentage of efficacy of the two doses of kaolin was similar to that obtained in bean plants treated with synthetic chemical insecticides (90%). The study also showed kaolin doses at 5% produced positive effects on the bean plant physiology, causing a 40% reduction in transpiration and an increase of 43% in leaf chlorophyll content compared with untreated plants. "We can suggest that the use of kaolin can be considered as an alternative to control whitefly, T. vaporariorum, without any negative effect on seed yield," the authors said. They added that kaolin may also help the plant physiology, especially under conditions of abiotic stress such as drought. Scientists and veterinarians working for WCS's New York Aquarium have discovered something noteworthy in the near shore waters of Long Island's Great South Bay: a nursery ground for the sand tiger shark, a fearsome-looking but non-aggressive fish. The discovery was made by researchers who have collected a wealth of information on sharks in local waters over the past four years through the use of acoustic tags, devices that enable scientists to remotely track marine animals as they swim through their environment. These data have helped the scientists confirm the existence of the nursery in Great South Bay, one of the rich estuaries found along Long Island's southern shore. Only a handful of sand tiger shark nursery grounds have been identified, one of which is in the waters of Massachusetts. "The discovery of a shark nursery is fantastic news for local conservationists seeking to learn more about sharks and other species in the New York Bight," said Jon Dohlin, Vice President and Director of WCS's New York Aquarium. "Through field projects and outreach efforts by the New York Aquarium and other organizations, we hope to raise awareness about our local marine environment and the need to manage our natural wonders." The team received the first indications of a potential nursery ground in Great South Bay in 2011 when one of the scientists received a picture of a dead juvenile sand tiger shark from one of the marinas. Follow-up conversations with local anglers and boaters revealed that people had been catching these small sharks in the bay for years. The scientists then initiated the tagging study using acoustic transmitters in Great South Bay and have been catching and releasing only juvenile sharks since that time. Ten of the 15 were individual sharks tagged this year, and five individuals tagged in previous seasons returned to the same section of the bay, a behavior known as "site fidelity." Data gathered from the sharks' movements are helping scientists learn more about the migratory behavior of sand tiger sharks and their habitat needs. The discovery of the Great South Bay shark nursery in particular is important because the sand tiger shark has been heavily depleted by fishing and is listed as a "Species of Concern" by the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service. Fishing for sand tiger sharks has been prohibited in state and federal waters since 1997. The species has a low reproductive rate--a female shark gives birth to only one or two pups every two years--so it will take this sand tiger shark population many years to rebuild. Protecting the nursery will help promote sand tiger shark recovery in the coastal waters of the eastern United States. "Sand tiger shark pups are not born here but migrate from down south to spend the summers as juveniles in New York's coastal waters," said Dr. Merry Camhi, Director of the NY Seascape program, WCS's local marine conservation program. "The acoustically tagged animals in our study will help us better understand where the sharks go, their habitat needs, and how we can better protect them." The Great South Bay shark nursery provides juvenile sand tiger sharks ranging from several months to five years in age with a place to feed and grow. A nursery also gives juvenile sharks protection from predators, including other sharks. After birth off the southeastern United States (sand tiger sharks give birth to live young as opposed to laying eggs), the juvenile sharks migrate north in the spring and spend the summer in New York waters before returning south in the fall. advertisement There are still many unknowns about the nursery. Scientists are not sure how much of the bay is used by these sharks, the number of young sharks in the bay each summer, or what the sharks are eating. More work is being done, including health studies, to address these and other questions. Recreational and commercial fishing for sand tiger sharks is prohibited in Great South Bay and in all state and federal waters. However, the Great South Bay is not protected and a great deal of boating, recreational fishing, dredging, and other human activities take place there. Outreach to the public, especially anglers, is also underway to help improve the conservation status of sand tiger and other local sharks and rays. Throughout the 2015 research season (during which 15 juvenile sand tiger sharks were tracked with 18 acoustic receivers in Great South Bay), Dr. Camhi was assisted by NY Seascape Research Program Officer Jake LaBelle and New York Aquarium Animal Department Supervisor Hans Walters. WCS Veterinarian Dr. Alisa Newton provided assistance with the tagging process and collected blood samples for baseline health assessments. Also, volunteer anglers provided their expertise, boats, and gear to support this conservation work. Growing up to 10 feet in length, the sand tiger shark is widely distributed and found in the temperate water and subtropical waters of many of the world's coastlines. Although it is not known how many sand tiger sharks remain, the species is listed as globally "Vulnerable" on the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species, while populations in parts of Australia and Argentina are classified as "Critically Endangered." The NY Seascape program is collaborating with WCS shark scientists from Argentina to improve the understanding of sand tigers in the Southwest Atlantic, which have been severely depleted by overfishing. The work is part of an initiative by WCS's NY Seascape program based out of WCS's New York Aquarium to study and protect sharks and rays in the New York Bight, the region between Long Island's Montauk Point and New Jersey's Cape May that extends out to the continental shelf and over the Hudson Canyon. More than 40 species of sharks and rays are known to occur in these waters. In addition to the sand tiger study, NY Seascape researchers attached archival satellite tags to two blue sharks in the waters south of Long Island in 2015. These tags will gather data for 6 months before they are scheduled to pop off and begin broadcasting archived location data back to the research team. They also tracked three juvenile shortfin mako sharks and one blue shark tagged with near real-time satellite monitoring tags in 2014. Sharks will be the central focus of Ocean Wonders: Sharks!, a 57,000-square-foot exhibit building currently under construction at the New York Aquarium. The building will house more than 115 marine species, including sharks, skates, and rays. It will be a destination for education and conservation programming, with important benefits for the economy of Coney Island, Brooklyn, and all of New York City. In addition to shark research, the NY Seascape program is launching an initiative to study and protect several species of great whale that migrate through New York waters. Restoring migratory fish habitat in the Bronx River, which runs through the Bronx Zoo, is another program focus. NY Seascape staff are examining the movements of American eels and alewife herring in New York City's last remaining freshwater river. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved a feasibility study for reconstruction of the Bar compressor station of the Soyuz gas pipeline (Bar district, Vinnytsia region). The decision is outlined in cabinet resolution No. 1403-r of December 30, 2015 posted on the government's website. The total cost of the reconstruction is approved at UAH 1.817 billion, including UAH 73.024 million will be sent to construction works, UAH 1.312 billion to buy equipment and UAH 431.773 million are other expenses. It will take 12 months to finish construction. The largest efficiency of the compressor station consisting of two pumping units would be 85 million cubic meters a day after reconstruction, and the efficiency of the fuel gas processing unit will be 5,000 cubic meters per hour. The annual gas consumption for own needs by the station will be 77.86 million cubic meters of gas and 4.497 million kWh of electricity. As reported, Ukrtransgaz and Deutsche Bank AG (Germany) on December 11, 2012 signed an agreement on opening a credit line of EUR 53.575 million for the modernization of the Bar station of the Soyuz gas pipeline. The cost of servicing the credit line will be EUR 13.908 million. The crediting period is up to ten years and nine months from the date the loan funds are transferred to the borrower's account. Parliament in mid-October 2012 allowed the government to provide state guarantees of UAH 560 million for the project for modernizing the Bar compressor station of the Soyuz trunk gas pipeline as part of the agreement with Ferrostaal Industrieanlagen (Germany). Germany is prepared to provide financing for 85% of the project's price tag using Deutsche Bank credit funds. Ukraine will finance the other 15%. The loan terms stipulate the state guarantees and loan insurance by the company Euler Hermes Deutschland AG (Hermes). Ukrtransgaz, Ukraine's trunk gas pipeline operator, on April 29, 2013 signed an agreement with Ferrostaal Industrieanlagen GmbH on the modernization of the Bar compressor station of the Soyuz trunk gas pipeline. The value of the contract signed on April 29 will be EUR 51.369 million (excluding VAT). The Bar station was put into operation in 1979 and has seven gas-pumping units with a total capacity of 70,000 kW. The Soyuz pipeline runs from Orenburg in Russia to the western border of the former Soviet Union. It was built in 1975-1978 and extends for 1,568.5 kilometers. Along its length are twelve compressor stations. Its capacity is 26 billion cubic meters per year. Ukrtransgaz operates the system of trunk pipelines and 12 underground gas storage facilities with a total active capacity of 31 billion cubic meters on the mainland. The total length of the pipelines operated by the company is 38,600 km. Commercial Dungeness crab fishing on the West Coast is one of the highest risk occupations in the United States, based on fatality rates. But non-fatal injuries in the fishery appear to go largely unreported, a new study from Oregon State University shows. While the fatality rates in the Dungeness crab fleet have been reported in the past, the incidence of non-fatal injuries have not been previously studied, said Laurel Kincl, an assistant professor of environmental and occupational health and safety in the OSU College of Public Health and Human Sciences. "The commercial Dungeness fishing fleet, which operates along the coast of Oregon, Washington and Northern California, is a vital economic commodity," she said. "Injuries can be life-threatening and life-altering, leading to disability, decreased quality of life and lost wages." Understanding the type and nature of fatalities and injuries, including describing and categorizing the types of injuries, is the first step in identifying safety issues and pinpointing areas for prevention, she said. Kincl and a team of researchers examined 12 years of death and injury data, and found that 28 people died while commercially fishing for Dungeness crab from 2002-2014. In that same period, 45 injuries were reported to the U.S. Coast Guard. The fatality rate among Dungeness crab fishermen is several times higher than the national rate for commercial fishing. But the injury rate among Dungeness fishermen is much lower than injury rates in other commercial fishing fleets that have been studied. advertisement "Fatal injuries are tracked in a national system, but non-fatal injuries are not," Kincl said. "We knew there was likely underreporting, but we had no idea how low the injury numbers were until now." The findings, published in the latest issue of the journal International Maritime Health, are the first step to better understanding fishing injuries among Dungeness crab fishermen. The research is part of an OSU-led research project to identify and reduce the risks of injuries in the industry, Kincl said. The Fishermen Led Injury Prevention Program, or FLIPP, is designed to take a new approach to fishing industry injury prevention by working with commercial Dungeness crab fishermen to identify and reduce injury risks. The project is supported by a three-year, $825,000 grant from the National Institutes for Occupational Safety and Health. Kincl is the principal investigator. The lead author of the paper, Samantha Case, is a researcher in the NIOSH office in Alaska. Other co-authors are OSU Associate Professor Viktor Bovbjerg; OSU doctoral student Laura Syron and Devin Lucas, who earned his doctorate at OSU and works at NIOSH. The researchers found that the majority of the fatalities, about 71 percent, occurred during vessel disasters, such as boats capsizing or sinking. The other deaths were the result of a fisherman drowning or falling overboard. Fractures were the most commonly reported injury, at 40 percent, followed by hypothermia, lacerations and digit amputations. Working with Oregon Sea Grant and community researchers in local fishing communities, Kincl and her colleagues are meeting with focus groups of fishermen and surveying fishing crews along the Pacific coast to learn more about safety and injuries in the industry. "No one has ever gone up and down the coast and learned from the fishermen," Kincl said. "What are they doing to stay safe? Are there things that can be improved? How can we share that information among the various crews?" By the end of the project, researchers plan to come up with and test several interventions that could help reduce injuries among crab fishermen. "We want to identify some things that might work, but we don't want to tell them what to do," Kincl said. "We want to let them decide what would be most helpful." With a new Star Wars film still fresh in the theaters, fans are abuzz with thoughts of the high-flying exploits of brave fighter pilots. For Dr. Brandon Jackson of Longwood University, the buzz is slightly more literal. Using consumer-grade recording equipment and some technical ingenuity, he is exploring the feints, parries, and ripostes of tiny flying warriors right at his front doorstep. Jackson has made a career studying the complex flight behaviors of birds. But when he moved into a new home in Virginia, it was the bees on his porch that caught his eye. He noticed swarms of purplish-black bees -- eastern carpenter bees (Xylocopa virginica) -- hard at work constructing complex nests in the wooden beams of his house. While most people dismiss these insects as home-destroying pests, Jackson has pegged these little drillers as an important study animal for understanding how animals fly. Carpenter bees intrigue Jackson for their defensive "dogfighting" behaviors. The insects occasionally engage birds or small mammals, but most interactions involve defense against other carpenter bees, who can lay eggs in the other bees' tunnels and mooch off their competitor's metabolic investment. A defender bee will carefully size-up its opponent and then either chase it away or engage in a grapple, dragging the bee to the ground where other defenders can gang up and finish it off. Jackson wanted to learn more about these aerobatic melees, and the bees' small size made them ideal for study using simple consumer-grade equipment. To record the aerial dogfighting events, Jackson used three GoPro cameras to record a flight zone about the size of a single-car garage, enabling him to precisely capture the rapid and complex maneuvers of the brawling bees. This work was done just outside his house in Charlottesville, Virginia, in an area frequently traveled by the bees. advertisement "We're really getting the biomechanics and performance in totally natural settings, which hasn't been done much before, especially in flying animals like bees," he says. Observation of a volume like this might only capture a few wing beats of a bird in flight, but can tell a much grander story when it comes to insect combat. So far, Jackson and his students have been able to closely analyze 80 minutes of video, yielding a rich data set of nearly 600 flight paths, with some unexpected twists and turns. Intuitively, it would seem that during aerial combat, the fighter who can fly faster and turn sharper would have the clear advantage over their foe. Most people have seen this demonstrated by birds chasing one another in the air (or by plucky starfighters attacking space stations). "However," notes Jackson, "a good number of carpenter bee chases occurred at very low speed." In other words, not the "usual" behavior for fights and pursuits between flying animals. Jackson has seen that two bees will engage in a delicate sparring match as they hover, survey, and make very subtle movements. Eventually the attacker will either leave or make a break for the tunnels, forcing the defender to surrender or move to intercept. "It's not top speed that wins every time. Clearly something else is going on." Jackson suggests that the insects may be performing a sort of aerial fencing match, which could not have been detected using traditional recording techniques. There has been an increased push in the scientific community toward understanding the intricacies of aerial combat in nature, and Jackson's work provides an important tool for conducting the critical research to uncover the answers. By developing an effective and affordable system for conducting field studies, Jackson hopes to unravel this bee behavioral quandary and also to enable other scientists to conduct their own studies of dynamic flight behaviors in completely natural settings, a relative rarity in the lab-dominated world of science. Jackson presented his research at the 2016 annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology in Portland, Oregon. As American medical students increasingly want and expect to have international work experience, more and more short-term programs are being offered to give them that opportunity, according to Melissa Melby, assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Delaware. The trouble is, she writes in a new article in Academic Medicine, that too many of these programs -- called STEGH, or short-term experiences in global health -- focus on the needs of the student trainees and not on what's best for their patients or for overall health care in the countries they visit. "Most students who participate in these programs genuinely want to help people," Melby said. "But many of them may not be aware of the unintended consequences that can occur. In this article, we propose four core principles that we hope will help guide both the developers and the participants in STEGH programs." Melby, who specializes in the biological and medical aspects of anthropology, is the lead author of the article, written with colleagues who are medical doctors involved with global health care issues. She said her co-authors, who connected with her through the Delaware Health Sciences Alliance, of which UD is a founding partner, saw problems with many STEGH programs and sought her out for an anthropological perspective. "STEGHs are often very short term, perhaps about three weeks or even less, and many times the participants are dropped into an area with very little preparation," Melby said. "They don't know the language, they don't know the culture, and they're jet-lagged. They're well-intentioned, but this is often not the best way to help people." The authors of the paper list four principles that they say can be used to create better STEGH programs and to help students evaluate existing programs and make good choices about which to join. The principles are: Cultural humility. "I think there is a tendency to see these programs as bringing our advanced technology to people in need, but we need to realize that our approaches are not always the best in every context," Melby said. "In fact, in health care, America doesn't have the best outcomes in the world." The authors advocate that STEGHs provide specialized cross-cultural training to participants before they travel and ensure that the students be aware of their own limitations even after such training. Bidirectional participatory relationships. Effective STEGHs will establish true collaborations and partnerships with local health care providers and communities, Melby said, focusing on what communities actually need before offering to provide services. Local capacity building. The authors note that unintended consequences often result when STEGHs come to an area, provide direct health care to some patients, and then leave. Problems might include a lack of follow-up care and a tendency for patients to delay seeing local providers while they wait for outside help to return, undermining the local health care system. Long-term sustainability."We'd like to see these programs focus less on direct care and more on larger issues of public health," Melby said. Those issues include poverty and inequality, public health infrastructure and human resources in low-income countries. While STEGHs can provide students with important global and cross-cultural education, the authors say they believe a paradigm shift is needed to ensure that the programs benefit both the trainees and the communities they visit. And, Melby said, the proposed guidelines can apply beyond medical or pre-med students to include other study-abroad and global service-learning programs. "We think these principles are relevant to a lot of student groups that do global work," she said. "Most people's hearts are in the right place, but there are often aspects to what they're doing that they just don't think about." The article, "Beyond Medical 'Missions' to Impact-Driven STEGHs: Ethical Principles to Optimize Community Benefit and Learner Experience," is available online. It will be published in an upcoming print edition of Academic Medicine, the journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges. Recent fieldwork at the ancient city of Knossos on the Greek island of Crete finds that during the early Iron Age (1100 to 600 BC), the city was rich in imports and was nearly three times larger than what was believed from earlier excavations. The discovery suggests that not only did this spectacular site in the Greek Bronze Age (between 3500 and 1100 BC) recover from the collapse of the socio-political system around 1200 BC, but also rapidly grew and thrived as a cosmopolitan hub of the Aegean and Mediterranean regions. Antonis Kotsonas, a University of Cincinnati assistant professor of classics, will highlight his field research with the Knossos Urban Landscape Project at the 117th annual meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America and Society for Classical Studies. The meeting takes place Jan. 7-10, 2016 in San Francisco. Kotsonas explains that Knossos, "renowned as a glorious site of the Greek Bronze Age, the leader of Crete and the seat of the palace of the mythical King Minos and the home of the enigmatic labyrinth," was the prosperous epicenter of Minoan culture. Scholars have studied the city's Bronze Age remains for more than a century, but more recent research has focused on the urban development of the city after it entered the Iron Age -- in the 11th century BC -- following the Bronze Age collapse of the Aegean palaces. The Knossos Urban Landscape Project over the past decade has recovered a large collection of ceramics and artifacts dating back to the Iron Age. The relics were spread over an extensive area that was previously unexplored. Kotsonas says that this exploration revealed considerable growth in the size of the settlement during the early Iron Age and also growth in the quantity and quality of its imports coming from mainland Greece, Cyprus, the Near East, Egypt, Italy, Sardinia and the western Mediterranean. "No other site in the Aegean period has such a range of imports," Kotsonas says. The imports include bronze and other metals -- jewelry and adornments, as well as pottery. He adds that the majority of the materials, recovered from tombs, provide a glimpse of the wealth in the community, because status symbols were buried with the dead during this period. The antiquities were collected from fields covering the remains of dwellings and cemeteries. "Distinguishing between domestic and burial contexts is essential for determining the size of the settlement and understanding the demographic, socio-political and economic development of the local community," explains Kotsonas. "Even at this early stage in detailed analysis, it appears that this was a nucleated, rather densely occupied settlement extending over the core of the Knossos valley, from at least the east slopes of the acropolis hill on the west to the Kairatos River, and from the Vlychia stream on the south until roughly midway between the Minoan palace and the Kephala hill." Kotsonas' Jan. 9, 2016 presentation is part of a colloquium themed, "Long-Term Urban Dynamics at Knossos: The Knossos Urban Landscape Project, 2005-2015." Kotsonas serves as a consultant on the project, which is dedicated to intensively surveying the Knossos valley and documenting the development of the site from 7000 BC, to the early 20th century. The project is a research partnership between the Greek Archaeological Service and the British School at Athens. Kotsonas has served as a collaborator on the project since 2009. Radiocarbon dating of atomic bomb fallout found in sea turtle shells can be used to reliably estimate the ages, growth rates and reproductive maturity of sea turtle populations in the wild, a new study led by Duke University and NOAA researchers finds. The technique provides more accurate estimates than other methods scientists currently use and may help shed new light on factors influencing the decline and lack of recovery of some endangered sea turtles populations. "The most basic questions of sea turtle life history are also the most elusive," said Kyle Van Houtan, fisheries research ecologist at NOAA's Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and adjunct associate professor at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment. Van Houtan and his colleagues analyzed hard tissue from the shells of 36 deceased hawksbill sea turtles collected since the 1950s. The turtles either died naturally or were harvested for their decorative shells as part of the global tortoiseshell trade. The researchers worked with federal agencies, law enforcement and museum archives to obtain the specimens. The scientists were able to estimate each turtle's approximate age by comparing the bomb-testing radiocarbon accumulated in its shell to background rates of bomb-testing radiocarbon deposited in Hawaii's corals. Levels of carbon-14 increased rapidly in the biosphere from the mid-1950s to about 1970 as a result of Cold War-era nuclear tests but have dropped at predictable rates since then, allowing scientists to determine the age of an organism based on its carbon-14 content. Van Houtan and his team were able to estimate median growth rates and ages of sexual maturity in the collected specimens by comparing their radiocarbon measurements to those of other wild and captive hawksbill populations whose growth rates were known. advertisement This is the first time carbon-14 dating of shell tissue has been used to estimate age, growth and maturity in sea turtles. Previously, scientists employed other, less precise methods such as using turtle length as a proxy for age, or analyzing the incomplete growth layers in hollow bone tissue. The researchers published their peer-reviewed research Jan. 6, 2016, in the Proceedings of Royal Society B. Aside from giving scientists a more reliable tool for estimating turtle growth and maturity, Van Houtan believes the new technique sheds light on why some populations -- including Hawaiian hawksbills, the smallest sea turtle population on Earth -- aren't rebounding as quickly as expected despite years of concerted conservation. "Our analysis finds that hawksbills in the Hawaii population deposit eight growth lines annually, which suggests that females begin breeding at 29 years -- significantly later than any other hawksbill population in the world. This may explain why they haven't yet rebounded," Van Houtan said. The bomb radiocarbon tests also indicate another red flag, he said. "They appear to have been omnivores as recently as the 1980s. Now, they appear to be primarily herbivores. Such a dramatic decline in their food supply could delay growth and maturity, and may reflect ecosystem changes that are quite ominous in the long term for hawksbill populations in Hawaii," he said. Although the new research focused primarily on Hawaiian hawksbills, bomb radiocarbon dating could be used to study other hawksbill populations, or populations from other sea turtle species, worldwide. Russia and China are increasing their presence in Antarctica. This is to set more influence on the unclaimed continent for various reasons. Russia's operations in Antarctica are just a continuation from their previously claimed areas by the Soviet Union. Russia is continually expanding on the bases already set in place during the Soviet years. Russia is installing structures to further develop Global Positioning System meant to rival the United States. Moscow already has a minimum of three satellite monitoring systems installed in the Antarctic. There are more bases planned in the future. Russia also built the first Orthodox church in the region. It is built overlooking a research base. China is considered the country that has the fastest-growing operations in Antarctica. China already has the Snow Dragon icebreaker embarked in the region 2 years ago. It opened the fourth station last year and is still pressing hard to build a fifth station. Another icebreaking ship also embarked recently and is setting up research drilling operations on an ice dome over 13,000 feet above sea level. Chinese officials said that their expansion in Antarctica prioritizes scientific research over anything else. They do, however, acknowledge the international community concerns over "resource security" with their presence in the area. "We do weather monitoring here and other research," Ning Xu, 53, the chief of the Chinese base, confirmed. There are other countries that are set up in Antarctica like India, South Korea and even Brazil. There are other countries that are planning to build their own stations in the region like Belarus and Colombia. "The old days of the Antarctic being dominated by the interests and wishes of white men from European, Australasian and North American states is over," said Klaus Dodds, a politics scholar at the University of London who specializes in Antarctica. He finished his musing with a statement that Antarctica is now "geopolitically contested." Ukraine saw a 15.9% or 3.1 billion cubic meters (bcm) fall in imports of natural gas in 2015, to 16.4 bcm, the press service of public joint-stock company Ukrtransgaz has reported. The press service said that gas imports from Europe in 2015 reached 10.3 bcm, and this is 2.1 time up from a year ago (5.1 bcm). Imports from Slovakia came to 9.7 bcm, Hungary 0.5 bcm and Poland 0.1 bcm. Ukrtransgaz said that in 2014, 3.6 bcm of gas was supplied from Slovakia, 0.6 bcm from Hungary and 0.9 bcm from Poland, and the share of the Slovakian route in gas imports from Europe grew from 70.6% in 2014 to 94.2% in 2015. Ukraine imported 6.1 bcm of gas from Russia in 2015, which is 58.3% down on 2014 (14.5 bcm). Ukrtransgaz said that as of morning on January 6, 2016 Ukraine imported gas only from Europe at the pace of 20.5 million cubic meters a day. As reported, according to the State Statistics Service, in 2014 Ukraine imported 19.466 bcm of gas worth $5.695 billion from all suppliers in 2014, including 5.016 bcm worth $1.755 billion from suppliers in Europe and 14.450 bcm worth $3.94 billion from Russia. The European Union (EU) jointly with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) would provide a $5 million loan to a privately owned diversified agricultural producer Kischenzi LLC (Cherkasy region). The EBRD said in a press release on Wednesday that the funds are provided under the EU-EBRD Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) small and medium sized businesses (SME) Direct Support Facility. The loan will be covered by a first loss guarantee from the EU grant under the above the facility. The proceeds of the loan will be used to upgrade its fleet of combine harvesters and to acquire supplementary agricultural equipment like cultivators. "The project will help Kischenzi strengthen its export potential and implement modern state-of-the-art farming technics and standards thus creating a successful benchmark for the industry in Ukraine," the bank said. The Facility being implemented by the EBRD and the EU supports increase of SMEs' competitiveness, ease their access to finance, helps them with new trade opportunities and compliance with new food safety, technical and quality standards, as well as with environmental protection measures. Kischenzi LLC operates a variety of businesses ranging from grains and vegetables growing to dairy and pig farming. Around 60% of its output is successfully exported to the European Union and other markets. McDonald's invests over UAH 50 mln in reconstruction of restaurant on Poshtova Square in Kyiv Company with foreign investment McDonald's Ukraine Ltd. (Kyiv), developing the American fast food chain McDonald's in Ukraine, has finished reconstruction of its restaurant on Poshtova Square in Kyiv, the companys press service reported on Wednesday. "Total investment in reconstruction of the restaurant exceeded UAH 50 million," the company said, citing McDonald's CEO in Ukraine Grzegorz Chmielarski as saying. According to the report, after reconstruction the company increased energy efficiency of the restaurant: a heating pump and a waste heat exchanger were installed, which would allow the restaurant to use 67% less electricity to heat water and more than halve gas consumption for heating the premises in the heating season. Heat protection glass was installed in the restaurant that transmits only 28% of solar energy outdoor. The company said that the solution would allow the restaurant to save on heating in winter and on air conditioning in summer. The restaurant will operate from 06:00 until 23:45 every day. It has around 300 seats for visitors in the hall and on the terrace. The restaurant will be able to service up to 4,500 people every day. McDonald's Ukraine Ltd. was founded in 1995. The first McDonald's restaurant in Ukraine opened in Kyiv on May 24, 1997. The Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine says that Russia should respect its commitments within the World Trade Organization (WTO). "The EU is assessing the situation, and in particular the compatibility of the various restrictions on transit, with the WTO rules. The EU is of the view, that all WTO members, including Russia should respect their multilateral commitments, irrespective of any political considerations," Head of the Delegation's Press and Information Section Jurgis Vilcinskas told Interfax-Ukraine when asked to comment on Russia's recent decisions related to transit shipments from Ukraine. Russia has introduced various trade restrictions and sanctions against Ukraine at the start of this year, following the provisional application of the EU-Ukraine Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), Vilcinskas said. "Russian retaliatory measures now go well beyond the suspension of certain preferences of the CIS-FTA and the food embargo also linked to other Ukrainian measures. Russia introduced severe restrictions and limitations on the supply of Ukrainian goods to Kazakhstan by transiting Russia," he said. He cited the Ukrainian Ministry of Economic Development, which said that all transit through Russia of Ukraine goods and transport by Ukrainian trucks had been in practice stopped. The transportation costs of Ukrainian confectionery enterprises for the delivery of goods to the Central Asia countries will almost triple due to the prohibition of transit through the territory of the Russian Federation, Ukrkondprom Head Oleksandr Baldiniuk has told Interfax-Ukraine. According to him, in October 2015 the representatives of the confectionery industry met with the representatives of the Infrastructure Ministry, who announced the intention to negotiate with Georgia, Azerbaijan and other countries to create a transport corridor with a through fare. "That means that the companies will not have to negotiate individually with each country, whose territory is crossed by the transport corridor. The tariff for transportation will be unified from Illichivsk to the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea in Kazakhstan. This will be the only train that is loaded in Ukraine and unloaded, let's say, in Kazakhstan," he added. Now there is no information on the issue at the Ministry of Infrastructure, however, a meeting in the agency with the representatives of the industry is to be held on January 12. According to the Ukrkondprom head, the problem is the extremely high rates of Ukrferry domestic operator, a monopolist ferry from Ukraine to Georgia. Ukraine's agricultural exports to Central Asia in transit via Russia comes to 4% Exports of Ukrainian agricultural products through the territory of the Russian Federation to the Central Asian countries come to 4%, Minister of Agricultural Policy and Food Oleksiy Pavlenko wrote on his Facebook page. "Russia's blocking transit could affect trade operations with Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Exports of agricultural products to these countries account for about 4% of the total agricultural exports from Ukraine," he wrote. The minister expressed confidence that alternative to Russian transit will be found as soon as possible. "I am convinced that the agricultural sector will overcome Russia's transit blockade. Transit blockade is another challenge that Russian throws to Ukrainian agriculture. Meanwhile, we have enough experience and capacity to overcome these obstacles," Pavlenko added. He noted that Russia's restricting transit through its territory is contrary to the norms of the World Trade Organization and the CIS Free Trade Agreement. Press Release January 6, 2016 POE: MAKE PH ASEAN'S INVESTMENT HUB IN 2016 With regional trade barriers going down, the Philippines has to strengthen its governing bodies and streamline the permitting process if it is to attract more foreign investments in 2016, independent presidential candidate Sen. Grace Poe said. "To become the next investment magnet in the ASEAN region, we must take the necessary steps to create an economy that is more welcoming to foreign partnerships," Poe said. "This will boost the economy, create more jobs and build a stronger business ecosystem." Poe noted that while the Philippines has come a long way in terms of attracting Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs), the message that the country is open for business is somehow not getting across to a bigger market. In 2014, the Philippines reported $6.2 billion in FDIs, a 66-percent increase from the $3.7 billion investments in 2013 but still a fraction of what neighboring countries in the region get. Vietnam and Thailand, for example, attract around $12 billion in FDIs annually while Indonesia gets $18 billion. "The biggest deterrent to foreign investors is the weakness of our basic governing institutions. Policy-making is politicized, business permits take ages to procure, and contracts are not secure. What message do these conditions send to foreign investors? The business climate certainly does not look very welcoming," Poe said. The senator proposes opening the market and starting the discussion on the amendment of economic provisions in the Constitution. The lifting of restrictive provisions can be done in phases so that local industries can also adjust and become competitive, she said. She also said it is time to clean up the Foreign Investment Negative List under the Foreign Investments Act, which limits the extent of foreign equity participation in the country. "The country has to start taking steps forward in order to compete in the global space, which is becoming more integrated and borderless. We can't miss out on the benefits being enjoyed by citizens of other economies. Of course, safety nets for local industries must be put in place," Poe noted. If she wins the presidency, Poe said she will encourage foreign companies to list their shares in the Philippine Stock Exchange so that Filipinos can also invest and get to own a slice of these foreign companies. She will also simplify doing business in the country, including faster and less costly government processes. "President Aquino put us on the path to institutional reform. But we will only know we have succeeded once we begin attracting the levels of foreign investment that our neighbors do," Poe said. PJSC Ukrtransnafta has asked the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to hold an interdepartmental meeting with the participation of law enforcement agencies on the issue of returning crude oil stored at Kremenchuk, Drohobych and Nadvirna oil refineries, reads a letter, which has been sent to Interfax-Ukraine. "I ask you, dear Arseniy Petrovych, to convene a meeting under your chairmanship and with the participation of interested ministries and law enforcement agencies, afterwards to set up an interagency working group to study all the disputable issues related to the storage of crude oil," the document reads. As reported, the Ukrtransnafta oil was passed for storage to Kremenchuk oil refinery and other oil plants in the period when the company was managed by Oleksandr Lazorko, whose dismissal leader of Privat Group Ihor Kolomoisky opposed. Hot on Social: Carrie Fisher tweets to haters: Minor spoiler alert for those who havent seen the new Star Wars film: Actress Carrie Fisher (a.k.a. Princess Leia) is 32 years older than she was when she starred in Return of the Jedi, the last installment of the series she appeared in. As befitting a woman of the princess (and Fishers) experience, Leia now holds the rank of general in The Force Awakens, but that hasnt stopped some critics in the press and on social media from making nasty comments about how the actress has aged. The 59-year-old Fisher, author of the novel Postcards From the Edge and the memoir Wishful Drinking, hasnt been shy about sharing her thoughts on Hollywoods negative treatment of older women. After a Dec. 30 column by New York Post writer Kyle Smith titled If Carrie Fisher doesnt like being judged on looks, she should quit acting, took shots at her, Fisher responded via Twitter: @carriefisher Ok, I quit acting. NOW, can I not like being judged for my looks? Tell me what to do & who to be, oh wise New York post columnist. u GENIUS This wasnt the first time Fisher took to the platform to defend herself against social media bullies. Please stop debating about whether OR not I aged well. Unfortunately it hurts all 3 of my feelings. My BODY hasnt aged as well as I have, she tweeted on Dec. 28 and Youth & Beauty R/NOT ACCOMPLISHMENTS, theyre the TEMPORARY happy/BiProducts/of Time&/or DNA/Dont Hold your Breath 4 either, she tweeted the following day. While she has endured her fair share of negative comments, Fisher has also received positive responses from followers on Twitter (including Demi Lovato) commending her standing up to the haters. Fisher even retweeted a few of the supportive comments from fans, including a new take on an old social media meme: Keep calm and Carrie Fisher. May the Force be with you, General. Suitably romantic: Piedmonts George Zimmer, a past Mens Wearhouse executive, cant stay away from suits. He founded Z Tailor last June and Generation Tux in September, and on New Years Eve was in Times Square, presiding over the wedding of Alfredo and Monica Hernandez of Miami winners of Generation Tuxs first-ever First Couple of 2016 contest. Contestants vied to be married as the ball dropped via video contest (in which applicants described their love stories) and website visitors watched and voted. Alfredo met Monica at a party and proposed with the help of the cheer squad his girlfriend coaches. In a statement, Zimmer said weddings and New Years Eve are two of the most magical moments in peoples lives. He added: We wanted to bring together both of these moments in one magical evening, and to kick off a new American tradition that we hope will last for years to come. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Four years ago, when artist Chris Thorson stumbled on a mound of cigarette butts adorned with lipstick traces in a parking lot, she didnt initially envision a productive new body of work. She was simply irritated by the litter. Then she began to think about re-creating that emotion in a gallery setting. I usually am provoked to make something out of a sense of annoyance at the real object, Thorson confesses from Napa, where she teaches at Oxbow School and maintains a studio. She started applying her skills as a painter to hand-making trompe loeil cigarette butts, dirty socks and plastic bags, among other discards, and hasnt stopped since. Thorsons cast beeswax and earth-pigment wads of gum, organic silk shopping bags, cast metal keys, Hydrocal lost single glove, and Bro Palace abandoned socks make a stand, slyly, in Mistaken Impressions, the group show kicking off the new second Saturday openings at Root Division. At first glance, youd think these are just regular pieces of trash, she says, but once you figure out theyve been carefully made, it turns the table a little bit. For Mistaken Impressions, curator Whitney Lynn brought together such diverse artists as Tony Labat, Mads Lynnerup, Chris Sollars, Stephanie Rohlfs, Steven Vasquez Lopez and Lauren Ruth, all working in various media and at different stages in their careers, to investigate notions of fakery, truth, perception and illusion. The artists address issues of personal identity through their work, but what bridges the various cultural contexts is an inventive use of materials and an undercurrent of humor that is universal, says Lynn, who e-mailed from Cuba, where three of the shows artists live. Lynn, who holds a masters degree from the San Francisco Art Institute and is a former Root Division studio artist, has long explored ideas of deception and illusion in her own work. But for this exhibit, she says, rather than focus exclusively on issues of craft and technique, Im interested in the metaphorical connotations of trompe loeil. What does it mean for artists to create tricks of representation? To create works that are not what they seem on the surface. Thorsons choice of abject subjects intrigues Lynn. Her work in the exhibition is both playful and surprising tucked in corners, hidden in bathrooms, Lynn says. Viewers will have to work to first find her pieces, then determine what else in the exhibition is hiding in plain view. For Thorson, its important that her pieces are often biodegradable, especially her guerrilla art chewing gum sculptures, which she might leave in a drinking fountain or urinal as a wink toward Marcel Duchamps readymades. Now when I see gum on the ground, I see it in a different light, Thorson adds. Theres pleasure now in seeing trash on the street. Kimberly Chun is an East Bay freelance writer. Ukraine is to file a claim at the International Court of Justice against Russia for supporting terrorism, Ukrainian Justice Minister Pavlo Petrenko has said. "The next year will be devoted to the initiation of a large-scale lawsuit at the International Court of Justice through which Ukraine will sue Russia under the convention [for the suppression of] the financing of terrorism," Petrenko told Channel 5 on January 5. The minister said that the evidence had already been gathered, the pre-trial process of communication with the Russian side was about to end, and "we'll go to court." Petrenko also said that state-owned Oschadbank, and oil and gas giant NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy were individually suing Russia at the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce. He also added that over 700 Ukrainians an their number was growing every day had filed private lawsuits at the European Court of Human Rights against Russia's annexation of the Crimea and aggression in Donbas. In his words, rulings on the first cases may be announced by the end of 2016. Camp Mather, the fabled family camp owned by San Francisco, has declared that a week is no longer seven days long. Beginning this summer, a weeklong session at the the 92-year-old camp just west of Yosemite National Park will begin on Sunday afternoon and end the following Saturday morning, the Recreation and Park Department said. In past years, the sessions have run a full seven days, from Saturday afternoon to the following Saturday morning. Our goal is to make the camp experience better for our campers, said an announcement posted this week on the camp website. With the extra day, staff will now have longer (to) clean and prepare cabins and bath houses. Some longtime campers were scratching their heads over the announcement in much the same way they scratch their mosquito bites during their Mather vacations. A week is a week, said Darren Bianchi of San Francisco, who has vacationed at Camp Mather with his wife and two children for the past 14 summers. I feel like Im getting ripped off. Bianchi said he will reconsider whether to continue coming to camp. San Francisco graphic designer Richard Scheve said that the announcement was kind of a bummer and that the explanation about the need for extra preparation time made no sense. They never seem unprepared, Scheve said. They say theyre going to make the experience better by giving you less? If you ask me, they should be making a week up there eight days long, not six days long. This summer, San Francisco residents will pay from $478 to $1,048 for a cabin and $239 per person for meals, per six-day week about a 3 percent increase over 2015. With the shorter week taken into consideration, however, the price of a week at Camp Mather will, in effect, increase by 20 percent. Longtime camp staff members said they were just as surprised as the public by the sudden announcement and explanation posted on the Recreation and Park website this week. Agency Director Phil Ginsburg was unavailable for comment. Recreation and Park spokeswoman Sarah Madland said the change to a six-day week is in line with the schedules of similar camps throughout the country and that the extra time would be used by staff to offer a better visitor experience. In past years, campers have complained about other cutbacks that have included the loss of some food service and camp staff members. This year, the camp also said members of the Jay Barnes family, the concessionaire that has operated the Camp Mather stables for 86 years, are hanging up their saddles. A new stable operator has not been found. Camp Mather, located on a 337-acre site a mile west of the western boundary of Yosemite National Park and considered the jewel of the Recreation and Park Department, was originally used to house workers during the construction of the nearby OShaughnessy Dam in the 1920s. Each week during the summer, about 500 campers and 100 staff members reside in sparsely furnished cabins and tents, sharing communal bathhouses. The camp is named for Stephen Mather, the first director of the National Park Service. Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Yellow Cab Co-op, San Franciscos largest taxi fleet with more than 500 cabs, is considering filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, it said this week. The move comes six months after a San Francisco Superior Court jury found Yellow Cab liable for an $8 million award to a passenger who suffered brain injury and partial paralysis in a Yellow Cab vehicle. We have had an unusual number of accident claims recently that have forced us to consider this as an option, Jim Gillespie, Yellow Cab general manager, said in a statement. If the filing is necessary, we expect to be in a stronger position than before the filing. He did not return calls for comment. Organized as an owner co-operative, Yellow Cab told its 300 members in November that the move might be necessary. Yellow Cab, like the taxi industry worldwide, has seen its business ravaged by upstart ride-hailing services Uber and Lyft, which charge lower fares and can flood the streets with cars. Taxi companies say that the newcomers benefit from looser restrictions. But this potential Chapter 11 filing seems related to the case of Ida Fua, a Bay Area lawyer whose Yellow Cab driver allegedly didnt notice a freeway traffic jam and rammed into a stopped car at 60 to 65 mph in 2011. Yellow Cab tried to duck liability on the premise that the driver was an independent contractor. The jury rejected that contention and found that the driver was an ostensible employee, making Yellow Cab responsible for his actions. The argument echoes those about the status of Uber and Lyft drivers, some of whom are now suing to be reclassified as employees. Yellow Cab carries $1 million in liability insurance only a fraction of the $8 million awarded to Fua leading her lawyer to call it grossly underinsured. Yellow Cab has been hit with large lawsuits before, but they have never increased their insurance policy limits, Fuas lawyer, Todd Emanuel, said in an e-mail. Instead, they pretend they dont own or operate many of these cabs, and they hang their drivers out to dry by claiming the drivers are entirely independent of the taxi company. Emanuel said his client, as a major creditor, would have a voice in Bankruptcy Court. Yellow Cabs move seems similar to that of a Midwestern counterpart. In March, a passenger severely injured in a cab crash was awarded $26 million from Yellow Cab of Chicago. The company filed for bankruptcy protection nine hours after the verdict and told news organizations that it could not pay the damages. Yellow Cab asserted that its business is still strong, with an average 15,000 fares a day in San Francisco and the recent release of an electronic ride-hailing app, Yo Taxi. But some San Francisco Yellow Cab drivers said they have already felt an impact. Normally the company pays about $1,000 a month to rent a medallion the city-issued right to drive a cab during times when a medallion owner is not driving. One driver said he and other medallion holders havent received payments for a couple of months because the co-op is cash-strapped. That payment used to be about $2,000 a month a few years ago, before the advent of Uber and Lyft, he said. Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid A deputy sheriff who works for an antinarcotics task force in the Sacramento Valley found himself swept up in a $2 million marijuana arrest in Pennsylvania last week. The authorities are now trying to determine if any of the cases he worked on have been tainted. According to a criminal complaint, Christopher M. Heath, the deputy, and another man, Tyler Long, 31, drove across the country to deliver more than 122 packages of marijuana to a person in West Manheim Township, Pa. But investigators had been tipped off, and they stopped the car about midnight on Dec. 28. The pair were arrested, along with a third man in another vehicle, identified as Ryan J. Falsone, 27. In addition to the marijuana and $11,000 in cash, authorities found Heaths badge and his duty firearm, David Sunday, the York County chief deputy prosecutor, said in a telephone interview on Tuesday. The Pennsylvania officers did not know before the arrest that Heath, 37, worked in law enforcement, he said. Details about the drug bust were announced by Tom Kearney, the York County district attorney, on Monday and reported in local newspapers. The three men were arrested on felony drug charges and each posted $1 million bail, Sunday said. Sunday said the marijuana packages altogether weighed more than 240 pounds and had a street value of more than $2 million. The arrest means that authorities are now reviewing drug cases in at least two counties in Northern California to see whether they have been compromised. Yuba County is north of Sacramento, and marijuana growing has been a hot political issue. Early in 2015, the county board of supervisors put limits on cultivation, over substantial protests from some residents and support from others opposed to criminality around the drug business. As part of the Yuba County Sheriffs Department, Heath has worked on a task force known as NET-5, which targets illegal drug use, possession, manufacturing and sales. He worked on the task force for three years, which also serves Sutter County, investigating crimes and serving as a witness, including in at least one major federal case. The district attorney in Yuba County, Patrick McGrath, said he is now reviewing all the cases in which Heath had an investigative role to see if they were still viable. Gunfire erupted in the heart of downtown Oakland around mid-morning Tuesday, leaving an innocent bystander wounded and the errant shooter on the run, police said. A woman was injured after getting hit in the crossfire of a Tuesday morning shooting in downtown Oakland, where a shooter is still on the run. The incident started about 10:30 a.m. in the 1300 block of Broadway, when an argument broke out between two men on the sidewalk, said Officer Johnna Watson, a police spokeswoman. During the verbal confrontation, one of the men pulled a handgun and started firing at the other, she said. Instead of hitting his intended target, a bullet wounded a woman standing nearby who was caught in the crossfire, Watson said. The gunman fled the scene on foot. An Oakland police patrol watch commander witnessed the gunfire and chased the gunman up Broadway, where he lost his trail. The wounded woman was taken to the hospital, where she was in stable condition. Hours after the incident, police found the handgun believed to have been used in the shooting discarded in the 1400 block of Broadway. Officers fanned out in the downtown area in search of the gunman Tuesday afternoon. They were also checking security cameras in hopes of retrieving video of the shooting. Any witnesses or people with more information on the gunmans whereabouts can call the departments Felony Assault Unit at (510) 238-3426. Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno A San Francisco sheriffs deputy convicted of beating a homeless and disabled hospital patient a man who was initially accused of attacking the deputy wont have to serve time behind bars after a judge dismissed one of the charges against him and sentenced him to probation. Deputy Michael Lewelling, 34, was found guilty in October of assault under the color of authority, a felony, and misdemeanor assault in connection with the Nov. 3, 2014, encounter in the waiting room of San Francisco General Hospital. On Wednesday, Superior Court Judge Ellen Chaitin granted a motion to dismiss the lesser misdemeanor charge. She handed down a sentence of three years of probation and 100 hours of community service, citing the 60-year-old victims credibility, said attorney Harry Stern, who is representing Lewelling. Stern said he was pleased with the judges decision and planned to appeal the remaining conviction. But the district attorneys office expressed disappointment. This was an assault on an unarmed patient with a disability, said office spokesman Max Szabo. Given the vulnerable nature of the victim and the seriousness of the conduct, we felt that the one-year County Jail sentence that we requested was more than appropriate. Lewelling was assigned to the sheriffs patrol unit at the hospital when Fernando Guanill arrived early for an appointment regarding knee replacement surgery and fell asleep. Wrongdoing suspected Lewelling filed a report saying that when he asked him to leave, Guanill tried to attack him with his wooden cane and threatened to hurt him if he touched him. Guanill was jailed, but prosecutors, suspecting wrongdoing, declined to file charges and requested video evidence. Later, in court, Assistant District Attorney Nancy Tung said the video of the encounter clearly showed Lewelling acting as the aggressor and Guanill seemingly complying with his orders to leave, getting up and shuffling one step with his cane before Lewelling threw him back. Guanill, who filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city, said he was choked, hit and belittled by Lewelling and two additional deputies, who were not charged. Stern said Lewelling had been responding to requests of other hospital staff to remove Guanill when Guanill went off. He said Guanill had a history of spitting on law enforcement and health workers, and had previously been accused of pulling a knife on a uniformed officer and urinating in a sink at UCSF Medical Center actions Judge Chaitin cited when questioning Guanills credibility. Lack of criminality The (sentence of) 100 hours of community service is a clear indication of the real lack of criminality both in terms of history and the incident by my client, Stern said. Stern said the basis of his appeal on the final charge is that the law recognizes that peace officers require some leeway in performing their duties. The district attorneys position throughout the case that any force, even the slightest touching, amounted to a crime based on the idea that Deputy Lewelling had no right to detain Mr. Guanill thats not the law, Stern said. If that were the law, it would put every cop in the state in a precarious position because if a judge later determined that they didnt have grounds in a technical sense to stop somebody, then theyd be committing a felony. Randolph Daar, who is representing Guanill in his lawsuit, said he was upset that his clients credibility was used to justify a light sentence. The video depicts basically the entire incident, he said. His credibility is not riding on him to say, this happened or that happened. You can see him being choked. It was disappointing to me because no matter what you think, if you respect the jurys verdict, Fernando was a victim of something bad that happened, Daar said. Even if the judge thought he wasnt credible, he was still a victim and he deserves to be treated with some respect. The guy beat him, choked him and then threw him in jail. Fernando did more time for getting attacked than Lewelling will do. Lewelling remains on unpaid leave. Vivian Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: vho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VivianHo This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate San Jose police are searching for assailants who allegedly stabbed a 19-year-old woman to death and left a man in critical condition. Officers arrived at the 2800 block of South White Road in San Jose about 6:10 p.m. Dec. 29, where they found Andrea Aguirre, of San Jose, had been stabbed, said Sgt. Enrique Garcia, a police spokesman. A man on scene, whose name was not released, also suffered from at least one stab would. Aguirre and the man were taken to a hospital, where she died Friday. The man was listed in critical condition, Garcia said. Investigators learned a group of men had jumped Aguirre and the man, then fled in a vehicle. Officers already have three of the men in custody, but are not releasing their names because of the outstanding suspects, police said. Authorities also announced Tuesday officers arrested three men believed to be behind the fatal stabbing of a 24-year-old man on Christmas day. San Jose police officers responded to reports of a stabbing in the 200 block of North 26th Street around 5:30 a.m. to find the victim, Jose Marin, of San Jose, had been stabbed at least once, Garcia said. Marin was taken to the hospital, but died shortly after, he said. On Wednesday, officers arrested Jonathan Gonzalez, 29, and Luciano Esquivel, 21, on suspicion of robbery and murder, police said Tuesday. The third suspect, 21-year-old Brian Gutierrez, will also face murder charges, and was already in jail for other offenses. All three men were being held at Santa Clara County Jail without bail. Those with information on either case can anonymously call the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at (408) 947-STOP (7867). A cash reward from the Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers may be awarded to people with information leading to the arrest and conviction of the men. Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Entering the Department of Make Believe has a peculiar effect on people. Its almost like a weird therapy, Tavia Stewart-Streit, Chapter 510 co-founder and chief operating officer, said by phone. People walk in, and immediately their guard is taken down. Theyre like, Whats the Department of Make Believe? What is this place? This is crazy! This recently opened storefront for Chapter 510 is a literal space created for and devoted to the powers of the imagination. Kids and adults alike can play with what Stewart-Streit calls kind of funny but touchy-feely products about wishing and dreaming and worrying, creating, procrastinating, such as permits to make-believe, which will help pay rent. But right now its just about inviting the community to converse with us, she said. Founded in 2013 by Oakland poet and WritersCorps founder Janet Heller, Chapter 510 is a nonprofit that offers in-school tutoring, creative writing workshops, and publishing opportunities for K-12 students in Oakland. The organization sends teaching artists into classrooms to boost existing curricula. But the goal is to work with teachers and parents to develop supplementary programs. Doors to the organizations headquarters opened on Dec. 4 with the launch of a fundraising campaign to help build a writing center offering free after-school workshops for kids and a place for educators to bring their classes on field trips, where they can engage students in creative writing and bookmaking. Its deepening those relationships with the schools that we already have, said Stewart-Streit. We really want to connect with the parents community, and the community around us both in West Oakland and East Oakland who need something like this. Heller was a teaching artist at MetWest High School and at Knox Elementary, so those relationships developed organically, but since the Department of Make Believe opened, principals and educators citywide have requested that Chapter 510 visit their schools, too. Its fortunate, then, that in that short time the organizations volunteer queue has almost tripled. The campaign will also fund a third full-time staff member, who will help facilitate this expansion and oversee all in-house programming. The center is expected to open in the spring, after volunteers complete some necessary demolition. But first, to close out the campaign, the organization has invited poet and minister Marvin K. White to deliver a Call to Make Believe, with readings by Maisha Z. Johnson, Kwan Booth and youth writers from Chapter 510s Youth Advisory Board. Hosted by Regina Evans and with food by Two Mamacitas Pop-Up Kitchen, the event is a chance for the public to get involved. Were looking for artists, were looking for writers, were looking for builders right now people who build things, Stewart-Streit said. We have a group of men coming in to help rip the ceilings off, and get the carpets out, and were really in this space of do you want to help build something amazing for Oakland, for Oaklands use? Now is the time we have so much for people to do. Eva n Karp is the creator of Quiet Lightning and Litseen.com. Twitter: @Litseen Other book events Youre Going to Die presents a special two-night open-mike show themed the Funeral, a night for community to gather and create space to honor the dead and dying (7:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday, Jan. 7-8, the Lost Church, 65 Capp St., S.F., $10). www.yg2d.com/event/010716. Poets Julia Vinograd and James Cagney read as part of the Last Word Reading Series (7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8, Nefeli Cafe, 1854 Euclid Ave., Berkeley, free). www.spingo.com/calendar/event/5128314-julia-vinograd-and-jamescagney. Contributors to the recently published Red Indian Road West: Native American Poetry From California (Scarlet Tanager Books), which features 31 native poets representing 29 tribes, read alongside editors Lucille Lang Day and Kurt Schweigman, who introduce the volume (5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 9, Heyday Books, 1633 University Ave., Berkeley, free). https://heydaybooks.com/event/scarlet-tanager-books-presents-red-indian-road-west. Writers With Drinks features Anthony Marra (The Tsar of Love and Techno: Stories and A Constellation of Vital Phenomena), Naomi Williams (Landfalls), Lisa Goldstein, Tracey Knapp, Edward Gauvin and Elizabeth McKenzie (7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 9, the Make-Out Room, 3225 22nd St., S.F., $5-$20). www.facebook.com/events/543147755838419. More than 30 poets, including U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera and San Francisco Poet Laureate Alenjandro Murguia, gather to honor the life and works of Francisco X. Alarcon (2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 9, Cafe la Boheme, 3318 24th St., S.F., free). www.eltecolote.org/content/events/viva-la-vida-un-canto-de-amor-para-francisco-x-alarcon. SFJazz Poet Laureate Ishmael Reed joins Eric Harlands Voyager for a one-night-only combination of poetry and jazz (7:30 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 10, SFJazz Center, Miner Auditorium, 201 Franklin St., S.F., $25-$45). www.sfjazz.org/events/2015-16/0110/eric-harland. Youth Speaks, in partnership with the Oakland Public Library, is conducting a search for the 2016 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate, with an open call for applications from poets 13-18 years old residing in Oakland. The call is open through April 1; to learn more and apply online visit www.youthspeaks.org. A Call to Make Believe: 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 9. Free. The Department of Make Believe, 2301 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. (510) 469-0108. www.facebook.com/events/968143046573974. Chief of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, General Viktor Muzhenko has met with Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan to discuss cooperation. "The meeting was devoted to establishing closer cooperation between the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the OSCE SMM," the ministry said in a statement posted on its website on Wednesday morning. Among the issues discussed was how to ensure security of Ukrainian troops who observe the ceasefire along the contact line in eastern Ukraine and ways to raise the efficiency of the OSCE SMM in Ukraine. At the end of the meeting, Muzhenko thanked Apakan for OSCE monitors' good performance and assured in full support and interest of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in further cooperation. Here is a look at the past. Items have been culled from The Chronicles archives of 25, 50, 75 and 100 years ago. Jan. 16: Thousands of anti-war protesters laid siege to San Francisco yesterday, shutting down the Federal Building, closing the Bay Bridge for nearly two hours and ending the day with a violent, late-night rampage through the downtown area. There were more than 600 arrests. Late last night, the protesters turned to vandalism as bands of demonstrators roamed downtown San Francisco breaking windows and attempting to shut down the Bay Bridge a second time. As the 9 p.m. deadline arrived for possible military action against Iraq, crowds began a thunderous chant, F the deadline. Peace now! A huge bonfire was built in the middle of Market Street with scaffolding and plywood stripped from buildings under construction. Seventy San Francisco police officers in riot gear briefly blocked eastbound traffic on the span about 10 p.m. while they cleared 150 protesters off the bridge. Two officers were injured, one knocked unconscious, when the protesters hurled rocks and pieces of concrete. Jim Doyle, Lori Olszewski, Don Lattin 1966 Jan. 12: A stubborn fire all but engulfed historic Old St. Marys Church at Grant Avenue and California Street last night. A four-alarm blaze apparently broke out in the upper regions of the handsome brick structure presumably in the attic above the altar. The flames flared up into the belfry of the church casting a pall of smoke over Chinatown. One hundred and seventy firemen with 40 pieces of equipment battled the blaze. Fire Chief William Murray announced the fire under control at 9:24 p.m. The chief flew in from Sacramento, where he was attending a meeting. His motivation was more than professional. Old St. Marys is his church, and six years ago his son, William Jr. was married there. Ten priests who live in the church fled through a side entrance. The Paulist library of 9,000 books was rescued. The books were covered with a tarpaulin and taken to nearby Chinatown businesses. Many of the books were taken from the building by relays of young Chinese boys in the neighborhood. A crowd of thousands was startled when at 9 p.m., with water transforming the upper stories into a reservoir and creating a surging waterfall on the steps, the old tower clock loyally chimed its nine bells. And above, the neon cross of blue shone wistfully above the black smoke while the grim clouds pouring from the building could not obscure the legend below the great clock: Son, observe the Time and Fly From Evil. 1941 Jan. 16: The Justice Department yesterday decided to transfer 400 Nazi sailors held on Angel Island to New Mexico a decision reached less than two weeks after the disclosure of the escape of six officers of the group on a vessel bound for the orient. The sailors, brought here more than a year ago after scuttling their blockade-running liner, the Columbus, in the North Atlantic, will be confined to an abandoned Civilian Conservation Corps camp near Albuquerque. It was believed the decision to remove the men from the island was made to prevent any other repetition of a ruse which permitted six officers from the Nazi group to flee to Japan on the liner Asama Maru last October. Their flight was disclosed two weeks ago, and the British Consulate, angered, charged that it had been tricked. Another reason advanced for the transfer order was understood to be complaints that the Germans, allowed comparative liberty on leave in San Francisco, were spreading Nazi propaganda. 1916 Jan. 13: Snowballing in the streets was the unusual pastime of joyous San Franciscans yesterday afternoon at 3 oclock when a ton of wintry mantle was dumped in front of the Chronicle building. Tall and short, young and old, they flocked from all directions and proceeded to pelt every available target. The snowballers can thank C.A. McGee and Fred Gross of the Howard Automobile Company for their snow carnival. On Monday these two men, in a moment of enthusiasm, decided to run a one-ton Buick truck to the top of Mount Hamilton. On the way up the mountain they found deep, soft snow. The snow gave them an idea. Lets take a load of snow back and see how the natives act. And they did. When they reached San Francisco they covered their freight with a rubber blanket and rode to Lottas Fountain undiscovered. The blanket was thereupon stripped off. Wild shouts of delight went up from the newsboys. The traffic policemen threatened to put a quietus upon the affair, however, when they refused to let the cargo of snow block traffic, but an order from Chief White gave the Buick men carte blanche, and the crowds thereupon literally waded into the snow. A Geary-Street car suffered several broken windows in the first fusillade of snowballs, and many a hat was laid low by a well-directed shot; but the crowds seemed to prefer jitney drivers as their targets. The firing continued till every last vestige of the fleecy cargo was reduced to muddy slush in the citys streets. Johnny Miller is a freelance writer. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 SF Sketchfest Show More Show Less 2 of 3 JB Lacroix/SF Sketchfest Show More Show Less 3 of 3 This years SF Sketchfest plans not only to commemorate its 15 years, but also to honor the veterans and young stars who have helped keep the laughs coming. Among the most buzzed-about events during the two-week comedy extravaganza is the afternoon dedicated to Academy Award-winning actor Alan Arkin. The 81-year-old recently suffered a minor stroke, but is ready to get the crowd chuckling Sunday, Jan. 10, as he sits down to talk about the 50th anniversary of his classic Cold War comedy, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, at the Castro Theatre. Anomalisa, one of the great films of 2015, is an R-rated animated feature about adults, made for adults. It represents a breakthrough not in terms of technology, though its technically expert, but in its use of the animated form. Merely animating an adult subject might be interesting, but thats nothing to be excited about. Instead, Anomalisa finds an adult story that could have been effectively achieved only through animation, and then realizes it with precision, sensitivity and shocking humor. Adapted by Charlie Kaufman from his own radio play, Anomalisa takes place over two days and tells the story of a successful author who has a peculiar and dispiriting mental condition. He sees everyone as the same person. He can recognize differences in peoples hair and clothing and size, but their faces are the same, and so are their voices. Even when he listens to music such as Delibes Flower Duet its the same voice that he hears, again and again. This voice, coming out of everyone, is played by Tom Noonan, in one of the most extraordinary vocal performances in all of animated film. Noonans challenge was to find ways to suggest differences in the speakers age, sex and disposition without changing the basic quality of his voice. He couldnt do what a professional book reader might do, adopt different voices for different characters. Instead he had to convey the external reality of each speaker through the filter of his own natural voice, and this he accomplishes time after time, with much wit and subtlety. Anomalisa tells its story through the use of puppets and stop-motion animation, kind of like the old Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Christmas special, but two generations down the line in terms of sophistication. These puppets are manipulated to portray nuanced gradations of emotion, in which they react with minute changes in expression as another character speaks. The ultimate effect is that very little is lost by having puppets and not people do the performing, while other things are gained an eeriness, and a fascination. We cant forget that its not real, so that even a simple sight, like watching two characters walk down a corridor, seems a little miraculous. And when its not miraculous, its funny as when Michael (David Thewlis), the author, takes a shower in his hotel and has to keep hopping into and out of the water because its either scalding or freezing cold. In a live action film, it might very well be amusing to see this familiar aspect of travel cited in a movie, but the fact that its a puppet experiencing it makes it a little more comical. We meet Michael in a miserable place in his life. Everything is drab and the same its boring, Thewlis says, in a tired English way that hides a world of depression behind the mask of understatement. Through clues dropped throughout, we realize that Michael has suffered from this strange isolation for at least 10 years. Now, in Cincinnati on a business trip, he reaches out to a former girlfriend, in the hope that seeing her might jar his spirit back to life. Jennifer Jason Leigh is the voice of the title character, a perfectly average person named Lisa, who becomes the anomaly in Michaels recent experience. For some reason, he can see her, and he can hear her actual voice, not Tom Noonans. Within a compressed time period of just a couple of days, Anomalisa becomes an urgently felt love story between a lonely woman and what has to be the loneliest man on Earth. The situation has the force of metaphor, and Kaufman, who co-directed the film with Duke Johnson, keeps things vague enough to serve a number of meanings and functions. We know what afflicts Michael, but we never precisely know why. Is his a problem of perception? Very subtly, Kaufman hints that Michaels torment may be the result of his own moral failing, but even if it is, he cant address it because he cant see it. By the end, it becomes astonishing how much emotion Anomalisa persuades us to invest in these puppet people just as its incredible (until you see it) that a love scene between two puppets can have more power than 90 percent of the live-action love scenes of the past year. Anomalisa may simply be a brilliant one-off, but its pointing a new direction for animation, if anyone cares to follow it. Mick LaSalle is The San Francisco Chronicles movie critic. E-mail: mlasalle@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MickLaSalle Anomalisa Starring David Thewlis, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Tom Noonan. Directed by Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson. (R. 90 minutes.) To watch a video of Mick LaSalle talking about Anamolisa, go to http://sfchron.cl/anomalisa. In the wake of 1967s Six-Day War, an American TV news reporter, with a Palestinian refugee camp in the background, grimly tells the camera that the only thing growing here are the seeds of revenge. The scene concludes Mor Loushys troubling documentary about the war, Censored Voices. The conflict pitted Israel against the forces of Egypt, Jordan and Syria, and was counted by the Israelis as a tremendous victory that gained the nation control over the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula and other territories. Joyous public celebrations broke out in Israel, but the feeling was not universal among the victors. Shortly after the wars conclusion, some kibbutzim recorded interviews (voice only) with returning Israeli troops unable to share the euphoria. They questioned the killings, the treatment of Arab civilians and prisoners, and the motivations for the war. The Israeli military censored the tapes, but they have since been made available and are central to this documentary. Loushy replays the recordings for the now-elderly men who made them, and allows us to watch and hear their reactions which are often in the form of regrets. The sequences are effectively mixed with newsreel footage from the war, which deepens the impact of the recordings and the mens current feelings. Notable among the veterans listening to the tapes is Amos Oz, the Israeli novelist who was not only a veteran of the 1967 war, but one of the men who organized the recordings. Oz is and was skeptical about the conduct and outcome of the conflict, and is outspoken about Israels current policies. To be sure, Censored Voices can hardly be seen as anything but a political document, one that shares Ozs views. But even those who dont will be moved by the way the film personalizes the 1967 war and its consequences, because most of the men who had questions back then seem still remorseful, almost half a century later. One important question the film fails to address is the extent to which the recorded reactions are common to young men who suddenly find themselves on the front lines of combat, who quickly learn that war is not necessarily great and glorious and that killing people, even enemies, is harrowing. These are perhaps the inevitable lessons of all wars, and if so, the films effectiveness as a piece of advocacy addressing specifically Israeli issues would be weakened. If you can put the politics aside, the movie may linger in your memory for the sheer poignancy of watching somber, white-haired war veterans quietly listening to the words of their long-ago selves. Walter Addiego is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: waddiego@sfchronicle.com Censored Voices Documentary. Directed by Mor Loushy. With Amos Oz. In Hebrew with English subtitles. (Not rated. 84 minutes.) DETROIT Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder declared a state of emergency in Flint on Tuesday over problems with lead in the citys drinking water, the same day federal officials confirmed theyre investigating the matter that prompted a local public health emergency. Snyders action follows emergency declarations by the city and Genesee County, which requested help from the state. Michigans declaration makes available state resources in cooperation with local response and recovery operations. NEW YORK Characterizing Wall Street as an industry run on greed, fraud, dishonesty and arrogance, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders pledged to break up the countrys biggest financial firms within a year and limit banking fees placed on consumers, should he become president, in a fiery speech on Tuesday. He coupled that promise, delivered in front of a raucous crowd just a few subway stops from Wall Street, with a series of attacks on rival Hillary Clinton, arguing her personal and political ties make her unable to truly take on the financial industry. To those on Wall Street who may be listening today, let me be very clear: Greed is not good, said Sanders, in a reference to Oliver Stones 1980s film, Wall Street. If Wall Street does not end its greed, we will end it for them, he said, as a cheering audience jumped to its feet. Sanders has made regulating Wall Street a focus of his primary bid, with calls to curb the political influence of millionaires and billionaires at the core of his message. But the attacks on Clinton marked an escalation in his offensive against the Democratic front-runner. Clintons policies, he said, would do little more than impose a few more fees and regulations. My opponent says that, as a senator, she told bankers to cut it out and end their destructive behavior, he said, to laughter. But, in my view, establishment politicians are the ones who need to cut it out, he said. Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, have made tens of millions in speaking fees from addresses to Wall Street banks, insurance companies and other financial firms a fact Sanders alluded to in his speech, saying the banks give very generous speaking fees to those who go before them. She also opposes reinstating the Depression-era Glass-Steagall Act, which effectively limited the size of financial companies by prohibiting commercial banks from engaging in investment banking activities. Sanders would re-establish the law, initially repealed during the Clinton administration. Many economists question whether that law would have prevented the crisis, given that many financial institutions that failed, including Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns, were investment banks and their failure wouldnt have been prevented by Glass-Steagall. Sanders vowed to create a too-big-to-fail list of companies within the first 100 days of his administration whose failure would pose a grave risk to the U.S. economy without a taxpayer bailout. Those firms would be forced to reorganize within a year. The reality is that fraud is the business model on Wall Street, he said. It is not the exception to the rule. It is the rule. HEMPSTEAD, Texas The Texas Department of Public Safety says it will fire the trooper indicted for perjury related to his traffic stop and arrest of Sandra Bland, a black woman who died three days later in jail. The department said Wednesday that it would begin termination proceedings against Brian Encinia. Encinia was indicted earlier Wednesday for allegedly lying in an affidavit about the July traffic stop in which he arrested Sandra Bland. Dash-cam video shows the traffic stop quickly became confrontational, with Encinia holding a stun gun and yelling, I will light you up! after Bland refused to get out of her car. Bland eventually steps out of the vehicle, and Encinia orders her to the side of the road. The confrontation continues off-camera but is still audible. A grand jury indicted Encinia with the misdemeanor perjury count, alleging he lied about how he removed 28-year-old Bland from her vehicle during the July traffic stop. The same Waller County grand jury decided last month not to indict any sheriffs officials or jailers in Blands death, which was ruled a suicide. She was found hanging in a jail cell with a plastic garbage bag around her neck. Bland remained jailed after her arrest because she couldnt raise about $500 for bail. Encinia, who has been on paid desk duty since Bland was found dead in her jail cell, also faces a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Blands family. The misdemeanor charge carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $4,000 fine. Encinia, who is white, pulled Bland over on July 10 for making an improper lane change near Prairie View A&M University, her alma mater, where she had just interviewed and accepted a job. Blands sister, Shante Needham, has said Bland called her from jail the next day, saying shed been arrested but didnt know why, and that an officer had placed his knee in her back and injured her arm. Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw later said Encinia violated internal agency policies of professionalism and courtesy. Bland was arrested for assault on a public servant. The situation in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) zone in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, escalated on Tuesday evening after militants had broken the truce 14 times from 18:00 local time on Tuesday to midnight, the ATO press center reported on Facebook on Wednesday morning. The most attacks on Ukrainian positions were registered along the so-called Svitlodarska Duha, the stretch between the militant-controlled town of Horlivka and the town of Svitlodarsk in Donetsk region. Specifically, the attackers used large-caliber guns and firearms to open fire on Ukrainian troops who are serving in the villages of Novhorodske, Zaitseve, Myronivske, Luhanske, and Troyitske. Additionally, Ukrainian strong points near Luhanske came under random fire from automatic grenade launchers and the positions to the south of Troyitske came under fire twice from anti-tank grenade launchers. "The biggest military provocation was an attack on the ATO forces deployed near the village of Mayorsk," the report says. "Kremlin-backed mercenaries were shelling from 82mm mortars and grenade launchers of different types for half an hour." The militants used firearms and a surface-to-air missile system to open random fire on the village of Pisky near the ruined Donetsk airport. A total of 23 attacks on Ukrainian positions by the militants were recorded in the past 24 hours. Since the beginning of Wednesday, militants only once attacked Pisky, it was at about 04:00 in the morning. UKROP Party leader Hennadiy Korban has said that after his restriction measure was changed from home arrest to custody he has been in hospital waiting for another surgery. "Yes, I am in hospital now," he said on Tuesday, answering a question from journalists as to his whereabouts since the last trial in Kyiv's Dniprovsky District Court which changed Korban's restriction measure. Korban said he was to undergo new surgery. "I am still undergoing medical treatment plus rehabilitation after the first surgery," he added. Korban's lawyer Oksana Tomchuk on her part told journalists that her defendant had been hospitalized to Amosov National Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery. She said that Korban's condition had deteriorated. "If the standard protocol [of rehabilitation] after such a [double coronary stenting] procedure provides a term of four to five days, my defendant has been in hospital for over 10 days. I connect this to the experiments that were carried out with him live on TV, when he was deprived of adequate medical care for 30 hours," Tomchuk said. As reported, Korban was in Amosov Institute in Kyiv during Dniprovsky District Court hearings late in December. According to doctors, he underwent a minimally invasive heart surgery procedure on December 25. Later on Tomchuk said that her defendant did not want to stay at Amosov Institute. Korban's defense also said they did not trust Amosov Institute's deputy chief physician Oleksandr Berehovyi. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Trees fell over, roads flooded, and hunks of drenched earth gave way in muddy slides when the latest in a line of El Nino-fueled rainstorms lit up the skies with lightning and rolled through the Bay Area on Wednesday. And while the intense storms dropped more than 5 inches of rain in some soggy spots over the past two days, it remains to be seen whether this years El Nino will have the drought-busting impact that everyones hoping for. Its kind of a benchmark that we want to see continue for months, said Jan Null, a certified consulting meteorologist for Golden Gate Weather Services. But we have to make up at least a years worth of rainfall, plus whatever we would normally get. So far, the first week of January is on par with normal rainfall totals which are still well above the 0.0 inches that fell this month last year, the states fourth year of devastating drought. During the impressive 1997-98 El Nino season, California eventually hit the 200 percent-of-normal mark that the state now needs to sufficiently replenish its reservoirs and get out from under this drought. As of Wednesday, Lake Shasta, Lake Oroville and Folsom Lake all remain roughly 20 to 25 percent below historical average levels. The next big benchmark Null said the rain during El Nino years tends to be back-loaded, and since the middle of the rainfall season comes in mid-January, that will be the next big benchmark. While the amount of precipitation may not be breaking any monthly records, much of Wednesdays rain came in a hard and fast deluge, causing chaos during the Bay Area commute. More than 144 crashes were reported on the regions highways between midnight and 7:30 a.m. for the second day in a row of rain-induced traffic mayhem. Both days we saw many solo-vehicle spinouts, said California Highway Patrol Officer Sean Wilkenfeld. Thats almost always due to drivers going too fast. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch for nearly the entire Bay Area as heavy rains, gusty winds and thunderstorms hit hard through the predawn hours. More than 450 lightning strikes flashed off the California coast as the system made landfall. For the 24 hours ending at 5 p.m. Wednesday, San Francisco and Oakland both recorded just short of an inch of rain with more than an inch in Marin County, 2.15 inches in Santa Rosa and about half an inch in the eastern reaches of the East Bay, the South Bay and the Peninsula, according to the weather service Impressive rainfall totals Impressive amounts of rain soaked the Bay Area over 48 hours with typically wet locations in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Sonoma County and higher elevations of Santa Clara County receiving about 5 inches. The Bay Areas wettest place, as is often the case, was remote Venado, in the northwestern corner of Sonoma County, where 8 inches came down. All that rain and wind wreaked havoc on dozens of trees around the area. In San Francisco, a 45-foot black acacia tree toppled over and crashed on three cars including a Porsche along Washington Street between Gough and Octavia streets. Washington Street was closed while crews from San Franciscos Department of Public Works cleared the monster tree. Earlier, Mission Street was closed between Fourth and Fifth streets after a large ficus tree collapsed in the rainstorm, taking down overhead Muni wires and stretching across the street. Then, a large branch broke off another ficus tree on 11th Street at Mission Street and came crashing down on the hood of a parked Cadillac Escalade. Trees are always more vulnerable during rain, said public works spokeswoman Rachel Gordon. Their root box, if it gets saturated, there is less for the roots to hold onto. They are more prone to failure. While it may seem like a raindrop is not a lot of weight, if you have tens of thousands of leaves on a tree, it makes it heavy. On Highway 1 between Muir and Stinson beaches in Marin County, Caltrans crews were cleaning up a mudslide that blocked lanes, the CHP said. Wednesdays heavy rain turned to intermittent showers that will continue to keep things damp Thursday. After a dry day Friday, another system is expected to hit late Friday into Saturday morning and is expected to bring up to another quarter to a half-inch of rain, said Duane Dykema, a forecaster with the National Weather Service. Pauses between storms A drying-out period is likely Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday before another storm hits Monday, Dykema said. That could be followed by yet another on Wednesday. Storms are still lined up out over the Pacific, he said. Were going to continue to see one after another with a day or two break in between. The midlatitude storms lined up over the Pacific are moving quickly, and timing them can be tricky, Null said. But while the flash floods can pose dangers in commuting times, and threaten slide-vulnerable landscapes, the spaced-out storms are a best-case scenario for the drought. Its a better scenario if we can spread out the rain, Null said. If it all falls at once, you have to release some of it so you dont flood. San Francisco Chronicle staff writers Lizzie Johnson and Michael Cabanatuan contributed to this report. Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky The container train running across Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and China (via Caspian and Black seas) will depart from Illichivsk on January 15 to make a demonstration trip, the press service of the Infrastructure Ministry of Ukraine reported late on Tuesday. "The route is a new branch of the 'Silk Road' and an alternative that would allow redirecting cargo flows in the eastern direction bypassing Russia. It includes ferries on the Black Sea and Caspian Sea (Illichivsk-Batumi and Alat-Aktau-Port) and it will become a competitive route compared to the traditional route by land," the ministry said. The ministry said that the inclusion of Ukraine into the 'Great Silk Road' was first recorded in the Ukrainian-Chinese interagency protocol. A technology, the accelerated delivery terms, tariff conditions were agreed and the operators of the train were selected. The demonstration trip will launch the alternative way for delivering cargos from Ukraine to the Middle Asia. The container train would have around 20 wagons. "Despite the stoppage of goods transit from Ukraine via Russia, the Infrastructure Ministry jointly with Ukrzaliznytsia would continue working on the creation of alternatives to redirect cargo flows in the eastern direction," the ministry said. File photo The New Lebanon School building will meet 8 a.m. Wednesday at the school districts headquarters at 290 Greenwich Avenue. Last week, the committee approved the hiring of the Providence, R.I.-based Gilbane Building Company to serve as the projects construction manager. 1 Affluenza teens mom: The mother of the Texas teenager known for using an affluenza defense in a fatal drunken-driving case waived extradition in a Los Angeles court on Tuesday and agreed to return to Texas, where she faces charges related to helping her son flee to Mexico. Couch is wanted in Fort Worth on a felony charge, according to the complaint. Couch, 48, fled to Mexico last month with her son Ethan, 18, who was facing the prospect of a probation violation hearing that could send him to jail. They were arrested in Puerto Vallarta after U.S. marshals tipped off the authorities there to their location. 2 Federal lands dispute: A leader of the small, armed group that is occupying a remote national wildlife preserve in Oregon said Tuesday that they will go home when a plan is in place to turn over management of federal lands to locals. Ammon Bundy told reporters at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge that ranchers, loggers and farmers should have control of federal land a common refrain in a decades-long fight over public lands in the West. The younger Bundys antigovernment group is critical of federal land stewardship, but environmentalists and others say U.S. officials should keep control for the broadest possible benefit to business, recreation and the environment. Major General Ihor Luniov has been appointed as Commander of Ukraine's Special Operations Forces (SOF), Chief of the General Staff of Ukraine's Defense Ministry Viktor Muzhenko said. "The selection commission had been considering several candidates for the position of the SOF Commander. There were three of them. And the Defense Ministry's Higher Examination Commission was able to meet with two candidates, the third was absent due to health reasons and was no longer considered [for the position] because of subjective assessment of his capabilities and prospects. There were two following candidates: General Ihor Vasyliovych Luniov and Colonel Serhiy Hryhorovych Kryvonis. The selection commission chose Major General Luniov as the main candidate for this position and the defense minister has already appointed him to this post," Muzhenko said in an interview to Ukraine's Military TV. The fragment of the interview was posted on the General Staff's Facebook account. Muzhenko said that the main task for the coming year was to create the SOF training center. "The [SOF] command has already been created, however, a lot of work still needs to be done for this authority to have capabilities to command respective military units," Muzhenko said. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk held telephone conversations with his counterparts from Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan regarding Ukrainian cargo transit via Russia. During the telephone conversation between Yatseniuk and Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Masimov "the sides focused attention on the problems of delivering the Ukrainian produce to Kazakhstan and conducting transit shipments," the Ukrainian government press service said on Wednesday. "The heads of Ukrainian and Kazakh governments said they are jointly ready to solve the current problems and gave urgent instructions to the national competent agencies to rapidly complete the talks to ensure an optimal and effective transit," the statement said. The head of the Ukrainian government also told his Kazakh counterpart that Ukraine intended to immediately notify the members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) of "Russia's illegal actions regarding Ukrainian cargo transit and to apply the organization's mechanisms for Russia to eliminate these violations." The Ukrainian produce transit issue was also highlighted in a telephone conversation between Yatseniuk and Azerbaijani Prime Minister Artur Rasizade, the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers said. "The heads of Ukrainian and Azerbaijani governments have reached a principled agreement regarding the ways to resolve the transit problems which have again emerged and agreed to hold as soon as possible a meeting between national plenipotentiary representatives who will seek to agree on necessary technical decisions," it said. Michelle Rodriguez Ex-Girlfriend Cara Delevingne Flaunts Body; Surfs With Suki Waterhouse! Michelle Rodriguez's ex-girlfriend Cara Delevingne revealed her bikini body as she surfed with her British pal Suki Waterhouse. The 23-year-old model and actress was spotted hitting the waves with Bradley Cooper's ex-girlfriend Suki Waterhouse at their luxury holiday trip in Barbados. Cara Delevingne, who was the ex-girlfriend of the "Furious 7" star Michelle Rodriguez, showed what she's got in a bright blue bikini, which she topped off with a zip-up wetsuit, The Daily Mail said in a report. Advertisement The Burberry model flaunted her slim thighs as she was engrossed in a playful competition with her 22-year-old blond pal. Michelle Rodriguez's ex-girlfriend Cara Delevingne also wowed her fellows as she conquered the waves flawlessly while donning her killer smiles. Meanwhile, Suki Waterhouse was equally stunning with her multicolored stripy swimsuit that she also covered with a long sleeved top. Cara Delevingne and Suki Waterhouse were joined by several friends who all enjoyed playing with the waves. The "Paper Towns" actress' girlfriend St. Vincent, whose real name is Annie Clarke, was meanwhile spotted face-plating in the water, and was later joined by her model partner. The trio has been in Barbados for a holiday getaway before coming back to work after celebrating New Year. They were also seen jetting to Island Mustique for one day then later returned to Barbados. Just recently, Cara Delevingne is now back to work as she posted a snap shot selfie while filming her new movie "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets." She can be seen wearing a golden crown while rocking a white shirt and a leather jacket. The model looked make-up free as she points to the crowd below her. "And so it begins! New film, new family #Valerian," Cara Delevingne captioned her shot. Michelle Rodriguez's ex-girlfriend Cara Delevingne plays the part of Laureline, one of the protagonists for the sci-fi film, MTV.com said. Advertisement Advertisement Like us and Follow us Follow @Koreaportal and 2022 Korea Portal, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach Opens Up About Sharing The Miss Universe Crown With Miss Colombia; Steve Harvey Still Hasnt Met With Miss Colombia In a major entertainment fail, Steve Harvey accidentally crowned wrong winner of Miss Universe 2015. Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach was crowned Miss Universe on December 20, but Pageant host Steve Harvey first named Miss Colombia Adriadna Gutierrez as the new Miss Universe before he realized he made a mistake. Moments after Steve Harvey crowned Miss Colombia the winner of the Miss Universe title he took it back and announced the Miss Universe winner was actually Miss Philippines, not Miss Colombia, leading to suggestions that the two women share the crown. Advertisement "I think it would be a little difficult for two girls to share a crown," Wurtzbach told Good Morning America Monday. "But I have high hopes that this will give great opportunities for me and Miss Colombia, and the rest of the contestants." Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach, the new Miss Universe, isn't taking off the crown, but doesn't hold it against Harvey. Pia said the host of The Steve Harvey Show and Family Feud is a "breath of fresh air." "Yeah, why not?" Wurtzbach told the media. "I think he's a breath of fresh air. He made us feel very relaxed, the contestants. It makes us show our personalities a little bit more. I think that benefits everybody, especially the viewers." The former Miss Philippines understood the gaffe. "The way it was written, it was a little confusing," she said. "I understand. It was his first time to judge a pageant, but it's OK. He's human. People make mistakes." Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez revealed that she "cried a ton" after she was declared the winner of the Miss Universe pageant by host Steve Harvey "I went up to my parents' room and, obviously, I was very sad, I was in bad shape, I was crying. I cried a ton that night," the 22-year-old Gutierrez Spanish-language network Univision. Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez is in favor of splitting the title. "It was very humiliating for me, but also for the whole country and for all the people not only from Colombia but the other Latinos that were in the auditorium," Gutierrez was recently quoted in a radio station interview. Pia Angela Alonzo Wurtzbach was born on September 24, 1989. She was once professionally known as Pia Romero. The new Miss Universe is a Filipina-German actress, model and beauty queen who was crowned Binibining Pilipinas 2015 on March 15, 2015. "Immediately after it happened, they asked the pageant people to come to the press conference," Harvey admitted on his first Steve Harvey Morning Show segment of the New Year. "I wasn't scheduled to be at a press conference, so I went to the press conference and made all the apologies there ... Here's the situation: Now, when the mistake was made, when I said the wrong woman's name, I can only give information I had. No one knows, and that information is not in the teleprompter because you've got two women standing there. I read what was on the teleprompter, then I read what was on the card." Harvey took to Twitter to apologize for the mistake. "I'd like to apologize wholeheartedly to Miss Colombia & Miss Philippines for my huge mistake. I feel terrible," Harvey tweeted. "I don't want to take away from this amazing night and pageant. As well as the wonderful contestants. They were all amazing." Advertisement Advertisement Like us and Follow us Follow @Koreaportal and 2022 Korea Portal, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Indonesia's first high-speed rail project, to be built by China, will break ground on Jan. 21 and the construction is expected to be completed in 2018, the BBC reports on Tuesday. The 140-kilometer rail will link Indonesia's capital city of Jakarta and Bandung, the third largest city of the country. The high-speed railway has a designed speed of 250 km per hour and after put into operation it will shorten the travel time between the two cities to less than 35 minutes, with the one-way fare around 16 U.S. dollars. The Jakarta-Bandung line is part of Indonesia's 750-km high-speed rail project that will connect Jakarta and the nation's second largest city of Surabaya in East Java. Local government in Jakarta is completing the final license and related laws and regulations. After this, the project will start, according to Pramono Anung, Indonesian Cabinet Secretary-General. China and Indonesia signed an agreement on Oct. 16, 2015, according to which China will build the high speed rail for Indonesia. This is also Chinas first overseas high-speed rail project. China and Japan had both been competing for the rights to build the 140-kilometer Jakarta-Bandung line. BEIJING, Jan. 6 -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) announced Wednesday that it has successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb explosion, the fourth nuclear test of the country. Following is a review of the country's previous nuclear tests. Oct. 9, 2006 -- The official KCNA news agency reports that the country has conducted a successful nuclear test in North Hamgyong-do in the northeast of the country. The U.N Security Council on Oct. 14 passes Resolution 1718 to condemn the test. May 25, 2009 -- The DPRK conducts its second nuclear test. The KCNA says that DPRK scientists have been able to increase the explosive power and control level of the bomb compared with the first test. The test prompts UN Security Council Resolution 1874, which voices "the strongest condemnation" against DPRK authorities and demands the country stop further nuclear weapon-related activities. Feb. 12, 2013 -- The DPRK carries out a third nuclear test, which the KCNA describes as "high level, safe and perfect." South Koreaestimates the bomb has a power equal to 6,000-7,000 tons of TNT. The UN Security Council unanimously passes Resolution 2094 on March 7, demanding the DPRK give up its nuclear weapon project and return to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Qunar, China's leading online airline ticket booking service, has gotten into a spat with the country's major airlines for unsatisfactory consumer services, pointing to chaos in the airline ticket booking industry. Analysts say the online platforms need to work harder to self-regulate and change their business models. Otherwise, some may get shifted out of the market. Qunar's search pages for hotels, international and domestic flights. Over the last few days, several major domestic airlines broke off ties with the company, China's leading online travel agent. China's largest online airline ticket booking service Qunar Cayman Islands Ltd is having trouble maintaining trust with its users because it is in a spat with many leading domestic airlines. One user, a Beijing-based white-collar worker surnamed Huang, has used Qunar regularly over the last three years to buy tickets back to her hometown in Southwest China's Guizhou Province. But now, she is thinking about abandoning it. "I lost a lot of faith in Qunar after so many major domestic airlines decided to end their relationships with the platform," she told the Global Times on Tuesday. China Eastern Airlines Corp Ltd and Air China Ltd on Monday became the latest domestic major airlines to close their official sales channels on Qunar, joining Hainan Airlines Co Ltd, China Southern Airlines Co Ltd and Capital Airlines, which did the same on Thursday. On Tuesday, Tianjin Airlines also shut down its online flagship stores on Qunar. The airlines stopped selling tickets through Qunar because of the numerous customer complaints they received about the service, according to their separate posts. They said many customers complained about being overcharged for buying or returning tickets from agents on the platform. Huang hasn't had such problems with Qunar, but she is still concerned about the service. "Now that big airlines have questioned Qunar's consumer services, I need to be careful," she said, noting that she decided to uninstall Qunar mobile app immediately. In a microblog post responding to airlines' decisions on Thursday, Qunar did not acknowledge that it has problems with consumer services. Instead, it said China Southern and Hainan Airlines abandoned the platform because they couldn't agree on the way to display fares and departure times. Qunar also said that users still can book flights on the aforementioned airlines on its platform from third-party agents, just not directly from the airlines. When contacted by the Global Times on Tuesday, Qunar declined to comment further on the matter. Serving a warning It's difficult to determine the real reason why the airlines abandoned Qunar, analysts said. Still, the dispute will serve as warning to other flight booking services with customer service problems. Qunar's major rivals, Ctrip.com International Ltd and the rising star Alitrip, have similar issues such as phony promotions, bundling sales and unclear rules on how to return tickets, according to a post by Shanghai Consumer Council on December 17. For instance, the council bought a 542 yuan ($83) flight on China Eastern Airlines from a third-party agent on Alitrip in early December. The ticket said it could be returned according to the regulation of the airline, charging 80 percent of the ticket cost as commission, which amounts to a refund of 100 yuan. In reality, however, the council only got 50 yuan back, according to the post. Complaints about flight bookings were up in 2015, at least in Shanghai. The council had received 7,874 consumer complaints about airline ticket bookings from January 1 to December 15, 2015, Tang Jiansheng, the council's deputy secretary-general, said in the post. By comparison, it received 4,806 such complaints in 2014. Wei Changren, CEO of Beijing-based Jinlu Consulting, pins the blame on some undisciplined third-party agents. "They employ unethical practice to make extra money while offering low-priced airline tickets to price-sensitive consumers," he said. "By breaking off their relationships with Qunar, the industry leader, the airlines have come up with an effective way to pressure other players to pay more attention to after-sales services and help push unqualified agents out of the market," he said. China's online airline ticket booking industry was worth 80.9 billion yuan in the third quarter of 2015, up 58.6 percent year-on-year, according to a report released by market consultancy Analysys International on December 10, 2015. Qunar led the industry with a market share of 38.2 percent, followed by Ctrip.com International Ltd with 37.7 percent and Alitrip, e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding's travel service, which had 16.4 percent. Looming changes Wei predicted that airlines will pressure online platforms like Qunar in 2016 to raise standards for third-party agents operating on their platforms. Air China aims to have half of its flights sold through its own marketplace by the end of 2016, Xiao Feng, Air China's chief accountant, was quoted as saying by 21st Century Business Herald newspaper in September. Wei doesn't see that happening until at least 2017. Currently, the big airlines only sell 20 percent of total airline tickets across the country, he said. The market will become increasingly concentrated in the coming years, so the airlines will only need one or two large, well-regulated online booking platforms, Wei said. "Qunar will need to work out its problems with the airlines, otherwise, it might just end up forced out of the business," Wei noted. The airlines' own marketplaces are gaining popularity among customers like Li Xi, who are willing to pay a little more for better customer service. "I prefer buying tickets via Air China's official website, which not only guarantee after-sales services, but also sometimes offers lower fares than other online travel agents," Li told the Global Times on Monday. Upcoming transformation The price gap between airlines and agents has narrowed considerably since the beginning of 2015, when the major airlines began lowering commissions they paid agents. By the middle of the year, they cut the commissions to almost zero. The change not only squeezed the profit margins of small-scale agents, but also pressured Qunar and other online platforms to change their business models, Wei said. Ctrip has already started to diversify its business by offering travel packages that include airport pick-up services, car rentals and hotel reservations, the company said in an e-mail sent to the Global Times on Monday. Online travel agents can no longer rely only on commissions from selling airline tickets, Ctrip said. Alitrip is also trying to provide similar packages, according to the company. Besides, Alitrip has imposed stricter rules on the travel agents. "Air ticket agents now can no longer get their products listed on alitrip.com by self-application. We will carry out on-the-spot investigations and invite only qualified agents to our site," Alitrip told the Global Times. Wei expects Qunar will make sweeping changes in 2016, following the lead of Ctrip, which just inked share swap agreement and partnership with Qunar in October. Staff and students were forced to evacuate the building. Cracks appeared in a high school playground in Jilin city, northeast Chinas Jilin Province, after an impact from a 4.9 magnitude quake was detected in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Wednesday. School exams in progress were forced to terminate, and all staff and students were asked to evacuate the building. The earthquake is believed to be caused by DPRKs hydrogen bomb test on Wednesday, as the countrys authorities made announcement shortly after the quake that the test had been conducted. DPRK media released an autograph of Kim Jong-un authorizing the country's first nuclear test. World leaders immediately issued statements condemning DPRKs act, and the United Nations Security Council held emergency meeting over the incident. Chinese Foreign Ministry said that China firmly opposes DPRK's nuclear test and urged it to honor commitment to denuclearization. Russias FM Sergey Lavrov also condemns the test as flagrant violation of international law and UNs resolutions. China immediately carried out emergency radiation tests in the border areas. As of January 6 evening, the tests showed no impact from the nuclear test yet, said Chinas Environmental Protection Ministry. A selection of the day's best photographs from around the world and nation, as curated by The Chronicle photo editors. TEHRAN, Jan. 5 -- Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday that Riyadh cannot hide the "crime" of killing a religious cleric by severing diplomatic ties with Tehran. Saudi Arabia cut off diplomatic relations with Iran on Sunday after angry Iranian protesters stormed its embassy in Tehran against Saudi's execution of prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. The Saudi authorities should have not responded to the criticisms of al-Nimr by beheading him, Rouhani said in a meeting with visiting Danish Foreign Minister Kristian Jensen. "We hope that the European countries which have been sensitive to human rights issues could do their duties in this regard," Rouhani said. The Iranian president, however, stressed that Iran is seeking good relations with its neighbors, including Saudi Arabia. The best way to settle the dispute between the two countries is through political and diplomatic means, he said, adding that the critical situation in the region requires cooperation among the countries against terrorism. They went to the toilet and they scraped the bowl, defense attorney J. Tony Serra railed during his closing arguments for client Raymond Shrimp Boy Chow, 56, who stands accused of murder and racketeering. Chow, you may recall, was caught up in a March 2014 federal sweep that netted 26 other defendants, including former state Sen. Leland Yee, who pleaded guilty to a racketeering charge last year. Serra finished his analogy with the conclusion that federal prosecutors produced a few scumbags willing to testify against Chow in return for lenient sentences. Homicidal maniacs, some of them, they are not to be trusted, Serra warned. Serra was in a a delicate position. You see his client, Chow, was himself serving 160 months in prison on federal charges that involved murder for hire, conspiracy to distribute heroin and arson, when he agreed to cooperate by testifying against Peter Chong, a fellow tong leader. Because of that testimony, the feds freed Chow in 2003. Serra had nothing good to say about co-defendants who agreed to testify against Chow, yet Serra nonetheless told jurors in U.S. District Judge Charles Breyers courtroom that Chow emerged from prison determined to turn his life around. People do change, he said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate People cross oceans and drive through as many states as it takes to see the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz for themselves. The future owner of 369 Marina Blvd., San Francisco, barely needs to tilt their head to do the same. The location of this property alone makes it stand out, said architect John Peterson, who led a remodeling project doubling the kitchens size, expanding the master suite and maximizing the homes unobstructed views. Plus, we had a willing client who allowed us to experiment with the material palette and create something more refined. A great room with bay views dominates the main level, and a kitchen designed by Bulthaup International acts as the showpiece. A Gaggenau cooktop, a Sub-Zero refrigerator, dual ovens and a large pantry are joined by a granite island seating four. An intricate veneer panels the custom cabinetry, playing the timber hues against the kitchens stainless steel, frosted glass and dark stone finishes. Brazilian blue stone with bookmatched veining fashions a dramatic floor-to-ceiling fireplace surround. Precise alignment of the veins creates concentric diamonds that track your eyes to the main levels tall windows and high ceiling before directing attention to the hardwood floor. The client loved the material and wanted something a little showier, and we had some very skilled workers who pulled it off, Peterson said. Peterson entered the fold years after structural upgrades were made in the response to the Loma Prieta earthquake and Marina district fire of 1989. He was hired by a homeowner from Los Angeles who wanted to inject modern style into the virtually bayfront property. Peterson eliminated a bedroom, using the space to increase room sizes and enhance flow. The master suite was substantially transformed. Beside more space and expansive views, the bedroom has built-in cabinetry and individual closets for a couple sharing the suite. Heated floors in the spa bathroom lead to a two-person Jacuzzi tub and separate shower. Two more bedrooms share a bathroom on the upper level. It definitely became more of a showcase floor, Peterson said of the top level. Completed in 1937, 369 Marina Blvd. stands shoulder-to-shoulder with a home built at the same time by the same architect. The stuccoed facade was serviceable when Peterson arrived, though he and the client agreed that a home in such a location deserves more curb appeal. The nondescript Art Deco facade received larger windows and timber accents. Crews retained the positioning of the existing bay window, though it was clad with wood to create a more cohesive appearance. Visit www.369MarinaBlvd.com to see more. Listing agent: Carol Goldberg, Coldwell Banker Previews, (415) 203-5525, carolgoldberg @gmail.com. Details Address: 369 Marina Blvd., Marina District, San Francisco. Price: $7.395 million. Features: Bask in enviable views from all four levels of this five-bedroom luxury residence directly across the street from the Marina Green. The renovated interior offers cherry flooring, a spa bathroom in the master suite and a Bulthaup-designed kitchen with dual ovens, granite-topped center island and stainless steel accents. An elevator reaches all floors and the home includes a three-car garage, as well as a rear deck overlooking the Marina district. PYONGYANG, Jan. 6 -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea announced Wednesday that it has successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb test. The "total success" of the test, which took place at 10:00 a.m. Pyongyang time (0130 GMT), meant that the DPRK has "proudly joined the advanced ranks of nuclear weapons states possessed of even H-bomb," Pyongyang said in a statement carried by the state-run KCNA. According to the statement, DPRK top leader Kim Jong Un ordered the H-bomb test on Dec. 15, 2015, and signed the final written order on Sunday. The test has "proved the technological specifications of the newly developed H-bomb were accurate and scientifically verified the power of smaller H-bomb," said the statement. The DPRK claimed that the test was conducted "in a safe and perfect manner" and that no adverse impact was caused on the environment. It added that its development of nuclear weapons is aimed at smashing the U.S. hostile policy against it, and stressed that the DPRK would not resort to nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty was infringed on. Earlier in the day, the China Earthquake Network Center said a 4.9-magnitude earthquake jolted the DPRK at 0130 GMT at a depth of 0 km. The U.S. Geological Survey, which also reported the temblor but initially put the magnitude at 5.1 and the depth at 10 km, later revised the depth to 0 km. The DPRK's H-bomb test apparently runs counter to relevant UN resolutions and the internationally backed Korean Peninsula denuclearization efforts, and is set to cause repercussions. China has always pushed for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, maintaining that all relevant parties should refrain from unilateral moves detrimental to regional peace and stability. Related: China firmly opposes DPRK's nuclear test Nuclear deterrent will not bring DPRK security: Opinion The unexpected announcement of the first hydrogen bomb test by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will not only deal a huge blow to the unpredicted Korean Peninsula denuclearization process and unnecessarily intensify the tensions in Northeast Asia, but more importantly will also harm the DPRK's own security. Backgrounder: DPRK's previous nuclear tests S.Korea strongly denounces DPRK's fourth nuclear test TEHRAN Iraq on Wednesday offered to mediate between Saudi Arabia and Iran after tensions soared following the kingdoms execution of a Shiite cleric and attacks on two Saudi diplomatic posts in the Islamic Republic. The standoff has seen Saudi Arabia sever diplomatic ties with its longtime regional rival and could hinder efforts to resolve the conflicts in Syria and Yemen, where Riyadh and Tehran back opposite sides, as well as affect the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal. Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari proposed mediation during a news conference in Tehran, but also referred to the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr as a crime. Saudi Arabia and its allies say al-Nimr was found guilty of terrorism charges, and that condemnations of the execution amount to meddling in Riyadhs internal affairs. Iraq has undertaken a delicate balancing act amid the latest regional turmoil. The Shiite-led government in Baghdad relies on Iranian help to battle the extremist Islamic State group, but is also trying to repair ties to oil-rich Saudi Arabia, which last week sent an ambassador to Baghdad for the first time in 25 years. Speaking alongside Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, al-Jaafari said Iraqs place in the heart of the Middle East allows it to play a role in trying to alleviate tensions. Back in Iraq, however, thousands of Iranian-backed Shiite militiamen marched in Baghdad and across the south to protest the execution of al-Nimr. Qais al-Khazali, the head of the powerful Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, gave a speech in the southern city of Basra in which he called on Baghdad to cut diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia, expel the newly arrived ambassador and boycott Saudi goods. Since Saudi Arabia severed ties to Iran, a host of its allies have cut or reduced their ties as well. Among those is Bahrain, which said Wednesday it had broken up a Shiite militant group backed by the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Also on Wednesday, Qatar recalled its ambassador from Iran to protest the attacks on the Saudi diplomatic missions, according to a brief report carried by the official Qatar News Agency. Oman broke its silence and called the Saudi diplomatic post attacks unacceptable, while leaving its ties to Iran untouched. The sultanate has been a long-time mediator between Iran and the rest of the world. 1 Base attack ends: Indian forces have killed the last of the six militants who attacked an air force base near the Pakistan border over the weekend, the defense minister said Tuesday, though soldiers were still searching the base as a precaution. Manohar Parrikar stopped short of saying the operation had ended, but Indian officials have said repeatedly that only six gunmen were involved. Parrikar did not explain how just a handful of gunmen managed to paralyze a large Indian air base for almost four days, insisting that security forces had done a commendable job. Seven Indian soldiers were killed during the attack. The United Jehad Council, an alliance of 13 Kashmir-based rebel groups, claimed that its highway squad, which normally attacks military convoys, carried out the attack. 2 Hate speech acquittal: A Belfast evangelist charged with hate speech against Muslims has been acquitted after a judge ruled that his sermon had not been sufficiently offensive. Scores of Christian supporters cheered Tuesdays judgment at Belfast Magistrates Court as Pastor James McConnell walked free. McConnell faced a charge of spreading grossly offensive messages after his church put his May 2014 sermon denouncing Muslims online. District Judge Liam McNally said courts must be careful not to criminalize speech which, however contemptible, is no more than offensive. It is not the task of criminal law to censor offensive utterances. Blue Corn, Dec. 9: Tiny Triumphs Happy Happy, Joy Joy You know this one brings joy to my heart! I hope you get lots of new fosterers and forever families with this column. Teri Schultz Brussels, Belgium Cover, Dec. 2: Loves Me Not Are They Different? Thank you for this article looking at systemic problems in our criminal and civil justice systems. This week, we must ask ourselves, "Are horrific acts of public violence different from the individual acts of family violence perpetrated behind closed door?" Both are a reflection of deep societal problems. There is no single law, no specific law enforcement strategy, no branch of our justice system that alone can reduce violence. Santa Fe Safe, the Coordinated Community Response Council for the City of Santa Fe, brings together law enforcement agencies, advocates, health care providers and community members to develop and implement innovative programs that address the immediate needs of victims, as well as long-term strategies for reducing violence. Our next meeting on Jan. 20 will discuss local programs that empower men to resolve family issues without resorting to intimidation, coercion or violence. Sheila Lewis Santa Fe Safe Born Here, Dec. 23: Middle Ground The System is Broken I also met with Miljen Aljinovic and talked about how Phillip Crump approached United Communities of Santa Fe County to advocate an Albuquerque process in the new Santa Fe County Land Use Code. It didn't work out exactly that way. The city revamped the code and removed one ENN meeting from it that would have occurred earlier. Developers often state that if they [knew about] neighborhood opposition, they would not invest so much money in proposals up front. The whole system seems way more broken than any of the players had ever imagined. William Mee SFReporter.com Correction "Paying Now or Paying Later" in the Dec. 23 edition reported the Santa Fe school district composts 18,000 pounds of food waste every day. The correct figure is 1,800. SFR will correct factual errors online and in print. Please let us know if we make a mistake, editor@sfreporter.com or 988-7530. Mail letters to PO Box 2306, Santa Fe, NM 87504, deliver to 132 E Marcy St., or email them to editor@sfreporter.com. Letters (no more than 200 words) should refer to specific articles in the Reporter. Letters will be edited for space and clarity. Santa Fe Reporter Southwestern states may lose all of their pine and juniper trees by 2100, according to research recently published in Nature Climate Change. "We have been uncertain about how big the risk of tree mortality was, but our ensemble of analysesincluding experimental results, mechanistic regional models and more general global modelsall show alarming rates of forest loss in coming decades," Nate McDowell, a forest ecologist at Los Alamos National Laboratory and lead author of the paper, said in a press release. McDowell studied pinon-juniper forests in New Mexico and simulated drought-like conditions by depriving trees of 50 percent of rainfall for five years (a 2012 NPR story described the project as a tree torture lab where trees are killed to better understand how to save them). Eighty percent of mature trees in the area died. The study also ran computer models based on predicted global warming scenarios, and while those led to different precipitation patterns, they consistently produced widespread tree death. The average of the results of those models predicts 72 percent of the region's needleleaf evergreen trees will die by 2050, and nearly 100 percent will be gone by 2100. New Mexico will likely be joined by California, Colorado, Utah and Texas, among others, in losing millions of acres of forests. Throughout the Northern Hemisphere, more than half of conifers are expected to be dead by 2100. The study was unable to account for the possibility of vegetation adapting to warmer or drier conditions, or the increase in wildfires, or the effects of insect populations on seedlings. Its calculations were also based on the worst-case scenario: that humans continue burning fossil fuels at their present rate. Santa Fe Reporter Well-intentioned, hypervigilant parents are a class of people who could qualify for protection by the federal government. Why? Because we are justifiably vulnerable at vital levels of cognitive functioning, which are related to the production and cultivation of this nations most important natural resource: children. My first glimpse of this reality came one Sunday morning some years ago, while reading Dave Barry's nationally syndicated column and sipping a mimosa. At the time, I was barely 30, single and child-free. Listening to jazz in my large-windowed flat overlooking Washington DC, I laughed wryly at Barry's description of donning a rubber Batman suit in 90 degree weather for his kid's birthday party. Little did I know that such antics are the least agonizing and most joyful moments of parenthood. Becoming a parent catapults one into dimensions of adulthood that vacillate between emotional ecstasy and Dante's Inferno. Children, upon entering your life, hijack your hippocampusthat part of the brain responsible for the cerebral hemisphere concerned with basic drives, emotions and short-term memory. Then, our children really go to work on us. Despite our diminished capacity as human beings, who necessarily love beyond reason, we soldier on and try to make the best decisions that compromised creatures can make, all the while second-guessing our choices and feeling ourselves falling short. Which is why, as we barrel into another New Year, I hope to do better, though I have little evidence that I'm not doing well. Can you see the insanity of this? Becoming parents in Santa Fe presented some particularly interesting challenges. Public parks for small children aren't exactly plentiful. Every activity, save those at the public library, offers sticker shock. Supply and demand being what it is, the search for quality education also caused us alarm. Not to mention the fact that a number of the best schools here in Santa Fe didn't look like schools at all by my Midwestern suburban standards. These rustic domiciles set off rural roads in unpainted, seemingly half-built buildings near empty fields made my hair stand on edge. While seeking a day care center when our daughter was 2, we realized we also needed to decide whether we'd send her to public, public charter or private school. There were wait-lists, lotteries and no guarantees. The local income disparity didn't broaden our choices. We're working middle class, and grammar school tuition costs here are steep. We toured a dozen places. One charter school, under renovation, was a construction site full of industrial equipment, trailers and portable toilets I couldn't imagine any 5-year-old, let alone a preschooler, navigating without one kind of threat or another. Seeing this school's proximity to a detention center as we drove away sealed the decision. Once we got our daughter in school, I more deeply understood Dave Barry's incentive for the Batman suit. The circuit of competitive themed birthday parties and Sotheby's-caliber goodie bags during the first few years nearly put us off the whole practice. We used these opportunities to open an ongoing dialogue with our daughter about issues of moderation and excess. She's now 9, so you can imagine how this endeared us to her. We try. We can't help it, we're parents. Here's the Thing: Christmas morning, rather than running for her presents like last year, our daughter passed out gifts and watched with concern and delight as we opened ours. She wrote thank-you cards and made thank-you calls. She also called friends to ask about their holidays. She showed us that she's growing up, thoughtful. Perhaps these are the rewards for why we try. Andrea L Mays is an American Studies scholar and a Santa Fean. Her twice-monthly column addresses 20th-century and contemporary culture and politics through the everyday experiences of living in Santa Fe. Write the author: andrea@sfreporter.com Santa Fe Reporter Dealing with and disproving stereotypes is all in a days work for Rehana Hadid. As a Muslim woman who runs her own food truck and catering business alongside her husband, Hadid is anything but the weak and reserved housewife that many people expect her to be. "People look at Muslim women as not having a voice. As not being able to speak, or not having rights, or that we're oppressed, or that we're mistreated, and it's quite the opposite. Muslim women have a lot of rights," Hadid tells SFR. Although discrimination and hateful behavior because of her religion and way of life has been relatively minimal in the past, Hadid and her husband say that recently, they've personally experienced more of that within their own Casa Solana neighborhood, an escalation that they find shocking for a city as open-minded as Santa Fe. "I feel like people look at us like we're not humans. Like we're some terrible, evil people, and we're actually really nice, loving, kind people," Hadid says. "People aren't educated about what Islam really is. ... We all may have different schools of thought that we follow, but our basic principles are love and peace and happiness. That's what Islam is about: It's about peace and love and having an open heart." In an effort to address the knowledge problem surrounding the Islam religion and culture and separate the facts from the fiction, Hadid, who spends many of her days creating cuisine for the family's Kebab Caravan business, says she hopes to reach listening ears as part of a diverse panel of approximately ten peers called "Muslim Women Speak." This event, which takes place at 1 pm on Sunday, Jan. 10, is an open forum, moderated by Judith Fein, at the Santa Fe University of Art and Design. The entire community is invited to come and ask any questions they may have. "There will be women who are American-born Muslims, there will be women who are Muslim born in other countries, there will be women who have converted to Islam," says Fein. "It's an opportunity for people to meet their Muslim neighbors. They may not have even spoken to anyone before who's Muslim. Here are women who are so smart and open-hearted and funny. " Fein says the main motivating factor in her organization of the event is the discrepancy between the portrayals of Muslims in the media, and the Muslims she knows in real life. The purpose of having the event is to help people connect in a way that is rooted in a deeper understanding and appreciation of one another, she says. Rehana Hadid is among panelists. (Selfie) Fein partnered with Zeinab Benhalim of Tribes Coffeehouse, a friend who helped create meaningful conversations on the topic after 9/11. Those small gatherings at Fein's home began with eating together and taking turns asking questions of one another. As the size of the gatherings grew into the hundreds, along with the desire to meet more frequently, Benhalim offered her coffee shop as a meeting place. Benhalim says that she is driven to be a part of the upcoming event because she feels "that people don't really understand the Middle Eastern culture." She hopes that she and her fellow panel members can correct the misinformation and misunderstanding that leads people to connect terrorism with Islam. She wants to make it very clear that "terrorism and Islam [do] not go together," she says. A third member of the panel is Muminah, a woman who adopted that name when she converted to the Islamic religion about 30 years ago. She made the decision to become a Muslim after she became acquainted with members of the Muslim community near where she lived and met people who were "very interesting, very nice, very highly educated people," she says, "and it led me to read the Koran, which I did about five times before making the decision to convert. To me, the Koran laid out basically a blueprint for living in a very nice, gentle, way. That was it." The equating of Muminah's nice, gentle lifestyle as being one and the same as that of the people responsible for the November bombings and shootings in Paris is what spurred her to be a part of the panel. "The rise of Islamaphobia has been very sharp since the Paris event. It is time for everyday, ordinary Muslims to invite the public to know what we are about as opposed to what they read in the newspapers, which is usually something shocking and equating all Muslims with those horrible terrorists who are, as far as I'm concerned personally, not Muslims. If they were, they wouldn't be doing what they're doing," Muminah says. She adds that through this event, people will become more informed about not just the religion, but Muslims in general, and "see that we're no different than they are. We have the same hopes, the same dreams, and the religions themselves are very similar." Muslim Women Speak 1 pm Sunday, Jan. 10. Moderated by Judith Fein, The Forum at the Santa Fe University of Art and Design, 1600 St. Michael's Drive, 982-9248 Santa Fe Reporter Here is a tip on how to not run a successful restaurant: post your hours on your building and online, and then dont be open when you say you are. Oh, and dont answer your phone or have voicemail available. This is the recent experience that finds my companion and me, along with a few other perplexed and pissed-off diners, sitting in our cars in the parking lot of an Eldorado restaurant a little after 10 oclock on a Wednesday morning. After deciding to ditch the early-lunch plans in Eldo, I turn the truck around and point it toward more capable hands back in Santa Fe. Los Amigos (3904 Rodeo Road, 438-0600), once home to Cafe Castro (which is now on Cerrillos Road), is supposed to open at 10:45 am on Wednesdays. On this particular Wednesday, the owner Rudy Lucero opens the door at exactly 10:45 am and waves us inside. He's smiling. This is just one tip on how to run a successful restaurant. Lucero says he's not a chef, but he's an independent businessman who designs the menu and food offerings and uses a rotating kitchen staff. We are the first customers to arrive at Los Amigos on what is a decidedly chilly morning, and hot chile must be had to take the edge off the frosty reception just received elsewhere. Los Amigos is a family-friendly joint that offers a senior discount on Sundays (4-8 pm) and a special kids' menu on Wednesdays, with $1.99 entrees. It's a popular Southside neighborhood restaurant where clean, burgundy-colored oilcloths cover the dining room tables, Native American art and Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta posters line the walls, the salt and pepper shakers are full (and clean) and the service staff seems genuinely happy to be there working during the holidays. As a bonus, our server is a fan of playing Abba through the restaurant's PA system. (Another tip: Abba goes surprisingly well with cold beer and decent New Mexican food.) I order a chocolate milkshake, but the server tells me the restaurant does not serve ice cream during the wintertime. My milkshake dreams are shattered, so I order a bottle of Corona beer ($3.50) instead. It arrives with an ice-coated glass mug, and the milkshake sadness is but a memory. (The margaritas here are made with agave wine, of which I am not a fan, but they're reasonably priced.) Los Amigos excels at the New Mexican basics, although steaks, chops and an array of breakfast items are also available. Don't forget to check the board at the front counter for the day's specials. Chips and tomato salsa are gratis, and the server offers them the second we sit down. The salsa is tomato-y and mild, a good primer for the chile-laden dishes to come. A plate of ground beef and cheese enchiladas with red and green chile, pinto beans and Spanish-style rice ($8.99) arrives in minutes, as does a daily special: an enormous green chile-bacon burger with French fries and the typical American garnish (lettuce, tomato, pickle and onion). The burger, cooked to a requested medium-rare, is super-juicy, and the roasted green chile on top packs acceptable heat by local standards. It isn't Horseman's Haven-hot, but it'll do just fine. The fries, unfortunately, leave something to be desired: unseasoned, tepid and institutional-looking and tasting. The enchilada plate is massive, with a generous helping of cooked ground beef tucked inside soft corn tortillas. Smothered in red and green (the green is hotter here) and topped with just enough cheddar cheese to make the dish taste good without also making it a choking hazardthe case at too many New Mexican restaurants in town these daysit satisfies that enchilada craving nicely. The Spanish-style rice is standard fare, nothing special, while the frijoles are cooked just to the point of being a bit toothy but not hard (like I like 'em). There is no room in our bellies for dessert, so we wrap up our leftovers and head out. When I get home around noon, I call the restaurant in Eldorado to make sure everything is OK. Perhaps the owner or manager got stuck in a storm? Are they being held hostage inside? I am told by the hostess that they do, indeed, open at 10 am and that everyone is fine, but for some reason, that whole opening-on-time thing didn't happen today. I thank her, hang up and finish my gigantic sopaipilla from the comfort of home. And then I make a milkshake. And I drink it all up. Someone in Eldorado owes me some unleaded gas. In the meantime, I have a friend in Los Amigos. At a Glance: Open: 10:45 am-9 pm Monday-Friday, 7:30 am-9 pm Saturdays, 8 am-8 pm Sundays Best Bet: Chile-smothered enchiladas Don't Miss: Daily specials, such as the green chile-bacon burger (but order the curly fries) Santa Fe Reporter Spending Bill Proposed Governor Susana Martinez has proposed a spending bill, which Joey Peters reports stresses education, public safety and jobs. Capital Dreams State Sen. Sander Rue, R-Albuquerque, wants Legislative Council Services in Santa Fe to build a website that will . As data journalist Sandra Fish discovered last year, anyone seeking the information has to get permission from each individual lawmaker. Escrow Release Bruce Krasnow reports, State Auditor Tim Keller, who recently released an audit for the fiscal year 2015 general fund, acknowledged that Real ID Backgrounder Ahead of this months Legislature session, NMPolitics.net publisher has put together a list of things you need to know to about NMs newest fight over drivers licenses. He takes a look at what political leaders can do and highlights key points from both Democrats and Republicans. If youre worried about boarding a plane, this is a must-read. Visitors Spike Future group bookings are up at Santa Fe area hotels, and thats good news for businesses and hospitality workers who rely on tourists. First Shots at Gun Law Reform US Rep. D-New Mexico, says shell support President Barack Obamas executive order to . Republicans are promising to take the issue to court like they did with his . 'Political Opportunities' Gary Johnson says hell seek the Libertarian Partys again this year. Big Whoop The number of in Santa Fe and New Mexico. Crowded Field Well, it looks like it will be a crowded race for mayor in Las Vegas, NM, in March. , the current, mayor, isnt running for re-election. Permanent Drought? Water wonk reports on a new study that doesnt paint a very good long-term prognosis for our beloved Rio Grande River, where declines in water flow due to climate change might sink a major river system into permanent drought. Santa Fe Reporter PYONGYANG, Jan. 6 -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea announced Wednesday that it has successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb test. The move has immediately given rise to a chorus of condemnations from several countries, with some also expressing suspicion about the announcement. TOTAL SUCCESS In a statement carried by the state-run KCNA, Pyongyang said the "total success" of the test, which took place at 10:00 a.m. Pyongyang time (0130 GMT), meant that the DPRK has "proudly joined the advanced ranks of nuclear weapons states possessed of even H-bomb." According to the statement, DPRK top leader Kim Jong Un ordered the H-bomb test on Dec. 15, 2015, and signed the final written order on Sunday. The test has "proved the technological specifications of the newly developed H-bomb were accurate and scientifically verified the power of smaller H-bomb," said the statement. The DPRK claimed that the test was conducted "in a safe and perfect manner" and that no adverse impact was caused on the environment. It added that its development of nuclear weapons is aimed at smashing the U.S. hostile policy against it, and stressed that the DPRK would not resort to nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty was infringed on. The DPRK's H-bomb test apparently runs counter to relevant UN resolutions and the internationally backed Korean Peninsula denuclearization efforts, and is set to cause repercussions. Earlier in the day, the China Earthquake Network Center said a 4.9-magnitude earthquake jolted the DPRK at 0130 GMT at a depth of 0 km. The U.S. Geological Survey, which also reported the temblor but initially put the magnitude at 5.1 and the depth at 10 km, later revised the depth to 0 km. Pyongyang has previously conducted three nuclear tests, respectively in 2006, 2009 and 2013. During an inspection tour of a remodeled revolutionary site in December, Kim announced that his country had developed a hydrogen bomb. CRITICISM AND SKEPTICISM In the wake of Pyongyang's announcement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that China "firmly" opposes the DPRK's nuclear test and will work with the international community for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. In South Korea, the National Security Council called an emergency meeting, during which President Park Geun-hye called the test a "grave provocation." "Now, the government should closely cooperate with the international community to make sure that North Korea (the DPRK) pays the corresponding price," Park's office quoted her as saying. Meanwhile, South Korea's intelligence agency expressed skepticism over whether the device tested Wednesday by the DPRK was a hydrogen nuclear bomb. The country's meteorological agency said separately that it had not detected any radiation after the DPRK made the announcement. In Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the DPRK's move "clearly violates UN Security Council resolutions and is a grave challenge against international efforts for non-proliferation." Japan, he added, will work along with other countries to take firm action against the DPRK if Pyongyang's claim of a H-bomb test turns out to be true. Across the Pacific, the United States said that while it could not yet confirm if the DPRK had conducted a hydrogen bomb test, it would respond appropriately to any provocations. "While we cannot confirm these claims at this time, we condemn any violation of UNSC (United Nations Security Council) resolutions and again call on North Korea (the DPRK) to abide by its international obligations and commitments," White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. The UN Security Council is expected to hold an urgent meeting to discuss the development. New Zealand shares extended their slide from the record high reached on Dec. 31, with concerns about faltering growth in China weighing on sentiment. A2 Milk Co, Sky Network Television and Fletcher Building declined. The S&P/NZX 50 Index slipped 15.56 points, or 0.3 percent, to 6262.52. Within the index, 23 stocks fell, 19 rose and 8 were unchanged. Turnover was $92.8 million. The NZX 50 extended yesterday's 1.1 percent decline, when it joined a global rout in equity markets after figures showed a deeper contraction in Chinese manufacturing. A2 Milk led the index lower, falling 4.2 percent to $1.84. The company's share value skyrocketed over 230 percent last year, with strong Chinese demand for its infant formula driving momentum. Fears about a slowdown in the Chinese economy are having a negative impact on A2's share price, said Grant Davies, investment adviser at Hamilton Hindin Greene. "A2 has fairly heavy exposure to China with their dairy at the moment, and they're leading the market down," Davies said. "People are probably quite happy to take a bit of profit too, there will be plenty out there sitting on decent gains, and why not take a bit of profit on A2, particularly when the market's down, you can take a little out of A2 and look for other bargains on the market." Sky TV fell 3.6 percent to $4.34. New Zealand's dominant pay TV provider announced in October that it expects profit will fall as much as 11 percent in 2016, with largely flat revenue and increased capital expenditure. The company is battling to retain customers against the rise of on-demand streaming services, such as US content provider Netflix. The shares fell 23 percent last year, from $5.99 on Jan. 5. "It's the same old story with Sky TV, the changing marketplace is obviously impacting investor confidence," Davies said. Dual listed Fletcher Building fell 2.2 percent to $7.21, Westpac Banking Corp declined 1.5 percent to $34.52, and Australia & New Zealand Banking Group dipped 1.3 percent to $28.60, echoing declines on the ASX. Fonterra Shareholders' Fund dipped 0.2 percent to $6.11, after dairy product prices unexpectedly slipped in the latest GlobalDairyTrade auction. The market was weaker than expected, Davies said, and that stock and the New Zealand dollar had declined accordingly. Spark New Zealand rose 1.7 percent to $3.305. Morningstar upgraded the stock to 'hold' from 'reduce'. New Zealand Refining rose 1.7 percent to $3.70. Property stocks rose, with Argosy Property up 1.3 percent to $1.18, Property for Industry up 1.3 percent to $1.61, and Kiwi Property Group rising 1.1 percent to $1.37. Warehouse Group, which owns the Noel Leeming chain, rose 1.1 percent to $2.68. Noel Leeming's competitor Dick Smith Holdings, which is listed on the ASX, yesterday announced it had been put into receivership. The receivers hope to sell the consumer electronics chain with 393 stores in Australia and New Zealand as a going concern. BusinessDesk.co.nz Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: VTL - Director Resignation - Reg Barrett Infratil 2022 Sydney Investor Day Rua Bioscience Confirms First International Order AIA - Auckland Airport considers retail bond offer October 19th Morning Report SCT - Scott Announces FY22 Results Manawa Energy Q2 Operating Report & Market Guidance Update IKE 1H FY23 Performance Update GSH - Annual Meeting and Director Nominations PGW Trading Guidance Update BEIJING, Jan. 6 -- The State Council, China's cabinet, announced the appointment of several senior government officials on Wednesday. Wang Jiangping was appointed deputy head of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce. Guo Jun and Wang Xiaoping were named deputy heads of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, while He Yafei was removed from the post. The State Council appointed Guan Qiang and Liu Shuguang deputy heads of State Administration of Cultural Heritage, and relieved Tong Mingkang from the position. The State Council statement also said Qiu Xiaoxiong will no longer hold the position of deputy head of the State Administration of Taxation. Taiwan's mainland affairs chief, Andrew Hsia, visits the Huanghuagang Mausoleum of the 72 Martyrs in Guangzhou on Wednesday during a trip for a meeting on allowing mainland air passengers to transfer in Taiwan. (ZOU HONG/CHINA DAILY) Chinese mainland authorities are considering allowing residents to travel on from Taiwan for the first time, the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office announced on Tuesday. Flight transfers through Taiwan's Taoyuan International Airport will first be limited to flights to or from the cities of Jiangxi province's Nanchang, Yunnan's Kunming and Chongqing municipality, the authority said in a statement. No documents will be needed for mainland residents before flying on to third destinations except the usual passports, boarding passes and air tickets, the office announced. Mainland passengers in transit will not be allowed to exit the airport, it said. The mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits will contact Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation, and the transfers will be put into operation after preparatory work, it said. Mainland residents have been allowed to travel to Taiwan but are not allowed to travel on from there to other destinations. Airlines from both sides operate between the mainland and Taiwan. Ni Yongjie, deputy director of the Shanghai Institute of Taiwan Studies, said the change is another step toward normalizing travel arrangements between the two sides, and follows the launch last week of the first telephone hotline connecting the heads of the two agencies responsible for cross-Straits ties. In his New Year greetings on Dec 31, Zhang Zhijun, head of State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, said people from both sides benefited from steady progress in cross-Straits ties in 2015. Ni said cross-Straits relations are at a critical stage with the approaching leadership election in Taiwan on Jan 16. "With increasing cooperation and exchanges, we could say people from both sides are working toward the peaceful development of cross-Straits ties," he said. BENGALURU: Recently the supreme court of India upheld the Kerala Governments ban on sales of alcohol in the state. The verdict has not only dismayed many alcohol lovers in the state but also many tourists who had plans to visit the Gods Own Country. However, the step seems righteous by taking the moral grounds into consideration, thus here goes the list of Indian states that are dry for dipsomaniacs. Gujarat: The home town of PM Narendra Modi, the state of Gujarat is absolutely a dry place and selling of alcohol is completely prohibited. However, permit license can be received from the Gujarat Tourism Department for 30 days, through which tourists can buy alcohol up to limited amount of quantity. One has to submit his or her identification proof to avail the license. Also Read: Jaya Announces Pongal Gift Pack for 1.91 Cr PDS Card Holders Tata Trusts, Mars Join Hands for Agri Development in India Lakshadweep: Lakshadweep is the only national territory wherein sales of alcohol is entirely banned and packing alcohol to island from other states is also banned. Manipur: The state of Manipur is situated in the eastern part of the country and selling of alcohols is illegal in the state. On the other hand, local made drinks are widely available and consuming it is strictly not recommended as they blended of local spirit and the detergent powder. Strict action by the state government to curb such illicit brews is in immediate need. Also Read: Jaya Announces Pongal Gift Pack for 1.91 Cr PDS Card Holders Tata Trusts, Mars Join Hands for Agri Development in India Mizoram: Mizoram, another state from the northeast region has banned the sales of consumption of alcohol. Under the Mizoram Liquor Total Prohibition Act banned open sales of liquor in 1997 and later production of wine with lesser quantity of spirit was legalized by the state, amending MLTP Act. The production of wine has been under strenuous scanner since the amendment, however, local made alcohol drinks are sold underground in the state. Nagaland: Nagaland is yet another north eastern state to be listed out and same as all states above the open sales of alcohol is prohibited. The ban was imposed in 1989 but India-made foreign liquor (IMFL) is largely available across the state, further, Zutho is a popular local drink and the state police are alleged for being inactive in preventing sales of illegitimate liquors in the state. However those who fear the law consume alcohols in Assam. Also Read: Jaya Announces Pongal Gift Pack for 1.91 Cr PDS Card Holders Tata Trusts, Mars Join Hands for Agri Development in India Dry Days: In simple terms Dry Days means restricting sales of liquor on particular days across the country, usually on the some of the national holiday. Further, selling of alcohol, few days after and before the public elections is also banned to maintain law and to prevent iniquity in the process of elections. In some regions, selling of liquor is banned on first day of every month. On Independence Day, Republic day and on Gandhi Jayanthi open selling of alcohols is strictly banned and local bars come under the serious scrutiny. Nevertheless, consuming of the alcohol in private is not illegal. Kerala: Kerala is the most recent state to impose ban on sales of alcohols and it was challenged by the petitioners in the court, however the SP upheld the decision of the Kerala government recently. The government announced it plans to impious ban in 2016 and the decision received mixed critics. Though it was largely welcomed, some criticized by taking tourism in account. As of the new, rule alcohol is to be served only in Five-Star hotels. Also Read: Jaya Announces Pongal Gift Pack for 1.91 Cr PDS Card Holders Tata Trusts, Mars Join Hands for Agri Development in India Mysuru: The Indian space agency is soon opening a 100-acre Space Park in Bengaluru where private industry players would be allowed to set up facilities to make subsystems and components for satellites, a top official said on Tuesday. "The Space Park is coming up near Whitefield for the private industry. It is over 100 acres. It is likely to be inaugurated this month," Indian Space Research Centre's (ISRO) satellite centre director M. Annadurai told IANS at the science congress here. With the space agency launching more satellites for various communication and earth observation services like remote sensing and navigation, the park will enable the industry to manufacture and supply their subsystems and vital components faster for spacecraft assembled at its satellite centre in the tech hub. "We have told them (private firms) to increase their capacity building or join us at the Space Park and make components and other parts for our satellites, as they have been already using our own facilities," Annadurai said As India plans to launch at least 10-12 satellites a year using heavy rockets to deploy them in the earth's lower or geo-stationary orbits for various applications and services, demand for subsystems and vital components for spacecraft to carry scientific instruments or transponders as payloads has shot up manifold. "The space industry has to invest and build modular capacity to enable the country to launch as many satellites to meet the growing demand of the user industry, including the government, private organizations and overseas users," said Annadurai. The satellite centre also plans to allow the private industry to make satellites end-to-end, including integration and testing for launching them from its spaceport at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, about 80 km northeast of Chennai. "The Space Park will also contribute to the government's 'Make in India' initiative, as the private industry and (state-run) firms like HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd) have been helping us in making rockets and satellites over the years," Annadurai added. The senior space scientist, who involved in the country's maiden lunar and Mars missions, addressed delegates and students on 'Space Science, Technology and Applications' at the plenary session of the five-day science congress in the campus of the University of Mysore here. The space agency outsources about 80 percent of its requirements for rockets and satellites to the private industry comprising about 500 small, medium and large units across the country for supplying structures, subsystems, components and parts. Read More: Govt Approves MOU for Conservation of Birds Modi Government to Announce 20 Smart Cities in January Steven-Avery.JPG Steven Avery, the focus of "Making a Murderer." (Associated Press) (Spoiler alert: This report includes information that may spoil "Making a Murderer" for folks who have yet to watch the Netflix series.) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A documentary about a controversial murder trial has America talking. The hit Netflix series "Making a Murderer" focuses on killer Steven Avery and whether he was guilty of the crime, or if he's been been wrongfully accused due to poor police procedures and possible witness coercion. Has it pulled you in? Which side do you believe? Tell us about the experience in the comments below. The show has lit the Internet and social media ablaze, and it's prompted key figures in the case to comment on the result, long after a verdict was reached in 2007. For those unfamiliar, here's the Netflix summary for the series: Filmed over 10 years, this real-life thriller follows a DNA exoneree who, while exposing police corruption, becomes a suspect in a grisly new crime. Since its arrival a few weeks ago, a petition called "Free Steven Avery" directed to President Barack Obama has accumulated more than 260,000 names. The show has spawned tons of online chatter, including a subreddit with more than 20,000 subscribers. It's also resulted in responses from the prosecutor involved in the Avery case. Ken Kratz said viewers convinced of Avery's innocence did not get to see important evidence that led a jury to convict him, according to the New York Times. The series "really presents misinformation," Kratz told the publication. In addition, on "Today," the documentarians said a juror on the case claimed Avery was framed. Chris Christie, Joe Carter, Jim McGreevey FILE - In this Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, file photograph, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, background center, New Hope Baptist Church pastor Joe Carter, background center left, and former Gov. Jim McGreevey, background center right, listen as participants at an addiction and mental health treatment center talk about their experiences in Trenton, N.J. Christie has drawn accolades from supporters and detractors for his professed dedication to addressing the opiate problem in New Jersey and elsewhere. In reality, advocates and addicts say, he is helping those already in trouble with the law and failing those who are looking to get clean before they slip up and find themselves in jail. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File) (Mel Evans) HOOKSETT, N.H. -- Republican presidential hopefuls called for a more compassionate discussion around drug addiction Tuesday, with emphasis on substance abuse as a curable disease, not a moral failing. "This is a national calling," former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said at the New Hampshire Forum on Addiction and the Heroin Epidemic. "We should be able to talk about this without all the stigma attached to it. We need to eliminate the stigma." Home to the nation's first 2016 presidential primary and a state that's seen drug deaths skyrocket in recent years, New Hampshire's prominent place on the campaign calendar has turned drug addiction into a hot-button issue on the campaign trail. Health officials estimate that about 400 people died from overdoses in New Hampshire in 2015 -- including heroin and the powerful opiate fentanyl -- more than doubling its own rate of overdose deaths in 2013. Candidates have taken to visiting a peer-recovery center in Manchester, attending drug roundtables at local hospitals and sharing stories they hear on the trail from New Hampshire voters battling addiction. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and technology executive Carly Fiorina spoke about how frequently they meet people on the trail in New Hampshire who share their struggles with addiction or talk about family members who lost their lives to drugs. Both have deeply personal experiences with addiction, which they spoke about on Tuesday. Fiorina's step-daughter died from a drug overdose in 2009, while Bush's daughter has struggled with addiction. "The pain that you feel when you have a loved one who has addiction challenges and spirals out of control is something that I share with a whole lot of people," Bush told the crowd after sharing an emotional reflection on his daughter's history with drugs. Bush's daughter graduated from a drug court program in Florida, and he and the other candidates are advocating for the expansion of such programs nationwide. Drug courts send non-violent offenders through treatment programs. The candidates advocate for a similar slate of other policies, including cracking down on dealers and doctors who overprescribe pain killers, placing a stronger focus on prevention and creating more peer-based recovery programs. Injecting a dose of humility into his remarks, another GOP candidate, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, admitted he has "no clue" what it's like to fight addiction, but said that no one is too far gone to save. He said he's come to understand the issue more deeply during his tenure as governor of Ohio as people shared their personal stories about addiction. "You cannot give up, because there's a purpose to your life, you understand that. Everybody in this room has a God-given potential to do something to change this world," he said. "If you can climb out of it, people will learn from you." On policy, Kasich points to initiatives in Ohio aimed at expanding drug education in schools and his decision to expand Medicaid in Ohio, which he says has opened up more resources for treatment and other programs. Chris Christie, meanwhile, pointed to his record as governor of New Jersey focusing on treatment over incarceration for non-violent offenders. He said it is incumbent upon the country's next president to use the bully pulpit to address drug addiction in a meaningful way. "We've been programmed in our society to talk about this as a moral failing," said Christie, who polls show is been making noteworthy gains in New Hampshire ahead of the Feb. 9 primary. "As long as we continue to do this we're going to treat this differently than other diseases." Herminia Palacio.jpg Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Herminia Palacio as the new deputy mayor for health and human services. (Demetrius Freeman/Mayoral Photography Office) CITY HALL -- Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday named a new deputy mayor whose responsibilities will include the city's escalating homeless crisis and Staten Island's own drug epidemic. Dr. Herminia Palacio will serve as deputy mayor of health and human services starting Jan. 25. The Health and Homeless Services Departments, Human Resources Administration and the city's public hospital network are among the eight entities she will oversee. The appointment comes amid a massive review of the city's homeless services in response to a swelling number of people living in shelters and on the street. The surge in shelter applications has increased the city's reliance on Staten Island hotels to temporarily house the homeless. "Dr. Palacio doesn't see anyone as separate or different or those people," de Blasio said at City Hall, explaining Palacio's struggles growing up in the Bronx. "She understands first-hand the challenges so many New Yorkers face." Palacio, 54, previously lead the Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services in Texas and worked at the San Francisco Department of Public Health. She said her time in the massive Texan county -- which covers Houston and dozens of other municipalities -- will be useful in navigating diverse communities from Brooklyn to Staten Island. "Without knowing the specifics to be able to address yet," she said. "I would say that my general approach and experience prepares me well to think about not just the city as a whole but pockets of needs that may need to be targeted." While in Texas, Palacio helped coordinate health services for 27,000 people from New Orleans who were displaced to Houston in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. She said lessons learned will help in her new role, particularly when responding to the city's rise in homelessness. "Disasters come in very many different shapes and sizes," she said. Palacio spoke about working with a heroin addict while at an inner-city clinic in San Francisco. Last month de Blasio met with a heroin addict on Staten Island, where the drug and prescription painkillers flourished recently. "I don't know Deputy Mayor Palacio yet, but I am certainly impressed with her resume, experience, and accomplishments, which indicate she has the expertise to help us address ongoing challenges facing our borough," Staten Island Borough President James Oddo said in a statement. "I am anxious to have a chance to meet and discuss our priorities and how we can work together." Other changes were made to the de Blasio administration, including additional duties for Deputy Mayors Alicia Glen and Richard Buery. Glen will oversee the Parks Department and the Housing Recovery Office, responsible for helping Hurricane Sandy victims. Bill Goldstein, an advisor to de Blasio on recovery and resiliency, will retire from full-time city service. Palacio will earn $227,737 annually. With her appointment, the de Blasio administration now has four deputy mayors born and raised in the city. The Bronx native recalled busing tables during her first job at the borough's zoo. "It's home," she said of the city. "It has always been home." Though no deputy mayors are Staten Islanders, Palacio can at least empathize with them on their long commutes. She travelled two hours from Manhattan every day to her most recent job at a New Jersey-based nonprofit. STATEN ISLAND N.Y. -- Wednesday's Powerball drawing will yield one lucky winner a $450 million dollar prize, but even if the check isn't in their hands (yet) some folks already have big plans for all that cash. On a frigid Tuesday afternoon in Honey Bee Convenience store, Graniteville, a steady stream of customers stopped in to play 5, 10, even 20 dollars worth of tickets for one of the biggest Powerball jackpots in recent memory. We asked them what they'd do with all that dough. Acquiring a new ride or two was among some of the top answers. Mariners Harbor resident Jean Grvais said a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow and a Porsche convertible would be in his garage. Others, like Junior Mebane, took it up a notch, saying he had a need for speed. "I'd buy a big house and a lot of fast cars," said the Graniteville resident, adding that he'd purchase 12 cars. Of course, not everyone had an appetite for luxury; Marvin Ceglio, a regular at Hy-Tobacco, said he would buy a house and take a vacation. "I'd probably buy a house," said the Great Kills resident. "I'd probably help my son pay off his house, my sister, and buy my daughter a house, then go on a vacation ... probably Florida or Australia." Dongan Hills resident Larry Schilder echoed that sentiment, listing Florida as a possible destination, and, of course, taking care of family members. Others, like Grvais, said Pennsylvania's Pocono mountains would be his destination of choice, should he win. But, perhaps, Hy-Tobacco owner Hy Snyder had the best answer of them all: "I'd buy an island in the Caribbean, with a couple of bartenders, and enjoy the rest of my life." STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Members of the Knights of Columbus in Great Kills have donated several wheelchairs for disabled Staten Islanders. Dozens of people gathered inside the Hillside Terrace clubhouse Tuesday night, as Staten Island Grand Knight Paul J. Drozeck announced the charitable act and thanked members of the FDNY and Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze, for their participation. "I applaud you all for what do," said Drozeck, referring to the two FDNY firefighters present, "and I thank every member here for allowing us to donate these chairs." A total of 110 wheelchairs were purchased by members of six Knights of Columbus factions in New York City -- 18 of which were sent to the Great Kills members for distribution. The Staten Island council then donated the chairs to the FDNY, SIUH-North and disabled veterans living on Staten Island. Past Grand Knight James. J. Setteducato says nothing gives the members more joy then being able to help out those in need. "Our first order as members is charity," said Setteducato. "It's great to able to give back to guys that need help." During the event, council member Thomas Sullivan spoke about his brother -- a 9/11 FDNY first responder who developed cancer and passed away three years ago -- and how he would have appreciated receiving a donation like this. "I know there were times that my brother could have used a wheelchair to get around," he said. "So I'm sure there are others that can get a lot out of these." While the council was happy they could help the less fortunate, the group hopes to further their support in the future. "Next year we're hoping we can double the amount of chairs we can donate," added Setteducato. "We just want to make the people who need these chairs happy." BEIJING, Jan. 6 -- China "firmly" opposes the latest nuclear test conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), according to a statement on Wednesday from the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The ministry made the statement after the DPRK announced Wednesday that it has successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb test. "The first H-bomb test was successfully conducted in the DPRK at 10:00 on Wednesday," the DPRK's state media KCNA said. Related: U.S. says cannot confirm DPRK H-bomb test, vowing appropriate response The U.S. government said Tuesday that it could not confirm that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) had conducted a hydrogen bomb test, while vowing to respond appropriately to any "provocations." Australia condemns DPRK nuclear bomb test The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) on Wednesday condemns the latest nuclear bomb test by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), calling the test "provocative and dangerous behaviour." Upon discovering that his father was seeing prostitutes, a young security guard surnamed Guo, who is working in Changzhou in east China's Jiangsu province, decided to stop him. He bought a full SWAT costume, fake SWAT certificate, plastic pistol, toy handcuffs and electric baton online and disguised himself as a SWAT officer. He patrolled the streets and stopped any possibility of his father buying sex. According to the local police, a man complained to the police on Jan. 1, saying that a SWAT officer patrolling the street had frightened his dog with an electric baton. The local police went immediately to the scene and caught the SWAT imposter, Mr. Guo. Guo, 21, has worked as a security guard in Changzhou since 2013. He said that he dreamed of becoming a police officer for a long time. He came up with the idea to disguise himself as a SWAT officer after he found out about his father visiting prostitutes. On Jan. 1, Guo's father called him to ask for money. Guo refused him as he thought that his father might use the money to visit prostitutes again. Angered by the idea, Guo put on his costume and went patrolling in the street in order to "frighten the prostitutes and drive them away from [his father]." Photos showing a passenger holding what looks to be a gun during a flight were posted on the social media platform WeChat on Monday, and have since attracted the public's attention. Netizens speculated that the gun-like prop in the photo may actually be an imitation gun or a laptop battery. The case is currently under investigation by Beijing airport police. An aviation law expert from the China University of Political Science believes that the passengers behavior may lead to punishment under the law. In the photo, a male passenger points a gun-like object at two passengers sitting beside him. The two passengers display exaggerated expressions of panic. Some netizens said the object was an imitation gun, while others insisted it was a laptop battery. A public service transferred the photo onto WeChat and commented that the passenger must be lacking legal awareness. The comment also mentioned the possibility of passengers panicking upon seeing the gun and moving away from it on the plane, which could put the aircraft at risk of losing balance if the movements were extreme enough. "It is not a joke," the comment concluded. Police in the Beijing Capital International Airport said that the case is under investigation at the moment. Zhang Qihuai, an aviation law expert from the China University of Political Science, said the passenger's behavior violated China's civil aviation security regulations and other relevant provisions, which may lead to punishment under the law. The smart micro-grid project of the Beijing new energy industry base has been put into operation in the high-tech incubator within the Badaling economic zone in Yanqing county, Beijing recently. It is China's first pilot project on new energy micro-grid, which has reached the world's advanced level. This project is expected to be introduced to the other area of Yanqing county in the future. By then Yanqing county will bid farewell to thermal power generation. In the high-tech incubator, there are three wind turbines and numerous solar panels on the roofs. All the new-energy generating equipment is an important component of the smart micro-grid. The smart micro-grid can work independently after being separated from the main grid and provide electricity for some or all of the important electric equipment. With the application of information technology and new-energy technology and other advanced technologies, the smart micro-grid, unlike the traditional grid, sees little power loss during long-distance transmission and imposes no challenges to the environment. Yanqing county has many new-energy power generation projects such as wind power projects, solar power projects and biogas power projects. With the smart micro-grid, the power generated by these new-energy projects can be stored during the off-peak hours and used during the peak hours; the transmission between the small micro-grid and the main grid can be secured. Beijings railway transport system is expected to serve over 6.35 million people during the 40-day Spring Festival travel season starting on Jan. 24. Compared with the same period last year, this years number is up 286,000, Beijing News reported on Wednesday. An authority working at Beijing West Railway Station said that the 40-day travel rush will go until March 3. According to the source, the busiest period will be from Jan. 30 to Feb. 7, with a daily carriage of 215,000 passengers. During that period, the peak days are likely to be Feb. 5 and Feb. 6, several days ahead of the Chinese lunar New Years Day, which falls on Feb. 8. On each of those two days, about 240,000 people are expected to travel by railwaya 5,000-passenger rise compared to the same period last year, the source disclosed. The authority also explained that migrant workers, students and holiday travelers all contribute to the rise of passengers. "Most students' vacations start from the middle of January, which is also the rush time for migrant workers coming back home," he added. In addition, thanks to an earlier Spring Festival in 2016, some tourists will leave northern China for the warmer South, adding transport pressure for routes to Kunming, Guilin, Guangzhou, Xiamen and other southern areas. To cope with the pressure, Beijing West Railway Station will set up a temporary waiting room as usual, but the waiting room this year will be relocated to a larger basement space with two entrances. By clicking Agree, you consent to Slates Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and the use of technologies such as cookies by Slate and our partners to deliver relevant advertising on our iOS app to personalize content and perform site analytics. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information about our use of data, your rights, and how to withdraw consent. Agree File photo:United Nations Security Council The UN Security Council (UNSC) on Wednesday "strongly" condemned the nuclear test of Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), saying that the test is a violation of UNSC resolutions. vowing to begin working on 'measures' to take. The members of the Security Council recalled that they have previously expressed their determination to take further significant measures in the event of another nuclear test [by [DPRK]," said Uruguay's UN Ambassador Elbio Rosselli, who is also the President of the Council in January. File photo: Uruguay's UN Ambassador Elbio Rosselli, who is also the President of the UN Security Council in January. "In line with this commitment and the gravity of this violation, the members of the Security Council will begin to work immediately on such measures in a new Security Council resolution, Rosselli added. The current round of fighting broke out in mid-September, fueled by rumors that Israel was plotting to take over a sensitive Jerusalem site that is holy to Jews and Muslims. Israel has said there are no plans to change the sensitive arrangements at the hilltop compound, revered by Jews as the location of the biblical Temples and which today houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Sharon Fairley said IPRA still won't be able to divulge all the details about investigations while they are underway. But she added: "The difference is we are no longer going to be standing by a hard-and-fast rule that we will never discuss the details of an investigation until it's complete. I think that position is now untenable." Best Canadian Blog 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 About Kate Why this blog? Until this moment I have been forced to listen while media and politicians alike have told me "what Canadians think". In all that time they never once asked. This is just the voice of an ordinary Canadian yelling back at the radio - "You don't speak for me." (goes to a private mailserver in Europe) I can't answer or use every tip, but all are appreciated! Katewerk Art Support SDA I am not a registered charity. I cannot issue tax receipts. Reconnaissance Man Economics for the Disinterested ...a fast-paced polar bear attack thriller! Want lies? Hire a regular consultant. Want truth? Hire an asshole. Weather Shop Click to inquire about rates. Dow Jones What They Say About SDA "Smalldeadanimals doesn't speak for the people of Saskatchewan" Former Sask Premier Lorne Calvert "I got so much traffic after your post my web host asked me to buy a larger traffic allowance." Dr.Ross McKitrick Holy hell, woman. When you send someone traffic, you send someone TRAFFIC. My hosting provider thought I was being DDoSed. - Sean McCormick "The New York Times link to me yesterday [...] generated one-fifth of the traffic I normally get from a link from Small Dead Animals." Kathy Shaidle "Thank you for your link. A wave of your Canadian readers came to my blog! Really impressive." Juan Giner - INNOVATION International Media Consulting Group I got links from the Weekly Standard, Hot Air and Instapundit yesterday - but SDA was running at least equal to those in visitors clicking through to my blog. Jeff Dobbs "You may be a nasty right winger, but you're not nasty all the time!" Warren Kinsella "Go back to collecting your welfare livelihood."Michael E. Zilkowsky Intelliweather Seismic Map Comments Policy Read this Best Of SDA Hide The Decline The Bottle Genie (ClimateGate links) You Might Be A Liberal Uncrossing The Line Bob Fife: Knuckledragger A Modest Proposal (NP) Settled Science Series Y2Kyoto Series SDA: Reader Occupation Survey Brett Lamb Sheltered Workshop Flakes On A Plane All Your Weather Are Belong To Us Song Of The Sled The Raise A Flag Debacle (Now on Youtube!) (.mwv Video) Abuse Ruins Life Of Girl Trudeaupiate Kleptocrat Jeans Child Labour I Concede Small Dead Feminist Protein Hoser: THK Interview The Werewolf Extinction Dear Laura (VRWC) We Wait Blogging The Oscars Jackson Converts To Islam Just Shut The HELL Up Manipulating Condi Gay Equality Rights San Mateo, CA (94402) Today Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 84F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy. Low near 55F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28: 29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:948 /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 125 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 157 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0838018)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f066c020)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0838018)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1302 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 955 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f066c020)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0824430)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1300 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 433 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f066c020)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f066c020)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612efc30dc0)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f0869c28)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f0869c28)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:948 /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 125 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 157 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612e38fbd60)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ebbd43e8)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612e38fbd60)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1302 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 955 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ebbd43e8)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612efe32068)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1300 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 433 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ebbd43e8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ebbd43e8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ebbd4340)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612eac66860)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612eac66860)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:948 /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 125 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 157 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612efe505f0)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612e466a5a0)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612efe505f0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1302 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 955 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612e466a5a0)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612efe467c0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1300 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 433 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612e466a5a0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612e466a5a0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ebbd3718)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612efe24608)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612efe24608)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:948 /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 125 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 157 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f010af58)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0818b38)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f010af58)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1302 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 955 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0818b38)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f01a1718)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1300 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 433 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0818b38)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0818b38)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612e466c798)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f0818c28)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f0818c28)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:948 /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 125 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 157 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0317600)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f03206c8)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0317600)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1302 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 955 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f03206c8)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f02bef90)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1300 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 433 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f03206c8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f03206c8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ebbd38c8)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f0309250)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f0309250)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 A transgender airline passenger was forced to remove a genital prosthetic and present it for inspection in a "demeaning" encounter that adds to calls for an overhaul of unnecessary security at Australian airports. An airline training captain has also questioned why items such as pocket knives and screwdrivers are barred from flights when everyday objects allowed on planes could easily be turned into weapons. He also called for mid-flight passenger visits to the cockpit to be reinstated. Security at Australia's airports is under the spotlight under a new inquiry. Credit:Graham Tidy A Senate inquiry into airport and aviation security is examining reports of apparent breaches and considering if new measures are needed to enhance public safety. The National LGBTI Health Alliance, the peak body for the wellbeing of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people, told the inquiry of "pervasive discrimination" in airport security. The NSW government will spend up to $2 million recruiting new executives to oversee TAFE as it prepares to cut up to half the vocational education provider's guaranteed funding. The restructure will see eight new "executive leadership team positions" created to take charge of the state's vocational education and training sector, taking home salary packages of up to $243,000 each according to pay guidelines published by the NSW Public Service Commission The hiring spree comes as the guaranteed TAFE NSW budget looks set to be slashed in half, according to a document seen by Fairfax Media based on estimates prepared by the NSW Department of Industry and Skills. Under the state government's Smart and Skilled reforms the public provider has been forced to compete for funding with up to 400 private colleges. VATICAN CITY: The Vatican newspaper has criticised French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo for depicting God as a Kalashnikov-carrying killer, saying it was "woeful" and disrespectful to true believers of all faiths. The cover was an anniversary edition, commemorating the attacks a year ago when Islamist militants killed 12 during an assault on the Charlie Hebdo newsroom in Paris. The cartoon on the cover shows an angry God with blood on his hands and a rifle strapped to his back. "One year later, the assassin is still on the run," the headline says. Last month, Mr Kim appeared to claim his country had developed a hydrogen bomb, also known as a thermonuclear device, a step up from the less powerful atomic bomb, but the United States and outside experts were sceptical at the time. South Korean government officials attend an emergency meeting yesterday Credit:AP Some analysts questioned whether Wednesday's test was indeed of a hydrogen device. South Korean intelligence officials and several analysts questioned whether Wednesday's explosion was indeed a full-fledged test of a hydrogen device. People watch a TV screen showing reports about an 'earthquake' near the test site. Credit:AP The device had a yield of about six kilotonnes, according to the office of a South Korean lawmaker on the parliamentary intelligence committee roughly the same size as the North's last test, which was equivalent to six to seven kilotonnes of TNT. "North Korea has made claims about its nuclear and missile programs in the past that simply have not held up to investigation," said Melissa Hanham, a senior research associate at the California-based James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. North Koreans watch the nuclear test news broadcast on a video screen outside Pyongyang Railway Station in North Korea on Wednesday. Credit:AP Yang Uk, a senior research fellow at the Korea Defence and Security Forum, added: "Given the scale it is hard to believe this is a real hydrogen bomb. They could have tested some middle stage kind [of device] between an A-bomb and H-bomb, but unless they come up with any clear evidence, it is difficult to trust their claim." The US State Department said it condemned any violation of UN resolutions by North Korea. North Koreans watch a news broadcast on a video screen outside Pyongyang Railway Station in North Korea on Wednesday. Credit:AP "While we cannot confirm these claims at this time, we condemn any violation of UNSC Resolutions and again call on North Korea to abide by its international obligations and commitments," White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement late. Mr Price said the United States will continue to "protect and defend our allies in the region," and will "respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations." British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said on Wednesday a test of a hydrogen nuclear bomb by North Korea would be a "provocation which I condemn without reservation". Mr Hammond tweeted the statement during his two-day trip to Beijing: "If North Korean H-bomb test reports are true, it is a grave breach of #UNSC resolutions and a provocation which I condemn without reservation." North Korea has been under UN Security Council sanctions due to its nuclear weapons program since it first tested an atomic device in 2006. It had conducted two other tests in 2009 and 2013. Japan said it would be in close contact with the governments of the US, South Korea, China and Russia over the issue, its top government spokesman said. "This is something we can not accept, we strongly protest this," chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference. Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop said North Korea's actions fly in the face of international non-proliferation norms. "North Korea's ongoing development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, and its proliferation of sensitive technologies, threaten the peace and security of Australia's friends and partners in our region and beyond," her office said in a statement. "Today's nuclear test confirms North Korea's status as a rogue state and a continuing threat to international peace and security. We will intensify our counter-proliferation cooperation with partners to strengthen sanctions, aiming to reduce the funding of North Korea's WMD programs." Australia would make its concerns known to the North Korean government directly, as well as in international and regional forums. "Australia will continue to work with our friends and partners to support the security of the Republic of Korea and the stability of our region," the statement said. France condemned the reported test, calling for a "strong reaction from the international community", President Francois Hollande's office said in a statement. Queensland's airspace will welcome a new player this weekend with the arrival of Hong Kong Airlines and its direct services to both Cairns and the Gold Coast. Hong Kong Airlines commercial director Li Dianchun said the triangular service, which would fly direct from Hong Kong to the Gold Coast, before heading back via Cairns, would operate three times a week. Hong Kong Airlines will begin services to the Gold Coast and Cairns on January 8, 2016. Credit:Wikimedia Commons The first service will arrive at Gold Coast Airport about 8.30am Saturday morning. "The route is designed to cater to the growing demand for tourism in Gold Coast and Cairns, both of which are popular destinations for leisure travel. Leveraging our connectivity in Asia via the international hub Hong Kong," Mr Li said. Qantas and American Airlines plan to add at least two new trans-Pacific routes in the next five years if they get final regulatory approvals for their joint venture on flights between Australasia and mainland North America. In a detailed submission filed with the United States Department of Transportation, the airlines said the new routes, which were not named, were already under consideration. American Airlines CEO Doug Parker, left, with Qantas CEO Alan Joyce in Sydney before the launch of American's Sydney-Los Angeles flights. Credit:Dallas Kilponen Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has publicly raised the potential for Melbourne-Dallas flights once the airline begins receiving new Boeing 787-9 aircraft from 2017. The documents said American Airlines, which began flying on the Sydney-Los Angeles route last month and will start services on the Auckland-Los Angeles route in June, was also considering more routes. The map didn't show three regions: Kaliningrad, the enclave that used to be East Prussia, once part of Germany; the Kuril islands, seized by the Soviet Union from Japan in 1945 and still contested; or Crimea, annexed in 2014 by President Vladimir Putin from Ukraine. Interior Ministry troops march in front of a billboard depicting former Russian president Boris Yeltsin in 1999. The Russian market is now worth some $9.9 billion to the soft-drink maker. Credit:AP On December 30, a seemingly routine post was published on Coca-Cola's official pages on the social network Vkontakte, which is more popular in Russia than Facebook. It contained a Christmas card featuring a map of Russia that, at a casual glance, was not noteworthy but was high offensive to a Russian patriot. It's tough these days to be a multinational consumer goods company doing business in both Ukraine and Russia. Coca-Cola felt it over the New Year's holidays: Because of a marketing agency's indiscretion, it is now forced to wiggle out of answering whether it considers Crimea to be Russian or Ukrainian. On Monday, after numerous comments expressing various degrees of dismay, the community moderator apologised and posted an amended map. Few people cared about Kaliningrad and the Kurils, but pro-Putin bloggers celebrated the inclusion of Crimea with triumphant posts. "One of the biggest US companies, Coca-Cola, has officially recognised Crimea as Russian," Sergei Kolyasnikov wrote. "It's quite logical that US business is more impartial about geopolitics than the corrupt US officials. A global victory starts with steps such as the recognition of Russia's actions by the biggest US companies." But the new map was an affront to Ukrainians. Popular legislator Mustafa Nayyem, whose Facebook post two years ago set off Ukraine's "Revolution of Dignity," called for a boycott of all Coca-Cola products: "I suggest that citizens of Ukraine bring Coca-Cola down to earth and refuse to buy the company's products, reminding it that no country in the world, including Coca-Cola's home country, the US, recognises Crimea as Russian territory." Within hours, the Twitter hashtag #BanCocaCola was trending. The Ukrainian Embassy in Kiev was worried, too. It told Coca- Cola that the amended map "violated the official US position" and urged it to "immediately correct the mistake." The company said it didn't authorise the changes, saying, "The agency that created the map later made changes without our knowledge or approval." That, however, doesn't resolve the company's dilemma. Russia is a big market. Swiss-based Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company, 23.5 per cent owned by the US Coca-Cola, handles production and distribution for the US brand in Russia. It no longer breaks out results for the country in its financial accounting, but judging by data from 2012, when it still did, Russia contributes about 20 per cent of Coca-Cola HBC's annual revenue of as much as $US7 billion ($9.9 billion), and a greater portion of its operating income. Coca-Cola is keen to maintain that revenue stream, which isn't easy given the upsurge of anti-Western sentiment. There are persistent calls in the Russian parliament for bans and restrictions on the company's drinks in response to Western sanctions against Russia. Most recently, legislator Mikhail Yemelyanov called on December 22 for increased taxes on Coca-Cola and its main competitor, Pepsi. Qantas and American Airlines plan to add at least two new trans-Pacific routes over the next five years if they receive final regulatory approvals for their joint venture on flights between Australasia and mainland North America. In a detailed submission filed with the United States Department of Transportation, the partners said the new routes, which were not named, were already under consideration. Qantas and American Airlines plan to add at least two new trans-Pacific routes over the next five years if they receive final regulatory approvals for their joint venture. Credit:Glenn Hunt Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has publicly raised the potential for Melbourne-Dallas flights once the airline begins receiving new Boeing 787-9 aircraft from 2017. The documents said American Airlines, which began flying on the Sydney-Los Angeles route last month and will start services on the Auckland-Los Angeles route in June, was also considering more routes. Since Qantas and American Airlines announced their intention to deepen their alliance in June, United Airlines has unveiled plans for Auckland-San Francisco flights and Air Canada has announced plans for Brisbane-Vancouver flights. "These responses are not surprising given the well-documented impact of immunised alliances on evoking competitive responses from rivals," Qantas and American Airlines said. As part of their proposed alliance, Qantas and American Airlines will share revenue on flights to the mainland US and Canada but not on flights to and from Hawaii. The revenue will be allocated in line with the amount of capacity on the joint routes, with American Airlines set to receive 11 per cent as a result of its Sydney-Los Angeles flights. The percentage figure will rise once the Auckland-Los Angeles flights begin and American Airlines has a higher share of the joint capacity. "American and Qantas are entirely indifferent as to whether that passenger flies on Qantas' Los Angeles-Sydney service or American aircraft," the carriers said. "Instead, because their incentives are fully aligned, their optimal strategy is to collaborate, innovate, and integrate their networks to generate as much traffic as possible on joint business routes." The challenges faced by counterterrorism authorities are numerous. They include determining whether a person jailed for terrorism-related offences and now due for release has been deradicalised by imprisonment, or is just faking it; determining whether persons returning from war zones, like recently returned Australian Ashley Dyball, have been illegally involved in conflict (they invariably claim to have been engaged in humanitarian work); establishing whether a person has bomb-making knowledge, and; determining whether a young Muslim trying to depart Australia has been accessing Islamic State briefing material on how to get to Syria. One technology seems to have the potential to provide national security authorities with important indicators as to a person-of-interest's likely involvement in terrorism and even his or her level of radicalisation. It's been labelled "brain fingerprinting" technology, though a less confronting and more marketable title for the technology might be "Memory Scanning"). Illustration: Louie Douvis What, might you ask, is brain fingerprinting? It is a forensic science technique that uses electroencephalography (EEG) to determine whether specific information is stored in a subject's brain by measuring electrical brainwaves based on the brain's response to words, phrases or pictures presented to it on a computer screen. Australian authors have joined an international campaign in an attempt to win fairer terms in their contracts with publishers. The Australian Society of Authors is backing the International Authors Forum's wish list of "10 Principles for fair contracts" that includes better advances and royalty rates, especially for e-books, and greater ability for authors to get their rights back when their books are not "used or works go 'out of print'," the wish list says. David Day, chairman of the Australian Society of Authors, says publishing contracts are much tougher than they used to be. In their letter to the Australian Publishers Association, ASA executive director Juliet Rogers and chairman David Day say the average income for authors from their writing has dropped from $22,000 to $12,900 in the past decade or so, but that earnings of publishers have remained mostly stable despite pressure from online retailers such as Amazon and discount book retailers. While the letter acknowledges many reasons for the decline in authors' earnings, "unfair terms in publishing agreements contribute significantly to the plight of authors ... the full-time professional author will become an endangered species and publishers as well as society at large will be left with less and less quality content." Tarantino is famed for using graphic violence in his films, so it should come as no surprise one of his last projects could be a "really, really scary horror film". Quentin Tarantino on the set of The Hateful Eight , with cast members including Kurt Russell, centre, and Tim Roth, right. The 52-year-old has covered a great deal of cinematic ground, creating martial arts film Kill Bill, WWII drama Inglourious Basterds and Western films Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight. Quentin Tarantino has always said he'll call it a day when he reaches 10 films, and with just two more to go, the famous director is considering his options. "There is not a genre left where I have that same burning desire I had to do a World War II movie or a martial arts movie," Tarantino told Time Out New York. "I think maybe the one genre left might be a 1930s gangster movie, that kind of John Dillinger thing." Quentin Tarantino on the set of The Hateful Eight. "I'm interested in doing something contemporary, where I can have a character who gets in a car and turns on the radio, so I can have a cool driving montage. "And if I had all the time in the world, I would love to make a really, really scary horror film, like The Exorcist. But I don't know if me taking my sense of humour and putting it in the back seat just to hit a tone of dread from beginning to end is the best use of my talents or my time." The interview comes ahead of the release of Tarantino's latest film, The Hateful Eight, which will see the director head to Australia later this month for the Sydney premiere and a fan event in Melbourne. "I wanted to investigate my own interest in objects," Sobelle says. "Like why certain objects hold memories, and why I hold on to one thing and not another. Why do I get so upset when something is lost or broken? How can an object mean so much to one person and nothing to another? It's like that George Carlin line: why is it my stuff and someone else's shit?" Preparing for his show The Object Lesson at the Sydney Festival, Sobelle is overseeing the installation of 4000 cardboard boxes, which will turn the Sydney Town Hall into a labyrinthine warehouse of things, stories and memories. While half of Sydney is decluttering turfing the unloved and unused stuff of their lives out of the garage and on to the nature strip American theatre maker Geoff Sobelle is doing exactly the opposite. In devising The Object Lesson, Sobelle initially used his own "stuff" to explore the human need to possess and hold on to objects. He placed the contents of his house, everything he owned, into boxes and invited the audience to rifle through them. "I was moving house anyway," Sobelle says. "It was strangely cathartic but also a very odd experience. I got very smug at one point thinking, I got rid of all my shit and I made a show ha! But I didn't get rid of all my shit. I've just been lugging it with me in a 50-foot truck. I don't know what I'm going to do with it all when I'm done with this crazy show. It's a disaster, to be honest." In what amounts to a massive theatrical sleight-of-hand, the "stuff" amassed in the Sydney Town Hall isn't Sobelle's. It was prohibitively expensive to bring over the real thing, so the Sydney Festival provided objects sourced from volunteers and charity shops. There are 4000 boxes, from beer cartons to removalist crates, filled with toys, bric-a-brac, kitchen items, computer keyboards and a full-sized plastic skeleton. There are 80 lamps and two giant bundles of clothes, weighing 200 kilograms. "One of the weirder things someone donated is a giant, alphabetised centipede scarf," Sobelle says with a laugh. "I've never seen one of those before." When Feng Guo signed up for an Australian special of Chinese reality television program If You Are The One, she really just wanted to practise her Mandarin. But the 26-year-old Sydney lawyer got much more than she bargained for, nabbing a brand new boyfriend and stardom on the world's biggest game show. Ms Guo - who has never been in a relationship that lasted more than three months - met Benjamin McMahon, from Melbourne, at the taping of the hit program in Nanjing early last month. She joined 17 other Mandarin-speaking Australian women, and 10 Australian men, hoping to meet their match on a platform watched with fervent loyalty by up to 50 million Chinese. A missing Sydney yachtsman who was washed off a boat on the NSW Mid North Coast had just completed a sailing race and was returning home when he and his crew were caught in wild seas, police say. The search for experienced sailor Mal Lennon, 62, resumed on Thursday morning, after rescue crews were forced to call off the search just north of Broughton Island on Wednesday evening due to dangerous conditions. They had found no trace of Mr Lennon, who is feared to have drowned in the massive swell, and say it is now a recovery mission. Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss. Credit:Andrew Meares He's also the only National, he noted, to ever win back an upper and a lower house seat. The message aimed as much at his colleagues as the public is clear: I'm experienced. A proven campaigner. Ready to lead. Barnaby Joyce, Deputy Prime Minister? There are apparently many who wake in fright at the prospect. Credit:Stefan Postles According to Keating, there are three types of political leader: straight men, fixers and maddies. Truss, who has led the party since 2007, is the archetypal straight man. While most Australians wouldn't recognise him if they bumped into him in a cafe, he's praised for providing unity and stability. Joyce, like Keating himself, would be a maddie: high-profile, bold, divisive. Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss has been seen as a safe pair of hands as Nationals leader. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen There's no policy depth to him. I think he's a goose. Tony Windsor (In 2014, Joyce bought A First-Rate Madness: Uncovering the Links between Leadership and Mental Illness, a book arguing mental instability helped make leaders such as Napoleon, Hitler and Churchill so formidable.) As Nationals leader, he would also be deputy prime minister, ready to lead the country when Malcolm Turnbull travels overseas. Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce. If those words fill you with horror you aren't alone. "It would be a bloody disaster for the nation," says Tony Windsor, the former independent MP who is considering running against Joyce in the seat of New England. "The bloke's a fool. Some of the things that come out of his mouth are embarrassing. There's no policy depth to him. I think he's a goose." A cabinet minister says: "When you are deputy PM, you have to be very consistent and measured. That's the concern people have about Barnaby." A regional Liberal MP says: "There is a propensity with Barnaby for a more populist, ill-disciplined side to show its head." Some have never forgotten his short-lived time as opposition finance spokesman, when he confused his billions and trillions and was criticised by Reserve Bank governor Glenn Stevens for saying Australia could default on its debts. The MP adds: "I wouldn't take it as a fait accompli that Barnaby will win. A large part of the party is not enthused by the idea." In the 21-member Nationals party room, Joyce has a loyal band of followers. But there's another group, known as the Anyone but Barnaby faction, which dreads the idea of him becoming leader. The name most often touted as a possible leadership rival is Michael McCormack, the member for Riverina, an assistant minister who has only been in Parliament for five years. Appointing him the party's leader would be a stunning repudiation of Joyce. NSW Nationals senator John "Wacka" Williams insists it won't happen. "If Warren did leave I would support Barnaby and I would expect him to stand unopposed," says Williams, one of Joyce's strongest supporters alongside NSW senator Fiona Nash and Queensland senator Matt Canavan. "He's strong, he's tough, he stands up for the things he believes in." Williams says Joyce is the Nationals' best bet of extracting a good deal from their senior Coalition partner. He notes Joyce earned his reputation as a maverick by crossing the Senate floor 28 times a fact he proudly notes in his official biography. "I want the Nationals to have our fair share of ministers, our fair share of the budget and to stand to our Liberal colleagues on issues such as the misuse of market power," Williams says. The question exercising those on both sides of the Coalition is: how would Joyce work with Turnbull? When Turnbull last led the party, Joyce, who has expressed scepticism of man-made climate change, led the revolt against his emissions trading scheme. Unlike the Prime Minister, he's a monarchist who opposes same-sex marriage. Last year Joyce claimed Australia's Asian neighbours could see the country as "decadent" if it allows gays and lesbians to marry. In her Quarterly Essay on Turnbull, Annabel Crabb wrote about a Coalition meeting at which Turnbull was discussing Labor's carbon-sink legislation. "Now, what about Eucalyptus globulus?" he asked his colleagues. Joyce responded: "Why don't you just say 'blue gum', Malcolm?" But Coalition insiders caution against overplaying the pair's stylistic and historical differences. "Because of 2009, a lot of people think Barnaby and Malcolm don't get along that's not founded in recent reality," says a Liberal frontbencher. "They actually get along quite well and realise they are complementary." Turnbull called Joyce on the night before he challenged Tony Abbott for the prime ministership. He also elevated Joyce to the fifth most senior member of cabinet, ahead of Treasurer Scott Morrison. Asked about his relationship with the new PM, Joyce says he is doing a good job and says they dined together the previous night. "The Nationals have always had respect for the PM. We don't want to be divisive figures fighting our own government but we will push for the best outcomes for regional people. Our job is to go in to bat for them." While no longer the floor-crossing maverick of old, he doesn't want to lose his larrikin edge. Drop two sizes More than half of respondents voted to ban "drop two sizes" and "bikini body." The latter is a staple of women's magazines everywhere -- and a prolific gossip subject. The "bikini body" ban at one of America's largest health magazines, with a print circulation of roughly 1.5 million, comes less than a year after researchers at Appalachian State University singled out Women's Health for reducing women to objects of lust. The study, led by psychology professor Doris Bazzini, found both Women's Health and Men's Health focused more on body appearance than body function. Her team analysed 54 covers of Women's Health and Men's Health magazines, published from 2006 to 2011, and concluded that teasers related to aesthetic outnumbered messages about, say, illness prevention. Male readers were encouraged to grow big and muscular, according to the study, published in the scientific journal Sex Roles. Female readers received tips on slimming down. (Laird said she hadn't seen the study.) "Despite the fact that these magazines are intended to promote a healthy lifestyle, they do so through an arguably narrow lens, encouraging two different stereotypical body ideals. ..." the authors wrote. "For women, youth and thinness are valued and define feminine beauty." Comedian Amy Schumer also blasted the magazine at the Women's Media Awards in November. "Women's Health, they have articles like 'How to Trick Your Stomach Into Thinking You Like That Weight,' " she said, "or 'Why Does My Vagina Smell Like a Christmas Ornament?' " While ditching "bikini body" shows a growing awareness of this issue in women's magazines, photos that glorify fashion-model physiques persist in their pages. Ellen McCracken, author of "Decoding Women's Magazines," notes that women pictured in the glossy ads and editorials promote an unattainable fantasy. "They're moving at a dinosaur's pace," McCracken said, scrolling through the Women's Health website. "They're making a few tweaks." Laird said the magazine is addressing images, too. This month's issue of Women's Health features Michelle Obama, Laverne Cox and Shonda Rimes - women known for their achievements, rather than their bodies. Social scientists say the mass media-reinforced belief that perfection arrives in a young, slender, white package can damage the self esteem of anyone who doesn't fit that mold. Bazzini's team cited a 2006 study of girls, ages 5 to 8, who answered questions about body image. About 40 percent of the elementary schoolers said they wanted a "thinner body." Research shows this early insecurity, which tends to bleed into adulthood, is linked to our airbrushed idols. Girls spot the toned abs on Gwyneth Paltrow and wonder: Why don't I look that that? Will people still love me if I don't? One month after television landed in a remote province in Fiji, Anne E. Becker, then director of research at the Harvard Eating Disorders Center , visited the island community to investigate its impact on viewers. Federal health minister Sussan Ley has been forced onto the back foot, after an online storm erupted over claims budget cuts will lead to pap smears costing $30 from July. By 5pm on Wednesday, more than 40,000 people had signed a petition urging the federal government to abandon its changes to the way it pays pathology providers under the Medicare Benefits Schedule. Health Minister Sussan Ley says sporting organisations could lose government funding if they fail to provide gender-neutral travel arrangements. Credit:Andrew Meares But pathologists and medical researchers have cast doubt on claims the changes will result in a $30 cost for pap smears, pointing out the government is only proposing to cut payments to pathologists by $3.20 per pap smear even if pathologists passed on the cuts in full. A spokesman for Health Minister Sussan Ley said the government was not proposing to cut rebates, but rather wanted to cut "an inefficient payment worth between $1.40 and $3.40 that is paid direct to pathology corporations separate to the Medicare rebate". Waiters offered trays of Vietnamese rice paper rolls and mini quiches, and the soft drinks ran freely. Scholarships were discussed and a recruitment officer offered to "pull some strings" to help one student secure accommodation. Sydney University's Vice-Chancellor's High Tea was the perfect forum to help the very best students choose a university ahead of their final preferences being lodged on Wednesday. Sebastian Schwartz, Stephanie Wu, Nadine Abughazaleh, Hayden Randall and Merle Runde with the Sydney University Vice-Chancellor Dr Michael Spence at the afternoon tea. Credit:James Alcock The university has been working hard since results were released late last year to approach students with very high ATARs. Nadine Abughazaleh, who scored a perfect 45 on the International Baccalaureate in Jordan, wants to study medicine or dentistry. They've cut my fingers. Grazed my hand. Forced me to jimmy a lock, swear in frustration and fish in my handbag for old tissues. Worst of all, they've prompted me to give up on finished business. How is that mankind can land on the moon, and send a dog called Rover to Mars, but can't or won't make toilet paper dispensers for offices and public toilets that work without injury and fury? The dreaded public toilet roll dispenser. Before you write bemoaning that this is a first-world problem, and it is, consider this. Why are we capable of beautiful design and great engineering yet this problem has yet to come out of the water closet? What use is affluence if we can't go to the toilet something we average six or seven times a day in peace? Like me, the University of Technology, Sydney's Berto Pandolfo, the director of integrated product design program, has grazed his fingers on the sharp edges of those very large circular toilet paper dispensers popular in stadiums, universities and other high-traffic areas. Emergency services are at the scene and have advised motorists to exercise caution. Two cars were damaged by a fallen tree on Darling Street in Glebe. Resident Nicky Woods, whose car windscreen was smashed, said she heard a "massive crash" from inside her home. A tree has fallen on three cars in Darling St, Glebe. Credit:Wolter Peeters "I was in the kitchen and came running out and then just saw the tree," she said. "And then I was just like, 'that's our car'." Another resident, who did not wish to be named, said the tree had been leaning quite severely and that it had been flagged with the local council. "I noticed it got worse recently," she said. Flooding in Raymond Terrace. Credit:Nick Moir A truck breakdown on Pennant Hills Road, in Carlingford has caused delays, closing one of two northbound lanes. Traffic lights are flashing on Ocean Street at Wallace Street in Woollahra. Traffic lights are also flashing in Earlwood at Homer Street and Bayview Avenue. Flooding in Raymond Terrace. Credit:Nick Moir Low-level flooding in and around Sydney has prompted NSW Ambulance to warn motorists to take care, with paramedics called to 100 motor vehicle accidents since Tuesday. Flooding has closed Wakehurst Parkway, between Oxford Falls and North Narrabeen as well as roads in Rouse Hill, Schofields, Windsor and Cattai. NSW Ambulance is also urging motorists to take care with low-level flooding in and around Sydney, with paramedics called to 100 motor vehicle accidents since Tuesday. The Bureau of Meteorology has cancelled the severe weather warning for NSW and the ACT on Wednesday afternoon, saying the immediate threat has passed. However, rainfall will persist into the evening. "With the heavy rains predicted to continue, paramedics are calling on people to slow down and take extra care," executive director service delivery Jamie Vernon said. State Emergency Services have received over two thousand calls for assistance related to the flooding since Monday morning and have attended 28 flood rescue operations. Emergency Services Minister David Elliot said most flood rescues were completely unnecessary as people ignore warnings and travel through floodwaters. "Despite countless warnings, people are continuing to risk their lives and the lives of volunteers by crossing floodwaters," Mr Elliott said. Anyone who ignored the warnings could be fined $400 for negligent driving, he said. Newcastle has seen its wettest three-day total in January on record, with 200.6mm since Monday 9am. The station opened in 1862. The SES has received 1400 requests for assistance overnight; the Sydney suburbs of Blacktown and Hornsby as well as the Hunter towns of Newcastle and Maitland are among the worst affected areas. An evacuation order is in place for parts of the Hunter township of Raymond Terrace. 50 people had evacuated to the Raymond Terrace senior citizens' centre Wednesday afternoon. Waters have subsided from the Dungog area and residents have been returning home today after evacuations Tuesday night. SES volunteers and NSW Fire and Rescue firefighters were doorknocking 30 homes, telling residents they should leave as floodwater from the Hunter River has begun to inundate lower areas of the town. The SES has also urged people in the Hunter and Sydney metropolitan regions to keep close watch on their children around flooded areas as the heavy rain is forecast to continue until Thursday. The SES has over 350 volunteers and crew out attending to jobs, while police rescue is helping monitor the safety of residents and patrolling roads. SES spokeswoman Jacqueline Rose said that motorists can get stuck in floodwaters when navigating unfamiliar roads. She encouraged motorists to delay travel if possible and to pay attention to live traffic updates and ABC radio warnings to avoid driving into flooded areas. Police and national park authorities are monitoring camping grounds, saying campers should move to higher ground if danger arises. Sun on the way for Sydney Cloudy conditions and a medium chance of showers are forecast for Sydney on Thursday but the rain if it falls should only be a couple of millimetres - a splash compared with the three-day total of just over 100mm. The bureau, though, is warning of "large and powerful surf conditions" to last until Friday morning. Temperatures will start to climb back towards more normal maximums for summer, with Thursday and Friday expecting tops of 24-25 degrees, while Saturday and Sunday should reach 27 degrees. Little rain is forecast for the coming week, which will also ease concerns that Sydney's biggest reservoir will have to spill into the Nepean-Hawkesbury river. Warragamba Dam was at 94.7 per cent of capacity and rising as of Wednesday. NSW Environment Protection Authority chief environmental regulator Mark Gifford said officers were working closely with emergency services and local councils to monitor for pollution incidents. "People should avoid public waterways, including rivers, creeks and floodwaters, due to a risk of pollution during and after heavy rainfall," Mr Gifford said. A missing elderly Chinese grandmother has been found more than 16 hours after being dropped by police at a Monash Freeway exit. The 80-year-old woman, who does not speak any English, was reported missing by her family on Wednesday afternoon. But police had already found Shifen Zhu walking along the Monash Freeway in the morning. A police media spokeswoman said a Highway Patrol unit came across the woman walking along the freeway about 7.30am. Surveillance cameras put outside the home of an alleged arsonist captured him leaving his house minutes before bushfires were lit in Sunbury over Christmas, a court has been told. Melbourne Magistrates Court heard that police who were concerned about the risks Stuart Dean Robson posed to the community had a CCTV camera installed outside his house and another in his street, after he was charged with lighting fires in October. A helicopter helps the effort to control a fire in Sunbury on Christmas Day. Credit:Simon O'Dwyer The cameras, which were set up in mid-December, recorded Mr Robson leaving his home wearing gloves and carrying an unknown object at noon on Christmas Day, just 10 minutes before a fire was lit less than five kilometres away. That fire, the court heard, burnt through 100 hectares of scrubland and forced the evacuation of Sunbury residents from Christmas gatherings. It took about 65 fire crews, with the support of five water-bombing aircraft, about five hours to control the fire. Bangkok: An Australian forensic scientist has questioned key DNA evidence that led to two migrant workers being sentenced to death for the gruesome murders of two British backpackers on an idyllic Thai island. Melbourne-based Jane Taupin says documents detailing how Thai investigators matched DNA from Myanmar workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun to the victims were not provided to a Thai court, in contravention of international DNA analysis and reporting standards. Myanmar workers Win Zaw Htun, right, and Zaw Lin, left, both 22, escorted by officials after they were convicted in December last year of the murder Hannah Witheridge and David Miller. Credit:AP She also points out that DNA matching, a complex procedure requiring meticulous care, can only be determined on the basis of statistical probability in the population and none was presented to the court. Indeed it is such a modest proposal that research suggests it is backed not only by a majority of Americans, but by a majority of Republicans, even by a majority of National Rifle Association members. And at least until Obama announced it it was backed by the most senior elected Republican in the country, Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, who told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in 2013 that such a measure was a "reasonable" and "obvious" way to keep guns out of the hands of those who had no business bearing them. Allison Wyatt, shot dead at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012. So how did Ryan respond yesterday? Via a press release issued even before Obama had finished speaking he said, "No matter what President Obama says, his word does not trump the Second Amendment. Mourning for Virginia Tech student Austin Cloyd, who was shot dead in a mass shooting in Blackisburg, Virginia, in 2007. Credit:AP "We will conduct vigilant oversight. His executive order will no doubt be challenged in the courts. Ultimately, everything the president has done can be overturned by a Republican president, which is another reason we must win in November." Minutes after Obama's address finished The Eagles song Hotel California came over the radio at Clark Brothers Gun Shop in Virginia. Benjamin Wheeler, shot dead in Sandy Hook school in Connecticut in 2012. Scott Carter, a friendly bloke with a healthy moustache who will retire this week after buying guns for Clark's for 46 years, had just caught up with news online. His views were in line with those revealed by recent political surveys that is he vehemently opposed Obama's push to broaden background checks, while simultaneously agreeing that it was good policy and even current law. A candlelight vigil for the victims of the mass shooting at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, in 2007. Credit:AP When you get this, you understand what passes for gun debate in America. How can you hold both views at once, I ask him as The Eagles drone about checking out but never leaving and a handful of men browse the range of handguns and rifles. Frantic residents of Aurora, Colorado, waiting for news of their relatives, after a gunman open fire in a local cinema, killing 12, in 2012. Credit:AP "I think he wants to disarm this country," says Carter. "I don't think he likes guns." This is crucial, because as far as Carter and many gun rights activists are concerned, the second amendment right to bear arms is the crucial right, the one that ensures all the others. "Put it this way," he says. "I think this country would look very different if it wasn't for private ownership of guns." Jeremy Herbstritt, shot dead at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia in 2007. This is not necessarily the majority opinion in America but neither is it a rare one. It is the central theme of the NRA's political message, and it is becoming Republican orthodoxy. Before Obama spoke, Grover Norquist, a Republican campaigner most famous for drafting a pledge against tax hikes signed by all but one GOP candidates at the 2012 election tweeted, "One wonders: Just what does the Left have planned? And why is it so important that they first disarm the people before they tell us about it?" Grace McDonnell, shot dead in Sandy Hook elementary school in 2012. Carter conceded as we spoke that if a Republican president proposed what Obama was advocating, he would be more likely to support it. Politics in America has become so corroded by mistrust and paranoia that Carter and many people like him simply do not trust Obama enough to support anything he proposes. Jacob Stevens, 18, hugs his mother Tammi Stevens, after a gunman open fire in a local cinema, in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12, in 2012. Credit:AP Each step to restrict the sale of guns will be followed by another, he believes. In a sense he is right too. Obama does believe that Second Amendment rights have extended too far, often at the cost of other basic rights. He said as much in his speech. President Barack Obama wipes tears from his eyes as he speaks in the White House on Tuesday, about his determination to address gun violence. Credit:AP "Second Amendment rights are important, but there are other rights that we care about as well, and we have to be able to balance them," he said. "Our right to peaceful assembly that right was robbed from moviegoers in Aurora and Lafayette. Our unalienable right to life, and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness those rights were stripped from college students in Blacksburg and Santa Barbara, and from high schoolers at Columbine, and from first-graders in Newtown." Rescuers tend to the wounded at a triage area near Columbine High School in Colorado in 1999. Credit:The Denver Rocky Mountain News/AP And Obama also declared that his announcements were the first step rather than the last to countering the NRA's dominance in the gun debate. "It will be hard and it won't happen overnight. It won't happen during this Congress," he said. "It won't happen during my presidency. But a lot of things don't happen overnight. A woman's right to vote didn't happen overnight. The liberation of African-Americans didn't happen overnight." In the wake of the recent mass shootings that have struck America, Helen Kruskamp, mother of two little boys, volunteered to join the gun-regulation group Mom's Demand Action. She is now its co-ordinator in Durham, South Carolina. Asked if Obama's speech went far enough, Kruskamp she was excited by it. "Finally someone in the federal government is starting a conversation some of us have been having for a long time," she said. Moscow: Colonel-General Igor Sergun, who oversaw covert military operations for Russia as the director of its military intelligence service, died on Monday. He was 58. The Defence Ministry, which published an obituary on Tuesday on its website, did not specify where he died or give the cause. Igor Sergun, chief of Russian military intelligence General Sergun had managed the Main Intelligence Directorate of Russia's General Staff, commonly known as the GRU, since late 2011. Western and Ukrainian officials repeatedly accused the GRU of playing a crucial role in Russia's takeover of Crimea in 2014 and backing separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. Jakarta: Indonesia's accident-plagued aviation industry has more airlines with the lowest safety ranking than any other country in the world according to an annual survey. The plane safety rating website AirlineRatings.com surveyed 407 of the world's major airlines, giving each a safety score out of seven. Wreckage of part of the ill-fated AirAsia Flight 8501 that crashed in the Java Sea in December 2014. Credit:AP Of the 10 airlines that scored just one point or less, all but one was from Indonesia. Qantas was ranked the world's safest airline for the third year in a row. Last time, North Korea launched a "dishwasher wrapped in tinfoil" strapped to the top of a rocket that was supposed to splash down in the ocean somewhere north of Australia. But there won't be many laughs now if the Stalinist regime has truly taken its "nuclear might to the next level", as a typically bombastic state media bragged on Wednesday, and with "perfect success" tested a miniaturised hydrogen bomb. The prospect of North Korea armed with a nuclear warhead as opposed to making atoms explode under carefully controlled settings at the bottom of an isolated cave in its previous three nuclear tests adds another complication to an already unstable region. For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser POINTE BLANCHE:---- Port St. Maarten accommodated 1,901,617 cruise passengers in 2015, approximately five per cent less than in 2014 when for the first time the destination hit the two million mark (2,001,996, vessel calls 692). Cruise vessels in 2015 made 683 port calls. Port St. Maarten has come in as the #1 cruise port in the Caribbean, the second year in a row by Cruise Fever.net readers who were asked to vote on the best cruise ports in the Caribbean in the 2015 Cruise Fever Fan Awards. The other nine cruise destinations vying for the number one position were St. Thomas, Cozumel (Mexico), Grand Cayman (Cayman Islands), Grand Turk (Turks & Caicos Islands), San Juan (Puerto Rico), St. Kitts, Oranjestad (Aruba), Ocho Rios (Jamaica), and Roatan (Honduras). Cruise Fever has been featured in many media outlets including the Drudge Report, CNN, Huffington Post, ABC News, Yahoo, MSN, and ABC Radio. The website receives over 200,000 unique visits a month, with some months reaching over half a million unique readers. Cruise Fever was founded in the Spring of 2011 and is based in Cincinnati, Ohio. According to Port St. Maarten Management, the five per cent less in passengers in 2015 is a result of a combination of factors such as hurricane season cancellations due to the approach of weather systems to the island resulting in cruise vessels having to cancel their visits; opening of an expanded cruise port in Tortola; and redeployment of vessels to the Asian market. Port St. Maarten however remains number one in the Caribbean. Very important developments for the countrys cruise industry in 2016 is cooperation with Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM Airport), and the establishment of the Sint Maarten Tourism Authority (STA) which is essential in destination marketing and product development. The cruise industry is the most exciting and fast-growing categories of the tourism travel market which has seen average passenger growth of 7.2 per cent per year since 1990. Cruising is important for the sampling of destinations whereby travelers return as stay-over. Over 80 per cent of cruise passengers think its a good way to sample a destination, and 40 per cent of cruisers in a survey have stated they had returned as a stayover guests after first visiting a destination during a cruise. Port St. Maarten therefore finds it very important with respect to developing a strategic relationship with SXM Airport and the yet to be established STA in order to capitalize on these and other opportunities. For the period, 1980-2009, over 176 million travelers have taken cruises of two-days or longer, and of that number, 70 per cent have been generated for the last 10-years, and 40 per cent of the total passengers numbers have been generated for the last five years alone. Port St. Maarten remains very confident with respect to the future development of the cruise sector, but is also monitoring developments in Cuba and continued deployments repositioning cruises - to Asia which will increase in 2016 whereby the major lines relocate ships changing the vessels Summer-Winter regions of operation. Carnival Cruise Lines in 2015 received permission from the United States Government to operate limited cruises into Cuba starting some time in 2016. Permission was granted to the cruise line under pre-existing laws that allow Americans to travel to Cuba for humanitarian and cultural exchanges. Carnival has designed a package under the brand Fathom, which will take passengers to countries to carry out volunteer work, also known as social impact cruises. Social impact cruises have been designed to cater to cruise consumers who are more interested in making a social impact on a destination, and this market, social impact travel, is worth approximately US$1.6 billion. The Dominican Republic is included in the Fathom brand itinerary and Carnival is forecast to send around 35,000 passengers to that country. Cruise lines are repositioning to Asia where they see significant growth opportunities as the market continues to develop and mature. There is the potential for double-digit growth in the Asian market in the next 10-years. China is expected to become the worlds second largest cruise market by 2017, and eventually will become the largest cruise market in the entire world. Cruise lines are also looking possible joint ventures, including port development and the potential to launch a domestic Chinese cruise brand in the rapidly growing China vacation market, and this is part of the aforementioned expanding their capacity in Asia. Key markets that are showing growth in Asia are China, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and Korea. Port St. Maarten Management concluded that every effort is being made to keep the cruise destination in the number one position, but that this cannot be done alone by the Port St. Maarten Group of Companies, but must also include various stakeholders to ensure long-term sustainable tourism development for the country and the its people. PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister William Marlin announced on Wednesday at the Council of Ministers press briefing that he will be looking into the possibilities of getting students that are studying in the Netherlands to participate in the elections held on St. Maarten. I will do my best to see if students that are studying in the Netherlands could vote when elections are held on St. Maarten, based on the current system students that are studying the Netherlands have to write out at the Civil Registry on St. Maarten in order to register in the Netherlands and because of that these students are not able to participate in elections held in their home country. I find this to be unfair to those students that comes back home on vacations and also intends to return home after their studies. Students studding in the USA are allowed to vote while those in the Netherlands cannot because no one could have two addresses within the Kingdom. Should I be able to work out this possibility then there will be one or more polling stations in the Netherlands where students could go and cast their votes when elections are held on St. Maarten. Marlin made clear that the possibility will only be available for students that are registered in the Netherlands as students that are pursuing higher education and not those persons who chose to make the Netherlands their place of residence. Electoral Reform Committee People will get a chance to express their views because of Town Hall meetings will be held. As for the committee working on the electoral reform Marlin said he is expected to meet with that group on Wednesday afternoon where they will outline their plan of approach, and work schedule and also inform him when exactly they would be able to provide him with an advice. Marlin also indicated that even though he gave some guidelines as to how and what needs to be changed or amended in the electoral law, plans are in place to hold town-hall meetings where members of the public will get an opportunity to debate the changes and even make proposals. The countrys Prime Minister said that he saw the criticism made by Julio Romney who made a presentation to parliament on what should be changed and not changed. Marlin made clear that he does not agree with Romneys views and analysis but Romney could also participate in the debates when they are held and he will also be given the opportunity to make the presentation he made to Parliament. Marlin said several members of parliament disagreed with Romneys proposal when he presented it to parliament but Romney will get the chance to once again present his views if he so wishes. He made clear that while Members of Parliament could declare themselves independent if they do not agree with the views of their political party, these members of parliament could remain in parliament but they will not be able to continue the ship jumping and form government with other political parties. He said that when the amendments are made only political parties will be able to form government and not individual members of parliament. Government wants to move in the Government Building on Pond Island by end of July PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister William Marlin is busy negotiating with SZV and APS who plans to purchase the Government Administration Building on Pond Island for some NAF.45M which will be discounted from the monies government owes the two entities. Marlin said that he will be meeting with one of the major stakeholders this week to further negotiate with them in order for the sale to take place and to also set a timeline in which they must finish the construction and furnishing of the building in order for civil servants to begin occupying the building by the end of July. Marlin said he wanted to have the building by the end of June but both APS and SZV said they would need more time which will take them up to the end of July. Marlin said that based on the targeted instructions given to the government of St. Maarten regarding the debts owed to SZV and APS, his government took some major decisions, one is to secure the NAF.60M which they expect from the debt relief from the former Netherlands Antilles to go towards the debts owed to SZV and APS while they also intend to save the rents from all the buildings government is renting around Philipsburg to pay off that debt once the civil service that are occupying those buildings vacate them and move into the Government Building on Pond Island. Marlin further explained that while APS and SZV plans to purchase the building and to finish it so that government could rent it from them when it is completed. He said that the intention is for government to buy back the building after some years. The Prime Minister did not say how long after government will buy back the building but he did indicate that both SZV and APS would make some monies on their investments. HP Inc. Collaborates With HTC to Deliver the Ultimate Virtual Reality Experience LAS VEGAS, NV (Marketwired) 01/05/16 HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) today announced it is collaborating with HTC to deliver a certified virtual reality (VR) ready desktop PC, the , for gamers. The new HP ENVY Phoenix powers Vive, the new VR system from HTC, that delivers a uniquely immersive VR experience with room scale tracking capabilities, combined with photosensors on the headset and controllers, to track a users movement within a 3D space. Together, the Vive by HTC and HPs VR-ready Envy Phoenix provide the most immersive room scale VR solution available today. As virtual reality becomes the next wave of innovation for gaming, customers need a desktop PC specifically configured with quality, performance and computing power to enable the experience, said Kevin Frost, vice president and general manager, consumer personal systems, HP Inc. HP is excited to be working with HTC to be at the forefront of this new technology to deliver the HP ENVY Phoenix, a purpose built desktop PC to power amazing virtual gaming experiences. Through its collaboration with HTC, HP will deliver a gaming tower PC that addresses the key issues that impede on a great experience. By testing each configuration against Vive by HTC to optimize for VR, HP and HTC are resolving graphic cards issues to ensure the correct resolution is assigned and detected in the settings when connected to Vive by HTC and that the graphics driver recognizes the headset as a secondary display. HP is also optimizing driver performance and the power profile in order for gamers to achieve the most performance without having to adjust their power to High Performance. HTC and HP are collaborating to test and optimize hardware to ensure a great customer experience when using HP technology with Vive by HTC, said Dan OBrien, vice president, HTC. By testing against the most intensive games on the market, HP and HTC are pushing hardware to the limits to enable constant frame rates for a smooth and glitch-free virtual gaming experiences. HP ENVY Phoenix is a gaming tower PC ready for virtual reality The HP ENVY Phoenix now offers a special configuration to make it the most VR-tuned consumer desktop by HP for gamers who are at the forefront of virtual reality gaming and want a painless out-of-the-box experience. With a 2 TB(1) hard drive, the HP ENVY Phoenix can host a massive amount of large format VR games, videos and short animations. To tackle all CPU processing needs for VR, the HP ENVY Phoenix comes with Intel Core i7 K-series processors(2) with overclocking capabilities. For the best VR experience, the HP ENVY Phoenix gives customers options of AMD Radeon R9 390x(3), NVIDIA GTX 980(3) or NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti(3) graphics cards. Such powerful GPUs are necessary in order to minimize latency between rendering of each frame, as latency between frames is one of the key ways to maintain immersion. The powerful CPU is needed in order to make sure that all of the body tracking is done quick enough in order to allow the GPU to be fed the correct information about where to render the frame in order to match the location of users head. VR is CPU intensive so to manage the heat, the HP ENVY Phoenix uses liquid cooling, an advanced thermal system, to keep it running quiet and cool. The HP ENVY Phoenix offers users customizable LED lighting tied to the CPU temperature so users can be aware of how the tower PC is running especially when it is overclocking. For more information, please visit . Pricing and Availability (4) The HP ENVY Phoenix is expected to be available on January 16, 2016 on hp.com with a starting price at $1,699.99. Vive by HTC is sold separately. HP Inc. creates technology that makes life better for everyone, everywhere. Through our portfolio of printers, PCs, mobile devices, solutions, and services, we engineer experiences that amaze. More information about HP Inc. is available at . (1) For hard drives, TB = 1 trillion bytes. Actual formatted capacity is less. Up to 35GB of hard drive is reserved for system recovery software. (2) Multi-core is designed to improve performance of certain software products. Not all customers or software applications will necessarily benefit from use of this technology. Performance and clock frequency will vary depending on application workload and your hardware and software configurations. Intels numbering is not a measurement of higher performance. (3) Part of the total system memory (RAM) is used for graphics/video performance. System memory dedicated to graphics/video performance is not available for other use by other programs. (4) Estimated U.S. street prices. Actual prices may vary. This document contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, the results of HP Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including any statements of expectation or belief and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include the possibility the companys business may not perform as expected; that the company may be unable to successfully implement separation strategies; and other risks that are described in the companys reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the risks described in the companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for its fiscal year ended October 31, 2014 and the companys Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for its fiscal quarters ended April 30, 2015 and July 31, 2015. The company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements. Copyright 2016 HP Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP Inc. products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP Inc. shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. Editorial contact Solar Novus Today Has Been Integrated With Novus Light Technologies Today Visit Novus Light Technologies Today to see all the cutting-edge stories and products that you have come to enjoy on Solar Novus Today. In addition, you will find more information on related light-based technologies. Get the latest solar and renewable energy news delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for the Green Technologies newsletter CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR GREEN TECHNOLOGIES NEWSLETTER 'It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown' won't be on TV this year: How to see it Suburban schools grow slightly, or lose less than state average Numbers from the state Department of Public Instruction show that in suburban Milwaukee, about 27 school districts grew last year, or lost fewer students than average. Welcome to SwanseaOnline - your home for the best news, sports and what's on coverage of the city. Never miss a Swansea story with our daily newsletter Sign up to comment on our stories here Follow us on Facebook and Twitter | Swansea City news | Ospreys news | InYourArea KISSIMMEE, Fla. NASA's Kepler spacecraft has bounced back nicely from the malfunction that ended its original exoplanet hunt more than two years ago. Kepler has now discovered more than 100 confirmed alien planets during its second-chance K2 mission, researchers announced today (Jan. 5) here at the 227th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS). The $600 million Kepler mission launched in March 2009, tasked with determining how commonly Earth-like planets occur throughout the Milky Way galaxy. Kepler has been incredibly successful, finding more than 1,000 alien worlds to date, more than half of all exoplanets ever discovered. [Gallery: A World of Kepler Planets] The spacecraft finds planets by the "transit method," noting the tiny brightness dips caused when a planet crosses its host star's face from Kepler's perspective. This technique requires extremely precise pointing, an ability Kepler lost in May 2013 when the second of the observatory's four orientation-maintaining reaction wheels failed. But the Kepler team quickly figured out a way to keep the telescope stable, using solar radiation pressure as a sort of third wheel. That meant the spacecraft could eye different patches of the sky for around 80 days at a time to search for planets and other cosmic bodies and phenomena. That's what Kepler has been doing in its K2 mission, which NASA greenlit in May 2014. Researchers had expressed hope that K2 could pick up some additional exoplanets and interesting structures in the sky. The extended mission has certainly delivered, spotting a few dozen confirmed planets, and now the tally will jump dramatically. The first five K2 campaigns, which each looked at a different part of the sky, "have produced over 100 validated planets," Ian Crossfield, an astronomer at University of Arizona, said today during a presentation at the AAS meeting. "This is a validation of the whole K2 program's ability to find large numbers of true, bona fide planets." Crossfield said that Kepler observed more than 60,000 stars and found 7,000 transitlike signals during the first five 80-day observation campaigns. A validation process whittled some of these signals down to planet candidates, and then finally to validated planets, each of which has just a 1 percent chance of being a false positive, Crossfield added. He also noted that K2 found more false positives among larger planets than small ones. While planning K2, Kepler principal investigator Bill Borucki, who retired this past July after a 53-year NASA career, said the new mission could find "dozens, or maybe even hundreds" of exoplanets. Now, K2 has racked up more than 100, and lots of exciting extrasolar systems will likely be spotted in the future, Crossfield said. "We're only a quarter or so of the way done, we hope," he said. Editor's Note: This article has been updated to clarify where the false positives lie in K2's data. Email Sarah Lewin at slewin@space.com or follow her @SarahExplains. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Originally published on Space.com. Crowded globular star clusters like this one, called 47 Tucanae, may be the best place to search for signs of interstellar alien civilizations, scientists say. The relative close proximity of stars could allow a spacefaring civilization to explore neighboring stars. KISSIMMEE, Fla. Densely packed groups of stars may make excellent cradles for complex space-traveling life to evolve. Despite studies that claim these environments, known as globular clusters, may be too harsh for life, a new study argues for a more optimistic view based on the evolving understanding of where planets lie outside the solar system. "A globular cluster might be the first place in which intelligent life is identified in our galaxy," lead study author Rosanne Di Stefano, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said in a statement. Di Stefano presented the new research today (Jan. 6) here at the 227th meeting of the American Astronomical Society.Globular clusters are massive groupings of millions of stars in a region only 100 light-years across. The clusters date back to the early life of the Milky Way nearly 10 billion years ago. (For comparison, the universe is approximately 13.7 billion years old.) Although these clusters' age raises some questions, it also provides ample time for civilizations that emerged to evolve and become complex. [13 Ways to Hunt Alien Life] A long run The advanced age of globular clusters means their stars are older, as well. The heavy elements found in younger stars, which are made up of previous generations, aren't found within the hearts of globular cluster stars. This material, which would have been missing from the disks of dust and gas that built the star, is also required to build planets, so some scientists argue that worlds also would be missing from globular clusters. But Di Stefano and her colleague Alak Ray, of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in India, pointed out that stars have been found around noncluster stars that lack significant amounts of these elements. Although massive gas worlds tend to orbit stars with heavier elements, smaller rocky worlds that resemble Earth can be found around stars with varying amounts of the material. "It's premature to say there are no planets in globular clusters," Ray said. The dense population of the clusters also raises concerns about their habitability. The sun's nearest stellar neighbor lies about four light-years (24 trillion miles, or 39 trillion kilometers) away. In a globular cluster, neighboring stars could be as much as 20 times closer. If a nearby star came too close, the effects of its gravity could fling a planet from its orbit. In this case, the older age of the stars is an advantage. Di Stefano and Ray noted that bright stars like the sun would have been born, lived and died, leaving behind only faint, long-lived dwarf stars. These dimmer stars would require planets to orbit closer to their sun in order to maintain liquid water on their surface a key requirement for the evolution of life as we know it. Their close orbits could help shield them from interactions with passing stars, according to a statement from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). The presence of an old star could also indicate an older planet. On Earth, life is thought to have evolved after about 3.5 billion years. According to the CfA statement, a 10-billion-year-old planet would give life time to not only bloom, but evolve into intelligent and technologically advanced beings. Life on these ancient worlds would have had ample time to become a spacefaring species. "Once planets form, they can survive for long periods of time even longer than the age of the universe," said Di Stefano. Visiting the neighbors While nearby stars may cause planets to be less stable, they can be a boon for interstellar travel. With nearby stars in galactic clusters as much as 20 times closer than the sun's nearest neighbors, the opportunities for potential exploration, settlement and communication could be enhanced, the new study suggests. "We call it the 'globular cluster opportunity,'" Di Stefano said. "Sending a broadcast between the stars wouldn't take any longer than a letter from the U.S. to Europe in the 18th century." Communication directed from one star in a globular cluster to the next could help scientists to spot advanced civilizations, CfA's statement added. Targeting globular clusters with SETI search methods could reveal radio or laser broadcasts sent from one stellar system to the next. Messages wouldn't be the only things that could pass between the stars spaceships could travel more easily from one system to the next, Di Stefano noted. "The [NASA] Voyager probes are 100 billion miles [160 billion km] from Earth, or one-tenth as far as it would take to reach the closest star if we lived in a globular cluster," Di Stefano said. Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 and 2 were sent to the outer solar system. After passing the gas giants, the two probes continued on to the edge of the solar system and into interstellar space. "That means sending an interstellar probe is something a civilization at our technological level could do in a globular cluster," Di Stefano said. Follow Nola Taylor Redd on Twitter @NolaTRedd or Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com. This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. More than a thousand times farther from Earth than the moon, farther even than the sun, an extraordinary extraterrestrial expedition is taking place. NASAs Dawn spacecraft is exploring dwarf planet Ceres, which orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter. The probe has just reached the closest point it ever will, and is now beginning to collect its most detailed pictures and other measurements on this distant orb. Ceres is a remnant from the dawn of our solar system nearly 4.6 billion years ago. All the data Dawn is now sending back will provide insight into Ceres' history and geology, including the presence of water, past or present. Scientists believe that by studying Ceres, we can unlock some of the secrets of the epoch in which planets, including our own, formed. But this mission isnt only for scientists. Discovering the nature of an uncharted world is a thrill that can be shared by anyone who has ever gazed up at the night sky in wonder, been curious about the universe and Earths place in it, or felt the lure of a bold adventure into the unknown. I happen to fall into all those categories. I fell in love with space at the age of four, and I knew by the fourth grade that I wanted to earn a doctorate in physics. (It was a few more years before I did.) My passion for the exploration of space and the grandeur of scientific discovery and understanding has never wavered. Its a dream come true for me to be the mission director and chief engineer on Dawn at JPL. False color video of Ceres from distance of 2,700 miles, courtesy of Dawn. Ceres before Dawn Named for the Roman goddess of agriculture and grain, Ceres was the first dwarf planet discovered, in 1801. Thats 129 years before Pluto and in fact, both were originally considered planets, only later to be designated dwarf planets. Although Ceres appeared as little more than a fuzzy blob of light amidst the stars, scientists determined that its the behemoth of the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter nearly 600 miles in diameter. Its surface area is more than a third of the area of the continental US. Before Dawns arrival, Ceres was the largest object between the sun and Pluto that a spacecraft had not visited. Since well before Dawn, weve had telescopic evidence that Ceres harbors water. While its mostly in the form of ice, scientists have good reason to believe an underground ocean once circulated. The question of whether reservoirs still lurk beneath the alien surface remains open. Dawns studies of Ceres may even provide hints about how Earth acquired its own supply of that precious liquid billions of years ago. Dawn en route to Ceres Dawn launches at dawn on September 27 2007, headed for the asteroid belt. (Image credit: NASA, CC BY) In 2007, we launched Dawn from Cape Canaveral, and it will never again visit its erstwhile planetary home. In 2011, it became the only spacecraft ever to orbit an object in the main asteroid belt, devoting 14 months to scrutinizing protoplanet Vesta. Dawn showed us this second most massive resident of the belt is more closely related to the terrestrial planets (including Earth) than to the much smaller chunks of rock that are typical of asteroids. The unique capability to travel to worlds beyond Mars, enter orbit and maneuver extensively and then depart for yet another destination is achieved with advanced ion propulsion. The technology spent much of its history in the domain of sci-fi, including Star Trek and Star Wars. (Darth Vaders TIE Fighter is named for its twin ion engines.) But what may have seemed only science fiction is science fact. Without its three ion engines (note that Dawn does the TIE Fighters one better), Dawns mission wouldnt be possible. A gridded ion thruster uses electrical energy to create, accelerate and neutralize positively charged ions to generate thrust. The ion engines use xenon gas, a chemical cousin of helium and neon. With electrical power from Dawns large solar panels, the xenon is given an electrical charge in a process called ionization. The engines use high voltage to accelerate the ions. Theyre then shot out of the engines at up to 90,000 mph. When the ions leave the spacecraft at this fantastically high speed, its pushed in the opposite direction. Dawns ion propulsion system is exceptionally efficient 10 times as efficient as conventional spacecraft propulsion. Its comparable to your car getting 250 miles per gallon. Artists conception of the Dawn spacecraft arriving at Ceres. The engines xenon ions glow with blue light. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech, CC BY) Dawn drops into Cerean orbit Finally, after a journey of more than seven years and three billion miles, our interplanetary ambassador reached Ceres on March 6 2015, and gracefully entered the dwarf planets permanent gravitational embrace. Mission controllers at JPL then piloted the craft to three orbits at successively lower altitudes, so we could first obtain an overview and then gain better and better views of this vast unexplored territory. And Dawn has just performed the penultimate act in its grand celestial choreography. Its spent the last seven weeks maneuvering to its lowest altitude. Orbiting now about 240 miles above the exotic terrain of rock and ice, Dawn is closer to Ceres than the International Space Station is to Earth. Dawn brings Ceres into focus Included in the spacecrafts suite of sophisticated sensors is a camera that has already taken 10,000 pictures of alien landscapes on Ceres. Following from Ceres' own name, features Dawn discovers are named for agricultural deities and festivals from around the world. We see rugged terrain and smooth areas, sometimes with streaks of material thats flowed across it. There are craters large and small, created by billions of years of assaults in the rough-and-tumble neighborhood of the asteroid belt. We see mountains and valleys, huge fissures in the ground and bright spots that glow with a mysterious luster, reflecting much more sunlight than most of the dark surface. The most striking of these shining regions, inside the 55-mile-wide Occator Crater (named for the Roman deity of harrowing), is so bright that the Hubble Space Telescope detected a hint of it a decade ago. Dawns pictures to date have been more than 200 times sharper than Hubbles. The images were starting to get back now will be even better, revealing 850 times the detail that Hubble had provided. Dawn took this image in its low-altitude mapping orbit from an approximate distance of 240 miles (385 kilometers) from Ceres on December 10. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA, CC BY) Dawn has shown us a mountain named Ahuna Mons that towers more than 20,000 feet in an otherwise unremarkable area, comparable to the elevation of North Americas tallest peak, Mt Denali. (Ahuna is a celebration of thanksgiving for the harvest among the Sumis of northeast India.) Bright streaks seem to suggest some unidentified material once flowed down the steep slopes of Ahuna Mons. While scientists have not yet determined what forces and processes shaped this conical mountain, it doesnt take a geologist to notice its resemblance to terrestrial volcanic cones. Imagine what it might have been like to witness an eruption of some strange combination of water and other chemicals on this cold, distant world. Beyond photos, Dawn will take a great many other measurements from its new orbital perch before its mission concludes in 2016. It will measure radiation to help scientists determine what types of atoms are present on Ceres. It will use infrared light to identify the minerals on Ceres' surface. And it will gauge subtle variations in the gravitational field to reveal the interior structure of the dwarf planet. Once the spacecraft exhausts the small supply of conventional rocket propellant it squirts through thrusters to control its orientation in the zero-gravity, frictionless conditions of spaceflight, it will no longer be able to point its solar arrays at the sun, its antenna at Earth, its sensors at Ceres or its ion engines in the direction needed to travel elsewhere. But the ship will remain in orbit around Ceres as surely as the moon remains in orbit around Earth and Earth remains in orbit around the sun. Its legacy in the history of our efforts to reach out from our humble home to touch the stars is secure. Dawn will become an inert celestial monument to humankinds creativity, ingenuity, and passion for exploring the cosmos. This part of Ceres, near the south pole, has such long shadows because, from the perspective of this location, the sun is near the horizon. At the time When Dawn took this image on December 10, the sun was 4 degrees north of the equator. If you were standing this close to Ceres' south pole, the sun would never get high in the sky during the course of a nine-hour Cerean day. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA, CC BY) Marc D Rayman, Dawn Chief Engineer and Mission Director at JPL, NASA This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates and become part of the discussion on Facebook, Twitter and Google +. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. This version of the article was originally published on Space.com. Optimization Are you frustrated with a slow pc or a hard disk not performing as it should? Try SLOW-PCfighter to speed up boot time on a slow PC, or try a free scan of FULL-DISKfighter to recover space on a full disk. The latest offering is DRIVERfighter to update your driver updater. Get complete PC optimization and extend the life of your PC with these must-have software tools. Snail-Paced Progress "We are crawling slowly toward the target," says Elke Holst, a research director and senior economist at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) who has studied gender equality for years. "The reason companies have been progressing so slowly is surely because their upper echelons are occupied by men with other perceptions of the world," she says. "Most of them have wives that take care of things at home. Women work for them in the office as well, as secretaries or consultants, but they're rarely at the same level, as a counterpart or equal." The state, for its part, does little to discourage such traditional divisions of labor with tax schemes that reinforce an outmoded family model. "Sure, you can pass a law and hope it's obeyed," says Holst. "But without the appropriate framework and effective sanctions for noncompliance, progress will be snail-paced. After all, we're talking about power and money here. No one gives that up willingly." But sanctions aren't foreseen in the new law. Businesses that don't meet the required level of women in board positions are threatened with little more than an empty chair. A vacant position on a supervisory body might do some reputational damage, but only at companies that are in the public eye. Others need not fear any consequences if they don't reach statutory or self-imposed targets. German Family Minister Manuela Schwesig, under whose auspices the regulation emerged, has realized how bad this looks. Together with Heiko Maas, the German justice minister, she has admonished businesses to take the law seriously. But their words sounded somewhat helpless, which is how they were received in business circles. There are, however, a few rays of hope. Take, for instance, the Frankfurt-based energy company Mainova. With its nearly all-male management team, Mainova would seem to be a typical regional utility company. The three men that make up its management board recently said goodbye to the first and only woman to ever hold a board seat after she was lured away by a competitor. Indeed, males are also in the majority on Mainova's supervisory board -- 15 men sit alongside five women, which is less than the legally required 30 percent -- but the company is still regarded as a role model in the industry. That's due to its long history of promoting female employees and targeting female graduates in schools or at job fairs. Seventeen percent of Mainova's managers are women, while its competitors only manage 5 percent. Not Much Has Happened But companies like Mainova are still the exception in the great mass of small to mid-sized enterprises known as the German Mittelstand. Beyond the roughly 100 listed companies that appear in nearly every statistic or study, there is hardly any mention of smaller firms with between 500 and 2,000 employees. But the law also applies to them as long as they are listed on a stock exchange or required to have a supervisory board of which one-third of the members are selected by the employees. They too were supposed to have established targets by the end of last September for how many female managers they intended to hire by the summer of 2017. But not much has happened at these companies to date. "Many haven't even realized that the new law applies to them or that they could face fines of up to 50,000 if they fail to set any targets," says Heiner Thorborg, a personnel consultant in Frankfurt. Of the some two dozen firms with more than 500 employees contacted by DER SPIEGEL for this story, only about a quarter were willing to comment. Of those few, some claimed they were not affected by the new regulation at all. Others ensured that they had established targets in accordance with the law. They said they would provide further details when they announced their performance reports sometime in 2016. Critics have been warning of the deficiencies in the boardroom quota law all along. Hardly any private limited partnerships fall under the regulation, for instance. There are around 18,000 businesses around Germany with this legal structure, including household names like the appliance manufacturer Miele, which has said it intends to "considerably expand" the number of women who hold top positions in the company. Whatever that means. Another weakness of the law is the fact that whether or not it affects a company is totally dependent on whether or not that company is subject to co-determination, the principle of giving workers a say in a firm's management. But particularly small and lesser-known businesses tend to avoid that requirement and, consequently, the quota law. Conservative Economy More than half of all of Germany's small and medium-sized limited liability companies don't have a supervisory board, although their workforce size and legal status requires it. That evaluation comes from a study by the corporate lawyers Walter Bayer and Thomas Hoffmann from the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena. It includes well-known firms such as Media Saturn Germany, the package holiday tour specialist Alltours Flugreisen and the engineering company Kannegiesser. Of those three, only Alltours responded to a request for information by DER SPIEGEL. The firm was of the opinion that it did not fall under the new law, according to a spokesman. How can it be that companies which dedicate themselves so passionately to innovation can be so lackadaisical when it comes to gender equality? "The German economy is still very conservative," says Holst from the DIW. There is ample room for improvement, such as in the area of flexible work and career models for women and men. A reorganization of company structures would be necessary, one that more strongly takes into account the general vicissitudes of life. "Young fathers today want to watch their children grow up much more closely than earlier generations," Holst says. "Companies haven't really grasped the fact that younger generations aren't living according to the single earner principle, but that 'dual career couples,' especially among highly skilled people, are the new societal reality." Monika Schulz-Strelow, head of FidAR, is also amazed at the tenacity with which many male managers cling onto their privileges. "The amount of time and energy that some of them have spent in the past years being closed-minded and trying to ward off change is amazing," she said. "How can any company afford to say: 'We don't need more women?'" There appears to be a certain amount of grasping at straws by an elite which refuses to recognize that gender equality is not some gracious act of individual promotion, but rather an economic policy that can be advantageous in times of skilled labor shortages and highly qualified women. Above all, however, women and men are equal under the constitution. In other words, there is no good reason not to choose a female candidate if she is equally or better qualified. A Warning At the moment, that seems to be a dream dreamt almost exclusively by women. "When it comes to the issue of equal opportunity, most men don't feel affected," says Allyson Zimmermann, the head of Europe for the consulting firm Catalyst. "For them, it's strictly a women's issue." Then there's the fear of losing their job to a woman or having to deal with more competition for promotions. But ignoring the new law completely will likely be difficult for companies. Together with auditors from KPMG, the Federal Women's Ministry and the Justice Ministry have developed a relatively simple guide with four questions to help executives and board chairmen determine whether the gender quota law applies to their company. Talking their way out of things could therefore be tricky. Minister Schwesig has in fact received an unexpected boost from KPMG economic auditors of all people. Their industry isn't exactly known for being favorable to women, but the auditors are paid to make sure that their clients comply with new legislation. Some renowned representatives of their trade have been imploring their customers to under no circumstances wait out the problem. Otherwise, they warn, they could risk receiving a warning in their audit report. Maybe that will help -- if arguments don't convince them first. SPIEGEL: What brought them to the negotiating table? Lister: The Syrian crisis has reached a pivotal point. All sides to the conflict inside and outside Syria have come to realize that no one has enough power to win, and no one is weak enough to lose. There has been a recognition that a political solution is the only way out, which is why we have seen all parties to the conflict, or at least all conventional parties, devote a lot more resources towards considering their political positions, where they fit into the opposition spectrum, and how much they are willing to relate to their adversaries on the battlefield. SPIEGEL: At the meeting in Riyadh, a final statement laid out the principles for negotiations with the Assad regime. It stresses the importance of "free and fair elections" and demands that Assad should step down at the start of the transition. Is this anything but wishful thinking? Lister: For the armed opposition, the fate of Assad is an absolute red line. Their position for a long time has been: We are willing to enter into negotiations, potentially even with Assad himself sitting at the other end of the table, but we will only do that if we have been guaranteed by the international community that he will step aside at the end of it. Now, you're right to say this is wishful thinking, because Assad is not going to come to the table if that means he has to depart at the end of it. That's the key challenge we have to get past. It's the responsibility of the international community and of the negotiation process in Vienna to set up some kind of mechanism that will be good enough to convince the opposition that even if there is a slightly more prolonged transition, with Assad staying maybe for six months, it is secure enough for them to agree to it. In this respect, the biggest obstacle that we face now is that there is so little trust between the Syrian opposition and the Western world. SPIEGEL: What role does Saudi Arabia, the host of the conference, play? Lister: Saudi Arabia is a key player, not just politically, but also in the civil and humanitarian sphere. We can argue whether it has played a positive role, which I think it arguably hasn't, along with other Gulf states. My opinion is that it would have been better to hold a conference like this somewhere in Europe. The fact that it took place in Saudi Arabia lent it an immediate image to some as potentially an Islamist conference. SPIEGEL: Who were the groups present at the Riyadh conference and how representative are they of the Syrian opposition as a whole? Lister: Saudi Arabia was selective in who they invited and who they excluded. There was a large block of representatives of the Syrian Opposition Coalition based in Istanbul, the official, Western-recognized political opposition. And there were about a dozen representatives of the National Coordination Body (NCB), which is generally seen by the Assad regime as a more acceptable part of the opposition. These two groups are on the opposite ends of the spectrum. Within the more conventional opposition, the perception of the NCB is extremely negative -- they call them the "fake opposition." There were about 15 armed groups as well, and the so-called independents: businessmen, sheikhs, academics. The fascinating thing about the Riyadh conference was that all these people, despite having prior suspicions of each other, were sitting together, having coffee together and chatting and trying to unify their positions. SPIEGEL: What do we talk about when we talk about "moderate" Syrian rebels? Do they exist? Lister: "Moderate" is indeed a problematic term. It has been adopted since the crisis began to describe opposition groups whom the West sees as potentially acceptable partners. But the conflict has become so complex over the last five years that the term "moderate" doesn't really work in that frame anymore. Western policy has shifted from talking about the "moderate" factions of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) as our only potential partners to saying that even groups on the more conservative end of the Syrian spectrum need to be part of the negotiation process. Therefore, "mainstream" would be a better term. It better incorporates those who actually represent a Syrian constituency. SPIEGEL: How large is the share of Islamists among the rebels? Lister: If you ask which groups would insist on Islam being part of Syria's future constitution, you might have a third of the opposition favoring that under ideal circumstances. Interestingly, though, over the last 18 months many of these more Islamist groups have dropped that as being a red line. The Islamist movements understand that no one is going to win the war without negotiations. SPIEGEL: This moderate or mainstream opposition is said to be fractured and badly organized. Is that a fair assessment? Lister: I have been in close contact with all major opposition groups on the ground since late 2011, and I have increasingly found that the armed opposition is not as disunited as people think. We tend to think that a group like the FSA cannot possibly get on with a more conservative group like Ahrar al-Sham, because their ideologies are so different. But when you actually sit down with them, discussing their political vision for Syria, they tend to be very similar. There is a shared sense of nationalism that can unite the opposition. SPIEGEL: How has the Russian intervention changed the situation? Lister: When Russia first intervened, Moscow's message was that this would be a temporary operation, and that it was a fight against terrorism. But it quickly became clear that they were just bolstering the Assad regime. By now, Russia is in Syria for the long haul. In the beginning, observers talked about how this intervention was going to radicalize the opposition, to make everyone more Islamist. I think what has happened is not so much a religious but a political radicalization. Many of these groups have adopted a hard line towards Russia's role in determining Syria's future. And that has made a political solution more difficult. SPIEGEL: On the other hand, hasn't Russia's intervention contributed to increasing the urgency of the search for a political solution? Lister: I do think Russia's intervention sparked the Vienna process, so yes, that was a positive consequence. It has shocked the world into realizing that we need to do something to solve Syria. The Vienna process is a great step forward. It's the first time all the major stakeholders have sat around a table and tried to agree on a path forward. But I think what has been highlighted is that there are still significant differences, such as: What is the fate of Bashar al-Assad? I fear that we may be going down the road whereby an extension of Assad's role in power during a prolonged transition is becoming the favored option among Western governments, because it's the easiest way of making sure that Russia and Iran agree to what is put on the table. If that is the result of the big multinational political process, I think the vast majority of the Syrian opposition will drop out of it, and then we are back to step one. *Charles R. Lister; "The Syrian Jihad: Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State and the Evolution of an Insurgency"; Hurst, London; 520 pages; 15.99 The premium cable network on Tuesday confirmed that Shailene Woodley would play the third leading role and cast True Blood alum Alexander Skarsgard as Nicole Kidman's on-screen husband. Additionally, Revenge grad James Tupper has been tapped to play Reese Witherspoon's ex.The comedic drama centers on three mothers (Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman and Woodley) of kindergartners whose apparently perfect lives unravel to the point of murder. Based on Liane Moriarty's book of the same name, the drama hails from David E. Kelley (Boston Legal, Ally McBeal) who is writing the seven-episode limited series. HBO landed the project in May following a bidding war with Netflix.Woodley, whose casting leaked in December, will play Jane, a single mom of modest means and a mysterious past, she is new to not only Monterey but to the complicated social hierarchy of Mesa Elementary School, where her son is a student.Skarsgard will return to HBO after rising to fame in the cabler's vampire drama True Blood and portray Perry Wright, the husband to Kidman's Celeste and a successful businessman, father and devoted husband.Tupper is set as Nathan Carlson, Madeline's (Witherspoon) ex-husband who remarried a beautiful and younger yoga instructor named Bonnie (Zoe Kravitz), who is tasked with co-parenting his teen daughter with his ex.Additionally, HBO announced the supporting cast for the limited series:Jeffrey Nordling as Gordon Klein, ahigh-powered executive, married to Renata (Laura Dern).Santiago Cabrera as Joseph Bachman, who runs the local Monterey theater company and has an extramarital affair with Madeline (Witherspoon).P. J. Byrne as Principal Warren Nippal, whoruns the school in Monterey where the children of characters played by Witherspoon, Kidman, Woodley and Dern all attend first grade.Kelen Coleman as Harper, aMonterey parent and neighbor of the lead characters.Sarah Burns as Gabrielle, aMonterey parent and neighbor.Darby Camp as Chloe Mackenzie, the 7-year-old daughter of Madeline (Witherspoon).Cameron and Nicholas Crovetti as Max & Josh Wright, 7-year-old twin sons of Celeste and Perry (Kidman and Skarsgard)Ivy George as Amabella Klein, the 7-year-old daughter of Renata and Gordon (Dern and Nordling).Chloe Coleman as Skye Carlson, the 7-year-old daughter of Nathan and Bonnie (Tupper and Kravitz).Virginia Kull as Ms. Emily Barnes, the first-grade school teacher for the children.Sarah Baker as Thea, aMonterey parent and neighbor.Kathreen Khavari as Samantha, aMonterey parent and neighbor.Larry Bates as Stu, aMonterey parent and neighbor.Hong Chau as Jackie, aMonterey parent and neighbor of our leading characters.Gia Carides as Melissa, aMonterey parent and neighbor of our leading characters.They join a cast that also includes previously announced Adam Scott as Ed, Madeline's husband; and Kathryn Newton as Abigail, Madeline's teen daughter. 01/26/2016 (09:00PM - 10:00PM) (Tuesday) : "Saints" (#107) SHARON GOODWIN IS FACED WITH THE PROSPECT OF PUTTING HER JOB ON THE LINE FOR A PATIENT IN NEED-When legal issues complicate matters that stall a life-saving bone marrow transplant, Sharon Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson) must decide whether to disobey direct orders or stand by and put a patient's life in jeopardy. April (Yaya DaCosta) tends to a caring, homeless man who Dr. Charles (Oliver Platt) evaluates, only to come to an unusual diagnosis that explains his recent behavior. Dr. Natalie Manning's (Torrey DeVitto) parents (guest stars Michael Hendricks and Regan Rohde) come to town to see their new grandchild, much to the dismay of her mother-in-law, Helen (guest star Annie Potts). Dr. Connor Rhodes (Colin Donnell) treats a couple who are injured on their first date by a hit-and-run driver, who Dr. Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss) discovers has his own reasons for causing the accident. Rachel DiPillo and Brian Tee also star. TV-14 L01/26/2016 (10:00PM - 11:00PM) (Tuesday) : "NOT EVERYONE MAKES IT" (#412) A TORMENTED HERRMANN IS FORCED TO MAKE A DIFFICULT DECISION AND CASEY DOES HIS BEST TO KEEP A SHELTER OPEN THAT'S HOUSING RECENT TORNADO VICTIMS-Herrmann (David Eigenberg) goes to court to testify against Freddie (guest star Ralph Rodriguez), but when the perpetrator's father (guest star Ski Carr) reaches out to beg forgiveness for his son's malicious attack, a tormented Herrmann is left to figure out what to do. Following the aftermath of the recent tornado, Lt. Casey (Jesse Spencer) learns the makeshift shelter housing victims is on the brink of shutting down. At the request of Alderman Colin Becks (guest star Armand Schultz), Casey attends a fundraiser and is thrown into the spotlight, only to quickly discover that his good intentions might not have the impact he was hoping for. Dawson (Monica Raymund) and Brett (Kara Killmer) feel the repercussions after telling Boden (Eamonn Walker) about Chili's (Dora Madison) recent erratic behavior. Meanwhile, Severide (Taylor Kinney) helps Agent Alex Ward (guest star Liza Bennett) solve a homemade explosives case and Otis (Yuri Sardarov) receives a welcome surprise. Joe Minoso, Christian Stolte and Steven R. McQueen also star. TV-14 D, V01/28/2016 (10:00PM - 11:00PM) (Thursday) : AS LOMAN STRUGGLES TO FIND HIS PLACE IN THE CREW, WOZNIAK SENDS HARLEE ON AN ERRAND THAT REVEALS NEW DETAILS ABOUT THE JOB AND UNWITTINGLY HELPS STAHL'S INVESTIGATION. Loman's (Dayo Okeniyi) guilt over the death of an unarmed suspect becomes a liability for the crew, forcing them to test his loyalty. Wozniak (Ray Liotta) sends Harlee (Jennifer Lopez) on an errand that reveals he has a silent partner in the big score. Wozniak realizes Donnie (guest star Michael Esper) has been withholding information. Harlee feigns cooperation with Stahl (Warren Kole), but unwittingly leads the FBI to incriminating evidence. Also starring Drea de Matteo, Vincent Laresca, Hampton Fluker and Sarah Jeffery. Guest starring Gino Anthony Pesi, Santino Fontana, Annie Chang and Lolita Davidovich. TV-14 D, L, S, V This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate STAMFORD Douglas Whites bicycle made its final run up High Ridge Road on Tuesday, affixed to the back of a Turn of River Fire Department pickup truck. As Whites funeral procession wound its way from the citys East Side to his final resting place at Queen of Peace Cemetery in North Stamford, his near-constant companion was never more than a few car lengths away. White, who died last week at the age of 68 after suffering a stroke during one of his daily bicycle rides, was a legendary fixture in Stamfords High Ridge neighborhood. Known as a gentle and friendly people-person, White was inseparable from his single-speed cruiser bike, the vehicle that gave him independence despite his developmental disabilities. Examining the bicycle outside Cognettas Funeral home on the East Side Tuesday morning, Jim Slocum and Paul Abbazia admired their friends ride, which White had done up in green tape and drawings of ghosts a reference to his love of Halloween. Thats what Dougie would always do, Slocum said, referring to White by his nickname. He would always have his bike decorated. He really went all out on this one, Abbazia agreed. I think it might be his best. Like many of those in attendance at Whites viewing, Slocum and Abbazia became friends with White while growing up in High Ridge. When I was a teen, I was building cars, Abbazia recalled. Hed sit in the lawn chair (while I worked) and wed talk for hours. Dougie stories Similar stories filled the air among the several dozen mourners in attendance. Though emotions ran high, the palpable sadness in the room was punctuated by laughs and smiles as friends and family traded Dougie stories. Brandon OBrien, a Stamford firefighter formerly with the Turn of River volunteers, recalled calming White down three years ago when White, being loaded into an ambulance, wanted his bike along for the ride. I had to talk to Dougie for a few minutes. Dougie, Im going to take your bike back to the station, OBrien recalled. Then I had to ride it back. It was a heavy bike! Marc Bucci, another neighborhood friend who grew up with White, smiled at OBrien. Back in the day, if he let you ride his bike, you were special, Bucci said. White was a common sight at the volunteer fire departments station on Turn of River Road. Doug was there every day, said Thomas OBrien, Brandons father, a firefighter since 1981. White, he said, (has) been a life long friend. A community comes forward Turn of Rivers volunteers were first to respond to the emergency call last Monday, when a neighbor found White on the ground next to his bike. The department helped get White to Stamford Hospital, where it was discovered he had had a stroke. He died two days later on Wednesday morning. Seven Turn of River firefighters, the OBriens included, attended the funeral in their dress-blue uniforms. They served as Whites pallbearers, and drove a shiny fire engine behind the funeral processions lead car as an honor guard. Whites funeral was an expression of community admiration. After his death, Whites family put out a call through gofundme.com for help offsetting his medical bills and funeral expenses. Their $15,000 goal was surpassed in less than 24 hours. All money beyond that goal will be donated to Always Reaching for Independence, a Stamford-based nonprofit founded by Whites late father, Francis. As of Tuesday night, the community had donated over $20,000. We have reached way beyond our goal," Bryanna Julian-Manka, Whites grandniece, said to mourners Tuesday.On behlaf of the Julian and Manka families I would like to thank anybody who has donated. A talisman Funeral services were held at the Stamford Church of Christ on High Ridge Road, where White frequently attended church picnics. The service began to one of Whites favorite songs, Judy Garlands rendition of "Over the Rainbow. As family and friends began to reflect on Whites life, their words turned time and time again to his role in the community. Ralph Nazareth, Whites next-door neighbor for some three decades, painted the picture of a kind man looking out for his neighborhood. Dougie was a talisman for us - he was a protector spirit, Nazareth said to those gathered in the pews. When my children started growing up, Dougie would stand in the (cul de sac) hurling invective at the cars that drove by, because he was going to protect my daughters. Whites niece, Melissa Manka, spoke similarly of his commitment to his neighbors. Since Whites death, Manka said, shes been replaying an image of White pushing her small daughter on a tricycle, singing songs to her. It dawned on me how many generations hes (known), she said, tears coming to her eyes. It wasnt just in our house. It was the whole community. The world would be a better place if we were all a little more like Dougie. Dale Pauls, the churchs senior minister, echoed the notion of White was a central figure in High Ridge. Neighborhoods are blessed by a man like Dougie - a man like Dougie makes a neighborhood, he said And just as Whites casket was about to be lowered into the ground at Queen of Peace Cemetery, the firefighters from Turn of River honored him as one of their own: They saluted. ESimko-Bednarski@scni.com; 203-964-2215; stamfordadvocate.com/news O ver the years, weve become used to the sight of David Cameron and George Osborne donning hard hats and touring manufacturing plants. Whenever theyve got a major economic announcement, it seems they like to choose a factory shopfloor to make it with an audience of workers. (Ive often wondered what goes through the minds of these bemused souls as they sit there listening to some pronouncement or other from someone who bears no relation to them or their working life). The message they want to impart is clear, that they care about business and industry, that they really get it. Its one they like to ram home time and again on such occasions, in interviews, in the Commons and at party conferences. Then I see that John Cridland, the recently departed director-general of the CBI, the organisation that is the voice of British industry, does not receive an honour. Cridland spent 33 years there, the last five as its head. Previous holders of that post were Sir Richard Lambert, Lord Jones of Birmingham, Lord Turner of Ecchinswell, Sir Howard Davies and Sir John Banham. Alas, Cridland gets nowt. The reason being mooted in some quarters is that plain John was too pro-EU, that by making him a knight or a peer, the Government would have invited an outbreak of claims it was favouring the Brussels fraternity. Certainly, Downing Street appears petrified in case the argument for staying in becomes too heavily identified with big business, having previously ordered major corporate lobbying groups to stay silent. Snubbed: Former CBI chief John Cridland (Picture: Rebecca Reid) / Rebecca Reid If so, it is daft. If we want a serious debate about the EU and our place inside or outside it, then we must include the views of commerce. Were the fifth-largest economy in the world, for heavens sake, as Cameron and Osborne keep reminding us (we could become the fourth, apparently). To deny Cridland a gong on such grounds is petty and oversensitive yet another example of government by spin-doctor madness. But although the boss of bosses (or at least of their representative body) walks away with nothing, Jacqueline Gold, chief executive of the Ann Summers chain, receives a CBE. Its funny how I dont recall seeing Cameron or Osborne telling us how theyre going to do more to help our enterprise culture from within a sex shop. Its a pity: Golds branches have all sorts of costumes and headgear for them to wear. N o sooner are we into the new year than the stage is set fair for a classic showdown between City short- and long-termism. This will be on January 27 and 28 when the shareholders in Shell and BG vote on the companies proposed 47 billion merger. Until recently, and the fall in the oil price, I would have said it was a dead certainty the deal would get the nod. Ever since 1997 when British Gas divested Centrica and became BG, Shell has thought of combining. The industrial logic is compelling, the joint savings would be enormous, but Shell never did do much in a hurry. However, in present chief executive Ben van Beurden, it has someone in charge with the determination and toughness to drive it through. But while van Beurden has done a terrific job in persuading all the regulators to give the marriage the go-ahead, even he and his formidable array of advisers have not been able to influence the oil price. With the cost of a barrel close to an 11-year low, some Shell investors are fearful their traditionally handsome dividend will be consigned to the past. Not only is Shell already making deep cuts in order to maintain the payout, but it will also have to absorb BG. This, against a backdrop of Brent crude promising to head even lower from the current $35 a barrel to $20, says Goldman Sachs. Given that the break-even of the BG tie-up is predicated on $60 a barrel, the investors alarm is understandable. Find more statistics at Statista From being able to rely on Shells dividends, they could go to a situation of depressed oil prices, merger hell, shattered profits and a vastly reduced divi. The promised returns from the disposals from a combined Shell-BG may not emerge as prices across the industry plummet. To borrow a precedent from the banking crisis, where a good bank, Lloyds, joined with another, HBOS, and the result was one enormous bad bank, the same could happen here. The fear is that van Beurden spurred on by his advisers, who are being paid 106 million in fees is ignoring the wider picture, convinced that for his group big really is best when it may not be so. That analysis, however, is based on the short term. It only works if oil remains so cheap. I dont possess a crystal ball but is it realistic to expect crude to stay so low and for so long? Van Beurden is talking of the benefits of the merger still being felt in 25 to 30 years time. No one, surely, is predicting with any certainty that oil will not have bounced back well before then. "It was only in the summer of 2014 that a barrel of oil was $115. To suggest the price may climb again to $60 must be reasonable." The return of Iran to the energy markets has skewed calculations. Its true the Iranians dont care if Saudi Arabia wishes to push up prices even truer since the latters execution at the weekend of Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and the rising tension between the predominantly Shia Iran and Saudi. And yes, the nearing of US oil self-sufficiency negates the power of Opec and the Middle East producers to dictate prices. But even so, how likely is it that crude will stick at $35 and below? It was only in the summer of 2014 that a barrel was $115. To suggest the price may climb again to $60 must be reasonable. Shell is pledging a dividend of $1.88 a share for 2015 and 2016. After that, it cannot commit and that is spooking some investors. But imagine if Shell was on its own and oil remains low. Would it be in a better position than if it had merged with BG? It would be struggling to produce the same level of dividend. With BG, however, it could be in a more robust place. BG has a divi of its own. To return to the banking comparison, it is no HBOS. Its true that traditionally BG has not been a big payer but thats because it has been investing in new projects in Queensland and Brazil. Those schemes are coming on stream and should produce cash that will support Shells ability to pay its dividend. As a recent UBS note put it: We believe BG provides valuable free cash to support the payout The rounds of shareholder presentations could become increasingly frantic in the next three weeks. Van Beurden is thought to have already persuaded the Qatar Investment Authority, Old Mutual, Axa, Henderson, Investec and Alliance Global. Thats a heavyweight list, but its not enough. He needs 50% approval. My guess is that he will succeed, that short-term worries over the oil price and dividend will be won over by the prospect of long-term vision bringing larger rewards. K nightsbridge darling Harvey Nichols has got round to filing its accounts for 2014-15, showing flat revenues and a fall in profits. Since year-end, it attempted to inject some vim into the figures with an app that aims to tempt shoppers to splash more cash by offering free Botox. Harvey Nicks will hope it can avoid the gloom hitting the UKs High Streets. Still, keep a stiff upper lip, chaps. Proximas tilt at oil firm too close to call? The timing of Russian fund Proximas tilt at the management of oil and gas explorer JKX has raised a few eyebrows in certain quarters of the City. Proxima, which has a near-20% stake in the company, made its first public sally against the board on December 11 just nine days after a UK Supreme Court ruling overturned JKXs 2013 decision to restrict the voting rights of two other major shareholders, the Eclairs vehicle controlled by billionaire Ukrainian raiders Igor Kolomoisky and Gennadiy Bogolyubov, and Glengarry, which is controlled by Russian oligarch Alexander Zhukov. Between them, the pair own 37% which with Proximas 20% might give them enough to knock out the JKX bosses. Not that Spy is suggesting anything improper like a concert party. And a Proxima flack says the trio are completely independent of each other. One City wag points out: Proxima is Latin for very close to. Westhouse takes inspiration from heroic admiral for rebrand City stockbroker Westhouse Securities has rebranded as Stockdale Securities. The stock part is obvious but the dale was apparently chosen for this reason: just as a dale forms solid ground between two hills, Stockdale helps to link investors and companies. Chairman Mark Brown adds that he admires Admiral James Stockdale, one of the most decorated US Navy officers who survived as a prisoner of war in Vietnam for more than seven years. The broker, on whom the downturn has taken its toll, will hope it lasts that long in the tough current climate. Brevan Howard founder lands another windfall The 125 million pay packet Brevan Howard bosses shared last year will add another windfall for billionaire Brit founder Alan Howard but spare a thought for the back-office bods toiling away at the Baker Street HQ. Howard fired 50 of them in November after the performance of funds managed by the much better-paid front-office managers ran aground. Maybe Howard needs the cash to prop up his position as joint top of the hedge fund list. The annual compilation showed Howard lost 100 million this year, leaving him worth 1.5 billion a pittance for such a decisive character. Sir Nick is in Mint condition for a future on the dance floor Where next for Eton and Balliol educated Sir Nicholas Macpherson, standing down in the spring as the Treasurys top mandarin after more than a decade in the post? Spy notes that he joined the Royal Mint Museum as a director last May: given his present bosss passion for privatisation, could he step across to chair the Mint itself as it heads into the private sector, Spy wonders? Alternatively, considering that he will no longer be fighting the biggest recession in history, perhaps he will have more time to follow Spector, the Indie band of his rock star son Fred. Its never too late for dad dancing T ight-fisted defence budgets have hindered aerospace and defence companies for the past couple of years now just ask Rolls-Royce, whose series of profit warnings was triggered by cuts in US defence spending in 2014. But the tide could be turning stateside, according to RBC Capital which highlighted BAE Systems as its top pick in the European sector. Military aircraft in the US make up around 40% of BAEs sales and RBC is predicting the States will have more cash to burn on fighter jets than expected this year. RBC analyst Robert Stallard thinks investors are too concerned about defence spending in Saudi Arabia, which accounts for half of US sales. As investors become more comfortable with BAEs end-market outlook, we can see the stock closing some of the record valuation gap that exists versus its US defence peers, he added. The upgrade to outperform and higher target price of 630p lifted the shares 8.61p to 502.61p. More disappointing Chinese data this time, PMI services data retreated sent the miners back to the bottom of the FTSE 100, which slipped 50.80 points to 6086.44. Anglo-Aussie iron ore heavyweights BHP Billiton, down 27p at 719p, and Rio Tinto, 61.5p cheaper at 1878p, were the biggest blue-chip losers. Rumour-mongers Down Under have mooted that the pair should revive merger talks to protect themselves from lower for longer iron ore prices. Banking giant HSBC dropped 11.9p to 510.7p as JPMorgan slashed its rating to underweight, with fears over the emerging markets outlook. HSBC was downgraded to underweight by JPMorgan (Picture: PA) / Joe Giddens/PA It points out that it is 40% more expensive than its smaller Asia-focused rival Standard Chartered. Royal Mail, up 7.6p at 444.8p, enjoyed its second broker upgrade in a day: Barclays followed Cantor Fitzgeralds lead by lifting its recommendation to overweight as its cost-cutting kicks in. Flooring specialist Topps Tiles, one of 2015s big winners, marched 2p higher to 159p after first-quarter same-store sales rose 4.4%. Getting their hands on the fourth straight monthly payment from the Kurdistan government failed to boost the London-listed, Iraqi oil producers. Tony Haywards Genel was 4p cheaper at 163p, and former small-cap star Gulf Keystone Petroleum edged down 0.25p to 15p in line with Brent crudes $1.47 decline to $34.95 a barrel. On the junior market, Shoreditch-based 7digital rose 0.28p, or 4%, to 6.9p as it bought rival French music streaming service Snowite for 485,000. Elsewhere, punters favourite African Potash leapt 0.28p, or 16%, to 2.03p as it sent off the first batch of fertiliser to its Zambian customer. D isappointing results from Waitrose today, a slump in performance at Next, and the expectation of similarly disappointing sales figures tomorrow from Marks & Spencer have prompted familiar warnings about the future of the high street as shoppers move increasingly online. Certainly, with even John Lewis also reporting lower in-store sales today, there is enough of a trend to concern those running the countrys biggest retail names. But the gloom should not be overdone. As the large numbers seen daily on Londons major shopping streets show, visiting stores is still a hugely popular activity. By adapting to changing customer tastes and behaviour, retailers can keep it that way. Showcase stores with attractive displays to lure shoppers are one potential solution, even if some customers only look before returning home to buy online. Employing knowledgeable staff, offering personalised service and providing in-store-only offers are other methods that can boost sales. Click-and-collect services, already increasingly available, are also popular with shoppers, particularly those for whom long working hours and a busy social life make home deliveries difficult. Then there are the entirely new retail ideas that London is so good at generating. New shops, often small, open constantly in this city, complementing larger outlets and generating excitement for shoppers. With more innovation, this citys high streets can continue to thrive. Labours London effect The protracted saga of Jeremy Corbyns shadow cabinet reshuffle was likened today to War and Peace without the horses, sex, power or glamour. But despite the dark humour, the disarray which has surrounded the Labour leaders attempt to refresh his top team has worrying implications for London. The first concern is that Labour, at least in Parliament, remains a deeply divided party, headed by a leader too weak to exert full authority over his Westminster colleagues. The abortive plan to oust Hilary Benn from his foreign affairs brief, the defiant statements issued by shadow cabinet allies of sacked culture spokesman Michael Dugher, and the limited scale of the changes enacted by Mr Corbyn all illustrate his lack of control and suggest that Labour will continue to struggle to mount the strong opposition to the Government that this countrys democracy needs. Equally problematic is the potential effect on Londons mayoral contest in May and the future governance of the capital. For all his travails nationally, Mr Corbyn and his Leftist ideas remain popular among Labour supporters in this city and appear certain to have an increasing influence over the partys policies here. With Labours Sadiq Khan currently favourite in the polls to be the next Mayor, such a Leftward drift would be damaging. London, like the country, needs a responsible, coherent and moderate Labour Party, not the shambles seen this week. More mummies, please The opening of a new exhibition of ancient Egyptian artefacts at Two Temple Place later this month will offer Londoners new insights into a civilisation that holds a particular fascination. By bringing together items from regional collections around the UK, the show will ensure that a wider audience has a chance to see stunning objects which are not usually displayed under the same roof. It is an exhibition for all the family including mummies of course and one not to be missed. I n the event, Jeremy Corbyns reshuffle was less a night of the long knives than a day of misplaced cutlery. Yesterday ought to have belonged to the Labour leader. Instead, its absurd plot the ludicrous hiatus between the first announcement and the next demonstrated with bleak thoroughness the weakness of his position. An Opposition leader has few means at his disposal of capturing the publics attention, but the reorganisation of his top team, with its ideological symbolism and ruthless revolving door, is among them. For months, there has been talk of a revenge reshuffle, of a purge that would shake up Corbyns opponents in the party and impose fresh discipline in its ranks. Yesterdays comedy did no such thing, and what might have been a difficult day for David Cameron, as he announced the suspension of collective responsibility during the EU referendum campaign, became a day of farce and comic delay for Labour. Michael Dugher and Pat McFadden were both sacked for disloyalty, real or imagined. Maria Eagle, who (unlike Corbyn) supports Trident, was moved to the position vacated by Dugher at Culture and replaced by Emily Thornberry. But the real drama of the day was provided by a subterranean row over Hilary Benns future as shadow foreign secretary. Since his bravura Commons speech in December, defying the Labour leader over Syria, Benn has become the prime target of Corbynista briefing (authorised or otherwise), the prime target of the Inner Partys Two Minutes Hate and its unofficial Emmanuel Goldstein. There is no doubt that Corbyn wanted to move his loping nemesis. But the threat of mass resignations from the front bench stayed his hand. In the end he and Benn apparently came to a notional agreement that the latters dissent would be confined to private debate and that Corbyn would in future direct foreign policy. One need only recall the radical differences between the two mens respective positions on Syria to realise that this truce is unsustainable. The salient fact of this reshuffle was that Corbyn lacked the nerve to sack a popular colleague. Today, therefore, the shadow cabinet stands half-purged, half-moulded to Corbyns will. His initial strategy, having won the leadership by a landslide, was to construct a broad church team and (in the words of his shadow chancellor, John McDonnell) as big a tent as possible. But the humiliation of the Syria vote triggered a change in Corbynista rhetoric, and a fresh emphasis on unity, loyalty and coherence. It has been entertaining to hear politicians of the Left adopt precisely the briefing techniques that they themselves scorned during the New Labour era, when they were the objects of Mandelsonian message discipline. As botched as yesterdays job undoubtedly was, Corbyn is right that there is no Third Way or pragmatic consensus that can bond his convictions with those of his parliamentary opponents. He is against Trident, more or less a pacifist, sceptical about Nato, and keen to involve Hamas and Hezbollah in the peace process. His priority appears to be the Lefts colonisation of Labour rather than its prospects as a party of government. The most significant measure he has taken since becoming leader in September is to consolidate the grass-roots surge that carried him to victory as Momentum, a movement that exists alongside but independent of the party as a cult of personality and Left-wing watchdog. His principal interest lies not in parliamentary politics but social transformation. The gulf between the Labour leader and members on one side, and the parliamentary party on the other, is so great that there is little purpose in trying to split the difference. Indeed, the internal logic of Corbyns position is undeniable: thanks to the ridiculous new rules for leadership contests bequeathed by Ed Miliband, he has a colossal mandate for change and in effect an instruction from Labours members to navigate the party definitively away from the election-winning formula of the Blair years towards a remote shore of the Left. This is, of course, an absurd path for the party to take. If Labour changes ideological direction as sharply as Corbyn would like it will be out of office for a generation. But last years leadership race cannot be written out of history. It reflects the weariness of the Labour movement with the compromise of the Blair-Brown era, its fury at the consequences of Tory austerity and its abiding horror, 13 years on, at the Iraq War. These collective emotions may lead the party to electoral irrelevance but they are real. Before Labour can resume its pursuit of power it must deal with these unresolved passions in its ranks. This much Corbyn grasps, even if he is wrong about everything else. 'The salient fact of this reshuffle was that Corbyn lacked the nerve to sack a popular senior colleague' In May, he will face his first serious electoral test in the English local elections, Scottish and Welsh elections, and mayoral contests. If the results are calamitous for Labour, Corbyns position will be precarious. All the same, it is by no means easy to remove an incumbent leader and in contrast to the Tories Labour has a poorly-developed regicidal muscle. If Gordon Brown and Ed Miliband could survive, so can Corbyn. For now, in any case, his position is not at risk. As long as that is so, Labours direction of travel is all but certain. Corbyn will continue to pursue, falteringly, a level of ideological discipline far beyond what his MPs are willing to give him. The battle will persist, at varying levels of intensity. If it continues long enough, Labour will be comprehensively defeated in 2020 by which stage the Left will be firmly established in the partys oligarchy. Who is to say that Corbyns successor will necessarily be less Left-wing? Why assume that Labour will come to its senses sooner rather than later? In truth, this amateur-hour reshuffle was only a taste of the mayhem to come. S orry, avocado, but were through. It wasnt you, it was Instagram and the relentless pictures of avo toast. Throughout 2015, a deluge of filtered photos also sealed the fate of low n slow barbecued meat, ramen, cold-brew coffee and ridiculous pimped burgers. A new year means new food (and drink) trends and 12 whole months to get good and sick of the Instapics before 2017s batch is served. Dig in. Don't miss our predictions of what 2016 has in store for Londons restaurant scene. Less moo, more cluck Beef is overdone and weve hit peak pork. In 2016 its four legs bad, two legs good. And that doesnt mean chicken (although watch out for Kievs). Meat boss Richard Turner, of Clerkenwell butchers Turner and George, is backing duck and goose for 2016: Its the word on the street restaurants I work with and chefs I know seem to be talking about poultry. Of course they are: duck-centric restaurant Bastien opens later this year, courtesy of foodies foodies Will Leigh and Andrew Clarke. And lets not forget our other feathered friends: New Orleans street food darling Decatur is ruffling feathers up in Dalston with whole buttermilk-fried, chilli-thyme-honey-drizzled quail, while Bone Daddies Shackfuyu has just reopened with chilli ponzu-pimped partridge on offer. Well also be talking turkey. Strut and Cluck will prove that turkey is not just for Christmas with a Mediterranean-influenced restaurant dedicated to the bird. Think charcoal-grilled drumstick with tahini and Ottolenghi quantities of pomegranate molasses, plus slow-roast thigh with caramelised red onion, sweet potatoes and barberries. Bernard Matthews dinosaurs this is not. The best restaurants for healthy eating in London 1 /25 The best restaurants for healthy eating in London Honey & Co Fitzrovia Fresh-flavoured Middle Eastern-inspired dishes such as lentil stews, spice roasted pumpkins, fresh doughy breads and feta fritters are among the vitality-giving, veg-heavy dishes on Honey & Cos sunny menu. Honey & Co Snaps & Rye Notting Hill This cafe-restaurant on Golborne Road extols the virtues of healthy Scandinavian dining via smrrebrd (open sandwiches), cured salmon, herring, soups and pickles. There are a host of akavit cocktails too, but you can abstain if youre feeling particularly good. Snaps & Rye Grain Store Kings Cross Thanks to chef Bruno Loubet putting vegetables first, a meal here is likely to include more nutrients than at many other equally as indulgent spots. It also offers a range of non-alcoholic cocktails and fresh juices, though theres plenty of both booze and meat for those who are so inclined. Grain Store Hallys Parsons Green Hallys serves California-style food inspired by a roadtrip to the so-called Golden State. Expect plenty of fresh, well-sourced ingredients, bright flavours and a sunny outlook. Also check out smaller sister site Little H nearby. Hallys Granger & Co Various locations Spiced avocado salads, tuna tartare, yellow fish curry and bowls of cauliflower, chilli, mint, spaghetti and pecorino are among the bright-flavoured, sun-soaked and nutrient-rich dishes that transport diners to owner Bill Grangers native Australia. Granger & Co Savage Salads Soho Street food stall Savage Salads can be found on Berwick Street every weekday, dishing out their gutsy, brightly flavoured but heroically healthy salads. Well worth a little queue. Savage Salads Sea Containers Bankside Light and fresh dishes dominate the menu at this riverside restaurant set within the Mondrian London hotel, making it easy to stay virtuous. Tuck into ceviche, oysters, grilled octopus salad or burrata with butternut squash, fresh herbs and sourdough. Opt for a fresh juice if youre not on the wine or cocktails. Sea Containers Petersham Nurseries Petersham As youd expect from a restaurant thats effectively set in a greenhouse, theres a lot of homegrown veg and greenery on offer. The likes of burrata with pickled pumpkin, radicchio, oregano and taggiasca olives, or pan-fried fillet of mullet with mussels, white wine, garden herbs and aioli not only taste good, but are pretty nutrient-rich too. Petersham Nurseries Marimo Images Ottolenghi Various locations Yotam Ottolenghis eponymous mini-chain does healthy in style just steer clear of the oversized meringues and tempting array of cakes and bakes. Vibrant salads, fresh produce galore and light meat dishes make it a dieters delight, but it does have a tendency to help your wallet drop a few pounds too. Ottolenghi Nopi Soho Also from Ottolenghi comes this light and bright restaurant near Piccadilly Circus, where meat and fish options sit alongside a generous number of fresh vegetable-led dishes such as roasted cauliflower with saffron, salsify, sultanas and crispy capers as enlivening zingy as it sounds. Nopi Chicken Town Tottenham Healthy fried chicken. Can it really be? Well, kind of. The team at Chicken Town gently steam their free-range chicken before flash-frying it in rapeseed oil, making it much less fatty. Whats more, its a social enterprise so profits are used to help young people in the local area. Well worth bagging yourself a bucket, then. Chicken Town Andina Shoreditch The pisco might be flowing at this Peruvian spot sister to Ceviche but so are the superfoods. Crunchy corn, plantain chips, fresh ceviche and plenty of grilled meat and fish makes for interesting and well-balanced dining though you might want to go easy on the dulche de leche... Andina Queenswood Battersea The varied, bold-flavoured menu at this southern outpost of Sohos Damson & Co has been designed to not only taste good but leave you feeling good, too. As well as making heavy use of seasonal veg, the dishes tend to be well-balanced, low on saturated fats and generally wholesome. Queenswood Vantra Vitao Oxford Street As an entirely vegan and largely raw restaurant Vantra Vitao is a hardcore version of healthy dining which wont be for everyone. But its fresh cold-pressed juices, sprouted salads and fermented foods are perfect detox fare for anyone taking healthy eating seriously. Vantra Vitao Nama Notting Hill Nama is another one that will divide opinions. The raw, vegan food can come across as worthy and portions are on the small side, but its range of healthy desserts especially the fermented blueberry cheesecake, without cheese are worth a try for the virtuous sweet tooths out there. Nama Wild Food Cafe Covent Garden Completing our hat trick of serious healthy spots is this Covent Garden stalwart. Try the Ayurvedic super salad: a saintly meal made with lamb's lettuce, amaranth, spiralized courgettes, hijiki seaweed, slices of artichoke hearts, avocado, cucumber, red pepper cubes, coriander and rocket with parsley pesto and mango salsa along with activated savory seeds (soaked to activate the germination process), flavoured with leafy greens and spices, and marinated shiitake mushrooms. Phew! That's a lot of veg. Wild Food Cafe The Manor Clapham The Manor the second restaurant from the team behind The Dairy nearby is far from a health food spot. However, it does deal in a lot of veg and Fay Maschler described it as health-conscious when she visited. Just how virtuous your meal is will depend on your choices kombu, bitter leaves and toasted buckwheat is probably more so than suckling pig. The Manor The Good Life Eatery Chelsea From skinny Benedict (no, not Cumberbatch on a diet) to egg white frittatas and spelt croissants, this casual spot makes all manner of lunch favourites and sweet treats in a healthy way. It also offers classic detox salads and cold-pressed juices. The Good Life Eatery The Detox Kitchen Various locations If youre in need of a sprightly and nutritious lunchtime salad, a fresh juice or any manner of other dishes that are free from wheat, dairy and refined sugar, then The Detox Kitchen is a safe bet. Find restaurants in Soho and Fitzrovia as well as grab + go ranges at Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Planet Organic stores. The Detox Kitchen Veg head If two legs is good, no legs is best. As we worry ever more about provenance and sustainability, vegetables will become ever more the centrepiece of meals. Specifically, those bold as brassicas, broccoli and cauliflower. At tiny new Indian restaurant Gunpowder in Spitalfields, theyre turning out a show-stopping whole sigree grilled mustard broccoli thats worth skipping the piggy dishes for expect others to follow suit sharpish. Just look at the transformation of that anaemic blob of a vegetable, the cauliflower. Berber & Q reclaimed it last year with their cauli shawarma, roasted whole on a charcoal grill. The lusciously smoky result was revelatory. Little wonder, then, that critically adored newcomers Oklava and The Good Egg have included similar versions on their menus, while over at Seventies-themed joint Coin Laundry, cauliflower cheese steak rivals their soon-to-be cult chicken Kiev. Expect to see it smoked, deep-fried, en croute and stuffed, possibly all at once. And cauliflower isnt just a meat substitute: Instagrams #cleaneaters have long used it to make pizza bases and rice. Now Deliciously Ella has her own cafe (the Mae Deli, due to open in Marylebone later this year), it wont be long before the gluten-free substitute starts popping up on menus. Who needs protein or carbs when you have a massive head of cauliflower? Life-saver: First Aid Box bar / Media Wisdom Photography - Giles Christopher Trollied on tea, smashed on smoothies Cold-press juice, oat milk, birch and charcoal water some of us may be sick to our admittedly less-decayed back teeth of 2015s healthy drinks. So how about adding a slug of vodka? Because oxymoronic though it sounds, this is the year for healthy cocktails. Hackney Wick-based CRATE Brewery has just opened Jarr Bar in next door Micks Garage, where vodka is mixed with flavoured kombucha. What sounds like a misfired sneeze is actually a fermented tea, produced using a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast. Snigger all you like but given that it claims to aid digestion, mental clarity, mood stability and increase energy precisely the things that alcohol messes up it might just be worth a shot (or six). If a fermented vodka-laced brew isnt your cup of tea (sorry), head south. First Aid Box opened in Herne Hill earlier this week, from the guys behind Brixtons cracking Shrub and Shutter. So expect madly experimental creations such as the Brockwell Park Bramble (gin, maraschino, vitamin C, fructose, plum bitters and Chambord syringe) or, for a killer hair of the dog, the Luco-E-Aid: tequila, Lucozade syrup, fresh grape, vitamin C and seltzer. It wont be long before bottled cold-press juice cocktails hit shelves (although maybe not rice milk White Russians). Remember, if it looks healthy, its definitely a legit office breakfast. Gobble gobble: Thai duck heart and liver laab tostada at Breddos Tacos. Mexican mash-ups Culinary rules are out chefs are doing what the hell they fancy, and in 2016 thats fusion food. And the main cuisine headed for the nuclear reactor is Mexican. Serious Mexican chefs Enrique Olvera, Elena Reygadas and Santiago Lastra have already done stints in London, showcasing the Mexican fine dining weve been missing. Watch this space for a Michelin-worthy Mexican restaurant. Meanwhile, head to street food superstars Breddos Tacos. Devotees snapped up Chris and Nuds Thai duck heart and liver laab tostada special; this year they join Som Saas John Chantarask for a Mexican/Thai mash-up tasting menu, the first in a series at their taqueria in Shoreditchs Dinerama. Elsewhere on the streets, Kimchinary is mashing Mexican/Korean in bulgogi beef burritos while the Wahaca chain will focus on Blighty, experimenting with maverick Santiago Lastra last seen at Marylebones Carousel cooking foraged, Swedish-style Mexican to make tortillas from British grain rather than imported Mexican corn (maybe try cauliflower?) and salsa from Riverford Organic tomatoes. Taco emojis at the ready. Kebab K-hole Doner what? Obviously theres always a time and a place for a real, dirty kebab specifically, 3am somewhere in Zone 3 when youve lost your phone, friends and dignity. But it turns out that you dont need to get paralytic to eat the things. Last September, ex-St John chef Lee Tiernan opened Black Axe Mangal an unauthentic, bastardised take on Turkish Mangal and Ocakbasi, with global influences to deafening applause, drowned only by the deafening heavy metal served alongside Tiernans Chinese spice mutton doner and offal flatbreads. Hot on its heels is Le Bab, due to open in Kingly Court. Forget traditional kebab meat (horse? dog?); Le Bab is all about roe deer shish with damson, kimchi and game mayo, BBQ squid on squid ink flatbread, and a big old sharing pigs head (which will also be rearing up on menus everywhere, perhaps in a nod to last years allegations concerning the PM...) Given Londons stellar street food scene, it wont be long before innovative traders shish up anything and everything. There will be Japanese kebabs and brunch kebabs. And obviously, come December there will be turkey, cauliflower cheese and Mexican kebabs. Prepare to #kebab your way through 2016. @franklymccoy Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout When told to by your group leader, remove your trousers, and put them into your backpack. These were the instructions for trouser-less tube riders last year, for the London version of Americas No Pants Subway Ride. This Sunday January 10 will mark the seventh annual flashmob - or fleshmob, rather - to take place on the London Underground, which is expected to attract a thousand people who just want a nice bit of fresh air around their undercarriage. It's nothing to get your knickers in a twist over, its simple: groups of passengers board a tube carriage at various tube stops in the city, in the middle of winter. Participants act as if they dont know each other, and that everything is totally normal. And it is, apart from the goose-pimpled legs and lower bum cheeks sticking out of puffer jackets. The tradition was started in New York in 2002 by pranksters Improv Everywhere. The mastermind behind the group, Charlie Todd, and his undercover agents have carried out hundreds of missions with titles such as The Mannequin Mob and I Love Lunch! The Musical. Tolga Akmen/LNP/Rex Improv Everywheres website says: The mission started as a small prank with seven guys and has grown into an international celebration of silliness, with dozens of cities around the world participating each year. Since the craze went global in 2008, the No Pants Subway Ride has seen extreme weather conditions and run-ins with the authorities. Just last year, officials allegedly tried to ban it in Latvia, but gave up when the media sniffed out the story. Before that, in 2012, Improv Everywhere claims that disrobed deviants were arrested in Istanbul. And in 2009, a particularly zealous bunch went ahead with the ride in a snow storm in New York. The biggest scandal was in 2006, when eight nude (ish) New Yorkers were allegedly handcuffed in their underwear and taken into custody. The charges were dropped, though, as its not illegal to wear your underwear in public in New York. To join in, meet the scantily clad riders at 3pm at Pagoda, Newport Place, WC2H 2JR on Sunday. Just remember, the UK version is no trousers not no pants, so don't confuse the lingo and turn up with nothing on at all. And as per the advice in 2015: Be nice and friendly and normal Dont wear a thong or anything else that might offend people. Follow us on Twitter: @eslifeandstyle J ewish shoppers were pelted with gas canisters and told Hitler is on the way to you in a shocking anti-Semitic attack in north-east London, it is claimed. Three members of the Orthodox Jewish community, two men and a woman, were allegedly subjected to the disgusting tirade and targeted with projectiles by three men in a white pickup truck on Wednesday evening. The men allegedly shouted Hitler is on the way to you, Heil Hitler, Heil Hitler, Heil Hitler before hurling the small canisters, which were thought to contain laughing gas. Picture of some of the objects that were thrown towards the victims during anti-Semitic incident in #TottenhamHale pic.twitter.com/EcW7blIauo Shomrim (@Shomrim) January 6, 2016 The incident happened at the retail park in Tottenham Hale at about 7.45pm. A spokesman for Shomrim, the Jewish neighbourhood watch group, said the victims, who were wearing traditional religious clothes, were left shaken although they were not injured. Shomrim volunteer Michael Blayer said: "This behaviour is appalling, the victims were innocent shoppers at the Tottenham Hale retail park, and they were targeted because they were visibly Jewish. The verbal abuse was disgusting, and small objects were thrown towards the victims, making them fear for their immediate safety. A spokesman for Scotland Yard said the matter has been reported to police. A man was attacked in a south London street in front of horrified witnesses before being bundled into a car and driven off, it is claimed. Police in south London combed the area around Parsonage Manorway, Erith, after receiving multiple calls about the horrifying attack at about 8.20pm on Tuesday. But they were unable to track down the car and the alleged victim has not been found. Police attended the scene and spoke to witnesses, said a Met spokeswoman on Wednesday. No victim was found at the location. A crime scene and road closures were in place while officers carried out a search of the area. No arrests have been made. Enquiries are ongoing. Police in our road in Erith. Three or four police cars in the end, better than telly pic.twitter.com/fcoCHdQg2T Rachel Turner (@raaary) January 5, 2016 Neighbours took to Twitter to share accounts of what had happened. Parsonage Manorway Erith all closed off, wrote Des Collier. Police and ambulance in attendance. Rachel Turner (@raaary) added: Police in our road in Erith. Three or four police cars in the end. Better than telly. Officers in orange overalls were searching the area after the cordon was lifted, she added. A passenger on board a Heathrow flight threatened to blow up the plane and screamed that "everyone was going to die," it emerged today. Radio DJ Steve Penk revealed his daughter was on board the British Airways flight from Heathrow to Dubai when the drama unfolded last night. Natalie Spencer, 27, was travelling with her husband Jack on an 8.30pm flight to Dubai when one passenger started behaving like a madman four hours into the journey, he claimed. In a series of tweets, the ex-Capital host revealed: I've just heard from my daughter who flew to Dubai last night (out of Heathrow). Most terrifying flight she's ever been on. I don't know if you've heard, but some guy went berserk on board 5 hrs into the flight claiming he had a bomb and everyone was going to die. It took 5 crew and the help of another large passenger to restrain him. They had to handcuff him and then cover him with a blanket. My daughter Natalie says the guy was literally screaming and shouting he couldn't breathe. Later, in an email, she explained the "big, bulky" man appeared to have been drinking for two hours and began howling with rage when staff tried to handcuff him. She wrote: At that point, all hell broke loose. Ive never been so scared in my entire life. I felt so vulnerable. Any newspaper folks on here? Story for you....I've just heard from my daughter who flew to Dubai last night (out of Heathrow)Most terrifying Steve Penk (@StevePenk) January 6, 2016 flight she's ever been on. I don't know if you've heard, but some guy went berserk on board 5 hrs into the flight claiming he had a bomb Steve Penk (@StevePenk) January 6, 2016 Mr Penk told the Standard that his daughter had been left shaken up by the experience, saying: Can you imagine the terror they must have all felt, and one of these people was my daughter. Especially when you consider the terrible news thats happened in the last six or seven months with aeroplanes being blown out of the sky. The aircraft landed normally and the man was handed over to police authorities in Dubai. A spokesman for British Airways said: "Our customers and crews deserve to enjoy their flights, and not to suffer any form of abuse. "This sort of behaviour will absolutely not be tolerated, and the appropriate action will always be taken." T his is the moment stunned staff and customers at a barber shop in Mayfair looked on as a gang of armed robbers raided a neighbouring jewellers. A gang of four men rode up to the Swiss Time Machine shop in Avery Row at about 10.15am this morning before two smashed the front of the store with a sledgehammer. Stunned onlookers, who appeared to initially not realise what was unfolding before them, are heard saying: Look at those d***heads, man. As the men inside the barbers shop realise what is happen, one of the robbers, who is wearing a blue jacket and black motorcycle helmet, is seen directly outside the window. One person can be heard saying: Maybe its a robbery, before another confirms their suspicions. The man in the blue jacket returns to outside the barber shop for a second time and a person inside can be heard saying; Dont even touch this window man. As the camera returns to film the robbery in action at the jewellers, which has only been open for a matter of weeks, the four suspects can be seen clambering on to two motorcycles before fleeing the scene. A police cordon was set up after the raid and one person has been arrested. A Metropolitan Police Service spokesman said enquiries are ongoing. A pervert is facing jail after admitting filming a woman using the toilet at Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park for his own sexual gratification. Dutch national Tim Bastiaans, who was in the UK to work at the popular Christmas attraction, pleaded guilty to one charge of voyeurism and another of attempted voyerisum at Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday. Bastiaans, who was staying at the Radnor Hotel in Paddington and was due to return to his home country on Thursday, broke down in tears as magistrates warned him he could face a custodial sentence. The court heard the 26-year-old went into the ladies toilets on November 28 last year and placed his mobile phone near a gap on the floor to film women in the adjacent cubicle for the purposes of sexual gratification. He recorded one woman, who did not notice the hidden camera, but a second woman saw the phone and called the police after confronting Bastiaans. Prosecutor Zahid Hussain said Bastiaans entered the cubicle at 6.10pm and recorded the first woman for about 30 seconds, but a later examination of the footage - which he tried to delete - did not show her using the toilet or in a state of undress. The second woman, who spotted the phone, initially thought a friend was playing a prank, but after knocking on the door of the adjacent cubicle discovered Bastiaans inside and confronted him. Bastiaans initially denied filming the women and tried to run off, but the woman and her friends took his Dutch identity card and took photographs of him before he was arrested by police. Mr Hussain said in his police interview, Bastiaans claimed he used the female toilets because the men's were "messy" and that he had put his phone down on the floor next to his shoe. Bastiaans also told police that what he had done was "stupid". Defending, Mehreen Lodhi told the court Bastiaans had admitted the accusations in a second police interview, and only ran off because he felt threatened after one of the women said she was calling her boyfriend. Bastiaans was granted conditional bail and will be sentenced at the same court on January 27. Additional reporting by Press Association. Following the National College for Teaching and Leadership panel hearing reported below, Robin Zebaida was initially banned from working as a teacher. However, in May 2016 the High Court overturned the ban and awarded Mr Zebaida his costs. Judge Anne Molyneux held that a prohibition order could not be imposed on Mr Zebaida because he had not been engaged in teaching when the incident described below took place. We are glad to update matters. 2/8/16 Robin Zebaida, 51, was today due in front of a misconduct panel after groping the girl at his St Johns Wood flat. The Oxford-educated classical pianist speaking for the first time since a court found him guilty of a sexual attack on the teenager while sandwiched between her and her mother on his two-seat sofa said the conviction has destroyed him emotionally and financially. Zebaida, a Royal College of Music postgraduate who has played in more than 100 countries, had denied the offence. He was given a two-year conditional discharge by Isleworth crown court in December 2013. The hearing by three panellists with the National College for Teaching and Leadership, starting in Coventry today, will consider whether to ban him for bringing the profession into disrepute. Zebaida said before the hearing that he should not have to face the panel as he is not currently a teacher, has no plans to teach and was last employed at a school more than 15 years ago. He added: The trial judge said the category of offence was the lowest and least serious category. The damage this has done to me has been huge. Without a shadow of a doubt it is the most difficult period of my life. Ive had fantastic support from my friends, family and colleagues but this has been very hard, very difficult and has caused serious financial harm. I have also had nearly 200 separate medical appointments in the last two years. This has affected me a lot not just my mental state but my physical one too. As he was sentenced at his trial, Judge Parker told him: You assaulted the girl either by touching her bare midriff with your hand or by stroking her upper leg and thigh or by kissing her to the neck or indeed possibly a combination of all three. She was but a child and as a child did not know how to respond to unwanted advances by an older, widely respected man. There is in your actions an element of breach of trust and breach of the mothers trust by taking advantage of her attraction to you. Zebaida was once described by classical music magazine Musical Opinion as a pianist of Herculean stamina. He has performed at major venues in London. An online profile claims he has a wide-ranging and extensive repertoire from Bach to Gershwin. T his is the dramatic moment up to 11 hammer-wielding raiders smashed into a jewellers and ransacked the store on New Years Eve. The hooded and masked burglars broke into the shop through a glass door, before bashing the jewellery cabinets with sledgehammers and filling their bags with luxury watches. At least seven people can be seen in the CCTV footage but officers believe 11 took part in the burglary at Goldsmiths Jewellers in Oxfords Clarendon Centre. The gang can then be seen fleeing on foot about two minutes after they entered the shop. The footage was released by Thames Valley Police as police hunt the culprits, who struck at about 3.45am on December 31. The Oxford Mail reported that the burglary is thought to be one of the biggest ever in the city, although police refused to release the value of the watches. Officers said they believe the raiders carefully scoped out the shop while planning the "organised" heist. Anyone with any information can contact Thames Valley Police via 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. T he father of a young man who was set upon by a thug wearing a pink tutu has said "justice has been served" after his attacker was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Robert Kingsford, 21, was attacked outside KFC in Brighton Road, Surbiton, in the early hours of November 1 last year by tutu-clad Alan Banks. Banks, 27, of Kinross Avenue, Worcester Park, was jailed today after admitting to actual bodily harm at an earlier hearing. The altercation started after Mr Kingsford, who was with his boyfriend, got into an argument with Banks, who was dressed as the Sugarplum Fairy on a Halloween night out. Mr Kingsford, from Leatherhead in Surrey, and his boyfriend were approached by Banks and his friend Samuel Light, who asked the pair for a cigarette. Jailed: Alan Banks The court heard "Mr Light said something to the effect of 'I hate to be a ponce, can I get a fag?", which the young couple took to be a homophobic slur. This sparked a fight, and when it appeared Banks was preparing to throw a punch, one of the victims pushed him with a shield he was carrying as part of a Halloween costume. Banks, who was wearing a pink tutu, black tights and ballet pumps, then reacted by punching Mr Kingsford in the face and kicking him as he lay on the floor. His victim was left with two black eyes, bruises to the face and severe cuts following the savage beating. The incident was initially treated as a homophobic attack, but Banks heavily disputed that his actions were homophobic and the hate crime element of the charge was later dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service, as was a charge of exposure against Banks. Light, 27, of Westville Road, Thames Ditton, was also charged with actual body harm, but the case against him was dropped due to a lack of evidence. Following the hearing at Kingston Crown Court, Mr Kingsford's father, 52-year-old Brian Kingsford said he was pleased with the sentence. He tod the Standard the attack had had a profound effect on his son, who is still afraid of going out alone at night, and lost his boyfriend and his job following the incident. "He's found it difficult moving on, he was traumatised by it, he's not been able to do things he wanted to," he said. Attacker: Alan Banks / Facebook "He was emotionally affected by it, but he's slowly getting over it. "I think justice has been served, I'm just happy now that it's over with and my son can move on with his life." Mr Kingsford said his son had been tearful after he was in court to see his attacker sent to prison. He told the Standard: "He can now start dealing with his own emotions, he can put it behind him and start getting on with his life. "Mr Banks is regretful for what he's done and Robert doesn't hold any malice against him - he just wants to forget about it now and lead a normal life." In the wake of his son's attack Mr Kingsford set up a Red Alert Facebook group, which was designed to help reunite people with lost and stolen property, track down missing pets and people, and catch criminals. The group now has almost 17,000 members, and according to Mr Kingsford, is "growing by the day." He said: "It was set up on the back of what happened, and it's certainly grown, it's doing well." M ore than 20 primary schools in west London will get earthquake shelters in their playgrounds to protect children from noise from Heathrow airport. At least seven primary schools under the flight path will receive funding for new adobe shelters this year, and seven already have them. Within the next four years they will be built in the playgrounds of a total of 21 schools. The domes were originally designed for disaster zones in Asia and Africa and will enable children to play at break times and take part in outdoor education lessons with less disruption from passing aircraft. They are made from coiled bags of earth with plaster walls and are the shape of an igloo. The plans were outlined in an updated blueprint published by Heathrow that is designed to minimise the effects of noise, pollution and vehicle traffic around the airport. The domes cost 85,000 each and accommodate up to 30 pupils. They are able to withstand earthquakes of at least 6.5 on the Richter scale. The first such shelter was built at Hounslow Heath infant school in 2013. Heathrow is also spending millions of pounds on soundproofing and double glazing school buildings. H undreds of people joined a protest in Cologne last night after dozens of women were sexually assaulted by groups of men on New Year's Eve. Demonstrators called on German Chancellor Angela Merkel to take action after up to 90 women were attacked. Ms Merkel criticised the "disgusting" assaults which were allegedly carried out by gangs of men described by witnesses as North African or Arab in appearance. The attacks took place after a group of nearly 1,000 men were cleared from a square to stop fireworks being thrown from the top of steps into the crowd below. Ms Merkel told Cologne Mayor Henriette Reker in a phone call the attacks deserved a tough response. Cologne station, where the assaults happened / Reuters "Everything must be done to investigate those responsible as quickly and completely as possible and punish them, regardless of where they are from," she said. The mayor of Cologne said it was "unbelievable and intolerable what happened on New Year's Eve." The men were described by police and witnesses as being from "the Arab or North African region" and mostly between 18 and 35 years old. Tensions in Germany have been building after just over a million refugees and migrants arrived in the country last year. But Mayor Reker urged people not to jump to conclusions about the Cologne assailants. Women were also reportedly targeted in Hamburg and Stuttgart in similar attacks, but on a smaller scale. There has now been a call for new police measures to be put in place such as increasing police numbers at big events and installing more security cameras. T he family of a student nurse who drowned in a swimming pool with her married lover today hit out at a fine handed to the hotel where they died, saying: It wont bring her back. Josephine Foday, 22, and Komba Kpakiwa, 31, both from south-east London, were found dead in the pool of the four-star Down Hall Country House Hotel in Hatfield Heath, near Bishops Stortford, Essex, in 2013. Mr Kpakiwa, who had two young children, had taken Miss Foday for a surprise weekend break at the hotel to celebrate her birthday. Veladid, which runs the hotel, was this week fined 200,000 for systemic health and safety breaches including ignoring advice from risk experts that the pool should be supervised. But a judge ruled that the deaths were not caused by the companys health and safety failings. Miss Fodays grandmother Theresa Farma, with whom she lived in Plumstead, said: I want my granddaughter back. A fine means nothing, it wont bring her back. Its like blood money. The hotel could have done more. They should have put a lifeguard there. They were shouting for help and there was no one there to help them. An inquest heard how a fellow guest saw the couple joking about, splashing and shouting in the water. But a few minutes later he found the pair, who could not swim, face down in the pool. He rushed to the reception saying: You need to get down there straight away. 'No lifeguard': The 10-metre swimming pool at the four-star Down Hall Country House Hotel in Hatfield Heath, Essex Stephen Hughes / Stephen Hughes At the time of their deaths no lifeguards were on duty and a CCTV camera covering the area was broken. Judge Goldstaub, passing sentence at Chelmsford crown court, supported the inquests verdict that safety breaches had not led to the deaths, which remain unexplained. Ms Farma said not knowing why her granddaughter had drowned was haunting her. Drowned: Komba Kpakiwa She was my best friend, my angel. Its just so hard not knowing exactly what happened. I think now I will never know. Only God knows, she said. I have tried so hard to move on but I cry every day for my granddaughter. She was like a daughter to me. I was her only family in the UK. The family of Mr Kpakiwa, from Erith, previously said they were considering legal action against the hotel. They were unavailable for comment today. Judge Goldstaub said there was a culture of not dealing with health and safety issues at the hotel firm. He added: Managers and other staff were not clear on their health and safety responsibilities It was systemic in the sense that it was structural to the directors and managers of the firm from the boardroom level down. Veladid had pleaded guilty to failing in its duty not to expose guests to risk by letting them use the pool without sufficient regard to risk assessments. It also admitted failing to make a sufficient assessment of the health and safety risks. V ulnerable children were held overnight in police cells an alarming 100 times every week last year, figures showed today. Scotland Yard recorded more than 3,000 cases of under-18s behind bars for at least four hours between midnight and 8am over a six-month period. The detentions occurred even though the law states children should be transferred to local authority accommodation wherever possible. Labour claimed there was a serious problem and that council budget cuts and housing shortages meant children were being put at risk in custody. Figures provided by the Mayor revealed that under-18s were kept overnight in custody 3,005 times between November 2014 and May 2015, the latest period for which data is available. There were a further 483 incidents of youngsters being held over the weekend. By law the police cannot release a child from custody without an appropriate adult being present. If nobody is there to collect them, councils have a legal duty to provide temporary accommodation to avoid the youngster being left in a cell overnight. Town halls claim that some vulnerable children are left languishing behind bars because of the acute shortage of secure temporary accommodation, exacerbated by budget cuts. They called on the Government for more resources to help children in custody. In a written answer, Boris Johnson said: The Commissioner is committed to ensuring that all detainees, including young people, are protected and treated appropriately while in police custody. It is vital that appropriate safeguards are in place for all under-18s who come into contact with the police and that they are not held overnight in a police cell unless it is impractical to transfer them to local authority accommodation. But London Assembly member Andrew Dismore, who obtained the figures, said: The law is very clear that nobody under 18 should be left in cells overnight. "The fact that vulnerable under-18s were held overnight in London cells over 3,000 times in six months alone shows there is a serious problem. The police tell me that a combination of budget cuts and housing shortages are having a devastating impact on councils ability to place young people and prevent them spending the night in a police cell. It cannot be right that young people, many arrested on relatively minor offences, end up forced to spend the night in a cell just because the Government wont give councils the resources they need to provide safe alternative accommodation. Councillor Lib Peck, Labours crime and public protection spokesman on London Councils, said: Boroughs take very seriously their duty to protect vulnerable children. The policy is to ensure that young persons are not held in police stations when other secure accommodation is available. Whenever a request is received from the police every effort is made to find a local secure place but there is an acute shortage of secure places. Local government is facing cuts of up to 60 per cent in central government funding and a huge increase in demand for temporary accommodation as homelessness increases. Government must act on the housing crisis and provide sufficient resources to significantly increase the number of secure accommodation units. A London doctor wanted over allegations of genocide in Rwanda today spoke of his relief after a judge blocked his extradition following a 10-year legal battle. Vincent Brown, 54, who settled in Islington 16 years ago after fleeing his home countrys civil war, should not be extradited as there was a real risk he would not get a fair trial, the judge said, and the extradition request was not compatible with his human rights. Brown has been fighting extradition since 2006 when he was first arrested over the allegations. He has always denied genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide and premeditated murder during the 1994 war, in which some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed by militias from the majority Hutu ethnic group. Brown claims evidence gathered by the government in Rwanda was fabricated and obtained by either bribing or torturing witnesses. He has called for a court case in the UK where he believes he would be tried fairly a move that District Judge Emma Arbuthnot, who heard the case at Westminster magistrates court, suggested could happen. The Rwandan government intends to appeal against her ruling. Brown, a married father of two, told the Standard: Its such an important decision and Im very happy. Its a relief. It shows the court is on our side and we are happy and hopeful. I just want to clear my name and start a new life. I have been unable to work [since 2006]. When people think youre a killer you cant work, but when Im acquitted Im hoping I can still contribute. Im still able to work and help the community. Since 2006, I have always asked to be tried in this country for any case against me. Judge Arbuthnot said the case against the doctor was weak, but that there is evidence which would be sufficient to make a case requiring an answer from him, which could be heard in the UK. Brown, who qualified as a doctor in Rwanda before gaining a masters degree in public health in Montreal, is still bound by a curfew and has to wear an electronic tag until any appeal hearing is finished. Three years after he was first arrested over the allegations the High Court ruled that he would not face a fair trial if extradited and he was released. However, he was arrested again in May 2013 following high level discussions between the Home Office and the Rwandan government which re-opened its bid to extradite him for trial. Brown, who left Rwanda with his family in 1994, worked as a doctor in Kenya before joining his wife and two children in London two years after they moved in 1998. From 2002 he worked for charity Praxis, training refugee doctors, nurses and midwives up until his first arrest in December 2006. The judges ruling covered four other Rwandan men who are in the UK fighting extradition over genocide claims. She said of Rwanda: There is evidence that the state is suspected of threatening and killing those it considers to be its opponents or they simply disappear at home and abroad. J eremy Corbyn's new shadow defence secretary faced an immediate row today as it emerged she took a donation from a law firm accused of pursuing false torture claims against British soldiers. Emily Thornberry accepted the money from Leigh Day, which faces a tribunal over the way it handled the claims, which were described as deliberate lies by the UKs legal watchdog. Ms Thornberry, Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury, dismissed the controversy today. But a Tory member of the Commons defence committee demanded she hand back the donation, worth 14,500, and called it despicable. The row came less than 24 hours after she was appointed to the defence brief, and threatened to overshadow the Labour leaders first reshuffle. Ms Thornberry declined to say whether she would hand the donation back, saying it was a non-story and that Leigh Day were a great firm. The Solicitors Regulation Authority referred the London-based firm to a disciplinary tribunal yesterday, over the way it handled allegations that British soldiers were involved in the torture and murder of detainees in Iraq. The Al-Sweady inquiry, established to investigate the matter, found that the serious claims against UK forces were deliberate lies, reckless speculation and ingrained hostility. It is alleged Leigh Day overlooked the significance of a key document which cast doubt on the claims. The firm is also accused of touting for clients and entering into a prohibited referral fee agreement. The firm denies the allegations, and says the decision to refer it a to the tribunal was premature. The Commons register of members interests shows the donation in kind involved the secondment of a Leigh Day researcher to support the MPs work. L abour leader Jeremy Corbyn was hit by three resignations of shadow ministers today in protest at his stance on terrorism and defence. Shadow rail minister Jonathan Reynolds and shadow foreign office minister Steve Doughty quit, saying they agreed with Pat McFadden, the Europe spokesman sacked late last night for alleged disloyalty. Armed forces spokesman Kevan Jones also resigned. He told the Standard: The party needs a strong defence policy and I can provide that best from the backbenches. The three walked out with the ink barely dry on a shadow cabinet reshuffle criticised by MPs after the promotion of anti-Trident MP Emily Thornberry to shadow defence secretary. The leadership said Mr McFadden was fired for comments he made in the Commons after the Paris outrages when he attacked the Left-wing view shared by Mr Corbyn that Western interventions in the Middle East provoked terrorist attacks. Resigning his job on live TV this afternoon, Mr Doughty said: Fundamentally I agree with everything Pat McFadden said. In his resignation letter, Mr Reynolds said: Although I was personally against the proposal to extend airstrikes into Syria, I cannot in good conscience endorse the worldview of the Stop the War Coalition who I believe to be fundamentally wrong in their assessment and understanding of the threats the UK faces. David Cameron told MPs it speaks volumes that Mr McFadden was fired for such comments. David Cameron jokes about Labour reshuffle with Shakespeare quotes The row erupted just hours after the reshuffle ended with two sackings and a dispute over whether shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn agreed to be gagged to keep his post. Shadow chancellor John McDonnell suggested Mr Benn had agreed never again to contradict his leader from the dispatch box, as he did over Syria. But Mr Benn declared as he left his London home: I have not been muzzled. Friends denied conditions had been put on his continued shadow cabinet membership. A historic change in the reshuffle was the appointment of Ms Thornberry as defence spokesman the first supporter of unilateral nuclear disarmament in that position for three decades. Her predecessor Maria Eagle replaces sacked Michael Dugher at culture. There was an outcry among moderates at the sacking of Mr Benns deputy, Mr McFadden, who stood by his previous comments on terrorism, saying: He [Corbyn] clearly feels that me saying that terrorists are entirely responsible for their actions, that no one forces anyone to kill innocent people in Paris, blow up the London Underground, to behead innocent aid workers in Syria, that when I say they are entirely responsible for that he clearly interpreted that as an attack on him. Ex-London mayor Ken Livingstone branded Mr McFadden an embittered old Blairite.Labour MP Ian Austin attacked the changes, saying: I dont believe it is about loyalty at all. Nobody thinks Michael Dugher or Pat McFadden are the slightest bit incompetent. But left-winger Paul Flynn said both were under-performers. Meanwhile big names praised Mr Reynolds, including Shadow education secretary Lucy Powell tweeted support for Mr Reynolds, saying: You will be missed and top MP Chuka Umunna called him a huge talent. A smash-and-grab gang wielding knives and hammers targeted a jewellers in Mayfair in a broad daylight raid this morning. Witnesses said two armed men on a motorbike rode up to the Swiss Time Machine shop on Avery Row, Mayfair, before going inside and smashing open display cases. Kanchan Chhetri, 42, saw the robbers crash their scooter in front of two armed diplomatic protection officers who guard the Chinese Embassy. The two officers then gave chase and made an arrest. The concierge said: "I saw the bike crash and they were crumpled in a heap. I think they had seen the armed officers and it spooked them. "The officers went towards them thinking they had had an accident so the guys started to try to get the engine going frantically then ran off. A scooter is removed from near the scene "The officers chased them and hunted down. It was like something out of a Hollywood movie." A police cordon was set up at the scene after the raid at 11am. Onlookers said a man was tasered nearby. A spokesman for the Met said: "Shortly after 10:15hrs on Wednesday, 06 January police were called to reports of a robbery of a jeweller's on Avery Row, W1 by males on motorcycles armed with knives and hammers. "A group of four males targeted the store in what appears to be a pre-planned armed robbery. They had driven in on two mopeds from Brook's Mews, W1. After stopping outside the jewellers, two pillion passengers smashed their way into the front door of the store with a sledgehammer. They grabbed a range of high end watches before fleeing the store on the mopeds outside. The value of the items stolen is unknown at this time. Officers attended and so far one man has been arrested in connection with this incident. A taser was drawn but not discharged during this arrest. Enquiries continue to trace their whereabouts. There are no reported injuries." P rosecutors should have US-style powers to punish big business and root out financial crime in the City, the head of the Serious Fraud Office said today. David Green said legal reforms inspired by the American system of "vicarious liability" would make it easier to hold banks and other large corporations criminally responsible for wrongdoing carried out by their staff. "My real worry, and why I think the law should be changed, is public confidence," he said in an interview with the Standard. "The public look at the perceived American performance against corporates and they understandably think, 'Why can't this country do that?' "The answer is that American prosecutors have far more power than we do. Over there, if someone is acting criminally in the course of their employment and part of their motive is to benefit the company then anything they do makes the company liable. That's very easy. "Here, we have the 'controlling mind' test where if you want to convict a company you have to prove that the 'controlling mind' usually the board of directors was complicit in the criminality. That is difficult because inevitably the email trail tends to dry up at middle management and evidentially it is hard to prove. That's why I suggest ways that it could be changed. Its a matter of public confidence." Mr Green, director of the SFO since 2012, said another option would be to amend the Bribery Act to create a new offence of failing to prevent crime. His call for reform will fuel the debate over whether ministers have responded adequately to evidence of significant malpractice in the City which emerged following the financial crash of 2008. Although banks, including Barclays, Deutsche Bank and RBS, have been fined by regulators for market manipulation, none has faced corporate prosecution. The lack of action has been denounced by politicians, ex-director of public prosecutions Lord Macdonald and others. Questions about corporate liability were raised again after the recent decision by the Crown Prosecution Service that Rupert Murdoch's newspaper empire should not be charged over the phone-hacking scandal because there was insufficient evidence to prove a crime under current legislation. Mr Green said a failed attempt by the SFO to prosecute the Japanese camera giant Olympus, which was dropped after a ruling that companies cannot be held criminally responsible in English law for misleading their auditors, might have ended differently if the reforms he advocated were implemented. He said: "Supposing there was a practice in the banking or finance industry that was well known and widespread and criminal, then the corporations themselves, if they knew of that practice and allowed it to continue, I don't see why they shouldn't be liable for it as well as the individuals who conduct the criminality. The new offence would make the bank tself, or the corporation, liable criminally." Reform on US lines would also address the problem that it is easier to prosecute small firms than corporations, he said. "What is very bad and unfair and illogical is that because of our rules about the controlling mind it's much easier to get a conviction of a very small company than it is of a huge company. "That's because at a small two-man outfit you know who the controlling minds are those two men whereas if you come after some enormous bank or vast international corporation then you have the identification problem. That is the illogicality. They are not being brought to justice." Mr Green said tougher prosecution powers would also help protect London's reputation and money-generating capacity. He added: It's hugely important that the public have confidence in the state agencies ability to prosecute the top tier of serious and complex fraud and bribery. Not only is it important as a matter of public confidence, it also makes London and the UK a safer place to do business, inspires more confidence and makes us a wealthier country. On other issues, the SFO director said that he remained concerned about the ownership of property and other assets by overseas companies from countries such as the British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos, in which the owners identities were concealed. He said this facilitated money laundering via the City and London's property market, adding: "It's hard to evaluate the size of the problem, but there's no doubt that large amounts of money are effectively laundered through the City and London property. Proving that is a different matter. "We would be greatly assisted in that by transparency in corporate structures. The British Overseas Territories for instance: it would be good if they would conform to what we will be doing in transparency of corporate steuctures and beneficial ownership." He also vowed to continue pursuing convicted criminals with outstanding confiscation orders and disclosed that the SFOs recent success in securing its first Deferred Prosecution Agreement against Standard Bank had already triggered other companies to come forward to volunteer information about potential criminality. A toddler was crushed to death by a chest of drawers in a tragic accident. Two-year-old Archie Tafts was fatally injured when the piece of furniture fell on him at his home in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Medics battled to save him and he was rushed to hospital, but he died soon afterwards. Northern Irish police said the boys family had suffered a tremendous loss. Archies parents and extended family would like to thank all who have expressed their condolences at this distressing and difficult time, said a spokesman. However, as this is a personal tragedy for them, they will be making no public comment. The death is being treated as accidental, police confirmed. A worker at Archies toddler group told the BBC he was a lovely, smiley wee fellow. Recalling a recent Christmas party, Heather Loughridge of the Reformed Presbyterian Church mothers and toddlers group said: He made a wee reindeer picture that day and one of our other leaders said to his mum to put the date on it so she could remember when he did it. Thatll be a wee memory of his last Christmas. Local politician John Finlay told the Belfast Telegraph the incident was a tragedy of unspeakable proportions. The death of any family member in any circumstances is hard for loved ones to bear, he said, but to lose a young son in this way is a tragedy of unspeakable proportions, and I cannot begin to imagine the grief and sorrow his parents and the family circle are now having to endure. A ngela Merkels office was sealed off after four suspicious packages were discovered in the snow outside. It happened as ministers gathered for a cabinet meeting. Photographs showed a group of yellow crates seemingly abandoned outside the German chancellors office in central Berlin. The building was taped off shortly before 9am on Wednesday, but police deemed the boxes safe and lifted the cordon about two hours later. Germany: German Chancellery on lockdown after suspicious object triggers security alert It came five years after police intercepted a parcel bomb sent to Ms Merkels office from a Greek address. December ended with a fresh security scare for the country after police received a tip-off that Isis militants were planning attacks in Munich. Two stations in the city were closed on New Years Eve. The previous month, a football match between Germany and the Netherlands was cancelled after forces were told terrorists would target the stadium. Additional reporting by Reuters T he migrant camp at Calais is a stain on the French state, a senior Labour MP warned today. Shadow human rights minister Andy Slaughter also criticised the British Government for failing to do more for the thousands of refugees and economic migrants at the rambling jungle camp in northern France. This is not in truth a refugee camp, so much does it lack the basics of life, the Hammersmith MP was due to tell a Commons debate on the crisis. It is a stain on the French state, but it is not a problem of which we can wash our hands. Most of the volunteers offering support to people in the camp were from the UK, he was set to say. That is to our countrys credit. Our Government has contributed nothing but the money to build a razor-wire fence between the camp and the Eurotunnel entrance. That is to their shame. Up to 6,000 migrants are living at the camp and many of them make regular attempts to get into Britain by sneaking through the Channel Tunnel or clambering onto lorries or trains. Ministers have come under fire after it emerged that Britain granted asylum to a Sudanese man who walked the 31 miles through the Channel Tunnel to England. C ologne's Mayor was today accused of "victim blaming" over comments made in the wake of mass sex attacks on women. Up to 90 women complained of being assaulted in the city during New Year celebrations, with many complaining they had also been mugged. Witnesses claimed gangs of men who were North African or Arab in appearance carried out the attacks, which were condemned as "disgusting" by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. But when asked what steps women could take to protect themselves, Cologne Mayor Henriette Reker said: Theres always the possibility of keeping a certain distance of more than an arms length that is to say to make sure yourself you dont look to be too close to people who are not known to you, and to whom you dont have a trusting relationship. Mayor of Cologne Henriette Reker / Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters Many of the victims reported being surrounded by groups of drunk and aggressive men who harassed them, and at least one woman is believed to have been raped. Police in the city are hunting around 1,000 men over the attacks, after a huge group were gathered outside the station on the night. It is believed only a small number of them were actually involved in the assaults. Rekers comments triggered outrage on social media, sparking a hashtag on Twitter of #einarmlaenge, meaning "an arm's length." Politician Christopher Lauer tweeted: Man: I had intended to mug this woman and molest her, but sh**! Shes an arms length away from me! While Vincent Vega tweeted: "Mayor of Cologne loses the plot and hopefully her job .... #einarmlaenge." Mayor of Cologne loses the plot and hopefully her job .... #einarmlaenge Vincent Vega (@MacDonnchadha) January 6, 2016 Police in Cologne are planning to modify their strategies when policing future large events in response to the incidents. During next month's carnvial, when thousands are expected to take to the streets officers will be employing new measures, including introducing more mobile video cameras. Ms Reker was seriously wounded in October when she was stabbed in the neck while out on the campaign trail as she ran for mayor. She was attacked by a man amid escalating tensions about the refugee crisis. T errifying footage has captured the moment spectators ran for cover as bulls charged into crowds of people at a festival in Peru. Eight people were injured at the annual bull-running festival in the city of Huancavelica as the animals violently trampled on attendees. People were seen running for cover as the bulls ran amok and many put themselves in danger as they rushed to help those who were injured. The footage captures ear-piercing screams as a black bull flipped a man into the air with its horns before spinning him around on the floor. As the man gets up to try and escape, he is charged at again before the bull runs toward other people attending the festival. Moments later, the bull charges at another person and begins to rip the clothes from their body before others intervene and try to push the animal away. The annual event, which sees bulls released into an open field, is part of a four-day religious festival held over the Christmas period. A plane was forced to make an emergency landing after horrified passengers noticed an emergency exit door had been left open. The aircraft was forced to divert back to Cebu Airport in the Philippines, after 30 minutes in the air when crew realised the door had not been properly sealed. Some of the 163 passengers on board the aircraft, which was cruising at 10,000ft, said they suffered headaches and ear pain during the flight. Video filmed on board the flight, which was operated by South Korean budget airline Jin Air, showed a visible gap between the door and door frame, and a strange noise could be heard. Passenger Kim Jin-bae told Seoul's Yonhap news agency: "The flight turned back about 30 minutes after (takeoff) because the door was open and the gap was big enough to put a finger in it. "I thought I would die here because I was numb with a headache." Another passenger, Lee Sang-gyu, added: "Adults felt so much pain because of (the pressure on) eardrum. How painful could it be for children?" The passengers eventually arrived at their original destination of Gimhae airport in Busan, on the country's south-east coast 15 hours later than scheduled after boarding a different plane. Head of Jin Air's Busan office, Park Mun-seong, apologised for the incident. South Korea has stepped up safety checks in light of the incident. The country's transport ministry said on Monday that an investigation had been launched. A statement from the Ministry said: "All low-cost carriers will undergo an overall inspection of their safety management to prevent similar accidents." T he forthcoming Han Solo film will not be an origins story, the writer has confirmed. While its yet to be revealed who will be playing the young version of the iconic Star Wars character, Lawrence Kasdan has given fans some information about the plot. Speaking at screening for The Force Awakens, he said: It will not be, 'heres where he was born and this is how he was raised.' I think what it will be is what was he like 10 years earliermaybe a little earlier, youll get a glimpse. Star Wars: The Force Awakens European Premiere 1 /38 Star Wars: The Force Awakens European Premiere Star of the show Daisy Ridley at 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' eurpoean film premiere, London David Fisher/Rex John Boyega attends the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in Leicester Square Dave Benett Justin Tallis/AFP/gETTY iMAGES Director's Cut J.J. Abrams attends the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in Leicester Square Dave Benett Solo has landed Harrison Ford attends the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in Leicester Square Dave Benett Make way for the original Princess Carrie Fisher at 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' film european premiere David Fisher/Rex The real 3P0 Anthony Daniels attends the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in Leicester Square Dave Benett Lupita Nyong'o at 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' film premiere David Fisher/Rex Beckham United Jnr Romeo Beckham (L) and Brooklyn Beckham attend the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in Leicester Square Dave Benett Skywalker sqaud Mark Hamill with daugher Chelsea Hamill and wife Marilou York attend the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in Leicester Square Dave Benett Glittering star Daisy Ridley at 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' eurpoean film premiere, London David Fisher/ Rex Gwendoline Christie attends the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in Leicester Square Dave Benett Meet the new bad guy Adam Driver (R) and Joanne Tucker attend the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in Leicester Square Dave Benett Rolling with it Droid character BB-8 at the European Premiere of Star Wars, The Force Awakens in Leicester Square, London Paul Hackett/Reuters Aliens on the red carpets Jawa's and Sand People attending the Star Wars: The Force Awakens European Premiere Ian West/PA Darth Vader and company Darth Vader and Chewbacca pose with stormtroopers at the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in Leicester Square Dave Benett Double droids C-3PO and R2-D2 attend the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" Dave Benett Oscar Isaac attends the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in Leicester Square Dave Benett Hello Wicket Warwick Davis attends the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in Leicester Square Dave Benett The real Chewbacca Peter Mayhew attending the Star Wars: The Force Awakens European Premiere Ian West/PA Sophie Hunter and Benedict Cumberbatch attend the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in Leicester Square Dave Benett George Lucas (L) and Mellody Hobson attend the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens Dave Benett Big fan Simon Pegg attends the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in Leicester Square Dave Benett Diego Luna attends the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in Leicester Square Dave Benett Chewie and friends ans dressed up as Star Wars character pose ahead of the European Premiere of "Star Wars The Force Awakens" Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images Lightsabers at the ready ans receive light sabres before the start of the European Premiere of "Star Wars The Force Awakens" Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images This way to the Dagobar system Fans wait ahead of the European Premiere of "Star Wars The Force Awakens" Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images The force is strong Fans gather in Leicester Square for hte Star Wars:The Force Awakens European Premiere Jeremy Selwyn Myleene Klass attends the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in Leicester Square Dave Benett But Kurosawa once said the heroes are the ones that are still changing and the villains are locked and petrified into what they are, and Harrison embodies in Force Awakens someone who is still not settled on who he is. Kasden also admitted that he was hesitant about getting involved with the Star Wars Universe and was glad that someone else was on board for Episode VII. He said: I wasnt sure I wanted to be involved, and I was a little relieved when they said Michael Arndt had been hired to write Episode VII, because whoever writes that episodeI dont know what you do with it. But they said, Here are these other stories wed like to do, and the one that caught my attention was a young Han Solo, because thats my favourite character. The Han Solo film is slated for release in 2018. A ctress Thandie Newton has slammed Starbucks for displaying a controversial statue at one of the chains central London branches. Newton, 43, took aim at the coffee shop and accused them of racism for housing a black statue of a young boy wearing a loin cloth and a safari hat and carrying a tray of coffee beans. Taking to Twitter she accused the shop of harking back to the 19th century. She tweeted: Seriously @Starbucks? At the counter - Loin cloth and Safari hat on a black child. Happy New Year circa 19th century. The Starbucks Help Twitter account was quick to reply to her query and assured the Crash actress that the statue has been moved. We are very concerned to learn of this incident & we cant apologise enough, they tweeted. We have removed the figure & are investigating. @thandienewton we are very concerned to learn of this incident & we cant apologise enough. We have removed the figure & are investigating. Starbucks Help (@starbuckshelp) January 5, 2016 Acknowledging the apology she retweeted it to her 24,000 followers. She later retweeted: "@thandienewton @Starbucks Did you have to get your morning madeline out of a mammy jar?" I f your flatmate hasnt emerged from the living room for four hours, its probably because they are engrossed in Netflixs latest binge-watch phenomenon, the 10-part docu-series Making a Murderer. Heres why. Its about Stephen Avery, who was convicted of a violent sexual assault in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, in 1985, and spent 18 years in jail before being exonerated by DNA evidence. In 2005, while he was in the process of suing the county for $36 million, he was charged, along with his nephew, with the murder of 25-year-old Teresa Halbach. The series focuses on whether this second conviction was also a mistake. 1) The stakes are high While Avery sat in jail first time around, the real perpetrator of the 1985 assault, Gregory Allen, raped another woman and received a 60- year sentence. At the heart of the series is a not entirely convincing court case. In early episodes it is revealed that Averys defence team argued he was framed. Since the documentary aired, Reddit users have speculated about alternative theories while over 300,000 supporters have signed a petition asking that Avery be pardoned. 2) Its immersive Film-makers Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi spent 10 years making the series, and relocated to Wisconsin. They had access to courtroom footage, interviews, press briefings and interviews with key characters. 3) There is no narrator Unlike Serial the other obsession of true crime fanatics the film-makers remain invisible. Netflix: Eight exclusive shows you need to watch 1 /10 Netflix: Eight exclusive shows you need to watch Bloodline Ben Mendelsohn and Kyle Chandler star in this family-based thriller House of Cards Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright excel in this dark political drama NETFLIX Lilyhammer The Sopranos star (and E Street Band member) Steven Van Zandt breaks out in his own gangster drama Grace and Frankie Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin star in this sitcom from the creators of Friends Daredevil Marvel are bringing their gritter superheroes to Netflix, starting with Daredevil Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Ellie Kemper is impossibly upbeat in the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, from Tina Fey Narcos Wagner Moura stars as Pablo Escobar in this addictive drug thriller Better Call Saul The prequel / spin-off to Breaking Bad is exclusive to Netflix in the UK 4) Manitowoc County is a gripping backdrop Its not just the US legal system under scrutiny, but the class system in small-town America. The Avery family are outsiders that it is easy for the law to vilify. 5) It has jaw-dropping moments From bizarre press conferences to thrilling discoveries in evidence labs, and a catalogue of missed evidence. 6) The characters make you want to throw things at your screen From Len Kachinsky, the defence attorney assigned to handle the case of Averys nephew, Brendan Dassey, to cops who seem far from qualified to handle such a high- profile case. 7) Nothing makes a meme like an unlikely heart-throb Averys defence lawyers, Dean Strang and Jerry Buting, have proved so popular with viewers that many have suggested that they be the subjects of the next series of True Detective. Argyle sock-wearing Strang has particularly attracted admirers there is even a Tumblr dedicated to StrangCore, the early-mid-2000s normcore style of Dean Strang. 8) Its not over The cases of Avery and Dassey are active and the film-makers are continuing to follow the story. There might only be 10 episodes at this point but who knows what the sequel might be. Follow Rachael Sigee on Twitter: @littlewondering | By Dinushi Dias A Melbourne startup has pledged a bold New Years resolution: to get 10,000 school students across Australia into coding and create the nations youngest community of software developers. Code the Future co-founder and director Will Egan tells Startupsmart it all started when he saws his sisters IT homework. I realised it hadnt changed much in the seven years since Id left school, Egan says. Egan decided to approach the school with an offer to teach coding and within a month more schools approached him for help. We found that teachers wanted to teach coding, students wanted to learn coding but no one had the knowledge to do it, he says. The birth of Code the Future Egan raised the problem at a Melbourne Knowledge Week meet-up, in 2014, where he met Bec Spink. Together they developed Code the Future, adapting Airbnbs model to create a free marketplace for teachers and developers with expertise in coding and tech development to connect on projects. Managing Code the Future as a side project in addition to full-time jobs in 2015, Egan and Spink saw more than 800 software developers register to volunteer and 2000 teachers sign-up. It has grown organically without any marketing, he says. Sparking the next generation of entrepreneurs Inspired to reach more students across the country, the team announced their bold pledge for 2016. Our plan of attack is to get as many teachers as possible to register projects and through good community traction to link them with up with experts to start teaching in their schools, he says. The beauty of Code the Future is we take coding into the classroom. With concerns about poor digital literacy in Australian schools, Code the Future is paving the way for the new generation to be creators and producers of technology than mere consumers. We work with a diverse range of schools both public and private, Egan says. Six months ago, I would have said we are not making progress but with [Malcolm] Turnbull green-lighting mandatory coding in the national curriculum, it has put Australia in a position ahead of many other countries. Egan says children aged from six through to Year 12 are learning a range of tech development skills. Code the Future enables students to build weather stations, develop weather apps for iOS, learn programming languages like Processing and JavaScript and create simple games on MITs Scratch. There are so many ways kids can learn and so many different platforms, he says. Code for Future offers a diverse range of ICT volunteers from software developers and engineers to graphic designers and more, which Egan says provides an invaluable knowledge transfer for schools. Closing the gender gap in coding While there is grave gender disparity across the ICT industry with women making up just 28% of the workforce - Egan says school students are either unaware of or not discouraged by the discrepancy. When you go into a junior or middle school, girls dont think there is a stereotype around computers and they are not deterred to engage in that education, he says. Egan says they have found that girls do respond well to coding when it is taught as a language instead of a tech or game-based subject. With a goal to make ICT education accessible to everyone and to address the gender imbalances in the field, Code the Future has partnered with Here to There, a Startup Victoria initiative, to bring in successful women from the tech industry to inspire young girls about the opportunities in ICT. Its one of the first reasons we started the organisation, to be honest, says Egan. Egan says developers and schools will need to work together, during semester breaks or after-hours, to rapidly scale coding education. The challenge we have is that coding knowledge is quite scarce and to make it broadly available at a high quality level, we are going to have to engage existing developers with schoolteachers, he says. He implores teachers and developers to volunteer their time to drive this movement. Get on to Code the Future and volunteer because you can change the lives of these kids, he says. If one of these kids goes on to create the next Google or Amazon, itll be a huge win for the community. Follow StartupSmart on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. This page may have been moved, deleted, or is otherwise unavailable. To help you find what you are looking for: Enter Search Term(s): Still cant find what youre looking for? Send us a message using our contact us form. To report a broken link or other problems with the website, please include the URL. Thank you for visiting state.gov. 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The discussion whether there is global warming and whether it is manmade is obviously an argument reserved for politically motivated men and financially motivated scientists. The rest of us accept the cause of global warming to be primarily man, over 8 billion of us, and our activities burning an inordinate amount of fossil fuels, consuming and growing huge amount of methane-producing farm animals, etc. Does nature on its own contribute to global warming or rather to cooling is an ongoing discussion. It probably does both. Furthermore, we all must agree that there is no other planet to live on, even if we could make Mars habitable why would we make Earth uninhabitable? I, for one, enjoy reading about Mars and looking at photos, but prefer to live here on Earth. And the commute between the two will be rather inconvenient and expensive, if and when it will be made possible. Most of us agree there is a great danger to what we are doing. It is very harmful to our planet and life as we know it, and we are, at least talking a great deal about it. Also, and fortunately, engineering and science is helping out in a significant way by finding ways to cut back the use of the most damaging fossil fuels, i.e. coal, and limiting the use of crude oil. All that however is not enough. The collective fear of the consequences of global warming, however, concerns me on a different level. It is certainly not the first time in the history of mankind that we were concerned about an impending doom. Just think of the names of some of these: Apocalyptic, Armageddon, End of Time, etc. These predictions or fears dealt, for instance, with the coming of the Messiah in the year 66 C.E., the prediction made the year 375 C.E. that the world will end by the year 400 C.E. Gregory Tours calculated the end by around 800. Pope Sylvester II and many Christian clerics predicted the end of the world, the Millennium Apocalypse, at the year 1,000, which was accompanied by riots throughout Europe. Hundreds of other predictions preceded and followed over the centuries up into modern times when, for instance, Pat Robertson in 1976 predicted the end of the world by 1982, then again in 2007; in 1991, a rabbi called for the coming of Messiah. And on and on to as recently as 2014/15.These prediction don't stop here, they go on for this century and the next and to the very distant future of the year 500 million and 5 billion, the last of which is not religion-based and in all likelihood correct, but way out there. Nor was the Y2K prediction, which was deemed to be so serious that substantial government and industry funds were spent for the preparation and prevention of the impending doom precipitated by the year change from 1999 to 2000 by our computer systems. As we probably all remember well, not much came of it outside of the State labeling my car vintage 1900. (It was a year 2000 model.) Luckily, Doomsday predictions have not been outstanding successes, whether religious, scientific or pseudoscientific. In fact, at least I can't think of any that have come to pass or I would not be here to write about them nor you to read them. This is a nagging thought when it comes to our latest Doomsday like prediction of global warming. It is Doomsday as it sets the date into the distant future, 50 to 100 years ahead, for an environmental disaster with the emphasis on the disaster. It makes it sound like other disaster predictions. What could go right or wrong to prevent this disaster from happening? Maybe nothing and it could turn out to be the exception to the record of Doomsday predictions. There are many possibilities, a few good, many others bad. Some hold the belief that we could/will succeed in avoiding the 3-4 degree C temperature increase, constituting global warming. Without going into any details, that would, obviously, be the best outcome. Let us hope that these scientists and other brilliant members of our society who not only share these beliefs, but are willing to provide their wealth for the achievement of these lofty goals, will be right in eliminating the danger of global warming. It will certainly not be eliminated by those who deny global warming. However, my concern remains that we may avoid this outcome for altogether the wrong reasons. Here are some of them: Major volcanic eruptions, although extremely rarely, had climate changing effect. Lake Toba eruption 77,000 years ago led to a volcanic winter with worldwide temperature decrease of 3 to 5 degrees C and caused a planet wide die-off and, according to some estimates, it reduced the human population to a few tens of thousands. The Thera volcano in Greece in 1600 B.C. caused the Minoan civilization to collapse due to a massive natural disaster according to current thinking. The eruption could have altered the global climate. More closely to our times in 1815 in Indonesia, Sumbawa erupted with a magnitude that resulted in a worldwide climate change. An estimated 24 cubic miles of lava spewed out, but more importantly several million tons of sulphur dioxide gas was emitted into the Earth's atmosphere which quickly encircled the Earth and caused acid rain to fall destroying crops. 1816 became known as a year without summer; snow fell in June in New England. European Art changed and has shown the grim weather, people suffering and dying from the extreme cold and worldwide starvation. Of course, this climate change did not last but a few years. It should be noted, however, that based on the human population of the world today many more people could die of starvation and cold than did in the early 19th Century. We can talk about major sun activity wiping out our communication devices and having major effect on our satellite systems, no cell phones, no internet. Equally likely is that we will get into a cyber war which concerns most of our experts. Our satellite and electrical systems can be severely damaged. One cannot even imagine how modern society would function without reliable supply of electricity. What would be the climate changing consequences? By generating much, much less electricity, we would be in a forced greenhouse gas reduction mode to the extreme. And while we are talking about manmade climate change other than greenhouse gases, we should talk about the not-so-remote chance of a nuclear winter. In our new era of relatively large number of people willing to give up their lives to achieve some XIII Century ideas with XXI Century weapons, an extremist getting hold of a nuclear device and committing suicide with that by no means is a way-out thought. Once a nuclear device is detonated, retaliatory nuclear attacks are very likely. A worldwide nuclear war will plunge us into a nuclear winter with unknown consequences. Global warming under that scenario will be the least of our concern. Global cooling would be the result. Nuclear winter is not compatible with global warming, or with human existence. All of the above scenarios have a low probability of occurring and they are by no means the only scenarios we can imagine now or what could happen with the unimaginable. While each has a low probability, the combined probability of all scenarios within the coming 50 years is not likely to be completely insignificant. I am writing about them because of the nagging notion that what we are all collectively afraid of may never come to pass, as it has not passed in the past and some of the events which would cause the (unfortunate) avoidance of the global warming could be even less desirable than global warming. Nothing said here, however, should be taken as an excuse to slow down our collective fight to defeat global warming. It is still the most probable and greatest danger and the very best scenario is that we might be able to do what is required to avoid it. Wednesday, 06 January 2016 14:52:28 (GMT+3) | Shanghai Amid the overall sluggishness seen in China s coal industry, increasing losses are expected to be incurred by more coal enterprises in China . It is expected that China s raw coal output will total 3.758 billion mt in 2015, down three percent year on year, according to a new report issued by Chinese news research portal www.qianzhan.com. The report in question states that China s raw coal output is expected to decrease to 3.6 billion mt in 2016, down 4.2 percent year on year. Costa Rican scrap exports in October 2015 declined 47.1 percent, year-on-year, according to information from the countrys export promotion agency, Procomer. Top export destinations in October included South America and Asia, which received 3,209 mt and 2,441 mt of the product, respectively. Only 23.1 mt of scrap was exported to the European Union in October and just 304.4 mt to Central America. Peruvian iron ore exports in October 2015 declined 3 percent, year-on-year, according to the latest data released by the nations central bank, BCRP. According to BCRP, Peruvian iron ore exports in October totaled 1.1 million mt. Iron ore export prices in October slightly increased to USD 28.7/mt, from USD 26.3/mt, but declined from USD 47.5/mt in October of last 2014. This week, demand in the Turkish billet market is still at low levels, while domestic billet prices have remained stable over the past week at the range of $285-300/mt ex-works, excluding 18 percent VAT, and for January production . This week, no ex-CIS billet offers have been heard in Turkey amid the Christmas holiday in the CIS region, while they were at $255-256/mt CFR last week. Meanwhile, Chinese billet offers to Turkey have increased by $15/mt on average to $255-260/mt CFR, as a result of the uptrend of iron ore prices and the uptrend of prices in the Chinese finished steel market. However, Turkish buyers have concluded no deals at current price levels yet, as they continue to exert downward pressure on prices. Even though the slight increase observed in scrap prices may support the uptrend of billet prices, this uptrend is likely to be short-lived due to weak demand and the pressure exerted by buyers on prices. The first medical marijuana dispensary in the Metro East is set to open by the end of the month. HCI Alternatives, located in Collinsville, Ill., is currently putting the finishing touches on its 6,000-square-foot facility near interstates 255 and 55. HCI has invested $1.6 million to upgrade the building, at 1014 Eastport Plaza Drive, that formerly housed an Allstate Insurance office. The firm plans to "tailor" medical marijuana treatments to each patient to ensure a particular strain of cannabis is well matched to combat the patient's symptoms or ailment. "We're not just saying, 'go home and try this,'" Jay Cook, director of education and community outreach for HCI, told the Post-Dispatch Wednesday. By law, Illinois residents with certain ailments and a doctor's permission can apply for a permit to buy and use medical marijuana within the state. At this time, Missouri residents do not have a similar program and cannot purchase from dispensaries in Illinois like the one in Collinsville. Cook said the goal is to have 300 registered patients by the end of 2016. The firm expects to sell an ounce of marijuana for $400. A single patient can only purchase 2.5 ounces within a 14-day window, according to state law. Even though the price per ounce may sound expensive, Cook said, the marijuana sold in the dispensary is "medical grade" and incomparable to what someone would purchase on the street. "You're going to get what you pay for," Cook said. Patients can purchase the marijuana using cash or debit card. Credit cards are not accepted at this time due to complicated federal laws, Cook said. Another dispensary, The Green Solution, is expected to open in Sauget, but it's unclear when. Calls to the firm were not returned. The Collinsville dispensary looks and feels like a spa or high-end doctor's office, except for all the extra layers of security. The Springfield, Ill.-based firm has installed more than 60 security cameras with facial recognition technology and windows that are shatterproof. In the lobby, the wall separating patients and the receptionists is more than "just drywall" and is also bulletproof, Cook said. "This isn't a Walgreens or a run-of-the-mill pharmacy," Christopher McCloud, spokesperson for the organization, said. Employees will also be subject to a litany of security protocols to guarantee no product leaves illegally. Employees must change into scrubs that have no pockets when they arrive at work. They're expected to leave other personal belongings in their car, and executives are still deciding if they'll allow employees to have cellphones with them in the building while they're working. When patients enter the building, they'll sign in and wait for an employee or security guard to take them to the main floor that stores the available marijuana in various forms including edibles. The employee will use a keypad to unlock a series of doors before entering the main floor. The main floor resembles a typical store with the presence of a point of sale system, glass cabinets lined with glass shelves ready to display various strains of marijuana and an ATM machine. The store will be open from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The dispensary will employ eight to 12 full-time employees. HCI, led by CEO Chris Stone and backed by 12 Illinois-based investors, plans to open a second location in Springfield. Think reaching a human at the Internal Revenue Service last tax filing season was tough? National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson anticipates even less telephone and face-to-face customer service in future years. A planned expansion of IRS online offerings will leave taxpayers seeking help the old-fashioned way "up a creek," Olson says, listing it as the No. 1 problem in a report to Congress released Wednesday. The analysis by the Taxpayer Advocate Service, an independent office within the IRS, must include at least 20 of the "most serious problems" taxpayers face when dealing with the agency. The main focus this year: what it says is an emphasis on enforcement over customer service in the IRS's long-term strategic plan, and how it could force many to pay tax preparers for advice they used to get for free. Olson's warning comes as Congress, after an abysmal 2015 tax season, gave the cash-starved agency an additional $290 million at the end of the budgeting process. The money is "targeted solely for taxpayer services to ensure the agency responds to taxpayer questions in a timely manner, and to improve fraud detection and prevention and cybersecurity," according to a summary of the bill from the House Appropriations Committee. Responding to the Taxpayer Advocate's report, the IRS says it "does not paint a full picture" of evolving, long-term planning. "The Advocate seems to want the IRS to do business the way we did 10 years ago," the agency wrote in a statement to Bloomberg. The IRS "believes increasing the availability of self-service interaction frees up in-person resources for taxpayers who truly need them.'' Here are some of the other major problems the Taxpayer Advocate identified in its report: Lack of transparency. Since 2014 the IRS has spent "several million dollars" working with management consultants to develop a plan for how it will operate over the next five years. The details in the report haven't been made public or shared with Congress, and the IRS hasn't solicited comments from a broad pool of constituents, the advocate's report notes. Additionally, the IRS has never asserted so many times that data and documents the Taxpayer Advocate planned to include were for "official use only" and couldn't be made public. That made this year's report difficult to write, Olson says, "because while the intent to reduce telephone and face-to-face service has been a central assumption in the five-year 'Future State' planning process, little about service reductions has been committed to writing." Olson is calling for congressional hearings on the IRS plan over the next few months, and will solicit comments at public hearings held across the country. Among groups she plans to invite are those with the greatest need for free help, including the elderly, the disabled, small businesses, low-income taxpayers, and people with limited English proficiency. Unrealistic expectations for online efforts. The impression the Taxpayer Advocate's office has, based on discussions with IRS officials, is that the agency's ultimate goal is "to get out of the business of talking with taxpayers." It would do that in part by creating online accounts for filers, which Olson sees as a good way to supplement, not replace, existing service-as long as data security concerns are addressed. While far more people file electronically now, and the IRS has taken many steps to limit the need for taxpayers to phone the IRS, the demand for personal service hasn't decreased. In fact, over the past decade the number of calls the IRS received on its Accounts Management lines rose from about 64 million for fiscal year 2006 to about 102 million for fiscal year 2015. That's almost a 60 percent jump. Automating customer service even more, the report says, "will mean only those with the means to pay for it can receive help with their taxes." Delayed refunds due to antifraud filters. Some of the filters used by the IRS, while increasingly necessary to identify tax fraud, have a high false positive rate. That causes refund delays for hundreds of thousands of legitimate taxpayers. The filter that halts returns potentially tied to identify theft, for example, had a 36 percent rate of false positives last year, according to the report. Compounding the hassle for taxpayers caught up in the filter's web was that they were asked to verify their identification over the phone or online. But for three straight weeks during last year's filing season, fewer than 10 percent of taxpayer calls about those flagged returns were answered. NEW YORK The top U.S. airlines said Tuesday that they have raised fares in the first industrywide hike since June, moves that may offset increasing labor costs but draw the ire of customers. Fares increased $3 one-way for U.S. domestic flights on American Airlines, United Continental, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways, each company told Reuters. The price hike comes at a precarious time for the industry, which is under investigation by the Justice Department for potentially conspiring to limit flights and keep fares high. The airlines have denied collusion. The federal agency declined to comment on the fare hike. Airlines have long monitored each others prices and quickly responded to changes, much like gas station owners watch the signs of their competitors. Carriers file fares with the Airline Tariff Publishing Company, a distributor that has a product for price tracking primarily used by industry insiders. This weeks fare hike began with changes by Delta on Monday, the airline confirmed. Southwest was the next to follow suit, two analysts said. The industry has never met a Southwest fare increase it didnt match, for as far back as our records go, JPMorgan analyst Jamie Baker said in a research note. Just as Southwest often plays the spoiler role, competitors consistently follow Southwests lead to the upside. U.S. airlines regularly adjust their fares, but an industrywide match is far less common. A $3 rise occurred last in June when Southwest also matched a change by Delta, Baker said in a prior note. Tuesdays news is another indication that airlines are not translating savings from a years decline in fuel prices into lower ticket prices, a break from a decade ago when more airlines vied for customers. Consumers will have little choice but to accept the hike because the five airlines control more than 80 percent of the U.S. travel market, following four high-profile mergers. The price hike is unlikely to decrease demand for corporate travel, as employers accept higher fares as the cost of doing business, industry consultant Robert Mann said. Airlines are betting the rise will boost revenue even if leisure travel dips, he said. However, competition is still high on the busiest U.S. routes. The lowest leisure fares were on average 24 percent lower from a year earlier for the top 1,000 domestic routes, according to a late December report by travel consultancy Harrell Associates. Mann said the price hike will help the airlines manage growing labor costs and prepare for new contracts with wages likely to balloon. He said it may have the side effect of leaving planes emptier, a plus when winter cancellations force airlines to rebook customers onto other flights. In the two years since Perennial Artisan Ales head brewer Cory King launched Side Project Brewing, his barrel-aged creations have ranked among the most acclaimed and, due to their limited releases, sought-after craft beers in the country. During that time, Side Project has lived up to its name, operating out of Perennial's south-city facility. That will soon change, however. As 40 South News first reported, King has targeted 7458 Manchester Road in Maplewood as a permanent home for Side Project Brewery. The location is just around the corner from the Side Project Cellar, the bar that King and his wife, Karen, opened in November 2014. The Kings have declined to answer media questions about the new brewery, saying it is "too early" to do so. However, they did issue a statement. According to the statement, "A new space in Maplewood would allow Side Project to moderately increase production and availability of their oak-aged beers and provide a brewery experience for those interested in visiting and seeing the Side Project processes." The Side Project Cellar will remain at its current location. Though Ive lived in and loved St Louis for nearly 12 years, Im a transplant from the West. My family roots go deep in the Great Basin region, planted there originally by the great Mormon migration beyond the borders of the American frontier to Utah territory, a territory that would not become a state for more than 40 years. They arrived in an arid desert rimmed by stunning mountainscapes, and set to work damming rivers, irrigating fields and raising livestock. For generations, my ancestors lived and died in small Mormon farming communities in the Mormon corridor stretching from Idaho to Arizona. My paternal grandparents farmed alfalfa and raised cattle in central Utah, where my father grew up riding tractors and milking cows. My maternal grandfather, similarly tied to rural landscapes, worked for the Bureau of Land Management on Indian reservations, advising Native American tribes on managing their lands and livestock. My mother grew up attending Indian schools in tiny reservation towns from Montana to Arizona. How is it, then, that I grew up in suburban Los Angeles, more at home in LA traffic than in alfalfa fields? My parents, like many generational Mormons born in the post-war baby boom, were raised to value education and assimilation. Both graduated from college. After considering a return to the family farm, my father decided instead to attend law school, and ultimately took a job in Southern California. I, like so many children of the Mormon post-war diaspora from Utah, grew up in the professional class, knowing very little of the rural lifestyle and landscapes that defined my parents early years and that of generations before them. Like all family history, my story has a way of becoming suddenly relevant in very public ways. The first news cycle of 2016 has been dominated by the occupation of a federal building in rural Oregon by armed men protesting federal ownership of public lands that were once occupied by the Paiute people. Led by Ammon Bundy, a Latter-day Saint rancher from Nevada, the group has cultural and religious ties to Mormonism. The complex confluence of issues in this story rural land use, the mythology of the American West, generational ranchers, Mormon culture, Native American lands feels strangely relevant to my family history. To be clear, I have no family connection to the Bundys, nor any particular sympathy for their cause. The relation between Mormonism and the political movement that the Bundys represent has been widely reported already, but it bears little resemblance to the conventional suburban Mormons with whom I worship or to the progressive Mormons with whom I converse (and sometimes disagree) online. Liberal Mormons are incandescent with embarrassment and hostility toward the protesters aggressively conservative brand of Mormonism. The Church itself issued a strong statement disavowing both the armed occupation and the protesters interpretation of Mormon scripture. In truth, I hardly recognize our shared religion and scripture in their movement. Their reading of the Book of Mormon, in particular, seems inapt for a group of rural anti-government protesters: The righteous Nephites were tireless city-builders and traders, while the faithless Lamanites dwelled in the undeveloped wilderness. The Book of Mormons political content, like the Bibles, is multilayered and occasionally self-contradictory, and nearly any political persuasion can cherry-pick verses to defend its view. Overall, though, the Book of Mormon advances a positive and providential view of the United States, a stance distinctly at odds with the fiery anti-government rhetoric of the Bundys. Instead, that rhetoric finds its truer context, I think, in the history of the Mormon settlement of the Great Basin. Mormon pioneers thought of themselves as a second Exodus of Israel, and the ethos of early Mormonism was as deeply enmeshed with its mountain-rimmed promised land as ancient Israel was bound to its desert inheritance. When Brigham Young, the Mormon Moses, arrived at the edge of the Salt Lake Valley and pronounced This is the right place, he solemnized a century-long symbolic marriage between Mormonism and its distinctive place in the American West. As it was for the ancient Israelites, the land was for the Mormon settlers a gift, promise and challenge, both the physical manifestation of their distinctive covenant with God and constant adversary in the struggle for survival. Land is something to fight for, to die for. This kind of bond with place dies hard. But it does die, eventually. For many Mormons like me, generational Mormons who migrated to metropolitan areas in the post-war period, and for Mormon converts who have no genealogical tie to the American West, that bone-deep connection to land and place a connection that fires the Bundys willingness to fight and die is now dormant. I consider my rural genealogy with fondness and interest, but with nothing like a fiery possessiveness that could call me to the Oregon wilderness. Most Mormons assimilated, middle-class, educated and suburban Mormons, largely conservative but not at all radical (an example is former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney) feel the same. Notably, the Church leadership feels the same: Its no coincidence that the current Mormon apostles are drawn overwhelmingly from the educated professional ranks of attorneys, educators and businessmen, many of whom followed precisely the same rural-to-urban trajectory that swept my parents to Los Angeles in the 1970s. The entrenched antagonism between rural and urban interests, the fading relevance of land and place in 21st-century Mormonism, our post-war assimilation and expansion these factors have, I think, been underreported in the coverage of the Oregon occupation. They explain why the Bundys are at best a curiosity and at worst an embarrassing travesty for most mainstream Mormons. Yet for some the wilderness still represents a birthright, a promise and a way of life. That fire in the bones still burns. Welch is an active Mormon and a writer and independent scholar of contemporary Mormonism. She is a regular contributor to STLtoday.com/religion. Last month Pope Francis approved Mother Teresa for canonization as a saint. The ceremony will occur later this year. As a Protestant pastor, I dont usually note such news. However, given the unique look weve had into her interior life, Im intrigued. Following her death in 1997, a book surfaced containing her correspondence. Some of these letters revealed a decades-long inner struggle with faith. Heres an excerpt from "Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light": So many unanswered questions live within me afraid to uncover them because of the blasphemy If there be God please forgive me When I try to raise my thoughts to Heaven there is such convicting emptiness that those very thoughts return like sharp knives & hurt my very soul. I am told God loves meand yet the reality of darkness & coldness & emptiness is so great that nothing touches my soul. Did I make a mistake in surrendering blindly to the Call of the Sacred Heart? Such soulful struggles dont jibe with my stereotype of a saint, which would be a near-walking-on-water figure. Whats compelling to me, though, is that the letters in this book were collected by her postulator, the Rev. Brian Kolodiejchuk, for the purpose of supporting the petition for her sainthood. Maybe its not in spite of her inner turmoil, but because of her inner turmoil, that she continued her amazing work among the poor for 50 years. That would mean that even for a saint, faith doesnt necessarily come easily, nor is it easy to live it out. When her canonization takes place, Ill remember the lesson she taught us after her death: our faith ultimately doesnt rest on how we feel at the moment, but how we live it throughout a lifetime. The faith journey may start with an intimate experience of the Divine, as Mother Teresa indeed had; her other correspondence attest to that. However, true saintliness may reside in keeping to a promise of service when the passionate side periodically fades. Its trusting that God will keep Gods promise in the end, even though there is the reality of darkness & coldness & emptiness. This is not to diminish the emotional component of faith. Joy expressed through praise and worship is essential. However, a popular conception of religion is that it is a self-medicating tool to give us a rush. If youve had a rough week, go to worship and feel better. If youre facing a crisis, switch on the prayer machine. But in Christianity, its never about maintaining a high or getting out of pain. The experience of the Transfiguration is always followed by the experience of human suffering (Matthew 17:1-21). Indeed, our faith pushes us into areas where we will suffer more (i.e. bonding with the diseased and dying in Calcutta), and in the process wonder why were there in the first place. Mother Teresa teaches us that for Christians, its not about us but about others. Whenever our faith lacks joy or certainty, it does not mean that Gods not there; it may instead mean that we need to be looking for God outside ourselves, particularly in the faces of societys marginalized. The regaining of joy happens in the connections we make with those we serve, and who serve with us. In reading her honest confessions, I was reminded of sentiments expressed by someone who shared the struggle of faith. On a wall in a concentration camp this person wrote: I believe in the sun, even when it is not shining. I believe in love, even though I don't feel it. I believe in God, even when he is silent. Mother Teresa would affirm this. Its something we can all aspire to as well, as the New Year with its promise and perils--begins. Weeks is senior pastor at Manchester United Methodist Church. He is a regular contributor to STLtoday.com/religion. Hot chocolate isnt just for kids. Add the right alcohol to a well-balanced hot chocolate, and its elevated to a comforting adult cocktail. Balance can be a matter of taste, but too-sweet drinks can be cloying. Chicagos DNoche has a concoction spiked with reposado tequila and hazelnut liqueur that uses Abuelita Mexican Chocolate as its base. To keep it from being too sugary, bartender Jose Mendoza pulls back on the preparation suggested by Abuelita. (We use) half the chocolate, more milk, he says. A range of liquors can pair well with chocolate flavors. Chicagos NoMI Lounge offers a hot chocolate bar during the winter, with five hot chocolate cocktails. The drinks start with a deliciously rich hot chocolate as the base. We toast off our spices, and then we also steep it overnight, so its got a nice rich flavor to it, pastry chef Greg Mosko says. He uses several kinds of chocolate to give the finished drink more depth of flavor. To add savory notes, Mosko and NoMis food and beverage director David Samuel suggest adding black salt, salted caramel or chili spices. Smoke is another possibility. Mezcal is a very good component that has that smoky flavor, Samuel said. Or if you like bourbon, or single malt whiskeys, something like a Laphroaig 10 Year Old is a very smoky whiskey. The order of adding ingredients is important, says David Bailey of Baileys Chocolate Bar in St. Louis. Start with the base of what youre making: so the milk, the sugar, the vanilla. Leave the chocolate to the side, Bailey says. And then pull it from the heat, add the chocolate and stir vigorously. This prevents the chocolate from scalding. Other tips: Dont boil the milk and dont be heavy-handed with the alcohol: It should enhance and not overwhelm the hot chocolate. UPDATED at 1 p.m. with statement from man's attorney. MAPLEWOOD A customer at a Maplewood antique store rounded a corner last fall and saw a man seated on a couch, near the store's front window, fondling his genitals. The man turned out to be a gynecologist from Jerseyville, Ill., police say. Roger A. Schroeder, 63, was charged last month in St. Louis County with one count of first-degree sexual misconduct, a misdemeanor. Schroeder has a medical office in Carrollton, Ill. He did not return a message left at his office Wednesday. "He denies the allegations made in the current case," his attorney, Melissa Featherston, told the Post-Dispatch. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation said Wednesday that Schroeder has an active medical license but has been on suspension since 2006 because he allegedly "breached professional boundaries with a patient." Schroeder was accused of sexually assaulting two patients a decade ago, but was acquitted by a jury. The incident in Maplewood happened Oct. 10 at Big Bend Antiques, 2337 South Big Bend Boulevard. Schroeder was sitting alone on the couch. His penis was exposed and he was fondling himself, police said. When a male customer rounded the corner, Schroeder pulled up his pants and asked the customer not to tell anyone about it. Then Schroeder walked out of the store, police say. The customer called police and described the man's appearance and clothing. Police caught up with Schroeder at a convenience store about three blocks away, authorities said. He admitted being at the antique store but his explanation for what the customer had seen wasn't plausible, Police Detective Sgt. Matt Nighbor said. Nighbor declined to elaborate. Police arrested Schroeder, issued a summons for a municipal charge of exposing himself and released him. But after further investigation, police took the case the St. Louis County prosecutor's office for review. On Dec. 23, the St. Louis County prosecutor charged him with misdemeanor sexual misconduct. Bail was set at $5,000, cash-only. He was not in custody Wednesday. In a probable cause statement, Maplewood police said Schroeder was a danger to the community and "has prior arrests for sexual assault related offenses allegedly committed during the course of his employment." In 2006, a 19-year-old pregnant patient claimed Schroeder unnecessarily sedated her and sexually assaulted her at Jersey Community Hospital in 2006. She said when she regained consciousness, he was fondling her breasts, according to court records. A grand jury in Jersey County indicted Schroeder in 2006 on several charges in that case, including aggravated criminal sexual abuse. He later went on trial for allegedly assaulting that woman and another patient in a similar case. During his trial, Schroeder took the stand and repeatedly denied the accusations. A jury acquitted him of the charges. Illinois regulators suspended Schroeder's license before his acquittal. The regulators released documents at the time that accused Schroeder of improper conduct with two additional patients. In one of the alleged incidents, he was accused of touching a patient with his exposed penis after she had undergone a hysterectomy; in another, he allegedly asked a patient who was unclothed for a gynecological examination to meet him later for drinks. On Wednesday, records of Illinois medical licensing regulators showed that Schroeder has an active medical license. It's not clear when his license was restored. His license has been on probation since 2006. The probation period was supposed to end in 2010, but in 2009 the state changed it to indefinite probation for at least three years "upon meeting conditions." The conditions were not specified in an online record, and a spokesman for that department was unavailable for comment. The records also show that his hospital privileges were terminated in 2006. The records also indicate that no felony or misdemeanors convictions and no malpractice settlements or judgments have been reported to the state licensing board about Schroeder in the past 10 years. One of the accusers in the criminal case filed suit against Schroeder in 2007, but the Illinois Supreme Court later ruled she had failed to file it in time. UPDATED at 4 p.m. with additional information about gun found in Judge Permuter's car. RICHMOND HEIGHTS A St. Louis County judge was cited on New Years Eve for allegedly driving while intoxicated and failing to comply with police, police and court records show. St. Louis County Associate Circuit Judge Lawrence J. Larry Permuter declined to comment Monday night, saying, No, I cant. Asked if he had a lawyer, he said, I do, but hes not going to talk to you. Police and crash reports obtained by the Post-Dispatch under Missouris open records law says that the incident began with a call to police at 12:39 p.m. A passenger in another car told police that her companion saw Permuter's car cross at least one lane of traffic on westbound Highway 40 (Interstate 64) and collide with a concrete wall. She then watched as Permuter's car tried to get back on the highway before colliding with the wall again, records show. The accident occurred near Big Bend Boulevard. Permuter admitted hitting the wall but "could not tell me why. . . " the officer's report says. The report says that Permuter's car's airbag deployed. It says that alcohol contributed to the accident, which damaged the front, rear and passenger side of Permuter's 2003 Ford Escort, which was later towed away. Police also found an unloaded firearm valued at $550 inside Permuter's car at the time of the incident, according to Richmond Heights Maj. Douglas Schaeffler. But it did not appear that Permuter violated any laws by carrying the weapon in his car. Permuter suffered minor cuts and bruises but declined medical attention. He was arrested at 3:22 p.m., booked at 3:45 p.m. and released to his wife at 6:39 p.m., the reports say. He was cited for driving while intoxicated and failure to comply with the reasonable direction of an officer. Police declined to comment, and refused to release a narrative portion of the arrest report or videos of the incident, saying that it was an ongoing investigation. City staffers on Tuesday refused to release charging information or documents without a request under open records laws. They complied with those requests Wednesday afternoon. Richmond Heights Municipal Court Judge Stephen O'Brien said Wednesday that he had recused himself from the case. O'Brien is also a St. Louis County assistant prosecuting attorney and knows Permuter. John Lally, the prosecutor for Richmond Heights, declined to comment. Permuter, 68, has owned a 1,291-square-foot Richmond Heights condominium for more than 12 years, public records show. He has been an associate circuit judge since 2008, when he was appointed by then-Gov. Matt Blunt. At the time, Permuter was with the firm of Goffstein, Raskas, Pomerantz, Kraus and Sherman in St. Louis, and had spent 35 years working on a variety of cases. Permuter graduated from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and got his law degree from Washington University. In 2014 he received above average scores from lawyers surveyed as part of his performance evaluation, and voters opted to retain him in that years election. LAKE SAINT LOUIS A St. Louis County police officer has been suspended without pay after he was charged with assaulting his girlfriend at their home in Lake Saint Louis. Bret Russell Lively, 33, of the first block of Normandy Court, was charged last week with second-degree domestic assault, a felony, in connection with the Dec. 22 incident. According to a court record, the incident began when Lively dumped the contents of a glass potpourri container on the victim after he broke it while unloading items from a shopping trip. Lively then grabbed the woman and dragged her and forced her to the dining room floor. He also forcibly took a cellphone from the victim and twice struck her in the back of the head with his fist, the court record said. Authorities also said Lively pulled her arms behind her while pushing her tailbone with his knee or foot. While he looked through her phone, she fled to the home of a neighbor, who called 911. The court record said the woman was left with a fractured tailbone, bruises and scratches. Authorities said portions of the victims hair were pulled from her head. The woman said an argument between the two turned physical due to Livelys intoxication, the St. Charles County prosecutors office said. Sgt. Brian Schellman, a spokesman for St. Louis County police, said Lively was suspended immediately after Lake Saint Louis police notified them of the investigation. When Lively was charged on Dec. 31, he then was suspended without pay. The prosecutors office said Lively turned himself in Wednesday and was released after posting 10 percent of his $50,000 bail. St. Charles County Associate Circuit Judge Elizabeth Swann required that he have no contact with the victim, use an alcohol monitoring device and surrender his firearms. Schellman said the county polices internal affairs unit also is investigating the incident. Lively has been with county police for about nine years. In an unrelated 2008 case, Lively was named in a civil suit that claimed he and another St. Louis County police officer used excessive force and ignored the medical needs of a mentally ill man who died shortly after his arrest. A federal judge dismissed the suit. Relatives of Samuel K. De Boise, 29, filed the suit against the two officers, the county and Taser, alleging that the officers caused his death by repeatedly shocking him with their Tasers. In the dismissal, issued in 2013, U.S. Magistrate Judge Terry Adelman said the evidence showed that De Boise was not compliant with the officers commands despite his familys claims to the contrary. ST. LOUIS Two women who sued a former St. Louis University president over abuse allegations including one who also claimed that officials violated an agreement to bar him from teaching have settled their cases for a total of $282,000, an activist group said Wednesday. One suit claimed that the Rev. Daniel C. OConnell sexually abused a student in 1983, while she was studying overseas and he was a chaplain. Both were associated with Loyola University Chicago at the time. In 2003, she received a $181,000 settlement that included, among other things, promises that he would not teach again at a Jesuit institution and that he be barred from public ministry, according to the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. She sued in 2013, claiming Jesuit officials violated that agreement by allowing OConnell to teach and speak at universities and engage in public ministry in Germany. Lawyers for OConnell and Jesuit officials denied the allegations. That suit settled for $82,000, a statement from SNAP says. The other suit, filed in 2012 against OConnell and SLU, claimed that OConnell sexually abused a female SLU student in the late 1960s during a counseling session to deal with her hang ups and intimacy issues with men. Lawyers for SLU and OConnell denied those allegations. The trial was scheduled for later this year, but the suit was settled for $200,000, SNAP said. The organization said that the suit alleging a breach of the settlement agreement was only the second of its kind, and called for others who have settled to aggressively review whether agreements they made were being followed. OConnells lawyers could not be reached for comment. He was SLUs president from 1974-1978. A lawyer for the Jesuits referred questions to a Jesuit spokeswoman, who supplied a statement that reads in part: In resolving the cases through mediation, it was our goal to provide an opportunity for and assistance with healing. We understand that it is important for us to respond compassionately and in a timely way whenever anyone brings forward an allegation against any of our members. The statement also says that the Jesuits have policies and educational programs in place to ensure that all of our members are trained in maintaining professional boundaries, and All Jesuit institutions continue to work diligently to ensure each is a safe environment. (Updated at 10:30 a.m.) JEFFERSON CITY Gov. Jay Nixon said he doesnt blame people for being angry about the behavior of a University of Missouri communications professor during protests in Columbia in November. On Tuesday, the governor was asked if he supports a legislative attempt to oust assistant professor Melissa Click, who helped activists trying to block reporters from interviewing protesters at his states flagship university. Nixon said he doesnt agree with the intent of a letter from 100 GOP lawmakers in the Missouri House and Senate, but he does agree that Clicks behavior was outrageous. Anybody who saw that video I can understand how completely unacceptable her behavior was. The fact that people are upset, Im OK with that, Nixon said. Click was seen on video during the protests calling out for muscle to help remove a student journalist from a gathering place on Mizzous Carnahan Quadrangle. The video sparked a national wave of criticism against Click and other activists. In their Dec. 18 letter to the university, members of the House and Senate wrote, The fact that, as a professor teaching in the communication department and the school of journalism, she displayed such a complete disregard for the First Amendment rights of reporters should be enough to question her competency and aptitude for her job. In explaining why he doesnt support the letter, Nixon said he does not want to micro-manage the university. At the same time lawmakers were chiming in on Click, more than 100 Mizzou faculty members released a letter supporting the professor. The letter - first reported by the (Columbia) Missourian - argues that Click has been harassed despite apologizing for her actions. "We believe that Click has been wronged in the media by those who have attacked her personally and have called for her dismissal," the letter reads. As the rivers fall, flood damage statistics roll in. Local emergency officials have been collecting information on damage to homes and businesses along area rivers after last weeks record or near-record floods. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon estimated Tuesday that 7,100 structures in the St. Louis area were affected, but costs are still being calculated. A state spokesman said Nixon's estimates were based upon satellite images of the flood. Some local reports are incomplete, but here is what was available Tuesday: St. Louis County, including municipalities: 900 homes and businesses damaged, with an estimated cost to buildings and roads of $235 million. Jefferson County, including Arnold: 44 homes destroyed, 975 with major damage (water in living quarters), 308 with minor damage, mostly along the Meramec River. Pacific: 225 homes with major damage, 25 minor; 25 businesses with major damage (water in public space) along the Meramec. Eureka: 16 dwelling units (12 apartments) with major damage, 53 with minor damage; and 33 businesses with major damage, and three with minor damage, on the Meramec. Union: Six homes destroyed, six with major damage and 14 with minor damage; and 18 businesses with major damage and four with minor damage, mostly along the Bourbeuse River. Unincorporated Franklin County: 40 homes destroyed, 33 with major damage and 23 minor. States compile local statistics to request federal disaster assistance. Metro East emergency officials said they werent finished with reports. Flash-flooding swamped parts of the American Bottom, and the Kaskaskia River reached a historic crest Saturday at New Athens. Work to be done In northern Jefferson County, Water District No. 2 dropped on Tuesday its request for emergency conservation but maintained a boil order. National Guard units from Missouri and Iowa hauled 1.1 million gallons of water in 520 truck deliveries after the Big River flooded the district water plant in High Ridge on Dec. 30. Lt. Caton Jeffries said the guard pulled out early Tuesday after the plant resumed full operation. Nixon is to speak Wednesday at Jefferson Barracks about plans for cleanup and curbside pickup of debris. As we move from emergency response to recovery, there is still much work to be done, Nixon said. Area rivers, especially the Meramec, rose quickly with three days of drenching rain after Christmas. Rain totals of 8 inches and more were common along the Interstate 44 corridor, inundating the Meramecs hilly watershed and flooding suburban communities on its winding path. The Meramec reached record crests Dec. 30 in Eureka and New Years Eve at Valley Park and Arnold, and got within 3 inches of the record at Pacific. The Meramec was back below flood stage Tuesday at all points except Arnold, where its fall is delayed by the flooding Mississippi River. The Mississippi at St. Louis was expected to fall below flood stage Wednesday. The Missouri River at St. Charles fell below flood on Sunday. The Red Cross maintained overnight shelters Tuesday in Arnold and Granite City and provided meals for flood victims. It delivered food by boat to people in the West Alton area who were still cut off by floodwater, a spokeswoman said. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 6 By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend: Ukraine offers carriers to use the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route for carrying goods to Central Asia bypassing Russia, said the Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry in a message posted on its website Jan. 6. A container train will depart Jan. 15 from Illichivsk, Ukraine, for a test journey to China through Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan (via the Caspian and the Black seas), read the message. "The route is the Silk Road's new direction and an alternative that allows redirecting cargo traffic in easterly direction, bypassing Russia's territory", said the message. "It [the route] includes ferry services across the Black and Caspian seas (Illichivsk-Batumi and Alat-Aktau) and is designed to be competitive as compared to the traditional overland route." "Technologies, expedited delivery times, and tariff conditions have been agreed upon to launch the container train, and operators have been defined for it," said the message. "The test journey [of the container train] will open up an alternative way to deliver cargos from Ukraine to the countries in Central Asia. The train will contain roughly 20 cars." Earlier, Russia completely ceased goods' transits from Ukraine through its territory. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov Residents will be able to leave broken appliances, moldy carpets and other flood debris along the curb for special pickups next week. The Missouri National Guard is leading the special program that will help clear hundreds of thousands of tons of wreckage left in the wake of last weeks historic floods. Our full hope is that by next week well be moving debris out of the region, Gov. Jay Nixon told reporters Wednesday at Jefferson Barracks. Nixon has signed an executive order allowing the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to waive certain rules so that flood refuse can quickly be sorted and taken to landfills when contractors begin picking it up next week. Nixon said as many as 7,100 structures were in the path of floodwater and as much as 500,000 tons of debris may need to be removed. So far, 20 municipalities are participating in the program, which asks residents to separate rubbish damaged by the flood from normal municipal waste. Residents in participating areas are asked to sort tree limbs and other vegetation, appliances, electronics, and household hazardous waste into separate piles for curb pickup. Carpets, mattresses and other construction debris can also be left along the curb. Residents should follow their normal trash pickup schedule for regular household trash. We are going to be here until this region is back on its feet completely, Nixon said. That can only happen once we get these areas cleaned up and get this stuff out of here so that people can move forward again. The special pickup will be available in Pacific, Union, Arnold, Byrnes Mill, Herculaneum, Kimmswick, OFallon, Portage des Sioux, St. Charles, St. Peters, West Alton, Eureka, Fenton, Kirkwood, Valley Park and Florissant, as well as unincorporated areas of Franklin County, Jefferson County, St. Charles County and St. Louis County. If more areas join, the state will update the information at Mo.gov. Schedules for pickup should be available at the states website as theyre finalized later in the week, Nixon said. Meanwhile, Nixon said damage assessments began this week to prepare the state to seek a federal disaster declaration to help individuals seek assistance for uninsured losses under disaster assistance programs. Damage assessments should begin next week for roads, bridges, schools and other infrastructure that could be eligible for help under federal recovery programs. Would posting a gun-free zone sign in front of your home make you feel safer? Probably not. Criminals dont obey these signs. In fact, to criminals, gun-free zones look like easy targets. So why do we put up these signs in other places? Bills being considered by Missouri state Sens. Brian Munzlinger, R-Williamstown, and Bob Dixon, R-Springfield, would lift the current ban on concealed carrying at higher education institutions. Gun control advocates cant point to any problems with permit holders carrying gun in those places, but it hasnt stopped them from opposing the proposed law. Since at least 1950, all but two public mass shootings in America have taken place where general citizens are banned from carrying guns. In Europe, there have been no exceptions. Every mass public shooting has occurred in a gun-free zone. And Europe is no stranger to mass shootings. It has been host to three of the six worst K-12 school shootings and by far the worst mass public shooting perpetrated by a single individual. With dozens of cases where permit holders have clearly stopped what would have been mass public shootings, it is understandable where killers avoid places where they cant kill a large number of people. What might be surprising is how killers often openly talk about their desire to attack where guns are banned. The Charleston killers first choice was to target the College of Charleston, but he chose the church instead because there were armed guards at the college. Just a few months ago, the diary of the Aurora, Colo., Batman movie theater killer, James Holmes, was finally released. He turned down his first choice, an airport, because he was concerned about their substantial security. Out of seven theaters showing the Batman movie premiere within 20 minutes of the suspects apartment, he attacked the only one banned permitted concealed handguns. Or take cases from last year. Elliot Rodger, who shot to death three people in Santa Barbara, Calif., explained his own choice. In his 141-page manifesto, Rodger turned down targets because he worried that someone with a gun would cut short his killing spree. Justin Bourque shot to death three people in Canada. His Facebook page made fun of gun bans, with pictures of defenseless victims explaining to killers that they werent allowed to have their guns. Policeone, the countrys largest private organization of police, with 450,000 members, found that 80 percent of their surveyed members thought that letting permit holders carry at schools would likely reduce casualties. In late 2013, Ron Noble, the secretary general of Interpol, noted two means of protecting people from mass shootings: One is to say we want an armed citizenry; you can see the reason for that. Another is to say the enclaves [should be] so secure that in order to get into the soft target, youre going to have to pass through extraordinary security. But Noble now realizes that it was virtually impossible to stop killers from getting weapons. Extensive evidence backs this up. University of Chicago economist Bill Landes and I studied the effects of 13 types of gun control laws on public mass shootings from 1977 to 1999. Permitted concealed handgun laws were the only effective measures in preventing or reducing the harm caused by these attacks. Attacks occurred in those tiny areas where victims werent able to protect themselves. Today, 12 states mandate that permit holders are allowed to carry guns on public college campuses. An additional 21 states leave it up to the university. Some fear that students with permits will lash out violently at others, but he cant point to one single time that has happened at schools where permits have been allowed. Despite concerns, there has never been a case where a student with a permit has threatened a professor over grades or anything else. The same concerns were raised for permit holders generally before Missouri enacted concealed carry in 2004. Ten years later, permit holders have proven to be extremely law-abiding. Indeed, a study this past year by the Crime Prevention Research Center found college-age permit holders in Michigan, Nevada, and Texas (three states that break down revocation data by age) are at least as responsible as older permit holders. Accidents over the decades are exceedingly rare. There were four accidental discharges by teachers or staff one each at universities in Colorado, Idaho, Mississippi and Utah. All cases involved very minor injuries. None involved others getting a hold of the guns. Gun-free zones are a magnet for murderers. But a year after permit holders are allowed to defend themselves and others, everyone will wonder what all the concerns were about. John R. Lott Jr. is the president of the Crime Prevention Research Center, and Michael R. Gordinier is a senior lecture at the Washington University Business School. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 6 Trend: The Republic of Armenia bears the responsibility for unleashing the war and using force against Azerbaijan, occupying its territories, carrying out ethnic cleansing on a massive scale and committing other serious crimes, Hikmat Hajiyev, spokesman for the Azerbaijani foreign ministry, said. Hajiyev was commenting the illegal economic activity in the occupied Azerbaijani territories. "In flagrant violation of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty, it's appropriate laws and the norms and principles of international law, individuals or companies in transactions with Armenia, its organs, natural and legal persons as well as with its subordinate separatist regime in relation to the Nagorno-Karabakh region and other occupied territories of Azerbaijan run risk of facing appropriate legal proceedings, including in the form of administrative or criminal prosecution," Hajiyev said. "The Republic of Azerbaijan is the only country possessing the internationally recognized sovereignty over its occupied territories," he said. "Like any the military occupation, the occupation of Azerbaijan's territories is temporary as well." "Armenia established subordinate separatist entity in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and other regions of Azerbaijan," he said. He said that despite the ongoing negotiations towards the solution of the conflict based on the principles of international law and the UN Security Council Resolutions 822(1993), 853(1993), 874(1993) and 884 (1993) the policy and practice of Armenia in the occupied territories, including installation of artificial settlements by transferring people from abroad into those areas, destruction of cultural heritage of Azerbaijani people and altering their origin, illegal commercial activities and preventing the Azerbaijani internally displaced population from returning to their homes testify to the intention of Armenia to secure the annexation of these territories. "Under international law such activities in the occupied territories may be qualified as war crimes that entail criminal liability," he said. "Additionally, the natural and legal persons also in breach of corporate social responsibility and business ethics code, contribute to the continuation of Armenia's occupation against Azerbaijan and violation of fundamental rights, including rights of return and rights of property of million more Azerbaijani internally displaced persons who were subject of ethnic cleansing," he said. "As a result of preventive actions and rising of awareness about legal consequences, the activities of many foreign companies have been ceased in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and other regions of Azerbaijan," he said. Hajiyev said that the General Prosecutor Office has filed a criminal case against Vartan Sirmakes, the national of Swiss Confederation, co-founder of "Franck Muller Group" and CEO for his illegal economic and other activities in the territories of Azerbaijan occupied by the armed forces of Armenia. "In the meantime, the criminal proceedings have been taken in relation to German Sterligov, citizen of Russian Federation for his illegal actions in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan," he said. "The necessary operative-investigative actions are being continued in this regard. The illegal economic activities in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan are also put into the agenda of joint Governmental Commissions and are subject of discussions with the appropriate States." Hajiyev said that in accordance with their obligations under the international law all States shall do all necessary to refrain their natural and legal persons from unlawful visits to and other activities in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and prohibit export of any products produced in these areas to their markets. "The Republic of Azerbaijan will continue to take all legal and political measures at the national and international levels to prevent such illegal activities in its occupied sovereign territories," he said. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions. LONDON MARKET MIDDAY: Tax threat to UK banks hurts FTSE 100 Wednesday, October 19, 2022 - 12:37 Selling pressure on bank stocks and worries about more aggressive interest rate hikes were holding back the London market on Wednesday The FTSE 100 index was down just 1.45 points at 6,935.29 around midday. The FTSE 250 was off a heftier 217.21 points, or 1.2%, at 17,312.10. The AIM All-Share shed 6.77 points, 0.9%, at 788.71. The Cboe UK 100 traded 0.1% lower at 693.16, the Cboe UK 250 fell 1.3% to 14,832.56, and the Cboe Small Companies traded 0.3% lower at 12,421.51. In European equities on Wednesday afternoon, the CAC 40 in Paris rose 0.3%, and the DAX 40 in Frankfurt added 0.2%. The pound fell to $1.1255 midday Wednesday from $1.1291 late Tuesday, despite another hot consumer price index rise increasing the likelihood of the UK central bank stepping up its pace of rate hikes. The UK inflation rate picked up to 10.1% in September from 9.9% in August and returned to the same rate as recorded in July. The latest figure came in marginally hotter-than-expected, with a reading of 10% foreseen by the market, according to FXStreet. The reading is likely to ensure another chunky rate hike by the Bank of England next month, potentially a 75 basis point lift to the bank rate. Last month, the central bank raised the key rate by 50 basis points for the second time in a row. "With the country's economic prospects looking bleak, a higher-than-expected inflation reading adds to the woes faced by British policymakers," ActivTrades analyst Ricardo Evangelista commented. Pressure is also on the European Central Bank, which makes an interest rate decision on Thursday next week, as eurozone inflation also remains too high. However, the eurozone's yearly inflation rate was a touch cooler than expected last month, according to revised figures. The yearly inflation rate for the single currency area was 9.9% in September, slightly below the 10% initial estimate from Eurostat, though quickening from 9.1% in August. Highlighting the plight faced by the ECB, a year earlier, the eurozone yearly inflation rate was 3.4%, still above the central bank's 2% target, but markedly below the current rate. The euro traded at $0.9779 midday Wednesday UK time, down from $0.9826 at the time of European equities close on Tuesday. The dollar rose to JP149.57 from JP149.24 late Tuesday. In London, Asos shares rose 11%. The online clothing retailer reported a swing to annual loss, though it outlined plans to revive its fortunes after performing a "diagnostic" on its issues. Revenue in the financial year that ended August 31 rose 0.7% to 3.94 billion from 3.91 billion a year earlier. However, Asos reported a swing to an annual pretax loss of 31.9 million of 177.1 million. Among its issues, Asos said, is an underperforming international arm, its supply chain operations, its "customer acquisition and commercial model", and the need for data and digital improvements. Over the next 12 months, it will look to improve inventory management, reduce its costs and "reinforce" its leadership team and culture. Asos expects a 100 million to 130 million non-cash stock write-off for the new financial year. Capital expenditure, at 175 million to 200 million, will be below the mid-term range of 200 million to 250 million. It also flagged a half-year loss for the current financial year. On AIM, IOG plunged 52%. The North Sea-focused gas and infrastructure operator has suspended its Southwark A1 well due to more fluid losses, putting its focus elsewhere as it still eyes first gas this quarter. "Drilling the Southwark A1 well has continued to be very challenging, with further fluid losses at the base of the Bunter Shale. To preserve the opportunity to deliver first gas in this quarter, we have decided to suspend operations on A1 in order to ensure that A2 stimulation work proceeds in the scheduled window," Chief Executive Andrew Hockey says. Analysts at SP Angel commented: "Lower reserves, lower production, higher costs and delays; a sobering update from IOG on its operational difficulties and below-expectation reservoir performance. "Shareholders will hope that this 'kitchen-sinking' marks the low point of the start-up issues that have plagued the project and that management can find long-term solutions to optimise reservoir management and resolve its drilling issues. 7digital surged 41% as it announced a contract win with Pinterest, a social media platform famed for its moodboards and image sharing. "7digital's three-year contract with Pinterest is designed to support growth in content and territories as the platform expands into new markets as needed. The contract will enable Pinterest's music library to include licensed commercial tracks, delivered by 7digital's music-as-a-service platform, to sit alongside their royalty free music," the music licensing provider said. Lloyds Banking fell by 3.3%, NatWest by 1.6% and Barclays by 1.3%. The shares fell in response to a report that banks will be targeted by the new UK chancellor, Jeremy Hunt. According to the Financial Times, Hunt will look at a tax on banking sector profits, in a bid to bolster the government's finances. Banks currently pay an effective 27% tax rate, stemming from corporation tax at 19% and the banking surcharge at 8%. While corporation tax is to climb to 25% in April, the FT reported that Hunt is undecided on whether to keep the bank surcharge at the current 8%. The surcharge had been due to drop to 3% next year under plans announced last year. The FT quoted a treasury spokesperson as saying: "We can't comment on specific speculation; however, the chancellor and prime minister have been clear that difficult decisions will be required to restore economic stability and no options are off the table." A barrel of Brent oil rose to $91.07 around midday in London, up from $88.97 late Tuesday. Brent fell below $89 before regaining poise on Wednesday morning. President Joe Biden will announce on Wednesday that he is putting the final 15 million barrels on the market from a record release of US strategic oil reserves, with more releases possible if energy prices spike, a senior US official said. The new tranche of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve will be "completing the 180 million barrel release authorized in the spring", in response to price hikes linked to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the senior US official added. In New York, focus remains on corporate earnings, with Tesla reporting later on Wednesday, with AT&T, American Airlines and American Express to follow before the end of the week. Stocks in New York were called to open higher on Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was called up 0.1%, the S&P 500 up 0.3% and the Nasdaq Composite up 0.5%. "Third-quarter earnings season from the US may help to set the mood and so far, companies seem to be performing well, albeit against some pretty modest expectations," AJ Bell analyst Russ Mould commented. "For now, corporate America seems to be standing up well to the inflation storm, but a lot will depend on the big tech companies reporting next week with the destiny of the markets in the hands of the likes of Apple, Alphabet and Amazon." Gold traded at $1,633.90 an ounce midday Wednesday, down from $1,647.70 at the London equities close Tuesday. Still to come in Wednesday's economic calendar are US housing starts at 1330 BST. Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 6 By Anahanum Khidayatova - Trend: Roberto Montella of Italy has begun service as secretary general of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), the website of the assembly said. Montella succeeds the assembly's first Secretary General Spencer Oliver of the United States. Montella has held various posts within the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's Secretariat, most recently serving as director of Presidential Administration. He previously held positions at OSCE field missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Serbia and Montenegro, fulfilling a range of advisory, peace-building and management functions. He also served as head of the OSCE South Serbia Regional Office and head of the European Center for Minority Issues in Kosovo. The secretary general's term is five years and may be renewed twice. The OSCE is the world's largest regional structure dealing with security issues. It brings together 57 countries. Azerbaijan is a member of the OSCE since January 30, 1992. The OSCE PA is an interparliamentary organization that brings together the parliaments of countries that are members of this structure. The OSCE PA Standing Committee voted in favor of Montella at 2015 Annual Session in Helsinki on July 5-9, following a unanimous vote by the Bureau, according to the website of the assembly. Wellesbourne Airfield The Queens birthday will be officially marked across the world between 10 to 12 June. The deadline for applications is 29 January. Street party road closures must be approved by Stratford District Council. Claire Bowry, grants manager at Stratford Town Trust, said: This is first time the trust has created a new grant scheme for a special event and we want all corners of the community to get involved. The Queens 90 birthday will be celebrated up and down the country and across the world; its an opportunity to bring out the bunting and bring people together and we are delighted to be able to support the people of Stratford-upon-Avon in doing that. To apply, see www.stratfordtowntrust.co.uk or e-mail grants@stratfordtowntrust.co.uk Wellesbourne Airfield Mr Cameron joked that it looked at one point like the reshuffle could enter its '12 Night', that it was 'A Comedy of Errors' before making references to 'Loves Labours Lost' and 'As You Like it'. The labour leader appeared unmoved by Mr Camerons efforts. CrossAmerica Partners LP (NYSE: CAPL) announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire thirty-one franchise Holiday stores located in Wisconsin and Minnesota that are being sold by SSG Corporation for $48.5 million. Of the 31 company-operated stores, 28 are located in Wisconsin and 3 are located in Minnesota. Twenty-seven of the sites are owned fee simple locations. For the twelve month period ended August 31, 2015, the sites sold approximately 26.5 million gallons of motor fuel and had approximately $44.0 million in inside sales. "We are delighted to acquire this great network of stores and become a Holiday Stationstores franchisee," said President Jeremy Bergeron. "This acquisition complements our acquisition of Erickson Oil Products made in early 2015 and further solidifies CrossAmerica's commitment to the Minnesota and Wisconsin region," Jeremy added. "We look forward to working together with CrossAmerica on finalizing this transaction" said Burt Nordstrand, Founder and CEO of SSG Corporation. "The strength of SSG has always been our employees and we are grateful to them for their many years of loyal service. SSG was the first Self Service gasoline company in our area and operated under the company-owned "Auto Stop" brand for the first 32 years and under the "Holiday" franchise brand for the last 13 years." The acquisition is subject to customary conditions to closing and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2016. The Partnership expects the acquisition to be accretive to distributable cash flow to limited partners. MasterCard today announced the promotion of Tara Nathan to executive vice president of Public-Private Partnerships. Nathans appointment comes as Ed Brandt, who has led the companys Government Services and Solutions group since April 2012, announced his retirement after 10 years at MasterCard. Nathan was most recently the companys executive director for International Development. In this role, she focused on creating partnerships with multilateral and bilateral development organizations, international financial institutions, corporate foundations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), designed to use payments technology to advance financial inclusion, humanitarian response, government transparency and economic formalization. In her new and expanded role, Nathan will continue to manage the companys International Development efforts, while adding oversight of Government Services and Solutions initiatives. Nathan and her team will leverage the companys innovation capabilities to help governments around the world address critical needs. Since 2012, MasterCard has implemented more than 1,000 government programs in 60 countries. Nathan recently played a critical role in the launch of the MasterCard Aid Network, an end-to-end, non-financial service designed to streamline aid distribution even in the absence of telecommunications infrastructure. Her team also helped establish MasterCard Labs for Financial Inclusion, with support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Taras proven experience and demonstrated leadership make her the ideal person to lead this important area going forward, commented Walt Macnee, vice chairman of MasterCard. Tara and her team will build on the work that weve established by using our people, our expertise and our technology to address the critical challenges facing governments and NGOs today and in the future. Nathan originally joined MasterCard in 2010 to lead the commercial development of the MasterCard Mobile Payments Gateway across key markets including Egypt, Brazil and Turkey. Before joining MasterCard, she held various management roles at Citigroup. Earlier, Nathan was a diplomat at the U.S. State Department, holding posts in Taiwan, Japan and China. Nathan serves on the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Humanitarian Response. She holds a Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School of Business and a Bachelor of Science from the Georgetown School of Foreign Service. Id like to thank Ed for all that hes done for MasterCard over the past decade. He has played a significant role in strengthening the companys global government partnership approach, and he leaves an excellent foundation for us to carry forward. On behalf of the entire MasterCard family, I wish Ed and his family all the best in retirement, said Macnee. About MasterCard MasterCard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com, is a technology company in the global payments industry. We operate the worlds fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. MasterCards products and solutions make everyday commerce activities such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MasterCardNews, join the discussion on the Beyond the Transaction Blog and subscribe for the latest news on the Engagement Bureau. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160106006505/en/ MasterCard Seth Eisen, 914-249-3153 [email protected] Source: MasterCard Incorporated Because of overwhelming response to the biggest wireless offer in U.S. history, Sprint is extending its offer to customers from AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon and giving them the opportunity to switch and save 50 percent off most competitors standard rate plans1 through Feb. 11. Sprint also will continue to pay switching fees up to $650 per line. This opportunity invites customers from the competition to experience the Sprint network that is performing better than ever its faster than Verizon and AT&T based on analysis of Nielsen Mobile Performance data2 and encourages wireless users to try the new LTE Plus network, which is demonstrating peak speeds in excess of 100Mbps in cities across the country3. The response to 50% off has been outstanding, said Marcelo Claure, Sprint CEO. We experienced record sales during Black Friday and continue to see high demand. After receiving such positive feedback from customers and hearing from our salespeople about store traffic, I knew we had to extend this exciting promotion to give even more wireless subscribers the opportunity to experience Sprints award-winning network and take advantage of the best value in wireless. Customers have been very pleased with the offer. Trust me when I say that Sprint is knocking this thing out the park, said Paul McNeal, Sterling, Va. The Sprint network is as good as any other carrier Ive had, and you cant beat the price. The plan is simple. AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon customers who switch to Sprint will receive 50 percent off most of their current rate plan prices. Here are the details: TransAlta Corporation (NYSE: TAC) announced today the closing of the investment by TransAlta Renewables Inc in TransAlta's Sarnia Cogeneration Plant, Le Nordais wind farm and Ragged Chute hydro facility (the "Portfolio") for a combined value of approximately $540 million (the "Transaction"). The Portfolio consists of approximately 611 MW of highly contracted power generation assets located in Ontario and Quebec. TransAlta Renewables' investment consists of the acquisition of securities which track the net distributable profits of the Portfolio. The Transaction was originally announced on November 23, 2015. "I am pleased to announce the closing of our second drop-down transaction with TransAlta Renewables this year. In 2015, we raised approximately $600 million in cash proceeds through the use of our sponsored vehicle and going forward, we intend to continue to grow TransAlta Renewables with suitable assets from TransAlta and new accretive transactions as they arise," said Dawn Farrell, President and Chief Executive Officer. Pursuant to the Transaction TransAlta received cash proceeds of $172.5 million, $215 million in convertible unsecured subordinated debentures (the "Debentures") and approximately $152.5 million in common shares of TransAlta Renewables (the "Common Shares"). Cash proceeds will be used by the Company to reduce debt which remains a focus in 2016. Following the closing of the Transaction, TransAlta owns approximately 134.0 million Common Shares and approximately 26.1 million Class B Shares of TransAlta Renewables, representing approximately 64% of the outstanding voting shares of TransAlta Renewables. The Debentures were issued to TransAlta on an interest only basis at a coupon of 4.5% per annum payable semi-annually in arrears and will mature on December 31, 2020 at which time TransAlta will have the right, at is sole option, to convert the outstanding Debentures, in whole or in part, into 16.3 million Common Shares of TransAlta Renewables. Ownership will increase to approximately 66% in 2020 if TransAlta converts the outstanding Debentures to Common Shares. TransAlta Renewables will continue to be a key part of TransAlta's strategy to strengthen its balance sheet, improve its liquidity and position the Company for future growth opportunities. TransAlta remains committed to maintaining its position as the majority shareholder and sponsor of TransAlta Renewables and intends to continue to own approximately 60% to 80% of the outstanding voting shares of TransAlta Renewables. 2015 Strategic Accomplishments Including this Transaction, TransAlta executed a number of initiatives in 2015 that have enhanced the competitive positioning of the Company for 2016 and beyond including: 1) Raising over $1.0 billion of net proceeds throughout the year consisting of approximately $600 million through drop-down transactions and the sale of Common Shares of TransAlta Renewables and approximately $442 million in non-recourse financing associated with two wind farms in Ontario at a rate of 3.8%. Cash proceeds were used to reduce indebtedness and have resulted in liquidity of approximately $1.5 billion following the closing of the recent Transaction with TransAlta Renewables. 2) Maintaining investment grade credit ratings from three rating agencies. Standard & Poor's ("S&P") recently reaffirmed TransAlta's BBB-/Stable Outlook credit rating, reflecting the Company's commitment to strengthen its balance sheet. TransAlta also maintains investment grade ratings with stable outlooks from DBRS (BBB/Stable Outlook) and Fitch (BBB- /Stable Outlook). As expected, Moody's Investor Services ("Moody's") recently announced that it had downgraded TransAlta's credit rating to Ba1 (Stable Outlook). This action by Moody's is not anticipated to have a material impact on the Company. 3) Executing several productivity initiatives that are expected to reduce TransAlta's operations, maintenance and administrative costs by approximately $50 million. These cost reductions improve the Company's competitive position in the current low power price environment in Alberta and the Pacific Northwest. 4) Hedging approximately 87% of its generation for 2016, and approximately 82% for 2017. The average prices of short-term physical and financial contracts for 2016 are approximately $50 per MWh in Alberta and approximately U.S. $45 per MWh in the Pacific Northwest. This provides a greater level of certainty on the Company's results for 2016 and 2017. 5) Purchasing long-term contracted solar and wind assets which is expected to add approximately $20 to $25 million of incremental EBITDA in 2016 for total consideration of approximately $200 million and commissioning the Fortescue River Gas Pipeline, a long-term contracted gas pipeline in Western Australia, that is expected to add approximately $10 million of EBITDA on an annualized basis. 6) Advancing the construction of the South Hedland Power Project, a 150 MW long-term contracted gas-fired generation facility, on budget and on- time. This project is expected to be commissioned in mid-2017 and add approximately $80 million of incremental annualized EBITDA. Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. (NYSE: VRX) announced that Howard B. Schiller has been appointed interim chief executive officer of Valeant, effective immediately. Mr. Schiller served as Valeant's chief financial officer from December 2011 through June 2015 and currently serves on Valeant's Board of Directors. Valeant also announced that Robert Ingram, Lead Independent Director, will serve as interim chairman of the Board of Directors. J. Michael Pearson remains in the hospital where he is being treated for severe pneumonia, and as the timing of his expected return is uncertain, he will be on a medical leave of absence until further notice. Robert Ingram said, "As Mike's medical leave continues, and the timing of his recovery and return remains uncertain, Howard will now step in as CEO on an interim basis. Howard's performance as Valeant's CFO, as well as his deep understanding of Valeant's operations, are excellent and we are grateful that he has agreed to take on this role. The Board will continue to work closely with Howard and the other members of the senior management team to implement Valeant's strategy successfully in Mike's absence." "Valeant is a strong company with a collection of great franchises and strong healthcare brands, innovative strategies and an exceptionally productive approach to R&D. I appreciate the confidence the Board has placed in me as I step into this role while Mike focuses on his health. Our future is incredibly bright and I am looking forward to working with the rest of the senior leadership, as well as the entire Valeant team, to continue to execute on our strategic plan," said Mr. Schiller. Mr. Ingram added, "We appreciate the expressions of support and concern for Mike's health that we have received from Valeant's investors, employees, business partners and other stakeholders. While Mike's illness was sudden and unexpected, our strong management team has stepped in to keep our businesses on track and thriving. We particularly appreciate the leadership of Rob Chai-Onn, Ari Kellen and Rob Rosiello at this important time." Mr. Schiller most recently served as Valeant's chief financial officer from December 2011 to June 2015 and has been serving on the Board of the Company since September 2012. Mr. Schiller joined Valeant following a 24-year career at Goldman Sachs, a global investment banking firm. From 2009 to 2010, Mr. Schiller was the chief operating officer for the Investment Banking Division of Goldman Sachs. From 2003 to 2009, he was responsible for the global healthcare, consumer products, retail, industrial and natural resource businesses in the Investment Banking Division of Goldman Sachs. He is also on the business advisory council of the University of Chicago Law School. Mr. Schiller received his BS in economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and his JD from the University of Chicago Law School. Mr. Ingram has been serving on Valeant's Board since September 2010, and was the Chairman of the Board from December 2010 to March 2011. Since January 2007, Mr. Ingram has been a general partner at Hatteras Venture Partners, a venture capital firm focused on biopharmaceuticals, medical devices, diagnostics and related opportunities in human medicine. Since January 2010, he has served as a special advisor to the Chief Executive Officer of GlaxoSmithKline. He served as Vice Chairman Pharmaceuticals of GSK from 2002 through 2009 and Chief Operating Officer and President of Pharmaceutical Operations, CEO of Glaxo Wellcome plc from October 1997 to December 2000 and chairman of the board of Glaxo Wellcome Inc., Glaxo Wellcome plc's U.S. subsidiary, from January 1999 to December 2000. Mr. Ingram was President and CEO of Glaxo Wellcome Inc. from October 1997 to January 1999. Mr. Ingram is also a member of the Board of Advisors for the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Triangle Institute, as well as Chairman of the Board, Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina and Glaxo North Carolina Foundation. Mr. Ingram currently serves on the board of CREE, Inc. By Ju-min Park and Se Young Lee SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea is in talks with the United States to deploy U.S. strategic weapons on the Korean peninsula, a South Korean military official said on Thursday, a day after North Korea said it successfully tested a hydrogen nuclear device. South Korea also said it would resume propaganda broadcasts by loudspeaker into North Korea from Friday, which is likely to infuriate its isolated rival, in response to its fourth nuclear test. The United States and weapons experts voiced doubts the device North Korea tested on Wednesday was a hydrogen bomb, but calls mounted for more sanctions against it for its rogue nuclear program. The underground explosion angered China, which was not given prior notice although it is North Korea's main ally, pointing to a strain in their ties. The test also alarmed Japan. Its prime minister, Shinzo Abe, agreed with U.S. President Barack Obama in a telephone call that a firm global response was needed, the White House said. Obama also spoke to President Park Geun-hye of South Korea to discuss options. A South Korean military official told Reuters the two countries had discussed the deployment of U.S. strategic assets on the divided Korean peninsula, but declined to give further details. After North Korea last tested a nuclear device, in 2013, Washington sent a pair of nuclear-capable B-2 stealth bombers on a sortie over South Korea in a show of force. At the time, North Korea responded by threatening a nuclear strike on the United States. South Korea, technically in a state of war against the North, said it was not considering a nuclear deterrent of its own, despite calls from ruling party leaders. The United States is highly unlikely to restore the tactical nuclear missiles it removed from South Korea in 1991, experts said. The test was a "grave violation" of an August agreement by the two Koreas to ease tension and improve ties, a South Korean national security official, Cho Tae-yong, said in a statement. "Our military is at a state of full readiness, and if North Korea wages provocation, there will be firm punishment." The South raised its military alert to the highest level in areas along the border near its propaganda loudspeakers, the South's Yonhap news agency reported late on Thursday. The United States is limited in its military response for fear of provoking an unpredictable regime in Pyongyang, said Anthony Cordesman, a defense policy expert at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies think-tank. "Any escalation in this region, any over-reaction can easily lead to not only a conflict between South and North Korea, but drag China and the United States and Japan into a confrontation," Cordesman said. A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman called for a resumption of so-called six-party talks between the two Koreas, China, the United States, Japan and Russia aimed at curbing North Korea's nuclear ambitions. "We are worried about how things are developing," the spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, told a briefing. Asked about a suggestion from U.S. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump that China could do more to rein in North Korea, Hua said: "What constructive efforts have they made?" Hours after the nuclear test, the U.N. Security Council said it would work immediately on significant new measures against North Korea. Diplomats said that could mean an expansion of sanctions, although major powers might baulk at an all-out economic offensive. SURPRISE North Korea has a long history of bellicose rhetoric against the United States and its Asian allies but its assertion that it had tested a hydrogen device, much more powerful than an atomic bomb, came as a surprise. North Korea also said it was capable of miniaturizing the H-bomb, in theory allowing it to be placed on a missile and threatening the U.S. West Coast, South Korea and Japan. The U.S. State Department confirmed North Korea had conducted a nuclear test but the Obama administration disputed the hydrogen bomb claim. "The initial analysis is not consistent with the claim the regime has made of a successful hydrogen bomb test," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters. The test took place two days ahead of what is believed to be North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's birthday. North Korea called the device the "H-bomb of justice", but its state news agency also said it would act as a responsible nuclear state and would not use its nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty was infringed. The impoverished state boasts of its military might to project strength globally but also plays up the need to defend itself from external threats as a way to maintain control domestically, analysts say. Hydrogen bombs use a two-step process of fission and fusion that releases substantially more energy than an atomic bomb. However, it will likely take several days to determine more precisely what kind of device was set off as a variety of sensors, including "sniffer planes", collect evidence. A U.S. government source said Washington believes North Korea had set off the latest in a series of tests of atomic bombs. (Additional reporting by Meeyoung Cho, James Pearson, Se Young Lee, Christine Kim, Jee Heun Kahng and Jack Kim in SEOUL, Louis Charbonneau at the UNITED NATIONS, Matt Spetalnick, Ayesha Rascoe, Doina Chiacu and Megan Cassella in WASHINGTON, Kaori Kaneko in TOKYO and Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Writing by Raju Gopalakrishnan; Editing by Tony Munroe, Robert Birsel) Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 6 Trend: US President Barack Obama invited Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to attend 4th Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C. in March 2016, Novruz Mammadov, deputy head of Azerbaijani presidential administration, chief of the administration's foreign relations department, tweeted Jan.6. The summit will be held in Washington, DC from March 31 to April 1, 2016. The first Nuclear Security Summit was held in Washington in 2010, the second - in Seoul in 2012, the third - in the Hague in 2014. Mammadov said Obama sent a letter to Ilham Aliyev Dec. 3, adding that in the letter that Obama said Azerbaijan has demonstrated steadfast support of the global nuclear security architecture. The US president also expressed hope that Azerbaijan will continue to prioritize efforts to interdict nuclear and radiological materials, said Mammadov. TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 01/06/16 -- Dundee Corporation (TSX: DC.A)(TSX: DC.PR.C) ("Dundee" or the "Company") today announced the postponement of its special meeting of holders of its First Preference Shares, Series 4 par value of $17.84 (the "Series 4 Preferred Shares" and the holders thereof, the "Series 4 Preferred Shareholders"), which was originally scheduled for January 7, 2016 until January 28, 2016 in order for Series 4 Preferred Shareholders to consider amendments to the terms of the Company's previously announced preferred share exchange transaction (the "Amended Exchange Transaction"). The December 3, 2015 record date will remain the same. The amendment follows consultations with a number of the Series 4 Preferred Shareholders. The terms of the Amended Exchange Transaction are outlined below: -- In consideration for extending the date on which the Series 4 Preferred Shares would become retractable by the holder thereof, being June 30, 2016, for an additional three year period to June 30, 2019, each Series 4 Preferred Shareholder will exchange their Series 4 Preferred Share pursuant to a statutory plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) for: -- 0.7136 of a First Preference Share, Series 5 par value $25.00 (the "Series 5 Preferred Shares" and each holder thereof a "Series 5 Preferred Shareholder"); plus -- 0.25 of a subordinate voting share purchase warrant ("Warrant"), each whole Warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one class A subordinate voting share of the Company (a "Subordinate Voting Share") at a price of $6.00 per Subordinate Voting Share at any time on or prior to 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on June 30, 2019. The Company is applying to the Toronto Stock Exchange (the "TSX") for the listing of the Warrants. The Terms of the Series 5 Preferred Shares The rights, privileges, restrictions and conditions of the Series 5 Preferred Shares are identical to those of the Series 4 Preferred Shares, except that: -- The cumulative dividend rate will increase from 5.0% to 7.5% per annum, being an annual dividend of $1.875 per Series 5 Preferred Share, or a quarterly dividend of $0.46875 per Series 5 Preferred Share; -- Up to 15% of the then outstanding Series 5 Preferred Shares of each Series 5 Preferred Shareholder will be subject to redemption at the holder's option for its par value on June 30, 2016; -- A further 17% of the then outstanding Series 5 Preferred Shares of each Series 5 Preferred Shareholder will be subject to redemption at the holder's option for its par value on January 31, 2018; and -- The Series 5 Preferred Shares will be redeemable by Dundee at (i) $25.75 per share if redeemed prior to June 30, 2017, (ii) $25.50 per share if redeemed on or after June 30, 2017 and prior to June 30, 2018, (iii) $25.25 per share if redeemed on or after June 30, 2018 and prior to June 30, 2019, and (iv) $25.00 per share if redeemed on or after June 30, 2019, plus, in each case, an amount equal to all accrued and unpaid dividends thereon to but excluding the date fixed for redemption. Currently, the Series 4 Preferred Shares are redeemable by the Company at par together with any accrued and unpaid dividends to but excluding the redemption date. Consent Payments The one-time consent fee of up to 1.25% that would have been payable to Series 4 Preferred Shareholders who voted in favour of the prior proposal has been replaced by a 1.5% per year increase in the dividend rate payable to all Series 5 Preferred Shareholders in the event that the Amended Exchange Transaction proceeds. If the Amended Exchange Transaction is completed, Dundee will make certain payments (the "Consent Payments") to the brokers, investment dealers, banks, trust companies or other intermediaries of the Series 4 Preferred Shareholders (collectively, the "Intermediaries"), subject to certain procedures and conditions which will be outlined in the revised Circular (as defined below): -- a Consent Payment of $0.1784 per Series 4 Preferred Share, representing 1.00% of the par value of the Series 4 Preferred Shares, will be paid by Dundee to Intermediaries in respect of each Series 4 Preferred Share that is voted FOR the Arrangement Resolution (as defined below) on or prior to January 21, 2016, provided such vote is valid and is not subsequently withdrawn; and -- a Consent Payment of $0.0892 per Series 4 Preferred Share, representing 0.50% of the par value of the Series 4 Preferred Shares, will be paid by Dundee to Intermediaries in respect of each Series 4 Preferred Share that is voted FOR the Arrangement Resolution after January 21, 2016 but on or prior to the proxy cut off time of 9:00 a.m. (Toronto time) on January 26, 2016, provided such vote is valid and is not subsequently withdrawn. The Postponed Meeting In connection with the Amended Exchange Transaction, a special meeting of the Series 4 Preferred Shareholders has been scheduled for 9:00 a.m. (Toronto time) on January 28 , 2016 (the "Meeting"), at the offices of Dundee Corporation, 1 Adelaide St. East, Suite 2100, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5C 2V9. The Amended and Restated Management Information Circular of the Company (the "Circular") for the postponed Meeting will be mailed to the Series 4 Preferred Shareholders and filed on SEDAR shortly. Series 4 Preferred Shareholders are encouraged to vote regardless of how many Series 4 Preferred Shares they own. Series 4 Preferred Shareholders should follow the instructions on the voting instruction form to be provided by their Intermediary to ensure their vote is counted at the Meeting. Due to the changes in the proposed terms, any votes and any dissents previously submitted by Series 4 Preferred Shareholders in accordance with the instructions provided in the previous management information circular dated December 3, 2015 will not apply to the amended terms. Shareholders can anticipate receiving a new voting instruction form and control number in the mail. Even if Series 4 Preferred Shareholders have voted previously, in order for their vote to count, they must use the new voting instruction form to instruct their Intermediary how to vote on their behalf. Series 4 Preferred Shareholders who wish to vote or dissent in respect of the Amended Exchange Transaction should refer to the instructions in the Circular on how to do so. To be effective, the Amended Exchange Transaction must be approved by a resolution (the "Arrangement Resolution") passed at the postponed Meeting by not less than two-thirds (66 2/3%) of the votes validly cast by the Series 4 Preferred Shareholders present in person or represented by proxy. The completion of the Amended Exchange Transaction is conditional on, among other things, the holders of the Series 4 Preferred Shares approving the Arrangement Resolution, the approval of the TSX, dissent rights not having been exercised with respect to more than 10% of the issued and outstanding Series 4 Preferred Shares, any required lender approvals and other customary conditions (unless waived by the Company). Reasons for the Amended Exchange Transaction The Company has engaged GMP Securities L.P. ("GMP") as its financial advisor and dealer manager, and Shorecrest Group Ltd. as its proxy advisor and paying agent in connection with the Amended Exchange Transaction. The board of directors of Dundee (the "Board of Directors") has unanimously determined that the Amended Exchange Transaction is fair to the Series 4 Preferred Shareholders (as well as to the holders of all other classes and series of shares) and is in the best interests of Dundee, and unanimously recommends that the Series 4 Preferred Shareholders vote FOR the Arrangement Resolution. The determination of the Board of Directors is based on various factors, including a fairness opinion prepared by GMP. By recommending the Arrangement Resolution to the Series 4 Preferred Shareholders, the Board of Directors believes the Arrangement Resolution provides a number of anticipated benefits to the Series 4 Preferred Shareholders, including, without limitation, the following: a. The Series 5 Preferred Shares will have a dividend rate of 7.5% per annum, which is greater than the current dividend rate on the Series 4 Preferred Shares of 5% per annum; b. Each Series 4 Preferred Share (each having a par value and redemption price of $17.84 per Series 4 Preferred Share) will be exchanged for (i) 0.7136 of a Series 5 Preferred Share par value $25.00, aligning with standard market convention; plus (ii) 0.25 of a Warrant, each whole Warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one Subordinate Voting Share at a price of $6.00 per Subordinate Voting Share at any time prior to 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on June 30, 2019; c. Up to 15% of the then outstanding Series 5 Preferred Shares of each Series 5 Preferred Shareholder will be subject to redemption at the holder's option for its par value on June 30, 2016; d. Up to an additional 17% of the then outstanding Series 5 Preferred Shares of each Series 5 Preferred Shareholder will be subject to redemption at the holder's option for its par value on January 31, 2018; and e. Currently, the Series 4 Preferred Shares are redeemable by the Company at its option at par, together with any accrued and unpaid dividends to but excluding June 30, 2016. The Company will not be able to redeem the Series 5 Preferred Shares at its option prior to June 30, 2019 unless it pays a redemption premium over par. The Board of Directors also believes that the Arrangement Resolution provides a number of anticipated benefits to the Company and indirect benefits to the holders of the other classes (and series) of shares of the Company as follows: a. By extending the retraction date of the Series 4 Preferred Shares through the issuance of the Series 5 Preferred Shares from June 30, 2016 to June 30, 2019, the Company can repurpose certain capital that would have been needed should the holders have required the Company to redeem the Series 4 Preferred Shares on or after June 30, 2016 at the par price of $17.84 per Series 4 Preferred Share; b. The Company will maintain financial flexibility for future opportunistic business developments; and c. The Series 5 Preferred Shares will continue to be serviceable at an attractive cost of capital. About Dundee Corporation Dundee Corporation is a public Canadian independent holding company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Through its operating subsidiaries, Dundee Corporation is engaged in diverse business activities in the areas of its core competencies including investment advisory and corporate finance, energy, resources, agriculture, real estate and infrastructure. Dundee Corporation also holds, directly and indirectly, a portfolio of investments mostly in these core focus areas, as well as other select investments in both publicly listed and private companies. Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, which reflects Dundee Corporation's current expectations regarding future events. Forward-looking information is based on a number of assumptions and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Dundee Corporation's control, which could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the likelihood, and anticipated timing, of closing of the Amended Exchange Transaction, and the factors discussed under "Risk Factors" in the 2014 Annual Information Form of Dundee Corporation and subsequent filings made with securities commissions in Canada. Dundee Corporation does not undertake any obligation to update such forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law. Contacts: Dundee Corporation David Goodman President and Chief Executive Officer (416) 365-2571 Dundee Corporation Lucie Presot Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (416) 365-5157 Shorecrest Group Ltd. Proxy Solicitation and Paying Agent 1-888-637-5789 (toll free in North America) 1-647-931-7454 (collect outside North America) [email protected] Source: Dundee Corporation SCOTTSDALE, AZ -- (Marketwired) -- 01/06/16 -- Hotels never close. Hotel System Solutions (HSS) doesn't either. Co-Founders Erik Strom and Scott McGraw formed HSS in February 2015, drawing upon more than 40 years of combined hospitality management and technology experience to provide the hotel community with integrated systems and support for Opera PMS, POS, Interfaces and more with the Oracle Hospitality Suite. Now heading into their second year of business, HSS continues to build upon a successful platform that solves problems hotel operations face when implementing and utilizing technological systems. Challenges faced might include unresolved support tickets, skyrocketing implementation costs and lengthy wait times to get the support needed to make technological products work. "Our approach begins with the guest experience in mind," says McGraw. "The technology needs to work effectively to provide the guest with the best possible outcome. We help hotels optimize the products available to ensure the experience is seamless; when it is not, we also are there to help get it back on track." Strom and McGraw drew upon their deep-seated experience working in both the hospitality community and the world of technology to form HSS. They have successfully implemented the Opera PMS at more than 1,200 hotels and resorts worldwide, including chains such as IHG, Carlson Rezidor Hotels, Hyatt, MGM and Wyndham. Both founders are passionate about providing superior customer support and timely, affordable software solutions to help clients realize savings, improved financial controls, increased staff productivity and enhanced guest experience delivery. "With technology, the processes and systems change frequently and the team on the ground is often left unprepared to handle the changes," says Strom. "The need for assistance is immediate, but many times, help is not available for weeks. Scott and I have experience in both the hotel operation and technology partner side, and know firsthand the challenges from both perspectives and the ways in which the experience can be improved." Services HSS provides include (but are not limited to): professional consulting, system installation and configuration, operator and manager training, customized interfaces, forms (RDF and XML-based), custom reporting tools, and network and data center support. Current clients include KEYPR, for whom which HSS is a partner of choice, and also Red Lion Hotels Corporation. Scott McGraw brings more than 20 years of hospitality management and technology experience to his role as Co-Founder and CEO of HSS. McGraw's most recent appointment was with Nor1, where he served as Integrations and Opera PMS Subject Matter Expert. In this role, McGraw realized there was a growing need in the industry to help hotels and resorts make better use of their technology and provide them with enhanced support, tools and resources. Prior to Nor1, McGraw gained invaluable experience working at MICROS Systems, Inc. Throughout his nine-year tenure with MICROS, he held various progressive positions, gaining in-depth technical knowledge of the Opera Suite including PMS, OXI, ORS, and Sales & Catering. McGraw began his hospitality career in 1995, working in all aspects of the hotel operation for more than a decade at the Four Points Sheraton, NY. McGraw earned his degree in Hotel Management from Canisius College in Buffalo, NY, and currently resides in California. As Co-Founder and COO of HSS, Erik Strom has enjoyed a career in hospitality and technology that spans more than two decades. Strom's most recent appointment was as IT Manager at the 650-room, Five-Diamond Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. Here, Strom was responsible for the overall maintenance of the property's technical systems, including LAN and WiFi networks, hardware, applications and mobile devices. Prior to his role at the Fairmont, Strom worked for eight years at MICROS Systems, Inc., holding progressive positions including implementation consultation and network specialist -- where he learned the technical side of application (including SQL) -- and network/interface installer. Before MICROS, Strom served in numerous managerial roles throughout all aspects of hotel operations at properties in Missoula, MT; Portland, OR; and Phoenix, AZ. Strom earned a Bachelor of Information Systems from the University of Phoenix, and currently resides in Scottsdale, AZ. For more information, contact 844-477-3827 or visit www.hotelsystemssolution.com. Hotel System Solutions (HSS) is an independent, third-party service providing implementation, training and technology consulting services with respect to Opera PMS, MICROS Fidelio and Windows. Opera Property Management System (Opera PMS) and MICROS are registered trademarks of Oracle. HSS is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by Oracle. For more information or to keep up with the latest news and trends, please join our online communities at https://www.linkedin.com/company/hotel-systems-solutions-llc, http://www.facebook.com/HotelSystemsSolutions and http://twitter.com/HotelSystemsSol Contact Information:Scott McGrawCo-Founder and CEOHotel Systems Solutions (HSS)Phone: 716-523-0535Email: [email protected] Source: Hotel Systems Solutions, LLC CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Monroe Capital LLC today announced it acted as sole lead arranger and administrative agent on a $27.5 million senior credit facility to American Mortgage Consultants, Inc. (AMC) to support the acquisition of JCIII & Associates. AMC is an existing portfolio company of a sponsored fund of Five Mile Capital Partners LLC. Founded in 1996 and based in New York City and Tampa, AMC is a leading mortgage business process outsourcing firm that provides mortgage loan portfolio due diligence, risk management services, and other professional services to clients operating in the primary and secondary residential mortgage market. AMCs solutions are customizable and catered towards clients including Wall Street, regional and community banks, credit unions, government agencies, public and private REITs, hedge funds, private equity funds, mortgage insurers, bond insurers, and leading law firms nationwide. The acquisition joins two of the mortgage industry's largest and most respected due diligence and consulting firms. The combined firm will operate as AMC, now the largest transactional due diligence firm in the residential mortgage space. About Monroe Capital Monroe Capital LLC is a leading provider of senior and junior debt and equity co-investments to middle-market companies in the U.S. and Canada. Investment types include unitranche financings, cash flow and enterprise value based loans, asset based loans, acquisition facilities, mezzanine debt, second lien or last-out loans and equity co-investments. Monroe Capital prides itself on its flexible investment approach and its ability to close and fund transactions quickly. Monroe is committed to being a value-added and user-friendly partner to owners, senior management and private equity sponsors. Monroe has been recognized by Global M&A Network as the 2015, 2014, and 2013 Small Middle Markets Lender of the Year, Private Debt Investor as the 2014 Senior Lender of the Year and the 2013 Unitranche Lender of the Year and, the U.S. Small Business Administration as the 2015 Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) of the Year. To learn more about Monroe Capital LLC, visit www.monroecap.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160106005248/en/ Monroe Capital LLC Theodore L. Koenig, 312-523-2360 [email protected] or BackBay Communications Douglas Allen, 646-722-4270 [email protected] Source: Monroe Capital LLC By Anthony Esposito SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chile's competition regulator on Wednesday accused supermarket chains Cencosud (NYSE: CEN) and SMU (NYSE: SMU) and the local unit of Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE: WMT) of participating in a price-fixing scheme involving fresh chicken. It was the second time in three months that the regulator, FNE, said it had uncovered a price-fixing scheme affecting consumers, and a member of the Christian Democrat party, part of the ruling Nueva Mayoria political coalition, said such behavior must be punishable with jail time. The FNE said it is looking to fine each company $22.9 million for their alleged participation in the scheme. The FNE said the supermarket chains "knowingly adhered to a common scheme that replaced the risks of competition with shared practical cooperation in order to regulate the market and avoid price wars." It accuses the supermarket chains of "having participated in an agreement to fix, through their suppliers, a minimum selling price for fresh chicken, at least between 2008 and 2011, restricting competition in this market." At the end of 2011, Cencosud, SMU and Wal-Mart had a 92.5 percent market share of Chile's supermarket sector, the FNE noted. Cencosud and SMU both said they had not been officially notified of the accusation and had no immediate comment. Wal-Mart was not immediately available to comment. Cencosud's shares closed down 2.28 percent. "The way to dissuade these types of behaviors is through a mix of increasing fines and establishing effective jail time for those who commit these crimes, which is something we don't have now," said Senator Jorge Pizarro of the center Christian Democrat party. Government officials had already promised to crack down on anti-competitive practices after a price-fixing scheme in the market for toilet paper, tissues and other paper products was uncovered in October. "This month we will submit the bill that will sanction collusion with jail sentences," said Pizarro. (Additional reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Leslie Adler) BERLIN (Reuters) - A U.S. lawsuit against Volkswagen has sparked concern among German politicians that a multi-billion-dollar fine could endanger jobs at the country's biggest carmaker. The U.S. Department of Justice said on Monday it has sued VW for allegedly violating environmental laws by installing devices to cheat emissions tests in several 2.0 liter diesel vehicle models. While any fine is likely to be well short of the theoretical maximum of $48 billion, the claim has shone the spotlight back on the German company's problems just as Volkswagen (VW) had hoped it was starting to make progress in tackling the scandal. "Of course the news from the United States is worrying to those who are concerned about securing jobs in the German automotive industry," said Hubertus Heil, deputy head of the Social Democrats (SPD) in the German lower house of parliament. The SPD is part of Chancellor Angela Merkel's governing coalition. Heil said he still hoped "dramatic consequences" could be avoided by clearing up the scandal swiftly and comprehensively. He added VW's workers should not be made to bear the responsibility for the misconduct of those who carried out the emissions test cheating. Germany has largely rallied around VW since the scandal was uncovered by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in a bid to try to limit the damage to a company that employs some 270,000 people in Germany. Michael Fuchs, deputy parliamentary leader for Merkel's conservatives, said the hard line taken by U.S. authorities could bolster U.S. automakers at the expense of German rivals. But Kerstin Andreae, deputy head of the opposition Green Party in parliament, which has criticized the coalition government's handling of the scandal, said the U.S. government's actions were to be expected. "It's in nobody's interests that VW is crushed by this - but there can't be a legal vacuum for companies, even if they are firms which are of great significance to the economy like VW," she told Reuters, adding she also feared an impact on jobs. In contrast to a crackdown in the United States against VW, German politicians and regulators have handled the company with kid gloves, critics say. German regulators have rubber-stamped an inexpensive and simple fix for the majority of the 8.5 million affected vehicles sold in Europe and VW's top executives have not faced interrogation from lawmakers in Germany. (This story corrects the maximum penalty from $90 billion to $48 billion in the first bullet point and third paragraph) (Reporting by Gernot Heller; Writing by Caroline Copley; Editing by Mark Potter) GENEVA (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia signaled on Tuesday that the breach in its relations with Iran would not affect talks on Syria, another round of which is scheduled in Geneva this month. Riyadh and Tehran, which support opposing sides in the Syrian civil war, have attended previous talks on the conflict but there is concern that the new rift between the arch rivals could set back diplomatic efforts to bring peace to Syria. Speaking after talks in Riyadh with U.N. special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir was quoted as saying by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA): "The recent tensions that impacted the region negatively will not affect ... the operations that the United Nations carries out alongside the international community to achieve a political solution in Geneva soon." Saudi Arabia and some other Sunni Arab countries have broken all ties with Iran after protesters in Tehran stormed the Saudi embassy in protest over Riyadh's execution of a Shi'ite Muslim cleric. Restating the kingdom's position on Syria, Jubeir said Riyadh sought a solution based on the Geneva 1 communique, a 2012 document setting out guidelines for a path to peace including a transitional governing authority, SPA said. He reiterated that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could have no role in the future of his country, SPA said. Syrian opposition leaders told de Mistura that Damascus must take confidence-building steps including a prisoner release and a halt to attacks on civilian areas before they will go to negotiations. The United Nations has set a target date of Jan. 25 for the talks. But Damascus has dismissed a new opposition body formed to oversee negotiations, and the opposition wants to see confidence-building steps from President Bashar al-Assad, a demand that could complicate efforts to start talks. KEEPING UP THE MOMENTUM De Mistura, speaking after he met the Syrian opposition in Riyadh, said there was a clear determination on the Saudi side that current regional tensions would not have a negative impact on the momentum of the talks and on the continuation of the political process in Geneva. De Mistura did not characterize the position of the Syrian opposition at the meeting, but said: "We cannot afford to lose this momentum despite what is going on in the region." The opposition wants the government to lift blockades imposed on rebel-held areas, to release detainees and to stop dropping barrel bombs before they will attend the negotiations, officials said on Tuesday. "The opposition's position is unified," one of them told Reuters, declining to be named because he is not an official spokesman for the opposition body. Britain's Special Representative for Syria on Tuesday urged the Damascus government to lift sieges as a step towards ending the nearly five-year-old conflict. "Starving civilians is an inhuman tactic used by the Assad regime and their allies," Gareth Bayley said in a statement, referring to a months-long blockade in the town of Madaya, near Damascus. "Sieges must be lifted to save civilian lives and to bring Syria closer to peace ... This human tragedy underscores the need for an end to this conflict." The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said many of Madaya's 40,000 residents are starving. (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; additional reporting by John Davison and Tom Perry in Beirut, Omar Fahmy in Cairo and Hadeel al Sayegh in Dubai; Editing by William Maclean and Gareth Jones) By Lisa Maria Garza DALLAS (Reuters) - Texas tycoon Sam Wyly engaged in "lies, deception and fraud" in a years-long scheme to dodge taxes on $1.1 billion held in offshore trusts, a lawyer for the Internal Revenue Service said on Wednesday. The IRS made those claims at the start of a trial in federal bankruptcy court in Dallas in which the agency is seeking $3.22 billion in back taxes, penalties and interest from Wyly and the widow of his late brother Charles, Caroline Wyly. Cynthia Messersmith, a U.S. Justice Department lawyer representing the IRS, said the Wylys had since 1992 used offshore trusts to avoid paying taxes on $1.1 billion in proceeds while exercising stock options and warrants of four companies on whose boards the brothers sat. "This is a case of lies, deception and fraud," she said. "This is not about tax avoidance but rather tax evasion." Don Lan, the Wylys' lawyer, countered that the family "left the details to their advisers," relying on lawyers who vetted the offshore system and advised them on their taxes. Regarding Sam Wyly, Lan said: "He's a brilliant man, but he's not a tax guy." Both Wylys briefly testified on Tuesday. Sam Wyly, whose testimony has been limited to 2-1/2 hours a day due to medical conditions, told the court about growing up on a farm in Louisiana with a family that never had tax problems. "I've never complained about paying taxes to anybody," the 81-year-old said. The trial before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Barbara Houser comes nearly a year after Sam Wyly and Charles' estate were ordered to pay the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission $299.4 million for engaging in a securities fraud through those same trusts. In that case, a Manhattan jury in 2014 found the Wylys liable for scheming to hide $550 million in trading profits in the stocks of Sterling Software Inc, Michaels Stores Inc[MSII.UL], Sterling Commerce Inc and Scottish Annuity & Life Holdings Ltd, now called Scottish Re Group Ltd . Following the verdict, Sam Wyly, who last appeared on Forbes' list of the 400 richest Americans in 2010 with a net worth of $1 billion, and Caroline Wyly filed for bankruptcy in October 2014. Charles Wyly died in a car crash in 2011. In April, the IRS filed claims asking the Wylys for a total of $3.22 billion in back taxes, penalties and interest, $2.03 billion of which is being sought from Sam Wyly. The case is In re Samuel Evans Wyly, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Texas, No. 14-35043. (Reporting by Lisa Maria Garza in Dallas; Writing by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Tom Brown) Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 6 By Elmira Tariverdiyeva - Trend: The invitation for President Ilham Aliyev to attend the 4th Nuclear Security Summit in Washington is a manifestation of the US attitude to Azerbaijan as a leading country in the Caucasus, which pursues its own independent policy, Elkhan Alasgarov, PhD, head of the Baku Network told Trend Jan. 6. Earlier, Novruz Mammadov, deputy head of Azerbaijani presidential administration, chief of the administration's foreign relations department, tweeted that the US President Barack Obama invited the Azerbaijani president to attend the 4th Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C. "Relations between Azerbaijan and the US became a topical issue in connection with the anti-Azerbaijani resolution of the Helsinki Group, submitted for the US Congress's consideration", said Alasgarov. "But time has shown that the relations didn't change significantly." "We must remember that along with negative manifestations on the part of the US, there have been a lot of positive signals, including on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue," the expert said. "Relations between the two countries cover different areas of collaboration - from the government to energy sector," he added. "Azerbaijan was the first country to express condolences and condemn the heinous terrorist attacks in the US in September 2001. Since then, relations between the two countries have come a long test period, during which Azerbaijan has shown itself as US's reliable partner," said Alasgarov. "Meanwhile, the Armenian diaspora organizations tried to damage relations between the two countries, but Baku and Washington have always valued their relations, trying to take into account the mutual interests in economy and politics," he added. The invitation for Azerbaijan to the summit in Washington became the next stage of development of relations between the two countries, noted Alasgarov. The 4th Nuclear Security Summit will be held in Washington, D.C. from March 31 to April 1, 2016. The first Nuclear Security Summit was held in Washington in 2010, the second - in Seoul in 2012, and the third one in The Hague in 2014. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @EmmaTariver Customers of United wait in line to check in at Newark International airport in New Jersey, November 15, 2012. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz By Jeffrey Dastin (Reuters) - United Continental Holdings Inc (NYSE: UAL) said Chief Executive Oscar Munoz underwent a heart transplant on Wednesday, but it expects him to return to the helm of the second-largest U.S. airline by the spring. The transplant was the preferred method of treatment and not a setback for Munoz, United said in a statement. Munoz, 57, has been on medical leave since suffering a heart attack in October, and Brett Hart, the company's general counsel, has run the airline in the interim. The company, which has sought to assuage concerns that shake-ups had left an inexperienced team running its business, said it expects Munoz to come back by the end of the first quarter or beginning of the second quarter. That suggests a potential delay from the early 2016 return that United had previously forecast. "I'm sure investors are more worried than they were this morning," said Adam Hackel, an analyst at Sterne Agee CRT, which cut its target for United's share price to $70 from $78 after the news. United said it will provide more information in the next 24 hours. The carrier's shares were unchanged at $55.20 in after-market trading. About 88 percent of people who have a heart transplant survive the first year following surgery, with the rate dropping to 75 percent after five years and 56 percent after 10 years, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Patients often remain in the hospital recovering for one to two weeks after the transplant, the institute said. Less than 30 percent of patients return to their jobs even though most are able to resume normal activity levels, it said. Munoz became CEO in September after the airline's chief of five years, Jeff Smisek, resigned following a probe into the company's relationship with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The airline has pursued Munoz's agenda of rebuilding workers' morale and raising customer satisfaction - lowest among rivals in J.D. Power's 2015 ranking - by striking tentative contract deals and improving on-time performance in his absence. (Reporting by Jeffrey Dastin in New York; Editing by Tom Brown and Edwina Gibbs) UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 FORM 8-K CURRENT REPORT Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): January 4, 2016 SOUTHWESTERN ENERGY COMPANY (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) Delaware (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) 1 -08246 71-0205415 (Commission File Number) (IRS Employer Identification No.) 10000 Energy Drive Spring, Texas 77389 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code) (832) 796-1000 (Registrant's telephone number, including area code) Not Applicable (Former name or former address, if changed since last report) Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions: o Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) Section 5 - Corporate Governance and Management Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers. As of January 6, 2016 , Southwestern Energy Company (the Company) has accepted the resignation of Steven L. Mueller as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Company and appointed William J. Way as CEO. Mr. Way will continue as President. He also was elected as a director of the Company as of January 6, 2016. Mr. Mueller will continue as a non-officer employee of the Company and as a director and non-executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company (the Board). Mr. Way, age 56, was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company in December 2014. Mr. Way joined the Company in October 2011 as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Prior to joining the Company, he was Senior Vice President, Americas of BG Group plc with responsibility for E&P, Midstream and LNG operations in the United States, Trinidad and Tobago, Chile, Bolivia, Canada and Argentina, as well as BGs global shipping business. He joined BG Group plc in 2007. Previously, Mr. Way held various senior leadership and technical positions at ConocoPhillips, where he began his career in 1981. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in Industrial Engineering and has an MBA from The Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He currently serves as a director for several secondary educational organizations. T he selection of Mr. Way was not pursuant to any arrangement or understanding between him and any other person. There is no family relationship between Mr. Way and any director or executive officer of the Company. T he compensation arrangements for Mr. Way as disclosed in the Companys annual proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 6, 2015 remain in effect as of this time, although changes may occur in the future. T he following material terms will apply to Mr. Muellers retirement and have been approved by the Board and its Compensation Committee: He will remain as a director and non-executive Chairman of the Board through May 17, 2016, the date scheduled for the next annual meeting of stockholders (the Retirement Date). He also will remain as a non-officer employee of the Company during this period with the same salary and benefits he currently has, with the exception that he will not be eligible for a normal incentive bonus for 2016 but will be eligible for a bonus of up to 100% of his 2016 salary through the Retirement Date. He will not stand for reelection at the 2016 annual meeting or subsequently unless nominated by the Board of Directors. On the Retirement Date, he will resign as a director (if he still is a director) and retire as an employee of the Company, with vesting of all unvested restricted stock and options on the Retirement Date (which will be exercisable until their respective expiration dates, along with other vested and unexercised options) and a lump sum equal to two weeks of his base salary for each full or partial year of service with company (16 weeks, based on Mr. Muellers eight years of service), and eligibility for participation in post-retirement benefits available to retirees on the same basis as other retirees. He will continue as an advisor to the Company for one year following the Retirement Date and, during this period, he will be subject to noncompetition and nonsolicitation obligations with certain exceptions. He will remain eligible for payments under performance units for the three-year periods ending in 2016 through 2018 as if he had remained an employee throughout that period, provided that if he has breached his noncompetition and nonsolicitation obligations described above, he will be credited only with the period before the date of that breach. He also will grant a general release and waiver of claims arising out of his employment or retirement from employment. Section 7 - Regulation FD. Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure. In accordance with General Instruction B.2. of Form 8-K, the following information, including Exhibit 99.1, shall not be deemed filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall such information and Exhibit be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing. On January 6, 2016, the Company issued a press release describing the matters in the first paragraph of Item 5.02 of this Current Report on Form 8-K. A copy of the press release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this report and incorporated by reference herein. Section 9 - Financial Statements and Exhibits. Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits. (d) Exhibits SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized. SOUTHWESTERN ENERGY COMPANY Dated: January 6, 2016 By: /s/ JOHN C. ALE Name: John C. Ale Title: Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary EXHIBIT INDEX Looking back down the Awatere Valley from Upcot Saddle. It was forecast to be one of Marlborough's hottest days on record with the Met Service predicting 36 degrees Celsius or more. We are heading more than 100 kilometres into the province's cauldron, the Awatere Valley, where the hot sun bakes the earth to produce world class sauvignon blanc. Our final destination is where grapes do not flourish, the top of the valley at the gates of Molesworth Station, the country's biggest farm. MIKE WATSON/FAIRFAX NZ Interior of the original Molesworth Station cob homestead. It is a vast 180,000 hectare high country behemoth of dry grass land, uplifted hills and ridges on the edge of the Alpine Fault, the size of Stewart Island but with more cattle, and less people. The hot conditions offer little respite to four occupants inside the white Molesworth Tour Company van snaking its way up the winding, dusty road. Inside our air conditioned capsule were driver and guide for the day, Trevor, and retired Pukekohe couple, Jan and Ian, who were taking a short break before spending Christmas with daughters in Nelson. MIKE WATSON/FAIRFAX NZ Molesworth Station farm buildings. "We always seem to pass through Marlborough without ever stopping a few days to have a good look around," they explained. Trevor, a former Bay of Plenty kiwifruit grower, lived in the valley briefly, and had read widely of its origins. He relishes the opportunity to show visitors the rural sights of his adopted province. MIKE WATSON/FAIRFAX NZ The entrance gates to the Molesworth Station in Marlborough. His encyclopaedic knowledge makes for entertaining listening for the next five and half hours as we follow the Awatere River up the valley, the Inland Kaikoura's and Mt Tapuae-o-Uenuku towering above, and across the Hodder River, up and over the 1200m high Upcot Saddle, and past Muller Station and onwards to our lunch spot at the original Molesworth cob homestead. The temperature climbs into the high 20s by mid morning when we stop for morning tea at the Upcot Station woolshed. READ MORE Rawhide in the high country Beyond the gate Couple volunteer at Molesworth It's a chance to chat with owner Bill Stevenson, shoulder strapped after reconstruction, and grading the last of the fine merino fleeces with his one good arm. With 28 millilitres of rain in the past month, the upper valley has taken on a slight green tinge. Back in the van we stop a few kilometres down the road and marvel at Stevenson's daughters mustering a mob of cattle down a steep ridge on horseback. Then we are on our way again as Trevor continues on the history of Awatere Valley and the Molesworth as the valley opens up and land use changes from grapes to sheep. He talks of takeovers and bankruptcies, tragedies and treacherous stock routes, and family feuds and foreclosures. More stops are made on the side of the gravel road as Trevor points out rare alpine plants, like the pink broom, or Notospartium carmichaelia, found only in the valley, and matagouri, Marlborough daisy, kanuka, and rare stands of beech. The Molesworth today is far cry from those pioneering days when snow storms killed as many as 40,000 sheep between 1911-13, and rabbits and over-grazing destroyed the pasture. Named after Nelson run holder Francis Molesworth in the 1860s, the Molesworth captured the imagination of more than a few adventurous souls including premiers and politicians, English gentry and Scottish highlanders. Maori criss-crossed the area gathering food but there was never any settlement until pastoralists decided the Awatere and Wairau Valleys were a short cut for moving stock from Marlborough to Canterbury. What began as 90,000 acre (36,400ha) sheep run, grew to six times the size as numerous owners and managers became transfixed by the wide open space, and a desire to turn a profit from sheepmeat and wool. Names such as Charles Elliot, William Acton-Adams, and WH Atkinson, and later Duncan Rutherford, Robert and John Lochhead, RJ Bodington and Tom Leighton were instrumental in establishing sheep on the Molesworth but are now almost forgotten. The last private owners, the Lochheads, were offered 45,000 (equal to $5 million today) to sell to the Government, only to relinquish ownership and all debts, for 2500 ($250,000 in today's figures) a few years later. Under new manager Bill Chisholm a decision was made in the 1940s to change the pattern of farming to cattle. Now owned by LandCorp, the Molesworth is a productive single unit comprising four runs, Molesworth, St Helens, Tarndale and Dillon, grouped under the Department of Conservation estate, and carrying around 10,500 Angus beef cattle, and 300 sheep. The heat is making us drowsy when we reach our destination, and Trevor pulls the van to a stop beside the old homestead for lunch under 160-year-old poplars as a cool breeze helps fan the heat away. Visitors are welcome during the summer to drive through and experience the high country station. If you have a few days to spare take the chance to visit. Unlike the pioneers who had to walk off the land, you won't be disappointed. Do you really know how much alcohol is in your wine? Buyers of Argentinian and Chilean wines are getting more booze than they bargain for, research has found. Researchers at the University of California Davis tested 100,000 bottles of wine from around the world. They found 60 per cent of the bottles had, on average, a 0.42 per cent higher alcohol content than was stated on their labels. The study found winemakers had "a tendency to overstate the alcohol content for wine that has relatively low actual alcohol, and a tendency to understate the alcohol content for wine that has relatively high alcohol content". READ MORE: * New winery Falcon Ridge Estate toasts success * American-owned Canoe Wines buys another Martinborough vineyard * Nelson wines win big at Air New Zealand Wine Awards Lead author Professor Julian Alston told the Telegraph that even this small discrepancy could affect unsuspecting consumers' health and safety. "A discrepancy of 0.4 percentage points might not seem large relative to an actual value of 13.6 per cent alcohol by volume, but even errors of this magnitude could lead consumers to underestimate the amount of alcohol they have consumed in ways that could have some consequences for their health and driving safety," he said. "In particular instances the discrepancies could be much larger than average. "An average error of 0.4 percentage points is much more significant compared with the typical range for wines in a particular category, for instance, Napa Valley Cabernet might be expected to have alcohol content within the range of 13.514.5 per cent alcohol by volume, and an average error of 0.4 percentage points is large in the context of this range." Wines with the greatest margins of error came from Chile, which had an alcohol percentage difference of -0.27 between alcohol content advised on the label and that the wine actually contained, followed by Argentina with -0.24, the United States with -0.23 and Spain with -0.21. New Zealand had the second lowest discrepancy of the 11 countries surveyed, with a -0.06 percentage difference. The study, published in the Journal of Wine Economics in December, attributes the discrepancy to factors including "climate, evolving consumer preferences, and expert ratings". "Winemakers perceive that consumers demand wine with a stated alcohol content that is different from the actual alcohol content, and winemakers err in the direction of providing consumers with what they appear to want. "What remains to be resolved is why consumers choose to pay winemakers to lie to them." 06012016 News photo Murray Wilson/ Fairfax NZ. Gyro Plastics have moved their factory to Feilding, part of their expansion that's being mentored by Vision Manawatu as part of the Governments Regional Business Partneships scheme. Funding for a Manawatu business partnership programme has been extended for another five-and-a-half years. Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce announced this week funding for the Vision Manawatu Regional Business Partnership programme would be extended. Vision Manawatu regional business manager Mark Hargreaves said the length of the commitment showed a confidence in the initiative. Since its launch in 2011 the programme has supported over 600 small to medium businesses in Manawatu and Whanganui so far. One of those businesses was Feilding-based company Gyro Plastics. The company has been in Trudi Duncan's family for half its 50-year history and is one of the oldest rotational moulding companies in Australasia. When Duncan took over from her father three years ago the company's factory was in Wellington, and she ran the company from Feilding. "It was a dream goal to be able to move the factory to the Manawatu, but we hadn't really figured out if it was viable." She knew she was young and inexperienced in manufacturing so she went to Vision Manawatu looking for a business mentor. "I think it's really impacted our profit, because we were able to tidy up a lot of our processes and restructure," she said. "We're now in a position to move, and buy machinery." Thanks to Vision Manawatu's help Gyro is moving into a new factory in Feilding over the next four months and the company has bought a new machine to expand the business. The company currently has eight full-time employees, and once everything is settled in Duncan expects to hire more. Duncan's Vision Manawatu business advisor Karen Blair also arranged introductions and encouraged her to get involved with other people in her industry. As a result Duncan currently sits on the board of the Association of Rotomoulders Australasia. Joyce said extending the programme was a celebration of the strong partnership between Government and regional providers. "This continued investment across New Zealand reflects the Government's commitment to help SMEs innovate, develop and employ more people." A police spokesperson said the incident is "ongoing". A firearms incident in Coromandel that prompted an armed offenders squad callout on Tuesday night was resolved with no arrests. Police were called to Tapu Creek Farms, a rural road east of Tapu, about 6.40pm. Coroglen Road was closed off, and helicopters were seen flying in and out of the closed area. Police were stopping people going over the Tapu hill, according to a local, who did not want to be named. READ MORE: Police remain quiet on operation in Coromandel "All I know is that there's a s*** load of cops in the area and I don't know why." Police would not comment before the operation ended late on Tuesday night. In the early hours of Wednesday morning, a police northern communications spokesman said the incident had been resolved, and no one had been arrested. Police were unable to give further information. She was in a job that paid $125,000 a year, yet Tessa Grant wanted more - almost $800,000 more, which she stole from the top Hamilton school she worked for. The funds she siphoned out of Waikato Diocesan School for Girls' coffers was spent on the purchase of land on which she wanted to build an equestrian centre, as well as on a horse, international travel for that horse, and a $40,000 diamond ring. Tessa Fiona Grant, 40, who was employed as commercial manager at the school for 14 months until her resignation in September, pleaded guilty to seven fraud-related charges when she appeared in the Hamilton District Court on Wednesday. KELLY HODEL/STUFF Waikato Diocesan School For Girls principal Vicky McLennan said Tessa Grant's $800,000 fraud was discovered and the missing money was speedily recovered. Court documents reveal that, through a series of covert transactions and forged documents, she took $795,000 from the school into her own accounts between December 2014 and August 2015. She was remanded on bail by Judge Robert Spear for sentencing in March. Grant, who had previously been granted name suppression, did not have it renewed by her counsel Michael Foley, who appeared on behalf of Auckland lawyer Guyon Foley. PHOTO: KELLY HODEL/FAIRFAX NZ Tessa Grant's Whatawhata property was bought with money stolen from school coffers. She had been charged with two counts of using a document for pecuniary advantage, two counts of altering a document and three charges of using forged documents. Five of the charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment. Speaking after her court appearance, Grant tearfully said she had entered into a confidentiality agreement with the school and was unwilling to give details about her offending. Waikato Dio principal Vicky McLennan confirmed the school's lawyers and Grant's legal counsel had entered into an arrangement. She said although Grant's actions had caused a financial loss to the school, there had been no loss of face, and the school's board of trustees - which consists of some of the Waikato's top lawyers, accountants and company heads - had detected and speedily dealt with the fraud. The first inkling McLennan and the school staff had that Grant had been up to no good came with the discovery of a receipt for a $1492 return flight to Christchurch in April last year that McLennan and her husband had supposedly taken as a gift from the school board. In reality it was Grant and her husband Jason Grant who had taken the trip. It turned out to be the tip of an iceberg of swindling. The biggest and possibly most blatant of her crimes related to work that was done by Hawkins Construction, which had been contracted to redevelop the school's food technology block and also do work on the principal's house. The total cost of the two projects was $600,000. However an examination of the school accounts revealed the total value of invoices purportedly paid to Hawkins came to $1.14 million - almost double the actual cost of the work. Twelve invoices or payment claims from Hawkins were located in the school records. Of these, only six had been issued by the construction firm, with the rest being forgeries. Using her authority, Grant had approved the invoices for payment by direct credit and coding against a budget. She then accessed the school's banking system and directed the payment to her personal bank account. Another deception involved her using a cheque to withdraw $7500 from the school account on the pretence that it was for asbestos removal from the conversion of the principal's house. This was untrue and the cheque was made out to one of Grant's friends. McLennan confirmed a small amount of asbestos had been found inside the house, in a cupboard. Full reparation had been paid to the school by Grant on December 18, including $105,523.63 to cover interest, legal and related costs the organisation had incurred. "The school is grateful for the diligence and vigilance of its staff and boards and thankful that robust financial systems enabled early and accurate detection of the offending," McLennan said in a statement, later adding it was the discovery of the forged flight receipts that had led to the discovery of the rest of Grant's offending. In July, Grant bought a 13-hectare property in Whatawhata for about $900,000, with the aim of using it as an equestrian centre, complete with indoor arena. That purchase was made in the name of JT Equine Ltd which was a company she had formed earlier that month and of which she was the sole director. Prior to her employment at the school, Grant was the general manager of Skycity Hamilton. A spokeswoman for the casino said the company had a policy of not speaking to the media about employees or matters that were before the courts and would not be making any comment about Grant. Grant was also formerly a committee member of the Waikato Equestrian Centre. Judy Williams, who was vice president at the time said she had left about seven years ago, and most of the board membership had changed in that time. Jason Grant is listed in the electoral roll as a property manager. GRANT'S ASSETS: * Sole owner of residential properties in Chartwell and Huntington, Hamilton * Sole director and shareholder of JT Equine NZ Limited WHAT SHE STOLE: * $768,950.52 in supposed payments to Hawkins Construction, redirected to her accounts * $7500, supposedly for asbestos removal from principals house, actually paid to a friend * $6876.63, supposedly for insurance on a tractor mower and other school equipment, actually for her own insurance * $5178.16, supposedly a payment to engineering firm Caledonian Design for resource consent for school food technology block redevelopment * $2000, again a forged invoice to Caledonian Design, supposedly for resource consent for a community relations centre * $1492 on flights for two to Christchurch, she said was taken by the principal WHAT SHE BOUGHT: * $900,000 property in Whatawhata * $55,850 on jewellery, including a $40,000 platinum diamond ring * $285,000 horse coach * $182,500 for truck chassis * $68,579 on an eventing horse from the UK * $31,851 on international transport for the horse * $16,071 on a horse float * $14,735 on agricultural machinery * $18,371 on horse gear A member of the Head Hunters has pleaded guilty to firearms charges in the New Plymouth District Court. A patched member of the Head Hunters motorcycle gang has pleaded guilty to firearms charges following a police raid last month. Craig Andrew Waikato appeared in the New Plymouth District Court on Thursday where his lawyer Turitea Bolstad entered the three guilty pleas on his behalf. Waikato was arrested on December 9 and charged with unlawfully possessing a firearm, pistol and ammunition which were found in his possession after a police search of a Cyrus St property in New Plymouth. According to the summary of facts, the 48-year-old is a patched member of the Head Hunters gang and is aligned to the East Auckland chapter. "The Head Hunters motorcycle gang are heavily involved in the manufacture and distribution of the Class A controlled drug namely methamphetamine," the summary stated. On the day of his arrest, officers visited the address about 8am with a warrant as police believed the occupants at the address were dealing methamphetamine. During the search, police located a handheld taser, which is a restricted weapon, in the garage. A 9mm Luger pistol was found in a bag hanging over a chair in the kitchen. In the same bag, police found 40 rounds of ammunition which could have been fired from the pistol. At the time the police visited the address, Waikato's partner was present. Two children, including a 10-year-old, were also there at the time. When spoken to by police, Waikato acknowledged the weapons belonged to him. Police are seeking the destruction of the seized items at sentencing. Judge Allan Roberts remanded Waikato on bail and requested a pre-sentence report be prepared ahead of sentencing on February 2. Roberts warned Waikato that jail would be a likely penalty for the offending. Several other offenders were also arrested in the same police operation. Te Tirepa Taylor is facing one charge of supplying methamphetamine and is due to re-appear in court on January 14. Regan Graham Coutts and Ewyn Ngamaanaka Ashby have pleaded not guilty to multiple charges related to the supply of the class A drug and will re-appear in court for a case review hearing on March 10. Ben Allan Howe and Sarah Louise Howe, both charged with four counts of offering to supply methamphetamine, will re-appear in court on January 20. They have yet to enter pleas. Te Anau fishing guide Steve Saunders, with American visitors Jack and Wendy Reilly, of Idaho, dry fly fishing in Saunders' drift boat on the upper Waiau River. Te Anau fishing guide Steve Saunders, with American visitors Jack and Wendy Reilly, of Idaho, dry fly fishing in Saunders' drift boat on the upper Waiau River. An industry that flies under the radar for most Southlanders is funnelling millions into the economy, as some international fly fishing enthusiasts spend up to $50,000 a week for guides and accommodation. Fly fishing guides say the industry goes under the radar in Southland in summer months, however Venture Southland has estimated it is pumping millions into the southern economy. Venture Southland tourism team leader Warrick Low said international anglers tended to be repeat visitors and often bought houses in Southland. The international fly fishing market was worth at least $1 million to $2 million a year to Southland, but could be worth more, Low said. READ MORE: * Southland fishing season off to good start * Beech mast plague warning, bumper trout season possibility "The reality is it could be higher than that. The beautiful thing is they tend to be repeat visitors." Te Anau guide Steve Saunders has hosted US visitors Jack and Wendy Reilly, of Idaho, annually for 12 years. They arrive in New Zealand on January 13 for 10 days of fishing. "They used to go all around New Zealand but end up coming back because they rated Fiordland as some of the best fishing they ever did," Saunders said. Southern Rivers Fly Fishing guide Jake Berry said international visitors spent an estimated $1200 a day over eight days. "I deal with 100 per cent international fishers. I do about 100 days' guided [fishing] a season. Every now and then I do a Kiwi, but mostly foreigners." Visitors spent $30,000 to $50,000 on their holidays, including accommodation and guides, Berry said. "We've had people here for five days and they spend 50 grand. They spend about six grand for the helicopter [in a day]." The helicopter, organised by Southern Rivers Fly Fishing, would take visitors "all over the place", Berry said. "People spend a lot of money. It's the best trout fishing in the world. They're fishing for large fish and they don't catch the fish of this size where they're from." If the industry was over-promoted it would become less appealing, Berry said. "One of the things people look for here is the lack of people. It's a doubled-edged sword because we want people to come here, but we don't want too many." Southland Flies and Guides owner David Murray-Orr said many houses in Mataura and Gore were owned by Japanese and American recreational fishing enthusiasts. "Fishing in Southland is right under the radar. In Mataura, which is quite a cruddy little town really, I can think of at least six houses owned by overseas anglers who come down for a season at a time. And that's all around Southland, in Balfour and Lumsden. People don't even know it's going on." Most of his clients came from Japan but come came from Britain and Scandinavia, Murray-Orr said. "I met a young man who was just starting a travel agency [in Japan] and then started booking them down to us down here. Now we have the same guests coming down as repeat visitors." Murray-Orr hosts the Japanese visitors at his home. A day of guided fishing cost $675, but most would spend $1000 a day on accommodation and transport, Murray-Orr said. Southland Fly Fishing guide Graeme Watson said he had clients in Nokomai who spent close to $3000 a day. "It's spent locally, at the local petrol station and the local cafes. They love it so much that they come here every year." Fish & Game field officer Zane Moss estimated flyfishers would spend $1300 a day for guided fishing. According to NIWA's 2008-2009 non-resident anglers survey, Southland had the highest proportion of international fishers and 17,500 fishing days a year. The 2015-2016 survey was not yet completed, Moss said. "Some guests will spend an astronomical amount of money. There's a lot of affluent movie star people who sneak in here in their private jets just to go fishing. Some will hire a helicopter. It costs them $250 every time they turn the helicopter off." Fish population in some rivers improved over the last 20 years but had stayed the same in others, Moss said. "[For example] Oreti River is our premier back country fishery and has a lot more fish in it than it did in the 1970s. We have drift diving, basically we swim down the river with the current and search for the trout. We've done that over 20 years and there's no doubt that there's more fish in there than when we started." Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 6 By Samir Mammadov - Trend: Former chairman of Azerbaijan's International Bank, Jahangir Hajiyev, who is under arrest, was transferred from the Baku investigatory isolation ward to the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime operating under Azerbaijan's Interior Ministry, Hajiyev's lawyer Agil Layijev told Trend Jan. 6. Hajiyev is being charged under various articles of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan, including the misappropriation, the abuse of office, fraud by causing huge damage, embezzlement through the abuse of office, and bribing. Earlier, a court in Azerbaijan chose a preventive measure against Hajiyev in the form of arrest for a period of four months. "Jahangir Hajiyev was taken to the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime on Dec. 30, where he will be kept for ten days," said the lawyer. "He was transferred there in connection with investigative actions." Layijev went on to add that last time he met with Hajiyev on January 5, and that the arrested had no complaints regarding detention conditions and his health. "He timely takes medicines," said the lawyer. "But since the day of his transfer to the Directorate, he is not allowed to talk on the phone and receive parcels." Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 6 By Anakhanum Khidayatova - Trend: The conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran can last long and will only aggravate, Yevgeny Satanovsky, the president of the Russian Independent Scientific Center "Institute of the Middle East", said. "This clash is much more serious than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," Satanovsky told Trend Jan. 6. "A third side will fail to mediate the normalization of relations between the parties." Satanovsky also said that Saudi Arabia-Iran conflict has objective reasons and has lasted more than 1,300 years. "These are two successful countries with huge ambitions and huge complaints about each other," he said. Satanovsky does not share the opinion of many experts that the conflict will somehow affect the growth of hydrocarbon prices. "The conflict will not affect the situation around oil prices," he said. "Oil prices have not been dependent on the military conflicts since 1970. They are dependent on the volume of oil production and the volume of the market. If the oil consumption drops in China, no one needs it [the oil] and the prices fall." He said that if the Iranian and Saudi Arabian oil is not supplied to the market any more, it means that Venezuelan oil, Russian oil or oil of any other producer will be offered to the consumers. "The balance of hydrocarbon resources has greatly changed since 1970s," he said. "For example, the US has already filled all its oil storage facilities and started to export oil for the first time in 40 years. The market has changed a lot. Its correlation with certain events is usually discussed by amateurs, who say that the prices will rise or fall." Satanovsky also refrained from any predictions for oil prices. Iran produces 2.8 million barrels of oil per day and exports 1.1 million barrels of this volume per day. Saudi Arabia produces more than 10 million barrels of oil daily and exports more than seven million barrels per day. Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran soured after execution of Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent Shia cleric, by the Kingdom along with other 46 people, which was followed by a strong protest from Iran. Mass protests took place in Iran following the execution. In particular, the Saudi embassy in the capital Tehran and the consulate in the city of Mashhad were attacked, after which Riyadh broke off diplomatic ties with Tehran on Jan. 3. Saudi Arabia's permanent representative to the United Nations Abdullah al-Moallem said that relations with Iran will be restored only when Tehran stops "interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, including that of Saudi Arabia's". --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Anahanum Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 6 By Aygun Badalova - Trend: Global oil market continues to be oversupplied, which will be the main factor for the further fall in oil prices, despite the Middle East tensions, according to the global oil market analysts. "The fact remains that global oil storage is near capacity and this will keep oil prices low," Sam Barden, the director of Wimpole International, an energy market development company, told Trend. Barden does not believe that the recent conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran will trigger an increase in oil prices. "I do not think the current Iran Saudi tensions will increase oil prices. I remain of the belief that we will see oil prices go below 25 dollars this year and we could see oil lows of 1999 when we saw 9-dollar oil," Barden said. Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran soured after the execution of a prominent Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr in the Kingdom. Iran strongly condemned the execution of Nimr al-Nimr, there were mass protests in the country, in particular, Saudi embassy in the capital Tehran and the consulate in the city of Mashhad were attacked. Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic ties with Iran on Jan 3. Oil prices slid to an 11-year low on Wednesday under pressure from a strong dollar and weak Chinese data, as crude continues to suffer from a persistent supply glut. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, fell 4 percent to $34.95 a barrel on London's ICE Futures exchange, the lowest intraday level since July 2004. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. price gauge, was down 3.1 percent at $34.90 a barrel, according to The Wall Street Journal. Meanwhile analysts at British economic research and consulting company Capital Economics believe that a sustained recovery in oil prices will have to depend on production cuts outside OPEC and on signs of stronger global demand. These factors, rather than fresh disruption to supply from the Middle East, are the key factors behind their end-2016 forecast of $55 for a barrel of Brent. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 6 By Elena Kosolapova - Trend: Kazakhstan urges Saudi Arabia and Iran to take actions to prevent an escalation of tension, said the Kazakh Foreign Ministry Jan. 6. "We urge the leaderships of the region's fraternal countries that are friendly to us, namely, Saudi Arabia and Iran, as well as other countries to take necessary actions to prevent any further escalation of interconfessional tension, and establish a political dialogue and hold talks among the two countries to ensure agreement and resume diplomatic relations," said the ministry in a statement. Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran soured after execution of Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent Shia cleric, by the Kingdom along with other 46 people, which was followed by a strong protest from Iran. Mass protests took place in Iran following the said execution. In particular, the Saudi embassy in the capital Tehran and the consulate in the city of Mashhad were attacked, after which Riyadh broke off diplomatic ties with Tehran on Jan. 3. "Kazakhstan stands for a political solution and a dialogue as the only true way to resolve this situation," read the statement. The statement also stressed the concern over the rising tension in relations between these countries amid the threats to the regional security and stability, and highlights the need to accelerate the global fight against terrorism. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 6 By Elena Kosolapova - Trend: The Kazakh National Economy Ministry has published a list of large state-owned organizations to be privatized in 2016-2020 by priority in accordance with the governmental resolution. Kazakhstan Gharysh Sapary company, Kazgeology company, International center for cross-border cooperation Khorgos are among the organizations which are planned to be privatized. The Astana international airport and the Korkyt Ata International Airport in Kyzylorda are planned to be privatized. Moreover, such Kazakhstan's largest state-owned companies as Kazakhstan Temir Zholy company (Kazakh railways), KazMunaiGaz oil and gas company, Kazatomprom nuclear company, Samruk-Energy company, Tau-Ken Samruk mining company, Kazpost JSC and Air Astana airline are also planned to be transferred to the competitive environment through IPO. Kazakhtelecom JSC, Qazaq Air airline, Pavlodar Airport, Aktobe International Airport, Atyrau International Airport, Aktau international sea trade port are also planned to be transferred to the competitive environment. Among KazMunayGas's subsidiaries, KMG International N.V., which owns the assets in Romania, the Atyrau refinery, Pavlodar Petrochemical Plant, PetroKazakhstan Oil Products (Shymkent refinery), Kazmortransflot National Maritime Shipping Company and others are also planned to be transferred to the competitive environment. Among Kazakhstan Temir Zholy's subsidiaries, Kaztemirtrans JSC, Passenger Transport company, Tulpar Talgo company, producing passenger carriages, JSC Lokomotiv Kurastyru Zauyty, producing locomotives and JSC Electric Locomotive Kurastyru Zauyty, producing electric locomotives are planned to be transferred to the competitive environment. Astana Solar company, Kazakhstan Solar Silicon company, Caustic company, Housing Construction Savings Bank of Kazakhstan, Food Contract Corporation and many other companies are planned to be transferred to the competitive environment. A complete list of the state-owned enterprises put up for privatization and offered to transfer to the competitive environment can be found here: http://economy.gov.kz/upload/Files/Celevie_indikat_real_komp_plana_privatiz_na_2016-2020g_ru.doc While addressing to the nation Nov. 30, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev ordered the government to work out a privatization program by including all state-owned organizations, including those as part of Samruk-Kazyna, Baiterek and KazAgro holdings. follow the author on Twitter:@E_Kosolapova Las Vegas The annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is a paradise for geeks. Tech companies roll out their shiniest, snazziest new products, hoping to capture hearts, minds and dollars. The show kicked off today and wraps up Saturday. Here's a look at some of the coolest gadgets and trends from this year's CES so far, including one with an Upstate New York connection. Kodak goes old school and new school at the same time: The Rochester-based company has long been a poster child for those left behind in the digital revolution. The firm simply didn't keep up with consumer trends fast enough and its once-lucrative business making film withered. At CES this year, the company introduced a new digital video camera that shoots on - wait for it - film, according to the tech website Gizmodo. The cameras go for $400 to $750 and the film cartridges cost $50 to $75. After processing, you'll be able to get digital copies of your movies or 8-millimeter film that goes in a projector. Kodak is clearly making a play for nostalgia here. The design of the new cameras is heavily inspired by the classic Super 8 cameras from decades ago, according to Gizmodo. Robots! CHiP the robot dog from WowWee can recognize its owner, play fetch and head back to its charging station when it's low on power, according to the Toronto Star. The dog can respond to commands and learn new tricks too, USA Today said. CHiP will cost $200 when it goes on sale in the third quarter this year. Smart shoes: Digitsole is getting some CES buzz with its Smartshoe. It features an integrated heating system, motion tracking, wireless charging, shock absorption and even automatic shoe lacing, according to CNBC. The whole thing can connect to your phone via Bluetooth and is controlled with an app. Three styles, including a women's pump and sneaker, will go for $350 starting this fall. SMARTwheel: It's a cover that goes over your steering wheel and alerts you with lights and sounds when it senses movements that could mean you're doing something like texting while driving, according to USA Today. The company's CEO is just 20 years old. Drones, drones, drones: Unmanned vehicles are everywhere at CES this year, USA Today said. There are so many, in fact, that organizers staged a drone rodeo in the desert away from the main convention hall. There are more than 100 new models at the show, including everything from small toys to industrial behemoths. One drone company CEO told USA Today that interest has increased as drones have become easier to operate. Virtual reality: VR has been a perennial "next big thing" at CES. The tech, expected to be popular with gamers, might finally be ready for the mainstream. One of the first consumer headsets, Oculus Rift, got pricing at this year's show. They'll go for about $600, according to gaming website IGN. Smartphone maker HTC unveiled some changes to its Vive VR headset at CES. Among them is a camera system that allows wearers to see objects in the physical room around them, according to the BBC. The idea is to help users avoid collisions. Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Google + | 315-454-2112 Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Jan. 6 By Damir Azizov - Trend: Uzbekistan introduced an excise tax of 70 percent on imports of small trucks with an engine capacity of up to 2,500 cubic centimetres and a total weight of no more than five tons. The excise tax comes into effect starting from 2016. Prior to the introduction of the excise duty on the small trucks' imports, a customs duty of 30 percent and a value added tax of 20 percent of the vehicles' customs value was in effect in Uzbekistan. During the past three years, about 16,000 mini-trucks have been imported to the country, according to Uzbekistan's State Customs Committee. Some 95 percent of them have been imported from China and South Korea. --- Britain HSBC The sign for a branch of HSBC is seen near Liverpool Street Station in London, Monday Nov. 2, 2015. (Tim Ireland | AP) Europe's biggest bank is attempting to make good after an online banking outage affected customers for the past two days. HSBC apologized to customers for technical problems on Tuesday, saying its online and mobile service is slowly coming back but currently at reduced capacity. "Personal Mobile banking is working but due to high demand customers may experience delays," a statement said. According to The Week, some 17 million British customers were affected by the outage. The company has not said what caused the trouble, but denied an external attack by hackers took place. Reuters reports HSBC did not have a time table for when full service would be restored, but said it was working "non-stop" to fix the issues. In the meantime, John Hackett, HSBC's UK Chief Operating Officer, told Business Insider that the company will waive all charges its customers may incur during the outage. "We will ensure customers do not lose out as a result of this issue. Any fees customers incur as a result of this outage will be waived," he wrote. "There is a complex technical issue with our internet banking systems, and our IT team has been working non-stop since yesterday morning to find a solution. This has involved many tests, diagnostics and trial runs. We are getting closer to solving the problem, but are not there yet. We can, however, confirm this is not a cyber-attack or any other malicious act. "We will continue to provide regular updates." SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Jan. 6 is the Feast of the Epiphany, celebrating the day the Magi first came to worship the baby Jesus, 12 days after Christmas. It's the twelfth and final night of the Christmas season and for many, it's the cue to take down the lights, extinguish the candles burning in the window and throw the tree to the curb. In a column that appeared in the Jan. 2, 1966 Syracuse Herald-American, Dr. Howard V. Harper, director of the Division of Episcopal Laymen's Work, explained that the day, once one of the largest celebrations of the year during Medieval times, had lost much of its fanfare. Click on the newspaper headlines below to read the full story: (App users CLICK HERE) Up until the 9th century, Epiphany and Christmas were the same, which is why it was celebrated so enthusiastically, Harper explained. Epiphany was also time for farmers to pray for a successful crop that season, Harper wrote. They would light 13 bonfires in the fields, one each for Jesus and the 12 disciples. As the number of farmers declined, the importance of the ceremony did as well. For one couple, the Epiphany was marked new life. Erin Clark McCormick, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James McCormick was baptized on the Epiphany in 1979 at the Christ Episcopal Church in Manlius, The Post-Standard reported on Jan. 8, 1979. For others, the day meant something entirely different. In a 1997 column, former Syracuse.com/The Post-Standard columnist Sean Kirst remembers his mother's strict schedule of decorating the house and bringing the Christmas tree to the backyard, where it served as a bird feeder until Spring, when they brought the dry tree to the curb. What does the Epiphany mean to you? Leave a comment below. This feature is a part of CNY Nostalgia, a new section on syracuse.com. Send your ideas and curiosities to Jacob Pucci: Email | Twitter | 315-766-6747 SYRACUSE, N.Y -- Syracuse is no stranger to snow, so it takes a special kind of storm to remember it more than 20 years later. The Blizzard of 1994, which dumped 26.4 inches on Central New York from Jan. 4 to 5, wreaked havoc. Students across the region dug out cars and had snowball fights instead of going to school. Government offices closed at noon on Jan. 4. It was quite the way for Roy Bernardi to begin his time as mayor. Syracuse.com readers looked back vividly on the storm that dropped 9.5 inches of snow in two hours: --SHUTITDOWN44 on Syracuse.com Jumping off of my parents roof into snow drifts... It required no ladder because the drifts were covering the front of the house right up to the eves. We built tunnels through the drifts to get back out and climb up onto the house. My father tried to ride a snowmobile to work and he couldn't get through had to turn around and wait for plows and trail groomers. I had two dogs that stayed outside I remember digging them out and bringing them inside which was not a popular decision with my mother. --gzan on Syracuse.com It took 6 hours to go from downtown to Westvale, and I just remember people getting out of their stopped cars and peeing on the side of West Genesee Street. --Cheryl Nichols on Facebook I remember this well. Picked up Claire at daycare and my wonderful friend, Faith McClure took us home. Sat in a car for hours with our girls riding the storm out. --Frank Mandarino by email I remember it well. I was working downtown at MONY. All businesses were let out early around 1:30-2:00pm. I was car pooling with a co-worker and we were headed to Fairmount. The snow was coming down so fast the wipers couldn't clear windshield fast enough. We took W. Genesee St all the way. At about 3:30pm we were bumper to bumper in front of old Fairmount Fair mall. Cars were all stuck, we had to pull off to a parking lot and walk to my home about 1/2 away. Didn't get home until about 5:30pm. --Upstatephan on Syracuse.com I was in 5th grade at Willard Prior Elementary school in the City of Oneida. I remember all day we were watching the snow fall and fall and fall. By the time we left the snow was level with our window sill. That night and the next day my best friend Joe and I built the most amazing snow fort, in the 12 ft snowbanks on the side of my street. The entire next day will filled with sledding at the hill behind Willard Prior, and snowball fights across the street with the neighborhood kids. It was grand. --CrustyOl'F@rt on Syracuse.com Ahhh, I remember it well ... Started the day by visiting a large industrial customer in Fulton, NY. Left about 10:30 AM, to head on to next customer. The snowflakes were falling at a rate that exceeded the forecast, and I knew I was going to be in deep kim-chee. I decided to take a sick day, and headed back to Syracuse. Going south on Hwy 57 I changed to Plan C, and headed for the old Ron-Dee's restaurant in B'ville to take refuge. Stayed there along with a number of other "refugees from the storm" drinking their hot coffee until the roads got plowed and it was safe to resume my journey home around 5:30 PM ... cars in the ditch all over the place, but not me ... I made it home safe. Others pointed out that the Blizzard of 1993 was worse. They're right, 42.4 inches of snow fell over a three-day span beginning on March 13. --Gasbag Self-Ordained Expert on Syracuse.com The '93 storm started on a Friday. I remember because I stayed at my parents' house that weekend and I was stuck inside with them. It was amazing that the three of us emerged from that house alive...not from the snow...from us almost killing each other. --Mark Ottman on Facebook Yep.. everyone talks about the 93 Blizzard... and it was bad, don't get me wrong, but the following winter was brutal.. very cold and very snowy. --Terri Lee Weiland Walsh on Facebook That one.... I remember!!! But it was a double banger, 93 was bad, and the worse flooding we had ever seen, then 94..... Flooded again... Not as bad, but bad!!! This feature is a part of CNY Nostalgia, a new section on syracuse.com. Send your ideas and curiosities to Jacob Pucci: Email | Twitter | 315-766-6747 Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Jan. 6 By Demir Azizov - Trend: Ikrom Nazarov was appointed the new ambassador of Uzbekistan in Kazakhstan, the press service of the foreign ministry of Uzbekistan reported. Earlier, Nazarov worked as the counselor and charge d'affaires of the Republic of Uzbekistan to Poland. Nazarov departed from Tashkent to Almaty on January 5, said the ministry. Previously, the post was held by Alisher Salohiddinov since November 2012. The legal base of bilateral Uzbek-Kazakh cooperation has more than 100 intergovernmental and interdepartmental documents. Legal basis for relations between the two countries includes the Treaty of eternal friendship between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, which was concluded in 1998 and the Strategic Partnership Agreement, signed in June 2013. Positions of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan coincide in strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime, assistance in the economic reconstruction of Afghanistan, the revival of the Aral Sea, the development of transit transport corridors and alternative energy sources, rational use of water and energy resources of the region in accordance with international law. SHARE St. Lucie County felony arrests: Jan. 5, 2016 John McNamara, 53, 2700 block of Bluem Way, Port St. Lucie; warrant for DUI, prior arrests. Lawrence Perry, 44, Melbourne; warrants for giving false information to a pawnbroker, dealing in stolen property. Wendy Gispert, 48, 500 block of Chapman Avenue, Port St. Lucie; warrant for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Thomas Delacruz, 23, 1600 block of Cefalu Circle, Port St. Lucie; warrant for violation of probation, child abuse. Christopher Wortham, 30, 1000 block of 14th Street, Fort Pierce; warrant for violation of probation, aggravated battery on a pregnant woman. Bernard Brown, 24, 700 block of Curry Street, Port St. Lucie; out-of-county warrants, Orange County, resisting an officer with violence, assault on an officer. David Barney, 60, 1500 block of Penlynn Street, Sebastian; out-of-county warrant, Indian River County, leaving the scene of an accident causing property damage. Lavado Burnside, 28, 1200 block of 25thn Street, Fort Pierce; warrant for violation of probation, giving false information to a pawnbroker, dealing in stolen property. Patrick Hurley, 30, 500 block of Banks Terrace, Port St. Lucie; resisting an officer with violence; burglary of an occupied dwelling while unarmed; battery on an officer. Rebecca Duell, 18, Woodhull, N.Y.; warrant for out-of-state fugitive, Steuben County, New York, grand larceny. Kamari Mcleod, 28, 900 block of Worcester Lane, Port St. Lucie; warrant for possession of cocaine. Patrick Bastin, 24, Palm Beach; aggravated fleeing/attempting to elude; out-of-county warrant, Brevard County, fleeing and attempting to elude. Phantaegia Johnson, 21, 700 block of Grenada Street, Port St. Lucie; warrant for child neglect. Derric Bennefield, 38, 1300 block of Georgia Avenue, Fort Pierce; destroying, tampering with or fabricating evidence. Freddie Iglesias, 21, 5400 block of Moorhen Trail, Port St. Lucie; out-of-county warrant, Martin County, violation of probation, possession of marijuana over 20 grams. Richard Ramaglia, 36, 300 block of Dickerson Drive, Fort Pierce; warrant for violation of probation, battery. Allen Richards, 38, 2300 block of Merrill Road, Port St. Lucie; warrants for dealing in stolen property, grand theft, giving false information to a pawnbroker. Anthony Middleton-Williams, 26, 2300 block of Haddon Street, Port St. Lucie; out-of-county warrant, Martin County, violation of probation, grand theft, burglary of a dwelling. Kyle Hoaks, 18, 1200 block of Crost Avenue, Port St. Lucie; domestic battery by strangulation. Michael McLean, 30, 1900 block of Kanner Highway, Stuart; readmit, leaving the scene of an accident. Arielle Lloyd, 26, 3100 block of Avenue R, Fort Pierce; readmit, DUI, resisting an officer without violence. Waymon Swilley, 47, 700 block of 7th Street, Fort Pierce; readmit, DUI impairment blood or breath alcohol level of .15 or more, one prior arrest. Barbara Webb, 58, 7000 block of Sebastian Road, Fort Pierce; warrant for court order for pretrial detention and termination of pretrial supervision, DUI and damage to property or persons. Marc Goodkin, 51, Miami Beach; readmit, petty theft. Kyle Barrette, 24, 100 block of Palm Drive, Port St. Lucie; readmit, possession of marijuana with intent to sell, manufacture or deliver. Antwan Anderson, 33, 2400 block of Seneca Street, Fort Pierce; readmit, resisting an officer with violence, criminal mischief. Vincent Gaskin, 21, 2800 block of Navajo Avenue, Fort Pierce; readmit, perjury in official proceeding, giving false name while arrested or detained. Maurio Davis, 29, 900 block of 10th Court, Vero Beach; readmit, driving while license suspended, habitual offender. James Davis, 55, 5100 block of Palmetto Drive, Fort Pierce; readmit, driving while license suspended, habitual offender. Lanetta Ellis, 33, 3100 block of Avenue S, Fort Pierce; readmit, driving while license suspended, habitual offender. Charles Randhan, 41, 2700 block of Rainbow Drive, Fort Pierce; readmit, boating under the influence impairment, two prior convictions outside 10 years. Dana Gates, 34, 4500 block of Whispering Pines Lane, Fort Pierce; readmit, DUI, blood alcohol level .15 or more, one prior conviction damage to property or person of another. Antwinette Thompson, 37, 100 block of Tulip Boulevard, Port St. Lucie; warrant for court order to revoke bond, driving with license suspended, prior convictions for suspension. Megan Obrien, 44, 2900 block of U.S. 1, Fort Pierce; readmit, petty theft. Brittni Bowen, 23, 1800 block of Mandrake Circle, Port St. Lucie; readmit, giving false information to an officer. Jesse Benavente, 25, 1700 block of Corral Circle, Fort Pierce; readmit, driving while license suspended, prior conviction for suspension. David Conrad, 52, 3200 block of U.S. 1, Fort Pierce; readmit, resisting an officer with violence. Brendan Fuller, 24, 2800 block of Avenue P, Fort Pierce; readmit, criminal mischief, resisting an officer without violence. Jesse Stickles, 28, 1100 block of Abbey Avenue, Port St. Lucie; readmit, giving false ownership or identification to a secondhand dealer, dealing in stolen property. Ronald Williams, 53, 1600 block of 18th Street, Fort Pierce; readmit, driving while license suspended. Sharron Albury, 30, 2600 block of Niagra Avenue, Fort Pierce; readmit, driving without a valid license. Shonda Shuman, 34, 6900 block of Jorgensen Road, Port St. Lucie; warrant for court order to revoke bond, battery. Arturo Ramirez, 38, 802 Sail Terrace, Port St. Lucie; aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill. Matthew Mazur, 29, 1900 block of Hillmoor Drive, Port St. Lucie; petty theft. Frank Holloran, 32, 1500 block of Fortune Road, Port St. Lucie; resisting an officer with violence; battery on an officer/firefighter/EMT. Stephen Kavanaght, 37, Brooklyn, N.Y.; aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill. Reuben Bullard, 53, 300 block of Placid Avenue, Port St. Lucie; readmit, driving with license suspended, prior conviction. Dylan Blackburn, 22, 1000 block of Jennifer Terrace, Port St. Lucie; readmit, resisting merchant, petty theft. Michael Loftsgaard, 29, 2800 block of Dame Road, Fort Pierce; warrant for court order, dealing in stolen property, giving false information to a pawnbroker. Kelli Hayes, 28, 5900 block of Myrtle Drive, Fort Pierce; possession of cocaine. Tobias Young, 36, 3200 block of Indiana Court, Fort Pierce; fleeing/eluding police aggravated fleeing with injury or damage; grand theft; hit-and-run, failure to stop/remain at crash involving serious bodily injuries; driving while license suspended, habitual offender. Steven Hays, 53, 2300 block of Pamona Street, Port St. Lucie; driving while license suspended, habitual offender. Rita Kahl, 29, 2400 block of Richmond Street, Port St. Lucie; warrant for violation of probation, fraudulent use of a credit card. Arrested in Indian River County. MARTIN COUNTY Michael McLean, 30, 1900 block of Kanner Highway, Stuart; readmit, leaving the scene of an accident. Arrested in St. Lucie County. INDIAN RIVER COUNTY Maurio Davis, 29, 900 block of 10th Court, Vero Beach; readmit, driving while license suspended, habitual offender. Arrested in St. Lucie County. David Barney, 60, 1500 block of Penlynn Street, Sebastian; out-of-county warrant, Indian River County, leaving the scene of an accident causing property damage. Arrested in St. Lucie County. SHARE Darryl Fortner, 24, 100 block of Prima Vista Boulevard, Port St. Lucie; warrant for dealing in stolen property. Dereck Gervais, 27, Deerfield Beach; out-of-state warrant, Ohio, violation of court order for burglary. Roberto Giorgetti, 18, Coral Gables; possession of a controlled substance (Xanax) without a prescription. John McNamara, 49, 1100 block of Hernando Street, Fort Pierce; warrant for DUI impairment with priors, court order to revoke bond, driving while license suspended, habitual offender. Moises Truzman Behar, 23, Gainesville; possession of marijuana over 20 grams. Kelvin Toombs, 24, 500 block of Weatherbee Road, Fort Pierce; warrant for court order to revoke bond, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a weapon or ammunition by gang-related felon or delinquent, possession of marijuana under 20 grams. Michael Enright, 30, Kissimmee; warrant for violation of probation, grand theft of a motor vehicle. Michael Loftsgaard, 29, 2800 block of Dame Road, Fort Pierce; warrant for court order to revoke bond, dealing in stolen property, larceny/grand theft of a firearm, fraud - giving false ownership information to pawn items, grand theft/larceny. Ricardo Olivo, 33, 3200 block of Martin Street, Port St. Lucie; warrant for court order to revoke bond, use of anti-theft device, grand theft, resisting officer without violence. Juan Mejia, 37, 1600 block of Falmouth Avenue, Port St. Lucie; out-of-county warrant, Manatee County, manufacture of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana with intent to sell or deliver. Edwin Kelly, 21, 300 block of Greenway Terrace, Port St. Lucie; burglary of a structure or conveyance while armed; warrant for violation of probation, battery, criminal mischief. Carrington Ferguson, 30, 1000 block of Avenue H, Fort Pierce; out-of-state warrants, Clayton County, Georgia, aggravated assault, pistol/gun-pointing at another, battery-family violence; governor's warrant for extradition. Jeffery Smith, 46, 7000 block of Okeechobee Road, Fort Pierce; warrant for failure of sexual predator to report change in residence to Department of Motor Vehicles. Allen Richards, 38, 2300 block of Merrill Road, Port St. Lucie; warrants for giving false information to pawnbroker, dealing in stolen property. Chanelle Reed, 37, 700 block of Altura Street, Port St. Lucie; warrant for grand theft of a controlled substance, possession of morphine. Daniel Barry, 29, 400 block of Fort Pierce; warrants for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of burglary tools. Stuart Clark, 56, 2400 block of Tamarind Drive, Fort Pierce; warrants for burglary of a dwelling with an assault and battery, robbery with a weapon. Tacaveon Carson, 22, Lauderhill; warrant for trafficking in counterfeit credit cards. John Morales, 19, 5800 block of Whipporwill Lane, Port St. Lucie; larceny/grand theft. John Trager, 26, 1100 block of Menores Avenue, Port St. Lucie; warrant for out-of-state fugitive, Suffolk County, driving while intoxicated-impaired by drugs. Tarrence Lee, 36, 1900 block of 44th Street, Fort Pierce; warrants for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a stolen credit or debit card, grand theft, criminal use of personal I.D., organized fraud. Julien Hodges, 21, Miramar; warrant for organized fraud, petty theft, uttering a forged bill, check or draft. Patrick Hurley, 30, 500 block of Banks Terrace, Port St. Lucie; resisting an officer with violence; burglary of an unoccupied dwelling while unarmed; battery on an officer/firefighter/EMT. Napoleon Wilson, 26, Fort Lauderdale; out-of-county warrant, Broward County, aggravated assault, child abuse, resisting arrest without violence. Joshua Tomlinson, 24, 300 block of Lott Street, Fort Pierce; re-admit, burglary of a conveyance, petty theft. Amber Freitas, 25, 7800 block of Santa Rosa Parkway, Fort Pierce; re-admit, petty theft. William Dupree, 27, 2900 block of Romano Road, Port St. Lucie; grand theft; possession of/receiving/retaining stolen credit or debit card; fraud - swindle to obtain property; possession of I.D. of another person without consent. (ERIC HASERT/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS) Buildings along the Indian River Lagoon. SHARE By Tyler Treadway of TCPalm Martin County's plan to limit septic system size, although five times more strict than state standards, complies with state law, says the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. The ruling means septic systems in the county can process no more than 2,000 gallons of sewage a day. The state standard is for systems that can process up to 10,000 gallons a day. As point of reference, a three-bedroom home produces an estimated 300 gallons of wastewater a day. Proponents of the change to the county's comprehensive development plan say it will reduce pollution draining to the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon. County Commissioner Anne Scott Tuesday called the ruling "an affirmation that managing growth is the environmentally correct thing to do." Opponents to the change said it will stifle development, especially in the western county. For example, Commissioner John Haddox said the ruling could hamper landowners' ability to switch from citrus to other crops that might require housing farm workers. On the plus side, Haddox said, the ruling affirms the county's right to set its own standards. THE DEBATE The septic issue started in June 2014 when county commissioners voted 3-2 to reduce the maximum septic system size from the state standard as an amendment to the county's comprehensive development plan. Commissioners Scott, Sarah Heard and Ed Fielding also pointed out both the state and the county limited systems to 2,000 gallons a day until 2009, when the state raised the maximum septic size to 10,000 gallons a day and a pro-growth commission adopted the change. Agriculture Department Senior Analyst Stormie Knight said in December 2014 the county's move violated state laws giving the state departments of Health and Environmental Protection the authority to regulate septic systems. Knight also said the county policy would restrict agriculture illegally and force developers to install a lot of small septic systems instead of a few large ones, and that would threaten the very environment the measure was supposed to protect. Commissioners Haddox and Doug Smith also voted against the stricter size limit. COURT CHALLENGE Martin County Land Co., which owns ranch land west of Interstate 95 and Kanner Highway, challenged the county's plan in court. In a Sept. 1 order, state Administrative Law Judge Suzanne Van Wyck recommended the state rule in favor of the county, stating the land company failed to prove the lower septic flow limit violated state law and would increase pollution. Attorneys for the land company appealed to the state Department of Economic Opportunity, claiming the burden of proof was on the county, which failed to prove cutting septic system size would cut pollution. In a ruling issued Dec. 31, Julie A. Dennis, interim director of the department's Division of Community Development, concluded there was "competent substantial evidence" in favor of the smaller septic systems." Gregory M. Munson, a Tallahassee attorney representing Martin County Land Co., could not be reached for comment. By Lidia Dinkova of TCPalm The Stuart redevelopment agency a tool to improve infrastructure in parts of the city allotted minimal amounts on brick-and-mortar projects in recent years while spending most of its money on administration and operating expenses, according to a Martin County analysis. More than half of the spending in fiscal years 2013 and 2014 was on administration and operations, but only 1.7 percent in 2013 and 6 percent in 2014 was spent on capital improvements, according to the county. The rest was used to pay off debt, the analysis shows. "Very little to no moneys have been expended on capital projects to improve CRA areas," County Administrator Taryn Kryzda said in an email. Martin County's analysis of the spending comes as the county is challenging Stuart's plan to grow its redevelopment area by 649 properties spread over 387 acres. The Stuart Community Redevelopment Agency is funded in part by new property-tax revenue. The CRA collects 95 percent of this new revenue. The county says it would lose money to an expanded city CRA and have no say in how that money is spent. "Once we release those funds to the city, they spend them at the will of how they want to spend them," Kryzda said. City officials could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Martin County says it could pay $9.2 million to $12.6 million over 10 years to Stuart if the city grows its redevelopment area and depending on how much taxable values increase. That includes property tax revenue the county already allocates to the existing city CRA. The county paid $765,000 in 2015 to the city CRA. The county has little leverage in the matter. County approval is not required for the city to expand its CRA, according to Kryzda. But the County Commission on Tuesday directed staff to explore Martin's options. State law provides recourse in such intergovernmental disputes. For its part, Stuart disagrees with Martin County's assertion that it would lose money if the city's CRA grows. The county still would receive 5 percent of new property taxes generated within the redevelopment area, and would continue to collect property taxes it's already been getting from these areas. In fact, the county might end up with more money from these areas, City Attorney Michael Mortell has said. The areas proposed for inclusion have declined in taxable value by 13.78 percent between 2010 and 2014 but the hope is that including them in the CRA would turn them around, Mortell said. That, in turn, would grow their taxable value and the property-tax revenue they generate. "The city is sincerely interested in revitalizing neighborhoods in need within the parameters of Florida law," he said. The County Commission on Tuesday also directed staff to seek comment on the matter from the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council. The Stuart Commission is to further discuss issues raised by the county on Monday. Beginning early in 2016, the Vero Beach Municipal Power Plant will be dismantled in a series of phases. Equipment and components will be sold before the 55-year-old facility is demolished. (ERIC HASERT/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS) SHARE By Colleen Wixon of TCPalm VERO BEACH Lawyers of two feuding governments are going to talk electric, hoping to reach a better understanding of the what it would cost for Indian River Shores to sever ties with Vero's electric system. But whether anything will come of the discussions between the two municipalities' utility attorneys is unclear. Indian River Shores wants a better understanding of why Vero estimates it would lose $64.5 million if Florida Power & Light Co. buys the 3,500-customer base in Indian River Shores, Vero Beach Mayor Jay Kramer told the City Council Tuesday. FPL previously offered Vero Beach $13 million for the Indian River Shores portion of its electric system. "My objective is responding to the Shores request for clarification on this information. They're a customer of ours. They want to go through these numbers and understand them. I'm giving them that opportunity," Kramer said, responding when Councilwoman Pilar Turner questioned the objective of the meeting. The council unanimously approved setting up the meeting. It will be in Tallahassee, where both attorneys are located, to save travel costs, Kramer said. For transparency, both attorneys will make a report following their meeting. The two governments have been at odds for years over Vero's electric rates. Indian River Shores has sued Vero Beach, claiming the city has no legal right to force town residents to be on its electric grid after their franchise agreement ends in November. Vero claims the state Public Service Commission has given it authority to set its service area boundaries. Talk of a partial sale to FPL began about a year ago, but was dropped when Vero and FPL realized they were more than $50 million apart in the value of the Shores portion of Vero's electric system. The city's impact analysis considered fixed costs, general expenses, electric fund debt, general fund and how much more the city would have to charge its remaining electric customers. More than 60 percent of the Vero Beach electric customers live outside the city limits, and have been fighting to sever ties with Vero's utility in favor of FPL. Vero Beach voters also have indicated a preference to sell the electric utility to FPL, but that effort stalled because the city has been unable to get out of its agreements with the Florida Municipal Power Agency, a multi-municipality power co-op. St. Lucie County Tax Collector Dorthoy "Jo" Conrad sports a T-shirt stating "I survived 1989 tax season." (PROVIDED BY JAYNE JOHNSON) SHARE Dorothy "Jo" Conrad By Janet Begley ST. LUCIE COUNTY Those who remember Dorothy Jo Conrad from her 46 years in the St. Lucie County Tax Collectors office remember her as a woman who was accessible to the public and someone who treated her employees like family. Conrad, who was elected to the position of tax collector for four terms, died in Fort Pierce on Dec. 29. She was 88 years old. Her great-granddaughter, Jayne Johnson, who also works for the tax collectors office, said Conrad relocated from Cardiff, Wales to join her new husband Edward in Okeechobee in 1946. The young couple moved to Fort Pierce in 1946 and Conrad began her career with the St. Lucie County Tax Collectors office in 1954. She was elected tax collector in 1988 and served until her retirement in 2001. Margaret Eierman, who has worked for the tax collectors office for 27 years, said Conrad was a dynamite woman and an unbelievable person who will be missed. There were a few times when I tried to give her a resignation letter and she just tore it up, remembered Eierman. She said, girl, you know you need this job and so I just turned around and went back to work. She always knew the right thing to do. Melanie Coleman, who worked with Conrad for decades, remembers her as someone who was dedicated to the county, her staff and her family. She was such a lady, said Coleman. She was just one of those people who wanted the best for everyone. Conrads numerous accomplishments at the tax collectors office also include the 1985 expansion of the office from its single Fort Pierce location to a second office in Port St. Lucie. The second office was proudly named the Dorothy J. Conrad Administrative Annex in her honor on March 6, 2012. Conrad was named the first female president of the Florida Tax Collectors Association in 1993 and was honored by former Florida Governor Lawton Chiles as The Democratic Woman of the Year. She also spoke on Capitol Hill about the impact of local government bankruptcy on education funding on August 1, 1997. Conrad was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 45 years, Ed. She is survived by her two children: Carol Matula of Fort Pierce and Kenneth Conrad of Weatherford, Texas and two grandchildren and three great-granddaughters. A memorial service was earlier this week. IN MEMORY Treasure Coast Newspapers columnist Gil Smart. (XAVIER MASCARENAS/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS) In December, St. Lucie County deputies busted a marijuana grow house. They arrested three suspects and seized nearly $300,000 worth of pot. Sheriff Ken Mascara said he wants to keep the house, too. And he doesn't see the point of waiting around for criminal convictions to do so. The Fort Pierce home is one in which "no one lives, is not homesteaded, was purchased for cash and converted to nothing but an uninhabitable grow house," Mascara said. "Why should we have to wait until they are convicted when the evidence is clear as day?" To which those who want to see changes to Florida's civil asset forfeiture laws might answer: Because they, too, have constitutional rights. In Florida and across the country, efforts are underway to reform "civil asset forfeiture" a fancy term for what happens when the cops bust you for drugs or other crimes and keep money, vehicles, cellphones, even homes they believe are connected to the crime. The idea is to deprive criminals of their ill-gotten gains, and law enforcement officials like Mascara, Martin County Sheriff William Snyder and Indian River County Sheriff Deryl Loar say Florida's forfeiture statute, the Contraband Forfeiture Act, is a valuable weapon in the war on drugs. It's valuable for another reason, too: Forfeiture makes money for law enforcement. Florida law permits law enforcement to keep seized property for official use and spend proceeds on a variety of "law enforcement purposes." The Martin County Sheriff's Office has netted nearly a third of a million dollars $321,267 in cash forfeitures over the past two years. It also purchased a Lenco BearCat a wheeled, armored personnel carrier used in hostage standoffs or similar situations for $328,633, fully funded by forfeiture money. And nonprofits benefit from forfeitures, too: Departments that take in more than $15,000 per year have to spend at least 15 percent of that on anti-drug efforts, including treatment or educational programs. Martin County has spent or donated more than $41,000 on such programs since 2013. Local law enforcement also has gotten hundreds of thousands of dollars from the federal "Equitable Sharing" program, which provides seized funds to agencies involved in joint federal-local operations. So bad guys get busted, police get money for more and better enforcement and anti-drug groups get fiscal support. Good deal, right? Well, maybe. Under current Florida law, police can seize assets even without bringing charges against a defendant. And there's not a whole lot of transparency. A November report by the Florida Legislature's Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability noted that local law enforcement agencies are not required to report seizures. A voluntary survey in which half of Florida's police and sheriff's offices participated found nearly 19,000 seizure actions in the past five years, with vehicles and cash being the most frequently seized items. And critics including the bipartisan group "Fix Forfeiture," which includes the American Civil Liberties Union and the conservative Heritage Foundation, among others charge that forfeiture laws give law enforcement an incentive to "police for profit." The more aggressive and zealous they are in seizing the assets of the "bad guys," the more revenue they generate. Here in Florida, there's a bill in both the state House and Senate to reform forfeiture laws. One of the most powerful legislators in the state the Treasure Coast's own Sen. Joe Negron has signed on as a co-sponsor to Senate Bill 1044, a measure introduced by St. Petersburg Republican Jeff Brandes which would, among other things, require a conviction before forfeiture. In other words, Mascara would have to wait to keep that house. Negron, in an interview last week, said he is trying to strike a balance between being tough on crime and safeguarding constitutional rights. Negron has spoken with the Florida Sheriffs Association and said discussions have been "very productive and respectful." Treasure Coast sheriffs say they don't see the abuses of the law happening here that have been reported elsewhere. There's no problem; so why the push for a solution? "I'm a big believer in the Constitution and due process," Snyder said. "We don't want to seize assets from anyone who's innocent, but I don't think we're doing that." Mascara noted that people who have their property seized can petition a judge to get it back. Constitutional protections, he said, are already "more than adequate." "This is nothing more than politicians once again jumping on a bandwagon without an adequate understanding of how the law actually works in real life," Mascara said, and is "further evidence of the increasing popularity, on both the political left and the right, of finding fault with everything law enforcement does, facts be damned." Gil Smart is a columnist for Treasure Coast Newspapers and a member of the Editorial Board. This column reflects his opinion. Readers may reach him at gil.smart@tcpalm.com, by phone at 772-223-4741 or via Twitter at @TCPalmGilSmart. State Rep. Debbie Mayfield, R-Vero Beach (far right) is serving her final year in the House due to term limits, and plans to move to Brevard County and run for Senate, representing Indian River County. Senator Joe Negron (second from right) gives Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford (second from left) a tour of the Indian River Lagoon with Florida Representative Gayle Harrell (left) along the Riverwalk in Downtown Stuart in November 2013. Laurence Reisman Columnist SHARE The Vero Beach Municipal Power Plant. (ERIC HASERT/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS) I-95 construction in Indian River County at the intersection with State Road 60. (ERIC HASERT/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS) Prepare for local political fireworks in 2016 It doesn't take a soothsayer to know there will be fireworks galore in Indian River County in 2016. And not just on the Fourth of July or New Year's Eve. Lots of big issues some unresolved after years will test us. Most are linked to what should be the most heated local elections in many years. One unresolved issue is estimated to again suck about $20 million out of the local economy this year. Vero Beach electric customers pay 20 percent or more for power than their neighbors served by Florida Power & Light. State Rep. Debbie Mayfield, R-Vero Beach, sent to Tallahassee almost eight years ago to resolve the issue, has been largely ineffective. She's filed yet another bill this year no magic bullet for city ratepayers that would at least add state oversight to the biggest reason Vero Beach cannot sell its operation to FPL: The Florida Municipal Power Agency's refusal to seriously consider the city buying its way out of long-term power contracts. Mayfield, serving her final year in the House due to term limits, plans to move to Brevard County and run for the Senate, representing Indian River County. Her likely opponent is Ritch Workman, a Melbourne state representative facing a similar limit. It's just one of several local races that could turn into ugly grudge matches. The undercard in Indian River County features two School Board seats that could be open. But the county's heavyweight battle pits David Nolte, seeking his 10th term as property appraiser, versus Wesley Davis, a three-term county commissioner and former School Board member. While Nolte, 72, has the experience of running a county office, Davis has lots of financial support. So far he has a large lead over Nolte, and most of the incumbent's campaign contributions have been from his own checkbook. Meantime, a race to fill Mayfield's seat featuring Eric Grall, Lange Sykes and Dale Glading also is attracting big money almost $300,000 in campaign contributions so far. Special interests statewide could make this one really ugly, as Grall unfairly was slimed by a secretive political committee in her last quest for the House. The three county commission races should be doozies, as well. North County political heavyweights Susan Adams and Jim Hill, respectively past mayors of Fellsmere and Sebastian, will vie to replace Davis. Vero Beach Mayor Jay Kramer is trying to unseat two-term commissioner Bob Solari, a former Vero councilman. And, in a race of Vero Beach natives, Joe Earman hopes to unseat Tim Zorc. The latter two races already have generated significant campaign funding. By their August primary given the rebounding economy, record-setting tourism and rapid pace of home building locals will be fed up again with clogged roads, cookie-cutter subdivisions and poor road construction execution by the state Department of Transportation (Interstate 95 project, for example). It's a recipe to make growth a campaign issue again. Among the big questions: Will county voters reauthorize a 1 percent sales tax to fund new roads and other big-ticket items? What big development news will come from Fellsmere? What progress will there be in redevelopment projects along the waterfronts of Sebastian and Vero Beach? Meantime, five of seven seats on the Indian River County Hospital District will be up for grabs. At least three are held by trustees who want to keep the nonprofit that runs the district's Indian River Medical Center accountable to taxpayers. Sadly, in what seems to be cyclical fashion, hospital management has been beset by several embarrassments most recently the surprising departures of its chief operating officer and its longtime credentialing chairman and chief medical informatics officer. The hospital entered into a confidential settlement seemingly in violation of its lease with the district with a competitor, Sebastian River Medical Center, in the case of its chief operating officer. A few trustees have questioned the secret settlement. Are enough people upset with the lack of hospital transparency to run for an unpaid trustee seat? The community has been fairly apathetic lately. Perhaps it's time for a change. This column reflects the opinion of Laurence Reisman. Contact him via email at larry.reisman@tcpalm.com, phone at 772-978-2223 or Twitter @LaurenceReisman. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 5 By Dalga Khatinoglu - Trend: Denmark's Maersk Group has confirmed its being in energy-related negotiations with Iran. "We can confirm that we have met with representatives from the Iranian government to discuss possible projects," Simon Mehl Augustesen, head of media relations, group communication and branding at Maersk Group, told Trend Jan. 5. "Nothing has been agreed and we cannot share further details," he added. "We respect the international sanctions framework, and any decision on engagement in energy or transport business in Iran will have to await sanctions repeal," Augustesen further explained. Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said Jan. 5 that Tehran is holding talks with Maersk Oil for developing Iran's oil fields. He made the remarks on the sidelines of a meeting with visiting Danish Foreign Minister Kristian Jensen in Tehran, the oil ministry's official SHANA news agency reported. "Iran is interested to cooperate with Danish firms in upstream oil sector as well as petrochemical and refinery projects," added the Iranian minister. Maersk, if involved in Iran's oil sector, would become the first Danish company to cooperate with the Islamic Republic in upstream oil and gas sector. While responding to a reporter's question about the oil fields in development of which the Danish firms will participate, Zanganeh said they are interested to cooperate on Caspian fields, meanwhile Iran wants the cooperation to focus on development of South Pars gas field's oil layer. Every day Aluma Tower Company manufactures portable aluminum towers, shipping them across the country and around the world. This multi-million dollar manufacturing business has been located in the center of Vero Beach on Old Dixie Highway for the past 40 years. Yet chances are you've never heard of it. You can easily drive by Aluma Tower's two locations and never notice either one. Angela Ledford, president and general manager, calls her company "a hidden gem." From supporting emergency management, to surveillance, meteorology and communications applications, Aluma Tower is part of our lives, working invisibly, right under our noses. Beneath radar The company remains beneath the radar, despite winning two recent awards: the 2015 South Florida Manufacturer of the Year Award and the 2015 Indian River County Chamber of Commerce Manufacturer of the Year Award. Back in the 1970s, Robert A. Main of New Jersey was in the midst of buying local manufacturing businesses. "My dad was a workaholic," says his daughter, Susan Main Flannery, from her home in New Jersey. "He came to Vero Beach to visit a friend who owned a home there and decided he'd retire in Vero someday. He bought a small business, and went back and forth between New Jersey and Vero." Main bought Ted Gottry's small ham radio and television company, though the men continued to work together. "Ted played such an important part in building the business," Flannery said. New markets One day, a ham radio salesmen asked Main and Gottry to make a portable tower that he could take to the Keys and other remote places to show customers. The two men created a folding, telescoping tower. The salesman put the tower on his van and business boomed. The portable tower was the first milestone in Aluma Tower's success. "The mobile van unit was the beginning of the mobile tower world," says Ledford. "Forty years ago when people used TV antennae, the higher the tower, the better the signal." From that first portable tower, Main and Gottry developed a whole line of lightweight towers for the TV-receiving-signal market. The next milestone occurred with the invention of cell phones. "We were a force in developing a tower that was taller and could handle more load. Because the towers' design allows them to be without guy wires, they can handle a large payload for cell phones," says Ricardo Amaral, vice president of marketing and business development. "Guy wires provide extra stability. They're necessary when a tower's base is narrow. The ones that don't require guy wires are shaped like the Eiffel Tower. But we use telescopic towers, one fitting inside the other," Ledford says. Vital services Today, Aluma Towers has two sites. The northern building, on the northwest corner of Old Dixie Highway and 16th Street, faces furniture consignment shops to the east and the pink Chocolate Factory to the south. The building is tan with a narrow strip for visitors' parking. But it's spacious inside. Along with administrative offices, this building houses the manufacturing floor, where welders build separate pieces of the towers. The southern site is on Old Dixie near 10th Street, opposite Mrs. Mac's Fillin' Station Restaurant. Here, workers assemble the towers and prepare them for shipping. "We're one of the main supporters in an emergency requiring rapid deployment," says Ledford. "When Katrina hit New Orleans, we were there to deploy data. That's what we did when the twin hurricanes hit Indian River County in 2004. FEMA uses us too." Other uses "It's not all disasters though. We're in the Magic Kingdom. Disney uses us to deploy their data network. We're behind the scenes at lots of big events when there's too much data for their regular system," says Amaral. An Aluma Tower unit can also be a single tower that stays in place, monitoring and transmitting information. "The Border Patrol uses us along with cameras to protect the Mexican-American border," Amaral says. "We can remotely capture people crossing the border in real time and transmit that info to the Border Patrol." Other customers need a mobile tower. For them, there's a system that mounts the tower to a vehicle, such as a van or trailer. "People tow their mobile units the same way they tow a boat. It's a mobile, data-network operations center often used for surveillance purposes. It captures license plates and has face recognition. Some of our customers, such as the Department of Defense, are top secret. I can only tell you we work with them. That's all. We're very discreet," Amaral says. Reliable Aluma Tower supports emergency medical teams throughout Florida, including Brevard, Polk, Lake and Martin counties, and more. Vero Beach customers include radio stations, ham radio operators, farms and citrus groves, as well as the water treatment and power plants. The towers have a unique construction, easily recognizable from the road. First, no matter how old the tower, it always looks brand new. "The aluminum stays shiny. There's an Aluma Tower behind a bait shop near Oslo Road on U.S. 1" says Amaral. "It's been there for 36 years, transmitting information to boats at sea." Company makeover Ledford joined Aluma Towers in 2014. A Navy brat, he was born in Japan and raised in the Midwest. "When I started, they'd gone through a stretch of low sales and did a turnover in management. I was brought in along with a number of consultants to reinvent the business," Ledford explains. Since it began, Aluma Tower was accustomed to manufacturing a low volume of highly customized products. The owners wanted to increase profits so Aluma Tower switched to the opposite method. In 2014, it began making more standardized towers that could be used for many different purposes. It worked. One of the company's biggest successes came recently when Amaral sold 30 units of "trailer/shelter cells on wheels" overseas. "It was a multimillion-dollar opportunity, bringing our growth to 70 percent. It pushed our company much closer to our goal and doubled our revenue in 2014," Ledford says. "Doubling it again is our goal for 2016." Working together Ledford loves working at Aluma Tower and the challenge of putting a new business plan in place. "Everyone is energized and passionate. It's a great culture," she says. Ledford's background is in wireless communication. She worked with the first company to develop multiple modems. But Amaral's background is very different. Originally from Brazil, with a background in communication and marketing, Amaral worked at Disney World for years. He originally came to the U.S. for an internship at Kennedy Space Center, more than 10 years ago. "Along with reinventing the business, Ang and I are becoming community-minded. We want to reach out and become involved in nonprofit work," Amaral said. Growing together New outlook While Ledford and Amaral have done a great deal towards giving Aluma Tower a new outlook, both make the same point: none of this would be possible without the consistent, high quality work of the employees, all of whom are local. "What matters are the guys on the shop floors. They make an excellent product. They're active participants in the design and production. They don't just turn wrenches they're really part of the whole quality process," Amaral said. The feeling is mutual. Ridert Rivero is one of the prominent members of the Aluma Tower's welding team and has been there seven years. "I feel respected here. She's very fair," says Rivero of Ledford. John Blume, production manager for the north shop has been with Aluma Tower five years and calls it a second family. "We have the same goal here. We're feeding our families and making this company strong. All of us are committed to growth and working safely," says Blume. Susan Main Flannery agrees. She and her husband have a home on the beach and will be here for a good part of the winter. "We have total confidence in the new management team," Flannery says. "The company has evolved into manufacturing today's sophisticated portable communication units, led by Angela Ledford and her talented team. We are excited for the future of the company." For more information see www.alumatower.com or call 772-567-3423. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Combining human and computer intelligence could help solve the worlds most vexing problems, researchers envisioned in an article published Monday in the journal Science. Researchers fromCornell University and theHuman Computation Institute want more humans to help out in accelerating research and finding solutions to lifes most difficult problems, such as cancer, HIV, climate change and drought. Crowdsourcing analysis of research materials isnt new. There are already games with a purpose that offload some of the work of analyzing data to humans, who receive the tasks packaged as games. When the purpose of those games involves forwarding science, its called citizen science, said Pietro Michelucci, director of the Human Computation Institute. New tools and infrastructure have made it easier to combine various methods of crowdsourcing and create more complex and sophisticated systems, he told TechNewsWorld. So this means, instead of creating just one-off human computation systems from scratch each time, we now have the ability to connect different methods of engagement and have real-time access to crowds, Michelucci said. Citizen Science The discovery of an HIV-related finding, which had eluded researchers for a decade and a half, took only 10 days for citizen scientists to reach. The crowd experts were manipulating 3-D models in protein folding game Foldit. If you could create an expert by combining people in the crowd, then you have access to a lot more crowd experts, said Michelucci. So we use the wisdom of the crowd method to combine contributions from the general public. For a smartphone app called Malaria Spot, researchers found that every 23 diagnoses from members of the general public were as accurate as one diagnosis from a certified pathologist. But 23 might not be the right number for Michelucci and companys WeCureAlz initiative for researching Alzheimers disease, and it may be the wrong number of crowd experts for many other systems. We have to figure out how many members of the public it takes to analyze a certain amount of data before that analysis is as accurate as the one from the trained scientist working in the lab,he said. When we can make that work, we have this force multiplier. If we have 30,000 people in the general public and it takes 30 people, then we have 1,000 crowd experts, Michelucci added. Crowd experts could fix problems of all sizes someday, according to Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group. For example, human computation can impact litigation, both case law and discovery, primary research on trends and causes, he told TechNewsWorld. Politics would be timely, for instance. Man and Machine Human computation is far from humans doing the bidding of machines. It is about leveraging humans in areas where machines fall short, according to Michelucci. Another way of looking at it is, if machines could do everything humans could do, we wouldnt need AI researchers anymore, he said. For example, in chess, humans still have the edge in being able to focus on only the logical moves, Michelucci pointed out. Computers are good at chess because they consider every possible move, including the ones that clearly make no sense. Even if machines can evaluate millions of moves per second, they waste most of their time on moves that wont be successful, Michelucci said. Whereas human abilities like abstraction, complex pattern recognition, imagination and creativity those kinds of things make it possible for people to find solutions quickly that machines cant because there are too many possibilities to search through. Samsungs forthcoming Galaxy S7 smartphone will have several new features, including a pressure-sensitive display like the one available on the iPhone 6s, according to a report published Monday in The Wall Street Journal. The S7 also will have a USB Type-C port, which will make for faster charging; a camera optimized for low-light photography; and possibly a retina scanner and an external memory card slot in some versions, the report said. The camera lens will be flush with the back of the phone instead of bulging out as the Galaxy S6s lens does. As it did with the Galaxy S6, Samsung reportedly will offer two versions of the S7, one a premium curved-screen device to be named the Galaxy S7 Edge. The smartphone market is all about keeping up with the Joneses, and Apple has had its fair share of rule-making features, remarked Ramon Llamas, a research manager at IDC. Then again, Samsung did start the phablet craze, he told TechNewsWorld. The Galaxy S7 series reportedly will be available in the United States in mid-March after being announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, in late February. Galloping to Stay Current Most of the new features to be included in the S7 are widely available in competitors devices, and one, the microSD card slot, is returning to the Galaxy family after having been dropped in the Galaxy S6 series. There have been rumors of a USB Type-C port for the S7 since this fall. Its available already on smartphones from some makers, including LG Electronics and Huawei Technologies. Its one of the technologies Apple reportedly is testing for the iPhone 7. Fujitsu released a smartphone with a retina scanner earlier this year, as did ZTE. Its Grand S3, available in China, also offers retinal scanning. No vendor wants to be left out in the cold as one of the few who didnt adopt a new technology, IDCs Llamas said. Taking on the Competition Apple is the only maker thats a threat to Samsung at the high end. The S7 is really competing head-on with the iPhone, said David McQueen, a research director atABI Research. Most other Android vendors such as Motorola/Lenovo, Huawei, ZTE, LG and Sony have tried and failed to compete at the high end. The recently launched US$700BlackBerry Priv is an obvious exception, he told TechNewsWorld, but Im not so sure thats going to fare well against Apple and Samsung at that price point, despite the obvious security benefits and hard keyboard. Shoring up Samsung Sales Sales of the Galaxy S6 reportedly have not hit the70 million units Samsung predicted at launch. Deutsche Bank pegged sales at about 45 million, according to media reports. Samsung has offered consumers a$100 Google Play credit to trade in their iPhones for an S6. It offered a $300 gift bundle of accessories to new purchasers of the Galaxy S6 family or the Galaxy Note 5 to boost holiday sales last month. The new features for the Galaxy S7 arent likely to increase sales, Llamas predicted, because they are incremental at best, and by themselves dont represent reasons for a jump-start. What end users want to see is not what these features can do, per se, but what these features can do for them. While the new features make the Galaxy S7 even more Apple-like, the problem Samsung and Apple, to some extent, face is how to make the new iteration of their flagship device different enough from last years version to entice users to upgrade, ABIs McQueen pointed out. This is becoming ever harder to achieve, he said. All [the flagships] look and feel the same, and are packed with very similar features, so it can boil down to brand strength, ecosystem and price. New Delhi, India, January 06, 2016: According to industry sources, Letv, the global internet conglomerate, is expected to hire an ex-Samsung senior executive soon. Gearing up for its India launch this month, Letv is in full hiring spree, attracting the best talent in the industry from a well-established brand like Samsung. The company has already started its expansion across international territories by launching their products in Hong Kong, and are now scheduled to make their grand entry into India soon. Hiring an executive from a leading brand like Samsung only cements their intention of capturing international markets as well as the consumers imagination with their catalogue of unique ecosystem products. Letv has been making a lot of news around its highly anticipated grand launch in India. The companys unique Super Phones, Super TV, Super Cycle and other ecosystem based products have witnessed considerable success in China and are expected to amaze Indian consumers too when they launch later during the month. The company on Tuesday launched its innovative Le 3D Helmet, LeMe Bluetooth Headphones and Super Cycle. Introducing the Letv comprehensive ecosystem, the company launched the Le 3D Helmet and Super Cycle along with the LeMe Bluetooth Headphones, offering consumers breakthrough technology at sustainable pricing. The brand is scheduled to do its grand launch event at KOD on January 20th where its also expected to launch its super phones. Founded in November 2004 and headquartered in Beijing, Leshi Internet Information & Technology, also known as Letv, is engaged in a rich array of businesses, spanning from Internet TV, video production and distribution, smart gadgets, and large-screen applications to e-commerce and Internet-linked super-electric cars. Technuter.com News Service A laptop-tablet hybrid device usually ends up being more laptop than tablet or more tablet than laptop. So far, Microsoft seems to be on the right track in balancing the best of both platforms. The company's Surface Pro 4 and especially its Surface Book work just as well as either a laptop or as a tablet. Lenovo, the world's largest PC maker, might tip the scales in its favor with its latest ThinkPad X1 lineup. With some heavy-hitting features and Lenovo's signature, hard-to-beat competitive pricing and very solid keyboards, Lenovo has a winner for almost everyone. Where Microsoft has two main products in the laptop-hybrid category, Lenovo offers the same but with a twist. The X1 Yoga hybrid literally does twist around between its laptop and tablet functions, and the X1 Tablet has as many as three different docks to turn the tablet into more than just a tablet. Awesome OLED Though both Microsoft's Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book have higher-resolution displays than either of Lenovo's new laptop-tablet hybrids, the X1 Yoga does come equipped with the world's first OLED (organic light-emitting diode) screen in a hybrid PC. OLED screens are those that are super slim with great brightness and deep, dark blacks. They've been most prevalent in super-thin, big-screen TVs and less than a handful of tablets and smartphones. In fact, OLED tech is still pretty much in the realm of the most expensive of gadgets. But it's on the X1 Yoga, and it's looking to be the star feature of the device. The 14-inch 2,560 x 1,440 Samsung-made OLED display will provide crisper images than the regular LCD screens that have been used in laptops for decades. Because it's OLED, the screen is much thinner than conventional displays and it allows the X1 Yoga to have a slimmer profile, lighter weight, greater power efficiency and, of course, great viewing angles. Beyond the screen, however, the rest of the X1 Yoga is your typical PC fare with up to Intel Core i7 processors, 1 TB of solid-state drive storage and 16 GB of RAM. Mad For Modules Lenovo's X1 Tablet is the head-to-head competitor to Microsoft's Surface Book. The master-of-all-trades tablet features three attachable modules that can be docked on the device. If, for example, someone buys a Microsoft Surface Pro, all they get in the box is the Surface Pro 4 tablet, the Surface Pen, the charger and a bunch of paper. The keyboard what actually turns the device into a useable laptop is an additional accessory and thus $130 more is added to the final price for the complete setup. Lenovo's X1 Tablet, however, could be bundled with the keyboard dock straight out of the box at no extra cost. This is the X1 Tablet's "productivity" module that also gives the hybrid device a 50 percent boost in battery juice for an extra five ours of running time, and a few extra USB 3.0 and HDMI ports, too. The next module is the "presenter" option that features a built-in pico projector to project a 60-inch image out from the bottom of the ThinkPad X1 Tablet. For the PowerPoint-savvy, this could come in handy. Instead of having to go through the hassle of setting up a separate projector that may or may not even work, having one already built into the device itself could prove to be a lifesaver for those all-or-nothing presentations to the board. The third and final dockable module is the "printer" feature that incorporates Intel's RealSense camera that allows for the capture and editing of objects for 3D printing. Yes, Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Tablet can capture images for 3D printing. Who would've thought, right? Unfortunately, the camera is located also on the bottom of the device when it could have doubled as a webcam as well for video calls and to log into Windows 10. That's the thing about the ThinkPad X1 Tablet though. It's great that it can do so much, but it's also difficult to make use of all those great things in the first place. The modules aren't easy at all to attach. The modules look tricky to connect to the tablet with having to peel off covers for the ports and fiddling with latches to ensure they hold securely to the tablet. The whole process requires too much frustrating hit-or-miss work. Nonetheless, it is possible to have the ThinkPad X1 Tablet perform all three functions by purchasing other modules separately. The 3D camera and the extra battery/port pack costs $149 each while the pico projector demands $279 more. Priced at $899, the ThinkPad X1 Tablet will cost a little more than $1,000 for a three-in-one laptop-tablet hybrid device. Whether that's a steal or a bust depends on how much use a consumer would really get from all three different modules for the ThinkPad X1 Tablet. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 5 By Khalid Kazimov - Trend: Moscow has granted four Iranian dairy factories with permissions to export products to Russia, an Iranian official said. Kaveh Zargaran, a member of the Iranian chamber of commerce, industries, mines, and agriculture has said that the decision came after a Russian delegation of veterinarians visited Iran to monitor the quality of the output of the factories, Fars news agency reported Dec. 5. Saying that Russia imports about $4 billion of dairy products annually and $1.5 billion of the total amount includes various types of cheese, he added that Iran is capable of providing all those products. According to Zargaran the annual figure of Iran's dairy exports stands at $670 million and if Iran manages to enter the Russian dairy market, the figure will dramatically increase. Iran exported $151 million worth of products to Russia between March and October last year. About $80 million of the amount fell to the share of agricultural products. In other words, agricultural products account for more than half of the value of exports from Iran to Russia. Tougher regulations have been slapped onto mesh surgical implants used for repairing pelvic organ prolapse (POP) in women, a condition that typically follows childbirth. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced ont Monday that from being class II or moderate-risk, these medical devices will now be classified as class III or high-risk devices. In a second order, it required manufacturers to submit a premarket approval application that vouches for the safety and effectiveness of these implants used transvaginally in patients. The strengthened regulations followed an increased number of complaints and lawsuits associated with the use of these mesh implants. Dr. William Maisel, chief scientist at the Center for Devices and Radiological Health of FDA, said these requirements will help address the issues associated with the said medical devices. We intend to continue monitoring how women with this device are faring months and years after surgery through continued postmarket surveillance measures, he said in an official statement. POP Symptoms And Treatment POP occurs when the bladder, uterus, or other reproductive organs slip out of place and bulge or prolapse into the vagina. This happens when the pelvic floors muscles and tissues become stretched or torn and can no longer support the organs. Symptoms include low back pain, constipation, painful sexual intercourse, or urinary issues such as a chronic urge to urinate. Plastic mesh is typically implanted during POP surgery to support the weakened pelvic wall. Surgical mesh has been used for repairing abdominal hernias since the 1950s. In the 70s, gynecologists started to use it for abdominal POP repair, and in the 90s, it began to be implanted for transvaginal POP repair. Reported Problems And Complications [O]ver the past several years the FDA has received thousands of reports of complications involving the use of mesh for transvaginal POP repair, warned the FDA announcement, citing severe pelvic pain, bleeding and infection, and organ perforation as among the most common complications. Over four years ago, the agency concluded that patients with vaginal mesh implants suffer more complications than those undergoing traditional surgery involving stitches. It estimated that around 10 percent of women experienced side effects from mesh, even sometimes going through multiple surgeries for implant repositioning or removal. In 2011, an expert panel said more data is necessary to prove these devices safety. In 2012, the FDA issued orders for manufacturers to conduct post-market surveillance research on plastic mesh for transvaginal POP surgery. The FDAs 2014 draft orders first contained the changes announced Monday. Thousands of patients also filed lawsuits against mesh makers, including Johnson & Johnson, Boston Scientific, and Endo International. Ireland-based firm Endo announced in 2014 an $830 million settlement of over 20,000 personal injury cases in court. Like 90 percent of medical devices marketed and sold in the country, pelvic mesh was cleared before under a streamlined FDA review process considered similar to products that preceded them. Mesh makers for transvaginal implant surgery have 30 months to submit a premarket approval application for devices already sold to the public. Makers of new devices need to submit an application before their products can be marketed. In December last year, a team of gynecologists urged the FDA to revise its 2014 ban on using morcellator, a device designed to remove uterine fibroids. They pinpointed the agencys reliance on flawed data analysis, leading to banning such mechanical devices that chop fibroids into tiny pieces during surgery. Photo: Daniel Lobo | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Google has released the January security patch for Android, which will fix known issues and optimize performance of devices. Just last year, researchers found an Android vulnerability called Stagefright, which affected nearly all Android devices. With the bug, attackers could hijack an Android phone by simply sending an MMS. The Stagefright bug threatened more than a billion Android devices in the wild. Google patched Stagefright, and starting August 2015 the company also started issuing security patches every month to address vulnerabilities or glitches in Android. The latest Android security patch was issued on Monday. "We have released a security update to Nexus devices through an over-the-air (OTA) update as part of our Android Security Bulletin Monthly Release process," says Android. According to the changelog, the software update addresses five critical, two high and five moderate severity issues. It is likely that the update will also fix some other bugs that are not security related. The January security patch includes Nexus devices that are running on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, namely the Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 7, Nexus 9 and Nexus Player. Other non-Nexus Android devices should also get software update sooner than later. Google also shared factory firmware images for Nexus devices at the Google Developers site, which gives detailed instructions on how to flash a Nexus device with one of the firmware images. The Mountain View-based company has not made any changes to the OS version, which means that following the software update, the Nexus devices will still be on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. Internet security experts recommend that even though users will not see any new features after installing the update, they should still update their device with the latest security patch to prevent hackers from attacking their devices. In the same vein, Verizon also updated its support page for the Nexus 6 to confirm the latest software update. "Verizon Wireless is pleased to announce a software update for your device. This software update has been tested to help optimize device performance, resolve known issues and apply the latest security patches," says Verizon. The Sprint support page for the Nexus 5 has also been updated to reflect the new security patch for Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. "Software updates may be released in stages and can take several days for delivery," says Sprint. "If prompted that an update is available, follow the onscreen instructions to complete the installation." The size of the security patch is not known, but experts recommend that customers who get the update on their device should be connected to a Wi-Fi network while installing the update. The devices receiving the software update should have at least 50 percent battery charge to install the patch without hassle. Photo : Takahiro Yamagiwa | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Companies such as Ford, General Motors and Google to name a few have targeted 2020 as the year that their autonomous vehicles will hit the road. One auto industry official, though, sees the term autonomous being flung around so frequently these days and is skeptical about car manufacturers actually delivering on fully autonomous vehicles by four years. Following Toyota's news conference Tuesday at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2016 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Tech Times asked Toyota Research Institute (TRI) CEO and executive technical advisor, Dr. Gill Pratt, if the public is likely to get more advances in driver assist technologies than true autonomous cars by 2020. His response? Advancements in both areas ... but not quite a 100 percent autonomous car by 2020. "I think we will see both. We will see fully autonomous systems that work under luminous set of constraints either speed or traffic of any of the things I spoke about up there. [Autonomous vehicles] tend to need maps that are extremely good and some parts of the world aren't mapped well or the road is actually different than what the map is, right? It will work under under limited circumstances, I believe, by 2020 in fully- autonomous mode," Pratt told Tech Times amidst a pool of reporters. "We are also going to see, as has been the case in the past, a continuous improvement of the driver assist systems for improving the safety as well. So, I think we are going to see advances in both of them." He added while automakers have made great strides in the autonomous space, that 2020 is just too soon for them to beat challenges that they're faced with in the area. "I am skeptical that we will be done with both in four years," he continued. "That's a very short time and we have a long way to go [with the full development of autonomous cars]. And again, just because we are 90, 95 percent of the way there doesn't mean if you've been climbing a mountain and you've been walking through the foothills and that's 95 percent of the miles you have to go that the last five percent when you have to climb up to the peak ... that's the hard part. It's going to take us a lot longer to get up the rest of the way of the peak than it has been the easy part." That being said, TRI, and Toyota as a whole, are open to the idea of collaborating with a fellow automaker or technology company to deliver a fully autonomous car, with Pratt additionally telling Tech Times that the company has had "informal talks with just about every player in the field" and "would love to entertain ideas for collaborations." 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. New details regarding the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge continue to leak ahead of the company's Feb. 21 Unpacked event. A new report from a reliable source reveals pricing, screen sizes, and the return of a microSD slot. When Samsung unveiled last year's flagship Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, the company received rave reviews for its new design aesthetic. The move to a premium glass and metal build pleased Android smartphone fans that craved top of the line specs and a design that would be able to go head to head with Apple's metal-clad iPhone lineup. While Samsung was praised for its new design prowess, it came with two significant drawbacks the company had long criticized Apple for. The Galaxy S6 and S6 edge no longer featured a removable batteries or allowed users to expand internal storage via the standard microSD expansion slot that appeared on all of their predecessors. These two omissions caused some backlash but it looks like the company is ready to bring back one of those features. SamMobile is reporting that one of its trusted sources, who has offered the site solid information in the past, has revealed a few new details regarding the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. The pair will continue to use a premium glass and metal build and also include the much-loved microSD expansion slot, which will certainly come in handy when using the rumored high-end 12-megapixel rear camera coupled with the company's new Britecell camera sensor and 4K video recording support. The site's source claims Samsung will ship the Galaxy S7 with a 5.1-inch display, like last year's S6, while the Galaxy S7 edge will adopt a larger 5.5-inch screen. Recent reports have claimed the Galaxy S7 would actually use a 5.2-inch display. When it comes to pricing for the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, the source claims that the 32 GB Galaxy S7 and S7 edge will be priced at around 699 and 799 EUR, or $752 and $859 in the U.S. The smarpthones are expected to be released shortly after their Feb. 21 event. We should file this in the rumor category for now, considering that new details about both devices have been leaking on an almost daily basis. We'll keep you posted as always whenever we hear any new information. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. This time last year, Samsun promised a crowd at CES that it would be connecting all of its Smart TVs to internet of things devices by 2017. IoT being the big buzz word that it is at this year's show, it's no surprise, really that the company is stepping up to the challenge. Interestingly, it's doing so with a dongle. Specifically the SmarThings USB adapter, which connects its smart TVs to an ecosystem of 200 IoT devices. The dongle will be free to all those who picked up a 2015 Samsung. Surely lots more to come from Samsung on the smart TV and IOT front in the hours and days to come. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. NASA announces that British astronaut Tim Peake will go on his first spacewalk on Jan. 15. Together with NASA astronaut Tim Kopra, Peake will wear his spacesuit and leave the Quest Airlock to venture out of the International Space Station and do some vehicle repairs. The Mission The main mission of the two astronauts is to replace an electrical box called Sequential Shunt Unit (SSU). This device regulates and maintains the voltage of the stations solar panels by sending excess electrical power produced by the vehicle back to array. The ISS has eight SSUs. On Nov. 13, 2015, one of these units failed, compromising one if its power channels. Replacing the unit is fairly easy to do as it simply involves a box that can be removed by undoing a bolt. However, it is a totally different scenario when one performs this mission in a bulky spacesuit while being suspended on a structure that is 250 miles above the Earth with a speed of 17,500 mph. Once the mission is fulfilled, the astronauts will set up cables of new docking ports for future U.S. commercial vehicles. They will also reinstall a valve that was taken out in 2015 due to the relocation of the ISSs Leonardo module. ISS station commander Scott Kelly will help the astronauts get in and out of their spacesuits. If the spacewalk is successful, this will restore the International Space Station to 100% of its operational capability, Peake said. The entire spacewalk will start at 7:55 a.m. EST and is expected to last for about 6.5 hours. The mission is Kopras second Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) in three weeks. On Dec. 21, 2015, he and Kelly moved a stalled part of the station. Peake and Kopra were both crew members on the Russian Space Agency Soyuz flight that arrived at the ISS on Dec. 15, 2015. With this, they are said to be close colleagues. Dream Come True For Peake, the decision made by NASA was a dream come true. Peake was selected by the European Space Agency among the thousands of applicants who want to go to space. He is the first British astronaut to fly under ESA. He will stay in the ISS for six months to perform his mission dubbed as Principia. During Kopra and Kellys December 2015 EVA, Peakes role was to support them and monitor the mission. Now, it is his time to shine. I am thrilled to be assigned a spacewalk in 10 days. Lots of work to do before Tim and I can open the hatch https://t.co/ff7IEBfc3k Tim Peake (@astro_timpeake) January 5, 2016 British Feat Human spaceflight is a venture that the UK government initially opposed. With this, British astronauts had to wear an American flag on their uniforms. Helen Sharman was actually the first Briton to fly to space, but it was under a privately-funded mission called Project Juno. Peake, however, is the first British citizen to fly into space under the UK governments ESA. As for spacewalks, the first person with British blood to undertake such a mission is Michael Foale. He stepped outside of the Discovery space shuttle on Feb. 9, 2005. He flew with NASA and has dual citizenship as per his American-born mother. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. In order to find sources of genetic variations in humans, experts often look into the differences in genetic traits between identical twins and fraternal twins because of their availability. Identical twins share all of each other's genes, while fraternal twins only share half. For instance, a study in May last year that gathered previous studies on twins found that 49 percent of the variation in human traits and diseases is heritable, while 51 percent is affected by environmental factors. Researchers from the University of Queensland and the University of Amsterdam have found that about 69 percent of the resemblance in twins is due to additive genetic variation or the average differences in gene variants. The team's discovery meant that risks for certain diseases and mental disorders were highly heritable for twins and non-twins in general, and that some human traits were also significantly affected by external factors. One Twin Develops Cancer, The Other Might Follow Now, a new study conducted in Europe has found that when a twin sibling is diagnosed with cancer, the other twin also has a high chance of developing any type of cancer. The large-scale twin study, which is featured in the Journal of the American Medical Association, examined 23 different types of known cancer, and data that contained records of 200,000 same-sex twins. The team of researchers from Harvard University, University of Helsinki, and University of Southern Denmark has discovered that as twins with any type of cancer often developed different types of the disease, there is a shared risk for developing the disease among some family members. "Twins are no more likely to get cancer than non-twins. But what we saw is the risk for cancer increased if you have a relative who developed cancer," said study co-author Lorelei Mucci of Harvard's Chan School of Public Health. High Risks For Heritability Among Families Heritability of cancer among families is a way to measure a person's risk of developing cancer. Mucci said past studies have shown estimates regarding the heritability and common cancer risks among families. These include risks for prostate cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer. However, little is known about the risks for rarer cancers. Some studies were also too small, and the follow-up time was too short to be able to exactly estimate risks or heritability, she said. In their study, Mucci and her colleagues evaluated health records for more than 80,000 identical and more than 120,000 fraternal twins from the registries of Finland, Norway, Denmark and Sweden. Follow-ups for the participants were at an average of 32 years from 1943 to 2010. About 38 percent of identical twins were diagnosed with cancer, while the rate for fraternal twins was 26 percent. Among identical twins with one sibling diagnosed with cancer, the risk for diagnosis was 46 percent. For fraternal twins, the risk was 37 percent. Overall, the risk for cancer heritability was 33 percent, the researchers said. Chances were significantly higher for melanoma, ovarian cancer, testicular cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, uterine cancer and kidney cancer. Why was the risk of heritability high? Mucci said one reason was the shared genetic factors among family members and several environmental factors. "When one sibling smokes, both siblings are more likely to smoke," said Mucci. Genetic Profile Of Cancers Researchers know that the genetic profile of cancers is much significant than its location in the body. According to the American Cancer Society, a woman whose BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes--proteins that prevent the proliferation of cells--mutated has an 80 percent increased risk for developing breast cancer, as well as a 70 percent increased risk for developing ovarian cancer. The implication of these cancers may be different for individuals, but experts believe similar genetic profiles are essential in improving cancer treatments and increasing survival rates. University of Helsinki's Dr. Jaakko Kaprio, another member of the research team, said the study may be beneficial in patient education and cancer risk counseling. Meanwhile, Mucci hopes to investigate further into the role of genetics in cancers to see if twins share some of the same genetic mutations. Her current project involves analyzing tissue samples of tumors from twin males with testicular cancer. "We're interested in the genetic factors that determine what the tumor looks like," added Mucci. Photo: Larry Jacobsen | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Kids learning to code on tablets and computers is becoming more commonplace in forward-thinking schools all over the world. Studies have shown that learning to code benefits kids by not only allowing them to understand how technology works, but also enabling children to become better problem-solvers and have better analytical skills. It also gives them valuable skills to get ahead in a world ever more reliant on technology. In 2012, even Estonia began programs to teach kids in school, as early as first grade, how to code. In the U.S., only 25 states require students to have Computer Science credits to count towards graduation, and teachers and parents are clamoring to get funding for schools to get the facilities so teachers can start more programming classes. Dozens of companies are creating products for kids to learn coding while they play. Kano, for example, was a crowd-funded computer that allowed kids could build themselves and create their own pong- and "Minecraft"-inspired games. Now, toy company Fisher-Price has revealed its newest product at CES 2016: the Code-A-Pillar. Apple, as well, has hosted "Hour of Coding" events to promote the idea of teaching kids the basics of coding. The Code-A-Pillar is a toy for toddlers that will help them learn the very bare-bones basics of coding concepts without having to lay a finger on a tablet or type a character on a keyboard. The caterpillar toy will move in certain directions depending on how the symbols on its body are matched up by the toddler. According to Amber Pietrobono, a spokesperson for the company, the toy will be available on shelves in July and is currently priced at $50. Fisher-Price also plans to release expansion packs for the toy to make it do more tricks which will retail for around $15 each. Parents may also play around with the toy on its companion app which will be available for iOS and Android devices to help their preschoolers learn how to distinguish colors and how to count. While most online programs, such as Scratch or Hour of Code, are directed towards making learning to code fun for school-age kids, the Code-A-Pillar is the first toy to help introduce these concepts to children who are not even potty trained yet. The Code-A-Pillar will be part of Fisher-Price's Teach & Learn line of toys. More details are expected to be released during the annual New York Toy fair next month. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. At CES 2016, Kodak is kicking off its Super 8 Revival Initiative, which looks to place more Super 8 cameras into the hands of the new generation of filmmakers with the celebration of 50 years of the manufacturing of Super 8 film. At the heart of the initiative and on display at the annual tech event is an early prototype of a new Super 8 camera which combines Super 8 classic features with digital capabilities such as a digital viewfinder. The company is working with Yves Behar, Fuseproject founder and design entrepreneur, to develop the new eight-millimeter film camera. A limited edition version of the new Super 8 camera is expected to launch in the fall of this year, and it will be carrying a price tag of somewhere between $400 and $750. Processing of the film will be charged an amount of between $50 and $75 per cartridge. According to Kodak CEO Jeff Clarke, a version that will have a lower price tag that will look to place the camera into the hands of a broader audience is expected to be launched next year. At the official website of Kodak, the company explained that it was inspired to develop a new generation of film cameras as there are some moments that digital methods are just not able to deliver, because digital recordings do not have the same beauty and depth that film recordings feature. For the product, the company brought together the world's top mechanical fabricators, including the aforementioned Behar, and collaborated with leading Hollywood film directors for the design of the new Super 8 camera. Kodak, however, adds that its efforts will not solely be focused on the development of the new Super 8 camera, as the device will merely be a part of new platforms for creativity that will merge analog film with digital convenience. The company has created a roadmap that features a line of cameras, services for developing film, tools for post production, and many more. Under the initiative, customers that purchase film for the new Super 8 camera will not only be buying the film itself, but rather also the film's processing and transfer to digital. The lab will be sending back to the customer the developed film, along with a password to allow the customer to download the digital copies from the cloud to allow them to edit and share the footage. Clarke said in a statement that the company is developing an ecosystem for film, and is looking to provide directors and everyday consumers alike with new opportunities for the appreciation of film as a medium. The Kodak Super 8 Revival Initiative is supported by top directors in the industry, as many of them started out with projects captured in Super 8 film. Christopher Nolan, award-winning director and producer known for "The Dark Knight" trilogy, "Inception" and "Interstellar", started to make short movies with the Super 8 camera of his father. "The news that Kodak is enabling the next generation of filmmakers with access to an upgraded and enhanced version of the same analog technology that first made me fall in love with cinematic storytelling is unbelievably exciting," Nolan said. As for Academy Award recipient Steven Spielberg, eight-millimeter film was the beginning of everything, and for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" director and writer J.J. Abrams, while new technology that further enhances visual storytelling should be accepted, film is unbeatable. Abrams said that Kodak's decision to develop new Super 8 cameras is similar to a dream coming true, as the devices, with new designs, interchangeable lenses and footage development and delivery represent a perfect bridge between the quality and warmth of analog recordings with the efficiency of digital methods. At last year's CES, Kodak announced its first smartphone, the Kodak IM5. The smartphone features a partnership with the Bullitt Group to take the photographing heritage and experience of Kodak and combine it with a high-quality device for a specific target consumer. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A strange light over the Australian capital a ball of light that lit up Canberras skies before rapidly disappearing once again stirred speculations on social media of a UFO sighting. A video originally uploaded on Reddit showed a donut-shaped orb appearing on the Australian Capital Territory sky during a Sunday night storm, with a faint red and green glow on the background. Some social media users branded it as an extraterrestrial event, while experts dismissed it as a weather phenomenon known as ball lightning. Class B UFO? During the recorded incident, the sky was illuminated by lightning as well as a green-red hue, and then a white orb shone bright in the dark sky and faded away after a few seconds. Some believed it was a UFO exiting a portal belonging to another dimension. For Jakka Warren, it was a so-called Class B UFO due to the alleged typical hyperdrive residue that formed, not a ball of lightning as experts suggested. Nice try fools, he said, as quoted by a local news outlet. Certain Reddit users maintained that the light was a sign of hyperspace opening up. On the other hand, there were skeptics calling the video a hoax. Sorry, Folks, Its Ball Lightning Astronomer Dr. Brad Tucker of Australian National University debunked the UFO claims, saying it was an equally mysterious phenomenon known as ball lightning. According to Dr. Tucker, the green and red light faintly glowing in the background could be mistaken for an aurora, where the suns energy hits the atmosphere, rubbing it with friction and charging the gas. "But the problem is there was no activity from the sun, it was cloudy, we can't see the aurora, so it doesn't really fit, he explained. However, he believed it was a really interesting occurrence this time: a ball lightning, a weird phenomenon where lightning appears as a ball explosion and sometimes even moves around in the sky. The energy manifesting in this unusual activity can typically occur due to a lot of electrical charge rubbing against atmospheric gases. Forecaster Sean Carson agreed as there were thunderstorms at the time, limiting the possibility to lightning. Reportedly, ball lightning takes place more often in Australia than any other country. Unusual Phenomena Abound Dr. Tucker was fairly sure it wasnt extraterrestrial passersby or visitors that caused the mysterious light, saying aliens would probably visit somewhere more active than Canberra coming back from holidays. He also dismissed speculations of Photoshop enhancement, as the elements in the video and other records fit together. However, the expert cited plenty of other weird natural occurrences everywhere, such as similar UFO-looking lights in Norway. [It happens] every autumn for a few weeks but the lights happen regularly like clockwork, he added. In the United States shortly before Christmas, an unidentified bright object torched the night sky of California, Nevada, and Arizona, inciting assumptions of another UFO or meteor sighting. Officials, however, were quick to say that it was nothing more than Russian space debris reentry. Watch the YouTube video below of the strange lights witnessed above Canberra. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 6 Trend: Baghdad will be a mediator in the resolution of the diplomatic crisis between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said, RIA Novosti reported. Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia Adel al-Dzhubeyr announced the rupture of diplomatic relations with Iran on Jan.3 because of its "overt interference in the internal affairs of the Kingdom, enemy actions in the region and the attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran and consulate in the city of Mashhad." The incidents took place on Saturday as part of protests against the Saudi Arabia's execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent Shia cleric. After Saudi Arabia, kingdom of Bahrain on Monday announced the severance of diplomatic relations with Iran. Iranian diplomats were given 48 hours for leaving the country. Sudan's Foreign Ministry also announced the break of diplomatic relations with Iran. In turn, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced a reduction of diplomatic relations with Iran to the level of charge d'affaires, state news agency WAM reported. Ambassador of the UAE was recalled from Iran and the number of the mission's members was reduced, the agency reported with reference to the Foreign Ministry's statement. --- Personal safety is everyone's concern, especially when choosing an airline for trips, because 36,000 feet up in the air is not really an ideal location for non-adrenaline junkies. However, if you're planning to get over your fear and go on a trip, we'll support your plan by giving you a list of the safest airlines to consider. Likewise, we'll give you a glimpse of the airlines you may want to stay away from, at least until the company manages to assure the safety of its customers. Airline Ratings The website AirlineRatings.com released its list of safest airlines for 2016 on Jan. 5, taking into account audits and safety records of flights, as well as an airline's operational history, to determine the top 20 safest airlines out of the 407 that was surveyed. "Airlineratings.com was developed to provide everyone in the world a one-stop-shop for everything related to airlines, formed by a team of aviation editors, who have forensically researched nearly every airline in the world," the site says. The Safest Major Airlines Qantas Airlines wins the ratings by a landslide with seven out of seven stars awarded. Qantas is not just the leading airlines for both domestic and international flights, the 1920- established Queensland brand has zero fatalities. If you're concerned about safety and reliability, nothing says that more than a consistent fatality-free record. The rest of the airlines that received seven stars are as follows: Air New Zealand, Alaska Airlines, All Nippon Airlines, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, Emirates, Etihad Airways, EVA Air, Finnair, Hawaiian Airlines, Japan Airlines, KLM, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airline, System, Singapore Airlines, Swiss, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and Virgin Australia. All the major airlines above were evaluated according to the following standards: IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) Certification: A standardized assessment with regard to operational management and control systems; Clearance from European Union (EU) Blacklist: the EU airspace ban is put in place when EU deems an airline to have risky safety practices whether in terms of the aircraft maintenance, operation or passenger safety; Fatality-free: If an airline that fits this qualification, it means that the company has maintained a fatality free record for the past 10 years. However, this qualification only has to do with a crew or passenger dying from accident while on board the aircraft. This excludes violent acts from outside influence such as terrorism or hijacking; Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) clearance: This verifies that the airlines adheres to international standards for both aircraft maintenance and operations; International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety parameters: the eight safety parameters are: Legislation, Organization, Licensing, Operations, Airworthiness, Accident Investigation, Air Navigation Service and Aerodromes. Country Audit: This has to do with the airline's own country of origin and whether the airlines has had any aircraft grounded in the past five years by its home country due to safety concerns. The Worst Airlines When there's the best of the best, there's also the worst of the worst, and Airline Ratings has also taken that into consideration. Given the strict standards that Airline Ratings used to evaluate all 407 airlines, you might want to take note of the following companies which received only one star: Batik Air, Citilink, KalStar Aviation, Lion Air, Sriwijaya Air, TransNusa, Wings Air and Xpress Air. The Silver Lining Before you dismiss the ratings altogether, you may as well know that Airline Ratings has also heard the need for rating low-cost airlines since not everyone can afford the rates of the major ones. All of these low cost carries also received seven stars: Aer Lingus7, Flybe, HK Express, Jetblue, Jetstar Australia, Thomas Cook, TUI Fly (Germany), Virgin America, Volaris and Westjet. Other Awards For 2016 Air New Zealand won the Airline of the Year award for the third year in a row as well as the Best Economy carrier award so that should count for something, especially if you plan on visiting Middle Earth and The Shire. Happy and safe travels! 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The first European farmers came from Anatolia, which is presently known to the world as Turkey. Through the study of Anatolian skeletons, researchers were able to determine where the farming industry in Europe originated some 8,000 years ago. When farming practices were first introduced in Europe, Anatolia's main role was to act as a hub, where genes and new concepts were spread toward the west. Researchers from Sweden, Iran and Anatolia studied the DNA of Anatolian skeletons and revealed how great the importance of Anatolia in Europe's farming industry was. One of the subject materials exhibited a notable genetic resemblance to the populations in Sardinia. Past researches suggest that present-day Sardinians are more closely connected with European agricultural drivers rather than today's Anatolians. The new study now sheds a light to this idea because Anatolia's geography features some sort of a highway between Europe and Near East. Such information also explains why ancient Turkish farmers had a variety of genetic mixing, which was carried through the present generation. DNA Study To Reveal Descent Of First European Farmers Researchers from Stockholm University studied two subjects and made a comparative investigation. The first specimen was obtained from Kumtepe, which is an old town in northwestern Turkey and is believed to be the predecessor to the Iliad's Troy. The second specimen is the DNA of ancient and present-day European farmers. Researchers believe that both samples were Neolithic farmers who were among the pioneer settlers in Kumtepe. The scientists compared the genetic materials of the subjects and after some gruelling work, they concluded that the first farmers who spread across Europe came from Anatolia. Complicated Study Materials The materials obtained from Kumtepe were unearthed in 1994. The specimens were significantly lacking in integrity, but according to the researchers, they gathered sufficient DNA to answer questions about the demographics of ancient European farming. "I have never worked with a more complicated material," said doctorate student Ayca Omrak from Stockholm University. She said, however, that it was all worth it. Omrak performed her work at the Archaeological Research Laboratory of the university. Additional Investigation Needed Co-author Jan Stora agrees that the study findings confirmed Anatolia's important role in Europe's farming history. He also believes that the materials used in the study need to be studied further. "It is complicated to work with material from this region, it is hot and the DNA is degraded," Stora said. However, to be able to understand the process that changed the society from hunter-gatherer to farming, it is this material that scientists need to work with. Experts long believed that farming started from the Levant region in what is now known as Lebanon, Israel and Syria. Although the results of the new study highlighted Anatolia's critical role in cultural history, it do not negate the vital contribution of the Levant region. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Samsung took to CES 20016 in Las Vegas to unveil the pricing details for its Samsung UBD-K8500, one of its first 4K UHD Blu-ray players. The Ultra HD Blu-ray player is now up for preorder on the company's website at a $399.99 price point and is apparently set to start shipping in March. Samsung only announced pricing details for the U.S. at this point, so it remains unclear for now just how much the UBD-K8500 player will cost in other regions such as the UK or Australia. Based on current conversion rates, the price would translate to roughly 270 and AU$550, but it remains to be seen what other premiums are in store for other markets. The company also unveiled a number of intriguing SUHD TVs with small bezels and great visuals at its pre-CES conference, but the Samsung UBD-K8500 4K Blu-ray player was among the most exciting announcements. According to Samsung, the UBD-K8500 aims to offer the "ultimate cinematic experience" with amazing picture quality, "dramatic detail" and a wider color range, upscaling even lower-resolution media content to an incredible UHD resolution. Samsung did not forget about the importance of design either, and crafted its UBD-K8500 Blu-ray player with a stylish, curved form factor that will complement any Samsung Curved SUHD TV. The company further highlights that the 4K UHD resolution of its latest Blu-ray player delivers four times the image quality of other Samsung Blu-ray players. "It also boasts incredibly life-like images with 4K UHD playback," adds Samsung. HDR technology, meanwhile, aims to ensure that the Samsung UBD-K8500 offers top-of-the-line quality for UHD content, delivering sharp contrasts and exceptional brightness levels with deeper blacks and brighter whites. Furthermore, the new UHD Blu-ray player from Samsung also boasts twice the color range of traditional Blu-ray players currently available on the market, as well as quality color expressions that are 64 times higher. As previously mentioned, upscaling will also improve the quality of lower-resolution content, bringing all media to near UHD quality with sharp images that have four times the resolution of FHD. However, the quality of upscaled images can vary based on the source resolution, which means that not all media will be able to reach near 4K resolution. When it comes to 4K streaming and player compatibility, Samsung boasts that its UBD-K8500 enables users to enjoy high speeds for streaming the latest 4K media on demand, as well as access a wide pool of content from various online providers such as Amazon or Netflix. Compatibility-wise, the 4K Blu-ray player will work with all of your old DVDs, Blu-ray discs or music CDs, delivering "outstanding compatibility." Lastly, it's worth pointing out that the Samsung UBD-K8500 costs $399.99 now, with preorders open, but it will go up to $499.99 afterward. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Huawei announced an impressive milestone at CES 2016, as the company became the first Chinese OEM to top 100 million smartphones shipped in a year. The company shipped 108 million smartphones in 2015, despite a sluggish market that challenged more heavyweight players such as Apple and Samsung. Huawei's target was to ship 100 million smartphones in calendar year 2015, and it managed to exceed its goal. Announcing its results at the CES 2016 trade show in Las Vegas, the company revealed that it shipped 108 million smartphones in total in calendar year 2015, raking in more than $20 billion in revenue. This means that Huawei saw a whopping increase of nearly 70 percent in revenue compared to 2014, achieving a 44 percent rise in smartphone shipments from the previous year. Strong sales in China and Western Europe fueled this impressive growth, and Huawei continues to make notable efforts to target the higher-end premium smartphone market rather than positioning itself as yet another budget handset maker, as it previously had. Huawei's performance is even more impressive considering that it comes at a time when top OEMs are bracing for a challenging year. Samsung, for instance, recently said it expects a tough year ahead due to increased competition and weak global economy. As impressive as Huawei's latest achievements may be, however, analysts are still not sure whether the Chinese handset maker can indeed become a serious competitor to Apple and Samsung. "In China it's true that Huawei grew tremendously over the past six months, but it's a bit of a dog fight within the Android ecosystem," said analyst Carolina Milanesi from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, as cited by Reuters. The analyst further added that Huawei is gunning for Xiaomi and other smaller players on the Android market, but it's too early to tell whether it will be able to go up against the big guys. For now, Samsung is the dominant leader of the smartphone market, with a 23.8 percent share, followed by Apple with 13.5 percent, and Huawei as a distant third with 7.5 percent, according to IDC. Nevertheless, Huawei is betting big on its consumer business group, which handles smartphones, tablets and other such products, and it seems to be going strong. Not only did it raise interest with its Nexus 6P smartphone for Google, but Huawei also has plenty of other ambitious endeavors to push its products further toward the top. In the latest example, the company took advantage of CES 2016 to unveil its latest Huawei Mate 8 phablet, the audio-centric MediaPad M2 10 tablet, as well as a new Huawei watch line. By the looks of it, Huawei is on an upward trend and seems to be going strong, and we wouldn't be too surprised if it managed to pose some real threats to the likes of Samsung and Apple in the future. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Ever since the announcement that Han Solo would get his own Star Wars Anthology film, fans have been wondering where the film would fall in the Star Wars timeline. Would it be between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back? After Return of the Jedi? Before? Thanks to writer Lawrence Kasdan, who has long worked on the Star Wars franchise, we now know we will be meeting a young Han Solo, roughly 10 years before the events A New Hope. "[The film] will not be, 'Here's where he was born and this is how he was raised.'" Kasdan says (via Comicbookmovie.com). "I think what it will be is what was he like 10 years earlier [than A New Hope] maybe a little earlier, you'll get a glimpse. But Kurosawa once said the heroes are the ones that are still changing and the villains are locked and petrified into what they are, and Harrison embodies in Force Awakens someone who is still not settled on who he is." It has been reported that Disney is currently testing around 2,500 actors from the ages 16 to 31 to fill in Harrison Ford's massive shoes for the role. As for any other details pertaining to the film, it's a little too early to know anything too concrete. Might the movie tell of Han's now famous Kessel run? Or how the smuggler became lifelong friends with the Wookie Chewbacca? Since the Expanded Universe stories that did fill in those gaps are no longer canon, directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, along with writers Lawrence and Jon Kasdan, have a blank slate to tell new stories. The Han Solo Star Wars Anthology film is set to be released on May 25, 2018. For a list of every Star Wars movie in the works from now until 2020, click here. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. During Netflix's keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jan. 6, the popular streaming platform reminded the audience it plans to release 600 hours of high-quality original programing this year. The company used its keynote to showcase both existing content on its platform, reminiscing on how it was the first service to introduce binge-watching with the 2013 release of House of Cards, as well as to introduce new content such as the original series The Crown. Netflix debuted the first trailer of The Crown, a period drama set in Britain in the 20th century based on the play "The Audience," written by Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon), that will focus on the decades of Queen Elizabeth II's reign. Produced by Left Bank Pictures with Sony Pictures Television and directed by Stephen Daldry (The Hours), the original series stars Claire Foy (Season of the Witch) as Princess Elizabeth and Matt Smith (Doctor Who) as soon-to-be Prince Philip. As Netflix's first U.K.-based original series, The Crown seems like it will appeal to Downton Abbey fans. The 10-episode season will premiere in 2016, with no expected date yet known. Watch the first trailer of the The Crown below. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Here's Samsung's TabPro S, the company's shot at the emerging business tablet space currently ruled by the likes of the Microsoft Surface and iPad Pro. Like Apple's entry, the new Galaxy tablet feels a bit like a super-sized version of the company's existing line with souped up specs and a keyboard component, which most manufacturers seem to believe is the key to truly integrating the consumer tablet space into a business setting. I have to say, the TabPro S is a pretty solid piece of hardware. No major surprises there, of course. At the center of the tablet is a sharp 2,160 x 1,440 Super AMOLED display, running Windows 10, naturally. There are a pair of front-facing cameras up top and no physical button below - just a Samsung logo. I'm surprised Samsung didn't add a fingerprint reader to the thing like Huawei did with their new slate. The tablet ships with a keyboard stand (take that, Apple). The keys are, not surprisingly, a bit on the soft side, but are fairly easy to get used to after a bit of typing. Inside is a 2.2GHz dual-core process, not the fastest around, but it certainly seems to do the trick. There's also a health 4GB of RAM and an impressive 128- or 256GB of storage, making the tablet a slightly more realistic laptop - if not replacement, then certainly supplement. No pricing yet, but the tablet is set to ship next month. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The worlds biggest consumer-tech show is on in Las Vegas, but CES 2016 hasnt thrilled us yet with earth-shaking products. I know, its getting tougher to do that, with launches happening round the year. Which vendor wants to hoard up and delay new phone or tablet launches for a full year? There are many new-ish products though, from a gimmicky Samsung fridge (with a giant touchscreen that looks like a very big Android phone) to drones, virtual reality headsets, smart home gadgets, and lots of USB-C ports all over phones and devices. From the large pool of middling-to-meh products, and few gadgets and tech stood out. Heres my pick of the top five. TVs and displays: 4K is everywhere. Yep, its kinda mainstream, though Id wait for it to flood all major sports-event telecasts this year. Theres probably no TV gadget at CES without 4K. There are a few 8K TVs too, though its very early days for that. LG also has a wide range of displays on show: a rollable 18" OLED you can roll up like a large sheet of paper, a 55" paper-thin OLED TV, a double-sided 55" OLED panel (with different images on each side), a 25" curved LCD for car interiors. Oh, and Samsung says its new TVs will double up as hubs for the Internet of Things around the home. Healthcare products: The $100 Withings 'Thermo' ultra-fast Wi-Fi thermometer (see photo above) promises one of the fastest, most accurate temperature readings ever. It uses 16 IR sensors to measure temperature off the artery on the side of your forehead, taking 4,000 measurements in two seconds, correcting for ambient temperature, and also relaying the final reading to an iOS app over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. So you can track you kids temperature over time, and share the data with her doctor. The app also supports other products from the same company, like the Pulse Activity Tracker. Plenty of wearable tech on show, from Huawei, Misfit, Withings, and, of course, Fitbit, with the new $200 Blaze smartwatch (see lead photo). Unhappily for Fitbit, investors hated the idea of crashing prices to fight competition, and Fitbit share value crashed nearly 20% shortly after the launch on January 5. Then theres the delightfully gimmicky OMbra, the worlds's first smart bra, from OMsignal , which brings biometrics to an undergarment. The $150 bra is likely to ship in a few months. Cars and car tech: Faraday Future, a little-known California car-maker backed by Chinese investors, showed off the FFZero1, its first concept car, a sleek single-seat all-electric sportscar that could touch 1,000 bhp. The actual production version, though, is likely to be more conventional. But bigger impact could come from Nvidias new Drive PX2 supercomputer for cars. The little water-cooled lunchbox packs 12 CPU cores, and its 8 teraflops rivals the power of 150 MacBook Pros. Add some cameras and hardware, and turn your car into a self-driving one. Well, not that easy, but Volvo will release 100 luxury SUVs with DRIVE PX 2 technology next year. And yes, youll get a 360-degree view around the car, because The rear-view mirror is history. As vinyl record sales have been rising in the US, the Japanese are going retro, sort of. First at CES 2016 came Panasonics Technics SL-1200 turntable (see photo above), and now we have Sonys spanking new PS-HX500 turntablethe latter with a USB port focused on ripping from vinyl to Hi-Res audio files, (24-bit WAV or Sony's own DSD format). Sort of like moving from LPs to the high-res future of audio, skipping the MP3 era completely. And finally, some news were waiting for, but havent got yet: Netflix in India. Americas top on-demand streaming media company is likely to announce its India entry at CES this week, partnering with a telco (Reliance Jio, perhaps?) to stream content over 4G. Netflix is very popular in the US, and its $9 monthly fee there could be a lot lower for India, though without special packages the use of video over mobile data is a non-starter here. But hey, this launch could shake up the dull and dreary video content market in India. Watch this space. Prasanto K Roy (twitter: @prasanto) is Head of Trivones media group and chief editor of TechTree. Anonymous declare cyberwar against Thai authorities in retaliation against conviction of migrant workers The online cyber hacktivist group Anonymous has hacked at least 14 Thai police websites in protest against the conviction of two Burmese men convicted of murdering two British backpackers. Anonymous allege that these two workers have been made scapegoats by Thai authorities. In December, migrant bar workers Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, both now 23, were sentenced to death after pleading guilty to the rape and murder of two British backpackers, Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24. Apple rumored to drop 3.5mm headphone jack from iPhone 7 and instead supply wireless EarPods Rumors floating in November had suggested that Apple might give up on the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack for the next-generation iPhone and instead go for a Lightning port. Now, supply chain reports from Chinese news sites, Anzhou and Feng have reaffirmed the claims. With the change in specifications, Apple is not only looking to engineer thinner devices, but also to stimulate sales of new wireless headsets, the report said. Anzhou states that Apple is developing a set of wireless EarPods, the brand name for the companys own iPhone earphones. Instead of plugging in headphones through the jack, iPhone 7 users would have to either use wireless headphones or buy a pair of special Lightning headphones. Feng notes that Lightning headphones will be the wired alternative option, but Apple expects most people to move to wireless particularly if Apple starts bundling wireless EarPods with the iPhone 7 as suggested. This wouldnt be the first time Apple has made a Lightning adaptor. The company developed a Lightning to Micro USB adaptor to comply with European Union regulation, while the companys Lightning to 30-pin Dock Connector relieved the transition for those who had older hardware designed for the iPhones older charging port. The Lightning connector gives Apple better control over the third-party accessories that would be compatible with the iPhone 7. However, the only problem with this new strategy is that iPhone 7 buyers might not be able to use their own headphones with the device, though its expected the company would offer adapters that would allow them to connect certified accessories. As we get closer to the rumored mid-2016 debut date of the iPhone 7, more details are expected to emerge in the coming months. Apple hasnt confirmed the change yet. Also read: iPhone 7 Plus to have 256GB storage and a massive 3,100 mAh battery Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 6 By Farhad Daneshvar - Trend: A protester is taking a selfie, with fully-equipped riot police officers behind him. This photo, shot outside the Saudi Arabia embassy in Tehran, does speak a thousand words, as they say. Following the rising tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia after the latter executed a prominent Shia cleric, Nimr al-Nimr, Iranians took it to the social media channels, slamming the hard-line protesters for storming the Saudi Arabia's embassy, mentioning the selfies taken both before and after the breaking into the embassy. Reacting to al-Nimr's execution, a group of hard-line Iranians stormed Saudi embassy in Tehran, smashing furniture and setting fire to the building before being dispersed by police. Officially, Iran expressed strong protest regarding the execution, and the fragile relations between the two countries started going even further downhill from there. Meanwhile, a considerable amount of Iranian social media users, along with some officials, have condemned the break into the embassy. "It is barbaric to organize a group of people to set fire to an embassy's building. It is sillier when they take selfies during the attack," An Iranian journalist wrote on his Twitter account and shared pictures of those who stormed the embassy. One of the selfies depicts a man who holds a telephone apparently stolen from the embassy. Saying that storming the embassy is unjustified in any way, An Iranian user criticized the attackers and said that such "silly" behavior would fan the flames of wars. Another user believes that some people were mad at Saudi Arabia because of the Mina stampede incident where dozens of Iranian pilgrims were killed as well as an alleged sexual harassment of two Iranian young boys by Saudi airport police officers. She suggested that the attack on the Saudi embassy was aimed at revenging the Mina Incident and the harassment issue. She said that "the execution of al-Nimr was just an excuse." Another user said that Saudi Arabia should praise those hardliners who stormed the embassy as the world now is discussing the embassy issue instead of Nimr al-Nimr's execution. "If I were in Saudi Arabia's shoes, I would reward those hardliners who stormed the embassy," she said. Meanwhile, some Iranian users have backed the Saudi decision on execution of the cleric. "It is Saudi judiciary's right to issue a verdict and execute a convict who was charged with instigating unrest. Is it Iran's business? Do they question Iran's decisions to execute convicts?" A Twitter user said. Another user went as far as saying that Iran will have to pay compensation for storming the embassy. In any case, the issue with the execution and the rising tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia have touched the already unstable region, and it is unlikely that the two rivaling Muslim powers will reconcile any time soon. Microsoft has been collecting much more data from Windows 10 users than previously thought The Redmond software giant Microsofts Windows 10 is fast becoming worlds preferred operating system over Windows 7 or 8.1. Despite its continued insistence that Windows 10 isnt spying on anyone, Microsoft seems to have taken an interest in how much time you are using its Windows 10 operating system. However, Microsoft has done little to assure the majority of privacy conscious users that its latest operating system isnt taking more data than it needs. In order to emphasize its claim, Microsoft updated its privacy policy to clear how and when the OS makes use of user data. However, with its latest Threshold 2 Update, Microsoft is observing how long people are using the operating system and sending the data to Redmond. The enthusiasm was shared by Microsoft in a blog post filled with data extracted from users. On Monday morning, Yusuf Mehdi, Corporate VP of the Windows and Devices Group, disclosed that Windows 10 was active on over 200 million devices. The main factor that is contributing its quick growth is that is currently offered for free to existing Windows users on Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. So, it is really not astonishing if this is happening. Microsoft felt the need to share some milestones to demonstrate the popularity of Windows 10: 1. People spent more than 11 billion hours on Windows 10 in December 2015. 2. 44.5 billion minutes were spent in Microsoft Edge across Windows 10 devices in December 2015 (0.71 billion hours). 3. Users asked Cortana more than 2.5 billion questions since launch. 4. More than 82 billion photos were viewed in the Windows 10 Photo application. 5. Windows 10 gamers spent over 4 billion hours playing PC games. 6. Gamers have streamed more than 6.6 million hours of Xbox One games to Windows 10 PCs. 7. About 30% more Bing search queries from Windows devices compared to previous versions of Windows. Definitely, these are interesting statistics and could be troublesome for many privacy lovers. The statistics indicate that Microsoft may be collecting more data than initially thought, writes Martin Brinkmann of ghacks. While it is unclear what data is exactly collected, it is clear that the company is collecting information about the use of individual applications and programs on Windows at the very least. Data collection to a degree is unavoidable, as it occurs on every connected device. However, what is more bothersome about Windows 10 is that there is no clarity on what data is exactly being collected and theres no easy way to turn it off. According to Microsoft, the data collection in Windows 10 is for a greater good. It is being used to make the product work better and that is certainly true to an extent as the company is collecting information about the use of individual applications and programs on Windows to find out about the popularity of an application or operating system feature. Still, since Microsoft does not reveal detailed information about what gets collected and to what end, it is something that users need to be aware about at the very least. We can only hope that while Microsoft celebrates its 2015 milestones, it looks to become more transparent in 2016. Whats likely to qualify Making a Murderer as especially influential is that it adds up to more than edge-of-your-seat television it functions as eye-opening advocacy about the dangers of what one of Averys defence lawyers, Dean Strang, calls unwarranted certitude. The same kind of prosecution thinking bang up some likely suspects, then twist the case to fit their involvement led to one of the most famous miscarriages of justice in recent US history, the imprisonment of a trio of West Memphis teenagers for the deaths of three children in 1993. Their case, a miasma of circumstantial evidence, hearsay and character assassination, was first addressed in the 1996 feature documentary Paradise Lost, and the saga of their appeals and eventual release was charted in two sequels. Ricciardi and Demos talk of Paradise Lost as a vital touchstone: Clearly audiences felt passionately about what they witnessed and got involved. But the tools available to those audiences are different today. They have social media, they have online petitions, Facebook, Twitter. The true crime in Making a Murderer, at the end of the day, isnt just Halbachs murder its very possibly a crime, or in fact a whole cartload, perpetrated by the state of Wisconsin, in its haste to secure an alarmingly dubious set of convictions. Not only are these malfeasances disturbing in themselves, but they open up horrifying possibilities about what depths local law enforcement may have plumbed to get their man. If it was a frame-up, who exactly was involved? Like ITVs 2014 drama The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies, about the Bristol landlord who was dragged into the centre of the storm surrounding the disappearance and murder of his tenant, Joanna Yeates, its about the vilification of a suspect potentially blinding the legal process. The OJ Simpson trial hinged in very much the same way on problems of inept prosecution: this, too, has been recreated, in the forthcoming 10-part FX series American Crime Story. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 6 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: It is unlikely that the rupture of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran can lead to an open military conflict. If one recalls the history of relations between Tehran and Riyadh, the peak of these relations was before the Islamic revolution in Iran. After the revolution, the relations with Saudi Arabia weren't friendly anymore. But there is no doubt that the crisis in relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran will have a negative impact on the neighboring countries, where armed conflicts are raging, and it is primarily Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Kuwait, 45 percent of which are Shiite muslims, can also face serious political unrests. Political tensions in such countries as Lebanon and Bahrain aren't excluded, either. Already a number of countries clearly stated that the deterioration of relations between Tehran and Riyadh will negatively impact the entire region. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Jan. 5 urged Tehran and Riyadh not to aggravate relations. He said that Iran and Saudi Arabia are important countries of the Islamic world, and that Turkey is an ally to both Iran and Saudi Arabia. In addition, France already said that it could become a mediator for the resumption of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. But no matter how France has sought to mediate between the Arabs and the Persians, Paris lacks real opportunities for such a mediation. Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari also said today that Baghdad will be the mediator in the resolution of diplomatic crisis between Iran and Saudi Arabia. But Iraq, as is known, is already a ground for disputes for Iran and Saudi Arabia. The US, Russia and the Western countries also can not be mediators between the Kingdom and the Islamic Republic on the issue of the resumption of relations. The question arises: which country can act as a mediator if Iran and Saudi Arabia agree to resume the relationship? Turkey - is a country that has close ties with Saudi Arabia and Iran. After the visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the kingdom invested $300 million into Turkey's construction sector. In fact, as a Sunni Muslim country, Turkey could act as a mediator between Tehran and Riyadh, but Iran is unlikely to agree. Some Iranian media outlets have already said that the execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr after President Erdogan's visit to Saudi Arabia is not accidental. Moreover, Ankara, taking into account cooling of relations with Iran, will unlikely to agree to mediate between Tehran and Riyadh. Pakistan is the other country that could potentially become a mediator. Being mostly a Sunni country, Pakistan is not hostile towards Iran. Moreover, previously the country's officials have repeatedly stated that Pakistan maintains a balance in relations with Tehran and Riyadh and Islamabad can mediate for normalization of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Moreover, Pakistan is not at odds with Iran over the Syrian crisis. Pakistan stated throughout the military conflict in Syria that the crisis must be solved politically. Taking this into account, one can say that as opposed to Turkey, Pakistan can be a real mediator for the resumption of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. But, apparently, Tehran and Riyadh are taking time before the decision to normalize the relations is made. Rufiz Hafizoglu is the head of Trend Agency's Arabic news service, follow him on Twitter: @rhafizoglu "The first priority is always that she continues to be a happy child. This will help us with the challenge of helping her to fulfil her potential, while first and foremost allowing her to have a happy childhood, and stay a sane, normal, down-to-earth human being." Kim Jong Un delivers a New Year's speech on January 1, 2019. He reiterated his commitment to achieve denuclearisation and pledged that relations with the US could progress at a fast speed if it made concessions. But he also urged Washington not to misjudge his patience and demanded that the US drop its push for Pyongyang to unilaterally disarm and take corresponding measures of its own. Construction of an underground gas storage facility in Georgia is planned to begin in 2016, said the country's energy ministry, Sputnik international news agency reported. The gas storage facility will be built on the territory of Samgori South Dome oil field. The analysis results show that the territory where the field is located is the optimal place for construction of the underground gas storage facility. The GEOSTOCK SAS French company, which won the international tender, will finalize the feasibility study preparation for the construction of the facility in early 2016. Jeremy Corbyn is facing an open revolt from his shadow cabinet after mounting a purge of moderate MPs who have criticisised him over Trident, national security and the takeover of the party by the hard-left, report Steven Swinford, Laura Hughes and Ben Riley-Smith. After two days of deliberations Maria Eagle, who is in favour of Trident, was removed as shadow defence secretary and replaced with Emily Thornberry, an anti-war MP who is sympathetic to Mr Corbyn's calls to scrap Trident. If you can't state these views and be a shadow minister then our party really is being driven off a cliff https://t.co/mELo2ixaKt John Woodcock (@JWoodcockMP) January 6, 2016 Miss Thornberry was previously sacked by Ed Miliband, the former Labour leader, for mocking a family who lived in a terraced home for draping an an England flag over their home. Mr Corbyn was forced to abandon plans to sack Hilary Benn, the shadow foreign secretary who defied him by voting in favour of air strikes in Syria, after being warned he faced mass resignations. Instead Labour claimed that Mr Benn and Mr Cobyn had reached an agreement that there will be "no repetition" of their public split over the Syria vote. Mr Corbyn also attracted fury after sacking Pat McFadden, the shadow Europe minister, for "disloyalty" after he criticised his response to the Paris terror attacks. One Labour MP said that the move was "stupid and vindictive". We got anybody with government experience who's widely respected? "Don't look at me!" What about @patmcfaddenmp ? "Yes. Him. Sack him." Jamie Reed (@jreedmp) January 6, 2016 Mr Corbyn also sacked Michael Dugher, the shadow culture secretary, a decision which led to open criticism from nine of his front-benchers including Tom Watson, the party's deputy leader. Mr Dugher said that he had been sacked by Mr Corbyn for "too much straight talking, honest politics" as he criticised the Labour leader for "squandering" his vision of a "new politics". He said: "The real casualty today has been the new politics we were all promised four months ago from Jeremy. It's official. New Shad Cabinet pic.twitter.com/pUP2OHWCRg Paul Waugh (@paulwaugh) January 6, 2016 "I think that's a real shame, a real squandered opportunity, because I think people were attracted by the idea we could unite and come together people of different views, make a virtue of having debates and proper discussions. In Jeremy's words, even have a little dissent - straight talking, honest politics." He criticised Emily Thornberry, the shadow work and pensions minister who is tipped for promotion despite being sacked by Ed Miliband for appearing to mock a family's terraced home draped in England flags. Emily Thornberry: flying the flag for Great Britain's armed forces. pic.twitter.com/bcVnc7JuAD Stig Abell (@StigAbell) January 6, 2016 He told Channel 4: Islington [Miss Thornberry's constituency] is a very different place to lots of other parts of the country. Its very hard to win election if you cant persuade people who drive vans to vote Labour. There is a reason why she went." Mr Dugher has criticised Mr Corbyn for opening the door to totally destructive and self-indulgent infighting as the left seeks a takeover of the party. The decision to sack Mr Dugher was criticised by Mr Watson along with eight other shadow ministers including Andy Burnham, the shadow home secretary, Lucy Powell, the shadow education secretary and Vernon Coaker, the shadow international development secretary. Following the sacking Mr Watson said in a statement: "Michael Dugher is a rare politician - a talented working-class MP who hasn't lost his strong Yorkshire roots. "Politicians with his ability and commitment can make a difference in any role. Labour's loss in the shadow cabinet will be compensated for by Michael's free thought on the back benches." Mr McFadden criticised Mr Corbyn's response to the Paris terror attacks when he suggested that the West was partly to blame because of military interventions in the Middle East. Sacking @patmcfaddenmp is vindictive and stupid. A serious, credible & popular shadow minister, respected & liked on all sides of PLP. Ian Austin (@IanAustinMP) January 5, 2016 Speaking in the Commons, Mr McFadden said at the time: "Can I ask the Prime Minister to reject the view that sees terrorist acts as always being a response or a reaction to what we in the West do?" Mr McFadden was replaced by Pat Glass, David Cameron joked in the Commons that "you could have watched the whole run of Star Wars movies" since the reshuffle began on Monday as he apologised for "interrupting the longest reshuffle in history". One shadow Cabinet member said: "It is the Trotskyists fighting communists overseen by a Russian nationalist." Another said that the reshuffle delays were a sign of Mr Corbyn's "incompetence". Miss Eagle's demotion leaves the party's defence review, which she was jointly chairing, in the hands of Ken Livingstone, the former Mayor of London who is resolutely opposed to Trident. She was moved to shadow culture secretary. All new appointments in shadow cabinet are women. Now 17 women and 14 men #reshuffle Laura Hughes (@Laura_K_Hughes) January 6, 2016 A firm set up by Tony Blair to manage his business interests tripled its profits last year, as he rewarded staff with an average pay increase of more than 30,000. The accounts published on Wednesday for Windrush Ventures Ltd, one of the companies that coordinates his commercial affairs, show that the former prime minister has enjoyed his most successful year yet. Turnover at the company has risen by more than a third to 19.4 million, while profits trebled to 2.6 million. The average staff salary increased by almost 35,000 to 103,791. The combined shareholders funds at Windrush and Firerush Ventures, another group of companies in Mr Blairs business empire, rose to almost 10 million. Mr Blair is the ultimate and sole owner of the firms. The highest paid director at Windrush received a 100,000 pay rise, taking their total package to 403,000. That director is thought to be either Catherine Rimmer, Mr Blairs chief of staff and a former Downing Street aide, or else David Lyon, a former Barclays investment banker who was recruited by Mr Blair in 2012. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 6 By Elena Kosolapova - Trend: The crisis in the relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia will not lead to military confrontation because such action could affect the homelands of both countries and cause major casualties and economic difficulty, senior analyst at the Congressional Research Service, which conducts research and analysis for the US Congress Kenneth Katzman told Trend. Following execution of a prominent Shia cleric, Nimr al-Nimr by Saudi Arabia some Iranian protesters stormed Saudi embassy in Tehran on Jan. 3, smashing furniture and setting the building on fire before being dispersed by police. The Saudi consulate in the eastern city of Mashhad also was attacked. Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic ties with Iran in response to these attacks. On Jan. 6 Iranian president Hassan Rouhani said than Saudi Arabia spared no effort to prevent concluding the nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers and continued their efforts to prevent the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) from being implemented after the deal was achieved. Katzman believes that the crisis in the Saudi Arabian - Iranian relations will not affect lifting of sanctions from Iran because lifting is contingent only on Iran fulfilling nuclear requirements - and not linked to regional developments. Regarding the impact of the crisis on the oil prices, the expert noted that the oil prices will be only modestly affected because Saudi Arabia will continue producing at high levels to weaken Iran and Russia and drive US shale oil producers out of business. Edited by S.I. Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova The South Korean government has convened an emergency meeting over the issue, YTN television reported. North Korea is expected to make a statement concerning the earthquake at 4:00 AM GMT. South Korea's weather service reported that the 4.2 magnitude earthquake was of an "artificial nature." US seismologists say that the epicenter was located in Pekam county, in Yangkang province. South Korean sources reported that the earthquake occurred near the town of Kilchu. In 2003, Pyongyang withdrew from the international Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a deal that was intended to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons manufacture and possible use. In 2005, North Korea declared itself a nuclear power, and conducted several nuclear weapons tests, sparking concerns in the international community, particularly in neighboring South Korea. Almost four years later, Pyongyang tested additional nuclear weapons. The official data on the country's nuclear program has not been released, and research on the issue is based on external observations and reports made by North Korean authorities. By Julian Ryall in Tokyo The underground nuclear test conducted by North Korea on Wednesday may have been billed as an early birthday present for Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, but analysts believe the regime has timed its latest show of force carefully. "North Korea has announced that it will hold its first party congress in 35 years in May and Mr Kim may not feel that he has done enough to cement his position, so showing that he now has a hydrogen bomb is calculated to significantly boost his standing," Toshimitsu Shigemura, a professor at Tokyo's Waseda University and an authority on the North Korean leadership, told The Telegraph. "I also believe that by carrying out the test now, Mr Kim has three months to soothe relations with China, which is still his most important ally," he added. Beijing is additionally concerned about unrest at home over the uncertain economic situation and will shy away from any course of action that might provoke further domestic disquiet. Another consideration will have been Western governments' preoccupation with events in the Middle East, particularly given the escalating crisis between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Given other global flashpoints, analysts believe the international community may be unable to muster much of a response and that Mr Kim may have calculated wisely. "This has come as a serious shock in South Korea and my sense is that there are no feasible options to stop Pyongyang on this path," said Rah Jong-yil, a former head of South Korean intelligence. "The international community will condemn these actions, but we have no effective way of counteracting this development," he said. "Even China, which has acted as a stabilising force in the past, does not have so many cards to play." Prof Shigemura expects Pyongyang to be more conciliatory again later in the year, after the dust from the test has settled and Mr Kim has been able to demonstrate his mastery of his enemies at the Party Congress. "He has demonstrated to his military that they are a powerful nuclear state and I believe we will see a change in his tactics, such as efforts by the North to rebuild ties with China and the United States," he said. That would echo the tried-and-tested approach by the regime over several decades that has promised detente and cooperation but served only to buy time for Pyongyang to develop nuclear weapons and the long-range missiles with which to deliver to them. "Mr Kim wants to negotiate from a position of strength and he has been closely watching the resolution of Iran's nuclear situation", Prof Shigemura added. "And President [Barack] Obama is entering his final year in office and many previous US leaders have tried to make progress on the Korea question as their terms come to an end; Mr Kim may very well be expecting the president to do something similar and offer talks." Details added (first version posted on 12:23) The office of German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been sealed off after the discovery of a suspicious package, Reuters news agency reported citing a police spokesman. An image from the scene showed four yellow postal crates abandoned in heavy snow outside the chancellory in Berlin, with police sealing off the area while they assess the situation. The mail box was later discovered to be harmless, and police have given the all-clear. "We are investigating a suspicious package," a police spokesman told Reuters earlier. An eyewitness also informed the agency there were four yellow plastic crates visible in the sealed-off area. The spokesman added that the package had been discovered in the course of a routine patrol at 8:30 local time. Several hours later, the police informed reporters that "the experts found nothing suspicious." Four yellow crates resembling mail boxes were described by eyewitnesses as being inside the sealed off area. The German channel N24 earlier cited police as saying the objects were indeed mail. Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 6 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Tehran and Riyadh shouldn't aggravate relations, as this can lead to negative consequences for the region, the Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, the Turkish TRT Haber TV channel reported Jan. 6. Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran soured after execution of Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent Shia cleric, by the Kingdom along with other 46 people, which was followed by a strong protest from Iran. Mass protests took place in Iran following the execution. In particular, the Saudi embassy in the capital Tehran and the consulate in the city of Mashhad were attacked, after which Riyadh broke off diplomatic ties with Tehran on Jan. 3. Saudi Arabia's permanent representative to the United Nations Abdullah al-Moallem said that relations with Iran will be restored only when Tehran stops "interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, including that of Saudi Arabia's". Meanwhile, Turkey's Foreign Ministry expressed concern about the attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran and described the attacks as "unacceptable." The ministry also called for Iran and Saudi Arabia to be "careful" and use the language of diplomacy rather than threats. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu With two high-profile disasters resulting in the deaths of 374 people, one could be forgiven for thinking that 2015 was among the deadliest years in the history of aviation. Far from it. The crashes of a Germanwings A320 in March, deliberately caused by the co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, and a Metrojet A321 in October, due to a suspected bomb, account for the vast majority of last year's aviation fatalities. According to the Aviation Safety Network (ASN), there were 14 other fatal crashes in 2015, resulting in 186 deaths, making a total of 560. Take away those two deliberate crashes, and it would have been the least deadly year for aviation since ASN's records began. Indeed, when you count up the number of accidents resulting in fatalities, 2015 was the safest ever year for flying. What about 2014? With a string of disasters involving Malaysia Airlines (two crashes and 537 deaths), AirAsia (162 deaths), Air Algerie (116), TransAsia Airways (48) and Sepahan Airlines (39), surely it must be a contender for the worst year? The total for 2014 of 990 deaths was the highest for a decade, but some way off the record. It should also be noted that there were only 21 fatal accidents that year, the lowest on record (until 2015, that is). To find the deadliest year in aviation history, one must go back to 1972. That year saw a remarkable 2,370 deaths and 72 fatal accidents. There were 11 crashes that saw at least 100 perish, including four Aeroflot flights, and others involving Iberia, Sterling Airways, Alitalia, British European Airways, Interflug, Spantax and Eastern Air Lines. Fearful fliers should be grateful the Seventies are over. The following year, 1973, was the second deadliest year on record, with 69 fatal crashes and 2,028 deaths. The carriers involved in the biggest disasters that year included Royal Jordanian, Libya Arab Airlines, Invicta International Airlines, Varig and Pan Am. And, of course, Aeroflot, which had a staggering 17 crashes that year. 27 reasons why you shouldn't be put off flying And 1974 was the fourth deadliest year, with 1,989 fatalities from 68 crashes (eight involving Aeroflot). It should be noted that safety standards have improved drastically at the Russian airline since then - it hasn't been involved in a fatal accident since 1996. During every year in the Seventies, there were more than 1,000 deaths, making it comfortably the deadliest decade on record (16,766 - more than twice as many as during the 2000s). The relatively low number of fatalities in 2015 is despite there being more planes in the sky than ever before. According to The World Bank, almost 763m flight tickets were sold to US passengers in 2014 (the most recent year for which it has statistics), up from 678m in 2004, 515m in 1994 and 340m in 1984. In Britain, there were 125m passengers carried in 2014, compared with 26m in 1984. How dangerous is flying in Indonesia? Thai airlines spared European ban - for now According to Flightglobal, another aviation industry analyst, there was an accident rate of just one in 5 million flights during 2015, the lowest figure on record. "If the improvement on air safety since 2010 is maintained for the rest of the current decade, it will equate to some 4,400 fewer passenger and crew fatalities than during 2000-09," it said in a report, released yesterday. "For the first time last year, not a single passenger fatality was recorded on a Western-built jet, excluding those from suspected acts of violence. This was achieved against the background of the global Western jet fleets transporting 3.7 billion travellers and conducting 32 million flights." "The third anniversary of the 2019 social protests in Chile and the Carabineros are out here brutalizing protesters," tweeted journalist Erik Thurman. | Read More Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 6 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has accused Russia of the death of Syrian refugees, who die while trying to cross the Aegean and the Mediterranean seas to reach Europe, the TRT Haber news channel reported Jan. 6. "Russia, supporting the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, is responsible for the death of Syrian refugees," he said. "They are drowned almost every day while trying to cross the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea to enter the territory of European countries." Bodies of 36 Syrian migrants, who were trying to illegally cross into Greece, were earlier found off the coast of Turkey. Currently, Turkey is hosting more than two million Syrian refugees on its soil. The Syrian refugee camps in the country accommodate about 300,000 people. The rest of them are spread across the provinces and cities of Turkey. In Istanbul alone, there are currently 40,000 refugees from Syria. Ankara has so far spent $8 billion to upkeep the Syrian refugees. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Premier Li believes that renovating shanty towns will improve the living conditions of low-income families. (Photo : China Daily) Premier Li Keqiang spent part of his first work day of the new year on Monday morning in a shanty neighborhood in Xinghualing District in Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi Province, where he spoke with residents about their living conditions and the government's plans to improve them, according to a report by China Daily. Advertisement The shanty neighborhood of Xiaobeiguan houses 830 households. All of the community's residents share one toilet and one faucet. Xiaobeiguan is one of at least 80 shanty towns in Taiyuan. Premier Li spent part of his time in Xiaobeiguan in the house of Li Fanyu, a 78-year-old resident whose rundown home was built in the 1950s. Premier Li was told that Li Fanyu's situation was not uncommon in Taiyuan, a district around 500 kilometers from Beijing. Upon hearing this, Premier Li became emotional. "Haven't you seen that these people are still living in such conditions? There are way too many things left to be done in China!" Premier Li said to some of the accompanying ministers. Premier Li told the residents of Xiaobeiguan that he understood their hardship. "We'll let you live in new buildings as soon as possible," Premier Li told the residents of Xiaobeiguan, as they bade him goodbye. The renovation of shanty towns has been a priority of the government. "Renovation of shanty towns raises many low-income families' hopes for improving their living conditions and is also a focal point in pushing forward people-oriented urbanization," Premier Li told a national work conference in October. During his tour in Shanxi, Premier Li also visited Taiyuan Iron & Steel (Group) Co., which is currently facing hard times. He told the company and its workers that its moves in recent years to diversify to other products related to the iron and steel industry is a step in the right direction. "Developing with some diversity will help the company stand stronger in facing unexpected challenges," said Premier Li. Cop Suspended For Making Nasty FB Comment On Senior Actress A police officer has been suspended in Kochi; Kerala for posting derogatory comment against actress Manju Warrier on Facebook. KM Renjumon, who was a trainee police officer with Armed Reserve (AR) Camp had posted a derogatory comment below a photograph of Manju with actor Suraj Venjaramoodu. The male actor had shared the photo on FB. Noting the nasty comment by the cop on his FB page showed him in police uniform, Manju had lodged a complaint to the DGP.The actor noted the profile of the officer and complained to DGP with proof. Kochi city police commissioner M P Dinesh who did the enquiry, on Tuesday released the suspension order. Commenting on the issue, the actor later said that the complaint had been initiated as the accused was a police officer with the responsibility of protecting the women. 'No responsible officials, who are part of the government system, should behave like this. This should be seen not as an attempt to ensure punishment but to regain a sense of security among women'', Manju said. Earlier there were reports that Manju had filed a complaint against some who had been publishing fake news about her second marriage. News Posted: 6 January, 2016 Modi Had Links With Terrorists, Alleges MP Trinamool Congress leader Idris Ali is once again in the news for making a controversial statement. Courting controversy Idris Ali made a shocking allegation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had 'links to terrorism' which is why the attack on the Pathankot Air Force took palce. "The Prime Minister wants to make minorities happy and it is for that purpose only that he went to Pakistan. I think he has ties with terrorists and it is because of that the attack happened at Pathankot. Why did the Pathankot attack happen right after PM's visit to Pakistan? This is my personal opinion,' he said as per the reports. However, the party called it an unhealthy and crass comment and sought explanation from Ali. Trinamool leader Derek O'Brien said the party would take appropriate action after getting his reply. Another TMC leader said such comments will have an adverse impact on the party's image. Recently the same MP was in news after he warned CPIM leader Gautam Deb that he will cut-off his limbs if he tried to touch Mamata Banerjee in the Saradha scam News Posted: 6 January, 2016 During the meeting last Tuesday, Wang reiterated the importance of seeking peace in Syria through talks and political solutions that are in line with the important and long-term interests of Syria. (Photo : www.wantchinatimes.com) Syrian opposition leader Alptekin Hocaoglu is visiting China for four days, starting from Tuesday, Jan. 5, as part of Beijing's latest effort to encourage talks between the Syrian government and opposition, as reported by China Daily. Advertisement This marks the first time China has announced in advance a visit by a Syrian opposition leader. Foreign Minister Wang Yi will meet with the opposition leader, who is the president of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, at some point in his stay, according to ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying's statement during a press briefing on Monday. Hua said that Hocaoglu was invited by the Chinese People's Institute for Foreign Affairs. The visit of the opposition leader comes after the visit of Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem to China from Dec. 23-26. After meeting with Wang, al-Moallem told reporters that the Syrian government was willing to participate in peace talks with Geneva with the goal of ending the civil war. "Our delegation will be ready as soon as we receive a list of the opposition delegation," said al-Moallem. He added that there should be no foreign interference in the talks. Al-Moallem's remarks came after the U.N. Security Council in December unanimously supported a resolution calling for a ceasefire, talks between Syria's government and opposition, creating a unity government and holding elections. Li Guofu, the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said that there is still a long way to go before the Syrian government and opposition reach a settlement, but it is good that international pressure has made them willing to talk. "China is now serving as a mediator," Li said. Capital Construction: Collection From Students Stayed By HC Criticism mounted by opposition parties on AP government's fund raising from students for capital construction.The cash-strapped AP government has been raising money by various ways and as part of that government has decided to involve about 70 lakh students and three lakh teachers in the construction of the capital city. The state government had sent a circular to all schools and announced that every student in the state has to contribute at least ten rupees to the 'My Capital, My Amaravati, My Brick'. Circulars were sent to every school by the education department officials in all the districts. High Court is not pleased with decision of government .The HC has questioned the AP government's circular which was sent to schools for the collection for funds from the students for the construction of the AP Capital. The HC has also given a stay order on Wednesday and quashed the circulars sent to schools by the education department. Responding on the petitions filed by various people against the decision HC directed the AP Government to stop collecting money. News Posted: 6 January, 2016 Sapporo Holdings Ltd., Japan's fourth-largest brewer by volume, intends to increase beer production as much as fivefold in Vietnam by 2019 as a shrinking population at home crimps demand. Sapporo, which started brewing beer in Vietnam last month, plans to boost annual output to as much as 200,000 kiloliters (52.8 million gallons) from 40,000 kiloliters in 2014, Yoshiyuki Mochida, president of Sapporo International, said in an interview Friday in Tokyo. Japan's biggest brewers including Asahi Group Holdings Ltd. and Kirin Holdings Co. plan acquisitions across Southeast Asia to access wider margins after beer shipments slumped in 2010 for a 14th consecutive year. Sapporo will compete with them in Vietnam, where the government estimates that demand for beer will more than double by 2020. "Vietnam's business environment is such that you have to knock the competition out before they do," Mochida said. "If you fall asleep there, your head will be lopped off." Asahi Group has identified targets in Southeast Asia, President Naoki Izumiya said in an interview on Dec. 12. Kirin will "consider corporate tie-ups and small-scale mergers and acquisitions" in the region, Chief Executive Officer Senji Miyake said Dec. 13. Sapporo shares were unchanged at the close of trading in Tokyo. They have declined 19 percent this year, trailing the 20 percent slide for the broader Topix index. Asahi has risen 7.6 percent and Kirin has fallen 18 percent. Second factory Sapporo, maker of premium brands such as Yebisu, may decide to open a second factory in Hanoi in 2014, Mochida said. Consumption in Vietnam is forecast to overtake that in Japan by 2020 if current trends continue, he said. The Southeast Asian nation had a population of 89.6 million at the end of last year and is forecast by the US Census Bureau to increase to 93.4 million by 2014, according to data on the Bloomberg. Japan had 126.8 million people and is forecast to drop to 125.2 million by 2014, the data shows. Demand for beer in Vietnam is expected to rise to 5.8 million kiloliters by 2020 from 2.6 million kiloliters last year, according to the nation's ministry of industry and trade. "The beer market for Vietnam is huge and will overtake Japan," said Hiroshi Saji, a Tokyo-based analyst for Mizuho Securities Co. who recommends buying Sapporo shares. "But the first order of the day is to turn a profit for their overseas operations." Operating margins The push into the region will give the brewers access to markets where some rivals' operating margins are more than double those of Asahi, Kirin and Sapporo. Sapporo's operating margin of 7.13 percent compares with 26.74 percent for the Philippines' San Miguel Brewery Inc. and 22.47 percent for PT Multi Bintang Indonesia, according to the latest quarterly figures compiled by Bloomberg. Asahi's operating margin was 9.73 percent and Kirin had a margin of 8.61 percent. Malaysia's Guinness Anchor Bhd. has an operating margin of 16.27 percent while Thai Beverage Pcl.'s was 12.14 percent in the most recent quarter. San Miguel Brewery, a unit of the Philippines' biggest company by sales that dominates the country's beer market, is 48 percent owned by Kirin, which has been investing in the Southeast Asian country for at least a decade. This handout released by the Blue House shows South Korean President Park Geun-Hye (L) speaking as Foreign MInister Yun Byung-Se (R) listens during an emergency meeting of the National Security Council at the presidential Blue House in Seoul on January 6, 2016. Park slammed North Korea's shock nuclear test as a "grave provocation" to national security and called for "strong" international sanctions on Pyongyang. Photo: AFP/ Blue House North Korea's neighbors lined up on Wednesday to condemn Pyongyang's claimed hydrogen bomb test, saying it posed a grave threat to regional security. Several governments promised a firm response as tensions soared again in northeast Asia, many calling for further action by the United Nations against the hermit nation, which is already subject to heavy international sanctions. "The nuclear test that was carried out by North Korea is a serious threat to the safety of our nation and we absolutely cannot tolerate this," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in Tokyo. "This clearly violates UN Security Council resolutions and is a grave challenge against international efforts for non-proliferation," he said, adding his country would seek to coordinate efforts among UN members to deal with the action. South Korean President Park Geun-Hye called the test a "grave provocation" at an emergency meeting of the Country's National Security Council (NSC) convened immediately after the news broke. "The test is not only a grave provocation to our national security but also a threat to our future... and a strong challenge to international peace and stability," she said, calling for strong sanctions on Pyongyang. In an earlier statement, Seoul said it would "take all necessary measures including additional sanctions by the UN Security Council... so that the North will pay the price for the nuclear test". In Washington, the White House would not confirm the test, but vowed to "respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations". There was no immediate response from the Chinese government, but in a commentary the official Xinhua news service said the move was "highly regrettable" and breached UN resolutions. Using the North's official name, it added: "Turning Northeast Asia into a keg of powder benefits none in the neighborhood, even the DPRK itself, which has pledged to promote economic development." But it said that Pyongyang's defiance of the international community was "deeply rooted in its sense of insecurity after years of hostility with the United States". Rogue state Fellow UN Security Council permanent member France joined the chorus of nations slamming Pyongyang's testing of a nuclear bomb, labelling the move an "unacceptable violation" of UN resolutions and calling for a "strong reaction from the international community". Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop said her country "condemns in the strongest possible terms" the test, which "confirms North Korea's status as a rogue state and a continuing threat to international peace and security", adding that Canberra would express its concerns to Pyongyang directly and call for stronger UN sanctions. The test, which came just two days before leader Kim Jong-Un's birthday, was initially detected by international seismology monitors as a 5.1-magnitude tremor next to the North's main Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the northeast of the country. This picture taken from North Korean TV and released by South Korean news agency Yonhap on January 6, 2016 shows a message of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un for its first hydrogen bomb test. The Korean letters read that "Let's begin the year of 2016 -- a glorious and victorious year when the historic seventh conference of the Workers' Party of Korea will be held -- with a thrilling sound of the first hydrogen bomb explosion, so that the whole world will look up to our socialist, nuclear-armed republic of Juche and the great Workers' Party of Korea! - Dec. 15, 2015, Kim Jong-Un." Photo: AFP/North Korean TV via YONHAP Last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un suggested Pyongyang had already developed a hydrogen bomb. The claim was questioned by international experts and there was continued skepticism over Wednesday's test announcement. Whether an H-bomb or not, it was North Korea's fourth nuclear test and marked a striking act of defiance in the face of warnings that Pyongyang would pay a steep price if it continued pursuing its atomic weapons program. The three previous tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013 triggered waves of UN sanctions. Their failure to prevent a fourth detonation will see calls for more drastic Security Council action this time around. A number of top-tier companies are already expected to launch their first wave of VR products this year. (Photo : Reuters) Virtual reality is gaining traction, and technology companies are quick to jump in the bandwagon to be in on the next big thing. VR technology is expected to gain impetus this year, according to a report by China Daily. Advertisement A number of top-tier companies are already expected to launch their first wave of VR products this year. In fact, LeTV Holdings Co. Ltd. has released its first VR device on Christmas Eve. Called "Cool," the VR wearable device creates a 3-D digital world through the use of a smartphone attached in front. The device retails at 149 yuan ($22). The Beijing-based company has invested heavily in the research and development of such technology, and plans to collaborate with partners to make hardware and video content. "LeTV aims to build a platform for all companies involved in VR technology. We will focus on integrating the industry's resources so our partners can make profits," said Ablikim Ablimit, strategic vice president of LeTV, in an interview with China Daily. Aside from LeTV, Internet company Tencent Holdings Ltd. is also delving into the world of VR technology. The online games producer has recently announced that it will launch its first VR device sometime between July and September of 2016. It will be the first time Tencent, a company that specializes in software products, will launch a hardware product. After experiencing a smartphone sales slump in 2015, Taiwan-based HTC Corp. is also getting involved on VR headsets. Tech giant Facebook Inc. acquired popular VR company Oculus for $2 billion. Microsoft Corp. is also developing its high-end VR device called HoloLens. This new activity on the VR arena will help boost the market, according to Huang Xiaojie, CEO of Beijing Mojing Technologies Co. Ltd., a VR products company based in Beijing. The entry of names like Facebook and Microsoft, in particular, will help speed things up. "The market remains in its infancy and needs big brands to lure customers," Huang said. FADE IN: EXT. WYOMING - POST CIVIL WAR (NO NOT THE MARVEL ONE) Bounty hunter KURT RUSSELL is transporting criminal JENNIFER JASON LEIGH to her execution when they encounter SAMUEL L. JACKSON. KURT RUSSELL I see you are a fellow bounty hunter with three dead bounties in tow worth 8 thousand. Well you should know Jennifers bounty is worth 10 thousand! I reveal her worth to everyone I meet because I have a death wish. Say hi to Sam, Jennifer. JENNIFER JASON LEIGH Morning, n***er. SAMUEL L. FREEZING-HIS-NUTS-OFF JACKSON Tarantino isn't wasting any time using his most beloved epithet. KURT RUSSELL Im pretty sure its the reason why your character exists. A Tarantino film without "n***er" is like a Jay-Z song without "n***a". SAMUEL L. HITCHHIKING JACKSON Well my tauntaun froze in this cold ass blizzard so you mind giving me a lift? KURT RUSSELL As long as you promise not to murder me and steal Jennifers bounty. SAMUEL L. SMOOTH-TALKING JACKSON I give you my word as a fellow lying back stabbing money hungry bounty hunter. So Jennifer, what did you do that was so terrible? JENNIFER JASON LEIGH I beat Jennifer Lawrence out for this role. The odds were never in her favor. They are taken towards their destination in GLORIOUS 70MM which is mostly wasted on the inside of their HORSE CARRIAGE. SAMUEL L. CHILLAXIN' JACKSON So, I suppose we had better spend a solid 40 minutes or so yammering on about anecdotal bullshit and social etiquette and-- wait we're not? Jeez, I kinda don't know where to go from here. Let's just introduce ourselves. KURT RUSSELL They call me The Hangman because I am anal retentive about bringing my bounties in alive to hang even though killing them would make my job a trillion times easier while also negating the entire plot of this film. SAMUEL L. EXPOSITIONING JACKSON I'm an ex-slave ex-Union solider ex-prisoner who's now a bounty hunter. And I carry around a letter from Abe Lincoln himself addressed directly to me because we were totally dude-bros. KURT RUSSELL (reads letter) Incredible! This simple letter makes me see you as a man and not just three fifths of one! JENNIFER JASON LEIGH hocks a LOOGIE all over the letter. SAMUEL hits her so hard he knocks the SYLLABLES out of her name. SAMUEL L. SHIT-KICKING JACKSON You crazy bitch! This letter means THE WORLD to me and isnt just some lame forgery I use to sucker in white folks into liking me! KURT RUSSELL Because Jennifer is being an asshole I will kindly introduce my elbow to her face. JENNIFER JASON LEIGH You're beating me up?! But Im a woman and shit! KURT RUSSELL So? Im treating you exactly as I would a male prisoner. No special treatment. This is what gender equality looks like sweetheart. (pounds Jennifers face into paste) They soon encounter WALTON GOGGINS wandering out in the blizzard with his thumb out. KURT RUSSELL Gas, ass or grass, buddy. WALTON GOGGINS (has none of those things) KURT RUSSELL Well Im not letting another stranger onto this here carriage! (pause) Get in. WALTON GOGGINS (fanning himself) I do declare, thank you kind sir for allowing this southern gentleman passage onto your grand chariot. Jesus do I actually sound like that? KURT RUSSELL (points at Jennifer with a neon arrow) $10 thousand! WALTON GOGGINS Got it. Samuel, I conveniently know your backstory as a notorious yankee soldier who viciously murdered confederate white soldiers such as myself, and therefore hate your n***er guts. SAMUEL L. ACTION JACKSON Cracker please, you killed Lem. WALTON GOGGINS Well it just so happens Im the new unofficial sheriff around these parts so if you or Kurt want to get paid for your bounties we need to get along. KURT RUSSELL Okey-doke. (tattoos $10,000! on Jennifers forehead in Comic Sans) INT. MINNIES HABERDASHERY They arrive at the shop and meet a bunch of characters from PAST TARANTINO FILMS. BRUCE DERN Im an old southern war general who hates the blacks. TIM ROTH Im filling in for Christoph Waltz. Cherio my good chaps! Smashing! MICHAEL MADSEN (is Michael Madsen) DEMIAN BICHIR And I'm the caretaker of this establishment ever since the owner Mini suddenly left town without taking any belongings with her, not even a coat or shoes or her life. SAMUEL L. UNTRUSTING JACKSON My bullshit detector is going off big time but Ill keep it to myself because tension. KURT RUSSELL Alright everybody listen up! In case you didnt know Jennifer is worth an amount between $9,999 and $10,001! So if anyone has plans on stopping me from collecting that money please speak up so I can shoot you in the goddamn face! (pause) No one? And here I was hoping you would be honest scoundrels! I suppose I had better interrogate you all. TIM ROTH ello govna! Im the angman round these parts! How much do you want to bet my accent is phoney? OHH OHH! $10,000? KURT RUSSELL How did you know I'd pick that exact number?! TIM ROTH Lucky guess. KURT RUSSELL What about you, Michael? What are you doing here? MICHAEL MADSEN Being a bloated sleep-eyed lump, but mostly just cashing a check. KURT RUSSELL Fair enough. And you, Bruce? Whats your story? BRUCE DERN Im going to Nebraska to cash in a $1 million dollar sweepstakes prize. Oh, and Im known for savagely executing black soldiers during the war so Samuel wants to shoot me in my old soggy nuts. KURT RUSSELL Well I probably shouldn't announce this out loud, but Ive deduced one of you jerks is in cahoots with Jennifer! SAMUEL L. HARD-DRINKING JACKSON But ONLY ONE of them, as any more than that would have easily overpowered you and freed Jennifer the moment we got here. KURT RUSSELL Trapped in a secluded snowy location during a blizzard with a killer pretending to be something theyre not who wants to kill me. THAT sure doesnt sound familiar. SAMUEL L. SUSPICIOUS-AS-FUCK JACKSON Well you can trust me Kurt! Im the most honest man in this hateful group because Im pals with Abe Lincoln! WALTON GOGGINS Yeah right. That Lincoln letter of yours is faker than that orange shit Trump calls hair. You actually believe that letter is real, Kurt? Because I know a Nigerian Prince you might be interested in. KURT RUSSELL Oh my God Sam, you lied to me? But why? SAMUEL L. LYING-ASS JACKSON Im a bastard. I have to be in order to survive in this white mans world. That reminds me of a funny story. Did you guys know I killed Bruces son by shoving my black cock down his throat? BRUCE DERN SAY WHAT?!?!?!?! SAMUEL L. SONFUCKING JACKSON Thats right. I conveniently ran across him one day in a cutscene and upon realizing he was your boy I made him walk through the blistering cold ass naked then ordered him to give me a snowjob. And he loooooved it! BRUCE DERN Hey wait a minute, why should I believe you? You just admitted to being a lying asshole and I know youre looking for any excuse to shoot me in the nuts. You conveniently being my sons murderer doesnt add up. SAMUEL L. STAND-YOUR-GROUND JACKSON True, but youre old and stupid so just believe me so I can kill you in self defense. BRUCE DERN Oh alright. That sweepstakes was probably a scam anyway. BRUCE pulls a gun. SAMUEL shoots him so fast the movie STOPS FOR 15 MINUTES. QUENTIN TARANTINO (V.O.) Ah! But while Sam distracted you with imaginary tales of mouth rape, you didnt notice someone put poison in the coffee! (pause) Jesus, even in voice over I still sound like a pretentious dickwad. JENNIFER JASON LEIGH It just so happens I saw who poisoned the coffee! And now Ill cackle evilly as Kurt drinks it! KURT RUSSELL I WHAT?! Im gonna kill you you-- (vomits 8 gallons of blood!) Goddamn bitch! You cunt ass-- (hurls up intestines!) No good skank whore piece of-- (throws up lungs and spleen!) WHY DOES QUENTIN HATE ME SO MUCH?!!?!?!?! (vomits all remaining internal organs on top of 12 more gallons of blood!) JENNIFER breaks her teeth on KURT'S KNUCKLES before she shoots him dead. JENNIFER JASON LEIGH Shit, now I have a massive fucking dental bill AND I'm cuffed to a dead man. Maybe I shouldnt have taunted Kurt so obviously when I knew he was about to die. YOSEMITE SAMUEL L. JACKSON (with guns akimbo) Alright, first person that moves is getting his nuts shot off, except Walton, who I now trust. WALTON GOGGINS You mean because you were able to look past me calling you a n***er all those times and see me as the honest law man I am? SAMUEL L. SHOT-CALLING JACKSON Fuck no, honkey. But you WERE about to drink that poisoned coffee before Kurt stopped you so I know you didnt do it. That leaves only Tim, Michael, and Demian as the possible culprit. WALTON GOGGINS So how do we figure out who done it? SAMUEL L. NO-SHIT-SHERLOCK JACKSON Its elementary, my dear Walton. Ive already deduced Demian is a cocksucking liar because the owner of this place was extremely racist towards Mexicans and would never leave him in charge. DEMIAN BICHIR But I didnt poison the coffee, cabron! DIRTY SAMUEL L. JACKSON Oh I know, but you did kill Mini, which wins you a first class ticket straight to Deadsville. SAMUEL has modified his guns to shoot DYNAMITE and EXPLODES DEMIANS HEAD! For real. SAMUEL L. IRONJAW JACKSON That leaves Michael and Tim. If one of you doesnt confess Ill make you watch RoboCop and Oldboy, and I DONT mean the originals! MICHAEL MADSEN Alright alright, I poisoned the coffee. I sorta have a thing for Goldie Hawn, and I just figured with Kurt out of the way Id have a chance. JUDGE SAMUEL L. JACKSON Understandable. Now I must dispense vigilante justice by making Jennifer drink the poisoned coffee... Wait, whats that sound? WALTON GOGGINS (listens) ...is that male stripper music? I think its coming from the basement! CHANNING TATUM Because thats where Ive been hiding this whole time, bitches! He shoots up through the floor and hits SAMUEL right in his NUTS! SAMUEL L. NUTLESS JACKSON OH LORD JESUS NOT MY NUTS! Channing you bastard! Your bullet managed to somehow miss my dick entirely and get exactly both of my testicles! Which must have been stacked on top of each other somehow! TIM ROTH Ha! And now I suddenly have a gun somehow! (shoots Walton!) WALTON GOGGINS WITNESS ME! (shoots Tim!) MICHAEL MADSEN (is a useless lump the entire time) INT. MINNIES HABERDASHERY - FLASHBACK Before SAMUEL, KURT, WALTON and JENNIFER showed up: CHANNING, MICHAEL, TIM and DEMIAN arrive and kill everyone in the shop including a USELESS ZOE BELL CAMEO, but leave BRUCE DERN alive. CHANNING TATUM Hello Bruce. Ive decided to let you live so I have someone to explain my nefarious plan to. Jennifer is my sister and a part of my gang. I plan to kill Kurt and free her. All you have to do is sit there and be a senile old man. BRUCE DERN I was planning on doing that anyway home skillet. (starts napping) INT. MINNIES HABERDASHERY - PRESENT SAMUEL is confined to a bed and WALTON appears to be mortally wounded. MICHAEL is still standing around like a DINGUS. TIM ROTH And Im bleeding to death from a gunshot wound to the stomach surrounded by dangerous men who dont trust me. THAT sure doesnt ring any bells. CHANNING TATUM (still in the basement) Why the hell did I allow Sam to get to that bed instead of unloading my gun into him through the floor? SAMUEL L. CINEMA-SINS JACKSON That's a really good question we wont bother to explain. WALTON GOGGINS What exactly was your plan, Channing? You had the element of surprise and you blew it. You could have easily ambushed us the moment Kurt arrived with your sister and freed her. CHANNING TATUM I guess Im all abs and no brains. SAMUEL L. SHOOTS-FIRST JACKSON Truer words. Toss up your hand cannons and come out of the basement or we shoot Jennifer right in her stink eye while excessively calling her a bitch, which is competing with n***er for most used slur in a Tarantino movie. CHANNING comes out of the basement. He and JENNIFER are reunited in a truly touching moment that SAMUEL ruins by BLOWING the top of CHANNINGS HEAD clean OFF. TIM and MICHAEL are also shot dead. SAMUEL has run out of EXPLOSIVE BULLETS. JENNIFER JASON LEIGH (covered with Channings brains) Of all the fluids in Channings body this is the one women DONT want to have all over their faces. Walton, lets make a deal. Kill Samuel and you can have the bounties on my dead gang members. WALTON GOGGINS Kill Samuel? But black lives matter! JENNIFER JASON LEIGH Not this time! Come on, Walton. You're an American lawman. Shooting unarmed black dudes should be like second nature! So Deal or No Deal? WALTON GOGGINS Let me think about it NO DEAL! Honestly, chances are Im not going to live long enough to collect the money anyway, but you were all too willing to let me drink that poisoned coffee so allow me to return the favor by shooting you right in your ugly goddamn erck! (passes out!) JENNIFER JASON LEIGH Ha! A chance to escape! Fuck am I still cuffed to Kurts dead body? Thats nothing a hatchet wont fix! Holy shit, when did this become The Walking Dead? Maybe Channing was able to crawl under a dumpster and survived. JENNIFER hacks off KURTs arm and dives for a gun but SAMUEL uses RACISM to revive WALTON and he stops her. JENNIFER JASON LEIGH Curses! I guess that's it for me. Please just splatter my brains and get it over with quick. 50 SHADES OF SAMUEL L. JACKSON That would be the non-bastardly thing to do. But we are in fact mean bastards so we're going to honor Kurts legacy by viciously hanging you to death. JENNIFER JASON LEIGH But isnt that a little sadistic given Im a beaten helpless woman? SAMUEL L. PROBABLY-GOING-TO-BLEED-TO-DEATH JACKSON Are you kidding? Youre a murdering, lying, conniving, manipulative piece of human feces who conspired to kill every person here who wasnt in your gang. If ANYBODY deserves to hang its you. And maybe Michael Madsen for being 300 pounds of dead weight. JENNIFER JASON LEIGH But (points to lady hole) SAMUEL L. MOTHERFUCKING JACKSON Oh, you dont have any balls? Well neither do I! SAMUEL and WALTON fashion a noose out of ULTRA PANAVISION 70MM FILM STOCK and hang JENNIFER DEAD. WALTON GOGGINS (looks at watch) Hmm. The running time is still not quite at Titanic level yet. I had better spend an agonizingly long time to sloooowly read your fake Abe Lincoln letter like a 3rd grader who's failing English class. SAMUEL L. OKAY-I'VE-RUN-OUT JACKSON Hey, I just realized something. Do you know what the most amazing thing about this movie is? WALTON GOGGINS It doesnt have a single jarring out of place pop culture song anywhere on the soundtrack? COMPOSER ENNIO MORRICONE That was me. I also convinced QT not to include any gratuitous foot fetish shots! AUDIENCE Hooray! END Lawyers for embattled billionaire Pankaj Oswal and his socialite wife Radhika say a decision by Tax Commissioner Chris Jordan to refuse to give an undertaking he will not seek orders prohibiting them leaving the country is "outrageous". The Dubai-based Oswals hit out at Mr Jordan after he refused to give an undertaking he would not slap the couple with departure prohibition orders if they return to Australia defend their legal matters pertaining to their tax affairs and allegations of fraud levelled against Mrs Oswal. Pankaj and Radhika Oswal's mansion in Peppermint Grove has remained abandoned for several years. Credit:Bohdan Warchomij Last month, the Federal Court dismissed the Oswals' application for a judicial review of Mr Jordan's decision. The ATO had argued it was yet to make any orders prohibiting either of the Oswals from leaving the country. As captain of the Australian strongman team Michael Sidonio conquered the physical world, but his past achievements pale beside the astronomical find he helped uncover. With a paper in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Mr Sidonio, a security controller at the ACT's Legislative Assembly, and his co-authors announced the existence of NGC 253-dw2, a new galaxy. One clear night, from his tiny observatory on the outskirts of Canberra, Mr Sidonio captured what he thought was a beautiful photograph of a galaxy about 11.5 million light years from the Milky Way. A tiny, barely perceptible smudge on the edge of the image caught the attention of astrophysicists. Boyalife is currently focusing on cloning cattle to produce beef. (Photo : www.realgap.co.uk) Xu Xiaochun, the Chinese scientist behind the world's biggest cloning factory, claims to have the technology necessary to clone humans, only hesitating for fear of public backlash, reported Shanghai Daily. Advertisement Boyalife Group and its partners are building a giant plant in the north China port of Tianjin, where it will start production within the next seven months. It is projecting an output of a million cloned cows a year by 2020. Aside from cattle, Xu's ambitions include cloning thoroughbred racehorses and dogs. Boyalife is also working with Sooam, its South Korean partner, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in order to improve the primate cloning capacity to create better research animals. The lead between cloning monkeys and humans is not too far, posing a load of moral and ethical questions. "The technology is already there," said Xu. Xi said that the company is currently "self-restrained" when it comes to human cloning activities because of the potential backlash from the public. However, he points out that social values can change, such as mainstream views on homosexuality, suggesting that time may see humans wanting to have more choices regarding their reproduction. The Tianjin facility will house a bank of genes capable of storing around five million cell samples frozen in liquid nitrogen, which will serve as a catalogue of endangered species for the future generation. Sooam is already working on bringing back the woolly mammoth from extinction using cells preserved in Siberian permafrost. Sooam also offers the service of recreating dead pet dogs, reportedly charging $100,000 for each procedure. As of now, Xu's goal is to become the world's first source of cloned beef, breeding cattle genetically identical to Kobe beef, allowing butchers to "slaughter less and produce more." The safety of cloned beef is currently controversial. While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has declared it safe, the European parliament has supported a ban on cloned animals and products. A court has frozen part of a workers' compensation claim of a housekeeper injured while on duty at The Lodge because of a legal misinterpretation. A Federal Court judge found the Administrative Appeals Tribunal had legally erred in its decision to find Comcare liable for Shiree Power's adjustment disorder. A former housekeeper at The Lodge has had part of her injury claim frozen. Justice Anna Katzmann sent the matter back before the tribunal to be reconsidered. Ms Power suffered a lumbar sprain making a bed, and then reinjured herself cleaning a bathroom, when she worked as a casual house attendant at the prime minister's official Canberra residence in 2010. For many Summernats diehards the only way to experience the shock and awe of Canberra's biggest roadshow is under canvas. And, thanks to the efforts of a highly experienced team of happy campers, their accommodation is ready and waiting for the gates to open to the public at 11am on Thursday. Summernats co-owner Andy Lopez and camping manager Tracy Kennedy at tent city with a 1928 Ford roadster for company. Credit:Melissa Adams Summernats camping manager Tracy Kennedy, a Canberra real estate property manager for the rest of the year, said 51 two-person tents and 25 four-person tents had already been erected as part of the annual tent city complex. More than 200 enthusiasts, the majority of whom are season ticket holders with no plans to leave the site for the duration, will have the luxury of "glamping" in pre-erected, fully furnished and surprisingly comfortable accommodations. Malaysia Airlines is flying between Kuala Lumpur and Europe over Iran rather than a more roundabout route over Egypt for the first time since October, just a day after it said it was unable to carry checked baggage because of strong headwinds on the Egypt route. "We have been operating over the last few months via Egypt. That was in response to the threat of the [Russian] missile activity over the Caspian Sea," Malaysia Airlines chief operations officer Peter Bellew told The Australian Financial Review on Wednesday. Flight MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014. Credit:AP "The information we had a week ago was the risk assessment showed we were better off taking the route via Egypt. The risk assessment now shows [flying over Iran] is fine. It is a fluid situation." Mr Bellew said no security threat had been made against the carrier. Beleaguered wealth manager IOOF has lost its group general manager of dealerships Mick Farrell at a time when the company is grappling with a scandal in its research department. Mr Farrell left in January after three years at the company where he oversaw the integration of IOOF's various financial advice brands into one dealership group, including its series of acquisitions over the period between 2013 and end of 2015. IOOF chief executive Chris Kelaher before the Senate inquiry in 2015. The company has lost two senior executives in quick succession. Credit:Peter Rae Mr Farrell's departure comes shortly after company secretary and head of human resources Danielle Corcoran left the company following its annual general meeting in late November. Separately, on Monday IOOF chief executive Chris Kelaher cashed in on more than $17 million worth of IOOF shares in a sell-down of his sizeable holding in the wealth manager. He still holds nearly $30 million in IOOF shares. A few months ago, Satya Nadella, the chief executive of Microsoft, hosted a technology summit meeting at the company's headquarters near Seattle with some of China's most powerful political leaders. He smiled for a photo while flanked by Xi Jinping, the country's president, and Lu Wei, its Internet czar. On Tuesday, though, that harmony faded, as one of China's regulators said it would demand answers to new questions about Microsoft's business practices there. SB3 Inc claims Microsoft revoked its partner status after scammers impersonated the company. Credit:Bloomberg The announcement, related to electronic data that the government collected in an antitrust inquiry, shows how a sustained effort by Microsoft to cozy up to China's leadership has done little to relieve the regulatory challenges that it faces in the country. At best, the company is getting mixed messages. Multinational companies have for years gone out of their way to curry favour with leaders in China, one of the world's largest technology and consumer markets, which are overseen by rival regulatory agencies eager to score wins against high-profile foreign companies. For Microsoft, its setbacks in the country are galling because high rates of software piracy have limited its sales there, even though products like Windows and Office are widely used. The situation in the Korean Peninsula is particularly sensitive, as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) launched a nuclear test recently. (Photo : Getty Images) North Korea apparently made good its threat to conduct a hydrogen bomb test on Wednesday. The test had a preliminary magnitude of 5.1 earthquake with an epicenter east northeast of Sungjibaegam. The Washington Post reports that a TV anchor read a statement on state television confirming the testing of a miniaturized hydrogen bomb. It describes the test as a perfect success and would provide the communist regime a weapon to defend the country from the U.S. Advertisement If outside experts would confirm the test, it would likely lead to call for tougher sanctions at the UN and further worsen Pyongyang's relationship with Seoul and other neighbors. Radiation from a nuclear fission explosion of a hydrogen bomb, which is harder to make but more powerful than an atomic bomb, sets off a fusion reaction that causes the powerful blast and radioactivity. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is believed to have as many as a dozen nuclear weapons and is developing more. CNN cites a recent U.S.-Korea Institute at SAIS report that by 2020, North Korea would have between 20 to 100 nuclear weapons that is capable of hitting the U.S., South Korea and Japan. Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, points out that Pyongyang was known for using its willingness to trade nuclear weapons for better relations to legitimize the regime. However, Shane Smith, senior research fellow at the U.S. National Defense University, says that point of view seems "to be gone for the foreseeable future." Under leader Kim Jong Un, North Korea had conducted two successful nuclear tests and would carry out a third test. Victor Cha, Korea chair of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, says the test just made trivial the plutonium program that the U.S. and members of the Six-Party - made up of the U.S., China, South Korea, Japan, Russia and North Korea - talks have been negotiating the past 25 years. In clear, concise essays, adorned with philosophical musings and colourful graphics, Hugh insisted that economists and policymakers were glossing over the extent to which swift austerity measures in countries like Greece, Ireland, Spain and Portugal would result in devastating recessions. Back in 2009 and 2010 British economist Edward Hugh was not convinced of the wisdom of Europe's ambition to bind together disparate cultures and economies with a single currency, the euro. Hugh's blog posts, pointing out the dangers, became compulsory reading among hedge fund managers, economists, finance ministers and analysts at the International Monetary Fund. Said London-based banking strategist Albert Edwards: "For those of us pessimists who believed that the eurozone structure was leading to an unsustainable bubble in the periphery countries, Edward Hugh was a must-read. His prescience in explaining the mechanics of the crisis went almost unnoticed until it actually hit." As the Eurozone's economic problems grew, so did Hugh's popularity, and by 2011 he had moved the base of his operations to Facebook. There he attracted many thousands of additional followers from all over the world. Hugh, who died of gall bladder and liver cancer on his 67th birthday, had an intellect that was too restless to be pigeonholed, but when pressed he would say that he saw himself as a Keynesian in spirit but not letter. And in tune with his view that economists in general had become too wedded to static economic models and failed in their obligation to predict and explain, he frequently cited this quote from Keynes: "Economists set themselves too easy, too useless a task if in tempestuous seasons they can only tell us that when the storm is long past, the ocean is flat again." Born Edward Hugh Bengree-Jones in Liverpool, England, he moved to London and received an undergraduate degree from the London School of Economics then pursued his doctoral studies at Victoria University in Manchester, but did not complete them. In an interview in 2010, Hugh said his interests were too many for him to buckle down and actually earn a doctorate in a single topic. He read widely and relentlessly, becoming an expert on a variety of matters like demography, migration, independent cinema and the social tendencies of the bonobo (a pygmy chimpanzee). New York pastry chef Gina DePalma is sometimes mentioned in recipes that are not hers. "Based on a recipe from Gina DePalma's book Dolce Italiano: Desserts From the Babbo Kitchen" is a credit cooks may find attached, indicative of the influence that dePalma's tome has had in the kitchen since publication in 2007. DePalma, who has died of ovarian cancer at 49, credited her Italian immigrant mother and grandmother for teaching her not only how to cook but also how to think about food. "Use what is local, use what is available, and use ingredients to their fullest potential," was her mantra. Her sweet ideal was panna cotta, a study in minimalism. DePalma's reverence for simplicity kept her on the margins of the New York pastry scene until she met Mario Batali, the chef and owner of the restaurant Po. While she was making desserts at the Cub Room, he paid her a visit and presented his idea for a new restaurant, which he envisioned as a shrine to rustic Italian cooking. "It was a concept of dessert that was entirely familiar to me," she said. Batali hired her an hour after they met. When Babbo opened in 1998, DePalma was the pastry chef, turning out chocolate polenta tarts, strawberries in Chianti with black pepper and ricotta cream, and the dessert that became her signature, saffron panna cotta with poached peaches. "It is like the restaurant itself: an unusual combination of ingredients that seem destined to be together," wrote one reviewer in 1998. DePalma prized flavor above eye appeal and took a dim view of extravagance. Australia might be a longstanding military ally of the United States, but the American gun lobby regards Australia as the enemy. The National Rifle Association, among the most influential activist groups in Washington, has repeatedly and mistakenly warned that the measures to restrict access to guns in Australia are somehow a threat to personal liberty. This shrill denunciation flies in the face of evidence, where for the past two decades since the horror of the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, Australians have been mostly spared the kind of mass killings that have become such a regrettably common feature of modern American life. The cavalier hostility of the gun lobby towards sensible restrictions on firearms carries a cost to America's reputation. Just before Christmas, the Foreign Affairs Department began to explicitly warn Australians travelling to the US to be "vigilant to the possibility of gun crime" and become familiar with "active shooter" drills in case of an attack. How extraordinary that violent gun crime should be so prevalent in a proud and wealthy nation as to warrant a warning to the citizens of a friendly ally. But the real tragedy is the human cost from the ready access to powerful firearms, a price too often obscured by the twisted and vociferous political debates about gun control. There has not been a week in the US without a mass shooting where four people or more are shot during Barack Obama's second term in the White House. Mr Obama was moved to tears on Tuesday, surrounded as he spoke by shooting survivors and families of the dead from the sorry roll call of recent massacres, and most especially the killing of 20 first grade children in 2012 at Sandy Hook in Connecticut. "We are not inherently more prone to violence," Mr Obama explained, "but we're the only advanced country on Earth that sees this kind of mass violence erupt with this kind of frequency. It doesn't happen in other advanced countries. It's not even close." He's right. In the case of Australia, the reason there are fewer mass killings than in the US is because access to high powered rifles, shotguns and handguns is limited. But Mr Obama's every effort, timid though he has been, to restrict access to firearms in the US has been meet with relentless animosity from the gun lobby and many politicians in Congress. The slogans are all so well honed in this debate it seems nothing can shock the US from its intractable stupor on the issue of gun control. Victoria's Minister for Housing, Disability, Ageing, Mental Health, Equality and Creative Industries has defended the $85,000 cost of a 10-day trip to Europe in July against claims it was an unacceptable expense. The trip by Martin Foley, the state Labor member for Albert Park, and three government employees to London, Venice and Trieste in July 2015 cost $51,000 in airfares, $22,000 in accommodation and $11,872 in allowances and sundry expenses, 9 News revealed in a report based on state government documents. Martin Foley, Victorian Minister for Housing, Disability, Ageing, Mental Health, Equality and Creative Industries says he flew premium economy instead of business class to keep costs down. Credit:Chris Hopkins Mr Foley's wife joined him on the trip but she paid for her own travel and expenses. Mr Foley told Fairfax Media he took three staff members with him, including a deputy secretary from the Department of Health and Human Services, a Creative Victoria staff member and his chief of staff. Both became huge stars on Saturday Night Live; both have produced their own successful shows and done lots of small but perfectly comic film roles. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as sisters? What could go wrong with that? They've been friends since both moved to Chicago in the early 1990s to learn comedy at Second City, America's unofficial comedy academy. Putting them together in a movie seems like a winner, and some will say it is. Sisters is a good laugh in parts, in a smutty, no-holds-barred kind of way, so what more do I want? A teen movie for adults: Tina Fey (Kate Ellis) and Amy Poehler (Maura Ellis) in Sisters. Credit:K.C Bailey Well, a good comedy still has to have some truth, same as a drama. The characters have to convince us they could have existed in this setting and this way. If not, it's television, where character truth has a lower standard, by virtue of the box it comes in. Fey developed the script with Paula Pell, who succeeded her as head writer on SNL and it has some good ideas. One is that you can't go back, but it would be funny to try. Another is that children of any age feel attachment to the place they grew up in, so parents can't just sell the house. A third is that female-driven comedy can be as raunchy as guy comedy. Greens leader Richard Di Natale has called on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to sack Immigration Minister Peter Dutton and to lead cultural change in Australia by ridding the Liberal Party of "rampant" sexism. Senator Di Natale called Mr Dutton a "serial offender" who was "not able to deal with complex immigration issues" such as the case of Abyan, an asylum seeker allegedly raped on Nauru. "Malcolm Turnbull needs to show he's serious about changing culture," Senator Di Natale said. A Pakistani student suffering from cancer has died surrounded by his family, who said they "lost hope" after initially being refused entry to Australia. Hassan Asif, 25, a student who had been receiving end-of-life care for skin cancer while studying in Australia, died on Wednesday morning at a Melbourne hospice. He was reunited with his mother and brother just days earlier, after the Turnbull government backflipped on its decision to deny them visas, sparking a public outcry. In a statement, Melbourne City Mission said Hassan's brother Rameez and his mother were with Hassan when he died, and "had been a constant and loving presence by his side since arriving in Australia" on December 29. A Sydney private school has been accused of underpaying its employees by the Independent Education Union. Reddam House, headquartered in Sydney's eastern suburbs, faced the Fair Work Commission in December over allegations that it had not paid some of its early learning staff overtime, penalties or provided them with pay slips. The allegations relate to a "state of the art early learning centre" that the 800-student school established on the north shore, last year. A two-month-old baby girl has died and her mother and grandparents are in hospital after a stabbing in Brisbane's south. A Queensland Police Spokesperson confirmed the baby, who had been taken to Lady Cilento Children's Hospital, had died on Wednesday afternoon. The baby's grandmother and grandfather - both visiting Brisbane from China - and mother were all also seriously injured in the violent incident. The grandparents, aged in their 50s, are both in critical condition in Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital, while the baby's 28-year-old mother is serious but stable. Terrified screams pierced a leafy suburban neighbourhood as a stabbing attack left a baby girl dead and her mother and grandparents fighting for life. The residents of affluent Parkinson, in Brisbane's south, were shocked as police van after van tore through windy backstreets in response to an unimaginable domestic tragedy. A neighbour's mobile phone captured what appeared to be the sounds of the two-month-old girl's mother's screams as she fled the house to get help from a neighbour about 2.30pm. The child's 53-year-old grandfather was seen wandering in the quiet street soaked in blood minutes later before police swarmed and handcuffed him in the driveway. Safety Of Electric Cars In Question As Tesla Model S Burns In Norway While Charging Tesla Confirms Plans For New Supercharger Station In Goulburn (Photo : Getty Images) Despite a report that a Tesla Model S electric vehicle burned in Norway while charging, the car manufacturer assured motorists that it is safe to use its quick-charging stations across the world. The battery-powered vehicle was charging at a supercharger station when it caught fire. According to the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, the 2014 Tesla Model S was left at the station by the owner when it burst into flames. Advertisement Because the vehicle is powered by lithium-ion batteries, it could not be doused by water. Norwegian firefighters sealed off the area and sprayed the burning vehicle with a special foam, reports Extreme Tech. The cause of the fire could not be explained, so Tesla will conduct an extensive research to find the reason behind the sudden blaze. However, it is not the first incident of a burning Tesla car. In October 2013, another Tesla vehicle burned after the driver ran over a large metallic object south of Seattle. The incident scared investors who sold their stocks and caused value of the company established by Elon Musk to drop to $2.4 billion. The accident punctured the chassis and battery back. As a result of the 2013 fire, Tesla reinforced all Model S vehicles with a titanium underbody shield and issued a firmware update that elevates the vehicle when traveling at higher speeds. Despite the 2013 incident, Tesla eventually continued to enjoy higher sales and reported a 2015 shipment of 50,580 vehicles last year. The former home of murdered Melbourne gangland figure Desmond "Tuppence" Moran has been gutted by fire. Fire crews were called to the double-storey house on Langs Road in Ascot Vale just before midnight on Wednesday. The blaze is being treated as suspicious. Metropolitan Fire Brigade commander Guy McCrorie said CCTV footage showed two people running from the property shortly before the house was engulfed in flames. Thousands of extra cars would be funnelled each day into central Melbourne through publicly owned land planned for housing, under the Andrews government's business case for a new western suburbs tollway. The plan would turbocharge profits for Transurban from its $5.5 billion Western Distributor project. But it would go against initiatives at the local and state level to discourage car use in Melbourne's CBD. 18 other buildings, including commercial and community buildings, caravans and sheds were destroyed in Yarloop, Waroona and Wagerup. Damage to infrastructure includes to Samson Brook Bridge, Salmon River Bridge and power infrastructure supplying thousands of homes. A bushfire is bearing down on parts of Brunswick. At its peak the perimeter measured 327 kilometres and 350 emergency services personnel worked to contain it, both on the firefront and sidelines. By Wednesday it was considered contained but not controlled. The numbers were on Wednesday at 100, and those staff were assisted by a crew of 68 from New South Wales, which arrived on Saturday. The bushfire left Yarloop in ruins. Credit:Jason Bloxsidge A new contingent of 60 management support staff from NSW, the Australian Capital Territory, Queensland and Tasmania arrived on the scene on Wednesday. Department of Parks and Wildlife scientist Neil Burrows said the South West bushfires had been so intense they had created their own climate. A bushfire has completed devastated the south west WA town of Yarloop. Credit:Murray Cowper "Flames reached heights of 30 to 40 metres and actually created their own thunderstorms and lightning," he said. "The speed and ferocity were overwhelming." The intense heat of the bushfire has caused the Samson Brook bridge asphalt to buckle and collapse. Credit:Nine News Perth Water in Yarloop All water services are fully operational with the exception of Yarloop, where two temporary taps had been installed on Johnston Road across from the oval to provide safe drinking water for the residents who stayed in the town. Mandurah boating volunteers have come to the rescue of Preston Beach holiday-makers. Credit:Facebook Water Corporation has an assistance package for all customers impacted by the bushfire. Further details here. Donations An aerial view of the Waroona bushfire. Credit:Karn Wong Christian/Perth Weather Live Large donations have included $1 million from the state government, $100,000 from miner Alcoa, $150,000 from the organisers of Southbound music festival's benefit concert and $75,000 from shoppers via Coles supermarkets (including $25,000 from Coles). People are asked not to donate general goods or secondhand items as these will become an additional problem. More than 100 homes, businesses and properties have been destroyed by fire in Yarloop. Credit:Seven News Perth To make donations of stock feed or farm supplies, liaise with your local Shire Recovery Co-ordinator. To help the animal victims, donate items including towels, bedding, pet food, blankets, and bowls for water and food at Murdoch University Veterinary Hospital, which among other actions is caring for horses badly burned in the blazes. A full list of items needed is here (warning, graphic images). Monetary donations can be made through the Lord Mayor's Distress Relief Fund. Details are available here or by phoning 9461 3886. Evacuee count passed 1500 More than 1500 people were sheltered at the evacuation centres in Pinjarra and Australind during the crisis. The Pinjarra centre closed at 8am on Wednesday and those still there relocated to the Australind centre, where a community meeting was scheduled for 1pm. The Department for Child Protection and Family Support, running the centres, is preparing evacuees to go back home, director general Emma White said. "Many evacuees have been making the most of being with other people to receive support and encouragement," Ms White said in a statement. "The realisation for many [is] they do not have a home to go back to. "We now begin the transition from response to recovery, which for some people will take up to two years and beyond." The Department's role in a State emergency is to assist in response and recovery and link people with immediate and long-term support. Ms White thanked collaborating agencies including the shires of Murray, Waroona and Harvey, Volunteering WA, the Red Cross, Adventist Development Relief Agency, Salvation Army, Country Women's Association, service and sporting clubs, local community groups, DFES and the Department of Parks and Wildlife. Affected residents can access help and advice on 24-hour disaster hotline 1800 032 965. Road closures The 60-kilometre stretch between Pinjarra and Myalup Beach Roads of the vital arterial Forrest Highway between Perth and Bunbury reopened on Tuesday. Travellers are still advised to avoid non-essential travel through the affected areas. If you must travel, ensure your petrol tank is full before you depart. Closed: All roads off Forrest Highway between Forestry Road and Dorsett Road, including Preston Beach Road Old Coast Road (both directions) from Old Bunbury Road to Forrest Highway South Western Highway (both directions) from Greenlands Road to Dixon Avenue Nanga Road between Murray River bridge and Driver Road Nanga Brook Road, east of Scarp Road Forestry Road between Forrest Highway and Uduc Road (except local residents) Collie-Tallanalla Road between Harvey-Quindanning Road and Dupont Road Kent Road between Harvey-Quindanning Road and Collie-Tallanalla Road Honeymoon Road between Harvey-Quindanning Road and South Western Highway Dupont Road between Harvey-Quindanning Road and Collie-Tallanalla Road If you are travelling south from Perth, the best route is via Forrest Highway or Albany Highway to Coalfields Highway. If you are travelling north to Perth, the best route is via Forrest Highway or Coalfields Highway to Albany Highway For more information call Main Roads on 138 138. Cost surpasses $60 million The Insurance Council of Australia says several hundred calls have been made to insurers following the bushfires. The ICA on Friday declared a catastrophe and activated a disaster hotline. "Insured losses are now estimated at $60 million and are continuing to rise. More detailed figures will be released later in the week," ICA said in a statement on Monday. Two bodies found in Yarloop, missing person accounted for Two bodies were found in burnt-out houses in the bushfire-ravaged town. WA Police on Saturday night said the suspected human remains could belong to war veteran Les Taylor and cancer survivor Malcolm Taylor, aged 77 and 73. No formal identification has been made but the families of both men have been advised of the developments. "Further forensic work will need to be undertaken once it is deemed safe to do so, and reports will be prepared for the WA coroner," a police spokesman said on Monday. Premier declares natural disaster Premier Colin Barnett declared the Waroona fires a natural disaster on Saturday after visiting the Pinjarra evacuation centre. Mr Barnett said the fires had devastated several communities and the activation of natural disaster support would release emergency funds to individuals and families, as well local governments. "Talking to people who've lost their homes, you have to admire their spirit; it's a terrible thing to happen and with the support of the volunteer groups, and the community organisations, it's really heartening to see how Australians respond," he said. 'Some shorts, some undies and my insurance papers' Rod Kennedy moved from Perth to Yarloop six months ago, hoping to enjoy a peaceful retirement. By Friday morning his bush dream lay in tatters - decimated by the firestorm that swept through Yarloop, destroying 121 homes. But Mr Kennedy has vowed to rebuild in the tiny mill town, which had a population of a little more than 500 people but is likely to become even smaller as a result of this week's fire devastation. "The house is totalled, completely gone. The shed is destroyed, I've lost my caravan and a boat," Mr Kennedy told Radio 6PR from an evacuation centre in Pinjarra. "I've got half a dozen pairs of shorts and some undies and my insurance papers. "We might be able to return [to Yarloop] in three days, get back and get the insurance assessor to have a look. "Maybe in six months I might have another house...maybe." 'It's burnt to a cinder' The President of the Yarloop Bowling Club spoke on Friday of the utter devastation caused by the fire, which all but destroyed the tiny town in the space of seven minutes. "There's very little of Yarloop left. I couldn't get all the way down there but understand the steam museum is gone ... the post office survived, the pub is gone, the bowling club survived," Mr Sackville told Radio 6PR. "Fortunately I have a firefighting pump at the house and managed to save our house and the horses that were in the paddock - they are in the backyard now. "But I look around 360 degrees and everything is burnt to a cinder. I think the post office is the only building left standing [in the main street]. The fire was horrendous." Lost in the blaze were the heritage-listed Yarloop Workshops and Steam Museum, which were world-renowned for their preservation of steam-age industry. Power outages Power outages remained on Wednesday and Western Power advised there would be continued electricity interruptions, with customers without power encouraged to make alternative plans on the basis of restoration not happening for several days. A significant portion of the network would require rebuilding. Poles and equipment were already being delivered in preparation for the rebuild. Homes without power include 5000 in the Margaret River area. A man strangled and dismembered his wife, entombed her head in concrete and then used the concrete block as a weight to drown himself in a lake, Austrian authorities say. Police official Gottfried Mitterlehner said on Tuesday the couple were a 72-year-old man and his 71-year-old wife from Germany but did not identify them further. Lake Traunsee in front of Traunstein mountain in Gmunden, Austria. Credit:AP Officials told reporters the head was found in a block of concrete in a bag attached to the man's hand. A successful launch would indicate that the isolated nation's underwater missile program hasn't been derailed, and an operational system could provide Pyongyang with a new option to launch an attack against enemies such as the U.S. One US official was reported by Free Beacon as saying that Kim Jong Un's government could be as little as a year away being able to fire missiles from a submarine. The US and South Korea approved a plan to deal with North Korean missiles carrying atomic and biochemical warheads after North Korea made a threat in September to use nuclear weapons against the US. Japan is also considering deployment of the US's Thaad ballistic missile defense system to counter any potential strike from North Korea. South Korea estimates that North Korea has 2500 tons to 5000 tons of chemical weapons. North Korea also possesses an arsenal of missiles that it says can strike the US. The country conducted its third nuclear test in 2013 and threatened last year to conduct a fourth one. US defence officials have questioned whether North Korea is capable of putting a nuclear warhead onto a missile. The Pyongyang regime could be preparing to test thermonuclear weapon capabilities at its Punggye-ri nuclear test site, and may also be producing tritium, a radioactive isotope necessary to build more sophisticated nuclear weapons, Yonhap News reported this month. The South Korean Foreign Ministry has called an emergency meeting following the earthquake. It said it was "highly likely" the quake was a nuclear test. Bahrain The tiny, Shiite-majority island kingdom off the Saudi coast, which long has relied on Riyadh for support of its Sunni rulers, was the first to cut ties with Iran and has also halted flights. Bahraini officials have repeatedly accused Iran of training militants and attempting to smuggle arms into the country, which hosts the US Navy's 5th Fleet. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Credit:AP Sudan The African nation cut diplomatic ties to Iran and gave Iranian diplomats two weeks to leave the country. Sudan once tilted toward Iran, but has been looking to Saudi Arabia for aid since the secession of oil-rich South Sudan in 2011. United Arab Emirates The oil-rich country of seven emirates says it will reduce the number of diplomats in Iran, recall its ambassador and focus only on business relations. While backing Saudi Arabia, it may have chosen to reduce rather than completely sever ties because of a long trading history with Iran. Kuwait The oil-rich country is recalling of its ambassador from Tehran, but it isn't immediately clear how Kuwaiti-Iranian diplomatic ties will be affected. Tiny Kuwait is home to both Shiites and Sunnis living in peace and has the most free-wheeling political system among all Gulf nations. Jordan Overwhelmingly Sunni Jordan is a close ally of Saudi Arabia in the region and a beneficiary of Gulf aid. Jordan's government spokesman, Mohammed Momani, has condemned the attack on the Saudi Embassy in Iran. Egypt Visiting Riyadh on Tuesday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry denounced the attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran and said Iran's behaviour after al-Nimr's execution amounts to "intervening in the kingdom's internal affairs." Cairo has been closely allied with Riyadh since the Egyptian military overthrew an Islamist president in 2013. Riyadh has provided billions in aid to Egypt since then. The Arab League The body denounced the attacks on the diplomatic missions and reminded Iran of the importance of "not interfering in the internal affairs of an Arab nation," according to a statement carried by Egypt's official MENA news agency. The mediator: Oman The sultanate has long historical ties to Iran and served as the base for secret talks between Iranian and US officials that jump-started the international deal reached on Iran's contested nuclear program. Those backing Iran: Lebanese Hezbollah movement Hezbollah was founded in 1982 with the help of Iran's Revolutionary Guard after Israel invaded Lebanon. The group is one the main Iran-backed factions in the region. Syrian president Bashar Assad Iran has been one of the biggest supporters of Syria since the 1980s and has stood by Assad's government in his country's grinding civil war. Saudi Arabia has been one of the biggest backers of those trying to overthrow him. Iraq's Shiite-led government Al-Nimr's execution sparked outrage among the country's majority Shiites, who have taken to the streets in Baghdad and the south, calling for an end to ties with Saudi Arabia. The Shiite-led government has warmed Riyadh that such executions "would lead to nothing but more destruction." Other regional actors: Israel Israel considers Iran to be its greatest regional threat because of its nuclear program, its arsenal of long-range missiles, its support of anti-Israel militant groups and its repeated threats to destroy it. While Israel has no direct ties to Saudi Arabia, the countries have a shared concern over Iran's growing influence. The Palestinians The Palestinian Authority issued a statement after the execution of al-Nimr saying that it stands alongside the Saudis in their fight against "terrorism." The Saudis are the largest donor to the Palestinian Authority in the Arab world, providing them some $200 million annually. The PA, and the Fatah faction that leads it, has had a strained relationship with Iran because of its support of its rival, Hamas. Yemen The Arab world's poorest country is torn by a civil war pitting its internationally recognised government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, against Shiite rebels known as Houthis, who are supported by Iran. Those urging caution: The United Nations UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged Saudi Arabia and Iran to support peace efforts in Syria and Yemen and avoid escalating tensions. European Union The 28-nation bloc, which opposes the death penalty, criticised Saudi Arabia's mass executions and said al-Nimr's case undermined freedom of expression and basic political rights in the kingdom. Since tensions flared between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the EU foreign policy chief has had phone contact with both sides, fearing an escalation would further destabilise the whole region. The United States The White House has urged Saudi Arabia and Iran to not let their dispute derail efforts to end the Syrian civil war. President Barack Obama's administration also hopes to see the Iranian nuclear deal through. United Kingdom Britain and Iran reopened their respective embassies in 2015, four years after hard-line protesters stormed the British embassy in Tehran. Saudi Arabia is a key diplomatic and economic ally of Britain, though Middle East Minister Tobias Ellwood said Britain told the kingdom about its "disappointment at the mass executions." Turkey Turkey has urged both Saudi Arabia and Iran to ease tensions, saying the Middle East region is "already like a powder keg" and cannot withstand a new crisis. Germany Berlin has called on Saudi Arabia and Iran to work to mend their diplomatic ties, while condemning both the mass executions in the kingdom and the storming of the Saudi missions in Iran. Artistic director Nigel Smith has announced the productions slated for the Flea Theater's spring 2016 season, including two world premieres and one U.S. premiere. All three productions will feature the Bats, the Flea's resident acting company. The U.S. premiere of Kristiana Colon's But I Cd Only Whisper, directed by David Monteagudo, will run from February 18-March 14. Set at the tail end of the Vietnam War, the story follows veteran Beau Willie Brown who attempts to return to the family and life he left behind. Inspired by and including extracts from Ntozake Shange's For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf, But I Cd Only Whisper moves through time and space fusing the physical and the poetic to explore the affects of trauma, society, and self. The world premiere of Wolf in the River, written and directed by Adam Rapp, then comes to the Flea from March 10-May 2. The play "explores love and neglect, the challenges of poverty, the dangerous cost of shiftlessness, the simple notion of leaving a place behind, and the value of a girl." The Place We Built, written by Sarah Gancher and directed by Danya Taymor, rounds out the spring season. The world premiere play takes place in a deserted neighborhood in post-communist Budapest where a group of young bohemians build a bar. Reclaiming a Jewish identity their parents' generation abandoned after the Holocaust, they create a vibrant new subculture, combining big ideas and intense debates with wild abandon and outrageous parties. But as authoritarianism and antisemitism make a surprise comeback in Hungary, they must fight to save the place they built. "I'm incredibly excited to welcome back Adam Rapp and to introduce our audiences to two exceptional playwrights: Sarah Gancher and Kristiana Colon," says Smith. "Rapp pulls us to the rural south, and Colon yanks us back to 1970s New York City, introducing us to desperate yet hopeful families struggling for survival and empathy; while Gancher takes us to an exuberant community of artists and activists in contemporary Budapest who are plagued by their oppressive government. These searing new plays, featuring our resident company The Bats, are daring calls to our consciousness and hearts celebrating our humanity and questioning our resolve to act." For tickets to But I Cd Only Whisper, click here. For tickets to Wolf in the River, click here. For tickets to The Place We Built, click here. 'Toyota Walk In My Boots' Community Outreach Project Enriching LivesOne Step At A Time at The Salvation Army Conner Creek Corps Community Center Held in conjunction with the North American International Auto Show MORE INFO Toyota Research and Buyer's Guide Guide DETROIT -- January 6, 2015: As temperatures fluctuate this winter in Michigan, one thing for sure is snowy, icy and even cold rainy days are here through March and warm winter boots and socks are still a "must have" in Michigan. Without adequate clothing, often low-income families and people experiencing homelessness have a much higher risk than the general population of developing exposure-related conditions such as hypothermia and frostbite. To protect families from the cold, Toyota Motor North America through its "Toyota Walk In My Boots" community outreach project and North American International Auto Show activities, is stepping in to help area low-income and homeless families by providing new insulated boots and socks to more than 200 participants of The Salvation Army Conner Creek Corps Community Center located on Detroit's Eastside and The Salvation Army Booth Services of Detroit, a homeless shelter for primarily women and single mothers and their children. If you are poor, you are essentially an illness, an accident, or a paycheck away from living on the streets. In Detroit alone, two-thirds of people can't afford basic needs like housing and health care, even when family members are employed; and 67% of Detroit families are either under the poverty line or what is identified as "ALICE", asset-limited, income-constrained, employed. Meanwhile, more than half of Michigan's homeless population is made up of families; and one in three who are homeless are children. With this donation, many families will be shielded from the cold. Toyota also plans to give a $15,000 donation to The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit enabling them to continue to provide refuge for children and families in times of crisis. They will also provide a "Thanksgiving-style" buffet luncheon for the families. A ferry sank on the Nile in Egypt's Delta region on Thursday night, leaving 15 dead The General Authority for River Transport is the entity responsible for offering licences to Nile ferryboats, not the interior ministry, and thus bears responsibility for Thursday's deadly incident, a security official told Al Hayat TV channel on Saturday. The security official's comments came two days after a ferry sank in the Nile in Egypt's Delta region leaving at least 15 dead. "The ferry was suspended from operating," the head of the water bodies' police department Hamed El Aqily said on Al Hayat. "Whoever issues licences should also monitor the process. It's not the role of the police." "There is no real procedure to suspend or seize property such as ferry boats. In addition, the fine for a suspended ferry or boat is LE10. So I think we need stricter laws to be implemented," Aqily added. On Friday, Egypt's Prime Minister Sherif Ismail ordered an immediate investigation into the incident and also called on the ministers of local development and transportation to ensure that all ferries are registered and undergo regular maintenance. The ferry was attempting to cross from Egypt's Delta governorate of Kafr El-Sheikhs Sendion to Beheiras Derot on Thursday night. Heavy rain and cold temperatures were witnessed nationwide that contributed to several traffic accidents. Transportation accidents and fatalities, often due to poor maintenance, are not uncommon in Egypt. Search Keywords: Short link: LAS VEGAS -- January 05, 2016: We need trillion-mile reliability. First, we wish to enhance the safety of automobiles with the ultimate goal of creating a car that is incapable of causing a crash, regardless of the skill or condition of the driver. Second, we want to increase access to cars to those who otherwise cannot drive, including people with special needs and seniors. to cars to those who otherwise cannot drive, including people with special needs and seniors. Third, we plan to help translate Toyotas expertise in creating products for outdoor mobility into products for indoor mobility. In other words, Toyotas goal is to move people across the roomacross townand across the country. Finally we hope to accelerate scientific discovery by applying techniques from artificial intelligence and machine learning particularly in the area of materials science. generalize competence Former Bell Labs department head and DARPA Program manager Larry Jackel, who will work on machine learning. Former DARPA Program manager Eric Krotkov, who will be our Chief Operating Officer. James Kuffner, CMU professor and former head of Google Robotics, who will be our area lead in cloud computing. MIT Professor John Leonard, who will work part time in the field of autonomous driving. Hiroshi Okajima, Project General Manager, R&D Management Division, Toyota Motor Corporation, who will be our executive liaison officer. MIT Associate Professor Russ Tedrake, who will work part time in the field of simulation and control. Emeritus MIT Professor Rodney Brooks, former director of the MIT Computer Science and AI Lab, founder of iRobot and Founder, Chairman and CTO of Rethink Robotics The Honorable Richard Danzig, former secretary of the US Navy and expert in cyber security Yann LeCun, Director of artificial intelligence at Facebook John Roos, former CEO of Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich and Rosati and former US Ambassador to Japan. Currently, General Partner at Geodesic Capital, a late stage venture capital firm and Senior Advisor at Centerview Partners, a preeminent mergers and acquisitions advisory firm. He is an expert in technology innovation in Silicon Valley. Toyota Technological Institute in Chicago; in Chicago; the Toyota Research Institute of North America in Ann Arbor, Michigan; in Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Toyota Central Research and Development Labs in Nagakute, Japan. WAY ________________________________________Thank you Bob, and thank you everyone for coming.Only 4 months ago, we announced that Toyota would invest $50 million dollars to support artificial intelligence and robotics research at Stanford and MIT.At the time, we promised that Toyota was just getting started, and that there would be much more to come.Two months later, we announced the formation of the Toyota Research Institute TRI a new research and development company focused on the application of artificial intelligence to mobility, and funded by an initial 1-billion-dollar investment. Today Id like to tell you a little bit more about what were going to do with that billion dollars.Although the industry has made great strides over the last five years, we are a long way from the finish line of fully automated cars.Tomorrow, when you look across the CES displays, at what is currently being tested and developed, you will find that these systems can only handle certain speed ranges, certain weather conditions, certain street complexity, or certain traffic.Despite the progress you will see, most of what has been collectively accomplished has been relatively easy because most driving is easy.Where we need autonomy to help us, is when the driving is difficult. And its this hard part that we intend to address.Up to now, our industry has measured on-roadof autonomous vehicles, in the millions of miles, which is impressive.But to achieve full autonomy we actually need reliability that isEvery year, Toyota sells about 10 million vehicles around the world. Each travels about 10 thousand miles per year and lasts about 10 years.That means that the roughly 100 million Toyota cars and trucks in service at any given time travel a total of about 1 trillion miles per year.Thats a large number of miles. Even if a very small percentage of that driving is difficult, that percentage times a trillion equals many miles of difficult driving that we must address.Society tolerates a lot of human error. But we expect machines to be much better. We expect them to be ever-ready and nearly perfect.Thus, the technologies we develop have to work not only at the Million-mile scale, but at the Trillion-mile scale.To address this problem and leverage AI for other uses, TRI has four initial mandates:We are moving quickly as an entirely new company. We are opening for business this month in two locations one in Stanford Research Park in Palo Alto, California, the other in Kendall Square, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.The facilities are a short 10-minute bike ride and walk to Stanford and MIT, respectively, and we expect many researchers with ties to both institutions to work at TRI. We plan to invest in the future in other universities around the world as well.We have started nearly 30 initial projects. Stanford and MIT will each make public the list of their research projects, but Id like to briefly describe two of them with you now.First, a team at Stanford will be working on a project calledWhat does Uncertainty on Uncertainty mean? Well, it's one thing to teach a car to respond safely to events that we expect to occur - what to do if a cyclist suddenly veers into the road, for example.Much more challenging, though, is teaching a car to respond safely to events that we havent anticipated.Lets say we hadnt thought of the need for a car to avoid debris falling off a truck. Should it think of the debris like another car?Well, kind of but the debris might suddenly break apart into many pieces.Should it think of the debris like a pedestrian?Well, kind of but the debris might initially be moving at high speed.To address this challenge, the Stanford team will be augmenting machine-learning with new methods thatto handle the unanticipated.I'll spare you the math, but they'll work to measure the robustness of automated vehicle systems not only against risks that are known, but risks that haven't been seen before.As I hope you can appreciate, it's a very important project.The second example matters just as much. A team at MIT will be leading a project called," which is all about teaching machines to tell stories.Autonomous technology strives to be perfect.How do we proceed to that critical point where the car is incapable of causing a crash?When a car does something unexpected, it will need to provide unambiguous explanations of what happenedand why.People have reasonable fears about whether technology will work in their best interest, or if it is competent to do the jobs we assign.We need to be sure that the autonomous agents given the power to make decisions are capable of being audited.We cant trust what we dont understand, so we must build cars that can explain their actions.Finally, let me say a little bit about our future efforts in advancing scientific discovery, particularly inHumans have been discovering new materials since prehistoric times. But the pace of advancement is held back by the speed of human intuition and experiment.Toyotas interest in finding new materials is keen, from those that can increase the strength and lower the weight and cost of cars... to materials that can improve the efficiency and lower the cost of fuel cells. We aim to utilize computation and machine learning to accelerate scientific discovery in this area to lower the cost and improve the performance of future mobility systems.At this point, I want to introduce a few of the initial members of our outstanding technical and advisory teams that will lead TRI.Our initial technical team directing research will include, in alphabetical order:These six research directors are with us today and will join us later for a roundtable discussion.We have already hired around a dozen or so other technical people, and the number is growing every day. Stay tuned.TRI will be advised by a board that will include some of the worlds deepest thinkers in Technological Innovation. Ill just highlight three of them today, in alphabetical order:The entire technical and advisory teams will be confirmed and announced soon.Were collaborating from within the Toyota family as well, including;Clearly, we are gathering the best and brightest people at TRI to work on specific technologies with specific goals and limitless applications beyond automotive.But Bob Carter made an important point earlier about identifying your goals and figuring out how to get there as quickly as possible.For example, we see ain our future that goesbeyond automotive.To that end, we are sharing our 5600 patents in this area at no charge to accelerate the pace ofIn the same way, TRI will enthusiastically pursue collaboration with other OEMs, IT companies, suppliers, research labs, and universities to jointly develop autonomy technology for safety and accessibility.And there is much to be accomplished.Let me close with some Toyota history to put this all in perspective.In 1933, Toyota recognized that the world was changing. While our company was making fabric looms, automobiles were defining the future. The company did an incredibly brave thing it used capital from its loom business to start in a new business automotive.TRI reflects a similar understanding. Toyota has traditionally been a hardware company first and foremost because in the past the most important technology for enhancing human mobility was hardware.The old joke, is that Toyota is the worlds best manufacturing company. They just happen to make cars.But times have changed, and software and data are now essential components of Toyotas future mobility strategy.Furthermore, the need for machines to assist in mobility has broadened from outdoors to indoors, fueled by our aging society and the remarkable progress in electronics that has expanded the realm of what is possible.This is why TRI is working to transform mobility from outdoors to indoors.Home robots may be even more personally prized in our future than cars have been in our past.TRIs goal is to the bridge the gap between Research and Development to make a real difference in what products Toyota produces in the future.It is entirely possible that robots will become forToyota whatwhen Toyota made looms.That is a great challenge, and we are excited today to begin.Thank you. Nissan Selects Microsoft Azure to Power Nissan Telematics System LAS VEGAS -- January 6, 2015: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday announced that all Nissan LEAF models and Infiniti models in Europe will have Connect Telematics Systems (CTS) powered by Microsoft Azure. Since the Nissan LEAF's launch in 2010, more than 200,000 have been sold worldwide, making it the world's best-selling electric vehicle. Nissan selected Azure to meet customers' expectations about in-vehicle mobility solutions, create additional ways to interact with their vehicles, and enhance safety. MORE INFO Nissan Research and Buyer's Guide Guide Nissan designs cars to meet the needs of the next generation of car buyers, the environmentally conscious "digital natives." Having transformed the performance, practically and public perception of EVs around the world since the LEAF's launch, Nissan remains one of the leaders in EV technology. The connectivity to their owners and to the world around them makes electric cars more attractive and convenient. Maps, range prediction, charging station availability, charge status, plus all the services customers have come to expect when inside a vehicle are dependent on that connectivity. Azure provides a global cloud platform with cutting-edge security that allows Nissan to deliver services worldwide to this broad customer base. Nissan CTS is coupled to Azure, allowing a remote connection to the vehicle. With CTS, Nissan LEAF drivers can perform a range of functions on their car, while not even inside. These include using mobile phones to turn on and adjust climate controls and set charging functions remotely even when the vehicle is powered down. An onboard timer can also be programmed to start the charging event. As countries and regulations become more stringent on data privacy and technology standards, Nissan and Microsoft are committed to investing in meeting regulatory standards around the globe. Nissan selected Azure because of its enterprise-grade security and compliance. Microsoft was the first major cloud provider to adopt the world's first international cloud privacy standard, ISO 27018, providing another reason enterprise customers can move with confidence to Azure. Azure supports multiple operating systems, programming languages and tools, providing flexibility and choice for Nissan. With the standard Hands-Free Text Messaging Assistant for all Nissan LEAF around the world, drivers can manage incoming text messages via voice control without taking their hands from the wheel or their eyes off the road. Drivers are alerted to an incoming text and, after initiating the system, can hear the text read out loud and respond by voice, or via the steering wheel switches using preset answers such as "driving, can't text," "on my way," "running late," "okay." These experiences are powered by the back-end connectivity and support of Azure. Nissan can also send over-the-air "point of interest" (POI) updates as they become available, enabling customers to have the latest information as the company continues to refresh its services. Connectivity to Azure allows Nissan to bring new connected features to market faster and offer flexibility for the future. The partnership allows Nissan to tap into Microsoft's deep expertise across critical areas such as data management and analytics. Azure offers Nissan the scale and commitment to security it needs to support its global operations. The expansive global footprint of Microsoft's datacenters provides the coverage to support Nissan's vehicles anywhere they are in the world. "Microsoft Azure will help us deliver a more innovative and intelligent future for our connected technologies," said Celso Guiotoko, chief information officer and corporate vice president in charge of global corporate IS/IT, Nissan. "This is also a bold first step toward innovations that will realize future new mobility." Nissan's connected platform powered by Azure is allowing Nissan to continue to provide its customers with exceptional value and add new services throughout the vehicle life cycle. "Our partnership with Nissan shows what automakers can accomplish by tapping into Microsoft's intelligent cloud platform," said Peggy Johnson, executive vice president of business development, Microsoft. "Further, our collaboration reveals tremendous possibilities for how consumers can get more out of their connected driving experience." About Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. Nissan is a global full-line vehicle manufacturer that sells more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. In fiscal year 2014, the company sold more than 5.3 million vehicles globally, generating revenue of 11.3 trillion yen. Nissan engineers, manufactures and markets the world's best-selling all-electric vehicle in history, the Nissan LEAF. Nissan's global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan manages operations in six regions: ASEAN & Oceana; Africa, Middle East & India; China; Europe; Latin America and North America. Nissan has a global workforce of 247,500, and has been partnered with French manufacturer Renault under the Renault-Nissan Alliance since March 1999. 2016 CES - Kia Motors Introduces New 'DRIVE WISE' Sub-Brand +VIDEO Kia ?DRIVE WISE encompasses future Advanced Driver Assistance Systems DRIVE WISE intelligent safety technologies exhibited at 2016 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas U.S. state of Nevada grants licence to Kia to test autonomous Kia Soul EV on public roads Introduction of partially-autonomous driving technologies by 2020, with arrival of fully-autonomous vehicles targeted by 2030 MORE INFO Kia Research and Buyer's Guide Guide LAS VEGAS -- January 6, 2015: Kia Motors has today introduced the launch of a new sub-brand, ?DRIVE WISE, to encompass its future Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). DRIVE WISE embodies Kias philosophy to realise intelligently safe vehicles featuring Kias latest and forthcoming ADAS technologies. Kia recently announced plans to manufacture partially-autonomous cars by 2020, and aims to bring its first fully-autonomous vehicle to market by 2030. Debuting at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, 6-9 January, Kias innovative DRIVE WISE technologies are currently under development. Engineered to improve safety for all road users, DRIVE WISE will enable Kia to introduce intelligent safety technologies to its future model range, helping to eliminate potential dangers and, for some, the tedium of driving, while changing the ways in which owners interact with their vehicles. Later in the year, Kia will showcase many of its innovative new DRIVE WISE technologies at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, where visitors will be able to preview Kias future autonomous driving and assistive technologies. Kia unveils DRIVE WISE technologies at CES 2016 Kias CES 2016 illustrates the progression of its autonomous driving technologies, from those available in current models to cutting-edge features being developed over the next 15 years under the DRIVE WISE banner. Kias exhibit at the increasingly popular show gives visitors the chance to experience a host of next-generation technologies and concepts with interactive displays. Tae-Won Lim, Senior Vice President, Central Advanced Research and Engineering Institute of Hyundai Motor Group, commented, Kia is undergoing a very promising and gradual process of introducing partially and fully autonomous technologies to its vehicles. Although the first marketable fully-autonomous car from Kia will not be available in the immediate future, the work our R&D teams are currently doing to develop our range of DRIVE WISE technologies is already improving on-road safety and driver assistance. The innovations presented at this years show demonstrate the future direction we are taking. DRIVE WISE technologies to improve on-road safety By 2020, Kia aims to introduce its first partially-autonomous car with DRIVE WISE technologies, building upon the current generation of driver-assistance systems. The more advanced technologies under development by Kia provide the driver with greater levels of assistance, anticipating and reacting to changing road conditions and potential hazards to improve safety for all road users. By helping to eliminate many of the inherent dangers, stresses and hassles of driving on todays congested roads, DRIVE WISE will enable owners to focus more on the pleasures of driving. Kias future DRIVE WISE technologies on display at CES 2016 include Highway Autonomous Driving, Urban Autonomous Driving, Preceding Vehicle Following, Emergency Stop System, Traffic Jam Assist and a new Autonomous Parking & Out function: Highway Autonomous Driving (HAD) employs a combination of radar and camera detection systems to interpret lane markings, allowing the car to stay in its lane or switch into others to overtake other vehicles or follow a different road; all without driver input. Urban Autonomous Driving (UAD) applies GPS and sensors to identify the cars position on the road, allowing it to safely navigate through densely-congested city environments while responding to live traffic updates. Preceding Vehicle Following (PVF) is an enhanced lane-keeping system which monitors the vehicle in front and allows the car to calculate its own path relative to it, following at a safe distance if road markings are indecipherable due to poor conditions or road layout. Emergency Stop System (ESS) operates in correlation with Kias Driver Status Monitoring (DSM) system, to analyse the drivers face, ensuring their attention does not stray from the road for too long. If it detects that the driver takes their eyes from the road for too long, ESS can automatically direct the car into an appropriate side lane and come to a halt. Traffic Jam Assist (TJA) monitors the vehicle in front during congested traffic conditions, maintaining a safe distance from the vehicle in front and moving into appropriate spaces to gain ground. Autonomous Valet Parking allows drivers to exit the car and let the vehicle park itself remotely, activated using the smart key or a smartwatch. DRIVE WISE technologies are primarily designed to make driving safer and easier for Kia customers by identifying hazards at the earliest possible opportunity and allowing the driver or the car to take appropriate action, though drivers can circumvent them with direct control, enabling closer control of the car as desired. Next-generation vehicle interaction DRIVE WISE technologies will also facilitate communication and interaction between the driver and vehicle with innovative new Human Machine Interface (HMI) functions, such as gesture control, fingerprint sensors and smart-device connectivity. Featured in a special I-Cockpit display at CES, Kias next-generation HMI is based on the concept of ?blind control, with a fingerprint touchpad and gesture recognition used to operate the cars controls. Automatically recognising individual drivers preferences on start-up based on their fingerprint or smartwatch the car can immediately change the cabin ambience for the driver with their favourite music, preferred climate control temperature and the type of information displayed by the instrument panel. Drivers gestures are recognised by the I-Cockpit if they want to change any setting in the cabin, without taking their eyes off the road ahead. License granted to test Kia DRIVE WISE on Nevada public roads The preliminary investment by Kia totalling US$2 billion by 2018 will enable the company to fast-track development of its new DRIVE WISE technologies. The U.S. state of Nevada recently granted Kia a special licence to test the new technologies on public roads. Kias all-electric Soul EV the companys first globally-sold electric car is acting as the brands testbed for the development of next-generation DRIVE WISE technologies, as it takes to the roads around Death Valley. Fully-autonomous cars on the market within 15 years Key to Kias future DRIVE WISE technologies is the development of its vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications system. For Kia to advance its partially-autonomous ADAS technologies far enough to bring the true ?self-driving car to market by 2030, V2X must be fully integrated into real-life driving environments and be able to react as a human driver can. V2X applies a series of sensors, radar, LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging Radar) and external cameras, to perceive the surrounding environment and all relevant obstacles, as a human driver does. The system incorporates vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technologies as well, allowing the car to recognise, judge and control every driving scenario, obstacle or potential threat. Ahram Hebdo talks to Egyptian political analyst Abdallah Al-Sennawy, who reflects on the governments performance, the war against terrorism and Egypts regional role Ahram Hebdo: To what extent do you think the newly-elected parliament will fulfil its legislative and regulatory responsibilities? Abdallah Al-Sennawy (A. A.-S.): There is no parliament in the world that accurately reflects the society and its interactions, but what is dangerous in the Egyptian case is that following the 30 June 2013 developments in particular [the ousting of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi], the malformations exceeded the tolerated limits. First, the election law was drafted in a way that excludes political parties, especially the centre-left parties which are almost absent in the parliament. The parties who won are either supported by businessmen or security authorities. In addition, for the first time in the history of the Egyptian parliament, the security authorities are the main actors in the choice of members, either by excluding, recommending, favouring or even forming certain lists in detriment of others. All the parties announce their support for President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi. Their disagreements are only over their slice of the cake. The disagreements took a personal form, which slows down the formation of a majority coalition. A.H.: How do you evaluate the performance of the government since president Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi came to power? A. A.-S.: I think president El-Sisi works a lot and wants to build, but there is a problem with priorities. Many questions have not been answered yet by the president. How can the war against terrorism and the respect of freedoms and public rights be reconciled? The necessities of economic activity and the requirements of social justice and the war against corruption? The aspirations to a regional role in Africa and the Arab world and the risks of the impact of such commitments on an already critical economy? There is no political class, consultants around the president. When it comes to the president, even though his popularity has become extremely corroded due to current policies that lead to social inequalities and political frustration because of the limiting of the public domain, the president still has popular support due to fear of complete chaos. Egypt cannot tolerate a new failure after two transitional periods. The public opinion is not ready to embark on an adventure as the country is starting to retrieve its stability. This is why I think there is no real threat to the current regime. A.H.: Do you think the question of the Muslim Brotherhood has been closed, or is there still a possibility to integrate them into society? A. A.-S.: Given that the Muslim Brotherhood has been involved in acts of violence and of terrorism and given the disagreements between the leaders and the younger classes as is clear from their public statements it is almost impossible to speak of political settlement with them. The Brotherhood does not want to admit that its regime has fallen by popular will due to their attacks against democracy, the revolution and all opposition. I think that no political force, with the exception of some young members of the centre-left, would be ready to compromise its credibility by opening a new page with the Brotherhood. On the official side, the question of the Muslim Brotherhood has been closed since they were listed as a terrorist organisation. In reality, there is no chance of reconciliation with the Brotherhood in political life. By all means, I call for dissolving any secret organisation because it hinders democratic transition. However, I think that every person who has not carried a weapon should benefit from his political rights as a citizen. I believe that those who left the Muslim Brotherhood and want to be integrated into political life should have that chance. A.H.: What do you think of the Islamic military coalition formed by Saudi Arabia? A. A.-S.: The Islamic coalition is a bubble. Two days after the announcement, even Saudi newspapers had no news about it. Most Islamic countries that have strong armies, like Pakistan, Turkey and Indonesia, have refused to participate and excused themselves. Egypt has welcomed the project, but without enthusiasm, because it believes it is a strategic bubble. There is no common denominator because most participants of this coalition almost have no army. Even Saudi Arabia, with all due respect, does not have a strong army. It is not the country that should claim to lead the coalition in the presence of strong armies like those of Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan. A.H.: How is Egypt in the same military coalition as Turkey and Qatar, two countries with whom it is not on good terms? A. A.-S.: A coalition of main regional actors does not seem likely. There are fundamental differences in the definition of a terrorist organisation. For instance, Saudi Arabia and Turkey think that Jabhat Al-Nusra in Syria can be part of the political settlement if they separate from Al-Qaeda, while Russia, Iran and the United States consider Jabhat Al-Nusra a terrorist organisation. A.H.: Has Riyadh become the centre of gravity in the region instead of Cairo? A. A.-S.: Riyadh has a political weight and a presence in all regional questions. It is the opposing face of Iran in several conflicts. But it does not have the necessary qualities for a leadership of the Arab world. All countries who tried to play this role since the Arab-Israeli Peace Treaty in 1979 could not fill the void of Cairo. Egypt, even if its role has retreated, represents [one quarter] of the Arab world, its biggest military and cultural force. Egypt owns the historic and geographic qualities, but what it lacks to fill the position is a strong economy and a strategic vision. A.H.: How do you view the growing relations between Cairo and Moscow? A. A.-S.: Egypt has opened up to new world powers, whether on the political or on the military level, which has helped it get out of diplomatic isolation. But relations with Moscow do not mean breaking ties with Washington, and exchanges with India or China do not undermine relations with Europe. I think that the diversification of sources of arms and the openness to new powers were a good strategic choice, because it has been proven that putting all the eggs in one basket [the United States] marginalised Egypts role in the African and Arab world. A.H.: In the context of a war against terrorism, Egypt has called several times for an international intervention in Libya. What do you think of the Libyan political settlement and the impact of the conflict on Egypt? A. A.-S.: Egypt wishes for an end to the conflicts that tear Libya apart, a country it shares a 1,200 kilometre border with. After the fall of [Libyan president Muammar] Qaddafi, 80 percent of the smuggling of arms to Egypt has come from Libya, so the main concern for Egypt is to secure its western borders. [Egypt's concern also ties into Libya's] strategic and economic importance as an Arab country. The United Nations project involving Libya stipulates installing a national consensus government, but the problem is that there are no real guarantees that this government would enforce security, disarm the militias and direct its weapons at [the militant groups] ISIS, Jabhat Al-Nusra and Ansar Al-Sharia. Hence, Egypts worries. *This interview was first published by Ahram Hebdo, Ahram's French-language weekly newspaper. Search Keywords: Short link: SME manufacturer gets exotic with export move to Colombia CABLE cleat manufacturer Ellis is celebrating its first export order to Colombia. The North Yorkshire-based company has secured an order for its Vulcan+ stainless steel cleats for the electrical substation in Barranquilla, secured through their local distributor, ACJ High Voltage Ltda. Tony Conroy, Ellis export sales director, said: With most export specification news we tend to focus primarily on the details of the order, but in this instance its the fact that weve secured the order that commands the headline the reason being that in Colombia we needed to create a market for cable cleats rather than simply trying to sell our products into an existing one. Ellis has been exporting to Brazil since 2009 and is targeting other Spanish-speaking Latin American countries. Colombia is home to some of Latin Americas most important energy companies, added Mr Conroy. And while raising standards and a focus on innovation have always ranked highly, cable cleats havent therefore our job was far more difficult than it would be entering a new market where cable cleats are already a well-established element of every electrical specification. Ellis is now selling in Brazil, Chile and Venezuela, and has distributors in Brazil, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Uruguay, Panama and Costa Rica. The company is represented in the region by Uruguay-based business development manager, Gabriela Castro-Fontoura. On Tuesday, one U.S. service member was killed and another two were injured while fighting in the city of Marja, in Afghanistans restive Helmand province. But the Pentagon could not say why those troops were there, or what their mission was. Its all part of an increasingly dangerous Afghan war thats being fought more and more in the shadows. Two HH60 Pave Hawk helicopters sought to rescue the injured troops. According to Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook, one was turned away, while the other landed. Initial reports from the Pentagon said it did not leave the site because it was under mortar fire; Cook then said helicopter hit a wall, damaging its rotary. Either way, the helicopter could not take off and the U.S. troops were engaged in an hours-long firefight, whose resolution is still unclear. At press time, the battle, which began 12 hours earlier, had not ended, defense officials acknowledged. Fox News reported late Tuesday that more than a dozen troops were surrounded by a sea of Taliban and awaiting an AC-130 gunship to provide air cover. At a Pentagon briefing Tuesday, Cook said he could not say why those U.S. troops were fighting in Marja, whether their mission was a counterterrorism or combat one, why one helicopter was waved off but another was allowed to land, how many Afghan soldiers were injured along with their American counterparts, or even if the injured had been evacuated from the active battlefield. In part, the secrecy stems from the kind of American forces now battling in Marja. In Helmand province, as in other parts of Afghanistan, special operations forces have stepped in where the Obama administration has withdrawn more-traditional troops. These forces are traditionally shrouded in secrecy. Their missions are given additional layers of operational security, a catchall term that allows the Pentagon to share little about what are often deadly duties. And because of that, an unseen force is now leading battles once fought by traditional forces, just as the Taliban appears to be resurging. Such dependency on special operations forces makes it difficult to independently assess the U.S. war effort, and the costs of it. In some ways, the Afghan war has come full circle; it was special operations forces who originally fought to dislodge the Taliban there after 9/11. But todays increased dependency on special operations forces has some defense officials asking how thin the U.S. military can stretch such an exclusive force through its seemingly endless battles with jihadists and insurgents. These specialized troops are a major part of the U.S. effort in Iraq and Syria, as well. A senior administration source tells The Daily Beast that there are reviews ongoing about the use of such forces; there are simply not enough of them to go around to all the worlds hotspots. Thats coupled with a second concern: Some at the Pentagon privately fret that Afghanistan, not Iraq or Syria, will be the conflict that consumes their attention in 2016. The fallen service member in Marja marks the first U.S. combat death in Afghanistan this year, and the seventh in two weeks. On Dec. 21, six airmen were killed just outside Bagram Air Base, 30 miles north of Kabul. Often the Pentagon does not acknowledge that special operators are back on the frontlines unless it has tobecause someone was injured or killed. Casualties have become the grim window into where the U.S. effort against the Taliban has moved and the level of fighting involved. Marjaonce the site of a massive offensive by the U.S. Marines and victory celebrations by the Obama administrationis just the latest example. In October, special forces, alongside their Afghan counterparts, sought to take back the northern city of Kunduz, which had fallen into Taliban hands just days earlier. The forces ordered strikes on a building that turned out to be a hospital run by Doctors without Borders, killing 22. No one in the U.S. military mentioned that these elite troops had moved north to fight the Taliban in Kunduz until after the hospital was hit. And the lack of understanding of the area, which once was secured largely by German forces and was relatively quiet, appeared to be a factor in the mistaken attack. As U.S. forces have drawn down their presence in Afghanistan over the past two years, the Taliban has made gains in areas left to Afghan control. In the last three months alone, in addition to Kunduz and Marja, the Taliban has moved toward Kabul. But the U.S. plan to withdraw most of its 9,800 troops by the end of this year remains intact. Tuesdays attack did not change that plan. Indeed, the Pentagon refused even to acknowledge a change in Afghanistans landscape, despite undisputed Taliban gains. I would not concede [the Afghan security forces] are losing ground across the country, Cook said. with additional reporting by Kimberly Dozier The Pakistani intelligence service is behind the recent attack on a major Indian air force base in Punjab using a terrorist group it created 15 years ago, according to well-informed press and other knowledgeable sources. The attack is designed to prevent any detente between India and Pakistan after Prime Minister Narendra Modis surprise Christmas Day visit to Pakistan. The escalating violence between the two nuclear-weapons states, which have already fought four wars, threatens to get worse. The Pakistani intelligence service has the capability to launch more attacks with little notice, at some point prompting a vigorous Indian response. On Dec. 31, a team of terrorists infiltrated across the Pakistani border into India. On Saturday they assaulted the Pathankot air base, one of Indias largest air force installations near the border. At least seven Indian soldiers were killed in the fighting, which lasted for days. On Sunday, the Indian Consulate in Mazar-e Sharif in northern Afghanistan was also attacked by gunmen. Both attacks are the work of the Pakistani terror group Jaish e Muhammad, according to reliable press reports. JEM was created in 2000 by Mualana Masoud Azhar, a longtime Pakistani terrorist leader. Azhar was captured in India in 1994 after taking western hostages in Kashmir. In December 1999 a group of terrorists hijacked an Air India jet flying from Nepal to India and diverted it to Afghanistan. They demanded the release of Azhar and his colleagues in return for the passengers and crew. And they got it, thanks to help from the Pakistani intelligence service ISI and al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, according to accounts of the hijacking based on the Indian officials who negotiated with the terrorists for the hostages freedom. The Afghan Taliban assisted the hijackers once they got to Afghanistan. Once Azhar was traded for the hostages, the ISI took him on a public victory tour through Pakistan to raise money for the jihad against India, and he announced the formation of Jaish e Muhammad, or the Army of Muhammad, in early 2000. JEM received training and weapons from the ISI and worked closely with al Qaeda. In December 2001, JEM terrorists working with terrorists from another ISI-backed group, Lashkar e Tayyiba (LET), attacked the Indian parliament building in New Delhi. That attack prompted India to mobilize its military, and a tense standoff went on for nine months. Only intense mediation by President Bushs national security team averted war. Azhar kept a low profile for several years after LETs 2008 attack on Mumbai, but he reappeared publicly in 2014, giving fiery calls for more attacks on India and the United States. His group is technically illegal in Pakistan but enjoys the continuing patronage of the ISI. The ISI is under the generals command and is composed of army officers, so the spies are controlled by the Pakistani army, which justifies its large budget and nuclear weapons program by citing the Indian menace. Any diminution in tensions with India might risk the armys lock on its control of Pakistans national security policy. The army continues to distinguish between good terrorists like JEM and LET and bad terrorists like the Pakistani Taliban, despite decades of lectures from American leaders. The army has long distrusted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who has advocated a detente with India since the 1990s. An army coup in 1999 sent him into exile in Saudi Arabia for a decade. His warm embrace of Modi on Christmas Day in his home in Lahore undoubtedly angered the generals. Modis visit was the first by an Indian prime minister in more than a decade. It was also Sharifs birthday and the birthday of Pakistans founder, Muhammad Jinnah. Modis decision to visit and the warm family greeting Sharif extended set the stage for a planned resumption of formal diplomatic negotiations between the two countries scheduled for later this month. So far New Delhi has not canceled the planned talks. Modis advisers are well aware of the double game the Pakistani army plays and the differences inside the Pakistani establishment. After four wars with Pakistan and a nuclear arms race, Indian experts understand the complexity of the dynamics inside Islamabad. The Indians have accepted Prime Minister Sharifs public condemnation of the attack and promised to provide evidence of JEMs role to his government, including cellphones captured in the attack. Washington put JEM on the terrorist sanctions list years agobut it continues to coddle the Pakistani army. Gen. Raheel Sharif, the armys boss (and no relation to the prime minister) got a warm embrace from the Pentagon last falldespite the ISIs support for the Afghan Talibans offensive against the Kabul government and despite the Pakistani militarys backing of terror groups like JEM. Judge Nagy Shehata has presided over a number of high profile cases in recent years and is well-known for handing down numerous mass death sentences The Cairo Appeals Court accepted on Monday the recusation request submitted by the defence team in the case known as "Awsim Cell", presided over by Judge Nagy Shehata. In the "Awsim Cell" case, defendants are accused of creating and managing a terrorist cell responsible for calls for suspending the constitution, attacking public and private facilities, and targeting army and security personnel. Awsim is a city in Giza, southern Cairo. The general prosecution further accused the defendants of planting an explosive device in front of the Awsim City Council, and attempting the assassination of a criminal court judge. The court's order indicates that Shehata has been deemed unqualified to perform his legal duties with regards to this particular case, and therefore another judge will be assigned. The defence team submitted the request following Judge Shehata's controversial statements in a recent interview with Al-Watan newspaper. "Judge Shehata's statements to the press, in which he expresses his political opinion regarding events and certain movements and individuals, are considered an infringement of judicial norms that can potentially influence the verdicts, deeming him unqualified to preside over the case," the defence team stated. The judge's statements reveal contempt for the 25 January revolution and its aftermath as well as the targeting of certain movements and individuals. After facing strong criticism, Shehata retracted his statements, and accused the newspaper of fabrication, instigating a media battle between the judge and the privately owned newspaper. In response to Shehata's accusations, Al-Watan published a statement confirming that the interview was accurately published and that the newspaper took all necessary precautions to ensure objectivity, in addition to removing certain statements that would have caused serious problems within the judiciary. Well-known for handing down numerous death sentences, Shehata presided over several high-profile cases, among which are the "Rabaa Operations Room", "Marriot Cell" or Al-Jazeera trial, the cabinet clashes and the violence in Kerdasa trial. In April 2015, Shehata handed down death sentences to Mohamed Badie and 13 others, while 26 received life imprisonment on charges of forming an "operations room to resist the state and spread chaos" following the dispersal of the two pro-Morsi sit-ins in Rabaa Al-Adaweya and Nahda Squares in August 2013. The Court of Cassation accepted the appeals on verdicts issued against 38 defendants in the case in December. The first retrial session is scheduled for 8 February. In December 2014, Shehata sentenced 183 individuals to death on charges related to violence in Kerdasa town in Giza in 2013. The three well-known Al-Jazeera journalists; Mohamed Fahmy, Baher Mohamed and Peter Greste were initially given sentences of seven to ten years in prison. In all of the cases mentioned, higher courts overturned the initial sentences and retrials were ordered. In some cases, as in the Kerdasa trial, the appeals of some defendants have yet to be reviewed by the cassation court. Egypt is battling a militant insurgency, particularly in North Sinai, that peaked following the military's ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 following mass protests against his one-year rule. The government listed the Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation in December 2013 and insists it is behind the wave of violence that has targeted security personnel since July 2013. The Brotherhood has continuously denied the accusations. Search Keywords: Short link: Back in my day, when I was an adolescent nerdling escaping into the pages of Terry Brookss Shannara fantasy lit series, the Tolkien-esque escapades of elves, druids, dwarves, and humans were engrossingly epic affairs tinted with somber urgency. Their stories unfolded between book covers splayed with shadowy scenes of questing parties, magick, and life-or-death destiny. So epic was the high fantasy world of Shannaraset in the fictional Four Lands long after nuclear war laid waste to Earth and paved the way for magic and monsters to overrun the landthat the prolific Brooks has churned out 25 separate Shannara novels to date, nearly one per year, for the last three decades. Hes still writing more. Shannara, in other words, was serious sword and sorcery business. Fast-forward to 2016 and brace for a not-so-shocking shocker in the age of repurposed nostalgia: Shannara has now gone full MTV, thanks to Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, the show runners who re-envisioned Supermans high school days into the hit show Smallville and have another new fantasy action series, Into the Badlands, blending genres over at AMC. They (along with exec producers Jon Favreau, Dan Farah, and Jonathan Liebesman) have given Brookss franchise a tween-friendly cast, a Game of Thrones Jr. vibe, and a blond half-elf hero with boy band locks who resembles a pointy-eared Baby-era Justin Bieber, hoodie and all. Even more surprising, maybe, to those who fall into that improbable sweet spot between Terry Brooks diehards and fantasy teen television viewers: Its actually kind of watchableat least, as other critics have pinpointed, in the way Xena: Warrior Princess sliced its way into syndication with its campy earnestness and never, ever took itself too seriously. Not that youll recognize much from the gravely-toned books in the first few episodes of The Shannara Chronicles, which debuts in a clunky two-parter that flows much more smoothly once pesky requisite character introductions are out of the way. Adapted not from Brookss 1977 debut novel The Sword of Shannara but its lighter 1982 sequel The Elfstones of Shannara, the 10-episode series is a breezy adventure that channels its source material through the eyes of a pretty, youthful trio. Former Nickelodeon actor Austin Butler (The Bling Ring, Yoga Hosers) plays Wil Ohmsford, the aforementioned Halfling Bieber of the Four Lands whos given a bag of his late fathers supposedly magical stones by his dying mother and bumbles off naively from his backwoods home in search of his own destiny. Elsewhere, a rebellious elfin princess named Amberle (Poppy Drayton) defies courtly norms to join an elite guard of warriors sworn to protect a magical tree called the Ellcrys whose existence, legend has it, is the only thing keeping a hell mouth of evil demons from destroying the world. They both cross paths with Eretria (Pans Labyrinth star Ivana Baquero), a forest-toughened rover girl desperate to thieve, trick, or maim her way to freedom to escape the rule of her father, the leader of an paternalistic tribe of gypsies. Between bonding over dead parents, tasting their first drops of autonomy and individual will, and sparking an obvious love triangle, Shannaras teen heroes navigate young adulthood in a harsh world where mistrust, deception, violence, death, and homicidal gnomes lurk everywhere. Are the performances all good? Not by a long shot. Maybe that will change as The Shannara Chronicles gives its young stars more to do than moon around wild-eyed at the great big world, as Wil does, or despair into a sinkhole of guilt, as with Amberle, who like most spoiled princesses thinks everythings gone to crap because of her. While the kids feel out their respective strains of teen angstboth heroines steal a few flirty peeks at Wils pale rock hard abs, because of courseShannara at least attempts to find anchor elsewhere in larger themes. The grown people problem facing Elf King Eventine Elessedil (John Rhys-Davies) is that, generations after the conclusion of a bloody war won with magic (see: The Sword of Shannara for its pointed symbolism on the power of the truth) nobody believes in it anymore. What was once accepted religion, to put it one way, is now fable. Only when an escaped demon unleashes winged furies and murderous changelings who start ripping bodies apart do he and his subjects realize what their loss of faith has cost them. But Game of Thrones this is not, even if its MTVs most expensive venture into original scripted programming yet. Although Shannaras verdant New Zealand sets are often breathtaking, its often undone by cheap-looking interiors and computer-generated vistas and VFX effectsparticularly when those low-budget pixels are being pushed around the shows best performers. MVP honors go to Manu Bennett (like Rhys-Davies, also a veteran of Peter Jacksons Lord of the Rings franchise), who runs a veritable masterclass in acting opposite CG creations and wooden co-stars alike as the dashing Druid Allanon, the papa wizard figure guiding Wil toward his magical destiny. The Shannara Chronicles most promising element is also what it hopes will hook the Hunger Games demographic: Girl power. Amberle, the defiant Elf princess, runs a blindfolded Cornucopia-like gauntlet against a field of male competitors to prove herself worthy in an opening sequence that feels more Mockingjay than Terry Brooks. In this post-apocalypse shes the obvious Katniss Everdeen of the Four Lands. Eretria, meanwhile, is a crafty and capable young woman who aches for her own freedom as her abusive father threatens to sell her into an arranged marriageor worse. Amberle is one of seven protectors dubbed The Chosen Ones, yet its Wil, the naive bumpkin born into his destiny through a bloodline, who is the default savior of the world. While he hurtles toward an arc that promises to play out predictable daddy issues, the young heroines of Shannara are already wrestling with more modern themes. Raised within patriarchal families to fulfill roles of compliance and duty, both are in their own way fighting to articulate their own agency, stifled by the societal norms that have been thrust upon them. Readers of the books know how choice plays out in the story of Amberle, one of Shannara lores best female characters. Early on in The Shannara Chronicles, the shows other kick-ass heroine declares herself as she holds a foe at knifepoint. When and if I kill you, its going to be my choicenot his, Eretria snarls, defying her fathers orders. This is not going to be my life. For a president who sometimes is criticized as too cerebral and lacking emotion, the memories he carries from comforting grieving families in Tucson, Fort Hood, Binghamton, Aurora, Oak Creek, Newtown, the Navy Yard, Santa Barbara, Charleston, and San Bernardino came together in what history will likely record as one of President Obamas landmark speeches on Tuesday. It was an effort to bring urgency to the gun issue in the same way he rescued his candidacy with a speech about race when he first ran for the White House. And for the gun-safety advocates and gun-violence survivors packed into the East Room of the White House on Tuesday morning, it was a huge moment in a fight that for too long has seemed stalemated. The gun lobby may be holding Congress hostage now, but they cant hold America hostage, Obama declared as he outlined the executive actions he is taking to circumvent Congress and expand background checks to cover the growing commerce of guns over the Internet. This is a great day for responsible gun owners, said retired astronaut Capt. Mark Kelly, whose wife, Gabby Giffords, got a standing ovation as she entered the East Room. Then-U.S. Rep. Giffords was shot in the head along with 18 others outside a supermarket in Tucson five years ago this week. Were grateful to the president for standing up to the gun lobby, Kelly said after the White House event, describing himself to reporters as a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. Obamas nearly 40-minute long speech was thankfully more sermon than college lecture as he sought to mobilize activists and voters alike for the long battle ahead. And one point, tears visibly streamed down his face. He didnt use the word movement to describe the increasing array of gun-safety groups, some launched in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre, but he reminded his audience that the womens right to vote and the liberation of African Americans didnt happen overnight, and LGBT rights took decades of work. Just because its hard, its no excuse not to try, he said as he acknowledged the obvious, that gun violence and the scourge of mass shootings will extend beyond his presidency. He expressed his puzzlement at how American society has reached a point where mass violence erupts with such frequency that it seems almost normal and instead of talking about how to solve the problem, its become one of the most partisan and polarizing debates. He put in a plug for a town meeting he is doing Thursday evening that will be televised on CNN. Im not on the ballot again. Im not looking to score some points, he said, adding that he wants to instill what Dr. King called, the fierce urgency of now. People are dying and the constant excuses for inaction no longer suffice, Obama said. Were here not to debate the last mass shooting but to do something to prevent the next mass shooting, a statement that got a big round of applause. Obamas rhetoric and his invocations of some of the lives lost brought people to tears, including Attorney General Loretta Lynch, top aide Valerie Jarrett, and Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell. Every year more than 30,000 Americans die in gun suicides, domestic violence, gang shootouts, and accidents, and hundreds of thousands of Americans have lost family members or buried their children. Many have had to learn to live with a disability, or without the love of their life, Obama said. Here today in this room, right here, there are a lot of stories, a lot of heartache and this is only a small sample. After the event, several people stood out in the White House driveway in the bitter cold telling their stories. Among them was Jennifer Pinckney, the widow of slain Charleston minister Clementa Pinckney. She held a framed photograph of her husband as she told reporters about how her young daughters are frightened by any sound that could be a gunshot. After Sandy Hook, Obama signed 23 executive orders reinforcing federal law in an attempt to restrain gun violence, and its taken the last year to navigate the legal thickets where Obama felt confident enough to go forward with closing the so-called gun show loophole. New guidelines on who qualifies as a gun dealer went up on an administration website as the president spoke. Noting that two in three gun deaths is a suicide, Obama wants Congress to do more to fund access to mental health treatment. To those in Congress who rush to blame mental illness as a way to avoid the gun issue, he said, Heres your chance to support these efforts. He also pledged to put the federal governments research arm, including the Defense Department, behind gun-safety technology. If a child cant open a bottle of aspirin, we need to make sure they cant pull the trigger on a gun. The expansion of background checks so that people with criminal records, domestic-assault violations, and severe mental illness cant buy guns is popular with all groups, including 64 percent of gun owners and 56 percent of those who describe themselves as favorable toward the NRA, according to pollster Anna Greenberg, who conducted the survey just before Thanksgiving for Americans for Responsible Gun Solutions, founded by Kelly and Giffords. Ninety percent of millennials support the kind of action Obama took, Greenberg said. Elected officials have long memories, and Bill Clinton still blames the Democrats loss of Congress in 1994 on their support for the Brady Bill and an assault weapons ban. A lot of big names went down in that election, and gun regulation went down with them. What Obama did this week is the most significant achievement since the Brady Bill more than 20 years ago, said Kelly. Its a nice twist of fate that Hillary Clinton might be able to capitalize on the shift. Thank you, @POTUS, for taking a crucial step forward on gun violence. Our next president has to build on that progress---not rip it away she tweeted after Obamas speech. Guns are on the agenda in 2016, and Democrats are no longer cowering, which signals a cultural shift that goes beyond Obamas still rather limited executive actions. Defying history, the law, and common sense, Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore has issued an order prohibiting Alabama probate judges from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Those judges now face a choice between disobeying the law of the land and disobeying their boss. Moore issued his law not as chief justice, but in his administrative role as head of the Alabama court system. This is not Justice Moores first Hail Mary in the lost cause against gay marriageand hes not alone. All over the country, activists and law professors are wasting paper on fatuous proclamations that Obergefell v. Hodges is not really the law of the land, or is illegitimate because its so horrible, or is somehow, some way not as binding as the Supreme Court said it was (PDF). Roy Moore is just the only one whos a state supreme court justice. As with Moores past efforts to delay the inevitable, todays order was a melange of the sensible and the risible. On the sensible side, Justice Moore does have some law on his sidein fact, three extremely narrow, technical threads on which he hangs his order. First, technically speaking, Obergefell only bound the five states that were a party to it. Since Alabama was not one of those states, technically its law is caught in limbo. Second, the Alabama Supreme Court upheld its same-sex marriage ban on March 3, 2015. And third, injunctions stemming from two federal cases challenging the ban are, as Moore opined last February (PDF), only binding on the executive branch, not the judicial branchwhich includes probate judges. This appears to have been an oversight, the result of a pleading error by one of the parties. But rather than extend them in a common-sense way, Moore chose to restrict them in a nonsensical one. So, as three hyper-technical matters of law, Obergefell doesnt govern, the Alabama case stands, and the federal injunction doesnt apply. But thats where it all becomes laughableif not outright dishonest. It is completely obvious that the Obergefell decision does, indeed, govern all 50 states. The logic it applied to Michigan is equally applicable to Alabama. Thats why LGBT activists broke out the champagne last June. Its also why judges and clerks around the country, with only a handful of exceptions like Kim Davis, have applied the law and granted same-sex marriage licenses for months now. Even the cases upon which Moore relies, in fact contradict him. For example, Moore cites an Eighth Circuit case decided on Aug. 11 that said The [Obergefell] Court invalidated laws in Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennesseenot Nebraska. But that case affirmed, not rejected, the right to same-sex marriage in Nebraska, and forbade Nebraska from blocking it while the court case wound down to its inevitable conclusion. This happens all the time. When the Supreme Court rules on an issue, it does not automatically end all the cases that deal with it. But it does make their outcomes obvious. So, while the legal matters are formally resolved, lower courts issue or stay injunctions in light of the Supreme Court ruling. For example, when the Supreme Court outlawed miscegenation bans in 1967, those bans technically remained on the books in 16 states, and many were not repealed until quite recently. But courts immediately issued injunctions forbidding the enforcement of those laws. To take another example, many of the sodomy laws at issue in Lawrence v. Texas are technically still on the books. But courts everywhere have prohibited their enforcement. Obergefell, obviouslylaughably obviouslyis similar. As the Supreme Court wrote, the right to marry is a fundamental right inherent in the liberty of the person, and under the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment, couples of the same-sex may not be deprived of that right and that liberty. The Court now holds that same-sex couples may exercise the fundamental right to marry. No longer may this liberty be denied to them The State laws challenged by Petitioners in these cases are now held invalid. Yes, as Justice Moore italicizes in his order, only the State laws challenged in these cases were invalidated last June. But the rest of that paragraph obviously applies to all same-sex couples everywhere. There is no distinction between those in Alabama and those in Michigan, and so the legal outcome of the Arizona cases is a foregone conclusion. To cherry-pick one clause from the entire paragraph is, at best, facetious. And its not unlike the way Moore cites that Nebraska case: snipping out two words that support his position, and ignoring all of the context. Where the laughter stops, though, is in Alabamas 66 probate court offices. These judges and their clerks are, with only a handful of exceptions, loyal public servants who are trying to do their jobs. Many of them personally oppose gay marriage, but recognize that theyve sworn oaths to enforce the Constitution, not the Bible. What the hell are they supposed to do now? Perhaps the worst part of Moores odious order is when he cites the confusion among Alabama judges, as if that confusion simply arose on its own somehow. In fact, he sowed it himself, with his court- and common-sense-defying orders last February, and he has watered those seeds with his absurd hair-splitting today. Of course, Moores order will be rendered null and void, hopefully expeditiously, by a federal court in Alabama formally closing the same-sex marriages cases still pending, or extending the injunctions in them to judicial as well as executive employees. The tide of history will not be turned. But in the meantime, not only has Moore demeaned every married couple in Alabama, straight and gay, he has also thrown his own employees under the bus. If I were a probate judge in Birmingham, Im not sure what I would do tomorrow morning. Roy Moores symbolic snatch of demagoguery may play well at the polls someday. But in the meantime, he has disrespected Alabamas LGBT citizens, disrespected the rule of law, and disrespected all those doing their best to enforce it. Bernie Sanderss campaign is continuing a fight that doesnt seem to be gaining any ground. And no, its not the election. During a national press call on Tuesday, Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver told The Daily Beast that the lawsuit they filed against the Democratic National Committee on Dec. 18 is still pending, nevermind that the issue that sparked the suit was resolved weeks ago. The lawsuit is filed, Weaver said. It has not been withdrawn as yet. We are working in a collaborative way with the DNC to resolve issues and to deal with the data security issues. Everyone is working cooperatively at this point and trying to move forward. As of Dec. 21, the DNC was given three weeks to respond to the suit, which was filed after the Committee shut down the campaigns access to crucial voter data in response to Sanderss campaign admission that staffers had viewed data belonging to his opponent, Hillary Clinton. And while the main cause of the lawsuit has been settled as access has been granted back to Sanderss campaign, the question of damagesan exorbitant requested $600,000 a dayhas not been resolved. But the DNC doesnt seem to be too intimidated by the lofty threat. Luis Miranda, the DNCs communications manager, told The Daily Beast that the organization was being cooperative in an independent audit of the incident and pushed back against any notion that the DNC was trying to steer the nominating process in favor of Clinton. Our goal has always been to support our candidates in a number of ways, from the voter file, to research to social media support, in order to build toward having the strongest possible operation in place for whoever emerges as our nominee, Miranda said. One of our candidates is going to be the 45th President of the United States and were going to keep the focus on their visions for moving America forward. But according to Miranda, the fight isnt nearly as contentious as Sanderss campaign has represented in recent weeks. When Sanders himself was asked if he thought the DNC was treating him fairly in the aftermath of the data breach, he said, I think in this instance they did not. To shut off our access to our own information, to significantly hinder our campaign was a complete overreaction and that was absolutely wrong, Sanders told Meet the Press host Chuck Todd. Now that the access has been restored, the lawsuit reads as somewhat of a moot point, especially given Sanderss own direct apology to Clinton during the last Democratic debate. Our staff did the wrong thing, Sanders said at the time before apologizing to Clinton. He added, I am not convinced that information from our campaign did not end up in her campaign. Weaver himself has attempted to paint the issue as a fight since it began, threatening to sue the party immediately as the news broke of the breach and their data was blocked off. Sanderss campaign fired its national data director and two other aides after the problem was made public. When asked if any other staffers had been fired on Tuesday, Weaver did not directly respond. Were still in discussions as I said, he said addressing the second part of the question, which pertained to the status of the lawsuit. The tone is very cooperative and collegial. We areI think everybody is committed to ensuring data at the DNC is secure. It would appear that all parties involvedincluding Clintonsare interested in pursuing the independent audit of the breach itself. But when it comes to the additional lawsuit still floating in the ether, it seems that only team Sanders is still looking for a fight. Larry Wilmore was barely one minute into a bit about anti-Donald Trump skywriting at the Rose Bowl on Tuesday night when his big guest for the night strode onto the stage to dispute the suggestion that he was behind the airborne messaging. Wait a minute, Bernie Sanders said as the crowd began to chant his name. Heres the story. I dont have to spend money to make Donald Trump look dumb. He does it all by himself! Less than four months after their somewhat awkward soul food sit-down, Wilmore and Sanders seemed like old friends. The host noted that in his estimation Sanders has won each of the top secret Democratic debates, held at times when the fewest number of viewers will watch. Who do you think is more against you, the Republican Party or the Democratic Party? Wilmore asked. Well, we are taking on the Establishment, Sanders said graciously. And I think it is fair to say, Im not the candidate of the Establishment. Moving on to foreign policy, the Vermont senator highlighted the fact that he voted against the Iraq War while his primary opponent Hillary Clinton voted for it. As he has done before, Sanders argued against perpetual warfare in the Middle East. The rest of their interview included many of the talking points surrounding the billionaire class that Sanders has expressed on numerous other platforms, but he did express unequivocal support for President Barack Obamas new executive action on guns. Despite his past record on the issue, Sanders insisted that his constituents would have no problem with the idea of expanding background checks. At Wilmores urging, Sanders also said he believes the #BlackLivesMatter movement is an important issue, adding that white people are as appalled as anyone else about police killings of minorities and said he would hold cops accountable for their actions if he were president. Finally, as a prominent Jewish-American, Sanders was called on by Wilmore called to explain Trumps comment about Clinton getting schlonged by Obama once and for all. How does someone get schlonged? I think youll have to ask Donald Trump for an explanation on that, Sanders replied. I have yet to recover from Trumps shock that women go to the bathroom. With that in mind, Wilmore asked Sanders if he would promise to schlong Trump in the general election should they end up going head-to-head. His Keep it 100 answer? We will beat him badly. On Tuesday, after three years of trying to convince recalcitrant Republican legislators frozen in perpetual genuflection before arms dealers to pass responsible gun-safety legislation, President Obama did the next best thing. He offered a well-thought-out, well-vetted series of executive orders to expand background checks on gun sales, clarifying who is in the business of selling firearms. Additionally, these measures aim to expand research on smart-gun technology, require reporting of guns lost in transit between manufacturer and dealer, facilitate the hiring of more FBI agents to process background checks, and improve the NICS background-check system. You know, some real Pinochet-level, authoritarian shit. Or at least youd think that from the reactions of Republican stoolies running for president and American Politburo members cowering in fear that the 99 percent reelection rate of their ilk might somehow forget to include them. In other words, those craving easy National Rifle Association campaign checks like a quick fix behind the Capitol and/or future shovel-ready NRA jobs and/or speaking fees for past sucking up. Their reactionin a degeneration of Cesare Beccarias theory on crime and punishmentwas swift, severe...and stupefied. Sure, its no surprise to anyone paying even the scantest attention to politics. Even impartial and conservative observers have wondered whether this once great party can continue to operate when its leaders seem to have mass-shotgunned The Blood of Kali. But coming from these poor (mostly) white souls, the cries of tyranny when the president is doing something 90 percent of Americans (and 85 percent of gun owners) support are rich indeed. For if youre looking for real tyranny, look no further than the NRA. Recent weeks have made clear that as it becomes more embattledi.e., losesit is moving past mangled euphemisms and apocalyptic prediction to straight-up threatening and encouraging violence against opponents. Sedition, domestic terrorism, call it what you will, but a group that already was about as cuddly as the characters on Fury Road has now shifted into first. For example: Just four days before the fifth anniversary of the shooting of Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, the NRA targeted a pair of Brooklyn lawmakers Monday with a menacing image of bullets next to photos of the two gun control advocates. Americas 1st Freedom, an NRA publication, tweeted the image of state Sen. Roxanne Persaud and Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon, both Democrats, weeks after they announced legislation aimed at controlling the sale of ammunition. The two lawmakers and other local supportersincluding Mayor de Blasio and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adamscondemned what came across as a veiled threat. Cute, right? In case you are feeling charitable, thinking those 1st Freedomers didnt mean any harm, the NRA promoted another articledecorated with a picture of noosessuggesting radical Democrats will be hanged after they start a civil war over gun rights. I know, maybe NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre just drank a bit too much cough syrup the night before. But then why, after some faculty at Bowling Green State University chose to exercise their actual first freedom by petitioning their state representative to oppose a loony open-carry bill, did an NRA affiliate in Ohio choose to do this: Recently, the Buckeye Firearms Association went a step further and blasted criticism at Bowling Green State University faculty members who had written to State Rep. Tim Brown, R-Bowling Green, asking him to not support legislation allowing concealed carry of firearms on Ohio college campuses. House Bill 48, which has since passed the House, allows hidden loaded weapons to be carried on college campuses, school safety zones, day care facilities, public areas of airport terminals, police stations, and certain government facilities The Buckeye Firearms Association went on to publish the names and email addresses of BGSU faculty who contacted Brown with their comments, plus a photograph of [geology professor James] Evans, who had used his private email to send his comments. The result, at least for Evans, was a rush of emails to him from the associations members, with wording that he characterized as threatening. Lets not even bother with NRA board member Ted Nugents public threats against the president of the United States, after which the Secret Service felt it necessary to pay him a visit. And notice we havent even touched upon the Fabulous Bundy Boys, whove chosen to go through their midlife crisis not by buying a Porsche or going to a strip club but holing up in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon waving guns and crying government tyranny. Obama has done what any human president would do, upon watching the slaughter of his countrys civilians in the real world, while Yall Qaeda and Yokel Haram stockpile guns for the coming episode of The Running Man because theyve run low on Olanzapine. These are background checks, plain and simple, and they still wont go as far as needed without Congress. Tyranny would be letting terrorists, criminals, cowardly domestic abusers, and the dangerously mentally ill continue murdering and maiming scores of people every day because the most puerile, thick-skulled 10 percent of our society cant understand statistics and fear the monsters on Maple Street. What do a Manhattan-based billionaire, a naked Russian model, and a loaded gun have to do with one of the biggest tax fraud trials in French history now underway in Paris? Students of Wildenstein & Company, once the worlds richest and most ruthless art dealers, know that until 1997 the powerful Franco-American-Jewish dynasty ruled with impunity and obsessive secrecy from their storied limestone headquarters on New Yorks Upper East Sideand did so despite damning allegations that they had acquired artwork stolen by the Nazis during World War II. This week, disgraced Guy Wildenstein, 70, son of the late and widely feared Daniel Wildenstein, is standing trialalong with his nephew, sister-in-law, and their financial advisersin a Paris courtroom where they are charged with tax fraud and money laundering to the tune of $600 million. Prosecutors say that beginning in 2001 the Wildensteins began hiding money from French tax officials in offshore tax havens and mysterious trusts as Daniel lay dying in Paris. According to French investigators, art worth an estimated $250 million was spirited out of company vaults in New York to Switzerland, for example, and Daniel Wildensteins ownership of an elite stable of thoroughbred racehorses was transferred to a brand-new family company while Daniel was still in a coma. Longtime observers of the domineering and controlling Daniel say that Guy and his late brother Alec learned everything they knew about creatively moving assets around the world from the old man himself. French media is calling the case Dallas on the Seine. Guy Wildenstein denies all the charges. In October, in a rare interview, he told Paris Match that he was neither a tax nor a financial specialist, and while he knew his father had used trusts, he didnt know details. Guy is the great-grandson of Nathan Wildenstein, who came from humble beginnings near Strasbourg to build an art-dealing empire in Paris in the late 1800s. Much of the Wildensteins fortune involves priceless artwork by painters such as Fragonard, Monet, Renoir, and Picasso secreted in anonymous vaults on several continents. The family also has an extensive real estate portfolio and a horse breeding and racing business. Vanity Fair reported in 1998 that the Wildensteins were worth at least $5 billion, but Guy and Alec Wildenstein estimated the value of the estate after their fathers death at only $60 million. If convicted after what is expected to be a month-long trial, Guy Wildenstein faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and hefty fines. But not even a controversial 1995 book, The Lost Museum: The Nazi Conspiracy to Steal the Worlds Greatest Works of Art, which claimed that Daniel Wildensteins father Georges collaborated with the Nazis in the art trade throughout World War II, did much to damage the Wildenstein empireespecially after the Wildensteins sued author Hector Feliciano for defamation and lost. So what happened to finally bring down the famed House of Wildenstein? Try a brideor three. French officials opened the case in 2001 after Daniels widow, a former Israeli Army sergeant named Sylvia Roth, and later Alecs widow, the Russian-born Liouba Stoupakova, showed them highly incriminating family financial documents. The women feared they were being cheated out of their inheritances by the suspicious manipulations of the vast estate after Daniels death. Roth filed the first criminal complaint in 2001. She was angry because Guy and Alec had reduced her monthly cash allowance, sold the familys Paris apartment, and moved her to a smaller oneafter, she said, they had convinced her to sign away her inheritance to avoid possible tax bills and a criminal investigation, the Independent reported at the time. French prosecutors also owe a lot to Jocelyne Wildenstein, now 75, who got the ball rolling way back in September 1997, when she returned to the palatial Manhattan townhouse she shared with her husband, Alec Wildenstein, and caught him in bed with a nude 21-year-old Russian model. Alec pulled out a revolver and aimed it at her and her bodyguards, telling police after his arrest and a night in jail that he had mistaken them for intruders. The messy divorce that followed turned the Swiss-born Jocelyne, a plastic surgery addict, into a household name after George Rush, former columnist for the New York Daily News, dubbed her the Bride of Wildenstein because of her bizarre, distorted face, which she felt made her look like one of the big cats on her husbands 66,000-acre ranch in Kenya. The split also put an unwelcome spotlight on the publicity-averse Wildenstein family and the extreme control Daniel Wildenstein exercised over the businessand his two sons, Guy and Alec. Jocelyne eventually netted $2.5 billion in the divorce. The divorce made more people aware of the Wildensteins staggering wealth, Rush told The Daily Beast on Monday. Jocelyne knew a lot about the familys business dealings and shrewdly exploited that knowledge, Rush said. The Wildensteins couldnt tolerate a forensic accounting in an American court. So, she was in a strong position to dictate her terms. Sylvia was in an even stronger position, having been married to the patriarch, Daniel. The Wildensteins are sensitive to even the slightest glare of publicity. Whether or not Guy is convicted of tax fraud, the look on his face as he left court on Monday suggests that the media burn hes suffering must be excruciating. Unfortunately for Liouba Stoupakova, shes suffering, too. Despite dropping a dime on the Wildensteins, she is now a co-defendant alongside Guy Wildenstein. Shes accused of money laundering in connection with what French officials say were secret contracts she signed for loans from Wildenstein that she needed to pay income taxes after her husbands death, The New York Times reported. Stoupakova said that she resorted to taking loans from Guy Wildenstein because the familys tax manipulation had left her unable to pay her bills. Liouba is a victim in this affair, said her lawyer, Julien Vernet. The trusts were hidden from her and she was used by French justice to obtain as many documents as possible. The case wont end in Paris. Documents in the French investigation indicate that the IRS also plans to go after the Wildensteins. When Sen. Marco Rubio was in the Florida House, he teamed up with his scandal-plagued pal David Rivera to co-sponsor legislation that would allow undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition rates. This issue combines the dual ghosts of Rubios past, both of which he is trying to escape as he navigates his way through a tough GOP presidential primary: his relationship with Rivera, a former congressman under investigation as the alleged mastermind of a campaign finance scheme; and his record on immigration, which his fellow presidential contenders have criticized for being insufficiently tough. The immigration issue has become especially important in the Republican field: This weeks political coverage was dominated by discussion over GOP frontrunner Donald Trumps first commercial, which depicted illegal immigrants streaming over the border. After the last Republican debate, Rubio and Sen. Ted Cruz spent days trading barbs over who was telling the truth about the others immigration record. Its not the first time the immigration issue has proven to be a vulnerability for major presidential candidates: in the 2012 and 2016 election cycles, former Gov. Rick Perry was savaged for allowing undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition in Texas. Mitt Romney, in his attempts to appear tough on illegal immigration, talked up his plans for self-deportation, which sounded about as far-fetched then as Donald Trumps plans for a Mexican-funded wall on the border seem today. But for Rubio, the immigration issue looms particularly large. Rubios reputation as a politician was in part shaped by his participation in the bipartisan Gang of Eight, which sought to pass comprehensive immigration reform in 2013. Rubio has since distanced himself from the immigration reform effort he once championed. But back in 2003 and 2004, he was even more generous to undocumented immigrants. Rubio and Rivera co-sponsored legislation that would have allowed undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition in community colleges and state universities. Those who resided in the state and attended a Florida high school for three years prior to graduation would be able to pay in-state tuition, the legislation proposed, if the student pledged to file an application to be a U.S. permanent resident as soon as he or she is able to do so. The legislation would not be adopted in 2003 or 2004, but was part of a years-long effort that continued well beyond Rubios time in the state legislature. Ultimately, in 2014, Republican Gov. Rick Scott signed into law an initiative that would allow undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition, something that is now in effect in 18 states. Even at the time, it was an issue that split Republicans: Rubio supported the in-state tuition proposal for immigrant students but said his leadership remained fearful that the legislation would be a boon for illegal immigrants, The Miami Herald reported in 2003. Both Rubios former immigration proposals and his association with Rivera have become political liabilities in the years since. Rubio was burned, and continues to be plagued, by his association with the Senate Gang of Eighttheir comprehensive immigration bill never became law, and the senator has been accused by his opponents of having supported amnesty. His support for undocumented immigrants receiving in-state tuition rates adds fuel to the flames, giving his opponents ammunition in a race that has been defined by Trump and populist outrage over immigration. It surprises no one that Rubio has been a consistent supporter of policies that encourage more and more illegal immigration. While Rubio doubles down on amnesty and wants to reward those who have broken the law, Ted Cruz has led the fight to stop it, Catherine Frazier, a Cruz spokeswoman, told The Daily Beast. [Cruz] is unapologetic about the importance of enforcing our laws and putting an end to policies that encourage people to break our laws. Rubios stances have shifted back and forth through the years. In October 2011, Rubio said that As a general rule, people in the United States who are here without documents should not benefit from programs like in-state tuition. But in 2014, he said that a law permitting in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants should be something they could consider... I think the better approach is to solve the immigration problem at the federal level. Neither the Rubio campaign nor Rivera responded to a request for comment on whether they stood behind their in-state tuition proposals. Nowadays, Rubios immigration strategy is more hardline: he calls for securing the border first, before any other immigration reforms are to be pursued. Rubios record on in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants also brings back into view Rivera, who has been an ally to Rubio since the two both got started in Florida politics. In the past, for example, Jeb Bushs campaign has made a point of trying to dissuade donors away from Rubio by labeling him a risky bet, in part due to his association with Rivera. The two pols owned a home together in Tallahassee, which led to its own mini-scandal when it faced foreclosure just as Rubio was running for U.S. Senate. As they were both ascending in their careers, Rubio and Rivera were often inseparablebut now that Rubio is running for office, the ties have been publicly cut. Rivera was hit with a $58,000 fine last year for improper billing of government funds while a Florida House member. But while Rubio is apparently done with Rivera, Rivera isnt done with appearing publicly at events that Rubio is attending. On at least two occasions, the Cleveland and Milwaukee Republican presidential debates, the ethically challenged former congressman has been spotted in the audience. As the first presidential contests near, and the microscope continues to hone in on Rubios record, the Florida senator will confront these dual liabilitiesor else face an electorate thats largely looking for a stricter messenger on immigration. North Korea today claimed it has joined the worlds first rank of nuclear nations by successfully conducting a hydrogen bomb test at 10 a.m. Pyongyang time. If the claim is true, the Kim Jong Un regime has made far more progress in developing nuclear weapons than believed. Even if the boast is false, the detonation is a dangerous signal. The test, which triggered international earthquake detection systems, will plunge the region into a diplomatic crisis and intensifies concerns about nuclear proliferation to Iran. In December, North Korea made a claim that it possessed a hydrogen weapon, which releases energy from the fusion of atomic particles. The fusion reaction of an H-bomb is first triggered by a fission explosion. The North is known to have detonated three crude fission devices, which derive their power from the splitting of particles, in 2006, 2009, and 2013. At the moment, little is known for sure. The U.S. Geological Survey today detected a 5.1-magnitude tremor in northeast North Korea, close to Punggye-ri, the spot of the three prior detonations. The South Korean and Chinese seismological services also measured the event. It is almost certain, therefore, that North Korea detonated a nuclear device of some kind. But was it an H-bomb, which is substantially more powerful than fission devices and much harder to build? It is more likely, as Joe Cirincione, president of the Plowshares Fund, tweeted, that North Korea set off a so-called boosted fission weapon, a device whose yield is enhanced with tritium. It may take weeks for the international community to learn the truth of North Koreas H-bomb claim, and its possible we may not know for years. The United States to this day, for instance, has not learned whether the device the North detonated in 2013 had a plutonium or uranium core. South Korea reports that the detonation today took place near the earths surface. It is much more likely the device was, as measured by the U.S., 10 kilometers underground. The farther below the surface, the less likely the United States or any other country will be able to sniff the particles released by the detonation and thereby learn about the nature of the device. Analysis of the explosion by David Albright, founder of the Institute for Science and International Security, concluded that a two-stage fission-fusion weapon capable of obtaining explosive yields of hundreds or thousands of kilotons had probably not been tested by the North Koreans. It is likely that this was not a test of what in the popular literature is interpreted as an H-bomb, he said.He said it remained possible that Pyongyang had developed a one-stage thermonuclear device capable of inflicting far more damage than an A-bomb, or they could simply be bluffing and attempting to pass off another A-bomb test as a breakthrough. In any event, a simple fission detonation is also bad news, especially if North Korea used the opportunity to develop a miniaturized warhead. In April, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) chief Admiral William Gortney said North Korea could target Americas West Coast with its mobile KN-08 missile, which can carry a nuclear warhead. The KN-08 is a special threat because it can hide and shoot, which means it is hard to destroy on the ground. The KN-08 is a relatively small missile, which means the North needs to develop a light-weight warhead. It appears a missile launch is coming soon. As Bruce Bechtol Jr., author of North Korea and Regional Security in the Kim Jong-un Era, has pointed out, North Korean nuke and missile tests come in pairs. We have seen nuclear tests conducted within a very short time frameeither before or afterlong-range ballistic missile tests, he told The Daily Beast after todays detonation. Another reason todays test would be ominous is Iran may have witnessed it and helped the North Koreans. During all three previous North Korean detonations, Iranians, including the shadowy Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the chief of Tehrans nuclear program, were present. The presence of personnel from Iran at the site would have serious implications for the just concluded nuclear agreement with Tehran. The assumption of the P5+1, the five permanent members of the Security Council and Germany, was that the inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency would be able to inspect Iranian facilities to ensure that Iran did not have a nuclear weapon. If Irans nuclear weapons program is located in North Korea, however, Tehran can build and store weapons thousands of miles beyond the sites monitored by international inspectors. And there is one other reason the test is of special concern. As Bechtol notes, North Koreas decision to go ahead with its detonation today indicates that the Kim Jong Un regime does not place much importance on its relations with the U.S. or its neighbors like China and South Korea. For instance, the detonation completely undermines the basis of South Korean President Park Geun-hyes signature trustpolitik policy of engagement with the North. Similarly, the test shows that Beijing is no longer able to influence Kim. China has for years expressed its displeasure with the North continuing its nuclear weapons program. In fact, there are rumors that Kim Jong Un canceled the high-profile performances in Beijing by his Moranbong Band last month because, while the group was there, China expressed irritation with his bragging of possessing an H-bomb. Kim has deliberately cut ties with his regimes only formal military ally and sponsor since the end of 2013. North Korea, once again, has decided to go on its own, and that is true whether the detonation today was of a crude device or, as claimed, a sophisticated one. Kims militant regime, the international community saw today, is making steady progress in developing the worlds most destructive weapons. Kate Middletons determination to give Prince George as normal an upbringing as possible received its most dramatic demonstration so far today as the young Prince attended his first day at kindergarten. Prince George is expected to attend the Westacre Montessori School nursery in Norfolk for the next two years, and the Cambridges released two pictures of Georgedressed in a quilted jacket with a check-lined hood and carrying a natty light-blue backpackin an attempt to pre-empt the attentions of paparazzi photographers. The photographs were taken by Kate. The pictures show Prince George standing in front of a mural on the outside of the nursery building. The kindergarten is near Anmer Hall, the Cambridges country home, and confirms speculation that this will be their main home for the next number of years. A nursery spokesman had previously said that the school was looking forward to welcoming George to our nursery. However, the palace made clear to reporters today that the school, which does not have a press spokesman, should not be approached for further comment. The nursery is situated along a private road, which will help control photographers. Nonetheless the regular dropoffs and pickups of George may prove a tempting target for international media. In a procedural sitting scheduled Sunday, Egypt's newly-elected parliament will grapple with a host of challenges, ranging from electing a speaker to discussing dozens of laws within 15 days After three years of political tumult and following the conclusion of a two-month election process, Egypt's new parliament, the House of Representatives, is due to hold the inaugural session of its five-year term on Sunday. According to parliament's internal regulations, the opening procedural meeting should be chaired by three members; the oldest MP as chairman and the two youngest MPs as deputies. Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Magdi El-Agati announced that the 77-year-old Bahaaeddin Abu Shuka, secretary-general of the Wafd Party and an appointed MP, will chair the session in his capacity as the most senior parliamentarian. Record 596 MPs to take oath The procedure will be followed by the first challenge facing the new parliament given the unprecedented number of MPs 596 each of whom will be obliged to read aloud the national oath. "It is impossible for all 596 MPs to take the national oath in one day and so we propose that half of them read it on Sunday and the other half on Monday," El-Agati told Al-Ahram newspaper on the first of January. According to Article 104 of the new constitution, each MP is obliged to read out the following national oath in the opening session: "I swear by Almighty God to loyally uphold the republican system, respect the constitution and the law, fully observe the interests of the people, and to safeguard the independence of the nation and integrity and unity of its land." However A number of MPs and constitutional experts argued that as Article 102 of the constitution came short of specifying how the national oath should be taken, it is recommended that all MPs read out the oath in one voice. "This will help parliament save no less than 20 hours that would be devoted to the national oath procedures," said Salah Fawzi, a professor of constitutional law at Mansoura University. However, El-Agati said in an interview with state-owned TV on Wednesday that "Article 102 is clear that each MP should take the national oath before he or she starts exercising his/her parliamentary duties." Election of speaker, two deputies The new parliament will be required to grapple with another challenge in its procedural meeting; the election of a speaker and two deputies. El-Agati insisted that the post of the speaker of parliament and two deputies should be assigned on the first day after all MPs read out the national oath. The election of a speaker will be decided for the first time with the absence of a powerful ruling party. Under the 30-year rule of former president Hosni Mubarak, the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) had the upper hand in selecting the speaker and two deputies. Four MPs have so far announced that they will run for the post of speaker; constitutional expert Ali Abdel-Al, TV host Tawfik Okasha, former president of Al-Azhar University Osama El-Abd, and leftist MP Kamal Ahmed. Abdel-Al's name shot to the top of the list of candidates after former interim president and the incumbent chairman of the Supreme Constitutional Court Adli Mansour refused an offer by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to be appointed to parliament. Two presidential appointees Sirri Siam, the former chairman of the Court of Cassation and the Higher Council of Judges, and the Wafd's Abu Shuka also announced that they had no intention of running for the post of speaker. Siam and Abu Shuka said they would rather stand for the post of the chairman of parliament's Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee. The Pro-Egyptian State Coalition, a grouping of MPs who have vowed to form a majority in parliament to back the political and economic agenda of President El-Sisi, said Abdel-Al has climbed to the top of the list of the coalition's nominees for the speaker's post. Led by Sameh Seif El-Yazal, a former intelligence officer, the coalition announced that "the door will be open for MPs who might have a wish to run for the post, and whoever gains the highest number of votes will be the coalition's official nominee for the post." A number of the pro-Sisi bloc's leading officials, such as journalist and MP Mostafa Bakri, disclosed that Abdel-Al is the only name on the list of nominees, and as a result has a good chance to be the official candidate. The name of the coalition's favoured nominee is expected to be announced one day before parliament's procedural session. Ahmed Saaeddin, the secretary-general of the House of Representatives, announced that MPs will elect a speaker and two deputies by casting their votes in glass boxes. "Although an electronic voting system was installed, it will not be operated in the opening session because it would be quite difficult for many MPs to use," said Saaeddin. El-Agati told Al-Ahram that it is highly recommended that the speaker of the new parliament should be a figure with deep-rooted constitutional and political experience. "I do not see a candidate lacking adequate constitutional and legal experience being elected speaker," said El-Agati. Abdel-Al, 69, is an emeritus professor of constitutional law at Ain Shams University. He was elected as part of the For the Love of Egypt list, which was coordinated by Seif El-Yazal. Discussing laws, decrees within 15 days A third challenge that the new parliament will face immediately after concluding its procedural sitting is the constitutional necessity of discussing laws and decrees within 15 days of sitting that have been passed since the removal of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi on 3 July 2013. El-Agati told Al-Ahram newspaper on 1 January that the number of laws that have been passed since the promulgation of the new constitution in 2014 stand at 292, and that these are the ones to which Article 156 of the constitution which obligates parliament to vote on all laws passed since the removal of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi from office in July 2013 within a matter of 15 days should apply. "While 170 law-effect decrees were issued in 2014, only 122 were issued in 2015," said El-Agati. El-Agati indicated that the laws issued after the removal of Morsi in July 2013 and until a new constitution was passed in January 2014 or the period in which Adli Mansour was still taking over as interim president do not apply to Article 156. "The Supreme Constitutional Court has ruled several times since 1978 that laws passed at the absence of a constitution cannot be reviewed by parliament," El-Agati argued. He stressed, however, that " in spite of the above, I recommend that all laws passed since the removal of Morsi be reviewed by parliament... in which case, the number would be higher than 292." El-Agati urged that once parliament's general committee including speaker, two deputies, and chairmen of specialised committees is formed following the procedural session on Sunday, it has to soon meet to debate how Article 156 should be implemented. He said his personal view is that the new speaker should entrust the task of debating all law-effect decrees to parliament's 19 committees which could report back to the house within a matter of days, which will be enough to meet the requirements imposed by Article 156. El-Agati warned that not discussing all law-effect decrees within a matter of 15 days could be considered a violation of the new constitution and hence lead to the dissolution of parliament. "So as a precautionary measure, parliament should discuss all law-effect decrees that have been passed following the removal of Morsi," said El-Agati. He also warned that "the discussion of law-effect decrees since Morsi's removal just in principle, rather than in detail, could also be considered a violation of Article 156 of the constitution." Abdel-Al, who is expected to be elected speaker, has a different view, arguing that Article 156 in fact applies to just 10, or possibly 15 laws issued to deal with matters deemed urgent. "Article 156 is clear that all law-effect decrees passed for matters deemed urgent such as the new anti-terror law are the only ones which apply to Article 156," said Abdel-Al. Al-Agati also stressed that once its opening procedural sitting is held, parliament should quickly gear itself up for drafting new internal regulations. "The current regulations were passed in 1979 and as a result they have become no longer valid, especially after the new constitution was passed," said El-Agati, indicating that his ministry has drafted a new law on parliament's internal regulations to be presented to the house for discussion. President El-Sisi is expected to deliver a speech before the newly-elected parliament one week after its opening meeting to brief it on a number of domestic and foreign issues and provide guidelines for its work for the next five years. Search Keywords: Short link: Backed by a well-known anti-choice lawyer, a surrogate mother-to-be in California is suing the genetic father (and intended parent) of the triplets shes carrying, claiming his alleged wish to terminate one of the fetuses entitles her to keep at least one of the babies, which are all unrelated to her. And if it comes down to it, she says, shell take all of them. I will be prepared to take all three, Melissa Cook told The Daily Beast. I feel for [the father] to be perfectly honest, but you cant just have such disregard for human life. Cook says she no longer sees surrogacy in a favorable light and, in her legal complaint, she claims both she and the fetuses are victims of what is, in effect, baby-selling. The 47-year-oldalready a traditional mother to four children, including a previous set of tripletsis now 23 weeks pregnant with the triplets produced from the single Georgia mans sperm and eggs from a 20-year-old donor. According to her lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Monday, the lack of a genetic tie should have no bearing on Cooks status as the mother. The bonding process between the pregnant mother and the children she carries during the nine months of pregnancy is the same physical process and experience, whether or not the mother is genetically related to the children, the complaint reads. The bonding process is both psychological and physiological. It cannot be wished away and it is not prevented or diminished by the existence of a written surrogacy contract or any of the promises or intentions expressed therein. The intended father disagrees. As much as she thinks she has some right via intrautero bonding, I think these kids have a far greater right to be raised together as siblings with their genetic, biological parent, the intended fathers lawyer, Robert Walmsley, said in an interview with The Daily Beast. When contacted for comment, Walmsley said the surrogates lawsuit was news to him, and claimed Cooks most recent contact with the intended father was allegedly a letter asking about her payment check. Cooks contract stipulated she would receive $33,000 for acting as a surrogate, with $6,000 per additional child. The contract also had a reduction clausewhereby the intended father could request an abortion in the event of multiple pregnancieswhich is commonplace for surrogacy arrangements using in-vitro fertilization. Though Cook agreed in the contract to abort one of the fetuses if the intended father requested it, when the possibility became a reality, Cook refused. They are human beings. I bonded with these kids. This is just not right, Cook told the New York Post last month. Walmsley again denied the allegation that his client had tried to pressure Cook to abort one of the fetuses and said while money associated with triplet care was a factor, the primary motivating force was the safety of the surrogate and the children. Walmsley called the lawsuits demands outrageous, especially the suggestion that Cook should take one of the triplets, thereby separating the siblings. What are we going do? Get a referee, meet on the 50 yard line, and flip a coin? [My client] is not doing that. Hes keeping the three children. Cook is being represented by a well-known anti-choice lawyer, Harold Cassidywhich Walmsley hardly sees as coincidence. [Cassidys] agenda is to stop surrogacy, to stop hundreds of thousands of childless individuals from having this science available to them, to prevent them from having kids at any cost. Walmsleys position is just as clear. Walmsley is the owner of the firm, Surrogacy International, and was one of the attorneys who argued for the intended parents before the state Supreme Court in Johnson v. Calvert. In that seminal case, the court decided that the surrogate mother, Johnson, who had no genetic ties to the child, also had no parental rights. Cassidy responded to The Daily Beast: This comment comes from a man who used a woman as an incubator for financial gain, then demanded that she terminate the life of one of the children she carried. When she refused to terminate that life, he then threatened to sue her for large money damages. So now he attempts to deflect his own indefensible conduct by attacking the attorney who [Cook] sought to help her defend the lives and rights of her children and her own interests against his egregious conduct. Cassidy represented surrogate mother Mary Beth Whitehead in the 1987 case over Baby M, the first time a U.S. court took up the question of surrogacy. Whitehead had conceived with donated sperm from the intended parentsa wealthy family in New Jerseybut refused to give up the child after she was born. Ultimately, the intended father retained custody of the child, but the state supreme court ruled that paid surrogacy was illegal. In the last two decades, Cassidy has retained his interest in motherhood and the unborn, devoting his practice to (in his view) protecting pregnant mothersin most cases by restricting access to abortion, and consulting with and defending state legislatures that pass laws that force women to undergo scientifically-questionable counseling as informed consent before an abortion. Surrogacy, as epitomized by the contract between [Cook and the intended father] is a plan to deprive a child of his or her mother, to create a motherless class of children, and to place custody of children without any regard for their best interests, Cassidy said in a statement provided to The Daily Beast. In many ways [the intended father] is a victim, too, Cassidy told The Daily Beast. Doctors and surrogacy brokers stripped him of his life savings and left him in a position to think that he has to raise three children. There is no federal law regulating surrogacy, and state laws vary wildly (PDF). California is one of eight states that allow for legal contracts that compensate for gestational surrogacywhere a women carries a pregnancy to which she is not genetically linkedand the intended parents names can go on a birth certificate. In Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Washington, paid surrogacy is illegal, and in Washington, D.C., it is a crime. After reviewing Cooks complaint, Joanna Grossman, Hofstra University law professor and author of Inside the Castle: Law and the Family in 20th Century America, said the argument that Californias surrogacy law is unconstitutional has no merit. The most likely scenario is that he gets all three babies and, as the only adult with parental rights, has the power to place any or all of them for adoption. DALLAS Rafael Cruz has biography that seems made of Red-State American dreams: fleeing Cuba, coming to the United States, becoming a born-again Christian, falling hard for Reagan, and now trying to help his son, Ted, inspire an Evangelical resurgence in American politics. Its a compelling narrative, and it makes for a great Tea Party rally speech. Cruz was his sons most beloved surrogate during the 2012 Texas Senate race, and the admiration he found from Tea Party crowds only grew. But as Rafael Cruzs star has risen, so have a multitude of myths about his life that Team Cruz doesnt exactly discouragelike, for example, the one about how Cruz is a freedom fighter from a hellhole who stood up against communism turned Dallas-based pastor with his very own church. So while Rafael himself and the Cruz campaign havent (to our knowledge) publicly said anything inaccurate about his personal history, they have left uncorrected some tales that members of the media and prominent conservative activists have woven about Cruz the Elderincluding tales that are totally divorced from reality (and in some cases easily found on the Internet). Theres Rafael the mana fascinating and influential person in his own rightand theres Rafael the myth, an odd duck who fought communism and pastors a church outside of Dallas. Its unclear where the Rafael Cruz mythologies came from and how much they benefit his standing in the Evangelical community. But its clear that the myths are pernicious, and that theyre impactful. One of the first and most galling falsehoods about Rafael Cruzs past is the notion that he fought communism. He didnt, but that hasnt stopped some of his most vocal backers from repeating, in contravention of all fact, that he suffered under communism and took on Fidel Castro. In fact, Glenn Beck, one of Rafael Cruzs biggest fans, argues as much in the forward to Rafael Cruzs own book, A Time for Action: Empowering the Faithful to Reclaim America, released just this week (published by WorldNetDaily of long form birth certificate, please fame). [W]hen Rafael Cruz told his teenage son about the torture, the fighting, the oppression, the murder, and the communist hellhole he grew up intheres no doubt that imagery shook his young son to the core and burned an unforgettable image and feeling that would never, ever go away, Beck wrote. Cuba may have been a hellhole when Rafael Cruz was growing up there. But theres one thing it wasnt: communist. As Andy Kroll detailed in his National Journal profile of Rafael Cruz, the future senators father fought against the island-nations dictator, General Fulgencio Batista. And at one point, the generals forces captured and tortured him. Behind every great man is an even greater father, Beck adds. And let it be stated for the record unequivocally: Rafael Cruz is one of the greatest freedom fighters of his generation. In reality, the Batista regime gave Rafael Cruz a student visa in 1957, which he used to travel to the U.S. Two years later, in 1959, Castro became prime minister of Cuba and the island-nation became a communist country. And when it comes to literal fighting in armed conflict, Rafael Cruz fought on only one side: Fidels. But this false implication that he was on the other side of history still finds its way into the first pages of his very own book. This isnt the only instance of Cruz World overlooking misperceptions about Cruz the Elders Cuban background. In 2011, when Ted Cruz was running for Senate, there was a controversy over whether the senator had perpetuated the myth that his father left Cuba after Castro took power. The Dallas Morning News determined that then-candidate Cruz had never made that particular false assertion. But they still criticized the candidate. Cruz, though, has remained silent as journalists and political activists incorrectly placed his father among the many Cubans who left the island nation after Castro took power, rather than as someone who fought on the same side as Castro to topple a rightist dictator, though he departed for Texas before the revolution succeeded, the paper wrote. That report notes that Kelly Shackleford, who introduced Cruz to the 2011 Value Voters Summit, said his family fled Castros regime. And Cruz didnt correct him. But theres another persistent rumor multiple major publications have reported about Rafael Cruz: that he pastors a church in the suburbs of Dallas. Except that he hasnt. Ever. Rick Tyler, a spokesman for Cruzs campaign, told The Daily Beast that these reports are all wrong, and that Rafael Cruz has never pastored any churches. He is an ordained minister, Tyler said, but has never led a congregation. Instead, Tyler said, Cruzs ministry focuses on preaching sermons to groups of pastors, and that he was ordained through a program based in Texas called Minesterios Mundo de Fe. Still, stories in major outlets ran saying Cruz is a pastor at a Baptist church in suburban Dallas or that he was raised Catholic, he became born again and is now a pastor at a Dallas church. Even Religion News Service made the same statement on Sept. 12, 2015. Now, Rafael pastors a church in Dallas and directs the Purifying Fire Ministries, ministering in the U.S., Mexico and Central America, and campaigns for Ted among pastors, the outlet reported. They were hardly alone. The incorrect assertion was also part of a bio of Rafael Cruz for a Family Leadership Summit where he spoke. Today Rafael Cruz is a pastor at a church in Dallas and serves as the Director of Purifying Fire Ministries ministering in the U.S., Mexico, and Central America, said an information page about the event. Ralph Holland, who heads Mundo de Fe, emailed that his ministry ordained Cruz. Rafael has travelled to our network churches in Latin America and has been very effective in his ministry, Holland wrote. He is often solicited in the churches. I have personally accompanied him on many of those trips and witnessed firsthand his effectiveness. Holland added that Cruz is very theologically versed. Any relation to Purifying Fire Ministries, by the way, is another Cruz mythology. Tyler said Cruz initially branded his work preaching to pastors groups with that moniker, but ditched it when he realized that Suzanne Hinnwife of famous and sketchy televangelist Benny Hinnhad a ministry with almost the identical name. Its an odd situation. And if his sons rise continues at the rate its going, it could generate no dearth of confusion for people looking for the truth about the dad of the maybe-president. The murder of a 15-year-old teenager, thrown to his death by ISIS for being gay, not only revealsyet againthe terror groups murderous homophobia, but also the hypocrisy that exists alongside it. A senior commander of the so-called Islamic State, named in reports as Abu Zaid al-Jazrawi, was having some kind of relationship with this as-yet-nameless 15-year-old, but the more senior man was not killed. Instead, al-Jazrawi was reportedly flogged, and forced to leave Syria and join the fighting fronts in northwestern Iraq. The boy, killed in Deir ez-Zor, Syrias seventh-largest city, is not the first to be murdered in such a manner: the images of men, accused and suspected of being gay, being thrown to their deaths from tall buildings has become brutally familiar. On Tuesday, the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory For Human Rights, told The Independent that at least 25 people have been killed by ISIS for being gay: six stoned, three shot in the head, and 16 thrown from high-rise buildings. Of the 15-year-olds killing, The horrific execution took place in front of a large crowd, a local media activist and an eyewitness told Syrian news agency ARA News. The boy was accused of being engaged in a homosexual relation with the prominent ISIS officer Abu Zaid al-Jazrawi, media activist Sarai al-Din told the agency. The Sharia Court in Deir ez-Zor reportedly said that Abu Zaid should, like the boy, die for being gay, but ISIS commanders demanded he be sent to fight in Iraq instead. Subhi Nahas, a gay Syrian who escaped the country fearing for his life, and who in a history-making speech addressed the United Nations last year about LGBT persecution in Syria, told The Daily Beast that there were possible cultural reasons behind the murder of one young man and the reprieve of his older sexual partner, described as the teens rapist in some reports. A tradition in which adult males engaged in sexual pleasure with pre-pubescent boys--ghelman--including hermaphroditic boys, has existed before the creation of Islam," Nahas said. "Because these encounters didn't result in pregnancies, they became more commonplace after Islam had taken root." The descriptions of the 15-year-olds relationship with the commander are contradictory: It has been variously described as a sexual relation and rape. How consensual or coercive the relationship was is unclear, as is the nature of the relationship between the older and younger man. Culturally, post the formation of Islam, people related homosexuality to pedophilia, said Nahas, now an activist with the Organization For Refuge, Asylum & Migration (ORAM). No distinction is drawn between the two. If somebody raped a boy they called him a homosexual, not a pedophile. Maybe this commander had a kind of waiver given to him by his peers. They think, He does great things for people. We cannot kill him, but we need a scapegoat, the boy. They dont call this relationship or [these] men gay, said Nahas. If a man has sex with another man, the two parties are the receptive one and the inserter. If youre the receptive party, youre doomed. Youre seen as sodomized, someone has done this to you, youre the abomination. If youre the inserter, you are in control, youre functional, you can reproduce. Nahas said the case was also puzzling: He had heard that while ISIS was sparing effeminate gay men for the pleasure of older men, the masculine men suspected of being gay were being killed. In this case, it appeared to Nahas that the ISIS commanders seniority possibly protected him. They needed a scapegoat, they needed a boy to kill. There should be another part to this story, but people are not willing yet to give us any information because its very sensitive. Michael Luongo, editor of Gay Travels in the Muslim World, told The Daily Beast that the murder of the 15-year-old showed ISISs hypocrisy. It goes to the idea that in some parts of the Middle East and other cultures being the penetrator is OK because that is not unmanly. Luongo added, If the sex was with a 15-year-old boy I would be certain he was the one who was penetrated, who was raped. The hypocrisy would also be added to in that it would be started by the desires of the guy who was not harshly punished, by the commander. We have seen this type of hypocrisy in other so-called religious groups such as the Taliban. The horror is added to by the sense the 15-year-old was essentially raped and then murdered for his having been raped. Nahas told The Daily Beast that gay men joined ISIS to protect themselves and their families, sometimes reporting on fellow gays to conceal themselves more effectively. Some new recruits report friends they used to have sex with, because they believe its the right thing to do. Nahas said that ORAM was still trying to establish the veracity of a website that appeared last year that purported to show members of ISIS engaged in gay sexual acts and poses. The site, Nahas said, was established by an asylum seeker now in Europe, and while some of the photos had been Photoshopped, other detailsmen wearing a certain kind of camouflage and with ISIS flags in the backgroundsuggested some of the pictures were real, but people cannot confirm this because they are afraid. We do know of reports that gay people are in ISIS, or having sex with members of the militia. In doing so, they secure protection for themselves, and a safe haven for their families andif they have themtheir children. At the same time they can have sex in the background. They know they are protected. They are not investigated. Now the message of this latest incident is, If you are senior enough with us and having gay sex, you will not be executed. Speaking for ORAMfounded in 2008 as the only international organization devoted solely to advocating for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) refugees fleeing brutalization due to sexual orientation or gender identityNahas said Syria remained very dangerous for gays. We hear from people within Syria looking for any way they can get out, or find a way to get resettled. They are too afraid to report what is going on. Lots are being kidnapped, lots are being killed. They are either scared for their life, or have no idea what to do to escape and how to do it. Nahas emphasized that the danger to LGBT people in Syria did not just come from ISIS, but from the government, and other groupsextreme and not. Another militant Islamic group, Ahrar ash-Sham, also targeted gaysand a third group, which Nahas called the Judicial Court in Aleppo, executed seven people accused of being gay and of being drug users, by shooting them in their heads. The group also killed a 17-year-old boy, accused of being gay. The targeting of gay people in Syria is escalating, even by groups who say they are secular, said Nahas. They believe that gay people are one of the main reasons there is war in Syria, and they need to be killed so the war can be won. Just as the 15-year-old in the most recent killing might have been a scapegoat, so are LGBTs being treated as such more generally. Nahas said he knew of between 100 and 125 LGBT Syrians in Turkey, awaiting resettlement abroad, as he himself eventually secured last year after a perilous and terrifying escape from Syria. Of watching the unfolding events for LGBT people in his home country, Nahas, who now lives in the U.S., said, Its devastating. You feel paralyzed. You feel like you cannot do anything. And you feel like, How and why is this happening and what led to it? You cannot do anything about it, and I need to do something and want to do something, but theres nothing I can do. I always put myself in their shoes and always think, That could be me, that could have been me at any moment. There are not enough resources, and gays are afraid and scared, and theyre being targeted and killed. Nahas paused. Its just too much. ISIS generally doesnt respond well to music. But that isnt stopping James Twyman, an author and musician based in Portland, Oregon, from planning a trip to ISIS-held territory in Syria later this month to help bring peace to the region through the power of a musical-prayer concert. Performing the peace prayers in ISIS Controlled Syria will be the most important and dangerous peace mission of my life, the self-described Peace Troubadour blogged last month. Every peace mission Ive been on has been dangerous, but this journey is without question the most perilous, and in my opinionthe most important, Twyman wrote. People everywhere are concerned about the escalating violence in the Middle East, especially with the rise of ISIS, but they dont feel empowered to be part of the solution. That is what we are about to change. Twyman, slinging his Cordoba classical guitar, is scheduled to fly out Jan. 20. Hell first spend a weekend in Italy getting ready for the show, then will hop a flight to Tel Aviv to meet a handful of supporters and organizers. From there theyll travel to the Israel-Syria border and set up their musical-prayer homebase in Majdal Shams, an Israeli-occupied Druze town in Syrian territory. (Twyman traveled to the same town in 2013 for a previous peace vigil for Syria.) The people there are very anti-ISIS and anti-terrorismits where well set up our base of operations, he told The Daily Beast. Twyman is aware of the kidnappings, the high-profile beheadings, the whole war, the State Department Syria travel warning, and all that jazz. He says that, despite his websites bold phrasing, he is taking all necessary precautions for his potential ISIS-land gig. People have this image of me walking into an ISIS village with a guitar on my back, he said, chuckling. That wont be the case. The purpose of this is to get tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people praying. Its not about me being a superstar idiot in Syria. At this point, were not sure how far we will go, but if people there feel they can get me into an ISIS area safely, and then out safely, then we will do just thatThe idea is to sing, then get back to safety. We are hoping for something interesting, just not too interesting. (ISIS-dominated territory in Syria is too dangerous even for Sylvester Stallone, so chances of Twyman venturing beyond the Israeli-controlled village are rather slim.) If Twymans fellow peace activists cant get him into a place where he can perform for some people living under ISIS rule, his fallback plan is to play his set in a safe area overlooking an ISIS-controlled area. From there, he and his team will sing the Islamic prayer for peace, as the Peace Troubadour strums his acoustic guitar. Regardless of Twymans precise location, the mission is to rally as many people as possible, via the Internet, to simultaneously focus our Affirmative Prayers on ISIS in order tomiraculously, somehow, in unprecedented fashionstem the bloodshed through divine intervention. (Godspeed.) He insists that this has worked before. Twyman was inspired to start this brand of musical peace activism in 1994, he says, after a friend gifted him a piece of paper that included the peace prayers from all major religions. I just began to hear music, and picked up my guitar to play every one, he said. This is what Im meant to do, I thought. He says he later traveled to the Balkans during the wars and ethnic cleansing in the 90s and got invited by a Croatian peace organization to perform in refugee camps. He later traveled to Belfast during the Northern Ireland peace negotiations. (He has written about some of these experiences in his book Emissary of Light.) Twyman likes to tell a story about how he was invited by Saddam Hussein to perform at the national theater in Baghdad in 1998, shortly before the kickoff of Operation Desert Fox. I was brought in there to Iraq before the U.S. began the bombing campaign against [Saddam], he recalled. My first book had just come out, and I was in London on book tour, and I was on a talk show in the U.K. I mentioned that Id love to go to Iraq...then it turned out somebody in the Iraqi Embassy in Great Britain heard that, and within a day I received a visa and an official invitation to come to Baghdad. The Daily Beast could not independently verify this claim, but Twyman provided a photo that he says was taken in front of the theater in Iraq following his anti-war concert. The group had just planted a peace pole that read, May Peace Prevail on Earth, in four languages. Ultimately, the guitar-playing peacenik never got the chance to meet the Iraqi dictator who had supposedly invited him to play an anti-bombing set. I was told he watched part of the concert, though, Twyman said. Next stop? Syriamaybe. If jihadist-related conditions permit. When people say I shouldnt do this because it will make ISIS mad, I say, If were thinking that way, then ISIS has already won, he concluded. There is no way to know what will or will not work, but I dont think there is anything wrong with having a positive attitude or bringing people together, particularly those who do believe in the power of prayer. The Free Egyptians Party says it referred one of its MPs for investigation for joining a pro-Sisi parliamentary coalition The Free Egyptians Party has referred its MP Mai Mahmoud to investigation for joining the pro-Sisi parliamentary coalition, which the party had decided not join, party spokesperson Wagih Shahab told Ahram Online on Wednesday. Shahab added that the party did not have any information about other Free Egyptians Party MPs joining the "Support Egypt" parliamentary coalition, as the head of the coalition Sameh Seif Yazel claimed earlier this week in the media. The liberal party announced in early December that it declined to join the pro-Sisi parliamentary bloc, saying that its aims were unclear and that the bloc was against the party pluralism supported by the constitution. A number of political parties and independent MPs announced in December that they would join a parliamentary bloc led by Seif El-Yazal, a former intelligence officer and the coordinator of the For the Love of Egypt pro-Sisi electoral list, which won the 120 party list seats available in the elections. The Free Egyptians Party won 65 seats in parliament, the highest number of seats out of all parties. Asked about who the Free Egyptians Party would support for speaker of the House of Representatives, Shahab told Ahram Online that the party would choose a name next Saturday, 9 January. He also stated that the party would support its MP Hatem Bashat to become the undersecretary of the House of Representative. Bashat is a former undersecretary of Egyptian General Intelligence and is representing the Zeitoun constituency in Cairo. The House of Representatives will convene for its first session on 10 January. Search Keywords: Short link: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's frontier survival saga "The Revenant," filmed in the Canadian Rockies, seeks to join the ranks of Werner Herzog's "Fitzcarraldo" and Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now": movies that take some of their primal madness from their raw, remote natural landscapes. The making of those movies are mythic tales in their own right, and "The Revenant" arrives with its own tall tales of on-set tussles and actor derring-do. After confining himself largely to the interior of a Broadway theater and the psyche of Michael Keaton's Riggan Thomson in the best picture-winning "Birdman," Inarritu and his maverick cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki, have opted for the open air of the West, circa 1823, in a loose adaptation of Michael Punke's 2002 novel about the frontiersman Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio). The result is some of the most ravishing filmmaking of the year, or any year, as Inarritu and Lubezki stretch their fluid long takes down river rapids and into the kind of clashes a mauling grizzly, an ambushing tribe not rendered before with this kind of awe-inspiring, naturally lit virtuosity. But awe is the only thing "The Revenant" is well stocked in, if you don't count snow and beards. "The Revenant" isn't just showy about its audacity, it's relentlessly chest-thumping. DiCaprio isn't the film's true star; it's Inarritu's camera. He never lets us forget it, not just in staggering one-takes but by allowing characters to look into the lens, sometimes even fogging it with their breath. "The Revenant" earns your admiration, only to lose it by continually insisting upon it. Somewhere in the realm of the Dakotas and Montana is the Rocky Mountain Fur Co., guided by Glass in their pursuit through hostile and uncompromising territory for beaver pelts. In our first view of the trappers, they're camped in river-side pines when an eerie suspense settles over them. Arrows from all around sail into them before Ree tribesmen, searching for a stolen daughter, stream into the camp. With mayhem and savagery all around, Inarritu's balletic camera sweeps through the slaughter and eventually drifts down the river with small band of survivors. Among them are Glass, his Pawnee son (Forrest Goodluck), the company's leader, Andrew Henry (Domhnall Gleeson), a callow youngster (Will Poulter) and John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). The scene is the first taste of what "The Revenant" has in store: the throbbing intensity of survival, played out across harsh, wintery terrain, in a series of flights and pursuits between men, native and not, seeking a variety of vengeances. There are occasional whispery flashbacks and surreal dream sequences that attempt to give the film more spiritual underpinnings that are little match for the movie's relentlessly visceral reality. In another extended single shot, Glass is mauled by a bear, leaving him so badly injured that death seems certain. After attempting to lug him through the mountains, Henry offers more money for volunteers to stay behind and give him a proper burial "when the time comes." Fitzgerald, interested in the extra cash, steps forward. Shifty and selfish, Fitzgerald is the obvious villain-in-waiting; Hardy patiently waits for his opportunity to reveal a deeper savagery in mankind and babble something over a campfire about God being a squirrel he once caught and ate. Let loose in the wild, Hardy doesn't disappoint. Neither does DiCaprio in an often wordless, exceptionally committed performance of Glass' great determination. As he was in Martin Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street" (which also included long sections of the actor crawling, albeit in a quaalude-induced stupor), DiCaprio is most interested in extremes of performance. But no one is more in rhapsody over the manliness of the mission than Inarritu. His bleak and beautiful movie is overwrought, but it's also soaked through with the brutality of the frontier and the tragedy of its indigenous people. Native Americans traverse "The Revenant," carrying the deepest horrors of the land. It's something to contemplate, when not ooo-ing at the spectacular set pieces. A Navasota man was sentenced to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to two felony counts of assaulting his girlfriend with a deadly weapon, according to the Grimes County District Attorney's Office. According to officials, Alfonso Solis and his girlfriend were returning home from College Station in November 2014 when Solis punched his girlfriend in the face, then kicked her out of the car at Emerald Parkway and Texas 6. Prosecutors say she walked to a home and called her mother, who picked her up and took her to Navasota. When she arrived home, prosecutors say Solis was waiting for her and assaulted her with a golf club, which caused the shaft of the club to bend in half. When she tried to leave, officials say Solis held a knife to her neck. She eventually escaped and when authorities responded, Solis wrestled with law enforcement and had a large knife in his back pocket, according to the prosecutor. Solis still faces assault charges in Brazos County, where he will be transferred. An agreement was reached last week between the three countries involved in the talks, permitting field visits to the dam by Egyptian and Sudanese experts An Egyptian technical delegation will be holding talks with its counterparts from Sudan and Ethiopia in Addis Ababa over the latter's controversial Grand Renaissance Dam on Wednesday. The talks come after the three countries announced last Tuesday following a week of discussions between top officials that they came to an agreement, permitting field visits to the dam area by Egyptian and Sudanese experts. Egypt's Irrigation Minster Hossam Moghazi told Al Ahram newspaper on Wednesday that the technical delegation includes five experts who will offer their findings on the possibility of increasing openings in the dam and modifying its designs. Ahmed Abo-Zeid, Egypt's foreign ministry spokesperson, announced on Tuesday that contracts with the two French firms carrying out studies on the impact of Ethiopia's under construction Grand Renaissance Dam on downstream countries' water shares will be signed in early February in Khartoum. The two firms are Artelia and BRL. The Grand Renaissance Dam, set to be completed in 2017, will be Africa's largest hydroelectric plant with a storage capacity of 74 billion cubic metres of water. Egypt fears that the establishment of the dam might affect its 55 cubic metre share of Nile water. However, Ethiopia says that the dam will not cause harm to any Nile Basin country, arguing that it is mainly aimed at generating electricity in a country where only 10 percent of the population have consistent electricity services. Search Keywords: Short link: Blair Boone discovered in November that a map filed by Mountain Valley Pipeline sited a tap for Roanoke Gas on the familys farm in Franklin County. A black X in a blue circle marked the spot. Boones heart sank. In August, he and his mother, Mavis, then 90 years old, told a survey crew seeking a route for the proposed 42-inch-diameter natural gas transmission pipeline to stay off the familys property adjacent to the Blackwater River. It now appears that a tap, which would allow Roanoke Gas to draw natural gas from the high-pressure pipeline, would likely be sited in or near the vicinity of Southway Farm, a 350-acre property between Boones Mill and Rocky Mount that Franklin County intends to develop for a business park. But the site that would be on the Boone family property has not been ruled out, according to officials with Roanoke Gas. The Mountain Valley project, a 301-mile interstate pipeline, requires a green light from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission before construction can begin. In correspondence dated Dec. 24, FERC instructed Mountain Valley to provide, within 20 days, more details about the proposed Roanoke Gas connection. FERC asked for a pipeline milepost for the site, an estimate of anticipated volume of gas delivered there, a site plan and other pertinent details. John DOrazio, president and CEO of Roanoke Gas parent company RGC Resources, said last week it is possible that at least some of the details requested by FERC could be provided within 20 days. He said other details could hinge on facts not yet known, such as the pipelines final route and what volume of natural gas might flow into a new distribution system. Another RGC Resources subsidiary, RGC Midstream, is a partner in the Mountain Valley project. Some state and county officials have said access to natural gas could boost economic development in Franklin County. In turn, pipeline opponents have expressed frustration that county negotiations with Roanoke Gas have not been public. Mike Burnette, Franklin Countys director of economic development, said Mountain Valley Pipeline has promised to site at least one tap in Franklin County that would provide access for a local distribution company likely to be Roanoke Gas to the natural gas moving through the pipeline. Burnette said there is no firm agreement that the buried pipeline would be tapped in the vicinity of the business park. But he added that doing so would certainly be more economical for the county than a tap located farther afield. As of Saturday, Roanoke Gas is the only local distribution company identified along the route of the controversial $3.5 billion project that has expressed interest publicly about tapping the pipe. Boone and many other foes of the pipeline project contend the agreement between Mountain Valley and RGC Resources was negotiated in an effort to convince FERC that the pipeline would benefit at least one community along the route. Everyone believes the Roanoke Gas partnership with MVP is just a smokescreen so MVP can claim public benefit, Boone said. DOrazio responded in an email. Our agreement with MVP addresses the growing demand for natural gas in our region, enhances the reliability of our system and provides us the opportunity to bring natural gas to unserved communities, he said. Natalie Cox, a spokeswoman for Mountain Valley, could not be reached for comment. In filings with FERC, Mountain Valley twice cites its proposed supply of natural gas to Roanoke Gas when rejecting alternatives to the pipeline it hopes to bury through the region. For example, Mountain Valley reports in FERC filings that pushing additional natural gas through the Columbia Pipeline Group system could not provide service to Roanoke Gas as MVP proposes and thus would not meet MVPs purpose and need. And Mountain Valley suggests that its contract to supply Roanoke Gas could not be served by the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline, a separate interstate pipeline project that would follow a different route in West Virginia and Virginia. Paul Nester, chief financial officer for RGC Resources, said a tap and an associated gate station would require about 1 acre or less. Gate stations typically reduce the pressure of gas in a transmission pipeline, add the rotten-egg smell associated with natural gas and measure the volume of gas received by the local distribution company. As envisioned, the proposed Mountain Valley interstate pipeline project would transport natural gas extracted by hydraulic fracturing wells in Marcellus and Utica shale formations in West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The current route would traverse 11 counties in West Virginia and six in Virginia, with the latter to include the counties of Giles, Montgomery, Craig, Roanoke, Franklin and Pittsylvania. In Franklin County, the pipeline would cross nearly 37 miles, the longest distance of any county along the route. In March, Roanoke Gas applied to the State Corporation Commission for the certificate it would need to expand its limited territory in Franklin County. But after officials in Rocky Mount questioned whether Roanoke Gas ultimately would provide natural gas to the town, Roanoke Gas sought and received from the SCC a stay of the proceeding, pending more clarity about the Mountain Valley project. Restoring and operating antique engines and equipment has long been a passion of Joe Brubaker. A charter member of Southwest Virginia Antique Power Festival, which founded the Southwest Virginia Antique Farm Days event in Franklin County, Brubaker has volunteered with the organization since its inception in 2002. The son of Emmett and Florence Brubaker, Joe Brubaker was born and raised in Indiana. After his schooling was complete, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, where he spent three years, including two in Vietnam where he was wounded, earning him a Purple Heart. Brubaker moved to Franklin County in 1968 and married Lois Austin. In 1973, the couple put down roots in Ferrum, where they have lived ever since. The Brubakers owned and operated B and B Farm Supply for 15 years before selling it in 1985. We used to sell feed, fertilizer and other farm supplies, Brubaker said. We were located in the plaza where Roses is located now. After selling the business, Brubaker worked for 20 years with the U.S. Postal Service, carrying mail for the Rocky Mount Post Office. He retired in 2004. Brubaker began his work with the Antique Power Festival in 2002 when one of its charter members, Jimmy Boone, saw his dream come to fruition in the formation of the club. He (Jimmy Boone) always had a dream to have an antique show in the county, said Brubaker. He got a few of us together and kept pushing until it came about. The first Antique Farm Days event took place the following year in 2003. This year will mark the 13th anniversary of the show, Brubaker said. Serving as president of the club for the first nine years and current board member, Brubaker said the club started with only eight or nine members. Currently, there are around 85 members scattered across four or five different states. They cant all attend meetings, but they show their support financially and in other ways, Brubaker said. The first three or four years were a learning curve for the club, Brubaker said. We knew nothing and as soon as one show was over, we had to start planning for the next year, he said. Its been fantastic working with the group and planning for the shows each year. The Antique Farm Days event is run solely by volunteers and takes place annually on Fathers Day weekend at the Franklin County Recreation Park on Sontag Road in Rocky Mount. Members of the Antique Power Festival also host other local events, including plow days and performing working demos at the Blue Ridge Folklife Festival at Ferrum College on the last Saturday in October. I get great satisfaction from my involvement with the Antique Farm Days event, Brubaker said. I have watched the organization grow over the years into a major annual event, which has helped preserve our local farm heritage and history. People come from miles around to visit and participate in the event. Brubaker also enjoys training and working with draft horses. He currently owns two teams of two or four horses. They are Haflingers, Brubaker said of the horses. We own them for pleasure but I sometimes use them for farm work or to help plow. He also serves his community as past president and board member of the Waidsboro Ruritan Club. He and his wife have two children, Sharon Yeager of Boones Mill and Charles Brubaker of Sontag, and six grandchildren. Senior in the Spotlight honors the life of a person 60 years or older for their community contributions. Senior in the Spotlight is created and sponsored by Alpine Photography. SHARE Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) By Adam Beam Associated Press U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says it's "inevitable" Republicans will take control of the Kentucky House of Representatives, the last legislative chamber in the South still controlled by Democrats. McConnell spoke with reporters briefly Wednesday following a private meeting with newly-elected Republican Gov. Matt Bevin at the state Capitol. McConnell has the daunting task of trying to preserve the GOP majority in the U.S. Senate this fall. But he said he has been recruiting candidates for Kentucky's state House elections for months and said he will be "as active as (Republicans) will like for me to be." "The shift in the House is inevitable, it's just a question of time," McConnell said. Democrats have a 50-46 advantage in the House after four lawmakers resigned and two Democrats switched parties. Republicans have a majority in the state Senate but have not controlled the state House since 1920. Democratic House Speaker Greg Stumbo told The Courier-Journal the state Democratic Party is considering suing lawmakers who switched parties. "There has been some discussion at the party level asking for litigation, asking for return of dollars, donations to the candidates that changed their party affiliation." Stumbo told the newspaper. "The theory of fraud." McConnell said his meetings with lawmakers and potential candidates focused on convincing people to help change Kentucky. Bevin called Stumbo's comments "embarrassing" and said they were embarrassing to him and his party. "They smack of desperation that is frankly beneath even him," Bevin said. The Kentucky legislature convened Tuesday for the start of a 60-day session. Lawmakers are expected to craft a two year, $21.4 billion state spending plan, among other legislation. Tom Lovett / The Gleaner Six children and an adult were taken to Methodist Hospital on Tuesday evening after one Henderson County school bus struck another in the parking lot at Chandler Elementary School. None of the injuries were considered severe. SHARE By Tom Lovett of The Gleaner Six Henderson County students were taken to the hospital after the bus they were in was struck in the Chandler Elementary School parking lot by another Henderson Schools bus. According to Cpl. Carroll Morrow of the Henderson County Sheriff's Office, the bus containing mostly middle and high school students was parked in the lot wen it was rear-ended by a second bus around 4:30 p.m. "The driver thought she hit the brakes, but she's not sure and just ran right into the back of the other school bus," Morrow said. Six students complaining of pain were transported to Methodist Hospital to get checked out. As of right now I don't know of any serious injuries but we definitely want to take them in for precautionary measures ... We do know there are some injuries but the severity of those injuries are unknown." Morrow said no one appeared to be seriously injured. "Most of them were just complaining about back and neck pain," he said. The driver of the bus that hit the other bus also reported she was in pain and was taken to the hospital. Henderson County Schools spokeswoman Julie Wischer identified the driver as Dolores Raleigh of Henderson, who has driven for the district for 23 years. The names of the students and their condition were not available Tuesday. Early voting has begun. What you need to know about casting a ballot elections NORWALK --Thinking of starting a new retail business? Norwalk's Wall Street area may be the place to consider opening it, as a city agency may foot part of the rental bill. The Norwalk Redevelopment Agency has launched a Wall Street Stabilization Program whereby new business owners may qualify for subsidies of up to $20,000 or one-third of the business's monthly rent for up to five year. The subsidy acts as a low-interest loan that is forgiven by 20 percent for each year that the store remains in business after five years. The loan must be paid back should the business falter prior to the "stabilization" period of five years. "Wall Street has a lot of vacant storefronts and this is a good opportunity for us to jumpstart excitement in that area," Elizabeth Stocker, Norwalk's director of economic development, said. "The area has tremendous potential and it's exciting to see the (development) projects moving forward." Redevelopment mixed-use projects such as Wall Street Place and Head of the Harbor offer further promise for the area. The stabilization program is limited to potential new retailers that would be located in a storefront on Wall Street, be a for-profit enterprise, attract foot traffic and be different from other retailers in the area. Property owners are excluded from consideration. "It needs to be a business that is going to be a little different. We aren't looking for businesses that are similar to the ones already there," Stocker said. "We are looking for diversity. We want a greater selection of businesses in the area." The program recently secured its first applicant in Cafe Aroma, a 630-square-foot coffee shop that will open this winter at 55 Wall St. Cafe Aroma's application will be considered at the Redevelopment Agency's meeting next Tuesday. Norwalk Redevelopment Agency staff review the applications. To be considered for a loan, business owners must show a copy of the lease, their business plan and proforma. Paul Theodoridis is the proprietor of Cafe Aroma and said he did not hesitate to apply upon learning of the program. "It's help so why wouldn't I apply? Hopefully the city can help me out," Theodoridis said. "The area is getting developed and Norwalk is going to continue to grow, especially in the Wall Street area." Theodoridis moved to Norwalk from Greece more than 40 years ago and he is excited to bring something new and different to the Wall Street area. "The new trend is small coffee shops, coffee bars basically," he said. "I wanted to do something else, something new. People should sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee; not just wake up, make their coffee and go to work. I'm from Greece and the culture is different there. Go, sit and enjoy coffee. "Everything will be organic as much as possible," Theodoridis added. "Organic sugar, organic sugar substitute, organic milks, organic teas. The water will also be filtered and come from copper pipes. That's the best way to get water, from copper pipes, not plastic." Theodoridis said Cafe Aroma will also offer foods such as pastries, yogurt, fruit and gelato. He said he will not serve donuts and sodas. "I'm trying to bring something a little different," Theodoridis said. Stocker said Cafe Aroma is a good candidate to receive a loan through the Wall Street Stabilization Program. It is new, different and Theodoridis does not own the building. "There aren't any clothing stores there now so that would be a nice fit, too," Stocker said. "This program will benefit Wall Street and the community as a whole." For more information about the Wall Street Stabilization Program, contact Stocker at (203) 854-7948 or estocker@ norwalkct.org Ahmed Abdullah was acquitted of a raft of charges, including obstructing governmental institutions, attacking civil liberties and damaging national unity and social peace Cairo Criminal Court acquitted Wednesday one defendant on retrial in what is referred to in the Egyptian media as the "Marriott Cell" case. In June 2014, defendant Ahmed Abdullah and others were sentenced to 10 years in absentia before Abdullah turned himself in to authorities for the retrial. Under Egyptian law, a retrial must be granted to defendants convicted in absentia once they are taken into custody. Abdullah and the other defendants were accused of obstructing governmental institutions, attacking civil liberties and damaging national unity and social peace, as well as joining the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood group. This is the same case that witnessed a pardon by Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi of two Al-Jazeera journalists, Mohamed Fadel Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, in September after they convicted of deliberately choosing to publish false news to support the Muslim Brotherhood. The two men were handed three-year jail sentences, in addition to an extra six months for Baher. Australian journalist Peter Greste, who was among those convicted and sentenced in absentia, was deported to Australia in February 2015 under a 2014 presidential decree that allows foreign nationals to continue their pretrial detention or post-trial prison sentences in their home countries. Search Keywords: Short link: ROWAYTON -- Rowayton Art Center's annual student-teacher exhibition opens this weekend with a reception and a free painting demonstration. The exhibit, titled "From the RAC Studio", opens Jan. 10 and showcases work produced during the past twelve months by Rowayton Art Center (RAC) students and faculty. RAC Education Director Suzy Aubrey said that the exhibition is meant to highlight the artistic growth of the art center's students. "I think it's the best show we do all year," Aubrey told The Hour. "It's kind of magnificent and magical to see the growth that can occur with the guidance of our instructors." Sunday's free painting demonstration will take place from 2 to 4 with RAC instructor Frank Bruckmann, a New Haven-based figurative painter. Bruckmann said he will show how to begin a painting using a "blocking" technique -- beginning with large shapes, then adding increasingly fine details until an image is produced. Bruckmann likened this process to watching the development of an instant photograph: the image first appears as a smattering of abstract blobs, but details gradually emerge. "You know the old Polaroids they used to have?" Bruckmann asked. "That's kind of the way I paint. I just block in the biggest shapes I see (and continue adding) until I get as much detail as I want." The demonstration will also include instruction about color selection, technique and materials, Bruckmann added. "I tell people a lot of information as I'm painting, which is a very hard thing to do --paint and talk at the same time," Bruckmann joked. "It's a pretty fun thing. Sometimes entertaining." Bruckmann said he will also exhibit a painting in "From the RAC Studio", possibly a landscape from one of his regular Maine excursions. According to Aubrey, students seek instruction at the 50-year-old art center for a variety of reasons, including to benefit from painting's therapeutic effects. ""We've had students come through having a difficult time in life," Aubrey told The Hour. "Tapping into the right side of (the) brain for three hours at a time without any interruptions does wondrous things." "From the RAC Studio" opens Sunday, Jan. 10. Frank Bruckmann will demonstrate painting techniques from 2 to 4 p.m. upstairs in the RAC studio. An opening reception for the exhibition will follow downstairs from 4 to 6 p.m. Admission is free. "From the RAC Studio" will remain on display through Jan. 24. RAC's gallery is open to the public Tuesdays through Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m. Visit www.rowaytonartscenter.org for more information. WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama's move to tighten controls on guns could curb the unregulated buying and selling of weapons over the Internet and at gun shows. But the overall effect on violence in the U.S. could prove to be modest. "It's not ever going to be difficult to get a firearm, just like it's not ever going to be difficult to get illegal drugs," said James Jacobs, a New York University law school professor. "What makes us think that we can now create a regime that will make guns hard to obtain for someone who wants to obtain them?" The president used his executive authority Tuesday to clarify that anyone "in the business" of selling firearms must obtain a federal license and conduct background checks on prospective buyers, regardless of where the sales take place. Currently, many private sellers online and at gun shows do not bother to get licenses, and weapons sales over the Internet have become a booming business. The White House and others can't say how many transactions the step will block or how much bloodshed it may prevent. But the new controls probably wouldn't have prevented several of the grisly mass shootings around the country that have led to demands for tighter gun laws, and may affect only a fraction of the nation's 30,000 annual gun deaths. The president's action "has potential impact -- the degree or the type, it's hard to predict," said University of Pennsylvania professor Susan Sorenson, who studies violence prevention. "And it's really important to acknowledge that we can't just have one change and expect that to change things wildly." For one thing, studies have shown that criminals are more likely to get guns directly from friends or other social connections than at gun shows or flea markets. The president also called for the hiring of more than 230 additional examiners and other staff to process the millions of background checks received annually. But even with added manpower, there's no way to completely eliminate human error like the clerical mistakes that allowed Dylann Roof, the young man charged in the Charleston, South Carolina, church massacre, to buy a weapon even though he should have been disqualified after an earlier drug arrest. The White House did not set a threshold for the number of guns someone has to sell to be covered by the licensing and background check requirement. But it warned that people can be charged with a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison for selling as few as two firearms when there is evidence they are running a business, such as selling weapons in their original packaging and for a profit. Theresa O'Rourke of Downers Grove, Illinois, said she hopes Obama's action will deter illegal transactions that have deadly consequences. Her best friend, 36-year-old Jitka Vesel, was killed in 2011 by a stalker who had illegally purchased a gun from a seller he met through Armslist.com, an online gun site. The seller was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to an illegal sale. "People do it now because it's easy," O'Rourke said. "But if we say upfront that if you break the law and you are going to go to prison, most people are going to take a step back and say, 'You know what? It's not worth it.'" She and other gun control advocates said too many individuals make a living selling guns without obtaining the $150 license and following requirements to conduct background checks, keep detailed sales records and face federal inspections. Private sales -- often carried out in person after Internet advertisements connect sellers and buyers -- can be exploited by convicted felons, domestic abusers and others who cannot pass a background check, critics say. Private sales have increasingly gone online over the last decade, but precise data is hard to pin down. GunBroker.com, which calls itself the world's largest online auction site for firearms and accessories, says it has grown every year since 1999. It now boasts 750,000 active listings on any given day. Armslist claims 7 million site visits per month. One in 20 guns advertised through Armslist last year was linked to an unlicensed seller who had listed at least 25 guns, according to recent research published by Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun control group backed by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. A 2013 investigation by that group's predecessor, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, found that more than 3 percent of potential buyers on Armslist had criminal records that would bar them from owning firearms. Armslist, which was founded after Craigslist banned gun ads in 2007, says in a disclaimer on its website that it doesn't get involved in transactions and that buyers and sellers must follow all state and federal gun laws. Still, guns sold through ads on the site have been linked to some fatal shootings. A lawsuit filed in October alleges that an abusive husband purchased a handgun through an Armslist ad and used it to kill his wife and two other women at a salon in suburban Milwaukee in 2012. The man, Radcliffe Haughton, was able to buy the gun even though a judge had issued a restraining order days earlier that should have made him ineligible. He went online to say he was "looking to buy ASAP," and made the purchase in the parking lot of a McDonald's, the lawsuit says. Armslist owner Jonathan Gibbon called Obama's moves "well-meaning but ultimately ineffective." He said many private sellers want to conduct background checks but are discouraged by a "costly and burdensome" system that requires them to go to licensed dealers and pay fees. "Further scrutiny of law-abiding people will not stop criminals," he said. Everytown president John Feinblatt called the clarification a welcome if modest step. "It puts them on notice and, if accompanied with aggressive enforcement, has the potential to narrow the number of unlicensed dealers who are selling without background checks," he said. "But even so, millions of guns will be sold online without background checks unless Congress or states pass universal background checks, as 18 states have done on their own." The Obama administration appeared determined to tamp down expectations, with Obama saying he realizes his actions won't stop all gun violence. "Obviously the president is not able to take strong measures because that's going to require Congress to act," said Philip Cook, a Duke University professor. "But if he is able to disrupt a relative handful of sales and save a handful of lives, that may well be worthwhile." He added: "What we're looking at here is a low-cost intervention with the possibility of some payoff." ___ Foley reported from Iowa City, Iowa. The Cairo Appeals Court released a statement on Wednesday saying that a judge was recused from a high-profile terrorism-related case for making public statements that indicate bias against the defendants. Judge Nagy Shehata was recused after making statements to the press where he insisted that the defendants in the so-called "Awsim cell" case had not suffered torture at the hands of police. The judge made the comments without having studied the case sufficiently, indicating a bias on his part, according to the court statement. The defendants in the "Awsim cell" case are being accused of creating a terrorist cell responsible for attacking public and private facilities, and targeting army and security personnel. Awsim is a city in Giza, southern Cairo. The defence team submitted the request for Shehata's removal following the controversial statements made in a recent interview with Al-Watan newspaper. "Judge Shehata's statements to the press, in which he expresses his political opinion regarding events and certain movements and individuals, are considered an infringement of judicial norms that can potentially influence the verdicts, deeming him unqualified to preside over the case," the defence team stated, adding that the judge's statements reveal contempt for the 25 January revolution of 2011 and its aftermath as well as a targeting of certain movements and individuals. Following the release of the interview, Shehata accused the newspaper of fabrication, instigating a media battle between the judge and the privately owned newspaper. Well-known for handing down numerous death sentences, Shehata presided over several high-profile cases, including the "Rabaa operations room" case, the "Marriot cell" case involving Al-Jazeera journalists, the cabinet clashes, and the Kerdasa massacre trial. In April 2015, Shehata handed down death sentences for Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie and 13 others, while 26 received life imprisonment on charges of forming an "operations room to resist the state and spread chaos" following the violent dispersal of two major Cairo sit-ins supporting ousted president Mohamed Morsi in August 2013. In December 2014, Shehata sentenced 183 individuals to death on charges related to violence in the Kerdasa area of Giza in 2013. In the Marriot cell case, Al-Jazeera journalists Mohamed Fahmy, Baher Mohamed and Peter Greste were initially given sentences of seven to 10 years in prison. In all of the cases mentioned, higher courts overturned the initial sentences and retrials were ordered. In some cases, as in the Kerdasa trial, the appeals of some defendants have yet to be reviewed by the cassation court. Search Keywords: Short link: A story in Tuesdays Hub touting Lake McConaughy as Nebraskas No. 1 tourist attraction in 2015 was incorrect. The top attraction title normally belongs to Omahas world-class Henry Doorly Zoo. However, Big Mac typically ranks among the states top draws for tourists. The announcement that McConaughy was the states top attraction was made during Mondays meeting of the Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District Board in Holdrege. CNPPID owns and operates the lake and Kingsley Dam. The district leases most of the land around the lake at no cost to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission to be used for recreation and wildlife purposes. At Mondays meeting, Central board members and staff heard an update from Ogallala banker Chad Adams, treasurer of the Nebraska Water Center Foundation, on plans and fundraising for an addition to the Lake McConaughy Visitor-Water Interpretive Center. Thats when Adams and CNPPID public relations adviser Tim Anderson said the lake was Nebraskas top tourist draw for 2015. Anderson did not cite an information source then, but later told the Hub he heard it on a TV segment recently by Game and Parks Media Manager Ralph Wall. Wall said his comments regarding tourism at state parks had a qualifier: Lake McConaughy ranked first among state parks in estimated visitors from Labor Day to Memorial Day, not the entire 2015 calendar year. Neither Game and Parks nor Nebraska Tourism Commission officials have released final 2015 attendance numbers for state parks and recreation areas or for other Nebraska attractions. Game and Parks Administrative Assistant Margot DesRocher provided the list of the most visited parks in 2014, and four of the top five are in the Lincoln-Omaha-Fremont area. Based on estimated visitors, the top five were: 1. Branched Oak State Recreation Area 1,476,467 2. Lake McConaughy SRA 1,379,912 3. ET Mahoney State Park 1,155,000 4. Platte River State Park 878,020 5. Fremont SRA 874,300 Angela White, marketing manager of the Nebraska Tourism Commission, told the Hub the overall state numbers for 2015 probably wont be ready for release until late February or early March. She also provided a 2014 list that includes estimated numbers for state parks and recreation areas, and specific numbers for attractions for which attendance is paid. The top five were: 1. Omahas Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium 1,700,378 2. Branched Oak SRA 1,476,467 3. Mahoney State Park 1,155,000 4. Platte River State Park 878,020 5.Fremont Lakes SRA 874,300 Lake McConaughy and Lake Ogallala SRAs are sixth on the Tourism Commission list at 821,269 in 2014, a difference of more than 558,000 from the Game and Parks total for that year. A Cairo court renewed for 45 days on Wednesday the detention of high school student Mahmoud Mohamed Hussien, the first detention for Hussien in 2016 without being referred to trial. With the renewal, Hussien will continue to spend 757 days in pre-trial detention. Mahmoud is an example of how pre-trial detention is now the punishment, whereas many defendants in cases related to torture and corruption are being released pending trial, Hussiens brother Tarek told Ahram Online. Mahmoud will miss one more year of school due to his continued detention, he continued. Hussein was arrested at age 17 on 25 January 2014 -- the anniversary of the 2011 revolution -- as he was passing a northern Cairo security checkpoint on his way home after attending a protest against both "military rule and the Muslim Brotherhood." Supporters of Hussein, who is accused of possessing ammunition and protesting illegally, say he was targeted by police for wearing a shirt with the words "nation without torture" written on it and a scarf with a 2011 uprising logo. The international rights group Amnesty International has launched a campaign calling for Hussein's release in the form of a petition addressing the public prosecutor. We are calling on you to release Mahmoud Hussein immediately and unconditionally, with all charges against him dropped as he is a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for exercising his right to freedom of expression and assembly, the petition read. Search Keywords: Short link: Phillies win NLCS opener behind Schwarber's monster homer: 'Just wow' Zack Wheeler tossed seven scoreless innings and allowed one hit in the Phillies' 2-0 win over the Padres in Game 1 of the NLCS. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Engineering students are on a mission to build a sustainable water distribution system and provide access to clean drinking water in a remote Guatemalan village. Students in the Universitys Engineering Without Borders (EWB) organization will travel to the community of Virginia Dec. 30-Jan. 7 to assess the viability of digging a deep well to accommodate the villages needs. The community does not have any running water, explained Caleb Mau, project manager and civil engineering student. They have two small streams that run across their property. They have six wells in their community, but during the dry season, from November to May, only one of those retains water, and its privately owned. They have to walk a mile to wash their clothes, bathe and get drinking water from the small streams, which are contaminated, Mau added. Mustard Seed Peace Project, based in Alton, is coordinating the project with the students. Project President Terri Cranmer and professional environmental/water resources engineer Allen Oertel will accompany four SIUE EWB students on the trip. Student participants include Mau, a native of Bonfield, Alejandro Alvarez, of Chicago, Julian Chastain, of OFallon, Ill. and Sarah Lepp, of Waterloo, all civil engineering majors. While in Virginia, the team will conduct extensive water testing and surveying. Were going to test water from the streams, wells and any other potential water sources, Mau said. The hope is that with the well, since water is coming from deep underground, it wont be contaminated, and we wont have to treat it. The project will have to go through multiple stages before it comes to fruition. Future phases will involve post-assessment reports and analysis, final design approval, another trip to the village, implementation phases and project monitoring and evaluation, with a total cost of approximately $77,000. The key component to ensuring continued success once the project is complete is sustainability. According to Mau, EWB-USA requires that the community contribute 5-10 percent of the total cost to ensure it is committed to maintaining the system. Along with providing a much-needed resource to the small community, the project is exposing future engineers to the important project management aspect of the industry. It is vitally important for students to be able to interact with practicing professionals outside of academia to get a different perspective on what awaits them after they graduate, said Oertel. The ability to be flexible and adaptive is one of the greatest skills they can learn, whether they go to work for the Peace Corps. or land in a corporate environment. SIUE EWB is raising funds for the continuation of this project. The SIUE School of Engineering offers one of the most comprehensive and affordable engineering programs in the St. Louis region with eight undergraduate degrees, five masters degrees and a cooperative doctoral program, all housed in a state-of-the-art facility. Students learn from expert faculty, perform cutting-edge research, and participate in intercollegiate design competitions. Companies in the metropolitan St. Louis area provide students challenging internships and co-op opportunities, which often turn into permanent employment. All undergraduate programs are accredited by their respective accreditation agencies. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tama Salim and Ina Parlina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, January 6, 2016 Bickering within Golkar over the party's leadership has raised concerns among senior members, some of whom have called for outright intervention. Muladi, who chairs the party's internal tribunal, said leaders and members of the tribunal would convene on Wednesday to take a decision that would recommend the party hold a national assembly by June this year to resolve the ongoing leadership dispute. The senior politician floated the proposal on Monday, which was swiftly met with rejection from Nurdin Halid, one of the members of Golkar's central board controlled by Aburizal Bakrie. Nurdin maintained that members of the party's internal tribunal no longer had the authority to make recommendations for the central board, as their terms had expired on New Year's Day. Muladi, however, insisted that he continued to hold his position in the party, given that the party had yet to appoint his replacement. 'As long as the [management roster from the 2014 Riau congress] has not yet been replaced with a new one, this tribunal still stands. That is important for upholding legitimacy, and that legitimacy has afforded me the courage to make the recommendation,' he said on Tuesday. 'The tribunal will convene tomorrow [Wednesday] evening to produce a recommendation.' Tribunal members HAS Natabaya, Djasri Marin and Andi Mattalatta are expected to be present for the meeting, Muladi said. The former justice minister in the administration of transitional president BJ Habibie said the recent Supreme Court ruling instructing the Law and Human Rights Ministry to annul Agung Laksono's chairmanship of Golkar provided only temporary relief and did nothing to bring the party's internal rift to an end. 'Golkar is in shambles; it is not solid, and cadres are suspicious of each other. If we're still considered illegitimate, the four of us will make a recommendation in our capacity as senior party members,' he said. Golkar advisory board chairman Akbar Tandjung stuck to his proposal that hosting a national assembly would be the only way forward, given the poor election results and that such a meeting would also consolidate the party ahead of the second round of regional elections in 2017. 'The results from recent [regional] elections fell far short of our expectations; Golkar [politicians were] able to participate in 116 of the 269 elections held simultaneously. And even then, only 49 can be deemed as [getting positive results],' he said. Akbar said that Golkar could perform even worse in the future unless it got its act together. 'This is a sharp decline from previous results, and we are worried that this may happen again in the 2017 elections,' he said. Akbar also said he had recently consulted with Habibie, calling on him to intervene. Instead, Habibie pleaded that Akbar bring together Aburizal, Agung and members of the tribunal before him to discuss a viable exit strategy. Akbar said a national consultation meeting hosted by Aburizal's camp in Bali on Monday had resulted in an eight-point resolution, which included an agreement among the party's regional representatives council (DPD) not to host an extraordinary national congress (munaslub) until 2019. Monday's Bali meeting recommended that an upcoming national executive meeting in Yogyakarta should decide whether Golkar should change its stance towards the administration of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo. Agung and Aburizal have fought over the party's chairmanship since a failed succession at a national congress in Bali late 2014. Agung's camp challenged Aburizal's re-election at the congress, claiming that he had manipulated his way into a second term as chairman. Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly earlier issued a decree recognizing Agung's leadership after a Golkar internal tribunal issued a ruling in favor of Agung in March, without naming him chairman. Yasonna insisted that the government would not meddle in Golkar's internal affairs. 'We leave the settlement of the leadership dispute to the party's internal mechanism.' ___________________________________ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Wed, January 6, 2016 Upholding human rights and democratic values is not in the interests of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), since member states are driven only by market-oriented goals, according to the Human Rights Watch Group (HRWG). HRWG ASEAN program manager Daniel Awigra said on Wednesday that while the AEC aimed to integrate the region as a single market allowing a free flow of goods, capital, people, investment and services, ASEAN member states were still interacting according to old paradigms. Aside from keeping rights issues under national jurisdiction, Daniel said, some member states still adopted a logic of 'bread before freedom', prioritizing economic development above upholding democratic values such as freedom, justice and security. "ASEAN member states don't want any human rights-related issues to be brought into economic cooperation, as if the two were incompatible,' Daniel told thejakartapost.com on Tuesday. ASEAN member states appeared to make progress in human rights protection in 2009, with the establishment of the ASEAN Inter-governmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR). However, as an intergovernmental body, the AICHR, Daniel said, still served as an extension and was not independent from the national interests of each member state, and lacked the authority or mandate to investigate human rights violations. The selection of AICHR commissioners was also not transparent, Daniel said, with most members ' though not Indonesia ' electing commissioners behind closed doors. The AICHR, he added, was in fact employed to block certain rights violations from being discussed. Myanmar, for example, refused to resolve the Rohingya refugee crisis when it was brought to the AICHR, preventing the case from being addressed at the ASEAN level and bringing about deadlock. "This is a setback. A body intended to resolve cases of human rights abuse is instead being used to stop them from being addressed," said Daniel. Meanwhile, HRWG executive director Rafendi Djamin said that Indonesia's leadership of the AICHR or other commissions within ASEAN was important to drive awareness of human rights. According to Rafendi, as the most prominent liberal democracy in ASEAN, Indonesia could promote examples of best practices it had already successfully implemented, whether bilaterally or across the region. Indonesia could offer concrete examples, Daniel added, of ways in which human rights could aid, rather than hamper, economic development. (dan)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Haeril Halim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, January 6, 2016 The Attorney General's Office (AGO) is looking into the possibility of transferring an investigation surrounding former House of Representatives speaker Setya Novanto to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). The case concerns Setya's alleged attempt to extract benefits from a mining company's contract negotiations. The AGO has so far questioned Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said and PT Freeport Indonesia president director Maroef Sjamsoeddin to build a case against Setya, but failed to summon Setya himself, arguing that doing so required a special permit from the President according to the Legislative Institutions (MD3) Law. Attorney General M. Prasetyo said the AGO would invite KPK investigators to jointly examine the testimonies and evidence that it had gathered in the case. Setya's case is listed among these at the AGO that the KPK would jointly investigate. 'Let's see how [the joint investigation] progresses, and we will see whether [the transfer] is possible [in the future],' Prasetyo told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday after meeting KPK leaders at the AGO. Antigraft campaigners have lambasted Prasetyo for what they called a misinterpretation of the MD3 Law, saying that Article 245 of the law only obliged law enforcement institutions, such as the AGO and the National Police, to get permission from the President before summoning House lawmakers on general crimes, not specific crimes like corruption. Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) researcher Donal Fariz stressed that the AGO was looking to charge Setya with corruption for his alleged abuse of power and conspiracy for trying to broker a deal between the government and Freeport, an offense that was not considered a general crime. 'The [excuse] is unacceptable, since corruption is considered a special crime,' Donald said. Corruption is considered a special crime and is regulated under Law No. 20/2001 on corruption. In the Freeport negotiation, Setya allegedly claimed that the company would secure its work contract extension from the government if it was willing to give company shares to President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla. The AGO said that even if it could not be proved that Setya had benefited from the alleged actions, the Golkar Party politician could still be charged for his brokering attempt, according to the Corruption Law. In addition, if found guilty, the AGO could also charge Setya under articles 2 and 3 of the same law, which pertain to state officials who abuse their power to benefit themselves, other people or corporations, and cause state losses. KPK chairman Agus Rahardjo did not make any comments on the possible transfer of Setya's case to the antigraft body. 'We want to build synergy and good cooperation with other law enforcement intuitions. The attorney general always says that in terms of graft eradication, the KPK is the main force. We will conduct supervision and coordination [with the AGO] in the near future,' Agus added. Separately, KPK spokesman Priharsa Nugraha said the AGO had yet to officially inform the KPK about the plan to possibly transfer the Freeport case to the antigraft body. 'If in the future we receive a report [either from the AGO or members of the public] on alleged corruption in the case, then we will examine it in the first place [before deciding to open a probe],' Priharsa said. _________________________________________ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, January 6, 2016 Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama has persisted on calling Jakarta resident Yusri Isnaeni ,who reported the governor to the Jakarta Police for slander, a thief for withdrawing cash from the Jakarta Smart Card (KJP) social assistance program to purchase a school uniform for her child. 'If you withdraw cash with a KJP, it can be deemed as a corrupt act,' Ahok said in Jakarta on Wednesday. 'I told the truth. When she told me [about the use of the KJP], I told her that she made a mistake. You're a thief because you stole the money,' he added. He also said that banking regulations prohibited the use of KJPs'which also function as debit cards' at shops, therefore, such an action could be deemed as a banking regulation violation. 'As a public official it is my duty to save funds. How am I at fault in this situation?' he said. The Jakarta Police have opened an investigation into the slander case by questioning Yusri, who reported Ahok to the police on Dec. 16. The case emerged when Yusri sought an explanation from Ahok on the use of her KJP to buy a school uniform on a visit to City Hall. She said shopkeepers refused to serve her when she tried used the card for purchases. However, Ahok reportedly responded by accusing her of being a thief. 'I cannot accept being shamed in public,' Yusri said. Ahok stressed that although Yusri was guilty of violating the governor's policy, she denied any wrongdoing. (bbn)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Wed, January 6, 2016 A group of people who say they represent of residents of neighborhood units (RT) 11, 12 and 15 in Bukit Duri, South Jakarta, on Tuesday filed a petition at the Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN) against an eviction notice issued by Tebet district head Mahludin to demolish residents' houses, saying that the notice had been issued without following proper procedures. The group's lawyer, Oky Wiratama, said that the group had requested that PTUN issue a verdict revoking the notice. She said that Tebet District office immediately issued two consecutive eviction notices to residents although the office and residents had not reached a compromise in previous discussions held between the two parties. 'The residents never agreed with the demolition plan, but the district head went ahead and issued the two demolition notifications,' she said after the group registered their petition at the PTUN in East Jakarta. 'The district office should have made public the discussion results made by the two parties. However, the residents have still not received the results,' she added. She said the Tebet District office issued the first and the second notices on Dec. 18 and 28 last year, and the last on Monday. The city administration plans to demolish houses and buildings along the banks of Ciliwung River as part of its program to widen the river and build a concrete embankment along its banks. Houses and buildings in the three RTs have been targeted by the administration because of their proximity to the banks of the river. Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama recently said that the affected residents would be relocated to two low-cost rental apartments (rusunawa) in Cipinang and Pulogebang, both in East Jakarta. Oky said that out of 79 affected land plots, consisting of more than 100 families, 53 owners had agreed to be relocated to the two apartments. However, she said that the residents had only agreed to move because the administration had given them no other option. Separately on Tuesday, Mahludin said that besides providing rusunawa for the residents, the administration would also financially compensate residents. 'The administration will surely pay for the houses demolished if they have complete and valid documents,' he told The Jakarta Post by phone, adding that his office had followed proper and legal procedures in both issuing the notifications and the warrant. 'I have sent two consecutive notifications before issuing the last and I have followed the law,' he said. However, not all residents will receive payment. Dedin Hartono, 44, a resident who came to the PTUN to petition the notice, said that he would not be compensated as his documents were considered to be incomplete. 'I have complete documents such as an identification card, family certificate, notary certificate, proof of electricity bill and proof of land purchase, among other things,' he explained. However he admitted he did not have land ownership certificate when asked him. The government requires types of ownership certificate issued by the National Land Agency (BPN) that many underprivileged residents would not be able to obtain such documents even when they tried. Oky said that the some of the residents had not arranged for land certificates although they had lived in the area for a long time because many find the procedures lengthy, complicated and costly. 'It's not that these residents [who do not have land certificates] do not want to arrange the certificate. The procedures [to get the certificate] are complicated,' she said. (saf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, January 6, 2016 Environment activists, joining with the Coalition of Anti Forest Mafia, have criticized the Palembang district court's decision to reject a lawsuit filed by the government through the Environment and Forestry Ministry against plantation company PT Bumi Mekar Hijau (BMH) over its alleged involvement in a forest fire in Palembang, South Sumatra. They said that the court's panel, led by Parlas Nababan, had made a careless mistake, saying that such a ruling might cause a bad precedent for the future. Law researcher Syahrul Fitra, from Non-Government Organization (NGO) Auriga, criticized the panel's decision, which stated that the forest fire was something that could not be controlled. 'Actually, forest fires tend to recur. Therefore, anticipatory measures should be taken,' said Syahrul on Wednesday. Based on Auriga data, 1,023 fire spots were identified on BMH's land concession areas from July to November last year. Syahrul stressed that the fire spots were found in BMH plantation areas, not on land owned by local residents living in areas surrounding the plantation. The court should have been concerned about the obligation of concession holders to anticipate forest fires, he said, adding that it seemed that the judges were more concerned with the company's losses as a consequence of the fires, although the fires had also brought suffering to residents in the affected areas. 'They should have been concerned about the health impacts affecting the residents. The economic impact of the fires should also be considered, such as mitigation funds the government should be spending to tackle the fires,' said Syahrul. The judges considered the case only as a general lawful act, the activist said, adding that forest fires were more complicated due to the impact on various fields, such as health, livelihood and economy. Syahrul further said that the panel's claim, which stated that the government could not prove ecological losses from the case, was also narrow. Syahrul said that the judges should have taken the example from a court decision over a fire case involving plantation firm PT Kallista Alam in 2014. In the case, the panel of judges at the Meulaboh district court in Aceh decided that PT Kallista Alam had to pay Rp 366 billion (US$26.26 million) to compensate for land fires involving the company. 'The judges should have referred to the decision taken with regard to PT Kallista Alam, calculating economic loss caused by ecological damage could also be used in determining losses caused by land and forest fires,' he said. Elizabeth Napitupulu, law and regulation researcher of NGO Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Indonesia said that the legal basis used by the judges was not strong. 'The judges seemed to have shown poor initiative in looking at relevant regulations. They only cited several articles contained in existing environmental regulations,' she said. (ebf) A news piece was published in 2014 by the state-owned website accused Ahmed El-Zend of using his post at the time, as the head of the Judges Club, to sell land owned by the club to his relative Egypts Al-Ahram Arabic news website editor-in-chief Hisham Younis and journalist Ahmed Amer were referred to criminal court Wednesday for spreading false news regarding the countrys justice minister, Ahmed El-Zend. A news piece was published on the state-owned website in 2014 accusing El-Zend of using his post at the time, as the head of the Judges Club, to sell part of the land owned by the club in Port Said governorate to his relative, which would violate applicable law. Four other journalists from independent media outlets were also referred to criminal court for publishing the same news. Younis told Ahram Online that El-Zend first filed his police report against the duo in August 2014 before taking the post of justice minister. A prosecutor questioned Younis and Amer, but the case was not referred to court. Younis added that he is not surprised that the case has resurfaced and was referred to court as ever since El-Zend was appointed minister he has been motioning cases against his person. Younis went on to say that he regards his referral to court as a positive thing, since this is the first time that a government-owned news website is accused by the authorities, adding that state media is no longer under the cloak of the authorities. Judge El-Zend was appointed minister in May 2015. He previously occupied, since 2009, the position of head of the Judges Club, an unofficial but powerful club that represents over 90 percent of Egypts judges. As to how he will proceed in the case, Younis said he would contact the lawyer of the Journalists Syndicate and Al-Ahram Institution's lawyer. We have a lot to say in the trial, he added. Search Keywords: Short link: Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dewanti A. Wardhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, January 6, 2016 The management of the iconic Dharma Bhakti Buddhist temple located in Glodok, West Jakarta, is set to rebuild the temple this year following a fire last March in which the temple burned down. Dharma Bhakti Foundation chairman Tan Adipranata said the renovations would commence on Jan. 18 and would be fully funded by the temple's regular worshippers. The foundation also manages the temple. 'We will renovate the temple soon. We have also asked the Jakarta administration to ease all administrative processes for us,' Tan told reporters after a meeting with Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama at City Hall on Tuesday. The 365-year-old Dharma Bhakti Temple burned down in March last year. The fire, which left the temple in ruins, was believed to have been caused by a piece of tarpaulin hanging near candles that caught alight and then spread throughout the main building. No casualties were reported in the incident, but around 40 sculptures, many of great antiquity, were destroyed. The city's official website jakarta.go.id states that the original temple was built in 1650 under the name of the Guo Xun Guan Temple to honor Buddhist priest Guan Yin. Its name was changed to the Jin De Yuan Temple, which means good fortune, in 1755. The temple was renovated in 1890 but kept its main design and sculptures. The temple, which was the busiest in Jakarta, had been gearing up to celebrate Cap Go Meh last year, a ceremony observed 15 days after the Chinese New Year. After the temple burned down, Tan said worshippers continued to pray at a clinic located inside the temple complex. He added that the Dharma Bhakti Foundation's visit to City Hall aimed to ensure that the temple was safe from any future demolition plans. It was previously reported that part of the temple complex was to be demolished by the city administration to make way for road expansion plans. 'The temple is not only a place of worship but also of cultural heritage. We asked the city administration to keep it safe,' Tan said. Before the incident, the temple was typically crowded on the eve of Chinese New Year, with celebrations open to the public. Separately, Ahok confirmed that the temple would not be affected by road expansion plans set to take place along Jl. Kemenangan, on which the temple is located. He said such buildings were protected under Gubernatorial Decree No. 11/1972 on cultural heritage buildings. 'The building is a piece of cultural heritage so it is protected according to the gubernatorial decree. We will provide them with all the documents they need to start rebuilding the temple,' Ahok told reporters on Tuesday. Ahok further said that the city administration would not provide financial support for the Dharma Bhakti Foundation to rebuild the temple, but assured that it would fully support the reconstruction. 'We will not provide financial support. They did not ask for it and they do not need it. I'm sure they have collected many donations,' Ahok said. Further, One-Stop Integrated Services Agency (BPTSP) head Edy Junaedi guaranteed that the city administration would ease and speed up permit documents for the Dharma Bhakti Temple reconstruction. 'We will help them as best we can to issue the documents quickly,' Edy said via text message. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Muhammad Taufan (The Jakarta Post) Adelaide, Australia Wed, January 6, 2016 As Indonesia's geography consists of thousands of islands with a vast sea territory, sea transportation is vital to the nation. This industry must be managed in a careful and thorough manner so as to ensure the safety of passengers and goods. However, from year to year, shipping accidents frequently occur. Recent incidents include a disaster involving the KM Marina ferry, carrying 118 passengers, and a collision between a Danish cargo ship and a tanker in western Indonesia, with some crew still missing. Although investigations into those accidents have not yet been completed, previous cases suggest that likely causes could include four factors: overloaded vessels (loading ships excessively); ships that do not meet operating standards (substandard); poor supervision of the implementation of regulations; and bad weather. These common causes can be classified into three major challenges, namely low awareness and capability in implementing shipping safety, lack of infrastructure and equipment and natural hazards. In responding to these issues, it is imperative for the government to consider several interrelated legal and policy strategies to improve its maritime safety systems in order to promote safe shipping operations. These strategies are the strict implementation of national and international regulations, effective law enforcement, human resources (crew/personnel) capacity building, infrastructure or equipment development and sustainable political and economic supports. There are many national and international regulations relating to maritime safety that are required to be implemented firmly and consistently in Indonesia. The applicable regulations include Law No. 32/2014 on oceans, Law No. 17/2008 on shipping, Law No. 6/1996 on Indonesian waters, Law No. 17/1985 on the ratification of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), International Maritime Organization (IMO) conventions, International Labor Organization (ILO) conventions, UNCLOS and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) conventions. Furthermore, other technical rules and guidance are importantly regulated by government regulations and the IMO Code such as Government Regulation No. 5/2010 on navigation, Government Regulation No. 51/2002 on ships and the International Safety Management (ISM) Code. Some principles contained in those legal frameworks include Indonesia's different maritime zones, national ocean policy, sea transportation management, the requirements of a seaworthy ship, maritime safety and security, protection of the marine environment, working standards for crew/seafarers and standards for maritime telecommunication facilities. The implementation of the above principles is essential to enable Indonesia to meet its national and international legal obligations regarding maritime safety. Second, given the existence of so many national and international regulations as indicated above, Indonesia should focus on the establishment of effective law enforcement, rather than prescribing more regulations. The emphasis of this strategy is to develop and strengthen the shipping judicial system through two approaches: accountable proceedings from the examination to execution phase, and close public supervision. As for accountable proceedings, there are at least six agencies that engage in various activities related to maritime safety: the harbor master, the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT), the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), the Maritime Security Board (Bakamla), the Directorate General of Marine Transport and the Shipping Court. These agencies are also responsible for contributing to preventing the recurrence of shipping incidents through their respective duties e.g. fact finding, formulating policy recommendations and providing public reports. At the same time, to strengthen the work of the shipping judicial system, the public should be invited to conduct close monitoring. In fact, the involvement of community-based organizations or public institution e.g. universities, research organizations, NGOs and media is effective in minimizing corruption or the abuse of power. Continuous capacity building for crew or personnel is another strategy worth considering. As the human factor is the major contributor in up to 80 percent of marine accidents in Indonesia, it is vital to improve the quality of human resources. It is therefore imperative for the government to enhance training programs as one of the requirements in meeting recent international standards outlined in the International Convention on Standards for Training, Certification and Watch-keeping (STCW Convention); establish more maritime/shipping training centers in order to increase the number of qualified seafarers and personnel; and continuously support training and certificate examination programs for Indonesian crew or shipping companies. The fourth strategy is infrastructure and equipment development. This strategy holds a significant role in addressing major challenges in maritime safety such as low awareness of shipping legal compliance and ineffective law enforcement. By developing more high quality maritime facilities (such as ports, patrol vessels, telecommunications equipment and navigational aids), the safe operation of shipping is likely to be enhanced. Besides developing it, the maintenance of shipping infrastructure is also essential to optimizing all the government's resources. A lack of maintenance is a typical problem in infrastructure management in Indonesia. There are a number of requirements to expedite shipping infrastructure development, including available funding; maritime industry operations e.g. naval technology and shipyards; and a friendly operating environment for shipping businesses and investors, which includes legal certainty, political stability and evidence of the government's willingness to meet the sector's needs. _____________________________ The writer is a PhD candidate at Flinders University's School of Law, South Australia, and an alumnus of the IMO-International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI) in Malta. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Hans Nicholas Jong (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, January 6, 2016 Companies in land-use conflicts have turned increasingly hostile towards local communities, a year-end report from the Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA) found. KPA secretary-general Iwan Nurdin said that 2015 marked the first time companies accounted for the largest number of cases of violence in agrarian conflicts, overtaking the Indonesian Military (TNI) and National Police. 'In the past, there was no such thing as companies committing violence. The most violent institutions [in agrarian conflicts] were the military and the police. But now, it is companies that commit most violence and murder in their areas,' Iwan said at a press briefing on Tuesday. In 2015, there were 35 cases of companies committing violence, followed by the police with 21 cases, the military with 16 cases, other government institutions with 10 cases, gangs with eight cases and local communities with three cases. In 2014, police were responsible for most violent cases in agrarian conflicts with 34 cases, followed by local communities with 19, companies with 12, gangs with six and the military with five cases. 'So 2015 was the first time companies became the main violent actor in agrarian conflicts,' Iwan said. In 2015, the KPA recorded 252 agrarian conflicts concerning 400,430 hectares of land and involving 108,714 households, down from 472 conflicts in 2014. The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) confirmed the trend. 'The trend [of companies becoming more hostile] has actually been ongoing for the past few years,' Komnas HAM commissioner Dianto Bachriadi said on Tuesday. Dianto said companies usually hired civilian security forces (Pamswakarsa), first established by the TNI in 1998 to secure the General Session of the People's Consultative Assembly. 'After the New Order regime, there has been a shift. The police and thugs are being hired to suppress people's demands and resistance. This is wrong, their duty is to find the root cause of the problems [in agrarian conflicts], not to suppress it,' said Dianto. He added that companies were becoming more hostile after hiring members of Pamswakarsa, as they expanded their businesses. Dianto also said that KPA's findings matched with those of Komnas HAM. 'The violators of human rights that are most reported to us by the public are companies. In 2015, we received more than 6,000 reports and 25 percent of them were related to agrarian conflicts,' he said. 'And these conflicts mostly involved companies.' In the past, Pamswakarsa had been reported to commit human rights violations, with some of members of the group convicted for murdering local residents. One of the most prominent cases was the Sungai Sodong incident in Mesuji district, Ogan Komering Illir, in 2011, where Pamswakarsa members hired by PT Sumber Wangi Alam (SWA) committed sadistic murders. In 2012, five Pamswakarsa members were sentenced to between eight and 10 years in prison for murdering Syaktu Macan and Indra Syafei, who came to the plantation of PT SWA to claim land ownership in early 2011. Indra tried to block the Pamswakarsa members from taking over the land, because the local court had not decided the status of the land yet. The move was responded to with beatings, stabbings and shooting, with Indra's throat being slit. 'This is extremely worrying, because it is one more step from becoming a full-blown horizontal conflict. So this trend needs to be arrested,' Iwan said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ina Parlina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, January 6, 2016 The government decided on Tuesday to immediately establish a new national committee to develop the sharia financial industry, which still holds a small market share. The committee is to be led by President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo and will comprise a number of relevant ministers. The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) will act as its advisory board. Among the committee's tasks is to harmonize laws, National Development Planning Minister Sofyan Djalil said. 'Matters related to wakaf [money for religious purposes] and alms, as well as raising awareness of the products, will also be pushed by the committee,' Sofyan told a press conference after the meeting at the Presidential Office. The decision was made following a limited Cabinet meeting on Tuesday where Jokowi heard input from ministers, Bank Indonesia (BI) Governor Agus Martowardojo and Financial Services Authority (OJK) chairman Muliaman D. Hadad. According to Sofyan, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung would soon draft a presidential regulation regarding the committee. The government recently offered a number of tax facilities and relaxations for Islamic banking industry as part of its fifth economic policy package introduced late last year. In an effort to help Islamic banks grow their assets, the OJK has also decided to relax some rules, including a comprehensive 'codification' which allows sharia banks to launch new products without the need to seek a permit from the OJK and only the requirement to report regularly. Agus welcomed Jokowi's decision, saying 'the regular financial sector and sharia financial sector complement each other'. 'This [decision] is in line with the ongoing structural reform in Indonesia,' he added. The National Development Planning Board's (Bappenas) National Mid-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) for the period of 2015-2019 includes the establishment of a committee to improve Indonesia's sharia financial industry. Muliaman said the committee could help to improve coordination between related institutions overseeing the sharia financial sector. The committee is also expected to increase sharia banks' market share, which have remained below 5 percent of total assets in the domestic banking industry for many years, prompting a public anecdote describing the '5 percent trap'. 'We must get out of the trap,' Muliaman said, later expressing his hope that Indonesia could catch up with Malaysian sharia banks' market share of around 21 percent. 'In the next 5 or 10 years, it is not impossible that we could catch up with Malaysia,' Muliaman added. The national committee will resemble the Malaysia International Islamic Financial Centre (MIFC), which is led by the Malaysian prime minister to ensure that all policies on the sharia financial industry are well implemented. Malaysia, the world's top issuer of sukuk (Islamic bonds), has formulated 12 examples of tax incentives for investors and existing companies seeking to issue debt papers to aid expansion, in a bid to support the country's sharia finance industry. Meanwhile, Indonesia's corporate sukuk only accounted for 3.2 percent of overall outstanding corporate bonds while government sukuk was 10.6 percent of the total government debt papers. During the Tuesday meeting, Jokowi said the financial industry was still a promising sector despite the economic slowdown. 'However, we want to have breakthroughs in order to increase the role of sharia banking in accelerating national economic development,' Jokowi added. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, January 6, 2016 The government is sounding out the possibility of importing rice from India and Pakistan amid low rice stocks following a prolonged dry season. 'We are still negotiating imports with India and Pakistan,' said Trade Minister Thomas Lembong in Jakarta on Wednesday. The government, Thomas said, was still preparing a government-to-government Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on rice imports with the Pakistani government. The State Logistics Agency (Bulog) was studying the technical details of Pakistan's rice stocks, he went on. 'We are also proposing an MoU with India, as it has for years been the world's largest exporter of rice. They export between US$3 billion and $4 billion worth of white rice a year,' said Thomas. Earlier, Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution said that because of last year's prolonged El NiAo, the rice planting season had been put back from October to November. As a result, harvest time in several areas across Indonesia suffered delays, leading to depleted rice stocks in the first quarter of 2016. "We have calculated that we still have only 1.35 million tons of rice in March. Normally, we have 1.5 million tons. To fulfill the shortage of rice, we're looking at signing MoUs with Myanmar and Pakistan,' Darmin told a press conference last week. He further explained that the agreements were a precaution measure to anticipate reduced rice stocks, which could in turn lead to surging prices of basic commodities. "The estimated domestic production of rice at the end of March this year will be 1.35 million tons ['] From the end of March to April, our rice production will improve as the effects of El NiAo gradually lessen," he said. (ebf)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Wed, January 6, 2016 The government plans to improve the roles of community health centers (puskesmas) across the country to make them more active in promoting healthcare services and focus on preventive care. Health Minister Nila F. Moeloek said on Tuesday that the health centers, particularly those in rural areas, should be the first place to promote the importance of health care through the family approach and focus on prevention rather than wait for sick patients. 'They should not just wait for patients. For example, if a patient has tuberculosis, the doctors should take care not only of them but also should go to their family to check whether any members have the disease,' Nila told a press conference. She added that the focus on preventive care was an instruction from President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, who pointed out that prevention was better than cure. Nila went on to say that the ministry had been allocated Rp 17.2 billion (US$1.24 million) for the preventive-promotive program out of the Rp 104 trillion it would receive for health care from this year's state budget. The ministry's director general for nutrition, infant and maternal health, Anung Sugihantono, said the ministry this year would focus on 472 health centers in nine provinces and 64 regencies out of a total 9,500 across the country. They will receive Rp 40 million in additional funds from the ministry. 'Those health centers should make more efforts or make programs on how to decrease the infant and maternal mortality rate,' Anung said. Indonesia is among the countries where the maternal mortality rate rose between 2007 and 2012, from 227 per 100,000 live births to 359, an increase partly blamed on a lack of healthcare services and facilities across the archipelago. Out of 9,500 health centers, only 1,000 of them have proper facilities for patients. To support the plan, Anung said the ministry would also improve infrastructure and equip health centers with better in-patient facilities so that people could avail of medical treatment. 'We aim to make the health centers more attractive and provide more facilities,' Anung said. In Tarakan, North Kalimantan, he said, health centers were in modern buildings and had the same facilities as hospitals. The government also wants the centers to become primary healthcare centers that people choose to patronize rather than hospitals. However, the ministry's head of human resources development agency, Usman Sumantri, acknowledged that inadequate facilities and services at community health centers were also caused by the uneven distribution of health workers. He said that 23 percent of all community health centers did not have permanent doctors. 'We therefore plan to send more doctors to rural areas through our Nusantara Sehat program,' Usman said. Last year, the ministry sent 695 medical workers, mostly doctors, to 120 community health centers in remote areas in more than 15 provinces. This year, it aims to send 1,200 more medical workers. 'The workers should have adequate skills to develop healthcare programs at the community level, ranging from health promotion to disease prevention and control,' Usman said. (foy) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Wed, January 6, 2016 North Jakarta Police arrested Iraqi national Habal Fadhil Hameed, 42, in the Sunter Icon Apartment complex in North Jakarta on Sunday night for allegedly stealing cell phones. 'The suspect is an Iraqi. He was captured by a surveillance camera as he stole two cell phones from an apartment on the 11th floor,' North Jakarta Police chief, Sr. Comr. Susetio Cahyadi, said on Tuesday as quoted by wartakotalive.com. The suspect allegedly stole a Blackberry Classic and an Acer Liquid S1 phone, he said. He added that the suspect also stole a pair of sneakers. 'The owners of the apartment had just returned home when they found out that their cell phones had gone. They then reported it to the police to check the surveillance camera,' he said, adding that the suspect was arrested in the lobby of the apartments on Tuesday after the police studied the footage recorded by the camera. Susetio said the suspect would be charged under Article 363 of the Criminal Code on theft. Paragraph one of the article stipulates that burglary of a vacant property at night is punishable by a maximum of seven years' imprisonment. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Wed, January 6, 2016 The Police have detained and named as a suspect 50-year-old Atjep, alias Cepi, the leader of local youth group called Kober, in connection with a brawl that claimed one life in Tebet, South Jakarta, on New Years Eve. Jakarta Police general crimes director Sr. Comr. Krishna Murti said on Tuesday that Atjep did not personally attack the victim, identified as Achmad Rivai, but he was among the ringleaders. Krishna said Atjep was a prominent figure in his neighborhood in Menteng Dalam subdistrict, Tebet, where Kober group members resided. He was frequently involved in brawls between groups in Tebet. 'He brought a sharp weapon and was involved in the brawl. He was there when the murder occurred,' he said, as quoted by wartakotalive.com. Besides Atjep, the police have also arrested three other suspects in their investigation into the fatal brawl. The New Year's Eve brawl involved members of Kober and Flamboyan, another local youth group in Tebet. Members of Flamboyan reportedly threw hydrochloric acid at their opponents. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Wed, January 6, 2016 The so-called '2 plus 2' ministerial meetings attended by the foreign and defense ministers of Indonesia and Japan in Tokyo last month has opened up another historic chapter in Indonesian and Japanese bilateral relations as the nations forged a defense cooperation agreement amid simmering territorial tensions in the South China Sea (SCS) between China and Indonesia's fellow ASEAN members The Philippines and Vietnam. The Jakarta Post's Rendi A. Witular along with other journalists from Kompas and Detik.com recently talked with Japan's Defense Minister Gen Nakatani about the cooperation and other issues related with regional security. The following are excerpts from the interview: Question: After forging the defense cooperation, what kind of military equipment will Japan offer to Indonesia? Answer: We have agreed to start the negotiations on defense equipment and technology transfers. We would like to focus on holding a discussion for cooperation in the field of maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. However, when it comes to technology cooperation it will be very difficult to define the rules, such as how long this cooperation can be conducted and to what extent. Such rules eventually will be made in the form of agreements. In the meeting we discussed how the two countries could move forward to be more specific. Indonesia has requested Japan to prepare the draft for the agreement. So going forward we would like to propose a more concrete draft and coordinate more with the Indonesian side. We've heard that the purchase and transfer of technology of Japan's US-2 amphibious aircraft is high on the agenda. How big is the chance to realize this cooperation? Please understand that in Japan there are several principles that must be adhered to in defense equipment and technology transfers. If Japan has decided to provide this aircraft, it has to be used for peaceful purposes. This aircraft has a very significant function in our defense force. What kind of role does Japan expect Indonesia to play in easing the tension in the South China Sea? Japan and Indonesia are maritime nations surrounded by the sea. The two nations also embrace freedom and democracy as well as sharing the same capitalist principles. At the same time Indonesia has major international straits occupying strategic points of the sea lanes. For Japan, Indonesia is a strategic and important partner. President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has advocated the maritime nation initiative so that Indonesia can increase capacity building in maritime security. With that objective, Japan and Indonesia signed a memorandum for defense cooperation and assistance in March 2015. So far, the two countries have been cooperating with each other in various areas of capacity building, joint training and exercises, joint consultations, military exercises and student exchanges. With this background, the 2 plus 2 meeting was held between the two countries and we are very pleased that specific and constructive proposals have been made and I am sure this will further reinforce security in the region. As I have already mentioned, we would like to reinforce capacity building in maritime security and Japan would also like to participate in the multilateral joint exercises organized by the Indonesian Navy as well as starting negotiations about a defense equipment and technology transfer agreement. We have also requested that the second Japan and ASEAN defense ministerial meeting be held in 2016. The two countries have been able to reach all these agreements. The meeting was quite significant and it will further enhance defense cooperation. Japan passed legislation in September that will enable it to participate in foreign conflicts, overturning the long-held policy of fighting only in self-defense. How will the new policy impact security in the region? Security surrounding Japan has drastically changed. For instance, North Korea has been developing missile and nuclear weapons and China has very rapidly increased its military spending recently. So we have noticed a rapid change in the surrounding security environment. And recently we have witnessed many international terrorist attacks with victims that include Japan nationals. Such incidents in other countries are affecting Japan directly and indirectly. We can no longer say that these incidents have nothing to do with us. In the international community, no country can maintain peace and stability alone. So under these circumstances, Japan has tried to defend itself and based on the alliance treaty with the US we have also tried to promote more cooperation with other countries and to become involved in US peacekeeping activities so that we can make a contribution to the peace and stability of the world. In the postwar period, Japan has not engaged directly in overseas conflict and has solely dedicated itself to self-defense. It has never become a military power that has threatened other nations, and it has maintained nuclear-free principles. So all of these principles remain unchanged. At the same time, Japan needs to be able to respond to any kind of situation that may happen so that we can protect the lives and property of the Japanese people. This new legislation was established so that we can further ensure more security for our nation and make a more proactive contribution to world peace and security. Only recently has Japan been able to assist other nation forces when they are in trouble or having difficulties. Japan can now move more flexibly in providing logistic support to other nations' military forces. Japan can be more active in a broad range of peacekeeping operations. However, the new legislation comes with many requirements. There should be legitimacy from the international community, and the deployment has to be strictly controlled by the civilians, meaning that you have to go through a democratic procedure domestically. For instance, a decision to engage in such activity has to be approved by the parliament and has to ensure the safety of our personnel. This new legislation has not contradicted the spirit of Japanese pacifism. Our orientation toward peace has not changed. When it comes to the activity of Japan in the South China Sea, Japan will assess all information comprehensively before taking any decision. Also in the 2 plus 2 two meeting it was agreed that any conflict in this region has to be settled through dialogue. Japan will abide by the peacekeeping spirit and will contribute to promoting peace. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, January 6, 2016 President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo will discuss arrangements for non-civil servant lecturers at new state universities in a limited Cabinet meeting at the State Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday at 2 p.m. Rules that must be adhered to by state officials will also be discussed in the meeting. President Jokowi will hold the meeting after he attends the signing of a contract of activities at the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry for the fiscal year of 2016. The government is committed to accelerating the development of infrastructure by increasing the infrastructure budgetary allocations in accordance with the directives set out in the National Medium Term Development Plan (RPJMN) 2015 - 2019. According to the 2016 state budget, the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry is set to receive the biggest portion of the state budget, Rp 104.1 trillion (US$7.49 million). In the RPJMN, the ministry has been assigned to carry out a range of infrastructure projects, such as the construction of 49 new dams, the opening of 1 million hectares of new irrigation networks and the rehabilitation of 3.3 million hectares of irrigation networks. Other infrastructure projects include the construction of 1,500 kilometers in toll roads and 2,650 km roads. The ministry has been assigned to ensure that all people have access to clean drinking water and adequate sanitation. (ebf)(+) Egypt expressed concern on Wednesday over a claim by North Korean that it successfully conducted a hydrogen bomb test, the Egyptian foreign ministry said. A ministry spokesman, according to a press release, said that the bomb test represents a new threat to nuclear non-proliferation, and undermines efforts of solidifying the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which supports international peace and security. He said that the continuation of such breaches instigates an arms race and increases the state of tension and instability in the Korean Peninsula. The spokesman added that Egypt will remain adamant with its current firm stance that promotes the necessity of the NPT, and the essentiality of putting all nuclear related programs and activities under the supervision of the safeguards placed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as listed in the treaty, with no discrimination or exception. The North Korean claim of the successful test drew global condemnation on Wednesday from both friends and foes of the country. Several governments promised a firm response as tensions soared again in northeast Asia, with many calling for further action by the United Nations against the hermit nation, which is already subject to heavy international sanctions. The United Nations Security Council is to hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday in New York following closed-door morning talks between the 15 member-nations. "While we cannot confirm at this time that a test was carried out, we condemn any violation of UNSC resolutions and again call on North Korea to abide by its international obligations and commitments," US mission spokeswoman Hagar Chemali said. The emergency meeting is expected to witness Egypt's second participation in the council in its two-year term as a non-permanent member after it secured the seat in October 2015. Egypt has been a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council four times: in 1949-1950, 1961-1962, 1984 and 1996-1997. Search Keywords: Short link: Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Erika Anindita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, January 6, 2016 The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the Constitutional Court (MK) will work together to monitor government activity, to help it improve its public service delivery across Indonesia, said KPK chairman Agus Rahardjo. The anti-graft body aims to monitor the overall work performance of the government, explained Agus, adding that government monitoring was one of four KPK functions. 'One function of KPK is to monitor the government but, in my opinion, the commission should not only oversee the actions of the government but also its policies,' he said during an open meeting with MK justices and related officials at the MK compound in Jakarta on Wednesday. It is hoped that such monitoring will lead to changes in the delivery of government services, Agus said. However, the KPK and the MK would have to first revise their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) before they could implement the joint monitoring activity plan, he said. Represented by then MK secretary general Janedjri M. Gafar and KPK secretary general Himawan Adinegoro, the two law enforcement bodies signed an MoU in December 2014, through which they agreed to cooperate in data and information exchange. They also agreed to implement an integrated system, covering several fields including the strengthening of national integrity, informant protection, education, training, research and development. Under the December 2014 MoU, the KPK and the MK are able to exchange data or information related to the execution of tasks and authorities while, at the same time, maintaining their respective independence. To apply the national integrity system, both parties agreed with obligations requiring state officials to submit wealth reports (LHKPN), to map out areas of activities prone to gratification and to implement a gratification control program. MK chief justice Arief Hidayat said that it had been former KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjajanto that had initiated the idea of education, data and information dissemination, as KPK could do this by making use of the wide scope of MK networks. Disseminating values KPK deputy chairman, Laode Muhammad Syarif, highlighted that the MK had a wide network involving 44 universities across the nation. He further said that commitments conveyed by leaders of the two law enforcement bodies could be disseminated through the network. "By using the MK's partnership with these 44 universities, the dissemination of anti-corruption values could be carried out faster and absorbed directly by society," Agus said. With such a dissemination method, he said, Indonesia's younger generation would have a better understanding of corruption and would not engage in such practices. Instead, young people would stand at the forefront of corruption eradication efforts in the country. In the meeting, MK justice I Dewa Gede Palguna criticized the previous KPK leadership, which he said had only focused on law enforcement efforts. As a result, a common understanding about the need to say no to corruption had yet to emerge in society. "We have developed very close ties with universities. Our children and our siblings pursuing studies at university should be at the forefront of corruption eradication," Gede said. (ebf)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Erika Anindita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, January 6, 2016 The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is planning to question acting Banten governor Rano Karno on Thursday as a witness in a bribery case involving three suspects, including two provincial councilors, in connection with the establishment of a bank in the province. The third suspect is Ricky Tampinongkol, an executive of Banten administration-owned enterprise PT Banten Global Development (BGD). Originally, Rano was to have been questioned on Dec. 17, but he failed to appear and demanded the KPK reschedule the questioning because of his tight schedule. The anticorruption body sent another summons letter on Dec. 29. KPK spokesperson Priharsa Nugraha said on Tuesday that Rano would be questioned regarding the disbursement of hundreds of billions of rupiah of Banten administration funds for the bank's establishment. He said the KPK really hoped that the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician would appear on Thursday because his explanations were needed to complete the indictment. The KPK had arrested two members of the Banten Legislative Council on Dec. 1, namely Deputy Speaker SM Hartono of the Golkar Party and council's PDI-P faction head Tri Satria Sentosa. Hartono and Tri were accused of accepting US$11,000 and Rp 60 million (US$4,329) from Ricky in exchange for the disbursement of Rp 350 billion in state funds to establish the regional bank. PT BGD had been tasked by Rano in 2015 to conduct a six-month study on the establishment of the regional bank and to consult with the Financial Services Authority (OJK) to seek advice on the plan. After finishing the consultations and study on Nov. 30, PT BDG submitted a report to Rano and told him that four banks should be merged to establish the regional bank. The four banks are private lender Bank Pundi, which is controlled by Recapital Securities, part of the Recapital Group founded by businessmen Rosan P. Roeslani, Sandiaga Uno and Elvin Ramli, Bank Windu Kentjana International (MCOR), a small, publicly listed lender based in Jakarta, publicly listed Bank MNC Internasional (MNC Bank) and Panin Bank Syariah. Just three days after PT BGD handed the report to Rano, KPK investigators arrested Ricky for allegedly bribing Hartono and Tri for helping to secure the budget allocation from the Banten Council. According to Rano, the plan to establish the bank was in line with Banten's 2013 mid-term regional development plan (RPJMD) and had nothing to do with his own interest as the governor. He added that the disbursement of funds for the Banten regional bank was justified under a 2013 Banten provincial bylaw on capital injection for PT BGD. KPK investigators were scheduled to question PT BGD operational director Franklin Paul Nelwan and two Banten DPRD councilors, Luay Sofani and Ely Mulyadi, on Tuesday. (bbn)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, January 6, 2016 Indonesia's largest low-cost carrier, Lion Air, is set to tighten its recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) following the arrest of four Lion Air employees on suspicion of stealing passengers' possessions from luggage, a company official has said. 'We will look more closely at their backgrounds and carry out psychological tests to gauge their personalities. There are many options,' Lion Air public relations manager Andy Saladin told thejakartapost.com in Jakarta on Wednesday. He confirmed that four alleged thieves arrested by the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport Police were Lion Air baggage handlers and airline security officers, adding that the four had all been outsourced employees and had now been fired. 'They were dismissed as soon as the police arrested them,' Andy said. In recruitment process outsourcing (RPO), a company or organization contracts the recruitment processes of its employees to a third-party service provider. Andy said Lion Air would cooperate with all airport stakeholders to prevent similar incidents from happening again in the future, and had enhanced security measures by multiplying CCTV cameras at the airport, among other measures. "In our employee recruitment process, we require candidates to obtain a police clearance letter [SKCK]. Even so, there have been crimes committed. It is the job of all stakeholders to improve security at airports,' he said. Earlier, Soekarto-Hatta International Airport Police arrested two Lion Air airline security officers and a baggage handler after noticing them rifling through baggage on CCTV footage recorded on Nov. 16. Investigation of the three men revealed that they had worked together to steal passengers' belongings. The police arrested a third baggage handler in Kalideres, West Jakarta, on Monday. State airport operator PT Angkasa Pura (AP) II said it would tighten the security of passengers' luggage following the incident by installing more CCTV in areas throughout the airport. (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Evangeline Lita Aruperes (The Jakarta Post) Manado Wed, January 6, 2016 State-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura (AP) I authorities shut down Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado, North Sulawesi starting from 7:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday to about 6 a.m. on Wednesday because of volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Soputan, which was dangerous to aircraft. The general manager of the AP I office at Sam Ratulangi Airport, Halendara Waworuntu, said the closure was done for the safety of passengers, since the volcanic ash had spread over the airport and its surrounding areas, disrupting flights. 'We needed to close the airport because of the volcano's activity, which had affected flights,' said Waworuntu. He said it was possible for the office to extend the closure if Mt. Soputan continued to blow volcanic ash over the airport. Waworuntu said AP I authorities would always be on 24-hour alert to anticipate the impacts of the volcanic eruption on airport activities while they continued to receive reports on the situation in the area. 'Currently, we are on standby at the airport. We have also continued to communicate with officers at the Mt. Soputan observation post to get updated information on the eruption of the volcano,' said Waworuntu. Due to the closure, a Citilink QG 951 flight serving the Manado-Jakarta route, which should have departed at 7:15 p.m. local time on Tuesday, was cancelled. The flight was rescheduled to depart at about 9 a.m. (10 a.m. Jakarta time) on Wednesday. Other flights cancelled on Tuesday included Lion Air JT 740 from Makassar (scheduled to arrive at 10:20 p.m.), Lion Air JT 770 from Jakarta (also to have arrived at 10:20 p.m.), Lion Air JT 730 from Balikpapan (10:45 p.m.) and Garuda Indonesia GA 606 from Jakarta (10:55 p.m.). The eruption of Mt. Soputan was also monitored through ASH.tam satellite imagery by Australia, which showed the height of the volcanic ash to have reached more than 12,000 meters. A representative of Manado-based Citilink, who identified himself only as Willy, said all airlines must adhere to a Notice to Airmen (Notam) issued for the sake of their flight safety. However, he said, Citilink could not give passengers any compensation for the delays because they was due to a natural disaster. 'We offer an apology for the delays but we cannot give any compensation because it is force majeure in nature,' said Willy. Citilink allowed passengers to reschedule their flights without any fees. 'We also could give them a 100 percent refund,' said Willy. The head of the Airport Authority for Regional Division VIII in Manado, Widyo Praptono, said the authority would carry out monitoring activities at the airport to prevent any unexpected incidents. 'We will continue to coordinate with AP I,' he said. Volcanic ash blown from the Mt. Soputan eruption was reported to be drifting to the north and east at a speed of about six knots. (ebf)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, January 6, 2016 The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry has complained about a lack of personnel to supervise Indonesian territorial waters and has made plans to recruit more civil servants in the coming years to improve its sea supervision task force. Maritime and Fisheries Monitoring Task Force (PSDKP) general director Asep Burhanudin said the number of supervisory and administrative personnel was very low compared to the area under their command. He cited the administration and ship crew monitoring division in Belawan, where the administrative office has 143 people to handle nine surrounding provinces from which, on average, there are 50 to 100 applications for fishing ship operation (SLO) permits per day. PSDKP ship operations director Goenarno said the task force currently had 27 monitoring boats, which were supposed to be operated by 442 officers in total, but there were in fact only 276 full-time civil servants, 77 civil servant candidates (CPNS) and 89 contract workers. With the ministry set to increase the number of monitoring boats to 31, new personnel are urgently required. Unfortunately, the recruitment process is said to be slow and complicated, with only 12 of 140 CPNS inaugurated as civil servants in 2015. However, Asep said the ministry could not do much as it was not part of its authority to appoint new civil servants. Recruiting from other parties such as the Navy was also not possible as the Navy itself was facing a lack of personnel, he added. (ags) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Wed, January 6, 2016 President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has said the legal process of former Free Aceh Movement (GAM) combatant Nurdin bin Ismail, popularly known as Din Minimi, will still take place despite his amnesty request being approved. 'We will grant the clemency for sure, but we will also consider our legal system,' he said on Tuesday at the Presidential Office in Jakarta. Din was a major target of security operations before he and his group surrendered to the government during a ceremony presided over by National Intelligence Agency (BIN) director Sutiyoso on Tuesday last week. The group agreed to surrender after being promised amnesty for all crimes committed by its 120 members who left their hiding places and for 30 members apprehended by the Aceh Police. During the ceremony, the group handed over dozens of guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Jokowi applauded the surrender of Din and his group. The government later decided that a similar approach would be used with other separatists, including Free Papua Movement (OPM) members in Papua. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Seoul Wed, January 6, 2016 Soon after the ground shook around its nuclear testing facility, North Korea trumpeted its first hydrogen bomb test ' a powerful, self-proclaimed "H-bomb of justice" that would mark a major and unanticipated advance for its still-limited nuclear arsenal. Pyongyang's announcement Wednesday was met with widespread skepticism, but whatever the North detonated in its fourth nuclear test, another round of tough international sanctions looms for the defiant, impoverished country. The test likely pushed Pyongyang's scientists and engineers closer to their goal of building a warhead small enough to place on a missile that can reach the US mainland. But South Korea's spy agency thought the estimated explosive yield from the explosion was much smaller than what even a failed H-bomb detonation would produce. The test was met with a burst of jubilation and pride in Pyongyang. A North Korean television anchor, reading a typically propaganda-heavy statement, said a test of a "miniaturized" hydrogen bomb had been a "perfect success" that elevated the country's "nuclear might to the next level." A large crowd celebrated in front of Pyongyang's main train station as the announcement was read on a big video screen, with people taking videos or photos of the screen on their mobile phones and applauding and cheering. In Seoul and elsewhere there was high-level worry. South Korean President Park Geun-hye ordered her military to bolster its combined defense posture with US forces and called the test a "grave provocation" and "an act that threatens our lives and future." Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, "We absolutely cannot allow this." Washington and nuclear experts have been skeptical about past North Korean claims about H-bombs, which are much more powerful and much more difficult to make, than atomic bombs. A confirmed test would further worsen already abysmal relations between Pyongyang and its neighbors and lead to a strong push for tougher sanctions on North Korea at the United Nations. The Security Council quickly announced an emergency meeting. A successful H-bomb test would be a big advance. Fusion is the main principle behind the hydrogen bomb, which can be hundreds of times more powerful than atomic bombs that use fission. In a hydrogen bomb, radiation from a nuclear fission explosion sets off a fusion reaction responsible for a powerful blast and radioactivity. A South Korean lawmaker said the country's spy agency told him in a private briefing that Pyongyang may not have conducted an H-bomb test given the relatively small size of the seismic wave reported. An estimated explosive yield of 6.0 kilotons and a quake with a magnitude of 4.8 (the US reported 5.1) were detected, lawmaker Lee Cheol Woo said the National Intelligence Service told him. That's smaller than the estimated explosive yield of 7.9 kilotons and a quake with a magnitude of 4.9 that were reported after the 2013 nuclear test, he said, and only a fraction of the hundreds of kilotons that a successful H-bomb test's explosion would usually yield. Even a failed H-bomb detonation typically yields tens of kilotons, the NIS told Lee, who sits on the parliament's intelligence committee. A miniaturized H-bomb can trigger a weak quake, but only the US and Russia have such H-bombs, Lee cited the NIS as saying. While also noting the quake was likely too small for an H-bomb test, Jaiki Lee, a professor of nuclear engineering at Seoul's Hanyang University, said the North could have experimented with a "boosted" hybrid bomb that uses some nuclear fusion fuel along with more conventional uranium or plutonium fuel. After North Korean leader Kim Jong Un bragged of H-bomb capabilities in December, nuclear expert Jeffrey Lewis also questioned Pyongyang's ability to build such a bomb. But, he wrote on the North Korea-focused 38 North website, "The North has now had a nuclear weapons program for more than 20 years. This program has yielded three nuclear tests. North Korean nuclear scientists have access to their counterparts in Pakistan, possibly Iran and maybe a few other places. We should not expect that they will test the same fission device over and over again." In Pyongyang the announcement was greeted with an expected rush of nationalistic pride, and some bewilderment. Kim Sok Chol, 32, told The Associated Press that he doesn't know much about H-bombs, but added that "Since we have it the US will not attack us." University student Ri Sol Yong, 22, said, "If we didn't have powerful nuclear weapons, we would already have been turned into the slaves of the US." It could take weeks before the true nature of the test is confirmed by outside experts ' if they are able to do so at all. North Korea goes to great lengths to conceal its tests by conducting them underground and tightly sealing off tunnels or any other vents through which radioactive residue and blast-related noble gases could escape into the atmosphere. US Air Force aircraft designed to detect the evidence of a nuclear test could be deployed from a US base on the Japanese island of Okinawa. Japanese media said Tokyo has also mobilized its own reconnaissance aircraft for sorties over the Sea of Japan to try to collect atmospheric data. The test was unexpected in part because North Korea's previous nuclear test was in early 2013 and Kim Jong Un did not mention nuclear weapons in his annual New Year's speech. Some outside analysts speculated Kim was worried about deteriorating ties with China, the North's last major ally, which has shown greater frustration at provocations and a possible willingness to allow stronger UN sanctions. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters that Beijing "firmly opposes" Pyongyang's purported test and is monitoring the environment on its border with North Korea near the test site. Just how big a threat North Korea's nuclear program poses is a mystery. North Korea is thought to have a handful of rudimentary nuclear bombs and has spent decades trying to perfect a multistage, long-range missile to eventually carry smaller versions of those bombs. Some analysts say the North hasn't likely achieved the technology needed to manufacture a miniaturized warhead that could fit on a long-range missile capable of hitting the US mainland. But there is a growing debate on just how far the North has advanced in its secretive nuclear and missile programs. North Korea needs fresh nuclear tests for practical military and political reasons. To build a credible nuclear program, the North must explode new nuclear devices ' including miniaturized ones ' so its scientists can continually improve their designs and technology. Nuclear-tipped missiles could then be used as deterrents, and diplomatic bargaining chips, against its enemies ' and especially against the United States, which Pyongyang has long pushed to withdraw its troops from the region and to sign a peace treaty formally ending the Korean War. "This is indeed a wakeup call," Lassina Zerbo, the head of the Vienna-based UN Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization, which has a worldwide network of monitoring stations to detect nuclear testing, told AP by phone. "I am convinced it will have repercussions on North Korea and international peace and stability." ___ AP correspondent Hyung-jin Kim and writer Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, Pyongyang bureau chief Eric Talmadge in Tokyo, and writer George Jahn in Vienna contributed to this story. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Haeril Halim and Ina Parlina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, January 6, 2016 As the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, Indonesia has called on Saudi Arabia and Iran to end tensions following the execution of a leading Shiite cleric in the Arab kingdom. The execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a Shiite cleric and opposition figure in Saudi Arabia, has worsened rivalry between the two countries that have long competed for influence in the Middle East. Relations between the countries have plunged to a new low as Saudi Arabia has severed diplomatic ties with the Islamic republic. President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has said that Indonesia, home to Sunni and Shiite Muslims, would remain neutral, while looking to facilitate peace between the two countries. Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, who accompanied Jokowi at a recent meeting with the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), said the government was trying to communicate with Saudi Arabia and Iran. 'Many expect Indonesia, as the country with the biggest Muslim population in the world, to be able to play a more active role [in bringing peace to the Middle East]. And the President understands the situation,' Lukman said at the State Palace on Tuesday. MUI chairman Ma'ruf Amin said Jokowi had told the ulema council that the government would take a diplomatic approach to the issue and would not take sides in the emerging conflict. '[The President] did not want to get involved [in one of the alliances]; [he wants] Indonesia to stay neutral,' Ma'ruf added. As home to various Muslim groups amid a growing global movement of Islamic radicalism, Indonesia has called for peace and tolerance among religious groups and condemned violence perpetrated by militant movements, including the Islamic State (IS) group. It has also struggled to curb radicalism within the country and protect the rights of minority Muslim groups such as Shia and Ahmadiyah. The government earlier expressed its objection to taking part in a Saudi-led military alliance to fight IS as it is focusing on a soft approach to combat terrorism. Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said she had communicated with counterparts in Saudi Arabia, Iran and Russia, as well as the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) secretary-general, regarding Indonesia's stance. 'The point is that we expressed concern over the worsening relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran. We also hope that each side is able to refrain [from action] to prevent a worsening situation,' Retno said. 'Indonesia also stressed the importance of having peace and stability in the region.' The country's second-largest Muslim organization, Muhammadiyah, called on Muslims nationwide to stay united despite the tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Muhammadiyah secretary-general Abdul Mukti said that the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which has often been exacerbated by the theological battle between Sunni and Shia, should not affect Indonesian Muslims due to different geographical and political contexts. 'Indonesian Muslims should see that things related to Saudi Arabia and Iran are political disputes, so we should not have any reaction [to the recent executions in Saudi Arabia]. In these kinds of circumstances, we should stay united as Muslims and avoid things that could get us involved in disputes, especially political disputes [in the Middle East],' Abdul told The Jakarta Post. Abdul encouraged Islamic organizations in Saudi Arabia, Iran and other Muslim-majority countries to issue calls for peace and tolerance. He said the government through its non-alliance foreign policy approach should make use of international forums such as the OIC and the UN to propose a peace process for Saudi Arabia and Iran. 'Indonesia should encourage peaceful dialogue in international forums to ease tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran,' Abdul said. __________________________________________ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Wed, January 6, 2016 The Romahurmuziy-led faction of the United Development Party (PPP) camp has called for the organization of a congress as part of the faction leader's efforts to reconcile with the party's Djan Faridz-led faction, following a Supreme Court decision that declared Djan the party's official leader. Romahurmuziy, a PPP chairman elected in congress held in Surabaya, said that holding a congress was a solution initiated by the chairman of the PPP-affiliated Indonesian Muslims Association (Parmusi), Usamah Hisyam, and senior members of the party. He said that such a congress was needed as the party would face simultaneous regional elections in 2017. ' A Muktamar islah (reconciliation congress) would be the perfect way to end the dispute as fast as possible,' Romahurmuziy said on Tuesday. 'In politics you have to give and take. If we only use legal avenues to settle this dispute, it will be time-consuming. In last year's regional elections, we took a beating,' he added. Romahurmuziy said that his camp would wait for a response from Djan's camp. 'The conflict in PPP has been going on for almost two years now. I think it is time to say 'enough is enough'. I hope to settle the conflict this year. We will accept anything decided by a common will, especially by the senior members of the party,' he said. However, Romahurmuzy said that his camp would continue its legal battle by filing a request for a judicial review with the Supreme Court over its decision to approve the party executive board led by Djan elected in a congress held in Jakarta. Meanwhile, the Law and Human Rights Ministry reportedly plans to revoke its decree recognizing Romahurmuziy's leadership, as a response to the Supreme Court ruling. (bbn)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Sri Wahyuni (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta Wed, January 6, 2016 Noted Indonesian sculpture maestro Edhi Sunarso passed away on Monday night aged 84 years at the Jogja International Hospital (JIH), Yogyakarta. Edhi is survived by six children, two of them adopted and 11 grandchildren. His wife Kustiyati died three years ago. According to his second daughter Titiana Irawati, Edhi was admitted to the hospital on Thursday night after suffering respiratory problems. She said he was experiencing a relapse of pneumonia. During his four-day stay at the hospital he also underwent prostate surgery. 'The surgery was successful but his condition worsened. Maybe it was because of his old age,' Titiana said at the family's house in Nganti, Mlati district, Sleman regency, Yogyakarta, on Tuesday afternoon, prior to the funeral. Edhi's body was taken to the Indonesian Institute of the Arts (ISI) Yogyakarta campus for a final homage before it was taken to the Artists Cemetery in Imogiri, Bantul regency, Yogyakarta, for the funeral. Born in Salatiga, Central Java, on July 2, 1932, Edhi was mostly known for his gigantic, patriotic statues installed in numerous public places across the country. He was a pioneer in expressive, dynamic and hero-like statues. He was one of first president Sukarno's most-trusted artists who played a significant role in building confidence in the country during the early phase of its independence through works of arts. He later worked on numerous dioramas of Indonesian history for several museums across the country. Among his monumental masterpieces were the giant Selamat Datang (Welcome) statue at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, the Pembebasan Irian Barat (Liberation of West Irian Jaya) statue in Banteng field and the Pancasila Sakti (Sacred Pancasila) monument, all in Jakarta. Outside the capital, he was also responsible for the Tugu Muda monument in Semarang, the Pahlawan Tak Dikenal (Unknown Hero) monument in Digul (Papua), the General Sudirman monument in Bogor, West Java and the Puputan-Badung War monument in Denpasar. Many remember the maestro as a figure who enjoyed helping others. 'He was not just a teacher for me, but also a father, a friend and a colleague,' sculptor Syahrizal Koto said on the sidelines of the funeral ceremony on Tuesday. Culture and Education Minister Anies Baswedan, who came to Yogyakarta on Tuesday for the funeral, remembered Edhi as a great figure who was also down-to-earth. 'He was a famous figure. Yet, in our neighborhood, he was just like the rest of the community. He joined village meetings. He even allowed the community to use his house as a venue for the meetings,' Anies said. Anies said he lived in the same neighborhood with Edhi on Jl. Kaliurang, Sleman, before Edhi moved to his final house in Nganti. Anies said he and his friends used to use Edhi's vast workshop as a playground when they were boys. 'He let us watch him working in his workshop. That was impressive,' he said. An alumnus of the Indonesian Fine Arts College (ASRI) Yogyakarta (1950-1955) and the Visva Bharati Rabindranath Tagore University Santiniketan, India (1955-1957), Edhi spent almost half of his lifetime as a lecturer at ISI Yogyakarta, which awarded him with the title of Empu Ageng (Great Artist). His artworks were considered inseparable from the development of modern sculpture in Indonesia. Many even believe that one can learn about the development of the country's modern sculpture simply by viewing his artworks chronologically. His sculptures particularly influenced modern sculpture in Indonesia during its early development in the 1950s. His influence grew stronger in the 1960s after he was assigned to help establish the sculpture department at ASRI, now ISI Yogyakarta, where he had been a lecturer since 1957. Edhi was initially accepted only as a guest student at the ASRI in 1949 at the age of 17, after being released from a Dutch colonial prison in 1946 where he had been jailed for joining Indonesian troops fighting against colonial rule. The entrance to the Upper Egyptian city of Samalout saw on Wednesday the installation of a new Queen Nefertiti bust, six months after the displaying of another bust whose appearance stirred up controversy and sarcasm. A bust of Queen Nefertiti was removed from the same location in July after locals compared it to Frankenstein, complaining it was ugly and comparing it unfavorably to the original, world famous version. Photos of the bust went viral on social media, with hundreds of Egyptians mocking the statue as extremely ugly compared to the original 3,300-year-old Queen Nefertiti bust which was discovered in Ammarna, Minya governorate in 1912. The new, higher-quality bust was sculpted by Gamal Sedki, a fine arts professor at the University of Minya. Search Keywords: Short link: Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Aldrin Rocky Sampeliling (The Jakarta Post) Depok Wed, January 6, 2016 Spotting two or more South Koreans at the University of Indonesia's (UI) main library is easy, because the past few years have seen a rise in the number of South Koreans studying at the country's top state university. Coffee shops like Starbucks and Korean restaurants on the large campus in Depok, West Java, are popular hang out places for the Koreans. 'UI's international reputation has inspired overseas students to study here,' said Nesti 'Ines' Rahayu, 27, who works at UI's global visitor, student and staff services office. According to data from her office, the number of South Korean students has grown from 40 in 2013 to 62 in 2014 and 76 in 2015. Although the number looks small against the tens of thousands of UI students, it makes South Koreans the top foreign community at UI. The growing number of South Koreans is in line with an increasing number of partnership programs between UI and South Korean universities. 'Currently, 48 South Korean universities have partnerships with UI,' said Ines. The trend has replaced the preceding years' influx of Japanese students. 'There is now a South Korean student association on campus. They elect their own leader every year,' she added. The partnerships are not the only reason for the influx of South Korean students. Ines said most South Koreans who applied for the program had been living in Indonesia for some time. 'They are the sons or daughters of South Korean expatriates living in Indonesia.' However, there are also some who came directly after graduating from high school in South Korea. Undergraduate Jong-Hwan, 22, said he had come to Indonesia three years ago and spent the initial years learning Indonesian at UI before starting his studies in communication. 'I plan to work in Indonesia after graduating,' he said. Another degree student is Jung Injun, whose father owns a factory in Bekasi. 'I came with my father and have been here for three years. I study here to help my father later in the factory,' he said in slow but clear Indonesian. Song Yang-kyu, 25, an Indonesian-language student, arrived in January 2015. He came from Seoul to follow his brother-in-law in Indonesia. 'Aside from that reason, some of my family also recommended I come here. They said Indonesia is better,' he said, stammering, as he just recently began to learn the language. Song Yang-kyu plans to work in Indonesia after completing his language course. Specifically, he will work in a Korean company, assuming that Indonesian companies might not favor Korean nationals. Jeong Sunghun and Son Haejin, both 23, are non-degree/exchange students from Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SEOULTECH). They came only for one semester to study chemical engineering at UI. 'We are actually food engineering students, but since there was no such major at UI, we chose chemical engineering. I am interested in studying about halal food, seeing that more and more companies in Korea are starting to get into the halal food market,' said Haejin. Apart from studying halal food, Sunghun and Haejin are also learning Indonesian. 'Learning Indonesian might improve my chance to be accepted by companies in Korea,' she said, adding that Indonesia was an option, too. 'I am thinking about working here; the people are very nice and friendly.' Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nani Afrida (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Wed, January 6, 2016 The Indonesian Air Force has expressed concern over the decision of ministries, including the Transportation Ministry and the Law and Human Rights Ministry, to design military-like uniforms for their officials, a trend the force said could cause a backlash for the military. 'The uniforms, which look like ones worn by the military, will cause misconceptions and create the opportunity for certain people to abuse [the situation],' Air Force chief of staff Air Marshal Agus Supriyatna said in Jakarta on Tuesday. He said that with more civilians wearing military-style uniforms, members of the military could be blamed for potential problems. 'If there is a problem, military personnel could be the target [of blame] or if military personnel did something wrong, others might get the consequences,' he said. The Air Force has written to the two ministries requesting that they drop military-like symbols and decorations from their uniforms. Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan was particularly targeted by the Air Force for his decision to hold a photo opportunity on Sept. 17 last year to mark the national transportation day in full military-like regalia, accompanied by the ministry's director general who was also dressed in a similar outfit. Jonan was seen holding a baton and putting a military star badge on his shoulder. 'We have written letters to express our concern. It will depend on the government [to find a solution]. The institutions should have their own uniforms,' Agus said. Other than the two ministries, the Air Force has also written to mass organizations and political parties, warning them against adopting military-like symbols and uniforms. The TNI commander issued a decision in 2004 on how military fatigue should look. The decision forbids family members and other civilians from donning similar uniforms. Air Force spokesperson Air Comr. Dwi Badarmanto said that uniforms were part of military identity and personnel did not wear them just for show. 'For those who wear military uniform, it means he or she is a combatant and legally can be targeted during a war or conflict situation. Military uniform is also to distinguish combatants and civilians. That is why civilians should not wear military uniforms,' Dwi told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday. Dwi said that the Indonesian Military (TNI), particularly the Air Force, had seen the trend of civilians wearing military uniforms reach alarming levels. He said that if the trend continued, it could have adverse impacts on military personnel. 'It will demoralize them because there would be no pride in wearing a uniform anymore,' Dwi said. Responding to the Air Force's demands, the Transportation Ministry said it had its own traditions in designing uniforms. 'We have long used this uniform,' the ministry's spokesperson JA Barata said on Tuesday. Military uniforms and paraphernalia are easy to find at traditional markets nationwide. Military police have previously conducted raids against civilians donning military fatigue. The corps has also cracked down on privately owned vehicles featuring stickers that use logos and names of elite military commands. Last year the TNI gained the most public trust and respect out of numerous institutions, even outdoing the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). A study conducted by the Jakarta-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) between Oct. 14 to 21 found that the TNI received support from 90 percent of 1,183 respondents surveyed. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Wed, January 6, 2016 The West Aceh regency in Aceh has called for a cooperation with Japan to improve disaster mitigation efforts in the region, a government official said on Wednesday. The West Aceh Development Planning Board (Bappeda) Chairman H.T. Ahmad Dadek said that the local government had asked for Japan's support because it had seen that the awareness of the Acehnese people toward mitigation effort was still lacking. "The massive earthquake and tsunami in 2004 has not been a strong enough warning to push the people to be on guard or to make natural disaster part of their character and culture," said Ahmad as quoted by Antara news agency. Ahmad said that the local government had held a meeting with two Japanese researchers, Engineers Without Borders general secretary Suzuki Tamojo and Asian Disaster Reduction Center senior researcher Masaru Arakida in West Aceh. Both researchers helped the local government to make its proposal of cooperation, which will later be submitted to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Ahmad added. Arakida said he wanted to educate Acehnese people about the methods of disaster mitigation by taking an example from Japan, where mitigation efforts did not necessarily need further theory and presentation, but instead emphasized application-based implementation. "Japanese methods are not the best either. People have their own system and methods to improve their disaster mitigation," said Arakida. Meanwhile, Suzuki said that local people themselves needed to be involved and aware that they need to improve their mitigation efforts, thus helping the people to prepare themselves to face natural disaster. According to Suzuki, Japanese people were calm in facing natural disaster because they had been disciplined since they were little, thanks to the long-term results of their culture and education. Instead of following fixed procedures that were rather hard to understand, Suzuki said, the important thing when strengthening disaster mitigation efforts was to practice disaster simulation. This needs to be constantly evaluated, he added. Schools in Aceh could adopt a curriculum on education of disaster mitigation, such as the one that is currently being implemented at schools in Japan, Suzuki added. (mas/iik) Read the digital edition 2020-09-25 E-Edition The Jewish Advocate is a not-for-profit reader-supported 501(c)3 organization. We rely on your donations which are tax-deductible. Saudi Arabia on Wednesday executed a citizen convicted of murder, raising to 49 the number of death sentences carried out in the first week of 2016, the interior ministry announced. Saud bin Mohammed al-Shalwi was convicted of shooting dead Mohammed bin Safar al-Harithi following a dispute, the ministry said in a statement published on the official SPA news agency. He was executed in the western city of Taif, it said. On Saturday, the kingdom executed 47 men convicted of "terrorism", including Al-Qaeda-linked militants and Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr, whose death has prompted a diplomatic row with Iran. Saudi Arabia on Sunday cut ties with Iran after protesters against Nimr's execution torched the kingdom's diplomatic missions in the Shiite-dominated Islamic republic. In 2015, Saudi Arabia executed 153 people convicted of various crimes, including drug trafficking, up from 87 in 2014, according to AFP tallies. Amnesty International says the number of executions in Saudi Arabia last year was the highest for two decades. However, the number is way behind that of Iran and China. Search Keywords: Short link: We have a followup today on the tragedy that occurred on New Years Eve, when a 25-year-old man was crushed by an elevator at the Grand Street Guild apartment complex. Residents of the building at 131 Broome St. are meeting tomorrow to discuss long-standing concerns about elevator safety. They have requested the attendance of executives from Wavecrest Management, which operates the affordable housing development. Last Thursday evening, an elevator cab slammed down on Stephen Hewett-Brown, an aspiring musician from the Bronx. Efforts to save him were futile. Many news stories highlighted problems with the elevators going back several years. In the Department of Buildings online file for 131 Broome St., 44 violations have been recorded. Leaders of the tenant association tell us they have been pleading with the management company for several years to address safety issues in the elevators at all three buildings in the complex. Daisy Paez, tenant association president, said, It took a life to be lost. Now Grand Street Guild is getting all of this attention. We want to make sure this never happens again. We want to know that (tenants) can get in the elevators and be safe. On Saturday, a memo was distributed by management that read, in part: We express our sincere condolences to the family of Stephen Hewett-Brown for their loss. They are foremost in our thoughts. We assure you that safety is our paramount concern. We and our elevator company are actively working with the New York City Department of Buildings, the NYPD and all appropriate authorities to determine the underlying cause of this tragedy. The elevators underwent a complete modernization in 2011 and are regularly inspected and serviced by a licensed elevator maintenance and inspection agency. Tenant association members say, however, that a complete modernization of Grand Street Guilds elevators did not occur. As evidence, they cited several emails between tenants and management in the past few years. A January 2011 email stated that one elevator in each building would be modernized. In February of 2012, tenants complained about an elevator that was jumping erratically with passengers inside. During a $60 million renovation project funded by the federal government in 2012, there were weekly meetings involving tenant leaders and construction managers. The elevators were at the top of the agenda for quite some time, said Paez. Rather than replacing the cabs, tenant association members say, metal sheeting was wrapped around all four walls of each elevator. The improvements were purely cosmetic, they contend. Just three weeks ago, Paez was in an elevator with her dog when they became trapped and had to be rescued by the fire department. Alexander Schnell, Buildings Department press secretary, told The Lo-Down, The Departments investigation is ongoing. Our inspectors have been on site since this tragedy occurred. Were told the elevator that malfunctioned has not yet been returned to service. The remaining two elevators at 131 Broome St. have been tested and are in use. According to the Buildings Department, the defective elevator was installed in 2011 and was last inspected in December. There were no open violations for immediately hazardous conditions. There were three open violations for what the Buildings Department considers minor infractions. We asked Wavecrest Management for their take on the elevator modernization program. This is the response from Jay Yablonsky, director of property management: The modernization of the elevators was specified and overseen by an independent elevator consultant and licensed architectural firm. The work was signed off by both HUD and the New York City Department of Buildings and consisted of the installation of new major elevator components, including, but not limited to, the controllers, hoist motor, hoist and governor cables, and traveling cables. In addition, those components that were retained were adjusted and serviced for proper operation. Yablonsky said tenants will be updated regarding their investigation when more information becomes available. Alexander Schnell, the city spokesperson, said, Accidents like this are extremely rare. The citys elevators make billions of passenger trips every year without incident. In the unlikely event of a service interruption, he added, the safest place to be is inside the elevator. Ring the alarm, stay calm, and wait in the elevator until help arrives. The three 26-story towers that make up the apartment complex were built by the Archdiocese of New York (under the auspices of St. Marys Church) in the early 1970s. The properties are controlled by a not-for-profit organization known as the Grand Street Guild Housing Development Fund Corp. Three female Kurdish campaigners have been killed in fighting in a curfew-hit town in southeast Turkey as the authorities press an offensive against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the main pro-Kurdish party said Wednesday. The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) said three of its female campaigners and another as-yet-unidentified man had been shot and badly wounded in Silopi town in Sirnak province late on Monday, accusing the authorities of failing to evacuate them despite pleas. All four died. "These three women and the man were shot on Monday in the evening. They called to say 'We are wounded and losing blood, so get us out of here'," Leyla Birlik, the party's MP for Sirnak province, said. "The HDP asked the authorities to evacuate them (from Silopi) but got no response," she added. Silopi has been under curfew since December 14 as the authorities wage a major military operation to crush the PKK in the Kurdish-dominated southeast of the country. The government says the PKK effectively took over towns by erecting barricades and digging trenches. But Kurdish activists say excessive use of force has killed dozens of civilians. The HDP identified the three women as Seve Demir, Pakize Nayir and Fatma Uyar. The man has not been identified because his face was so badly disfigured, it said. It was not clear under what circumstances they were hit or who fired the fatal shots. There was no immediate comment on the incident from the authorities. Pro-Kurdish media insisted they were civilians and not combatants. "The targeting of three women in the vanguard of the resistance was not a coincidence. They targeted the freedom struggle of all women," HDP's co-leader Figen Yuksekdag said in a party statement. The PKK launched a formal insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984, initially fighting for Kurdish independence although now more for greater autonomy and rights for the country's largest ethnic minority. The conflict, which has left tens of thousands dead, looked like it could be nearing a resolution until an uneasy truce was shattered in July. Search Keywords: Short link: Almost two years ago, I participated in what was described as the largest gathering ever on the topic of ending sexual violence in conflict. The 2014 Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict summit was hosted by UN Special Envoy and Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie and the then UK Foreign Secretary William Hague, and I am extremely privileged to have played a part in . I still have fond memories of the summit, not just because I had the opportunity of meeting Angelina Jolie (which was awesome), but because, for some of us, it was an opportunity that made us realise that there was something greater than the sum of us happening. It was the realisation that we were part of a very promising summit. In 2016, the issue of ending sexual violence and conflict is still very musan issue worth discussing, so I thought I'd share my experience of the 2014 summit: The summit took place between June 10th and 13th at the ExCel in London. It saw a coalition of great efforts and great minds uniting to tackle an issue that has been addressed as a peripheral matter for long enough. Sexual violence in conflict has traditionally been deemed to be an inevitable consequence of wars or conflict. This is because there are always casualties of war and that is just the way it is, right? The Swedish Pop group ABBA (very old school reference) sums it best in the title of their hit song: The Winner Takes It All. This mind-set is wrong, though, because even war has its rules. After the Napoleonic wars of the Nineteenth Century major-general of Prussia, Von Clausewitz, wrote that "War is a mere continuation of policy by other means war is not merely a political act, but also a real political instrument, a continuation of political commerce, a carrying out of the same by other means". So war should be a last resort, when diplomacy fails. This is, at least, the ideal. One could elaborate on the chasm between the ideal and the reality on the battlefield, but to do so would not be entirely profitable because it is perhaps obvious. The 1949 Geneva Conventions is just an example of a provision in International Law governing conduct in war (it has minimal application in peace time). The Lion King is my favourite cartoon of all time. Last year I had the opportunity to FINALLY watch the musical (I totally recommend it!). There is a scene in the cartoon where Timone tells Simba (the lead character) look, kid, bad things happen and you cant do anything about it - right? Timone answers his own question in the negative. Timones right! There is something we can do and its not to turn our back on the world as Timone suggested. Indeed, one solution to the sexual violence epidemic is to unite the world and deal with the issue. Sexual violence against women in particular has been in used in the past as a targeted and deliberate weapon of warfare in order to expunge an ethnic group (ethnic cleansing) the Rwandan conflict springs to mind and commit other atrocities that cannot be expressed in words. The agony of the victims cannot be imagined; during the summit, one such victim could only express her experience thorough a song. That was a moving moment and it was as if time had stopped ticking for a moment to express sympathy for her. From diplomats to dancers, politicians to plumbers, journalists to janitors; people from all walks of life and all over the world, filled with a desire and passion for change, resolved that it was Time to Act which was the theme of the summit. To slightly paraphrase the exordium of Dr Martin Luther Kings I Have a Dream speech: I am happy to say this will go down in history as one of the greatest demonstrations for freedom and justice in the history of humanity. The objective of the summit was to create a sense of irreversible movement towards ending the use of rape and sexual violence in conflict. This would be achieved by delivering a set of practical agreements that bring together, and focus on the efforts of conflict-affected countries, donors, the UN and other multilateral organisations, NGOs and civil society in an ambitious and cohesive programme for change. This was a huge undertaking, but it is history in the making. I really feel privileged to be a part of it. During the summit, I was involved in a hackathon event. A hackathon is an event where people (with different skills and experiences) unite to use address social problems with technological solutions. I believe that with technology, we can impact future generations in present times. The hackathon, organised by Chayn in collaboration with the Embassy of Sweden et al, comprised of six teams, and each time comprised of several participants. For three tiring days, I worked on a project with an amazing team. We had a psychology expert, a journalist, a graphic designer, a coder; I brought my knowledge of law and diplomacy to the table. It was truly as the Latin phrase goes, a consensus ad idem (a meeting of minds) a meeting of great minds, a more perfect union and I am pleased with the technological solution we came up with by the third day. It was a novel communication device for victims. Our challenge as hackers to create a technological solution to combat sexual violence in conflict was described as idealist, realist and activist. It is idealistic because as the lyrics to Sam Cookes song goes we know a change is gonna come. It is realistic because technology can be a driver for that change. It is activist because we reject an awful status quo and advocate change change we can believe in, as US President Barack Obama put it. This summit issued a clarion call to the world, and the world is responding a year and a half later. From the #bringbackourgirls campaign after the kidnapping of the Nigerian girls by Boko Haram (which arguably led the media to give more attention to the kidnapping than they mighthave done otherwise), to the unity March in France that demonstrated that the force of unity is greater than the unity of force, it is clear that the world has the capacity to care. Perhaps in 2016, though, we could step it up. Let's not just care, let's care to take action about a cause we care about - whatever it is. It doesn't have to be life-changing. It might be about ending sexual violence in conflict, or maybe it's that there aren't enough pizzas in your hall of residence perhaps, start a Pizza Appreciation Society! In all seriousness, though, I leave you with a final quote by Descartes which is "I think therefore I am". Personally, I'm more inclined to "I do, therefore I am" - and in 2016, so should you be too. 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Namun jangan khawatir, disini sebagai situs slot gacor MGS88 kami akan memberikan penjelasan lengkap mengenai tentang istilah yang ada di RTP SLOT dibawah ini. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday refused to condemn Saudi Arabia for its execution of 47 convicts including a prominent Shia cleric, saying it was an "internal legal matter" of the kingdom. "The executions in Saudi Arabia are an internal legal matter. Whether you approve or not of the decision is a separate issue," Erdogan, who last month visited Riyadh in a new sign of Ankara's warm ties with the kingdom, said in a televised speech in his first reaction to the controversy Search Keywords: Short link: Qatar recalled its ambassador to Iran on Wednesday, state news agency QNA said, after allies Saudi Arabia and Bahrain cut their ties with Tehran following attacks on Saudi missions by Iranian protesters. Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia have spiralled since the execution of a Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia. Earlier on Wednesday Djibouti cut ties with Iran and Jordan summoned Iran's envoy in Amman to condemn Sunday's attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran by protesters angered at the execution of cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. "The ministry summoned this morning Qatar's ambassador to Tehran against the backdrop of attacks on the embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Tehran," QNA quoted Khalid Ibrahim Abdulrahman Al-Hamar, the director of the Asian Affairs Department, as saying. Qatar's foreign ministry called the embassy attack a "violation of international charters and norms that ensure the security and protection of diplomatic missions and their members". Qatar shares with Iran access to the world's largest natural gas field beneath the waters of the Gulf. Kuwait recalled its ambassador to Tehran on Tuesday, while the United Arab Emirates has partially downgraded diplomatic relations. Iran has accused the Sunni Muslim monarchy of Saudi Arabia of using the attack on the embassy as an "excuse" to sever ties and further increase sectarian tensions. Iran's top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, predicted "divine vengeance" for the execution of al-Nimr, an outspoken opponent of the ruling Al Saud family. Search Keywords: Short link: Getting the silent treatment in Londons new dating game UNITED KINGDOM: Candles and languid electro-jazz set the scene for a romantic rendezvous at a north London bar, but the couple sitting face-to-face can use only their eyes to beguile. culture By AFP Wednesday 6 January 2016, 01:00PM Men and women begin an evening of 90-second silent speed dates, the latest attempt by Londoners to reinvent the citys intoxicating world of nightclubs, bars and fleeting liaisons. Photo: Jack Taylor/AFP The 90-second silent date is the latest attempt by Londoners to reinvent the citys intoxicating world of nightclubs, bars and fleeting liaisons. It is the brainchild of Adam Taffler, actor and cultural entrepreneur, who got the idea during a visit to Australia. I was speaking with my girlfriend on the phone every few days and we were talking, but what we really enjoyed doing is at the end of the phone call we just stopped speaking to each other, we were just like there listening to each other breathing and it was beautiful, he told AFP. It was so intimate we thought why dont we try doing a dating event where people dont talk and they just make eye contact. People dont make as much eye contact as they used to, added Mr Taffler, sporting a dark jacket, white shirt, black beard and handlebar moustache. He believes it is time to move beyond the world of words, which can often be used to conceal true personalities. With words we are presenting an idea of ourselves: this is who I say I am. But quite often were not saying what we really are, he explained. You can see people as they really are because youre looking into their eyes and that never lies. The Shhh dating event takes place in the basement of Farrs School of Dancing, a vintage bar in the hip district of Dalston. The decor is fashionably ragged, almost derelict, and the 1970s are conjured with red armchairs in imitation leather and an orange padded bar. The walls are decorated with torn wallpaper and shelves of unusual gold objects including a horse and a mill. Im quite curious about not having to speak whether you have to compensate or do something else, said graphic designer Jason Ribeiro, 33, wearing black trousers, a grey T-shirt and trainers. There is an even gender split between the 30 hopefuls, who are mostly in their thirties. They are there to have fun, but also to meet new people a task surprisingly difficult in a city of 8.6 million people. People tend to stay in their own circles, explained participant Adrian Law. As 7pm arrives, Mr Taffler kicks off the event with a stern warning of no language to be spoken. Guests are invited to break the ice by shaking hands, before settling down for a series of games designed to build relationships. Unable to speak, every gesture, smile and grimace is accentuated and communication is left to facial and bodily movements. To the sound of Carl Douglass disco hit Kung Fu Fighting, dates show off their martial arts moves. A muscle-bound man flexes his biceps to impress his sparring partner, who responds by adopting ninja positions. Things get more serious in the evenings second act as Mr Taffler turns the music down-tempo with British group Cinematic Orchestra and the participants are given a minute-and-a-half in which to seduce. Lucie, a teacher with long black hair, sits opposite a young man, hands on knees. She lowers her forehead, takes a deep breath before diving into the eyes of her partner with a fragile gaze. It was a nice experience, she said. We reached a level of closeness and intimacy that maybe you dont get when people are talking and trying to impress each other. Further along, a statuesque blonde called India is weaving her web. Her partners face betrays a mixture of admiration and lust, and he lets out a sigh when a bell announces the change of partner. But sometimes, 90 seconds can seem like an eternity filled with contorted faces and shy glances. As the evening draws to a close, the participants seem generally satisfied with their experience and make a note of those they wish to pursue. The next time, talking will be allowed. Handle with care: Hospital care for foreigners without travel insurance PHUKET: Reports keep resurfacing of foreigners, expats and tourists alike, requiring hospital treatment despite the visitor having inadequate or no travel insurance at all. It seems that sometimes the government hospitals keep providing free medical care, while other times it seems they charge for their services. Here The Phuket News answers that vital question: What free medical care are foreigners entitled to? accidentstourismeconomicshealth By The Phuket News Wednesday 6 January 2016, 09:00AM For now, tourists without travel insurance can get some free basic hospital care. QUESTION My friend is traveling in Thailand and has been running a real high fever. It seems to be getting worse. He doesnt have travel insurance or a lot of money, but needs to see a doctor. Is there any house call doctor services here that we can call to have a doctor can visit the patient in his hotel? If so, how much will this service cost? If not, can we take him to government hospital and will they admit him or just send him to the expensive international hospital? Tasha, Phuket. ANSWER Any tourists who become quite ill or are seriously injured but do not have any travel insurance should just go to the nearest government hospital. It is the policy of every public hospital to take care of any patients who need medical care not just Thai people, but also tourists, expats, migrant workers or anyone else who needs medical treatment. Public hospitals do not provide house call services, but in case of emergency, please call 1669 for an ambulance to transport you to hospital. This service is free. Callers must provide as much basic information as possible about the patient so that the medical staff responding to the call are well prepared by before they get there. The Emergency Medical Service (EMS) in Phuket is one of the best in the country because of the huge variety of situations our staff have encountered in the past. Our EMS is provided by well-trained staff and well-equipped ambulances. For now, all tourists with no travel insurance can receive medical treatment at a public hospital in Thailand, regardless whether or not they can afford to pay. However, please note that not all medical treatment is provided free. If any payment is required, the public hospital staff will inform you of any expenses and discuss how the bill is to be settled. For example, if you call an ambulance and the relevant officials at the hospital you are taken to deem that the ambulance call was not for an emergency, be prepared to be charged as per one of three EMS services as follows: 1. First Responder Service for minor health concern, about B300. 2. Basic Life Support Service for moderate health concern, about B600. 3. Advance Life Support Service for serious health concern, about B1,000. Hospital staff will do their best to make sure that free medical services are provided free, but that any other services are charged. The relevant official will discuss whatever payment options are possible with you. This issue is a growing concern. Last year, the Royal Thai Government spent about B420 million covering the medical costs of tourists who had no travel insurance. Also, about 25,000 tourists visited Phukets main medical facility, Patong Hospital, in the past year. The number of these patients who were covered by medical insurance was estimated at less than 1,000. Thailand, and especially health officials in Phuket, are currently pushing to introduce compulsory travel insurance by law. Very soon, all tourists who want to enter Thailand must have travel insurance. Dr Bancha Kakong, Director of the Phuket Provincial Health Office. PM orders end to double-decker buses THAILAND: Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered a ban on the registration of new double-decker tour buses and stricter road worthiness checks for all public transport vehicles. transportaccidents By Bangkok Post Wednesday 6 January 2016, 03:10PM Rescue workers try to reach passengers trapped inside an overturned double-decker tour bus in Nakhon Ratchasima. Photo: Bangkok Post Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said Gen Prayut issued the instructions during Tuesdays (Jan 5) cabinet meeting in the wake a record roadtoll over the New Year holiday. The prime minister said the Transport Ministry must end the registration of double-decker buses, which were involved in too many accidents. The 4,800 double-decker buses and 16,000 single-deck buses with a height of more than 3.6 metres already in operation must all pass a strict tilt test on a 30 degree slope. Any that fail to pass the test must be taken out of service, Mr Arkhom said. He said the prime minister wants all vehicles used as public transport to be equipped with a global positioning system (GPS) for the effective monitoring of drivers habits, since some accidents were caused by reckless driving. Mr Arkhom said the prime minister instructed that the Land Transport Department suspend or revoke the licences of reckless drivers and impose heavier penalties on bus operators, such as tour bus companies, that put substandard buses into service. The prime minister has expressed concern about this and wants the urgent imposition of more measures to reduce road accidents, especially during the coming Songkran Festival when more people travel than during the New Year, the minister said. Land Transport director-general Sanit Promwong said there were about 20,000 double-deckers and single-deckers taller than 3.6 metres in operation at the moment. All were required to pass a tilt test on at least a 30 degree slope, otherwise they would be taken out of service. He said the department could not order all double-decker buses off the road immediately. The law did not allow that. What could be done for now was not allow new double-decker buses to register. At the same time, the existing double-decker buses would be gradually phased out of service, he said. Meanwhile, the Land Transport Department has issued an announcement that all passenger buses which register from Jan 25 this year must be fitted with a GPS. Buses which already have a GPS installed were required to link their system with that of the Land Transport Department by the end of this year. By the end of 2017, all vehicles used for public transport buses, vans and taxis must be equipped with a GPS, Mr Sanit said. Town minibuses and tuk-tuks were exempt. Read original story here. Troops loyal to Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi seized a Red Sea port town Wednesday in the country's northwest following fierce fighting with Iran-backed Shia rebels, a military chief said. "We have full control of the port and the town, along with its historic castle," Fifth Military Region commander General Adel al-Qumairi said of Midi. Intensive clashes had raged in the area since mid-December when government forces trained in nearby Saudi Arabia crossed the border and seized the town of Haradh. The rebels, known as Houthis, have reportedly used Midi's port to bring weapons into their traditional stronghold in the north. Despite losing Midi, they and their allies of renegade troops loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, continue to control a long stretch of the coastline. Government forces have enjoyed air support from the Saudi-led coalition, which launched a campaign against rebels in March after they advanced on the southern city of Aden where Hadi had taken refuge before fleeing to Riyadh. The rebels continue to control the capital, which they overran 2014, but loyalists have captured areas east and northeast of the capital recently. On Wednesday, coalition warplanes bombed rebel positions in Sanaa, including the presidential complex, witnesses said. Search Keywords: Short link: A US soldier has become the first American killed in Afghanistan in 2016 while two more were wounded in an operation in Helmand province, where Afghan troops are battling Taliban insurgents, US and NATO officials said. The troops had come under fire while conducting a mission Tuesday with Afghan special operations counterparts in Marjah, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said. "This is an ongoing situation, there is still a fight going on in the immediate surroundings," Cook said. Brigadier General Wilson Shoffner, a spokesman for the NATO mission in Afghanistan, added: "We are deeply saddened by this loss." An unspecified number of Afghan troops were also wounded in the mission, officials said. "We can confirm the wounded have been evacuated," Colonel Michael Lawhorn, a spokesman for NATO forces in Afghanistan, told AFP. It was unclear if he meant Afghan wounded as well as the US soldiers. Afghan forces are currently fighting to repel Taliban militants who in recent weeks have seized large swathes of the key opium-rich district of Sangin in the southern province of Helmand, a traditional stronghold of the insurgents. In December, the Taliban offensive prompted the first British deployment to the volatile province in 14 months. The deployment, in addition to a recent arrival of US special forces in the region, comes a year after NATO forces formally ended their combat operations in the country. "There are dangerous parts of Afghanistan where the fight is still under way, and Helmand province is one of those places," Cook said. "This is an ongoing fight, and I think the events of the last few hours highlight that." Two HH-60 Pave Hawk medical evacuation helicopters were scrambled after the attack. One of these turned back after taking fire, and returned safely to its base. The second landed at the scene but its rotor blades were damaged after it apparently struck a wall, Cook said. Initial reports were that a mortar had exploded near the helicopter. Local residents told AFP that the helicopter caught fire. "The chopper fell to the ground and began to burn. I don't know if it was shot down by the Taliban or if it crashed," said Marjah resident Haji Mohammad, who added he was about a kilometre away from the site when the helicopter came down. Another resident also said the helicopter had caught fire. A Taliban source claimed to AFP that the insurgents had shot the helicopter down, with all those on board killed. The Taliban, who regularly exaggerate battlefield claims, have in the past shot down several military helicopters with small-arms fire. In October, a US F-16 was struck by enemy fire in eastern Afghanistan, in a rare case of an advanced jet fighter coming under a Taliban-claimed attack. In November, the insurgents attacked a helicopter chartered by the Afghan army that crash landed in the north, killing at least three of those on board -- including a Moldovan crew member -- and taking others hostage. The unrest in Helmand, blighted by a huge opium harvest that helps fund the insurgency, comes after the Taliban briefly captured Kunduz city in September -- their biggest victory in 14 years of war. US President Barack Obama in October announced that thousands of US troops would remain in Afghanistan past 2016, backpedalling on previous plans to reduce the force and acknowledging that Afghan forces are not ready to stand alone. Search Keywords: Short link: Fee for repeat offenders who don't mow grass could be increased Those who fail to keep their lawns cut are charged a $100 fee per incident for the city to cut their lawns. The council looks to increase this fee. Nuclear experts cast doubt Wednesday on North Korea's claimed first successful test of a miniaturised hydrogen bomb, saying the detected seismic activity suggested a less powerful device. The announcement followed hints last month by leader Kim Jong-Un that Pyongyang had already developed a hydrogen, or thermonuclear, bomb -- a claim greeted with scepticism by experts at the time. Crispin Rovere, an Australia-based nuclear policy and arms control specialist, said the 5.1 magnitude tremor detected at the North's Punggye-ri nuclear test site was too small to support Pyongyang's claim. "The seismic data that's been received indicates that the explosion is probably significantly below what one would expect from an H-bomb test," Rovere told AFP. "So initially it seems to be that they've successfully conducted a nuclear test but unsuccessfully completed the second-stage hydrogen explosion," Rovere said. The test came just two days before Kim Jong-Un's birthday. Analysts said the North's leader had been looking for a major achievement to highlight at a rare ruling party congress scheduled for May -- the first gathering of its kind for 35 years. "I don't think it was a hydrogen bomb test. The explosion had to be larger if it was a hydrogen bomb test," said Choi Kang, vice president of the Seoul-based Asan Institute for Policy Studies. "I think they are disguising it as a hydrogen test because Kim Jong-un mentioned it before," Choi said. A thermonuclear bomb uses fusion in a chain reaction that results in a far more powerful explosion than the fission blast generated by uranium or plutonium alone. The North has made many unverifiable claims about its nuclear weapons strength, including the ability to strike the US mainland, which most experts dismiss -- at least for now. In September, however, the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security had raised a red flag over what appeared to be a new "hot cell" facility under construction at the North's main Yongbyon nuclear complex. Analysts at the think tank said satellite images suggested it could be an isotope separation facility capable of producing tritium -- a key component in the design of thermonuclear weapons. Bruce Bennett, a senior defence analyst with the Rand Corporation, was also unconvinced by the H-bomb test claim. "If it were a real H-bomb, the Richter Scale reading should have been about a hundred times more powerful than what we saw, which would have been in the range of seven or so," he told AFP. Bennett assessed Wednesday's explosion as in the 10-15 kiloton range, just less than the Hiroshima blast in 1945. He said the fusion element of the explosion may have failed entirely, or the fission element did not operate correctly. But Bennett said the increasing power of the blasts heightened the prospect of triggering an earthquake and the release of radiation from the underground test site, a source of great concern to Chinese people across the border. Asked about next steps, Bennett said: "We have to be concerned because he has this separate party congress that he's planning to do in May, which is a huge political deal." "And he's done a test now which most people and most experts in the world will say didn't work. Is he going to be forced before May to do another test to demonstrate that they can get it to work? And that's the ultimate instability." South Korea's National Intelligence Service, which briefed lawmakers after the North's announcement, also said it was unlikely to have been a hydrogen bomb. A member of the parliamentary intelligence committee who attended the briefing said the NIS had seen no tell-tale signs of an explosion powerful enough to be attributed to an H-bomb. The North's first two nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009 were of plutonium devices, while the third in 2013 was believed -- though not confirmed -- to have used uranium as its fissile material. Seong Chai-Ki, senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, said Wednesday's was more likely a boosted fission test -- generally seen as a precursor to a full H-bomb detonation. "There has been speculation that North Korea would first test its boosted fission weapon rather than going directly to a hydrogen bomb test," Seong told AFP. Search Keywords: Short link: The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Wednesday in New York after North Korea claimed it had carried out a "successful" hydrogen bomb test, diplomats said. The closed-door morning talks between the 15 member nations were called by the United Nations and Japan. "While we cannot confirm at this time that a test was carried out, we condemn any violation of UNSC Resolutions and again call on North Korea to abide by its international obligations and commitments," US mission spokeswoman Hagar Chemali said. If the test was indeed a hydrogen bomb, it would mark a significant increase in capabilities from the North, which previously tested far less fission blasts generated by uranium or plutonium. A hydrogen, or thermonuclear device, uses fusion in a chain reaction. If North Korea's claim is confirmed, it would massively raise the stakes around its banned nuclear program and likely trigger tougher international sanctions. Pyongyang has carried out three previous nuclear tests -- in 2006, 2009 and 2013 -- which led to a series of sanctions from the United Nations. Several UN resolutions ban the reclusive North from any nuclear activity or ballistic missile technology. At the council, Pyongyang ally Beijing regularly tries to shield the North from condemnation or sanctions, while Washington repeatedly denounces the communist regime and its human rights violations. Japan joined the council on January 1 under a two-year mandate as a non-permanent member. Search Keywords: Short link: One of my earliest memories of my late grandmother is of her crouching on a little stool in the kitchen washing rice. Id hear the gentle swishing of the grains that had been soaked in cold water moving through her fingers. If you asked her (or any Chinese grandma) how to cook rice shed give you some version of this: rinse the rice until the water almost becomes clear, pour it in a rice cooker, and put in enough water so that when you stick your index finger on top of the rice pile, the water reaches your fingernail or first knuckle. But for those who dont want to rely on a cooker or have much faith in The Knuckle Method here is the key to fluffy rice. The biggest mistake people make is putting everything in at the same time: the rice, the water, the oil or butter. Thats how you get mushy rice, says Aida Koduzi, owner of the long-standing Rubes Rice in the basement of the St. Lawrence Market. This shop is a mecca of unusual rice from around with world with about 50 varieties in rotation. Theres wild rice from Saskatchewan (the bestseller); eight kinds of basmati (what she recommends for everyday eating); rice for sushi, paella, risotto; rice in brownish red hues, deep purples, and even a jade-coloured rice thats been infused with bamboo juice. To cook one cup of white rice, Koduzi first recommends giving the grains a quick rinse under cold water to remove the starchy coating so that they dont clump up. She would then bring one-and-a-half cups of salted water (she also recommends adding a bit of butter or olive oil for flavour) to a boil before adding the rice. After a quick stir, shed boil the rice for two to three minutes and then cover the pot and simmer for 15 (dont stir or remove the lid). She then takes the pot off the heat and lets it rest for another 10 minutes before taking off the lid and fluffing the rice with a fork. Another way to cook rice is in the oven. Im a huge fan of the French-style rice pilaf. Id say using an oven is more user-friendly than the stove because the heat is coming from all angles. Also, the more stuff you can cook in the oven means more room on the stove for other things, says Craig Wong of Patois. He suggests sauteing uncooked, unrinsed rice with onions and butter in a deep pan before adding stock and a few sprigs of thyme. Hell then put a lid on the pan and place it in the oven at 300 F (150 Celsius) for 25 minutes. Toasting the rice gives it a nuttier flavour and much more depth. The texture isnt as soft or fragile, and will hold up to moisture better, he says. But if you want to turn that white rice into fried rice, use day-old rice, not fresh, says chef Jonathan Poon of Chantecler and Bar Fancy. The starch on the outside of the rice congeals a bit when you refrigerate it in the fridge overnight, he says. It becomes a hard block and you have to break it up with your hands. Youll see that the rice separates easily so that every grain can be coated with oil when you fry it and has that nice texture. Its the restaurant secret to fried rice. While Poon and Wong now measure out their ingredients, old habits from their moms still come up. Sometimes Ill just stick my finger in the pot until the water reaches halfway up my fingernail, says Poon about making rice at home. I got it from mom. Whatever, Im just gonna use a rice cooker Consider getting a rice cooker if you cook for four or more people. Not only will it free up a burner on the stove for your family-sized meals, but you can also double-up by steaming vegetables and meats in the cooker. Here are three models for every budget and purpose. Sunbeam 16-Cup Rice Cooker This is the basic, no-frills model that has a simple switch you flip on to make up to 16 cups of cooked rice. It also comes with a steam basket to steam other foods at the same time. Pick this up if you have limited kitchen space or are afraid of any appliance that has an LCD screen and more than five buttons. $29.99 from BestBuy.ca Aroma 8-Cup Rice Cooker This lightweight cooker is a good middle ground for people who want some extra features without spending too much. It includes a steamer tray for meats and vegetables, settings for white and brown rice, as well as a 15-hour delay option so you can dump in the ingredients in the morning and then time it for your food to be cooked when you come home from work. It also includes a recipe for jambalaya, so thats pretty neat. $44.99, from Amazon.ca Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy Consistently ranked as the best rice cooker by magazines and consumer sites, Zojirushis Neuro Fuzzy cooker makes 51/2 cups of rice (it also comes in a 10-cup model) and is preferred by rice connoisseurs (read: rich people). Unlike regular rice cookers that only have a simple on and off toggle, the Japanese-made Neuro Fuzzy has settings for different kinds of rice like sushi rice, brown rice, long-grain white rice, and porridge. It also has a computer chip (of course it does) that makes adjustments to time and temperatures as the rice cooks. $164.99 from HomeDepot.com SHARE: When there are 20 names on the ballot none widely known its not easy for anyone to stand out from the crowd. But union endorsements, media attention or strong roots in the community could all help candidates in the upcoming Toronto District School Board byelection in Ward 21 (Scarborough-Rouge River), called after trustee and chair Shaun Chen was elected as federal MP. The key thing is, with a much smaller audience, how do you reach that audience? said University of Toronto marketing professor David Soberman, noting that without meetings or town halls, candidates have to rely on voters doing their own research before the Jan. 25 vote. Part of it is that the audience reaches you with the importance of word-of-mouth and endorsements as well as a candidates website, though its unlikely anyone would research all 20, said Soberman of the Rotman School of Management, who holds the Canadian National Chair in Strategic Marketing. With typically low voter turnout for trustee byelections, about 10 per cent there will be a fairly small group of people who are motivated and interested in this election. And a union endorsement candidate Neethan Shan has the nod of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation and will be endorsed by the Toronto labour council means a higher profile, in particular with educators and board staff living in the ward. In an election this small, it makes a big difference, Soberman added. If you are not the candidate endorsed by the union, the likelihood of winning is probably relatively low, unless you can think of an issue that might motivate people and might create some interest. Thats the route candidate Sharon Kerr has taken. Shes been in the news for her petition to ban the sale of marijuana within 500 metres of schools, once the drug is legalized. Shes done a good job, Soberman added. I dont think any of us even thought of it. Within the community, Kwesi Johnson is well-known because of his work with youth. Hes been the subject of two profiles in community papers, one which lauded him as a local hero for his efforts, especially in response to at-risk teens. Johnson, who has a masters degree from the University of Toronto, is a past winner of the prestigious Harry Jerome Award, and was honoured with a Lincoln Alexander Award for Leadership in Eliminating Racial Discrimination. Nelson Wiseman, of the University of Toronto, said most of those vying for the position will have connections to local organizations or community groups, and because there are so many candidates, someone can win with a very low percentage of the vote. He noted that in the last municipal election, one candidate won with just 17 per cent of the vote because of a crowded ballot. With such low voter turnout for trustee byelections, someone can win by just getting a few people out, said the political science expert. Five candidates to watch: Five candidates to watch in the upcoming Jan. 25 byelection in the Toronto school boards Ward 21 (Scarborough-Rouge River): Neethan Shan : Is getting the crucial backing of the Toronto and York Region Labour Council, which includes the local teacher unions. Shan is currently executive director of the Council of Agencies Serving South Asians and is a former York Region school board trustee. Shan has served as president of the Ontario NDP and has previously run for MPP and Toronto city councillor. Sharon Kerr : Active member of the TDSBs parent involvement committee who has : Active member of the TDSBs parent involvement committee who has started a petition seeking to establish a 500-metre no marijuana zone around schools once the drug is legalized. She says she was prompted to run after her son faced a life-threatening medical situation and she advocated for better air quality in his school. Kwesi Johnson : A child and youth worker who grew up and is well-known in the community has been an : A child and youth worker who grew up and is well-known in the community has been an outspoken advocate and has volunteered for 18 years in the ward. He has a masters degree in sociology and equity in education from the University of Toronto. He wants to focus on struggling students as well as ending the culture of fear at the board. Noah Ng : A former Toronto trustee who has worked for city councillor Raymond Cho as well as former budget chief Mike Del Grande and provincial Conservatives, says since leaving the board in 2006 hes served on the parent council at his daughters school for seven years. As trustee, he said he helped gain approval for two new schools to be built. Arjun Sahota : This Ryerson student is involved with a number of charitable and youth organizations, including the Toronto Youth Cabinet at City Hall. The experience has enabled me to not only understand students but also relate to them, as I was a TDSB student just a few months ago says the graduate of R.H. King Academy, who has a plan to improve education, called Strong Schools 2020. Why theyre running: Candidates running in the Toronto District School Board byelection in Ward 21 (Scarborough-Rouge River) were asked to explain why they are running. Here are their responses, edited for length only: Yama Arianfar: TDSB is doing great but sometimes we need to go deep into the roots of a problem to find a solution rather than patching here and there. For example dropout rate has improved but still we need to find out why students leave the system in first place. Graduation rate has improved but dont we want to see every single student taste graduation? Indeed and I dont think that suspension is an appropriate way to deal students misconduct. Austin Han: The path to success for students is changing. We need to update the role of education according to the modern context. That means equal opportunities and resources for all students within TDSB. That means expansion of industry representative volunteer/internship options in high school. That means support for design-based technology curriculums at a young age. At the end of the day, this is a campaign for the success of students as it should be. Kwesi Johnson: A significant number of students are failing academically; many start their day without breakfast, while others are enduring discrimination. The TDSB has been described as having a culture of secrecy, fear and mismanagement, and I will ensure that we turn the page on this chapter. I believe that my educational background, professional experience and over 18 years of community service in Ward 21 have equipped me to be the strongest candidate for this position. Sharon Kerr: When my son faced a life-threatening medical situation as a result from foul air quality in his school, I advocated for him and obtained testing for the school, resulting in better air quality for the entire student body. After advocating for my son I realized others need the same type of support for the well-being and success of their students. By becoming a trustee, I can take what I did for my son to the next level and ensure a better quality education for more students by being their voice. Aasia Khatoon: I consider Trusteeship not as a career or a business but as a moral obligation to our children and to our youth. My belief; dont give a child a fish but show the child how to fish! I believe in strong family values, I am against the New Ontario Sex Education Curriculum. I Say No to legalization of marijuana. I will work for youth employment, after school programs, seniors involvement, youth career planning, better security and creating respect and understanding between different diverse groups in our community. Dwight Mclean: The deputy leader of an Ontario provincial party (the Peoples Party), also a deacon of a church in Scarborough and a hard working handy man. Education is a provincial issue running municipally to address the real issues that affect parents and students. Our education system has gone off track and its focused largely on financial aspects and collective bargaining. Dwight Mclean campaign wishes to put the focus back on students and parents. Ron McNaughton : I am seeking to return as TDSB Trustee, a position I proudly held for 6 years from 1997-2003. I had 46 schools in my ward including 8 major High Schools, one of which was Agincourt C.I. which our daughters attended. During my term I fought successfully to save 8 schools including Agincourt JR and Henry Kelsey SR. I have lived in the ward on a Stubbswood Square for the past 44 years. I have always been active in the community having run a drop in centre for youth at Chartland and Henry Zkelsey schools. Kabirul Mollah: I have a proven leadership in implementing innovative social solutions as I am committed to creating more inclusive and equitable school system. I am very hard working, dedicated and has special skills and commitment to develop, understand and negotiate community benefits. I am promoting ideas of Nature Trail School for summer camp & Donate A Minutes for students safety. I have visited over 35 countries and can communicate in multi languages. I am much capable and has ability to function as a Trustee to make Scarborough-Rouge River a prosperous riding. Noah Ng: I am seeking a return to the TDSB to provide Ward 21 residents an experienced representative who proudly served them as their School Trustee. I remained engaged in the public education system serving as a Parent Council member at my daughters school for the last seven years and also worked for public officials at the provincial government giving me a broad perspective in public education. A parents view, a provincial perspective and a TDSB position. Arjun Sahota: Arjun plans to bring his experience in community engagement and policy development to the TDSB along with a board-wide developmental strategy, Strong Schools 2020. Arjun will work alongside school administrators and staff to target three pivotal areas, student leadership, mental health and financial literacy. Arjun plans to introduce new community engagement strategies including participatory budgeting to work with students in allocating funds effectively. Ultimately, Strong Schools 2020 will develop stronger ties between the TDSB, students and the community. Neethan Shan: My commitment to serve our community has only strengthened over the years. As a former Trustee and now as a father of two young children, I have a deep understanding of the important role that schools play in our community. I can deliver experienced and qualified leadership to ensure that our students have a learning environment that is accessible, inclusive, safe, and of the highest standards. Simone Si: I decided to run because the issues facing the board shows a need for people who are passionate about building bridges and seeking consensus. I hate to see this important position being used as a political stepping stone. Being a child and family social worker is not only my chosen job; its my life calling. I want to use my experience of advocating for children and families to be a good representative for my community. Jack Wang: Jack is Your Voice for Better Education. He is a father of two Grade 8 and 11 boys and understands the needs of students and the expectations of parents. He is committed to: * Promoting the improvement of reading, writing and mathematics skills in schools. * Advocating for gift-interest-career and further education interrelated schools. * Promoting physical fitness for student health and lifelong well-being. * Building stronger parent-school relationships. * Developing greater linkages between future employers and our education system. Sonny Yeung: I would like to use the Bank of Canada to fund TDSB maintenance. Promote Participatory Budgeting at the TDSB. I am concerned about rising educational costs while receiving less. The solution is fiscal responsibility and balanced budgets. We can turn things around. Take our good earned tax dollars spent on consultants and put it to good use. More peace with teachers, smaller classrooms. More sports, art, music, after school and language programs. No more school closures. Lets turn under utilized buildings into vibrant, diverse, cultural community hubs that welcomes everyone! George Lin : My main reason for running for trustee is to strengthen society and the community from the bottom-up. Many students these days are disinterested and/or unmotivated when it comes to school and learning. I want to develop the infrastructure for students to build bridges with one another. This is done through a focus on affordable summer programming and advocating for a peer to peer mentorship network. Kuga Kasilingam : I wanted to contest the by-election knowing that I cannot fix all the problems faced by the School Board within the less than 24 months left. As a student, parent and member of School councils and other Parent academies, I followed this institution closely and came to the conclusion that co-operation with all involved is necessary for its efficiency. My experience and financial back round could help I would strongly advocate for greater transparency. Candidate Sahl Syed indicated, via social media, that while his name remains on the ballot he is no longer interested in the position. Other trustee candidates running, but not included above, did not respond to the Stars request. SHARE: Related German city holds crisis meeting after New Year sex assaults German Interior Minister Thomas de Maziere on Tuesday lashed out at police in the city of Cologne for failing to stop dozens of sexual assaults against women on New Year's Eve that have shocked the country. "The police cannot work in this way," de Maziere told public TV channel ARD. Police had been out in force to secure year-end festivities in the western German city, and are under fire for failing to stop the apparently coordinated assaults committed in a large crowd of revellers outside the city's main train station and famous cathedral. Police said they evacuated the square because of fears people could be injured by fireworks -- and admitted the assaults then began without them realising what was happening. The city's police force even released a statement on New Year's Day stating that the evening passed without incident. "It is not acceptable that the square could be evacuated and then (the attacks) take place" in the same location, with officers "waiting for complaints" from victims before taking action, de Maziere said. "I am urgently demanding clarification." The true scale of the assaults -- ranging from groping to at least one reported rape -- did not emerge until Tuesday, as the complaints from female victims neared 100. All of them said they had been assaulted by young men, many of whom appeared to be drunk, who seemed to be working in organised groups. The government has said a crowd of up to a thousand people may have been directly or indirectly involved in the incidents. Echoing police statements based on witness accounts, de Maziere said that "a certain number of elements indicate that they (the attackers) were North African." A number of German political figures have leapt on reports that the assailants were of Arab or North African origin to challenge Chancellor Angela Merkel's policy of welcoming hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing conflict in the Middle East and elsewhere. "There should not be widespread suspicion, but there should be no taboos either," de Maziere said, adding that authorities need to find out whether the attackers "arrived recently (in Germany) or have been there long-term". Search Keywords: Short link: China, Australia and France have strongly condemned North Korea's announcement of a nuclear test. China, the North's closest ally, says the reported test was carried out in defiance of the international community and urged North Korea to refrain from acts that might worsen tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says in a statement Wednesday that the action "confirms North Korea's status as a rogue state and a continuing threat to international peace and security." French President Francois Hollande said in a statement that "France condemns this unacceptable violation of Security Council resolutions and calls for a strong reaction from the international community." Search Keywords: Short link: North Korea's claim Wednesday that it had carried out a successful hydrogen bomb test drew swift condemnation from friends and foes alike, with China saying it "firmly opposes" its neighbour's actions as others blast it as an intolerable provocation that must be punished. Several governments promised a firm response as tensions soared again in northeast Asia, with many calling for further action by the United Nations against the hermit nation, which is already subject to heavy international sanctions. Russia on Wednesday slammed the claimed testing of a hydrogen bomb by North Korea as a clear breach of international law that could enflame tensions across the region. "If this test is confirmed then it will be a new step by Pyongyang on the path of developing nuclear weapons, which is a flagrant violation of international law and existing UN Security Council resolutions," Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement. China, North Korea's most important diplomatic partner, took a more nuanced stance than others, saying it "firmly opposes" the test and would summon Pyongyang's ambassador for "solemn representations", but adding that dialogue was the "only practical way to resolve the relevant issue". Beijing is Pyongyang's key provider of aid and trade but relations have become more strained in recent years, in part because of North Korea's persistence with its nuclear programme in the face of international condemnation. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has yet to visit Beijing since coming to power following the death of his father four years ago. "We strongly urge the DPRK side to remain committed to its denuclearisation commitment, and stop taking any actions that would make the situation worse," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular briefing, using the North's official name. South Korean President Park Geun-Hye described the test as a "grave provocation" at an emergency meeting of the Country's National Security Council (NSC) convened immediately after the news broke. "The test is not only a grave provocation to our national security but also a threat to our future... and a strong challenge to international peace and stability," she said, calling for strong sanctions on Pyongyang. In an earlier statement, Seoul said it would "take all necessary measures including additional sanctions by the UN Security Council... so that the North will pay the price for the nuclear test". Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slammed the test as "a serious threat to the safety of our nation". "This clearly violates UN Security Council resolutions and is a grave challenge against international efforts for non-proliferation," he said in Tokyo, adding his country would seek to coordinate efforts among UN members to deal with the action. In Washington, the White House would not confirm the test, but vowed to "respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations". Fellow UN Security Council permanent members France and Britain joined in the chorus of condemnation. Speaking in Beijing, Britain's foreign secretary Philip Hammond said the test was "a grave breach of UN Security Council resolutions and a provocation". Paris labelled the move an "unacceptable violation" of UN resolutions and called for a "strong reaction from the international community". Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop said her country "condemns in the strongest possible terms" the test, which "confirms North Korea's status as a rogue state and a continuing threat to international peace and security", adding that Canberra would express its concerns to Pyongyang directly and call for stronger UN sanctions. The test, which came just two days before leader Kim Jong-Un's birthday, was initially detected by international seismology monitors as a 5.1-magnitude tremor next to the North's main Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the northeast of the country. Last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un suggested Pyongyang had already developed a hydrogen bomb. The claim was questioned by international experts and there was continued scepticism over Wednesday's test announcement. Whether an H-bomb or not, it was North Korea's fourth nuclear test and marked a striking act of defiance in the face of warnings that Pyongyang would pay a steep price if it continued pursuing its atomic weapons programme. The three previous tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013 triggered waves of UN sanctions. Their failure to prevent a fourth detonation will see calls for more drastic Security Council action this time around. Search Keywords: Short link: Germany registered 1.1 million asylum seekers in 2015, the interior ministry said on Wednesday, with Syrians fleeing a brutal civil war making up almost 40 percent of arrivals. The number of Syrians seeking refuge in Europe's biggest economy hit 428,468 during the year, with Afghans the second-biggest group at 154,046 applicants. The annual arrivals were a record and around five times more than 2014. Acknowledging the enormous effort put in by officials and volunteers to register, house and feed the newcomers, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the federal government would put in 4,000 additional staff at the migration office alone to manage the massive influx. The government would also make a monthly contribution of 670 euros per asylum seeker to help state and local governments cope. At the same time, de Maiziere promised to end the trend of increasing asylum seekers. "We will work in all policy areas towards sharply reducing the number of new asylum seekers to Germany," he said. The record migrant influx has split public opinion in Germany, and Chancellor Angela Merkel is increasingly coming under fire, even in her own coalition, for her open-door stance to those fleeing war and misery. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt's cabinet approved two conditional deals with Chinese companies to build coal-fired power plants with a total capacity of 6,600 megawatts, according to a cabinet statement released on Wednesday. Dongfang Electric Corporation plans to build six units to produce 660 megawatts each. The first phase of the power plant will begin with three units at a combined capacity of 1,980 megawatts for a cost of almost $2 billion. Shanghi Electric will construct four units at a combined capacity of 2,640 megawatts for a cost of $2.24 billion for the foreign components and LE3.1 billion for the domestic components. The projects will be financed through Chinese banks, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Electricity, Mohamed El-Yammany, told Ahram Online without specifying details. "The deals are not final yet, they remain conditional upon the results of negotiations on the finances and tariffs," he said. The plants will be built in the Hamrawein area in the Red Sea governorate east of the country, he added. The government signed a memorandum of understanding with the two companies for the projects in March 2015 during the Sharm El-Sheikh Economic Development Conference. The use of coal for power generation was approved by Egypt in 2014 as the country faced a shortage of natural gas, raising controversy on its environmental impacts. Egypt has turned into a net importer of natural gas from a net exporter in the past few years on the back of rising consumption and falling production. The country has been experiencing an energy crunch since the summer of 2008, taking a further blow following the 2011 uprising. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt's oil refinery MIDOR will finance its planned expansion, borrowing $1.2 billion from French lenders Credit Agricole and BNP Paribas, a loan that will be guaranteed by the Italian central bank and the Italian export development authority, oil minister Tarek El-Molla told Egyptian state news daily Al-Ahram. MIDOR signed in April two deals worth $1.4 billion with US-based engineering company UOP to design the expansion of the refinery, raising its capacity to 160,000 barrels per day from 100,000 barrels per day. The project, which starts this year and will span over three years, would allow Egypt to cut its petroleum product imports and export refined oil products, raising sources of foreign currency, according to Al-Ahram. The value of monthly oil imports fell almost 40 percent to around $400 million from $650 million due to the decline in global prices, El-Molla told Reuters earlier in the day. Imports of gas remain at $250 million monthly, he added. Egyptian banks access to foreign currency has declined in the past years due to the fall in tourism, Foreign Direct Investments and net official transfers in the banking system in the aftermath of the 2011 uprising that toppled Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. Egypt's net foreign reserves stood at $16.4 billion at the end of November. Search Keywords: Short link: Search Jim Cramer's "Mad Money" trading recommendations using our exclusive "Mad Money" Stock Screener. The facts refuse to align with the stock market's negativity, Jim Cramer told his Mad Money viewers Tuesday, after a strong midday rebound allowed stocks to close the day higher. Cramer explained this negativity is coming at us from four different directions -- continued weakness in China; the Federal Reserve turning from friend to foe; talk of "peaks" in the auto, housing and cell phone markets; and, of course, the oil glut. But despite all those negatives, and a weak open for the markets, the facts proved investors wrong. For one thing, it finally got cold outside, which sent oil higher and buoyed retailers stocked to the brim with winter apparel. Consumer packaged goods stocks also headed higher, as did Eli Lilly (LLY) in the pharma sector. Indeed, the bulls snatched the day right from the bear's mouth, Cramer concluded. That bodes well given how many investors had seemingly written off 2016 before it even began. Cramer's Top 5 Are the top S&P 500 sweethearts from 2015 also the darlings of 2016? Cramer examined the top five performers. Netflix (NFLX) was the biggest winner in 2015, up 129%, and Cramer said this company, along with number two Amazon.com (AMZN) , up 119%, are momentum names that don't play be the same rules as other stocks. These companies have growth and lots of it. Next on the list was Activision Blizzard (ATVI) , up 92%, and graphics chip maker Nvidia (NVDA) , up 63% for 2015. Cramer said Activision is fueled by great games and its acquisition of King Digital, while Nvidia is riding on the success of several gaming platforms. Fifth on the S&P list was Cablevision (CVC) , up 54%, but since those gains came on the heels of a takeover, Cramer went with number six, Hormel Foods (HRL) , also up 54%. Hormel soared in 2015 thanks to smart acquisitions. Cramer said he'd still be a buyer of any of these names, but only on further market-induced weakness. Cramer's Bottom 5 Continuing with his look at last year's S&P 500 index, Cramer also took a peak at the index's five worst performers to see if there were any bargains to be had. The three worst-performing stocks in the S&P last year were, not surprisingly, oil related, with Chesapeake Energy (CHK) , falling 77%, Consol Energy (CNX) , down 76% and Southwest Energy (SWN) , down 73%. Cramer said he can't make a case for any of these names without higher oil prices. Next on the list was the only thing more toxic than oil last year, copper, with Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) falling 71%. Cramer said he couldn't make a case for owning this stock either. Rounding out the list was Fossil (FOSL) , down 67% in 2015. Cramer said while Fossil is not related to fossil fuels, the estimates are still too high and it's not too late to sell. Off the Charts In the "Off the Charts" segment, Cramer went head to head with colleague Bob Lang over the charts of some popular beverage stocks, which have traditionally been go-to defensive names for many investors. Lang said the daily chart of Pepsico (PEP) was bullish, with the stock building a base after its 8% gain last year. The relative strength indicator (RSI) and Chaikin money flow (CMF) are both trending higher. Dr Pepper Snappleundefined is also bullish, according to Lang, with a 30% gain last year and a strong CMF this year. Then there's Monster Beverage (MNST) , a Cramer fave but not a favorite of Lang, who noted the stock's recent slip below its 50-day moving average. Lang was neutral on Monster. Coca-Cola (KO) was also a mixed bag, according to Lang, also below its 50-day moving average. Finally, Lang was bullish on Constellation Brands (STZ) , which soared 45% last year and has seen every dip to its 50-day moving average become a buying opportunity. Lightning Round In the Lightning Round, Cramer was bullish on Public Storage (PSA) , Seagate Technology (STX) and Align Technology (ALGN) . Cramer was bearish on Harley Davidson (HOG) , NuStar Energy (NS) , Dover (DOV) and Scripps Networks (SNI) . No Huddle Offense In his "No Huddle Offense" segment, Cramer said investors need to learn from last summer's Chinese stock market meltdown and apply those lessons to today. The Chinese don't play by Western or democratic rules, Cramer reminded viewers. When the Chinese Communist party leaders want to rig the market or artificially prop up prices, they do it. There are no checks or balances. That's why it often seems as if the Chinese are running their stock market by trial and error. In most cases, they are. To watch replays of Cramer's video segments, visit the Mad Money page on CNBC. To sign up for Jim Cramer's free Booyah! newsletter with all of his latest articles and videos please click here. At the time of publication, Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS had no position in stocks mentioned. Ford Motor (F) and Alphabet (GOOGL) have plenty of reasons to work together on driverless cars, even if they're not talking about it. Ford has expertise in vehicles while Alphabet's Google unit has a reputation as one of the best designers of software and artificial intelligence. They need one another, and might be able to move faster together than apart. But each could choose a different path to driverless technology. The two companies were preparing to formalize a partnership to create driverless cars but are now staying silent on what they are doing and have declined to confirm whether they continue to discuss the matter. A much-anticipated Ford press conference in Las Vegas at CES on Tuesday concluded without mention of Google by CEO Mark Fields. Fields outlined Ford's strategy in several categories of advanced mobility, including its internal research and development toward a driverless car. Ford executives, asked about talks with Google, responded, "We talk with a lot of technology companies." "For a hundred years success in the auto business came to those companies that could design, build and distribute cars," said Karl Brauer, a senior analyst for Kbb.com. "Now it looks like the ability to connect directly with consumers, like Uber and Lyft, as well as the ability to create driverless technology, like Google, will be needed." The companies declined to acknowledge they are discussing a partnership. But Yahoo! News, citing three anonymous sources, reported Dec. 21 such discussions were under way and an announcement could happen at CES. At CES Tuesday Fields explained Ford has been developing driverless technology for more than a decade, although the automaker has said little about it publicly. Unlike Ford, Google has been public about its research, demonstrating its system to journalists and officials with prototypes on public roads and proving its practical, feasible advantages. Presumably, Google has a great deal of leverage in negotiations with Ford. Google's market capitalization of $514 billion is roughly 10 times that of Ford, and its brand name is one of the hottest on the planet. Ford is another storied brand, though one more closely identified with manufacturing, mechanical and propulsion technology unlike Google's expertise in software and artificial intelligence. Google, which aims to introduce driverless technology within five years, has insisted it doesn't want to build cars, which opens a path for any number of global automakers that could provide the hardware. Ford likely intends to be more than a mere supplier of hardware and would press for access to Google's operating system and software expertise, the heart of what makes driverless cars possible. Personalities also may play a role in negotiations between the two companies. Alan Mulally was Ford's chief executive officer until July 2014 and joined Google's board as a director that month. Mulally likely knows precisely what software expertise the automaker does or doesn't possess. John Krafcik, head of Google's driverless car unit, is a former Ford engineer. This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned. President Obama's executive actions on gun control announced this week have made waves on bothends of the political spectrum. Republicans have vowed to fight the measures while Democrats have been supportive. There is also much disagreement on whether they would have prevented any gun deaths had they been enacted earlier. Two things are for certain: If they prevent gun deaths, it could save taxpayers a lot of money; and certain gun companies are sure to benefit. The Obama administration has pledged ensure that anyone who is engaged in the business of selling firearms is licensed and conducts background checks on customers. It has ordered the FBI to overhaul its federal background check system and hire more than 230 additional examiners and other staff to help process checks. Moreover, the president has said his 2017 budget will include funding for 200 new Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agents and investigators to enforce gun laws. The federal government will also dedicate $4 million to enhance the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network, and the administration has proposed a new $500 million investment in improved mental health care services. Should Obama's measures reduce gun violence, they could potentially lead to a lighter tax load. A report produced by liberal magazine Mother Jones based on research from Ted Miller of the Pacific Institute for research and Evaluation, an independent nonprofit organization based in Maryland, calculated the cost of gun violence in America using 2012 data. The findings: medical expenses, court costs, police investigations, prison for perpetrators, lost wages for victims and other economic impacts of firearm violence add up to $229 billion a year, or about $700 per person. Direct costs are estimated to be $8.6 billion, 87% of which falls to taxpayers. "Even before accounting for the more intangible costs of the violence...the average cost to taxpayers for a single gun homicide in America is nearly $400,000. And we pay for 32 of them every single day," the report reads. And the costs wouldn't be very high. The Hillpoints out that two pieces of Obama's proposal -- investments in mental health services and more ATF agents -- would require Congressional action in the next spending bill. According to William Vizzard, a criminal justice professor at California State University Sacramento who worked for 27 years as an agent of the ATF, it won't come at a notable cost to American taxpayers. "It's miniscule," he said. "Assuming the FBI hires some more clericals to do background checks and ATF hires some more agents, in the construct of the federal budget, it's probably one sortie by an F-16 over Iraq." Moreover, he emphasized that most of what Obama has announced is not new. "All he's doing is affirming the laws that already exist, so from a standpoint of costs to individuals, there really isn't any," he said. Good for Gun Companies While Obama's gun measures could, if effective, potentially lighten the tax burden load, they will almost certainly lead to an at least temporary boom in the business of guns. Some gun stocks soared on Tuesday as investors anticipated Obama's announcement would lead to an uptick in firearm sales. Gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson undefinedgained 11%, and competitor Sturm, Ruger & Company (RGR) climbed nearly 7%. SWHC data by YCharts The New York Timeshighlighted peaks in gun sales in recent years when the president or other government officials announced tightened gun restrictions. Headlines touted Obama as the "best gun salesman" on earth. Not only are Obama's measures likely to spur a jump in gun sales, but according to David Kopel, associate policy analyst at the Cato Institute and adjunct professor of advanced constitutional law at Denver University, they may also cause an increase in gun licenses -- in other words, more (legal) sellers. As per the Gun Control Act of 1968, those engaged in the business of firearms have been required to apply for a federal firearms license, which currently costs $200 and lasts for three years. Under the Clinton administration, a shift in firearms policies essentially redefined the meaning of "engaging in the business" of guns to exclude individuals selling only several guns per year. In turn, many gun dealers lost their licenses because they were, effectively, not selling enough guns. While Clinton was in office, the number of licenses decreased dramatically to under 70,000 by 2000 from about 250,000 in 1992. The White House has not specified a number of firearms sold to require a license; however, it has pointed to court cases where individuals were prosecuted for the unlicensed sale of just one or two guns. In other words, the definition of engaged in the business might be broader. "If you let these people [who lost federal firearms licenses] get back into business, that'll get that aspect of the market going again," he said. In other words, Obama's measures could potentially lead to more licensed dealers. Not everyone agrees. John Lott, founder and president of the Crime Prevention ResearchCenter and Fox News columnist, said he believes Obama's measures will make it more expensive for people to get guns and drive dealers out of the business. "I think financially, the big cost is this will be a substantial effective tax on the purchase of guns," he said. Not that the gun business is hurting. Firearms sales hit the highest level on record in 2015, with federal data indicating FBI background checks on firearms purchases reached 23.1 million last year. Egypt in 2016: An opportunity for a new consensus or more strife? This new year Egypt faces several difficulties, economic, political, security, and regional. Theres no need to rehearse the well-known facts here. It's not important to assuage our conscience, deflect blame, or prove the soundness of our predictions for a bleak future. We must instead find a way forward. Despite the grave challenges ahead, the threat of terrorism, economic crisis, and political turmoil, our greatest asset is that the Egyptian people still wants the state to succeed, stability to prevail, the economy to grow, and terrorism defeated. Despite the difficulties of the past few years, Egyptians ability to endure and adapt has exceeded all expectations, and theyre still willing to make sacrifices. But its time for this patience to pay off, and to see an end to the thorny road trod by the state. Of all the challenges facing the country, the most serious is the shift in Egyptian public opinion, which has abandoned the optimism of early last year for concern, anxiety, and eroded confidence in the states ability to address these challenges wisely or listen and engage with ordinary peoples problems. This is dangerous for everyone, supporters and opponents of government policies, because a loss of hope and faith in the future frustrates progress and reform. The state must therefore seize the opportunity offered by the new parliament and a new government to take stock and reconsider the wisdom of the same old policies, which will necessarily yield the same results. Im not referring here to the tinkering with tax rates or currency policy, issuing a new investment or industry law, or distributing some houses and plots of land. Whats required is a change in course and an end to the strife that impedes real development and durable security and stability. To begin, the state needs to realize that social cohesion and support for leadership and institutions cannot be achieved by threat or repression, but only by opening up channels for understanding and participation, ending incitement and exclusion, respecting the law, and realizing justice. This requires the state to regain the trust and participation of the youth, not by appointing a few young people to the parliament or official posts, not by releasing a handful of imprisoned youth while arresting others to take their place. Young people must be allowed to participate in political, union, and civic activities, and restrictions on freedom of expression and peaceful protest and association must be lifted. Moreover, all those detained in connection with peaceful demonstrations or expression, must be released or pardoned, no matter how provocative or shocking their opinions may be. The state must also initiate a genuine dialogue with the business community, investors, union representatives, and various economic interests. More than a meeting between the president and a few business titans, it should include representatives of various federations and associations and give voice to the needs and expectations of large and small investors alike. A real dialogue would allow the state to listen to citizens needs instead of issuing laws and unveiling surprise initiatives that garner media attention but not much else. The state also needs to put an end to the score-settling in prosecution offices and courtrooms and resolve long-pending cases: criminals with proven involvement in murder, torture, or corruption should be punished and others freed knowing the state will not harass them or pry into whether theyre Islamists, secularists, or Mubarakists. Instead it should protect them and encourage them to engage in political and economic activity and take part in building a new future. In addition, the state must set media regulations and enforce them equally, to check the professional and ethical debasement of the Egyptian media. Whats needed is not curbs on freedom of opinion or the press, but simply that the state stop using the media as a tool to shape and incite public opinion or harass anyone who strays from the state line. That alone is enough to rein in the media, without need for new laws or the suspension of newspapers and television programs. Finally, regardless of the flaws in the recent elections, the state must give the incoming parliament a real chance to choose its leaders and express its opinion and those of the voters. It must support the legislature with information, respect its summonses and interpellations, and refrain from interfering in its affairs. The public should be allowed to judge the parliament, hold it accountable, and assess its performance if it abandons its legislative or regulatory role. Can we hope that the page can be turned on the mistakes and missteps of all parties and that a fresh start be made toward a new consensus? The writer holds a PhD in financial law from the London School of Economics. He is former deputy prime minister, former chairman of the Egyptian Financial Supervisory Authority and former chairman of the General Authority for Investment. This article was published in Arabic in El-Shorouq newspaper on Monday, 4 January. Search Keywords: Short link: NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Berkshire Hathaway's (BRK.B) acquisition of PrecisionCastparts Corp. (PCP) was approved by the EuropeanCommission on Tuesday. The regulatory group announced on Wednesday that Berkshire Hathaway's $32 billion acquisition of the metal products manufacturer did not raise competition concerns. "The commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would not raise competition concerns given the absence of horizontal overlaps and the limited vertical relationships between the activities of the two companies," the commission said in a statement on Tuesday. The deal is expected to close in the 2016 first quarter, Berkshire Hathaway said last year. Berkshire Hathaway stock is down by 1.44% to $129.34 in pre-market trading on Wednesday. Based in Omaha, NE, Berkshire is a holding company that owns a variety of subsidiaries. Additionally, global stocks are declining today after the release of weak Chinese services data, which has reignited concerns about growth in the country, the Wall Street Journal reports. Separately, recently, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author. TheStreet Ratings has this to say about the recommendation: We rate BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY as a Buy with a ratings score of A-. B) a BUY. This is based on the convergence of positive investment measures, which should help this stock outperform the majority of stocks that we rate. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, growth in earnings per share, increase in net income, attractive valuation levels and notable return on equity. We feel its strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had lackluster performance in the stock itself. Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows: NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Apple (AAPL) shares are getting pressured, down 1.58% to $101.09 in early market trading, on reports that the tech giant may likely slash production of its iPhone 6S and 6S Plus by approximately 30%, Reuters reports, citing Japanese daily Nikkei Asian Review. This instilled concerns in investors of Apple's Asian suppliers, like Dialog Semiconductor, which dropped by as much as 6.6% earlier today in Frankfurt, Bloomberg noted. The output reduction will likely take place between January and March. Since the latest models were launched last September, inventories have been piling up, leaving investors concerned about slowing shipments. "The Street was bracing for a cut but the magnitude here is a bit more worrisome," FBR Capital Markets analyst Daniel Ives told Reuters. Adding to this, Foxconn, the assembler of most of Apple's iPhones will cut working hours over the week-long Lunar New Year, another indication of possible slowing demand. Separately, Apple this morning announced that App Store sales in 2015 reached over $20 billion. Overall, there's uncertainty in the markets this morning, according to Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer who pointed to the persisting concerns about China's economy and North Korea's claim to have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, CNBC.com said. Recently, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author. TheStreet Ratings has this to say about the recommendation: We rate APPLE INC as a Buy with a ratings score of A. This is based on the convergence of positive investment measures, which should help this stock outperform the majority of stocks that we rate. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its impressive record of earnings per share growth, compelling growth in net income, robust revenue growth, notable return on equity and expanding profit margins. Although the company may harbor some minor weaknesses, we feel they are unlikely to have a significant impact on results. Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows: NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Shares of General Motors (GM) are down by 1.94% to $31.80 in pre-market trading on Wednesday morning, despite the automaker reporting a 5.2% rise in its vehicle sales in China for 2015. The company sold a total of 3.61 million vehicles in the Asian nation last year, Reuters reports. For December the company posted a 14% year over year jump in China sales to 445,227. The company has plans to launch 13 new or refurbished models in China in 2016, Reuters added. The models include the Cadillac CT6, Malibu XL and Cruze XL. GM launched 12 models last year. Additionally, stocks around the world are tumbling today on continued concerns regarding China's economy, and after North Korea claimed that it successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. Recently, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author. TheStreet Ratings has this to say about the recommendation: We rate GENERAL MOTORS CO as a Buy with a ratings score of B. This is driven by a few notable strengths, which we believe should have a greater impact than any weaknesses, and should give investors a better performance opportunity than most stocks we cover. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its notable return on equity, good cash flow from operations and growth in earnings per share. We feel its strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had sub par growth in net income. Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows: Months after its E. coli outbreak first made national headlines, Chipotle (CMG) is still serving up sickly sales. On Wednesday, the burrito and salad bowl joint reported that sales plunged by 30% in December. The result represented a far worse drop in sales than Chipotle saw at the start of the month -- on Dec. 4, Chipotle disclosed that sales were running down by 16%. According to Chipotle, the downdraft in sales came after a bout of norovirus was reported at a restaurant in Brighton, Mass., during the week of Dec. 7. The norovirus outbreak, which occurred due to a Chipotle employee going to work ill, sickened about 100 people. Following that news, Chipotle's sales for the month were down about 34%, but then stabilized in the following week at roughly 31% lower. Unfortunately, more bad news was yet to come for Chipotle. During the week of Dec. 21, the Centers for Disease Control disclosed it was investigating several new cases of E. coli at Chipotle locations from late November. Sales then nosedived about 37%. The company now expects full-year earnings in a range of $1.70 to $1.90 a share, a sharp downward revision from the $2.45 to $2.85 a share figure offered in the Dec. 4 update. In an attempt to build some investor confidence, Chipotle announced another $300 million share repurchase authorization. The new share repurchase plan is on top of a similar repurchase amount announced on Dec. 4, of which $116 million remained available as of Dec. 31. Despite Chipotle trying to signal that its stock is undervalued through its buyback plans, investors remained unconvinced sales and earnings will recover in the first part of 2016. Shares of Chipotle fell about 3.8% on the latest news. Since the first round of E. coli cases were reported on Oct. 19, Chipotle shares have plunged about 39%. Chipotle is not only facing angry shareholders and customers, but what now appears to be an angry government. The company disclosed on Wednesday that in December, it was served with a federal subpoena from the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, requiring Chipotle to produce a broad range of documents related to a norovirus incident in August at one of its restaurants in Simi Valley, Calif. The subpoena is in connection with an official criminal investigation being conducted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, in conjunction with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Office of Criminal Investigations. Chipotle intends to cooperate with the investigation. NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Panera Bread Co. (PNRA) said earlier today that it will get rid of artificial ingredients, preservatives and other additives from all of its U.S. bakery-cafe soup menu. "I want to create soups that our guests will love," said Dan Kish, Panera Bread's Head Chef. "And equally important, I want them to understand and feel confident in the ingredients that go into those soups. We've long been advocates of transparency - providing full ingredient information online - and with these new recipes we have even more to be proud of today." While many commercial soups contain ingredients like hydrolyzed soy and corn protein, malodextrin and sodium phosphate, Panera's soups will not have these in them, the company said. The company's chefs have been experimenting and focusing on recipes that have natural ingredients as they make a greater push into 'clean' eating. Shares of Panera Bread are declining 0.57% to $187.76 on Wednesday morning. Overall, U.S. stocks were pressured this morning by growing concerns over global economic growth and geopolitical tensions, falling oil prices, and North Korea's claim to have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, CNBC.com said. Recently, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author. TheStreet Ratings has this to say about the recommendation: We rate PANERA BREAD CO as a Buy with a ratings score of B. This is driven by several positive factors, which we believe should have a greater impact than any weaknesses, and should give investors a better performance opportunity than most stocks we cover. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, notable return on equity and solid stock price performance. We feel its strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had somewhat weak growth in earnings per share. Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows: Crude oil is down 3.1% on Wednesday, which is one factor weighing on shares of Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) . The energy company announced a 12 million share secondary offering at $117. Investors should watch this stock, which needs to find support near $117, TheStreet's Jim Cramer, co-manager of the Action Alerts PLUS portfolio, said on CNBC's "Mad Dash" segment. At its highs, shares of Pioneer Natural Resources climbed towards $230 in July 2014. Now the stock price has been cut in half, Cramer said. It's an "excellent, excellent company," and if investors agree with Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer that the decline in oil is only temporary, then maybe now is a good time to buy some shares. Pioneer Natural Resources PXD data by YCharts However, if investors believe oil prices will remain lower for the foreseeable future, now is not the best buying opportunity, he added. Another stock Cramer is watching is Workday (WDAY) , whose shares are down after a downgrade to hold from buy at Barclays. Analysts cited intensified competition as their reason for the move. With the exception of Amazon (AMZN) and Netflix (NFLX) , investors simply don't want to own high-valuation stocks, Cramer said. Workday WDAY data by YCharts "Workday is a great company, but people are shying away from anything having to do with high-priced earnings multiples," he explained. If short-term investors believe stocks are going down, then high-valuation stocks like Workday will most likely decline. However, if investors take a longer term approach, then Workday will likely continue to put up impressive growth numbers, Cramer said. Watch shares of Workday for a barometer on the strength of high-growth stocks, and watch shares of Pioneer Natural Sources as a barometer on energy stocks, he concluded. At the time of publication, Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS had no position in companies mentioned. NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Baker Hughes (BHI) stock is declining by 2.46% to $44.79 on Wednesday morning as Halliburton Co. (HAL) missed an opportunity to ease European Union regulator concerns early over its proposed $26 billion acquisition of the company. After missing the early deadline, Houston-based Halliburton will likely have a longer antitrust review of its planned acquisition of Baker Hughes, its rival oil services provider, also based in Houston, Bloomberg reports. Halliburton had until midnight on Tuesday to offer concessions to the European Commission in Brussels, but did not do so, according to the regulator's press office cited by Bloomberg. By January 12 regulators will likely open a comprehensive investigation about competition concerns, Bloomberg added. The EU's final deadline for a decision will now be pushed into May, which is after the companies' deadline of April 30 to close the agreement, Bloomberg added. Shares of Halliburton are down 2.03% to $33.77 on Wednesday morning. Separately, recently, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author. TheStreet Ratings has this to say about the recommendation: We rate BAKER HUGHES INC as a Hold with a ratings score of C-. The primary factors that have impacted our rating are mixed - some indicating strength, some showing weaknesses, with little evidence to justify the expectation of either a positive or negative performance for this stock relative to most other stocks. Among the primary strengths of the company is its solid financial position based on a variety of debt and liquidity measures that we have evaluated. At the same time, however, we also find weaknesses including deteriorating net income, disappointing return on equity and poor profit margins. Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows: (Beijing) China's services sector continued to expand in December, albeit with less strength than in previous months, according to the latest Caixin China Services Purchasing Manager's Index. December's index of 50.2 pointed to nationwide expansion for service business in general, even though the figure was down from 51.2 in November. It was also the second-lowest figure for the sector since record-keeping began in November 2005. The weakest services PMI ever recorded was 50 in July 2014. The nation's services sector has been growing against the backdrop of a weakening manufacturing sector. As a result, the Caixin China Composite Output Index, which covers services and manufacturing, fell below the neutral 50-point level to 49.4 in December, compared with 50.5 in November. Composite index figures from the second half of 2015 pointed to a decline for China's overall business activity in four of the year's final five months. Both manufacturers and service providers reported softer client demand in December. The services sector hired more workers while manufacturers continued to reduce staff numbers. Taken together, the sectors' combined employment environment deteriorated for the seventh month in a row in December. Meanwhile, service providers said their work backlogs did not change much from November to December, ending a 10-month streak of backlog reductions. Both sectors continued cutting prices in December, a sign of persistent deflationary pressure. Dr. He Fan, chief economist of Caixin Insight Group, called for government action to address the threat. "In light of the setback to services sector growth, the government needs to gradually relax restrictions in the sector," said He. "This will release the potential of supply-side reform, improve the economic structure, and help with industrial transformation and upgrading." The further a PMI figure is away from the neutral 50-point level, the more that sector of the economy contracted or expanded in a given month. Editor's pick: Originally published Jan. 6. Trying to predict the markets is incredibly difficult, if not impossible, but each year two investment heavyweights give it their best with highly anticipated annual predictions lists: Blackstone's Byron Wien and TheStreet's Doug Kass. On the presidential election, Wien and Kass come to the same conclusion but from different paths. Both think Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton will prevail in this year's presidential election. Wien says Clinton will battle it out against Republican candidate Ted Cruz. "The biggest hit I ever had was in 2008 when ... I picked [President Barack] Obama to be [the Democratic] candidate," Wien said. "That was probably the gutsiest 'surprise' and the biggest win and I did it based on the momentum. And that's why I picked Ted Cruz this time around." Kass believes that the presidency will be a contest between Clinton and Donald Trump (with Cruz as his running mate) and a very tight race (with Clinton beating Trump 293 electoral votes to 245 votes). "We have this huge movement to the left and the right this year as both aisles of the pew reject the notion of the status quo. Trump is a beneficiary of that as is Bernie Sanders, but I think in the end Hillary will easily advance," Kass says. See the complete slide show here. Call this the year of the road trip. Gasoline prices are plummeting - under $2 per gallon in much of the country - and that is more than seventy-five cents cheaper than a year ago. Suddenly now, before flying, you have to ask: is it cheaper to drive? Factor in the sheer unpleasantness of flying - disliked ever more by many of us, as we wait in long security lines, sit in too small airline seats and share the back cabin with way too many others - and the calculus in favor of driving gets sharper. Real trips make this plain. Roundtrip flights from Los Angeles to San Francisco come in at $123.20 on Virgin America. Roundtrip by car is 750 miles. Figure 30 miles per gallon. That means the trip will consume 25 gallons, maybe $50. Double up - go with a friend - and the math is dazzling. Two roundtrips are about $250, versus that same $50 in gas. The driving takes six hours each way. Fying is an hour, but you will stew at the airport for another hour and probably it takes a half hour to get to LAX and another half hour to get from SFO to downtown. Call it three hours for the flight, not accounting for possible delays. So driving takes twice as long - but its cheaper and also more comfortable in many respects. Lots of us are buying this logic and climbing in cars. AAA said that over the holidays 91.3 million of us - 90% of travelers - would take to the roads to get to our destinations. Real people are making real choices. Brian Eagen, who lives in Burbank, Calif., had to travel to Portland, Ore. over the holidays when he had a bright idea. "I was watching plane ticket prices closely when it struck me that it would be notably cheaper to just drive instead of fly," he said. "So my wife and I are making a road trip of it. We are opting to take slower two-lane roads instead of the interstate in order to better explore the beautiful state of California. Flying roundtrip from Burbank to Portland is $226.20, by the way. Figure $554 for a couple. Driving the most direct route is 14 hours, 950 miles one way. Figure 2,000 miles roundtrip, maybe 65 gallons of gas. Thats $130. People are also driving to save big on flights. Jimmy Tomczak, author of Lakeside & Tide: A Book About Inspiration, said he recently drove from Detroit to Chicago - 300 miles - because a flight from OHare to Phoenix was one third the cost of a flight from Detroit to Phoenix. From Detroit the price for a pair of tickets was $900, said Tomczak. He paid $300 for the pair out of Chicago. You could also do as Mesa, Ariz. resident Aaron Blaylock, author of The Land of Look Behind did. We piled the kids in the van and told them we were going on an adventure," he said. "We drove to the end of our street and had them pick right or left. When we got to the freeway we had them pick again. An hour and a half later we ended up in Globe [about 70 miles away], an old mining town in eastern Arizona. We had driven through the town several times but never stopped. We visited some historical sites, an art museum and a trading post antique store. The highlight was eating lunch at The Burger House, a local dive that serves burgers and burritos. We set out to have an adventure and that is just what we did, all because gas prices have come back down from the stratosphere. Dont limit yourself just to the U.S, says Travis, who uses only his first name and who blogs at FreedomWithBruno. Thats where he documents a road trip he is doing in a 2000 Toyota 4Runner which he named Bruno, thus the blogs name. Low gas prices have encouraged my wife and me to embark on an epic road-trip: driving from California to Costa Rica and back," Travis said. "Gas prices have been very reasonable throughout Central America, the most expensive being in Costa Rica at $3.90 a gallon and the most reasonable so far is Nicaragua and Mexico which are both around $3.14 a gallon. It's the perfect time for a road trip. Next time a flight looms - do the math. It just may be cheaper, by a lot, to drive, and it very possibly can also be more comfortable and fun. This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held TK positions in the stocks mentioned. NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Dollar Tree (DLTR) stock is falling by 0.81% to $79.33 in early-afternoon trading on Wednesday. The company plans to open 13 new stores in Pennsylvania, most of which will be in Philadelphia and the surrounding area, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Based in Chesapeake, VA, Dollar Tree operates discount variety stores that offer merchandise at the fixed price of $1. The company offers a selection of everyday basic products as well as seasonal, closeout and promotional merchandise. TheStreet's Chris Versace and Bob Lang of Trifecta Stocks have identified Dollar Tree as the "Chart of the Day." Here is what Versace and Lang had to say about the company: Dollar Tree is looking primed and ready to rise. As you can see in the chart below, it's currently sitting near old highs -- even with the dreadful action we experienced on Monday. The stock has historically been an exceptional performer when markets are weak, so while others were being hammered lower, Dollar Tree enjoyed a strong day on higher volume, finishing near the highs of the session. Markets were down more than 1%, but Dollar Tree bucked the trend and closed higher by 2%. Since mid-November, Dollar Tree's momentum indicators have been overbought, a good sign for continuation. You can see a nice flag pattern has been established, and once it's confirmed, we could see this stock move back to old highs. Find out more by watching this video. - Chris Versace and Bob Lang " Chart of the Week: Dollar Tree" originally published on 1/6/16 on Trifecta Stocks. Want more like this from Chris Versace and Bob Lang BEFORE your stock moves? Learn more about Trifecta Stocks now! Separately, recently, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author. TheStreet Ratings has this to say about the recommendation: We rate DOLLAR TREE INC as a Buy with a ratings score of B. This is driven by several positive factors, which we believe should have a greater impact than any weaknesses, and should give investors a better performance opportunity than most stocks we cover. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its robust revenue growth and solid stock price performance. We feel its strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had sub par growth in net income. You can view the full analysis from the report here: DLTR Trying to predict the markets is incredibly difficult, if not impossible, but each year two investment heavyweights give it their best with highly anticipated annual predictions lists: Blackstone's Byron Wien and TheStreet's Doug Kass. Both expect an economic downturn next year, but disagree on its depth. Kass suggests that the U.S. will fall into a recession as stocks tank in 2016. "Too much debt, too little growth, fiscal-policy paralysis, a 'spent' Federal Reserve and limited capital spending (which adversely impacts productivity) weigh down stocks in 2016," he wrote. "I predict 2016 will see the seventh recession in the last 45 years, with stocks experiencing a 20% decline," Kass wrote. Wien acknowledges that the markets will end 2016 down but is not calling for a recession. View the full slide show here. You can now get your kids started coding at the ripe age of three thanks to a new toy from Mattel's (MAT) Fisher-Price unveiled at this year's CES. The toy, called code-a-pillar, is a caterpillar that is made up of movable segments. Each segment has a different direction on it --forward, right, left, or pause -- and the caterpillar moves based on how the segments are arranged. The idea is that the code-a-pillar teaches early principles of coding through sequencing, problem solving, and goal-oriented programming. The child can set a specific target for a location he or she wants the code-a-pillar to reach. The code-a-pillar comes with 8 segments as well as a companion app with sequencing challenges for children. The toy is geared towards kids ages three to eight and will be available in the fall for $49.99. Kids today grow up in a digital world surrounded by screens and apps, but toys like the code-a-pillar are taking those digital principles and applying them in a more creative way to encourage learning and creativity at a young age. "As children spend more and more time interacting with digital devices, they don't have very many opportunities to create and experiment," MIT Media Lab's Mitchel Resnick recently told NPR. "Oftentimes it's playing, clicking, consuming, as opposed to designing and expressing," Resnick said. "I would tell parents to look for either the apps or the toys where the child is in control. If it feels that the toy or tablet is in control, then I'd be much more cautious about it." The announcement of Ben Baldanza's departure as Spirit (SAVE) CEO surprised investors, but Baldanza has been telling acquaintances for at least a year that he was ready to move on. An airline industry acquaintance, who asked not to be named, said that Baldanza mentioned late in 2014 that it was time to do something different. Baldanza didn't speak publicly on Tuesday when his departure was announced, but Spirit disclosed in a press release that Baldanza had moved his family back to the Washington D.C. area. Before joining Spirit, Baldanza worked for US Airways, which had its headquarters in Crystal City, Va. During a decade-long tenure, Baldanza made Spirit into one of the most influential U.S. airlines, the acknowledged leader of the ultra-low-cost carrier segment that both undercut the existing fare structure and led the charge on ancillary revenue that has added billions to airlines' bottom lines. Spirit was so far ahead it even charged to use the overhead luggage bin, sometimes seemingly forgetting that keeping passengers happy is part of the equation in a service business. The ebullient Baldanza is from the school that considers all publicity to be good publicity, and so he regularly and enthusiastically discussed his views with reporters. He was well-rewarded for his efforts. In 2014, his compensation totaled $6.2 million, more than double the roughly $3 million he earned in each of the two preceding years, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Spirit stock accounted for the vast majority of his compensation -- his stock awards were valued at $4.9 million in 2014, $1.6 million in 2013 and $2.2 million in 2012. Last month, Baldanza was a seller, disposing of 7,000 shares of stock for about $296,000. He retains 178,165 shares, valued at about $7.6 million in mid-morning trading on Wednesday. Shares have gained about 9% since the announcement early Tuesday that he would leave and be replaced by Bob Fornaro, a familiar face in the airline business who, like Baldanza, worked at US Airways, although their tenures didn't overlap. Fornaro was a key player in the merger of AirTran, where he was CEO, with Southwest, so the long anticipated merger of Spirit with Frontier continues to be anticipated, only perhaps more so. Also, Fornaro may well take a less aggressive approach to building capacity at major carriers' hubs because it would be difficult to take a more aggressive approach and because the current approach contributed to a sharp decline in Spirit's share price when American (AAL) responded by matching its fares. While Spirit shares have gained immensely from Fornaro's arrival, perhaps American shares should also benefit. Baldanza is 54. He has a pile of money that is getting higher as Spirit shares appreciate. He is moving back to Alexandria, Va. He has worked for airlines his entire life and, at Spirit, he led a change in the industry. He has a BA in economics from Syracuse and a master's in public affairs from Princeton, so if he ever wants another job, he can probably get one. This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned. Both Blackstone's Byron Wien and TheStreet's Doug Kass believe and EU breakup is possible. Wien writes that breaking up the EU is again on the table as a result of the refugee crisis, creating a strong division between its members. While no decision is made about an EU break up, "the long-term outlook for the euro and its supporters darkens," Wien said. Kass, on the other hand, suggests a far worse scenario. "German Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door immigration policy backfires and causes her to resign, while Britain leaves the EU (a 'Brexit') under the assault of Euro-skepticism," he said. "Separatist initiatives in Scotland and other countries advance and France's National Front party rises to new heights in the face of immigration fears. Support to Greece and other EU peripheral countries diminishes, causing another emerging-market crisis. European borders are shuttered and trade comes to a halt." View the full slide show comparing their 2016 predictions here. A recent decision from the Delaware Court of Chancery will prevent Delaware corporations with unclassified boards from using bylaws to shield directors from being removed without cause. The decision will modestly help activists waging proxy fights to replace directors. Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster in a Dec. 21 ruling held that a company's charter or bylaws may not supersede section Section 141(k) of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which provides that a corporate director may be removed "with or without cause" unless the company's board is classified or there is cumulative voting. Laster said that "give or take 175 companies" may have such provisions. The ruling came in litigation related to a consent solicitation at Vaalco Energy that settled two days after Laster's ruling, which came from the bench. The case resulted from a legal challenge to the Vaalco's bylaws filed by activist investors seeking to replace four of the company's seven directors. In a memorandum to clients, Daniel Wolf and Matthew Solum of Kirkland & Ellis in New York wrote that the Vaalco decision followed earlier rulings from Chancery, including a 1993 decision in Nycal Corp. v. Angelicchio and a 2000 holding in Rohe v. Reliance Training Network Inc. The significance of the Vaalco ruling, Wolf and Solum wrote, "clearly articulates Laster's view that this type of charter or bylaw provision that purports to limit director removal for non-classified boards to cases of cause is simply invalid as a matter of Delaware law." Laster "held that 141(k) is unambiguous in setting the default rule, with no room for alteration in the company's governing documents," the lawyers wrote. But, they added, "The court did not address a somewhat related question of whether a charter or bylaw provision could change the required vote to effect a removal. The practical effect of Laster's decision may be modest. William D. Savitt, a partner at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, wrote in a memo to clients that in a later case, "even if the Delaware Supreme Court confirms the Vaalco rule -- and the Supreme Court has not had the opportunity to pass on the issue -- a without-cause removal right may be of limited importance, especially for companies whose charter and bylaws do not provide low thresholds for stockholder-called special meetings. More fundamentally, a board vulnerable to a without-cause removal campaign is likely equally vulnerable to a proxy fight at an ensuing annual meeting. In many cases, therefore, the Vaalco rule is unlikely to have real-world impact in a contested election scenario." On Dec. 23, Vaalco reached a settlement with the activist group, which owns 11.1% of its stock. The stockholders dropped their consent solicitation to replace four of Vaalco's seven directors in exchange for board seats. Vaalco incumbent directors James Jennings and Donaldson Chapoton resigned, and Michael Keane, chairman of San Antonio oil services provider Group 42, which had been pressuring Vaalco along with investor Bradley Radoff, joined the board. Vaalco also said it had appointed an independent director, a representative of another unnamed stockholder, and it will nominate a mutually agreeable independent board member at its annual meeting next year. Group 42 and Radoff, who previously worked at Dan Loeb's Third Point and Ken Griffin's Citadel, revealed their stake on Sept. 25. Christine Azar of Labaton Sucharow LLP, Christopher Foulds of Friedlander & Gorris PA, Mark Lebovitch of Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP in New York and David Sborz of Andrews & Springer LLC advised the Vaalco stockholder plaintiffs in the litigation. Steve Wolosky of Olshan Frome Wolosky advised the activists in the consent solicitation. Michael Holmes and Andrew Jackson of Vinson & Elkins LLP represented Vaalco on the litigation along with Rolin Bissell and Kathaleen McCormick of Young, Conaway, Stargatt & Taylor LLP. The company tapped a V&E team led by Kai Liekefett and Steve Gill for corporate advice. It's been a good news-bad news sort of day for the gang in Cupertino. As Reuters, the Verge and others have reported, Apple (AAPL) racked up more then $1.1 billion in App Store sales in the final two weeks of the 2015 holiday season, closing out the year by setting a new record for one-day sales on Christmas, and then breaking it to the tune of $144 million a few days later on Jan. 1. Clearly, plenty of folks received iPads and iPhones for the holidays and they've been filling them with apps at a breakneck pace. Over the full year, the App Store took in more than $20 billion, and Apple gets 30 cents for every dollar of that -- and $6 billion isn't pocket change even for the world's biggest tech Goliath. Then there's the downside. Maybe the hardware sales aren't quite as impressive as that App Store surge might suggest. Japanese daily the Nikkei Asian Review published a report that Apple would reduce production of iPhones by 30% for the first quarter, to allow retailers to move a backlog of unsold devices. And Foxconn (FXCOF) , its biggest manufacturer of iPhones, is said to be cutting hours during China's week-long Lunar New Year holiday, an unusual step that industry watchers took as another signal that demand for the smartphones is slackening. No shock, share prices for Apple suppliers took a hit on the news, and Apple took a bit of a tumble as well. It ended Wednesday down 2% at $100.70. Tuning back in to the Silicon Valley soap opera that is Yahoo! (YHOO) , on Wednesday the activist investors at Starboard Value sent a letter to the tech firm urging a board and management overhaul and a much faster resolution to the questions of spinoffs or a sale of the company. As Bloombergreports, in Starboard's view the year-plus timeline currently on tap will only give Yahoo!'s managers more time to reduce the company's value before a buyer puts a price tag on it. So, to put it simply, when Starboard says it wants significant changes to management, it means most pointedly that it wants to see CEO Marisa Mayer packing up her office and for board Chairman Maynard Webb to get out of his chair. It seems likely a proxy fight to replace more board members is on the horizon if the company doesn't concede. Yahoo! closed Wednesday down 0.1% at $32.16. The folks at Facebook (FB) have finally answered the last two pressing questions about the much-hyped Oculus Rift virtual reality headset: How much will it cost, and when oh when can I get one? As Re/code and others have reported, the answers are $599, and in March... no scratch that, March deliveries sold out almost immediately. Order now and you'll get yours in April. So clearly, that $599 price tag isn't scaring off the early adopter crew, even though Samsung's (SSNLF) Gear VR headset is a mere $99, and variations on the clever Google Cardboard can be had in the $3 to $25 range. But let's face it: The Rift, which will require a personal computer with a lot more under the hood than the average machine, is going to take VR to the next level. (At these prices, it had better.) Facebook closed Wednesday up 0.2% at $102.97. Finally, streaming king Netflix (NFLX) is taking its service across all the oceans, all at once. Making official a move that had been widely anticipated, SiliconBeat reported that on Wednesday, CEO Reed Hastings announced the service had just gone live in more than 130 new countries, including India, all at once. This brings its total to over 190. Of the world's major nations, only China now lacks access to Netflix original series like Marco Polo. How will Grace and Frankie or Marvel's Daredevil translate for the new audiences? Who knows. But the service is also adding a bunch of new languages to its lexicon, including Arabic, and both Simplified and Traditional Chinese. The markets applauded the news. Netflix closed Wednesday up 9.3% at $117.68. This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned. Montreal, CA (H4T1V6) Today A mix of clouds and sun this morning followed by some light rain this afternoon. High 52F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to occasional showers overnight. Low 42F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. In this Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016 file photo, Iranian demonstrators burn representations of the U.S. and Israeli flags during a demonstration in front of the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Tehran, Iran. Diplomatic tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which began with the kingdoms execution of Shiite Sheik Nimr al-Nimr and later saw attacks on Saudi diplomatic posts in the Islamic Republic, have seen countries around the world respond. On Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, President Hassan Rouhani said Saudi Arabias move to sever ties with his country couldnt cover its crime of executing al-Nimr. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File) Local civil rights leaders gather in front of the Charleston County jail in North Charleston, S.C., on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016 for a news conference to protest the release from jail on bond of former North Charleston police officer Michael Slager. Slager is charged with murder in the shooting death of unarmed black motorist Walter Scott in April, 2015. (AP Photo/Bruce Smith) President Barack Obama speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, about steps his administration is taking to reduce gun violence. Also on stage are stakeholders, and individuals whose lives have been impacted by the gun violence. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) Shiite militias deploy at Tahrir Square to protest the execution of Saudi Shiite Sheik Nimr al-Nimr by Saudi Arabia last week, in Tahrir Square, Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. While many Iraqi Shiites took to the streets in outrage over Saudi Arabia's execution of al-Nimr, the country's prime minister has had to walk a more cautious line, trying to contain Iraq's own explosive sectarian tensions. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed) Earthquake and Volcano of the Korea Meteorological Administration Director General Yun Won-tae stands in front of a screen showing seismic waves that were measured in South Korea, in Seoul Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. North Korea said it had conducted a powerful hydrogen bomb test Wednesday, a defiant and surprising move that, if confirmed, would be a huge jump in Pyongyang's quest to improve its still-limited nuclear arsenal. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) Henry Ramos Allup, incoming congress president, points to the galleries as he inspects the speaker's desk upon his arrival to the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. Venezuela's new congress, now dominated by opponents of the socialist administration, is being sworn in Tuesday. With the seating of the newly elected members, it will be the first time in 17 years that opponents of the socialist revolution begun by the late President Hugo Chavez will control any institution in the South American country. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) Hospital acquires new surgical robotics technology Burke Health announced the purchase of new robotics technology for use during spine surgical procedures last week. The Globus ExcelsiusGPS is a revolutionary robotic navigation platform system designed to be intuitive and streamline the surgical workflow. Real-time tracking of instruments and implants, along with audible, visual and tactile feedback, enables... County center wins senior trike Local seniors now have access to an adult tricycle. Director Kimberly Mathis attended the Move Augusta Senior Expo and Bike Rodeo sponsored by Augusta Urban Ministries October 8. The event, held at The Salvation Army Kroc Center, was aimed at people over 50 years old, and included resources and health... 4-H Food Challenge Team takes State For the first time, Burke County 4-H decided to put together a junior food challenge team this summer. Teams are compromised of 2-4 students in the 6th-8th grades. This competition is very competitive and teams must advance to state after the district competition. Our team started practicing weekly in July... County rehashes trash problem I am bringing up the trash again, Commissioner Evans Martin said during the October 11 meeting. We have to do something about the trash. Martin asked that the record show that he wants to do something about the countys dumpster sites. He made a suggestion that eliminating 10 sites would... Not everything is rosy in the coalition, at least not when it comes to backing a law that is being pushed by the chareidi parties, seeking to safeguard shmiras Shabbos in Tel Aviv. Kulanu MK Roy Folkman has announced that while his party is a coalition partner, it will not back the new Shabbos law that empowers the cabinet to address the closure of Tel Aviv stores on Shabbos and Yomtov. The law is scheduled for a vote in Knesset on Wednesday. Likud MK Eli Zohar, who authored the bill, insists the bill is not about religious coercion but about protecting the smaller business owners and their day of rest. If the large businesses open on Shabbos, smaller grocery stores will lose too much if they do not follow and open. He feels the bill is a matter of social responsibility for people like the Bremers, the father and son who operate a makolet and are spearheading the battle to shut stores on Shabbos. Actually 84-year-old Mr. Morris Bremer was recently assaulted by an activist opposed to closing stores on Shabbos in Tel Aviv. There is no doubt that if Kulanu does not back the coalition in the vote on the bill, an immediate crisis will follow with the chareidi parties, who insist they are unwilling to sit back and watch the widespread deterioration of the so-called Shabbos status quo. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) A persistent glut of oil is trumping even Middle Eastern geopolitical tension, extending the slump in oil markets into the new year. The price of oil fell 30 percent last year, following a 50 percent plunge in 2014. At below $36 a barrel on Tuesday, the price is down more than 2 percent early in 2016. Even heightened tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia, two big oil-producing countries, failed to halt the slide. Oil prices are likely to remain about where they are until either production drops or the world economy perks up and drives demand higher. The U.S. Energy Department expects the nations production to drop by about 500,000 barrels a day this year, but OPEC has vowed to hold to existing production levels. The price of benchmark U.S. crude was down 77 cents to $35.99 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange in afternoon trading after falling 28 cents on Monday. Brent crude, reflecting the price of international oils, was down 2 percent on Tuesday after a smaller drop Monday. New reports indicated that manufacturing is continuing to struggle, with factory activity falling in December for the second straight month in the U.S. and the 10th straight month in China. Slow growth means that the current oversupply of oil could be more stubborn than expected. Government figures show that the stockpile of U.S. crude oil grew by 2.6 million barrels during the week ended Dec. 25 and was 9.9 million barrels higher than a year ago. Surveys by Genscape show that stocks of benchmark U.S. crude near the key hub in Cushing, Oklahoma, are at all-time highs, said Brian Busch, director of oil markets for the energy-research firm. Its not limited to the U.S. Oil-storage terminals in South Africa are full, and China-bound tankers have been seen waiting offshore until there is room to offload their shipments of crude, he said. With little reason to expect stronger demand or cuts in production soon, investors seemed to discount the rising tension between the Saudis and Iranians over Saudi Arabias execution of an opposition Shiite cleric. Stewart Glickman, an analyst with S&P Capital IQ, said geopolitical risk has lost some of its ability to influence on oil prices. It is maybe a sense of security from the marketplace that with this seeming glut of crude oil that you can have tensions in Middle East and they dont count for as much as they used to three or four years ago, he said in an interview. The explanation lies partly in robust production from the U.S., Glickman said. Saudi officials are reluctant to cut production in a bid to raise prices because theyll just concede sales to U.S. producers who will fill the void in supply. Iran wants to regain some oil exports that it lost while under economic sanctions, soon to be lifted, for its nuclear program. Judith Dwarkin, chief economist at ITG Investment Research, said that the confrontation with Saudi Arabia makes the Saudis unlikely to offset Iranian increases by trimming their own production potentially adding to the glut. Low prices are a boon to consumers. On Monday, the nationwide average price for a gallon of regular was $1.99, according to the auto club AAA 22 cents cheaper than a year ago. The Energy Information Administration estimates that the average U.S. household saved about $660 on cheaper gasoline last year, compared with 2014. (AP) Jeb Bushs recent cancellation of advertising plans in Iowa and South Carolina was yet another cost-saving step for a down-in-the-polls presidential campaign that had already thinned its staff. If not for his flush super PAC, the Republican might be gone from the contest by now. That group, Right to Rise, has burned through half of its $103 million which still leaves it with about as much cash as John McCain spent during the entire 2008 GOP nominating contest. In the 2016 race, money isnt buying love from voters. It is, however, buying some candidates more time. Less than a month before voting begins, the Republican field is still thick with a dozen presidential hopefuls. Super PACs are one reason why. Like Bush, Chris Christie and John Kasich are leaning heavily on these outside groups to communicate with voters. Nearly 96 percent of the money for Bush, Kasich and Christie commercials has come not from their official campaigns, but from their supportive super PACs, according to advertising tracker Kantar Medias CMAG. This is the second presidential campaign since super political action committees burst on the scene after the Supreme Courts Citizens United decision. The 2010 case made it clear that donors can contribute unlimited amounts of money to groups supporting specific candidates, so long as the candidates dont directly control the spending. That means that at any given time a wealthy admirer of a candidate can write a huge check to a super PAC to help keep that person in front of voters, through commercials and mailings. Some super PACs, including one for Carly Fiorina, even have campaign-like voter outreach efforts such as door-knocking and publicizing events that feature the candidate. Those super PAC investments work as an incentive against a candidate giving up too soon, however dim the prospects. While super PACs have dumped buckets of money into politics, theyve also helped ensure a more competitive democratic process, said Bradley Smith, a former federal elections commissioner who advocates for looser fundraising restrictions. The complaint used to be that the candidates would fold up before anyone even voted, said Smith, founder and chairman of the Center for Competitive Politics. Its not a bad thing thats not the case anymore. One of the first presidential hopefuls to take advantage of the post-Citizens United campaign finance landscape was Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker who sought the 2012 GOP nomination. Las Vegas casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson put up $20 million of his familys money to back his longtime friend Gingrich. That money paid for TV ads when the candidate couldnt afford his own, helping him stay afloat through third-to-vote South Carolina, which he won. Rick Santorum was in a similar position, benefiting from Wyoming investor Foster Friesss super PAC assistance until his candidacy took flight after a surprising Iowa win. Theres no question that a super PAC gives you the ability to sustain the appearance of a campaign even if you can no longer raise money, Gingrich told AP. Both eventually lost to Mitt Romney, who dominated traditional campaign fundraising and also had a big-money super PAC helping out. Gingrich said the 2016 race differs from 2012 in several crucial ways. That was one guy with a bunch of money versus the rest of us, and now its a bunch of guys with a bunch of money, he said. At the same time, a celebrity businessman and political newcomer has shown that money may not matter as much, Gingrich said. Donald Trumps campaign only recently made its first TV ad, putting up $2 million to air it this week in Iowa and New Hampshire. He has dominated the GOP contest without spending much campaign money, and without major help from super PACs which he has decried as disgusting. Bush, a former Florida governor, is in roughly the opposite position: His super PAC Right to Rise has pumped more than $50 million into its advertising campaign, yet he remains in the single digits in most preference polls. The group is pressing ahead. It has booked at least $24 million more in ads over the next nine weeks in 10 states, including early voting Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, CMAG shows. Over the weekend, Bushs official campaign cuts its South Carolina advertising plan by half and pulled its Iowa ad reservations altogether, an Associated Press analysis of the CMAG data found. And Kasich, governor of Ohio, hasnt spent a dime of campaign money on television. But his super PACs are busy. Theyve showered New Hampshire viewers with almost $10 million worth of commercials and this week told federal regulators theyre buying more ad time and distributing pro-Kasich and anti-Christie literature to voters. (AP) Following successful Israel investment conferences in Sydney and London aimed at exposing local business communities to the varied investment opportunities in Israel, the largest ever Israel investment conference in China opened on Monday 23 Teves with some 1,000 participants. The two-day conference is taking place in Beijing and is an initiative of the Division for Foreign Investments and Industrial Cooperation at the Israeli Ministry of Economy and Industry, as well as the ministrys trade missions in China. It is also supported by the Chinese government through the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology. Among the participants are a number of investors from Chinese companies and venture capital funds, key figures from Israeli hi-tech and academia and representatives of 85 Israeli technology companies from the fields of life sciences, cleantech and advanced production, who will present their products and capabilities with the goal of promoting new areas of cooperation with the Chinese market. The conference was opened by Israeli Minister of National Infrastructure, Water & Energy, Dr. Yuval Steinitz. It includes panels on investment opportunities for Chinese companies in Israel and on the contribution of Israeli academia to the development of technology firms. In addition, B2B meeting will be held between Israeli companies and Chinese investors, and there will be presentations from key figures from the Chinese business world, including Guo Guangchang, Chairman of Fosun International Ltd.; Cheetah Mobile CEO Fu Sheng; founder and CEO of Neusoft Liu Jiren, and from Israel Shimon Eckhouse, founder of Syneron and John Medved, founder of OurCrowd, among others. Dr. Yuval Steinitz, said, Since my first visit to China as finance minister in 2010, I have continued to work to strengthen economic ties between Israel and China. This activity has so far resulted in several important economic agreements and has brought a dramatic increase in Chinese investments in Israel, so it is important to continue that work in the fields of economy, industry and energy. It is hard to overstate the importance of economic and technological ties between Israel and China, ties which also help tighten diplomatic relations between the two countries. This conference creates an excellent opportunity to create new economic ties and to showcase the State of Israel to Chinese companies, investors and entrepreneurs who may consider investing in our country in the fields of water, electricity infrastructure, gas and others. The Foreign Trade Administration at the Israeli Ministry of Economy and Industry has been working actively in the Chinese market over the past few years, with diversified activity encouraging trade and opening Chinese projects to Israel companies. It acts through four trade missions in China: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong a number equal to the number of trade missions in the US. The Foreign Trade Administration regularly surveys Chinese legislation and regulation in order to remove obstacles for Israeli exporters seeking to penetrate this important market. The trade missions also sponsor dozens of activities every year aimed at creating business opportunities for Israeli companies in China in several fields, from water and agriculture to new media and consumer products. In addition, through the India-China-Japan fund, the Foreign Trade Administration supports companies that have made China a strategic marketing target. The administration also subsidizes the opening of Israeli companies marketing offices in China. It should be noted that this is a competitive endeavor with basic criteria that need to be met. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) President Reuven Rivlin on Monday 23 Teves, in his official residence, hosted an event to mark the 70th anniversary of the Talmudic Encyclopedia. During the event, the Director of the Talmudic Encyclopedia Rabbi Prof. Avraham Steinberg presented President Rivlin with a special volume of the Talmudic Encyclopedia. The President thanked Professor Steinberg and noted that as a 6-year-old child he received the first edition of the Talmudic Encyclopedia. The Talmudic Encyclopedia project was initiated 70 years ago by the late Rabbi Meir Bar Ilan and the late Rabbi Shlomo Zevin. Thirty-six volumes of the encyclopedia had been published to date, containing more than 1,300 detailed entries. The Talmudic Encyclopedia was currently run by Rabbi Prof. Avraham Steinberg, a doctor and an Israel Prize laureate. President Rivlin began his remarks by saying, For dozens of generations, the Talmud has been the beating Jewish heart apart from the bible it is perhaps the most influential text to have shaped the character, life, and mind of the Jewish people, as well as influencing word philosophy. The President went on to note the complexity of the Talmud and the importance of its accessibility to the public, as the Talmudic Encyclopedia ensured. President Rivlin said, The Talmuds main dogma is that life is like an infinite Beis Medrash made up of questions; arguments-pro and arguments-against; dialogues; and a deep understanding that these and those are the words of the living G-d. The truth is in the multiple views and opinions, and the ability to learn from all mankind. Unfortunately, and perhaps due to this inexhaustible depth, for the majority of the population the Talmud remains sealed and locked. The Talmud, which is an endless sea of data, continues to remain abstruse. For this purpose the Talmudic Encyclopedia was established. The internal language, spoken among the sages throughout the ages gets a clear and more orderly face a face that combines modern thinking alongside Talmudic and Halachic literature. The President reiterated that the great challenge of our time was to make the Talmud accessible to all walks of life in Israel, and said, Any Jewish girls and a boys growing up in Israel deserve to be exposed to this Talmudic treasure. The President added, The great revolution that youre taking part in, is reaching all the people of the nation, and not just the Torah students and the scholars. And that is your power. I want to congratulate all the partners in this important project, and to ask you to continue to light and build, work hard, thoroughly and continuously in order to finish the work that our great leaders began. The President turned to Prof. Steinberg and asked that work be undertaken to make the Talmud even more accessible by creating a concise volume. The President said, I know that you are working on the Internet, and through other means to make the Talmud more accessible and I would like you to consider preparing a small encyclopedia, in one concise volume, that will be easily available to each and every person. It should be a volume by which each youth in Israel today could encounter the endless wisdom of the Talmud. I want to thank you for your wonderful work. Rabbi Steinberg spoke at the event and said, This is one of the most important enterprises for Israel and the preservation of Jewish tradition. I hope that in less than a decade we will complete editing the encyclopedia, which we have worked on for the last 70 years. We come to the end of an era in which all the volumes will be prepared and I hope that every Jewish home in Israel and abroad will have the encyclopedia. Chief Rabbi David Lau Shlita also spoke at the event and said, The Talmudic Encyclopedia has the greatest virtue of the Talmud itself learning and connecting. The Talmud is shared and connects us all and has the special ability which can be found in any value, no matter where the interpreter is from, a special common ground called the Torah. The Jewish people was dispersed 2000 years ago, throughout the world. Once we got were, we discovered that we all have the Torah in common and that the differences are insignificant. What connected the people as one is the Talmud, which engaged Jewish scholars both in the East and the West. The Encyclopedia assured everyones ability to learn, understand, educate and revert back to the origins of the Talmud and understand it. Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Shlita, also addressed the event and said, The Encyclopedia has done a great thing and whoever reads it will learn and become familiar even with the Talmudic specifications which appear within it. It helps us all children in school, in Yeshiva, adults of all ages. Rabbi Zevin, one of the founders of this project, had the ability to summarize entire topics into a few paragraphs. That is talent! The founders of this enterprise worked a great deal. They spread the word of the Torah around the world. It is impossible to live without this book. It is a credit to many. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem / Photos: Mark Neiman GPO) By: Shoshana Bernstein Professionalism, medical expertise and timeliness were all in high gear this past weekend as VitalOne defied the odds and executed a politically and logistically complicated emergency Medevac from Havana, Cuba to Miami. It is safe to say that when Mrs. X left Israel for her much anticipated family getaway in Cuba she never envisioned returning by way of an elaborate airborne ICU taking up the entire first class cabin of El Al airlines. The 70 year old womans vacation took an unexpected and potentially deadly turn when she collapsed Thursday morning in the lobby of her Cuban hotel. The victim of a sudden stroke, she was rushed to Cubas severely substandard hospital where it was determined that she had suffered an intracranial hemorrhage. I got the call Friday morning, explains Isaac Leider, dubbed Rabbi 911 for his world-renowned success in dealing with air medical transports. There was no way the patient was going to survive in a Cuban hospital. The logistics for the 60 minute flight from Havana to Miami are always complicated. This time the complications were tenfold. Due to the holiday weekend, there was no one available to sign off on the necessary permits which would allow VitalOne to send an ICU jet to land in Cuba. Furthermore, assuming the Cuban airport handler could be reached and the permits secured, there were no beds available at any tertiary care (top medical) facility in Miami. Without an ICU bed assignment, the medical parole visa would not be approved. No challenge is too great for the VitalOne team. They began reaching out to their high level contacts, amongst them a black card carrying philanthropist, who requested anonymity. With just one call to the CEO of Baptist Hospital in Miami, a bed was procured. But the challenges kept coming. For inexplicable reasons, Cuban immigration officials put a 24 hour hold on granting permission for the VitalOne jet to land and pick up the patient. Isaac contacted the Israeli Foreign Ministry Situation Room but needed someone in the United States with the ability to secure the permit to land. Enter Mr. Michael Wildes, Esq.; a well known immigration attorney and former federal prosecutor. Ive worked with Isaac Leider on many occasions. When I see Rabbi 911 on my caller ID, I know it is a matter of life or death, explained Mr. Wildes, who returned my call while on vacation in Mexico. VitalOne was facing a bureaucratic glitch and with no one available to countermand this order, there was a good chance the patient would not live. Michael Wildes, former mayor of Englewood, New Jersey and a 23 year veteran of Hatzalah, spent the next several hours working the phones well into Friday night, along with Isaac, to save this Jewish womans life. A board member of NORPAC (a political action committee working to improve Unites States and Israel relations) he reached out to Dr. Ben Chouake, the President of the organization, who in turn contacted Senator Menendez Chief of Staff, whom he has known for twenty years. Mr. Wildes credits Isaac, who he dubs an angel with doing a great job of smoothing the way, arranging for an available bed, collecting the proof needed for a medical parole visa, verifying that the patient would not become a medical charge in the Unites States and a burden to the taxpayers (travelers insurance is covering 100%), and securing the written assurances that there was no other medically mandated option to save this womans life. The situations was further complicated since the patient is Israeli, and Israel has no diplomatic relationship with Cuba. Mr. Wildes reached out to United States Congressman Ed Royce of California who serves as the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Congressman Royce jumped into action; personally making calls to various State Department officials to help secure the permits. This was a truly heartwarming instance of partisan efforts. These are busy politicians who stepped in and used their time and contacts to affect a positive outcome. Everyone appreciated the fact that we were Observant Jews, nonetheless on the phones on Shabbos, committed to saving a life. VitalOne leads by example and I tip my hat to everyone who helped make this Medevac possible. By Shabbos morning, permission was granted and a bed waiting in the Miami hospital. The ICU jet landed in Cuba with a medical team and all the equipment necessary to safely fly the patient, at sea level, to Miami. Seventy-two hours later, thanks to life-saving surgical intervention, VitalOne was once again on the scene, flying her via air ambulance to Newark Airport where they had turned the entire first class cabin of an El Al flight into a completely retrofitted airborne ICU. VitalOne was able to repatriate the patient where she will receive further care from Professor Zvi Ram at Tel Avivs Sourasky Medical Center. Thanks to VitalOnes experience and know-how, they were able with G-ds help and the dedicated assistance of the various people involved to get this patient the emergency medical care she needed to survive, all at no cost to the family; VitalOne procured insurance coverage for everything. Proving once again how fitting the name VitalOne is for a team of medical transport experts that is considered the number one choice of doctors around the world, when vital air transport is needed to save a life. Authors note: VitalOne maintains the importance of choosing your vacation spot with a potential medical crisis in mind. At the very least, make sure your insurance provides for medical transport and/or purchase additional insurance when you book your flight. You never know. [PHOTOS BY HILLEL ENGEL IN EXTENDED ARTICLE] Centers Health Care system hosted a conference this past Thursday at Boro Park Center. Israeli Minister of Health, Yakov Litzman, joined representatives of the Jewish Medical Liaisons Group to discuss the issues plaguing both the US and Israeli medical systems. Minister Litzman has had great success in Israel. He expanded dental coverage for the young, created a kiddush Hashem worldwide, and strove to improve the quality of medical care throughout Israel. Introducing the minister, Shloimy Rosenberg (a liaison in the Montefiore Health System) mentioned that Mr. Litzman even performs surprise visits to emergency rooms in the middle of the night. But Rabbi Litzman is not done yet. He plans to help provide free elder care in the future. Mr. Litzman was delighted that Kenny Rozenberg, CEO of Centers Health Care, took the time to offer him a tour of the facility. He attributes much of his success to an attention to detail (opening his own mail and responding to every persons request), and appreciated receiving such attention himself. Mr. Litzman expressed just how impressed he was with how Centers Health Care is run and congratulated them on excellent work. The conference brought the role of liaisons in the healthcare community to the fore. These men and women work around the clock to connect patients to the best possible care. Their contributions, described NYU Medical Center medical liaison Israel Roseman, often effect a profound difference in the lives of their patients. Rabbi Litzman highlighted that the liaisons meet once a month to discuss current challenges and to strategize effective solutions to resolve many of the inefficiencies and issues afflicting our health care systems. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) In an historic event, Rabbi Yaakov Litzman, Israels Health Minister and his delegation met with Hatzalahs Executive Board this evening at Hatzalahs citywide headquarters in Brooklyn. Minister Litzman is on a short official visit to the US which included meetings in Washington with the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, and in New York, with executives of several leading medical centers, and the leadership of Hatzalah. Topics of discussion included Hatzalahs pivotal role as a leader in providing emergency medical services throughout New York City and the positive, cooperative relationship that Hatzalah has with city and state agencies including NYPD and FDNY as well as major metro area hospitals. The parties also discussed the sharing of strategic initiatives in emergency preparedness both in Israel and the US. Minister Litzman commended Hatzalah and stated that Hatzalah in New York is a role model for emergency services throughout the world. He invited the members of Hatzalahs Executive Board to visit him at the Health Ministry in Israel and offered his assistance with anything that Hatzalah may need. In the post 9/11 era, Hatzalah established a relationship with Magen David Adom to engage in joint training and for Hatzalah to send personnel to Israel to supplement MDA shortages in the event of an extensive reserve call up. Minister Litzman and Hatzalah agreed to seek ways to enhance communication and partnership strategies between Hatzalah and Israels Health Ministry. Hatzalah is the largest volunteer EMS provider in the United States and its 1,200 all volunteer EMTs and paramedics respond to over 70,000 emergency calls annually. Health Minister Litzmans delegation included numerous advisors from the Health Ministry in Israel. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) Baruch Dayan Emmes: Mrs. Batsheva Baumel obm, 35, a mother of five from Petach Tikvah, was niftar on Wednesday morning 25 Teves in Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikvah. Mrs. Baumel was the daughter of R Tuvia Pomeranchik, head of the chevra kadisha and a well-known askan who is always busy with acts of chessed. Her husband is a son of Rav Tzvi Baumel of Chinuch Atzmai. Mrs. Baumel arrived in the hospital on Tuesday night in critical condition, presenting with high fever and other signs of severe pneumonia that already began compromising vital bodily functions. Tefilos were recited in the city on her behalf. She was attached to an EKMO machine after collapsing a short time after arriving in the emergency room but it appears her body was unable to fight off the infection and collapse of major organs. The hospital is probing to determine the cause of death which remains unknown at the time of this report. Family members tell the media the nifteres was in an emergency room a day earlier and she was complained of not feeling well. The physicians determined her lungs were clear at that time. The levaya will leave from the Baumel home at 7 Echad HaAm Street in Petach Tikvah at 13:00 and kvura will be in the Segulah Cemetery at 14:30. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) The levaya for Nachal Chareidi (Netzach Yehuda) officer, Captain Yishai Russels zl, who was killed in a training accident, is set for 01:00 (Wednesday to Thursday night) in Har Herzl Military Cemetery in Yerushalayim. Russels, 23, a member of the Netzach Yehuda unit was killed at the Tzeilim base in southern Israel as a result of a training mishap involving a mortar shell. The fatal accident is being probed by the IDF. Chief of Ground Forces Major-General Guy Tzur ordered to halt all training exercises until the probe into the tragic accident is completed. Tzur appointed experts in both armored and artillery warfare to oversee the probe. Russels was from Moshav Beit Meir in the Jerusalem corridor. In line with IDF custom of promoting a soldier posthumously, he was promoted from 1st lieutenant to captain following his death. The Netzach Yehuda Battalion released a message of mourning following the tragic accident involving Russels company, issuing a call to all current and past members of the battalion to participate in the levaya. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) The gun control measures a tearful President Barack Obama announced Tuesday would not have prevented the slaughters of 20 first-graders at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, or 14 county workers at a holiday party in San Bernardino, California. Obamas executive action expands mandatory background checks to gun shows, flea markets and online sales, adds more than 230 examiners and staff to help process them and calls on states to submit accurate and updated criminal history data. Those measures are seen as crucial to stemming gun suicides the cause of two-thirds of gun deaths by blocking immediate access to weapons. But, an Associated Press review shows, they would have had no impact in keeping weapons from the hands of suspects in several of the deadliest recent mass shootings that have spurred calls for tighter gun control. The shooters at Sandy Hook and San Bernardino used weapons bought by others, shielding them from background checks. In other cases, the shooters legally bought guns. In Aurora, Colorado, and at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., men undergoing mental health treatment were cleared to buy weapons because federal background checks looked to criminal histories and court-ordered commitments for signs of mental illness. The Obama administration is making changes in that realm by seeking to plug certain Social Security Administration data into the background check system and by helping states report more information about people barred from gun possession for mental health reasons. The suspect in a shooting at a church in Charleston, South Carolina, should have been flagged at the time, but errors and delays cleared the way for his purchase. Though the moves probably wouldnt have prevented recent mass shootings, Obama rejected the idea that undermines the changes. We maybe cant save everybody, but we could save some, Obama said. A look at how some recent mass shooting suspects got their weapons: Dec. 2, 2015, San Bernardino, California, 14 killed Syed Farook and his wife used weapons that the FBI says his neighbor, Enrique Marquez, purchased legally from a federally licensed dealer in 2011 and 2012. Marquez, now facing conspiracy and other charges, told investigators that Farook asked him to purchase the weapons because he would draw less attention. At the time, the FBI says, the men were plotting to shoot up a community college and a highway. (AP) [COMMUNICATED CONTENT] Yeshiva Elementary School located in South Florida provides the highest of quality in Jewish Education for over 500 children under the leadership of Rabbi Yisroel Moshe Janowski shlita. We are fortunate to have Rabbi Yochanan Zweig, the Rosh Yeshiva, to help guide our Yeshiva. Students are energized and inspired each and every day. We are excited to announce our Annual Chinese Auction which will take place Motzoei Shabbos, January 16. There are a wide selection of prizes including jewelry, electronics, and luxurious get-a-ways and more. Although there is officially only one winner per prize, every participant is a winner, for he or she is supporting the finest of Jewish education. Please participate by purchasing tickets Yeshivaauction.com or call 305-867-3322. Let us join together to secure the future of our people by supporting an institutions sincere commitment to the transmission of Jewish values and traditions. The manhunt for the terrorist responsible for the erev Shabbos shooting attack in a Dizengoff Street pub in Tel Aviv continues on Wednesday, 25 Teves, in its sixth day. Police and other agencies are involved in the manhunt for Nashat Melhem, who fled the scene of the shooting attack that claimed two lives and as he fled the city, a third victim, that of the taxi driver who took him to northern Tel Aviv. The search appears to have shifted from the Gush Dan area to the Triangle, the predominately Israeli Arab areas of northern Israel known as Wadi Ara (Nachal Iron). Police have already arrested the terrorists father along with a number of other family members believed to have been accomplices in one way or another. It was reported early on Wednesday that a large number of security personnel were operating in Nachal Iron as well as the area between Tulkarem and Taibeh. On Tuesday, Police Commissioner Roni Alsheich announced We can lower the tension in the Gush Dan area, perhaps due to the shift in the focus of the manhunt to northern Israel. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) The Hamodia Newspaper has published an editorial along with a statement by the Novominsker Rebbe Shlita condemning the comments made by Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi, who is a well-known Kiruv Rabbi, which were published by YWN last week. The statement by the Novominsker Rebbe reads: I condemn in the strongest terms possible the outrageous claim that fewer than a million halachic Jews were killed in the Holocaust. This claim is demonstrably false, profoundly offensive and extremely hurtful. It is an affront to the Six Million Kedoshim, precious, holy, Jewish souls whose lives were snuffed out by the sonei Yisroel. Minimizing the degree of the terrible destruction of Churban Europa, in a most morally irresponsible manner, does a grave disservice to truth, and only gives enemies of Klal Yisrael ammunition for their lies. YWN ADDS: Last week, YWN published an op-ed calling on Rabbi Mizrachi to retract and apologize for his comments. Three days later, after the story was already viral and reported around the globe, Rabbi Mizrachi wrote YWN an email in which he apologized. Many people have refused to accept Rabbi Mizrachis apology, as the damage caused by these comments is simply unimaginable. Holocaust-deniers have already used his video and comments on their neo-Nazi websites as proof to their pack of lies that the Holocaust is a myth created by the Jews. One such person refusing to accept an apology was a well-known Holocaust survivor, Dr. Moshe Katz, who agreed to go on camera and deliver a message to Rabbi Mizrachi. The response was shocking. Hate-mail poured into YWN cursing out this Holocaust survivor for the Chutzpah that he had for making his statement against this Rabbi. Dozens of letters from alleged followers of Rabbi Mizrachi sent threatening letters to YWN. It should be mentioned that Dr. Moshe Katz is a noted author and lecturer about the holocaust. He is the author of the well-received holocaust book, Nine Out of Ten. He has lectured at hundreds of Yeshivos, shuls and schools about the holocaust. Dr. Katz was also one of the founding members of several Yeshivos and schools including Yeshiva of Southshore, Yeshivas Shor Yoshiv, Yeshiva Darchei Torah, and Torah Academy for Girls. He is a pillar of the survivors of the holocaust. Will the same defenders of Rabbi Mizrachi who had the audacity to take issue with Dr. Moshe Katz now have the Chutzpah to curse out the Novominsker rebbe Shlita?! Furthermore, hate mail accused YWN of promoting the story for ratings and having an agenda against Rabbi Mizrach. In fact, Rabbi Mizrachi was on the radio on Tuesday night discussing this. He along with the radio host repeated this claim multiple times. Nothing could be further from the truth. If YWN had an agenda against this Rabbi, we would not have hesitated until now to publish the countless videos available on YouTube which have many disturbing insults and statements of disrespect and insensitivity toward others. There is one critic who attacked him and his response to her is that She will get the biggest Auschwitz. Auschwitz is a picnic, she is going to be there for eternity. She will never come out of there.. Korach all the people who were with him died with him.. Shes much worse than Hitler. This can be seen HERE at at 1:20. There is another video in which he attacks and labels secular women outside of the Nazi gas chambers about to be gassed as immodest women. One leading American Gadol who spoke with YWN on Wednesday wondered how can Mizrachi possibly know which woman was religious and who was secular? Did he know some of the people being led to the gas chambers? Are there faces in photos that he recognized? They all looked alike with shaved heads. Another video lays the blame of the death of the Sassoon children on womens lack of modesty. Rabbi Mizrachi has stated that autistic children were sinners in past lives. He has further asserted that blind children are being punished for watching pornography in previous lives. He also has some racial remarks about African Americans, as well as comments about why people have Autism or Downs Syndrome. No. This wasnt about going after a Rabbi or stirring up controversy whatsoever. This is about speaking up for the truth. This is about setting the record straight. Interestingly, Rabbi Mizrachi claims that his remarks are from four years ago. The lecture was posted on Youtube in January of 2013. But the video of the lecture was posted on Rabbi Mizrachis Israeli Facebook site in September of 2015, not 35 months ago, but 4 months ago. The fact that it was uploaded by his organization less than 4 months ago is noteworthy. It is also significant that there have been over 25,000 views of it on Facebook in these past few months. His apology claims that he was misquoted. What follows, however, is an exact transcript. There are also no jump cuts or other indications of any editing. The full video can be found HERE (the section under discussion is at 35:05): I will tell you a secret about a matter that you have not paid attention to. In every place we have become used to hearing that six million Jews were murdered. They murdered 6,000,000 Jews. They murdered six million Jews.. But the truth, I am telling you, is that not even one million Jews were killed. Not that this is an insignificant number. It is a giant number, one million. But there is a difference between 6 million and 1 million. You ask me how I get one million? Its very simple. You ask me how I decrease the number from 6 million to one million? So Im going to tell you. According to the secular Jews and to gentiles they say anyone who has a bit of Jewish blood in them is Jewish. For example, according to the rules of secular Jews, this Howard Stern this disgusting and repulsive impure individual he is a Jew. But, in reality, his mother is not Jewish. So he is a complete non-Jew in heaven. According to Jewish law he is nothing he is not considered part of the Jewish people; cannot marry a Jewess. Who is he? The announcer on the radio. It doesnt matter. There are thousands of people like him in the United States with the name Cohen, Levy and they are totally not Jewish. There are thousands called Rosenberg, Miller, Mizrahi, Arush whatever you want they call them and they are totally not Jewish. There are a lot of Bukharian here in Queens that go around with a magen david. They had a Bar Mitzvah and they come to synagogue sometimes, and they are total Gentiles. Thats how it was in Europe 80% of the Jewish people were assimilated and intermarried. Many generations before the Holocaust from the time of Hertzl who intended to Christianize the Jews as he says in his book, The Jewish State in a letter to the Pope, Give me time and I will convert all the Jews to Catholicism and this way we will prevent anti-semitism and they will no longer be a problem. Thats what is written in his book, Altneuland and you can open it up and check it. Herzl plan to convert all Jews to Christianity 120 years before hand. After that, from then until the Holocaust there is another 50 years. Every day, every hour, the Jews intermarried with non Jews. Now, since many of them live like Jews, not necessarily religious, but they kept Passover like we do in Israel. They celebrate using electricity and cars and trains. They celebrated a little bit so what happened? Hitler took everyone who had even a quarter of Jewish ancestry. If your grandfather from your fathers side was Jewish and the rest were non Jews? To the gas chambers. They also put in the wives of Jews that were entirely non Jewish. If she hid him or they were hidden by non Jews, if they caught them, they killed them also. A lot of non Jews were mashed into the account. But in truth, how many Jews really were killed? In my humble opinion, not even a million. Because if you look at the percent of assimilation that was in Europe, which already reach 80%, it is reasonable to assume that 80% of the six million were non Jews. So if you do the estimate, were talking only about the number of those that were claimed to be Jews. As can be seen, the claim that the video was taken out of context or was edited, is simply not true. Rabbi Mizrachi needs to really and truly apologize to the victims of the holocaust and to the survivors. He needs to clean up his act. He needs to stop the disrespect and the insults. Former U.S. ambassador to Seoul Stephen Bosworth has died at home in Boston, Massachusetts, Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies said Monday. He was 76. Bosworth was a Korea expert who also served a stint as Washington's special representative for North Korea policy. Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1939, Bosworth graduated from Dartmouth College and became a diplomat in 1961. From 1995-1997 he served as executive director of the doomed Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization, which was set up to implement a 1994 deal whereby North Korea was to get a light-water reactor from the West if it dismantled its own nuclear program. The South Korean government expressed its condolences. Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Joon-hyuk said Seoul has a high regard for the efforts and contributions Bosworth made in developing the Seoul-Washington alliance and resolving the North Korean nuclear crisis. The National Planning and Building Council on Tuesday morning 24 Teves, approved Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahus initiative to build a new Druze town, pursuant to the Cabinets 18 November 2012 decision. The new community will be established within the Lower Galil Regional Council, in the Achuzat Naftali area near Tiveria. Prime Minister Netanyahu stated, For the first time since the foundation of the state, we are building a new Druze town. I ascribe great importance to the establishment of a new Druze town that will advance the Druze sector. The Druze community has bound its fate to the State of Israel. The proportion of enlistment in the IDF is among the highest in the state and many Druze are in IDF combat units. This is only part of our extensive activity for the Druse community and we are carrying out our commitments to the community. Building a new Druze town will facilitate the reduction of gaps between Druze towns and other towns in the State of Israel and is part of the governments many initiatives to advance the Druze population. The Druze towns are built on the slopes of hills and suffer from significant planning limitations due to their locations near nature reserves. The new town will be established on an urban basis close to infrastructures and on land that is suitable for development and close to centers of employment. It will, therefore, provide an appropriate and modern response and will advance the Druse population economically and socially. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) In his response to MK (Machane Tzioni) Yitzchak Shmuli, Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan explained the number of so-called price tag attacks dropped in 2015. Shmuli serves as Chairman of the Knesset against right-wing extremist violence. The facts presented by the minister document 371 price-tag attacks in 2015 while there were 616 in 2014 and 575 in 2013. Price-tag attacks as they have become known are acts of vandalism against Arab property that are usually accompanied by nationalistic graffiti and therefore attributed to right-wing extremists. It is pointed out that while in some cases Jews are responsible for such actions, there have also been documented cases in which Arabs carried out the attacks and left graffiti that would implicate Jews. Despite the handing down of indictments in the Duma arson case, some opine this is the case, that Arabs torched the house as part of an ongoing feud involving the Darawshe family of Duma and left graffiti on the scene to implicate Jews. They insist the ISAs success in extracting confessions by torturing Jewish suspects renders the confessions inadmissible in a court of law. A mother, father and infant son were killed in the arson attack and another son was left severely burned. They were all resident of the PA (Palestinian Authority). Erdan also reported that in 2015 there were 67 criminal indictments pertaining to price-tag attacks as compared to 104 in 2014 and 116 in 2013. The data shows that 1,562 investigations were launched into price-tag attacks over three years, which resulted in 287 criminal indictments. A third of the cases were closed due to the police departments inability to determine who was responsible for the attacks. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) Shoot first ask questions later might sound like a quote from a Western movie. But the phrase was used by the former boss of the City watchdog to describe plans to crack down on the UKs scandal-hit banks. Martin Wheatley made the infamous comments shortly after being picked by the Chancellor George Osborne to become the first chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority, which started life in April 2013. After the misery caused by the financial crisis and a string of mis-selling scandals, the FCA was under pressure to be more aggressive than its discredited predecessor, the Financial Services Authority. Harder edge: The FCA was under pressure to be more aggressive than its predecessor, the FSA Wheatleys combative approach infuriated the City but won him the admiration of many consumer campaigners, with the watchdog dishing out a record 1.5billion in fines in 2014. The FCA was praised for its swift investigation of the foreign exchange-rigging scandal, which culminated in huge fines for a string of banks including Barclays and HSBC. But the financial services industry finally got its revenge last summer, when Wheatley was sacked by the Chancellor. The regulator had fallen out of favour after a number of gaffes. These included the bungled leak by the FCA of an impending probe into old pensions and insurance policies which wiped billions off insurance company shares. An apoplectic Osborne accused the watchdog of damaging the UKs reputation for regulatory stability and competence. But there are many who believe the real reason Wheatley was sacked is that Osborne wanted a less combative regulator who could build bridges with the UKs powerhouse financial service sector. Osborne paved the way in his Mansion House speech last June when he spoke of a new settlement with firms. This was widely seen as a call to end banker bashing and adopt a less aggressive approach to regulation. It appears to have made a significant impact. The following month Osborne announced in his summer budget that the bank levy introduced in the wake of the financial crisis is to be gradually cut. The decision was a coup for the banking industry, and particularly HSBC, which has been threatening to move its headquarters overseas. But critics including MPs on the Treasury Committee Select Committee are worried that the Governments desire for rapprochement with the banking industry has filtered through to the FCA, which is supposed to be entirely independent. Soft: The FCA was last week accused of buckling under pressure from the Chancellor to ditch a major probe into the culture of banks The FCA is accused of becoming an increasingly soft touch under acting-chief Tracey McDermott, who had previously gained a fearsome reputation as head of the watchdogs enforcement division. Events over the past few days have given the FCAs detractors plenty of ammunition. The regulator was last week accused of buckling under pressure from the Chancellor to ditch a major probe into the culture of banks. It has also emerged it has decided to let HSBC off the hook for helping wealthy clients dodge tax in Swiss bank accounts. And yesterday it emerged that the watchdog has decided not to publish the findings of a separate probe into investment advice given by independent financial advisers and bank salesmen. The probe focused on inducements such as corporate hospitality used by banks, fund managers and insurers to persuade financial advisers to sell their products. Despite a string of scandals there are fears these perks could encourage more mis-selling. There was more good news for the banking industry in October when the FCA confirmed plans to impose a two-year time bar on payment protection insurance complaints. Having set aside more than 26billion to compensate customers, banks have lobbied for a deadline in a desperate bid to draw a line under the scandal. James Daley, founder of consumer website Fairer Finance, said the sacking of Wheatley was a watershed moment. Since the pro-consumer Martin Wheatley was sacked there has been a steady drip of stories that suggest the FCA is now taking a very different tack, he said. There certainly does appear to be a sea-change in the regulators approach to the banks when the job is only half done. A credible theory is that HSBC and Standard Chartered were holding a gun to the Governments head and said they will move their headquarters abroad unless you go a bit easier. The sentiment was echoed by Martin Lewis, founder of finance website MoneySavingExpert and a prominent consumer campaigner. He said: Ive met with Tracey McDermott and been told that they have not changed their stance. I simply dont believe it. My suspicion is this is all coming from the Treasury. It is very worrying that we might be going back to the bad old days of letting banks do what they want. The Treasury last night stressed the FCA is independent and that suggestions ministers persuaded it to drop investigations are false and misleading. A European competition watchdog is probing the Governments funding to convert a coal power station to biomass. Drax is being given a financial incentive to generate energy using biomass rather than coal because it is more environmentally friendly. The firm already received government backing to switch to burning wood chips rather than coal in 2013, by way of a 75million loan underwritten by the state. Powered: The EC released a statement saying that EU state aid rules make sure that the cost of such support for consumers is limited and does not give certain operators an unfair advantage over competitors But under the new scheme, known as the Contract for Difference, the government is handing out further financial incentives to persuade companies to switch to cleaner energy generation because it is less lucrative than traditional methods. This sees the government offer a guaranteed strike price for each unit of energy a firm generates. The strike price differs depending on the method of production, such as biomass, solar or wind power, and if the market rate falls below the strike price companies pocket the difference. This means Drax will be paid 105 per megawatt hour of energy it generates until 2027. The current day-ahead market price is 37 per MWh. The conversion of Drax from coal to biomass would put the government on track to hit its target of closing all coal-fired generators by 2025. But the award of state aid has triggered a European Commission investigation over fears it breaks the rules and gives Drax an advantage over its rivals. It also fears that the vast quantity of wood pellets required could distort competition in the biomass market. The Commission said it fully supports member state efforts to increase the use of renewable energy and pursue EU energy and climate objectives. However, the EC added: At the same time, EU state aid rules make sure that the cost of such support for consumers is limited and does not give certain operators an unfair advantage over competitors. European officials are also wary that the project could return more than has been predicted, which would leave Drax up on the deal. Drax (down 5.4p to 226p) highlighted that the project would be its third switch from coal to biomass and said the investigation by European watchdogs was to be expected. The Commission has already approved UK plans to subsidise the conversion of RWEs Lynemouth power plant from coal to biomass, a move which could bode well for Drax. The firm said: Drax welcomes the opportunity to work with the Government and the EC to complete the state aid clearance process. North Korea on Wednesday claimed to have conducted a successful test of a hydrogen bomb. The country's "first hydrogen bomb test has been successfully performed at 10 a.m... based on the strategic determination of the Workers' Party," state-run [North] Korean Central TV claimed. The channel added that the test came in "self-defense against the U.S. having numerous and humongous nuclear weapons." Independently, a strong artificial tremor measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale was observed in the area of North Korea's nuclear test site in Punggye-ri, North Hamgyong Province, agencies reported. Most experts doubt that North Korea has the technology required to detonate a hydrogen bomb. In South Korea, President Park Geun-hye called an urgent security meeting, and there has been strong condemnation from the Japanese government. MANZINI I believe the prayer from Pastor Shodi Msibi helped me achieve my high aggregate, said beaming Mjingo High School pupil Neliswa Ivy Bhembe (16). She could not hide her excitement at having scored high marks in the 2015 Junior Certificate examinations. She is one of the eight pupils who recorded an aggregate of 93 per cent. Neliswa is the daughter of a police officer who is based at the Manzini Police station. She said at her church, the Free Evangelical Church, her pastor held a special prayer for all those who were set to write final examinations at the end of the year. I believe that the prayer I received played a huge role in my marks as well as the fact that my pastor told us that as long as we believed, anything we wanted we could receive. The excited scholar also revealed that her familys support during the exams was also a lifesaver. She said when she started writing, her father disconnected the decoder and her whole family did not have access to DsTV. I am grateful that no one complained as they were aware that they were sacrificing TV for my future, she said. Bhembe also heaped praises on her school for insisting on Saturday study time. She said this was the time she spent with a group of other learners and they exchanged notes and information. She said as the exams drew nearer, the number of pupils who stayed on at school on Saturday to study swelled and as such, more work was covered during the informal learning sessions. My father, as you know is a police officer and is very strict, his rules paid off in the end as I stuck to my routine and made sure that I followed my study programme like clockwork, she said. MBABANE Ziyanda Maziya (15) of KaBoyce High School, who excelled in the Junior Certificate examination, said the rumour that teachers at the school assist pupils to copy during examinations was annoying. Maziya, who also got a Merit in Grade VII, said there was tough competition among pupils to do better than their school mates. She said pupils in the school strive to outdo one another and such competition among the pupils, helped them to pass very well at the end of the year. Maziya, who obtained a 90 per cent aggregate, said the competition was brought about by the desire to outdo fellow pupils in tests and examinations, which she said had resulted in the school getting outstanding results year after year. She further said pupils at KaBoyce High School were always under pressure to perform well every time. Maziya said even their teachers push them to excel in that they give them extra work to do at home. It is annoying that they say we copy during exams because we have pressure and we are given homework and we do extra work. It hurts when they say we copy because we work hard and compete among ourselves. Sometimes the work is so much that you wish to just disappear but at the end of the day it works to our benefit, said Maziya. She said she was excited when she heard that she did very well in the JC examinations. Maziya mentioned that she studied on her own and her parents supported her. The excited pupil said she wished to study medicine because she likes to help people. When asked what she would like her parents to do for her, she said she was content with what she had and wished for nothing. Maziya said it was enough that her parents supported her and she did not wish for more. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Gabriel Rom The wave of Ridgewood property development shows no signs of slowing, with another prime location now on the market. Greiner Maltz Investment Properties is offering a development site at 951 Cypress Ave. for $17.75 million. The property, which is in an M1-4D light manufacturing zone, sits on a 101-foot by 125-foot lot with a square footage of about 12,775 sq. ft. Like much of the recent development, the site is on the northeast corner of Cypress Avenue and Weirfield Street in the center of the neighborhood, near Myrtle Avenue and surrounded by retail businesses. According to the listing, there should be positive pedestrian traffic around the site due to an ample amount of public transportation around the property, which can be beneficial for a potential ground-floor retail space, according to Greiner Maltz. The entire property will be delivered vacant. The listing comes on the heels of a slew of real-estate dealings in the neighborhood over the past few months. In September, LaserShip, a Virginia-based package delivery service and major Amazon contractor, signed a 10-year lease to relocate from Long Island City and fully occupy a Ridgewood warehouse as its newest distribution center. Earlier this month, a longtime Ridgewood tenant, 1/2 Price Kids shop, announced it would be vacating its 60-84 Myrtle Ave. building, which was recently sold, by Jan. 1. The 13,000-square-foot store was in the last month of its lease Eli Kairey, the store manager, said the property was sold for around $7 million, far above his ability to pay. Were looking for other locations, but its pretty difficult, he said. The rent is astronomical and this type of thing has happened to other stores in the area. Soon after, a note was posted on the window of the store declaring Hello Unemployment. Goodbye Ridgewood. The message has since been taken town, but Kairey said the idea behind it remains true. Straddling the border with Brooklyn, Ridgewood has had an influx of mostly younger people fleeing Bushwicks rising rental costs for the comparatively cheaper rates just over the border in Queens. Last week, Ridegewood residents gathered at PS 305 for an emergency informational session on tenant rights hosted by a mix of attorneys, non-profits and lawmakers. According to community activists and tenants, concern has been rising over the loss of affordable units in Ridgewood as well as landlord harassment and illegal construction. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Madina Toure A Hollis woman who spent two decades caring for her mother, stricken with dementia, received a state Assembly proclamation and the AARP I Heart Caregivers award. Editha Santiago, 73, who was born in the Philippines and is married with four grown children, cared for her mother, Cesaria, for nearly 20 years. Cesaria was diagnosed with early-stage dementia in 1990 and could not walk because of problems with her knees. Her father, who had esophageal cancer, died in 2000. Santiago, a retired nurse and one of 10 children, took on the majority of her mothers care. Cesaria died in August at the age of 97, four weeks after she fell and suffered a compound femur fracture. She had to help her mother with all daily tasks, with some assistance from her husband and her sisters. All that daily living that she couldnt do anymore, thats what I would do, she said. She also said her mother enjoyed going to casinos and that her sisters would help out sometimes. State Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Fresh Meadows) said he was pleased to know Santiago, whom he dubbed the senior of the year. Shes literally eight or nine blocks from where I live, so its nice to know we have wonderful neighbors like that, Weprin said. Nearly 2.6 million caregivers in New York state alone help older parents, spouses and other loved ones live independently at home and the unpaid care they provide is valued at about $31.3 billion annually in New York state, according to Weprin. Santiago was raised in the Cagayan province in the Philippines. Her parents were farmers and she had three sisters and six brothers. Santiago has been married for 46 years and has four children, a 39-year-old daughter and three sons ages 40, 42 and 44. She worked as a nurse at Parkway Hospital in Hollis Hills from 1987 to 1990 and at Highland Care Center, a nursing home in Jamaica, from 1990 to 2003. Santiago said she will always remember her mother as very independent, noting that she had not realized her mother had dementia until they went to see a doctor 25 years ago. As she sifted through her memories, Santiago reverted to the present tense: I take care of her and in my mind, my mother is still my mother, very independent. She added, Theres nothing wrong with her. Beaver County COVID-19 cases and deaths tracker New coronavirus cases increased 6.6% in Pennsylvania in the week ending Sunday as the state added 13,256 cases. The previous week had 12,431 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Times Record News file

Jerry Smith doles out sausage at the 2014 Scotland, Texas, Knights of Columbus Sausage Meal. The all-you-can-eat event falls on Super Bowl Sunday.

SHARE By Richard Carter IF YOU GO What: Scotland, Texas, Knights of Columbus German Sausage Meal When: 11 a.m. through 2 p.m. Sunday Where: Knights of Columbus Hall on U.S. 281, Scotland Admission: $12 for adults and $5 for children 12 and younger Etc.: This is an all-you-can-eat event Information: Grady Schenk Jr. at 940-733-9666 On Super Bowl Sunday, Scotland, Texas, will more than quadruple in size as up to 1,600 guests descend on the town for its annual Knights of Columbus German Sausage Meal. We are a town of 438 people, and when Scotland has our sausage meal, its almost four times our population. That would be like the Kiwanis Club Pancake Festival feeding 400,000 people. Our town really swells, said Jerry Smith, longtime volunteer and publicist, with a laugh. The German Sausage Meal runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at the Knights of Columbus Hall on U.S. 281, 19 miles south of Wichita Falls. The all-you-eat event costs $12 for adults and $5 for children under 12. Visitors may eat in the several hundred-seat hall. If the weather is good, Smith said, you can get a takeout plate and tailgate in the parking lot. A lot of people do the takeout, and a ton of people buy raw sausage and take it home to cook. People can buy it cooked for $10 a pound and raw for $5 a pound. It comes with a recipe on how to cook it. The sausage recipe for the popular event is secret, of course. The menu includes 3,200 pounds of homemade German sausage, sauerkraut made with spare rib meat, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, corn, coleslaw, cheese, bread and homemade desserts, along with coffee, tea and water. There are a lot of German sausage meals in this area, he said. Windthorst has one in December and in March, and Rhineland has one. Everyones recipe is different a blend of seasonings and spices. If you have never tried it, you should try it once. We have people from the Metroplex every year, and one couple comes from Florida specifically on this weekend to visit their relatives. The annual event has been a mainstay in Scotland since 1980 and always is the first Sunday in February. In 2014, it fell on Feb. 2, he said with a laugh, which happened to be Groundhog Day. This year, Smith explained, the tag line is the Scotland Knights of Columbus German Sausage Meal, known as the Ultimate Tailgate Party ... without the Tailgate. Before 1980, the Knights held a hamburger benefit on the Fourth of July. But, its generally 110 that time of year, so they decided to do something else. They agreed on a sausage meal on the first Sunday of each February. The menu has pretty much remained the same, but the times have been adapted some to accommodate the crowd. The Knights run the event with help from family members and numerous volunteers. The proceeds allow them to make their hall available to senior citizens once a month for a meal and once a week for dominoes and cards. They also donate money to the church and help provide funeral dinners for the departeds family and friends. Finally, the Knights help support the Scotland Volunteer Fire Department. In addition to the sausage meal, the two area ladies organizations, St. Boniface Catholic Church Altar Society and Christian Mothers, organize their annual bake sales at the same location. freeimages.com The Wichita Falls Wichita County Public Health District will offer its free Diabetes Empowerment Education Program starting Jan. 7. SHARE Insurance benefits on retirees' agenda The Wichita-Archer Retired Teachers will hold its first meeting of the year at 2 p.m. Jan. 6 at Iowa Park Recreational Activity Club, 803 N. Third St., Iowa Park. Kimberly Vick of the Association of Member Benefits Advisors will discuss the company's programs to meet the supplemental insurance needs of retired teachers. All retired school personnel are welcome to attend. Refreshments will be served. Health district sets free diabetes class The Wichita Falls Wichita County Public Health District will kick off its free Diabetes Empowerment Education Program Jan. 7. The 10-week class is designed to help diabetics and their families better manage the disease through monitoring, meal planning, physical activity and more effective communication with doctors and other medical providers. Classes will meet from 6-8 p.m. each Thursday at the health district's Clements Conference Room, at 1700 Third St. Session topics will also cover risk factors, a basic explanation of diabetes, possible complications and common medication that treat the disease. While there is no charge for the class, registration is recommended due to limited class size. Classes will run through March 3. Call 761-7975 or 761-7918 or register online at www.health.wichitafallstx.gov. New Year discount offered by YMCA The Wichita Falls YMCA is offering membership specials at all city locations for new members joining during January. The special entitles new members to 50 percent off the normal joining fee. Joining fees this month range from $15 for a junior member up to $55 for a two-parent family. Regular monthly membership fees apply. For information, contact Andrew Steinly at 322-7816 or andrew@ymcawf.org. SHARE Michael Paul Weiand, 48 By Barbara Green The owner of a Bowie trucking operation who faced trouble with the U.S. Department of Transportation is charged with arson and setting up his cat to take the fall. According to an affidavit, Michael Paul Weiand, 48, owner of CLT Trucking, is in the middle of a United States Department of Transportation audit. A witness at CLT offices told investigators Weiand said a few days before a fire at his home the "only way he could get out of the DOT (audit) and financial trouble was to burn his house down." The witness said Weiand said he was going to dry out his Christmas tree, get a cat at the animal shelter, spread the DOT files around the living room, put the tree near the fireplace, wait for it to burn, and then call 911 after the fire got going. Bowie Rural Volunteer Fire Department City of Bowie firefighters responded to a fire at 144 April Street north of Bowie off U.S. Highway 81 New Year's morning. Fire Marshall Doug Page was called to the scene to investigate the cause of the blaze. Page said information he received through the Sheriff's Office and Bowie Rural VFD, indicated it may be a suspicious fire. Weiand was transported to Nocona General Hospital with minor injuries from the fire that started in the living room of his home. Weiand was arrested after he was released from the hospital. His bail for the first-degree felony charge was $50,000 and he was in the Montague County Jail Tuesday. According to the affidavit, Weiand told the fire marshal he thought his cat had knocked the tree over and caused the fire. SHARE A Burkburnett man is in jail, accused of breaking into a house and stealing jewelry. According to an arrest affidavit: On March 15, Wichita Falls police were called to a possible burglary to the 3700 block of Cedar Elm Lane. Between 5 p.m. on March 14 and 8:10 a.m. on March 15, someone entered the house and stole two televisions, checkbooks, a pearl necklace, a gold bracelet, a gold necklace and other jewelry. WFPD were able to identify the suspect as Jacquel Peoples, 22, from a fingerprint at the scene and located the gold necklace and bracelet at a local pawn shop where Peoples had sold them. The victim confirmed the two items belonged to her after officers showed her photos of the them. Peoples is charged with burglary of a habitation. He was arrested on Monday and remains in Wichita County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail. WFPD seeking leads on missing man Wichita Falls police are asking for the public's help in locating a man who has been missing for 1 year and 7 months. Travis Wilson, 33, was last seen on May 5, 2014 leaving his house with a duffel bag and getting into an unknown pickup. He has not had any contact with his family since then. If anyone has any information on his whereabouts, they are asked to call Detective McPherson at (940) 761-7762 or by email at floyd.mcpherson@wfpd.net. The following was taken from Wichita County court records: BAIL Suspect: William Howard Bolin, 55 Charge: possession of a controlled substance Offence Date: Dec. 3 Bail: $5,000 Suspect: Daniel Andrew Ralicki, 57 Charge: theft Offence Date: Dec. 15 Bail: $5,000 Suspect: Brandon Allen Woods, 19 Charge: unauthorized use of a vehicle Offence Date: Dec. 12 Bail: $7,500 Suspect: Phillip Mathew Key, 27 Charge: possession of a controlled substance Offence Date: Nov. 21 Bail: $10,000 Suspect: Rob Jordan Tucker, 26 Charge: theft of a firearm Offence Date: Nov, 27 Bail: $100,000 Suspect: Candace Dawn Bridges, 34 Charge: possession of a firearm by a felon Offence Date: Dec. 17 Bail: $100,000 Suspect: Chase Dwayne Mitchell, 28 Charge: burglary of a habitation Offence Date: Dec. 23 Bail: $15,000 Suspect: Wesley Ryan Boren, 28 Charge: robbery Offence Date: Dec. 17 Bail: $10,000 McKethan, plans to leave Jan. 31. Board will open the search for a successor. SHARE By Judith McGinnis of the Times Record News Wichita Falls Area Food Bank announced with "regret" that Mark McKethan, the nonprofit's CEO, has resigned his position to pursue a new opportunity in Waco. The change is effective Jan. 31. McKethan said the move will allow him to focus on family commitments and to return to an industry where he started his career. "We are saddened by Mark's departure, but excited for him as he begins his next chapter," said Michael Stanford, WFAFB board chairman. "Under Mark's strategic leadership, the Food Bank has reached more people in need than ever before." Betsi Lujan, WFAFB market and development director, has been named interim-CEO. She will work with McKethan to ensure a smooth transition, officially taking over interim duties Feb. 1. Lujan, a Wichita Falls native, has been a director at WFAFB for more than two years and brings more than 20 years experience in program development and management, marketing, graphic design, branding, financial budgeting and organizational leadership. McKethan also will work closely through the transition with the WFAFB board and staff and has volunteered his help as an adviser if necessary. "We're beginning the search for our next CEO," said Terri Busey, the board's first vice chairman. "We're doing so with a sense of purpose and security, knowing Betsi will provide the continuity of leadership and stability for WFAFB our clients depend on. Timeliness is important, but we're well-positioned to search for the most qualified candidate." Stanford pointed to the combined efforts of staff, community and the thousands of generous WFAFB donors and volunteers to "work toward our vision of a hunger free communities." "We're thankful for the success of the past and excited about what lies ahead." WFAFB serves a 12-county North Texas area and distributes 4 million pounds of food annually to more than 203 partner agencies. For more information, go to www.wfafb.org, Facebook or Twitter. VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP: Holliday clinches third straight district title Check out results from Monday's and Tuesday's high school volleyball action, including a district title for the Holliday Lady Eagles. SHARE Thornberry By Lynn Walker of the Times Record News U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) has lashed out at President Barack Obama's new executive actions on gun control. "President Obama is wrong to think that we have crime and terrorism because there are not enough gun laws," Thornberry said in a news release. "Gun control only affects law-abiding citizens, not criminals and terrorists who violate laws in carrying out their acts." An emotional Obama on Tuesday outlined "guidelines" to better define who should be licensed as a gun dealer and thereby crack down on the number of guns sold without background checks. The plan would also beef up the number of federal agents assigned to monitor background checks, earmark $500 million to increase access to mental health care, clear the way for reporting of people with mental health issues to the federal government and authorizing Social Security to report people who have a history of mental illness. The plan has drawn fire from Republicans almost across the board, with House Speaker Paul Ryan saying Obama's "words and actions amount to a form of intimidation that undermines liberty." "The President should focus on dealing with the real causes of crime at home and terrorism around the world rather than look for excuses to push his political agenda," Thornberry said in his statement. He said the bottom line was that the president's argument is "fundamentally wrong." The 13th District representative pointed out some of the president's gun control proposal will require funding approved by Congress, "It's not going to happen," Thornberry said. SHARE Sleeper photo O&B Herbert Franklin Sleeper, Sr., 83, of Wichita Falls, passed away Wednesday, December 30, 2015. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, January 7, 2016 at First Presbyterian Church with Dr. Isaac Butterworth, officiating. Interment will follow at Crestview Memorial Park under the direction of Owens & Brumley Funeral Home of Wichita Falls. Herbert was born on November 1, 1932 in Arlington, Massachusetts to Edna Schoolcraft and Olie Sleeper. He enlisted in the USMC at age 18, and served in the Korean War for 3 tours, 4 tours in Vietnam and received numerous awards and medals such as the Vietnam Gallantry Cross w/Palm and Frame. In April, 1965 at Cherrypoint, North Carolina, he and his wife, Roma, had twins, Frank and Heather. During this time he also learned to fly. He retired after 20 years in 1971 at the rank of Master Sergeant. After the USMC he worked at PPG where he remained until he retired yet again. As a HAM radio operator, Herb would assist the community by "storm chasing" as well as sending and receiving Military Affiliated Radio traffic, which he did until his final days. Frank followed his dads' footsteps into the USMC and Heather serves as head nurse for a major trauma center. On Nov. 1986, Herb married Joan Loveall. They moved to the Cashion community, where Herb became involved with the Friberg-Cooper Water Supply Corp. He served several terms as a board member and was the board president for 2 terms and was the serving president at the time of his passing. He was instrumental in getting several grants to improve the water system and he helped lay several miles of pipe to provide better water pressure to the members. He served as the emergency management coordinator for the city of Cashion. Herb was also involved in the formation of the Friberg-Cooper Volunteer Fire Department in 2006. Herb was a very active member of the fire department serving as a Captain and he recently completed the testing process for Firefighter ll. He was an active member of First Presbyterian Church, and participated in yearly missionary trips to Piedras Negras, Mexico to build houses for needy families. Herb touched the lives of countless people, is known for his loving mischievous humor and will be greatly missed by his wife, "Joanie"; his son and daughter-in-law, Frank and Carol of San Diego, California; his daughter, Heather Byers of Reno, Nevada; his sister, Edna; and three grandchildren, Crystal, Danielle and Rachael. The family will receive friends from 6 until 7 p.m. Wednesday, January 6, 2016 at Owens & Brumley Funeral Home of Wichita Falls. The family suggests that memorials be made to the Friberg Cooper Volunteer Fire Department, 291 Bailey Road, Cashion Community, TX 76305. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.owensandbrumley.com

FILE - In this Sunday, Oct. 5, 2014 file photo, the Abraj Al-Bait Towers with the four-faced clocks stands over the holy Kabaa, as Muslims encircle it inside the Grand Mosque during the annual pilgrimage, known as the hajj, in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia's civil defense authority says dozens of people have been killed after a crane collapsed on the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca on Friday, Sept. 11, 2015. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed, File)

SHARE Saudi Arabia and Iran started the new year by reigniting an old feud. The challenge for the rest of the world is not to let their recklessness lead to an even broader Sunni-Shiite conflict across the Middle East. The latest crisis started on Saturday, when the Saudis executed a prominent Shiite cleric, Nimr al-Nimr, along with several dozen convicted al-Qaida terrorists. The Iranian regime which itself put nearly 700 people to death in the first half of 2015, according to Amnesty International swiftly condemned the execution, and crowds in Tehran stormed the Saudi embassy. On Sunday, Saudi Arabia ordered the Iranian ambassador out of the country. It's important to note that the Saudis' main audience here is domestic. As low oil prices and a giant deficit have forced the government to raise taxes and cut gasoline subsidies, it is not going to brook any public disturbance. King Salman, on the throne just a year now, likely is still consolidating his power. At the same time, there's a broader context to keep in mind. The Saudis undoubtedly fear that Iran wants to take leadership of a pan-Shiite bloc across the Middle East to challenge long-standing Sunni dominance. They are right. And then there's the nuclear deal reached last year between Iran and Western powers, which has the Saudis worried that their longtime U.S. allies may be changing horses. The Saudis are also concerned about talks among the U.S., Russia and Iran to end the Syrian civil war, which seem certain to leave their sworn enemy Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in power for the short term. No one should be under any illusions about how easy it will be to get the Saudis to moderate their views or change their behavior. But there are a few points to make. The main one is that, rather than trying to stamp out domestic unrest with fundamentalism, they would do well to diversify their economy away from total dependence on volatile oil markets. They also need to ensure that the main burden of recent belt-tightening falls on the superwealthy, rather than the middle class; continue their embryonic attempts at local political liberalization; and end institutionalized discrimination against Shiites. The White House has a few carrots to use with the House of Saud. While threatening to cut off scheduled arms sales would be a mistake, it could make future contracts for weapons the Saudis covet precision bombs, air-defense systems and attack helicopters contingent on Saudi efforts to ease regional tensions. The U.S. should also encourage, and pledge to provide technology for, the creation of a shared missile-defense system among the Gulf Arab states to deter Iran. For his part, President Barack Obama cannot look the other way at Iranian breaches on unrelated matters such as conventional missiles and human rights. That simply fuels Saudi distrust, encourages the Iranian regime to see what else it can get away with, and gives critics in Congress and the Middle East more impetus to blow up the nascent deal. In a more sensible world, the shared fight against Islamic State might have led to broader regional cooperation and an easing of Muslim sectarian rivalries. That now seems a faint hope. The more urgent priority is for the U.S. and its allies to focus on keeping things from getting worse. Bloomberg View OPENING FRIDAY THE FOREST: Another new year begins with a horror film as its first release, this time involving Natalie Dormer ("Game of Thrones") searching for her twin sister in Japan's real life "Suicide Forest" (even if the woodsy scenes were actually shot in Serbia). (PG-13 for disturbing thematic content and images) http://theforestisreal.com THE REVENANT: Leonardo DiCaprio is an early 19th-century frontiersman seeking revenge on the fur trapper (Tom Hardy) who killed his son in director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's ferocious follow-up to his Oscar-winning "Birdman." (R for strong frontier combat and violence including gory images, a sexual assault, language and brief nudity) http://www.foxmovies.com/movies/the-revenant FROM THE MOVIE BLOG: Need more than GPS to navigate Globes: Just a minute; I'll be right with you. I just need to grab my dart board, a Ouija board, a few coins to flip, maybe one of those 10-sided Dungeons & Dragons dice, and, just to be on the safe side, some magic pixie-fairy dust and that octopus that correctly guessed the Super Bowl champions. There, now I'm ready to predict the winners of the 73rd Golden Globe Awards, taking place this Sunday night on NBC. It's Gleeson season: While we turn our attention to the wide release this Friday of "The Revenant," Alejandro Inarritu's next film after winning last year's directing Oscar for "Birdman," and its award-winnig potential for overdue star Leonanrdo DiCaprio, as well as a typically masterful performance by co-star Tom Hardy and a ludicrous Internet controversy over a rampaging bear's "intentions" in the movie's trailer, let's not overlook what might be the movie's secret weapon: Domnhall Gleeson. The ginger-of-the-moment formerly known as Ron Weasley's older brother, Bill had a killer 2015. He entered the year in the just-released "Unbroken" and followed it with "Ex Machina," "Brooklyn" and a little thing called "Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens," before "The Revenant"'s Christmas Day limited opening. Love movies? Love talking about them? Love reading about them? Go to Times Union Movies blog, moderated by film fanatic C.J. Lais Jr. and join in the conversation. >http://blog.timesunion.com/movies/> ALBANY A Berne man pleaded guilty Wednesday to felony charges connected to an August drunken driving arrest, the Albany County District Attorney's office's first prosecution under "Vince's Law." Under the law, a drunk driving offense can be punishable with up to seven years in state prison if an offender has three or more driving while intoxicated convictions in the last 15 years. Nassau The town is preparing to investigate allegations of misconduct by individuals affiliated with the proposed Kinder Morgan natural gas pipeline and the impact on local properties including town land and right-of-ways, Supervisor David Fleming said Tuesday. Town residents and officials have been heavily involved in opposing the proposed Northeast Energy Direct pipeline and a compressor station in the community. Residents have complained about alleged trespassing by pipeline representatives, Fleming said, adding complaints include they passed themselves off as working for the town and have identified themselves as members of law enforcement. "The town has recently learned that the pipeline company is proposing the use of town property and rights of way for construction of this pipeline. Detailed maps of this construction pathway have been requested but have not been supplied," Fleming said. "Nassau is seriously concerned about the potential impacts on town property and our roadways from the construction of this pipeline and more so since this private corporation may be attempting to utilize public property without advance disclosure or consent," Fleming said. The town is discussing with its legal counsel the possibility of investigating the allegations and subpoenaing witnesses to testify, Fleming said. "We are disappointed by the rumored litigation when we are working with Mr. Fleming's office and have provided to him and continue to provide to him the requested information. We remain in a steady working dialogue," Kinder Morgan spokesman Richard Wheatley said. The NED pipeline would cross the towns of Nassau, Schodack and Stephentown in southern Rensselaer County. The proposed route also sends the pipeline across Albany and Schoharie counties. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has oversight of the application process for constructing the pipeline. "We are currently reviewing the new allegations presented to the town. If necessary, we may have to formally open an investigation into these matters. If cooperation is not forthcoming, we may need to move to issue subpoenas to compel testimony," Fleming said. Since the town is supposed to supervise development within its boundaries and because of residents' grievances, Fleming said the town has to look hard at launching an investigation. The Town Board will meet in executive session Thursday, Jan. 14 to discuss the legal ramifications of conducting an investigation, Fleming said. kcrowe@timesunion.com 518-454-5084 @KennethCrowe This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Pearl Harbor, Hawaii The U.S. Pacific Fleet is shrinking even as the U.S. and its allies are facing challenges posed by China's growing military power. U.S. Navy officials say the more advanced ships of today make up for the decline in numbers. But the Navy has also had to lengthen deployments and postpone maintenance to maintain its presence with fewer ships. Peter Jennings, an expert at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute think tank, said the issue in peacetime is whether there are enough American vessels to reassure friends and allies. "I think this is emerging as a serious long-term problem," he said. The Pacific Fleet currently has 182 vessels, including combat ships like aircraft carriers as well as auxiliary and logistics vessels, said spokesman Cmdr. Clay Doss. That compares to 192 nearly two decades ago. The Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy has more than 300 surface ships, submarines, amphibious ships and patrol craft, according to the Pentagon's Asia-Pacific Maritime Security Strategy report released in August. This all comes as China has grown more aggressive in asserting claims to islands also claimed by U.S. allies, including the Philippines in the South China Sea and Japan in the East China Sea. China sees the U.S. military presence in Asia as an attempt to contain it, said Denny Roy, a senior fellow at the East-West Center in Honolulu. Beijing sees itself as returning to its rightful and historical role as the pre-eminent cultural and political power in the region, he said. Since December 2013, China has built what the U.S. estimates to be 3,000 acres of artificial islands in disputed areas of the South China Sea using sand dredged from the ocean floor. China has said the islands are meant to help ships, fishermen and disaster relief. Questions about whether the Pacific Fleet has enough resources are more of a reflection of regional anxieties than the Navy's actual capability, said its commander, Adm. Scott Swift. "I'm very comfortable with the resources I have," Swift said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Burns, Ore. A leader of the small, armed group that is occupying a remote national wildlife preserve in Oregon said Tuesday that they will go home when a plan is in place to turn over management of federal lands to locals. Ammon Bundy told reporters at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge that ranchers, loggers and farmers should have control of federal land a common refrain in a decades-long fight over public lands in the West. "It is our goal to get the logger back to logging, the rancher back to ranching," said the son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who was involved in a high-profile 2014 standoff with the government over grazing rights. The younger Bundy's anti-government group is critical of federal land stewardship, but environmentalists and others say U.S. officials should keep control for the broadest possible benefit to business, recreation and the environment. The armed activists seized the refuge's headquarters about 300 miles from Portland on Saturday night. Roughly 20 people bundled in camouflage, ear muffs and cowboy hats are occupying the bleak high desert of eastern Oregon, but it's not clear how much of the preserve's 300 square miles they are patrolling. As the takeover entered its third day, authorities had not moved in and had not shut off power to the refuge, Arizona rancher LaVoy Finicum said, adding that he was eager to go home and tend to his cattle. "If they cut it off, that would be such a crying shame, all the pipes would freeze," he said. A pickup truck blocked the entrance to the preserve earlier Tuesday, and a man looked out over the snowy grounds from a watchtower. Ammon Bundy offered few specifics about the group's plan to get the land turned over to local control. The federal government controls about half of all land in the West, which would make the wholesale transfer of ownership extremely difficult and expensive. For example, it owns 53 percent of Oregon, 85 percent of Nevada and 66 percent of Utah, according to the Congressional Research Service. Taking over federal public lands in Idaho could cost the state $111 million a year, according to a University of Idaho study. Bundy said the group felt it had the support of the local community. But the county sheriff has told the activists to go home, and many locals don't want the group around, fearing they may bring trouble. A community meeting was scheduled for Wednesday. So far, law enforcement has not taken action against the activists whose rallying cry is the imprisonment of father-and-son ranchers who set fire to federal land. "These guys are out in the middle of nowhere, and they haven't threatened anybody that I know of," said Jim Glennon, a longtime police commander who now owns the Illinois-based law enforcement training organization Calibre Press. "There's no hurry." Some observers have complained, suggesting the government's response would have been swifter and more severe had the occupants been Muslim or other minorities. The group calling itself Citizens for Constitutional Freedom said it wants an inquiry into whether the government is forcing ranchers off their land after Dwight Hammond and his son, Steven, reported back to prison Monday. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Baghdad While many Iraqi Shiites took to the streets in outrage over Saudi Arabia's execution of a prominent Shiite cleric, the country's prime minister has had to walk a more cautious line, trying to contain Iraq's own explosive sectarian tensions. The execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr has inflamed the sectarian divide across the region. Shiite-led Iran has been the most vocal in its condemnation, and protesters stormed Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran over the weekend. That prompted Sunni-led Saudi Arabia to cut diplomatic relations with Iran, and the kingdom's allies have lined up behind it, either cutting or reducing their ties with Tehran. The government of Iraq, however, is straining to keep the peace amid the regional tumult. Iran is a key ally of the Shiite-led government in Baghdad, has helped it in the fight against the Islamic State group, and supports powerful Shiite militias in the country. At the same time, as the fight against Islamic State extremists enters its second year, Iraq is grappling with the worst political and security crises since the withdrawal of U.S. troops in 2011. Only last week, Saudi Arabia sent an ambassador to Baghdad for the first time in 25 years to try to improve its relationship with Iraq. In Washington, Brett McGurk, special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spent most of Monday on the phone trying to ease tensions in the region. "We are encouraging a de-escalation, because any time you have regional polarization, regional escalation, it obviously can cause difficulties and it opens up seams for extremists on all sides to take advantage of the situation," McGurk told reporters Tuesday. In a sign of the Iraqi government's caution, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi issued a statement expressing regret over al-Nimr's execution and warning that such actions would "bring more destruction and devastation." His office followed that Tuesday with a call for unity among Iraqis. Regional tensions should be faced "wisely, responsibly and rationally in order to preserve the security and stability of Iraq," according to a statement from al-Abadi's office. A day earlier, thousands of Shiites gathered a few hundred yards from his office and called for the government to sever diplomatic ties with Riyadh. The protesters, supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, chanted that al-Nimr's blood had not been spilled in vain and that the Mahdi Army, Sadr's disbanded Shiite militia, would avenge his death if needed. That points to the government's bigger fear: That the dispute over al-Nimr's execution will turn into new violence between Iraq's Shiites and Sunnis. Sectarian violence has spiraled out of control in Iraq in the recent past, and a renewed form could disrupt Baghdad's campaign against the Islamic State group, the Sunni extremists who control large parts of the north and west of the country. Iranian-backed Shiite militias, whose might rivals that of the military and security forces, have been a major factor in the fight, and the government has already had to cede them considerable authority. At the same time, al-Abadi has sought to encourage reconciliation with the Sunni minority, among whom hatred of the militias is strong, and include Sunnis in the fight against IS. "This is the last thing (al-Abadi) needs after the high point in Ramadi," said Kirk Sowell, publisher of the Inside Iraqi Politics newsletter, referring to the recent government victory pushing IS fighters out of the western Iraqi city. While al-Nimr's execution is unlikely to change Iraq-Saudi policy in any meaningful way, it has the potential to set off violence in Iraq, Sowell said. Two Sunni mosques were attacked in the town of Hilla in apparent retaliation for the execution, but al-Abadi blamed IS and ordered a buildup of security in the province. A group of Shiite militias with ties to Iran demanded the government cut diplomatic ties with the kingdom, expel the ambassador and execute all Saudis held in Iraqi prisons on charges of terrorism. Second Helpings features condensed versions of the restaurant reviews that run in the Sunday Unwind section. On Sundays, Order Up reviews of inexpensive eateries runs every other week, alternating with Matters of Taste restaurant reviews. In Preview, we bring you tasty selections from both to help you plan. Ama Cocina, 4 Sheridan Ave., Albany, 776-4550, www.amacocina.com Cuisine: A fresh take on New World modern Mexican food with inspired twists on authentic taco flavors, fresh citrus-spiked ceviche and rustic guacamole. Small plates and shareables, street sides, tamales and empanadas make for easy tapas-style dining. Hearty entree specials, including a 32-ounce bone-in ribeye for only $32, are worth a look. Ambiance: Hip, artsy, split-level industrial scene with challenging acoustics. Can be chilly in winter. Price: $$-$$$. Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday, until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; closed Sunday. Black & Blue Steak and Crab, 1470 Western Ave., Albany, 313-7388, www.blackandbluesteakandcrab.com Cuisine: Quality steaks and sustainable seafood underpin a solid lineup of steakhouse classics from steak au poivre to lobster thermidor. Ambience: Awesome selection of world lounge classics. Space is sleek and mature. Price: $$$. Hours: Dinner: 4:30 to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 4:30 to 11 p.m. Friday, 4 to 11 p.m. Saturday, 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday. Lunch: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. B-rad's Bistro and Catering, 1809 Fifth Ave., Troy, 326-4041, www.b-radsbistro.com Cuisine: Casual eats for breakfast, lunch and dinner, all built big and overstuffed. Burgers, sandwiches, fried treats and wraps. Generous portions, hearty combinations and a popular hangover brunch with ricotta pancakes and eggs Benedict "Bennies" four ways. Ambience: Local bistro and bar with clean, masculine styling, black tablecloths and red accents. Brisk counter service business on the kitchen side; simple bistro dining room and bar with a mixed crowd. Price: $. Hours: Breakfast and lunch (counter service): 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, hangover brunch (table service) 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Dinner (newly expanded): 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday. Bar: 4 p.m. to close Tuesday to Sunday. Closed Monday. More Information Cost control Price ratings for inexpensive eateries based on average of entree costs: $: $9.95 and less $$: $9.95-$15.95 $$$: $15.95 and higher See More Collapse Capitol Melts, 136 State St., Albany, 487-4816, www.capitolmelts.com Cuisine: Homemade grilled cheeses plus a short selection of soups, salads, tater tots, mac-and-cheese and desserts. Ambience: Crisp and quick lunch spot strong with the scent of grilled cheese. Price: $ Hours: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday to Saturday. Closed Sunday. Campagna, 2452 Route 9, Malta, 289-5693 www.campagna.restaurant Cuisine: Locally sourced farm-to-table Italian country cuisine. Simply prepared classics, some given a lighter modern twist. All pasta, bread, sausage, cured meats and traditional gelato are house-made. Ambience: Warm, rustic trattoria styling that cleverly disguises its location in a commercial building. Price: $$. Hours: Lunch and dinner:,11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday to Friday; dinner only, 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday and 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday. Cella Bistro, 2015 Rosa Road, Schenectady, 381-2081, www.cellabistro.com Cuisine: Excellent presentation of new American and northern Italian cuisine. Many homemade and locally sourced ingredients. Eclectic selection of internationally themed tapas small plates from marinated artichokes to wontons, ribs and tater tots. Ambience: Brightly lit with new high gloss woods, faux travertine tile and Italian-themed art. Price: $$. Hours: Hours: 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. Crave, 271 Western Ave., Albany, 650-6463, www.cravealbany.com Cuisine: Eclectic selection of burgers, sandwiches, hot dogs and fries in regional and global flavor combos and self-serve frozen yogurt with candy toppings. Eat in or take out. Gluten-free buns available. The restaurant hopes to have a beer and wine license by summer 2016. Ambience: A small, welcoming urban cafe feel with counter seating by the windows and tables to the rear. Price: $. Hours: 11:30 a .m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday, noon to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday. Druthers Brewing Co., 1053 Broadway, Albany, 650-7996, www.druthersbrewing.com Cuisine: Hearty comfort food with interesting flavors and local ingredients. Loaded burgers, pizzas, and mac-n-cheese. Global detours for a Moroccan naan'wich and Kung Pao wings.Ambience: Converted warehouse and working brewery. The brewing operation is visible through glass windows on the bar side. The open kitchen is visible to the larger main dining room. A central freestanding fireplace with armchairs will be a cozy nook in winter months. Price: $$. Hours: Kitchen hours: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Bar hours: 11:30 am to midnight daily. Eat on North, 287 North St., Pittsfield, Mass., 413-553-4210, www.hotelonnorth.com Cuisine: Eclectic selection of locally sourced American comfort food and globally inspired dishes for all-day dining. Family meals, including several roasts, for 6 to 8 guests available with 48-hour notice. Creatively curated but at times missing the mark in execution. Ambience: Cavernous dining room is sparsely furnished and brightly lit. Contemporary bar area and live music in the lounge on weekends. Price: $$$. Hours: Lunch and dinner, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday to Friday; dinner only, 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday and 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday. Innovo Kitchen, 1214 Troy-Schenectady Road, Latham, 608-1466, www.innovokitchen.com Cuisine: New American gastro-pub fare with gourmet flair. Menu runs from house-ground burgers to wild boar. Shared plates, charcuterie and desserts shine. Ambience: Bustling, noisy and energetic, great for large groups, including a chef's table for 14. Overhead garage door opens to a heated, covered patio and outdoor fireplace. Price: $$. Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Jackson's Old Chatham House, Village Square, Old Chatham, 794-7373, www.jacksonsoldchathamhouse.com Cuisine: Old-fashioned classics, juicy burgers and seasonally rotating specials. Known for the Angus prime rib. Desserts are bought in. Ambience: Casual, warmly welcoming, historic tavern. Price: $$$. Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Max London's Restaurant & Bar, 466 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, 587-0505, www.maxlondonrestaurant.com Cuisine: Featuring pizzas, pastas and proteins with heavy emphasis on local farms and artisanal producers. Ambience: Exposed brick walls, high ceilings and rather stark decor. Very cold take a sweater. Late-night bar menu available.Price: $$. Hours: Dinner, 5 to close daily; brunch: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday through Sunday; bar menu, 2 to 5 p.m. and late night daily. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. The Mouzon House, 1 York St. (off High Rock Park), Saratoga Springs, 226-0014, www.mouzonhouse.com Cuisine: Cajun- and Creole-influenced cuisine with a firm commitment to farm-to-table food. Bold flavors and fresh ingredients anchor Southern bistro fare from gumbo to fried chicken. Farm salads, artisanal charcuterie and fresh oysters round out the menu. Ambience: Old World vibe in a restored 19th-century home with open flow between smaller converted dining areas. A mix of younger hipsters and mature diners sip cocktails and soak up jazz. Price: $$$. Hours: 5 p.m. Wednesday through Monday, closed Tuesday Panda Express, 545 Troy-Schenectady Road, Latham, 783-0802, www.pandaexpress.com Cuisine: American Chinese. Low on regional authenticity, similar to mall food courts. Ambience: Clean, modern, fast food interior. Price: $-$$ Hours: Inside, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Drive-through closes half an hour later. The Riverview Cafe, 48 Riverview St., Stuyvesant, 758-8950, www.theriverviewcafe.com Cuisine: New American farm-to-table cuisine with Southern comfort influences. Hearty, homestyle cooking. Ambience: Country-modern chic interior allows a breakfast and lunchtime cafe to transform to a more upscale table-clothed bistro for dinner. Price: $$. Hours: Thursday through Saturday: breakfast, 8 to 11 a.m.; lunch, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; dinner 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday brunch: 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Closed Monday through Wednesday. The Shakin' Bacon, 138 Broadway, Rensselaer, 977-3602, www.theshakinbacon.com Cuisine: Breakfast and lunch fare from classic egg sandwiches and pancakes to hearty salads, and globally flavored sandwiches. Ambience: Tiny, clean and utilitarian designed for "circular service" (order, pump your coffee, get food to go.) Limited seating available. Price: $ Hours: 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday. The Shop, 135 Fourth St., Troy, 874-1899, www.theshoptroy.com Cuisine: Fusion-influenced comfort food. Hot dogs and small-plates menu after 10 p.m. Style: Industrial, hardware-themed bar with craft beer, artisanal cocktails and modern twist on comfort food. Price: $. Hours: 4 p.m. to midnight Monday to Wednesday, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. Tanpopo Ramen and Sake Bar, 893 Broadway (in the former Miss Albany Diner), Albany, 451-9868, www.tanpopoalbany.com Cuisine: Ramen noodle bowls, Japanese rice dishes, pork belly buns and a small mix of salads and appetizers. With a beer and wine license, Tanpopo has a growing selection of hot and cold sake from $12 to $22, a handful of wines and several beers. Zheng plans to scale back to offer Druther's IPA, Nine Pin Cider and Japanese Sapporo, $6 to $7. Ambience: An updated twist on the vintage railroad-style dining car. Cozy booths or communal counter service. Price: $$. Hours: 11 a.m. to close Monday to Saturday, noon to close Sunday. (Closing, never earlier than 10 p.m., depends on late-night business.) Twisted Vine Wine & Tap, 384 Kenwood Ave., Delmar, 439-3241, www.twistedvinedelmar.com Cuisine: Cheese, charcuterie, finger food and shareable small-plate options. Ambiance: Retro-urban wine bar with reclaimed metal and food elements and antique-style lighting. Price: $. Hours: Full menu, 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday; late-night menu served until about midnight, depending on business. Closed Monday. Zen Asian Fusion Lounge, 469 State St., Schenectady, 280-0388, www.zenasianfusionlounge.com Cuisine: Sushi bar and a fusion menu featuring Western-influenced and pan-Asian dishes. Ambience: Stylish Asian restaurant, casual enough for family dining and quick preshow eats. The space is dominated by the large bar and turns into a lounge club after 10 p.m. Thursday is Ladies' Night; DJ DirtyDish after 10 p.m. Thursday and Saturday, DJ Dread on Friday nights. Price: $$ Hours: Kitchen hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to 10 p.m. Sunday. Bar closing time varies; usually open until 2 a.m. Albany Like students on the first day of school, lawmakers will return to the state Capitol on Wednesday in their fresh-pressed suits and business dresses and greet the friends they haven't seen since they went on break. New classmates will be introduced, though few are likely to mention the once-prominent faces who haven't returned. But for the second year in a row, Albany won't hear the traditional agenda-setting State of the State address, the true kickoff of the organized chaos that is the six-month legislative session. Instead, lawmakers and the public will subsist on piecemeal announcements and targeted leaks from Gov. Andrew Cuomo's Jan. 13 State of the State, which will again double as his executive budget proposal. (Last year's speech was delayed by the death of the governor's father, former Gov. Mario Cuomo.) For the three intervening session days Wednesday, Monday and Tuesday lawmakers will try to keep busy. "Lawmakers' muscle memory is to work off of whatever the governor has come up with, to some extent," said Blair Horner, legislative director for the New York Public Interest Research Group. "That being said, they still have to pass bills from last year, they still have to move things along. So this is a good time for the Legislature to move its own priorities, to give its own State of the State." Lawmakers said Tuesday that setting their own pace by moving on those priorities is key especially the topic that came to define the 2015 session. "What is the one (policy message) that truly is in the dire need of prioritization? It's ethics," said Assemblyman John McDonald, D-Cohoes. In the wake of the recent convictions of former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, McDonald believes the Legislature should act within the first two weeks and not wait until the heat of the budget process in late March. "Ethics is at the root of everything else that gets done around here," he said. There are a few ways that tone-setting can occur. For one, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan will address their respective houses on Wednesday, and both are expected to lay out priorities they have been honing since lawmakers left Albany late last June. (Flanagan recruited Cardinal Timothy Dolan to offer opening prayers in the Senate.) McDonald said he would be shocked if both messages do not address ethics in some form. There also are bills left over from the 2015 session, which means they don't have to go through the normal committee vetting process for new legislation. Of the notable measures waiting for votes is a proposed constitutional change that would enable pension forfeiture for all lawmakers convicted of crimes related to their official duties. Both chambers passed one-house bills last year, but agreement remained elusive. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. In an election year, the pressure will be ratcheted up especially in the narrowly divided Senate. "The reality is there is an expectation that we will rise to the occasion and do the things that New Yorkers expect us to do," Senate Democratic Conference Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said of the chamber as a whole. "So it is extremely important that we do those things, so that the people that we represent have the confidence that we are representing their interests and not our own." At the end of the day, though, regardless of what pace the Legislature sets over the three days, the process will play out the same as it would in any other year: Lawmakers will make pitches, the governor will make pitches and they'll have to meet somewhere in the middle by April 1 to score an on-time budget. "There's no rush to judgment on the part of the Legislature to do anything between now and next week," said Arthur "Jerry" Kremer, the former longtime Assembly Ways and Means Committee chairman. "To some extent, they will be interested in what the governor says but in the end, it's still the old adage, 'The governor proposes, the Legislature disposes.'" mhamilton@timesunion.com 518-454-5449 @matt_hamilton10 This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Guilderland Milton Klarsfeld, a B-24 navigator who survived harrowing experiences behind enemy lines during World War II, died on New Year's Day in Our Lady of Mercy Life Center. He was 93. Klarsfeld grew up on Delaware Avenue in Albany and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1942, a few months after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. He learned how to navigate flights from the rear of a four-engine B-24 Liberator bomber, and flew more than a dozen combat missions above Nazi-controlled Europe with the 461st Bomber Squadron, based in southern Italy. On Dec. 17, 1944, Klarsfeld was part of a 10-man crew ordered to bomb a fuel refinery in Germany. Nazi fighter pilots intercepted the plane called the Arsenic and Lace and fired on it. The B-24 exploded 26,000 feet in the air, which instantly killed five members of its crew. The force of the blast knocked Klarsfeld, then 22, unconscious and blew him from the aircraft. He miraculously awoke in midair with an oxygen mask still affixed to his face and seat parachute deployed. He landed on trolley-car wires in Olomouc, a small, occupied town in Czechoslovakia. The Germans untangled Klarsfeld's parachute and marched him and other captured Americans to a jail. Klarsfeld was taken by train to Frankfurt, where he was held in a cage alone for 10 days and nearly starved to death. The Nazis then confined him for four months at Stalag Luft 1 a POW camp for officers and Jewish servicemen in Barth, Germany. Klarsfeld managed to keep a diary hidden within a notebook that was emblazoned with a swastika. He was liberated from the camp by Russian soldiers on May 1, 1945, a week before the Allies declared victory in Europe and as the Germans were preparing to kill the prisoners. Klarsfeld never sought recognition for his wartime heroism, his daughter, Laurie Carpenter of Ballston Lake, recalled Tuesday. "If he spoke, he spoke about the crew as a whole," Carpenter said. In April 2014, Klarsfeld became the last of the Arsenic and Lace's five survivors. He shared his amazement over that fact and his diary from the war in an interview last year in the Atria of Guilderland, where he lived for the last four years of his life. The grandson of Jews who fled from persecution in Austria-Hungary and Poland, Klarsfeld graduated from Albany High School in 1940 and attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Syracuse University and Union College. He was initially rejected for the military because he had flat feet. He returned home from Europe a decorated veteran, having been awarded the Purple Heart and many other medals. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. An entrepreneur since childhood, Klarsfeld in 1946 founded Albany Television Headquarters on Hudson Avenue one of the region's first postwar television stores. The business evolved into the High-Fidelity Center and then, the Audio-Video Corp. Klarsfeld retired in 1990. The family-run business is located in Menands and employs dozens of workers, Carpenter said. Klarsfeld enjoyed fast cars and trips to the Adirondacks and Cape Cod, and he loved dogs. His taste in music leaned toward jazz. He was to be interred at the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery in a private ceremony. For all his accomplishments, the plucky World War II airman considered his true legacy to be his wife, Jane, and their six children, all of whom survive him, Carpenter said. "He was so very proud of his family," she said. dyusko@timesunion.com 518-454-5353 @DAYusko THE ISSUE: Former Gov. George Pataki has ended his quest for the White House. THE STAKES: What does a moderate's failure to gain traction say about the Republican Party? More Information To comment: tuletters@timesunion.com or at http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion See More Collapse While some political pundits poked fun at the recent announcement that former Gov. George Pataki was ending his campaign for the presidency, his failure to gain traction should be cause for some serious reflection among his fellow Republicans in New York and across the nation. Many questioned Mr. Pataki's candidacy from its outset. Some suggested the 69-year-old politician and his supporters were delusional for thinking he had even a chance of success. Consider, though, what that says about the state of the Republican Party that a three-term New York governor, who rose from obscurity in 1994 to unseat Mario Cuomo, a Democratic icon who had been seen as presidential timber, was a longshot for the GOP nomination. Whatever you think about his record as governor, Mr. Pataki appealed to enough voters to win three terms in a blue state. He was a champion of the environment and a defender of a woman's right to choose abortion. He was credited with lowering state income taxes (though, as his opponents would point out, not without disruption in state services and funding to localities and education). And don't forget his leadership in the immediate aftermath of the terror attacks in 2001 and his significant role in the plans to rebuild Lower Manhattan. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. In his seven-month primary campaign, as one of a pool of as many as 17 GOP candidates, including eight current or former governors, Mr. Pataki was unable to muster enough support in polls needed to get him into the main debates. Instead, he and a few other low-polling Republicans participated in separate "undercard" forums, which drew relatively small television audiences. Nonetheless, Mr. Pataki was articulate in describing Washington, D.C., as broken, and identifying bipartisan cooperation as the remedy a message that was lost in the current GOP primary rhetoric. To understand the current state of national politics, all one has to do is look at the major pieces of legislation the Republican-controlled Congress will soon deliver to President Barack Obama as its first order of business this year: yet another effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and a bill to cut federal funds for Planned Parenthood. There is no question this is a waste time and energy; Mr. Obama will use his veto pen to dismiss both, while he awaits more productive legislation to address the needs of all Americans. Some have said Mr. Pataki simply waited too long to re-enter politics. That may be so, but not because he has changed. The more dramatic change was in the Republican Party's shift toward the far right, where the selling points are military escalation in the Middle East, kicking millions of undocumented aliens out of the country, barring refugees and Muslims, limiting women's right of choice, pretending climate change isn't happening and opposing sensible gun controls. Mr. Pataki's more moderate and sensible message was, from the beginning, drowned out, sadly for the GOP. [January 06, 2016] CB&I Announces Polypropylene Technology Award in China THE WOODLANDS, Texas, Jan. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CB&I (NYSE:CBI) today announced it has been awarded a contract by Hebei Haiwei Group for the license and basic engineering design of a polypropylene unit to be built in Jingxian, Hebei Province, China. The unit will use CB&I's Novolen technology to produce 200,000 metric tons per annum of polypropylene. CB&I previously announced the license and engineering design of a propane dehydrogenation unit, which uses CB&I's CATOFIN technology, at the same location. "CB&I is pleased to have been selected as the polypropylene licensor for the project," said Daniel McCarthy, President of CB&I's Technology operating group. "This award builds on our relationship with Hebei Haiwei as it follows the successful development of the CATOFIN propane dehydrogenation unit." About CB&I CB&I (NYSE:CBI) is the most complete energy infrastructure focused company in the world. With 125 years of experience and the expertise of approximately 54,000 employees, CB&I provides reliable solutions while maintaining a elentless focus on safety and an uncompromising standard of quality. For more information, visit www.cbi.com. Important Information For Investors And Shareholders Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding CB&I and represents our expectations and beliefs concerning future events. These forward-looking statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor for forward-looking statements provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. When considering any statements that are predictive in nature, depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, or use or contain words, terms, phrases or expressions such as "achieve," "forecast," "plan," "propose," "strategy," "envision," "hope," "will," "continue," "potential," "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "project," "estimate," "predict," "intend," "should," "could," "may," "might" or similar forward-looking statements, we refer you to the cautionary statements concerning risk factors and "Forward-Looking Statements" described under "Risk Factors" in Item 1A of our Annual Report filed on Form 10-K filed with the SEC for the year ended December 31, 2014, and any updates to those risk factors or "Forward-Looking Statements" included in our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC, which cautionary statements are incorporated herein by reference. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130430/DA04155LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cbi-announces-polypropylene-technology-award-in-china-300199862.html SOURCE CB&I [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 06, 2016] Qualified 7th Graders Can Earn Special Consideration For Cooke Scholarships By Completing An edX Online College Course LANSDOWNE, Va., Jan. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Outstanding 7th grade students from families with financial need can earn special consideration for a Jack Kent Cooke Foundation scholarship if they complete a free college class offered by online course provider edX, the two nonprofit organizations announced today. The Cooke Young Scholars Program provides high-achieving students entering 8th grade with many benefits, including: individualized counseling to set academic goals; guidance on applying to colleges; and funding for summer educational programs, study abroad, internships and some school expenses. Up to 70 students will be selected to begin the Young Scholars Program when they start 8th grade in September. Young Scholars must have earned grades of mostly As in school since 6th grade, with no grades of C in English, math, science or social studies. They must live and attend high school in the United States or a U.S. territory. In the past three years the average annual family income of Young Scholars was $30,000. Almost all Young Scholars have come from families with annual incomes below $60,000. To date, 96 percent of Cooke Young Scholars have gone on to receive Cooke College Scholarships that are worth up to $40,000 a year, and many receive Cooke Continuing Graduate Scholarships worth up to $50,000 a year for four years. EdX, a nonprofit founded by Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, offers free online courses from the world's best universities and institutions. It is one of the world's leading providers of massive open online courses (MOOCs), and increases access to education for learners everywhere. "We're partnering with edX because we want the brightest young people in the United States with financial need to become Cooke Young Scholars," Cooke Foundation Executive Director Harold O. Levy said. "A 7th grader who can successfully complete a college course offered by edX is clearly advanced, hard-working and motivated, and that's exactly the type of student who deserves serious consideration for our scholarship program." "EdX is committed to increasing access to high-quality education for people all over the world," said edX CEO and MIT Professor Anant Agarwal. "We're proud to work with the Cooke Foundation to open new doors to educational opportunity for excellent students ho need financial assistance to reach their full potential." The Cooke Foundation and edX launched the Cooke edX Challenge last year to encourage 7th grade students capable of handling college work and who meet scholarship eligibility requirements for financial need to sign up for one of five edX online courses and to apply for the Cooke Young Scholars Program. Last year, 10 of the Young Scholars selected participated in the Cooke edX Challenge. Registration for the five edX courses that are part of the Cooke edX Challenge is now open. The first of the five courses begins Jan. 18. Students who audit and pass one of the five courses and apply for the scholarship will also each receive a $25 Amazon gift card. More information about the Cooke edX Challenge can be found here. The application period for the Cooke Foundation's Young Scholars Program the most generous pre-college scholarship and educational support program of its kind in the United States will begin in late January and will continue until April 14. Detailed information on the program, including instructions on how to apply and a video featuring Young Scholars, can be found here. Here are the five edX courses that are involved in the Cooke edX Challenge: Australian National University : Greatest Unsolved Mysteries of the Universe. Self-paced. Suggested completion time nine weeks. : Greatest Unsolved Mysteries of the Universe. Self-paced. Suggested completion time nine weeks. University of Berkeley: Solving Public Policy Problems. Starts Jan.19. Six weeks. Massachusetts Institute of Technology : Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python. Starts Jan. 13. Nine weeks. : Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python. Starts Jan. 13. Nine weeks. Princeton University : The Art of Structural Engineering: Bridges. Starts Jan. 29 . Nine weeks. : The Art of Structural Engineering: Bridges. Starts . Nine weeks. Waseda University : Tsunamis and Storm Surges: Introduction to Coastal Disasters. Starts Jan. 18 . Six weeks The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is dedicated to advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need. It offers the largest scholarships in the U.S., comprehensive counseling and other support services to students from 8th grade to graduate school. Since 2000 it has awarded $147 million in scholarships to nearly 2,000 students and over $88 million in grants to organizations that serve high-achieving, low-income students. www.jkcf.org EdX is a nonprofit, open-source learning destination offering online courses from more than 95 member institutions, composed of both leading global universities, and colleges and a diverse group of prominent organizations from around the world. Founded by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and based in Cambridge, MA, USA, edX is focused on transforming online and classroom learning through groundbreaking methodologies, game-like educational experiences and cutting-edge research on an open-source platform. www.edx.org. Cooke Foundation Media Contact: David Egner 202-779-1743 [email protected] edX Media Contact: Rachel Lapal 617-324-7055 [email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/qualified-7th-graders-can-earn-special-consideration-for-cooke-scholarships-by-completing-an-edx-online-college-course-300199887.html SOURCE Jack Kent Cooke Foundation [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 05, 2016] AirFuel Alliance Receives Worldwide Regulatory Approval; Unifies Inductive And Resonant Wireless Charging Industry LAS VEGAS, Jan. 5, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- AirFuel Alliance, the industry leader in wireless charging technologies announces global regulatory approval and worldwide expansion of its certification program for its pan-industry solutions with a broad array of products debuting in 2016. The merging of Alliance for Wireless Power and Power Matters Alliance to become the AirFuel Alliance signifies a unifying leap forward for the entire wireless charging industry and members. AirFuel members now have regulatory approval of resonant products in the United States, China, and other major technology hubs around the world. "This year we saw proof of an industry-wide consolidation with the merging of A4WP and PMA resulting in the consolidation of inductive and resonant solutions to ensure interoperability," said Ron Resnick, president of AirFuel Alliance. "As wireless charging continues to move towards being a standard form of charging, AirFuel Alliance will continue to be at the forefront of innovation, offering safe and efficient solutions from inductive to first-to-market resonant technology and in the future RF technologies." Unifying Advancements AirFuel Alliance introduced the first global certification program that raises the bar on higher power ranges across the full spectrum of consumer electronic devices. This exclusive program has already certified more than 60 resonant components, some of which allow manufacturers committed to higher powered devices to bring 1-50 watt devices or 1-70 watts charging stations to market. The certification program provides a unified AirFuel brand, which in turn raises the bar to confirm commercial viability and trust for consumers that their products will work where they go. As part of the continuous unifying support for both inuctive and resonant magnetic wireless charging standards separately and within multimode systems, AirFuel Alliance launched the world's first ever joint inductive and resonant plugfest in October 2015 with more to come beginning in Q1 2016. Members committed to inductive charging have saturated the consumer mobile market with devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy Note 5, Blackberry Priv, Motorola Droid Turbo 2, and LG G3 containing the AirFuel Inductive standard technology. Starbucks has also expanded its wireless charging reach with more stations across its global locations. For resonant technology innovation, in June 2015, member company Qualcomm announced it can wirelessly charge phones with metal rear cases. Plus, Intel showcased its higher power charging and multi-device charging system at IFA in September, handling up to 20 watts. In October, Energous Corporation announced that it is sampling the world's first RF to DC rectifier IC, improving efficiency while reducing BOM costs. In June, member company Gill Electronics became the first to market with FCC certification for its TesLink resonant charging transmitter and receiver products, followed by SRRC approval in December, paving the way for a robust ecosystem. At the 2015 7th Annual Wireless Power Summit, AirFuel Alliance confirmed that it will increase its focus on charging solutions beyond 50 watts as well as deploy inductive and resonant solutions for in-home and public charging infrastructure. It has also committed development into secure user data transfer, conditional charging, cloud interface and interfaces for billing systems into 2017. For very low power AirFuel Alliance is aggressively developing technical specification to support the wearables. AirFuel members including Qualcomm, Intel, HP, Gill Electronics, MediaTek and WiTricity will showcase a variety of magnetic resonant and inductive-based demonstrations including higher powered products for automotive, home, office and mobile at CES 2016. If you are attending the CES 2016 show and would like to schedule a meeting, please visit the booth (LVCC, South Hall 3 Lobby - SL-4). More information about the organization can be found at www.airfuel.org. About AirFuel AirFuel Alliance is an association dedicated to building a global wireless charging ecosystem based on best in industry inductive, resonant and future wireless charging technology. AirFuel Alliance's mission is to bring a diverse base of interoperable products to the global market that deliver the best wireless charging experience for consumers. Further, the Alliance continues to address future, non-magnetic technologies including RF, ultrasound and lasers that deliver power at a distance. The organization membership is made up of 200 leading technology and consumer electronics companies, including board of directors companies AT&T, Broadcom, Duracell, Flex, Gill Electronics, Integrated Device Technology, Intel, MediaTek, ON Semiconductor, Powermat Technologies, Qualcomm Inc., Samsung Electronics, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Semtech, Starbucks and WiTricity. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/airfuel-alliance-receives-worldwide-regulatory-approval-unifies-inductive-and-resonant-wireless-charging-industry-300199202.html SOURCE AirFuel Alliance [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 06, 2016] Whirlpool Brand Debuts New Connected Kitchen Suite at CES 2016 LAS VEGAS, Jan. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The kitchen is more than just a place to prepare and cook food, it's the headquarters for family meetings, a make-shift homework zone and an art gallery for the little ones. To keep the kitchen connected, while freeing up time for families to make memories, Whirlpool designed the Smart Kitchen Suite with the CareSync system. As the newest innovations to integrate with the Whirlpool mobile app, Works with Nest and Amazon Dash Replenishment, the three-piece collection refrigerator, dishwasher and stove offers families control of their appliances remotely, alert notifications and peace of mind.[i] "At Whirlpool, we're passionate about developing technology that solves real consumer needs," said Ben Artis, senior manager for connectivity strategy, Whirlpool Corporation. "From the automatic production of more ice when entertaining guests to alert notifications so families know when the refrigerator loses power, our new smart kitchen suite is packed with home automation features that allow families, whether in the other room or out running errands, to better care for each other and their home." From helping prepare for unexpected guests, to keeping the house running whether home or away, the Smart Kitchen Suite offers a variety of specialty modes to cater to families' distinct needs: Whether prepping for an evening of entertaining or dashing home to meet impromptu guests, Party Mode in the Smart French Door Refrigerator helps families by activating Fast Ice and Fast Cool settings to prepare for guests automatically by speeding up ice production, quickly chilling beverages and snacks, and helping maintain cool temperatures while the fridge doors are frequently being opened and closed. in the helps families by activating Fast Ice and Fast Cool settings to prepare for guests automatically by speeding up ice production, quickly chilling beverages and snacks, and helping maintain cool temperatures while the fridge doors are frequently being opened and closed. When in Lock Mode , families can deactivate the control panels to prevent functions on the stove and dishwasher, and receive alerts if someone tries to unlock these appliances. , families can deactivate the control panels to prevent functions on the stove and dishwasher, and receive alerts if someone tries to unlock these appliances. Focus on important conversations around the kitchen table or settle in to watch your favorite movie without distractions when activated, the Quiet Mode turns off beeps and alerts on the dishwasher and stove. turns off beeps and alerts on the dishwasher and stove. Sabbath Mode helps families observe Sabbath, by turning off lights and sounds on all three units at sunset,limiting mechanical function and setting temperatures to a steady state in the oven. The Smart Front Control Range lets families preheat, start, pause, stop and adjust the temperature and cook time for the oven, and shows how much cook time is remaining all from a smartphone. Consumers can choose to receive mobile alerts for when preheat and cook times are complete, so there's no need to keep running back and forth to the kitchen. And, when the Nest Thermostat is set to away, consumers receive an alert through the Whirlpool mobile app if their oven is on when no one is home. lets families preheat, start, pause, stop and adjust the temperature and cook time for the oven, and shows how much cook time is remaining all from a smartphone. Consumers can choose to receive mobile alerts for when preheat and cook times are complete, so there's no need to keep running back and forth to the kitchen. And, when the is set to away, consumers receive an alert through the Whirlpool mobile app if their oven is on when no one is home. The Smart Dishwasher sends alert notifications to consumers when a dish cycle is complete, and when the Whirlpool mobile app is synced with an Amazon account, the dishwasher estimates when supplies like dish detergent and affresh washer cleaner are running low and automatically re-orders more through Amazon Dash Replenishment . sends alert notifications to consumers when a dish cycle is complete, and when the Whirlpool mobile app is synced with an Amazon account, the dishwasher estimates when supplies like dish detergent and affresh washer cleaner are running low and automatically re-orders more through . In addition to the completely and intuitively re-imagined inside of the Smart French Door Refrigerator with a unique shelving system that is now the industry's easiest refrigerator to organize[ii], families can use smart notifications on their app to alert them of a power or Wi-Fi outage, and get reminders to change the air and water filters. with a unique shelving system that is now the industry's easiest refrigerator to organize[ii], families can use on their app to alert them of a power or Wi-Fi outage, and get reminders to change the air and water filters. Also through the Whirlpool mobile app, each appliance in the suite features advanced care by displaying fault codes and helping to schedule service appointments. The Whirlpool Smart Kitchen Suite with the CareSync system features three CES Innovation Award honorees the Whirlpool Smart Front Control Range, Whirlpool Smart Dishwasher and Whirlpool Smart French Door Refrigerator in the Home Appliances and Smart Home categories. CES attendees can get a first glimpse of this new connected kitchen suite and other award-winning innovations at Whirlpool brand's booth #74352 in the Family & Technology Marketplace at the Sands Expo Center, January 6-9. The suite is anticipated to launch in late 2016. For more information, to join the conversation and see the company's care-centric product innovations and conceptual inspirations come to life, visit ces.whirlpool.com and follow #EveryDayCare. About Whirlpool Brand For more than one hundred years, Whirlpool brand has been inspired by how people care for their families. Whirlpool brand is designing home appliances that are focused on improving how families give and get the care they need with the latest technologies and innovations whether that means most flexible refrigerator storage for all types of family needs, induction technology for efficient cooking and easier cleaning, or laundry pairs that sense and adapt to clothes with the latest in connected technologies. Whirlpool brand is part of Whirlpool Corporation, the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances. Whirlpool Corporation is also one of Habitat for Humanity's largest corporate partners for over 15 dedicated years, donating a refrigerator and range to every new Habitat for Humanity home built in North America. For more information on Whirlpool, please visit whirlpool.com/everydaycare or find us on Facebook at facebook.com/whirlpoolusa or Twitter at @WhirlpoolUSA. Additional information about the company can be found at whirlpoolcorp.com. [i] Requires Wifi and account creation. App features and functionality subject to change. Subject to Terms of Service available at: www.whirlpool.com/connect. Data rates may apply. [ii] Among leading French Door Bottom Mount refrigerators Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150729/249144LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/whirlpool-brand-debuts-new-connected-kitchen-suite-at-ces-2016-300198326.html SOURCE Whirlpool Brand [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 06, 2016] Lucktastic App Launches $1 Million Sweepstakes for 2016, #1 Lifestyle App on Google and climbing the charts on iOS NEW YORK, Jan. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Lucktastic, the free app that gives people a new way to use their mobile devices to play for cash and valuable prizes, today announced the launch of a guaranteed $1 million dollar sweepstakes as well as an iOS version of its popular app. Lucktastic, the flagship app published by Jump Ramp Games, is the first free app to guarantee that one lucky player will win $1 million dollars in 2016. Lucktastic has already awarded well over $1.2 million in prizes and rewards to lucky winners nationwide, and just in the past couple of months, winners have received large prizes of $25,000 and $10,000 from Lucktastic. "Who doesn't dream of winning a million dollars?," asked Alex Betancur, Co-Founder of Jump Ramp Games, which delivers instant-win experiences to smartphone users across America through Lucktastic. "Players earn rewards and win prizes at Lucktastic, and now they'll have a shot at the biggest single prize we've ever awarded: $1 million!" With the recent launch of Lucktastic on iOS, the company is poised to grow even more quickly to reach the majority of mobile users in the U.S. Lucktastic already has attracted nearly five million installs to date on Android and has been consstently ranked the #1 app in the Lifestyle category in the Google Play Store. Available for free on both Android and now iOS, the Lucktastic app is a modern take on the popular scratch-off game format, offering players a chance to win cash prizes at no cost whatsoever to the user. Best of all, everyone who plays gains something valuable, including the opportunity to earn valuable digital gift cards. "Even if you don't hit the jackpot, you still win with Lucktastic," Betancur observed. "People win instantly with our games every day. We recently had the pleasure of delivering a check to our first $10,000 winner in Greenville, North Carolina, and we just selected the winner of our $25,000 contest, which will be revealed this month. We're looking forward to announcing our first $1 million-dollar prize winner at the end of 2016." Lucktastic is 100% free to play, and there's no charge for downloading the app. The company generates revenue by partnering with brands, publishers and retailers who are eager to showcase products to a highly engaged audience. To download the free app, please visit Google Play for Android or the App Store for Apple devices. To learn more about Lucktastic, please go to www.lucktastic.com. About Lucktastic and Jump Ramp Games Lucktastic is an instant-win game from Jump Ramp Games, a New York City-based company that delivers innovative promotions, rewards and instant winning experiences to people via mobile devices through a suite of casual games. Lucktastic users not only have a chance to win big cash prizes, they "win" every time they play by earning valuable digital gift cards. Lucktastic appeals to brands, publishers and retailers that want to reach a highly engaged segment of consumer America. To date, Jump Ramp Games has issued more than $1.2 million in prizes and rewards. Find out more about Jump Ramp Games at www.jumprampgames.com. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lucktastic-app-launches-1-million-sweepstakes-for-2016-1-lifestyle-app-on-google-and-climbing-the-charts-on-ios-300199929.html SOURCE Lucktastic [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [January 06, 2016] Sutter Health Selects QPID Health to Optimize Use of Health Record Data BOSTON, Jan. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- QPID Health, which helps hospitals and medical groups achieve their quality goals with software that generates actionable information from electronic health records, today announced that Sutter Health will implement the Company's software solutions. Sutter Health is a leading not-for-profit network with 24 hospitals; 33 ambulatory surgery centers; multiple centers for behavioral health, cancer, cardiac, rehabilitation and trauma care; and a physician network of 5000 members. Charles Wirth, Chief Executive Officer, Sutter Physician Services, commented: "Our Epic-based electronic health record system contains a wealth of information about our patients and about the care we are providing them. QPID Health's unique ability to query the data base and generate actionable information will help us be more efficient across administrative and clinical areas. We are excited to partner with QPID Health to reduce costs and improve patient care." Michael J. Doyle, President and CEO of QPID Health, said: "We are proud to be supporting the Sutter Health network, which has been named as ne of the 2015 'Top 50 Great Health Systems to Know' by Becker's Hospital Review, with many of its hospitals cited as top performers in quality by the Joint Commission and the Leapfrog Group. Our software will help Sutter continue its leadership in community-based care." About Sutter Health: Serving patients and their families in more than 100 Northern California cities and towns, Sutter Health doctors, not-for-profit hospitals and other health care service providers share resources and expertise to advance health care quality and access. The Sutter Medical Network includes many of California's top-performing, highest-quality physician organizations as measured annually by the Integrated Healthcare Association. Sutter-affiliated hospitals are regional leaders in cardiac care, women's and children's services, cancer care, orthopedics and advanced patient-safety technology. For more information about the not-for-profit Sutter Health network visit: http://www.sutterhealth.org/ About QPID Health: QPID Health helps hospitals and medical groups achieve their quality goals with software that generates actionable information from patient records. QPID Health's clinical reasoning software combines advanced natural language processing (NLP), clinical logic, and machine learning to locate and synthesize patient facts in medical records. With 8500 active users across major integrated delivery networks including Partners HealthCare and Providence Health & Services, Sharp HealthCare and Sutter Health, and over 10 years of use in demanding clinical settings, QPID Health software is clinician proven and scalable. In just the past three years the software has analyzed 318 million clinical documents for 1.6 million unique patients. For more information about QPID Health, please visit www.qpidhealth.com Media Inquiries: Patrick Jameson [email protected] 724-678-0691 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140218/SF66655LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sutter-health-selects-qpid-health-to-optimize-use-of-health-record-data-300200199.html SOURCE QPID Health [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] City Council discuss owner occupied home rehabilitation program The $250,000 grant would be would be split between 15-20 city homeowners, who would be afforded up to $15,000 each for repairs to their homes. Overpass could get protective fencing A substantial safety upgrade for the areas most notorious overpass is finally getting some Caltrans considerationbut dont expect changes any time soon. At the Sept. 21 Moorpark City Council meeting,... Early detection is the best way to survive breast cancer Every October, we celebrate those men and women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. But what is breast cancer and how can it be diagnosed and managed? There are... Heart Walk at CLU will raise funds for heart, stroke patients The American Heart Association will host a Heart Walk Sat., Oct. 8 at Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks. The event is expected to draw hundreds of people. Activities include... You have reached a premium content area of Transitions. To read this entire article please login if you are already a Transitions subscriber. Not a subscriber? Subscribe today for access to: Full access to the website, including premium articles videos, country reports and searchable archives (containing over 25,000 articles). Windows 11 gets its big update today whats new and how to get it The big Windows 11 2022 Update is out today, bringing with it a bevy of improvements and new features. Here's a peek at what's new, as well as a guide on how to check it out for yourself! OLED burn-in what causes it and how you can fix it Its not as prevalent as some TV owners make it out to be, but OLED burn-in can happen in certain circumstances. Heres what you can do to prevent that. Nearly three years ago, Palmer Luckey and his small team at Oculus launched the Kickstarter campaign that started this whole VR revolution the world is about to embark on. The original promise was to deliver a developer kit to start creating VR experiences with the expectation of a retail release in the future. Oculus made good on that promise a long time ago, but it seems the company is not done thanking the original believers in VR. Oculus made a surprise announcement today: Every single person that bought an original developer kit will be receiving a free Kickstarter Edition Oculus Rift. Backers will also receive Luckys Tale and EVE: Valkyrie bundled with the Rift, just as those who pre-order hardware starting tomorrow. Oculus sent out a message through Kickstarter this morning to all backers that made the initial pledge notifying them of the exciting news. The company said backers will need to fill out a survey and provide shipping information before February 1 to qualify for the free Rift. Oculus did note that the Rift is only launching in 20 countries, so there may be backers that are left out. The company said it is working on an alternative for those living outside the launch countries. Follow Kevin Carbotte @pumcypuhoy. Follow us on Facebook, Google+, RSS, Twitter and YouTube. While Id hate to disagree with Courtney Barnett, it seems we were wise to put her, and many other Australian acts, on a pedestal this year. With her debut LP Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit scoring consistently high on the lists of 2015s best albums, it is also unsurprising to see the same lists dominated by Tame Impalas Currents. However, while these two albums pushed Australian music to the forefront of the musical conversation in a way that hasnt been since in a long time, there was also a wealth of other home-grown releases that were received highly this year. Gang of Youths and Szymons releases this year, The Positions and Tigersapp, respectively, also sent big waves around the country, and also the world, with their highly emotive and clearly resonant narratives. Gang of Youths in particular seized their day, with three national tours in the latter half of the year, and a growing and naturally rabid fanbase. [include_post id=457105] Whats interesting to note is that despite the lack of natural overlap between the genres and sounds played by these acts, there was a trend of highly personal storytelling, and an undercurrent of self-doubt and deprecation present in all of these releases. With Bad//Dreems, Parkway Drive and British India also releasing well-received albums this year, it seems the Australian spirit, and ability to cut through bullshit, is performing on an international level. There is an obvious appeal to this mode of songwriting, and while it isnt always so blatantly obvious or advertised in such a way, there nevertheless is a body of work that the world identified as Australian music, and something about it was just so quintessentially Australian, in whatever abstract and subjective terms that word means to anybody outside of the country. There was also a beauty in the mundane that was explored in many of these releases; from Kevin Parker singing about running into an ex during his trip to the dry cleaners, to Courtney Barnett singing about lattes and the process of moving in to a new house, to Gang of Youths terrifying illustrations about hospitals and quiet car rides. Again, while these fall into personal moments, rather than a consolidated national effort, it reveals the underlying insight that some our very best and brightest could place and order into a song. Its understandable, and also infinitely strange, that millions of people around the world could find peace from their own doubts in the voices of our own, whether they be a high falsetto, a quintessentially Australian twang, or a quiet boom. Regardless, Australia is now a scene within itself. This was the year the efforts of many disparate artists were recognised as a whole, and that voice rang throughout the world. Its recognition and its a promising sign of things to come. Its a well-deserved focus on the musical efforts of a country that consistently produces excellent artists, who are sometimes not met with the reception they deserve. From this point in, lets hope that next year shows the world how much more weve got to offer. If you just so happen to be an Aussie songwriter whos looking to be inspired and join a community of like-minded artists, theres only one suburb for you set up base camp. At least, according to APRA AMCOS latest annual postcode ranking. For the second year in a row, the inner northern Melbourne suburb of Brunswick has come out on top as the number one destination for songwriters in Australia, with APRA AMCOS reporting that the suburb has the highest congregation of earning members. The suburb took over the top spot from Northcote, home to several prominent Melbourne live music venues such as the Northcote Social Club. The suburb had held the number one spot for a decade, but now sits at number two for the second year running. APRA AMCOS top 10 suburbs are rounded out by a mix of Melbourne and Sydney postcodes, including Newtown/Enmore, Coburg, Preston, Bondi, Fitzroy North/Clifton Hill, Marrickville, Surry Hills/Darlinghurst, and St Kilda. But all eyes ought to be on Footscray. Although Melbournes Inner North suburbs of Brunswick and Northcote have dominated the rankings again this year, Footscrays nation-leading growth over the last year suggests Melbournes west is firmly establishing itself as a key national music hub, said APRA AMCOS analyst Andrew Harris. Image via APRA AMCOS Looking at a breakdown of genres, Brunswick is a bustling hub of alternative, blues and roots, folk, classical, and pop rock songwriters. In fact, Brunswick was cited as a top suburb for songwriters of just about any genre. A few surprising tidbits pop up when looking at the genre breakdown. For example, it may surprise some Aussie country lovers to learn that Northcote and not Tamworth is in fact Australias country music heartland, at least as far as songwriters are concerned. Image via APRA AMCOS Back in April, we published a list of ways you can be a dickhead at a gig. The list was controversial, but pretty much everyone agreed that you shouldnt take your phone out and film the entire gig or spend the majority of the performance texting or taking selfies. Last year, Donnie Dinch, the GM of Consumer for Ticketfly and co-founder of WillCall, a music discovery app that Ticketfly have acquired, commissioned Harris Poll to find out just how long millennials spend staring at their phones when attending a gig. Close to a third (31 percent) of 18-34 year olds who own a smartphone and go to live events say they are on their phone during half of the event or longer, Dinch told Billboard. Less than 15 percent of that group said they never use their phones during a live event. Its a frightening statistic and one that even led one fed-up Sydney venue to issue a ban on mobiles and cameras from the dance floor. As Tone Deaf reported, Sydney club night Number56 forced punters to surrender their smartphones on their way in to the venue. As Consequence of Sound note, some artists, like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Neutral Milk Hotel, and Savages, have even banned phones altogether from their performances, believing them to be a distracting presence and one that could aid piracy. But American startup Yondr believes it may have a solution to the problem of phones at gigs that will allow punters to keep their phones on them in case they need them in an emergency, but prevent them from using them during a performance. The companys unique technology was recently employed by famously smartphone-phobic comedian Dave Chappelle during his Chicago residency. And no, its not like Marky Ramones (admittedly inspired) idea of simply swatting phones out of punters hands with a stick. Image via Yondr Yondr provides venues and artists with bulk orders of slickly designed phone pouches that lock when a punter enters a venues designated phone-free zone, but unlocks in areas designated for phone usage, such as the bathroom or a lobby. Yondr effectively allows venue owners or artists to craft their own environments within venues and could maybe help concert attendees break their compulsive social media habits, while still giving revellers access to their phones. Smartphones have fundamentally changed how we live, Yondrs mission statement reads. How to integrate them into our lives as a useful tool, rather than a compulsive habit, is a question that needs an answer. [include_post id=445382] We think smartphones have incredible utility, but not in every setting. In some situations, they have become a distraction and a crutchcutting people off from each other and their immediate surroundings. Some may ask why venues dont simply jam phone signals in their venues. The answer is people like using their phones and its simply a fact of life that theyre going to use them (also, jamming cell signals is very much illegal). This way, people get to keep their phones but use them responsibly. Kansas and Missouri gun rules earn a mention from anas the 2nd Amendment takes a hit and locals hope less freedom will curtail the local body count. Checkit: KC's Citizen Task Force on Violence says Obama's actions will help their efforts to curtail violent crimes It is time for your readers to meet "The New Calvin:" Jeff Jones. Do not let the Missouriappearance fool you.Jones is already the most influential behind the scenes Democrat operative in the area. He single-handedly developed the strategy guided Sheriff Mike Sharp and Legislator Frank White to victory along with numerous State Representatives.He is a very, conservative Democrat who is a strong advocate for the 2nd Amendment. Jeff also supports vigorous defense of our southern border and opposes public sector unions. This conservative approach has earned Jeff Jones great influence in South KC and Eastern Jackson County. There is no doubt that Jeff Jones will be a strong counterbalance to the growing power of liberal Crystal Williams. When Frank White is named to be interim County Executive,#############Developing . . . CHECK THE NORTHEAST NEWS CHALLENGING RECENT PROTESTS AGAINST DEADLY KANSAS CITY POLICE SHOOTINGS!!! "Note to One Struggle KC, maybe if these criminals you advance as loving, caring misunderstood children hadnt threatened police officers with weapons and were compliant to officers during the detainment procedure, theyd be alive and among us today . . . Maybe if the folks over at One Struggle KC and the MORE2 put as much time into actually improving your communities at large as they do paintin signs and cryin foul, violent crime in the urban core wouldnt be what it is." This morning, in fairness and as an accurate representation of community sentiment we want to take a look at the latest fromAs always, there'sin every edition along withfrom abut the latest op/ed deserves a special look.To wit . . .Here's the money line in anAgain,, we're giving this special note in order to further the conversation and because supporters of the protests have set the tone of the conversation.You decide . . . KC Biz Journal: First-time publisher takes helm of Kansas City Star "Tony Berg, the Star's vice president of advertising, has been tapped to lead the publication. . . . Born in Emporia, the 38-year-old Kansas native joined the Star in April and brings 15 years of experience in advertising and sales with publications." Meet the new Kansas City print boss . . .Quick bit of bio deets:Certainly the local connection and experience is nice. OR it might just be another instance of rearranging deck chair aboard the Titanic. Either way, the new guy isn't likely to hire back all of the old school newsies laid off over the years . . . Which is really the big question among so many discarded newsies lurking the Kansas City Internets.Developing . . . UPDATE: "The outreach of Alonzo Washington to the press & public has encouraged the title loan company to give Ma'liya's wheelchair back an independent tow truck driver donated a car to her family for her medical visits. The car will be given to the family tomorrow." Alonzo Washington: Van taken by title loan company in KCMO contained special wheelchair for a paraplegic 2 year old special needs child and hasn't been returned yet! Here's a story that's exceptionally relevant as X-mas bills come due for all Kansas City residents . . . Activistcontinues his work to help a family in the midst of title loan trouble and aalleged repossession of a special needs kid's wheelchair . . . Here's the latest . . .Yesterday the van was thought to stolen in KCMO which is no news because it's a crime ridden city of lawlessness. However, what makes this a newsworthy story is that the would be stolen van contained a two year old paraplegic special needs child's modified wheelchair within it. The child's name is Ma'liya Lowery and can't do much of anything on her own & her special wheelchair helps her to function. It's very important to recover the wheelchair as promptly as possible because the wheelchair is custom made for her & it will take months to make the child another one.: After tips came in that a large truck took the van Ma'liya's family figured out that the title loan company that they were working with took their van. The title loan company denied they took the van twice but finally admitted it after they learned a activist & press was working on the story. Ma'liya's family was forced to move away from KCK after a spate of violence broke out in their neighborhood & their home was shot up by random thugs. They relocated to KCMO with a car title loan on their van. The title loan company promised they would work with the family due to their special circumstances but reneged by taking the van & not releasing it. The title loan company is so heartless that they won't even give back the custom made wheelchair to a special needs 2 year old child. The family now have no transportation at all.The family has reached out to activist, Alonzo Washington for assistance & he helped them find the van with social media tips . . .Last year he helped gain publicity & pay for the funeral of a teen who was killed trying to cross a busy highway. He will work to help to resolve this local family's plight. A Go Fund Me account has been re-set up to help replace the family's van & wheelchair if it isn't released by the loan company. The funds will serve to help the family gain access to transportation & health aids for Ma'liya. Please announce this effort in your coverage . . . The following is the link to the Go Fund Me Page:The family is open and ready to do press interviews with any media source interested in covering the story. You may contact the care giver of the child. Her name is Diedra Lowery . . . Activist, Alonzo Washington has been making appeals for tips via his Twitter page (). Please consider covering this breaking news story. Pictures of Ma'liya can be found on his Twitter page as well. It is Alonzo's hope that news of the evil practices of this title loan company will force them to do the right thing. A special needs child is suffering because a poor family did what they had to do to move their child away from the negative gun violence in our city that cops, vigils & balloon releases can't stop.############# "2015 was a year of chaos, violence, hate, and an ongoing struggle of freedom versus oppression." Unlike other times in history however, the mass deception currently underway is propagated through infiltration of world wide media, politics and every segment of industry by deceived and wicked men whose ultimate plans when brought to their ultimate conclusion are to rule each and every one of us no matter the cost. For them, the end justifies the means. Most believe they are doing a good work to save the planet. Those are the very top of this food chain realize they serve a non human master, complicit in bringing about the prophesied antichrist system. -W.E. In 2015, the iron fist of power clamped down on humanity, from warfare to terrorism (I repeat myself) to surveillance, police brutality, and corporate hegemony. The environment was repeatedly decimated, the health of citizens was constantly put at risk, and the justice system and media alike were perverted to serve the interests of the powers that be. However, while 2015 was discouraging for more reasons than most of us can count, many of the years most underreported stories evidence not only a widespread pattern that explicitly reveals the nature of power, but pushback from human beings worldwide on a path toward a better world. 4. Multiple Activists Arrested, Charged with Felonies for Educating Jurors About Their Rights : In an ongoing trend, otherwise peaceful, non-violent individuals were harassed by police and courts not for exposing secret information, but for providing information to potential jurors about their rights in the courtroom. One : In an ongoing trend, otherwise peaceful, non-violent individuals were harassed by police and courts not for exposing secret information, but for providing information to potential jurors about their rights in the courtroom. One Denver jury nullification activist followed by another , was charged with multiple felonies for handing out pamphlets that explain a jurors right to vote not guilty in a verdict, even if the defendant is clearly guilty. This right was established to allow jurors to vote with their conscience and question the morality of laws, from the 19th centurys Fugitive Slave Act to Prohibition, both of alcohol in the 1920s and of marijuana today. The Denver activists are awaiting trial, while more recently, a former pastor was charged with a felony for the same reason. 6. Earth Enters Sixth Mass Extinction : 2015, like many years before, was disastrous for the environment. Researchers from Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and Princeton 100 times faster than the normal rate between mass extinctions. Further, thanks, in part, to the widespread use of Monsantos glyphosate-based Roundup herbicide, populations of : 2015, like many years before, was disastrous for the environment. Researchers from Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and Princeton determined Earth is entering its sixth mass extinction, reporting that species are disappearing at a ratethan the normal rate between mass extinctions. Further, thanks, in part, to the widespread use of Monsantos glyphosate-based Roundup herbicide, populations of bees and Monarch butterflies dwindled though, happily, the Monarchs appear to have bounced back . Polar bears also met continued endangerment 8. Insurrection at the Pentagons Defense Intelligence Agency Over Misleading Reports on ISIS : Over the summer, dissent grew within the ranks of the DIA, the Pentagons internal intelligence agency. In September, news broke that : Over the summer, dissent grew within the ranks of the DIA, the Pentagons internal intelligence agency. In September, news broke that 50 intelligence analysts filed a report with the Department of Defenses Inspector General to expose their superiors alleged manipulation of intelligence. The intention of the coverup was reportedly to downplay the threat of ISIS and the U.S.s losing effort to fight it, all to maintain the Obama administrations narrative the bombing campaigns have been successful. 10. The FDA Approved OxyContin for Use in Children : Though the was shocking. After lawmakers wrote a letter expressing concern to the FDA, the agencys spokesperson, Eric Pahon, said the news was, in fact, not that serious because it was already standard practice. Its important to stress that this approval was not intended to expand or otherwise change the pattern of use of extended-release opioids in pediatric patients, Pahon Doctors were already prescribing it to children, without the safety and efficacy data in hand with regard to the pediatric population. : Though the approval of the powerful, addictive painkiller for use in 11-year-olds and younger children was unsurprising to those who follow the agencys track record, the FDAs justificationshocking. After lawmakers wrote a letter expressing concern to the FDA, the agencys spokesperson, Eric Pahon, said the news was, in fact, not that serious because, Pahon said . In other stories regarding the misconduct of agencies tasked with keeping people safe, the FDA continued to allow meat companies to use a pharmaceutical additive banned in 150 countries , while whistleblowers at the USDA revealed several plants were producing pork products filled with fingernails, hair, bile, and feces. 11. The Federal Government Admitted Cannabis May Help Fight Brain Cancer : Though the government has long known about the medical benefits of cannabis it [e]vidence from one animal study suggests that extracts from whole-plant marijuana can shrink one of the most serious types of brain tumors. Though more research is needed, the governments admission was unexpected, albeit welcomed by many cannabis enthusiasts. Other studies this year suggested cannabis may help : Though the government has long known about the medical benefits of cannabis it holds patents on several medicinal qualities the National Institute on Drug Abuse made waves this year when it published a document acknowledging the healing properties of cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive endocannabinoid. In particular, it noted Though more research is needed, the governments admission was unexpected, albeit welcomed by many cannabis enthusiasts. Other studies this year suggested cannabis may help heal broken bones and is associated with lower rates of obesity 12. Nestle Paid $524 to Plunder the Publics Water Resources : This year, Anti-Media : This year, reported on the insidious relationship between Nestle and the Forest Service in California. The investigation found not only that Nestle was using an expired permit to turn exponential profit on 27 million gallons of water, but that a former Forest Service official went on to consult for the company While corporate exploitation ran rampant in 2015, many countries around the world fought back. India sued Nestle after finding one of its products contained lead, while nations around the world banned Monsanto and GE products . Scotland, Denmark, and Bulgaria, among others, all moved to ban GE crops, while multiple lawsuits , highlighted the serious potential health consequences of the widespread use of pesticides (though the EPA disputed that glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsantos Roundup, was an endocrine disrupter in June, in November, news broke that the majority of studies the EPA used to make its decision were funded by industry). Though corporate power remains all but monolithic, 2015 saw humans across the world rise up to resist it. Most recently (and comically), a proposed initiative in California is about to enter the next phase signature gathering to place it on the 2016 ballot. If placed on the ballot and passed, it will force California legislators to wear the logos of their top ten donors while they participate in legislative activities. The effort has drawn widespread praise and enthusiasm. 13. Establishment Caught Manipulating News to Fit Narratives : Following the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore, contentious protests broke out, eventually resulting in limited rioting and looting. However, while the media attempted to paint protesters as aggressive, it : Following the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore, contentious protests broke out, eventually resulting in limited rioting and looting. However, while the media attempted to paint protesters as aggressive, it failed to report officers prolonged prohibition of their physical movement, to say nothing of the riot gear police showed up wearing. After being unable to move, a brick was thrown, but the media failed to report the instigation and discrimination law enforcement imposed that ultimately led the students and protesters to grow unruly. Fox News contributor CBS In other manipulations, it was revealed that onecontributor lied about his experience as a CIA agent; he had never been employed at the agency, and only obtained later national security jobs by lying about his CIA experience. Further, edited out comments from Muslims, who discussed U.S. foreign policy as a driver of Islamic extremism during a televised focus group. Politifact, Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC consistently report half-truths and lies. It is little wonder, then, that another survey found only 7% of Americans still harbor A study by fact checker, revealed that all the major outlets surveyed , and consistently report half-truths and lies. It is little wonder, then, that another survey found only 7% of Americans still harbor a great deal of trust in the mainstream media. Still, it wasnt just the media that lied. On multiple occasions, government employees were caught attempting to distort facts. In March, news emerged that an IP address linked to the NYPD had attempted to edit the Wikipedia page on Eric Garner. Computers inside Britains parliament were linked to attempted edits on pages detailing sex scandals, among other transgressions. In a related story, the FBI reported it had foiled yet another terrorist plot, and once again, it was revealed the culprits were provided support from an informant working for the bureau. Further, in August, Wikileaks released cables that showed an American lobbyist for Saudi Arabia organized a $6 million ad campaign against the presidents nuclear deal with Iran, all through a well-funded group called the American Security Initiative. The lobbyist, Norm Coleman, is a former Republican senator. Athens growing incoming tourism rates combined with the Athens Hilton's advantageous, rather exclusive, location away from Sindagma square, already attract large funds In response to the acute public interest in our publication of the Astir Palace Resort sale inside story today, revealed to tornosnews by an experienced industry player with first-hand knowledge of the negotiations, we decided to run the same source's in-depth info, concerning latest developments in the Athens Hilton sale and the Hellinikon privatisation project's negotiations. According to our source, Alpha Bank's top Real Estate executives confirm that the selling procedure has initiated and soundings are carried out by international tourism market players. Cypriot-South African-Indian scheme It is no secret that certain Cypriot entrepreneurs have expressed interest, in cooperation with a large South African and Indian Fund, which may also play a key role in the Cyprus Casino mammoth tourist investment. Following Alpha Bank's successful recapitalization, stifling capital pressures have subsided, so the bank is not in a hurry to sell, unless there is a satisfactory price, given the market's circumstances. Yet, Athens growing incoming tourism rates combined with the hotel's advantageous, rather exclusive, location away from Sindagma square, already attract large funds and satisfactory demand is to be expected. The Bank wants to relinquish the property, so developments may follow swiftly. The Hellinikon project The hellinikon project offers great development advantages due to its large size and extensive waterfront. When realized, it will be the largest tourist investment in Greece ever. However, such a large investment has to ensure sustainability. The implementation of the works mentioned in the presented program will require huge funding. The project's self-financing shall require residential construction in all forms, from apartments to luxury villas, as well as selling them to interested buyers. Investors strive for and will propably succeed in acquiring a casino permit. Building requirements are relatively small and construction period short. Therefore, the Casino can operate from the beginning and provide immediate revenues, exactly as in the Loutraki Casino example. Nevertheless, the Greek State has not made up its mind in both cases and a longer time is likely to be needed, unless the government decides to make the decisive step and start the works, which will be a catalyst for attracting new investment capital from abroad. Again, a large tourism investment like Hellinikon, without a Real Estate development program or a casino operation is doomed. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Located in a quiet street, this 4 star hotel that recently opened its doors stands below the Butte Montmartre and Moulin Rouge, in the dynamic neighborhood of SoPi with its intense nightlife thanks to the many theaters, music venues, and lively bars. Thus, it makes perfect sense that the hotel was baptized Sacha, in honor of Sacha Guitry, the famous author of boulevard plays. The hotel was conceived like a play with several acts - explains Caroline Burgeot, the hotels director - its decoration was orchestrated by Julie Gauthron, with antique furniture and objects. For instance, there is a wonderful collection of theater binoculars. Indeed, the lobby looks like a Parisian interior during the interwar period while the breakfast room, with its eclectic furniture, resembles the lounge of a bohemian cafe. A high point of life at the Sasha is the intermission that is announced every evening at 6:30pm with the ring of a bell identical to those heard in theaters. Banks in the United Arab Emirates have been told to get dividends approved by the central bank before announcing the details of payments to markets and shareholders, four banking sources said on Tuesday. The demand for clearance from the regulator was aimed at safeguarding lenders' capital base and ensuring they did not over-extend themselves as liquidity becomes scarcer, the sources said. Shareholders have become used to enjoying healthy dividend payouts in recent years as bank earnings surged in line with a strengthening local economy. But banks' profits have begun to suffer from the impact of lower oil prices in recent months as liquidity has tightened, government deposits have fallen and some small businesses have defaulted on their debt. Banks often announce proposed dividends in public, before they have been given final approval by the regulator. In some cases, the lenders make clear that the dividends are subject to regulatory approval, but others do not. Now, the regulator wants banks to stop disclosing dividends until it has approved them. Nobody was available to comment from the central bank. One of the sources said in the past some banks had announced a proposed dividend, only for the final amount to be changed after the central bank rejected it. Banks in the UAE had a capital adequacy ratio of 18.3 percent at the end of September, according to central bank data. That's above the 12 percent required by the regulator. -Reuters The Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia has agreed to begin examining several investment opportunities in Egypt, a senior government official said. Minister of International Cooperation Sahar Nasr urged Saudi Arabia to expedite investments in energy, housing, and tourism sectors, according to a Daily News Egypt report, which cited a ministry statement. Egypt urged Saudi Arabia to start investing a pledged SR30 billion ($8 billion) at a meeting of the Egyptian-Saudi Coordination Council that is concluding today (January 6) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the report said. The Saudi investment funds chose to invest SR30 million ($8 billion) in the fields of housing, tourism, agriculture, and energy over the next five years. Nasr discussed cooperation with the Saudi fund officials to provide Egypt with petroleum derivatives for five years and to pump investments, according to the report. She also discussed the possibility of contributing to financing several development projects in Egypt aiming to counter poverty and unemployment by providing concessional funding for youth and providing lands to establish agro-industrial projects as part of the 1.5-million-acres project. Nasr said the Egyptian government is working on creating an attractive environment for investment by providing incentives and guarantees and by removing some of the obstacles facing investors. The Ministry of Housing is offering 22 projects for investment to Saudi Arabia. The projects include the new administrative capital and the eight new cities prepared by the New Urban Communities Authority (NUCA). NUCA completed processing project sites, which will be promoted in Saudi Arabia, and prepared detailed plans linking lands with facilities. Wiping back tears as he remembered children killed in a mass shooting, President Barack Obama on Tuesday ordered stricter gun rules that he can impose without Congress and urged American voters to reject pro-gun candidates. Obama made it clear he does not expect gun laws to change during his remaining year in office, but pledged to do what he can to make gun control a theme in the months leading up to the November election to replace him. In a powerful address in the White House, surrounded by family members of people killed in shootings, Obama's voice rose to a yell as he said the constitutional rights of Americans to bear arms needed to be balanced by the right to worship, gather peacefully and live their lives. Obama has often said his toughest time in office was grappling with the December 2012 massacre of 20 children and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. "Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad," Obama said, tears rolling down his cheek. "That changed me, that day," he said, after being introduced by Mark Barden, whose 7-year-old son was killed in the shooting. "My hope earnestly has been that it would change the country." After that tragedy, the Democratic president failed to persuade Congress to toughen US gun laws. He has blamed lawmakers for being in the thrall of the powerful National Rifle Association gun lobby group. Obama, comparing the issue to the great civil rights causes of his time, is set to discuss gun violence again during a live televised town hall on CNN on Thursday, and during his State of the Union address next Tuesday. Vice President Joe Biden is slated to do a series of television interviews on the topic on Wednesday. LEGAL CHALLENGES EXPECTED The US Constitution's 2nd Amendment gives Americans the right to have arms, a right that is fiercely defended. Obama laid out executive action he is taking to require more gun sellers to get licenses and more gun buyers to undergo background checks. Under the changes, the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is issuing guidelines intended to narrow exceptions to a system that requires sellers to check with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to determine whether buyers have criminal records, are charged with crimes or have mental health conditions that would bar them from owning a gun. The proposal is "ripe for abuse" by the government, said Chris Cox, an official with the NRA, in a statement, adding that the group will continue to fight to protect Americans' constitutional rights. Legal challenges to the changes, which are contained in guidance from the ATF, are expected. The crucial question in any direct legal challenge will be whether the ATF guidance creates new obligations, or merely clarifies existing law. The more the Obama administration acts as though the guidance has created a new legal requirement, the more legal trouble it might invite, said Lisa Heinzerling, administrative law professor at Georgetown University. REPUBLICANS VOW TO FIGHT Republican leaders were quick to denounce Obama's gun changes, with most Republican candidates for the 2016 presidential race promising to reverse his actions if they win the White House. Democratic candidates praised the moves. Reince Priebus, the head of the Republican National Committee, said the changes were "all about burnishing the president's legacy and boosting Democrat enthusiasm in a presidential election year." Republicans who control Congress made it clear that they oppose the changes, although some downplayed their significance. "Ultimately, this executive 'guidance' is only a weak gesture - a shell of what the president actually wants," said Kevin McCarthy, leader of the Republican majority in the House of Representatives. Democrat Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia appeared to be in a minority in his party in voicing opposition to Obama's actions. "Instead of taking unilateral executive action, the President should work with Congress and the American people, just as I've always done, to pass the proposals he announced today. "Like all law-abiding Americans and gun owners, I want to prevent future incidents of gun violence and keep firearms out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill, but legislation and consensus is the correct approach," Manchin said in a statement. - Reuters Kenya hopes to start direct commercial flights to the US by May after it met most of the requirements set by an international aviation authority, its transport minister said on Wednesday. The East African nation, which hosted President Barack Obama last July, wants to boost exports to Washington and increase visits by American tourists. Starting flights was part of a package of deals announced during Obama's visit. "We shall get direct flights to the US by May this year," Minister James Macharia told Reuters. Macharia said several airlines were keen to offer direct flights between Kenya and the US. Delta Airlines previously set a launch date for flights but cancelled due to security concerns. Financially embattled Kenya Airways also plans to offer direct flights. US traffic usually transits through hubs like Dubai and Amsterdam. Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Kenya's main airport, scored 88 per cent when it was assessed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) last September, the minister said, disclosing the score for the first time. Inspectors from the US Federal Aviation Administration are expected to complete their audit of the airport before the end of March, he said. The airport failed the same assessment in 2013, but has since improved security, Macharia said. A new terminal opened two years ago and a second one will open soon, allowing the airport to separate departures and arrivals, a key security requirement. "We have more trained security personnel and very modern scanners for people and goods," the minister said. Kenya has suffered frequent attacks by Islamist militants from neighbouring Somalia in recent years. Kenya's main airport was built in the 1970s to handle 2.5 million passengers annually but now handles 6 million passengers a year. - Reuters Explorer Barry Clifford recently found the ruins of Santa Maria, the long lost ship of Christopher Columbus, off the bank of Haiti. Clifford is planning to raise the ruins of Santa Maria so visitors can appreciate them in a historical center on land. What about those of us who need to see these wrecks in their natural surroundings? Where would we be able to go to dive deep within the halls of time preserved in briny water? Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt - SS Thistlegorm Built in 1940, the SS Thistlegorm is a 126-meter vendor vessel sunk by German bomber planes during World War II and now situated in the shallows of the Straits of Gubal in the Northern Red Sea and accessible by day trip from Sharm el-Sheik. The wreck was found in the mid-1950s by Jacques Cousteau utilizing stories from the local fishermen. She lies at a depth of 30 meters along a sandy floor with her load of trucks and motorbikes still largely intact. The dive is safe for more experienced divers and contains a huge number of wildlife, in addition to the wreckage. Bermuda -- L'Herminie This three-masted, 60-gun wooden battleship was en route to France when she collided with one of the shallow reefs off the Bermuda coast in the mid-19th century. A dive of 35 feet permits you to see her 25 guns littered along the ocean depths. Palau -- Amatsu Maru Nicknamed the Black Coral Wreck for the woodlands of dark coral covering its outer side, this oil tanker is the biggest wreck in Micronesia and the deepest Japanese wreck in Palau. It rests upright at 130 feet. This one is for advanced divers just with wreck-dive certifications and the assistance of a dive conductor to explore the somewhat unsafe structure. Townsville, Australia -- SS Yongala Found near the Great Barrier Reef, the SS Yongala was a 109-meter extravagance traveler ship felled by a cyclone in 1911. The Yongala Express dive boat can get you all through the wreckage in less than 3 hours. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 In 2019, the Asiatic Art and Ethnographic collections, presently housed in Dahlem on the southwestern outskirts of the city, will move into the Humboldt Forum, the future name for what was previously the town home of the Kaisers. Certain parts of the current Dahlem gallery will close from the beginning of next year and other parts from January 2017. The Dahlem site, which is close to the city's Free University and was established at the start of the Cold War as a counterweight to the Humboldt University and collections in the downtown area, then under communist control, will house just the Museum of European Cultures. The collection incorporates huge water crafts brought once again from the South Pacific, American Indian totem poles and even a whole cave with Asian rock paintings. A portion of the bigger exhibits is already set up, brought in during building work, as they would not have fitted through the door later. The Humboldt Forum aims to rival the Centre Pompidou in Paris as a venue for presentations and social events. The attention will be on art and culture from outside of Europe, as a counterpoint to the European collections on the nearby Museum Island. The erection of the Humboldt Forum has not been without controversy. The old castle, home to the Prussian lords and the later Kaisers, parts of which dated back to 1443, was severely harmed by bombardment by the Red Army toward the end of World War II. It was torn down in 1950 to clear a path for the Palace of the Republic, constructed in the 1970s to house the parliament of communist East Germany. This was in turn destroyed from 2006, with asbestos contamination referred to as a major concern, regardless of strong complaints from numerous Berliners and East Germans. The choice to reconstruct an apparently baroque palace with a modern interior was also questionable, not only on grounds of expense. Finishing the spectacular ensemble between two arms of the River Spree is expected to help Berlin's aspiration to make up for lost time with Paris and London as two of Europe's top travel destinations. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 Li springs a surprise on coal mine visit 2016-01-06 10:08 Premier Li Keqiang talks to miners before entering the 300-meter-deep Guandi Coal Mine in Taiyuan, Shanxi province. He praised their hard work, saying the miners are "not only the backbone of Shanxi, but also the backbone of China". Li had an inspection tour in Taiyuan, capital of North China's Shanxi province on Jan 4-5. [Photo/Chinanews Service] When 33-year-old Shi Haiqing answered the phone in the safety center at a coal mine in Taiyuan early on Tuesday, he thought the call might be from one of his colleagues reporting on work safety. But the caller asked: "Can you tell me about the gas density at the position where I am standing now? Can you tell where I am at the moment?" Shi felt the voice sounded familiar, but lost no time in replying. Taking a glance at the control panel, he said, "The gas density is 0.05 (percent per cubic meter)." His heart then pounded with excitement after the caller told him, "This is Li Keqiang." Premier Li Keqiang (3rd R) talks with groud duty staff on phone in the Guandi mine of Xishan Coal Electricity Group Co. Ltd, in North China's Shanxi province, Jan 5, 2016. [Photo/Chinanews Service] The call took place during the premier's visit to the Guandi Coal Mine in Taiyuan, Shanxi province. After hanging up the phone, Li told the workers that safety is paramount in mining jobs. He also extended New Year's greetings to everyone at the scene. Li spent two hours inside the mine, which was founded in 1960 and now has about 5,900 workers. He inspected mine production safety and talked with the workers, learning about their living and working conditions. Premier Li Keqiang (2nd R) inspects the Guandi mine of Xishan Coal Electricity Group Co.Ltd, in North China's Shanxi province, Jan 5, 2016. Li had an inspection tour in Taiyuan, capital of North China's Shanxi province on Jan 4 and Jan 5. [Photo/Xinhua] The two-day visit to Shanxi is Li's first trip of the year. Most of his agenda comprises visits to traditional industries such as coal mines and iron and steel works. The province has relied for decades on developing its rich mining resources. In 2012, about 56.6 percent of its GDP came from the coal mining industry. But an industry slump both domestically and globally has hit Shanxi hard, especially last year. Premier Li Keqiang (1st R) rides in a tramcar as he inspects the Guandi mine of Xishan Coal Electricity Group Co.Ltd, in North China's Shanxi province, Jan 5, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] During his visit to the Guandi mine, the premier asked several times about workers' salaries. He arrived at the mine, which lies inside a mountain, at 9 am and boarded a small train used to transport the miners. They work 300 meters underground but their work area is 7 kilometers from where Li boarded the train, and the journey took 40 minutes. Premier Li Keqiang (1st R) rides in a tramcar as he inspects the Guandi mine of Xishan Coal Electricity Group Co.Ltd, in North China's Shanxi province, Jan 5, 2016. [Photo/Chinanews Service] Before getting on the train, Li greeted scores of miners who had just finished the night shift and were about to change out of their dusty uniforms. After a 12-hour shift, the workers, whose faces were nearly half-black with coal dust, stood around the premier. Li encouraged them to have confidence in the coal market, although current prospects are not looking so good. "Coal mining still serves as Shanxi's pillar industry. About 60 to 70 percent of the energy that the country requires for its development comes from coal mines," Li said. Li Keqiang (1st front) inspects the Guandi mine of Xishan Coal Electricity Group Co. Ltd, in North China's Shanxi province, Jan 5, 2016. Li had an inspection tour in Taiyuan, capital of North China's Shanxi province on Jan 4 and Jan 5. [Photo/Chinanews Service] The coal mining industry is suffering from "certain difficulties" as the global market does not look too good, he said. "But we need to have confidence that coal will still be the country's major industry. The difficulties will eventually be conquered," Li added. Premier Li Keqiang (front, R) inspects the Taiyuan Iron & Steel Group in Taiyuan, capital of North China's Shanxi province, on Jan 4, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] Premier Li Keqiang inspects the Taiyuan branch of Tsinghua Science Park in Taiyuan, capital of North China's Shanxi province, Jan 5, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] Premier Li Keqiang (1st L) visits the Museum of Shanxi Businessmen in Taiyuan, capital of North China's Shanxi province, on Jan 4, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] While Kharge is considered the firm favourite with his perceived proximity to the Gandhis, Tharoor has pitched himself as the candidate of change. News Sep 30th, 2022 at 16:55 Last year's winner of the Travolution Award for Best Technology Innovation believes it can help travel firms generate better return on investment in... Wilbert Mason ST. LUCIA RESORT WELCOMES NEW GENERAL MANAGER The Landings St. Lucia appoints hospitality veteran Wilbert Mason ST. LUCIA (January 5, 2016) - Seasoned hospitality executive Wilbert Mason is the new general manager of The Landings St. Lucia. Mason , who spent much of his career managing luxury resorts in the Caribbean, assumes his new role from Chair of the Executive Committee Kathy Taylor who had been serving as the general manager on an interim basis. "It is an honor to welcome Wilbert to the family of The Landings St. Lucia," said Taylor, who described the hospitality executive as "goal-oriented" in surpassing performance standards across multiple areas. Mason , a Certified Hospitality Administrator (CHA), is a native of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and holds a Master's Certificate in Food and Beverage Management from Cornell University, a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Hospitality from Utah Valley University, and a Master of Business Administration from Regis University. "I look forward to sharing my skills and leveraging my experience to help The Landings continue to elevate its offerings as a leading world luxury all-suite resort in the Caribbean," said Mason , who added that building on the past year's performance and service standards was imperative for his team. In addition to Mason 's extensive resort experience, he has also held several leadership positions in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), including Vice President of Hospitality for the BVI Chamber of Commerce and Hotel Association, executive team member of the BVI Tourist Board, and member of the BVI Minimum Wage Board. Mason joins The Landings after serving as General Manager at Seven Stars Resort in Turks and Caicos. Previously, he spent seven years at Peter Island Resort where he was both Rooms Division Manager and General Manager. He also spent several years with Sandy Lane in Barbados in positions of increasing seniority. "My goal is to inspire The Landings St. Lucia team members to provide guests with personalized service of the highest caliber. From pre-arrival arrangements to dinner reservations at the resort and around the island, I look forward to engaging with our guests and working alongside our staff to create truly unique guest experiences. As I always say, happy employees make happy guests." About The Landings St. Lucia More than an authentic St. Lucian experience, The Landings St. Lucia, a AAA Four Diamond all-suite world luxury beach resort, is the perfect reflection of true villa luxury. Excellence is paramount at The Landings, both in service and amenities. The combination of a luxury beachfront resort with 85 spacious and fully-loaded designer suites, a private yacht marina, a 7,000 square foot signature spa and the genuine warmth of the St. Lucian people, leaves nothing to be desired. Located on the soft white sands of Rodney Bay, The Landings St. Lucia caters to every whim on one of the most beautiful and unique islands in the Caribbean. Search News Archive : Fast Travel News Promotion Via Search, Social Media + Email Follow Us On : ROOMSPACE OPENS VERTEX HOUSE IN CROYDON Industry: Accommodation Wimbledon, January 2016 Roomspace, headquartered in Wimbledon, S.W. London, the UKs longest established and leading serviced apartment provider, are delighted to announce the opening of their second apartment building in the commuter town of Croydon, Vertex House. These brand new apartments are in the heart of Croydon and are perfectly placed to meet the increasing needs of this busy commuter hub. With regular train services into Central London in under 25 minutes Croydon is a location of choice for corporate living. (TRAVPR.COM) UNITED KINGDOM - January 6th, 2016 Wimbledon, January 2016 Roomspace, headquartered in Wimbledon, S.W. London, the UKs longest established and leading serviced apartment provider, are delighted to announce the opening of their second apartment building in the commuter town of Croydon, Vertex House. These brand new apartments are in the heart of Croydon and are perfectly placed to meet the increasing needs of this busy commuter hub. With regular train services into Central London in under 25 minutes Croydon is a location of choice for corporate living. Vertex House offers business travellers a great range of spacious, fully furnished one and two bedroom apartments, with contemporary and modern open plan living and dining spaces. All apartments come with complimentary unlimited Wi-Fi and our Roomspace 24 hour Guest Services assistance. Our apartments are ideal for anyone living or working away from home regardless of length of stay. Croydon is a very key Roomspace location, close to Central London and a sought after place for modern corporate accommodation", says Claire Vincent, Director of Sales for Roomspace. "We are therefore very pleased to introduce Vertex House, our second location in the town", she continues. Vertex House is the latest addition to our exciting and growing portfolio in Surrey and confirms our position as the leading serviced apartment operator in the area, adds Jo Layton, MD Group Commercial Sales for Roomspace. Our centrally located apartments are just a stones throw away from many local services, including a selection of shops, bars, cinemas, restaurants and local amenities. Croydon is only 19 miles from Gatwick airport and the obvious choice for commuters and corporate living. - End For property enquiries please contact: Charles McCrow CEO | CMC@roomspace.com For sales enquiries please contact: Claire Vincent Director of Sales | Claire.Vincent@roomspace.com For press enquiries please contact: Bard Vos Marketing Manager | marketing@roomspace.com Jo Layton MD Group Commercial Sales | Jo.Layton@roomspace.com About Roomspace Roomspace is the longest established corporate housing brand in the UK. Founded in 1995, Roomspace provides 450 + high quality fully furnished and serviced apartments for corporate stays of any kind (extended business stays, relocations, project work) in London, the Home Counties, Madrid in Spain and Lisbon in Portugal. ### Please contact the person or company listed above for information regarding the content of this press release. TravPR.com are not the issuers of this press release and are not responsible for the accuracy of the content. Share Release : CONTACT INFORMATION Name: Claire Vincent Company: Roomspace Phone: 00442089441444 Email: claire.vincent@roomspace.com Web: roomspace.apartmentservi... PRESS RELEASE TAGS MEDIA GALLERY Visit Our Site A cautionary tale for picky eaters. So, youre a giant ape the biggest ape to ever grace the planet but does that mean you get to shun your vegetables? No way. At least not for Gigantopithecus, the King Kong of Asia who roamed southern China and mainland southeast Asia up to 100,000 years ago. New research reveals that this granddaddy of apes, weighing in at five times more than an adult male and reaching an impressive nine feet in height, failed to survive when climate change switched the menu from forest fruit to savannah grass. Frank Vincentz/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 2.0 By looking at variations in carbon isotopes found in tooth enamel of the few known fossil records, Herve Bocherens, from Tubingen University in Germany and an international team of scientists, found that the super apes didnt stray far from the forest and were strict vegetarians with a taste for fruit. That this primordial King Kong, as The Guardian calls the species, was a finicky eater wasnt a problem for most of its existence. But when that pesky Pleistocene epoch Ice Age came into play, all bets were off. Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 3.0Thats when nature, evolution and perhaps a refusal to try new foods conspired to doom the giant ape, Bocherens explained, as reported by Marlowe Hood for AFP. Due to its size, Gigantopithecus presumably depended on a large amount of food, Bocherens said. When during the Pleistocene, more and more forested area turned into savannah landscapes, there was simply an insufficient food supply. The study notes that other apes and early humans in Africa who had like-minded teeth were able to adapt by eating the leaves, grass and roots that took the place of their former meals. But not the big guys. Gigantopithecus probably did not have the same ecological flexibility and possibly lacked the physiological ability to resist stress and food shortage, notes the study. Unless, of course, Gigantopithecus secretly did survive. In "Big Footprints: A Scientific Inquiry into the Reality of Sasquatch," Bigfoot hunter Grover Krantz, suggests that a few thousand Gigantopithecus cheated extinction by migrating from Asia over the Bering straits ... thus, giving us Bigfoot. So maybe eating your greens isnt so important afterall. Aneesha Sareen Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 6 Exactly a year after he was arrested from Thailand and extradited to India, a special camp court in Burail Jail, presided over by Additional Sessions Judge JS Sidhu, today allowed the plea of Jagtar Singh Tara to meet four convicts confined to the jail in the Beant Singh assassination case. Tara had sought permission from the court to meet convicts Lakhwinder Singh, Gurmeet Singh, Shamsher Singh and Paramjt Singh Bheora, all of whom are undergoing life imprisonment after being convicted in the Beant Singh assassination case of 1995. The court has stated that the jail authorities, if necessary, can depute their employees when Tara meets these convicts. In addition, the court has also allowed Taras plea to call his family members as per the jail rules. However, if the jail authorities have any suspicion, they can take proper precaution, said the court. Tara, along with three others, had escaped from Burail Jail in 2004 in the Beant Singh assassination case. Tara is under restriction to move out of Burail Jail in the case and thus the Beant Singh trial is heard inside the jail. The Supreme Court had paved the way for hearing of the Beant Singh trial and directed the District Courts to depute a representative to collect the record in the case for the trial to begin against Tara. The case has now been adjourned to February 18. The case Jagtar Singh Tara was arrested from Thailand on January 7, 2015. A self-styled commander of terror outfit Khalistan Tiger Force, Tara was one of the plotters in the assassination of Beant Singh by a human bomb outside the Punjab Secretariat in Chandigarh on August 31, 1995. Besides Beant Singh, 17 others had lost their lives in the blast. The suicide bombing was carried out by Dilawar Singh Jaisinghvala of the Khalistan Liberation Force. Standby bomber Balwant Singh Rajoana was also convicted of the killing and later sentenced to death. However, various Sikh groups protested against the sentence, leading to the government staying his execution in 2012. Jagtar Singh Hawara and Balwant Singh were awarded the death sentence in 2007, which was later commuted to life imprisonment. The other accused, Gurmeet Singh, Lakhwinder Singh and Shamsher Singh, were awarded life imprisonment. The trial had vitually come to a halt after three of the accused Hawara, Tara and Bheora along with cook Devi Singh escaped from the high-security Burail Jail by digging a 100-foot-long tunnel in January 2004. But, it resumed in February 2004 following the re-arrest of Hawara and Bheora though the police were unable to catch Tara until January 2015. The special court, which was held at Burail Jail where the accused was lodged, was told by the CBI that Bheora had helped another suspect, Tara, in bringing the car used in the blast inside the Secretariat premises. Bheoras trial was segregated by an order of the court after his re-arrest from New Delhi in 2006. He has been sentenced to life imprisonment. Naseeb Singh was awarded a jail term of 10 years, along with a fine of Rs 10,000, but he was released as he had already been jailed for as many years. Only Navjot Singh had been acquitted. The UT police have already filed a chargesheet against Tara last year in the Burail jailbreak case of 2004. Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 5 The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the UT police arrested the proprietor of High Tech Force Motors Pvt Ltd, Sukhminder Singh, who had allegedly defrauded UCO Bank of Rs 5.48 crore on the pretext of financing 56 cars in the name of customers, from Mohali last night. The accused, who had disguised himself to evade arrest, was produced in the court today, which remanded him in three-day police custody. Sukhminder had applied for anticipatory bail after the registration of an FIR against him. However, his bail application was rejected. The FIR against Sukhminder and two others, including a manager with the bank, was registered in July 2015. Sukhminders two other accomplices local bank manager Satpal Kashyap and his sales manager Varinder Rawat were arrested earlier. According to the FIR, Sukhminder, in connivance with the other two, submitted forged sales certificates, invoice, registration certificates and engine and chassis numbers of 56 vehicles on behalf of 36 borrowers to UCO Bank and obtained Rs 5.48 crore in the shape of loans. Police sources said the loans were obtained between 2012 and 2015. The FIR was registered at the Industrial Area police station. Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 6 Member Provincial Parliament, Ontario (Canada) and leader of the official Opposition, Patrick Brown today advocated the need to initiate joint efforts to combat menace of terrorism across the globe. Addressing mediapersons here today before paying obeisance at the Golden Temple, Patrick described terrorist activities very unfortunate. He said joint answers to this global evil were need of the hour. Reacting to the query of mediapersons posed in the backdrop of terrorist attack on Air Force base in Pathankot, he said countries facing terrorism should launch a crusade together against this menace so that designs of terrorists could be thwarted. He said this was a global challenge, which should be jointly tackled and eliminated. Brown, who was here along with a Canadian delegation to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple, said combating terrorism should be taken as top priority. Canada was committed to extend every possible help and support to nations battling terrorism, he added. He said he had discussed this sensitive issue with various leaders of different nations and emphasised the need of joint efforts against this global evil. Answering a query regarding racial attacks on Sikhs in North America, Brown clarified that in Canada such incidents were almost rare and Canadian government had adopted zero tolerance against it. He termed these attacks emanated out of mistaken identity, misinformation and confusion, besides describing them as unfair and unacceptable in any civil society. Replying to another query regarding his visit, he said he was here along with members of Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce for a trade mission. He said the trade mission was aimed to make fruitful connections that would benefit economies of both Punjab and Ontario. Brown said earlier, under this mission he visited Pakistan and now he would meet representatives of various states in India to boost economic ties and bilateral relations. This was his 16th trip to India, besides ninth visit to the holiest Sikh shrine, he added. Prominent amongst those, who accompanied Brown include, Gulab Singh Saini, advisor to MPP, Jad Johal, Gogi Sidhu, Sunny Grewal, Fiona brown, Janve, Robert Fesal, Prof Sarchand Singh, Rakesh prashar, Prabhjot Daliwal and others. KC Singh For the second time in six months, in the same sensitive Gurdaspur-Pathankot area, Pakistan-based terrorists have struck. While the Dinanagar attack had random shooting at a passing bus, dispensary, etc., before the fidayeen dug-in next to a police station, this time, the Air Force station at Pathankot was the target. Furthermore, while in Dinanagar, an SP lost his life, this time the role of another such officer raises many questions. However, despite timely intelligence, a handful of terrorists penetrating the periphery of the air base and causing panic and loss of life hardly merit kudos for either the state or the Central government. Even more significantly, questions arise about the Modi governments Pakistan policy, specifically his dramatic outreach that went from cursory chat in Paris between the prime ministers of India and Pakistan, to a meeting of the National Security Advisers in Bangkok, a visit of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to Pakistan and then finally the hand-holding between the two PMs in Lahore, like two strolling boys from Pindi as a Pakistani columnist put it. All this happening in weeks at a break-neck speed increased the probability of Pakistani spoilers, consisting of either the Pakistani army directly or via their surrogates, retaliating. The dithering by the Modi government and not quickly reassuring the public that it had factored-in such a relapse in its Pakistan policy indicated a lack of Plan B. The attack also exposed the perils of over-centralisation of policy-making and implementation. Neither the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) nor a Crisis Management Group under the Cabinet Secretary met. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval commenced to combat the threat with usual media leaks. Defence experts in television studios pointed out that rushing the National Security Guards (NSG) to Pathankot was fine if a hostage situation or close-quarter stand-off had developed, but perimeter security of the air base being the primary challenge, enough regular armed regiments were available in close proximity for deployment. This was particularly so when timely intelligence was available and an immediate army dragnet may have bagged the militants before they settled down. It is possible the NSA felt that the militants having had a head-start may have already penetrated the base. However, the NSG with 100-odd men was fine securing the inner perimeter, the Army should have been used to seal the outer one and commence a flushing-out operation. A related and more serious question is why steps were not taken to plug the loopholes in the riverine portions of Punjabs India-Pakistan border since the last intrusion in July. The links of the narcotics lobbies in Punjab, allegedly with powerful patrons in Punjabs ruling party, to the smuggler-terror network operating out of Pakistan have long been ignored. It is common knowledge that unlike when the Taliban rose in Afghanistan in the 1990s and eliminated the drug menace forcefully, it is now not averse to using drug money to fund its operations. The suspected hand of Jaish-e-Muhamed in the latest attack indicates the revival of loyal portions of that organisation despite its banning in 2002. One part of that group had gravitated towards the Tehrik-e-Taleban Pakistan (TTP), a renegade group targeting the Pakistan state and its army. Does the Pakistan army have a hand in its reincarnation? Is it a reflection of the realigning of militant groups post-US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in the entire Af-Pak theatre? There is a larger geo-political context in which the India-Pakistan drama is playing out. The 1990s scenarios, when the world re-configured after the collapse of the Soviet Union, are replaying to a different script. For instance, while then Russian influence and role contracted, the Putin presidency is now attempting to restore it, sensing US strategic fatigue and retreat. Also as the US then neglected the Af-Pak region, post-Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, and got preoccupied with the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait, it is now distracted by the Chinese rise and the Syrian imbroglio which has given rise to the ISIS that threatens the US and the West. It is not surprising that China has condemned the Pathankot attack as reports have emerged of Turkey facilitating the ferrying of Chinese Uyghurs to the Syrian battlefield. On the positive side, the Modi government has been able to construct a two-track dialogue process with Pakistan by hiving off the terror portion, raising it to the NSA level. This may be a clone of the Anti-terror Mechanism created in Havana in 2006, which I led from the Indian side for two years, but this time it leads directly to the Rawalpindi army headquarters as the Pakistani NSA is a recently retired corps commander. This can enable Delhi to figure out quickly whether Pakistans army is on board in curbing India-specific terror groups. The signs to the contrary are ominous. For instance, the attack on the Indian consulate in Afghanistan has coincided with that in Pathankot. Reports have just come in of possibly another nuclear test by North Korea, which it claims was a thermo-nuclear device. China and Pakistan have a history of co-venturing with that country. This test could upset the strategic balance in South Asia. The NSA-level mechanism allows India to postpone the foreign secretary-level meeting on January 15, which had to create a road map for the Comprehensive Dialogue (a rechristened version of the old Composite Dialogue), while it tests Pakistans willingness and ability to arrest and prosecute the collaborators of the Pathankot attack. Nawaz Sharifs telephone call to Modi, assuring action, needs verification over the next few weeks. The one lesson emerging from the handling of Pakistan by the Modi government is that dramatic moves and frequent bickering confuse Indian public opinion and give fillip to counter reaction from Pakistani spoilers. Sudden moves, particularly after the Bihar electoral defeat, may have been misread by the Pakistan army as weakness that can be exploited. Nor can transactional approaches inserting tycoons to soften the business-friendly Sharif clan ease the path to commercial links as the Pakistan army has the veto on that. With Pakistan slow and steady, as the old adage goes, is better than the novel and theatrical. Otherwise, the NDA will get to carry, not only the baggage of Lahore 1, which PM Vajpayee crafted in 1999, but also Lahore II, with the Modi label on it. The writer is a former Secretary, MEA Tribune News Service Jalandhar, January 6 Indian National Trade Union Congress (Punjab) today accused Sukhpal Khaira of making statements against Capt Amarinder Singh with the sole purpose to get publicity. While addressing the media persons here today, INTUC state president Malwinder Singh Lucky alleged, There has been dramatic enhancement in Sukhpal Khairas property from 2007 to 2012 that shows glaring irregularity. Condemning AAP for wrong policies, he said by taking Sukhpal Singh Khaira in the party, AAP has proved that they have been running short of leadership in the party for 2017 polls. Rebutting the allegation, AAP leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira said, Blatant white lie is being spread by my political opponents, that how I increased my assets from Rs 2 crore in 2007 to Rs 52 crores in 2012, as per affidavits filed before the Election Commission. My father Sukhjinder Singh passed away in 2010 and I inherited his assets. I am the only politician in the country to fill market value of my assets in the said affidavits. Ravi Krishnan Khajuria Tribune News Service Jammu, January 5 In the backdrop of the Pathankot airbase attack, the Jammu and Kashmir Police are all set to fortify the 198-km-long Indo-Pak international border in Kathua, Samba and Jammu districts. Official documents accessed by The Tribune revealed that the J&K Police had decided to put up permanent check points at vantage places in Kathua, Samba and Jammu districts. Though the BSF has the operational responsibility of the international border, the J&K Police will be putting up permanent check points, especially along the traditional routes of infiltration such as rivers and rivulets that flow into Pakistan, said a senior police officer. While the BSF is the first line of defence on the border followed by the Army, we are mulling a third layer of security so that subversive elements, including terrorists, who manage to breach the first two layers, could be intercepted, he added. The police officer said the police, which were busy with the spadework, would embark on the exercise in a couple of months. Permanent check points along traditional routes of infiltration and vantage points on the border will be hi-tech and policemen will be equipped with sophisticated weapons and surveillance gadgets, he said. He said that the security would also be upgraded on the 109-km-long Jammu-Pathankot highway. Automatic barriers, alarm systems, CCTV cameras and traffic spikes used to impede or stop the movement of vehicles by puncturing their tyres and highway patrols will be put in place, he said. While police stations, Army and other vital installations on the highway have always remained a soft target of Pakistani terrorists because of its proximity to the Indo-Pak border, we will also cover the Jammu-Srinagar highway in a phased manner, he added. An Army officer admitted that Pakistani militants had a free run on the Jammu-Pathankot highway - also called the lifeline of J&K, on hijacked vehicles before storming police stations and Army units. QUOTE: Frequent terror attacks in the last couple of years and this one (Pathankot) have instilled a fear in people. Terrorists had a free run on this highway in recent times and no one wants to get killed, said Susheel Kumar, lone employee at a filling station in Dayalachak. Ravi Krishnan Khajuria Tribune News Service Jammu, January 5 From police stations to Army installations in recent years and an Air Force station in 2016, there has been an increase in attacks by Pakistani militants on the Jammu-Pathankot highway. While the Pathankot airbase attack has brought to the fore the striking capability of Pakistani militants, it has also instilled fear in people. Frequent terror attacks in the last couple of years and this one (Pathankot) have instilled a fear in people. Terrorists had a free run on this highway in recent times and no one wants to get killed, said Susheel Kumar, lone employee at a filling station in Dayalachak. He attributed the thin traffic and near-deserted highway to the long-drawn-out Pathankot attack. Kumar recalled the September 26, 2013, attack when three heavily armed militants had a free run in a hijacked truck on the highway. They first stormed the Hiranagar police station and then struck an Army camp in Samba, killing an Army officer, three soldiers, four policemen and two civilians. Such attacks do create a fear psychosis in unarmed civilians, he added. Since September 2013, at least 40 lives have been lost in seven major terror attacks in J&K and Punjab. The Pathankot attack yet again exposed the chinks in the security apparatus on the international border with Pakistan, said a defence source. We do not have an established mechanism to deal with such situations. There seems to be no coordination between various security agencies to fight terrorism. While the NSG, Intelligence Bureau and the NIA come under the purview of the Home Ministry, the Army, which has an Infantry Division and Para Commando team in Mamun and Pathankot, should have been allowed to handle the situation (airbase attack), the defence source added. An Army source expressed regrets over the tardiness shown by various agencies in relaying information. Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 5 The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) labour wing led by Col CM Lakhanpal (Retd) held a peaceful protest at Jagraon Bridge today. The protest was against the alleged high-handed drive against the street vendors and hawkers by the Municipal Corporation of Ludhiana. The party volunteers garlanded the statues of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev and then staged a peaceful dharna there. A large number of members of the AAP labour wing participated in the protest along with many street hawkers. They said as per the directions of the Supreme Court, the MC had to decide beforehand a suitable place for these people before shifting them from their place. They also said the displaced people were also Indian citizens and it was their Fundamental Right to work and nobody could snatch their right from them. They demanded that the poor vendors should not be harassed anymore and the corporation should identify Vending Zones first. Simran Sodhi Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 5 Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today phoned Prime Minister Narendra Modi and assured him of Pakistans support in investigations into the Pathankot attack. Modi strongly emphasised the need for Pakistan to take firm and immediate action against the organisations and individuals responsible for and linked to the Pathankot terrorist attack, the Ministry of External Affairs stated in a press note. Sharif assured Modi that his government would take prompt and decisive action against the terrorists. Sharif, who is on a visit to Sri Lanka, made the phone call around 3.30 pm, a day after India provided leads to Pakistan indicating the involvement of its nationals in the attacks. Sources said India had shared with Pakistan the telephone intercepts of calls made by terrorists to their alleged handlers and the location of those they had called in Pakistan. The attackers had made about a dozen calls to numbers in Pakistan. The evidence provided by India to Pakistan includes call records from Bahawalpur and the addresses from where the calls originated. Sources say India has been able to identify the Pakistani handlers. It is understood that the leads and evidence have been provided to Pakistan by National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval. Meanwhile, the fate of the Foreign Secretary-level talks is yet to decided. Sources say India has demanded action against the JeM top leadership and the arrest of Masood Azhar before the talks take place. Pakistan had on Monday said it was working on the leads provided by India. The US too has said that Pakistan must take action against the perpetrators of the Pathankot attack. Amaninder Pal Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 6 Besides protection of strategic assets and families of soldiers residing at the Pathankot Air Force station, the safety of 23 trainee fighter pilots from other countries was a major concern for the Indian security establishment when terrorists attacked the air base on the intervening night of January 1 and 2. Trainee fighter pilots belonging to Afghanistan, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Myanmar were present at the Pathankot air base on that day. This was revealed by Lt Gen KJ Singh, Army Commander, Western Command, today. The safety of those pilots was a top priority for the security establishments involved in neutralising the terrorists, he said. Listing the successes achieved during the operation, he said, There has been no collateral damage... Around 3,000 families (11,000 people) live in that air force station. No harm was caused to them. More importantly, there were 23 foreign trainee pilots from four friendly nations. All of them are safe. There would have been a crisis situation had the terrorists taken hostage even one of them, he said. He also defended the decision to deploy the National Security Guard (NSG) to deal with the situation. The decision to call in the NSG was taken by the appropriate authority, including the Services chiefs. There could have been a hostage crisis. Besides 3,000 families of Air Force personnel, some foreign trainees were also present there. What if even a single foreign trainee was taken hostage? The NSG is specially trained to deal with such situations, he said. Had the air base suffered any damage in the terror attack, it would have been very difficult to fly in the NSG there. That was the main reason that the force was inducted at a very early stage of the operation, he said. He said the operation was a complete success. On disposing of terrorists bodies, he said of six, two bodies are completely charred. The other four could be booby traps. A hand grenade hanging with the body of a terrorist is visible. We have yet to decide whether to destroy these or not, said Lt Gen KJ Singh, army commander, western command. Ravi Dhaliwal Tribune News Service Gurdaspur, January 6 Nearly 1,000 personnel of Army and Punjab Police have converted Pandher village, 8 km from here and 2 km from the Tibri cantonment, into an impregnable fortress following reports that two armed persons had gone into hiding in a 15-acre sugarcane field. A massive search operation was in progress and neither the army nor the police officers were willing to comment on it. Two Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team also reached the spot. The threat is for real. It is not a hoax. We have sounded an alert throughout the state, an SSP-level officer said. Even as NIA Director General Sharad Kumar was holding a series of meetings in the Air Force complex, regarding the terrorist attack at the Pathankot IAF base, 35 km from here, two suspicious men sneaked into the village in broad daylight. The villagers said they had sighted a some people wearing military uniforms going into sugarcane fields. The army has vacated 500 houses in Pandher and the adjoining villages of Bhulechak and Babbehali. The terrorists who attacked the Pathankot air base and Dinanagar police station too were wearing army fatigues. The fact that the cantonment area is just 2 km away has added to our worries. We cannot take chances. More forces are being requisitioned, said SSP Gurpreet Singh Toor. DGP Suresh Arora, who returned to Chandigah today from Pathankot, was being regularly updated about the developments by the SSP. At this point in time, we cannot say how much ammunition militants are carrying, said a senior officer. Although no firing was reported till the time of filing the report, senior officers were repeatedly claiming that it was not a hoax and the threat was for real. The exact number of suspects could not be ascertained even by officials. Senior officers of the cantonment, Deputy Commissioner Dr Abhinav Trikha, Additonal DGP Hardeep Singh Dhillon, SSP Gurpreet Singh Toor and other officials of the district administration were camping in the area. Additional forces from Gurdaspur and the neighbouring police districts of Batala, Amritsar and Hoshirapur had been requisitioned. Buses carrying policemen could be seen going from the police lines to the village. All roads leading to and from the village have been sealed. There was no traffic movement on the normally busy 22-km Gurdaspur-Mukerian road, on which Tibri cantonment is situated. New York, January 6 An Indian-origin British national, who was a former partner at consulting firm McKinsey & Co, has been arrested here on allegations of fraud amounting to nearly USD 890,000. Navdeep Arora, a former partner in the Chicago office of McKinsey & Company, was arrested on Sunday at JFK International Airport in New York. Arora, 51, of London, is charged with eight counts of wire fraud in an indictment filed in US District Court in Chicago. Arora made an initial appearance yesterday in District Court in New York and was ordered detained pending further proceedings, the Department of Justice said. The indictment, which was returned in August and unsealed yesterday, also charges Matthew Sorensen, a former internal consultant for State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, with five counts of wire fraud. Sorensen, 49, of Bloomington, Illinois, is scheduled to appear for arraignment on January 11 in Chicago. According to the federal charges, Arora oversaw various consulting services provided by McKinsey to State Farm. The indictment contends that Arora and Sorensen used two companies "Gabriel Solutions" and "Andy's BCB" to defraud their employers out of phony consulting fees. Sorensen billed McKinsey for the bogus work purportedly performed by the companies, and Arora allocated the fees to the State Farm projects to which he was assigned, according to the indictment. As a result of the scheme, McKinsey and State Farm paid USD 38,265 for consulting services purportedly performed by "Andy's BCB", and USD 452,710 in fees billed by Gabriel Solutions," the indictment states. Sorensen pocketed nearly all of the fees paid to "Andy's BCB," and he took approximately USD 370,000 of the amount paid to "Gabriel Solutions", according to the indictment. In addition to the phony consulting services, the indictment contends that Arora fraudulently obtained over USD 400,000 from McKinsey, State Farm and other McKinsey clients in the form of travel and expense reimbursements. Arora claimed that the costs had been incurred for legitimate business purposes, when in reality the expenses pertained to Arora's personal travel. The indictment alleges that Arora falsely expensed personal trips to Scottsdale, Napa, Vail, Miami, Las Vegas, New York, London, Prague and Munich, among others. Arora also obtained reimbursement for personal expenditures he incurred in Chicago while residing there, the indictment states. The Chicago expenses included hotel, dining and theater costs, according to the indictment, it said. PTI Dhaka, January 6 In a tit-for-tat, Pakistan has expelled a Bangladeshi woman diplomat and asked her to leave the country by tomorrow, days after a Pakistani female diplomat was sent packing over accusations of having links with the JMB militant group. Pakistan's Foreign Office has issued an order for the expulsion of Bangladeshi diplomat Moushumi Rahman, Samaa TV reported. Islamabad's move came apparently in a retaliation to the expulsion of a Pakistani diplomat from Dhaka in December. Rahman, a Counsellor and Head of Chancery in Islamabad, has been given till tomorrow to leave Pakistan. A Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry official preferring anonymity told PTI in Dhaka that Pakistan yesterday summoned Bangladesh's High Commissioner in Islamabad Sohrab Hossain. "Moushumi Rahman accompanied our high commissioner at the Pakistan's Foreign Ministry where a senior officer of theirs verbally asked (Hossain) to send Moushumi back to Dhaka by Thursday, citing no reason," the official said. Bangladesh today deplored the Pakistani counter-action, calling it a "face-saving" move and asked Islamabad to provide reasons for the expulsion. "This appears to be a face-saving move on the part of Pakistan as it was forced to recall a diplomat of theirs from Dhaka," State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam said. "Such a move is not conducive for friendly ties between the two countries," he said. PTI tricountyleader.com expired on 09/23/2022 and is pending renewal or deletion. Backorder Domain Image via www.dot.ri.gov The Rhode Island General Assembly is in session only from the beginning of January to the end of June. But last summer is no distant memory for its part-time lawmakers. Members of the House and Senate returned to Smith Hill in Providence on Jan. 5 to a full plate of unfinished business. Arguably, the least appetizing item they face is a hotly contested truck-only toll plan to fund bridge repairs. No one in the General Assembly or the Governors Office-- and no doubt pretty much anyone who lives or works in the Ocean State-- disputes the deplorable conditions of its highway infrastructure. The question, agree those on both side of the truck-tolling divide, is how to pay for the extensive repairs and improvements needed to keep the state competitive with its New England neighbors, including maintaining its stretch of the most critical north-south artery on the East Coast I-95. Rhode Island DOT has this to say about the state of the highways: Rhode Island ranks last in the nation, 50th out of 50 states, in overall bridge condition-- about 22% of the 1,162 bridges in Rhode Island are structurally deficient. We do not have a reliable, sustainable funding source-- we're tied with one other state (Montana) as the most reliant on federal dollars to fund our infrastructure. Rhode Island lags other states along the I-95 corridor in how it finances road and bridge repairs-- we're among the few states in the Northeast that does not charge user fees to large commercial trucks. The RhodeWorks plan calls for fixing more than 150 structurally deficient bridges and making repairs to another 500 bridges to prevent them from becoming deficient. It would invest an additional $1 billion above current plans in transportation infrastructure. Part of the funding would be derived from truck tolls, to be used to finance $500 million in repairs and replacements of aging bridges, for the states aging bridge infrastructure. The state expects the tolls to raise between $60 million and $100 million a year. It should be noted that when the plan was first rolled out, national and local trucking groups raised enough of a hue and cry about the tolls hitting only commercial trucks that the proposal was amended so it would only apply to vehicles of Class 8 and above. Language was also added that would allow RI DOT to establish a program that would limit the assessment of tolls on a single vehicle within one day. Individual large commercial vehicles would only be subject to tolls once per location, per day in each direction. The scheme had been proposed in 2015 by Gov. Gina Raimondo (D). On Jun. 23, just before adjourning for the year, the Democratic-controlled Senate passed the bill by a 33-4 vote along party lines. While the Democrats (63-11-1) also hold the majority (63-11-1) in the House, it appears the tolling measure wont pass that chamber quickly or easily. Back in June, the Providence Journal reported that the bill went flying to the Senate floor for a same-day vote, winning the unanimous approval of the Senate Finance Committee moments after the latest version was introduced. Remarkably on that very day, RI DOT closed a bridge in Cranston near the law office of House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello (D). The newspaper report noted that the Senate pushed the truck-only toll bill ahead despite repeated statements of concern by Mattiello about the potential consequences for Rhode Island businesses that rely on highway shipments. So much for the perceived advantage of one-party rule. On the other hand, the Journal reported this week that Mattiello said he now expects a final version of an infrastructure bill will most likely have a tolling provision." However, he added that to make that happen, the Raimondo administration has to do a lot of disclosing very, very quickly because until that is done, the House of Representatives will not take anything up." The Speakers vote, of course, is not the only one that counts. Lawmakers up for reelection this year will have to ponder how much grass-roots campaigning against truck tolling chiefly by the StopTollsRI coalition may build public support against the proposal. If indeed all politics is local, it could be argued that you cant get more local than a broken-down bridge. Except deciding on who should pay to fix it. A new protection for Native American women who have been raped or assaulted is being developed as the result of a grant awarded to the Cherokee Nation. Chrissi Ross Nimmo, senior assistant attorney general for the tribe, said the $390,544 Department of Justice grant is designed to increase awareness and help prosecute cases involving the sexual assault and domestic violence incidents on women. The grant will be divided in half with $195,272 to be awarded over two years. The Cherokee Nation is the only tribe out of seven agencies to receive part of the $2.7 million in DOJ funds as part of the Office on Violence Against Womens Sexual Assault Justice Initiative. The long-range impact will make it possible to prosecute offenders, regardless of race, who think they are escaping the law because they think they are outside the jurisdiction of Indian tribal courts, she said. Training for prosecutors and those collecting evidence in sexual assault and domestic violence cases is a key component of the grant, Nimmo said. The training will make it possible to gather and present evidence even if the victim doesnt want to testify. Often the public perception is a victim doesnt want to press charges. Whether or not charges are filed is not the victims choice, Nimmo said. That is decision to be made by the state. The evidence-based training will make it possible for prosecutors and law enforcement agencies to work together in collecting evidence. It will be possible to prosecute the case without the victim showing up in the courtroom and having to re-live the trauma she experienced. In the past it became a case of he said, she said and often the court would not pursue the case. Now, with new technology, including cell phones, DNA tests and unaltered digital photos, it is possible to present evidence following established court rules. Another important part of the grant will be the opportunity for the Cherokee Nation to link up with the ODCR Oklahoma District Court Records to make it possible for law enforcement personnel in Oklahomas 77 counties to know if there is an outstanding warrant from the tribe on an individual. In the past, the only way an officer would know if a woman had a protective order in place from the Cherokee Nation was to show a piece of paper with the court order. Now the woman can dial 911 and advise authorities when she is being harassed. The authorities will be able to reference ODCR, verify the protective order and take appropriate action. The third part of the grant will focus on the Violence Against Women Act that allows individuals to be tried before tribal courts. Currently the Cherokee Nation does not meet the federal guidelines to try non-Indians in tribal courts, but work is progressing towards the certification that should be achieved soon, she said. Federal rules require the tribal court to have a lawyer trained as a judge; the defendant must be provided a defense attorney and juries must be made up of both Indian and non-Indians. The Cherokee Nation is very close to meeting all requirements, Nimmo said. At this time there are a handful of tribes perhaps 20 that meet the federal requirements to be able to try non-Indians. The Nation already has ONE FIRE in place, a special area in the Tahlequah hospital where sexual assault and domestic violence victims are taken, she said. Medical personnel in this section are trained to collect and verify evidence that later could be used in court. Programs and plans developed by the Cherokee Nation under the grant will be shared with other tribes who will adapt what has been learned to their specific needs, Nimmo said. The idea is to use the good ideas so other tribes wont duplicate things that didnt work. The Cherokee Nation works with law enforcement agencies in 14 northeast Oklahoma counties, she said. These officers are cross-deputized with the tribe and have the authority to make arrests when necessary. We have very good relationships with these law enforcement agencies, Nimmo said. CLAREMORE Freight trains have been a staple of this nations economy since the 1800s. But their horns can be disconcerting, if not deafening. City Hall sits about 200 feet from one of the lines (Union Pacific), Assistant City Manager Dave Brown said. We have to stop city council meetings several times. When it comes through, you cant talk. Its that loud. A more peaceful work environment could be in the offing. City officials want to improve safety at highway grade railroad crossings, a move that could place Claremore in a quiet zone by early 2017, Brown said. A quiet zone is a segment of rail line where the locomotives horn is not routinely sounded at highway grade crossings. In these areas, supplemental safety measures are installed at grade crossings as a substitute for a trains horn. This is the first step of a 10-year Master Transportation Plan, Brown said. In my view, it was a low-hanging fruit because we hadnt read the regulation in a while, and we didnt know how much we already had as far as safety measures. Were hoping that this is huge step in the right direction that gives some relief to the citizens, but also tourists as they come through and our hotels as they book rooms. Oklahoma Highways 20, 66 and 88 serve the city, and two railways disect it the BNSF and Union Pacific. More than 30 trains pass through Claremore daily, halting traffic, slowing emergency vehicle response times and creating noise. To qualify as a quiet zone, the city would have to meet a series of Federal Railroad Administration requirements, the minimum of which is the installation of single-gate safety arms at all the municipalitys 18 highway-grade crossings, Brown said. The city is one crossing short of meeting that requirement BNSF line at Country Club Road and municipal officials are waiting for the railway to give them a quote on that installation. In the meantime, Claremore is considering traffic channelization, which entails building thin, 100-foot-long or so medians between lanes that lead up to a crossing. City officials met about a month ago with BNSF and UP representatives, who advocate such measures to deter motorists from circumventing safety gates. Its valued very high on their risk factors, Brown said. For us, thankfully, its one of the cheaper solutions. The city is considering channelization at 8-10 intersections, he said. The Railroad Administration, railways and Oklahoma Department of Transportation will pore over the citys plan and inspect the targeted crossings at a diagnostic review scheduled Feb. 18. If the proposal is approved, construction on the approaches to the crossings could take place in the ensuing months, with final quiet zone approval achieved from the federal authority the city hopes by early 2017, Brown said. Its a quieter zone, he said. Its not a guarantee. Every engineer on every train, if they see an unsafe act they still have the obligation to blow their horn. Our goal, obviously, would be reducing 90 to 95 percent of the horn-blowing that happens with two train lines and 30 trains a day. Danger 5 returned to SBS 2 last Sunday night (check SBS on Demand for the first episode). A second episode airs this weekend. This January allied superteam, Danger 5 reunite on SBS 2 after years of farflung obscurity to stop Hitlers ultimate quest for world domination in a 1980s excess soaked universe of neon, ninjas, discos, dinosaurs, pizza and prom queens. Joining the cast for the new second season of this critically acclaimed cult action adventure series are newcomers Pacharo Mzembe, and Elizabeth Hay. Sean-James Murphy, Natasa Ristic, David Ashby, and Amanda Simons reprise their roles as Tucker, Ilsa, Jackson and Claire. Comedian and TV personality Shaun Micallef also takes up a guest role. Episode Two: Johnny Hitler Johnny Hitler is the coolest kid on campus, and all he wants is a date with world domination. Hitler has infiltrated a high school in the American mid-west in search of a female senior student. His motives are unknown. Danger 5 are forced to go undercover and back to school, where Tuckers teaching skills are pushed to the limit, Pierres coolness is put to the test and Jackson is hunted by a ruby-eyed wolf man with a machine gun and a grudge. Each episode is based on a different genre of 1980s cinema and TV. Episode two is set in an American high school and plays on elements from high school movies like Ferris Buellers Day Off and The Breakfast Club. Lockers, hallways, change rooms, classrooms, slackers, geeks, and prom queens form the bones of this episode. 80s teen slasher elements also play strongly in this episode drawing on themes and situations defined by films like A Nightmare on Elm Street and John Carpenters Halloween. Sunday, 11 January at 9.30pm on SBS 2 2:19 p.m., Jan. 6, 2016--Approximately 2,000 agriculture stakeholders will learn best practices and new technologies, network with leading industry vendors and experts and meet with other agricultural producers at the 11th annual Delaware Agriculture Week to be held from Monday, Jan. 11, to Thursday, Jan. 14, at the Delaware State Fairgrounds in Harrington, Delaware. We are again looking forward to this years Delaware Ag Week. Individual session chairs have done a great job pulling session topics and speakers together, said Cory Whaley, University of Delaware agriculture Extension agent and Delaware Ag Week chair. This is a great event where attendees can get continuing education credits, visit with friends, and interact with local vendors. The four-day event provides numerous sessions that cover a wide array of topics including small fruits, fresh market and processing vegetables, small flock and commercial poultry, grain crops with wheat quality and marketing being this years focus in a special evening agronomic session hay and pasture, beef cattle, irrigation, and marketing. A risk management session on retirement and succession planning will be featured. Nutrient management, pesticide and certified crop adviser continuing education credits will be offered. Also as part of Delaware Ag Week, the Delaware Urban Farm and Food Coalition will host Meredith Lathbury Girard, a senior program officer with the Town Creek Foundation, who will give a talk on A Regional Strategy for the Mid-Atlantic Food System from 6-8 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 14, at the Delaware Center for Horticulture in Wilmington. Networking and refreshments will begin at 5:30 p.m. The event is free, but registration is required. For more information, visit this website or contact Carrie Murphy at 302-831-COOP. Delaware Ag Week is sponsored by the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension, Delaware State University Cooperative Extension and the Delaware Department of Agriculture. Agriculture is an $8 billion industry in Delaware according to a 2010 University of Delaware report that factors in agriculture jobs and related production, goods and services that support the largest industry in the First State. As with last years event, the main meeting area will be located in the Exhibit Hall, with additional meetings in the Exhibit Board Room and Commodities Building. A trade show, with more than 80 exhibitors, will take place in the Dover Building. The Delaware Ag Week website features a listing of daily sessions as well as the 2016 program book, available for download. 9:47 a.m., Jan. 6, 2016--The University of Delawares Mark Isaacs and Ryan VanSant were presented statewide honors from the Delaware Farm Bureau during a ceremony held in December. Isaacs received the 2015 Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award and VanSant was named the bureaus Youth Ambassador. Mark Isaacs Isaacs, the director of the Elbert N. and Ann V. Carvel Research and Education Center and an assistant professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences in UDs College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said he was honored and humbled to receive the award. Its pretty special to me coming from that particular group, our state Farm Bureau, because Ive always felt that what I did here was really connected to our states agriculture system and its important to me that those people at that level feel like weve done a good job, Isaacs said. Its pretty special just because of who it came from and the importance of the Farm Bureau to Delaware agriculture. Isaacs, who also received the Sussex County Farm Bureaus 2015 Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award, has been at UD for almost 30 years and said that he is proud of the way the 344-acre Carvel Research and Education Center campus has developed over the years and of the staff that the center has assembled. I feel really good that weve set our facility up here to meet the future needs of agriculture for the state, and thats something I take a lot of pride in, he said. We positioned ourselves to make sure that agriculture stays number one in the state because weve been blessed in having some great staff. Being a part of hiring them and watching them develop and lead tremendous research and extension programs is really great. In addition to his service to the states agriculture through his work at UD, Isaacs has also worked with members of the General Assembly on governor-appointed boards to enhance Delaware agriculture. He also has worked with students at the high school level, having served on agricultural advisory boards at Indian River, Woodbridge and Sussex Tech, and also having served on the school boards for the Indian River and Sussex Tech districts. Isaacs said that reaching the next generation of Delaware growers is of the upmost importance to him. Being director here, weve tried to make opportunities for high school students to work here through summer jobs and internships to try to help them and also to recruit students into agriculture by making them aware of the diversity of career opportunities out there, said Isaacs. I love talking about the great things that Delaware agriculture does with our younger generation and I love seeing them get involved in agriculture. Its pretty cool when you see youre opening career opportunities for them when you talk to them. Isaacs, who was born and raised on a poultry, grain and hog farm and is the fourth generation of his family to farm, also teaches at UD. Last year he developed a course on Understanding Delaware Agriculture, which exposed students to all the different facets of the unique agricultural enterprises in the state. Isaacs still farms grain and said that work is very important to him in keeping his roots tied to Delaware agriculture. I think that in working with a lot of the clientele, when we talk about different things they feel my love for Delaware agriculture because Ive spent my entire life in it -- from a kid all the way to my professional career. As for his favorite part of his job, Isaacs said that it would have to be the teaching and the interactions he has with members of the industry. I really enjoy the one-on-one interactions, working with the clientele in the industry and having the opportunity to help them move their individual enterprises forward whether it be helping them look at different production options and communicating the research thats out there and trying to help them enhance their operations, said Isaacs. Ryan VanSant VanSant, a freshman majoring in animal science and French, has close ties to Delaware agriculture, having grown up on a family dairy farm in Middletown. His family has been heavily involved with the Delaware Farm Bureau over the years, with his sister and older cousins having served as Farm Bureau Youth Ambassadors and his grandfather and uncle having served on the boards for the New Castle County and statewide Farm Bureau. When my mother was around my age, she was named Delaware Farm Bureau Queen, so weve been pretty involved in this organization for a long time, said VanSant. Being named Youth Ambassador is honestly amazing, VanSant said. I had to interview against a couple other extremely qualified individuals for the position, and having been selected as a representative for such a prestigious organization and for an organization that I believe in is truly an honor. I have so much belief in the agriculture industries and the Delaware Farm Bureau and what this organization can do for Delaware agriculture. Its an honor to be able to represent the organization that I love. VanSant said that his duties will include serving as a representative for the bureau, attending state functions and going to classrooms to teach younger students about agriculture and the different aspects of agricultural education. He also will do representative work at the Delaware State Fair and attend meetings and banquets to represent the organization. VanSant, who was recently named a finalist in a national competition for job interview skills through FFA, said it is important for the next generation to study agriculture because of the challenges facing the world to feed a growing global populace. When we look at the world as a whole and you see where the world is going in terms of climate change, and when you think about it terms of creating more food for the growing population, the only answer is agricultural education, VanSant said. We have to have individuals -- whether it be agricultural teachers, or representatives of different organizations, or just people who are advocating for agriculture who can spread the knowledge and the necessity of the agricultural industries, all those different aspects of why we need agriculture, said VanSant. Isaacs, who had VanSant as a student in his Understanding Delaware Agriculture class, said that with students like VanSant interested in agriculture, he knows the future is bright. He really is a fabulous young man. Hes got a lot going on. Hes a freshman and I would like to get him in the field of agriculture because he is a sharp student who shows great promise as a future leader in agriculture, said Isaacs. Article by Adam Thomas 2:04 p.m., Jan. 6, 2016--When severe weather strikes the area, University of Delaware employees and students have several options to find out if there are late openings, early closings or cancellations on the Newark campus. As soon as a decision has been made, information on closings or late openings will be provided in a variety of ways, including the web and social media. Winter weather is something we can all prepare for in advance. We have more technology available today in order to stay informed about emerging weather patterns and how we can plan for the associated hazards," said Mark Seifert, emergency management coordinator in Campus and Public Safety. "Take a few minutes to download the Live Safe App and bookmark the University website and social media channels that will provide you with important real time information. News of campuswide weather-related closings, late openings or early closings will be available: On the UD home page (www.udel.edu) and on UDaily; On the University's primary social media accounts: www.facebook.com/UDelaware and www.twitter.com/UDelaware, as well as www.facebook.com/UniversityofDelawarePolice and www.Twitter.com/udelpolice. In an email to all members of the campus community; Via the University's LiveSafe smartphone application, which provides the option to receive email or text updates (To use this option, you must download the free app. For information on how to subscribe to LiveSafe, click here.); On UD's telephone directory information line at 302-831-2000; On the state Department of Education's School Closings and Delays website, which includes an option for automatic notification (To use the notification option, you must subscribe to this service which is not maintained by UD); and On local radio broadcasts. Students enrolled in the University of Delaware Associate in Arts Program on the Delaware Technical Community College campuses in Wilmington, Dover and Georgetown should follow the Delaware Technical schedule regarding closings and late openings. Members of the campus community should not call UD Police so that telephone lines there can remain open for emergency calls. Please note that the UD Alert system will not typically be used for weather-related closings unless immediate action is required. UD Alert is an emergency notification tool activated only during major emergencies or situations where there is an imminent danger to the safety and welfare of the University community. UD Policy Members of the University community are reminded that safety is UD's highest priority. Students and employees should not put themselves at risk. Students who are unable to get to campus because of the weather should contact their professors. Employees who expect difficulty traveling should contact their supervisors. The University Policy and Procedures Manual includes a section dealing with personal safety considerations for faculty and students. Please note the policy, which is reprinted here: Faculty and students are not expected to take unnecessary risks to meet their teaching and learning obligations due to inclement weather. When classes have not been canceled, it is a matter of personal judgment whether traveling to campus is hazardous. Faculty should notify their departmental offices when weather precludes them from meeting their teaching obligations; similarly, students should notify their professors when inclement weather precludes them from class attendance. In such cases, students should be allowed to make up missed class time and, whenever possible, canceled classes should be rescheduled. The situation in the ATO area in eastern Ukraine escalated on Tuesday evening. This is reported by the ATO press center. "The situation in the ATO area escalated last night. From 18:00 until midnight yesterday, the militants violated the ceasefire 14 times," reads the statement. In particular, the militants repeatedly used heavy machine guns and small arms to shell Ukrainian positions outside Novhorodske (34km north of Donetsk), Zaitseve (67km north-north-east of Donetsk), Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk) and Troitske (69km west of Luhansk). According to the press center, the largest armed provocation, the terrorists tried to commit against the ATO forces yesterday, was the aimed attacks on the Ukrainian servicemen near Mayorske (45km north of Donetsk). The Kremlins mercenaries used 82mm mortars and grenade launchers of various systems. The militants violated the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine a total of 23 times yesterday. ol All the militants, detained by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), may be released within a couple of hours under the Minsk Agreements. Advisor to the SBU Chairman Yuri Tandyt said this on the air of 112 Ukraine TV channel. "We have always performed provision 6 of the Minsk Agreements. Now we are ready at any time, within a couple of hours, to transfer people, who committed crimes against the integrity of Ukraine and identify themselves with the so-called republics, there [to the uncontrolled territory]," Tandyt said. Earlier, so-called "leader of the LPR" Plotnytsky announced the release of the captives. Tandyt refused to comment on this statement, adding that there is a need for checking every word. The Advisor to the SBU Chairman also revealed the number of Ukrainians, held captive. "140 Ukrainians are held captive. We know the exact whereabouts of 57 people, he said. ol The mechanism of tariff quotas for Ukrainian agriculture production will remain unchanged when supplying products to the EU markets. Agrarian Policy and Food Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Pavlenko posted this on Facebook. "The introduction of the free trade area between Ukraine and the EU will not affect the mechanism of quotas. The list of goods subject to tariff quotas will not change," the Minister posted. Pavlenko also noted how the agricultural exports from Ukraine might be expanded within the framework of the mechanism of tariff quotas. "The list of unfilled quotas includes lamb, sugar syrups, starch, bran, mushrooms, sweet corn, garlic, processed milk and butter products. These are the categories of goods for which there is no competition among the Ukrainian manufacturers, and we strongly encourage domestic agricultural enterprises to consider the possibility of producing the said products," the Minister noted. ol The Committee of State Revenues at the Kazakhstan Ministry of Finance seeks to negotiate with the Federal Customs Service of Russia on a free transit of Ukrainian goods. The press service of the Kazakhstan Ministry of Finance reports. "The Committee of State Revenues Ministry of Finance is discussing now the problem with the Federal Customs Service of Russia to secure a free passage of goods in transit, transported to bona fide importers, authorized economic operators and investors," the press service of the Kazakh government noted. Earlier, Ukrinform reported that the ministry of infrastructure of Ukraine offered carriers to use a transit route bypassing because of Russias suspension of goods transit through its territory. Moreover, cargoes can be shipped either by sea from southern Illichivsk port or via the territory of Belarus. Ukraine intends to file a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice against Russia for financing terrorism this year. Justice Minister of Ukraine Pablo Petrenko said this in an interview with Ukrainian Channel 5. According to the Minister, Ukraine's government has already submitted three inter-state applications against Russia while Russia hasn't provided any explanation to the ECHR. In addition, the Minister informed that the citizens of Ukraine had filed about 700 lawsuits against Russia with the European Court of Human Rights. "Over 700 [lawsuits have been filed], and the number is constantly growing," he said, adding that most of them have been filed by the displaced persons from the annexed Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk regions. The Minister expects the first ECHR ruling on these lawsuits at the end of 2016. ol Wheaton College has taken the initial steps of firing a tenured political science professor who publicly stated that Muslims and Christians "worship the same God." The private evangelical liberal arts school in Wheaton, Ill. confirmed on Tuesday it issued Dr. Larycia Hawkins a Notice of Recommendation to Initiate Termination-for-Cause Proceedings. In its statement, the school said Provost Stanton Jones delivered the document to President Philip Ryken. "This Notice follows the impasse reached by the parties. Following Dr. Hawkins' written response on December 17 to questions regarding her theological convictions, the College requested further theological discussion and clarification," read the statement. "However, as posted previously, Dr. Hawkins declined to participate in further dialogue about the theological implications of her public statements and her December 17 response." This termination process at Wheaton entails three phases: a hearing before the Faculty Personnel Committee, a recommendation to the Board of Trustees, and a final decision from the board. As Wheaton indicated in its statement, Hawkins has not participated in discussions with the school concerning "theological implications of her public statements." Shortly after the San Bernardino shooting, Hawkins posted two photos to her Facebook account in which she donned a hijab. In the accompanying message she said she was standing "in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people of the book. And as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God." The Chicago Tribune noted Wheaton did not address her stand at first, but other evangelical Christians pointed out she was not in compliance with the school's statement of faith faculty members are required to sign. They said the violation was that Hawkins did not differentiate specific beliefs of Islam and Christianity. "My friends know that I count myself one blessed woman to have other mothers and sisters and brothers and clans who claim me as their own," Hawkins said in a statement posted to her Facebook page Wednesday. "My new friends whom I've never met, you will never know how your support of an unknown woman has moved my soul." James Tracy, the professor at Florida Atlantic University who claimed the Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax, is now officially terminated. The school issued Tracy a Notice of Proposed Termination last month after the parents of a child slain at Sandy Hook Elementary complained for being harassed by the professor. FAU provided an update on Tuesday, stating Tracy's termination was finalized and that his last day will be Friday. According to The Sun Sentinel, the United Faculty of Florida will help Tracy fight the termination, though outside the school's appeals process. UFF President Robert Zoeller told the newspaper the case is not as simple as it seems, but could not provide any details. "There's a lot of stuff people aren't aware of that I can't speak to right now," he said. "If I did, it would violate Dr. Tracy's rights." Tracy also declined comment on his case, as did his lawyer, Tom Johnson. The Huffington Post reported obtaining a copy of Tracy's termination notice, which included a violation for not submitting paperwork for employment outside the school. Tracy reportedly acknowledged he violated rules for all FAU faculty members and argued he should not have had to file the paperwork. He also used FAU's facilities for the outside work, his personal blog on which he shared his theories about the Sandy Hook massacre. In one instance, he sent a certified letter to the parents of one of the victims, Lenny and Veronique Pozner. The Pozners wrote an op-ed for The Sun-Sentinel detailing Tracy's letter, in which he called them "alleged parents" to Noah and demanded they provide proof of parentage after they requested his photo not be used on websites supporting conspiracy theories. Tracy argued he did not profit monetarily for his blog, but FAU vice provost Diane Alperin said the paperwork he did not file applies to unpaid endeavors as well, The Sun Sentinel reported. "You publicly engage in external personal activity that requires your time and effort," she wrote in a letter to Tracy. "It is for the administration to decide, with your input, if a conflict exists, and how to manage a conflict where necessary. You have repeatedly and willfully failed to provide the administration the information it needs to discharge its responsibilities." UW Religion Today: Prophets and Prophecy By Paul V.M. Flesher Have you ever thought about the meaning of the term prophet? Today, we often use the word simply to refer to someone who attempts to tell the future. However, the term has meant much more than that. Take the use of the verb, to prophesy, for example, in the story of Jesus trial. After his arrest, some men strike the blindfolded Jesus, taunting him by saying, Prophesy who hit you! This is not a request to tell the future, but to reveal knowledge of the people around him. The meanings of the words prophet and prophecy have changed through time. In the oldest types of Judaism, the terms differed from later Judaism and Christianity. Then, in the sixth century, Islam provided another meaning. During the period of the Judahite and Israelite monarchies, before 600 B.C., prophets had a clear role. They spoke primarily to power -- usually against power. They told kings Gods message, a message that usually directed the kings to change their course or to take one they did not wish. Occasionally, prophets had a message for the Israelite people, but that message usually concerned sins of the royal leadership. Kings frequently did not welcome Gods prophets. King Ahab tried to avoid Elijah, and Micaiah was opposed by false prophets whom the king favored. By contrast, kings such as Hezekiah and Josiah were lauded because they chose to follow the divine instruction of Gods prophets. The main reason for king-prophet difficulties is that the prophets spoke about current events and informed the kings how they should react to those events -- usually different from what they were already doing. Prophecy was not about the far-off future, but about the here-and-now. Their prophecies were preserved because the words they spoke to the king, Gods words, had come true. To remember those words, the prophets followers recorded them. The last of the Israelite prophets were Haggai and Zechariah, who helped guide the Judahites in their rebuilding Jerusalem and its temple after their return from the Babylonian Exile in 520 B.C. After that time, Judaism believed that prophecy had ceased. They were left with only the written records of past prophets. In the last centuries before Christianity, Judaism began to treat these prophetic records differently. They forgot the events to which the prophesies referred. Instead, they imbued the prophecies with new meaning, believing that the messages referred to later times, perhaps even their own. To understand the prophetic meanings, men arose as interpreters, claiming to reveal the divine knowledge in those writings. The Teacher of Righteousness was one such interpreter. He told the community of Jewish monks living in the desert site at Qumran how they were the true focus of the prophets utterances. His interpretations of Haggai, Isaiah and other prophetic books were found in 1947 among the Dead Sea Scrolls. At the end of the first century, the Christians took a similar approach. The Gospel of Matthew, in particular, viewed Jesus as the fulfillment of numerous prophecies made centuries earlier to the kings. Matthew identified each prophecy for his readers, showing how they pointed to Jesus and his earthly mission. In the seventh century, Muhammad created a new religion called Islam. As the founder, Muhammad was considered a prophet. In fact, his followers considered him the seal of the prophets. That meant that he was the last in the line of Gods prophets -- a line that started with Adam and included Abraham, Moses, Isaiah and Jesus. Muhammad differed from his prophetic forebears. His prophecy was for his followers, not for government leaders or officials. It provided teachings, theology and practical advice for the founding of the new religion rather than guidance for addressing current events. Like Moses, Muhammads prophecy aimed to create a new nation -- one that Muslims believe was founded upon Gods direct guidance. So, although the terms prophet and prophecy are used throughout the history of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, they frequently point to different kinds of activity, which had different functions within society and produced different outcomes. But, what is shared among the three different functions discussed here is that the prophet brings a divine message direct from God to his or her listeners. Flesher is a professor in the University of Wyomings Religious Studies Department. Past columns and more information about the program can be found on the Web at www.uwyo.edu/RelStds. To comment on this column, visit http://religion-today.blogspot.com. GRETCHEN WENNER/STAR STAFF Southbound Highway 101 is closed at Dulah Road due to flooding in the area. The Californa Highway Patrol expects the highway to be closed for about five hours and traffic is being diverted onto Pacific Coast Highway. By Cindy Von Quednow of the Ventura County Star So far, so good. Tuesday's rain hinted at what may be in store this month, but overall Ventura County fared pretty well during the first in a series of storms to hit the southland, officials said. The temporary closure of a section of Highway 101 near the Solimar Fire burn area north of Ventura was the "biggest issue in the county," said Ventura County Fire Department Capt. Mike Lindbery. A drainage ditch backed up, causing flooding on the highway. Only one lane was open on southbound 101 at Dulah Road from about 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. as crews cleared the drain and removed mud from the pavement. Lindbery said firefighters responded to several minor flooding and road debris incidents, but there were no other major issues at the Solimar and Camarillo Springs burn areas. "I think we've done pretty well for this first wave," Lindbery said. A woman caught in the storm-fed Arroyo Conejo Creek was rescued by people at a homeless encampment in Newbury Park. Ventura County firefighters helped her to the top of a hill, where she was taken to a hospital, Lindbery said. But while officials welcomed the precipitation after years of drought, they worried that back-to-back heavy storms could cause trees and power lines to fall and riverbeds to overflow. Most areas of the county received 1 to 2 inches Tuesday, and similar amounts were predicted for Wednesday as a new storm arrives. "We know we need the rain. It's just a matter of getting through the amount of rain that we might get in the coming months with as little impact to life and property as possible," Lindbery said. Tuesday's rain was a run-of-the-mill winter storm, said Scott Holder, a hydrologist with the Ventura County Watershed Protection District. But Ventura County hasn't had a lot of those in recent years. To make a dent in the drought, "we need a lot more storms like this between now and May," Holder said. "If this is one of 10 to 15 storms, it will make an impact. But we definitely need a lot more to help out with the drought." Tuesday originally was expected to bring the most rain. But the storm Wednesday and Thursday is supposed to be colder and possibly spur thunderstorms, Holder said. Those localized thunderstorms could dump heavy rain on an area. In hillside areas stripped of vegetation by wildfires, that can cause the kind of mud and debris flows that ravaged Camarillo Springs in 2014. The Solimar area, the scene of a large hillside fire Dec. 25, recorded 1.7 inches of rain Tuesday. The heaviest came about 9 or 9:30 a.m., when rainfall rates hit 0.65 of an inch per hour, Holder said. Authorities say rainfall of a half-inch per hour can trigger debris flows. "We saw some pretty good rainfall totals with some of our mountain areas," Holder said. More than 3 inches fell at Hopper Mountain above the Fillmore area. Some spots around Matilija Canyon recorded 2.5 inches of rain. No major creek or river flooding was reported, but there was some minor flooding in Silverstrand near Oxnard, a flat area near the beach. The infrastructure around the Solimar Beach Colony functioned as intended, with a drainage channel carrying debris across the beach and into the ocean. "It came roaring down the hillside," said Dennis Chenoweth, president of the homeowners association. The runoff churning through after heavy morning rains was charred and smelled like the fire, he said. Residents there have been getting ready for storms. "Almost everyone was prepared," he said. Roughly half the homes in the gated beachside community are occupied full-time, he said. The stretch of homes on the Pacific Coast Highway sits below burned hills where protective root systems are now gone. With El Nino conditions expected to bring much rain this winter, officials worry mud and debris could affect Highway 101, the PCH, the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and the Solimar Beach homes. Chenoweth said the Ventura County Fire Department, county Supervisor Steve Bennett's office and Caltrans have been preparing the area and residents for the past week or so. The residents' main concern is an extended closure of Highway 101, blocking access to homes, Chenoweth said. On Tuesday, with southbound traffic unable to use Highway 101 for about an hour before one lane opened, cars and trucks were routed onto the PCH. Typically, the PCH, with a single lane in each direction, is lightly traveled, but Tuesday the southbound lane was thick with cars. Drivers got to see heavy surf, dark with mud, pounding sea walls on the detour. Areas burned in the 2013 Springs Fire also were at risk of debris flows Tuesday. But the most intense rain seemed to skip most of the burn areas, including Camarillo Springs and the PCH south of Point Mugu, and no major damage was reported. Rainfall totals Ventura 1.70 La Conchita 1.68 Ojai 1.64 Santa Paula 1.43 Thousand Oaks 1.47 Oxnard 1.33 Fillmore 1.09 Moorpark 0.96 Camarillo Springs 0.83 Port Hueneme 0.79 Simi Valley 0.62 Source: Ventura County Watershed Protection District In Ventura, the storm flooded roads and led to the temporary closure of Harbor Boulevard from the Ventura Pier to San Jon Road. The street reopened before 3 p.m. Despite rain, wind and hail, workers in hard hats continued repairs of the Ventura Pier, battered and closed by storm waves on Dec. 11. Workers used beams to stabilize the pier, mindful of predictions of surf Wednesday as high as 12 feet. A high surf advisory was also issued by the National Weather Service and will remain in effect until 10 p.m. Friday. The largest surf is expected on west-facing beaches. "Anything is possible with nature, but we're hoping for the best," said Mary Joyce Ivers, Ventura's fleet and facilities manager. "It's going to be close to Dec. 11." Michele Chapin, a Ventura sculptor, stood in her yard in her bare feet and pajamas at 7 a.m. in the pouring rain. It inspired her. During a break in the storm, she inspected the waves at Surfers Point and announced the rest of the day's agenda. "I'm going to carve," she said. Some RVs remained on the Rincon Parkway along the PCH as rain fell, and a few campers braved wet conditions at Faria Beach Park. Ryan Thompson, the last of the tent campers at Faria, said he and his girlfriend arrived three days earlier from Ohio for her new job. He removed their tent and belongings from a flooded seaside site and said he wasn't sure where they would go next. "I heard it doesn't rain down here much, but obviously it does now," Thompson said. Staff writers Cheri Carlson, Gretchen Wenner and Tom Kisken contributed to this report. SHARE Re: Charles Krauthammers Dec. 30 column, Food fads: Make mine gluten-full: Mr. Krauthammers self smugness attitude is way above those he targets in the article. Granted, he may have a medical degree and psychiatric experience, but this does not prove that he achieves writing greatness by diminishing people around him. I respect his beliefs and skepticism, but I would expect a medical studied approach to his "windmills fighting" when discussing gluten and celiac disease. It took him less than five short lines to discuss celiac disease and quickly dismiss it in favor of attacking the faddists for their gluten-free beliefs. Mr. Krauthammer did not provide data that celiac disease affects one in 133 Americans making it four times more common than it was 50 years ago. He did not mention that many individuals go through life undiagnosed or discover to be affected by celiac in later years. Because of his attitude and need not to provide education and awareness, more Americans will dismiss this disease and will continue the cycle of ignorance, thus limiting the few advantages that celiacs have enjoyed in recent years. It is hard to navigate this condition in the United States, whereas in Italy and other European countries, a celiac can travel, eat and enjoy life with respect thanks to public awareness. I would direct Mr. Krauthammer to studies conducted by Dr. Alessio Fasano of Massachusetts General Hospital for Children. He specializes in studying immune diseases and is a leader at The Center for Celiac Research and Treatment dedicated to improving the patients with celiac disease. He may want to write about his research to illuminate the public. I trust that Mr. Krauthammer will take a bit of my rambling and use it to reflect on the physical and emotional pain we experience each day as we mourn the ability to lead a "careless" approach to food and social life. Candida Lucy, Ventura Tickets are now on sale for The James Beard Foundations Taste America: Local Flavor from Coast To Coast, a national traveling food festival which will visit Las Vegas on Friday, September 27 and Saturday, September 28 (Epicurean Charitable Foundation scholarship recipients). The five-weekend festival will visit 10 cities from September 20 through October 19, 2013. Taste America will showcase culinary all-stars and public events exploring the nations unique range of local cuisines in Las Vegas along with nine other cities including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco and Washington D.C. A weekend-long tour, Las Vegas Taste America festivities will kick-off on Friday, September 27 with a variety of free culinary consumer events throughout the city (from Downtown Las Vegas to Summerlin), and culminate in an exclusive dining event at The Mirage Hotel & Casino the evening of Saturday, September 28. A spectacular poolside gala tasting and reception, A Taste of America will be co-hosted by James Beard Award winner and Taste America All-Star, Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto (proprietor, Morimoto Restaurants) and Host Chef Christian Schmidt (The Mirage, Las Vegas). The event will also feature delectable dishes and cocktails from several of Las Vegas most celebrated local chefs, including James Beard Award winner Francois Payard (Payard), Paul Bartolotta (Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare), Saipin Chutima (Lotus of Siam), Luciano Pellegrini (Valentino), Eric Klein (Spago), Brian Massie (The Light Group), Laurent Tourondel (BLT Burger), Julian Serrano (Picasso Bellagio), Malcolm Mitchell (Mint Gastro Pub), Adam Arencibia (Japonais) and more. Tickets for A Taste of America are now available for purchase at jbftasteamerica.org, and are priced at $120 per person, all-inclusive. VIP tickets are also available for $250, which include exclusive VIP access to all events including the official after party at 1OAK Nightclub at The Mirage immediately following the poolside reception. The James Beard Foundation is proud to donate a portion of the evenings proceeds to Epicurean Charitable Foundation. The Taste America culinary agenda for Las Vegas includes: Friday, September 27 4 p.m.: Bellagio Picasso Restaurant Champagne, Sparkling and Chefs (3600 Las Vegas Blvd) An afternoon of bubbly and heavenly creations from James Beard Award Winner Julian Serrano, AAA Five Diamond Award Picasso Bellagio. 8 p.m.: LAtelier de Joel Robuchon & Joel Robuchon Restaurant MGM Grand (3799 South Las Vegas Blvd) An evening of Wine & Food presented by Joel Robuchon tasting menu (12 courses, 16 plates) Saturday, September 28 10 a.m.: Sur La Table at Fashion Show Mall (3200 S Las Vegas Blvd #1175) This full day of free consumer retail events features in-store chef appearances, cooking demonstrations, tastings from local artisans and producers and a special cooking demonstration and book signing with Taste America All-Star Masaharu Morimoto at 2pm. 11:30 a.m.: Sur La Table Cooking Demonstration JBF Award Winner Francois Payard 2:00 p.m.: Sur La Table Cooking Demonstration JBF Award Winner Masaharu Morimoto Iron Chef and proprietor of Morimoto Restaurants Taste America Vehicle The official Taste America vehicle will make stops at local farmers markets and various locations throughout the weekend to promote healthy, sustainable practices with tastings and demos from participating chefs. Exact locations and times to be confirmed. 8 p.m.: A Taste of America Poolside Reception at The Mirage (3400 South Las Vegas Blvd) Co-hosted by Taste America All-Star Masaharu Morimoto and Host Chef Christian Schmidt, the evening will include a tasting reception featuring delectable dishes and cocktails from several of Las Vegas finest restaurants at The Mirages award-winning pool. The ladies of FANTASY, the popular adult revue at Luxor Hotel and Casino, will heat things up with a poolside performance. Immediately following the reception, VIP ticket holders will have access to an exclusive after party at 1 OAK nightclub. The Taste America traveling food festival will shine a light on the dynamic culinary cities across the country, said Susan Ungaro, president of the James Beard Foundation. Our Taste America chefs will be working with local farmers and artisanal producers of everything from cheese to chocolate. With the support of Chase Sapphire Preferred Visa Signature, we are now able to bring together the best innovators in our food world to educate and entertain Americans about local flavors from coast to coast. The James Beard Foundations Taste America is presented by Chase Sapphire Preferred Visa Signature, a premier rewards credit card for people who love travel and dining. Chase Sapphire Preferred Visa Signature cardholders will enjoy exclusive benefits not available to the public at James Beard Foundations Taste America events, including access to chefs, recipes, preferred seating, and more. The James Beard Foundations Taste America is supported by retail partner, Sur La Table, national media partner, Every Day with Rachael Ray, and national sponsors including Breville, Delta Air Lines, The Gulf Oyster Industry Council, and Lurpak butter. For more information about Taste America events in Las Vegas, please contact Alan Semsar (702) 50-WINE-6 or visit jbftasteamerica.org/event/las-vegas. On Tuesday, Feb. 2, at 7 p.m., the Neon Museum will welcome Time of the Signs Scholar-in-Residence Stefan Al, internationally known architect, author and academic specializing in contemporary urbanization. He will deliver a presentation entitled, Bigger, Better and Brighter: The Evolution of Las Vegas Signs, at the Marjorie Barrick Museum Auditorium at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Photo credit: Vox Solid Communications LV). Al will discuss how the cutthroat competition between casinos, an unlikely source of architectural innovation, helped the Las Vegas Strip become the breeding ground of unprecedented sign design evolution. In the 1960s, signs transformed from a pole and a box to 20-story-tall structures encompassing miles of neon. Whereas in the 1990s, signs became replicas of iconic European monuments, including a full-size copy of the Bellagio bell tower and a half-scale replica of the Eiffel Tower. Todays new signs include LED video screens as high as a skyscraper. On November 26, 2012, Easter Seals Nevada clients, staff and families got in the Christmas spirit at Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Las Vegas by Chip Davis at The Palazzo Las Vegas (Photo: Erik Kabik, erikkabik.com). The 30 guests of honor kicked off the holiday season with an exciting evening of family fun with holiday music and visually stunning special effects. Photo: Erik Kabik, erikkabik.com. Following the performance, the artists and musicians from Mannheim Steamroller spent time getting to know the Easter Seals clients with a meet and greet and took photos so they can keep the Christmas spirit in their hearts forever. PetroVietnam chairman Dinh La Thang last week confirmed that the group planned to submit a PetroVietnam is ready to spread its tentacles further into the sector proposal to buy stakes in BPs upstream offshore projects. Vietnam and BP are involved in four projects, the Lan Tay-Lan Do gas field in Block 06.1, Nam Con Son pipeline system, Phu My 3 power plant and BP Petco lubricant joint venture. BP planned to transfer stakes from the first three projects, but not the last one. A BP Vietnam representative said BP had informed the Vietnamese government of its intention to explore options for divestment of its upstream assets and was now awaiting approval. Our top priority is to continue safe and reliable operations now, during transition and thereafter, a BP Vietnam spokeswoman said. Thang was quoted by local press as saying under the agreement signed among partners of the above projects, if one of the partners wanted to withdraw the investment capital or quit the project it would offer priority rights to buy stakes to the other partners in the project. We have already made a plan to coordinate with India partners [the third partner in those projects] to buy those stakes, he said. However, Thang also confirmed that the group would set up a reasonable price plan to buy those stakes, but not buy in any price. This plan will be submitted and approved by the Vietnamese government, he added. Thang did not reveal the financial source for buying, or comment on the project prices, estimated at around $1 billion. However, he confirmed that the projects had been effectively operating in Vietnam and if PetroVietnam presented good development plan it would not face difficulties to raise financial sources. Meanwhile, an overseas newspaper quoted Indias oil secretary S Sundareshan that Indias Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and PetroVietnam would jointly bid for BPs assets in Vietnam. We met with the prime minister of Vietnam and we had said we will work with PetroVietnam [to buy BPs stake]. We are discussing with BP and PetroVietnam, Sundareshan said. Meanwhile, BP Vietnam confirmed that BPs other businesses in Vietnam, which are to supply crude oil to the Dung Quat refinery and the production and marketing of lubricants at Castrol BP Petco, would not be affected by the divestment plan. BP arrived in Vietnam in 1989 and its exploration activities in the 1990s discovered four major gas fields 320 kilometres south of Ho Chi Minh City. These have resulted in the $1.3 billion Nam Con Son gas project. This complex operation involves the development of the Lan Tay and Lan Do fields, the laying of a two-phase 400km offshore and onshore pipeline and the construction of the 720 megawatt Phu My 3 power plant in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province. According to BP Vietnam, production started in November 2002 and today BPs operations supply four billion cubic metres of gas annually to meet around 24 per cent of Vietnams electricity generation. The gas production capacity was increased from 10 to 15 million metric standard cubic metres per day after the installation of a new compression model in 2008. The Nam Con Son pipeline that BP built, operated, expanded, and transferred operatorship to PetroVietnam has become a model of a sustainable, reliable and efficient investment project in Vietnam. The assessment was announced on Tuesday at a press conference organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Police to review the maintenance of security and order in the city in 2015. Police do not rule out the probability of terror attacks based on the complicated situation at the moment, said Colonel Nguyen Sy Quang, the departments chief of staff The municipal police will deploy special units and equipment to defend important targets and essential locations and prevent them from being compromised, Col. Quang added. Vu Nhu Ha, deputy chief of staff, affirmed that officers will tighten security and focus on certain offenses, including theft, robbery, burglary, organized crime, and others, during the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday. About 6,004 cases of criminal offenses were committed in 2015, decreasing by 377 cases compared to the previous year, claiming 102 lives and injuring 712 people, with financial damage worth VND106.6 billion (US$4.74 million), Col. Quang said at the conference. Officers in the southern city succeeded in dealing with 4,059 of the offenses, accounting for 67.6 percent, and arrested 4,670 suspects, several of whom were Chinese, Taiwanese and Nigerian, the colonel added. A decline in the number of cases was also recorded last year in 10 out of 13 types of criminal offences, which were murder, theft, property appropriation, kidnapping, robbery, burglary, fraud and some others, he added. Despite the drop, only 1,903 out of 3,416 theft cases were solved in 2015, according to Col. Quang. Police could only close 50 percent of such cases as criminals have been becoming more professional and organized in their operations, said Colonel Le Ngoc Phuong, head of the Police Division of Criminal Investigation and Social Order. Criminals often study their targets thoroughly and carefully erase their tracks after committing crimes, barring police from detecting them, Col. Phuong said. The installment of security cameras in several residences has proved very effective as robbers always try to avoid showing their faces, making it difficult for officers to identify them. It is advisable that civilians pay more attention to protecting their own properties, according to the colonel. Crimes related to prostitution have also transformed into a subtler form which involves the use of the Internet, creating more obstacles for police to discover and investigate their wrongdoings, officers said at the conference. Unlawful organizations often disguise themselves as modeling agencies, restaurants, beauty salons, and others, officers added. Cambodian authorities are cracking down on gun-related violence by reminding police officers they are banned from carrying firearms while off duty. National Police spokesman Gen. Kirt Chatharith said Tuesday the Interior Ministry issued the ban several years ago, but Phnom Penh city police chief Chhoun Sovann this week reminded officers of the regulation because of a recent spate of gun-related crime. Last month an off-duty police officer allegedly shot dead two people and wounded a third in a dispute among neighbors. The Phnom Penh Post cited Sovann as faulting authorities for using their guns irresponsibly. Prime Minister Hun Sen in December also ordered a crackdown on gangs committing armed robberies after several people were killed. Senior provincial police officials investigating a recent wave of armed robberies may face demotion if they do not make arrests in the cases, Interior Minister Sar Kheng said on Tuesday, while admitting the weapons used in those crimes may have been stolen from the state. "All police forces are allowed to carry weapons only when they are on mission or duty," Chantharith said. "But they are strongly forbidden to carry guns while they are off duty or to keep them at their homes." Violation of the order would be met by dismissal or imprisonment, he said. Cambodia is awash in firearms after being in a state of civil war for much of three decades, until the late 1990s. The government had held amnesties to coax people to turn in their weapons. Several recent shootings have involved rich and well-connected Cambodians and their bodyguards, who often go unpunished in a flawed justice system. Hun Sen in 2012 told provincial officials that influential people must face punishment if they wield or fire their guns in public. [Editors note: The fate of refugees who make it to the United States often goes untold. But Eric Tang, a professor and author, has written a new book on Cambodian refugees in the Bronx, New York, following the life of a former refugee named Ra Pronh to describe what life can be like for a new initiate to the country. In Unsettled: Cambodian Refugees in the New York City Hyperghetto, Tang, a professor of African and Diaspora studies at the University of Texas, describes life for the wave of Cambodian refugees who ended up in the Bronx, where he had worked as a community organizer in the early 1990s.] What inspired you to write this book? The origins of this book can be traced to the late 1990s when I was a community organizer in the Bronx working with refugee teenagers. I grew up in New York City. After college, I found my way to the Bronx as a community activist and was asked if I was interested in working with refugee teenagers, most of them from Cambodia, who really didnt have any program or services or any extra things in their life to support them through a life of poverty, bad housing, and watching their families struggled through welfare. And I said Sure. I was a young guy, in my early twenties. Well, after one year of volunteering, I really grew to love the work, and I decided that I was going to do this work full-time. So I began to direct the Youth Leadership Project for Cambodian teenagers in the Bronx. Its from those experiences that I decided, when I became a professor, to write my first book about this forgotten community of Cambodian refugees in the Bronx. What is the goal of your first book? How do you think this story can be related to people currently escaping civil wars in their countries? The book has several goals. The first one being to tell the story that hasnt been told about a forgotten community in the Bronx of Cambodian refugees who survived the war, the genocide, the camps. What happened to them 25, 30 years after the fact? So the first goal is to leave behind some statement that this community existed, and they survived. In some ways, they resisted what happened to them. The second goal is to have those who believe that once you settle refugees, and that their struggle is over, and the work is done, to think more deeply about that, to think about what it is that refugees continue to need, how they continue to survive in the United States and in other so-called first-world countries after resettlement, to understand that the refugees journey does not end with resettlement, and to have policy makers understand that as well. That is another important goal of the book. I dont think many scholars, writers, or journalists, have done a longitudinal study, at least not in a deep qualitative way, when it comes to refugees. For those abroad who are living in the country where a large segment of their population fled as refugees, I think this serves as a reminder, a cautionary tale, if you will, that not everything is as one assumes it is [after the refugees resettle]. You know, its not like their relatives, their friends [who came to the United Stares] dont continue to struggle and dont continue to live as a fugitive in the new homeland. Dont get me wrong. I am not saying in any way that the poverty in the U.S. is equal to the depth of poverty that people experience in developing countries. Im not making a one-to-one, apples-to-apples comparison. What I am saying, though, is that there is a new kind of struggle that takes shape here, and there are new ways in which inequality, premature death, and underdevelopment take shape in the U.S. context. Its important for those who see their family members and relatives go abroad to understand that in the new land there continues to be significant forms of struggle, that things are unclosed, and as my title suggests, Unsettled. You chose the story of a Cambodian woman, Ra Pronh, to tell the story of the immigrant struggle to survive and build a new identity in the new land of America. Why did you choose her and her story? Ra Pronh is a woman who has experienced the many dimensions of what I call, refugee time, or refugee temporality in the United States. She is a woman who can draw a connection between the camp and the ghetto, meaning that she understands clearly the ways in which the refugee camp and her new environment in the U.S. ghetto form an unbroken chain, how they are in many ways similar, and that idea intrigued me, because were always taught to believe that the refugees experience some profound transformation upon arriving to the United States, that there is this clean-break between the past and the present. What I experienced in my conversations with Ra was that she was ambivalent about this notion of resettlement equaling freedom, that theres a way in which she is still moving, still struggling as a refugee. She didnt believe that it was possible or necessary to let go of her survival skills in the United States. Instead, she understood that her fugitive struggle was ongoing. I got that impression from her immediately after sitting down for interviews with her, and I decided that this book would best be toldthe story of the Bronx Cambodians best be toldthrough the experience of this one woman from the war through the camps, and into the ghetto. How was life for the Cambodian refugees in the Bronx in the late 1990s, as best you can tell from Ras story? Ra is a woman who exemplifies many of the struggles that the broader community went through. When they arrived to the Bronx, the first thing they were confronted with was harsh living conditions. Resettlement agencies placed them in whatever apartment units were available. Many of these units had been abandoned by previous tenants, who found them uninhabitable because landlords didnt take care of them. Some of them were buildings where fires had taken place, and other tenants moved out, fearing that eventually the whole building would burn. Here is where they decided to place the refugees from a war. The resettlement agencies said, , Oh, look there are a lot of empty units here. You know, we can keep these families together. But did anyone stop to ask why there were so many empty units? They were empty because no one else wanted them. So the first real struggle was housing, bad housing. The conditions were horrible. There wasnt heat. There wasnt hot water. The windows were broken. This is what the refugee survivors had to put up with when they first got to the Bronx. And then the refugee resettlement agency says, The first thing you need to do is to find work, find immediate employment because we need to prove that refugees can make it in America. But many of the refugees were not equipped to take the good jobs that were available, at least the jobs that provided livable wages. So they took poverty wage work. They took work as garment workers, taking materials from the retail middlemen, and assembling garments at home using a sewing machine, and they got paid pennies per piece. When that wasnt enough to survive on, many of them in fact, 80 percent of the Bronx Cambodiansapplied for welfare, and stayed on welfare for the next decade and a half. Many of them today continue to survive on welfare. But in 1996, the federal government passed the law that severely restricted how much welfare they could take. There was a huge crisis during the late 1990s and early 2000s as many people were cut off welfare. A lot of families had to find additional poverty-waged work, working in factories or taking on garment work at home. On top of that, the teenagers were dealing with the same issues that many black and Latino teenagers were dealing with: police harassment, police brutality, street violence that was spurred by the drug trade. This was the refugee reality they stepped into during the 80s and 90s into the early 2000s. What do you think the experiences of Cambodian refugees can tell us about the US approach to resettlement of refugees, the successes and failures of its approach? The United State prides itself on the notion that it is the most generous refugee resettlement country in the world. Thats a very interesting thing to say today, in light of the anti-refugee backlash against Syrians following the terrorist attack in France. But the current rhetoric notwithstanding, our government celebrates itself as the most generous because it claims to resettle the most refugees. But if you think about it, when we look at how the US compares to other countries, which are much smaller and have far less resources we really dont resettle that many or as many as other countries do, per capita. But here is the other thing that the United States does not say when it talks about how generous it is: It doesnt talk about what happens to the refugees after they resettle here; after they get here, the vast majority subsist in working poverty for generations. This is because we dont really have a plan, an economic plan, for what happens to them after they arrive. Instead, we live by this notion of work first, immediate employment, because we want to prove again that the US is the land of freedom and opportunity. So we say, So long as these refugees are working, were doing a good job. But what are these jobs they are getting? Theyre sweatshop jobs. Theyre jobs in poultry factories where they can be fired immediately, where theyre the last hired, the first fired. Theyre working in horrible conditions. They do this work at the expense of developing real human capital: language skills, professional development, things that would allow them to get jobs that pay livable wages, so that they can do better and their children can do better. So instead theyre stuck in the state of working poverty. This is not a sustainable resettlement policy. The other impact is on the children, because as their parents struggle with poverty, the children too have to start taking on jobs much earlier, working in low-wage retail, fast food, you name it. What we notice in the Bronx is that the second and the third generation are not doing well. In fact, some might argue they are doing just as badly, if not doing worse, than their parents, because they dont have the same survival skills that their parents have. But they are living in the same impoverished conditions. In what way do you think the US government can make its resettlement approach a better one as it vows to take a large number of Syrian refugees escaping the civil war? Whatever I say here, I think, should apply to all people living in poverty in the United States, in the urban United States. But to answer the question, the first step is to reverse this notion that the refugees need to find work immediately. The work first immediate employment doctrine is not a smart way of going about refugee resettlement. We should give the refugees more than the six months of aid that we are currently providing them before telling them, Go find work. We should extend that to be at least two years, and during that time, have the resettlement agency work more deliberately to find a better economic match between the skill set of these refugees and the local economy. Whats the point of rushing them to take on sweatshop jobs, simply to say, Oh, weve got an 80 percent employment placement rate, only three months after resettlement. To me, that doesnt necessarily sound like good news, especially if these are poverty-waged jobs. What I think needs to happen is that the federal government needs to extend its resettlement program, the timeline of its resettlement program, which provides funding for refugees to take on job training, to be supported with transitional aid. We need to extend that period, and I say two years just as a ballpark figure, not limited to that particular time limit, but clearly longer than a few months they have now. Then to work with the refugee resettlement agencies to find jobs that are good economic matches with their current skill set, and that allows them to advance in those jobs as they develop new skills over time. Labor leaders say they want more changes to an impending law to regulate unions that they say will make it hard to protect the rights of workers. Lawmakers had agreed to adjust some articles of the new law, which is currently being discussed in committee at the National Assembly, but union leaders say the provisions they propose adjusting are not enough. The new law, as drafted, will make it harder for unions to form inside factories and sets out criminal punishment for union organizers in the case of violent demonstrations. Cambodia has around 1,000 active unions, most representing some 700,000 workers in the garment and textile manufacturing sector. Ath Thon, head of the Cambodian Labor Confederation, told VOA Khmer that lawmakers have not deeply discussed the provisions of most concern to union leaders. We are waiting to see the last development to know what it will be, he said. We will take part in providing ideas for adjustments to make this law good. Yang Sophoan, president of the Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions, urged lawmakers to remove provisions that make it difficult to protect workers rights. Some provisions need to be cut completely, otherwise the law doesnt protect the interests of workers or unions, she said. Provisions that should be stripped include those that require financial reporting from unions to the Ministry of Labor, and requirements for a minimum number of workers in any factory to give their support to the formation of a union, she said. Lawmakers from the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party and the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party are at odds over some parts of the law, including provisions related to workers decisions to strike or demonstrate. Some Rescue Party lawmakers say they want the law to be more inclusive of other workers, too, such as restaurant employees and domestic servants. Rescue Party lawmaker Son Chhay said he was against a provision that required unions to gather all their members to discuss a strike. Some unions have thousands of members, or hundreds of thousands, he said. How can a union call its members to make decision? The more sensitive points in the draft will be discussed Jan. 13, he said. CPP lawmaker and spokesman Sok Eysan, meanwhile, said the law will be put forward for discussion and broad consultation, after it is discussed by an Assembly working group. Officials at the Ministry of Labor could not be reached for comment Wednesday. The global economy for illicit goods and services is growing at an unprecedented rate, one that poses a risk to worldwide economic growth, new research says. The illicit economy, which includes drug and sex trafficking, as well as the counterfeiting of money, grew from $650 billion in 2011 to $1.77 trillion in 2015, according to the World Economic Forum. And that doesnt even take into account money taken from the legitimate economy by corrupt governments, Sarah Chayes, a senior associate of Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told VOA Khmer. One category that often gets missed is corrupt government officials, she said. There is a huge amount of money that is being pillaged from countries by their own governing officials, and that money often isnt included in the listing of illicit financial flow, she added. In its State of the Illicit Economy report, released in October 2015, the World Economic Forum ranks human trafficking as the third most profitable illicit economy. Every year, more than 20 million people are trafficked for labor and sexual exploitation, Chum Phally, a labor trafficking technical advisory at Winrock, told VOA Khmer. In Cambodia alone, the scope of human trafficking is huge, given increasing population migration for work abroad, in most cases illegally, he said. The risks associated with illegal migration often leads to human trafficking, he said. There are also growing numbers of companies that are registered in the names of people who are not really the beneficiary of those companies, and also those who carry trade misinvoicing allowing illicit capital to flow out of the country of origin. Fighting the illicit economy is a work in progress, Chayes said. What you have seen the last couple years has been a tightening of banking regulation in a lot of countries, she said, though money laundering still remains a major problem. The World Economic Forum report recommends strategies to build an international regulatory regime, law enforcement of international protocols and agreements in trade, and harnessing technology to eradicate the illicit economy. Afghan security forces backed by U.S. military airstrikes have made advances in a volatile southern district, killing dozens of Taliban insurgents and wounding many others, said officials on Wednesday. The fighting in Marjah, a Taliban-held district in the restive Helmand province, erupted a day earlier when Afghan forces launched a counter-offensive to try to recapture lost territory. We have evicted the opposition from three places (in Marjah), Provincial police chief General Abdul Rehman Sarjang, told VOA. He said the counter-insurgency operation has also opened a main road for traffic in the area that was heavily mined by the Taliban. A U.S. military spokesman, Col. Michael Lawhorn, says its aircraft carried out a dozen strikes in Marjah on Wednesday and neighboring Sangin district in support of the ground offensive. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid refuted claims that it suffered losses in Marjah. The American and forces of the Kabul administration have suffered heavy losses and in order to divert public attention they are making false claims, he told VOA. It was not immediately possible to independently verify claims by either party because most of the Helmand province has been in the grip of hostilities for months. US casualties On Tuesday, the United States confirmed that one of its service members was killed and two others were wounded during the fighting. They came under fire while conducting a train, advise and assist mission with their Afghan special operations counterparts on the ground in Marjah We understand a number of Afghan forces were injured as well," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook told reporters. Two helicopters were sent to provide assistance but one was waved off after taking fire and returned safely to its base while the second landed safely but sustained damage to its rotor blades after it apparently struck a wall, Cook said, adding the helicopter was still on the ground trying to retrieve the wounded U.S. personnel. We can confirm the wounded have been evacuated, U.S. military spokesman Col. Michael Lawhorn told VOA on Wednesday. Marjah is one of several parts of Helmand under control of the Taliban. Taliban insurgents have put pressure on the province in southern Afghanistan's poppy-growing region for months. Ground situation Ten of Helmand's 14 districts either have fallen to the Taliban or have an uncertain status in the midst of fighting between the Afghan government's security forces and Taliban fighters. The insurgents' advances prompted commanders of NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan to deploy American and British military advisers last month to help Afghan forces better coordinate their efforts to re-take lost territory in Helmand, Afghanistan's largest province bordering Pakistan. According to U.N. data from October, the Taliban insurgency has spread across Afghanistan more than at any other point since 2001 and Afghan security forces have struggled to contain the insurgents. In his Tuesday briefing, Pentagon spokesman Cook would not concede that Afghan security forces are losing ground. They're getting better at defending their own country. But they're not at a point yet where they are able to operate entirely on their own, which is why U.S. forces, other NATO forces are there, assisting and providing this kind of training and assistance to the Afghans, said Cook. The hostilities come as Afghan, Pakistani, U.S. and Chinese officials prepare to meet in Islamabad on Monday to discuss how, where and when stalled peace talks between the Kabul government and the Taliban can be resumed. "The U.S. and Afghan governments agree that the best way to ensure lasting peace and security in Afghanistan is through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process, Cook reiterated. UN condemns bombings Meanwhile, the United Nations has condemned a spate of bombings this week in civilian areas of Kabul by the Taliban. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a statement Wednesday that at least five civilians were killed and 56 others wounded in the three suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices attacks in the Afghan capital since the beginning of the year. The victims included ten children and nine women. International humanitarian law explicitly prohibits attacks against civilians and requires all parties to uphold their legal obligations to at all times avoid harm to civilians, it said, adding the attacks occurred while many Afghans held hope for the restart of a peace dialogue for Afghanistan. The Afghan government has formed a special force to counter Islamic State and Taliban militants in eastern parts of the country, Acting Defense Minister Masoom Stanekzai announced Wednesday from eastern Laghman province. "The IS issue is the most important [issue], which should be hard hit," Stanekzai told VOA's Afghan service. "People are fed up with this group." The 750-person battalion will be formed largely from former Afghan soldiers. The battalion, which is based in the 201st Silab Army Corps in Laghman, will carry out operations against militant groups in eastern provinces. Ongoing airstrikes against IS in Nangarhar province would continue, but security forces are pursuing a new strategy, Stanekzai said. "The use of too much force is not that helpful; people should cooperate to help us reach our goal," he said. "We have changed our war strategy and want to work with local people." The announcement comes after hundreds of local Afghans took to the streets of the eastern city of Jalalabad last week, demanding that Kabul step up military operations against Islamic State and Taliban militants in Nangarhar. Jalalabad is the capital of Nangarhar. Provincial officials say airstrikes against IS in Nangarhar's Shinwari district have been successful. Nangarhar's governor, Salim Kunduzi, said local people are happy with the airstrikes against IS militants. IS has been active in several districts of Nangarhar, where it launched multiple attacks on government facilities. IS militants have also been engaged in fierce fighting with the rival Taliban in the province. Dozens of insurgents reportedly have been killed in the fighting between the two militant groups. Officials from 24 African countries met in Cameroon last month and called for China to stop illegal fishing off the West African coast. In some areas, Chinese fishermen have pushed their local counterparts back to shore, depriving them of their jobs and livelihoods. Former fisherman Bisso Frederick, 32, now sells sandwiches in the Cameroonian town of Limbe, on the West African coast. He says he and his colleagues were forced to abandon their jobs three years ago. Bisso says they have lost their jobs to Chinese fishermen who have taken over all fishing areas. He says they are very worried the government of Cameroon has allowed foreigners to do little jobs Cameroonians should have been doing. In a 2013 study, the international environmental group Greenpeace reported that the number of Chinese fishing boats operating in African waters soared from 13 in 1985 to 462 in 2013. The report said there were 114 cases of illegal fishing over an eight-year period in the waters off Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal and Sierra Leone. It said the boats were operating without licenses or in prohibited areas. Amadi Diop, who is in charge of the program for aquaculture and fishing at the New Economic Partnership for African Development says such illegal activity is making African fish farmers poorer and destroying the environment. He says the $24 billion fishing generates annually in the African continent is threatened by people who are taking far more fish from African waters than can be replaced by those remaining, with the changing climate. He says the people who are suffering most are small scale, low-technology and low-capital fish farmers who contribute 46 percent of the total revenue generated against industrial maritime fishing that contributes 33 percent. Local investment The head of the regional commission for fishing in the Gulf of Guinea, Emile Essema, says the problem is getting worse because many African countries are not investing in their fishing sectors. He says the fishing sector is still neglected by many African states and that is why African heads of state are being encouraged by the African Union to dedicate resources to boost fish farming and aquaculture. He says fishing can generate riches, solve food and nutritional crisis, provide jobs for millions of unemployed youths and develop nations. The African Union convened a meeting in Yaounde last month to discuss the issue. Representatives called for African states to dedicate more resources to fishing and improve the lives of more than 90 million people they say are involved in "small-scale fishing activities." They also asked China to abolish destructive fishing practices and stop taking advantage of African countries' fishing grounds. North Korea needs to end provocations and choose a better path, said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, in reaction to what Pyongyang says was a successful test of a hydrogen bomb Wednesday. We do not and will not accept North Korea as a nuclear armed state, said Kerry in a statement. He added that he has been consulting with his foreign counterparts on the situation. The White House and analysts have cast doubt on North Koreas claim that its test actually involved a hydrogen bomb. However, there is broad concern about what appears to be the fourth nuclear test by North Korea since 2006. Seeking broader response There had been calls for stepped up U.S. action against North Korea even before this latest incident. Lawmakers introduced the North Korea Sanctions Enforcement Act. That measure, which has bipartisan support, would close gaps in existing U.S. sanctions against North Korea and freeze the assets of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The measure has cleared the House but has languished in the Senate. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce is the author of the measure. The answer to North Koreas threat is more pressure, not less, said Royce in a statement. Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Corker urged the Obama administration to step up action against North Korea. The past several decades of U.S. policy toward North Korea has been an abject failure, said Corker. Mixed views on US response Analysts have mixed views about whether the U.S. policy toward Pyongyang has been effective and whether additional U.S. action is needed against North Korea. The past two U.S. administrations have had a fairly passive policy on North Korea, said Joshua Stanton, a Washington attorney and blogger who helped draft House legislation on sanctions against North Korea. As President Obama came in [to office], said Stanton, he was inclined to take a more permissive approach to engage North Korea. He said a U.S. effort to step up engagement has resulted in a weakening of U.S. sanctions. The sanctions that we have against North Korea are weaker today than our sanctions against Zimbabwe or Belarus and, in some regards, weaker than our sanctions against Burundi, he said. However, Stimson Center co-founder Barry Blechman said the U.S. has been placing sufficient economic pressure on North Korea. We have sanctions on just about everything that we can. I think that we and other nations are quite diligent in enforcing the sanction, he said. Possible North Korea Nuclear Test Possible North Korea Nuclear Test Where: The Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Facility, North Koreas only nuclear test site, located in mountainous terrain in the northeast of the country; has three visible tunnel entrances known as the South Portal, East Portal, and West Portal. Previous tests: 2006, 2009 and 2013; all at Punggye-ri Alert: Suspicions of a possible nuclear test were first raised by seismologists who detected a 5.1 magnitude tremor near Punggye-ri. The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the quake, detected at 10 a.m. Pyongyang time (0130 GMT), was about 50 kilometers (30 miles) northwest of Kilju city, placing it next to the Punggye-ri nuclear test site. No confirmation: The White House said it could not confirm the North Korean test. Sources: The Nuclear Threat Initiative, AFP Calls for China to use leverage on North Korea Blechman said the U.S. and its allies needed to exert pressure on China, North Koreas key regional ally, to end what he called Beijings lax approach to enforcing international sanctions against China. They permit considerable trade to go on, said Blechman. It would be helpful if China would tighten its noose around North Koreas economy. Atlantic Council analyst Robert Manning said China likely views North Koreas latest test as a huge kick in the teeth, considering it has come at a time when Beijing has been trying to repair frayed relations with Pyongyang. This was a huge humiliation and that is something the Chinese dont tolerate, particularly from a small country, said Manning. He said China should consider action that incudes cutting oil supplies to North Korea. China has condemned North Koreas latest test. It also backed U.N. sanctions after North Korea conducted a third nuclear test in 2013. North Koreas new test may have hurt Chinas security interests, said Yang Xiyu, an analyst at the China Institute of International Studies. China has been pursuing two goals in the Korean peninsula, said the former Chinese diplomat. He said those goals are denuclearization and stability through peace building. Broader implications from test Blechman said any U.N. response should go beyond specifically sanctioning North Korea for its latest test. He said the U.N. should deem a nuclear test by any nation a threat to international security, a move that he said would open the door to a stronger international response. He also expressed concern that other countries could be emboldened by North Koreas actions. It could lead other countries, like India and Pakistan for example, who might see technical reasons to want to test their weapons to begin resuming testing, he said. Stanton said what the U.S. and other world powers need now is leverage against North Korea. He said that would involve getting South Korea, Japan, the U.S. and the European Union on the same page in enforcing existing U.N. Security Council sanctions against Pyongyang. Many Asian stock markets declined Wednesday after a North Korean nuclear test unnerved investors, while the stock market in China itself steadied after news that Beijing would keep market-steadying measures in place. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index fell 1.3 percent to 18,144.99, and South Korea's Kospi slid 0.5 percent to 1,920.16. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 1.3 percent to 5,117.90. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.8 percent to 21,005.51, but the CSI300 index of the largest listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen rose 1.8 percent, to 3,539.81, while the Shanghai Composite Index gained 2.3 percent, to 3,361.84 points. It had slumped 6.9 percent on Monday and 0.3 percent on Tuesday. Rules that prevent shareholders who own more than five percent of a company from selling off shares were set to expire this week. But a report in the Shanghai Securities News said the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) would keep the ban in place until new rules come into effect. The CSRC did not specify when the new policy would be ready. Many traders attributed Monday's sell-off to concerns that the expiration of the share-sale ban, imposed at the height of the market volatility last year, could cause an estimated $190.23 billion of shares to be dumped onto the market, Reuters reported. Some traders say further restricting share sales was not justified, and would only prolong, rather than stop, market volatility. "It's like the sword of the Damocles overshadowing the market," Shen Weizheng, fund manager at Shanghai-based Ivy Capital, told Reuters. Meanwhile, a monthly survey of China's service industries slipped to a 17-month low, renewing concern among investors that the world's second largest economy may be losing steam. "I didn't expect 2016 to be anything other than a roller-coaster, but we're really starting off the roller-coaster really early," Michael Every, head of Asia-Pacific financial market research at Rabobank, told The Associated Press. European stock markets also fell at the start of trading Wednesday, on news that Pyongyang said it had carried out a "successful" miniaturized hydrogen bomb test. Bangladesh's Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the death sentence given to the leader of the country's largest Islamist party for war crimes. A panel of judges rejected an appeal by Motiur Rahman Nizami, a former Cabinet minister who leads the radical Jamaat-e-Islami party. The decision clears the last barrier for his execution. Nizami was convicted in October 2014 on charges of genocide, murder, torture, rape and destruction of property for his role in Bangladesh's nine-month war for independence with Pakistan in 1971. Bangladesh says local collaborators and Pakistani soldiers killed three million people, raped 200,000 women and displaced about 10 million people to refugee camps in neighboring India. Jamaat-e-Islami opposed independence. Special tribunals set up by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have sentenced more than a dozen opposition leaders for war crimes since 2010. Opponents have denounced the proceedings as politically motivated attempts to target opposition members. British lawmakers have scheduled a debate for later this month on a petition signed by more than 500,000 people seeking to ban U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump from Britain. Last month Trump, a billionaire real estate developer and frontrunner among Republican candidates, prompted international outrage by calling for a ban on all Muslims entering the United States "until our countrys representatives can figure out what is going on." He proposed the ban after a December 2 mass shooting that killed 14 people in California by two Muslims whom the FBI said had been radicalized. The debate, called by the Petitions Committee of the lower house of parliament, will be held on January 18 but any conclusion reached by the lawmakers will not be binding, The Associated Press reported. 'Views to be expressed' "By scheduling a debate... the committee is not expressing a view on whether or not the government should exclude Donald Trump from the UK," House of Commons Petitions Committee Chairwoman Helen Jones said. "As with any decision to schedule a petition for debate, it simply means that the committee has decided that the subject should be debated. "A debate will allow a range of views to be expressed," Jones said. In the past, people have been banned from entering Britain for fostering hatred that might provoke inter-community violence. Anti-Muslim American speakers such as Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer have been blocked from entering the country by these rules before, as have extremist Islamic preachers and others whose presence the home secretary has decided would "not be conducive to the public good," the Washington Post reported. In December, British Prime Minister David Cameron said Trump's comments were "divisive, unhelpful and quite simply wrong." Finance Minister George Osborne said Trump's comments flew in the face of the founding principles of America but that banning him from Britain was not the best way to respond. Critic launched petition The petition was launched by longtime Trump critic Suzanne Kelly, a Scottish-based campaigner, who said, "The U.K. has banned entry to many individuals for hate speech. The same principles should apply to everyone who wishes to enter the U.K. If the United Kingdom is to continue applying the unacceptable behavior criteria to those who wish to enter its borders, it must be fairly applied to the rich as well as poor, and the weak as well as powerful. The British government responds to all petitions that gain more than 10,000 signatures and topics are considered for parliamentary debate if they reach 100,000. A separate petition, which opposes banning Trump from the country, has been signed by nearly 40,000 people. It will also be debated. Helen Fenwick, a professor at Durham Law School, told the Post that some supporters of the Trump ban say that the American businessman should be banned from the country because he has incited hatred on the grounds of religion, something made illegal by Britain's hate speech legislation. However, Fenwick doubts that Trump's comments would fall within that definition his comments were insulting rather than threatening, she noted to the paper. The National Election Authority in Bangui raced to beat a deadline to announce the results from the December 30 presidential poll. With more than 70 percent of the votes counted, the Central African Republic's presidential election looks set to go to a second round. Both of the two leading candidates are former prime ministers who served under ousted president Francois Bozize. The Authority's logistics officer, Rene Sankanga, said some votes have yet to arrive in the capital. The votes from the refugees and the Diaspora in Chad arrived Wednesday in Bangui, but votes from France and some regions have not arrived, he said. The Election Authority hopes they will arrive by Thursday so results can be announced. As things stood Wednesday, former prime minister Anicet Georges Dologuele held the lead with 248,000 votes. He is followed by another former prime minister, Faustin Archange Touadera, with 217,000 votes. It is clear that Touadera has won Bangui, while Dologueles stronghold is in the populated western parts of the country. The results leave the other 28 candidates with little chance of catching up before the final results are due Thursday evening. Vote credibility questioned Earlier this week, 19 candidates questioned the credibility of the poll and demanded the counting be stopped. The C.A.R. transitional government, the National Transition Council, said the vote count would go ahead as planned, despite logistical difficulties. Sankanga said the Election Authority is working "24/7 to be able to assemble the results in time." Anyone who wants to contest the final results has 10 days to do so with the countrys constitutional court. If they do, a second round currently scheduled for January 31 will likely be postponed. A Chinese court has accepted the country's first same-sex marriage case, filed by a gay man in Hunan province against the government for refusing his application to marry his male partner. The decision is being hailed as a step forward for gay rights and as a major test case for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in China, his lawyer told Radio Free Asia. While homosexuality is not illegal in China, same-sex marriage is not legal and same-sex couples do not have legal protections. Sun Wenlin, 26, filed a lawsuit December 16 against the Furong district civil affairs bureau in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province in central China. His lawsuit challenged the bureau's refusal to allow the couple -- his partner is 36 years old -- to register their marriage. On Tuesday, the court said it had accepted the lawsuit, he said. "I think from a legal point of view, we should be successful," Sun said. "Our marriage law says there is the freedom to marry and gender equality. These words can be applied to same-sex marriage." No gender specification Sun is arguing that current Chinese marriage law refers to the union of "husband and wife," but without specifying the gender of either party to the marriage. The argument rests on the idea that a person can identify as a husband or a wife without reference to their gender, RFA reported. Officials at the Furong district civil affairs bureau could not be reached for comment. A court official in Furong said the court "will not comment on cases before they are heard." The court is expected to hand down a ruling on the case within six months. Sun's lawyer, Shi Fulong, told RFA the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people have yet to fully enter public awareness in China. Shi said the gradual liberalization of gay marriage in Western countries, including the United States, has paved the way for changing attitudes in China. Until 2001, homosexuality was listed as a mental disorder in China. The country has become more tolerant of homosexuality, but many gay people remain under heavy pressure to stay hidden. Significant case Activists said the court's acceptance of the case was significant and would likely lead to more such cases. "In China, courts often reject politically sensitive cases, so the fact that the lawsuit is accepted signals some official willingness to address discrimination against LGBT people, which is encouraging," Maya Wang, a China researcher at the New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch, told Reuters. "But we will need to see if they actually win the case. If they do, it'd be a truly watershed moment for LGBT rights in China," Wang said. A Guangzhou resident who runs a support group for the friends and relatives of LGBT people said there is still a long way to go for LGBT rights in China, but welcomed Sun's lawsuit. "This is the first case to do with gay marriage in this country ... and really it's quite epoch-making," the man, who gave only a nickname A Qiang, said. "There is still a long way to go for gay marriage in China, but the good thing is that there has been huge change [globally] in the past decade or so, and the overall trend is towards legalizing gay marriage." How many Chinese would identify themselves as gay is unknown, as social stigma associated with homosexuality remains widespread, with many choosing to marry despite their orientation, RFA reported. More and more educated urban Chinese have begun revealing their homosexuality in recent years, while the gay dating app Blued has estimated that China is home to 13 million gay men, and says it currently has three million users. Last February, Internet giant Alibaba paid for 10 same-sex couples to get married in California, as part of a contest it said would help to promote LGBT rights. Will the new year bring peace to the world and more tolerance and goodwill among its citizens? The U.S. Department of Education certainly hopes so. In the wake of extreme acts of violence and the ongoing worldwide refugee crisis, the department is trying to do its share to promote peace and understanding in the U.S. It is reaching out to schools to ensure they are maintaining safe, respectful and nondiscriminatory learning environments for all of their students. Catherine Lhamon, the department's assistant secretary for civil rights, noted that as the U.S. welcomes refugees into the country, there will be "more and more conversations about who we are as a nation and what takes place in schools." "And we want to make sure that all of our schools remember that they need to serve all of our students, she added. So outgoing Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and incoming Acting Secretary John B. King Jr. signed off on a "Dear Colleagues" letter to schools and universities across America, encouraging classroom and campus environments that are free of bullying and other forms of discrimination. The three-page letter reminds schools of their responsibility under federal civil rights laws to prohibit discrimination based on race, religion or national origin. It states, in part, These refugees have captivated so much attention and are fleeing precisely the type of senseless and violent attacks that have occurred here in the United States and elsewhere recently. The United States must continue to welcome these refugees seeking safety and a new start in life. At the same time, we remain deeply committed to safeguarding the safety and security of the American people. We can and must do both. The letter also includes links to resources designed to help school officials, educators, students, families and communities promote positive school climates. The strategies include "making sure that there's somebody who is assessing the campus climate and ensuring that students feel comfortable reporting that they do feel safe, that the schools know what's happening and that they have a process in place to respond to any incidents that may come up, said Lhamon. The goal of the letter, she added, is to ensure that all U.S. schools can be safe places where students can focus on learning. We are really excited about the ways that we have seen our schools try to make sure that all students can be safe, and we wanted to send a reminder to make sure that no one is unclear about that message and that we remember to deliver for all students, Lhamon said. Iraq's foreign minister offered Wednesday to act as a mediator between its neighbors Iran and Saudi Arabia. Those relations became further strained in the past week with the Saudi execution of a prominent Shi'ite cleric, angry protesters storming the Saudi embassy in Tehran and Saudi Arabia's subsequent decision to cut off diplomatic ties with Iran. Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said during a joint news conference with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif that Iraq's placement in the region brings a role in alleviating the tensions. WATCH: Related report by Pamela Dockins Russia proposes mediation Russia has also offered to act as a mediator, and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has been speaking with both Zarif and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir. U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday that Kerry talked by phone with multiple Iranian and Saudi leaders to try to "restore some sense of calm," urge them to use dialogue and keep in mind there are other pressing issues in the region, including the situations in Syria and Yemen. "These are sovereign decisions. Countries get to decide for themselves who they're going to talk to and who they're not going to talk to," Kirby said. "We just think that at this particular time, with all the other issues going on and the progress that we have made, not just against [Islamic State], but towards a political process in Syria, that it would be detrimental to regional stability if they decide -- if the decisions that they make are to disengage and to shut down avenues for conversation and dialogue." Zarif added to Iranian criticism of Saudi Arabia at Wednesday's news conference, saying the Saudi government needs to stop "provoking tension." Rouhani's comments Iranian President Hassan Rouhani tweeted Wednesday that the "Attack on Saudi missions was wrong and against the law." But, he continued, saying that Saudi Arabia was using this an an "excuse to cut ties with Iran and encourage others to do the same." As if on cue, Djibouti cut ties with Iran Wednesday, joining several Arab nations that have also severed diplomatic relations in solidarity with Saudi Arabia. Eritrea also condemed the storming of the Saudi embassy in Tehran. Rouhani on Tuesday said that Saudi Arabia cannot use severing diplomatic ties with Iran to "hide its crime" of executing cleric Nimr al-Nimr, who was critical of the Riyadh kingdom. The Arab League is due to discuss the situation at a special meeting requested by Saudi Arabia on Sunday. In addition to Saudi Arabia, several other Arab League members have already taken diplomatic action against Iran. Bahrain and Sudan cut their ties, while the United Arab Emirates downgraded its relations and Kuwait recalled its ambassador to Tehran. The United Nations Security Council issued a statement Monday condemning the attack on the Saudi embassy. It called on Iran to respect its international obligations to protect diplomatic property and urged all parties to "maintain dialogue and take steps to reduce tensions in the region." The Islamic State group has executed what is believed to be the first female citizen journalist for reporting inside its territory, Syrian activists reported. Ruqia Hassan, 30, wrote about daily life in Raqqa, IS's Syrian stronghold and the frequent target of coalition airstrikes against the group. Her frequent Facebook posts appeared under the pen name Nissan Ibrahim. The exact date of Hassans execution is unknown, but her presence on social media stopped abruptly in July 2015. News of her death was confirmed this week by Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS), a group exposing human rights abuses from within Syria. RBSS founder Abu Mohammed tweeted Hassans last known message: "Im in Raqqa and I received death threats, and when #ISIS [arrests] me and kills me its ok because they will cut my head and I have dignity its better than I live in humiliation with #ISIS." Hassan was an independent reporter who studied philosophy at Aleppo University and joined the opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assads government when the revolution began in Raqqa. After IS entered the city, she refused to leave and began reporting on the human rights abuses occurring there. Iran isnt alone in issuing dire threats against Saudi Arabia the Islamic State has ratcheted up a propaganda campaign against the Gulf kingdoms ruling family, denouncing them for siding with the U.S.-led coalition against the jihadists and urging followers to oust them. The Islamic State has exerted much effort in the last couple of weeks to attacking Saudi Arabia in an extensive and well-coordinated media campaign, says Marwan Khayat, an analyst at the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), a Washington-based group that monitors jihadist propaganda. In an outpouring of videos and social media postings that increased noticeably in tempo more than two weeks ago, the terrorist armys propagandists have been exhorting the kingdoms Sunni Muslims to target the ruling House of Saud as well as the Wahhabi religious establishment and the Saudi military underpinning the royal family. Ironically, in light of Irans fury over the execution at the weekend of an influential Shiite cleric, one of the Islamic States chief charges against the Saudi royals is that they have allowed the kingdoms Shi'ite Muslims - considered apostates by IS - a free hand to live and practice their religion in the country. 'Divine vengeance' Following Saudi Arabia's executions of four Shi'ite Muslims Saturday, Iran threatened divine vengeance." Most international attention since has focused on the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran. But 43 Sunni jihadists were among the executed prisoners and since their slayings IS has pledged to target the al-Hair and Tarifya prisons, two facilities where al-Qaida and IS suspects are being held. But even before the executions, IS had upped its propaganda threats against the Saudi royal family. In one video from Iraqs al-Anbar province, an IS member called Abu Khalid al-Jazrawi denounces the presence of Shi'ites in Saudi Arabia and laments what he called the failure of the Saudi government to fully implement Sharia law. In the same 15-minute video, another IS member, Abu 'Azzam al-Jazrawi, accuses the kingdoms religious scholars of hypocrisy. He calls on IS supporters in Saudi Arabia, including those seeking martyrdom, to target "the enemies of Allah, saying, "they are among you and on your streets. There is no easier way to kill them and there is nothing more delicious than spilling their blood. This isnt the first time Islamic State propagandists have targeted the Saudi royal family. Like al-Qaida, the jihadist group IS spun off from, IS views Saudi princes and other Gulf ruling families as much the enemy as the West this despite the fact that they have aided ultraconservative Salafist militias and groups in the region, including the Army of Conquest, a rebel alliance in Syria which boasts al-Qaida affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra as a dominant member. In May 2015, IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi condemned the House of Saud for collaborating with the West. He claimed the Islamic State group is the only genuine protector of Sunnis. And in December, al-Baghdadi denounced a new Saudi-led Islamic military alliance of 34 countries created to coordinate and support military operations to fight terrorism. Since then, the output of anti-Saudi propaganda has increased. Anti-Saudi videos According to MEMRIs Khayat, IS's various arms have posted 15 official anti-Saudi videos, ranging in length from five minutes to over half-an-hour. There has been similar prolific content released from the IS-affiliated al-Battar media company over social networks and jihadi forums, he adds. Al-Battar has issued two anti-Saudi videos, eight articles, and 50 posters. The campaign's organization and presentation carried several of the hallmarks which by now have become a staple of ISIS's online operations, including volume, coordination, and persistence. IS relies on volume, in which the same message, or variants of, are presented repeatedly to a given audience, to make an impact, Khayat says. And the uptick in rhetoric may presage more violence on the ground. IS propaganda has been consistent in that it has inspired members and lone-wolf types to attack targets specified by the group, says Jonathan Schanzer, an analyst with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a think tank. With the population already indoctrinated with hardline Wahhabi ideology, Saudi Arabia remains fertile ground for recruitment, he says. The Saudis have branded IS as a terror group and it has been part of the U.S.-led bombing campaign against the group in Syria and Iraq. Indeed, the Saudis are the leaders among the Arab countries in this campaign, says Schanzer. An IS supporter blew himself up outside Hair prison near the Saudi capital in July. And IS itself claimed responsibility for a string of bombing and shooting attacks since November 2014 in which more than 50 people lost their lives, most of them Shiites. A Ukrainian businessman has filed a complaint against Russia in The Hague, saying he was unfairly deprived of his right to operate a passenger airport in Crimea after Russia annexed the peninsula in March 2014. The Permanent Court of Arbitration said on Wednesday that it had agreed to consider the case, which was brought a year ago by Ihor Kolomoisky, one of Ukraine's richest men, and Aeroport Belbek LLC, against the Russian Federation. Kolomoisky's company held a contract to operate a passenger terminal at Crimea's Sevastopol International Airport until 2020. He wants Russia to compensate him for income lost after he was deprived of use of the facility. Kolomoisky has estimated his losses linked to the airport, near Belbek in Crimea, at $15 million, according to Ukrainian media reports. The claimants say Russia breached a bilateral investment treaty with Ukraine. Co-founder of the banking chain Privatbank, Kolomoisky has interests in energy, media, aviation and metals. While governor of the industrial Dnipropetrovsk region, he took firm action against pro-Russian separatism, arming and financing local militia groups and volunteer battalions. Moscow says the court has no jurisdiction over the matter and that it will not participate in proceedings, according to a statement by the court. The court will now decide if it does have jurisdiction to hear the merits of the case. The court of arbitration, most of whose proceedings are held in closed session, first made the case public on Wednesday. In 2014, it made a $50 billion award against the Kremlin to compensate former shareholders in defunct oil company Yukos. It is currently hearing proceedings brought against China by several of its South East Asian neighbors over the geopolitically sensitive South China Sea dispute. Kurdish Peshmerga forces are digging what officials say are security trenches in areas bordering territory controlled by the Islamic State (IS). But the Iraqi government is concerned that the Kurds may be attempting to set up a de-facto Kurdish border as part of a process towards independence from Iraq. The trenches will stretch 652 miles from northern areas of Mosul to Khanaqin in Diyala province. General Murad Muhammed, a Peshmerga commander in Kirkuk, told VOA that the trenches will be used as a defensive line to protect newly liberated areas from retaliatory IS attacks. This trench will protect the area from the Daesh bats (IS fighters) who want to invade Kurdistan, Muhammed said. Across the Peshmerga frontlines, excavators and bulldozers can be seen digging ditches three meters wide and three meters deep. These trenches will prevent the terrorists from sneaking in car bombs to our frontlines, the Kurdish commander in Diyala, Lieutenant-Colonel Sirwan Muhammad, told VOA. IS has been using car bombs against the Kurds who lack sophisticated weapons to destroy armored trucks filled with explosives and driven by suicide bombers. 'Disputed territories' The trenches are in areas known as disputed territories. The disputed territories are in northern Iraq, including the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, which both the central government of Iraq and the Kurds claim. The Iraqi constitution mandated that a referendum take place to determine the future of the disputed territories. But no referendum has been held. When the IS swept into Mosul in June 2014, the Iraqi army abandoned the disputed territories around IS-held areas. Kurdish Peshmerga gained full control of the areas and declared it will not withdraw. Saad Yosif al-Muttalibi, the head of the Iraqi parliaments defense committee, told VOA that Kurds are taking political advantage of the IS threat to Iraq. The Kurdistan region uses its defense against IS as a justification to dig the trenches, he told VOA. We dont think this is to defend against IS. We think this is to separate Kurdistan from Iraq and its an attempt by Masoud Barzani [the president of Kurdistan region] to declare Kurdish independence. Kurdish trenches also worry the Shiite paramilitaries known as Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) who have had armed confrontation with the Kurdish Peshmerga over the control of southern Kirkuk and northern Diyala. Abu Munazir Khanaqini, the commander of Shiite Popular Mobilization Forces in Diyala told VOA that digging the trenches is not necessary because IS is not present in the area. We are doubtful of Peshmerga's real intentions behind this effort, he said. We believe it is an effort by them to separate the area they control from other parts of Iraq controlled by us. 'Borders of Kurdistan' Muhammed Faiq, the spokesman for the mayor of the town of Tuz Khurmatu, told VOA the trenches would work as a separation of the Kurdish lands from Iraq. These [trenches] will determine the borders of Kurdistan, he said. In recent months, there have been skirmishes between Shiite forces and the Peshmerga near Tuz Khurmatu over the building of the trenches. Hashd al-Shabi (Arabic for PMF) fired at Peshmerga and its excavators while [we were] digging the trenches, said Colonel Jmhur Rostam, a Peshmerga commander in the area. We responded. But no one was killed from either side and talks started to avoid further escalation. Kurdish commanders say they reject Iraqi accusations over the trenches. These trenches are not to separate Kurdish territories from Iraq, Jabar Yawar, the Peshmerga chief of staff, told VOA. The trenches are 60 kilometers (38 miles) away from Kurdish borders with the rest of Iraq and we use them to defend Peshmerga frontlines from IS suicide attacks. Anwar reported from Kirkuk and Hussein from Washington. Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said she supports the call by Liberians to reduce the presidential term of office from two six-year terms to two four-year terms. A constitution review commission set up by Sirleaf recommended last year to reduce the number of years the president can serve. The commission also recommended the term of office for senators be reduced from the current nine years to six, and representatives from six to four years. Information Minister Lewis Brown said Sirleafs support to change the presidential term to two four-year terms is part of her effort to build a democratic governance model that is transparent and that every Liberian can feel a part of. She has, in fact, written the legislature and she has asked to actually consider amending the presidential term to two four-year terms rather than what it is today which is two six-year terms. In effect, limiting the president to a maximum of eight years in office," he said. Under the current 1986 constitution, the president and vice president serve six-year terms, senators serve for nine years and members of the House of Representatives six years. Members of the Senate and House of Representatives can run for re-election for as many times as they wish as long they are elected by their constituents. Brown would not say if Sirleaf is trying to set an example for other African leaders who are trying to change their countries constitutions to extend their stay in power. Well, if her example is anything to go by, then certainly it speaks to the fact that she will favor presidential term limit. Now, whether she is sending a message to the rest of Africa, Im not in the position to say. But I know that her entire leadership has been around making sure that Liberia is best positioned, whether it be through economic transformation, whether it be political transformation, so that every citizen feels a duty to their country in the first instance and that we can deepen the institutional capacity of our society to build the kind of democratic governance model that is a bit more transparent, and a bit more accountable to the people, Brown said. Many long-serving African leaders have been using what has been dubbed by some as a softer, gentler coup detat to stay in power by reforming their countries constitutions. The tactic has been used by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, Equatorial Guineas Teodoro Obiang, Jose Eduardo dos Santos of Angola, and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who is in a tight re-election fight in polling scheduled for next month. Most recently, Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza won a controversial third term in an election that his critics said violated the constitution. In Rwanda, the parliament removed the two seven-year presidential term limit and paved the way for President Paul Kagame to continue in office. Liberia's Constitutional Review Conference approved several recommendations, including a provision making Liberia a Christian nation, the election of superintendents of the countrys 15 political subdivisions by the citizens rather than by presidential appointment, equal representation for women, and rejection of dual citizenship. Brown said Sirleaf supports dual citizenship because she feels the country would benefit economically. It is not in the best interest of our country to alienate people who were born to Liberian parentage, people who are truly Liberians. And she used other economic indicators that dual citizenship has had a positive impact on the economy, especially at a time when we need to invest in our country, Brown said. The Liberian legislature, which returns to work next week from its summer break, will have to approve the term limits recommendations before they are put to a national referendum. Liberia holds presidential election in 2017. The best place to look for alien life would be in globular star clusters, according to new research. Clusters hold millions of stars - all within a relatively small area of around 100 light years across. Theyre also old, almost as old as the Milky Way, having formed about 10 billion years ago on average. "A globular cluster might be the first place in which intelligent life is identified in our galaxy," said lead author Rosanne DiStefano of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) during the meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Kissimmee, Florida. There are about 150 globular clusters in the Milky Way, mostly on the outer areas. However, clusters contain fewer of the heavy elements needed for the formation of new planets, which leads some to think they are not the best place to look for alien life.In fact, researchers say only one planet has been spotted around a cluster. DiStefano argues that exoplanets have been found around stars only one-tenth as metal rich as our Sun. She also said that Earth-sized planets can form around metal rich or metal poor stars. Another reason to think clusters might not be the best place to find life is that because of the concentration of stars. This means there would be a better chance of another stars gravity disrupting a potential planetary system. Researchers counter with the notion that the stars in clusters tend to be relatively dim and long-lived red dwarf stars. Any planets around those would be very close to its star, keeping it safe from stellar interlopers. "Once planets form, they can survive for long periods of time, even longer than the current age of the universe," explains DiStefano. That could mean any planet in a cluster could survive for billions of years, giving life ample time to form and evolve. The proximity of the stars in a cluster would offer any alien civilization a better chance to explore nearby stars. For example, the nearest star to our solar system is four light years away. In a cluster, a neighboring star could be 20 times closer. "We call it the 'globular cluster opportunity,'" said DiStefano. "Sending a broadcast between the stars wouldn't take any longer than a letter from the U.S. to Europe in the 18th century. "Interstellar travel would take less time, too. The Voyager probes are 100 billion miles [160 billion kilometers] from Earth, or one-tenth as far as it would take to reach the closest star if we lived in a globular cluster. That means sending an interstellar probe is something a civilization at our technological level could do in a globular cluster. Finding these planets, if they exist, will be hard. The closest cluster is several thousand light years away, and given the crowding of stars, spotting a planet would be difficult. One opportunity might be to look for planets at the outskirts of globular clusters. Popular U.S. streaming video company Netflix began offering its service in 130 more countries around the world with the noticeable exception of China. While popular, the company has seen slowing growth in the U.S. The service was already offered in 60 countries, and the company has said its goal is to be in 200 countries by the end of the year. "[We are now in] nearly every country of the world but China," CEO Reed Hastings said at the Consumer Electronics Show on Wednesday in Las Vegas. "You are witnessing the birth of a global TV network." Some of the notable countries included among the 130 were India, Nigeria, Russia and Saudi Arabia. In July, the company said it would also target China but that plans to launch there in 2016 have been delayed. Netflix started off as a mail-order DVD renting service, but in recent years has evolved into a content producer with popular shows like House of Cards, Orange Is The New Black, and Narcos. Netflix said it expects to break even through 2016 before becoming profitable. The companys stock spiked over 5 percent on the news. "I think there's been pent-up demand for Netflix outside of the few geographies they were available in previously," Brian Blau, research director at Gartner, told Reuters. While Netflix does not offer its service in China, it added simplified and traditional Chinese to the 17 languages it currently supports. Most of the countries added by Netflix Wednesday are in Africa and Asia. Black holes, which have a voracious appetite, can suffer indigestion, according to new research. Researchers at the University of Texas, San Antonio say they have discovered a massive galactic blast, or burp coming from a giant black hole some 26 million light years away. Around the black hole, a large spiral galaxy, NGC 5194, is colliding with the smaller galaxy, NGC 5195. In the resulting maelstrom, the researchers believe gas is being funneled toward the black hole. The massive influx of material caused the burp, which is believed to contain enough matter to create new stars. Astronomers call the outburst feedback. Apparently, black holes can also burp after their meal, the University of Texass Eric Schlegel, who led the study, told NASA. Our observation is important because this behavior would likely happen very often in the early universe, altering the evolution of galaxies. It is common for big black holes to expel gas outward, but rare to have such a close, resolved view of these events. The phenomenon must have played a role in the formation of the early universe, researchers said. "The black hole's behavior may be a local example of events that commonly took place when the universe was much younger. That makes this observation potentially very important," Schlegel said. Using NASAs Chandra X-ray telescope, the researchers saw two arcs of gas with a thin layer of relatively cool hydrogen gas. This, they say, suggests the hotter gas entered the cooler gas like a snowplow. This is the best example of snow-plowed material Ive ever seen. This is clearly a way of ejecting gas from a galaxy, Schlegel, told the American Astronomical Society at their meeting in Kissimmee, Florida, on Tuesday. The findings could change how black holes are viewed. "We think that feedback keeps galaxies from becoming too large," said co-author Marie Machacek, astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. "But at the same time, it can be responsible for how some stars form, showing that black holes can be creative, not just destructive." The paper was published in The Astrophysical Journal. British officials are pressing the Chinese government for answers about Hong Kong booksellers who have recently vanished. Analysts say the disappearance threatens free expression and freedoms that have long set the port city apart from the rest of China. Britain gave control of the former British colony back to China in 1997, with the promise that the Chinese government would maintain a one country, two systems model for the special administrative region. Secretary Hammond commented on the disappearance of Lee Bo, a publisher of books critical of China's leaders, who vanished in Hong Kong last week. "Lee Bo, who is a British passport holder and has gone missing, and we have urgently inquired both of the Hong Kong authorities and of the mainland Chinese authorities what if anything they know of his whereabouts," he said. Mystery deepens Lee, 65, is a shareholder of Causeway Bay Books, a store that sells books about the private lives of Chinese leaders. This week, Taiwans Central News Agency published a letter purportedly written by Lee that said he had gone to mainland China voluntarily to work with concerned parties. Subsequently his wife, Sophie Choi, withdrew a missing persons report for her husband on Monday. Snatching people from the street is more than just mere intimidation. It not only offends the press but it offends the rule of law in Hong Kong because people in Hong Kong are guaranteed freedom of the press, said Michael Davis, a Professor at Hong Kong University. Lee is the fifth man linked to a publishing company, Mighty Current, to go missing since October. The four other associates have been unaccounted for since then. Tom Leander of the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) expressed concern at what he says is a lack of resolve by the Hong Kong government and Chief Executive Cy Leung to defend the citys autonomy and rule of law. Freedom of the press I know [Hong Kong Chief Executive] CY Leung has said that its unconstitutional that a bookseller would be taken without the Hong Kong police knowing it over the border. However he has not come out and made any more direct references to the situation and he has not approached Beijing directly about it. Its a difficult situation because part of Hong Kongs attraction is its rule of law and its freedom of the press, said Leander. In recent weeks, Chinese media have published editorials critical of Lees publishing company, saying that it "maliciously fabricated content" and caused an "evil influence" in mainland China. The U.N. Security Council said Wednesday that it was working to craft new sanctions against North Korea after its latest nuclear test, while the United States and other world powers voiced skepticism about Pyongyang's claim that the underground blast was a successful test of a hydrogen bomb. After an emergency session, the Security Council said North Korea's actions posed "a clear threat to international peace and security." The council said the nuclear test was "a clear violation" of previous council resolutions aimed at blocking North Korean leader Kim Jong Un from developing nuclear weapons. In Washington, the White House sharply criticized North Korea, while also saying that initial U.S. analysis of the blast was "not consistent" with North Korea's boast that it now has hydrogen bomb technology. Such technology would signify a significant boost in the reclusive state's nuclear expertise and power. National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement that the U.S. had consistently made clear it would not accept a nuclear North Korea. "We will continue to protect and defend our allies in the region, including the Republic of Korea, and will respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations," Price said. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, "This act is profoundly destabilizing for regional security and seriously undermines international nonproliferation efforts. I condemn it unequivocally." Watch: Related TV report by Margaret Besheer: Earlier Wednesday, North Korean state television declared, "We've now become a nuclear state that also holds a hydrogen bomb." The statement called the test a matter of self-defense to protect the country's sovereignty, and it made several critical references to the United States. The U.S. Geological Survey reported a 5.1-magnitude earthquake near Punggye-ri, where North Korea conducted three previous nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013. North Korea's Kim said last month that his country possessed a hydrogen bomb. That was widely discounted as an unsubstantiated claim, and Wednesday's test drew the same reaction, since there were indications that it might have been less powerful than Pyongyang's bomb test in 2013. Rand Corporation nuclear analyst Bruce Bennett told VOA he doubted it was a hydrogen bomb being tested. Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said the explosion less than 100 kilometers from the Chinese border was a "clear violation" of Security Council resolutions and "deeply regrettable." International condemnation NATO, China and Russia also quickly condemned the test. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said the test "undermines regional and international security." Moscow described the test as a "flagrant violation of international law," but its U.N. ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, later called for a "proportionate response." After North Koreas third nuclear test in 2013, the U.N. Security Council passed resolutions banning Pyongyang from conducting further nuclear and offensive weapons tests and imposed harsh economic sanctions against the Kim Jong Un regime. North Korea analyst Shin In-kyun with the Korea Defense Network said Wednesdays nuclear blast was more powerful than its past nuclear tests. Based on the seismic activity generated, he estimated the bomb produced 40 kilotons of power, significantly more than the atomic bomb that hit Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II. The Hiroshima atomic bomb produced 16 kilotons, so North Koreas nuclear test could have been 2.5 times more powerful than Hiroshima. Shin said. Possible North Korea Nuclear Test Possible North Korea Nuclear Test Where: The Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Facility, North Koreas only nuclear test site, located in mountainous terrain in the northeast of the country; has three visible tunnel entrances known as the South Portal, East Portal, and West Portal. Previous tests: 2006, 2009 and 2013; all at Punggye-ri Alert: Suspicions of a possible nuclear test were first raised by seismologists who detected a 5.1 magnitude tremor near Punggye-ri. The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the quake, detected at 10 a.m. Pyongyang time (0130 GMT), was about 50 kilometers (30 miles) northwest of Kilju city, placing it next to the Punggye-ri nuclear test site. No confirmation: The White House said it could not confirm the North Korean test. Sources: The Nuclear Threat Initiative, AFP But South Korean intelligence officials and other nuclear experts said the size of the blast was much smaller, making them seriously doubt the test involved a hydrogen bomb. Two South Korean lawmakers said the bomb's yield was about six kilotons. In its televised announcement, North Korea justified its need for nuclear capability to defend itself against U.S.-led efforts to isolate and pressure the Kim Jong Un regime through economic sanctions and military containment. Atomic vs. Hydrogen Bomb Atomic vs. Hydrogen Bomb Atomic: Involves fission reaction, in which a neutron collides with an atom's nucleus, splitting it into two nuclei and releasing nuclear energy. Also called an A-bomb. Nuclear reactors use fission to produce electricity. The U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945 to bring an end to World War Two. Hydrogen: Involves fusion reaction, in which nuclei collide to form a new nucleus. Also called a thermonuclear bomb or H-bomb. The sun and stars are powered by the fusion process. Fusion reactions allow for massive explosive yields thousands of times more powerful than an atomic bomb. Comparison: The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima produced an explosion equivalent to 13,000 tons of TNT. "Ivy Mike," the first thermonuclear (hydrogen) test, was carried out on the Enewetak atoll in the Marshall Islands in 1952, and produced an explosion equivalent to 10.4 million tons of TNT. Source: Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization The H-bomb test we conducted is a self-defensive measure to thoroughly protect our nations autonomy and our peoples right to live and to reliably secure regional peace and safety on the Korean peninsula against accumulating nuclear threats and the intimidation of the enemy group led by the United States, the KCNA announcer said. While North Korea promised not to share its nuclear technology, the announcer said Pyongyang planned to continue to develop its nuclear technology until the sky falls. South Korean, Japanese condemnation South Korean President Park Geun-Hye condemned what she called North Koreas nuclear provocation and promised to work with the other regional players and the international community to develop a punitive response. Under close cooperation with the international society, our government needs to make North Korea pay a price for the nuclear test," she said. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also condemned North Korea and promised a firm response that would include pressing for harsher U.N. sanctions. "North Korea's nuclear test is a serious threat to our nation's security and absolutely cannot be tolerated. We strongly denounce it," Abe said. The Korea Defense Network's Shin In-kyun said he also expected Washington to actively advocate imposing the strongest possible sanctions against the Kim Jong Un regime. The United States has been put in a situation in which it should impose more powerful military and economic sanctions against North Korea than the countries such as Iraq, Syria and the Republic of South Africa, which tried to develop nuclear power but failed in the past, he said. Impact on China North Koreas nuclear test announcement puts China, its key regional ally and economic supporter, in a difficult position. Beijing supported U.N. sanctions after Pyongyangs third nuclear test in 2013, but it has also been pressing for a resumption of regional six-party talks with Washington, Seoul, Tokyo, Beijing and Moscow to halt the Norths nuclear program in exchange for economic assistance and security guarantees. In October, North Korea indicated its intention to conduct a fourth nuclear test during the 70th anniversary of the founding of its Workers' Party. When that did not happen, South Korea credited China for acting as a moderating influence, but other analysts speculated that Pyongyang was just not technically prepared at that time. No reason was given as to why the test was conducted this week, but January 8 is Kim Jong Un's birthday. North Koreas key diplomatic ally China has voiced firm opposition to what Pyongyang said was its first hydrogen bomb test Wednesday. Beijing said it will lodge a formal protest and has called on its northern neighbor to give up on its ambitions for nuclear weapons. Analysts said that while China is likely to take some measures to cut off North Korea to highlight its displeasure, there are limits to what Beijing can do, even when North Korea is acting out right on its door step. The blast registered 4.9 on the Richter scale, according to Chinas Earthquake Administration, and shook towns just across the border in the northeastern province of Jilin. State media reported that at least one high school was evacuated after cracks appeared on its playground. Online criticism targets Kim The test, which occurred just over 100 kilometers from the Chinese border, also sparked sharp rebukes online, with some calling for action and others voicing concern. On Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter, many criticized Kim Jung Uns decision to carry out the countrys fourth nuclear test, referring to him by his Chinese nickname Fatty Kim the Third." One user said it was "time for China and South Korea to work together and wipe out the regime of Fatty Kim. A scourge of humanity." Another lamented: "can't you just reform and open up [to the world]?" The backlash was piling up on Chinese news websites as well. One user in Sichuan wrote: "the one who should be upset the most about this are Chinese authorities." Another in Hangzhou ominously remarked: "if this tumor is not removed, it could threaten all mankind." Lu Chao, a political scientist at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, said the strong response online was understandable, adding that Chinese authorities would not tolerate Pyongyang causing trouble right on its doorstep. The test will have a severely negative impact on relations in the Korean Peninsula, Northeast Asia and between China and North Korea. This was a very irrational and dangerous move," Lu said, adding that it is likely Beijing would again institute some sanctions such as cutting back on food, fuel and trade ties to put the squeeze on Pyongyang, as it has done in the past following nuclear tests. Likely repercussions But most of the measures are likely to be largely cosmetic, said Xie Yanmei, a senior analyst of Northeast Asia at the International Crisis Group. China could likely cut back on economic exchanges and maybe food assistance to send signals of its displeasure and disapproval to North Korea, but not too much, for fear that those measures could destabilize the regime, Xie said. Xie added that Beijing is unlikely to completely abandon North Korea because it fears both the chaos and expansion of U.S. influence in the region that such a move could bring. Beijing worries that if it completely removes its support of Pyongyang that could lead to the collapse of the regime, which could bring chaos to the region and could lead to a unified Korea - which is widely assumed would lead to an expansion of U.S. influence on the peninsula. A nuclear armed North Korea is uncomfortable to China, but having Washingtons presence right next door is outright frightening [to Beijing], Xie said. North Korea's claim to have carried out a successful hydrogen bomb test quickly played its way Wednesday into the 2016 U.S. presidential contest. Several Republican contenders blamed the "feckless" and "failed" foreign policy of Democratic President Barack Obama and the leading Democratic presidential candidate, his first-term secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, for allowing Pyongyang to reportedly carry out its fourth nuclear test in the last decade. One of the leading Republican contenders, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, said, "Our enemies around the world are taking advantage of Obama's weakness." He accused Obama of sitting "idly by," while a "lunatic leader" in Pyongyang, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, imperils international peace. Another Republican candidate, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, said the test "underscores the gravity of the threats we are facing right now and also the sheer folly of the Obama-Clinton foreign policy." Former Florida governor Jeb Bush, the son and brother of two U.S. presidents, said, the "North Korean nuke test shows danger of continuing feckless Obama-Clinton foreign policy." Madman Billionaire real estate titan Donald Trump, currently leading the Republican presidential field in U.S. political surveys, said China "should solve" the problem of North Korean nuclear tests. "And if they don't solve the problem," Trump said, "we should make trade very difficult for China. ... North Korea is totally under their control. Without China, they wouldn't eat," said Trump, who called Kim a madman. Even Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders called on the U.S. to press China into forcing North Korea to abide by international norms. Clinton called the North Korean nuclear test a "provocative and dangerous act," which the U.S. should meet with new sanctions against the reclusive Pyongyang government and strengthened missile defenses. In a statement, Clinton said, "North Korea must have no doubt that we will take whatever steps are necessary to defend ourselves and our treaty allies, South Korea and Japan." State-by-state Republican and Democratic political contests start next month in the U.S. to pick the parties' presidential nominees, with the national election coming in November. The winner will replace Obama as he leaves office next January. U.S. President Barack Obama outlined his initiatives to curb gun violence during an impassioned address to the American people Tuesday, saying, People are dying, and the constant excuses for inaction no longer do. Surrounded in the White House East Room by gun violence survivors, the families of those killed by firearms, gun control advocates and some prominent lawmakers, the president sharply criticized Congress for failing to pass stricter gun control measures. He called on lawmakers and the American people to find the courage to do more. Each year, firearms claim the lives of more than 30,000 Americans in mass killings, suicides, domestic violence and other incidents, according to the White House. We are the only advanced country on Earth that sees this kind of mass violence erupt with this kind of frequency, the president said. It doesn't happen in other advanced countries. Its not even close. Common-sense measures The White House late Monday announced a series of what it described as commonsense measures Obama is implementing using his executive authority, a move that bypasses the Republican-led Congress, which has rejected previous attempts to tighten gun control measures. Those executive actions will require more gun sellers to get licenses and more gun buyers to undergo background checks. They also will tighten enforcement of existing gun laws, increase mental health treatment, and expand research into gun safety technology. The issue has generated bitter debate and divided the American public. Critics argue the measures will do nothing to reduce gun violence and will defy the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees Americans the right to bear arms. Obama rejected those claims and said the rights of people killed in a string of mass shootings in the U.S. were violated. Referring to some of those massacres, Obama argued, Our right to worship freely and safely - that right was denied to Christians in Charleston, South Carolina. And that was denied Jews in Kansas City. And that was denied Muslims in Chapel Hill, and Sikhs in Oak Creek, he said to vigorous applause. At times, the president appeared passionate and even emotional. At one point, he wiped a tear from his face as he recalled 20 young children and six others killed in the 2012 mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. "Every time I think about those kids, it makes me mad," he said. For months, the Democratic president has said he would take action within his executive authority to tighten gun restrictions, if the Congress failed to do so. Obama said the new rules fall "well within" his legal authority as president. GOP reaction Republicans, who generally oppose gun control measures, accused the president of overreaching his authority. House Speaker Paul Ryan said the presidents plans goes after the most law abiding of citizens, rather than after criminals and terrorists. No matter what President Obama says, his word does not trump the Second Amendment, said Ryan. We will conduct vigilant oversight. Ryan warned the presidents action likely will be challenged in court and could be overturned by a Republican president. Many Republican presidential candidates already have said they will reverse the rules if elected. WATCH: Candidates speak out on gun control GOP front-runner Donald Trump told CNN on Monday that Obama's proposals were the first step toward tighter restrictions on gun owners, saying: "Pretty soon you won't be able to get guns. It's another step in the way of not getting guns." The National Rifle Association, a powerful gun rights lobbying group, also vowed to look into the new rules to see if it would challenge them in court. Due process concerns Republican House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia said he worried that the presidents actions could encroach on due process by giving the government the power to deny gun ownership to those it considered mentally incompetent. In the Senate, the lead Republican sponsor of legislation that would expand background checks for gun sales criticized Obama for taking action on the issue without Congress. Republican Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania said, The president has abused these actions in the past and exceeded the boundaries of the law. This should not be allowed under our constitutional framework. Toomey worked with Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia in 2013 on a bill that would have expanded background checks for all gun purchases, but it was unable to get the 60 votes needed to advance. Past time to act Democratic lawmakers, meanwhile, embraced the presidents gun safety measures. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California said, The vast majority of Americans support common sense action to reduce gun violence. She and many other Democratic members of Congress said it was past time for Congress to act to curb what they called an epidemic of gun violence. More background checks One key element of Obama's plan is a measure that will widen the definition of a gun dealer. The White House hopes this will require more businesses selling firearms, including those at gun shows, to get licenses and therefore be required to conduct background checks. "We intend to make this system more efficient and make it more comprehensive," said Attorney General Loretta Lynch. "The goal is keeping bad actors away from firearms and also to make it easier for authorities to make sure that the gun laws are properly followed and enforced." Part of the effort also includes increasing by 50 percent the number of FBI personnel who staff the national background check system, said Lynch. Public opinion Recent polls show an increase in the number of Americans who support background checks on those seeking to purchase firearms. A new survey by Webster's research center found that 85 percent of gun owners believe there should be background checks for every individual seeking to buy a gun. Each year, firearms claim the lives of more than 30,000 Americans in mass killings, suicides, domestic violence and other incidents, according to the White House. Rich countries' development aid hit a record high in 2014, but the share that reached the world's poorest countries was the lowest since 2006, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Tuesday. Official development assistance (ODA) reached $137.2 billion in 2014, $2 billion more than in 2013, the Paris-based international think tank said. But ODA to the poorest countries fell for the second year, dropping by 9.3 percent in real terms from 2013 levels as some funds were diverted to other countries, the OECD said. "It's been a worrisome trend that's been going on for a number of years now," Yasmin Ahmad, manager of the OECD's data collection unit, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a phone interview from France. He said the OECD's Development Assistance Committee "is trying to highlight this issue and is very much focused on putting the least developed countries as prime focus again." The least developed countries together received $43.7 billion in ODA in 2014 30 percent of the total and their lowest share since 2006. The OECD said that aid to the poorest countries had fallen by $4.5 billion in 2014 partly because of lower levels of debt relief to Myanmar. "This news must act as a wake-up call to world leaders who should urgently commit 50 percent of their aid to the world's least developed countries," Adrian Lovett, Europe executive director for the advocacy group ONE Campaign, said in a statement. Afghanistan gets most Afghanistan, which received $4.8 billion, was the largest recipient of net ODA, followed by Vietnam, Syria, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Egypt and Turkey. "It's good to see a slight increase in aid in these difficult times globally, but unfortunately the OECD presents a very one-sided picture," Matti Kohonen, the charity Christian Aid's adviser, said in a statement. Developing and emerging countries lost an estimated $1.1 trillion in illicit financial flows in 2013, Kohonen quoted the Washington-based research and advocacy group Global Financial Integrity as saying. "The OECD needs to take these figures into account if a balanced picture is to be drawn," he said. The OECD said it does not measure illicit financial flows or corruption, but some of the development assistance it does measure goes into fighting such flows. "Within the ODA there are activities that combat the illicit financial flows and corruption, so there is assistance given to the developing countries to go against these ... flows," Ahmad said. Of the 28 members of the OECD's DAC, the United States remained the largest donor by volume in 2014 with $33.1 billion, followed by Britain with $19.2 billion, Germany, France and Japan. Russia has offered to act as an intermediary between Iran and Saudi Arabia following Riyadh's execution of the prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. Russian diplomatic sources were quoted saying Moscow is ready to invite Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers to Russia for talks. If our partners in Iran and Saudi Arabia are ready and willing (to come), the source told Russias state TASS news agency, our initiative remains in force. Other state-funded media reported Russia could play an important role to resolve the dispute because it is the only international player in the region seen as impartial by Tehran. But Nikolay Kozhanov, an associate in the Russia and Eurasia Program at Chatham House and non-resident fellow at the Moscow Carnegie Center, says Russias close relations with Iran remain a problem for Saudi Arabia and its allies in the region. In order to be an intermediary, you need to be the third side in the conflict, he said. But, in Saudi Arabia, Russia is considered to be an Iranian ally or a partner. So, I do not believe people in Riyadh will trust the Russians completely or, better to say, they won't trust them. Russias arms sales to Iran, including advanced missile systems, have raised international concern. But Moscow has also played a constructive role in negotiating the deal to limit Tehrans nuclear capabilities. Russias support for Iran is limited by the need to not take sides in the Sunni-Shiite confrontation, as the vast majority of Russias 16 million Muslims are Sunni, Carnegie Center's Kozhanov said. The full-fledged alliance between Russia and Iran is not in the Russian interest. Because it will definitely have a negative effect on Russia's relations, not only with Saudi Arabia but also with Israel and with quite a number of countries in the middle eastern region, he said, adding "And so, the Russians are not ready to sacrifice these relations for the sake of Tehran. Iran-Saudi Arabia rift Tensions between Iran and its Saudi Arabia ratcheted up over the weekend after Riyadh executed Shiite Muslim cleric Nimr-al-Nimr along with 46 others in a single day on terrorism charges. Al-Nimr was a longtime critic of the Saudi government who was accused by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir of agitating, organizing terrorist cells and providing them with weapons and money. In response to the execution, Iranian protesters stormed Saudi Arabia's embassy in Tehran and a consulate. Saudi Arabia quickly suspended diplomatic relations with Iran. Other Sunni governments limited diplomatic ties with Tehran in solidarity with Riyadh, including Bahrain, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait, while Shiite-led countries, like Iraq, sided with Iran. Irans President Hassan Rouhani condemned the attack on Saudi Arabias embassy and consulate, but also accused Riyadh of using it as an excuse to divert attention from the executions, which received widespread international condemnation. Call for dialogue, restraint Russias Foreign Ministry called for dialogue and urged Tehran, Riyadh and Gulf countries to show restraint. Kozhanov says Russia usually tries to play mediator in order to acquire additional importance in the international arena and is not as interested in reaching a final result so much as in the process itself. But he says Moscow could still play a role in shuttle diplomacy between the long-time rivals. The dispute has prompted fears for regional security and for the Syrian peace talks, in which both countries are involved. On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia said its relations with Iran would not affect talks on Syria, with another round reportedly scheduled in Geneva this month. In those peace talks too, Russia has played mediator role, using its closeness to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as a way to influence the peace process. Russia and the United States led a meeting on Syria in December with foreign ministers from Iran and Saudi Arabia. But Kozhanov believes the feud could hamper those efforts. Definitely, the conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia will have a negative impact on (their relations) and affect (the) Saudi's willingness to discuss Syria with Iran," he said. As Saudi diplomats return from Iran after the severing of diplomatic relations, protests continue in neighboring Bahrain over the Saudi kingdoms execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. The cleric, along with 46 other condemned men, was executed on Saturday, prompting protests from Shiite groups around the world against the Sunni Saudi Arabian monarchy. The mass executions appeared to be a show of strength by a country surrounded by turmoil and deeply concerned about potential unrest in its oil-rich Eastern Province, according to analysts. Saudi Arabia wants to portray itself as a strong country that can stop any opposition in its Eastern Province, or anywhere else, says Khalifa Gaballah, the Arab affairs editor at Masry al-Youm, a prominent Egyptian newspaper. Saudi Arabia is a massive state in an area surrounded by conflicts. Unrest to the east As the protests in Bahrain continue, Saudi leaders fear that the unrest could spill into its Eastern Province, where the mostly-Shiite population has long complained of marginalization Such fears, says Gulf State Analytics founder Giorgio Cafiero, are not unfounded. We should be keeping a close eye on events in Bahrain, he said. In the Shia villages of Bahrain, protesters have expressed their solidarity with their counterparts in Saudi Arabias Eastern Province, Cafiero said. Beyond inciting unrest in Saudi Arabia, sectarian strife in Bahrain could provide an opportunity for Islamic State militants to exploit the chaos, targeting the tiny, strategically located nation. Bahrain - located off the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia - has a Shiite majority population and a Sunni monarch in charge. While Shiite protesters continue to express their anger at the Saudi government, officials in Bahrain have followed the lead of Saudi Arabia and its Sunni allies. Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Sudan and Kuwait have all cut or downgraded diplomatic ties with Shiite-dominated Iran after protesters attacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran. Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of meddling in the affairs of foreign countries, including Bahrain. Saudi television channel Al-Arabiya reported Wednesday six people had been arrested in Bahrain, accused of being part of a terrorist cell associated with Iran and Iranian-backed Hezbollah. Threats from within and beyond Its not just Shiite dissidents worrying the Saudi government, according to Cafiero. All of the men executed were convicted terrorists, with 43 being affiliated with al-Qaida, a group that self-identifies as Sunni. Islamic State militants also issued a threat against the Saudi government online on Tuesday. "The Islamic State always seeks to free prisoners, but we calculate that the ending of the issues of prisoners will not happen except with the eradication of the rule of tyrants, and then destroying their prisons and razing them to the ground," it reads. Saudi Arabia is also bogged down with fighting in Yemen and involved in the Syria and Libya wars, according to Gulf State Analytics Dubai-based senior adviser Theodore Karasik. The diplomatic dispute, he adds, could be in part an attempt to shift geopolitical alliances as a way to manipulate potential conflict resolutions to be more favorable to maintaining or growing Saudi power. Conversely, Iran has reason to use the diplomatic break to potentially grow its international standing, he says. Iran can argue that the al-Sauds are incapable of governing their kingdom, he explained. Shiite groups in other parts of the region have also vowed revenge for al-Nimrs death. In Iraq, two Sunni mosques were attacked in apparent retaliation for the execution. And given the depth of the Sunni-Shiite divide in many parts of the Middle East and beyond, says Gaballah, from Masry al-Youm, the Saudi Arabia-Iran dispute could mean widespread violence if it is not resolved soon. I believe this conflict is impacting the whole region, he said. Its most dangerous for the Gulf, but if this crisis is not contained swiftly, it may lead to conflicts in many other parts of the region. Police in Germany are investigating what they describe as a series of mass sexual assaults that allegedly took place on New Years Eve in Cologne, Hamburg and other cities and allegedly involved men of Middle East and North African descent. Three suspects have been identified but their names have not been made public. The identity of the attackers has ramped up tensions over migration. Hundreds of people gathered in Cologne Tuesday night to protest against the attacks. "The perpetrators must be caught and brought to justice," said a woman, who gave her name as Manuela. Police say more than a thousand men many of them reportedly of northern African and Middle Eastern descent had gathered in front of the cathedral on New Years Eve. They threw firecrackers into the crowds - before splitting into groups and surrounding lone women, sexually assaulting and robbing them. Around 90 women have complained to police. The attacks have poured fuel on the already-heated debate over immigration. Alexander Marguier deputy editor of the political magazine Cicero said via Skype from Berlin that many Germans are blaming the government's immigration policy. You have to see the fact also that this has not happened before. You know, such a big crowd in the main station of Cologne and also in other German cities, we havent seen this before. So there might be a link to this migration policy," said Marguier. More than a million migrants arrived in Germany in 2015. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said Wednesday its crucial to identify the attackers. "General suspicions against refugees that are based on leads saying the perpetrators looked like people from North Africa are just out of place, but, we should not skip the debate about whether they are refugees or not," said de Maiziere. In Hamburg, dozens of women were attacked in the citys red light district, also on New Years Eve. Assaults were also reported in Stuttgart. Police are trying to determine whether the attacks were coordinated. Lawmakers have called for any asylum seekers found among the attackers to be deported. A new study suggests that Mexico's drug violence was so bad at its peak that it apparently caused the nation's male life expectancy to drop by several months. Experts say the violence from 2005-2010 partly reversed decades of steady gains, noting that homicide rates increased from 9.5 homicides per 100,000 people in 2005 to more than 22 in 2010. That has since declined to about 16 per 100,000 in 2014. The study published Tuesday in the American journal Health Affairs says "the increase in homicides is at the heart'' of the phenomenon, though deaths due to diabetes may have also played a role. "The unprecedented rise in homicides after 2005 led to a reversal in life expectancy increases among males and a slowdown among females in most states,'' according to the study, published by Jose Manuel Aburto of the European Doctoral School of Demography, UCLA's Hiram Beltran-Sanchez and two other authors. The study's authors found that life expectancy for males in Mexico dropped by about six-tenths of a year from 2000-2010. The study found that in five Mexican states - Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Durango, Guerrero, and Nayarit - men lost an average of one year of life expectancy between 2005 and 2010, while in the border state of Chihuahua alone, the loss added up to a startling three years. "The mortality rate for males ages 20-39 in Chihuahua in the period 2005-10 reached unprecedented levels,'' the study noted. "It was about 3.1 times higher than the mortality rate of US troops in Iraq between March 2003 and November 2006.'' By 2010, two-thirds of Mexican states had lower life expectancies than they did in 2000, despite improvements in some health care programs. The decline largely occurred from 2005-2010. Mexico's offensive against drug cartels started in 2006. The study found men were 10 times more likely than women to be killed in the violence, which was dominated by executions, shootouts and turf battles carried out by Mexican drug cartels. Juan Eugenio Hernandez, an epidemiologist at Mexico's Center for Information on Public Health Decisions, noted it was the first time life expectancy in Mexico had declined since the country's 1910-1917 revolution. Hernandez, who was not involved in the Health Affairs study, wrote that "indeed, violence has had a big impact on life expectancy ... mainly in the male population in several northern Mexico states and in Michoacan,'' a state located in western Mexico. He said researchers had warned the violence would impact longevity rates, which he said "haven't diminished since the Mexican Revolution.'' Mexico previously had long been on a steady, upward trend. Between 1940 and 2000, Mexicans gained an average of four years in life expectancy per decade. But in comparison with other Latin American countries like El Salvador, Honduras and Venezuela, Mexico's homicide rate remains relatively low. "It is likely that other Latin American countries have been experiencing even greater reductions in life expectancy from homicide,'' the authors noted. 1950s: North Korea begins nuclear research, focused on energy generation, with assistance from Soviet Union. 1959: Plans begin for nuclear activities near Yongbyon. 1974: North Korea joins the International Atomic Energy Agency, leading to international monitoring of its nuclear work. 1985: North Korea joins the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as a non-nuclear weapons state. 1990: North and South Korea begin talks on nuclear weapons. 1992: Talks result in the 1992 Joint Declaration for a Non-Nuclear Korean Peninsula. 1993: North Korea refuses to implement an agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency for the inspection of the North's nuclear facilities, and says it will withdraw from the NPT. In May, U.N. Security Council Resolution 825 urges North Korea to cooperate with the IAEA and to implement the North-South Denuclearization Statement. The United States opens talks with Pyongyang in June on ending its nuclear weapons programs. 1994: Washington and Pyongyang issue the Agreed Framework, which calls for North Korea to freeze its existing nuclear program and allow IAEA monitoring. The United States will replace Pyongyang's graphite-moderated reactors with light water reactor (LWR) power plants funded by an international consortium (KEDO) and will provide North Korea with fuel oil until the first reactor is built. The two sides agree to move toward normalizing diplomatic relations. 1995: The U.S. eases economic sanctions against Pyongyang after it freezes its nuclear program. 1997: KEDO breaks ground on site for LWR project. 2002: In October, a U.S. delegation confronts North Korea with evidence that Pyongyang is running a secret uranium enrichment program, violating its IAEA obligations, and its agreements with South Korea and the United States. North Korean officials indicate they have such a program, but Washington insists the North must end the program to ensure a continuing diplomatic thaw. KEDO suspends oil shipments and North Korea says it is ending its freeze on its older nuclear facilities at Yongbyon. 2003: North Korea expels IAEA inspectors and resumes reprocessing spent nuclear fuel at Yongbyon, to extract plutonium for weapons use. The U.S. proposes multilateral talks on the dispute. Pyongyang agrees to meet with China and the United States in April. In August, Pyongyang attends the first round of six-party talks with China, Japan, Russia, the United States and South Korea. 2004: In February, the second round of Six-Party Talks is held in Beijing. A third round is held in June, but North Korea refuses to attend a scheduled fourth round in September. 2005: In February North Korea declares it possesses nuclear weapons and is indefinitely suspending its participation in the Six-Party Talks. In March, it declares itself a nuclear weapons state. The fourth round of talks opens in July and on September 19, the six parties release a joint statement saying North Korea pledges to abandon nuclear weapons programs and to return to the NPT. The other parties agreed to provide economic cooperation and energy assistance and to increase diplomatic ties. But the fifth round of talks in November ends inconclusively. 2006: North Korea launches seven ballistic missiles in July, sparking widespread international condemnation. The U.N. Security Council adopts Resolution 1695 demanding that Pyongyang suspend ballistic missile activities. North Korea immediately rejects the resolution. In October, North Korea tests its first nuclear explosive device. The Security Council passes Resolution 1718, condemning North Korea and imposing sanctions on certain luxury goods and weapons trade. 2007: Discussions resume in February, the parties agree on the "Initial Actions for the Implementation of the Joint Statement." North Korea agrees to shut down and seal its Yongbyon nuclear facility in return for oil and other aid. The sixth round of Six-Party talks is held in March. In July, North Korea shuts down the Yongbyon nuclear facility and oil shipments to the North begin. In a September Six-Party meeting, the parties agree on a plan for North Korea to disable its nuclear facilities and provide a complete list of all nuclear programs and facilities by the end of the year. 2008: North Korea gives its declaration of nuclear facilities to the Chinese in June. In October, the U.S. and North Korea agree on verification measures for the Norths nuclear declaration, and the U.S. drops its designation of North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism. 2009: In April, North Korea launches a Taepo Dong-2 missile over the Sea of Japan, in violation of Security Council Resolution 1718. The launch prompts council condemnation, and a demand that North Korea refrain from further launches. North Korea withdraws from the Six-Party Talks, and expels international inspectors. On May 25, North Korea tests a second nuclear explosive device. The Security Council adopts Resolution 1874, increasing sanctions on North Korea. In September, Pyongyang announces it has a successful uranium enrichment program. In December, a U.S. delegation goes to Pyongyang for talks. The U.S. and North Korea agreed on the importance of the Six-Party Talks and the need to implement the 2005 Joint Statement, but did not agree on when and how the North Korea will return to talks. 2010: North Korea is blamed for sinking the South Korean naval vessel Cheonan in March. It shells the Souths Yeonpyong Island on November 23. The incidents leave 50 dead. South Korea demands an apology before moving forward in talks with North Korea. Separately, U.S. nuclear scientist Siegfried Hecker tours a North Korean uranium enrichment facility in November and later says he is "stunned" by the sophistication of the facility. He said the facility, with more than 1,000 centrifuges, could be used either to make highly enriched uranium for nuclear weapons, or fuel for an experimental light-water nuclear reactor under construction nearby. 2011: In Senate testimony February 16, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper says North Korea likely has additional undeclared uranium enrichment facilities beyond the facility first revealed in November of 2010. In April, China proposes a three-step revitalization of multilateral talks, beginning with bilateral talks between North and South Korea, followed by similar talks between the United States and North Korea, and, finally, a resumption of the six-party discussions. December 17, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il dies, is succeeded by his youngest son, Kim Jong Un. 2012: In February, the U.S. and North Korea announce agreement by North Korea to suspend operations at its Yongbyon uranium enrichment plant, invite IAEA inspectors to monitor the suspension, and implement moratoriums on nuclear and long-range missile tests. The United States says that it would provide North Korea 240,000 metric tons of food aid under strict monitoring. On April 13, North Korea attempts to launch a weather satellite. It fails. U.S. halts its plans to send food aid to North Korea. December 12, 2012: North Korea launches the Unha-3. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) also confirms the launch and says that an object appears to have achieved orbit. 2013: The U.N. Security Council further expands its sanctions against Pyongyang following the satellite launch. North Korea condemns the measures and announces it plans to conduct a third nuclear test. A third nuclear test is conducted, and Pyongyang is struck by more sanctions. 2014: On March 8, China declares a red line on North Korea, saying it will not permit war or chaos on the Korean peninsula and that the path to peace can only come through denuclearization. In July, North Korea conducts a series of missile tests ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinpings visit to Seoul. 2015: In September, North Korea threatens nuclear attack against U.S. and reaffirms its main reactor is operational. In December, Kim Jong Un says North Korea is ready to detonate a hydrogen bomb. 2016: January 6, North Korea says it successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. Turkey is seeking to avoid being embroiled in the deepening crisis between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Following Saudi Arabia's execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr and violent protests against the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, Ankara has been careful not to take sides. The growing diplomatic crisis between Tehran and Riyadh is seeing Ankara perform a delicate balancing act. Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus issued a carefully worded statement condemning both the attack on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and the execution of cleric Nimr al-Nimr. But President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday the execution was an internal matter. Uneasy balance Political columnist Semih Idiz, of Turkeys Cumhuriyet newspaper and Al Monitor website, says Ankara is in a tight spot. "In a very difficult situation of course, there is not much love lost between Turkey and Iran at the moment, no doubt about that. But both countries have a sense of having to maintain their relations, and Turkey has a heavy dependence on Iranian energy. So there is a limit to which it can afford tensions with Iran to go. On the other hand, it has a new strategic relationship with Saudi Arabia," said Idiz. Iran is only second to Russia in supplying natural gas to Turkey. Ankara is already in the middle of a diplomatic crisis with Moscow and is desperately seeking to diversify its energy dependency. International relations expert Soli Ozel of Istanbuls Kadir Has University says the regional rivalry with Tehran is already a major headache for Ankara. "We have an undeclared contest, it is in Iraq, its in Syria certainly, and it may even be in Iraqi Kurdistan. And Iran and Russia are very closely working together," said Ozel. Closer Saudi ties But that competition with Tehran, in particular in Syria, with both sides backing opposite sides in the civil war, is widely seen as a factor why Ankara has recently embarked on a developing a strategic relationship with Riyadh. Last month, Turkish President Erdogan committed Turkey to Saudi Arabias regional anti-terror alliance of Sunni countries. But Carnegie Institute visiting scholar Sinan Ulgen says the deepening crisis between Riyadh and Tehran is a warning sign for Ankara. "Given that Turkey is finding it difficult to get additional support in the region for its objectives in Syria, the relationship with Saudi Arabia has become critical. But this is certainly of an area of foreign policy in which Turkey must tread carefully, given that it should not be seen as yet another player in the Middle East that is willing to play the sectarian game," said Ulgen. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, in line with Turkeys Western allies, called Tuesday on Riyadh and Tehran to act with common sense. The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday strongly condemned North Koreas apparent nuclear test, saying it will begin work immediately to take further significant measures to bring the rogue nation in line with its international obligations. Council president Ambassador Elbio Rosselli of Uruguay said the latest test clearly violates four existing Security Council resolutions, and is a clear threat to international peace and security. We think that if no further significant measures are taken by the Security Council, the authority and credibility of the Security Council will be put into question, Japans U.N. Ambassador Motohide Yoshikawa told reporters. Japan joined the 15-nation council on January 1, filling one of 10 non-permanent seats. Japan, the United States and South Korea jointly requested Wednesdays closed-door emergency meeting to discuss the development. Yoshikawa said Tokyo will ask the council for a new resolution that should be adopted swiftly and whose content should be robust. He would not elaborate on what kind of sanctions or measures his government envisions. The Security Council already has a raft of sanctions targeting individuals and entities associated with the countrys nuclear program. There is an arms embargo in place and states are encouraged to inspect and destroy cargo found on their territory headed to or from North Korea that may violate the embargo. U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power issued a written statement saying, "the international community must impose real consequences for [North Korea's] destabilizing actions, and respond with steadily increasing pressure." She added that the Security Council should impose "a tough, comprehensive and credible package of new sanctions." UN Chief Responds U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said North Koreas action was deeply troubling and profoundly destabilizing for regional security. I demand the DPRK cease any further nuclear activities and meet its obligations for verifiable denuclearization, he told reporters during a brief encounter. The U.N. chief, who is South Korean, has been reported to be trying to make a visit to North Korea for several months. When asked how Wednesdays developments could affect a planned trip, his spokesman responded, You can draw your own conclusions. Smoking Gun The head of the nuclear test ban treaty organization, said the agency registered an unusual seismic event in an area of North Korea very similar to where a 2013 nuclear test took place. Executive Director Lassina Zerbo told reporters in a conference call that so far more than 30 of the agency's 337 worldwide monitoring stations have detected seismic activity. He noted that stations do not need to be near North Korea to collect data on seismic activity. A station as far as 10,000 kilometers can contribute to the detection of an event, he said. But he noted that due to weather factors, stations close to the site would be the first to detect the presence of radio isotopes, which are released during a nuclear test. Our closest station that would be able to get the smoking gun would be Takasaki in Japan, Zerbo said about verifying whether a nuclear test took place. He said they could know in the next few days whether radio isotopes have been released. But he cautioned it is not always so fast, saying that it took about 50 days to confirm North Korea's last nuclear test in 2013. Zerbo urged North Korea to end its isolation and abide by an international moratorium on nuclear testing. North Korea is the only country to have announced or conducted a nuclear test explosion in this 21st century, he said. U.N. peacekeepers in the Central African Republic are facing new allegations of sexual abuse. The accusations include the rape of four young girls in the capital, Bangui. Such allegations have been a recurring problem for the U.N. mission in the Central African Republic. U.N. peacekeepers and international troops in the Central African Republic are again being accused of sexual abuse and misconduct. In the latest case, troops are accused of raping, sexually exploiting and engaging in transactional sex with four young girls, some of them living in a camp for displaced people in the capital, Bangui, according to media reports. The victims, all minors, have received medical treatment and are in the care of UNICEF and NGOs. Zero tolerance The head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, said at a news conference Wednesday there would be zero tolerance and no complacency for perpetrators." "The allegations concern U.N. forces, but also other international troops," he said. He added an investigation is underway in cooperation with U.N. partners in the C.A.R. to determine who is implicated and to end what he called "horrendous acts." He said the three countries whose soldiers were implicated in the new case have been informed, though he declined to identify the countries. Under U.N. rules, it is up to the troop-contributing country to investigate and prosecute soldiers accused of misconduct while serving in a U.N. mission. He says the force commander and the police office are working together to develop mechanisms to better control international troops. The latest allegations bring the number of sexual abuse cases involving U.N. peacekeepers and international troops in the Central African Republic to 26. Last year, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon fired the head of the 12,000 member MINUSCA force over the mounting number of cases. An independent panel last month described the U.N.'s delayed reaction as a "gross institutional failure to respond to the allegations in a meaningful way." A U.S. federal court in New York Wednesday charged an American citizen with conspiring to set off a truck bomb outside a U.S. military base in Afghanistan in 2009. Muhanad Mahmoud al-Farekh could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted. "Farekh, a citizen of the United States, allegedly turned his back on our country and tried to kill U.S. soldiers in the course of executing their sworn duty to keep us safe," U.S. Attorney Robert L. Capers said Wednesday. According to the indictment, two co-conspirators drove two separate truck bombs outside the military base in January 2009. One bomb exploded while the second one did not go off. Investigators found Farekh's fingerprints on packing tape inside the truck that did not explode. Farekh also was charged with providing support to al-Qaida. He is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday. U.S. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Carlin calls counterterrorism his highest priority and says his office will bring to justice anyone who tries to harm Americans who "bravely risk their lives" to defend the nation. The United States is hailing Turkey's willingness to work with Washington in efforts against the Islamic State group, saying it has become "much harder" for foreign fighters to cross the Turkish-Syrian border and join IS. U.S. Special Presidential Envoy Brett McGurk said Tuesday Turkey's deployment of resources to a 98-kilometer stretch of border followed a "very good meeting" in November between U.S. President Barack Obama and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey has been heavily criticized during the past year for failing to fully commit to anti-IS efforts, particularly for its indifference as Syrian Kurds were under assault by IS militants. Alarmed by Kurdish gains in northern Syria, Turkey offered its military airfields to coalition jets and held talks with U.S. officials on ways to clear IS militants from the occupied border area. Shutting down that stretch will significantly reduce the capability of IS to smuggle oil, resources and fighters through Turkey to its de facto capital Raqqa, according to U.S. officials. A U.S. Marine is appealing his conviction in the death of a transgender Filipino woman, his lawyer said Wednesday. Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton was found guilty of homicide in December for killing Jennifer Laude after he found out she was a transgender woman. Judge Roline Ginez Jabalde had sentenced Pemberton to six to 12 years in prison, with credit for his confinement, and ordered him to pay nearly $100,000 in damages to the Laude family. On Wednesday, Pemberton asked a regional trial court judge in Olongapo, northwest of Manila, to reverse his conviction, and sought bail and a reduction of his six- to 12-year jail term, said Rowena Garcia-Flores, the Marine's lawyer. 'Defended himself' Flores said she would insist that Pemberton did not kill Laude in a motel room after they met in a disco bar in October 2014 and that his sentence should be eased because he surrendered to authorities. "We're going for an acquittal," Flores told The Associated Press by telephone Wednesday. "[Pemberton] defended himself because he felt he was being conned, but he did not kill Laude." The court will start to hear Pemberton's appeal on Thursday. In December, Jabalde convicted Pemberton of homicide, not the more serious charge of murder as prosecutors and the family sought, and sentenced him to a lighter jail term. She said she downgraded the charge because conditions such as cruelty and treachery had not been proven. The judge said in her decision that Pemberton did not set out to kill anyone, but instead, in a drunken moment of anger, put Laude in a chokehold, then drowned her in a toilet after he discovered she had a male sex organ. 'I'm not content' At the time of Pemberton's conviction, Laudes mother, Julita, said she was glad Pemberton was convicted, but the family wanted the crime to be murder, which carries a prison sentence of at least 40 years. Im not content, but the important thing is he will be imprisoned. Our fight was not a waste . He will be imprisoned. My son did not die in vain," she said of Jennifer Laude. The killing sparked anger in the Philippines and reignited calls by left-wing groups and nationalists for an end to America's military presence in the country at a time when the United States is reasserting its dominance in Asia and Manila has turned to Washington for support amid an escalating territorial dispute with China. Pemberton, 21, an anti-tank missile operator from New Bedford, Massachusetts, has been detained at a compound guarded by Philippine and American security personnel, at the main military camp in metropolitan Manila, and not in a civilian jail. A college in the midwestern U.S. state of Illinois is taking steps to fire a professor who linked Islam to Christianity in an online posting. The administration at Wheaton College, a Christian evangelical university, has recommended associate professor Larycia Hawkins lose her tenured-track position. In a December 10 posting on Facebook, Hawkins, a Christian, said she stands in religious solidarity with Muslims because they "are people of the book" and "worship the same God." The college says "while Islam and Christianity are both monotheistic, we believe there are fundamental differences between the two faiths." Wheaton College says it requested "further theological discussion and clarification" with Hawkins, but that the two sides were at an impasse. Wheaton College says Hawkins' comments violate the school's 'Statement of Faith' which all faculty members are obligated to sign. Hawkins, also announced last month she would wear the hijab (Muslim head covering) in an effort to show solidarity for Muslims who have been under scrutiny since mass shootings in Paris and San Bernardino, California. Member of Parliament for Mabvuku-Tafara, James Maridadi of the Movement for Democratic Change party led by former Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, told VOAs Studio 7 that he was safe and heading home, following a brief detention at the Beitbridge Border post, earlier. Maridadi said he could not comment further on his detention, allegedly for videotaping customs officials and other travelers visiting the country, until he consulted with this lawyers. Zimbabwe Revenue Authority officials also accused Maridadi of intimidating them. Journalists in Zimbabwe who cover parliamentary debates and proceedings, received new instructions Wednesday, that now requires them to get police clearance before being granted accreditation to cover parliament. In a letter to journalists that VOAs Studio 7 has possession of, parliaments principal public relations officer, Tanyaradzwa Linda Manyemba, instructed all journalists who want to cover parliament business during the year 2016 to report to PAX House Public Relations Department, with their original ID cards and Media Commission Card, and in addition, two drivers licence size photos, finger prints forms cleared by Zimbabwe Republic Police and a supporting letter from the organization for which they report. Although the letter provided no further explanation, VOAs Studio 7 was informed on good authority that security officials are the ones demanding that all journalists get police clearance, so as to vet them. The security officials are reportedly not happy with the coverage of parliamentary proceedings published on online publications and the private media. Independent journalists, Robert Tapfumaneyi said he was surprised by the news requirements, and wanted to know the basis for the change. So for us its quite surprising, we would want to know the reason behind this, said Tapfumaneyi. And on top of all that if they think that they are going to stop the outflow of information from parliament, thats a non-starter, he added. Another female parliamentary journalist who declined to be named, said parliaments demands were too much as it meant that journalists would have to pay more for accreditation. It costs $5 to get accredited with the Zimbabwe Media Commission but journalists would have to pay more as its costs $10 to get a police clearance. I think parliament is asking for too much from journalists and basically the fact that we have to be accredited by the Zimbabwe Media Commission and then to be accredited by parliament, its just too much for journalists, said the journalist. Zimbabwe Union of Journalists secretary general, Foster Dongozi, classified the police clearance requirement as unacceptable and told Studio 7 they would be engaging Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda over the issue. Chairman Kumbirai Mafunda of the Media Institute of Southern African-Zimbabwe, said MISA was equally concerned and the whole move by parliament was an attempt to stifle the free flow of information from the legislature. Its just a matter of adding another layer of restriction amongst whats journalists encounter, Mafunda said, adding that, journalists are already accredited with the Zimbabwe Media Commission, they are also required to be accredited to cover other national events, we have seen it in Victoria Falls and everywhere. You also look at the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission it requires journalists to be accredited to cover elections, so now we parliament also adding this cumbersome process to journalists, Mafunda said, concluding that the aim of the changes is an attempt to stifle the free flow of information. Mafunda added that it was very worrying given that the latest move comes after parliament security officials tried to bar journalists from doing live updates from parliament last year. That attempt was reversed by Speaker Mudenda who made a ruling allowing journalists to use their cell phones and other gadgets to do live updates from the press gallery in parliament building. Mudenda could not be reached for comment. Zimbabweans in the diaspora said despite being far away from their home country, they are equally affected by the unfolding events, which requires them to support their relatives financially or emotionally. Chairman Solomon Sox Chikowero of the Global Zimbabwe Forum in Johannesburg, South Africa, many Zimbabweans living in the diaspora are bearing the cost of the country's hardships. The issues that are happening home, whether be political, economic or social, they are affecting us because we are now the ones funding the Zimbabwe economy, Chikowero said. Chikowero said that Zimbabweans in the diaspora have the obligation to change things through engaging with the government and fully participating in activities that help build the nation. He said those in the diaspora must do away with political differences and start working together to rebuild the nation. And the starting point for working together is for the government to recognize us first through allowing us to have dual citizenship and voting from our bases. "If the government can accept that we are Zimbabweans, we can contribute to Zimbabwe not only economically but also politically and socially, then they must start negotiations, they must start dialogue with the diaspora so that by the next general elections, people are allowed to vote from wherever they are." Chikowero said dialogue between the Zimbabweans abroad and the government has always been there but what is needed now is for the government to seriously consider them as part of the equation in rebuilding the economy. He said his group has engaged government on several occasions. "They have got our proposals, they have got our notes, they've got everything with them. What is remaining is for them to wake up from their sleep and say wait, these guys from the diaspora, these are their proposals. Zimbabweans in the diaspora have been helping in propping up the economy ever since the government adopted the multi-currency regime. Last year alone they remitted estimated $1 billion. The challenge for Brooklyn Nine-Nine has always been striking a balance between crime and comedy. When the show takes crime too seriously, were stuck with the weird, jokeless action interludes that have never been the shows strong suit. When it treats things too humorously, though, were left wondering why these supposedly talented Brooklyn cops always deal with kooky, out-of-left-field cases. Its not surprising that the show often takes the easiest way out by sticking to workplace-oriented story lines, with no perps at all. What I find interesting about this weeks B99 is that it follows the same basic premise as the one before it a hostage situation but spins it in a completely different direction. Whereas the hostage-taking bad guys in the Die Hard department store were legitimate, armed threats, the hostage in this case is Boyles frozen sperm, and the threat is (relatively) humorous: Boyles shrewish ex-wife Eleanor will flush it unless he convinces a 90-year-old priest to drop his lawsuit against her. For a cop comedy, the show has always been oddly unwilling to make its criminals funny perhaps to avoid paying for too many guest stars so I tend to relish the few episodes where that does happen, like Craig Robinsons Pontiac Bandit or Chris Parnells nutjob, coke-addicted attorney. It helps that, like Robinson and Parnell, Kathryn Hahn is an eternal guest-star ringer, and she makes the most of vamping around with Charless sperm cups, threatening to destroy them at the slightest provocation. (Weirdly touching: the little moment when she pats her frizzled hair after Boyle offers to trade his own hostage, their formerly shared hairdresser, Abigail.) I also thought Charles would ultimately get his million tiny Boyles back even after Eleanor shot a hostage by dumping one of the two cups down the garbage disposal so I found the ending to be pretty unique: Jake, whose biological dad is kind of a jerk (I had to learn to shave from watching Home Alone), manages to convince Boyle that biology isnt destiny, and that hell make a great dad either way. Instead of leaving things on that inspiring and very modern note, though, the episode concludes with an insanely strange plot twist in the final minute: Jakes swinging airline-pilot pops turns out to be an option on Charles and Genevieves sperm-donor version of Tinder, and Charles, being Jakes ultimate hero-worshipper, wants to sign him up. Considering the weird thing with his and Ginas parents, this wouldnt be the first time Boyle gets wrapped up in a weird incestuous family situation, but I dont know if I can deal with an extended plotline in which Mary-Lynn Rajskub gives birth to Andy Sambergs half-brother or even worse, Andy Samberg finds out he has dozens of heretofore unknown siblings, like that awful Vince Vaughn movie. (Also, Bradley Whitford is 56, which seems a bit over-the-hill for such a gig, but what do I know about sperm donors?) Meanwhile, Terry, who is a father to three children and his entire precinct, gets a surprisingly hoary B-plot with Amy, whose desire to have him write a recommendation for a mentorship program gets derailed when she accidentally breaks his nose during a self-defense course (and then splashes hot tea on him while trying to help out). The every interaction between us is cursed plot is a tired one, and theres no real tension about the letter, since Terry is too much of a dad-cop to ever actually take out his frustration on someone he cares about. Terrys suggestion that Amy become a mentor, rather than a mentee, also seems a bit repetitive of the shows previous episode, when Holt pushes Terry to move forward in his career. Im also concerned that B99 may be teetering on the edge of getting too self-congratulatory about Gina, who has very few laugh lines in this episode (an admitted rarity) compared to the hefty dose of trumpeting she gets from both herself and others. Gina is unquestionably the shows most larger-than-life character, but despite her nuttiness, Chelsea Peretti has always played her as having a slightly downbeat, saner side. Theres usually a bit of cunning underneath her bizarre antics. I kept expecting that Gina would deliver her usual masterstroke in questioning the perp who turned out to be her high-school classmate and former make-out buddy. With this plotline, though, Im not sure exactly what the point is supposed to be: Is Gina bad at questioning criminals? (Duh, shes not actually a cop.) Is Gina self-absorbed? (As if this needs to be asked.) Everyone thinks Gina is crazy, and that can sometimes be a bonding experience? (Again, this isnt new information.) Maybe the writers got sick of letting Gina win all the time. Gina would probably say theyre just being jealous. Other Notes: Photo: Julie Maroh The Grand Prix dAngouleme is one of the most prestigious prizes that can be awarded to a comics creator, and in the past 36 hours, its come under heavy fire from the international comics community for one glaring reason: Of the 30 people nominated for the title this year, none are women. That omission is, of course, completely bonkers. The Grand Prix is a lifetime achievement award, given to someone whose work has changed the course of comics history past honorees have included Will Eisner, Art Spiegelman, R. Crumb, and Calvin and Hobbess Bill Watterson but since its inception in 1974, only one woman (French creator Florence Cestac) has taken home the prize. On Tuesday, BD Egalite (BD standing for the French term for comics, bandes dessinees), a French organization that fights misogyny in comics, called for a boycott of the Grand Prix, and just a few hours later, American comics creator Jessica Abel introduced the campaign to English speakers on her Facebook account. The response has been overwhelming. A rolling wave of men who were nominated have withdrawn their names from consideration and tossed vitriol toward the Angouleme International Comics Festival, which runs the Grand Prix. A statement from Eightball and Ghost World cartoonist Daniel Clowes read, I support the boycott of Angouleme and am withdrawing my name from any consideration for what is now a totally meaningless honor. What a ridiculous, embarrassing debacle. Acme Novelty Library creator Chris Ware also pulled out, as did Black Hole mastermind Charles Burns, whose French publisher tweeted, Charles Burns wrote to tell us that he refuses to be included in a list of nominees which has no women. Superhero comics titan Brian Michael Bendis wrote on his Tumblr that he decided to make a stand as i drifted off to sleep last night, when i thought of my daughters. my smart, strong willed daughters who will STILL have to fight for their equal rights and how they will STILL have to fend off some men treating them as objects before they can see them as individuals and how insane it seems to me. Nominees Riad Sattouf, Joann Sfar, Milo Manara, Pierre Christin, Etienne Davodeau, and Christophe Blain are also onboard with the boycott. Making matters worse, Franck Bondoux, head of the festival, turfed out in a statement to Le Monde, saying, Unfortunately, there are few women in the history of comics. Its a reality. If you go to the Louvre, you will also find quite few female artists. The festival released a statement in French that doubles down on that sentiment, saying, the Festival cannot remake the history of comics, and that, when it comes to comics that have changed that history, its objectively much easier to count female authors (almost on the fingers of a hand) than male authors. Pointing out how wrongheaded that claim is would be a waste of time. Update: On Thursday, the festival announced on Facebook that its getting rid of the nominee list altogether for this years award; instead, everyone on the voting committee can write in a vote for whomever they want. Conan may very well be the coolest boss on late night even if he subjects his employees to road rage and potential arrests. For his latest remote, the friendly giant of a mentor enlisted Ride Along 2 co-stars Kevin Hart and Ice Cube to help a staffer named Diana prep for her drivers test. Of course, Diana didnt just learn how to drive she also learned how to cuss out her comrades-in-arms, survive without power windows, and make an inconspicuous weed pinata. If any of that makes you worry about how shell fare with those wily police officers on bikes, relax. She now has that figured out, too. See you in garbage feminist hell, J.J. Abrams! This is the Force Awakens the world really needs! Jimmy Kimmel Live did the mens-rights movement a huge solid last night by reediting the Star Wars sequel to make it more male-centric. The edit came in response to a boycott of the film by Return of Kings, an online mens-rights group that has spent its precious time on this beautiful blue orb complaining about a white girl and a black guy being in a movie. Not to overstate things, but Kimmels masterpiece is what all of cinematic history has been building toward from day one, and everything else has been an absolute waste of everyones time. Stay till the end for two very big cameos I think youre going to enjoy, bro. Word on the Stars Hollow streets for the past few months has been that a certain mother-daughter duo is coming back to town. Thats right: Everyones favorite show Gilmore Girls is returning to Netflix, probably. (Like, literally everyones favorite show. If this show isnt your favorite, well, then youve probably never seen it. Thats so exciting! Go watch! The pilot is actually really good. Probably the best pilot of the last 100 years.) Netflix and Warner Bros. havent officially confirmed the rumored four 90-minute movies, but Lauren Graham has not denied them. And now, to make matters better, Twitter user @CaddyGlass posted some photos of the Stars Hollow set being restored on the Los Angeles Warner Bros. lot. (Sorry, true Connecticut believers.) Weve been so lonely and cold for the last nine years, and we couldnt be less so now! Stephen Colbert was extremely diplomatic while discussing the Vaticans negative review of The Force Awakens, and for good reason. As a Catholic myself, I know that going against the Churchs feelings about movies can, of course, make you lose your chance to eventually claw your way out of purgatory. The Vatican newspaper Losservatore Romano found TFAs Dark Side lacking and Kylo Ren derivative, which, hey. Hey. It also looks like Catholics can all be honest about their love of Spotlight! Would not have seen that one coming. See you in Heaven, Roger Ebert and Jesus! Hear that sound? Its the tiniest, squeakiest French violin in the world. Quelle tristesse! Baskets stars Zach as Chip Baskets, a man who goes all the way to Paris to attend a snooty clown school, only to end up working at a local rodeo show. The show is co-created by Galifianakis, Louis C.K., and Jonathan Krisel, and also stars Louie Anderson, Martha Kelly, Sabina Sciubba, and Ernest Adams. From the looks of the trailer, Baskets is aiming to hit that sad-com sweet spot. The ten-episode first season premieres January 21. Bushs Chicken, the darling of many chicken fans in Waco and beyond who love its tea, car hops and chicken tenders, is replacing its restaurant in Lorena that burned in February 2015. It likely will open by March under the leadership of franchisees Diane Hysaw and Lanning Hysaw. A new Bushs location in the community south of Waco is only part of what the Waco-based chain is cooking up for 2016, said Corey Bush, who oversees daily operations for his father, chain founder Keith Bush. He said in a phone interview Bushs plans to build 20 to 25 new stores this year, spreading its wings into the Houston, College Station and Panhandle markets, as well as into Arizona and Colorado, which represent its first foray outside Texas. That expansion will give the Bushes and their partners including Waco businessmen Gordon Robinson, Clifton Robinson and Todd Scott, a real estate developer interest in about 90 Bushs eateries. Franchisees such as the Hysaws own nearly all locations, including the eight in Greater Waco, and pay royalties to the corporation. Bush described the Lorena store as average, but in Bushs parlance that means it stayed busy from lunchtime to closing time. The building met its demise when pitch-black smoke began to flow from a coil heater as an employee adjusted the thermostat to give the room a blast of heat. That was all she wrote, Diane Hysaw said. It didnt really look that bad, just kind of discolored. But when the insurance adjuster came out, he found that a truss that helped hold up the building had been damaged by the fire, as had other major parts of the structure. The Hysaws were insured, thank God, said Diane Hysaw, adding that leveling the old restaurant and building another has proved time-consuming. The city of Lorena is really picky about how it wants things done, and I dont blame them, she said. They finally gave us the OK, and now here we are. Austin Montgomery with Montgomery Construction said a slab has been poured for the new 2,500-square-foot structure, and crews have begun framing for it. The restaurant is at 100 N. Frontage Road off Interstate 35 in Lorena, near a Genco Federal Credit Union office and a Sonic restaurant. Cost of construction hovers around $750,000, and the Bushs will have a handful of new touches, including energy-efficient LED lighting and canopies, Montgomery said. It will be very nice, very different from the one it replaces, Montgomery said, though it wont represent the newest prototype on the Bushs drawing board. I would compare it to the location in Lampasas, Corey Bush said. The new markets Bushs Chicken enters this year will get the latest model, he said. Bushs Chicken can trace its roots to 1972, when Keith Bush moved from Odessa to Waco to work for Churchs Chicken. He made his way up the pecking order, starting as a dishwasher and later becoming an area manager. The poultry life agreed with him, so he bought his own place, the former Golden Fried Chicken on Hewitt Drive. He changed its name to Bushs Chicken and formally launched his venture in 1996. Serving fried chicken, chicken tenders, sides, desserts, fresh yeast rolls and tea, Bushs became popular with local customers. The single store grew to multiple locations around the Waco area, then to a regional Central Texas chain and now a statewide presence with plans to move into two out-of-state markets. In recent years, Bushs has gotten heavily into franchising, charging $30,000 for a license to operate a single location, plus a 5 percent royalty on sales. Each license after the first costs $25,000, and the 5 percent royalty remains in place, Corey Bush said. We do get a lot of inquiries on a monthly basis, Bush said, adding that prospects must have a net worth of at least $1 million and $500,000 in liquid capital. He said franchisees identify sites on which they want to build, though Bushs must grant its approval following a visit. Hammock Partners LLC bought out Bushs Chicken in 2006 and moved its headquarters to Austin. It remained there until 2015, when a group called Bushs Chicken United, which includes the Robinsons, the Bushes and Scott, bought it back and returned its home base to Waco. A typical Bushs location employs 45 people and enjoys $30,000 in revenue weekly, or about $1.5 million annually. It has created a loyal following with its car hops who typically can memorize even the most complicated orders, its fresh-made tea and its community feel that includes catering services. Menu changes are scarce, but Bushs Chicken recently added Bushs Baked Beans to its lineup of sides, Corey Bush said. Riley Scott Custom Homes in Belton and Montgomery Construction in Lorena are preferred builders for Bushs Chicken. They should see plenty of action in 2016, when well probably experience the biggest growth weve seen in 10 years, Bush said. Bush said the busiest Bushs Chicken locations statewide are those at New Road and Bosque Boulevard and on Hewitt Drive in Greater Waco, and others on Potranco Road in San Antonio and in Temple and Killeen. A $19 million low-water dam the city of Waco installed on the Brazos River nine years ago has succeeded in keeping Lake Brazos a lake, but it created a new problem. It has become a trap for brush and logs, which have had to be removed by crane, boat and helicopter. Now the city is looking for an engineering solution to cut the cost of maintenance. The city is seeking an engineering firm to find the best way to remove the current logjam, which is about 100 feet long, as well as a long-term solution. The applications are due Thursday. Deputy City Manager Wiley Stem said the city spent $250,000 on brush and log removal by helicopter and other means in fiscal year 2014-15, which ended in October. The city has had to hire helicopter services for the dam several times since 2009 and has an ongoing cleanup contract with Quality Construction. But Stem said the dam just downstream of La Salle Avenue remains safe and effective in holding back water, and it is cheaper to maintain than the old dam. He said the past few years have presented unusual conditions that have resulted in large amounts of debris in the dam. When youre in a long period of drought, you get a lot of deadwood, Stem said. Then you get a big flood, and it all washes out. He said there has been some discussion of placing a floating boom upstream of the dam to catch debris, but he wonders if that would create its own problems. Stem said he will leave it to engineers to propose a solution. The dam was designed as a labyrinth weir, a fixed dam that zigzags across the width of the river to maximize water flow. It replaced a dam with hydraulic lift gates that often failed during high river flows, leaving upstream stretches with a view of mud. The engineering firm Freese and Nichols designed the dam, testing the design with a model at Utah State University. The model used real Brazos River mud and woody debris to represent logs, which flowed over the model dam. But in the real world, giant logs, including the trunks of cottonwood trees, have lodged themselves in the teeth of the dam, creating a trap for more logs and brush. At the dam this week, water roared over the rim but didnt budge the debris, which included a picnic table, ice coolers and thousands of plastic bottles. Freese and Nichols project manager Victor Vasquez, who was involved in engineering the labyrinth dam, said his company is hoping to get the contract to find a solution for logs and brush. Vasquez said it appears the city is pleased with the performance of the dam, but he said managing debris on the Brazos is complicated, regardless of dam design. Its always been known that the Brazos carries a lot of debris, Vasquez said. If theres enough flow in the river, it will flush out, but it depends on the kind of debris. Texas experienced a huge drought that impacted vegetation, and then there was a sudden downpour of rain. That does have an impact on what goes on in the river. Stem said the debris behind the dam wont likely be removed until summer, but he said it doesnt have an impact on the structural integrity of the dam. McLennan County leaders are considering changing policy and allowing employees to carry a gun while on the job as the state opens up locations residents can enter with a weapon. County commissioners Tuesday unanimously approved maintaining the ban on guns at justice of the peace offices except for law enforcement. Last month, commissioners also decided to continue prohibiting weapons in the county courthouse, annex and the juvenile justice center. The countys justice of the peace officials submitted documents to commissioners stating every part of the JP office is essential to courtroom operations and therefore qualified for the exemption. The commissioners also approved new signs for the weapons ban. But Commissioner Lester Gibson raised concern about other county employees who work in locations without armed security but where the public can have weapons. Gibson said he personally does not think guns should be brought on government property but he wants to ensure his employees could protect themselves. Waco attorney Mike Dixon, who represents McLennan County and its officeholders, said just like the countys Records Building adjacent to the courthouse, most county property is not covered under exemptions to state law that allow weapons bans on certain public property. Dixon said justice of the peace offices fell under the list of exemptions because the spaces have courts and rooms essential to the courtrooms operations. Controlling weapons Its beyond me in the first place the state government felt compelled to tell local government what they can and cant do with their property in terms of controlling weapons on their property, Dixon said. The state has gone out of its way to sue the federal government multiple times for telling the state what to do. County policy prohibits nonlaw-enforcement county employees from carrying guns while on the job, Dixon said. Gibson said that policy doesnt keep the average person from carrying on government property, though. He said his employees are concerned about the situation. Before a recent change in state law, Dixon said, the county was free to prohibit guns from all its properties. An issue with allowing licensed employees to carry is the chance of workplace violence, he said. On the other hand, County Judge Scott Felton said, a county employee legally licensed to carry a gun could potentially stop a violent situation from becoming worse. McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara said he sees no problem with the county allowing its licensed employees to carry a gun while on the job, except in places where it is prohibited, including the courthouse and the JP buildings. I know police cant be everywhere at once, and people have that right to protect themselves, especially a county employee at his place of business, McNamara said. Commissioner Kelly Snell said he is undecided on whether employees should be allowed to carry on the job. The topic calls for more deliberation and a look at the legal ramifications, Snell said. Would the county be liable if a licensed employee did something? Snell said. Snell said he hasnt received any concerns from his employees in Precinct 1. He said he has about 20 employees working out of the precinct barn, which largely holds equipment. Snell said it is rare that someone from the general public drops by the location. But if county employees were permitted to carry a gun on the job, Snell said, they should be required to complete additional training on top of the requirements for a concealed handgun license. He said his main concern with open carry is the limited amount of training a person receives before carrying the weapon and the idea that someone could overpower that individual, take the gun and do harm. If county employees were allowed to carry a gun at the precinct barns, that would likely open the options for carrying at the Records Building or even the Extraco Events Center, as it is a county-owned building, Snell said. Snell said the county needs to continue discussions before taking any action on the matter. SAN ANTONIO National leaders of the Bandidos biker gang were arrested Wednesday on charges accusing them of racketeering and waging a deadly war on the rival Cossacks gang, federal authorities said. Three Bandidos leaders were accused of sanctioning a three-year fight that included violent clashes with rival gangs and distribution of methamphetamine, according to an indictment announced by the U.S. Attorneys Office in San Antonio. The accusations focus on a rivalry that came under renewed attention in May, when a meeting of biker groups at a Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco ended in gunfire that left nine people dead and at least 20 wounded. Authorities say that confrontation began when members of the Cossacks crashed a meeting of a confederation of biker clubs that included the Bandidos. A dispute in the Twin Peaks parking lot ended in gunfire between the bikers and police standing nearby. However, the indictment makes no mention of the May 17 Twin Peaks shootout. The indictment gives a day-by-day account of actions taken by the Bandidos while skipping the events that unfolded May 17 in Waco. That matter is being handled by the local DA, Daryl Fields, public affairs officer with the United States Attorneys Office in San Antonio, told the Tribune-Herald on Wednesday. The next dated entry after May 17 was for May 23, where it states Portillo raised Bandidos dues to prepare to pay for bonds and legal expenses for members that would go to jail for club business, including criminal acts committed against member of the Cossacks. Members fees went from $50 to $100 per month, and support-club members fees were required to go from $25 a month to $50 a month. Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton declined comment, saying the police department remains under a judges gag order. The gag order applies only to the case of Matthew Clendennen a Hewitt biker and a member of the Scimitars Motorcycle Club not each and every case, but Swanton said the police departments legal office has a different interpretation. Swanton said he stands by comments he made to the Tribune-Herald shortly after the shootout. The federal indictment accuses John Portillo, the Bandidos national vice president, of using dues and donations to pay legal expenses of its members days after the Waco shooting. Portillo, national president Jeffrey Pike and national sergeant-at-arms Justin Cole Forster are charged with racketeering, drug distribution and other crimes. An attorney who works with the Bandidos could not be reached for comment by the Associated Press. The Bandidos Outlaw Motorcycle Organization has about 175 or more chapters in 15 countries on four continents, with about 107 chapters in the United States, including about 42 chapters in Texas, according to the federal indictment. The Bandidos membership is estimated at between 1,500 and 2,000 members, according to the federal indictment. Debilitating blow Operation Texas Rocker has inflicted a debilitating blow to the leadership hierarchy and violent perpetrators of the Bandidos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang, said Joseph M. Arabit, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administrations Houston field division, in a statement. This 23-month operation highlights a deliberate and strategic effort to cut off and shut down the supply of methamphetamine trafficked by the Bandidos as well as other related criminal activity. The indictment outlines several other clashes between the Bandidos and rival clubs, including a December 2014 shooting at a bar in Fort Worth, where a biker from a different club was killed. The indictment accuses Bandidos bikers of harassing and attacking bikers across Texas, as part of the war that Portillo had declared. These indictments and arrests are the result of the ongoing partnership and collaboration between the FBI, DEA and DPS to neutralize one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in Texas, FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs said in a statement. This effort not only exemplifies our commitment to prevent gang violence and criminal activity from poisoning our communities, but it also sends a clear message that we will relentlessly pursue and prosecute the leaders and members of these violent criminal enterprises. The federal indictment states that allegiance to the Bandidos organization and their fellow brothers is valued above all else. Witnesses to their criminal acts are typically the victims of acts of intimidation or harassment and are too afraid to approach law enforcement to testify in court proceedings, according to the federal indictment. Bandidos OMO members do not fear authority and have a complete disdain for the rules of society. The Bandidos OMO is very careful about admitting individuals into the enterprise. Ammon Bundy and other armed militants occupying a federal facility at a wildlife refuge in Oregon have a beef with the administration the Theodore Roosevelt administration. It has been provided for us to be able to come together and unite in making a hard stand against this overreach, this taking of the peoples land and resources, proclaimed Bundy, son of Cliven Bundy, the Nevada rancher who led a similar armed rebellion against the government two years ago. If we do not make a hard stand, then we will be in a position where we wont be able to as a people. But this taking of the peoples land, the overreach that moved these rebels to take up arms, occurred 108 years ago, when Roosevelt a Republican president and a great conservationist established the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, one of 51 such refuges he set aside, as a preserve and breeding ground for native birds. So why have the militants chosen this moment to unwind unconstitutional land transactions, as Bundy put it? Perhaps its because they believe the political atmosphere now condones such anti-government activity. Several Republican presidential candidates have been encouraging lawbreaking, winking at it or simply looking the other way. A few months ago, Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee and others rushed to defend Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk jailed for refusing to obey federal law. A federal judge had held her in contempt of court for refusing to recognize same-sex marriages and the Supreme Court specifically declined to give Davis relief. But Cruz identified her jailing as judicial tyranny and said Davis was operating under Gods authority. Donald Trump has put at the center of his campaign an extra-constitutional ban on admitting Muslims into the country. Marco Rubio said that if the law conflicts with the Gospel, Gods rules always win, and that we are called to ignore the governments authority. Huckabee and Rick Santorum signed a pledge not to respect an unjust law that directly conflicts with higher law. Huckabee floated the notion of using federal troops to block people from getting abortions and questioned the Supreme Courts authority. And, of course, there was the 2014 standoff in which Cliven Bundy, who refused to pay grazing fees for his use of federal land, got support or sympathy from Cruz, Trump, Huckabee, Rand Paul and Ben Carson. Cruz denounced the federal government for using the jackboot of authoritarianism. The rancher lost much of his support after a racist rant. But not all of it: Paul later had a private meeting with the elder Bundy that the rancher said lasted 45 minutes. Paul and Cruz have both campaigned to transfer federal lands in the West to private ownership. Flirting with extremists helps conservative candidates harness prodigious anger in the electorate. A poll released over the weekend by NBC, Esquire and Survey Monkey found anger is particularly intense among Republicans: Seventy-seven percent said the news makes them angry at least once a day (compared with 67 percent of Democrats). Seventy-three percent of white Americans are angered daily (vs. 66 percent of Hispanics and 56 percent of African-Americans). So when some very angry people led by Ammon Bundy took over the (unoccupied) compound at the wildlife preserve over the weekend, the Republican presidential candidates reacted mostly with silence. A scan of tweets from Republican lawmakers also found nary a peep about the armed takeover of the federal facility. An admirable exception (and one whose low standing proves the rule) was John Kasich, whose strategist John Weaver suggested a good federal compound for Bundy and his gang: a U.S. penitentiary. Finally, in a radio interview Monday, Marco Rubio said the militants cannot be lawless though he added that he agrees with their complaints about federal lands. And Cruz, responding to a question, said he hoped Bundys gang would stand down peaceably because we dont have a constitutional right to use force and violence. That was mild criticism Bundy had said he has no intention of using violence but better than the usual wink. As it happens, Cruz also released a TV ad Monday protesting inadequate enforcement of the border. The rule of law, he says in the ad, wasnt meant to be broken. Thats a fine sentiment. But to live under the rule of law we must follow all laws not just those we like. Dana Milbank covers political theater for The Post. As 2016 begins, Republicans confront two challenges that are as familiar as they are profound. First, they remain an essentially all-white party in an increasingly multi-racial nation. Second, the partys economic platform cut taxes for the wealthiest and everything will somehow work out long ago lost its purchase on public opinion. After a year or so of vigorous presidential campaigning, the party has made no progress bringing its economic fantasy into alignment with the real world. As Ezra Klein wrote in October after a typically daft round of responses at a Republican debate, Republicans have boxed themselves into some truly bizarre policies including a set of tax cuts that give so much money to the rich and blow such huge holes in the deficit that simply asking about them in any serious way seems like a vicious attack. Meantime, on racial inclusion, Republicans have lost ground. A primary campaign featuring two talented Cuban-American senators and a former governor who married a Mexican and speaks Spanish at home has been dominated by open appeals to white racial resentment and xenophobia. Republicans have brought these problems on themselves. But with a slight adjustment, things might have turned out differently. Donald Trump was uniquely positioned to run a conservative populist campaign to help move the party beyond its obsessive focus on tax cuts for millionaires. Trump has actually defied the party on entitlement spending on older Americans. Instead of calling for cuts, he vowed to safeguard Medicare and Social Security, mimicking the policy mix generous benefits for the old, closed borders and intolerance for the new that animates European populist parties. It wouldnt have taken much of a push for Trump to upset the Republican consensus on taxes, as well. In a May New York Times/CBS News poll, 47 percent of Republicans agreed that the gap between rich and poor in this country is a problem that needs to be addressed now. Even with the hated Barack Obama in the White House, one third of Republicans said government should do more to reduce the gap. In a Gallup poll that month, despite language almost perfectly designed to elicit a negative response from conservatives, 29 percent of Republicans agreed that government should redistribute wealth through heavy taxes on the rich. In a party riven by factions, nearly one third of the vote isnt beanbag. And Trump didnt need to go full Bernie Sanders on redistribution: In a competition among Republican candidates to produce insane plans, a merely non-crazy plan wouldve sufficed. Instead, Trump balked. He produced a plan that, according to the Tax Foundation, would deliver maximum benefits to the top 1 percent of income earners while adding more than $10 trillion in debt over a decade. Too bad. Trump, who has no need to raise campaign cash, couldve proposed tax breaks for his working-class supporters financed not by deficits but by closing the tax loopholes exploited by his competitors donors. Would such a course have driven a wedge into the party? Yes. But the wedge exists already. And, realistically, how long do Republicans expect to compete in an era of stark inequality with plans to transfer wealth in perpetuity to the already wealthy? Instead of mitigating the GOP challenge on fiscal policy, Trump chose to exacerbate the Republican problem on race. He has driven Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio to adopt ever harsher rhetoric and to clarify immigration stands that each would prefer to leave ambiguous. Result? The Republican nominee will in all likelihood go into battle next fall with an absurd fiscal plan to defend and the stench of Trumps nativist appeals still smoldering across the land. Francis Wilkinson writes on politics and domestic policy for Bloomberg View. Weve had our eyes on the Georgetown-based e-tailer Tuckernuck for years for their curation of American brands and preppy apparel. Weve observed how stylish the trio of co-founders are, that they built their business the modern smart wayonline with the assistance of social mediaand that theyve given us an easy way to shop local without leaving home. In March, nearly four years since their June 2012 online launch, Tuckernuck is planning to open their first-ever brick and mortar location at 1055 Wisconsin Avenue, NW in Georgetown. According to one of the co-founders, Jocelyn Gailliot, opening a physical storefront has always been a part of their plans. We feel that in order to be a successful retailer these days, you need to have a strong omni-presence, says Gailliot. This includes selling online, selling offline, and having a brand that is popular on social media. Now that theyve succeeded in selling online and racking up 22,000 Instagram followers and over 75,000 Facebook fans, the founders are ready to tackle offline sales. Theyve realized, however, that running a storefront is different than operating a website. As opposed to the vast offering of ladies and mens apparel, gifts, and home goods that the brand sells online, they plan to slim down the in-store merchandise list, curating it around whats currently happening in the shop. The collections will change regularly and tie to fun themes and events, says Gailliot. Our goal is to create a store that is not overwhelming, but highly efficient and well-curated. Tuckernuck should feel right at home with their neighbors: another preppy retailer, Onward Reserve, opened just up the street in 2015. Additionally, Tuckernuck has called Georgetown home since their start, so the founders plan to test out their brick and mortar model in the neighborhood they know and love before expanding elsewhere. We know the [Georgetown] community well and feel that its a perfect fit for Tuckernucks classic and playful style, says Gailliot. We feel that the business model of large real estate footprints is antiquated, so weve come up with a leaner formula that we hope will be a richer experience for our customer. We will try to perfect this formula in our backyard of Georgetown where we will have the ability to monitor it closely, then roll out the model to additional locations throughout the country. Tuckernuck will occupy the south retail space at the 1055 High Residences on Wisconsin Avenue. Photograph courtesy EastBanc, Inc. and Jamestown LP. Join the conversation! Waterford native, Elaine Doheny, has launched an app that allows you to be literally pampered in your own home. Elaine, from Portlaw, has been based... WATERFORD is the most sunny city in Ireland and the county is second in the sunshine league, being pipped to first place by our... WATERFORD was smiling as it shook off many of the Covid restriction and re-opened on the bank holiday weekend. Outdoor dining and drinking returned along... ... but you will need to show proof of jab get into bars STUDENTS heading to college in September will not have to be vaccinated... It's becoming difficult to see movies other than Star Wars. Playing on a record 941 Australian screens, The Force Awakens is squeezing other films out. Want to see a different film? You'd better be quick. Since December, other films have been on screens for mere days, as The Force and The Force in 3D monopolise real estate and obliterate potential competition. Fortunately, many filmgoers I know don't seem to want to watch other films. Some have seen The Force Awakens repeatedly. Others who aren't that interested feel they have to see it to find out what everyone else is talking about. It isn't what we were told would happen. Ten years ago, in an award-winning book titled The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More, the editor of Wired magazine Chris Anderson argued that blockbusters were on the way out. In their place would be "a market of multitudes". There would still be big sellers, of course, but beyond them would be an ever-growing tail of niche products that would do surprisingly well, "shattering the mainstream into a zillion different cultural shards". How can the Prime Minister's words now be treated seriously when a key minister's default position on a woman who crosses him is that her views are those of a "mad witch"? What hope is there when men of such antiquated views occupy positions of power in Turnbull's government? Try as they might to hide behind the excuse that the use of the word "witch" amounts to nothing more than a robust sledge, the apologists' days are numbered. Having drawn a nexus between male disrespect for women and the epidemic of violence, the Prime Minister cannot maintain the position that Dutton's comments were merely inappropriate. If he is genuine when he says only cultural change can end the violence, he must either sack Dutton or force him to deliver an apology that acknowledges the harm his words have done to the anti-violence campaign. If the Prime Minister chooses neither of these courses of action, he faces being pilloried by the opposition. "If little boys see their fathers disrespecting their mothers, they will grow up to disrespect their partners. If they see their mothers respected, they will respect their sisters." So said Malcolm Turnbull on White Ribbon Day. How can those words carry any weight when one of his ministers fosters the malicious idea among his colleagues that a non-compliant woman should be deemed a "mad witch"? That Maiden appears to have forgiven Dutton for his comments should not and does not lessen the significance of the words or their implications for the government. How she responds emotionally might be her prerogative, but it has little bearing on any objective judgment, mine or the community's, on Dutton's words. As with the "ditch the witch" posters in 2011, we know there can be no escaping the implications for gender relations of a public figure calling a woman a witch. It remains a black mark on Australian political and social history that Gillard was left to her own devices to decry the posters. How different history would look had Turnbull stood with the prime minister, with both sides of politics rising in the House of Representatives to decry the posters and their dangerous implications for women. It was an opportunity lost. Rogue state North Korea claims to have tested its first hydrogen bomb in a move the Turnbull government has condemned as a threat to "peace and security in our region and beyond". Foreign Minister Julie Bishop joined much of the world in swiftly slamming the latest provocation by North Korea, vowing to join allies in slapping further sanctions on the already deeply isolated nation. Experts meanwhile said the test ratcheted up tension across Asia and could help fuel an arms race in the region. A Caboolture family, who realised they weren't "promised forever", have packed up their lives to embark on a year-long exploration of Australia, and themselves. Tammy Roche, 36, and her husband Mark, 44, first got the idea to spend a year travelling with their two children, Zoe, 13 and younger son Kolton, 4, after talking to a couple who were travelling around Australia in 2013. Tammy and Mark Roche said the everything felt "surreal" just days out from their big adventure. Credit:Epic Aussie Family Adventures/Fa "I said to Mark, 'if you found out you had six months to live and you think back to this moment and you say well, would I wish I had have done it, you would have," Mrs Roche said. "People put things off and say 'one day I'll get there'. I said now is the time to do it if we can." #DP DP bristles at prosecution probes targeting top officials of previous administration The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) strongly protested prosecution investigations that led to arrest warrant requests for former top officials of the previous Moon Jae-in gov... Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Jan. 05, 2016 | PADUCAH, KY By West Kentucky Star Staff Jan. 05, 2016 | 01:57 PM | PADUCAH, KY A man wanted on multiple warrants was caught and arrested Tuesday evening, after a pursuit that covered parts of two counties. The McCracken County Sheriff's Department says deputies got a tip after releasing information about 19-year-old Cameron B. Snelling, who had absconded from parole and is also suspected in a burglary from Sunday, January 3. They were told he might be found in the area of Lone Oak Road and Kentucky Highway 1241, and when they spotted him driving a car about 3:30 pm, they attempted to pull him over. Snelling fled in his vehicle on U.S. Highway 45 toward Mayfield. The Graves County Sheriff's Department, Mayfield Police, Kentucky State Police Troopers and Vehicle Enforcement learned of the pursuit and assisted when Snelling's vehicle got into Graves County. Snelling left Highway 45 and managed to avoid spike strips that were placed on highway 1241 near Liberty Baptist Church. As he continued south, he allegedly threw items from the vehicle as he drove. Some of those items were later identified as usable amounts of methamphetamine. As Snelling approached the next intersection with Highway 45 just north of Mayfield, a Graves County Captain used his cruiser in a pit maneuver, spinning Snelling's vehicle into the median, and he was surrounded and arrested. He was taken to McCracken County Sheriff's Department to be interviewed, and lodged in McCracken County Jail. Snelling faces the previous burglary and theft by unlawful taking charges from Sunday, along with absconding from parole. New charges from Tuesday include 1st degree fleeing or evading police, 1st degree wanton endangerment and various traffic offenses. ORIGINAL STORY (2:20 PM) The McCracken County Sheriffs Department is seeking the publics help in locating a wanted man. Detectives say 19-year-old Cameron B. Snelling is a white male who is being sought on two active arrest warrants. Last November, Snelling was paroled on burglary and drug-related offenses and has since absconded from the Department of Probation And Parole. During this time, detectives say Snelling burglarized a home in the Lone Oak area on or around January 3, taking electronics and other items. Warrants have been issued, charging him with burglary 2nd degree and theft by unlawful taking over $500. Anyone with information on Snelling should contact the McCracken County Sheriffs Department at 270-444-4719. Callers can and will be kept anonymous. By West Kentucky Star Staff Jan. 04, 2016 | 12:58 PM | WICKLIFFE, KY The route between Ballard County, KY and Alexander County, IL remains closed, and could stay that way until Friday. The Wickliffe-Cairo bridge that carries US Highways 51/60/62 across the Ohio River has been closed since Thursday, when floodwaters covered the approach levee at the Kentucky end of the bridge. The National Weather Service and the Army Corps of Engineers estimate that the highway will continue to be impassable until at least Thursday, possibly even Friday. Kentucky Transportation Cabinet engineers continue to check the site several times a day as floodwaters slowly drop. Even after the water recedes, it may take even longer to resume travel. In 2011, swift currents swept across US 51 and damaged shoulders of the roadway. It took about a day of repair work and clearing of debris before traffic could be restored. Whenever it opens, the 5,000 drivers who typically use the bridge each day will be glad to stop using the 80-mile detour that is currently required. KYTC spokesman Keith Todd says there are message boards stationed at several points to alert drivers of the bridge closure, but people continue to pull up to the road closed barricades unaware that they can't cross the river."Weve had travelers heading to places like Branson, MO, from outside the area arrive at the closure unaware that we have a major flood, Todd said. Road closure information for major routes in Kentucky is available at 511.ky.gov and on the WAZE App. The 511 site also has links to traffic info from our neighboring states.Another section of US Highway 51 is closed between Wickliffe and the Carlisle County line. It also closed Thursday. By Paul Schaumburg, Graves County Schools Jan. 06, 2016 | 06:03 AM | MAYFIELD, KY The Graves County School District has big plans for Tuesday, Jan. 26. Thats the day of a special election in Graves County and the districts first opportunity to introduce the Non-Traditional Instruction, or NTI, waiver day. Its an alternative to missing school due to unforeseen circumstances, ranging from inclement weather to an outbreak of flu. This specially-called wet/dry election day provides an opportunity to try it out because the election was scheduled after the school districts calendar was set. The Kentucky Department of Education selected Graves County as one of the school districts to pioneer NTI this year. It means the districts teachers will deliver content in a digital or hard copy format for students to use during the day(s) when school is closed. Students will be counted in attendance upon completing work their teachers assign. Staff will be available for students and parents to contact them for assistance or to answer questions via email or telephone during that NTI day. Were very excited about this alternative to missing school and make-up days, said Graves County Schools director of pupil personnel Christy Puckett. Our plans offer strong content in both electronic and hard copy formats and teachers are available for one-to-one assistance to students and parents. It really is a win/win situation because of tools available in the 21st century. She said the school district sought and received approval from the Kentucky Department of Education to use the special election day as the first opportunity to implement NTI in Graves County. Four of the Graves County Schools seven elementary schools serve as election polling locations: Lowes, Sedalia, Symsonia, and Wingo. In many ways, this opportunity is ideal, she added. Were not introducing new content, but rather working with lessons following up on ideas already studied in class. Of course, that is a standard part of teaching to follow up. Puckett concluded, We knew earlier in the school year that KDE approved us for this project, so we used our professional development time well on the Nov. 3rd election day. All of our schools and teachers worked that day to develop lessons for students to use on our first NTI day. Now, it turns out our first time to try out NTI will be the Jan. 26th election day because it was scheduled after our school calendar was created and approved. Of course, we want this to succeed, so weve been sending information from the schools throughout the year to parents, explaining how NTI days will work, how communication will take place, and similar details. Were very excited about our first effort and, undoubtedly, will learn from the experience to make it better next time. By The Associated Press Jan. 06, 2016 | 11:02 AM | MURRAY, KY A prosecutor has filed notice that his office intends to seek the death penalty in the case against a man indicted in a Calloway County murder and arson case. The suspect, 21-year-old Pascasio Y. Pacheco, appeared with his attorney in Calloway Circuit Court Tuesday and entered a plea of not guilty. Authorities arrested Pacheco in November on counts including capital murder and first-degree arson. He was booked after firefighters found the bodies of a family of four after they extinguished a house fire Nov. 17. The Paducah Sun reports that Commonwealth Attorney Mark Blankenship filed the notice Tuesday. Blankenship says the decision to seek the penalty is not set in stone, but he filed the notice to give the defense time to prepare. ___ Information from: The Paducah Sun, http://www.paducahsun.com Illinois man arrested for trafficking in meth after trying to flee police Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 05/01/2016 (2479 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A group of parents is eying Dalhousie School in Fort Garry for Manitobas first public school offering Arabic-language programs. But theyll be happy to find a space anywhere in the south end of Winnipeg near their mosque and community centre on Waverley Street, said Ibrahim Eldessouky, organizer of the fledgling campaign. We have a committee of 14 persons working among the Arab and Muslim communities, said Eldessouky, a pharmacist who came to Canada from Egypt 20 years ago. The families fear their children are losing their heritage language, and after-school or weekend classes arent enough to be fluent, he said. When children read the Quran, How can I recite something and not understand? Phil Hossack / Winnipeg Free Press Organizer Ibrahim Eldessouky with a group of parents and children who are seeking to have Arabic bilingual introduced in one or more public schools. We need to retain our language, said Eldessouky. It is not a religious thing, it is keeping the language. Eldessouky said there are private faith-based schools offering Arabic, but the families want their children to learn Arabic, and to learn in Arabic, in a public school. The greatest concentration of potential students lives around Dalhousie School, he said, but anywhere in Pembina Trails School Division, the St. Norbert schools in Seine River S.D., or even east of the Red River in Louis Riel S.D. would be welcomed. As with Spanish, Cree and Ojibway programs starting next fall in the Winnipeg School Division, Arabic programs would ideally start in one school with classes in kindergarten and Grade 1, adding another grade each year. This is just step-by-step on a long road, Eldessouky said. Our next step is to continue collecting names. We are going to knock on all the doors in Pembina Trails or Louis Riel or Seine River. Pembina Trails superintendent Ted Fransen said it is premature to comment until his division receives a formal request. However, he said Dalhousie has significant space available for growth. At times, we have had as many as 50 different countries and languages represented at Dalhousie, whose enrolment is about 75 per cent newcomers to Canada. Education Minister James Allum said hed consider funding for additional language programs in schools if a proposal comes forward. Theres a process in place to build community support, said Allum, whose officials have met with the parents. Were certainly willing to work with school divisions. Opposition Tory education critic Wayne Ewasko said the process exists so communities and school divisions can meet childrens needs if the numbers are there for a new program. But Liberal Leader Rana Bokhari said by email official and indigenous languages are the Liberals priorities in difficult budgeting, and other languages should be considered within the school day only as funding permits and demand warrants: Investments in these areas should be made outside of the public education system due to finance restraints on the current system, she said. A Muslim community activist said Manitoba Muslims speak dozens of languages. In our community, 38 to 40 languages and dialects are spoken, said Shahina Siddiqui, executive director of Islamic Social Services Association. Not all Muslims are Arabs, and not all Arabs are Muslim. Within the Arabic language, Siddiqui said, the dialects are different. nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 05/01/2016 (2479 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Three people with intellectual disabilities will find out Wednesday night whether theyll move into an upscale home in Stonewall over the objections of neighbours. The neighbours are reportedly concerned about the risks the residents would pose to the safety of their children and their property values in Stone Ridge Meadows. A zoning hearing Wednesday night before the Stonewall town council will hear from both sides and council is expected to make a decision. Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press Jacquie Derewianchuk and her husband Mark Shurek at their home on Rossmere Crescent in Stonewall. The couple ran into resistance at a highly charged zoning meeting in Stonewall a month ago. Jacquie Derewianchuk and her husband, Mark Shurek, are the property owners seeking the zoning permission. They have lived in Stonewall, a bedroom community of about 4,500 people a half-hour north of Winnipeg, for 27 years. They said they were unprepared for the level of opposition but have been gratified by the response of others in the community who support their plan to rent out the property on Rossmere Crescent to the Association for Community Living Manitoba. We just couldnt believe it was such a circus, Derewianchuk said of a previous zoning hearing last month. Who said just because youre disabled you have to live in a dive? Why cant they live in a nice home? The council chambers were absolutely packed, with people for and against, Derewianchuk recalled. The feeling in that council chamber was so volatile, that the council just declined to make a decision, she said. Derewianchuk said her biggest shock was finding out what some of the opposing neighbours do for a living. Two, for sure, are with law enforcement, she said. They said they were proud theyd worked with at-risk youth and they didnt want them in their neighbourhood they might be a risk to the neighbourhood, theyd bring down their property values. It just went on and on. It was like: really? And youre in law enforcement? Youre the people who are protecting us? It was disgusting. The Stonewall Tribunes coverage of the meeting identified one opponent as a Winnipeg police officer. The whole community is (in) an uproar because the people who voiced their objections havent been in Stonewall all that long, Derewianchuk added. Stonewall Mayor Lockie McLean declined comment Tuesday. Stonewall acting chief administrative officer Doreen Steg said Wednesdays zoning hearing is expected to decide the couples conditional use rental. The Association for Community Living is a non-profit agency with a 50-year history in Stonewall. It operates a 24/7 operation to care for adults with intellectual disabilities. Three adults, likely all men, would live in the four-bedroom home, with a full-time staff. We have five (group) homes, people who live in their own apartments, a day program and also a new store (for employment training), said Tara Smith, executive director of the Association for Community Living, about operations in Stonewall. For half a century, the agency, with 70 staff in Stonewall and some 50 clients, has worked hard to build up community support. I feel that probably we havent done a wonderful job of letting people know who we are, and people are just unaware of our history in the community, Smith said. Some Stonewall residents are dismayed about opposition to the group home. It scares me there are people in this community who would reject Hannah being their neighbour simply because she had disabilities, said Niki James Steinke, a mother of a teenager with disabilities, in a letter to the Stonewall Tribune and in a Facebook posting. The Tribune carried two pages of similar letters from readers in its Dec. 17 edition. Heather and Dan McDermid wrote: The clients of ACL are important and valued members of our community. They belong here. A few Grinches were present at the Stonewall council chambers, another reader wrote. It makes me feel even more grateful for the wonderful neighbours I have and I feel blessed none of you is my neighbour, Jeannie Walsh wrote. Disputes over group homes in residential neighbourhoods are nothing new in Manitoba. The last dispute involved a home in the RM of Springfield, south of Birds Hill Provincial Park. In that case, which took four years to resolve, the RM of Springfield required a rezoning of the house to institutional to block Winnipeg-based New Directions from housing three men with intellectual disabilities. In 2012, a court challenge was filed, accusing the municipality of discrimination and exclusion cloaked in the language of urban planning. The RM avoided going to court by agreeing to mediation through the Manitoba Human Rights Commission. In 2014, the men were allowed to move in. alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca Jessica Hendrickson, the manager of the Cost Cutters Hair Care Salon inside Walmart, Wisconsin Dells, has been honored for having the highest sales among 225 stylists at 50 Cost Cutters Salons in Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois. Hendrickson earned the Rock Star of the Year award at Cost Cutters annual recognition event in Madison. In addition, Hendrickson was one of three managers at the 50 salons to earn the Manager of the Year award. She also made trips to the podium for honors in customer service and chairmans club for performance. Her stellar success means she will be taking an all-expense paid trip to the Sexy Hair Academy in Santa Monica for additional training. In addition, stylist Heather Jones earned three awards for customer service and top performance. The salon was also honored for participating with other Cost Cutters salons in the annual October pink campaign where 10 percent of haircut sales was donated to breast cancer research, as well as $1 from specific product sales. A total of $3152.30 was donated to the South Central Wisconsin affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Bill Kaminski, Madison, owner of 50 Cost Cutters salons in Wisconsin and Northern Illinois was honored by his staff with a lifetime mentor award. When you have a Spanish heritage and your favorite food is enchiladas, the last thing you want to find out is that youre lactose intolerant. That is exactly what happened to Martin Canales. He wasnt surprised because he knew people of Spanish and Mexican heritage are more likely to be lactose intolerant. As he spoke from the bridge of the Colsac III free ferry in Merrimac, which Martin has operated as driver for the past six years, he talked about his favorite foods. He also talked about the challenges lactose intolerance brings, and found some humor in the condition. Yes, lucky me, I love Spanish and Mexican food, especially enchiladas with lots of cheese, and guess who finds out theyre lactose intolerant? I love enchiladas so much though that I try to put a little less cheese in and take pills to try to avoid the discomfort cheese and milk products cause. Born and raised in Portage, but now living with his wife Brenda in Poynette, Martin loves to cook. I love to barbecue and make brisket, really cook a little bit of everything, including meatballs. But my favorite is definitely my family recipe for Spanish-style enchiladas. Brenda and Martin have two grown children. She is a caretaker for others including her father, so Martin helps out in the kitchen. Now that we have two grandchildren, we love cooking for them and spending time with them. Martin is not alone in his struggle with lactose intolerance, with over 50 million Americans being affected. Lactose intolerance is most common among Asians, Africans, Mexicans and Native Americans. Lactose is a sugar that is found in milk products. Lactose intolerance occurs when the small intestine does not make enough of a digestive juice (enzyme) called lactase. Lactase is needed to break down the lactose in food. Lactase allows food to be absorbed by the body. Unfortunately, those who are lactose intolerant have many unpleasant symptoms ranging from stomachaches, headaches, bloating, diarrhea and gas. Most lactose intolerance is hereditary. It usually develops when, over time, the body makes less and less lactase. Most hereditary cases start having symptoms as teens or even in adult years. There are tests for lactose intolerance. One is a test to check how lactose is absorbed by the digestive system. You dont eat or drink anything for eight hours prior to the test, and then your medical team will ask you to drink a liquid that has lactose. Blood samples are taken over two hours. These will check your blood sugar (blood glucose) level. If your blood sugar levels do not rise, you may be lactose intolerant. There is also a hydrogen breath test, where you drink a liquid that has a lot of lactose and then your breath is checked several times. High levels of hydrogen in your breath may mean you are lactose intolerant. In infants and young children a stool acidity test may be used. If someone is not digesting lactose, their stool will have lactic acid, glucose, and other fatty acids. If you suspect you or your child is lactose intolerant, you need to see a medical doctor. Dairy foods are a major source of calcium necessary for bone growth and health, especially for children and teenagers. While there is no treatment yet that can help the body make more lactase, symptoms can be managed by diet. To learn more about lactose intolerance, visit the National Institute of Health at www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-topics/digestive-diseases/lactose-intolerance/Pages/facts.aspx. There are varying degrees of lactose intolerance with many people able to tolerate certain types and amounts of dairy products. As for Martin, he is not going to stop eating one of his favorite foods enchiladas. I just limit the cheese on my enchiladas and while I still have some symptoms, its worth it. I just love my homemade family recipe for them too much to give them up. Easy and Delicious ChefDocs Cheese-less Chicken Enchiladas Yield: Four servings Pre Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 35 minutes Ingredients 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil 1 pound ground chicken cup chopped yellow onion 1 finely chopped jalapeno pepper 1 chopped poblano pepper 1 teaspoon garlic powder Salt and pepper to taste 1 6-ounce can organic tomato paste, plus 2 cups of water 6 ounces of chicken stock 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 cup cooked rice 10 small corn tortillas 1 bag frozen corn (optional) 1 can diced tomatoes 1 green and 1 red chopped pepper 1 cup chopped iceberg lettuce For sauce: 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large skillet, heat the oil and add the ground chicken, onion, hot peppers, and red and yellow peppers, garlic powder, salt and pepper. When chicken is browned, add all other dry ingredients. In a medium saucepan, add tomato paste, 2 cans of water, a cup of chicken stock, whisk together and add the chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder and frozen corn. Cook on medium heat until bubbly and hot then remove from heat. Add one cup of the tomato/enchilada sauce and 1 cup of the cooked rice. Stir together. Spread spoonfuls of the chicken and rice filling and roll the tortillas up and place close together in a glass-baking dish. Pour the remaining tomato/enchilada sauce over the top of the tortillas. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the chopped lettuce over the top of the enchiladas before serving. Serve with other Mexican favorites such as guacamole and chips and refried beans. Serve sour cream in a separate container so lactose intolerant friends and family dont need to suffer. Note: If you are not lactose intolerant you can sprinkle your choice of cheese over the top of the enchilada sauce. I usually use Queso Blanco in moderation, about cup. A former Department of Natural Resources game warden will serve three years on probation, but no jail time, after pleading no contest Tuesday to felony misconduct in office. In exchange for his plea, a special prosecutor dismissed seven other felony charges against 46-year-old David G. Horzewski of Reedsburg. Horzewski was terminated from the Wisconsin DNR in July of 2013 for what state officials described as integrity issues. Ten months later, prosecutors charged Horzewski with six counts of felony theft and two counts of felony misconduct in public office. The criminal complaint alleged that Horzewski confiscated items such as guns, scopes, deer antlers, and other gear from people he cited when he was a DNR warden, but never submitted the items as evidence. Under the joint recommendation of the prosecution and defense Tuesday, Sauk County Circuit Court Judge Michael Screnock withheld sentencing against Horzewski. He found Horzewski guilty, and ordered that he serve three years on probation and undergo any assessments and treatment ordered by his probation agent. Horzewski also must abide by any no contact provisions ordered by his agent, pay a $518 fine, and provide a DNA sample. If Horzewski does not abide by terms of his plea agreement, he could be sentenced on the felony charge, which carries a maximum penalty of three years and six months in prison and $10,000 in fines. Horzewski has no prior record, and worked for more than 20 years as a law enforcement officer and warden. Screnock said he did not believe jail time was appropriate, even though it was a felony offense. I think it is fair to believe that others in his position will be deterred by the fact of this prosecution and the felony conviction, because that alone carries with it consequences that are serious for an individual who works in the realm of law enforcement, Screnock said. As a convicted felon, Horzewskis career as a law enforcement officer is likely over and he can no longer own a firearm. Defense attorney Jordan Loeb of Madison said a trial in the case, which initially was scheduled to take place later this month, would have been about what inferences can be drawn from agreed upon facts. He said his client confiscated items lawfully in his role as a warden. The heart of the case was what happened to the items after they were confiscated. One set of inferences is consistent with innocence, and one set of inferences is consistent with guilt, Loeb said. The special prosecutor in the case, Monroe County District Attorney Kevin Croninger, said the fact that the weapons were not taken unlawfully, but confiscated legally in his role as warden, mitigated the charges against Horzewski to some extent. He said Horzewski was guilty of using poor evidence retention practices, being disorganized, and becoming overwhelmed with the paperwork required for his job. The weapons seized by investigators in the case currently are being held by the Wisconsin Capitol Police. Screnock ordered that a hearing take place in the near future at which people will be able to make their case for having their firearms returned. Its my belief that once that hearing takes place, there will be no more restitution requests because people will have their firearms back, Croninger said. Daniel Brockopp Rev. Daniel Carl Brockopp, 81, of Portage, died on Friday, Jan. 1, 2016, after a brief illness. Daniel was born Sept. 7, 1934, in Glidden. He was baptized and confirmed by his father at Trinity Lutheran Church in Glidden. By the age of 9, Dan had become an accomplished organist. His talents enriched the worship two or even three times each Sunday as he traveled with his father to the congregations his father served as pastor. The love of music and devotion to precision remained with him throughout his life. After graduation from high school, Dan attended Concordia College in River Forest, Illinois, where he earned a bachelors degree in education. He graduated from Concordia Theological Seminary in Springfield, Illinois with the degree of Bachelor of Theology. Upon graduation, Dan taught Theology at Concordia Theological Seminary in Springfield. He earned the Master of Sacred Theology degree at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Pastor Brockopp was ordained into the Holy Ministry of the Lutheran Church on June 12, 1962, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Villa Park, Illinois. In 1964, Professor Brockopp began his career at Valparaiso University Indiana; a career that would span 35 years. During that time, Pastor Brockopp provided spiritual guidance to students and staff at the University. He was appointed to the Department of Theology at the University and immediately began part-time work in the Chapel of the Resurrection, serving in several positions during his tenure. He held the position of University Pastor and Dean of the Chapel from 1984-98. He continued to teach in the Department of Theology until May 1999, when he retired from the Valparaiso University faculty. Upon his retirement, the Valparaiso University Board of Directors bestowed the title of University Pastor Emeritus upon Rev. Brockopp. At that time, University President Alan F. Harre acknowledged Dans lengthy and effective service. For those of us who have joined our lives to VU since Dean Brockopp has been the University Pastor and Dean of the Chapel, we may have some difficulty imagining what the ministry and service of the Chapel of the Resurrection will become without his presence, pastoral heart, aesthetic sensitivities, concern about ritual and form, and attention to details. Dan retired to Portage in 1999 to be nearer to his sister and her husband. There he taught Bible classes at St. Johns Lutheran Church and provided counsel on liturgical theology to the pastoral staff. He and his wife, Leona, enjoyed traveling to Door County and to England. Dan is survived by his wife, Leona (Mau) whom he married on May 18, 2008. He is further survived by a sister, Darlene (Rev. Ted) Krueger of Portage; two brothers, Rev. Roy (Ruth) Brockopp of St. Louis, Missouri and Gene (Dorothy) Brockopp of Lexington, Kentucky; a sister-in-law, Marilyn Brockopp of Neshkoro; and nieces, nephews, colleagues, former students and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, the Rev William and Martha (Baumann) Brockopp. The funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016, at Luther Memorial Church, 1021 University Ave., Madison. Visitation at the church will begin at 10 a.m. until the time of service and will continue at a luncheon following the service. The committal service will take place at 1 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, at Saint Luke Cemetery, 5300 N. Pulaski Road, Chicago. Memorial contributions may be directed to Valparaiso University, the Lutheran Deaconess Association or a charity of ones choice. Cress Funeral and Cremation Service is assisting the family. Apparently I wasnt the only one afflicted by the noel nasties this Christmas season. When a Madison bartender turned off Black Sabbath to play holiday music Dec. 24, a patron displayed his disgust by throwing a beer bottle at her. Dont be too hard on the guy: Theres something about holiday stress that can move a man to sabotage. It was about 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve when the Farm Tavern nearly turned into Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. Christopher Gamboeck, 33, was enjoying some heavy metal when the bartender switched to more traditional Christmas music. Out with Ozzy Osbourne, in with joy, for Christ is born. Gamboeck wasnt in the mood for any pa rum pum pum pum. He allegedly downed his bottle of Budweiser, slammed it on the bar, yelled expletives at the bartender and threw the bottle in the direction of her head. So much for peace on Earth. Fists clenched, the surly patron tried to go behind the bar, but his uncle intervened and directed him to the exit. On his way out, Gamboeck grabbed the bars Christmas tree and pulled it down, breaking several ornaments. O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree: Thy leaves are so enraging. Officers who had been called to the bar later found Gamboeck at his residence, looking the part of the headbanger in a beard and shoulder-length locks. It was there they decided to arrest the hairy gentleman. As they approached him, he became incensed about police being there, Madison police spokesman Howard Payne told the Wisconsin State Journal. He rushed toward the officers and had to be threatened with an electronic device before taken into custody. There was no word as to whether the device in question was an electric razor. Gamboeck faces tentative charges of criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct, and most likely landed on Santas naughty list. Theres no excuse for such behavior, but I sympathize with the suspect. As much as I love Christmas music, one can only take so much of chestnuts roasting on the open fire. After a couple weeks of saccharine sentimentality, a guy feels ready to rock out to Heaven and Hell. Plus, the holiday season is a stressful time of year. Everyones on edge. Youre shopping for gifts, running the kids to their pageant rehearsals, mailing the Christmas cards, trying to make it to all the parties and before you know it youre going insane and biting the head off a live bat. As my nine loyal readers know, I was dangerously close to succumbing to the noel nasties this Christmas. There was much baking, shopping and wrapping to be done, and seemingly not enough time to do it. Instead of gleefully humming holiday tunes, I was plotting the murder of whoever wrote The Christmas Shoes. Fortunately by the time Dec. 24 arrived once the work was done and the fun finally had begun I changed my tune. Instead of wanting to deck other shoppers, I was ready to deck the halls. Fa la la la laaaa, la la la laaaaaa. Gamboeck and the bartender he attacked werent so lucky. He was unable to contain what clearly was a raging case of the noel nasties. Getting a grip on the noel nasties is more easily said than done. Ozzy Osbourne would be the first to tell you: Theres something about Christmas stress that can send you off the rails on a crazy train. There are many uncontested races for local offices in the spring election, which will take place April 5, but Mayville voters will get a choice for mayor and there are several contested races for Dodge County Board of Supervisors. It does not appear there will be any local primaries on Feb. 16. Photo identification is now required to vote in Wisconsin. For more information on photo ID contact Dodge County clerk Karen Gibson at 386-3605 or see the Government Accountability Board website, www.gab.wi.gov. DODGE COUNTY BOARD Dodge County Board of Supervisors will have seven contested races on the ballot. District 9 will require a primary to be held Feb. 16 as three candidates submitted sufficient paperwork to run for the seat. The top two vote-getters will proceed to the April 5 spring election ballot. The candidates for the district 9 seat are Stephanie Justmann, Douglas Schulz and James Qualmann. Districts with races are: District 1 Candidates Julie Flemming and Ed Benter District 4 Incumbent Ed Nelson and Jerry Neis District 7 Incumbent Randy Grebel and Richard Bennett District 8 Incumbent Rich Greshay and Holly Millard District 14 Incumbent Phillip Gohr and Jeremy Bartsch District 33 Incumbent Rodger Mattson and Becky Glewen. No paperwork was submitted for District 27. Anyone interested in running as a write-in for that seat should contact Gibson. Incumbents did not file for seats in District 18 and District 21. Jeffrey Caine filed papers for District 18 and Cathy Houchin filed papers for District 21. Incumbents seeking uncontested seats are Russell Kottke, District 2, Mary Bobholz, District 3; Janice Bobholz, District 5; Joseph Marsik, District 6; Thomas Schaefer, District 10; Wayne Uttke, District 11; Gerald Adelmeyer, District 12; William Muche, District 13; Harold Johnson, District 15; Larry Schraufnagel, District 16; Larry Bischoff, District 17; Allen Behl, District 19; Jeff Berres, District 20; Mark Roesch, District 22; David Frohling, District 23; Dennis Schmidt, District 24; Jeffry Duchac, District 25; Thomas Nickel, District 26; Donna Maly, District 28; Daniel Hilbert, District 29; MaryAnn Miller, District 30; Glenn Stousland, District 31 and Lisa Derr, District 32. BEAVER DAM Beaver Dam has one contested race for city council and that will be in Ward 12. Incumbent Mary Flaherty (Ward 2), incumbent Cristopher Olson (Ward 4), Ken Anderson (Ward 6), Becky Glewen (Ward 8), incumbent Don Neuert (Ward 10), Dan Doyle and incumbent Donna Maly (Ward 12) and Mary Morgan (Ward 14) have filed nomination papers for Beaver Dam Common Council. Alderpersons Teresa Hiles Olson (Ward 6) and Mick McConaghy (Ward 8) filed for non-candidacy in December. There are three seats up for election on the Beaver Dam Unified School Board for the April election. Incumbents Bev Beal-Loeck, Jim Jansen and Chad Prieve are running unopposed. JUNEAU In Juneau, no one will be opposed on the ballot unless there is a write-in effort. Incumbent Mayor Dan Wegener will be joined on the ballot by Ward 2 incumbent Kendra Hayden, Ward 3 incumbent Dan Schamberger and Kay Marose in Ward 1. Michael Breitweiser will not seek re-election in Ward 1. DODGELAND There are three unopposed candidates for seats on the Dodgeland School Board. Incumbent David Beal has filed papers for the seat representing the city of Juneau and town of Oak Grove. Incumbent Serene Sefeuzer and newcomer Andrew Oemig will be on the ballot for two seats representing the village of Lowell, town of Lowell and town of Beaver Dam. HORICON No seats are opposed in Horicon for both the council and school board elections. Mayor Steve Neitzel has filed papers seeking re-election. No other candidates have filed for mayor. Incumbents Richard Marschke, alderman representing District 1, and Carl Fausett, alderman representing District 3, have both filed papers seeking re-election. Dwight Plautz, current alderman for District 2 will not seek re-election. Current fire chief Jim Bandsma has filed papers in District 2. Two Horicon School Board seats are up for election. Incumbents Jerry Tribbey and Tina Streblow both filed papers seeking re-election. MAYVILLE Three common council seats and the office of mayor will be up for election in Mayville Bob Redeker announced he will not seek re-election as mayor. Current Aldermen Rob Boelk and Joe Hohmann have both filed papers seeking the seat. Ward 2 is vacant after Ken Neumann resigned. Andrew Shoemaker was selected by members of the common council to fill the seat until the spring election. Shoemaker and Bob Smith have both filed papers seeking election in Ward 2. Ken Neumann and Eugene Frings have filed papers seeking election in wards 4, 7 and 8. Incumbent Vince Longo filed non-candidacy papers. The alderman position for Ward 6 is also up for re-election. Incumbent Joe Hohmann is not seeking re-election. Kim Olson filed declaration of candidacy but did not submit signatures. Olson will be able to run in the election as a write-in vote. No other candidates filed for the seat. Two Mayville School Board seats are also up for election. Incumbent Norb Donfeldt and Shannon Wild have filed for re-election. Michael Amerling has also filed for the school board election. {strong style=text-align: center;}RANDOLPH{/strong} A caucus is planned Jan. 11 at 6 p.m. in the Randolph Municipal Building, 248 W. Stroud St., to nominate candidates for two-year trustee terms on the village board. The seats of Alan Detjen, Shannon Greeno and Nicholas Weinberger are up for re-election. The Randolph Village Board is also determining how to replace trustee Todd Ehlenfeldt, who resigned his seat with more than a year remaining in his term. Two incumbents and a former school administrator will appear on the ballot in April for three seats on the Randolph School Board. Incumbent board members Laurie Boomsma and Craig Freitag seek another term in office. Wayne Vanderploeg, who retired two years ago after a 44-year career in education, also is running. Incumbent Shannon Greeno filed papers of non-candidacy. FOX LAKE Mayor Tom Bednarek, municipal court judge Richard Quirk, and alderman Tom Jahnke First Ward, Dan Ault Second Ward and Dennis Linke Third Ward, will run unopposed for their seats, according to city clerk Sue Hollnagel. WAUPUN There are no contested races on the ballot for Waupun City Council. Mayor Kyle Clark is running unopposed as are incumbents Peter Kaczmarski for Aldermanic District 2 and Nancy Vanderkin for Aldermanic District 6. Michael Matoushek Jr. for Aldermanic District 4 also will be on the ballot. For the Waupun Area School District, incumbent Bill Bruins is running uncontested for the seat representing the towns of Alto and Trenton; and incumbent Glen Wilson is running uncontested to represent the city of Waupun. There is an open seat for a representative of the towns of Burnett, Chester, Oakfield, Springvale and Waupun with no one on the ballot. CAMBRIA FRIESLAND SCHOOL BOARD Incumbent school board members Marc (Chip) Berger, representing the village of Friesland, and Rita L. Woelffer Burmania, representing the towns of Randolph, Kingston and Manchester, will seek another term of office on the Cambria-Friesland School Board. Tammy Schepp filed papers to run as the representative for the town of Courtland. Incumbent Shelby Heller will not seek re-election. COLUMBUS Four Columbus City Council seats will be up for election in the spring. In District 1 incumbent Rick Royem will run for a 1-year term, and incumbent Regan Rule will run for a 2-year term. In District 2 incumbent Rod Melotte will seek re-election to his two-year term. In District 3 Andy Traxler and JD Milburn will face off for the seat currently held by Michael Clark. Clark filed his his non-candidacy papers Tuesday, so the nomination period for that seat has been extended to 5 p.m. Friday. Three candidates have filed papers for the three Columbus School Board seats that will be on the ballot. They include incumbents Mike OBrien and Mary Arnold and former board member Julia Hoffman. Current board member Liz ODonnell, who will have served 12 years when her term is complete in April, filed a notification of non-candidacy. FALL RIVER The village of Fall River will hold a caucus at 6 p.m. Jan. 13 at the Fall River Municipal Building, 641 S. Main St., to nominate candidates for the three trustee positions who will appear on the spring election ballot. The incumbents are John Ninmann, Judy Robbins and Andrew Schmiechen. In the Fall River School District, three candidates will run for the two seats up for election. Candidates include Ashley Morton and incumbents Ember Schultz and Wendy Corlett. JUNEAU | A 21-year-old Beaver Dam man is facing multiple felony charges after he allegedly put his fiancee into a choke hold and threatened to kill her and her family. Zachary Kapitanski is charged with felony intimidate victim/threaten force, felony strangulation and suffocation, misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor disorderly conduct. All charges include a domestic abuse assessment. If convicted of all charges he faces up to 17 years in prison and $45,000 in fines. According to the criminal complaint, on Dec. 6 officers were dispatched to the 200 block of Seippel Blvd in Beaver Dam for a report of a domestic disturbance. The victim told officers that she was engaged to Kapitanski. She told officers that Kapitanski had told her that he had taken some acid on Dec. 5 and was having a bad trip and needed help. The victim said she went to pick up Kapitanski but when she arrived, he told her that he was also taking cocaine and didnt want to leave until it was gone. The victim said she was not comfortable and didnt want to remain with Kapitanski but was worried about him driving so she took his keys and contacted his sister to pick him up. The victim said that Kapitanski became angry that he did not have access to his car and the victim eventually picked him up and took him home. The victim said the two started arguing and that Kapitanski grabbed her shirt and pulled her close to his face while yelling at her. She said she attempted to push him away but that he kept grabbing her. The victim said Kapitanski put her in a choke hold and that she could not breathe. After she was released, the victim said that Kapitanski told her if she called the police that he would kill him. The victim also told police that Kapitanski told her that he would kill her family. According to the complaint, when arrested Kapitanski explained how angry he was at the victim for contacting the police and making what he said were false claims. Kapitanski told officers, She aint even worth the words or the air that I breathe. Kapitanski will make his initial appearance in court on Jan. 11 at 9 a.m. Drugs Friday at 12:14 a.m., a woman told police that a 60-year-old man was not wanted at a property in the 100 block of Lake Crest Drive. Police cited the man for possession of marijuana. Accident Friday at 12:59 a.m., a 17-year-old driver hit a parked vehicle with her vehicle near the Burchard Street and Wayland Street intersection. Disorderly conduct Friday at 2:52 a.m., a woman at McDonalds, 840 Park Ave., told police there was a group in the lobby being rowdy and throwing water. The group left prior to police arrival. Theft Friday at 12:20 p.m., a woman reported the theft of a wallet at Tower Lanes, 1660 N. Spring St. Theft Friday at 1:05 p.m., a man told police that a trailer was missing from a property in the 1100 block of East Circle Drive. Accident Friday at 1:49 p.m., a 17-year-old driver hit a tree with his/her vehicle in the 100 block of Walnut Street. Accident Friday at 2:36 p.m., a 72-year-old man and a 58-year-old man were involved in a vehicle accident near Kwik Trip, 2006 N. Spring St. Intoxicated person Saturday at 2:31 a.m., a man near the Front Street and Center Street intersection was arrested and cited with operating while intoxicated. Accident Saturday at 2:54 a.m., a man drove his vehicle into a snow bank near Wal-Mart Supercenter, 120 Frances Lane. Vandalism Saturday at 4:05 a.m., a woman reported that someone threw a car jack through the front window of her home in the 1100 block of North Spring Street. Disorderly conduct Saturday at 12:27 p.m., someone called police reporting that a man and a woman were yelling at each other in a parking lot in the 800 block of Park Avenue. The two were arguing about who should move a vehicle to allow the other person out. Traffic Saturday at 2:24 p.m., someone told police an elderly woman was walking down the middle of the road near the intersection of Corporate Drive and Gateway Drive. She said she was out walking and was not interfering with traffic. Accident Saturday at 2:52 p.m., a 19-year-old man and a 40-year-old woman were involved in a vehicle accident near Gateway Drive and Frances Lane. Disorderly conduct Saturday at 10:31 p.m., a 21-year-old woman told police that a 26-year-old man was outside her residence in the 100 block of Martha Drive and he was threatening vandalism unless she let him in. Police heard conflicting stories and advised them to leave each other alone. Intoxicated person Sunday at 3:09 a.m., a traffic stop in the 100 block of Stone Street resulted in police citing a 21-year-old man for operating a vehicle while intoxicated and for speeding. Intoxicated person Sunday at 10:42 p.m., a traffic stop near the North Center Street and North Front Street intersection resulted in police citing a 42-year-old man for operating a vehicle while intoxicated and for speeding. Theft Monday at 9:29 a.m., a man told police that someone stole his credit card from a property in the 800 block of Park Avenue. Disorderly conduct Monday at 11:35 a.m., a man reported being shoved by another man and a woman near his apartment in the 200 block of Jackson Street. Gov. Scott Walker, in keeping with past practice, wont pardon Steven Avery or his nephew for a 2005 homicide that has received widespread attention after a new documentary raised questions about the case. Walker spokeswoman Laurel Patrick said Tuesday that Walker has not seen the 10-part documentary, Making a Murderer, which was released last month on Net- flix, and emphasized that the events in the film took place before Walker took office. Early in his administration, Governor Walker made the decision not to issue pardons, Patrick said. Those who feel they have been wrongly convicted can seek to have their convictions overturned by a higher court. The Avery documentary has generated renewed interest in the case. A change.org petition asking President Barack Obama and Walker to pardon Steven Avery has received more than 270,000 supporters as of Tuesday afternoon. The case was tried in state, not federal, court so Obama doesnt have the power to grant a pardon. Walkers policy against pardons has been well-documented. It included refusing to pardon Eric Pizer, an Iraq War veteran who couldnt become a police officer because of a felony conviction for punching someone in a bar fight a decade earlier. The documentary chronicles the investigation and trial in the murder of 25-year-old photographer Teresa Halbach, whose charred remains and vehicle were found on Averys property in November 2005. Averys nephew Brendan Dassey was also convicted of homicide, sexual assault and mutilation of a corpse in the case, which drew nationwide interest because Avery was previously exonerated with DNA evidence after spending 18 years in prison for a 1985 sexual assault. The film includes exclusive access to Averys family and focuses on his defense attorneys contention that the members of the Manitowoc Sheriffs Office ignored other possible suspects and planted evidence to ensure a conviction. At the time, Avery was suing Manitowoc County for $36 million for his wrongful conviction. Those who dispute the framing defense, including former Calumet County District Attorney Ken Kratz, who prosecuted the case to avoid a possible conflict of interest, emphasize Averys DNA was found in Halbachs vehicle, her DNA was found on a bullet that investigators matched to Averys gun and that Avery had asked specifically for Halbach to be sent over to photograph a vehicle for Auto Trader Magazine. Averys appeals have been rejected all the way up to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Dassey, who did not testify against Avery, was convicted based on statements he made to police during hours of interrogation that he later recanted when he took the stand in his own trial. His case is being appealed in federal court. State Rep. Andre Jacque, R-De Pere, who represents the Mishicot area where Averys salvage yard is located, said he hasnt watched the documentary and doesnt know if he will. He said hes received a handful of emails about the film, but all of them have been from people outside of his district. I wouldnt say Ive received any sort of outcry from my constituents that anything was wrongly decided, Jacque said. He added that many Wisconsinites already know about the Steven Avery case and the documentary brought it to a wider audience. Having followed the Avery and Dassey cases in 2007, it seemed as if the burden of proof was met in both convictions, Jacque said. In response to the films central allegations of police planting evidence in the Avery case, Jacque said its unfair to cast aspersions simply by saying somebody might have done that. State Journal reporter Mark Sommerhauser contributed to this report. Information is taken from the records of the Portage Police Department and does not represent a comprehensive list of police activity. Each individual named in this report is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Between 8:27 a.m. Dec. 30 and 7:58 a.m. Tuesday police responded to 212 calls. Police issued 10 citations to students on Tuesday for habitual truancy from Portage High School. West Cook Street: Police on Dec. 30 at 8:27 a.m. stopped Melanie M. Olson, 26, of Portage, who was cited for operating a vehicle after suspension as a ninth offense and driving without proof of insurance. New Pinery Road: Police on Thursday at 1:42 a.m. arrested Joseph Sterlavage, 20, of Pardeeville, who was arrested for misdemeanor bail jumping and cited with underage alcohol possession as a second offense. New Pinery Road: Police on Thursday at 12:05 p.m. stopped Debbie Kratz, 51, of Westfield, who was cited for operating a vehicle after suspension of a license as a sixth offense and driving without proof of insurance. The vehicle was towed. Wauona Trail and East Wisconsin Street: Police on Thursday at 12:42 p.m. cited Babette Schumann, 52, of Pardeeville for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated as a first offense. Highway 16 and Interstate-39: Police on Thursday at 6:47 p.m. stopped Bryan R. Doyle, 27, of Stoughton, who was cited for operating a vehicle after suspension of a license as a second offense. East Wisconsin Street and Ontario Street: Police on Friday at 4:11 a.m. stopped Kelly Zweifel, 45, of Brookfield, who was cited for speeding and arrested for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated as a third offense and refusing a blood-alcohol test, later registering a reported PBT of 0.127. Wauona Trail and Center Street: Police on Saturday at 10:17 a.m. responded to a car vs. fire hydrant vs. tree accident where Lindsay Eilders, 24, of Oxford, was cited for operating after suspension of a license as a fourth offense and inattentive driving. West Cook Street: Police on Saturday at 12:05 p.m. arrested Justin Clay, 25, of Portage, on an outstanding warrant. Clay and Martese Clay, 22, of Portage, were cited for possession of drug paraphernalia. Gunderson Drive and Red Fox Run: Police on Sunday at 3:14 p.m. stopped Roberto Lopez, 36, of Portage, who was cited for operating a vehicle after suspension as a second offense. West Collins Street: Police on Monday at 9:53 a.m. stopped Tyler J. Meyer, 30, of Blanchardville, who was cited for operating a vehicle after license revocation as an eighth offense. Town Street: Police on Tuesday at 7:53 a.m. stopped Ron Del Roy Kruckeberg, 47, of Portage, who was cited for operating a vehicle after suspension of a license as a second offense and driving without proof of insurance. The first baby of the New Year in Portage is mellow. Mia Rose Lara, weighing 6 pounds, 14 ounces and measuring 20 inches, took a few minutes to look around and figure everything out at 10:25 a.m. Sunday before crying for only a bit, her mother Elizabeth Lara said. She actually slept, but I didnt, Lara said of Mias first night at home Monday. Mia is Laras and her husband Arturos second child, also a girl. Lara and Arturo recently celebrated their third anniversary and reside in Portage. Shes a lot different than the first. Theres not a lot of crying with this one, Lara said of Mia and her first daughter, Caroline, 2. Lara, 22, is a housekeeper in Divine Saviors Environmental Services department and has worked in the hospital for about four years. It was nice because I know everybody, Lara said of giving birth at her workplace. Laras due date was Dec. 28, and everybody she knew seemed to expect Mia would be Portages New Year baby. Everybody kept saying it. This was everybodys prediction, Lara said. As of Tuesday, Mia has been the only baby born in Portage so far in 2016. Jennifer Kohnke, director of obstetrics, noted Mias birth came after a very busy December for Divine Savior, with 22 deliveries. For all of 2015, Divine Savior performed 228 deliveries for an average of 19 a month. The number of deliveries at Divine Savior has been steady for at least the past few years. Kohnke and her staff Tuesday provided Lara with a New Year baby care package that included a months free membership at La Vita in the new Wellness Center, as well as water bottles, ear buds, diapers, wipes and other baby care products. We think its special for many reasons, but also because Elizabeth is an employee here. That just doesnt happen very often, said Kohnke, who has been director for about a year and was a staff nurse at Divine Savior for about 10 years. Lara, a Portage native, said Mias birth was without complications, noting surgeon Dr. Joshua Pogorelec observed the pregnancy just in case we needed him. He was outside the door, and he took credit from the back there, waiting, Lara said with a laugh. The staff here was pretty awesome. Born to eternal life on Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016, in Milwaukee, Sister Elaine Czarnezki, SDS, a Sister of the Divine Savior, or Salvatorian, was born May 5, 1928, in Medford. She entered the Sisters of the Divine Savior in 1948, and received the name Cor Mariae. Sister Elaine received a BA from Alverno College, an MA from Notre Dame University and did post-graduate work at Marquette University and UW-Milwaukee. She also studied Swahili at the University of Syracuse. Sister Elaine was an educator. In Milwaukee she taught at Mother of Good Counsel School, Divine Savior Junior College and Divine Savior High School, where she served as principal for two years. Sister Elaine also taught at St. Therese School, Schofield. She was asked to begin a Girls Secondary School in Masasi, Tanzania, East Africa; she served there as a teacher and principal. Upon returning to the United States Sister Elaine served for 10 years as a chaplain at Divine Savior Hospital and Nursing Home in Portage. For another 16 years Sister Elaine was a staff member at Sacred Heart Southern Missions where she worked in the social services area for the poor and elderly. Throughout her entire life Sister Elaine was an advocate for justice and peace. Sister Elaine was preceded in death by her parents, John and Emma (Fiderspiel) Czarnezki; her brothers, Gerald (Eleanor) Czarnezki and Vernon Czarnezki; and a sister, Marie (Chester) Strebig. She is survived by her brothers, Milan (Lila) Czarnezki and John (Arlene) Czarnezki; her sister, Dorothy (Glen) Wesle; sister-in-law, Bernice Czarnezki; nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and -nephews, and the Salvatorian Family. Visitation for Sister Elaine will be held from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. Friday at St. Annes Salvatorian Campus, (chapel), 92nd and Lisbon Ave., Milwaukee. The Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 1:15 p.m., following the visitation. Burial will be at 9 a.m. Saturday at Holy Cross Cemetery, Milwaukee. Donations in memory of Sister Elaine may be made to the Sisters of the Divine Savior, 4311 N. 100th St. Milwaukee, WI 53222. Krause Funeral Home, 9000 W. Capitol Dr., Milwaukee, WI 53222, 414-464-4640, www.krausefuneralhome.com. The Rev. Daniel Carl Brockopp, 81, died in Portage, on Friday, Jan. 1, 2016, after a brief illness. He is survived by his wife, Leona (Mau). They were married May 18, 2008. Dan is further survived by a sister, Darlene (The Rev. Ted) Krueger of Portage; two brothers, The Rev. Roy (Ruth) Brockopp of St. Louis, Missouri, and Gene (Dorothy) Brockopp of Lexington, Kentucky; and a sister-in-law, Marilyn Brockopp of Neshkoro. He is further survived by nieces, nephews, colleagues, former students and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, The Rev William and Martha (Baumann) Brockopp. Daniel was born Sept. 7, 1934, in Glidden. He was baptized and confirmed by his father at Trinity Lutheran Church in Glidden. By the age of 9, Dan had become an accomplished organist. His talents enriched the worship two or even three times each Sunday as he traveled with his father to the congregations he served as pastor. The love of music and devotion to precision remained with him throughout his life. After graduation from high school, Dan attended Concordia College, River Forest, Illinois, where he earned a B.S. in education. He graduated from Concordia Theological Seminary in Springfield, Illinois, with the degree of Bachelor of Theology. Upon graduation, Dan taught theology at Concordia Theological Seminary in Springfield. He earned the Master of Sacred Theology degree at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. Pastor Brockopp was ordained into the Holy Ministry of the Lutheran Church on June 12, 1962, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Villa Park, Illinois. In 1964, he began his career as a professor at Valparaiso University (Indiana); a career that would span 35 years. During that time, Pastor Brockopp provided spiritual guidance to students and staff at the university. He was appointed to the Department of Theology at the university and immediately began part-time work in the Chapel of the Resurrection, serving in several positions during his tenure. He held the position of university pastor and dean of the chapel from 1984-98. He continued to teach in the Department of Theology until May 1999, when he retired from the Valparaiso University faculty. Upon his retirement, the Valparaiso University Board of Directors bestowed the title of University Pastor Emeritus upon The Rev. Brockopp. At that time, University President Alan F. Harre acknowledged Dans lengthy and effective service. For those of us who have joined our lives to VU since Dean Brockopp has been the university pastor and dean of the chapel, we may have some difficulty imagining what the ministry and service of the Chapel of the Resurrection will become without his presence, pastoral heart, aesthetic sensitivities, concern about ritual and form, and attention to details. Dan retired to Portage in 1999 to be nearer to his sister and her husband. There he taught Bible classes at St. Johns Lutheran Church and provided counsel on liturgical theology to the pastoral staff. He and Leona enjoyed traveling to Door County and to England. The funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Luther Memorial Church, 1021 University Ave., Madison. Visitation at the church will begin at 10 a.m. and will continue at a luncheon following the service. The committal service will take place at 1 p.m. Monday at Saint Luke Cemetery, 5300 N. Pulaski Road, Chicago. Memorial contributions may be directed to Valparaiso University, the Lutheran Deaconess Association or a charity of ones choice. Please share your memories at www.cressfuneralservice.com. W-E-D-C. For a lot of Wisconsin taxpayers, those letters stand for one thing and one thing only: I-N-E-P-T-I-T-U-D-E. If ever a governmental agency needed a little branding help, its the states jobs agency. And yet Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, is backing away from that idea and considering giving WEDC even more money. Vos had it right the first time when he said I almost think (WEDC) is so tarnished that we need to figure out a new model to fit it. With a presidential election on the horizon, we can think of no more important issue in Wisconsin than job creation. Many difficulties faced by the people of this state would look a lot less daunting if there were simply more and better-paying jobs available. There are not. Wisconsin continues to lag the nation as a whole and other states in the upper Midwest in job creation. The state was 32nd in private-sector job growth for the five-year period ending in June, according to government figures. Jobs grew here by 7.6 percent compared with 11.2 percent nationally. Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Iowa and Illinois all did better. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. has to be a part of improving the states jobs picture but it will take more than changing the letterhead at WEDC to make this dysfunctional agency work. WEDC has had enormous problems, including giving taxpayer-funded incentives to troubled businesses and a revolving door at the top that has seen executive after top executive take their leave. And, harder to fix, the agency has become politicized, with Republicans and Democrats alike taking shots. A few thoughts: First, WEDC should either sharply curtail or get out of the business of making loans to established companies. The agencys loan program has left it vulnerable to charges of political favoritism, and it has bungled oversight. A related problem: We have no sense that the state is being strategic in how it deploys scarce resources generally. Whats most important to WEDC? All the more reason to either sharply curtail the loan operation or abandon it. Second, WEDC should forget about trying to attract companies from other states. Offering subsidies to lure companies from elsewhere has never worked very well for state government here, and its a zero-sum game. Third, WEDC should put more of a focused effort into the states entrepreneurs. Wisconsin has a poor track record in developing young companies but that could change. The agency does administer the effective Act 255 investment tax credits aimed at supporting young companies. It should continue to do so and look for other smart, cost-effective ways to support entrepreneurial growth. It could consider, for example, investing in proven strategies already at work to support startups. But there must be clear metrics to monitor how the investments are used and whether they are effective. Whether its called WEDC or something else, a nimble, public-private partnership to support job creation can work. And at a time when the state lags badly in job growth, it needs to work. In the furor in late June over the Supreme Courts gay marriage and Affordable Care Act rulings, something important got sort of lost. That was the courts surprising June 25 decision in a case called Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. The Inclusive Communities Project. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy abandoned the courts conservative bloc to write the 5-4 majority opinion in which he was joined by the courts liberal justices. The case was a challenge brought under the 1968 Fair Housing Act. The ruling said that those alleging discriminatory practices dont have to prove that lenders or government agencies deliberately intended to discriminate. Instead, they must prove only that the effect of the policies had a disparate impact on members of some racial or ethnic groups. As important as this is to fair housing for example, government agencies can no longer limit subsidized housing to low-income neighborhoods it could be just as important when the court gets around to clarifying a spate of challenges to state-passed voter identification laws. Such laws are generally sold as protecting the integrity of elections. This argument is entirely bogus because ... math. Numerous studies have found the instances of fraud by voter impersonation approaches zero. In the most comprehensive analysis, Justin Levitt, a law professor at Loyola University in Los Angeles, reports 31 cases among more than a billion ballots cast over 15 years. Oh, the horrors. Voter ID laws are naked attempts by Republican legislatures to cheat people who tend to vote Democratic from exercising their fundamental right as citizens of a democracy. They are among the most pernicious ways that the GOP attempts to suppress the votes of groups that dont support them. Nine states have passed strict laws requiring voters to present a photo ID before they vote. Eight others have passed photo ID laws that contain certain exceptions. For example, voters can go through the rigmarole of casting a provisional ballot that might or might not be counted 10 days after the election. At least a dozen more states have tried to enact voter ID laws only to see them fall to legal challenges. In 2008, the Supreme Court, on a 6-3 vote, upheld Indianas voter ID law. And last spring, the court refused to hear a challenge to Wisconsins law. But the court has not considered disparate impact arguments. Last week, a federal appeals court upheld a lower court ruling that Texas strict new photo ID bill had violated Section 2 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act in that it had a discriminatory effect against black and Latino voters. The ruling was issued last Thursday, the 50th anniversary of the day that President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the law into effect. The Texas case may eventually get to the Supreme Court, along with a similar case now underway involving North Carolinas broad voter suppression law. If that happens, the justices could get a chance to ameliorate their unconscionable ruling two years ago that struck down Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Section 5 required states with a history of discriminatory practices to get pre-clearance from the Department of Justice before changing voting laws. North Carolina and Texas could not have messed with their voting laws if the court hadnt struck it down. Now that they have, it becomes incumbent on the justices to uphold the provisions of Section 2. Congress has said that Section 2 is violated when, in the context of the totality of the circumstance of the local electoral process, a minority is denied an equal opportunity to participate in the political process. Clearly thats what the Texas and North Carolina laws do. The trial court in the Texas case found that 608,740 voters did not have the kind of photo ID that Texas required. The clear intent of all voter ID laws is to make it harder for certain Democratic-leaning constituencies to vote. And given voting patterns, the clear effect of this is to discriminate against minority voters. If its good for Fair Housing, its good for fair voting. Snowmobile trails in Sauk County were opened New Years Eve, but only briefly as officials closed them again Jan. 4. Riders didnt waste the opportunity. Matt Habada left Sauk City on his sled Jan. 2 and just kept going. I went 192 miles yesterday all the way to Tomah, Habada said Jan. 3. It was great the whole way. Kevin and Jodie Gilding of Prairie du Sac stayed closer to home on trails in the towns of Troy and Honey Creek. The trails were good, but its rough, Kevin said. We need more snow for sure. There is snow in the forecast and colder temperatures coming for this weekend just the prescription riders seek. While the colder temperatures are great for building up frost in the ground and compacting the snow already on the ground, Association of Sauk County Snowmobile Clubs trail boss Ted Walmer said its the amount of new snow that is one of two deciding factors as to whether trails open again. We need at least four more inches of snow before we can open trails again, Walmer said. The second factor is the willingness of landowners to allow snowmobiles to traverse their property, much of which is farmland. Walmer said 90 percent of Sauk County trails are on private land. Without the landowners, we have no trail system, he said. When we drive over their hay fields and pastures and wheat fields, the snow deteriorates, and it ruins the seed and their labor. This first weekend of open trails in Sauk County came with a few complaints from a few landowners in the county who said some riders deviated from marked trails. However, Logan Brown, the executive representative to the Association of Wisconsin Snowmobile Clubs, said those landowners were contacted and their concerns were validated and addressed. We encourage people to stay on the trail so as not to ruin crops, Brown said. Thats one good way to get trails closed. We emphasize that people should only ride the trails that are open. Brown, who manages the Facebook page of the Sauk County Association of Snowmobile Clubs said with technology, communications about trail conditions among riders has improved with social media, emails, texts and voice calls via cell phones. On Jan. 2, Brown used social media to issue a warning to riders about landowner complaints and a subsequent admonishment in which he said Stay on the trails or stay home. Riding is a privilege not a right. Last week, even after the snowfall, trail conditions were unstable. We barely got enough snow to open the trails, Honey Creek Snowmobile Club president Greg Sprecher said Dec. 30. Theres standing water everywhere in fields right now. The snow is melting and causing more mud because the ground didnt freeze. But temperatures stayed in the 20s and 30s, which kept the snow intact, while snowmobile club volunteers groomed trails to compact the snow. Membership boost This year a new law went into effect that reduces the annual trail pass fee from $30 to $10 for riders who join one of the 600 clubs around Wisconsin. We started to see our club memberships fall and there were one or two people doing all the hard work in setting up the trails, Brown said. Club members provide the volunteers that groom the trails, put up signs, negotiate use of private land and advocate for snowmobile funding and legislation at the state level through the Association of Wisconsin Snowmobile Clubs. We use the money to buy equipment, Walmer said. Grooming machines are $100,000-plus machines. Other state-wide funding comes from portions of snowmobile registration fees and gas taxes. Walmer said there are 211 miles of state-funded trails in the Sauk County. China News on Women Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home page Many Brits 'hope to visit new country in 2016' Many Brits hope to visit somewhere new in 2016 An increasing number of Britons intend visiting a country they have never been to before during 2016, the results of a new survey suggest. The trend is highlighted in ABTA's new Travel Trends Report for 2016, which also lists a dozen destinations it thinks will capture the public's imagination over the next 12 months. They include Iran, Peru, Poland, Sri Lanka, the Silk Road in China and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Hawaii on 'to watch' list Holidaymakers planning on visiting any of ABTA's destinations to watch - which also include Canada, Iceland, France, Hawaii, Naples and Apulia in Italy, and Queensland, Australia - are advised to make sure they have a good travel insurance policy before heading off. The report, published by ABTA and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), says nearly a fifth (18%) of those surveyed want to travel to a new country over the next year, double the proportion who intended doing so this time last year. And nearly one in four (23%) say they intend visiting a new city or resort - even if they have been to the country itself before - compared to the 10% who said that was on their agenda a year ago. Their ambitious plans seem to suggest more money will be spent on travelling over the next 12 months. Almost a quarter (23%) of those surveyed say they expect to spend more on their holidays in 2016. 'Bumper year for Med resorts' That proportion rises to 39% among the nation's highest earners, who during 2015 have typically enjoyed eight holidays compared to an average of 7.4 in 2011. While many people look set to try somewhere new, the report is also predicting a good year for more familiar destinations in Spain and other parts of the western Mediterranean. That trend, it says, will be driven by the strength of the pound and political uncertainties in some parts of the world. The report also expects to see more destinations attempting to transform themselves in the way that Barcelona and Miami's South Beach have in the past, in a bid to appeal to certain sectors of the holiday market. UK decommissioning agency lays out plans to 2019 06 January 2016 Share The UK's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has unveiled its draft Strategy and Business Plan for 2016-2019 for formal consultation. The documents, published yesterday, reflect the NDA's five-year budget as determined through the government's Spending Review set out by Chancellor George Osborne in November. The Strategy, published every five years, looks at the NDA's long-term mission through a number of themes while the Business Plan, which is published annually, takes a more focused look at the next three years of activity across its estate, together with the associated funding. The consultation period for both documents will end on 15 February. Chief Executive John Clarke said the NDA had been able to offer savings to the Treasury of around GBP1 billion ($1.5 million) over the Spending Review period. In return, it has secured over GBP11 billion of grant funding for the next five years which, together with its income projections, will enable it to continue to make broad progress across its nuclear estate. An early version of the draft Strategy was published last September for a period of informal engagement with stakeholders - including NDA Site Stakeholder Groups, trade unions, local authority representatives from England, Wales and Scotland, and its subsidiaries and Site Licence Companies (SLCs) - and the NDA has now published its response to the comments it received. It has concluded that "the overall direction of travel for the draft Strategy is correct." Business Plan The NDA's draft Business Plan for the next three years contains total planned expenditure for 2016/2017 of GBP3.2 billion, of which GBP2.3 billion will be funded by UK government and GBP900 million by income from commercial operations. Planned expenditure on site program will be GBP3 billion, while non-site expenditure is expected to be GBP200 million. The GBP3.2 billion total compares with GBP3.3 billion in the 2015-2016 plan. Income is expected to be GBP949 million, compared with GBP1.2 billion in 2015-2016. Planned expenditure according to site is - Sellafield Limited GBP2 billion; Magnox Limited GBP550 million; Dounreay Site Restoration Limited GBP177 million; Low Level Waste Repository Limited GBP68 million; Capenhurst Nuclear Services (owned by Urenco) GBP49 million; and Springfields Fuels Limited (owned by Westinghouse Electric) GBP33 million. The decision taken last year to change the delivery model at Sellafield means that from the start of the next financial year, Sellafield will become a subsidiary of the NDA. This is progressing well, Clarke noted, and is "highlighting areas where real benefit will be achieved in delivering value for money and improved confidence in delivery". Consolidation of the updated Magnox plan - incorporating what was Research Sites Restoration Limited (RSRL) following last year's competition, together with the funding provided in the Spending Review - "will allow the delivery of significant benefits from this revised program approach", Clarke said. The 2016/17 financial year will see the start of defuelling of the Wylfa reactor after its closure last month. The NDA has succeeded in extending the life of the world's oldest Magnox plant by five years beyond the originally planned closure date, Clarke said, "making the maximum possible contribution to the UK's energy supply and using the income from electricity sales to reduce the NDA's call on the Exchequer." The continued demonstration of the UK's ability to decommission the early fleet of nuclear power stations supports the policy of new nuclear generation being a "vital part of UK's low-carbon energy mix in future", he said. The planning and execution of the transportation of a range of nuclear materials from Dounreay will continue as a priority activity, he said. The recent announcement by LLWR that the Environment Agency has approved the application for a revised Environmental Permit means the NDA can now, subject to planning consent, make decisions on lifetime capacities rather than annual disposal limits, he said. The NDA expects to publish the finalised Business Plan by the end of March. Draft Strategy In its Draft Stratetgy, the NDA says that early decommissioning plans "inevitably focused on site-by-site solutions", which was reflected in its first Strategy, effective from April 2011. Then, "more sophisticated generic approaches were introduced to improve the delivery of our mission and secure best value for money". In its latest Strategy, it identified five strategic themes under which it has grouped all its activities - site decommissioning and remediation; used fuel management; nuclear materials; integrated waste management; and critical enablers. During the development of its previous Strategy, the NDA had an approved program of key competitions to appoint PBOs for the SLCs. "The existence of this program meant that 'competition' was taken to mean simply 'PBO competition' and that there was a medium-term resource requirement which could be planned for and retained as the organization moved progressively from one PBO competition to another," it said. "Since our previous Strategy, the PBO/SLC contracts for Dounreay Site Restoration Limited (DSRL) and Magnox and RSRL have been placed." "Our experience has shown that the ability to bring fresh commercial thinking to each new competition has brought continued improvements in value for money and risk transfer. Both these contracts are based on an outcome specification - for example the achievement of the interim end state for Winfrith and defined interim states for the other sites. They are also based on an incentivised target cost contract which offers the opportunity to save over GBP2.5 billion for the taxpayer over the life of the two contracts," it said. As well as changing the management model at Sellafield, the NDA also changed its contracting approach at Capenhurst in 2012. "Following a significant transformation and transition process", the site was transferred to Urenco along with the existing activities. Additionally the NDA and Urenco signed agreements for the deconversion of its uranium hexafluoride management facility constructed at the Capenhurst site. These agreements reduced the NDA's net liabilities and enabled Urenco to invest in new facilities on the Capenhurst site. "All of these arrangements are designed to endure for the lifetime of this Strategy and beyond. However the recent decision for model change at Sellafield has highlighted the importance of providing an agile response to changing Strategy in support of our SLCs," the NDA said. "Meanwhile other projects, apart from those relating directly to the SLCs, may come onto the horizon, (e.g. plutonium re-use), which would entail major procurement." In terms of continuing contract management, the LLWR Limited contract has been renewed with a revised fee structure taking on board the lessons learnt from the first five years of operation, the NDA said. "The contract is designed to increase alignment with our long-term objectives. In particular fee earning is now based on the achievement of targets. It reflects LLWR Limited's contribution to the national low level waste (LLW) program as well as to the running of the Low Level Waste Repository at Drigg," it said, adding that this contract will be up for renewal in 2018. "It is clear that contracting is critical to us, as we spend 95% of our funding externally. Contracting in its widest sense is an important capability for the whole estate to retain," it said. "This capability includes the ability to provide effective governance for the contracting lifecycle. The combination of Competition and Contracting and Incentivisation topic strategies into one topic Strategy reflects commercial best practice. The full acquisition lifecycle is managed coherently from identification of need through procurement, into contract management, lessons learnt and planning for the next steps once the contract term ends." Regarding supply chain development, the NDA said that, since its previous Strategy, two significant external developments had occurred - the global financial crisis, "which has led to an increased focus on collaboration, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the UK Growth agenda", and also the UK's nuclear new build program. "Our supply chain development initiatives have resulted in a collaborative procurement program amounting to GBP2.8 billion of spend and delivering over GBP140 million savings since 2010. We have provided suppliers with access to even more information (e.g. annual procurement plans and early market engagement sessions) to enable better planning," the NDA said. The NDA expects the finalised Strategy will be published in April. Researched and written by World Nuclear News Related topics Vandals Smash Wrexham Bus Shelters This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Jan 6th, 2016 Several bus shelters across the county have been damaged after vandals smashed the stands, resulting in shattered glass across the pavements. Yesterday Gavin tweeted Wrexham.com the above picture of one of two damaged bus shelters on Chester Road both of which are used as part of the Chester Wrexham service. The first shelter is located near Smithy Lane, Little Acton, which was smashed overnight on Monday 4th January / Tuesday 5th January. When Wrexham.com drove past the shelter yesterday, there were workers removing the glass away from the area. A second bus shelter (pictured above) on Chester Road, Nine Acre, has also had two panes of glass shattered. Several people have also pointed out that the shelter near Nine Acre had been smashed a few months ago, with the glass not long being replaced. Weve also been told that two bus shelters on the same side of the road had also been damaged on the same evening in New Broughton. A spokesperson for Wrexham Council confirmed that the authority do not own the bus stops, however that they have cleaned up the smashed glass from the area. We have contacted Adshel who own the bus stops to find out when they would be repaired, however we have yet to hear anything. We will update with further information as and when we have it. 16million Super Bakery to Create 100+ Jobs for Wrexham This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Jan 5th, 2016 Over 100 new jobs could be created in Wrexham if plans to create a new 16million super-bakery on the Wrexham Industrial Estate are approved. In an application submitted to Wrexham Council, the Village Bakery have proposed that a second bakery is created on Ash Road South, Wrexham Industrial Estate. The site itself lies to the South West of Wrexham Industrial Estate off Ash Road and is in close proximity to the existing Village Bakery sites on Coed Aben Road. The Village Bakery brand began life in 1934, when the Edwards brothers began producing bread and confectionary in a small bakery in Park Road, Coedpoeth. In 1966 the company was taken over by Mr Alan Jones the current Chairman. Since then the Village Bakery has become a well known and one of the most respected craft bakeries in the UK now compromising of three businesses, Coedpoeth, Nutrition and most recently Wrexham Ltd. The Village Bakery (Wrexham), have also been crowned Wales fastest growing company after sales soared more than 1,500% having enjoyed an outstanding few years growth. Proposals submitted by the company consist of creating a new bakery across 214,000 sq ft, which would operate alongside the current bakery and training academy on the Industrial Estate. The building would be developed along with a new access road, service yards, car parking, a HGV loading/unloading area and the retention of existing wooded area and ponds with ecological enhancements and mitigation. The development would see the safeguarding of 400 jobs, with the application stating 150 permanent living wage jobs could be created for the area. Details provided in the Design and Access Statement about the new site, note: Our aim is to continue to supply our fantastic products both nationally and internationally. We predict that the new site will enable us to double our turnover. Saudi Arabia officially canceled a weeks-old cease-fire in its war against Yemen Saturday, ending a formal period of truce between the regime and the Houthi insurgency that began on December 15. The regime has already launched a fresh wave of airstrikes since declaring the truce over. According to the UN Saudi jets have pounded areas throughout the country over the last three days in attacks that have already destroyed a handful of civilian targets. Saudi forces have already attacked several targets in densely populated civilian areas within Yemens capital of Sanaa, according to UN human rights representative Rupert Coalville. The latest Saudi strikes destroyed a medical center for blind patients on Tuesday. Earlier this week airstrikes also destroyed Yemens chamber of commerce headquarters. Yemens main population centers are currently under various degrees of military siege and blockade, including the capital Sanaa and the southern port city of Aden, as well as Taiz, a city of some 200,000. An 8 p.m. curfew was imposed in Aden on Monday, after pro-government forces wrested control of areas of the city that had been taken over by Al Qaeda-linked militia and other militia factions. The war against Yemen is only one of countless US-orchestrated slaughters perpetrated against the Middle East. Nonetheless, it is being waged with an especially frenzied level of criminality and recklessness. The Saudi regime and its American backers are proving in Yemen that they will use any level of military force and mass terror in defense of their power and control over the highly strategic region. Wave after wave of Saudi-led bombing has routinely struck known civilian targets and residential areas. At least 8,100 Yemeni civilians have been killed or wounded since the beginning of the Saudi-led bombing campaign in March, according to the latest UN figures. Within days of the beginning of the Saudi air war in March Saudi attacks struck a refugee camp, a civilian market and a medical center. The number of civilian casualties produced by Saudi air attacks continued to increase sharply throughout December in spite of the supposed truce. Amid the ceasefire and simultaneous peace talks in Geneva, the total number of Yemeni civilians killed more than doubled in December by comparison with November. Saudi airstrikes are responsible for two thirds of the civilian deaths caused by the war, a UN report found in September. More than 2.5 million Yemenis have been displaced and nearly 200,000 have sought refuge in other countries since the Saudi onslaught began. Saudi strikes have been launched in flagrant violation of international law against areas with known schools and hospitals, according to Johannes van der Klaauw, UN humanitarian official in charge of Yemen. Saudi forces have launched countless accidental strikes against civilian areas, wedding parties and medical facilities. The widespread destruction of Yemens social and productive infrastructure has led to conditions in which the vast majority of the population struggles without secure sources of food, electricity or running water. Within two weeks of the launch of the Saudi air war, more than 10 million Yemenis had lost all access to food, water and electricity, according to initial reports in April 2015. Some 100,000 Yemenis were displaced from their homes within the first two weeks of the Saudi war alone. The UN food agency warned recently that Yemen as a whole is at risk of slipping into famine. Nearly half of Yemens provinces are characterized by near famine conditions, according to the World Food Program. One million Yemenis are already malnourished and Yemens health care infrastructure is close to collapse, according statements by top UN emergency relief official Kyung-wha Kang. Some 300,000 young children (ages 1-4) are malnourished and some 7.6 million Yemenis are living in borderline starvation conditions. Human rights groups also report that many Yemeni children are showing signs of mass psychological trauma. In the months since initial accusations of cluster bomb usage by Riyadh were advanced by Human Rights Watch in April, Saudi forces have continued to use illegal cluster munitions against civilian areas. UN investigators found dozens of shell casings from Saudi cluster weapons near villages in Yemens Haradh District. The US media has maintained the maximum level of silence possible in relation to the Yemen war. A Saudi air strike which destroyed a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) hospital in Yemen in late October, just weeks after US forces incinerated a large MSF hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, passed with barely a ripple in the American press. With the help of the corporate media, the Obama administration has worked to distance the US and NATO from the war and downplay the scale of the crimes being perpetrated by the US-backed Saudi forces. In reality, the Saudi monarchy has received a blank check from Washington to wage war in Yemen. The US government and military have played a central role in the war, providing close support for the Saudi air campaign, including logistics, weapons, intelligence and target selection. The US has carried out thousands of mid-air refuels of Saudi coalition planes, and has been running joint military operation centers in Saudi territory to streamline the assault. In November, President Obama signed an authorization green lighting an additional purchase of $1.3 billion worth of US weapons by the Saudi regime. The Saudi royals have enthusiastically seized on the open-ended US backing for their campaign to place their military apparatus on a total war footing and assemble an Islamic war coalition in preparation for confrontation against Iran and Iranian forces and interests throughout the Middle East. Official Saudi budget estimates for 2016 allocate nearly $215 billion to military sectors. The regime plans to double the size of its military by 2020, building up its combat-ready force to over 500,000 soldiers and spending some $150 billion on an array of new advanced weapons systems, according to figures cited by the Daily Telegraphs Con Coughlin. Just days prior to the December 15 ceasefire, Saudi Arabia announced the formation of the Islamic Military Alliance, which includes Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Nigeria, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The Saudi war against Yemen is being waged by a coalition of states that closely overlaps with the roster of the IMA coalition, which is widely understood among regional analysts to be essentially an anti-Iranian alliance. The renewed Saudi offensive against Iran will include forces from the Kuwaiti military, reports last week revealed. On Tuesday, the Kuwaiti regime announced that it will suspend diplomatic ties with Iran, joining Bahrain, UAE and Qatar in issuing punitive measures against Tehran and signaling their alignment with the Saudi monarchy. That's it, we're moving to Sweden. Not just because they are in general a beautiful race of people and have actual snow at Christmas time and not the sludgy stuff we get here. An even better reason has now been revealed. Sweden are moving to a six hour work day. Employers across the country have already made the change, according to the Science Alert website. The aim of the move is to get more done in a shorter amount of time and ensure people had the energy to enjoy their private lives. Filimundus, an app developer based in the capital Stockholm, introduced the six-hour day last year. The eight-hour work day is not as effective as one would think," Linus Feldt, the companys CEO told Fast Company. "To stay focused on a specific work task for eight hours is a huge challenge. In order to cope, we mix in things and pauses to make the work day more endurable. At the same time, we are having it hard to manage our private life outside of work." Mr. Feldt added that he feels that with a six hour work day, it is easier to focus more intensely on the work that needs to be done and that people will have the stamina to do it and still have enough energy left to enjoy their private lives when leaving the office. It's not just tech companies that are getting in on the act, a retirement home in Gothenburg has also made the six-hour switch until the end of 2016, to determine whether the cost of hiring new staff members to cover the hours lost is worth the improvements to patient care and boosting of employees morale. Via Independent UK Late Tuesday, three weeks after the newly elected mayor of Flint, Michigan declared a state of emergency over the lead poisoning of the citys population, the states governor, Rick Snyder, issued a declaration of emergency for both the city of Flint and Genesee County. The governors office press release reads, By declaring a state of emergency, Snyder has made available all state resources in cooperation with local response and recovery operations. The declaration authorizes the Michigan State Police, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division to coordinate state efforts. Snyder stated, The health and welfare of Flint residents is a top priority and were committed to a coordinated approach with resources from state agencies to address all aspects of this situation. After two years of lies and direct culpability in the disaster, Snyder is engaged in intense political damage control. His declaration came the same day the US Attorneys Office revealed that it is investigating the Flint water poisoning. Snyder made his announcement one day after the Genesee County Board of Commissioners held a meeting to discuss its approval of Flint Mayor Karen Weavers request for a federal disaster declaration. After a presentation by medical experts from Flints Hurley Medical Center, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha and Dr. Lawrence Reynolds, the body endorsed Weavers request. With some fanfare, commissioners, including Chairman Jamie Curtis, whose first public response to Weavers call for a state of emergency was, Its not going to change anything. Nothing more can be done, signed the documents. Almost immediately after his initial negative response, Curtis changed his tune. After endorsing the paperwork that would send the declaration to Snyder to finalize, Curtis stated, Were not going to be ignored. Were going to get the help that these people need. The reckless and criminal decision that was made to use the polluted Flint River as a water source was implemented close to two years ago, and during that time virtually all local and state authorities stood by the decision, generating a network of lies in response to countless complaints made by Flint citizens over the quality of their water. The Flint disaster is the direct result of austerity measures approved by both Republicans and Democrats, who have been slashing budgets and cutting funding for social programs for decades. In her address to the county Board of Commissioners meeting on Monday, Dr. Hanna-Attisha made a strong case for an emergency declaration. She stated, This disaster, this emergency exceeds the capacity of our city resources, of our county resources and maybe even of our state resources, and we need help. This is a catastrophe. We have a clearly demarcated area of exposure... It wasnt a natural disaster. It was a human-made disaster and it caused significant consequences that we will be seeing for generations to come... Our whole community has been traumatized and they need hope and they need resources. The water is not safe yet... And families dont have the help they need. Mayor Weaver, who was elected overwhelmingly last November after a campaign run almost exclusively in opposition to incumbent Dayne Wallings callous and corrupt role during the water crisis, addressed the meeting after the signing of the countys endorsement in somewhat celebratory tones. Calling the endorsement a victory, and a step in the right direction, she thanked and congratulated a team of her supporters who volunteered during the water crisis. Weaver reported that she would be seeking a meeting at the Obama White House. On January 7, she will meet with Michigans governor to discuss the state of emergency declaration. Snyders announcement Tuesday was designed to take the sting out of that meeting. One of the county commissioners, Brenda Clack, spoke several times during the proceedings about sweeping away negativity and going forward together. Despite that, in the time allotted for attendees to address the meeting, several residents expressed their anger and concerns. Speakers insisted that if and when the federal "superfund" money comes, it be used to address the lead crisis as intended. Gladyes Williamson, who described herself as a water warrior, noted that water was being shipped overseas from Lake Superior in tankers, asking why that couldnt be done for Flint. She said, We need water. Its not just the children. In her remarks to the January 4 meeting, Dr. Hanna-Attisha explained that lead is a dangerous neurotoxin, exposure to which results in a multigenerational impact. She added, It creates behavior problems and a host of other medical problems. Thats why the CDC [the federal governments Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and the American Academy of Pediatrics have repeatedly said there is no safe level of lead. Hanna-Attisha continued, So, our research showed that the lead levels in the entire city of Flints children doubled. In some neighborhoodsin some specific wardschildren with elevated lead levels actually tripled. One ward went from 5 percent up to 15 percent. This was published a couple of weeks ago in the American Journal of Public Health. Our research completely underestimates the risk because we screen children for lead at the ages of one and two. However, children who are exposed to lead in water are much youngerin utero, fetuses, as well as babies on formula. And the half-life [the time required for the concentration of a substance in the body to decrease by half] of lead in human blood is only about thirty days, and then it gets excreted. But once its in your system, it already creates toxicity. So, a babys blood level could have peaked at 3 months or 4 months or 5 months and when we check that baby at one year or two years, that level would have [misleadingly] come down. Now we assume we have an entire population which has been exposed. So, anybody who drinks this water, anybody who cooks with this water cooking actually concentrates the lead in your food. So, if youre making your kids macaroni and cheese, that lead actually gets concentrated in the food. Genesee County Sheriff Robert Pickell noted that there were 15,000 drinking water service lines made of lead in Flint. To replace them, he estimated, would cost $45 million. At Mondays meeting, WSWS reporters interviewed Keri Webber, a Flint resident, about her experiences: Im 45. Ever since I was a child, they said you dont swim in that water. Now they tell us its okay to drink? Webbers 45-year-old husband lost vision in one eye due to elevated blood pressure resulting from lead poisoning. Her daughter, who is about to turn 16, has also been diagnosed with lead poisoning, as well as with kidney disease. My husband was 44. My daughter was 15. I dont think they were eating paint chips. No one believed us here because were from Flint. Were poor. Were uneducated. But we were right about the water. Keris neighbors have a one-year-old and a three-year-old diagnosed with lead poisoning. They did not drink the water, but maybe they bathed in it or cooked with it, she speculated. She expressed anger over her water bills. Residents still have to pay their water bills and their rates are eight times higher than the national average, she explained. Her current monthly bill is $240. Shane Hofey, who was standing nearby, interjected, You have to pay for your own poisoning. WSWS reporters spoke to Dr. Hanna-Attisha on her way out about the lack of filters for the population. She said there must be a door-to-door effort to deliver and install the items. The county has given away just one-third of the filters, she said. She explained that there were only 14,000 filters for the population. In our work, we visited 54 families with children and none of them had filters. Commercial truck manufacturer Freightliner has told the United Auto Workers that it is laying off 936 workers at its plant in Cleveland, North Carolina, reducing the workforce by a third. The last day of work will be Friday, according to a company statement cited by local television news station WSOC 9. The supposed temporary adjustment will reduce hourly employment at the plant from 3,100 to 2,200. The layoff notice follows the announcement by Volvo Trucks North America last month that it is cutting 734 jobsone quarter of the workforceat its New River Valley assembly plant in Dublin, Virginia. The layoffs were a shot across the bow of Volvo workers who have voted to approve a strike when their current five-year labor agreement expires on March 16. Freightliner workers told WSOC 9 that the plant manager called a meeting to announce the job cuts just as the shift began on Monday. Its going to hurt a lot of people, Tezia Purefoy, a mother of two who got a call from her husband after his shift ended, told the station. Her husband, who started working at Freightliner last year, will get full-time pay through March, but she said it will be hard to find jobs that pay that well in the county. The factory is owned by Stuttgart, Germany-based Daimler AG, which produces Mercedes Benz luxury cars and is the worlds largest manufacturer of heavy-duty trucks. Daimler Truck North America (DTNA) produces trucks under the Freightliner and Western Star brands. DTNA also owns Thomas Built school busses and Detroit Diesel, an engine, transmission and axle manufacturer. The Cleveland plant, which opened in 1989, is the companys largest and most profitable facility. It also has truck facilities in Mt. Holly and Gastonia, North Carolina. DTNA is reducing output by one-third at the Cleveland Facility in anticipation of a softer North American truck market in 2016, which will be somewhat below the very strong market of 2015, the company said in an announcement, adding, DTNA has no further comment on the layoffs. The UAW will help the company impose its job cuts. At DTNA, its record of betrayal is appalling. The UAW became the bargaining agent at the Cleveland plant in 2003 after reaching a so-called neutrality agreement with the company, which allowed the UAW to bypass a secret ballot vote by workers and gain recognition after a majority of workers signed authorization cards. Unbeknownst to the workers, however, in 2000 the UAW had signed a secret deal with management pledging concessions in exchange for the neutrality agreement. When negotiations for a new contract began in 2007, Freightliner announced plans to cut 1,200 jobs to press its demands for an expanded two-tier wage structure, cuts to retiree health care, and a pay freeze for the majority of workers. The bargaining committeeunaware of the sweetheart deal the UAW signed to gain recognitionacted on the near unanimous strike authorization by workers and called a walkout on April 2, 2007, the day after the threatened layoffs were to take place. Within hours, UAW Region 8 Director Gary Casteel and other officials denounced the strike as illegal and threatened that anyone participating could be disciplined up to termination. The UAW forced workers back to their jobs, took over negotiations and pushed through the deal originally rejected by the elected bargaining committee. When workers voted down the contract, the UAW ordered a revote and then threatened and browbeat workers to secure ratification. Several bargaining committee members were fired with the tacit approval of the UAW, which then tried five local 3520 officials on the charge of behavior unbecoming of a union member for leading a strike unauthorized by the UAW International. In 2013, the International Association of Machinists and several other unions betrayed a three-week strike of Daimler Truck workers in Portland, Oregon after workers rebelled against the companys concession demands. In May 2014, the UAW pushed through a four-year deal at the Freightliners plants in Cleveland, Mt. Holly and Gastonia, North Carolina, which included miniscule wage increases and allowed DTNA to dump its future obligations to pay retiree health care benefits. According to the industry web site Transport Topics, the contract included a 3 percent wage increase in the first and third years, with 3 percent lump-sum bonuses in the second and fourth years, and a $7,000 ratification bonus. As in the auto industry, the truck manufacturer funneled hundreds of millions of dollars into a newly established retiree health care trust fund, known as a Voluntary Employees Beneficiary Association, or VEBA. Such funds, which put the UAW in charge of the rationing of health care to current and future retirees, have been a source of lucrative income and investment opportunities for the businessmen who run the UAW. Praising the deal, Martin Daum, DTNAs CEO, said in a statement at the time, The ongoing close collaboration with the UAW has resulted in a contract that will help assure continued manufacturing excellence and market leadership. Gary Casteel hailed the new VEBA and returned the praise, saying, The UAW is thankful to have this collaborative relationship with DTNA. In addition to Freightliner and Volvo, the UAW has overseen the concessionary deals at Mack, Navistar International and Peterbilt truck. In February 2015, despite large profit and sales gains, the UAW pushed a new four-year deal past 1,500 Navistar (formerly International Harvester) workers at a truck assembly plant in Springfield, Ohio; an engine plant in Melrose Park, Illinois; and parts distribution centers in Atlanta, Dallas and York, Pennsylvania. The deal, which included lean manufacturing rule changes, according to industry analysts, was praised by Norwood Jewell, UAW vice president in charge of the Heavy Truck Department, as an example of how working men and women and companies can work together so that everyone wins. UAW International President Dennis Williams has sat on Navistars corporate board of directors since 2006. The company pays him $120,000 a yearin addition to his more than $200,000 salary and disbursements from the UAWto impose its dictates. We benefited from the fact that Dennis Williams is on our board of directors, Navistar CEO Troy Clarke said after the ratification of the pro-company deal. He was very supportive of us taking the time needed to negotiate the right agreement Last June, with the sanction of the UAW, Navistar shut its Indianapolis, Indiana foundry and truck engine manufacturing facility, laying off the final 20 workers at the complex, which once employed 2,000 UAW members. As the recent experience of the 140,000 Fiat Chrysler, General Motors and Ford workers demonstrates, any fight by truck workers will require a rebellion against the UAW, which is tool of corporate management and the government that masquerades as a union. Workers should build new forms of self-representation and struggle, including factory committees democratically elected and controlled by the rank-and-file, to oppose layoffs and plant closings and begin the fight for the unification of the working class against the profit system. At a White House event held Tuesday, President Barack Obama announced a series of executive actions whose aim, in the name of reducing gun violence in the US, is to further strengthen police powers and the surveillance of the population. Speaking in the East Room and surrounded by gun control activists and survivors of gun violence, Obama briefly outlined a handful of policies that will, even by his own account, do little to slow the proliferation of gun-related deaths in the US, which numbered over 30,000 last year alone. We know we cant stop every act of violence, every act of evil in the world, Obama said. But maybe we could try to stop one act of evil, one act of violence. A fact sheet distributed to the media vaguely describes a series of commonsense executive actions whose stated goal is to reduce gun violence. Chief among these will be measures to strengthen the powers of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The ATF will hire 200 new agents and impose rules on gun sellers requiring that they be licensed and submit for a background check the identities of those attempting to purchase guns. This data will include complete criminal history records and criminal dispositions, information on persons disqualified because of a mental illness, and qualifying crimes of domestic violence. The ATF has created an Internet Investigation Center to investigate illegal firearm sales, and $4 million will be allocated for new hiring at the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network. The FBI will make improvements to its system of processing background checks, including making it effective 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and hiring more than 230 new analysts, while instituting new forms of shared policing with local authorities. The aim of these executive actions will be to close the so-called gun show loophole by which gun sellers can avoid federal regulations, including background checks. Both the Social Security Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services will alter privacy ruleswhat the White House calls unnecessary legal barriersthat currently prevent government entities involved in health care from sharing information on Americans who suffer from mental health problems. Obamas measures will also remove legal restrictions on doctors and other health care professionals from sharing such information with federal police agenciesa clear violation of medical ethics. The names of the individuals involved will evidently be fed into ATF and FBI databases. Experts have expressed concerns that the new data gathering will stigmatize those who suffer from mental health problems. Ron Honberg, national director of policy and legal affairs for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), warned that the criteria should be based on what science tells us [who the people are] who pose enhanced risk for violence." He added, The vast majority of people with mental illness are not violent. Dr. Liza Gold, a psychiatrist at Georgetown University Medical Center, warned that 75,000 people who cannot manage their own Social Security benefits due to disability could face discrimination under the background checks in a way that stigmatizes a large swath of people simply because they have mental illness and qualify for benefits There is no evidence that this is a category of people who are at risk of committing gun violence. Obama said he will propose $500 million to expand access to mental health treatment. But this will do little to stem what the NAMI calls a national crisis. Over $4 billion in mental health funding was slashed from state budgets just in the years 2009-2011. The National Institute for Mental Health has estimated that two-thirds of children who suffer from lifetime mental illnesses do not receive treatment. Obama also proposed the implementation of gun safety technologies to prevent accidental gun discharges, which claim the lives of hundreds of Americans each year. Conspicuous in its absence from Obamas remarks was any mention of police gun violence. Cops have killed at least 1,200 Americans this year, the vast majority of these in shootings, according to a list compiled by killedbypolice.net. In eight years in office, Obama has refused to bring federal charges against a single killer cop and his administration has promoted the militarization of the police with weapons and operations procedures designed for war. Obamas executive measures are an effort to side-step Congress, where Republicans, joined by a minority of Democrats, have repeatedly blocked all efforts to regulate the gun trade. Republican opposition to gun control is rooted in the partys base, which includes disoriented and fascist-minded sections of the US population. House Speaker Paul Ryan responded to the White House proposals in typically hysterical fashion. He accused Obama of intimidation and accused him of disregarding criminals and terrorists while go[ing] after the most law-abiding of citizens. The White House ceremony was introduced by Mark Barden, whose seven-year-old son was among the 26 killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, Connecticut. Emphasizing the obvious link between guns and mass killings, Obama offered a partial list of the homicidal eruptions that have taken place in the US in recent years: Fort Hood, Binghamton, Aurora, Oak Creek, Newtown, the Navy Yard, Santa Barbara, Charleston, San Bernardino. We are not inherently more prone to violence, Obama said of the American population. [But] we are the only advanced country on Earth that sees this kind of mass violence erupt with this kind of frequency. It doesnt happen in other advanced countries. Its not even close. Yet Obama did not, and could not, address the features of American society that make it so violent: extreme and mounting social inequality, which spawns despair, alienation and hopelessness; and unrelenting military violence. Obama is himself deeply implicated in both. His administration has overseen the largest-ever transfer of wealth from the working classthe great majority of the populationto Americas financial aristocracy. Obamas major domestic initiativesRace to the Top and the Affordable Care Acthave converted both education and health care into openly class-based systems. At the same time, formerly decent-paying categories of labor have been turned into low-paying, casual work following Obamas rescue of the auto industry, which was predicated on universalizing near-poverty-level wages for new-hires. As for gun violence, the Obama administration is the worlds biggest purveyor. Obama, who appeared to weep in the portion of his remarks in which he referred to Sandy Hook, has shed not a tear for the countless thousands of children who have been killed and maimed under his watch by the US and its proxies and allies in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen. Obama himself personally selects victims for extra-judicial assassinations all over the world, who are placed on a White House kill list. The American president represents a ruling class that celebrates and revels in military violence, which Lincoln once condemned as that glorious rainbow that rises in showers of blood. The White House began the New Year with a series of nationwide raids targeting immigrants at their homes. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said 121 children and adults were taken into custody over the weekend in Georgia, North Carolina and Texas. Children as young as four years old were separated from their families and locked up prior to deportation. They took away children so young they wouldve needed car seats in their vehicles for them, said Adelina Nicholls, executive director of Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR). The targets of the most recent raids were families seeking refugee status after fleeing their homes in Central America, where many said they had received death threats stemming from the rampant gang violence in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Most of those swept up in the raids had turned themselves over to border patrol agents upon entering the US, submitted paperwork requesting refugee status, and complied with court instructions, but were denied asylum. The operations were reminiscent of the workplace raids carried out under the Bush administration in the mid-2000s. But Obama, the candidate of hope and change added his own touch by targeting children at their family homes. The raids were carried out without warrants, and thus predicated on immigration officials being invited into homes. But there were widespread reports of officers inviting themselves in, then demanding the documents of anyone in the residence and carrying out mass arrests. The White House was entirely unapologetic in describing the raids. Johnson declared, I know there are many who loudly condemn our enforcement efforts as far too harsh, but we must enforce the law consistent with our priorities. He called the deportations consistent with American values, and basic principles of decency, fairness, and humanity. As I have said repeatedly, our borders are not open to illegal migration; if you come here illegally, we will send you back, Johnson declared. He bragged about accelerating the pace of deportations even before the latest raids, declaring, Since the summer of 2014 we have removed and repatriated migrants to Central America at an increased rate, averaging about 14 flights a week. Declaring that the raids should come as no surprise, Johnson declared, I have said publicly for months that individuals who constitute enforcement priorities, including families and unaccompanied children, will be removed. Obama deported a record 438,421 people in 2013, the highest number of annual deportations in US history, according to figures by the Department of Homeland Security. The Obama White House has already deported more people than any other presidency. In Obamas first six years in office, he deported more people than Bush in his entire eight-year tenure, and more than twice as many people as Clinton. Immigrant rights advocates denounced the raids as cruel and inhuman. The administration is doubling down on a system that is rigged against these families, said Cecillia Wang, director of the American Civil Liberties Unions Immigrants Rights Project. She added, Many of these mothers and children had no lawyers because they could not afford them. Without counsel, traumatized refugees dont understand what is happening in court and cannot get their legitimate asylum claim heard. The White House had telegraphed its intention to begin mass roundups and deportations late last year, leaving many families to spend the holidays worrying about whether they would be deported. Immigration activist Greisa Martinez told USA Today she spent the holiday break counseling her mother on what to do if immigration agents came looking for her, The magazine added, The moment was especially difficult, Martinez said, because they had spent the previous Christmas celebrating President Obamas new program to protect up to 4.5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation. Its emblematic of this administration, Martinez said. Obama is cementing his legacy as the deporter in chief. Last year, the world was shocked by images of children and adults cramped in squalid facilities on the US border following an increase in children seeking asylum from Central America. Immigrant rights groups, despite overwhelmingly supporting Obama during the elections, picketed his appearances. In response to the crisis, Obama sought to refurbish his image by announcing an executive order that would sharply reduce the number of deportations. But that measure, as he no doubt expected, was blocked in the courts, allowing him to posture as an advocate of refugee rights while in reality continuing his policies of mass deportation. Not blocked, however, were his plans to sharply expand the militarization of the southern border of the US. Johnson boasted of these measures, declaring that US Customs and Border Protection has implemented the largest deployment of vehicles, aircraft, boats and equipment along the southwest border in the 90-year history of the Border Patrol, and that CBP has also increased surveillance capabilities by adding tethered aerostats (long-range radars) and other technology, along with additional aircraft. The White Houses latest attack on refugee children makes clear that the brutal treatment by European countries of refugees fleeing the Syrian war is a phenomenon that is not confined to that continent. All over the world, countries are stepping up mass deportations, militarizing their borders and denying the most elementary democratic rights to asylum-seekers and immigrants. On Tuesday, four Tornado combat aircraft of the German Luftwaffe were deployed to the Turkish airbase at Incirlik to support the war against ISIS in Syria. According to the official web site of the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces), the combat jets will conduct their first sorties toward the end of this week. On January 12, two more fighter jets will follow. The Tornadoes are equipped with highly sensitive cameras capable of monitoring every movement on the ground and detecting enemy fighters. According to media reports, they will transmit live data identifying targets for the American, French, British and Arab militaries participating in the war. While the official task of the Tornadoes is surveillance, they are armed with sophisticated IRIS-T short-range infrared air-to-air missiles and 27mm Mauser on-board cannons that can be used against targets both on the ground and in the air. From both a historical and political standpoint, the significance of this development cannot be overstated. It is just 70 years since the end of World War II. In that war, the Luftwaffe became identified with the savagery and brutality of the Nazi war machine as it rampaged across Europe, the Soviet Union and North Africa. The Stuka dive bomber with its wailing sirens inspired terror amongst the countless victims of the German imperialist blitzkrieg assaults that devastated cities from Warsaw and Stalingrad in the east to Rotterdam and London in the west. Even before Germanys carpet bombing of Warsaw in 1939, the Luftwaffe established itself as an instrument of mass murder in the 1937 incineration of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. After the war and the full disclosure of the horrific crimes of German imperialism, the official position of the German ruling class was to eschew military violence. While this facade had increasingly eroded in the aftermath of the dissolution of the Soviet Union and reunification of Germany a quarter century ago, it is within the past two years, driven by the imperatives of German capitalism and the global crisis that erupted in 2008, that the German bourgeoisie has repudiated its previous restraint and announced its return to the militarism and realpolitik of its past. The entry of the Luftwaffe into the Syrian war, backed by some 1,200 German soldiers and a frigate, opens a new and ominous chapter in the resurgence of German militarism. It comes two years after President Joachim Gauck, Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier proclaimed the end of military restraint at the Munich Security Conference in January 2014. Pointing to the underlying economic and geopolitical interests behind Germany's return to great power politics, Steinmeier provocatively declared that Germany was too big and too important to limit itself to merely commenting from the sidelines of world politics. Recent comments by leading politicians, journalists and academics make the far-reaching implications of these statements even clearer. The current German intervention is only the beginning. The demands raised include new weaponry for the Bundeswehr, the expansion of German military interventions in the Middle East and Africa, including the deployment of German ground troops in Syria, and the reintroduction of compulsory military service. On the eve of the new year, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble, in a lengthy interview with Bild am Sonntag, called for more deployments, more money for the armed forces, and more soldiers, as well as the creation of a European army. He spelled out the plans of the German government for 2016: My prediction for the next year is that the insight will prevail that the refugee crisis can only be solved together. For Germany, this means, however, that the demands on us in regard to foreign and security policy are greater than perhaps we would like. We will not stabilise the Middle East without a stronger European engagement. The same goes for Africa. Paraphrasing Trotsky, not every German bourgeois politician is a Hitler, but a particle of Hitler is lodged in every German bourgeois politician. How is this rapid and ferocious revival of German militarism to be explained? As in the 1930s, the German ruling elites are responding to the deep crisis of global capitalism and the nation state system on which it is based with calls for great power politics and war. Analyzing the objective driving forces that led to the rise of aggressive German imperialism, Trotsky wrote in 1932: As the productive forces of Germany become more and more highly geared, the more dynamic power they gather, the more they are strangled within the state system of Europea system that is akin to the system of cages within an impoverished provincial zoo. The consequences of the German elites attempt to break out of this system of cages are well known. In 1933, Hitler was made chancellor and the subsequent attempt by Nazi Germany to conquer Europe in order to rule the world left entire countries in ruins and took the lives of millions of people. Seventy years after the military defeat of Nazi Germany, it is clear that the post-war order resolved none of the problems and contradictions that led to two world wars in the twentieth century. Although Germany is currently re-militarizing within the framework of NATO and the Luftwaffe is operating as part of the US-led coalition against ISIS, there can be no doubt that the escalating war for the re-division of the Middle East and the struggle for control of Eastern Europe and Eurasia will lead to growing tensions and conflicts between the US and Germany. The German ruling elite has long been elaborating plans for pursuing its own national interests. A strategy paper from the Christian Democratic Union-aligned Konrad Adenauer Foundation published in 2001 defined the fundamental German interest in the Middle East as follows: It is directed towards the stabilization of the affected states and countries so as to prevent the endangering of [Germanys] security and that of its partner European countries, secure an unfettered supply of raw materials, and create export opportunities for German business. The study pointed to the significance of the export markets of the regions core states (Egypt, Turkey, Iran), but above all the solvent Gulf states for Germanys export-driven economy. It was appropriate to therefore make a contribution to secure sales markets, obtain as far as possible unhindered access to markets, and take on the competitorsthe US, Eastern Europe states, and also the East Asian industrial states. In recent months, growing tensions between the German-dominated European Union and the right-wing nationalist government in Poland, which is oriented toward a close alliance with US imperialism in its war drive against Russia, have further exposed divisions among the great powers. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung recently complained of the Polish vision of an Intermarium, an alliance of states stretching from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea as a counterweight to Russia and Germany, the new Hegemon in Europe. The entry of the German Luftwaffe into the war in Syria opens up a dangerous new stage in the militarization of world capitalism. Half of Britains students are struggling to pay their rent, according to the Private Tennant Report published by the charity Shelter. Around 40 percent have been forced to borrow money beyond what their government-funded maintenance loan provides. The average price of accommodation has soared in recent years. Student housing charity Unipol, for example, reported a rent rise of 25 percent in purpose-built student accommodation between 2010 and 2013. That is nearly double the rise in the rental sector as a whole in that period (13 percent). The National Union of Students (NUS) noted that the three years from 2012 to 2015 also saw a 25 percent increase, taking the average rent for university housing to 123.96 per week. That is 5,244 a year: 95 percent of the maximum available student maintenance loan for 2014/15 of 5,555. A larger loan is available to students studying in London, but prices are much higher compared to the rest of the country. According to a University of London survey in August, students in the capital are spending an average of 150 a week in rent, roughly 6,150 a year and 80 percent of the maximum loan for London students, 7,751. Particularly harmful for students and their families on lower incomes is the eradication of low-cost accommodation. Since the academic year 2009/10, rents for budget rooms have increased by an average of 23 percent, according to Unipol. The most severe increases have come at London institutions. The London School of Economics (LSE), for example, saw its cheapest accommodation rise 1,263 over the past three years to 4,282 per year. Some universities now no longer even claim to offer low-cost accommodation. Soaring rents are the result of both a broader housing crisisdriving rents and house prices to absurd levels, especially in Londonand of recent investment trends in the student housing market specifically. The Guardian reported in October that rents across the country had risen between 6.5 percent and 8.3 percent on average last year and are now hitting record-breaking levels. House prices have increased around 7 percent and the National Association of Estate Agents has predicted a further rise of 50 percent over the next decade. In such a market, where developers can expect to pay a premium for every square foot of residential property, expanding university accommodation is an expensive business. However, these costs are being passed on to students through exorbitant rents. Private enterprises have latched on to the potentially lucrative student accommodation market. Roughly 5.7 billion has been invested in the UK student housing market this year, an increase of more than 300 percent over the 1.7 billion invested in 2014. According to real estate advisers Savills, this has been driven by foreign investment, 80 percent of which came from North America. The two biggest deals were the Canada Pension Plan Investment Boards $1.7 billion purchase of the Liberty Living Portfolio, with sites across the UK, and Greystars purchase of the Nido London Portfolio for $920 million. Speaking on the subject of the UK student housing market, experts at the RBS bank described it as a sector bubbling with opportunity (for investors). Property consultancy Jones Lang LaSalle labelled investment in this area as the must have asset class of 2015. Accommodation providers Pure were more ebullient in their appraisal, marketing the students in their halls as Pure gold. Investors are responding to the profits available due to the increased enrolment of foreign students in British universitiesparticularly in the top 20 Russell Group universitiesand the expansion of privately rented halls. The number of foreign students at Britains top universities doubled between the 2005/2006 and 2013/2014 academic years. These students tend to come from wealthy families who are able to afford the soaring cost of tuition for non-European Union residents and demand a high-class standard of living. The Higher Education Statistics Agency reported that the number of residents living in private halls more than doubled between 2007 and 2014from 46,000 to 102,000a trend predicted to continue. The dramatic upswing has been fuelled by the inability of university-managed accommodation to keep pace with student numbers. The average rent paid in private halls in the capital, as found by a University of London survey, is 233 per week, 83 more than the average rent paid by all students in London. Out of this developing market, major businesses are building a lucrative luxury student living sector. Blocks of rooms with any combination of flat screen TVs, en suite bathrooms, breakfast bars, private gyms, balconies and cinemas are being rented out at exorbitant rates. Studio flats near St. Pancras owned by one firm, Unite, cost 299 a week. Assam Place in East London is one of the most expensive, at up to 800 a week. Outside London, in Staffordshire, luxury rooms were on sale at The Majestic Court for 75 percent more than the average room rate in the area. At a development in Exeter city centre, students can pay as much as 10,710 a year for a room. Rents are being forced up across the board as private investors work to monopolise swathes of potential accommodation, expecting a significant return on investment. This has a knock-on effect on university managed properties, unable to expand without significant expense and driven to charge higher rents. Students are beginning to organise to fight for their basic social right to fairly priced, good quality accommodation. At University College London (UCL), residents collectively received 400,000 compensation (roughly 1,250 each), protesters at Strathclyde in Scotland received nearly 200,000 and SOAS students (London) between 110 and 450 each. Forcing universities to hand over thousands, even hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of compensation is an achievement, but cannot resolve the fundamental cause of student grievancesthe organisation of resources according to profit, not social need. If students are to alleviate rent concerns entirely, or to achieve even the 40 percent reduction in rates proposed by UCL campaigners, they must consciously oppose the capitalist class and all its representatives. Over the last decade, the NUS have worked tirelessly to disorientate mass movements of students on issues like tuition fees, the Education Maintenance Allowance and violent policing. Their current campaign (Cut the Cost) against Conservative plans to abolish maintenance grants is based on petitioning local MPs to oppose the bill. These are the same MPs who are imposing vicious attacks on working people and young people, including students. The Labour Party offers no alternative. It was Labour that introduced tuition fees and which, under previous leader Ed Miliband, proposed a cut in fees that would still leave them at 6,000 a year. Jeremy Corbyn was elected Labour leader with plans to abolish fees altogether and extend available grants, and received support from many young people for these policies. But as his record over war in Syria, Trident and austerity shows, such promises cannot be believed. Gordon Marsden, Labours shadow universities minister, has already felt obliged to state with regard to tuition fees that Corbyns promise will not automatically become policy. There is a tradition in Morocco, where when one greets royalty, they kiss their hand. Which is why when all diplomats, statesmen and servants greet Moulay Hassan, the Crown Prince of Morocco, they do as expected. The only problem is the Crown Prince, really doesn't like that tradition. Which makes for hilarious viewing. Check it out below. Meet 12-year-old Moulay Hassan, crown prince of Morocco, who really hates the tradition of royal hand kissing pic.twitter.com/nu20EKe9jI Andrew MacG Marshall (@zenjournalist) January 6, 2016 Via Twitter TALLAHASSEE FLA. (WTXL)-- In Leon County, the overall graduation rate reached 87.2 percent, an increase of 3.7 percent from last year. Leon County also outperformed the state average by 9.4 percent. Superintendent Jackie Pons applauded principals and teachers of the district, saying one of the biggest achievements was the title of "Highest rank majority-minority school district" in the entire state of Florida. Pons says Leon County Schools is focused on closing the gap in education. Chiles High School led the school district with the highest graduation rate at 92.7 percent. Leon High showed the greatest rate of change, increasing the rate by more than 6 percent. Gadsden County's rate also improved, jumping 9.4 percent over the last year. In Jefferson County, the rate improved to 73.3 percent, a more than 16 percent increase but, it remains below the state average. The state's average graduation rate is 77.8 percent. The full list of statistics can be found by clicking here. One of the screenwriters responsible for Borgen, and co-writer of Tomas Vinterbergs stirring The Hunt, writer-director Tobias Lindholm follows up the stirring A Hijacking with this taut drama. Imagine youre leading a small platoon on a typical patrol in Afghanistan. You come across a small settlement where you find a family slaughtered. Suddenly youre taking fire and your platoon is pinned down on all sides. No one can tell where the enemy is. One of your men is screaming in pain. Theres panic. You have to make a split-second decision. You call in an air strike, which reduces the settlement to rubble. The platoon escape and you get your men back to safety. Job done. The only thing is the air strike wiped out a number of civilians, including eight children, and now youre asked if you ever had an actual visual on the enemy. Because if you didnt and you just gave the random coordinates you could be tried for a war crime. Thats the situation kindly Danish officer Claus Pederson (Asbaek) finds himself in. He only headed up the patrol because the father of the slaughtered family came to beg for help only the previous day; Pederson had ensured the mans sick daughter was tended to by the company medic and the angered Taliban gave the father a choice: because he accepted aid from the invaders he must join them or his family be killed. Pederson had no choice but to send the family away but promised to return the next day to check in. Dismissed from his duties, Pederson returns home (where wife Novotny is battling her own war, raising their three children on her own) to stand trial. Asbaek, a regular for Lindholm and who has just been cast in Ghost in the Shell and will play Pontius Pilate in Bekmambetovs Ben-Hur remake, is simply terrific. In a very unshowy performance, just like his turn in A Hijacking, Asbaek juggles guilt and regret and yet determination not to sell himself down the river and condemn himself to four years in prison, and further time away from his struggling family. This is where A War excels, muddying the waters, seeing things from all sides while exploring morality and superiority. A War offers no easy answers. The year 2015 is now a memory but for songwriter Jason Shaft Bishop, it was the year he became truly popular in the Caribbean. In T&T, he dominated the Soca Monarch competition with songs like Destra Garcias Lucy, Nikki Crosbys Granny and Chuckys Doh Take It On. It was an historic carnival season for the songwriter who became one to watch by many in the soca industry. Shaft says 2016 will see even greater strides. His achievements at Barbados Cropover, which included providing Peter Ram with the right song to take home the Road March title and delivering a song to Imani and Biggie Irie that would eventually be used by the Barbados government in a campaign, have propelled Bishop to reach for even more. My plan is to really spread to more places in Barbados so that more people become familiar with me and what I do, he told ETCETERABUZZ. Toward the end of 2015, Jason was invited by the Barbados government to host a workshop for songwriters on the island. He gladly accepted and now, that having been a tremendous success, hes looking forward to expanding the idea to other islands and certainly at home in T&T. St. Lucias government has already contacted him and with that, hes making amendments to his presentation to be able to deliver even more to the people who he will impart his knowledge on. This carnival, Shaft has a number of popular songs to his credit. Lyrikals Dip and Roll, Destras Stranded, Jaigas Anyway, Lil Bits Work, Rikki Jais, Leh We Fete, Machel Montanos Carnival Groupie and SkinnyFabulous Born For This are all Shaft Vibes written work. Hes excited that most of his songs are being enjoyed by the people but says hes got no major expectations this season. Its all in Gods hands. He is the boss and He will decide just how things should happen, said Bishop. An upliftment achievement award out of Barbados, to his name, Jason Shaft Bishop says his aim is to remain relevant in 2016. I hope to be a good example to upcoming writers. Ive gained the respect of many of them and Im happy about that. I hope to continue giving them whats essential to keep that respect high, he said. Currently preparing for another Machel Montano release, Jason told ETCETERABUZZ the population an expect a monster. This year, there are also plans afoot to see Jason Shaft Bishop enter the international music market. Not wanting to give away too much just yet, he told us hes making connections to deliver some R&B songs to major artistes overseas. For more on Jason Shaft Bishop, follow JasonShaftBishop on all major social media platforms. Submit An Obituary Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death. Go to form Mattia Toaldo (European Council on Foreign Relations) Although Libya is not the main source country of the migrants heading to Europe, it has for long embodied a key transit node of the so-called Central Mediterranean route, which had been frequently used by migrants before the outbreak of the civil war in Syria. With a little exaggeration, one could say that it is a major transfer point for the vast majority of African migrants heading for the Old Continent. While before the escalation of the situation in Syria, the local population of the destabilized Libya accounted for a significant part of the total number of migrants, it was then largely replaced by Syrians who were benefitting from this migration route due to cheaper illegal commissions for smugglers, and also because the Eastern Mediterranean route across Turkey was at that time not yet sufficiently established. Currently (since 2014), the Syrians have given their preference for the above-mentioned Anatolian route but their numbers have been replaced by the migrants mainly from Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan who have now used the Libyan migration hub even more. The Eritreans are, however, represented the most in the long term. Since smugglers vessels transporting migrants from the shores of Libya to Europe are still not safe, hundreds of castaways die in the sea every month. April 2015 was the most alarming month when, according to available data, 1,246 migrants drowned in Central Mediterranean. The Union needs to review, refine and expand its system of border control and migration policy because the current system that is focused largely on strengthening border security and rescue operations at the sea brings along many negatives (eg. there have been cases when boats were not even provided with enough fuel as smugglers relied on the intervention of rescue missions on the high seas). The urgency of this need only fuels the conflict between the Tebu and Tuareg tribes in the south of Libya, which in turn contributes to the increasing numbers of migrants. The legalization of the previously illegal trade in oil or tobacco in Libya, which would lead to a reduction in the number of smugglers, is among possible measures to improve the situation of the central Mediterranean route. Smugglers would in fact turn their attention to this, thanks to criminalization far less profitable, sector. The Union should continue its cooperation with the Libyan municipalities and intensify communication with the central government in Tripoli. The Libyan detention centers for migrants would be supervised by international supervisory teams and the Union could become a facilitator of the dialogue between two warring tribes in the south. From a general point of view, a lesson can be taken from the Libyan case that the legal means of migration to Europe (eg. the so-called humanitarian visas for those migrants who, albeit do not meet the qualifications of a refugee, are fleeing famine) need to be better institutionalized and expanded. (The study can be downloaded here: http://www.ecfr.eu/page/-/ECFR-147_Libyas_Migrant_Smuggling_Highway1.pdf) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's appearance at the scene of an incident, like he did after the terror attack in Tel Aviv , costs Israeli taxpayers about NIS 400,000-500,000 ($100,000-130,000), according to calculations of the transportation, organization and security conducted by knowledgeable people. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Some prime ministers choose to give up the display due to the high costs, while others specialize in putting on a show. Never mind, we can afford it. If we're being asked to fund dog food , we'll definitely not save on mass communication initiatives. Errant Weed Shooter does not represent Israel's Arabs Ben-Dror Yemini Op-ed: While there may be incitement in the Arab sector, only few of its members have turned to hostile activity. The unequivocal condemnation issued by the Tel Aviv terrorist's family and neighbors and all Arab Knesset members is real. Shooter does not represent Israel's Arabs The Western Wall Tunnels, the Mossad's entanglements in Cyprus and in Switzerland, the attempted assassination of Hamas leader Khaled Mashal, the assassination of Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, the Marmara raid, Operation Pillar of Defense, Operation Protective Edge which lasted 51 days and ended in an embarrassing tie, not to mention the fact that during his long watch, Iran paved its way to the status of a nuclear threshold state and upgraded its arsenal of ballistic missiles. Throughout his accumulated 10 years as prime minister, every security-related, military and operational issue Netanyahy has touched has fallen out of his hands (Photo: Miriam Alster, Flash 90) Regardless of what his rivals on the right and on the left say, Netanyahu - more than any other politician - knows how to create the impression that he has the ability to make a decision, that he has the ability to pass a decision he has or hasnt made, that he has the ability to implement a decision he has or hasnt passed. His comments on Saturday evening reminded me of many commitments he has made on different issues. During a cabinet meeting six years ago, he delivered a speech on economic issues, not security issues, on the cost of housing, with the same dramatic tone and resolve. As if he had experienced a sudden realization, as if it were a pivotal moment, a turning point, as if there was one Israel before that moment and there would be a different Israel after that moment. He has been blessed with a huge talent to create a new state of affairs by mere words. And this is what he said during the cabinet meeting on January 17, 2010: "The bureaucratic monster creates a situation which exists in no other civilized state. We are about to bring down the wall of bureaucracy, simplify the processes, shorten them and make them transparent and efficient. "Because the construction has been choked, entire parts of the Galilee and the Negev are off limits, people are being pushed into the short and narrow strip of Hadera-Gedera-Jerusalem and apartment prices are astronomic. Because there is no land and no planning and because we are not spreading to the Galilee and to the Negev, prices are astronomic and supply is minimal. More and more young couples are living with their parents, former soldiers are incapable of buying an apartment, and Israel's citizens see an apartment as a distant dream which they must mortgage a significant part of their life for. "We are about to change that today using three principles: Efficiency, transparency and a war on corruption. We are not presenting empty words here. We are going for a decision which will be implemented. I have defined the objective of this Knesset session as passing the first reading of the bill I presented today, and in the next session it will pass its second and third readings." Since that speech, he has headed two additional governments. Apartment prices have almost doubled since then. The construction in the Galilee and the Negev, which were mentioned as a national target, and the migration to those areas have not really increased. The construction in the territories, which were not mentioned, and the settlement there are looking quite good. Violent crime is soaring in the Arab sector, and there is hardly any enforcement. There have been murder cases in the State Prosecutor's Office which were not filed because they failed to find a policeman who would agree to enter the village and bring the prosecution's necessary evidence - the knife or gun used to commit a murder. The Shin Bet is renouncing its responsibility and avoiding operating there, unless it's a case with a clear nationalistic motive. Only few police stations have been opened there. The government has ignored the pleas made by the Arab public's leaders to collect weapons. The attempt to recruit Arab policemen has not yielded much, just like among the Jews, due to a ridiculous starting salary. Last week, Netanyahu allotted a future budget to strengthen the Arab sector. On Monday evening, he imposed conditions, saying the budget would only be received under good behavior. If behavioral tests were a condition for receiving budgets, quite a few abundant sectors would not see a single shekel. Netanyahu is intelligent, educated, understands humor and locates irony. He is fun to talk to. In terms of the quality of a face-to-face conversation, he is one of the best prime ministers I have gotten to know. Assuming you're talking to an academic, a theoretician or an information minister - not a prime minister. Amnon Abramovich is a Channel 2 News commentator. Partner Communications, Israel's second-largest mobile phone operator, said on Tuesday it has notified French telecoms group Orange of its decision to terminate its Orange brand license agreement. Partner, which said it will start a process of looking for a new brand name, will continue providing services under the Orange brand name until further announcement. Orange and Partner - which pays a fee to use Orange's brand - in June agreed terms to end their licensing deal following a public row. Israel had protested to France after Orange Chief Executive Stephane Richard said he would terminate the licensing arrangement with Partner "tomorrow morning" if the contracts allowed. He later apologised. Orange had that should the branding agreement be terminated, Orange would rebrand its research and development operations in Israel under its own name. British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said on Wednesday that both Britain and China opposed North Korea's test of a miniaturized hydrogen nuclear device and support the resumption of so-called six-party disarmament talks. Hammond, who is in Beijing on a two-day trip, was speaking to reporters after meeting Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi. Hammond said that both Britain and China shared the same resolution in having stability on the Korean peninsula and that sanctions against North Korea could be tightened. It's a ritual which defense establishment officials have predicted, feared and tried to curb - but it's already here. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter This ritual repeats itself in most violent rounds between Israel and the Palestinians. It starts with protests, riots and Molotov cocktails, continues with knifing and vehicular attacks, slowly moves to individuals firing personal weapons, and from there - in a quick quantum leap - it turns into an armed conflict operated by institutionalized terror. We have almost reached the last stage of this ritual. Police Failures How did Tel Aviv shooter slip away? Yossi Yehoshua Analysis: The police and Shin Bet's performance during the first, critical moments after the Dizengoff Street shooting spree raises quite a few questions. How did Tel Aviv shooter slip away? murder on Tel Aviv's Dizengoff street and on the manhunt for the murderer , three additional shooting incidents occurred in the territories at the same time, leaving two soldiers wounded: A soldier was shot in Hebron while checking vehicles, a cadet was wounded by sniper fire near the Cave of the Patriarchs, and a vehicle travelling on Jerusalem's Tunnel Road was fired on. The weekend events join 32 shooting incidents which have occurred since the current wave of terror began, and 80 similar attacks which have been thwarted by the Shin Bet in the past year, mostly in recent months. Members of Hamas' military wing. A ritual which repeats itself in most violent rounds between Israel and the Palestinians (Photo: Reuters) In the past few weeks, the rate of shooting incidents has been increasing. At the same time, there has been a gradual drop in the "quality" of disturbances, the protests are smaller and shorter and attract fewer participants, and the number of lone wolf terrorists who mainly carry out stabbing and vehicular attacks appears to be stabilizing and even decreasing. One of the reasons for the drop in the number of disturbances stems from the Palestinian Authority's conduct. PA officials have realized that Hamas, which wishes to bring about the PA's collapse, is behind the institutionalized terror that is crawling into the conflict and threatening to take over it. That is why the Temple Mount issue, which was the greatest motive for the riots, has suddenly disappeared from the PA's discourse in the territories. In general, the PA's leaders and its representatives on the ground are keeping a low profile: They are not encouraging the wave of violence as much, and not inciting as much. In the past two weeks, the PA's security forces have even been instructed to stop protestors from flocking to areas of friction with Jews like the Cave of the Patriarchs, the Gush Etzion Junction, etc. It's not by chance that the PA is not referring to the recent wave of violence as an intifada. Hamas is the only one using that term. The PA has been calling the current wave "hiba" (leap), "harak" (transfer) or "ghadab" (a fit of anger). The multiple names show that at the meantime, there is no pivotal idea or one leadership for the events. The PA fears the possibility that Hamas will use this wave of events to lead it to an armed intifada in order to bring the PA down. Israel's defense establishment and capital have also been discussing this possibility intensively in the past few weeks. The Shin Bet's activity in the West Bank - in cooperation with the Palestinian security apparatus - is to prevent the PA's collapse by curbing the effort made by Hamas' military wing to move to an armed intifada. Only last month, the Shin Bet arrested a Hamas military infrastructure in Abu Dis, of which most members are students in the local university. This infrastructure, which received money and was operated by Hamas in Gaza, built labs, recruited two suicide bombers and recruited Israeli Arabs to lead the suicide bombers into the Green Line in a bid to reenact the events of the second intifada, including the exploding buses and explosive belts, etc. This infrastructure was located at a mature stage. At the same time, the Shin Bet arrested additional groups in earlier stages of organization. One of Hamas's main recruitment and operation centers in the West Bank is based in Turkey. It has recently been reported that Salah Aruri, the person in charge of Hamas' terrorist activity in the West Bank, was deported from Turkey to Qatar as part of the improving relations with Israel. But this is actually a hypocritical game played by the Erdogan regime vis-a-vis Israel. The Turks asked Aruri to leave several months ago following American pressure. Hamas's military wing, however, continues to operate from Istanbul, and Aruri himself comes and goes between Qatar and Turkey. This week, by the way, he is in Istanbul under the protection of the Turkish intelligence, which is also securing him. The Palestinians still remember Faisal Husseini's warning that the popular intifada must not deteriorate into a military intifada. Because as soon as that happens, the image of David versus Goliath will wear out in the world. It will be a game of weapons versus weapons, and Israel will win. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas understands that, but Hamas doesnt care. It is pushing for an armed intifada, which is already at our doorstep. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly said at the funeral of assassinated prime minister Yitzhak Rabin that the deceased leader would have been seen as a failure if he had not been killed, claimed former US ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk in an interview with PBS Frontline published Wednesday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter "I remember Netanyahu saying to me: 'Look, look at this. Hes a hero now, but if he had not been assassinated, I would have beaten him in the elections, and then he would have gone into history as a failed politician,'" recalled Indyk. Indyk talks to Frontlines about Netanyahu (: PBS) X "So I think even at that moment of tremendous support, a tragic moment of support for Rabin, Netanyahu was thinking, 'well, politically he was on the ropes before he was assassinated,'" the former ambassador told Frontline. "He exploited that and ran against Oslo in the (1996) elections and beat (Shimon) Peres, but he only beat him by something like a half of 1 percent." Indyk also said that before Rabin's murder, Netanyahu had, as opposition leader, been "playing to his constituency in a way that went over the line" and that recently "he crossed the line by saying that the Arabs were coming out in droves to vote." Formerly a US special envoy for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, Indyk also discussed the relationship between Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama. Netanyahu felt that the US had betrayed him by secretly negotiating with Iran. "When Bibi gets upset, he starts screaming and pounding the table," Indyk said of the prime minister's discovery that a framework agreement had been reached. "It was one of those moments." Netanyahu speaks at ceremony commemorating Rabin (Photo: Haim Zach/GPO) The former envoy asserted that the agreement was not the end of the battle for Netanyahu. "I think this is for him the fight of his life," Indyk told Frontline. "He is no longer rational about it. A rational prime minister of Israel, understanding the importance of the US-Israel relationship, would not confront the president on the most important agreement that he has managed to negotiate in his presidency and try to defeat him ... and to do it in a way that makes Israel a partisan issue in domestic American politics." The Prime Minister's Office responded to Indyk's claims, calling them "Imaginary." Netanyahu's Likud party also issued a response, saying "This is another blatant lie by Martin Indyk, who does not cease to slander and besmirch Netanyahu." Later, the PMO also released a video from Rabin's funeral, captured during Shimon Peres' eulogy. Netanyahu is seen sitting next to former president Moshe Katsav and businessman Martin Schlaff, but Indyk is not there, despite having claimed to have sat next to Netanyahu. Netanyahu flanked by Katsav on the right and Schlaff on the left, with Indyk nowhere in sight. Indyk later clarified that his conversation with Netanyahu did not take place during the Mount Herzl funeral, but rather during a ceremony held at the Knesset. "The conversation with Bibi took place on November 5, 1995 when we sat together at the Knesset ceremony to receive Rabins coffin to lie in state," Indyk said on Twitter in response to the denials from the PMO. Mordechai Mayer, 18, from Ma'ale Adumim in the West Bank, arrested five months ago on an administrative detention order on suspicion of belonging to a Jewish terrorist organization was released last Sunday without being charged but was given a restraining order barring him from the West Bank. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Mayer was released the day the indictments were filed in the Dawabsheh murder case. He was arrested a few days after the attack on the Dawabsheh family home in Duma. "It was all a big lie from beginning to end," he told Ynet on Tuesday. "They just harassed me, just as they did to all the others who were detained." Mordechai Mayer, released after 5 months of administrative detention Mayer was taken initially to Rimonim prison for two months and was then moved to Eshel prison. Also detained at the same time were Evyatar Slonim and Meir Ettinger, considered one of the main targets of the Shabak's Judea Brigade and the leader of the "Revolt" group. Ettinger is still in detention, and in the coming days it will be decided whether he will be released. As of now there is no knowledge of an indictment being prepared against him. Mayer recounted that "six or seven policemen came for me in the morning, issued me with an administrative order and told me I was going to administrative detention. They did not let me take anything. They threw me right away into a cell without explanations. They hurled false accusations at me and did not let me speak at all. I feel that they have stolen five months of my life for nothing. There is a sense that they are hunting after those who wear a kippah and have peyot." Mayer spent some of his time in detention with Slonim: "We mainly learned Torah together and strengthened our love of the Torah and the country", he said. Gedalya and Sarah Mayer, Mordechai's parents (Photo: Moti Kimhi) Mayer's parents, Gedalya and Sarah, American citizens who made aliyah several years ago, say they feel helpless against the law enforcement system. "It is as if they took our voice away," said Sarah. "They just took my child into custody and I can't say anything. No one listens to me." Gedalya said "we knew from the beginning that he was a victim in this case but nobody would listen to us. I was sure that once I picked him up from prison I would feel angry at the system, but I felt disappointment, especially regarding the country I chose to move to and settle down in." The Shin Bet stated in response: "Mordechai Mayer belongs to the Jewish terrorist organization, some of whose members were served indictments on Sunday for serious crimes. The basis for his detention was the immediate risk he posed as a member of that organization, as one who was involved in its activities. "At the end of the investigation and after a re-examination of the risk posed by Mayer, the competent authorities decided that a restraining order ensuring Mayer will remain under nighttime house arrest and will not be allowed to enter the West Bank could be a proportionate response to the risk he poses. On the basis of this examination it was decided to convert the administrative detention order to a restraining order," concluded the Shin Bet statement. Attorney Itzik Bam, who represents Mayer on behalf of the legal organization Honenu said: "I call on an investigation to be opened and a reexamination of all the administrative orders given to dozens of boys." Israel won a symbolic victory against the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement when the Spanish government recently paid NIS 430,000 in compensation to Ariel University in the West Bank. The compensation was for an incident in which 15 architecture students were barred from an international competition sponsored by the Spanish Housing Ministry because they came "from the occupied territories". The payment brought an end to a five-year legal struggle led by the university. The saga began in 2009, when the Ariel University team advanced to become one of 21 finalists in a competition for designing an environmentally-friendly home. The team's project received an enthusiastic response in fact, Spain's housing minister came to see the model house for herself. Ariel University students present their project in Madrid Behind the scenes, though, the BDS movement was applying heavy pressure on authorities to disqualify the Israelis because they came from West Bank settlements, resulting in an announcement that the Ariel University team was withdrawing from the competition. Concerned about the decision setting a precedent, the university launched a legal battle, presenting Spain's Housing Ministry with two demands: cancelling the decision to boot the Ariel delegation from the competition, and paying 230,000 in compensation to the university. The Spanish Housing Ministry sought to reject the Israeli suit outright, claiming its decision had received backing from Spain's Foreign Ministry. Spain's National Court decided in 2013 to deny the Housing Ministry's request, ordering it to consider paying compensation. Meanwhile, the Spanish Housing Ministry turned to Spain's Foreign Ministry with a request for written proof that Ariel University was forbidden from participating because of its location. The Ministry replied that it had no such proof. The Housing Ministry thus decided to reconsider its stance. In March 2014, it said in an official statement that "Ariel University was treated unequally in comparison with other contest participants, allegedly because of the European Union's position regarding the 'occupied territories' and without clarifying how the 'occupied territories' might affect the competition. Therefore, the decision to disqualify Ariel University has no legal basis and is unjustified. It is a violation of the fundamental right to equality included in Article 14 of the constitution, as the decision to disqualify the university contradicts Ariel University's right to equality in the competition. The faulty decision-making regarding disqualifying Ariel University from the competition makes the decision null and void." Ariel University decided to accept the Spanish Housing Ministry's proposal for compensation, bringing an end to the affair. University Chancellor Yigal Cohen-Orgad said resolution of the case proved that efforts by BDS can be overcome. "We went to court so as not to set a precedent," he said. "It was the first, and fortunately the only, time we were disqualified from a competition anywhere in the world. There were unsuccessful attempts in the past and we thought we had to put up a fight." A relative of Nashat Melhem, believed to be the terrorist who murdered three people in Tel Aviv, claimed on Wednesday that the family had warned police about Nashat on several occasions to no avail. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Police said that "because it is not possible to get real, accurate concrete information about the claims, we cannot discuss the crux of the matter." Also Wednesday, Nashat's brother Jodat was released from arrest without any conditions. "We had nothing to do with the terror attack," he said upon the release. "We are sorry for what happened." Mohammed and Nashat Melhem (Photo: Hassan Shaalan) Several members of the Melhem family were arrested on Tuesday, including the father, Mohammed, on suspicion of acting as accessories to murder. The relative, Ahmed Melhem, told Ynet that to the best of his knowledge, Nashat's father did not speak with him after the terror attack, a suspicion currently held by police. "All that happened was that he got a call from a friend who recognized a cartridge that is rare in Israel, and who knew he had such a weapon," he said. "He had no conversation with his son." Jodat Melhem (L) after his release on Wednesday "Even if there was such a conversation," he said, "I assume, I am certain, that the father urged him to turn himself in, or tried to figure out how he could be brought in for arrest." Nechumi Feinblatt, who is legally representing Mohammed and Nashat's brother, Jodat, said: "We knew they would arrest the father. As long as they don't arrest the gunman, they'll keep arresting more relatives and others. The father and other arrestees are suspected of extremely dangerous things." Nashat's mother was held for questioning by police, and was interrogated for over ten hours before being let go. "The interrogators put a great deal of pressure on her," a relative told Ynet. The mother, a woman in her 50s, told her family that the police investigators threatened that her home would be demolished if she did not reveal where her son was hiding. "I told them we didn't know where he had disappeared to," the mother recounted to relatives. She told interrogators that "my husband and all of my family members have nothing to do with the attack. I call on the police to release them, because they didn't do anything." The mother also urged her son to come out of hiding. "I'm begging Nashat to turn himself in because otherwise we would not get out of this emotional and social crisis." Palestinian families are pressing Israel to return about a dozen terrorist bodies that Israel continues to hold since a wave of terror began about four months ago. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Palestinian accountant Ahmed Oweisat last saw his son Moataz in October hours before the 16-year-old boy tried to stab an officer and was fatally shot in Jerusalem. The son still has not been buried one of about a dozen bodies of Palestinian terrorists that Israel continues to hold nearly four months after a wave of violence erupted in Jerusalem and spread across Israel and the West Bank. Palestinian funeral near Hebron (Photo: Reuters) Israel says it is holding the bodies due to security concerns, but Palestinians say the measure is stoking anger and worsening the atmosphere. Islam, like Judaism, requires swift burial of the dead. "Every time I sit next to the heater and I feel warm, I imagine my son in the refrigerator," said Oweisat, toasting his hands over an electric heater in a drafty home in east Jerusalem. The current terror wave broke out in mid-September, fueled by rumors that Israel was plotting to take over a sensitive Jerusalem site that is holy to Jews and Muslims. Israel has said there are no plans to change the sensitive arrangements at the hilltop compound, revered by Jews as the location of the biblical Temples and which today houses the al-Aqsa Mosque. At the outset of the violence, Israel's public security minister, Gilad Erdan, recommended holding on to the bodies of Palestinian assailants, claiming the funerals turn into "an exhibition of support for terror and incitement to murder." The issue has become a sore point with Palestinians. Posters of the dead are plastered on walls in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, and residents hold frequent demonstrations calling for the release of the bodies. On Tuesday, Israeli riot police used stun grenades to break up a demonstration in Jerusalem by dozens of Palestinians calling on Israel to return the bodies of their relatives. The issue "has surpassed al-Aqsa as the main rallying cry of many of the protests in Jerusalem and Hebron," said Nathan Thrall, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, referring to the two main flashpoints of violence. Palestinians have said Israel has placed conditions on the return of bodies, demanding they hold small nighttime funerals and provide cash deposits to guarantee their compliance. The Israeli police, military and Public Security Ministry all declined to comment on why Israel has continued to hold the bodies for so long or the criteria for their release. But an Israeli official familiar said the overall policy has been aimed at "de-escalation." He said the delays have a deterrent effect among potential attackers who dream of being honored with large funerals. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was discussing internal policy discussions, said releases are decided "case by case" based on security assessments. Last week, Israel released the bodies of nearly two dozen Palestinians in the West Bank. A mass funeral for 17 of them in the volatile city of Hebron on Saturday passed without incident. Early Tuesday, Israel released another three bodies, which were buried on the outskirts of Jerusalem after funerals attended by hundreds. There were no reports of unrest. Eitan Dangot, a retired Israeli general who served until 2014 as the head of COGAT, the Israeli defense body responsible for Palestinian civilian issues, said the release reflected a more relaxed atmosphere in the West Bank. He compared Saturday's funeral with a funeral for five Palestinian teens on Oct. 31 in Hebron that devolved into clashes with Israeli troops. "The conditions are more ripe at the moment," Dangot said. In the Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, residents say they raced to bury Ayman Abbassi, a 17-year-old killed in an evening clash with Israeli forces in November. Police say Abbassi was shot after he threw a firebomb at Israeli forces. When he was pronounced dead at a clinic, friends sped to the family home, wrapped the body in a Palestinian flag and buried him in an old cemetery after midnight to prevent the Israelis from taking his body to a morgue. "People come back from there as a chunk of ice," his brother Anwar Abbassi said. "It was a big relief to bury him." Attorney Mohammed Elayan's son Bahaa, 22, opened fire on a Jerusalem bus in mid-October, killing three Israelis before he was killed. Since then, Elayan has been leading a campaign to recover the bodies of his son and others, earning him the nickname "Father of the Martyrs." He said last week's release of the bodies in Hebron was a significant accomplishment. "We forced the Israelis to release the bodies without conditions," he said. As of Tuesday, Elayan, 60, said he still had not recovered his son's body. He said he refused Israeli demands that he bury Bahaa at night without a funeral procession, and post a $1,300 deposit. On Monday, Israeli forces demolished Elayan's home. Israel says such moves deter other potential attackers. But Elayan, 60, said he believed the demolition was retribution for his activities. "If you bury the bodies in five minutes, their families go home," Alayan said. "Now people have been in the streets for 85 days . I thank the Israelis for giving us this momentum." New Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh has reshuffled the top echelons of the force on Wednesday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Jerusalem District commander Maj.-Gen. Moshe Edri will now become the commander of the Tel Aviv District, while Southern District commander Maj.-Gen. Yoram HaLevy will replace Edri in Jerusalem. HaLevy will be replaced in the Southern District by Maj.-Gen. David Bitan, who will be leaving his position as the head of the Logistic Support Department. Photos: Gadi Kabalo, Alex Kolomoisky, Tal Shahar, Police Spokesman The new commander of the Coastal District will be Maj.-Gen. Amos Yaakov, who will be leaving his position as the commander of the Border Police. Yaakov will be replaced in the Border Police by Brig.-Gen. Yaakov Shabtai, who will be promoted to major-general. Brig.-Gen. Alon Asur will be appointed as the commander of the Northern District and receive the rank of major-general. Meanwhile, Brig.-Gen. Moshe Barkat will be made the commander of the Judea and Samaria District and also be promoted to the rank of major-general. The new head of the police's Operations Branch will be Brig.-Gen. Alon Levavi, who will be promoted to the rank of major-general as well. On top of the series of appointments from within the ranks of the police, two new major-generals will join the force from the IDF and the Shin Bet. The new head of the Logistic Support Department will be B., who is currently the head of the Shin Bet's Operations Headquarters. He will receive the rank of major-general. The new head of the police's Planning Department will be IDF Brig.-Gen. (res) Tzvi Tessler, who will receive the rank of major-general. Over the past year and a half, many senior officers in the police retired, and the appointment of new officers has been delayed due to the failed attempt to appoint Gal Hirsch as Police Commissioner. WASHINGTON - The Obama administration's best-case scenario for political transition in Syria does not foresee Bashar Assad stepping down as the country's leader before March 2017, outlasting Barack Obama's presidency by at least two months, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press. An internal timeline prepared for US officials dealing with the Syria crisis sets an unspecified date in March 2017 for Assad to "relinquish" his position as president and for his "inner circle" to depart. That would be more than five years after Obama first called for Assad to leave. The State Department said Wednesday the timeline was prepared late last year as a guide for Secretary of State John Kerry and other US diplomats working on a political transition for Syria. Spokesman John Kirby described the document as a "staff-level think piece" that is "preliminary and pre-decisional" and not "an official position." He also said it is "not an accurate projection of plans by the international community to effect a political transition in Syria." New Mossad chief Yossi Cohen declared on Wednesday that Iran was still a central threat for Israel, saying that "despite the nuclear agreement - and in my opinion because of it - the threat has become more significant." Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Cohen took over Israel's national intelligence agency on Wednesday, replacing Tamir Pardo. Speaking at a ceremony at the Mossad headquarters, the incoming Mossad head said that "The State of Israel is at the epicenter of the earthquake shaking the Middle East in recent years. The fanaticism of radical Islam has swept over states and is bringing them down. The intra-religious war within the Islam, and the strengthening of terror organizations around us, require the Mossad to thoroughly study the threat, thwart it, and contribute to national security in secrecy and with creativity. "Iran continues calling for the annihilation of Israel, further enhancing its military capabilities, and deepening its hold in our region. Its terror proxies are means to achieving these goals and I know that the people of the Mossad have the ability to build up the agency's strength and provide an appropriate answer to that." Prime Minister Netanyahu, center, with incoming Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, left, and outgoing chief Tamir Pardo, right (Photo: Koby Gideon, GPO) The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, outgoing Mossad chief Tamir Pardo, heads of departments in the organization, fighters, and other Mossad employees. "The work of security knows no rest," Netanyahu said at the ceremony. "Israel is the most challenged country on Earth, a bastion of democracy in the heart of a region strewn with dangers. The first order in ensuring the existence of a living creature, of any living organism, is the identification of dangers in time and repelling them in time. "I have always been proud of the many operations that you have led. As I would approve them, I didn't always approve them all but I approved the great majority of them. And if not, it was not just due to consideration of the dangers or the question of ethical standards against the risk; but I approved them out of an abiding faith in your operational abilities. "And as someone who was more or less on the other side, and I always thought if I would send myself and my friends on these missions, but above all I know how much your abilities have developed, and if they did not develop on their own, you developed them. It is impressive to see the action being created, the challenge to constantly improve and advance; this process is very healthy and the Mossad is a very healthy body." Left to right: President Rivlin, outgoing Mossad chief Pardo, Prime Minister Netanyahu, new Mossad chief Cohen (Photo: Koby Gideon, GPO) The prime minister expressed confidence that the new Mossad chief will know how to lead the organization forward and make it better. "The challenges, I must tell you, will not wait for you, as you know, as you all certainly know. They pile up daily, not just on the desk but mainly in the field. The head of the Mossad bears a vast responsibility. But this is the essence of the story of our people over the generations, especially in the years of our national revival. Our strength depends on the willingness of the best of our sons and daughters to bear the yoke of responsibility in order to ensure the life, freedom and prosperity of the nation. I rely on you Yossi, like all citizens of Israel." Ahead of Pardo's departure as the head of the Mossad, the agency released a statement concluding his tenure, noting: "When he was appointed to the role of the head of the Mossad, Tamir Pardo nurtured and developed the four legs the organization's entire activity stands on: Operations, Intelligence, Technology and Logistics. In different internal events, Pardo stressed that the secret to the Mossad's success is the fact it is innovative, as well as its ability to combine operations with advanced technologies and intelligence capabilities. "The Mossad under Tamir Pardo's command put an emphasis on, among other things, thwarting Iranian nuclear capabilities, foiling terror attacks and terror infrastructure all over the world, fighting against the smuggling of weapons to terror organizations, creating and nurturing ties with countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel, and creating new intelligence capabilities in a variety of topics. In the five years Pardo was at the head of the Mossad, the organization won five Israel Defense Prizes." On Tuesday, the Mossad held a goodbye event for Tamir Pardo, attended by some 2,000 guests, including top Israeli officials. UNITED NATIONS - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday called North Korea's fourth nuclear test "deeply troubling" and "profoundly destabilizing for regional security," and diplomats said the Security Council would have to consider new sanctions steps. "This test once again violates numerous Security Council resolutions despite the united call by the international community to cease such activities," the United Nations chief told reporters. "It is also a grave contravention of the international norm against nuclear testing." "I demand the DPRK (North Korea) cease any further nuclear activities and meet its obligations for verifiable denuclearization," he said. North Korea said it had successfully conducted a test of a miniaturized hydrogen nuclear device on Wednesday morning, marking a significant advance in the isolated state's strike capabilities and ringing alarm bells in Japan and South Korea. THE HAGUE - The Dutch foreign minister has called an international conference next week to discuss the global "fight against terror." Foreign Minister Bert Koenders says next Monday's meeting will bring together members of the Global Counterterrorism Forum and the coalition fighting the Islamic State group. Koenders said Wednesday that "terrorism ... is a virus that is continually adapting itself" and states have to work together even more closely to combat it. He says the conference at the headquarters of European Union police organization Europol will also discuss intelligence sharing, measures to prevent terror and how better to protect civilians against terror attacks. Delegates will include ministers from countries hit hard by attacks including Nigeria and Tunisia as well as representatives from Europol, Interpol, the United Nations and the EU. Civics teachers in Israel have come out against a new edition of the textbook "Being Citizens in Israel," which is widely used in high schools to teach the subject. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Educators who saw drafts of the new edition say it focuses more on the Jewish nature of the State of Israel rather than its democratic nature. The new edition will replace the existing one from the year 2000 and will be one of three approved textbooks on the subject. School teachers and principals will be able to choose to teach from one of the three textbooks, but in the Arab sector it would be the only textbook on the subject to be translated into Arabic. The Education Ministry said that since the textbook's last edition, Israeli society has undergone many changes, which led to the need to update of the civics curriculum in 2011. Four years ago, the process of updating the textbook began, and it is expected to be completed soon. The civics textbook used in Israeli high schools: 'Being Citizens in Israel' The Civics Teachers Council held an emergency meeting on Tuesday evening after the Education Ministry officially approved the new edition. They complained about the lack of transparency in the process of writing the new edition. Most of them do not know what changes were made to the textbook, even though it is their job to teach the material in the textbook to students. The Academic Forum for Civics Instruction, the Israel Political Science Association and the heads of the education departments in the Arab sectors, urged teachers not to use the textbook. In addition, they intend to demand Education Minister Naftali Bennett to immediately halt the "circulation of the main points in civics and the textbook which probably serves as inspiration to these main points." But civics teachers and members of academia are not the only ones protesting the textbook. In recent days, 12th graders from across the country have been circulating a petition, which garnered some 1,300 signatures so far, calling on teachers not to use the textbook. "According to experts who read drafts of the textbook, it presents Israel as a Jewish state, period, and pushes the values of democracy to the margins," the students wrote. "The principle of the rule of the majority has turned into the tyranny of the majority, and the differences between a citizen and a subject have become blurred. And if that is not enough, the writers are also rewriting reality and ignoring the existence of a Palestinian minority in Israel." Anouk Savir Kadmon, one of the leaders of the protest, told Ynet on Wednesday: "As high school seniors, we are learning about democracy and we are learning that one of the duties of citizens in every democratic country is to be involved and protest. It cannot be that in history class last year we learned about the Palestinian refugee problem that was created in the wake of the War of Independence, and the new (civics) textbook has no mention of it." Education Minister Bennett and his wife taking their children to school on September 1 (Photo: Sason Tiram) Shahar Regev, a civics teacher, told Ynet, "Our main problem is that we were not included in the writing of the textbook. We were not given the opportunity to see the textbook in its current draft and we're not allowed to be more involved in writing it. These things create a disconnect between the textbook and its main ideas and what teenagers need." The textbook, Regev says, "does not present the kind of democracy we grew up on. There are values like pluralism that is defined in the textbook as a condition that is not necessary for the existence of a democratic state. The rule of the majority is presented without the need to consider the rights of minorities. These are things that really bother us, as civics teachers." Civics teachers in the Arab sector complained that they have yet to receive the Arabic translation of the textbook's main points. "This delay causes a significant drop in our students' achievements," says a civics teacher from Ar'ara. "We're very concerned with the matriculation exams. When there's a shared curriculum to both sectors and we don't get translated materials, it leads to inequality between the Hebrew-speaking students and the Arabic-speaking ones," he added. Assaf Malach, the chairman of the Education Ministry's Subject Committee, responded to the criticism: "These are really embarrassing claims, because we are dealing with people who haven't seen the textbook and don't know what it's about. The textbook has been reviewed by different readers, and hundreds of comments and changes made by people from different positions were taken into consideration. To me, this is civic involvement of the worst kind in which people have no idea what they're talking about and are not basing their criticism on facts." Perhaps there really is an effort to direct the education system in a certain direction, by an education minister whose opinion is a bit different? "This is an inherently professional issue. The education minister is not involved at all. The very fact there are claims and people are talking and expressing different opinions is a welcomed thing. There's no problem with that. Our problem right now with regards to the textbook is with people with distinct political interests who turned this entire discussion into a political debate, so we can't examine each issue by its own right anyway because it has all turned into a political argument between the right and left." Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Wednesday weeks of rumours that the Palestinian Authority could collapse, saying he would "never give up" on it. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Abbas, 80, was speaking publicly for the first time since rumours surfaced last week that he was in poor health, which the PA has categorically denied. He did not discuss the matter and appeared well. He also spoke as three months of violent attacks by Palestinians on Israelis have made the PA and its leadership appear increasingly out of touch. The PA, the governing authority set up under the 1993 Oslo peace accords with Israel, has faced funding shortages, and its ongoing security cooperation with the Jewish state has been heavily criticized. Mahmoud Abbas (Photo: AFP) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is preparing a contingency plan in the event of the PA's collapse, according Israeli media reports. "I have heard a lot of talk in the past few days about the Authority, the destruction of the Authority, the collapse of the Authority," Abbas said. "The Authority is an achievement of ours that we will never give up." "Don't dream of its collapsing, don't even dream," he told a press conference during a lunch during a lunch to mark Christmas, which some Orthodox churches celebrate on Thursday. The PA was meant to be a temporary body until a fully independent Palestinian state was created, but more than two decades after Oslo young Palestinians see little hope of the dream becoming reality - and many do not feel Abbas represents their concerns. In a recent poll, two-thirds of Palestinians said they believed a new armed uprising, or intifada, would serve "national interests" better than negotiations. Abbas refused to countenance an end to the PA. Answering a question about what will happen after the PA, Abbas said "the Authority is here, and after it comes the (Palestinian) state. No one has any other scenarios, and we will not accept another scenario from anyone." SEOUL/WASHINGTON - North Korea said it successfully tested a powerful nuclear bomb on Wednesday, drawing criticism from world powers even though experts and the US government doubt that the isolated nation's atomic weapons capability is as advanced as Pyongyang claims. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter It was the fourth time that North Korea has exploded a nuclear device. It unnerved neighbors South Korea and Japan and prompted an emergency meeting on Wednesday of the UN Security Council in New York. While a nuclear test had long been expected, North Korea's assertion that it exploded a hydrogen device, much more powerful than an atomic bomb, came as a surprise. The White House said North Korea might not in fact have tested a hydrogen bomb. North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (Photo: Reuters) Pyongyang also said it was capable of miniaturizing, allowing a nuclear device to be adapted as a weapon and placed on a missile, potentially posing a new threat to the United States and its allies in Asia. "Let the world look up to the strong, self-reliant nuclear-armed state," leader Kim Jong Un wrote in what North Korean state TV displayed as a handwritten note. While the Kim government boasts of its military might to project strength globally, it also plays up the need to defend itself from external threats as a way to maintain control domestically. The test drew world criticism, including from China and Russia. China, the major trade partner of North Korea, said it will lodge a protest with Pyongyang. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said any nuclear test would be a "flagrant violation" of UN Security Council resolutions. "The initial analysis is not consistent with the claim the regime has made of a successful hydrogen bomb test," he told reporters. Conventional atomic bombs split atoms from heavier elements such as uranium or plutonium. They occur in one stage. The process is called fission. Hydrogen bombs have a second stage after fission. This fusion stage releases much more energy. North Korea has been under UN Security Council sanctions since it first tested an atomic device in 2006 and could face additional measures. The Security Council said it would begin working immediately on significant new measures in response to North Korea, a threat diplomats said could mean an expansion of UN sanctions against Pyongyang. It likely will take several days to determine more precisely what kind of nuclear device Pyongyang set off as a variety of sensors, including "sniffer planes," collect evidence. Photo: AFP South Korean intelligence officials and several analysts also questioned whether Wednesday's explosion was a test of a full-fledged hydrogen device, pointing to its having been roughly as powerful as North Korea's last atomic test in 2013. Stocks across the world fell for a fifth consecutive day as the North Korea tension added to a growing list of geopolitical worries and China fuelled fears about its economy by allowing the yuan to weaken further. No countries were given advance warning of a nuclear test, South Korea's intelligence service said, according to lawmakers briefed by intelligence officials. In previous such tests, Pyongyang had notified China, Russia and the United States beforehand, they said. US presidential candidates respond North Korea became a topic on the US presidential campaign with the first state nominating contests weeks away and the election in November. Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton condemned the test as a "provocative and dangerous act" that the United States should meet with sanctions and strengthened missile defenses. "North Korea must have no doubt that we will take whatever steps are necessary to defend ourselves and our treaty allies, South Korea and Japan," she said in a statement. Republican candidate Donald Trump said the onus was on China to solve what he called the North Korean "problem", and if it did not, the United States "should make trade very difficult for China." North Korea has long coveted diplomatic recognition from Washington, but sees its nuclear deterrent as crucial to ensuring the survival of its third-generation dictatorship. The North's state news agency said Pyongyang would act as a responsible nuclear state and vowed not to use its nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty was infringed. Michael Madden, an expert on North Korea's secretive leadership, said, "With Iran being off the table, the North Koreans have placed themselves at the top of the foreign policy agenda as far as nation-states who present a threat to the US." Doubts raised The device had a yield of about 6 kilotons, according to the office of a South Korean lawmaker on the parliamentary intelligence committee - roughly the same size as the North's last test, which was equivalent to 6-7 kilotons of TNT. "Given the scale, it is hard to believe this is a real hydrogen bomb," said Yang Uk, a senior research fellow at the Korea Defense and Security Forum. Military parade in North Korea (Photo: AP) Joe Cirincione, a nuclear expert who is president of Ploughshares Fund, a global security organization, said North Korea may have mixed a hydrogen isotope in a normal atomic fission bomb. "Because it is, in fact, hydrogen, they could claim it is a hydrogen bomb," he said. "But it is not a true fusion bomb capable of the massive multi-megaton yields these bombs produce". The USGS reported a 5.1 magnitude quake that South Korea said was 49 km (30 miles) from the Punggye-ri site where the North has conducted nuclear tests in the past. The North's previous claims of miniaturization have not been independently verified. Many experts also doubt whether the North possesses missile technology capable of reliably delivering a warhead to the continental United States. This has been a long time in the making, but in our continuing pursuit to bring only the best of firearms, 2nd Amendment and defence related news to our readers, we are very excited to announce the next step in our evolution as a company. As of 2020, Minuteman Review is now the proud owner and operator of Your Defence News, a website with a long history of breaking huge news stories and investigative journalism. We hope you are equally as excited as us. This means that now the teams of Minuteman can combine with the firepower of Your Defence News to stay at the absolute forefront for our readers. Keep an eye. Big things are coming soon. We couldn't be more excited. In the meanwhile, here are some of our most popular posts and categories to keep you busy. Happy shootin' my friends! Buying Guides: Firearms Firearm Accessories Ammunition Gun Safes Scopes & Optics Hunting Air Rifles Best AR-15 Best AR 15 Scope Best Hunting Rifle Best Gun Safe Best AK 47 Best AR 10 Best Glock Triggers Best Glock Best Home Defense Shotgun China voices its 'resolute opposition' to DPRK test Updated: 2016-01-06 16:10 By ZHANG YUNBI(chinadaily.com.cn) DRPK leader Kim Jong-un (C) watches a firing contest of the KPA artillery units at undisclosed location in this photo released by DPRK's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang, Jan 5, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] The Foreign Ministry issued a rare written statement on Wednesday voicing its "resolute opposition" after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea announced earlier in the day that it had successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb test. "Today, the DPRK, disregarding widespread opposition in the international community, once again conducted a nuclear test, and the Chinese government expresses its resolute opposition to this," the statement said. It is China's firm stance to realize denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, prevent nuclear proliferation and ensure the peace and stability of Northeast Asia, the ministry noted. "We strongly urge the DPRK to honor its denuclearization pledges and stop taking any action that will deteriorate the situation," the statement said. The ministry said championing peace and stability in the peninsula and in Northeast Asia "lives up to the common interests of all parties". "China will firmly press ahead with the goal of peninsula denuclearization and will uphold resolving the peninsula nuclear issue within the framework of the Six-Party Talks," the statement said. The Six-Party Talks, which group the DPRK, the ROK, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, were launched in 2003 but stalled in December 2008. The DPRK quit the talks in April 2009. Expert: Nuclear test made to show increased strength Yu Meihua, director of the Center for Korean Peninsula Peace Studies under the China Reform Forum, said that from Pyongyang's viewpoint what it described as its H-bomb test on Wednesday was a clear indication of its increased weapon technology. Yu was speaking after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea announced on Wednesday that it had successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb test. The test also served as a major step in the DPRK's plan boost its military power, Yu said. Pyongyang believes this is a necessary countermeasure to protect it from threats posed by the United States, Yu noted. "The latest test will boost the top leader's image and the solidarity among the domestic public," Yu suggested. The test may have consequences for Pyongyang's relationships and cooperation with Seoul, Beijing, Washington and Moscow, Yu said. Expert: Test may trigger new arms race Zhang Liangui, an expert in Korean studies at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said he believes that the Wednesday test is "not a surprise" as Pyongyang has renewed its official commitment to its nuclear plans in recent years. The Wednesday test is also a further frustration for the stalled Six-party Talks, Zhang said. The Six-party Talks, which group the DPRK, the Republic of Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, were launched in 2003 but stalled in December 2008. The DPRK quit the talks in April 2009. Zhang said that the rest of the parties of the Six-party Talks should take further measures to prompt the DPRK to give up its nuclear plan. Xinhua contributed to the story Growth and reform Updated: 2016-01-01 08:16 By Andrew Moody(China Daily Europe) This will be a crucial year if China is to meet its target of joining the high-income club of nations, say leading economists The Chinese government is set to reconfirm in its Five-Year Plan (2016-20) in March the aim of becoming a "moderately well-off society" by 2020. This will involve breaking out of the so-called middle-income trap that has ensnared developing countries, particularly in Latin America. The government has set itself a target of doubling its 2010 GDP and per capita income by 2020. How the economy performs over the next 12 months will partly determine how this goal can be achieved. President Xi Jinping has already made clear that growth has to be a minimum of 6.5 percent in each of the five years from now for the target to be met. The government will also decide in March whether to stick to its 2015 growth target of "about 7 percent" for the year ahead or to lower it, as some expect, to somewhere near or at the 6.5 percent mark. The ambitious overall plan target, however, comes at a time when the Chinese economy faces many challenges as well as global economic uncertainty. At the Central Economic Work Conference, a key economic meeting held in Beijing in December, the government made clear its priorities for the year ahead. It wants to embark on major supply side reforms, tackle industrial overcapacity, particularly in the state-owned enterprise sector, and free up capital and labor to be redeployed to faster growing areas of the economy. It also wants to tackle the key issue of a massive oversupply of unsold homes, which is holding back the property sector - a key driver of the overall economy, fueling demand for steel, concrete and household goods. To do this, it is to press ahead with reforms to the household registration scheme, or hukou, to allow people to move from rural areas to the cities to buy up existing housing stock. As a homeowner, you probably already know that you should be working to maintain your home. But, chances are, you Read More The Global and United States Hydrobike Market Report has been published by QY Research recently. Hydrobike Market Analysis and Insights This report focuses on... Concerns grow over Saudi-Iranian rising tensions Updated: 2016-01-05 10:17 (Xinhua) Flames and smoke rise from Saudi Arabia's embassy during a demonstration in Tehran January 2, 2016. Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi Embassy in Tehran early on Sunday morning as Shi'ite Muslim Iran reacted with fury to Saudi Arabia's execution of a prominent Shi'ite cleric. [Photo/Agencies] TEHRAN - Many countries including world powers on Monday expressed concern over rising tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran as well as unrest in the Middle East. Controversy in the wake of the execution of a prominent Shiite cleric by Saudi Arabia was followed by attacks against Saudi Arabia's embassy in Tehran, leading the Kingdom and some of its regional allies to sever ties with Iran. Saudi Arabia executed Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr along with 46 others over terrorism charges Saturday, sparking protests in Shiite-dominated Iran during which angry mobs stormed and set fire to Saudi Arabia's Embassy in Tehran and its Consulate in the city of Mashhad. Saudi Arabia announced its dissolution of diplomatic ties with Iran Sunday, requesting all Iranian diplomats depart the country within 48 hours. Following Saudi's announcement, three Sunni Muslim countries joined the Arab kingdom Monday in severing or downgrading their diplomatic ties with Iran. Bahrain and Sudan announced they will cut diplomatic relations with Iran Monday, declaring that Tehran interferes in the Arab states' affairs. In addition, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) decided to downgrade its diplomatic relations with Iran Monday and reduce the number of Iranian diplomats in the country. Sign up to get the latest news delivered to your inbox every week! A study on twins in the Nordic area conducted by researchers at Harvard University, in collaboration with the University of Helsinki and University of Denmark, found that when one twin is diagnosed with cancer, the other sibling is highly at risk of developing any type of cancer as well, reported United Press International on Tuesday. The study not only shows the likelihood of cancer in twins, but its overall extensiveness in families as well. "Prior studies had provided familial risk and heritability estimates for the common cancers -- breast, prostate, and colon -- but, for rarer cancers, the studies were too small, or the follow-up time too short, to be able to pinpoint either heritability or family risk," said associate professor of epidemiology at Harvard Lorelei Mucci. Advertisement The study, which was published on the Journal of the American Medical Association, examined the health records of 80,309 monozygotic (identical) and 123,383 dizygotic (fraternal) twins from health registries of Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. The researchers found that 23 percent of the subjects were diagnosed with cancers, where 38 percent of identical twins and 26 percent of fraternal twins suffer from the same cancer type. Medical News Today noted on Wednesday that those fraternal twins where one is diagnosed with cancer, the risk of the other sibling being diagnosed with the disease was 37 percent, while identical twins had 46 percent chance. The study also found that the overall heritability of cancer among twins was approximately 33 percent. Notable heritability was found in certain cancer types, with 27 percent for uterine cancer, 31 percent for breast cancer, 38 percent for kidney cancer, 39 percent for ovarian cancer, 43 percent for non-melanoma skin cancer, 57 percent for prostate cancer and 58 percent for skin melanoma. As fraternal twins are genetically the same with siblings who are not twins, cancer risk among fraternal twins may be a good identifying factor for the risk of the disease for the entire family where one sibling is diagnosed with cancer. "Findings from this prospective study may be helpful in patient education and cancer risk counseling," said the study's co-author Jaakko Kaprio from the University of Helsinki. An 18-year-old Jewish alleged extremist from Maaleh Adumim, a moderate West Bank Jewish settlement just outside Jerusalem, was released to house arrest from from administrative detention, where he was held by the Shin Bet in connection with a church hate crime arson. Two minors confessed to the crime several days ago. 18-Year-Old Alleged Extremist Released To House Arrest After 5 Months In Shin Bet Custody Shmarya Rosenberg FailedMessiah.com An 18-year-old Jewish alleged extremist from Maaleh Adumim, a moderate West Bank Jewish settlement just outside Jerusalem, was released to house arrest from from administrative detention Sunday, the Jerusalem Post reported. Mordechai Meyer, who was arrested in August, was released Sunday after being in Shin Bet custody for almost five months. Meyer was thought to have committed a hate crime arson against a Jerusalem church, the Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion, in February. Anti-Christian graffiti was also found painted on the abbeys outer walls and above its door. Meyers release closely followed confessions by two minors who admitted to committing the crime. A third suspect in the arson was indicted earlier this week. (Other earlier media reports published earlier this week have several unnamed suspects being indicted for violent hate crimes against Palestinians, churches and mosques. Those indictments may be related to the Dormition Abbey arson, as well.) Just after the crime, Greek Orthodox Archbishop Aristarchos said in an Army Radio interview that Jews with peyos (sidelocks) had recently threatened the abbeys seminarians. Once religious Jewish people with sidelocks came and issued threats. Perhaps the police will know if [the attack on the abbey] is connected to them. The archbishop also said in the interview that an eyewitness had seen two attackers. Two people who were hiding their faces came from the east side of the structure near the cemetery and the Catholic church. From there they threw flammable liquid at the seminarys bathroom, the archbishop said. Related Posts: All Dormition Abbey Hate Crime Arson Posts. New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Wednesday sought the conviction of six accused, who are facing trial for allegedly gangraping a 52-year-old Danish woman here in 2014, saying there was sufficient evidence to prove their ill intent and committing of the crime. Advancing final arguments before Additional Sessions Judge Kaveri Baweja, the prosecutor said on the night of the incident, the woman had sought directions to her destination from the accused persons, who, on the garb of guiding her, took her to a secluded place and raped her. "The accused took the woman to a secluded place which amounts to kidnapping and this shows their ill intention as thereafter, they gangraped her, looted her articles and also threatened her," Special Public Prosecutor Atul Shrivastava argued. He said the provisions of kidnapping, gangrape, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation, dacoity, receiving stolen property under the IPC are made out against the accused and they should be held guilty of all these offences. The prosecutor, while concluding his arguments, also said that scientific evidence, eyewitness account and recoveries made from the accused also nail their guilt. There were a total of nine accused, including three juveniles against whom inquiry before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) is in progress. Shrivastava had yesterday argued that testimonies of the victim and an eyewitness along with medical evidence established that nine accused including three juveniles had raped the woman. The police charge sheet has said the nine accused, all vagabonds, had allegedly robbed and gangraped the Danish tourist at knife-point on the night of January 14, 2014, after leading her to a secluded spot close to the Divisional Railway Officers' Club near New Delhi Railway Station. All the nine accused were arrested. The six adult accused - Mahendra alias Ganja (26), Mohd Raja (22), Raju (23), Arjun (21), Raju Chakka (22) and Shyam Lal (55) - are in judicial custody and facing trial. The nine accused have been booked on charges of gangrape and robbery or dacoity, with an attempt to cause death or grievous hurt. During recording of their testimonies, the six adult accused had claimed innocence and alleged that the police had falsely implicated them in the case. They had also said they do not want to examine any witness in their defence. New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the Aam Aadmi Party government if the odd-even formula that is being tested in Delhi could be wound up by Friday. While hearing a petition on the matter, the court asked the Delhi government, What is the need to continue the scheme for 15 days... can you end the odd-even policy by Friday? The court noted that due to insufficient public transport in the capital, people are being inconvenienced after the implementation of the odd-even formula for 15 days beginning January 1. Further, terming the Delhi government's status report on pollution levels as vague, the High Court asked the government to file a fresh report containing data on pollution levels in the capital this week. The counsel for the Delhi government, meanwhile, told the court that they need more time to collate pollution data from different places in Delhi. The counsel, however, said that the odd-even formula is working and has been very well received by the people. Initial data shows reduction in pollution level, the court was informed. New Delhi: Although Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has promised "prompt and decisive action" against terrorist groups linked to the attack on the air base at Pathankot in Punjab, yet a report on Wednesday raised a question mark on the assurances given by the neighbouring country. The Times of India has quoted highly-placed intelligence sources as saying that the terrorists had made dry runs at at an air base in Pakistan before attacking the Pathankot air base. Such a mock drill can't be possible without the involvement of the Pakistani military and ISI in the strike. As per intelligence intercepts and contacts in jihadi groups, the extensive training session at one of the Pakistani air bases included several dry runs of breaching the security perimeter - a lesson the terrorists put to lethal use when they managed to enter the Pathankot base, reports the daily. The terrorists had used under barrel guns (improvised versions of AK-47 assault rifles which can be used as mortar launchers) in the attack, launched days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surprise visit to Lahore. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday promised his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi that Islamabad will take "prompt and decisive action" against the terrorists linked to the attack. According to reports, the PM told Sharif about the proof NSA Ajit Doval handed over to his Pakistani counterpart Naseer Khan Janjua about the "Gang of 7". The group includes Jaish-e-Mohammed founder Maulana Masood Azhar, his younger brother Mufti Abdur Rauf Asghar, Maulana Ashfaq, Haji Shakqur, Jaan Ali Kasif of village Dosirah in Charsada district and Saifullah and Iftikhar, both from Shakargarh. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday admitted to "security lapses" which led to the terror attack that left seven security personnel and all six terrorists dead. He said the terrorists had AK-47 rifles, pistols, Swiss knives and commando knives besides 40-50 kg of bullets. They also had improvised mortars. "They had high quality explosives." The Pathankot Air Force Station, where a MIG-21 Bison squadron and MI-35 attack helicopters are based, is spread over 1,900 acres. Over 1,500 families live inside the campus which also has a school, a hospital and a market. Gurdaspur: Days after terror attack in Pathankot's air base, all Western Sector airbases have been put on high alert after two suspicious men in army uniform were sighted near Tibri military station in Punjab's Gurdaspur. Acting on the intelligence input about Tibri, the entire around area around military station has been cordoned off. Intelligence input says that more terrorists are at large. In a pre-dawn attack, a group of heavily-armed Pakistani terrorists, suspected to be belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammed outfit, struck at the Air Force base in Punjab on January 2. Several countries have condemned the attack in which seven securitymen were killed. New Delhi: With just a month left for nursery admission in Delhi schools, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday launched a crusade against private schools. The Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government announced scrapping of management quota from nursery schools in the national capital. Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Kejriwal spoke about setting guidelines for nursery admission process in Delhi private schools. "Nursery admissions are about to begin and government has started getting complaints. We have taken major decision in order to make admission process in private schools transparent and pro-people," Kejriwal said. The points for taking school transport, working parents, parents with proficiency in music, sports and national awardee as well as they having transferable jobs have also been done away with. "In December last year, Delhi government had directed private schools to set their admission criteria themselves but make the process transparent. However, we were surprised to see the criteria set by schools for the nursery admission process. Some schools decided to give preference to students whose parents know painting, or music, or have reserved huge quota for sibling. We have scrapped 62 criteria of admission process in private schools that were unreasonable and discriminatory, " he said. Kejriwal said some of the criteria put out by schools were not acceptable at all. "Children of the those parents who eat non-vegetarian food, smoke or drink will not get admission. Those parents who know music and painting will get more marks. The criteria are so arbitrary, wrong and discriminatory. What does this mean? "You have a handle in your hand and you will decide whom to give admission. It is not acceptable," Kejriwal said. Adding further, Kejriwal said, "25 percent admission quota is reserved for EWS in accordance to Delhi High Court order while rest of seats are mostly wrongfully reserved by schools on their own. From now onwards, remaining 75 percent will have to made available for general public." Listing out examples of quotas in different schools, he said one school had reserved 75 per cent seats under management quota and only 25 per cent were open. "The quotas include management quota, sibling quota and what not. In some schools, only 25 per cent seats are open. An order is being issued that only 25 per cent seats will be reserved and it will be for EWS category. "The court had not allowed quota. 25 per cent quota is for the EWS and you have to give 75 per cent seats for general category," he said. Malda: It's been almost three days now since an angry mob turned violent during a Muslim rally and torched Malda's Kaliachak police station along with over a dozen vehicles, but so far only 9 out of 130 accused have been arrested. Also, 6 of 9 were let off with bail hours after the arrest took place. However, a BJP MLA - Shamik Bhattacharya - has been arrested as a preventive measure to thwart further escalation in the already tensed area. According to a report in CNN-IBN, BJP has accused Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government of shielding the accused and acting against the saffron party members. The attack on Kaliachak police station took place on Sunday, when a Muslim organisation Anjuman Ahle Sunnatul Jamaat (AJS) organised a protest rally against Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamlesh Tiwari for allegedly making controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammad. The situation in Malda remained tense as the Rapid Action Force has been deployed to face any untoward incident. Israels Supreme Court issued a conditional order this afternoon against the recently passed Knesset amendment to Israels draft law that further pushed back mandatory military service for haredim and inserted various measures that would essentially ensure that few, if any, actual haredi yeshiva students would be drafted. Israels Supreme Court Issues Conditional Order Against Amendment That Gutted Haredi Draft Shmarya Rosenberg FailedMessiah.com Israels Supreme Court issued a conditional order this afternoon against the recently passed Knesset amendment to Israels draft law that further pushed back mandatory military service for haredim and inserted various measures that would essentially ensure that few, if any, actual haredi yeshiva students would be drafted, Arutz Sheva reported. The Movement for Quality Government filed an appeal against the new amendment with the court, arguing in part that the new amendment increases inequality. Nine justices ruled against the amendment today, and Chief Justice Miriam Naor reportedly demanded the Knesset and government provide proof delaying and weakening the haredi draft is justified. The court previously struck down a version of the draft law that provided blanket exemptions for all haredi yeshiva students but not for university students or Zionist Orthodox yeshiva students or other subgroups as unconstitutional. The law was then modified by the previous government under the main direction of the centrist Yesh Atid Party, the strongest coalition partner. The modified law called for drafting haredim in increasingly large cohorts until a near-universal draft was achieved. But the current government, which remains in power only due to the support of haredi parties, walked back that law by passing the amendment late last year. Pathankot: A National Investigation Agency (NIA) team arrived here on Wednesday to begin the probe the terrorist attack on the Pathankot air base. The NIA officials were seen examining the bodies of the slain terrorists along with a team of forensic experts. The NIA had yesterday said that it expects cooperation from Islamabad for tracing the perpetrators of the Pathankot attack, saying it was clear that the terrorists were from Pakistan on the basis of the calls they made. According to reports, the NIA team is also questioning Gurdaspur Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh, whose vehicle was hijacked by the terrorists when he was returning after offering prayers at the `Pir Baba`. Reports say that the account given by Singh about his captivity and release raised serious questions due to inconsistent statements given by him. Singh had earlier rubbished allegations that the claims made by him were not given credence by the Punjab Police for hours. "I informed the police as soon as I could. I completed my responsibility. They believed me completely. If you expect that I must have fought against them, then they would have killed me. They were five armed men," he had said. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had called up Prime Minister Modi yesterday and assured that their government was working on the leads and information provided by the Indian Government on the Pathankot attack, adding that they would investigate the matter. He also appreciated New Delhi for showing maturity in its statements post the terror attack on the Pathankot Airbase while asserting that terrorists were trying to disrupt the efforts to bring peace between the two countries. The operation against the terrorists at the air base entered its fifth day today as security forces continue to carry out combing operations to smoke out any remaining terrorist. Chandigarh: India-born Nobel laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan has refused to attend the Indian Science Congress ever in future and called it a 'circus', it was reported on Wednesday. As per a ToI report, the Nobel laureate Venkatraman, who had attended a day-long session of a previous Congress, finds it unworthy of attending the event as very little science is discussed in that. ''It was a circus. I find that it's an organization where very little science is discussed. I will never attend a science congress again in my life," he was quoted as saying. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan had, last year, objected to politics and religious ideology being mixed with science. The ongoing annual Science Congress is currently being held in Mysuru. Tamil Nadu-born Venkatraman is a structural biologist at Cambridge University. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2009. North Korea Hydorgen bomb test a 'matter of deep concern': Ministry of External Affairs New Delhi: Reacting to North Korea successfully conducting its first hydrogen bomb test, India has said that it was a matter of 'deep concern' and that an assessment was underway to ascertain claims that it was a 'thermo-nuclear' test. Speaking to ANI, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Vikas Swarup called on North Korea to refrain from such actions which 'adversely impacts on peace and stability' in the region. "We have seen reports that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has conducted a nuclear test today. We are assessing the available information including claims that this was a thermo nuclear test. It is a matter of deep concern that DPRK has again acted in violation of its international commitments in this regard," Swarup said. He added that India's concerns about 'proliferation links' between North East Asia and the neighbouring regions were 'well known'. Meanwhile, the United States has announced that they will respond appropriately to the claims of the test being carried out successfully. "We will continue to protect and defend our allies in the region, including the Republic of Korea, and will respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations," State Department Spokesman John Kirby said in a statement. China is likely to summon North Korea's ambassador in Beijing to the Foreign Ministry to lodge a strong protest against the hydrogen bomb test. New Delhi: Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government of not being able to manage relations with Pakistan in a proper manner, the Congress party on Wednesday said that terrorist activities in the country had risen whenever BJP came to power at the Centre. "In 1999, when the Indian Airlines plane was hijacked, we had released terrorists from our jails. Masood Azhar was one of them. This has emboldened the terrorist organisations like JeM, they now think that India is weak," former Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said at a press conference here. "Several incidents took place after that, whether it is the Red Fort, attack on J-K assembly or attack on Parliament. Whenever the BJP comes to power the terror activities increase," he added. Shinde also pointed out that the government had failed to handle Pathankot attack in swift and effective manner. "When they had intelligence inputs beforehand, they should have cordoned off the airbase," he said. He also recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scathing remarks against the UPA government during the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack, saying that the Congress had refrained from making such statements. Slamming the Prime Minister for making an unscheduled visit to Pakistan to meet his counterpart Nawaz Sharif, Shinde said, "He abruptly visited Pakistan. Held talks there but never told the nation about the discussions he had." He welcomed good relations with Pakistan but said that it should come at the cost of India's security. "We can be friends with Pakistan, but we will not tolerate any terrorist attacks," he said. He also lauded the valiant efforts of the security forces while defending the Pathankot Airbase. However, the BJP earlier today accused the Congress of politicizing the Pathankot airbase attack and said that the NDA Government had inherited terrorism problems from the grand old party's five decade long regime. "The Congress has ruled this country for over five decades. The Congress party and their government, from which we inherited the problem of terror, today are criticising the government and politicizing terror. Does the Congress party have national interest in mind at all? Do they have any policy at all?" BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao told ANI. Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is questioning Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh, his friend Rajesh Verma and the cook in connection with the Pathankot terror attack case. The NIA has registered three cases in the probe and a 20 member team is stationed in Pathankot. Pathankot: The role of the Punjab Police officer, who claimed he was abducted by the terrorists who attacked the Pathankot air base, has been under the scanner. According to Firstpost, investigating agencies are claiming that Salwinder Singh may be working with Pakistan's ISI and militant organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad. Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh, his cook Madan Gopal and businessman friend Rajesh Verma, who were allegedly abducted by the terrorists in his vehicle, were being questioned by National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials at his official residence here on Tuesday evening. The police superintendent had earlier claimed that he, along with Verma and the cook, were stopped and abducted by 4-5 heavily armed terrorists near Kolia village, 25 km from Pathankot, on the night of December 31. The attack at the Indian Air Force base took place at around 3.30 am on January 02. The police superintendent's seniors did not take his version seriously for many hours. However, according to CNN-IBN, Singh may have been honey-trapped by the ISI. The channel alleged that Singh's role in the Pathankot attack could be crucial, as he could have provided logistical support to the terrorists. The counter offensive against the terrorists by security forces inside the Pathankot base saw six terrorists being killed. Security forces lost seven personnel. New York officially launches marijuana as a form of medical treatment Thursday, becoming the 23rd US state to do so as the taboo surrounding its legalized medicinal use starts to shift. Under the legislation, five companies are authorized to grow marijuana for medicinal purposes in the state, but only one -- Bloomfield Industries -- has set up headquarters in New York City itself. From the outside, its premises are an inconspicuous warehouse in an industrial zone of Queens, with shabby walls, boarded up windows and an entrance partially obstructed by concrete slabs. Surrounded by other warehouses, next to the highway and with no security guard nor police officer in sight, the building is home to a 23,000 square meter plant dedicated to growing marijuana. The drug is already grown legally in Denver, Colorado and San Francisco but this plant appears to be the first set up in a major US city with a population of more than one million. Bloomfield`s rivals have set up production outlets in cheaper and more discreet locations in the north of New York state. But a spokesperson said the company did not want to hide away. "We felt strongly that we could put our best team forward with the best horticulturalists, the best scientists, the best pharmacists, the best researchers that we could if we chose to put our facility where our headquarters were, in New York City," he told AFP. While the New York state assembly passed the marijuana legislation 18 months ago, Bloomfield and the other four firms did not officially obtain their licenses until late July. Since then they have been working around the clock to get their products ready in time for Thursday`s launch. Twenty dispensaries will eventually open across the state, but the roll-out will be gradual and patients were only allowed to start registering for treatment from December 23. Only patients with serious illnesses such as cancer, Parkinson`s disease, multiple sclerosis or certain forms of epilepsy are eligible. Nor will they be able to buy cannabis to smoke, but rather take it in pill, oil or drop form. Nicholas Vita, CEO of Columbia Care, another healthcare company registered to provide medical marijuana, estimates that only 0.5 to 1.5 percent of the state population, 100,000 to 300,000 people will be eligible. Doctor Stephen Dahmer, chief medical officer for Vireo Health of New York, another authorized laboratory, seeks to ease any concerns. In Minnesota, where Vireo also operates, he says marijuana consumption has been much lower than expected. None of the three firms contacted by AFP would divulge the cost of treatment but it is understood to start at around $200 a month per patient. At the moment no US health insurance company will pay for marijuana for medicinal purposes, so its cost must be met privately. Vita says it offers help to patients of limited funds, but did not disclose precise details of how that might work. Twenty years after cannabis was legalized for medicinal use in California, 23 states and the capital Washington, DC have now followed suit. According to Dahmer, attitudes are slowly changing. "There`s still a lot of taboo," he told AFP. "I think it`s definitely shifting in the right direction. Completely shifted -- I wouldn`t say that much -- but there`s definitely a positive momentum," he added. Marijuana and its derivative products do not come under the control of the US Food and Drug Administration and conclusive scientific studies are still up for debate. "Many of (the studies) surround addictions or negative consequences but we`re starting to see more studies related to the positive benefits," said Dahmer. According to a Harris Poll carried out last May, 81 percent of Americans favor legalizing marijuana for medical use, up from 74 percent in 2011. Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and submitted a detailed report on the recent political developments in the wake of Governor J P Rajkhowa advancing the Assembly session. While mentioning that this matter was sub-judice and was being heard in the Gauhati High Court, the Chief Minister still maintained that the decision by the Governor was taken "without taking consent from him and his council of ministers," an official communique said here today. Tuki also complained to the PM yesterday about the Governor's "tacit role in fuelling dissidence within the ruling Congress party in the state," since Rajkhowa took over charge, the communique said. The Chief Minister alleged that Rajkhowa's conduct was in violation of the principles of Co-operative Federalism as espoused by the Prime Minister after the NDA came to power, the release said. The Prime Minister assured Tuki that he would examine the report against the Governor and take appropriate decisions pertaining to the same, the communique claimed. While discussing the development issues, the Chief Minister requested the Prime Minister for expediting establishment of Greenfield Airport at Hollongi, establishment of Disaster Response Force (DRF) battalion in the state, establishment of High Court in the state and East West Industrial Corridor for border areas. Tuki told the PM that despite repeated requests from the state government, the Centre is yet to depute a central team for inspecting the damages due to floods and natural calamities, the communique said. The PM assured that a team would be deputed soon to visit the state for the same. The PM also took stock of the recent earthquake in the NE Region and was informed by the CM that no casualties or damages were reported in Arunachal Pradesh so far, the release said. New Delhi/Pathankot: Seeking to unravel how the brazen Pathankot attack was mounted, the NIA on Wednesday quizzed an SP rank officer who was allegedly abducted by the terrorists, recreated the scene of his abduction and visited the border village from where the perpetrators were believed to have sneaked into India. Meanwhile, footprints, believed to be of terrorists, have been gound at Bamiyal village at Indo-Pak border. Here's why Bamiyal is in news: - Bamiyal is the village at Indo-Pak border from where the militants are believed to have entered into the Indian territory. - NIA team and Border Security Force chief and other top officers of the paramilitary visited Bamiyal to understand the possible routes that could have been exploited by the six terrorists who laid a daunting seige at the forward air base begining January 2. - Meanwhile, footprints that could be of terrorists, have been found in Bamiyal village. - The footprints of heavy boots left on soft ground belong to two people and were discovered on January 1 by Jaspal Singh, a farmer in the border village, as per media reports. - As the initial inputs suggest, the terrorists, who carried out the pre-dawn attack, had infiltrated through tributaries of river Beas in Pathankot in Bamiyal village, located close to the International Border. - They are believed to have infiltrated into India during the intervening night of December 30-31. - The area from where the terrorists crossed over has a thick foliage of elephant grass which provides an automatic cover for them, it is being said. - A tributary of river Beas enters into Pakistan from this village and this route is popular with drug smugglers to enter India. Dhaka: Bangladesh`s highest court on Wednesday upheld the death sentence for the leader of the country`s largest Islamist party for crimes during its 1971 independence struggle, paving the way for his execution within months. The Supreme Court dismissed an appeal by Motiur Rahman Nizami, head of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, who was convicted of murder, rape and orchestrating the killing of top intellectuals when he was leader of a ruthless militia during the conflict. "The court upheld the death sentence in three out of four charges. We`re very happy," prosecutor Tureen Afroz told reporters. "Most importantly, the death penalty was upheld for the killings of the intellectuals." Nizami, 72, Jamaat`s leader since 2000 and a minister in a former Islamist-allied government of 2001-2006, faces the gallows within months unless his case is reviewed by the same court or he is granted clemency by the president. Three senior Jamaat officials and a key leader of the main opposition have been executed since December 2013 for war crimes, despite global criticism of their trials by a controversial war crimes tribunal. The court swiftly dismissed previous reviews of those four opposition leaders on death row, leading to their execution, the latest in November last year. Hundreds of secular protesters who have been campaigning tirelessly for the trials of the Islamist leaders for their roles in the 1971 war burst into impromptu celebrations at a square in central Dhaka as the news of the court`s decision came. "This verdict brings an end to the long and painful wait for justice for the families of the victims of the war," Imran Sarker, head of a secular group, said, showing a V-sign to reporters. Prosecutors said Nizami was the leader of a student wing of Jamaat during the war and turned it into the Al-Badr pro-Pakistani militia, which killed top professors, writers, doctors and journalists in the most gruesome chapter of the conflict. Their bodies were found blindfolded with their hands tied and dumped in a marsh on the outskirts of the capital. The killing was carried out based on a hit-list he ordered and the aim was to "intellectually cripple" the fledgling nation, they said.Security was tight across the country after previous convictions of the Jamaat officials triggered the country`s deadliest violence since independence with some 500 people killed, mainly in clashes between Islamists and police. "We`ve stepped up security. It is sufficient to prevent any violence," deputy police commissioner Maruf Hossain Sorder told AFP ahead of the verdict. Nizami`s lawyer Khandker Mahbub Hossain said he had hoped that his client would be acquitted. "We`ll now decide the next course after consulting with him," he said. Since it was established by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina`s government in 2010, the war crimes court, called the International Crimes Tribunal, has sentenced more than a dozen opposition leaders for war crimes. Rights groups have criticised the trials, saying they fall short of international standards and lack any international oversight. The secular government maintains the trials are needed to heal the wounds of the conflict, which it says left three million people dead. Independent researchers put the toll much lower. A small group of armed activists remained holed up on Tuesday at a remote US federal wildlife refuge in Oregon, vowing to leave only if asked by local residents. Ammon Bundy, who has led the revolt at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge since the weekend, said the siege would continue until the federal government abandons control of the reserve to local residents. "It is our goal to get the logger back to logging, to get the rancher back to ranching, to get the miner back to mining, the farmer back to farming and to jump-start this economy in Harney County," he told reporters. He said his group, which took over the refuge on Saturday in protest at the jailing of two local ranchers convicted of arson, would hold its ground unless asked to leave by the local population. "There are a lot of good things that are happening," he said. "We have been very active in forwarding our plan, in assisting the people of Harney County in claiming and using their rights." He said once the group`s mission was accomplished, they would then go home. He did not elaborate or specify whether any local residents had accepted the offer for land, or how his group would go about stripping the federal government of ownership. On Monday, Harney County Sheriff David Ward called for the activists to pack up and leave town, as many locals denounced the group`s tactics. Dwight Hammond and his son Steven, the two ranchers who prompted the standoff and who have been sentenced to prison for setting fire to federal land, have also distanced themselves from the group. "The Hammonds have turned themselves in. It is time for you to leave our community," Ward said, addressing Bundy and the rest of the group. "Go home, be with your own families and end this peacefully." The occupation of the refuge reflects a decades-old dispute over land rights in the United States, where the federal government controls just over half of territory in 13 states. In Oregon, nearly 53 percent of the land is federally owned and that has led to tensions with local communities over mining, ranching, grazing and logging rights. While many disagree with the tactics used by the armed occupiers at the wildlife refuge, they say they illustrate mounting frustration over excessive federal government control over local communities. They point, among other things, to mounting environmental regulations that have made it harder for locals to eke out a living from the land. Bundy is the 40-year-old son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who was at the center of a previous armed standoff with government authorities in 2014, that time over grazing rights on public lands. The independent group of parents and their supporters that helped bring resignations of many Chabad lay and rabbinic leaders who covered up child sex abuse (or supported those leaders who did so) have asked Chabad's Melbourne Yeshivah Centre trustees for transparency, transparency Chabad promised months ago. But the group, PFYM, had to ask for this transparency in an open letter to the entire local Chabad community because Chabad leadership has consistently refused to answer private correspondence from PFYM or provide any real transparency at all. That stonewalling began in earnest just after lead abuse victim Manny Wax agreed to promote Chabad's efforts at 'reconciliation' with abuse victims efforts that do not include reconciliation with the advocates, supporters (like PFYM) parents and other family members of those victims. Borno: Boko Haram gunmen have mounted their first attacks since Nigeria`s government declared them "technically" defeated, killing seven people in a raid and suicide bombing, residents told AFP Wednesday. The attacks happened on Tuesday in the northeastern state of Borno, near the Islamists` Sambisa Forest hideout, where the army is looking to flush out remnants of the rebel group. President Muhammadu Buhari, who has made crushing the rebellion a priority, in December said a sustained counter-offensive had reduced the group`s ability to strike effectively. The first attack happened in Izgeki village, said one resident, who gave his name as Isyaku, from the town of Mubi in neighbouring Adamawa state. "I received information from my relatives who fled the attack... that some Boko Haram gunmen on bicycles attacked Izgeki across the river from Izghe on Tuesday morning where they killed two people. "The attack forced villagers to cross the river into Izghe. The gunmen pursued them. One of them who had a suicide belt on him blew himself up near the market, killing five people." Izghe was previously attacked in February 2014 where more than 100 people were killed as the rebels torched homes, opened fire and set off explosives. Thousands of residents fled the attack into Adamawa towards the town of Madagali and elsewhere but following the army`s recapture of territory, some managed to return and begin reconstruction. Izghe is in the district of Gwoza, which Boko Haram captured in August 2014 and which the group`s shadowy leader Abubakar Shekau declared the centre of its self-styled caliphate. Ayuba Chibok, an elder in the town of the same name, said there was also an attack in the nearby village of Nchiha at about 10:00 pm (2100 GMT) on Tuesday. "Luckily no-one was hurt but they (Boko Haram gunmen) looted food and burnt a large part of the village," he added. Residents managed to flee. Boko Haram kidnapped some 276 girls from their school in Chibok in April 2014 in a daring raid that captured world attention. Fifty seven escaped soon afterwards but 219 are still being held. Delhi: Iraq dispatched its foreign minister to Tehran on Wednesday with an offer to mediate in an escalating feud between Saudi Arabia and Iran, reflecting Baghdad`s fears that new sectarian conflict could unravel its campaign against Islamic State. Sunni Saudi Arabia`s execution of Shi`ite dissident Nimr al-Nimr on Saturday has inflamed sectarian anger across the Middle East, infuriating Iran, the region`s main Shi`ite Muslim power. After demonstrators sacked the Saudi embassy in Iran, Riyadh and some of its allies cut off diplomatic ties with Tehran. Iraq, where a Shi`ite-led government is urgently trying to reach out to minority Sunnis as it seeks to retake territory controlled by Islamic State militants, is particularly vulnerable to any upsurge in anger between the Muslim sects. Powerful Iran-backed Shi`ite militia called on Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi -- a Shi`ite who has staked his credibility on efforts to reconcile with Sunnis -- to shut a Saudi embassy that reopened only last month after decades of strained ties. Thousands of Shi`ites rallied in central Baghdad on Wednesday chanting slogans against the Saudi ruling family. Abadi sent Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari to Tehran to help defuse the crisis. Speaking with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, Jaafari said the row could have "wide-ranging repercussions". "We have solid relations with the Islamic Republic (Iran) and also we have relations with our Arab brothers and therefore we cannot stay silent in this crisis," Jaafari told the joint press conference in Tehran. There was no immediate reaction from Saudi Arabia to the Iraqi mediation offer. In what militia leaders described as only an early taste of the potential for street anger, a few thousand Shi`ite demonstrators rallied in central Baghdad on Wednesday and in smaller numbers in southern Shi`ite cities. "No, no to Al Saud! No, no to the embassy!" chanted the demonstrators who gathered on Tahrir (Liberation) Square in Baghdad, carrying the flags of the three most powerful Iranian-backed militias -- Badr Organisation, Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Kataib Hezbollah. "If our demands are not met we will take escalating measures," said Hajj Jawad al-Tulaibawi, a military spokesman for Asaib who was present at the protest. "We say to Abadi... he who leads needs to have a strong heart and be brave," he told Reuters. "If he can`t, he should leave." Abbas al-Tamimi, an Asaib leader at a small protest in the southern city of Basra, said a bigger response to Nimr`s death was coming. "The people`s patience with the crimes of the Al Saud tyrants has run out," he told Reuters at the Basra protest. Abadi took power in 2014 after Iraq`s army crumbled in the face of an onslaught by Islamic State militants, who swept through most of Iraq`s Sunni areas, capitalising on resentment to the Shi`ite-led authorities in Baghdad. The prime minister initially relied on Tehran-backed Shi`ite militias to help defend the capital. But more recently he has challenged militia leaders with deep political reforms designed to curb the influence of sectarian political parties. BETWEEN IRAN AND ARAB COUNTRIESThe Saudi embassy, which reopened last month, is located out of the protesters` reach in Baghdad`s heavily fortified Green Zone.It was closed in 1990 after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, and its reopening came as relations thawed under Abadi, signalling that the two countries would try to cooperate against Islamic State. Saudi Arabia is nominally part of a U.S.-led coalition targeting Islamic State with air strikes. Earlier this week, Iraqi Foreign Minister Jaafari reassured his counterpart in Riyadh that the Saudi embassy in Baghdad was safe and would not meet the same fate as the embassy in Tehran. The Iraqi government is trying to walk a middle line between Iran and the Sunni-ruled Arab countries in order to keep momentum against Islamic State, said Mona Alami, a Beirut-based analyst at the Atlantic Council think-tank. "Abadi needs all the allies he can get," she said. Abadi has declared 2016 the year of "final victory" against Islamic State, the ultra-hardline Sunni militant group that proclaimed a caliphate in 2014 over large sections of Sunni-populated territory in Iraq and Syria.Winning over Iraq`s Sunni population from Islamic State has been a key component in Abadi`s strategy of framing the war against the militants as a campaign against terrorism rather than a continuation of decade-long Sunni-Shi`ite fighting. His approach scored its first major success in the final days of 2015, when the Iraqi army, backed by U.S-led coalition air strikes and a Sunni tribal force, dislodged the militants from the centre of Ramadi, the capital of the western province of Anbar. Until then, it was the Iranian-backed Shi`ite militias that had led the fight against Islamic State. They were kept from the battlefield in Ramadi to reassure the Sunni population. "Abadi is caught between two fires: the Sunni hardliners and the Shi`ite hardliners," said Mustafa Alani, the United Arab Emirates-based director of security and defence studies at the Gulf Research Center think-tank. Speaking alongside Jaafari, Iran`s foreign minister Zarif accused Saudi Arabia of rebuffing Iran`s offers to cooperate on "terrorism and extremism". Iranian President Hassan Rouhani accused Riyadh of fuelling regional tensions. "Saudi Arabia is trying to cover up its defeats and domestic problems by creating tension in the region," Rouhani said in a speech broadcast on Iranian state television on Wednesday. Istanbul: It`s an occasional but regular sighting in Istanbul. Out of the mist on the Bosphorus that divides Europe and Asia looms the hulk of a Russian warship purposefully making its way to the Mediterranean. Most likely the ship is part of Moscow`s so-called "Syria Express", a key supply line for naval deliveries from its Black Sea ports to military operations backing the regime of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Dozens of Russian warships, auxiliary naval cargo ships and sometimes even submarines have passed through the Bosphorus Strait, northbound and southbound. Every month since Russia stepped up operations inside Syria last year, according to maritime experts. But the sight of a Russian warship in Istanbul is striking given that Moscow and Ankara are experiencing their worst relations since the end of the Cold War after the shooting down of a Russian warplane by Turkish jets on the Syrian border on November 24. The two countries back opposing sides in Syria`s almost five-year civil war, with Russia the key supporter of the Damascus regime while Turkey argues that the ouster of Assad is essential to solving the Syrian crisis. Analysts say that Turkey is bound by the 1936 Montreux Convention on the Dardanelles and Bosphorus, a treaty that gives Ankara full control over the two Straits while committing it to allowing the free passage of naval traffic from Black Sea littoral states. Under its terms, Turkey can only block Russian naval shipping if war is declared or if it feels under an imminent threat of war. "Since there is no declared war between these two countries it is not possible for Turkey to close the Straits to Russian warships," said Cem Devrim Yaylali, Istanbul-based Turkish naval expert and editor of the Bosphorus Naval News website. He said that even "in the worst days of the Cold War" -- pitting NATO member Turkey against the Soviet Union -- Ankara and Moscow both observed the treaty. Mikhail Voitenko, Russian maritime expert and editor of the Maritime Bulletin website, said that the supplies delivered via the Bosphorus were a "lifeline" for the Syria campaign. "Without the Syrian Express, the Syrian campaign would choke in days or weeks." The ships come from Russia`s Black Sea naval port or its Sevastapol base in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014 in a move opposed by much of the international community including Turkey. After entering the Black Sea mouth of the Bosphorus, they sail through the iconic waterway in full view, passing famous landmarks like the Ottoman-era Dolmabahce and Topkapi Palaces. They then sail across the Sea of Marmara before passing through the Dardanelles and turning south towards the Mediterranean coast of Syria and Russia`s naval base at Tartus, its only such facility outside the ex-USSR. Their passage, however, has not been without tensions in recent weeks. Turkey accused Russia of "provocation" when a soldier aboard the Tsezar Kunikov was spotted on December 4 with a MANPAD shoulder launched missile aimed at the shore. The Kilo-class Russian submarine Rostov na-Donu was also followed by a Turkish patrol vessel during its passage through the Bosphorus last month. Almost all the naval traffic in the Bosphorus is Russian. However, the Arleigh Burke class US destroyer USS Ross made a passage in mid-December, possibly in a show of NATO support to Turkey at the peak of the crisis with Moscow. After one of its planes was shot down just on the Syria border, Moscow has discouraged Russians from travelling to Turkey dealing a blow to the tourism industry and also imposed sanctions on selected goods. But it stopped short of using the full potential array of sanctions and analysts say Russia may be mindful that Turkey could still disrupt the transit of materials to Syria. Voitenko said Turkey could "disrupt the Syrian Express to a near fiasco without violating any of the international agreements on Straits shipping regime." He argued that as well as the warships and auxiliary cargo ships, ordinary freighters are also involved and these could be stopped by Turkish authorities under any pretext. "In fact, Turkey may stop the Russian campaign in Syria without a single shot fired...," he added. New York: An Indian-origin British national, who was a former partner at consulting firm McKinsey & Co, has been arrested here on allegations of fraud amounting to nearly USD 890,000. Navdeep Arora, a former partner in the Chicago office of McKinsey & Company, was arrested on Sunday at JFK International Airport in New York. Arora, 51, of London, is charged with eight counts of wire fraud in an indictment filed in US District Court in Chicago. Arora made an initial appearance yesterday in District Court in New York and was ordered detained pending further proceedings, the Department of Justice said. The indictment, which was returned in August and unsealed yesterday, also charges Matthew Sorensen, a former internal consultant for State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, with five counts of wire fraud. Sorensen, 49, of Bloomington, Illinois, is scheduled to appear for arraignment on January 11 in Chicago. According to the federal charges, Arora oversaw various consulting services provided by McKinsey to State Farm. The indictment contends that Arora and Sorensen used two companies ? "Gabriel Solutions" and "Andy?s BCB" ? to defraud their employers out of phony consulting fees. Sorensen billed McKinsey for the bogus work purportedly performed by the companies, and Arora allocated the fees to the State Farm projects to which he was assigned, according to the indictment. As a result of the scheme, McKinsey and State Farm paid USD 38,265 for consulting services purportedly performed by "Andy's BCB", and USD 452,710 in fees billed by Gabriel Solutions," the indictment states. Sorensen pocketed nearly all of the fees paid to "Andy's BCB," and he took approximately USD 370,000 of the amount paid to "Gabriel Solutions", according to the indictment. In addition to the phony consulting services, the indictment contends that Arora fraudulently obtained over USD 400,000 from McKinsey, State Farm and other McKinsey clients in the form of travel and expense reimbursements. Arora claimed that the costs had been incurred for legitimate business purposes, when in reality the expenses pertained to Arora's personal travel. The indictment alleges that Arora falsely expensed personal trips to Scottsdale, Napa, Vail, Miami, Las Vegas, New York, London, Prague and Munich, among others. Arora also obtained reimbursement for personal expenditures he incurred in Chicago while residing there, the indictment states. The Chicago expenses included hotel, dining and theatre costs, according to the indictment, it said. Seoul: Nuclear experts cast doubt on Wednesday on North Korea's claimed first successful test of a miniaturised hydrogen bomb, saying the detected seismic activity suggested a less powerful device. The announcement followed hints last month by leader Kim Jong-Un that Pyongyang had already developed a hydrogen, or thermonuclear, bomb -- a claim greeted with scepticism by experts at the time. Crispin Rovere, an Australia-based nuclear policy and arms control specialist, said the 5.1 magnitude tremor detected at the North's Punggye-ri nuclear test site was too small to support Pyongyang's claim. "The seismic data that's been received indicates that the explosion is probably significantly below what one would expect from an H-bomb test," Rovere told AFP. "So initially it seems to be that they've successfully conducted a nuclear test but unsuccessfully completed the second-stage hydrogen explosion," Rovere said. The test came just two days before Kim Jong-Un's birthday. Analysts said the North's leader had been looking for a major achievement to highlight at a rare ruling party congress scheduled for May -- the first gathering of its kind for 35 years. "I don't think it was a hydrogen bomb test. The explosion had to be larger if it was a hydrogen bomb test," said Choi Kang, vice president of the Seoul-based Asan Institute for Policy Studies. "I think they are disguising it as a hydrogen test because Kim Jong-un mentioned it before," Choi said. A thermonuclear bomb uses fusion in a chain reaction that results in a far more powerful explosion than the fission blast generated by uranium or plutonium alone. The North has made many unverifiable claims about its nuclear weapons strength, including the ability to strike the US mainland, which most experts dismiss -- at least for now. In September, however, the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security had raised a red flag over what appeared to be a new "hot cell" facility under construction at the North's main Yongbyon nuclear complex. Radiation Fears Analysts at the think tank said satellite images suggested it could be an isotope separation facility capable of producing tritium -- a key component in the design of thermonuclear weapons. Bruce Bennett, a senior defence analyst with the Rand Corporation, was also unconvinced by the H-bomb test claim. "If it were a real H-bomb, the Richter Scale reading should have been about a hundred times more powerful than what we saw, which would have been in the range of seven or so," he told AFP. Bennett assessed Wednesday's explosion as in the 10-15 kiloton range, just less than the Hiroshima blast in 1945. He said the fusion element of the explosion may have failed entirely, or the fission element did not operate correctly. But Bennett said the increasing power of the blasts heightened the prospect of triggering an earthquake and the release of radiation from the underground test site, a source of great concern to Chinese people across the border. Asked about next steps, Bennett said: "We have to be concerned because he has this separate party congress that he's planning to do in May, which is a huge political deal." "And he's done a test now which most people and most experts in the world will say didn't work. Is he going to be forced before May to do another test to demonstrate that they can get it to work? And that's the ultimate instability." South Korea's National Intelligence Service, which briefed lawmakers after the North's announcement, also said it was unlikely to have been a hydrogen bomb. A member of the parliamentary intelligence committee who attended the briefing said the NIS had seen no tell-tale signs of an explosion powerful enough to be attributed to an H-bomb. The North's first two nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009 were of plutonium devices, while the third in 2013 was believed -- though not confirmed -- to have used uranium as its fissile material. Seong Chai-Ki, senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, said Wednesday's was more likely a boosted fission test -- generally seen as a precursor to a full H-bomb detonation. "There has been speculation that North Korea would first test its boosted fission weapon rather than going directly to a hydrogen bomb test," Seong told AFP. Seoul: North Korea said Wednesday it had carried out a "successful" hydrogen bomb test, a claim that -- if true -- massively raises the stakes over the hermit state`s banned nuclear programme. Neighbouring South Korea`s National Security Council "strongly condemned" the test, while Japanese Prime Minister described it as a "great threat" that represented a gross violation of UN Security Council resolutions. "The republic`s first hydrogen bomb test has been successfully performed at 10:00 am (0330 GMT)," North Korean state television announced. "With the perfect success of our historic H-bomb, we have joined the rank of advanced nuclear states," it said, adding that the test was of a miniaturised device. A hydrogen, or thermonuclear device, uses fusion in a chain reaction that results in a far more powerful explosion than the fission blast generated by uranium or plutonium alone. Last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un suggested Pyongyang had already developed a hydrogen bomb. The claim was questioned by international experts and there was continued scepticism over Wednesday`s test announcement."This weapon was probably the size of the US Hiroshima bomb but this was not a hydrogen bomb. It was fission technology," Bruce Bennett, a senior defence analyst with the Rand Corporation told the BBC. "The bang they should have gotten would have been 10 times greater than what they got," Bennett said. Given the estimated yield, the device was "unlikely to be a true 2-stage thermonuclear bomb," tweeted James Acton, co-director of the nuclear policy program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The test, which came just two days before Kim Jong-Un`s birthday, was initially detected by international seismology monitors as a 5.1-magnitude tremor next to the North`s main Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the northeast of the country. Most experts had assumed Pyongyang was years from developing a thermonuclear bomb, while assessments were divided on how far it had gone in mastering the technology to miniaturise a warhead. Whether an H-bomb or not, it was North Korea`s fourth nuclear test and marked a striking act of defiance that flew in the face of enemies and allies alike who have warned Pyongyang it would pay a steep price for moving forward with its nuclear weapons programme.The three previous tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013 triggered waves of UN sanctions. Their failure to prevent a fourth detonation will place the Security Council under intense pressure to take more drastic action this time around. It throws down a particular challenge to US President Barack Obama who, during a visit to South Korea in 2014, lashed North Korea as a "pariah state" and vowed sanctions with "more bite" if Pyongyang went ahead with another test. The response of China, North Korea`s economic and diplomatic patron, will be key. Beijing has restrained US-led allies from stronger action against Pyongyang in the past, but has shown increasing frustration with its refusal to suspend testing. But China`s leverage over Pyongyang is mitigated, analysts say, by its overriding fear of a North Korean collapse and the prospect of a reunified, US-allied Korea directly on its border. China has been pushing for a resumption of six-party, aid-for-disarmament talks on North Korea, insisting that engagement with Pyongyang is the only way forward. The six-party process, involving the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, has been in limbo since 2007 and Pyongyang`s decision to move ahead with a fourth test has almost certainly hammered the final nail in its coffin. After its last nuclear test in 2013, the North restarted a plutonium reactor that it had shut down at its Yongbyon complex in 2007 under an aid-for-disarmament accord. The Yongbyon reactor is capable of producing six kilograms (13 pounds) of plutonium a year -- enough for one nuclear bomb. Pyongyang is currently believed to have enough plutonium for as many as six bombs, after using part of its stock for at least two of its three atomic tests to date. It is still unclear whether the 2013 test used plutonium or uranium as its fissile material. Mexico City: The investigation into the murder of a mayor in central Mexico has led police to a clandestine grave containing five other bodies, authorities said Tuesday. The burial spot was found in the community of Alpuyeca following the killing of Temixco Mayor Gisela Mota, who was murdered on Saturday, just one day after taking office. "As a result of this regrettable event in Temixco, an investigative process was triggered that led us to make another discovery," Matias Quiroz Medina, a senior Morelos state government official, told reporters. Three people -- a 32-year-old woman, an 18-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy -- who were detained right after the mayor`s murder were formally charged with homicide on Tuesday. Two other suspects were killed in a shootout with police on Saturday. Officials did not say whether the grave had any direct links to Mota`s murder. Authorities suspect that the drug gang known as Los Rojos killed Mota, 33, because she backed a plan to place state and municipal police into a unified command structure. The United Nations agencies for human and women`s rights condemned Mota`s killing, calling it a "grave crime" that also "disrupts the political rights of women" guaranteed by Mexico`s constitution. In a joint statement, they urged the authorities to find the perpetrators, investigate the crime by taking the victim`s gender into account and make sure politicians, notably women, are protected. While Mexico has made great strides toward equality between men and women in Congress, the participation of women in mayoral offices "is still insufficient," the statement said. The communique was signed by the Mexico branches of UN Women, which is dedicated to gender equality, and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Moscow: Russia on Wednesday slammed the claimed testing of a hydrogen bomb by North Korea as a clear breach of international law that could enflame tensions across the region. "If this test is confirmed then it will be a new step by Pyongyang on the path of developing nuclear weapons, which is a flagrant violation of international law and existing UN Security Council resolutions," Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement. "Such actions are fraught with the possibility of aggravating the situation on the Korean peninsula, which already has a very high potential for military and political confrontation," it said. Moscow called on all sides to "show maximum restraint and to refrain from any actions that could lead to an uncontrolled increase in tensions". The foreign ministry reiterated Moscow's commitment to diplomatic talks on resolving tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions and urged a "start soon to a dialogue" aimed at ensuring peace and stability in the region. A spokesman for President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was "extremely concerned" by the claims of a hydrogen bomb test by North Korea -- which borders Russia -- and that the Kremlin strongman had told scientists to look into it. "President Vladimir Putin has ordered all data from monitoring stations, including seismological stations, to be studied thoroughly and to analyse the situation if a test is confirmed," spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies. Earlier today, North Korea said it had carried out a "successful" miniaturised hydrogen bomb test in a shock announcement that triggered swift international condemnation but also scepticism. The claimed test, which came just two days before Kim Jong-Un's birthday, was initially detected as a 5.1-magnitude tremor at the North's main Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the northeast of the country. United States: A US soldier was killed and two injured after they were shot at in Afghanistan, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. The incident took place on Tuesday in Marjah in Afghanistan`s Helmand province, Peter Cook, spokesman for the US Defence Department said, adding that a number of Afghan forces were also injured, Xinhua news agency reported. Two Medevac helicopters were sent to provide assistance. One was waived off after taking fire and returned safely to its base, and the second landed safely but sustained damage to its rotor blades after it apparently struck a wall, Cook said. The spokesman said a fight is still going on in the immediate surroundings. The US-backed forces have been fighting to suppress the Taliban in Marjah for weeks. "The situation in Helmand and throughout Afghanistan remains challenging," Cook said. "But we are confident that the Afghan national security and defense forces are continuing to develop the capabilities and capacity to secure the country against a persistent insurgent threat." In a huge victory for press freedom, New Zealand's High Court has ruled decisively in favor of independent journalist Nicky Hager in his case against the New Zealand government for raiding his house and seizing his family's possessions in 2014. The court's decision, which was released on December 17, 2015 just before the holidays, is not only a vindication for Hager and his work, but an important win for all journalists and whistleblowers in New Zealand. You might recall that in October of 2014, Freedom of the Press Foundation crowd-funded over $23,000 for Hager's legal defense, given the outrageous raid on his house was for nothing more than doing a job as his journalist. Here's how we described the background of the case then: Hager recently wrote an explosive book entitled Dirty Politics based on an anonymous source in the lead-up to New Zealand's most recent election. The book showed how Prime Minister John Key's administration was feeding information to a far right-wing blog in an attempt to smear its opponents. The New Zealand Herald called the book "an election bombshell" and its revelations led to the resignation of New Zealand's Justice Minister at the end of August. But just days after recent Key's re-election, Hager's home was raided by New Zealand police for ten hours. "Soon after the police arrived, the lead detective stated that I was not a suspect in their case, merely a witness," Hager said in a statement on October 6th. Yet the police "seized a large collection of papers and electronic equipment belonging to my family, including computers, drives, phones, CDs, an IPOD and a camera." At the time, Hager was also working on stories based on the Snowden documents and in partnership with the Intercept about the relationship between the NSA and New Zealand's intelligence services. As Intercept journalist (and one of our founding board members) Glenn Greenwald wrote, "While there is no evidence that Hager's work on NSA documents was a factor in the raid, it is possible that authorities knew or suspected that he had been given access to some of those documents." Greenwald continued: Whether or not Hager's work with The Intercept may have partially motivated the raid, the situation underscores the dangers of using invasive law enforcement tactics against reportersthey impede the reporting process, render source relationships very difficult to protect, and offer the very authorities that reporters are attempting to hold accountable a window into their ongoing reporting. We couldn't agree more. Nicky sent us this statement on his court victory and reminded everyone that the court battle is not over yet: I am very grateful to everyone who gave money, and with it moral support, in the biggest fight of my life to protect sources. I am pleased to report it is going well. We have just won the most important court case, on the police search of my home, and are now challenging the police efforts to identify my sources by non-warranted searches of my bank, on-line and travel data. Thank you for joining me in this fight. We'd like to join Nicky in thanking all of the people who donated to support his legal defense. Often, press freedom does not come easy, and he has showed why it's important to always continue the fight. Threats and pressure from haredi political parties caused the Israel Antiquities Authority to halt its excavation of ancient burial caves in the Gilo neighborhood of southern Jerusalem. Above: Atra Kadisha supporters protesting the Toldos Aharon Rebbe on a visit to Williamsburg, Brooklyn several years ago. The Rebbe did not agree with Atra Kadisha's attempt to stop construction of a different housing complex in Beit Shemesh. Shas Unites With Haredi Graves Extortion Group To Stop Excavation Of Jerusalem Archeological Site Shmarya Rosenberg FailedMessiah.com Threats and pressure from haredi political parties caused the Israel Antiquities Authority to halt its excavation of ancient burial caves in the Gilo neighborhood of southern Jerusalem, Haaretz reported. The area is where the burial caves are located is slated to become a new residential area, Gilo Slopes West, with 708 apartments that will be heavily occupied by haredim. The archaeological excavations, standard for every new build in key areas of the country like Jerusalem, would delay the construction. Gilo Slopes West is located on the other side of the green line from Israel proper. The US and other western nations oppose Israeli building on the site as a result. 115 shafts containing graves have so far been found at the site by state archeologists. Most appear to be empty and were likely robbed before pre-construction work and the excavations began. Members of the often violent haredi graves protection organization Atra Kadisha protested at the site today causing Antiquities Authority personnel working at the site to pack up and leave. Atra Kadisha is closely linked to the vehemently anti-Zionist Edah Haredit haredi umbrella organization. It has a long history of violence and extortion which was extensively exposed by Israeli news media over the past several years. Even so, Atra Kadishas leaders and key activists have not been prosecuted. Minister of the Development of the Negev Aryeh Deri of the Sefardi haredi Shas Party asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop the archeological excavations at the site earlier this week, citing concerns that archeologists would desecrate the graves. Deri reportedly asked Netanyahu to order Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Minister Zeev Elkin to stop the archeologists from working at the site until a solution conforming to halakha (Orthodox Jewish law) could be found to protect the graves from any desecration. According to the Shas Party, Netanyahu granted Deris request. The Antiquities Authority reportedly decided to stop all excavations at the site today because of Deris deal with Netanyahu, not just because of its fears of Atra Kadisha violence. Haredi sources say a compromise was proposed in which the buildings would be built on pillars, not on a standard foundation, and the what would have been the first two floors of the buildings would be open air space. This would allow the buildings to be occupied by haredim without violating most haredi understandings of halakha. The developers reportedly agreed, but only on condition the Construction Ministry compensate them for the extra costs involved and for the loss of sales of two floors of each apartment building. The Construction Ministry refused.. Ofer Ayoubi, the head of Gilos community administration, was fed up with the squabbling over the site and took his own action. I asked Atra Kadisha to inform the ultra-Orthodox purchasers that they were going to be living above graves. I will make every effort not to hurt the feelings of others, and at the same time to allow construction in Gilo to continue, Ayoubi said. Want to download something fast? A new report has released average LTE wireless speeds in Canada, and its results may come as a surprise. U.K.-based OpenSignal reports that regional carriers Videotron and SaskTel had the top average speeds in the country between Sept. 1 and Nov. 30, 2015. Average speeds on those two high-speed LTE networks was greater than 27 megabits per second (Mbps), and OpenSignal called the results "impressive" in its latest State of Mobile Networks report for Canada. OpenSignal makes an app that measures wireless download speeds to help smartphone users locate a better wireless signal or provide evidence for complaints about their wireless service. It generates data for its report by automatically measuring the download speeds of users who have installed its app several times a day. In Canada, that included 27 million data points from more than 15,600 users. Telus, Bell and Rogers, the three carriers with 90 per cent of the Canadian market, were measured as being slower than SaskTel and Videotron. They all averaged more than 17 Mbps, according to the report. "Bell, however, edged out its rivals with an average speed of 19.9 Mbps." But it's not fair to compare the speeds of those national carriers with smaller carriers likes SaskTel, which operates only in Saskatchewan, and Videotron, which operates only in Quebec, said Jasmin Schawalder, marketing and PR director, OpenSignal. "They can focus on a much smaller area and be really strong there," she said in a phone interview. "But if you're a national operator, especially in a country like Canada where you need to cover very remote places, your overall score might not be that high. It's kind of like comparing apples to pears." Slower than advertised speeds All average speeds measured by OpenSignal are much slower than advertised speeds. Bell may have the fastest LTE speeds among the Big 3, but 19.9 Mbps is still much slower than the 4G speeds of up to 42 Mbps and LTE speeds of up to 150 Mbps it advertises on its website. Story continues "We measure the speed you get on a day-to-day basis in reality," Schawalder said. Users usually only get a fraction of the theoretical maximum speed, she added if another user connects to the same cell tower as them or if they are farther away from the tower, their speed will be reduced. The type of phone they have may also make a difference. "Carriers get away with promoting theoretical maximums because there aren't any standards around displaying typical speeds,'" Schawalder added in an email. "It's a practice that has gone on in the fixed line world for years, but it's our mission at OpenSignal to provide consumers with access to this more useful, realistic data." OpenSignal's measured speeds are also slower than the speeds measured in at least one other report using crowdsourced data. The report by PC Mag released last September relied on network speed testing by Seattle, Wash.-based Ookla. Ookla and OpenSignal confirmed that they use different methodologies OpenSignal says it tries to show speeds during typical use, while Ookla tries to eliminate factors that are beyond the control of the carrier when its measurements are recorded. While the measured speeds from Canada's wireless carriers might not sound that high, OpenSignal notes that Canada's Big 3 wireless carriers are "far above" the global average of 12.6 Mbps among 140 countries included in an OpenSignal report last September. Overall, in that report, Canada ranked 17th for wireless speeds. New Zealand was first with an average LTE speed of 35 Mbps. Many Canadian carriers have also started rolling out even faster LTE-Advanced technology, which Bell says can offer speeds of up to 335 Mbps. Canada is "definitely one of the most advanced markets when it comes to 4G in the world," Schawalder said. On the other hand, Canadians pay some of the highest prices in the world for wireless service and prices are rising. By Stephanie Nebehay and Suleiman Al-Khalidi GENEVA/AMMAN (Reuters) - The United Nations urged Jordan on Tuesday to allow in 12,000 Syrian refugees stranded at the border in deteriorating humanitarian conditions and offered to help reinforce security at registration points. The Syrians are fleeing escalating air strikes on their battered homeland as well as punishments imposed on civilians by Islamic State militants in the north, including forced marriages, beheadings and floggings, it said. The number of refugees at Syria's remote northeastern border with Jordan, where many are gathering near an earthen wall or berm, has jumped to 12,000 from 4,000 in recent weeks, the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said. Human Rights Watch said Jordan was putting many lives at risk by blocking 12,000 refugees, most of whom it said were women and children. "Jordan should stop stranding people in remote border areas for months on end and swiftly screen them in the countrys well-established transit centers," Nadim Houry, deputy Middle East and North Africa director of HRW, said in the statement. Aid workers and two Jordanian relief officials attributed the sudden rise in refugees at the border to Russian bombing of IS-controlled areas in eastern Homs, such as Palmyra, as well as in Raqqa province and city. A Jordanian official declined comment. "It includes elderly people, it includes people who are sick and wounded, it includes children, women and others who are vulnerable and really need help," UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told a briefing. "We're concerned that women have had to give birth at the berm in very unsanitary and unhygienic conditions," she said. HEALTH PROBLEMS MOUNT Respiratory tract infections, gastroenteritis and skin diseases such as scabies have been reported. There are signs of acute malnutrition among children and outbreaks of diarrhea. The UNHCR is appealing to Jordan to allow in the most vulnerable cases, Fleming said. Diplomats say refugee numbers in Jordan have fallen sharply in the last 18 months as tens of thousands have returned to Syria or emigrated while only a trickle are now allowed in. Jordanian officials have closed scores of unofficial border crossings since May 2013 and say the kingdom has reached its limit in absorbing more refugees. The numbers entering Jordan have slowed to fewer than 50 a day this year, according to UNHCR. Jordan still hosts 632,228 Syrian refugees, severely straining its infrastructure and economy, Fleming said. She said Jordan had legitimate security concerns but those could be addressed by properly assessing each case, and UNHCR was prepared to upgrade security of the registration area at Jordan's Azraq camp to allow for comprehensive screening. "If refugees are not admitted to Jordan and substantial assistance is not provided, the lives of refugees will be at risk in the coming months," Fleming said. (Editing by Tom Heneghan) By Yeganeh Torbati and James Mackenzie WASHINGTON/KABUL (Reuters) - One member of the U.S. armed forces was killed and two others were wounded on Tuesday in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province, the site of fierce fighting between Taliban insurgents and American-backed Afghan government forces, the U.S. military said. The U.S. troops came under fire in the town of Marjah while accompanying Afghan special operations forces, and a U.S. helicopter was damaged in the incident, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said. Afghan troops also were injured in the fighting, Cook added. American special operations troops were part of the mission accompanying Afghan forces, a U.S. defense official said. "U.S. special operators are ... allowed to engage and train, advise and assist their special operations counterparts," Cook said. "They've been in Helmand province providing this kind of support in the past." Two U.S. HH-60 Pave Hawk medical evacuation helicopters were sent to provide assistance, Cook said. One was waved off after taking fire and returned to its base, while the second landed safely but struck a wall, damaged its rotor blades, and remained on the ground, Cook added. The American killed in the incident became the first U.S. military death of 2016 in Afghanistan. The incident underscored the continuing danger faced by American troops who have been fighting in Afghanistan since 2001. "My understanding is that there may still be Americans on the ground in this immediate situation engaging with the enemy in support of Afghan forces," Cook said. "This is a fluid situation." For more than six months, Helmand has been the scene of battles between insurgents and security forces that have complained of being abandoned by the U.S.-backed Afghan government. The deputy governor of the volatile southern province said in December that Helmand could fall to the Taliban after months of heavy fighting. Story continues U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has been updated by U.S. commanders in Kabul on the situation via videoconference, Cook said. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said President Barack Obama had been briefed on the incident. Obama last year slowed the pace of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, announcing he would maintain a force of 9,800 through most of 2016. The security situation in Afghanistan has worsened. A Pentagon report last month stated Taliban forces were able to stage more attacks and inflict more casualties on Afghan forces in 2015 compared to 2014. "We believe we're on the right course," Cook said. "We remain confident in the future of the Afghan government and the Afghan security forces." (Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu and Susan Heavey in Washington; Editing by Alison Williams and Will Dunham) A Zionist Orthodox IDF soldier, Corporal Elad Sela, was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison yesterday for leaking classified IDF operational plans to extremist West Bank Jewish settlers. Above: Elad Sela Zionist Orthodox Soldier From Haredi IDF Unit Sentenced To Almost 4 Years For Espionage Against The IDF Shmarya Rosenberg FailedMessiah.com A Zionist Orthodox IDF soldier, Corporal Elad Sela, was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison yesterday for leaking classified IDF operational plans to extremist West Bank Jewish settlers, the Times of Israel reported. Sela is a resident of the radical West Bank settlement of Bat Ayin, founded by extremist Chabad Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh in the late 1980s. Since then, Bat Ayin has produced at least one Jewish terror cell. Ginsburgh, who lives in Kfar Chabad, no longer has day-to-day contact with Bat Ayin. Sela passed the confidential military information to member of the Hilltop Youth who committed a series of hate crime price tag attacks against Palestinians, churches, and mosques. The classified information helped the Hilltop Youth members evade capture and continue their attacks. Sela, who was arrested last March, was a member of the IDFs haredi Shahar project. In Shahar, Sela served as an intelligence officer. The results of Selas spying for the Hilltop Youth members is what finally started in motion a chain of events that brought him down. After a mosque in a Palestinian village near Bat Ayin was torched and vandalized in mid-February, a Shin Bet investigation pointed to several Bat Ayin residents. The IDF staged a raid in Bat Ayin to arrest the suspects but were met with a violent riot. That raised suspicions that Bat Ayin residents received advance warning of the raid. And that soon after led to Sela, who was arrested in March. Sela was convicted of carrying out unauthorized searches in classified systems concerning the criminal activity carried out by residents of Bat Ayin, where he lives, as well as actions taken by security forces against such activity. Over a long period, which ended with the arrest, Sela gave classified information to various individuals suspected of carrying out hostile activity against Palestinians, information which assisted these individuals in evading and foiling the activity of security forces in the area, the IDF reportedly said in a statement. barack obama crying tear tears The internet is abuzz with the news that President Barack Obama shed some tears during an emotional gun-control speech on Tuesday. The president got choked up while talking about the 2012 attack at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut, an example of the gun violence that has plagued the US in the last few years. This was hardly the first time a leader has teared up a number of politicians, from Russian president Vladimir Putin to Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, have cried in public. Does crying make a leader look weak, or does it help them influence others? Many experts say as long as that emotion is sincere, it can increase people's support and admiration. As behavioral expert Judi James told the BBC in 2010, crying can boost support for a leader by making people warm to them. "Crying has a profound effect on someone," she told the BBC. "It's something that babies do to get nurture and attention and love, and we are almost hard-wired to have an empathetic response and a sympathetic response and that will still occur." Meanwhile, Deborah Milstein wrote in The Harvard Business Review that "crying in a work context is sometimes appropriate, acceptable, and even, as Obama demonstrates, admirable." (Milstein was writing after Obama cried when he won the 2012 reelection.) "Tears and any other authentic display of emotion show that we're deeply moved, which in turn moves our audience," Milstein wrote. "If it's genuine, a leader showing emotion can have a powerful motivational impact," Travis Bradberry, author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0, told Business Insider. "Shedding tears can show people that a leader is human and this has a powerful impact, as long as the show of emotion is appropriate for the situation." However, as James told the BBC, if we suspect that the crier is openly breaking down because they want something from us, we can become skeptical of their tears. Story continues There's a long history of leaders getting emotional in public. Yet psychologists and political experts say that the public response to these leaders especially male leaders has evolved over the last few decades. vladimir putin tearing cries Silvio Berlusconi For example, former US presidential candidate Ed Muskie cried during the New Hampshire primary in 1972 while defending his wife from a newspaper attack, and the incident may have decreased his support among voters because it portrayed him as weak. "I think things have changed dramatically" since 1972, Severin Beliveau told The Boston Globe. Beliveau is an attorney and former politician, who was standing beside Muskie as he cried in public. "I think we have matured as a society over the past 30 years over these issues," Beliveau said. Writing in Psychology Today, psychologist Romeo Vitelli says: "Rigid gender roles have loosened slightly in recent decades with 'sensitive' males becoming more widely accepted, even for politicians. ... John Boehner has cried on camera often enough to earn him the nickname of 'Weeper of the House' with little political fallout." Reactions to Obama's tears have been mixed. The TODAY show highlighted tweets from people across the country, one of which read, "Seeing President Obama cry makes me proud to have a leader so moved by the stories and lives of Americans." Another tweet questioned Obama's authenticity: "and the Oscar for the 'best fake crying to make an emotional point to push his anti-gun agenda' goes to... President Obama!!!" Bottom line: Reactions to tears from a leader will always be mixed. But if they're genuine, and appropriate to the circumstances, in today's age it's almost certain that at least some people will be moved and inspired. NOW WATCH: A Navy SEAL explains the one key to success More From Business Insider AP_615558214158 The leader of the self-styled Oregon militia apparently compared himself to civil-rights activist Rosa Parks. Ammon Bundy, the man who has emerged as the leader of a group that has engaged in an armed occupation of a wildlife refuge in eastern Oregon, tweeted that he and his group were doing exactly what Parks once did. "We are doing the same thing as Rosa Parks did. We are standing up against bad laws which dehumanize us and destroy our freedom," he wrote in a tweet posted early Wednesday morning, according to CBS. The comment earned condemnation from various corners of the internet. Bundy has appeared as a leader of the militia group along with his brother Ryan. This isn't the first time the Bundy family has engaged in a standoff with the federal Bureau of Land Management: The brothers' father, Cliven, sparred with the federal government in a similar 2014 armed protest in Nevada. The armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is entering its fifth day. On Saturday, about two dozen armed protesters broke into the refuge's unoccupied building and refused to leave. It followed a march in protest of new prison sentences for two ranchers who were convicted and previously served time for setting fire to federal grazing land. Those two ranchers, Dwight Hammond, 73, and Steven Hammond, 46, reported to prison Monday, Reuters reported. A judge ruled in October that their prior terms for the arson three months for the father and one year for the son were too short under federal law. They will now serve about four more years each. The Hammonds said they set fires in 2001 and 2006 to stop invasive plants from spreading on their ranch, which is adjacent to the refuge near Burns, Oregon, according to the Associated Press. Prosecutors said the Hammonds set the fire to cover up poaching in the area. The group of anti-government protesters which is calling itself Citizens for Constitutional Freedom believes the Hammonds have been treated unfairly and exposed to double jeopardy for having to serve multiple sentences. They're demanding that federal lands be turned over to local authorities and that the Hammonds be freed. Story continues Local authorities have not yet attempted to reclaim the refuge. The local sheriff pleaded with the occupiers to "go home," and other residents haven't seemed pleased with their takeover, either. The Hammonds have tried to distance themselves from the militia, saying through their attorney that the group didn't speak for them. NOW WATCH: Police say the 'affluenza' teen is on the run More From Business Insider As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ "I would like to see Fedor next. I would like to fight Fedor next. I'm a Bellator fighter; I represented Bellator in the tournament and won the tournament. I put Bellator on my back with the support of Kevin Kay, Spike TV, Scott Coker, and the whole Bellator staff and Spike TV staff. Now lets get Fedor over here to America and let me fight Fedor in Bellator...I'll fight Fedor at whatever weight he wants to fight me at. I respect him and I think it will be a great fight. I'm healthy, he's healthy and he's back and I think it will be a great fight for the fans in America," stated Bellator light heavyweight contender and RIZIN heavyweight champion King Mo Lawal, who talked about his victories in the tournament, his future plans, and much more. Check it out! PC: Congratulations on capturing the RIZIN heavyweight title. What was the Japanese experience like for you? KM: Being in Japan was cool. They trying to bring MMA back to the forefront. It was a good thing to see. The fans were respectful. Ain't much changed; they just trying to get the fans more involved and get the fan base back to what it used to be. PC: You entered a heavyweight tournament without even a second thought. Do you feel comfortable competing from anywhere between 185 and heavyweight? KM: Yeah, if it's paying, I'm fighting, you know what I'm saying? PC: For sure. You showed a range of skills over the course of the tournament. In the first fight, you mixed your wrestling and standup together well, the second fight you fought very smart, and in the third, you showed your power. Can you give a fight by fight breakdown of what you were doing and feeling in there? KM: In the first fight, I feel like I was rushing. What happened was...here is the thing about Japan that I don't like, we left for the venue at 8:30 in the morning and we were there from 8:30 till fight time. We did ring check at 11:00 and you couldn't take in no outside food, so literally before I fought, the last thing I ate was breakfast, so when I went out there, I tried to go out there hard, but I think I should have been a little more patient. I was thinking I'm going to take this dude down and punish him and I predicted I was going to stop him in 7 minutes. It ended up being right after 10 minutes almost when I stopped him. Dude was strong, man. He had a strong chin. At one point, when I was punching him in the face, he was like, "Am I bleeding?" He was talking to me, dog, asking me if he was bleeding. PC: He had a very thick beard. I don't know if that played a part in him eating some of your power punches early, but his beard was thick. KM: He was a tough dude from England. He had thick neck muscles. When he started getting tired, I could tell the shots were hurting him more. When he got up and I hit him with that lead right hand, I took that quarter turn, that pivot step and finished him off against the ropes. I think he was tired and it made my shots hurt him even worse when I would hit him. I should have went to the body, but he was dangerous. He don't punch fast, but he got some bricks in his hands like George Foreman. PC: What did you think of your performance in your second fight against Teodoras Aukstuolis? KM: I think that was my best performance. I was actually loose in that one. People in America thought I was going to loose. They thought I was going to loose to Brett McDermott. I don't know why they thought I was going to lose to him, but I beat him and then it was like, "Mo going to lose to this boy from Lithuania. He is a former Judo Olympian." I didn't even know he was a former Olympian. And then they were like, "Mo is going to lose to Jiri," because they were big on him. I stopped that motherfucker and they say I got lucky. I thought I was winning that fight before I stopped him. The kicks he was landing were just fast; they didn't hurt. He was kicking to keep his distance. I knew what was going to happen once I started to get takedowns and wrestling him a little bit. He's aggressive, so I knew he would try to get payback; I knew he would start chasing me or coming hard at me and I was talking about it with Nate [Vasquez] and some other cats from Twitter. They were like, "Once you start getting some takedowns and punishing him, he's going to come up and try to come at you, so you will have a chance of catching him with either a check hook or a good right hand. I hit him with a check hook early in the fight, but it was like a short touch. But when he rushed at me, I shuffled back twice and hit him with the right hand. PC: You stopped in your tracks to fire that right hand. Did you see something there or had he been rushing you with his hands low the entire fight and you were just waiting for the right time to throw that lead right hand? KM: I just saw an opening and I wanted to throw it fast. I didn't even try to throw it hard. I just tried to throw it fast. Me and Jeff [Mayweather] had worked on something like that except we do the true pivot step where you bring your right leg back and then pivot. You slide your left leg back first and then pivot your right leg back and throw. He was rushing in so fast I just shuffled, shuffled, and threw the right hand as I planted on my back foot. PC: You told me before the fight you would still be looking for your slams, but you had to be a lot smarter than what you were against Linton Vassel where you injured your rib slamming him. You slammed all of your opponents. Did you have to make a conscious effort to not do extra and not some crazy suplex? KM: Yeah, I just knew I couldn't get hurt. To be honest, I just wanted to take them all down as much as I can. They were big, strong, and Brett was muscled up, so I was like, "If I get tired, they're going to be even more tired." I just had one fight that day, so I could go a little harder with my wrestling. The second dude, I could have took him down like two times, but I didn't want to. I shot in because I just wanted to let him know that I can take him down. He was trying to defend my leg attacks, but he was grabbing the ropes. I shot twice and took him down twice easy. I slammed him one time. PC: Physically, how did you feel from fight to fight? KM: I felt good even though I could tell I was undersized. Jiri weighed in at 96 kilos, but he is bigger than me. He was 6'4". I weighed in at 97 kilos, but that was after eating breakfast and eating and drinking soda and a buffet breakfast. PC: How much is 97 kilos in pounds. KM: 213. I was the shortest there, but I felt good. I wasn't worried. I would like to see Fedor next. I would like to fight Fedor next. I'm a Bellator fighter; I represented Bellator in the tournament and won the tournament. I put Bellator on my back with the support of Kevin Kay, Spike TV, Scott Coker, and the whole Bellator staff and Spike TV staff. Now lets get Fedor over here to America and let me fight Fedor in Bellator. PC: So you would like your next fight to be against Fedor at heavyweight? KM: I'll fight Fedor at whatever weight he wants to fight me at. I respect him and I think it will be a great fight. I'm healthy, he's healthy and he's back and I think it will be a great fight for the fans in America. PC: The first time I ever interviewed you, you told me that Fedor was your dream fight. Just so this isn't misconstrued as a disrespectful call out, this is based on respect for him and wanting to fight a legend, correct? KM: Nah, I ain't trying to disrespect nobody, especially Fedor because Fedor is a legend. My goal is to fight him and be in there with a legend. Quinton [Jackson]...people look at him like a legend, but I look at him like a bitch. Quinton Jackson is a bitch; Fedor is a legend. He is "The Last Emperor." I put it like this, we were on the bus heading to the venue and I was in the back of the bus with my people and he was trying to sit down, but half of his group couldn't sit back there, so I was like, you know what, I told my people let's go sit in the front so Fedor's people could sit together. We did that. I like Fedor, mayne. I just don't like him for him, I like him as a fighter. I think he's a great fighter. He is a hell of a fighter and I would love to fight him. PC: You've been getting some work with Eddie Chambers when you are on the east coast. It seems like you guys get along well. What was it like working with him? KM: Working with Eddie, man, let me tell you something, sparring with Michael Hunter and working with Eddie boost my confidence so much for this tournament. If I could touch them, and we're not going balls to the wall, but we're working, you know, we was working; if I could touch them and make them miss and land some shots here and there, I felt like I could do that against anybody. Eddie gave me my props and he was impressed with what I could do, and that shocked me because Eddie Chambers done fought some of the best in the world and beat some of the best. I was kind of star struck, I ain't gonna lie, because I watch him fight on TV. He's quick, slick, and I think he's highly underrated. I'm glad Al Haymon signed him and I'm hoping he gets to fight soon so he could shine. PC: I don't know how much Hunter and Chambers were able to help you with it, but your jab was working well throughout the tournament. It seems like when your jab is working, it opens up everything for you, from your right hand to your wrestling. KM: Yeah, my jab and head movement. I started moving my head. I didn't know what Jiri was trying to do in the third fight, so I was like, you know what, he's a tight fighter, but he's real aggressive, but against me, he was trying to be passive and see if I was going to fight him. So I had to trick him. I had to bait him. But when I have my head movement and feints going, the jab comes, the wrestling comes, and everything comes. PC: You went from being in Japan fighting 3 times in 2 days to cornering Robbie Lawler in his title fight against Carlos Condit at UFC 195. What did you think of the fight and it was obviously important for you to corner your stablemate to do a turnaround like that? KM: Me and Robbie are cool, man. He likes my energy. I give him advice here and there and he gives me advice and I help him warm up. But he likes my energy. I guess I'm pretty positive and fun to be around...I guess (laughing). I don't know. Robbie is a warrior. This last fight was good for the fans, but not for me. I don't like to see him get hit. If he went out there and just hit everybody with one punch and knocked everybody out without getting hit, I would rather see him do that, but that's not good for his business. It's good for me and good for him. As long as he is entertaining and winning, that's cool, but I would like to see him not getting hit so much. PC: Obviously people will feel you are biased because you cornered him, but how did you have the fight scored? KM: I had us winning rounds 2, 3 and 5. Round 1 I think Condit won and round 4 I think Condit definitely won because he was busier. Round 5, the pace of the fight was Robbie's fight. And the 2nd round was like that too. The 3rd I think Robbie won because he landed the heavier shots and that elbow. PC: Do you think we will see an immediate rematch between those two or is Tyron Woodley next for Robbie in your opinion? KM: I think they are going to do the Condit rematch next. I don't think they have promised anybody nothing, so that makes me think the Carlos Condit rematch is going to be next. PC: I look forward to seeing you back in there. Congratulations again on a hell of a tournament. I hope you get that fight with Fedor next because I know it's something you have been wanting. Is there anything else you want to add before I let you go? KM: Nah, that's it, man. I want that Fedor fight. I ain't trying to hope for it or beg for it, but I want Spike TV, Bellator, and RIZIN to come to an agreement and lets make the fight happen. [ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ] By James Pearson SEOUL (Reuters) - The head of an international body set up to monitor a planned ban on nuclear testing condemned North Korea's fourth nuclear test on Wednesday and called it a "wake-up call" for the international community. North Korea said it had successfully conducted a test of a miniaturized hydrogen nuclear device, which would mark a significant advance in the isolated state's technological capability. "This act constitutes a breach of the universally accepted norm against nuclear testing," Lassina Zerbo, head of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO). "It is also a grave threat to international peace and security." Wednesday's detonation was North Korea's fourth nuclear test, and second since young leader Kim Jong Un came into power in 2011. The isolated country last tested a nuclear device in 2013. More than 160 countries have ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) since 1996. India and Pakistan have also conducted nuclear tests since then and are among eight countries including the United States and China preventing the treaty coming into force. "I sincerely hope that this will serve as the final wake-up call to the international community to outlaw all nuclear testing by bringing the CTBT into force," Zerbo said. (Editing by Nick Macfie) By Ju-min Park and Mark Hosenball SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea said it successfully tested a powerful nuclear bomb on Wednesday, drawing threats of further sanctions even though the United States and weapons experts voiced doubts the device was as advanced as the isolated nation claimed. The underground explosion shook the earth so hard that it registered as a seismic event with U.S. earthquake monitors. It put pressure on China to rein in neighboring North Korea. The U.N. Security Council said it would begin working immediately on significant new measures in response to North Korea, a threat diplomats said could mean an expansion of sanctions. North Korea has been under Security Council sanctions since it first tested an atomic device in 2006. After a nuclear test in 2013, the Security Council took about three weeks to agree a resolution that tightened financial restrictions and cracked down on Pyongyang's attempts to ship and receive banned cargo. In the United States, Republican presidential candidates seized on the test to accuse President Barack Obama of running a "feckless" foreign policy that enabled North Korea to bolster its nuclear arms capabilities. U.S. congressional sources said Republican leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives were considering a vote as soon as next week to broaden sanctions against North Korea by imposing stiffer punishments on foreign companies doing business with Pyongyang. While North Korea has a long history of voicing bellicose rhetoric against the United States and its Asian allies without acting on it, the assertion by Pyongyang on Wednesday that it had tested a hydrogen device, much more powerful than an atomic bomb, came as a surprise. North Korea also said it was capable of miniaturizing the H-bomb, in theory allowing it to be placed on a missile and potentially posing a new threat to the U.S. West Coast, South Korea and Japan. The U.S. State Department confirmed North Korea had conducted a nuclear test but the Obama administration disputed the hydrogen bomb claim. "The initial analysis is not consistent with the claim the regime has made of a successful hydrogen bomb test," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters. He said any nuclear test would be a "flagrant violation" of Security Council resolutions. The explosion drew criticism, including from China and Russia. Beijing, the North's main economic and diplomatic backer, said it will lodge a protest with Pyongyang. 'H-BOMB OF JUSTICE' Wednesday's nuclear test took place two days ahead of what is believed to be North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's birthday. "Let the world look up to the strong, self-reliant nuclear-armed state," Kim wrote in what North Korean state TV displayed as a handwritten note. North Korea called the device the "H-bomb of justice." While the Kim government boasts of its military might to project strength globally, it also plays up the need to defend itself from external threats as a way to maintain control domestically. It will likely take several days to determine more precisely what kind of nuclear device Pyongyang set off as a variety of sensors, including "sniffer planes," collect evidence. Hydrogen bombs pack an explosion that can be more powerful than an atomic bomb as it uses a two-step process of fission and fusion that releases substantially more energy. A U.S. government source said the United States believes North Korea had set off the latest in a series of tests of old-fashioned atomic bombs of which it has dozens. The source said the size of the latest explosion was roughly consistent with previous tests believed to have been conducted with A-bombs rather than H-bombs. The latest test occurred in the same geographical location, with the same geological profile, as earlier tests. The United States had been anticipating a North Korean nuclear test for some time, as intelligence surveillance produced indications of possible preparations, including evidence of new excavations of underground tunnels at the site. The USGS reported a 5.1 magnitude seismic event that South Korea said was 49 km (30 miles) from the Punggye-ri site where the North has conducted nuclear tests in the past. South Korean intelligence officials and several analysts also questioned whether Wednesday's explosion was a test of a full-fledged hydrogen device, pointing to its having been roughly as powerful as North Korea's last atomic test. Stocks across the world fell for a fifth consecutive day as the North Korea tension added to a growing list of geopolitical worries and China fueled fears about its economy by allowing the yuan to weaken further. The Republicans added North Korea to a list of what they assert are Obama's foreign policy failures, including Syria's civil war, the rise of Islamic State and the agreement to curb Iran's nuclear program. They also blamed his former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Party front-runner in the race for the November presidential election. Asked about North Korea, Republican White House hopeful Donald Trump told CNN that "China should solve that problem" or face trade retaliation from the United States. South Korea should pay us and pay us very substantially for protecting them," he said. Clinton condemned North Korea's action as a "dangerous and provocative act" and said the United States should respond with more sanctions and stronger missile defenses. North Korea has long coveted diplomatic recognition from Washington, but sees its nuclear deterrent as crucial to ensuring the survival of its third-generation dictatorship. The North's state news agency said Pyongyang would act as a responsible nuclear state and vowed not to use its nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty was infringed. Joe Cirincione, a nuclear expert who is president of Ploughshares Fund, a global security organization, said North Korea may have mixed a hydrogen isotope in a normal atomic fission bomb. "Because it is, in fact, hydrogen, they could claim it is a hydrogen bomb," he said. "But it is not a true fusion bomb capable of the massive multi-megaton yields these bombs produce." (Additional reporting by Meeyoung Cho, James Pearson, Se Young Lee, Christine Kim, Jee Heun Kahng, Jack Kim in Seoul,; Louis Charbonneau at the United Nations, and Ayesha Rascoe, Doina Chiacu and Megan Cassella in Washington,; Writing by Alistair Bell; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan, Mike Collett-White and Howard Goller) volcano erruption Here is what you need to know. China's services sector nears its lowest level in a decade. China's Caixin-Markit Services PMI fell to 50.2 in November, hitting its lowest level since July 2014. Any reading below 50.0 would represent a services sector that is contracting and would be the lowest since record-keeping began in November 2005. China's yuan fell to a five-year low in response to the news, sliding 0.6% to 6.5567 per dollar. North Korea says it successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. North Korea says it has successfully tested a "miniaturized" hydrogen bomb. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea announced the test on state TV hours after South Korea reported that an artificial earthquake had occurred 30 miles north of the DPRK's nuclear-testing center. Some experts are skeptical of the claims, however, suggesting that North Korea's state-run television likes to exaggerate or outright lie. In response to the news, the South Korean won weakened 0.8% to 1,197.20 per dollar, a near 5-1/2-year low. Crude oil is under pressure. West Texas Intermediate crude oil hit a low of $34.80 in early trade. Wednesday's selling has not yet been able to take out the almost seven-year low of $33.98, which was set in December. WTI is trading lower by 2.5% at $35.07 a barrel. Elsewhere, Brent crude oil touched an 11-year low of $34.83 a barrel before recovering to $35.13. A report says Valeant is naming a new CEO. The embattled pharmaceutical company reportedly will name a new CEO as Michael Pearson remains hospitalized with pneumonia. CFO Robert Rosiello and former CFO Howard Schiller are being considered for the temporary role. Verizon wants to sell its data centers. Verizon is looking to sell its data centers for more than $2.5 billion, according to Reuters. Up for sale are 48 data centers, which generate Ebitda of about $275 million, someone close to the matter told Reuters. Verizon is being advised by Citigroup. Story continues Virtu has been picked as the next NYSE market maker. Bloomberg reports that a notice sent to traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange revealed that JPMorgan had chosen Virtu as the exchange's next market maker. Virtu replaces KCG on Wednesday. Monsanto reports ahead of the opening bell. The Bloomberg consensus expects the ag giant to lose $0.23 a share on revenue of $2.39 billion. Monsanto has guided for a loss of $0.28 a share. Stock markets around most of the globe are lower. France's CAC (-1.6%) leads the way lower in Europe, Overnight, Australia's ASX (-1.1%) paced the decline, while China's Shanghai Composite (+2.3%) outperformed. S&P 500 futures are sharply lower, down 30.25 points at 1,981.50. The minutes from the December Fed meeting will be released. The minutes will provide more detail from the meeting that produced the first Fed rate hike since June 2006. Traders will be parsing the minutes closely for any clues as to when the Fed might hike again and what the pace of the rate-hike cycle might be. US economic data picks up. ADP Employment Change kicks off a heavy morning of data at 8:15 a.m. ET, and it is followed by the trade balance at 8:30 a.m. ET. Factory orders and ISM Services will cross the wires at 10 a.m. ET. Finally, crude-oil inventories will be released at 10:30 a.m. ET. The US 10-year yield is down 5 basis points at 2.19%. NOW WATCH: Why Chinese executives keep disappearing More From Business Insider (Bloomberg) -- If you want to know why many Japanese chief executive officers fall short as leaders, look no further than how theyre paid. Thats the view of Atsushi Saito, who ended an eight-year stint as head of Japan Exchange Group Inc. in June. Japanese CEOs are underpaid, according to Saito. Not only that, most of their salary is fixed regardless of performance, and they wont make bold decisions for fear of missing out on cushy adviser roles after they retire, he says. The solution: pay them more, link compensation to the share price and part ways when they step down. Right now there isnt much attraction to being a CEO, said Saito, 76, whos currently non-executive chairman of private-equity firm KKR Japan Ltd., where he works two days a week. What competent person would do the job? The median CEO salary at Japanese companies with revenue of more than 1 trillion yen ($8.4 billion) is one-tenth of counterparts in the U.S., and incentive pay makes up just 14 percent of the total, against 69 percent in America, according to advisory company Towers Watson. Most CEOs in the Nikkei 225 Stock Average get less than 100 million yen a year. While Saito sees the high compensation levels in the U.S. as sick, he says Japanese businesses should give CEOs at least 200 million yen a year, to encourage more risk-taking and also attract better people. Japanese equities rallied in 2015 in part because of investors convictions that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will help reinvigorate a stagnant economy and business environment. While there are signs the governments push for corporate government practices and higher profits are making an impact, critics including Goldman Sachs Group Inc. say the changes dont go far enough. Adequate compensation is the missing carrot in Japanese governance reforms, Goldman said in an October report, citing the low level of incentive pay. The firm argued that Japanese tax laws should be revised to allow more performance-linked pay, while compensation details should be made more transparent. It noted that reforms in Germany after 1998 resulted in a closer linkage between executive compensation and corporate performance. Story continues One of Saitos last acts while running the stock exchange was to design a corporate governance code for Japan Inc. The set of rules that started applying to listed companies in June says managements pay should include incentives to promote healthy entrepreneurship. I want CEOs to have Inamori san or Nagamori sans spirit, says Saito, referring to Kazuo Inamori and Shigenobu Nagamori, the founders of Kyocera Corp. and Nidec Corp., both of whom are known for their dynamic management styles. Cushy advisory roles should be abolished, but "whether its pension plans or stock options, it doesnt matter -- CEOs should be paid more." Current CEO wages are kept low because theres a tacit understanding corporate leaders will be kept on the payroll as advisers for many years after they step down. CEOs often think "if I fail, I cant be an adviser and get the lifetime compensation thats my due," says Saito. "A lot of managements based on not wanting to throw that away." Saito also criticizes activist investors who only look at short-term profit, and think that they can be aggressive because of changes in corporate governance. Theyre abusing a system thats based on good will, using it for private, selfish profit, he says. But he notes that their importance is limited. There are millions of investors in the world, and there are only a handful of activists. While Saitos view on pay aligns with U.S. investors including Warren Buffett, hes not advocating compensation at the levels typically given to Americas corporate leaders. He says the wealth of the one percent in the U.S. cant be condoned. The wealth gap among U.S. companies is increasing, as 18 American businesses held 36 percent of corporate wealth in 2013, up from 27 percent in 2009, according to a report from Standard & Poors. Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan Motor Co., one of Japans largest carmakers, has the highest salary among companies on the Nikkei 225, while Masahiko Uotani, head of cosmetics company Shiseido Co., has the lowest among companies that disclose CEO compensation levels, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Companies are only required to publish board member wages when pay levels are above 100 million yen. Not all CEOs are risk-averse journeymen, according to Saito. In addition to Kyoceras Inamori and Nidecs Nagamori, he cites Softbank Group Corp.s Masayoshi Son and Fast Retailing Co.s Tadashi Yanai as examples of CEOs that are successful entrepreneurs. Softbank shares under Son have soared 14-fold over 18 years, while Fast Retailing has risen nearly 7,000 percent since it listed in 1997. Both Son and Yanai are among the 50 highest-paid CEOs on the Nikkei 225. These CEOs are exceptions, Saito says, and its partly cultural because most Japanese people arent comfortable with standing out. If someone like Steve Jobs was in Japan, how would the Japanese treat him? Saito said. "If he had joined a large Japanese company, he probably would have been fired immediately." --With assistance from Brandon Kochkodin and Hideki Suzuki. To contact the reporters on this story: Yuko Takeo in Tokyo at ytakeo2@bloomberg.net; Nao Sano in Tokyo at nsano3@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Sarah McDonald at smcdonald23@bloomberg.net Jeff Sutherland, Tom Redmond Malaysia Wednesday announced a three-month ban on bauxite mining in its rural state of Pahang from mid-January amid mounting concern over hazardous dust and pollution. Demand for bauxite, which is used in aluminium production, is soaring -- fuelled by heavy demand from China. "Everything will come to a complete stop on January 15," Environment Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar told a press conference, adding that current stockpiles would be cleared within the next three months. He also said new measures would be put in place such as a better drainage system in the port at Pahang's capital Kuantan to prevent bauxite contamination which has turned the sea red. The ban would be extended if the industry is unable to mitigate the pollution hazard. "If it (the industry) is not able to manage the situation in three months, then we will extend the moratorium," the minister said. When AFP visited Kuantan recently, red dust swirled around the pits and along the roads on which bauxite-laden trucks rumbled towards Kuantan for shipment to China. Residents complained of a rise in respiratory problems and skin rashes. There are also fears of heavy metals entering the water supply or the food chain. Bauxite mining took off in Malaysia shortly after Indonesia, a top producer, banned mineral ore exports in January 2014 to encourage the domestic processing of metals. This left major consumers like China short of the commodity. Malaysia, previously an insignificant producer of bauxite, helped fill the gap with a sharp rise in mining -- most of it illegal. Pahang's Chief Minister Adnan Yaakob urged residents to stay calm about pollution. "We are doing everything to assist them," he told the press conference, adding that authorities were working on a "grand plan" to overcome problems permanently and get a better grip on illegal miners. Kuantan's opposition member of parliament Fuziah Salleh hailed the temporary ban. "The 700,000 people living in Kuantan are exposed to pollution. The rivers, a source of drinking water are polluted, the air is filled with red dust and fish in the rivers have died," she said. Story continues "We must stop the destruction of Mother Nature." Adnan said he was not concerned about a drop in revenue during the ban, saying the moratorium would help push up prices later on. Malaysian bauxite output more than quadrupled year-on-year in 2014 to nearly 963,000 tonnes, according to government figures. Russia on Wednesday slammed the claimed testing of a hydrogen bomb by North Korea as a clear breach of international law that could inflame tensions across the region. "If this test is confirmed then it will be a new step by Pyongyang on the path of developing nuclear weapons, which is a flagrant violation of international law and existing UN Security Council resolutions," Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement. "Such actions are fraught with the possibility of aggravating the situation on the Korean peninsula, which already has a very high potential for military and political confrontation," it said. Moscow called on all sides to "show maximum restraint and to refrain from any actions that could lead to an uncontrolled increase in tensions". The foreign ministry reiterated Moscow's commitment to diplomatic talks on resolving tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions and urged a "start soon to a dialogue" aimed at ensuring peace and stability in the region. A spokesman for President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was "extremely concerned" by the claims of a hydrogen bomb test by North Korea -- which borders Russia -- and that the Kremlin strongman had told scientists to look into it. "President Vladimir Putin has ordered all data from monitoring stations, including seismological stations, to be studied thoroughly and to analyse the situation if a test is confirmed," spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies. Earlier on Wednesday, North Korea said it had carried out a "successful" miniaturised hydrogen bomb test in a shock announcement that triggered swift international condemnation but also scepticism. The claimed test, which came just two days before Kim Jong-Un's birthday, was initially detected as a 5.1-magnitude tremor at the North's main Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the northeast of the country. Leading up to the launch of Singapore's first smart executive condominium (EC) in the first quarter of 2016, Qingjian Realty is looking to find out young couples' attitudes towards smart living. In a statement, the developer said this will achieved through a survey of about 100 respondents living in Singapore. The EC project in Sembawang will be targeted at families who are looking to live in a home that embraces the latest advancements of technology. "Technology has become essential in our lives and has immense potential to positively impact our lifestyles even further. To build a smart home that supports the integration of technology to offer homeowners a seamless connection and greater convenience, we need to find out the lifestyle aspirations that they have for their dream homes," said Li Jun, General Manager, Qingjian Realty. The survey also aims to find out the features that young couples would like to see in a smart EC. For more details, go to: www.facebook.com/SGHilife/?fref=ts Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, wrote this story. To contact him about this or other stories email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg More from PropertyGuru: GIC acquires US student housing for nearly S$2bil Property agents turn to Uber amidst chilly housing market Luxury home prices to slide further in 2016 Colliers Singapore appoints new business leaders Singapore's Transport Ministry said today both the Singaporean and Malaysian governments were still discussing the commercial and operating models of the proposed high-speed rail (HSR) project to link Malaysia and Singapore. A news report in Singapore's The Straits Times, quoting a ministry spokesperson, said both governments were discussing the possibility of having two services a non-stop express service linking Malaysia and Singapore, and a transit service at several locations in between. According to the report, the spokesperson said the alignment between the two countries was also still under discussion, with the exact alignment to be finalised after the completion of detailed engineering studies. Both countries are studying the feedback gathered from a request-for-information exercise that concluded in December and will be used "to improve the project's commercial and operating models and procurement approach", the report said. On Monday, The Edge Financial Daily reported that MyHSRCorp Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Mohd Nur Ismal Mohamed Kamal had said both the Malaysian and Singaporean governments had reached a consensus on the alignment of the 330km HSR project and the model of services. Mohd Nur Ismal had said one of the services would be a direct service linking Malaysia and Singapore while the other would be a transit service in Bandar Malaysia, Seremban, Malacca, Muar, Batu Pahat, Nusajaya and Singapore. MyHSR Corp, which is wholly-owned by the Finance Ministry, was given the mandate to develop and promote the HSR project and is the project delivery vehicle responsible for the technical and commercial aspects of the project. On cost of the project, Mohd Nur Ismal said both the Malaysian and Singaporean governments were still discussing the "common grounds, the approach to tendering". "This will determine if it is a government design-and-build contract or if certain parts are being done in other manners. So it's still not decided," he said. The Edge Financial Daily earlier reported that a presentation by China Railway in December last year had pegged the project's price tag at RM70 billion, up from RM65 billion a few months ago, which in turn was up from RM40 billion in May. The Singapore-KL HSR, first announced by Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in 2013, will allow commuters to travel from Singapore to KL, or vice versa, in about 90 minutes. The Edge Markets, January 5, 2016. Adaptive Learning Florida Virtual School Taps Private Partner for Adaptive Learning Florida Virtual School (FLVS) is teaming with a private partner to provide personalized learning for its students. FLVS will partner with Knewton, which will provide a data analytics engine to build and power adaptive learning courses. The new courses will be piloted in the spring with a wider release for more than 200,000 students in grades K-12 in the following years. The new courses will make recommendations in real time for individual students based on how he or she learns, what he or she has mastered in the past, goals set with the guidance of a teacher and what has worked best for similar students. "The technology will further personalize the learning experience for FLVS students with more sophisticated content recommendations and predictive analyses that support the FLVS competency-based instruction model," according to a news release. "One-on-one interaction between students and teachers will remain the foundation of the FLVS personalized learning model." After selecting Knewton through a request-for-proposals process, FLVS is slated to become the first public school to use Knewton's platform to power its own content. "FLVS has been providing one-on-one personalized education since its inception, and the student remains at the center of every decision we make," said Jodi Marshall, executive vice president of business and school solutions for Florida Virtual School, in a prepared statement. "Teaming with Knewton is another step forward towards providing all students with individualized learning and making a positive difference in their education. In this collaboration, Knewton will work with FLVS to make decisions about learning goals and to identify certain attributes of content and assessments so the algorithm can effectively work for our students." Learning & the Library How the School Library Helps Build Strong Blended Classes White Bear Lake Area High School - South Campus is in its third of year of offering a variety of hybrid or blended classes from economics to health/physical education. This suburban St. Paul school of 11th and 12th graders is committed to providing blended in-class and independent study. With more than 265 students in nine hybrid classes coming to the school library and learning commons, there is a wealth of opportunities to work together. As Michael Wesch states, "to connect, organize, share and collaborate, we have to move from knowledgeable that is just knowing a bunch of stuff to being actually knowledge-able; that's being able to find sort, analyze, criticize, and ultimately create new information and knowledge." This is the first in a series of articles describing 10 ways White Bear Lake High School teachers and the school library are working together to enhance learning in hybrid or blended classes. There are many roles being played by teacher librarians in working with traditional and hybrid classes including: blended librarian, instructional designer, resource linker and teacher/subject matter expert. We are striving to incorporate all these in building strong hybrid classes. In future installments we'll cover hybrid orientation, deep Web online lessons, Web 2.0 applications and ELL hybrid classes. Learning Commons: Collaboration Stations For both hybrid and traditional classes our goal is to go beyond offering great reads and distributing textbooks to building and maintaining strong helping relationships with our students and staff. With so many hybrid students spending their out-of-class time in the media center, it made sense to rethink the design and layout of the library. We wanted to, as Scott Bennett puts it, "foster a culture of intentional learning." Bear Commons One of our first projects was to begin the process of transforming the library into a learning commons. Since our book club visited the University of Minnesota Rochester Library and Information Commons, we had a pretty good idea of how we wanted the library to look. The U of M Rochester has at least a half a dozen areas with comfy chairs and high tables that gave it the feel of a bistro/info center. My principal, Tim Wald, and I also toured the high school media center in Chaska, MN to get a better idea of how flexible seating is being used there. Then we met with representatives from several commercial furniture companies. This resulted in a plan to add a commons area to the entrance to the library, which we affectionately called the "front porch." With ample space in the corridor at the front to the library, it was possible to incorporate booths, comfy chairs and ottomans that students can arrange to work in groups. In addition, we discarded more than a thousand old professional development and nonfiction books. This made it possible to tweak the layout of the book shelves to accommodate more commons areas in the library. We added several high tables and chairs in the library with more comfy chairs with writing tablets. We also purchased about a dozen essay chairs. These are student desks that have swivel seats, caster wheels and writing tablets. They are very flexible and great for individual and small group work. In an instant, students can create a space to collaborate. Also added were several more quiet areas to give students a place to work independently without interruptions. We added several high tables and chairs in the library with more comfy chairs with writing tablets. With the front porch completed, we had a "Name that Space" contest, where students could go to our library Web site and enter their suggestions. The winning name for the area was The Bear Commons. We have also made space for teacher work areas in the library. There are five workstations for teachers to work outside the classroom, meet with their hybrid students and also work with colleagues to plan and develop lessons. Collaboration Stations: Collaboration Stations are designed to make it easier for students to present and work with each other in small and larger groups, "transforming passive meeting areas into dynamic team spaces." Betsy Habich, administrative operations manager at Northeastern University Libraries, says, "We are excited the library is able to offer this innovative way to support student collaboration. In a shared digital information environment growing richer by the day, libraries need to include facilities that support research and creativity in new and exciting ways." The collaboration stations are ideal for group work because everyone can plug in their Chromebooks or laptops and take turns displaying their screens on the monitor. We believe this applies to our high school library as well. The Collaboration Stations in our library enable students to display the screens on their Chromebooks and other devices to a large monitor. The stations are ideal for group work because everyone can plug in their Chromebooks or laptops and take turns displaying their screens on the monitor. We use Chromecast, VGA or HDMI connectors to connect to the monitors. The collaboration station housed in our media office will accommodate up to six users with additional seating for up to eight essay chairs so that as many as 12 students can meet at one time. Our first project was with our hybrid American Government class where students completed the "I Side With.com" survey. Using the "I Side With" site, students can take a simple survey covering eight categories and be presented with a list showing how their specific interests and beliefs match up with each candidate. Each student completed the online questionnaire independently. Once the students had finished, they recorded their results in their journals and prepared for online discussions. Two American Democracy classes used the large collaboration station to share Google presentations. After each groups had finished, they reviewed their summaries with the entire class. Hybrid students have also accessed their shared Google documents to have a complete record of their meetings. The new collaboration stations and the learning commons were acquired with our district, building, and library sharing the cost. We are continuing to work with staff and students to make decisions about types of space and furniture needed for quiet work and group activities for traditional and hybrid classes. We plan to expand the collaboration stations as students become more familiar with the technology. Laptops Richmond County Schools Pilots Chromebooks, Google Apps for Education Richmond County Schools in North Carolina is piloting Chromebooks and Google Apps for Education in three of its classrooms. Tony Tuso, the chief technology officer for the district, has followed similar initiatives in other North Carolina districts and around the world, and he thinks it could be a good fit for Richmond County. "This is where the world is right now, and it's certainly where we want our school district to go," he said in a news release. According to information on the district's site, it selected the Lenovo Thinkpad Chromebook 11e for the pilot project. The device features an Intel Celeron processor, 11.6-inch high-definition, anti-glare display and interior and exterior reinforcement for school-wide deployments and portability. The district's site lists numerous benefits to the Chromebook for education, including short start-up time, leaving more time for instruction, increased opportunities for collaboration, safety and security features, extended battery life, low cost and cloud-based storage. Austin Good, an English language arts teacher at Rohanen Middle School is piloting 25 Chromebooks and Google Apps for Education in his classroom. He has been asking his students to complete four to five practice assignments on their Chromebooks each week. After each assignment, Good provides the students with additional support around any questions they got wrong. At the end of the week, he gives them a quiz, and students have to get at least 80 percent correct before they can move on to the next lesson. "I get a lot more feedback throughout the week as to the work they're doing," said Good in a prepared statement. "It's graded right there, so I can see what they're struggling with and adapt my teaching to it." The district launched its pilot program last year. Currently the students are not allowed to take the devices home and can use them only during their pilot program class. Based on the success of the pilot project, the district hopes to implement a full 1-to-1 initiative, beginning with Richmond Senior High School. NAIROBI/DOHA (Reuters) - Djibouti cut diplomatic relations with Iran on Wednesday, its foreign minister said, in response to the storming of the Saudi embassy in Tehran by Iranian protesters. The tiny Horn of Africa nation, which is home to the United States' only military base on the African continent, joins Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Sudan in entirely severing relations with Shi'ite Muslim Iran. "Djibouti cut its diplomatic ties with Iran out of solidarity with Saudi Arabia," Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf told Reuters in a text message. Jordan summoned Iran's envoy in Amman to condemn the protesters' attack, while Kuwait recalled its own ambassador to Tehran. The United Arab Emirates partially downgraded its diplomatic relations with Tehran. Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia have spiraled since the execution of a Shi'ite cleric in Saudi Arabia. Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran early on Sunday and Iran's top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, predicted "divine vengeance" for the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, an outspoken opponent of the ruling Al Saud family. Iran has accused the Sunni Muslim monarchy of Saudi Arabia of using the attack on the embassy as an "excuse" to sever ties and further increase sectarian tensions. (This story corrects paragraph 4 to make clear Jordan summoned Iranian envoy while Kuwait recalled its own envoy to Iran.) (Reporting by Edith Honan in Kenya and Tom Finn in Doha; Editing by Gareth Jones) We can help you make sense of the agribusiness industry, extending from chemicals and fertilizers used as inputs into agriculture, to the commodities, food and by-products that are an output to farming, with policy and regulation applied at every step of the value chain. Sports and wellness-focused venture capital firm Will Ventures has picked up $150m for its sophomore fund, almost triple the total it collected for its debut vehicle in 2020. Does Portugals Bank Bail-In Threaten the European Banking Union? European banks issued debt just got riskier Buying bonds issued by European (VGK) banks just got riskier. On December 30, the Bank of Portugal took a step towards fixing its banking industry. The bank reassigned five of Novo Bancos senior bonds to Banco Espirito Santo (BKESY). The move shook investors confidence in Portuguese debt. Portuguese debt spread heightened The spread between Portugals ten-year bond yield and the benchmark German bund, a ten-year bond yield, heightened. It was 1.9% on December 29, 2015. It rose 2% as of January 5, 2016. The perceived riskiness attached to Portuguese debt increased. The SPDR Barclays International Treasury Bond ETF (BWX) fell ~1% over the past five days due to fears of the contagion effect of such an event on other debt-laden European banks. Spains Banco Santander (SAN) and Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA) fell by 6.3% and 4.5%, respectively, over the past five days. Stock markets face jitters The stock markets in Portugal havent experienced smooth sailing over the past week either. The Portuguese equity tracking Global X FTSE Portugal 20 ETF (PGAL) fell ~9.4% over the past ten days from December 25, 2015, to January 5, 2016. Brazils Banco Bradesco (BBD) and Frances Credit Agricole (CRARY) are among the largest lenders to Banco Espirito Santo. Their prices also fell. Banco Bradesco fell by 7%. Credit Agricole fell by 3.5% over the past five days. Novo Banco SA was originated in 2014. Well discuss this in the next part to gain a better perspective of the situation. Continue to Next Part Browse this series on Market Realist: Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik died in a shootout with police following the December 2 assault in San Bernardino, California (AFP Photo/) San Bernardino (United States) (AFP) - The husband and wife behind the shooting in California that left 14 people dead were radicalized for "quite some time" and both went for target practice before the massacre, authorities said. The update from the FBI on the terror probe into the December 2 rampage in San Bernardino came after President Barack Obama vowed to destroy the Islamic State group and hunt down its followers, in an address to a jittery nation. The self-proclaimed Islamic State has praised the California attackers -- Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik -- as "soldiers" of its self-proclaimed caliphate but did not say they were members of the group. "As the investigation has progressed, we have learned and believe that both subjects were radicalized and have been for quite some time," David Bowdich, the FBI's assistant director in Los Angeles, told reporters on Monday. "The question for us is how and by whom and where were they radicalized?" he said. "Maybe there's not a by whom. Often times it's on the Internet." He said the couple, killed in a shootout with police following the gun attack on a year-end office party, went for target practice in ranges around the Los Angeles area, including in the days before the tragedy. On Sunday, Obama said the attack was an "act of terrorism," and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating it as such. Authorities have, however, said there is no indication the couple was part of an organized larger group or cell. In addition to two rifles and two handguns used in the attack at the party organized by Farook's employer -- the San Bernardino County health department -- investigators found an impressive arsenal at their home. "The threat from terrorism is real, but we will overcome it. We will destroy (IS) and any other organization that tries to harm us," Obama said Sunday, in only his third address from the Oval Office since taking office in 2009. Story continues - 'Obsessed by Israel' - Farook, an American citizen, and his Pakistani wife met on an online dating site. Last year, he traveled to Saudi Arabia, where she lived, and they married. They left behind a six-month-old daughter. On Monday, ABC News broadcast a snapshot of the couple taken by immigration as they entered the United States as newlyweds in July 2014. It shows them both dressed in traditional Muslim clothing. Malik is wearing a black hijab that covers her head, and Farook is seen in a white tunic and skullcap. Farook's family have said they were at a loss to explain the couple's rampage and have added that though both were devout Muslims, there was no indication they had become radicalized. Farook's co-workers also were dumbfounded. They said he had attended the holiday party and then left, only to return with his wife, both dressed in black military-style clothing and heavily armed. In an interview with the Italian daily La Stampa, however, Farook's father said his son approved of IS ideology and was fixated on Israel. "He said he agreed with (IS chief Abu Bakr) al-Baghdadi's ideas for creating the Islamic State, and he was obsessed by Israel," La Stampa quoted the father of the shooter, also named Syed Farook, as saying. "I always used to say to him, 'Be calm, patience, in two years' time Israel will no longer exist,'" he said, in remarks reported in Italian. But family attorney David Chesley said on Monday that he had spoken with the father, who denied making those statements. "He's on four or five medications and he's saying he didn't make those statements," Chesley told CNN. "He didn't recall saying any of that." Ive had a chance to work with a number of amazing credit union leaders, great leaders who know how to foster an ideal environment for collaboration, innovation, risk-taking, and action. I believe their success is built on their ability to create a very high level of trust, and because of that trust, I felt comfortable taking the right amount of risk, and was willing to stick my neck out for them. I tried new things, stretched, grew, and together we hit more home runs. Some of my greatest accomplishments occurred while working with these great leaders. Give me someone I can trust along with a noble vision, and I will follow them almost anywhere. These special leaders deserve (and earn) our very best effort. You always know where you stand nothing unspoken, no innuendo. Succeed or fail, you know they have your back. These great leaders treat individuals with respect and dignity. They value the uniqueness of each member of their team. Even when they disagree with an idea or outcome, they always respond with dignity and respect. I never wanted to let leaders like these down. I always wanted to give them my very best. They strengthen others, making each person feel capable and powerful. The bottom line is that working in an environment of trust, respect, and dignity enables individuals and teams to act boldly. Bold action has always been important, but given the environment we are working in, bold action has never been more important than it is today. Why is it so important to boldly act? Consistent, bold action is required if we are to survive and thrive in the rapidly evolving environment we find ourselves in. Todays credit union leaders cant help but consider current trends and environmental reviews such as CUES Scenarios through 2020 or Filenes Trending: Credit Unions in 2025 and feel a sense of urgency. New technology, changing demographics, and emerging competitors are driving our need to adapt and change. Some of the changes required will be small, but many will be huge, and will require great leadership and inspired teams with the right skill sets that have been enabled to act boldly. Truly, the greatest risk credit unions can take right now is to NOT take any risks. Where are the great leaders? First, having spent time with hundreds of credit union leaders just this year, I can tell you there are many good leaders out there who are up for the challenge. Unfortunately, I can also say that there are a number of credit unions who lack capable leadership, and even some who are stuck with toxic leaders. If you grow with talented, capable leaders, you die with toxic leaders. Fortunately, there are inspiring thought leaders and leadership programs in place to help develop and strengthen bold leadership. Recently, I was fortunate to share a Strategic Advancement presentation at the Connecticut Credit Union Management Program. The leadership program is a two-year program of the Credit Union League of Connecticut designed for rising leaders seeking well-rounded credit union knowledge and development. The lessons and experiences gained from the program will broaden their experience and prepare them for future leadership opportunities. I was very impressed with the large group of leaders; their input and enthusiasm made the day. In particular, I was very impressed with the message their leader, League CEO/President Jill Nowacki, had for the group. Two strong messages really. The first was non-verbal. Jill facilitated the event and spent the entire day with the group. Her presence and involvement speaks volumes about the value she places on the individuals in this group. Second, Jill shared personal leadership challenges she has faced and how she was able to overcome them. Jills humble examples speak volumes about the value she places on the members of the leadership team. Truly, this is leadership that will enable (and inspire) others to act. Looking for inspiration and leadership tools? Look to the leadership thought leaders in our midst. One of my favorites is Matt Monge at the Mojo Company. Matt gets it! He is bold and unapologetic in his approach to servant leadership and his focus on building a culture founded on trust. In my experience both are the ingredients needed to enable others to act. Why it matters Strong credit union leaders with the ability to enable others to boldly act will spread their influence far beyond their office, organization, or community. They will win. Leaders with an inspiring vision, leading in a culture built on trust, will inspire their teams to reflect the vision and act to make it a reality. These effective leaders will build teams that are not afraid to boldly act in the credit unions, members and communitys best interests. No one can do it alone. It will be those leaders with the ability to enable others to act that will not only survive, but thrive tomorrow and ensure the legacy of their credit unions. The others will always be relegated to a long list of mediocre impact. GREENSBURG, Pa. The Penn State Extension Dairy Team will offer a one-day interactive mastitis workshop Jan. 27, at the Penn State Extension office in Westmoreland County, from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Understanding Mastitis Control from the Inside Out, is designed to give attendees a firsthand view of the effects of mastitis on milk production by dissecting an udder to view important structures and how they relate to mastitis control and infection. Producers, managers, farm employees and industry representatives will learn about useful tools for managing mastitis with emphasis on specific mastitis-causing bacteria and preventive practices. An extension veterinarian will discuss the role of nutrition in fighting mastitis. Cost is $40 and registration deadline is Jan. 20. Featured speakers will be Penn State Extension veterinarians. The Westmoreland County Extension office is located at 214 Donohoe Road, Suite E, Greensburg, Pa. To register visit www.extension.psu.edu/mastitis-management. A second date will be offered in Franklin County in the Spring. For more information, contact Amber Yutzy, anl113@psu.edu; Dr. Ginger Fenton, gdc3@psu.edu; or Greg Strait, gls10@psu.edu. The AHDB is looking for eight more arable enterprises to join its monitor farm benchmarking scheme. Farmers who are currently in the scheme have seen benefits including cost savings and peer support. Due to the success of the scheme, the AHDB has decided to widen the project and is looking for monitor farms in specific counties Norfolk, Cheshire, Kent, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Cornwall and Dorset. The first eight English monitor farmers were announced in March 2014, quickly followed by another batch, to total sixteen in England and Wales, in addition to four already in Scotland. They all provide a forum for like-minded farmers to gather and exchange ideas and knowledge in a familiar and informal setting, and subject their business to intense scrutiny. See also: Poll: Are you increasing you spring cropping area in 2016? Since the schemes launch, the farmers involved have hosted meetings, workshops and farm walks, submitted their physical and financial results for comparison to others and had their management skills questioned and challenged. How the scheme works Underpinning each monitor farm is a business group that gets farmers together with the aim of improving the financial performance of each farm, explains AHDBs chief technical officer Richard Laverick. This is done in a number of ways with the relevant expertise, but benchmarking is the central focus and is being used to understand costs of production and find ways to make efficiency gains, he says. Monitor farms in numbers More than 2,400 participants 70+ meetings held in a year 92% value discussing issues and sharing experiences 91% consider the topics to be business focused 75% improve their technical knowledge Once the farms financial data has been gathered, group members can make comparisons. This way, they gain a better understanding of where they are and how they can make improvements, Mr Laverick adds. He reveals that there were almost nine applicants for every monitor farm place when the initiative was first launched. We had a fantastic response and in the short time the scheme has been operating, more than 2,400 farmers have participated in the meetings, he says. Now theres a need to find eight more willing candidates, to fill the geographical gaps in the current set-up and extend the network to new areas. We are looking for monitor farms in certain counties Norfolk, Cheshire, Kent, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Cornwall and Dorset to appoint for the next three years, he says. Improvements made on farms More emphasis on business planning and forecasting Re-evaluating rotations and crop selection Increased focus on budgeting and financial management Developed strategies to market grain Reduced the number of tractors on farm Made better use of yield mapping Mr Laverick is keen to get the main messages from the meetings out beyond the group, as well as to get more people to attend the meetings on a regular basis. What the monitor farmers say Being a monitor farmer goes way beyond simply providing the venue and focus for meetings, agree the host farmers. Leamington Spa monitor farmer Rob Fox of Squab Hall Farm has used benchmarking to find 15/t savings on his costs of production, set targets for labour and machinery costs and expand an existing joint venture. But it hasnt just been improving the business. It has also been about my development as a manager, which is invaluable. I have learned a great deal and developed new skills, he says. Colchester monitor farmer Tom Bradshaw values the interaction with other growers, especially those he wouldnt otherwise have had contact with. The groups work very well. We are building rapport and trust, which is helping us to tackle the complexities of running a modern farming business, he says. WASHINGTON, January 5, 2016 Two environmental groups filed a notice of intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today over its failure to protect the monarch butterfly under the Endangered Species Act. The Center for Biological Diversity and Center for Food Safety petitioned for the monarchs protection in August 2014, following a more than 80 percent decline in the butterflys population over the past two decades. In December 2014 the agency issued an initial positive decision on the petition and launched an official review of the butterflys status. The agency is now more than one year late in issuing a legally required 12-month finding that will determine whether to protect the charismatic large and orange and black butterfly under the Act. The threats to the monarch are so large in scale that the butterfly needs the effective protection of the Endangered Species Act if were really serious about saving this amazing migrating wonder for future generations, said Tierra Curry, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity.Endangered Species Act protection will provide a scientific and legal blueprint for the comprehensive protection that the monarch so direly needs, said George Kimbrell, a senior attorney at Center for Food Safety. Its imperative that we protect monarchs now, before its too late.The groups lawsuit will force the agency to commit to a legally binding date to issue a final decision on the monarchs protection. The 12-month finding will either propose protection under the Endangered Species Act, reject protection under the Act, or add the butterfly to the candidate waiting list for protection.The population has declined from a recorded high of approximately 1 billion butterflies in the mid-1990s to only 56.5 million butterflies last winter, the second lowest number ever recorded. The overall population shows a steep decline of 82 percent from the 20-year average. The population is expected to undergo a sizable rebound this winter due to favorable spring and summer weather, but monarchs need a very large population size to be resilient to threats from severe weather events. A single winter storm in 2002 killed an estimated 500 million monarchs eight times the size of the entire current population. Severe weather is expected to take a toll on the population later this winter due to the strong El Nino this year.Although the Fish and Wildlife Service has announced that it will provide a total of $3.2 million to support monarch conservation projects, that total falls far short of the funding that would be required by Endangered Species Act protection to restore enough monarch habitat to ensure the butterflys future.The money the government has pledged sounds like a lot, but the truth is it isnt even enough to restore 1 percent of the habitat thats been lost, said Curry. Were at risk of losing an animal thats as American as apple pie, and nothing short of Endangered Species Act protection will guarantee that we save the monarch.Despite the expected increase in the overwintering monarch population this year due to favorable weather, the monarch is still severely jeopardized by milkweed loss in its summer breeding grounds due to increasing herbicide use on genetically engineered crops, said Kimbrell. We will continue to do everything we can to ensure monarchs are protected under the Endangered Species Act.The butterflys dramatic decline has been driven in large part by the widespread planting of genetically engineered crops in the Midwest, where most monarchs are born. The vast majority of genetically engineered crops are made to be resistant to Monsantos Roundup herbicide, a potent killer of milkweed, the monarch caterpillars only food. The dramatic surge in Roundup use with Roundup Ready crops has virtually wiped out milkweed plants in midwestern corn and soybean fields. It is estimated that in the past 20 years these once-common, iconic orange-and-black butterflies may have lost more than 165 million acres of habitat an area about the size of Texas including nearly a third of their summer breeding grounds.In addition to herbicide use with genetically engineered crops, monarchs are also threatened by global climate change, drought and heat waves, other pesticides, urban sprawl and logging on their Mexican wintering grounds. The Mexican government reported this month that 24 acres of the monarchs key overwintering grounds were illegally logged this year.Found throughout the United States during summer months, most monarchs from east of the Rockies winter in the mountains of central Mexico, where they form tight clusters on trees. Scientists from World Wildlife Fund Mexico estimate the population size by counting the number of hectares of trees covered by monarchs.In response to the initial positive finding the Service issued on the groups petition, more than half a million comments have been submitted to the agency in support of Endangered Species Act protection for the butterfly. More than 40 leading monarch scientists and ecologists and more than 200 organizations and businesses sent letters to the agency urging federal protection for the monarch last year.To allay concerns that protection for monarchs would prevent monarch lovers from interacting with the species, the petitioners requested that if the monarch is protected as a threatened species, that the Service enact a special rule that would still allow households and classrooms to collect wild caterpillars and rear them through metamorphosis.Photo: Please Credit the Following:Collette Adkins / Center for Biological DiversityThe Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 900,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.Center for Food Safety is a nonprofit, public interest organization with half a million members nationwide. CFS and its members are dedicated to protecting public health and the environment by curbing the use of harmful food production technologies and instead promoting sustainable alternatives.Center for Biological Diversity Letter to Alameda City Council re: the Tuesday, January 05, 2016 City Council Meeting on Rent & Evictions Mayor Spencer,In September 2015, the East Bay Express detailed the widespread evictions and exorbitant rent increases that renters were facing.It is now January, and you and the rest of Alameda's City Council have failed to take action.At a recent Alameda City Council Meeting it was reported that you interrupted each tenant to ask, "are you current on your rent?" But never once did you interrupt a landlord to ask "are you current on your taxes?" or "Is your apartment building up to code?"What exactly is your issue with Alameda renters? Have the lobbyists from the California Apartment Association (CAA) and EBRHA filled your mind with tales of horrible renters, and landlords that are barely making ends meet? Have the PACs contributed so much money to your election campaign, that you have become deaf and blind to what is happening across the bay area?Tony Saysog:The housing crisis is not simply 'capitalism at work'. This housing crisis is fueled by speculative greed. When will you step up and do what's right?Or are you too busy supporting the earthquake profiteers?What will it take for the Bay Area's elected officials to do something other than ACKNOWLEDGE the crisis. It's beyond time to ACT.The speculator driven housing frenzy has reached a point that Rent Control, Tenant Protection Ordinances, Just Cause Eviction requirements, and a provision for relocation funds for tenants are no longer a 'possible solution'. They are the only solution. You have already waited too long, and people are losing their homes.Housing security is one of the most important issues facing 50% of your residents, yet you fail to take action to protect them.When you attempt to placate the EBRHA and CAA and simply pass a restriction, a landlord immediately exploits a loophole and evicts the entire building.You closed the loophole, but what about those 33 families who are being forced out?This isn't capitalism. This is pure greed.Yet, we're supposed to believe those landlords sent by the EBRHA and CAA to fill the halls and limit tenant access?Isn't this an election year? And aren't 50% of Alameda Residents renters?Alameda tenants will remember how you treated us like we didn't matter. And we'll take that memory to the polls in November.Limit rent increases to .65% of CPIStop all no-cause evictions.I support Alameda RentersThe other category is what I call the Earthquake Profiteers.Imagine, for a moment, that the Big One hits a really Big One, 9.0 or more, and the city of San Francisco is a disaster area. There is no electricity, no transit, water pipes damaged and taps unsafe and a big supermarket opens up and charges $50 for a quart of drinking water and $20 for a cup of rice. Starving, thirsty children are turned away by armed guards. Parents beg for just a bit of humanity, but no: You got cash, you survive. You dont, you can die on the streets.A huge storm hits, with cold hail and rain. A big landlord has plenty of space in a building where people can sleep warm and dry but its $500 a person a night for a cot. The sick, the elderly, people with infants they are locked out if they cant afford the tab. Let em die.Would we, as a city, vilify those people? Would every politician in town call them out? Would the newspapers publish their names in a Hall of Shame? Would the district attorney and the city attorney look for ways to prosecute them? Would the state and local governing bodies instantly pass laws against disaster-profiteering (as, by the way, we did during WWII, when excess profits from the war were not only heavily taxes but roundly criticized?) Would every decent human being refuse to have anything to do with them?I would hope so.But the people and corporations taking the same sort of advantage of the housing crisis? The speculators, the bad landlords, the evictors? The ones who are making a fortune off the misery of people who have done nothing but try to remain in a city under pressure they did not create, people whose only crime is to be less wealthy than the new arrivals? The political players who represent the interests of these vultures? They are treated, for the most part, as business people just doing what business people do.And they are allowed to defeat laws that would reign in the profits they destroying other peoples lives, while the political class that runs this city and takes their money says its just fine.The worst Nimbys in the city arent even close to that class of villains.Alameda officials, who have long asked for hard data to gauge whether the islands renters are being gouged by exorbitant rent increases and forced out of their homes by evictions, appear to be realizing the problem is more widespread than previously acknowledged. A council meeting this week to approve final passage of an ordinance to reform the citys rent review board process legislation one councilmember now calls toothless also featured another round of heartbreaking tales of steep 15 to 20 percent rent hikes and waves of 30- and 60-day eviction notices. Councilmember Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft described Tuesday nights Alameda City Council meeting as one of the most emotional she has witnessed in years.Linda Weinstock, a seven-year Alameda resident, said her rent was recently raised 10 percent. After the increase, her rent for a two-bedroom apartment is now $2,950 a month, she said. The propertys management later told her to expect an additional 15-25 percent increase next year. I think its unreasonable. Its almost like theyre asking us to leave, said Weinstock. Ive given everything to Alameda. I found you and I feel like Im being asked to leave. She is now looking for a possible exit strategy from the island.Seniors are feeling the brunt of the burgeoning rental crisis, said longtime resident Barbara Duncan, who is advocating for rent control in Alameda. Holding a sign that read, I Rent & I Vote, Duncan told the council that landlords are pushing out Alamedans with an eye at reaping vastly higher rents from out-of-towners. Theres no way we can survive if the rents keep going up, she said. If they want San Francisco people here, let us know now. Were all wondering whether were going to be able to stay or are San Francisco, Palo Alto people going to move us out.Alamedas new rent review board rules provide little relief from the rent increases and evictions, renters say. Over the summer, Ive seen more and more people get displaced out of their homes, and this rent review ordinance does nothing to address thirty- and sixty-day notices to vacate, said Angela Hockabout, founder of the Alameda Renters Coalition.Other than providing a venue for renters to contest rent increases, the ordinance only holds property owners accountable for merely showing up to a rent review hearing or forfeiting the right to raise rents the next year. The reason all these renters are here tonight is that they are worried the rent review ordinance isnt going to be enough, added Hockabout. This is a great first step, but it shouldnt be the last step.In contrast to the ordinances initial approval last July and other city meetings over the past year, there appears to be a noticeable change in the city council tone toward the plight of renters. In the past, several councilmembers were reluctant to act on the issue before a long-awaited city staff report on the impact of rent increases in Alameda is released sometime in December. Several council members often wondered aloud whether reports of rent hikes and evictions were due to a few bad apples among landlords.When I owned a house, there was never a question of whether I was "long-term" or not. You own here, you count. Soon I will have lived here longer as a renter than I ever did as a homeowner. But really this fact is beside the point, and I doubt whether this little bit of personal history will have any impact on those who dismiss me or any other of the "hares" here in the city.Luckily for me, and for more than half of Alamedans, it has been more than a century-and-a-half since property ownership was required for the right to vote. Voting rights have a long and complex history -- one that can barely be scratched here. But, in the year before I was born, the U.S. Supreme Court (Dunn v. Blumstein, 1972) decided that states couldn't put a residential duration test on voting access. Tennessee had set a one-year residence requirement for access to the polls. The court rejected this requirement while conceding 30 days to handle whatever "administrative tasks are needed." In other words, if you live here, you count.So when I feel agitated, when renters are viewed as transient, when "longtime" residence and property ownership are used to imply that one person cares more about this city and its future than another, I try to remember that it does not matter whether you think I count or not. When we pick our elected officials or decide ballot initiatives, my vote counts exactly as much as anyone else's. I take comfort in that today and all the months from now until November. * TSX down 116.95 points, or 0.91 percent, at 12,803.19 * Eight of the TSX's 10 main groups move lower TORONTO, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Canada's benchmark stock index fell on Wednesday as energy stocks slid and heavyweight banks and railways pulled back amid rising geopolitical tensions and growth worries. The most influential movers included pipeline company Enbridge Inc, which fell 2.1 percent to C$45.03, and Suncor Energy Inc, the country's largest oil and gas company, which declined 2.4 percent to C$34.56. The energy group overall retreated 2.8 percent, with oil prices sliding over 4 percent to fresh 11-year lows as tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran made any cooperation between them to cut output even more unlikely. The index's financials group retreated 0.9 percent, with Bank of Nova Scotia off 1.1 percent to C$55.52. At 10:40 a.m. EST (1540 GMT), the Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index was down 116.95 points, or 0.91 percent, at 12,803.19. Of the index's 10 main industry groupings, only two were in positive territory. "I think that everybody is just sitting and watching and waiting to see if something will stabilize," said Diana Avigdor, a portfolio manager and head of trading at Barometer Capital Management. "From a trading perspective, there's just no bids anywhere." If sustained, the decline would mark the index's sixth straight losing session. On the positive side, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc rose 2.4 percent to C$144.6 after naming an interim CEO. Gold miners also rose, including Goldcorp, which advanced 4.2 percent to C$16.88 and Barrick, which jumped 4.1 percent to C$11.14. The overall materials group, which includes miners, climbed 1.3 percent as the price of bullion hit a four-week high. Gold futures rose 1.1 percent to $1,090.5 an ounce, while U.S. crude prices were down 3.3 percent to $34.77 a barrel and Brent lost 4.3 percent to $34.86. Canada's exports grew for the first time in four months in November, helping cut the trade deficit to C$1.99 billion ($1.41 billion) from C$2.49 billion in October, Statistics Canada said. Story continues Automakers sold fewer light vehicles in Canada during December, but reported record-breaking sales of trucks and cars for 2015, an automotive consultant said on Tuesday. Declining issues outnumbered advancers ones on the TSX by 175 to 59, for a 2.97-to-1 ratio on the downside. (Reporting by Alastair Sharp and Fergal Smith, editing by G Crosse) Amy Hijacks Samori (and other horrors)...1-5-16 Mouse Report by DJ Mouse Pacifica insider writes about the hijacking of DemocracyNow!...Samori Marksman and Pacifica's brainchild...into pathetic lapdog and 9-11-01 getaway driver...sampling World Crisis Radio on our phony war on our counter-Assad counter-revolutionaries...'waged' by the racist misogynists who created them in the first place...drone bomber's masters on the Dixiecratic plantation running the war...past the blind eyes of their Carlyle Group's Soros funded Mockingbird crew's Stockholm Syndrome hostages...and over the dead bodies of all (US Presidents) who oppose them... Listen now: Copy the code below to embed this audio into a web page: Pacificas Original Democracy Now! Is Hijacked Democracy Now! started out as a noble and ambitious idea. Pacifica had a five-station network in major markets and college stations and smaller-market affiliates, but except for its news hour, it didnt have a signature national program. The idea was to develop one. But what should it be? Program directors and selected programmers from Pacificas five stations and other contributors decided by consensus that the program should tackle the issues of the day, generate new audiences, and draw upon and showcase house talent. It should be a news-magazine format and should feature, on a rotating basis, hosts from every Pacifica station who, in turn, would bring new voices to the air. The goal, ultimately, was that the program would have a uniquely Pacifica imprint and would reflect its commitment to serving the informational needs of its diverse audiences. It was agreed that although a network-wide project, the the program would be produced in New York at WBAI, under the directorship of its program director, Samori Marksman, who had originally conceived the DN program concept. Logistical and programmatic issues were worked out and DN was ready to make its debut. But a huge problem arose that created tensions throughout Pacifica. Amy Goodman, WBAIs news director at the time, wanted to be host and most prominent contributor to the kickoff show, which meant that the consensus decision was being undermined. This would put WBAI Program Director Samori Marksman and General Manager Valerie Van Isler in a compromising position. But Amy didnt care about that. As Amy saw it, their job was to make it happen the way she wanted it, which meant excluding everybody else, including other veteran Pacifica newspeople who were at least equally deserving of a shot. To achieve this, Amy kicked her hammering of Samori and Valerie into high gear and had supporters (that is, wealthy donors) call them to express their desire that Amy host the program. Sadly, Samori (surprisingly) and Valerie (not surprisingly) capitulated. Amy, as usual, got what she wanted. I (and several others, I learned later) took Samori to task for caving in. Just when Pacifica was beginning to behave like a network, with all parties/stations working cooperatively to achieve a great thing, it all came undone by WBAIs resident enfant terrible. Why did you go along with the program? I asked Samori in a private one-on-one. He said he felt badly about it, but at the time the decision had been made to go with Amy. He said he wasnt happy about what had happened, but added that the saving grace was that Amy would do a creditable job, and that he would help her programmatically to make DN work. He also said that he hadnt given up on the original planalternating hosts from all the stations. (Which, of course, never happened.) It wasnt long before Amy upped the ante. She wanted no interference (i.e., no supervision or input) from anyone, especially National Program Director Steve Yasko, whose job it was to assure the integrity and quality of the Pacifica programming and to supervise its content. She wanted to be the programs permanent hostno other hosts, and no rotation of hosts. Everybody else was to be locked out. Then came another demand: Amy wanted the program to be a Pacifica must-carry meaning that all Pacifica stations would be ordered to air the program, whether they wanted to or not, and she wanted it to air in morning drive timeagain, as a must-carry directive from National. She wanted the must-carry edict to apply to afternoon drive time as well. Note that her new position as host (and virtually only voice) on DN was in addition to her presence as co-host of Wake Up Call, the program immediately following DN, and also her presence on the regular news hour in the evening. In other words, Amy would now be the host and/or leading figure in not one -- but three of the stations most important programs, each one airing every day, in prime time the effect of which was to turn WBAI and the Pacifica network into a promotion machine for her new and growing business enterprise. And that wasnt all. For in an extraordinary example of triple-dipping -- unique in Pacifica and perhaps anywhere else in broadcasting -- she demanded and received a salary for each of those three programs. Finally, and perhaps even more extraordinary, was her demand for an extensive personal staff to be paid for by WBAI and Pacifica -- but over which no one at Pacifica, including its national program director Yasko, was to have any input or control as to hiring or salary. She also demanded an additional discretionary budget for DN, separate from the regular payroll, which she would also control, free of oversight or interference from anyone at WBAI or Pacifica. So although the foundation was to bear the costs, it was Amy who placed herself in charge of setting the rules. Then came a demand for a dedicated office in Washington, D.C., since, she said, the DN program would focus heavily on national politics. But no sooner were arrangements made to accommodate that demand than she added yet another new one. She also, she said, needed office space in New York, complete with its own exclusive support servicescomputers, phones, fax, etc., -- plus the right to take over, for her own exclusive use, the production studio that WBAIs programmers shared for the stations other shows. Which meant that it became routine that Amy and/or her staff would suddenly show up and commandeer all of the stations production studios and facilities, leaving all of WBAIs other producers to figure out how to deal with the resulting production traffic jam. As far as Amy was concerned, any problems or disruptions she caused were irrelevant. DN was now the networks flagship program, with her at the helm, and therefore no obstacles should be tolerated nor expense spared to produce it. In effect, Amy had wrested the Pacifica program from Pacifica; fashioned it in an undemocratic way (by locking out Pacifica personnel who should have shared the hosting of the program); made Pacifica pick up a very substantial tab for its production, which went way beyond projected costs; and for all intents and purposes owned the program. After the death of Samori Marksman on March 23, 1999, Amy went full blast with DN and literally re-branded the program as her personal property. An investigation into this will expose sub-rosa dealings that were arranged and concluded without the Boards full knowledge and approval, and a simultaneous campaign of terror that Amy instigated and choreographed in order, first, to arrogate the program to herself as a private enterprise; secondly, to run that private enterprise with Pacificas money, personnel and material assets; thirdly, to re-brand and use the program as the hub for other related financial endeavors of her own; fourthly, as a scheme to enrich herself while systematically indebting Pacifica; and, ultimately, to use the program and her heavily promoted identification with it as co-founder and host to cause grave economic harm to Pacifica, including possible dissolution, thus positioning herself advantageously as a logical and worthy inheritor, should the network be forced to part with any of all of its assets. When National Program Director Steve Yasko, an affable, openly gay man, attempted to shape DN editorially into what the program was originally designed to be (that is, when he tried to do his job), Amy went into out-and-out war mode a tactic she would repeat with other targets during the course of this whole debacle. She leaked supposedly confidential memos from her to Yasko, deftly written to convey the false impression that she was being harassed by him, that he had created a hostile work environment and -- in what would become her constant theme -- that Pacifica was trying to take her program away from her and was subjecting her to censorship. She and her staff concocted and spread vile, horrid lies about Yasko throughout the network, suggesting that he was a mean and hateful man who had not yet worked out his latent self-loathing, and therefore had an inability to deal with strong heterosexual feminists (such as Amy Goodman). It was a carefully choreographed and relentless smear campaign. As a result, Yasko began to receive threatening phone calls from irate listeners, and people began showing up at WPFW (Pacificas Washington, DC, station), and at Yaskos Washington, DC, residence to physically and psychologically intimidate him. He literally began to get sick -- losing sleep, losing weight, fearful that he was being followed and might be attacked, and worried that ,even if he quit, he was so maligned by Amy and her putrid lies that his chances of landing a meaningful job in the industry would be extremely low. These tactics were accompanied by a blitz of lawsuits by Amy against the Pacifica Foundation, alleging harassment, civil-rights violations, a hostile work environment and other despicable lies. The aim was not only to keep Pacifica on the defensive, but also to bankrupt it. The Foundation, naturally, had to hire lawyers to defend against Amys spurious charges, which she filed through her union, AFTRA, and through a battalion of well-connected, wealthy, liberal lawyer friends. Pacifica spent millions of dollars dealing with Amys lawsuits, which she reported to the public not as a plaintiff but as a poor, helpless, beleaguered victim fighting a noble battle against an evil Pacifica that was trying to take her program from her. The AFTRA union reps themselves intensely disliked Amy, and were also fed up with her and her many obviously frivolous complaints. They objected having to represent her in a self-serving war against Pacifica. They concluded that she had cost the union more than any other individual in recent memory, and found her to be extremely difficult to work with. They resented being used as a weapon to carry out a personal agenda against her employer by concocting an utterly false narrative that she was an earnest worker unjustly wronged. When she realized that AFTRA was not going to be an enthusiastic player in her game plan, she had her lawyer friends take up the slack and pick up the pace. (These were the same lawyers who, three years later, would write the one-sided Democracy Now! contract that privatized and then gave away the program on which Pacifica had expended millions of dollars to create, staff and produce -- to Amy Goodmans privately owned corporation.) Incidentally, Amy was the only worker at WBAI who belonged to AFTRA, which was the regular union for broadcasting personnel. But for reasons lost in the mists of history, WBAIs workers incomprehensibly were part of an Electrical Workers Union bargaining unit. As a shop steward, I constantly asked why workers at a radio station werent members of the industry union. As the only AFTRA member at WBAI, Amy was paid the industry-standard rate and enjoyed benefits that no one else at WBAI enjoyed. At one point, interim general manager Utrice Leid recommended to Pacifica Executive Director Bessie Wash that WBAI should pursue a transfer of the shop to AFTRA. Although normally unions dont take kindly to other unions raiding their members, in this instance both AFTRA and UE were extremely cooperative about a possible handover both unions marveling at the rarity of a case in which management was actually taking the lead in doing The Right Thing by workers. Neither union had ever conducted a handover before, but both expended their best good faith efforts to make it happen. And so it did. Such was the kind of change that Pacifica Executive Director Bessie wanted for Pacifica. The union transfer raised salaries for all employees and provided benefits they never had before, including catastrophic-care and retirement benefits. Bernard White, Amys devoted but hopelessly duped acolyte, was later able to draw upon his AFTRA benefits when he was dealing with a major health challenge. But guess who openly opposed the move to AFTRA and worked feverishly behind the scenes to torpedo it? Yes, Amy Goodman! She resented other workers having the same benefits that she singularly enjoyed at WBAI, and did everything in her power to derail the handover. But this was one time perhaps the only time in which she did not get her way. Sometime around 2000/2002, the foundations national headquarters -- amid considerable protest throughout the network -- was relocated from Berkeley to Washington, DC. Shortly thereafter, WBAIs interim general manager, Utrice Leid, was sent to Washington, DC, to become national program director (replacing Steve Yasko, who had been terrorized out of his job by Amy Goodmans smear campaign, as noted above). Bob Daughtry, the general manager of WPFW (the the DC station), replaced Leid as interim general manager of WBAI in New York. Leid said that her very first meeting with the national news staff in DC turned into a grief session about Amy. They demanded to know: Is Amy Goodman coming here? Leid said that she didnt know, and when she asked why they asked the question, they replied that they would all quit if she did come to DC. To put it mildly, they did not like her at all, neither on a personal nor professional level. They were unanimous in their position that they would quit rather than have Amy physically present among them or even in the same building. Soon after her arrival in DC, Leid and the national news staff set to work strengthening the regular one-hour national news program that they produced daily for Pacifica. They also wanted to create a new Pacifica News Hour, which would amplify a news story or two covered in the regular news program. It was a a good idea, and Leid, as national news director, said she would go with it. I worked with Leid and the national news team, and found them to be great people a small, culturally diverse group of serious journalists who loved the work they did and worked well with each other. They performed well under pressure and impressed everyone with their desire to stretch out and do even more. Leid began a practice of short daily editorial meetings that included the sound engineers. And this small team delivered every day -- two self-contained, highly produced news and feature-story programs that many (including myself) felt far superior to DN -- and at no extra cost, either to the news unit or to Pacifica. This team also increased the distribution of the program by increasing the number of affiliates that wanted it, and the money from those affiliates went into Pacificas coffers. All omens and auguries bode well for this new program, except one: Amy Goodman viewed it as unwanted rival for audience attention that might steal some of the thunder from her own Democracy Now! Program. Going After the Whole Enchilada In a crisis, particularly one that is engineered, there is Machiavellian opportunity. By manipulation and tantrum, the wily Ms. Goodman had gained the power traction she desired within WBAI. But in the course of her campaign, however, she and her coven of co-conspirators saw that it was also possible to go after the whole enchiladato take over the entire network the way she snatched its prized DN, of which she continues to name herself co-founder. (Although as a devout me-ist, she never names the co- part of her putative title.) An astute player of the race card, she leaned heavily on African Americans at WBAI to vouch for her credentials as a righteous sister. They performed their tasks well. At a meeting in Harlem to condemn then-interim GM Utrice Leid, Robert Knight, an African American and the stations award-winning investigative journalist, proclaimed to a packed house that Amy Goodman is the blackest woman I know. He was, in fact, not lying, because Knight didnt actually know many black women, and they evidently returned the favor. [Note: The writer of this report is an African AmericanSteve Brown] This was, of course, before Knight eventually ran afoul of Bernard White, was ignominiously kicked out of the elite circles of the Goodman/Gonzales-led Pacifica Campaign, and then after White became de facto general manager of WBAI was fired from his job at the station altogether. Meanwhile, Bernard White, Bob Lederer, Mimi Rosenberg, Vajra Kilgour and a passel of Amy-bots went on polluting WBAIs airwaves with anti-Pacifica vitriol as part of the effort by the Pacifica Campaign to discredit and dislodge the national board and seize control of the network. Their black adherents were especially useful when it was necessary to attack other blacks (in which they sometimes earned extra points for twofersthat is, not simply attacking black women, but black women who also held positions of power and influence within Pacifica). Bernard White was official Door Opener for the full-scale attack on all blacks in leadership positions at Pacifica (i.e., anyone Amy saw as an impediment to her takeover plan), and gave the public the illusion that their war against Pacifica was principle-driven, and race neutral. But in fact it was anything but. For example, the planning sessions for Amys anti-Pacific assaults that took place at WBAI, day after day, were heavily segregated by race -- the black meetings included few or no whites, and the meetings of Amys people included almost no one of color. The blacks who were enlisted to support Amy were selected for their high-visibility people in practically all spheres of life. She was soon able to prove her legitimacy and credibility among black folks across the spectrum from Harry Belafonte to Mumia Abu Jamal. But not all of them could be fooled forever. For example, Pam Africa, a spokesperson for Mumia, actually apologized to Utrice Leid publicly, during a recent community meeting in Brooklyn (at which I was a witness) for allowing herself and Mumia to be used that way. She told the audience that she came to realize there was another agenda afoot. As revolutionaries we have to make things right, she said, asking to be forgiven a lapse in revolutionary judgment. I firmly believe that Amy and Co. needed to feel that they had strong black support before going full tilt on taking over the entire network. But hard as they tried to get that support especially in New York and D.C. -- it just wasnt forthcoming. That was clear when, in spite the protests and demonstrations against her by Bernard White and the Amy Goodman/Juan Gonzales Pacifica Campaign, interim GM Leid succeeded in implementing the most successful fund drive in WBAI history. Even jamming of the stations phone pledge lines, and sending operatives into the tally room to nullify pledge cards, couldnt sabotage the drive, which raised $1.2 million, most of it by credit cards, in just over two weeks. And this was accomplished by offering very few premiums, opting instead for a direct appeal based on the quality of programming. The result of that successful drive was a decisive blow to the imagined credibility that the Goodman/Gonzales/White faction supposedly enjoyed with listeners, and quite possibly persuaded Amy that the push to take over the entire Pacifica network should be delayed for fear of public sentiment turning against them. However, delaying the plan didnt mean canceling the plan. Amy still intends to own Pacifica one day. In the meantime, she is carefully placing her people in parallel systems. One such is the Manhattan Neighborhood Network cable television system. When MNN refused to allow her DN program to dominate its programming schedule and take over a significant amount of its physical space and production equipment, she went after the MNN station manager, an African American man (whose name I cant recall right now) [Note: I believe the head of MNN referred to was Anthony Riddle, who later became a WBAI general managerSteve Brown], with a laundry list of false accusations and complaints against him. She then launched an email campaign against him and, with the aid of her ally Leslie Cagan [Note: Leslie Cagan, who was a former Pacifica National Board Chair, was the person who negotiated and signed, in secret, the infamous Democracy Now! contract that privatized DN and gave it away to Amy Goodmans private corporationSteve Brown], got him fired -- and succeeded in having Dan Coughlin, her former employee (and former Pacifica ED) hired to replace him. It was also Amys political clout (and Leslie Cagans influence at the national level) that helped Coughlin land the top job at Pacifica as executive director in 2002. (AFTRA protested, but to no avail.) Returning to his old Amy-like ways, Coughlin was fired in 2005 for unaccountable borrowing of funds to the national office, secret bonuses to key employees, and a lack of transparency. (I remember that when Amy was on special assignment, back in the old days at WBAI, Coughlin had been an employee of Amys, as a DN producer. He often ran down the hall to Utrice Leids office in desperation to ask her what the stories he should put on upcoming episodes of DN. She readily helped until she heard and saw him berating a DN intern for not understanding the importance of knowing what the story is.) Strange Things Began to Happen at WBAI Strange things began to happen at WBAI after Amy, having outworn her welcome in Washington, D.C., returned to her office at WBAI to continue producing DN and simultaneously direct the misinformation-and-terror campaign she was leading, with Juan Gonzales, Bernard White, Bob Lederer, and others, against the Pacifica executive director and national board. This was just prior to a total blowout at WBAI. At that time, we began to see people coming into the station whom no one knew. They were everywhere, and made free use of WBAIs phones, fax machines, copiers, and stationary supplies. They walked around the station with an air of authorityas if they belonged there and nobody was to ask them any questions. They all seemed to be reporting to the far end of the hall, where Amy Goodman and Bernard White had adjoining offices. Because these people pre-empted so much of the stations space and facilities, those of us trying to do our work found ourselves having to readjust our normal work functions and schedules around these nameless Amy people. It was not unusual that on some days every space dedicated to our work was occupiedthe performance studio, the production studio, the conference room that we used as the tally room during pledge drives, the kitchen area, the reception area, the phone and computer bank that adjoined the newsroom. We were inundated with all kinds of people invading the station and the only thing we could do was hole up in our offices until air time and keep the doors locked until we returned to our offices after our shows. WBAI was transformed into Protest Central, and at the direction of Amy and Bernard, various groups performed their assigned tasks making anti-Pacifica protest signs, using the phone bank to make private calls, sending faxes out, holding planning meetings, producing anti-Pacifica carts and other audios in the production studios -- all with the aim of destabilizing the network and dislodging its current management and governance, but having nothing at all to do with the business of running WBAI as a radio station. Many colleagues and I began asking ourselves. What the hell is going on here? Why is Valerie allowing this? It was Amys people getting ready for action, we were told. It got worse. People were roaming around the station doing what, nobody knew. They were even sleeping in overnight. The station looked and smelled like hell. The cleaning staff filed complaints with the manager of the building about the condition of WBAIs offices, which forced them to do so much cleaning every night that it threw them way off their cleaning schedule. Our neighbors on the floor complained about the filthy condition of the bathrooms. Things went missing at WBAI and equipment frequently was out of order. Soon it all became unambiguously clear: Amys people were preparing for a huge protest and grand assault and physical occupation of the station based on the lies and distortions that she, Bernard White and others had spread over the airwaves throughout the network. Although a network-wide takeover was the goal, WBAI was to take the lead. Valerie herself didnt seem to object about what was going on, even though we asked her, as general manager, to do something about it not only because we personally didnt feel safe, but also because the station and all of its equipment for which she was legally and morally responsible -- were being used and abused by people who couldnt care less about the safety of staff personnel or the stations facilities. Someone apparently reported the planned takeover of the station to Pacifica ED Bessie Wash. I got a call from her one evening. I had stayed late to prepare my show for the following day. I had never met Bessie, but she told me who she was and why she was calling. She said she had heard some distressing things from talking to people at the station (she did not identify them), and she said they all asked her to talk to me and to Utrice Leid to corroborate what they had said. I told her exactly what I saw and what was developing at the station. Many of us were very uncomfortable with the arbitrary and reckless decision by Amy and Bernard and their followers to put the rest of us and the station itself in danger by this attempted takeover and I expressed these concerns to Bessie. I told her, and even though we reported our concerns to Valerie, nothing was done. In fact, on the very day Bessie talked with me, Amys people had decided on the precise day they were going to take over the station, and I even heard some of them talking about bringing guns for an armed showdown. Bessie asked me who had been letting the non-WBAI people into the station during the preceding weeks to conduct their campaign against Pacifica. I told her that they let themselves in because there was no lock on the front door. (Astonishingly, WBAI had been in its new space at 120 Wall St. for a considerable time but had no lock on its front door, despite entreaties to Valerie to safeguard the station and anyone working there, especially late at night.) Bessie thanked me for talking with her. She also congratulated Utrice Leid at that time host of the popular afternoon show Talkback -- for winning a recent vote by WBAIs programmers who thought she was best suited to be program director for the station. Actually, Leid hadnt even run. Errol Maitland, who very often engineered for Amy and Wake Up Call, had entered her name on his own, as the best person for the job. Leid won convincingly, as it turned out. Laura Flanders was second. Two days after our initial conversation, I got another call from Bessie, telling me that she would be in town that evening to meet with Utrice Leid. At that meeting, according to Utrice Leid, Bessie said that the conversations she had with Leid and other staffers concerned her greatly, and that she had come to New York to take some executive actions the following day, since Valerie was not responding to the situation. Although FCC law requires the broadcast license holder to take all reasonable measures to protect the broadcasting facilities, Bessie said, here was a general manager (Valerie) who, clearly aware that something awful was brewing, was doing nothing to secure the space and equipment and the stations personnel. Additionally, the contemplated action by Amys people, if true, would expose Pacifica to all kinds of legal problems, should someone be injured or worse during the planned occupation of WBAI, of which the general manager had knowledge but did not respond accordingly. Bessie told me she had come to New York to secure the station herself. The front door had no lock at all, so a lock had to be installed. And people roaming all over the station and having access to and using equipment in rooms and offices that should be locked meant that someone had keys, or access to keys, for all the offices and studios, and opened them. Those locks had to be changed, Bessie said. A locksmith was contracted the next day and was asked to do the job late in the evening to avoid any run-ins with protesters. There were several WBAI employees (I wont name them) who, like me, were outraged that Amy and some of our so-called colleagues didnt care about and never asked us what we thought. Our view was that whatever their beef was with Pacifica, they were dead wrong to orchestrate a takeover of the station, disregarding the safety of others and the very real possibility that the equipment that the listeners money had paid for would be stolen, damaged or destroyed. We all agreed that the chief antagonists in this drama were engaging in a CIA-type of operation, propagating false information to mobilize people, many of them sincere and well-meaning, behind contrivances that hid the real reasons for their anti-Pacifica protests and actions. We werent in a war with anybody; we just wanted to make sure that the station, the physical plant and its equipment, would not fall into the hands of misguided zealots who were acting like they had nothing to lose. Utrice confided to her colleagues what Bessie Wash was about to do in order to ensure the safety of the station. They breathed a sigh of relief, and turned over their office keys to her, each key representing one lock that did not have to be changed, an expense avoided. The locksmith brought his journeyman son to assist him, and Bessie, an assistant with baby in tow, and Utrice Leid and I were there keeping them company and making sure everything went smoothly. A late-night host who saw what was going on (there was no attempt to hide it from him) began reporting the non-event with the urgency of an air raid. And thus began the next wave of propaganda the so-called Christmas Coup. If three unarmed women and a baby could carry out a coup, it doesnt say much for the other sides tactical capability, does it? If anything, it was a Christmas Countercoup, to prevent the plan of Bernard White and the rest of Amys people to celebrate Christmas as the new owners of WBAI. [A further report may be forthcoming from this source; but this is all I have right nowSteve Brown]"..."Amys Grandpas Gift Keeps On Giving to Amy Amy Goodmans grandfather (a rabbi of the Orthodox tradition), I was told, had made a long-term charitable pledge to WBAI that would continue even after his death. Ostensibly, the gift was in acknowledgment of the opportunities provided to his granddaughter by the station, to learn her craft and do the kinds of stories she otherwise would not have been assigned, as a mere intern, in a typical newsroom setting. His gift also was a way of assuring that Amy would find few, if any, impediments to success in her chosen career at WBAI. It had to have been a generous gift, because it was repeatedly leveraged by Amy to allow her to do as she pleased at WBAI. Even as a new arrival in the news department, she did what she wanted, functioning apart from the regular staff and doing stories on her own, making it clear that she was above taking direction and was quite special truly an exception to the rulers, as she proclaims about her program. To say that she was driven is an understatement. Amy poured herself into her work and was single-minded in developing her reportorial skills (mentored by colleagues in this regard, although Ive never heard her credit anyone). Her conduct in the workplace, however, was atrocious and she seemed to take great pride in being unmanageablecharacterized by epic tantrums, blowouts, meltdowns, screaming at and cussing out others, and displaying a persona so aggressive and intimidating that people tended to get out of her way and, in the case of management (especially Valerie Van Isler and Samori Marksman), tended to give her whatever she demanded for the sake of peace and to make her happy. What made Amy happy was getting whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted it. She was not a team player in the news department; she felt she was the news department, and it was important to her that everyone, including those who were showing her the ropes of the trade, understand and accept that. That mind-set applied beyond the news department. Amy not only became a star at WBAI, she felt she was WBAI. Her self-importance and narcissism knew no bounds; it contrasted dramatically with the humble, shy-girl image she portrayed to the public. (I note here that a key figure in her development as a news reporter was WBAIs legendary program director, Samori Marksman, who seemed to be the only person with whom Amy would mind her Ps and Qs. She would not have had either the political/ideological perspective or access to the broad spectrum of contacts she now enjoys had it not been for him. He was that kind of person; hed offer whatever help one needed to produce a good piece of work for WBAI. It is no exaggeration to say that Samori principally was responsible for introducing Amy to a world she never knew and to people she never would have been able to connect with. Needless to say, in short order she commandeered his contacts, too, and made them her own Chomsky, Zinn, Vidal, Belafonte, Tony Benn, Dick Gregory, etc. Ive never heard her credit or thank Samori publicly for his contribution to her professional development.) The armed right-wing extremists who have taken over the Malheur Wildlife Refuge are following in the footsteps of Euro-American settlers who moved to the area in the late 1800s. For most of the 1800s and earlier, Eastern Oregon was largely the territory of the Northern Paiute. The Malheur Indian Reservation was created in 1872 to set aside a small part of their former territory exclusively for Native Americans. The reservation was established by executive order of President Ulysses Grant. This was necessary since Congress refused to ratify the 1868 treaty negotiated with the Paiute (theres rarely been any political benefit to treating Indians fairly).Much like the right-wing extremists of today, settlers to the area flouted federal rules and began to illegally graze their cattle on Indian lands:"[...] to make matters worse, local stockmen had begun encroaching upon reservation lands. Some were so bold, [Agent W.V.] Rinehart wrote his 1878 report, that they have even taken up their residence within the limits of the reservation, and make no secret of their intention to occupy and use the land.And yes, thats exactly what Cliven Bundy is doing on federal lands in Nevada and what his son Ammon Bundy is advocating in Oregon. The illegal encroachment by Euro-American settlers in the 1870s inevitably led to conflict with Indians. This then led to settlers agitating for the Federal government to remove the Indians and redistribute their land to Euro-Americans. They succeeded.In 1879, the reservation was closed and the land opened up for Euro-American settlement (Asian-Americans and African-Americans also settled in the area). The closure was precipitated by the Bannock War of 1878 in which the Northern Paiute were peripherally involved. Most Paiute Indians resident in the area were forcibly moved to the Yakima reservation in Washington state and not permitted to return till 1887. Today, the Wadatika band of the Paiute continues to inhabit the small Burns-Paiute reservation.You can find a fascinating set of maps of the region and the forced removals at this University of Oregon course website: Decolonizing research The Northern Paiute History.Heres Indian Countrys succinct roundup:President U.S. Grant established the Malheur Indian Reservation for the Northern Paiute in 1872. It is no coincidence that the historical reservation shares a name with the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, site of the current armed standoff.White settlement nibbled at the Malheur Indian Reservation until the Bannock War in 1878, which ended with surrendered Paiutes and Bannocks on the reservation being removed, officially to the Yakima Reservation in Washington Territory. Unofficially, Paiutes had scattered all over the Western States that comprised their aboriginal lands. The Burns Paiute Reservation is the remains of the Malheur Reservation and the Malheur Wildlife Refuge is an alternative use for the federal land, for those who believe the federal government exists.Photo: American Progress (John Gast, 1872) portrays the "manifest destiny" of Euro-American settlers as they displace native peoples. The tenants and landlords are expected to appear at the second City Council meeting during February, when the council is expected to vote on a first reading of the ordinance they directed the staff to create, as a way to allegedly protect the renters of Alameda! Greedy landlords of Alameda speak out against rent control and tenant protectionsBy Lynda Carson - January 6, 2015Alameda - Alameda faces a terrible housing crisis because of massive rent increases and no-cause evictions being imposed by greedy landlords, and rental corporations. This is what brought the landlords and the tenants together for a Tuesday, January 5, City Council meeting, to speak up in support of the situation, or against it. The City Council has also been seeking a solution to the housing crisis, in the form of three different ordinances to be voted on that are allegedly meant to protect the renters.Half of the population in Alameda are renters, and if there ever was a way to bring the wealthy landlords out of their palaces to a City Council meeting on a chilly evening, ordinances being considered in regards to rent control and just cause eviction protections, will bring the greedy bloodsuckers out every time.In essence, the landlords want a system in which they can do whatever they want, and the renters want protections from those very same landlords who want the ability to exploit the renters to the maximum.The tenants are demanding renter protections including a cap on rent increases to be set at .65% of the annual CPI, plus an extension on the recent moratorium that prohibits no-cause evictions in Alameda.The greedy landlords are demanding that they must be free to rip off the tenants with massive rent increases any time they want, or that they should be free to evict renters at any time they want, so that they can jack up the rents in their building, as high as they want on the new renters being invited in to their buildings.The Tuesday evening January 5 City Council meeting was a long one, as landlords and tenants had a chance to speak before the City Council in regards to the three different ordinances being proposed.The meeting started at 7:00pm, and by 12:30am, the speakers were still taking their turns to speak, and by around 3:55am the City Council members finally came to an agreement on most of the issues involved for a new renters protection ordinance, after a long lengthy debate.At the direction of the City Council, the city staff will have to prepare an ordinance to be voted on for a first reading during the second City Council meeting, of February.The following ordinance was agreed upon by the council, as it was proposed and debated, for a new renters program to protect renters in Alameda: A) In a unanimous vote, all the council members voted to extend the moratorium against no-cause evictions for another 60 days. B) In opposition to what the renters want which is to cap rent increases at .65% of the CPI, the council has focused on rent increases of 5% annually, and the landlords would need permission if they want more than a 5% rent increase. All rent increases above 5% would have to be mediated, and there are no exemptions for any of the landlords. C) Landlords must offer a one year lease initially, to all new tenants. D) Long time tenants would have to be offered another one year lease, each time the landlord wants to do another rent increase, on an annual basis. E) A prohibition on raising the rents more than once a year. D) The council supports monetary compensation for those facing no-cause evictions. F) The council agrees on a sunset provision for what is agreed upon in the proposed ordinance, plus a review of the ordinance, at a later date. G) The council wants to have a cap on rent increases for a rental unit if the former tenant was evicted, as a way to discourage evictions. The new tenant moving into a rental unit would not have to pay more in rent than the prior tenant did, before they were evicted. H) The council also wants documentation from landlords that are claiming they are going to do capital improvements on their buildings, such as permits, or other documentation, as a way to stop mass evictions at buildings in Alameda, where rehab projects really do not occur. I) The council agreed on having relocation benefits of $1,500 for tenants being evicted for no-cause or no fault evictions. Additionally, after the tenant receives a 60 day notice of being evicted, they would have an option of having a four month period to find a new place to live, or to have four months of rent, to help them relocate elsewhere. J) The council needs to figure out a fee to cover the costs of the new renters program. K) The council also wants to figure out how to deal with a reduction in services for the renters, once the landlords start cutting back on services because of the restrictions for rent increases, or evictions.Before the votes took place on the three ordinances being considered, to come up with a new ordinance, stepping up to the podium landlord representatives Don Lindsey and Greg McConnell took their turns to speak out against rent control, and just cause eviction protections. This occurred even though they both admitted that some landlords in Alameda have been greedy, and have been asking for too much rent from the renters.Greg McConnell is wanted to stall the process, and was claiming that he found fault in all of the options that the staff offered the City Council. McConnell opposes just cause for evictions, and he claims that it prevents landlords from evicting bad tenants that disrupt the buildings they reside in.McConnell further denounced rent control in Berkeley, and San Francisco, as a way to try to convince the council not to vote for any just cause eviction protections, or rent control, and he pushed for a trust fund for affordable housing instead. McConnell and Lindsey both supported rent increases of 8%. The landlords sitting in their seats gave McConnell much applause for his comments against rent control, or just cause eviction protections for renters.Tenant supporter Dwayne Mulls, spoke up in support of Alameda renters, calling for strict just cause eviction protections with restrictions. He also said that rent increases should be capped at .65% of the CPI, and that all rent increases and eviction notices, should be filed with a rent board.Soaring rents and no cause evictions are why we are here tonight, Mulls said. The ordinances being debated tonight do not address these two issues.Alameda needs an ordinance that provides stability, and eviction protections, said Mull, as he spoke out against the existing three options before the City Council.Mull went on to mention that option number two is similar to the renter protections in San Jose which are too weak to be adopted, and should not be considered for Alameda. Option number two only offers options to avoid rent control, or just cause evictions protections, he said.It is all about family stability on one side, and profit margins on the other side, Mull said.There were around 38 speaker slips handed in for landlords wanting to speak out, and around 42 speaker slips were filed for the renters. The landlords were allowed to be the first speakers for the first 20 minutes, and renters were to follow. They took turns, till they all had a chance to say what was on their minds.The first landlord immediately spoke out against people at the meeting that may not be renters from Alameda, and she stated that renter protections would give Alameda a bad name, and that the landlords would be demonized if there were renter protections.The second speaker attacked the process, and announced that it would be a conflict of interest if any of the council members were landlords, or if any of them were tenants. She stated that there were penalties if they violated the law by voting for any of the ordinance proposals before them.The City Attorney announced that the council can legally vote on the measures before them.Landlord Mike Pucci, stated that options two and three were unfair, and that he was not sure about option number one. Pucci used to be the director of the Alameda Housing Authority, and he spoke up in support of the landlords, and praised them for being fair and just, even if they have been ripping off the renters with massive rent increases.The next speaker spoke up in support of greed, and she said that it is all about location, location, location. Then she denounced all the uppity renters that complain about greedy landlords, and high rents. She feels that the tenants are trying to seize their properties, and she spoke out against rent control, or renter protections. She claimed that this process is the beginning of a seizure of landlord properties, and that the council has to keep in mind who voted them into office.Christopher Hanson challenged the notion that the renters have been facing massive rent increase that have been raised by 50% and more lately, and he spoke out against rent control, and renter protections for renters. He suggests that rents should be subsidized, to cover the rents for those that cannot afford massive rent hikes in Alameda.Lynette Lee, formerly the director of the East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (EBALDC), spoke up as a neutral in support of renter protections, and the Alameda Renters Coalition. Lee urged that the moratorium on no-cause evictions should be allowed to continue.The tenants finally had their turn to speak around 10:10pm.Bunny Duncan, a tenant, said that she has a good landlord, and that she was there speaking out against the housing crisis in support of all the renters of Alameda.Steven Clifford, a renter, said that he rents and that he votes. If he were to receive an 8% rent increase per year, he would be forced to move from his housing. He said that if there is not a just cause eviction ordinance in place, the renters will all be forced out of Alameda eventually. Clifford spoke out against all three options before the council this evening as being ineffective in protecting the renters.The next speaker spoke out against no-cause evictions being used to evict veterans from Alameda.The following speakers spoke up in support of seniors and the disabled who cannot afford market rate rents, or more rent increases in Alameda, and they mentioned how the elderly and disabled did not receive a cost of living increase for 2016. Alameda is on a course of marginalizing the seniors and disabled in Alameda with the way things currently are, one of the speakers said.Nicky Posh, who is disabled and 75, spoke out in favor of Alameda as being beautiful and friendly, and mentioned how a landlord lied to her about the high rent increase she presently faces, for her and her husband. She mentioned that she is facing 8% rent increases annually, which are more than they can afford.The next speaker denounced how Alameda has become crazy with greedy landlords, and wants the council to vote for stability for the renters.Dillon Williams read his poem called Justice, being a poem in support of renters and the good mother earth.Eric Strimley, mentioned two stories of hardships in Alameda, due to no-cause evictions that are forcing people out of their housing.At 10:28pm, High School students asked to speak next, because they have to get up early for school.Youth leaders from Encenal High School were the speakers, and they mentioned how more than 50% of people are renters in Alameda, and they denounced the way that evictions were chasing families out of Alameda, and how an 8% rent annual rent increase would be way to high for most people to afford.The next student mentioned how the system is corrupted in favor of those with money, and that the system abuses the poor, and is unfair. We are the future and we are educated, and if we are not protected against the evictions taking place, then we will take action, the student said.The next High School student speaker mentioned how evictions are a nightmare that make it impossible to have stability, and how kids end up with only memories of having a place to call home, and a bed to sleep in, because of being evicted. These are our homes and our city, and we will do whatever it takes to protect it, the student said.The next speaker spoke up in support of rent control and just cause eviction protections, and spoke out against the proposal to allow 8% rent increases, by the city staff.Now the landlords got their chance to speak again, at around 10:38pm.Karen Miller, a landlord, came back for a second bite to speak before the City Council, and she spoke up again in support of 8% rent increases, and spoke out against renter protections. She denounced any attempts by the City Council to stop the landlords from evicting renters in an effort to raise the rents, and she denounced rent control as a travesty in Oakland.Malcolm Lee, a landlord in Alameda for 14 years, mentioned how when the rents were low, no one offered to help him pay the mortgage, and he struggled to get renters into his buildings. Now that the buildings are full and the rents are high, the landlords should not be punished for making money, Lee said. Lee said that he is completely against rent control and is against just cause renter protections for the renters.A steady flow of other greedy landlords also took their turns to snivel against any rent control and just cause eviction protection proposals, for the renters.Joanna Davis, a tenant was also there to speak out in regards to a 30 day eviction notice she received earlier today, and how she is struggling as a teacher to make ends meet. She also spoke out against the proposal for an 8% increase in annual rents that the council is considering.Lea Simon Weisman, of Tenants Together, was also a speaker, and she mentioned how when renters are protected by just cause eviction protections, tenants are not afraid to ask the landlord for repairs at their housing units. She also mentioned how hard evictions are on children, and how it is hard on children to live in places where the lights do not work. She spoke highly in support of just cause eviction protections, and spoke out against options number one and two, which are being considered by the City Council, as being too weak to protect the renters.Joshua Howard of the California Apartment Association (CAA), was a speaker that opposed all renter protections, including rent control or just cause eviction protections for the renters. He claimed that rent control was just a subsidy for renters. He also claimed that just cause eviction protections protected bad tenants, and he tried to portray renters as being criminals, dope dealers, and lawless people who blasted their music at 2:00am in the morning. This weasel had nothing good to say about the renters, and he portrayed renters as nothing more than some bags of money that solely exist for landlords to squeeze any time they want, when they want some extra money.The renters were still waiting in line to be a speaker when midnight came around, and the tenants complained how escalating market rate rents were forcing them out of their housing, and making life miserable for them.Troy Silva, was a speaker who lived near City Hall, and told the council how his family received an eviction notice after complaining about a situation where he was residing in, and that it was retaliation. He spoke up in support of just cause eviction protections so that other tenants would have protection if they complain about poor living conditions where they live.John Klein was also a speaker from the Alameda Renters Coalition, and he spoke about what was not mentioned in the three options being considered. None of the proposals by the Renters Coalition were mentioned in the proposals being considered this evening, said Klein, and he mentioned one point after another that was ignored by the staff. Klein accused the staff of censoring what the renters want, and went after the City Council for not having a valid reason to propose an annual 8% rent increase to be imposed on the renters of Alameda. Klein also challenged the term of mom and pop landlords, saying that the term was not defined clearly.Nancy Herd, a landlord in Alameda who owned a four-plex rental building, was a speaker. She sniveled about the trials and tribulations of being a landlord who tries to maintain historic homes, and she spoke out against all, and any forms of rent control, or renter protections.The next speaker was a renter who loves Alameda, and she spoke out how the renters need protection from bad actors (bad landlords). She mentioned how rent control is meaningless with out there being just cause eviction protections. And she supported using the CPI as a way to measure rent increases on an annual basis.Brian McQuire, spoke next to support the renters against the greedy landlords, and suggested that it only takes three votes to pass something to protect the renters tonight.John Spangler was also a speaker, who once owned a home, and is now a renter. He mentioned that life as a homeowner was better than life as a renter, and he spoke out against massive rent increases by greedy landlords. Spangler also mentioned how rent increases were displacing children from schools in Alameda.After a quick break around 12:45am, the council was deciding if they should continue till the next meeting, or if they should do a little catch up to maintain the moratorium against no-cause evictions.The tenants and landlords are expected to appear at the second City Council meeting during February, when the council is expected to vote on a first reading of the ordinance they directed the staff to create, as a way to allegedly protect the renters of Alameda.Lynda Carson may be reached at tenantsrule [at] yahoo.com >>>>>>> Axa IM buys more Italian real estate Channels: Managers Companies: Axa IM, Axa IM - Real Assets People: Alessio Lucentini The latest purchase by Axa Investment Managers - Real Assets is Porta Siena, a shopping centre in Siena, Italy. The acquisition has been made on behalf of clients for 21.5m ($23.1m). The 8,800 sq m shopping centre is almost fully let to 33 tenants, including a number of strong anchor retailers. The centre has an annual footfall of more than 5m visitors and is spread across three levels with two further floors designated for parking. Axa IM said the transaction demonstrated Axa IM - Real Assets' "conviction in the performance of dominant European retail and leisure centres which are located in strong cities." Alessio Lucentini, head of asset management & transactions in Italy, real assets, commented: "Porta Siena is located in the popular cultural city of Siena, a wealthy and well-connected part of the Tuscan region which appeals to international tourists. Already benefitting from a strong tenant line-up, we have identified further asset management opportunities in order to maximise the centre's potential." Earlier this week, Axa IM announced the 27m purchase of a Milan office building (IAR, 5 January). Peter Field Charleston, WV Jake figures that he cannot appeal his case a second time against Jake figures that he cannot appeal his case a second time against Unum : the insurer denied his benefits more than 20 years ago. But Jake welcomes this opportunity to tell others how Unum - and his crooked attorney - treated him. Looking back, it was all a joke, and the joke was on me. Even If nothing comes of this [filing an Unum complaint with LawyersandSettlements], it would be nice to have my story available for others, says Jake. Why wasnt Unum fair and pay benefits that were rightly owed me? And how can they take a doctors word - who never saw me - over the doctors at the VA who knew me?After his time in the military, Jake became a cardiac perfusionist. He was a key member of a cardiac surgical team, providing life support to patients undergoing heart surgery. But an ongoing back problem that occurred during his stint with the military got so severe that he was unable to perform his job.I had my Unum policy with the hospital for more than seven years, and they knew about my back problem right away, Jake explains. It was rated on a percentage basis, but now my back problem is so severe that I am housebound.The VA believed Jake, and his occupational specialists, after several hours of evaluations, confirmed that he was completely disabled. But Unum didnt. Unum investigators came to my house and they knew I was going for bicycle rides - when I leaned on the handlebars it took the pressure off my back so I was able to pedal, says Jake. Apparently that was a problem.Another time, Jakes Unum representative told him that he was entitled to some kind of vocational rehabilitation. Sign me up; this was great because I wanted to write, Jake says. But they dismissed me and I didnt hear anything more about this program. I think they disregarded training as some kind of writer because I wouldnt earn enough money.Jake was denied disability insurance soon after Unums Independent Medical Examiner deemed him able to return to work. This doctor resides in Georgia, and Jake lives in Virginia. They never met. So Jake found a lawyer recommended to him and willing to take his case. Unfortunately, Jake didnt check the lawyers credentials.I had no idea how the appeals process worked but this attorney got me an offer from Unum for $60,000, Jake explains. He said that I shouldnt take it because we could win the case, if I paid him $20,000. I didnt know the chances were so slim of winning in the Court of Appeals. My lawyer was greedy, period.All in, Jake paid his attorney about $60,000 and he lost the appeal. His lawyer said he could take Jakes case to the Supreme Court.Fortunately he did receive back pay from the VA but those monies went directly to his legal fees. Jake checked into his lawyers credentials - after the fact.I did a background check and it turns out that my attorney had actually lost his license, Jake adds. He was a recovering crack addict but I dont think he ever did recover because he was always calling me for more money. Please let my story be a warning: check an attorneys background before you hire them. And if their license has ever been suspended, that should be warning enough. Los Angeles, CA It was four days before Christmas when a major, multimillion-dollar settlement was announced in a California It was four days before Christmas when a major, multimillion-dollar settlement was announced in a California healthcare fraud whistleblower lawsuit involving alleged kickbacks and other incentives to doctors in exchange for additional business. The Insurance Commissioner for the State of California announced the $23.2 million state settlement on December 21.The whistleblower healthcare fraud lawsuit against Warner Chilcott was brought in 2012 by three former employees of the pharmaceutical firm. The lawsuit was brought amidst allegations that Warner Chilcott induced doctors to write prescriptions to patients for medications manufactured and marketed by the defendant - over other manufacturers - in an effort to gain a competitive advantage that was deemed, following an investigation, to be illegal.Amongst the allegations were claims that Warner Chilcott funneled kickbacks and other inducements to physicians under the premise of physician education. Such events were allegedly staged at high-end hotels and spas but carried little to no educational value. Rather, it was alleged that Warner Chilcott was pampering physicians, with the intent of encouraging them to support Warner Chilcott by increasing the issuance of prescriptions for their products.Such a practice was deemed as healthcare fraud and violated the California Insurance Code False Claims Act. Whistleblowers alleged that Warner Chilcott put profit margins ahead of patient needs by using illegal kickbacks to influence physicians treatment decisions, said Commissioner Dave Jones, in a statement released December 21. The alleged kickback payments and other inducements amounted to a pay-for-play scheme in order to gain an illegal competitive advantage and defraud insurers out of tens of millions of dollars.Warner Chilcott appears to have been down this road before. A federal healthcare fraud lawsuit against the pharmaceutical company last year alleging violations of the federal False Claims Act was settled prior to the California case. At the end of October, the US Department of Justice announced a settlement following a guilty plea of healthcare fraud by Warner Chilcott. The plea and settlement resolved both federal civil and criminal liability for alleged activities that violated the federal anti-kickback and HIPAA statutes, and for false claims submitted to Medicare and Medicaid.That settlement was worth $125 million. Combined with the state settlement in California, the allegations of healthcare fraud against Warner Chilcott cost the company almost $150 million combined.Doctors medical judgment should be based on what is best for the patient, and not clouded by expensive meals and other pharmaceutical company kickbacks, said US Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz for the District of Massachusetts, where the federal healthcare fraud lawsuit was brought, in a statement released at the end of October. Pharmaceutical company executives and employees should not be involved with treatment decisions or submissions to a patients insurance company. Todays enforcement actions demonstrate that the government will seek not only to hold companies accountable, but will identify and charge corporate officials responsible for the fraud.The state case in California was filed under seal in California Superior Court on November 29, 2012. After the feds reviewed the whistleblower case and decided to become involved, the lawsuit was unsealed in 2014. By that time the federal healthcare fraud lawsuit had been brought in Massachusetts. The state case in California was moved to the US District Court, Central District of California and Los Angeles Division.In California, the state will receive $11.8 million of the $23.2 million settlement, to be used for enhanced insurance fraud investigation and additional efforts toward prevention.It is not known how much of the state settlement the whistleblowers would claim, or if they are the same whistleblowers as those involved in the federal healthcare fraud case.However, in a statement issued by the US Department of Justice on October 29 of last year announcing the federal settlement, it was noted that whistleblowers involved in the federal lawsuit would be receiving just under $23 million. The remainder of the settlement would be shared between the federal government and various states. $22.94 million was to be paid by Warner Chilcott as a criminal fine.The federal healthcare fraud case wasCivil Action No. 11-CA-1121 in the District of Massachusetts. The Braves have maintained a dialogue with versatile utility man Kelly Johnson, tweets MLB.coms Mark Bowman, adding that it still seems like theres a chance a deal could be reached. David OBrien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution takes the Johnson news a step further, tweeting that hes been told theres a better than 50-50 chance that the two sides will agree to a deal. Johnson, 34 in February, split the 2015 campaign between the Braves and Mets, logging time at all four infield positions (although just nine innings at shortstop) as well as both corner outfield positions. Johnson graded out as an above-average defender in left field over the course of his career and drew solid ratings there in 2015 as well. He also has a solid defensive track record at second base, in the eyes of metrics like Ultimate Zone Rating and Defensive Runs Saved, although he drew below-average ratings in a small sample of 204 innings in 2015. At the plate, Johnson delivered above-average results, batting .265/.314/.435 with 14 home runs in just 335 plate appearances. The Mets and Braves platooned the left-handed-hitting Johnson heavily, which likely contributed to his quality results. Johnson has typically struggled against left-handed pitching, but he has a strong track record when holding the platoon advantage and has long displayed power in such situations, as evidenced by a career .177 isolated power mark (that is, slugging percentage minus bating average). Currently, the Braves have Jace Peterson and Gordon Beckham atop their depth chart at second base. At third base, Adonis Garcia and Beckham (both right-handed hitters) figure to handle most of the duties. The Rivers state government expressed shock when it found that the ex-governor Rotimi Amaechi had spent N82 million to host the Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka to a three-hour dinner. A government did not pay salaries, closed the courts but the administration had the temerity to expend N82million to fund a dinner for Soyinka. This Day reports that Austin-Tam George, the state commissioner for information and communication, expressed shock and discontent while addressing journalists on Tuesday, January 5, at the Government House in Port Harcourt. He revealed that the figures were contained in the handover notes prepared by the former permanent secretary of the state ministry of information and communication. A government did not pay salaries, closed the courts but the administration had the temerity to expend N82million to fund a dinner for Soyinka. These are facts on ground. The Amaechi administration expended the money under the heading of borrowed funds. READ ALSO: SEE What Amaechi Was Spotted Doing During Calabar Carnival (PHOTOS) [article_adwert] There is a massive propaganda machine out there misinforming the people about the policy direction of Governor Wikes administration. They have to respect the will of the people. Instead, they go about spreading falsehood against the people of the state, he said. The information commissioner stressed the developmental achievements of Governor Nyesom Wike and noted the state was currently dealing with a disastrous legacy of abandoned projects by the Amaechi administration. He added that the present administration was facing a combination of 85 per cent information war and political fundamentalism. According to him, the All Progressives Congress is seeking to establish a political caliphate in the state, by installing Dakuku Peterside whom he described as a fake political candidate. Meanwhile, Governor Wike has stated that if elections are conducted ten times in the state, candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party will still emerge victorious because of the commitment of the party to the wellbeing of the people. Moreover, the governor expressed his assurance that the APC in Rivers state would not win any units because the party and its sponsors betrayed the people. Source: Legit.ng (Adds lawmaker's comments and no comment from supermarkets) By Anthony Esposito SANTIAGO, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Chile's competition regulator on Wednesday accused supermarket chains Cencosud and SMU and the local unit of Wal-Mart Stores Inc of participating in a price-fixing scheme involving fresh chicken. It was the second time in three months that the regulator, FNE, said it had uncovered a price-fixing scheme affecting consumers, and a member of the Christian Democrat party, part of the ruling Nueva Mayoria political coalition, said such behavior must be punishable with jail time. The FNE said it is looking to fine each company $22.9 million for their alleged participation in the scheme. The FNE said the supermarket chains "knowingly adhered to a common scheme that replaced the risks of competition with shared practical cooperation in order to regulate the market and avoid price wars." It accuses the supermarket chains of "having participated in an agreement to fix, through their suppliers, a minimum selling price for fresh chicken, at least between 2008 and 2011, restricting competition in this market." At the end of 2011, Cencosud, SMU and Wal-Mart had a 92.5 percent market share of Chile's supermarket sector, the FNE noted. Cencosud and SMU both said they had not been officially notified of the accusation and had no immediate comment. Wal-Mart was not immediately available to comment. Cencosud's shares closed down 2.28 percent. "The way to dissuade these types of behaviors is through a mix of increasing fines and establishing effective jail time for those who commit these crimes, which is something we don't have now," said Senator Jorge Pizarro of the center Christian Democrat party. Government officials had already promised to crack down on anti-competitive practices after a price-fixing scheme in the market for toilet paper, tissues and other paper products was uncovered in October. "This month we will submit the bill that will sanction collusion with jail sentences," said Pizarro. (Additional reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Leslie Adler) In recent years there have been several cases of attacks on Chinese public transport, especially buses (AFP Photo/Wang Zhao) (AFP/File) A man suspected of setting a public bus on fire in northern China, burning 17 people to death, had told friends he planned violence, reports said Wednesday, citing social media postings in which he agonised over unpaid debts. Police captured Ma Yongping, 33, Tuesday after the blaze engulfed the vehicle in flames in Yinchuan, the capital of remote Ningxia region. A passenger on the bus said it went up almost instantly, giving them mere moments to scramble off. "It came rushing with a sound like a spray of water. My shoes were burned off. The soles of my feet were roasted", the survivor told the Beijing News. Ma, a college graduate who had studied in Japan, had accumulated more than 300,000 yuan ($46,000) in debts while a contractor on an engineering project, much of it salaries for his workers, according to an article on Chinese news site Sina which was removed shortly after it appeared on Wednesday. The company refused to pay him, it said, and according to the Beijing Youth Daily, on the morning of the attack he sent a message to friends on chat application WeChat saying: "At a time when even a person's basic rights can't be guaranteed, he has a right to take action to fight for (them)." He also posted a picture of a letter he had written in December. "I can't understand how things came to this next step", he wrote. "I think I am not an impulsive person, nor am I a mental patient, even less am I a blood-thirsty terrorist. But why has this outcome come about?" Under interrogation, Ma told police he purchased two jerry cans of petrol at a filling station and used a lighter to set the bus aflame, the Beijing Youth Daily reported. Chinese citizens have sometimes turned to violence against innocents in attempts to publicise their plight after failing to obtain redress for low-level disputes. In 2013 a man started a fire on a vehicle in Xiamen in the eastern province of Fujian, killing 47 people including himself, after writing online he had appealed unsuccessfully to local police 56 times over social security benefits. The following month a wheelchair-bound man who complained for years about police brutality built a home-made bomb and set it off at Beijing's airport after handing out leaflets about his case. Amidst tears and outcry, the Lagos state government carried out a major demolition on the Owonifari part of the Oshodi market, today, Wednesday, January 6. [article_adwert] The demolition was supervised by security operatives and while the exercise ended before midday, evacuation continues. It was reported that shop owners who are largely Igbo people from the eastern part of the country had been issued with a notice from the state government asking them to leave. This was however denied by several shop owners who spoke with Legit.ng. A shop owner who spoke on the condition of anonymity to Legit.ng said it was painful to look at the rubbles that used to be his investment. Sniffing back tears, he said: I have been doing business in Oshodi for the past ten years and I invested all my money and time in investing in it. I just returned from the Christmas holiday when I was told my shop was being demolished. I had little time to pack my things. My life is ruined. Another shop owner who simply identified himself as Chibuzor spoke via phone with Legit.ng. He said he was still in the east where he had gone to spend the holiday adding that another shop owner told him the unfortunate news. I dont think I will return to Lagos as everything I own is gone, he lamented. Another trader who spoke anonymously said it was shameful that they were not given enough time to evacuate. He claimed the matter was still ongoing and people were caught by surprise when bulldozers were brought in to clear the market. READ ALSO: Lagos Begins Project In Oshodi The claim that goods and valuables were still in the shops before they were demolished seems true as members of the demolition team were seen putting aside appliances and gadgets while evacuation continued. Traders watch their shops being demolished. People walk pass the demolished Owonifari market in Oshodi. The main entrance to the market partially demolished. A woman reads through a sealed label on the demolished fence of the market. Traders watch from the opposite side of the Owonifari market as demolition continues. People walk pass the demolished Owonifari market in Oshodi. Traders conveying some of their belongings away from the demolished Owonifari market. Commuters watch the Lagos state government demolishing Owonifari market in Oshodi. Some of the traders' goods. Lagos state tractors demolishing shops at Owonifari market in Oshodi. Source: Legit.ng The members of the deadly Boko Haram sect have kidnapped the police commissioner Usmaila Sagu in Cameroon last Sunday. Boko Haram members. [article_adwert] His official car has been found burnt between Gassama and Kabo villages in the neighbouring country. Cameroon and Chad have been targeted by the Islamist militants from northern Nigeria. American President Barack Obama in October 2015 deployed troops to Cameroon to help fight against the militants. READ ALSO: Inconvenient Truth In Boko Haram's Defeat - Ryan Cummings Cameroon is in a regional force led by Nigeria against the terrorists, expected to be operational by the end of the last year. President Muhammadu Buhari, who gave his army chiefs three month to wipe out the Boko Haram group, recently said that Nigeria has "technically won the war". However, despite successes, the insurgency is still far from being get rid of. The militant sect has a vast number of young female suicide bombers, they are continuing to target innocent people in separete or sometimes even group bombings. Source: Legit.ng donald trump north korea Real-estate tycoon Donald Trump said Wednesday that the US should pressure China into getting North Korea under control. "It's something I've been talking about for a long time. You have this madman over there who probably would use it," Trump said during an interview on "Fox & Friends." "And nobody talks to him, other than of course Dennis Rodman," he said. "That's about it." Trump was referring to North Korea's supreme leader, Kim Jong Un, while addressing North Korea's announcement Tuesday night that it had successfully conducted a hydrogen-bomb test. Many experts are skeptical that North Korea actually detonated a hydrogen bomb, citing the country's long history of misleading and false claims. But if it did, the incident would represent a significant escalation of the volatile country's nuclear arsenal. Trump, the Republican presidential front-runner, argued on Fox News that China had the unique ability to curb North Korea's nuclear ambitions. China has long been a benefactor to North Korea and is its primary foreign ally, though the two countries have diverged over Pyongyang's development of nuclear weapons and disruptive regional policies. "China has total control over North Korea," Trump said. "And China should solve that problem. And if they don't solve the problem, we should make trade very difficult for China. "We are holding China up," he added. "They're taking so much money. They're draining our country, and they're toying with us with North Korea. China should do it. They say they can't, they 'don't have that power.' They're toying with our politicians, who don't know what they're doing." Trump said he would also lean on the US' economic ties and military alliance with South Korea. He lamented that in his view the US got "nothing" despite placing thousands of troops in South Korea. "I'd get South Korea that's making a fortune, they're our trading partner, if you want to use the word 'partner,'" Trump said. Story continues He continued: "We get almost nothing for what we do. We defend the world. We defend so many countries. We get nothing. They get everything. We get nothing. South Korea's going to have to start ponying up, OK? And we'll do it in a very nice manner. They'll like us even more than they like us now." Trump further warned that North Korea was trying to develop the technology to hit the US with one of its nuclear weapons. He said this possibility should demand US action. "We got to close it down, because he's getting too close to doing something," Trump said. "Right now, he's probably got the weapons, but he doesn't have the transportation system. Once he has the transportation system, he's sick enough to use it. So we better get involved." NOW WATCH: A North Korean defector tells us what life was like under a dictatorship More From Business Insider The Nigerian army on Wednesday explained the delay in payment of allowances to some of its officers. The army authority attributed it to challenges of implementing the Treasury Single Account (TSA) by the federal government. Maj.-Gen. Hassan Umaru, the theatre commander of the operation Lafiya Dole, told newsmen in Maiduguri that the troops of the Nigerian army had done the country proud by their gallant efforts against the Boko Haram insurgents. Nigerian soldiers He said the authorities were doing all within their power to fast track payment of the troops allowances as soon as possible. READ ALSO: Army Speaks On Zaria Clashes He acknowledged the tremendous successes and achievements of the gallant troops in the field. ''Their discipline, determination, courage and selfless service are highly appreciated by our dear nation and the world at large,'' he said. However, Umaru said that the introduction of the TSA last year by the federal government slowed down businesses in some agencies, the military included. ''The development also affected the payment of salaries to civilians, apart from the officers and men of the Armed Forces,'' he claimed. Umaru said some troops in the theatre had also not been paid allowances due to the development, noting that there were some other administrative issues hindering payment of the troops' allowances. READ ALSO: New Twist In Arms Deal Probe As EFCC Nabs A German Businessman ''There are issues of duplication of names, wrong account numbers, improper Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) and the new policy of remitting allowances directly into individuals accounts,'' the commander explained. He said both the federal government and the military authorities were making efforts to provide more logistics to enhance the troops' operation. Umaru appreciated the media for its patriotism as well as the invaluable support of the present administration, the government and the people of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe for their support in the fight against the insurgents. Source: Legit.ng The owner of Dun Laoghaire Shopping Centre, Coltard, has submitted plans for a 10 million redevelopment to include two major new anchor stores. These plans represent one of the most significant retail development projects undertaken in the Republic of Ireland since the height of the Celtic Tiger and gives Photos: BKD architecs [] AXA Investment Managers-Real Assets has completed the acquisition of Porta Siena, a shopping centre in Siena for 21.5m, on behalf of clients as part of its value-added strategy. The 8,800 sqm shopping centre is almost fully let to 33 tenants, including a number of strong anchor retailers. The cent... [] Benson Elliot has made an opportunistic disposal of a Berlin office asset following an unsolicited offer. The sale underlines the Company's ongoing ability to make the right stock selection choices and find value as the property cycle in Europe advances. Benson Elliot Real Estate Partners IV acquired... [] U and I Group plc, in a 15:85 joint venture with Proprium Capital Partners, has exchanged contracts to sell Becket House, a central London commercial office building for 112 million at a 4.0 per cent yield. The building, which was acquired by the joint venture partners in June 2014 at [] The Hamburg-based company Warburg-HIH Invest Real Estate GmbH has bolstered the research team at its Hamburg office with the appointment of Prof. Felix Schindler as of January 2016. Before transferring to Warburg-HIH Invest, Prof. Felix Schindler worked as Senior Real Estate Analyst for FERI EuroRati... []

Sherry Stewart

In the wake of a tragedy, it is often the most unlikely friends who are there to help you pick up the pieces. When Helen, Bruce and Willis all arrived into the care of Faithful Friends Animal Society, a rescue group in Delaware, they were in pretty rough shape. Though Helen, 7 years old, was brought in separately from Bruce and Willis, around 10 weeks old, all three ended up needing to have their eyes removed, leaving them completely blind. Bruce and WillisSherry Stewart Bruce and Willis | Sherry Stewart Adjusting to a life without sight is not an easy road, and volunteer Sherry Stewart stepped up to help make the transition just a little easier. Stewart has fostered over 80 animals with Faithful Friends since 2012, and seemed to be the perfect person to care for three blind cats. HelenSherry Stewart Dodo Shows Wild Hearts Orphaned Deer Runs Back To The Wild With Her Best Friend Helen | Sherry Stewart "They are slowly learning how to get up and down stairs and are currently living in my loft," Stewart told The Dodo. "They like to play like any kitten, they just enjoy a smaller world." But Stewart wasn't the only one to welcome the cats into their new foster home - she also has two rescue pit bulls who know what it means to struggle and survive. Willis, Alfie and BruceSherry Stewart Willis, Alfie and Bruce | Sherry Stewart Alfie and Frankie, 9 and 4 years old, were both rescued from neglect and cruelty, and took a while to heal in Stewart's care. Alfie even acts as a pet therapy dog, visiting children in hospitals and schools. Now, they are more than eager to bond and play with all the foster siblings who pass through their home - and have taken a special liking to the blind cats. Bruce and AlfieSherry Stewart Bruce and Alfie | Sherry Stewart "My dogs are very nurturing. They lick and clean them, take naps with them. They don't notice they are blind, just that they need little extra TLC since they are sick and healing from surgery," Stewart said. Frankie and HelenSherry Stewart Frankie and Helen | Sherry Stewart The dogs love to care for the cats, acting as big brothers as they heal and explore the world with their new blindness. "Bruce is the smaller of the two kittens, he is very friendly but seems to struggle just a little bit sometimes," Stewart said. "Bruce has a harder time finding things. He LOVES sitting on top of the dogs." Bruce and Frankie Sherry Stewart Bruce and Frankie | Sherry Stewart Cats have a bone to pick with a lot of things, and this unfairly cute piglet is no exception. When Ginger the pig tried to play with Oslo the cat, it didn't go over quite the way Ginger thought it would. Most people probably can't even handle Ginger's cuteness ... but Oslo is apparently immune. Every once in awhile you come across something so special, you can't even wrap your head around it. In 2010, I was working as an animal control officer and found myself in the middle of a dispute with neighbors over their loose dogs. While I waited for the owner of the loose dog to come home, the couple who initiated the complaint told me they had just gotten a pit bull puppy but couldn't keep her. They asked if I wanted to see her. I agreed and out came Cuda on a leash made of twine. As I looked her over, I was dumbfounded. She was like no other dog I had ever seen. She had a squished body and a huge jaw with a serious underbite, and appeared to be a mix between a gargoyle and a pig. Or a gargoyle and a frog. There was an awkward silence between me and the couple. They didn't acknowledge Cuda's weird looks. They only told me they named her Cuda because her underbite reminded them of a barracuda. As I pondered taking her home, I was taken over by negative thoughts such as, "Will she live?", "What's wrong with her?" and "What kind of vet care will she need and how will I afford it?" The couple pressed on about how they had to leave town immediately as they were having trouble with people in the neighborhood. My worries were taken over by a fierce urge that I had to protect this dog. I knew if I brought her back to the shelter, the staff veterinarian would assume she was unhealthy and would euthanize her. Although I had no idea what I was going to do with this puppy, I texted my husband asking him if I could take her home. He (reasonably) replied that we already had four dogs at home but I kept texting back that he didn't understand. The very first picture of Cuda I took and the one that put me into a text war with my husband over me bringing her home. | Julie LeRoy I could feel the anger in his text when he finally, begrudgingly, relented. Since I was still at work, I made arrangements to meet the neighbors again that evening, wondering if they would even show up - and almost half hoping they wouldn't. I was really nervous about taking this dog on. They did show up and I suddenly became the owner of a dog so unique that I thought she was the only one in existence. I hesitantly walked through my front door and my husband recoiled at the sight of Cuda. He instructed me to get her to the vet as soon as possible to find out if she was going to even live. Cuda promptly fell asleep on the couch, even though she couldn't even get up there without my assistance. Cuda with Boy Cat (and Murphy in the background) | Julie LeRoy The vet initially thought Cuda had a neurological issue, but upon examination, he declared her healthy. Still, he had no idea why her appearance was so unusual. Relieved she was not in any pain, I took her home and life with Cuda officially began. As she grew, she gained more mobility, and soon she was playing with our other dogs and cats so normally we didn't even see her as different anymore. A couple of months later we were watching the World's Ugliest Dog Contest winner on TV. Abby was presented as an inbred dog due to her curved spine and I thought, "I can top that!" We jokingly decided to put Cuda into the 2011 contest because her looks were so unique. I wanted to see the reaction of others to Cuda and while we knew she was so cute, we felt she had a chance at winning. I created a Facebook page for her and began campaigning. I believed Cuda was inbred and that her poor genetics contributed to her odd looks. When I was an animal control officer, I noted that breeders lived next door to one another and often had dogs who were related to each other. I felt their reckless breeding practices included inbreeding dogs who were closely related. The couple who gave Cuda to me even found her page and contacted me to tell me they found her on Craigslist through an advertisement for pit bull puppies being sold out of a guy's house. They paid $50 for her but only had her two weeks. Perhaps they realized Cuda did not look like other dogs and changed their minds. Perhaps they were just as apprehensive as I was about her future. Based on my experience with breeders in the neighborhoods I worked in, and the fact that Cuda's original owners got her from a backyard breeder, I touted Cuda as inbred on her page. I shared Cuda's story everywhere. Soon, she was being featured on pages like PeoplePets and in print through American Dog Magazine. In 2010 there weren't a lot of famous dog pages, and Cuda's popularity began to take off. Once I learned that Cuda had been born to a backyard breeder and gave some thought to how she almost ended up surrendered to a shelter, my attitude about putting Cuda into the contest changed from lighthearted humor to a mission to educate people about these backyard breeders and urge them not to shop on Craigslist but to adopt instead. Our campaign lasted eight months and we attended many dog-friendly events, made the local news and met a lot of people who absolutely fell in love with my imperfect puppy. We even met Princess Abby and her owner. Cuda and me with Kathleen Francis and Princess Abby | Julie LeRoy Several months after we began our campaign, a photo began circulating on our page of a dog who people claimed was photoshopped or looked the way she did because she lived inside of a box. This photo was shared on the internet with statements that it was photoshopped | http://progettoquasi.it/ I knew both statements were untrue. That dog had the same physical shape as Cuda. I finally tracked the dog down and learned her name was Quasi and she lived in Italy. I struck up an online friendship with her owner, Fabiana Rosa, and she explained to me that Quasi and Cuda shared a condition known as "short spine syndrome." Fabiana explained that Quasi was incapable of moving her head and was born with no ligaments in her rear left knee, which had to be surgically repaired. Fabiana founded Progetto Quasi and is dedicated to helping special needs dogs. Quasi enjoying her life in Italy | http://progettoquasi.it Fabiana sent me to an article that referenced a paper by Hans-Jorgen Hansen called "Historical Evidence of an Unusual Deformity in Dogs ('ShortSpine Dog')," which appeared in the Journal of Small Animal Practice. I learned that this syndrome was referenced all the way back in the 17th century in paintings done by David Klocker Ehrenstrahl, who referred to his subjects as "monster of wolf and dog" and "monster of fox and dog." Dodo Shows Faith = Restored Rescued Animals Melt Into This Woman's Arms When She Sings To Them David Klocker Ehrenstrahl "Monster of Fox and Dog" | Journal of Small Animal Practice Hansen's article goes on the discuss more studies of these paintings by art critics who defined these dogs as evil, fantasy creatures and the unfortunate result of inbreeding. They all agreed the syndrome was a genetic phenomenon, which causes shortening of the spine and ligaments, a sloped profile, elongated front legs and hocked rear legs.They also describe the absence of a tail or a bobbed tail. Discussions about short spine dogs were referenced again in a series of articles written between 1956-1961 discussing a native Japanese dog with the syndrome. Japanese native dog with short spine syndrome | Genetics of The Dog Genetics of The Dog These articles were referenced in a book called "Genetics of the Dog" by Elaine Ostrander, published in 2001. The book traces the cause of the condition to inbreeding and also states that females tend to have longer heats that normal dogs and that if they can carry offspring at all, they generally only produce a single puppy. In 1982, a veterinary textbook called "Animal Genetics" referred to The Baboon Dogs of De Boom in South Africa. Baboon dog of De Boom, South Africa | Animal Genetics It wasn't until a year or so later that a photo of a spaniel mix named Crumpet located in a Twinsburg, Ohio, shelter appeared on my page. Crumpet clearly exhibited short spine syndrome and through research I learned he was adopted in 2012, when he was 8, by Maria Rall, who renamed him Mojo. Mojo at home | Maria Rall Shortly after that, Mary Beth Goosman contacted me about her dog, Watson, a border collie she adopted after he ended up in the The Washington Animal Rescue League when he was 8 years old. She had no idea what his condition was but she loved him unconditionally. Watson lived to be nearly 14 and passed December 11, 2015. Watson | Mary Beth Goosman Mary Beth Goosman Quasi's mom, Fabiana, told me about Criket, who also lived in Italy. Criket was a border collie as well and was born to one of owner Anna Canese's dogs. Criket suddenly passed away December 6, 2015 at age 9 from a gastric torsion, which can happen to any dog and is not exclusive to short spine syndrome. Criket | Anna Canese In 2014, a short spine dog named Pig went viral on social media. Pig is a Chow mix owned by Kim Dillenbeck, who found her when she was a puppy. The only known issue with Pig is that she suffers from the long periods of heat. She is now a little over a year old and lives in Alabama. Pig | Associated Press Not long after Pig's introduction, I was contacted by Brandon McDonald in Wisconsin. He told me told me about his dog Cleo, a border collie mix he adopted through Angel's Paw Rescue. Brandon had previously adopted Cleo's sister, Molly-Faith, who also had short spine syndrome, but sadly she passed away when she was 6 months old because she failed to thrive. The rescue contacted Brandon to see if he would adopt Cleo and he did. Cleo is doing great and is going on 4 years old. Cleo | Brandon McDonald Brandon McDonald Brandon McDonald Then along came Quasi Modo. She is a 10-year-old mixed breed dog belonging to veterinarian Virginia Sayre in Florida. Quasi went on to accomplish what Cuda didn't: She won the World's Ugliest Dog Contest in 2014. Quasi Modo and Quasi are so similar in looks and name that they get mixed up frequently. Quasi Modo | Virginia Sayre Virginia Sayre It wasn't long after that I was contacted by Angela Wright Lonergan in Texas. She, too, is the proud mom of a short spine dog, a poodle named Izzy Belle. Izzy Belle and her sister, whom Angela also adopted, looked the same until they turned about 4 months old. That's when Angela noticed Izzy Belle was developing what she found to be short spine syndrome. Izzy Belle is tiny, only a few pounds, but has no health issues and is now 3 years old. Izzy Belle | Angela Wright Lonergan Several more short spine dogs came out of the woodwork at the same time. Frankie belongs to Ann O'Brien in the U.K. Frankie is a foster fail who is a Jack Russell terrier mix. Frankie | Ann O'Brien Ann O'Brien Then there are Odd Dog and Gobblin. They were found in a box in Rome when they were about 5 months old. They are likely siblings. Quasi's mom, Fabiana, stepped up and helped place them in their current homes. Odd Dog belongs to Patrizia Onnis and lives in Italy | Patrizia Onnis See video of Odd Dog as a puppy here. Gobblin | Fabiana Rosa Several months later, I was contacted by an avid animal rescuer in Mexico named Arturo Gonzalez-Ortega Frias. Amazingly, his short spine dogs, Mina and Vlad, were found on two separate occasions. Arturo says Vlad is shy with people while Mina is outgoing. Mina | Arturo Gonzalez-Ortega Frias Arturo Gonzalez-Ortega Frias Arturo Gonzalez-Ortega Frias Finding short spine dogs and their owners has showed me Cuda is not alone, as I once thought, and she can live a long life. The dogs mentioned above range in age from young adults through seniors. They come in any breed although it seems that many of them seem to be herding types. Cuda was diagnosed with diabetes when she was 18 months old but since then, a sonogram has revealed her organs are of normal size. The vet did not feel her diagnosis was related to short spine syndrome. Cuda on the inside | New Paltz Animal Hospital This rare genetic anomaly has brought people from around the world into my life, and their dogs seem like family. Three things happened while I was writing this article. As referenced above, we lost two of our short spine dog family within two weeks of each other. Their passing was a huge blow to all of us short spine parents. But then, just the other day, I received an email from a veterinarian named Karen Dashfield in New Jersey telling me about her 5-year-old Russian Borzoi named Polliwog. A breeder reached out to her when Polly was just 12 weeks old. Interestingly, she brings more genetic trait information to this condition. Polly had a littermate who was unable to walk. A second litter loosely related to Polly had two stillborn pups with defects that appeared to be related to short spine syndrome. Polliwog, better known as Polly | Karen Dashfield Karen Dashfield Although we currently know of 12 of these dogs in the world, there is no doubt in my mind there are more. A veterinarian once suggested I donate DNA from Cuda to help in human research of spinal disorders. I reached out to a couple of teaching universities but never received a response. Turns out, I'm not alone in my quest. Veterinarian Karen Dashfield, Polly's owner, has reached out to several geneticists, too. Breeding closely related dogs (also known as inbreeding) is actually a strategy used to develop a purebred dog, Dashfield explained. Linebreeding is used to magnify desirable traits noted in a particular bloodline. Unfortunately, linebreeding also magnifies undesirable traits in a bloodline. Mixed breed dogs tend to inherit fewer genetic conditions based purely on the fact that their genes are not restricted within a strict bloodline. When asked about the baboon dogs of De Boom, Dashfield felt the reason there was an abundance of dogs with short spine syndrome was likely due to the fact that these dogs were breeding with close relatives due to their living conditions being remote and concentrated. One dog carrying the short spine gene could lead to generations of short spine syndrome being seen in the same region. It would be interesting to have all of the short spine dogs tested to see if a recessive gene was discovered. Until I can make that happen, I am simply grateful that I was to have that moment where I found something so special, I couldn't wrap my head around it. As for my husband, whose initial reaction to Cuda was shock and disbelief, he promptly fell in love. Fast forward 5 years later and Scott and Cuda are featured in the Pit Bull Princess's 2016 Real Men Rescue Pit Bulls calendar. Sweetgreen was founded by three Georgetown graduates in 2007. It has grown to include 39 locations throughout the country. (Jeffrey MacMillan/The Washington Post) Sweetgreen, the salad chain founded in Georgetown nine years ago, is moving its headquarters to Los Angeles as it prepares to expand along the West Coast. The company plans to keep its office in Northwest Washington and said it will not be laying off employees as a result of the move. Were taking the company to the next level, from a regional company to a national one, said co-founder Nicolas Jammet, 30. California is the key to our future growth. The Los Angeles office is slated to open in February with 30 employees. The District office is set to shrink to 15 employees from the current 45. The move comes less than a year after Sweetgreen opened its first West Coast eatery in Los Angeles. Since then, it has opened two more outposts in California, and has plans to use its new headquarters as a jumping off point to open more restaurants in the region. The salad chain will keep its offices in Washington and New York. (Jeffrey MacMillan/The Washington Post) We are not going to be a company with one mega-spaceship headquarters, Jammet said. The goal is to spread our leadership so we can be as close to the community and our customers as possible. The company, which has become a darling among investors, has raised $95 million in venture capital funding to date. Its most recent round of funding brought in $35 million from T. Rowe Price in July. Earlier investors include Revolution Growth, the D.C. venture capital fund, and financial backers such as Gary Hirshberg, the founder and chairman of Stonyfield Farm; Scott Belsky, co-founder of online portfolio company Behance; and restaurateurs Danny Meyer and Daniel Boulud. Jammet said he and his co-founders will continue to travel between Los Angeles, New York and the District on a weekly basis. The idea is to spread leadership around, he said. Our decision-making doesnt necessarily happen nationally. We make decisions community by community. Jammet and his co-founders, Jonathan Neman and Nathaniel Ru, opened the first Sweetgreen in August 2007, three months after graduating from Georgetown University. They were armed with $300,000 in funding from investors and used recipes they perfected in their dorm rooms. The company has grown to 39 locations, including 20 in the Washington area. It also has a corporate office in New York with 10 employees, who will be unaffected by the move. We know that our success in California is the key to our growth nationally, just like being in D.C. all these years helped us unlock the East Coast, Jammet said. Alexandria These were among incidents reported by the Alexandria Police Department. For information, call 703-838-4636 or visit alexandriava.gov. ASSAULTS Armistead St. N., 500 block, 12:18 a.m. Dec. 24. An assault was reported. Beauregard St. N., 300 block, 8:04 a.m. Dec. 20. Two people fought. An arrest was made. Beauregard St. N., 300 block, 6:28 p.m. Dec. 20. A group of people assaulted a person. Beauregard St. N., 300 block, 7:12 p.m. Dec. 20. A police officer was assaulted. An arrest was made. Beauregard St. N., 400 block, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 27. An assault was reported. An arrest was made. Duke St., 4000 block, 1:59 a.m. Dec. 16. Two people fought. Duke St., 4300 block, 11:02 p.m. Dec. 24. An assault was reported. Duke St., 4500 block, 2:11 p.m. Dec. 26. An assault was reported. Duke St., 5100 block, 4:35 p.m. Dec. 25. An assault was reported. An arrest was made. Duke St., 5900 block, 3:57 p.m. Dec. 23. An assault was reported. Duke St., 6200 block, 3:22 a.m. Dec. 28. An assault was reported. Executive Ave., 3800 block, 4:17 a.m. Dec. 25. An assault was reported. Executive Ave., 3800 block, 4:21 a.m. Dec. 26. An assault was reported. An arrest was made. Fairbanks Ave. and Seminary Rd., 1:58 a.m. Dec. 25. An assault was reported. An arrest was made. Fayette St. S., 700 block, 11:10 a.m. Dec. 16. An assault was reported. Ford Ave., 4400 block, 4:40 p.m. Dec. 17. Two people fought. Four Mile Rd., 500 block, 3:29 a.m. Dec. 22. An assault was reported. Four Mile Rd., 800 block, 2:40 a.m. Dec. 23. An assault was reported. Glebe Rd. W., 800 block, 10:34 a.m. Dec. 17. Two people fought. An arrest was made. Harrison Cir., 900 block, 4:45 a.m. Dec. 27. An assault was reported. Jefferson Davis Hwy., 3500 block, 9:56 a.m. Dec. 26. An assault was reported. King St., 100 block, 2:46 a.m. Dec. 20. Two people fought. King St., 200 block, 11:52 a.m. Dec. 26. An assault was reported. King St., 1300 block, 2:40 a.m. Dec. 23. An assault was reported. An arrest was made. King St., 3300 block, 5:20 p.m. Dec. 18. Two people fought. King St., 4400 block, 4 p.m. Dec. 17. An assault was reported. Knole Ct., 5300 block, 3:18 p.m. Dec. 25. An assault was reported. An arrest was made. Landover St., 3200 block, 9:32 p.m. Dec. 20. Two people fought. Mount Vernon Ave., 3700 block, 11:08 p.m. Dec. 25. An assault was reported. Oronoco St., 300 block, 9:39 p.m. Dec. 18. A group of people assaulted a person. Pickett St. S., 600 block, 4:25 p.m. Dec. 19. Two people fought. Portner Rd., 1500 block, 7:32 p.m. Dec. 28. An assault was reported. An arrest was made. Princess St., 1400 block, 10:30 a.m. Dec. 22. An assault was reported. An arrest was made. Quantrell Ave., 5800 block, 4:55 a.m. Dec. 25. An assault was reported. Quantrell Ave., 5900 block, 5:39 p.m. Dec. 22. An assault was reported. An arrest was made. Queen St., 300 block, 4:06 p.m. Dec. 21. An assault was reported. Reed Ave. E., unit block, 12:57 a.m. Dec. 26. An assault was reported. Reed Ave. W., 100 block, 1:02 a.m. Dec. 20. An assault was reported. Reynolds St. S., 100 block, 8:35 p.m. Dec. 22. An assault was reported. Sanger Ave., 5600 block, 6:30 p.m. Dec. 23. An assault was reported. An arrest was made. Taney Ave., 5300 block, 9:18 p.m. Dec. 27. An assault was reported. Van Dorn St. N., 1500 block, 10:45 p.m. Dec. 22. An assault was reported. Virginia Ave., 900 block, 2:53 p.m. Dec. 22. An assault was reported. Whiting St. S., 200 block, 10:07 p.m. Dec. 25. An assault was reported. Yoakum Pkwy., 200 block, 12:03 a.m. Dec. 24. An assault was reported. An arrest was made. Yoakum Pkwy., 300 block, 6:27 p.m. Dec. 19. Two people fought. First St., 900 block, 1:01 a.m. Dec. 19. Two people fought. ROBBERIES King St., 100 block, 3:36 a.m. Dec. 27. A robbery was reported. An arrest was made. Reed Ave. W., unit block, 11:04 p.m. Dec. 23. A robbery was reported. Van Dorn St. N., 1500 block, 10:45 p.m. Dec. 22. A robbery was reported. Whiting St. S., 300 block, 2:30 a.m. Dec. 17. Two people robbed a business. THEFTS/BREAK-INS Alfred St. N., 900 block, 11:45 a.m. Dec. 21. A theft was reported. Armistead St. N., 400 block, 10:18 p.m. Dec. 20. A residential theft was reported. Armistead St. N., 500 block, 1:48 p.m. Dec. 22. Property was entered. Bashford Lane, 800 block, 7:41 p.m. Dec. 28. A theft was reported. Beauregard St. N., 1400 block, 3:15 p.m. Dec. 26. A theft was reported. Braxton Pl., 500 block, 9:20 a.m. Dec. 17. Property was stolen and a vehicle was damaged. Buchanan St., 200 block, 11:18 a.m. Dec. 17. Property was stolen and a vehicle was damaged. Canterbury Sq., unit block, 11:33 a.m. Dec. 23. A theft was reported. Columbus St. S., 700 block, 11:32 a.m. Dec. 18. Multiple delivered packages were stolen from a residential building. Colville Dr., 100 block, 5:19 p.m. Dec. 19. Property was stolen from a vehicle. Commonwealth Ave., 3200 block, 3:23 p.m. Dec. 22. A theft was reported. Diagonal Rd., 1800 block, 12:12 p.m. Dec. 28. Property was entered. An arrest was made. Drake Ct., 5700 block, 7:21 p.m. Dec. 28. A theft was reported. Duke St., 2700 block, 1:56 p.m. Dec. 28. A theft was reported. An arrest was made. Duke St., 3000 block, 5:17 p.m. Dec. 24. A theft was reported. Duke St., 5100 block, 4:35 p.m. Dec. 25. Property was entered. An arrest was made. Duke St., 5700 block, 1 a.m. Dec. 18. An employee theft was reported. An arrest was made. Duke St., 5700 block, 11:13 p.m. Dec. 18. A shoplifting incident was reported. Duke St., 5700 block, 11:25 p.m. Dec. 18. A shoplifting incident was reported. Duke St., 5900 block, 3:57 p.m. Dec. 23. A theft was reported. Dunster Ct., 5700 block, 10:05 a.m. Dec. 28. A theft was reported. Earl St., 400 block, 8:45 a.m. Dec. 17. Property was stolen and a vehicle was damaged. Edsall Rd., 5700 block, 6:16 p.m. Dec. 26. A theft was reported. Eisenhower Ave., 3800 block, 1:57 p.m. Dec. 20. Property was stolen from a vehicle. Eisenhower Ave., 5200 block, 11:11 p.m. Dec. 16. Property was stolen and a vehicle was damaged. Eisenhower Ave., 5300 block, 9:25 a.m. Dec. 16. A commercial theft was reported. Essex Ct., 5300 block, 9:27 a.m. Dec. 20. A theft was reported. Fillmore Ave., 5000 block, 12:46 p.m. Dec. 26. A theft was reported. Glebe Rd. W., 800 block, 12:27 p.m. Dec. 24. A theft was reported. Green St., 400 block, 5:59 p.m. Dec. 20. A theft was reported. Holmes Run Pkwy., 5300 block, 9:49 p.m. Dec. 17. A residential theft was reported. Holmes Run Pkwy., 5500 block, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 23. A theft was reported. Jefferson Davis Hwy., 3100 block, 12:01 p.m. Dec. 17. A shoplifting incident was reported. An arrest was made. Jefferson Davis Hwy., 3100 block, 5 p.m. Dec. 24. A theft was reported. An arrest was made. Jefferson Davis Hwy., 3100 block, 7:35 p.m. Dec. 17. A shoplifting incident was reported. An arrest was made. King St., 1600 block, 7:26 p.m. Dec. 22. A theft was reported. King St., 3300 block, 9:02 a.m. Dec. 17. A commercial theft was reported. King St., 3300 block, 1:14 p.m. Dec. 16. A commercial theft was reported. King St., 3300 block, 2:30 p.m. Dec. 18. A theft from a building was reported. King St., 3400 block, 10:40 a.m. Dec. 22. A theft was reported. King St., 4300 block, 2:30 p.m. Dec. 18. A credit card was stolen. King St., 4300 block, 5:47 p.m. Dec. 22. A theft was reported. King St., 4300 block, 11:47 p.m. Dec. 19. A theft from a building was reported. Milan Dr., 3800 block, 12:38 p.m. Dec. 25. A theft was reported. Mill Rd., 2100 block, 2:28 p.m. Dec. 22. A theft was reported. Mill Rd., 2100 block, 7:15 p.m. Dec. 16. A residential theft was reported. Monroe Ave. E., 400 block, 12:56 a.m. Dec. 24. A theft was reported. Mount Vernon Ave., 1000 block, 11:41 a.m. Dec. 17. A commercial theft was reported. Mount Vernon Ave., 1000 block, 3:44 p.m. Dec. 18. A theft from a building was reported. N. Beauregard and N. Armistead streets, 9:10 a.m. Dec. 23. A theft was reported. Patrick St. S., 800 block, 11:07 a.m. Dec. 16. Property was stolen from a vehicle. Pickett St. S., 400 block, 6:23 p.m. Dec. 16. A shoplifting incident was reported. An arrest was made. Pitt St. S., 800 block, 11:15 a.m. Dec. 20. Property was stolen from a vehicle. Prince St., 1600 block, 11:15 a.m. Dec. 19. Property was stolen from a vehicle. Princess St., 1500 block, 4:37 p.m. Dec. 17. Property was stolen and a vehicle was damaged. Quaker Lane N., 1500 block, 11 a.m. Dec. 25. A theft was reported. Quantrell Ave., 5800 block, 11:18 p.m. Dec. 27. A theft was reported. Reynolds St. S., 200 block, 12:34 p.m. Dec. 23. A theft was reported. Rolfe Pl., 900 block, 4 p.m. Dec. 28. A theft was reported. Rucker Pl., 400 block, 10:11 p.m. Dec. 17. Property was stolen from a vehicle. Saint Asaph St. N., 700 block, 11:44 a.m. Dec. 28. A theft was reported. Saint Asaph St. N., 800 block, 9:52 a.m. Dec. 23. A theft was reported. Saint Asaph St. N., 900 block, 7:19 p.m. Dec. 19. A commercial theft was reported. Sanger Ave., 5600 block, 7:20 a.m. Dec. 16. Property was stolen and a vehicle was damaged. Seminary Rd., 4300 block, 12:05 a.m. Dec. 23. A theft was reported. Seminary Rd., 5000 block, 11:58 a.m. Dec. 20. A theft from a building was reported. Seminary Rd., 5000 block, 6:07 p.m. Dec. 28. A theft was reported. Seminary Rd., 5000 block, 6:47 p.m. Dec. 23. An employee theft was reported. Trent Ct., 5500 block, 5:10 a.m. Dec. 25. A theft was reported. Van Dorn St. N., 1000 block, 9:13 a.m. Dec. 23. A theft was reported. Van Dorn St. N., 1500 block, 10:45 p.m. Dec. 22. A theft was reported. Virginia Ave., 600 block, 2:58 p.m. Dec. 23. A theft was reported. Watkins Mill Dr., 3800 block, 12:26 p.m. Dec. 20. Property was stolen from a vehicle. West St. N., 200 block, 11:27 a.m. Dec. 17. Property was stolen and a vehicle was damaged. West St. N., 500 block, 2:25 p.m. Dec. 17. Property was stolen and a vehicle was damaged. Wythe St., 1200 block, 8 p.m. Dec. 17. Property was entered. An arrest was made. Wythe St., 1200 block, 9:58 p.m. Dec. 17. Property was entered. An arrest was made. First St., 600 block, 11 a.m. Dec. 17. Property was stolen and a vehicle was damaged. First St., 600 block, 11:06 a.m. Dec. 24. A theft was reported. MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS Cloudes Mill Dr., 300 block, 11:45 a.m. Dec. 18. An attempt was made to steal a vehicle. Courthouse Sq., 400 block, 11:27 a.m. Dec. 20. A vehicle was stolen. Jefferson Davis Hwy., 3700 block, 5:43 p.m. Dec. 22. A vehicle was stolen. King St., 3500 block, 3:58 p.m. Dec. 28. A vehicle was stolen. Morgan St. N., 5400 block, 8:05 a.m. Dec. 23. A vehicle was stolen. Morgan St. N., 5400 block, 11:07 a.m. Dec. 24. A vehicle was stolen. Mount Vernon Ave., 3000 block, 8:18 a.m. Dec. 27. A vehicle was stolen. Oronoco St., 1500 block, 7:54 p.m. Dec. 27. A vehicle was stolen. Queen St., 1300 block, 10 a.m. Dec. 22. A vehicle was stolen. Ripley St. N., 300 block, 10:30 a.m. Dec. 22. A vehicle was stolen. Seminary Rd., 4900 block, 7:53 p.m. Dec. 17. An attempt was made to steal a vehicle. West St. S., 100 block, 7:30 a.m. Dec. 19. A vehicle was stolen. VANDALISM Alfred St. S., 300 block, 11:55 p.m. Dec. 18. A building was damaged. An arrest was made. Armistead St. N., 400 block, 12:58 a.m. Dec. 27. Property was damaged. Bruce St., 3900 block, 10:45 p.m. Dec. 25. Property was entered. Church St., 900 block, 4:49 p.m. Dec. 17. A vehicle was damaged. Duke St., 500 block, 12:23 p.m. Dec. 21. Property was damaged. Duke St., 3300 block, 4:28 p.m. Dec. 21. Property was damaged. Duke St., 4300 block, 9:38 p.m. Dec. 25. Property was damaged. Earl and Suter streets, 5:13 p.m. Dec. 17. A vehicle was damaged. Henry St. N., 1000 block, 9:04 p.m. Dec. 23. Property was damaged. Heritage Lane, 5100 block, 10:06 a.m. Dec. 22. Property was damaged. Kenmore Ave., 4600 block, 1:38 a.m. Dec. 27. Property was damaged. Kenmore Ave., 4800 block, 9:18 p.m. Dec. 20. Property was damaged. King St., 3300 block, 10:24 a.m. Dec. 17. Property was damaged at a building. Mount Vernon Ave., 3400 block, 1:02 p.m. Dec. 18. A vehicle was damaged. Notabene Dr., 600 block, 12:52 p.m. Dec. 21. Property was damaged. Payne St. N., 400 block, 6:29 p.m. Dec. 21. Property was damaged. Peyton St. N., 100 block, 4:26 p.m. Dec. 18. A vehicle was damaged. Princess St., 1500 block, 3:02 p.m. Dec. 17. A vehicle was damaged. Reed Ave. W., unit block, 9:07 p.m. Dec. 23. Property was damaged. Reed Ave. W., unit block, 9:16 p.m. Dec. 23. Property was damaged. Reynolds St. S., 200 block, 5:05 p.m. Dec. 17. A vehicle was damaged. Reynolds St. S., 300 block, 2:53 p.m. Dec. 24. Property was damaged. Saint Asaph St. N., 800 block, 9:52 a.m. Dec. 23. Property was damaged. Seaton Ave., 700 block, 8:13 a.m. Dec. 24. Property was damaged. Skyhill Rd., unit block, 3:30 p.m. Dec. 26. Property was damaged. Stevenson Ave., 5900 block, 4:26 p.m. Dec. 23. Property was damaged. An arrest was made. Trent Ct., 5500 block, 5:10 a.m. Dec. 25. Property was damaged. West St. S., 100 block, 11:45 a.m. Dec. 17. A vehicle was damaged. Wheeler Ave., 3600 block, 3:45 a.m. Dec. 20. City property was damaged. Arlington These were among incidents reported by the Arlington County Police Department. For information, call 703-558-2222 or visit newsroom.arlingtonva.us. ASSAULTS Clarendon Blvd. N., 3100 block, 11:30 p.m. Dec. 18. A 28-year-old man was struck in the head with a beer bottle several times. He was taken to a hospital and treated for his injuries. Columbia Pike S., 2900 block, 2:19 a.m. Dec. 18. After an argument, a man brandished a knife and cut a males finger. The male did not need medical attention. An Arlington man, 34, was charged. Edgewood St. S., 1700 block, Dec. 25. An assault was reported. George Mason Dr. N., 1600 block, Dec. 25. An assault was reported. Glebe Rd. S., 2400 block, Dec. 27. An assault was reported. Jefferson Davis Hwy. S., 2400 block, Dec. 26. An assault was reported. Randolph St. N., 2400 block, Dec. 26. An assault was reported. Roosevelt St. N., 2300 block, Dec. 25. An assault was reported. Thomas St. S., 1200 block, Dec. 28. An assault was reported. Wilson Blvd. N., 3200 block, Dec. 26. An assault was reported. Second St. N., 4200 block, 7:40 p.m. Dec. 25. A 45-year-old male was stabbed while attempting to break up a fight. An Arlington man, 29, was charged. 15th St. N., 1400 block, Dec. 24. Police were assaulted. 16th St. S., 3500 block, Dec. 23. An assault was reported. 24th St. S., 3200 block, Dec. 24. An assault was reported. ABDUCTION Grove St. S., 2700 block, 11 a.m. Dec. 28. A man refused to let a computer technician leave the residence until his computer was fixed. The man allegedly had a gun and threatened to kill the technician. A 50-year-old Arlington man was charged. INDECENT EXPOSURE Quincy St. N., 1000 block, 11:11 a.m. Dec. 16. A man was seen fondling himself next to a playground. A man, 56, of no fixed address was charged. Wilson Blvd. N., 3100 block, 9:40 p.m. Dec. 28. A man was seen fondling himself outside a restaurant. ROBBERIES Courthouse Rd. S., 1200 block, 10:20 p.m. Dec. 23. A man wearing a mask robbed a woman of property at gunpoint and fled in a vehicle. Joyce St. S., 1100 block, 11:10 p.m. Dec. 24. A man robbed a woman of a purse at gunpoint and fled in a vehicle. THEFTS/BREAK-INS Adams St. N., 1700 block, Dec. 23. Property was entered. Columbia Pike S., 4900 block, Dec. 28. A theft was reported. Columbia Pike S., 5500 block, 8:28 to 8:49 p.m. Dec. 28. Construction equipment was stolen from a residential apartment complex. Columbia Pike S., 5500 block, Dec. 25. An attempt was made to enter a property. Crystal Dr. S., 1500 block, noon Dec. 22 to 7:30 a.m. Dec. 23. Property was stolen from 11 cars in a parking garage. Edgewood St. S., 1000 block, Dec. 28. Property was stolen from a vehicle. Fairfax Dr. N., 4400 block, 12:20 to 1 p.m. Dec. 23. Two laptop computers were stolen from an office building entered by force. Fort Myer Dr. N., 1900 block, 4:30 p.m. Dec. 18 to 8:37 a.m. Dec. 21. Property was stolen from an office suite entered by force. George Mason Dr. N., 1600 block, Dec. 28. A theft was reported. Glebe Rd. N., 700 block, Dec. 26. A theft was reported. Glebe Rd. N., 700 block, Dec. 28. A theft was reported. Hayes St. N., 1100 block, Dec. 23. Two thefts were reported. Hayes St. S., 1000 block, Dec. 23. A theft was reported. Hayes St. S., 1000 block, Dec. 23. An employee theft was reported. Hayes St. S., 1100 block, Dec. 25. Two thefts were reported. Hayes St. S., 1100 block, Dec. 26. A theft was reported. Hayes St. S., 1100 block, Dec. 29. A theft was reported. Inge St. S., 2400 block, Dec. 24. Property was stolen from a vehicle. Jefferson Davis Hwy. S., 2000 block, 9 p.m. Dec. 24 to 6:30 a.m. Dec. 28. A cleaning office was entered by force. Lee Hwy. N., 6700 block, Dec. 23. A theft was reported. Nottingham St. N., 2900 block, Dec. 24. Property was stolen from a vehicle. Pershing Dr. N., 4400 block, Dec. 28. A theft was reported. Roosevelt St. N., 2000 block, Dec. 24. Property was stolen from a vehicle. Thomas St. S., 100 block, Dec. 28. An attempt was made to enter a property. Wilson Blvd. N., 1600 block, Dec. 26. Property was entered. Wilson Blvd. N., 1900 block, Dec. 29. A theft was reported. Wilson Blvd. N., 3900 block, Dec. 24. A theft was reported. Second Rd. N., 4200 block, Dec. 26. Property was entered. Fourth St. N., 3900 block, 11:30 p.m. Dec. 29. A man armed with a knife was seen trying to enter a laundry room Fifth Rd. N., 4000 block, 3:47 a.m. Dec. 18. An iPod was stolen from a business. A man, 30, of no fixed address was charged. 14th St. N., 2000 block, Dec. 27. A theft was reported. 15th St. N., 2100 block, Dec. 29. A theft was reported. 19th St. N., 1100 block, Dec. 23. A theft was reported. 23rd St. S., 2900 block, Dec. 29. Property was stolen from a vehicle. MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS Army Navy Dr., 1100 block, Dec. 29. A gold 1995 Buick Century was stolen. Army Navy Dr., 2400 block, Dec. 29. A black Suzuki Sport was stolen. Eads St. S., 1600 block, Dec. 23. A red and white 1992 Dodge Dakota was stolen. Jefferson Davis Hwy. S., 2100 block, Dec. 17. A white 2014 Jaguar was stolen. Jefferson Davis Hwy., 2600 block, Dec. 18. A gray 2014 Toyota Corolla was stolen. Jefferson Davis Hwy., 2600 block, Dec. 18. A gray 2015 Toyota Corolla was stolen. Jefferson Davis Hwy., 2800 block, Dec. 29. A silver 2010 Cadillac Escalade was stolen. Quincy St. N., 800 block, Dec. 19. A blue and white 2007 Suzuki motorcycle was stolen. Quincy St. N., 800 block, Dec. 22. A black 2009 Kawasaki motorcycle was stolen. Seventh St. S., 5100 block, Dec. 28. A blue 2000 Toyota Camry was stolen. VANDALISM Army Navy Dr. S., 300 block, Dec. 27. Property was damaged. Columbia Pike S., 1500 block, Dec. 24. Property was damaged. Rockingham St. N., 2400 block, Dec. 24. A vehicle was tampered with. Walter Reed Dr. S., 1000 block, Dec. 27. Property was damaged. Washington Blvd. N., 2100 block, Dec. 27. Property was damaged. 26th St. N., 4700 block, Dec. 23. Graffiti was reported. Arlington County Invasive Plant program needs volunteers to remove invasive plants: 9-11 a.m. first Saturdays, Haley Park; 2-4:30 p.m. second Sundays, Gulf Branch Nature Center; 10 a.m.-noon third Saturdays, Tuckahoe Park; 2-5 p.m. third Sundays, Long Branch Nature Center; 10 a.m.-noon fourth Saturdays, Benjamin Banneker Park; 10 a.m.-noon fourth Sundays, Fort Bennett Park. Information: environment.arlingtonva.us. To register, call 703-228-1862. Community Tax Aid seeks volunteers to assist low-income taxpayers at Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites in Arlington and Alexandria. Training will be held through Jan. 18. Volunteers sign up for one four-hour volunteer shift per week between early February through April 15. For information, go to communitytaxaiddc.org or email volunteer@communitytaxaiddc.org. Travelers Aid needs volunteers to help travelers at Reagan National Airport. Must be able to work evenings and weekends, and commit to six months. Parking provided. 703-417-3975, travelersaiddca@mwaa.com or travelersaiddca.com. Virginia Hospital Center Auxiliary in Arlington County offers opportunities to help on information desks, the surgical center and in gift shops. 703-558-6401. Wildlife Rescue League needs hotline volunteers, transporters and wildlife rehabilitators. 703-391-8625 or volcoord@wildliferescueleague.org. Volunteer Alexandria: Call the numbers below or contact Volunteer Alexandria at 703-836-2176, mail@volunteeralexandria.org or volunteeralexandria.org for information on the following opportunities: Arts on the Horizon is recruiting members for the Board of Directors. handsonconnect.volunteeralexandria.org. DC Paws Rescue needs volunteers to handle animals during the adoption event at the Dog Park in Alexandria, 1-3 p.m. every fourth Saturday. handsonconnect.volunteeralexandria.org. Empowered Women International needs a grant writer. handsonconnect.volunteeralexandria.org. Four Mile Run Farmers and Artisans Market needs a SNAP program coordinator. handsonconnect.volunteeralexandria.org. Hammond Middle School needs a math tutor and mentor for the RARE after-school program. handsonconnect.volunteeralexandria.org. Ten Thousand Villages will hold an open house featuring volunteer opportunities, 7-9 p.m. Jan. 14. 703-684-1435 or volunteer.truist.com. Volunteer Arlington: Call the numbers listed below or contact Volunteer Arlington at 703-228-1760 or volunteer.truist.com for information about the following: Arlington County DHS Aging & Disability Services Division seeks personal advocates for people 60 and older. Training provided. Must be 18 and complete a background check. 703-228-1733 or volunteer.truist.com. Arlington library system seeks a graphic designer, volunteer.truist.com; and circulation support at Aurora Hills Library, volunteer.truist.com. Arlington Neighborhood Villages needs volunteers to help senior citizens with various tasks. handsonconnect.volunteeralexandria.org. Bikes for the World seeks volunteers to prepare donated bikes for overseas shipping, 2-8 p.m. Jan. 14 and March 17. Training provided. 703-740-7856 or volunteer.truist.com. Compiled by Ria Manglapus TO SUBMIT AN ITEM Email: axliving@washpost.com Fax: 703-518-3001 Mail: Volunteer Opportunities, The Washington Post, Alexandria-Arlington Local Living, 526 King St., Suite 515, Alexandria, Va. 22314. Details: Announcements are accepted on a space-available basis from public and nonprofit organizations only and must be received at least 14 days before the Thursday publication date. Include event name, dates, times, exact address, prices and a publishable contact phone number. These cases were handled by the Washington Humane Society, which operates its shelter at 7319 Georgia Ave. NW, and the Districts, at 1201 New York Ave. NE. For information or assistance, call 202-723-5730 or go to washhumane.org. Guest expelled: 19th St. SE, 3300 block, Dec. 9. An officer captured a squirrel inside a home and released it outdoors. Escapee goes home: T St. NW, unit block, Dec. 15. An officer captured a loose Chihuahua. After scanning a microchip, the dog was reunited with its owner. Snake seeks warmth: Montana Ave. NE, 1400 block, Dec. 17. An officer removed a ball python from a stove and returned the snake to its tank. Owner moves on: B St. SE, 4400 block, Sept. 17. A Dogo Argentine was surrendered to an officer because its owner moved out and relatives could not care for the animal. Owner gives up dog: First Pl., NW, 1100 block, Dec. 18. Responding to a call about a dog left outside without proper shelter, an officer spoke to an owner who surrendered the pit bull. Cat freed from fence: James Pl., 5300 block, Dec. 18. An officer rescued a cat whose head was stuck in a chain link fence. It was returned to its owner. Hawk saved: Harvard St. NW, 1400 block, Dec. 20. An officer captured an injured Coopers hawk and took it to City Wildlife for rehabilitation. Partners in trouble: G St. NE, 100 block, Dec. 24. An officer removed two raccoons that were trapped in a window well of a building and released them to the wild. Questionable living conditions: A St. SE, 1400 block, Dec. 27. A responding officer found a healthy pit bull living in a condemned building. The case was pending further investigation. Animal cruelty charge: G St. NW, unit block, Dec. 29. A woman who was seen dragging and swinging a cat around by a harness was arrested. The cat was taken to a veterinarian for examination. The case was ongoing. Adoptable pet: E St. SE, 3100 block, Dec. 19. A pug mix was surrendered to an officer after its owner fell ill and no relatives were available to care for the dog. Adoptable pet: Georgia Ave. NW, 7300 block, Nov. 9. A 1-year-old neutered dog was surrendered by an owner who could no longer care for it. No cases were reported by the Washington Animal Rescue League, 71 Oglethorpe St. NW. For information, call 202-726-2556 or go to warl.org. A D.C. resident harvests over a pound of home-grown pot in August. Because of restrictions imposed by Congress, residents can possess and grow but cannot legally buy or sell or smoke the plan outside their homes. (Astrid Riecken/For The Washington Post) The D.C. Councils surprise see-saw on loosening marijuana laws Tuesday and promise to revisit the issue within a month has set up a vexing period of high-stakes negotiations that could put the council on a collision course with Mayor Muriel E. Bowser and with a Republican-controlled Congress that wishes D.C. voters never legalized weed in the first place. At stake is a package of regulations that has largely kept pot legalization a low-key affair in the nations capital since it was made legal to possess nearly a year ago under a voter-approved ballot initiative. Should D.C. residents be allowed to smoke on the rooftop or sidewalk patios of restaurants? Should they be able to set up discreet pot clubs for smoking in private? [D.C. legalizes pot clubs for 30 minutes, then reverses itself] To be sure, the council is split on how far to push the issue. But Tuesdays debate made clear that the Districts tortured state of partial legalization in which residents and visitors can possess pot but, thanks to Congress, it remains illegal to buy or sell is an untenable status quo for a growing number of D.C. lawmakers (especially, it seems, any who are up for reelection). So what could D.C. do? An end-run on Congress: The most aggressive and controversial option available to the mayor and council would use a loophole in federal budget law to let the city fully regulate the sale of marijuana. But didnt Congress block D.C. from doing so? Yes. Congress blocked D.C. from appropriating even a cent of its locally generated tax revenue to regulate pot sales in the current U.S. budget. However, under a theory advanced by advocates for D.C. statehood, there is nothing stopping District leaders from declaring an emergency over the condition. That would free them to draw on surplus revenue from past years to pay for drafting new regulations and allotting money for enforcement. Council member Brianne K. Nadeau (D-Ward 1), who instigated Tuesdays unexpected drama, said she believes this is the path the District must pursue. The District can do so. Its just a question of deciding that we will do it, she said. Conservative Republicans in the House are sure to balk, but exactly how far they will push the issue amid a presidential contest in which freedom from federal regulators is a continued party theme is unclear. Congress has taken bipartisan baby steps in the last session toward giving states more rights over marijuana legalization. But D.C. remains a quagmire for Republicans, a jurisdiction where it has long used its broad oversight authority to curtail socially liberal causes advanced by the citys Democratic majority. Pot proponents more immediate problem, however, is Bowser and Council Chairman Phil Mendelson; neither has been willing to back the plan. Deregulate . . . and hope for the best: Another and highly unlikely option is to finish what the council started on Tuesday. If a majority of the council declined to extend the ban on smoking in bars and clubs on Feb. 2, the regulations would expire a couple of months afterward and businesses would be free to develop their own rules for marijuana consumption. Unregulated pot clubs could also form, perhaps similar to Spain, where residents pay for membership and access to places to smoke it. Bowser has said this would lead to an unworkable situation in which the Districts hands would be tied from regulating such establishments under the restrictions put in place by Congress. Bowser also seems to have the votes on the council to keep this from happening. On Tuesday, her close ally in Ward 8, Council member LaRuby May, reversed herself and backed a ban. That decision likely was unpopular with many of Mays constituents in an area of the city where residents still feel that police use marijuana arrests to unfairly target blacks. But Bowsers financial backing is likely key to Mays re-election. Compromise: Perhaps the least controversial plan, if there is to be a loosening of marijuana laws soon, is for the council to take up legislation proposed by Adam Eidinger and other organizers of the initiative that seven in 10 voters backed to legalize pot in the city in 2014. Eidnger said Tuesday that he is willing to let the city place further restrictions for now on pot distribution, by tightening the definition of remuneration under the ballot-measure law. That, he said, would clear up any confusion and expressly prohibit providing monetary donations or services for marijuana. In exchange, however, Eidinger also wants the city to allow restaurants, clubs, concert halls and other businesses to be rented out for private events that allow marijuana consumption in designated smoking areas. On select nights, anyone entering those establishments would consent to potentially being around others smoking marijuana. Or maybe all the time, I think some establishments would go marijuana-only, he said. THE DISTRICT Rebates for security cameras approved The D.C. Council on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill to create a rebate system for residents who install security cameras on their properties. The bill was proposed by council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6). Allen, other members of the council and Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) said they hoped the cameras would function as both a crime deterrent and a tool for police. Residents will have to register their security cameras with D.C. police to receive rebates of up to $500 for homeowners and $750 for businesses, nonprofits and religious institutions. The temporary bill draws on $500,000 that the mayor and council set aside last year for the purpose. The council is considering making the rebate program permanent. Abigail Hauslohner MARYLAND Man found in car at park has died A man found unresponsive in the drivers seat of a Honda Accord at a park in the Greenbelt area of Prince Georges County has been pronounced dead. Police in Greenbelt identified the man as Anthony M. Cabotaje, 22, of Lanham. About 7 p.m. Monday in Schrom Hills Park, an officer saw a car at the far end of a lot and went to check it. As he approached, he saw a man walking in the area, according to George Mathews, a spokesman for the Greenbelt police. The man told the officer that he and a friend, identified as Cabotaje, had been robbed. The officer saw Cabotaje in the drivers seat of the car and found him unresponsive. He was brought to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The other man also was taken to a hospital. Dana Hedgpeth VIRGINIA Man dies after being struck on I-95 Authorities said a man died after he was struck by a car while walking in a travel lane on Interstate 95 in the Springfield area about 8:30 p.m. Monday near the Franconia exit. Authorities said a car was heading south when it hit the man as he walked across the travel lane, according to Virginia State Police. He wore dark, non-reflective clothing, authorities said. Despite the drivers attempts, he could not stop [the car] in time, and, due to traffic, was not able to change lanes, according to a statement from Corinne Geller, a police spokeswoman. The man, who carried no identification, died at the scene, police said. Dana Hedgpeth THE regiOn Brrrr. Coldest day here since March Not in almost 10 months has Washington endured a day as cold as Tuesday. The temperature at Reagan National Airport sank at 7:36 a.m. to 16 degrees, the coldest since the 15-degree reading March 6. The 16-degree low was five degrees lower than this winters previous low of 21 degrees. That was recorded just before midnight Monday. Martin Weil Posters about attendance and encouraging high attendance rates hang near the entrance of Simon Elementary School in Washington, D.C., on April 24, 2014. D.C. has high truancy rates, but a newly proposed law would cut down on the number of students who are referred to social services or court for being tardy to school. (Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post) The D.C. Council is pushing to minimize the number of students considered truant by giving them credit for showing up for any part of the school day even if they arrive hours after the first bell rings. Council member David Grosso (I-At Large) introduced legislation that would undo the citys 80/20 rule, which says students are considered absent for a day of school if they miss 20 percent or more of that day. Students can still be penalized by their schools for being tardy, but the measure would reduce the number of students categorized as truant, which would mean fewer would be referred to Child and Family Services or to court. There were so many kids that are being referred to court for no reason, said Grosso, who chairs the councils education committee. A big goal of my committee is that we dont perpetuate the school-to-prison pipeline. On Tuesday, the council approved extending a temporary version of this legislation, which took effect at the beginning of the school year and applies only to high school students. Grossos latest proposal, which he introduced with Phil Mendelson (D), the councils chairman, would apply to students of all ages. The council has scheduled a hearing on the legislation for Jan. 21. More than half of the citys high school students 56 percent were considered chronically truant during the 2013-2014 school year after accumulating more than 10 unexcused absences, according to a 2015 report from the Childrens Law Center and DC Lawyers for Youth. In the District, truancy has long been a problem, and chronic absenteeism is tied to poor school performance and low graduation rates. Before 2010, students werent considered chronically truant until they reached 28 unexcused absences. Now, because of recent laws, the citys schools must scrupulously track absences and address any issues at certain thresholds. If a student has 10 unexcused absences, it triggers a referral to Social Services. At 15 unexcused absences, students 14 to 17 can be referred to court. [Truancy, absenteeism a chronic problem in D.C. schools] D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson has argued that the tightened rules create a backlog of paperwork, preventing school officials from engaging with the students who need it the most. The new law would reduce the number of students being referred to outside city agencies, presumably decreasing some of the administrative burdens on schools. The problem of truancy gained renewed attention after the 2014 disappearance of Relisha Rudd, an 8-year-old student at Southeast Washingtons Payne Elementary who accumulated more than 30 absences before a school social worker contacted police. Henderson said at the time that the number of kids who have the same number of absences as Relisha is astounding. Grosso argues that there are number of reasons why students might arrive late to school and that if they make the effort to get there for at least part of the day, they should not be deemed truant. The 2015 Childrens Law Center report recommended revising the 80/20 rule, saying it confused chronic tardiness with absenteeism, leading to inappropriate interventions. The temporary legislation allows the D.C. Public Schools and the citys charter schools to decide whether they want to count tardies as absences; the public school system chose not to count tardies as absences. If approved, the permanent legislation would make it mandatory not to count them as absences. The School Attendance Clarification Amendment Act of 2015 also would require students to submit written explanations of their absences within five days of their return to school and prohibit the suspension or expulsion of students for attendance issues. And police officers who encounter minors they suspect are skipping school would have to take the students to school instead of referring them for law enforcement action. [Police in schools: Keeping kids safe, or arresting them for no good reason?] This legislation will enable our government to continue the progress towards reducing truancy, Mendelson said in a statement. Most people think of truancy as an educational issue, which it is, but it also is an indicator of children at risk for entering the juvenile justice system. For these two reasons, it must continue to be our priority to tackle truancy. Get updates on your area delivered via e-mail Orange Surprise by Denise Marie is among works in Hyattsville Community Arts Alliances Movement exhibit in Beltsville. (Nancy Sims/Nancy Sims) THU 07 Avant Garde A docent-led tour of the mixed-media exhibit by the Maryland Federation of Art. Closes Thursday. Gallery 90, 90 Ritchie Hwy., Pasadena. 410-987-2003, Ext. 1328. www.hospicechesapeake.org. Free. River to Bay: Reflections and Connections An aquarium exhibit that highlights three bay habitats the deep, open waters, the brackish coastal shallows and fresh waters of the coastal plains through 14 aquariums. Permanent exhibition. Calvert Marine Museum, 14200 Solomons Island Rd., Solomons. 410-326-2042. www.calvertmarinemuseum.com. $9, seniors and military $7, ages 5-12 $4, age 4 and younger free. FRI 08 Twelfth Night In Shakespeares classic comedy, Viola disguises herself as a man to get closer to the count, only to be pursued by the woman whom he loves. Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., through Jan. 31. Laurel Mill Playhouse, 508 Main St., Laurel. 301-617-9906. www.laurelmillplayhouse.org. $20; seniors, students and military $15. Reservations requested. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike The Prince Georges Little Theatre stages the Tony-winning comedy about three middle-aged siblings, two of whom still live at their family home while the third supports them. Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. Through Jan. 23. Bowie Playhouse, 16500 White Marsh Park Dr., Bowie. 301-937-7458. www.pglt.org. $22, seniors and students $17. Winter White Soiree Patrons should come dressed in all-white to celebrate the new year with radio personality April Watts and a performance by Emmy Award winner Damien Escobar. 8 p.m.-12 a.m. Newton White Mansion, 2708 Enterprise Rd., Mitchellville. 301-454-1450. eventbrite.com. $75, reservations requested. Ulysses Marshall The local artist exhibits his paper and mixed-media collages. Opens Friday, through March 30. Publick Playhouse, 5445 Landover Rd., Cheverly. 301-277-1710. arts.pgparks.com. Free. SAT 09 Three Kings Day celebration Music, refreshments and childrens activities to celebrate the day marking the end of the Christmas season. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Rollingcrest-Chillum Community Center, 6120 Sargent Rd., Chillum. 301-853-2005. www.pgparks.com. Free. Hyattsville Community Arts Alliance exhibits closing Two exhibits by the Hyattsville Community Arts Alliance close Saturday: Creative Invention, a collection of 34 multimedia pieces (Franklins Restaurant and Brewery, 5123 Baltimore Ave., Hyattsville. 301-927-2740), and Movement, an exhibition of 36 mixed-media works (Old Line Wine & Spirits, 11011 Baltimore Ave., Beltsville. 301-937-5999). www.hcaaonline.org. Free. Narrative in Black Identity A mixed-media exhibit from Antonio McAfee, Tiffany Jones and Stephen Towns celebrates African American heritage and identity. Through Feb. 28. Montpelier Arts Center, 9652 Muirkirk Rd., Laurel. 301-377-7800. arts.pgparks.com. Free. Re-Invention Winston Harriss exhibit uses printmaking, digital manipulation and recycled artwork to create images that promote self-awareness and spiritual enlightenment. Opens Saturday, through Feb. 28. Montpelier Arts Center, 9652 Muirkirk Rd., Laurel. 301-377-7800. arts.pgparks.com. Free. SUN 10 What Is It? An interactive exhibit featuring common items from the past asks visitors to guess what they were used for. 2-4 p.m. Montpelier Mansion, 9650 Muirkirk Rd., Laurel. 301-377-7817. www.pgparks.com. $3, seniors $2, ages 5-18 $1, age 4 and younger free. Steel City Jug Slammers The Birmingham, Ala., blues band plays old-time jug music on traditional and homemade instruments. 5-8 p.m. New Deal Cafe, 113 Centerway, Greenbelt. 301-474-5642. www.newdealcafe.com. Free. MON 11 When Thoughts Become Art Local artists John and Luray Schaffner showcase their sculpture and mixed-media collages, respectively. Through Jan. 24. Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center, 13480 Dowell Rd., Dowell. 410-326-4640. www.annmariegarden.org. $5, seniors and military $4, ages 6-17 $3, younger free. TUE 12 We Remember King A festive and educational celebration of the life of Martin Luther King Jr. 6-9 p.m. Largo Kettering Library, 9601 Capital Lane, Largo. 301-336-4044. www.pgcmls.info. Free. American Indians, Past and Present, in Our History Ellan Thorson lectures on the contributions of American Indians. 7:30-9 p.m. Belair Mansion, 12207 Tulip Grove Dr., Bowie. 301- 809-3089. www.cityofbowie.org. Free. WED 13 Transatlantic Crossing The local band plays Irish and Scottish jigs. 7-9 p.m. New Deal Cafe, 113 Centerway, Greenbelt. 301-474-5642. www.newdealcafe.com. Free. Compiled by Jillian S. Jarrett from staff reports The sign of Village Green Mutual Homes at the entrance of the residential community with 231 homes in Landover. (Astrid Riecken/For The Washington Post) Month after month, bill after bill, year after year, members of the Village Green housing cooperative suspected they were being overcharged for their water. Eventually, in protest, they stopped paying. Now, they may lose their homes. The board is trying to evict at least 15 co-op members, citing ignored invoices that total hundreds of dollars per person. The first to get a hearing in landlord-tenant court will be Pat Fletcher, 65, a community activist and the unofficial leader of the protest group, who is scheduled to appear before a judge next week. What began as a dispute among co-op members has evolved into a nearly two-decade battle that has spawned two investigations by the countys consumer rights office, one of which is ongoing. The Prince Georges County attorney is seeking a temporary restraining order to halt the evictions until that probe is complete. Officials, including County Council member Andrea Harrison (D-Springdale), say they are troubled by an initial audit that found $285,000 in excess water charges over a two-year period. The audit also concluded that there is no record that the board returned to its members an additional $60,000 it was refunded because of a separate billing error. Pat Fletcher, community activist and former member of the Prince George's County Board of Education, poses for a portrait inside her home at the Village Green Mutual Homes in Landover. (Astrid Riecken/For The Washington Post) Because of what appears to be irregular billing practices and operations, the County requests a neutral third party receiver to review the water and sewage billing and accounts at Village Green, county attorney M. Andree Green wrote in the injunction petition, which accused the co-op board of clear attempts to circumvent Maryland law. Fletcher said she is determined to remain at Village Green, where she and many other people of modest means have lived for decades. I know Im right, Fletcher said If people look at what weve found, they would know that. If they set me out, I will put up a tent. I am not giving up. An affordable oasis The townhouses in Village Green Mutual Homes were built in 1968 along Sheriff Road in Landover, part of a federal Housing and Urban Development program for low- to moderate-income families. Shirley Wallace moved there in the early 1970s. I was young at the time and had three kids, said Wallace, 73, a retired administrator with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It was a good way to have a home and raise my kids in the neighborhood with the school abutting the community. Residents of the 231 townhouses are shareholders in the nonprofit cooperative corporation, which paid off its HUD-backed mortgage in 2010. They pay monthly carrying charges that are supposed to cover utilities and shared operating and maintenance costs. The federal income restrictions that were in place until Village Green paid off its mortgage are no longer mandatory, but most residents are of modest means, including many retirees on fixed incomes. Carrying charges remain low, from $377 to $692 a month. Village Green Mutual Homes a residential community with 231 homes, is located near FedEx Field in Landover. (Astrid Riecken/For The Washington Post) The co-ops finances are managed by a five-person board of directors, made up of residents elected annually by the co-op membership. Major financial decisions are supposed to be discussed at monthly membership meetings. The disaffected residents say one family Mary Williams, her children and her grandson has played a central role in Village Green operations and governance for more than 30 years. Williams was site manager of the complex from 1984 until 2014. Her son, David Williams, was board president starting in the 1990s, and was succeeded by his sister, Stephanie Seawright, in 2003, according to documents included in the 2014 investigative report by the Prince Georges Human Relations Commission. Seawrights son is a maintenance engineer at the complex. Members of the dissident group say they were declared ineligible to vote in board elections in 2011, because they hadnt paid their water bills. In 2013, all members were allowed to vote, but the only candidates nominated were incumbents, according to the report by the Human Relations Commission, which investigates consumer complaints. Water-bill protesters said they tried to vote for write-in candidates such as Fletcher, but were told their ballots had been thrown out because they had neglected to place a check next to the names they had written, the report says. In an interview, Stephen Brown, 59, a former real estate agent who has lived in Village Green since 1972, called the vote another election that was stolen. Neither Mary Williams nor Seawright responded to requests for comment or questions about the co-ops operations. David Williams died in 2011. Bernard A. Cook, the boards attorney, did not respond to residents statements about Village Green leadership or questions regarding the elections. But he denied there were problems with how water is billed at the complex, and said that people who dont pay cause a deficit for the entire community. Billing problems In 1999, Williams and the co-op board proposed installing sub-meters in each unit to track each households water usage. YES Energy Management, a billing company, was contracted to read the meters remotely and send invoices to members. Cook said residents voted for and welcomed the change because it was supposed to keep their carrying charges low. But investigators with the Human Relations Commission found no documentation showing co-op members had approved the sub-meters, and several residents said in interviews that their carrying charges did not go down. Soon members realized that their monthly invoices from YES Energy were actually bills that they needed to pay. Their carrying charges no longer covered water and sewer, even though those costs are supposed to be covered, according to the occupancy agreement. We actually paid the water bill twice, said Allena Wesley, a 73-year-old resident. Cook said members pay YES Energy for their own water use, and that money is reimbursed to Village Green to pay the water bills charged by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission. Arnold Brier, an attorney for YESs parent company, said the company signs confidentiality agreements with its clients that prohibited him from commenting on specific accounts. He said each client works out a different billing system with the company. In an interview with county investigators in December 2013, Mary Williams said the amount of money collected by YES Energy rarely matches the actual amount due, and the carrying charges make up the difference. Fletcher was the first resident to refuse to pay her water bill, starting in 2000. By 2007, she owed $5,300, and Village Green took her to court. She agreed to pay what she owed to keep from being evicted, and signed an agreement that said all future water and sewer bills may be considered additional carrying charges/rent. But Fletcher now says she regrets signing the document and did not receive good advice from her attorney. She argues that the agreements language about future bills is not valid because it conflicts with her original occupancy agreement and, according to co-op bylaws, such changes have to be approved by Village Green corporation members. I didnt agree with it, but I signed it. It was a mistake, Fletcher said. By 2013, Fletcher estimates, about 50 co-op members had stopped paying the YES invoices. They sought help from state and local politicians, federal housing officials and even President Obama. It appears as though someone or some group has made a bundle off of low- to moderate-income residents, Fletcher wrote in a June email to the president. Legal maneuvers At the urging of County Council member Andrea C. Harrison (D-Springdale), the county launched an investigation that included an audit by Hawi Sanu, who works for the County Council. She found that the WSSC had billed Village Green $256,219.69 in 2012 and 2013. YES Energy billed residents $313,942.14 during the same period. The carrying charges that went to water and sewer costs during that time were $228,000, the audit found. Sanu concluded that Village Green had $541,942.14 to pay the WSSC bills $285,722.45 more than the utility had charged the cooperative. And the audit flagged another potential problem. In March 2013, WSSC had refunded Village Green more than $60,000 because of a separate billing error. The expectation is that the refund would be given back to residents in the form of credits for future bills, Sanu wrote. But residents say that never happened. Sanu said the results of her initial review could not confirm wrongdoing or prove that there was none. She recommended a full forensic audit. Seawright, the co-op president, told investigators the consumer complaint was motivated by personal vendettas against her mother, the report says. She accused Fletcher of sending feces to Williams in the mail to protest how the co-op was being run an allegation that Fletcher denies. In September 2013, 10 Village Green residents sued the co-op board, alleging fraud and seeking access to the co-ops financial records. For nearly two years, the board successfully fought efforts by the plaintiffs to get Sanu to testify. Both sides agreed to a dismissal of the lawsuit in July, after the board told District Judge Hassan A. El-Amin it would explain the water billing to residents in a membership meeting. But the boards explanations were unsatisfactory, said Gabriel Christian, an attorney who is representing the residents pro bono. The plaintiffs tried to reopen the case, but Amin denied the motion. The residents have appealed. The county opened a second consumer-protection investigation in October, and in November the county attorneys office filed its request for a temporary restraining order. Fletchers eviction hearing is scheduled for Tuesday in Hyattsville District Court. Planning Department meeting on school tests and funding The Montgomery County Planning Department will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday to discuss testing in schools and school facility funding in relation to subdivision development. Community feedback will help planners revise the Subdivision Staging Policy, formerly called the Growth Policy, which is intended to guide growth in the county for the next four years. The meeting will be in the Planning Department auditorium at 8787 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring. For details and information on other department projects and meetings, visit montgomeryplanning.org. Organizers seek volunteers for MLK Jr. Day of Service The Montgomery County Alumnae Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority will host a Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service from 10 a.m. to noon on Jan. 18 at the Silver Spring Civic Building at Veterans Plaza. The Day of Service is part of a national commemoration that annually honors the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.s memory by encouraging civic engagement. Organizations and people interested in volunteering or leading service projects may send an email to Erin Duggins at eduggins1913@gmail.com or Kimberly Hodges at servicedays@montgomerycountymd.gov. Registration forms can be found on the sororitys website at mcacdst.org. Nominees sought for citys environmental awards Rockvilles Environmental Excellence Awards will be awarded by the mayor and city council to individuals or groups for outstanding environmental projects in the city. Nominations are being accepted through March 1 for: Individual environmental stewardship. Leadership in environmental practices. Achievement in green building technology/design. Environmental education and academic achievement. Nominations and supporting materials are reviewed by the Environment Commission. Recommendations on award recipients are made to the mayor and council. For information about the awards, guidelines and how to nominate an individual or an organization, go to rockvillemd.gov, email environment@rockvillemd or call 240-314-8870. Compiled by Lisa M. Bolton Just north of Washington, in Montgomery County, Md., Police Chief Tom Manger praised President Obamas new firearms restrictions, calling them a great step in the right direction. Manger heads a countywide police force in a jurisdiction of 1 million people. He also serves as president of the Major Cities Chiefs Association. Ive been a cop for 40 years, and I know what can be done to reduce gun violence, Manger said Tuesday. He praised the idea of universal background checks and trying to curb people with significant mental illnesses from owning guns. There are too many guns that are sold out of a trunk of a car to a person who would not be able to pass a background check, and thats how many guns get into the wrong hands, Manger said. The fact is, we need universal background checks. And again, this is a no-brainer. Manger said he recognized that privacy concerns make checking a persons mental-health history more difficult than checking a persons criminal history. Thats a much more challenging issue to deal with, he said. Manger cited an example: A person who, over a year, sees a social worker twice a week for depression shouldnt necessarily end up in a database, he said. But Manger emphasized that more can be done to keep track of people with significant mental-health issues who try to get a gun. Anything is better than what we have now, I can tell you that, Manger said. [Earlier: Manger, other police leaders meet to discuss violent summer] Manger said an additional measure beyond those announced Tuesday also is needed: mandatory reporting for lost or stolen guns. In other words, he said, gun owners who lose a gun or have one stolen must tell police what happened. Why wouldnt any responsible gun owner want to report if a gun was lost or stolen? he said. Too often, Manger said, when his detectives trace the lineage of a gun used in a crime, they get back to an owner who tells them the gun had been lost or stolen more than a year earlier. Some of their stories are undoubtedly true, Manger said, but added, I think many times, the fact is, that person sold that gun illegally to a person who should not possess a gun. Manger criticized federal and state politicians for not acting sooner. They havent had the courage, havent had the willpower, havent had the inclination to take some of these much-needed steps. The Internal Revenue Service ultimately issued $2.4 million in U.S. Treasury checks to the named individuals in the youth services segment of the fraud. (Bill O'Leary/WASHINGTON POST) A former D.C. juvenile justice worker pleaded guilty Tuesday to helping steal at least $2 million in fraudulent federal income tax refunds by giving personal information about hundreds of youth offenders to an identity-theft ring operating out of the District and suburban Maryland. Marc A. Bell, 49, of Bowie, Md., worked from 2005 to 2013 at the D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, where he became a key source for an ID-theft ring led by the owner of a Southeast Washington barbershop. Kevin Brown, 45, a resident of Capitol Heights, Md., and owner of Classic Kutz, pleaded guilty in 2013 to helping lead and organize what prosecutors say in court records was a network of more than 130 participants who filed more than 12,000 bogus federal income tax returns claiming refunds of more than $42 million. As part of a plea deal, Bell admitting stealing personal information from at least 645 young people under court supervision and giving it to Browns network, which used the names and Social Security numbers to claim $4.4 million through at least 1,160 faked tax refund requests. The Internal Revenue Service ultimately issued $2.4 million in U.S. Treasury checks to the named individuals in the youth services segment of the fraud. Bell agreed to repay nearly $2 million to the IRS and became the latest of about 15 individuals to plead guilty, according to U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips for the District and Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service officials. Mr. Bell was a public servant who was trusted to serve the taxpayers of the District of Columbia, said Thomas Jankowski, special agent in charge of the IRSs Washington field office. Aside from the terrible harm done to the Government . . ., Mr. Bell has caused immeasurable harm to the financial well-being of the youth whose identities he stole. Bells attorney, Bernard S. Grimm, declined to comment. [Barbers, letter carriers, police do it; IRS says tax refund theft absolutely rampant] In 2001, The Washington Post profiled Bell, then 34 and the director of a District-funded program by the nonprofit Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice to keep youths out of jail. Prosecutors confirm that Bell, who until Wednesday was employed by the D.C. Department of Human Resources, is the same person as appeared in the profile. Christina Harper, a spokeswoman for District Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, said in an email Thursday that as of Jan. 6 Mr. Bell is no longer employed with District Government and will not be considered for rehire. She said personnel rules prevented her from disclosing under what terms he left his position. [Mentor Gives Teens A Chance to Start Over] The Post reported in 2001 that Bell grew up in Southeast Washington, overcame a drug charge as a juvenile and earned degrees from Morgan State University and the University of Maryland before returning to help young people in trouble. His mentoring program pulled more than 700 youths facing criminal charges out of detention and kept 85 percent of them from violating the terms of their release, The Post reported. Bell pleaded guilty Tuesday to three counts of identity theft, fraud and conspiracy to defraud the government. He faces sentencing April 20 before U.S. District Judge Ellen S. Huvelle in the District. The ID-theft charges carry a statutory maximum of 15 years in prison. But prosecutors, as part of the deal, said a prison term of 57 to 71 months could be appropriate, although the guideline is nonbinding on the judge and could change if new information emerges, among other things. The fraud ring was exposed as the U.S. government launched a crackdown in 2012 against stolen-identity refund fraud, which officials said had become a rampant problem. Investigations have netted barbers, postal workers, check cashers and police, who claimed fake earned-income tax refunds, often by using the identities of people such as drug addicts, prisoners and those in nursing homes. The office of the Treasury inspector general for tax administration found that $3.6 billion in potentially fraudulent tax refunds were issued for tax year 2011. A man suffering a heart attack died Sunday hours after District firefighters stopped at the wrong location and returned to their station in Northeast Washington, delaying treatment of the man by at least 20 minutes, according to relatives and a fire department spokesman. Albert Jackson, 67, was pronounced dead at a Prince Georges County hospital shortly after he arrived by a D.C. ambulance, said his wife, Gloria Jackson, 65. In an interview Tuesday night, Jackson said she doesnt know whether a faster response would have saved her husband. We tried to revive him here, she said of efforts she and her grandson made to administer CPR while waiting for help for her husband. They tried to revive him at the hospital. I dont know if getting him there faster would have made a difference or not. Albert Jackson was a retired construction foreman who is also survived by three grown children, four other grandchildren and a great-grandchild. The incident, first reported by Fox-5 news, is the latest in a long series of errors and delays in emergency response by the D.C. fire department, although such instances have been fewer under the Districts new administration, which just concluded its first year. The fire departments spokesman, Timothy J. Wilson, said the mishandled call is under internal investigation. The firefighters were assigned to Truck 17, based in Northeast Washington about 1.5 miles from the house where Jackson and his family have lived for the past 40 years. Wilson said when firefighters arrived in the 400 block of 60th Street NE, they saw police with what they presumed to be their patient on the ground. When they saw the patient didnt need medical care, they went back to their quarters. [Infant transported to hospital in fire engine when no ambulance available] Wilson said they had assumed the call they saw was the call they were on for the heart attack. But, the spokesman said, that was not the actual call. D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Chief Gregory M. Dean issued a statement Tuesday night offering condolences to the Jackson family. Going forward, the Department will require units to repeat the address to the dispatcher upon their arrival at a scene to ensure they are at the correct location, the statement said. He added that the department and the Office of Unified Communications are working to incorporate clear language so that units have more information on the call they are being dispatched to. The fire department said Truck 17, Engine 8 and Ambulance 26 were dispatched to Jacksons house at 3:57 p.m. At 4:02 p.m., a dispatcher noted: Engine 17 advises MPD [D.C. police] on scene. They are not needed. That call from the truck in effect waved off the ambulance and the fire engine, which were en route. The dispatcher wrote, No EMS needed. At 4:05 p.m., fire officials said the dispatch center received a second call from Jacksons house. Emergency crews were again dispatched, and Ambulance 26 and Engine 8 with an advanced paramedic aboard arrived at the house at 4:16 p.m. Gloria Jackson said she was on the phone with 911 while her grandson continued to administer CPR. When they didnt come right away, Jackson said, it didnt dawn on me that time kept passing. I was wondering why the dispatcher kept asking me where they were. Edward Smith, president of the firefighters union, said he could not comment on specifics while the investigation is pending. He said firefighters are not supposed to pass one emergency to go to another. They are obligated by duty to act. But he also said he did not know whether that circumstance applied to this case. The incident is yet another problem for the D.C. fire department that has been hampered by emergency-response delays. Many incidents occurred in 2014 and predate the current chief, Gregory M. Dean, although some have occurred under his watch. Many of the delays have been attributed to problems with dispatching, computer glitches and too few ambulances. In July, a D.C. fire lieutenant was charged with neglect of duty for failing to alert emergency dispatchers in March that he was just down the street from a child who later died after choking on a grape. Ward 8 Councilwoman LaRuby May talks about some of the people who were murdered in 2015. On Jan. 1, a New Year's prayer vigil was held at Freedom Plaza in Washington. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post) On a chilly New Years Day, about a dozen people formed a circle on Freedom Plaza in the District and vowed to help make Washington murder-free in 2016. There had been 162 homicides in 2015, up from 105 killings the year before. David Bowers, an ordained minister and founder of a grass-roots movement called No Murders DC, urged supporters not to lose sight of their lofty goal. People say its crazy to think you can put an end to murder because its been happening since Cain killed Abel, he told the group. I dont see it that way. Whats crazy to me is accepting killing as a cost of living in the city. The turnout was noticeably small given the magnitude of the cause. And it made for a striking contrast to the scores of people who had gathered the night before at Gallery Place, just a few blocks away, to protest police shootings of unarmed black people in other cities. [D.C. marchers take to the streets to protest police killings] On Friday, a New Year's Day prayer vigil was held at Freedom Plaza in Washington by volunteer citizen groups and concerned citizens. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post) Those activists were marching under the banner of Black Lives Matter, a nationwide movement whose ranks continue to be fueled by cellphone and dashboard-camera videos of police officers in the act of killing. If only there were comparable videos of everyday killers to spur more murder-free movements like Bowerss. There were 240 killings in Philadelphia last year, 344 in Baltimore and 484 in Chicago. In most of the cases, it turns out that the victims and perpetrators either knew each other or lived in close proximity. Asked if he thought President Obamas recently announced gun control initiative will help, Bowers said: Anything that gets guns out of the hands of the wrong people is good. But, for me, whats even more important is understanding why someone would feel it necessary to kill another person, whether they use a gun or machete to do it. Why dont black lives matter to them, including their own lives? The 162 killings in the District, population 658,893, were the most of any jurisdiction in the area. [He is not a statistic] Prince Georges County, with 904,430 residents, had 81 homicides. Montgomery County, home to 1,030,447, had 30. Fairfax County, where 1,137,538 reside, had 12 homicides. Alexandria, with 150,575 residents, had four. Arlington, population 207, 627, had one. D.C. Council member LaRuby May (D-Ward 8) joined the prayer circle and read the names of some of the victims whose funerals she attended last year. More than 50 homicides had occurred in her ward more than all the Virginia suburbs combined. I was sitting in church and a young man, about 15 or 16 years old, came in and sat next to me and asked, Do you know what happens when you die? May recalled in a conversation after the prayer vigil. He said he had been walking up and down the street, thinking about death. The thought of death was weighing so heavily on him that he had to seek relief in a church hed never attended before, from someone hed never met. I dont want our children going around preoccupied with death, being afraid to die. I want them thinking about school, about life, the way other children do. During the 1990s, homicides in the District often topped 400 a year, hitting a record high of 482 in 1991. They began to decline in 2000, which happened to be the year that Bowers founded No Murders DC. In 2012, the killings dropped to a record low of 88. All totaled, however, there have been 2,500 murders so far in the District since 2000. What the city needs is a comprehensive plan with a stated goal to end murder in D.C. for good, Bowers said with the fervor of an Old Testament prophet. If Mayor [Muriel E.] Bowser can develop a plan to end pedestrian fatalities, she can have one to prevent homicides too. Tyrone Parker, co-founder of the antiviolence group Alliance of Concerned Men, struck an optimistic note. If we can go from 482 murders down to 88, then we can go all the way to zero, he said. By the end of the day, there had been no homicides in the District. The second day of the New Year came and went without a killing. Then three, four days passed and the District was still murder-free. How long would it last? To read previous columns, go to washingtonpost.com/milloy. * Foreigners dump S.Korea won, stocks * S.Korea suspected of intervening to support won * Yuan down on sharply weaker midpoint * Ringgit near 2-month low; Singapore dollar 3-mth trough (Adds text, updates prices) By Jongwoo Cheon SINGAPORE, Jan 6 (Reuters) - South Korea's won on Wednesday slumped to its weakest in more than three months as North Korea said it had successfully conducted a test of a miniaturised hydrogen nuclear device. Most emerging Asian currencies, including the won, were already falling in reaction to China's central back set a weaker midpoint for the daily trading range, signalling it was tolerating a depreciation in the currency. A survey showing the service sector in the world's second-largest economy remained sluggish also hurt sentiment. The won lost as much as 0.8 percent to 1,197.9 per dollar, its weakest since Sept. 25, before it recovered some losses on suspected intervention to stem its weakness. Seoul shares slid 0.6 percent. Foreign investors rushed to dump the South Korean currency and stocks after a tremor near a known North Korean nuclear-testing site was detected by several earthquake monitoring agencies on Wednesday. The isolated country later said it has conducted a hydrogen nuclear test. "The North Korean issue came when the won already has many other depreciation factors such as the yuan's weakness," said Jeong My-young, Samsung Futures' research head in Seoul. Jeong expected the market to test the 1,200 won per dollar level. Traders and analysts, including Jeong, expect South Korea's foreign exchange authorities to defend that level. The authorities were "aggressively" defending the level, even before North Korea confirmed the test, traders said. YUAN SLAPS ASIA FX Other emerging Asian currencies lost ground as the yuan slumped after China's central bank set its daily guidance rate at its lowest in more than 4-1/2 years. That came as a private survey showed activity in China's services sector expanded at its slowest pace in 17 months in Story continues December. "It seems that the central bank prefers to see a weaker yuan. Its tolerance is higher compared to previous months," said Qi Gao, an emerging Asian currency strategist for Scotiabank in Hong Kong. A weaker yuan could undermine other regional currencies such as the Malaysian ringgit, the won, the Taiwan dollar and the Singapore dollar, Gao said. The ringgit slid 0.7 percent to 4.3750 per dollar, its weakest since Nov. 19. Oil prices hovered around 11-year lows, underscoring concerns over Malaysia's oil and gas revenues. Offshore funds including leveraged accounts sold the ringgit in non-deliverable forwards markets. Singapore's dollar eased to 1.4330 per the U.S. dollar, losing 0.5 percent as it slipped to its lowest since Oct. 2. The city-state's currency closely follows the renminbi as traders and analysts believe the Chinese unit to be a part of the undisclosed currency basket used by the Monetary Authority of Singapore to manage its monetary policy. CURRENCIES VS U.S. DOLLAR Change on the day at 0510 GMT Currency Latest bid Previous day Pct Move Japan yen 118.67 119.05 +0.32 Sing dlr 1.4320 1.4257 -0.44 Taiwan dlr 33.153 33.270 +0.35 Korean won 1195.50 1188.00 -0.63 Baht 36.19 36.14 -0.14 Peso 46.98 46.89 -0.18 Rupiah 13880.00 13855.00 -0.18 Rupee 66.68 66.59 -0.13 Ringgit 4.3700 4.3425 -0.63 Yuan 6.5465 6.5157 -0.47 Change so far in 2016 Currency Latest bid End prev year Pct Move Japan yen 118.67 120.30 +1.37 Sing dlr 1.4320 1.4177 -1.00 Taiwan dlr 33.153 33.066 -0.26 Korean won 1195.50 1172.50 -1.92 Baht 36.19 36.00 -0.53 Peso 46.98 47.06 +0.18 Rupiah 13880.00 13785.00 -0.68 Rupee 66.68 66.15 -0.79 Ringgit 4.3700 4.2935 -1.75 Yuan 6.5465 6.4936 -0.81 (Additional reporting by Yena Park in SEOUL and IFR Markets' Catherine Tan; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore) The Rev. Noel Andersen, from the Church World Service, condemns the Obama administrations plans to apprehend and deport illegal immigrants. (Edwin Tamara/AP) Religious groups and activists vowed Wednesday to offer refuge to illegal immigrants who are the targets of ongoing federal raids meant to combat a new wave of border-crossing from Central America. The announcement recalled the sanctuary movement of the 1980s that provided safe haven to several thousand people fleeing civil wars in El Salvador and Guatemala, with churches in Los Angeles, Chicago and other cities sometimes filled with people seeking asylum in the United States. During a news conference via telephone, a national network of immigrant groups said they are prepared to defy federal authorities who are seeking to apprehend illegal Central American immigrants. Advocates said those immigrants again are fleeing violence in their homelands, this time perpetrated by gangs engaged in drug trafficking and other crimes. [Raids begin in Georgia, Texas, North Carolina; families taken into custody] We feel we are once again living through a nightmare, said Alison Harrington, pastor of Southside Presbyterian Church in Tucson. Once again, human lives are at stake. Immigrant families and their supporters protest the Obama administration's plans to target undocumented immigrant families in a series of raids. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) More than 100,000 Central American adults and children, including unaccompanied minors, have made the journey across the U.S.-Mexico border since 2014, federal authorities have said. At the start of the year, the Obama administration launched a large-scale effort targeting those who have already been ordered to leave the country. About 120 adults and children have been apprehended in raids in several states. The effort, which is expected to include several hundred more apprehensions, has drawn sharp criticism from those who advocate for undocumented immigrants. They argue that Central Americans who are entering the country illegally should be offered the same protections extended to Syrian refugees. Instead, Central Americans are being processed for deportation rapidly, sometimes without legal representation, said Marielena Hincapie, executive director of the Los Angeles-based National Immigration Law Center. There is basically a hemispheric bias in our refugee system, Hincapie said. These families that are also fleeing violence the same way as other refugees coming from around the world are not being welcomed to our country. Instead, we are at risk of deporting them back to their persecutors, deporting them back to their death, deporting them back to rape and sexual assault. [$750 million allocated to address root cause of minors crossing border] The advocates described cases during the past few days in which U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents entered the homes of terrified immigrant families, grabbing whichever people couldnt prove they were in the United States legally. During one early morning raid in Georgia, ICE agents gained entry into a familys house by saying they were looking for help identifying an African American suspected of a crime, said Adelina Nicholls, director of the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, in Atlanta. The agents took a mother and her 9-year-old son into custody, transporting them to a federal detention center in Texas, Nicholls said. Noel Andersen, grass-roots coordinator with the Church World Service group for refugees, said his organization has been working to build a network of sanctuaries for the Central Americans being targeted by ICE. Every day, were hearing more from congregations wanting to do something about this, Andersen said. CASA of Southern Maryland needs volunteers to work on behalf of abused and neglected children in the juvenile court system. Contact Erin Walker at 410-535-3047 or walker@center-for-children.org. Trico Corp. needs volunteers in its Lexington Park and Waldorf offices. Donated art supplies are also needed. Trico is an outpatient mental health and psychiatric rehabilitation clinic that provides care regardless of a clients ability to pay. Call Joe Ashworth, 301-862-4966. Melwood Recreation Center in Charles County seeks volunteers for a variety of programs for children and adults, with and without special needs. Volunteers are needed for the centers camp, travel, special events and horseback riding programs. E-mail dfleisher@melwood.org, call 301-870-3226, Ext. 2291, or go to melwoodrecreation.org. The Division of Rehabilitation Services, needs volunteers for clerical and telephone duties at its Waldorf office, to help adults with disabilities find employment. For information and applications, call 301-645-8882 or email waldorf@dors.state.md.us. Patuxent Habitat needs volunteers at its ReStore in Lexington Park. Cashiers and customer service volunteers are needed. The ReStore receives new and used furniture, appliances, building materials and supply donations, which are sold to build affordable housing in Calvert and St. Marys counties. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Call 301-737-6273. Hollywood Volunteer Rescue Squad needs volunteers to perform patient care, drive an ambulance or join the auxiliary. No experience is needed; training is provided. Call Olivia Lenahan, 301-373-3131. Newtowne Players at Three Notch Theatre need volunteers to help with daily operations and main-stage productions. Linda, 301-997-0853. St. Marys County Health Department needs volunteers for two or three hours a week to scan records. Training is provided. Volunteers are needed to take residents to doctors appointments. A valid drivers license and good driving record are required. Call Cindy Spalding, 301-475-4328. Crisis Intervention Center of Calvert County needs volunteers for the Domestic Violence Assistance Program, Sexual Assault Victim Service and court advocacy. Contact Corrita Myers at 410-535-5400, Ext. 398, or corrita.myers@maryland.gov. Calvert County 4-H is seeking adults to assist children with projects such as robotics and more. Training and materials provided. Contact University of Maryland Extension-Calvert County 4-H at 410-535-3662, 301-855-1150 or elbailey@umd.edu Greenwell Foundation seeks volunteers 14 and older for its equestrian program. No experience needed. Email volunteer@greenwellfoundation.org or go to www.greenwellfoundation.org. Calvert County Board of Commissioners seeks residents for committees. Applications can be picked up at the commissioners office, 175 Main St., Room 205, Prince Frederick; at any public library; by calling 410-535-1600, Ext. 2214; or at co.cal.md.us/references/getinvolved. Project Healing Waters fly fishing, a nonprofit provider of physical and mental rehabilitation therapy for disabled veterans, needs volunteer office workers in Waldorf. Call 866-251-7252, Ext. 126. Health Partners Free Clinic in Waldorf needs volunteer dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, physicians and receptionists. Malpractice insurance is provided. Retired providers are welcome. 301-645-3556 or tbrown@healthpartnersinc.org Calvert County senior centers need volunteers to teach arts and crafts. Ideas for classes are welcome. Call Keri Lipperini at 410-535-4606 or 301-855-1170. St. Marys County Board of Commissioners seeks residents to serve on boards, committees and commissions. Applications are available at stmarysmd.com or by calling 301-475-4200, Ext. 1320. Girl Scouts of America need volunteers for a variety of positions. Call 800-834-1702 or 301-638-5373, or email ldavis@gscnc.org. Calvert Marine Museum seeks help in every area of the museum. Contact Sherry Reid at 410-326-2042, Ext. 19, or reidsd@co.cal.md.us, or go to calvertmarinemuseum.com. Calvert Animal Welfare League needs volunteers 18 and older to help with dogs and cats mornings and evenings at the adoption center. Training is provided. The center is at 1040 Theater Dr., Prince Frederick. Call 410-535-9300 or go to cawl.us. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maryland needs volunteer mentors, board members and event sponsors. Call 301-290-0501 or go to biglittle.org. Accokeek Foundation seeks for events and special projects. Call Julie Nguyen, 301-283-2113, Ext. 20, or email outreach@accokeek.org. TO SUBMIT AN ITEM E-mail: smliving@washpost.com Abandonment of the whalers in the Arctic Ocean, September 1871, including the George, Gayhead, and Concordia. This illustation originally ran in Harpers Weekly in 1871. (Robert Schwemmer Maritime Library via NOAA) When the ice opened for the last time, the local inhabitants urged the ships captains to get out before it returned and trapped the whalers against the northwest coast of Alaska for the deadly Arctic winter. It was September, late in the season, but the wind had always kept an escape channel open that time of year. Plus, the whaling was finally going well. The Yankee skippers decided to wait. It was a poor decision, which could have claimed hundreds of lives. On Wednesday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that it had discovered the wrecks of two of the 32 ships that were crushed by the ice that late summer of 1871 in one of the 19th centurys worst whaling disasters. More than 1,200 mariners and their families barely escaped in small whale boats through narrow and rapidly closing channels in the ice to reach rescue ships 80 miles away, according to NOAA and old newspaper reports. NOAA archaeologists have discovered the remains of two 1800s whaling ships nearly 144 years after they and 30 others were wrecked off the Arctic coast of Alaska when they were trapped by pack ice in September, 1871. (NOAA) But the trapped whalers, many of which were owned by merchants of New Bedford, Mass., were destroyed, ruining the owners financially and damaging the 19th century whaling industry, NOAA said. The loss of the ships equaled about $33 million in todays dollars, Brad Barr, the projects co-director, said Wednesday. The vessels, with names such as Concordia, Eugenia and Minerva, were left behind in the ice with their American flags flying upside down, a sign of distress, according to an old account in the New York Times. NOAA said the discoveries, near Wainwright, Alaska, were made possible, in part, because climate change had melted ice in the area and made wreck sites more accessible to archaeologists. [Gauging a warming world] Barr said that scientists had gone to the remote shores of the stormy Chukchi Sea, above the Arctic Circle, in August aboard a chartered research vessel. He said experts used state-of-the-art sensing techniques to locate underwater remains of the wooden ships, anchors and tell-tale implements carried by whaling ships of the 1800s. Among other items, the researchers found the iron braces, or knees, that supported the brick box in which the huge iron try pots boiled blubber into whale oil. The finds provided a fascinating glimpse into a forgotten era in seafaring history. The whaling ships were working pretty late that year, because it hadnt been a particularly productive year, Barr said. And they were trying to catch more whales. All of a sudden there was a wind shift, he said. The wind pushed the sea ice in faster than they expected and it trapped the . . . vessels. The captains then held a meeting and decided to abandon their ships, lest they face death in the coming winter. They wrote up a resolution: We, the undersigned, masters of whaleships now lying at Point Belcher, after holding a meeting concerning our dreadful situation, have all come to the conclusion that . . . we feel ourselves under the painful necessity of abandoning our vessels. They had found an escape route for the small whale boats and located the distant rescue ships, which were other whalers standing by. Fearing the escape route might be iced in at any moment, the skippers packed their crews, many of whom were Hawaiians, into the small boats and fled. Everyone survived, in spite of a gale they encountered as they reached the rescue ships. [Stories of forgotten history] Barr said the project team searched the coastline around Point Belcher and found wood framing and keel bolts, along with anchor chain and other items. As for the other 30 ships, Barr said that in winter the shallow water there freezes from the surface to the bottom and, pushed by the wind, tends to grind up whatever is underneath. Over time, that was probably the fate of the other wrecks, he said. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 6, 2016 / enCore Energy Corp. (EU.V) ("enCore" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has concluded its comprehensive asset purchase agreement (the "Agreement") with Energy Fuels Inc. and its subsidiaries ("Energy Fuels"), (NYSE MKT:UUUU) (TSX:EFR) whereby enCore has the right to mill uranium ores at the White Mesa Uranium Mill in Blanding Utah as outlined in the Toll Milling agreement. Several uranium projects have also been conveyed to enCore including a 100% interest in the Marquez and Nose Rock projects in New Mexico, the Moonshine Springs project in Arizona, and four (4) projects in the White Canyon District of Utah. The Company has made a cash payment of USD$179,960 and issued 14.25 million of the Company's Class A common shares to Energy Fuels. Energy Fuels is now the Company's largest shareholder holding 19.9% of the issued shares. The two companies have granted mutual access to proprietary data files concerning each of their respective properties. Completion of the transaction has been approved by the TSX Venture Exchange. Toll Milling Agreement The Toll Milling provision of the Agreement allows the Company to process conventional uranium ore from the acquired projects at Energy Fuels' White Mesa Mill in Blanding, Utah, subject to the payment of toll milling fees and customary terms and conditions. The Agreement is for an initial period of two years with renewal provisions and contains industry-standard provisions. The Toll Milling provision is an important asset for the Company. By securing the right to mill ore at the White Mesa Mill, the Company has eliminated the need for capital expenditure financing and the onerous cost in dollars and time required to permit a new facility for conventional ore processing in the United States. For detailed property information please see enCore Energy Corp. News Release dated November 30th, 2015. Options Grant The Company also announces it has granted 950,000 incentive stock options to Directors, employees, and consultants at an exercise price of $0.05 per share expiring five years from the date of grant. The stock options are subject to the terms of the Company's stock option plan. Story continues About enCore Energy Corp. enCore Energy Corp. has a 100% interest, with no holding costs, on 115,000+ acres (46,400 ha) of private mineral rights in New Mexico, including the Crownpoint and Hosta Butte uranium deposits. These deposits contain an Indicated mineral resource of 26.6 MM pounds of U3O8 at an average grade of 0.105% eU3O8 and an Inferred mineral resource of 6.1 MM pounds of U3O8 at an average grade of 0.110% eU3O8(1). A portion of these resources are under NRC license. The Company also holds certain processing rights at the White Mesa Uranium Mill of Energy Fuels in Blanding, Utah. Dr. Douglas H. Underhill, CPG, a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and Chief Geologist for the Company, has reviewed, verified and approved disclosure of the technical information contained in this news release. For additional information: enCore Energy Corp. Dennis Stover, Chief Executive Officer or William M. Sheriff, Chairman (972) 333-2214 info@encoreenergycorp.com www.encoreenergycorp.com (1)Technical Report, titled, "Crownpoint and Hosta Butte Uranium Project Mineral Resource Technical Report, McKinley County, New Mexico, USA, Mineral Resource Technical Report - National Instrument 43-101," dated May 14, 2012, and authored by Douglas L. Beahm, PEng, PGeo. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release includes certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws including the anticipated completion of the transaction and acquisition of the Marquez, Nose Rock and other properties, and the potential advancement thereof. Forward-looking statements are statements that relate to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "anticipate," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," and "intend," statements that an action or event "may," "might," "could," "should," or "will" be taken or occur, or other similar expressions. Estimates of mineral resources and reserves are also forward looking statements because they constitute projections regarding the amount of minerals that may be encountered in the future. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation; statements about the terms and completion of the transaction are forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the respective companies undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. SOURCE: enCore Energy Corp. In Pasco, Wash., officers fired 17 rounds that killed orchard worker Antonio Zambrano-Montes, who was armed only with rocks. At the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, there is an increased focus on shifting the mentality of police officers from warriors to guardians. (Zoeann Murphy/The Washington Post) In Pasco, Wash., officers fired 17 rounds that killed orchard worker Antonio Zambrano-Montes, who was armed only with rocks. At the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, there is an increased focus on shifting the mentality of police officers from warriors to guardians. (Zoeann Murphy/The Washington Post) On the afternoon of New Years Eve, Las Vegas police officers cornered Keith Childress Jr., who was wanted for a number of violent felonies. They opened fire on the black 23-year-old after he refused to drop the object in his hands, which turned out not to be a gun but a cellphone. And with that, the nation logged what was probably its final police shooting death of 2015, a year in which 986 such killings occurred, well more than double the average number reported annually by the FBI over the past decade. The shooting is the final one to be counted as part of The Washington Posts year-long project tracking on-duty police killings by firearm, an issue that has taken on new urgency after a number of high-profile killings of unarmed African American men. The Post sought to document every shooting death at the hands of police in 2015, and it revealed troubling patterns in the circumstances that led to such shootings and the characteristics of the victims. The project will continue this year. Federal officials have announced plans to improve their data collection, but the new initiative will not be in place until 2017. Already, The Post has tallied 11 fatal police shootings in 2016. Over the past year, The Post found that the vast majority of those shot and killed by police were armed and half of them were white. Still, police killed blacks at three times the rate of whites when adjusted for the populations where these shootings occurred. And although black men represent 6 percent of the U.S. population, they made up nearly 40 percent of those who were killed while unarmed. View Graphic The Washington Post has investigated details surrounding those who died from police shootings, and here are six important takeaways. Regardless of race, about a quarter of those killed displayed signs of mental illness. December was the fourth-deadliest month in 2015 for police shootings, with 89 fatal shootings. There was only one state without a fatal police shooting last year: Rhode Island. The number of shooting deaths may yet rise for 2015. The Post is tracking a few cases in which it is unclear whether police gunfire killed someone or whether the person committed suicide. And new cases that have gone unreported could always emerge. Childresss death in many ways encapsulates the complex nature of these incidents. On one hand, the young man was unarmed, carrying nothing but a cellphone. At the same time, he had a history that suggested a capacity for violence, and he behaved suspiciously, ignoring officers commands for a full two minutes and advancing even as the officers threatened to shoot. And like an increasing number of police interactions with citizens, the incident was partially captured on a camera worn by one of the police officers. Two weeks before his death, Las Vegas police said, Childress failed to show up for a sentencing hearing in Phoenix. In December, a jury had convicted him of a litany of charges, including kidnapping and robbery in connection with a 2013 home invasion in which he and several others posed as bounty hunters and robbed people in a house at gunpoint. Based on the fact that Childress was facing a lengthy stay in prison, it appears he skipped the sentencing and fled to Las Vegas to avoid prison time, Undersheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told reporters in a briefing this week. Childress was staying with close friends in Las Vegas when the U.S. Marshals Service became aware of his location, McMahill said. But when the marshals attempted to approach him, he fled, prompting the federal agents to seek help from local police. While communicating with local police, however, the marshals conveyed incorrect information that Childress was wanted for attempted murder, McMahill said. About 2 p.m. local time on New Years Eve, two Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officers Robert Bohanon, 37, and Blake Walford, 27 arrived at the scene. Footage from Bohanons body camera shows the officers pulling into a residential neighborhood and happening upon Childress as he slowly crossed the street in dark clothing. Bohanon drew his gun immediately. Over the course of about two minutes, Childress ignored 24 commands by the officers, McMahill said, all the while obscuring his right hand. At some point, Bohanon remarks that there is something in Childresss hand. Toward the end of the exchange, Bohanon screams at Childress not to advance on the officers. Do not walk towards us, Bohanon commands. Just before the publicly available portion of the footage cuts out, Childresss figure can be seen briefly walking toward the officers. It is then, McMahill said, that the officers opened fire, striking Childress five times. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The object in his hand was later discovered to be a cellphone. Bohanon, a sergeant, has been with the force since 1997, and Walford has been with the department since 2014, police said. Both officers are on routine paid administrative leave pending completion of the investigation. In the news briefing, McMahill speculated that Childress might have been attempting to commit suicide by cop. An individual thats being challenged by armed police officers and continues to walk toward them . . . certainly leads you to believe that he absconded from Arizona to come to Las Vegas, and he potentially just didnt want to face the music for the charges down in Arizona, McMahill said. Childresss death has provoked outrage from his friends and family, who believe vehemently that he should not have been killed. They just gunned him down, said his mother, Jacqueline Lawrence, 45, a bank employee in Phoenix. They said he had a gun, but he had a cellphone in his hand. Childress a father of three who went by the childhood nickname Oompa was taking college courses in business, Lawrence said. He had a passion for the outdoors, she added, and loved such activities as snowboarding and skydiving. He also had a generous streak. He was the type of person that his friends would go, Thats a nice watch, and guess what he would do? He would give it away, his mother said. Photos on Childresss Facebook page show a handsome if flashy young man with close-cropped black hair and copious tattoos, including a skyline on his chest and a vibrant rose on his right arm. Many of his friends have replaced their profile pictures with snaps of Childress, inscribed with the words Justice for Keith Childress. Julie Tate, Jennifer Jenkins and Kimbriell Kelly contributed to this report. MICHIGAN Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) declared a state of emergency in Flint on Tuesday over problems with lead in the citys drinking water, the same day federal officials confirmed theyre investigating the matter that prompted a local public health emergency. Snyders action follows emergency declarations by the city and Genesee County, which requested help from the state. Michigans declaration makes available state resources in cooperation with local response and recovery operations. U.S. attorneys spokeswoman Gina Balaya said in an email that the federal investigation is an effort to address the concerns of Flint residents, but she couldnt say whether it is a criminal or civil investigation. The city switched from Detroits water system to Flint River water in a cost-cutting move in 2014. Residents complained about the waters taste, and children were found to have elevated levels of lead. The city returned to Detroit water in October. Associated Press FBI seeks public help on Calif. attack timeline: The FBI says investigators are seeking public help in figuring out what the two attackers who opened fire in San Bernardino, Calif., last month did during an 18-minute window after the shooting. Authorities have figured out some of what Siyed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik did during the four-hour window between the shooting on Dec. 2 that killed 14 people and a bloody gunbattle between the attackers and police officers, David Bowdich of the FBIs Los Angeles office told reporters Tuesday. However, he said, there is a period of time about two hours after the shooting that remains a mystery. Affluenza teens mother to be sent to Texas to face charges: The mother of a fugitive teenager known for using an affluenza defense in a deadly drunken-driving case agreed Tuesday to be sent from California to Texas to face a charge. Tonya Couch, 48, appeared for an extradition hearing in downtown Los Angeles, where she was flown last week after being deported from Mexico. Couch and her son, Ethan, 18, were apprehended last week in Mexico, where authorities believe the pair fled in November as Texas prosecutors investigated whether he had violated his probation in a car crash that killed four people. Ethan Couch was being held at a detention facility in Mexico City after winning a court reprieve. From news services Ammon Bundy's attorney Mike Arnold, second from left, walks at the Narrows roadblock near Burns. Ore. The last four occupiers of a Malheur National Wildlife Refuge surrendered to authorities. The holdouts were the last remnants of a larger group that seized the wildlife refuge nearly six weeks ago, demanding that the government turn over the land to locals and release two ranchers imprisoned for setting fires. Feb. 11, 2016 Ammon Bundy's attorney Mike Arnold, second from left, walks at the Narrows roadblock near Burns. Ore. The last four occupiers of a Malheur National Wildlife Refuge surrendered to authorities. The holdouts were the last remnants of a larger group that seized the wildlife refuge nearly six weeks ago, demanding that the government turn over the land to locals and release two ranchers imprisoned for setting fires. Thomas Boyd, The Oregonian/AP The armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge ended after 41 tumultuous days, as the final occupants surrendered. Cliven Bundy, father of the groups leader and himself a veteran of armed standoffs, was arrested as he arrived in Portland. Activists protesting federal land use in the West and the arson convictions of two local ranchers are occupying part of a national refuge in southeastern Oregon. Activists protesting federal land use in the West and the arson convictions of two local ranchers are occupying part of a national refuge in southeastern Oregon. What it looks like at the armed occupation at a wildlife refuge in Oregon What it looks like at the armed occupation at a wildlife refuge in Oregon Though an armed occupation was in progress, the snow around much of the headquarters in this remote federal wildlife refuge was untrampled and pristine. Inside, a refrigerator contained a handful of condiments and a single muffin. Two lonely sleeping bags were tucked in an out-of-the-way corner. Im surprised there arent more Oregonians here, marveled Steve Turner, a retiree from Sandy, Ore., who had driven nearly 300 miles to join the occupation. Instead, he found himself wandering Tuesday in search of a bathroom and any self-described occupiers. As the situation at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge entered its third day, the occupiers appeared to be outnumbered by a few curious locals and a huge gaggle of journalists who swarmed this vast tract of sage-studded grassland. Thank you for being here, Ammon Bundy, the Idaho rancher leading the occupation, said at his regular 11 a.m. news conference. I realize the role the media has in defending rights. The takeover occurred late Saturday after a peaceful march in nearby Burns, Ore., held in support of two ranchers Dwight Hammond and his son, Steven who had been convicted of arson on public land. The Hammonds had already served time, but a federal judge ruled that they had not served enough. They surrendered peacefully on Monday to be sent back to prison. Arizona rancher LaVoy Finicum, holding gun, speaks to reporters Jan. 5, 2015, at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Ore. (Rebecca Boone/AP) Meanwhile, Bundy and his supporters took up arms and set off to occupy Malheur. Bundy is the son of Cliven Bundy, who led an armed standoff with federal agents over grazing rights in Nevada in 2014. Cliven Bundy calls his supporters militiamen. His son has dubbed his followers Citizens for Constitutional Freedom. He says the group wants to help people in claiming their rights, using their rights as a free people. Although the Hammonds have surrendered and the local sheriff has asked Bundy to go home, Bundy and his supporters said Tuesday that they plan to stay, pending an investigation of land-transfer records that could help unwind the public ownership of Western lands. According to a 2014 report by the Congressional Research Service, the federal government owns 27.4 percent of all U.S. land, but the vast majority of that territory is concentrated in a handful of Western states, including Oregon, where the federal government owns 52.9 percent. There are a lot of good things that are happening, Bundy said. We have been very active . . . in helping the people of Harney County claiming their rights. How exactly that has been accomplished was a bit murky, as was the size of the occupation. For security reasons, Arizona rancher LaVoy Finicum said he could not reveal how many people were staying at the refuge. He said most occupiers hid out when reporters came around. Meanwhile, fewer than a dozen occupiers spoke to the news media. And a tour of park headquarters revealed few occupiers and many rooms that looked untouched. Bundys crew has attracted some support. On Tuesday, ranchers Jessica and Scott Wells drove nearly 200 miles from John Day, Ore., to check things out. Scott Wells said the couple are advocates of private property rights who support the cause but added, I dont know if I support the group yet. Turner was more enthusiastic. He likened his presence to a civic responsibility such as voting and said he plans to stay as long as he can. I just hope they have some success and this ends without people getting hurt, he said. But violence seemed an unlikely outcome. Occupier Michael Stettler, who lives about 100 miles away in Christmas Valley, Ore., said the occupiers are spending most of their time fielding calls from the news media and watching Fox News. These guys arent hardened militia, he said. Most of them couldnt even run a mile. Wolf is a freelance writer. VENEZUELA Opposition takes over congress after 17 years Venezuelas opposition took majority control of the National Assembly on Tuesday after years in the political wilderness, setting the stage for a potential power struggle with embattled President Nicolas Maduro. Lawmakers were sworn in during a heated parliamentary session in which pro-government representatives walked out in protest as the new leadership laid out its legislative agenda. It is the first time in 17 years that the opposition to the socialist revolution begun by the late Hugo Chavez has control over the legislature. But the two-thirds majority the opposition won last month, giving it unprecedented strength to challenge Maduros rule, was in doubt after a government-stacked Supreme Court barred four lawmakers from taking their seats while it probes allegations of electoral fraud. As a result, only 163 of 167 lawmakers were sworn in during Tuesdays ceremony. Opposition lawmakers pledge sweeping changes, while the socialists are adamant that the legislature not erode social gains brought by Chavezs revolution. The U. S. State Department congratulated Venezuela on the assembly inauguration but said it was concerned by the dispute over the four unseated delegates. Associated Press migrants At least 36 drown off Turkey in rough seas Authorities on Tuesday recovered the bodies of at least 36 migrants who drowned off Turkey after their boats overturned in rough waters as they tried to reach the Greek island of Lesbos, officials and news reports said. Twelve others were rescued. Nine bodies, including those of children, washed up on a beach in the resort town of Ayvalik early in the morning, prompting authorities to dispatch coast guard boats and gendarmerie officials to search the area for any survivors. Seven other bodies washed ashore at Dikili, about 30 miles south of Ayvalik, the Dogan News Agency reported. By late afternoon, the gendarmerie forces had recovered a total of 29 bodies in the area, while seven others were found by coast guard crews, a coast guard statement said. About 850,000 migrants and refugees crossed into Greece last year, many of them paying smugglers to ferry them over from Turkey by boat. Undeterred by the bitter cold and the rough winter seas, migrants are continuing to risk the journey to Greece in the hope of a better future in Europe. Most of them are Syrian refugees. The International Organization for Migration estimates that 3,771 migrants died trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe last year. Associated Press Last remnants of Syrias chemical cache destroyed: A U.S. company has completed the destruction of the last of Syrias declared chemical weapons stockpile. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said Veolia destroyed the last 75 cylinders containing hydrogen fluoride at a facility in Texas. OPCW chief Ahmet Uzumcu welcomed the milestone but said the watchdog is continuing efforts to address ongoing use of toxic chemicals as weapons in Syria and is still checking the accuracy of Damascuss 2013 declaration detailing its chemical arsenal. Chinese woman dies of H5N6 bird flu: Authorities in southern China said that a 26-year-old woman died of a strain of bird flu and that another woman is reportedly in serious condition. The two contracted H5N6, a strain of bird flu that has been seen only in people in China. Six human cases of H5N6 have been reported in total, all in China, since May 2014. Female government employees in Gambia told to cover heads: Gambia ordered female government employees to wear headscarves at work, a sign that it is embracing a Muslim identity one month after President Yahya Jammeh declared it an Islamic republic. About 95 percent of Gambias population is Muslim, and the country is the second Islamic republic in Africa after Mauritania. Vice News reporter released on bail in Turkey: Iraqi Kurdish journalist Mohammed Rasool was released on bail after 131 days in a Turkish prison, according to Vice News, his employer. International media organizations had widely criticized Rasools arrest on charges of assisting a terrorist organization. He was detained in August while covering the conflict in Turkeys mostly Kurdish southeast. Bus fire kills 17 in China: A Chinese man upset over a financial dispute set fire to a moving bus and fled as the flames trapped people inside, killing 17 and injuring 32, authorities said. Several hours later, police arrested Ma Yongping, 33, at a construction site in the Ningxia region, regional authorities said. State media reported that the suspect was upset over a financial dispute with a subcontractor on a settlement project. From news services The Donald Trump phenomenon ranks as the great political story of 2015 and maybe 2016 but could it simply be a subplot of a bigger story: what commentator David Frum, once a speechwriter for President George W. Bush, calls the Republican Partys internal class war? Yes, argues Frum. His thesis is laid out in engrossing detail in the January/February issue of the Atlantic, where he is a senior editor. I dont usually recommend other journalists work, but Frums provocative analysis is definitely worth a look. Briefly, his argument goes like this: Republicans have traditionally run on what he calls Conservatism Classic: tax cuts, budget cuts, deregulation [and] free trade. This was the essence of Mitt Romneys agenda, and its what the partys wealthy donors expected of the 2016 campaign. The trouble is that this pro-business platform is rejected by much of the partys voter base, who support entitlement spending (read: Social Security and Medicare), favor higher taxes on the rich and fear free trade. To corroborate this, Frum cites a Gallup poll finding that many Republicans nearly 30 percent advocate heavy taxes on the wealthy. By contrast, only 21 percent endorse cuts in Medicare and fewer still, 17 percent, support reducing Social Security. There is an economic and social chasm between these Republicans and the partys traditional elite, says Frum. The elite reads the Wall Street Journal, and many make huge campaign contributions. A case in point: In the second quarter of 2015, about four-fifths of the money donated to Jeb Bushs super PAC came in gifts exceeding $25,000; a quarter were $1 million or more. Meanwhile, Trumps backers are decidedly skewed toward the lower middle class. Writes Frum: Half of Trumps supporters within the GOP had stopped their education at or before high-school graduation, according to the polling firm YouGov. Only 19 percent had a college or post-college degree [the U.S. average: 29 percent among adults 25 and older]. Thirty-eight percent earned less than $50,000. . . . Trump Republicans were not ideologically militant. Just 13 percent said they were very conservative. . . . What set them apart from other Republicans was their economic insecurity and the intensity of their economic nationalism. Trying to force-feed this group a giant helping of Conservatism Classic (say, in the person of Jeb Bush) produced political regurgitation. Particularly indigestible was any support for legalizing the status of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants people whom many Trump backers regard as cheats, criminals or competitors for jobs and government benefits. Both Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) have backed some form of legalization, which many GOP leaders regard as necessary to build support in the rapidly growing Hispanic population. So there is a deep schism among Republicans. One defect of Frums account is that he attributes loyalty to Conservatism Classic to only a small number of wealthy donors. The reality is that these views reflect the attitudes of millions of traditional mainstream Republicans. There is a genuine clash of values and policies. Trumps political genius was to recognize, either consciously or intuitively, that he could succeed politically without aping traditional Republican positions. The larger story is not Trump but the question of whether the Republican Party can survive this civil war. It is certainly true that, for decades, both the Democratic and Republican parties have overcome deep conflicts and contradictions among their various supporters. Democrats once harbored both liberals and segregationists; Republicans have long been splintered between economic and social conservatives. The quest for power has bred political pragmatism. The result is a strong and durable two-party tradition. People cling to whats familiar. Party identification often reflects the lesser evil more than the greater good. Doubts about one party are swamped by dislike of the other. Inertia is a powerful force in politics as in life. History suggests more of the same, but it is not a foregone conclusion. The Republican Partys fate hangs in the balance. Read more from Robert Samuelsons archive. MARYLAND IS not among the nations leaders in per capita incarceration; that indignity belongs mainly to Southern states. But with a prison census exceeding 20,000 not counting thousands more in local jails it retains a substantial population behind bars and suffers the attendant drain on state resources. In the current fiscal year, Annapolis is spending $1.3 billion on corrections, roughly 8 percent of all tax-supported spending and the fastest-growing chunk of the state budget after Medicaid. While the number of people sentenced to prison terms in Maryland has fallen by 19 percent over the past decade, the prison population has fallen by much less: just 5 percent. The reason is longer sentences. And despite sharp drops in convictions for narcotics-related crimes, drug abusers and drug dealers continue to account for about a third of all admissions to state prisons. The social and fiscal price of clogged prisons has contributed to something approaching a rare bipartisan consensus that more must be done to channel certain nonviolent offenders namely, nonviolent drug users away from incarceration and into treatment programs. That is the marquee recommendation of a bipartisan state panel, the Justice Reinvestment Coordinating Council, established last year to consider sentencing reforms. By diverting more drug users but not drug dealers to treatment programs and cutting maximum sentences for first-time drug offenders, the panel reckoned that the state could reduce its prison population over a decade by about 4,000 inmates, roughly 20 percent of the total. That would save nearly $250 million on corrections spending, which could be used to pay for treatment and other programs to help offenders. The councils recommendations do not go far enough to satisfy many liberals, who argue that prison time simply hardens offenders and ensures recidivism. They would prefer reforms that cut incarceration rates and scrapped mandatory minimum sentences not only for drug users but also for dealers and other nonviolent offenders. And they note that even as crime rates have fallen sharply, the prison population has remained stubbornly high. Nonetheless, higher incarceration rates likely have contributed to those falling crime rates. While some states (notably New York) experienced precipitous reductions in crime even as they sharply curtailed incarceration, data from other states suggest a correlation between tough sentences and safer streets. The Maryland panel itself concluded that incarceration has been an important factor in reducing crime, although perhaps not as important as better policing, changes in demographics and expanded use of private security services. The panel has charted a middle path with its targeted recommendations: diverting nonviolent drug users to treatment programs, easing up on former inmates who commit minor violations of their parole conditions, lowering the age (to 60 from 65) for so-called geriatric parole eligibility and eliminating the disconnect in sentencing for users of powdered and crack cocaine a disparity that often treats white offenders more leniently than black ones. Those are sensible proposals. Lawmakers in Annapolis should move to give them the force of law in this years General Assembly session. RONKONKOMA, NY--(Marketwired - Jan 6, 2016) - ExcelAire today announced that it began private jet charter service to Cuba, with direct flights from 19 U.S. cities. ExcelAire, one of the nation's leading private jet charter firms, completed its first trip to Cuba, from JFK to Havana, on December 21. For travel to Cuba, ExcelAire has obtained FAA authorizations, and can fly direct to Havana from one of the 19 U.S. government-designated portal airports in the U.S. "ExcelAire is one of the few private jet charter firms with the necessary certifications and authorizations, and we have already successfully completed our first trip to Cuba," said Greg Brinkman, President, ExcelAire. "As Cuba becomes a more popular destination, we provide travelers with a fleet of luxurious private jets -- from the G450 to the Embraer Legacy -- along with the highest levels of customer service and expertise to make each trip a success." For travelers to Cuba, U.S. citizens are required to comply with U.S. government restrictions that require each visitor to receive a visa/license. ExcelAire is now accepting requests for private jet travel to Cuba, starting immediately by calling 631-737-0477 or visiting www.excelaire.com. About ExcelAire A Hawthorne Global Aviation Services company, ExcelAire is one of the nation's leading private jet charter firms, specializing in worldwide jet charters, aircraft management, maintenance and sales. The company maintains office and hangar space at Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP), with aircraft based throughout the Northeast and Midwest available for worldwide charter. Further information about the ExcelAire fleet, including photos and individual aircraft specifications, is available at www.excelaire.com, or by calling 631-737-0477. About Hawthorne Global Aviation Services Hawthorne Global Aviation Services is a premier provider of general aviation services, including first class FBO services, tailored charter solutions, turnkey aircraft management and FAA approved aircraft maintenance. Hawthorne operates four premier Fixed Based Operators (FBOs) located at: MacArthur Airport in Islip, NY (KISP); Cobb County International Airport in Atlanta, GA (KRYY); Chicago Executive Airport in Chicago, IL (KPWK); and Chippewa Valley Regional Airport in Eau Claire, WI (KEAU). For more information, please visit www.hawthorne.aero. THE STEELY president of China, Xi Jinping, was quite possibly shaken up when he read book titles being peddled in Hong Kong lately. One was The Collapse of Xi Jinping in 2017. Another was The Great Depression of 2017. A forthcoming title was reported to describe Mr. Xis love life before he became president. The books came from Mighty Current, a publisher specializing in volumes that are highly critical of Chinas Communist Party leaders and often filled with lurid and poorly sourced gossip. If Mr. Xi didnt see the books personally, his security henchmen certainly could not have failed to notice. In recent months, something happened to five men who led and worked at the publishing house. On Oct. 17, Gui Minhai, the owner, who had a Swedish passport, vanished from his beachfront apartment in Thailand. Then three others associated with the publisher disappeared while visiting the mainland Chinese cities of Dongguan and Shenzhen. Most recently, Lee Bo, a business partner of Mr. Gui, disappeared on Dec. 30; according to Mr. Lees wife, he was lured to a Hong Kong warehouse where the publisher stores its books and did not return. So far, there is no solid information about what happened to the five. But all signs point to Chinese state security officers kidnapping and detaining them. Some of those who disappeared have made brief and furtive phone calls to family members, never saying where they are or why they disappeared. If the suspicions are true, then the case of the Hong Kong booksellers marks another chapter in Chinas brazen campaign to silence critics where they live anywhere. Hong Kong, a former British colony, was turned over to China in 1997 with an explicit promise that it could preserve its cherished freedoms under the principle of one country, two systems, meaning that Chinas rulers, who tolerate little dissent at home, would not interfere with its freewheeling capitalism or democracy. If security thugs from the party-state in Beijing are now snatching Hong Kong booksellers who publish critical words about Chinas leaders, then the pledge of 1997 is in tatters. The case of the missing booksellers seems to be another bell tolling for Hong Kongs freedoms and autonomy. Just as ominous is the specter of the Chinese state abducting people abroad, such as the disappearance of Mr. Gui in Thailand. We have expressed alarm previously about Chinas aggressive snatching of dissidents and their families overseas, including the kidnapping of Wang Bingzhang, a democracy activist who was abducted while on a trip to Vietnam in 2002 and then sentenced to life in prison in China. In October, China reached across the border into Burma to nab the fleeing 16-year-old son of human rights lawyers who were detained in July. Its one thing to have patience with China on the complex issues of trade and maritime conflict. But there can be no patience with this behavior, in which Chinas ugly quest for total control is being imposed far beyond the mainland. Saudi Arabia's execution of a dissident Shiite cleric triggered riots in Iran, a break in diplomatic relations and a sharp escalation in the sectarian feud that is destroying the Middle East. The Post's David Ignatius examines the rift. (Thomas LeGro/The Washington Post) Saudi Arabia's execution of a dissident Shiite cleric triggered riots in Iran, a break in diplomatic relations and a sharp escalation in the sectarian feud that is destroying the Middle East. The Post's David Ignatius examines the rift. (Thomas LeGro/The Washington Post) Fragile is the word that journalist Karen Elliott House used to describe Saudi Arabia in her 2012 book about the country. Observing Saudi Arabia is like watching a gymnast dismount the balance beam in slow motion, she wrote. The world holds its breath wondering if the Saudis will nail the landing or crash to the mat. This past week, the House of Saud seemed to have lost its footing. The kingdoms fear of a rising Iran led it to execute a dissident Shiite cleric, triggering riots in Iran, a break in diplomatic relations and a sharp escalation in the sectarian feud that is ravaging the Middle East. What led Saudi Arabia to take these risky actions, and what U.S. policies might reduce the danger that the Middle East mess will get even worse? You cant answer these questions without examining the Saudis insecurity, which has led them to make bad choices. Saudi Arabia is a frightened monarchy. Its beset by Sunni extremists from the Islamic State and Shiite extremists backed by Iran. Its bogged down in a costly and unsuccessful war in Yemen. And it mistrusts its superpower patron and protector, the United States, in part because of the United States role in brokering the nuclear deal that ended Irans isolation. Countries that feel vulnerable sometimes do impulsive and counterproductive things, and that has been the case recently with Saudi Arabia. Compounding Saudi Arabias external problems is its internal ferment. King Salmans ambitious son, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 30, has devised a plan for modernization and economic growth, with input from McKinsey & Co. and other global consultants. The plan makes all the right recommendations: boost private enterprise, diversify the economy away from dependence on oil exports, reduce the stultifying role of the Saudi state. But these reforms would challenge powerful senior princes and disrupt a society that is resistant to change. A defensive, anxious Saudi leadership tried to show its resolve with last weeks execution of 47 extremists. Though global attention was focused on the death of Shiite cleric Sheik Nimr Baqr al-Nimr, most of the executed men were Sunni radicals who were allied with the Islamic State, al-Qaeda and other jihadist groups. Some Saudi-watchers think that killing Nimr was partly a cover for the execution of the radical Sunnis. Regardless of the motivation, Nimrs execution was a mistake. The Saudis compounded their error by rashly cutting diplomatic relations with Iran and pushing other Arab Gulf countries to do the same. The rationale was that the storming of the Saudi E mbassy in Tehran appeared to be government-condoned. Saudi pleas for help went unanswered for more than eight hours; the rioters scaled a 20-foot fence; their first target was the embassy computer system. The Saudi action was understandable, but an overreaction. Saudi Arabias desire to resist Iranian hegemony had already gotten it in trouble in Yemen. The war is said to be costing the kingdom nearly $1 billion a month, with little to show but rubble on the ground. The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have retaliated by attacking towns across the border in Saudi Arabia. The Saudis seemed eager for U.N.-sponsored peace talks on Yemen, until last weekends blowup. Whats the best policy for the United States as the Saudi-Iranian sectarian battle deepens? The Obama administration has rightly tried to protect its Syria diplomacy, which just weeks ago had succeeded in bringing Saudis and Iranians together for negotiations in Vienna. The administration was reassured by a statement Tuesday from U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura, who said after meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir: There is a clear determination on the Saudi side that the current regional tensions will not have any negative impact on the Vienna momentum. The broader U.S. goal should be deescalation of the ruinous confrontation between Tehran and Riyadh. This inferno has engulfed the region from Beirut to Damascus, Baghdad to Sanaa and last weekends events show how easily it could expand even further. The United States is talking to both sides, but it also must restrain them in part by checking Irans meddling in other countries internal affairs. Saudi Arabias insecurities have been a driver of conflict for 40 years. Fearful of domestic threats, the Saudis bankrolled PLO terrorism, jihadist madrassas, al-Qaedas founders and Syrian warlords. Riyadhs current enemy is Iran, but its anxiety goes much deeper. The Saudis need reassurance that Washington has their back. Even more, they need to build a society thats self-confident enough to combat extremism, at home and abroad. Read more from David Ignatiuss archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. Residents inspect damage at a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo, Syria. (Ammar Abdullah/Reuters) The Dec. 31 editorial Opening the door to terror raised the larger question of whether the United States should support military actions to topple dictators who seek to brutally quash a peoples revolution. Forcefully removing autocrats from power rarely results in stable democracy. Overthrowing dictators usually leads to political vacuums, civil wars, humanitarian crises, new dictators and failed states. More wars, genocides, repression and state failures occur during quasi-democratic transitional periods, when autocrats are weakened but no alternative political system has become institutionalized. The potential for post-authoritarian chaos is especially high in developing countries with ethnic divisions, no legacy of democracy, absolutist rulers and dangerous regional neighborhoods. Western powers cannot expect peaceful democratic transitions like those in post-communist countries of Eastern Europe or military transfers of power in South America. Leaders should devise less reactive policies for potentially violent, destabilizing breakdowns of autocracies. More choices are available than supporting military action against dictators, costing many lives, or hoping that a Twitter revolution will usher in democracy. We can learn lessons from peaceful transitions in places such as Ghana, Malawi, Senegal, Tunisia, Indonesia and (so far) Burma. Michael S. Lund, Washington The writer is senior associate in conflict and peacebuilding with Management Systems International. The emperor has no clothes. The Donald has no policy. This is not exactly news, but it is too often forgotten in the substance-free carnival that is the 2016 presidential race. Donald Trumps bright-shiny-object campaign style serves to obscure the substance void, leaving reporters endlessly chasing after his latest rhetorical bomb rather than pressing him on policy. Not, of course, that such questioning produces answers. Trump evades questions about how he would approach a particular problem with airy assurances about management and dealmaking. Theres only so much follow-up that can be done in the face of this bombast. Join me on a trip through a typical Trump stump speech, this one an hour-long stream-of-consciousness ramble just before the new year in South Carolina: The crowd size. His poll numbers. Why he must attack Hillary Clinton. The media is the worst. The trade deficit with China. How much money Jeb Bush has wasted. Has he mentioned the polls? Matt Drudge, great guy. How bad a job Clinton did at State. How nice of Vladimir Putin to praise him. (No sarcasm intended.) His Ivy League pedigree and big vocabulary. Back to Clinton: She just gives me a headache. Hes going to build the strongest military ever. Obamacare is a disaster. Common Cores dead. Trumps spent no money on his campaign and hes No. 1. Marco Rubio, nice guy but what about those somber ads with a black background? What great ratings those debates got. Not smart to answer questions about the Islamic State he wants to be unpredictable. How bad the Iran nuclear deal is. The Iraq War, huge mistake. The environmentalists attack on Trumps hair spray and how the spray is much better than the pump, with those blobs that get stuck and he needs to take a shower. By the way, he lives in a very nice apartment, and I dont think anything gets out into the atmosphere. The hoax of global warming and the threat to the universe. Speaking of the universe, Miss Universe, and oh, did I get rich off the pageant. How many televisions he orders a year from South Korea and how we are using our military to support countries such as South Korea that dont need our help. His wall versus the Great Wall of China. Even his hats are made in America, and you can buy other things on his website, too. Carly Fiorinas a nice woman. Chinas building military fortresses in the South China Sea and were worrying about the environmental impact of a border wall with Mexico on toads and turtles? Wait until China has to deal with Carl Icahn. Dont worry about the cost of a wall. The Old Post Office building is coming in under budget. As is his campaign. By the way, Clinton has lower energy than Bush. Trumps a nice person. He actually wants to help Syrian refugees, with a massive safe zone. Can you believe Angela Merkel was the person of the year and he wasnt? The wall Mexicos going to pay. Ted Cruz, hes a good guy. Remember the escalator in Trump Tower? The press that day looked like the Academy Awards. No one would be talking about illegal immigration if it werent for Trump. More polls. Bernie Sanders, a total disaster who wants to raise your taxes to 90 percent. Back to Clinton: Hes the last person she wants to run against. Trump will save the Second Amendment. If only Parisians had guns. It wasnt politically correct for neighbors to report Islamic State sympathizers in San Bernardino, Calif. Trumps poll numbers went up after the attacks. The trade stuff is easy. How we messed up Iraq. Were going to be rich, safe, strong again. Readers, this is no caricature its Trump unfiltered, alighting briefly on a topic, complicated or trivial, before flitting to the next. And its not as if Trump bolsters his stump speech with policy depth in proposals or interviews. If Obamacare is a disaster, whats Trumps replacement? If Common Core is dead, whats his alternative? The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center has estimated that Trumps tax plan one subject he barely mentions would cost $9.5 trillion over the first decade, not including added interest. In 2000, when a surplus was forecast, George W. Bush proposed cuts costing $1.3 trillion. They were extensively debated in the campaign. Trump relies on his ability to dominate the news with provocative distractions, to repel serious questions until interviewers time runs out. We in the media must find a way, if not to pierce the bluster, at least to expose it. Read more from Ruth Marcuss archive, follow her on Twitter or subscribe to her updates on Facebook. The crowd to see Sen. Ted Cruz spilled across the Dordt College student center, filling every inch of floor space and crawling up two stairways. A little more than 7,000 people live in the city; at least 700 had crammed into the building. Grinning and thanking God, Rep. Steve King imagined what caucus night could be like if they and their neighbors turned out really, really turned out. I want to build an America that looks like Sioux County looks, said King (R-Iowa). Do what Sioux County does and direct the destiny of the caucuses. You know you offset other parts of the state. Please, do that again. In 2008 and 2012, the conservative northwest counties of Iowa helped push like-minded Republicans to caucus wins but past Iowa, Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum petered out. This year, many voters in Sioux County are saying they have a candidate in Cruz (R-Tex.) who shares their views and who, critically, has a campaign and resources to do more than win northwest Iowa, more than send the fruitless messages of past years to the national GOP. They think he could win the Republican nomination. And they are all the more emboldened that it is the establishment this year that has not been able to pick a front-runner. I love it, said Bob Vander Plaats, the evangelical organizer who chaired Huckabees campaign in 2008, endorsed Santorum in 2012, then led colleagues at his Iowa Family Leader organization in an early endorsement of Cruz for 2016. They have the problem on their side that wed had the last two cycles on our side. We had to rely so much on organic turnout with Huckabee and Santorum because we just didnt have the funding. This campaign has both the campaign resources and that organic support. [Trump says Cruzs Canadian birth could be very precarious for GOP] Huckabees Sioux County landslide in 2008 helped him demolish Mitt Romney. Santorum won the county four years later by 644 votes; he won statewide, after a recount, by just 34. In those years, these Dutch-settled towns, where unemployment sank below 2 percent and church pews filled twice on Sundays, had prayed that the GOP would stick with a such a candidate all the way to the nomination. GOP voters had politely declined. Cruz has promised to break that cycle. In 2015, when he wooed social conservatives, he frequently reminded them of how Santorum and Huckabee and before that, Sioux County winners Gary Bauer and Pat Buchanan won early then lost to a united establishment. D.C. knows if were divided, then the moderate Washington candidate with all the money comes right through and wins the nomination with 26 percent of the vote, he told conservatives who gathered for a closed-door meeting in Northern Virginia last May. In interviews here, the people tasked to win the caucuses for Cruz described how he made that pitch and sold himself as the conservative last man standing. Inside his Hull, Iowa, office, across the street from the first Pizza Ranch, state Sen. Randy Feenstra described his own search for a conservative who could win. On one wall of the office hung photos of Feenstra with George W. Bush; on another was a quote from the Dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper: When principles that run against your deepest convictions begin to win the day, then battle is your calling, and peace has become sin. The battle did not go so well for Feenstra. It took him to Tim Pawlenty in the 2012 race and Scott Walker in this one both were early dropouts. My record stinks, he said. Walkers exit led to calls from every campaign, which was pretty neat, but it was Cruz who persuaded him to be a campaign co-chair in Sioux County. He just how do I say it? has all the tools, Feenstra said. Its different from the past. I jumped on because I looked at him as someone who could win Iowa then the general election. One of the tools was money, and Cruz was not shy about that. By launching before any other presidential candidate, Cruz set a goal of dominating early fundraising and then he talked about it. Do you know which candidate raised the most money out of all 16? he asked Rush Limbaugh in July. We did. (He did, not including independent super PACs). As he did in his stymied 2010 run for attorney general and his 2012 run for Senate, Cruz piled up cash to scare other conservatives out of the race. Huckabee and Santorum did not quit both are running again in 2016. But some of their key staffers switched sides. In Sioux Center, and on other stops of his northwest-Iowa tour, Cruz was joined by former Iowa secretary of state Matt Schultz, Santorums 2012 campaign chair, who explained to reporters why Cruzs campaign was like nothing weve seen before. He was joined anew by Alice Stewart, a former spokeswoman for both Huckabee and Santorum, who explained why the campaigns resources could lock in Iowa. We can launch an air, land and sea assault, Stewart said as the candidate shook hands and submitted to selfies. Huckabee and Santorum have fired on Cruz, with Huckabee insisting that a tape of Cruz telling a donor that ending gay marriage was not a top three priority in a time of war is proof that Iowas conservatives are guzzling snake oil. Im going to be the same whether Im in Marshalltown, Iowa, or Manhattan, Huckabee said on MSNBCs Morning Joe on Tuesday as he pushed through his own, lower-profile Iowa bus tour. I dont wake up every day with a new conviction based on the polls. Huckabee had been saying that for weeks, though and Cruz had made the sale months before. Mick Snieder, a banker and former city councilman in bucolic Orange City, had balked at getting too involved in 2016. Then, the morning of the dual Supreme Court decisions that legalized gay marriage and prevented a major disruption of the Affordable Care Act, he heard Cruz speak in nearby Sheldon. Just about every Republican put out a statement condemning it, and a whole lot of those Republicans are celebrating those decisions, Cruz said. Theyre popping champagne. Obamacare? They didnt want to deal with it. And theyre thrilled with the gay-marriage decision. Snieder signed on right away. Other Cruz organizers had similar stories all could describe exactly why this candidate, finally, could win after Iowa. Cruzs theory that a resolute conservative could turn out more voters than a moderate made absolute sense. After Santorum lost, I did notice people not as excited about going to the polls, Snieder recalled. I remember asking a co-worker who he was going to support. He said his son was telling him, Just hold your nose and vote for Romney, so he guessed he had to. Conservatives like Snieder came to trust Cruz, and the old caucus winners simply couldnt buy into the argument. At the end of the third fundraising quarter, Santorum and Huckabee had raised just $1.1 million and $3.3 million, respectively, compared with Cruzs $26.6 million. As of early January, the only negative Cruz spot people were likely to hear was a radio ad from a pro-Huckabee super PAC, replaying the Cruz gay-marriage answer. Still, Cruz was using the ends of his speeches to warn people that millions of dollars in TV ads, radio ads and mailers were coming, many targeted at him, all of them false. Those mailers make really good kindling in the fireplace, Cruz said in Sioux Center. They light up fast. After Cruzs events, social conservatives were aware of the risk if they quit on Cruz. Ben Carson is not a leader. Hes too soft-spoken, said Al Teslaw, 81, a soybean farmer. I think Huckabee and Santorum have sort of fallen away. In Sioux Center, before Cruz boarded the bus with his endorsers, King stuck around to explain the candidates thornier positions. There had been a question about ethanol policy. It was skeptical, but to Kings delight it was no dealbreaker. The other candidates have drifted away in the polling, King said matter-of-factly. Everybody knows what they have to do. North Korea may have explained Wednesdays announced hydrogen bomb test as a response to U.S. hostility, but experts say it may more accurately reflect deteriorating relations with China. The question now is how Beijing will respond: not by abandoning its troublesome ally, experts agree, but perhaps by supporting further sanctions against it. Whether that would have any effect is in doubt. In a way, this is a protest against Beijing, said Bo Zhiyue, director of the New Zealand Contemporary China Research Center at Victoria University of Wellington. They are saying: We can do whatever we want. This shows our independence, and we dont need your approval. Scientists and officials say the test almost certainly did not involve a hydrogen bomb. But the fourth test of any kind of nuclear device by the isolated country would signal its continuing defiance of the outside world including China, which has long expressed displeasure with Pyongyangs nuclear program. [White House: No evidence to support North Korean hydrogen bomb claim] 1 of 9 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad These countries have tested nuclear weapons View Photos Since 1945, eight nations have detonated such weapons. Caption Since 1945, eight nations have detonated such weapons. North Korea North Koreans watch a news broadcast on a video screen outside Pyongyang Railway Station in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Jan. 6, 2016. The nation claims that it has successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, but the claim drew skepticism. Kim Kwang Hyon/AP Wait 1 second to continue. On Wednesday, Chinas Foreign Affairs Ministry said North Korea had ignored objections from the international community to its staging of such tests. China firmly opposes this, the ministry said in a statement. We urge North Korea to fulfill its promise of denuclearization and stop any actions that would worsen the situation. Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regularly scheduled news conference that Beijing had not been warned before the test and would summon Pyongyangs ambassador in Beijing to lodge a protest. But experts say Beijings influence over Pyongyang has diminished since Kim Jong Un took over as North Koreas leader at the end of 2011 and Xi Jinping became president of China in 2013. The two men have not met since assuming power, with Xi even snubbing his counterpart by visiting South Korea first in 2014. In October, there was talk of a thaw when Xi sent an envoy to attend a military parade in Pyongyang with a signed letter carrying the Chinese presidents best wishes to Kim. But relations swiftly turned frigid again in December, after Kim declared that his country had developed a hydrogen bomb. Within 48 hours, a glamorous North Korean girl group, the Moranbong Band, packed up and left Beijing just before a scheduled debut concert there. That was less than a month ago. The Moranbong Band incident basically revealed North Koreas intentions, and you could see that communication between China and North Korea is quite bad, said Xuan Dongri, director of Northeast Asia Studies at Yanbian University in northeastern China. China and North Koreas understanding of each other is deteriorating further. Bo, of Victoria University of Wellington, said a key problem in the relationship has been the centralization of power in Beijing under Xi. Instead of the multi-faceted policy toward North Korea that prevailed under Xis predecessor, Hu Jintao, with some senior leaders advocating engagement and others taking a harder line, Xi is now calling all the shots, Bo said. [Xi tells grumbling party cadres: Dont talk back] Since Xi has not met Kim and has his hands full with domestic and foreign-policy challenges, there is little meaningful dialogue taking place and very little internal debate on how best to influence Pyongyang, Bo added. You need to have a connection if you want to convince or persuade the other side, he said. If you dont have a connection, where is the leverage? Bo said Xi was caught in a dilemma, reluctant to hew closer to the U.S. approach of isolating and punishing North Korea but left powerless to prevent North Koreas nuclear program. Analysts are not predicting a complete breakdown in Sino-North Korean ties. Nor do they foresee North Korea abandoning the nuclear program that has become a key pillar of its regimes declared legitimacy, at least not soon. But some suggest that this test poses a particular challenge for China. Beijing will face increased pressure both domestically and internationally to punish and rein in Kim Jong Un and to ultimately force Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons, said Yanmei Xie, senior China analyst with the International Crisis Group in Beijing. But there is likely to be a repeat of the worn playbook of denunciation, tightening of sanctions and calling for resurrection of the six-party talks. North Korea pulled out of those negotiations with South Korea, the United States, China, Russia and Japan over its nuclear program in 2009. On Wednesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministrys spokeswoman, Hua, said the talks were the only practical and effective way to solve the North Korea problem. China is North Korea's largest trading partner and supplies most of its neighbor's oil and gas, as well as about half of its foreign aid. But it has been unwilling to pull the plug for fear of toppling the Kim regime. Paul Haenle of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center in Beijing agreed that despite Pyongyangs singling out of the United States, the real attention is focused on China and its response. China is likely to move cautiously, he said, but he did not rule out a tougher line from Beijing. North Koreas defiance is not only an untenable burden on Chinas image as a credible and strong leader on this issue, but will also lead to an enhanced U.S. security posture in the region and increased cooperation between the U.S. and its Asia-Pacific allies not something Beijing wants, he said. I don't think we can overlook the fact that Xi is a new and fundamentally different kind of Chinese leader, Haenle added, citing Xis his historic decision to meet with Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou in November as an example. While analysts have plenty of evidence to justify their assessments that China won't change course, I think we need to be open to the possibility that China could respond differently this time. Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University of China, said that the test left China no choice but to back further U.N. sanctions against North Korea. But the Crisis Groups Xie cautioned that nothing would be done that might upset Beijings bottom line. For Beijing, a nuclear-armed North Korea is uncomfortable and disturbing, but a regime collapse in Pyongyang, leading to mass chaos next door and potentially a united Korean Peninsula with Washington extending its influence northward to China's doorstep is downright frightening, Xie said. Gu Jinglu and Liu Liu contributed to this report. Read more: Air Force deploys radiation sniffer plane after North Koreas nuclear test China reluctant to join U.S. in punishing North Korea over cyberattacks Kerry pushes China on North Korea nukes Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world Mike Volpe, Hubspot CMO Two former executives at marketing tech company HubSpot, who were allegedly embroiled in a scandal involving a well-known tech writer, will not face criminal charges, reports the Boston Globe. The Justice Department has dropped its criminal investigation of the executives' alleged efforts to get ahold of a draft of a book about the company, The Boston Globe reports. The Boston FBI office also sent a letter to that effect to former HubSpot employee, Dan Lyons, the author of the forthcoming book. HubSpot prides itself on a culture of "uncomfortable level of transparency" cofounder Darmesh Shah once told Business Insider. So it issued a press release in July that revealled a bit of detail about the incident. It said that chief marketing officer Mike Volpe had been terminated for "violating the company's Code of Business Conduct and Ethics" and vice president of content Joe Chernov resigned "before the company could determine whether to terminate him for similar violations." HubSpot CEO Brian Halligan was also aware of the incident, the company said, though he wasn't directly involved. He was "sanctioned" for not reporting the situation in a "timely manner." But we're not sure exactly what happened. Lyons, who cut his teeth as a tech journalist (Forbes, Newsweek, ReadWrite) worked for HubSpot for just less than two years, from April 2013 to December 2014, which included the companys IPO. He's since been working as writer for the HBO series "Silicon Valley." He's also written books, including one called "Options: The Secret Life of Steve Jobs." He's known for a sharp-tongued humor. So it's not surprising he was turning his HubSpot experience into a book. He's named it "Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Startup Bubble" due out in April. Apparently, it was the manuscript of this book that the executives were allegedly trying to obtain. Lyons tells Business Insider that he still has "no idea" what the executives did to try and get it. Story continues "None. And I have asked, repeatedly," he told us. No one at HubSpot will tell him and the investigators didn't tell him either, he says. "Maybe they hacked me, maybe they didn't. Maybe they broke into my house, maybe they didn't. Maybe they hired hackers and those hackers still have all of my personal information, including information about my kids. Maybe they followed me," he told us. "Halligan told the Globe last summer that the matter involved 'really aggressive tactics.' That alone scared the heck out of me and still does." HubSpot had no further comment for the company or for Halligan beyond the press release issued last summer. Volpe and Chernov did not immediately respond to requests for comment. NOW WATCH: Steve Harvey announced the wrong winner in the Miss Universe contest and now Trump has a solution More From Business Insider A Kashmiri Shiite Muslim, bottom, holds a portrait of Sheikh Nimr Baqr al-Nimr, as others shout slogans during a protest against Saudi Arabia in Srinagar, in India-controlled Kashmir. Jan. 3, 2016 A Kashmiri Shiite Muslim, bottom, holds a portrait of Sheikh Nimr Baqr al-Nimr, as others shout slogans during a protest against Saudi Arabia in Srinagar, in India-controlled Kashmir. Mukhtar Khan/AP The countrys announcement that it has killed 47 people has caused an uproar across the region. Saudi Arabia severed relations with Iran on Sunday amid the furor. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, right, with his Iraqi counterpart, Ibrahim al-Jafari, after a joint news conference in Tehran on Jan. 6, 2015. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, right, with his Iraqi counterpart, Ibrahim al-Jafari, after a joint news conference in Tehran on Jan. 6, 2015. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday urged the countrys courts to prosecute protesters who stormed the Saudi Embassy and consulate over the weekend and said all diplomatic missions deserve protection. Diplomatic missions and guests are legally and internationally immune, and attacking these places in the country is against legal and religious laws, Rouhani said in remarks before his cabinet, even though Iran still celebrates the anniversary of the 1979 seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Rouhani called the attackers criminals whose acts were erroneous and illegal, and he said his government would deal seriously with those who were in charge of security when a mob angered by Saudi Arabias execution of a Shiite cleric climbed the embassy walls unimpeded. His remarks were the latest attempt to mend a growing rift between Iran and Saudi Arabia that is being felt throughout the region. Djibouti on Wednesday became the latest country to sever diplomatic ties with Iran in solidarity with Saudi Arabia, while Qatar recalled its ambassador in Tehran. The Sunni-ruled country was among a growing list of capitals in the region that have downgraded or cut relations with Iran. [5 facts about Sunnis and Shiites that help make sense of the Saudi-Iranian crisis] Saudi Arabia and Iran have harbored long-running suspicions and outright hostility toward each other. Heres why. (The Washington Post) The diplomatic row comes as Rouhani is on the verge of his long quest to end Irans isolation. A landmark nuclear deal it signed with six world powers last year is expected to be implemented within weeks, and the lifting of sanctions will then begin. But that progress appears threatened by the international condemnation being heaped on Iran over the assault on the Saudi Embassy, which has overtaken criticism of the clerics execution, one of dozens carried out on the same day in cities across Saudi Arabia. Despite Rouhanis interest in having the embassy attackers prosecuted, it is far from certain that they will be punished. About 50 people have been arrested. But Iranian protesters have attacked embassies in the past including those of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Denmark and Britain and the suspects were released without charges. According to Reuters, some of the embassy attackers took selfies that they posted on social media, in an indication they were not worried about being punished . Iraq offered to act as mediator between Saudi Arabia and Iran to ease the sharpening of sectarian divisions in the region. We cannot stay silent in this crisis, Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari said during a visit to Tehran on Wednesday. Rouhani, a relative pragmatist who has taken on hard-liners in the government who oppose any opening with the West, was busy on Twitter laying out his version of the diplomatic meltdown. He tweeted that Saudi Arabia had beheaded the prominent cleric to cover up its domestic problems. That had led to an unpleasant set of events, as he described the mob takeover. Rouhani painted Iran as being at a crossroads, with the nuclear deals implementation ushering in economic growth with the end of sanctions. The tension between the two main sects of Islam, Sunni and Shiite, is one of the factors driving the violence in the Middle East. Here is an overview of the sects differences and where adherents live. (The Washington Post) We seek good relations with all countries, he tweeted. We condemn the attack on #Saudi embassy & consulate. All political missions should be protected. He also took several swipes Wednesday at Saudi Arabia for executing the cleric, Nimr Baqr al-Nimr, who was put to death along with 46 other men. This great scholar was imprisoned with spurious reasons and executed because of criticizing the Saudi government, Rouhani told his cabinet. In legal norms of any country, a person is not executed or beheaded because of criticism. According to Human Rights Watch, Iran executed at least 200 prisoners in 2014, the most recent year for which data is available. Opposition sources say an additional 400 executions took place but were not announced. The group said Iranian law calls for the death penalty for many crimes, including nonviolent offenses that include insulting the Prophet, apostasy, same-sex relations, adultery and drug-related crimes. [The House of Saud shows possible cracks] The furor over the execution and the embassy assault are the latest examples of a years-long buildup of tensions between the two regional rivals, Shiite-ruled Iran and Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia. Iran is one of the two major backers of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while Saudi Arabia supports anti-Assad rebel factions. U.S. State Department officials have expressed concern that the diplomatic crisis may make it more difficult to hold peace talks on Syria and to fight Islamic State militants. Read more: How Saudi Arabia and the Islamic State find common ground in beheadings The seven most important moments of the Saudi-Iranian rivalry Who is the Saudi cleric whose death caused the Riyadh-Tehran blowup? 7 remarkable insults in the Iran-Saudi Arabia war of words An American citizen captured in Pakistan last year and flown to New York to face federal terrorism charges was hit with fresh allegations on Wednesday in connection with a 2009 attack on a U.S. military base in Afghanistan. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn obtained a superseding indictment against Muhanad Mahmoud al Farekh, 30, who was born in Texas and was once thought to be a top al-Qaeda operative. The CIA had been pushing to kill Farekh for more than a year before his arrest, current and former U.S. officials said. The indictment charges Farekh with conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals, use of explosives, conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and conspiracy to bomb a government facility. The government accused Farekh of helping prepare a bomb to be used in the attack on Jan. 19, 2009. On that date, according to the indictment, two co-conspirators drove vehicles to the military base. The first detonated the bomb, which did not kill any U.S. military members, though a number of Afghan security forces were reported killed. The second drove a truck containing a bomb but did not set it off. Farekhs fingerprints were recovered from packing tape on the unexploded bomb, according to the prosecutors. The indictment also charges that between December 2006 and September 2009, Farekh provided material support to al-Qaeda. Farekh, a citizen of the United States, allegedly turned his back on our country and tried to kill U.S. soldiers in the course of executing their sworn duty to keep us safe, said Robert L. Capers, U.S. attorney in Brooklyn. The government alleged that in 2007, Farekh and two associates studying at the University of Manitoba in Canada traveled to Pakistan to link up with militants and fight against American forces. One of his associates, Ferid Imam, provided weapons and military-style training at an al-Qaeda training camp in Pakistan, including to three Americans who plotted to bomb the New York subway system. Two of the three have pleaded guilty and have yet to be sentenced, and the third was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Imam has also been indicted for his role in the plot. If convicted, Farekh faces a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. He is due to be arraigned Thursday in federal court in the Eastern District of New York. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, seen Dec. 30, addresses service members who took part in the military conflict in the eastern regions of the country. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/via Reuters) U.S. Homeland Security and intelligence agencies are analyzing computer code from what appear to be one of the first known cyberattacks that resulted in an electrical power outage this one in Ukraine. The Dec. 23 incidents, which lasted several hours and affected tens of thousands of people, were reported by Ukraine power authorities in the capital region and in the western part of the country. The power authorities said that control systems used to coordinate remote substations were disabled in the cyberattack. The United States has not publicly commented on the attack. Homeland Security and intelligence agency officials declined to comment. But private-sector analysts who have reviewed the malicious software see the attack as a rare instance in which a hacking incident involving an industrial control system has affected ordinary citizens. That is a milestone in itself, said John Hultquist, director of cyberespionage analysis for iSight Partners, a computer security firm. Privately, U.S. officials said it will take time to understand how the attack occurred. What was the process that led up to that? Did we see any key indicators ahead of time? said one U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. The Ukrainian SBU security service blamed the attack on the Russian government. No one was available at the Russian Embassy in Washington to comment. Hultquist said his firm sees links between the malware used in the recent outages and a cyberespionage campaign against NATO and Western European government targets that iSight discovered in 2013 and that was conducted by a group of hackers in Russia whose interests aligned with the Russian government. The firm dubbed that group SandWorm. Since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, iSight has documented instances of SandWorm infiltrating Ukrainian government computer systems as well as in the countrys telecommunications and energy industries. The strain of malware apparently used to gain access to the power system is similar to the one used by SandWorm in 2013 and 2014, iSight said. [Russian hackers use zero-day to hack NATO, Ukraine in cyberspying campaign ] We have high confidence that this [Ukrainian attack] is Russian in origin, Hultquist said. Other private-sector analysts urged caution. Attribution is difficult and requires time, said Robert M. Lee, an expert in defending industrial control systems against cyberattacks who teaches at the SANS Institute, a cyber-training organization. Lee, who also has studied the code used in the attack, noted that analysts have not seen the malware that caused the power outage. Rather, the two sets of malware that they obtained were likely used to gain access to the system and perhaps to erase the attackers tracks. Were still missing what caused the attack, Lee said in a SANS webcast Tuesday. Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure are rare, take much planning and are difficult to pull off. But when they succeed, as with the Stuxnet attack on Irans Natanz uranium enrichment plant an unacknowledged strategic effort by the United States and Israel to slow Irans nuclear program they can inflict great physical damage. In that case, nearly 1,000 centrifuges were reportedly damaged. The Ukrainian incident, by comparison, was of low to moderate sophistication, said Michael J. Assante, SANS Institute director of industrial control systems, in the webcast. There is nothing here that is telling of a sophisticated attack. The Russians have shown an interest in probing industrial control systems. Sometimes, one official said, their probing is to send a signal. They just want us to know theyre there, he said. JUPITER, FL / ACCESSWIRE / January 6, 2016 / GelTech Solutions, Inc. (GLTC) announced today that the Oregon Department of Forestry has now successfully integrated FireIce High Visibility Orange - Fugitive (HVO-F), the signature product of its Wildland Fire Division, into its air tanker program this season, utilizing the gel retardant in nearly 300 air tanker missions across Oregon. FireIce earned the praise of Oregon firefighters, pilots and tanker base managers for its superior performance, cost effectiveness, fast response time and ease of use. Agency feedback described FireIce as highly effective across Oregon's diverse geographies and fuel types, and was credited with helping firefighters contain a number of high-threat fires, saving taxpayer and forest landowner dollars and preventing devastating losses of homes and natural resources. It was used on fires managed by local, state and federal incident command teams, and was dispatched for initial attack, large fires and structure protection. Neal Laugle, State Aviation Manager for the Oregon Department of Forestry, commented on the use of FireIce for this fire season: "In 2013, Oregon Department of Forestry entered into contracts for Single Engine Airtankers (SEATS) in Eastern Oregon. Due to the success of the SEATS, Oregon Department of Forestry added an additional three SEATS for a total of five SEATS for 2015. As we expanded the fleet of SEATS, we needed to look for alternatives to traditional retardant in order to maximize the effectiveness of the SEATS and not be tied to established tanker bases. "FireIce quickly rose to the top as an alternative to retardant; due to similar properties to retardant, company support, and ease of setup and mixing. GelTech's assistance and knowledge of SEAT operations and willingness to work with contracted vendors provided the needed support for ODF to establish one SEAT base and four reload bases for the 2015 fire season which resulted in over 205,000 gallons of FireIce being applied throughout the state of Oregon in various fuel types. Story continues "Oregon Department of Forestry found FireIce to be very effective through the direct application of the product to the flame front during Initial Attack through the use of the SEATS on various fuel types located throughout Oregon. The fuel types included heavy slash, young fir stands, Juniper/Grass and open pine stands. "Oregon Department of Forestry looks forward to working with GelTech in 2016 and the continued evaluation of FireIce across the state as more opportunities present themselves." "We are extremely pleased to have had a very successful first season working with the Oregon Department of Forestry, and we want to thank them, their talented teams, and their partner agencies who were essential to the program's early success," stated Matt Struzziero, GelTech's director of sales and operations. "GelTech's commitment to the wildland fire community is to provide both a superior retardant and extensive field support, ensuring that we can provide the brave men and women in the field with the resources they need." About FireIce FireIce is an advanced, non-toxic, non-corrosive polymer that when hydrated produces a water-based fire retardant and suppressant. The eco-friendly properties of FireIce are especially important in sensitive and protected ecosystems, including that of the Sage Grouse. FireIce weighs significantly less than other commonly used chemicals, which enhances the safety of pilots and their aircraft. It is also packaged as a one-part orange colorant, providing excellent visibility for both pilots in the air and firefighters on the ground. As a result of its demonstrated superior suppression performance, and with its versatility as a retardant to create a fire break and protect property, FireIce has quickly become the fire chemical of choice in many regions of the country. For more information on FireIce Wildland Products, please visit: www.fireice.com About Oregon Department of Forestry As Oregon's largest fire department, ODF's Fire Protection program protects 16 million acres of forest, a $60 billion asset. These lands consist of privately owned forests as well as some public lands, including state-owned forests and, by contract, U.S. Bureau of Land Management forests in western Oregon. ODF is also part of an extensive fire protection network that includes landowner resources, contract crews, aircraft and inmate crews, with agreements among public agencies across Oregon, the U.S. and British Columbia. ODF's firefighting policy is straightforward: Put out fires quickly at the smallest possible size. Most of the lands protected by the agency are working forests that produce revenue and support jobs. It is crucial to prevent fire damage to the timber resource that is an essential element of Oregon's economy. This aggressive approach to firefighting also safeguards ecosystem values such as fish and wildlife habitats. Oregon is also a member of the Northwest Forest Fire Protection Compact, and provides mutual assistance and resource sharing to member agencies as well as federal agencies. Compact member agencies include: Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, Washington and Yukon. For more information on the Oregon Department of Forestry, please visit: www.oregon.gov/ODF/Fire About GelTech Solutions, Inc. GelTech Solutions is a leading provider of innovative, environmentally friendly and cost-effective products that help government agencies, industry, agriculture and the public achieve goals such as water conservation and protecting lives, homes and property from fires. GelTech's products include FireIce, an extremely effective and versatile product used both as a suppressant to extinguish fires and a fire retardant to protect assets and property; Soil2O Dust Control and Soil Cap, products that reduce airborne particulate matter with minimal environmental impact; and GT-W14, an advanced absorbency technology to control fluid spills of all sizes, turning liquids into solid waste for easier and safer disposal. For more information on GelTech, please visit www.geltechsolutions.com For investor relations questions, please contact: Michael Porter Porter, LeVay & Rose (212) 564-4700 michael@plrinvest.com For media inquiries, please contact: Paul Christle GelTech Solutions, Director of Media and Communications (844) FOR-GLTC SOURCE: GelTech Solutions, Inc. After North Korea's claim that it tested a hydrogen bomb, The Post's Karen DeYoung explains why the U.S. response to the rogue nation is so different from how it treats Iran. (Jason Aldag,Gillian Brockell/The Washington Post) After North Korea's claim that it tested a hydrogen bomb, The Post's Karen DeYoung explains why the U.S. response to the rogue nation is so different from how it treats Iran. (Jason Aldag,Gillian Brockell/The Washington Post) The United States and other global powers sharply condemned North Korea on Wednesday, vowing to punish it for conducting a fourth nuclear weapons test. But it was not clear what more the world could do, short of war, to a country that for years has been impervious to international isolation and sanctions. The Obama administration and nuclear experts moved quickly to question North Koreas claims that it had tested a hydrogen bomb, a massively powerful thermonuclear device that would mark a major advance in Pyongyangs weapons ability. Although there is more investigation to be done, administration spokesmen said, initial seismic and other data indicated that the explosion was more likely to have been a far smaller atomic weapon along the lines of North Koreas previous tests. [A look behind the Norths claim] The United States and Japan called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council. Following the closed-door session, diplomats said they would move toward a new council resolution to increase economic and diplomatic pressure on North Korea. 1 of 9 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad These countries have tested nuclear weapons View Photos Since 1945, eight nations have detonated such weapons. Caption Since 1945, eight nations have detonated such weapons. North Korea North Koreans watch a news broadcast on a video screen outside Pyongyang Railway Station in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Jan. 6, 2016. The nation claims that it has successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, but the claim drew skepticism. Kim Kwang Hyon/AP Wait 1 second to continue. The international community must impose real consequences for [North Koreas] destabilizing actions and respond with steadily increasing pressure, Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said after the meeting. The Security Councils commitment today to impose further significant measures . . . marks an important step in that process. North Koreas three previous nuclear tests since 2006 have been met with international condemnation, including resolutions and sanctions from the Security Council. But the response has done nothing to deter Pyongyang. In a statement announcing the test, the official Korean Central News Agency said the weapon was needed for defense against the United States, which it described as the chieftain of aggression and a gang of cruel robbers. Any additional pressure on North Korea already the most severely sanctioned country in the world would have to involve major action by China, its largest trading partner and supplier of much of its foreign aid. The Chinese government expressed strong opposition to the North Korean test and called on its government to cede to international demands that it eliminate its nuclear program. [North Korea also tests limits of Chinese ties] But Beijing has been reluctant to risk action that could seriously destabilize North Korea, sending hordes across its border, perhaps leaving nuclear weapons unsecured, and ceding a strategic bulwark against the powerful U.S., Japanese and South Korean military alliance in the northern Pacific. To some degree, China has opted to stick with the devil you know, said Jeffrey A. Bader, a former senior Obama adviser on Asia on the National Security Council and current senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Attempts to impose further restraints on North Koreas nuclear supply line are viewed as likely to have only modest, if any, effect. The country received most of what it needed from abroad to develop nuclear weapons years ago, and its program is now mostly indigenous. One avenue for further economic pressure would be to sanction Chinese banks that do business with North Korea, although there is widespread reluctance to take measures against major Chinese institutions that are pillars of the international financial system. Smaller banks, however, could be sanctioned, experts said. The administration acknowledged that China would have to play a significant role in any additional action against North Korea, and it cited what White House press secretary Josh Earnest said was Chinese President Xi Jinpings agreement, during his visit with Obama last September, that neither of them would accept North Korea as a nuclear power. There are some disagreements between the United States and China, Earnest said, but this is an issue on which we do agree. The international community is united, he said, on the need for North Korea to cease its nuclear provocations and commit to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. [Watch: North Koreas broadcast] Insistence that there was nothing to talk to Pyongyang about until it gave up its nuclear weapons and submitted to international verification has been the foundation of Obamas North Korea strategy, and the reason there have been no talks with its government for nearly a decade. North Korea has said it will only discuss its weapons program as a full partner in the nuclear club. That, U.S. officials repeated Wednesday, is unacceptable. We do not and will not accept North Korea as a nuclear armed state, and actions such as this latest test only strengthen our resolve, Secretary of State John F. Kerry said in a statement. Earnest said Obama and his national security team would be exploring the appropriate way to respond to the new test but would not discuss its parameters in advance. He was dismissive of Republican presidential candidates and other political opponents who were harshly critical of Obamas North Korea policy and called for more pressure. Theyre trying to win votes from Republicans in a presidential primary, Earnest said. Ive heard a lot of campaign rhetoric but not a lot of specific proposals about what to do. Bader, who advised Obama on both North Korea and China policy, said: I dont see how [North Korean aggression] can be attributed to Obama weakness. Obamas been harder on Pyongyang than the George W. Bush administration, he said, by any measure. Bushs efforts to negotiate with North Korea, Bader said, led to [North Koreas] first nuclear test in 2006. Some things are not because of what we do, he said. North Korea has had a strategic plan to develop nuclear weapons for more than 20 years, and there are only two ways to change that. One is regime change, something that we all hope is going to happen but we cant engineer. Number two is a negotiated agreement. Bush tried that, but it collapsed. North Koreas test appeared to be part of efforts by its leader, Kim Jong Un, to project strength as the country faces increasing isolation. Its renegade status has been further underscored by the nuclear deal reached last year between Iran and world powers, including the United States and China. Under the pact, Tehran agreed to limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the easing of international sanctions. Over the past decade, Iran has developed capacities to make nuclear material, but its leaders insist they do not seek an atomic weapon. In contrast, North Korea is apparently willing to accept international isolation, said Earnest. As international experts continued to assess the explosion, Lassina Zerbo, executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization in Vienna, said a seismic reading on Wednesday was slightly down compared with the level from the Norths last nuclear test in 2013. A full analysis by the watchdog group could take days as experts look at other data including airborne radioactive isotopes, Zerbo said. In Seoul, South Korean President Park Geun-hye put her military on alert and said North Korea would pay a price for the test, which she called a grave provocation. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had a similar message, describing it as a major threat that Japan absolutely cannot accept. Russia, which declared 2015 a year of friendship with North Korea, also condemned the detonation and called for international nuclear talks with North Korea to resume. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who gave Kim a rare foreign invitation for a visit last year, ordered a full study of data from Russias monitoring stations, said the spokesman, Dmitry Peskov. Fifield reported from Tokyo. Simon Denyer in Beijing, Michael Birnbaum in Moscow, Yoonjung Seo in Seoul, Yuki Oda in Tokyo and Carol Morello in Washington contributed to this report. Read More The North restarts nuclear facilities Asia falls off the map in GOP debate Norths leader ready for any kind of war with America North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gives a new years address for 2016 in Pyongyang, in this photo released Friday. (Kyodo/Reuters) North Korea claimed Wednesday that it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, a claim that, if true, would mark a huge step forward in its nuclear capability. Weve carried out a hydrogen bomb test, a newsreader on the state-run Korean Central Television station announced in a special broadcast from Pyongyang. North Korea was forced to develop its nuclear arsenal because of the U.S.s hostile policy against North Korea, she said. However, as a peaceful nation and a nuclear powered-nation, North Korea will be a responsible state and will not use its nuclear power before [an attack] and will not transfer the technology to others. There was some skepticism about the claim, with nuclear experts noting that the yield appeared to be similar to North Koreas three previous atomic tests, rather than the enormous yield that would be expected if it had been a thermonuclear test. We are aware of seismic activity on the Korean Peninsula in the vicinity of a known North Korean nuclear test site and have seen Pyongyangs claims of a nuclear test, said John Kirby, a spokesman at the State Department. We are monitoring and continuing to assess the situation in close coordination with our regional partners. Either way, Pyongyangs provocative action will present a new challenge to the outside world, which has struggled to find ways to end North Koreas nuclear defiance. North Koreas fourth test in the context of repeated statements by U.S., Chinese, and South Korean leaders throws down the gauntlet to the international community to go beyond paper resolutions and find a way to impose real costs on North Korea for pursuing this course of action, said Scott Snyder, a Korea expert at the Council on Foreign Relations. Kim Jong Uns regime hinted in December that it had built a hydrogen bomb to defend its sovereignty and the dignity of the nation. Some analysts were doubtful, saying the young leader appeared primarily concerned with trying to bolster his legitimacy. But on Wednesday, North Korea said in a special broadcast that it had carried out a successful hydrogen bomb test. With this hydrogen bomb test, we have joined the major nuclear powers, the newsreader said. Hydrogen, or thermonuclear, bombs are exponentially more powerful and destructive than atomic devices. An atomic bomb uses fission to break up the atomic nucleus and release energy, while a hydrogen or thermonuclear bomb uses fusion to add to the nucleus. This leads to an enormous explosion resulting from an uncontrolled, self-sustaining chain reaction. Kim has repeatedly asserted North Koreas status as a nuclear-armed country and has resolutely refused to return to multilateral talks aimed at persuading it to abandon its nuclear weapons program. North Korea had conducted three nuclear tests since 2006 but only one during Kims reign, in February 2013.To the surprise of many analysts, there had been no fourth test. Then, there were signs of unusual seismic activity around North Koreas main nuclear test site Wednesday morning, sparking fears that Pyongyang ordered the detonation of another atomic device two days before Kims birthday. We have consistently made clear that we will not accept [North Korea] as a nuclear state, Kirby said. We will continue to protect and defend our allies in the region, including the Republic of Korea, and will respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations. Earthquake agencies in China, Japan and the United States all recorded unusual seismic activity in the northeastern corner of North Korea at 10 a.m. local time Wednesday. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded a shallow 5.1-magnitude quake about 20 miles from the facility at Punggye-ri, where North Korea has carried out its three previous nuclear tests. Japans Meteorological Agency said that it appeared to be some kind of artificial explosion and that the waveform was very similar to the ones detected at the past nuclear tests, public broadcaster NHK reported. Many analysts have been surprised that such a long period has passed without another test, because it is by testing that North Korea can advance its program. I think they have a technological path in mind, said Jeffrey Lewis, a nuclear expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, Calif. In December, Lewis noted that satellite pictures showed North Korea appeared to be building a new tunnel at its nuclear test site, warning that the Pyongyang regime might be preparing to conduct a fourth atomic test. There is a lot of tunneling at the test site, which could mean they have a bunch of tests planned, he said. Although analysts were still awaiting more data, Lewis said that Wednesdays explosion looked very similar to past tests and was not enormous, suggesting it was not a hydrogen bomb. In Seoul and Tokyo, the governments called emergency national security meetings to discuss the possibility of a nuclear test. This nuclear test by North Korea is a major threat to our countrys security, and I absolutely cannot accept it, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters in Tokyo on Wednesday. Also, it is clearly a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions so . . . we will take strong measure, including steps within the U.N. Security Council. Joel Wit, a former U.S. diplomat who runs the 38 North website dedicated to North Korea, said that the purpose of the test remained unclear. What is clear is that North Korea is moving forward with its nuclear weapons program and that the United States, China and the international community need to come up with more effective ways to deal with this growing threat, he said. Yoonjung Seo in Seoul and Yuki Oda in Tokyo contributed to this report. Cleaners collect debris on a beach at Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro on Dec. 26. The bay, a site for sailing races during the Olympics, receives sewage directly from the city system. (Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images) Mayor Eduardo Paes says the 2016 Olympic Games will change Rio de Janeiro for the better, thanks to 27 legacy projects, including new highways, subway stations and sanitation systems. He is proud of an ambitious public-private partnership to build a sewer network for 1.7 million people in the citys western zone, where waste is largely flushed untreated into storm drains and stinking rivers and canals. The area, called AP5, covers almost half of Rio. But although the new network has reached 19,000 homes, only one-fifth of them have actually connected to it. Some residents in low-income areas complain that the roughly $80 cost to hook up to the system is too high. Others simply do not think that the project, which is supposed to eventually serve about half a million homes, will succeed. Instead of becoming a sanitation solution, the project is underscoring Brazilians lack of faith in their government, which has a poor record on delivering public services, and the private sector. People think the sewage was never treated and that it never will be treated, so they dont believe in the project, said Samuel Farias, 46, a sanitation technician for Foz Aguas 5, the consortium of construction and sanitation companies that is operating the project. Francisc Oliveira, 63, in the small workshop run by his neighbor Roberto Neves, 53. Oliveira said the consortium putting a sewage network in this Rio suburb should have paid to connect his house. (Dom Phillips/FTWP) Brazil urgently needs sanitation improvements only 39 percent of its sewage is treated, according to the Trata Brasil Institute, a nonprofit group that conducts studies on water and sanitation. Lack of proper sewage management is blamed for health problems such as acute diarrhea, hepatitis and skin infections, especially in children. In 2011, the Rio city government, which had been responsible for the sewer system in AP5, awarded a 30-year contract to Foz Aguas 5 to take over the services in the area and build a new network. The project became part of the governments promised improvements associated with the 2016 Olympic Games. In June, an Olympic complex in Deodoro, a gritty neighborhood, was connected to the network. Foz Aguas 5 has committed to spending about $640 million and building 10 treatment plants over 30 years. So far, just one existing plant is being expanded. Sandro Stroiek, president of the consortium, said it has more than doubled the percentage of sewage treated in the area, to 12 percent, largely by repairing old pipes and equipment. But the consortium is facing an unexpected hurdle: customers who do not seem to want the service. One reason that residents are skeptical: They say that they have been billed for years for sewage services but that the waste was simply carried off from their homes and never properly treated. Resentment runs particularly deep in Campo Grande, an area on Rios western fringe that is included in the project and is riven by open-air concrete drains and small rivers that have effectively become open sewers. The population pays for a service that is not provided, said Mauro Pereira, president of a branch of the Brazilian Bar Association in Campo Grande. A big challenge About 40 percent of residents in the AP5 area do not pay any bill for sewage management, even though their waste is flushed into rivers and drains like everyone elses, officials say. Some have irregular connections to the network; others simply are poor or know they can get away with not paying. Many of those residents are worried that they will have to pay if they hook up to the new system, said Farias, the sanitation technician, and believe they cannot afford it even though there are subsidies for low-income residents. According to a 2015 Trata Brasil survey, 3.6 million people out of 82 million in Brazils biggest 100 cities are not connected to available sewer networks. Most did not want to pay the bills. Many residents complain about the fee around $80 that plumbers charge to connect their homes to the new sewer pipes in Rio. That is almost half the official monthly minimum salary. In Magalhaes Bastos, a neighborhood near Deodoro where the new network is being installed, Francisco Oliveira, 63, said the company should have paid to connect his house to the system. He and other residents said they had been threatened with fines if they did not connect. People are doing it because they are intimidated, he said. Ilka de Conceicao, 74, another resident, said that the work had been left unfinished in her street and that she didnt know if it would even be completed. I am not going to do the connection, she said. Foz Aguas 5 says it is trying to educate consumers on the new system and is working with Rio authorities to provide subsidies for the interconnection. It also offers free classes so residents can learn to do the connection work themselves, instead of paying a plumber. This is my big challenge, and I am worried about it, Stroiek said. Even so, he said, the company will meet a deadline to treat one-third of the areas sewage by May 2017. AP5 is going very slowly The consortium took over the areas sewage services from CEDAE, a utility company controlled by the regional government that handles the rest of Rios sanitation. Isaac Volschan, a professor of environmental sanitation at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, said that getting private companies involved in the areas sanitation made sense because there was not enough public money to pay for it. We will not advance just using public investment, he said. But Wagner Victer, president of CEDAE from 2007 to 2015, said it had been more efficient than the consortium in building sewer infrastructure in neighboring West Rio areas, where the Olympic Park and Olympic Village are situated. AP5 is going very slowly, he said. CEDAE, however, has been heavily criticized for pollution in Rios Guanabara Bay, where Olympic sailing races are scheduled this summer. The new consortium says that by the end of 2016, 17 million gallons of raw sewage a day from AP5 will no longer flow into the bay. In Campo Grande, tens of thousands of residents sued CEDAE several years ago, arguing that they should not have to pay for sewage treatment services they did not receive. Many won rebates and were exempted from charges. In 2013, however, a higher court ruled that it was legal to charge for sewage services because the waste was removed, even if it was not treated. The new network is not due to reach Campo Grande until 2017. On a recent day, Alexandre Nunes, 61, walked down a Campo Grande street holding a bill he had just paid for water and sewage treatment. He pointed to a pungent waterway where a brown snake had just slithered out of some reeds. It all goes there, he said. Nunes said Campo Grande had received one benefit because of the Olympics a bus rapid-transit line. Sewage, no, he said, expressing skepticism that the new project would ever be fully implemented. Dont even think about it. Read more Brazils new hero is a nerdy judge who is tough on official corruption In Rio, Olympic ambitions, but a bottom-line conscience A cheating public employee is caught in the act, and Brazil cant stop watching The Sri Lankan government last month presented anti-democratic legislation to the parliament aimed at punishing anyone deemed to be guilty of hate speech or advocating class struggle with a two-year jail term. Entitled the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, it declared: Whoever, by the use of words spoken, written or intended to be read, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, intends to cause or attempts to cause or instigates or attempts to instigate, acts of violence or religious, racial or communal disharmony, or feelings of ill-will or hostility, between communities or different classes of persons or different racial or religious groups, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years. Presenting the amendment, the government claimed that its measures were aimed at stopping hate speech. This is a sham. The legislation constitutes a far-reaching attack on basic democratic rights, allowing the state not only to define any criticism of communal ideologies and campaigns as hate speech but also to criminalise working-class activities and organisations, particularly those advocating class struggle. The phrase different classes in the bill makes clear that the measures will target the working class, particularly any person or party fighting for a revolutionary socialist perspective. After the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission pointed out on December 17 that the amendment was modelled on the countrys notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), the government made a tactical retreat and postponed parliamentary debate on the bill. The PTA, which was introduced by the right-wing United National Party (UNP) government in 1979, was used to repress the Tamil minority as well as political parties and the working class. However, Deputy Minister of Parliamentary Reforms and Mass Media Karunaratne Paranawithana made clear that the postponement was only temporary. We have not given up and will bring the law with amendments, he told the media. Inclusion of PTA regulations in the amendment, he claimed, was simply a technical fault. The government is cynically manipulating widespread public anger and opposition against political provocations organised by various Sinhala chauvinist groups as a pretext to introduce its anti-democratic laws. The government has observed a surge of communally harmful sentiments in the recent past, Paranawithana said. Such laws were in existence in other countries and Sri Lanka also needed a regulation of that nature as a reconciliatory measure. While not naming the communalist groups, Paranawithana was referring to Sinhala Buddhist extremist organisations such as Bodu Bala Sena (Buddhist Brigade or BBS), Sihala Ravaya (Sinhala Voice) and Ravana Balakaya (Ravana Brigade). In June 2014, the BBS instigated political violence in the southern city of Aluthgama where four Muslims were killed and dozens injured by Sinhala-Buddhist mobs. These organisations repeatedly make provocative communal speeches, encouraging attacks on Muslims and Christians, and their places of worship, and accusing them of destroying the Sinhala Buddhist heritage. While these groups were encouraged under the previous government of President Mahinda Rajapakse, anti-Tamil racism and other forms of communalism have been systematically employed by the Sri Lankan ruling elite and its various governments since independence to divide the working class along racial and religious lines. The entire state apparatus especially the security forces are thoroughly mired in Sinhala chauvinism. The governments concerns about hate speech, like its rhetoric about democracy, good governance and reconciliation is thoroughly hypocritical. Both President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe backed the three-decade communal war against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the associated crimes against the working class and poor, as well as the systematic discrimination against Tamils embodied in the countrys constitution. The latest anti-democratic measures in Sri Lanka are part of an international phenomenon. Paranaw ithana referred to other countries to justify the governments plans. In Britain for instance a Counter-Extremism Bill has been proposed that will severely curtail freedom of speech, as sembly and movement and ban organisations seeking to undermin e democracy or use hate speech . In Sri Lanka, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) along with several non-government organisations (NGOs) and the trade unions, have filed fundamental rights petitions to the Supreme Court opposing the governments hate-speech amendment. This opposition, however, simply advises the government to use the existing anti-democratic laws. Civil society activists and 10 NGOs, for example, issued a statement opposing the need for new legislation criminalising hate speech, and pointed out that there are several legal provisions that already to do so. The violence of these groups (referring to Sinhala extremists) was not a result of lack of legislation to prosecute perpetrators, but a failure to properly use the laws. The pseudo-left Nava Sama Samaja Party (NSSP) has played a key role in demanding the government ban hate speech and strengthen the state apparatus. A few days after the anti-Muslim mob attacks in Aluthgama in June 2014, NSSP leader Wickremabahu Karunaratne urged the then Rajapakse government to take immediate action to implement even more draconian measures. How can a speech be banned once the speech is being made? In order to ban, they [the government] have to take a pre-emptive action, he told the Sunday Leader . They should not allow people, those who incite violence, to speak again. Gnanasara Thero [the Buddhist monk who heads BBS] made a very violent speech at Aluthgama that resulted in atrocities. Even if the government says that they will ban such speeches, I doubt very much they will put anything into practice. Karunaratne is a leading supporter of the current right-wing government and last January was appointed to its National Executive Councila top-level, multi-party advisory body. The principal target of the planned hate-speech legislation is the working class and the poor. The Sri Lankan government and the capitalist ruling elite, which confronts mounting debts, a developing global recession and a balance of payment crisis, has turned to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a stand-by loan. The IMF has already demanded spending cuts and wholesale restructuring of the economy. Recently proposed budget cuts include the ending of the state-paid pension system and privatisation of state-owned enterprises. Well aware that major clashes lie ahead, the government is strengthening the state and arming itself with a battery of reactionary laws to use against the working class as it comes forward to defends its jobs, living standards and basic rights. The author also recommends: Oppose the attacks on Muslims in Sri Lanka [23 June 2014] After President Francois Hollande announced last month that France might deprive dual nationals convicted of terrorism or crimes against the state of French citizenship, the Socialist Party (PS) government is now considering extending that punishment to all French nationals. This would be a flagrant violation of international law. Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Man specifies nationality as a fundamental right of any person, while a 1961 UN convention specifies that member states cannot deprive anyone of their nationality if this makes that person stateless. Indeed, in his announcement, Hollande said that the measure would only apply to dual nationals, in order to avoid making people stateless. Nonetheless, on Monday, PS Junior Minister for Relations with the Parliament Jean-Marie Le Guen announced that deprivation of citizenship for all nationals was an element in the debate. Bruno Le Roux, the chair of the PS fraction in the National Assembly, seemed to go further, issuing an ambiguous call for depriving of French nationality anyone who turns their weapons against the state. Government spokesman Stephane Le Foll explained, We will look at various positions and see what we can put on the table. The president and the government are concerned with obtaining a broad majority on a question that is above all the safety of the French people, and which must therefore go beyond the usual divisions. This shift even further to the far right is bound up with attempts to solidify the PS majority behind Hollande's reactionary plans. Initially, layers within the PS felt obliged to emit certain criticisms of deprivation of citizenship; it is a measure associated with the neo-fascist National Front (FN), the Nazi collaborationist regime of Vichy during World War II, and the Holocaust. The Vichy regime infamously used it to deprive thousands of naturalized French Jews of their citizenship and deport them to their deaths in Nazi concentration camps. Its last prominent use under a parliamentary regime came in February 1940, in the reactionary climate of the opening months of World War II, against the left. At that time, two leaders of the Stalinist French Communist Party (PCF), National Assembly deputies Maurice Thorez and Andre Marty, were denounced as tools of the USSR and deprived of their citizenship. Now, however, under the pretext that the government is no longer discriminating against dual nationals, broad sections of the PS are moving to support Hollande's initiative. PS party chairman Jean-Christophe Cambadelis, who previously said that deprivation of nationality for dual nationals was not an idea of the left, said this week that it could be considered, if it was open to all Frenchmen. The official conceit that this is a measure directed against French terrorists tied to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which carried out the Charlie Hebdo and November 13 attacks last year in Paris, is a political fraud. The measure does nothing to aid the surveillance or prevention of terrorist attacks. It would only serve to create a layer of individuals permanently deprived of any civil rights and forced to live and work illegally in France. As the daily Liberation wrote, Indeed, deprivation of nationality can only be imposed after a definitive conviction and after the accused has served his time. This means at least 15 years delay (for terrorism-related crimes) and then an incongruous situation: made stateless, the individual would be marooned in France without papers, probably condemned to remain in this situation. 'What other country would accept him on its territory?' asked [Lille University law professor Gilles] Lepoutre. Moreover, it seems unlikely that a French Islamist who carried out a terror attack would be subject to deprivation of nationality. All of themfrom 2012 Toulouse shooter Mohamed Merah, to the Kouachi brothers and Amedy Coulibaly who perpetrated the Charlie Hebdo/Hyper Cacher attacks, to the November 13 attackerseither were murdered by paramilitary units or fled France. Rather, the law moves France towards a situation where police could effectively outlaw anyone convicted of an ever-widening range of terrorism-related offenses or of violence against police and other representatives of state power. Various politicians in and around the PS are still proposing alternatives to deprivation of citizenship. Green leader Jean-Vincent Place is proposing deprivation of civil rightsa measure applied in the late 19th century to working-class supporters of the 1871 Paris Commune who survived the mass murder of the Communards by the bourgeois government of Versailles. What is ever clearer, however, is that the PS is seizing upon the November 13 terrorist attacks in Paris to try to resolve the deep political crisis in France by shifting the official climate far to the right, and aligning itself with the policies of the FN. In the period before the November 13 attacks, after the collapse of social-democratic parties like PASOK in Greece and the PSOE in Spain, the PS's long-term survival was in question. PS Prime Minister Manuel Valls had warned of the death of the left. PS policies of austerity and war garnered Hollande the lowest approval ratings of any French president since World War II, and there were questions as to whether the PS would survive next year's presidential elections. For the PS, the November 13 attacks were a political godsend, allowing Hollande to declare himself the war president and try to fashion broader support for his administration on the basis of law-and-order measures. The debate on deprivation of nationality is exposing the class content of this policy. As Le Foll's remarks show, the PS is seeking to go beyond the traditional division between left and rightthat is to say, to overcome the bourgeoisie's reticence to employ policies too visibly linked to the heritage of 20th century fascism. The reactionary pro-capitalist groups that for decades have passed for the left since the 1968 general strike, the petty-bourgeois parties that emerged from the student movement and the PS itself, are completing a historic degeneration. These forces represented, in the final analysis, an alliance between finance capital and sections of the affluent middle class hostile to Marxism. Over decades in which they imposed reactionary policies, starting with the PS presidency of Francois Mitterrand in 1981, they emerged as a social layer totally alien from the working class. Now, as the PS's electoral fortunes collapse, they are veering rapidly onto the terrain of the far right, advocating state illegality and authoritarian forms of rule. The PS announced plans to rule through a permanent state of emergency, which Hollande aims to impose via a constitutional amendment. Beyond this, however, amid the confusion caused by the debate inside the PS and the media over the deprivation of citizenship, a broad series of attacks on democratic rights are being prepared. The PS is hurriedly drafting a reform of the penal code to strengthen police powers, ostensibly under the pretext of fighting terrorism or organized crime. The law would extend police immunity for the use of deadly force during raids, broaden police powers to search persons and belongings without judicial authorization, and allow police authorities to detain individuals and consign them to house arrest for a month without judicial approval. The police and the Interior Ministry are seizing enormous powers, effectively doing an end run around the courts and the judicial system. Le Monde wrote that the law's goal is clear: to prolong measures authorized by the state of emergency beyond the state of emergency It points to a basic tendency of successive governments: to marginalize the judiciary, particularly investigating magistrates that are legally independent [from the executive], and replace them with prosecutors, who are named by the government. After two months of negotiations, the pseudo-left Candidatures of Popular Unity (CUP) agreed last Sunday not to vote to re-elect current premier Artur Mas, the pro-separatist interim regional premier representing the Together for Yes coalition. Together for Yes has 62 seats, 6 seats short of an absolute majority in the 135-seat Assembly. The CUP has 10 seats, holding the balance of power to invest Mas as the new premier. The decision not to vote for Mas pushes Catalonia towards fresh elections after January 10, when the parliament will be dissolved after a new premier is not voted in. The most likely date for the elections would be March 6. This would be the fourth round of elections in the region in five years. During a press conference yesterday, Mas stated, My error, the error of Together for Yes, was to trust in the CUPs sense of nationhood, adding that The CUPs error is gigantic. The CUPs decision taken by the partys Political Committee and Parliamentary Action Group is not based on a principled position against Artur Mass austerity policies. In fact, since 2010, the CUP has provided political cover for the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC) and the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), the main forces in the Together for Yes coalition. These parties have imposed a 20 percent cut in public expenditure and an increase in taxes and have carried out major privatisations. The CUP thus assisted factions of the Catalan ruling class in whipping up separatism, to pressure Madrid for further concessions and disorient rising working class anger at austerity. Once re-elected in September 2015, this time with 10 seats, the CUP voted for Together for Yes candidate Carme Forcadell, the former head of the Catalan National Assembly, a civil society organisation tied by a thousand threads to the CDC. It then junked its previous pledge for a 2 billion anti-poverty package, which it replaced with a 270 million package, a face-saving measure which would do little to help the 2.2 million poor and 19 percent unemployed in Catalonia. This was appended to a secessionist resolution announcing the start of the process to create the independent Catalan State in the form of a Republic, passed by the parliament even before a new Catalan government was installed. The parliament would then be tasked with forming a new state within 18 months once a new regional government was elected. The CUPs support was a charade. Both the CUP and the Together for Yes knew that the resolution would be illegalised by the Constitutional Court, as it finally was. Its aim was to provide a secessionist pretext to support a pro-austerity Together for Yes government and rally support among the petty-bourgeois layers that form its social base. The resolution sparked a major political crisis in Spain, with all the Spanish establishment parties and the ruling right-wing Popular Party government attacking the resolution for breaking the law. After the resolution, the CUP attempted to use its 10 deputies to pressure the Together for Yes coalition to put up another candidate to replace Mas, who was increasingly unpopular due to his austerity programme. Two months later, the CDC has refused to give in to the CUPs demands. Current CDC general coordinator Josep Rull insisted that there would not be another candidate for premier, and that the CDC would not give ground to the CUP. He said that if his party reacts by accepting CUPs demands, it will look like the minority of 10 MPs out of 135 is leading the [independence] process. He accused the CUP of putting the revolution before independence. Mas also said he will not back down: I am anxious to make a stand in Madrid, and also right here, against the forces that are not making it easy for us. The next day, the CUPs number two, Anna Gabriel, made a last attempt to convince Together for Yes to propose ERC president Oriol Junqueras as premier, stating, we understand that there are possibilities that Together for Yes will rethink its foundational agreement in order to create a government under a person from the ERC, with the support of the CUP and other parties. The ERC is no less a pro-austerity party than the CDC, however. It has supported two regional CDC governments under Mas that have imposed savage austerity. The CUPs attempt to cover for the ERC as a lesser evil than the CDC is a fraud. The CUPs manoeuvres are threatening to split the party over the tactical question of whether to invest Mas or not. After the decision was announced last Sunday, Antonio Banos, head of the CUPs parliamentary faction, wrote a letter announcing, I couldnt or I didnt know how to fulfill the mandate [electoral results of September 27] and therefore I quit. Banos admitted to being unable to defend the majoritarian position of refusing to back Mas, claiming it is contrary to the ideas and goals for which I decided to run for the 27-S elections. I was among those who supported Together for Yes proposal and was willing to invest its candidate, he stated. The party is split evenly between supporters of Mass re-election and those against. The urban areas around the major cities, especially Barcelona, where austerity has been felt harder, are hostile to Mass re-election; in rural areas, there is greater support for the separatist parties and for Mas specifically. The CUP leadership is conscious that separation is not popular in working class areas. The volatility of the situation is shown by the results in the past elections in Barcelonas so-called red belt, an area surrounding Barcelona of around 3 million who have traditionally voted for the Socialist and Communist Parties. In five years this area has seen the collapse of the Socialist Party, the rise of the right-wing anti-separatist Citizens Party in last Septembers regional elections, and finally the rise of Podemos in the last general elections. Podemos came in first in the region, and in the city of Barcelona. It has called for a referendum on independence in the region, claiming it would vote against secession if such a referendum was held. What is emerging is the total bankruptcy of the CUP. The party that presented itself as an anti-capitalist party has exposed itself as the left flank of the separatist movement with only tactical differences with the openly pro-austerity forces of the CDC and the ERC. It has so far failed in its campaign to eliminate Mas, whom it views as an inconvenient figurehead, and replace him with someone more amenable. The Universal sequel would be the first major studio production to shoot on the island. By Rebecca Ford, Borys Kit The Fast and Furious franchise is known for globetrotting to some of the worlds most exotic and exciting locations, taking stars Vin Diesel, Tyrese Gibson, Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris and the late Paul Walker from the streets of Los Angeles to places like Japan, London and Abu Dhabi. But the eighth installment could potentially send the racing action series to a place rarely explored by Hollywood films: Cuba. Sources say Fast and Furious 8s director F. Gary Gray recently returned from a scouting trip that included the previously embargoed nation as part of professional research trip. Sources say the production has moved forward with the paperwork to shoot there, making it the first Hollywood studio film to shoot on the island since the embargo was set in the 1960s. Universal Pictures is currently in the process seeking approval from the United States and Cuban governments to explore shooting a portion of the next installment of the Fast & Furious series in Cuba, said a statement from the studio. Its been a little over a year since President Obama chose to re-establish ties with Cuba and ease restrictions on American travel to the island. A U.S. Embassy was opened for the first time in more than 50 years, and the new policies have opened up the possibility of increased filming on the island. Read More: Furious 8 Gets 2017 Release Date In March, Conan O'Brien went to Havana, the first time a late-night show had appeared in Cuba since 1962, when the U.S. embargo began. An indie film, Bob Yaris Papa, became the first Hollywood film to shoot in Cuba since the embargo when it filmed on the island earlier in 2014. It has a unique beauty to it, says Yari of shooting in Cuba. "Youre in a very unique setting which is really hard to duplicate anywhere else. People have tried in places like the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, but Cuba has such unique features like the Morro Castle and the Malecon. Its a beautiful location. Story continues Papa, starring Giovanni Ribisi and Minka Kelly, centered on a journalist who befriends Ernest and Mary Hemingway, who lived in Cuba for many years. Yari warns, however, that while Cuba does have its own filmmaking community and crews, there are many challenges to bringing a Hollywood production onto the island. There isnt the infrastructure and facilities and equipment down there, so a lot of it has to be brought in, adds Yari. The crews are wonderful, theyre very dedicated and passionate about what they do, but theyre not used to the pace of U.S. filmmaking. A production the size of Furious 8, which would likely include dozens, maybe hundreds, of crew, has yet to make its way to Cuba. A film has to get a special license to shoot in Cuba, which is no easy feat, even after Obama lifted some of the restrictions. A film like Papa got the exemption for the license because it was a Hemingway story which required them to shoot in places Hemingway visited. However, locations for any film are never set in stone and could easily change before shooting, and sources say the paperwork from the treasury department has not yet been approved for them to shoot in Cuba in the spring. Read More: F. Gary Gray Enters Exclusive Talks to Direct 'Fast and Furious 8 While the film community is strong in Cuba (the Havana Film Festival has taken place every December since 1979, and the International School of Cinema and Television is world-renowned), the infrastructure issues, like spotty internet, can add challenges to any film production, especially one as big and ambitious as Furious 8. Sources say production on Furious 8, like its previous installment, will be based in Atlanta, Ga., but a slew of exotic locations are being eyed including Russia and Iceland. The previous installment, which included the final appearance by Walker, who died in a car crash before the film was completed, earned a huge $1.5 billion worldwide. Furious 8 is slated for release on April 14, 2017. This years Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show doesnt actually kickoff until today. But that hasnt stopped companies from taking over the days leading up to the official opening with plenty of press conferences. A quick survey of the gadgets and services announced at those early press events can be broken into four main categories: Smart cars; accessories; laptops (and tablets that think theyre laptops); and wearables. Here are some of the most interesting announcements weve seen so far. A fleet of car news This years pre-CES announcements have included a couple of fun new advances in car tech and some interesting partnerships. Microsoft has teamed up with Volvo to bring some vehicle function controls to its Band 2 fitness wearable. Similarly, Ford and Amazon have hooked up to link the Echo to its connected cars, meaning youll be able to unlock your vehicle from inside your home or ask Amazons Alexa system questions from behind the wheel. Ford has also announced that its unleashing the largest crop of self-driving test-cars in the auto market, featuring new, more advanced self-driving sensors. And car-audio vendor Harman has announced that it will be bringing Microsoft Office to car consoles though probably not in time for you to do this years taxes from the drivers seat. Accessories you didnt know you needed Though Apple itself isnt at the show, accessories for Apple gadgets most definitely are. Griffin has come out with a portable Apple Watch charger to help you get your expensive timepiece through the day without dying. And (along with a slew of other new USB-C adapters) the company has also developed a Magsafe converter for Apples new MacBook USB-C charger. For Apple and Android mobile devices, the new Bixi gesture-sensing accessory allows you to control your device when your hands are full or wet/cruddy. In the domain of home tech accessories, a company called Sevenhugs has unveiled a buttonless smart remote that, after being programmed, will detect what its being pointed at and change its touchscreen face to provide the appropriate controls. Story continues Even the burgeoning space of virtual reality tech is getting accessory add-ons this year. The new 3DRudder VR game controller for your feet lets you explore virtual worlds while leaving your hands free. Laptop copycats When it comes to computer hardware world in 2016, originality apparently is not high on the list of design requirements. LGs new 15-inch MacBook knockoff looks so much like the original, its almost embarrassing. Sure, its a few inches larger than Apples gold laptop, and it runs Microsofts Windows 10 OS. But otherwise its a veritable clone. HP has also come with a laptop playing off of the 12-inch MacBook, featuring USB-C ports on a super-slim body that measures just a hair slighter than Apples newest laptop. Meanwhile, Samsung is announcing a Microsoft Surface imitator. Dell and Lenovo, of course, have Surface-like hybrid models of their own. But Samsungs looks to be the thinnest of the bunch even slimmer than the actual Surface Pro 4. Lenovo, on the other hand, continues to copy itself, with new flavors of its ThinkPad Windows laptops. This years models follow the same design style set by IBMs 1990s ThinkPad machines, with obvious injections of sleekness and up-to-date PC innards. Wearing on and on Based on what weve seen ahead of this years CES, looks like well be wearing even more tech soon. In 2016, HTC has already announced a glitzy partnership with UnderArmour to bring a suite of UA-branded fitness-tracking wearables to the market. Theres the UA Band for tracking your steps and calories burned, the UA Heart Rate for precise pulse measurements, a UA body scale, and connected shoes called the SpeedForm Gemini 2. All devices hook into the UA Record app to measure your progress against your resolved New Years fitness goals. Fitbit has also pulled the curtain back on its first smartwatch, the Fitbit Blaze. Based on the precipitous fall in Fitbit stock that met the announcements, investors were not impressed with the gadgets awkward design. The new Ray fitness and sleep tracker by connected device company Misfit, on the flip side, is being lauded for its fine looks. In the field of linguistics wearables, real-time translation necklace ili looks to help you get by in foreign-language countries by speaking out translated versions of whatever you say into it. The first model will support Japanese, English, and Chinese languages, with future iterations to include more. Availability will be announced in the spring. Stay tuned to Yahoo Tech for more CES 2016 coverage to come. Email me at danbean@yahoo-inc.com. Follow me on Twitter at danielwbean. On Jan. 1, the Aloha State became the first state in the nation to raise the minimum age for purchasing tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes, to 21. We are proud to once again be at the forefront of the nation in tobacco prevention and control, Hawaii Department of Health Director Virginia Pressler said in a statement. While our comprehensive approach to addressing tobacco use in Hawaii has led to quantifiable decreases in deaths due to smoking, an increase in targeted marketing to our youth and young adults and new technology in the form of e-cigarettes requires our state to take additional measures to protect our young people. The percentage of Hawaiis teens using e-cigarettes quadrupled to 22 percent from 2011 to 2015, the Associated Press reports. Among middle-schoolers, the percentage increased sixfold to 12 percent in the same four-year period. Hawaii isnt unique. Teens across the country are increasingly turning to e-cigarettes. Hawaii already has begun enforcing the new law, but initially only warnings will be issued through March. After that, underage smokers will be fined $10 for the first offense and $50 or community service for subsequent offenses, the AP explained. If a retailer is caught selling tobacco to someone under 21, they can be fined $500 for the first offense and up to $2,000 for each subsequent offense. In addition to increasing the legal smoking age, Hawaii also revised its smoke-free area laws to incorporate e-cigarettes, so their use is now banned anywhere traditional tobacco products are prohibited, according to a Hawaii Department of Health press release. Although Hawaii is the first state to raise the legal age for smoking to 21, more than 100 cities and counties in the United States including New York City have already done so. Alabama, Alaska, New Jersey and Utah have increased the legal smoking age from 18 to 19. (R)aising [the] minimum age to buy cigarettes to at least 21 will reduce smoking prevalence and save lives, says the Institute of Medicine (IOM), a division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. (Check out Should the U.S. Raise the Smoking Age to 21?) Story continues The IOM noted that a staggering 90 percent of Americas daily smokers started lighting up before age 19. The institute went on to say that if the smoking age were raised to 21 nationwide, for the cohort of people born between 2000 and 2019, there would be approximately 249,000 fewer premature deaths, 45,000 fewer deaths from lung cancer, and 4.2 million fewer years of life lost. By raising the smoking age, the Aloha State hopes to keep tobacco products out of the hands of youths and prevent future nicotine addiction and health issues, Lola Irvin, an official with the Hawaii Department of Health, told the AP. In Hawaii, about 1 in 4 students in high school try their first cigarette each year, and 1 in 3 who get hooked will die prematurely, Irvin said. Although several military bases in Hawaii said they support and will comply with the new smoking law, some soldiers are adamantly opposed to it. If you can serve the country, you should be able to have a drink and a cigarette, Justin Warren, 22, an X-ray technician in the Army, told the AP. What do you think about Hawaii raising the smoking age to 21? Share your comments below or on our Facebook page. This article was originally published on MoneyTalksNews.com as 'Hawaii at the Forefront With New Tobacco Control Law'. More from Money Talks News People at a preview of Christie's autumn sales in Hong Kong (AFP Photo/Philippe Lopez) Hong Kong (AFP) - Hong Kong auction houses are looking for novel ways to keep their sales buoyant in the face of China's economic slowdown -- from creating boozy bidding parties to selling items from outer space. The recent sales season in the city saw the familiar glittering parade of art, jewellery and rare wines. But although billionaire Asian collectors have grabbed headlines with recent mega-buys, takings were down at major Hong Kong auction houses. Now auctioneers are trying to develop fresh strategies to woo increasingly picky collectors. New Hong Kong auction house Dragon 8 says it is trying to break the traditional mold of stuffy auctions by creating invite-only sales fuelled by good wine and food. "I'm up there putting on a show for these people," said founder Gil Lempert-Schwarz. "I serve them wine, we eat food. There's a set-up limit: around 45 seats around tables." Most buyers are from Hong Kong and China, bidding for high-end lots of diamonds, fine art, wines and whiskeys. One spent thousands of dollars on a bottle of champagne then shared it with the room at Dragon 8's inaugural auction last month, said Lempert-Schwartz. - Money shot - Dealing in rare coins and paper money may be at the less sparkly end of the auction spectrum -- but leading US-based numismatic auction house Stack's Bowers added an interstellar element to its sale in Hong Kong this month. It featured a coin and stamps taken onboard China's unmanned Shenzhou 1 spacecraft, sent into orbit in 1999. Stack's Bowers said there was a growing desire among Chinese collectors to repatriate heritage items. "We're finding Chinese and Asian coins from all over the United States and the vast majority are being sold to Chinese and Asian buyers," said president Brian Kendrella. "Our collectors want to repatriate these collectibles that have left the country, now that specifically mainland China is in a place where wealth is growing quite rapidly." Story continues The space collectibles failed to sell -- but a Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China note from 1863, issued in Hong Kong, went to an Asian collector for more than US$100,000, five times the estimate. - Trendy tipples - Auctioneers are also trying to spot potential new niches. Wine and whiskey expert Daniel Lam of Bonhams Asia predicts collectible sake could be the next big thing for booze fans. "I think we will see more sake auctions and even Chinese kaoliang (strong sorghum wine) auctions, already happening in Hong Kong and Taiwan," says Lam. While the market for wine remains healthy, prices have dropped and whiskey has taken over as "the hippest drink in the world," he adds. Bonhams set two world records at its Hong Kong whiskey auction in August. But Lam says it is important to look ahead, and sake could meet the demand in Asia for rare luxury items. "They only sell super premium sake by allocation, and there are often not more than 100 bottles," says Lam. "The scarcity and the limited bottling push up the demand. Getting the most highly regarded product is a status symbol." - Buyer caution - November saw Chinese tycoon Liu Yiqian buy Modigliani's "Nu Couche" in New York for $170.4 million. The same month, Hong Kong billionaire Joseph Lau snapped up diamonds worth almost $80 million at Sotheby's and Christie's in Geneva. Yet auction houses say the overall mood is cautious, says Nicolas Chow, Sotheby's deputy chairman for Asia. "If you compare the market to where (it) was in 2010, 2011, when there was a lot of hot money coming in from China... everything sold," he told AFP. "People were just throwing money around... We're very far from that climate today." There are fears that the combination of an economic slowdown in China and an anti-corruption drive by President Xi Jinping could hit the Asia market -- both Sotheby's and Christie's posted lower totals at their autumn sales in Hong Kong than in the two previous years. Christie's described its results as "solid" but said buyers were becoming more selective. Attracting new collectors is key, says Rebecca Wei, president of Christie's Asia. "When we consider the new client penetration rates by Christie's and across all leading auction houses, we find that the figures are still quite low," Wei told AFP. Educating potential collectors and providing more accessible information to create "a less intimidating buying process" is part of the strategy, says Wei. An uncertain global economy and questions over buyers' willingness to spend make the auction house "cautiously optimistic" about the future, she adds. "It is slightly early to see the road ahead clearly, however the optimism stems from new buyers enthusiastically entering the market," says Wei. Both Sotheby's and Christie's believe it is more important than ever to carefully curate collections. "For as long as we compose a sale carefully, tidily, I've got a lot of confidence in the years ahead," says Chow. Journalists follow the presentation of Huawei's new smartphone, the Mate S, ahead of the IFA Electronics show in Berlin, Germany, September 2, 2015. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke/Files By Yimou Lee HONG KONG (Reuters) - Huawei Technologies Co became the first Chinese handset vendor to ship more than 100 million smartphones in a year when its 2015 shipments defied a market slowdown and jumped 44 percent, thanks to strong sales domestically and in Western Europe. Shenzhen-based Huawei disclosed on Wednesday it shipped 108 million smartphones last year, as it sought to shed its budget supplier image to target higher-margin premium models. In comparison, the global industry is expected to have grown at a single-digit rate in 2015 for the first time. Huawei's upbeat performance comes at a time when industry leaders Samsung Electronics Co and Apple Inc are potentially facing a tough year ahead. Samsung said it expected a difficult business environment in 2016 due to a weak global economy and heightened competition, while a Nikkei report said Apple was expected to cut production of its latest iPhone models by about 30 percent in the January-March quarter due to mounting inventories. Chinese handset makers are providing stiffer competition for the smartphone industry giants as cost-conscious consumers are looking for cheaper alternatives with similar features and frills. "There are increasingly more Chinese vendors who can offer good products, so you don't necessarily have to buy a phone from Samsung," said Avril Wu, analyst at research firm TrendForce. "They (Chinese vendors) are taking market shares from the top leaders." But it was too early to say if Huawei could stay as a solid contender to Samsung and Apple, as smaller Chinese players such as Xiaomi Inc and Lenovo Group Ltd often swapped rank after price wars, analysts said. "In China it's true that Huawei grew tremendously over the past six months, but it's a bit of a dog fight within the Android ecosystem," said Carolina Milanesi, analyst at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. "Huawei's going after Xiaomi and all the other smaller Android players." Huawei remains a distant third in the global smartphone market, with a market share of 7.5 percent in the third quarter, after Samsung's 23.8 percent and Apple's 13.5 percent, according to research firm IDC. Story continues Moving up the value chain effectively in the global smartphone market remains a challenge for Chinese vendors as they tend to sacrifice profit margins to boost sales volumes, analysts said. Huawei said revenue for its consumer business group, which sells products such as smartphones and tablets, jumped 70 percent year-on-year to $20 billion in 2015. Worldwide smartphone shipments will grow 9.8 percent in 2015 in the industry's first year of single-digit growth, down from 27.5 percent in the previous year, according to IDC. (Reporting By Yimou Lee; Additional reporting by Ritsuko Ando in TOKYO; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman) VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Jan 6, 2016) - Imperial Metals Corporation (the "Company") (III.TO) reports that Huckleberry Mines Ltd. ("HML") has suspended pit operations at the Huckleberry mine, affecting approximately 100 of its 260 employees. HML will retain the balance of its work force to continue milling stockpiled ore. While HML has made significant efforts to reduce operating costs at the Huckleberry mine, the realized savings have not been sufficient to offset declining copper prices. HML will continue to work with employees and other stakeholders to manage through this difficult period. Huckleberry had an excellent operating record in 2015 with no loss time accidents. In December, Huckleberry received a reclamation award and a commendation for its work with the local First Nations from the Government of British Columbia. About Imperial Imperial is an exploration, mine development and operating company based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Company, through its subsidiaries, owns the Mount Polley copper/gold mine in British Columbia, the Sterling gold mine in Nevada and the Red Chris copper/gold mine in northern British Columbia. Imperial holds a 50% interest in Huckleberry Mines Ltd. and a 50% interest in the Ruddock Creek lead/zinc property, both in British Columbia. Forward-Looking Information and Risks Notice Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect Company management's expectations or beliefs regarding future events and include, but are not limited to, specific statements regarding Huckleberry Mine's ongoing milling of stockpiled ore, and its intent to continue working with employees and other stakeholders to manage through this difficult period, and in general, statements with respect to the estimation of mineral reserves and mineral resources, the conversion of mineral resources to mineral reserves, the realization of mineral reserve estimates, the timing and amount of estimated future production, costs of production, capital expenditures, and success of mining operations. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "outlook", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative of these terms or comparable terminology. In this document certain forward-looking statements are identified by words including "guidance", "expectations", "targeted", "plan", "planned", "estimated", "calls for" and "expected". By their very nature forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, risks detailed from time to time in the Company's interim and annual financial statements and management's discussion and analysis of those statements, all of which are filed and available for review on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward looking statements. By Nidhi Verma NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Iran could moderate oil output and exports once Western sanctions are lifted to avoid putting prices under further pressure, a senior Iranian oil official said on Tuesday. Iranian officials have repeatedly called on OPEC to make room for a supply jump from the Islamic Republic while pledging to ramp up exports as soon as sanctions on its oil industry are lifted in the next few months under a nuclear deal with world powers. A pledge to moderate exports would be a major shift in Iran's policies in an environment when most OPEC and non-OPEC producers are fighting for market share despite a growing global oil glut. "We don't want to start a sort of a price war," Mohsen Qamsari, director general for international affairs of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), told Reuters in a telephone interview. "We will be more subtle in our approach and may gradually increase output," Qamsari said. "I have to say that there is no room to push prices down any further, given the level where they are". He did not give detail or the scale of how much Iran would be prepared to moderate its shipments. Iran has repeatedly said it plans to raise oil output by 500,000 barrels per day post-sanctions, and another 500,000 bpd shortly after that, to reclaim its position as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries' second-largest producer. Iran's most senior oil official, oil minister Bijan Zanganeh, said over the weekend Iran would not seek to distort the markets but will make sure it regains its market share. Global oil prices (LCOc1) are trading at about two-thirds below their mid-2014 highs due to a supply glut and waning demand, depriving oil producers of billions of dollars in revenues. Qamsari said he expected oil prices to remain at current levels this year. To sell additional barrels on the world market, NIOC is looking at buying stakes in existing and new refineries overseas, Qamsari said, without specifying countries or companies. Story continues The strategy is somewhat similar to other Gulf producers like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait although the challenge for Iran would be to raise financing for acquisitions. Western sanctions against Iran's disputed nuclear programme halved Tehran's oil export to about 1.1-1.2 million bpd and froze its oil revenue in overseas markets. Qamsari, who last month visited India, said Indian refiners, including Reliance Industries (RELI.NS) are interested in lifting higher volumes from NIOC. Under pressures from Western sanctions, Reliance, which operates the world's biggest refining complex in India, halted imports of Iranian oil in 2010. He also said Iran would not be offering discounts to lure customers. Currently, Iran offers 90-day credit, free shipping and some discounts on crude prices to buyers in India. Qamsari said Indian refiners are interested in buying West Karun grade, a blend of oil from 4-5 reservoirs. Refiners in India, Iran's second biggest oil client after China, owe a little less than $6 billion to Tehran. Qamsari said Iran wants to recover its dues in foreign currency, preferably euros, although a mechanism has yet to be worked out. Sanctions have crippled Iran's economy and forced it to resort to gasoline imports. Last year, Iran imported about 5 million litres of high octane gasoline a day to blend with the locally produced fuel. Tehran has made investments in its refining sector and hopes to halt gasoline imports within a year, Qamsari said. (Reporting by Nidhi Verma; editing by Susan Thomas and Adrian Croft) JPMorgan Chase Chairman and Chief Executive James Dimon speaks during the Institute of International Finance Annual Meeting in Washington in this October 10, 2014, file photo. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/Files (Reuters) By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co shareholders cannot pursue a lawsuit to force Chief Executive Jamie Dimon and other officials to pay damages to the largest U.S. bank for their alleged ignorance of red flags signaling Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme, a federal appeals court ruled on Wednesday. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan upheld a lower court dismissal of claims that Dimon and 12 other executives and directors breached their duties by turning a blind eye to Madoff, an important client for two decades, to maintain the bank's lucrative relationship with him. Citing applicable Delaware law, the appeals court said the shareholders did not show that the defendants "utterly failed to implement any reporting or information system or controls" that might have caught Madoff's fraud. It acknowledged that this standard is "possibly the most difficult theory in corporation law upon which a plaintiff might hope to win a judgment." The Steamfitters Local 449 Pension Fund in Pittsburgh and the Central Laborers' Pension Fund in Jacksonville, Illinois, which were JPMorgan shareholders, had argued that they needed to show only the defendants' utter failure to try to implement "reasonable" controls, rather than "any" controls. JPMorgan is based in New York but incorporated in Delaware. Madoff, 77, is serving a 150-year prison term after pleading guilty to fraud in March 2009, three months after his scheme was uncovered. A lawyer for the shareholders did not immediately respond to requests for comment. JPMorgan spokesman Brian Marchiony declined to comment. A lawyer for the bank directors did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Wednesday's decision upheld a July 2014 dismissal by U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty in Manhattan. The lawsuit began after JPMorgan agreed to pay $2.6 billion to settle other Madoff-related litigation, and enter a "deferred prosecution agreement" with federal prosecutors under which the bank acknowledged responsibility for failing to stop Madoff. The case is Central Laborers' Pension Fund et al v. Dimon et al, 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 14-4516. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 6, 2016 / Lake Victoria Mining Company (LVCA) is pleased to announce that it has entered a Letter Agreement with Sprout TZ Inc. (Sprout) that provides an option for the Company to acquire up to an eight percent (8%) ownership interest in Sprout. Sprout is a private company that has access to acquire arable land in Tanzania, East Africa for the cultivation of Arabica and Robusta coffee. Sprout has a unique business and marketing model for the worldwide sale of coffee plants and coffee bean production. Sprout has the potential ability to positively effect the existing coffee growing industry in Tanzania that is 90% comprised of small scale farmers. The Company forecasts achieving revenues in excess of $30 million during its first five years of operations. The terms of the Letter Agreement allow for proper due diligence to be conducted by both companies with a closing date set for February 15, 2016. The agreement provides Lake Victoria with three incremental options to acquire up to a total of eight percent of Sprout's current issued and outstanding share capital in exchange for an aggregate total of 30,000,000 common shares of Lake Victoria. Several directors of Lake Victoria are also shareholders of Sprout. Roger Newell, Lake Victoria's Chairman said, "Coffee isn't gold but it is the second largest traded commodity in the world next to oil. With China and India now starting to become coffee drinkers this could be perfect timing for us to diversify our portfolio. Worldwide coffee is a rapidly expanding market and we have the opportunity to get involved in Tanzania, a country that we are very familiar with, and where we have been operating for more than nine years. The average coffee plant produces a new crop every year for 50 years or more which gives us the potential to enjoy a sustainable and long term cash flow." President and CEO, David Kalenuik is pleased to welcome and announce the addition of Greg Hill as a new member of the Board of Directors. Greg comes to us with a very successful background in financial advisory and business development consulting and we look forward to his contributions toward our success. In addition to joining the Board of Directors, Mr. Hill will also become the Chairman of the Audit Committee. Story continues Greg Hill is President of Englewood Capital, LLC which provides investment capital and financial advisory and consulting services. Previously he was CFO of Geovic Mining Corp, a public exploration company with international mineral projects in Africa, North America and Asia. Earlier in his career he had assignments in corporate and international project finance for natural resources with Phillips Petroleum Co. and Freeport, (now Freeport-McMoRan Inc.). He received a B.Sc. from MIT and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. Readers are encouraged to visit the "LVCA Media Room" on the Company's corporate website for informational audios and videos about ongoing developments in the Company and for more information about Sprout visit www.sprouttz.com. About the Company Lake Victoria Mining Company, Inc. is working to create another gold mine in the world famous Lake Victoria Greenstone Belt, Tanzania, East Africa. Tanzania which is Africa's fourth largest gold producer, behind South Africa, Ghana and Mali, also has reserves of uranium, nickel and coal. In the year ending January, 2015 Tanzania gold exports totaled $1.31 billion. Additional information regarding the Company is available on the Corporate website at: www.lakevictoriaminingcompany.com or by contacting: Lake Victoria Mining Company, Inc. David T. Kalenuik, CEO & President Phone: 303-586-1390 Email: info@lvcamining.com SOURCE: Lake Victoria Mining Company SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / ACCESSWIRE / January 6, 2016 / Leo Motors Inc. (LEOM) hosted a meeting with Mr. Yingzhong Yuan, Vice Mayor of Fushun Municipal People's Government in the Liaoning Province of China. Four high ranking Fushun government officials accompanied the Vice Mayor. LEO's electric bus and truck manufacturing facilities are to be built in Fushun City. This visit is meaningful because China has mandated beginning this year (2016) fifty percent (50%) of all new government vehicle purchases are to be electric powered in order to fight pollution and cut energy use. The mandate is facilitated by an exemption from sales tax. LEO's electric cars and boats will be sold to government offices in three Northeastern Provinces of China (Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang) encompassing Eastern Inner Mongolia. LEO Executives and Chinese Government Officials LEO demonstrated its proprietary electric vehicle technology for the visiting officials including a providing a demonstration ride on LEO's electric boat. Leo has joint venture agreement with Fushun Jinyuan Technology Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd. ("JTY" or "Jinyuan") creating a Joint Venture Company ("JVC") in Fushun City in to develop, manufacture, and sell electric vehicles for Chinese and international markets. In spite of the central government's mandate, there are very few electric vehicles in three Northeastern Provinces because of the extremely cold winters, at times dropping below -22 degrees F. In such cold temperatures traditional batteries do not function, making electric vehicles useless. LEO has solved the cold region problem with its recently invented electric vehicle battery power pack using Carbon Nano Tube (CNT) Technology that is fully functional and supplies full power in low temperatures (under -49 degrees F) without any capacity or power loss. Dr. Kang, CEO of Leo Motors commented, "City government officers were satisfied with our technology. This visit will make our marketing to the Chinese government easier." Story continues This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. In addition to statements which explicitly describe such risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements labeled with the terms "believes," "belief," "expects," "intends," "anticipates," "will," or "plans" to be uncertain and forward looking. The forward-looking statements contained herein are also subject generally to other risks and uncertainties that are described from time to time in the company's reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For more information please call Princeton Research, Inc Mike King 702 650 3000 SOURCE: Leo Motors Despite all of its pops higher and lower, the stock market only looks volatile over the past 14 months or so. The fact is, the market, at least as gauged by the S&P 500 (INDEX: .SPX), really hasn't done much of anything. Equities are almost right where they were when the market closed on Oct. 29, 2014. That date may ring a bell. It is, of course, the very day the Federal Reserve announced it had concluded the third round of its massive money-printing operation known as quantitative easing . The Fed had been using its digital printing press to gobble up bonds, an operation that in turn was helping drive liquidity and boost asset prices in hopes of goosing economic activity, Read More More market trouble is just around the corner The result was an anemic economic recovery but a stunning rise in stocks 200 percent in all off the March 2009 financial crisis lows. Since that hallowed date? Pretty much nothing. The market was trading Tuesday within a couple points of where it was the day the Federal Open Market Committee announced it was cutting off the market's lifeline. "The S&P 500 is now back to levels seen when QE3 ended in October 2014. These levels have been breached before, most notably in August 2015, but the recent trend of lower highs is saying something about risk appetite," Citigroup analysts said in a note Tuesday. Sure, there have been peaks and valleys since the Fed took away the QE portion of the punch bowl. But stocks have been trapped in a pretty vicious range post-QE3, plunging amid geopolitical turmoil, fears of a hard landing in China and tumbling energy prices, then turning higher again after the storms temporarily passed. Indeed, the market has backstopped the losses. But there has been little to spur any lasting gains. "I don't know if anyone should be surprised that we've been on this bumpy trip to nowhere," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities. "You've gotten to the point where there's diminishing returns on monetary policy." Story continues Read More The Fed in 2016: THIS is what to watch out for Since the end of QE, the Fed has sought to begin the other step towards policy normalization. At the December meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee, the central bank approved the first hike to its key funds rate in more than nine years. Expectations differ on what happens next: Fed officials, through their individual projections, expect the FOMC to hike four times this year. Market participants, though, doubt that will happen, with expectations now for two or three hikes. "Expectations of them to go three or four more times this year are way out of whack," Hogan said. "I would applaud their ability to go two more times. They may not be able to." Fed officials appear cognizant of the effect loose policy has had on financial markets. Recent statements from senior members that had a hawkish bent have helped contribute to the instability that has marked early 2016 trading. The question, then, will be whether the Fed can maintain that resolve should the market continue to show the inability to grow without the Fed's largesse. "More and more, this is a Fed that's saying, 'We want this market to stop relying on us and every word that comes from us.' You have to let market forces work," said Quincy Krosby, market strategist at Prudential Financial. "The Fed's not running a hedge fund." More From CNBC Trouble-ridden Malaysia Airlines left analysts scratching their heads over an announcement Tuesday that it would not allow checked baggage on its Malaysia-to-Europe routes, only to scrap the plan Wednesday morning. Malaysia Airlines Wednesday said baggage allowances are available again on all flights across the network including services to Amsterdam, London and Paris. The original statement posted on the carrier's website on Tuesday announcing the ban cited "unseasonably strong headwinds" and long routes over Egyptian airspace as reasons for the move, calling it a safety issue. Passengers could still check baggage, but it would arrive later, that original statement said. The airline also limited carry-on baggage to 7 kilograms per person in economy class and 14kg in business and first class. "The airline has recently had to operate a longer route to Europe, which combined with strong head winds, limited the airlines' ability to carry baggage and cargo. The head winds over the last four days were in excess of 200 knots, which can add up to 15 percent fuel burn on a B777-200 aircraft," Malaysia Airlines said in a statement on Wednesday. "Based on its current risk assessment, done on a daily basis, the airline is now able to take a shorter route on European flights," Malaysia Airlines said. In responses on its Twitter account, Malaysia Airlines said, "We currently operate a long route to EU via Egypt airspace to avoid conflict zones." The original statement has since been removed from the Malaysia Airlines site; it was initially replaced with an update saying that normal baggage restrictions had been restored on its flights to London, but the ban still applied to flights to Amsterdam and Paris on January 5-6. The original statement had indicated the baggage restriction could continue indefinitely, based on weather conditions. Analysts were puzzled by the move. Story continues "It's very peculiar," said Greg Waldron, Asia managing editor at Flight Global magazine, noting he hadn't heard of any other airline making such a move, including Singapore Airlines, which flies similar routes. He said that if a carrier truly wanted to reduce the weight of an aircraft, called "payload restriction," it would usually limit the number of passengers rather than checked baggage. Waldron said that the last time he could recall a similar step was during the 1970s, when the Concorde, which had a small fuselage, would sometimes have baggage follow in a 747, but he called that a "first-class operation" with service that delivered bags to passengers. Malaysia Airlines' luggage ban is a "PR blunder," he said. "People are just going to get upset. Not everyone is going to get the memo." In responses posted on Twitter, Malaysia Airlines, when asked why other airlines weren't following its unusual step, said, "Each airline conducts their own risks assessment and may not be flying similar routes." It also said, "We conduct risk assessment on a daily basis and this is a temporary measure while we evaluate alternative measures." Social media users had quickly begun venting over the airline's now-cancelled policy. On Twitter, the words "ludicrous" and "bizarre" were common. The twitter account Jelo Feliciano wrote, "I don't see why that's even a thing. You expect people to travel long haul without luggage?! That's ludicrous." On Malaysia Airlines' Facebook page, some commentators took to humor. "Is MAS going to start weighing the passengers soon? Joke of the year. Standard weight 50kg per passenger, over that weigh, the body parts to follow on next flight?," a Facebook account for Angela Liew wrote on Malaysia Airlines' Facebook page Tuesday. Others were more concerned about the practicalities of collecting late luggage. "Will they help to transfer if you are a transit passenger to other destination? What about custom check on passenger luggage that will forward on the next plane? This will be a problem at destination that airlines' staffs cannot solve," a Facebook user with an account name of Lim Teng Siang posted to Malaysia Airlines' Facebook page Wednesday. Malaysia's flagship carrier has seen quite a few troubles in recent times. In December, its flight MH132 from Auckland to Kuala Lumpur followed the wrong route, with media reporting that the plane was headed in a more southerly direction toward Melbourne, Australia, for as much as an hour. The carrier said in a statement on the website that it gave the crew a different flight plan than the one it gave Auckland's Air Traffic Control, but that both routes were approved flight paths and the aircraft had enough fuel for both routes. The carrier already faced headwinds from safety concerns after it lost two flights. On March 8, 2014, flight MH370 disappeared during a flight from Kuala Lumber to Beijing; the fate of the plane remains shrouded in mystery, but its flight path appears to have been widely diverted to the southern Indian Ocean. Despite an ongoing search, only a piece of the wing has been found, after it washed up on a beach on Reunion island. That was followed by the loss of flight MH17 in July 2014, when the plane was shot down by a missile in Ukrainian airspace during a territorial conflict between Russia and Ukraine. All passengers and crew were killed. - Nyshka Chandran contributed to this article -By CNBC.Com's Leslie Shaffer; Follow her on Twitter @LeslieShaffer1 More From CNBC KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Malaysia imposed a three-month ban on bauxite mining, effective from Jan. 15, due to concerns over its impact on the environment in a move that could hurt stockpiles of the aluminium making ingredient in China. Malaysia's bauxite mining industry has boomed in the past two years to meet demand from top aluminium producer China, but a lack of regulations has led to a public outcry with many complaining of water contamination and environmental damages. Just last month, bauxite mining was blamed for turning the waters red on a stretch of coastline and surrounding rivers in eastern peninsula Malaysia after heavy rains. "Everything will come to a complete stop on Jan 15," Malaysia's natural resources and environment minister, Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, said in a press conference on Wednesday. Other than clearing of stockpiles and installation of cleaning facilities, all other activities will stop, he added. Malaysia will also freeze new bauxite export permits for the three months, the minister said. In the first 11 months of 2015, Malaysia exported more than 20 million tonnes of bauxite to China, surging nearly 700 percent from a year ago. In 2013, it shipped 162,000 tonnes. The Southeast Asian nation has been exporting increasing amounts of the raw material to China, filling in a supply gap after Indonesia banned bauxite exports in early 2014. (Reporting by Rozanna Latiff, writing by Praveen Menon; Editing by Himani Sarkar) By Nick Carey CHICAGO, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd's $27 billion bid for Norfolk Southern Corp risks coming unstuck due to regulatory scrutiny of its impact on the U.S. rail market, in particular the possibility it could spark competition-crushing rival deals, according to former regulators and analysts. Led by enigmatic, septuagenarian railroad legend Hunter Harrison, Canadian Pacific has assured investors that what it proposes - especially putting the transaction in a voting trust - has been approved in the past. Canadian Pacific made its first bid for Norfolk Southern last month, arguing that it would improve competition and boost its target's performance that has flagged recently due to declining coal volumes. But assuming the hostile bid makes it through a long and nasty proxy fight - "If this is going to be a street fight, so be it," Harrison said on Wednesday - the Canadian railroad would be in uncharted territory. This would the first deal judged by the Surface Transportation Board, the U.S. rail regulator, since the regulator rewrote the merger rules in 2001. That followed major mergers in the 1990s resulting in severe service disruptions that "caused a great deal of heartburn," former STB vice chairman William Clyburn told Reuters. Clyburn was on the board from 1998 to 2001. STB's chief concern at that time was that the number of major railroads in North America had dwindled to just seven from 35. The most controversial part of the new rules was the board had to "look around the corner" at what any proposed merger would mean for whole sector, Clyburn said. No. 1 U.S. railroad Union Pacific Corp has said in regard to Canadian Pacific's bid that it will act in the "best interests of our customers and our shareholders." According to several former STB commissioners, that could be seen as an implication that Union Pacific could get involved in a merger frenzy, but would not be firm enough for the STB to take notice. Story continues But a red flag for the STB would be comments from Matt Rose, chairman of No. 2 U.S. railroad BNSF, owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc, that BNSF could bid for Norfolk Southern or for No. 3 U.S. railroad CSX Corp rather than be left at a competitive disadvantage. "We believe that if a combination of any of the major railroads in North America were to occur, it would trigger the final round of consolidations and BNSF would be actively involved," Rose said in a statement this week. This is the key stumbling block for Canadian Pacific's bid, according to analysts, railroad executives and former regulators. The main concern is that a series of mega-mergers would result in just two railroads and leave customers stuck with no competition. Clyburn, who did not wish to discuss individual cases, said any major railroad threatening further consolidation "is very significant news and the STB would pay very close attention to what the next move may be." An STB spokesman said the board could not comment on Canadian Pacific and Norfolk Southern because there was no case before it. CHALLENGES ABOUND There are a number of other potential pitfalls. Chief among them is the voting trust Canadian Pacific proposes, which the STB would need to approve before beginning the merger review process. Canadian Pacific proposes sending CEO Harrison to run Norfolk Southern as part of that trust. But the STB's rules stipulate there can be no "common control" of the railroads during the review process - meaning they have to run independently of each other and not according to a joint plan. Skeptics have said that having Harrison run the railroad he has worked to acquire would not pass the STB's "smell test." "You don't want a situation where you have Railroad A acquiring Railroad B with a voting trust and you have somebody from Railroad A running Railroad B," Clyburn said. Norfolk Southern declined to comment for this story. During merger reviews in the 1990s, significant space was given to labor groups and railroad customers. Under the new rules where "public interest" is paramount, Clyburn said they would be allotted a lot of time at public hearings. In a survey published Dec. 7, Cowen & Co found 71 percent of shippers opposed a merger of Canadian Pacific and Norfolk Southern. Input from elected officials will also matter. Democratic U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and Democratic House members from Illinois - the two railroads meet in Chicago - have written to the STB stressing concern over a possible merger. And because Norfolk Southern handles traffic for the U.S. military, a potential takeover by a foreign entity is expected to garner attention from the Department of Defense. Canadian Pacific says a deal would reduce congestion in Chicago as it could reroute traffic through the merged railroads' networks - a debatable claim as the two railroads interchange little traffic in Chicago. But rerouting traffic would be subject to an environmental review that could last years. Towns along the proposed routes could object. The STB could approve a merger with conditions mandating infrastructure investments to mitigate the effect of rerouting traffic - which could involve large sums of money. Stacked up, all these issues - above all the probable consolidation of the entire industry - have many analysts and observers believing a deal will not win approval. "My view is the STB will not let this go through," said Jim Corridore, an equity analyst at S&P Capital IQ. "What we're likely to see is a costly proxy battle that will ultimately prove futile." (Additional reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal and Euan Rocha in Toronto; Editing by Matthew Lewis) LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / January 6, 2016 / Medbox, Inc. (OTCQB: MDBX), a provider of specialized services to the cannabis sector, including operators of dispensaries, cultivation centers, manufacturers and research facilities in those states where approved, today announced that its board of directors has promoted Jeff Goh to Chief Executive Officer and Clinton Pyatt to Chief Operating Officer. Goh, 51, had been serving as President and interim Chief Executive officer since July 2015. He joined the company as Chief Operating Officer in April 2015 and was a consultant to Medbox since August 2014. He was named to the company's board of directors in October 2015 and will continue in his role as President, in addition to becoming Chief Executive Officer. Pyatt, 44, joined Medbox in May 2015 as Senior Vice President, Operations and Government Relations. He will continue in his role as Senior Vice President, Government Relations, in addition to Chief Operating Officer, reporting directly to Goh. "Jeff has demonstrated outstanding leadership during his tenure as interim CEO, guiding Medbox through a critical corporate transition period and positioning the company to pursue what we believe are outstanding growth opportunities in the cannabis sector on a global scale," said Ambassador Ned L. Siegel, Chairman of Medbox. "As well, Medbox continues to benefit from Clint's deep knowledge and background in cannabis cultivation and dispensary operations, which are critical to the company's expansion and development in the years ahead. The Board joins me in extending congratulations to both of these talented executives." Throughout his career, Goh has focused on leading and developing businesses involved in fast-growing sectors of food, technology and international commerce. His professional experience includes more than three decades in executive management capacities with the Frito Lay division of PepsiCo and Procter & Gamble, as well as helping smaller companies scale their business models. Story continues Pyatt previously was Chief Executive Officer of CorGreen Technologies, Inc., a provider of products and services to licensed medical marijuana and recreational operators. Earlier, he held management positions in finance and real estate. He also served in the U.S. Marine Corps for six years in several operational capacities, including participation in Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Somalia rescue efforts. About Medbox, Inc. Medbox, Inc., a leader in the rapidly emerging cannabis sector, provides specialized services to operators of dispensaries, cultivation centers, manufacturers and research facilities in those states where approved. Through trusted clients and affiliates, the company promotes efficient, consistent, high quality products that are priced right, readily available and safely packaged. For more information about the company or to explore partnership, please visit www.medbox.com. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws. Such statements, including, but not limited to, pursuing growth opportunities, are based on current beliefs and expectations and are inherently subject to significant business, economic, regulatory and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond the company's control. In addition, certain forward-looking statements are subject to assumptions with respect to future business strategies and decisions that are subject to change. Potential risks and uncertainties also include, but are not limited to, regulatory developments in the industry, as well as political and economic conditions present within the industry. For a more detailed description of the risk factors associated with the company, please refer to the company's latest Annual Report on Form 10-K, and in particular, the section entitled "Risk Factors" therein, and in other periodic reports the company files with the Securities and Exchange Commission thereafter.The company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or developments after a forward-looking statement was made, unless required by law. For more information, contact: Janet Simmons PondelWilkinson Inc. 310-279-5980 pwinvestor@pondel.com SOURCE: Medbox, Inc. Drug cartels, which have diversified their business, have been poking holes in pipelines to pump out oil products (AFP Photo/Omar Torres) Mexico City (AFP) - Mexico's government auctioned off all 25 onshore oil and gas fields offered Tuesday, exceeding expectations as domestic startups won most contracts while billionaire Carlos Slim was the biggest loser. The auction was the third this year following the 2014 enactment of a historic energy reform bill that opened the sector to private investors for the first time since 1938, breaking the monopoly of state firm Pemex. The latest sale drew interest from 14 consortiums and 26 individual firms, despite low international crude prices and even though most of the blocks are located in regions plagued by drug cartel violence and fuel thefts. While US, Canadian and Dutch firms were among the winners, new Mexican energy outfits won 22 of the 25 contracts, including two as part of consortiums with foreign companies. The energy ministry had hoped to award at least five contracts, so the auction was a success, unlike the previous sales for shallow-water fields in the Gulf of Mexico. "We are pleasantly surprised by the huge success of this third auction," National Hydrocarbon Commission president Juan Carlos Zepeda told a news conference. "If you look at the international situation, this level of success isn't seen in any other country," he said, referring to falling oil prices that have affected investments. - Slim loses out - The government hopes that total investments at the 25 fields will amount to $620 million in the first five years, rising to $1.1 billion during the lifetime of the contracts. Four mature fields each containing more than 100 million barrels of oil and gas were the first ones auctioned off. A group including Netherlands-based firm Canamex Dutch and two Mexican companies were awarded the Moloacan field in the eastern state of Veracruz. Compania Petrolera Perseus won a field in southern Tabasco state, Diavaz Offshore was awarded another in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas and Servicios de Extraccion Petrolera Lifting de Mexico was given one in Veracruz. Story continues The 21 other fields each contained less than 100 million barrels, with a slew of individual Mexican firms the winners in 17 of them. But the new company of telecommunications magnate Slim, Carso Oil and Gas, failed to win anything as the royalties it proposed to the government were always well below the other offers. The government had hoped to have a high participation of domestic companies as it seeks to develop new firms in a sector dominated by Pemex for nearly 80 years. Officials said the onshore fields were attractive because they have already produced oil and still have enough left to make it profitable for smaller firms. "These results are very positive given the current international situation of low oil prices and the expectation that this situation will persist through 2016 and 2017," said a research note by Spanish bank BBVA. - Firms undeterred by violence - The violence in Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas and Veracruz was apparently not a factor in the auction. Those states have seen some of the most brutal turf wars between rival drug cartels as well as rampant theft from pipelines operated by Pemex. More than 5,000 illegal taps were discovered in the first 11 months of this year, compared to 3,286 in the same period in 2014, according to official figures. Energy Minister Pedro Joaquin Coldwell noted on Monday that Congress is mulling legislation to toughen laws against such theft, which has hit Pemex "very hard." The government also softened the terms for the auctions in order to lure more potential investors. Officials were disappointed with the outcome of the first auctions for projects in shallow waters off the Gulf of Mexico. Only two of 14 sites were awarded in July and three of five in September. BIRMINGHAM, AL--(Marketwired - January 06, 2016) - The Nature Conservancy in Alabama has acquired the largest, private conservation easement in chapter history -- approximately 860 acres in Jackson County. A unique partnership between a public utility, a federal agency, and a philanthropic institute, the purchase will permanently benefit the Paint Rock River watershed. Preservation of these headwater hardwood forests will contribute to high quality groundwater and cleaner air, prevent soil erosion and expand upon past conservation efforts to improve the climate resiliency of the Southern Cumberland ecosystems. "Our family is very excited to be able to partner with The Nature Conservancy to preserve this beautiful, environmentally sensitive property forever," said property owner John H. Gully. "Nature and conservation are an important part of our lives and this provides us with a great opportunity to give back to future generations. We have learned a lot from the Conservancy and look forward to continuing to do so." "Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) recognizes the need to protect biodiversity in this area," said TVA Vice President of Natural Resources Rebecca Tolene. TVA provided funding as a part of its commitment to protect and improve aquatic biodiversity in the Tennessee River. "By forming a partnership with The Nature Conservancy and the Gully Family, we're keeping our promise to serve the people of the Tennessee Valley through environmental stewardship." Five miles west of the Walls of Jericho and less than 40 miles from Huntsville, this critical property also includes upland oak hickory forest to bottom-land hardwood streams with caves and intermitted wetlands. The easement will protect water quality in Burks Creek, an especially sensitive tributary to Estill Fork and the Paint Rock River that drains to Wheeler Reservoir and Tennessee River, the main drinking water source for the Huntsville area. In addition, the cave systems in this area contain several rare and imperiled species, including the Tennessee cave salamander, gray bat, Eastern big-eared bat and numerous cave invertebrates. "The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is dedicated to conserving sensitive habitats, including karst ecosystems. These systems often harbor federally threatened or endangered species, or species at-risk of becoming federally listed," said Rob Hurt, Privatelands Biologist and Assistant Refuge Manager at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. "This conservation easement will help protect our most precious resource -- clean water -- which supports an extremely diverse array of aquatic life, including approximately 100 species of fish and 45 species of mussels," said Steve Northcutt, Director of Protection for The Nature Conservancy in Alabama. The project was supported by grants from the Open Space Institute (OSI) because of the tract's importance in facilitating wildlife adaption to climate change. OSI assembled funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Lyndhurst and Benwood Foundations, and Merck Family Fund. "The resilience science indicates that the diverse topography on the Gully property and surrounding lands creates micro-climates with varying temperature and moisture," said David Ray, Southeast Field Coordinator for the Open Space Institute. "Because of this, climate-sensitive plants and animals have more options to adapt as the climate changes, making these lands a classic 'natural stronghold' for wildlife on a warming planet." In addition, the project was supported by a generous donation from Fred and Alice Stanback and Mike Leonard of North Carolina. Leonard a longtime proponent of land conservation in Alabama said, "The area that includes the Gully Tract and the Walls of Jericho was recognized as important for land conservation over 35 years ago in the 1970s because of the great hardwood forest and spectacularly rugged terrain. I visited the area for the first time in the late 70s, and I am pleased to see Fred and Alice Stanback contributing towards the protection of additional land in this area that has been important to southern based land conservationists for so many years." While the conservation easement remains in private ownership, The Nature Conservancy holds the conservation easement and is responsible for monitoring and making sure the easement's terms are followed into the future. The Nature Conservancy is the leading organization working around the world to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. The Conservancy and its more than one million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the web at www.nature.org The following files are available for download: North Korea: We now have the 'H-bomb of justice' North Korea claimed it detonated a hydrogen bomb in a test Wednesday, a move that was condemned by the U.S., Britain, Japan and even China. It was the politically isolated country's first nuclear weapons test explosion in three years. Experts said the claim that the test involved a hydrogen bomb, which is more powerful than an atomic bomb, could not be confirmed. The White House said that initial analysis of the test was not consistent with a successful hydrogen bomb. The report on the state KCNA website came within hours of reports from various agencies that a large earthquake had been detected near a known North Korean nuclear test site. According to KCNA, North Korea tested a miniaturized hydrogen nuclear bomb "in the most perfect manner," putting it in possession of hydrogen bomb capability, which it described as "the most powerful nuclear deterrent." Read More World condemns North Korean H-bomb test North Korea wanted what it called "the H-bomb of justice" as protection from the "ever-growing nuclear threat and blackmail by the U.S.-led hostile forces," according to KCNA. It would use the weapons only if its sovereignty were encroached upon, the statement on KCNA said, but would not roll back its nuclear development until the U.S. had dropped its "vicious, hostile" policy toward the isolated Communist state. "The U.S. is a gang of cruel robbers which has worked hard to bring even a nuclear disaster to the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korean], not content with having imposed the thrice-cursed and unheard-of political isolation, economic blockade and military pressure on it for the mere reason that it has differing ideology and social system," according to the statement. "The present-day grim reality clearly proves once again the immutable truth that one's destiny should be defended by one's own efforts," the statement went on. "Nothing is more foolish than dropping a hunting gun before herds of ferocious wolves." Story continues It was North Korea's first nuclear test since February 2013 and the fourth overall. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe quickly condemned the test as a threat to Japan's security, and he vowed a firm response. Japan "absolutely cannot tolerate" a North Korean nuclear test, he said. Shortly after, South Korean President Park Geun-hye said Pyongyang would "pay the price" for the test, and that it would seek additional United Nation sanctions against its neighbor. At the same time, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap, government officials noted that they needed to perform additional tests to ascertain that North Korea had actually tested a hydrogen nuclear device. Intelligence sources told Yonhap that the device may not have been an H-bomb, while other Korean media cited defense sources as saying that North Korea may have added a small amount of hydrogen to the device tested. Reuters reported that the Korean Meteorological Administration had detected no radiation from the apparent test. China, which is one of North Korea's few allies, also criticized the test. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the government in Beijing "strongly opposes" it and urged North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to "stop any action which could worsen the situation," according to NBC News. China's state news agency, Xinhua, wrote that the test was at odds with the goal of de-nuclearization, adding that any action that disrupted the stability of Northeast Asia was "undesirable and unwise." In Washington, the State Department condemned the apparent breach of U.N. sanctions. The White House said U.S. and Chinese officials have already held conversations, and China and Russia echo American concerns about the test, according to Reuters. The U.S. is committed to the safety of allies Japan and South Korea, the White House added. Russia's U.N. envoy called for "cool heads" and a "proportionate response," according to Reuters. Britain's Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond said that such a test would be a "grave breach" of U.N. resolutions; North Korea is already under U.N. sanctions for having conducted previous nuclear tests, the first as early as 2006. Reuters reported that the U.N. Security Council would hold an emergency meeting at 11 a.m. ET (4 p.m. GMT) to discuss the test, at the request of the U.S. and Japan. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon condemned the apparent test, calling it "deeply troubling" and "profoundly destabilizing for regional security. The apparent test shows that North Korea "is more than prepared to pay the price of getting its wrist slapped" by additional U.N. sanctions or resolutions, said Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations. North Korea may not scale back its nuclear ambitions until it faces significant retribution from China, he told CNBC. "Only China, I think has the latent leverage to get the North Koreans to change their behavior. And China, at least up to now, hasn't been willing to do that because they're worried, among other things, about causing instability on the peninsula," Haass told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street." Former U.S. ambassador to South Korea Thomas Hubbard told CNBC he would "assume the Security Council will choose to impose some additional sanctions." "I do think it's crucial that the Chinese will fulfill them," he said on CNBC's "Squawk Alley." Word of the nuclear test emerged shortly after 9 a.m. SIN/HK, when the U.S. Geological Survey said it had detected a magnitude 5.1 earthquake about 49 kilometers (30 miles) a known North Korean nuclear test site, according to its coordinates. The USGS said that the earthquake, near the site called Punggye-ri, was about 10 km below the Earth's surface. The magnitude of the North Korean seismic event appears to have been slightly less than a similar one in 2013, the head of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization said. The Korean Meteorological Administration said that it detected the epicenter of the quake at a depth of "0 kilometers." It put the magnitude at 4.2. Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook. More From CNBC Justin Sullivan/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- A message of hope for the upcoming year turned tragic when a former Marine was killed by an alleged drunk driver on New Years Eve. The victims uplifting Facebook post went viral after the news of his death spread. Anything can happen in 1 day, 31-year-old Matthew DeRemer shared Thursday morning on Facebook. And I really don't know where I'll end up tonight, but I do know where I windup is where I'm meant to be." He was killed while riding his motorcycle in his hometown of Seminole, Florida, just before 8 p.m. on Dec. 31. DeRemers parents described him as an infectious and creative soul who was a phenomenal listener and writer. "He liked to write stories," his mother, Julie DeRemer, told ABC News, adding that he would spread words of encouragement online, sometimes to people who seemed downtrodden. DeRemer would text his parents every day just to say "Good morning," she said. He always looked to the future instead of the past, Michael DeRemer, Matthew's father, told ABC News. After DeRemer was honorably discharged from the Marines, he lived in San Diego and San Francisco. He moved to Florida a couple of years ago to attend school for surgical technology, his father said. DeRemer had just gotten a job as a surgical technologist at the Belleair Surgery Center in Clearwater, Florida, last week. He had worked at the West Bay Surgical Center in Largo for about six months. He liked to make a difference in somebodys life, Julie DeRemer told ABC News. He was phenomenal in his skill set. Michael and Julie DeRemer said their sons positive message was a reflection of how he lived his life. He was in a Christian motorcycle group and an active member of his church. He loved to write and tell stories since he was a child, they said. Everybody was truly touched by him, Michael DeRemer said. He was profound with his thoughts and would right down things that were very, very deep and meaningful. Seminole resident Steven Clarke, 59, was charged with DUI manslaughter and was ticketed for failing to yield right of way after he made a left turn and hit DeRemer, who was driving his motorcycle in oncoming traffic, Sgt. Steve Gaskins told ABC News. DeRemer died at the scene. Clarke was released from Pinellas County Jail on $20,000 bond, according to the jails website. It is unclear when he was released. Julia DeRemer said that although she misses her son terribly, she has no ill feelings toward the driver who killed her son. Youve got to live every day to the fullest, just as his post said, she said. Copyright 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Ted Cruz Donald Trump Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) mocked Donald Trump's apparent concerns about whether Cruz's birthplace should be an issue in the presidential campaign. Cruz tweeted a famous scene of Henry Winkler's "Happy Days" character, Fonzie, "jumping the shark" late Tuesday. Earlier in the day, The Washington Post released an interview with Trump in which the GOP front-runner called Cruz's Canadian birthplace a "very precarious" issue for Republicans if they were to nominate Cruz. Republicans are going to have to ask themselves the question: Do we want a candidate who could be tied up in court for two years? Thatd be a big problem, Trump said, according to The Post. Itd be a very precarious one for Republicans because hed be running and the courts may take a long time to make a decision. You dont want to be running and have that kind of thing over your head. Id hate to see something like that get in his way. But a lot of people are talking about it and I know that even some states are looking at it very strongly, the fact that he was born in Canada and he has had a double passport," he added. Trump has actually been questioning the significance of Cruz's Canadian birth for some time. Early last year, Trump said in an interview that the issue could be a "serious hurdle" for Cruz. "He was born in Canada. If you know and when we all studied our history lessons, you are supposed to be born in this country, so I just don't know how the courts would rule on it. It's an additional hurdle that he has," Trump said. Trump has also been perhaps the most prominent questioner of the authenticity of President Barack Obama's birth certificate. Conspiracy theorists have long raised doubts about Obama's birthplace, suggesting that he was actually born in Africa instead of his native Hawaii. Cruz's mother was a US citizen when he was born in Calgary in 1970. His father was born in Cuba. Asked if Cruz had a statement about Trump's accusation beyond the Fonzie video, the senator's campaign declined to comment. Story continues NOW WATCH: CLOSE UP THE INTERNET: Donald Trump wants to shut down parts of the web More From Business Insider Affirmative Action In welcoming its freshman class to campus last fall, the University of Michigan did something that it has been incapable of achieving over the past decade. It increased the minority students in its 2015 freshman class by almost 20% its highest since 2005, The New York Times reported. After 2005, there was a steep decline in minority students following a ban on affirmative action that Michigan voters passed into law in 2006. Since then, the percentage of minority students has been languishing. Kedra Ishop, Michigan's enrollment manager, was hired in 2014 to shape the incoming class. The strategies being used to increase diversity at Michigan, like giving priority to low-income students, weren't succeeding in increasing the percentage of minority students at the school. Ishop switched the focus to increasing Michigan's yield a measure of the percentage of students who accept after being offered a slot. To do this, faculty members called students to encourage them to accept their offers. The school also changed the term "student aid" to "tuition scholarships," realizing that families were more likely to accept assistance branded in the latter fashion. Lastly, no one was admitted off of the waiting list, which favors higher income white and Asian students who can afford to leave a deposit, according to the Times. Ishop's strategies paid off. The number of black and Latino freshmen increased by 23.5% from 2014 to 2015, and the number of white and Asian freshmen fell. University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan's accomplishment may provide a harbinger of hope for universities across the US that are watching the deeply important Fisher v. University of Texas (UT) case unfold in the Supreme Court. Fisher v. UT will determine whether it's constitutional for the University of Texas at Austin to consider race as one factor in its admission policy. Story continues The plaintiff a white woman named Abigail Fisher who was denied admission to the Texas' flagship public university in 2008 claims her race played a factor in her rejection, and that UT accepted less-qualified nonwhite students. The outcome of the case could have a far-reaching impact on the ability of universities around the US to consider race in admissions. But Michigan is not yet claiming victory in the diversity arena, noting that one admissions class does necessarily signal sustained success in achieving a diverse student body. Some of that hesitation may relate to other data points about how affirmative action policies in other states may be affecting minority students. A New York Times article plotted the percentage of black and Hispanic students at certain colleges in states pre- and post-ban. California banned affirmative action in 1998, and since then, the percentage of black students at Berkeley has decreased, from 4% in 1998 to 2% in 2011. The same is true for University of California at Los Angeles, where black students declined from 4% to 3% over the same period. Still, the impact of affirmative action bans on non-white students isn't clear. At some schools, rates of enrollment of Hispanic students actually increased after affirmative action bans were put in place. At Berkeley, the Hispanic student population went from 9% in 1998 to 11% in 2011, and at U.C.L.A from 13% to 17%. NOW WATCH: These are the colleges that offer the best bang for your buck More From Business Insider Gil Pratt Toyota Toyota announced the six-man tech team that will head up the company's new Toyota Research Institute (TRI). "The institute was created to be the leading edge explorers for Toyota in new areas," TRI CEO Dr. Gil Pratt told Business Insider. "To make sure that as the automobile industry changes and as the world changes, Toyota will have the opportunity to do well in a rapidly changing environment," Pratt said. According to Toyota, TRI was launched with a mandate to make cars safer, and with the ultimate goal of producing a car that's incapable of causing a crash. In addition, the automaker has tasked the Institute with increasing access to cars and forms of mobility as well as fast-tracking research in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Pratt, who is a former MIT professor and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) project manager, says in order for Toyota to achieve these goals, the automaker has given TRI team great autonomy and ample funding. TRI is being being bankrolled by a five-year, $1 billion investment. Joining Pratt on the leadership team are fellow DARPA alums, Eric Krotkov and Larry Jackel along with the former head of Google Robotics, James Kuffner. The leadership team will include Toyota project manager Hiroshi Okajima, Olin College professor Brian Storey, as well as John Leonard and Russ Tedrake both of whom are professors at MIT. "Companies have done this before," Pratt said. "Bell telephone company had Bell Labs to discover ways to make telephone switch boards work better while Lockheed Martin has its Skunk Works to build secret high performance jets." "We are Toyota's Skunk Works." However, don't expect to see TRI's work in Toyota's showrooms just yet. "We have a tentative timeline for internal R&D products that we will work hard to deliver to Toyota in Japan,"Pratt said. "Probably the public will not see the products we come out with, but the company will be able to utilize the work we do." Story continues But that doesn't necessarily mean people won't see the fruits of TRI's work. Although Bell Labs was tasked with creating a better phone system, along the way it wound up being responsible for such innovations as the transistor and the laser. NOW WATCH: Here Is Toyota's New 3-Wheeled Car That's Being Tested In Europe More From Business Insider north korea There's been much condemnation of North Korea's claims that it successfully tested a "miniaturized" hydrogen bomb. But it's unlikely that there will be any real consequences for the isolated nation, experts say. These claims of a hydrogen bomb have yet to be verified, and experts are skeptical about whether North Korea actually has the capability to carry out such a test. The country is known for propaganda claims that are highly misleading and difficult to prove. But even so, the Hermit Kingdom's latest action represents an escalation that, if confirmed, "would be a milestone in the countrys nuclear program," The Wall Street Journal noted. Politicians have been quick to condemn North Korea's actions, but it's so far uncertain if these statements will go anywhere. "The international community doesn't have much rejoinder," Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group and author of the book "Superpower," told Business Insider via email. "China is loathe to cut them off completely," he continued, referring to the country that has been perhaps North Korea's most-important benefactor. "Nobody else is itching for a fight. ... Obama can write a 'strongly worded letter,' but unlike what we are seeing across the Middle East, this leaves the headlines in a week or two." Adam Cathcart, an expert on Chinese-North Korean relations and lecturer at the University of Leeds, also predicted that North Korea's test would have limited geopolitical ramifications. "One nuclear test isnt going to throw away [China's] long-term strategy, but it is going to give ammunition to people who say [China] needs to make a change to North Korean policy," Cathcart said. Some within China have long been concerned about the country's relations with North Korea. And a nuclear test raises the possibility of an accident that could affect China. Many in China "dont trust the North Koreans to keep it safe," Cathcart said. Story continues "Youll frequently hear that China doesnt want to have collapse in North Korea because theyll be overwhelmed with North Korean refugees," Cathcart said. "China knows how to shut the border down. But radiation, you cant stop that." Still, despite these concerns, China's relations with the US could affect how the country approaches North Korea. "For China, I think North Korea is a chess piece rather often in terms of its relationship with the United States and even Japan," Cathcart said. He explained that the US "is behind a lot of those pressures" to condemn North Korea, and China "doesnt want to give the Americans that." China does want to see North Korea follow its own path by liberalizing its economy while maintaining single-party control. One path China might take if it wants to push back on North Korea is tightening the border between the two countries and stop allowing North Koreans to travel to China to make money, Cathcart said. But even that would have a limited effect. "As weve seen with the Ebola scare, North Korea shut its northern border for months and they were able to sustain the economic impact of that," Cathcart said. North Korea's most recent confirmed nuclear test came in February 2013. NOW WATCH: Jerry Seinfeld interviewed President Obama and it was hilarious More From Business Insider Quote of the Week One cannot and must not try to erase the past merely because it does not fit the present. --- Golda Meir KEEP YOUR POWDER DRY!!!! It's always been an open secret that Florida Gov. Rick Scott sticks to a script when he talks in public, especially when he occasionally answers questions from the press. A reminder of that came recently when his office posted copies of what it calls "Driving Message" in response to a public records request by Tampa Bay Times reporter Steve Bousquet. The information from October and November is essentially a rolling set of questions on topics/news of the day that includes the answer that Scott is supposed to be given when asked. The responses cover everything from campus carry gun legislation to what he thinks about GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump and why he's opposed to raising the minimum wage. ("Increasing the minimum wage will result in losing jobs.") And the answers included in the documents are exactly what Scott has said about the various topics, whether it's a question about suspending school grades or the handling of Syrian refugees by federal government. The talking points also give a small amount of insight about how Scott may handle issues in the near future. The remarks, for instance, say he's not endorsing any GOP candidates for president "today" but they include praise for Trump despite the criticism aimed at the businessman from fellow GOP candidates such as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. "I think people in Washington are trying to figure out why Trump is doing so well, but the reality is he is saying what he thinks. He is not being politically correct. I think a lot of people find that refreshing," state Scott's talking points. Coupled with other things he has said about Trump _ and the fact that some of his own key supporters/campaign people are now working for him _ it would be plausible for Scott to endorse him ahead of the March GOP primary in Florida. (Although Scott has generally avoided getting involved in primaries given his own bitter, divisive primary for governor back in 2010 when he ran against establishment-backed candidate Bill McCollum.) The answers included in the document regarding a bill that would allow concealed weapon holders to bring their guns on university campuses suggests that the Scott administration may have some doubts about the legislation. ("I am not sure there is a silver bullet solution, but college should be a safe place students go to learn, not a place of violence.") But the main question is whether Scott and his team will revise this script as they head into 2016 and a session that starts in less than two weeks. His talking points on tax cuts, hospital transparency, the proposed deal with the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and Enterprise Florida reforms don't fully explain Scott's logic. In other words, how exactly will Scott sell this? Despite a contentious 2015 session that saw the GOP-controlled Legislature pare back, or ignore completely, many of his recommendations, Scott actually is pushing ahead with a more detailed agenda this upcoming session than he has during the last few years. And that creates plenty of potential flashpoints in the weeks and months ahead. There's no doubt that his $1 billion tax cut package and his request of $250 million for business incentives are his top priorities as Scott makes a case to diversify the state's economy. He will make the argument in January - during a tour to emphasize job growth under his watch - that the state's economic recovery will not hold if more isn't done. The problem for Scott and his team is that there is a wide divide in the House and Senate (which has been unable to agree on many top issues in the past year) on the right approach of so many of the items on Scott's 2016 checklist. Gambling? It's not clear that there's enough votes in the Senate for the $3 billion deal proposed by Scott that would give craps and roulette to the Seminoles. But the House may not go along with the deal unless it includes a constitutional amendment that bars any future expansion. Senate President Andy Gardiner has said he's not sure there's enough votes in the Senate to pass such an amendment. Business incentives? While the House and Senate may be willing to endorse Scott's "reforms" in regards to process, the idea of placing such a large amount of money in the governor's hands is viewed suspiciously by some House conservatives who consider incentives an intrusion into the marketplace. Tax cuts? The amount is a hard goal to reach without making cuts elsewhere in the budget - which is something that legislators about to hit the campaign trail don't want hanging over their head. Another complication is that there is growing resistance to the reliance on increased local property taxes to help pay for school funding. House and Senate leaders say they like "tax cuts," but there is also divergence on whether those cuts should be more directed at individuals, not companies as Scott has largely proposed. Hospital transparency? Scott's ongoing efforts to go after Florida's hospitals - including a price cap - includes some proposals that may strike some conservatives as intrusive government regulation not a free-market solution. House leaders have been pushing policies that they say will open up health care to more competition, while top Senate Republicans seem to have little interest in any of the ideas. Scott, of course, has his veto pen as the ultimate bargaining tool as he deals with recalcitrant legislators. The decision of Jesse Panuccio to resign from his job as the head of the Department of Economic Opportunity rather than confront a messy confirmation battle removed one potential point of leverage for the Florida Senate. But there are other agency heads whose adherence to Scott's agenda and seeming resistance to legislative instructions may make it difficult for them to survive what could be a messy session. If the Legislature were in fact able to put together a budget quickly and present it to Scott before the end of the 60-day session, it would create a conundrum for the governor. He would be forced to act on legislative budget priorities within 7 days which would give lawmakers the ability to decide whether to approve some of Scott's top priorities based on how he handled the budget. Another problem for Scott is that the consuming lobbying frenzy over the compact with the Seminole Tribe may distract legislators as they try to cobble together enough votes to pass something. (One possible solution is to have lawmakers pass the main compact, with the promise they will pass bills in 2017 to deal with other parts of the gambling industry.) As all of this unfolds during the next two months, the question is whether Scott and his team will provide new answers, new insights and new arguments to counter the pushback that the governor is going to likely encounter. Or will Scott stick to his oft-repeated line that he used time and time again where he will say that he expects the Legislature to "do the right thing" and vote exactly how he wants them to without explaining how, or why legislators should do that. Maybe that will be the "driving message" that needs to be answered later in 2016. 2000 - 2022 24 .- . focus-news.net, () . 24 . 24 . . 24 . We value your privacy. Focus Taiwan (CNA) uses tracking technologies to provide better reading experiences, but it also respects readers' privacy. Click here to find out more about Focus Taiwan's privacy policy. When you close this window, it means you agree with this policy. Taipei, Jan. 6 (CNA) Facebook users in Taipei City have alleged that their location as shown on the social network website has been changed to "Taipei City of the Republic of China" from the original "Taipei City," which they said seemingly shows that the ROC has been recognized by the site, according to a local media report. Kawasaki has for decades made products in Lincoln for land, sea and rail transportation. Starting next year, the company will add air travel to its mix. Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., the Japanese parent company of Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing, on Tuesday announced that it will manufacture cargo doors for Boeing's new 777X airplane at its plant in northwest Lincoln. Kawasaki will use an existing 30,000-square-foot space in its factory at 6600 N.W. 27th St. to produce the cargo doors. Equipment is expected to be installed no later than March 2017, with production starting in May of that year. Mike Boyle, vice president and plant manager in Lincoln, said Kawasaki will invest about $12.5 million in the new production line, and the work will eventually lead to about 50 new positions at the plant, which currently employs about 1,900. The Boeing 777X is an updated version of the airplane manufacturer's 777-300ER passenger jet. Production of the plane is expected to begin sometime next year, with the first deliveries to customers slated for 2020. Kawasaki is part of a consortium of Japanese companies that in July finalized an agreement to supply about 21 percent of the planes' parts. Kawasaki has a long history in the aerospace industry, with its Kawasaki Aerospace Co. tracing its roots back nearly a century. The company also is a longtime supplier to Boeing. However, it has never before undertaken any airplane manufacturing in the U.S. Boyle said in an email that Kawasaki expects a sustained demand for commercial aircraft for at least the next two decades and is positioning itself "to take advantage of any increases in aircraft production by establishing a production base in the United States." He said the Lincoln plant was chosen to be that base for a number of reasons, including its 41-year history of producing products ranging from motorcycles to rail cars; the experience, skill and training level of the employees; the fact that Lincoln is centrally located in the U.S, which helps keep logistics and transportation costs low; and the plant's proximity to the Lincoln Airport. Though Kawasaki's deal includes many components on the 777X, including forward- and mid-fuselage panels, main landing gear wells and pressure bulkheads, it will manufacture only the cargo doors in Lincoln, at least initially. "To develop and qualify a new U.S. production base, it was decided that KMM (Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing) will build the cargo doors to gain experience and qualify KMM production with the aircraft manufacturers," Boyle said. The Lincoln plant, which opened in 1974, is one of two Kawasaki manufacturing facilities in North America. The company also has a plant in Maryville, Missouri, that makes small engines. Each New Year is a time to reflect on the last year and plan for next year. This is a special year at home for us, because my twins will enter their senior year of high school this fall. Between their work and school schedules, and my calendar, we cherish every moment we have together. Susanne and I hope the principles we have worked to impart to themhard work, respect for others, and keeping your wordwill serve them well as adults. One of the reasons Nebraska is a great place to raise a family is because of the principles that Nebraskans share. We also value personal responsibility and common sense, and we dont spend money we dont have. Our state senators, who share these values and advocate for them, give of their time to represent their neighbors and serve taxpayers. This week, they will return to Lincoln for the second session of the 104th Legislature. During this session, senators will have the opportunity to deliver much-needed property tax relief, prioritize spending, and define strategies to grow Nebraska for future generations. Our Unicameral Legislature has a proud history. Established in 1937, the Unicameral remains the only non-partisan, one-house legislative body in the United States. By law, we balance our budget, and we cannot borrow money to achieve this like the federal government. We work together to actually pass a budget each yearsomething that does not happen in many states. These traditions work to keep the State Capitol focused on fiscal responsibility. This summer and fall, I held more than 20 town hall meetings across Nebraska, and people were clear and consistent on the need for property tax relief. State Senators tell me they hear the same thing in their districts. Last session we put $408 million into the property tax relief fund, a 45 percent increase over previous years. I believe property taxes are the number one issue we need to address this session, and I have been working with legislative leaders to make more progress on this for taxpayers. There are many other priorities that will be considered in this short session. The $154 million reduction in the revenue forecast means we must work together to balance the budget and constrain the growth of government. With only 60 days to consider other issues like education funding, infrastructure, religious freedom, marijuana legalization, and another effort to expand Medicaid in Nebraska, this session will move quickly. This session, however, is significant beyond the issues at hand. This is the last session for 11 term-limited senators who answered the noble calling of public service. Our appreciation goes out to Speaker Galen Hadley and Sens. Dave Bloomfield, Kathy Campbell, Colby Coash, Tanya Cook, Mike Gloor, Ken Haar, Beau McCoy, Heath Mello, Ken Schilz, and Kate Sullivan. These senators have given of themselves to serve our great state and their constituents, and we are all grateful for their contribution to our democracy. As the session opens, I ask that you contribute to democracy by engaging with those of us serving you. Please stay in touch with my office and with your senators office about how we can represent you best. You can find contact information for your senator by visiting www.NebraskaLegislature.gov, and you can reach my office by emailing pete.ricketts@nebraska.gov or calling 402-471-2244. I provide updates about important bills on my website, so please be sure to watch www.Governor.Nebraska.gov in the coming weeks and months. Candidates for Congress, when on the campaign trail, promise change, change, change. If elected, change, change, change becomes same, same, same. Our latest federal budget debate showed one party pushing to build our defense and the other to increase entitlement spending. Behold, the old political establishment kicks in. They compromise. The old came of you scratch my back and Ill scratch yours. They go along to get along and we the taxpayers are stuck with a 1.1 trillion dollar tax bill. With todays global unrest, a strong and well-equipped military is our best line of defense. Let us not forget our 26th President Teddy Roosevelts philosophy dealing with foreign policy, walk silent and carry a big stick. Why did our lawmakers include funding for Syrian refugees, sanction cities, and re-locating illegal aliens in the budget? The Arabian Peninsula and its Arabic-speaking, oil-rich countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates could construct a safe haven refugee camp where the refugees would not have to adopt to a new culture and language. Lets show some humanity to our own suffering from floods, tornadoes and hurricanes. Sanction cities that violate federal laws should not receive federal funding. Our unsecured southern border is almost cheap labor which lowers the standard of living for our middle class. Our president assures us we have nothing to fear when it comes to terrorism. Yet he knows not who is occupying our country and who their loyalty lies with. The mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., should have served as a challenge to all prevailing assumptions about ISIS, and domestic terrorism. Robert L. Warner Fremont Choice Hotels has signed an agreement to develop the fourth Cambria hotel & suites at Arundel Mills in Hanover, MD. The 119-room property will be located at the SW corner of Milestone Parkway and Arundel Mills Blvd., and is expected to open in June 2017. Two Cambria hotels & suites are currently open in the area in downtown Washington, DC and in Rockville, MD. The addition of Cambria Arundel Mills and another Cambria property under development in College Park, MD brings the total number of Cambria hotels & suites in the region to four. The Cambria Arundel Mills is part of the 1,100 acre Arundel Mills community with over 10 million square feet of mixed use development. The Cambria hotel & suites Arundel Mills will be in close proximity to other local attractions such as Fort Mead; the National Security Agency; BWI Airport, the largest airport in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. area with over 22 million passengers per year; Maryland Live Casino, the largest casino in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. area with over $600 million in annual gambling proceeds; and Arundel Mills Mall, the largest tourist attraction in Maryland with over 14 million visitors per year, and also the largest mall in Maryland with over 1.6 million square feet of leased space. Designed as a business travel and leisure brand, all Cambria hotels & suites properties feature a larger lobby to give guests a more social atmosphere; oversized rooms with flexible spaces; and the latest technology that allows guests to stay connected while they travel. Like all Cambria hotels & suites, the Arundel Mills property will feature other fine amenities such as a contemporary bistro, Social Circle, serving a menu comprised of local specialties created by Chef Michael DeMaria; liquor, wine, beer and freshly prepared grab-and-go gourmet salads and sandwiches; and a barista bar. This property will also boast 2,000 square feet of meeting space and an indoor pool and fitness center. Paul Gauguin Cruises announces new voyages featuring popular favorites along with new, exotic 16- and 17-night Fiji & Bali itineraries and a collaborative program with the Wildlife Conservation Society. Beginning in 2017, WCS will offer educational programming for adults and families aboard The Gauguin. Its series will comprise lectures about marine science and wildlife conservation in the South Pacific and beyond. In 2017, The Gauguin will also be showcasing its most sought-after itineraries: the 7-night Tahiti & the Society Islands; 7-night Tahiti, the Society Islands & Tuamotus; 10-night Society Islands & Tuamotus; 11-night Cook Islands & Society Islands; and 14-night Marquesas, Tuamotus & Society Islands. Also in 2017, the popular 12- and 13-night Society Islands, Cook Islands, Tonga & Fiji itineraries return. In addition to sailing to beautiful islands in the South Pacific, and showcasing Polynesian culture and hospitality, these voyages feature complimentary access to Paul Gauguin Cruises' two exclusive retreatsMotu Mahana, an islet off the coast of Taha'a, and a private beach in Bora Bora. At Motu Mahana, guests enjoy a day of watersports, Polynesian activities, a barbecue feast, and cocktails from full-service and floating bars. In Bora Bora, guests can relax on a white-sand beach and enjoy refreshments, a game of volleyball, and snorkeling in crystal-clear waters. On The Gauguin's July 26, 2017, voyage, Paul Gauguin Cruises will present its third Reunion Cruise, which features a special 10-night Cook Islands & Society Islands itinerary with two visits to the line's private island paradise of Motu Mahana. To launch its 2017 voyages, Paul Gauguin Cruises is offering savings of 50% off standard cruise fares on all 2017 voyages, plus included airfare from Los Angeles. For rates or more information on Paul Gauguin Cruises, please contact a Travel Professional, call 800-848-6172, or visit www.pgcruises.com. Britain's Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond begins two days of talks with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Chinese foreign minister says China and UK will offer each other 2-year multiple-entry visas starting this year. Currently, Chinese tourists are limited to six-month visas. The new policy is seen as the latest move from the UK to win a slice of Chinas high spending outbound tourism market which is the biggest in the world. Philip Hammond, UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs said, From next week, Chinese nationals will be able to apply for a two-year multiple-entry visa to the UK for the same price as they currently apply for a six-month single-entry visa. And we will be extending our on-demand mobile biometric service to a total of fifty sets across China making it easier and faster for Chinese people to apply for visas to visit the UK." During the meeting the two foreign ministers also issued a statement on Syria, agreeing to advance counter-terrorism efforts and a political settlement to end the conflict in the country. Source: CCTV Today Square Enix announced that it's shutting down Shinra Technologies, its cloud-gaming technology subsidiary. The company was established in 2014 to provide technology solutions to allow developers to process their games in the cloud. The division was headed up by former CEO Yoichi Wada, who spoke to Gamasutra about the tech in 2015. The company released its dev kit in July 2015, and its services went into beta test in the U.S. after that. This is how it was going to work. The company will book a loss of 2 billion yen ($16.9 million) related to the business in its next financial results, for its fiscal year ending March 31, 2016. Square Enix had invested $15 million in the U.S. division of Shinra, and a further 80 million yen, or $671,716, in its Japanese branch, according to the release. The company had worked with external studios, such as Republique developer Camouflaj, to test its tech -- which was also nominated for Japanese trade association CEDEC's engineering award for 2015 (it ultimately lost out to Microsoft's Visual Studio.) The short press release [PDF] on the shutdown of the company gives this justification: "STI, as a cloud platform operator, has been trying to raise funds necessary for further business operations from third party investors. However, STI has found no prospective investors at this point, and therefore has to discontinue its business." Gamasutra has reached out to Square Enix to seek more details on the shutdown, and will update this story if any are forthcoming. Update: Gamasutra received this statement from a Square Enix spokesperson: Square Enix Group today announced that Shinra Technologies, Inc. has discontinued its business and is currently under a liquidation process. Shinra Technologies was established with the aim to build a cloud-gaming platform with supercomputer-class capabilities. To retain its neutrality and independence as a platform, Shinra Technologies was formed independently from other content-creating Square Enix entities, and set a goal to raise additional funds for further business operations from third party investors. However, Shinra Technologies has not been able to find prospective investors, and have taken the difficult decision to discontinue its business. Square Enix Group will keep its confidence in cloud-gaming, and we will continue to develop our business using cloud technologies to deliver the new gaming-experiences to the world. This is an unfortunate situation and we are offering all the assistance possible to any employees affected by this. We want to thank them for their hard work and sincerely wish them well in the future. Weblog of The Gate to Greece. Mainly about Athens and Piraeus because I live here and especially about food because I love it. SM comments on submarines, non-submarine weapons & major international events. If Australia wants truly independent foreign/defence policies, we are so isolated that we need to develop a convincing deterrent far sooner than any Aus SSNs arrive (or not) in the 2040s. Deterrent is mainly against China. The real Glaswegian working class voice in the independence debate read by thousands, the BBC and other related media, secured the first criminal conviction against one of the seven top cybernats outed by the Daily Mail MASON CITY Promising to re-embrace the principles of limited government, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio emphasized his conservative credentials Tuesday to an overflow crowd at the Historic Park Inn. Rubio, painted by pundits and Republican rivals as one of the establishment candidates this year, repeatedly stressed his opposition to big government, his loyalty to constitutional principles and his disdain for the Obama administration. Seven years ago, Americans elected a man dedicated to changing, transforming America. He believes the Constitution is outdated and he is focused on getting around it, said Rubio. As an example, he cited Obamas latest use of executive orders on gun registration. He has assigned more people to enforcing that than he has to the war on ISIS, said Rubio. When a government is doing things it shouldnt be doing, it cant do well what it is supposed to be doing. He listed several actions he would take as president, some on his first day in office. Among them: Repeal every one of Obamas executive orders. Revoke the nuclear deal with Iran. Repeal Obamacare. Appoint judges who will interpret the Constitution fairly. Seek term limits on federal judges. This is a national security election, said Rubio, adding that immigration is a national security issue. He said immigration is a different issue than it was a few years ago because ISIS is using the system to infiltrate dangerous people into the U.S. If you are coming into this country and we dont know 100 percent who you are or 100 percent why youre coming, then you will not be allowed in, said Rubio. He said it is a matter of national security to have a fence along the southern border, to hire more border agents and to have sensors and cameras and tracking systems. Rubio said as president he would rebuild the military, rebuild the intelligence community, conduct a real war on terror, not a rhetorical one, and reform the Veterans Administration. Veterans should be able to use their VA benefits at any doctors office or hospital of their choice, he said. Regarding education, Rubio said, We dont need the federal Department of Education. Those decisions should be made at the state and local level. Asked by an audience member about entitlements, he said, I would take all entitlement money and block grant it back to the states. He said Social Security and Medicare are legitimate entitlements money older people are entitled to but they are intended as safety nets, not a way of life. LONDON and RATINGEN, Germany, Jan. 06, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FXCM Inc. (NYSE:FXCM), is a leading online provider of foreign exchange (forex) trading, Contracts for Difference (CFDs) and related services, announced today its new partnership with German broker FXFlat. "FXCM is pleased to partner with FXFlat, a dominant player in Germany, says Brandon Mulvihill, Managing Director of FXCM PRO. The numerous awards FXFlat received in 2015 and the years prior speak to the quality of this new venture. This is an important step towards FXCM's strategic expansion into the German market. Under the new partnership, FXFlat will enable its customers with access to the FXCM Trading Station and MetaTrader 4 platform trading services. Moreover, FXFlat customers will benefit from the distinctive No Dealing Desk Forex and Enhanced CFD execution models. Rafael Neustadt, Managing Director and CEO of FXFlat explains: "The new partnership is a win-win situation not only for FXFlat Wertpapierhandelsbank and FXCM, but especially for the customer." Neustadt continued, "With this cooperation we are further expanding our extensive range of excellent trading tools, attractive costs and transparent solutions." About FXCM Inc. FXCM Inc. (NYSE:FXCM) is a leading provider of online foreign exchange (FX) trading, CFD trading, spread betting and related services. Our mission is to provide global traders with access to the world's largest and most liquid market by offering innovative trading tools, hiring excellent trading educators, meeting strict financial standards and striving for the best online trading experience in the market. Clients have the advantage of mobile trading, one-click order execution and trading from real-time charts. In addition, FXCM offers educational courses on FX trading and provides free news and market research through DailyFX.com. Visit www.fxcm.co.uk and follow us on Twitter @FXCMUK, Facebook FXCM, Google+ FXCM, or YouTube FXCM. Trading foreign exchange and CFDs on margin carries a high level of risk, which may result in losses that could exceed your deposits, therefore may not be suitable for all investors. Read full disclaimer. About FXFlat FXFlat is a specialized Germany based and regulated Online Broker in the Forex and CFD trading industry that has set itself the goal of offering its customers a wide range of securities and the most professional trading technologies at top conditions. Particularly advantages for FXFlat customers is the combination of accounts managed in Germany and procured accounts in the UK. Thus, the customers of FXFlat have the advantages of both countries at choice. The key difference is based on the transfer of the withholding tax and requirements of the deposit insurance. FXFlat is a trademark of independent and privately owned FXFlat Wertpapierhandelsbank GmbH. This has emerged from the asset management company Heyder Kruger & Kollegen GmbH (HKK-Invest), founded in 1997 in Ratingen, near Dusseldorf and has the necessary approvals from the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin), whose is subject to its supervision. More information is available at www.fxflat.com. WALNUT CREEK, Calif., Jan. 6, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via PRWEB - Owens Realty Mortgage, Inc. (NYSE MKT: ORM) announced today that Bryan Draper, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of ORM, has been appointed by its Board of Directors to succeed William Owens as the company's President and Chief Executive Officer effective January 4, 2016. Mr. Draper and Mr. Owens have worked together at Owens Financial Group, Inc. ("OFG"), the manager of ORM, for over 28 years. Mr. Owens will continue on in his role as Chairman of the Board of ORM. Having guided ORM through its transition in becoming a Real Estate Investment Trust listed on the NYSE MKT in 2013 and managed the company's gradual disposition of real estate assets and investment in commercial real estate loans, Mr. Owens made the personal decision to step down as the company's CEO. "As I continue my role as Chairman of the Board, I will remain actively engaged as a member of the executive team at Owens Realty Mortgage and supporting Bryan in his new role as Chief Executive Officer. Bryan and I have had a long history working together at Owens Financial Group and we share a similar vision for the future of the Company. He is very capable of continuing the growth and expansion that began under my tenure" said Mr. Owens. Mr. Draper graduated from the University of California at Davis with a degree in Agricultural Economics in 1979 and acquired a Master's in Business Administration degree from the University of Southern California in 1981. After several years in public accounting where he earned his Certificate of Public Accounting, he started with OFG as its Chief Financial Officer in 1987. Mr. Draper became the CFO of ORM in May 2013 and was named to its Board of Directors in 2013 where he remains a member. "I am honored and grateful that the Board and Bill Owens have put their faith in me to lead ORM forward. I am excited to work with the ORM team to continue the plan set forth by Bill and the Board to transform the Company away from real estate investments acquired during the economic downturn by successful sales of properties and reinvestment into quality mortgage loans" said Mr. Draper. The Board of Directors has appointed Melina Platt to succeed Bryan Draper as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of the Company, effective January 4, 2016. Ms. Platt has been the Controller of the manager since May 1998 and is a Certified Public Accountant. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration/Accounting from Oregon State University in 1988 and was previously a Senior Manager with KPMG in the San Francisco Bay Area practice. Mr. Draper stated "I have developed great respect for Melina working together over many years at OFG and ORM and look forward to working with her in her new role as the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of the Company". The Board of Directors has appointed Daniel Worley to succeed Bryan Draper as Secretary of the Company, effective January 4, 2016. Mr. Worley has been a Senior Vice President and Assistant Secretary of the Company since May 2013. The Company will conduct an investor conference call to discuss the press release on Thursday, January 7, 2016, at 10:30 a.m. PT / 1:30 p.m. ET. To participate in the call, please dial (877) 407-0784 (United States) or (201) 689-8560 (International) and request the Owens Realty Mortgage call or provide confirmation code: 13627794. A live webcast of the call will also be available on the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at http://www.owensmortgage.com. Please allow 10 minutes prior to the call to visit this site to download and install any necessary audio software. An archive of the webcast will be available approximately one hour after completion of the live event and will be accessible on the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at http://www.owensmortgage.com until January 11th. To access the replay, dial (877) 870-5176 (United States) or (858) 384-5517 (International) and enter code: 13627794. About Owens Realty Mortgage, Inc. Owens Realty Mortgage, Inc., a Maryland corporation, is a specialty finance mortgage company organized to qualify as a real estate investment trust ("REIT") that focuses on the origination, investment, and management of commercial real estate mortgage loans. We provide customized, short-term capital to small and middle-market investors that require speed and flexibility. Our primary objective is to provide investors with attractive current income and long-term shareholder value. Owens Realty Mortgage, Inc., is headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, and is externally managed and advised by Owens Financial Group, Inc. Additional information can be found on the Company's website at http://www.owensmortgage.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements about Owens Realty Mortgage Inc.'s plans, strategies, and prospects are based on current information, estimates, and projections; they are subject to risks and uncertainties, as well as known and unknown risks, which could cause actual results to differ from expectations, estimates and projections and, consequently, readers should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as "expect," "target," "assume," "estimate," "project," "budget," "forecast," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "may," "will," "could," "should," "believe," "predicts," "potential," "continue," and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company does not undertake or accept any obligation to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based. Additional information concerning these and other risk factors is contained in the Company's most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning the Company or matters attributable to the Company or any person acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements above. This article was originally distributed on PRWeb. For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.prweb.com/releases/2016/01/prweb13152724.htm Why take the subway all the way into Manhattan to get from Brooklyn Heights to Williamsburg when you could take a shiny monorail light rail along the waterfront that would link neighborhoods from Sunset Park to Astoria? A nonprofit called Friends of the Brooklyn Queens Connector is proposing just that, according to a study that was leaked to the Daily News. The streetcar would cover a 17-mile waterfront stretch, as well as a brief detour into downtown Brooklyn to connect with the Barclays Center, and would serve 15.8 million passengers by 2035, the study estimates. Constructing the Brooklyn Queens Connector would cost $1.7 billion, with an additional $26 million per year to maintain the rail but it would bring in $3.7 billion in tax revenue, the study estimates. In a similar proposal for Next New York, urban planner Alexander Garvin, who sits on the committee that commissioned a study of the feasibility of the light rail, noted as much: "By creating a new light rail line in those neighborhoods, we could create an enormous opportunity for new investment...The capital cost of the new light rail line could be financed from the tax increment generated by new and renovated housing created on underutilized properties within walking distance of the new light rail line." It's unclear whether the Friends of the Brooklyn Queens Connector is precisely the same as the committee that commissioned the initial study of its viability. According to Politico New York, the initial committee included representatives from Two Trees Management, which owns much of DUMBO and is currently developing the Domino sugar refinery in South Williamsburg both neighborhoods that would stand to benefit from additional transportation, and that are difficult to travel between. Jill Eisenhard, director of the Red Hook Initiative community group, was a member of both the initial committee and the Friends of the Brooklyn Queens Connector, and expressed her support for the light rail to the Daily News: Too much of the city is underserved by our transit system, and we need to be looking at ideas like this to create a 21st century network." A streetcar system wouldn't exactly be new in Brooklyn: the borough used to contain a web of trams, but they shut down between 1930 and 1956 as General Motors took control and replaced them with buses. At one point, however, the borough's transit system looked something like this: The report estimates that construction on the Brooklyn Queens Connector could start by 2019. A spokesperson for de Blasio told the Daily News that the administration could be open to the idea but given the continued delays with the Second Avenue Subway, whose second phase is now projected to begin in 2019, it's probably safe to say we won't all be commuting by light rail any time soon. Seems like more of a Shelbyville idea, anyway. Last night Downtown Brooklyn's Community Education Council voted in favor of a school rezoning proposal that will require predominantly white, upper-middle-class, bursting-at-the-seams PS 8 to zone incoming DUMBO and Vinegar Hill students to PS 307a school that is currently under capacity, and predominantly serves African-American residents of the NYCHA-run Farragut Houses on York Street. The meeting stretched until 10:30 p.m., more than an hour after its initial hard-stop deadline. The final vote was 6-3. "I believe that tonight is historical," said City Councilmember Laurie Cumbo in her public remarks before a crowded room and bevy of news cameras. "This particular vote is being watched nationwide. My position is that we all have to make the important decisions to change the zoning to make sure that diversity happens." However, she and others stressed that PS 307 needs further protections to preserve its racial and socioeconomic diversity. The majority of seats should be set aside for students who receive free lunch, she argued, and the City should promise that changing demographics will not ultimately make the school ineligible for Title 1 fundingadditional funding for teacher training and special programing. If the school were to lose federal funding under the rezoning, the DOE stressed that increased enrollment would increase the school's overall budget. "We've got to make sure we preserve the integrity of the school as it was originally intended," Cumbo said. Black and Hispanic students currently represent 34% of PS 8's student body, while PS 307 is 95% minority. Under the proposed rezoning, these percentages are expected to shift to 25-35% and 55-65% respectively. Overcrowding has been an issue at PS 8 for years, thanks in part to robust real estate development in downtown Brooklyn. PS 8 has significantly stronger state test scores than PS 307, but was forced to cut its Pre-K program in 2013 because of overcrowding. It has no language program. At PS 307, Pre-K and kindergarten students take Mandarin lessons. While the majority of the nine-member CEC 13 expressed qualified support for the plan, several of the speakers who took the floor on Tuesday called for its dismissal, arguing that the plan primarily benefits PS 8 by eliminating its wait list. A large contingent of parents and community members from the Farragut Houses traveled to the meeting by school bus, and filled the majority of public comment slots. At one point the group picked up a chant: "No! No! No!" PS 307 PTA President Faraji Hannah-Jones said that he fears the plan will fall short of preserving the influence of the school's current stakeholders in the long run. As WNYC reported, the predominantly-white PS 8 served mostly black and Latino children in the early 2000s, before changing neighborhood demographics tipped the scales. "All that we will get is another PS 8a school that all of the black and brown folks built, only to lose all of the stake and ownership," Jones said. DUMBO resident Doreen Gallo, speaking on behalf of the Dumbo Neighborhood Alliance and the Vinegar Hill Neighborhood Association, also dismissed the plan. "The rezoning proposal is designed to only marginally address a potential for a wait list [at PS 8]," she said. "It simply confers the benefit of exclusive access to PS 8 to Brooklyn Heights." Representatives of PS 8's PTA relinquished their allotted chance to comment on Tuesday, citing shortness of time. However, the group formally endorsed the proposal in October, describing it as "the only proposal on the table that will move us forward." The ODP's proposed rezoning. Black lines represent proposed zones. Blue is current PS 8, salmon is current 307 (via). Speaking to us earlier this week, Jones described how the PS 307 PTA would proceed in light of an approved rezoning plan. He explained that the school is updating its website to attract students from other parts of the borough, and promoting itself as a school with a powerful technology focus. "A lot of this has caused us to circle the wagons," Jones said. "Even if the zone goes through, DUMBO parents have the option to not go to the school. But what about the kids who don't have options? I think people need to get it out of their heads that a successful school is a white school." PS 8's PTA declined multiple requests for comment on their reaction to the vote. The rezoning plan will impact kindergarten and Pre-K students in the 2016-2017 school year, excluding those "grandfathered" into PS 8 by older siblings. But Gallo, of the DUMBO Neighborhood Association, predicted that some parents in her neighborhood would not send their children to PS 307 despite the vote. "PS 8 with its overcrowding still has higher test scores," she said. "When they say that test scores don't mattersince when? These are [the DOE's] metrics for our kids to get into middle school." She added, "If the DUMBO neighborhood wants to go with this school I'm going to work with the Farragut Community on points of mutual interest. [But] the DOE thinks they can redraw a line and people will trickle in. That's not an effective solution." CEC 13 Member Ed Brown grew up in the Farragut Houses. Before casting his vote in favor of the plan, he admonished parents for, as he put it, being "frozen" by fear. "Adults on both sides have frozen their minds," he said. "People are holding on to what they deem belongs to them, and now gentrification and new buildings have surrounded the Farragut houses," he added. "Gentrification is here. It's not going back to the old Brooklyn that we remember. Those times have passed." Treasurer Renee Burke echoed his sentiment. "Don't think of it as a takeover," she said, addressing the Farragut community members in the audience. "Don't think of everyone who comes in as a threat. Just be ready for it, because inevitably diversity will happen." "We commend the CEC's approval of this plan, an essential step that will increase diversity and ensure the needs of students and families in the district are met," said DOE spokeswoman Devora Kaye in a statement. "We'll continue to work closely with all partners to implement this plan and provide support during the transition." In November, the DOE dropped an equally-controvoersial rezoning plan on the Upper West Side, tabling the issue of overcrowding at elite PS 199 until further notice. Under fire from Comptroller Scott Stringer and Governor Cuomo for the persistently decrepit state of the city's homeless shelter system, Mayor de Blasio is pledging to fix up and maintain shelters. Stringer's office announced today that it analyzed each of the more than 500 family shelters and found that all but about 60 have at least one violation inspectors consider immediately hazardous, and that such hazards are present in more than two thirds of the shelters that house children. Violations cover such issues as severe mold, leaks, collapsed ceilings, rats, exposed wiring, and peeling lead paint. Also today, De Blasio announced a redoubling of the efforts of his Shelter Repair Squad, which he assembled in May 2015 and said consists of "hundreds" of inspectors and repair workers. Since then, the Mayor's Office says the Department of Homeless Services and other agencies have worked together to address 12,000 violations. Still, during the two week period that Stringer's analysts reviewed building records, 18,704 violations remained or had appeared anew. Family shelters house about 50,000 of the city's 58,000 sheltered homeless. "No New Yorkerhomeless or notshould have to put their children to bed in a building crawling with vermin or covered in mold," Stringer wrote in a letter summarizing his team's findings to Deputy Mayor Anthony Shorris. To address the continued problems, Stringer recommended that the city stop farming out shelter oversight to private landlords and not-for-profits and directly lease or own shelter buildings. A previous Comptroller report found that DHS staffers responsible for inspecting shelters seldom do so and instead rely on shelter operators to self-report problems, and that mechanisms for tracking building problems and ensuring that repairs are made don't exist. Another possible solution Stringer proposed in his latest salvo was to require inspections of shelter apartments that certify zero violations before the city moves families in, as is done with Section 8 apartments. The mayor's announcement did not address these ideas, but did pledge Department of Housing Preservation and Development contractors to make the most critical repairs where operators can't or won't, as it does with private apartment buildings. The mayor also said he would bring in workers with the Coalition for the Homeless, a private advocacy group, to monitor shelter conditions. Shelter inspectors previously told the Comptroller's Office that they were understaffed and overworked, and could not under the existing workload proactively inspect and follow building conditions. As part of the new system, de Blasio pledged to create a hotline for shelter families to call to report conditions. A rotting floor sprouting mold under a kitchen sink at a now-shuttered cluster site shelter in Brooklyn. (Nathan Tempey/Gothamist) "We have already taken steps to improve conditions, but as a result we have learned that more is needed," de Blasio said in a statement. "So we have developed a systematic and thorough program to ensure that problems are promptly identified and fixed and that there is monitoring to make sure the repairs are done correctly and on time. I dont want anyone refusing to come into a homeless shelter because of bad conditions." The competing announcements come amid a shakeup at the Department of Homeless Services, where Commissioner Gilbert Taylor announced his departure last month. The agency has struggled with a ballooning shelter population and an increasingly sprawling, stressed network of shelters, hotels, and private apartment buildings. The burgeoning homelessness problem is in part a legacy of former mayor Bloomberg's three terms. Under Bloomberg, housing costs skyrocketed, developers built big with city handouts, wealthy people prospered, and wages for middle and working-class people barely budged. On the shelter level, Bloomberg sought to restrict access to services through screening requirements, emphasized reliance on the cluster-site program, which farmed out shelter operation to landlords and nonprofits, often paying above-market rents at rent-regulated buildings, and along with Governor Cuomo, cut funding for the Advantage rent voucher program. Shelters also became increasingly dangerous under Bloombergaccording to the Daily News, by de Blasio's first months in office, there were nearly three life-threatening attacks per day at city shelters. When he took over, de Blasio signaled a new approach to housing policy by lifting shelter restrictions, announcing an ambitious, if contentious, affordable housing plan to build 80,000 below-market apartments and retain another 120,000 over the next decade, commissioning a study of the shelter system, appointing a prominent homeless advocate to run the city's welfare agency, and creating a new rent voucher program. The number of serious attacks in shelters was closer to 2 per day during the last fiscal year. Still, the homeless population has surged on de Blasio's watch, and has become a target for political foes, most prominently the New York Post and Governor Cuomo. Early this week, Cuomo released, then rapidly backed away from an order that would have mandated police to forcibly remove homeless people from the street and place them in shelters in below-freezing weather. The order was supposed to go into effect yesterday, but by that point Cuomo and his staff had conceded that the order had no teeth as de Blasio refused to do anything with it, civil rights attorney Norman Siegel vowed to fight it, and agencies statewide revealed that they had not been consulted. Discussing the order on 1010 WINS on Sunday, Cuomo challenged de Blasio to fix up the shelter system, saying that common refrains from people leaving on the street should be invalidated: "On the concern of 'I don't want to go into the shelters because shelters are dangerous,' that's just unacceptable. We want people to be sheltered in safe, clean, decent, well-maintained places and they will be." On the streets of the city during the first day of the order's implementation, though, outreach continued as usual during a cold spell, with social service providers, NYPD officers, and EMTs checking up on street-dwelling homeless people's every four hours and hospitalizing or moving them to shelter in some cases, almost always voluntarily, though people deemed to pose an imminent danger can be involuntarily hospitalized. The New York Times reported that by this morning, "authorities had taken 97 people off the streets and put them into shelters or hospitals. An additional 101 people living on the streets sought care at emergency rooms." Many homeless people queried by Times reporters said that either they weren't approached by cops or outreach workers overnight, that cops didn't mention shelters, or that they had declined rides to shelters. "Id rather sleep in a train than go to a shelter, Ashton Griffith told the paper. Its nothing but fights with staff and people who live there. Its animal mentality." Banks are allowing foreclosed homes in New York City's communities of color to rot with impunity, costing the city millions in unpaid fines and worsening the affordable housing crisis. According to a report issued Tuesday by a coalition of New York State Democrats, local and international banks owe the city more than $2 million in unpaid Department of Buildings or Department of Housing, Preservation and Development fines on around 200 foreclosed homes. About eighty percent of these bank-possessed homes are located in communities of color, where 50 percent or more of the residents are black or Hispanic. State legislators argue that the phenomenon is causing property values in impacted neighborhoods to plummet, and exacerbating the City's current housing crisis. An AM New York report published in July detailed a related phenomenonbefore a home can be formally possessed by a bank, it must wind through a foreclosure process that is, in New York, notoriously lengthy. A house that is abandoned by its owner and awaiting repossession is called a "zombie house." According to Realtytrac data, the city saw an overall 28% increase in the number of zombie houses between January 2014 and May 2015. Kings County had the most zombie houses as of last May, at 1,050. Queens County came in second with 905 zombie homes. New York State's foreclosure process can take up to three years, and in the meantime, these houses tend to decay. Once banks take possession, the state of disrepair is already significant. According to the findings of this week's report, as of July 2015 Deutsche Bank was the worst offender in the outer boroughs, owing close to $400,000 in unpaid housing violations. US Bank was a close second, followed by Midfirst Bank which owes more than $200,000. These same banksWells Fargo, Deutsche Bank, and Fannie Mae among themhave caused New York homeowners to lose an estimated $14.4 million in home value depreciation. This calculation relies heavily on a 2008 report in the Journal of Urban Economics, which found that, on average, a foreclosed home reduces the value of all homes standing within a 300-foot radius of an abandoned home by 1.3 percent. The report documented shy of 1,800 open violations at bank-owned foreclosed houses in the outer boroughs, and calculated that on average, houses within 300 feet of them lost $5,771 in value. City-wide, value depreciated by $14.4 million. Wells Fargo had the most open violations, 337 HPD and 30 DOB, followed by US Bank with 182 HPD and 66 DOB. Daren Blomquist, Vice President of the national foreclosure tracking website RealtyTrac, explained the impact of foreclosed houses on local real-estate. "If you as a neighbor want to sell your house, and you have one of these vacant foreclosures in the neighborhood, you're going to have trouble selling your house for full market value," he said. "Even if your property is in good condition, it will automatically sell for lower." Reached for comment, Deutsche Bank denied that it was responsible for collecting fines on foreclosed homes to which they are attached, arguing that, as trustees, they simply keep records on properties once they are foreclosed. "As trustee, Deutsche Bank is not responsible for the maintenance of foreclosed properties," said spokeswoman Oksana Poltavets in a statement. "Rather, loan servicing companies are responsible for property maintenance, as well as responding to legal proceedings, such as building code citations, arising from property maintenance issues. "That's part of the problem: confusion about who's responsible," said Blomquist. "Deutsche Bank may be listed as the beneficiary who would take possession if the property is foreclosed, but someone has hired a company to service to the loan, and they are the company responsible for collecting payments or going on in foreclosure." Study authors say that because the banks are the entities listed as owners of the foreclosed homes in city documents, it is their responsibility to maintain them. "It flies in the face of the intent of the law to claim that the owner of record for a property is not responsible for that property," said State Senator Jeff Klein in a statement. "Deutsche Bank has no problem foreclosing on people's homes and claiming ownershipuntil negative publicity comes out of their irresponsible actions." In an effort to address bank-owned and zombie houses together, New York Democrats Jeff Klein and Diane Savino have suggested a two-part package of laws. The first, in conjunction with Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's Abandoned Property Neighborhood Relief Act, would require mortgage lenders to keep track of and maintain abandoned houses in a formal registry. The second would require banks and loan service companies to maintain abandoned homes as soon as they are discovered to be abandoned, rather than waiting until foreclosure proceedings have been completed. In May, 11 banks, mortgage lenders, and credit unions across the state agreed to adopt "best practices" to maintain homes during the foreclosure process. "A gentlemen's agreement between lending institutions and New York State to maintain properties... will not go far enough to rid New York of this blight," the study authors retorted. "Under no duty or penalty of law, this issue will remain unresolved." We have reached out to the DOB and HPD for comment on any efforts to hold banks accountable for violations and foreclosed properties, and will update with any additional information. Sport Neymar denies wrongdoing over Barca transfer, says he signs what his father tells him to Neymar only signed documents his father gave him and did nothing illegal, the Brazil superstar told a Spanish court on Tuesday where he is on trial for alleged irregularities over his transfer to Barcelona nearly a decade ago. 404 US Congress(NEW YORK) -- Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders says he would do better against Donald Trump in a general election than Hillary Clinton. "I believe that our campaign is generating the kind of grassroots excitement that will result in a high voter turnout," the Vermont senator told ABC News George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America Wednesday. "Democrats need a high voter turnout to win. I think we can do that." Sanders pointed to a recent Quinnipiac University poll that showed Clinton leading Trump by 7 percentage points nationally, 47 vs. 40 percent. But in the same poll, Sanders leads by a broader 13 points, 51 vs. 38 percent. When asked whether he would win the Iowa caucuses, he said, "I think weve got a real good shot at it." Recent polling shows Clinton maintaining a slim lead in the state. The comments come hours after North Korea claimed to have tested a hydrogen bomb. "We'll have to lean on China," Sanders said of American strategy. "China is North Korea's closest ally. They'll have to push North Korea to start adhering to international agreements." "When you have a hydrogen bomb, if that's true, you are a threat to China, as well," he added. Sanders also vowed to break up big banks, saying that this plan was tougher than Clinton's. "That's dangerous to our economy and to our political life. We have to break them up," he said. "We have to re-establish Glass-Steagall legislation. That is not Secretary Clintons position." "I think what you have is a situation where banks are not only too big to fail, bankers are too big to jail," he added. Clinton does not support reinstating the Glass-Steagall Act, saying that her plan goes after the shadow banking system. In his speech tomorrow, Senator Sanders should go beyond his existing plans for reforming Wall Street and endorse Hillary Clintons tough, comprehensive proposals to rein in risky behavior within the shadow banking sector, the Clinton campaign said in a statement on Monday. Copyright 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. This was passed along from Bob B. and also credit to Kevin Sorbo. For me When the State tells you its safe to go to Home Depot to buy a ... " " Elodie Thomis, midfielder for France's women's soccer team, reacts as she undergoes treatment in a cryotherapy chamber at the training base in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines. FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images Whole-body cryotherapy is essentially a modern variation on an old idea. That idea is that cooling off is good for you. Athletes routinely use ice packs to bring down inflammation in sore or injured joints. Some also take dunks in ice-cold water based on the theory that the submersion speeds recovery from intense physical exertion. The idea that freezing your rear has health benefits dates back at least as far as the late 1800s when one Professor Sugarman became world-famous as "the human polar bear" for his midwinter dips in an icy New York river [source: Fulton County Republican]. Sugarman was known as a health advocate, but it's not clear what benefits he claimed from the practice. At least one recent study has found that people who swim regularly in cold water report improvements in mood and reductions in chronic pain [source: Huttunen et al.]. Advertisement Dr. Yamauchi's 1970s innovation of replacing water with nitrogen cooled to liquid form and released as a gaseous mist was designed to help people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. The practice was picked up by athletes in the former Soviet bloc, and from there it spread. It was only a matter of time before whole-body cryotherapy crossed over from the world of elite athletics to trendy health spas. While it's often referred to simply as "cryotherapy" in popular media, the practice should be called "whole-body cryotherapy" to distinguish it from "local cryotherapy," which is a much-used and highly effective medical application. When applying local cryotherapy, doctors use liquid nitrogen to freeze skin or organ tissue that needs to be removed. Whole-body cryotherapy is a different animal altogether. At a cryotherapy center, you'll plunk down $40 or $50, strip to your undergarments, and walk into a "cryosauna" or cryotherapy chamber. The chamber looks a bit like a fashion-forward version of one of those barrels clowns sometimes like to wear. Or maybe it's a bit more like an expensive incarnation of the trash can Oscar the Grouch lives in. In other words, your body's in a tank while your head pokes out from a hole in the top. Then liquid nitrogen is released into the chamber where it instantly gasifies, and you're enveloped in a freezing mist somewhere in the neighborhood of minus 256 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 160 degrees Celsius). Sessions usually last no more than two to three minutes. Using very cold, very dry gas rather than water reputedly cools the body more slowly, with the cold penetrating no more than half a millimeter below the surface of the skin [source: Robinson]. Proponents claim that the practice not only reduces inflammation, but also destroys toxins, increases metabolism, boosts the immune system and slows aging. If that's what the enthusiasts say, what does the science tell us? Authorities are investigating the cutting and theft of two horses' tails in the Helena Valley. The animals' owners estimate about six feet of hair was taken, Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton said. The owners reported the incidents at about noon on Sunday. Investigators found tire tracks and boot prints at the scene, Dutton said. About four feet of tail was taken from an Arabian horse and about two feet was cut from a quarter horse's tail. Dutton said the tails were about halved. Horse hair is commonly sold for use in arts and crafts projects. Dutton said this was likely the motive. The culprits could face misdemeanor charges of theft and trespassing, he said. "It happens infrequently, but it does happen," Dutton added. Dutton urged local horse owners to be on the lookout for anyone potentially trespassing or suspicious. Anyone with information on this case is urged to call sheriff's deputy Mike Bruce at 447-8293. Fern Mildred (Larsen) Duckworth Sperry Bugbee was born March 3, 1923 in Hamilton, Montana to Frank M. and Margaret Larsen. Her parents divorced when she was very young and she, her mother, and brother moved to Helena where she attended Central Grade School. When Fern was in the fourth grade, she and younger brother, Chuck, began attending Helena Catholic School until she began attending Helena High School. She completed her high school education at the Seventh Day Adventist High School in Bozeman. After high school, Fern began working as a waitress at Mrs. Downings Cafe in Helena where she met Jim Duckworth, a soldier stationed at Fort Harrison. They married before he was sent overseas during WW II. After returning from the war, Jim and Fern moved to Parkersburg, WV, where she worked at the Kramer Pharmacy. They were married until Jims death in 1972. Unable to start a family, Jim and Fern adopted their first child, John; seven years later they adopted their second child, Deb. After fifteen years in West Virginia, the family moved to Montana where Ferns family still lived. There a third child, daughter Beverly, was adopted. Fern worked as a homemaker for the family, a job she loved. Making clothes for the girls and their Barbie dolls, fixing meals, and keeping the home spotless was fulfilling for her. She also joined the local Moose Lodge. Not until Jim began to have heart problems did Fern learn to drive a car. After his passing, Fern began to work to help pay the bills. In addition to her own family, small children gave her the greatest joy, so she began to work in a day care for preschoolers. Later she became the dining room hostess for the priests at Carroll College where she worked until she married Leon Sperry. After Leons death, though she was certain that she would never remarry, she was wooed, fell in love with and married Carl Bugbee. Her years with Carl brought her great joy. Upon Carls passing, Fern moved to various locations including Hunters Point and Rosetta House where she was treated with warmth and kindness. The family wants to express gratitude for the care she received. She passed away on Monday, January 4, 2016 at the age of 92 from complications of a twisted bowel. The family would also like to express sincere gratitude for the excellent care she received at St. Peters Hospital in Helena during her final struggle. Though always a person of faith, she was baptized in West Virginia at the Emmanuel Baptist Church and then a member of First Baptist Church of Montana since coming back to Montana in the 1950s. She was a woman who was loved by everyone and could bring the sunshine indoors. She is preceded in death by her parents, Frank M. Larsen, and Margaret White; her step father William Whyte, Sr.; her brothers, Glen Larsen, Chuck Larsen, Joseph Whyte, William Whyte, Jr., her sister Margaret (Mickey) Whyte; her husbands, James (Jim) W. Duckworth, Leon Sperry, and Carl Bugbee. She is survived by her son, John and his wife Patti; her daughters Deb Killpack and husband Jim, and Beverly Armstrong and husband Chris; six grandchildren, Kevin Murray, Kaitlin Murray, Douglas Duckworth, James Duckworth, Andrew Armstrong, and Ryan Armstrong; two great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. A Private graveside services for the family will be held at the Montana State Veterans Cemetery, Fort Harrison and Forestvale Cemetery. A memorial service will be 2:00 p.m. Friday, January 8th at First Baptist Church, 201 8th Avenue. A reception will follow the service in the fellowship hall of the Church. Please visit www.aswfuneralhome.com to offer the family a condolence or to share a memory of Fern. Robert Lawrence Burke, age 75 of Helena passed away Sunday, January 3, 2016 at St. Peters Hospital as a result of lung cancer. He was born on May 29, 1940 in San Antonio, Texas to Archie and Helen (Walker) Burke. Bob grew up in San Antonio, Texas. When he was only 17 years old he enlisted in the Army in 1957. On February 20, 1960, Bob married the love of his life, Kim in Colorado Springs, CO. They had 3 children, Nina, Timothy and Michael. After 22 years of service he retired from the United States Military. Bob also worked with the IRS, United States Forest Service and State Fund in Helena. Bob and Kim enjoyed traveling together around the County and visiting many of the national parks around Montana and Canada. They also loved to go camping, hiking, fishing, hunting and just being together as a family in the great outdoors. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him, especially his witty pranks! He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Kim of Helena; daughter, Nina Westcott of Helena; son, Timothy (Kathy) Burke of Portland, OR; sister, Sherri Spitzmesser of Forestville, TX; 8 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren and many nieces, nephews and friends. Bob was preceded in death by his son, Michael Burke. A Funeral Service is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Friday, January 8th at Liberty Baptist Church, 210 Sierra Road W., Helena. A Military Honors Service will follow in the Committal Shelter at the Montana State Veterans Cemetery, Fort Harrison. A Reception will follow the burial back at Liberty Baptist Church fellowship hall. Please visit www.aswfuneralhome.com to offer the family a condolence or to share a memory of Bob. Lynn Marie (Cunningham) Pillman was born Aug. 3, 1950 in Hamilton to Charles and Shirley Cunningham. She died on December 22, 2015 of a heart attack related to her 2009 car crash. This is very ironic considering how gigantic and giving Lynns heart was. Lynn graduated from Cascade High School in 1968; she then attended the University of Montana in Missoula. She earned her Master's degree from Eastern Montana College in 1982. Lynn began her life's work as a mental health therapist at the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch. She went on to serve families from all walks of life. Lynn opened a private practice in 1987 and soon had two offices, one in Helena and one in Butte. She was a gifted and talented therapist. Yet all who knew her work agreed with friend and therapist Dick Rosenleaf who said, Lynns clients all get better because she loves them better. She especially was devoted to her work with Federal Probation. Her probation clients of course loved her but the Probation officers loved Lynn more for the effective and reliable work she accomplished. Traveling back and forth to Butte Lynn developed a deep love for the Butte community. In 2000, she married Greg Daly. After nine years of marriage and professional collaboration with Greg, Lynn suffered a devastating car wreck in February 2009. Lynn fought hard to return to her home and husband Greg in Helena after spending almost a year in recovery at St. Vincent hospital in Billings. It was suggested after the wreck that Lynn would never walk, talk, or eat again. She fought like hell to do all three well. She graduated physical therapy in April 2015, paying entirely out of pocket to make sure she fully recovered. She threw away her wheel chair, her walker, and finally kept loosing her cane. She was an unstoppable force. Since 2010 she started seeing clients again. To everyones surprise she had lost no IQ points but gained a depth of soul that was infectious and healing. Returning to her sacred work of therapy against medical advice and then succeeding and being in high demand was Lynns crowning achievement. She cared for a lot of Souls. Lynn and Greg spent the last seven years of her life; developing both a personal and professional partnership, touring Montana and the pacific coast, and enjoying their children and grandchildren. Last summer she hiked two miles in the Yellowstone geyser basin then ate the gourmet meal of a lifetime at the Yellowstone Lake Lodge. Lynn loved gourmet food both at fine restaurants and as a wonderful cook in her own right. Lynn never missed a chance to be with her sister Janet and her children but especially loved being with them at Flathead Lake. Her grandkids were the apple of her eyes! She baked the best Christmas cookies every year. The day before she died, she was up till midnight making the last batch especially for them. Lynn is survived by her Husband Greg Daly; her son Zane Sept; daughter Janna Allie and her husband Nate; daughter Amanda (Ali) Pillman and her fiance Tyler Cross; her sister Janet Haar and her husband Jim; Christopher Daly and his wife Jen; Caylin Daly and his wife Jenny; grandchildren Sydney Sept, Savanna Sept, Samantha Allie, Hayden Allie, Addison Allie, Veda Murphy, Jameson Daly, and Hawken Daly. Please see Obit in the Billings Gazette - Memorials can be sent to Camp on the Boulder P.O. Box 21636 Billings, Mt 59104. Cremation has taken place. There will be a Celebration of Life service in Helena Montana on Jan. 9 at 2:30 p.m., at St Pauls United Methodist Church. Though Montana's newly redesigned driver's licenses and identification cards include increased security features, they still do not meet federal standards that might soon be required for air travel and access to federal buildings. Montana Motor Vehicles Division Administrator Sarah Garcia said the design changes were needed to process drivers license information more smoothly on the MVDs computer platform, as well as to comply with security standards authored by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. The look, feel and design of the cards have all been completely revamped, according to a press release from the Montana Department of Justice. They also include new security features that will help reduce driver's license fraud and identity theft and feature a more durable laminate, the release says. Garcia said Montanans will not have to swap out their old license for a new one, so long as it hasnt yet expired. However, she said drivers may have to trade in their cards if and when Montana is forced to comply with more stringent license requirements spelled out under the decade-old federal Real ID Act. State legislators unanimously voted in 2007 to forbid implementation of those federal standards, citing provisions they said would prove needlessly expensive and inimical to the security and well-being of the people of Montana. "That new security feature happens to be compatible with certain measures called for by REAL ID," John Barnes, communications director for the Montana Attorney General's Office, said in an email. "Regardless, Montana remains noncompliant with REAL ID." A spokeswoman for the Attorney Generals Office confirmed Wednesday that Montana had been granted a Real ID compliance extension effective until Oct. 10, 2016. "Montana's license will work for airline travel and federal building access at least until next October," Barnes added. The new cards are available at driver exam stations in Helena, Missoula, Superior, Great Falls, Choteau and Fort Benton. They will be available in Bozeman Thursday and Billings Friday. The remaining locations across Montana are expected to begin issuing the new cards by the end of February. The new design on the licenses includes a graphic based on a photo taken in Glacier National Park, as well as images of the state flower, the state bird, the word "Montana" and ponderosa pine trees. YWCA Helena will hold a grand opening and ribbon cutting on Wednesday after an extensive remodeling project. The 1 p.m. event will be followed by an open house with light refreshments and tours of the facility. YWCA Helena is located at 501 North Park Ave. in historic downtown Helena. The YWCA is a 26-bed trauma-informed transitional housing program designed specifically for women experiencing homelessness and their children, if they have children, according to a news release from Kellie McBride, the organization's executive director. YWCA Helena provides services for chronically homeless women in the tri-county area, McBride wrote. The city of Helena kicked off the project in 2009 by sponsoring YWCA Helenas successful grant application to the Montana Department of Commerce for the original preliminary architecture report. Lewis and Clark County was instrumental in YWCA Helenas renovations and sponsored a grant application to the Montana Department of Commerce. As a result, YWCA Helena was able to receive three key grants -- two $450,000 Community Development Block Grants and a $750,000 HOME grant, which helped jumpstart the project, according to McBride. These awards were made possible through federal allocation funds from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development to Montanas CDBG and HOME program. Additional funding included grants from the Treacy Foundation, Historic Tax Credits and numerous other donations ranging from $1,000 to thousands of dollars from individuals, banks, foundations and business owners. YWCA Helena employs five people, one AmeriCorps/VISTA, and one mental health therapist intern. In a state that often makes it hard to get public records from government filing cabinets and computer servers, it comes as no surprise that Montana officials are allowed to create and store public documents where nobody else can find them. But it doesnt have to be that way, and its beyond time for a change. The documents were talking about are personal emails used by government representatives to conduct official business. Whether they happen in Hotmail, Gmail or any other email service, those conversations are subject to the exact same public records laws as an email sent from an official government account, according to freedom of information attorney Mike Meloy. From Hillary Clinton to Sarah Palin, public servants at all levels of government have been caught using personal emails for official business. In Montana government, the problem came to light last month when the state turned over hundreds of emails to and from then-Lt. Gov. Angela McLeans state email account in response to a public-records request by the media. Among those emails were conversations between the lieutenant governor, Gov. Steve Bullock and other state officials about McLeans future with the governors office. The original conversations were conducted in personal emails, but they ended up in the public eye after McLean forwarded them to her government email account where they belong. While were glad this conversation eventually wound up in a government account where it could be easily found, we suspect there are many others like it that never will. And the state isnt doing a thing about that, as Montana has no policies on the use of personal email accounts by state officials. This is a major transparency concern because the records custodians responsible for ensuring public information is publicly accessible cant always access personal emails -- even the ones that are legally considered to be public records. Bullock recently told The Associated Press that while he and his staff use personal emails to discuss political or campaign-related issues, they never use them to conceal discussions about state business. But the governor cant possibly know what other state officials are discussing with each other in secret, and we believe the personal conversations that were made public last month may have already crossed that line. In an attempt to shed some light on the circumstances surrounding the lieutenant governors resignation, several media organizations, including this newspaper, have submitted a public records request for certain documents, including personal emails between McLean and Bullock that discuss state business. And it appears the state government is having a hard time getting its hands on those state records, as the governors chief legal counsel told the AP its request for the emails raises legal issues that have to be reviewed. Our solution? Just ban public officials from conducting the publics business in personal emails accounts. The practice is unethical at best and should be considered a violation of open records laws. And prohibiting state officials from participating in it would not only promote transparency in government, but also help the state keep track of its own official documents. KALISPELL -- Armed members of Oath Keepers have shown up at the Bundy standoff, the Ferguson, Missouri, riots and during a dispute between two Lincoln miners and the U.S. Forest Service. But the founder and president of the anti-government patriot movement group is imploring members to steer clear of the people now occupying a national wildlife refuge south of Burns, Oregon. No patriot has any right to force a confrontation around that family when they dont want it, Stewart Rhodes of Kalispell, Oath Keepers founder and president, says in video and text postings on the groups website. Oath Keepers will not be involved in an armed standoff thats being manufactured by hotheads who want a fight. The armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge began Saturday following a rally in support of local ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond, whose prison sentences for arson convictions in 2012 were lengthened following an appeal by the federal government. The Hammonds voluntarily surrendered to authorities and, through their attorney, disassociated themselves with occupation organizer Ammon Bundy and his small group. Ammon is a son of Cliven Bundy, whose 2014 standoff with the Bureau of Land Management in Nevada drew armed support from anti-government groups, including Oath Keepers. Ammon Bundy has called on other self-identified patriots to come to Burns and defend this family. Rhodes says The fight is going to come to us, but how it comes to us matters. Forcing yourselves on a family that doesnt want it, and going against a jurys verdict, will be perceived as having the least amount of legitimacy you could possibly imagine. Rhodes calls the Oregon occupation exactly the opposite of the Bundy Ranch incident. This is a situation where youve got people who dont want this, and youve got outsiders trying to force it on them, Rhodes says. Anybody thinking theyre going to cause the second American Revolution by kicking it off here, with this situation in Oregon, needs to take a good hard look at what the families did. Rhodes said the situation is no different from when Oath Keepers offered to provide armed protection for Kim Davis, the county clerk in Kentucky who refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses, when it appeared she might be re-jailed for contempt of court. Davis declined the offer. In the Kim Davis situation, Oath Keepers offered her our protection against being arrested again for contempt, by order of the willful federal judge who was abusing his power, Rhodes said. But Kim Davis, through her legal counsel, declined our protection and we had to respect her wishes and stand down and go home. It is the same here. Rhodes is critical of Ammon Bundy for not making it clear that the Hammonds do not want the help of Bundy and his group. I think Ammon needs to be real clear about what hes doing, Rhodes says. If he wants an armed confrontation, he should just say it. But he should also make it clear the family does not want that and hes going against their wishes. I think hes wrong for doing that and I hate to say it, because hes a good man. The Hammonds were convicted of setting Oregon wildfires in 2001 and 2006. They maintained they were trying to burn off invasive species in 2001, and the fire got away from them and burned onto public land, but the government produced witnesses who said the Hammonds were trying to cover up the illegal killing of several deer on BLM property. Steven Hammond was also convicted of arson for setting back fires while a burn ban was in effect in an attempt to protect the ranchs winter feed in 2006. That fire burned onto public land and placed firefighters battling other blazes in danger, the government maintained. The Hammonds were convicted by a jury of their peers, Rhodes notes. The sentencing judge agreed that mandatory minimum sentences of five years for the convictions were unconstitutional and imposed sentences well below that. The federal government successfully appealed, leading to Saturdays protest. Rhodes is by no means advocating that Oath Keepers members shy away from confrontation -- just that they avoid the one in Oregon. All of you who are impatient and itching for a fight, put your thinking caps on, and use your heads. Keep your cool, and dont worry, the fight will come to you soon enough, he writes at the groups website. Obama, and the other anti-gun idiot politicians such as the governor of (Connecticut), will not be able to resist the temptation to attempt to violate our right to bear arms by executive decree, such as barring anyone put on no-fly list and other government watch lists from owning guns. ... Clearly their intent is to eventually put all of you dangerous veterans, patriots and constitutionalists on such watch lists, designate you as someone who is barred from owning guns, and then use that to disarm you, one at a time. He encourages followers to form minuteman companies and Quick Reaction Forces in your town and county. Then let them come and try to take your guns. ... That is how you do it. Not by trying to force the people of Harney County, Oregon, to take a stand they apparently dont want to take, over land use issues most Americans dont even understand. Oath Keepers presence at the Bundy standoff in Nevada, at the Ferguson riots and at disputes between miners and federal agencies -- including last summer in Lincoln -- were all welcomed and/or requested by some individuals involved in those situations, Rhodes says. Old Man River washed his angry personality over many Corn Belt lives, homes, towns and businesses in the past couple weeks and will continue as the flood surge slowly moves south to the Gulf of Mexico. While not discounting the personal devastation, the periodic flood and low water events of the Mississippi demonstrate the need for improvements in flood control, locks and dams and overall river transportation. The abundance of grain produced in the Corn Belt not only feeds and fuels the United States, but 60 percent of U.S. grain exports are carried on barges down the Mississippi to export terminals at the Gulf. During the past week, river traffic was halted in several places due to flooding and rolling closures will follow the southbound surge of floodwater. For many years the Mississippi has been the backbone of agricultural transportation, providing a route to the world for Corn Belt farm products and a route to the interior for needed inputs such as fertilizer and fuel. Over time, Congress has slowly made some minor investments to maintain the river infrastructure, but they have been relatively few and far between. Now, the advantage that farmers and U.S.grain exporters have enjoyed from the natural river transportation may be in jeopardy. No longer is that relatively inexpensive method of shipping grain keeping U.S. farmers ahead of the competition. In South America, the Brazilian ports of Santos and Paranagua soon will be hosting hundreds of ocean-going bulk freighters hauling corn and soybeans to global buyers. But because it is a long distance to those southern ports, Brazil has spent billions of dollars improving the grain loading infrastructure at Santarem on the Amazon River and Itaqui on Brazils northeastern Atlantic coast. Those so-called Northern Arc ports will be shipping out more than 1 billion bushels of corn and soybeans annually produced in the interior of Brazil. The price charged to global grain buyers won't only be cheap due to the inflated Brazilian real, but because many days are cut from the shipping schedule, the transportation cost is lessened as well. In the global grain trade, when buyers purchase millions of tons of grain, a $10 per ton discount to U.S. Gulf bids will seal the deal. While U.S. farmers consider it a slap in the face, it is frequently cheaper for poultry and swine producers in the southeastern United States to import corn and soybean meal from Brazil via those ports than to ship it by rail from the Midwest. But the Northern Arc isn't the only competitor with its sights set on raising the level of competition with U.S. grain suppliers. An alliance between Canada and Russia to use the Arctic Bridge can put Canadian grain from Manitoba into northern Europe in just eight days. That is the shipping time from the Port of Churchill on the western short of Hudson Bay to Murmansk in northern Russia. The Arctic Bridge would skirt the southern point of Greenland and the northern shore of Scandinavia in less than half of the time it would take a freighter to move through the Great Lakes and out the St. Lawrence Seaway to Rotterdam. The attraction of the Arctic Bridge, which is currently open only four months of the year, is enhanced by the prospects of global warming, which would keep sea ice at bay for a longer shipping season. And Russia has been investing heavily in a new fleet of icebreakers. The issue for the U.S. grain industry to evaluate is whether the Northern Arc and the Arctic Bridge are allowing competing grain suppliers to just catch up with the U.S. transportation advantage, or accelerate past and leave U.S. farmers in their wake. The floor is open for discussion. DALLAS (AP) A persistent glut of oil is trumping Middle Eastern tension, extending the slump in oil markets into the new year. The price of oil fell 30 percent last year, following a 50 percent plunge in 2014. At below $36 a barrel on Tuesday, the price is down more than 2 percent early in 2016. Even the breakoff of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, two big oil-producing countries, failed to halt the slide. Oil prices are likely to remain about where they are until either production drops or the world economy perks up and drives demand higher. The U.S. Energy Department expects the nation's production to drop by about 500,000 barrels a day this year, but OPEC has vowed to hold to existing production levels. New reports indicated that manufacturing is continuing to struggle, with factory activity falling in December for the second straight month in the U.S. and the 10th straight month in China. Slow growth means that the current oversupply of oil could be more stubborn than expected. Government figures show that the stockpile of U.S. crude oil grew by 2.6 million barrels during the week ended Dec. 25 and was 9.9 million barrels higher than a year ago. With little reason to expect stronger demand or cuts in production soon, investors seemed to discount the rising tension between the Saudis and Iranians over Saudi Arabia's execution of an opposition Shiite cleric. Stewart Glickman, an analyst with S&P Capital IQ, said geopolitical risk has lost some of its ability to influence on oil prices. "It is maybe a sense of security from the marketplace that with this seeming glut of crude oil that you can have tensions in Middle East and they don't count for as much as they used to three or four years ago," he said in an interview. The explanation lies partly in robust production from the U.S., Glickman said. Saudi officials are reluctant to cut production in a bid to raise prices because they'll just concede sales to U.S. producers who will fill the void in supply. Jack Gerard, president of the American Petroleum Institute, said that lifting the ban on exports of U.S. crude has changed the geopolitics of energy. Oil prices didn't spike after the Saudi-Iran confrontation partly because "the US has come in as a major player," he said Tuesday during a speech in Washington. Low prices are a boon to consumers. On Monday, the nationwide average price for a gallon of regular was $1.99, according to the auto club AAA 22 cents cheaper than a year ago. The Energy Information Administration estimates that the average U.S. household saved about $660 on cheaper gasoline last year, compared with 2014. NEW YORK (AP) Patrick Brown is on an improbable mission: Make a burger Americans love, minus the meat. Veggie patties have been around for decades, but Brown and others want to make foods without animal products that look, cook and taste like the real thing and can finally appeal to the masses. "We are not making a veggie burger. We're creating meat without using animals," said Brown, a former Stanford scientist who has been scanning plants in search of compounds that can help recreate meat. Brown's company, Impossible Foods, is part of a wave of startups aiming to wean Americans off foods like burgers and eggs, and their efforts are attracting tens of millions of dollars from investors. The goal is to lessen the dependence on livestock for food, which they say isn't as healthy, affordable or environmentally friendly as plant-based alternatives. The challenge is that most Americans happily eat meat and eggs. That means that, without a breakthrough, those seeking to upend factory farming risk becoming footnotes in the history of startups. To understand the difficulty of their task, consider the transformation raw chicken undergoes when cooked. It starts as a slimy, unappetizing blob, then turns into a tender piece of meat. ___ LEARNING TO MIMIC NATURE In its office in Southern California, Beyond Meat works on "chicken" strips made with pea and soy proteins that have been sold at places like Whole Foods since 2012. But founder Ethan Brown concedes the product needs work. To give the "meat" its fat, for instance, canola oil is evenly mixed throughout the product. "That's not really how it works in an animal," said Brown, a vegan. "The fat can be a sheath on tendons." To form the strips, a mixture is pressed through a machine that forms and sets the product's texture with heating and cooling chambers. The method isn't new in the world of fake meats, but the company says it fine-tuned the process to deliver a more realistic offering. Brown dismisses the idea that fake meat might weird people out and says it's a "desirable evolution." "It's like moving from the horse-drawn carriage to the automobile, or the landline to the iPhone," he said. But Beyond Meat isn't quite there yet; The Huffington Post described the strips as having an "unpleasant" taste that inhabits a "strange territory between meat and vegetable." At Impossible Foods, the patty is made by extracting proteins from foods like spinach and beans, then combining them with other ingredients. The company, which has about 100 employees, expects the product to be available in the latter half of next year, initially through a food-service operator. Few have tasted it, but the vision continues to gain traction. In October, Impossible Foods said it raised $108 million in funding, on top of its previous $74 million. Among its investors are Bill Gates, Google Ventures and Horizons Ventures. ___ CULTURING MEAT, JUST LIKE YOGURT Another startup isn't totally ditching the cow. With $15.5 million in funding, Modern Meadow in New York City takes cells from a cow through a biopsy and cultures them to grow into meat. At a conference in February, company founder Andras Forgacs likened the process to culturing yogurt or brewing beer. "This is an extension of that," he said. Modern Meadow doesn't have a product on the market yet either. The company says it doesn't necessarily want to replicate steaks and burgers, and gave a hint of the type of foods it might make by presenting "steak chips" for attendees at a small conference last year. Only about 200 people have tried the chips, which Forgacs describes as "crispy, crunchy beef jerky." Citing the demand for more openness about how food is made, he sees a day when people tour meat plants, as they do with breweries. "There could be your friendly neighborhood meat brewery," Forgacs said. ___ BANNING THE WORD 'VEGAN' In San Francisco, Hampton Creek's mission is to replace the eggs in products without anyone noticing. In trying to appeal to the mainstream, co-founder and CEO Josh Tetrick has a simple rule. "Number one, never use the word 'vegan,'" he said. To avoid perceptions its eggless spread Just Mayo won't taste good, Hampton Creek even removed the V-word from the label. Tetrick says what makes the product different is that it tastes better and costs less not that it's made with a protein from a Canadian yellow pea instead of eggs. "The egg-free thing is almost irrelevant," he said. Swapping out a single ingredient in a product may make it easier for people to swallow change. It may also make change simpler to achieve; Just Mayo's consistency and taste are similar to mayonnaise. The product, which is available at retailers including Target and Wal-Mart, is gaining enough traction that the American Egg Board, which is responsible for slogans like the "Incredible, Edible Egg," sees it as a "major threat," according to emails made public through a records request. So far, Hampton Creek has attracted $120 million in funding. It continues to screen plants for compounds that can help replace eggs in recipes and plans to eventually introduce a scrambled-egg product. ___ ON THE CUSP OF SOMETHING BIG? For those looking to lessen the reliance on animals for food, there are encouraging signs all around. Last year, Pinnacle Foods, the maker of Hungry-Man dinners, paid $154 million to acquire Gardein, which makes frozen veggie patties, nuggets and crumbles. Pinnacle CEO Robert Gamgort said he thinks meat alternatives are in the "early stages of a macro trend," similar to the way soy and almond milk changed the dairy category. But for now, vegetarian products remain a niche market. And even if people cut back on meat and eggs for health, environmental or animal welfare reasons, they might not want literal replacements. Morningstar, a longtime maker of vegetarian products owned by Kellogg, says people are becoming more accepting of vegetables as main ingredients. As such, it wants to evolve from a maker of meat substitutes to a brand known for its "veggie cuisine," such as bowls with brown rice and black beans. Yves Potvin, Gardein's founder, also thinks veggie alternatives don't have to replicate meat, so long as they taste good. It's why Gardein's products are shaped to be reminiscent of meat, but don't try to mimic their exact flavor and texture. "What people like is the experience," Potvin said. "They like the memory." ___ Follow Candice Choi at www.twitter.com/candicechoi DECATUR A 40-year-old Decatur man entered a not guilty plea to a felony charge of domestic battery with four prior domestic battery convictions Wednesday, for allegedly threatening to kill a woman with a knife. The victim, a woman in her 40s, told police she was in her apartment on the city's southwest side the evening of Dec. 13, when she became involved in an argument with Jerry L. Phillips, with whom she has been acquainted for several years. During that argument, Jerry held the blade, about 3 inches long, of a folding pocket knife against the right side of her neck, said a probable cause affidavit by Decatur patrol officer Cody Rose. Phillips then said to her, Shut the (expletive) up, I'll (expletive) kill you, the victim told police. The victim suffered a fresh-looking red mark, about 2 inches long, on the right side of her neck, consistent with her statement, Rose wrote in his statement. Phillips was arrested and booked into the Macon County Jail that day. He is being held on $30,000 bond. He has been ordered to have no contact with the victim. Phillips is serving a 24-month probation term after pleading guilty Dec. 19, 2014, to domestic battery with three domestic battery convictions. In that case, Phillips grabbed a woman, the same victim as in his most recent case, by her hair and dragged her across a carpeted floor while punching her in the face with a closed fist. His other prior domestic battery convictions were a 2008 case in Macon County, for which he served 18 months in the Illinois Department of Corrections; a 2004 Macon County case, for which he served 30 days in jail; and a 2004 case in Lauderdale County, Tenn., for which he served 20 hours of community service and paid a fine. Phillips also served three prison terms, two in Illinois and one in Tennessee, in narcotics cases in the 1990s and 2000s. Phillips, who was assigned a public defender, is due in court for a pretrial hearing in his most recent case Feb. 10. DECATUR For years, hundreds marching in honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. walked in two groups, converging in the middle. This year, they'll mark the occasion as one group, following a single path, said Derrick Thaxton, chairman of the Decatur Human Relations Commission, which helps organize the annual commemorative events. In addition to the Freedom March on Jan. 18, another opportunity to mark King's memory comes at the annual luncheon Jan. 16. The theme for both events is Our City, His Dream. There's too many things going on as far as Ferguson, as far as Chicago, as far as shootings even overseas, Paris and other cities, Thaxton said. I just think our city needs to be about Martin Luther King's dream. Fourth District Appellate Judge Lisa Holder White is the featured speaker at the luncheon, set for noon at the Decatur Club, 158 W. Prairie Ave. Doors open at 11:15 a.m. She is from Decatur and has really worked her way up, said Penny Frank, the city's human resources manager. We have people right here in our own community who would be good speakers and who have done a lot, so we thought we would honor somebody like that. Tickets are $30, or $300 for a table of 10. They can be purchased until the end of the day Jan. 11 from the city's human resources office on the second floor of the civic center. Tickets will not be sold on the day of the luncheon. The march will begin with speakers at 11 a.m. at the Decatur Civic Center. At noon, the group will begin walking to the Church of the Living God Temple 1, 1915 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. A program at the church will feature speakers Lawrence Trimble, pastor of discipleship at Maranatha Assembly of God, and state Sen. Andy Manar, as well as musical performances. Thaxton said there were no issues with St. Patrick Church, where the program was previously held. The new location will allow the group to walk together, which some people had requested. The events are organized by a volunteer subcommittee of the Decatur Human Relations Commission, working with the human resources department. A children's essay contest will not occur this year because of organizational changes, but Thaxton said they hope to bring the tradition back next year. DECATUR -- A drive through Richland Community College reveals a reminder of the budget impasse that has continued into the new year. The state-funded Student Success Center remains in limbo, partially standing after construction was halted last November due to lawmakers in Springfield being unable to pass a budget for the fiscal year that began in July. It was with this background that state Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth, answered questions from a number of instructors and staff about the state of the Illinois budget and presented a plan he hopes will prevent the current situation from repeating itself in the future. Under the proposal, the Illinois Auditor General must certify that a budget be balanced within 30 days of enactment, with "balanced" being that expenses do not exceed expected revenue. If the Auditor General finds the budget to be unbalanced, then the Illinois Comptroller must stop payment for the salary of all General Assembly members and constitutional officers. In addition, the General Assembly must meet within 10 days of the Auditor Generals announcement to enact a new state budget. Mitchell acknowledged after the presentation that there could be legal challenges if the proposal was passed, as a provision in the state constitution states lawmakers' pay cannot be changed in the middle of their terms. By wording his plan as a "hold" on pay, Mitchell was hopeful it could pass legal questions. While similar legislation has been proposed in past, Mitchell told the crowd that it at least deserved a conversation in Springfield, or lawmakers should be held accountable. If they dont vote for it, then lawmakers should be held accountable by the voters, he said. If (House Speaker Michael) Madigan wont bring it for a discussion, then he needs to be held accountable by the voters too. When asked by a member of the Richland board whether a budget could be expected in the near future, Mitchell professed himself an eternal optimist, but a realist and said he did not expect any movement in the coming week. Mitchell announced the plan during a tour of district locations affected by the budget impasse, including Richland Community College, the Human Resource Center in Clinton and the Mental Health facility in Monticello. The budget impasse has taken a major toll on places like Richland, said Lisa Gregory, the college's chief of staff. In just six months without a budget from the state, Gregory said the college has had to lay off employees, cancel classes and raise tuition. When you hear lawmakers complain about the raising costs of education ... well, that happens when you pull a third of our funding, she said. We have two ways to offset that, and one of those is tuition raises. Time magazine made a solid news judgment in naming German Chancellor Angela Merkel its 2015 "Person of the Year." The flood of refugees and immigrants from the Middle East and Africa into Europe, the greatest wave of migrants since World War II, is the world-changing event of the decade, and Merkel is the individual most responsible for rolling out Germany's welcome mat to more than a million asylum seekers. It was an audacious act, and no one knows better than Merkel how unmanageable it is. In July, the chancellor endured a painful televised confrontation with a Palestinian teen, who, in fluent German, told Merkel that the threat of deportation kept her from enjoying the life she sees others living. In September, Merkel threw caution to the wind and dispensed with standard European Union asylum procedures. The gesture was seen as a green light not only by desperate Syrians fleeing violence, but also by economic refugees from Africa and Afghanistan who saw the moment as perhaps a final opportunity to squeeze into Europe before the door slams shut. A disapproving Hungarian official told The Wall Street Journal, "The Germans think they're the Americans of Europe." Here's another parallel between Germany and the United States: The day comes when governments have to enforce immigration laws, even if they don't want to. In the coming weeks, The Washington Post reported, the Obama administration is expected to deport Central Americans who surged across the border in 2014 but did not qualify for asylum. In December, Germany stepped up deportations of refugees not qualified for asylum status. "Germany is saying, 'We're going to deport everyone (who doesn't qualify),'" observed Jessica Vaughan of the pro-enforcement Center for Immigration Studies. Germany's articulation should be a lesson to Washington. German Parliament member Mark Hauptmann gave two reasons Afghans are unlikely to qualify for asylum. First, he told NPR, "if we look at the people who are leaving the country, they are the young ones, the better-educated ones, and those ones are needed to build up Afghanistan." Also: "We send our troops; we send our citizens there to protect Afghans and to basically create safe environments in Afghanistan. And then people from Afghanistan are coming as so-called war refugees here to Europe." Vaughan told me that she admires Merkel for wanting to help Syrian refugees, but unfortunately, the chancellor's rhetoric "came across as an open invitation to anyone who can get there." To set things right, Merkel had to set clear boundaries and enforce the rules. Now Merkel finds herself back where she was in July. She knows that there are good people who want nothing more than to be good Germans, but she also knows Germany cannot be the country that it is if it accommodates everyone who wants in. With too much traffic, any welcome mat wears thin. Credit Merkel with articulating a policy and then refining it when she had to confront its unintended consequences. She knew the political cost and is likely to pay it someday. For his part, President Obama throws out bromides. For example, "That's not who we are." Everyone can agree with that statement because no one is sure exactly what it means. Meanwhile, the administration signs executive orders rewarding undocumented immigrants for flouting the law and then, the next day, threatens to actually enforce the law. And always about politics. The rapidly escalating conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran, sparked by the execution of a Saudi Shiite activist, may seem like the natural outgrowth of a decades Sunni-Shiite tensions. But more than denominational differences, whats driving the open conflict is the Saudis deepening fear that the U.S. is shifting its loyalties in the Persian Gulf region from its traditional Saudi ally to a gradually moderating Iran. And in a sense, theyre right: Although the U.S. is a long way from becoming an instinctive Iranian ally, the nuclear deal has led Washington to start broadening its base in the Gulf, working with Iran where the two sides have overlapping interests. Of which there are many these days. The Saudis executed the activist, Nimr al-Nimr (it means Tiger the Tiger, by the way, which could possibly be the best name ever), last weekend because they wanted to send a message to the countrys Shiite minority and neighbors, and because they thought they could get away with it. The outspoken al-Nimr symbolized the possibility that Saudi Shiites might never fully accept their second-class status and, worse, might seek autonomy or independence in the event of the Saudi states weakness. The Saudis seem to have calculated that if Iran made any noise about the execution, it would not have leverage to do anything about it. Undoubtedly the Saudis knew the Americans wouldnt be best pleased with them for killing a nonviolent activist but again, they mustve thought it wouldnt matter. Executing al-Nimr was thus probably intended to demonstrate that the Saudis can go it alone, making security-related decisions without worrying what their neighbors or the U.S. think. If thats right, the execution was an indirect signal that Saudi Arabia is feeling isolated, and that if isolated, it will act unilaterally. Here the Saudis overplayed their hand. The Iranians reacted cleverly. First, the government stirred up public sentiment by condemning the execution. Then, it allowed angry protesters to storm the Saudi Embassy in Tehran. Finally, the Iranian government shut down the protest, made arrests and issued public statements disclaiming responsibility for what had happened. To be sure, the Iranian government is a complex organism with many moving parts, and the whole response likely wasnt planned or coordinated by a single actor. But the result was highly effective. It showed the Saudis that Iran took the execution as directed toward it. And it simultaneously gave other countries the cover they would need to side with Iran. The Americans, rather remarkably, took the Iranian side. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry let it be known that he was talking to his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif. In the past, a U.S. secretary of state wouldve reached out solely to the Saudi foreign minister, not least because there were no official diplomatic ties to Iran. Meanwhile, a former deputy CIA director, Michael Morell, publicly praised the Iranians for their handling of the situation in Tehran. This was downright astonishing, given Americans historical associations with embassy occupation there. These reactions show that Saudi worries about American abandonment are to a degree justified. After the Iran nuclear deal, American foreign policy makers can look at an episode like the al-Nimr affair and ask: Whose fault is this? If the answer is the Saudis, the U.S. can now afford to side with Iran. More broadly, this shift reflects increasingly overlapping U.S.-Iranian interests. Both want to stabilize Iraq, including by keeping the Iraqi Sunnis in a secondary position. Both would like to defeat Islamic State, a relatively low priority for the Saudis, who either dont fear the Sunni militant group or fear it so much they dont want to join the battle. There are still plenty of points where U.S. and Saudi interests converge, and oppose Iranian interests. Both sides dislike Syrian President Bashar Assad and want Hezbollah to have less, not more, power in Lebanon. Both want to stabilize Egypt and indeed the region more broadly, creating a broad-based Sunni alliance to balance Iranian expansion. But an alliance based on accidents of converging policy is a lot less solid than what Saudi Arabia traditionally had with the U.S., namely an alliance based on reliable, instinctual friendship. In that longtime relationship, the Americans ignored Saudi human-rights abuses and absolutism, and the Saudis turned a blind eye to unflinching U.S. support for Israel. Among close friends, such aberrations can be forgiven. Thats now changing, and the Saudis are understandably feeling nervous about it. The painful truth for the Saudis is that the U.S. and Iran are plausible strategic allies, whose once close relationship was disrupted by the Islamic Revolution. The U.S. preference for Saudi Arabia in the Gulf was the result of Iranian intransigence and ideology, not any inherent strategic advantage possessed by the kingdom. A Republican president, urged on by Israel, might conceivably try to roll back the Obama administrations steps to realignment, and bring back the good old days for the Saudis. And Hillary Clinton might be tougher on Iran than Barack Obama has been. But foreign policy continuity on Iran is likely, regardless of rhetoric. Any president will need to try and produce wins on Islamic State and Iraq and those cant be achieved without Iran. ABOUT THE WRITER Noah Feldman is a Bloomberg View columnist. Readers may send him email at nfeldman7@bloomberg.net. This column is available to Tribune News Service subscribers. Tribune did not subsidize the writing of this column; the opinions are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of Tribune or Bloomberg LP. 2016 Bloomberg News Visit Bloomberg News at www.bloomberg.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. _____ Topics: g000362667,g000218065,g000362686 I began the trip in jeans, but in Amman I switched to a skirt and pulled out a scarf with which to cover my hair. When in Rome, do as the Romans do! At 10:30 PM a shuttle came to take us back to the airport for the last leg of our journey -- the five hour flight to Khartoum, Sudan (pronounced more like HAR-tume, with a very throaty-breathy H). It was 5:00 AM Wednesday when we arrived, the sun not even up. When we came down the steps onto the tarmac, Areej's oldest brother (Amin - the doctor brother in the UK) was there waiting with another gentleman. Instead of heading into customs with our fellow passengers, we were whisked through a quick carry-on scan and led into the VIP lounge, where Areej was waiting to greet us. I'm sure she broke protocol just being out of the house, so she was very cautious and greeted Austin and John with a brief handshake. (No PDA between the sexes in most of the Middle East - not even between married people.) I got a nice hug, however. They brought us beverages, assisted us with our paperwork, went to collect our luggage and cleared it through customs for us, and promised to deliver it to our hotel. Wow. A girl could get used to this kind of service! Once that was taken care of, we went out to the parking lot where Amal (Areej's mom) was waiting to greet us, then she and Areej went off in one car, while Amin drove us to the 5-star hotel that Areej's uncle had arranged for us. It was a doozie, I must say! John thought he was getting away from the incessant Christmas carols back home by leaving the country, but I was tickled pink to discover that he was wrong, wrong, wrong! A Genuine Gingerbread House in our Hotel Lobby Despite my "epic" case of pre-travel jitters, the trip to Sudan and Spain truly was the adventure of a lifetime, with nary a mishap, and nothing but goodness to report. The only negative I can think of was that everyone got bad colds and sore throats, which is pretty hard to avoid when you spend two days each, coming and going, crammed like sardines into a plane full of people who are all hacking and snorting! On the plus side, Hubby and I didn't get sick until the very end of the trip. Sadly, Areej's brothers, father, and groom were suffering throughout the wedding festivities!I left Austin with my two boys on Monday afternoon and flew to Chicago. We left Chicago that same evening, spent only about ten hours in the air, but somehow it was late Tuesday afternoon when we arrived in Amman, Jordan. The Sudanese tradition is that a bride-to-be stays sequestered at home for the entire month leading up to her wedding, and gets pampered and beautified by all the women in her family. However, Areej was still in school, so they had to settle for a mere two weeks. She left a week before us, which worked out great since she had lots of useful travel tips to share with us. Had it not been for her, we would have spent our eight-hour layover in Jordan sitting in the airport. Instead, we knew to approach the Royal Jordanian Airlines desk and request a day room at the airport hotel. They bused a group of us over there, gave us two rooms in which to rest and freshen up, then fed us a lovely buffet in the hotel restaurant, all at no extra charge! Boy, were we ever surprised when we arrived to find this guy in the lobby, complete with piped in Christmas carols.Then Amin left us there for a bit of a rest, which we desperately needed by that point!(to be continued...) Most people can recount a rough outline of Joan of Arc's story: A young French girl hears voices, leads troops into battle and is burned at the stake as a heretic. It's a legendary tale of bravery passed along since the Middle Ages. Renderings of her youthful face have rallied together nations, races, genders and movements. References to the Maid of Orleans appear in the writings of Shakespeare, Henry Longfellow, Mark Twain and George Bernard Shaw, to name a few. During World War I, U.S. Treasury Department propaganda posters urged women to buy war bonds, proclaiming "Joan of Arc Saved France." In short, Joan of Arc's legend has come to represent the ultimate example of courage, patriotism and religious devotion. But while we often get the primary plot points of Joan's brief life correct, the ending has been botched repeatedly. True, she was burned at the stake at the age of 19, but it wasn't for heresy or witchcraft, as the story often goes. In the end, the only crime that the Inquisition tribunal could formally charge the chaste maiden with was that of wearing men's clothes. The winding logic that led the judicial panel to condemn a person to death for her sartorial choices illustrates not only the genuine military threat that Joan of Arc posed to the English, but also the extreme lengths the Catholic Church was willing go to maintain its tight control over Europe during the Inquisition. Advertisement Two major religious and political conflicts had been brewing for a while in France and the rest of Europe when Joan of Arc led the epic siege of Orleans in 1429. In 1231, Pope Gregory IX initiated the Inquisition to purge any heretics out of the Catholic Church. Two centuries later, that tribunal system of ecclesiastical courts was alive and well among the clerics in England and France. England and France were also embroiled in the latter part of the Hundred Years War (which actually lasted 116 years). The conflict began in May 1337, when King Charles IV of France died without an heir to the throne. Intermarriage between French and English nobility incited a debate between King Edward III of England and Philip the Fair of France over who would claim the throne. In 1420, it appeared that the war might come to an end with the Treaty of Troyes, which guaranteed Henry V of England the French throne once Charles VI died. But Henry died in 1422, and Charles followed in suit two months later, rendering the treaty void -- and reigniting the military conflict. The Legend..... but should danger ever come, then Holger Danske will rouse himself, and the table will burst asunder as he draws out his beard. Then he will come forth in his strength, and strike a blow that shall sound in all the countries of the world. - Hans Christian Andersen Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less. Laurel White Laurel White covers technology and writes features on music, craft beer and culture for The Capital Times. She joined The Capital Times in 2014, having previously covered politics, agriculture and arts at Wisconsin Public Radio. She graduated with her master's in public affairs reporting from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism in 2014. Three Racine teenagers are in custody on robbery charges after they were arrested for allegedly jumping two other teens on Sunday. Racine police were dispatched to the intersection of Hamilton and Superior streets at about 12:45 p.m. Sunday for a report of a robbery, police said. When an officer arrived, a teenage girl said she had been walking with her boyfriend in the 800 block of Hamilton Street when three teens confronted the couple, stealing her purse and taking a speaker from her boyfriend. The girl and her boyfriend first encountered the suspects as they were leaving Nicks Mini Mart, 1407 Superior St. The suspects Eric Espinoza, 17, of the 4400 block of Durand Avenue; Joshua Gonzalez-Osorio, 17, of the 700 block of Grand Avenue; and Davell Lee, 16, of the 900 block of Lasalle Street allegedly shouted Whats up? according to criminal complaints. Her boyfriend shouted back nothing, the girl reportedly told police, but later the couple turned around to find the teens following them as they walked southbound on Superior Street. The group was right behind the couple when they turned onto Hamilton Street, at which point they reportedly asked her boyfriend what was in his pocket. One of the suspects reached into her boyfriends front coat pocket, retrieving a wireless speaker, she said. Then all three suspects allegedly began punching her boyfriend in the face, causing him to fall to the ground, the complaint states. The girl tried to push one of the suspects away from her boyfriend, but he turned around and punched her in the face with a closed fit, the complaint states. She fell to the ground while the three continued to assault her boyfriend, she reportedly told police. After the suspects took off running she noticed that her purse was missing, as was her boyfriends hat and speaker. Her pants also were torn as a result of the incident and she had an abrasion, police said. When police spoke with the boyfriend moments later, he gave a similar account, noting that he believed two of the suspects were gang members. Both said they recognized at least two of the suspects, and said they could name them. The suspects were later found just blocks away, hiding in the basement of Lees home in 900 block of LaSalle Street, the complaint states. A search of the home reportedly turned up the speaker as well as contents from the girls purse. All three suspects remained behind bars on Monday and face felony charges of robbery by use of force and misdemeanor assault. Espinoza, who was out on bond on three separate felony cases when he was arrested, has a bail of $40,500, according to online jail records. Kraft Heinz plans to begin reducing staff at its Madison Oscar Mayer operations with the layoff of 141 salaried non-union employees who opted against accepting offers to move with their jobs to Chicago. The closing of the Madison corporate headquarters is expected in phases between Feb. 26 and June 24, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice released Wednesday by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. Layoffs will occur in phases during that timeframe. Kraft Heinz announced Nov. 4 it was closing the Madison facility, 910 Mayer Ave., eliminating about 200 non-union and 800 union employees by early 2017. Most of the salaried, non-union jobs are moving to Kraft Heinz headquarters in Chicago. The manufacturing jobs are moving to out-of-state Oscar Mayer processing plants. All of the salaried employees at the Madison headquarters location, whose jobs are being relocated, were offered the opportunity to relocate with their jobs to Illinois, according to a letter sent to DWD from Kraft Heinz included in the WARN notice. Employees who declined the relocation offer will receive severance pay and other benefits, according to the letter. A Poynette man who is already serving a 15-year federal prison sentence for downloading and sharing child pornography was sentenced Wednesday to another 20 years in prison for sexually assaulting a young girl. You are the poster child for pedophilia, and the picture and definition of a sexual predator, Dane County Circuit Judge Ellen Berz told Robert Tlusty, 29, as she sentenced him. Any human can see that you have an extremely high risk of recidivism. I would say 100 percent. Theres nothing that would stop you at this point of repeating child sex assault, and you know that. You recognize it. Tlusty was under investigation for child pornography by federal authorities when it came to light that he had also sexually assaulted a young girl repeatedly. He wasnt charged with the assaults until December 2014, after he had been sentenced to 15 years in prison for the child porn conviction. Initially, Tlusty was charged with two sex crimes, one of which included a potential life sentence. But under a plea agreement, he pleaded guilty to the lesser of the two charges. Assistant District Attorney Diane Schlipper asked for a 15-year prison sentence, while Tlustys lawyer, Assistant Public Defender Laura Breun, asked for three to five years. Schlipper argued that Tlusty, who blamed the assaults on his use of the ADHD drug Adderall, hasnt taken responsibility for his actions. If anything, she said, Tlusty was sorry that he was caught, not for what he did. Breun said the reverse was true. Hes a person that can look in the mirror and admit what he has done, Breun said. Tlusty apologized and asked that Berz show some kind of mercy, even though I dont deserve it. But Berz said that in some ways, what Tlusty did was worse than murder, because youve taken a child and ripped away that little girls innocence, happiness and childhood. But more than that, you have damaged her for the rest of her life. And at this point, we dont know for how many generations the ripple effect of your behavior will last. She said Tlusty has a lifelong pattern of child sexual abuse that reaches back into his adolescence, one that she believes would continue once Tlusty is again free, because there is no sure treatment for pedophilia. Keeping him locked up, she said, was the only way to protect the public from him. Its sad all the way around, Berz said. I take no pleasure in giving you more time in prison. A federal appeals court in May granted a motion that Tlusty be re-sentenced in federal court in order to clarify conditions placed on him after his release from prison. But on Wednesday, William Jones, Tlustys lawyer in the federal case, said hes considering asking that the length of Tlustys federal prison sentence be reconsidered as well. Barring any write-in campaigns or last-ditch candidate filings, three local lawyers who each filed for one of three Dane County judicial vacancies will be elected without opposition as judges in April. In addition, three judges who currently occupy seats on the Dane County bench will be re-elected without opposition to new six-year terms. Sitting judges are rarely challenged in elections in Dane County, but open seats tend to draw contested elections. This time, with three open seats, it appears that none of the candidates will be challenged. The state Government Accountability Board extended the filing deadline for one of the seats until Friday, however. The general election is April 5. John Hyland, of Waunakee, a private practice lawyer for 26 years with Hurley, Burish and Stanton, and Waunakees current municipal judge, is the candidate for Branch 14, being vacated by retiring Circuit Court Judge William Foust. Valerie Bailey-Rihn, of Madison, a partner at the Quarles and Brady law firm in Madison and a lawyer with the firm since 1991, is the candidate for Branch 3, being vacated by current Circuit Judge James Troupis, who is not running for election. Troupis was appointed to the post in May following the retirement of former Circuit Judge John Albert. The filing deadline for Branch 3 candidates was extended until Friday, however, because Troupis did not file a notice of non-candidacy and hasnt indicated whether he will run, said GAB spokesman Reid Magney. State law requires that if an incumbent fails to file a notice of non-candidacy, the filing deadline for that post is extended for 72 hours. Other candidates could file to run, but Troupis cannot, Magney said. The Rev. Everett Mitchell, of Sun Prairie, pastor of Christ the Solid Rock Baptist Church in Madison and UW-Madisons director of community relations, is the candidate for Branch 4, being vacated by retiring Circuit Judge Amy Smith. Mitchell was a Dane County assistant district attorney from 2010 to 2012. The three current judges who are unopposed for re-election are Nicholas McNamara, Branch 5; Stephen Ehlke, Branch 15; and Peter Anderson, Branch 17. A city-sponsored development intended to provide new housing opportunities for homeless families was overwhelmingly approved despite a handful of last-minute pleas from neighbors concerned it could adversely affect the Far West Side neighborhood. City Council members unanimously approved a plan from Heartland Housing Inc. of Chicago for a roughly $12 million project that would provide both housing and support services for homeless families. The project needed support from at least 15 of the 20 council members because opponents filed a certified petition against it last week. But approval was largely expected after the project was endorsed by city staff in November and received a 7-1 recommendation from the citys Plan Commission last month. Heartland plans to build and manage a four-story apartment building with 45 units on a mostly undeveloped 1.3-acre parcel at 7933 Tree Lane. It would include 19 two-bedroom, 23 three-bedroom and three four-bedroom units, each with laundry facilities. The facility would also be equipped with a multipurpose room, small library, business center, offices for staff, a conference room and parking. The YWCA Madison would provide support services. Opponents railed against the project for its potential impact on parking and for its higher density. Attorney Ron Trachtenberg spoke on behalf of a group of nearby landowners and conceded that the project would likely receive overwhelming approval from the council. But he argued that the project did not contain enough open space to accommodate its residents, which would likely include large numbers of children. The problem is if the development does not have the internal infrastructure to adequately provide for children, social problems can then develop in the building, which will then spill into the neighborhood, Trachtenberg said. Heartland and YWCA staff used the public testimony to combat some of the concerns raised by residents at last months Plan Commission meeting. Critics have said the proposed 27 parking spaces for 45 units is insufficient and would create parking problems in the neighborhood. Supporters countered that in developments intended for homeless families, the number of spaces is likely far in excess of the number of cars owned by tenants. Its a good site. Its not a perfect site, said Ald. Paul Skidmore, 9th District. Its may be just one step, but its a step in the right direction. The project is part of an initiative proposed by Mayor Paul Soglin and endorsed by the City Council to create 250 housing units for the homeless and 750 units for low-income workers over five years. The city has also set aside a combined $1.6 million for the Tree Lane project in the 2015 and 2016 budgets. Council members introduced a resolution Tuesday to authorize two loans and Dane County is expected to deliver another $1 million. Heartland also plans to use money from the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority. Heartlands executive director Michael Goldberg said he anticipates applying for the WHEDA grants within the next few weeks. To be a princess--spoiled and adored! Few real princesses have enjoyed such a life. The real princesses have been lost in our love of fairytales. Princess Palace explores their lives and loves, adventures and tragedies. Lets celebrate and commiserate with these most (un?)fortunate of women. All of us, every single man, woman, and child on the face of the Earth were born with the same unalienable rights; to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And, if the governments of the world can't get that through their thick skulls, then, regime change will be necessary. Judge Blake declared that AR-15s and similar weapons fall outside Second Amendment protection as dangerous and unusual arms, and therefore can be prohibited if a government wants to do so. The Federal District Judge hearing the case, a Clinton appointee named Catherine C. Blake, disregarded both legal precedent and two hundred years of scholarship, in holding, outrageously, that this blatantly unconstitutional state law was constitutional. In the case of Kolbe et. al. versus OMalley, a class of various American individuals, businesses, and associations rightly challenged Marylands outrageous 2013 law banning honest, law-abiding citizens from possessing not just public carrying, but possessing several classes of firearms, such as the AR-15, and weapons even pistols! that hold more than ten rounds. Now, the several state governments clearly have the authority to punish those who commit real crimes with firearms. Virtually no one argues that convicted bank robbers, violent rapists, murderers and muggers, couldnt be forbidden from possessing firearms as part of their condition of parole, if society is foolish enough to release them in the first place. (The reason this exception is not addressed in the Constitution is that, in the Founding era, this exception was simply not imagined; there was no need. In their day, no sane government would release such villains into the general public ever again). But thats not the issue here. This is a rogue state government choosing to deny law-abiding citizens a constitutionally-guaranteed right, and a Federal Judge violating her oath of office by giving them cover. As justification for her ruling, Judge Blake parroted a few of the anti-constitutional sides standard objections: To her, the pro-gun side didnt cite sufficient statistics proving to her that these particular weapons were regularly used in self-defense incidents in Maryland (Never mind the fact that most self-defense incidents arent reported or tabulated to the same extent that the belligerents weapons are. And never mind the fact that the Second Amendment is as much a deterrent as a tool to be used; there are no records available, or even possible, on how many times burglars chose not to rob the house with a Protected by an AK-47 sign in front.) to rob the house with a Protected by an AK-47 sign in front.) To her, these particular types of weapons are only owned by a tiny percentage of the population (never mind the fact that our Constitution was designed throughout to protect the minority, not just the majority alone). To her, these are unusual, not normal firearms (never mind the fact that the carve-out for the unusual exists only in the eighth amendment; if the Founders had intended such a carve-out in the 2 nd , no doubt they would have put one there too). , no doubt they would have put one there too). In her mind, the Founding Fathers didnt intend to protect the kind of weapons that only the army would normally use (never mind the context of the Bill of Rights, which was written by revolutionaries who had just won their independence from a tyrannical government, and who were writing a document designed to empower the people to do so again if needed). To merely state that Judge Blake is wrong should go without saying. The Second Amendment says the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. What part of shall not be infringed does she and her side of the partisan debate fail to understand? An infringement of this right is unconstitutional, and her job is to defend the Constitution; her ruling therefore would justify an impeachment, if only the U.S. Senate had the honor to do its duty. Any honorable opponent of the right to bear arms would have to concentrate on amending the Constitution first, but the proof of their dishonor is that they blatantly disregard their oath to uphold it, then go ahead and undermine it like this. What I, personally, find striking, however, is not the opposition to firearm rights or the dishonor were used to seeing both its the denial of history because when Judge Blake writes that the Second Amendment was not written to protect the weapons commonly used by the military, she is not only wrong, she is 180 degrees from the truth. The Second Amendment was in fact written PRECISELY to protect the civilian ownership of those weapons! Lets remember our history: The Siege of Boston In the spring of 1775, George Washington was a delegate to the Continental Congress from the British colony of Virginia. Like the other members of his delegation, he had traveled up to Philadelphia from Virginia to discuss the colonists proper reaction to the ongoing tyranny of the Hanoverian King of England, George III. Unlike many other members, however, George Washington already had a feeling that independence was the only proper response, after decades of abuse, after decades of the distant Crown turning an ever-blinder eye to our complaints. Delegate George Washington had taken to wearing his military uniform to the meetings of Congress, instead of a normal business suit. While the other delegates attended in ruffles and powdered wigs, leggings and frilled coats yes, even other delegates with military experience Washington stood out as the man of military bearing at Independence Hall. He wore the uniform he had himself designed, in the colors he had picked for the Virginia militia, years before, when he gained worldwide renown for his service in what came to be known as the French and Indian War. A striking uniform of blue and buff, it was every bit as sharp as the red and white uniform of the British, with a color contrast severe enough to demonstrate that we were on very different teams. When it came time, that spring, for the Continental Congress to select a Commander in Chief for the Continental Army, though there were other hopefuls, there really was only one logical choice. The gentleman from Mount Vernon was selected, and sent to Boston to take command of troops already massed outside Boston. The biggest city in New England had now been under martial law for seven years; every plea for reason had been rebuffed with greater tyranny. The British were stationing soldiers in peoples homes, limiting their entry and exit on the town borders, restricting their trade. So local militia had finally sprung up and headed to Boston, gathering outside the city in preparation for unavoidable war. The newly commissioned Commander in Chiefs job would be to organize them and make the best he could of the situation. It wasnt an enviable job. An Army of Amateurs When General Washington arrived at Boston in July, 1775, he was horrified to see that our troops essentially, a collection of local militias from various areas in New England were rank amateurs. There were a few commanders who had seen military service, of course; many of the officers had served in the British army or navy in the past, and so had a few other recruits. But most were untrained. While many had a firearm in the home, for hunting or defense, they didnt tend to be experts at it. Even today, hunters know that one can go an entire day in a deer stand and only fire your weapon once or twice; hunting isnt itself conducive to the level of practice that makes one an expert, ready for the rapid-fire needs of the battlefield. Also, many of the villages in those days had a common town storeroom for rifles, ammunition, and powder, so that when an Indian raid or other threat appeared, everyone would rush to the armory to equip themselves. Without regular practice, this too is hardly conducive to building expertise with ones weapons. General Washington wasnt entirely shocked at the situation in Boston; he had seen it, to a lesser degree, when hed commanded militias twenty years before. But then he had had the budget of England, so he could drill his men and familiarize them with their weapons, and he had at least some time. The situation in Boston was different. These men had been there for months, luckily without a confrontation. The General must have been relieved at that; many of these men had still not fired their weapons, and they had too little powder to waste any on training and marksmanship lessons! Also, critically, remember that flintlock weapons are a lot harder to use than modern weapons, and much more cumbersome to load quickly. As Washington led the forces of the Glorious Cause (as the fight for Independence was known in those days), he devoted much of his time to the simple education of Congress on how severe was this lack of experience with firearms. He had to make do with the slow learning curve of men who were clumsy with powder and took time reloading, time that we would not have in battle conditions. And he had to make do with a nonexistent budget; there was no money for black powder and ammo for practice, so there simply was no practice, not at Boston, nor in the next couple of years. Not until February of 1778, when Baron von Steuben arrived at Valley Forge and General Washington assigned Col. Hamilton and Gen. Greene to assist him, did the American forces truly begin to have a training program worthy of the name. After three years of reading dispatches from the General, the politicians back in Philadelphia got the point: You just cant shove a rifle in a recruits hands for the first time, and expect him to do well with it in battle the next day. Your men need to have grown up with rifles; they need to have had them in the home, practicing marksmanship, when they were growing up as civilians. So you need a nation with a prosperous enough public to be able to waste ammunition on target practice at home. You need a nation of men who recognize their duty to hearth and home, to state and country, to be truly prepared to take up arms if called upon. Its not enough to be willing; you have to be able. And that means familiarity from childhood with the weapons you might one day need on the battlefield. The Bill of Rights The men who wrote the many state-level lists of rights known as bills of rights during the War of Independence were the very same men who were spending the war communicating with General Washington and our other officers. The politicians at the state level as well as the national were getting a daily education on what level of expertise is needed from the citizenry if they are to be entrusted with their own defense. So each state, in writing their state constitutions, made a point to include the right of civilians to be armed, not only to defend themselves, but to be prepared to defend their nation at a moments notice. When the ten amendments that came to be known as The Bill of Rights were prepared for addition to the Constitution of the United States a few years later (demanded as a necessary condition for ratification by several states, in fact), the politicians (George Mason, James Madison, et. al.) remembered these lessons, and carried forth the same intent. No more would America depend on people rushing to an armory in time of trouble, having to familiarize themselves on the spot with complex weaponry, putting themselves and their colleagues in danger of accidental misfires, clumsy explosions, poor aim or slow handling in battle. So the Second Amendment was written with an introductory clause, to hammer home this very point. It doesnt just say The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. It could, and that would certainly be sufficient under the law. It would protect all our rights, and all our reasons, for owning and carrying weapons from self defense and hunting, to the noble hobby of marksmanship, to the goal of patriotic readiness in case the military ever needed us. But that wasnt enough for them. They added an introductory note first: A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state They needed to hammer home this one critical point, so none could ever misinterpret it! The right of the people to defend themselves should go without saying. The right of the people to hunt for food or sport should go without saying. The right of the people to practice rifle or pistol marksmanship, as a harmless and enjoyable hobby, should go without saying. In the eyes of the Founders, this was all obvious. But the right of the people to keep and bear arms, the right of the people to be ABLE to defend themselves from a tyrannical government, still needed to be put in print, in the eyes of the Framers. And, strikingly, the introductory clause shows us that they also wanted to stress, in writing, for posterity, that they had learned the lesson of the early days of the War of Independence. They wanted to ensure that we never forgot the danger posed by a nation in which recruits are not yet ready to defend themselves, however willing they may be. The misunderstanding today is understandable (though not from those who have studied history or constitutional law); the words a well-regulated militia all have different meanings today than they did then. In those days, the militia was the volunteer force, essentially, all able-bodied men from their teens to old age. Even though, today, we may use the term to identify our National Guard, the formal troops that report to their state governments (unless they get nationalized), thats not what the term meant in the 1700s and 1800s at all! And in those days, we didnt have such a thing as federal regulatory agencies, issuing permits and licenses for every imaginable business, profession, and activity. We misunderstand the term well-regulated today. In the 19th century, that term meant well-rehearsed, well-practiced, familiar and expert. The Founders were saying that the public must be accustomed to these weapons before they are ever called on to support their countrys defense. We must use the original meaning of the words to understand the full meaning of the amendment. Modern leftists are completely mistaken in their belief that the Constitution calls for government to regulate firearm ownership by private citizens, or in the silly idea that a Constitution that had already provided for an army would have included an amendment to protect peoples right to serve in it. Seen in the context of its time, the fact is undeniable: the construction of the Second Amendment was done with an eye to the lessons learned from the early days of the war; it served as a tie-in to the famous truism that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. Our Framers thought this lesson important enough to cite before confirming the right itself. Never again should an American war begin with an utterly amateur military. Never again should new recruits show up on their first day of basic training, lacking familiarity with the weapons theyll be using on the battlefield. Never again should the government we fight be more experienced with military weapons than ourselves. The Constitution doesnt just protect our rights, for our own individual freedom it protects the nation, by ensuring a population of ready soldiers-to-be. The AR-15, and the Lie of the Gun Grabbers When viewed in the context of history, it becomes clear. There is no room in the Second Amendment for waffling. There is no room for todays leftists to carve out exceptions, because James Madison and the Founding Fathers were ahead of them. The Framers had a warning for us, a warning that survives to this day: Guns take practice, so civilians need to possess their own private arsenals, and practice with them, so theyre ready to serve if the nation ever calls them. The Framers learned this lesson the hard way, and enshrined it in our core legal document so that it would never be forgotten. Todays leftists claim that the Second Amendment is for single-shot deer rifles, or for single-shot shotguns, or for target practice for sport. They claim that military uses are completely outside the protections of the Amendment, when in fact its plain to any honest observer that nothing could be further from the truth. If the Second Amendment guarantees anything, it is that law-abiding citizens have the right to own and practice with AR-15s, because thats the standard weapon issued to the American military. The standard sidearms of the police are revolvers and semi-automatics; the standard weapons used by soldiers are high-capacity semi-automatic and automatic rifles. Yes, the weapons that the left likes to call assault weapons. The left may be uncomfortable with weapons; thats fine, they dont have to own them. But they have no right to deny law-abiding citizens our constitutionally-guaranteed rights, and they have even less right to lie about history, and to violate the law and their oaths of office, to claim that up is down or that north is south. In the eighteenth century, the Second Amendment existed to ensure that private citizens could possess flintlock long-guns, so theyd be ready the day their commanding officer handed one to them. And, so, in an age in which the M-16 is the standard issue for the military, the Second Amendment exists, first and foremost, to guarantee the right of law-abiding citizens to own and practice with them too whether the socialists, tyrants, and taxpayer-funded nannies like it or not. Copyright 2014 John F. Di Leo John F. Di Leo is a Customs broker and international trade compliance trainer. A former county chairman of the Milwaukee County Republican Party, he has now been a recovering politician for seventeen years. Permission is hereby granted to forward freely, provided it is uncut and the IR URL and byline are included. Follow John F. Di Leo on LinkedIn or Facebook, or on Twitter at @johnfdileo. When filing ended at close of business, six Democrat and 11 Republican presidential candidates and their delegates had submitted petitions. Already one candidate's petitions are faced with objection: Ted Cruz. SPRINGFIELD - By mid-day Wednesday, four more Republican presidential candidates filed in Springfield to be on the March 15th GOP primary ballot, and two names were added to Democrats' choices. Tomorrow, Illinois Review will provide more in-depth analysis of what voters will find at the polls March 15th. Republicans former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum and current U.S. Senator Rand Paul filed petition signatures to get on the statewide ballot, although neither campaign filed petitions for congressional delegates although Paul had no delegates submit petitions. UPDATE: By the end of the day, several delegate candidates for Senator Santorum added their names to the ballot. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee filed with two a few delegate candidates. Hewlett-Packard's Carly Fiorina will also be on Illinois' March 15th primary ballot, and her candidacy is supported by a full slate of delegate candidates. Republican presidential candidates John Kasich, Jim Gilmore and Ben Carson have yet to file petitions by 1:15 PM. UPDATE: Kasich and delegate candidates submitted petitions late Wednesday afternoon, as did Marco Rubio. Ben Carson filed delegates at the same time. Former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley filed Wednesday for the Democratic Primary ballot, with a complete set of delegate candidates. As of 1:15 PM, Bernie Sanders has yet to file petitions to be on the ballot, but one person in the 7th CD filed petitions to be a delegate for Sanders on the March 15th ballot. Hillary Clinton and her delegates filed first thing Monday morning. One Democrat from California - Roque "Rocky" De La Fuente - also filed. Neither De La Fuente or Democrat Willie Wilson from Chicago have gained enough support to be included in the Democrat Party's debates. We thought in light of today's national news, it was time to review John F. Di Leo's August 2014 column about "One Rogue Judge & the 2nd Amendment's Forgotten Roots" ... By John F. Di Leo - In the case of Kolbe et. al. versus OMalley, a class of various American individuals, businesses, and associations rightly challenged Marylands outrageous 2013 law banning honest, law-abiding citizens from possessing not just public carrying, but possessing several classes of firearms, such as the AR-15, and weapons even pistols! that hold more than ten rounds. The Federal District Judge hearing the case, a Clinton appointee named Catherine C. Blake, disregarded both legal precedent and two hundred years of scholarship, in holding, outrageously, that this blatantly unconstitutional state law was constitutional. Alex Wong/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley will deliver the Republican response to President Obama's final State of the Union address. The South Carolina Republican, a rising star in the GOP, is seen as a possible Republican vice presidential candidate in 2016. I was honored to be asked by Speaker Ryan and Senator McConnell to deliver the Republican address to the nation, Gov. Haley said in a statement. This is a time of great challenges for our country, but also of great opportunities. I intend to speak about both. In a year when the country is crying out for a positive vision and alternative to the status quo, Governor Haley is the exact right choice to deliver the Republican Address to the Nation, Ryan said in a statement. Haley, who is 43 years old, is the youngest governor in the country and the first female and minority governor of South Carolina. She received national attention earlier this year for her handling of the Charleston church shooting and the ensuing debate over the Confederate flag, which she ordered removed from the South Carolina statehouse. Copyright 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. The interested and eligible candidates can apply for the post by January 29, 6 pm. By India Today Web Desk: GAIL (India) Ltd., New Delhi has invited applications for the recruitment of Graduate Engineer Trainees (GETs). The interested and eligible candidates can apply for the post by January 29, 6 pm. Post details: Total posts: 67 Post name: Executive Trainee (Chemical): 14 Executive Trainee (Mechanical): 13 Executive Trainee (Electrical): 13 Executive Trainee (Instrumentation): 6 Executive Trainee (Business Information System): 11 Executive Trainee (Telecom/ Telemetry): 10 Eligibility criteria: Educational qualification: The candidates interested in applying for the posts are required to hold a Bachelor's degree in Engineering in the relevant discipline. Age limit: The candidates applying for the posts should not be more than 28 years of age. The upper age limit for candidates belonging to OBC, SC/ST and PwD category is 31 years, 33 years, 38 years, respectively. advertisement Selection process: The candidates will be short listed on the basis of their scores in Graduate Aptitude Test for Engineering (GATE) followed by Group Discussion (GD) and/or interview round. Application process: The candidates having a registration no. for GATE - 2016 can only apply online through GAIL's website. At the time of interview and personal discussion round, the candidates are required to carry necessary documents along with them. Important date: Last date for submission of online application: January 29, 6 pm Kazi Masum Akhtar, the headmaster of Talpukur Aara High Madarsa in Kolkata was not only assaulted but was also called an ISIS sympathiser. By India Today Web Desk: Kazi Masum Akhtar, the headmaster of Talpukur Aara High Madarsa in Kolkata, who was training his students to sing the National Anthem for the upcoming Republic Day, got assaulted by maulanas and their followers for his act. According to reports, he has also been banned from entering the premises. The fatwa against him bans him from entering the school campus unless he wears the traditional Muslim attire of kurta, short pyjamas and grows a beard, the length of which would be decided by the madarsa's maulanas. He has sent an appeal to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, but did not get any assurance. "I haven't been able to attend school ever since I was attacked. Request the government to initiate rehab there," said Akhtar. advertisement Moreover, the maulvis, calling the National Anthem a Hindutva song and a sacrilege, issued a fatwa against the headmaster. Ironically, it all happened in the city of joy- Kolkata, where Rabindranath Tagore penned the anthem. This is not first time Akhtar was targeted by extremists groups. Earlier, in March, he was beaten by iron rods leaving him with several serious injuries, leading to months of hospitalisation. Akhar was also asked to send pictures proving the growth of his beard and was told that it was anti-Islamic to sing the 'Hindu' national anthem and hoist the Tri-colour. The Kolkata Police, citing communal tension, has expressed helplessness to the Minorities Commission in providing security to Akhtar. READ: Meet PM Modi's 'Imran Khan', a teacher who donated 52 educational apps to MHRD For more updates on education, click here. By India Today Web Desk: Jharkhand has become the first state to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) scheme with the central government. Under the UDAY scheme, the Union government is trying to reduce the load of debt from the State Electricity Boards (SEBs), which is tantamount to almost 4.3 trillion rupees. Here are a few points you must know about the UDAY scheme: 1. The UDAY scheme was launched on November 20, last year, to help financially weak distribution companies to supply adequate power to households at affordable rates. 2. The UDAY scheme is a tripartite agreement to be signed among the central government, the state government and the electricity distribution companies. 3. Jharkhand's power distributor, Jharkhand Bijli Vitaran Nigam Ltd (JBVNL) signed the MoU with the Union government and the state government. advertisement 4. The deal will help the state government to distribute electricity in 2,200 villages in Jharkhand that are still in dark. 5. Under the UDAY scheme, the state government of Jharkhand is said to make an overall net benefit, worth Rs 5,300 crore. 6. The UDAY scheme takes the pressure of the distributing companies (discoms) as the state government takes 100 percent liability of the debt accumulated by public sector undertakings and 75 percent of the debts acquired by the discoms. 7. The UDAY scheme will also expedite processes such as exchange of coal linkages, calculating the amount of technical and commercial losses and concentrating on smart metering in the states. 8. The scheme also aims to reduce the cost of electricity per unit and the interest cost of the discoms. 9. Other states such as Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are also to be included under the UDAY scheme. Interested in General Knowledge and Current Affairs? Click here to stay informed and know what is happening around the world with our G.K. and Current Affairs section. By India Today Web Desk: Few days ago, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan was fielded with a question that got him thinking for a couple of seconds before he could frame the answer. Interestingly, the question did not come from someone with great experience but from a class 8 kid who was curious enough to ask a simple question with a rather complex answer. Rajas, a student of a Dombivali East school, asked Rajan when the Indian policy would start affecting other countries. No wonder Rajan took a couple of seconds to answer the question. The question was, "The mere rumour of the US cutting down on the federal stimulus saw the rupee crashing in value," he told Rajan. "When will we see an Indian policy affecting other countries so intensively?" advertisement The 52-year old economist and RBI chief, however, came up with an equally impressive answer, where he said that India should not be happy with its policies affecting the rest of the world. "I have been saying that the US should worry about the effects of its policy on the rest of the world," he said. "So if we stand by that, we should not be very happy down the line when Indian policies affect the rest of the world adversely." "I suspect that by the time you're my age, we will be one of the two or three great economies in the world," he told the student. "And you, as the Central Bank governor, will have to decide the kinds of policies that are appropriate for the world, and not just for India at that time." Here's the video of the full conversation between Raghuram Rajan and Class 8 student Rajas: READ: 12-year old boy from Kota qualifies for class 12 International Biology Olympiad For more updates on education news, click here. The Tibri military station in Gurdaspur was cordoned off after two men in Army uniform were spotted this evening. By India Today Web Desk: After suspicious movement was noticed today in Gurdaspur district of Punjab, the Army has launched a massive search operation. The Tibri military station in Gurdaspur was cordoned off after two men in Army uniform were spotted this evening. Earlier in the day, the BSF had called in additional teams and technical experts to the Gurdaspur border to check the fencing for any breach. The terrorists who attacked the air base in Pathankot are believed to have sneaked into India from the Gurdaspur border. According to sources, the BSF has been checking the fence for the last 4 days. They are also looking for any possible secret tunnel that may be existing in the area. On the night of December 31, Gurdaspur Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh was on his way home from near the India-Pakistan border when he was abducted along with his two companions byt terrorists from Pakistan. Singh said that the men were armed with Ak-47s and other ammunition. advertisement The terrorists barged into the Air Force base in Pathankot on January 2 and fired indiscriminately, killing 7 personnel. However, interrogators from the National Investigating Agency who have spoken with Singh said his account of his abduction and what followed is highly flawed. RELATEDS Pathankot terror attack planned by ISI: The inside story ISI is behind Pathankot air base attack: US Jaish-e-Mohammad planning Pathankot-like attack in Delhi Why did the riots take place, what exactly happened and what is the other side of the story of the Malda riots, know here! By India Today Web Desk: Why did the riots take place? Malda district of West Bengal saw a violent reaction from Muslim groups to the hate speech by Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamlesh Tiwari. The minority group was protesting against Tiwari saying his speech had derogatory remarks against Prophet Mohammed. Kamlesh Tiwari had called Prophet Muhammad the first homosexual in the world. Tiwari's statement came a day after UP Cabinet minister Azam Khan called RSS members homosexuals. What exactly happened? The state that will witness the legislative assembly elections this year, saw violence breaking out in the Malda district when the protesters came across a North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) bus trying to cross the rally. They got into an argument with the driver of the bus and the next moment passengers had to get off the bus because the protesters set it on fire. advertisement The protesters held tall green flags and marched on the National Highway (NH)-34 on Sunday. Nearly two dozens police vehicles, including one belonging to India's border-guarding agency Border Security Force (BSF), was set on fire and Malda's Kaliachak police station was ransacked by a violent crowd in the Muslim-dominated Sujapur area in the district. All the records that were stored in files and computers were destroyed. The violent mob also attacked the BDO office at Kaliachak-I, they went to Khaltipur railway station and squatted on the railway tracks in protest. When the police reached the spot to take control of the situation, a clash broke out injuring several cops on duty. Due to the ruckus, the shops were shut down and Muslim protesters also looted some nearby houses. To tackle the situation, Rapid Action Force (RAF) was called. The other side Another angle to the story has evolved according to which the entire incident was pre-planned and was not just a religious gathering to protest against the derogatory remark against Prophet Mohammed. Apparently, a strong anti-Hindu sentiment in the locality was propagated by all three political parties- the ruling Trinamool Congress, Congress and CPI(M)-turned into massive violence on January 3 in which the local Muslims turned hostile towards the state administration. Detainment The district police arrested 10 people in connection with the violence and increased police arrangements to take care of the law and order. All the 10 accused have been sent to six-day police custody by a district court. Current mood Even after several hours of inactivity, most residents still choose to stay indoors and shops remain closed. The situation continued to be tense as Section 144 is still imposed in the area since Sunday night. The next batch of flood relief fund allocation will be dispatched on January 11, 2016. By India Today Web Desk: On January 5, the Tamil Nadu Government released the flood relief compensatory funds for nearly 14 lakh families. The amount has been credited into the bank accounts of these families. Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa handed over the flood relief fund to five families personally in her chamber. Families that lost small tenements during the floods will be getting a financial aid of Rs.10,000 with an additional amount of Rs. 5000 as special relief. Apart from this, families will also get a dhoti, a saree and 10 kg of rice each, reports the TOI. Close to 4.93 lakh huts were destroyed during the floods which ravaged the city of Chennai and 25.48 lakh houses were affected by the floods, states the report. advertisement In a statement, CM Jayalalithaa assured relief amount will be provided to all the families whose database has been collected and computerized. She added that all 30.42 lakh families will be eligible for rice, dhotis and sarees from PDS outlets with a proof of their passbook and family ration card. So far relief amount of 4 lakhs has reached 245 flood victims. The fund allocation is set to continue till the end of next month. Central Team employed to assess the state of fund allocation : An 8 member team headed by TVSN Prasad will be doing a on-the-spot assessment of damages caused by the floods. The Tamil Nadu Government's swift action in the distribution of funds for the flood affected families and the efficiency in preventing any outbreak of epidemics, are being lauded by the Central government. The Tamil Nadu government has sought Centre's help in the restoration and rehabilitation of six flood affected districts in Tamil Nadu. The state government requested the Centre to dispatch an amount of Rs. 25,912.45 crore for the same. By India Today Web Desk: After the Pathankot attacks, the Congress today questioned the approach of Narendra Modi government on Pakistan. Veteran Congress leader Sushil Kumar Shinde also raised questions over the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Pakistan, and demanded that all discussions between the two Prime Ministers be made public. "What did Modi ji discuss in Pak? Were there any press releases. We are in dark about what they discussed", Shinde said. Lauding the efforts of the security forces, Shinde said that their work should not be undermined and should be encouraged. Shinde also asked the Prime Minister not to backtrack from his comments which he made after the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, and to act accordingly. He said, "We can be friends with Pakistan, but we will not tolerate any terrorist attacks." advertisement Slamming the Centre over the intelligence reports, Shinde said that after information was received all movements to and from the airbase should have been stopped, since Pathankot is a sensitive area. Accusing the BJP of being soft on terror Shinde said, "During NDA-I, there were hijackings, attacks on Red Fort, J&K Assembly, and Parliament. Whenever BJP comes to power, terrorism increases. Since 1999, there is a belief that India has no strength. Terrorists think they can do anything & they will be released". Also read: By India Today Web Desk: DC comics is being talked about on the social media, and not for the right reasons. What did they do? They just translated the dialogue in an issue of Superman/Wonder Woman from 'Pakistanian'! Yes, you read that correct. In the US publisher's recent release Superman/Wonder Woman Annual #2, an editor's note at the bottom reads "translated from Pakistanian". Have you ever heard of that language? Pakistanian? We have not! We're certain even Pakistanis haven't. Superman/Wonderwoman Annual #2. Photo: DC Comics The social media has gone on a field trip ever since. Pakistani writer Khaver Siddiqi tweeted a photo the comic's issue saying, advertisement The comic tells the story of the two superheros rescuing shepherds in the Shimshal region of Pakistan from the torments of a blue-faced demigod. The dialogues in the comic appears between angled brackets to show that it has been translated. Yeah, from "Pakistanian"! This 'error' of DC Comics' met with much ridicule. Karachi-based radio host Mahvesh Murad wonder on Twitter if someone could teach her "Pakistanian", while Multimedia journalist Mahnoor Y took the case of the comic's editor, Andrew Marino. PAKISTANIAN! Fantastic. Someone teach me that too. https://t.co/9NYGotb1Tv Mahvesh Murad (@mahveshm) January 5, 2016 The official language in Pakistan is Urdu. While there are many regional dialects and other languages spoken here, there's none called Pakistanian. Are you listening, DC Comics? Director DJ Curaso has put rumours to rest and has revealed that Deepika Padukone is a part of XXX: The Return of Xander Cage. He added that the actor will begin shooting for the film in February this year. By India Today Web Desk: After days of speculation, the cat is finally out of the bag. Deepika Padukone, who has won million hearts in Bollywood, is all set to make her Hollywood debut with XXX: The Return of Xander Cage. The Tamasha actor made heads turn when she posed for a picture with Hollyood star Vin Diesel. The viral photo sparked rumours of her Hollywood debut, but Deepika decided to remain tight-lipped on her first international project. However, director DJ Curaso has revealed that Deepika is a part of the sequel and she will begin shooting for the film in February this year. In a reply to a fan's query on Twitter, Curaso revealed that the film will go on floors on January 13 and Deepika would join the star cast in February. advertisement @CyrineZanaib @6eyf__ we start in january. She starts sometime in February D.j. Caruso (@Deejaycar) January 2, 2016 The news has come as a surprise for her fans because the Bajirao Mastani actor in a recent interview to PTI had said that she hasn't signed any films as of now. "Expect nothing, because I have signed no films for 2016." A few years ago, Deepika made headlines for being offered a part in Fast and Furious 7. However, the Piku actor turned down the offer due to date clash with Farah Khan's Happy New year. But it seems her fans will finally get a chance to her brushing shoulders with Hollywood actors soon. Dolce & Gabbana debuted a line of hijabs and abayas, infusing the garments with the lace and floral motifs the fashion house is known for. By India Today Web Desk: Black lace and floral motifs took over hijabs and abayas as Dolce & Gabbana debuted a line of the traditional Muslim attire on Style.com/arabia. Known for their penchant for lace and florals, Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana just released a line of hijabs and abayas in beige and black. Made of sheer georgette and satin weave charmeuse fabrics, the garments are printed with daisies, lemons, and lush red roses. Also read: Designers Dolce and Gabbana apologise for anti-IVF and gay adoption comments Not long ago, high street brand H&M made headlines for featuring a hijabi, Mariah Idrissi, in its campaign video. Though brands like DKNY and Mango have launched Ramadan collections in the past, replete with outfits that spell conservative chic, few global names in the world of fashion have tried to experiment with the traditional Islamic attire. advertisement With women in the Gulf countries spending loads of cash on luxury goods, it's not just about the representation of the Muslim woman in the mainstream media but also about the huge untapped market waiting to be explored that caters specifically to the needs of the affluent Muslim woman. Sandeep Pandey was expelled today from the Banaras Hindu University for participating in naxalite and anti-national activities. By Amir Haque : Renowned social activist and Magsaysay award winner Sandeep Pandey was expelled today from the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) for participating in naxalite and anti-national activities. The professor, who worked with the university as a visiting faculty, has hit back at the administration and board of governors, especially the Vice Chancellor GC Tripathi for pursuing RSS ideology. Sandeep Pandey further clarified that he is a Gandhian and BHU is terminating his contract prematurely because of ideological intolerance. He has also challenged the board of governors to prove their allegations of him being a naxalite and an anti-national. Pandey said if the board of governors can prove their allegations, he should not just be stripped off his position, but also sent to jail. He has threatened to sue the university administration and the VC for defamation once he gets access to the governing body meeting through an RTI. --- ENDS --- Once inhabited by 2,000 fishermen, this abandoned village has been taken over by the charms of Mother Nature. By Samonway Duttagupta: Located just off the coast of Shanghai, the Houtouwan village was once inhabited by 2,000 fishermen. But in the 1990s, most of them were forced to abandon their homes and move out to other places due to a host of various problems. Years later, this place looks like a green paradise as Mother Nature has reclaimed this beautifully. Thick layers of ivy have enveloped the houses of this village. Picture courtesy: Reuters The houses are now enveloped with thick layers of ivy that have made their way by climbing the walls and breaking through the doors and windows. The village is located on Shengshan Island. Picture courtesy: Reuters Even though the village is still inhabited by only a handful of people, most of the parts have become permanently inaccessible, giving it a mystic charm that reminds one of a fairy tale location. Visited by tourists from all parts of the world, the Houtouwan village is located on Shengshan Island, which is a part of the group of 394 islands known as the Shengsi Islands in the Zhoushan Archipelago at the mouth of the Yangtze River. advertisement Also see: More pictures of the village Owing to its raw charm, the place attracts a lot of travel photographers who like to carry their high-end cameras and special lenses in order to capture the various shades of green and present them in their signature styles. By Shashank Shekhar: Several Indian hackers have joined hands to launch a massive attack on Pakistani websites to avenge terror attack at Pathankot Air Force Station. According to hackers, they have hacked over a score websites, including crucial Pakistani government sites. Cyber crime experts' claim several hacking groups of India is working together and carrying out a mass defacement operation on key Pakistani websites. The group is also identifying and blocking profile on social media and websites being operated by banned terror outfits like Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and Indian Mujahideen (IM). "For last three days all the active hacking groups are working on attacking Pakistan's cyber territory. Our Army is not replying, but we will not remain quiet but attack them on the virtual world," said an underground hacker to MAIL TODAY, adding that hackers among themselves are sharing details of vulnerability in Pakistani website to deface them. Each successful attack is celebrated by posting the tricolour with a patriotic Indian song on the compromised website to express anger. advertisement Cyber experts claim that attack from India is focused on targeting government websites. "Several Pakistani websites were hacked in the last couple of days, which is done to send across a message that Indian hackers won't sit quiet. Underground community is also planning to launch a major attack specially targeting governmentoperated websites. Our investigations reveal several sites have already been defaced," said Kislay Chaudhary, cyber security analyst and CEO of Indian Cyber Army. Also read: Kerala man arrested for derogatory comment about Pathankot martyr Lt Col Niranjan Pakistan's powerful intelligence agency ISI is behind the attack on Pathankot air base in Punjab using a terrorist group it created 15 years ago, a former top White House official has said. By Press Trust of India: Pakistan's powerful intelligence agency ISI is behind the attack on Pathankot air base in Punjab using a terrorist group it created 15 years ago, a former top White House official has said. Bruce Riedel, who worked in the National Security Council of the White House and was among the few present at the Bill Clinton-Nawaz Sharif meeting in 1999 during Kargil war, said the attack is designed to prevent any detente between India and Pakistan after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surprise Christmas Day visit to Pakistan. In an article in the Daily Beast, Riedel said the attacks in Pathankot and on the Indian Consulate in Mazar-e Sharif in northern Afghanistan was the handiwork of Pakistani terror group Jaish-e-Muhammad which the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) created 15 years ago. advertisement He quoted "well-informed press and other knowledgeable sources" for his assessment. He said the ISI is under the generals command and is composed of army officers, so the spies are controlled by the Pakistani army, which justifies its large budget and nuclear weapons program by citing the Indian menace. "Any diminution in tensions with India might risk the army's lock on its control of Pakistan national security policy. The army continues to distinguish between good terrorists like JEM and LET and bad terrorists like the Pakistani Taliban, despite decades of lectures from American leaders," he said. Riedel, a former CIA officer, said the Pakistani army has long distrusted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who has advocated a detente with India since the 1990s. "An army coup in 1999 sent him into exile in Saudi Arabia for a decade. His warm embrace of PM Modi on Christmas Day in his home in Lahore undoubtedly angered the generals," he said. He noted that the US put JeM on the terrorist sanctions list years ago but it continues to coddle the Pakistani army. "Gen Raheel Sharif, got a warm embrace from the Pentagon last fall?despite the ISI support for the Afghan Talibans offensive against the Kabul government and despite the Pakistani military backing of terror groups like JeM," he said. Also read: Need firm, immediate action on Pathankot attack, Modi tells Nawaz Sharif Pathankot attack fallout: Two set of footprints found near Bamiyal village along Pakistan border The company will make sure that there are enough units of the phone for consumers upon launch. By India Today Web Desk: Chinese company Xiaomi has for the first time gone on record to confirm that its upcoming flagship phone Mi5 will come packed with Qualcomm's latest and greatest mobile processor, aka Snapdragon 820. Xiaomi's co-founder and senior VP Liwan Jiang took to Chinese social media website Weibo to confirm that the Mi5 will indeed come with Snapdragon 820 and is has entered mass production. That's not all. Jiang has also confirmed that the company will launch the Mi5 phone after the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) which is scheduled to start from February 8 2016. The company will make sure that there are enough units of the phone for consumers upon launch. At the same time, Xiaomi's CEO Lei Jun shared his thoughts about the Mi5 on Weibo as well going on to say that he had spent some time with the Mi5. Earlier Jun had said that the Mi5 was "worth waiting for." advertisement Earlier it was being said that Xiaomi's Mi5 may not launch anytime before April 2016 since Samsung holds exclusivity to Qualcomm's next flagship Snapdragon 820 processor until April. The Mi5 is rumoured to have a 5.2-inch display and will reportedly come in two variants: 3GB of RAM with 32GB inbuilt storage, and 4GB of RAM with 64GB memory. It is expected to sport a 16-megapixel camera on the rear and a 13-megapixel camera on the front. It will reportedly run Android 6.0 Marshmallow-based MIUI and use a 3,600mAh battery. By India Today Web Desk: The year 2015 saw Jennifer Lawrence opening up about a variety of women-related issues, be it the gender pay gap in Hollywood or the set prejudices that women actors have had to follow. It seems with the onset of 2016, the fire in her hasn't faded yet as she spoke in favour of Planned Parenthood (a non-profit organization that provides reproductive health services in the United States and internationally, according to the official website). ALSO READ: Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Schumer's film - The first draft is ready ALSO READ: Jennifer Lawrence is at it again! After kiss with Liam Hemsworth, it's Bradley Cooper's 'sweating' butt now ALSO READ: Jennifer Lawrence's confession - I kissed Liam Hemsworth off screen. He's real hot advertisement According to a recent interview with Glamour magazine, the 25-year-old actor has claimed that she was shocked and dismayed by the attack on the Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado, US last November 2015 by a gunman who opposed family planning. "What harm comes from supplying people with birth control, condoms, pap smears and cancer screenings?," Lawrence has been quoted as saying. The Hunger Games actor further claimed that she herself grew up in a strict household. "My mum was really religious with me when I was young," she said, "She's not so much anymore. And I wouldn't have been able to get birth control if it weren't for Planned P. I wouldn't have been able to get condoms and birth control and all these things I needed as a normal teenager." The Oscar-winning actor is a huge advocate of planned parenthood as she supported usage of pregnancy pills and other methods among teens, "And now, (because I had Planned Parenthood,) I am a successful woman who has not had a pregnancy... but seriously," JLaw added. The attack in Colorado last year had cost three people's lives and nine others were left seriously injured when a gunman attacked the parenthood centre. She narrated the day the Planned Parenthood centre was attacked, "(Amy Schumer) was crying. She had just... seen the news about the shooting at Planned Parenthood... It's so awful. It isn't an attack on abortions; it's an attack on women. Because Planned Parenthood is so much more (than abortion)." The gunman, Robert Lewis Dear, 57, has since appeared in court accused of the crime. JLaw has been quite vocal on different gender-related prejudices present in Hollywood. Last year, she wrote a letter to Lenny titled 'Why Do I Make Less Than My Male Co-Stars?' and raised her voice against the gender pay gap in Hollywood. "I keep going back and forth on being opinionated," she said, "It's not smart, business-wise, to be opinionated. But then, what's the point in having a voice at all if I'm not going to use it for what I truly believe in?" By Bang Showbiz: The Hunger Games star loves to show off her curves but avoids any outfits that have embroidery or cover up too much as she says that they make her look fat. When asked about the way she would label her style, she told Glamour magazine, "Slutty power lesbian. That is literally what I say to a stylist. I don't know if that's offensive.... You don't see me as a slutty power lesbian on the red carpet a lot, because I'm embodying the Dior woman, which is an honor....But [also] I've got t**s and an ass. And there are things that are made for skinny people - like a lot of embroidery, or it covers a lot - and those make me look fat. I have to show the lumps. If you have boobs, you have to show, like, 'These are boobs. This isn't cellulite.' Not that there's anything wrong with that." advertisement Also read: Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Schumer's film: The first draft is ready Meanwhile, the 25-year-old beauty previously blasted Hollywood for worrying more about an actor's physical appearance than their talent. She said, "I hate all the focus on weight and size that you have in our business. I don't think an actress needs to be skinny to be attractive and it sends the wrong message to young women. It's important that, as actresses, we need to establish ourselves first and foremost for our talent and not for our physical appearance." Jen, you go girl! By Soudhriti Bhabani: The trouble-torn Kaliachak police station area wore a deserted look even 48 hours after large-scale violence. On Tuesday, most residents of the locality, located about 23 km south-west of Malda town in West Bengal, chose to stay indoors and business establishments also remained shut. The situation continued to be tense with Section 144 imposed in the area since Sunday night. "We have so far arrested 10 people in connection with the violence. We have deployed additional forces in the violence-hit pockets. They are also carrying out extensive flag marches in the area," Malda district police superintendent Prasun Banerjee told Mail Today. All the 10 accused have been sent to six-day police custody by a district court. Sources said over 120 heads of armed forces from the 4th battalion have been brought in as part of additional security arrangements in the area. advertisement But the flip side of the Kaliachak rampage tells a different story. Security agency officials and police sources revealed that the motive behind the massive rally and subsequent attack on a police station was something else. CCTV footage of the attack at Kaliachak police station is now being examined to identify the people who actually carried out the act of violence and ransacked the barrack. According to police sources, the entire incident was pre-planned and it was not a mere religious gathering by Muslims groups protesting against the hate speech of Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamlesh Tiwari. A strong anti-Hindu sentiment in the locality, reportedly propagated by all three political parties-ruling Trinamool Congress, Congress and CPI(M)-turned into massive violence on January 3 in which the local Muslims turned hostile towards the state administration. In a fit of rage, they torched buses and police vehicles, ransacked government properties and set the Kaliachak police station on fire. "The entire act of violence was carried out to terrorise the local administration and to take revenge against the police and security forces," a senior district police officer said. The inside story is that bordering areas like Baliadanga, Mothabari, Danga, Kaliachak and Mohabbatpur have become an epicentre of anti-national activities. Be it peddling of fake notes, illegal migration, arms factory or smuggling goods from across the border, these areas have always topped the chart. But the district police along with the help of BSF personnel had recently beefed up security in these areas, significantly bringing down the crime rate. In various joint operations, the police and security agencies had seized many FICN (Fake Indian currency notes) consignments that came to this side of the border through the help of locals, but could not be distributed in other parts of the country. The local police and BSF personnel had prepared a detailed list of suspects who were involved in the fake notes racket in the border belt and were keeping an eye on their movements. This is said to have infuriated a section of Muslims in the region who were allegedly involved in anti-national activities. During the rampage, goons had set the Kaliachak police station afire reportedly with the intention to destroy all criminal records. They had also attacked the block development office and ransacked as many as six houses of Hindu residents, besides setting ablaze over 35 vehicles. "We suspect some anti-national elements may also be involved in the act. We need to identify them from the CCTV footage," a police source said. The NIA, which is probing a pan-India fake notes racket, recently developed a strategy to nab the members of different modules in Malda. The development came following recent arrests of some ISI operatives with Malda links. Also read: Tension in Malda after mob torches police station Kazi Masum Akhtar, the headmaster of Talpukur Aara High Madarsa in Kolkata, was assaulted by maulanas and their followers, for training students to sing the national anthem for the Republic Day. By India Today Web Desk: Kazi Masum Akhtar, the headmaster of Talpukur Aara High Madarsa in Kolkata, was assaulted by maulanas and their followers, for teaching students the National Anthem for the Republic Day. The Muslim clerics who attacked Akhtar are said to be ISIS sympathisers. Despite appealing to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the chairman of state minorities' commission six times, Akhtar did not find any assurance. "I haven't been able to attend school ever since I was attacked. Request Govt to initiate rehab there" ,said Akhtar. The maulvis issued a fatwa against Akhtar, calling the National Anthem a sacrilege and have also termed it as a Hindutva song. In March, he was beaten up with iron rods which resulted in a severe head injury that left him hospitalised for months. advertisement Since then Akhtar has not been able to set foot in the area despite being hired through a state government interview. The fatwa against him bans him from entering the school unless he wears the traditional Muslim attire of kurta, short pyjamas and grows a beard, the length of which would be decided by the madarsa's maulanas. Akhtar was also asked to send them photos each week, to examine the progress of his beard's growth. They claimed that it was anti-Islamic to sing the "Hindu" national anthem and hoisting the Tri-colour in an Islamic teaching institution. The Kolkata Police Commissioner has written to the chairman of the Minorities Commission, stating that he was not in a position to provide security to Akhtar hinting communal tensions. Also read: Kazi Masum Akhtar,Talpukur Aara High Madarsa,Kolkata,Maulanas,National anthem,Republic Day Kazi Masum Akhtar was beaten black and blue with an iron rod by a mob of Islamic fundamentalists. His fault? Teaching our national anthem to students. By India Today Web Desk: On March 26, 2015, Kazi Masum Akhtar, headmaster of the Talpukur Aara High Madarsa in Kolkata was assaulted by a mob of maulanas with iron rods. All that Kazi Masum did was teach the students national anthem. The Muslim clerics said the national anthem is sacrilege and is a Hindutva song. They issued a fatwa against Kazi stating singing the anthem and hoisting the Triclour is 'anti-islamic'. Infact, Kazi was beaten up so mercilessly he suffered a severe head injury that left him in hospital for several months. He has repeatedly appealed to the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee, the Governor and the Chairman of State Minorities Commission over six times, but his pleas have only fallen on deaf ears. "I tried to bring in some reforms in the Madrasa and maintain disciplines among students who were unruly. So, I started patriotic activities and introduced national anthem to the students. But this idea did not sit well with the Islamic fanatics who said it went against their religion" said Kazi. advertisement "Even the management committee who went against me have some vested interests and all I want to do is protect the school from these hard-liners," adds Kazi Masum Akhtar. He still awaits a response from the West Bengal government for the unjustified atrocity meted out to him by a bunch of Islamic fundamentalists. Indian-origin British Siddhartha Dhar is being believed to be the masked executioner in the new ISIS video featuring the killing of five hostages. By Shreya Biswas: 'Jihadi John' was the name given to Mohammed Emwazi, a British-born ISIS executioner, who was seen beheading hostages in several ISIL videos. In November 2015, US officials reported this man to have been killed in a drone strike. But, a new man is being dubbed as the 'Jihadi John', featuring in a new video released by ISIS on Sunday that shows the execution of five hostages. And this masked executioner is believed to be an India-origin British named Siddhartha Dhar. Dhar, who is now known as Abu Rumaysah, is the focus of a probe into the video. Here's all that you need to know about this man. Who is the new Jihadi John? Siddhartha Dhar was born to a Hindu family settled in Britain. After his father died when he was still a teenager, Dhar dropped out of school and converted to Islam under the influence of terrorist recruiter Mizanur Rahman, taking up the name Abu Rumaysah. advertisement While running a a business renting out bouncy castles in London, he went on to join the banned militant group Al-Muhajiroun, headed by Anjem Choudary. Eventually, Dhar began to stand out among radical Islamists in London, speaking to the media, showing up on videos expressing the group's demands, etc. He also participated in a BBC debate on why British Muslims were joining ISIS. In the interview, Dhar said, "For 90 years we have been without a caliphate and many of the rules within the Koran cannot be implemented. ? As a Muslim I would like to see the U.K. governed by the Sharia. It is far superior to democracy. I don't really identify myself with British values. I am Muslim first, second and last." His arrest in 2014 and escape to Syria Dhar was arrested with Anjem Choudary and Mizanur Rahman in 2014 for encouraging terrorism in the UK during which he was forced to hand in his passport. However, despite the lack of travel documents, he skipped bail and fled to France by bus with his family. From there, he managed to travel to Syria. Dhar even wrote 46-page-long guide to ISIS, talking about the life in the caliphate. Describing the Islamic State as a "plush Mediterranean resort", he mentions how British chocolate like Kit Kats, Bounty bars and Snickers freely available here, along with "the best lattes and cappuccinos around." Dhar's guide to life in ISIS So is Siddhartha Dhar the masked ISIS executioner in the video? Dhar's sister and mother watched the video and identified some similarities between him and the masked killed in it. "I heard the voice, yes, but I don't know, I'm not sure of the voice," his mother, Sobita Dhar, told The Daily Telegraph. "These are the most difficult questions to answer. I just cannot say. I'm not sure within myself whether it is the truth or not." Dhar's sister, Konika Dhar, said, "I believed the audio to resemble, from what I remember, the voice of my brother but having viewed the short clip in detail, I wasn't entirely convinced which put me at ease. "I can't believe it. This is just so shocking for me. I don't know what the authorities are doing to confirm the identity, but I need to know if it is." Konika added, "He was a very pleasant boy, and I know it may be hard to believe, but he still is, and I still believe that he still can be that person," she added. Meanwhile, one of Dhar's former business associates told the BBC he had "no doubt" that the voice on the video was Dhar's. There has still not been any official confirmation of the identity of the masked executioner. The investigation on the video is said to be ongoing. The National Green Tribunal has asked the German automaker to submit an undertaking that it will not sell cars with cheat devices in India. Volkswagen has been asked to submit an undertaking by January 11 that it will not sell rigged cars in India. Reuters photo By India Today Web Desk: The National Green Tribunal on Wednesday took German automaker Volkswagen to task over its "cheat devices " and asked it to submit an undertaking by January 11 that it will not sell any vehicles in India that are fitted with the device. On December 14, 2015, the National Green Tribunal had sought a response from the central government and German automobile giant Volkswagen on a plea by Delhi residents seeking a ban on sale of its vehicles for alleged violation of emission norms. This decision was taken by a NGT bench headed by chairperson Justice (retd.) Swatanter Kumar. Also read: Volkswagen ditch Das Auto slogan in image makeover The bench had issued notices to the heavy industries and public enterprises ministry, the Volkswagen group, the Central Pollution Control Board, as well as the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI). advertisement The parties were directed to respond to the notices by December 23. This plea was filed by Delhi residents Satvinder Singh Sodhi and others, alleging that the company was polluting environment by selling vehicles which breach emission limits. Last week, Volkswagen had recalled over a 3 lakh of its Indian vehicles after allegations that its cars have a emission "defeat device," the charges which the company denied. VOLKSWAGEN DIESEL EMISSIONS SCANDAL Early last year, the German automaker found itself in the middle of a global scandal in which it was accused of using "cheat devices" in its cars to trick emission tests. During the course of the investigation, Volkswagen had admitted that worldwide there were more than 6 lakh cars that were fitted with the defect devices. These 6 lakh cars included diesel vehicles from its premium brands Audi and Porsche as well. Following the revelations, Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari had called for an investigation into Volkswagen's diesel cars available in India. Volkswagen had later launched an internal probe. By Ananth Krishnan: North Korea on Wednesday claiming to have carried out its first ever successful test of a "miniaturised hydrogen bomb" has triggered strong concerns from its neighbours, raising the prospect of further sanctions against the reclusive state. The North's fourth nuclear test since 2006, which triggered the equivalent of a 5.1 magnitude-earthquake and was felt in parts of northeastern China where some border towns were evacuated, was "an act of self-defence against the US", the country's State broadcaster announced. If successful, experts said the test will reflect a significant advancement in the North's capabilities, including the ability to mount a nuclear warhead on a missile capable of reaching the US. While the test brought international condemnation and the threat of further sanctions, it was hailed by the North as a "total success". The country had "proudly joined the advanced ranks of nuclear weapons states", the government said, with the test seen as bolstering the standing at home of new leader Kim Jong-un, 32, who took over in 2012 following the death of his father, longtime leader Kim Jong-il. advertisement Claims questioned But whether or not the North's claims of success were true was promptly doubted by experts, who pointed out that the seismic impact was not much greater than the North's previous test, as would likely be the case if a Hydrogen-bomb was indeed detonated. South Korea's military and intelligence agency both questioned the claims, with the country's meteorological agency not detecting any radiation. A leading Beijing expert on the North's nuclear programme said the claims were "hard to believe". The country did not have the necessary "industrial capability", Zhai Dequan of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association told the Global Times. Regional anger The announcement still brought angry reactions from the North's neighbours, with the United Nations Security Council calling for an emergency meeting to discuss the test which comes in violation of UN resolutions and may trigger further sanctions. South Korea's President Park Geun-hye termed the test "a grave provocation" while Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the test was "a grave challenge" to international non-proliferation efforts. Analysts said any attempt to restart the stalled Six Party talks to denuclearise the Korean peninsula now remains increasingly unlikely. The Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi said it was "a matter of deep concern" that the North "acted in violation of its international commitments". "Our concerns about proliferation links between North East Asia and our neighbourhood are well-known," the statement said in an apparent reference to Pakistan's past track record of proliferation, including to the North. Anger, fear in China Even China, the North's only regional ally and biggest source of food and financial aid, expressed "firm opposition" and said it would summon the North's ambassador in Beijing. China, however, has continued to back the regime with economic support, seeing it as a buffer against the US and its Japanese and South Korean allies, as well as fearing the spillover effects of a regime collapse. Beijing, however, said it was not notified in advance of the test, which took place at a site only 100 km from the China border according to Chinese State media. The test-triggered quake was felt by Chinese residents in border towns of Yanji and Changbai, with schools evacuated and examinations halted. Chinese authorities said they were carrying out tests for radiation levels. Lu Chao, a scholar in northeast Liaoning, said residents were living in fear and anxiety after buildings shook and traffic came to a standstill, especially as concerns about the North's unreliable technology have raised worries about possible leakages and environmental damage. North Korea is likely to have conducted a nuclear test on Wednesday that caused an earthquake near a known testing site in the isolated country. By Reuters: North Korea said it had successfully conducted a test of a miniaturised hydrogen nuclear device today(January 6) morning, marking a significant advance in the isolated state's strike capabilities and raising alarm bells in Japan and South Korea. The test, the fourth time North Korea has exploded a nuclear device, was ordered by young leader Kim Jong Un, state media said. "The first H-bomb test was successfully conducted at 10:00 (0130 GMT) on Wednesday," North Korea's official KCNA news agency said. Last month, Kim appeared to claim his country had developed a hydrogen bomb, also known as a thermonuclear device, a step up from the less powerful atomic bomb, but the United States and outside experts were sceptical at the time. Some analysts questioned whether Wednesday's test was indeed of a hydrogen device. advertisement "North Korea has made claims about its nuclear and missile programs in the past that simply have not held up to investigation," said Melissa Hanham, a Senior Research Associate at the California-based James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. Yang Uk, a senior research fellow at the Korea Defence and Security Forum, added: "Given the scale it is hard to believe this is a real hydrogen bomb. They could have tested some middle stage kind (of device) between an A-bomb and H-bomb, but unless they come up with any clear evidence, it is difficult to trust their claim." The United States Geological Survey reported a 5.1 magnitude quake that South Korea said was 49 km (30 miles) from the Punggye-ri site where the North has conducted nuclear tests in the past. North Korea's last test, of an atomic device in 2013, also registered at 5.1 on the USGS scale. The claim of miniaturising, which would allow the device to be adapted as a weapon and placed on a missile, would pose a new threat to the United States and its regional allies, Japan and South Korea. North Korea has been under U.N. Security Council sanctions since it first tested an atomic device in 2006 and could face additional measures. The Security Council will meet later on Wednesday to discuss what steps it could take, diplomats said. Japan Meteorological Agency's earthquake and tsunami observations division director Yohei Hasegawa points at a graph of ground motion waveform data observed today in Japan during a news conference at the Japan Meteorological Agency in Tokyo on implications that an earthquake sourced around North Korea was triggered by an unnatural reason January 6, 2016. Reuters The White House said it could not confirm North Korea's claims, but added the United States would respond appropriately to provocations and defend its allies. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Japan would make a firm response to North Korea's challenge against nuclear non-proliferation, calling its test a threat to Japan's security. South Korea said it would take all possible measures, including possible United Nations sanctions, to ensure Pyongyang paid the price after its fourth nuclear test. "Our government strongly condemns North Korea ignoring repeated warnings from us and the international community and pushing ahead with the fourth nuclear test, which clearly violated the U.N. resolutions," Cho Tae-yong, a senior security official at the South Korean presidential office said. The North's state news agency said it will not give up its nuclear programme as long as the United States maintained what it called "its stance of aggression". It also said it will act as a responsible nuclear state and vowed not to use its nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty was infringed. It said it will not transfer its nuclear capabilities to other parties. While a fourth nuclear test had been long expected, the timing of Wednesday's explosion came as a surprise. The test is bound to ratchet up tensions between the isolated country and its neighbours as well as Washington. China, North Korea's main ally, has not commented on the test but is likely to be displeased at the increase in tensions in its neighbourhood. "For the immediate term, expect further souring of relations with Seoul and, more importantly, Beijing," said Sue Mi-Terry, Managing Director at Bower Group Asia and former Central Intelligence Agency analyst. Also read: 5.1 magnitude earthquake reported near North Korea nuclear test site North Korea claims to have Hydrogen bomb: Facts on how destructive hydrogen bomb is Security agencies have always been worried about Masood's activities because of his close ties with top Taliban leaders. For the last three years, security agencies have been receiving inputs of an attempt by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to revive the terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) led by terror leader Maulana Masood Azhar. The re-grouping of Masood's cadres coincided with the hanging of his associate Afzal Guru, an accused in the 2001 Parliament Attack case, in 2013. In February 2014, he delivered a vitriolic anti-India speech at Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir at an event to mark the launch of Afzal's book that compiled notes during his long incarceration at Tihar jail. Security agencies have always been worried about Masood's activities because of his close ties with top Taliban leaders. After the Taliban split along Afghani and Punjabi lines, he had aligned himself with the latter. Azhar lost state support after it was revealed that the Jaish had organised a deadly attack on then Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. The government agencies stopped all support to Jaish after that. Pathankot points to the change in that policy. advertisement Taliban leaders while in power in Afghanistan had helped Masood's exchange from an Indian jail in lieu of hijacked Indian Airlines place IC-814 in December 1999. The plane was hijacked and flown to Afghanistan and kept hostage till India agreed to release Masood and others from jail. It may be a coincidence that the plane hijacking and Masood's release took place when the BJP-led NDA government was in power, that he has returned with a bang with a daring attack on the IAF base at Pathankot when the BJP is in power. JeM, which is the second biggest terror group based in Pakistan's Punjab after the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT), had long back mastered sophisticated command and control structures. It also has highly qualified fighters, mostly veterans of the Afghan jihad. During the Parliament attack probe, Afzal had revealed a glimpse of JeM's modus-operandi in carrying a big suicide attack like Pathankot. It assigns the role to facilitate the terror attack to its India-based commander. In the Parliament attack, it was directed by the then group's chief commander in India, Shahbaz Khan alias Ghazi Baba, a Pakistani national, operating out of the Kashmir Valley. Baba, who was subsequently killed, had first recruited a local Kashmiri youth in the conspiracy to establish a safehouse in Delhi, help in reconnaissance of targets, transporting men and material. He closely monitored the operation which was spread over several months and coordinated with his masters based in Pakistan. After all the preparations, the actual attacks were carried out by a group of five well-trained Pakistani cadre. Afzal had also revealed the five Pakistani terrorists were advised by the group's senior leaders to communicate with them through a third country. Similarly, funding was routed through third country to avoid any Pakistani links. So there is no doubt that in case investigators failed to capture local helps who could have facilitated the Pathankot attack, Pakistani authorities as usual will brush off all technical evidence. COMMAND STRUCTURE: Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) renamed Khuddam-ul-Islam Founded: Jan 31, 2000 Ideology: Establishment of Supremacy of Islam Base: Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan Chairman: Maulana Masood Azhar Deputy Chief Commander: Mufti Abdul Rauf (brother of Maulana Masood Azhar) Amir-JeM: Maulana Abdullah Jabbar Chief Commander/Valley: Maulana Farooq Deputy Chief Commander/Valley: Mufti Mohd. Asgar Logistic Commander: Saad Bhai Chief Coordinator: Maulana Gazli Finance (incharge) I/C: Maulana Sajid Usman RELATEDS Pathankot terror attack planned by ISI: The inside story ISI is behind Pathankot air base attack: US Jaish-e-Mohammad planning Pathankot-like attack in Delhi The BSF has called in additional teams and technical experts to the Gurdaspur border to check the fencing for any breach. By India Today Web Desk: The BSF has called in additional teams and technical experts to the Gurdaspur border to check the fencing for any breach. The terrorists who attacked the air base in Pathankot are believed to have sneaked into India from the Gurdaspur border. According to sources, the BSF has been checking the fence for the last 4 days. However they are looking for any possible secret tunnels that may be existing. The technical teams with their equipment are expected to scan the border further. Here are the latest updates: Combing operations are still on at the Air Force base in Pathankot. Another NIA team has reached Pathankot and the NIA chief himself is expected to reach in some time now. A Punjab police forensic team has also arrived at the Pathankot airbase. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had visited the Pathankot air force base yesterday.He announced that all terrorists have been killed and the combing operation is expected to continue till tomorrow. NIA team is questioning Guirdaspur SP Salwinder Singh, his cook and friend Rajesh Kumar. The location of interrogation is not known. Two set of footprints of men have been found near footbridge along Bamiyal village. These footprints are suspected to be of the terrorist involved in the Pathankot attacks.The moulds of footprint have been taken by Punjab police and will be shared as evidence with the NIA. Moulds to be matched with boots and shoes shoes of terrorists. DG NIA has reached Pathankot air base to take stock of the situation. Air force police will handover all bodies of terrorists to Pathankot police for postmortem and last rites. It will be handed over today. BSF confiscated 6 Kgs of heroin worth of Rs 30 crore near Indo-Pak border in Fizozpur. After Pathankot terror attack, Army in Jammu-Kashmir has been alerted. They have been told to strengthen soft points of entry of Army camps and vital Army installation. advertisement Meanwhile, Intelligence agencies have still not been able to say with certainty as to from which area the infiltration has actually taken place. The BSF chief has already taken stock of the situation in Gurdaspur and given a report to the Home Ministry. The security at the border has been tightened. Watch full video here: Also Read: Pathankot attack: Drug cartels-Indian officials' nexus under scanner Need firm and immediate action on Pathankot attack, PM Modi tells Nawaz Sharif Pathankot attack: Defence minister Parrikar admits to gaps in security Highly placed sources said there was a strong suspicion that the arms and ammunition used by the Pakistani terrorists were part of a drug consignment which was concealed by smugglers, and the group of terrorists entered separately using the same route. Six terrorists were gunned down and seven security personnel lost their lives in the operation which went on four days from the early hours of January 2. By Abhishek Bhalla : The terrorist attack on the Air Force base in Pathankot has alarmed security agencies about a possible nexus between Pakistani terror groups, local drug cartels and Indian officials. Security agencies suspect that the terrorists, who came in from Pakistan, took the help of drug smugglers to enter India through routes tried and tested by traffickers. Highly placed sources said there was a strong suspicion that the arms and ammunition used by the Pakistani terrorists were part of a drug consignment which was concealed by smugglers, and the group of terrorists entered separately using the same route. The possibility of connivance of Indian officials will also be probed, sources said, adding that Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh, who was kidnapped along with a jeweller friend and cook by the terrorists, would also be investigated. National Investigation Agency (NIA) will be questioning him, along with other agencies, to verify his antecedents. advertisement Singh, his friend Rajesh Verma and Singh's cook were kidnapped by the heavily-armed terrorists on December 31 when they were travelling in the officer's SUV. While Singh and the cook were freed unharmed, Verma's throat was slit by the terrorists but he managed to survive. The Border Security Force (BSF) has been asked to explain the terrorist infiltration. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday expressed anguish over how the terrorists had managed to come inside the base which has a perimeter of 24 km and was located in an area covering about 2,000 acres. He admitted to some gaps. "I see some gaps. But I do not think there is any compromise on security. Once the investigations are over, things will become clear. Every security detail cannot be discussed and something should be kept for investigation," he said. Six terrorists were gunned down and seven security personnel lost their lives in the operation which went on four days from the early hours of January 2. This is the second time in the last five months that Pakistan-based terrorists have infiltrated border areas around Gurdaspur in Punjab. This is also an area notorious for drug trafficking. "The issue of officials colluding with drug smugglers from Pakistan has been raised in the past but it has never been investigated or established. If there is a crackdown on the drug smuggling, the routes used for infiltration will automatically be plugged," said a government official. Easy availability of drug couriers who dig tunnels, insert pipes through border fencing and well-knit syndicates including transnational criminals running operations from jails are some of the factors listed by the BSF that contribute to drug menace in Punjab. Narcotics smuggling in Punjab from across the border has been rampant with thousands of youths falling victim to substance abuse. Sources said since there was a good network of couriers ensuring smooth clearance of consignments from the border areas, and the drug kingpins were never nabbed. The ruling Shirimoni Akali Dal government in Punjab has blamed the BSF for the drug menace and has said that it has resulted due to easy trafficking from Pakistan, but the force has strongly refuted such allegations. Responding to allegations BSF earlier had submitted a detailed report to the Home Ministry listing steps taken by the force and at the same time identifying the weaknesses in the mechanism that tries to curb the drug racket. "Non availability of pucca (concrete) roads Along international border in punjab, suitable observation posts and obsolete infrastructure for border floodlights," are some of the factors given by the BSF that contribute to easy drug trafficking routes making it difficult for them to crackdown on the menace. The drug cartels have a unique modus operandi to hoodwink intelligence agencies. Mobile phones of Pakistani companies are used by Indian smugglers and vice versa. "SIM cards are frequently changed to hoodwink surveillance. Indian smugglers use Pakistani SIM cards and Pakistanis use Indian SIM cards. Trans-national criminals contact each other from within and outside jails as well," said the BSF report on drug smuggling. Sources said the NIA would also try to establish how terrorists infiltrated the border and reached the airbase and look into lapses which allowed easy passage. "It's a very challenging case and a lot of investigation needs to be done. Therefore, I am not fixing any deadline to the case but we will try to complete the probe soon," NIA chief Sharad Kumar said. The NIA has registered three cases in connection to the brazen terror strike, including the murder of a taxi driver by terrorists, kidnapping of the SP and the attack on the IAF base. advertisement Watch: Punjab police and government of India responsible for Pathankot, says Manish Tewari Also read: Walk the talk, US tells Pakistan as India provides leads on Pathankot attack Call off talks with Pak: Yashwant Sinha after Pathankot attack The terrorists, who attacked the Pathankot IAF base, were specially trained for over a month in either the Chaklala or Lyallpur airbase in Pakistan, said a senior government official in an exclusive interview to India Today TV. The terrorists, who attacked the Pathankot IAF base, were specially trained for over a month in either the Chaklala or Lyallpur airbase in Pakistan, said a senior government official in an exclusive interview to India Today TV. The official said the terrorists were not trained pilots though they knew the basic structure of the airbase and how to harm aircraft and other assets including ammunition and petrol dumps. Though the attack took the establishment by surprise, expensive and strategic assets like aircraft and missiles were taken away 2 days before the strike. Reflecting on the time taken to complete the operation, the official said the forces were keen on capturing the terrorists alive by draining the terrorists of their food and ammunition supplies as well as tire them psychologically. The official said foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan due in mid-January may be postponed as a result of the Pathankot misadventure. For the talks to continue, Pakistan must arrest the perpetrators, seize their properties and file cases against them. The official said one terrorist handler was in touch from Sialkot, others from Shakargarh and Bahawalpur were in touch with terrorists. The terrorists had entered Punjab from Shakarghad border, the official said. advertisement Operation to flush terrorists The brief was to minimise casualties, contain and corner the terrorists in areas which didn't have valuable assets. The forces were told to sanitise the area and move forward, the official said. If the terrorists were near assets, the forces would not have cared about casualties. Noting the explosions that took place after the terrorists were killed, the official said even after the terrorists were dead they had set up 29 explosive devices within the airbase. The official did admit the mopping up took time since sanitising the residential area was very sensitive. The official said the operation began at dawn on January 2 and all terrorists were killed by 1.30pm on January 3. The National Security Guard's Major General Dushyant Singh commanded the operations. All troops were from 320 contingent of the NSG and were better trained and equipped to handle explosives and suicide bombers. There was complete coordination between airforce, army, NSG and Punjab Police, said the senior official. Though the terrorists were better trained than the lot who had staged the 26/11 attacks, they were deadly given that they were carrying aluminium powder which spreads fire and can't be doused even with fire extinguishers. Of the six terrorists, two were rested from the earlier strike to give the impression that only four had sneaked in. They struck later. They wanted to attack assets and tried to take advantage in early 3rd January morning but were cornered in a building and blown away Intelligence failure Contrary to media speculation, the official said there has been no specific input on the Pathankot attack though some army establishments were on alert. But there was no intelligence failure, the official said. Casualties Only the Garud commando, Gursewsk Singh, died in combat with terrorists. The 5 Defence Security Corp personnel were unarmed inside the mess and were ambushed due to first strike advantage the terrorists had. The official said Lt Col Niranjan died of accidental circumstances while disposing explosive. The NSG response was swift with the team reaching Pathankot within hours. Nine columns of army were put into action. The official added that the theory of Salwinder Singh, the Gurdaspur Superintendent of Police, that he was going to a mazar with his jeweller friend was suspicious. Punjab Police did not act on his tip-off promptly due to his behaviour in the past since Salwinder Singh had several molestation cases against him. ALSO READ | Congress slams Modi government for Pathankot terror attacks ISI behind Pathankot air base attack: US security expert Voices of concern are growing over not allowing Army, available at arm's length with Pathankot being home to two infantry divisions, to lead and conduct the operation. By Mail Today: With the guns falling silent, a postmortem of the three-day long operation in Pathankot airbase to kill six terrorists will be conducted with pointers suggesting major lapses due to multiplicity of forces on the ground operating under the command of confusion. Voices of concern are growing over not allowing Army, available at arm's length with Pathankot being home to two infantry divisions, to lead and conduct the operation. Sources said the claims that it was a well coordinated operation lies in tatters considering the high casualties. It was also felt that Army's special forces would have been better equipped to deal with a situation that existed in the airbase. Some force was already positioned in the airbase following an alert about the possible strike. Two columns of Army was present in the technical area of the airbase guarding the aircraft, helicopters and the air defence missiles. The National Security Guard (NSG) commandos were also flown in to deal with the emerging situation. Sources said that the Army eventually played a crucial role in the operation as soldiers from 11 JAK RIF, deployed from the Mamun brigade, killed three terrorists on the first day itself. advertisement A group of NSG commandos had also tried to establish contact with the fourth terrorist but he inflicted injuries by hurling grenade at the team. At least four NSG commandos returned injured. The Army later moved in and killed the terrorist, said sources. The fifth and the sixth terrorists were killed when Army's BMP, a troop carrier which is like a mini tank with a mounted gun, blew a two storeyed building where they were holding. A squad of 1 para commandos, comprising around a dozen men, was also present at the airbase but it was not utilised. The officials said that it was a classic special forces operation as they are highly trained to deal with such situations. Army has gained expertise in the domain after being involved in the counter insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir for years. But the operation in Pathankot was carried out under the NSG command. There are indications that there could have been issues regarding the command structure on the ground resulting in confusion. A thorough analysis of the events that occurred between January 1 and 4 in Pathankot would be carried out as lapses and loopholes would be probed. Also read: Pathankot terror attack: Govt says attempts to catch terrorists alive caused delay in the operation The Kolkata police arrested retired Army officer Col Anil Menon (55) for allegedly uploading pictures of one of his women friends on the Internet and circulating them on social media without her permission. By Mail Today: The Kolkata police arrested retired Army officer Col Anil Menon (55) for allegedly uploading pictures of one of his women friends on the Internet and circulating them on social media without her permission. According to the police, Menon, who hails from Kerala, had befriended several women during his tenure all over the country. Recently, he had been to Kolkata where he forced a woman to dance with him at a party. When she refused, Menon, who was angry, allegedly posted her personal pictures online and passed lewd remarks. He allegedly shared those pictures with his friends on WhatsApp as well. When the woman learnt about Menon's campaign against her, she lodged a complaint with the Kolkata police. Menon, who operates a security firm in Bengaluru, was arrested with the assistance of the local police. --- ENDS --- Speaking exclusively to India Today, Badal said that the number of BSF troops deployed in Punjab were less than half the number of troops deployed in Jammu and Kashmir and that he has written to the Modi government in the centre demanding that more troops be deployed at the earliest. By Rahul Kanwal: Punjab's Deputy Chief Minister and the state's home minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has demanded that more BSF troops be deployed along the Punjab border in light of the repeated terror attacks in the states. Speaking exclusively to India Today, Badal said that the number of BSF troops deployed in Punjab were less than half the number of troops deployed in Jammu and Kashmir and that he has written to the Modi government in the centre demanding that more troops be deployed at the earliest. Badal has admitted that Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh was under investigation by the Punjab Police for unprofessional conduct but refused to categorise him as a suspect as the NIA had already started proving the Pathankot terror attack. However, Sukhbir denied the charge that the Punjab Police had failed to take Salwinder seriously when he first reported that his car had been hijacked by terrorists. advertisement Badal told India Today, "It was at 3:30 AM that the Punjab Police got information from Salwinder about his encounter with terrorists and by 7 AM this information had been shared with the central government, and senior officers from the Punjab Police were already on the way to Pathankot. It is not correct to say that Salwinder was not taken seriously because of his past record. Many officers have some kind of inquiry against them. But this is a matter of national security which is completely different." Badal had high praise for PM Modi's handling of the relationship with Pakistan. "PM Modi has shown high level of statesmanship. This is the first time in many years that the Pakistani Prime Minister called up the Indian PM and expressed regret after a terror attack. Pakistan has also promised to punish the perpetrators of Pathankot. This has never happened earlier and it has happened because of the way the PM went and met Nawaz Sharif in Pakistan and took the initiative to improve relations." The Punjab government has been facing criticism for allowing the drug mafia to flourish in the state. However, Sukhbir defended the state government saying that Punjab is the transit point and not the centre of the drug trade and that the availability of drugs was far higher in states like Goa and places like Delhi and Mumbai. When asked about why drugs were being smuggled mostly through Punjab and not other border states like Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir, Badal said, "In Jammu and Kashmir there is very heavy deployment of army which is fighting militants all the time. In Rajasthan there are sand dunes in the border areas and there is no habitation. While in Punjab, there are villages on both sides very close to the border and also heavy vegetation on both sides. This makes it easier for drugs to be smuggled in." In the aftermath of Pathankot, the Punjab government is asking the centre to enhance the use of technology to seal the border. This, Sukhbir says, will help fight both the drug trade and terrorists. Related Stories: ISI behind Pathankot air base attack: US security expert Pathankot attack: NIA chief reaches Pathankot as combing operations continue Need firm, immediate action on Pathankot attack, Modi tells Nawaz Sharif "The bodies of the terrorists killed in the attack should be wrapped in pigskin and buried face down in pig excreta," says Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy and this is not the first time he made news with his remarks. By India Today Web Desk: In the wake of the Pathankot terror attack, Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy's tweet sparked a controversy due to its communal nature. He stood by what he tweeted and refusing to comment said he will talk about it only on Twitter. The governor on Monday suggested the bodies of the terrorists killed in the attack should be wrapped in pigskin and buried face down in pig excreta. He tweeted, "I seriously suggest Russian treatment to terrorists' carcasses. Wrap them in pigskin,bury them face down in pig excreta. No chance of Houris"(sic). Since his intention was to only criticize terrorism, the reaction his tweet received from the Twitterati left him puzzled. He sought a clarification. In another tweet he said, "Abuses keep pouring in. But I don't understand! Why this flood of sympathy for carcasses of jihadi terrorists? Abuse me,but plz clarify" (sic). advertisement This is not the first time Roy has made news from his statements. In November 2015, his remarks on the intolerance debate raised eyebrows. "People have the right to eat what they want but the scales would be even when Muslims come out and have pork in the open. And that day, we can really call it war against intolerance," he said. In a year when 'secularism' was perhaps one of the controversial topics in the country, Tathagata Roy went ahead and said he does not accept the definition of the word. Using social media to express his opinion, Roy said if Hindus of West Bengal did not reject secularism and polarise, they would be "annihilated". "Hindus of West Bengal: either chuck yr 'secular','politically correct' values and polarise. Or prepare to be either annihilated or converted". (sic) A man suspected to be a terrorist was taken into custody today by security forces near the Pathankot Air Force base. The man was surrounded from all sides by security forces after he was seen walking around with a bag in the area. By India Today Web Desk: A man suspected to be a terrorist was taken into custody today by security forces near the Pathankot Air Force base. The man was surrounded from all sides by security forces after he was seen walking around with a bag in the area, which is under heavy surveillance after six terrorists launched an attack on the Air Force base on January 2. NSG and Air Force commandos have been deployed at the entry point of the Pathankot Air Force base after the incident. SRINAGAR AIRPORT ON HIGH ALERT The Srinagar Airport has also been put on high alert after five suspicious terrorists were spotted around the area. The Border Security Force (BSF) is providing peripheral security cover and an alert has been sounded. Initial reports said that the men seem to be from Afghanistan. advertisement RELATEDS Pathankot terror attack planned by ISI: The inside story ISI is behind Pathankot air base attack: US Jaish-e-Mohammad planning Pathankot-like attack in Delhi "It's really fun--barking in Times Square!" Anderson was heard saying after the performance. Times Square hosts a concert for dogs, all thanks to musician Laurie Anderson. Picture courtesy: Twitter/Facebook/Times Square Arts/ Laurie Anderson By Mini Dixit: Over the span of her career, musician Laurie Anderson has gained the reputation of being an 'experimental artist'. Taking the seriousness of the title a notch higher, Anderson conquered New York's Times Square by organising a concert for dogs. We're not joking. Laurie Anderson made sure that the canines at Times Square were woofing and howling with joy as she ideated and executed the proceedings of the concert. As seen on Timessquarenyc.org--a website that enlists the events held at Times Square, Anderson's performance was "transmitted to 'silent disco' headphones for humans and low-decibel speakers for dogs." In pictures: Celebrity dogs that are nothing short of stars Dogs howling at the #LaurieAnderson concert for dogs in Times Square tonight pic.twitter.com/FQf11mhYTf Marc Urselli (@MarcUrselli) January 5, 2016 advertisement ABC.net reported that the concert was replete with "humour and metaphysical reflection" which Anderson had conceptualised to go along with her latest feature film, Heart of a Dog, that has also been nominated for an Academy Award this year. Headphones for tonights concert will be given out on a first-come, first-serve basis at 1130pm on Duffy Square. pic.twitter.com/nOibgQh3zW Times Square Arts (@TSqArts) January 5, 2016 The unique and amusing concert reportedly had Anderson belt out a "dog-friendly segment" designed to suit the ideal decibel levels for canines. The fact that loud noises and sound serve as great irritants for dogs has been known for ages, but unlike most of us, Anderson decided to do something to curb it. Also Read: Pet Scan: Choose a pet that suits your lifestyle best But what did the guests of honour feel about the whole gig? Well, according to ABC.net, "While many dogs reactedincluding New York Police Department German shepherds invited along with their officers others stayed silent or looked puzzled." Tonight's special guests can't wait for #HeartofaDogTSq's Concert for Dogs to start. Join us on Duffy Square! pic.twitter.com/lmIJ5z6onS Times Square Arts (@TSqArts) January 5, 2016 The concert ended with Anderson saying, "It's really fun-barking in Times Square!" And if you think this is the first time Anderson has organised a concert as unique as this, then we must tell you that she has also organised a similar concert at the Sydney Opera House, back in 2010. These five places can help you stay healthy, and satisfy your wanderlust at the same time. By Arushi Chaturvedi: Have you taken New Year resolutions to stay healthy, and travel far and wide? Well, wouldn't it be great if you can do both the things at the same time? We have listed a few destinations in India where one must go to detox the mind body and soul. Gokarna, Karnataka Situated right beside the Kudle Beach in Gokarna, the Namaste Yoga Farm, is surrounded by an abundance of natural beauty. Not too far from the famous Om Beach, the place is peaceful, and makes for an amazing place to practice yoga and meditation. Also read: 5 alternatives to a Goa holiday Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh has a lot of unexplored locations with stunning natural beauty and Dharamsala is one of them. It is the perfect place to practice yoga in the lap of the Himalayan mountains. Sehaj Yog and meditation classes are the most popular in this area, but if you want to explore further, pay a visit to the yoga centres located in McLeod Ganj. Wayanad, Kerala Situated on the banks of the beautiful Kabini river in Wayanad is the Ayurveda Yoga Villa, where you can experience a fine combination of Ayurveda and Yoga, the two amazing Indian traditions of healthy living. The villa is located in the middle of a lush green forest, which spreads across thousands of acres. advertisement Also read: Explore Kerala beyond backwaters Patnem Beach, Goa Goa's Patnem beach is an attractive option for those who are looking for a calm place to practice yoga and meditation. There are a number of yoga centres and ashrams in this place that offer a wide range of wellness treatments including yoga, reiki and meditation, among others. Also read: New Mumbai-Goa double-decker Shatabdi launched Melukote, Karnataka One of the prime Hindu religious spots situated under the Pandavpura Taluk in the Mandya district of Karnataka, we would recommend this place to those who are looking to rejuvenate their minds, bodies, and souls. Even if you are not really looking for a full on wellness break, the fresh air and some breathtaking views of this place can leave you feel refreshed and recharged. Investigative reporting from the inner city to Wall Street to the United Nations This is the blogspot version InnerCityPress.com Insurance Back FAIRFAX to acquire 80% interest in the Greek EUROBANK insurance unit The Greece's third-largest bank, EUROBANK ERGASIAS S.A., agreed to sell an 80% stake in its EUROLIFE ERB insurance subsidiary to Canada's FAIRFAX Financial Holdings Limited for EUR 316 million. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including various regulatory approvals, and is expected to close by the end of the third quarter of 2016. "Today a new era begins for the EUROLIFE ERB Insurance Group. FAIRFAX Financial Holdings Limited has signed an agreement with which it will acquire 80% of the shares as well as management control of the EUROLIFE ERB Insurance Group, subject to closing conditions and regulatory approvals. EUROBANK retains 20% of the shares and will continue the exclusive bancassurance cooperation with our companies for many years to come", as the Greek insurer announced on its website. "On closing, EUROLIFE and its subsidiaries will continue under the strong leadership of current Chief Executive Officer, Alexander SARRIGEORGIOU, and his experienced EUROLIFE team", as the Toronto-based investment holding firm announced. EUROLIFE is the third largest insurer in Greece with gross written premiums of EUR 241 million as of September 30, 2015, and offers life and non-life insurance products as well as brokerage services in Greece and Romania. EUROLIFE distributes its insurance products and services through EUROBANK's network in Greece and Romania. FAIRFAX is a holding company which, through its subsidiaries, is engaged in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance and investment management. In December 2014, FAIRFAX extended its presence in CEE Region by acquiring the QBE Insurance units in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, while in February 2015 the Toronto-based financial services holding announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire QBE's insurance operations in Ukraine. Author: Vlad BOLDIJAR on 06.01.2016 Archive Comment this article 0 comments Atention! "Comment" and "E-mail" are mandatory Name: If you are logged on and you do not fill in your name, will be used the name that you used when you registered If you are not logged on, your name will appear preceded by '(Anonymous)'. For authentication, click here If you are logged on and you do not fill in your name, will be used the name that you used when you registered E-mail: Comment: < 10.000 car. Fill in the code from the image: Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers has barred the State Film Agency from conducting state registration and issuing certificates for distribution and screening of films with actors who have been designated as persons that pose a threat to national security. Relevant resolution No. 1143 was issued by the Cabinet on December 2, 2015; its wording was published on the government's website on Monday, January 4. Under the resolution, the State Film Agency is not allowed to provide services of state registration and issue certificates for distribution and screening of films with the plots considered to be propaganda of the law enforcement agencies of an aggressor country or Soviet state security services. The said resolution also increased the State Film Agency's fee for distribution and screening certificates for all types of films depending on the rights of distribution from UAH 30-70 to UAH 150-850. What is more, the resolution also introduced a fee for distribution and screening certificates for nationally produced films restricted to 18 years and over, while previously certificates were issued on a paid basis for films restricted to 21 years and over. The Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry of Ukraine plans to raise $1 billion of investment in 2016 to restore irrigation systems in southern Ukraine. "In 2016 it is planned to receive up to $1 billion of investment in the area. The expected effect from the implementation of the project is irrigation of almost 400,000 hectares of farmland in five southern regions of Ukraine, which means the increase in the yield by three times and the increase of revenue of agricultural producers, "the ministry said on its website on Tuesday. Minister Oleksiy Pavlenko said that the ministry is ready to act as a guarantor of the merger of state-managed irrigation systems, set transparent and clear tariffs and attract loans to reconstruct and renovate the systems. Pavlenko is confident that farmland with irrigation systems should have a special status. Personal responsibility of owners and leasers of irrigated farmland should be established for the improper use of this land not only as farmland, but as irrigated farmland. This would allow large land users to consolidate irrigated farmland into technological clusters under leasing agreements. The minister also said that taking into account the long payback periods for funds invested in restoration of irrigation systems and purchase of sprinkler units, the term of leasing for this land should be at least 10-15 years. It is also important to separate trunk and distribution channels, shift away from the territorial principle of managing the distribution channels and change relations between irrigators and water supply organizations. On December 8, 2015, the Ukrainian parliament passed at first reading bill No. 2920 foreseeing the term for leasing of farmland under reclamation of at least 10 years. In May 2015, the parliament passed the bill on the privatization of infrastructure of reclamation systems. The panel of judges at Kyiv's Appeals Court has not satisfied an appeal against the sentence faced by former Interior Ministry General Oleksiy Pukach who was convicted of the murder of journalist Georgy Gongadze in 2000. It took the judges about three hours to read out the materials of the appeal against Pukach's verdict, an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reported. Pukach and his lawyers, as well as media were present in the courtroom. The investigators established that the then interior minister had given a verbal order to Pukach to keep Gongadze under observation because of his critical articles against the country's leaders, and then eliminate him. Pukach said after the hearings on the appeal that he had just followed orders as a subordinate. At the same time, neither he nor his lawyers named the person who had ordered the hit. His lawyers also said they were going to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. It was reported that journalist Gongadze went missing in Kyiv on September 16, 2000. In November of the same year a headless corpse was found in the woods in Kyiv region. Experts concluded that it might belong to the journalist. In 2009, the remains of a skull were found in Kyiv region, which, according to the Prosecutor General's Office, belonged to Gongadze. However, the body has not been buried yet, as the journalist's mother Lesya Gongadze refused to acknowledge that the found remains belonged to her son. On November 30, 2013, she died. On January 29, 2013, Kyiv's Pechersky district court ruled that the former head of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry's outdoor surveillance department Pukach be sentenced to life imprisonment after he had been convicted of the murder of Gongadze. Both sides of the case appealed against the verdict. To the best of my ability I write about my experience of the Universe Past, Present and Future The December omnibus budget law includes a measure revising the Visa Waiver Program. Expedited entry into the U.S. is no longer available to foreign travelers who have visited Iraq, Syria or countries that repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism on or after March 1, 2011. Thus the law covers those who have visited Iran, a U.S.-designated state sponsor of terrorism. Foreign travelers affected by the new law will no longer have visas automatically waived. Instead, they must submit a visa application, pay a fee and submit to an in-person interview at the local U.S. Embassy or consulate, like every other businessman or tourist. The law passed the House 407-19. Proponents of the nuclear deal fear the visa rules would deter the flow of foreign investors into Iran. So naturally the Iranians went, well, ballistic. In a Dec. 18 interview with the New Yorker, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said, This visa-waver thing is absurd: Has anybody in the West been targeted by any Iranian national? Well, yes, unless you exclude the hundreds of U.S. soldiers and Marines killed in Iraq by the roadside bombs supplied by Iran, or Irans support for Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists, or an Iran-backed attempt in 2011 to assassinate Saudi Arabias ambassador to the U.S. in Washington, D.C. Secretary of State John Kerry replied the next day, writing to Mr. Zarif that the Administration has the authority to waive the visa changes passed by Congress, and that the measure wont prevent the U.S. from fulfilling its nuclear-deal commitments and wont interfere with legitimate business interests of Iran. But Iran is still threatening to file a complaint to the Joint Commission, a body set up by the U.N. Security Council to arbitrate disputes over the nuclear deal. The mullahs would count on the good offices of Commission representatives from Irans commercial partners in Europe, Russia and China. Congress is up in arms, and for good reason. In a Dec. 22 letter to Secretary Kerry and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and four GOP committee chairmen note that Congress expressly refused carve-outs for Iranian businessman during the debate over the new visa rules. The simplest way to eliminate this restriction, they wrote, is for Iran to end its support of terrorism. Irans role in destabilizing the Middle East has worsened since signing the nuclear deal. Now its invoking an implied veto over a domestic-security law passed by Congress. President Obama signed that law, and John Kerry signed the nuclear deal last July. Time for choosing whether Iran or Congress poses the greater danger to the U.S. http://www.wsj.com/articles/irans-congressional-veto-1451953333 Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told Reuters in an interview that Tehran was responsible for rising tensions after the kingdom executed Shiite Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr on Saturday, describing him as a terrorist. Insisting Riyadh would react to Iranian aggression, he accused Tehran of dispatching fighters to Arab countries and plotting attacks inside the kingdom and its Gulf neighbors. There is no escalation on the part of Saudi Arabia. Our moves are all reactive. It is the Iranians who went into Lebanon. It is the Iranians who sent their Qods Force and their Revolutionary Guards into Syria, Jubeir said. Tehran says it has sent only military advisers to Syria and Iraq at their governments requests, and denies plots in Gulf states. The execution of Nimr provoked protests among Shiites across the region and Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran, setting fires and causing damage, prompting Riyadh to cut ties and inflaming an already heated rivalry. We will also be cutting off all air traffic to and from Iran. We will be cutting off all commercial relations with Iran. And we will have a travel ban against people traveling to Iran, Jubeir said. Iranian pilgrims would still be welcome to visit Islams holiest sites in Mecca and Medina in western Saudi Arabia, either for the annual haj or at other times of year on the umrah pilgrimage, he said. However, Jubeir said Saudi Arabia had been right to execute Nimr, whom he accused of agitating, organizing cells, providing them with weapons and money allegations that the clerics family have denied. After listing the crimes of 43 al Qaeda members also put to death on Saturday alongside four Shiites, Jubeir said of the executions: We should be applauded for this, not criticized. AGGRESSIVE POLICIES Jubeir, a former ambassador to Washington where the FBI in 2011 said he had been the target of an Iranian assassination plot, said the break in ties was a response to older problems as well as the embassy storming. [It] is a reaction to Irans aggressive policies over the years, and in particular over the past few months. The Iranian regime has been a sponsor of terrorism, they have set up terrorist cells in Saudi Arabia and a number of other countries, he said. Tehran has consistently denied those charges and itself has accused Riyadh of supporting militancy through its backing of Islamist rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Jubeir also accused Irans authorities of complicity in the attack on the embassy at the weekend, saying Saudi diplomats had seen security forces enter the building and take part in looting and that the police did not respond to more than one request for help. Iran has defended its measures to protect the Saudi embassy, saying it is investigating the matter and has made arrests. Asked what steps Iran needed to take before Riyadh would consider restoring diplomatic ties, Jubeir said Tehran must respect international norms and treaties and conventions and act like a normal country [that] respects the territorial integrity of its neighbors. (Editing by William Maclean, David Stamp and Pravin Char) What You Can't Discuss: This is a partial list of taboo topics within progressive-left venues around the Arab-Israel conflict. You cannot discuss this material because it undermines the "Palestinian narrative" of perpetual victimhood. This narrative is a club used by the Arab and Muslim enemies of Israel, along with their western progressive allies, to delegitimize that country in preparation for its eventual dissolution. 1) The centuries of Jewish dhimmitude under the boot of Islamic imperialism. 2) The recent construction of Palestinian identity, its connection to Soviet Cold War politics, and how this is an Arab people with a Roman name that refers to Greeks. 3) Arab and Palestinian Koranically-based racism as the fundamental source of the conflict. 4) The ways in which contemporary progressive anti-Zionism serves as a cloak for gross anti-Semitism. 5) The Palestinian theft and appropriation of Jewish history. 6) "Pallywood." 7) The historical connections between the Nazis, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the Palestinian national movement. 8) The perpetual refusal of the Palestinian-Arabs to accept a state for themselves in peace next to the Jewish one. 9) The progressive portrayal of terrorists as those fighting a righteous war of "resistance." 10) The Arab-Palestinian indoctrination of children with Jew hatred. 11) Human rights violations against women, children, and Gay people in the Muslim Middle East. 12) The fact that violent Jihadis call themselves "Jihadis" and claim to love death above life. This is only a partial list, so please let us know the many more that we are missing. I WRITE NEWS ABOUT AND PUT NEWS ARTICLES ABOUT ISRAEL AND JERUSALEM PERTAINING TO BIBLE PROPHESY HAPPENINGS.JOEL 3:20 But Judah (ISRAEL) shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.(THATS ISRAEL-JERUSALEM WILL NEVER BE DESTROYED AGAIN)-WE CHRISTIANS ARE ALL WAITING PATIENTLY FOR THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE TO OCCUR.SO WE CAN GO TO JESUS AND GET OUR NEVER DYING BODIES.SO WE CAN RULE OVER CITIES OURSELVES.WHILE JESUS RULES FROM DAVIDS THRONE FOREVER IN JERUSALEM. [January 05, 2016] CEL Broadens Its Wireless Offering to Include Bluetooth and Wi-Fi SiPs SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 5, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CEL announces the preliminary release of two new system-in-package (SiP) offerings, significantly broadening the scope and capabilities of its existing portfolio of multi-standard wireless modules. Both devices - dubbed 'nano modules' - complement CEL's current Bluetooth and Wi-Fi family of 'mini modules.' Each nano module/SiP employs an identical chipset and RF circuit topology as used on its larger mini module sibling. CEL customers now have the option of rapidly transitioning their designs to these more compact, highly integrated solutions for instances when their product volumes increase or a smaller form factor is required. All software ports directly between the nano and mini modules since the same core microprocessor and transceiver are utilized for both variants. These additions to the CEL portfolio offer customers unprecedented flexibility: mix-and-match the drop-in compatible mini module form factor to support multiple wireless standards with the same PCB, or take advantage of the ultra-small footprint of the nano modules, as needed on a product-by-product basis. Both nano modules are among the smallest stand-alone wireless solutions available on the market today. The B1012 Bluetooth Smart Nano Module comes fully integrated with a CSR1012 chip scale package IC coupled with two crystals, a low pass filter, and a 64KB EEPROM. As with its B1010 Mini Module sibling, the B1012 supports Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth Smart or v4.1), as well as the innovative mesh networking capabilities providd by the CSRmesh protocol. Plans are also underway to support the Bluetooth mesh networking standard when it is released later this year. The device offers a best-in-class RF range of 50m to 100m, with +8.5dBm of output power. The B1012 Nano Module comes in a 36-pin, 7.2mm x 8.8mm surface mountable package. Overall size reduction over its mini module sibling is on the order of 79% (antennas not included in the relative comparison). The WB4343 Wi-Fi + Bluetooth Nano Module integrates a Broadcom BCM4343x, a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M4 microprocessor with FPU, two crystals, a low pass filter and RF matching circuitry for a complete, one-chip Wi-Fi + Bluetooth solution. The device matches the capabilities of the newly released WB4343 Mini Module, supporting Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth Classic and Bluetooth Smart. The WB4343 Nano Module also leverages the world-class WICED SDK toolset from Broadcom, further accelerating design time for customers looking to migrate from the WB4343 Mini Module. The WB4343 Nano Module offers a best-in-class wireless range, utilizing the BCM4343x's excellent Wi-Fi and Bluetooth output power levels of +17dBm and +8dBm, respectively. The device comes in a 151-pin, 10mm x 10mm surface mountable package. Overall size reduction over its mini module sibling is on the order of 67% (again, antennas not included in the relative comparison). Each SiP is 100% RF tested and comes pre-certified for FCC, IC, CE compliance (when coupled with CEL's reference antenna designs), as well as compliance with the applicable wireless standards (Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth). The addition of these nano modules facilitates new ways for CEL's customers to connect their products to a smartphone, tablet or any other Wi-Fi and Bluetooth device within the Connected Home, Lighting, Building Automation, Industrial, and other IoT markets. Availability Samples of CEL's WB4343 and B1012 Nano Modules are available now. Please visit cortet.cel.com/SiPs for more information. Contact Us Please contact Jim Ahne at [email protected] for further information or to arrange a detailed briefing. Information can also be found on our website at cortet.cel.com/SiPs. About CEL CEL designs and manufactures the Cortet and MeshConnect lines of IEEE 802.15.4, ZigBee, Thread, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth professional grade wireless solutions and participates in the ZigBee Alliance, the Thread Group and the Bluetooth SIG. CEL is ideally positioned to provide its customers with hardware and software products that greatly simplify design and reduce time to market. CEL provides engineering and applications assistance at its technical centers in Santa Clara (CA), Buffalo Grove (IL), and Lafayette (CO). The company supports customers through sales offices, sales representatives and distributors in numerous locations. For more information, visit cortet.cel.com. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160105/319456 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cel-broadens-its-wireless-offering-to-include-bluetooth-and-wi-fi-sips-300199762.html SOURCE CEL [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] As one year prepares to turn into another, its a good time to take a step back and look at how the deck is stacking up for the future of technology. Times are really changing: weve got self-driving cars on the streets of Silicon Valley, and this year, new iPhones were purchased via telepresence. In the IT industry, technologies like data virtualization are starting to shake up the silos of storage that have caused costly sprawl and resource waste. By leveraging a global dataspace that spans storage types, data virtualization makes it possible to manage data through objectives. As these objectives evolve and become intelligent, they may in fact lead the way to decision based machine learning that helps IT stay a step ahead of global events that take shape in an instant. Smart Objectives automate decision making so that data can be migrated to the storage type that best meets Basic Objectives for performance and protection. Get Smart, Data: Objectives for Applications and Across Infrastructure Basic Objectives assign a specific level of performance or protection needed by an application, whether thats for example, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, or any other category defined by the IT team. Its important to note the application-centric focus here these foundational objectives manage what enterprise applications need to be effective business tools. Smart Objectives evolve from todays widely understood application Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Smart Objectives enable enterprises to maximize efficiency across their entire infrastructure. When application objectives can be better served by placing data on available server flash, shared SAN and NAS, or cloud resources, Smart Objectives make the decision to automatically migrate that data to the available storage type that meets or exceeds the basic objective. For example, if data is cold for too long, this can trigger the data to be moved or demoted to lower performance storage to free up space for a more active file. In addition, Smart Objectives provide intelligence on application usage that enable informed decisions to be made about which applications to promote to higher objectives. With this reach across different storage types, Smart Objectives focus on the infrastructure as a whole. When these actions happen automatically, expensive data migrations become history, and IT can focus on other strategic tasks that add more value to the business. With Smart Objectives, companies can be ready for systems to respond to critical events in an instant. For example, when a music celebrity passes away, it often triggers immediate demand for their legacy albums. With Smart Objectives monitoring the infrastructure, it quickly becomes known that the music file has become hot, and then the content can be moved automatically to a fast resource to ensure smooth performance before it triggers a fire drill. Similarly, as a video goes viral around the globe, the content can be moved quickly to meet demand. For more traditional enterprises, this example could be when a promotion is launched and is luckily even more successful than anticipated. The rapid response made possible by Smart Objectives ensures happy customers take their carts - whether real or digital - through the checkouts with less stress for IT teams. From Insight to Learning The data-awareness that make Smart Objectives possible can be supercharged by analytics. This makes it possible for systems to learn datacenter needs over time. Once the system can proactively anticipate when demand may exceed storage supply, it can begin to reprioritize resources based on IT policies to ensure critical applications are never interrupted. In addition, it becomes possible to make recommendations on what types of storage are truly needed based on usage patterns. For example, over time, systems can learn that some applications are hot at the end of each month, or each quarter, or even the fiscal year when an entire enterprise completes HR evaluations. As the system begins to understand when these demands happen, Smart Objectives can evaluate which resources are needed and when they are critical, helping companies reduce overprovisioning expenses over time. Learning Alone is Not Intelligence Its important to distinguish machine learning from Artificial Intelligence. Smart Objectives can lead to machine learning, which can also lead to AI, but there is a level of independent thinking in AI that is different from machines learning and making recommendations based on past events. Advanced machine learning may resemble AI, but were still a long way from realizing the direct link bridging learning and intelligence. In the near term of 2016, Smart Objectives will revolutionize storage as we know it by allowing enterprises to focus on what data needs instead of designing dedicated, overprovisioned storage systems for mission- and business-critical applications. With data virtualization delivering a global dataspace, companies will have more choice than ever before. Enterprises will be able to aggregate storage into a global pool to scale both performance and capacity on demand, rather than years in advance of actual needs. Smart Objectives ensure the right data is placed on the right storage at the right time to deliver efficiency breakthroughs that will save companies millions. Integrating diverse technologies from different vendors will become easy, which benefits both end customers as well as companies undergoing acquisitions or mergers, since these often introduce a struggle to integrate very different datacenters. Being able to achieve this without replacing a single system means that enterprises can maximize existing investments even while adding innovative new technologies to their datacenters. While the future promises more breakthroughs to come, the innovations on our doorsteps today certainly remind us that the future is now. True Artificial Intelligence may be a concern for many of our eras greatest thinkers, including Primary Datas own Chief Scientist Steve Wozniak (News - Alert), who wisely cautions against its use in weaponry. While storage is still a very long way from anything close to singularity, we stand to gain invaluably from machines that can learn and react to meet the Smart Objectives we set for the systems that keep us, businesses, and even our world connected as we enter 2016. Lance Smith is CEO of Primary Data, who you can follow on Twitter (News - Alert) for more information on data virtualization: @Primary_Data Edited by Kyle Piscioniere Yes Im always rabbiting on about gut instinct so I thought Id give you an example because right now excitement is fizzling in the air! I decided to undertake the 20 minute walk to Sainsburys tonight just to buy a flatbread and salad bowl- no its not an expensive way to buy salad because I eat the whole thing over a couple of days without wastage- delicious and healthy! With purchase in hand my mind said, go to the 99p shop and buy some mayo. Walking the extra twenty steps I passed a guy who had displayed a sign to sell his book which had the word 'inspire' on it. I walked past him again on the way back and took a closer look however carried on because the last independently produced so called, ' inspirational personal story,' I purchased was pretty dire. Twice I almost stopped and twice I continued however my mind was niggling, so gut instinct had no alternative but to kick in. How do I know this? Because I felt uncomfortable walking away and knew I would regret not knowing what there was to know. This is how we tell- if I had felt comfortable I would have carried on without further thought. Now it gets interesting. I said, I had to come back because you have put all this work into writing and publishing your book and now youre standing here selling it. As you all know I love to support those who live their dreams. He laughed. I asked Charly (as I discovered) what his story was about. Charlys book is called, How I Won My War, a good title for an ex-soldier in the British Army who hails originally from Cameroon and has faced many challenges. I loved his positive, confident vibration and expect he knew when I passed that Id be back. His story begins with an awkward birth and progresses through some complex relationships and situations. The book cost 10- why? Its only a little paperback so I was preparing for a fiver. Charly told me that a donation goes to the Stoll Foundation to assist Veteran soldiers. Either way it doesn't matter because we set our own price. I handed over my tenner and explained that it would probably take me ages to get around to reading the book, took it home and read the first chapter before doing anything else! Charly is an entrepreneur who speaks three languages fluently and was born with an independent will. His book is extremely well written, warm and easy to read. I already have questions popping up in my mind that will need to be answered! Gut instinct has brought a very interesting person into my life who I could so easily have missed meeting: just for the sake of a few minutes. Apparently Charly's book has been selling well and at this point I cannot anticipate how significant this encounter will prove to be. I love people who consider it more important to assist their fellow man than seek riches which is probably the universal foundation underlying this connection. What I know is that there is far more to Charly Ngouh than his debut book and I am looking forward to unfolding more of his unique story. Charlys website Please checkto get a full flavour of what he has to offer. Ties with China and South Korea strengthenedThe UAE has strengthened its relations with Asia over the past year, namely with South Korea and China.With the recent visit of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to Beijing, the relationship with China is expected to further contribute to the UAE's economic development.It is hoped the visit will open investment opportunities in areas including renewable energy, telecommunications, infrastructure, rail, aerospace and finance.A new trade link, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, is also expected to benefit the UAE and the region over the next five to 10 years.With a focus on diversifying its economy and energy sources to plan for a future without oil, the UAE has intensified its work with other countries in the nuclear field.Australia will soon provide the UAE with uranium for its nuclear power plant after it finalised an agreement to expand its global uranium exports with the country.Russia and the UAE also signed a 15-year commercial contract this year to make it one of the suppliers of enriched uranium needed for the nuclear power plant in Barakah in the Western Region.Japan is expected to provide more training and expertise in the nuclear field and South Korea will continue to help with its nuclear technology.The Emirates and Egypt continue to maintain a strong relationship with an agreement on tourism, which was signed earlier this month. The sector represents a strong pillar of economic development between both nations and will allow an ease of tourist influx between them.Ties between both countries have grown significantly over the year with the UAE providing Egypt with nearly Dh17 billion for development projects and charitable assistance.The UAE has also given a great push to its space sector with the assistance of countries such as France, the US, the UK and Russia.A major milestone for the UAE this year was the long-awaited implementation of visa-free travel for Emiratis to the European Union. The move strongly reinforced relations between both the UAE and the EU. CHARLESTON -- The City Council meeting was more emotionally charged Tuesday as members of the Fallen Heroes of East Central Illinois Veterans Club, a local motorcycle club, presented a plaque to Kyle Keefer. May 2, 2015, Keefer helped coordinate the response to a motorcycle accident while he was off duty and directed them on what needed to be done to help the two people involved, Tim Dare and Marla McKenzie, who were members of Fallen Heroes. Keefer's response allowed responding units to avoid having to take time to coordinate resources and maintain traffic control. More information on the incident can be found at http://bit.ly/1MPSjB4. While Marla died as result of the injuries she sustained in the accident, Charleston Fire Chief Pat Goodwin said Keefers actions could be a possible factor as to why Dare is still alive. Dare and members of Marlas Family presented the award to Keefer with many other Fallen Heroes members spilling out in the entrance of the Council Chambers. Also Goodwin announced at the council meeting Tuesday he will be retiring sometime February. Steve Bennett, Assistant Fire Chief, will be taking on Goodwins position when he leaves the Charleston Fire Department. Capt. Tim Meister will then take Bennetts place and become assistant fire chief. Goodwin also announced the fire departments latest Insurance Service Office rating. The city garnered a class two rank, which only 77 out of 2,351 fire departments earn. This rating potential affects the cost of insurance of property within an area. The highest rank is class one which is not often given out, he said. The Council voted to put an ordinance on file for public inspection. The ordinance would potentially have stop signs constructed at the Fifth Street and Van Buren intersection. Stop signs would be constructed on the East and West sides of the intersection, making it a four-way stop. The city calls for the intersection to be made safer after several close calls were reported with children on bikes who crossed the intersection. These occurrences were noticed after the expansion of the Carnegie Library. The council also authorized a contract between the city and Variety Attractions to bring Brothers Osborne to perform at 8 p.m. July 3 at Morton Park as part of the Red, White and Blue Days celebration in Charleston. The city was also officially awarded with A Ready to Respond Community certification by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, which identifies the city's commitment to preparedness in the wake of a potential disaster. Based in: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with trips to Awassa and trips to the field area Duration: 9 months (March 2016 December 2016), with possible extension Reports to: Country Director Background: People in Need (PIN) in Ethiopia is a Czech NGO involved in development projects in SNNPR in Ethiopia. It was registered by the Ethiopian Ministry of Justice under registration No. 1130 in 2003 and re-registered by Charities and Societies Agency in 2012 under registration number 0563. Since summer 2003 PIN has been implementing projects mainly focused on Education, Water/Sanitation, Livelihoods, Agriculture, Environment and Social Development. For more information please check the website: http://www.clovekvtisni.cz/en/humanitary-aid/country/ethiopia Drought in Ethiopia, caused by insufficient and/or delayed rains (El Nino phenomenon,) is resulting into emergency situation in the country, which is expected to worsen in the beginning of 2016. The Ethiopian Humanitarian Country team (EHCT) has early estimates that 15 million people will likely need food assistance in 2016, around half covered by PSNP (Productive Safety Net Program) and the rest through emergency assistance). Main responsibilities: 1. Formulation of the emergency response strategies Coordination and support of assessments based on agreement with Head of Programmes, in cooperation with other ETH partners (e.g. local NGOs), preparation/compilation of needs assessment reports Outline of country wide strategy for all phases of the drought cycle management Preparation/writing of concept notes and funding proposals 2. Networking and fundraising Focus on networking within Alliance 2015 (PIN is the country lead agency) in consulting and drafting joint emergency strategies Explore potential partnerships with other NGOs Donors lobbying and advocacy, including a thorough fundraising effort Weekly attendance of relevant meetings in Addis Ababa 3. Support for emergency programs Advisory and support during the start-up phases of the projects Advisory on methodology and improved quality/impact Provision of relevant staff training Analysis of external resources (online, consultations, external consultants) to fill potential knowledge gap(s) within the teams Requirements: Proven 5 years of experience with programme management, including proposal writing and full PCM Sound experience from an emergency context Sound experience with team management Experience in programme development, strategic planning, supervision of procedures University degree in the field of Development Studies/ Emergency Response is an advantage Excellent English, both written and spoken Previous experience from the region preferred Excellent communication and organisation skills PIN offers: Cabela's, which is facing pressure from an activist investor to sell the company or do something else that will increase shareholder value, has made a couple of moves in the past few weeks that might be connected. In late December, the Sidney-based outdoors retailer sold its Outdoor Adventures and Trophy Application and Guide Service businesses to Worldwide Trophy Adventures, a company based in St. George, Utah. Worldwide Trophy Adventures said it would keep an office in Sidney and retain all the employees and that it would continue to work closely with Cabela's. The sale was not a surprise, however, because Cabela's had said last year that it was seeking a buyer for the businesses. A move that was a bit more surprising was one that the company announced Tuesday. Cabela's said in a securities filing that it was amending the process for nominating candidates for its board of directors. Instead of shareholders having 150 days from June 3, which was the date last year's annual meeting was held, they now will have 30 days from the date on which this year's meeting is scheduled. Cabela's has not yet announced when this year's meeting will be held. Financial analysts and company watchers interviewed by the Omaha World-Herald speculated that the change might be a way to delay Elliott Management, an activist hedge fund that owns more than 11 percent of the company and is pressing Cabela's to boost its performance, from getting seats on the board. Cabela's did not say in its filing why it changed its bylaws. Construction employment should continue to increase in Nebraska this year, but not as much as last year, according to a report released Wednesday. The Associated General Contractors of America 2016 Construction Outlook Survey found that 62 percent of Nebraska construction companies plan to increase employment this year. That's down from 88 percent in last year's survey. Just like last year, not a single Nebraska firm surveyed said it expects to decrease employment. The reason for fewer companies planning to increase their work forces is not necessarily due to any decline in work; rather, according to the survey, it's more likely due to problems finding workers. Every Nebraska-based company surveyed said it was having trouble finding workers, and 92 percent of firms said they were having trouble finding skilled craftspeople. Ninety-two percent of respondents also listed worker shortages as the biggest concern for their businesses. The Nebraska survey results were similar to those recorded nationally and in the Midwest. Nationally, 71 percent of firms said they expect to hire more workers in 2016 while 6 percent said they expect job losses. In the Midwest, 68 percent of firms said they expect to hire more workers while 6 percent said they expect to shed workers. Stephen Sandherr, the AGC's chief executive officer, said during a conference call that it's clear from the survey results that the construction industry will continue to recover in 2016 and many firms will add jobs. "However, the industry also faces a number of challenges that have the potential to dampen, and possibly even undermine, the sector's recovery." In addition to worker shortages, which was the top concern of construction firms nationally, Sandherr mentioned an increase in federal, state and local regulations and employee health care costs as two potential challenges the industry faces. To see the full survey, go to: https://www.agc.org/news/2016/01/05/seventy-one-percent-construction-firms-plan-expand-headcount-2016-contractors-expect This website is intended for U.S. visitors only. iStock/Thinkstock(COLOGNE, Germany) -- A series of sexual assaults on New Year's Eve in Cologne led hundreds of people to protest on Tuesday. At least 300 protesters showed up and many were calling on German Chancellor Angeal Merkel to take action, reports BBC, with one sign saying, "Mrs Merkel: Where are you? What do you say? This alarms us." According to BBC, about 90 women reported being robbed or sexually assaulted near Cologne's main rail station on New Year's Eve by groups of men of Arab or North African appearance. Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned the attacks and Justice Minister Heiko Maas said they were a "completely new dimension of organized criminality." BBC said that no arrests had been made yet. Reports of the attacks are helping to fuel the migrant debate in Germany as many protesters pointed to the increase in refugees as a reason for the attacks. Copyright 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Nebraska would join Kansas and Oklahoma in banning most abortions after 13 weeks of pregnancy under a proposal state lawmakers will consider this year. As promised, state Sen. Tommy Garrett of Bellevue sponsored the measure (LB767) that would prohibit so-called "dismemberment abortions." He introduced the bill as state lawmakers gathered Wednesday for their first day of the 2016 legislative session. A group of anti-abortion activists quickly called the measure their top priority this year. Julie Schmit-Albin, executive director of Nebraska Right to Life, said the method of abortion "literally rips developing unborn babies limb from limb." Planned Parenthood of the Heartland countered, saying Garrett's bill would create a dangerous environment for patients and could prevent them from receiving the best possible care. "The legislation that these lawmakers are proposing is not about safety," said Planned Parenthood of the Heartland spokeswoman Angie Remington. "It is based on model legislation from a group opposed to safe, legal abortion and is part of a broader effort to restrict or end access to abortion in Nebraska altogether." Garrett revealed his plans to introduce the bill in August as a series of undercover videos targeting Planned Parenthood caused uproar among abortion opponents nationwide. His bill was among 108 introduced on Day 1 of this year's legislative session. Here's a look at some others. 'Choose Life' license plates License plates "reflecting support for the protection of Nebraska's children, both born and unborn," would be available under another Garrett bill (LB768). The "Choose Life" plates would be designed by the Department of Motor Vehicles, and money raised from their sale would go into a new state-administered fund called the Choose Life Pregnancy and Adoption Fund. The fund would be used to provide grants to organizations excluding abortion providers and those associated with abortion providers that offer counseling, training, pregnancy testing or other services to pregnant women who are considering placing their children for adoption. Military honor plates Reservists would also qualify for military honor license plates in Nebraska, and Motor Vehicles would create plate designs for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Air Force reserves under a bill (LB732) introduced by Sen. Dan Watermeier of Syracuse. Military honor plates became available for active-duty armed forces personnel Jan. 2. Constitutional right to farm It isn't one of the 108 bills, but a constitutional amendment also proposed Wednesday (LR378CA) would guarantee Nebraskans the right to farm and ranch. The proposal from Sen. John Kuehn of Heartwell also would prohibit the Legislature from enacting any law that "abridges the right of citizens and lawful residents of Nebraska to employ agricultural technology and livestock production and ranching practices without a compelling state interest." Hazing ban adds sexual activity An incident involving Cambridge Public Schools students at a wrestling camp last summer inspired a bill (LB710) that would expand Nebraska's definition of criminal hazing to include sexual activity. Sen. Dan Hughes of Venango, whose legislative district includes Cambridge, said he introduced the bill because prosecutors were unable to fit the students' actions with any of Nebraska's existing laws: "There was nothing on the books that allowed the county attorney to prosecute." His measure would give those prosecutors an additional tool, he said. 'Official' state Constitution? The state Constitution would make note of court decisions such as the elimination of Nebraska's ban on same-sex marriage under a bill (LB686) introduced by Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers. Existing online and printed versions of the Nebraska State Constitution don't reflect court judgments that declare portions of it unconstitutional or inoperative. Under Chambers' bill, legislative revisers would publish an update each year, reviewed by the secretary of state's office and including annotations about those court decisions. The wording of the Constitution itself wouldn't change. "There is not really what you might call an official version of the Constitution that is out there," Chambers said. Roads funding Omaha Sen. Bob Krist countered other lawmakers' calls for spending more on roads by proposing to eliminate the 2011 Build Nebraska Act, which generates $70 million in roads funding each year by diverting a quarter-cent of the state sales tax. He said his bill (LB671) will be a discussion point in the debate over roads funding this year. Krist also proposed a bill (LB672) eliminating a $1 fee on the sale of tires in Nebraska, money that was intended to help pay for cleaning up tires in landfills but is no longer used for that purpose. The tire fee raises $2.5 million annually. "We don't need a dollar for these old tires," he said. Nebraskas largest farm advocacy group plans to spend the next 60 days pressuring state senators to reform school funding and reduce property taxes. The Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation, which has 56,000 member families, is calling for lawmakers to cap the amount of property taxes school districts can collect to 40 percent of a district's general fund expenditures. State legislators convened Wednesday. "Addressing school funding and property taxes is our top priority for the 2016 legislative session," Nebraska Farm Bureau President Steve Nelson said in a news release. Nebraskas rural school districts rely heavily on agricultural land to fund education. They generally make up the biggest chunk of farmers' tax bills. Now, the state caps school district tax levies at $1.05 per $100 of taxable value for its general fund, although districts can exceed that limit under certain conditions. They can also tax to pay for bond debt. Waverly School District 145, which includes portions of both Lancaster and Cass counties, got 80.3 percent of its total $18.2 million income from local property taxes in the 2013-14 school year. The Lincoln School District expects to get 50.7 percent of its funding from local property taxes this school year. The Farm Bureau also plans to focus its lobbying efforts on supporting livestock producers and water management policies. The 2016 Legislature will begin its 60-day session on Wednesday with a projected budget shortfall cloud looming over its head. However, Appropriations Committee Chairman Heath Mello said Tuesday, that does not mean this session is handcuffed and cannot move forward in addressing priority needs. "The reality is that we need to be more cautious and a bit more pragmatic," Mello said. "It will be day-by-day and give-and-take, we may need compromise and middle ground to make things work fiscally, but we can still tackle big issues this session." Emergence of a $110 million gap between projected revenue and estimated spending during a short legislative session in the midst of a two-year budget cycle means "this will be like no other session I have been involved in," the Omaha senator said. Mello will be completing his eighth and final year as a state senator and his fourth year as appropriations chairman. He will be term-limited out of the Legislature at the end of the year. Part of the answer to the suddenly emerging budget squeeze lies in the state's healthy $700 million cash reserve, Mello said. That is the state's so-called rainy day fund. "That's why we've always protected the cash reserve," Mello said. "We will go back and reduce some budgets," he said, while turning to the cash reserve to "utilize as backfill." "It's a two-pronged approach," Mello said. Mello said he believes the 2016 session still will be able to address property tax proposals, proposed creation of a state infrastructure bank to help fund highway construction, a deferred maintenance infrastructure plan proposed by the University of Nebraska, education funding and continued prison reform. "We should tackle as many challenges as possible," he said. "Some may need to be phased in." The $110 million gap between projected revenue and estimated spending will shape at least the first half of the session. A new revenue projection from the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board is due on Feb. 26, just after the Legislature completes the 33rd day of its 60-day session. That could help ease the challenge or tighten the squeeze. "People are going to want to sit back a little bit and see what the forecasting board is going to do," Speaker Galen Hadley of Kearney said. "Is this a blip in the economy or the tip of the iceberg?" The projected shortfall is going to have an impact on legislative proposals to reduce state income taxes and increase local property tax relief, Hadley said. "I think there will be a lot of chatter about taxes," he said, including efforts to slice income taxes while continuing to focus on property tax reductions. The Legislature increased the state's property tax credit fund by 45 percent last year. "I'm not sure we could do much (with income taxes) this year, but we want to keep it on the burner at this point," Hadley said. "I just hope we can get something moving on lowering taxes without crippling some of the programs we've got." Legislative bills that carry any fiscal impact are likely to be held at some point along the trail before senators see the updated revenue and budget picture at the end of February. "We want to make sure we fully understand the impact of those bills," Hadley said. Hadley expects this session's big issues to include a proposal to expand health care insurance coverage to low-income working Nebraskans by using available federal Medicaid funds from the Affordable Care Act to purchase private insurance. Other big topics will include legislation to address discrimination in the workplace and continuing efforts to implement prison and sentencing reforms, he said. Highway construction funding proposals are also likely to make that priority list. Meanwhile, Gov. Pete Ricketts said "property taxes are the No. 1 issue we need to address this session." In his weekly column released late Tuesday, the governor said he has been "working with legislative leaders to make more progress on this for taxpayers." The reduced revenue forecast "means we must work together to balance the budget and constrain the growth of government," Ricketts said. The Legislature will convene on Wednesday at 10 a.m., launching a session that is scheduled to adjourn on April 20. Ben Marksmeier has shown bravery in a number of ways, including his service in Iraq with the Army National Guard. This is another way: He has chosen to talk openly about his use of an illegal drug, medical cannabis, to ease the extreme pain he inherited when part of his right leg was blown off and the left one mangled by a roadside bomb that hit his convoy south of Baghdad. Marksmeier, 30, of Fremont, went with Sen. Tommy Garrett of Bellevue last fall to press conferences and media interviews in several Nebraska towns to help promote the need for Garrett's bill (LB643). People of Nebraska need the opportunity to choose, he said. He'd like to have the option to choose cannabis rather than oxycodone or methadone or other powerful, addicting, full-of-chemicals drugs for his pain. On July 31, 2006, just 2 months before he was set to come home from his deployment in Iraq, Marksmeier and Josh Ford of Pender -- both with the Nebraska Army National Guards 189th Transportation Company -- were returning to Tallil Air Base after hauling cargo in southern Iraq. A roadside bomb went off near the town of An Numaniyah, tearing through their truck literally like a hot knife goes through butter, Marksmeier said in a previous Journal Star story. The bomb took Marksmeiers right leg above the knee and tore up his left leg. It also took his left hamstring, and riddled his lower body with shrapnel. He doesn't like to complain, he said this week. "I don't look back, I always look forward." But when asked, he will tell you he has a lot of pain, not only from the injuries, the shrapnel, but from what a prosthetic leg can do to his back and hips, and from pressure, tightness, aching and nerve damage. At Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Marksmeier was on a lot of prescription pills, he said. He was grateful for some of them. But some turned on him. "They got real bad, tore up my soul, me physically and emotionally, I mean it was horrible," he said. He knew he had to get out of "that pill cloud," he said. "You're fuzzy. You're hazy. You're not right. ... My focus, my drive. It just wasn't there." For a time, he was addicted to oxycodone. Getting off of it gave him the shakes and the sweats. "I felt like a damn druggie." While in the hospital, he said, he lost two friends to overdoses of strong pain killers. Marijuana was never his thing in his younger days, Marksmeier said. But a friend offered him some when he was on leave from Walter Reed. It made him feel better, like it might really help. "I just threw the pills away after awhile," he said. People have misconceptions about cannabis, Marksmeier said. But he believes there are fewer side effects, compared to the side effects he hears are attached to the prescription drugs he has taken. "It really, truly is a medicine, actually helps people," he said. He understands cannabis won't cure him, won't bring his leg back or take his pain completely away. But it helps him live his life more naturally, he said, helps with his incurable chronic pain. It's a Catch-22. He doesn't like breaking the law. But he also wants to live a productive life and not have his family see him in bed the rest of his life. He believes the sale and use of medical cannabis should be regulated so it works consistently, and is monitored and taxed. He would like to be able to talk to his doctor about it, to be able to track his use of it and how it's working. Talking about it publicly is a way, he believes, to help people. That's how he felt about being a soldier. And that's how he feels about this. "There's too many hard-working people, Americans, Nebraskans, that need this," he said. "Why would you make the good people who made Nebraska beautiful suffer in pain?" That's how Garrett, a conservative, retired 26-year Air Force intelligence officer who has spent the past 12 years working as an intelligence contractor, approaches it, too. He introduced the medical marijuana bill in the 2015 session. It passed first reading on May 12, but on May 27, Garrett received unanimous consent to hold the bill and carry it over to 2016. There were just too many questions from other senators on the bill, including on its classification by the federal Food and Drug Administration as a Schedule I drug, the same as heroin, LSD, ecstasy and peyote. They also questioned how the medical cannabis manufacture and distribution centers would be regulated, and how it would be prescribed and monitored. Garrett said people frequently tell him they are self medicating with marijuana, for cancer, other illnesses and medical conditions. "It breaks my heart ... the people who desperately needed this, the people who are sick and ailing and out of options that just stole my heart," he said as he commented on the motion to delay the bill. He promised to continue the fight for the bill in the 2016 session. "We'll be bigger and better and stronger than ever," he said. He will make it his priority bill again. And it will come up on second round debate. Over the interim, Garrett traveled to Minnesota, a state that legalized medical cannabis in 2014 for treatment of a list of illnesses and conditions including severe muscle spasms, cancer, certain terminal and chronic diseases and epilepsy. It was the 22nd U.S. state to enact a medical marijuana program. About 5,000 people were expected to have legal access to compounds made from cannabis plants. "We all want to be good stewards and promote responsible use of medical cannabis," he said. "That is why we are following the Minnesota model." With Minnesota's program, he said, dosages are determined by scientific research. Law enforcement there has reported no issues with patients or manufacturers. "The No. 1 takeaway is it works. There are no major glitches," he said. More than 600,000 veterans are being prescribed medical heroin, in the form of opioid-based drugs, he said. And "we have seen the failure." More people in America now die of prescription drug overdoses than in car accidents, Garrett said. And 22 veterans commit suicide every day. "While America deals with its self-inflicted opioid/heroin crisis, why not grant veterans who suffer from PTSD and incurable pain the ability to use cannabis ... ," he said. Lentils on the Stove 1 cup dried green, brown, or French lentils 2 cups water 1 bay leaf, 1 garlic clove, or other seasonings (optional) to teaspoon salt Tools Measuring cups Strainer or colander Small saucepan Any amount of lentils can be cooked in this manner. Just maintain the 2:1 ratio of water to lentils described below. Rinse the lentils: Measure the lentils into a strainer or colander. Pick over and remove any shriveled lentils, debris, or rocks. Thoroughly rinse under running water. Combine the lentils and water: Transfer the rinsed lentils to a saucepan and pour in the water. Add any seasonings being used, reserving the salt. Bring to a rapid simmer, then reduce heat: Bring the water to a rapid simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a very gentle simmer. You should only see a few small bubbles and some slight movement in the lentils. Cook the lentils: Cook, uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes. Add water as needed to make sure the lentils are just barely covered. Salt the lentils: Lentils are cooked as soon as they are tender and no longer crunchy. Older lentils may take longer to cook and shed their outer skins as they cook. Strain the lentils and remove the bay leaf, if used. Return the lentils to the pan and stir in teaspoon of salt. Taste and add additional salt as needed. Storing cooked lentils: Cooked lentils will keep refrigerated for about a week. Season them with olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, fresh herbs, and eat them on their own. Lentils can also be added to soups, salads, or other recipes. The Nebraska Court of Appeals on Tuesday upheld the 2013 firing of a Lincoln police sergeant for providing false information in an investigative report on another officer's car accident. Tracy Graham had appealed -- first to the City Personnel Board, then to Lancaster County District Court, then to the Court of Appeals -- arguing, among other things, her termination was excessive. In 2014, District Judge Jodi Nelson found that the May 2, 2013, decision to terminate Graham was supported by sufficient, relevant evidence. Chief Jim Peschong terminated her after concluding she had falsified an accident report to cover up her mistakes when she responded to a Jan. 26, 2013, crash in which an officer rear-ended a pickup with his cruiser. On the accident report, Graham answered that neither driver had been tested for alcohol, despite giving the pickup driver a preliminary breath test that came back above the legal limit, and that neither driver was suspected of using drugs or alcohol, despite smelling alcohol on the pickup driver's breath. Graham later said she had not performed all the field sobriety tests and didn't feel it was appropriate to answer yes on the question about testing. The judge found, and the appeals court agreed, there was enough evidence for the board to reasonably find that she had falsified the report. Graham asserted it was a minor mistake and she shouldn't have been fired for it. But in Tuesday's opinion, Chief Judge Frankie Moore wrote that there was sufficient, relevant evidence to find that her actions had amounted to a serious violation and said Graham was minimizing what she had done and ignoring the impact of her actions on her fitness to be a police officer. Graham also had asserted that male officers who committed policy violations received less severe punishment. But Moore said the evidence showed LPD had fired male officers who falsified police reports or gave false statements during internal investigations, too. In a separate lawsuit, Graham is suing the department alleging male officers had discriminated against her. That case remains open. Graham started as an officer with LPD in August 2001 and was promoted to sergeant in July 2012. In a packed courtroom on a Thursday last month, Lancaster County District Judge John Colborn said he understood it was Scott Helvie's last docket call. Three dozen or so attorneys -- defense attorneys and prosecutors alike -- started clapping and stood. Scott Helvie, a stalwart public defender for more than 39 years with a reputation that led even police officers to say they'd want him to represent them if they ever got into trouble, had tried to quietly slip out at the end of the year. It didn't work. Asked last week about the moment in his courtroom, the judge said he wanted to make a point of congratulating "one of the best, if not the best, criminal defense attorneys in the state." "He's just an exceptional attorney," said Colborn, who was a deputy Lancaster County attorney for 21 years before becoming a judge and worked opposite Helvie on lots of cases over the years. Colborn said he enjoyed the challenge, knowing that if a case had a weakness Helvie would find it. After the applause ended, he offered to let Helvie take his case up first. Helvie, always humble, declined. He'd wait his turn. "He's a great attorney and a great asset to the Bar," Colborn said. "He will be missed greatly." On his last day at work, Lancaster County's chief deputy public defender came across a handwritten note in his desk in a corner office at the Courthouse Plaza west of the Hall of Justice. "Scott, Today I celebrate 22 years of sobriety because of you," the note said. That's what's been most satisfying to him, Helvie said. "It's not necessarily about winning cases or what cases I've handled," he said. "You can have an impact on someone's life. You can give someone the encouragement ... to turn their lives around." In July 1976, when he was hired as a deputy public defender in North Platte, Helvie was handed a stack of files. "And from then on, I've been busy 10 hours a day, every day." It's been interesting and challenging, he said. Never boring. "And the next thing I know I've turned around and it's almost 40 years later, and it's over. It went like that," Helvie said, snapping his finger. As a new lawyer, and working in North Platte without a lot of resources, he got a re-trial in Lincoln for Erwin Charles Simants, who killed six members of a Sutherland family in 1975 and ultimately was found not responsible by reason of insanity. "We were young lawyers, in our 20s and we were learning a lot as we went along," Helvie said. By 1981, he was back to Lincoln, where he had gone to law school and had a job with the Lancaster County Public Defender's office. Two years later, he was chief deputy, a position he's held since. Over the years, he used a then-new kind of DNA testing to clear Gregory Gabel who was in jail on suspicion of killing Tina McMenamin in 1995; convinced a jury to acquit former Husker Riley Washington of murder in 2006; and represented people like Roger Bjorklund, who killed Candi Harms in 1992, and Terry Reynolds, who shot and killed Sheriff's Deputy Craig Dodge in 1987. He admits people haven't always been kind when they've learned what he does and who he's represented. And he understands. "I guess my philosophy has always been we're all human beings. No matter what you've done, you deserve at least the opportunity to have a fair trial through the system, and someone who is advocating your position, and a fair determination of your guilt or innocence, and a fair determination of what should happen to you," Helvie said. "I perceive myself as working to ensure that that happens for people." In his 30s, he was offered a job at a big firm in Denver. He decided against it, and he's glad. He said he's especially enjoyed the people he's worked with, calling them dedicated to what they do and some of the highest quality lawyers in the state. "My theory of practicing law has always been that good lawyers need to work hard at what they do," Helvie said. In the end, he said, he's tried to work hard, to be ethical and honest and to treat all people with respect. And he's proud of the fact that he tried to do his best in every case. Now, he'll have time to do other things. He and his wife will travel more. He'll take care of deferred maintenance on his property in Wisconsin. "It's time," he said. A fugitive was in critical condition Wednesday night after allegedly shooting himself as federal and tribal law enforcement were trying to arrest him, an FBI spokeswoman said. FBI agents were investigating a shooting involving an unnamed man on the Santee Reservation in northern Nebraska, spokeswoman Sandy Breault said in a news release. Breault declined to identify the man, who refused to surrender peacefully and allegedly shot himself. KTIV News in Sioux City reported the U.S. Marshal Service confirmed the man involved in the incident on the reservation was David Hoffman of Santee. He was taken to a local hospital, Breault said. No officers were injured in the incident. Hoffman, 25, was wanted on suspicion of assaulting a Niobrara police officer and fleeing with the officer's gun Tuesday after being arrested on a burglary warrant for stealing curling irons, hair dryers, jewelry and cash from a beauty salon. The Knox County Sheriff's Office got a report about 1 p.m. Tuesday that the officer had been assaulted while trying to arrest Hoffman on a Knox County warrant. Hoffman disarmed the officer, pointed the handgun at him and took off on foot into the river bottom along the Niobrara and Missouri rivers without firing the weapon, according to the sheriff's office Facebook page. Niobrara schools and nearby businesses were put in lockdown during the search, and some vehicles were searched on the edge of Niobrara, the post said. The sheriffs office evacuated employees from Niobrara State Park. Three employee residences, 15 cabins and numerous outbuildings were searched. The search, which included help from the Nebraska State Patrol air team, police dogs and SWAT unit, continued until 10 p.m., when it was determined Hoffman had left the area, the post said. A Knox County warrant says Hoffman was wanted for burglarizing Terry's Hair Salon on Dec. 18, taking items including jewelry, the hair dryers and curling irons, plus $75 for a loss totaling $750. James W. Carr returned to Lincoln for the holidays clean and sober after working in an Alabama carnival, his older brother said, adding he had feared Carr's troubled past here might ensnare him. On Monday, Carr, 27, was found dead in an alley between 19th and 20th streets near Dudley Street. Police say he was shot a little earlier, around 11:30 a.m., by Matthew Pavey. Investigators continue to probe for a motive to the shooting, but police say Carr had an ongoing feud with Pavey, who remains jailed without bond on suspicion of first-degree murder. Police also say there was a possible drug connection between the two. "Its really heartbreaking to see it go like this, said James' brother Jason Carr on Tuesday while traveling from Miami to Lincoln. "Especially when I had him coming back here (Miami), away from that scene once again, back to making money and changing his life in a right direction. James, who had struggled with methamphetamine problems and who had run-ins with Lincoln police, went to work with his 35-year-old brother in August after being released from jail, Jason Carr said. Away from Lincoln, James Carr turned down offers to get high and acted like a big kid around his nephews, who referred to him as "Uncle Big Toe," Jason Carr said. He wanted people to like him, aspired to be a good dad to his three kids and laughed at everything, his brother said. James' struggles began when he fell in with the wrong crowd in Lincoln during his teenage years, Jason said. Beginning in 2008, Jason Carr, who served two years in prison for a marijuana charge, tried to help his brother reform his life, he said. Last year, they worked together for an air-duct cleaning company before James Carr returned to Lincoln and was back in trouble within two weeks, his brother said. Change for James seemed around the corner, Jason Carr said. They had dreams of starting their own carnival games outfit and making a better life so they could see their kids more, he said. Lincoln wasn't where James wanted to call home permanently, but his kids kept him coming back, Jason said. He wanted to be home with them for the holidays when he left Alabama in mid-November, his brother yelling at him, lecturing him and trying to convince him to come back to Miami to find work, Jason Carr said. But James left anyway, telling his brother he would do everything he could to stay clean, Jason said. James told his brother he planned to return to work Jan. 15 in West Palm Beach. Now, his brother feels guilty he let him leave. "I shouldnt have let him go back" Jason Carr said. Lincoln police have arrested a second person in the Monday shooting death of James Carr. Tiffany Sherry-Marie Welch, 21, was arrested Tuesday afternoon on suspicion of accessory to murder, police said Wednesday morning. Carr, 27, was found dead in an alley between 19th and 20th streets near Dudley Street. Police say he was shot about 11:30 a.m. by Matthew Pavey, who also is in custody. Investigators continue to probe for a motive to the shooting, but police say Carr had an ongoing feud with Pavey, who remains jailed without bond on suspicion of first-degree murder. Police also say there was a possible drug connection between the two. "Its really heartbreaking to see it go like this, said James' brother Jason Carr on Tuesday while traveling from Miami to Lincoln. "Especially when I had him coming back here (Miami), away from that scene once again, back to making money and changing his life in a right direction. James, who had struggled with methamphetamine problems and who had run-ins with Lincoln police, went to work with his 35-year-old brother in August after being released from jail, Jason Carr said. Away from Lincoln, James Carr turned down offers to get high and acted like a big kid around his nephews, who referred to him as "Uncle Big Toe," Jason Carr said. He wanted people to like him, aspired to be a good dad to his three kids and laughed at everything, his brother said. James' struggles began when he fell in with the wrong crowd in Lincoln during his teenage years, Jason said. Beginning in 2008, Jason Carr, who served two years in prison for a marijuana charge, tried to help his brother reform his life, he said. Last year, they worked together for an air-duct cleaning company before James Carr returned to Lincoln and was back in trouble within two weeks, his brother said. Change for James seemed around the corner, Jason Carr said. They had dreams of starting their own carnival games outfit and making a better life so they could see their kids more, he said. Lincoln wasn't where James wanted to call home permanently, but his kids kept him coming back, Jason said. He wanted to be home with them for the holidays when he left Alabama in mid-November, his brother yelling at him, lecturing him and trying to convince him to come back to Miami to find work, Jason Carr said. But James left anyway, telling his brother he would do everything he could to stay clean, Jason said. James told his brother he planned to return to work Jan. 15 in West Palm Beach. Now, his brother feels guilty he let him leave. "I shouldnt have let him go back" Jason Carr said. The son of a Lincoln man killed in an Omaha mall shooting says he's "glad to see someone doing something" about gun violence in the United States. Steve Scharf reacted Tuesday to an announcement by President Barack Obama that he plans to require a broader group of gun sellers to conduct background checks on potential buyers, along with other gun violence-related initiatives. "We have a real problem with guns and we need to do something about it politically," said Scharf, a 27-year-old graduate of Southeast High School and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who now lives in San Francisco. "I think it is interesting that we have more documentation on buying and registering cars than we have guns." Scharf's father, Gary Scharf, was among eight people killed weeks before Christmas in 2007 by a 19-year-old gunman in the Von Maur store at Omaha's Westroads Mall. "Having someone die in this way is something that you remember every single day," Steve Scharf said Tuesday. "It's not like someone dying of a disease or wasting away or a fluke accident. It really makes you aware of this problem." His father's shooter, Robert Hawkins, used a rifle stolen from a family member. Obama's executive actions are aimed at gun sellers and wouldn't directly prevent people from acquiring guns the way Hawkins did. However, the package would devote an extra $500 million in federal funding to treat mental illness, a step that could require congressional approval. Hawkins had received some mental health treatment. Scharf didn't discuss the shooting or shooter in detail. But he said people, especially in the Midwest, tend to trust in their sense of "imagined community" and feel sheltered from gun violence. Rural Midwesterners, including his own family members, view carrying a gun in their truck as completely normal, while many friends who live in big cities would consider that strange. Yet, Scharf said, "the actual threat of dying at the hands of another person with a gun really has nothing to do with geography." And if people are concerned their safety or Second Amendment rights are threatened by the president's plan, they should speak up in a thoughtful manner, he said, not join a citizen militia or prepare for the nation's downfall. "Buying more guns isn't going to help the debate." Scharf worked briefly for then-U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson in Washington and remembers sifting through mail: Half came from lobbyists, and the other half consisted of "nonsensical rants," he said. "I wish that energy (used for stockpiling weapons) could be put toward actually making a better country," he said. "I think that it would be really nice if we all could live in a world where we weren't afraid of being shot by a stranger. If we could have policies that could make that happen, that would be great. "If we have a world that people can believe in, they'll be less likely to do something terrible." A California woman arrested in 2014 for carrying 135 pounds of marijuana in a rental truck was sentenced to one to two years in prison Wednesday morning. Janice Badheart Bullshaw, 55, of Huntington Beach, was driving the truck east on Interstate 80 just west of the Northwest 48th Street exit to Lincoln when a trooper pulled her over on Dec. 9 for following another vehicle too closely and illegally changing lanes, the Nebraska State Patrol said. A police dog signaled that it smelled drugs in the cargo area of the truck and the trooper searched. The 135 pounds of pot was hidden in furniture, the NSP said at the time of Bullshaws arrest. She pleaded no contest to possession of marijuana weighing more than one pound in October. Nominations are being accepted for the annual Lincoln Public Schools Thank You Teacher event in honor of Nebraska Teacher Recognition Day March 1. Anyone who lives in Lincoln or Lancaster County can nominate a teacher in any of five categories: preschool-grade 2, grades 3-5, middle school, high school and retired. In addition to a written description and explanation of why a teacher made a difference in the student's life, entries should include the teachers name, grade level and school (or contact information), as well as the nominators name, school and grade level (if applicable), address and phone number. One teacher from each category will be chosen and honored at a breakfast March 1 at the Governors Mansion. The students who nominated the winners will be invited to attend and read their winning letters. Nominations can be mailed or submitted online. Mailed nominations must be postmarked by Feb. 19 at 5 p.m. Send to: Thank You Teacher, Communications, LPS District Offices, 5905 O St., Lincoln, NE 68510. Submit online nominations at lps.org/go/recognize. Winners will all receive gift bags and prizes. Sponsors include LPS, KFOR-AM and KFRX-FM, the Lincoln Education Association and the Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools. Climate and weather data recorded at stations across the state has been collected by the High Plains Regional Climate Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln since 1987. What the regional office, which uses the 69 weather stations in Nebraska to collect data alongside similar networks in North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado and Kansas, couldnt do was provide Nebraskans with a detailed picture of weather and historical climate data in their own state. UNL announced a plan to fill that information gap on Wednesday by establishing the Nebraska State Climate Office within the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The office on East Campus will identify the climate recording and reporting services needed most by users across the state, especially those engaged in agriculture, UNL School of Natural Resources Director John Carroll said. We really didnt have a core focal point on dealing with climate issues in the state of Nebraska, especially with our largest constituencies in agriculture, Carroll said. With a lot of bubbles floating around unconnected, UNL broadened the scope of its single state climatologist into an office of climatologists and meteorologists who will manage the network of weather stations called the Nebraska Mesonet. Scattered throughout the Platte River Valley, attached to UNLs research and extension centers, or located on private property, the Mesonet data will now be aggregated and shared through the state climate offices website, mobile apps and other products in development, Carroll said. Many of the products have been "sitting on the shelf" waiting for deployment, Carroll added, and could be launched yet this year. Martha Shulski, who along with longtime state climatologist Al Dutcher, will direct the office, joins Stonie Cooper and Glen Roebke, who will manage the Mesonet and its related products and applications. Shulski said the climate office hopes to set up weather stations in all 93 Nebraska counties. Wed like more in the Sandhills and the Panhandle especially, she said. Establishing a state climate office -- which will feed information into the High Plains Region Climate Center -- is the latest effort by UNL to focus on issues surrounding climate, natural resources, the environment and water management. Last summer, UNL announced the creation of the Drought Risk Management Research Center, a collaboration between its own National Drought Mitigation Center and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The center, which is funded through a $2.4 million NOAA grant, is also on East Campus. Shulski said the collection of weather, climate and environmentally-related centers, like the Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute and the Center for Advanced Land Management Information Technologies, is a huge boost to UNL. There are a lot of great opportunities for people to come to us for our expertise, and a lot of opportunities for grant-funded efforts we can work on together, she said. The 2016 presidential campaign not only will feature more money than any since Watergate, but also more secret money than the days when black satchels of illicit cash were passed around. The so-called dark money, or contributions that don't have to be disclosed, topped more than $300 million in the 2012 presidential race, and some experts believe that the levels may be far higher this time. There also is a risk that foreign money could be surreptitiously funneled into the presidential campaign because it wouldn't have to be publicly disclosed. This flood of cash is occurring thanks to a ruse that permits political advocacy groups to claim that they are principally social welfare agencies and thus tax exempt and not subject to disclosure. These organizations court interest groups and rich donors, some of whom want the influence that political money brings but not the public association. It's a win for the interest groups and the candidates; the public is kept in the dark. This time, presidential candidates, especially Sen. Marco Rubio, are getting into the act. Almost one in five television ads has been financed by dark money, according to the Center for Responsive Politics -- most of that from the Conservative Solutions Project, a nonprofit that backs Rubio. "Rubio is breaking new ground," says Viveca Novak, communications director for the center. "Most of the others really aren't following at this point." It's not hard to see that changing. Potential efforts by regulatory agencies to rein in these secretive activities were thwarted by Congress in the year-end government funding bill. The Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, and a number of party colleagues in the House and Senate, yielded to the Democrats and President Barack Obama on a number of big-ticket spending, tax and regulatory measures. But they were adamant about keeping provisions that protect the status of dark money. This means that the Internal Revenue Service, which is reviewing and soliciting comments on these tax-exempt political organizations, is barred from drafting and issuing any new rules. And the Securities and Exchange Commission would be barred from requiring public companies to disclose their political campaign activities. McConnell, once a champion of disclosure to head off campaign-finance restrictions, has pressured fellow Republicans for years to resist any disclosure requirements, arguing that secret money works to the party's advantage. About the only one who that has stood up to his demands is Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Even the champion of campaign finance reform, Sen. John McCain, has been rather quiet lately. There are also a number of pro-Democratic nonprofits associated with party leaders and leadership-directed committees that make extensive use of dark money. David Brock, a one-time prominent critic of Hillary Clinton who now is a prominent supporter, is involved with several political organizations including nonprofits that don't have to disclose donors, and political action committees that do. They all seem to comingle legally. The biggest dark money practitioners, however, have been the Chamber of Commerce and one of Republican strategist Karl Rove's political arms. The Federal Election Commission could force these organizations, with their heavy campaign involvement, to register as political committees, requiring them to name their donors. But the FEC, almost from its inception 40 years ago, has been toothless. And with congressionally enacted prohibitions, there is almost no way to bring these activities into the sunlight, Novak says, "unless the Justice Department gets into the act." Fred Wertheimer, the president of Democracy 21 and a veteran leader on campaign finance reform has asked Justice to do just that, with an emphasis on Rubio's practices. "Secret money is the formula for corruption," he says. "It's the influence buyer's dream." The catchphrase of the Watergate scandal was "follow the money." Bob Woodward actually put it more directly: "The key," he said a half-century ago, "was the secret campaign cash." A representative for a hobbyist gun club that hosts a semi-annual gun show in Lincoln said President Barack Obamas planned executive action to prevent gun deaths will have little effect on sales at the local show. Ardis Moody, secretary and treasurer of the Rock Creek Renegades, said Tuesday she supports Obamas decision to broaden the definition of gun dealers subject to background checks to include those that sell at gun shows, websites and flea markets that are not federally licensed. The Rock Creek Renegades, also known as the Lancaster County Muzzleloading Rifle Association, hosts the Modern and Black Powder Gun Show each January and September at the Lancaster Event Center. The next show, scheduled Jan. 23-24, features hundreds of firearms dealers and private collectors selling thousands of modern firearms, hunting and shooting supplies and ammunition. While most of sellers at the gun show are licensed firearms dealers, some are private collectors, Moody said. Rock Creek Renegades requires all of the sellers at its gun show to only sell to people who provide firearm purchase certificates, which the Lancaster County Sheriffs Office can provide to citizens upon completion of a successful background check. Were not serving terrorists, she said. Were serving the sporting community who values their Second Amendment rights. Jim Clark, owner of BigShots Gun Store, 399 Sun Valley Blvd., said Obamas plan wont affect gun shops like his, as he is already a federally licensed firearms dealer. He said he had received numerous calls Tuesday from local gun owners concerned Obamas proposed executive action would inhibit their ability to buy weapons. Any time theres a change in firearms laws, it gets people worked up, he said. If they enforce the laws that are on the books now, I dont think well see any difference for us brick-and-mortar dealers. Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner said the problem with background checks isnt which sellers are subject to them. Instead, Wagner said, he's concerned the database law enforcement agencies use to conduct these checks excludes information on people police have taken into temporary emergency protective custody because they were deemed a danger to themselves or others. In 2015, about 3,800 people in Lancaster County applied for handgun purchase permits, Wagner said. Only four had mental health disqualifiers, meaning they had been declared by a mental health board to be mentally unsuitable, Wagner said. Sometimes people who are temporarily committed avoid a mental health board decision by seeking treatment themselves. They won't show up in background checks, the sheriff said. In 2013, that meant his office had no choice but to issue a handgun permit to a man even though he had been taken into emergency protective custody 10 times in 11 years, Wagner said. "If a guy has been EPC'd 10 times in 11 years, you would think he is not receiving the treatment that he is needing," the sheriff said. He said he would support a provision where that man and others could apply for a permit after a waiting period of five years. Meanwhile, Obama's proposed executive action drew swift opposition from Nebraska's congressional delegation Tuesday. Republican politicians from Nebraska criticized the president's decision. Gov. Pete Ricketts said in a news release that Obama is undermining the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans. Sens. Deb Fischer and Ben Sasse said Obama's executive actions bypass the legislative process and wouldn't have stopped any recent mass shootings. Republican Rep. Adrian Smith said the focus should be on enforcing existing laws, treating mental illness and fighting "radical Islamic terrorism." At the state Capitol, state Sens. Tommy Garrett of Bellevue and Dave Bloomfield of Hoskins reviewed details of the president's plan in Garrett's first-floor office. Garrett questioned how the plan would prevent violent gun crimes when most are committed with firearms that are stolen or purchased through the normal channels by a shooter or a friend or family member whose background is checked. Bloomfield displayed his firearm purchase permit and quoted the cliche, "Guns don't kill people. People kill people." "It's a wore-out old line, but it's still accurate," he said. The white frame house is long gone from the grassy lot in Sutherland, the violent deaths of six people inside its walls 38 years ago a part of history now. But what happened in the home of Henry and Audrey Marie Kellie on Oct. 18, 1975, is far from forgotten, certainly not by those who survived one of Nebraska's most notorious mass murders; nor by the legal system it tested then and continues to challenge with complicated questions. Yellowing news clippings and photographs fill four bulging scrapbooks in Audrey Brown's North Platte home, telling the story of the murder of her parents, her brother, two nieces and a nephew. At the center of the story: Erwin Charles Simants, a 29-year-old neighbor arrested and tried twice on six counts of first-degree murder. The first time, a jury convicted him, and Simants went to death row. The second time, following a successful appeal, a jury found him innocent by reason of insanity, and he went to the Lincoln Regional Center. The crime shocked the western Nebraska town of Sutherland, and the trials reverberated far beyond, resulting in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision on First Amendment rights of the press and prompting changes in Nebraska's criminal insanity law. The case raised issues the state still wrestles with today the death penalty, mental illness, protection of the public and the fate of Simants is in the forefront once again. Every year since 1979, a judge has reviewed psychiatric reports that concluded Simants remained mentally ill and dangerous, keeping him in the locked forensic unit at the Lincoln Regional Center. That could change this year. At his annual review last month, his attorney says, doctors agreed Simants is no longer mentally ill. And on Thursday, a judge is expected to rule whether Simants, now 67, should be released. The statute reads if you are not both mentally ill and dangerous, you walk, said Lincoln County Attorney Rebecca Harling. * * * Audrey Brown has driven to Lincoln for Simants' review hearings each year for more than three decades. She's done it, she said, to help the judge remember what's at the heart of the case. I think the courts need to recognize, and the public needs to recognize, there was a real family involved in this and somebody still loves them and cares about them, said Brown, 75. In 1975, she was 37, married and raising four children. Three weeks before the murders, she and her family moved to Boulder, Colo., where her husband became minister of a church. She knew Simants, who was staying with his sister next door to the Kellies. Her father had hired him to do odd jobs and, just days before he died, had bailed him out of jail after Simants was arrested for public intoxication. In fact, Brown said, her father hired Simants to help her pack for her move. He was in our house, she said. With me and my children. Three weeks later, Simants carried a loaded rifle from his sister's house to the Kellie home next door, where their granddaughter Florence, 10, was alone. He sexually assaulted and shot Florence dead, and he then shot the rest of the family as they arrived: first Henry Kellie, 66; then Audrey Marie, 57, who he sexually assaulted after he killed her; and then their son David Kellie, 32, and his children Deanna, 6, and Daniel, 5. Sutherland residents locked their doors while authorities searched for Simants, who hid in a wooded area near the Kellie home. He was arrested at his sister's house the next day. Brown still wonders what might have happened if she and her family had not moved. When we lived here in North Platte we went to the folks' pretty often. I think if we'd still been living here we'd have gone up to visit, she said. You know how it is when you live within 20 minutes. * * * While Brown buried her family and sold her parents' home and cattle, prosecutors charged Simants with six counts of first-degree murder. Before long, the sensational case turned into a battle between the press and the judge, who issued a gag order barring reporters from a preliminary hearing for fear the publicity would make a fair trial impossible. The fight that followed got national attention and ended with a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court finding the judge's order unconstitutional. The jury found Simants guilty, and he was sentenced to die in the electric chair. Three years later, in 1979, the Nebraska Supreme Court ordered a new trial because the sheriff, a trial witness, played cards with some of the jurors while they were sequestered. When the second trial was moved to Lincoln because of pretrial publicity, Simants had a new attorney, a newly elected Lincoln County public defender who would go on to be one of the state's most respected defense attorneys. Scott Helvie was just two years out of law school and had never tried a death penalty case. He worried his inexperience could hurt his client and he asked to be taken off the case. The judge refused but added Dave Schroeder, a more experienced attorney, to the team. They decided to use a new defense theory, one considered risky and untried, at least in Nebraska. They admitted Simants had killed the Kellie family and narrowed the focus of the trial to one issue: his sanity. Defense attorneys in the first trial also had used the insanity defense, but their doctors' opinions shared space with the horrifying details of the crime. At the second trial, defense attorneys worked to keep those details from being rehashed, arguing prosecutors' attempts to introduce bloody sheets and gruesome pictures were attempts to inflame the jury. We were a little worried about it at the time, Helvie said recently. It hadn't been done a lot. The risk paid off: After deliberating for 18 hours, the jury found Simants innocent by reason of insanity. The second verdict prompted calls for changes to Nebraska's insanity law, part of a movement in the legal world that gained national prominence when John Hinkley was found not responsible for shooting President Ronald Reagan in 1981. Nebraska lawmakers changed the law that year, shifting the burden of proof from the prosecution to the defense and giving judges not mental health boards authority to decide when to release patients found not responsible by reason of insanity. The law stands today. It really is a significant change, Helvie said. Beyond a reasonable doubt is a difficult thing to prove. ... The outcome of that case could have been entirely different if we'd had the burden of proof. * * * In 1981, Simants was one of 12 patients in the regional center's security unit who had been found not responsible by reason of insanity. For many years, doctors came to the same conclusion: that he remained mentally ill and dangerous. Lincoln County Attorney Harling said doctors have made numerous diagnoses of Simants over the years, including schizophrenia, alcohol abuse, pedophilia and a psychotic break caused by alcohol. It's just been such a long thing, and so many different doctors have seen him in the 40 years, it's hard to encapsulate, she said. Today, Simants' attorney Robert Lindemeier says, doctors agree he does not meet the criteria of a pedophile. And for many years, regional center doctors have discounted the schizophrenia diagnosis, for which he's never been treated, Lindemeier said. The exception was Dr. Jack Anderson, once a doctor at the regional center, one of the first to evaluate Simants after the murders and a defense witness at the trials. Once Simants was in the regional center, prosecutors hired Anderson to evaluate him for the annual reviews. He continued to find a diagnosis of schizophrenia, Lindemeier said. Anderson died several years ago, and after that, Lindemeier said, he negotiated with prosecutors to gain freedoms for Simants, who was allowed supervised outings for several years. Those stopped after another inmate escaped from the center about three years ago. Today, a panel of doctors at the regional center and an independent psychologist hired by the state agree Simants, who takes no psychiatric medication, is no longer mentally ill, Lindemeier said. Harling, who was in kindergarten when the Kellie family was murdered, said she doesn't think it's that black and white. I can tell you I argued he's mentally ill and dangerous, she said. But Lindemeier said the mental illness is based on Simants' alcohol abuse, which has been in remission since he has been in the regional center. Harling agrees if the judge concludes Simants is no longer mentally ill, he will have to release him, regardless of the possible risk. I can tell you the docs find it hard to determine dangerousness," she said. "You're projecting into the future and you have to use past behavior as your only benchmark. I do think there are times when the statute may lead to unintended consequences, which is dangerous people out on the streets. While no one can promise Simants poses no risk given the crime, he has been a model patient and has never been aggressive or acted out at the regional center, Lindemeier said. All of the doctors who performed risk assessments found him to be a low or low-to-moderate risk, he said. Scot Adams, director of the Department of Health and Human Services division of behavioral health, said regional center doctors recommended Simants be released to a facility with 24-hour care and that he wear an ankle bracelet. But the law doesn't provide for steps to help ease patients back into society once they are found no longer mentally ill, Lindemeier said. Simants has some family, he said, but it would still be a difficult transition. It's an all-or-nothing situation, he said. (The law) doesn't allow for gradual steps back into the community for someone who's been institutionalized. Still, Adams said he has seen cases in which judges have taken such steps. Obviously, these are highly individualized, highly emotionally charged cases," Adams said. "So different judges will take different approaches to solving the questions before them. It's not unheard of for a judge to take steps like we've recommended. Simants, too, would prefer a gradual release because hes been institutionalized for more than half his life, Lindemeier said. Omaha Sen. Brad Ashford, chairman of the Legislature's Judiciary Committee, said the Simants case reflects a broader problem in the criminal justice system: how it deals with mentally ill people and offers support for inmates as they transition back into society. It underlies what is real in our prison system, and that is a very significant degree of mental illness, he said. Ashford doesnt see a need to change the insanity law, an important tenet of the criminal justice system. And just a fraction of people who commit crimes end up being found legally insane, he said. Today, 33 of the patients at the regional centers forensic unit were found not responsible by reason of insanity, including nine of murder charges, according to state officials. The state does not track how many of those people have been released, although Ulysses Cribbs, who opened fire at an Omaha nightclub in 1977 and killed a sheriffs deputy and injured 25 others, was sent to outpatient treatment in 2009. Nebraska releases 1,200 to 1,500 prison inmates a year, Ashford said. Of those, 250 to 300 jam out, which means they have no structure such as parole. That puts the public at risk, he said. The Simants case, just like any other criminal case, is a significant issue for the state, Ashford said. Brown, who wrote a book in 1996 about surviving the murder of her family, worries that Simants will start drinking again if hes released, that he'll start having hallucinations like he did before. She fears she could become a target. And even if hes no longer mentally ill, she said, he needs to pay for what he did. I just hope the judge remembers there was family here and somebody loves them. I love them, she said. Ive missed a lot of birthdays and holiday celebrations with them gone. Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler announced Jan. 6 he has selected Randall Jones, a former executive with the American National Red Cross, as the new director of Aging Partners. The selection is subject to the approval of the Lancaster County Board and City Council. Jones would replace June Pederson, who retired in December after serving as director for 13 years. Randy will bring years of budget and management experience to Aging Partners, Beutler said. He will also bring an outside perspective on programs and operations. At the same time, his work with the Red Cross has included overseeing training and services that touch the lives of older Americans. He understands the issues they face and the kinds of programs they need. Lincoln native Jones is a native of Lincoln and has been with the American Red Cross for 34 years in a variety of program and senior leadership positions. He led the Cornhusker Region of the American Red Cross as CEO for 17 years until he was recruited by the National American Red Cross in 2011 to serve as Divisional Director of Service Delivery for 10 states in the western U.S. He received the American Red Cross Tribute to Heroes Leadership Award for outstanding vision, dedication and commitment to excellence in 2011. He has a bachelors degree in sociology from Nebraska Wesleyan University and is a past president of the Human Services Federation. He also has served the City as a member of the KENO Advisory Fund Board. Im very excited to return my career focus on Lincoln and surrounding counties, Jones said. The growth of our aging population provides us great opportunities to engage this wealth of experience. I believe the character of a community is defined by how it engages and cares for its aging citizens. Im honored to be a part of Aging Partners and its continued mission to serve our communities. The County Board is scheduled to consider the appointment of Jones at its meeting Jan. 12. The appointment will then go to the City Council for a vote. In Madison, Wis., in the desk of Capital Newspapers general manager Todd Sears, sits the photo button of a young woman with sandy brown hair and a friendly smile. Nearly 500 miles west, buried in the desk drawer of Lincoln Public Safety Director Tom Casady is the same button, same young woman, same friendly smile. Look closely at that button -- at the 18-year-old University of Nebraska-Lincoln freshman looking out from its plastic-covered surface -- and the years began to melt away, first one decade, then two, to a September night in 1992, when an act of random violence gripped the city. It claimed the life of a young woman -- a college student, girlfriend, sister and daughter -- and left fear, grief and anger in her place. Twenty years later, people still recognize the name: Candi Harms, the girl who kissed her boyfriend goodnight on Sept. 22, 1992, and vanished. Fear took hold in Lincoln that fall, seeping onto the UNL campus and into quiet neighborhoods with tree-lined streets. Police and sheriffs deputies worked nearly round the clock, and when they found her body two months later, the details confirmed a communitys worst fears: There was no happy ending, no rational explanation, no connection to Candi, no chance for Lincoln to heave a sigh of relief. Just two men bent on violence and chaos. But it was the young woman, her parents and sister who so desperately wanted her back that touched the people of Lincoln, prompted complete strangers to hold candlelight vigils, moved law enforcement officers to attend her funeral and the Lancaster County sheriff to stand at attention at the entrance to the cemetery as cars filed by. Its why that sheriff, now Lincolns public safety director, has that button in his desk 20 years later. Something made me realize, with very little information, that something was different about this one, Casady said. Through this whole case, I just felt this real connection with (Candis parents) Stan and Pat Harms. * * * The memory is still vivid, 20 years later. Sears was 23 and a recent UNL graduate enrolled in graduate courses. Hed met Candi two months earlier and something clicked. I just remember how alike we were, he said. Theyd been inseparable since. On Sept. 22 they watched TV and studied at his apartment until 11:40 p.m., when they said goodnight so Candi could make her midnight curfew. His phone rang shortly after 6 a.m. It was the Harmses. They all spent the morning scouring the city for Candi and her blue Chevy. They found nothing. They called police, and later that day a farmer whod found an abandoned blue Chevy at the edge of his milo field north of town called the owner, Stan Harms. A sheriffs sergeant called Casady. Missing person reports are common. So are college freshmen who decide not to come home at night. He went to the field anyway. I drove out there, he said. It was very unusual for me to do this. In the next months, law enforcement officers and volunteers combed the area on foot and horseback. Helicopters with infrared cameras flew overhead. Investigators interviewed anyone with any connection to Candi. They found nothing. But police had the killers in their sights, had been following them for weeks. They just didnt know it yet. * * * Lincoln detectives had been investigating a string of violent robberies at hotels, gas stations, a liquor store and finally a heist that netted $31,000 from the Goodyear Credit Union on Sept. 30. On Oct. 3, less than two weeks after Harms disappeared, Officer Robert Varga got a tip. A guy named Scott Barney was walking around with an unusual amount of cash, the source told Varga -- too much cash for the 24-year-old high school dropout who'd committed petty crimes and had no decent job. Detectives turned their attention to him and a 30-year-old guy he was hanging out with named Roger Bjorklund. The more we looked at them, the more we liked what we saw, said Lincoln Police Detective Sgt. Greg Sorensen. For weeks, Sorensen and Detective Sgt. Sandy Myers watched the two men, began linking them to the robberies. They got a warrant to tap their phones and learned they were planning a second robbery at the credit union on Dec. 2. That day, nearly 30 officers surrounded the credit union, but Barney and Bjorklund overheard transmissions on their scanners and backed off. Police arrested them anyway. The next day, Bjorklund wanted to talk, and he recounted details of the robberies to the detectives. Barney got nervous and called his attorney. He wanted to talk too, but about another crime. On Dec. 6, Barney led police to a snow-covered field near 134th Street and Yankee Hill Road, where they found Harms' naked, partially buried body. Barney eventually pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and avoided the death penalty, but Sorensen believes both men were equally culpable. One just beat the other to a deal. They were both evil people, he said. I think it was a combination of the two of them. Together they reached critical mass." The veteran detective, who has worked some of Lincolns highest-profile cases over three decades, said the Harms case remains one of the toughest. This is something you see in the movies, he said. A kid terrorized and the suspects are just dogs, they keep doing crimes and acting like theyre some kind of brilliant criminals. * * * Lincolnites had been on edge for months while Harms was missing. There were billboards and newspaper ads and buttons made to help find the young woman pictured on them. College students used the buddy system. Mace sales went up. Sixty miles away, an Omaha high school student named Kenyatta Bush disappeared within days of Harms and was later found murdered. Speculation that hers and Candis cases were connected was rampant, though they turned out to be unrelated. Once Candi's body was found, Lincoln mourned with the Harmses, raised money to build a memorial bench on campus, held more vigils and wrote guest editorials in the newspaper to express themselves. There was a definite connection with the family, said retired Lancaster County Attorney Gary Lacey, who prosecuted one of Harms killers. They were just like us. Middle class people who loved their kids and helped them all they could. There was a connection because we identified with them. Judge Donald Endacott granted a defense request that Bjorklund's trial be moved because of the publicity. But the sheer mass of the case -- boxes of reports and hundreds of potential witnesses -- prompted Endacott to make a novel decision. Instead of moving the trial somewhere else, theyd pick a jury in the western Nebraska town of Sidney and bring 12 jurors and four alternates to Lincoln. * * * Nyla Hobson worked at Cabelas in Sidney, had a husband and three young children and absolutely no idea what she was getting into when she was picked as an alternate juror. She came to Lincoln in October 1993 and spent 13 days listening to testimony that ranged from the mundane to the terrifying. Its just something that will be with me forever, she said. The magnitude began to sink in the first day when she and other jurors were confronted by a wall of television cameras. Later, she wrote a check at a Lincoln store. The employee saw the Sidney address, dropped her pen and said: Youre one of the jurors." * * * Bjorklund -- whod once considered entering the seminary as a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church but later fancied himself a gangster, even calling himself Tommy DiSimone, like the real-life crime boss -- seemed to revel in the notoriety. For months after his arrest, hed call detectives, wanting cigarettes and soda and the opportunity to talk. They obliged. Sandy and I talked to him 13 times after he was arrested, Sorensen said. He talked about the crime, hed talk about himself, hed talk about anything and everything. He and Barney told the detectives how theyd decided they wanted to rape a woman, describing how they considered other women before spotting Candi. How Bjorklund approached Candis car at her parents' apartment building, used a scanner to make her think he was a police officer then forced his way into her car. How they took her to a field near 84th and Holdrege streets and raped her, then drove her to 134th Street and Yankee Hill Road, choked and shot her. Bjorklunds numerous statements led to one of the lengthiest suppression hearings anyone involved can remember, though the judge eventually allowed them to be used at trial. Other issues complicated the case, and Chief Deputy Public Defender Scott Helvie, who represented Bjorklund, said it was the most difficult of the many homicide cases he's handled. Partway through the trial, several jurors got anonymous letters threatening to harm them or their families if they didnt convict Bjorklund. Investigators linked the letters to Bjorklund, whod used rubber gloves to type the letters in jail and tricked a minister into delivering them to The Cornhusker hotel. His efforts to cause a mistrial failed, but jurors didnt learn anything until later. It was pretty scary, Hobson said. I had a daughter in kindergarten, I didnt know if her life would be in danger. After the jury convicted Bjorklund, Casady gave them each a manila envelope of newspaper clippings. I knew theyd be interested in knowing the rest of the story, he said. Hobson read the packet, then went home and back to her life. But she worried when her own daughter went off to college. That was hard, she said. I remember (my daughter) saying what happened to Candice is not going to happen to me.' It just brought up all that fear. * * * Two years after Candi disappeared, Hobson drove back to Lincoln to watch the judge sentence Bjorklund to death. The appeals went on for years, including one that centered on a short prayer the judge had said with jurors at the start of the trial. Then in 2006, Bjorklund died of a heart attack. His wife, who stuck by him through the trial, later divorced him and requested a name change for her and her two daughters. Nebraska Department of Corrections officials denied a request for an interview with Barney, who is serving a life sentence. The Harmses, who declined to be interviewed for this article, moved to Minnesota some years after the trial, and have moved again. They are grandparents now. Earlier this year, Hobson came across the packet of news clippings and decided to throw it away. I just thought, you know, Ill never read through it again, Im not sure I want to read through it again, she said. I just kind of felt like after he died, it was over. * * * Back in 1992, Sears quit going to his graduate classes when Candi disappeared, but landed a job in advertising at the Lincoln Journal Star. Eventually he began dating a woman who sat in a nearby cubicle. After he proposed, Pat Harms threw them a wedding shower. She and her husband became godparents to their first son. Now 43, the general manager of Capital Newspapers has two boys, 13 and 9. He hasnt told them about Candi, but thinks his oldest son might be ready to hear the story. There are lessons for them, he said. How important it is to be kind to the girls they will date. How their reputation is important, and fragile. Because he was the boyfriend, police initially turned to him as a possible suspect, interviewing everyone from girls he'd dated to his grade school teachers. You need to be cognizant that it only takes an instance or two to change peoples perception of you, he said. He started a scrapbook then, and filled boxes with news accounts: a way to focus his energies, help him make sense of what was happening. Whenever he moved, so did the scrapbook and boxes, including the button of an old girlfriend's smiling face. I couldnt bring myself to throw it away." Each year, millions of Americans resolve to get in better shape and become healthier versions of themselves. According to a recent YMCA survey of more than 1,000 adults, less than a quarter of respondents kept their resolution in 2015. An overwhelming 71 percent said they tried but fell short, and 40 percent confessed that they made it through only a couple of weeks or months. However, theres hope for the coming year. One-third of survey respondents who plan to make a resolution in 2016 believe theyll stick to it and reach their goals, with more than half believing that encouragement from others will keep them committed. Finding a supportive community like the Y can be beneficial in keeping resolutions on track, because our organization is so much more than a nonprofit gym, said Jeff Collen, president/CEO, Racine Family YMCA. Its a community of supportive neighbors that offers more health, more hope and more opportunity for the new year and years to come. A positive outlook doesnt always translate to action unless without setting manageable goals and leaning on the support of health and wellness communities. Here are five tips the Racine Family YMCA recommends to help make a healthy new years resolution stick: 1. Start small. Set attainable resolutions. For example, if your goal is to exercise more frequently in the new year, dont schedule seven days a week at the gym. Start with a reasonable three days a week. If youd like to eat healthier, try replacing desserts with other foods you enjoy, such as fruit or yogurt. 2. Take it one step at a time. Making a new years resolution doesnt require you to reassess every little detail of your life. Replacing unhealthy behaviors with healthy ones takes time, so dont become overwhelmed. Work to change one behavior at a time, and then go from there. 3. Choose a facility that focuses on a holistic approach to health. When it comes to adding healthy behaviors like working out to your lifestyle, finding a facility that keeps you motivated is critical to maintaining your exercise routine. Before committing to a membership, take a tour of local gyms to find the best fit for you. Your facility should not be just a gym, but a community organization that offers more health, more hope and more opportunity. 4. Establish a little friendly competition. More than half of the Y survey respondents felt a little healthy competition with friends encouraged them to be even more committed to keeping their new years resolutions. Share your experiences with support groups friends, family, fellow workout class members or close colleagues. Talking about your struggles and successes will make your goals more obtainable and less intimidating. 5. Set new years goals with someone you love. Its easier to stick to your resolutions if you have a partner working toward similar goals. More than three-fourths of survey respondents indicated that they would set the same resolution for a member of their immediate family. Team up with a family member to set your 2016 goals, and establish a game plan that is dedicated to achieving them. A special note: Our Strong Kids/Strong Communities Annual Support Campaign allows everyone to belong to the YMCA, regardless of their economic situation. Based on the availability of funds, the YMCA strives to turn no one away due to an inability to pay. For more information on YMCA membership and programs, stop by one of our two Y branches, call us at 262-634-1994, or on the website www.ymcaracine.org. RACINE COUNTY Four days after his dog, Violet, went missing after a car crash on Interstate 94, AlGene Caraulia got the call he was waiting for. We have Violet, a representative at Belle City Veterinary Hospital told Caraulia. We were just elated, Caraulia, 52, of Pewaukee, said. I wanted to floor it to get to the vet hospital when we found out where she was. The phone call was the conclusion of a five-day saga for Caraulia and his family. It began Thursday morning when Caraulias mothers car was hit on I-94 by a stolen vehicle involved in a pursuit as she was returning from a trip to Ohio. Caraulias mother, Cheryl, suffered no major injuries, but her sons two 2-year-old dogs that were in the vehicle werent so lucky. One of the dogs, Zoom, was struck by another car soon after the accident and died from his injuries. The other, a whippet named Violet, was reported missing. For several days after the crash, Caraulia walked up and down the sides of I-94 covering roughly five miles on either side. I walked through ditches and brush hoping she might be there, he said. Im a hunter, so I was trying to find some sign of her. But there wasnt any sign of Violet, and Caraulia acknowledged as much on Sunday on the Facebook page he created, Violet Come Home. And although he never gave up hope, he admitted that getting the call that she was alive and well shocked him a bit. I am absolutely surprised in part because shes not built for cold weather, Caraulia said. The fact that she was out for four solid days, that was amazing to me. Despite her short fur, Violet was found Monday sitting on the porch of someone who Caraulia called a good Samaritan. The home where Violet was found is located on Highway G, about four miles from the location of the accident. The good samaritan fed Violet and took her to Belle City, 4701 Spring St., Mount Pleasant, where the microchip in her neck was scanned to identify the Caraulias as her owners. Violet didnt escape the ordeal unscathed. According to Caraulia, she had multiple scrapes, including a big one on her forehead, and was walking with a slight limp. She also lost a significant amount of weight. She looks like an Italian greyhound instead of whippet just because of the amount of weight shes lost, he said. Even so, having his family reunited with their dog has made this a very happy new year for Caraulia. I look at the accident at the end of 2015 and this is a great way to start 2016, he said. RACINE A Racine mother accused of fleeing to Mexico with her three children and the boyfriend accused of mistreating one of the youngsters pleaded not guilty on Wednesday. Amanda R. Gasca, 28, is charged with harboring or aiding a felon, a felony, after she was accused in the spring of taking her three children to Mexico for three months with her boyfriend, who was suspected of abusing the youngest child. She waived her preliminary hearing on Wednesday, which is where prosecutors must prove a felony has been committed and she likely committed it. Her defense attorney, Robert Baratki, entered the not guilty plea on her behalf during her arraignment. She remains free on bail. Court Commissioner Alice Rudebusch set her next court date for Feb. 5. Terms of her bond prohibit her from having any contact with her boyfriend, Ivan Ruiz, 29, of Racine. Last week, Racine Countys Human Services Department also moved to prohibit her from having contact with her children. Gascas children are 11, 9, and 2 years old. The 2-year-old allegedly was abused by Ruiz before they went to Mexico, and Ruiz reportedly abused that child while they were there, Baratki has said. Ruiz remains in Mexico after Gasca fled from him, Baratki has said. She went to Mexico with Ruiz under threat of force, Baratki has said. The allegations Police began searching for Gasca and her boyfriend in February to question them amid an investigation of a child possibly in danger. They began investigating after one of Gascas relatives reported that the youngest child, then a 1-year-old, had blistering and peeling burns to his face, according to Gascas criminal complaint. Gasca allegedly told that relative that she left her son in Ruizs care while she was at work, and he left the boy unattended in a bathtub, the complaint states. The relative said Gasca told her the boy turned the faucets temperature dial and received scalding hot water in his face. While in Mexico, Ruiz allegedly covered the same childs face with a pillow until the boys older sister yelled for their mother and Gasca pulled the pillow off, according to the complaint. The three children were located in Mexico in mid-May and brought back to Racine. Baratki has said they stayed with Gascas ex-husband for a while before being placed with her mother. A warrant is out for Ruizs arrest, court records show. The states railroad commissioner resigned Monday, a month after state records showed he took minimal disciplinary action against state workers who were having sex in public buildings. Gov. Scott Walker announced Tuesday he has appointed Yash Wadhwa, an engineer with 44 years of civil, environmental and transportation consulting experience, to take the position effective Jan. 11. His appointment is subject to Senate confirmation. He replaces Jeff Plale, who resigned effective Monday. Wadhwa, a Walker political supporter, has worked on infrastructure projects for various municipalities in the Milwaukee area, according to a statement Walkers office issued. He also served as a board member for the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce and as president of the Wisconsin Association of Consulting Engineers and the Wisconsin Society of Professional Engineers. Wadhwa has a masters degree in civil engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and lives in Glendale with his wife, Usha. Wadhwa has given more than $10,000 to Republican state political candidates over the past 20 years, according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. That includes nearly $5,000 for Walker during his three gubernatorial runs and recall election. Plale, a former Democratic state lawmaker from South Milwaukee, was appointed railroad commissioner in 2011. He was unseated in the Senate by then-Milwaukee County Board member Chris Larson. Plale was one of two Democratic state senators who voted against the extension of state employee union contracts in December 2010 before Walker took office, blocking the contracts from taking effect. Plales term as railroad commissioner was set to expire on March 1, 2017. Last fall, Walker made the case to state lawmakers that proposed changes to the states century-old civil service system were necessary in order to streamline hiring and firing decisions. He used an example of two state employees who were caught having sex in public buildings but werent fired. In December, records revealed Plale had issued the two employees reprimand letters in November 2011. Then in 2014, Plale took the additional step of removing the reprimand letter from at least one of their personnel files. The records showed no attempts at further discipline. State labor experts said Plale could have considered any discipline including termination, but he appeared to render the lightest possible discipline. Walker offered no praise for Plales service in his announcement Tuesday. In Plales resignation letter, released by Walkers office, he thanked Walker for the opportunity to serve. It has been a genuine pleasure serving the citizens of Wisconsin in this capacity, Plale, 47, wrote. However, at this point in my life, my family and I feel the need to explore other opportunities. No one has ever pointed an accusing finger at my white skin and associated it with the atrocities committed by other people of my race which would include thousands of pedophile priests, the Ku Klux Klan, those who shot up Columbine, Sandy Hook, the Sikh temple, a theater, who bombed the federal building in Oklahoma City or the greedy bankers who crashed our economy. Nothing on my passport denotes religion. People coming from Middle Eastern countries could be Christian, Sikh, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, atheist or Muslim. Some white and black Americans choose the Muslim faith. How does religion determine who to keep out? Mahatma Gandhi said "An eye for an eye keeps the whole world blind." The horrific actions of 9/11 were revenge for our support of Israel against the Palestinians, our keeping dictators in power and more. We reacted with revenge by attacking two countries, unleashing endless wars that have now moved to Syria. Syrians driven from their homes by war are victims of this violence, not the perpetrators. Their nationality and religion do not make them guilty. Martin Luther King said the people of the world will either learn to coexist or nonexist. Our endless wars and racist, hateful words are pushing us toward the latter. In these winter celebrations of Peace on Earth and Martin Luther King Jr. Day, let's remember that most of us have ancestors who came here seeking a better life, often facing discrimination. Let's stop the hate and welcome the Syrians. Connie Hohlfeld Molbeck Caledonia Withering on the Vine The Demographic Time Bomb is Most Marked in Japan The demographic time bomb whereby the elderly population assumes a greater and ... Government Sexual Libertinism Coming to a Government School Near You Further to our piece yesterday on the promotion of sexual libertinism in government schools, we rep... Some Random Observations The Aftermath of Mass Pre-Mediated Murder A few observations on the murder of 14 people in San Bernadino and the wounding of many more see... Letter From the UK (About State Tyranny) Ta-ta UK freedoms! Miranda matter outs vindictiveness of wounded police state Annie Machon is a former intelligence of... The Big One The Panoptican State Is Actually Operational Yesterday the "big one" dropped. The Guardian reported that the US and UK spy age... Fraud Central German Professor: NASA Has Fiddled Climate Data On Unbelievable Scale by James Delingpole BreitbartLondon A German professor ha... Statist Groupthink More and More Fashionable The Rise of Liberal Intolerance in America Edward Luce Financial Times I t ought to be a triumphal moment for American liberalism .... Vacuous Greenism Anti-Fracking Luddiocy Think of any technology that involves carbon based energy and its utilisation, and the lunatic fringe can be found ... "It is Finished": the Sixth Word from the Cross It is Finished: our Lords Sixth Word from the Cross What is history? That simple question covers a multitude of complexity, profundity... JURIST Guest Columnist Ryan Matthews of St. Johns University School of Law Class of 2016, is the eighth author in a twelve-part series from the staffers of the Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development. Matthews discusses discriminatory No Promo Homo laws The US Supreme Court recently decided in favor of same-sex marriage in the long awaited case of Obergefell v. Hodges [PDF]. As a supporter of LGBT rights, this decision makes me uneasy. I worry this decision will be seen as the end of the gay rights movement. Mission accomplished, time to go home. The gay rights movement has been so focused on marriage rights that other discriminatory laws have been overlooked or ignored. My hope is that instead the decision will be a stepping stone towards eradicating these laws across the nation. No Promo Homo laws are the most discriminatory laws you have never heard of. Hidden in education laws, they restrict the promotion of homosexuality in public school classrooms by prohibiting the teaching of homosexuality or requiring its condemnation. They exist in eight states: Alabama, Arizona, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Utah. For example Utah requires their board of education to prohibit instruction in the advocacy of homosexuality. A more egregious Texas law requires teaching that homosexuality is not an acceptable lifestyle and is a criminal offense. Appallingly, Texas cites the very penal law found unconstitutional in the landmark 2003 Lawrence v. Texas case. It is clear that legislatures in some states disagree and resist homosexual rights even 10 years after the decision in Lawrence. These states have kept their discriminatory agenda on the books by burying these laws in education bills, taking advantage of their broad discretion in the area of education. These laws are not outdated; indeed they have only been around since the 1980s. To combat the teachings of acceptance by the 1960s gay rights movement, these states responded by teaching hate. As the gay rights movement continues to make strides across the nation and same-sex marriage becomes inevitable, states look to No Promo Homo laws as their last avenue for spreading anti-gay beliefs. In 2013 Utah House Bill 363 proposed an expansion of their law to also prohibit classroom instruction in or advocacy of homosexuality. Teachers would be barred from even recognizing homosexual students or instructing them about homosexuality. This bill proposed in Utahs ban on same-sex marriage was found unconstitutional in Kitchen v. Herbert. When I bring this law to the attention of my classmates they always ask, Is a law like this actually followed? The ever-practical law student wants to know what impact, if any, these laws are having. They doubt the law is being followed and believe it is just an outdated law simply forgotten about and left on the books. However the evidence is overwhelming that these laws are being followed. The national Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLESN) warns that No Promo Homo laws have created a hostile and discriminatory learning environment for LGBT youth. GLESN reports that states with these laws have significantly higher levels of victimization based on sexual orientation than states without, contributing to LGBT youths high suicide rates. Two students in Alabama recently campaigned to remove their No Promo Homo law. The students argued it is school sponsored bullying, blaming the school for taking part in their discrimination. Unfortunately these students were unsuccessful with their petition. Clearly state-by-state legislative change is unlikely and will be slow; these laws must be challenged in court as unconstitutional. The constitutional challenge to No Promo Homo laws is strong and multi-faceted. The constitutionality claim of teachers and students is based on the First Amendment. Cases throughout the years have interpreted free speech rights and have specifically detailed when and if speech can be barred in school. In the case of Tinker v. Des Moines the Supreme Court reaffirmed constitutional rights in school, holding, it can hardly be argued that students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech at the school gate. In order to regulate speech, a school must show that discussing homosexuality will lead to a substantial disruption of school activities. Mere disagreement of opinion is not enough, given that undifferentiated fear or apprehension of disturbance is not enough to overcome the right to freedom of expression. Discussion about homosexuality does not substantially disrupt school activities to justify a ban on speech of teachers and students. In fact studies repeatedly show that discussing all lifestyles in school leads to a more inclusive and safe environment. It is clear that the ban is nothing more than a difference of opinion, therefore it violates the free speech of teachers and students. These laws also violate the Equal Protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. No Promo Homo laws discriminate against students on many different levels. Some only impliedly do so, like a South Carolina law which requires schools to promote heterosexual marriage in their education. This law does not facially discriminate against LGBT students but favors heterosexuality and implies that homosexuality is of less value. Others are facially discriminatory and require the condemnation of LGBT students in the classroom setting. Equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment requires that both types of laws are rationally related to a legitimate state purpose. Although it is a low standard, it is unlikely states will be able to satisfy it. Arguments against homosexuality are not related to legitimate interests of the state and are instead related to religious doctrine. These states may also proffer that homosexuality education threatens legitimate state interests in family life and child care, yet these arguments have been repeatedly struck down in recent same-sex marriage cases. Courts find no evidence that LGBT couples are any less successful in raising a family than their heterosexual counterparts. No Promo Homo laws are not rationally related to any legitimate state interest and hence also violate Equal Protection. These constitutional arguments against No Promo Homo laws deserve their chance in court. As Justice Kennedy stated in the majority opinion of Obergefell, They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right. No Promo Homo laws should be the next item on the gay rights agenda to ensure this equal dignity is given to our students and teachers as well. Ryan Matthews is a third-year student at St. Johns University School of Law. He was a student intern with the Consumer Justice for the Elderly: Litigation Clinic and currently works at District Council 37 Municipal Employees Legal Services. Ryan is a senior staff member of the Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development. Suggested citation: Ryan Matthews, The Most Discriminatory Laws Youve Never Heard Of, JURIST Student Commentary, January 6, 2016, http://jurist.org/dateline/2016/1/6/ryan-matthews-lgbt-rights.php [JURIST] The high court of Bangladesh on Monday upheld the death sentence of Motiur Rahman Nizami for war crimes committed in the countrys war for independence against Pakistan in 1971. Nizamis conviction was upheld [BBC report] on charges of genocide, murder, torture, and rape. A war crimes tribunal, established in 2010, convicted [JURIST report] Nizami of the aforementioned charges in 2014. Nizami led Bangladeshs largest Islamist political party, Jamaat-e-Islami, from 2001-2006. Nizami is one of the most significant figures to be prosecuted by the tribunal. It is likely Nizami will be executed in the upcoming months. The International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh (ICTB) [official website], established under the International Crimes Act, is charged with investigating and prosecuting war crimes committed during the 1971 conflict, in which about 3 million people were killed. Critics accuse the Bangladeshi government of using the war tribunal as a mechanism to eliminate political opposition. A total of four opposition politicians [Al Jazeera report] have received death sentences by the tribunal, including three political leaders of Nazimis party. In November two senior opposition leaders were executed, despite pressure from international rights groups to halt the executions [JURIST report]s. Earlier in November, the Bangladeshi government called the criticism intolerable [JURIST report] and asked an international human rights group to retract its statements. Generally, the rights groups argue the judicial process fails to meet international standards. [JURIST] The US Department of Justice (DOJ) [official website] on Monday filed a lawsuit [complaint, PDF] against Volkswagen [corporate website] for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act. The complaint was filed on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) [official website] alleging that approximately 600,000 vehicles contained illegal defeat devices, which Volkswagen failed to disclose. Defeat devices,according to reports, were able to recognize when a vehicle was being tested and reduced emissions during the test, but the vehicles were actually emitting up to 40 times more nitrogen oxide than allowed under US law. The complaint seeks injunctive relief as well as civil penalties [Reuters report] totaling over $18 billion. The filing of this complaint is the latest development in the Volkswagen scandal [JURIST comment]. Last year the Braunschweig public prosecutors office opened a criminal investigation [JURIST report] of former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn, following accusations that the company cheated on government emissions tests by manipulating exhaust valves. The investigation followed several criminal complaints, including one filed by Volkswagen, and came less than a week after Winterkorn stepped down as CEO of the company. In his statement he accepted responsibility for the irregularities that have been found in diesel engines and said that he was clearing the way for this fresh start with [his] resignation. A sharia high court in Nigeria on Wednesday sentenced cleric Abdulaziz Dauda and nine others to death by hanging for committing blasphemy against the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. The prosecution [BBC report] claimed that Duada, a preacher also known as Abdul Inyass, stated that the Sheikh Ibrahim Niasse, the founder of a rival sect, enjoyed a larger following in the region than Muhammad. The prosecution further asserted that Dauda and his disciples incited people to perpetrate religious violence. The trial took place behind closed doors to avoid public protest. Several mainly Muslim northern states in Nigeria introduced sharia courts [official website] into law after the country returned to civilian rule in 1999, and a version of sharia is practiced alongside Western-style justice. Islamist rebel group Boko Haram [BBC backgrounder] continues to seek the overthrow of the Nigerian government to install more pro-Muslim control. In July the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called on [JURIST report] Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate reports of both military abuses and crimes committed by the Islamist rebel group. In June Amnesty International reported [JURIST report] that around 8,000 Nigerian civilians have been killed since 2011 as a result of abuses by military forces. The report attributes civilian deaths to torture, starvation, suffocation and executions by military forces at detention camps. [JURIST] US President Barack Obama [official profile] on Tuesday announced [remarks] executive actions on gun control [WH fact sheet]. The plan would require those in the business of selling firearms, including those selling firearms at gun shows, to be licensed and conduct background checks, thus closing the infamous gun show loophole [TIME report]. Those seeking to purchase more dangerous firearms such as sawed-off shotguns or machine guns would have to pass background checks through trusts or corporations. While Obama stressed the importance of effective and efficient law enforcement as a means to reduce gun violence, the he also addressed issues of mental health. Obama announced that the plan will provide additional funding for mental health treatment and ensure that mental health records are included in background checks. Gun control [JURIST backgrounder] and the Second Amendment continue to be controversial national topics, and gun awareness has risen in the wake of recent shootings across the nation. In December the US Court of Appeals for the District of Colombia Circuit vacated [JURIST report] a lower court ruling that found that a DC gun law requiring a concealed carry permit outside of the home may violate the Constitution. In October Maines revised concealed carry law went into effect [JURIST report] allowing legal gun owners to carry concealed weapons without a permit. Earlier that month the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld [JURIST report] the main parts of Connecticut and New York gun control legislation that ban semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity magazines. In September the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a mixed ruling [JURIST report] on DC gun laws, ultimately upholding six and striking down four controversial elements of the Firearms Registration Amendment Act and the Firearms Amendment Act of 2012. The laws were created in response to the Supreme Court striking down [JURIST report] a DC law prohibiting firearm ownership in 2008. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein [official profile] on Wednesday said that the Thai government should fully investigate [press release] the whereabouts of at least 82 people listed as disappeared, and criminalize forced disappearance through legislation. Included on the list of disappeared is lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit, who went missing nearly 12 years ago. Witnesses at the time reported seeing Somchai being forced into a car on the night he disappeared, which occurred [HRW report] in the midst of a high-profile lawsuit he was handling, which alleged police torture of several Muslim suspects. Six successive Thai prime ministers have called on law enforcement agencies to throw their full weight behind investigations to no avail. The high commissioner on Wednesday stated, [a]ll of the families of those who have disappeared have the right to know the truth regarding the disappearance of their kin, as well as any progress and the results of investigations. Human rights groups worldwide have expressed growing concern over Thailands governmental impunity since it became a military junta in May 2014. Last month Amnesty International called for [JURIST report] a thorough investigation into torture allegations levied against the police responsible for the arrests of two men in relation to the Koh Tao murders. The men, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun, were found guilty of the murder of two British tourists in the vacation island of Koh Tao. The defense team for the Myanmar nationals claims that their confessions were coerced, and that DNA evidence linking the men to the crime was severely mishandled and unreliable. The previous month Human Rights Watch said that a proposed provision [JURIST report] in Thailands constitution would permit the nations military to commit human rights abuses without fear of punishment in violation of international treaties. A new constitutional provision before Thailands legislative body, known as the National Council for Peace and Order, would exculpate the use of force by military personnel if the conduct is carried out with honest intention in the interest of national security. Earlier that month the UN Human Rights Office for South-East Asia urged Thailand to immediately close [JURIST report] a military detention center in Bangkok where two high-profile inmates died in October. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) [official website] said Tuesday that the civilian death toll in Yemen has reached nearly 2,800 [press release] over nine months of fighting. The UN reported that the number of civilian deaths rose sharply in December despite an agreed upon cease-fire by the warring parties. The conflict is responsible for 8,119 civilian casualties, including 2,795 dead and 5,324 wounded. The numbers stem in part from the use of illegal cluster munitions [JURIST report], which spread bomblets over a wide area, many of which do not immediately explode, allowing the bomblets to kill or maim civilians long after a conflict ends. The rapidly deteriorating situation in Yemen has sparked significant international concern. Last month the UN World Food Programme appealed to all the parties involved in the Yemen conflict to allow the safe passage of food [JURIST report] to the city of Taiz where people have been going hungry for weeks. In October Amnesty International called for an independent investigation into possible war crimes surrounding the destruction of a hospital [JURIST report] run by Doctors Without Borders in Yemen. Also in October human rights organizations criticized the UN Human Rights Council for passing a resolution on Yemen that did not call for an independent international war crimes investigation [JURIST report]. Yes, you can transfer your domain to any registrar or hosting company once you have purchased it. Since domain transfers are a manual process, it can take up to 5 days to transfer the domain. Domains purchased with payment plans are not eligible to transfer until all payments have been made. Please remember that our 30-day money back guarantee is void once a domain has been transferred. For transfer instructions to GoDaddy, please click here. 25 kw wind-solar hybrid energy project redefining Bhorleni Never had Chatur Bahadur Ghalani of Phaparbari VDC-3 in Bhorleni, Makawanpur believed that the electricity could be generated from other sources besides water and sun. 5 die, 29 injured in Dang accident Five people were killed and 29 got injured in an accident near at Saurikulan in Ghorahi-Tulsipur road section on early Wednesday. Blockade will be lifted soon, says Deuba Blockade will be lifted soon, says Deuba Regmi is a former deputy executive director of the Trade and Export Promotion Centre. Despite measures, Thamels night life plan put on hold Plans to run Kathmandus tourist hub Thamel around the clock have hit a snag as local administration has asked for more time to do homework while sine qua non for a proper night life are lacking. Farmers hurt by falling prices The floor price of sugarcane for this year has been fixed at Rs448 per quintal. The price was Rs481 four years ago Mostly bad news The year just ended was marked by setbacks for press freedom NTA shows concerns over Ncell share transfer Chairperson of the telecom regulator expresses concerns about the ongoing deal as it has been kept completely out of the loop regarding the process Poudel meets Indian External Affairs Minister Swaraj, Home Minister Singh Nepali Congress Vice President Ram Chandra Poudel held discussions with Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi on Wednesday. Traders, SLMM cadres clash at Birgunj-Raxaul border Two Morcha cadres were injured following the clash between the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha and local traders of Birgunj and Raxual at Miteri Bridge at Birgunj-Raxaul border point on Wednesday morning. 1. Yes. Its important to cast my votes early and avoid the lines on Election Day. 2. Yes. With nearly two weeks of early voting, its a more convenient way to take part. 3. No. Its better to wait until Election Day, in case any last-minute information surfaces. 4. No. Im not planning to vote early or on Election Day. It isnt worth my time. 5. Unsure. It depends on how the campaigns are shaping up. Ill play it by ear. Vote View Results Welcome! You have come to the right place. Khmerization is a home to the Cambodian daily news, which is updated twice daily. Please take a tour and enjoy yourself. Thank you. To contact Khmerization please send an email to: Trollfest '09 Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, How I sold out to da Man. Robbie Bell again performs: Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells and Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to Dancing with the Stars, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango. Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and Big Cat Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything). Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge. Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson". In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word jackass was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up. In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates. Trollfest '09 is a pet-friendly event as well. Feel free to bring your dog with you and do not worry if your pet gets hungry, as employees of the Jackson Zoo will be on hand to provide some of their animals as food when it gets to be feeding time for your little loved one. Relax at the Fox News Tent. Since there are only three blonde reporters in Jackson (being blonde is a requirement for working at Fox News), Megan and Kathryn from WAPT and Wendy from WLBT will be on loan to Fox. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both and a torn-up Obama yard sign will entitle you to free drinks served by Megan, Wendy, and Kathryn. Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required. Just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '09 is for EVERYONE!!! This is definitely a Beaver production. Note: Security provided by INS. Welcome! Welcome to KlamBlog. The purpose of this blog is to keep the People of the Klamath River Basin and others who are interested in the Basin informed about what is going on in the politics of the Basin - particularly the environmental politics - that is not making it into the mainstream media, is not available in "in-Basin" media or that is being spun by the media or others. What you will get here, however, is a perspective, one which I hope will enlighten, inspire, inform, outrage, surprise and motivate you to take action. Sometimes you will also find an action alert, what others have written or press clips. If you have something relevant you'd like to share - a comment or clip about the Klamath - send it to unofelice@gmail.com. All submissions will be considered for publication here; decisions are final and not subject to appeal. AUBURN Beginning his 17th year as Auburns mayor this month, Norm Yoder said Monday his goal for 2016 is to keep the city steered in the right direction. As other DeKalb County communities made major news headlines in 2015, Yoder said the year in Auburn was not as eventful. He hopes to see some changes for the city in 2016, but he said there arent many big projects that come to mind. Were on target for 2016, Yoder said. We dont have a wish list of projects. Development and renovation Yoder was glad to see renovations of various downtown buildings this year, he said. Developments by private investors spurred momentum and drive for government officials to boost downtown, he said. A new, form-based downtown zoning code, with an emphasis on aesthetics, is pending for the city. With the Auburn Development Advisory Committee leading the process, the city has applied for a state grant to improve downtown streetscapes. Auburn could be awarded up to $400,000 for work on Main and 6th streets. Yoder said he is grateful for private investors making changes in the city. Private developments are good for quality of life, Yoder said. (Investors) have stepped up downtown. We are very appreciative of that. The more of that takes place the better. We have a fairly intact downtown, and we want to keep it that way. Yoder praised the renovations to the triangular lot across from the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum on Wayne Street. He said the project will have a lasting effect for the city for a long time. Museum officials are satisfied with the work, and the city has a beautiful new south entrance, so its a win-win situation, Yoder said. He hopes to see more similar situations in Auburn in 2016, he said. Where we can work together with people in the city is when I feel the best, when the city can assist and make a good situation better, Yoder said. (In 2016) we will spread that around the city. New projects Auburn is under an agreed order from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to separate its sewers into storm water and wastewater drains. That project is ongoing in southwest Auburn. Yoder said its scheduled to be completed in mid- to late summer this year. City officials also will conduct a water rate study this year and consider raising rates. The water utility rate hasnt been raised since 1998, and now expenses are higher than the income for the citys water department, Yoder said. The department is selling less water, but costs still are going up, he said. Yoder said the citys street department workers will aim to do as much road repair this spring as they did last spring. First Street between Jackson and Main streets is on the list to be repaired in the spring. The mayor said other roads would be examined after winter is over to determine if they need repairs. Parks department officials this year will evaluate the swimming pool at Eckhart Park, Yoder said. The pool is aging and soon will need renovations. Eric Ditmars took over the department in July following Rick Howers retirement. Under Ditmars leadership, the department will expand some of its programming, Yoder said. Yoder said Auburn Essential Services has been a success story since its inception 10 years ago. The department will continue to expand its fiber network to bring broadband Internet services to local businesses and other communities, he said. AES subscriber numbers are good and in line with what he hoped they would be when AES began, he said. AES has done everything we expected it to, Yoder said. We were chastised for the decision (to start AES), but it turned out to be the right decision. Police controversy In August, the Auburn Police Department was a subject of controversy after Chief Martin D. McCoy announced that evidence was missing from the police evidence locker. A total of $2,033 in cash was missing, as well as four knives, eight .22-caliber bullets and a 12-gauge shotgun. As the result of an internal investigation, two police officers were handed suspensions for failing to follow portions of the police departments standard operating procedure. One officer has served that suspension, but the other still is considering to appeal his suspension, Yoder said. Investigators couldnt prove that anyone had stolen the evidence. Yoder said once the officers serve their suspensions, the department will have as much closure as it can. More security has been implemented at the evidence room since the incident. If we could prove (that someone stole the evidence), we would take action, Yoder said. But police are entitled to the same protections as the public. People often like to demonize police officers, but most want to serve and help, Yoder said. They put themselves in personal jeopardy for the good of the public, he said. Even so, they have a high-profile job and are only human, he said. The city has experimented with requiring officers to wear body cameras, and police department officials will continue to evaluate that, Yoder said. But he added that cameras cant capture everything happening around an officer during an incident. The police department is set to open its new training facility this year on the citys southwest side, near the intersection of Auburn and Grandstaff drives. Law enforcement officers from Auburn and the region will use the facility for regular training. Yoder said he hopes the facility also will be used for firearm safety training courses for the public. Looking ahead Over his mayoral tenure, the community has evolved, Yoder said. He often learns more than he thinks he knows about a given subject from listening to his constituents, he said. This year, a new member, Todd Sanderson, will join the Auburn Common Council. Yoder said he is looking forward to seeing what ideas Sanderson will bring to the table. New perspectives and change are healthy, Yoder said. With so many Auburn citizens who are invested in the city and willing to give their time, money and other resources back to the community, Yoder said he feels very fortunate to be mayor. He recalled the philanthropic foundation that Charles Eckhart instilled in Auburn a century ago and said he is glad to see that philosophy continue. Im blessed to live in a good community with people who care, Yoder said. The examples of that are all over. ANGOLA Cameron Memorial Community Hospitals first baby of the year took her time arriving. Parents Jessica Newton and Brayden Shirley welcomed their first baby, Scarlett Rose Shirley, on Tuesday at 12:53 p.m. Scarlett weighed 6 lb. 8.5 oz. and was 18 in. long. Both mother and baby are doing well. She came a few days early, Jessica said. Scarlett was delivered by Dr. William Smith. Cameron staff presented the baby with a variety of gifts to help Jessica and Brayden with their newborn. Retailers who donated gifts for the new baby included the Cameron Gift Shop, Walmart Super Center, Lakeland Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation, Angola Area Chamber of Commerce, Oshkosh B-Gosh Outlet, Steuben County WIC Program and the Cameron OB Department. Both parents expressed their gratitude for the gifts, and are looking forward to taking their new baby home. Thank you so much to all the businesses and the hospital for the wonderful gifts, Jessica said. The people here are really nice, Brayden said. The family resides in Angola and are new to the area, only having lived in Steuben County for the past month. Months after they originally were slated for release and amid legislators calls to at least temporarily lessen their importance, the Indiana Department of Education issued districts and schools ISTEP+ scores for tests taken last year. As had been expected by the DOE and local school corporation officials, the percentage of students passing the English and math portions of the 2014-2015 assessment was lower, compared to previous years. Thats because during the 2014-2015 school year the state transitioned to a different test designed to meet Indiana-specific academic standards. Delays in evaluating exam results and setting cut scores the score a student had to achieve in order to pass the different sections of the ISTEP+ pushed back the DOEs release of 2014-2015 results from the fall until today. According to the DOE, 67.3 percent of Hoosier students in grades 3-8 passed the English and language-arts portion of the 2014-2015 ISTEP+, while 61 percent passed the math section of the exam. More than half of all Indiana students 53.5 percent passed both portions of the test. In addition, 69.2 percent of fourth- and sixth-grade students across Indiana passed the science section of last years ISTEP+; and 70.4 percent of fifth- and seventh-grade students passed an optional social studies section, the DOE reported. Of the students who took the 2013-2014 version of the ISTEP+, 80.7 percent passed the English section; 83.5 percent passed the math section; and 74.7 percent passed both sections. The DOE had warned school districts last fall ISTEP+ scores would be substantially lower than in previous years, falling on average 16 percentage points for the English portion of the test and 24 percentage points for the math portion of the test. Some school districts that were incensed by the delays, the anticipated drop in scores and what they view as continued problems in administering the annual assessment, such as Central Noble Community School Corp., wrote letters in recent months to state leaders expressing their frustrations. In some cases, they warned they would advise parents to hold their children out of future ISTEP+ testing if the state failed to take action. ISTEP+ scores are used by the DOE to determine annual A-F accountability grades for districts and schools. They also factor into districts reviews of teacher performance. State Sen. Dennis Kruse, R-Auburn, has introduced a bill in the General Assembly that would prevent A-F grades issued for the 2014-2015 school year from being lower than the 2013-2014 school year. Gov. Mike Pence also supports reducing the importance of ISTEP+ scores in determining A-F accountability grades and teacher performance. Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz called the 2014-2015 ISTEP+ scores a new baseline for Indianas progress towards college and career ready benchmarks. Then she advocated for the exams elimination. My top priority is the educational, social and emotional well-being of Hoosier students, Ritz, a Democrat, said in a news release accompanying the ISTEP+ scores. That is why I believe that is it time for Indiana to move away from the costly, lengthy, pass/fail ISTEP+ assessment. The one-size-fits-all, high-stakes approach of the ISTEP+ needs to end. Instead, Indiana should move towards a streamlined, individualized, student-centered assessment that provides students, families and educators with quick feedback about how a student is performing and how they have grown during a school year. Central Noble Superintendent Alan Middleton said the DOE was obligated to release ISTEP+ results, and while the decline in scores wasnt unexpected the 2014-2015 exam cheated students of being able to perform well. Its in the hands of our legislators now and the hands of our leaders, and they need to do their jobs and come to grips with not penalizing schools and not penalizing kids with this data, and seek a better approach, he said. East Noble Superintendent Ann Linson said district leaders, teachers and school administrators realize the new standards and the use of an unreliable testing tool caused an overwhelming number of students across the state to experience a drop in scores. East Noble students are no different, she said in an email. I applaud our legislators and governor for supporting teachers across Indiana and for working toward an accountability solution that recognizes their hard work and does not punish them for the standards changes and variables that are out of their control. Reporters Steve Garbacz and Dennis Nartker contributed to this story. LAGRANGE A Michigan man pleaded guilty to a single count of battery of an 8-month-old child Tuesday, avoiding an anticipated four-day jury trial in LaGrange Circuit Court. Skyler D. Baker, 23, of Three Rivers, Michigan, agreed through his attorney, Richard Thonert of Fort Wayne, to a deal in which he pleaded guilty to a single count of battery causing serious injury to a person less than 14 years in age, a Class B felony. Baker was arrested in 2014 after he injured an 8-month-old child by aggressively grabbing the infant by the neck and shoulders. Baker, according to court documents, then held the child tightly to his chest, causing the infant to stop breathing for an estimated 15 seconds. Baker and his then girlfriend, the childs biological mother, were staying with relatives in LaGrange County, the documents state. On March 3, 2014, the victims mother asked Baker to watch the child while she left to get them lunch. While the mother was gone, Baker became frustrated because the child would not stop fussing and crying, and he battered the child. After the mother returned and found the injured child, the child was taken to LaGrange Parkview Hospital, where Baker and his then girlfriend told the staff the child had been injured when it suffered a seizure, the court documents state. But the hospital staff never witnessed the child having a seizure, and a doctors examination of the infant suggested the childs injuries, which included multiple bruises on the face, neck and shoulder, were more likely caused by a direct blow or squeezing. While still at the hospital, Baker consented to an interview with LaGrange County Sheriff Departments detectives and admitted to holding the child against his chest with his hand on the back of the infants head until the the child stopped crying and moving, the court document state. He told police he never intended to hurt the child. Baker had been investigated for a similar incident about a month earlier in Michigan, but child protective services officers declined to pursue criminal charges against him. Bakers attorney attempted to have that information suppressed during a pretrial hearing but was overruled by LaGrange Circuit Court Judge J. Scott VanDerbeck, who said he would allow the state to present it as admissible evidence when Baker went to trial. Thonert had first offered for Baker to plead guilty to a Class D felony, but that was rejected by the LaGrange County prosecutors office. I thought the situation called for something more than that, said Travis Glick, chief deputy prosecutor. I thought the evidence we had was strong. The agreement reached Tuesday calls for Baker to be sentenced to 10 years in prison, but caps the executable portion of the sentence at six years. Baker will return to LaGrange Circuit Court Feb. 1 for sentencing. LaGrange County Prosecutor Greg Kenner called Tuesdays plea agreement a good deal. Glick said the victims mother approved of the plea deal. She said she was very satisfied with the plea, he added. Kendallville, IN (46755) Today Rain ending this morning. Remaining cloudy. Snow may mix in. High 43F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 31F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Tuesday's strong, steady storm was a powerhouse, flooding streets, putting the LA River to work channeling fast-moving runoff toward the sea, and racking up record rainfall totals across Los Angeles. "This is not a bashful El Nino. This is a brash El Nino," JPL climatologist Bill Patzert tells the LA Times. (Patzert shared his El Nino tips and insights with Curbed earlier this weekread up!) He says that Tuesday's storm racked up more rain than any single day in the last year, with the exception of September 15, "when the remnants of Hurricane Linda washed ashore." But that September day wasn't followed by several more days of rain. Yesterday's storm certainly will be. By 2 pm,Tuesday's downpour had brought 1.39 inches of rain to Downtown, 1.75 inches to Beverly Hills, 1.79 inches to South Gate, 2.2 inches to Pasadena, and 2.46 inches to poor Alhambra (at least one street was captured looking quite pond-like). LAX's old record of 1.32 inches was demolished by yesterday's 1.42 inches of rain at the airport, says the LA Daily News, citing National Weather Service reports. It also seems like that old stereotype about LA drivers and rain rang true yesterday on both streets and freeways. "There is definitely an increase in traffic incidents, especially with big rigs," a rep for the California Highway Patrol's Southern Division in LA County tells the LADN, and the LAPD also noted an overall uptick in traffic accidents. In the Sepulveda Basin area, Burbank Boulevard at the 405 Freeway, Hayvenhurst, Balboa, and Victory were all closed. (Burbank and Balboa is where that already-infamous Mini Cooper was submerged.) No need to check the weather in Los Angeles. Traffic tells you everything you need to know. #rainpocalypse pic.twitter.com/5NyDuGZs6X Laura J. Nelson (@laura_nelson) January 5, 2016 And that was just the beginning, it seems. Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard, tells the Daily News that the four-storm series hitting this week will really kick into gear today, possibly creating wind gusts of up to 60 mph in the Antelope Valley. Another NWS meteorologist, Emily Thornton, tells the Times that the "bigger story" with today's storm is that "it'll be over a longer period of time," meaning that it could potentially bring even more precipitation than yesterday's deluge, which moved through town fairly quickly. The rain should taper off around late Thursday, but there's also the potential for more wetness next week or over the weekend. (Need sandbags or updates on flood warnings? Los Angeles has got a map for that.) Wed storm potential impacts: burn area debris flows, roadway flooding, downed trees, and dangerous winter storm conditions. #cawx #ElNino NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) January 6, 2016 El Nino storm sets rain records in California [LAT] Second of four storms pounds Southern California [LADN] 13 Wildest Images of Today's Monster Los Angeles Rainstorm [Curbed LA] An Expert Explains: What Exactly Should Los Angeles Expect From This Winter's Brewing El Nino? [Curbed LA] It took longer than both sides had hoped, but the transformation of La Crosses former Roosevelt Elementary School building into affordable housing should begin this summer. Gorman & Co. Wisconsin market president Ted Matkom said his company should close on the building, owned by the School District of La Crosse, in early June. The Roosevelt project was discussed in closed session on Dec. 21, Superintendent Randy Nelson said, with the board of education giving the district authority to negotiate on its behalf. Nelson said he plans to bring the agreement to the board for consideration at its Jan. 25 meeting. The original timeline for the project had the developer buying the building in August 2015, but Matkom said struggles with financing the project, including being turned down for state tax credits and a loan, resulted in a number of delays. Gorman specializes in neighborhood revitalization, including the Gund Brewery Lofts on the South Side of La Crosse and the Grand River Station apartments above the downtown transit center. The $6.6 million Roosevelt project would buy the school from the district for $300,000 and convert it into 32 affordable housing units where tenants could earn no more than 60 percent of the countys median income $25,000 if single or up to $45,000 for a family of four. Gorman submitted the winning bid out of four presented to the district in 2014, but has run into a number of stumbling blocks since. North Side residents voiced strong opposition to the idea of low-income housing at an Aug. 25, 2014, public meeting, citing fears about trash, graffiti or losing the playground as part of the renovations. Instead, most at the meeting shared a desire for senior or market-rate housing, and District 1 council member Andrea Richmond said she hopes Gorman will move in that direction when leasing the apartments to tenants. Richmond said she was happy things were going forward with the project and hopes it will blend well with neighbors. Its a great thing for the neighborhood, she said. Im very happy its moving forward. Residents concerns were just the first stumbling block. The state didnt score the project high enough in May to grant a share of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program from the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority. That caused a $300,000 shortfall in the projects budget, Matkom said at the time. The company was helped out somewhat by the city, which agreed to provide an additional $150,000 in Community Development Block Grant funding in June, bringing the total amount of block grant loans for the project to $400,000. Gorman had still hoped to close on the building before the end of the year, Matkom said, but other complications, including a failed loan bid, meant that wouldnt work. The project is still going forward, he said, with Gorman continuing to work with its banks and investors, waiving its contingencies on the project and agreeing to purchase the property from the district in early June with closing around the same time. We are still trying to get things together, Matkom said. Weve had a gap in funds and are trying to figure that out. Nelson said the district is excited to have a purchase agreement on the property. Nelson said he intends to send out a mailing notifying North Side residents of the agreement sometime this week. The Boys & Girls Club of Greater La Crosse has shown interest in using the facility in the interim, but no agreement between the two organizations has yet been made. The important thing for the district, Nelson said, is that it brings closure to a process we began a few years ago. To get the property on the tax rolls. From the public files of the La Crescent Police Department. Monday, Dec. 21 Order of protection papers placed on file, Main St. Citation issued for ordinance violation regarding a specified public nuisance, Main St. 1:13 a.m. Suspicious activity, Hokah. 1:43 p.m. Harassment restraining order papers placed on file, Main St. 3:21 p.m. Opened Shore Acres gate bypass, Shore Acres Rd. 10:11 p.m. Suspicious activity reported, S. Third St. 11:28 p.m. Assist Houston County Sheriffs Office with domestic situation, CTH 6. Tuesday, Dec. 22 7:52 a.m. Traffic stop for drivers license violation, S. Sixth St. 10:02 a.m. La Crescent resident applied for permit to purchase. 12:35 a.m. Minor two-vehicle property damage crash reported, Hwy. 14/16/61. 12:44 p.m. Minnesota driver and vehicle services requested a records check on a La Crescent resident, Main St. 3:59 p.m. La Crescent resident applied for permit to purchase a firearm. 8:06 p.m. Shore Acres bypass gate request, Shore Acres Rd. Wednesday, Dec. 23 Houston County Sheriffs Office records check for permit to carry application, Main St. 11:30 a.m. Civil property dispute, Shore Acres Rd. 1:28 p.m. Assisted La Crescent Fire Department with a fire in a kitchen stove, N. 12th Ct. 2:43 p.m. Spoke to three high school classes on evidence collection and DNA, Lancer Blvd. 7:02 p.m. Assisted resident with unlocking his vehicle, N. First St. 7:55 p.m. Assault incident reported, Grandview Ct. Incident under investigation. Thursday, Dec. 24 Identity theft reported, Main St. 12:42 a.m. 20-year-old La Crosse male cited for possession of a small amount of marijuana. Hwy. 14/61. 1:41 a.m. Internet fraud reported, N. Fourth St. Under investigation. 6:47 a.m. Assist Minnesota State Patrol with a vehicle fire on I-90. 8:38 a.m. La Crescent resident applied for a permit to purchase a firearm. 9:57 a.m. La Crescent resident applied to renew a permit to purchase firearm. 12:23 p.m. Identity theft reported, N. Elm St. 1:37 p.m. Dog found, S. Chestnut St. Dog returned. 1:53 p.m. Trouble with party, Shore Acres Rd. 6:50 p.m. Assisted the sheriffs office with a welfare concern, South Ridge Rd., Houston. 7:09 p.m. Assisted the sheriffs office with a welfare concern, S. Sherman St., Houston. 9:18 p.m. Person reported having found an abandoned kitten, Hwy. 16. Friday, Dec. 25 12:14 a.m. Foot patrol/door checks, N. Elm St. 12:19 a.m. Foot patrol/door checks, Jonathan Ln. 12:20 a.m. Foot patrol/door checks, S. Second St. 12:30 a.m. Foot patrol/door checks, S. Second St. 12:39 a.m. Foot patrol/door checks, N. Hill St. 12:42 a.m. Foot patrol/door checks, Main St. Saturday, Dec. 26 11:37 a.m. Caledonia Police Department traffic stop. 4:15 p.m. Lost dog reported, N. Fourth St. Dog had been recovered earlier and brought to the shelter. Dog later returned to owner by shelter member volunteers. 11:13 p.m. Assisted Houston County Sheriffs Office deputy on traffic stop, N. Chestnut St. 11:31 p.m. Abandoned bicycle reported at Kwik Trip, S. Third St. 11:37 p.m. Assisted Houston County Sheriffs Office on traffic stop, Hwy. 14/61. Sunday, Dec. 27 12:58 a.m. Rushford woman arrested for DWI, Hwy. 16. 3:04 a.m. La Crosse woman was cited for driving after suspension, Hwy. 44. 6:50 a.m. Welfare check, N. Walnut St. 9:53 a.m. Public assistance/welfare check, S. Fifth St. 11:10 a.m. Resident reported concern regarding railroad track maintenance, Shore Acres Rd. 11:39 p.m. Assisted the La Crosse Police Department with a driving complaint, Hwy. 14/16/61. Monday, Dec. 28 9:16 a.m. Parking complaint, Redwood East. 1:38 p.m. Attempted bank fraud, S. Walnut St. 2:18 p.m. Assist human services, Moore Dr. 5:55 p.m. Trouble with juvenile, N. First St. 6:44 p.m. Property damage motor vehicle crash, Kistler Ct. Tuesday, Dec. 29 12:52 a.m. Motorist assist, N. Second St. 7:41 a.m. Motorist assist with helping vehicle stuck in snowbank, S. First St. 8:17 a.m. Motor vehicle auto unlock, Riverview Ave. 11:06 a.m. La Crescent resident applied to renew permit to purchase firearm. 11:41 a.m. Vehicle unlock, Old Hickory Rd. 11:46 a.m. Application for a permit to purchase a firearm. 12:35 p.m. Emergency medical, S. Fifth St. 3:31 p.m. Suspicious person, Cedar Dr. Everything was fine. Wednesday, Dec. 30 2:01 a.m. Suspicious vehicle, Jonathan Ln. 2:32 a.m. Vehicle located abandoned in the ditch, Ambrosia Ln. 7:53 a.m. Motorist assist for a stalled vehicle, S. Third St. 9:28 a.m. Report of a minor vehicle crash on private property, S. Chestnut St. 9:57 a.m. Welfare concern, N. Second St. 10:09 a.m. Civil issue, S. Seventh St. 11:00 a.m. Houston resident obtained car kill deer possession permit. 2:49 p.m. Found property turned into the police department, Main St. 3:19 p.m. Welfare concern, Welshire Dr. Everything was fine. 5:48 p.m. Emergency medical, Welshire Dr. Thursday, Dec. 31 7:07 a.m. Emergency medical, N. Second St. 8:22 a.m. Citation issued to a Waterloo, Iowa, woman for speeding, Hwy. 14/61. 8:39 a.m. La Crescent resident applied for permit to purchase a firearm. 10:29 a.m. Property found at La Crescent business, Kistler Dr. Returned to owner. 11:39 a.m. Dog running at large and taken to La Crescent Animal Rescue, Valley Ln. 4:26 p.m. Extra patrol request, Kistler Ct. 4:28 p.m. Assisted Houston County Sheriffs Office with a concern for welfare, Neumann Rd., Brownsville. 9:41 p.m. Parking citation, S. Second St. 10:07 p.m. Parking citation, Welshire Dr. 10:23 p.m. Parking citation, Redwood West. Friday, Jan. 1 1:56 a.m. 47-year-old La Crescent female cited for possession of marijuana, N. Fourth St. 3:25 a.m. Welfare check, Hwy. 14/61. 9:36 p.m. Verbal domestic reported, Main St. Saturday, Jan. 2 2:03 a.m. Open door located, Lancer Blvd. Building was cleared and secured by officer. 11:26 p.m. Citation issued to La Crescent man for disobeying stop sign, August Hills Dr. Sunday, Jan. 3 12:54 a.m. Arrested a La Crosse woman for possession of a controlled substance and DWI, Hwy. 14/61. 9:06 a.m. Suspicious activity, Hwy. 14/61. The exceptional landscape of the Driftless Region provides habitat for some unique plants and animals that are generally unknown to the human residents. These little-known residents of the region will be the topic of the Friends of the Black Rivers Jan. 13 meeting. Next Wednesdays meeting will be held in the Jackson County Banks community room beginning at 6:30 p.m. Armund Bartz, a Driftless Region ecologist with the Wisconsin DNRs Natural Heritage Conservation program, will give a presentation about the plants and creatures making their home in this biodiverse region. The Natural Heritage Conservation program is responsible for caring for and monitoring the states endangered resources, nongame animals and natural areas. For the last 18 years Bartz has focused his career on the inventory, management and protection of Wisconsins rare species and natural communities. The blufflands of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois hold some of the best opportunities for remnant prairie and savanna restoration in the upper Midwest, said Bartz. This unique hilly landscape, has allowed numerous scattered remnants to be spared, in part, from the cow, plow and development. These sites are not only the last vestiges of unique flora but are also the home for a wide variety of dependent vertebrate and invertebrate animals. Species of concern falling under the watchful eye of the Natural Heritage Conservation program include plants, insects, reptiles, amphibians and mammals. Along with the Karner blue butterfly, other species Bartz and concerned naturalists are monitoring include the wood turtle, the trumpeter swan and the American marten. Stationed in La Crosse, Bartz is very familiar with Driftless Region. As part of his presentation he will share a bit of the history of the environment of the area as well as information about some of the remnant prairies and savannas. The public is encouraged to attend the free program. For more information, e-mail questions to info_fbr@yahoo.com. Dec. 21 10:44 p.m.: An officer was dispatched to McDonalds after a report of a 22-year-old Elroy woman smoking marijuana in a vehicle in the drive through. A deputy later attempted to stop the vehicle in the Mission. Dec. 22 3:45 p.m.: Pedro A. Perez, 21, Black River Falls, was arrested for battery after a report that he had struck a 20-year-old Black River Falls woman in the head. The victim received two large bumps on the back of her head from the incident, and she stated Perez had been hitting her over the previous two days. Dec. 23 9:09 p.m.: A vehicle owned by Michael W. Vold, 49, Black River Falls, was cited for a winter parking violation after parking on the 800 block of Westwind Drive. 11:40 p.m.: Brandy M. Jackson, 24, Black River Falls, was cited for operating without insurance following a traffic stop on Main Street near N. Water Street. Dec. 24 3:50 p.m.: Brittany L. Gage, 21, Black River Falls, was cited for a noisy animal violation after a report of a barking dog complaint on the 300 block of Pine Street. The officer was called to the residence twice on the same day, and another office was called to the residence four days later when dogs continued to bark throughout the day. Dec. 25 9:14 a.m.: Two people were cited after a woman called to report male subjects running around her house on S. First Street. Law enforcement later made contact with a vehicle in the Western Technical College parking lot and discovered the odor of burnt marijuana, marijuana and a scale. A 16-year-old Black River Falls boy was cited for possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, and Isaac S. Lloyd, 19, Black River Falls, was cited for operating after suspension after admitting he drove the vehicle with no license. Another 16-year-old Black River Falls boy also was referred for possession of drug paraphernalia charges. Dec. 26 1:56 a.m.: Ana M. Solis-Alicano, 36, Berwyn, Ill., was cited for speeding following a traffic stop on Interstate 94 near mile marker 115. 2:47 a.m.: Jason J. Engelman, 26, St. Paul, Minn., was cited for speeding following a traffic stop on Interstate 94 near mile marker 115. Dec. 27 3:25 p.m.: Adam M. Clay, 23, Winona, Minn., was cited for speeding following a traffic stop on Main Street near Roosevelt Road. 3:55 p.m.: Daniel J. Krogman, 50, Sparta, was cited for speeding following a traffic stop on Main Street near Roosevelt Road. 7:44 p.m.: Jeffrey J. Drews, 40, Black River Falls, was arrested for disorderly conduct following a traffic stop on Fillmore Street near First Street. Dec. 28 3 p.m.: Richard C. Halamka Jr., 35, Milwaukee, was arrested on a warrant and transported to jail. 10:32 p.m.: Mark A. Chrest, 51, Black River Falls, was cited for after backing out of his driveway and into a mailbox and a corner of a house. Dec. 30 1 a.m.: David A. Smothers, 17, Black River Falls, was cited for use of tobacco under 18 years old after an officer observed him with a cigarette in his hands while on patrol in the area of Pierce and Eighth streets. A small group of Black River Falls sixth-graders approached their art teacher at the beginning of the school year about starting an art club. The result now is an active group of approximately 40 students who signed up to further their interest in art, and the club also is fundraising to get both the middle and high school a needed item for the art department. They not only found the interest (for the club) but they generated more interest, BRF middle school art teacher Lee Amborn said. Its refreshing from my standpoint as a teacher especially when you have a group of students who are willing to spend their own time after the school day to come in and work on art that isnt required for a grade. There have been other efforts to start a middle school art club, but they faded because of a lack of interest. The new club has interested officers and members who want to do more than art projects after school, Amborn said. Were kind of trying to rejuvenate it. We tried one a couple years ago, but for whatever reason the kids that wanted to start it were more about the idea of getting to do more art than they were really a club where you have responsibilities and things you have to do, he said. These (students) they seem to be more about the service part of it being in a club and doing something to benefit others. The new group has been meeting every other week on Thursdays and about 30 members regularly come to the meetings, where theyve been planning fundraisers. The club is channeling its efforts to raise enough money anywhere from $7,000 to $8,000 to get middle and high school classes a pug mill, a machine that recycles used clay and creates new material to alleviate the need to buy more of the expensive product. Officers from the club came to the school board meeting in November to seek permission to start raising money, partly through selling items like jewelry, greeting cards and key chains, which they plan to make during their regular meetings. They tentatively were planning to have an event in January 2016 at the middle schools Roar Store to get the effort started. (The pug mill) is a little pricey We would be able to raise money to be able to buy this, and it would be housed somewhere in the high school, sixth-grader and club president Theta Dal Cerro, told the school board. I think it would be a valuable asset to the school system. The group hopes to work on more art projects as the school year continues, and they also hope to eventually take trips to further their art education, like outings to art museums in Milwaukee or Minnesota. Other officers presenting at the school board meeting were vice president Chloe Olson and treasurer Quinn Hanson, and Amborn told the board he felt it was important for the students to learn about board functions and discuss their plans and goals. The biggest thing here for me is for the kids to come in present this to you and to see how a meeting is run, he said. I think its a great learning experience for them, and opportunity for them to get to know you and for you to get to know them before you see them in the middle school selling their art. Mary Jo Rozmenoski, school board president, told the students the board supports the club and its initiatives. Its really great for the board to hear, she said after their presentation. We certainly support you going ahead with your goals. The Ho-Chunk Nation is organizing a rally at the state capitol next week to voice opposition to a bill that tribal leaders say endangers sacred Native American burial sites. The Save the Mounds rally is slated for Jan. 12 and comes after native and non-native people have expressed concern and opposition to the proposed legislation. We initially knew that this bill was going to be a big issue and we wanted to have a voice and a say in it, said Collin Price, the Ho-Chunk Nations public relations officer. It just kind of grew. The support from organizations, from community members, from tribal members and non-tribal members the noise was just so loud that they were saying we have to do something. The proposed bill, from Republican state Sen. Chris Kapenga, would force the Wisconsin Historical Society to allow property owners to excavate in order to prove whether human remains exist in effigy mounds on their land a move that Ho-Chunk leaders say would open the door to destroying the grave markers that have cultural and historical significance. Ho-Chunk Nation tribal members are descendants of the original mound builders, who started the construction of the sites thousands of years ago. They serve historical and cultural significance to the Nation and Wisconsin, and their number already has dwindled over time starting first at about 20,000 when the first Europeans arrived. Now, theres an estimated 4,000 or fewer mounds remaining in the state, including a few sites on private land in Jackson County, said Bill Quackenbush, the Nations tribal historical preservation officer. It is very important to protect grave sites across the board. Wisconsin has a diversity of population and cultures that has practiced forms of burial throughout a long period of time, he said. One type of grave (or) burial process rightfully shouldnt be afforded favor over another. Yet, the proposed bill serves to allow certain ones the ability to destroy not only conical and effigy mounds but also pre-historic and historic burial sites including not only Native American graves but early pioneers, family graves and burial and burials of the unknown. A message left with Kapengas office for comment on the bill wasnt returned as of press time Tuesday. Ho-Chunk Nation members and officials already attended a town hall meeting put on by the senator where they expressed opposition to the legislation, which Price also noted has impacts beyond Native American burial sites. It opens the door for other sites, including cemeteries, and I think thats what caught the attention of non-tribal members that this isnt just exclusive to Indian Country, he said. The other part is the disregard for oral tradition and culture. Theres no room (in the bill) for a tribal member or a tribal preservation officer or anybody to say, well, actually theres stories for this particular site having significance because it will only lie with the historical society. I think its just the thing that no one can fathom digging up someones remains thats just crazy talk. The fact that were now trying to discuss something that would allow someone doing that is crazy. Henning Garvin, a Nation legislator with a background in anthropology, is one of many tribal members who hopes the bill will be retracted. Anger turned to disappointment after the proposed bill was made public, and he hopes the importance of sacred sites will prevail. Theyre tremendously important to Ho-Chunk people theyre historically important, theyre culturally important, he said. They are sacred to the Ho-Chunk people. You just cant stress that enough. The rally is set for next Tuesday, Jan. 12 at noon on the west side of the state capitol in Madison. For more information, e-mail mounds@ho-chunk.com. Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Wisconsin Democratic lawmakers are proposing reforms designed to increase safety at the states prisons and calling for swift legislative action. Corrections officers have raised concerns about unsafe working conditions caused by state budget cuts, inadequate staffing, equipment shortages and poor leadership, said state Sen. Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse, whose district includes the Prairie du Chien Correctional Institution. Legislation drafted by Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, and circulated Wednesday for co-sponsors calls for increased training for new correctional officers, limits forced consecutive overtime shifts and would allow the officers to collectively bargain workplace safety issues. Proposals also require that prisons staff at least five first responders, guard towers and perimeters 24 hours a day. No one wants to see a death or a riot to spur the kind of action that I think we need to have in our corrections department, Erpenbach said. Its not a situation where institutions are just in Republican districts or Democratic districts. Theyre across the board, so we should be working together on this. Efforts to address prison staffing shortages by Gov. Scott Walkers administration and the state Department of Corrections have failed, said Erpenbach, who called on the governor and DOC Secretary Ed Wall to meet with corrections officers to find ways to recruit and retain employees. We have people with a lot of experience who are just saying, The hell with this, and theyre walking out the door, Erpenbach said. Corrections is that last place that can afford to lose somebody because its a bad workplace. The governors office and DOC did not respond to requests for comment. In January 2015, the state Department of Justice launched an investigation into Lincoln Hills School for Boys, a juvenile prison in Irma, Wis. The FBI is looking into potential crimes, including sexual assault, child abuse and intimidation of victims and witnesses, while there have been other reports of assaults on correctional officers and inmates, Shilling said. You talk to any officer in any institution around this state it is very difficult to justify getting out of bed and going to work that morning knowing you might not be going home that night, Erpenbach said. There may be an incident where youre beaten up, which seems to be happening weekly now. You may be ordered to a second shift. Erpenbach expects to introduce the legislation next week. Work continues to move forward on a proposal from an Oregon, Wis., based developer to turn the former Roosevelt Elementary property into residential housing. Ted Matkom, a representative from Gorman and Co., Inc., spoke about where the project was at. Gorman was one of four organizations that presented bids for developing the Roosevelt property. Three were interviewed by district officials this summer, with the district choosing to move forward with Gorman's proposal in August. Gorman specializes in downtown revitalization and has worked on a number of local projects, including the Gund Brewery Lofts on La Crosse's South Side and the Grand River Station apartments above the transit center downtown. Throughout their work with the district, Gorman has expressed a willingness to include neighborhood residents in ongoing discussions about the vision for the project. The original proposal Gorman outlined would purchase the property from the district for $300,000 and turn the property into senior or low-income housing. Since then, Gorman officials have met with community members twice, and have modified their plans for the property. Despite strong opposition toward low-income housing from North Side residents at an Aug. 25 meeting, Matkom said Gorman is still interested in pursuing that avenue and community sentiment has warmed somewhat. The company is still waiting on the results of a market study for the property, but barring results that strongly support senior housing, are more interested at looking at developing Roosevelt as low-income apartments in order to facilitate the application for tax credits. The scoring calculations for credits such as the Wisconsin Economic Development Association low-income housing tax credit strongly favor projects that develop housing for low-income residents. With the project relying heavily on receiving on those kinds of tax credits, Matkom said delays could result if they are not received. We want to be successful the first time," he told the board. While technically low-income, Matkom said Gorman's projects are geared toward working-class families. The tax credits allow for high-quality construction and finishing of the apartments allowing working-class tenants a quality living environment at around half the market price. One big change that Gorman has made to its proposal was to eliminate a plan for townhouses surrounding the Roosevelt building, and it is looking for a partner to provide more green space around the property. Community sentiment was strongly opposed to the townhouse idea, and Gorman listened to voices that wanted green space instead. You will be in control of all the process, you will know what is happening, and we will involve the community as well," Matkom said. We are unique in making promises to the community and keeping those promises with the community. Gorman is looking to apply for more than $4.8 million in state and federal tax credits for the $6.1 million project. According to a timeline presented to the board at Monday's meeting, the developer is hoping to have funding secured and construction started around winter-time next year with construction completed by the following autumn. Budget numbers finalized Final state budget and levy numbers were presented to the board during a public hearing on the district's 2014-15 budget. State regulations set the amount of revenue a school may collect from state aid and the local tax levy for a school year, said Janet Rosseter, the district's executive director of business services. This year, the revenue limit for the district went up nearly $300,000 to $76,239,000, but was more than covered by a state aid increase of $1.52 million for the school year. With these new state numbers, the proposed tax levy would be $47.9 million, down nearly $600,00 or 1.2 percent from last year. With equalized property values up 2.55 percent in the district, Rosseter said that would result in a 12.42 gross levy rate, which would result in taxes of $1,242 per $100,000 of property value for district residents, down 3.7 percent from 2013. "Our local taxes will go down," Rosseter said. The board opened a public hearing on the budget before the regular meeting Monday night. Only one person spoke, mainly in opposition to the Common Core standards. Otherwise there was no other public input on the budget, and the budget and final levy numbers will go to a board vote at their Oct. 27 meeting. In other business: The board approved a change order for the Northside Elementary contract. The new total for the $14.36 million project increased $31,613 as a result of additional construction costs. North Side residents made it clear: they do not want low income housing. More than 60 people attended a meeting Monday night with a representative from Gorman & Co., the prospective developer of the former Roosevelt Elementary. The overwhelming majority showed they favor market-rate housing for seniors. Low cost housing does not belong on the North Side, said Ella Stoker, a retired teacher who lives on Loomis Street who said the area has too long been looked down upon. If low-cost housing is on the mind of developers, the South Side is the place. Theres more room for assimilation of this type of people, she said to applause. Others murmured their concerns throughout the meeting. Fireworks. Drugs. Graffiti. Trash in the street. Neighbors also expressed fears that the development would lack enough parking city code requires one off-street stall per bedroom and that they will lose the school playground. Built in 1923, Roosevelt was the La Crosse Public School districts oldest operating school last year. Teachers and students will begin the 2014-15 school year in the new Northside Elementary, the districts first new school in two decades. Both the district and city have expressed a desire to see the building preserved and the 2.8-acre site returned to the property tax rolls. Gorman, which specializes in downtown revitalization, affordable housing and historic preservation, has proposed to purchase the school building and lot for $300,000 for redevelopment, though the deal has not been finalized. Wisconsin Market President Ted Matkom told the group he was there to get input and would take their ideas to his design team before the next meeting on Sept. 15. We have a gorgeous neighborhood, Matkom said. Its up to what the neighborhood would like to see here. The Oregon, Wis., based company developed the Gund Brewery Lofts and Grand River Station apartments above the downtown transit center using Low-Income Housing Tax Credits to underwrite construction costs. Those tax credits cap and restrict some or all of the apartments to tenants earning less than 60 percent of the county median income about $25,000 a year for an individual or $45,000 for a family of four. Matkom said a market rate development with no subsidy would probably require rents of about $1,100 for a one-bedroom apartment and up to $1,300 for two. The caliber of people who would pay $1,100 are what we want, one person shouted. We dont want the $600 caliber. Weve got em close enough, another man added. But Gorman cautioned that the market might not support that kind of housing without a river view or other such amenities. Id love to do market rate housing its a lot easier, he said. Its just a matter of can it be feasible? La Crosse County supervisor Kim Cable, who serves as director of housing and community services for Couleecap, pushed back, challenging people to re-examine their stereotypes of poor people. The anti-poverty agency has nearly 700 people on waiting lists for low-income housing, many of them elderly and working families, she said; some in the room might even meet the eligibility requirements. I fit into the category for low-income housing, said Renee Jacquet, who lives nearby on Prospect Street. I think Im a quality person. Editor's note: Ella Stoker disputes the accuracy of her statement as quoted in this story. Read the statement as she intended here. MADISON Gov. Scott Walker is asking Wisconsin's attorney general to challenge President Barack Obama's gun control plan. Walker said in a statement Wednesday that he thinks Obama overstepped his authority when he announced an executive action to expand mandatory background checks to gun shows, flea markets and online sales. Walker says Obama's announcement has created uncertainty and fear for law-abiding citizens who want to sell guns and could deprive millions of Americans of their right to bear arms without any indication of imminent danger. He called the plan an illegal act. He asked Attorney General Brad Schimel to review the plan as soon as it's released and to take any and all legal measures to challenge it. Wisconsin Department of Justice spokeswoman Anne Schwartz didn't immediately respond to an email. More than ever, serving students is a big priority at La Crosses colleges and universities. As public funding for higher education falls, recruitment is becoming more and more important for Western Technical College and the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. And with a new strategic vision for the campus, leaders at Viterbo University are looking to reach out to an increasingly important Catholic demographic Hispanic students. UW-L was able to meet a recruitment goal of 2,025 new students this past fall, but total enrollment was down 150, resulting in a shortfall of $1.2 million for the fiscal year. Enrollment goals are a tool administrators have used in recent years to offset state budget cuts. A sharp decline in international student enrollment almost 25 percent to 245 students contributed to the overall decline. As a result, UW-L Chancellor Joe Gow said the university has doubled its recruiting efforts and will be hiring an additional recruiter this year to help bring in more students from overseas. We need to reverse these declines in international student enrollment, Gow said. Its part of a broader conversation about attracting more of these students. Enrollment at Western Technical College was up again this year by three percent after rising one percent in 2014. As part of the colleges Vision 2020 program of new construction and modernization of the campus, President Lee Rasch has also outlined a goal of having an enrollment of more than 10,000 students by 2020. This year will be a big one for the college as it works to bring those students in. Implementing a trimester system two years ago has helped boost the number of students attending the college. Rasch said theres a lot of work going on to offer new online courses and programs to help entice more students to make Western their first choice for higher learning. The college is also looking at collaboration on high school academies and industry partnerships. With the combination of these things, I predict we will be ahead on enrollment, Rasch said. Viterbo University has been struggling with enrollment and this year, first-year student enrollment was down 41 with total enrollment down 46. In fall 2010, the university reported 349 first-year students and a headcount of 3,244. Numbers declined in 2011 and 2012, with a slight increase last year, but dropped again this year to 281 first-year students with a 2,766 headcount. President Rick Artman is hopeful the university will be able to start turning the trend around in 2016. Interest in Viterbo is at a five-year high and leadership has adopted a new strategic framework that focuses, among other things, on serving students and improving recruitment of Hispanic students, one of the fastest growing demographics in America and a key Catholic demographic. These are challenging times for both public and private institutions of higher education, Artman said of enrollment trends at the university. Similar to other private colleges in Wisconsin, we experienced a decline in freshmen this fall. ... Although it is early in the recruitment cycle, we are very encouraged by the number of applications we have received for fall 2016. UW-L will also be working on a new strategic plan. Inspired by Viterbos work as well as the listening sessions held last year by UW System President Ray Cross, Gow said it was a good time for the university to take a look at long-range goals, the first time he has implemented strategic planning during his nine-year tenure at the university. This will give students, staff and faculty a chance to talk about what the universitys priorities should be, Gow said, as well as plan for future state cuts. The first major strategic planning session should be held in the spring, Gow said. Along with enrollment, Gow said he would also focus on ways to promote more diversity and sustainability on campus. And as always, he said he would keep a weather eye on the horizon. With incidents like the Confederate flag on campus or President Obama's visit to La Crosse, there are always things that can come as a surprise. It never ceases to amaze me how there are some things we can never plan for in a given year, Gow said about 2016. There will be many unexpected things in 2016, good and bad. It should keep us on our toes. All for ourselves, and nothing for other people, seems, in every age of the world, to have been the vile maxim of the masters of mankind. A mental health worker at the Tomah VA Medical Center has been arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting patients on the hospitals troubled psychiatric unit. According to court documents, Charles W. Davis, a peer support specialist, made lewd comments and gestures, exposed himself to female patients and received oral sex from a patient in his office. Davis, 47, was arrested Monday by the Tomah VA police and booked into the Monroe County jail. He was released on a signature bond Tuesday and is expected to be charged next week. Potential charges include sexual assault by therapist, lewd and lascivious behavior, and intentionally subjecting an individual at risk to abuse, although Monroe County District Attorney Kevin Croninger said those charges could change. According to an affidavit filed in Monroe County Circuit Court, a 26-year-old veteran who was receiving treatment for past military sexual trauma said Davis rubbed her leg under the table during a new patient orientation meeting while a member of the VA police was making a presentation. Davis began making comments about her appearance within a week of her arrival, made lewd gestures toward her and later groped her in his office, the document states. According to the affidavit, Davis called her into his office in late December and exposed himself. A 32-year-old veteran told police she met with Davis after entering the VAs substance abuse program in March and that he made sexual comments when he met her in the hallway, according to the affidavit. She said Daviss behavior got worse when she returned to the VA in November after a hiatus, and that he sent her sexually explicit photos and videos that she believed were of himself. The veteran said Davis invited her to his office in December where she performed oral sex on him, according to the affidavit. Both women said Davis rubbed his crotch and made lewd gestures while they were in meetings and he thought no one else could see him, the affidavit states. Davis could not be reached at either of the numbers he provided to the court. According to the VA, Davis was hired in 2013 as a housekeeper and promoted several months later to peer support specialist. Peer support specialists, who have experienced mental illness or substance abuse themselves and have specialized training, are certified in Wisconsin by the state Department of Health Services. A VA spokesman was unable to say Wednesday whether Davis had that certification. Victoria Brahm, acting director of the hospital, sent an email to all employees after Daviss court appearance Tuesday saying, there has been an unfortunate incident in our medical center. I wanted you to be aware in an effort to be transparent and foster trust. Brahm said a patient reported inappropriate behavior by a peer support specialist on Thursday and he was removed from clinical duties and placed on administrative absence. The statement did not name Davis. According to the affidavit, the investigation began two days earlier when a VA staffer reported allegations of Daviss sexual misconduct with patients on the VAs psychiatric ward. The investigation is being led by the Tomah VA Police Department with assistance from Tomah city police. The Tomah VA has been plagued with scandals since a story by the Center for Investigative Reporting last year detailed high levels of opioid prescription at the facility, which patients dubbed Candy Land because physicians there dispensed prescription painkillers so freely, and a pervasive culture of intimidation and retaliation against employees who spoke out. A 35-year-old Marine veteran died in the hospital from a lethal combination of prescribed medications. At least three top officials including the medical chief of staff and the centers director were later fired. In November a nurses aide was cited for disorderly conduct after allegations that he shoved a patient in the mental health unit. The VA has yet to identify the aide or release reports requested under the Freedom of Information Act. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, issued a statement Wednesday calling the allegations deeply disturbing. If they are true, and if patients at the Tomah VA suffered sexual assault, it would be an absolutely deplorable violation of the duty this nation and the VA owe to the finest among us, especially those seeking relief for physical and emotional wounds, Johnson said. Nearly one year after serious problems at the Tomah VA came to widespread attention, it is of utmost importance that the VA protect our veterans from wrongdoers. I will continue to hold VA officials accountable while also addressing the other problems that have engulfed the Tomah VA. Winona County Commissioner Marcia Ward is wrong in saying a frac sand ban isnt legally in the cards. Large-scale mining has been banned in Pepin County, Wis., and two townships in Goodhue County for more than two years without being challenged. The U.S. Supreme Court, the Minnesota Supreme Court and Wisconsin courts all give local governments broad powers to restrict or ban activity harmful to health, safety or general welfare. I own the land I live on, but I cant legally fire a gun, burn trash or raise pigs there. And I bet my neighbors are glad I cant. The U.S. Supreme Court defines general welfare broadly, saying it includes spiritual, physical and aesthetic values, as well as monetary values. Too little attention is paid to the spiritual and aesthetic elements in the frac sand debate. I got interested in this issue because I was raised on a farm in Crystal Valley near Houston. It wasnt a big farm, nor was it highly profitable, but it was beautiful. And if frac sand was found on it, a company from Texas or Oklahoma or somewhere else would happily cut it up like a butchered hog. Frac sand companies dont give the tiniest fraction of a darn about the land they destroy. And their claim about reclamation is laughable you cannot reclaim a hill thats been hauled away. Winona County should ban frac sand activity before this predatory industry victimizes us like it has our neighbors in western Wisconsin. Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School has welcomed eight young students from South Korea to attend classes for three weeks beginning Jan. 3 through Jan. 22. Sumi Lee, their English teacher in Daegu, South Korea, is the niece of Viroqua resident Loma Huh. Planning for this experience began last school year. The students visiting the elementary school range in age from 10 to 14 years old, with four older students visiting Youth Initiative High School. While in Viroqua, the students will be staying with host families from the Waldorf parent community. This is an excellent opportunity for these young travelers to experience a bit of American culture in a small rural town and for PRWS students to have a direct experience of new friends from across the world. PRWS students have learned the Korean alphabet and a few phrases in this new language. The students, along with their teacher, will be offering a presentation at a welcome assembly, Friday, Jan., 8, at 8:20 a.m. There will be a farewell assembly with the visitors, Friday, Jan. 22, at 8:20 a.m. Sheriff John Spears reports the following ongoing activities for the year and narrative excerpts from the week ending Dec. 28. 12-21 Dennis Sletten, Readstown, reported someone broke into his parked car in the village of Readstown. 12-21 Katherine Vandenbergh, Readstown, reported someone broke into her car in the village of Readstown. Two rings were taken. 12-21 Christopher Thelen, Viroqua, reported an unknown female signed for his medications that had been shipped to him from the Tomah VA. 12-22 Paul Stekel, Hillsboro, was traveling on Co. F in the town of Forest in heavy fog with freezing temperatures. He struck a tree lying in the roadway. Stekel was not injured and his vehicle suffered minor damage. 12-22 Nancy Mikkelson, Ferryville, backed into a barrier post for an Xcel Energy utility pole in the Stoddard Kwik Trip Store parking lot, in the village of Stoddard. Nancy was not injured, and her vehicle suffered moderate damage. 12-23 Keith Ames, Stoddard, returned home to find his door split in half at his village of Stoddard residence. At the time of the call, Keith had not found anything missing. 12-23 Shawn Redington, Wonewoc, reported three horses running lose in the town of Greenwood. Several calls were made by the sheriffs office trying to locate the owner(s). 12-25 Meagan Bjornstad, La Crosse, was traveling on Central Avenue in the village of Coon Valley and did not notice the vehicle in front of her had stopped. She hit the back of the pickup belonging to Benjamin Neumann, La Crosse. The pickup suffered minor damage; the Bjornstad vehicle had severe damage, and was towed. Neither driver was injured. 12-28 There were two reportable car/deer crashes: Michelle Donovan, New Albany, Ohio, on Hwy. 82, town of Webster; Louise Klein, Edgerton, on Hwy. 14, town of Kickapoo. President Barack Obama says there should be a midpoint where gun-control and gun-rights supporters can meet to stop gun violence in the U.S. Nearly 500 people were killed in mass shootings in the United States during 2015, according to Gun Violence Archive. More than 30,000 Americans die each year from gun deaths, two-thirds of them younger than 18, the Department of Justice reports. Obama wiped away tears as he listed the places where mass shootings have occurred in the U.S. since 2012. Too many, he said, shaking his head. Family members of victims of gun violence stood around him in the formal East Room of the White House. Some echoed his words. Some cried. One parent who lost a child at the mass shooting in Sandy Hook, Connecticut in 2012, thanked Obama for his acts against gun violence. Twenty children died that day, most of them 6-year-olds. First graders, Obama said. First-graders... Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad, he said. By the way, it happens on the streets of Chicago every day. Obama said he wants to make guns safer. If you have a cell phone, you cannot unlock it without a code or fingerprint: Why cant the same technology be used for guns? he asked. Obama said he wants to require more background checks for buying and selling guns and weapons. For example, many gun sales on the Internet and at gun shows do not require background checks. He said he wants more sellers to be licensed and more buyers to have background checks. A background check looks into a buyers past for arrests or mental health issues. He said he wants agents to conduct background checks 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He will have to get funding from Congress. Obama said he acted because Congress has refused to reduce gun violence. He is not trying to take away the right of most Americans to have guns, the president said. No matter how many times people try to twist my words around, I taught Constitutional law. I know a little about this. I get it, Obama said. Republican critics said Obamas new order oversteps his authority. From Day One, the president has never respected the right to safe and legal gun ownership that our nation has valued since its founding, said House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican from Wisconsin. Pretty soon you wont be able to get guns, said Donald Trump during an interview on CNN Monday. Trump, a billionaire businessman, is the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. Trump told CNN he would reverse any presidential order on guns if he is elected president. Leading Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton praised the presidents new gun control effort. She said more action is needed to reduce gun violence. If elected, Clinton promised to take on the gun lobby and to work with responsible gun owners to reform gun laws. The worst mass shootings last year occurred at an African-American church in South Carolina, a family planning clinic in Colorado, a holiday party in California, and a college in Oregon. Obama admitted his new orders on gun violence will not stop all violent crimes. But he said they are within his authority as president. Obama said Monday: It will potentially save lives and spare families the pain and the extraordinary loss that theyve suffered as a consequence of a firearm getting in the hands of the wrong people. I'm Mario Ritter. Mary Alice Salinas reported on this story for VOANews.com. Bruce Alpert adapted this story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story midpoint n. middle ground, a compromise wipe v. to clean or dry with your hand or a towel echo v. repeat the same words fingerprint n. the mark that is made by pressing the tip of a finger on a surface background adj. information about someones life, such as criminal activity ownership n. the state or fact of owning something reverse v. to change something to an opposite state or condition We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or share your views on our Facebook Page. The prime minister of Barbados wants Britains Queen Elizabeth II to be removed as the nations head of state. Freundel Stuart says he wants his country to become a parliamentary republic. A parliamentary republic is a system in which the people choose a legislature, which then chooses the leaders of the government -- the executive branch. In other words, the legislative and executive branches of government are not separate -- as they are in the United States. About 50 countries use this system of governance. Stuart wants the change to take effect on November 30, 2016 -- the 50th anniversary of his countrys independence from Britain. He told a recent meeting of the ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP) that its a little awkward in the year 2015 to still have to stand up and instead of pledging allegiance to Barbados to be pledging allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen. He says it does not make sense for the British monarch to be head of state of an independent country. The DLP holds a majority of the seats in the House of Assembly, the lower house of the Barbadian parliament. But two-thirds of the House and Senate must agree if a change is to be made to the constitution, which now names the British monarch as head of state. So the prime minister will need to gain the support of the opposition if his plan is to gain approval. Is there support for the measure? Barbados historian Trevor Marshall welcomed the prime ministers announcement. He says there is nothing to be gained by having a monarch as head of state. But not all Bajans -- as residents of Barbados are called -- support the change. One person wrote in the comments section of a newspaper that the people of Barbados dont consider this an important issue now, and dont want the constitution to be changed. Another commenter said the decision should be made in a referendum -- a direct vote of the people -- not by Parliament. The writer said it is clear that the prime minister is using his majority in parliament to push through this (change to the) constitution against the wishes of the people by refusing to consult (with) them on the matter. The Associated Press reports the debate has split older and younger Bajans for many years. The news agency reports older islanders see the queen as a symbol of stability while many young Bajans see the queen as an anachronism -- a person or thing that seems to belong to the past and does not fit in the present. British monarchs role in Barbados Even though the British monarch is the head of state of Barbados, citizens and their representatives have at least partly decided their own laws for hundreds of years. And they have fully decided their laws since all adults were given the right to vote in the early 1950s. Barbados was officially under British rule until 1961 and gained full independence in 1966. A governor-general named by the queen represents the monarch in Barbados. His or her role is mostly ceremonial. The governor-general is named with the approval of the countrys prime minister. Queen Elizabeth has not been to Barbados for 26 years. When she visits the country, she does so as the Queen of Barbados -- her official title there. A spokesman for the queen said the decision about becoming a republic is a matter for the government and people of Barbados. Barbados relationship with Britain British explorers discovered Barbados in the early 1600s. Many Caribbean islands have been under the control of the Spanish, British, Dutch and French at different times beginning in the 1600s. But Barbados has remained under British control almost continuously from the time it was discovered by British explorers until gaining independence, so it has closer ties to England than do many of Britains former colonies. Barbados is often called The Jewel of the Caribbean and Little England. As in Britain, people drive their cars on the left side of the road. Also like in Britain, the sports of polo and cricket are very popular in Barbados. Many Britons visit Barbados regularly, and many of them own homes there. Large passenger planes full of travelers arrive in Barbados daily from Britain, the United States and many other countries. The debate about whether the country should become a parliamentary republic is similar to those that have taken place in other countries that were once part of the British empire and retained the queen as their head of state after they gained independence. Barbados has considered becoming a parliamentary republic since at least the late 1970s. In recent years it has taken steps to create an identity separate from Britain. In 2005, it decided that the Caribbean Court of Justice would be its final court of appeal. Before then, it had used the Privy Council in London as its supreme court. The Council has long served as the high court for many former British colonies. Whats next for Barbados? Even if Queen Elizabeth is removed as the head of state of Barbados, the country would continue to be a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The Commonwealth is a group of more than 50 countries, most of which were once British colonies. More than 30 of them are republics. The National Post newspaper says if Barbados removes Elizabeth as head of state, it will become the 16th member of the British Commonwealth to do so since she became queen in 1953. The British monarch is no longer head of state of Pakistan, South Africa and Kenya. The Caribbean nations of Dominica and Trininad became republics in the late 1970s. Fiji did so in 1987. The last country to remove the queen as head of state was Mauritius, in 1992. For now, the queen remains head of state of 16 countries, including the Caribbean countries of Bahamas, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Australia, New Zealand, Belize and Canada. Canada has sometimes considered removing the queen as its head of state. In May, a public opinion study found 39 percent of Canadians asked want the country to become a republic when the queen dies. Fifty-four percent said they did not want Prince Charles to become King of Canada. Prince Charles is the son of Queen Elizabeth. The National Post newspaper reports that in 1999, 55 percent of voters in Australia rejected a plan for the country to become a republic. And 65 percent of those who voted in a referendum in Tuvalu in 2008 said they wanted the queen to remain their head of state. Im Christopher Jones-Cruise. Christopher Jones-Cruise reported this story and wrote it for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story parliamentary republic n. a system in which the people choose a legislature, which then chooses the leaders of the government, or executive branch. In this system, the legislative and executive branches of government are not separate, as they are in the United States. awkward adj. not easy to deal with; uncomfortable pledge allegiance to expression to promise loyalty to a person, country, group, etc. monarch n. a person (such as a king or queen) who rules a kingdom or empire consult v. to talk about something with (someone) in order to make a decision symbol n. an action, object, event, etc., that expresses or represents a particular idea or quality (often + of) anachronism n. a person or a thing that seems to belong to the past and not to fit in the present ceremonial adj. without real power or influence polo n. a game played by two teams of four players who ride horses while using long mallets to hit a wooden ball into a goal cricket n. a game played on a large field by two teams of 11 players who try to score runs by hitting a small ball with a bat and then running between two sets of wooden sticks empire n. a group of countries or regions that are controlled by one ruler or one government retain v. to keep (someone) in a position or job North Korea says it tested a hydrogen bomb on Wednesday. The U.S. Geological Survey reported a 5.1 magnitude earthquake early Wednesday (UTC) near the site of previous North Korean nuclear tests. The test site is in the mountainous northeastern part of the country, near the border with China. North Korea announced the test on its state-run broadcast. The announcer said the test was a self-defensive measure to thoroughly protect our nations autonomy. A spokesman from the National Security Council in the United States says it is too soon to confirm North Koreas claim. But if the claim is true, he says the U.S. will respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations. The last confirmed nuclear test by North Korea came in 2013. If it was a nuclear test, an analyst from Korea Defense Network says, it was more powerful than previous tests based on the seismic activity it produced. North Koreas nuclear test could have been 2.5 times more powerful than Hiroshima, he said. But intelligence officials from South Korea say they think the blast was not that powerful. They think the test produced an explosion less than half as strong as the one in Hiroshima during World War II. Both South Korean President Park Geun-Hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe condemned the test. Abe says, North Korea's nuclear test is a serious threat to our nation's security and absolutely cannot be tolerated. The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Wednesday to discuss North Koreas claim of a test. Last year, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country had developed a hydrogen bomb. If North Koreas claim turns out to be true, it will have been the second nuclear test under Kims leadership. I'm Mario Ritter. Brian Padden wrote this story for VOANews.com. Dan Friedell adapted it for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. What do you think about North Korea testing a bomb? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story collision n. a crash in which two or more things or people hit each other condemn v. to say in a strong and definite way that someone or something is bad or wrong fission n. a process in which the nucleus of a heavy atom is split apart fusion n. a process in which the nuclei of atoms are joined nucleus n. the central part of an atom that is made up of protons and neutrons provoke v. to cause (a person or animal) to become angry, violent, etc. tolerate v. to allow (something that is bad, unpleasant, etc.) to exist, happen, or be done Each day in the United States, one person uses about 575 liters of water. In Japan, one person uses about 374 liters of water. And in Kenya, one person uses about 20. Tomoyuki Tsutsui and Keitaro Kakoi are Japanese university students working as interns at Grassroots Water Limited. Grassroots, a Nairobi company, and the interns are bringing clean and convenient water to people in Kenya. Grassroots Water Limited provides clean water in Kenya's capital, Nairobi. Grassroots is run by Kenyan Edwards Bob Hawi. Tsutsui lives in Kisumu, in west Kenya. Kisumu is home to the Luo, a large tribal group. Kisumu is the third-largest city in Kenya. Tsutsui lives in a house without running water, also called tap water. He knows how difficult it is to live with limited water. Most people in the project site cannot access clean water easily because their house is without tap water. So, they have difficulty in getting water. Actually, my house is also without tap water. ... This is my motivation. There is a system to bring tap water to the northern part of Kisumu. But there are no water pipes in the southern part. Almost all people in the southern part do not have access to tap water. I am feeling the importance of water through Kenyan life without tap water. I carry the tank of 20 liters three times in a week. It is very, very heavy. The water was too important for us to waste. Some residents cannot go to northern Kisumu for water because it is too far away. In that area, people have to carry heavy water tanks on foot. It takes several hours to bring water from the nearest source each day. People who cannot carry water must use rainwater or buy it from merchants, who charge up to 20 Kenyan shillings for 20 liters of water. The city's tap water cost is 1 Kenyan shilling per 20 liters. Tsutsui says it must be very tough for women and children to carry a heavy tank. He says it is hard even for adult men. Tsutsui and Kakoi crowdfunded, or raised money online, to address this problem. On November 28, the crowdfunding raised nearly $8,000 or 900,000 (Japanese) yen. That is nearly 800,000 Kenyan Shillings. The company is working on laying a water pipe from northern Kisumu. It would build the first water kiosk in southern Kisumu. A water kiosk is a booth that sells clean water. Tsutsui says it has taken a long time to get government approval to build the water pipe and the water kiosk. But now, Grassroots and the government are cooperating. When the water kiosk is complete, the price of water from the kiosks could decrease by half. And the residents of southern Kisumu will no longer have to travel a long way to get their water. The construction of the water kiosk will start in January 2016. It should be completed by February. Im Haruka Takeuchi. And I'm Jill Robbins. Editor's note: The construction was completed ahead of schedule at the end of January, according to Tsutsui. He says about 100 people use the kiosk per a day. That means the kiosk helps 500 ~1000 people because one family has 5~10 members. Learning English intern Haruka Takeuchi wrote this story. Kathleen Struck was the editor. Now its your turn. Can you get clean water easily? Do you ever worry about wasting water? Write to us in the Comments section or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story convenient - adj. allowing you to do something easily or without trouble motivation - n. a force or influence that causes someone to do something crowdfund - v. to provide money for a project or venture by raising many small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the Internet. kiosk - n. a small store in a building or on the street where things are sold German authorities said Tuesday that young women were sexually harassed and robbed by hundreds of young men on New Years Eve. Attacks took place in the western city of Cologne, in Hamburg in the north, and Stuttgart in the south, reported the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Most of the attacks took place in the main square in Cologne during celebrations. Victims and witnesses described the attackers as young men who appeared to have a North African or Arabic background, the newspapers reported. More than 90 people in Cologne have filed legal complaints, according to police. In Hamburg, police said that 10 women had reported being sexually assaulted and robbed. The Wall Street Journal said there were incidents in Stuttgart, but no arrests have been made in any of the cities. Germany took in more than 1 million migrants and refugees last year. Most of them come from the Middle East, Afghanistan and Africa. Tensions have risen in Germany as it tries to deal with the social and political changes there. The New York Times said the assault went largely unreported for days. That delay has led to concerns that the authorities were playing down the seriousness of the assault to prevent it from becoming a point of contention in the larger debate about migrants. People were gathered to see the citys fireworks over the Rhine River. Some were going to bars and nightclubs. The Wall Street Journal said Heiko Maas, Germanys justice minister, warned that the ethnicity, or background, of the criminals does not matter. He said the rule of law does not look at where someone comes from but what they did. In Cologne, police said that they believe that several hundred men, ages 15 to 35, were involved in the violence. It began in the early hours on New Years Day. The square was closed after men were throwing fireworks, reported the Wall Street Journal. Police say the men broke into smaller groups. Each group circled a woman, the police said, and some would grope the victim. Other men stole the womens cellphones or wallets. One woman told police she had been raped. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the attacks disgusting. Cologne is a city of about 1 million residents. It is one of Germanys most diverse cities, and it took in more than 10,000 refugees last year. Many of them were young men from Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, said the Wall Street Journal. The paper said the city will increase security after the crimes, as they search for suspects. The newspaper said anti-immigrant and far-right groups have said these crimes show the dangers of accepting such large numbers of migrants. Frauke Petry, the head of the extreme right party, Alternative for Germany, told a Cologne newspaper that the violence is the consequence of an uncontrolled migration, according to the New York Times. Chancellor Merkel has defended her migration policy, even as the issue has caused political problems in her conservative bloc. On Tuesday, the Chancellor called for mutual respect. Im Anne Ball. Anne Ball wrote this story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story harass - v. bother someone in a repeated way sexual assault -v. illegal sexual contact that usually involves force upon a person grope -v. to touch someone sexually in an unwanted and unexpected way diverse -adj. people, or things, that are different from each other bloc -- n. a group of people or countries that are connected by a treaty or agreement or by common goals The Lexington Police Department announced the results of the You Drink and Drive, You Lose campaign that ran from Dec. 18 to Jan. 3. In total, 56 citations were issued for various traffic violations including: three driving under the influence, seven drug offenses, 14 criminal warrants, 14 no operators license, and 17 no valid registration. Officers also issued 80 warnings were issued for various traffic violations, and 162 contacts were made. Statewide, troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol arrested 61 impaired drivers during the two-week long You Drink, You Drive, You Lose (YDYDYL) national enforcement campaign Dec. 18-Jan.3, 2016. In addition to the 61 impaired drivers arrested, 20 juveniles were cited for minor in possession of alcohol, and 38 open container citations were issued. Troopers also issued 5,263 speeding citations/warnings, 94 driving under suspension, and 84 no proof of insurance citations. Troopers also wrote 259 seat belt and 50 child restraint citations/warnings. Motorist assistance was provided to 621 travelers. Troopers and communication specialists put in overtime hours during the special enforcement thanks in part to a $22,000 grant from the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety (NOHS). The final phase of Nebraskas minimum wage increase, which was approved by voter referendum in 2014, went into full effect on Jan. 1. It established the minimum wage at $9 per hour, up from $8 per hour. Nebraska voters approved the minimum wage increase at a time when the state minimum wage was still $7.25 an hour. Business owners in DawsonCounty voiced concern and a what will be will be philosophy when asked about the nine dollar minimum wage in 2016. Dawn Turner, owner of The Daily Scoop, a cafe and bistro in downtown Cozad, said the implementation of the new minimum wage would affect her small business. I need to replace one employee, the new person I hire will work less hours than the previous employee because of the new minimum wage. Im also looking at price increases sometime this coming year, Turner said. Inevitably, the higher minimum wage will lead business owners to consider off setting the increased staff costs with either less employee hours or an increase in prices, she said. Juliska Derockbraine, owner of Taco Johns in Lexington, said the increased minimum wage would add to both her employee costs and insurance costs, having an adverse effect. Dave Sheldon, owner of Little Caesars in Lexington, said he would take a wait-and-see approach regarding whether he would cut employee hours or raise prices on his menu. Ill have to look at increasing the product costs for our customers over the counter to offset the increased employee costs, Sheldon said. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, some noteworthy statistics listed below show that minimum wage increases and cost of living increases are being applied in many states in 2016. Nebraska Appleseed, a non-profit organization that advocates for justice and opportunity for Nebraskans, said this about the need for a higher minimum wage last year. Our states minimum wage has not kept pace with the cost of living over the last 40 years which has left thousands of Nebraska workers behind. Did you know at Nebraskas current minimum wage of $7.25 per hour a worker who works 40 hours a week, 52 weeks per year makes only $15,080 per year? No one who works full time should live in poverty. Research shows raising the minimum wage helps Nebraskas working adults many of whom work multiple jobs to support their families and increases economic spending without harming jobs. Voting for Initiative 425 is a boost to hard-working Nebraska families and our economy, wrote Jeff Sheldon with Nebraska Appleseed before the ballot measure vote to raise the Nebraska minimum wage in 2014. * Fourteen states begin the new year with higher minimum wages. Of those, 12 states increased their rates through legislation passed in the 2014 or 2015 sessions, while two states automatically increased their rates based on the cost of living. * Of the 11 states that currently tie increases to the cost of living, eight did not increase their minimum wage rates for 2016. Colorado provided for an 8-cent increase and South Dakota granted a 5-cent increase per hour. Increases in Nevada are required to take effect in July. * Maryland, Minnesota and D.C. have additional increases scheduled for 2016. Nevada will announce in July whether or not there will be a cost of living increase to their indexed minimum wage. * Currently, 29 states and D.C. have minimum wages above the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. * Five states have not adopted a state minimum wage: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee. New Hampshire repealed their state minimum wage in 2011 but adopted the federal minimum wage by reference. Nebraskas neighboring states minimum wages are as follows: Colorado has a minimum wage of $8.31 with automatic indexed annual adjustments based on cost of living (constitutional amendment in 2006), Kansas and Iowa still go by the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. South Dakota will have a minimum wage of $8.55 in 2016 with annual indexed increases beginning this year (2014 ballot measure). By Harold Reutter Parents and educators are being invited to attend a community forum to learn about Opportunity Scholarships, which would be offered if the Legislature approves LB26. The meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11, in the Grand Island Central Catholic school library. A flyer for the meeting says it welcomes "all families to attend" and specifically mentions public school and private school families as encouraged to go to the meeting. The top of the flyer asks the question: "Do you think private school may be a good fit for your child, but you're concerned about the cost?" Next Monday's meeting will be sponsored by Grand Island Central Catholic, the Platte Institute and Educate Nebraska. LB26 was introduced by state Sen. Bob Krist, who represents the 10th District, which includes part of Omaha. The proposed law would allow people to make a nonrefundable income tax credit for contributions to a qualified organization that provides scholarships to attend private schools. The income tax credit would be 60 percent of the total contribution made by an individual, estate, trust or corporation. The credit could not exceed the taxpayer's income liability. However, any amount over the limitation could be carried forward for up to five years. The tax credit cannot be carried back. The aggregate amount of tax credits for the state could not exceed $10 million in 2016. Starting in 2017, the limit would be the same as the previous year. However, if the aggregate amount of tax credits in the previous year is at least 90 percent of the limit, the limit in the current year would increase by 25 percent. To qualify for a scholarship, a student would need to be a Nebraska resident and be in a family with a household gross income that does not exceed two times the income standard used to qualify for reduced-price meals in public schools under the National School Lunch program. Greg Logsdon, superintendent of schools for the Catholic Diocese of Grand Island, noted that the Choice for the Advancement of Nebraska Children in Education Act is not limited to students in Catholic schools. "The money is all going into one large pot," Logsdon said. "It's not going to go only to Catholic schools, only to Lutheran schools. It's going to be spread around." Logsdon said he visited Heartland Lutheran High School to make sure that school officials there were informing families about next Monday's meeting. He hopes that not only Central Catholic and Heartland Lutheran families attend Monday's forum but that people from communities surrounding Grand Island also attend. Logsdon described LB26 as a bipartisan effort by Krist to expand educational choice for Nebraska families. He said the idea of a tuition tax credit has been talked about in Nebraska for the past six or seven years. He said approximately 32 of the 50 states have some type of program for educational choice, with about 17 states providing a tuition tax credit. Logsdon said the tuition tax credit is different than a voucher system. Tuition tax credits for scholarships have been very successful in other states, including Iowa, he said. Logsdon talked about how the tuition tax credit program is designed to help low-income families begin to have some of the same choice or opportunity in attending a private or parochial school as more well-to-do families. Adam Weinberg, the Platte Institute's communications and outreach director, expanded that universe a bit, saying LB26 is designed to benefit low- and middle-income families. Weinberg, who will be at Monday's forum, said the tax credit is designed to encourage people to donate to nonprofit, scholarship-granting organizations. He said such organizations must agree to grant scholarships to students in at least two different schools. The organizations cannot be tied to one specific school. He said the best existing example is the Children's Scholarship Fund of Omaha, which provides scholarship options for 60 to 80 schools. Weinberg said LB26 is also careful that scholarships or donations to the scholarship-granting organization cannot be designated to a specific student. He said the scholarship cannot be used for a student who is already attending a parochial school so a donor can't get a "kickback for your existing tuition payment and you can't say, I want it to go to this particular school.'" Weinberg said it would be wonderful if additional scholarship-granting organizations were created if LB26 was approved by the Legislature. He said that the intent is to increase educational choice for students who are not already in a parochial or private school, which means the scholarship is intended overwhelmingly for students now in public schools. The AroundTown section of the Clipper-Herald is to notify the public of upcoming events and to publicize pertinent information from individuals, groups or organizations that are not for profit. PEOPLE An open house for Denny and Pat Samway will be held Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Kirk's Restaurant. Hosting the event in celebration of their parents' 50th wedding anniversary will be their children. No gifts please, let your presence be your gift. Those unable to attend may send cards to Dennis and Pat Samway, 43 North Point, Johnson Lake, NE 68937. HAPPENINGS DAR Meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 6:30 p.m. at Kirks Restuarant. Program by Sandy Mittelstaedt on Women in DAR. VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) is in need of volunteers beginning Jan. 30. Training and supplies are provided. Call Mary at 308-785-8111 or Julie, 308-324-5982 to volunteer. GriefShare, a grief support group, for help and encouragement after the death of a spouse, child, family member or friend. The 13 week video series meets every Saturday starting Jan. 16 at 10 a.m. in the board room at the Lexington Public Library. For more information call 308-324-5310 or visit www.GriefShare.org. Cost is $20 for workbook. Please join us and find that you are not alone in your journey from mourning to joy. Prescribed Burn Task Force Burn Schools will be held in three area workshops from Feb. 2 - 4. Registration is $15 for the public and $10 for members of volunteer fire departments. For more information call Dawson County Extension at 308-324-5501. If you visit the grave of a veteran and the flag holder is missing or damaged, please notify the Dawson County Veteran Service Office by calling 308-324-3041. Living Waters is a 20-week group for people seeking healing from sexual or relational brokenness. The group begins meeting each Wednesday evening through April 27 at the Lexington Public Library from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Confidentiality is a high value in these gender specific groups with trained leaders who have experienced healing in their own journeys. Applications required to protect the safety of the group. Material cost is $50.00. For more information or to apply, call 308.324.4410 or visit www.parkviewfamily.com/livingwater. Volunteers needed for Adult Education ESL and GED classes offered through Central Community College. ESL - 10 a.m. - 12 noon Monday -Thursday and 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Monday- Wednesday. GED - 12 Noon - 2:30 p.m. Monday and Thursday, 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday. Any invdividual classes or combined times could be arranged for one to three volunteers. To volunteer contact Marge Bader, Volunteer Coordinator at 308-785-2111 or 324-8483 or email mbader57@msn.con and leave a message. Lexington Area Parkinsons Disease Support Group Meetings are held the 2nd Thursday each month at 2 p.m. in the education room at the Community Health & Fitness Center (1600 W. 13th, Lexington) For more information contact Dixie Menke at 308-325-5350 or 308-784-4022 or Brenda Bierman at 308-324-2523. RYDE Transit - Public Transportation is available Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. To schedule a ride in Dawson County or Lexington call 308.324.3670. Public Transportation is easy to ride and open to everyone. COZAD EVENTS Cozad Honor Guard - donations needed. The Cozad Honor Guard is seeking donations to cover the costs of traveling to parades, flag postings and Veteran funerals such as those held at Fort McPherson, for salutes to deceased Veterans. Donations can be sent to: John Kloepping, 415 E 15th St, Cozad or contact John at 784-3082 or Glenn Franzen at 784-4255. Barn Quilts of Dawson County Workshop on Saturday Jan 9 9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.at the 100th Meridian Museum (206 E 8th). Make your own Barn Quilt! This workshop is open to Dawson County residents. The class size will be limited to the first 10 who register. Registration deadline is Monday Jan. 4. Pre-registration required. For more information contact: Julie Geiger, prairiepointjunction@yahoo.com, or Laurie Yocom, wpublib@cozadtel.net or 308-784-2019. Or visit cozadchamber.com for supply list and registration form. MEETINGS American Legion in Lexington meets the First Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at Heartland Military Museum. Survivors of Suicide Suppport Group is held every second Monday of each month from 7 to 8 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 1616 W. 39th Street, in Kearney. For more information call 308-237-2635. Bingo Night at Lexington Regional Health Center will be held Thursday evenings from 6-7:30 p.m. at The Corner Cafe (LHRC dining room). Come and enjoy FREE soup and an evening of BINGO. LEXINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY Check out our new "Can't wait to read it" display in the new book section. The display shows book covers of books the library is waiting to receive. You can place a hold on these titles at the circulation desk. You are invited to drop by the Lexington Public Library's Open House on Sunday, Jan. 10 from 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. to celebrate the Library's Tenth Anniversary. Stop in for coffee and cake and see how the library has changed. The next meeting of the Monday Afternoon Book Club is Monday, Jan. 11, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. in the Benthack Room of the Lexington Public Library. This month we will be discussing Richard Paul Evans "The Christmas List." If you would like to join the discussion, you may pick up a copy of the book at the library. The library is still selling tickets for the Library's Raffle Quilt. The quilt was a project of the Novel Stitchers and was created by Luann, Fran and Marian, to support the new Family Place area in the Library. You may purchase raffle tickets at the Lexington Public Library for $1.00 each or 6 tickets for $5.00. The drawing will take place on Sunday, January 31 at 2:00 p.m. All proceeds will be used for our Family Place. Novel Stitchers meets on Tuesdays at 3:00 p.m. If you enjoy stitching--knitting, crocheting, quilting, cross stitch, needlepoint, or have another portable stitching project--join us at the library for two hours of stitching and visiting. We will meet on Tuesdays, Jan. 12, 19, and 26 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. in the Lexington Public Library Board Room. The Lexington Public Library is hosting Story Time on Wednesdays, Jan. 13, 20, and 27. Pre-readers and their caregivers are invited to share stories, finger-plays and other activities each Wednesday morning from 10:30 to 11:00 at the Lexington Public Library. We are looking forward to seeing you at our next Story Time on Wednesday, January 13 at 10:30 a.m. LEXINGTON GRAND GENERATION CENTER Exercise room is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Every Sunday Center available for rent Wednesday 9:15 a.m. - Go4Life 9:30 a.m. - Coffee/Crafts 11 a.m. - 5-in-Row 12 p.m. - Kathy Scusa - NE Comm. for Deaf and Hard of Hearing 12:45 p.m. Ive Got It 1:30 p.m. - FROG 2:30 - 3:30 p.m - Hot Cookies 3 p.m. - Strength Training Thursday 9:15 a.m. - Tai Chi 1 p.m. - Wii Bowling Wednesday 9:15 a.m. - Go4Life 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. - Blood pressure/blood sugar testing 12:45 p.m. - Cards 1 p.m. - FROG LEXINGTON GRAND GENERATION CENTER MENU Homemade bread everyday. Choice of skim, 2% or chocolate milk. No reservations needed except for large groups. Serving time: 11:30 a.m. Wednesday Meat loaf, baby bakers, cheesy cabbage, plums Thursday Lemon pepper chicken, potato casserole, roasted brussel sprouts, orange slices, surprise cake Friday Taco bar, tator tots, chuck wagon corn, lime applesauce COZAD COMMUNITY SCHOOLS MENU Breakfast Wednesday Cereal or breakfast pizza, fruit, fruit juice, milk Thursday Cereal or Tac-Go, fruit, fruit juice, milk Friday Cereal, biscuits n gravy, fruit, fruit juices, milk Lunch Wednesday Pork ribbette on bun, chips, broccoli florets, strawberries or peaches, milk Thursday Chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, cooked carrots, pineapple, milk Friday Sloppy joe/bun, corn, pears, milk ELWOOD PUBLIC SCHOOL MENU Breakfast Wednesday Pancakes or cereal, toast, fruit, juice, milk Thursday Pop tarts or cereal, toast, fruit juice, milk Friday Sausage gravy over biscuits, or cereal, toast, fruit juice, milk Lunch Wednesday Tator tot casserole, carrots, fruit cocktail, bread and butter, milk Thursday Chicken fried steak, potatoes and gravy, corn, peaches, milk Friday Hamburgers, baked beans, mandarin oranges, chips, milk LEXINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS MENU Breakfast Wednesday Mini pancakes and banana Thursday Breakfast bread slice and apple Friday Mini bagel and orange Lunch Wednesday Cheeseburger, seasoned potato sticks, mandarin oranges Thursday Chicken fajita/tortilla, spanish rice, refried beans, pineapple Friday Breaded pork patty sandwich, tri tater, diced carrots, applesauce OVERTON PUBLIC SCHOOL MENU Breakfast Wednesday Oatmeal bar and egg Thursday Breakfast pizza Friday Donut holes and ham Lunch Wednesday Soup bar, cheese bread, relish tray, jello, fruit cocktail Thursday Chicken patty sandwich, fries, baked beans, strawberries, mandarin oranges Friday Hot dog bar, broccoli, celery and peanut butter, pears, cherry crisp ORGANIZATIONS Al-Anon (Day Time) meets Thursday noon to 1 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church. Use office door. For more information call 308-324-5301. NA group, "A Way Out," meets every Sunday night, 7 p.m. at the Lexington Christian Church, 1206 N. Erie. NA group - A Way Out - "Letting Go," meets Tuesdays, 7 p.m. at Plum Creek Mall, Suite 3, use north doors. NA group also meets Sundays and Thursdays at 7 p.m. at First Christian Church, located at 13th and Erie Street, use north doors. Al-Anon & AA - Lexington: at 8 p.m. on Mondays at First Christian Church, 13th and Erie, south door. Al-Anon at 8 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Lexington Regional Health Center Board Room; AA at 8 p.m. at Fitness Center Education Room. Contact: 324-5301, 324-2288, 858-4582, or 991-8246. AA Elwood: at 8 p.m. on Sundays at United Methodist Church, 601 Rush in Elwood. Contact: 785-3567 (Tom). Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings, non-smoking: at noon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at St. Anns Catholic Church basement, 301 E. Sixth St. Contact: 320-2564, or 858-4821. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings, non-smoking - Smithfield: At 8 p.m. on Thursdays at Hope Lutheran Church, 74098 Road 436 in Smithfield. Call 785-3567 or 472-3376. Celebrate Recovery: a 12-step, anonymous program helping participants overcome any hurts, habits, addictions or hang-ups. Meets twice: 1) at 7 p.m. on Thursdays at Lexington Evangelical Free Church, 810 S. Washington Street. Contact: 308-324-3825 or 308-238-1298. 2) at 6:30 p.m. on Fridays at Parkview Baptist Churchs Y.A.C., 1105 Park St.. Contact: 308-324-4410. Central Community College Adult Basic Education and English as Second Language in Lexington. Basic reading, writing, math and spelling. Citizenship classes, preparation for the high school equivalency (GED) exam. All classes open to individuals 16 years or older not enrolled in secondary school. Contact Marilynn Hersh at 324-8483 or 324-8480. An annual fee applies to all students. Central Health Center at 1308 N. Adams: provides pap test, free HIV/AIDS counseling and testing, sexually transmitted infection screening, pregnancy testing, emergency contraception. Hours: Monday and Tuesday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays 1-7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Services available by appointment or walk-in. Sliding scale fees charged. Insurance accepted, donations welcome. Contact 324-6944 for information. The Compassionate Friends, Lexington Area Chapter (a support group for parents who have lost a child), meets the third Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m., at the Great Western Drive-In bank meeting room, corner of 6th and Lincoln. For more information call 308-320-1483. Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska Public Immunization Clinic, 1st & 3rd Mondays every month: Open 10 a.m.-noon and 2-4 p.m. by appointment at 931 West 7th St., Lexington. Clinics serve ages 2 months - 18 years. Children must be accompanied by an adult, previous vaccination records required. Contact 308-865-1352 ext. 143. Dawson/Gosper County CASA: seeking Volunteers. CASA Volunteers are everyday people from all walks of life, who advocate through the court system in the interests of children. Contact 324-7364 for more information. Double Trouble in Recovery: starts June 4 on Mondays from 12 to 1 p.m. at Heartland Counseling, 307 5th St., Lexington. For more information contact Heartland Counseling at 308-324-6754. Gamblers Anonymous: at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays at Richard Young Hospital, 1755 Prairie View Place, Kearney. GriefShare, a small group series, is offered on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. at Lexington Public Library. For more information call the church office at 308-324-5310 or visit griefshare.org. Lexington Area Grief Support Group: meets at 4:30 p.m. on the first Mondays of each month at Fitness Center, 1600 W. 13th Street. Open to anyone experiencing the death of a loved one. Contact Lexington Regional Health Center Home Health office, 324-8300. Lexington Genealogical Society: at 2 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of each month at Lexington Public Library. Visitors welcome. Lexington Kiwanis: meets at noon every Wednesday at Grand Generation Center. Lexington Lions Club: meets at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Monday of every month at Grand Generation Center. Contact any member or attend any meeting to join. Lexington MS Group: meets at 7 p.m. on the first Monday of each month in the Community Education Room at the Lexington Regional Health Center Fitness Center. Lexington Optimist Club: meets at noon on Thursdays at Kirks Restaurant. Lexington Rotary Club: meets at noon every Wednesdays at the Grand Generation Center. Love In Action Outreach Ministry: Located at 907 W. 8th Street in Lexington, is in need of mens clothing, all sizes and styles; pots pans, serving dishes and utensils; bedding, crib sheets, twin size, reg. size, queen and king size, pillows, blankets, beds; winter coats and jackets. Bring to 907 W. 8th during our regular operating hours, Monday through Friday, 1 - 4 p.m. Monday to Friday we have bag sales, small bag $10.00 and large bag $15.00 dollars. Closed Saturdays, Sundays & all Federal Holidays. MOMS (Making Our Mothering Significant): resources and relationships to encourage for mothers of all ages. Meets from 8:45-11 a.m. every other Thursday at Parkview Baptist Church, 803 W. 18th, Lexington. Narcotic Anonymous (New) A Way Out: at 7 p.m. on Sunday nights at First Christian Church at 1206 N. Erie, use South door, Contact: Don, 651-9294. Overeaters Anonymous: meets at 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays at Cozad Hospital meeting room and at 10 a.m. on Saturdays at the Fitness Centers conference room in Lexington. Contact 308-785-2064 or 308-537-3063. Parkinsons Support Group: meets at 7 p.m. on the first Monday of the month at United Methodist Church, E and McDonald, North Platte. Contact 534-7404. Phoenix Group for divorce recovery: meets at 7 p.m. on Mondays in the Friendship Room at First United Methodist Church Kearney, 46th Street and Linden Drive. Contact Julie, 234-9986. Recovery Education for persons who have a family member or loved one dealing with abused substances. This free program is at 5 p.m. every Tuesday at Heartland Counseling, 307 East 5th St., Lexington. For questions, call Jennifer Sand at 324-6754. The Riverdale Rounders Country and Bluegrass Jam Session: second Thursdays, Riverdale Community Center. Bring instrument or come and enjoy. Contact: John Shafer, 236-6559 after 5 p.m. TOPS, Take Off Pounds Sensibly: nonprofit, non-commercial weight-loss support group, meets Wednesdays, 5 p.m., Lexington Regional Health Center Fitness Center Education room; Contact: Brenda, 324-2523. Fridays at 9 a.m. group meets at Plum Creek Care Center. Contact: Phyllis, 324-8443. Weight Watchers: meets Thursdays, First Presbyterian Church, Lexington, 5:15 p.m. Contact: Bev Anderson, 785-2807. Warning Warning: This site contains images and graphic descriptions of extreme violence and/or its effects. It's not as bad as it could be, but is meant to be shocking. Readers should be 18+ or a mature 17 or so. There is also some foul language occasionally, and potential for general upsetting of comforting conventional wisdom. Please view with discretion. The Lenovo LINK is a tiny device that looks like a USB flash drive and you can use it as one. But the LINK is much more than a USB drive with 32GB of storage. Plug it into a Windows computer and then plug an Android phone into the LINK and you can view your phones screen on your PC and use your computers keyboard and touchpad or mouse to remote control your phone. But thats just the tip of the iceberg. The LINK has a few other tricks up its sleeve as well. Lenovo says the LINK should be available for purchase in March for $39. You can also copy and paste text between you PC and your phone, transfer files, or even drag your PC mouse cursor over to your phone as if it were an external display and use your keyboard and mouse to control the phone even if youre not mirroring the display on your PC. Have some videos on you phone, but prefer to watch them on a big screen? You can do that too. Just connect the LINK, open your video, and you can play it in full screen on you PC. Audio and video should play on your PC. The LINK also has 32GB of storage, so you could actually just use it as a USB flash drive, although there are cheaper options if thats all you need. While this is a Lenovo product, you dont need a Lenovo phone or PC to use it. Just install an app from the Google Play Store on a phone running Android 5.0 or later to get started. The LINK will install the necessary drivers on a PC running Windows 7 or later the first time you plug it in. When the LINK is connected to a USB port on your computer, youll see a USB port on the other side of the LINK. Use that to connect your phone as if you were plugging it directly into your PC, and you should be good to go. Lenovo says the LINK supports USB 3.0, but it should work just fine on computers that only have USB 2.0 ports. You state its show business, not politics, but isn't that the impression that the public has received from all politicians for the last 10 years? Photo-ops, lame legislation (repeal of ACA), and doing things just for a subtle message are routine and nothing is being done about it. So in steps Donald, who says "Whatever, these guys are saying stuff all the time but not doing anything!", and follows with "I can beat them by saying anything and doing something!" And the fact that no one is saying anything appealing, no one has an idea what do to in the middle east (HC has experience, but not very good results), economic backgrounds are limited, and every time someone says something worth listening to, they follow it up with something that is not conducive to a society (restrict food stamps (?)). I think that Trump is out of touch, and he lives in a different world than people can imagine, but I don't think he is dumb or unsympathetic to people. Trump supporters are laughing at the people taking those "outrageous" statements so seriously. All these guys say stuff all the time, but judge by actions (as an example, Cruz say stuff all the time, but if you were to judge by his actions, there is nothing there.) Highlighting Louisiana books and authors and literary events happening in the Bayou State. FitBit Blaze Fitbit on the subject of Tuesday unveiled its college fitness watch, aiming to profit into the growing smartwatch segment subsequently upgraded fitness tracking features.But the companys share price plunged along in the middle of disappointment difficult than its prospects for keeping pace when rivals taking into account Apple Watch.The company, which leads the wearable tech reveal gone its wrist-worn trackers but is mammal challenged by the rise of smartwatches from Apple and others, said its $199 Fitbit Blaze watch was available for pre-order and would organization retail stores globally in the coming months.Speaking at an unveiling ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Fitbit chief presidency and co-founder James Park said the late buildup device strikes a report amid fitness and style.The Blaze contains a module that can be connected once smartphones processing Apple, Android or Windows systems and removed to snap into swing bands for workouts, the office or nights upon the town, Park said.It will moreover divulge for notifications of calls, text and calendar alerts, and can control music playing from a phone. It also features a high-utter color display and a battery that can last occurring to five days.It puts fitness first and has the right set of features that dont extinguish the fanatic, he told the news conference.Fitbit led the global ventilate for wearable tech devices in the third quarter taking into consideration a 22.2 percent have enough maintenance allocation and unit sales of 4.7 million, according to research conclusive IDC.But many analysts expect Apple to receive the lead in the sector once its subsidiary smartwatch that connects to iPhones and moreover has fitness-tracking features.Not sufficientFitbit shares plunged 18 percent upon apparent disappointment the company fell hasty in its strategy of countering Apple and appendage rivals. Also weighing upon Fitbit was a launch by Under Armour of a suite of linked fitness devices.Sterne Agee analyst Rob Cihra said the subsidiary watch is not likely sufficient to boost Fitbit against its rivals.The analyst said in a research note the appendage smartwatch appears to be a in style (Fitbit) Charge fitness band which offers a much smaller fraction of the functionality (of rivals), as a not-in view of that-researcher watch subsequently than limited apps platform work.We see the company still needing to prove it can manufacture out a sustainable software and services platform that goes highly developed than clearly selling devices, the analyst said.IDC analyst Ramon Llamas said Fitbit shares may have been unfairly punished by the news.Llamas told AFP that it appears that a modular smartwatch does not appeal to a lot of people but that Fitbit yet has the opportunity to embellish its offerings and exacerbate its large adherent base.I think (Blaze) is unfairly being compared to Apple Watch, he said. But there are yet a lot of oars in the ocean to tug Fitbit dispatch.Under Armour meanwhile announced its Connected Fitness product portfolio which may grab assign part from Fitbit.The Baltimore-based organization announced its UA Band expected to be worn every one-day, completely daylight to track daily exchange, workouts and snooze, a compact heart rate monitor which can work workout elevation above sea level and a compound scale that enables weight and body fat percentage readings.For 20 years, Under Armour has tainted the habit athletes dress and now we will fine-atmosphere the quirk athletes alive, said Kevin Plank, founder and CEO, in a notice.We are taking linked Fitness to choice level. With the HealthBox suite of products alive thing introduced, athletes will be empowered as well as the plan to make better decisions and ultimately enrich their lives in a habit thats never been finished to the front. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Russia is waging a disgraceful war on Ukraine. Stand With Ukraine! In debutant director Bikas Ranjan Mishras Chauranga there are so many scummy characters swimming in the tides of a debauchery and greed that you desperately look for ways to tell yourself that life is worth living after all. Chauranga, set in an impoverished village of what seems to be Chattisgarh or Jharkhand, is so denuded of hope and goodness, you come away a little sickened in your soul and stomach. The frightening truth about Mishras plot is that the world of caste exploitation that it inhabits actually exists in many part of North India. Sanjay Suri, trying hard to get the body language and accent right, plays a Zamindar who objectifies the women around him with such arrogance, he doesnt for a moment see himself as the symbol of caste and gender oppression that he happens to be. Suris feudal character is shown copulating regularly with a feisty Dalit woman Dhaniya (Tanishtha Chatterjee, gloriously in-character) who encourages his amorous attention just so that she can afford her two growing sons education in the city. The most despicable character in recent times is that of the village priest played by veteran Dhritiman Chatterjee. The blind character literally gropes at everything he can lay his hands on, man woman, child and animal. It is the most naked and unabashed portrayal of evil in the garb of religiosity seen in recent memory. You wait for these characters to come to a suitably sticky end, but in vain. Nemesis is not an easy beloved to please in this village of the vile, populated by the scummiest specimens of humanity on the earth. To their credit these hateful are played by actors who dont mind looking irredeemably corrupt and compromised. Dhaniyas two sons Bajrangi and Santu, played by Ridhi Sen and Soham Maitra, are the fulcrum of hope in this despondent scenario. Soham Maitras character Santu, an endearing mix of poverty-induced indignation and wide-eyed adolescence, anchors much of the films angst against injustice. Tragically Santu is much too young and inexperienced to shoulder the plots theme of omnipresent exploitation. Most of the time we end up looking at monstrously compromised and unhappy creatures of the dark trying to create a rhythm to their utterly futile existence. It is not an easy film to watch. Such is life. There are constant and jolting reminders of how brutish life is at the bottom-most layer of existence. The debutant director knows his characters and their location well. But the plot is over-populated and under-nourished. In a playing time of merely 90 minutes, Chauranga crams in an abundance of derelict characters, each ones eyes telling their own saga of tears. Particularly ruminative in her poised stance of tragedy is the character of Sanjay Suris neglected wife (a distant relative of Meena Kumari from Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam), played by the expressive Arpita Chatterjee. She dreams of a better life for her educated daughter Mona(Ena Saha). Alas, dreams die hard in this heartless heartland of Hindustan. Chauranga is a dark, cryptic and provocative look at cast oppression as seen through the eyes of a young innocent boy. This is the world of Shyam Benegals Nishant and Prakash Jhas Damul. But a lot more murky and yes, clumsy. There is way too much fondling, pushing and touching, not all of it appropriate or even apt. Sanjay Suris love making scenes with Tannishtha Chatterjee show him copulating violently, with his pyjama on. While Suri breeds his lust, Tannishthas character breathes her last. She probably died laughing. Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt is set to be released from jail on 27 February after the Maharashtra government remitted his sentence in the Mumbai serial blasts case. The 56-year-old actor will be walking free from Yerwada jail in Pune a few days ahead of his official release days, NDTV. Dutt will get an early release by the end of February after availing over a hundred days of remission owing to 'good behaviour', reports CNN IBN. Minister for State (Home) Ranjit Patil signed the file allowing Dutt's release, without penalising him for reporting late from his furlough in January 2015, reports India Today. Dutt was convicted for his role in the 12 March Mumbai serial blasts and sentenced to six years in jail in 2007. The actor, who served 18 months, was later out on bail fighting the conviction until a court in March 2013 ordered that should be sent back to jail, reports The New Indian Express. Dutt is now completing the remaining prison term of 42 months. After he was sent to Yerawada jail in May 2013, Dutt had been out on parole twice and an equal number of times on furlough. Dutt was acquitted of terror charges under the Tada, but was found guilty of possessing illegal arms, acquired ostensibly to protect his family during the communal conflagration in Mumbai after the demolition of the Babri Mosque on 6 December 1992, reports The Times of India. Earlier reports said that Dutt would be released in March, a decision which was criticised by some. With inputs from PTI PlanMyMedicalTrip.com, a platform that offers international patients access to medical care at competitive prices, has secured Rs 1.25 crore funding from three angel investors Bhanu Vikram Parsotam, Rohan Desai and Paras Patel. The portal also plans on expanding its reach to countries that are rich with prospects for medical tourism such as Thailand, UAE, Brazil and Germany. Talking about this new development, Anurav Rane, Founder and CEO, said, This funding will help us serve our customers even better. It will also assist us in keeping our energies focused on our philosophy of Humanity is the only religion. Highlighting the reason for investing in PlanMyMedicalTrip.com, Bhanu Vikram Parsotam said, I have been a part of the healthcare sector in the USA for close to two decades now. So, I am familiar with patient requirements here and strongly believe that PlanMyMedicalTrip.com is doing the right thing at the right time. Together with the PlanMyMedicalTrip.com representatives, Im positive that we will be able to boost healthcare facilities across the globe. The three angel investors have a key role to play in PlanMyMedicalTrip.coms growth story. Parsotam has been involved with Pensacola Home Health Care for 20 years and has previously also funded hotels and motels in the USA. Rohan Desai has 10 years of experience in stock trading and investment, and provides stock advisory services at www.rdviews.com. Paras Patel is a real estate investor and an MBA by qualification. Launched in 2012, PlanMyMedicalTrip.com is a Pune-based solutions provider for anyone looking for affordable medical services and necessary infrastructure at hospitals that best address the patients concern. The platform leverages its 1500+ tie-ups with reputed hospitals and doctors in India and Turkey to provide the best service to international patients. The business model attracts patients both online and offline. PlanMyMedicalTrip.com aims to establish tie-ups with all hospitals across India along with making inroads into other potential medical tourism destinations such as Brazil, Thailand, Egypt, Germany and Dubai. Its target is to capture 15 percent of the thriving medical tourism market thats expected to reach $8 billion by 2020. It also wishes to facilitate patients stay in exotic destinations to aid their recovery process and take the sting away from long treatments. New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought a response from the Delhi government on three point arguments made by counsel Shweta Bharti on behalf of Petitioners Gunjan Khanna and Manoj Kumar, whether there exists any reasonable relation between the implementation of odd-even formula to the reduction in pollution being sought to be achieved. The petition also asks if the state government has adequate alternate public transport to cater to the needs of the inconvenienced public? The Delhi High Court has sought response from the State Government on 8 January. The Court also asked why one week is not enough to verify the efficacy of the impact on pollution. However, less congestion in Delhi owing to the odd-even car rationing scheme is shielding people from "direct exposure" to pollutants, especially in and around areas of high car density such as traffic junctions, experts opine. The experts unanimously endorse that a reduction in the volume of cars was simultaneously bringing down levels of gaseous pollutants like oxides of nitrogen, sulphur dioxide and black carbon, which is a mixture of road dust and vehicle fumes. However, they also warn against expecting any dramatic reduction in the amount of respirable particulate matters, PM 2.5 and PM 10, which depend on a host of atmospheric parameters. The measures aimed at curbing pollution came into force on 1 January. Dismissing murmurs that the pilot plan has yielded little gains until now, ecologists and urban planners contend while hostile weather conditions may be limiting the gains, it would definitely restrict the peak levels from spiraling out of hand. Raj Cherubal of Chennai City Project said lesser congestion has proven that "there is space" on Delhi's roads for buses and measures like BRTS, while Shreya Gadipalli of Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) said the policy has created a platform "for a dialogue". Anumita Roychowdhury of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said that a sharp drop of pollutants from the peak levels has been observed over the last few days and added, "When vehicles slow down due to congestion they emit more. Free flow of traffic helps prevent that." "Congestion also causes pollution and it affects the lower middle class more who are directly exposed to criteria pollutants like oxides of nitrogen, sulphur dioxide and black carbon. Pollution should not be looked at only from the point of view of the amount of suspended particulate matters like PM 2.5 and PM 10. Cars not only take most of the space but also affects common people the most," Madhav Pai of EMBARQ said. Holding it a "much needed start", Samar Halarnkar of IndiaSpend, a portal that runs a network of 'low cost sensors' across Delhi, said that enforcing the car rationing scheme is not enough and the government needs to focus on implementing all the other measures like shutting down the coal-based Badarpur thermal power plant. Over 1.5 lakh cars were added to the city's roads this financial year along with 3.5 lakh bikes and scooters, taking the number of total registered vehicles whopping 88.27 lakh, as per Delhi Statistical Hand Book 2015 released by the city government. Cherubal argues that odd-even should be seen in the context of tactics towards "better quality of life" and that the AAP government should immediately announce a comprehensive action plan with timelines on multi-modal integration, new buses, BRTS, common ticketing system, quota on buying cars among others. "Congestion at junctions, where drivers idle engines, means higher local pollution. Lesser congestion due to odd-even proves there is space on Delhi's roads for buses and measures like BRTS which is not obvious on congested roads. So odd-even and such can be tactical," he said. Cherubal, who pioneered the 'car-free' day scheme in Chennai, also sought to point out that big cars or SUVs take up disproportionate amount of space on the limited road, carrying disproportionately smaller percentage of commuters. "So even if cars/SUVs use cleaner fuels and emit less smoke, what about all the other forms of pollution it causes including congestion, noise pollution thereby eroding quality of life?" he asked. Roychowdhury, who heads CSE's clean air campaign, said on the first day of the enforcement of the scheme, a sharp drop in the level of pollutants was observed despite wind speed being lesser compared to the previous day. Gadepalli of ITDP, that has implemented Ahmedabad's BRTS system, said expecting the odd-even policy to dramatically reduce pollution levels overnight would be "silly" as there may be existing residues in the air. "The primary goal was to get people thinking about pollution due to unmitigated use of cars and explore alternative mobility solutions, especially public transportation. This has created a platform for a dialogue for what kind of a city we want-one where our children die of suffocation and unsafe streets, or one where they can live a happy and full life," she said. PTI By Gyanant Singh Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) S H Kapadia passed away on Monday night. We need to mourn his death but celebrate his life. At 68, he may have departed a bit too early but not before living a life worth emulating. The first CJI born in independent India, Justice Kapadia, set high standards of judicial conduct. He made an arduous journey in life from a humble beginning as a clerk in a law firm to the highest office in the Indian judiciary. And his tireless zeal for doing something good in life did not end with this. He continued to set examples as a judge and then, as CJI by working tirelessly without any leave for about 22 years. The old school judge did not give interviews to the media and consciously avoided social interactions. However, a lot can be written about his personal life, his character and his philosophy by looking at his approach towards life and work, the manner in which he conducted proceedings in court, his judgments, his administrative decisions and the views expressed by him from public platforms. He gave priority to work, set goals for himself, did not mind dismantling systems which could breed corruption, detested indiscipline and frowned upon unnecessary expenditure and corruption in any government department. Justice Kapadia, who succeeded Justice K G Balakrishan as CJI in 2010 when judiciary was under severe attack for failing to check corruption and pendency, did commendable work on the judicial and administrative side to improve the image of the judiciary and streamline work in the court registry. With the issue of corruption in the judiciary becoming the subject matter of debates even in Parliament, CJI Kapadia, while delivering his Law Day speech in 2011, took umbrage to people painting the entire judiciary as corrupt instead of throwing light on specific cases. We do not mind a studied fair criticism. If you know a judge is corrupt, take a position and tell the CJI. Do not bring the entire judiciary into disreputePlease dont dismantle an institution without telling how to build a better one. Justice Kapadia, on his part, strived to leave behind a better judiciary before he passed on the baton. Taking over as CJI on 12 May, 2010 just three-four days before the summer vacation, he made it a point to work during vacations to improve the working of the court registry and this he did by providing a better office environment to employees who so far risked their health by sharing cramped dingy rooms. He also streamlined the system of listing cases to do away with scope for corruption. On the very first day as CJI, he refused to oblige lawyers by making it clear that no relief could be sought by mentioning matters which were not listed. This put an end to a practice which left scope for bench hunting for relief. On the judicial side, he left behind a number of judgments for people to judge him. Some judgments by Justice Kapadia before he was elevated as CJI show that he detested corruption and did not mind writing a dissent if his colleagues differed with him on the issue. On 21 August, 2006, Justice Kapadia, the junior-most among the three judges on the bench which heard a PIL questioning the alleged appointment of a favourable judge for hearing the fodder scam case against RJD chief Lalu Prasad, read aloud his dissent while lifting his head every now then making eye contact with those present in Court number 2. While the two senior judges held that the appointment could not be questioned in a PIL, Justice Kapadia decided to interfere holding that the appointment was made in violation of the procedure. PIL is not maintainable to probe or enquire into the returns of another taxpayer except in special circumstances However, when scams take place, accusation of disproportionate assets are required to be looked into, he noted. "In the end it may be stated that the true value of a decision lies in its propriety and not in the decision being right or wrong," Justice Kapadia said in the judgment recording his dissent. A few months later, he again recorded his views on importance of integrity when he scripted another order in a corruption case. In the matters after matters, we find that the efficacy and ethics of the governmental authorities are progressively coming under challenge before this Court by way of PIL for failure to perform their statutory duties. If this continues, a day might come when the rule of law will stand reduced to a rope of sand, he wrote in a 27 November, 2006 order in the Taj Corridor case. Though he clearly favoured an unhindered business environment, he never gave precedence to business when it came to conflict with rights of people at large. When it comes to enforcement of the right to life under Article 21 (which includes right to clean environment), we have to go by rights and profit comes later Production comes after environmental concerns, he observed while banning mining in Karnataka. Justice Kapadias judgment in the Vodafone case might have cost the government dear, but it did not stop him from enforcing the rights of a foreign investor. Even if the foreign investor has no fundamental right, let them know, that the rule of law prevails in this country, he noted in the Vodafone judgment, which attracted more critics than admirers. One aspect which made Justice Kapadia stand out was that he never transgressed his powers as a judge and was never tempted by PILs which gave an opportunity to take over the task entrusted to the executive. He made every effort to honour the separation of powers but did not hesitate from intervening if it was necessary for preserving the purity of institutions. In this regard, he set an enviable precedent in the PJ Thomas case. He propounded the principle of "institutional integrity" to quash the appointment of Thomas who, otherwise, seemed to fulfill the eligibility for being appointed the CVC. The ruling in the case will be a precedent for all times to come and will help courts quash an appointment without going into the merits of the charges against a person. Justice Kapadia, who kept memories of his struggles buried deep in his heart, shared them with the legal fraternity at the time of his retirement. He said he was earning and learning at the same time. He used to work after attending college from 7 AM to 10 AM and at times used to go hungry because he did not have time. I got the first job on the condition that I would get only my college fees as salary, he said. He said even when he was not a lawyer, he used to go to the Bombay High Court and hear arguments by the likes of Fali Nariman, Soli Sorabjee, Anil Dewan and other stalwarts when he was free. On his wife -- who was present during his farewell -- being with him in difficult times, he said: She agreed to marry me at a time when I had just Rs 2,000 in my bank account. Known for his integrity, Justice Kapadia said he inherited honesty and integrity from his father who was an electrician in the army. One of my fathers friend Major Contractor, who is no more, told me that my father used to refuse even toffees and cheese offered to him after he did some work. But it was not just integrity, but his dedication to work made him climb up the ladder. The message that one can draw from his life is summed up in his own statement in response to praises heaped on him at the time of his retirement -- I have done my duty and have done no more. Justice Kapadia summed up in one word -- duty -- all the commendable work listed as his achievements during his farewell function in 2012. Sharing with judges a mantra for wriggling out of difficult situations, he said if there is any trouble, do what you are obligated to do. He practiced what he preached. He did not take leave even for a day in his about 22-year-long career as a judge. He recalled having once suffered a fracture as a Bombay High Court judge but he was in court next day with plaster. Some lawyers probably thought I was mad, he said. Justice Kapadia said he could work relentlessly without fail because of support from his brother and wife. My father is 92 and mother 88 but it is because of my brother (who takes care of parents) that I was able to work without any leave, he said in his farewell speech on 28 September, 2012. Many of my relatives died during the past 22 years but I worked while my wife went for funerals, he said. He went for work even on the last day of his life. He, along with Justice (Retd) A K Patnaik and another, went for hearing an arbitration matter in Mumbai. Justice Patnaik, who was in Delhi on Tuesday, found it hard to believe he was dead. By Prachi Salve & Saumya Tewari The north eastern state of Mizoram has reported a 13 percentage-point decline in stunting (below normal height for the age) and five percentage points decline in underweight children (underweight and short), according to a new report. The reason: Improved access to sanitation. As many as 92% households in Mizoram had access to sanitation at the end of the 2011 Census, against 82% during the 2001 census, the India Health Report for Nutrition Security in India, 2015 released last month said. As many as 522 million people gained access to improved sources of drinking water between 1990 and 2000, said the report, published by the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI). Open defecation and inadequate hand washing have been cited as reasons for poor health among children, leading to undernourishment. Indias 40 million stunted and 17 million wasted children below the age of five are a challenge for a country whose health indices lag its economic growth. This is the third part in our series on child malnutrition in India based on the PFHI report, where we track the states with worst and best nutrition figures and sanitation data to examine the relation between poor nutrition and hygiene. While the first part looked at public spending on child health and nutrition, the second part looked at the impact of maternal health on child nutrition. Not enough being spent on drinking water and sanitation Poor sanitation makes for unhealthy children, susceptible to water-borne diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera and jaundice. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) had set a target of halving the population without sanitation facilities by 2015. UNICEF launched the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme in 2006 to promote this goal. The Government of India has been focusing on improving drinking water and sanitation facilities across the country since 1999. The Total Sanitation Programme was launched in 1999 by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. It was changed to Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission) in 2012 and renamed Swachh Bharat Mission in 2014. Rs 25,387.5 crore ($3.8 billion) has been spent on drinking water and sanitation since 1999-2000, the data show. For comparison, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa sought more money, Rs 25,912 crore, from Delhi, to address the ravages of the states December 2015 floods. More than 93 million households still dont have toilets Almost 90% of child deaths from diarrhoeal diseases are directly linked to contaminated water, lack of sanitation or inadequate hygiene, a UNICEF report said. Indias infant mortality rate (IMR) has come down from 66 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2001 to 42 in 2012 but it is still equal to poorer African countries, such as Senegal (42), Malawai (41) and Ethiopia (43). Only 47% households in India had toilets, according to the 2011 Census data, an improvement of 11 percentage points over 2001 figures. As many as 181.5 million rural households were surveyed in 2012 to assess the requirement of toilets in individual households; this survey served as the baseline for the Swachh Bharat Mission. As on December 22, 2015, 93.1 million households in rural India had no toilets, according to government data. As many as 46% households in India defecated in the open as of 2013-14, according to data from the Rapid Survey on Children (RSoC). This was an improvement of nine percentage points from 2005-06 data, when it was 55%. Mizorams progress reflected in healthier children The states that were better-off in terms of child nutrition show a strong co-relation between sanitation and child nourishment. The best example is Mizoram, where the prevalence of stunting declined by 13 percentage points, and underweight children by five percentage points between 2006 and 2014. The worst states in terms of nutrition parameters had fewer households with toilets. There has been little progress in sanitation facilities in the worst-performing states. Figures for stunting have only improved eight percentage points in Bihar, three percentage points in Jharkhand, and there was no improvement in Chhattisgarh. However, there was a decline of 10 percentage points in stunted children between 2005-06 and 2013-14. After the Swachh Bharat Mission, since 2014, Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh have managed to fulfill about 44%, 52% and 50% of the requirement as per the baseline survey. Sanitation is only one factor affecting nutrition; for instance, data from what was once Andhra Pradesh show that the proportion of wasted children increased by six percentage points between 2006 and 2014, despite an improvement in sanitation. Studies conducted in the past decade have emphasized on the need for sanitation to improve nutrition. The example of Bangladesh is often cited. Between 1990 and 2012, open defecation dropped from 34% to 2.5% in that country, accompanied by a reduction in undernourishment, according to a report by International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the Washington-based think-tank. Series concluded. You can read the first part here and the second part here. (Salve and Tewari are policy analysts at IndiaSpend.) (Indiaspend.org is a data-driven, public-interest journalism non-profit) Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called up Narendra Modi Tuesday and promised "prompt and decisive" action against those behind the attack on an Indian Air Force base in Pathankot which has threatened to take a meat cleaver to the Indo-Pak dialogue revival process which has barely begun after a three year frost. Seven Indian soldiers have been killed in the attack, combing operations are still on. Nawaz Sharif called Modi as soon as the Indian government announced that all six terrorists who had attacked the airbase and used Pakistan-made equipment had been killed by security forces, reports The Indian Express. Modi's office said New Delhi had given Islamabad "specific and actionable information" on the audacious attack, which came just days after a landmark visit to Pakistan by the Indian premier raised hopes of improved relations. Security officials suspect the gunmen belonged to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed, the group that staged a 2001 attack on the Indian parliament which brought the two countries to the brink of war. In a statement, Modi's office said Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had telephoned him to discuss the attack on the Pathankot base in the northern state of Punjab near the border with Pakistan. Modi "strongly emphasised the need for Pakistan to take firm and immediate action against the organisations and individuals responsible for and linked to the Pathankot terrorist attack", said the statement. "Specific and actionable information in this regard has been provided to Pakistan." It said Sharif had given assurances that his government would take "prompt and decisive action". Pakistan had already condemned the attack, which began on Saturday with a dawn raid on the vast air base that triggered a 14-hour gunbattle. A statement Tuesday from Sharif's office said his government was "working on the leads and information provided by the Indian government". India is expected to send to Pakistan a letter rogatory (LR) along with DNA samples of the slain terrorists and their phone call details. The DNA test of the six terrorists will be conducted as early as possible so that Pakistani authorities can move on the case, official sources said. Sharif expressed his condolences for the loss of life and said he appreciated the "maturity" shown by the Indian government in the wake of the attack. #PathankotAttack PM Sharif calls PM Modi, assures that his Govt wd take prompt & decisive action against terrorists pic.twitter.com/aV41NRCUnV Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) January 5, 2016 #PathankotAttack | Heads can only roll after inquiry is completed: BJP pic.twitter.com/8ZRI31jHfX CNN-IBN News (@ibnlive) January 5, 2016 #BREAKING | Explanation needs to be sought from NSA over #PathankotAttack, says Subramanian Swamy to CNN-IBN pic.twitter.com/BSW6oirQsx CNN-IBN News (@ibnlive) January 5, 2016 - Derail peace process Some analysts have suggested the rare targeting of an Indian military installation outside disputed Kashmir may have been aimed at derailing talks between the nuclear-armed neighbours, who have fought three wars since gaining independence from Britain in 1947. It coincided with a 25-hour siege near an Indian consulate in Afghanistan that left at least one policeman dead and 11 others wounded. Analysts in Pakistan believe it is nearly impossible that the prime minister would have been allowed to hold a breakthrough meeting with his Indian counterpart last month without the consent of the army, widely understood to dictate foreign and security policy. But analyst Khadim Hussain said the attack on the air base along with a Taliban surge in Afghanistan indicated that elements of the Pakistani military were not on board with the negotiations. "The immediate result is they would like to derail the peace process," he told AFP, clarifying that it was unclear whether such decisions were sanctioned at the highest levels. Sharif's statement Tuesday noted that whenever a "serious effort" for peace between the India and Pakistan was launched, "terrorists try to derail the process". Modi's comments came as India's defence minister said the Pathankot attack had exposed "some gaps" in security following media criticism of how the incident was handled. Gunshots could still be heard from the base on Monday - more than 48 hours after the raid - leading some to question why it took so long to neutralise the six assailants, all of whom were finally killed. "I do see some gaps (in security), which will be clear after investigations," minister Manohar Parrikar told journalists. There is no suspected terrorist inside right now I will not give a negative report till the combing operations are over. The combing operations may be over by tomorrow, he said in reply to questions. One of the terrorists still has a body vest where they (security forces) can see a grenade stuck I am very very clear they should not take any risk. We have already lost one person to a booby trap, so no more losses, Parrikar said. He stressed that the base was a "complicated area" spread over nearly 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres) and housing 3,000 families. The Pathankot attack was claimed Monday by the United Jihad Council, an umbrella group for jihadist outfits fighting in the Indian-controlled section of Kashmir. Jaish-e-Mohammed is not part of the United Jihad Council. With Agencies New Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to visit West Bengal's Malda district later this month, which has recently witnessed violence that led to communal tension in the area. The announcement of proposed visit assumes significance as Union Home Ministry has already sought a report from Mamata Banerjee-led state government on the Malda violence. "The Home Ministry has sought the report from the state government. They should submit it as early as possible," a senior official said. Besides, the Union Home Minister may visit the area on 18 January. The assurance was given by Singh to 'Nirbhoy Didi', a known social worker from the state, in a meeting held here. Nirbhoy Didi has called on Singh today and requested him to visit the area. She has also cited some other instances of violence in the state, he said. A mob protesting against the alleged blasphemous comments by a right wing leader had recently resorted to violence in Malda district during which Kaliachak police station was reportedly attacked, the official said. There are reports that some people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the incident. Besides, there have been unconfirmed reports of gun fire in the area, the official said. "The report from West Bengal government will give the exact details of the reason of the violence and the present status there," he said. PTI Tripura governor and former president of the Bengal BJP Tathagata Roy, notorious for making communal statements, has sparked controversy yet again. In the wake of the Pathankot terror attack, Roy on Monday suggested on Twitter that the bodies of the terrorists killed in the attack be wrapped in pigskin. He also said that the bodies should be buried face down in pig excreta. I seriously suggest Russian treatment to terrorists' carcasses. Wrap them in pigskin,bury them face down in pig excreta. No chance of Houris Tathagata Roy (@tathagata2) January 4, 2016 Roy's tweet was clearly a twisted and sinister suggestion to discourage Islamic terrorism by making an example of the terrorists killed in the attack. However, the Tripura governor should have considered the dangerous possibility that such contemptuous statements would be met with even greater contempt. In other words, instead of becoming a deterrence for terrorism, Roy's small hate speech on Twitter could actually encourage more terrorism as a reaction. But an even more important point is the brazen communalism behind the tweet. If the Tripura governor really thinks that bodies being buried face down in excreta (of any animal) should be something acceptable in a civilised society, what is really the difference between us and terrorists? Moreover, Roy has been openly expressing his contempt for the Muslim community for quite a long time now. In November last year, Roy, in an exclusive interview to The Economic Times, had said, "People have the right to eat what they want but the scales would be even when Muslims come out and have pork in the open. And that day, we can really call it war against intolerance." On being asked what he thought about the emergence of a 'secular Grand Alliance' in Bihar, Roy had given a vague answer and had said that he does not accept the definition of the word 'secular'. In July, Roy had suggested that many people present at the funeral of Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon were "potential terrorists". Intelligence shd keep a tab on all (expt relatives & close friends) who assembled bfr Yakub Memon's corpse. Many are potential terrorists Tathagata Roy (@tathagata2) July 31, 2015 In April 2015, the Tripura Governor had said that if Hindus of West Bengal did not reject secularism and polarise, they would be "annihilated". Hindus of West Bengal: either chuck yr 'secular','politically correct' values and polarise. Or prepare to be either annihilated or converted Tathagata Roy (@tathagata2) April 23, 2015 And back in August 2014, Roy had congratulated UP BJP for bringing up the infamous 'Love Jihad' issue and had even suggested that the issue be taken up in West Bengal. Congrats UP BJP fr bringing issue of Love Jihad to the fore. We in West Bengal must perhaps do the same to save hapless gullible Hindu girls Tathagata Roy (@tathagata2) August 24, 2014 It is a scary fact that a person who has consistently been making communal, provocative and caustic statements, and that too openly on social media, continues to hold the honourable post of Governor of a state. In fact, a Kolkata-based rights group had written to President Pranab Mukherjee in August 2015, seeking the removal of the Tripura Governor over his tweets on Yakub Memon's funeral. Calling Roy's tweet as tantamount to spreading communalism, the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR), in a letter to Mukherjee, had said the Tripura governor must be sacked to maintain communal harmony. Of course, Roy is still Tripura governor. And he still continues to openly make communal remarks. With agency inputs Chennai: An eight-member inter-ministerial team deputed by the Centre to assess the flood damage in Tamil Nadu today met Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa who asked them to make an "in-depth assessment" and submit its report to the Union Home Ministry "expeditiously." The team, led by T V S N Prasad, Joint Secretary in the Union Home Ministry, also praised the state government for the rescue, relief and restoration work. Jayalalithaa, who has demanded a Central assistance of Rs. 25,912 crore, told the visiting team of officials that the requirement of funds for relief and restoration of infrastructure "are well beyond the resources available with the state." She requested the Central team "to make an in-depth assessment of the damage suffered by the state and to submit its report to the Ministry of Home Affairs expeditiously." Jayalalithaa's address to the Central team was released by the government to the media. The Chief Minister detailed the damage suffered by the state in December following which it had submitted a demand for Rs. 25,912 crore, and also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for deputing the Central team once again which will be visiting affected areas today and tomorrow. Besides Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Cuddalore, Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts bore the brunt of the torrential rains during the North East monsoon last year. The team, led by Prasad, had earlier also visited the state and made an assessment of damage. During the meeting with Ms Jayalalithaa, Prasad said the state government was "successful in preventing outbreak of any epidemic by timely measures such as chlorination and health camps." "There was widespread appreciation in the Ministries of Government of India about the prompt manner in which the state government machinery rose to the occasion and attended to rescue, relief and restoration work," he said. Jaya's coterie making idiotic claims: DMK chief DMK President M Karunanidhi on Tuesday slammed arch rival AIADMK over its handling of the recent rains and subsequent deluge and warned that his party would soon "respond" to the ruling party "legally and through parliamentary democracy." Karunanidhi's statement comes months ahead of the Assembly elections in the state, even as he said that the Jayalalithaa government "must be removed immediately." Leading a DMK agitation on the issue of rains and floods, he once again trained his guns against the ruling party over the issue of discharge of excess water from Chembarambakkam reservoir here, which the opposition parties have been claiming resulted in the deluge in Chennai. "There is a coterie which is prostrating before her and making idiotic claims... it can claim that despite the atrocities and the Chembarambakkam issue it can come back to power. The day to give them a reply is not far off. Very soon, we are going to respond to them legally and through parliamentary democracy," he said in his address. He charged the government with not handling the flood situation properly, although Jayalalithaa had repeatedly stated that Tamil Nadu had faced unprecedented rain which made matters worse despite her government's preparedness. DMK had earlier petitioned Governor K Rosaiah on the same issue. Agencies New Delhi: Scaling up the offensive against the government over Pathankot terror attack, Congress on Wednesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fix responsibility for the "grave security lapse" and suggested that some heads must roll. "They should realise that it has gone wrong and resignations should happen. If there is a lapse, resignations should happen," former Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde told reporters at the AICC briefing when repeatedly asked whether Congress is demanding resignation of Home Minister Rajnath Singh or Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. "This government has totally failed. It has no system in place to protect the nation," he added. AICC Communication Department chairman Randeep Surjewala also said that the prime minister should fix the responsibility and take action against the home and defence ministers. "First responsibility is of the prime minister as he is the head of the government. Then defence minister and home minister are also responsible as they deal with the matter. The prime minister should act decisively and not merely talk. "The prime minister should fix responsibility for this negligence and he reaches to the same conclusion that the nation has arrived at that there has been a huge lapse in the nation's security, he should then take action against the defence minister and the home minister," Surjewala said. The party asked will the prime minister and the BJP government explain as to who is responsible for "grave security lapse" as terrorists managed to reach Pathankot Air Base despite advance intelligence alert and reporting of prior incident. Accusing the government of having "totally failed" on the security front, the Congress leaders played video clips of Modi favouring a tough approach to deal with Pakistan and slamming UPA government's handling of Pakistan affairs before the Lok Sabha polls. Wondering why the NDA goverment is "soft on Pakistan" over the Pathankot attack, the Congress leaders asked why the BJP government led by Modi was "shying away" from calling the Pathankot Air Base attackers as "Pakistani terrorists", more so when they were loaded with fire arms, explosives, clothes, shoes and logistic support from Pakistan with "handlers located in Pakistan" as reflected by telephone transcripts. Surjewala and Shinde also wondered why the Modi government has not lodged a formal protest till date with Pakistan government, summoned their high commissioner and taken a decision to place the matter before international fora, so as to "expose and isolate Pakistan" as a state that is "abetting and permitting its soil to be used for anti-India terror activities". Taking a swipe at the prime minister, Shinde said Modi used to say that UPA ministers were serving biryani to Pakistani leaders but what is happening now. "He (Modi) himself went to meet Nawaz Sharif and after that Pathankot happened," Shinde said. Shinde said if this government continued like this, "then it looks like we may lose our country to terrorists." He referred to the strong remarks of Modi after the Mumbai terror strikes. "In the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Modi bitterly criticised Congress-led UPA by mocking us saying stop writing love letters to Pakistan and give Pakistan an answer in the language it understands. In fact Modi held a press conference in Mumbai amidst the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack and criticised the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "One of the principal electoral rhetoric of Modi always was that there has been enough of attacks on the border and it is time for Modi government now (bahut hua seema par waar; Abki baar Modi sarkaar). We have seen Modi ji's view on 26/11 attacks. We have seen what were his demands at that time. We hope that he introspects about what he had said in Mumbai," he said. Shinde said there has been a "rise" in the incidents of terror attacks since the NDA came to power. "Four major attacks have happened during NDA between 1999 and 2004. During NDA-I, there were hijackings, attacks on Red Fort, J&K Assembly and Parliament. Whenever BJP comes to power, terrorism increases. "In 1999, IC 184 hijack happened.The then foreign minister accompanied the terrorists to Kandahar and released them. Since 1999, there is a belief that India has no strength. Terrorists think they can do anything and they will be released," Shinde said. Alleging that timely action was not taken in the Pathankot attack, Shinde said that till coordination is not in place, such attacks cannot be handled. "Pathankot is a sensitive area. When you received intelligence, you should have shut down all movements from airbase," he said. "We can be friends with Pakistan, but we will not tolerate any terrorist attacks. What did Modi ji discuss in Pakistan? We are in dark about what they discussed. "Why did it take Pakistani PM Shri Nawaz Sharif five days to call Indian prime minister despite overwhelming evidence about citizenship identity, origin and handling of Pathankot Air Base attackers from Pakistan?" he asked. The former home minister also rued that BJP had raked up his "Hindu terror" remark in Parliament and said that there was a rise in terror incidents after that and wondered if that was the case why a number of terror incidents happened during the earlier rule of NDA. Posing a number of questions to the government, Shinde asked, "Why did Prime Minister Modi or his home or defence minister not take control of the entire Pathankot operation putting a clear-cut "command and control structure" on the ground to lead the operation? "Why was Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) not called immediately by the prime minister? Why were home and defence ministers fumbling and deleting tweets about Pathankot operation after being contradicted by the home secretary? Does it show a definite lack of coordination in the Union Cabinet even in tackling an issue as serious as terrorism?" In a statement, the party said that last 19 months of Modi government has seen 900 ceasefire violations on Indo-Pak Border with 19 jawans and 34 civilians having lost their lives. "Even Border Security Force (BSF) has admitted that there have been 35 percent hike in infiltrations from Pakistan in last one year. There have been three major terrorist attacks from Pakistan in last six months, two in Punjab and one in Jammu and Kashmir including in Dinanagar, Gurdaspur, Punjab, attack on a BSF convoy in Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir and the attack on the Pathankot Air Base in Punjab. "Six days after Modis sudden visit to Pakistan to greet Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on his birthday on 25 December, 2015, a handful of Pakistani terrorists have dealt a severe blow to Indias national security establishment and counter terror strategy," Congress said. Calling it an attack on Indias sovereignty, honour and integrity, Shinde said it reflects a "clear-cut failure" of political leadership of Modi as also the command and control structure to fight terrorism. Noting that Pathankot has Indias biggest Army cantonment housing two infantry divisions and two armored brigades, comprising nearly 50,000 Army troops, the party said the moot question is as to why were these troops stationed near Pathankot Air Base not used by the government to cordon off the Air Base as there was prior intelligence input after Gurdaspur SP was stopped by terrorists in Army fatigues. "In reply, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar chose to shift blame by saying Army cannot do civil duty.. The area is so complicated and had a difficult terrain and blocking roads is not Armys responsibility. "Is the defence minister then blaming the Union Home Minister and Punjab Police for letting the terrorists infiltrate and enter the Air Base?," he asked. The Congress leaders also faulted the SAD-BJP government in Punjab over the episode asking "why couldnt it act on intelligence and operational input that it received at 3:34 am on the night intervening 31 December and 1 January?" The Congress leaders said, "one is forced to wonder whether it is drug-linked terror and whether infiltrating terrorists used the same route, modus operandi and logistic support that drug traffickers use in active connivance with people in the administration of Punjab." PTI Trinamool Congress leader Idris Ali is once again in the news for making a controversial statement. Just a few days after being pulled up for stating that Bengal will burn if Mamata Banerjee was arrested by the CBI in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam, Ali, a member of Parliament, has gone a step further. He has now alleged that the attack on the Air Force base in Pathankot occurred because Prime Minister Narendra Modi has connections with terrorists. I feel that PM Modi has links with terrorists which is why Pathankot attack took place. Why did the Pathankot attack happen right after PM's visit to Pakistan? This is my personal opinion, ANI quoted him as saying. TMC wasted no time in distancing themselves from Alis statements. IBN Live reported that the party issued a statement saying, "Seen the footage of Idris Ali's comments. They are crass and unhealthy. The party doesn't endorse such views. He has been asked to explain in writing." TMC spokesperson Derek OBrien insisted to ANI that Alis comments are certainly not the view of the party. He also added that once Ali replies to their request to explain himself, the party will consider taking action against him. Meanwhile, Times Now reported that Ali has refused to apologise for his remarks. It was supposed to be just another issue of DC Comic's Superman/Wonder Woman Annual #2; people getting into trouble, and our superheroes coming to their rescue; until it wasn't. In the particular issue, the action takes place in Shimshal region of Pakistan. There is a blue-faced demigod messing up with a few shepherds. Cue filler dialogues. But just like in superhero comics, just when everything seems to be going according to the plan, things fall apart. At the bottom of the page is a footnote reading: "All translated from Pakistanian" For someone who is writing a comic sequence set in Pakistan, perhaps it would have helped to check what language people in Pakistan spoke, or rather, if a language does even exist. A simple Google search would have helped DC avoid the blunder. Twitter soon got hold of the pages and some users made sure the mistake didn't go unnoticed. Hey @DCComics, Pakistanian is not a language. Or a word. (Source: google/my life.) https://t.co/KNulbSBuGH Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) January 5, 2016 Pakistanian: the language all of us Pakistanians spoke in Homeland Season 4 Bina Shah (@BinaShah) January 6, 2016 I may be blackballed at DC, but at least I know that Pakistanian isn't a thing. #editorpowers Janelle Asselin (@gimpnelly) January 5, 2016 I'm not too surprised DC Comics thinks #Pakistanian is a language. In the U.S., Pakistanis are frequently confused with Palestinians. Alas. Michael Kugelman (@MichaelKugelman) January 5, 2016 Pakistanian reminds me of the person who asked if Christians and Muslims also read Hindustan Times. Mesut Boot Sarkar (@sidin) January 5, 2016 Washington: President Barack Obama shed tears Tuesday as he announced limited measures to tackle rampant US gun violence and called on Americans to punish lawmakers who oppose more meaningful reforms. Flanked by survivors of the gun violence that kills around 30,000 Americans every year, and relatives of those killed, Obama became emotional as he remembered 20 elementary school children shot dead three years ago in Newtown, Connecticut. "Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad," the president said, struggling to collect himself. "So all of us need to demand a Congress brave enough to stand up to the gun lobby's lies." In the face of Congressional opposition, Obama formally unveiled a handful of executive measures that will make it harder to buy and sell weapons, but which he admitted would not stop the scourge of mass shootings. "We know we can't stop every act of violence, every act of evil in the world. But maybe we could try to stop one act of evil, one act of violence," he said. There are thought to be substantially more than 300 million guns in circulation in the United States, more than one per person. Speaking in the East Room of the White House, Obama invoked the words of his hero, Martin Luther King, as he called for urgency in a generational struggle akin to the fight for women's, African-American, or gay rights. "We do have to feel a sense of urgency about it. In Dr. King's words, we need to feel the fierce urgency of now, because people are dying," he said. "And the constant excuses for inaction no longer do." "Yes, it will be hard. And it won't happen overnight. It won't happen during this Congress. It won't happen during my presidency," he said. "But a lot of things don't happen overnight. A woman's right to vote didn't happen overnight. The liberation of African-Americans didn't happen overnight. LGBT rights, that was decades worth of work." - Gun lobby 'can't hold America hostage' Taking on Republicans and the National Rifle Association directly, he decried the pro-gun lobby's grip on Washington. "The gun lobby may be holding Congress hostage right now, but they can't hold America hostage," he said. The NRA hit back at Obama's "emotional, condescending lecture." "The timing of this announcement, in the eighth and final year of his presidency, demonstrates not only political exploitation but a fundamental lack of seriousness," said Chris Cox, a senior NRA official. A legal challenge is likely. Polls have shown most Americans back tougher gun laws. But that support has ebbed recently amid concerns about the Islamic State group and the wider threat from terrorism. Republicans, who have long championed gun owners, quickly castigated Obama for trampling on the constitutional right to bear arms. "His words and actions amount to a form of intimidation that undermines liberty," said the speaker of the House of Representatives, Paul Ryan. "No matter what President Obama says, his word does not trump the Second Amendment. We will conduct vigilant oversight. His executive order will no doubt be challenged in the courts." The measures would tighten rules on who must register as a gun dealer, narrow a "gun show" loophole that allows buyers to dodge background checks, and crack down on "straw purchases" of weapons through intermediaries. It would also encourage the Pentagon, with its vast buying power, to procure weapons from manufacturers who invest in "gun safety technology," such as fingerprint scanners that could be applied to commercial weapons. Obama's remarks and recourse to controversial executive actions during an election year ensure that gun control will feature prominently in the 2016 race for the White House. In the past, both Democrats and Republicans have used the issue to invigorate supporters and raise campaign funds. Gun manufacturers frequently see sales surge each time tighter gun controls are proposed or a mass shooting occurs. According to FBI figures, requests for background checks jumped by a third to over three million in December. Gunmaker Smith and Wesson on Monday hiked its earnings estimates for the year ending in April, citing data which point to increased sales. AFP Tokyo: North Korea's neighbours lined up on Wednesday to condemn Pyongyang's claimed hydrogen bomb test, saying it posed a grave threat to regional security. Several governments promised a firm response as tensions soared again in northeast Asia, many calling for further action by the United Nations against the hermit nation, which is already subject to heavy international sanctions. The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday in New York. The closed-door morning talks between the 15 member nations were called by the United Nations and Japan. India reacted to North Korea's test, with a statement from the External Affairs Ministry saying: "We have seen reports that DPRK has conducted a nuclear test today. We are assessing the available information, including claims that this was a thermonuclear test. It is a matter of deep concern that DPRK has again acted in violation of its international commitments in this regard. We call upon DPRK to refrain from such actions which adversely impact on peace and stability in the region. Our concerns about proliferation links between North East Asia and our neighbourhood are well-known." Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, "The nuclear test that was carried out by North Korea is a serious threat to the safety of our nation and we absolutely cannot tolerate this." "This clearly violates UN Security Council resolutions and is a grave challenge against international efforts for non-proliferation," he said, adding his country would seek to coordinate efforts among UN members to deal with the action. South Korean President Park Geun-Hye called the test a "grave provocation" at an emergency meeting of the Country's National Security Council (NSC) convened immediately after the news broke. "The test is not only a grave provocation to our national security but also a threat to our future... and a strong challenge to international peace and stability," she said, calling for strong sanctions on Pyongyang. In an earlier statement, Seoul said it would "take all necessary measures including additional sanctions by the UN Security Council... so that the North will pay the price for the nuclear test". North Korea's main ally China also said that it "firmly opposes" Pyongyang's purported hydrogen bomb test and is monitoring the environment along its border with the North near the test site. China plans to summon North Korea's ambassador in Beijing to the Foreign Ministry to lodge a strong protest, spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters at a daily briefing Wednesday. China made a similar protest after the North's last nuclear test in 2013. Wednesday's reported test was performed in defiance of the international community and in contravention of its earlier denuclearization promises, Hua said. "North Korea should stop taking any actions which would worsen the situation on the Korean peninsula," Hua said. Environment bureau technicians were monitoring conditions near the border but air quality near the bomb site was within the normal range, Hua said. In the longer term, North Korea should return to long-stalled six-nation denuclearization talks hosted by China, Hua said. North Korea abandoned that process in 2009, saying it would continue its nuclear program to produce a deterrent against alleged threats from the U.S. and other enemies. While she made no mention of measures to respond to a test, analysts say Pyongyang's proceeding against Beijing's objections would seriously harm a relationship already under considerable strain. That will likely include agreeing to tougher UN sanctions against Kim Jong Un's hard-line communist regime and possibly unilateral trade restrictions that could hurt the North's moribund economy. Despite that, China remains the North's most important ally and trade partner. In Washington, the White House would not confirm the test, but vowed to "respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations". There was no immediate response from China, North Korea's key diplomatic protector, but in a report from Pyongyang, the official Xinhua news service said that the "test apparently runs counter to relevant UN resolutions" and "is set to cause repercussions". Russia also slammed the test as a clear breach of international law that could enflame tensions across the region. "If this test is confirmed then it will be a new step by Pyongyang on the path of developing nuclear weapons, which is a flagrant violation of international law and existing UN Security Council resolutions," Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement. The European Union called it a "grave violation" of a UN ban on its development of nuclear weapons and a threat to the region. "If confirmed, this action would represent a grave violation of (North Korea's) international obligations not to produce or test nuclear weapons, as determined by several United Nations Security Council Resolutions, and a threat to the peace and security of the entire northeast Asia region," EU foreign affairs head Federica Mogherini said in a statement. France also slammed North Korea's testing of a nuclear bomb as an "unacceptable violation" of UN Security Council resolutions and called for a "strong reaction from the international community". "While awaiting confirmation of the characteristics of the nuclear test announced and observed last night in North Korea, France condemns this unacceptable violation of (UN) Security Council resolutions and calls for a strong reaction from the international community," the presidency said in a statement. Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop said her country "condemns in the strongest possible terms" the test, which "confirms North Korea's status as a rogue state and a continuing threat to international peace and security", adding that Canberra would express its concerns to Pyongyang directly and call for stronger UN sanctions. The test, which came just two days before leader Kim Jong-Un's birthday, was initially detected by international seismology monitors as a 5.1-magnitude tremor next to the North's main Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the northeast of the country. Last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un suggested Pyongyang had already developed a hydrogen bomb. The claim was questioned by international experts and there was continued scepticism over today's test announcement. With agency inputs Vatican City: The Vatican's newspaper on Tuesday criticised French satire magazine Charlie Hebdo for a front cover portraying God as a gun-wielding terrorist to mark the first anniversary of a terror attack on the publication. A million copies of the special edition are to hit France's newsstands tomorrow with a cover featuring a bearded man representing God with a Kalashnikov slung over his shoulder, accompanied by the text: "One year on: The murderer is still out there." In a commentary, the Vatican daily Osservatore Romano said treatment of this kind towards religion "is not new" --and stressed that religious figures have repeatedly condemned violence in the name of God. "Behind the deceptive flag of uncompromising secularism, the weekly is forgetting once more what religious leaders of every faith unceasingly repeat to reject violence in the name of religion -- using God to justify hatred is a genuine blasphemy, as Pope Francis has said several times." The commentary added: "In Charlie Hebdo's choice, there is the sad paradox of a world which is more and more sensitive about being politically correct, almost to the point of ridicule, yet does not wish to acknowledge or to respect believers' faith in God, regardless of the religion." The special edition will mark a year since brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi burst into Charlie Hebdo's offices in eastern Paris and killed 12 people, including eight of the magazine's staff. The 7 January 2015 attack, claimed by Al-Qaeda's branch in the Arabian Peninsula, came after a 2011 firebombing of its offices that forced it to move premises. AFP On New Year's Eve, Iraq War veteran Matthew DeRemer was excited about the year ahead. The 31-year-old surgical technologist, from the US state of Florida, took to Facebook at 10.06am to talk about the challenges he'd faced and conquered in 2015. Matthew DeRemer with his family. He died on New Year's Eve. Credit:Matthew DeRemer/Facebook "Last day of 2015!!!! For me I'll be meditating through all I do, on this entire year. I've lost, I've gained, family is closer and tougher than ever before, loved ones lost, and new friends found," he wrote. "I look back at 2015's huge challenges that I've overcome, shared with others, and have once again found myself... To say thank you and BRING ON 2016, much works to be done!" A French woman died after being struck by a boat while snorkeling in southern Thailand on Tuesday, police in the resort province of Krabi said. Marine Police Lt. Col. Anurak Parinyasatirkul said the 52-year-old woman was snorkeling with her family but no one else was injured. He said police believe she died from a head wound that might have come from a sharp object such as a propeller. Anurak said police traced the boat, which had a crew of Myanmar nationals, to further up the Andaman coast in Phuket. Two people, from China and Australia, died Saturday in separate swimming accidents at the island of Koh Samui. Australia | Boy in stable condition after shark attack An 11-year-old boy was in a stable condition in hospital yesterday after he was mauled by a shark on the Great Barrier Reef off the Australian east coast, officials said. The boy was attacked by a black tipped reef shark on Tuesday afternoon as he waded off a beach at the Heron Island tourist resort northeast of the coastal town of Gladstone, Queensland Ambulance Service paramedic Brad Lawson said. Officials have not released the victims name or commented on media reports that suggest he is an Italian tourist on vacation with his family. The local government joined mainland authorities yesterday in signing three agreements that aim to enhance cooperation in the areas of water affairs, maritime traffic and sea use. These measures are taken in order to strengthen the management of the coastal waters now controlled by the MSAR and also to develop the regions economic potential. The three agreements were signed by several public departments along with Chinas Ministries of Transport and Water Resources and the State Oceanic Administration on Maritime Development. The agreements signed yesterday respectively aim to achieve the following: to foster mechanisms for dealing with emergencies and to develop information-sharing methods between Macau and the mainland; to ensure adequate capability of flood prevention systems for Macau and the land adjacent to the Pearl River estuary, and to protect the marine environment, local water ecology and sustainable development of those areas. The agreements also ensure that any proposals for land reclamation are reported to the State Council, as well as that no commercial gaming will be permitted in new land reclamations. The ceremony during which the agreements were signed was held at the government headquarters yesterday morning, and the territory was represented by the Chief Executive, Chui Sai On. Li Gang, the director of the Liaison Office of the Central Peoples Government in the Macau, also attended. RM Think bourbon is hot? Its got nothing on baijiu. Yet chances are good you havent even heard of baijiu, the high proof, pungent, spicy, savory, sweet traditional liquor of China. It packs a fiery punch. It also happens to be the worlds best-selling liquor by volume, a drink with a pedigree stretching back centuries, and was poured to toast the warming of U.S.-Sino relations during Nixons historic 1972 visit. Now, producers are making diplomatic overtures to an entirely new audience the U.S. craft cocktail scene. We feel that it has incredible potential, says Yuan Liu, senior vice president of business development for Los Angeles-based CNS Imports, the largest importer/distributor of baijiu in United States. Baijiu is sorghum-based, though it also can contain wheat, rice and corn. And its not a uniform product; its a class of spirits with many categories. Think whiskey with its range from smoky Scotch to mellow bourbon. But unlike whiskey, which is fermented in a liquid state, baijiu is more or less dry fermented inside in-ground pits. It then is steam distilled several times in goose-neck stills, aged in massive terra cotta vessels, then finally blended (itself a complex and labor-intensive process.) It generally is bottled at around 100 or 120 proof (well above the typical 80 proof for vodka, gin, etc.) and is classed by aroma, such as light, rice, strong and sauce labels which arent all that helpful to Westerners. Typical reactions from first-timers are that it smells and tastes like blue cheese, mushroom or soy sauce not the most alluring descriptors. This is not a spirit you can just pour into a martini glass and enjoy, says New York bartender Orson Salicetti. But introduced more gently as part of a cocktail? That can work, says Salicetti, co-founder of the Lumos bar, which focuses on the Chinese spirit and has a menu of more than 60 baijiu cocktails. Salicetti was introduced to baijiu by his architect partner Qifan Li and realized baijiu would be a great way to stand out in a city awash with specialty bars. A popular option at Lumos is the sesame colada, which includes caramelized pineapple juice, white sesame paste and agave syrup. Theres also the goji baijiu punch, consisting of goji-infused HKB baijiu, mezcal, pink grapefruit juice, lime juice, agave syrup and orange bitters. Lumos carries a full range of baijiu, including the No. 1 brand, Kweichow Moutai, recognizable by its distinctive packaging of a white bottle with a red and gold label. Other major players include Wu Liang Ye and Shui Jing Fang. A newer brand is HKB, designed with cocktails in mind and bottled at a relatively mild 86 proof. There also is a U.S.-produced baijiu, from Vinn, a distillery just south of Portland, Oregon. Most of the USD23 billion baijiu market stays in China, though theres been growing interest in exporting. Most of the baijiu imported to the United States goes to Chinese restaurants and shops. But about two years ago, CNS Imports decided to expand their reach. We looked at each other and said, Why arent we introducing this category of spirits to people outside the Chinese community? said Liu. Theyve moved slowly, introducing the spirit to bartenders and learning, from experience, to work with rather than mask the unique flavors. Instead of trying to mask the spirit and make it into something it isnt, like vodka, theyre essentially creating and building a cocktail around the spirit, says Liu. Clearly, theres a push to raise the profile of baijiu in the West. Whether it will be successful is another story. Baijiu has an exotic appeal which is both a weakness and a strength, says Jim Boyce, who blogs about Beijing nightlife at beijingboyce.com. Baijiu is such a novelty and thats going to be its challenge, going from Yes, I tried it once and its interesting, to something people buy regularly or even stock at home. Chinese traditionalists wouldnt dream of drinking baijiu anything but neat and in very small glasses, which is how Kathy Fang serves it at her familys FANG restaurant in San Franciscos bustling SOMA district. Meant to go with food, baijiu pairs well with savory bites, such as Fangs fried pork confit eggrolls, and its been a surprising hit with tech workers who tend to be open to new tastes, says Fang. If you tell them its really strong like moonshine theyre even more like, Oh, I want to try, says Fang. Michelle Locke, AP Local billionaire and real estate developer Ng Lap Seng has now declined to go to trial immediately amid setbacks currently being faced at his companies, reports the South China Morning Post. Ngs lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, did not disclose his reason behind withdrawing the request to go to immediate trial, but filed a letter to the federal court in Manhattan on Monday announcing the change of intention. Brafman also indicated that Ng would now seek to have a trial held separately from some or all of the other defendants accused in the case, according to the SCMP. The casino magnate stands accused of bribing the former president of the United Nations General Assembly, John Ashe, who allegedly received more than USD1.3 million in bribes to support Chinese business interests in the U.N. and Antigua. On December 10, Brafman had requested a speedy trial, claiming that Ngs absence from his business in Macau was causing irreparable damage and substantial setbacks. Ng Lap Seng is currently being detained in New York under house arrest. Its not fair. Were asking for an immediate trial, Brafman said last month. The request contradicted the statements made by Ngs business partner and board member of the Sun Kian Yip group, William Kuan, who told TDM in October that the group would be unaffected by Ngs detention, as he has not directly participated in the companys operations for the past few years. Ng is specifically accused of having conspired to pay Ashe USD500,000 in exchange for supporting the construction of a U.N.-sponsored South-South Cooperation conference center. It is rumored the construction was to be built in the MSAR by local businesses with ties to the Macau billionaire. He is also being investigated for a seemingly unrelated case, in which he has been accused of lying about the purpose of an estimated USD4.5 million brought into the U.S. over the course of several years. Ngs assistant, Jeff Yin, is also being detained over accusations of failing to disclose the true intent behind the imported money. Ng, Ashe, and Yin have all pleaded not guilty to the charges presented against them. Staff reporter When the U.S. wanted to show the world it didnt recognize what it called Chinas excessive territorial claims in disputed waters of the South China Sea this fall, it sent a warship near one of Beijings newly built artificial reefs. The move came amid a debate about whether the U.S. has enough ships to meet challenges posed by a fast-growing, increasingly assertive Chinese navy that is unsettling some of its neighbors. China announced last week that it would build its second aircraft carrier, this one with domestic technology. The Navy and its regional component, the U.S. Pacific Fleet, both have fewer ships now than in the mid-1990s. Navy officials say vastly improved technology on those vessels outweighs any disadvantage from a drop in numbers. Questions about whether the Pacific Fleet has enough resources are more of a reflection of regional anxieties than the Navys actual capability, said its commander, Adm. Scott Swift. Even if the entire fleet was in the South China Sea, he said, hed still get asked whether the U.S. was bringing more forces. Its this sense of angst that I hear from those in the region, driven by the uncertainty and the rhetoric and, you know, the challenges that the region is facing right now, Swift said. But Im very comfortable with the resources I have. Peter Jennings, an expert at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute think tank said the issue in peacetime is whether there are enough American vessels to reassure friends and allies and demonstrate U.S. capacity to use power when it needs to. In wartime, it comes down to whether enough platforms survive missile strikes to carry on their work, Jennings said. I think this is emerging as a serious long-term problem. The Pacific Fleet currently has 182 vessels, including combat ships like aircraft carriers as well as auxiliary and logistics vessels, said spokesman Cmdr. Clay Doss. That compares to 192 nearly two decades ago. Around the world, the Navy has 272 ships usable in combat or to support ships in combat, nearly 20 percent less than 1998. The current total includes 10 aircraft carriers. Swift said he would rather have the Navy he has today and its advanced technology than the Navy of two decades ago. He pointed to the USS Benfold, a guided missile destroyer upgraded with new ballistic missile defenses, as well as three new stealth destroyers, the DDG-1000, in the pipeline, as examples. One consequence of a smaller fleet has been more time at sea. Retired Adm. Zap Zlatoper, who commanded Pacific Fleet in the 1990s, said six-month deployments used to be sacrosanct as anything longer made it harder for the Navy to retain sailors. Ships now deploy for an average of seven to nine months, though the Navy plans to lower this to seven. Ship conditions have also suffered. The USS Essex left an exercise with Australia early in 2011 and skipped another with Thailand the following year because it developed mechanical problems after delaying maintenance to stay at sea. Bryan Clark, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, a Washington think tank, said these are signs the status quo is unsustainable. In a November report, Clark outlined alternatives: build more ships, though this would require money Congress may not give the Navy, or deploy less, though the Pentagon has been reluctant to accept less of an overseas presence. The other choices: keep more ships at overseas bases where they would be closer to where they operate or mix up how ships deploy, for example by sending fewer escorts with an aircraft carrier which would free some ships to operate separately. Chinas Peoples Liberation Army Navy has more than 300 surface ships, submarines, amphibious ships and patrol craft, according to the Pentagons Asia-Pacific Maritime Security Strategy report released in August. Chinas coast guard and other maritime law enforcement fleet, meanwhile, has upward of 200 ships more than the combined fleets of neighbors with competing claims to tiny islands in the East and South China Seas. The U.S. Coast Guard has about 280 cutters, or vessels at least 65 feet in length, though they primarily operate stateside. China has also grown more aggressive in asserting its claims to disputed territory. Since December 2013, its built what the U.S. estimates to be 3,000 acres of artificial islands in the South China Sea using sand dredged from the ocean floor. China has said the islands are meant to help ships, fishermen and disaster relief. The U.S. says the islands will enable China to expand its maritime law enforcement and naval presence further south. It worries China could use them to disrupt sea traffic in the South China Sea, a thoroughfare for 30 percent of global maritime trade. Some of Chinas ships are rudimentary, like its existing aircraft carrier. But Narushige Michishita, Japan scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, said the lay person doesnt know this so the vessels have the same psychological effect on the public as more advanced ones. Further, he said U.S. forces are spread around the world while China is focused on its own neighborhood. So even if the United States spends much more than China, it doesnt mean the local balance stays the same. The local balance in Asia is rapidly changing, Michishita said. Audrey McAvoy, Pearl Harbour, AP Hackers took over several police websites in Thailand, replacing the home pages with a message saying, Failed Law. We want Justice! Police yesterday said they were investigating if the hack was in response to a Thai court decision that has been widely protested in neighboring Myanmar. The Dec. 24 ruling resulted in death sentences for two Myanmar men convicted of murdering two British backpackers. Protesters believe the men were scapegoats and have threatened to boycott Thai goods after a trial that raised many unanswered questions about police and judicial conduct in Thailand. Several police websites were either offline or still displayed the hackers message yesterday evening, hours after the online attack was staged late Monday. A black screen showed a white mask and blanked-out eyes and a hashtag Boycott Thailand. It also mentioned a group calling itself the Blink Hacker Group and made reference to Myanmar with a line in tiny print that said, Greetz Myanmar Black Hats. Thai police spokesman Dejnarong Suthicharnbuncha said about two or three websites were affected but Thai media listed more than 12. I received an initial report that the hackers are from another country, Dejnarong said. When asked if he meant they were from Myanmar and whether the hack was in response to the Koh Tao verdict, he said, Its possible. We are investigating. Protesters have rallied in Yangon outside the Thai Embassy and at border crossings demanding a review of the evidence in the case. The men, Win Zaw Htun and Zaw Lin, were convicted of murdering David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23 whose bodies were found on the island of Koh Tao on Sept. 14, 2014. Witheridge had also been raped. Police rushed to solve the crime, under intense pressure to limit negative publicity to the tourism industry, but the investigation and trial drew widespread criticism. Police were criticized for not properly securing the crime scene, conducting more than 200 random DNA tests, releasing names and pictures of suspects who turned out to be innocent, mishandling crucial DNA evidence from the victims and allegedly torturing their prime suspects. AP A British naval frigate has been involved in another collision with an Icelandic gunboat in the Atlantic. HMS Andromeda was dented when the gunboat, Thor, sailed close to the bow. Thor sustained a hole in its hull. British defence officials said the collision represented a deliberate attack on the British warship without regard for life. The Icelandic coastguard insisted Andromea had rammed Thor by overtaking the boat and then swiftly changing course. Less than ten days ago Andromeda was involved in a similar incident with another Icelandic boat, Tyr. Icelandic officials claimed the Andromeda had deliberately rammed the Tyr a claim rejected by the Ministry of Defence. Since November last year, Iceland has attempted to enforce a 200 mile exclusion zone for foreign trawlers instead of the 50 miles established in the expired 1973 fishing rights agreement. It is unclear whether todays incident was deliberate but spokesman for UK naval operations Captain John Cox said that it was certainly dangerous. Captain Cox explained that warships are especially vulnerable to collision damage because they were not armoured along the sides. The Icelandic Prime Minister, Hr Hallgrimmson, warned of possible confrontation in his New Year message at the end of 1975: Once (Britain) put an end to their military presence in Icelandic jurisdiction and their trawlers stop illegal fishing, a solution can be found but the British government will have to show its willingness towards this end. Captain Cox was equally clear about the purpose of the British Navys presence: What were doing is protecting fishery trawlers on the high seas in international waters and we are told specifically: no aggressive manoeuvres, no provocation at all. The Icelandic Government says it is applying the 200 mile fishery limit agreed by over 100 nations, including Britain, at the 1974 Law of the Sea Conference. It is concerned that overfishing could lead to a dramatic decline in the number of cod. Some marine biologists have even suggested there could be no cod left by 1980. But Britain says Iceland has no right to unilaterally enforce a 200-mile limit until it becomes law. It has deployed its navy to protect the 40 trawlers fishing in the contested waters. Courtesy BBC News In context This was the third of the Cod Wars that took place between Britain and Iceland over their fishing rights in the Atlantic. The first was in 1958 and the second ran from 1972 to 1973. Britain deployed a total of 22 frigates against 16 Icelandic vessels. There were numerous skirmishes and Iceland threatened to close the Nato base at Keflavik. The US offered to mediate but it was Nato that negotiated an agreement on 6th June 1976. Under this treaty Britain was limited to using 24 trawlers within a 200 mile zone at any one time for an annual catch of up to 50,000 tonnes. Iceland claimed that it was economically dependent on fishing, but fish from the Atlantic were worth 23.1m to the UK and the new restrictions caused 8000 jobs to be lost. The number of cod has continued to decline and there have been calls for a total ban on cod fishing in the North Sea. The United Kingdom has extended its concerns over the case of the disappearance of five Hong Kong booksellers, after it emerged that one of the missing could be a British passport holder. According to The Guardian, a spokesperson for the British embassy in Beijing said that it was aware that Lee Bo, the bookseller who vanished last week, could be a holder of a British passport. We are deeply concerned by reports about the disappearance and detention of individuals associated with the Causeway Bay Books bookstore in Hong Kong, a statement read. We are monitoring all the cases closely. We encourage the Hong Kong SAR Government to honor its commitment to protecting the freedom of the press, and we hope the Chinese authorities will continue to make every effort to ensure that the environment in which the media and publishers operate in the Hong Kong SAR supports full and frank reporting. Lee Bo was the individual who first attracted media attention in October, after four of his colleagues at the Causeway Bay Bookstore and its publishing house went missing. However, Britain is not the only European country that has expressed alarm at the recent disappearances. The Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs has previously said that its embassies in Bangkok and Beijing are investigating allegations that Swedish national, Gui Minhai, had been detained in Thailand or China. Gui, who owns the publishing house Mighty Current, has not been seen or heard from since he disappeared while on holiday in Thailand in October. During a press conference held this week, the local activist and New Macau Association member Jason Chao argued that the mainland authorities can kidnap someone in Hong Kong or Macau and take them back to the mainland for interrogation or torture. Staff reporter lee bos wife drops police report The mystery surrounding five missing Hong Kong booksellers known for titles banned in mainland China deepened after one purportedly wrote a letter saying he was fine and helping with an investigation on the mainland, prompting his wife to drop a missing persons report. Hong Kong police said late Monday that Lee Bos wife canceled the report, but that they would continue investigating the other cases. They didnt say whether Lee had been located. Twin Falls County Monday Arraignments Caroline McDonald, 39, Twin Falls; possession of a controlled substance, $5,000 bond, public defender appointed, preliminary hearing Jan. 15. Scott William Miller, 49, Jackpot, Nev.; driving under the influence, own recognizance release, public defender appointed, pretrial March. 23. Brier D. Atkinson, 19, Filer; domestic battery, own recognizance release, public defender appointed, pretrial Feb. 9. Amanda Patricia Wilson, 36, Hagerman; possession of paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance, own recognizance release, public defender appointed, pretrial Feb. 16. Shane S. Southwick, 28, Arco; possession of drug paraphernalia, $500 bond, public defender appointed, pretrial Feb. 23. Jorge Javier Sahagun, 19, Twin Falls; battery, $1,000 bond, public defender appointed, pretrial Feb. 16. Tina Lee Retzloff, 59, Orland, Calif.; possession of a controlled substance, possession of paraphernalia, driving under the influence, own recognizance release, public defender appointed, pretrial Feb. 23. Mariah Merdith Tews, 26, Buhl; possession of a controlled substance, own recognizance release, public defender appointed, preliminary hearing Jan. 15. Jennifer Lee Jansson, 43, Twin Falls; burglary, $5,000 bond, public defender appointed, preliminary hearing Jan. 15. Jennifer Lee Jansson, 43, Twin Falls; petit theft, failure to appear, $500 bond, public defender appointed, pretrial Feb. 16. Salvador Garcia, 29, San Bernardino, Calif.; fugitive (California warrant), to be held without bond, public defender appointed, fugitive identity Jan. 15. Tuesday Arraignments Travis Lee Furniss, 35, Twin Falls; driving without privileges, $100 bond, public defender appointed, pretrial Feb. 23. Caroline McDonald, 39, Twin Falls; possession of marijuana, own recognizance release, public defender appointed, pretrial March 1. Jose Luis Tolentino-Zamora, 56, Hansen; driving under the influence, own recognizance release, public defender appointed, pretrial Feb. 23. Sheri Lynn Morgan, 58, Boise; driving under the influence excessive, walk-in arraignment, public defender appointed, pretrial March 1. Severino J. Hernandez, 18, Twin Falls; driving under the influence under 21, own recognizance release, public defender appointed, pretrial Feb. 23. BOISE Idahos Washington D.C. delegation joined many of their fellow Republicans on Tuesday in publicly condemning President Obamas executive action to expand background checks to more smaller-scale sellers. This Administration pushes constitutional boundaries by implementing policies that should be considered, debated, and voted on by Congress, said U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson. Limiting the ability of law abiding citizens to exercise their constitutional rights to own firearms will not address the crime problem. We should focus on improving the care of the mentally ill and enforcing the laws we have in place to ensure that they are kept out of the hands of violent criminals. U.S. Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, said that, in refusing to pass additional gun legislation, the Senate was doing its job in representing the majority of Americans who elected a pro-gun rights Congress. I fully understand that the president and the left strongly disagree with Congress refusal to further restrict the rights of law-abiding gun owners but that is the right of the Congress, and indeed, it is their duty and constitutional responsibility to the people who elected them, Risch said. Those like the president, who want stricter gun laws, must do so by electing a pro-gun control Congress and not try unconstitutional lawmaking by the executive branch. U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador said Obama ignored the will of the American people and subverted our Constitution. When this president doesnt get what he wants, he acts unilaterally as he has done repeatedly in the past on immigration, environmental regulation and Obamacare, Labrador said. Now, the president is putting election-year politics ahead of the Bill of Rights. U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo similarly cast the order as an example of a pattern of executive overreach. This order makes it harder for law-abiding, responsible Idahoans to purchase firearms, he said. The Second Amendment is unambiguous on the rights of citizens to keep and bear arms and I will continue to fight the presidents efforts to restrict law-abiding citizens from exercising those rights. TWIN FALLS A flurry of new businesses opened in the Magic Valley to close out 2015. Some businesses that opened its doors just in time for the holiday rush included Taco Johns, Noodles and Company, McAlisters Deli, DownEast Home & Clothing, Ross Dress for Less and Costa Vida Fresh Mexican Grill. Business is thriving as the Canyon Park West shopping center is in full swing and new businesses continue to pop up along Pole Line Road. Wondering if 2016 is poised for the same promising activity? Here are six new businesses you can expect to open this year. Clif Bar One of the most anticipated openings of the year will be Clif Bars 275,000-square-foot bakery on 90 acres of land in the Jayco industrial park south of Chobani. Its set to open this spring. Clif Bar, which currently contracts with other companies to produce its products, started construction of the bakery in April 2015. Kate Torgersen, Clif Bars senior communications manager, said the first group of employees has been hired and are attending training classes at the College of Southern Idaho. Additional hiring and training will take place over the next few months. Besides constructing the companys first bakery, the facility is also being built with the employee in mind. There will be natural light in all work areas and break rooms will have direct access to outdoor spaces. There will also be an outdoor amphitheater for company events and celebrations. The company will spend an estimated $90 million on the project. Panera Bread Chain bakery-cafe Panera Bread plans to join Canyon Park West next year. A Panera Bread spokeswoman said the company is shooting for an early fall 2016 opening. In September, Panera Bread sought to amend the lots planned unit development at Canyon Park West to allow a drive-through. The original PUD located across from the Twin Falls Visitor Center didnt allow for a drive-through in the canyon overlay. It was approved, but construction has yet to start. Panera Bread is known for its bakery products, sandwiches, soups and salads. It was founded in 1981 as Au Bon Pain Co., Inc. There are 1,926 bakery-cafes in 46 states, the District of Columbia, and in Ontario, Canada, operating under the Panera Bread, Saint Louis Bread Co. and Paradise Bakery & Cafe names. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, 251 Pole Line Road, is expected to open in mid-March. Construction on the fast food restaurant started mid-October. Initially it was set to open in February, but recent rain, snow and cold temperatures have set the project back. Weve had terrible luck with the weather. It affected our schedule, said Carlo Cantu with Engineered Structures, Inc. in Meridian. Popeyes is known for its New Orleans-style menu that features spicy chicken, chicken tenders, fried shrimp, jambalaya and red beans and rice. There are more than 2,000 Popeyes restaurants worldwide and of the 1,600 domestic franchised restaurants, about 70 percent are concentrated in Texas, California, Louisiana, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, New York, Georgia, Virginia and Mississippi. There are two Idaho locations in Boise and Mountain Air Force Base. American Pet Diner Lisa Marshall, president and CEO of American Pet Diner, moved her companys sales office to Buhl nearly three years ago. This spring she expects to open a 12,000-square-foot production facility, moving her business from Nevada to the Magic Valley. We picked this area for the quality of life, climate and potential employees, Marshall told the Times-News in September. Marshal founded American Pet Diner in 1996 with an idea to offer higher quality timothy hay products to the small animal marketplace. Retail Strip Mall on Blue Lakes Boulevard A 7,2000-square-foot retail mall is going up on Blue Lake Boulevard between Toytown and Super 8. Construction started in August and when finished it will have space for five tenants. One of the first businesses opening in this location is a wax-only franchise that started in Sun Valley. LunchBOX (A Waxing Salon) will open at 1246 Blue Lakes Blvd., Suite 2, this spring. Brothers and business partners Ren and Nathan Shaw are opening four LunchBOX salons in Seattle and other parts of Washington, in addition to Idaho. The Shaws also are undergoing site selection for their second salon in the Seattle area. The Shaws own and operate Aveda Institute Beauty & Cosmetology Schools in Boise and Twin Falls, as well as The Electric Chair, a beauty and hair salon in downtown Boise. LunchBOX will offer speed-waxing services such as eyebrow sculpting, lip waxing and chin waxing. The Twin Falls location marks LunchBOXs fourth operating salon in Idaho and 20th nationwide. It was started in 2010 by Debi Lane, who owned and operated a multi-service day spa in Sun Valley for years before opening the states first wax-only salon. St. Lukes Outpatient Surgery Center If you require an outpatient surgery in 2016, the procedure may take place at St. Lukes new Outpatient Surgery Center now under construction on the east end of St. Lukes 40-acre property. St. Lukes has seen a 33 percent increase in outpatient surgeries or a total of 6,500 outpatient cases a year. Combine that with population growth, increased out-of-state patients, an influx of 60 new physicians since 2011 a quarter of them surgeons and the 20,500-square-foot building that was part of St. Lukes master plan is now a necessity. Construction started in late October. The state-of-the-art facility is being built with the patient in mind. It will have five operating rooms all dedicated to ambulatory outpatient surgery. It will also feature convenient parking and a waiting room. The estimated cost is $16.5 million for the outpatient surgery center and equipment. This editorial appeared in Wednesdays edition of the Elko Daily Free Press: The Bundy family is once again generating publicity about the Western dispute over federal land-use regulations. Too bad it is negative publicity, and their actions will do far more to harm ranchers and other public resource users than help them. The Hammond case in Oregon has similarities to the Cliven Bundy case in Nevada. Both involve ranchers who have decades-old disagreements with the federal government over grazing, the history of which dates back more than a century. Its not a message that fits neatly into sound bites for national television especially when overshadowed by the threat of gun violence. The standoff with Bundy and sympathetic militia in Southern Nevada ended peacefully when BLM Director Neil Kornze called off the troops and returned their cattle. In the current standoff, Clivens son Ammon Bundy promises his group will defend ourselves if the government uses force to take back the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns. Its a position the younger Bundy is sure to regret. The federal government isnt going to back down. The federal government isnt even there; the facility has been closed since the group occupied it over the New Year holiday. Ammon Bundy is an opportunist who took advantage of public support for the Hammonds. He does not even have their support as he pursues his siege. Dwight Hammond Jr., 73, and his 46-year-old son Steven were convicted under the federal anti-terrorism act for destroying government property after setting fires on the refuge. The 1996 law was intended to prosecute acts such as Timothy McVeighs bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building, but apparently it applies to burning sagebrush, too with a mandatory five-year prison term. The incidents occurred 15 years ago. The federal government actually worked with the Hammonds to come to an agreement on a lesser sentence, but it was recently overturned by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. That twist is reminiscent of Elko Countys legal battle with federal agencies over South Canyon Road in the late 1990s. They came to an amicable agreement with the Forest Service but outside interests were allowed to intervene and the case has continued to drag on year after year through the courts. With all of the talk about standoffs and guns and the potential for another Ruby Ridge, its easy to lose sight of the simple grazing disputes that led to the Hammond case and the current siege. The real losers here are ranchers and others who hope to continue fighting for the fair multiple-use of public lands. These efforts have included everything from a Grass March to Washington, D.C., to transferring control of federal lands to states via congressional action. Local control is also what Bundy is seeking, but by the wrong methods. He has gotten a big dose of media attention, and now the group should disperse. The Western lands situation is tense enough without characters like Bundy creating flashpoints. The story "Don't Ask Politicians about Climate Change Causes" correctly observes that politicians, at least GOP politicians, stick with the party line and those who fund their campaigns, and where energy policy is concerned, the GOP is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of the fossil fuel industry. Only in the GOP does climate change denial exist. It's the only political party in the world where it does. Follow the money and you'll find ExxonMobil, Peabody Coal and the Koch brothers secretly spending millions every year to fund pseudoscience. The front they use most is The Heartland Institute which used to be in the business of denying that smoking causes lung cancer. They also are, by far, the major funders and often the founders of most GOP "think tanks" where climate denial talking points are fabricated and funneled directly to FOX News, Rush Limbaugh, etc. Besides the fact that climate denial is a corporate scam, the other thing the fossil fuel corporations don't want people to find out about is that fact that the solution to climate change is a market-driven, conservative economic plan that will increase U.S. GDP by tens of billions annually and that a clean energy economy will create over 5 million permanent jobs in the energy sector alone. A steadily-increasing carbon pollution fee that would be paid, not to the government, but to the public, monthly in equal amounts would allow people to make a profit by switching to cheaper clean energy. It's worked as promised in British Columbia since 2008. This is a plan that the GOP ought to support for its massive economic benefits alone. And even climate deniers have to admit there's no debate about the fact that carbon pollution kills over 13,000 people in the U.S. every year and costs us hundreds of billions in medical treatment annually. As a journalist, when covering news, sometimes you have to photograph something that isnt there. The pivotal event has already occurred, the important moment has passed. That doesnt necessarily mean that the photographs cant be any more compelling or relevant. While it can be a challenging assignment, Ive found that photographing the intangible can be a rewarding challenge. History colors our present and the camera can be a powerful tool to convey the scars of events that are long past. Oscar Vera took a shotgun shell to his chest 13 years ago, and still has more than 50 pieces of shrapnel in his body. The shot tore a wound in his stomach and ripped apart his intestines and urinary tract. He has to urinate using a catheter, and his injuries have left him unable to work consistently. At last count his outstanding medical bills tallied $2.8 million. When I met him in his home in October, we talked for a long time before I took out my camera. He was very vocal in his opinions on gun violence and wanted his story told. I took a few portraits but they did not convey the trauma he experienced. I asked him to raise his shirt to show me his scars from from the sixteen surgeries performed after he was shot. A large cross was slung across his neck, extending down his chest, ringed by scars. I raised my camera as he raised his shirt, and pressed the shutter. The Crisis Center of the Magic Valley had more than 4,000 overnight stays by women who had been abused by a partner in 2014. The center served more than 56,000 meals, helped nearly 800 victims in court and took about 350 calls on its crisis line. Photographing women in the shelter who were victims of domestic abuse this last July was a challenge, because the victims could not be identifiable in any photographs, for fear that their abusers could find them. Only one woman agreed to be photographed, no one else in the shelter was comfortable with the idea, even if their identities were kept anonymous. We walked up to one of the shelters rooms for victims. The empty room and carefully made up bed seemed to convey the simultaneous isolation and safety that the shelter provides. She stood in front of the window, so she was silhouetted and her identity was concealed, and together we made the photograph for the story. Jason Jeong escaped North Korea and came to Twin Falls, where he is an exchange student at Lighthouse Christian School, through a sponsorship by the Idaho Korean Association in Boise. Jeong, which is not his real name, was smuggled through South Korea and Laos, before he arrived in the U.S. He and his mother Sarah, also a pseudonym, were separated for eight years before reuniting in South Korea. I was on assignment to photograph their first reunion since leaving South Korea. Both still feared reprisals from North Korean regime, so they wanted their identities kept private. I found a quiet corner of the school, with sunlight slanting across the wall. They stood in the light, a dark shadow cutting across their faces, and when Sarah raised her hand to join it with her sons, I had the photograph. Whitney Murphy was shot to death at her home east of Declo on October 26, 2014. Nearly a year later, no charges had been filed. Police say they have a suspect, though they declined to identify him. A year later to the day, I photographed her grandmother Marie Benally at her home in Burley. She had been ceaselessly questioning police and prosecutors for updates on the investigation. She set up a reward account for information leading to a conviction. She wanted justice for her murdered granddaughter before her own death. Maries sadness at losing her granddaughter, and her frustration with the investigation one year later was palpable. She was seated by a piano that she wanted to give to Whitney, but she never had the chance. Light falling across her face, one of the many photographs of her granddaughter resting beside her, she turned her face down in resignation and grief, and her sadness was captured by the camera. 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Kamal bin Abdullah I am Mohd. Kamal bin Abdullah, who resides in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. I hold a post-graduate law degree from the United Kingdom. I blog to tell MALAYSIANS THE TRUTH. View my complete profile Blog Archive "Your once a year [September Vogue] analysis is a narrative that can tell more in one post than some of the daily content that gets fire-hydrant-ed out by the "established" institutions." "Great observations, humor and sharp writing style. Respect." "Thanks for posting your thoughts and reasoning, it's priceless education . . ." "Thanks for posting your thoughts and reasoning,it's priceless education . . ." "Smart, clear, level headed thinking . . . It calms me to read an unbiased assessment of this market by the numbers." "Great job and key insight here! Thx!" "Still check your blog just about every day, great reading. Love It!!!!!!" "You were born for writing and trading. I love your blog." Protests in Bahrain which started after the announcement of the execution of Shia cleric on Saturday entered its 4th day on Tuesday and are likely to continue as tempers continue to flare while government announced that it was halting all flights to and from Iran. The protesters have clashed with security forces in several Shia dominant towns raising concerns about the countrys volatile political environment which has been sensitive since the beginning of the Arab Spring in 2011. Majority of Bahrains population are Shias but the Sunni minority controls power and is a major ally of Saudi Arabia in the Gulf. Analysts believe that the protests are a continuation of the protests that started in 2011 when Shias demanded a greater political role, more freedom and the respect of their rights as they feel sidelined by the Sunnis ruling the island kingdom. Riyadh sent in troops to help quash what was considered as an uprising against the authorities. Bahrain has long accused Iran of meddling into its domestic affairs and after the chaos at the Saudi Arabian embassy in Tehran, it recalled its ambassador to Tehran on Monday and ended their limited diplomatic ties before giving Iranian charge daffaires 48hours to leave the country. Iran does not have an ambassador in Bahrain. Other Arab countries have downgraded, recalled their ambassados or ended their diplomatic ties with Iran Meanwhile, a unified position against Iran by the Gulf States is expected to be decided during the weekend when foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) meet on Saturday in Riyadh according to Secretary General Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani. The meeting will be held under the chairmanship of Saudi Arabias Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir. 19days before Syrian opposition groups meet with Damascus to discuss the 5year old war, U.N envoy Staffan de Mistura in a meeting with opposition officials was informed that the government should lift blockades imposed on rebel-held areas, release detainees and stop the bombings before they attend the scheduled talks in Vienna. The rebel officials based their demands on the U.N Security Council resolution approved on December 18 which called for an international road map for a Syria peace process ahead of the January 25th meeting. Staffan de Mistura is worried that the diplomatic row between Riyadh and Tehran might influence the Syrian peace talks but he was reassured in a meeting with Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir that the recent tensions that impacted the region negatively will not affectthe operations that the United Nations carries out alongside the international community to achieve a political solution in Geneva soon. He welcomed the clear determination on the Saudi side before heading to Iran as he stressed that we cannot afford to lose this momentum on Syria. Tehran is a key ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, while Saudi Arabia is one of the leading backers of the rebels trying to topple him. Spokesman John Kirby said U.S Secretary of State John Kerry is also working to deescalate the tensions, restore some sense of calm, encourage dialogue and engagement between these countries (Iran and Saudi Arabia), but also to make the point there are other pressing issues in the region before adding that not letting the Vienna process stall or fall backward is clearly top on his list. Elsewhere, China and the Britain issued a statement on Syria agreeing to advance counter-terrorism and a political settlement in parallel. After 4years of consultation, Algeria made the constitutional draft available to the public with some notable social and political reforms. Minister of State, Principal Private Secretary to the Presidency of the Republic, Ahmed Ouyahia, presented the draft on behalf of president Bouteflika calling for a national dialogue. The draft will be reviewed before being sent to the Council of ministers for approval and then to the parliament. One of the major political reforms is the limitation of presidential terms to two with each mandate limited to 5years. A High Independent Authority of Election Monitoring would be created to oversee electoral processes. Current president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, began his fourth term in office last year amid health concerns. The recognition of Tamazight as a national and official language was applauded by activists and advocates of the Berbers language but Arabic will continue to be the official government language. According to the draft, the countrys next prime minister should have a parliamentary majority contrary to the current practice wherein the president fills the post without any such obligation. The draft cited that academic and scientific research freedom as well as that of investment and trade shall be exercised in accordance with the laws of the country. However, it considered the freedom of conscience and that of opinion as inviolable while the freedom of the written and audiovisual press is guaranteed and not restricted by any form of prior censorship. Ouyahia said the President of the Republic has insisted that the different phases of the consultations on the revision of the Constitution should be conducted in the form of national dialogue, with the participation of all political parties, national personalities, associations and even organizations. The Zambian Immigration Service has arrested 77 Ethiopians in Lusaka for unlawful entry and stay in the country. According to Time of Zambia newspaper, the Ethiopians were arrested after immigration officers trailed a vehicle that was carrying 10 of them to a safe house where 67 other Ethiopians were discovered hidden. Time of Zambia reported that 19 out of the 77 had valid Ethiopian passports which did not have any entry endorsements for Zambia while the rest did not have any documentation when they were arrested. Immigration Department public relations officer, Namati Nshinka said the driver of the Toyota Regius, a Zambian, managed to escape. The 77 Ethiopians who were arrested are currently detained at Lusaka Central Prison awaiting court appearance, he said. Last week, a court in central Zambias Serenje town convicted 28 foreigners for illegal entry into the country. Also in September, Police in Central Province of Zambia have intercepted a truck carrying more than 100 Ethiopians heading to South Africa. Zambia has intensified patrols to rid the country of prohibited immigrants who mostly use the country as a transit route to other countries in the southern African region. As part of the efforts to revive Nigerias economy, which is Africas largest; Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday holds talks with the head of International Monetary Fund (IMF) Christine Lagarde who arrived in Abuja on Monday. Ms. Lagarde, who addressed a press conference at the State House, Abuja on Tuesday, said she had a fruitful discussion with President Muhammadu Buhari on the state of the Nigerian economy in the light of dwindling oil prices. According to Lagarde, the international lender would support capacity building and strengthen the revenue generating agencies to improve the countrys competitiveness, focusing on the very short term fiscal situation and long term growth. She said the meeting focused on how efficiency, transparency, accountability and enlarging of revenue could contribute to the sound implementation of the 2016 budget. Contrary to widespread perception, Lagarde said she was not in Nigeria to negotiate a loan for the country. In her words, I am not here to negotiate loan with conditionality terms because Nigeria does not need a new IMF program. The Nigerian economy is currently facing fiscal and monetary challenges such as the drop in global oil price, which has impacted negatively on the countrys revenue, weak external reserves, and increased pressure on the naira in the foreign exchange market, among others. Your digital subscription includes access to content from all our websites in your region. Access unlimited news content and The Canberra Times app. Premium subscribers also enjoy interactive puzzles and access to the digital version of our print edition - Today's Paper. LUM015 (pronounced loom-fifteen) is the first protease-activated cancer probe to be tested and deemed safe in a human clinical trial at the Duke University School of Medicine. After being injected into a patient with a cancerous tumor, it illuminates cancer cells to guide surgeons to help them remove all of the diseased tissue. Credit: Melodi Javid Whitley/ Duke Medicine Doctors at the Duke University School of Medicine have tested a new injectable agent that causes cancer cells in a tumor to fluoresce, potentially increasing a surgeon's ability to locate and remove all of a cancerous tumor on the first attempt. The imaging technology was developed through collaboration with scientists at Duke, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Lumicell Inc. According to findings published January 6 in Science Translational Medicine, a trial at Duke University Medical Center in 15 patients undergoing surgery for soft-tissue sarcoma or breast cancer found that the injectable agent, a blue liquid called LUM015 (loom - fifteen), identified cancerous tissue in human patients without adverse effects. Cancer surgeons currently rely on cross-sectional imaging such as MRIs and CT scans to guide them as they remove a tumor and its surrounding tissue. But in many cases some cancerous tissue around the tumor is undetected and remains in the patient, sometimes requiring a second surgery and radiation therapy. "At the time of surgery, a pathologist can examine the tissue for cancer cells at the edge of the tumor using a microscope, but because of the size of cancer it's impossible to review the entire surface during surgery," said senior author David Kirsch, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of radiation oncology and pharmacology and cancer biology at Duke University School of Medicine. "The goal is to give surgeons a practical and quick technology that allows them to scan the tumor bed during surgery to look for any residual fluorescence." Researchers around the globe are pursuing techniques to help surgeons better visualize cancer, some using a similar mechanism as LUM015, which is activated by enzymes. But the Duke trial described in the journal is the first protease-activated imaging agent for cancer that has been tested for safety in humans, Kirsch said. LUM015 was developed by Lumicell, a company started by researchers at MIT and involving Kirsch. In companion experiments in mice described in the journal, LUM015 accumulated in tumors where it creates fluorescence in tumor tissue that is on average five times brighter than regular muscle. The resulting signals aren't visible to the naked eye and must be detected by a handheld imaging device with a sensitive camera, which Lumicell is also developing, Kirsch said. In the operating room after a tumor is removed, surgeons would place the handheld imaging device on the cut surface. The device would alert them to areas with fluorescent cancer cells. Going into surgery, the goal is always to remove 100 percent of the tumor, plus a margin of normal tissue around the edges, explained senior author Brian Brigman, M.D., Ph.D., chief of orthopedic oncology at Duke. Pathologists then analyze the margins over several days and determine whether they are clear. "This pathologic technique to determine whether tumor remains in the patient is the best system we have currently, and has been in use for decades, but it's not as accurate as we would like," said Brigman, who is also the director of the sarcoma program at the Duke Cancer Institute. "If this technology is successful in subsequent trials, it would significantly change our treatment of sarcoma. If we can increase the cases where 100 percent of the tumor is removed, we could prevent subsequent operations and potentially cancer recurrence. Knowing where there is residual disease can also guide radiation therapy, or even reduce how much radiation a patient will receive." Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital are currently evaluating the safety and efficacy of LUM015 and the Lumicell imaging device in a prospective study of 50 women with breast cancer. Afterward, Kirsch said, multiple institutions would likely evaluate whether the technology can decrease the number of patients needing subsequent operations following initial breast cancer removal. Explore further Surgical probe seeks out where cancer ends and healthy tissue begins More information: "A mouse-human phase 1 co-clinical trial of a protease-activated fluorescent probe for imaging cancer," Science Translational Medicine, stm.sciencemag.org/lookup/doi/ scitranslmed.aad0293 Journal information: Science Translational Medicine "A mouse-human phase 1 co-clinical trial of a protease-activated fluorescent probe for imaging cancer," Public health isnt a standard part of medical school curricula. Credit: www.shutterstock.com Chronic conditions, such as Type II diabetes and hypertension, account for seven in 10 deaths in the United States each year. And by some estimates, public health factors, such as the physical environment we live in, socioeconomic status and ability to access health services, determine 90% of our health. Biomedical sciences and actual medical care the stuff doctors do determine the remaining 10%. Clinical medicine can treat patients when they are sick, but public health provides an opportunity to prevent disease and poor health. But too often, medical students don't get to learn about public health, or how to use it when they become doctors. That means many of today's students aren't learning about health care in a broader context. Why doctors need to know about public health What should a physician do if patients are unable to visit a physician because their workplace doesn't give them sick days? What about an obese individual who has trouble following healthy eating recommendations because their neighborhood doesn't have a grocery store? If we want the next generation of medical professionals to understand why some patients have an easier time following a care plan than others, or understand what causes these conditions so we can prevent them, medical schools need to look toward public health. Epidemiology, a core discipline within public health, emphasizes the study and application of treatment to disease and other health-related issues within a population. It is focused on prevention, which means understanding what makes people sick or unwell. You might hear about epidemiologists who work on figuring out how infectious diseases spread. But they also study obesity, cancer, how our environments affect our health and more. So a doctor with training in public health would have an understanding of how environmental, social and behavioral factors impact their patients' health. These physicians might also draw on other medical professionals to treat individuals who are sick, and prevent sickness from occurring in the first place. Medical schools recognize that their students should learn more about public health. But according to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), about one-fourth of 2015 medical school graduates report that they intend to participate in public health-related activities during their career, and nearly one-third of graduates report that training related to community health and social service agencies was inadequate. Putting public health into medicine But this is slowly starting to change. For instance, the Medical College Acceptance Test (MCAT), which all medical school applicants in the US take, used to focus on just physical and biological sciences and verbal reasoning. But in 2014 the MCAT added a new section on the psychological, social and biological foundations of behavior. The idea is to provide students with a foundation learn about what public health scholars call the social determinants of health. These are conditions and environments in which we are born, work, live and interact with others. Expectations for students transitioning from medical school to their postgraduate residency are also starting to change. The AAMC has a list of 13 activities that medical school graduates are expected to be able to do on their first day of residency. The activities (called Entrustable Professional Activities, or EPAs) integrate, among other core competencies, principles of public health into everyday practice. They include guidelines for working with individuals who have different belief systems, patient-centered practice and understanding how to access and use information about the needs individuals have and the community resource available to them. Having students make house calls At the University of Florida, where I teach, population health-based topics are integrated into our medical school curriculum, and also into curricula for other health professions. Each fall, 700 first-year health science students studying everything from dentistry to clinical psychology, health administration, pharmacy, nursing and more take part in a service learning project with local families. Students complete coursework about public health, but they are also assigned to work with a family through the year. Students make a series of home visits, which means that they can see, firsthand, how the family's home environment shapes their health. Because the project includes students from all the health professions, it helps them understand each other's roles and responsibilities in providing care. In these visits, students get a chance to see the myriad factors that can make it easier or harder for a patient to follow the care plan their doctor prescribes. Students may learn that their patients have priorities in life that come before monitoring their own health. And for many students, this may be the only home visit that they make during their entire career. For instance, a team of our students were humbled to learn that one of the patients they visited, a woman with severe hypertension and Type II diabetes, put her desire to provide Christmas presents for the six grandchildren she was raising over her medication adherence or her glucose monitoring. She was more focused on her grandchildren than spending time on monitoring her health and taking medications. These home visits show students how complex their patients' lives really are. And that give these future doctors a perspective on their patients that they may never get in a clinical visit. Other medical schools putting public health on the agenda The University of Florida isn't the only medical school investing time and energy to explore new methods to teach students about public health. Some are adopting dual-degree models that allow medical students to earn degrees in both public health and medicine. Often, these programs extend students' training by 12 months, but some institutions, like the University of Miami and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, have developed four-year dual-degree programs. Other institutions, such as the University of Illinois and Florida International University, are integrating population and public health perspectives throughout their curricula, to make sure that all students learn about public health. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. A new Ebola vaccine regimen is being tested at the Clinical Trial Center in Silver Spring, Md. Credit: WRAIR The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) today announced the initiation of a Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a prime-boost Ebola vaccine regimen in both healthy and HIV-infected study volunteers. This study includes two vaccine candidates, Ad26.ZEBOV from Crucell Holland B.V., one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, and MVA-BN-Filo from Bavarian Nordic, which will be given sequentially as a "prime boost" regimen. Seventy-five volunteers will receive a prime dose with MVA-BN-Filo followed by a boost with Ad26.ZEBOV at the WRAIR Clinical Trials Center in Silver Spring, Md. Early next year, WRAIR-affiliated sites in Africa will also begin evaluating this regimen, as well as a vaccination schedule beginning with Ad26.ZEBOV and then boosted with MVA-BN-Filo. Researchers will assess the safety and tolerability of the vaccine schedules and characterize the immune response, which should help them better understand these different regimens. Janssen and other development partners have generated preliminary data from a small group of healthy subjects demonstrating that both regimens were safe and immunogenic. The study will strengthen safety and immunogenicity evidence of the regimens in healthy subjects and extend the population studied in Phase 1 to include volunteers up to and including 70 years of age and volunteers with stably suppressed HIV-infection. "It is critical that we know these vaccines are safe and immunogenic in the communities where they will be used in Africa," said Lt. Col. Julie Ake, an infectious disease physician, U.S. Military HIV Research Program (MHRP) Principal Deputy and protocol chair for the international study. The study includes HIV-infected volunteers because they represent some of those who might benefit from a preventive Ebola vaccine in Africa. "It's an important consideration given that both of these viruses can be present in the same communities," said Col. Nelson Michael, MHRP Director. This clinical trial is a collaboration between WRAIR and Crucell Holland B.V., one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, with funding from the Joint Vaccines Acquisition Program at the Department of Defense's Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense. Initially conducted at WRAIR in Silver Spring, Md., the study will expand to six sites in Africa in early 2016. Approximately 575 volunteers will participate in total. It will be conducted at clinical research sites affiliated with WRAIR's Military HIV Research Program in Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique. This is the second Ebola vaccine clinical trial conducted at WRAIR, and will be the fourth Ebola vaccine study conducted in Africa by the Institute and MHRP. "Infectious diseases such as Ebola pose a significant threat to the U.S. Military and the global community," said Col. Stephen Thomas, WRAIR's Deputy Commander of Operations. "WRAIR has extensive expertise in infectious diseases and an international research network in countries where diseases are endemic, giving us an ideal platform to conduct these types of studies." Explore further Investigational HIV vaccine regimen shows encouraging results in non-human primates Provided by The U.S. Military HIV Research Program (MHRP) One of the things I enjoy doing during Christmas break is reading for pleasure. Our school library just got in the book "In Order to Live" by Yeonmi Park and I was the first recipient of it. Published in 2015, Ms. Park recounts the experiences she had as a child living in North Korea, the desperation that led her and her mother to cross to nearby China, the horrific things they had to suffer while in China, then the journey to Mongolia and then to life in South Korea.Living in a city that as Yeonmi pointed out is only 35 miles from the border with North Korea, and also having visited the DMZ, I read the book with particular interest. What totally different lives our northern neighbors experience. At the time of her fleeing in 2007 at the age of 13, Park described life in her northern town where electricity was rare, starvation and malnutrition were rampant, where bodies were stacked in the hospital courtyard until there were at least 7 to remove, and everyone lived in constant fear of being revealed to the authorities (leading to labor/reeducation camps, devastation of income/jobs, execution) - sometimes by neighbors or even family members.Certain starvation led Yeonmi and her mom to cross the frozen river to China, just two weeks after her appendix was removed. There, they experienced the fate of all too many (70%) North Korean females that make it to China - human trafficking and rape. As Beijing prepared for the Olympics, women were being sold for as little as $200, many to families of Chinese men who were looking for brides (or slaves), due to the uneven male/female ration - particularly in rural areas. Fear of being discovered by authorities and being sent back to North Korea weighed constantly on their minds.After walking in winter through the Gobi Desert and escaping to Mongolia with the help of Christian missionaries, they finally made it to safety. But many struggles lay ahead, including long interrogation (even when arriving in South Korea), the education system (Yeonmi had only gotten a 2nd grade education in North Korea), trying to fit in, coping with modern society, simply living in a place you were told was the enemy, and not knowing the whereabouts of her older sister who had also intended to escape to China. Just learning how to think for herself was a challenge. When reading the book, Yeonmi "felt as if Orwell knew where I was from and what I had been through. The animal farm was really North Korea, and he was describing my life. I saw my family in the animals...I was one of the new pigs with no ideas."At first, Yeonmi tried to hide her North Korean past in order to cope, receive employment, and to just fit in. Pieces were revealed later when she pursued a college education in law. It was only after her invitation to the One Young World Summit in Dublin that she began to reveal some of her more hidden wounds.She told the audience there how "North Korea is an unimaginable country...where you could be executed for making an illegal international phone call" and described how her mother told her not to whisper as a child, because even the birds and mice could hear her. She also revealed witnessing her mother being raped by a Chinese broker who had targeted her, on the very day they escaped North Korea.After that speech, she realized she must reveal more. "How could I ask people to face the truth about North Korea, to face the truth about what happens to the women who escape into China and fall into the hands of brokers and rapists, if I didn't face it myself?" Through the urging of her mother, Yeonmi decided to write her story and become the voice for so many North Korean victims. The act, while painful, provided needed catharsis for Park, still in her early 20's.Readers of this book will gain insight into life in North Korea, the horrors that many face even when successfully escaping to China, and the challenges even those who make it to freedom still must encounter. It is also a story of survival and triumph. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DEMOCRAT PARTY? I can no longer remain in todays Demo Party that is now under the control of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness, who divide us by racializing every issue and stoke anti-white racism, actively undermine our freedoms, are hostile to people of faith, demonize the police and protect criminals at the expense of law-abiding Americans, believe in open borders, weaponize the national security state to go after opponents.TULSI GABBARD @MichaelAuslen All three members of the Florida Cabinet on Wednesday announced their endorsement of Sen. Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, in a Pasco County Senate primary race between Simpson and another incumbent, Sen. John Legg, R-Trinity. The announcements from Attorney General Pam Bondi, Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater come just one day after Legg and Simpson both announced their intentions to seek reelection in District 10. The seat, which includes both sitting senators' homes and parts of their current districts, was created last week by Circuit Judge George Reynolds' ruling in a redistricting trial. "I have known Wilton Simpson for years, both as a close friend and as a partner in the legislative process," Bondi said in a statement released by the Simpson campaign Wednesday. "He is conservative, thoughtful, and diligent in serving his constituents." The support of three of the state's most popular Republicans would be a huge asset for Simpson, not to mention their combined firepower in raising money for a campaign. It will be tough for Legg to compete. Still, he does have support of one of Pasco's most prominent Republicans. Longtime legislator Mike Fasano, now the Pasco County tax collector, endorsed Legg almost immediately Tuesday. "Look forward to helping my longtime friend John Legg in the new SD 10 where I had the honor to represent for 10yrs in all 3 Counties," he wrote on Twitter. The district covers much of Pasco, as well as all of Hernando and Citrus counties. But the race could determine more than just the area's next senator. Simpson is in line to be Senate president from 2020-2022, the first ever from Pasco County. And while Legg initially said he would not get in the way of Simpson's presidency, he told the Times/Herald Tuesday that he did not want to move adn that there were other districts Simpson could run in. Simpson declared that he would not leave his family farm, which he and his father built. This is where I live, Simpson said. It could also be a last vestige of an ongoing feud between two Republican factions in the Senate, allied with President-designate Joe Negron, R-Stuart, and Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, who came up short in the race to lead the chamber next year. Legg is an ardent ally of Latvala, and Simpson is a Negron supporter. With the Department of Corrections Secretary Julie Jones expected to announce next week who she will keep and who gets reassigned at the troubled agency, the head of Region III, Randy Tifft, announced Wednesday that he is resigning from his post as head of the South Florida region. "It has come time for me and my family to change the chapter in our life and for me to retire from the Department of Corrections,'' Tifft said in a letter to Jones and members of the agency. "Over the last 26 years I have been fortunate to work in every region in the state with 11 different assignments. This was challenging for my family while also being a blessing to meet and work with so many great people." In August, Jones announced she was asking the regional directors and their deputies to reapply for their jobs as part of a major realignment designed to centralize power at the agency. In September, Jones said she was conducting interviews in September for 12 of the jobs, including the directors of the four regions. The list of finalists included current regional chiefs Sam Culpepper, Eric Lane and Randy Tifft, as well as assistant regional directors Rodney Tomlinson and Larry Mayo, all of whom had been in positions of authority during one of the most brutal periods in Department of Corrections history. During that time, according to records obtained by the Miami Herald, the number of inmates who died of unnatural causes reached record numbers, use of force was at a five-year high, and the agency was forced to fire and discipline officers involved with inmate abuse. Legislators have been supportive of Jones, but have called for a "culture change" at the agency. Jones has refused to assign blame to the top officials and an agency press release said, in response to two years of reports in the Miami Herald chronicling inmate and abuse and neglect, that regional directors supervise more the 5,000 correctional officers in more than 15 correctional institutions and "work tirelessly to engage our staff, statewide, often responding to incidents which occur hundreds of miles away from their homes and offices at every hour of the day and night." FDC also has defended the agency's leadership team, saying that in 2014-15, the agency had a decline in the use of force incidents and has adjusted its policies "to ensure the safety of those in our facilities and the accountability of our agency and staff." Here is Tifft's full letter, and below that a partial list of adverse incidents involving inmates in Region III and FDC's response: Former Gov. Jeb Bush will keynote the Broward GOP's Lincoln Day dinner on March 12 -- three days before the state's presidential primary. The dinner is the main fundraising event of the year for the Broward Republican Executive Committee and will take place after some voters have already cast their ballot. Broward's registered Republicans are outnumbered by both Democrats and independents. (A press release from BREC stated that 206,069 GOP voters will play a major role in the primary, but the county elections website shows 237,934 registered Republican voters.) Although Broward is known as the state's left-leaning county, it has a sizable number of Republican voters who can make a difference in statewide elections. Broward has the third largest number of registered GOP voters in the state behind Miami-Dade and Hillsborough counties and is just slightly ahead of Palm Beach. Bush previously spoke in Broward in July at the national Urban League conference and before he announced his candidacy he also spoke to the Broward Workshop, a business group. BREC will announce details including the location at a later date. Donald Trump hosts a similar event in Palm Beach County on March 11. @doug_hanks The head of Florida's Democratic Party said Wednesday that Jean Monestime, chairman of the Miami-Dade County Commission, has "ruled out" a challenge to Mayor Carlos Gimenez in 2016. The statement follows a week of speculation after word spread that Monestime, the first Haitian-American to lead the commission, was being recruited by state Democrats to run for mayor of Florida's largest county. Democrats heavily outnumber Republicans in Miami-Dade, leading to frustration by state Democrats that Gimenez, a Republican, so far faces no Democratic challenger. "Jean is a fabulous future leader," Allison Tant, chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party said Wednesday morning. "I don't know that it's going to work out for him now...I do think he has ruled out a run." Tant she was told Tuesday night that Monestime would not run for mayor of Miami-Dade, after a week of pressure from Gimenez's Democratic supporters among county lobbyists and others not to challenge the incumbent mayor. Monestime has not responded to interview requests since talk of a potential mayoral campaign began last week. Tant declined to say how she learned Monestime was not running, but it was state Democrats leading the charge for his potential bid. Democrats hoped to recruit a Miami-Dade Democrat to challenge Gimenez, saying there was a path to victory if their candidate pushed Gimenez into a November run-off during the presidential election, when Democratic turnout will be particularly high. The mayor's office is a non-partisan post, and all candidates first face an Aug. 30 primary where a single candidate can win with more than 50 percent of the vote. Without a majority winner, the top two finishers head for the run-off on Election Day. "This is a conversation we need to be having" in Miami-Dade, Tant said of the possibility of a Democratic mayoral candidate. On Monestime, she said: "He has led the way on this conversation." Michael-in-Norfolk disclaims any and all responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, completeness, legality, reliability, operability, or availability of information or material displayed on this site and does not claim credit for any images or articles featured on this site, unless otherwise noted. All visual content is copyrighted to it's respectful owners. Information on this site may contain errors or inaccuracies, and Michael-in-Norfolk does not make warranty as to the correctness or reliability of the site's content. 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Holidays or not, early mornings at Missoula International Airport havent been very festive lately. Crowds of harried, yawning travelers trying to check bags and board three closely bunched Delta Airlines flights have strained ticket counters and tempers. In many cases, theyve also missed their flights. I travel twice a month and I think Ive seen it all, other than a plane crash, Dave Kendall of Missoula said Tuesday. This is not the kind of random act of craziness. This is a planned debacle. Thats because Delta launched a daily flight to Seattle on Dec. 19 that takes off from Missoula at 6:15 a.m. Thats just 35 minutes after a Delta plane to Minneapolis departs, and 10 minutes after another heads to Salt Lake City. The planes, at least for the heavy travel season, are usually the larger Airbuses, with capacities of 126 passengers or more. By 4:30 a.m., lines are already starting to snake from the Delta counter to beyond the airport gift shop as passengers wait to get their tickets and drop off their luggage. A fourth staffed ticket computer has been opened at the adjacent Frontier Airlines counter to handle the overflow, airport director Cris Jensen said. Dozens of people, adding to up to perhaps more than a hundred, have failed to make their flights because the ground staff cannot handle the volume of people needing to check their bags, Kendall wrote in a letter to Delta after speaking with airport and ground crew personnel. Kendall got a first-hand dose early Sunday, when he and his wife arrived at the airport to put their son, Bo, on a plane back to college. Bo Kendall made his 6:15 a.m. flight only after being told by ground personnel 15 minutes before departure that he couldnt check his bag. His parents wound up shipping it to him at school in Santa Clara, California, at a cost of $63.12. Its due to arrive Wednesday, two days after Bo needed his equipment for the first practice of the lacrosse season. A friend of ours in line wasnt so lucky because he couldnt leave his luggage behind, Dave Kendall said. He had to drive three hours to Spokane to catch another flight. Kendall called what he saw and heard Sunday the second-worst case of airline incompetence and malfeasance. The worst, he assured Delta, was on American Airlines. With the addition of Seattle service and on (Sunday), a very high-volume day, Delta customers experienced much longer processing times than we would like, allowed Ashton Morrow of Deltas corporate communications office in Atlanta. Morrow said Delta strives to provide first-class service to every one of our customers, and we are working closely with the Missoula airport and TSA to see how delays can be avoided in the future while we continue to grow our service for the Missoula community. The situation has caught the attention of a congressman. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., has been in contact with Jensen at the airport and Delta in Atlanta to help facilitate a resolution to passenger wait times, said Marnee Banks, Testers communications director. The new flight from Missoula to Seattle is great for our economy and great for folks in western Montana, Tester said in a statement to the Missoulian on Tuesday. Ensuring that passengers have a seamless and safe travel experience is important, and Ill continue to work with folks on the ground to make sure that happens. *** Jensen said a couple of issues are at play. No. 1, I do think (Delta) is experiencing some growing pains based on some bigger airplanes and also the new Seattle flight, the airport director said. The other part of it is the facility challenge. Additions and modifications to the original 1958 facility have resulted in a terminal thats not intuitive and is not user-friendly, Jensen said following the announcement of the new Delta flights to Seattle last month. He pointed on Tuesday to two large columns in front of the ticket counter that do little more than get in the way when things get crowded. The facility itself wasnt designed for these numbers, Jensen said. A multimillion-dollar expansion and renovation is planned over the next few years, but for now well do whatever we can within our limited options, he said. At the same time, we hope Delta will do whatever they can within their limited options. Kendall and Jensen agreed that the bottleneck is at Deltas ticket counter, where on Tuesday morning four employees dealt with a steady stream of ticketing questions from customers both understanding and not so much. A handful of passengers booked on the 5:40 a.m. flight to Minneapolis were shut out, but those on the two later planes appeared to board in time. Ground crew officials for the Delta subsidiary, DGS Aviation, were not available for comment. We were worried the checkpoint would be challenged, but it actually flows really well. TSA has done an excellent job, Jensen said. If we can just get people checked in. ... Really what we need is for people to get to the airport as early as they can. I know thats not always easy with these early morning flights. Jensen orchestrated a conference call Tuesday in which Delta, DGS Aviation and TSA were asked for input. He said Delta officials are earnest in their intentions to fix the check-in problem. I do think that they are giving this their full attention and that they are serious about coming up with a solution, Jensen said, adding that the airport is very happy with the expanded service Delta is offering Missoula and western Montana. As we hope to gain more and expanded service in the future, we want to make sure that we are prepared to handle the additional passengers, cars and aircraft, Jensen said. Kendall said he is a Delta Platinum flier with any number of amazing experiences with the airlines "most of them good." He told Delta in his complaint that its employees in those cases took the initiative to solve an urgent problem and got me on my way. Not so this time. The unbelievable part of this experience is that the problem was utterly preventable and numerous attempts had been made by the Missoula airport staff to do just that, Kendall said. Delta has known about this problem and failed to deal with it while continuing to promise that it can deliver the service it sold to customers. I am not a lawyer, but that sounds like fraud to me. KALISPELL Armed members of Oath Keepers have shown up at the Bundy standoff, the Ferguson, Missouri, protests and during a dispute between two Montana miners and the U.S. Forest Service. But the founder and president of the anti-government patriot movement group is imploring members to steer clear of the people now occupying a national wildlife refuge south of Burns, Oregon. No patriot has any right to force a confrontation around that family when they dont want it, Stewart Rhodes of Kalispell, Oath Keepers founder and president, says in video and text postings on the groups website. Oath Keepers will not be involved in an armed standoff thats being manufactured by hotheads who want a fight. The armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge began Saturday following a rally in support of local ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond, whose prison sentences for arson convictions in 2012 were lengthened following an appeal by the federal government. The Hammonds voluntarily surrendered to authorities and, through their attorney, disassociated themselves with occupation organizer Ammon Bundy and his small group. Ammon is a son of Cliven Bundy, whose 2014 standoff with the Bureau of Land Management in Nevada drew armed support from anti-government groups, including Oath Keepers. Ammon Bundy has called on other self-identified patriots to come to Burns and defend this family. Rhodes says The fight is going to come to us, but how it comes to us matters. Forcing yourselves on a family that doesnt want it, and going against a jurys verdict, will be perceived as having the least amount of legitimacy you could possibly imagine. *** Rhodes calls the Oregon occupation exactly the opposite of the Bundy Ranch incident. This is a situation where youve got people who dont want this, and youve got outsiders trying to force it on them, Rhodes says. Anybody thinking theyre going to cause the second American Revolution by kicking it off here, with this situation in Oregon, needs to take a good hard look at what the families did. Rhodes said the situation is no different from when Oath Keepers offered to provide armed protection for Kim Davis, the county clerk in Kentucky who refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses, when it appeared she might be re-jailed for contempt of court. Davis declined the offer. In the Kim Davis situation, Oath Keepers offered her our protection against being arrested again for contempt, by order of the willful federal judge who was abusing his power, Rhodes said. But Kim Davis, through her legal counsel, declined our protection, and we had to respect her wishes and stand down and go home. It is the same here. Rhodes is critical of Ammon Bundy for not making it clear that the Hammonds do not want the help of Bundy and his group. I think Ammon needs to be real clear about what hes doing, Rhodes says. If he wants an armed confrontation, he should just say it. But he should also make it clear the family does not want that and hes going against their wishes. I think hes wrong for doing that and I hate to say it, because hes a good man. *** The Hammonds were convicted of setting Oregon wildfires in 2001 and 2006. They maintained they were trying to burn off invasive species in 2001, and the fire got away from them and burned onto public land. But the government produced witnesses who said the Hammonds were trying to cover up the illegal killing of several deer on BLM property. Steven Hammond was also convicted of arson for setting back fires while a burn ban was in effect in an attempt to protect the ranchs winter feed in 2006. That fire burned onto public land and placed firefighters battling other blazes in danger, the government maintained. The Hammonds were convicted by a jury of their peers, Rhodes notes. The sentencing judge agreed that mandatory minimum sentences of five years for the convictions were unconstitutional and imposed sentences well below that. The federal government successfully appealed, leading to Saturdays protest. *** Rhodes is by no means advocating that Oath Keepers members shy away from confrontation just that they avoid the one in Oregon. All of you who are impatient and itching for a fight, put your thinking caps on and use your heads. Keep your cool, and dont worry, the fight will come to you soon enough, he wrote on the groups website. (President Barack) Obama, and the other anti-gun idiot politicians such as the governor of (Connecticut), will not be able to resist the temptation to attempt to violate our right to bear arms by executive decree, such as barring anyone put on no-fly list and other government watch lists from owning guns. Clearly their intent is to eventually put all of you dangerous veterans, patriots and constitutionalists on such watch lists, designate you as someone who is barred from owning guns, and then use that to disarm you, one at a time. He encourages followers to form minuteman companies and Quick Reaction Forces in your town and county. Then let them come and try to take your guns. ... That is how you do it. Not by trying to force the people of Harney County, Oregon, to take a stand they apparently dont want to take, over land use issues most Americans dont even understand. Oath Keepers presence at the Bundy standoff in Nevada, at the Ferguson riots and at disputes between miners and federal agencies including last summer in Lincoln were all welcomed and/or requested by some individuals involved in those situations, Rhodes says. President Barack Obama's call for expanded background checks on gun sales echoed loudly in Missoula, where local activists have been engaged on the topic for months. "We received an email from the White House this morning saying the administration believes states and local governments should continue to work on these issues," said Heidi Kendall, a volunteer spokeswoman for the Montana chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. "This is a great move by the president. He has wanted to do something since Sandy Hook. It's an important step. But it's not as much as having the local ordinance passed." Sandy Hook was the site of a massacre of 26 children and teachers on Dec. 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut. The ordinance Kendall referred to awaits Missoula City Council action. It states "that no sale or transfer of a firearm shall take place within the city limits unless and until the person purchasing or otherwise receiving the firearm passes a national instant criminal background check." But neither that ordinance nor the president's order to federal law enforcement that anyone in business selling guns should be considered a gun dealer subject to existing background check requirements would have prevented the Sandy Hook incident, according to area gun advocates. "(Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza's) mother had bought the guns he used," said Hayes Otoupalik, a weapons collector and owner of the annual Original Missoula Gun and Antique Show. "That kid killed his own mother. He didn't even follow the 10 Commandments." Otoupalik called the president's background-check requirement a Trojan horse he suspected was intended to get more gun owners' personal information entered into federal government databases. He said that ran counter to the Founding Fathers' intent for putting the Second Amendment's right to bear arms in the Constitution. "We have freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom to keep firearms because they're a check-and-balance against government tyranny," Otoupalik said. "These are our God-given constitutional and inalienable rights to defend ourselves." Ward 1 City Council member Bryan von Lossberg sponsored Missoula's background-check ordinance. He said he didn't see a lot of overlap between what the president proposed and what Missoula's council is considering. "What (Obama) announced relative to background checks is quite modest," von Lossberg said. "The background-check ordinance the council is considering would cover a greater number of transactions." Gun advocates like Otoupalik argue the city's proposed ordinance would cripple the gun show he's run in Missoula since 1955, which has 500 tables of war medals, books and Western relics as well as firearms. But it would have no effect outside the city limits, and wouldn't keep criminals from using illegal methods to acquire guns. Obama acknowledged even the broader package of gun safety executive orders he's preparing won't have the impact of legislation passed by Congress. He's also looking at ways of adding more personnel to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for enforcement and improving the federal background check database to make it more efficient. "There's still a role for Congress to play in this, and I hope they will," Kendall said. "With every mass shooting, more people say, 'Wait a second we're having way too many of these.' There is a groundswell of support across the country, including Missoula, to do something. And background checks are the most widely supported tool for making our communities safer." With the close of 2015, I am yet again thankful to live in a state with wild places, abundant wildlife and the opportunity to pass on to my children the tradition of hunting. I am also very thankful that Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks offers excellent hunter education programs for all ages across the state. Unfortunately, the 2015 Montana Legislature, I believe, made a big mistake when it passed legislation enacting an apprentice hunter program that allows kids as young as 10 years old to hunt without having first taken a hunter education course so long as they are accompanied by a so-called qualified mentora pretty low bar insofar as the mentor merely needs to be a licensed hunter over 21 years old who vouches for and agrees to supervise the youth hunter. Im sure our state legislators had their reasons for supporting this proposal (be it on its own merits or as part of broader legislation that they wanted to pass). And while on the surface this may seem innocuous enough, the success of the program turns entirely on the ability and willingness of a mentor to instruct and actually supervise the apprentice. The folly of this program was driven home to me during the big-game general season last fall. On opening day of general rifle season, along the breaks of the Missouri, I had just begun hiking out a ridgeline in search of elk when I noticed a vehicle stop right above me. A young boy and an adult stepped out of a truck and began assembling their gear. I took a look at them through my binoculars to determine what direction they were headed so that I could adjust my route if needed in order to avoid crossing paths, and was horrified by the sight of the kid pointing his rifle directly at me. Lest the kids finger glance the trigger and accidentally touch off a round while I was in the crosshairs, I quickly took cover behind some nearby trees. Equally disconcerting, and disappointing, was the fact that after the kid spotted me both he and the adult quickly hopscotched around me, which had the effect of ruining my planned morning hunt. At one point, even, the young hunter passed close enough that I could clearly see he lacked binoculars, and was instead glassing the hillsides for game with his scoped rifle as he hiked. A cardinal sin of hunting. I have no way of knowing whether or not the kid had taken a hunter education course or what sort of advice (clearly bad advice) the adult, mentor or otherwise, had given him. I do know, however, after sitting with my son in his hunter education class this past year, that instructors in these courses impress upon their students that you never point a gun at anything that you arent planning on shooting, and that glassing for game with your rifle scope is never acceptable. Do some folks who take hunter education courses still do bonehead things in the field? Sure they do, but they at least leave the class with a baseline knowledge of what constitutes safe and ethical hunting. If the legislature is truly concerned about providing more youth hunting opportunities, which Im all for, then just lower the age by which kids can take a hunter education course and subsequently hunta good goal for the 2017 legislative session. In reality, I see no reason why every hunter in the state shouldnt be required to successfully pass one of these courses. I hope to never again find myself in a hunters crosshairs. At a minimum, requiring hunter education for all youth hunters is at least one means to ensuring that no-one experiences this, and that the tradition of fair chase hunting, which so many of us value in Montana, remains a part of this state for generations to come. Dear Sen. Doug Kary: Your recent Missoulian opinion (Dec. 16) raising the alarm about the loss of the Colstrip power plant surprises nobody outside of the Coal Zone itself. Coal is a dead issue in Montana. Period. Apart from your view from Billings, folks in Montana dont want it strip-mined, transported and polluting our state. Heres why: 1. The coal industry accounts for only 1,281 or fewer jobs in Montana, according to the Montana Coal Council (look it up). Thats likely an inflated figure, but either way, thats 1/1,000 of a percent of the states population working in the coal field and secondary employment areas. Hardly a growth industry. 2. Any loss of coal jobs will surely be replaced by thousands of other good-paying jobs in our emerging alternative energy sector. 3. Meanwhile, Montanas second-largest industry continues to be tourism. Ever been to West Virginia? Its not pretty and it is not what we want Montana to look like for our visitors either. Tourism alone smothers the coal industry in the numbers of employees, payroll figures and taxes generated for our state, and it does so in a way that will not leave the land scarred and ripped up. Ask yourself, what tourist would put Colstrip on their list of places to see in our great state? 4. And since you sit on the Energy Committee, heres one: Montana is the nations fifth windiest state. We have an abundance of free wind and solar energy as long as we continue to modify and expand our power grids. If you need something to focus on instead of dirty coal, try that. 5. Speaking of free energy without any polluting aftereffects, look at some recent Missoulian issues to get an idea of what other parts of the state outside of your area are doing to address the presidents directive to reshape our energy future. Try this one: The city of Missoula recently announced that the citys newest parking garage will derive 85 percent of its power from solar panels. 6. Missoula also passed a resolution recently to notify the Surface Transportation Board to consider the local health impacts of shipping your dirty coal through their city. Other Montana cities have joined in as well. The Surface Transportation Board environmental impact statement was severely flawed in its declaration that there would be no local air quality impacts. There is no such thing as clean coal. 7. Other recent headline news in the Missoulian featured an announcement that the Northern Cheyenne Tribal Council, your own neighbors, voted 9-0 in opposition to the Tongue River Railroad proposal. Try to listen to your constituents. Then prepare to see the Tongue River Railroad litigated if the Surface Transportation Board ignores the hazards. 8. Finally, the Missoulian also carried a news release of a new solar farm near Bonner that would power more than 400 homes with clean energy. 9. The Corette power plant is shutting down and a proposed plant outside of Great Falls never got off the ground because energy experts have concluded that mining and burning coal is not a viable business solution to our energy needs any more. Perhaps you should arrive at the same conclusion. Face it, coal will never take us to the promised land. And when youre done thinking about all this, here is a notion to consider: Montana rips up its environment and pollutes the surrounding air and water and scenic elements so that we can ship dirty coal to China to be burned in outdated and unregulated plants producing toxic-belching clouds of poison that will soon drift back over to Montana and elsewhere to further pollute our air, dry out our forests and rivers, and melt our glaciers just so that the Chinese can generate electricity to run their computers and use them to hack our own governments security systems. Whew! Tell me how much sense that makes and then sound the alarm again about the actual cost of closing down the coal mines and the coal-generating plant in Colstrip. As the executive director of Footloose and volunteer for Montanans for Trap-Free Public Lands, I am inundated with our opponents paranoid rhetoric. Its rare that I respond, but J.L. Raders letter (Dec. 31) begs for a reality check. Regarding our finances, right now one of about 80 signature gatherers is paid. Theyre all good, honest Montanans who deserve compensation for work they believe in, but the ballot initiative committee is grassroots with a small, publicly recorded budget. Ask the Montana Trappers Association about finance reporting. Theyre being investigated by the state for over $20,000 in campaign malpractice. The BIC has no out-of-state financial support to my knowledge. Footloose receives a handful of grants, over 50 percent of which are in-state, and we have over 2,500 Montanans on our donor list. We are Montanans exercising our democratic rights. They are a cog of the global billion dollar fur industry, which is why the MTA budget is over 550 percent larger than Footlooses. Next they say that we are big, bad Californians who want to ban hunting and fishing when our aim is solely to end commercial and recreational trapping on 1/3 of Montana lands that we all own in trust. That is fearmongering. I am a Montanan, hunter and angler. Well over 900,000 Montanans dont trap but deal with its consequences. There are less than 10,000 trappers. Who is the special-interest group? Regarding the necessity of trapping as a wildlife management tool: Fish, Wildlife and Parks has publicly stated that recreational trapping has no bearing on their wildlife management plan. It is strictly for enjoyment. Initiative 177 allows the state to use traps for health and human safety, research and in certain cases, depredation. The unruly explosion of unchecked furbearers is a weak scare tactic. Then there are accusations of Footloose malpractice. This must refer to KC York from the unrelated organization Trap-Free Montana Public Lands. Newspapers statewide reported that the Office of Political Practices dismissed these accusations due to lack of evidence and a pattern of harassment by trappers. York has no current affiliation with Footloose or the BIC. Rader must know this. The definition of sophistry is the use of fallacious arguments, especially with the intention of deceiving. Our cards are on the table. People know what we stand for. I would caution against throwing around flimsy accusations that are perfect mirrors of your own actions. Dozens of readers commented on the Missoulian's Facebook post noting that Ryan Payne of Anaconda is one of the leaders of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation in southeastern Oregon. Here are some of those comments: *** Kim Adair: No militia is wanted there. Why did they seize this as an opportunistic issue? *** Jamie Lynn Sievers: Why did the Ferguson riots start? Why do most protests start? Isn't there usually an event that triggers it? At least these guys are sticking up for their own and not destroying homes, business or people. The people who are being most inconvenienced (the BLM manger and her Husband who just so happens to be the manager of the refuge) are the ones they are mainly against. *** Serena Holmes Floch: comparing them to a terrorist organization is just plain ignorant *** Noah James Brandemihl: Terrorism is defined as using violence or the threat of violence for political gain. That sounds like exactly what they are doing. I'm not saying this terrorism is the same as what ISIS is doing, but it's still terrorism. *** Carleton Clifford: It is not anti-government. Get the facts..it is another Federal land taking. *** Angela Morkert: They are not anti-government. They are pro Constitution. *** Rachel Kleinert: They are threatening armed resistance of the government which potentially falls under the definition of treason in the same Constitution that they claim to defend: Article III, Section III: Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court. *** Jamie Ford: It's more than that. The Bundy's are fans of the late Cleon Skousen -- a John Bircher who promoted the idea of "cleansing America" and combining church and state, creating a theocratic government based on "God's Law." The Constitution pamphlet that they always wave about is published by the same group that produces Skousen's books. Skousen professed that the Constitution was divine inspiration. Evidently Bundy uses that divinity to avoid paying $1 million in taxes. *** Bill Kornec Sr.: Did you mean a Patriot standing up against a corrupt and out of control government? While the rest of you hide your head in the sand some are protecting your rights. I admire Ryan's courage! Three years ago, the city of Missoula created the Development Services office. Mike Haynes is its first director, and has led the department through its first years of operation. On Monday, join City Club Missoula to hear Haynes discuss the reasons for the creation of the department and solutions it has provided, its component parts and the services it provides to the community. The group will meet from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel, 100 Madison St. Following the speaker, attendees will discuss the issues at their tables and have the opportunity to pose questions to the presenter. City Club Missoula forums are open to the public. Reservations are required by noon Friday. Credit card reservations can be made at squareup.com/market/city-club-missoula. To pay at the door by check, call 541-2489 and indicate if you want lunch for $16 per person for members, $20 per person for general public, or no lunch for $10. Cancel if necessary by the reservation deadline. Call 541-2489 with questions. Missoulian Staff BILLINGS - Firefighters from three departments responded to a fire at a small auto repair workshop west of Billings on Tuesday night. High, intense flames were coming from the structure at 7540 Alderson Ave., burning bright blue in spots. Crews first trained their hoses on the outside of the building, unable to get near the inside. Chris Doll, co-owner of the property, watched with his family as the fire grew and threatened a second shop just feet away. He said he was in the Heights when he got the news. "My girlfriend's mom called us and said it was on fire at 7 p.m.," Doll said. He said he arrived at 8 p.m. to find that no firefighters had arrived. Doll and his family expressed frustration at the response time. By 9 .m., firefighters were still attacking the fire from the outside. Additional tenders filed in with more water. "Thank god for mutual aid," said Duane Bjerke, the chief at the Molt Volunteer Fire Department. Molt got the initial call, as Alderson Avenue fell within its district. The small town is nearly 20 miles away, and Bjerke said the entire department responded. The call for mutual aid came in before 8 p.m. The Bililngs Fire Department responded from its station on the west end. The Laurel Volunteer Fire Department also arrived at the scene. The shop, which is located in the Homewood Park neighborhood, sits in an area isolated from the nearest fire departments. Bjerke said that a Homewood Park fire station existed but was shut down nearly a decade ago. "It's been a problem," he said. The mutual aid, Bjerke said, was crucial in this incident. Crews were still battling the blaze at 9:30 p.m. The exact cause of the fire is unknown, but Doll said that it could possibly have started from a wood stove that was lit and then left unattended. No one was reported injured in the fire. HAVRE (AP) The Fort Belknap Tribal Council voted unanimously to declare a state of emergency regarding methamphetamine and other drug use on the reservation. The Havre Daily News reports that council members also voted Monday to set aside $150,000 to fund a program to address the problem. Council members heard from residents that families were being torn apart and people feared becoming crime victims. Council member Donald Archambault Sr. said there had been 10 drug-related deaths on the reservation since November. Charmayne Healy and Miranda Crasco Kirk said they hoped the declaration would bring in more resources to establish treatment and education programs. The Blackfeet Tribe in northwestern Montana has voted to banish drug dealers from the reservation while the Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy's Reservation is considering a similar move. HELENA A second Montana judge has ruled there was corruption in the state's 2010 Republican primary elections, with candidates pledging loyalty to a national anti-union group's cause in exchange for thousands of dollars in illegal and unreported corporate campaign contributions. State officials plan to use the two judicial rulings as evidence in their defense of Montana's limits on how much political donors may contribute to a candidate's campaign. A federal lawsuit seeking to strike down those limits is pending after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last year that states must prove "quid pro quo corruption" or the appearance of it to justify capping contributions. The U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision raised the bar for states to prove they have a legitimate interest in limiting campaign donations. Before the Supreme Court ruling, states only had to show the caps meant to curb the influence of big money on politicians. Now, they must show that the limits prevent an actual exchange of money for political favors, the 9th Circuit ruled. Montana Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl said Wednesday that he believes two judges' findings of corruption meets the new standard, but it will be up to a judge to decide. "It is unprecedented and dramatic to have this degree of interference in elections that we saw in those 2010 primary elections," Motl said. "If that isn't quid pro quo corruption, I can't imagine what is." District Judge James Reynolds ruled Tuesday that former Senate candidate Wesley Prouse accepted $9,421 in illegal contributions from secretive conservative groups funded by the National Right to Work Committee. Prouse, who lost a three-way 2010 primary election in Senate District 23, officially reported receiving only $260 in contributions and spending no money at all in his campaign. The contributions came in the form of thousands of letters to voters signed with Prouse's digitally scanned signature, plus letters and flyers prepared by the Right to Work-affiliated company Direct Mail and Communications Inc. The correspondence promoted Prouse and attacked John Esp, the candidate who won the 2010 primary. Reynolds ruled the 7,017 letters sent to aid Prouse's campaign amounted to at least $9,101 worth of illegal in-kind corporate contributions, and that Prouse also received $320 in cash contributions that he did not report. Prouse pledged to support the causes of Right to Work and its affiliates, which Reynolds said amounted to quid pro quo corruption. "As the quid, Prouse received the appearance of a grass roots campaign created by Direct Mail for which he did not pay, report or disclose," Reynolds wrote in the ruling. "As the quo, Prouse promised in return unswerving fealty to the corporations carrying out the direct-mail campaign on his behalf." The judge ordered Prouse to pay $59,066 in fines and barred him from running for office until the fines are paid and his campaign finance reports are changed to reflect the illegal contributions. Prouse did not return a call for comment Wednesday, nor did he file a response to the civil complaint filed by Motl against him. Reynolds' ruling is similar to one made in August by District Judge Gregory Pinski that state House candidate Joel Boniek accepted more than $9,000 in contributions from the same Right to Work-affiliated groups. Boniek promised "complete opposition to the union bosses" in exchange for the campaign aid, Pinski wrote. Prouse and Boniek are among nine Republican candidates from the 2010 election whom Motl alleges received illegal corporate contributions from the National Right to Work Committee and affiliates Direct Mail, Western Tradition Partnership and Taxpayers for Liberty. Two candidates, including current state Rep. Mike Miller, R-Helmville, have settled out of court. A March 28 trial is scheduled for a fifth candidate, state Rep. Art Wittich, R-Bozeman. Motl said he plans to use the Prouse and Boniek rulings, in addition to his findings against the other Republican candidates, in the lawsuit challenging the state's contribution limits. U.S. District Judge Charles Lovell ruled in 2012 that the caps were too low to allow candidates to effectively campaign, but the 9th Circuit overturned his decision and ordered Lovell to re-examine the issue. Tara Malloy, the deputy executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Campaign Legal Center, said the state judges' rulings may help in the defense of the state's contribution limits. However, they don't shed light on what would be an acceptable limit that would allow candidates to effectively campaign while preventing corruption, she said. "It can't hurt, but I don't think it's going to decide the case," she said. Gov. Rick Snyder of Michigan declared a state of emergency for the Flint area on Tuesday as concerns grew about the health effects of lead-tainted water there. His order, which followed emergency declarations by the city and county governments, came on the day federal officials announced an investigation of the contamination. Mr. Snyders administration has been criticized as slow to respond to residents concerns about their water. Last week, he apologized and announced staffing changes at the state agency that oversees environmental quality. Flint, which had long received water from Lake Huron provided by Detroits water utility, began drawing its water from the Flint River in 2014 in an effort to save money while a new pipeline was built. Residents soon complained about rashes and strange odors from the river water, but city and state officials mostly insisted that it was safe to drink. Last year, elevated levels of lead were found in childrens blood, and in October, Flint switched back to Detroits water system. Mr. Snyder, a Republican, said Tuesday that the emergency declaration would allow for more state resources to be used in addressing the effects of the tainted water. Copyright 2022 HT Digital Streams Ltd All Right Reserved Nicht Ihr Computer? Dann konnen Sie fur die Anmeldung ein Fenster zum privaten Surfen offnen. Weitere Informationen Butte Police Reports ASSAULT August Marie Willey, 35, of Butte was arrested for misdemeanor partner assault after her boyfriend accused her of attacking him and scratching his chest, neck and shoulder area about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday at their home on the first block of Center Street. Police say she was reportedly intoxicated and fled in a vehicle. She was later arrested at a traffic stop. BUT MOM Elizabeth Beierle, 24, of Butte is facing misdemeanor charges of criminal mischief and disorderly conduct after her mother reported that the two got into an argument over shopping Tuesday. Beierle, who was wanted on a criminal contempt warrant issued in Butte city court, allegedly punched the dashboard, threw coffee and ripped the faceplate from the stereo system in her moms car. Police she may not want to press charges. SHOPLIFTING Nicole Church, 35, was arrested for shoplifting after she was seen taking a set of sheets by Walmart security about 7 p.m. Tuesday. Police say the homeless woman attempted to shove the merchandise, valued at $75, inside her backpack. DISTURBANCE Garrett Olson, 19, of Malta was taken into police custody after causing a disturbance late Tuesday at St. James Healthcare. When police arrived, he was restrained by the security. Olson, who was allegedly intoxicated, is facing a charge of disorderly conduct. THEFT A custom Xbox controller valued at $178 delivered to a residence on the first block of South Washington Street on Christmas Eve went missing, police say. The U.S. Postal Service delivery tracking confirmed it had reached its destination. The 35-episode In the Crucible of Change, a comprehensive online Montana history film series project, is going digital as it nears completion. The free made-for-cable TV series evolved from a Highlands College oral history project that includes interviews with Montana history makers and state leaders from 1965 to 1980. Evan Barrett, adjunct instructor and Business and Community Outreach director at Highlands College, developed the series from his Twentieth Century Montana People, Policies and Perspectives history class, featuring visiting guest speakers during the 2013 fall semester. Crucible covers the 15-year era when Montana instituted a new, progressive Constitution that details the states transition from a corporate colony to a citizens state and the challenge of keeping it that way, said Barrett. The free class is easily accessible. Viewers can stream episodes eventually tallying 43 on a smartphone, computer or other mobile device. Anyone can watch the series in its entirety or piecemeal on the Digital Commons at Montana Tech website: http://digitalcommons.mtech.edu/ The series has its own website that recently went live, too: www.crucibleofchange.com/ I dont think this has anywhere been done on digital compilation, said Barrett. Its more digital-friendly. The new website includes episode-by-episode introductions, biographies, notes and eventually photos. The old way we had the website before, we had tiny print and long lists typical of an academic website when nobody cares about user-friendliness, he added. Essentially, this is a key component of the class now to have all the materials available for reading and reviewing. The in-depth series has run on local cable and PBS channels statewide for over a year. The series airs on Montana Cable Television, channel 189 and 191. In Butte, it airs on Montana over-the-air PBS channels 9.5 in Butte Saturdays at 9 a.m. and Sundays at 9 p.m. For a full schedule, see www.mtech.edu/news/2014/07/071020141.php For anyone more inclined to take Barretts class face-to-face, Montana 1965 to 1980 Dramatic Period of Progressive Change, starts Jan. 12 at the Butte Public Library, 226 W. Broadway, in the third floor conference room. It runs Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. Montana Tech and Highlands students may take the three-credit class for $240. Barrett said members of the greater Butte community may register for a special $80 fee. A $5,000 Humanities Montana grant, plus other grants from Highlands and Tech, contributed to the $30,000 project. Details: Evan Barrett at 406-496-4489 email at ebarrett@mtech.edu. Janet Irene Connole, 70, passed away on Jan. 3, 2016, at St. James Healthcare. She was surrounded by her family and passed into God's embrace on angels wings. Janet was born in Oceanside, California on March 20, 1945, to John and Evelyn Carr. Janet's family returned to Dillon, Montana, following her father's military service. She grew up in Dillon surrounded by many friends and cousins. Janet particularly loved the Meine family and time spent at the ranch. Janet graduated from Beaverhead County High School in 1963. She was a member of many clubs and participated in many activities in high school. Her love of music and her active lifestyle began during her high school career. She was an avid skier, loved to sing, and enjoyed theater. Janet continued to college at Western Montana College in Dillon where she met the love of her life, John Connole. Janet enlisted John in many of her college adventures, including being active in civic groups and taking parts in musical productions. Janet was the head majorette for the college drill team and always a reflection of spirit and school pride. Janet graduated from college in 1966, and married her beloved John one week later on June 11, 1966. Throughout their marriage, Janet continued to enlist John in many activities. She and John together engaged in service to many others. Their service extended from the small, simple acts of helping neighbors to active involvement in many community outreach groups. Janet and John were members of the Lions Club. Janet, in true spirit of service, was the president of the Lioness Club for a time. Another treasured group in Janet's life was her prayer group, the Wednesday Roses. This group of amazing women was a source of strength, courage, faith and love for Janet. Janet began her career as a pre-school teacher for the YMCA when her youngest son Kelly was ready for pre-school. She taught at the YMCA for 18 years and retired from her position in 1995. Throughout her life, many of her former students would stop her to say hello and thank you for being such a great teacher. She inspired many students to become teachers, including her oldest son Steve. After retirement, John and Janet enjoyed going to Yuma, Arizona during the winter months. True to her form, Janet participated in many of the activities offered in her retirement community. She continued with her volunteerism and could often be found in the middle of planning activities. She and John continued to participate in plays and productions while in Yuma. Together, they made many new friends at their home away from home. John and Janet celebrated the blessing of three sons, Stephan, Russell, and Kelly. Her boys were the center of her life. She cherished each of them and spoiled them richly with love, wisdom, and faith. Janet was preceded in death by her father, John Carr; her father-in-law, Warren Connole; and her grandparents. Janet is survived by many beloved family and friends, most notably her husband, John. She is also survived by her mother, Evelyn Carr; sisters and brothers-in-law, Joan and John Jackson of Jackson, Montana, and Jennifer and Bob Johnson of Albuquerque, New Mexico; her sons and their spouses, Steve and Rayelynn Connole of Butte, Russell and Tanya Connole of Spokane, Washington, Kelly Connole and Triann Jangula of Butte; and her grandchildren, Michaun Michaud, Eyvanna Connole, John Connole, Madison Connole, Gage Connole, Holt Connole, Justyce Connole, Jace Connole, and Jenna Connole. John's family became Janet's family when they married. She is survived by John's mother, Eyvanna Connole, brother, Jim Connole, and sisters, Betty Charlton and Judy Kohn, their spouses, and their children and grandchildren as well. She loved and treasured each and every member of her family, extended family, and friends. She has left a legacy of beauty, gentleness, and kindness to her loved ones. May she forever rest in peace. Memorials may be made to Our Lady of the Rockies and the Alzheimer's Association. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 9, at Holy Spirit Church. Visitation begins at 10 a.m. Axelson Alternative Cremation is privileged to serve Janets family. Express condolences at www.mtstandard.com. William Bill Francis Sharkey, 85, of Butte passed away in his home, Sunday, January 3, 2016, surrounded by friends and family. Bill was born January 23, 1930 to the late John and Catherine (Runkle) Sharkey. He was a four-year Navy veteran of the Korean War. He met and married the love of his life, Shirley (Foley) Nov. 5, 1955. He is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Shirley; children and grandchildren, Mick, Peggy, Hanne, Julia, Cora, Sharkey family of Idaho, Bill, Debbie, Jennifer, Ristina, Joshua, Aleshia, Sharkey family of Butte, Tom, Nancy, Ryan, J.T., Sharkey family of Butte, Mark, Annette, Marki Jo, Tyler, Sharkey family of Helena, Karen, Brody, Connor, Crane family of Arizona, Steve, Shawn, Katie, Erin, Alison, Mathew, Sharkey family of Butte; great-grandchildren, Addelynne Bleken, Cade and Kaisley Crane, Cambry, Huck, Holden, and Kale ONeill; a brother, Joe Sharkey of Anaconda; a sister, Mary Lu Wilson of Butte; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. In addition to his parents, he was also preceded in death by his brother, John Sharkey; sister, Rita Driscoll; nephews, Joe and Danny Sharkey; nieces, Margie Ann Driscoll, Kathy and Luann Wilson; and granddaughter, Bailey Crane. He attended local Butte schools. He worked as a mechanic and heavy equipment operator for years, later attaining his BA degree in Industrial Arts from Northern Montana College. Bill enjoyed square dancing, working with special needs adults and teaching. His greatest gift and joy was spending time with his wife, kids and grandchildren. He could be found on any given day as a volunteer, teaching square dancing to local elementary schools, camping at Georgetown Lake, fishing the Big Hole or sitting in his truck supervising the hunting expeditions of his boys. Friends may call from 10 to 11am Friday, Jan. 8, at the Immaculate Conception Church on Caledonia Street. A memorial service will follow at 11 a.m. with Father Patrick Beretta. Express condolences at www.mtstandard.com. Animal shelter lists December stats Following are numbers from the Chelsea Bailey Animal Shelter, 699 Centennial Ave., for December: Dogs: Turned in by owners: 5 Turned in by citizens: 1 Picked up by animal control: 29 Adopted: 15 Reclaimed by owners: 26 Sent to rescue: 0 Cats: Turned in by owners: 5 Turned in by citizens: 4 Picked up by animal control: 13 Adopted: 23 Reclaimed by owners: 5 Sent to Rescue: 0 Total number of animals that died/euthanized: 1 dog; 6 cats. The shelter is open 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Fur handling workshop in Deer Lodge Jan. 9 DEER LODGE -- A fur handling workshop is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 9, in Deer Lodge. The all day workshop, sponsored by the Montana Trappers Association, will offer information and demonstrations on fur handling safety, ethics and techniques. There is no charge and students of all ages are welcome. The class will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Circle H Growers, 604 Mitchell St. in Deer Lodge. To register, contact Ed Hebbe III at 406-846-2304. Workshop participants should bring a chair, lunch and dress warmly. Area One restoration focus of meeting The State of Montanas Natural Resource Damage Program is revising the 2012 Butte Area One Final Restoration Plan. A public meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14, at the Butte Public Archives, 17 W. Quartz St. Comment will be taken at this meeting. The state is seeking public comment on a draft Butte Area One Plan Amendment, which describes the primary work necessary to remove and dispose of contaminated material associated with the Parrot Tailings in Butte. Copies of the Draft Butte Area One Amendment are available upon request to the Natural Resource Damage Program (406-444-0205), email nrdp@mt.gov, or on the Internet at: https://dojmt.gov/lands/notices-of-public-comment/. Written comments must be received by 5 on February 1 and sent to NRDP via: email: nrdp@mt.gov; Fax: (406) 444-0236; or mail, Box 201425, Helena, MT 59620 School skating races set for Jan. 23 The annual school skating races will be held Saturday, Jan. 23, at the U.S. High Altitude Oval, north of the Three Bears Alaska grocery store. Trophies will go to the top three schools. Learn to Skate classes held 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the oval are a great way to prepare for the race, a spokesman said. The Montana Amateur Speedskating Association hosts the classes. The cost for the entire winter is $25 per individual or $40 per family. Skaters of all ages and abilities are welcome. For more experienced skaters, the emphasis is on speed skating, but the program is not limited to speed skaters. A limited number of skates are available for use during lessons. School race registration forms can be picked up at the High Altitude Oval through January 22. Details: Tina at 406-490-5764. Animal Control impounds listed These are animals that have been picked up by Butte Animal Control. Details: call Chelsea Bailey Butte-Silver Bow Animal Shelter at 406-497-6528 or stop by between 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Dogs: Three-year-old male Chihuahua cross, picked up Tuesday on the 1900 block of Whitman Street One-year-old female red heeler, picked up Saturday on West Pacific Street. One-year-old male black Lab cross, neutered, picked up Monday on the 1300 block of Adams Street Cat: Eight-month-old medium-haired female, orange, gray and black, picked up Saturday on the 1100 block of West Steel Street WASHINGTON -- Soon, voters will have the opportunity and impertinence to insert themselves into the 2016 presidential conversation that thus far has been the preoccupation of journalists and other abnormal people. The voting will begin in Iowa, thanks to Marie Jahn. When, after 38 years as recorder for Plymouth County in northwest Iowa, Jahn decided to retire in February 1975, local Democrats decided to throw her a party. When it came to attracting a speaker, the best they could entice from their party's national ranks was a former one-term governor of Georgia. According to Steven Hayward in "The Age of Reagan: The Fall of the Old Liberal Order": "Carter's obscurity was confirmed when he appeared on the syndicated TV game show 'What's My Line?' He stumped the panel, which not only didn't recognize him, but failed to guess he was a state governor. When pollster George Gallup drew up a list of 38 potential Democratic presidential candidates in 1975, Carter's name was not on the list." Eleven months after the fete for Jahn, Jimmy Carter finished second in the hitherto obscure Iowa caucuses, behind "undecided." This semi-triumph became his springboard to Olympus. The caucuses would never again be obscure. The moral of this cautionary tale is that voters can be startlingly disruptive. Perhaps they are somewhat less likely to be so today. Surprises might be more difficult to spring now that there is saturation journalism about presidential campaigns that are in high gear a year before the first votes are cast. But American politics often has had quirky aspects, as historian Morton Keller demonstrates in his "America's Three Regimes: A New Political History" (2007). The Republican Party, Keller says, became known as the Grand Old Party in the 1880s, when it was about 25 years young. In 1840, when William Henry Harrison, scion of wealthy Virginia planters, ran for president as the hardscrabble "log cabin and hard cider candidate," the resulting paraphernalia included glass log cabins containing whiskey from Pittsburgh's E.C. Booz distillery, which enriched American slang. The Era of Good Feelings, the decade after 1815, was, Keller says, more an Era of No Feelings: In the 1820 presidential election, Richmond's 12,000 residents produced 17 votes. Only 568 of Baltimore's 63,000 residents voted. Nine percent of those eligible in New Jersey voted. No one will ever call 2016 part of an Era of Good Feelings. If, however, Donald Trump's vitriol pumps up the number of voters, this will at least lay to rest the canard that high voter turnout is a sign of social health. Given the pandemic distaste for today's politics, it is consoling to remember that things change. In the late 19th century, Robert Ingersoll, aka "The Great Agnostic," was the nation's most outspoken atheist and a leading Republican, a combination unlikely today. In the third decade of the 20th century, even a politician with national aspirations could be proudly parochial: The Democrats' 1928 presidential nominee, New York Gov. Al Smith, reportedly said he would rather be a lamppost on Park Row than the governor of California, and when asked his thoughts about the problems of states west of the Mississippi, he supposedly replied, "What (BEG ITAL)are (END ITAL) the states west of the Mississippi?" In 1952, the Democratic presidential nominee, Adlai Stevenson, dismayed by the mainstream media's conservatism, fretted about "a one-party press in a two-party country." Today, there is a sense in which there are few two-party states. In the presidential election 40 years ago, Carter against President Gerald Ford, 20 states were won by five points or less, including the six most populous states: California, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Illinois, Ohio. (Note the absence of Florida, now the third-most populous state.) In 2012, just four states were decided by five points or less (North Carolina, Florida, Ohio, Virginia). Today, Larry J. Sabato, Kyle Kondik and Geoffrey Skelley of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics identify just seven states they consider "super-swingy": Colorado, Florida, Nevada, Ohio and Virginia, all of which voted for George W. Bush and Barack Obama twice, and Iowa and New Hampshire, which have voted Democratic in three of the last four elections. But, again, things change. "One session of the Connecticut Legislature in the 1790s," Keller writes, "devoted itself primarily to imposing a tax on dogs. The next session was given over to discussing whether or not to remove that levy." This was, of course, long ago, before government became ambitious, caring and reviled. George Will's email address is georgewill@washpost.com. (c) 2015, Washington Post Writers Group Man who jumped through glass door while on acid, meth sentenced to treatment program Court sentences man to treatment program for downtown stabbing Woman ordered to alcohol treatment after 4th DUI Seeing those three headlines in the Dec. 30 Billings Gazette gave readers an indication of how commonly criminal offenders are drug addicts. What really happens after a felony offender is "sentenced" to treatment? First of all, in most cases, including the three reported on Dec. 30, the judge doesn't actually sentence the convicted to a particular program. Judge Gregory Todd sentenced these three individuals to a certain number of years under the supervision of the Montana Department of Corrections and recommended particular programs. Generally, the DOC will assess the offenders to determine what placement (i.e prison, treatment or community corrections) is most appropriate for their crime and potential rehabilitation. The assessment includes evaluation for mental illness and chemical dependency. The DOC has increased availability of chemical dependency treatment for offenders over the past decade. The department now has seven treatment programs, all privately contracted. However, the capacity is still lower than the needs of several thousand chemically dependent people in the system. NEXUS in Lewistown When DOC determines that an offender would benefit from one of its treatment programs, there's usually a wait to get in. The wait is often 2 to 3 months for NEXUS, the program Todd recommended for the stabber and the glass-crashing burglar. NEXUS is a 9-month treatment program for up to 82 men in Lewistown. A similar program called Elkhorn serves up to 42 women in Boulder. NEXUS and Elkhorn are geared toward offenders addicted to methamphetamine, cocaine or other stimulants. After completing intensive treatment, graduates usually are placed in a prerelease center for 200 days. Even 15 months of staying clean doesn't necessarily mean the addict is "cured." Staying in recovery requires a lifelong commitment to maintain a drug-free lifestyle. In Montana, all felony DUI and vehicular homicide offenders are supposed to complete the six-month WATCh treatment, although some offenders have managed to avoid the treatment with trial delays and extended jail time. Once designated for the program, offenders typically have a four to six-week wait for admission. The first three DUI offenses are misdemeanors under Montana law, so those sent to WATCh already have four or more. WATCh for felony DUI WATCh West at Warm Springs has a capacity of 115 men, while WATCh East in Glendive serves 50 offenders, including men and women. Both take six months and (like other DOC treatment programs) keep the participants locked up. WATCh has reported that the majority of its graduates don't reoffend. That's remarkable, considering they all were repeat offenders. Some WATCh graduates are referred for further supervision to DUI treatment courts, such as those led by Yellowstone County District Judge Mary Jane Knisely and Billings Municipal Judge Sheila Kolar. Graduates of WATCh and other DOC treatment programs are supervised by the probation and parole division after they return to the community. The state has a very limited number of probation and parole officers, so each usually must supervise 80 or more offenders. A November report to the Legislature's Commission on Sentencing stated that Montanas prison population exceeds the states facilities capacity. The commission must address the all-too-common connection between crime and addiction in recommendations to the 2017 session. DOC treatment programs are based on a therapeutic community model that the National Institute on Drug Abuse has found to be effective in reducing recidivism. In treatment, offenders are assigned to groups in which the conduct of one member affects all. A DOC description of the programs says they emphasize to offenders that "there are others who are also suffering consequences of their individual actions their families who are now living without a father, son, mother, daughter, etc.; the employer who is having to fill a position, and the taxpayers who are helping to pay for their treatment." When more offenders learn that lesson, fewer will be in Montana's corrections system. -- The Billings Gazette Comment Policy Advance Indiana allows you to post comments via this blog subject to the guidelines set forth herein. You understand that any comments you post are your own and are not those of Advance Indiana. You further understand that Advance Indiana is not responsible for the content of any external sites referenced in your comments. Unlawful, harassing, defamatory, abusive, threatening, harmful, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, racially offensive, or otherwise objectionable comments are not acceptable. If you think any content posted or otherwise included in Advance Indiana violates the guidelines set forth herein, then please alert Advance Indiana. Advance Indiana reserves the right to pre-screen, edit, and remove any post as it deems appropriate. You specifically acknowledge that Advance Indiana has no obligation to display any post submitted or otherwise provided via Advance Indiana. MUSCATINE, Iowa At 6:36 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 3, Lincoln Sage Treimer was welcomed into the world as the first local baby of the new year. After 28 hours of labor at UnityPoint Health Trinity Muscatine, Lincoln was born to parents Amanda Buenemannand Steve Treimer, of Wilton, weighing 8 pounds, 14.9 ounces. His sister is Michaela, 15. Upon his arrival, Lincoln was presented with a special blanket embroidered with "First Baby 2016" that was made by the house keeping staff at the hospital. "We are very, very blessed and fortunte," Steve Treimer said. "This is him," Amanda Buenemann said about her newborn, who has been a very calm and content baby, so far. The couple mentioned how wonderful the staff at the hospital has been and what a terrific process it has been over all. Lincoln's journey began originally at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics fertility clinic. Buenemann called it Lincoln's interesting fact that he was an in-vitro (fertilization) baby. "We couldn't have done it without the University of Iowa," Treimer said. Lincoln and his family checked out of the hospital and headed home on Tuesday afternoon. MUSCATINE, Iowa Runway & Rhinestones will be 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 9, at the Muscatine Performing Arts Center, 901 Cedar St. The event will include a prom/pageant fashion show, dessert bar, autograph signing and a special performance by Miss Iowa Taylor Wiebers. The keynote speaker will be Mallory Hagan, Miss America 2013. The program is presented by Miss Muscatine Scholarship Program. Tickets are $20 an available at the door or online at runwayandrhinestones2016.eventbrite.com. There will also be a Sherri Hill Couture Trunk Show by appointment Jan. 8-10. Call 563-299-1312 for more information. The Chilcot Inquiry shows that the British were far more aware of the deteriorating situation in Iraq than the Americans. From July 2004 to ... Les emplois a Rennes sont abondants et varies. Il y a quelque chose pour tout le monde. Que vous soyez a la recherche dun emploi [] Les blattes ou cafards (Blatta orientalis) sont des insectes qui appartiennent a la famille des Blattoptera. Ils se caracterisent par leur forme allongee, leurs ailes [] As owner of this blog, I bear no responsibility to what other contributors/bloggers may post. I encourage all to speak freely without indulging in libel or defamatory content. Anyone who feels offended by any posting can email me and I will remove the offending article if appropriate. Contact me at redbeansg@yahoo.com redbean BEIJING We recently returned from our journey to Beijing and Shanghai . It was a short trip, with only eight full days in these ... DUBAI, United Arab Emirates Allies of Saudi Arabia followed the kingdoms lead Monday and scaled back diplomatic ties to Iran after the ransacking of Saudi diplomatic missions in the Islamic Republic, violence sparked by the Saudi execution of a prominent Shiite cleric. Sudan and the tiny island kingdom of Bahrain said they would sever ties with Iran, as Saudi Arabia did late Sunday. Within hours, the United Arab Emirates announced it would downgrade ties to Tehran to the level of the charge daffaires, while other nations issued statements criticizing Iran. The concerted campaign by Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia highlights the aggressive stance King Salman and his son, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, have adopted in confronting Iran, a longtime regional rival. What we have seen during the last 24 hours is unprecedented... It shows you Saudi Arabia has had enough of Iran and wants to send a message, said Abdulkhaleq Abdullah, a political science professor at Emirates University. This is the Saudis saying: There is no limit to how far we will go. The standoff began Saturday, when Saudi Arabia executed Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others convicted of terror charges the largest mass execution carried out by the kingdom since 1980. Al-Nimr was a central figure in the Arab Spring-inspired protests by Saudi Arabias Shiite minority, who long denied advocating violence. News of his execution has sparked Shiite protests from Bahrain to Pakistan. In Iran, protesters attacked the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad. By late Sunday, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir announced the kingdom would sever its relations with Iran over the assaults, giving Iranian diplomatic personnel 48 hours to leave his country. On Monday, Saudi Arabias civil aviation authority suspended all flights to and from Iran, saying the move was based on the kingdoms cutting of diplomatic ties. Saudi Arabia and Iran have long vied for influence in the Middle East, with their rivalry deepening following the toppling of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, which allowed Iran to assert dominance there, and the chaos of the Arab Spring, which gave rise to proxy wars in Syria and Yemen. An early battleground was Bahrain, where the Shiite majority staged mass protests in 2011 demanding political reforms from the Sunni monarchy. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates sent in troops to help quash the revolt, viewing it as an Iranian bid to expand its influence. Bahraini officials have since accused Iran of training militants and attempting to smuggle arms into the country, which hosts the U.S. Navys 5th Fleet. In October, Bahrain ordered the acting Iranian charge daffaires to leave within 72 hours and recalled its own ambassador after alleging Iran sponsored subversion and terrorism and funneled arms to militants. Sudan, which has been looking to Saudi for aid since the secession of oil-rich South Sudan in 2011, on Monday announced an immediate severing of ties over the diplomatic mission attacks. Sudan once was closer to Iran, but in recent years has tilted toward Saudi Arabia, and has contributed forces to the Saudi-led coalition battling Shiite rebels in Yemen. The UAE, a country of seven emirates, has a long trading history with Iran and is home to many ethnic Iranians. It said it would reduce the number of diplomats in Iran and recall its ambassador in the light of Irans continuous interference in the internal affairs of Gulf and Arab states, which has reached unprecedented levels. Saudi Arabia previously severed ties with Iran from 1988 to 1991 over hajj rioting in 1987 and Irans attacks on shipping in the Persian Gulf. That diplomatic freeze saw Iran halt pilgrims from attending the hajj in Saudi Arabia, something required of all able Muslims once in their lives. Iranian lawmaker Mohammad Ali Esfanani, spokesman of the Judicial and Legal Committee, said security issues and the fact that Iranian pilgrims wouldnt have consular protection inside the kingdom made halting the pilgrimage likely, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency. World powers have sought to calm the tensions, with Washington and the European Union reaching out. On Monday, Germany called on both sides to mend ties, while Russian state news agency RIA Novosti quoted an unnamed senior diplomat as saying Moscow is ready to act as a mediator. The U.N. envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, was en route to Riyadh on Monday with plans to later visit Tehran. Iran, a staunch supporter of embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad, and Saudi Arabia, a key backer of the opposition, have participated in three rounds of international talks aimed at ending the conflict. De Mistura has set a Jan. 25 target date for a fourth round of talks. The White House on Monday urged Saudi Arabia and Iran to not let their dispute derail efforts to end the Syrian civil war. Hopefully they will continue to engage, Earnest said. It is so clearly in the interests of both countries to advance a political solution to the situation inside of Syria. Meanwhile, al-Nimrs family is holding three days of mourning at a mosque in al-Awamiya village in the kingdoms al-Qatif region in predominantly Shiite eastern Saudi Arabia. Authorities have already buried the sheikhs body in an undisclosed cemetery, his family said. Early Monday, the state-run Saudi Press Agency said a shooting targeting security forces in the village killed a man and wounded a child. It offered no motive for the attack, nor for another it said saw a mob beat and briefly kidnap a man who was driving through the area. BAGHDAD While many Iraqi Shiites took to the streets in outrage over Saudi Arabias execution of a prominent Shiite cleric, the countrys prime minister has had to walk a more cautious line, trying to contain Iraqs own explosive sectarian tensions. The execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr has inflamed the sectarian divide across the region. Shiite-led Iran has been the most vocal in its condemnation, and protesters stormed Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran over the weekend. That prompted Sunni-led Saudi Arabia to cut diplomatic relations with Iran, and the kingdoms allies have lined up behind it, either cutting or reducing their ties with Tehran. The government of Iraq, however, is straining to keep the peace amid the regional tumult. Iran is a key ally of the Shiite-led government in Baghdad, has helped it in the fight against the Islamic State group, and supports powerful Shiite militias in the country. At the same time, as the fight against IS extremists enters its second year, Iraq is grappling with the worst political and security crises since the withdrawal of U.S. troops in 2011. Only last week, Saudi Arabia sent an ambassador to Baghdad for the first time in 25 years to try to improve its relationship with Iraq. In a sign of the governments caution, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi issued a statement expressing regret over al-Nimrs execution and warning that such actions would bring more destruction and devastation. His office followed that Tuesday with a call for unity among Iraqis. Regional tensions should be faced wisely, responsibly and rationally in order to preserve the security and stability of Iraq, according to a statement from al-Abadis office. A day earlier, thousands of Shiites gathered a few hundred meters (yards) from his office and called for the government to sever diplomatic ties with Riyadh. The protesters, supporters of prominent Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, chanted that al-Nimrs blood had not been spilled in vain and that the Mahdi Army, Sadrs disbanded Shiite militia, would avenge his death if needed. That points to the governments bigger fear: That the regional dispute over al-Nimrs execution will turn into new violence between Iraqs Shiites and Sunnis. Sectarian violence has quickly spiraled out of control in Iraq in the recent past, and a renewed form could disrupt Baghdads campaign against the Islamic State group, the Sunni extremists who control large parts of the north and west of the country. Iranian-backed Shiite militias, whose might rivals that of the military and security forces, have been a major factor in the fight, and the government has already had to cede them considerable authority. At the same time, al-Abadi has sought to encourage reconciliation with the Sunni minority, among whom hatred of the militias is strong, and include Sunnis in the fight against IS. This is the last thing (al-Abadi) needs after the high point in Ramadi, said Kirk Sowell, publisher of the Inside Iraqi Politics newsletter, referring to the recent government victory pushing IS fighters out of the western Iraqi city. While al-Nimrs execution is unlikely to change Iraq-Saudi policy in any meaningful way, it does have the potential to set off violence in Iraq, Sowell said. Two Sunni mosques were attacked in the southern town of Hilla in apparent retaliation for the execution, but al-Abadi was quick to blame IS and order a buildup of security in the province. A group of powerful Shiite militias with strong ties to Iran, including Asaib al-Haq and the Badr Brigade, demanded the government cut diplomatic ties with the kingdom, expel the ambassador and execute all Saudis held in Iraqi prisons on charges of terrorism. Acceding to their demands risks disillusioning Sunnis, who already accuse the government of being too beholden to the militias and who often see neighboring Sunni powerhouses like Jordan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia as allies. What you have right now is a split, said Sajad Jiyad, a fellow at the Iraqi Institute for Economic Reform in Baghdad, describing the opposing interests al-Abadi is struggling to satisfy. The prime minister will find himself having to do something or face risking his popular appeal. Al-Abadi may lack the ability to get ahead of a potential crisis, Jiyad said. Its unclear how much control the government has in Iraq, he said. DECATUR, Ga. A man armed with a knife held 11 children and his girlfriend inside a motel room for five hours before he stabbed himself in the neck Tuesday morning, ending a standoff with police, authorities said. No one else was injured. Authorities had surrounded the motel and tried to negotiate with Korrie Thomas, 36, before a SWAT team eventually stormed the room and found him critically injured, police said. DeKalb County District Attorney Robert James said Tuesday that Thomas should have reported to prison to begin a 15-year sentence in November, after he pleaded guilty last year to armed robbery and aggravated assault. A judge sentenced Thomas to nine years behind bars followed by probation. On Tuesday, police initially responded to the Rite4us Inn & Suites motel about 2 a.m. for a domestic assault. It was not immediately clear who made the call or what happened. A woman and children ranging in age from 3 months to 17 years old were inside the room and Thomas would not allow anyone to leave, DeKalb County police Maj. Stephen Fore said in a statement. Details about the police negotiations with Thomas were not released. Thomas was taken to a hospital. He faces charges of false imprisonment and obstruction. Jail records did not list an attorney for him. County and state officials were searching for safe housing and other assistance for the woman and the children, after determining they weren't injured or neglected, said DeKalb County Child Advocacy Center director Trenny Stovall. She said authorities believe the woman and Thomas are parents of 10 of the children, while the oldest child is Thomas' brother. She said the family had been living in the motel, but it's not clear how long or how many rooms they used. "Our goal is to keep the family together in a safe situation," Stovall said. "They're all in school, and we want to be sure they are able to continue. Separation can add trauma." Online jail records show Thomas had been arrested on seven other occasions in DeKalb County, including charges of battery. Only the 2015 armed robbery and aggravated assault case appears in the county's online court records. Decatur is about 10 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta. REDDING Authorities say officers shot and killed a man indiscriminately firing a gun in a Northern California apartment complex while yelling about President Obama. Redding Police Lt. Pete Brindley told the Redding Record Searchlight that officers first tried negotiating with the man. He said they next attempted to subdue him by firing beanbag rounds at the man. The shooting happened Tuesday evening in Redding, 160 miles north of Sacramento. Brindley says witnesses describe the man repeatedly coming in and out of his apartment. Brindley says he didn't know whether the man fired at officers. The newspaper says a neighbor videotaped the shooting. At the end, it shows the man exit his apartment holding a gun in his outstretched hand, drawing fire from officers. The name of the man has not been released. No officers were injured. A French term normally reserved to signify unique and high-quality wines, Tetes de Cuvee, was how Solage Calistoga described the final event in what had been a series of their Sparkle and Savor holiday dinners. Each week since Nov. 28 we have featured a different celebrity chef who has prepared a multicourse meal paired with some of the most exclusive sparkling wines and Champagnes from around the world, said Marcus Mueller, general manager at Solage Calistoga. Earlier dinners included highly regarded local chef Gustavo Rios, and also popular chefs such as Bravos Top Chef winner Hung Huynh from Per Se in Manhattan and Michelin-star rated chef Raphael Francois. Having a wine dinner is nothing new in the Napa Valley, but one void of cabernet sauvignon is rare. Often people think sparkling wine and Champagne have only one role in a meal, but we wanted to show the depth and diversity of these fine wines and how well they can provide a satisfying accompaniment to any course, said Scott Turnbull, sommelier at Solage. Here we wanted to share some of the worlds finest pearls with our guests while they celebrated the holidays. Although the earlier event meals were prepared by visiting chefs, the final dinner was led by Solages own seven-time Michelin-starred executive chef Brandon Sharp and included desserts by pastry chef Sally Camacho. What a blast to really crank up the RPMs and see what this crew can pull off, Sharp said after the event. Sharps focus on that nights menu was on all the savory dishes, including Lake Pontchartrain blue crab with saffron aioli and cara-cara oranges paired with the 2004 Moet & Chandon Dom Perignon Brut. For the sweeter elements of the menu, he was joined by Camacho. Chef Sallys desserts were downright glorious, Sharp said. Camacho is an accomplished chef and is currently an instructor at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena. Her career also includes being a finalist of Bravos Top Chef: Just Desserts in 2011 and named a Top 10 National Pastry Chef by Dessert Professional in 2012. This event was something not normally done here in the valley, said Camacho. Here were normally known for our big reds, but this was completely different. Different indeed, her dessert offerings included a white-truffle ice cream paired with Ratafia de Champagne, Vilmart & Cie, a liqueur made using pinot noir grapes. The earthiness of the truffles brings out a depth in both the chocolate and wine, explained Camacho. I loved it, it was so different, said Lynn Carl, one of the evenings guests. Ive never been to a dinner where you could try so many different Champagnes paired beautifully in such a warm and festive setting. After the diners had enjoyed live music, lavish service, creative food offerings, and glasses of exclusive sparkling wine and Champagne, they were invited to the Spectara room to ring in the new year. There they enjoyed a near endless selection of chocolates, handcrafted candies and delicate pastries while they watched the ball drop in New Yorks Times Square on an enormous screen and toasted with flutes of bubbly wine. We wanted to spoil our guests, Mueller said when the event was over, and then quickly added, We cant wait to do this again next year. And judging by the smiles and laughter around the various tables that night, it appears hes in good company. Sparkle and Savor took place weekly from Thanksgiving weekend through New Years Eve with tickets limited to 50 guests per night. Advanced reservations were required. General admission ranged from $250 to $300 per person. At Indian Springs, the birthplace of Calistoga, on the morning of Jan. 6, residents, dignitaries and history lovers gathered to mark the citys 130th anniversary of incorporation. Sam Brannan, as played by Dean Enderlin, shared some of Brannans history as the founder of the city. He read a letter written Oct. 9, 1869, to the editor of The Elevator, an African-American newspaper, about the writer following his or her doctors instructions to visit Calistoga for health improvement. The letter was signed JPD. Its a little mystery. We dont know who he is, Enderlin (as Brannan) said. Mayor Chris Canning opened up a question-and-answer period for audience members to ask Brannan questions, including one Canning threw out himself. He asked Brannan, who is sometimes reflected in history as a bit of a scoundrel, what led to Brannans divorce. Brannan didnt go into details but did say that his wife wanted cash in the divorce settlement, and though he was a landowner of a great deal of property, the nation was in what is now called the Long Depression and he was unable to sell property to satisfy the settlements demands. Some of Brannans property was taken by the Sacramento Savings Bank, and Brannan told the gathered group that if some of them, as property owners, looked back at their deeds they might see the banks name on there. Other speakers included Alan Rogers of Sharpsteen Museum, who asked through a series of calls for people to stand if they had been involved as a volunteer, docent, or member of the museum. By the time he was done, most of the room was standing. Supervisor Diane Dillon shared her love of history, and she has been studying the history of the Board of Supervisors. Early on supervisors represented three districts, she said, that were divided into townships. Calistoga was originally known as the Hot Springs Township, she said. Mike Kirn, interim city manager and public works director, said he did a little math and determined that the council, once called trustees, held about 3,900 council meetings since the incorporation and at an average of two hours per meeting, there have been 7,800 hours of government service provided. In the early 1880s Calistogas city leaders following the lead of St. Helena recognized that for the city to grow, a formal cityhood was necessary. Calistogans put the matter on the ballot Dec. 23, 1885, and it passed almost unanimously. Prior to Calistogas incorporation on Jan. 6, 1886, the first Anglo settlers arrived in 1840; the Hot Springs Resort was created in 1862; and the Napa Valley Railroad Co. was established in 1868. Calistoga held an all-day party when it turned 125 that included music, food and games during an extended farmers market that stretched across the Napa River into Pioneer Park. Carl Sherrill performed a song, 125 Years Ago, that he wrote about Calistoga history for the event that was performed by local singing group Vocal Color. The post office marked the event with a special cancellation stamp, and the community pool offered a special discounted admission of $1.25, a symbolic nod. For the 130th celebration, a brochure highlighting the history of some of the citys buildings information compiled by Kent Domogalla is available at the Visitors Center, 1133 Washington St. When a brochure holder visits the stores and restaurants marked with an asterisk, those merchants will stamp the brochure (no purchase is necessary). Collect five stamps between now and Jan. 10 and earn a chance to win a swag bag with gift certificates from participating merchants such as Calistoga Roastery, which will include a coffee mug with a gift certificate. Wine, of course, is also on the list for the swag bag. Participating merchants include Lincoln Avenue Spa, Blackbird of Calistoga, Boskos Restaurant, Huge Bear Wine, All Seasons Bistro, Hydro Grill, Funkes, CalMart, and Calistoga Inn Restaurant and Brewery. Napa Valleys animal rescue operation is looking for a permanent home, and American Canyon may have the perfect spot. Last month, the city was approached by the Wildlife Rescue Center of Napa County about a parcel of undeveloped land near the wetlands known as Clarke Ranch. The nonprofit organization, which has been around for 25 years, has never had a permanent place of its own to hold, rehabilitate, and release back into the wild wounded, sick or orphaned animals and birds. Instead, it has had to rely on a Napa veterinary and the homes of numerous volunteers to care for the hundreds of creatures it takes in each year. So the rescue centers vice president, John Comisky, made a pitch to the City Council just before the holiday break about building a facility at Clarke Ranch. Were hoping Clarke Ranch is a possibility, said Comisky, that there would be a spot out there for us. Comisky said the new facility, which would include an animal hospital and visitor center to conduct education and outreach, would require 3-5 acres of space. Clarke Ranch is approximately 20-25 acres in size, but cannot be developed for private use and must be reserved for public benefit, according to the terms the city agreed to when it bought the land back in the 1990s. City leaders reacted favorably to the rescue centers proposal, and said they would include the organization in discussions expected to take place this year to create a master plan for Clarke Ranch. I think that would be a great match, said City Manager Dana Shigley. Its exactly the kind of thing that would be good out there. Councilmember Mark Joseph agreed, saying: Conceptually, its an exciting idea, and seems consistent with the role weve talked about for Clarke Ranch. Comisky said his organization was still in the early stages of launching a capital campaign to raise money for building the new center. He added that his group is talking to other communities in addition to American Canyon about locating the facility somewhere once they have the funds to break ground. The rescue center helped nearly 1,200 birds and animals last year, according to Comisky. That work was largely done out of peoples homes functioning as satellite care centers where everything from squirrels and skunks to foxes and turkey vultures were nursed, fed, exercised, and prepared for returning back to their natural habitats. We handle all animal life but are prohibited from handling big game animals, said Comisky about his organization, which is licensed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and permitted through the U.S. Department of the Interiors Fish and Wildlife Division to rehabilitate migratory birds. We cant handle wild cats or bears, he added. We can handle fawns but not adult deer. The center gets help from Silverado Veterinary Hospital in Napa, which performs intake services on birds and wild animals brought in by residents. But it is the only operation of its kind in the area to carry out its mission without a real base of operation. At this time, Napa County is the only North Bay county that does not have a physical wildlife rescue and rehabilitation facility, according to the groups website. Di Rosa holds its annual Volunteer Docent Orientation on Saturday, Jan. 9, from 10 a.m. to noon. Guests are invited to join the free event to learn about becoming a docent at di Rosa while enjoying a tour of the galleries and grounds. Volunteer docents lead an average of two or more public tours at di Rosa each month and act as representatives of the museum to thousands of visitors and students annually. No experience is required as full training and education in the art of Northern California is provided. Training is held over 14 consecutive Saturday mornings beginning on Jan. 23. Volunteer benefits include opportunities to attend curator and artist presentations, field trips to Bay Area art venues and artist studios, and social gatherings. Bilingual Spanish speakers are encouraged to apply. Reservations required: Contact Education & Volunteer Manager Miki Hsu Leavey at 707-226-5991 ext. 24 or miki@dirosaart.org. Located on more than 200 acres in Napa Valley, di Rosa offers a variety of exhibitions and educational programs for all ages, and houses nearly 2,000 works by 800 regional artists. A wide range of styles, media and subject matter provides an overview of the creative energy and freedom to experiment that characterize this region of California. For information, hours and tour schedules, visit DiRosaArt.org. With relations with Cuba improving daily after 50 years of hostility, we felt like celebrating with a Cuban dinner. If we were in south Florida or even most big cities, that would be as easy as visiting a lively Cuban restaurant, But here in Napa Valley, we instead asked two Cuban-Americans for help. Suzanne Besu Truchard, the wife of vintner Anthony Truchard, and Miguel Massens, a chef at The French Laundry, both volunteered to prepare some of their favorite dishes, and we ended up with a feast worthy of any celebration. The food they prepared is a distinctive blend that includes fruits, seafood and vegetables eaten by the native people who were extinguished by disease, war and overwork. It also features foods that the Europeans from the Iberian peninsula brought, such as rice, saffron, and especially the pig thats a staple of Cuban meals, plus tubers like cassava and taro from Africans and even food from indentured Chinese workers. Varied backgrounds Both Suzanne Truchard and Miguel were raised in Miami, although they met here. Massens father and mother were both born in Cuba, but met and married in Miami. He was born there, too. He received a bachelors degree in business at the University of Florida, then a masters in hospitality at Florida International University. After working in hospitality at Hilton hotel restaurant, he ended up in the front of the house at Daniel, the restaurant of famed chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud in New York. He became interested in cooking, however. And not wanting to spend thousands of dollars at a cooking school, also apprenticed part-time in the kitchen at Daniel, and then took a job in smaller, less-formal sister restaurant BD Bistro, where he could have more responsibility. From there, he worked at a Cuban restaurant in New York, where he learned to cook classic dishes though his family often ate Cuban food, he wasnt that interested in food until he was about 18. A year and a half ago, he joined The French Laundry team, and after stints at the pop-up Ad Lib, joined the signature restaurant in Yountville when it opened a temporary kitchen during renovations. Hes now one of three working in the restaurants butchery, a rare function in restaurants as most buy meat ready for cooking or pay minimal attention to it. Suzanne was born on the naval base in Puerto Rico, but was raised in Miami. Like all Cuban girls, she helped her mother cooking the Cuban food they enjoyed. She got her undergraduate degree at Harvard and a law degree at Northwestern, then practiced law in Miami. While interviewing for a job in San Francisco, she visited wine country with a friend, and Anthony gave the tour when she visited Truchard. That led to a cross-country romance that culminated with their marriage. She worked in house as a lawyer at Quintessa, then went freelance. She and Anthony have a son, Anthony III, who just turned 2. A classic Cuban menu Massens started with the classic appetizer of double-fried smashed plantains, tostones, and added potato chip-like fried plantains and malanga or taro, another tropical root vegetable. We enjoyed them with mojitos. We had to include lechon asado, or roast pork, almost a national dish. Although theyre surrounded by seafood, pork is the Cubans favorite meat. A whole pig is often roasted whole in a Caja China, a plywood box with an aluminum lid where hot coals are piled. We didnt have one handy, so Miguel used an oven. He prepared the lechon as they did at the Cuban restaurant he worked at in New York. He braised the pork, cooking it in a turkey brining bag with the mojo for maximum flavor, resulting in the shoulder falling apart like pulled pork. The pork also can be marinated first, then roasted in an oven for crispy skin. This is more suitable for slicing. For this, shoot for a temperature of 175 degrees instead of 195 degrees for the fall-apart pork. Although it might have seemed overkill, Suzanne made her special arroz con pollo, rice with chicken, which she calls a Cuban paella. We had to include plain white rice and black beans, which are served at every Cuban meal, plus yuca con mojo, yucca (cassava) with the ubiquitous Cuban garlic-lime and olive oil sauce. We also added in a salad and green beans. Dessert was Suzannes flan with strong coffee, and naturally we served the meal with Truchard wine in this case syrah and roussane. As we cooked and dined, we listened to Cuban music both older favorites like Siboney, Malaguena and The Breeze and I (Andalucia) by Ernesto Lecuona from the Xavier Cugat and Desi Arnez bands, and more modern salsa and other popular Cuban favorites. Everyone agreed that it was a wonderful feast. Those who hadnt visited Cuba hope to do so. One of the party, photographer and sailor Martha Blanchfield, is on a sailboat racing from Key West to Havana. The next day, leftover roast pork and Cuban bread was put to good used in Cuban sandwiches, the odd but tasty grilled sandwich of roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, dill pickles and yellow mustard. ST. HELENA A group of citizens is urging the city to sell the Adams Street property to a hotel developer to finance a new City Hall and community center. The proposal comes as the city plans to issue a Request For Proposals inviting developers to submit ideas for two city-owned properties: the City Hall/police station and the 5.6-acre Adams Street property next to the library. The city lacks the money to develop either property, even though the City Hall/police station building is considered dilapidated beyond repair. Five residents Andy Bartlett, Oliver Caldwell, George Caloyannidis, George David and Mike Thomas want to link the two projects and throw Lyman Park into the mix. Selling the Adams Street property to the developer of a 100-room, five-star resort could net the city $17 million between the sale price and impact fees, plus about $2.8 million in a year in new tax revenue, they say. That money could be used to build a new City Hall and community center on the Main Street property currently occupied by City Hall and Lyman Park, according to the group, which calls itself Friends for Rebuild St. Helena. The group envisions a Civic Center that would include a City Hall, library annex, public exhibition hall, historical society museum, and council meeting chambers. The separate community center would feature an events hall, recreation center, and space for seniors and teens. Lyman Park would still have open green space for outdoor activities. The group says the new facilities at Lyman Park would complement other nearby civic uses like the Rianda House Senior Activity Center and the St. Helena Post Office. One of the political challenges is that St. Helenans have gotten their hopes up about seeing a community center and other civic-oriented facilities on Adams Street, Caldwell said. The dream of Adams Street needs to be moved, and the best place to move it is right here under our feet, Caldwell said during a Dec. 18 meeting of the Revenue Source Task Force at City Hall. After Caldwell outlined the plan last July, Mayor Alan Galbraith said it would be precluded by deed restrictions limiting the Lyman Park property to park purposes, including its use for games, concerts and recreation. Galbraith said he wouldnt want to be involved in an effort to modify that restriction. As I see it, a city that accepts land restricted by deed to park (or other) use should honor the restriction and not seek to eliminate it, Galbraith wrote in a letter to the Star. The group insists that their Community Center would be consistent with the deed restrictions because it would still qualify as park purposes. Caldwell called Lyman Park rundown and creepy, and said it needs to be revitalized anyway. Bartlett said the group started meeting every week after reading one anothers letters to the Star, which reflected some of the same concerns about city issues. Redd restaurant in Yountville is being sued for wrongful death by the family of a San Diego man who claimed to have suffered food poisoning attributable to scallops eaten as an appetizer and as an entree. Larry Sacknoff, 61, died Aug. 16, 2014, due to complications caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a bacteria found in estuarine or marine environments, according to court documents. About a year earlier on July 21, 2013, Sacknoff enjoyed scallops at the Yountville restaurant, the suit alleges. He became ill with diarrhea, a symptom of Vibrio, and so did his friends, Mary and Scott Papas, who ate at Redd with him, according to the civil suit. The Papases eventually felt better, but not Sacknoff, according to the complaint filed by Sacknoffs daughters, Kristy Keckley, Ashley Sacknoff and Stefanie Sacknoff. Sacknoff, a former television sportscaster in San Diego, had a history of heart problems and had recently undergone a heart transplant prior to visiting the restaurant. This caused him to have a compromised immune system and inhibited his ability to fight off infection, according to the complaint. Larrys fragile condition simply could not handle the aggressive Vibrio pathogen, the family alleges. He was treated in the San Diego area for the lingering effects of his infection between Aug. 2, 2013 and March 7, 2014, according to court documents. His treatment included several hospitalizations. Redd Restaurant and Pierless Fish Corp., a scallop supplier based in Brooklyn, New York, were both named as defendants. In court papers, both denied all allegations. A settlement with Pierless Fish Corp. was reached in September, and claims against the company were dismissed on Nov. 12, according to Pierless attorney Michael Burke with Vogl Meredith Burke LLP in San Francisco. Burke said the terms of the settlement are confidential. In response to a complaint from Sacknoffs family, Napa Countys environmental health division inspected the restaurant on Aug. 6, 2013. Redd, which got a passing B grade, was found to be out of compliance in three food safety areas, including: a failure to observe proper cooking time and temperatures a failure to clean and sanitize food contact surfaces a failure to maintain proper hot and cold holding temperatures for prepared food. Scallops prepared during this inspection were less than thoroughly cooked, the inspector reported. Scallops were served between 108 and 132 degrees, failing to meet the 145-degree cooking requirement, according to the report. The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages due to strict product liability, negligence, and breach of implied warranties. They also seek wrongful death damages and, in their complaint filed on July 16, 2015, demanded a jury trial. Attorneys for both Redd Restaurant and the plaintiffs met via court call in December for a case management conference, according to court documents. A jury trial is scheduled for July 11. Representatives from Redd were unable to comment since the case is ongoing, said Tami von Isakovics, vice president of marketing and public relations at Moana Restaurant Group, on behalf of Redd. The plaintiffs are being represented by Gomez Trial Attorneys out of San Diego and Ron Simon & Associates out of Houston, Texas. Redd Restaurant is represented by Christopher Beeman and Adrianne Duncan with Clapp, Moroney, Vucinich, Beeman+Scheley based in Pleasanton. Neither of the attorneys for Redd Restaurant or the plaintiffs were available for comment on Tuesday. After the grim foreign-policy news from the Mideast in 2015, can we hope for anything better in the new year? That would be a relief, after a year in which the Islamic State thrived amid the Mideast chaos and civil wars that flooded Europe with 1 million refugees, half of them from Syria. So is there any reason to expect things to improve in 2016? After all, in December the worlds major powers agreed on a framework plan for ending the Syrian civil war, right? And the Iraqi army (retrained, yet again, by U.S. officers) made some progress against the Islamic State last month, didnt it? And Iran is implementing the nuclear deal it reached with the West, Russia and China, right? All true, and I dont want to be a wet blanket, but its hard to be optimistic. Well know soon whether these developments foretell a less violent 2016. Here are the signs to watch for in the coming months: On Syria: Despite the framework for a peace accord, there is little sign the combatants or their foreign backers are ready to make the necessary compromises. Russia wants to keep the murderous Bashar Assad in power by carpet-bombing all the Sunni rebel groups that oppose him except for the Islamic State. That way, Moscow can present the West and Sunni Arab states with only two options Assad or the jihadis and tell them to choose. That brutal approach may appeal to Donald Trump, who has declared his admiration for Vladimir Putin, but it wont stop the Islamic State or end the civil war. Why so? Because neither Putin nor Assads other best ally, Iran, is willing to make any concessions to Syrias Sunni population, which makes up the majority of the country. Sunni civilians are being devastated by Assads barrel bombs and by indiscriminate Russian bombs that target hospitals and markets. These war crimes are driving more civilians out of the country or into the Islamic States ranks. There has to be something in this deal for Syrias Sunnis and their Arab backers, who view the war as an attempt by Shiites (Iran and its proxy, Assad) to dominate the region and its majority of Sunni Arabs. Moreover, Syrian Sunnis can no longer live under the rule of the man who tortured and murdered them by the tens of thousands. Until these grievances are addressed, the fighting will go on. So watch to see whether a formula emerges that would ease Assad out of power before elections two years from now and replace him with another (more broadly acceptable) strongman. And watch to see whether the Syrian and Russian militaries finally get serious about targeting the Islamic State. I doubt either will happen. Take note of whether Putin has a Plan B that might accept a de facto partition of the country into three parts: a rump Syria ruled by Assad, an autonomous Kurdish region, and a Sunni area in which the rest of the world would aid non-Islamic State militias to oust the Islamic State. That might be a plan Sunni Arabs and the West could consider as the least bad option. Otherwise, the fighting will continue and the Islamic State caliphate will survive. On Iraq: Yes, the Iraqi armys (not yet complete) retaking of Ramadi, a Sunni city seized by the Islamic State in May, is a belated step forward. Given the difficulties of making headway against the Islamic State forces in Syria, it is essential to first rout them in Iraq. But the Ramadi victory is only a first step. In retaking the city, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had to fend off efforts by Iranian-backed Shiite militias to spearhead the offensive, which would have terrified Ramadis Sunni inhabitants and undercut the operation. To hold the city, Abadi will need to empower Sunni tribes in the province. And to liberate Mosul, a much larger city that is the economic heart of the so-called caliphate, it will be necessary to arm Sunni tribes in the north, something that still is not being done. So watch to see if Abadi derives enough political capital from the Ramadi victory to start reintegrating Sunnis into Iraqs political and military system. One key: whether he can circumvent Irans proxy politicians and militias in Iraq and authorize Sunni tribes to form an official national guard. And watch to see if President Barack Obama puts full U.S. muscle and focus behind this effort. With a Sunni Arab ground force in Iraq, there could be real pushback against the Islamic State in 2016. Otherwise, the Islamic State will remain in Mosul for a long, long time. On Iran: Yes, Tehran is implementing key terms of the nuclear accord sending its low-enriched and 20 percent-enriched uranium out of the country to Russia and dismantling thousands of centrifuges as well as its plutonium reactor. This is big stuff Iran was heading inexorably toward the point where it had enough fissile material to make a bomb, and now that threat is pushed back for at least 10 to 15 years. Most experts believe Iran will not cheat on this deal in any major way in the initial years because it wants to get and keep sanctions relief. But Tehran will continue to pursue its own regional interests, such as arming Hezbollah and sending fighters to Syria and Iraq behavior that is not covered by the accord, and must be countered independently of it. So watch to see if hard-liners in Congress use this as an excuse to try to undermine the deal as they are already attempting. And pay attention to the results of Irans elections in late February, which might undercut hard-liners in Tehran who want to do the same. In other words, it is possible there might be better foreign policy news this year from the Mideast, but not very probable. That doesnt mean we cant hope. Trudy Rubin is a columnist and editorial board member for the Philadelphia Inquirer. The state Legislature reconvened on Jan. 4. In 1994, it banned the Mexican rodeo's ("charreada") brutal "horse tripping" events, supported by the majority of the Latino Caucus. An even more brutal event needs to go: "steer tailing" (aka "colas" or "coleadero"). A mounted "charro" (cowboy) grabs a running steer by the tail, then wraps the tail around his leg and drags or slams the hapless steer to the ground. Tails may be stripped to the bone ("degloved"), even torn off, and horses may suffer broken legs when the steers run the wrong way. Some "sport!" Even Cesar Chavez was opposed. (See the many YouTube videos.) Steer tailing is not a standard ranching practice anywhere in the U.S., nor is it sanctioned by any Western-style rodeo association. It was banned in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties in 1993, and in Nebraska in 2009. Time for California to follow suit. Hundreds of these events are held annually throughout the state. All legislators may be written c/o The State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814. Email pattern for all: senator.lastname@senate.ca.gov assemblymember.lastname@assembly.ca.gov Let them hear from you! Eric Mills, coordinator Action for Animals Oakland The Napa County Green Party is concerned about the large amount of glyphosate-based herbicides (i.e. Roundup) that are being used in conventional vineyards in Napa County and the impacts to our soil, water, wildlife and human health. According to the California Department of Pesticide Registry, of the 57,237 pounds of glyphosate that were used in Napa County in 2013 alone (the last reported year), 50,417 pounds were applied on vineyards. Due to deceptive advertising, in the past, some grape growers have expressed a belief that glyphosate was a safe herbicide, and that it was biodegradable and broke down quickly. Neither of these assertions are true, and we hope that grapegrowers today understand that. Back in 1996, New Yorks Attorney General sued Monsanto, the developer of Roundup, for false advertising, forcing them to stop making claims as to the human and environmental safety of Roundup. Specifically, Monsanto could no longer advertise Roundup as biodegradable, safer than table salt, or practically non-toxic. Glyphosate is patented as both a mineral chelator and antibiotic. As such, it prevents plants from taking up minerals from soil, hurting plant nutrition and resulting in plant disease. In addition, it harms the microbial structure of soil, as well as beneficial gut bacteria, and is contributing to antibiotic resistance, a major concern within the medical industry. In addition, after looking at all the published studies on glyphosate, in March 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the cancer research arm of the World Health Organization, designated glyphosate a probable human carcinogen. Three out of the four human studies on agricultural workers that were reviewed showed a link between glyphosate and non-hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system. According to the California Cancer Registry, during the five year period from 2007-2012, Napa County was highest in terms of the number of incidents of cancer and 12th in terms of cancer mortality in the state. Given this high cancer rate, as a community, we have a responsibility to evaluate all local practices that may be putting our local population at risk. Local residents have been discussing the cumulative impacts of new vineyard and winery development on Napa County, such as deforestation, climate change, lack of water and poor water quality, traffic, and a disparity between the jobs created and the availability of low-income and affordable housing. Nevertheless, in 2015, more than 1,000 acres of new vineyards were put in. We ask our county officials to place a moratorium on new vineyard and winery development until these cumulative impacts have been evaluated. Moreover, in looking at the cumulative impacts caused by deforesting lands to put in new vineyards, we ask that they consider projected pesticide use among them. We urge Napa Valley grapegrowers to use organic and biodynamic methods if they perceive the need to control weeds. We also urge the Napa Valley Vintners and our local agricultural commissioner to enable consumers to search for wine producers using organic and biodynamic grapes on their websites. Lastly, we encourage consumers to purchase wines that are labeled organic or biodynamic, or as having been made with organically grown grapes. Amy Martenson Napa County Green Party Editor's note: The Register asked the local industry organizations for a comment about herbicide use in the vineyards. Jennifer Putnam, executive director of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers, sent the following response: "The use of herbicides like Glyphosate, as well as all conventional and organic pesticides in commercial operations, require licensing from the State of California Department of Pesticide Regulation. The county Agricultural Commissioner's office regularly inspects applicators/handlers/businesses to ensure that all health and safety conditions are met for storage and application. It is illegal to use any pesticide (conventional or organic) in a manner that would violate the labeled rules set forth by the U.S. EPA and Cal EPA. "In many instances where undervine cultivation may increase the risk of soil loss from a property, the sustainable choice for weed control is to use an herbicide when conditions are correct to do so. The Napa Valley Grapegrowers educates all of our members on sustainable best practices for their vineyard operations in both English and Spanish, and encourages all growers to follow the label rules of any products they apply." She recommended those with questions about herbicide or pesticide use visit the websites for the grapegrowers (napagrowers.org) and the Napa County Agricultural Commissioner (countyofnapa.org/agcom), both of which have details on best practices. PARIS 2 men charged in Internet rape video case in southern France Two young men were arrested, charged and jailed in southern France after shocked Internet users watched a video of a suspected rape and alerted police. Lawyer Francoise Nogues says the two men, aged 18 and 22, were charged on Tuesday with aggravated gang rape of an 18-year-old girl and diffusion of pornographic images. Perpignan prosecutor Achille Kiriakides said in a statement that the young men were jailed. The prosecutor said the girl knew both men and that a barrage of analyses would help determine if the sexual encounters were completely and freely accepted. The faces on the video that has since been removed were hidden by an emoji. Nogues said her 22-year-old client told her the girl was his partner and was consenting. MEXICO CITY Mexico mayors killer reveals clandestine graves of 4 people A member of the gang that killed a mayor in southern Mexico revealed the site of clandestine graves holding the remains of four other people, prosecutors said Tuesday. An official of the prosecutors office in the southern state of Morelos said investigators have found four bodies in two pits in a rural area. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he or she was not authorized to be quoted by name. The suspect was not named because he is a minor. He was arrested with two other people in the Saturday killing of the mayor of city of Temixco, south of the Morelos state capital of Cuernavaca. The suspect told police he belongs to the Rojos drug gang that apparently killed and buried the four men, who remain unidentified. The official said the father of Mayor Gisela Mota described the killing, which occurred at the familys home. A group of armed assailants burst into the house of Mayor Gisela Mota and asked her family which one of them was the mayor. Mota answered thats me, and thats when they shot her, the official said. LONDON British lawmakers to debate move to bar Trump from country British lawmakers will debate a petition that calls for U.S. presidential hopeful Donald Trump to be banned from the country and a rival petition saying he should be allowed in. More than half a million people signed an online petition calling for Trump to be blocked after he called last month for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States. Almost 40,000 people backed one saying he should not be barred. Any U.K. citizen or resident can start a petition on Parliaments website. To sign, people must provide and confirm an email address. Any petition that gets 100,000 signatures must be considered for parliamentary debate. The House of Commons Petitions Committee said Tuesday both petitions would be debated Jan. 18. Chairwoman Helen Jones said the debate will allow a range of views to be expressed. Any vote taken will not be binding. JERUSALEM Franciscan priest freed from captivity in Syria Roman Catholic officials said Tuesday that a Franciscan priest who had been abducted by militants in Syria has been freed. The custodian of the Catholic Churchs properties in the Holy Land said the priest, Rev. Dhiya Azziz, was released late Monday. The office of the custodian, Rev. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, said the priest was abducted by jihadis who had hoped to profit from the abduction. The statement did not elaborate, and it was not clear which of the multiple militant groups in Syria had been holding the priest or whether a ransom had been paid. Sir, the news agency of the Italian bishops conference, said the Iraqi-born Azziz was abducted on Dec. 23 as he traveled from Turkey to the town of Yacoubiyeh in Syrias northwestern Idlib province. The Vaticans envoy in Aleppo, Monsignor Georges Abou Khazen, told the agency that Azziz had been treated well in captivity but was exhausted and needed to rest. Sir said it was the second time that Azziz had been abducted. In July he managed to escape after a few days. VIENNA Man decapitates wife, puts head in concrete block, then drowns himself with block A man strangled and dismembered his wife, entombed her head in concrete and then used the concrete block as a weight to drown himself in an Austrian lake, authorities said Tuesday. Police official Gottfried Mitterlehner said the couple were a 72-year old man and his 71-year old wife from Germany but did not further identify them. Officials told reporters the head was found in a block of concrete in a bag attached to the mans hand. The other hand also was weighed down. The corpse and the bag were recovered by police divers from the waters of Traunsee on Monday. A day earlier, two suitcases containing the womans remains were found floating close to the lakes shore near the town of Gmunden, around 50 miles east of Salzburg. Footcandy and Tapp Label Co. are planning to move into the new commercial building at Main and Adams streets. Tapp has leased the office space on the second floor, and Footcandy is close to leasing one of the two retail spaces on the first floor, building owner Gary Menegon said Tuesday. The second retail space on the corner remains available, he said. The high-end shoe store Footcandy, owned by Perry and Carolyn Butler, has been doing business at 1239 Main St. since 2002. Tapp Label Co. was established in 1992 and has offices in Livermore, Portland, Toronto, Vancouver and Napa, where it acquired the old Ben Franklin Press & Label plant on Technology Way in 2013. The new building could be operational next week. PG&E hooked up the buildings gas line on Tuesday, and will come back next week to hook up the power, Menegon said. The parking lot in back still needs to be finished, he said. Tickets for Toby Keith's July 6th Oklahoma Twister Relief Concert went on sale Friday and promptly sold out. It only took a little over an hour for the tickets to be scooped up. The good news is that once things have settled and production is finalized, event organizers may have additional tickets that could be released for purchase. If you're not able to make it to the show for other reasons besides it being sold out, you may just be in luck. While the show isn't scheduled to be televised like Blake Shelton's benefit concert was, Toby's benefit show may get sold as a DVD to help raise extra money. From Ronnie Dunn's Facebook: I haven't heard that network television is involved but I do' know that early in the planning stage someone mentioned trying to record a DVD to sell in the effort to kick even more money back to the folks. Toby and his team are doing a great job ! RD Ronnie Dunn is, of course, performing at the show. Also scheduled to appears are Toby Keith, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Willie Nelson, Sammy Hagar, Ronnie Dunn, Mel Tillis and John Anderson. More artists are being added to the line up and will be announced soon. If you'd like to donate, Verizon has teamed up with the benefit for a text-to-donate option. Customers of any wireless carrier can donate now and in the future to the relief efforts by texting keyword REBUILD to 52000 which will give an automatic $10 donation to the United Way of Central Oklahoma's "May Tornadoes Relief Fund." This service will continue for several weeks after the event as well. The twister relief show happens Saturday, July 6 at the University of Oklahoma's Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla. Doors open at 1:30pm, show time is 3pm. Net proceeds (minus only credit card merchant fees and OK sales tax) will benefit The United Way of Central Oklahoma May Tornadoes Relief Fund. Donations are also being accepted online via the United Way home page at www.unitedwayokc.org. To give by credit card, call 405-523-3598, 405-523-3597, or the United Way of Central Oklahoma's main number: 405-236-8441. Checks may be mailed to the United Way of Central Oklahoma, P.O. Box 837, Oklahoma City, OK 73101 with notation for May Tornadoes Relief. The inaugural American Country Countdown Awards, replacing the previous American Country Awards franchise, brought to life 2014s biggest party-hardy hits in literal ways. Not only was there a bar on stage, much to the satisfaction of the shows tattooed hosts Florida Georgia Line, but most of the nights most light-fused, high-caliber performances celebrated weekend binge drinking on a massive scale. From Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelleys mid-show galavant of their new slinky single Sun Daze to Lady Antebellums Freestyle, there was enough for the crowd to sip on. In between jokes about Bad Santas, big sacks and The Walking Dead, there were quite a few musical performances that floated to the top of mainstream country to become truly worthwhile moments in time. NashvilleGab was onsite to witness all the live action (see more quick photos here), and we have a breakdown of the nights Top 5 best musical moments: 5. Kenny Chesneys groundbreaking Til Its Gone As the nights Groundbreak honoree, his legacy was palpable in the room, as the crowd roared as the simply utterance of his name. Not all of his most notable hits are groundbreaking by definition, but his live performance style is nearly unmatched by any other A-lister today. A photo posted by Jason Scott (@thejasonscott) on Dec 12, 2014 at 6:41pm PST 4. Eric Churchs nostalgic Talladega Another standout track that cuts through the noise, Church (who walked away with Album of the Year for The Outsiders), pulled the reigns in on the show. His music might lean more southern-rock than traditional country, but theres no doubt that hes one of the finest male storytellers of 2014. A photo posted by Jason Scott (@thejasonscott) on Dec 12, 2014 at 6:20pm PST 3. Kip Moores tender Pretty Girl moment As the Breakthrough Artist of the Year, it was nice to see this underrated vocalist finally get his due, even if its not at the CMA Awards. His Pretty Girl is reason enough to prove that country can be more than just hot girls and red dirt roads. As the nights most tender moment, he wins by a landslide. A photo posted by Jason Scott (@thejasonscott) on Dec 12, 2014 at 5:46pm PST 2. Miranda Lambert & Kelly Clarksons explosively cool Reba tribute Theres no female in country music quite like Reba McEntire. Her music has spanned decades; in fact, she has charted hits in four decades, as Kix Brooks notable pointed out in his heartfeld introduction. Bringing together the pop power of Clarkson and the earthy Lambert was a good choice, even if How Blue and Take It Back dont properly represent Rebas definitive catalog. Fancy was a lovely inclusion here, especially when Reba herself joined in, bringing even more female badass-ness to the stage. 1. Carrie Underwoods high-octane, power-note, five-song medley Medleys can be extremely exhausting, especially when you involve eight-year old songs, but Underwoods convincing electricity allowed her to demonstrate her depth as an artist over the past decade. From Before He Cheats and All American Girl to Blown Away and her new single Something in the Water, her opener was the mountainous peak of an awards show that didnt quite find its footing after that. Aside from the Reba tribute, Underwood elicited the biggest audience reaction; the crowd adored her. Follow @JasontheScott Enjoy this story? Feel free to email me to keep the conversation going! (As delivered) Good afternoon. The Foreign Ministers meeting which starts tomorrow takes place amid turbulent times. We face unprecedented security challenges both at home and abroad. NATO is responding to these challenges. And I expect Foreign Ministers to take important decisions to further enhance our security. And I will briefly mention the main areas where I expect ministers to take decisions tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. First, on Afghanistan, we will review our mission in light of the security situation. We will do that together with Minister Rabbani and our operational partners. Meaning the partner countries which join us in our operation in Afghanistan. We will discuss how we continue our mission to train, advise and assist Afghan forces during 2016. We will also launch work to ensure we can finance the Afghan security forces from 2018 to 2020. Because as you know we made a pledge back at our summit in Chicago several years ago to finance Afghan national security forces but that pledge ends in 2017 so we have to make a new decision to continue to finance the Afghan national security forces also after 2017. And we will start to address that at our Foreign Ministerial meeting and then hopefully make the final decision at our summit in July next year. And we will also look at ways to strengthen our long-term partnership with Afghanista, looking into what we have called the enduring partnership. Second, we will discuss and address the challenges we face from the south. We will be joined by the EUs High Representative Federica Mogherini to discuss the security implications of what we see in our southern neighbourhood. This is important because the risks we see can only be addressed by a coordinated international effort and by closer cooperation between EU and NATO. NATO is stepping up its efforts to deal with the challenges from the south. We have already increased the readiness and preparedness of our forces. I think we have to remember that now have the Enhanced NATO Response Force and established the Spearhead Force that is not only relevant for what we see in challenges stemming from the east, but its also relevant and something we can use in the south. And the enhanced NATO Response Force and the VJTF or Very High Readiness Task Force was actually tested just a few weeks ago in Italy, Spain and Portugal during our Trident Juncture exercise. We are increasing our intelligence and situational awareness in the region. We are setting up our new Allied surveillance drones in Sicily. We are also working on further assurance measures to support Turkey, the NATO Ally whos on the frontline of that volatile region, bordering Iraq and Syria. And I met with Prime Minister Davutoglu earlier today and we discussed last weeks incident which led to the downing of a Russian military aircraft. All Allies fully support Turkeys right to defend its territorial integrity and air space. I welcome Turkeys efforts to de-escalate the situation and to establish contacts with Russia. It is important to stay calm and our Ministerial meeting will also enhance our support for partners in North Africa and the Middle East. To help countries like Tunisia, Iraq and Jordan build up their own security. Third, we will adopt our new hybrid warfare strategy. This is an important step. Our new strategy will help us to prepare, deter and defend against hybrid threats. Fourth, we will address how we take forward our relationship with Russia. Russias actions in Ukraine and the military build-up I our neighbourhood have led to new risks for our security. We need to restore predictability in our relations. Through the OSCE, we will seek to modernise the rules governing military activities in Europe, including observation and notification of military exercises. To allow for greater scrutiny of snap exercises. And we will develop further proposals on transparency and risk reduction. The importance of this was highlighted by last weeks incident with the Russian plane. Fifth, we will reconfirm our political support to Ukraine. And we will review our practical support, to help Ukraine modernise its command and control, cyber and logistic capabilities. These projects have an impact on Ukraines ability to defend itself and to reform its institutions. Foreign Minister Klimkin will update us on Ukraines reform path and well meet in the NATO-Ukraine Commission. It is key that Ukraine remains committed to implementing ambitious reforms. Last but not least, I expect Foreign Ministers to decide whether to invite Montenegro to begin accession talks with NATO. Montenegro has come a long way on its path to join the Euro-Atlantic family. But there is more to do. Extending an invitation to Montenegro to start accession would be a historic decision. It would signal our continued commitment to the Western Balkans. And our Open Door policy. But I cant pre-empt at this stage what Ministers will decide. So, a busy very important two days ahead. Which will ensure that NATO is able to keep all Allies safe. And with that I am ready to take your questions. MODERATOR: Well start in the front row, Pobjeda, Montenegro. Q: Yes, Marija Markovic of Pobjeda, Montenegro. You already said that you dont want to predict any or decision but we know now that NATO ambassadors have made a decision about Montenegro and its positive. Do you expect maybe the same decision for Minister of Foreign Affairs? But you said that you JENS STOLTENBERG (NATO Secretary General): The decision is not made because its very clearly stated and decided by the heads of state and government at the NATO summit last fall that it was, that it is going to be the Foreign Ministers who are going to make the decision. So they are clearly mandated by their heads of states and heads of government to make a decision and they will decide Wednesday morning whether to invite Montenegro to start the accession talks. Of course this is something we have addressed over a long period of time and ever since the summit last fall we have had what we call focused and intensified talks with Montenegro. I have visited Montenegro twice, the North Atlantic Council has visited Montenegro and we have had several meetings here in Brussels. Montenegro is making and has made progress on reforms, on the rule of law, on modernizing its security sector but this is going to then be finally assessed by the Ministers on Wednesday morning and the decision is going to be made then. MODERATOR: One Plus One TV. Q: Ellis Bobrovnikov, One Plus One Media Ukraine. First one is on, say Syria, it looks like a pretty magnetic place for Russian fighters fighting there and one of the things is one of the, one of the rumours, one of the ideas was about the, the Russian fighters sort of being reinforced in Syria but travelling the, from the breakaway regions in Donetsk and Lugansk. So there, there seem to be some, some movement there and I would love to ask you about how do you see the situation on this, on this, in this particular context? Thats the first one and the second one, theres, there was plenty of talk of, on Turkey here in Brussels on Sunday and the, the EU, the EU representatives talked a lot about the possible further integration with Turkey and it all looked like a piece of cake for Ukrainians. So whats new for Ukraine here? You have the Ukraine NATO Commission on Wednesday, whats new on the table? Thank you. JENS STOLTENBERG: First on the Russian presence in Syria. We have stated several times and I have stated several times that I would like to see Russia playing a constructive role in Syria and fighting ISIL and so far Russia has mainly attacked or targeted other targets than ISIL in Syria. So we will like to see Russia concentrating its efforts to fight our common enemy ISIL and to do so of course also in Syria. We have also expressed concerns about the increased Russian presence in Syria and the risks for incidents, accidents as we saw last week with the downing of the Russian military plane and for us this just underlines the importance of strengthening developing mechanisms for predictability, for transparency, for de-conflicting and to avoid this kind of incidents and if they happen, if they happen at least make sure that they dont spiral out of control and create misunderstandings and dangerous and even more dangerous situations. I will also underline the importance of, that there is now a renewed initiative to find a political and negotiated solution to the conflict in Syria. Russia is part of that, I welcome that because we need a peaceful negotiated solution more than ever to the conflict in Syria. The second question was about Ukraine. Well what we will do is that we will have the meeting with the NATO Ukraine Commission, that is something we have on a regular basis, and we will then partly reconfirm our very strong political support for Ukraine but also assess and discuss the practical support we are providing and you have to remember that NATO and NATO allies provide many different kinds of practical support for Ukraine. We have what we call the trust funds, financing improvements in command and control for Ukraine, logistics, increasing their ability to, so, to improve their cyber defences. But in addition to that several NATO allies also provide other kind of support. For instance military training of Ukrainian forces and I visited Ukraine recently and there I took part or I visited a big exercise, a civilian disaster management exercise and I think that also illustrates that NATO is working in many different ways and supporting Ukraine in many different ways. And we will continue to do that but last but not least we will of course also assess the progress and the challenges we face regarding the implementation of the Minsk Agreements. And we saw for some time after the summer break some positive developments with increased or with at least a very large degree of respect for the ceasefire but during the last, recently we have seen an upsurge in the violations, more fighting, and this is of course something which causes concern because theres only one way to peace in Ukraine and thats the full implementation of the Minsk Agreements, meaning a full respect for the ceasefire, withdrawal of heavy weapons and of course also that international monitors are allowed full access to be able to do their work to monitor the implementation of the Minsk Agreements. MODERATOR: Deutsche Welle for Afghanistan. Q: Thank you. I am Arif Farahmand from Deutsche Welle Afghanistan Service. Mr. Secretary General, Afghan officials are complaining of, for lack of air force equipments and what we have seen in many major security incidents in Afghanistan, what is needed, what they lack was the modern air force equipment. Is there any plan from NATO to provide more air force equipments for Afghan Security Forces? And secondly what changes could be happen for the Resolute Support Mission for next year? JENS STOLTENBERG: First about the Resolute Support. Well the details are going to be decided at the Foreign Ministerial Meeting but I welcome that several allies and partners, United States but also what we call the framework nations have already announced that they are ready and willing to continue with their military presence in Resolute Support Mission also through 2016. And, and we are, we will as I said make final decisions but what we are aiming at is to keep approximately the same force level, around 12,000 troops, also through 2016. And almost half of them will be non-US troops and the rest will be US troops. The exact figures and the exact as I say way of organizing this is something well come back to but thats approximately what I can say now. So we will continue, we will maintain, sustain our force levels in Afghanistan and also we will also have a presence not only in Kabul but also a regional presence in Afghanistan. Then on, on the question of equipment and, and help with air forces. NATO does not possess equipment so we cannot transfer that to Afghanistan, but NATO allies have and I know that NATO allies are in the process of helping the Afghan National Army and Security Forces with equipment, also when it comes to air force capabilities and also with training. So NATO allies are working with Afghan Armed Forces to increase and to strengthen their air force capabilities because thats something they need when they now are taking over the responsibility for the security in Afghanistan themselves. MODERATOR: NPR, at the back, lady at the back. Q: Hi. Teri Schultz with NPR and CBS, thanks. You have said that the allies all support Turkey, Turkeys defence of its air space and also that allies version of what happened in the shoot down support Turkeys version. Can you give us an explanation of that more closely? Because of course Russia is still saying it did not enter Turkish air space and the US hasnt been so specific. Also President Putin says that the US knew of the Russian planes flight plans, which would be different than the Russians have been doing when they buzz air space. Can you just sort of clarify what your understanding is of all of this? Thank you. JENS STOLTENBERG: We have been very, we have been briefed by Turkey in the North Atlantic Council, went through all the information they have, at least they provided us with a lot of information and details. But in addition we have our own sources and our own information is consistent with what we have been given by Turkey. So they are providing the same main message, namely that it was a violation of Turkish air space. And this is not the first time, this has happened before. So thats the main thing when it comes to what happened. I think that the important thing now is to of course state once again that Turkey has the right to protect and to defend its territorial integrity and its air space and that we all now should focus on how can we calm tensions, de-escalate and to avoid that this is a situation which creates new problems and is undermining for instance the efforts to try to find a political negotiated solution to the crisis in Syria. Therefore I welcome efforts to try to establish further contacts between Ankara and Moscow and to avoid this situation becoming even more difficult. MODERATOR: Reuters, just behind. Q: Thanks. Robin Emmott from Reuters. Secretary General youve written about the need for a European rule book to avoid these kind of incidents, but from what weve seen so far Russia doesnt always play by the rules. I wondered what do you expect to get from this process? JENS STOLTENBERG: What we will do tomorrow and the day after tomorrow is to discuss among Foreign Ministers how NATO can contribute to more predictability, more transparency and to enhance mechanisms for risk reductions to avoid incidents, accidents. And thats a clear political signal, its pointing out in which direction wed like to go. Then there are many details, many practical things we have to address and look into but one example is for instance what is called the Vienna Document which is a document which is negotiated and agreed in the OSCE framework but of course which is of great importance for NATO because this document provides guidelines, regulations for how we can conduct our military exercises and also provide guidelines for how international observation is facilitated for different kinds of military exercises. This is an important document but the problem is that it has to be modernized because there are several loopholes. For instance when it comes to snap exercises or exercises which are not notified there is no requirement for international observation. So what we are, what we for instance could look into is whether we can establish mechanisms where if there are snap exercises there should also then be snap observation, international observation even if the exercises are with little or no prior notification. I think it is important to have these kind of rules and then to of course always do whatever we can to make sure that they are fully respected. The problem now is that there are too many loopholes and thats the reason why we will support efforts by NATO allies in Vienna, in the OSCE framework, to try to modernise this document. Another strand of work will be to look into the different bilateral arrangements which several NATO allies have when it comes to de-conflicting military to military lines of communication with Russia to avoid incidents, accidents. My own country NATO, my own country Norway, we have, we have had that kind of contacts for several years and thats useful to avoid incidents and if they happen to make sure that they dont spiral out of control. So we can learn from each other and see whether we can develop even better mechanisms. And I think what happened in Turkey last week just underlined the need for this kind of communications, lines of communications de-conflicting. MODERATOR: Bloomberg, just behind. Q: Jim Neugar from Bloomberg. You said in your opening statement that NATO is working on further assurance measures for Turkey, what will these measures be? And secondarily on Ukraine, you mentioned the recent increase in fighting along the ceasefire line, what concern do you have that Russia may be using the worlds focus on Syria to, as a distraction from increased rebel activity in Ukraine? JENS STOLTENBERG: NATO has to stay focused both on whats going on on its southern borders, Iraq, Syria, but at the same time of course continue to stay focused on the challenges we see to the east and especially in Ukraine. So we dont have the luxury of either being focused or addressing the challenges to the east or the challenges to the south, we have to do both at the same time. And thats exactly what we are going to do at this meeting. We are going to focus on Ukraine with the NATO Ukraine Commission meeting. Were going to focus on how we respond to a more assertive Russia, but at the same time we will address the efforts to fight ISIL and the efforts by all NATO allies which are part of the coalition fighting ISIL and of course also what Turkey is doing bordering Syria and Iraq and being so close to the violence and the turmoil we see caused by ISIL in that region. NATO has had for several years, for three years, assurance measures in Turkey. We have had the patriot batteries deployed there, this is part of our standing defence plan for Turkey and its part of NATO being an alliance protecting each other and since Turkey is so close on the frontline of the fighting in Syria and Iraq we found it the right thing to do to augment their air defences some years ago. We will continue to provide support for Turkey, exactly with what kind of capabilities is what our military authorities are now looking into, assessing, and they will provide us some recommendations and we will make decisions on the specific kinds of assurance measures, capabilities, in the near future. But what is certain is that we will continue to support Turkey, we will continue to augment their air defences and, and thats part of being an alliance which supports an ally which is so close to all the turmoil, the violence we see to the south of our borders. MODERATOR: Wall Street Journal. Q: Julian Barnes, Wall Street Journal. First Mr. Secretary General, what happened to your hand? And secondly on Montenegro, youve mentioned in the past you want to see public support for membership in the alliance as part of a, as a requirement for ultimate accession. Where do you think that public support stands? There have been protests there, some people have seen the hand of Russia behind the protests. Do you think that there is Russian agitation there to try to block NATO membership? Should Russia have some sort of veto over further expansion? JENS STOLTENBERG: First my hand, I have broken a very small bone in my hand, but at a big cost. So thats, yeah, that happens. Then on Montenegro. What we will decide on Wednesday is whether or not to invite Montenegro to start accession talks. Then we have to go through that and then 28 allies have to finally then ratify, also if we invite Montenegro, then there will be accession talks and then eventually ratification in 28 allied national assemblies. So there is still a way to go even after a decision on Wednesday if that is to, if that is going to be to invite Montenegro. And one of the areas which we have focused on through the last year but also then continue to focus on if there is an invitation on Wednesday is public support. We have seen opinion polls with increased support for joining NATO in Montenegro. I welcome that but of course we have to continue to stay focused both on public support and on reforms related to rule of law and not least track record related to rule of law. So one important decision will then be taken on Wednesday but then even if Montenegro is invited we still have to continue to work closely with Montenegro on for instance public support. There are different opinions, I have been in Montenegro and I think that in any democratic society there are different opinions and thats part of being a democratic society. Thats, and that we have some people who are demonstrating and showing their opinion by demonstrations are also part of something which is normal in a democratic society. So I think we have to live with and thats part of democracy that there are different opinions about such an important question as joining NATO. JULIAN BARNES: And on the Russian aspect of it? JENS STOLTENBERG: I will not speculate about who is behind of if they are playing a role. The thing is that its a completely legitimate thing but in the country there are different opinions about NATO membership. Even in my own country Norway people have had different opinions about NATO for many years. MODERATOR: Lady in the front row. Q: Jelena Otasevic, TV of Montenegro. You have already said that Ministers will decide on Wednesday morning. When will we have the official publication of the, their decision, what time? And you already said that Montenegro will continue negotiations and talks with NATO, when can we expect the official accession of our country to NATO? JENS STOLTENBERG: The decision will be taken early Wednesday morning. So, and I, and we are planned then to announce it very soon after that. So that will be public very soon after we make a decision. Regardless of whether we decide or not decide to invite Montenegro then of course it will be announced Wednesday morning. The exact hour Im not able to give you but it will be early. Second, second, then we will have the formal process of accession talks. That will take some, at least some months, and then there will be, if then we succeed, given that Montenegro is invited and given that we are successful in the accession talks then there is a process with a ratification in all 28 national parliaments or assemblies in all the 28 allies. That will take some time, I will not give you an exact date but thats a quite, a process which takes some time. So it will take some time before NATO [sic] can join the alliance even if we decide to invite them on Wednesday. MODERATOR: Front row. Q: Agency Euro Atlantica Ukraine. As you know yesterday Russian air forces targeted market on the north of Syria, for, forty people killed, destroyed water infrastructure, bakery, other things and I havent heard any reaction of the side of EU or NATO. Have you appreciate this, how can you react on this? And the second, as you know Russia deployed rocket systems S400 on the territory of Syria. Its also question, whats your reaction of this? And do you believe that a large or wide coalition with Ukraine would be constructive or destructive? Thank you. JENS STOLTENBERG: The loss of civilian and the loss of innocent lives in the civil war in Syria is a tragedy and too many lives have been lost and we see that violence, fighting is going on and, and thats the reason why I and NATO so strongly support all efforts to try to find a peaceful negotiated solution. That will not be easy, it will take time but at least we have seen a renewed will and a renewed strength in the efforts to try to find a political agreement and to stop the fighting and the killings in Syria. Im, I think it is important that we all fight our common enemy ISIL and thats the reason why I would like to see Russia targeting ISIL, our common enemy, instead of targeting so many other groups and areas in ISIL, in Syria, because very much of their bombing is taking place in territories or areas where ISIL is not present at all. And that will strengthen our fight against ISIL if also Russia concentrate their targets or their efforts fighting ISIL instead of bombing many other targets and groups in Syria. MODERATOR: Over there, over there? JENS STOLTENBERG: Yeah we have seen a substantial Russian military build-up over a long period of time with both different kinds of missile systems, with naval presence, with, with also personnel on the ground, with air forces and so on. And I think this is part of the increased Russian presence close to NATO borders in many parts of the world. We have seen it up in the north, we have seen it to the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea and now also in the Mediterranean. And Russia is developing what we call anti-access air denial capabilities and that is something we are following very closely from the NATO side and thats also the reason, one of the reasons why we are adapting our forces and why we are implementing the biggest reinforcement of our collective defence since the end of the cold war, as response to the increased Russian presence in, also from the north, Baltic, Black and also the Mediterranean Sea. As I said we welcome all efforts to fight ISIL. Q: Hello Secretary General. Jamey Keaten from Associated Press. You mentioned that you want to see Turkey and Russia have greater talks, better coordination but as you know President Putin is not taking calls from President Erdogan at the moment. So I wanted to know what is NATO doing specifically, what has NATO done to communicate with Russia directly since the incident last week? And what changes do you see between NATOs relationship with Russia in the wake of the biggest kinetic incident between Russia and a NATO member state for some time? JENS STOLTENBERG: We have had direct contacts with the Russian delegation here in Brussels, the NATO, also the Russian delegation to NATO here in Brussels. The Deputy Secretary General met with the Russian Ambassador, Ambassador Grushko, some days ago or last week and in the wake of the incident last week and he expressed of course our strong message about that we of course support the right of Turkey to defend its air space and also the need to de-escalate, to calm the situation and he also expressed the need for direct contacts Ankara Moscow and that was a very clear message from, from NATO, from the Deputy Secretary General to Russia and the Russian Ambassador Grushko. We believe that the best way of de-escalating the situation and to calm tensions is by direct contact Ankara Moscow because then they can sit down, discuss exactly how they assess the situation and also look into how they can do whatever possible to avoid something similar happening in the future. So I will welcome any kind of contact and dialogue between Russia and Turkey on these issues. MODERATOR: Thank you very much. Weve now come to the end of this press conference, I know there are lots of questions that you still had, Im sorry we dont have the time to answer them all however the Secretary General will be back tomorrow quite early in the morning and throughout the day. Thank you. JENS STOLTENBERG: Thank you. Yerevan to host Eurasian Intergovernmental Council meeting Israel calls Australia's refusal to recognize Jerusalem as capital of Israel 'pathetic decision' Armenia to tighten penalties for overloading of trucks Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey army elite units conduct demonstration military drills Luxembourg parliament speaker: Azerbaijan aggression is direct attack on Armenia sovereignty Russia Investigative Committee chief confirms theory of Crimean Bridge explosion accomplices Uruguay vice president: We express our solidarity with Armenian people GeoProMining's ZCMC has tripled tax payments to the state budget of Armenia Paul Krekorian unanimously elected as LA City Council President ThePrint: Armenia eyes procuring Akash missiles, loitering munitions from India Armenia MP to international colleagues: Azerbaijan intends to carry out new aggression Ukraine military hits Energodar city hall Armenia PM: We hope Azerbaijan will cooperate in clarifying destiny of our compatriots Newspaper: Where is 1991 declaration by which Armenia, Azerbaijan once recognized each other's territorial integrity? Azerbaijan fires at Armenia positions at midnight PACE lawmakers call for Azerbaijan militarys immediate withdrawal from Armenia Australia reverses decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel capital Nouriel Roubini: In some sense, World War III has already started EU considers paying Elon Musk to provide Starlink Internet to Ukraine U.S. will continue to take practical, aggressive steps to make it difficult for Iran to sell drones to Russia German Prosecutor's Office searches Deutsche Bank headquarters Head of Germany's national cybersecurity agency fired amid reports of ties to Russia Uruguayan Chamber of Deputies condemns Azerbaijan's invasion of Armenian territory Spanish minister: EU is far from solution to energy crisis Fake Azerbaijani names of Syunik province communities removed from Google Maps and Google Earth apps Artsakh President presents details of meetings held in Yerevan to MPs Lavrov: Russia sees no point in maintaining its previous presence in Western countries UAE: OPEC+ decision has no political motive Opposition to David Price: Right to self-determination is the right of people of Artsakh to survive Iran is ready to negotiate with Ukraine to resolve ambiguities Deputy Speaker of Armenian National Assembly: 47 PACE deputies made written statement condemning Baku's aggression Lapid will discuss Kiev request for Israeli systems with Kuleba Morawiecki: Poland is not afraid of losing EU funds Armenian President meets with Sofia Mayor Speaker of Armenian National Assembly to Norway FM: Withdrawal of Azerbaijani Armed Forces from Armenia is a priority Nikol Pashinyan receives delegation headed by Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt Iran responds to Borrell's garden and jungle statement: EU needs to accept realities or it will continue to wither Pashinyan: No one can accuse Armenia of evading its obligations Congressman: U.S. was not active in terms of security in Armenia, but now situation is changing Indian defense company Solar group says it has received orders from Armenia for 'Pinaka' missiles Price: U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan will not be used for offensive purposes against Armenia Military expert assesses possibility of new hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan Russian Embassy: Armenians' attitude towards Russians who moved to Armenia remains very friendly Clarification by Price: What Could Armenian-American military cooperation look like? Armenian Defense Minister visits DEFEXPO exhibition in India President of Artsakh talks about results of discussions held in Armenia Borrell angers UAE with his comparison of world outside Europe to 'jungle' Public Council formed in Artsakh China Daily: Party's anti-graft efforts generate fruitful outcomes Price: We demand that Azerbaijan return to its initial positions Aghajanyan: This visit should be seen as another stage in dynamic development of Armenian-American relations Ukraine will officially ask Israel for transfer of air defense systems Head of National Assembly Commission: 2023 state budget turned out to be biggest in Armenia's history Turkey conducts test launch of its own ballistic missile over Black Sea Students of Brusov State University hold protest outside building of Ministry of Education and Science of Armenia Armenia MFA: Yerevan has always openly and publicly stated its position on dialogue with Turkey Military exercises of IRGC Ground Forces on border with Azerbaijan continue for second day in Iran Blinken accuses China of violating status quo on Taiwan Armenian Foreign Minister: We see Azerbaijan's unconstructive behavior Izvestia: European banks stop accepting SWIFT-transfers from Russia Mirzoyan calls on Cavusoglu to speak for himself Norwegian FM visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex and pays tribute to victims of Genocide Mirzoyan: We need to understand to what extent CSTO recognizes this aggression against Armenia MFA: Armenian authorities apply to OSCE to send observers to border with Azerbaijan NYT: Conflict between Turkey and Greece may cause split of NATO Ararat Mirzoyan Details of peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan were presented to Norwegian FM Price of gas in Europe drops to almost $1,200 per 1,000 cubic meters for first time since June Armenian Defense Minister meets with his Indian counterpart First images of damage to Nord Stream are published Erdogan's spokesman: Meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy is impossible now Peskov redirects question of drone purchases from Iran to Russian Ministry of Defense Secretary of Armenian Security Council presents consequences of recent Azerbaijani aggression to Brazilian ambassador Trial of Robert Kocharyan and Armen Gevorgyan is held in Yerevan IAEA chief says he wants to meet with Putin again Pashinyan: Azerbaijan creates fake news on ceasefire violations by Armenia US House of Representatives members visit Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan Taliban, Iran border guards fire at each other Another high treason exposed in Armenia Armenia MOD: Azerbaijan armed forces violate ceasefire in Sotk-Kutakan sector World oil prices on the rise Trump slightly ahead of Biden in New York Times poll Armenia defense minister heads for India Newspaper: Karabakh dissatisfied with President's Yerevan visit, meeting with Armenia PM Azerbaijan fires toward Armenia positions at night Zelenskyy: Ukraine needs much more modern air defense systems Liz Truss is called upon to resign EU to review relations with China White House accuses Iran of lying Poland may not receive 75 billion euros in regional aid from EU Crash of SU-34 in Yeysk captured on video SJC: Criminal case will be initiated against judge Arusyak Aleksanyan Germany fines Telegram more than 5 million euros Scholz instructs ministers to prepare to extend operation of Germany's remaining three nuclear power plants Two people killed in Yeysk after military plane crashed Saudi Arabia rejects U.S. accusations of supporting Russia amid war in Ukraine Only candidate for post of military prosecutor of Armenia is named Expert: Iran is preparing for scenarios in form of attacks on Azerbaijan and sending troops to Artsakh German intelligence service opposes Chinese company's investment in Hamburg port Fire area at crash site of Su-34 in Krasnodar territory is 2,000 sq. m. EU approves military training mission for thousands of Ukrainian servicemen Right now there are no major investments from India in the Armenian economy. Indian Ambassador to Armenia Suresh Babu told the aforementioned in an interview with Armenian News NEWS.am. He also noted the high level of dialogue with Yerevan, expressed regret over the withdrawal of large Indian investments and told about the Indian New Year traditions. Which are the main achievements of Armenia and India in 2015? This year, in my view, has been a positive one. We maintain and further develop our political ties with Armenia. And I would rate our political relations excellent because there are no issues on which we have differences: we have a very good understanding of each other and a constant dialogue between the two sides. We didnt have many high-level visits between our countries this year. Nevertheless, we are working on some concrete proposals of visits from Armenia to India and from India to Armenia. One is the [proposal on the visit of] the Armenian Minister of Education and Science Mr Armen Ashotyan and also a possible visit by your Agriculture Minister to India maybe in the near future. We have one agreement in the field of agriculture, which is finalized and must be signed. To sign it, either your Minister should go to India or our Minister should come here. In the field of education we have finalized negotiations on two bilateral documents: the Education Exchange Program and the Agreement on Mutual Recognition of Diplomas and Degrees. These documents need to be signed as early as possible. With that objective in mind, we are now working on a proposal for your Ministers visit to India. I cannot tell you now when it will happen, but it is on the agenda. There are also proposals for the visit of the Indian Minister of Culture and Tourism to Armenia. We hope this will happen next year. We have very excellent relations in the field of culture. This year I can highlight the previous International Yoga Day, which was celebrated in Armenia on 21 June 2015. Armenia also supported the UN General Assembly decision to declare June 21 as the International Day of Yoga. So we celebrated that day here in Armenia and it was a very successful event. I want to thank the Armenian Ministry of Culture and other agencies, as well as the City Hall of Yerevan for helping us organize this event. Other than that, we had a 15-member business delegation which came from southern India to Armenia very recently. They had good business meetings. How can Armenia become more attractive for Indian investors? Armenia, given its relatively small economy and small population, is a good proposition to do business. Though the potential is relatively limited, Armenia is still a good agricultural country and also a country with mines, which offer metals and minerals. It is an emerging economy, which gives some kind of opportunities for investments. In the past, some of our companies invested in Armenian economy but later on they withdrew their investments and went back somewhere else. But right now, I must confess, there are no major investments from India in the Armenian economy. Why? I dont know. Businessmen know better than me. Maybe this is due to some taxes or some other difficulties. How is the New Year celebrated in India? India is the land of all religions in the world. It is a big country and every region has its own New Year. But, nevertheless, we are part of the global world, which celebrates the New Year in the night of January 1 according to the Gregorian calendar. But India also follows the same Gregorian calendar and also joins the whole world in welcoming the New Year on January 1. At the same time, every region celebrates its New Year in different months, like in January or March. Does India have any specific Indian traditions of celebrating New Year? In January, some states, including my own state, celebrate New Year, which is linked with harvest. So when the harvest comes ready, they collect it and bring home. Bringing harvest home is itself the indication of the New Year. Are there any special dishes specific only to your country? We have very diversified cuisine. If you say lavash is the symbol of Armenian bread, we have no single symbol like that. In some regions rice is the main staple, while in others it is the bread called chapati (flatbread). Do you put up a Christmas tree? We have a large Christian population in India. They do celebrate Christmas on December 25; they put up Christmas trees at home and decorate the Christmas trees in their houses. There are also such people who are not Christians by faith. They also put up Christmas tree at their home and thus express solidarity with Christian population. They go to the house of Christians and congratulate them on Christmas and New Year. Special Christmas cake is prepared by all Christians, who gift it to all their friends, relatives, as well as non-Christian Hindu and Muslim friends. YEREVAN. The positive side of the year 2015 was that the socioeconomic situation in Armenia did not become worse than it already was. Ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) MPand businessmanHakob Hakobyan told the aforesaid to Armenian News-NEWS.am, as he summed up the year that passed. In his words, the situation in the country could have been even worse. But thanks to the diligence of our nation, the bad lessened, Hakobyan added. I believe the year 2016 will be like this, too. Of course, we need to consider the external developments, especially the [strained] Russia-Turkey relations [after Turkeys downing a Russian warplane]. Our [i.e. Armenias] good and bad economic situation depends on this. In the RPA MPs words, the good will start when the Russian ruble stabilizes. If not, we need to think about other roads, the businessman MP added. The situation is unpredictable, [and] it depends on international developments. Lets not seek guilty amongst ourselves; it doesnt depend on us. YEREVAN. Roads in Armenia are primarily drivable as of Wednesday 8:30am, informed the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Emergency Situations. But the Berd-Chambarak and Goris-Sisian motorways as well as Vardenyats (Selim) Pass are closed for traffic. Some other motorways and bends are difficult to pass. In addition, there is black ice on some parts of all highways in Armenia. The road crews are scattering salt and sand on the motorways and are also cleaning them to ensure safe travel. The ministry advises drivers to travel on these motorways solely when absolutely necessary and with winter tires on their vehicles. The ministrys divisions on duty carry out their services in an enhanced mode. And according to the information received from the Emergency Situations Department of Georgia, the countrys Stepantsminda-Larsi Highway, which leads to the Armenian border, is open solely for light passenger vehicles with chained wheels. News Story not available This story has been published on: 2022-10-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. This story is no longer available on our site. The national environmental watchdog has cut links to more than 70 agencies that provide environmental impact assessments, a move to rein in the corrupt trading of power and money. In February, corruption related to environmental impact assessments was exposed in the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the inspection team from the country's top anti-corruption authority said. For example, some leaders and their relatives traded power for money by helping companies get approval or by opening their own agencies to take advantage of their relationship with the ministry. The provincial and city-level environmental protection bureaus also have similar corruption problems involving environmental impact services, the team said. Minister of Environmental Protection Chen Jining required the ministry's eight affiliated agencies to become independent commercial companies, and the provincial and city-level environmental watchdogs were ordered to cut links with their affiliated agencies. Chen said that it is not acceptable for officials in the system to make money from environmental impact assessments, adding that the ministry will tighten its management of these services to reduce corruption and the pollution emitted by the projects. The ministry has punished around 140 agencies due to practices like hiring "ghost" employees - engineers who do not work at the agency but lend the agencies their certificates. The ministry has also tightened the management of environmental impact assessments, which are considered the first step to control pollution from projects, the ministry said on Tuesday. In 2015, the ministry approved 159 projects with a total investment of 1.57 trillion yuan ($235 billion), down from 237 projects in 2014. In addition, the ministry rejected 21 projects partly because of their potential to pollute the environment. For example, in March it rejected Xiaonanhai Dam, one of China's biggest hydropower dam projects, because of the potential negative influence on the environment. The dam is located in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. This holiday season had an extra special meaning for Florida native John Heilig he received the gift of life in December. The 66-year-old computer technician was traveling through Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Dec. 11, in route from Hong Kong to Orlando, when he experienced a sudden cardiac arrest. A quick-thinking U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent, Officer John Seebode, instantly began CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), while other agents in the airport rushed to get an automated external defibrillator (AED) and call 9-1-1. "I was thankful to be at the right place at the right time," says Seebode. "Since the response time for cardiac arrest is so critical, I knew my job was to begin CPR right away." After shocking him numerous times with the AED to stabilize his heart rhythm, Seebode was able to get Heilig's heart beating once again. "He gave me a Christmas gift the gift of life for Christmas," says Heilig, who experienced a heart attack 10 years ago, but had no symptoms this time before his cardiac arrest. Heilig was then transported by EMS to Emory University Hospital Midtown, where interventional cardiologist, Chandan Devireddy, MD, was standing by ready and waiting with the emergency catheterization team. "We found one of Mr. Heilig's three main coronary arteries completely blocked. We were able to quickly open that blockage with angioplasty and a stent," says Devireddy, who is an associate professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology at Emory. Heilig was thought to be out of the woods, however four days later, he suffered a second spontaneous cardiac arrest while hospitalized. "The code team immediately responded and resuscitated him," explains Devireddy. "Then we rushed Mr. Heilig back to the cath lab and successfully opened a clot which had suddenly closed the stent." Not even three weeks since his initial cardiac arrest, Heilig is doing well and was discharged on New Year's Eve. On the day before his discharge, Seebode visited Heilig in the hospital to wish him well. This was Seebode's third visit to check in on this special patient. "I am just thankful he can celebrate the New Year with us," says Seebode. And so is Heilig. "Everything has worked out quite well for this patient from the excellent and speedy response time of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer to the teams of nurses, doctors, technicians and emergency responders who have provided top-notch care in the hospital. I believe Mr. Heilig will have a good start to 2016," says Devireddy. According to the American Heart Association, over 350,000 people each year experience a sudden cardiac arrest. In unwitnessed cardiac arrest outside of a hospital, only 12 percent will survive. Chances for survival triple if a bystander provides immediate, effective CPR. "Anyone can be taught how to use AEDs and to provide CPR. It's a small sacrifice to save a life," says Devireddy. Posted by Mark Williams | November 8, 2012 The ban on parking pickup trucks on public streets overnight in the exclusive community of Coral Gables, Fla., has ended. After a decades-long fight with city planners who wanted to keep the smaller and narrower neighborhood streets from being cluttered with construction trucks, pickup truck owners now can park their Toyota Tacomas and Ford F-150s wherever they want. Since the 1960s, the city has banned people from parking pickups in their driveways or on city streets from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. According to the Miami Herald, a referendum challenging the ordinance was put on the ballot this past election day, and it was put to rest. The most recent clash of wills came eight years ago, when Lowell Kuvin, the owner of a 1993 F-150, sued the city over the ordinance. As had happened on previous attempts, a higher court (in this case, the Florida Supreme Court) ruled in favor of the city's right to control its aesthetics. And that was just about the time Lowell moved out of Coral Gables, though he continued to fight to change the city ordinance, giving local voters a chance to offer their opinion. And now that ordinance modification has passed. There's no word if Kuvin will move back to Coral Gables or how the city proposes to make up for revenue losses, as parking violations in the area, we're told, can range from $50 to $500, depending on the street location and the severity of the parking infraction. As you might expect, not everyone in Coral Gables supports the idea of pickup trucks being allowed to park on public streets overnight, suggesting there is nothing wrong with requiring people to park their work trucks in the garage. Oregon standoff latest protest in long-running controversy over Western lands, Stanford experts say Stanford law professors say the armed protestors in Oregon reflect a misreading of constitutional law and the history of federal land management in the West. AP Photo/Rick Bowmer Members of the group occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Oregon, stand near entrance gate on Jan. 4, 2016. The standoff in Oregon reflects a simmering controversy over who manages land in the West as well as a misunderstanding of constitutional law, Stanford scholars say. On Jan. 2, dozens of armed people seized a federal wildlife refuge center in remote southeast Oregon. They say they are upset about a mandatory minimum sentence two local ranchers received for an arson conviction, and demand that the surrounding federal lands be ceded to local control. Dangerous situation David J. Hayes, a distinguished visiting lecturer at Stanford Law School, said the Oregon situation is a "dangerous one, given the 'call to arms' issued by the armed militants and their strong rhetoric." Prior to teaching at Stanford, Hayes was the second-highest ranking official at the Department of the Interior, serving as the deputy secretary and chief operating officer from 1999 to 2001 and 2009 to 2013, respectively. He had direct involvement in many Western land disputes, he said. Hayes suggests that once the armed protestors leave the complex, they must be prosecuted firmly and without delay for their illegal actions. "Armed takeovers cannot be tolerated in our country. Respect for the rule of law is, and must continue to be, a central tenet of our democracy." The Bureau of Land Management leases many millions of acres of public lands to ranchers for cattle grazing, in accordance with historic practices. Ranchers pay fees for the privilege of having their livestock graze on America's public lands and, as lessees, they must adhere to good stewardship practices, Hayes said. Grazing fees on public lands have been maintained at very low levels for many years, he added, noting that typically these fees are lower than fees charged by private and state landowners. Still, Hayes said, some people apparently including the ranchers at the center of the controversy philosophically object to federal ownership of land and federal oversight of these lands. Dwight Hammond Jr., 74, and his son, Steven Hammond, 46, were convicted three years ago of setting fires in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, which is managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. They had grazing rights leased to them for their cattle operations in the area. Prosecutors charged the Hammonds under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA), which was passed by Congress after the first World Trade Center bombing and the bombing of the federal courthouse in Oklahoma City. The court ruled that the defendants' actions triggered the section of this law that makes it illegal for anyone to destroy U.S. property. The Hammonds are being resentenced because the court did not apply the mandatory minimum sentence required by that statute. When that became widely known, the armed protestors began showing up at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Interestingly, the Hammonds and the Oregon Cattlemen's Association have disavowed the protest occupation. Public lands dispute The federal government owns and manages a considerable portion of the land throughout the West, notes Michael Wara, an associate professor at Stanford Law School. "The protesters might argue that the federal government has the power to own land within states just like any other private land owner, but that the Congress does not have the power to make laws that supersede state and local laws governing how the land is used. Federal grazing rules on Bureau of Land Management lands do this sort of," Wara said. At the root of the issue is how to interpret the Constitution's property clause, he said. The question is whether it grants Congress broad authority to regulate activities on federal land, or whether it merely grants the federal government the right to own land within states, subject to state and local land use and real property law. "The Supreme Court answered this question very clearly in 1976 in a case called Kleppe v. New Mexico, when it ruled in favor of the broad interpretation. This gave Congress both the power of an owner and a legislature over the public domain," Wara said. He said the Kleppe case was about whether it was constitutional for Congress to impose federal criminal penalties for shooting wild horses on federal lands. "The court said it was, and strongly emphasized this principle that on federal land, the federal law applies." Wara added, "The protesters either disagree with this Supreme Court decision or want Congress to limit itself to acting as an owner rather than an owner and government with respect to federal land holdings. And the latter is not going to happen." He said that such a perspective also ignores the history of land acquisition in the West by the federal government and a history of homesteading that ended with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976. Historically, governments used homesteading to help populate remote or less-desired areas. Media Contact David J. Hayes, Stanford Law School: (650) 723-7778, dhayes@law.stanford.edu Michael Wara, Stanford Law School: (650) 725-5310, michael.wara@stanford.edu Clifton B. Parker, Stanford News Service: (650) 725-0224, cbparker@stanford.edu Dr. Kings letter: 53 years later Jonathan R. Cohen, professor of Law and Associate Director of the Institute for Dispute Resolution at the Levin College of Law will present MLK, Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail: Lessons for Social Justice Advocacy Jan. 14 from 3 to 4:15 p.m. in Holland Hall, Room 285C. In 1963, while imprisoned in Birmingham, Alabama for his participation in nonviolent protests against segregation, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote a response to an open letter from eight white religious leaders of the South criticizing Kings action and positioning him as an agitator. To this day, his 7,000-word letter, also known as Letter from Birmingham City Jail, remains one of the most highly regarded essays in history to address civil rights. Cohen received his A.B. (summa cum laude), J.D., and Ph.D. (economics) from Harvard University. Prior to teaching at the University of Florida, he clerked for the Honorable Benjamin Kaplan of the Massachusetts Appeals Court, practiced employment litigation at a private law firm and served as a Hewlett Fellow at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. The central theme of Cohens research is ethical human relations, and his writings, especially concerning apology, have been influential both nationally and internationally in promoting legislative reforms and changes to legal practice. This event is sponsored by UF Laws Center for the Study of Race and Race Relations. For more information, please contact Anju Kaduvettoor Davidson at davidson@law.ufl.edu or 352-273-0614. UF researchers find high teacher attrition rates at charter schools Teachers at state charter schools have more than twice the within-year attrition rate of those at traditional public schools, which could have a negative impact on student academic achievement, a new University of Florida study finds. Florida charter schools on average lost roughly 10 percent of their teachers each school year from 2011-2012 to 2014-2015, the study shows. In contrast, the teacher turnover rate at traditional public schools was about 4 percent during the same period. We think that over the long-term, high attrition rates negatively impact student learning at the charter schools, said M. David Miller, director of the Collaborative Assessment and Program Evaluation Services at UFs College of Education. Charter school principals and administrators interviewed as part of the study cited teacher turnover as among their biggest challenges. High teacher within-year attrition -- meaning during the school year -- typically results in the hiring of less experienced teachers, which can impede student academic achievement. Also, recruiting and hiring replacements costs valuable academic time and money. Specifically, the states charter schools lost 3,406 teachers between 2011-12 and 2014-2015. There were 9,409 teachers at charter schools in the most recent school year studied. In contrast, traditional public schools lost a total of 24,581 teachers during the same period out of the far larger pool of roughly 150,000 teachers. The UF researchers found that school administrators commonly cited three likely contributing factors for the high turnover rates at charter schools: Salaries of charter-school teachers are almost always lower than those of their traditional-school counterparts. Charter-school teachers typically do not have access to the state teacher retirement system. The vast majority of charter schools have no formal teacher mentoring programs to support new teachers. The scholars said more research is necessary to determine definitive reasons for the high attrition rates. State education officials said the reports findings raise concerns. The high attrition is worrisome to me as a teacher educator, said Chris Muire, education policy director at the Florida Department of Education. He said state education officials are reviewing the report. The scholars findings are included in a semi-annual report to the Florida Department of Education, which contracted with UF to assess the effect charter schools have on student achievement as part of a federal grant. This ongoing research project is the first independent look at Floridas charter schools since the U.S. Department of Education awarded the state a five-year, $104 million grant in 2011 to support the creation of charter schools, especially in high-need neighborhoods and rural and low-income school districts. In recent years, the number of charter schools statewide has more than doubled from roughly 300 to about 700, Muire said. The UF study showed 582 in 2014-2015, up 33 percent from 436 at the start of the 2011-2012 school year. Charter schools are publicly funded and privately run schools created through agreements or charters with local district school boards. They are designed to increase parental options and provide schools more freedom to create innovative learning opportunities. The study comes at a time of increased scrutiny of Florida charter schools, which some observers have criticized for siphoning off precious state funds and high-demand teachers. A recent Associated Press analysis of Florida Department of Education records found that charter schools in 30 districts have closed after receiving as much as $70 million in state funding since 2000. In addition to Miller, the UF research project team includes Tom Dana, associate dean for the college; educational leadership researcher and project manager Nancy Thornqvist; and research methods graduate student Wei Xu. Miller also directs the colleges School of Human Development and Organizational Studies in Education. See the full study. On Tuesday, a group of Sikhs from Nankana Sahib demanded the resignation of Siddiqul Farooq, chairman of the Evacuee Trust Property Board, of illegally selling canal land of Gurdwara Janam Asthan for a housing scheme, The Nation newspaper reported on Wednesday. After staging a protest near the Punjab assembly, dozens of Sikhs gathered outside the Lahore High Court to express solidarity with Mastan Singh, the Sikh leader who faces trial for "anti-state activities". A high court division bench on Tuesday accepted the bail petition of Mastan Singh, a former president of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC). In his petition, Mastan Singh accused Sham Singh, the incumbent president of the committee, of having a false case registered against him. "Siddiqul Farooq and Sham Singh joined hands with the land mafia and illegally sold canal land belonged to Gurdwara Janam Asthan, Nankana Sahib, for a housing scheme," his counsel Anwar Zahid told the court. But Sham Singhs counsel Tariq Bashir Awan argued that the investigation of the case had been transferred to the anti-terrorism department. A law officer urged the court not to accept Mastan Singhs bail plea, saying there were serious allegations of terrorism against him. But after hearing both sides, a bench headed by Justice Mazhar Iqbal Sidhu accepted the bail request. The judge said the prosecution would not benefit by keeping the accused in jail. Sikhs are a minority in Pakistan. --Indo-Asian News Service mr/pr/ ( 267 Words) 2016-01-06-13:43:35 (IANS) According to reports, the arrests were made on Monday after their boat collided with the boat of Lankan fishermen, which sank in the mid sea as a result of the impact. The Lankan fishermen then cornered the fishermen from Akkarapettai in Nagapattinam district and dragged the fishing boat to Sri Lanka with ropes. The Tamil fishermen were handed over to the Lankan Navy, along with the boat. This incident has created lot of tension in the fishermen hamlets of Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu. Tamil fishermen are urging the government to secure the release of fellow fishermen and more than 62 fishing boats detained by Lanka. Earlier, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalaithaa had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take up the matter of freeing 84 Tamil fishermen languishing in Lankan jail. (ANI) Australian shares extended losses for the fourth straight day on Wednesday falling 1.2 percent in light trade and amid cautious sentiment as investors eye China's slowing growth.China is Australia's major trading partner.The S&P/ASX 200 index fell 62.13 points to 5,122.3 by 0137 GMT. The benchmark fell 1.6 percent on Tuesday, a level last seen on Dec 24."It's hard to read into it today because of the lack of volumes going through the market, but it is the fourth consecutive day of loses for the market which means every trading day in 2016 so far has been negative for the Aussie share market," said Julia Lee, equities analyst, Bell Direct.The major banks led the losses with Westpac down 0.95 percent followed by National Australia Bank, down 0.85 while ANZ lost 0.89 percent and Commonwealth Bank of Australia down 0.71 percent.The materials sector came under pressure after iron ore prices fell 2.8 percent overnight."Once again, it looks like the bears taking over that materials/mining space," Lee said.Fortescue Metals Group fell 6.07 percent, while Rio Tinto lost 2.7 percent and BHP Billiton down 2.1 percent.Among the retailers, leading grocer Woolworths slipped 1.27 percent while rival Coles rose 0.12 percent.Mineral explorer Ardiden Ltd jumped 71 percent, its highest level in three years on Canada lithium project buy.Communications service provider Spark New Zealand rose as much as 3 percent after being upgraded by brokerage Morningstar.Asian stocks were subdued as floundering crude oil prices continued to dampen risk sentiment. Risk markets were waiting to see how Chinese equities will fare later in the session.Wall Street offered little direction after a 2.5 percent drop in Apple Inc. weighed on all three major indexes cutting short a feeble recovery.For more individual stocks activity click onNew Zealand's benchmark NZX 50 index slipped 0.22 percent or 14.27 points to 6,263.83.The biggest gainers were Xero, which added 1.6 percent and Spark, which was up 1.5 percent.The biggest losers were Sky TV, down 2.4 percent and Kathmandu, down 1.9 percent.Shares in Fonterra's fund, which provides investor exposure to the farmer-owned dairy exporter, fell 0.65 percent. Dairy prices fell in the overnight GlobalDairyTrade auction, adding to the view that Fonterra might not make its forecast payout to its 10,500 farmer shareholders for the current season.REUTERS GAU PR 0735 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0098-523595.Xml Ghayal once again, which was earlier scheduled to hit theatres on January 15, will now be released on February 5. The producers said the delay in the release of the action film, which marks the return of Sunny Deol as action hero after a long hiatus, happened due to a tie up of Vijayta films, the home production venture of the Deols, with a big studio.. Directed by Sunny Deol himself, the movie is believed to be the sequel of the Sunny deol's 1990 hit 'Ghayal'. The producers, however, say it has a very different story from 'Ghayal'. Besides Sunny, the sequel also features Soha Ali Khan, Om Puri and Tisca Chopra in key roles. The film has several high octane action sequences which marked many of Sunny deol films in the 90s. Sunny Deol hired Hollywood Action Co-ordinator Dan Bradley for designing action sequences. This is the second postponement of the film's release. Ghayal once again was initially scheduled for release on Diwali last year but was postponed to January 15 as more time was required for the special effects in the film. UNI AR KU RSA 1036 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0348-523663.Xml Terming Daesh a terrorist organisation, chairman of the hardline Hurriyat Conference (HC) Syed Ali Shah Geelani today said ISIS and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TiTP) and other similar groups do not represent Islam. Mr Geelani, who is under house arrest since his return from New Delhi in September last year, said Daesh was a terrorist organisation involved in killing of innocent people. He said Daesh, ISIS, TiTP and similar groups do not represent Islam, a spokesman of the amalgam said here. ''The TiTP is weakening Pakistan internally and they are cutting the branch of the tree over which they are standing,'' Mr Geelani said. Indirectly referring to prevailing situation after the execution of a Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia, Mr Geelani said sectarian hatred was an ulcer in the society. Both Shia and Sunni believe in Islam, he said, adding that there could be differences on auxiliary issues. However, he said ''we cannot issue fatwas against each other over these auxiliary matters''. The Hurriyat chairman said the struggle launched by the people Kashmir was not any communal movement and nor was this any fight between Hindus and Muslims. About India and Pakistan dialogue process, he said, it was a futile exercise as until people of the Jammu and Kashmir were given opportunity to decide their fate, no solution to Kashmir issue could bring peace in the region. Alleging that India was not interested in finding a permanent solution to Kashmir issue, he said the dialogue process was nothing but to buy time. Mr Geelani reiterated the call for boycott of local body elections in the state alleging that voting in polls were later being projected as referendum to mislead the International community. He strongly condemned arrests of youths and other political leaders in the Kashmir valley.UNI BAS RSA 1007 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-523639.Xml The 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway, connecting the Kashmir valley with rest of the country was through with some restrictions to avoid any accident due to slippery road conditions in the morning. The national highway, linking the Ladakh region with summer capital and historic Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region have been closed for winter months due to accumulation of heavy snow. Dozens of roads leading to far flung and remote areas, including those near the Line of Control (LoC) also remained closed in north Kashmir. A traffic police official told UNI today that the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway was through. However, due to slippery road conditions in the morning, some restrictions have been imposed to avoid any accident, he said. He said from Jammu (Nagrota), Kashmir bound passenger vehicles will be allowed to move only between 0600 hrs to 1300 hrs while heavy vehicles will be permitted only between 0630 hrs to 1130 hrs. However, no Srinagar-bound passenger vehicle will be permitted to cross Udhampur (Jekhani Chowk) after 1430 hrs while no heavy vehicle will be permitted after 1330 hrs. From Kashmir to Jammu, light motor vehicles will be permitted to move from Qazigund, gateway of Kashmir only between 0830 hrs to 1600 hrs while heavy vehicles shall be permitted only between 0900 hrs to 1400 hrs. Official sources said dozens of far flung and remote areas, particularly near the LoC, also remained cut off due to several feet of snowfall. They said the Razdan pass connecting the border town of Gurez with district headquarter Bandipora also received several feet of fresh snowfall. The road has been closed for winter months only to reopen in March or April.UNI BAS RSA 1057 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-523673.Xml The principal opposition party raised the demand on its official page of micro-blogging site Twitter, saying "Time for PM Modi to embrace @PChidambaram_IN's idea of an NCTC, which he vociferously opposed as Gujarat CM". The then Home Minister P Chidambaram had proposed creation of NCTC as a federalanti-terror agency in the country on the lines of the National Counterterrorism Center of the US. The proposal came after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in 2008, which had exposed certain intelligence and operational failures in mitigating the situation on the face of such crises. The proposal, however, had met with much criticism from Chief Ministers of various stateswho saw it as a means of weakening India's federalism. After terror strike at Pathankot airbase last week, certain questions are again being raised over similar 'lapses' and authorities' during handling of the situation.UNI SS RSA 1245 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0089-523829.Xml Courting controversy Triamool Congress MP Idris Ali made a shocking allegation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had 'links to terrorism' which is why the attack on the Pathankot Air Force Base was executed resulting in the death of seven defence personnel. The MP attacked Prime Minister Modi saying he went to Pakistan simply to appease the minorities and India. "The Prime Minister wants to make minorities happy and it is for that purpose only that he went to Pakistan. Interestingly it was after his visit that there was an attack on the nation. I think he has ties with terrorists and it is because of that the attack happened at Pathankot. Why did the terrorists attack only after he went to Pakistan?" Ali said. However, he was quick to add that his comments were strictly personal and did not reflect the views of TMC. Meanwhile, Ali faced swift reprimand from his party who are contemplating action on him for his controversial statement. "Very unhealthy and crass comments. We have sought a reply from him to explain himself, following which we might take action against him. His comments certainly do not reflect the view of the party," TMC spokesperson Derek O'Brien told ANI. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also hit out at the West Bengal government for maintaining silence on the issue and said it was a clear case of 'vote bank politics'. (ANI) Amidst expectations in the southern districts where this sport is part of Pongal celebrations, union minister of state for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Pon Radhakrishnan today reassured that all steps were being taken for the revival of Jallikattu which had been banned two years ago. Talking to newspersons Mr Radhakrishnan, who arrived here from New Delhi, said, 'I met Union Minister of State for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar in this regard." He said Mr Javadekar was very eager to pass orders for the revival of Jallikattu sport. "We are hopeful that it would happen this year", he stressed. Tamil Nadu BJP unit President Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan too hoped the popular Pongal event would be revived this year and added the Centre wss taking all steps. 'But the Congress is not supporting us,' she alleged.. Meanwhile, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi(VCK) President Thol Thirumavalavan was quoted expressing doubts over Jallikattu being revived this year. It may be recalled that political parties in Tamil Nadu have been demanding steps to revive Jallikattu..Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard, DMK President and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, five times, M. Karunanidhi also urged the centre to expedite its efforts to lift the ban on the sport. The Congress and PMK parties have been criticising the state government for alleged failure to keep up the promise of legalising Jallikattu. The Congress had also passed a resolution in a meeting condemning the BJP for trying to divert the blame.But the BJP charged that it was during the Congress led government at the Centre that the ban on Jallikattu was imposed. UNI VV RSS1452 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0415-523962.Xml Apple township of Sopore and adjoining areas in the north Kashmir district of Baramulla were shut today on 23rd death anniversary of more than 50 people allegedly killed by Border Security Force (BSF). Though Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has closed the case, a protest petition is pending in the TADA court. Shops and business establishments remained closed and traffic was off the roads. However, some private vehicles were seen plying on some routes. Work in government offices, banks and other financial institution was also affected due to strike, called by different separatist and local organisations. On this day in 1993, personnel of the 94th Battalion, BSF allegedly killed more than 50 people and injured scores, Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (CCS) said. Besides more than 500 shops and 25 houses in chowk area was burnt down including the roadside areas of Shahabad, Bobimir Sahab, Muslim Peer, Shallapora and Kralteng. Samad Talkies, and the womens college located near the Sopore chowk were also burnt, the society alleged. A spokesman of the CCS said that the CBI took more than 20 years to investigate the case, only to seek closure of investigations on December 4, 2013. However, on June 28 2014 the survivors of the killing filed a protest petition against the closure report filed by the CBI. The protest petition , seeking further investigations in the case, was a "contestation of the States lies and attempts to cover up the massacre." Following delays, often due to the non-appearance of the CBI, the matter now stands completely suspended following the replacement of the earlier TADA court judge in July 2015. As of the last date of hearing, the new judge has yet to be formally assigned the powers to proceed with matters before him, he said. The entire investigation record is now finally before the court, he said, adding that the judge has yet to be formally empowered to deal with the case. UNI BAS ADG SB1404 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-523653.Xml The mother A.G. Perarivalan, one of the seven life convicts in former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination case, on Wednesday filed a petition before Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, seeking the release of her son invoking Article 161 of the Constitution. Arputhammal filed a petition at a special cell of the State Secretariat here. Article 161 of the Constitution confers power to the Governor to grant pardons, etc, and to suspend, remit or commute sentences in certain cases. "The Governor of a State shall have the power to grant pardons, reprieves, respites or remissions of punishment or to suspend, remit or commute the sentence of any person convicted of any offence against any law relating to a matter to which the executive power of the State extends," it reads. Emerging out of the Secretariat, she told reporters, "On December 30, Perarivalan had written a letter to Tamil Nadu Governor K. Rosaia, urging him to order his release." "I came here to seek the Chief Minister's support for the release my son, who is in the jail for nearly 25 years," she said. She told reporters since former chief minister M. G. Ramachandran's 100th birth anniversary was coming on January 17, she demand the release of her son on that occasion. He is in jail for around 25 years. Everyone tells me to keep faith, but how long can I," said Arputhammal, while expressing her gratitude to everyone supporting the release of her son. "He was 21 when he left home, let my son spend his Pongal this year with us," she said, hoping that her son would returns. Arputhammal is the mother of 42-year-old AG Perarivalan, one of the seven life convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. Rajiv Gandhi and 14 others were killed on May 21, 1991 when a suicide bomber blew herself up after touching his feet at an election rally in Sriperumbudur, near Chennai. The assassination was carried out by Thenmozhi Rajaratnam alias Dhanu, who was associated with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist organisation from Sri Lanka. The assassination was seen as retaliation for Gandhi having sent Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to Sri Lanka in 1987. (ANI) A villager from adjoining Rajasthan was arrested by the Gujarat forest officials for shooting dead a sloth bear in the forest of Dantiwada in north Gujarat. In his defence, Lala Sonabhai Gamar of Methipura in Rajasthan, told forest officials that he was attacked by the bear and had shot it in self-defence. He said he was passing through the forest with his friend Nathabhai Damor of his village when he was attacked by the beast. Since he had neither skinned the bear nor taken away its nails, which is the common practice among hunters, forest officials tend to believe the villagers explanation of self-defence for having killed the bear. However, according to Dantiwada forester B A Sindhi, the villager was not supposed to have entered the forest area with a gun without prior permission from the forest department. He and his friend are liable to be prosecuted under the Forest Act of 1972 under which sloth bear is a protected animal. UNI ND SW 1521 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0386-524086.Xml : Telangana government today requested the External Affairs Minister to initiate a dialogue with the concerned US government Heads to impress upon them the distress caused to Indian students because of deportations. In a letter to Sushma Swaraj, Minister for Information Technology and Panchayat Raj, K T Rama Rao stated that the recent spate of deportations of Indian students by the US government that has put lot of students and their families at distress. In the last two months, several students from Telangana state have faced deportation despite having valid visas issued by the US consulate. Traditionally, the city of Hyderabad has had a maximum share in sending students and skilled workforce to US, the Minsiter said in his letter. Many of students in India take loans to fund their education program in the US Universities and when the students are summarily deported back to India their families pass through deep emotional and financial anguish, he pointed out. There seems to be lack of clarity on why US authorities are using highhanded methods to deport these students and also, there have been media reports here the students were mistreated by the US authorities. He requested the external affairs to initiate a dialog with the concerned US government heads to impress upon them the hardships facing by Indian citizens because of deportations.UNI KNR VV RSS1525 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0415-524103.Xml Official sources said here today Inspector Manoj Kumar, who was posted as officer-in-charge of Agamukuan police station, had sent an objectionable message to the SP on new year's eve. After his removal from the post for not 'actively participating' in the ongoing vehicle and helmet checking drive of Patna Police, he had sent the message from his personal number to the official number of City SP East. The SP immediately complained to Patna SSP Manu Maharaj who found the allegations to be true. Later, Deputy Inspector General of Police (central range) Shalin suspended the inspector officer on the recommendation of the SSP. UNI DH PL SW AN1516 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0211-524020.Xml The stakeholders in the hospitality sector gotoff to a good start in the new year to enrich themselves, thanksto the 15,000 strong delegates who are on a visit to the 'city ofpalaces' in the ongoing 103rd Indian Science Congress. The hotel industry in and round the city had a lean period lastyear for various reasons including drought conditions prevailing inthe 'old Mysore' area and even the world famous Dasara festivitiessuffered for the same reason. The tourist flow was reduced whencompared to 2014, according the tourism department sources. The science congress came as a succor to the hospitality sectorgushing it with visitors and helped shore up the fortunes and boostoccupancy rates. Thousands of delegates from India and abroad who have beenparticipating in the in the mega event being organised by theUniversity of Mysore to mark its centenary were housed in all thehotels and guest houses all round the city. Mr N B Ramachandra, professor and chairman, Department of Studiesin Genetics and Genomics, University of Mysore, and who is involvedin organising the event said the hosts made bulk bookings and paid50 per cent advance to the hotels in the city to ensureaccommodation to participating delegates. ''The exercise began in May 2015 as providing accommodation tomore than 15000 delegates in a small city like Mysuru has itschallenges,'' he added. The hospitality sector has responded positively and offereddiscounts for advance bookings. Hotels and guesthouses in the city have been booked. JSSMahavidyapeetha and Infosys, which has the worlds biggest corporatetraining centre here, have also come forward to lend its facilitiesto house the visiting delegates. There are about 200 hotels in the city which have about 8,000rooms, but not all are ideal for housing the delegates as a majorityof the hotels cater to tourists from the low and mid-income category. However, stakeholders in the hospitality sector have retainedabout 20 per cent of the rooms for their regular business clients aswell as for walk-in tourists as the main season for tourists whichstarted from October to January end, Mr Rajendra added. Meanwhile tourist operators involved in hiring the four wheelerswith all kinds vehicles were busy in leading their vehicles to themega event. The varcity of Mysuru being the host were booked morethen 200 cars and other type of vehicles for the VVIP and VIPSalong with the regular vehicles with them. The university has spentlaks of rupees for the same in term it benefited the agencies.UNI BSP RS VV RSS1528 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0284-524051.Xml The concept was mooted by Indian Science Academy and as per theadvise of the Chairman of Karnataka Knowledge Commission and formerISRO Chairman Dr K Kasturirangan. An MoU was signed between ISA and the Karnataka government inpresence of Dr Kasturirangan at Vidhana Soudha and TourismDepartment Direct G Satyavathi. The project would promote setting up of galleries to attracttourists offering audio, recorded videos and programmes to depictcultural importance of the areas along the banks of river Cauvery,which has remained biggest tourist spots in the country. The state government had announced implementation of this projectin the current budget and has kept aside Rs 3.5 crore to set up such galleries. UNI RS VV RSS1559 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0284-524148.Xml A review meeting was held here to asses the preparation for the upcoming visit of President Pranab Mukherjee to Ranchi and Hazaribagh. In the meeting, chaired by Chief Secretary Rajeev Gauba, discussions were held on the security and various other issues and details about preparations would be sent to the Rashtrapati Bhavan. DC Ranchi and the SSP apprised in details about the preparations for the visit.Among those present included Principal Secretary Raj Bhawan M R Meena, DGP D K Pandey and various other officials.UNI AK AD SW AS1721 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0108-524399.Xml Jharkhand Chief Secretary Rajeev Gauba today said as per the directions of Chief Minister Raghubar Das a secretary level official at the district level would monitor the progress of implementation of the development schemes being carried out by the Gram Pancahayats. Reviewing the progress of the 'Yojana Banao Abhiyaan', he directed the officials that review should be done at the secretary level and plan should also be made to outline who the scheme would be prepared by the panchayats. Principal Secretary of the Rural Development Department N N Sinha said the secretaries of the various departments would carry out the review of the Yojana Banao Abhiyaan after February 15 either through video conferencing or by visiting the district concerned. During the meeting, it was informed that as per the recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission Rs 4,000 crore would be received as funds which would be directly send to 4,500 panchayats. UNI AK AD SW AS1707 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0214-524395.Xml Located at the northernmost tip of northeast Indian, Arunachal Pradesh, was fortunately, shielded from major impacts of the deadly Manipur earthquake because of its geography and geology, said experts, cautioning against complacency. They say lessons must be learnt from the disaster to build site-specific quake-resilient structures. Famous for its biodiversity, Arunachal Pradesh, sharing international borders with Myanmar, China and Bhutan, was perhaps the least affected when a 6.7-magnitude temblor along the Indo-Myanmar border jolted Indias northeast and east and neighbours Myanmar, Bhutan and Bangladesh. At least eight people were killed and more than 120 injured in the Manipur temblor that affected its other northeast sisters including Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Sikkim and Nagaland. A six-storey under-construction building toppled in Manipur's capital Imphal where the iconic Mothers' Market also took a hit. Arunachal was outside a 50 km radius range from the epicentre at Manipurs Tamenglong region. In addition, the geology in Arunachal Pradesh is different, B.K. Rastogi, former director general of Gandhinagar-based Institute of Seismological Research (ISR) told IANS. The soil in Manipurs quake-hot areas is alluvial which magnified the seismic waves, but most of Arunachal is rocky which doesnt have similar amplification effects, explained Rastogi. Common principles of geography and energy distribution played a key role in the state escaping the disaster. As the distance from the epicenter increases there is an equal decrease in the energy released and subsequently a decrease in the effect. This is one of the factors why Arunachal Pradesh did not see damage during the Monday's quake, Gibji Nimasow, a professor in the geography department of the Rajiv Gandhi University, Arunachal Pradesh, told IANS. Manipur bore the brunt of the temblor, which struck at 4.35 am and left a trail of devastation in the region: at least four people were injured in southern Assam, walls of some residences and other buildings cracked in Tripura, Mizoram and Nagaland where the intensity was strong. IIT-Guwahatis Chandan Mahanta pointed out the quake was distinguishable from other temblors in the region because of its duration (more than 30-plus seconds) but Arunachal, home to the great Indian hornbills, was lucky time-wise too. "While the first quake was only for a second in Arunachal Pradesh, the second quake on Monday lasted for few seconds, less than a minute, which saved the state from disaster," Nimasow elaborated. While the magnitude of the tremor was 6.7 in Manipur and Assam, it slumped below 6 in Arunachal, said Nimasow. The potential to cause damage was low as the temblors intensity was less, disaster management coordinator for UNDP project Sarat Das, told IANS, from Tripura, adding the quake was classified as a moderate intensity one. According to the USGS, moderate to large earthquakes in the region around northeast India, where the subcontinent collides with the Eurasia plate, are fairly common. India's northeast region is considered the world's sixth most earthquake-prone belt. In the last 100 years, some 19 other quakes greater than magnitude-6 have occurred within a 250 km range from the site of Mondays temblor. The largest was a magnitude-8 quake in 1946. But northeast India has not learnt its lessons yet despite its vulnerability, lamented Durgesh C Rai, of IIT-Kanpurs National Information Centre of Earthquake Engineering. Copying building designs from other cities for modernisation is not right. Buildings in earthquake prone regions should be according to the site-specific codes, Rai told IANS. (Sahana Ghosh can be contacted at sahana.g@ians.in) --indo Asian News Service sgh-ah-sc/vm ( 588 Words) 2016-01-06-18:55:35 (IANS) Leader of the Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh assembly and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) general secretary Swami Prasad Maurya today met the state Governor Ram Naik and is reported to have given his reply on the Lokayukta appointment controversy.Rajbhawan sources here said it was a courtesy call by the BSP leader to wish the Governor on the occasion of the New Year.Mr Maurya also handed over the reply to the Governor on the letter sent by the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court D Y Chandrachud over the appointment row on the Lokayukta of the state, sources said. Earlier, the Governor had sent the copy of the letter of the Chief Justice to Mr Maurya and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who were the members of the committee and had sought their reply last month.The Chief Justice, in his letter to the Governor, had objected to the UP government's move to recommend the name of Justice (Retd) Virendra Singh in the list of the probables for the Lokyukta to the Supreme Court. Later, UP government had clarified that Leader of the Opposition of the assembly Mr Maurya had recommended the name of Justice Virendra Singh. The apex court has stayed the oath taking ceremony of Justice Virendra Singh at the last moment after a PIL was moved against the appointment.UNI MB JN 1859 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-524686.Xml BEIJING - A newly-built airfield on a reef in the South China Sea will help ensure flight and navigation safety for airplanes and ships in the area and greatly improve the ability of marine salvagers, a Chinese official said Monday. China has finished building the airfield on Yongshu Jiao in China's Nansha Islands, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying confirmed Saturday. The South China Sea has long been a very important seaway connecting China and the rest of the world, as well as a sea corridor between the Pacific and Indian Ocean, said Pan Wei, chief engineer of China Rescue and Salvage under the Ministry of Transport. "The severe shortage of navigation safety facilities, emergency rescue forces and equipment to deal with oil spills in the South China Sea has impeded the navigation security and economic and social development in the area," Pan said. The lighthouses on Huayang and Chigua reefs, which went into operation in October 2015, have filled a gap in civil navigation facilities and significantly improved navigation safety in the South China Sea, the official said. "The lighthouses provide vessels from various countries with sailing directions, safety information, emergency assistance and other public services, reducing navigation risks and marine accidents," Pan said. As a responsible country, China will continue promoting the building of emergency response and rescue facilities in an effort to shoulder the international obligations of search and rescue operations, marine environmental protection, disaster prevention and reduction, and navigation safety in the South China Sea, the official said. The lighthouses on Huayang and Chigua reefs are the start of the nation's efforts to construct civilian facilities for guiding and aiding navigation in the South China Sea, Pan said. The airfield on Yongshu Jiao of China's Nansha Islands will enhance the navigation safety in the busy sea lane. Nearly 40 percent of global trade is carried through the South China Sea, which sees the passage of at least 40,000 ships annually. Despite the significant role it plays, the security situation in the South China Sea is complicated. This was partially highlighted by the global search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in March 2014 as problems including lack of infrastructure, weak rescue forces and insufficient public services in the area undermined the timeliness of emergency response and assistance. Waters surrounding the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea are filled with busy shipping lanes and fishing activity. But since they are far from the Chinese mainland, immediate responses to shipwrecks, natural disasters or pirate attacks are difficult. On these occasions, the authorities will be unable to protect personnel in danger and help the ships and airplanes in the area, Pan said. The airfield on Yongshu Jiao will significantly reduce the travel time from the Chinese mainland to Nansha Islands, changing the old reliance on vessels for transportation and rescue. According to Pan, the airfield will also provide more convenient transportation for the residents on the islands and the personnel who are safeguarding the islands and reefs. Satnam Singh, a resident of Pandher village, situated one and half km away from the Tibri Military Station area, saw two suspicious persons moving near the cantonment area when he was working in his field. Army and Punjab Police cordoned off the Tibri Military Station and launched a search operation. Gurdaspur SSP Gurpreet Singh Toor and Deputy Commissioner Abhinav Trikha are supervising the situation personally.UNI XC DB SW AS1926 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-524790.Xml Services sector activity boosted the overall economic activity in India during December, a business survey showed. The Nikkei India composite PMI which is a key macro data that indicates monthly trends in overall economic activity rose to 51.6 in December from 50.2 in November. An index reading of above 50 indicates an overall increase in the economic activity, while below 50 an overall decline. The composite PMI weighs the average of the manufacturing output index and the services business activity index. It is based on original survey data collected from around 700 companies spread across sectors in India. The composite PMI report published by the leading global diversified provider of financial information services -- "Markit" said that the latest improvement was driven by services, as sentiment turned positive for the sector. However, manufacturing production declined for the first time since October 2013. "The private sector returned to expansion territory at the end of 2015, making out modest output growth in December," said Pollyanna De Lima, economist with Markit. "A stronger rise in new business and an improvement in year-ahead expectations at service providers are positive developments, but the overall health of the economy remains fragile amid a weak manufacturing sector." On a standalone basis, the Nikkei India manufacturing PMI recorded a 28-month low in December at 49.1, down from 50.3 reported in November. The Nikkei services business activity index for December stood at 53.6 from November's 50.1. The services index noted growth in four out of the six surveyed categories, led by 'other services' and financial intermediation. The survey revealed an increase in new business inflows and improvement in demand conditions for the services sector. Notwithstanding the rise in new business generation, services sector employment levels remained unchanged. UNI ABI ASH PR1946 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0388-524970.Xml President Pranab Mukherjee today said Pandit Madan Mohan Takalankar had a historic contribution in spreading education among women as well as driving out social stigma in the 19th century of Bengal by fostering a scientific approach. Mr Mukherjee mentioned the role of Madan Mohan and his classmate Iswarchandra Vidyasagar of Sanskrit College for spreading literacy among women The President said Madan Mohan was a social reformer who laid a strong foundation for the spread of education in Bengal and it was this scholarly person who sent his two daughters to Calcutta Female School founded by Sir John Drink Water Beatton to encourage the girls of the city. He was addressing a function to mark the beginning of the bicentenary celebration of Pandit Madan Mohan Tarkalankar at his birth place of Bilwagram, in Nadia district of West Bengal. Referring to the first Bengali Primer Shishu Path in three volumes by Madan Mohan he said this was a text book in the lower classes for a long long time and even Rabindranath Tagore had gone through it in his school days. The President also laid the foundation stone of Pandit Tarkalankar Bhawan and a gate in memory of the great educationist who, in his view, could have contributed much more to enrich Bengali and Sanskrit literature had he lived a little longer than 41 years. Later the Mr Mukherjee visited his ancestral place at the same village from where his ancestors left for Birbhum where he was born in the village of Miriti. The President was full of nostalgia to recollect the history of his family and said that his forefathers resided at Bilwagram till 100 years ago. The Governor of West Bengal Keshari Nath Tripathy, MP Abhijit Mukherjee, Minister in Charge of Technical Education Ujjwal Biswas and the Zilla Sabhadhipati Bani Kumar Roy, were among others present at the function. Dr Basudeb Mandal, a noted doctor and the Chairman of Tarkalankar Memorial Committee informed that the first Tarkalankar Memorial Award will be given to Dr. Nirmal Das, a teacher of Rabindra Bharati University. UNI BM SW PR1954 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0214-525007.Xml The Union Defense Minister Manohar Parrikartoday maintained that the extended operation to gun down theterrorists who raided Pathankot Air Base was to minimise casualtiesamong the Indian side and this was the reason the operation took along time. Speaking to reporters here, on the sidelines of a privatefunction, he said saving the lives of Indian security personal wasprominent and it was the reason the operation was extended. Mr Parrikar said Indian Army will give a befitting reply to anyterror act against the country and it was ready to safeguard itsterritory including Kashmir. ''The Government will not have any compromise about the securityof the nation and will act positively to safeguard its interest. Theaction taken in Pathankot was stern but if there was delay (inneutralising the terrorists) was due to safeguarding of lives ofIndian security personnel. Care has been taken to see that thesecurity of nation's property is kept intact,'' he said. He lauded the service of the soldiers to save the airbase andpaid his homage to the martyrs on this occasion. He also said thatthe families of these martyrs also will be given due compensation. Referring to Kalasa-Banduri nalla diversion project, he said thatsince the matter is before the Tribuanal it would be only politicalstatement. He would not like to comment at this stage on this issue. He said he had already spoken to the State BJP president andMember of Parliament on this issue. ''Let the Chief Minister of Karnataka discuss the issue with theChief Minister of Goa. He would also talk to the Chief Minister ofGoa,'' he said. He said that he would provide all sort of he help to solve Kalasa-Banduri diversion issue and the MP Pralhad Joshi will act on it. UNI XR RS KVV AK2000 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0284-525068.Xml Haryana Urban Local Bodies Minister Kavita Jain has said a meeting would be held between officers and office-bearers of the employees union in the first week of February to resolve the issues concerning employees of the municipal corporations in the state. Presiding over a meeting of the Haryana Municipal Employees Union here today, she said that the state government is committed to the welfare and well being of the employees. Ms Jain discussed the grievances of the Municipal Corporation employees and assured them that their genuine demands would be given due consideration.UNI DB SW AN2003 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-524942.Xml : A convict's mother in former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination today submitted her petition to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, urging her for the release of her son. A release said here Arputham Ammal is seeking the release of her son A.G. Perarivalan. It may be recalled that Perarivalan was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in connection with assassination of Rajiv Gandhi at an election rally at Sriperumbudur, adjacent to the city on May 21, 1991. In her petition, Ms Arputham Ammal urged the state government to release her son under article-161 of the Constitution, under which a governor has the power to grant pardon and reprieve or suspend or commute the sentence of any convict. Ms Ammal also requested the government to take into consideration Perarivalan's exemplary conduct in prison and his deteriorating health condition, while deciding on his mercy petition. A woman suicide bomber from Sri Lanka's now vanquished Liberation of Tamil Tigers Eelam(LTTE) blew up Rajiv Gandhi at the start of an election rally. Several other people also died in the mind-boggling explosion, the release added.UNI XC KVV AK 2105 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0415-525057.Xml England, who started the day at 16-0, suffered a top order collapse after losing three wickets in the first hour of the day as the hosts began to sense the unlikeliest of comeback victories. In the post-lunch session, two more wickets fell, and at tea, the visitors were struggling at 155/6. However, to their rescue, bad light and a bit of rain forced the players off the field, just after adding four more runs to that total to be 159/6. When rain and bad light intervened in the sixth over of the final session, the visitors could already rest easy, their lead 161 with four wickets left. With the clouds rolling in, the floodlights on and slight drizzling, both the captains shook hands and decided to end the match in a draw. England all-rounder Ben Stokes, who destroyed the South African bowling by scoring 248 runs in the first innings, was adjudged man of the match. England still lead the 4-match series 1-0. The two teams will now lock horns in the third Test starting from January 14 in Johannesburg. (ANI) The committee examined the proposals based on the report of a Central Team, which visited the affected states by severe drought, and approved Rs 433.77 crore to Andhra Pradesh, Rs 815 crore to Odisha and Rs 1304.52 crore to Uttar Pradesh, while deferred the decision in case of Telangana to the next week. Union Minister for Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information and Broadcasting Arun Jaitley, Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Radha Mohan Singh, Vice-Chairman NITI Aayog Arvind Panagariya, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and senior officers of the m,ministries of home, finance and agriculture attended the meeting. (ANI) A Zonal Workshop on Micro Finance for Bankers and NGOs of 7 districts was organised at agriculture cooperative staff institute at Jalandhar today in which LDMs of adjoining district, District Manager of Cooperative Banks, representatives of Punjab Gramin Banks and NGOs participated. Addressing the workshop Dr. PM Ghole Chief General Manager NABARD asked the bankers to lend a helping hand to the poors so that they can come up in the life. Sominder Singh, assistant general manager NABARD explained the channel of Micro finances to self help groups and joint liability groups to reach out the masses. Deputy District Manager of the bank Rajesh Dutta informed that 1749 self help groups have opened their saving accounts with banks, of which 1219 groups were financed by the banks. Mr Balwan Singh LDM UCO Bank Jalandhar, Sarooj Kapoor Secretary Jagdambay Women Welfare Society and Dr Gursharan Singh Suraksha Group have also shared their experience in financing the self help groups and joint liability groups.UNI XC CJ AJ NS2232 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-525146.Xml Speaking to mediapersons here, the Foreign Minister said during the Prime Minister's visit, some agreements would also be signed with India to implement past understandings. "The preliminary preparations for the visit have been completed. India will be the first country for Prime Minister Oli to pay an official visit after assuming the office," said Thapa. He said the Prime Minister will leave for India on an appropriate time as the preliminary preparations have been completed. Congratulating Prime Minister Oli on his election to the top executive post, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also invited his Nepalese counterpart to visit India, said Thapa. Thapa said Prime Minister Modi had reiterated his invitation to Prime Minister Oli during a telephone conversation between them last week. The Chinese government has also extended invitation to Prime Minister Oli for an official visit. "Nepal wants to maintain cordial relationship with both the neighbours," Thapa pointed out. (ANI) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today said this year will be celebrated as Poor Peoples Welfare Year during which apart from giving land possession rights to the poverty-stricken, work to ensure farmers' prosperity will also be undertaken. The Chief Minister was interacting with residents of various villages in Satna Districts Maihar Tehsil, an official release said. Possession shall be granted to traditional forest dwellers, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes vis--vis jungle land occupied by them. Dialysis machines will be made available in all district hospitals by Republic Day. Single-phase motors shall be attached to hand pumps in potable water problem-ridden villages. A sum of Rs 119 crore is being distributed to drought-affected peasants in Satna District, he said.UNI AC CJ AJ AN2326 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0044-525296.Xml The incident took place on Tuesday in Marjah in Afghanistan's Helmand province, Peter Cook, spokesman for the US Defence Department said, adding that a number of Afghan forces were also injured, Xinhua news agency reported. Two Medevac helicopters were sent to provide assistance. One was waived off after taking fire and returned safely to its base, and the second landed safely but sustained damage to its rotor blades after it apparently struck a wall, Cook said. The spokesman said a fight is still going on in the immediate surroundings. The US-backed forces have been fighting to suppress the Taliban in Marjah for weeks. "The situation in Helmand and throughout Afghanistan remains challenging," Cook said. "But we are confident that the Afghan national security and defense forces are continuing to develop the capabilities and capacity to secure the country against a persistent insurgent threat." --Indo-Asian News Service pku ( 175 Words) 2016-01-06-06:19:35 (IANS) Federal and local law enforcement officials asked for the public's help in piecing together the movements of a married couple in the hours after they killed 14 people at a county office building in San Bernardino, California.In making the appeal at a news conference in San Bernardino, authorities said investigators had accounted for all but 18 minutes of a nearly four-hour span on Dec. 2, the day Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik stormed into a holiday party shortly before 11 am. and opened fire."We want to know as much as we can know about their activities leading up to and following the shooting," FBI spokesman David Bowdich said. In addition to the 14 people killed, 22 others were wounded.Bowdich said that investigators had been able construct a 3-hour, 42-minute timeline of the couple's whereabouts beginning when Farook left home at 8:37 am. and ending when he and Malik died in a gun battle with police that afternoon.But that timeline contains an 18-minute gap beginning at 12:59 p.m. (2059 GMT) during which the husband and wife were not captured on any surveillance cameras or spotted by witnesses, leaving open the possibility that they visited a storage unit, residence or business.Bowdich said that after Farook and Malik left the Inland Regional Center following a shooting rampage that only took a few minutes, they drove seemingly at random around central San Bernardino, for reasons that remain unclear."They did a lot of zig-zagging around, back and forth, there is no rhyme or reason to it that we've been able to determine," he said.The couple also visited a small lake at a San Bernardino park and sat for a time in a parking lot. They were spotted by police after briefly returning home and died a short time later after exchanging gunfire with law enforcement.Bowdich said that after conducting 550 interviews and collecting some 500 pieces of evidence, investigators continue to believe Farook and Malik were inspired by Islamic extremism but not directed by any foreign entities.Contrary to early reports, there was no indication that Farook had stormed out of the party at the social services agency, where he worked, or had argued with anyone.He said Farook had even posed for photos while at the party before leaving mid-way through, returning with his wife, and gunning down 14 of his co-workers. REUTERS GAU PR 0435 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0098-523572.Xml The White House said that it could not confirm North Korea's claims that it had successfully conducted a test of a miniaturised hydrogen nuclear device, but it will continue to monitor the situation."While we cannot confirm these claims at this time, we condemn any violation of UNSC Resolutions and again call on North Korea to abide by its international obligations and commitments," said White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price in a statement late yesterday.Price said the United States will continue to "protect and defend our allies in the region," and will "respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations."REUTERS KU RAI1100 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0348-523682.Xml The United Nations Security Council is planning to hold an emergency meeting today to discuss North Korea's latest reported nuclear test, three council diplomats said.Speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity late yesterday, the diplomats said the meeting would probably take place at 11 a.m. ET (2130 IST). One diplomat said the meeting would likely be held behind closed doors.Another council diplomat said the United States and Japan jointly requested the urgent council meeting.It was not immediately clear what action, if any, the 15-nation council was planning to take in response to the North Korean statement that it conducted a fourth nuclear test.Pyongyang has been under UN Security Council sanctions due to its nuclear weapons program since it first tested an atomic device in 2006. REUTERS KU RAI1103 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0348-523689.Xml Japan strongly protests North Korea's latest nuclear test and will be in close contact with the governments of the United States, South Korea, China and Russia over the issue, its top government spokesman said today."This is something we can not accept, we strongly protest this," chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference.North Korea said it had successfully conducted a test of a miniaturised hydrogen nuclear device this morning. REUTERS KU RAI1105 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0348-523709.Xml According to The Dawn, US State Department spokesperson John Kirby urged Pakistan to act against perpetrators of the deadly attack. He said that the US wants India and Pakistan to resolve all issues bilaterally. He also said that the US strongly encourages the two neighbours to remain firm on their commitments of a secure future for their countries and for the region. (ANI) Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was quick to condemn the execution of Saudi cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, stating: "Without a doubt, the hated Saudi regime will pay a price for this shameful act." For an organization deeply involved in wars in Syria and Iraq this looks no idle threat, at least in the eyes of Sunni Gulf Arab states like Saudi Arabia who say Shi'ite rival Tehran is bent on undermining their security. The Guard's furious comment is not a call for direct conflict with Riyadh, something neither country wants. But it is a reminder to Gulf Arabs that the IRGC, with connections in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the region, has many ways to wage the long cold war between Tehran and its Arab foes. Tehran denies interfering in Arab lands. But the Quds Force, the arm of the Guards that operates abroad, has contributed fighters, weapons and military supplies to back Iran's interests and policies across the region. That prospect is worrying for a region where conflicts or political crises from Lebanon and Syria to Yemen, Iraq and Bahrain involve proxies of both powers who are at daggers drawn. A day after the IRGC issued its statement, which described Saudi rulers as "terrorist fostering, hated and anti-Islam", Riyadh broke off diplomatic relations with Tehran, escalating a contest for power that underpins the region's turmoil. There is no firm indication that Iran's factionalised leadership has agreed how far it should go to avenge the death of Nimr -- who was one of 47 people executed by Saudi Arabia on Saturday -- and what methods should be used. But whatever steps are authorised, the Guards are likely to be involved, although as orchestrators more than direct participants, experts say. "The Guard will not respond directly," said Hilal Khashan, a professor of political science at the American University of Beirut. RIVALRY "They have their operatives, their people, their connections everywhere in the region who will answer what the Saudis did and actually escalate. Iran is in a very strong position to respond in the Saudi Arabian eastern province. And they can do a lot in Bahrain." Moderate voices on both sides do not have an interest in seeing the situation escalate into a full conflict, experts say. And yet the rivals often compete indirectly through allies, which lends the contest an element of unpredictability: Some Iranian proxies may be encouraged by the tough rhetoric coming from Tehran to carry out attacks not sanctioned by the Guard. "Both sides are loath to see tensions spiral out of control. They are more likely than not to prevent this cold conflict from deteriorating into a hot one, while stepping up their proxy wars across the region," said Ali Vaez, the senior Iran analyst at the International Crisis Group. "But with tensions reaching new heights, now more than ever, they run the risk of unintended direct confrontation." The Quds Force has gained valuable military experience in recent years and now plays a dominant role within the IRGC, experts say. In some cases, Guard fighters and their Shi'ite proxies have fought against Sunni groups directly supported by Saudi Arabia in Syria and Iraq. The IRGC has also established intelligence networks among the Shi'ite populations in the Gulf states. It has the potential to undermine Saudi Arabia and its allies' interests using sympathetic Shi'ites to stir political unrest or engage in violent attacks, experts say. Saudi Arabia has a sizable Shi'ite community in the east of the country, while the majority of Bahrain's citizens are Shi'ites who live under a Sunni monarchy. A failed uprising which began in Bahrain in 2011 was largely focused on gaining more democratic rights for the country's Shi'ites. In the Guards' statement, they warned that the youth and Muslims of Saudi Arabia would take "tough revenge" which would lead to the fall of the Saudi government. The Iranians could also revive the resentment that drove the Bahrain uprising. RED LINE "I think the Iranians think they can actually have a victory in Bahrain which would be a red line for the Saudis," said a Western diplomat in Beirut who asked not to be identified. "A key part of the Iranian narrative is that Bahrain is a majority Shi'ite nation that is being oppressed and not allowed democracy." The bulk of Iran's tough rhetoric has come from hardline groups like the Guards, some of whom have also criticised the nuclear deal agreed with world powers last year aimed at lifting most sanctions against the country. More diplomatic isolation is not good news for pragmatic Iranian President Hassan Rouhani who, with the blessing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, pushed for the deal in order to expand Iran's ties with the international community. Rouhani managed to normalise ties with the West somewhat through the deal and started the new year with an optimistic tweet hoping that in 2016 countries can "look for reasons to make peace, not excuses for hostility". But now facing the biggest diplomatic crisis of his government, Rouhani might not be able to persuade the Guards to dial down their paramilitary activism in favour of diplomacy. That could lead the Guards to push their allies within Saudi Arabia to carry out violent attacks. "Should the IRGC desire to use terrorism on Saudi soil to retaliate against the House of Saud, the IRGC is likely to find it easier to find recruits among the Shia in Saudi Arabia," said Ali Alfoneh, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and an expert on the Revolutionary Guards. It is unlikely the Guards would do much to hit Saudi interests in Syria or Iraq. But harsh anti-Saudi rhetoric from Iran may spur some of the militias trained and armed by Tehran to act on their own, experts say. ANGRY MILITIAMEN "Iran has created a Frankenstein with the Shi'ite militias in Iraq," said the Western diplomat in Beirut. "When you keep emphasizing this notion of Saudi Arabia and its proxies oppressing Shia -- and you've got these angry militiamen -- at some point they're going to be out of Iran's control. There's always the risk of that kind of escalation." For their part, the Saudis could boost their financial and military support to Sunni militant groups in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon to counter the Iranian threat, experts say. Still, it would be difficult for the Saudis to prevail in a political and diplomatic showdown with Iran, experts say. "The fact that the Saudis have decided to sever their diplomatic relations with Iran means that they are, in their own minds, ready for an all-out confrontation with Iran," Khashan said. "There is nothing the Saudis can do to destabilize Iran whereas the Iranians on the other hand have every means conceivable to destabilize Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, namely Bahrain." REUTERS KU SB1145 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0348-523768.Xml Malaysia Airlines resumed normal check-in baggage allowances on all its flights today after banning it temporarily due to strong head winds on the longer routes it was taking for safety reasons. The airline said it has recently had to operate a longer route to Europe, which combined with strong head winds, limited the airlines' ability to carry baggage and cargo. The airline did not elaborate on the safety reasons behind its new flight paths to Europe but one of its airliners was shot down over rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine in 2014 with the loss of all 298 people on board. It banned checked-in baggage on flights to Amsterdam and Paris operated by its Boeing 777 aircraft. "Based on its current risk assessment, done on a daily basis, the airline is now able to take a shorter route on European flights," the airline said in a statement. All baggage is being shipped to affected customers in Europe, it added. The airline suffered two disasters in 2014. In March that year, its flight MH370 carrying 239 passengers and crew disappeared while on a flight to China and is believed to have gone down in the Indian Ocean.REUTERS KU SB1146 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0348-523769.Xml Citing the massacre of innocents in Newtown to gunning down of Sikh worshippers in Oak Creek, a tearful President Barack Obama vowed to curb gun violence with commonsense reforms sidestepping the US Congress. But analysts said his move to curb mass shootings through executive action is bound to face legal and political challenges in the face of a powerful gun lobby and a Republican controlled legislature. "Second Amendment rights (to bear arms) are important, but there are other rights that we care about as well. And we have to be able to balance them," said Obama in the White House East Room Tuesday, flanked by relatives of those struck down in mass shootings. "Our right to worship freely and safely -- that right was denied to Christians in Charleston, South Carolina," he said amid applause. "And that was denied Jews in Kansas City. And that was denied Muslims in Chapel Hill, and Sikhs in Oak Creek. They had rights, too," added Obama. "Every time I think about those kids it gets me mad," he said wiping tears from his eyes. "So all of us need to demand a Congress brave enough to stand up to the gun lobby's lies," said Obama proposing expansion of background checks for buyers. The measure clarifies that individuals "in the business of selling firearms" register as licensed gun dealers, effectively narrowing the so-called "gun show loophole," which exempts most small sellers from keeping formal sales records. Existing law exempts gun collectors and hobbyists from conducting a background check before selling a firearm. His administration is also proposing a new $500 million investment to expand mental health treatment across the country. Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan, said the president had never respected the Second Amendment and that his speech and his actions "amount to a form of intimidation that undermines liberty." Several Republican presidential candidates have already pledged to undo the executive actions if they are elected in 2016. The National Rifle Association (NRA) dismissed Obama's move on Tuesday and pledged to fight for gun owner rights, but did not immediately outline a planned legal challenge. The New York Times said Obama's plan "faces legal, political and logistical hurdles that are likely to blunt the effect of the plan he laid out." A number of the executive actions he plans are only suggested "guidance" for federal agencies, not binding regulations, the Times pointed out. "And many of those measures rely on hefty funding increases that a Republican-led Congress is almost certain to reject," it said. "Proposals that would have the biggest effect have long been shelved by even the most ardent gun control advocates who now see an assault weapons ban or mandatory gun buyback programmes like ones in Australia in 1996 and 2003 as political fantasy," the Times said. (Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in ) --Indo-Asian News Service ak Ak/tb ( 491 Words) 2016-01-06-12:57:36 (IANS) One year on, an anxious, fragmented France is paying tribute to the victims of the killings at Charlie Hebdo magazine, with old divisions made worse by what President Francois Hollande has called "a terrible year".After the Islamist attacks that killed 17 on January 7-9 last year at the satirical weekly and at a Jewish supermarket, the French rallied, marched and lit candles in emotional gatherings celebrated as "the spirit of January 11", the day four million took to the streets.But cracks in that unity soon appeared and, a year later, after an even bloodier assault on Paris by another set of home-grown Islamists in November, politicians are embroiled in a bitter debate over homeland security, and the anti-immigrant National Front (FN) is stronger than ever.The slogan "Je suis Charlie," a defiant cry of solidarity that appeared everywhere immediately after the killings, is little seen a year on."Events such as the January or November attacks trigger moments of unity, in reaction. But that is not enough to offset deep divisions," said Brice Teinturier, head of the Ipsos polling organisation in France."The divisions are huge. There are several Frances and they are clashing," he said, describing a France of big cities turned towards the future, a rustbelt France that feels crushed by globalisation, and a France of housing estates that feels forgotten.Regional elections last month highlighted those divisions.In the first round, the National Front came first, doing well in rural and small-town France. In the run-off, voters in big cities helped to keep the Front out of power, exposing another deep split, this time between those who look to the far-right for hope and those who reject it.In a further sign of tension, a Muslim prayer hall was ransacked to cries of "Arabs out" during a protest rally in Corsica after firemen were attacked last month on a housing estate with a large migrant population.DIVISIVEWhile the "spirit of January" prompted politicians of all sides to paper over differences for a while, the November 13 killings of 130 people across Paris were quickly followed by criticism and divisions.The most divisive issue is the Socialist government's plan to strip dual citizens of their French nationality in terrorism cases, a proposal supported by the National Front and until now opposed by left-wing politicians.Opinion polls show the plan is overwhelmingly backed by voters, but it caused outcry within the ruling Socialist party and its allies. Even Hollande's justice minister and his former prime minister criticised it.Opponents say the plan would further divide a fragmented society by making distinctions among French citizens. Hollande urges critics to rally behind him in the name of national unity.About five per cent of French people aged between 18 and 50 hold two passports. That is the case for two-thirds of north Africans who have become French, but only a third of their children. They form the majority of France's Muslim population, the biggest in Europe."Instead of addressing the real issues to boost cohesion, (the government) pretends they come from abroad and wants to push them abroad," said Dominique Sopo, the head of anti-racism group SOS Racisme.SOS Racisme has received calls from people who for the first time felt discriminated against because of their ethnic background or skin colour, he said."There is a lot of tension around everything that has to do with religion and secularism," said Nicolas Cadene, a senior official at France's Observatory of Secularism, a government body that promotes secular values."It's linked to the social, political, economic and identity crisis that France is going through, which leads some to withdraw into their shells, to turn to identity politics."While most French people rallied together after the Charlie Hebdo shootings, that unity started to crack after a few days.Some high school children in poorer suburbs with large immigrant populations rejected the "Je suis Charlie" slogan because they did not want to support a publication that lampoons religion.Social and economic fragmentation was already a major theme in Jacques Chirac's 1995 presidential campaign. His pledge to tackle the "social fracture" that caused economic inequality helped to get him elected.Yet critics say neither he nor subsequent presidents have managed to bridge the gap between France's privileged insiders and its struggling outsiders.It will be a big issue in the 2017 presidential elections."What does France stand for? This will be the question for 2017," said Stephane Rozes, head of the CAP political analysis group. Mainstream parties must look harder for credible answers, he said. "If it's just empty words, it will play into the hands of the FN and the Islamists."REUTERS KU RAI1213 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0348-523791.Xml France today condemned North Korea's reported test of a hydrogen bomb, calling for a "strong reaction from the international community", President Francois Hollande's office said in a statement. The statement called the reported test "an unacceptable violation of (UN) Security Council resolutions". North Korea said it successfully tested a miniaturised hydrogen nuclear device on Wednesday, claiming a significant advance in the isolated state's strike capability and setting off alarm bells in Japan and South Korea.REUTERS KU SB1228 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0348-523814.Xml In controversial remarks, Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain has condemned terror attack at Pathankot airbase but said Pakistan would continue to pursue Kashmir as "unfinsihed agenda" as Pakistan "is incomplete without Kashmir." "Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain has said that Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations including the incident at Pathankot, however Pakistan, would continue to adhere to the principled stand of the right of self-determination of Kashmiri people which is the basis of its foreign policy," a statement from President's Office said. The President said this while talking to a delegation of Kashmiri leaders which called on him at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, Islamabad yesterday. On the occasion, Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Muhammad Barjees Tahir, Pok 'President' Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob Khan, PoK 'Prime Minister' Chaudhry Abdul Majeed, leaders of All Parties Hurriyat Conference were also present. The meeting was organised to mark the day of passing of United Nations resolution for the right of self-determination of Kashmir and as a part of commemoration of Quaid-e-Azams birth anniversary. He assured the Kashmiri leadership that ''there would be no change in the principled stand of Pakistan on Kashmir and it would continue to support the just aspirations of oppressed people of the occupied Kashmir''. Condemning the attack on airbase in Pathankot, the President said Pakistan was against all kind of terrorism. Mr Tahir, Mr Yaqoob Khan, Mr Majeed and other Kashmiri leaders also expressed their views on the occasion and highlighted the Kashmir issue.UNI PRA RSA ADG 1202 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0384-523726.Xml No radiation had been detected from North Korea's nuclear test on Wednesday at Japanese monitoring posts, Japan's top government spokesman said. "As of 4.45 this afternoon, no radiation has been detected at any Japanese monitoring posts," chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference. He added that Japan could propose to the United Nations various economic and other sanctions against North Korea in cooperation with the United States, but did not give details. North Korea said it successfully conducted a test of a miniaturised hydrogen nuclear device today.REUTERS PS CS1526 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-524112.Xml Iraq will mediate to try to resolve the diplomatic row between Iran and Saudi Arabia, its Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said today, according to a translation of his comments. He was speaking in a joint press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif broadcast live on Iranian state television. Jaafari's translated comments were broadcast in a caption on Iran's English-language channel Press TV. Zarif said Saudi Arabia was fuelling tension in the region while Tehran was trying to defuse it. "Creating tension is not a sign of power, but weakness," he said.REUTERS PS CS1533 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-524156.Xml Indonesian authorities are working with their counterparts in China to stem a flow of ethnic Uighur militants seeking to join Islamist jihadists in the world's most populous Muslim country, Indonesia's counter-terrorism chief said. Saud Usman Nasution's comments come amid mounting concern in Indonesia about possible attacks by sympathisers of the Islamic State group and follows the arrest of 13 men across the island of Java, including a Muslim Uighur with a suicide-bomb vest. The appearance among Indonesian militant networks of Uighurs, who come from the Xinjiang region in far-western China, is likely to add to Beijing's concerns that exiles will return to their homeland as experienced and trained jihadists. China says Islamist militants and separatists operate in energy-rich Xinjiang on the borders of central Asia, where violence has killed hundreds in recent years. Rights groups say much of the unrest can be traced back to frustration at controls over the Uighurs' culture and religion, and that most of those who leave are only fleeing repression not seeking to wage jihad. China denies repressing rights. Nasution, who heads the National Counter-Terrorism Agency, told Reuters in an interview yesterday that several Uighurs had responded to a call last year by Santoso, Indonesia's most high-profile backer of Islamic State, to join his band of fighters. Islamic State and human trafficking networks helped them travel via Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia to Santoso's hideout in an equatorial jungle of eastern Indonesia, he said. However, the would-be suicide bomber arrested on December 23 was hiding in a house just outside the capital, Jakarta. "We are cooperating with China and investigating evidence such as ATM cards and cellphones," Nasution said, adding that an Indonesian team went to China to interview members of the man's family, who would not confirm that they were related to him. There was no immediate comment from China's foreign ministry on whether Beijing is collaborating with Indonesia. "As far as China is concerned, these people are running off, some of them taking part in jihad and planning to strike back," said Pan Zhiping, a terrorism expert at the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences. "Of course we must stop them. I believe, in terms of jointly guarding against extremism, it is necessary that we cooperate." Bilveer Singh of the Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore said the direct involvement of Chinese Uighurs in Southeast Asian militancy added "an external dimension to the existing home-grown terrorist threat". "It could also complicate ties with a rising China, which may want to play a bigger counter-terrorism role in the region," Singh said in a Eurasia Review article. 'SERIOUS CONCERN FOR CHINA' Indonesia's security forces have given Santoso, who styles himself as the commander of the Islamic State army in Indonesia, until January 9 to surrender along with his force of about 40 men on the far-flung island of Sulawesi. However, security analysts believe a larger threat is emerging across the populous island of Java as networks of support for Islamic State grow. Indonesia has been largely successful in disrupting domestic militant cells since the bombing of two nightclubs on the resort island of Bali in 2002, and sporadic attacks have been mainly targeted at the police. The government is now worried that the influence of Islamic State, whose fighters hold swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq, could bring a return of jihadi violence and strikes against foreigners and soft targets. Officials believe there are more than 1,000 Islamic State supporters in Indonesia, and say that between 100 and 300 have returned from Syria, though this includes women and children. Nasution said that monitoring of radical groups had revealed plans to launch attacks on Christmas Eve and around the New Year holiday but the situation was now under control. "They cannot attack like in the Middle East or Europe because we anticipate before they attack. We monitor their activities every day," he said. "Their capability has not increased because their personnel is limited, their funding is limited and explosives are limited." Police spokesman Suharsono said the Uighur arrested just outside Jakarta was part of an Islamic State-affiliated group based in the Central Java city of Solo. Officials declined to comment on media reports that two other Uighurs from the same group were on the run, but they did confirm that three Uighurs were with Santoso. Four others were sentenced last year to six years in prison for conspiring with Indonesian militants. Todd Elliott, a Jakarta-based terrorism analyst for Concord Consulting, said many Uighurs will see Indonesia as more accessible than Turkey or Syria and are exploiting entrenched smuggling and human-trafficking networks to travel around the region undetected. "I am sure returning Uighur fighters are a serious concern of the Chinese government," he said, adding that Islamic State's hardline ideology has gained traction among small minorities in both Xinjiang and Indonesia, binding them closer together.REUTERS PS CS1556 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-524195.Xml In a message to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, Oli said the government of Nepal unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and holds the view that terrorism must be firmly and resolutely dealt with wherever and whenever it takes place. Wishing early recovery of those injured, Oli expressed belief that the perpetrators of the heinous act will be brought to justice at the earliest. In this hour of grief, Oli, on behalf of the government and people of Nepal, extended heartfelt condolences and sympathies to Modi, and through him to the bereaved families, according to a foreign ministry statement. Terrorists believed to be from Pakistan attacked the Indian Air Force (IAF) base at Pathankot in Punjab before dawn on January 2, leaving seven security personnel dead. Security forces killed six terrorists. --Indo-Asian News Service giri/pm/ ( 169 Words) 2016-01-06-16:57:35 (IANS) The German cabinet has approved plans to send up to 650 soldiers to Mali, boosting its presence in the UN peacekeeping mission in the West African country which is beset by Islamist militant violence. It also agreed to increase the numbers of soldiers training Kurdish Peshmerga forces in northern Iraq to up to 150 from 100. The majority of the German forces who will start going to Mali in the coming weeks will be stationed in the north of the country which has seen an upsurge of violence by Islamist militants. Working with Dutch forces who operate a military camp in the northern city of Gao, they will carry out reconnaissance work and provide logistical support. Germany's lower house of parliament is due to decide on both missions at the end of January. Apart from participating in the UN mission in Mali, Germany sent troops there in 2013 as part of a European Union mission to train local security forces after France quelled an Islamist uprising in the north. German forces are currently carrying out missions in around 13 countries, including Afghanistan and Kosovo, as well as conducting monitoring in the Mediterranean.REUTERS PS CS1731 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-524518.Xml Ivory Coast's president Alassane Ouattara accepted the resignation of his prime minister and government today. "The establishment of a new government will have better coherence as a goal so the government can be more efficient," Ouattara said in a meeting attended by the media. Ouattara was elected for a second five-year term in October with nearly 84 per cent of the vote in a poll intended to mark an end to nearly a decade of crisis capped by a civil war in 2011.REUTERS PS CS1751 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-524577.Xml The United States yesterday led 19 strikes targeting Islamic State in Iraq and one in Syria, the coalition leading the operations said in a statement today. Nineteen of the strikes conducted near eight Iraqi cities hit several of the militant group's tactical units, fighting positions, bunkers and various equipment. The strikes, clustered near Ramadi and Kisik, also wounded several Islamic State fighters and hit several vehicles and buildings, according to the statement. In Syria, an air strike hit an Islamic State building near Raqqa, the US led coalition said.REUTERS MI CJ PR1919 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-524797.Xml France's economy minister urged his own left-wing government today to do far more to liberalise the economy, arguing that President Francois Hollande's Socialists had failed to reform fast enough and bring down stubbornly high unemployment. Speaking out at a moment when his government is focusing on security in the wake of the deadly Islamist attacks of early and late 2015, Macron said France was one of just a few EU countries where the jobless rate had not fallen last year. "We should have moved with greater speed, force and daring," Macron, a former investment banker whose free-market stance irks many fellow Socialists, told Le Monde newspaper. With Hollande and Prime Minister Manuel Valls concentrating on security fears that have boosted the popularity of the far-right National Front party, Macron's comments were clearly intended as a warning to his own camp not to neglect a need for more aggressive liberalisation ahead of elections in 2017. "We have to rise to the challenge ... now is the moment for major reform." Macron, whose liberalisation of the bus transport sector has prompted a mushrooming of low-price travel alternatives to the country's railway network, said much more should be down to open up other sectors closed to people without specific diplomas or qualifications that were not always justified, he said. Cutting red tape and regulation to allow people set up their own business more easily was vital, said Macron. Citing the car sharing and taxi business Uber, which has come up against legal obstacles in France, Macron said in the interview it was "easier nowadays to find a client that an employer." "As I said after the terrorist attacks, our economy is marked by blocked society and stalled mobility," he said. The Socialist government is under intense pressure to prove that left-wingers are as prepared as their adversaries on the right and far right to implement tough security policies in the wake of the Islamist attacks of January 7-9 and November 13, 2015 - with a flipside risk that economic reform could take a back seat in the last full year of Hollande's mandate.REUTERS MI NS2042 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0387-525058.Xml Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will meet Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of Poland's ruling Law and Justice party (PiS), today, a party source said, in an apparent move to strengthen an emerging eurosceptic axis in central Europe. Kaczynski, whose conservative party swept to power in an election last October, has often praised the Hungarian leader, who has for years defied European Union criticism of his economic policies and his stance on political freedoms. Both Orban and Kaczynski have also taken a hard line on the refugee crisis engulfing Europe, criticising in particular Germany's open-door policy towards the mostly Muslim migrants. "Such a meeting is planned (between the two men)," the PiS source said. Polish media said the meeting - which would be the first since PiS ousted the centrist, strongly pro-EU Civic Platform party last October - might take place in Niedzica Castle, in the south of Poland. The Polish government and foreign ministry declined immediate comment on the matter. Orban has not yet held an official meeting with Poland's Prime Minister Beata Szydlo, but Kaczynski - who holds no formal government post - is widely believed to be in overall charge of the EU's largest eastern member state. Hungary's VS.hu website described Orban's trip as a "private" visit during which he and Kaczynski would discuss Warsaw's legal changes affecting the constitutional court and state media, which have stirred concern in the EU. Kaczynski, twin brother of Poland's late president Lech who died in a plane crash in 2010, has echoed Orban's use of nationalist rhetoric and his claims to have a broad popular mandate to redesign his country's young democracy regardless of EU concerns. Hungary and Poland both joined the EU in 2004. REUTERS MI PR2053 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0387-525086.Xml Amid speculations on the fate of India-Pakistan talks after the Pathankot airbase terror attack, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said the foreign secretaries of the two countries were meeting within next few days to work out the modalities of the dialogue process. "Within the next few days, the Foreign Secretaries would be meeting in Islamabad, to determine the modalities of the renewed dialogue process," Mr Sharif said at the Lakshaman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies on 'Pakistan-Sri Lanka Relations' here yesterday. Following an audacious terror attack on Pathankot airbase in which seven soldiers were killed, there is no word yet, officially from the Indian government, whether the talks will go ahead as scheduled in mid-January between the Foreign Secretaries of two sides, or whether the National Security Advisors(NSAs) would meet first. The attack proved a big spoiler to the bonhomie generated between the two sides after Mr Modi paid a surprise visit to Lahore on way from Kabul to greet Mr Sharif on his birthday on December 25. Mr Sharif had, however, yesterday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi and gave his word on investigating the leads provided by Indian agencies. Mr Modi strongly urged his Pakistani counterpart to bring perpetrators to book.UNI PRA NAZ AJ 2250 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0400-525325.Xml Love the article on Gaddaf i Samosa Iyoha Hello from Johannesburg I was amazed to find a website for Africans in Hungary . Looks like you have quite a community there. Here in SA we have some three million Zimbabweans living in exile and not much sign of going home ... but in Hungary??? Hope to meet you on one of my trips to Europe; was in Steirmark Austria near the Hungarian border earlier this month. Every good wish for 2011. Geoff in Jo'burg I'm impressed by ANH work but... Interesting interview... My comment to the interview with his excellency Mr. Adedotun Adenrele Adepoju CDA a.i-- B.Ayo Adams click to read editor's mail We must rise above tribalism & divide & rule of the colonialist who stole & looted our treasure & planted their puppets to lord it over us..they alone can decide on whosoever is performing & the one that is corrupt..but the most corrupt nations are the western countries that plunder the resources of other nations & make them poorer & aid the rulers to steal & keep such ill gotten wealth in their country..yemen,syria etc have killed more than gadhafi but its not A good investment for the west(this is laughable)because oil is not in these countries..when obasanjo annihilated the odi people in rivers state, they looked away because its in their favour & interest..one day!I think from what have been said, the Nigerian embassy here seem to be more concern about its nationals than we are for ourselves. Our complete disregard for the laws of Hungary isn't going to help Nigeria's image or going to promote what the Embassy is trying to showcase. So if the journalists could zoom-in more focus on Nigerians living, working and studying here in Hungary than scrutinizing the embassy and its every move, i think it would be of tremendous help to the embassy serving its nationals better and create more awareness about where we live . Taking the issues of illicit drugs and forged documents as typical examples.. there are so many cases of Nigerians been involved. But i am yet to read of it in e.news. So i think if only you and your journalists could write more about it and follow up on the stories i think it will make our nationals more aware of what to expect. I wouldn't say i am not impressed with your work but you need to be more of a two way street rather than a one way street . Keep up the good work... SylviaHe is an intelligent man. He spoke well on the issues! Thanks to Mr Hakeem Babalola for the interview it contains some expedient information.. Washington (AFP) - The US-led coalition that has been carrying out air strikes against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria killed about 2,500 jihadists last month, a military spokesman said Wednesday. The Pentagon has previously been wary of giving body counts, but Wednesday's figures come as officials hope to portray the IS group as being on the defensive after the jihadists suffered a series of setbacks -- including last week's loss of the Iraqi city of Ramadi. "In December, we estimate approximately 2,500 enemy fighters were killed in coalition air strikes across Iraq and Syria," Baghdad-based military spokesman Colonel Steve Warren told Pentagon reporters. He said that since coalition air strikes began in August 2014, the IS group had lost as much as 22,000 square kilometers (8,500 square miles) -- or about 40 percent -- of the territory it once held in Iraq, and about 10 percent, or 2,000 square kilometers, of the land it claimed in Syria. "We believe that ISIL is now in a defensive crouch," Warren said, using an alternative acronym for the jihadists. "Probably in May was really when they reached their culminating point of offensive operations. Since then all they have really managed to do is lose ground." When the size of the so-called caliphate the IS group proclaimed 18 months ago was at its largest, Iraq accounted for a slightly bigger part of it than Syria. A variety of Iraqi forces have reclaimed major urban centers, including Ramadi. Warren said several, squad-sized groups of IS fighters remained in uncleared Ramadi neighborhoods. He claimed Iraqi troops had killed 60 IS fighters in the city in just the past 24 hours. Though the number of slain IS members is significant, the jihadists have been able to fill their ranks almost as fast, especially with disaffected young men from economically and politically crippled Muslim countries in the region. The United States last year estimated there were between 20,000 to 30,000 IS members operating in Iraq and Syria, and Warren repeated that assessment Wednesday. Despite suffering defeats, the IS group has pushed for new gains elsewhere, including in strife-torn Libya where the jihadists are trying to seize coastal export terminals. An ongoing strategy for the anti-IS coalition has been to strike the oil infrastructure the group uses to fund its operation. Warren said the jihadists' oil production has been cut by nearly 30 percent, down from 45,000 barrels per day to 34,000. After spending thousands of years buried in ancient hills, remnants of buildings dating back to the Byzantine era and earlier emerged from hiding, excavated outside Rosh Ha'ayin in central Israel, about 10 miles (17 kilometers) inland from Tel Aviv. A recent announcement by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) described a many-chambered farmhouse, estimated to be 2,700 years old, measuring about 100 by 180 feet (30 by 50 meters) and containing a cluster of 24 rooms connected to a central courtyard. The walls were preserved to a height of about 6.6 feet (2 m). The courtyard once held a storage compartment for protecting grain, Amit Shadman, IAA excavation director, said in the statement. Other artifacts found nearby include a number of millstones used for grinding flour, suggesting that growing and processing grain were "fairly widespread" in the region, Shadman said. "It seems that carbohydrates were as popular then as now," he added. [See Photos of the Farmstead and Church Mosaics in Rosh Ha'ayin] Excavators also revealed oil presses carved from rock and a pair of silver coins stamped with images of the goddess Athena and an owl her sacred bird dating to the fourth century BCE. Another multiroom structure protruding from a nearby hill was a monastery approximately 1,500 years old. The building once held stables, living quarters, an oil press and a church with colorful mosaic floors. Tiles were laid in intricate geometric patterns, with one pattern spelling out a Greek inscription welcoming visitors in the name of "Theodosius the priest." The new finds take their place among many others that have emerged in recent years, representing Israel's ancient past. Another farmhouse dating to the eighth century BCE was discovered near Rosh Ha'ayin in early December 2014. Its 23 rooms also radiated outward from a central courtyard that once held a grain silo, and multiple winepresses were found close by. Eventually abandoned as a monastery, the structure was partially destroyed hundreds of years later, when inhabitants during the Ottoman period built a limekiln on the site. Story continues Shadman explained in the statement that the farmstead and monastery represent two waves of inhabitants that settled in the region over time. The older farmstead, and others like it, flourished for hundreds of years, but were largely abandoned when people fled the area during the Hellenistic period. After many more centuries passed, a wave of Christian settlers arrived during the fifth century CE. At the time, Christianity was spreading rapidly across Israel, evident in the number of surviving ancient monasteries and churches that archaeologists continue to uncover. The newfound archeological artifacts will be preserved where they stand "for the benefit of the public," even as the city of Rosh Ha'ayin expands to surround them, the IAA statement read. The inscription in the church's ancient mosaic will once more greet visitors with the message, "Peace be with you when you come, peace be with you when you go." Follow Mindy Weisberger on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science. Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Afghan Taliban have launched an unprecedented winter surge that points to a desire for an upper hand in peace talks, analysts say, while some suggest rogue Pakistani elements may be bolstering the effort to derail overtures by Islamabad to India. Taliban fighting normally quiets down in winter months with the insurgents resting ahead of an annual spring offensive, but this year has seen a series of fierce attacks -- many focused on Kabul in recent weeks, including three in the capital since Friday. Some say the ongoing fighting is a bid by Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour to consolidate his position ahead of four-way talks between Afghanistan, Pakistan, the US and China slated for next week, a precursor to a revived peace dialogue between Kabul and the insurgents. Ahmed Rashid, a leading expert on the Afghan Taliban, said Mansour was tightening his grip on power through the high-profile attacks, after a shootout between rival insurgent commanders in Pakistan in December left him wounded. "We've never had such a winter offensive before from the Taliban. That winter is going to roll into a continuous spring-summer offensive," he told AFP. "That is looking very dangerous. Mansour is consolidating his position. If he's seen as a military success they will remain loyal to him. "Military success also de-legitimises the anti-Mansour faction that is emerging," he said, referring to the recent formation of a splinter group challenging his rule. "The insurgents are trying to show to the world that they have presence in the country and get more concession in the peace talks," said Dawlat Waziri, a defence ministry spokesman. But Pakistan -- seen as one of the few countries with influence over the insurgents -- is also playing a role, regional analysts said. "The Taliban do not have the authority to decide on peace talks, they are controlled by others," said Zalmay Wardak, a Kabul-based military analyst, referring to Pakistan. Story continues - Three in the bed - In recent years Pakistan has officially re-oriented its Afghan policy, disavowing the use of surrogate fighters such as the Taliban to achieve its foreign policy goals in Afghanistan, where it is seen as fighting a proxy war with India. Islamabad and Delhi recently agreed to relaunch peace talks and Indian premier Narendra Modi made a surprise visit to Pakistan in December, the first by an Indian prime minister in 11 years, immediately after his first tour of Kabul. But two spectacular attacks on Indian interests since the weekend -- a 25-hour siege on India's mission in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif that ended Monday, and a bloody weekend assault on an air base in India -- could signal the desire of elements within the powerful Pakistani military to scupper peace efforts between the two countries, one analyst suggested to AFP. Observers in Pakistan believe it is nearly impossible that the prime minister would have been allowed to hold a breakthrough meeting with his Indian counterpart last month without the consent of the army, widely understood to dictate foreign and security policy. But Khadim Hussain, a political analyst based in the Pakistani city of Peshawar, said the attack on the air base along with a Taliban surge in Afghanistan indicated that elements of the Pakistani military were not on board with the negotiations. "The attack in India and the surge in attacks in Afghanistan could be seen as a joint strategy," he told AFP, clarifying that it was unclear whether such decisions were sanctioned at the highest levels. "It's not spur of the moment. It's planned, conscious, and the immediate result is they would like to derail the peace process," he said. Arif Rafiq, a Pakistan analyst at Middle East Institute added: "While it's plausible that the militants responsible for these attacks receive direction from elements in the Pakistani military, it's also quite possible that they are acting on their own, attempting to secure a veto power over the process of Indo-Pak normalisation." There were other signs of the army's displeasure with the India-Pakistan initiative: Twitter accounts associated with the powerful Inter Services Intelligence slammed Modi's visit, while one nightly news anchor said he had been asked by intelligence officials to express pessimism on his show. The regional tug-of-war between Islamabad, Delhi and Kabul will continue to fuel the Taliban's 15-year-long insurgency, suggested Rashid. In September of last year, the Kabul government briefly lost control of northern Kunduz, a stinging psychological blow to Afghan forces after years of training by Western forces which spent tens of billions of dollars to improve their capacity. According to Rashid, the Taliban could have more ambitious goals. "What do the Taliban want? Do they want a city or province so they can install a government in exile, as it were? "That is also a possibility -- everything is open and talks are very unlikely until Pakistan is prepared to stop some of the supplies and persuade Mansour to talk." Top Democrat on the Benghazi committee Elijah Cummings of Maryland addressed reporters after former Secretary of State Hillary Clintons appearance before the committee in October. (Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) Democrats have long charged that the special committee established by House Republicans to investigate the 2012 attacks on an American consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was designed to harm the partys frontrunner, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in her 2016 bid for the White House. Now that 2016 has arrived, the Benghazi committee is back to work this week, scheduled to interview former Central Intelligence Agency Director David Petraeus behind closed doors Wednesday and former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta Friday. To mark the occasion, the select committees Democrats, led by Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, are seeking to call attention to the length of the investigation (608 days and counting), its $5.5 million cost, and what Cummings and his colleagues regard as its partisanship and lack of concrete results compared, say, to the 9/11 Commission, which took less time for a vastly more complicated investigation, and handled it in a bipartisan fashion. The Benghazi committee, to date, has held four public hearings, compared to 19 for the 9/11 investigators. The 9/11 Commission interviewed more than 1,000 witnesses in private and had 160 public witnesses testify. The Benghazi committee has privately interviewed 62 witnesses, in addition to the seven witnesses who have publicly testified before the panel including Clinton herself, for 11 hours in October. The 9/11 Commission had a joint, bipartisan staff, which issued 13 subpoenas; the Benghazi committee has separate Republican and Democratic staffs, and all 11 of its subpoenas came from the Republican side, with no input from the Democratic minority. The Democratic strategy is to keep challenging the process of the panel as a means to discredit whatever final report the Benghazi committee produces, if it produces one at all. The committee has an unlimited budget and no time limit to complete its work, except the expiration of this Congress. In 2015, Republicans were content to silently approve the panels reauthorization in 2015 without a recorded vote. Story continues The Select Committees investigation of the Benghazi attacks has been widely condemned as hyper-partisan and ineffective, and it stands in stark contrast to the bipartisan investigation and report issued by the 9/11 Commission, said Cummings, in a statement. Instead of following the bipartisan model set by the 9/11 Commission, which brought our entire nation together after we were attacked by terrorists, Republicans created a highly partisan Select Committee with an unlimited budget to attack their political opponents. Republicans continue to drag out this political charade closer to the 2016 presidential election, and the American taxpayers continue to pay the price. A spokesperson for the Republicans on the committee accused Democrats of using taxpayer dollars merely to generate press releases attacking the work of the panel. Democrats on the Benghazi Committee continue to waste taxpayer dollars playing politics and issuing stupid, meaningless press releases that are inaccurate to boot. Their complete lack of interest in getting answers for the families of the four Americans who died because they were left without adequate security on September 11 in one of the most dangerous places in the world is grotesque, said spokesperson Matt Wolking. If Democrats would actually assist with the investigation instead of undermining it and stop acting as a full-fledged arm of the Clinton campaign perhaps the committee wouldnt still be waiting for crucial documents and witnesses to be produced by the administration. Wolking also noted that the 9/11 commission did not formally close on the day it issued its report and that the panel officially terminated in August, a month after issuing its findings. Nine previous reports on the Benghazi attacks, including one each by the Republican-led House Intelligence and Armed Services Committees, have debunked most of the conspiracy theories surrounding the events that day at the consulate and the administrations response to the attacks. Before Petraeus and Panetta were called, most of the Benghazi committees high-profile interviews were with State Department employees and top Hillary Clinton aides and allies, whereas other reports looked more comprehensively at the Department of Defense and CIA in addition to State. Democrats, from the panels inception, have accused Republicans of refusing to define the scope of the investigation, and the House GOP has not announced a target date by which they would like Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., to complete his work. Meanwhile, new Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wisc., has said repeatedly that he wants his conferences focus in 2016 to be on ideas and policy. If he means it, then the Benghazi committee which Ryans No. 2, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), insinuated had the goal of damaging Clintons reputation when he was running for the top job would seem out of step with that agenda. This story was updated to include a statement from a spokesperson for the Republicans on the select committee. By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) - Federal prosecutors in New York unveiled new criminal charges on Wednesday against a U.S. citizen believed to have once been an al Qaeda operative, accusing him of involvement in a 2009 car bomb attack on a U.S. military base in Afghanistan. According to a nine-count indictment, Muhanad Mahmoud Al Farekh, 30, helped prepare one of two explosive devices for use in the Jan. 19, 2009 attack. Prosecutors said an accomplice detonated one device, while Al Farekh's fingerprints were found on packing tape for the second device, which a second accomplice carried and did not detonate. The military base was not identified. Sean Maher, a court-appointed lawyer for Al Farekh, did not immediately respond to request for comment. The Texas-born Al Farekh was charged with providing material support to al Qaeda, providing material support to terrorists and using explosives. He also faces six conspiracy counts including to murder Americans, use a weapon of mass destruction, bomb a government facility and aid al Qaeda. Al Farekh faces up to life in prison if convicted. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday before U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan in Brooklyn, New York. Also known as Abdullah al-Shami, Al Farekh had been detained in Pakistan prior to being flown to Brooklyn, where he first appeared last April 2. He pleaded not guilty on June 4 to three criminal counts in an indictment made public a week earlier. Prosecutors accused Al Farekh of providing material support to al Qaeda from Dec. 2006 to Sept. 2009, in a plot that involved two fellow students from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. Al Farekh was purportedly inspired by Anwar Al-Awlaki, a radical cleric whose teachings are believed by prosecutors to have inspired terrorism plots including the 2005 London subway bombings and a failed 2010 bombing in New York's Times Square. Al-Awlaki was killed in a 2011 U.S. drone attack in Yemen. The case is U.S. v. Al Farekh, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, No. 15-cr-00268. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by David Gregorio) By Angus McDowall RIYADH (Reuters) - Since Saturday's execution of four Shi'ite Muslims in Saudi Arabia, hundreds or thousands of the minority sect have marched nightly in protest, and their anger could herald wider unrest. The execution of one of them, dissident cleric Nimr al-Nimr, caused an international crisis as Shi'ite Iran and its allies responded angrily, but it also caused upset in his home district of Qatif, where many saw his death as unjustified. "People are angry. And they are surprised, because there were positive signals in the past months that the executions would not take place. People listen to his speeches and there's no direct proof he was being violent," a Qatif community leader said by phone. The protests in Qatif, an almost entirely Shi'ite district of about a million people in the oil-producing Eastern Province, have been mostly peaceful, though a fatal shooting and gun attacks on armored security vehicles have also taken place. Qatif is located near major oil facilities and many of its residents work for the state energy company, Saudi Aramco. Past incidents of unrest have not led to attacks on the oil industry, but a bus used by Aramco to transport employees was torched after a protest on Tuesday night. Footage of marchers shouting "down with the Al Saud" and other anti-government slogans, corroborated by witnesses contacted by Reuters, is circulating on social media along with video clips showing shots fired at armored cars. "I did not hear shooting last night, but I heard it a lot on the two nights before," a resident of Nimr's home village, al-Awamiya, told Reuters by phone. Like others Reuters spoke to in Qatif, he asked that his name be withheld. Saudi Arabia only permits foreign news media, including Reuters, to visit Qatif if accompanied by government officials, which it says is to ensure journalists' safety. Whether the protests - and sporadic attacks on police - escalate may depend on whether the security forces continue an unspoken policy of allowing peaceful demonstrations until they die down, or crack down with force, say locals. Government supporters say it depends rather on whether Tehran uses links to local activists, which both Iran and many Qatif residents deny exist, to stage attacks in retaliation for Nimr's execution and Riyadh's cutting of diplomatic ties. DISCRIMINATION CHARGE The security forces believe they can quash any mass protests in Qatif, like those that began during the 2011 Arab Spring when Nimr became a figurehead, or the 1979 uprising inspired by Iran's revolution, analysts say. Qatif is almost entirely populated by Shi'ites and can be physically isolated by the government. Checkpoints stand at its main street entrances. "The security forces are very confident. The Shi'ite population is confined in certain places. They are a small minority compared to a big majority. They think they have the capability to control them," said Mustafa Alani, a security analyst with close ties to the Interior Ministry. Shi'ites have long complained they face entrenched discrimination in a country where the semi-official Wahhabi Sunni school regards their sect's beliefs as heretical. They say they face abuse from Wahhabi clerics, rarely get permits for places of worship and seldom get senior public sector jobs. Those basic complaints have over the years been aggravated by what Qatif residents call a heavy security hand against their community, accusing the authorities of unfair detentions and punishments, shooting unarmed protesters and torturing suspects. Reuters has met several Saudi Shi'ites detained after the 2011 protests who said they were repeatedly beaten and deprived of sleep to extract confessions of rioting. The government denies discrimination against Shi'ites and bias or brutality on the part of its security services. Its supporters point to the blind eye police show frequent protests by Shi'ites in Qatif, which would be quickly crushed in any Sunni area, as evidence of leniency. IRAN RIVALRY Riyadh's relations with the Shi'ite minority are complicated by its rivalry with Iran, and by its own reliance on a largely Wahhabi population for support. Analysts say the government sometimes uses a tough stance towards Saudi Shi'ites to mobilize its Wahhabi power base, while perceived weakness in acceding to any demands made by the minority can prompt anger that Sunni militants seek to exploit. A series of Islamic State attacks in Saudi Arabia since November 2014 has mainly targeted the kingdom's Shi'ites as part of an apparent strategy to leverage the sectarian divide as a way of building support among conservative Sunnis. Such divisions are easier to aggravate because of the wider struggle between the kingdom and Iran, with many Saudis, and their government, seeing Tehran as using ties with Shi'ites across the Middle East to seek dominance and persecute Sunnis. "The Iranians and their allies have been pushing and promoting terrorism and recruiting people, inciting and providing weapons and explosives to people, and Nimr al-Nimr was one of them," Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told Reuters in an interview this week. During and after the 2011 protests, eight policemen and seven civilians were killed in attacks by Shi'ites that were connected to Iran and carried out by people linked to Nimr, Riyadh says. Iran denies all those charges and Nimr's family say he advocated peaceful change, took no part in violence and had no links to Tehran. The police said Nimr was arrested when he fired on them with an assault rifle, injuring two, while trying to prevent the capture of another suspect, the act which most swayed judges to pass the death sentence on him, Alani said. Nimr and the three other Shi'tes were executed on Saturday along with 43 Sunni al Qaeda convicts. More young Shi'ites detained over the 2011 protests and subsequent attacks have been sentenced to execution. Others are also on trial and facing possible death sentences. "I think people are worried. It might get worse. There is a feeling things might get complicated," said a Shi'ite in Dammam, the capital of Eastern Province. (Editing by Giles Elgood) Burns (United States) (AFP) - A small group of armed activists remained holed up at a remote US federal wildlife refuge in Oregon, vowing to leave only if asked by local residents. Ammon Bundy, who has led the revolt at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge since the weekend, said the siege would continue until the federal government abandons control of the reserve to local residents. "It is our goal to get the logger back to logging, to get the rancher back to ranching, to get the miner back to mining, the farmer back to farming and to jump-start this economy in Harney County," he told reporters. He said his group, which took over the refuge on Saturday in protest at the jailing of two local ranchers convicted of arson, would hold its ground unless asked to leave by the local population "There are a lot of good things that are happening," he said. "We have been very active in forwarding our plan, in assisting the people of Harney County in claiming and using their rights." He said once the group's mission was accomplished, they would then go home. He did not elaborate or specify whether any local residents had accepted the offer for land, or how his group would go about stripping the federal government of ownership. On Monday, Harney County Sheriff David Ward called for the activists to pack up and leave town, as many locals denounced the group's tactics. Dwight Hammond and his son Steven, the two ranchers who prompted the standoff and who have been sentenced to prison for setting fire to federal land, have also distanced themselves from the group. "The Hammonds have turned themselves in. It is time for you to leave our community," Ward said, addressing Bundy and the rest of the group. "Go home, be with your own families and end this peacefully." The occupation of the refuge reflects a decades-old dispute over land rights in the United States, where the federal government controls just over half of territory in 13 states. Story continues In Oregon, nearly 53 percent of the land is federally owned and that has led to tensions with local communities over mining, ranching, grazing and logging rights. While many disagree with the tactics used by the armed occupiers at the wildlife refuge, they say they illustrate mounting frustration over excessive federal government control over local communities. They point, among other things, to mounting environmental regulations that have made it harder for locals to eke out a living from the land. Bundy is the 40-year-old son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who was at the center of a previous armed standoff with government authorities in 2014, that time over grazing rights on public lands. Brisbane (Australia) (AFP) - Former world number one Victoria Azarenka moved into the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International when she downed little-known Belgian Ysaline Bonaventure 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday. Bonaventure, who had lost in the final qualifying round, gained a main draw spot when top seed Simona Halep pulled out with a leg injury on Tuesday. She pushed the two-time grand slam winner hard, particularly in the 56-minute first set when she blasted 18 clean winners. But once Azarenka weathered the storm she was able to master the 21-year-old Belgian and was never really troubled thereafter. "I think the beginning definitely was really tough," said 26-year-old Azarenka. "She played very well. You know, it's always a little bit of a moment of adaptation when you don't know who you play, so it's an adjustment. "But I'm glad I could stay strong in the beginning and turn it around, because it wasn't going my way at first for sure." Azarenka spent 51 weeks as world number one in 2012 but suffered a severe foot injury in 2014, finishing the year at 32. She was then hampered by a left thigh problem in 2015, which affected her climb back to the top 10. Azarenka started the year at number 22 and is unseeded this week. She said she was pleased with how she had been able to take control of the match midway through the first set. "I think just to feel the momentum shift in the match was important, you know, in the beginning of the year," she said. "Especially since I haven't played in a while. So it's good to go through those moments." Azarenka will play 2015 US Open runner-up Roberta Vinci in the quarter-finals. "She's been playing really well and showing some great results," Azarenka said of the eighth-seeded Italian. "I think you can see improvement in her game. I think she's just on the rise and she feels really good, confident." Fourth-seeded German Angelique Kerber was impressive in her 6-3, 6-0 demolition of American Madison Brengle. Story continues The world number 10 will now take on Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the quarter-finals. Little-known American Samantha Crawford upset seventh-seeded Swiss Belinda Bencic 7-5, 7-5 in 90 minutes. The qualifier from Florida will now take on Germany's Andrea Petkovic, who ousted Russia's Ekaterina Makarova 7-5, 6-4. Petkovic conceded she knew nothing of the 20-year-old Crawford. "I don't know anything -- it's going to be classic YouTube stalking from my side," she said. "I don't know if I'm going to find a lot, but she must be playing tremendously well to beat Bencic and win three qualifying rounds." DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh's Supreme Court upheld the death penalty for a top Islamist party leader on Wednesday for atrocities committed during the country's war of independence from Pakistan more than four decades ago, a government lawyer said. Four opposition politicians, including three leaders of the Islamist party, the Jamaat-e-Islami, have been convicted by a war crimes tribunal and executed since late 2013. The executions have come amidst a rise in Islamist militant violence in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, with militant groups claiming the murder of two foreigners and four secular writers and a publisher last year. The court rejected an appeal by Motiur Rahman Nizami, head of the Jamaat-e-Islami, who was sentenced to death in 2014 by the tribunal for genocide, rape and orchestrating the massacre of top intellectuals during the 1971 war. "The court upheld the death sentence. We are happy with the verdict," state prosecutor Syed Haider Ali told Reuters. Jamaat-e-Islami, which has said the charges against Nizami to be baseless, called for a nationwide strike on Thursday in protest. Nizami, a former legislator and minister under opposition leader Khaleda Zia's last term as prime minister, has been in jail since 2010 when he was charged with war crimes by the tribunal set up by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina that year. Islamists have denounced the tribunal as part of a politically motivated campaign aimed at weakening the leadership of Jamaat-e-Islami, a key ally of the country's main opposition party. Nizami could be hanged within months unless the Supreme Court reviews his case again, or he is granted clemency by the president. "My client will decide whether he will file a review petition," chief defense prosecutor Khandker Mahbub Hossain told reporters. The government has blamed the increase in Islamist violence on the Jamaat-e-Islami but the party denies any link to the militant attacks. (Reporting by Ruma Paul; Editing by Krista Mahr, Robert Birsel) Bangladesh's top court on Wednesday upheld the death sentence on the leader of the largest Islamist party for crimes during the country's 1971 independence struggle, paving the way for his execution within months. The Supreme Court dismissed an appeal by Motiur Rahman Nizami, head of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, who was convicted of murder, rape and orchestrating the killing of top intellectuals when he was a militia leader during the conflict. "The court upheld the death sentence in three out of four charges. We're very happy," prosecutor Tureen Afroz told reporters. "Most importantly, the death penalty was upheld for the killings of the intellectuals." Nizami, 72, Jamaat's leader since 2000 and a minister in a former Islamist-allied government of 2001-2006, faces the gallows within months unless his case is reviewed by the same court or he is granted clemency by the president. Three senior Jamaat officials and a key leader of the main opposition party have been executed since December 2013 for war crimes, despite global criticism of their trials by a controversial war crimes tribunal. The court swiftly dismissed previous reviews of those four opposition leaders on death row, leading to their execution -- the latest last November. Hundreds of people who had campaigned for the Islamist leaders to be tried for their roles in the 1971 war burst into impromptu celebrations at a square in central Dhaka. "This verdict brings an end to the long and painful wait for justice for the families of the victims," said Imran Sarker, head of a secular group, showing a V-sign to reporters. "We now want his quick execution." - 'Terrible conflict' - Bangladesh came into being after the region called East Pakistan broke away from the rest of Pakistan in 1971. Prosecutors said Nizami was the leader of a student wing of Jamaat during the war and turned it into the Al-Badr pro-Pakistani militia which killed top professors, writers, doctors and journalists in the most gruesome chapter of the conflict. Story continues Their bodies were found blindfolded with their hands tied and dumped in a marsh on the outskirts of the capital. The killing was carried out based on a hit-list Nizami ordered and the aim was to "intellectually cripple" the fledgling nation, prosecutors said. Security was tight across the country. Previous convictions of the Jamaat officials triggered the countrys deadliest violence since independence with some 500 people killed, mainly in clashes between Islamists and police. "We've stepped up security. It is sufficient to prevent any violence," deputy police commissioner Maruf Hossain Sorder told AFP ahead of the verdict. However, Jamaat supporters clashed with police as they staged impromptu protests and marches in several towns and cities, police and local media said. Police fired rubber bullets to disperse the protesters in the northwestern city of Rajshahi, local police chief Golam Saqlaen told AFP. "We have detained two people from the scene," he said. The Islamist party also called for a nationwide strike on Thursday, saying the charges against Nizami were "false, baseless and imaginary". "The government wants to steer the country towards terrible conflict in a planned way by killing Motiur Rahman Nizami in cold blood through its own fixed blueprint," the party said in a statement on its website, calling him an "internationally acclaimed Islamic scholar". Jamaat said Nizami would now seek a review of the judgement. Defence lawyer Khandker Mahbub Hossain told reporters they would decide their course of action after consulting him. Since it was established by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government in 2010, the International Crimes Tribunal has sentenced more than a dozen opposition leaders for war crimes. Rights groups say the trials fall short of global standards and lack any international oversight. The secular government maintains they are needed to heal the wounds of the conflict. Heve (Benin) (AFP) - As the drumming rumbles on, Hollywood actor Djimon Hounsou walks shirtless with a voodoo procession making its way through the dusty streets of Heve in his native Benin. "I am like an African who has come home, who needs to know and learn about his culture," says Hounsou, who has starred in blockbusters like "Blood Diamond" alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and "Gladiator" with Russell Crowe. The American-Beninese actor is now making and starring in his own film documenting his quest to understand voodoo in this west African state where it was born, before history spread it overseas. "The practices here are not bad and they aren't savage," says the tall 51-year-old with a shaved head and a salt-and-pepper goatee, decrying the negative image often depicted on the silver screen of back-alley sorcerers casting malicious spells. One classic is the 1973 James Bond film "Live and Let Die" where a Caribbean dictator uses voodoo to frighten and manipulate his island. But Hounsou says such images undermine the religion. "That concept dates back to slavery. That is why we need to clarify what defines voodoo," Hounsou tells AFP, explaining that racism in the past is still perpetuating negative stereotypes about voodoo. In the village of Heve, which lies at the western edge of Benin's coastline, the people have long practised voodoo, celebrating air god Dan and water god Mami Wata. As the worshippers file through the streets, resplendent in white robes and draped with multicoloured beads, Hounsou's crew films everything. - Worshipping ancestors - By mid-morning, the heat in Benin, a country of more than 10 million people, is already intense. As technicians set up equipment in the town square, girls draw water from a tap. The village, with its devoted voodoo cult, was not chosen at random. "These spirits are very well preserved and people kept dedicating themselves truly to voodoo," explains priest David Koffi Aza, who practises Fa -- a system of divination -- and is working as a guide for Hounsou and his crew. Story continues "Imported religions didn't take hold so it's a purer practice." Spirits play a central role in voodoo, acting as a link between the living and the dead in a religion which is built upon the worship of both ancient ancestors and the four elements: earth, water, wind and fire. In the wake of the slave trade, voodoo practices spread from west Africa to the West Indies, Brazil and the United States. According to the last census in 2002, 17 percent of Benin's population practises voodoo -- an official religion in the country -- while 27 percent are Catholic and 24 percent are Muslim. However, such figures mask the reality that many Beninese, whether they go to church or attend mosque, have voodoo shrines in their homes. - 'A story badly told' - "After spending so much time in Europe and the US, seeing African diaspora traditions that resemble ours, I began to ask questions," says Hounsou, dabbing sweat off his brow. Working with Hounsou on his bid to document voodoo in Benin is co-director and star Sorious Samura, a well-known journalist from Sierra Leone. The two met nine years ago on the set of "Blood Diamond", a film that was based on Samura's documentary "Cry Freetown" which dealt with the civil war gripping his country. "Voodoo is a story that is very badly told, full of witchcraft, magic and evil -- even Africans believe that," says Samura, adding that such ideas have been "buried deep in our psyche." The two directors hope their film, entitled "In Search of Voodoo: Roots to Heaven," can help change that misconception. With less than a month until they finish shooting, Hounsou says they are not seeking to win converts. "Voodoo has existed for centuries. It doesn't force itself on you," he says. Shooting of the film is expected to finish on January 10, when a huge voodoo festival will be celebrated across the country. By Guy Faulconbridge LONDON (Reuters) - Six weeks after a British militant who is suspected of being an Islamic State executioner slipped out of the country, police sent a letter asking him to surrender his passport, a security bungle that has drawn criticism from opposition lawmakers. Though the masked militant who was shown directing the killing of five men in an IS propaganda video has not been officially identified, media including the BBC and the Daily Telegraph have named him as Siddhartha Dhar, a Londoner who once sold inflatable bouncy castle toys. Dhar, 32, left Britain for Syria in September 2014 while on police bail after his arrest on suspicion of belonging to a banned group and encouraging terrorism. "The system has failed because it allowed him to abscond to Syria," Andy Burnham, the home affairs spokesman for the opposition Labour Party, said in parliament on Tuesday. "Even if the correct procedures were followed, I have evidence that they were far too weak," he said. Britains independent reviewer of terrorism laws said the main failing in the Dhar case was not asking him to hand over his travel papers immediately. Burnham cited a police letter to Dhar dated Nov. 7, 2014 setting out bail conditions, including surrendering his passport, that was sent six weeks after the militant had left Britain. In the letter, Dhar, who was said to have fled with his pregnant wife and four children, was urged to contact police. Dhar turned up in Syria two weeks after the letter was sent brandishing a gun and a baby and taunting Britain for its "shoddy" security that allowed him to "breeze" into Syria. Concerns over the ease with which a man suspected of terrorism offences could flee Britain add to worries about the unhindered travel within Europe of the militants behind the Nov. 13 Paris attacks which killed 130 people. Abdelhamid Abaaoud, suspected mastermind behind the Paris attacks, had also mocked European frontier controls and boasted how easy it was for him to move between Syria to his Belgian homeland and the rest of Europe. BORDERLESS EUROPE? Since the Paris attacks, the European Union has stepped up checks on its citizens travelling abroad and is seeking more data on passenger travel. Still, the flow of foreign fighters to Syria has so far shown no sign of decreasing and the United States has called for better cross-Atlantic information sharing to prevent attacks. The identity of the militant in the Islamic State film has stoked intense speculation because it revived memories of "Jihadi John", another British militant who was shown in IS videos beheading U.S. and British hostages. Jihadi John, unmasked as Londoner Mohammed Emwazi, was killed by a joint U.S.-British missile strike in November. British Home Secretary (interior minister) Theresa May, who refused to comment on speculation about the identity of the English-accented militant in the Islamic State video, said Britain had tightened exit controls. "They are now taking place at the various ports of exit and in a variety of ways, according to how the information about someones exit is being held," she said. She added that the decision on whether to place a suspect on police bail was an operational matter. Syria has become the pre-eminent global incubator for a new generation of militants after Islamist groups more than doubled their recruitment of foreign fighters to as many as 31,000 over the past 18 months, former senior British intelligence official Richard Barrett said last month. SYRIA'S INCUBATOR In the chaos of Syria's civil war, most foreign fighters end up in militant groups including Islamic State, which uses an extreme interpretation of Islam to justify attacks on its foes and impose repressive rule in swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq that it has captured. According to Barrett, now senior vice president of the Soufan Group, a New York intelligence consultancy, foreign fighters come from Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and the former Soviet Union, while about 5,000 have travelled from the European Union. Britain says about 800 UK citizens have travelled to Syria and about half have returned, though some have also perished in the war, putting a strain on the police and security forces who are tasked with monitoring the militants. British media, citing voice experts, say the voice on the IS video sounds like recordings of Abu Rumaysah, born Siddharta Dhar to a London Hindu family, who for many years gave speeches and interviews as a prominent figure in the group al-Muhajiroun. His sister told media the voice of the militant in the video sounds like her brother although she was not sure it was him. The group was founded by Syrian-born Islamist cleric Omar Bakri in the late 1990s and called for Sharia law in Britain. It was banned under anti-terrorist laws in 2010. The main failing in Dhar's case was not immediately demanding his passport, according to David Anderson, a lawyer and Britains independent reviewer of terrorism laws. "Where it seems to have broken down is first of all in not ensuring that the passport was handed over," Anderson told the BBC. He said thousands of people were subjected to surveillance but he suspected Dhar would not have been near the top of the list. I doubt he was at the top of the queue for what are pretty scarce surveillance resources. (Editing by Peter Millership) By Guy Faulconbridge LONDON (Reuters) - Six weeks after a British militant who is suspected of being an Islamic State executioner slipped out of the country, police sent a letter asking him to surrender his passport, a security bungle that has drawn criticism from opposition lawmakers. Though the masked militant who was shown directing the killing of five men in an IS propaganda video has not been officially identified, media including the BBC and the Daily Telegraph have named him as Siddhartha Dhar, a Londoner who once sold inflatable bouncy castle toys. Dhar, 32, left Britain for Syria in September 2014 while on police bail after his arrest on suspicion of belonging to a banned group and encouraging terrorism. "The system has failed because it allowed him to abscond to Syria," Andy Burnham, the home affairs spokesman for the opposition Labour Party, said in parliament on Tuesday. "Even if the correct procedures were followed, I have evidence that they were far too weak," he said. Britains independent reviewer of terrorism laws said the main failing in the Dhar case was not asking him to hand over his travel papers immediately. Burnham cited a police letter to Dhar dated Nov. 7, 2014 setting out bail conditions, including surrendering his passport, that was sent six weeks after the militant had left Britain. In the letter, Dhar, who was said to have fled with his pregnant wife and four children, was urged to contact police. Dhar turned up in Syria two weeks after the letter was sent brandishing a gun and a baby and taunting Britain for its "shoddy" security that allowed him to "breeze" into Syria. Concerns over the ease with which a man suspected of terrorism offences could flee Britain add to worries about the unhindered travel within Europe of the militants behind the Nov. 13 Paris attacks which killed 130 people. Abdelhamid Abaaoud, suspected mastermind behind the Paris attacks, had also mocked European frontier controls and boasted how easy it was for him to move between Syria to his Belgian homeland and the rest of Europe. BORDERLESS EUROPE? Since the Paris attacks, the European Union has stepped up checks on its citizens traveling abroad and is seeking more data on passenger travel. Still, the flow of foreign fighters to Syria has so far shown no sign of decreasing and the United States has called for better cross-Atlantic information sharing to prevent attacks. The identity of the militant in the Islamic State film has stoked intense speculation because it revived memories of "Jihadi John", another British militant who was shown in IS videos beheading U.S. and British hostages. Jihadi John, unmasked as Londoner Mohammed Emwazi, was killed by a joint U.S.-British missile strike in November. British Home Secretary (interior minister) Theresa May, who refused to comment on speculation about the identity of the English-accented militant in the Islamic State video, said Britain had tightened exit controls. "They are now taking place at the various ports of exit and in a variety of ways, according to how the information about someones exit is being held," she said. She added that the decision on whether to place a suspect on police bail was an operational matter. Syria has become the pre-eminent global incubator for a new generation of militants after Islamist groups more than doubled their recruitment of foreign fighters to as many as 31,000 over the past 18 months, former senior British intelligence official Richard Barrett said last month. SYRIA'S INCUBATOR In the chaos of Syria's civil war, most foreign fighters end up in militant groups including Islamic State, which uses an extreme interpretation of Islam to justify attacks on its foes and impose repressive rule in swathes of Syria and neighboring Iraq that it has captured. According to Barrett, now senior vice president of the Soufan Group, a New York intelligence consultancy, foreign fighters come from Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and the former Soviet Union, while about 5,000 have traveled from the European Union. Britain says about 800 UK citizens have traveled to Syria and about half have returned, though some have also perished in the war, putting a strain on the police and security forces who are tasked with monitoring the militants. British media, citing voice experts, say the voice on the IS video sounds like recordings of Abu Rumaysah, born Siddharta Dhar to a London Hindu family, who for many years gave speeches and interviews as a prominent figure in the group al-Muhajiroun. His sister told media the voice of the militant in the video sounds like her brother although she was not sure it was him. The group was founded by Syrian-born Islamist cleric Omar Bakri in the late 1990s and called for Sharia law in Britain. It was banned under anti-terrorist laws in 2010. The main failing in Dhar's case was not immediately demanding his passport, according to David Anderson, a lawyer and Britains independent reviewer of terrorism laws. "Where it seems to have broken down is first of all in not ensuring that the passport was handed over," Anderson told the BBC. He said thousands of people were subjected to surveillance but he suspected Dhar would not have been near the top of the list. I doubt he was at the top of the queue for what are pretty scarce surveillance resources. (Editing by Peter Millership) By Kylie MacLellan LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has sacked his EU policy chief for disloyalty and moved his pro-nuclear defence spokeswoman to another job in an attempt to tighten control over his rebellious parliamentary party. The party's main culture spokesman also went and the moves triggered some resignations among junior members of Corbyn's team. But foreign policy chief Hilary Benn, whose position had initially appeared in doubt, stayed. Political leaders in Britain often change their teams, but the emphasis on loyalty and adherence to Corbyn's leftist policies underlined Labour's fragility after it suffered an overwhelming election defeat last year to the Conservative Party. Corbyn, a veteran left-wing activist, was elected party leader after the election by tapping into a desire for change among grass-roots party members. But his four-month tenure has deepened divisions between him and several of Labour's leading lawmakers, including with Benn, who publicly opposed Corbyn's position last month by supporting the Conservative government's Syrian bombing campaign. Benn kept his job as Corbyn tried to forge unity with the party's more moderate members, but three junior ministers in Labour's 'shadow cabinet', which mirrors the government, resigned over their differences with the leader. Labour said on Wednesday Emily Thornberry would replace Maria Eagle as defence spokeswoman. Eagle was in favour of renewing Britain's nuclear-armed Trident submarine programme, putting her at odds with Corbyn who has argued that the more than 100 billion-pound ($147 billion)price tag to replace the country's deterrent could be better used. Thornberry has voted against renewing Trident. Europe shadow secretary Pat McFadden said he had been sacked in part because of comments he made in parliament seemingly at odds with statements Corbyn had made on the causes of terrorism. Corbyn, he said, had taken them as a personal attack. He will be replaced by Pat Glass, a pro-Europe former junior education spokeswoman. Culture spokesman Michael Dugher said on Tuesday he had been sacked. DISLOYALTY Corbyn had been under pressure by his allies to take control of Labour, which has struggled to challenge the ruling Conservatives. Labour's finance spokesman, John McDonnell, said Corbyn had questioned some leading lawmakers' loyalty. "There were issues where there has been undermining of his(Corbyn's) leadership and not accepting his mandate from the party members that he received in the election," he told Sky News. McDonnell said Corbyn was trying to "hold everyone together but be very clear about our direction of travel in terms of policy". But Jonathan Reynolds, the party's rail spokesman, said in his resignation letter posted on Facebook: "I understand your need for a greater degree of discipline on the front bench and therefore believe it would be more appropriate to advocate these causes as a backbencher (a rank and file Labour lawmaker)." Foreign Affairs spokesman Stephen Doughty, who quit on live TV, said he agreed with McFadden's views on terrorism and national security and was going as a matter of conscience. Armed Forces spokesman Kevan Jones said he disagreed with Corbyn on scrapping Britain's nuclear weapons and would make a more effective case for Labour to have "strong, credible defence and security policies" from the backbenches. (Additional reporting by Elizabeh Piper and Kate Holton, Editing by Elizabeth Piper and Jeremy Gaunt) San Salvador (AFP) - Central America's so-called Northern Triangle -- Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras -- recorded a total 17,422 murders in 2015, 11 percent higher than for 2014, according to preliminary police tallies. The figures released this week confirmed the region's reputation for the worst homicide rates in the world outside of war zones, driven by gangs that wage vicious turf battles and seek to exert brutal control over citizens. The everyday danger of violent death has helped push many residents in those countries to try to emigrate to the United States. "The rising death tally in the Northern Triangle is shameful and clearly shows that the social conflict is major and needs regional efforts to confront it," a Salvadoran analyst and university professor, Roberto Canas, told AFP. According to the police numbers, El Salvador was the country mainly responsible for the Northern Triangle increase. It had 104 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants last year, for a murder toll of 6,657 -- a staggering 67-percent jump on the figures for 2014. That propelled El Salvador to the top of the list of countries with the highest murder rate -- overtaking even Venezuela, whose rate jumped 12 percent to 90 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. Honduras was still very dangerous with 57 murders per 100,000 people, calculated from the 5,047 murders it recorded in 2015. But that was a decrease from 2014, when its murder rate was 68 per 100,000 inhabitants. Guatemala's rate for 2015 was little unchanged: 36 homicides per 100,000 people, with 5,718 murders -- slightly less than the 38 per 100,000 rate recorded in 2014. By way of comparison, per 100,000 inhabitants, Britain's homicide rate is around one, the United States' is around four, and Brazil's is around 25, according to the latest available data from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. In an bid to stem immigration from Central America, the United States has started raiding homes to round up and deport migrants who have failed to convince courts to let them stay. At the same time, the US government has allocated $750 million to the Northern Triangle countries to try to improve security and prosperity this year, in an effort to mitigate the violence prompting would-be migrants to leave. By Robin Respaut SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - In 2012, under court order to reduce prison overcrowding, California announced an ambitious criminal justice reform plan that promised not only to meet the court mandate but also to improve criminal sentencing and save billions of dollars. Now, three years after implementing the changes, California has reduced its prison population by some 30,000 inmates, and the state is in the vanguard of a prison reform movement spreading across the country, with support from both the right and the left. But the promise of savings a chief goal of prison reform nationwide has not been realized. Instead, costs have risen. The price tag for housing, feeding and caring for a prisoner in California has climbed to almost $64,000 annually, up from $49,000 five years ago. Per prisoner, the state spends more than three times the amount it did 20 years ago when the population was a similar size. This fiscal year, despite the recent decline in inmate numbers, Californias corrections budget is one of the largest ever at $10.1 billion. The state also spends an additional $1 billion annually outside the corrections budget to help counties implement sentencing alternatives and handle higher numbers of offenders serving time in local jails. Another $2.2 billion of state money is slated for county jail construction. The cost per prisoner has swelled for a range of reasons. Some money-saving moves havent happened, including shuttering the states most dilapidated facility and ending out-of-state private prison contracts. Additionally, court rulings have required the state to spend billions improving medical care. The biggest driver of higher costs, however, has been personnel. The state budgets for about the same number of positions as it did five years ago, when the state system housed nearly 30,000 more inmates. Their numbers go up, not down. There is no way that could be justified, state Sen. Jim Nielsen (R-Gerber). It was a deceit and a fraud to everybody that we were going to save money in corrections. We have not. COURT-ORDERED REDUCTIONS Californias reforms are rooted in a 2011 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, which found that the states overcrowded prisons violated the Eighth Amendments ban on cruel and unusual punishment. At the time, 20,000 inmates were sleeping on makeshift triple bunk beds set up in prison gymnasiums and day rooms. The court ordered California to reduce crowding from 200 percent of capacity to a more manageable 137.5 percent. To comply with the mandate, Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown transferred responsibility for thousands of felons from the state to counties. Under the new initiative, known as realignment, certain kinds of felons would no longer be sentenced to state prisons but rather would serve their time in local jails or alternative programs. In turn, jails released - or didnt take in - thousands of inmates with less serious convictions. The idea was part of a broadly embraced approach to reform aimed at keeping low-level criminals out of jails and prisons and addressing mental illness or addiction issues in less expensive and restrictive settings. Social reformers saw the shift as more effective and humane, while budget hawks approved of its potential for reducing costs, which Brown promised would drop by about $1.5 billion by 2015-16. California is finally getting its prison costs under control, Brown said in 2012, when he laid out the state's blueprint for change in a document titled, The Future of California Corrections. Initially, the state seemed to deliver on its promise to reduce both the prison population and costs. The department eliminated triple bunk-beds and closed 15 contract facilities. Six months after realignment, the number of prisoners had dropped by 22,000. During those early months, the department froze hiring, reduced staff through attrition and cut programming, each initiative achieving savings. By late 2012, the budget had dropped by about $1 billion from two years earlier to $8.7 billion. But the savings were short-lived. In years that followed, the economy improved, staff was added, the legislature voted to spend more on rehabilitation, and the courts required additional spending, said Matt Cater, who headed the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from 2008 to 2012. Its an interesting phenomenon, said James Austin, president of JFA Institute, a criminal justice research group. The prison population declined, but the budget continues to rise. RISING COSTS When asked why the corrections budget hasnt decreased, California officials often point to a court order to improve inmate medical care. In 2013, responding to the mandate, the state opened a new medical facility in Stockton, called the California Healthcare Facility, designed for inmates needing long-term inpatient medical care and intensive mental health services. The facility costs approximately $295 million annually. The state has also faced increased costs for prescription medications, including $60.6 million this year for new Hepatitis C treatments. The overall rise in the cost per prisoner, however, has been driven far more by the salaries and benefits of employees. One reason that personnel costs havent fallen in step with the declining inmate population has been a change in the staffing formula. Prior to realignment, during more than two decades of swelling inmate numbers, the state staffed facilities using a simple formula: For every six new inmates, the department hired one new staff member. The formula meant a huge increase in prison personnel during the 1980s and 1990s, especially in the ranks of correctional officers. If the same ratio had remained in place as the inmate population fell under realignment, some 4,000 jobs could have been eliminated. But the state worried that a sharp reduction in personnel could leave facilities understaffed. As an alternative, the blueprint introduced a model that standardized staffing according to a facilitys physical layout, with guards and other personnel assigned at a level deemed necessary to secure and operate facilities. Some saw the move to standardized staffing as a thinly disguised way to protect the jobs of unionized prison guards, who otherwise might have opposed the reforms. If they got that, they wouldnt mount a campaign of opposition, said Dan Mac all air, executive director of the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice. Its what allowed Brown to move ahead with realignment. But those who were at the table during the discussions, including current and former department officials and the guards union, all insist that appeasing prison workers was not the reason for the shift away from the old, ratio-driven staffing model. From my perspective, we werent carrying [the unions] water, said then-corrections secretary Cater. We were trying to run an appropriate system under federal court oversight, which means youve got a lot of things that you have to accomplish with those people. The JFA Institutes Austin notes that any promise of savings was overstated from the start. A correctional facility, he notes, is like an airplane. If that plane is full or empty, the cost is basically the same. Its the same thing with a prison. OTHER BENEFITS California prison reform advocates say that saving money was never the sole point of realignment, even if that was what helped sell Browns plan. In shifting responsibility for more convicts to counties and providing money to ease the transition, the state also hoped to spur new approaches to sentencing, reformers note, including flash incarcerations, probation supervision, jail programs, supportive housing and job training. When you think about realignment, in some ways it was to save money. But all of us working on the bill itself knew it couldnt possibly save money, said Joan Petrels, a Stanford criminologist and strong supporter of prison reform. Programs such as those aimed at reducing recidivism are expensive, Petrels noted, but they have the potential to both save money and serve society in the long run. Initially, however, good on-the-ground policies usually incur more costs, she said. Brown's office declined to comment for this story, referring questions to the corrections department. Recent CDC Secretary Jeffrey Beard, who retired last week, acknowledged that the savings haven't been exactly as promised in the blueprint. But he said that without the reforms the state might have had to spend billions building more prisons. Have we achieved the savings? asked Beard. If we look at cost-avoidance, yes, we have achieved it. (Reporting by Robin Respaut; Editing by Sue Horton) * Canadian dollar at C$1.4075, or 71.05 U.S. cents * Currency hit a fresh 12-year low * Bond prices higher across the maturity curve TORONTO, Jan 6 (Reuters) - The Canadian dollar set a 12-year low against its U.S. counterpart on Wednesday after risk aversion hit financial markets and crude oil prices tumbled, overshadowing an improvement in Canada's trade deficit. Canada posted a smaller-than-expected trade deficit of C$1.99 billion in November from a revised C$2.49 billion gap in October on increased exports to the United States, data from Statistics Canada showed. "It's a step in the right direction," said BMO Capital Markets senior economist Sal Guatieri. North Korea's reported successful nuclear test and further weakening in China's yuan after data showed the nation's services Purchasing Managers' Index expanded at its slowest rate in 17 months weighed on sentiment. Oil prices slid to set 11-year lows on Wednesday as the row between Saudi Arabia and Iran made any cooperation between major exporters to cut output even less likely. U.S. crude prices were down 3.89 percent at $34.57 a barrel, while Brent crude lost 4.89 percent to $34.64. Meanwhile, stronger-than-expected U.S. private employment data for December helped support the greenback. At 9:19 a.m. EST (1419 GMT), the Canadian dollar was trading at C$1.4075 to the greenback, or 71.05 U.S. cents, weaker than the Bank of Canada's official close of C$1.3989, or 71.48 U.S. cents. The currency's strongest level of the session was C$1.3973, while it hit its weakest level since August 2003 at C$1.4109. The weaker Canadian dollar is the main reason behind improvement in Canada's trade balance, according to Guatieri, although continued growth in U.S. demand also helped. "The currency's impact on growth should improve through the year," Guatieri added. Canadian government bond prices were higher across the maturity curve on the flight to safety, with the two-year price up 2.5 Canadian cents to yield 0.437 percent and the benchmark 10-year rising 33 Canadian cents to yield 1.339 percent. Story continues The curve flattened, as the spread between the 2-year and 10-year yields narrowed by 2.4 basis points to 90.2 basis points, indicating outperformance for longer-dated maturities. The Canada-U.S. 10-year bond spread was 2.8 basis points narrower at -84.6 basis points as Treasuries outperformed. (Reporting by Fergal Smith; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn) By David Ljunggren OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's exports grew for the first time in four months in November, cutting the trade deficit in a sign the country's weak currency is helping manufacturers even as the price of oil slides. Statistics Canada said on Wednesday the deficit narrowed to C$1.99 billion ($1.41 billion) from C$2.49 billion in October. Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast a shortfall of C$2.60 billion. Overall exports grew by 0.4 percent to C$43.25 billion, pushed up by shipments of motor vehicles and parts, metal ores and forestry products. Energy exports slumped by 6.6 percent to hit their lowest since May 2009. November marked the 15th consecutive monthly trade deficit, reflecting the continuing economic damage caused by low oil prices that have helped drag the Canadian dollar down to a 12-year low. The weak currency, though, can help exporters by making their products more competitive. "The main reason we are seeing Canada's trade balance improve despite the slaughter of commodity prices ... is the weak Canadian dollar," said Sal Guatieri, a senior economist at BMO Capital Markets. Guatieri, speaking by phone, said the struggling economy should benefit from the weak currency and continued growth in U.S. demand. In a sign of continued challenges, imports fell by 0.7 percent in November, with the largest declines in electronic and electrical equipment and parts and energy products. Some in the market are speculating that the Bank of Canada could cut rates at its next announcement on Jan. 20. Exports to the United States, which accounted for 75.2 percent of Canada's global total in November, rose by 1.3 percent while imports slipped by 0.1 percent. As a result, Canada's trade surplus with the United States grew to C$2.11 billion from C$1.68 billion in October. Export Development Canada chief economist Peter Hall said he expected energy prices to stay weak but noted stronger performances by the Canadian forestry and auto sectors on the back of increased U.S. demand. "They're capitalizing on the best news story in the entire world and that is that revival of the American economy," he said. The drop in oil prices is one reason why Canada is on track to post its largest ever annual trade deficit in 2015. For the first 11 months of the year the shortfall was a record C$22.84 billion, far ahead of the previous record for the January-November period of C$12.89 billion in 2012. (Additional reporting by Fergal Smith in Toronto; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Phil Berlowitz) Carl Reiner loves Twitter. By coincidence, on the same day reports surfaced that the social media app may be expanding its 140-character limit to 10,000, the legendary writer, director and actor told The Hollywood Reporter that the beauty of Twitter is the requirement of brevity. "You're given a certain amount of letters to say something interesting, funny or salient, and it's like a jigsaw puzzle," Reiner says. "You have something to solve. I like it." Tweeting at least once a day, usually right before he goes to bed, the soon to be 94-year-old came up with the idea to see who else his age or older uses Twitter, so he asked over what else but the app. In 3 mos I will be 94 & I am curious to know if there are any tweeters out there as old or older than I who tweet at least once a day. Huh? carl reiner (@carlreiner) December 29, 2015 So far, Reiner says he got a response from a 100-year-old Twitter user. From shots at Donald which he says he is very proud of to exchanging messages with his famous friends and family, Reiner thinks up and posts all his own tweets, he says. He has been using Twitter for years July 2012, his account says and he is not thrilled about the possibility of any changes to the format. "I think it is a challenge," he says. "I like that fact that you have to get it in a certain amount of words." Of course it's not all Twitter all the time for the Ocean's trilogy actor, he has also been working on a new book, You Say God Bless You for Sneezing and Farting, due out in the next few months, he says. The book will be illustrated by James Bennett. The book is a comedy about passing gas based on an incident when his 4-year-old granddaughter asked her teacher whether she would say "God bless you" when someone farted, he says. He also recently wrote "Me at Ninety Three," a detailed account of his year at 93-years-old and Why & When The Dick Van Dyke Show Was Born. That book features behind-the-scenes stories from the show, created by Reiner, in which he directed and acted. Fans seeking an autographed copy of the book can visit randomcontent.com. Story continues Calling them "goodies" here are some of Reiner's favorite recent tweets: On Dec 24th 1942 Estelle Lebost & I were happily married & stayed so for 65 yrs, Now gone, I still celebrate the 75th year of ongoing union. carl reiner (@carlreiner) December 25, 2015 I was sad to see the names of the departed celebrities on CBS'.HAIL & FAREWELL list & happy NOT to see my name on it.. carl reiner (@carlreiner) December 27, 2015 "SELF PLAGIARISM IS THE SINCEREST FOR OF EGOTISM' I just proved by sending you something I tweeted earlier this year. carl reiner (@carlreiner) December 31, 2015 Never heard such garbage spew from a man seeking the Presidency, A fitting slogan for him would be THE TRUMPSTER IS READY FOR THE DUMPSTER carl reiner (@carlreiner) January 3, 2016 Read More: Watch Carl Reiner, Vince Gilligan and 22 More Super Producers Tell All Washington (AFP) - South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who has been mentioned as a possible 2016 vice presidential pick, will deliver the Republican response to President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address. Haley, the first female and first minority governor in her state's history, will address the nation on the night of January 12 after Obama's speech, congressional leaders said Tuesday. She surged into the spotlight last year during a bitter debate over the Confederate flag, when she ordered the divisive and controversial banner be taken off state capitol grounds in the wake of a church shooting in Charleston. Several observers said Haley, who is 43 and in her second term as governor, used the opportunity as a political launch pad, securing her image as the face of the new South and helping her party's profile in the process. "Nikki Haley has led an economic turnaround and set a bold agenda for her state, getting things done and becoming one of the most popular governors in America," House Speaker Paul Ryan said in announcing her as the person to deliver the Republican address. "Governor Haley knows the American Dream and wants to see every American share in it, and were pleased that she will be delivering this years Republican Address," added Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Haley is one of two Indian American governors in the United States. The other, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, briefly ran for president before dropping out in November. "This is a time of great challenges for our country, but also of great opportunities. I intend to speak about both," Haley said in a statement. The speech comes in the run up to the highly anticipated Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primaries, the first two state-wide votes in the process to determine the Democratic and Republican nominees for president. BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Wednesday landed two test flights on an island it has built in the South China Sea, four days after it angered Vietnam with a landing on the same runway in the disputed territory, the Xinhua state news agency said. The two flights are likely to spark further condemnation from Vietnam, which launched a formal diplomatic protest over the weekend, and the Philippines, which said it was planning to do the same. Both countries have claims to the area that overlap with that of China, which claims almost the whole of the South China Sea. Xinhua said the two planes landed on an artificial island in the Spratly Islands on Wednesday morning. "The successful test flights proved that the airport has the capacity to ensure the safe operation of large civilian aircraft," Xinhua said, adding that the airport would facilitate the transport of supplies, personnel and medical aid. Xinhua did not give any more detail about what type of aircraft had landed. The runway at the Fiery Cross Reef is 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) long and is one of three China has been building for more than a year by dredging sand up onto reefs and atolls in the Spratly archipelago. On Saturday, China landed a civilian plane on the same runway in the Spratlys in its first test, which was also the first time it had used a runway in the area. The United States has criticized China's construction of the islands and worries that it plans to use them for military purposes, even though China says it has no hostile intent. The United States said after the first landing it was concerned that the flight had exacerbated tension. The runways would be long enough to handle long-range bombers and transport aircraft as well as China's best jet fighters, giving it a presence deep in the maritime heart of Southeast Asia that it has lacked until now. More than $5 trillion of world trade is shipped through the South China Sea every year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims. (Reporting by Sui-Lee Wee; Editing by Robert Birsel) BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Wednesday landed two test flights on an island it has built in the South China Sea, four days after it angered Vietnam with a landing on the same runway in the disputed territory, the Xinhua state news agency said. The two flights are likely to spark further condemnation from Vietnam, which launched a formal diplomatic protest over the weekend, and the Philippines, which said it was planning to do the same. Both countries have claims to the area that overlap with that of China, which claims almost the whole of the South China Sea. Xinhua said the two planes landed on an artificial island in the Spratly Islands on Wednesday morning. "The successful test flights proved that the airport has the capacity to ensure the safe operation of large civilian aircraft," Xinhua said, adding that the airport would facilitate the transport of supplies, personnel and medical aid. Xinhua did not give any more detail about what type of aircraft had landed. The runway at the Fiery Cross Reef is 3,000 metres (10,000 feet) long and is one of three China has been building for more than a year by dredging sand up onto reefs and atolls in the Spratly archipelago. On Saturday, China landed a civilian plane on the same runway in the Spratlys in its first test, which was also the first time it had used a runway in the area. The United States has criticised China's construction of the islands and worries that it plans to use them for military purposes, even though China says it has no hostile intent. The United States said after the first landing it was concerned that the flight had exacerbated tension. The runways would be long enough to handle long-range bombers and transport aircraft as well as China's best jet fighters, giving it a presence deep in the maritime heart of Southeast Asia that it has lacked until now. More than $5 trillion of world trade is shipped through the South China Sea every year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims. (Reporting by Sui-Lee Wee; Editing by Robert Birsel) China landed two more planes on a contested reef in the South China Sea Wednesday, state media said, despite international condemnation of a landing at the same location days earlier. Two civilian aircraft landed Wednesday morning on Fiery Cross reef in the disputed Spratlys island group during "test flights", the official Xinhua news agency said. Vietnam also claims the reef. The planes departed from and returned to the city of Haikou, the capital of the southern island province of Hainan -- a two-hour journey each way. "This successful test flight proves that this airport is equipped with the capacity to ensure the safe operation of large civilian aircraft," said Xinhua. It said the facility would help transport supplies, personnel and medical aid. China claims virtually all the South China Sea, while the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have partial claims. China has asserted its claim by rapidly building artificial islands, including airstrips said to be capable of hosting military jets. Several other claimants have also built facilities but at a slower pace, and China's activities have heightened tensions in the region. It began work in 2014 on the 3,000-metre (9,842 feet) runway on Fiery Cross reef, around 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) from Hainan. Last Saturday China said it had landed a civilian plane on the runway in an initial test flight -- the first time it had been used. That landing sparked a formal diplomatic complaint from Hanoi, which labelled it a violation of sovereignty. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs has also said it would file a protest at the weekend incident. With the U.S. Supreme Courts decision to legalize same-sex marriage in June, more than 20 countries across the Americas, Europe, and Africa now recognize unions between two men or two women. Yet not a single Asian nation has joined them. That may be about to change. Movement within Chinas court system indicates that the world's most populous country could be the first in Asia to join the ranks. A Chinese court has agreed to hear a case that could grant a same-sex couple the right to marry, Reuters reports. Sun Wenlin, a 26-year-old gay man hoping to marry his partner, filed a complaint against the Changsha Furong District Civil Affairs Bureau, which denied his request to register the marriage, in Hunan province in December. Sun told Reuters that a local court agreed on Tuesday to hear his case. Whether the court sides in Suns favor, even the decision to hear the case is a step toward LGBT equality. In China, courts often reject politically sensitive cases, so the fact that the lawsuit is accepted signals some official willingness to address discrimination against LGBT people, which is encouraging, Maya Wang, a China researcher at Human Rights Watch, told Reuters. "But we will need to see if they actually win the case. If they do, it'd be a truly watershed moment for LGBT rights in China." China decriminalized homosexuality in the late 1990s and took it off the list of official mental disorders in 2001. Since then, the unofficial attitude toward homosexuality is whats known as the three nots approach: not encouraging, not discouraging, and not promoting. Sun states that after he filed the complaint, police attempted to investigate his home and approached family members. He told the Global Times that the police officers who came to his home emphasized the importance of having a child and carrying on the family name, reflecting the nations more traditional values. LGBT people living in China are banned from adopting a child and are not protected under antidiscrimination laws, according to international organization Out Right. Story continues Sun is confident in his case, telling Reuters that Chinas marriage law says there is the freedom to marry and gender equality. He also notes that national laws describe marriage as being between a husband and a wife rather than a man and woman, and that such labels could be applied to homosexual couples. Related stories on TakePart: An Academics Answer to Chinas Bachelor Crisis: Wife Sharing Green China: Why Beijing Fears a Nascent Environmental Protest Movement 5 Years After Legalizing Gay Marriage, Portugal Will Let Same-Sex Couples Adopt Original article from TakePart By Keith Coffman DENVER (Reuters) - One of two 16-year-old girls accused of plotting to kill classmates and staff at their Colorado high school last month was formally charged as an adult on Tuesday with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, prosecutors said. Sienna Johnson appeared in Douglas County Court to face allegations that she and another girl planned to attack Mountain Vista High School in the Denver suburb of Highlands Ranch, said District Attorney George Brauchler. Brauchler told Reuters he decided to charge Johnson as an adult based on evidence seized by police, including a journal in which he said the girl drew a map of the school, made detailed notes about where people congregated and tracked the movements of security personnel. He said she also posted pictures of other school shootings to her page on the social networking website Tumblr, "took steps to acquire firearms and went target shooting with a pellet gun." Prosecutors have not said whether either suspect had actually obtained a firearm or had access to weapons. Johnson's accused accomplice also appeared in court on Tuesday, but a decision on what charges, if any, she could face was postponed pending the completion of a mental-health examination, Brauchler said. The second girl has not been publicly named since prosecutors have not decided if she will face adult charges. Both girls had been held without bail since their arrests on Dec. 12 after investigators said they planned to harm students and staff at the 2,000-student school. Douglas County District Court Judge Paul King set a $1 million bond for Johnson during Tuesday's hearing. Police took the pair into custody after two anonymous tipsters warned them the girls were planning an attack, said Sergeant Lori Bronner, spokeswoman for the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. Arrest warrant affidavits and other documents related to the case were placed under court seal, with a hearing set for next week on whether they should be released, a court spokeswoman said. Story continues Colorado has been the scene of at least four firearms attacks on schools over the past two decades, the deadliest being the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School, where two students fatally shot a teacher and 12 classmates before killing themselves. Brauchler said Johnson also mentioned the movie "Natural Born Killers" in her journals, which was also referenced by the Columbine shooters in their written and video manifestos. (Editing by Steve Gorman and Sandra Maler) (File photo of two video cameras. Source: REUTERS) In the past month, three complaints relating to poor payments and long hours in Singapores television industry have gone viral on Facebook. When contacted by Yahoo Singapore, the Media Development Authority (MDA) said it was aware about the situation and advised individuals who have been shortchanged to seek redress through various avenues. Two posts on 20 December and 25 December were about the working practices of Tamil TV production houses, and the third on 29 December was related to Malay TV production houses. In the first post, the writer, known as Lingesh, said he was a former production assistant who recently left a local production house due to long hours and delay in receiving payment that was little to nothing. Sometimes excuses are given: accountant not in, we will clear your payment after the show, Dont worry, its still processing (sic), said Lingesh, whose post has garnered over 5,000 shares as of Wednesday (6 January). A polytechnic student, whose name was not disclosed, wrote in the second post about having to wait five months for a $70 payment, and constantly being asked to come for a film shoot at the last minute. The post has more than 2,000 shares. I am a poly student, they sometimes ask me to take MC for shooting. I not the only one, got so many actors and actress get this type treatment (sic). In the third post, which has almost 2,000 shares, an unnamed well known actress in Suria detailed the struggles of working with Malay TV production houses. She complained of receiving payment as low as $200 per project, which typically required her to be on location the whole day. She also said that she had to wait for months till she received her payment, and she would be often asked to forget about it and stop chasing. The MDA has taken steps to address the shortcomings of the TV production sector. In 2012, it worked with the Association of Independent Producers Singapore (AIPROS) to establish a Code of Best Practices for TV content production between production companies, vendors and freelancers. Story continues The Code provides several guidelines on promoting good working relationships between production houses and its stakeholders, such as freelance talents and production assistants. The MDA guidelines in the Code include best practices in the area of payment. The relevant parties should address important issues such insurance, payment period, payment promptness and fee structure for contract services. In an email reply to Yahoo Singapores queries, MDA said freelancers who feel they have been treated unfairly have three avenues for redress. Freelancers in the media industry who do not receive payment from their clients, or are paid late can seek redress through the Small Claims Tribunal or Subordinate Courts, said MDA. For freelancers who are engaged by AIPRO member companies, they can approach the association as it has members that are trained by the Singapore Mediation Centre to handle such payment disputes, added MDA. Alternatively, the freelancers can write in to MDA through its website (www.mda.gov.sg). MDA will facilitate a settlement for valid appeals and act against errant companies, including withdrawing funding from grant recipients, it said. By Kylie MacLellan LONDON (Reuters) - Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has sacked his EU policy chief for disloyalty and moved his pro-nuclear defence spokeswoman to another job in an attempt to tighten control over his rebellious parliamentary party. The party's main culture spokesman also went and the moves triggered some resignations among junior members of Corbyn's team. But foreign policy chief Hilary Benn, whose position had initially appeared in doubt, stayed. Political leaders in Britain often change their teams, but the emphasis on loyalty and adherence to Corbyn's leftist policies underlined Labour's fragility after it suffered an overwhelming election defeat last year to the Conservative Party. Corbyn, a veteran left-wing activist, was elected party leader after the election by tapping into a desire for change among grass-roots party members. But his four-month tenure has deepened divisions between him and several of Labour's leading lawmakers, including with Benn, who publicly opposed Corbyn's position last month by supporting the Conservative government's Syrian bombing campaign. Benn kept his job as Corbyn tried to forge unity with the party's more moderate members, but three junior ministers in Labour's 'shadow cabinet', which mirrors the government, resigned over their differences with the leader. Labour said on Wednesday Emily Thornberry would replace Maria Eagle as defence spokeswoman. Eagle was in favour of renewing Britain's nuclear-armed Trident submarine programme, putting her at odds with Corbyn who has argued that the more than 100 billion-pound ($147 billion)price tag to replace the country's deterrent could be better used. Thornberry has voted against renewing Trident. Europe shadow secretary Pat McFadden said he had been sacked in part because of comments he made in parliament seemingly at odds with statements Corbyn had made on the causes of terrorism. Corbyn, he said, had taken them as a personal attack. He will be replaced by Pat Glass, a pro-Europe former junior education spokeswoman. Culture spokesman Michael Dugher said on Tuesday he had been sacked. DISLOYALTY Corbyn had been under pressure by his allies to take control of Labour, which has struggled to challenge the ruling Conservatives. Labour's finance spokesman, John McDonnell, said Corbyn had questioned some leading lawmakers' loyalty. "There were issues where there has been undermining of his(Corbyn's) leadership and not accepting his mandate from the party members that he received in the election," he told Sky News. McDonnell said Corbyn was trying to "hold everyone together but be very clear about our direction of travel in terms of policy". But Jonathan Reynolds, the party's rail spokesman, said in his resignation letter posted on Facebook: "I understand your need for a greater degree of discipline on the front bench and therefore believe it would be more appropriate to advocate these causes as a backbencher (a rank and file Labour lawmaker)." Foreign Affairs spokesman Stephen Doughty, who quit on live TV, said he agreed with McFadden's views on terrorism and national security and was going as a matter of conscience. Armed Forces spokesman Kevan Jones said he disagreed with Corbyn on scrapping Britain's nuclear weapons and would make a more effective case for Labour to have "strong, credible defence and security policies" from the backbenches. (Additional reporting by Elizabeh Piper and Kate Holton, Editing by Elizabeth Piper and Jeremy Gaunt) Behind the scenes, you're not part of the Rocky franchise until you get knocked out, says Sylvester Stallone: "Otherwise, you're kind of like a dead man walking, because unless you take the shot, you can't be part of the family because we'll bring it on." The actor explained on Monday's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that the films have a rite of initiation, in which "you have to get clobbered, usually by a man infinitely stronger and larger." To wit, Stallone subjected an agreeable Michael B. Jordan to the ritual while shooting Creed and shared the footage with Fallon of British boxer Tony Bellew (who plays "Pretty" Ricky Conlan) delivering a true punch to the star. "When a real pro hits you, it isnt like you see in these barroom brawls or Westerns with a big punch," noted Stallone. "Its just &lsquoboom, and next thing you know you are talking to angels." Read More: 'Creed' Premiere: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone Talk About Honoring 'Rocky's' Legacy And what was Stallone's hardest knockout? "Dolph Lundgren put me in the hospital for four and a half days," he said of his Rocky IV co-star. "It was unbelievable. He hit me so hard in the chest that the next thing I knew I was on a low-altitude flight to intensive care at St. Johns Hospital surrounded by four nuns! Watch the video below. COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Support for Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen's ruling Liberal Party has fallen to the lowest level in 25 years, six month after he took the reins of the government, Borsen newspaper reported on Wednesday. Voters have moved to back minor alternative parties with support for the large populist Danish People's Party (DF), not part of the government but voting with the Liberals in most parliamentary votes, also declining slightly. Rasmussen's political bloc - the Liberals, DF and two smaller parties - is now backed by only 46.8 percent of Danes compared with 52.3 in the election, the opinion poll from polling agency Greens showed. The Liberals have been in a precarious situation since they were elected last summer. They are the third largest party after the Social Democrats, who came out top but who's bloc did not gain a majority, and after DF, which ultimately refused to join a coalition government due to differences over social spending. The government now relies on various configurations of support in parliament to pass laws - for example, the Social Democrats tend to support EU-friendly bills, while DF backs clamping down on immigration. "It is not satisfactory. It goes without saying," Liberal Party spokesman Jacob Jensen told Borsen in reaction to the poll. "But there are turbulent times now - both financially and in terms of the asylum and immigration question." "We are the only party with government responsibility and therefore we are the target of attacks," he said. Support for the Liberal Party has fallen to 16.6 percent from 19.5 percent at the June election. DF's support has fallen to 19.2 percent from 21.1 percent at the election. Support for the Social Democrats has gone down to 25.3 percent from 26.3 percent, whereas its former coalition partner the Social-Liberal Party has increased its support to 8.1 percent from 4.6 percent. Some 25 percent of respondents said they were satisfied with Rasmussen's handling of his job as prime minister, while 61 percent said they were not. The opinion poll was conducted before the government decided to introduce border controls on Monday. (Reporting by Teis Jensen Editing by Jeremy Gaunt.) JetBlue is going on sale. (Photo: JetBlue) How low can you go should be the motto of JetBlue, it seems, which loves to host a fire sale. In December, the airline slashed prices to as low as $39. Today, the deals were back and better than ever in the BIG Winter Sale, with one-way flights as low as $34. Granted, those $34 flights arent to the sexiest destinations on the planet; think Boston to Buffalo. But there are still some great deals to be had, including $104 for New York City to Nassau in the Bahamas or $84 from Orlando to Mexico City. Related: Dirty Secrets of Flying: What the Airlines Dont Tell You There are some black-out dates, like Presidents Day Weekend, which also overlaps with Valentines Day. But there are enough other possibilities to get you out of the cold this winter (or into it, depending on your preferences). The sale ends on January 6 for flights from Jan. 13 through April 13. WATCH: Fly for Free: 7 Things You Should Always Charge for the Miles Let Yahoo Travel inspire you every day. Hang out with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Check out our original adventure travel series A Broad Abroad. Paris (AFP) - From their bunker at an undisclosed address in southern Paris, the staff of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo are soldiering on a year after coming close to annihilation in a jihadist attack. Two weeks after the massacre, driven by principle and sheer determination, they overcame their grief to put together a "survivors' issue". The overriding impulse, says new boss Laurent Sourisseau, was to keep publishing a magazine that would honour his slain colleagues. Charlie Hebdo's top cartoonists, beloved in France and known by the nicknames Charb, Cabu and Wolinski, died in the massacre along with nine other people. Sourisseau, nicknamed Riss, who lost the use of his right arm but survived the attack by playing dead, has the sense they are looking over his shoulder. "For me, they are no longer here but they have not died," he told AFP in an interview. "I wonder sometimes if I'm in some ways doing the paper that they would have done," he said, adding that he wants the surviving Charlie Hebdo to be "worthy of them". Being under round-the-clock protection by five bodyguards is "just a little constraining," he said. But he takes grim pride in keeping the paper going after jihadist brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi were convinced they had finished it off that blood-drenched January day a year ago on Thursday. Riss, 49, said his "combat newspaper" would not compromise in its defence of secularism. That promise was kept Wednesday with a no-holds-barred special anniversary edition, fronted with a Riss cartoon of a fugitive "killer" God. Inside, he wrote a blistering editorial against religious fanaticism. "Charlie should be there where others dare not go," he said. "For this cover cartoon, I wanted to go beyond one or another religion and touch on more basic things. It is the idea of God itself that we, at Charlie, contest. You need to shake up people's ideas or they stay stuck in their positions." Story continues - 'The Charlie spirit' - He said the team, bolstered by a handful of newcomers, was beginning to overcome the grief and fear to be able to laugh a little. "Charlie has always been a combat newspaper, but a funny, kidding combat," he said. "Otherwise we would have stopped long ago. It's a nice place again" -- despite the intensive security. "It hasn't been easy for anyone," he acknowledged. "Everyone has had to overcome personal anguish. But everyone got on deck. If the paper is here, it's thanks to them." The past year has been one of "weekly struggle: struggles for our ideas, but also to prove to ourselves that we were still capable of doing it. It's the ultimate test, to see if you live or die, if we believe in our ideas to the point of getting through this year and coming out a winner. "If the paper had disappeared, our ideas would also have disappeared a little." Moved by the outpouring of support Charlie Hebdo received after the massacre, Riss has also been pleased to see circulation boom -- from around 30,000 before the attacks to 80,000 today. But there has also been disappointment in the ranks of readers. A priest wrote in complaining that he was among some 1.6 million people who marched in Paris four days after the attacks, but now: "I find your cover scandalous." Riss commented wryly: "It's as if January 11 was a contract: I marched for you, so now tone it down." Underscoring his determination to stay true to the magazine's principles, Riss said: "The Charlie spirit is everywhere in the world, but you need a chemical agent" to bring it out. "Everywhere, people share our values but don't speak out. Charlie can help them express themselves," he said. Istanbul (AFP) - A US-based Turkish preacher who has emerged as an arch-enemy of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan went on trial in absentia Wednesday along with several former police chiefs charged over the corruption allegations that hit the Turkish leader in 2013. Fethullah Gulen, a former ally of Erdogan turned chief foe, was not present at the start of the proceedings in Istanbul, with Washington failing to respond to Turkish requests for the cleric's extradition from his secluded compound in Pennsylvania. Gulen is being tried along with dozens of former police officers, including the former head of Istanbul police Yakup Saygili and the city's ex-deputy criminal police chief Kazim Aksoy, both of whom are said to have ordered the graft probe. The pair have been held in detention since September 2014 and were both in court at the start of the trial. A total of 69 people, including Gulen, are on trial, facing terms ranging from seven years to 330 years. The judge at Istanbul's main courthouse opened the proceedings by conducting a roll call of the defendants and the plaintiffs before lawyers began their statements, an AFP correspondent said. Eight defendants, including Saygili and Aksoy, who had been remanded in custody were brought to the courthouse from the prison. Aside from Gulen, the other suspects had been released from custody pending trial. Two other suspects -- Gulen aide Sinan Dursun and former deputy police chief Hamza Tosun -- are at large and considered fugitives. - 'No concrete evidence' - The corruption allegations directly implicated some of Erdogan's inner circle, including his son Bilal. The government denied the claims, which it said came from Gulen and his acolytes in the judiciary and police. Erdogan, his son Bilal, son-in-law Berat Albayrak and Turkey's spy chief Hakan Fidan are among the plaintiffs in the case, along with four former ministers who lost their jobs over the corruption allegations. Story continues The allegations, based on bugged conversations, enthralled Turkey like a soap opera. In one leaked tape, Erdogan allegedly told Bilal to dispose of some 30 million euros ($32 million) in cash. Erdogan has dismissed the recordings as a "vile montage". The top suspects are charged with plotting to topple the Turkish government with the graft allegations, as well as membership of a "terrorist group". "There is no concrete evidence that my client has been involved in any violence, not a single document," Gulen's lawyer Nurullah Albayrak said. "We have never seen such a murky investigation in the history of our country." The scandal was seen as one of the biggest challenges to the dominance of then prime minister Erdogan. He survived the allegations, however, and went on to become president in August 2014. Investigations related to the allegations were closed and the authorities moved to expel Gulen supporters from the police and judiciary. Despite living outside of Turkey, Gulen built up huge influence in the country through allies in the police and judiciary, media and a vast network of cramming schools designed to make up for deficiencies in the state education system. Ankara now accuses Gulen of running what it calls the Fethullahaci Terror Organisation/Parallel State Structure (FeTO/PDY) and seeking to overthrow the legitimate Turkish authorities. Gulen supporters decry the accusations as ridiculous, saying all he leads is a more informal group known as Hizmet (Service). Addressing the court, Albayrak mocked the indictment -- which describes Gulen's group as "a network of treachery nested within the state" -- as a "comedy script". "Throughout his life Fethullah Gulen and his movement have had no intention other than promoting tolerance and dialogue in society, let alone engage in terrorism." According to the Anatolia news agency, around 1,800 people, including 750 police officers and 80 soldiers, have been detained as part of a crackdown against the followers of Gulen since arrests began in the summer 2014. Some 280 of them are still in jail pending trial, Anatolia said. The current trial related to only one of several investigations. "Hundreds of people's lives have been ruined just because they stepped on the feet of the government," said Murat Erdogan, lawyer for Yakup Saygili and Kazim Aksoy. People who have been overweight or obese at any time during their lives may be more likely to die early, even if they lose weight later, a new study suggests. Among the people in the study, those who had ever been overweight were 19 percent more likely to die during the 23-year study period, compared with those who had never exceeded normal weight. Those who had ever been obese (with a body mass index, or BMI, from 30.0 to 34.9) were 65 percent more likely to die during the study than those who had never exceeded normal weight. And those who had ever been severely obese (with a BMI of 35.0 or above) were nearly 150 percent more likely to die during this time period than those who remained in the normal weight range. The new study sheds light on the need for greater efforts to stem the obesity epidemic, said study author Andrew Stokes, of the Boston University School of Public Health. [The Best Way to Lose Weight Safely] In the study, the researchers looked at the BMIs of more than 6,000 Americans who were between 50 and 74 years old when the study began, in 1988. In addition to looking at the participants current BMIs, at the time of the start of the study, the researchers looked at the history of the individuals lifetime BMIs. This approach differs from that of previous studies that have looked at the relationship between a persons BMI and their risk of early death, the researchers said. Those previous studies tended to consider peoples BMIs at only a single point in time, the researchers said. Imagine if you compared nonsmokers to smokers, Stokes said. If there are former smokers in the nonsmoking group, it is going to skew the comparison. One such study, published in January 2013, suggested that being overweight could actually increase a persons life span, Stokes said. Moreover, that study found that being mildly obese was actually associated with no increased risk of death, he said. You had to be morbidly obese to experience any elevated risks for death, according to those findings, Stokes said. Story continues But the new study found that, quite to the contrary, risks increase at every level of body mass index above the normal weight category, he told Live Science. The new results suggest that the problem of obesity needs to be taken very seriously, Stokes said. We see that obesity is affecting many people in a population, he said. It is not just restricted to certain individuals or groups. This is why the solutions to the high rates of obesity really need to target not only individuals, but also the population as a whole, he added. Dr. Mitchell Roslin, chief of obesity surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, who was not involved in the new study, stressed the importance of physical fitness for the reducing the health risks that can come with obesity. Bottom line is that not all heavy people will die young, Roslin told Live Science in an email. But those who are not fit [or who] have metabolic conditions such as diabetes or severe sleep apnea have a disproportionately high risk. The new study was published Monday (Jan. 4) in the journal PNAS. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Originally published on Live Science. Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The United Kingdom aims to cut its carbon emissions 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050, and scientists think farmers can play a key role in achieving that target. A new study finds that if farmers can increase their yields, use less land for crops and livestock, and restore some woodlands and wetlands, they can reduce their emissions 80 percent. Land is a source of greenhouse gases if it is used to farm fertilizer-hungry crops or methane-producing cattle, or it can be a sink for greenhouse gases through sequestration, said Andrew Balmford, a professor of conservation science at Cambridge University. Balmford led the study, published Monday the journal Nature Climate Change, that is the first to look at how land restoration can offset carbon pollution on a nationwide scale. If we increase woodland and wetland, those lands will be storing carbon in trees, photosynthesizing it in reeds, and shunting it down into soils, Balmford said, adding that the restored landscapes would allow native plants and wildlife to repopulate the regions. About 70 percent of the U.K. is designated for agriculture, and the farmers are responsible for nearly 10 percent of the countrys annual greenhouse gas emissions. Food consumption is expected to increase as much as 38 percent by 2050. The challenge is to achieve the legally binding carbon cuts laid out in the U.K.s Climate Change Act without increasing reliance on imported food. Balmford said the researchers consulted with crop and livestock experts to come up with the best potential options to increase crop yields by 2050. They would require a substantial increase in agriculture research and development, but the yield increases we modeled were all considered technically feasible by 2050 by the panel of crop and livestock experts we consulted, Balmford said. The most promising areas highlighted in the study include developing improved crops capable of capturing more nutrients from fertilizers and that are more efficient at using water for photosynthesis. Story continues If crop yields are increased, the area needed for food production can decrease, and carbon-storing trees and natural wetlands can take their place. In a best-case scenario, the study estimated crop yield increases of increases of 1.3 percent per year, which could free up as much as 30 to 40 percent of the U.K.s current farmed land. RELATED: Forests Can Feed Billions, but Only If Theyre Left Standing If that land was then used to grow the U.K.s current forest cover from 12 percent to 30 percent, and restore 2,700 square miles of peatlands, agriculture could reduce emissions 80 percent by 2050. Balmford said the key to is to encourage farmers to not just abandon land, but to replant it. Active planting would generate greater climate mitigation and biodiversity gains than simply abandoning farming, Balmford said. Landowners would have to be incentivized to a this on, which would require significant redirection of existing agricultural subsidy schemes. These changes would take time. The study emphasizes to achieve that goal will require a mixture of crop yield increases and land restoration, along with a reduction in food waste and meat consumption. Reducing meat consumption appears to offer greater mitigation potential than reducing food waste, but more importantly, our results highlight the benefits of combining measures, Balmford said. For example, coupling even moderate yield growth with land sparing and reductions in meat consumption has the technical potential to surpass an 80 percent reduction in net emissions. Related stories on TakePart: How to Cut Deforestation in Half to Save the Climate U.K. Renewables Beat Coal Power for the First Time Ever Your Carbon Emissions May End Up Starving Poor People in Africa Original article from TakePart By Sui-Lee Wee BEIJING (Reuters) - A court has accepted China's first same-sex marriage case, lodged by a gay man against a civil affairs bureau for denying him the right to marry, in a decision hailed as a step forward for gay rights. While homosexuality is not illegal in China, and large cities have thriving gay scenes, same-sex marriage is not legal and same-sex couples have no legal protections. Sun Wenlin, 26, told Reuters a court in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, had accepted his lawsuit on Tuesday. "I think from a legal point of view, we should be successful," Sun said. "Our marriage law says there is the freedom to marry and gender equality. These words can be applied to same-sex marriage." Sun said he had filed the lawsuit in December because he wanted to form a family unit with his 36-year-old partner. Sun said he had tried to register to marry his boyfriend at the Furong district civil affairs bureau in June but was rejected by an official who told him "marriage had to be between a man and woman". Officials at the Furong district civil affairs bureau could not be reached for comment and a court official in Furong, where the case will be heard, said the court "will not comment on cases before they are heard". China is becoming more tolerant of homosexuality, which until 2001 was listed as a mental disorder, but many gay people remain under heavy pressure to stay in the closet. Activists said the court's acceptance of the case was significant and would likely lead to more such cases. "In China, courts often reject politically sensitive cases, so the fact that the lawsuit is accepted signals some official willingness to address discrimination against LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people, which is encouraging," said Maya Wang, a China researcher at New York-based group Human Rights Watch. "But we will need to see if they actually win the case. If they do, it'd be a truly watershed moment for LGBT rights in China." Sun's legal consultant, surnamed Ding, said the case would be heard within six months. "From the standpoint of improving visibility, this case is no doubt a victory," said Ding, who declined to give her full name because of the sensitivity of the matter. Lu Jun, co-founder of anti-discrimination group Yirenping, said the case would bring more such legal action. "More people will know that marriage registration is a right," Lu said. (Additional reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Robert Birsel) By Michele Kambas FAMAGUSTA, Cyprus (Reuters) - For the first time in decades, Greek Cypriots celebrated Epiphany on the northern side of ethnically-split Cyprus on Wednesday, as momentum builds for a possible breakthrough this year in peace talks. Against the backdrop of abandoned hotels and homes ringed with barbed wire, a robed Greek Orthodox priest tossed a cross into the sea, symbolizing a blessing of the waters, and the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan. About fifteen people plunged into the icy waters. In Orthodox tradition, the person who retrieves the cross is blessed. The east Mediterranean island was ethnically split in a Turkish invasion in 1974, triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup. Greek Cypriots live in its south and Turkish Cypriots in its north, separated by a ceasefire line monitored by United Nations peacekeepers. Though Turkish Cypriot authorities have permitted crossings of Greek Cypriots to the north since 2003, religious events by Greek Cypriots have required permission. In a sign of an improving climate between the two sides which many hope can translate into progress in peace talks, Turkish Cypriot authorities sanctioned the Epiphany celebrations on a beach at Famagusta for the first time since the war. "This is a very moving moment for me ... our presence here means we haven't forgotten, and we still believe one day we will return," said Greek Cypriot Philippos Yiapanis, one of hundreds who lined a white sandy beach to observe the ritual. He was 17 when he left Famagusta, a sprawling town on Cyprus's eastern coast. He is now 59, and for most of his life, Cyprus has been divided. Now, diplomats have hope peace talks between the two current Cypriot leaders, Nicos Anastasiades and Mustafa Akinci, can achieve what an army of others failed. Both sides have reported progress in talks, though caution that plenty of issues are still unresolved. Varosha, a suburb of Famagusta where hotels and homes have been left to rot is a poignant reminder of the conflict tearing Cyprus apart. Ringed by a fence which extends into clear blue waters, the six-square kilometer suburb has been off limits to anyone but the Turkish military since its 39,000 residents abandoned it in the face of an advancing army in August 1974. The closest pilgrims got to it on Wednesday was peering through a fence on the beach. One man fell to his knees, filling a water bottle with sand to take home. "I cannot express how I feel," said Vassilis Theofanous, 54, whose eyes welled with tears. "I was 14 when I left...I hope something happens this year and we solve the Cyprus problem, for everyone to return to their homes." Negotiations have stepped up pace since the election of Akinci, a moderate, to the helm of the Turkish Cypriot community in April 2015. Anastasiades, who has been President of the internationally-recognized government of Cyprus since 2013, has supported initiatives in the past - most notably backing a U.N. reunification blueprint in 2004 which however failed to muster backing from Greek Cypriots in a referendum. But optimism is also tempered by past failures. And talks have barely touched upon issues like redrawing ethnic boundaries or dealing with the property claims of thousands of internally displaced people. "What is happening today maybe gives a message that we can expect a very productive 2016," said Alexis Galanos, the Greek Cypriot mayor-in-exile of Famagusta. "I don't want to be over-optimistic, because many times up to now we have been disappointed but there is all around a cautious optimism," he told Reuters Television. (Editing by Richard Balmforth) By Zachary Fagenson MIAMI (Reuters) - Florida Atlantic University has dismissed a professor who said massacres at a Connecticut elementary school and a county office building in San Bernardino, California, were staged, the university said. Media professor James Tracy's last day at the university in Boca Raton will be Friday, the school said in a statement after alerting him of the decision in a letter on Tuesday. Tracy, 50, has worked at the university since 2002. He could not be reached on Wednesday and his attorney, Thomas Johnson, declined to comment. Tracy's website, MemoryHoleBlog.com, gained notice in 2013 after he claimed the December 2012 massacre by a gunman at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, was staged by crisis actors hired by the Obama administration. The attack killed 26 people, including 20 children. Last month, the university said it would seek to fire Tracy after he sent a letter to the parents of 6-year-old Sandy Hook victim Noah Pozner demanding proof they were his parents. On his blog, Tracy called them "alleged parents" and accused Lenny and Veronique Pozner of fabricating their sons death certificate to cash in on the tragedy. The Pozners accused Tracy of harassment. He has shown no remorse and continues to conceive conspiracy theories out of each new mass shooting, they wrote in a Dec. 10 letter in the Sun-Sentinel newspaper. Tracy also said the San Bernardino incident, in which a militant Muslim couple killed 14 people last month, was a hoax. The university gave Tracy 10 days to respond to its Dec. 16 announcement of his planned firing. He never replied, the school said. The official reason for Tracy's termination was that he twice failed to submit forms explaining outside activities in order for university administrators to address potential conflicts of interest. "By simply submitting the completed activity form, you would have been compliant with no further discipline," university Vice Provost Diane Alperin wrote in a letter on Tuesday. (Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Bill Trott) ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's former defence minister has been charged with money laundering and criminal breach of trust over 300 million naira ($1.5 million) intended for defence spending, the financial crimes agency said on Tuesday. Bello Haliru Mohammed served under former President Goodluck Jonathan, who lost an election last year to President Muhammadu Buhari. Buhari says he wants to root out widespread corruption. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said Mohammed and his son, Bello Abba Mohammed, were charged with diverting funds meant for the procurement of arms through the office of the National Security Adviser in March 2015. The former defence minister and his son pleaded not guilty at Abuja's high court and the case was adjourned until Thursday for a bail hearing. They are accused of colluding with former National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki, who also served under Jonathan and was charged with money laundering and criminal breach of trust last month, to divert the funds. Dasuki has also pleaded not guilty. He was arrested on Dec. 1 in relation to an investigation into a $2 billion arms deal. Buhari called for Dasuki's arrest in November, accusing him of stealing funds through phantom arms contracts and hampering the fight against the Islamist militant group Boko Haram. (Reporting by Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Louise Ireland) VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Jan 6, 2016) - On Thursday, January 7, the Fraser Institute will release a new study examining whether high income Canadians are gaining at the expense of low income Canadians. Income Mobility, The Rich and Poor in Canada, written by Herbert Grubel, professor emeritus of economics at Simon Fraser University and Fraser Institute senior fellow, spotlights the concepts of income inequality and income mobility - the fact that people's incomes change over time. A news release with additional information will be issued via Marketwired on January 7 at 5:30 a.m. (Eastern). Follow the Fraser Institute on Twitter / Like us on Facebook The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for Canadians, their families and future generations by studying, measuring and broadly communicating the effects of government policies, entrepreneurship and choice on their well-being. To protect the Institute's independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit www.fraserinstitute.org Paris (AFP) - World-renowned French conductor-composer Pierre Boulez, one of the most influential voices in modern classical music who was no stranger to controversy, has died aged 90, his family said Wednesday. A seminal figure in abstract music, Boulez constantly pushed the envelope by challenging the status quo, once suggesting: "We should burn down the opera houses." It was not that he disdained opera, but rather Boulez, who died Tuesday in Baden-Baden, Germany, felt that operatic productions had become too amateurish and catered too much to popular demand. "He helped open minds and hearts to new musical forms," said France's former culture minister Jack Lang. "He really invented a unique musical language." Intrigued by maths, Boulez composed around 30 often demanding works, notably "Le Marteau Sans Maitre" (The Hammer Without a Master), which drew inspiration from surrealist poetry. Several works he labelled "works in progress" were to be modified as the performer desired. "He was a central player in the forward march of the music of our era, the music that... we would be playing tomorrow," said Stephane Lissner, director of the Paris Opera. Boulez conducted some of the world's top orchestras, leading the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic, where he was musical director from 1971 to 1977. Top US orchestras on Wednesday dedicated performances to Boulez. Alan Gilbert, his successor as music director at the New York Philharmonic, described him as a "towering and influential musical figure whose Philharmonic leadership implicitly laid down a challenge of innovation and invention that continues to inspire us to this day." Boulez's conducting style was legendary. Shunning the baton in favour of his hands, he used sharp, clear movements reminiscent of a traffic director. Lissner, of the Paris Opera, called Boulez "one of the greatest composers of the 20th century" who had "left his mark on his era." Story continues - 'He thought with his heart' - Born on March 26, 1925 in the Loire Valley town of Montbrison, Boulez studied at the Paris music conservatory with Olivier Messiaen, a leading composer and organist who influenced his early works. Boulez's brusque statements added to his public image. In 1952, he wrote an essay titled "(Arnold) Schoenberg Is Dead", vowing to take music to the next frontier a year after the death of his forerunner in atonality -- music that abandons classical scales. "That means 'stop linking my generation to his discoveries and experimentations, we have gone past that'," said Laurent Bayle, director of the Philharmonie de Paris and a disciple of Boulez. Boulez was invited by orchestras from Berlin and Vienna to Chicago and Cleveland, and despite his comment on opera, produced in the late 1970s a celebrated version of Richard Wagner's "The Ring of the Nibelung" with French director Patrice Chereau. It was his exasperation with the relative conservatism of the French musical world that led him to make his home in the German city of Baden-Baden before heading to London and New York. He returned however in 1974 to create an ensemble dedicated to contemporary music and the Institute for Acoustic/Music Research and Coordination. He was the first musician named to the College de France, a prestigious research and teaching institute founded in the 16th century. From there he was associated with several major musical projects such as the Cite de la Musique, inaugurated in 1995, and most recently the Philharmonie de Paris, whose inauguration last year he was too frail to attend. Musicians worldwide have offered their remembrances of his singular talent in modern conducting and composing. Julian Lloyd Webber, the principal of Britain's Birmingham Conservatoire, tweeted: "Even if you didn't whistle his oeuvres in the bath he certainly moved and shook!" "He felt with his head and thought with his heart," said Argentinian conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim. A speedboat struck and instantly killed a French tourist while she was swimming in waters reserved for snorkellers at a Thai resort, police said Wednesday. The woman, 52, died at the scene Tuesday afternoon after the boat struck her as she was snorkelling off Poda island, one of several small islands in the tourist hot-spot of Krabi province. Police arrested the speedboat's 29-year-old driver, Yothin Subsak, and charged him with causing death by a reckless action. "He confessed to the charges," Krabi's tourist police commander Lieutenant Colonel Man Rotthong told AFP. "The victim and her husband stayed in nearby Phuket and she bought a diving package here," he added. Tourism is a key source of revenue for Thailand, which received nearly 30 million foreign visitors in 2015, contributing to a third of GDP. Accidents involving tourists are common in a country where safety regulations are often weakly enforced. A bus crash before Christmas killed 13 Malaysian tourists in northern Thailand. The country has the second highest rate of road accident deaths in the world, according to the World Health Organization. By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic said on Tuesday it was investigating new allegations of sexual abuse of minors by peacekeepers in the conflict-torn African nation. Last month, an independent review panel accused the United Nations and its agencies of grossly mishandling allegations of child sexual abuse in 2013 and 2014 by international peacekeepers in the Central African Republic. While those allegations did not involve U.N. troops or police wearing blue helmets or berets, charges later emerged of misconduct by U.N. peacekeepers in Central African Republic (CAR). The mission in CAR, known as MINUSCA, said in a statement it was "investigating fresh allegations concerning both sexual exploitation and abuse and other misconduct by U.N. Peacekeepers and international forces in Bangui." It said that staff of the U.N. Children's Fund based in Bangui have had four visits with four alleged child victims. The statement said the head of MINUSCA, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, was discussing with the U.N. human rights office in Geneva ways of combating sexual abuse, including through the formation of a police brigade that would identify perpetrators and deter such abuse. It was not clear how many peacekeepers were involved in the alleged abuse or what countries they were from. "The mission continues to investigate each and every allegation of a misconduct," MINUSCA said. "A fact finding mission is currently underway in this regard." New Zealand's U.N. ambassador, Gerard van Bohemen, told reporters he was "really sick and tired" that such allegations keep surfacing. Uruguay's ambassador, Elbio Rosselli, president of the Security Council this month, said that as a troop contributor, his country expected "zero tolerance" of sexual abuse. Onanga-Anyanga said: "There is no place in U.N. peacekeeping for those who betray the trust of the people we are here to help." In its report last month, the independent review panel harshly criticized how the United Nations and its agencies dealt with alleged abuse charges in CAR, calling it "seriously flawed" and a "gross institutional failure." It said three senior U.N. officials had abused their authority by failing to take action on the charges of abuse by international troops from France, Equatorial Guinea and Chad. France intervened in Central African Republic, a former colony, over two years ago to stem violence between Christian militias and largely Muslim Seleka rebels who had seized power. It started withdrawing some of its 2,000 troops last year, handing over to U.N. peacekeepers. (Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Peter Cooney) Los Angeles (AFP) - Enrique Marquez, the man accused of purchasing the two assault rifles used in the San Bernardino shooting that left 14 people dead, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to terror-related charges. Marquez, 24, was indicted last week by a federal grand jury in California of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists, lying about the purchase of the two weapons used in the December 2 shooting, marriage fraud and lying on the visa application for the woman he married. During his brief arraignment in federal court in Riverside on Wednesday, Marquez, who has been held without bond since his arrest last month, simply said "not guilty" when asked how he wished to plead. According to the charges against him, Marquez in November 2011 bought a Smith & Wesson assault rifle and three months later purchased another rifle. Both weapons were allegedly purchased on behalf of Sayed Farook. Authorities say he and his wife Tashfeen Malik used them in the attack at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino that wounded 22 along with the 14 killed, many of them Farook's former co-workers. Marquez in 2011 and 2012 also allegedly plotted with Farook to carry out terror attacks at an area college that both men had attended and on a busy freeway. Marquez, a long-time friend of Farook -- Marquez converted to Islam after Farook introduced him to the religion -- told investigators that both plots were abandoned and he eventually distanced himself from Farook. He also allegedly entered into a sham marriage with a woman linked to Farook's family in November 2014 and lied on her visa application. Marquez, who has cooperated with authorities, is set to be tried on February 23. He faces up to 50 years in prison if convicted on all charges. Berlin (AFP) - Germany registered 1.1 million asylum seekers in 2015, the interior ministry said Wednesday, with refugees from war-torn Syria making up almost 40 percent of arrivals. The annual arrivals were a record for Europe's biggest economy and around five times more than in 2014. The number of Syrians seeking refuge in Germany last year hit 428,468, with Afghans the second-biggest group at 154,046, followed by Iraqis at 121,662. Not all of them have yet filed official asylum requests, and not all will be allowed to stay as Germany has vowed to send back "economic migrants" from countries at peace. The ministry also admitted that the 1.1 million figure may include repeated registrations in different German states, and people who have since moved on to other EU countries. Actual asylum applications registered in 2015, amid a huge bureaucratic backlog, reached 476,649, the ministry said, more than twice as many as in 2014. Only those fleeing war -- such as Syrians, Iraqis and some Afghans, who together make up around half of applicants -- have a high likelihood of being granted refugee status. Chancellor Angela Merkel has made clear that most citizens of Balkan states such as Serbia, Albania and Kosovo would be repatriated. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere on Wednesday reiterated the government's determination to end the trend of increasing arrivals of asylum seekers. "We will work in all policy areas towards sharply reducing the number of new asylum seekers to Germany," he said. Arrivals in December had dropped from an autumn peak, but de Maiziere put that down partly to stormy weather that dissuaded would-be migrants from embarking on the perilous journey across the Mediterranean. He pointed instead to what he described as a worrying trend of increasing Moroccan and Algerian arrivals in December. The number of Moroccan asylum seekers reached 2,896 in December, making them the fifth biggest group of applicants, noted de Maiziere, adding that "Algerians are just behind". "That's obviously cause for concern and we will take care of it," he said, adding that the government would examine "what is behind this and what one can do there". The record migrant influx has split public opinion in Germany, and Merkel is increasingly coming under fire, even in her own coalition, for her open-door stance to those fleeing war and misery. By Joseph Nasr BERLIN (Reuters) - Migrant arrivals in Germany dropped significantly last month, but the reason was rough seas, not efforts by Turkey to crack down on illegal departures to Greece, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said on Wednesday. His remarks suggest that German efforts to stem the flow of arrivals with help from Turkey are not effective yet, which increases pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose popularity has fallen over her decision to welcome refugees. "Our impression is that the drop (in arrivals) is predominantly linked to the weather, namely a stormy sea in the Mediterranean," de Maiziere, a member of Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), told a news conference. "We are also seeing efforts by Turkey to reduce the number of illegal migration departure from Turkey," he said. "But we cannot confirm a sustainable, permanent, and visible reduction because of these activities and based on individual steps in December." From 2,500 to 4,000 migrants entered Germany through Austria each day in December. That is far less than 10,000 daily arrivals recorded at the height of the crisis in autumn but still not low enough to silence Merkel's critics. Most migrants reach Europe by making the short voyage from Turkey to Greece. Merkel wants Turkey to stem the flow and take back asylum seekers rejected by Europe. In exchange, Turkey will get support for faster action on its bid to join the European Union and billions of euros in aid for Syrian refugees in border camps. The chancellor has rejected demands from members of her own conservatives to cap the number of refugees Germany is willing to take each year as well as calls to seal the border with Austria. Her multi-front approach to reducing the number of arrivals also includes providing aid to Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan and distributing asylum seekers across the European Union. RECORD NUMBER Merkel's CDU and its sister party, Bavaria's Christian Social Union (CSU), have been rising in opinion polls since November, when the number of daily arrivals began to drop. Support for the CDU-CSU has stood at 38 to 39 percent over the last three weeks, up from 36 percent at the height of the crisis but still below the 41.5 percent of they vote they won in the 2013 election. Germany registered 1.09 million asylum seekers in 2015, five times more than a year earlier, sources in the coalition government, which included the left-leaning Social Democrats, told Reuters on Wednesday, confirming local media reports. Merkel will find it even more difficult to defend her refugee policy if a similar number is recorded this year. The huge influx has forced authorities to register migrants upon entering Germany and have them wait in temporary accommodation centers before they can officially file asylum applications. Just over 476,000 migrants applied for asylum last year, the highest number ever recorded in Germany, the Interior Ministry said. That number will rise when the asylum applications of the remaining 600,000 registered migrants are collected. The last record was set in 1992 when 438,000 asylum applications were filed by people fleeing conflicts in the former Yugoslavia. Syrians made up the largest share of the more than one million migrants who entered Germany last year, accounting for 40 percent of the total, the ministry said in a statement. So far, German authorities have approved 48.5 percent of the 282,700 asylum applications processed in 2015. (Additional reporting by Thorsten Severin; Editing by Larry King) BEIJING (Reuters) - General Motors Co's vehicle sales in China rose 5.2 percent to 3.61 million in 2015, the U.S. carmaker said on Wednesday. GM and its Chinese joint venture partners sold 445,227 vehicles last month, a 14 percent rise from a year earlier, matching its growth rate for November. The automaker plans to launch 13 new or revamped models in China in 2016, including the Cadillac CT6, Malibu XL and Cruze XL, compared with 12 launches last year, according to a written statement posted on its website. GM recorded several months of decreasing sales in mid-2015, as China's economy expanded at its slowest pace in 25 years and the stock market slumped, before sales rebounded strongly in October after the Chinese government cut taxes on small-engine cars. GM, which has China joint ventures with SAIC Motor Corp Ltd <600104.SS>, Wuling Motors Holdings Ltd <0305.HK> and others, did not issue a sales target for 2016. Analysts say that the tax cut for cars with engines of 1.6 liters or less will drive a continued rebound in China's auto market until it expires at the end of 2016 but will undercut longer term growth. The world's largest auto market is expected to have grown 3 percent in 2015, with the chief of China's automakers association forecasting 5-7 percent growth for 2016. (Reporting by Jake Spring; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Anand Basu) A new year delivers a packed party scheduled leading up to the Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 10. Nominees, celebrities and industry players will toast the 73rd annual telecast (or piggyback their own causes on a busy week in L.A.) with the following bashes. Thursday, Jan. 7 DPA Talent Lounge Penthouse terrace, Luxe Hotel, 360 North Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, Jan. 7-Jan. 9, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Nathalie Dubois-Sissoko returns with DPAs 12th pre-awards gifting suite for nominees, presenters and other celebs. Among the brands offering swag are: Quantum Functional Medicine, Malaysian Omorose Cosmetics, Bushearts Scarves, Hair Evolution, Barebumz, Michique handbags, Truth in Hand, Sunny Blue, Amara Coffee, Natura Bisse and trips to Le Tahas Private Island Resort and Spa, Cape Breton Island. According to the event release, this years event is dedicated to Dubois-Sissokos brother who was killed at Paris Bataclan during the Nov. 13 terrorist attack. W Magazine & Audi Chateau Marmont, 8221 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m. The magazine teams with Audi for an event hosted by Stefano Tonchi, Lynn Hirschberg and Andre Balazs to celebrate its Best Performances issue and, of course, the Golden Globes. VIP guests get chauffeured to and from the hotel in a new 2017 Q7. The roster of talent featured in the 34-page portfolio (shot by Peter Lindbergh, styled by Edward Enninful and handpicked by Hirschberg) include Alicia Vikander, Amy Schumer, Bradley Cooper, Brie Larson, Cate Blanchett, Charlize Theron, Eddie Redmayne, Jane Fonda, Mya Taylor, Paul Dano, Rooney Mara, Saoirse Ronan and Samuel L. Jackson, among others. *** Friday, Jan. 8 Amnesty International Chateau Marmont, 8221 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, 11 a.m. Art for Amnesty enters the race with a first annual pre-Golden Globes Recognition Brunch designed to honor a select cross-section of esteemed television and film artists for their commitment to protect and promote human rights around the globe. Honorees who fit that bill include Jeff Skoll, Adam McKay and Nazanin Boniadi. Tori Kelly and Andra Day will perform at the event, which will also include a special screening of a mini-documentary titled Canvases of Courage. Story continues CAA Soho House, 9200 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, Evening The agency celebrates its roster of A-list talent, including Globes nominees like Will Smith, Cate Blanchett and Jennifer Lawrence at the members-only VIP location. Spotlight Bouchon, 235 N. Canon Dr., Beverly Hills, 7 p.m. Open Road, Anonymous Content and Participant Media will toast the Tom McCarthy film (about a heroic team of Boston Globe journalists) with Ketel One vodka, celebrating its three Globes nominations including best motion picture drama, best director and best screenplay for McCarthy and Josh Singer. Party insiders note that Beverly Hills hotspot Bouchon will take a break from typical 90210 offerings and dish out authentic Boston treats from chef Thomas Keller such as fried clams, lobster cigarettes, fried clam po-boys, New England clam chowder, mini stadium hot dogs at a strolling buffet supper in the kitchen. Other draws include original copies of news articles to authentic Boston tea and a possible chance to rub elbows with stars like Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams. Moet & Chandon Roku, 9201 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 7 p.m. The chic champagne brand toasts its inaugural Moet Moment Film Festival with a viewing party and presentation of the top honor. The event coincides with Moets anniversary of 25 years sponsoring the Golden Globes. On hand to celebrate with be judges Gina Rodriguez (a Globe winner and 2016 nominee for best TV actress in a comedy for Jane the Virgin), David Guillod, Rachel Sheedy, Ryan Tarpley and We Are From LA. *** Saturday, Jan. 9 Film Independent BOA Steakhouse, 9200 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, 11 a.m. Expect to see some Spirit Award nominees (which include Larson, Mara and Jason Segel) at the 2016 Film Independent Filmmaker Grant and Spirit Awards Nominees Brunch. Uzo Aduba and Rami Malek are teaming to co-host the brunch and announce the grant winners. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts Los Angeles (BAFTA Los Angeles) Four Seasons Los Angeles, 300 S. Doheny Dr., Los Angeles, 2 p.m. The organization returns with its always lively afternoon Tea Party (jn 2015, Eddie Redmayne hung with stars like Keira Knightley and Jamie Dornan), complete with British talent, tea and scones (and yes, cocktails!). The event is presented by BBC America and the GREAT Campaign with sponsors including Four Seasons and American Airlines. Sean Penn & Friends Montage Beverly Hills, 225 North Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, Evening Its all about the music (last year Chris Martin performed) and the boldfaced names (Anderson Cooper hosts and President Bill Clinton always makes a cameo) as the Oscar winner gathers his support for the 5th annual Help Haiti Home gala to benefit the J/P Haitian Relief Organization. HBO Luxury Lounge Four Seasons Los Angeles, 300 S. Doheny Dr., Los Angeles, 10 a.m. Actors gather at this invite only lounge retreat for VIP gifting from such sponsors as Marc Jacobs Beauty, Victorinox Swiss Army, DSW, Nautica, Boiron, Gendarme, KEEP Collective, Solo, UPPAbaby and more. Paramount Chateau Marmont, 8221 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, 5 p.m. Hosted by Paramount chairman and CEO Brad Grey, the studio's party will celebrate its Globe nominations for The Big Short and animated feature Anomalisa. Art of Elysium 3LABS, 8461 Warner Blvd., Culver City, 7 p.m. The nonprofit unveils its 9th annual Heaven Gala the night before the Golden Globes, adding Vivienne Westwood and husband Andreas Kronthaler as creative visionaries overseeing the festivities. On the schedule: Finola Hughes and Russell Young will receive the nights highest honor, the Spirit of Elysium Award, a performance by London-based punk band Wild Daughter and an industrialized modern world art installation by Andrew Ondrejcak. Confirmed attendees at the Tweezerman-sponsored fete include Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, James Franco and Christina Hendricks. Read More: Ricky Gervais Previews Golden Globes: No Jokes That Cause "Collateral Damage" (Q&A) *** Sunday, Jan. 10 FOX Fox Pavilion, Beverly Hilton, 9876 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 4:30 p.m. viewing party, 8 p.m. post-show celebration The companies under the 20th Century Fox umbrella including the film division 20th Century Fox, FOX, Fox Searchlight, 20th Century Fox Television, FX and Hulu have a lot to celebrate (20th Century Fox scored the most nominations of any major studio) and a number of party stars in its stable (nominees including American Horror Story: Hotels Lady Gaga and Empires Taraji P. Henson) Warner Bros. and InStyle Oasis Courtyard, Beverly Hilton, 9876 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 8:30 p.m. After the final trophy is handed out, Globes revelers inside the Beverly Hilton typically make a beeline for this bash in the hopes of bypassing the line, or at the very least the Fire Marshall, who always manages to make his presence known. Its sure to be a capacity crowd again this year at the 17th annual party partnership, which will be arranged by Thomas Ford of Tom Ford Designs featuring vibrant colors, soft gold leather, glossy lacquer and a center light installation. Warner Bros. will likely represent with talent from its nominated films including Mad Max: Fury Road and Creed. NBC, Universal, Focus Features, E!, Chrysler Parking Garage Rooftop, Beverly Hilton, 9876 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 8:30 p.m. The media conglomerate teams up for a rooftop bash following the Golden Globes show, which airs on NBC. Music by model-turned-DJ Harley Viera-Newton. Though Globes Ricky Gervais will surley make a cameo, NBC itself doesnt have a lot to celebrate after getting shut out of the awards race. Fortunately, Universal will represent with nominated films like Trainwreck, Steve Jobs and The Danish Girl, while USA nabbed three nominations for its breakout hit, Mr. Robot, including best TV drama series, best actor (Malek) and best supporting actor (Christian Slater). Read More: 6 Golden Globe-Nominated Actresses We Can't Wait to See on the Red Carpet HBO Circa 55 Restaurant, Beverly Hilton, 9876 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 8:30 p.m. HBOs bash is always a must-stop on the Globes party circuit inside the Hilton for stars from TV, film and music. Even though HBO came in second to Netflix for most nominations, expect to see HBO nominated talent like David Oyelowo, Oscar Isaac and Queen Latifah rubbing shoulders with fellow nominee Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The Weinstein Co./Netflix Beverly Hilton, 9876 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 8:30 p.m. The two companies team for their annual party partnership under a giant tent over the hotels back parking lot. The fete typically draws A-list talent, like last year when Taylor Swift and Jennifer Lopez held court with Harvey Weinstein, while Ted Sarandos partied with Kate Hudson and Ricky Gervais. This year, the casts of nominated pics like Hateful Eight and Carol will be making the rounds for TWC while Netflix boasts the most nominations on the TV side with eight, including noms for Aziz Ansari, Lily Tomlin, Idris Elba and Aduba. Amazon Stardust Room, Beverly Hilton, 9876 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 8:30 p.m. Amazon Studios will set up shop to toast its roster of nominees including Jeffrey Tambor and Judith Light for Transparent and Gael Garcia Bernal for Mozart in the Jungle, among others. Transparent creator Jill Soloway and her crew always prove to be lively and lovable party guests. Read More: Hulu's 'Casual' Star on Her Golden Globes Plan: "I'm Not Going to Wear Spanx" Off-Site Soirees CAA Sunset Tower, 8358 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, 8:30 p.m. The agency hosts its annual post-show event at the exclusive property, which always proves to be one of the nights hottest events. WME Chateau Marmont, 8221 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, 10 p.m. The agency toasts its nominees, winners and friends of the agency with a post-show bash at the iconic West Hollywood property. Expect to see WME clients like Matt Damon, Aaron Sorkin, Christian Bale, Larson, Malek and Gaga. JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa may need to import as much as five million tonnes of maize this year, roughly half of its requirements, in the face of its worst drought in three decades, the largest producer group said on Wednesday. "We will be lucky if we produce 5 million tonnes this year and then we will need to import 5 million tonnes. This is the sort of scenario that we are looking at," Jannie de Villiers, Chief Executive of Grain SA, told Reuters in an interview. South African white maize prices doubled last year and the March White maize contract hit a record high of 4,901 rand ($311 )a tonne on Tuesday on drought worries. (Reporting by Ed Stoddard; Editing by James Macharia) The video footage of a group of Ilocano-speaking men shown indiscriminately firing guns apparently on New Years Eve reportedly happened in Guam and not in the Philippines, a police official said yesterday. The video, uploaded on social media, went viral. Philippine National Police chief Director General Ricardo Marquez said the incident was in Guam, which is outside the jurisdiction of the PNP. The ACG (Anti-Cybercrime Group) continues to check who were the men who fired their guns indiscriminately during the holidays and we found out that it happened in Guam, said Marquez. ACG spokesman Supt. Jay Guillermo said the ACG investigated at least four videos and photos that were uploaded in the Facebook account of Edgardo Quinit on Jan. 3. Guillermo said the account was deactivated on Sunday while the ACG was gathering details about the account on Sunday morning. The account was reactivated the following day. Guillermo added that computer forensic experts gathered that the Quinit family has been residing in Guam based on the Internet protocol (IP) address of the uploaded videos and the series of license plates of the cars seen in the video. He said the PNP might coordinate with the International Police (Interpol) in Guam and are ready to share the information they gathered during the investigation. We have to coordinate with the Interpol to trace their whereabouts in Guam. We will provide them with the information that we have so far, said Guillermo. Guillermo said the PNP has the obligation to assist its counterpart in addressing the issue on indiscriminate firing. The video went viral in social media, and it means worldwide. This is embarrassing because they are Filipinos and they are the ones doing something illegal in another country, said Guillermo. Aside from Quinit, a certain Diane Bughaw Ataop also uploaded photos on her Facebook account. Ataop posted seven photos of her firing a short firearm with the shoutout welcome 2016 with ninong with a happy face icon. Ataop later changed her name to Asiang Bughaw, and claimed she merely used blanks. On the other hand, Quinits Facebook account contained the video of a man brandishing several firearms and even assisting a young girl, supposedly his daughter, to fire the gun in the air. Several other videos of people brandishing firearms and firing guns were also shared on Facebook. - With Janvic Mateo A craft beer made with ingredients from kefir a fermented milk drink that resembles yogurt may sound a little gross. But drinking it could bring health benefits, a new study done in rats suggests. Moreover, the researchers in Brazil found that the "kefir beer" seemed to reduce inflammation and stomach ulcers that had been induced in the rats for the study. Although the concept of kefir beer is interesting, it is too early to determine whether these health benefits would apply to humans, considering the study was done in an animal model, said Dr. Arun Swaminath, director of the inflammatory bowel disease program at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, who was not involved in the study. "It is a very preliminary study," Swaminath told Live Science. To make the kefir beer, the researchers added kefir grains white or yellowish gelatinous clumps that contain bacteria and yeast to a barley malt. The bacteria and yeast fermented the malt. For a control group, they also brewed another, regular kind of beer, where, instead of adding kefir grains, they added yeast to ferment the malt. In one experiment in the study, the researchers induced inflammation in the hind paws of 48 rats by giving them a compound called carrageenan, which is sometimes used a food additive, but is known to promote inflammation. [7 Ways Alcohol Affects Your Health] The researchers then divided the rats into six groups, with eight rats each, and gave them one of the following: kefir beer, kefir, regular beer, water, ethanol or an anti-inflammatory drug. They found the kefir, kefir beer and regular beer all reduced the inflammation. However, when the researchers compared the effects of the two beers, they found that the kefir beer reduced the inflammation by about 48 percent, whereas the regular beer reduced it by 28 percent. In a separate experiment, in which the researchers induced inflammation in the rats with a different pro-inflammatory compound called histamine, the inflammation was reduced by 76 percent in those rats that were given kefir beer. Conversely, in the rats that were given regular beer, the inflammation was only reduced by about 4 percent. Story continues In another group of 48 rats, the researchers induced stomach ulcers with alcohol, and then made the rats fast for a day. This time, they found that treating the rats with kefir, kefir beer or regular beer all resulted in significant reduction of ulcers. However, the effects of the kefir beer and kefir alone were both greater than those of regular beer, the researchers said. Moreover, when the researchers added some kefiran, a type of molecule made by kefir grains, to the regular beer, and gave the drink to the animals, the ulcers "virtually disappeared," the researchers wrote in the study, published in the upcoming March issue of the Journal of Functional Foods. The beneficial effects of the kefir beer may have something to do with the combination of individual health benefits associated with its respective main components, according to the study. For example, previous research has suggested that nutrients called polyphenols, which are found in beer, may have anti-inflammatory qualities. Studies in animals have suggested that kefir may have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and wound-healing properties, the researchers said. The new research was funded by the Foundation for Research Support of the State of Minas Gerais in Brazil. Follow Agata Blaszczak-Boxe on Twitter. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Originally published on Live Science. Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The uncertainty, challenge, pain, and joy of becoming a mother is a milestone that the majority of women around the world will experience in their lifetimes. Its estimated that each minute of every day, an average of 267 babies come into the world. But for some mothers, birth is a harrowing, life-or-death experience. A woman in Tanzania is roughly 100 times more likely to die during childbirth than a woman in Sweden, for example. And around the world, some 830 women per day die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, according to the World Health Organization. Its a global health crisis, and a reality that photographer and filmmaker Paolo Patruno witnessed first-hand while on assignment in East Africa. I started my project in Malawi, where the words for pregnancy in the local language pakati and maenad translate into between life and death and 'sick, Patruno wrote. Severe bleeding, infections, and high blood pressure before and after birth are just some of the complications that are easily treatable in wealthy countries but are leading causes of death in developing ones. And the risk of death during childbirth is highest for teenage girls under the age of 15, many of whom have been forced into early marriage. Girls who become pregnant have to leave school. This has long-term implications for them as individuals, and for their families and communities. They have to take on responsibilities as adults. Girls become women too early, missing their childhood and adolescence, Patruno told Refinery29. Since 2011, the photographer has dedicated his work to documenting these young womens stories both in Africa and in the U.S. through his project Birth Is A Dream. Using portraits and videos, Patruno hopes to raise awareness about the issues of child marriage, teen pregnancy, sexual health, and maternal mortality worldwide. Ahead, some of Patrunos stunning portraits of teenagers who were forced to drop out of school, marry, and become mothers too early in a remote part of Cameroon. Patrunos series is produced in collaboration with the Cameroonian nonprofit group Human Is Right. Photo caption: 17-year-old Morin and her baby. She is just one among the thousands of teenage mothers in Cameroon. Story continues Caption: Rose, 16 years old, is currently breastfeeding her first child of five months. Rose dropped out of school at the end of primary six due to a lack of financial support from her family. She lives in a very remote and rural area in the tropical highland forest in Cameroon, and her family makes their living through farming cocoa. Africa has the worlds highest rate of adolescent pregnancy, a factor that affects the health, education, and earning potential of millions of African girls. How did you first become interested in photographing young mothers in Cameroon? Since 2011, I have been working on my long-term documentary project Birth Is A Dream, which aims to document and raise awareness about maternal and reproductive health in Africa. Child marriage and early pregnancy are among main causes for maternal mortality and morbidity in Africa, since girls become pregnant too early, when their bodies are not yet ready for giving birth. Thats why in 2014, I travelled to Cameroon with the intent to document child marriage and early pregnancy for girls [living] in rural areas. Caption: The father of the baby never came to take his responsibilities, so Roses sister is helping in taking care of her baby, as Roses mother already passed away. Caption: In the village of Bakumba, and in Cameroon more broadly, girls get pregnant and have their first babies very early, before the age of 18. They become women when they are still too young, taking on responsibilities as adults. Africa has the worlds highest rate of teen pregnancy, according to the U.N. Population Fund. What are some of the factors that lead to this? The lack of sex education and being unaware of the consequences of unprotected sex often lead to unwanted pregnancies. Caption: A teen mother and her baby in Bakumba, Cameroon. Caption: Christine, 17, got married when she was 15, and lost her first child when she was 16. Christine dropped out of school in secondary two because of lack of financial support from her family. Now she is seven months pregnant and she is also taking care of her younger sister, 3-year-old Mayron. Caption: Peter, Christines husband, is 22 years old. They got married when they were 19 and 15, respectively. They lost her first child just three days after he was born, most likely due to an umbilical cord infection. Caption: Christine is also taking care of her younger sister, Mayron, who is 3 years old. Caption: Christine outside her house in the early morning, ready to leave to go farm cocoa in the forest. How did you meet these young women? Was it difficult for you to build trust with them, and for them to feel comfortable sharing their stories with you? Working in partnership with the local NGO Human Is Right, I had the opportunity to make close connections with all of the members of the community, which allowed me to tell true stories of life there. As always happens when I produce my documentaries, I spent some time with these girls to build a personal connection before starting to use my camera. And the relationship became stronger day after day, so they felt comfortable in sharing their personal and intimate stories with me. Caption: Christine, 7 months pregnant, is still doing heavy tasks such as farming cocoa. Caption: Among daily duties, 7-months-pregnant Christine has to provide water for the family, which is used for cooking, cleaning clothes, and personal hygiene. What were the day-to-day lives of the young women you photographed like? Waking up very early, preparing meals for the all of the family, collecting water, farming, taking care of the babies, and any other home duties. Caption: Christine and her little sister carry heavy water tanks on their backs. Girls in Africa too often miss their childhoods. Caption: Christine during an antenatal visit provided by Polette, the local nurse who lives in the village of Bakumba. How can we help support these young women, and help end child marriage and teen pregnancy? After more than 10 years traveling in Africa, I think education and empowerment should come first. Moreover, even if in each country we can find different contexts leading to and pushing for child marriage and early pregnancy, we should supportsocial and cultural change for the role of women and girls. [But] we cant think that easy and fast help can come from outside without a deep involvement from the men inside the communities, and from families. Caption: Agnes is 15 years old. She is just one among the thousands of teenage mothers in Cameroon. Caption: Girls drop out of school, usually before the end of secondary school, and start working in the home very early. Many also become women too early, totally missing their childhoods. Caption: Anita is 15 years old and pregnant. Caption: Many girls in the village drop out of school early, have sexual relationships, and get pregnant before the age of 18. The elders of the village say that was not happening in their times, but has mostly happened in the last decade due to civilization and modern times. What is your advice to other young women who want to use photography as a vehicle for social justice and human rights? "Photography is a great vehicle for social change. The main advice I can share is to find a good story, a story you love to tell. The camera is just a tool, but the story always comes first. Use your passion and empathy, try to build a strong connection with the character of your story. Caption: 16-year-old Foebe and her baby in Bakumba, Cameroon. Click here to read more about how two women, Danedjo and Mairamou, are fighting back against child marriage in Cameroon. Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here? We Were Told That If We Dont Stop Broadcasting, We Will All Be Killed This Dramatic Video Of A Scottish Castle On The Brink Of Collapse Is Going Viral This Woman Was Killed One Day After Taking Office As Mayor North Korea stunned the world on Wednesday when it announced that it had successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb. If true, this means the country has taken a huge step forward in its nuclear capabilities. The claim generated considerable skepticism over whether the reclusive nation actually has the technical ability to build this type of nuclear weapon. Related: North Korea Has a Meth Problem, an Unstable Leaderand Nukes But even if North Korea did indeed detonate a hydrogen bomb, theres little reason to panic, at least not yet. Western experts say that North Korea lacks the missile technology required to deliver the weapon over long distances. Since North Koreas first nuclear test in 2006, the U.N. Security Council has imposed sanctions on the country, attempted to block access to high-tech equipment, and pressured it to stop developing its nuclear capabilities. It appears that these tactics have failed to work. The Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss the incident. While world powers are considering how to respond to North Koreas provocative and defiant move, heres a primer on hydrogen bombs and the situation in the Korean peninsula: What is a hydrogen bomb? Otherwise known as a thermonuclear bomb or H-bomb, a hydrogen bomb is the most powerful kind of nuclear weapon. Fueled by the nuclear fusion of hydrogen isotopes under extremely high temperatures to form helium, the weapon is much more destructive than an atomic bomb. An H-bomb is powered by the energy released from the combination of two light atomic nuclei, while an atomic bomb uses the energy released from a nuclear fission, in which a heavy atomic nucleus splits. How powerful is a hydrogen bomb? The atomic bombs the U.S. dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 had expolosive yields of 15 and 20 kilotons, respectively, meaning they gave off as much energy as that many thousands of tons of TNT. These bombs killed more than 200,000 people. By comparison, the hydrogen bomb that the U.S. tested in 1954 at the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands had an explosive yield of 15 megatons, making it 1,000 times as powerful as the atomic bombs dropped on Japan. Story continues The most powerful nuclear weapon ever detonated was the 1961 Tzar Bomba. The Soviet hydrogen bomb had an explosive yield of 50 megatons, or the power of about 3,800 Hiroshima bombs detonated simultaneously. What countries have hydrogen bombs? The countries that are known to possess H-bombs are Britain, China, France, Russia and the U.S. Its unclear if the four other countries that have atomic bombs -- India, Israel, Pakistan and North Korea -- also have hydrogen bombs. Related: How Kate Uptons Cleavage Could Destroy North Korea Are other countries testing hydrogen bombs? Most countries arent. As of March 2015, 164 states have ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and another 19 have signed but not ratified it. The treaty calls for a ban on all nuclear explosions in all environments. Although the treaty was adopted by the United Nations in 1996, it is not officially in effect because eight countries that possess nuclear power reactors or research reactors havent ratified it. North Korea is one of those eight countries, along with China, Egypt, Iran, Israel, the United States, India and Pakistan. North Korea has also not signed the Limited Test Ban Treaty, which forbids all test explosions of nuclear weapons except underground. The Treaty was signed by the governments of the Soviet Union, the U.S. and the United Kingdom in 1963 and was then opened for signature by other countries. China and France have also not signed the treaty, though most countries have signed and ratified it. Since 1996, only three countries have tested nuclear weapons. India and Pakistan have each carried out two tests and North Korea has conducted four. Why are experts skeptical that this really was a hydrogen bomb? Many experts, including those in the South Korean military, are saying that the blast wasnt large enough to be a hydrogen bomb, or even a failed one. South Korean lawmakers told reporters that the bomb that North Korea tested on Wednesday had a yield of about six kilotons about the same size as the countrys 2013 atomic test. A successful hydrogen test would have a yield of hundreds of kilotons, while a failed test would have a yield of tens of kilotons. In addition, the tremor on Wednesday was recorded at a magnitude of 5.1, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The 2013 nuclear test had roughly the same magnitude. How can North Koreas claim be verified? We may never know for sure if North Korea detonated a hydrogen bomb, but governments are already taking steps to learn more about the test. The U.S. dispatched its WC-135 sniffer plane, while Japan sent three aircraft to detect any radioactive gases from around the site. It might take some time before any information is found because gases can sometimes leak for up to several weeks following a test. How many times has North Korea conducted nuclear tests? North Korea detonated nuclear weapons on Oct. 9, 2006; May 25, 2009; and Feb. 12, 2013. The nuclear test on Jan. 6, 2016 brings the total to four. Related: North Korea Warns the United States: Our Nukes Are Ready What was the global reaction to North Koreas claim? North Koreas main ally, China, responded by saying that it firmly opposes the test and that it was conducted irrespective of the international communitys opposition. The U.S. is waiting to respond until the test is confirmed, but says that it stands firmly with its allies and will answer to any provocations by North Korea. The U.N. Security Council called for an emergency meeting to devise an international response and is currently drafting further sanctions on North Korea. Russia, France, Japan and Britain all condemned the action. Why did North Korea launch a nuclear test? The countrys motive is unclear and many theories are circulating. A senior analyst at a South Korean think tank, Cheong Seong-chang, told The Wall Street Journal that North Korea wants to be recognized internationally as a nuclear power, like Pakistan. The country is also hoping that the test will lead to some sort of negotiation with the U.S., perhaps over ending the American military alliance with South Korea, something that was mentioned specifically in the announcement of the test. North Korea might have also been looking for more attention in a world occupied with events in the Middle East. Critics are already saying that Obama has been too soft on the threat from North Korea and that its time to attend to the problems occurring in Asia. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: REUTERS - Wheaton College, an evangelical Christian university outside of Chicago, said on Tuesday it was taking steps to fire a tenured political science professor after she wrote in a Facebook post that Muslims and Christians worship the same God. Dr. Larycia Hawkins wrote on the social media site on Dec. 10 that she was donning the hijab head scarf during the period of advent before Christmas as a sign of solidarity with Muslims. In her post she said "we worship the same God." Hawkins was placed on administrative leave after the comment drew criticism, and on Tuesday the school said in a statement Wheaton's provost had delivered a notice to President Philip Ryken recommending her employment be terminated. "This Notice follows the impasse reached by the parties," the statement said. "Dr. Hawkins declined to participate in further dialogue about the theological implications of her public statements," it said. The school has said that Hawkins was not placed on leave because she wore a hijab, but because her "theological statements seem inconsistent with Wheaton Colleges doctrinal convictions." After a hearing with a faculty committee and other reviews, The Wheaton College Board of Trustees will make a final decision regarding Hawkins' employment. Hawkins could not immediately be reached for comment about the notice to recommend her termination. On her website, Hawkins said she received an emailed notification on Jan. 4 that her employment was up for review and she planned to address the issue at a Chicago-area church on Wednesday. "Dr. Hawkins maintains Christian support for the Muslim community amidst the ongoing anti-Muslim climate," the site said. On her Facebook page on Dec. 10, Hawkins said she would wear the hijab in solidarity with Muslim neighbors. "I stand in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people of the book." The solidarity gesture comes as Muslims around the United States report worries of a backlash and growing Islamophobia after a couple who had pledged allegiance to the extremist group Islamic State killed 14 people in California in early December. Hawkins, who has written on race, religion and American politics, said she had consulted with the local chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations, an advocacy group, to make sure that it would not be seen as offensive for a non-Muslim woman to wear the headscarf. (Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere in Los Angeles) Despite having a complicated relationship with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, Marco Rubio is fast becoming the choice of Republicans in Congress in the 2016 presidential primary. On Tuesday, House Oversight Committee chair Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) became the latest senior lawmaker to announce he will endorse the junior senator from Florida. Chaffetz will join Rubio on the campaign trail in New Hampshire on Friday. Related: Trump Takes Aim at Illegal Immigration in New Attack Ads Chaffetz, who briefly ran for speaker of the House last year, is Rubios latest high-profile pickup. He also earned the endorsement of Chaffetzs predecessor on the investigative panel, Darrell Issa (R-CA), who campaigned alongside Rubio in New Hampshire earlier this week, and the chair of the House Select Committee on Benghazi, Trey Gowdy (R-SC). Since November, Rubio has won 17 endorsements on Capitol Hill, while only three lawmakers have endorsed his one-time mentor, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, according to an endorsement tracker on FiveThirtyEight. With Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) out of the race, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) unable to get much traction in the polls, and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) openly disliked by his colleagues, it seems Rubio has increasingly become the go-to candidate in Washington. Related: In & Out: Heres Where the GOP Presidential Candidates Stand Now This is a bit surprising given the problems Rubio has had with the political establishment in the nations capital. Questions about his truancy in the Senate, where hes earned the worst attendance record as he campaigns around the country, and his legislative track record since getting elected to the upper chamber in 2010, have dogged his White House bid. Rubio has given a number of excuses for his poor attendance, but he took a new tack on Tuesday, when he dismissed the importance of Congress altogether. "I have missed votes this year. You know why? Because while as a senator I can help shape the agenda, only a president can set the agenda. We're not going to fix America with senators and congressmen," he during a town hall meeting with voters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, according to the Associated Press. Story continues Related: Cruz Rakes in the Cash as He Closes In on Trump That line is sure to come back to haunt him during next weeks GOP presidential debate. How much winning the race for endorsements from elected officials will help Rubio remains to be seen, especially when Donald Trump, an outsider who has never held office, has dominated the polls and the public approval rating for Congress flirts with single digits. Rubio is now engaged in a four-way cage match with Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Ohio Gov. John Kasich to be the establishment candidate as voters prepare to go to the polls in the nations first primary on Feb. 9 in New Hampshire. Despite Trumps substantial lead in Granite State, congressional endorsements could help Rubio chip away enough support from his rivals to place a respectable second and keep his candidacy viable through the South Carolina primary on Feb. 20 and into the so-called SEC Primary on March 1, when a slew of Southern states go to the polls. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: Internet Explorer Logo, microsoft Microsoft has announced that it will stop delivering support for Internet Explorer 8, 9 and 10 next Tuesday. The company introduced its new browser called Microsoft Edge with Windows 10. This was designed to replace Internet Explorer. Microsoft continues to deliver Internet Explorer 11 with Windows 10, though it intends to phase out Internet Explorer. The company will request users of Windows 7 computers and Windows Server 2008 R to upgrade on Tuesday, and IE 8, 9, and 10 users should soon make the switch to IE11, Microsoft outlines. Users can choose not to move to Internet Explorer 11 by disabling the required update. However, when Internet Explorer 8, 9 and 10 become obsolete, the browser will stop receiving all updates, even those concerning security. http://microsoft-news.com/internet-explorer-8-9-and-10-to-reach-end-of-life-next-tuesday/ Palestinians and Israeli Arabs have carried out at least 100 knife attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians in recent months. Now, the Israeli military hopes it has found a way of keeping its troops safe: Neck protectors designed to prevent soldiers from being stabbed or slashed. According to the Times of Israel, the Israel Defense Forces Central Command first floated the idea of giving the new equipment to soldiers based in dangerous areas in November. Lt. Col. Liron Segel, who heads the directorates Personal Protection and Equipment Department, said that the Israeli-made gear is effective, comfortable, and easily fits with the troops existing bullet-proof vests. Ive given them a solution to the threat of stabbing attacks, he said Tuesday. Although Segel did not elaborate on how the neck guards were designed, Maj. Guy Elazar, from the IDFs counterterrorism unit, told the military-run publication Bamahane that the the inner part of the protector is gentle to the touch [and] the external section is made of half-rigid plastic, which is low and wide so as to defend the connection between the neck and the shoulder blade. The new guard has reportedly already been taken into the field for testing and will soon be sent out to units operating in areas where knife attacks have been most common in the West Bank. Up to 850 soldiers may participate in the first round before the IDF considers handing out neck guards to other troops in vulnerable positions. In addition to the 100 stabbings reported by the IDF, Palestinians and Israeli Arabs have reportedly carried out at least 37 shootings and 22 car rammings since Sept. 14 leaving almost two dozen Israelis dead. During the same time period, at least 132 Palestinians have been killed at the hands of the IDF. Israel says the vast majority were killed while carrying out attacks against its troops and civilians. Photo credit: Israel Defense Forces By Tova Cohen TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israeli chip designer Ceva Inc has set its sights on the rapidly growing market for automotive safety technology as it seeks to diversify beyond processors used in mobile phones. Faltering demand in computer and phone markets, once the mainstays of the semiconductor industry, has prompted firms to look to formerly unappealing areas such as auto electronics for sales growth. Competitors are now lining up to prove their worth in advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS), a field that covers technology used to boost driver safety, from in-car cameras and collision-warning systems to self-driving cars. Ceva already licenses its designs to chipmakers such as Intel and Samsung, who embed its digital signal processors (DSP) within their chip sets, reducing the time and cost it takes them to bring products to market. One of Ceva's DSPs, the XM4, supports vision technologies and this is a particular area it wants to develop. "The market for this is much bigger than what we cover in the cellphone market," Ceva Chief Executive Gideon Wertheizer told Reuters. This could range from drones to virtual reality headsets and the Internet of Things, he said. "We have significantly increased our customers for visual technology in 2015, the same technology that will be used in cars for ADAS purposes," he said. Research firm IHS forecasts ADAS chip and sensor revenue will reach $4 billion by 2020, up from $1.6 billion in 2014. Wunderlich Securities analyst Matthew Robison, who rates Ceva a "buy" with a $28 price target, said it was in a strong position to compete with Israel's Mobileye and NXP's Freescale operation in the car safety field. HIGHER ROYALTIES Mobileye is a pioneer and market leader for driving assistance systems using vision chips and software. NXP is a more recent entrant and other chip makers are expected to enter the fray as the market expands. Licensing Ceva's vision technology could help new competitors reduce the time and costs they need to develop their own platforms for this market and take on the market leaders, analysts say. Robison said Mobileye appears to be focused on automakers such as Tesla that are developing autonomous cars while NXP is focused on suppliers to the car industry for safety systems. "Self-driving cars may be far in the future, but the building blocks that start with active safety involve a significant amount of content," Robison said. "Expect systems involving large numbers of sensors, eventually scaling to 8-10 cameras per car," he said. Ceva's platform, a combination of DSPs, vision-based software and algorithms, has secured the critical ISO 26262 safety standard required to enter the automotive market. The company has landed its first client, a top maker of components that enable ADAS capabilities in cars. Ceva did not name the customer but Robison said it could be a company such as Bosch, Delphi or Toshiba. Wertheizer also said a few more customers were in the pipeline. Wertheizer said he would not rule out Mobileye and NXP eventually becoming clients too, using Ceva's microprocessors to help them cut costs and time when developing products. Royalties for ADAS chips will be significantly higher than for smartphones but Wertheizer said it would take time for it to build up a significant business. Ceva, whose shares rose 29 percent in 2015, has a market value of $465 million compared with Mobileye's $8.7 billion. "When the market is big and mainstream that is when you will see us. Usually we do not pioneer technology, we come in after with more advanced technologies," Wertheizer said. (Editing by David Clarke) NextShark Multiple Asian women have reportedly come forward to accuse a Chinese American cosplayer and her boyfriend of luring them into sexual relations through supposed opportunities for collaborative work. Cosplayer and influencer Kat Wong, who describes herself as just an Asian girl making silly content, came under fire on Twitter last week after actor, director and host Gina Darling revealed that multiple women have reached out to her with such allegations. Multiple women in the Asian community have reached out to me about @katkwo4tweets and her BF allegedly trying to trick them into having sexual relations with them under the guise of collaborating on cosplays, OF (OnlyFans) and modeling, Darling tweeted. Japan's defence ministry on Wednesday deployed three planes to collect possible radioactive material following North Korea's claimed hydrogen bomb test, officials said. "To understand the impact of possible radioactive materials released by the test, Air Self-Defence Force planes have collected dust in the air," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a press conference. "It is currently being sent to the Japan Chemical Analysis Centre," he said, adding that the T4 training planes stayed in Japanese airspace. Wednesday's nuclear test was the North's fourth after previous ones in 2006, 2009 and 2013, though many experts cast doubt on Pyongyang's claim that it was a successful test of a hydrogen bomb. They said the seismic activity suggested a less powerful atomic device. In Vienna, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation said the magnitude was very similar to 2013. But this did not rule out a H-bomb, since the nature of the device could not be determined from seismic data alone. The organisation said further clues might come from analysis of radionuclides (radioactive particles). But this could take anything from several days to several months, and they might not be detected anyway. Randy Bell, director of its international data division, said the data Wednesday was very consistent with the 2013 test and the seismic magnitude was the same. "But to try to ascertain the very particular nature, such as whether this was nuclear or non-nuclear, or which type of nuclear, is not appropriate at this time," he told reporters. In Tokyo Suga said no abnormal levels of radiation had been detected through monitoring posts across Japan as of early Wednesday evening. The results collected by the planes are expected to be released on Thursday, an official with Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority told reporters. Last month North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un suggested Pyongyang had already developed a hydrogen bomb, though the claim was questioned by international experts. By Joseph Ax NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two female inmates at New York's Rikers Island jail who claimed they were raped repeatedly by a guard cannot sue on behalf of other inmates, a U.S. judge ruled on Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein said the women can only pursue their lawsuit against the city individually, rejecting their effort to bring the case as a class action. The women filed the federal lawsuit in May, accusing the city of ignoring a "pervasive culture" of sexual abuse at the women's jail at the complex. They had sought to certify a class of all inmates who have been or will be assaulted by guards. The women have maintained their anonymity and are referred to as Jane Doe 1 and 2 in the complaint. A lawyer for the two women did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesman for the city's Law Department said the court made the correct decision. "The claims that were allowed to proceed will be carefully reviewed by the city, he said in an email. Rikers Island is one of the world's largest jail complexes, with 10 separate facilities housing about 10,000 inmates. It has drawn intense scrutiny in recent years over safety and security issues, including allegations of corruption, inmate abuse and unchecked violence. In June, the city agreed to implement reforms to resolve a separate class action brought by inmates at Rikers Island and backed by the U.S. Justice Department claiming that guards routinely used excessive force. Mayor Bill de Blasio has said fixing Rikers is a top priority, and has installed a new correction commissioner and increased training for officers. Dozens of guards have been charged in recent years with various crimes, including smuggling contraband and assaulting inmates. (Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Richard Chang and Leslie Adler) By Donna Owens BALTIMORE (Reuters) - A Maryland judge on Wednesday ordered a Baltimore police officer to testify against other officers charged in the death of detainee Freddie Gray. A lawyer for the officer, William Porter, said he would seek an appeals court injunction to block Porter from testifying against Officer Caesar Goodson Jr. and Sergeant Alicia White. Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Barry Williams said Porter, whose own trial ended in a hung jury last month, could be compelled to take the stand since state prosecutors had offered him immunity in exchange for testifying. Williams said during a pre-trial hearing that Porter's "extremely important testimony is needed in the Goodson and White cases." Goodson is the second of six officers scheduled to stand trial for Gray's death in April and faces the most serious charge, second-degree depraved-heart murder. The trial is set to begin on Monday with jury selection. The 46-year-old officer, who like Gray is black, was the driver of the van where Gray, who was arrested after fleeing police, sustained the broken neck that killed him. The majority black city of 620,000 people exploded in arson and rioting after Gray's funeral. The unrest followed other police killings of black men in cities including New York and Ferguson, Missouri. Porter's own trial on involuntary manslaughter and other charges ended in a mistrial last month and a retrial is set for June. Williams issued his order after denying a defense motion to quash a subpoena forcing Porter to testify. Porter took the stand to say that he would invoke his constitutional right against self-incrimination if called to testify. Porter's lawyers said that if he is forced to testify, material could emerge that could be used against him in retrial. Doug Colbert, a University of Maryland law professor, said of Williams' decision, "This is a straightforward ruling. The government has the power to compel testimony if they offer immunity." Story continues Goodson faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted of the murder charge. In Maryland, "depraved-heart" murder is a killing done while acting with extreme disregard for human life. He also is accused of manslaughter, assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment. Williams also denied a request from Goodson's lawyers to move the trial out of the city due to the intense publicity surrounding the case. (Writing by Ian Simpson; Editing by Scott Malone and James Dalgleish) Karl Lagerfeld dancing (and laughing maniacally) with Ralph Laurens wife Ricky while Carine Roitfeld and Ralph Lauren look on. Photo: AP According to the French press (and what can be gathered from Google translate), Karl Lagerfeld has been hoarding his millions. Chanels creative director is reportedly under investigation by French authorities for failing to disclose upwards of 20 million Euros to the government over a period of six years. LExpress, the newspaper that first reported the supposed shady business, claims that the Kaiser was able to pull off hiding so much money because hes accustomed to circulating his cash through tax havens such as Ireland, the British Virgin Islands, and Delaware in the United States. The 82-year-old, who in addition to his position at Chanel also designs for Fendi and his eponymous brand, has allegedly been funneling funds through his photography studio. Studio 7, which is headquartered in Paris and has contract work around the world, has been targeted as the focal point for the evasive activity and has been doing so by registering patents and other companies in various locations. This isnt the first time Lagerfeld has come under fire for his finances. In 2000, former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was probed by the the French government for false accounting at his law firm. Lagerfeld, a client, was named in connection for receiving massive tax breaks. Strauss-Kahn was eventually cleared, but theres no denying the pair are friendly. After Strauss-Kahn was charged with sexual assault in New York City, Lagerfeld told Style.com (now Vogue Runway) that he loves DSK and his wife. They are great people and when they came back to Paris I sent them flowers. But you know, for people in politics, its very embarrassing. On the left they had hoped he wouldnt come back, because I think other people want his job. And on the other sidebut even in America, Clinton survived his blow job, he said. The designer also suggested that DSKs powerful position and charm were in part responsible for the sex charges. They all do it in the political world. They get horny from politics, from power. And he had unbelievable charms. He is really charming. Hes fun, hes great. Hes a sweet guyas long as youre not a woman. Thats the problem. Story continues Yahoo Style has reached out to Karl Lagerfelds team for comment and will update when we hear back. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya hopes to start direct commercial flights to the United States by May after it met most of the requirements set by an international aviation authority, its transport minister said on Wednesday. The East African nation, which hosted President Barack Obama last July, wants to boost exports to Washington and increase visits by American tourists. Starting flights was part of a package of deals announced during Obama's visit. "We shall get direct flights to the U.S. by May this year," Minister James Macharia told Reuters. Macharia said several airlines were keen to offer direct flights between Kenya and the United States. Delta Airlines previously set a launch date for flights but canceled due to security concerns. Financially embattled Kenya Airways also plans to offer direct flights. U.S. traffic usually transits through hubs like Dubai and Amsterdam. Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Kenya's main airport, scored 88 percent when it was assessed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) last September, the minister said, disclosing the score for the first time. Inspectors from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration are expected to complete their audit of the airport before the end of March, he said. The airport failed the same assessment in 2013, but has since improved security, Macharia said. A new terminal opened two years ago and a second one will open soon, allowing the airport to separate departures and arrivals, a key security requirement. "We have more trained security personnel and very modern scanners for people and goods," the minister said. Kenya has suffered frequent attacks by Islamist militants from neighbouring Somalia in recent years. Kenya's main airport was built in the 1970s to handle 2.5 million passengers annually but now handles 6 million passengers a year. (Reporting by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Katharine Houreld) By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Los Angeles County district attorney has declined to bring criminal charges against comedian Bill Cosby stemming from sexual assault allegations by two women over separate incidents, one dating back to 1965 and the other to 2008, prosecutors said on Wednesday. The district attorney, Jackie Lacey, determined prosecution was barred in the earlier case by the statute of limitations and in the latter case by insufficient evidence for a felony charge and the statute of limitations for misdemeanors, her office said in a statement. The Los Angeles ruling, which does not name the two accusers, comes a week after Cosby was criminally charged in Pennsylvania with sexually assaulting a woman in his home near Philadelphia after plying her with drugs and alcohol in 2004. The woman in the earlier Los Angeles case said she was 17 when the alleged assault occurred. The woman in the later case said she was 18 at the time of the alleged rape. The women in both cases said Cosby plied them with alcohol. The Pennsylvania case, filed just before the statute of limitations for criminal prosecution in that state was due to lapse, stems from allegations by a former Temple University employee, Andrea Constand, who settled a civil case against Cosby for an undisclosed sum in 2006. The Pennsylvania case marked the first and only criminal charged brought against the once-beloved entertainer whose father-figure persona has been marred by dozens of similar accusations, some dating back decades. Cosby, best known for playing Doctor Cliff Huxtable, the family patriarch in the long-running hit television sitcom "The Cosby Show," has acknowledged marital infidelity but has denied any allegations of sexual misconduct. "We are satisfied that the Los Angeles D.A.'s Office fully and fairly evaluated all the facts and evidence, and came to the right conclusion," Cosby's legal team said in a statement. Los Angeles County prosecutors, citing the statute of limitations, previously declined to bring a criminal case in connection with a woman who reported she was molested at age 15 by Cosby at the Playboy Mansion in 1974. The accuser in the most recent complaint investigated by the district attorney said she, too, was sexually assaulted at the Playboy Mansion, during a party there in the summer of 2008, after Cosby served her an alcoholic beverage that made her dizzy and escorted her to an upstairs bedroom to lie down. The woman, who was 18 at the time, told investigators she awoke to find her clothes off, her breasts moist as if they had been licked and Cosby at the foot of the bed biting her toe as he appeared to be masturbating. Prosecutors said they were unable to substantiate that Cosby or his accuser attended the party in question, nor could they corroborate her account with a friend whom the woman identified as a potential witness. In the earlier case, the woman, then 17, reported she was raped by Cosby after he had plied her with alcohol at a Hollywood jazz club, according to prosecutors. (Reporting by Steve Gorman; Editing by Leslie Adler) (Adds quotes, background) By Alexis Akwagyiram ABUJA, Jan 6 (Reuters) - International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde told Nigerian lawmakers on Wednesday the IMF does not support foreign exchange restrictions, a policy option Abuja took after prices for its oil exports collapsed. Addressing senior politicians during a four-day visit, she said any such restrictions should be temporary. Nigeria's central bank, dealing with the worst economic crisis hitting Africa's biggest economy in years, has resisted calls by investors to devalue the naira more than the 20 percent it has been allowed to fall since the start of 2014. President Muhammadu Buhari has supported central bank measures to restrict access to foreign exchange, but they have been unpopular with investors and highlight Nigeria's dependence on crude oil exports, which make up over half of state revenues. "Additional exchange rate flexibility, either up or down, can help soften the impact of external shocks, make output and employment less volatile, and help build external reserves," Lagarde said. "It can also help avoid the need for costly foreign exchange restrictions, which we don't really support, and if they exist they should remain temporary by nature," she added. Last month, Buhari announced a record budget for 2016, forecasting a doubling of the deficit to 2.2 trillion naira ($11 billion) and a tripling of capital expenditure intended to help the country adjust to the downturn in oil, which has lost around two-thirds of its value since mid-2014. The president said Nigeria, which has foreign currency reserves worth around $30 billion, will borrow as much as 900 billion naira abroad to fund its deficit, which is equivalent to 2.16 percent of gross domestic product. Some 984 billion naira would be borrowed at home. On Tuesday the IMF managing director, who has held meetings with Buhari, Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, said she was not in Nigeria to negotiate a loan. Story continues In her speech, Lagarde noted Nigeria's economy grew by about 3.2 percent in 2015, "its slowest pace since 1999", and said only a "modest recovery" was expected this year. To confront the crisis, she said Nigeria should consider increasing VAT, which at 5 per cent is among the lowest rates in the world, as well as broadening the tax base and improving compliance to reduce revenue "leakages". "On recurrent expenditure, efforts should be made to streamline the cost of government and improve efficiency of public service delivery," she said, praising efforts that have already been made in this area by Buhari's administration. The IMF chief has also held talks with Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele and representatives of the commercial banking sector. She will travel to neighbouring Cameroon on Thursday. (Additional reporting by Camillus Eboh; Editing by Tom Heneghan) LONDON (Reuters) - Workers at British insurer Legal & General have voted for industrial action over the threatened closure of a regional office, trade union Unite said on Wednesday, their first such move since the 1970s. The insurer, which is in the middle of an efficiency drive to save costs, is considering closing its Kingswood office in the southern English county of Surrey, which employs more than 1,500 people. Staff voted for industrial action short of a strike, which can include refusing to work overtime, in protest at the possible closure. Staff at the firm had not taken industrial action for 40 years, a Unite spokesman said. "Unite is calling on Legal & General to work with us to explore all options that can keep Kingswood open," Unite regional officer Ian Methven said in a statement, adding that L&G had already agreed with the union to keep the office open until 2018. A final decision over whether to close the office would be taken shortly, according to an L&G spokesman. Legal & General said in November it was ahead of its target to make 80 million pounds ($117 million) in cost savings for 2015. It has previously said savings could come through cutting headcount and that it was reviewing its UK and U.S. locations. Most jobs lost from a closure of the Surrey office would be transferred to other L&G offices in England and Wales, the spokesman added. The company employs around 7,500 people in Britain. (Reporting by Carolyn Cohn; Editing by Sinead Cruise and Keith Weir) Computer manufacturer Lenovo is adding four gaming devices to its lineup with the ideapad Y900, ideacentre Y900 RE, and two curved gaming monitors. Though the Consumer Electronics Show doesn't kick off until January 6, Lenovo got off to an early start by unveiling its quartet of new Y-series options at the start of the week. The flagship device was dubbed the World's Thinnest Convertible Laptop, the Yoga 900S being its 999g sliver of shiny high tech wonder. But intent on enjoying a slice of 2018's $35 billion PC gaming pie, Lenovo's pair of laptops and monitors are also looking for a bit of CES action. The 17-inch ideapad Y900 boasts a quad core Intel Core i7 K-series processor, NVIDIA GTX G80M graphics, a mechanical, backlit, and a multi-color keyboard. There's also a turbo button that increases performance. At the same time, Lenovo is turning to accessories manufacturer for a co-branded, ultra-premium ideacentre Y900 Razer Edition desktop. As opposed to a laptop, the desktop form factor offers the advantage of easily upgradable innards; not that its components are muted in comparison to the ideapad. A quad core Intel Core i7 K-series has not one but two NVIDIA GTX 970 graphics cards to work with, while Razer provides a Razer Chroma keyboard and mouse as well as multi-color lighting effects. A lever installed on the case opens a semi-transparent side panel for the convenience (or novelty) of close-up inspection on demand. Accompanying the pair are two versions of the Y29g Curved Gaming Monitor, one with Razer Edition branding and the other without. The 27-inch displays are powered by curved FHD VA panels, boasting a refresh rate of 144Hz and an 8ms response time. (Photo: AP) by Stefanus Ian Malaysia Airlines has lifted a temporary baggage restriction on flights to certain parts of Europe on Wednesday (6 January), but aviation experts were baffled by the initial decision on Tuesday to ban passengers from checking in luggage. Citing unseasonably strong headwinds, the airline released a travel advisory on Tuesday afternoon (5 January) informing passengers with flights from Kuala Lumpur to London, Paris and Amsterdam that they could only take carry-on luggage on board until further notice. It later clarified that the baggage limits would last for only two days (5 and 6 January) and its A380 flights to London would not be affected. Two flights, MH16 and MH20, took off in the early hours of Wednesday to Amsterdam and Paris respectively. But before they had landed, Malaysia Airlines backtracked and issued another travel advisory on their website restoring normal baggage allowance at 10.10am on Wednesday. No such policy at other airlines In a statement on Facebook, Malaysia Airlines said operating a longer route to Europe via Egyptian airspace and strong headwinds in recent days had affected its ability to carry cargo and baggage on the affected flights. The head winds over the last four days were in excess of 200 knots which can add up to 15 per cent fuel burn on a B777-200 aircraft, said the airline, which added that it was now able to take a shorter route on European flights. Malaysia Airlines maintains that safety is of utmost priority in its operations and will not hesitate to adjust its flight path based on its daily risk assessment. No other Asian airline adopted a similar no check-in policy, Bloomberg reported. Spokespeople from Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines both told Yahoo Singapore that no changes have been made to their baggage allowance policies to Europe. Attempts to contact Malaysia Airlines were not successful. Other ways to reduce payload Industry analysts have questioned Malaysia Airlines initial decision. Apart from reducing passenger baggage, they said that there are other ways to reduce the payload of the Boeing 777 airplanes plying these routes. Story continues When you fly the 777, it has a very round and big fuselage usually the way airlines operate the aircraft is you have two cargo compartments, one forward and one back. The one in the back will be filled with passenger baggage and then the forward compartment you have 30 tonnes of cargo space, Greg Waldron, Asia Managing Editor of Flightglobal told Yahoo Singapore. Whenever you buy a 777, you basically get a 30-tonne cargo aircraft. Basically the weight carriage of the 777 is actually very, very strong because you have this amazing cargo space in the front, he added. What you can do to lighten the plane is that you can just carry no cargo. Online criticism The temporary ban by Malaysia Airlines also drew flak online. The airlines social media pages were quickly filled with negative comments and passengers on earlier flights to Europe also took to Malaysia Airlines Facebook page to complain that they were left stranded without their luggage. Facebook user Yap Jin Yi said in a comment that his wife had flown to Paris on the MH20 flight from KL at 11.55pm on Monday. But when she arrived at 9.30am the next day, she was told her baggage did not arrive with her. MAS allowed everyone to check in their baggage as usual. MAS didnt inform any of the passengers about this at all! Its freezing cold winter over there! Now my wife is without her baggage and all her winter clothes. Will MAS pay for the new winter clothes she buys over there? If Malaysia Airlines had informed her earlier, she wouldnt have missed her train and she will need to pay an extra 150 for a new ticket, he added. Another Facebook user, Diah Ariyani, commented, MAS, I was in the flight. Until now, the luggages is not coming yet. Please, I need to change my clothes. I need everything in my luggages. The Malaysian national carrier has been plagued with problems since its aircraft MH370 went missing on 3 March 2014. Another aircraft, MH17, was also downed in the same year while flying over a conflict zone in Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board. It also laid off one third of its staff in May last year as part of a drastic restructuring plan. Berlin (AFP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel came under mounting pressure Wednesday over her welcoming stance toward migrants, which opponents have linked to a rash of apparently coordinated sex attacks in Cologne on New Year's Eve. Police in the western city told AFP they have received more than 100 complaints by women reporting assaults ranging from groping to two rapes, allegedly committed in a large crowd of revellers during year-end festivities outside the city's main train station and its famed Gothic cathedral. Victims blamed men of "Arab or North African" appearance, inflaming a heated public debate about Germany's ability to cope with the nearly 1.1 million asylum seekers the country took in last year. Authorities have said there is no concrete indication that the perpetrators were asylum seekers who arrived in last year's record influx. No arrests have been made. However, critics of Merkel's liberal refugee policy charged that the Cologne assaults proved she was playing with fire without a clear strategy to integrate the mainly Muslim newcomers hoping to settle in Germany. The right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which aims to gain seats in three regional elections in March, charged the attacks were "a result of unchecked immigration". Late Tuesday 200-300 people, according to police estimates, gathered in front of Cologne cathedral calling for better protection for women. One female demonstrator held a sign reading: "Mrs. Merkel, what are you doing? This is scary." And Wednesday, a handful of far-right demonstrators from the local Pro NRW group blaming foreigners for a rise in violence was met by a much larger counterprotest of about 150 booing activists. - 'Countless weeping women' - "If asylum seekers or refugees carry out these kinds of attacks... it will bring their stay in Germany to an abrupt end," warned Andreas Scheuer, general secretary of Merkel's Bavarian allies, the Christian Social Union, which has demanded she set a strict upper limit of 200,000 newcomers per year. Story continues Attending a CSU meeting at a mountain resort, Merkel said she had no plans to agree to a specific cap but reiterated her position that Germany sought a European solution to the crisis that would lead to a "tangible reduction in refugees". "We currently have many different approaches among EU member states," she admitted. Earlier in Brussels, Sweden and Denmark said at an emergency meeting called after they tightened their border controls due to the migrant crisis that they would lift measures, but only after the influx declined. Merkel has urged a thorough investigation of the "repugnant" attacks in Cologne, which she said required "a tough response from the state". Witnesses said groups of 20-30 young, intoxicated men out of a crowd of about 1,000 people had surrounded victims, assaulted them and in several cases robbed them. A plain-clothes policewoman was reportedly among those attacked. Victims described terrifying scenes in the marauding mob. Steffi, 31, said she saw "countless weeping women" when she arrived at the station and was hit with a volley of sexist slurs shouted in German as she made her way through the crowd. "I saw a girl... who was crying, with ripped stockings, her skirt askew -- she was just wrecked," she told the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung. "A young guy came out of the crowd and made vulgar comments. 'Can I help you? I know I can help you' he said with a strong accent and made obscene gestures with his hand. When she wanted to get away, he followed her. I told him to piss off." - 'General suspicion' - Justice Minister Heiko Maas warned against scapegoating refugees over the assaults, which he said "appeared to be coordinated". "No one should exploit the attacks to smear refugees as a group," he told news agency DPA. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere lashed out at Cologne police for failing to stop the assaults, and rejected a claim by police union GdP that the burden of the refugee crisis had meant there was not enough staff to ensure security at railways stations and airports. He said that foreigners who commit serious crimes "must assume they will be deported". Faced with accusations of self-censorship of the inflammatory case, which took four days to hit national media outlets, public broadcaster ZDF apologised for delays in reporting on the melee. And Cologne Mayor Henriette Reker came in for online mockery after saying that girls and young women could avoid trouble of the kind on New Year's Eve by staying over "an arm's length" away from strangers. By Greg Torode HONG KONG (Reuters) - North Korea's claim to have tested a miniaturised hydrogen bomb, which would represent a big advance in its strike capability, could lead to renewed calls for countries in the region to enhance their missile defences, changes that China opposes. Analysts and military attaches say Beijing will be watching closely for signs that the United States and Japan are exploring improved ballistic missile defence, or whether Washington leans more heavily on South Korea to adopt its advanced high-altitude missile system, technology Seoul has so far turned down. There is considerable doubt over the veracity of Pyongyang's assertion that Wednesday's explosion was a full-fledged test of a hydrogen device, but it could mark an advance in the secretive state's nuclear technology. It follows warnings from senior U.S. military officials last April that they believed North Korea had the ability to miniaturise a warhead and mount it on a ballistic missile, posing a potential new threat to the United States, Japan and South Korea. Any moves to boost missile defences could inflame growing military rivalry between China and Washington and its allies. That rivalry is playing out most visibly in the waters of the South China Sea, a vital trade route the United States fears Beijing wants to militarise, despite China's denials. "China will be very sensitive about any moves by Japan or South Korea to improve missile defences," said Zhang Baohui, a mainland nuclear security expert at Hong Kong's Lingnan University. "North Korea may be the stated reason, but Chinese strategists will it see as a move against China to limit its nuclear deterrence." Zhang said he believed that, publicly at least, China would offer only a muted response to the latest test, given Beijing's desire for normalised ties with the isolated buffer state. Richard Bitzinger, a security analyst at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said North Korea's actions potentially provided a "fig leaf" rationale for Japan to buttress its defences against its bigger security worry, China. SOUTH KOREA AND THAAD Chinese fears are particularly acute over sophisticated high-altitude ballistic missile defences that U.S. military officials have said were needed in South Korea, integrated with its own less-advanced systems. The U.S. system involves batteries of missiles that could shoot down North Korea's as yet untested longest range ballistic missiles, weapons U.S. military strategists are most worried about given their potential to carry a nuclear warhead to the American west coast. Acknowledging the concerns of its largest trade partner, China, South Korea has so far kept its missile defences independent of U.S. forces, and has avoided formal talks over the introduction of the so-called Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. The system has radars that can track multiple ballistic missiles up to 2,000 km (1,200 miles) away, a range which would reach deep into China. Japan is also eyeing a future THAAD system, as well as a land-based version of the advanced Aegis system it uses at sea integrated with U.S. ships. Industry sources said the perceived long-term threat from China and possible hyper-velocity missiles, rather than North Korea, was driving consideration of THAAD in Japan. Japan's new security legislation passed last year and an earlier revision to security guidelines between Tokyo and Washington were already set to result in closer integration between the countries in ballistic missile defence capability on board Aegis-equipped ships in the Sea of Japan. Japan is further looking to bolster its defence capability by fielding new interceptor missiles developed jointly with the United States. Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Non-Proliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California, said North Korea has paraded two versions of a ballistic missile that appeared to be of a type with a range sufficient to hit the U.S. west coast, but has never tested it. (Additional reporting by Tim Kelly in TOKYO and David Brunnstrom in WASHINGTON; Editing by Mike Collett-White) Beijing (AFP) - North Korea's claim that it carried out a successful hydrogen bomb test Wednesday drew swift condemnation from friends and foes alike. China said it "firmly opposes" its neighbour's actions while NATO condemned the test as a threat to regional and international security. Several governments promised a firm response as tensions soared, with many calling for further action by the United Nations against North Korea, which is already subject to an array of international sanctions. The UN Security Council was to hold an emergency session later Wednesday. China, North Korea's most important diplomatic and economic partner, took a more nuanced stance than others, saying it "firmly opposes" the test and would summon Pyongyang's ambassador for "solemn representations". It added that dialogue was the "only practical way to resolve the relevant issue". Beijing is a key provider of aid and trade to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) but relations have become more strained in recent years, in part because of Pyongyang's persistence with its nuclear programme in the face of international condemnation. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has yet to visit Beijing since coming to power following the death of his father four years ago. "We strongly urge the DPRK side to remain committed to its denuclearisation commitment, and stop taking any actions that would make the situation worse," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular briefing, using the North's official name. South Korean President Park Geun-Hye described the test as a "grave provocation" at an emergency meeting of the country's National Security Council. "The test is not only a grave provocation to our national security but also a threat to our future... and a strong challenge to international peace and stability," she said, calling for strong sanctions on Pyongyang. Story continues Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slammed it as "a serious threat to the safety of our nation". - 'Grave concern' - "This clearly violates UN Security Council resolutions and is a grave challenge against international efforts for non-proliferation," he said. In Washington the White House would not confirm the test, but vowed to "respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations". NATO head Jens Stoltenberg condemned the test and said North Korea should abandon nuclear weapons. "The nuclear weapons test announced by North Korea undermines regional and international security, and is in clear breach of UN Security Council resolutions," Stoltenberg said in a statement. The foreign ministry of Russia, a permanent Security Council member, denounced the test as a "flagrant violation of international law and existing UN Security Council resolutions". "Such actions are fraught with the possibility of aggravating the situation on the Korean peninsula, which already has a very high potential for military and political confrontation," it said. In a phone call with South Korea's top diplomat Hwang Joon-kook, who leads negotations on North Korea's nuclear disarmament, Russia's deputy foreign minister Igor Morgulov expressed Moscow's "grave concern". Other veto-wielding Security Council members Britain and France also joined in the chorus of condemnation. Speaking in Beijing, Britain's Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the test was "a grave breach of UN Security Council resolutions and a provocation". Paris labelled the move an "unacceptable violation" of UN resolutions and called for a strong reaction from the international community. - 'Rogue state' - Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said her country "condemns in the strongest possible terms" the test, which "confirms North Korea's status as a rogue state and a continuing threat to international peace and security", adding that Canberra would express its concerns to Pyongyang directly and call for stronger UN sanctions. The test, which came just two days before leader Kim's birthday, was initially detected by international seismology monitors as a 5.1-magnitude tremor next to the North's main Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the northeast. Last month Kim suggested Pyongyang had already developed a hydrogen bomb. The claim was questioned by international experts and there was continued scepticism over Wednesday's test announcement. Whether an H-bomb or not, it was North Korea's fourth nuclear test and marked a striking act of defiance in the face of warnings that Pyongyang would pay a steep price if it continued pursuing its atomic weapons programme. The three previous tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013 triggered waves of UN sanctions. Their failure to prevent a fourth detonation will see calls for more drastic Security Council action this time around. Paul Spencer, a teacher and part-time pecan farmer in Arkansas, drafted a ballot measure for 2016 to reform the states campaign finance laws so his fellow voters could know who paid for election ads on TV. But he and fellow activists there knew they couldnt do it alone. They sought the help of national election-reform groups because in Arkansas, as in many other states, initiatives can cost millions of dollars to pass. Liberal groups working at the national level are using state ballot initiatives as their weapon of choice for 2016, but given the costs, theyre carefully planning exactly where to push these measures. And Spencers Arkansas proposal didnt make the cut for 2016. That top-down approach seems ironic. The initiative process was put in place at the beginning of the 20th century as a way for local citizens such as Spencer to band together to pass laws. And voters on the ground may not be aware that national groups are helping fuel the ballot fights in their backyards. Still, national liberal leaders see state ballot measures as their best option for winning on some issues. Dismayed at their prospects in Congress and in Republican-dominated state legislatures, national liberal groups plan to use ballot initiatives to push raising the minimum wage in Maine, legalizing marijuana in Massachusetts, closing gun sale loopholes in Nevada, guarding endangered species in Oregon and other campaigns in at least eight additional states. National conservative groups, meanwhile, seem poised to play defense, setting up a battle of outsiders on state playing fields. In March, Republican-linked politicos launched the Center for Conservative Initiatives in Washington, D.C., to counter the liberal ballot measures they anticipate will arrive in record numbers nationwide in 2016. Liberal groups have been forced to spend heavily on ballot initiatives in an effort to circumvent elected representatives because in states around the country the public has overwhelmingly rejected their out-of-touch candidates and messages, said the Centers leader, Matt Walter, in an email. Story continues The push from outsiders to pass pet policies via the ballot has occurred before, on everything from land conservation in North Dakota to how to cage chickens in California, sometimes leading to big-money fights between corporations, advocacy groups and others. Theres this perception out there that the initiative process is all about the little guy, said Jennie Bowser, a consultant who for many years studied ballot measures for the bipartisan National Conference of State Legislatures. But the truth of the matter is that its a big business. Its really well organized, and its really well funded. And it is very, very rarely a group of local citizens who get together and try to make a difference. Passing popular ideas In 2014, when a Republican wave gave conservatives more U.S. Senate seats and governors mansions, left-leaning activists still managed to notch victories for the minimum wage, gun control and marijuana legalization through ballot measures in Nebraska, South Dakota, Illinois, Arkansas, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and the District of Columbia. In 2015, they followed with wins for campaign-finance reform in Seattle and Maine. Those successes, as well as the chance to draw more left-leaning voters to the polls, are encouraging liberal activists to push hard on the 2016 ballot. This story is part of Whos Calling the Shots in State Politics?. The Center exposes the powerful special interests that drive elections and policy in the states. Click here to read more stories in this series. Don't miss another Politics investigation: Sign up for the Center for Public Integrity's Watchdog email. This year, national liberal groups are especially focused on issues that prove popular in polls but that politicians have been loath to work on, such as gun control and marijuana legalization. Republicans, who generally dislike both ideas, control 30 state legislatures. These are issues that voters have said are very important to them in previous elections, yet nothing has changed, said Justine Sarver, the director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, which helps coordinate liberal ballot efforts. Her group, based in Washington, D.C., plans to use 2016 to push back on conservative state legislatures but hasnt yet announced which 2016 initiative campaigns it will aid. Though it does not disclose its donors, the group has been listed as a beneficiary of the Democracy Alliance, a network of deep-pocketed Democratic contributors including financier George Soros and San Francisco hedge fund manager Tom Steyer. (The Center for Public Integrity receives funding from the Open Society Foundations, which Soros funds. A complete list of Center for Public Integrity funders is found here.) Everytown for Gun Safety, the pro-gun-control group with millions in funding from billionaire Michael Bloomberg, is already backing measures in two states. A Nevada initiative, which has secured its place on the 2016 ballot, would eliminate loopholes that allow firearms to be sold without background checks online and at gun shows. Activists are gathering signatures for a similar measure in Maine. The gun lobby can bully politicians, but it cant bully the American people, said Kate Folmar, deputy communications director for the group based in New York City. And what we know is that Americans overwhelmingly support background checks. What national support amounts to in Nevada is money and staff expertise: Everytown for Gun Safetys action fund gave nearly $2 million to the group set up to push the gun measure, more than 80 percent of its funding so far. It also gave $76,000 in staff time, according to state records. And the local organization, Nevadans for Background Checks, brought in more national experts when it paid a D.C.-based signature gathering firm $1.2 million to help collect more than 100,000 signatures to make the 2016 ballot. Related: Who's backing 2016 ballot measures? Not all measures are as far along as the gun proposals in Nevada and Maine, as several states do not have signature collection deadlines until the spring or summer. And initiatives are not an option in every state only 24 states allow citizen-initiated proposals on the ballot. But marijuana legalization measures backed by the national Marijuana Policy Project are taking shape in five states Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada. Activists with ties to the Sierra Club have announced plans for measures to block fracking in Colorado and collected signatures to support solar power in Florida. Various national groups have voiced support for minimum wage initiatives popping up across the country including proposals for $15 per hour in California, Missouri, Oregon and Washington, D.C., and $12 per hour in Ohio and Maine. Aside from legislative roadblocks, observers see one more reason for left-leaning groups to place big bets on ballot initiatives in 2016: Liberal measures in key states could boost Democratic turnout in the presidential election, in the same way measures blocking gay marriage are credited with helping re-elect President George W. Bush in 2004. We believe raising the minimum wage is good policy but also helps voters to engage in the political process, said Paul Sonn, general counsel of the National Employment Law Project, a group that advises initiative groups and has ties to unions and the Democracy Alliance. For some of the political players, thats sort of an attraction to putting populist measures on the ballot. Top-down money decisions National liberal groups are now calculating which states could deliver wins and which local activists deserve financial help. Though national groups have helped pass state initiatives for decades going as far back as national reform groups that championed tax-cutting measures in California and elsewhere in the late 70s and 80s this year left-leaning organizations seem especially focused on coordinating strategies for where to parachute in with resources. The Humane Society Legislative Fund is already planning to work on several measures in 2016, including an initiative to help endangered animals in Oregon and another to give certain farm animals more room to move around in Massachusetts. John Goodwin, its political director, said his group seeks to have a national game plan for choosing when and where to push measures. We like to have had the right policy experts and legal experts be involved when these measures are being drafted so we get it right, Goodwin said. And we like to poll to make sure that these initiatives are going to be supported when they go to the ballot. So all of those are factors in determining when we will move forward with supporting a ballot initiative. The most limiting factor for sponsoring measures, liberal groups say, is money. Passing a ballot initiative in many states is now a multimillion-dollar endeavor. Professional signature gathering and television advertising alone can eat up campaign budgets. Theres limited resources. So we have to be smart and strategic, said Karen Hobert Flynn, a senior executive at Common Cause, a Washington, D.C.-based election reform group that is still deciding which campaign finance proposals it will back in 2016. When national groups like Common Cause do get involved in state ballot fights, voters may not know the efforts arent entirely local. For example, two committees Maine Citizens for Clean Elections and Mainers for Accountable Elections worked to pass a campaign-finance reform initiative in that state in November. But while the groups received hundreds of small donations from Maine residents, most of their 2015 funds came from out-of-state donors, including national advocacy groups such as Common Cause and Every Voice, as well as unions and philanthropists. National groups emphasize that just because they are providing money and guidance doesnt mean all ballot measures come from wonks in Washington. Goodwin says the Humane Society always works with local activists, and Sarver said the Ballot Initiative Strategy Centers approach is collaborative. Don't miss another Politics investigation: Sign up for the Center for Public Integrity's Watchdog email. Defensive line Some national conservative groups are already gearing up to play defense, though they are staying mum about the details. The newly formed Center for Conservative Initiatives announced broad plans to battle liberals on the ballot, fighting bureaucratic growth and promoting free enterprise, but hasnt yet disclosed what issues it will work on in 2016. The Center is run by a nonprofit associated with the Republican State Leadership Committee, a political group that works to elect Republicans to state offices and whose largest funder is the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. So far the group has disclosed opposition to only one measure a 2015 initiative in Mississippi that would have allowed courts to enforce a school funding law. In Florida, where a broad coalition is backing a measure to allow neighbors to sell solar power to each other, the conservative group created by billionaires Charles and David Koch, Americans for Prosperity, has criticized solar power proposals in the state. But a spokesman said the group hasnt yet taken a position on the initiative itself. Corporate interests are also preparing to block some liberal measures. In Colorado, environmental activists announced plans to push anti-fracking measures, and energy companies have already poured millions of dollars into a committee to oppose them, according to state records. They gave more than $1 million to the committee from July to September alone. The threat of conservative pushback has scared some groups away from getting involved with local efforts to get measures to the ballot, since more money would be required to overcome opposition. Thats what happened when Spencer asked national groups to help with his initiative to disclose election ad funding in Arkansas. Several groups said no. They looked at other states that had similar measures and similar language, and I think they were a little bit frightened by the potential pushback from groups like Americans for Prosperity or the Koch brothers, Spencer said. They thought it was going to be a hard sell going to their funders. Spencers group recently gave up on the campaign-finance disclosure measure for 2016. He holds out hope that similar provisions could be included in another potential ballot initiative about ethics, put forward by other activists. I am personally disappointed how this effort has panned out here in Arkansas, he said in an email, calling it emblematic of top-down grass roots activism. This story was co-published with the Atlantic. This story is part of Whos Calling the Shots in State Politics?. The Center exposes the powerful special interests that drive elections and policy in the states. Click here to read more stories in this series. Related stories Copyright 2016 The Center for Public Integrity. This story was published by The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization in Washington, D.C. By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The man accused of furnishing assault rifles to the husband and wife who massacred 14 people in San Bernardino, California, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges of conspiring with one of the killers in a previous plot. Enrique Marquez, 24, has been indicted on charges he conspired with Syed Rizwan Farook, in 2011 and 2012 to provide material support to terrorists - weapons, explosives and personnel - for attacks that were never carried out. A hearing in the case was set for Feb. 8 with a trial scheduled for Feb. 23. The five-count indictment also charges that Marquez, a former neighbor and friend of Farook, entered a sham marriage with a Russian immigrant - whose sister is married to Farook's older brother - so that she could live in the United States. Marquez also is accused of lying on a federal firearms form when he bought assault rifles for Farook - one each in 2001 and 2012. Those guns, which the indictment said Marquez falsely claimed he purchased for himself, were used by Farook, 28, and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, 29, both militant Muslims, in the San Bernardino shooting rampage last month. Marquez, who has been ordered held without bond, pleaded not guilty to the charges at an arraignment in federal court in Riverside, east of Los Angeles. Authorities say Farook and Malik opened fire at a holiday gathering of Farook's co-workers on Dec. 2, killing 14 people and wounding 22. Farook, the U.S.-born son of Pakistani immigrants, and Malik, a Pakistani native he married in Saudi Arabia in 2014, died in a shootout with police four hours after the massacre. Authorities have said the couple were inspired by Islamic extremism and called their rampage the deadliest such attack on U.S. soil since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Marquez called 911-emergency operators after the San Bernardino slayings to say he wanted to kill himself, admitting he had bought a weapon used by Farook. Marquez then checked himself into a mental health facility. Story continues FBI agents subsequently raided his home and questioned him for several days before he was arrested. Sources have said Marquez was cooperative during his interviews. The indictment was returned by a grand jury last week, superseding similar charges contained in a criminal complaint filed at the time of his arrest. (Story refiles to remove extraneous word "his" in seventh paragraph) (Reporting by Steve Gorman; Editing by Bill Trott) Netflix just launched in 130 new countries including Vietnam, India, Nigeria, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Turkey, and Indonesia, CEO Reed Hastings told the CES consumer electronics confab in a keynote address. You are witnessing the birth of a global TV network, he said. The news, at the end of the companys presentation, sent Netflix shares up nearly 6%. CES logo Most of the new countries will receive programming in English, but it added Arabic, Korean, Simplified and Traditional Chinese to the 17 languages it already offers. The company says that it continues to explore options to serve China. It isnt available in Crimea, North Korea and Syria due to U.S. government restrictions on American companies. Hastings and Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos mostly used todays forum to promote Netflixs original content plans. The company plans to offer more than 600 hours in 2016 and hopes to grow from there. The technology is there, Sarandos says. Its the business models that stand in the way. Showing clips from upcoming series The Crown and The Get Down, he says that Netflix has a luxury that conventional programmers lack to offer diverse programming. The company brought out celebrities Chelsea Handler, Will Arnett, Krysten Ritter, and Wagner Moura to praise Netflix. With the data to target shows and promotions to specific viewers we can spend less on marketing and score [not only] with home runs but also singles and doubles and triples. Netflix appeals to content creators by offering them flexibility to develop an entire series, not just a pilot, and episodes that are not 22 or 44 minutes long. Sarandos defended Netflixs movies that premiere online the same time it hopes to release them in theaters a proposition most exhibitors reject. We are not anti-theater, he says. We are just pro-movies. The Netflix model removes one of the key reasons people resort to piracy. Story continues Hastings opened his companys part of the proceedings saying that Internet video enables Netflix and others to finally give people what they always wanted. We can put consumers across the world in the drivers seat. For example, viewers dont have to be at the mercy of commercials, he says. The company has moved television from corporate to consumer control. Later this year, the company will introduce high dynamic range to its 4K videos. The CEO added that Netflix serves more than 70 million global subscribers. In Q4 they watched 12 billion hours of content, up from 8.25 billion in the same period in 2014. Related stories FCC Chief Sees "Spectrum Extravaganza" As TV Auction Deadline Approaches - CES 'The Get Down' Teaser: First Look At Baz Luhrmann's Music-Driven Netflix Series Why Saudi Arabia-Iran Crisis Could Be Good News For Netflix & Others Entering Mideast Media Market By Lehar Maan and Anya George Tharakan (Reuters) - Netflix Inc's video-streaming service went live in more than 130 countries on Wednesday, covering almost the entire globe except China, in a huge global push by Chief Executive Reed Hastings to counter slowing growth in the United States. Shares of the company, whose popular shows include "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt", "Daredevil" and "Narcos", jumped 9.3 percent to close at $117.68. India, Nigeria, Russia and Saudi Arabia were among the major countries where the service was launched, Hastings said at a speech at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. "(This is) much sooner and much more ambitious than expected," Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter said. Netflix, which had expanded into more than 60 countries before Wednesday's launch, previously said it aimed to reach 200 countries by the end of 2016. However, all shows will not be available immediately to some Netflix fans. "We're moving as quickly as we can to have global availability of all the content on Netflix," Hastings said at a press conference after his speech. U.S. government restrictions on American companies mean Netflix will not be available in Crimea, North Korea and Syria. The company is still exploring options for providing its service in China, the world's most populous country. Asked if Netflix will make it into the Chinese market in 2016, Hastings said in an interview "we hope so, but you never know." "With China, you really want to build relationships first, before you get to the practical parts of building a business," he said. "And so we are doing that now and getting to know people, both in government and in partner companies." "Well just keep working on the relationships," he said. "We are very patient. Whether it is 2016, 2017, well just keep working on it." Netflix on Wednesday added simplified and traditional Chinese to the 17 languages it already supports. "I think there's been pent-up demand for Netflix outside of the few geographies they were available in previously," Brian Blau, research director at Gartner, told Reuters. Netflix, which has been spending aggressively to expand globally, has said it planned to "run around break-even through 2016" and then deliver profits. (Additional reporting by Abhirup Roy and Supantha Mukherjee in Bengaluru, Jane Lee in Las Vegas and Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty, Maju Samuel and Sriraj Kalluvila and Diane Craft) While we were winding down last night after a long day covering CES 2016 and the rest of the country was finishing up its day as well, North Korea was detonating a nuclear bomb. At 10:00 a.m. local time in the Eastern country, a Kim Jong Un ordered test of what the country claims to have been a small hydrogen bomb set off seismic activity alarms in South Korea and Japan, registering as a 5.1 magnitude earthquake. The alarms led both nations to believe immediately that a nuclear device had been tested in North Korea and their concerns were confirmed when North Korean state TV announced the test later in the morning. North Korea last tested a nuclear bomb in 2013, and this is the fourth time North Korea has detonated a nuclear device in recent years. DONT MISS: It finally happened: Hoverboard fire burns down Australian familys house Let the world look up to the strong, self-reliant nuclear-armed state, Kim Jong Un said in a hand-written note that was displayed on state TV following the test. According to North Koreas claims, the device in question was a small hydrogen bomb. Experts in South Korea have cast doubt on the claim that it was actually an H-bomb, however. South Korean officials say that the bombs yield was approximately 6 kilotons, which Reuters reports is roughly the same size as the atomic bomb detonated in North Koreas previous test. Given the scale, it is hard to believe this is a real hydrogen bomb, Korea Defense and Security Forum fellow Yang Uk said. They could have tested some middle stage kind (of device) between an A-bomb and H-bomb, but unless they come up with any clear evidence, it is difficult to trust their claim. Other experts seem to agree that the device in question is likely a hybrid bomb rather than a true hydrogen bomb. Because it is, in fact, hydrogen, they could claim it is a hydrogen bomb, security expert Joe Cirincione of the Ploughshares Fund said. But it is not a true fusion bomb capable of the massive multi-megaton yields these bombs produce. Story continues North Korea said this most recent nuclear test was an act of self-defense to ensure it is protected against threats from its enemies, including the United States. Related stories North Korea's secret Red Star OS looks exactly like Apple's OS X Actually, This Was North Korea's Craziest Proclamation... and It Involved Unicorns North Korea Says a Lot of Crazy Crap... But This Might Take the Cake More from BGR: Forget the iPad Pro, Samsung invents a gorgeous Surface Pro clone of its own This article was originally published on BGR.com Even as world powers work to implement the Iran nuclear deal, North Korea's apparent detonation of a new bomb marks a stark setback for global anti-proliferation efforts. The UN Security Council scrambled to convene a session to condemn Pyongyang and prepare to strengthen the already draconian sanctions regime isolating North Korea. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "unequivocally" condemned the North Korea test which, if confirmed, would violate previous Security Council resolutions. But if and when sanctions are tightened, it won't be for the first time. North Korea has tested nuclear devices three times since 2006, defying UN resolutions and global condemnation. US Secretary of State John Kerry's message to Pyongyang was clear -- "We do not and will not accept North Korea as a nuclear armed state" -- but not new. President Barack Obama's 2009 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded him for his "vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons" and he has made halting their spread a priority. The powers that negotiated the Iran nuclear deal, hailed last July as a victory in non-proliferation efforts, hope soon to celebrate Tehran's implementation of measures to put such weapons beyond its reach. But another pariah regime, North Korea, has pushed on with its own program and on Wednesday claimed to have carried out a test of its most powerful nuclear weapon yet. There is no sign that young North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un is willing to back down this time, and critics of Obama and the international response say a new approach is needed. - Boosted fission - "North Korea poses an increasing and direct threat to the United States, South Korea, and Japan," said former CIA analyst Bruce Klinger of the Heritage Foundation said. "Experts estimate that Pyongyang currently has 10 to 16 nuclear weapons with potentially as many as 50 to 100 by 2020." Karl Dewey, a proliferation analyst for IHS Jane's, said North Korea's new device may not be a thermonuclear hydrogen bomb as claimed but a still powerful "boosted fission weapon." Story continues Combined with the country's recent advances in banned ballistic missile technology, it could one day pose a threat to cities in North Korea's US-allied neighbors South Korea and Japan. This is just the kind of regional destabilization the world hoped to avoid in curtailing the Iranian program, and critics of the Iran deal were quick to seize on North Korea's advance. The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Republican Bob Corker, accused the administration of ignoring the North Korean threat while distracted by crises elsewhere. "The past several decades of US policy toward North Korea has been an abject failure," he said. "The United States -- together with our allies and others in the region -- must take a more assertive role." House foreign affairs committee chair Ed Royce said: "Dictators like Kim Jong-Un don't take time outs, they take advantage when the US looks away. "As Iran prepares to gain billions in sanctions relief, North Korea surely thinks it can intimidate the Obama administration into the same." But experts said the failure of the sanctions regime was not Washington's fault alone, and pointed to China -- the closest thing North Korea still has to an ally. Victor Cha, director of government and international affairs at Georgetown University, told CNN that China opposes Pyongyang's nuclear program, but fears the country's collapse if sanctions are imposed too efficiently. "If you had to point to one weak link in the sanctions regime, you would have to say it's China," he said. "The thing that they're most worried about is a destabilized North Korea in which there could be loose nukes and millions of refugees coming across the border." China nevertheless supported a UN Security Council resolution to "strongly condemn" the test as a "clear threat to international peace and security." For Washington, the onus is now on North Korea to decide to rejoin the six-party talks -- abandoned in 2008 -- with South Korea, the United States, Russia, China and Japan. "The North has shown absolutely no interest in returning to that forum," State Department spokesman John Kirby said. "And that's the international agreed framework for having a discussion with the North over this capability." After years of Republican insistence that mental health spending and reforms are needed more than tougher gun control laws to prevent mass killings like the one at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, President Obama on Tuesday challenged GOP lawmakers to put your money where your mouth is. Obama proposed $500 million of new spending to increase access to mental health care and to make mental health information more readily available for conducting background checks for gun purchases. The funding would accompany a number of executive actions he plans for tightening restrictions on gun sales by clarifying who should be licensed as a gun dealer and therefore required to conduct background checks on customers. Related: Obama: Gun Control Wont Happen During My Presidency Were going to ensure that federal mental health records are submitted to the background check system, and remove barriers that prevent states from reporting relevant information, Obama said yesterday at a press conference. And for those in Congress who so often rush to blame mental illness for mass shootings as a way of avoiding action on guns, heres your chance to support these efforts, he added. The president called on the Social Security Administration and other federal agencies to report more data to the National Instant Criminal Background Checks System to enhance the quality of gun background checks. He stressed that the vast majority of people suffering from mental health problems are not violent and that they are more likely to be victims of violent crimes or take their own lives. But if Obama expects to see congressional action this year on his proposal or others, he may be sadly disappointed. While the president essentially is proposing precisely what many Republicans have called for namely greater government access to mental health records in reviewing gun purchase applicants GOP leaders rebuffed the presidents spending proposal. In a highly charged political season, some Republicans are opposing Obamas decision to once again, issue executive orders to circumvent congressional will. Story continues Related: Clinton Throws Down a Challenge to Obama on Guns An unwillingness to find common ground and achieve compromise has been the hallmark of this presidents tenure, and this issue unfortunately is no different, Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX), a proponent of improved health care programs, said in a statement. Rather than unilaterally impose a gun control agenda thats unlawful and strips the constitutional rights of Americans, the President should better enforce current law and work with Congress on legislation reforming our mental health system. Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA), a leading House advocate for overhauling the mental health system, was less dismissive of the presidents spending proposal but said he opposed the executive branch meddling with lawmaking. There is a big difference between funding mental health programs and enacting reforms addressing serious mental illness, Murphy said in a statement. More money into our disastrously failed and antiquated system will only result in more lives lost. The debate over mental health reforms at the federal, state and local levels necessary to help curb gun violence and other violent acts is enormously complex and comes at a time when many states have cut their mental health care budgets or are merely treading water in attempting to provide adequate services, according to experts. State governments cut mental health spending by roughly $4 billion during the Great Recession, according to one estimate. A report by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) released in December found that only 23 states increased mental health spending in 2015, compared to 36 states than increased funding in 2013 and 29 who raised it in 2014. The other states froze their budgets or cut back spending. Related: 19 Unbelievable Facts About Guns in America NAMI highlighted a major disparity between the great deal of rhetoric in recent years about the broken mental health system in America and the need to invest in services that work in helping people living with mental illness to recover and reach their full potential. That report was issued three years after the Dec. 14, 2012 tragedy at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut when 20-year-old Adam Lanza went on a rampage and fatally shot 20 children and 6 adult staff members. Lanza shot and killed his mother before the assault on the school and then subsequently committed suicide. Since then, there has been a grisly series of gun-related mass killings, in Santa Monica, Calif., Washington, D.C., Ft Hood, Texas, Isla Vista, Calif., Charleston, S.C., Chattanooga, Tenn., Roseburg, Oregon, Colorado Springs and most recently in San Bernardino, Calif. Ron Honberg, NAMIs national director of policy and legal affairs, told Roll Call yesterday that his group strongly endorsed Obamas call for $500 million, but noted that it would have to go through the appropriations process where it could run into GOP opposition. I think theres certainly heightened interest and concern about mental health on both sides of the aisle in Congress right now, he said. Id like to think that there would be strong consideration in Congress. Related: Why Some Americans Will Never Give Up Their Guns Murphy, a clinical psychologist, is pushing a bill that would increase the number of psychiatric hospital beds available, set new standards for addiction treatment, make it easier for parents of children with psychological problems to work with their doctors, and create a new cabinet-level position to foster improved mental health care. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) recently lauded the bill as a potential model for legislation. Cornyns Mental Health and Safe Communities Act, among other things, would clarify language regarding the mental health records that can be submitted to the national background check system and addresses the process to restore an individuals ability to purchase a gun. Republicans have floated other proposals as well, but so far, there is no consensus on how or whether to try to pass major legislation this year. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: josh earnest White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Wednesday that it'd be "quite ironic" if Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) became his party's presidential nominee. Earnest who is President Barack Obama's top spokesman said that it'd be amusing for Republican voters to back the Canadian-born senator after some conservative conspiracy theorists questioned Obama's own birthplace. "It would be quite ironic if after seven or eight years of drama around the president's birth certificate, if Republican primary voters were to choose Sen. Cruz as their nominee, somebody who actually wasn't born in the United Sates and who only eight months ago renounced his Canadian citizenship," Earnest said during his daily press briefing. Earlier this week, Republican front-runner Donald Trump repeatedly raised questions about whether Cruz is eligible for president given his birthplace. Most legal experts believe Cruz easily meets the definition of a "natural-born" citizen because his mother was an American. But Trump said voters should be concerned. "Republicans are going to have to ask themselves the question: 'Do we want a candidate who could be tied up in court for two years?' Thatd be a big problem," Trump told The Washington Post on Tuesday. "It'd be a very precarious one for Republicans because he' be running and the courts may take a long time to make a decision. You don't want to be running and have that kind of thing over your head." He added: "I'd hate to see something like that get in his way. But a lot of people are talking about it and I know that even some states are looking at it very strongly, the fact that he was born in Canada and he has had a double passport." Some conspiracy theorists have long maintained that Obama was born outside of the US, and is thus ineligible for the presidency. In 2011, Trump was one of the most high-profile figures calling for Obama to release his long-form birth certificate, which the president eventually did. Story continues When asked on Wednesday if Obama found Trump's questions about Cruz's eligibility amusing, Earnest smirked. "I don't know if he does, but I sure do," Earnest said. NOW WATCH: Police say the 'affluenza' teen is on the run More From Business Insider Paris (AFP) - One year after a jihadist attack wiped out most of its staff, French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday published a typically provocative special edition featuring a gun-toting God, sparking protests from the Vatican. The cover of the anniversary edition features a bloodstained, bearded God-figure in sandals with a Kalashnikov slung over his shoulder under the headline: "One year on: the killer is still at large." The controversial cover is typical of the fiercely secular publication whose drawings of the Prophet Mohammed drew the fury of Muslims around the world and inspired the bloody attack on its offices on January 7 last year. Jihadist brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi gunned down eight Charlie staff as well as several others in and around the building in the assault, which began three days of terror in the French capital that would eventually leave 17 dead. "It is the idea of God itself that we, at Charlie, contest. You need to shake up people's ideas or they stay stuck in their positions," said cartoonist Riss, who lost the use of his right arm in the attack, in an interview with AFP. Charlie Hebdo, a struggling publication that gained bittersweet fame after the attacks and become a symbol of freedom of speech, has printed one million copies of the anniversary edition. "I love the cover. I never bought it before (the attack) but have taken it several times this year," said Francis, 53, outside a newspaper kiosk in Paris. "It's good to be uncomfortable while reading it." While millions rushed to buy the first edition after the attack, circulation of the controversial publication has slowed to about 100,000 copies a week and there were no crowds trying to buy the anniversary edition. Before the attack, Charlie Hebdo was facing financial ruin and barely managing to sell 30,000 issues a week. The Vatican criticised the cover for failing to "acknowledge or to respect believers' faith in God, regardless of the religion." Story continues "Behind the deceptive flag of uncompromising secularism, the weekly is forgetting once more what religious leaders of every faith unceasingly repeat... using God to justify hatred -- is a genuine blasphemy, as Pope Francis has said several times." - Attack was 'unthinkable' - The attack on Charlie, as well as a Jewish supermarket and police, brought millions onto the streets in protest and led to soul-searching over the country's cherished secularism as well as issues such as integration. "It was unthinkable that in France in the 21st century, journalists would be killed by religion," cartoonist Riss wrote in the editorial of the special edition. "We saw France as an island of secularism, where it was possible to tell jokes, draw, laugh, without worrying about dogma, fanatics." The special edition devotes several pages to the topic of secularism, as well as reflections on the terrifying minutes when the Kouachi brothers burst into an editorial meeting spraying gunfire. In his editorial, Riss wrote that the team was keenly aware of the fact that since publishing images of the Prophet Mohammed, seen as forbidden by many Muslims, "many hoped someone would one day put us in our places." The attack, claimed by Al-Qaeda's branch in the Arabian Peninsula, was not the first on the publication, which was firebombed in 2011. The bloodshed stunned a nation that has become a target for jihadists and was again plunged into shock in November when 130 people were killed in coordinated attacks around Paris. - 'Two idiots in balaclavas' - Charlie has continued to raise ire, refusing self-censorship in the wake of the attacks, working from ultra-secure offices in a top-secret location. When Riss pictured Aylan Kurdi, the Syrian toddler found dead on a Turkish beach this year, under a McDonald's sign in what was intended to be criticism of the consumer society, he was accused of racism. And he said a priest who attended the massive January 11 march after the attack had written to him to say he found the latest cover "scandalous." The cartoonist said in his editorial he was often asked how he managed to continue after what had happened. "We want to beat the crap out of those who wanted us to die more than ever. "It is not two little idiots in balaclavas who are going to screw up our life's work." However those killed are never far from the minds of the cartoonists. "I ask myself sometimes if I am making the newspaper they would have made. To me, they are no longer there but they are not gone," said Riss. By Jonathan Allen and Jim Urquhart BURNS, Ore. (Reuters) - The leader of a group of self-styled militiamen who seized a remote U.S. wildlife refuge in Oregon said on Tuesday their plan was to help local residents regain their rights from the federal government, and "then we will go home." The Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and the small town of Burns have been thrust into the spotlight by the takeover, which began on Saturday and marked the latest protest over federal management of millions of acres (hectares)of land in the West. "We do have a plan," protest leader Ammon Bundy told reporters at the refuge. "We see a time coming very soon when the community will begin ... to take that over, so they can claim their own rights, so that they can stand strong enough to defend them. And then we will go home." The reaction to the takeover among residents of Burns, about 30 miles (48 km) north of the refuge, has included sympathy for the jailed ranchers from the area whose plight inspired the action, and criticism of the armed protesters. Ranchers Dwight Hammond Jr. and his son, Steven, who surrendered on Monday to serve longer prison terms for setting fires that spread to federal land, were regulars at a diner in Burns where customers said they feared the federal government wanted to seize ranch lands for its own use. "The BLM wants that land bad and they'll probably end up getting it," said Tim Slate, a butcher who said he had gone out to slaughter the Hammonds' cattle many times over the years, using an acronym for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. "The federal government wants to take over the state of Oregon and turn it into a park." Diners voiced skepticism about Bundy, the son of a Nevada rancher who along with a large group of armed men stared down federal agents in 2014 when they tried to confiscate his cattle over unpaid grazing fees. "I don't think it's right to take over a public building," said James Arndt, a retired painter. "I'm kind of mixed about that." Story continues 'NOT ABOUT FEAR' He echoed other residents of the town of 3,000 people about 280 miles (450 km) southeast of Portland, who saw the occupation as the work of outsiders. The Hammonds' lawyers have sought to dissociate themselves from the occupiers. But Bundy said some locals had stopped by with food. "A particular rancher ... brought a very, very good pot of soup that was needed on a late night when we were very hungry," Bundy told the news conference. "We're not about fear, we're not about force, we're not about intimidation," he said. "If the government is bringing that fear and intimidation, it needs to be checked and balanced." Early in the occupation, Bundy said many of his supporters were armed, although its members have not been showing weapons in recent days. Authorities have closed schools for the week in the area out of concerns of possible violence, but the occupation has so far been peaceful. At the refuge on Tuesday, an entrance sign was draped with U.S. flags that almost completely obscured the logo of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Reporters were allowed to roam outside the dozen or so buildings around the visitor center, which include stone cottages for staff, storage units and other outbuildings, and even a small gas station. Michael Stettler, 49, said he took time off from work at a hardware store in Lake View, California, to drive up with his dog and visit for a few days because he was curious about whether he was getting the full story from the media. "I got insight into what life is like as a federal employee: pretty cush!" Stettler said, describing well-heated buildings and amenities including a gym. He said he spent the morning shoveling snow and prizing open a frozen door, and that the night was spent comfortably. "They've got propane and wood stoves for heat," he said. COMMUNITY MEETING Harney County Sheriff David Ward has called on the protesters to go home, and planned to meet with county residents later on Tuesday to discuss their concerns about the situation. Neither protesters nor authorities have said how many people are involved in the occupation. About a dozen occupiers have been visible at the site. Federal law enforcement officials have kept their distance, following guidelines instituted to prevent a repeat of deadly standoffs such as those in Ruby Ridge, Idaho, and Waco, Texas in the early 1990s. The success of the 2014 standoff at the Bundy ranch likely emboldened the refuge occupiers, commentators said. "They won," said Heidi Beirich of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks extremist groups. "The group that's holed up there in Burns seems to think they're going to take that same idea to another level: You solve your issues over land usage or grazing fees or whatever by refusing to pay up and then using weapons to run cops off the land." (Additional reporting by Mark Hosenball, Andy Sullivan and Doina Chiacu in Washington and Victoria Cavaliere in Los Angeles; Writing by Scott Malone and Daniel Wallis; Editing by Bill Trott and Peter Cooney) From Chris Orrs review redux of The Force Awakens: Even George Lucas has gotten in on the act, complaining that the movie is all recycled ideas, and that his experience of selling the franchise to Disney was akin to selling his children to white slavers. (Which mostly raises the question: Whos worse? White slavers, or the person who sells his children to them?) A reader seized on that passage: Lucas is basically full of crap. The first Star Wars movie was a MASSIVE remix of classic cinema, on an almost shot-for-shot level. He took several movies, ranging from Samurai period pieces (The Hidden Fortress) to Westerns (The Searchers) to WW2 (The Dam Busters) and even Casablanca. The Telegraph has a broader list of cinematic influences. Each of the links above points to a video comparison of Star Wars to their respective films, but the following video sent by our reader, for the Dam Busters comparison, is by far the most persuasive: By the way, if you missed the rest of our coverage of The Force Awakens: Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. French fashion brand Paule Ka has teamed up with luxury online boutique Moda Operandi on a limited-edition capsule collection. It is the first collection for ex-Lanvin designer Alithia Spuri-Zampetti in her role as creative director at the label. Her first full collection is set to be revealed this March as part of the Paris Autumn/Winter 2016/17 shows. The collection focuses on bold, graphic looks that play with color blocking and monochromatic techniques. There are pieces inspired by the 1960s, trapeze dresses, structured volumes and cocktail dresses. Bows feature heavily throughout the collection, their impact maximized by color contrasting or optical illusions. Frills reworked on a trapeze dress or on the handle of a bag reinforce the preppy side of things, while accented graphic lines created by belts highlight the structure of the pieces. The fabrics are rich, comprising double face satin duchesse, silk habotai and Italian lace, while the color palette is deep and intense, featuring cobalt, ruby and topaz hues. Spuri-Zampetti, 31, graduated from Central Saint Martins College of London and has spent the last six years at Lanvin at the helm of the women's ready-to-wear collections. Her previous experiences at Valentino and Bottega Veneta have also contributed to the development of a signature style which is both assertive and feminine. Founded almost 30 years ago, Paule Ka operates in 56 countries through 350 sales outlets and 60 boutiques and corners exclusively dedicated to the brand. The capsule collection will be available to pre-order from www.modaoperandi.com from January 6 for a period of 10 days. Berlin (AFP) - German police Wednesday gave the all-clear on a suspicious mail package that had arrived at Angela Merkel's chancellery building after detecting no explosives inside. Police had closed off the front entrance from 0730 GMT and sent explosives experts to check the package in a cordoned-off area in the snow outside, but reopened the area around 0945 GMT, said a federal police spokesman. The operations of the chancellery were not affected since there are other entrances, and Merkel's top ministers held a morning cabinet session as usual. National news agency DPA reported that a police sniffer dog had reacted to the package for unknown reasons and sparked the scare. If youre looking for someone to blame for the boring disappointing monstrosity otherwise known as the second season of True Detective, HBO President Michael Lombardo is willing to fall on his sword. In a recent interview with The Frame, Lombardo explained that the success of the shows first season caused him to put a lot of undue pressure on series creator Nic Pizzolatto to deliver a repeat performance in a compressed time frame. To the point, Lombardo said that he effectively gave Pizzolatto an arbitrary deadline rather than letting him work through the creative process and deliver a finished product when he was truly done. DONT MISS: Theres more to Reys mysterious flashback in The Force Awakens than meets the eye And I think in this particular case, Lombardo explains, the first season of True Detective was something that Nic Pizzolatto had been thinking about, gestating, for a long period of time. Hes a soulful writer. I think what we did was go, Great. And I take the blame. I became too much of a network executive at that point. We had huge success. Gee, Id love to repeat that next year.' Well, you know what? I set him up, Lombardo continued. To deliver, in a very short time frame, something that became very challenging to deliver. Thats not what that show is. He had to reinvent the wheel, so to speak. Find his muse. And so I think thats what I learned from it. Dont do that anymore. Lombardos confession, while appreciated, is still unfortunate given that first season of True Detective was a bonafide masterpiece. A crime drama set in Louisiana, the series was a rare gem insofar as it delivered a thrilling storyline coupled with memorable dialogue and truly compelling protagonists, played to perfection by Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey. The show was beloved by both fans and critics alike, garnering numerous awards in the process, including an Emmy for outstanding directing in a Drama series. Story continues So when HBO announced the release date for the shows second season, with an entirely new cast at that, fans couldnt contain their excitement. Anchored by stalwart actors like Colin Farrel and Rachel McAdams, not to mention the somewhat curious casting of Vince Vaughn, expectations for the shows second go-around were incredibly high. In that respect, I suppose its fair to say that Lombardos expectations were no more misplaced or hurried than those of the shows passionate fanbase. In any event, its no secret that True Detective season 2 was an abject failure on many fronts. Not only was the show plagued by a muddled storyline and forgettable characters, it seemed as if all of the ingredients that went into making the shows first season so special were casually tossed aside. With Lombardo finally giving us an inkling as to how and why the shows quality level dropped off so precipitously, we can only hope that a rumored third season, which will hopefully be ordered, will be able to restore the level of quality that season 1 delivered in spades. Related stories The latest big 'Game of Thrones' season 6 reveal is all about Bran Stark 'Game of Thrones' is once again the most pirated show of the year Every new movie coming to HBO NOW and HBO GO in January 2016 More from BGR: Microsoft shows off just how much data its collecting from Windows 10 users This article was originally published on BGR.com Legislators should rewrite state codes to reduce Virginias high rate of arresting young students, child legal-rights advocates argue in a new report. Staff at the Virginia Legal Aid Justice Center contend that the commonwealths existing statutes allow police to easily intervene in school discipline disputes and criminalize typical childhood misbehavior. Many Virginia schools are starved for funding and lack key educational staff, yet tens of millions of dollars are spent statewide each year on school policing thats become a recipe for disaster, according to the Justice Centers report, Protecting Childhood: A Blueprint for Developmentally Appropriate School Policing in Virginia. The comprehensive report released Wednesday was produced by the legal-aid groups JustChildren program attorneys with the assistance of staff at the University of Virginia School of Law. JustChildren lawyers often represent special-needs students in disputes at schools, and have become increasingly concerned that school policing has turned routine behavior problems into crimes. Last year, the report notes, Virginia more fully began to join the nationwide movement for school discipline reform after a Center for Public Integrity investigation found that Virginia was the nations leader in the rate of school referrals of students to local law-enforcement agencies. Virginias statewide rate of referral was nearly 16 students for every 1,000, compared to the national rate of about six students per 1,000, according to the Centers analysis of 2011-2012 national data. Moreover, the rates at which disabled students and African-American pupils were arrested and sent to court both nationally and in Virginia were disproportionately higher than their overall percentages of the school population. Local Virginia police data gathered by the Center showed that the vast majority of student arrests were for misdemeanor allegations of disorderly conduct and simple assault. Some 12-year-olds were charged with obstruction of justice and resisting arrest if they clenched a fist during interactions with school police. Story continues In one case, in Henrico County, a 12-year-old 6th grader with autism who had torn down some posters was subsequently pushed down by several officers, handcuffed and arrested for felony assault on an cop because he touched an officer. The boys mother, Ali Nelson, told the Center: The school resource officer said that as soon as he (her son) put his hands on him it was a felony and he had to arrest him. The school district declined to comment on the case. But in August, after the Center published Nelsons story, Henrico County Police Chief Doug Middleton announced new policies limiting his officers involvement at schools and told the Center that educators had become too dependent on calling cops for minor discipline problems. In another case the Center revealed, 11-year-old Kayleb Moon-Robinson, who also has autism, was charged with felony assault on a police officer after he walked out of 6th grade class without permission. A school cop grabbed him and Kayleb struggled to break free. Just days before, Kayleb had been charged with disorderly conduct after the same school police officer saw him kick a trash can at his school in Lynchburg, Virginia. Kayleb has been forced to go to court multiple times over the last year with jailing a distinct possibility and his mother said hes been stigmatized and shunned by kids who called him a criminal. One of the Protecting Childhood reports recommendations is for Virginias General Assembly to eliminate school-based disorderly conduct as a predicate for charging students with a crime on campuses. Another recommendation is to remove misdemeanors and non-crimes, such as cyberbullying, from a list of 40 types of school-based acts that state code currently requires educators to report to law enforcement officials. Once the acts are reported, arrests and charges often follow. School and law enforcement personnel report that this requirement (to report acts) is incredibly burdensome, undercuts the exercise of their professional judgment in handling minor offenses, and can be distracting from the work of maintaining safety and order in the schools, the new report argues. The report also calls for a state requirement that school resource officers receive specialized training for working with children. Only if a position is funded through a state grants program does an officer currently have to receive a course that includes some training for working with children. Legislators, the reports authors also argue, should also rewrite a statute that currently paves the way for police to get pulled into typical behavior problems. School police, the statute says, shall be employed to help ensure safety, to prevent truancy and violence in schools, and to enforce school board rules and codes of student conduct. The language authorizing intervention to enforce rules and codes of conduct should be eliminated, the authors of the report argue. By giving police responsibility to enforce discipline, the reports authors point out, Virginias statute conflicts with recommendations from the National Association of School Resource Officers a professional group and the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice, which both recommend that school police not be involved in enforcing school rules. Jason Langberg, one of the reports authors and a JustChildren program education advocate, said he believes advocates can find bipartisan support for reforms in the legislature. In fact, a new bipartisan coalition in Virginia issued a report last fall calling for school-policing and juvenile-justice reforms. We anticipate some success because much of what were proposing are common sense solutions, Langberg said. Both (political) sides realize that unnecessarily funneling children from schools to the justice system not only hurts children and school climate, but also is fiscally irresponsible. After the Centers report came out in April, along with a Reveal national radio segment, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, asked members of his cabinet to recommend policy changes in response to the Centers findings. Virginia parents send their children to school to learn, not to end up in the juvenile justice system. Brian Coy, McAuliffes spokesman, told the Center. This story is part of Criminalizing kids. Scrutinizing the use of law enforcement and courts to respond to kids conduct at school or other circumstances. . Click here to read more stories in this series. Don't miss another Juvenile Justice investigation: Sign up for the Center for Public Integrity's Watchdog email. As cabinet members subsequently told the Center, McAuliffe started a Classrooms, Not Courtrooms initiative that is offering school districts free retraining for school police and educators, as well as financial support for discipline methods considered effective alternatives to suspensions and calling in police. The initiative also is urging school districts to adopt updated school-police agreements, or memoranda of understanding, that formally limit police involvement on campuses to serious crimes. In response to the Center report, scattered communities, from Lynchburg to Richmond, have also voluntarily adopted their own reforms aimed at eliminating unnecessary arrests at schools, setting age limits for arrests and developing alternatives to sending kids into court. But the JustChildren report argues that statewide standards are critical to ensuring that children are treated equitably regardless of where they live. The report has been delivered to the governors cabinet and to lawmakers. The reports recommendations, the authors argue, will help ensure that school policing laws, policies, and practices are fair to students while still allowing security personnel to carry out their purposes more effectively. This story is part of Criminalizing kids. Scrutinizing the use of law enforcement and courts to respond to kids conduct at school or other circumstances. . Click here to read more stories in this series. Related stories Copyright 2016 The Center for Public Integrity. This story was published by The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization in Washington, D.C. Washington (AFP) - US Republicans clamored to paint North Korea's surprise nuclear test as yet another failure of Barack Obama's foreign policy Wednesday, rounding on the outgoing president as he faced a stern new overseas challenge. "Our enemies around the world are taking advantage of Obama's weakness," White House contender Senator Marco Rubio said, blasting the 44th president for standing "idly by" as a "lunatic" leader in Pyongyang threatens international peace. Republicans vying to replace Obama in 2017 have accused him, and his former secretary of state Hillary Clinton -- the Democratic presidential frontrunner -- of lacking resolve. They say Obama's overly cautious foreign policy has created a void that the Islamic State group, Russia, China, Iran and now North Korea have stepped into. It comes after North Korea said it had carried out a "successful" miniaturized hydrogen bomb test -- though experts are skeptical of the claim. Senator Ted Cruz, another Republican White House candidate, said North Korea's test "underscores the gravity of the threats we are facing right now and also the sheer folly of the Obama-Clinton foreign policy." "When we look at North Korea, it's like looking at a crystal ball. This is where Iran ends up if we continue on this same misguided path." Obama came to office in 2009 vowing to extricate the United States from costly foreign wars, while signaling Washington would no longer rush headlong into every global crisis. He has also engaged with US foes Iran and Cuba, popular bogeymen for Republicans on the campaign trail. White House aides say Obama's policy is borne from a more steely eyed approach to the US national interest. But they also admit that policy toward North Korea, which has seen three nuclear tests during Obama's presidency, has been less than a total success. Obama's broad aim was to get reclusive Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear program, stop destabilizing the region and come back to the negotiating table. Story continues "It is true that we have not achieved our goal," conceded White House spokesman Josh Earnest. "But we have succeeded in making North Korea more isolated than ever before and the international community more united than ever before." - Tough spot - North Korea's latest actions leave the White House with a difficult balancing act. On one hand, Obama needs to carefully craft a response with South Korea and Japan and, perhaps above all, China, North Korea's sole major ally. "The question is, will Beijing react passively as it has in the past or will it eventually decide to get tougher with Pyongyang and let sanctions bite?" asked Duyeon Kim, a Seoul-based expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. US National Security Advisor Susan Rice on Wednesday met the Chinese ambassador at the White House to measure Beijing's intent. Obama is slated to speak to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-Hye later Wednesday. Park has made a concerted effort to forge a close relationship with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US officials will hope her newfound sway in Beijing can now be brought to bear. Meanwhile, inside the United States, Republican demands for tough action point to public pressure on Obama's administration to show steel in the face of international threats. A recent Economist/YouGov poll showed two-thirds of Americans are unhappy with the way Obama has handled foreign policy. Earnest rejected Republican criticism as vote seeking. "They're trying to win votes from conservative Republicans in a presidential primary," he said. "We've heard a lot of campaign rhetoric, but not a lot of specific, tangible suggestions about what should be done differently." Despite the pressure on the White House and North Korea's seemingly ever-more potent military capabilities, Kim said a dramatic change in US policy was unlikely. "The administration probably will not shift its current approach, especially with less than a year left of President Obama's term," she said. "The next administration will need to devise an effective and proactive strategy or else Washington will be faced with some tough decisions." By Matt Siegel SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian-born music mogul Robert Stigwood, who managed the Bee Gees at the height of their fame and guided musician Eric Clapton's successful solo career while producing musicals for the stage, has died aged 81, friends said on Tuesday. The announcement of his death was made on Facebook by Spencer Gibb, a son of Bee Gees' band member Robin Gibb. Further details about his death were not immediately available. "I would like to share the sad news with you all, that my godfather, and the longtime manager of my family, Robert Stigwood, has passed away," Gibb wrote. Stigwood, who was born in South Australia state, worked with a staggering number of groundbreaking acts, both on the Broadway stage and on the pop charts, producing counterculture stage hits "Hair" and "Jesus Christ Superstar". He produced the groundbreaking film of The Who's rock opera "Tommy" and "Saturday Night Fever", which introduced disco music and a young John Travolta to audiences around the world, while propelling the Bee Gees to global stardom. But he was most closely associated with his work with fellow Australians the Bee Gees, whom he guided at the height of their fame in the 1970s. Tributes for the towering industry figure poured in on Tuesday. Broadway musical producer Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom Stigwood worked on multiple projects, praised him on Twitter. "Farewell beloved Robert, the great showman who taught me so much. With love, ALW," he wrote. (Reporting by Matt Siegel; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) Moscow (AFP) - Russia on Wednesday slammed the claimed testing of a hydrogen bomb by North Korea as a clear breach of international law that could inflame tensions across the region. "If this test is confirmed then it will be a new step by Pyongyang on the path of developing nuclear weapons, which is a flagrant violation of international law and existing UN Security Council resolutions," Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement. "Such actions are fraught with the possibility of aggravating the situation on the Korean peninsula, which already has a very high potential for military and political confrontation," it said. Moscow called on all sides to "show maximum restraint and to refrain from any actions that could lead to an uncontrolled increase in tensions". The foreign ministry reiterated Moscow's commitment to diplomatic talks on resolving tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions and urged a "start soon to a dialogue" aimed at ensuring peace and stability in the region. A spokesman for President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was "extremely concerned" by the claims of a hydrogen bomb test by North Korea -- which borders Russia -- and that the Kremlin strongman had told scientists to look into it. "President Vladimir Putin has ordered all data from monitoring stations, including seismological stations, to be studied thoroughly and to analyse the situation if a test is confirmed," spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies. Earlier on Wednesday, North Korea said it had carried out a "successful" miniaturised hydrogen bomb test in a shock announcement that triggered swift international condemnation but also scepticism. The claimed test, which came just two days before Kim Jong-Un's birthday, was initially detected as a 5.1-magnitude tremor at the North's main Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the northeast of the country. Samsung has announced plans to launch blinged-out versions of their Gear S2 smart watches in 18K rose gold and platinum plating. In addition to a facelift, the new watches will feature NFC technology, allowing wearers to pay for purchases with Samsung Pay and a scan of the wrist. The rose gold watch will come with an ivory leather band, while the platinum case will feature a black band. The devices will come preloaded with CNN, Bloomberg, eBay, ESPN, Uber and Voxer apps. The company also said they plan to make watches compatible with iOS later this fall. The new Gear S2 watches will hit the market in February. Tehran (AFP) - Iran warned Saudi Arabia Wednesday to stop working against it as their diplomatic crisis intensified despite efforts to defuse a row that has raised fears of greater regional instability. As its diplomats arrived home after being told to leave by Saudi Arabia, Shiite-dominated Iran fired the latest verbal salvo in a dispute that has seen Riyadh and some Sunni Arab allies cut diplomatic ties with Tehran. At a press conference in the capital, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Riyadh must end prolonged efforts to confront Iran. Citing longstanding differences that became a full-blown split after Saudi Arabia executed Shiite cleric and activist Nimr al-Nimr, Zarif said the Sunni-ruled kingdom had sought systematically to inflict damage. "For the past two-and-a-half years, Saudi Arabia has opposed Iran's diplomacy," he said at the press conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari. "Saudi Arabia has moved against our efforts and, unfortunately, they opposed the nuclear agreement," Zarif said, also accusing Riyadh of "taking measures against the Iranian people" through its efforts to keep oil prices low. "This trend of creating tension must stop. We need to stand united... and stop those who are adding fuel to the fire," he added. The spike in tensions comes after Iran last year secured a historic nuclear deal with world powers led by the United States, causing major concern in longtime US ally Riyadh. That deal, when finally implemented, will end sanctions on Iran's oil and gas industry and could see the Islamic republic challenge Saudi Arabia's role as the Middle East's dominant energy and economic power. - Saudi cuts oil price - Oil prices have fallen by more than 60 percent since mid-2014 as OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia refuses to lower production in a bid to push competitors out of the market, hurting the income of other producers, including Iran. Story continues On Tuesday, Riyadh cut the February price of its export oil to Europe in another move to win market share. Nimr's death sparked demonstrations in many countries including Iran, where protesters stormed and set fire to the Saudi embassy in Tehran as well as the kingdom's consulate in second city Mashhad. Riyadh cut ties with Tehran in response and was joined by some of its Sunni Arab allies including Bahrain and Sudan. The United Arab Emirates also downgraded relations with Iran and Kuwait recalled its ambassador. Djibouti, the tiny Horn of Africa nation, said Wednesday it too had broken diplomatic ties with Tehran. And Qatar recalled its ambassador while Jordan summoned Tehran's envoy to protest the attacks on Saudi missions. Staff at Iran's embassy in Riyadh and its consulate in Jeddah flew home Wednesday, Saudi state news agency SPA reported. The dispute has raised fears of an increase in sectarian tensions in the Middle East that could derail efforts to resolve pressing issues including the wars in Syria and Yemen. The United Nations and Western governments have expressed deep concern, urging both sides to reduce tensions. US Secretary of State John Kerry has made repeated calls to both Iranian and Saudi leaders urging calm. Saudi Arabia and Iran are on opposing sides in some of the Middle East's worst conflicts. In Syria, Iran is supporting the government of President Bashar al-Assad against rebel groups, some backed by Saudi Arabia. And in Yemen, Riyadh is leading a military intervention against Iran-backed Shiite rebels who have seized control of large parts of the country. - Iran-linked 'terror' cell - Within hours of the embassy attack, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani called the violence "totally unjustified" but accused Saudi Arabia Tuesday of focusing attention on the incident to "cover its crime" of executing Nimr. Zarif reiterated that the embassy's ransacking had no official blessing. "All Iranian officials condemn it," he said. Rouhani wrote to Iran's judiciary chief Wednesday urging a quick and conclusive case against 50 persons accused of involvement in the embassy attack. Iraq's Jaafari, who was to also hold talks with Rouhani, said Baghdad was seeking a potential diplomatic role to help resolve the crisis and echoed the concerns about sectarianism. "I have spoken to the foreign ministers of some of the Arab countries to reduce the consequences of this issue and prevent enemies from dragging the region into a war that can have no winners," Jaafari said. Shiite-majority Iraq has close ties with Tehran. About 2,000 members and supporters of powerful Iraqi Shiite militias demonstrated in Baghdad Wednesday against Nimr's execution. In a further sign of tensions, Sunni-ruled but Shiite-majority Bahrain said it had dismantled an Iran-linked "terror" cell that was planning attacks in the kingdom. The cell was allegedly linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards and Lebanon's Tehran-backed Hezbollah militia and planning a "series of dangerous bombings" on the tiny Gulf kingdom, the interior ministry said. Nimr, one of 47 men executed Saturday, was a driving force behind 2011 anti-government protests in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province. He was arrested in 2012 after calling for two governorates to be separated from the kingdom. By Mohamed Argoubi TUNIS (Reuters) - A senior member of Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi's ruling party said on Wednesday he plans to break away and form a new political movement because of a perceived power play by Essebsi's son. The rift in Nidaa Tounes, a secular movement formed after Tunisia's 2011 revolt against Zine Abidine Ben Ali, comes at a delicate time as the North African state struggles to contain jihadist violence and spur economic growth. Divisions have been growing inside Nidaa Tounes -- which means Call of Tunisia -- since last year after a dispute emerged between a wing of the party led by Essebsi's son and another by Mohsen Marzouk, a leftist activist and one of its founders. Marzouk leads a group of 30 Nidaa Tounes lawmakers who threatened to resign over what they said were attempts by Hafhed Caid Essebsi to change regulations in a bid to exercise greater control over the party. The president denied those allegations. Marzouk's backers see an attempt by Essebsi at a hereditary transfer of power and a return to the autocratic style of the Ben Ali era, though the president's allies dismiss claims they are looking to put his son in a position of influence. "They left us no choice," Marzouk told reporters on Wednesday. "We tried in a positive way to reach a consensus, but the dialogue did not go as it should have." He said he would formally announce the split from Nidaa Tounes at a party conference set for Jan. 10 and launch the new party in March. In the 217-member parliament, Nidaa Tounes has 82 seats. A split by 30 if its members would leave rival Islamist party Ennahda the strongest single block in the assembly with 69 seats. The rest are held by lawmakers from smaller parties. With a new constitution and a consensus politics, Tunisia has been praised as a model of democratic transition since the ouster of Ben Ali. It has mostly avoided the violent upheaval of other states in the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings. But after three major attacks by militants last year, Tunisia is struggling with severe security challenges. It needs reforms to help ease public spending and create the economic opportunities that many Tunisians hoped their revolution would deliver. Nidaa Tounes emerged as a political force in 2013 to lead protests against a government formed by the Islamist party Ennahda. It beat Ennahda in elections in 2014 and went on to form a coalition with its rival. (Writing by Patrick Markey; Editing by Richard Balmforth) SEATTLE (Reuters) - A Seattle artist has settled her lawsuit against pet products maker Hartz Mountain Corp in which she claimed she was cheated out of millions of dollars from the sale of "Angry Birds" pet toys she designed, her attorney said on Tuesday. A settlement notice filed in U.S. District Court in Washington state in December said all claims in the lawsuit had been resolved. Artist Juli Adams sued New Jersey-based Hartz Mountain Corp in August 2014. "Juli is very happy with the result," her attorney, Tony Shapiro, said. He declined to disclose the terms of the settlement, saying they were confidential. According to court documents, Hartz said a company representative asked Adams in the summer of 2006 to design a line of plush pet toys, and Adams and the company reached a five-year licensing agreement in November of that year. Adams said that Hartz violated that licensing agreement when it entered into a side deal with mobile games maker Rovio to begin selling a line of pet toys based on characters from the Finnish company's hugely popular "Angry Birds" video game that came out in 2009. In her complaint, Adams said she designed the "Angry Birds" pet toy line, and at some point between December 2009 and November 2011 Hartz illegally used her intellectual property and "Angry Birds" trademark. The company said it had ownership of the "Angry Birds" trademark and that the license covered Adams' drawings or illustrations of animals. An attorney for Hartz declined to comment. In December 2014, U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik denied Hartz's motion to dismiss the lawsuit. The settlement was reached a day after a jury trial had been scheduled to begin. (Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle; Editing by Daniel Wallis, Alan Crosby and Leslie Adler) Los Angeles (AFP) - Oscar-winning American director Quentin Tarantino made another mark in Hollywood, leaving his handprints on the sidewalk outside the legendary Grauman's Chinese Theatre. Out promoting his latest movie "The Hateful Eight" -- which has been nominated for three Golden Globes -- Tarantino, 52, said he was delighted by the honor. "Actually, it's not that I have wanted to do this my whole career, I have wanted to put my hand and footprints in the Grauman Chinese Theatre courtyard way before I ever had a career," he said of the longtime Hollywood tradition at the cinema house, where thousands of stars have cast hand- and footprints in the cement. "This is something I have wanted to do my entire life," he added. Tarantino was joined by Austrian actor Christoph Waltz, who won Oscars for "Inglourious Basterds" in 2010 and "Django Unchained" in 2013 working with Tarantino. "Quentin baffles, he exhilarates, he perplexes, he surprises, but most of all he entertains us," Waltz said. "We want more and more of these imprints and always in 24 frames per second." Just two weeks ago, Tarantino got his star on the better-known Hollywood Walk of Fame. The filmmaker, who dropped out of high school insisting he could learn more on his own, won Oscars himself for black comedy western "Django Unchained" in 2013 and cult favorite "Pulp Fiction" in 1995. "The Hateful Eight" is nominated for Golden Globes for supporting actress for Jennifer Jason Leigh, best screenplay and original score for composer Ennio Morricone. If youre an iPhone user who lives in a house with lots of Wi-Fi dead zones, you should really think about turning off the Wi-Fi Assist feature that automatically switches your data over to your carriers LTE network if your Wi-Fi signal isnt strong. CBS News reports that a teenager in San Francisco recently got a phone bill for more than $2,000 after using 144GB of monthly data on his iPhone that had Wi-Fi Assist enabled. MUST READ: 5 of the coolest new gadgets unveiled Tuesday at CES 2016 Ashton Finegold didnt think he had to worry much about big overage fees despite the fact that he received a text message from his carrier during the month warning him that he was exceeding his monthly limits. However, because he cant get a strong Wi-Fi signal in his bedroom, his iPhone automatically switched over to his wireless carriers network. This meant that every video he watched or song he listened to through his phone while in his room went right to his monthly data limits. Now, theres a good argument here that Finegold really should have taken notice when he received a warning text from his carrier. Theres also an even better argument to be made that carriers should just abolish overage fees like this and throttle users speeds down to lower tiers if they reach their monthly limits. However, its also fair to criticize Apple for making Wi-Fi Assist an opt-out setting that many users dont even know is enabled by default on their devices. To switch off Wi-Fi assist on your iPhone, open up Settings, then open up Cellular and then finally scroll all the way down to turn off Wi-Fi Assist. Related stories 9 paid iPhone apps on sale for free today 5 iPhone accessories you can get for less than the cost of one Apple charger 10 paid iPhone apps on sale for free right now More from BGR: Theres more to Reys mysterious flashback in The Force Awakens than meets the eye This article was originally published on BGR.com By Jon Herskovitz AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A Texas trooper, who arrested a black motorist found hanged in jail was indicted by a grand jury on perjury charges on Wednesday over statements he made in his arrest report, court officials said. Trooper Brian Encinia who arrested Sandra Bland, 28, in July, was indicted by the grand jury in Waller County, outside of Houston, a special prosecutor and a court clerk said. Bland was found dead in her cell three days after her arrest. Her case was one of many around the United States that raised questions about racial bias by police. Encinia could face up to a year in jail if found guilty of making a false statement when he said in his report that he pulled Bland out of her car to further investigate the traffic stop, the Houston Chronicle reported. Special prosecutors were not immediately available for comment on the proceedings, which were held behind closed doors. In December, a grand jury in the same county decided not to indict any members of the jail staff over Bland's death. Bland was pulled over on July 10 by Encinia for failing to signal a lane change in Prairie View, about 50 miles northwest of Houston. The stop escalated into a verbal altercation after Encinia asked Bland to put out a cigarette and she refused. A dashcam video of the incident showed Encinia telling Bland, "I will light you up," The Texas Department of Public Safety faulted Encinia for his conduct during the traffic stop. The video showed him shouting at Bland and failing to answer her when she asked numerous times why she was being arrested. Officials from the department were not immediately available for comment. Bland was charged with assaulting an officer, a felony. Her body was found in her cell three days later with a trash bag around her neck. Her family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit. Local officials have said she was not mistreated in jail. (Reporting by Jon Herskovitz) Hydrogen bomb North Korea has said it set off a hydrogen bomb on Wednesday morning a claim that, if true, stokes fears of the rogue nation's nuclear capabilities. That's a scary thought because hydrogen bombs are about 1,000 times as powerful as atomic bombs. Scientists are attempting to confirm whether North Korea's claim is true, but experts are skeptical. The White House has strongly suggested the regime was lying, but regardless, here's why they're taking it seriously: What is a hydrogen bomb? A hydrogen bomb, also known as an H-bomb or thermonuclear weapon, is created by smashing together radioactive hydrogen atoms in a process called nuclear fusion the same type of powerful reaction that fuels our sun. Atoms consist of positively charged protons and uncharged neutrons in their nuclei, as well as negatively charged electrons. All forms of an element have the same number of protons, but some can have different numbers of neutrons, and these are known as isotopes. H-bombs work by fusing certain radioactive isotopes, a process that releases an enormously destructive burst of energy. Hydrogen bombs differ from atomic bombs, which work by splitting atoms from heavier elements such as uranium or plutonium, a process called fission. Whereas conventional A-bombs occur in just one stage, hydrogen bombs occur in two stages an initial fission stage, followed by the secondary fusion stage, which releases much more energy. The US tested the first hydrogen bomb in 1952 on Enewetak Atoll in the Pacific, and most of the world's nuclear powers now possess H-bombs. How will experts know whether it's an H-bomb? When you detonate a bomb with the massive amount of energy of a nuclear weapon, it generates seismic activity that can be picked up by earthquake sensors called seismometers. Story continues Using these instruments, the US Geological Survey detected a magnitude-5.1 seismic event in northeastern North Korea, where the bomb was supposedly detonated, according to The New York Times. That's similar to the magnitude-4.9 event detected in 2013, when the country most recently tested an atomic bomb. South Korean intelligence officials estimate that the recent event released the equivalent of 6 kilotons of the explosive TNT about a third of the energy released by the atomic bomb the US dropped on Hiroshima during World War II. If it were an H-bomb, we would expect it to release much more energy hundreds of kilotons of TNT, making scientists doubt the claim. Instead, many believe the country may have instead developed a weapon that is less powerful than an H-bomb but more powerful than a conventional A-bomb, called a boosted-fission weapon. You can make these weapons by adding a radioactive isotope of hydrogen such as tritium to the core of a conventional atomic bomb, which uses a small amount of nuclear fusion to increase the rate of the fission reaction. If North Korea's claim to have set off an atomic bomb is true, it is the fourth time the country has detonated a nuclear weapon, The Times reports. NOW WATCH: Experts are skeptical of North Koreas recent hydrogen bomb announcement More From Business Insider On the same shores where nautical-themed Lego pieces wash up daily, thousands of neon-pink bottles full of detergent have started littering the beaches of Cornwall, England. The bottles washed up on Poldhu Cove on the Lizard Peninsula last Sunday, prompting National Trust volunteers to clean up the hazardous plastic, which they say could threaten the safety of local wildlife. The mysterious bottles are believed to be from a container that fell off a cargo ship as a result of stormy seas. While the U.K. Maritime and Coastguard Agency says theres no evidence of the plastic products coming from a bulk carrier that lost a shipping container full of Vanish, a pink-bottled detergent, similar past incidents have all been linked to cargo spills. Nearly 20 years ago, millions of Lego pieces fell into the sea off Cornwall after a huge wave hit the carrier ship and knocked the Legos container, along with 61 others, overboard. To this day, locals still find Lego pieces such as miniature cutlasses, flippers, sea grass, and dragons on the north and south coasts of Cornwall. "There's stories of kids in the late 1990s having buckets of dragons on the beach, selling them," Tracey Williams, a beachcomber from Newquay, told BBC News. "These days the holy grail is an octopus or a dragon. It's quite competitive. If you heard that your neighbor had found a green dragon, you'd want to go out and find one yourself." In 1992, nearly 30,000 plastic ducks and frogs washed up off the coast of Alaska when a shipping container split apart. In 2006, thousands of Doritos chip bags were found on the shores of North Carolinas Outer Banks following a cargo spill in the Atlantic. A 2011 study from the World Shipping Council estimated that 675 shipping containers are lost at sea each year, at least when catastrophic losses are taken into account. Otherwise, the number is approximately 350 containers. While other sources estimate the count to be as high as 10,000, its difficult to confirm because there are no comprehensive statistics on the amount of containers lost at sea each year. Story continues The environmental impact is multiplied when considering the contents of the container and their effect on the oceans ecosystemthink tank containers loaded with harmful chemicals, plastic toys, or other nonbiodegradable materials being dumped into the ocean. According to Popular Science, more than 4.8 million metric tons of plastic waste pollute our oceans annually, with researchers estimating the number to be almost three times higher. Several of these pollutants sink to the ocean floor, where small sea creatures are susceptible to ingesting them. Pollutants that end up on the surface are often eaten by marine mammals, fish, and birds, which confuse the waste for food and can choke and die as a result. Containers lost at sea contribute to the growing threat to our oceans habitat, as more marine creatures die from increased pollution, not to mention detergent poisoning. Related stories on TakePart: Ocean Plastic Pollutions Shocking Death Toll on Endangered Animals Turning the Tide on Plastic Pollution, These Sneakers Are Made From Trash An Earsplitting Threat Is Endangering the World's Rarest Killer Whales Original article from TakePart (Reuters) - Thousands of abandoned buildings will be demolished in Baltimore, starting in the neighborhood where black detainee Freddie Gray was fatally hurt in police custody, officials said on Tuesday. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said in a statement the four-year project would provide $94 million to tear down vacant buildings to make way for redevelopment. The project would start in the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood in West Baltimore, where Gray lived. His death in April from a broken neck suffered in a police van triggered protests and rioting that highlighted the area's blight. The plan includes $75 million in Maryland funding to create areas for businesses, parks and housing. The state is backing it with more than $600 million in financing opportunities for private development. (Reporting by Ian Simpson in Washington; Editing by Peter Cooney) By Jon Herskovitz AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Three top leaders of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club, considered an outlaw gang by U.S. authorities, have been arrested on charges of racketeering, assault and drug distribution that could bring up to life in prison, prosecutors said on Wednesday. The arrests are expected to send shock waves through the Bandidos, who have about 1,500 to 2,000 members in the United States, prosecutors said. The Bandidos, one of the biggest U.S. motorcycle gangs, with branches overseas, are suspected of being involved in a shootout last May in Waco, Texas, between rival gangs that killed nine people. The three named in a grand jury indictment unsealed on Wednesday were national president Jeffrey Pike, 60, national vice president John Portillo, 56, and national sergeant at arms Justin Forster, 31, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas said in a statement. Bandidos officials were not immediately available for comment. While none of the charges are directly connected to the Waco shootout, prosecutors said, many of the suspected crimes stemmed from a turf war starting in Texas in 2013 between the Bandidos and the Cossacks, another prominent motorcycle gang allegedly involved in the deadly central Texas city fight. The indictment charged that the three men were behind the shootings, stabbings and assaults of Cossack members. "This really is an all-out war we got going on," Portillo was quoted as telling members in June 2015 after brawls across Texas fought with guns, knives and fists, according to the indictment. The indictment, stemming from a 23-month investigation, detailed several alleged incidents where Bandidos members appeared bristling with weapons and killed or assaulted members of rival gangs. Extensive drug transactions are also alleged. "Of course, the defendants will have their day in court, but today's arrests have struck a significant blow to the Bandidos' criminal enterprise," U.S. Attorney Richard Durbin, Jr. said in a statement. All three men are in federal custody. (Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Additional reporting by Jim Forsyth in San Antonio; Editing by Peter Cooney) London (AFP) - Three MPs quit the main opposition Labour Party's frontbench team Wednesday in protest over leader Jeremy Corbyn's reshuffle in which a string of critics lost their jobs, highlighting deep divisions. Corbyn, the veteran socialist elected leader in September, sacked two of his spokesmen and demoted his defence spokeswoman, who favoured retaining Britain's nuclear deterrent in opposition to his own views, during a reshuffle that took three days. Since Corbyn took over, the party has been split between centrists who broadly identify with the policies of former Labour prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and left-wingers, particularly grassroots activists, who voted in Corbyn as leader. Following the reshuffle, three other frontbenchers quit in response. Jonathan Reynolds and Stephen Doughty left over the sacking of Europe spokesman Pat McFadden, which revolved around what a party source speaking on condition of anonymity called his "disloyalty". In the wake of the Paris attacks, he had asked Prime Minister David Cameron if he agreed that Western actions were not always the cause of terrorism -- interpreted by Corbyn's inner circle as an attack on the leader's views. Kevan Jones then quit as a junior defence spokesman over the way his former boss Maria Eagle was shunted out of her post into the lesser culture brief and replaced with Emily Thornberry, whose views on nuclear weapons are closer to Corbyn, who opposes them. "Jeremy was elected with the strapline 'straight-talking, honest politics'," Jones told BBC radio. "There has been nothing straightforward or honest about what's gone on over the last 48 hours." Doughty quit his junior foreign affairs brief live on BBC television, saying Corbyn's office had told "lies" about why McFadden had been dismissed. Shadow culture secretary Michael Dugher was also dismissed from Corbyn's shadow cabinet on Tuesday. Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron mocked Corbyn's "revenge reshuffle" in their exchanges in the House of Commons on Wednesday. Given the "frankly laughable" amount of time it took to enact the minor reshuffle, Cameron said Corbyn "couldn't run anything", let alone the government. Miami (AFP) - The chief justice of Alabama ruled Wednesday that the state's ban on same-sex marriages is legal and told probate judges there they had a "ministerial duty" to stop issuing licenses to gay couples. The ruling, in an administrative order from Alabama chief justice Roy Moore, came seven months after the US Supreme Court, in a historic 5-4 decision, held that states cannot prevent gay couples from marrying and that those that had refused to do so must now recognize such marriages. Critics immediately dismissed Moore's contention that the high-court ruling was limited in scope. They said there was no question that the Supreme Court ruling extended nationwide. Moore, in a four-page decision, cited a state law under which "marriage is inherently a unique relationship between a man and a woman." He argued that a legal judgment "only binds the parties to the case before the court" and noted that the case considered by the Supreme Court, Obergefell v. Hodges, was brought on behalf of same-sex couples only from Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. Moore said that the result, in Alabama, was "confusion and uncertainty" regarding "the effect of Obergefell on the 'existing orders.'" Since the Supreme Court ruling, he said, some Alabama judges had issued licenses to same-sex couples, some only to opposite-sex couples and some not at all. The Supreme Court majority made clear in its June ruling, written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, that its intent was to extend marriage rights nationwide. "No union is more profound than marriage," the ruling said. Of gay couples, Kennedy wrote that "their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness" and that "they ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law." He added, "The Constitution grants them that right." On Wednesday, critics sharply dismissed Moore's stance. Scott McCoy, senior staff attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center, told the AL.com website that Moore's order was a "dead letter," saying probate judges risked contempt if they failed to issue same-sex marriage licenses. Story continues And the group Americans United for Separation of Church and State called Moore's order "a pathetic gesture that is doomed to fail." Judge Moore is an ultra-conservative Christian known for his acts of resistance to federal authority. He was removed during an earlier stint as chief Alabama justice for refusing, in November 2003, to give in to a judicial order to remove a monument bearing the Ten Commandments from a spot before the state Supreme Court building. Tunis (AFP) - Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid announced Wednesday a major cabinet reshuffle, as his government grapples with a growing jihadist threat and a feeble economy. Foreign Minister Taieb Baccouche and Interior Minister Najem Gharsalli were among those replaced in the shake-up, the first since President Beji Caid Essebsi took office in late 2014. The interior ministry had already seen several personnel changes at lower levels following a suicide attack in the capital in November that killed 12 presidential guards. The authorities imposed a nationwide state of emergency after the attack, which was claimed by the Islamic State group. The government said Khemaies Jhinaoui would take the helm of the foreign ministry while Hedi Majdoub would become interior minister, without explaining the reason behind the reshuffle. There is only one politician from the Islamist movement Ennahda -- Zied Laadhari -- who retains the vocational training and employment portfolio. Ennahda was the dominant political force in Tunisia after the 2011 revolution and up until the 2014 poll victory by Essebsi's Nidaa Tounes. Tunisia, the cradle of the so-called "Arab Spring" uprisings, has been plagued by Islamist violence since the revolt which overthrew longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Two other attacks last year claimed by IS on the National Bardo Museum in Tunis and on a hotel near the Mediterranean resort of Sousse killed a total of 60 people, all but one of them foreign tourists. The November suicide bombing of a bus in the heart of the capital prompted calls for the government to rethink its strategy in the fight against extremism. Thousands of Tunisians have travelled to Libya, Iraq and Syria to fight alongside Islamist extremists, according to the authorities, which say the Sousse and Bardo attackers received arms training in Libya. The beheading of a 16-year-old shepherd near Sidi Bouzid in November also horrified the country. Story continues Tunisia, which held democratic elections at the end of 2014, is often hailed as a rare success story of the "Arab Spring". The October 2014 polls saw the secular Nidaa Tounes led by Essebsi come top in legislative polls, and in December of the same year Essebsi won Tunisia's first free presidential election. Last year's Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Tunisia's National Dialogue Quartet, credited with saving the democratic transition when it was deep in crisis. But fears of further jihadist attacks have frightened off foreign tourists and dealt a heavy blow to the struggling economy at a time when unemployment stands at more than 15 percent. Among other cabinet changes announced Wednesday, Omar Mansour was named justice minister and Mohsen Hassen becomes trade minister. Finance Minister Slim Chaker and Defence Minister Farhat Horchani were among those who kept their posts. Washington (AFP) - Two Guantanamo Bay detainees have been transferred from the US military prison to Ghana, the Pentagon said Wednesday, bringing the controversial facility's remaining population down to 105. Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih al-Dhuby, both from Yemen, are the first detainees to be sent anywhere in sub-Saharan Africa, Pentagon spokesman Commander Gary Ross told AFP. The men had been recommended for transfer as early as January 2010, according to their leaked case files published by The New York Times. But bureaucratic hurdles and Yemen's collapse into civil war meant the men could not be sent home. The duo will be monitored and the Pentagon is confident they do not pose a threat, Ross said. They arrived in Ghana earlier Wednesday. "There are security assurances that have been agreed on," Ross said, without giving details. "The United States is grateful to the government of Ghana for its humanitarian gesture and willingness to support ongoing US efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility," the Pentagon said in a statement. According to his leaked file, Dhuby had lived his entire life in Saudi Arabia but claimed Yemeni citizenship. He was a "probable" member of Al-Qaeda and allegedly received militant training in Afghanistan. His file also states he "probably" engaged in hostile activities against coalition forces. Atef's file states he was an admitted member of the Taliban and fought under Osama bin Laden's 55th Arab Brigade. He allegedly participated in hostile actions against US and coalition forces in Afghanistan. President Barack Obama pledged to shut Guantanamo -- reviled by critics as a stain on America's moral character that has helped fuel anti-US jihadist propaganda -- when he took office in 2009, but his efforts have failed and time is quickly ticking down on his presidency. US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter last month approved the transfer of 17 low-risk detainees from Guantanamo; Atef and Dhuby come from that group. Story continues Since 2002, a total of 779 detainees have been held at Guantanamo in connection with America's "war on terror." Guantanamo Bay sits on the southeastern tip of Cuba but is completely fenced off from the communist island. Inmates are kept without recourse to regular US legal processes and some likely will die in prison without ever being convicted of a crime. By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council is planning to hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss North Korea's reported test of a hydrogen bomb, the U.S. mission to the United Nations said. Speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, several diplomats said the meeting was scheduled to take place at 11 a.m. ET (1600 GMT). The diplomats said the meeting would likely be held behind closed doors. "The United States and Japan have requested emergency Security Council consultations for (Wednesday) morning regarding North Korea's alleged nuclear test," Hagar Chemali, spokeswoman for the U.S. mission, said in a statement. "While we cannot confirm at this time that a test was carried out, we condemn any violation of UNSC (U.N. Security Council) Resolutions and again call on North Korea to abide by its international obligations and commitments," she added. North Korea said it had successfully conducted a test of a miniaturized hydrogen nuclear device on Wednesday morning, marking a significant advance in the isolated state's strike capabilities and ringing alarm bells in Japan and South Korea. "We plan to work with other countries so that a resolution with strong content can be adopted at the U.N. Security Council as swiftly as possible," Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters. It was not immediately clear what action, if any, the 15-nation council was planning to take in response to the North Korean statement that it had conducted a fourth nuclear test. Pyongyang has been under U.N. Security Council sanctions due to its nuclear weapons programme since it first tested an atomic device in 2006. One Western diplomat said that if the latest North Korean nuclear test was confirmed, council members would seek to expand existing U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang. (Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Richard Pullin, Robert Birsel and Chizu Nomiyama) By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council is planning to hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss North Korea's reported test of a hydrogen bomb, the U.S. mission to the United Nations said. Speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, several diplomats said the meeting was scheduled to take place at 11 a.m. ET . The diplomats said the meeting would likely be held behind closed doors. "The United States and Japan have requested emergency Security Council consultations for tomorrow morning regarding North Korea's alleged nuclear test," Hagar Chemali, spokeswoman for the U.S. mission, said in a statement. "While we cannot confirm at this time that a test was carried out, we condemn any violation of UNSC (U.N. Security Council) Resolutions and again call on North Korea to abide by its international obligations and commitments," she added. North Korea said it had successfully conducted a test of a miniaturized hydrogen nuclear device on Wednesday morning, marking a significant advance in the isolated state's strike capabilities and raising alarm bells in Japan and South Korea. It was not immediately clear what action, if any, the 15-nation council was planning to take in response to the North Korean statement that it had conducted a fourth nuclear test. Pyongyang has been under U.N. Security Council sanctions due to its nuclear weapons program since it first tested an atomic device in 2006. One Western diplomat said that if the latest North Korean nuclear test was confirmed, council members would seek to expand existing U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang. (Reporting by Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Richard Pullin, Robert Birsel) By Louis Charbonneau and Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council said on Wednesday it would begin working immediately on significant new measures in response to North Korea's fourth nuclear test, a threat diplomats said could mean an expansion of U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang. North Korea said it successfully tested a miniaturized hydrogen nuclear bomb on Wednesday. Atomic weapons experts cast doubt on the isolated nation's ability to make such an advance, but the test rang international alarm bells. "The members of the Security Council ... recalled that they have previously expressed their determination to take 'further significant measures' in the event of another DPRK (North Korea) nuclear test," Uruguay's U.N. ambassador, Elbio Rosselli, president of the council this month, told reporters. "In line with this commitment and the gravity of this violation, the members of the Security Council will begin to work immediately on such measures in a new Security Council resolution," he said, calling the test "a clear violation of Security Council resolutions." Rosselli spoke after an emergency council session requested by the United States, Japan and South Korea. U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power said in a statement the 15-nation council should impose "a tough, comprehensive, and credible package of new sanctions," and ensure "rigorous enforcement of the resolutions it has already adopted." U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called North Korea's latest nuclear test "deeply troubling" and "profoundly destabilizing for regional security." "This test once again violates numerous Security Council resolutions despite the united call by the international community to cease such activities," the United Nations chief, a former South Korean foreign minister, told reporters. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters: "We plan to work with other countries so that a resolution with strong content can be adopted at the U.N. Security Council as swiftly as possible." Japan is a member of the council for the next two years. Russia's U.N. ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, told reporters Moscow was calling for "cool heads" and a "proportionate response" to the nuclear test. Several Western diplomats said that if the latest North Korean nuclear test was confirmed, the United States, European council members and Japan would seek to expand existing U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang. Pyongyang has been under U.N. sanctions because of its nuclear weapons program since it first tested an atomic device in 2006. The U.N. blacklist includes 20 entities and 12 individuals, as well as an international ban on the export of luxury goods and missile and nuclear technology to North Korea. Individuals are barred from international travel and the assets of all entities and persons on the blacklist are to be frozen. One senior Western diplomat said possible additions to the U.N. sanctions list could be foreign representatives of the North Korean organization that administers its nuclear developments and people linked to one of its key procurement companies. "All of this depends on the appetite of the council, particularly the Chinese position," he said. "There are more things we could do in terms of listing more people, brokers and intermediaries, broaden out the circle of people on the list." Traditionally, China has supported the expansion of sanctions against its ally and neighbor North Korea over nuclear tests and missile launches, although it has pushed hard to ensure the measures are not what it considers excessively harsh. (Reporting by Louis Charbonneau and Michelle Nichols; Editing by Howard Goller and Peter Cooney) (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Wednesday Swiss private bank Union Bancaire Privee (UBP) agreed to pay more than $187 million to avoid possible prosecution for helping Americans evade taxes. UBP is the latest bank to reach a resolution under the Swiss Bank Program, launched in 2013, that allows Swiss banks to resolve potential criminal liabilities in the United States. UBP between 2008 and 2013 helped U.S. clients to open and maintain undeclared accounts in Switzerland and conceal assets and income they held in these accounts, the DOJ said in a statement on Wednesday. (http://1.usa.gov/1n4HhmH) Under the Swiss Bank Program, banks also must provide detailed information on the accounts of U.S. taxpayers under investigation. A Deutsche Bank AG unit in November agreed to pay more than $31 million under the same program. UBP had about 2,919 U.S.-related accounts since August 2008 with a total value of about $4.9 billion, the DOJ said. (Reporting by Yashaswini Swamynathan in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila) London (AFP) - British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn tried to assert some authority over the Labour Party this week but his "revenge reshuffle" appeared only to worsen divisions between moderates and his leftist inner circle. Four months into the hard left veteran's tenure following his surprise leadership election win, Corbyn sacked two frontbench moderates for alleged disloyalty and demoted his defence spokeswoman with one commentator calling the situation inside the party "nuts". The reshuffle -- dragged out over three days -- then sparked yet more rancour as three people quit the Labour frontbench within three hours Wednesday in protest over what newspapers called the "revenge reshuffle". Corbyn was the shock winner of the party's September 2015 leadership contest despite only being nominated in the name of party debate. In a twist worthy of a political farce, however, Corbyn, a former habitual rebel, won by a landslide, trouncing established contenders Andy Burnham and Yvette Cooper. Since his election, the party has been split between centrists who broadly identify with the policies of former Labour prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and left-wingers, particularly grassroots activists, who voted in Corbyn as leader. The divisions were laid bare last month when, given the freedom to vote with their consciences, 66 of 232 Labour MPs, led by foreign affairs spokesman Hilary Benn, voted against Corbyn's stock anti-war line, and in favour of extending British airstrikes on Islamic State jihadist targets from Iraq into Syria. - 'Acts of disloyalty' - All the focus was on whether Corbyn would sack Benn, with rumours swirling that if he was axed, other centrists would quit the shadow cabinet en masse. But the drawn-out reshuffle was limited to sacking Europe spokesman Pat McFadden and culture spokesman Michael Dugher, for what a source in Corbyn's inner circle called "acts of disloyalty", and demoting defence spokeswoman Maria Eagle. Story continues In the wake of the Paris attacks, McFadden had asked Cameron if he agreed the cause of terrorism was not always Western policy, and terrorists were themselves responsible for their actions. Corbyn took that as an attack on his views. Eagle, who favours retaining Britain's nuclear deterrent -- a common view with Labour MPs but not with the party members or Corbyn -- was shunted to Dugher's old culture brief, and replaced by Corbyn's fellow unilateral nuclear disarmament supporter Emily Thornberry. Following the reshuffle, three other frontbenchers quit in protest. Jonathan Reynolds and Stephen Doughty left over McFadden's sacking, Doughty quitting his junior foreign affairs brief live on BBC television, saying Corbyn's office had told "lies" about why McFadden had been dismissed. Kevan Jones then quit as a junior defence spokesman over the way Eagle was edged aside. "Jeremy was elected with the strapline 'straight-talking, honest politics'," Jones told BBC radio. "There has been nothing straightforward or honest about what's gone on over the last 48 hours." Moderates fear moves to purge them gradually from the party on Corbyn's watch. - Situation 'nuts' - Labour MP Ian Austin summed up the reshuffle as Dugher being sacked "for calling for unity", McFadden "for criticising IS" and Eagle "moved for backing party policy". Labour finance spokesman John McDonnell, a close Corbyn colleague, said the trio were from a "narrow, right-wing clique" who disrespected Corbyn's mandate. Cameron has been making merry at Labour's expense. The Conservative leader said other European prime ministers were often asking him "'What on Earth has happened to the British Labour Party?'". Given the reshuffle, Cameron said Corbyn "couldn't run anything", let alone the government. Corbyn's position could ultimately be decided by Labour's performance in upcoming local and regional elections in May. The latest opinion poll, conducted in mid-December by YouGov, put the Conservatives on 39 percent and Labour on 29 percent. Nick Turnbull, a politics lecturer at the University of Manchester, said the situation inside Labour was "nuts". The reshuffle exposes "major divisions inside the parliamentary Labour party", he told AFP. "It really seems impossible to go on like this", he said, but "those divisions will go on and on" because Corbyn "doesn't have enough people from the hard left with him" in parliament. "How can you run a party when everyone expects half of the party to resign?" London (AFP) - British school examinations are to be timetabled in order not to disadvantage students from the Muslim minority observing Ramadan, exam boards said Wednesday. GCSEs, taken by 16-year-olds, and A-Levels, taken by 18-year-olds, in core subjects such as English and mathematics could be set for the beginning of the exam season, before the start of Ramadan, which begins this year in early June. Observant Muslim students are expected to fast during daylight hours in the holy month, which means up to 16 hours without food during the May and June exam season in Britain. The Joint Council for Qualifications, which represents exam boards, said it would meet "the needs of various groups as far as possible". Where possible, large-entry GCSE subjects "are timetabled prior to the commencement of Ramadan and consideration given to whether they are timetabled in the morning or afternoon", it said. Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers trade union, said the issue had been up for recent debate. "As educators we want all children to be able to achieve their best in exams that are so crucial to their future," she said. "We shall continue to raise awareness of best practice and how education staff can support students during Ramadan." The UN Security Council is considering imposing further sanctions on North Korea after it carried out a nuclear test, the British ambassador said Wednesday. "We will be working with others on a resolution on further sanctions," Ambassador Matthew Rycroft told reporters. The United States, Japan and other members of the 15-member council were working on a draft text that would strongly condemn what Pyongyang has called a hydrogen bomb test, diplomats said. "We have no information on the type of device tested," said Rycroft, but he added: "Any nuclear test is a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions." North Korea said it had carried out a "successful" miniaturized hydrogen bomb test -- a shock announcement that, if confirmed, would massively raise the stakes in the hermit state's bid to strengthen its nuclear arsenal. The announcement triggered swift international condemnation but also skepticism, with experts suggesting the apparent yield was far too low for a thermonuclear device. The council was set to hold a closed-door meeting from 1600 GMT to discuss the nuclear test, at the request of the United States and Japan. A senior UN diplomat said there would be a strong statement of condemnation from the council and work would begin on a draft resolution that would provide for targeted sanctions. It was unclear when a vote on the draft resolution would take place. Three previous tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013 triggered waves of UN sanctions. "The latest test is yet another example of the DPRK regime's reckless challenge to international norms of behavior," said Rycroft. United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The UN Security Council agreed Wednesday to roll out new measures to punish North Korea after its shock announcement of a hydrogen bomb test triggered global concern and condemnation. Although officials and experts were highly sceptical of the claim it was a sophisticated H-bomb, the latest test provided unnerving proof -- if proof were still needed -- of North Korea's commitment to developing an advanced nuclear weapons capability. With backing from China, Pyongyang's sole major ally, the 15-member council strongly condemned the test and said it would begin work on a new UN draft resolution that would contain "further significant measures." UN diplomats confirmed that talks were under way on strengthening several sets of sanctions that have been imposed on secretive North Korea since it first tested an atomic device in 2006. "I demand the DPRK cease any further nuclear activities," UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said, echoing international condemnation of the test voiced not just by the North's traditional adversaries like the United States and South Korea, but also allies like China. The censure and sanctions threats had a familiar ring, given similar outrage that greeted the North's previous tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013, and some voices stressed the need to find a strategy that combined coercion with negotiation. -- Time to engage? -- "A priority must be to find ways to both further pressure North Korea to limit its nuclear weapons capabilities and engage it diplomatically," said David Albright, president of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security. But in South Korea, the response was uncompromising, with President Park Geun-Hye calling for a strong international response to what she called a "grave provocation." On Thursday, Defence Minister Han Min-Koo pledged that Pyongyang would "pay the price" for its latest provocation. Story continues In a phone call with his US counterpart Ashton Carter, Han said the two sides had agreed to work on customised deterrent strategies and to push ahead with annual joint military drills that Pyongyang regularly condemns as rehearsals for invasion. In announcing that it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, North Korea said it had "joined the rank of advanced nuclear states" like Russia, France and the United States that also boast thermonuclear devices. The order to test was personally signed by leader Kim Jong-Un, with a handwritten message to begin 2016 with the "thrilling sound of the first hydrogen bomb explosion." Acquisition of a working H-bomb -- with a destructive power that dwarfs the fission bombs it has tested in the past -- would represent a massive leap forward in the North's nuclear weapons capability. -- Scepticism -- But experts said the explosive yield from Wednesday's test -- initially estimated at between six and nine kilotons -- was far too small. "The initial analysis that has been conducted... is not consistent with North Korea's claim of a successful hydrogen bomb test," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. "There is nothing that has occurred in the last 24 hours that has caused the United States government to change our assessment of North Korea's technical and military capabilities." After meeting behind closed doors, the UN Security Council "strongly condemned" the underground test and described it as a "clear threat to international peace and security." US Ambassador Samantha Power called for a "tough, comprehensive and credible package of new sanctions" to make clear to Pyongyang that there are "real consequences" to its actions. Japanese Ambassador Motohide Yoshikawa said he will be pushing for "a series of measures under chapter 7" of the UN charter, which provides for enforceable sanctions. But there was no real clarity on what form the sanctions might take, or when the package would be drawn up. Currently, there are a total of 20 entities and 12 individuals on the UN sanctions blacklist, which provides for a global travel ban and an assets freeze. -- Spotlight on China -- All eyes at the UN will now be on China, a veto-wielding council member, to see just how far it will go in tightening the sanctions grip on its recalcitrant neighbour. While Beijing has restrained US-led allies from stronger action against Pyongyang in the past, it has shown increasing frustration with its refusal to suspend testing. But China's leverage over Pyongyang is mitigated, analysts say, by its overriding fear of a North Korean collapse and the prospect of a reunified, US-allied Korea directly on its border. "China really has to decide whether North Korea as it stands now is a liability or an asset," said Roberta Cohen of the US Brookings think tank. There was no immediate response from North Korea to the UN sanctions threat, but its KCNA official news agency was unrepentant. "The more frantic the hostile forces get in their moves to isolate and stifle the DPRK (North Korea), the stronger its nuclear deterrent will grow," it said in a commentary. New York (AFP) - New orders for US manufactured goods slipped in November, the third decline in four months, in a fresh sign of weakness in US industry, Commerce Department data showed Wednesday. The main fall came in orders for primary metals -- key in many manufacturing industries, from construction materials to auto parts to oil mining equipment -- which slid 2.9 percent in the month. Overall orders for manufactured goods fell 0.2 percent to $472.2 billion. For the first 11 months of 2015 they were down 6.8 percent from the same period of 2014, to $5.19 trillion. Durable goods orders were essentially unchanged in November but were down 3.7 percent in the January-November period. Washington (AFP) - The US presidential nominations battle kicks off February 1 in Iowa. Donald Trump leads the Republican race nationally, but in the heartland state, he risks being eclipsed by Senator Ted Cruz, whose rise is bedeviling the billionaire. Gone is the conviviality between the two candidates atop the Republican field vying to take the White House in the 2016 election. Trump has dug deep into his file on the Texas senator to wield his latest political weapon: Cruz's birth in Canada 45 years ago, and questions about his rival's eligibility for the presidency. In an interview Tuesday with the Washington Post, Trump appeared to jump at the chance to revive the issue -- and perhaps throw Cruz off his game. "Republicans are going to have to ask themselves the question: 'Do we want a candidate who could be tied up in court for two years?' That'd be a big problem," said the 69-year-old Trump. "I'd hate to see something like that get in his way. But a lot of people are talking about it," he added. Cruz declined to take the bait. Pressed on the matter Wednesday on the campaign trail, he expressed confidence that the legal matter has been settled. "People will continue to make political noise about it, but as a legal matter it's quite straightforward," he told reporters. The US Constitution establishes three criteria for presidential eligibility: he or she must be age 35 or older, have resided in the United States for at least 14 years, and be a "natural born citizen." That last clause was left ambiguous, although it excludes naturalized Americans. Several experts believe that Cruz, born in Calgary to an American mother and Cuban father, meets the standard of a natural born US citizen. Cruz cited the precedent of 2008 Republican nominee John McCain, who was born in the Panama Canal Zone, and 1964 standard-bearer Barry Goldwater, born in Arizona before it became a US state. Story continues Anticipating possible controversy, Cruz renounced his Canadian citizenship in 2014. Trump and Cruz have sized each other up for months. They occupy the same political lane, portraying themselves as Washington outsiders opposed to the establishment. Cruz, elected in 2012 with support from the grass-roots Tea Party movement, leads Congress's rebellious wing, perpetually accusing his own party's leaders of being too accommodating to President Barack Obama. To date, Cruz has hesitated to clash with Trump, even when the real estate tycoon faced a barrage of criticism from many in his party for his anti-Muslim remarks. In return, during a party debate in December, Trump praised the senator's "wonderful temperament." - Iowa: First test - Cruz has nudged ahead in Iowa among Republican voters, earning 31 percent support versus Trump's 27 percent, according to the RealClearPolitics poll average. It is far from a decisive lead, but enough to trigger Trump's exasperation. Cruz, a steadfast advocate of religious freedom, is a better logical fit for many evangelical conservatives in Iowa. The results of the Iowa caucuses are famously unpredictable. Participation is low, about 20 percent, and most voters settle on their candidate in the final days. The winners of the previous two caucuses, Mike Huckabee in 2008 and Rick Santorum in 2012, ultimately fell by the wayside. For Trump, a defeat in Iowa would dent his image as the undisputed Republican leader. "I'd love to win Iowa. To me, Iowa is very important," he told The Hill. Twelve Republicans remain in the race. Behind Trump and Cruz are Senator Marco Rubio; retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson; New Jersey Governor Chris Christie; and Jeb Bush, son and brother of two presidents. The Democratic race is effectively between favorite Hillary Clinton, 68, and independent Senator Bernie Sanders, 74. Former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley trails in third and is seeking an Iowa miracle. Clinton finished third in Iowa in 2008, behind Obama and John Edwards. Today she stands at 50 percent in Iowa polls, 13 points ahead of Sanders. Her campaign is nonetheless investing considerable time and funds in the Hawkeye State, aware that a poor showing there would mark a terrible start to the year. She has barnstormed Iowa, hosting 69 events over 35 days there, the Des Moines Register said. "I know that if I get off to a good start here in Iowa, we're halfway home," Clinton said Monday in Davenport. Washington (AFP) - The top US oil lobby said Tuesday that the oil market's muted response to the escalating crisis between Saudi Arabia and Iran shows US production has been a "game changer." The United States now is the world's number one crude-oil producer and is "poised to remain a dominant global player, something that was unseen just a decade ago," said Jack Gerard, president and chief executive of the American Petroleum Institute, in an annual speech outlining the state of the industry. Oil prices extended losses on Tuesday amid the Saudi-Iran diplomatic row as worries about global oversupplies trumped concerns about a potential impact on Middle East oil producers. Citing experts, Gerard noted that price behavior would have been "much different" years ago in response to conflict in the oil-rich region. "Our abililty to compete in those markets is a game changer," he said. Gerard accused President Barack Obama's administration of burdening the oil and natural gas industry with regulations --"almost 100 pending regulations and counting" -- that could hinder the president's goal of improving the environment. "As the president's last full year in office begins, we hope that he will take note of and help foster the US model," Gerard said. The API says its so-called US model involves increasing production, lowering costs for American consumers and promoting a cleaner environment. "Simultaneously, the United States is leading the world in energy production, we have one of the strongest Western economies and we are leading the world in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, a trifecta of success unmatched by any other nation," Gerard said. According to the lobbying group, the American oil and natural gas industry supports about $1.2 trillion in gross domestic product, close to the size of the Mexican economy. It cited a 2015 study by Wood Mackenzie that showed with the "right" energy policies, the industry could support up to an additional one million US jobs in 2025. Story continues Among API's top political priorities for 2016 is amending or repealing the renewable fuel standard program, which Congress launched in 2005 in a bid to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the country's reliance on imported oil. The RFS program, which requires oil companies to blend increasing volumes of renewable fuels into transportation fuel, is "a relic of our nation's era of energy scarcity and uncertainty," Gerard said. - Fossil fuels in future - He stressed that, counter to some environmentalists' desire to see fossil fuels remain in the ground, the Department of Energy expects they will account for 80 percent of US energy consumption through 2040. Still, the group wants an environment that will "allow all energy sources to compete." In a dig at Obama, Gerard said the president "used to say" his administration has an all-of-the-above energy strategy. He blasted Obama's decision in November to reject the Keystone XL pipeline project that would have brought Canadian oil into the US. "The demonization of the Keystone XL pipeline remains a powerful cautionary tale of the dangers of energy policy driven by ideology rather than economic reality and has a chilling effect on expansion efforts for our nation's energy infrastructure," he said. But he hailed the lifting of the 40-year-old ban on crude exports by Congress in December, a goal of the API, as "a victory of long-term vision and fact-based policymaking over political ideology and ideological dogma." CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's opposition defied a court ruling and swore into the new congress on Wednesday three lawmakers barred from taking their seats, deepening the showdown between the legislature and President Nicolas Maduro's government. The opposition won a super-majority of two thirds in legislative elections in December, but the Supreme Court granted injunctions against the three, all from the jungle state of Amazonas, after allegations of irregularities. But in the second session of the National Assembly after its inauguration on Tuesday, the majority opposition bloc went ahead to let the three take office. One of the three, Romel Guzamana, said the Supreme Court was a politicized body that had no right to block them. "It was a violation of our human rights," he said. Government legislators were quick to react, saying the National Assembly had breached the constitution. "Those people are not legislators ... a conflict of powers is coming," former assembly President Diosdado Cabello, who is the ruling Socialist Party's No. 2, told reporters, adding that the matter would return to the Supreme Court. The case of the three is crucial because they tip the opposition over the two-thirds line in the assembly of 167 members. That majority gives the opposition expanded powers, including the capacity to fire Maduro's cabinet ministers. While the opposition is pushing for a recall referendum to oust Maduro this year - as allowed half-way through his term under the constitution if nearly 4 million voters request it - the government is playing hard ball after its December loss. Before the new National Assembly convened, the government eliminated its control over the central bank. Also, 13 new Supreme Court justices were sworn in by the outgoing assembly in December, which critics slammed as a last-minute court-packing scheme by the Socialist Party. A fourth government legislator from Amazonas was also barred from taking office by the Supreme Court, pending investigations into the election there. He has not been sworn in. (Reporting by Corina Pons, Eyanir Chinea and Alexandra Ulmer; Writing by Girish Gupta; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Leslie Adler) Could virtual reality make the long trek to Mars more exciting and less stressful for astronauts? An ongoing study in the Canadian High Arctic attempts to answer that question. Researchers have outfitted the residents of Canadian Forces Station Alert (CFS Alert) the most northerly permanently inhabited outpost in the world, at just 508 miles (817 kilometers) from the North Pole with new virtual-reality gear that gives them access to beautiful scenery from New Hampshire, Australia, Ireland and an English seaside village called Wembury. The goal is to help find "effective ways to maintain and even improve astronauts' psychological health on long-duration spaceflights" to Mars and other far-flung destinations, project leader Jay Buckey, a former NASA astronaut and a professor at Dartmouths Geisel School of Medicine, said in a statement. [5 Crewed Mars Mission Ideas] The crewed journey to Mars, which NASA hopes to undertake sometime in the 2030s, will be taxing for astronauts both physiologically and psychologically. Crewmembers will be isolated from their family and friends indeed, from their entire home planet for more than a year, during which time they will undoubtedly confront feelings of loneliness and boredom. Interpersonal conflicts could also prove challenging on a Mars mission, since the astronauts will be in close contact with each other at all times. NASA is already investigating the best ways to mitigate such potential problems. For example, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and his cosmonaut colleague Mikhail Kornienko are more than 9 months into an unprecedented yearlong mission aboard the International Space Station. (Stints aboard the orbiting lab typically last 5.5 months.) Researchers are studying the behavioral and physiological responses of the two spaceflyers and comparing Kelly's results to those of his identical twin brother Mark, himself a former NASA astronaut, who stayed on the ground. Story continues The three-year-long CFS Alert study, which just began its second year of field work, aims to contribute to this larger goal as well, by studying the effects of scenic beauty on folks who are isolated in an extreme environment. "At the projects conclusion, the CFS Alert crewmembers will be asked to rate the virtual scenes for their realism and immersion, which scenes they preferred and why, and how the scenes affected their mood and stress," Dartmouth representatives wrote in the same statement. "The research is designed to enhance psychological health in space, but it is useful in other settings, such as intensive care units." Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com. Copyright 2016 SPACE.com, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. BERLIN (Reuters) - Volkswagen is facing a time-consuming overhaul as the carmaker adopts a new company structure and adjusts the strategy of its brands in the wake of an emissions scandal, German magazine Wirtschaftswoche quoted Chief Executive Matthias Mueller as saying. "The repositioning of the group will certainly take between two and three years and is no child's play," Mueller told the weekly publication in an interview published on Wednesday. Mueller said he wants VW to try to overtake rivals in profitability rather than keep pushing volume, which under his predecessor Martin Winterkorn doubled to more than 10 million cars sold last year. "This peering at unit sales and new sales records makes little sense from my point of view," the CEO said. Mueller, who will travel to the United States this week for the first time since VW's emissions scandal broke nearly four months ago, said he will try to continue the diesel offensive in the world's second largest auto market, despite the headwinds. (Reporting by Andreas Cremer) Located in Spain's Basque Country and known to locals as Donostia, San Sebastian will officially become European Capital of Culture 2016 as of January 18, a date the city is set to celebrate in a big way. There's never been a better time to discover or rediscover this seaside city with one of the most stunning bays in the Iberian Peninsula. > Getting to San Sebastian There are three airports in the region of San Sebastian. The closest is located 20km from the city center with fights to Madrid and Barcelona. Other options include Biarritz airport over the border in France, which is 40km away, or Bilbao at around 100km away. San Sebastian has a train station in the city center with direct connections to Paris, Lisbon, Madrid and Barcelona. Travel by car is an option too, as there are plenty of parking spaces in and around the city. San Sebastian is connected to the rest of Spain and France via the N-1 national road, the A8 and A63 highways, and the A15 two-lane highway. > What to see & do The Bay of La Concha The Bay of La Concha has been a popular site for visitors since the 19th century. Shaped like a shell, the bay is home to a fine sandy beach that stretches 1.5 km and to stunning Belle Epoque buildings. Santa Clara Island A unique feature of this bay is its small island (around 30m long), located close to the beach. The island is easy to reach for an afternoon escapade in peace and quiet. Visitors can stretch out a towel on the island's small beach, walk up to the lighthouse or find a quiet spot to picnic. Swimmers can even take a dip in its natural saltwater pool. In autumn, the island is accessible by foot at low tide. A boat service runs to and from the island from June 1 to September 30. The old town The historical center of San Sebastian is ideal for scenic strolls. Sights include the gothic-style San Vicente church and the Santa Maria basilica, both of which can be discovered inside and out. Don't miss the city center either, where the main square -- Plaza de la Constitucion -- is usually the focal point of any festivities. Story continues The Monte Igeldo funicular railway Running since 1912, this is the oldest funicular railway in the Spanish Basque Country, taking passengers to the top of Mount Igeldo for spectacular views of the bay. There's also an amusement park up there, which still has many old-fashioned rides and attractions, including a roller coaster and trampolines. San Telmo Museum As well as the special events held to celebrate the city's 2016 status, culture-hungry visitors shouldn't miss the San Telmo museum. Housed in an old Dominican convent dating back to the 16th century, it's home to paintings and historical artefacts. > What to eat in San Sebastian Eating in San Sebastian is all about pintxos -- or tapas in Spanish -- a culinary art that you'll need to get stuck into to get a real taste of this city. Make sure you take a trip around the tapas bars in the old town. Travelers with bigger budgets can head to the Arzak family's Michelin-starred restaurant, considered one of the best in the world. With his three Michelin stars, Chef Juan Mari Arzak combines traditional Basque cuisine with modern techniques, working alongside his daughter Elena, considered one of the most talented new female chefs of the moment. LAS VEGAS You might not think that your sense of smell could have anything to do with how much sleep you get, but several new devices aim to harness certain scents to both help you sleep and wake you up. Although it remains to be seen just how effective the devices really are they have not been tested by independent scientists some studies do support the idea that scents can modify sleep. One up-and-coming product, called Sleepion, from the Japanese gadget company Cheero, uses a combination of aromas, lights and sounds to promote sleep, according to the company. The device was presented here last night at CES Unveiled, a showcase of new tech products at the annual trade show for consumer electronics. Sleepion uses aromatherapy oils to create scents, including lavender, cedar and geranium. A 2005 aromatherapy study of 31 young adults found that lavender oil increased the percentage of sleep time that people spent in deep sleep. So far, Sleepion is just a prototype, and the company is raising funds on Kickstarter with the hope of shipping the product in March 2016. [The Best Sleep Apps] Another product that was promoted here, called SensorWake, aims to end the days of bleeping alarms that jolt you awake. The device instead uses scents like espresso, chocolate and peppermint to take you out of your slumber. The scents come in capsules, and a single capsule can be used for about a month. The device might not work for you if you have a cold the company says it tested the device on 100 people, and of these, three people didn't wake up because they had a stuffy nose. But if you don't wake up to the scents after 3 minutes, the device has a backup: a sound alarm to wake you up, the company says. SensorWake is available for preorder, with shipping starting in June. Follow Rachael Rettner @RachaelRettner. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science. Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. World Wake-up call to the world: Nations condemn and vow response to N. Korea The United States said it was too early to verify North Koreas claim to have tested a hydrogen bomb, a device substantially more powerful than an atom bomb, but vowed to respond appropriately to any and all provocations. In December, the White House poured cold water on Kim Jong Uns suggestion that North Korea had developed a hydrogen bomb. South Korea spoke out on Wednesday that it would take all possible measures, including United Nations sanctions, to ensure that Pyongyang pays the price after its fourth nuclear test. China, Australia and France have strongly condemned North Koreas announcement of a nuclear test. China, the Norths closest ally, said the reported test was carried out in defiance of the international community and urged North Korea to refrain from acts that might worsen tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Our government strongly condemns North Korea ignoring repeated warnings from us and the international community Cho Tae-yong, a senior security official at the South Korean presidential office Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said in a statement Wednesday that the action confirms North Koreas status as a rogue state and a continuing threat to international peace and security. Lassina Zerbo, the head of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Organization that was set up to monitor a planned ban on nuclear testing, condemned North Koreas fourth nuclear test on Wednesday and called it a wake-up call for the international community. This act constitutes a breach of the universally accepted norm against nuclear testing, Zerbo said. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said late on Tuesday that it could not confirm North Korea's claims that it had successfully conducted a test of a miniaturized hydrogen nuclear device, but it will continue to monitor the situation. "While we cannot confirm these claims at this time, we condemn any violation of UNSC Resolutions and again call on North Korea to abide by its international obligations and commitments," said White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price in a statement. Price said the United States will continue to "protect and defend our allies in the region," and will "respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations." (Reporting by Ayesha Rascoe; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore) Ammon Bundy addresses the media at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Ore., on Jan. 5, 2016. (Photo: Jim Urquhart/Reuters) If you want to understand why the armed men who seized the empty headquarters of Oregons remote Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday are doomed to fail despite vowing to hunker down for as long as it takes to defeat the tyranny of Washington, D.C., and threatening to kill or be killed if necessary then you have to understand a few other things first. Things like grazing fees, desert tortoises and the property clause of the United States Constitution. In short, you have to understand the larger war for control of the American West. On one side of the Oregon flare-up is the federal government, which owns surprisingly vast swaths of the western half of the country, ranging from 29.9 percent of Montana to 84.5 percent of Nevada, and just over half, 53.1 percent, of Oregon. On the other side are a bunch of antigovernment types who think that Uncle Sam shouldnt own this much land, and who, for both economic and ideological reasons, would rather the more laissez-faire states owned it instead. Once [the people] can use these lands as free men, then we will have accomplished what we came to accomplish, Bundy told reporters over the weekend. SLIDESHOW Armed militia standoff in Oregon >>> The basic battle lines here arent new. Westerners have always seen themselves as rugged individualists, and the current clash has its roots in a law that Congress passed during Civil War. But what has changed in recent years is that these Westerners are now willing to use confrontational, even violent, tactics to get their point across a decision that is almost certain to undermine the larger cause to which they profess their allegiance. Most of the blame belongs to a single family: the Bundys. Ammon Bundy, 40, is the ringleader of the posse now occupying the Malheur refuge center; his brother Ryan and another Bundy brother are also reportedly among the occupiers. Last week, Ammon Bundy traveled 1,000 miles north from his home in Phoenix to attend a rally in Burns, Ore., ostensibly in support of Dwight Hammond Jr., 74, and his son Steven Hammond, 46, a pair of local ranchers who were convicted three years ago of burning federal lands in a dispute with the government over grazing rights for their cattle, then ordered in October to return to prison after a federal judge ruled that their original sentences were too short. Story continues As soon as the rally ended, however, the Bundys and at least a dozen like-minded outsiders they had summoned to Burns including Jon Ritzheimer, a former Marine from Phoenix whose anti-Muslim rhetoric and activities triggered an FBI manhunt in November 2015, and other gun-toting vigilantes who travel around the country latching onto various local fights against the federal government split off and took over a couple of unstaffed Malheur administrative buildings. Protesters gather at the Bureau of Land Managements base camp near Cliven Bundys Bunkerville, Nev., ranch on April 12, 2014. (Photo: Jim Urquhart/Reuters) Such is the Bundy way. In April 2014, Ammons father, Cliven, 68, led an armed standoff with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) at the Bundy family ranch in Bunkerville, Nev., that involved more than 100 antigovernment militiamen and came very close to erupting into the next Waco or Ruby Ridge. If a car had backfired, one militiaman told Harpers, the shooting would have started. Cliven Bundys beef with the BLM was longstanding and specific to his own circumstances. You can read the whole two-decade timeline here. The short version is that in 1993 the BLM modified Bundys grazing permit to reduce the overgrazing of Nevadas Gold Butte, citing the damage his cows were causing to the habitat of the threatened desert tortoise. (The federal government has owned the land where Bundys cows graze since before Nevada became a state.) In response, Bundy refused the permit modification, quit paying his fees, and, in an act of pique, turned out more than 900 animals onto the allotment almost nine times the number stipulated by his permit, according to Harpers. Several times the BLM ordered Bundy to remove his cows; several times Bundy refused; several times the courts ruled in the feds favor. Eventually, after the defiant Bundy had racked up more than $1.1 million in unpaid grazing fines and fees, insisting all along that the land rightfully belonged to the sovereign state of Nevada, the BLM began to impound his herd. Hence the standoff which only ended when the BLM backed down and agreed to return Bundys cows. I abide by all of Nevada state laws, Bundy said at the time. But I dont recognize the United States government as even existing. Bundys issues with Washington, D.C., may have been personal. But they were also symptomatic of a larger Western war that has waxed and waned throughout the 20th century. In the mid-to-late 1800s, Congress sought to spur settlement on the Western territories it had acquired over the previous half-century by passing various Homestead Acts; in general, these laws decreed that if a U.S. citizen were willing to settle on and farm a particular patch of land for at least five years, he could claim it as his own. To earn a profit, ranchers in some regions needed more room than the 160 acres typically allotted by Congress. They eventually began to pay grazing fees for the right to lease federal land if they agreed to federal oversight. The relationship between these ranchers and the federal government wasnt always a smooth one. In 1905, Western stockmen revolted against the Forest Service for implementing grazing fees and a permit system; in the 1940s and 50s, an increase in livestock fees sparked a similar backlash. And yet much of this (largely inhospitable) public land still hadnt been claimed. In 1932, Pres. Herbert Hoover proposed to deed the surface rights to the unappropriated lands to the states, but the states complained that the lands had been overgrazed and would burden their budgets, which had been squeezed by the Great Depression. The BLM was soon created to administer the public lands that no one else wanted. Rancher Cliven Bundy talks to protesters in Bunkerville, Nev., on April 11, 2014. (Photo: Jim Urquhart/Reuters) Such was the state of affairs until 1976. That was the year Congress passed the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, which formally ended the policy of turning over federally owned land to citizens who wanted to farm or ranch there essentially locking in federal control. Realizing that Washington could now enact whatever conservation measures it liked, some Westerners balked and Western politicians began to listen. The result was what came to be known as the Sagebrush Rebellion. In the late 1970s and early 80s, at least six Western states passed legislation aimed at nullifying federal ownership of land within their boundaries; Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch proposed a bill that would allow states to apply for control over selected parcels; and former California Gov. Ronald Reagan, then running for president, told supporters in Salt Lake City, Count me in as a rebel. Even so, the rebellion sputtered after Reagan took office just like the similar rebellions before it. The reasons were complex: opposition from conservationists, Reagans push for privatization, the fact that federal grazing fees are actually a great deal for ranchers like Cliven Bundy not to mention the Property Clause of the Constitution, which clearly gives Congress the authority to manage public lands however it wants. In the Obama Era, however, Republican lawmakers with the backing of groups like the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a nonprofit that drives conservative policy and whose members include Koch Industries and ExxonMobil have begun to reintroduce land-transfer bills in statehouses across the West. Last year alone, conservatives in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Washington and Wyoming put forward legislation that laid the groundwork for transfers of public land to the states. Their goal is simple: to channel the anti-Washington passions of the tea party into laws that will open up greater stretches of the West to mining, drilling, ranching and other economic activities, generating tax revenue for the states, and, of course, profits for the companies and individuals involved. (Otherwise, the states simply couldnt afford to manage so much land.) The problem for conservative lawmakers is that such passions, once unleashed, are very difficult to control. When Cliven Bundy and his acolytes first aimed their rifles at the BLM, many Republican politicians, eager to appeal to voters angry with Washington, stood by him. Ted Cruz, for instance, described the situation in Bunkerville as the unfortunate and tragic culmination of the path that President Obama has set the federal government on. Rand Paul told Fox News that there is a legitimate constitutional question here and later reportedly met with Bundy for 45 minutes to discuss federal land management and states rights. A bumper sticker on a private truck parked in front of a residential building at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Ore. (Photo: Jim Urquhart/Reuters) Since the standoff, however, Cliven Bundy has wondered aloud whether Negroes were better off as slaves, picking cotton and aligned himself with the most paranoid of right-wing extremists. In June 2014, two of his self-professed followers went on a shooting spree in Las Vegas, murdering a pair of police officers before killing themselves. So now, as another Bundy defies the feds in Oregon, Paul and Cruz seem to be singing a different tune. On Monday, Cruz called on Ammon Bundy and his gang to stand down peacefully; Paul made a plea for political action instead. Im sympathetic to the idea that the large collection of federal lands ought to be turned back to the states and the people, but I think the best way to bring about change is through politics, Paul told the Washington Post in an interview. Thats why I entered the electoral arena. I dont support any violence or suggestion of violence toward changing policy. And thats why the Bundys ongoing crusade may ultimately prove to be counterproductive. The more militant this latest incarnation of the Sagebrush Rebellion starts to seem, the less inclined mainstream politicians not to mention the people of the American West will be to support it. Aden (AFP) - Troops loyal to Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi seized a Red Sea port town Wednesday in the country's northwest following fierce fighting with Iran-backed Shiite rebels, a military chief said. "We have full control of the port and the town, along with its historic castle," Fifth Military Region commander General Adel al-Qumairi said of Midi. Intensive clashes had raged in the area since mid-December when government forces trained in nearby Saudi Arabia crossed the border and seized the town of Haradh. The rebels, known as Huthis, have reportedly used Midi's port to bring weapons into their traditional stronghold in the north. Despite losing Midi, they and their allies of renegade troops loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, continue to control a long stretch of the coastline. Government forces have enjoyed air support from the Saudi-led coalition, which launched a campaign against rebels in March after they advanced on the southern city of Aden where Hadi had taken refuge before fleeing to Riyadh. The rebels continue to control the capital, which they overran 2014, but loyalists have captured areas east and northeast of the capital recently. On Wednesday, coalition warplanes bombed rebel positions in Sanaa, including the presidential complex, witnesses said. The Salem, Inc./New Salem Educational Initiative is a complete academic support program for young people living in inner city Minneapolis. Multi-National Division Baghdad Public Affairs Office BAGHDAD In what is perhaps a sign of the growing importance of the Noncommissioned Officer Corps in the Iraqi Army, the 6th Iraqi Army Division conducted its inaugural Division Command Sergeants Major conference the first of its kind at the Muthana Airfield May 7. The conference served as an opportunity for the brigade and the battalion command sergeants major to bring the issues their units are facing to the table; it also provided the senior enlisted leaders the opportunity to share their experiences and challenges with their brothers in arms. It was a huge step, said Command Sgt. Maj. John Gioia, the senior enlisted leader for Multi-National Division Baghdad and the 4th Infantry Division, who had the opportunity to witness to the meeting. It marks a leap forward toward building a strong Noncommissioned Officer Corps in the Iraqi army. The United States military has learned through its storied history that it is important to have a strong NCO Corps to support its Officer Corps because military commanders cannot be everywhere at the same time. As such, it is the duty of the NCOs to be the commanders eyes and ears across the battlefield. In the U.S. Army, its very important, as a sergeant major, to gather feedback from your senior enlisted advisors because your commander can only see so much of the battlefield, said Gioia, a native of Buffalo, N.Y. He relies on senior NCOs to be his eyes and ears to bring back the information he is missing. The Iraqi army is beginning to understand the importance of the NCO Corps through its experiences with the Soldiers of Multi-National Division Baghdad. To help make this transition a reality, one of the main efforts the Military Transition Teams are working toward with their Iraqi counterparts is supporting their efforts to form and train a strong NCO Corps. Right now, the Iraqi Army is building its noncommissioned officer corps, Gioia said. Its a long and difficult process that will require a different thought process for both the officers and the NCOs. Ultimately, it will be up to the commissioned officers to empower their NCOs to be able to provide them the support they need to grow their army. As it stands now, the IA enlisted leaders do not have the leadership responsibility we have in the U.S. Army yet. However, we are working with the Iraqi army leaders to assist them in developing the NCO Corps as the leaders envision that Corps. Some of the issues the sergeants major addressed at the meeting included the need for more training ammunition for their soldiers to practice firing, the addition of more vehicles for the troops to conduct more missions and pay issues. There is a lot of frustration tied up in the Iraqi army, but it is evident of a new army that is starting to form, said Gioia. He added it was interesting to watch a new military organization in the making. Sgt. Maj. Christopher DuBose, a native of Cleveland, said he saw progress just by the fact they were having the meeting in the first place. Just having the meeting was a big step forward because it showed how IA leaders are realizing they are having some problems and are willing to work toward fixing those issues, he said. This new idea of having an NCO Corps, with senior enlisted leaders who are active in the leadership process, is a new concept in this Army. In the old system, the officers did everything; so, its taking the officers a little while to empower their NCOs to help them take care of some of the issues the IA is having on the battlefield and on base. DuBose serves as the force protection sergeant major with MND-B and the 4th Inf. Div. A lot of ground has been broken over the course of the past five months, explained Sgt. Maj. Terry Grezlik, who serves with the 6th Iraqi Army MiTT and is assigned to the 4th Inf. Div. First, we were able to get the division command sergeant major out on battlefield circulation with the division commander. This positive move showed the Soldiers that the senior NCO of the division was counted on by their commander. Having explained our own process of division/brigade/battalion command sergeant major meetings and the value to the Soldiers and the command team, the 6th IA command sergeant major approached the commander with the idea. Maj. Gen. Abdul Ameer (the commanding general for the 6th IA Div.) agreed that it would be a benefit we had two firsts in two months. Grezlik said the conference served as just the latest example of the growing importance of senior noncommissioned officers in the Iraqi Army. Brigade and battalion commanders wholeheartedly supported the conference, he said. Already, two of the brigades have their command sergeants major out on battlefield circulation, checking on Soldiers, check point readiness and conditions. These are signs of empowerment and trust in their senior NCOs. Before leaving the meeting, Gioia made it a point to encourage the IA senior enlisted leaders to continue having the meetings. He told them not to be discouraged because one meeting cannot resolve all of the issues they face. It is something they need to continue to work on together. As frustrated as everyone is in this room, you all still came together to address your concerns for your units, he said. You can see your brothers, the other brigade sergeants major, are having the same problems. This allows for Command Sgt. Maj. Ayad to be better informed when he briefs Gen Amir about the needs of the division. A movie deemed scandalous nearly four decades ago after Canadian censors uncovered, so to speak, the nude hippie sex romp on late night television and put the bare fare to bed for the duration, The Apprentice (Fleur Bleue) is now in release in a Special Edition unrated DVD. What has been restored in the 1971 mixed French and English likewise multi-mixed genre free love political separatist romantic comedy crime caper, are then twenty-four year old Susan Sarandons fairly naughty bare-breasted sex scenes. In a role that might make a now more seasoned and serious sixty-two year old Sarandon either blush or palpitate, she plays Elizabeth, a ditzy, uninhibited English Canadian Montreal model with a weakness for one night stands. When aimless young French Canadian Jean-Pierre (Steve Fiset) gets canned for acute attention deficit disorder while on a day job at Elizabeths outdoor shoot, she takes pity on the itinerant slacker and pursues him. That is, until he pursues her, and then she usually barely remembers him while more often than not, out cruising around for more sublime adventures in free love stranger sex. Eventually the two hook up, well sort of. Aside from Lizs addiction to sexual variety, Jean-Pierre has a fetching, politically argumentative Separatist fiance Suzanne (Carol Laure), who may or may not be a virgin until marriage, stashed away in a shabby rooming house. Chronically short on funds, Jean-Pierre teams up with Suzannes lunatic playboy brother Dock (Jean-Pierre Cartier) to rob banks in imaginative and astonishing ways. And while Jean-Pierre stresses out deciding between these two women, Elizabeth in contrast hasnt the least difficulty giddily sampling everybody, and not necessarily one at a time. Frequently too silly for its own good, The Apprentice is an engaging time travel retro-novelty back to when life, no matter how complicated, was far simpler, without the intrusion of rampant commerce, congestion and advertising, not to mention cell phones. And despite the fretting, perpetually strapped for cash male protagonists, the prices of those flashy mod outfits back then that drive them to a life of crime, amaze as mere pocket change today. Somerville House Unrated 2 1/2 stars DVD Features: Directors Commentary; Slide Show; Biography. FIRE AT WASA It took fire tenders several hours to extinguish the flames which according to WASA officials started at about 4.45 pm at Block B of the Administrative Complex. WASA Corporate Communications Manager Daniel Plenty told Newsday there were no injuries as all personnel were evacuated safely. He said the floor also housed the Corporate Communications Department and the Health and Safety Department. Asked about the speculation that the fire was related to the forensic audit, Plenty said, you cant prevent such speculation from taking place but as an organisation we will respond with the facts with what transpired here and that is what we can do, we cant prevent speculation from taking place in the public domain. He later added that there were important files kept on that floor but not all was stored there and there would be soft copies of all documents stored on WASAs computer servers. On December 23, chairman of WASAs Board of Commissioners Bromley Thomas said in a statement that the Board of Commissioners observed certain irregularities in the operations of the Authority and deemed it necessary to order a forensic audit into WASA. As a result of this audit, several changes have been made to WASAs executive management structure, with the Authoritys Corporate Secretary Dion Abdool being appointed to act as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) until further notice. The audit at WASA comes a week after Housing Development Corporation (HDC) managing director Jearlean John and six other persons were sent on administrative leave by the HDCs Board in order to facilitate an audit at that Corporation. John has sent a preaction protocol letter to the HDC Board giving them 48 hours or until Christmas Eve to withdraw its order for her to proceed on three months administrative leave. With that deadline passing, John is set to institute legal action against the HDC seeking damages and whatever other reliefs the courts may so order if it rules in her favour. (See Page 7) Plenty said as far as he was aware, this was the first fire on the compound, and he has worked with the organisation for 25 years. He said once the fire services complete their assessment, WASA will be able to provide an idea of the extent of the damage. This fire will bring some challenges in terms of our whole operation, this is our head office, and there would be a disruption in normal operations in these departments, but when the fire is brought under control will be able to assess the damage, he said. He assured citizens that the fire will not affect WASAs ability to provide a safe and reliable water supply. Divisional Fire Officer, Peter Neverson told Newsday that fire officers from the Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain headquarters, San Juan and Tunapuna fire stations responded to the fire. He said it was an excellent fire firefighting operation as they were able to keep the fire on the second floor. He admitted they experienced challenges in the beginning as there were problems with the water supply but with the help of a hydrant nearby and several of WASAs water trucks, they were able to beat the blaze. While the fire officers battled with the fire, staff members gathered around looking on. One woman who did not want to give her name said she was heading to her car when she heard someone shout fire and she turned around and saw flames on the second floor. I saw everybody running out from there and thankfully most of the workers would have left for the day so there wasnt any chaos. You just have to give thanks that nobody was hurt and everybody lived to see another day, she said. Plenty advised that staff at the head office were not expected to show up for work today as officials will be assessing the damage. Brother, sister to be buried side by side On Sunday, 49-year-old Jaikaran collapsed and died inside a bar not too far from his Penal home. Minutes later, when she was awakened and told of his death, Dinnse, 51, ran out of their home and collapsed in the yard. She was pronounced dead on arrival at a health centre. Autopsies on the bodies of brother and sister confirmed they both died of heart failure. The funeral service will be held today at the house of mourning and burial will be at the Penal Rock Road cemetery. On Sunday at about 11 pm, Jaikaran collapsed while liming at a bar in Penal. He died at the scene. Upon hearing the news of her brothers death, Dinnse who was at the familys Penal home also collapsed. Jaikaran, Newsday was told, suffered from high blood pressure while his sister was due to undergo an operation this year to remove fibroids. The siblings mother Carmen Cedeno, 68, yesterday was still struggling to cope with their sudden deaths. Younger sister Diandra Cedeno, 41, told Newsday that her mother has not been able to sleep since Sunday. I miss them so much, Cedeno said. She said that Junior and Dinnse shared a close relationship. They were very close, so it makes sense to have them buried side by side, she added. Cedeno recalled the last time she spoke to her sister was on New Years Day. She spent Old Years Day with me. We hugged on the stroke of midnight as we celebrated the New Year, Cedeno related. Little did I know that days later, both my brother and sister would be dead. The grieving sister said she last saw her brother alive a few days before Christmas Day. We were in the mall together doing last minute shopping. I was happy he was there. I did not know that would have been the last time I would have seen him alive, Cedeno said. It would be hard, very hard to bury your brother and sister, the emotional woman said. Almost a year ago, on January 17, 2014, Dinnses son Sean Jaikaran, 29, was shot and killed. His bullet- riddled body was found at the Trinidad Cement Ltd (TCL) Recreation Ground in Claxton Bay. He was also laid to rest at the Penal Rock Road cemetery. In an interview on Monday, the victims mother Carmen Cedeno in recalling how the tragic events unfolded had told Newsday that Junior went to a bar in Penal to purchase a drink and while sitting on a stool in the bar, he collapsed. Minutes later her daughter was awakened from sleep by a fellow villager who came into their yard shouting, Junior dead allyuh! Junior dead! By that time, Cedenos daughter Dinnse who lived downstairs the familys home with her son, also awoke to the villagers shouts and opened the front door. On hearing the news of her brothers demise, Dinnse Cedeno related ran out of the house screaming, Oh gosh, oh gosh, dont tell me that. She then collapsed in the yard. Investigations are continuing. Man charged for child prostitution A press release issued by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) yesterday stated Anthony Smith was charged yesterday by the Counter Trafficking Unit under Inspector Leon Haynes, following extensive investigations which began on September 23, after police officers raided a house at Cane Farm Road, Tacarigua . Smith is facing one charge of recruiting a child for the purpose of trafficking contrary to Section 18 of the Trafficking in Persons Act . In addition, 17 charges of sexually penetrating a child, contrary to Section 18 of the Childrens Act; five charges of child prostitution contrary to Section 14 of the Childrens Act, and three charges of assault under Section 30 of the Offences Against the Persons Act 11:08 . Smith, according to the press release, is scheduled to appear before a Port-of-Spain Magistrate today to answer all the charges . The charges were laid by Woman Police Constable Dane-Marie Marshall of the Counter Trafficking Unit of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service . SUV crashes into traffic warden The impact of the collision pitched Woods several metres, slamming her into a glass panel of the building which shattered. Eyewitnesses said after the vehicle hit the warden, the driver reversed and hit two other persons before the driver attempted to speed off. The vehicle only stopped when both front tyres went flat a short distance from the scene of the accident. The driver was apprehended by police. Woods remained warded at hospital last evening and a relative said she was stable and in good spirits. Traffic Warden Division Communication Specialist Abigail Edwards confirmed Woods was responding to care at the hospital. Miss Woods is going to be warded and has a fractured leg among other lacerations. However, she is resting and responsive at hospital, Edwards told Newsday. Family pleads for house Hernandez home was 71-years-old, and it belonged to his grandparents and was made of concrete and tapia. Tapia is a material made of mud and cow dung. They together with their five-year- old granddaughter Kiaera, are now staying with Dolabailles mother, a street away and are sleeping on the floor of the kitchen. He said he was prepared to camp out on the steps of the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) to meet with Mc Donald. I didnt make my house fall on me. I did not undermine it, I need a roof over my familys heads. I need a home, I am in dire need, and I am asking her to show compassion. Since I lost everything, nobody from the HDC has called, and I need help, I need to hear from her, he said. He said he was thankful to those who have assisted him, like the Ministry of Social Development who provided the family with a temporary food card. God bless everyone who has helped so far, but I am running on fumes, and we really need something to be done soon, he said. Minister meets CYC Vice-President Nikolai presented the Minister with the action plans coming out of the CYF, to update the Ministry on the most current global trends and concerns of youth. About the position he now holds for the next four years, Nikolai was keen on making an impact for Trinidad and Tobago in the Commonwealth but also to influence policymakers at home about the many risks and challenges faced by young persons. In turn, Minister Smith pledged to engage in dialogue with youth-led and youth-serving organisations and consult regularly to ensure participation. The Minister also encouraged the CYF Vice President to lean on the Ministry for the required resources and to continue his path of leadership and commitment to the youth work so urgently required in Trinidad and Tobago. IRO: Put prayers on national calendar On taking office Maharaj said that the IRO wrote to Rowley requesting a meeting with him, and he has since indicated that he would be willing to meet with the leadership of the IRO following his recent travel. According to Maharaj, a National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving need not be a national holiday, because the country already has too many national holidays. In the same way that Carnival Monday and Tuesday were placed on the national calendar, but were not national holidays, he said, similarly a National Day of Prayers and Thanksgiving could be observed. He said that no one, even atheists, would be left out in thanksgiving aspect of the day. Give thanks to family, relatives and friends and relations, employees, employers. This must go beyond politics and religion making us all a better people, he said. People need to be more appreciative of what they have. It could also aid in bringing back good old community and family values, he said. When there was a spike in crime, he said, people call for a national day of prayers. He said people must not only pray to lower crime, but people must give thanks and praise as well. Last Sundays Day of Prayer for peace and goodwill in 2016, he said, was a break from the IROs Day of Prayer being held at one venue. Instead, religious organisations were asked to pray at their places of worship. The objective callsm for wider participation and having people praying throughout the country, he said. People prayed at the various places of worship throughout the day at their regular services. Some were held during the morning, and some in the afternoon. The theme of the services was for peaceful coexistence given the state of affairs over the past year. We believe that prayers can move mountains, he said. Noting that people have been telling him that because 2016 is a leap year. Things will be rough and tough, he said, regardless of peoples thinking we know that prayers can remove major obstacles. In the past, he said that the IRO had made the same proposal to former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday and he had considered the idea, but demitted office shortly after. IT Mc Leod fete postponed The release added: Mr McLeod during his life always reiterated that Family is your most important asset. Bearing this in mind, the organising committee, which included members of the McLeod family, has taken the decision to postpone the upcoming event to a future date, in order to allow the family time to deal with its present situation. The committee has also decided to stand in solidarity and support of the family, by making its resources available to them to assist in any way it can in helping them deal with the tragedy. We are sorry that we have to disappoint the many supporters of the IT Mc Leod All Inclusive Event, but we believe the decision taken is the right one and one that would have been consistent with the philosophy and thinking of the late Isaac Thurlif Mc Leod. In the interim, the organising committee will be offering a full refund of all tickets purchased to date. The Mc Leods All Inclusive was scheduled to come off on Sunday at Anchorage in Chaguaramas, and was in honour of Isaac Thurliff Mc Leod and the contributions he made to his community. The profits from the event was intended to be donated to the Isaac Thurliff Mc Leod Empowerment Foundation, a nonprofit organisation formed to carry on the philanthropic work and philosophy of the late Isaac Thurliff Mc Leod. The USA has been researching ways to enhance the biology and performance of soldiers for decades. Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work warned that America would soon lose its military competitive advantage if it does not pursue technologies such as employing artificial intelligence. Altering human beings from the inside to more effectively fight in combat is claimed to presents ethical dilemmas for American scientists and military planners. Work says those ethical concerns typically dont apply to authoritarian governments like Russias or Chinas, but their lack of hesitation in developing EHOs may force Americas hand. Previous US human augmentation research DARPA had started work on a super-soldier suit called TALOS (Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit) unlike anything in the history of warfare. Engineered with full-body ballistics protection; integrated heating and cooling systems; embedded sensors, antennas, and computers; 3D audio (to indicate where a fellow warfighter is by the sound of his voice); optics for vision in various light conditions; life-saving oxygen and hemorrhage controls; and more, TALOS is strikingly close to the futuristic exoskeleton that Gorman first envisioned for DARPA 25 years ago, and aims to be fully functional by 2018. It was the collapse of the Soviet Union that accelerated many of DARPAs most radical super-soldier science programs. The revelation that the Soviets had developed an extensive biological-weapons program caused DARPA to bring biologists into its ranks, and with the life sciences at the fore, DARPA began to look inside the human body, toward a scientific capability that could transform soldiers from the inside out. DARPAs Defense Sciences Office (DSO) investigated a mind-altering pain vaccine. Once injected into a soldier who had been shot, the vaccine would theoretically reduce the pain from inflammation and swelling. After 30 seconds of agony, the soldier would feel no pain for 30 days. As long as the bleeding was contained the soldier could keep fighting. The governments research into halting the bleeding yielded another program that involved injecting millions of microscopic magnets into a person, which could later be brought together into a single area to stop bleeding with the wave of a wand. DARPA has also studied whales and dolphinsmammals that dont need to sleep in long chunks like humans doas inspiration for creating a soldier who requires little to no sleep for a week or more. Whales and dolphins independently control the left and right lobes of their brains, keeping one alert while the other sleeps. Its not known if DAPRA scientists made any progress with human lobe control, but they did explore powerful anti-sleep drugs like Modafini From about 1999 to 2008, DARPA had a long-term, $3 billion program to help make such a Metabolically Dominant Soldier. In other words, the military is studying how to use technology and biology to meld man and machine and transcend the limits of the human body. Described the project director, My measure of success is that the International Olympic Committee bans everything we do The $3 billion program is definitely trying to achieve transhuman performance goals. Goldblatt ran the DSO until 2004, and when he spoke last year, he could only describe unclassified programs. More than 10 years after his departure, the status of the super-soldier pursuits he helped launch is murky; DARPAs highest-risk, highest-payoff programs remain secret until they are unveiled on the battlefield. Still, given the progress of the exoskeleton, these or similar programs could be closer to reality than anyone realizes. Other programs explored other questions. What if soldiers could have 10 times the muscle endurance of enemy soldiers? What if they could leap seven feet or do 300 pull-ups a day? Wearable gear would enable running at 100 meter olympic sprinter speed for hours and the 7 foot vertical leap, the wall crawling, personal flight, invisibility, greatly enhanced strength, better body armor and carrying bigger and more powerful weapons. There is a 2015 book The Pentagons Brain An Uncensored History of DARPA, Americas Top-Secret Military Research Agency By Annie Jacobsen Advanced gene therapy could provide cheetah or gorilla quality muscles in people for 45 mile per hour speed or five to ten times strength The drugs and genetic enhancements and some technology which gets applied would allow for regeneration, faster healing, muscle strength enhancement up to current olympic levels, endurance of an Alaskan sled dog, cognitive enhancement, operate without sleep for many days without performance degradation, the metabolic energy of twenty year old for a forty or fifty year old and immunity to pain. The Metabolically Dominant Soldier program is managed by Joe Bielitzki. He is talking about fixing your cells so that you could live off your fat. Bielitzki acknowledges the potential for spin-off technologies. Forty billion dollars a year goes into the weight loss industry in this country, he muses. This will change it. Regeneration, better healing, better immune systems would all revolutionize healthcare costs and healthcare effectiveness. So trillions in economic benefit as a side effect of supersoldier success. DARPA is also trying to enhance cognition, training and giving the energy levels of youth to the elderly. Those could provide multi-billion or even trillion dollar per year boosts to the US and world economy. Projects in pipeline range from drugs that will boost muscles and energy by a factor of 10, akin to steroidson steroids (the project is jokingly termed the Energizer Bunny in Fatigues) to wearable, cooling gloves that regulate body temperature and prevent soldiers from getting overheated (and thus tired) even on the hottest desert day. [Keeping the body cool increases endurance] US Defense program research was going well beyond some current relatively safe and conservative forms of performance enhancement. [Safer SARM/steroids, endurance enhancing drink] A major focus is on helping the soldiers body to better deal with trauma and damage. One such is the pain vaccines coming out of a program at Rinat Neuroscience [Pfizer acquired Rinat Neuroscience in 2006]. Researchers are hopeful these will block the sense of pain for almost a month, describes DARPAs Michael Goldblatt. The substance does is block intense pain in less than 10 seconds. Its effects last for 30 days. It doesnt stifle your reactions. If you touch a hot stove, you still have the initial shock; your hand will still automatically jerk away. But after that, the torment is gone. The product works on the inflammatory response that is responsible for the majority of subacute pain. If you get shot, you feel the bullet, but after that, the inflammation and swelling that trigger agony are substantially reduced. The company has already hit its first milestones in animal testing and is preparing reports for scientific conferences. Posted by Nogger - a legend in his own mind at | Categorized as At the close of trading, Jan 16 London wheat was down GBP1.00/tonne at GBP110.90/tonne. In Paris, Mar 16 wheat fell EUR0.25/tonne at EUR170.75/tonne, Mar 16 corn rose EUR0.75/tonne to EUR162.275/tonne and Feb 16 rapeseed jumped EUR2.750/tonne to EUR373.25/tonne. Chinese shares opened 3% lower, in follow-through trade from yesterday, but had recovered somewhat to close around unchanged at the finish. In late afternoon trade, London's FTSE 100, the French CAC 40 and German DAX were all showing small net gains, even if these were of less than 1%. Media reports suggest that three French wheat vessels of a combined 180,000 MT (one cargo scheduled for shipment Dec 11-20 and two for Dec 21-31) are still sat off the port of Dunkirk awaiting letters of credit from Egypt's GASC. This appears to confirm rumours of a lack of currency reserves in Egyptian government, and explains why GASC extended the terms of it's purchases to include letters of credit being allowed to be opened up to 180 days after signing contracts recently. Ethiopia are tendering for 70,000 MT of optional origin wheat (with Black Sea material probably the favourite). They African nation has bought around 1 MMT of wheat since October after failed rains spoiled their own harvest. UkrAgroConsult said that Ukraine would export 14 MMT of wheat this season, up from a previous estimate of 13 MMT, although still 1.5 MMT less than the USDA currently predict. Sharply lower winter plantings for next year's harvest however mean that 2016/17 Ukraine wheat exports will fall to 8.5 MMT, and possibly less, they said. Ukraine exported around 7.25 MMT of wheat in the first quarter of 2015/16 alone. Fresh news out of Russia is scant as they remain largely closed in observation of the orthodox Christmas/New Year holidays. We might be able to call today a minor correction, but the overall trend most definitely remains lower. Shell, among others, continuing to predict crude oil prices possibly still having some further significant downside in 2016 won't help commodities in general. 05/01/16 -- EU grains finished mixed. Wheat was generally lower and corn and rapeseed a touch higher, reversing some of yesterday's losses in mini "Turnaround Tuesday" style.At the close of trading, Jan 16 London wheat was down GBP1.00/tonne at GBP110.90/tonne. In Paris, Mar 16 wheat fell EUR0.25/tonne at EUR170.75/tonne, Mar 16 corn rose EUR0.75/tonne to EUR162.275/tonne and Feb 16 rapeseed jumped EUR2.750/tonne to EUR373.25/tonne.Chinese shares opened 3% lower, in follow-through trade from yesterday, but had recovered somewhat to close around unchanged at the finish. In late afternoon trade, London's FTSE 100, the French CAC 40 and German DAX were all showing small net gains, even if these were of less than 1%.Media reports suggest that three French wheat vessels of a combined 180,000 MT (one cargo scheduled for shipment Dec 11-20 and two for Dec 21-31) are still sat off the port of Dunkirk awaiting letters of credit from Egypt's GASC.This appears to confirm rumours of a lack of currency reserves in Egyptian government, and explains why GASC extended the terms of it's purchases to include letters of credit being allowed to be opened up to 180 days after signing contracts recently.Ethiopia are tendering for 70,000 MT of optional origin wheat (with Black Sea material probably the favourite). They African nation has bought around 1 MMT of wheat since October after failed rains spoiled their own harvest.UkrAgroConsult said that Ukraine would export 14 MMT of wheat this season, up from a previous estimate of 13 MMT, although still 1.5 MMT less than the USDA currently predict.Sharply lower winter plantings for next year's harvest however mean that 2016/17 Ukraine wheat exports will fall to 8.5 MMT, and possibly less, they said. Ukraine exported around 7.25 MMT of wheat in the first quarter of 2015/16 alone.Fresh news out of Russia is scant as they remain largely closed in observation of the orthodox Christmas/New Year holidays.We might be able to call today a minor correction, but the overall trend most definitely remains lower.Shell, among others, continuing to predict crude oil prices possibly still having some further significant downside in 2016 won't help commodities in general. If someone were to be asked about self-driving cars 20 years ago, they probably wouldnt be able to say much. Now, these cars are the prime example of what kind of cars are seen today. While self-driving cars are convenient, they arent the safest to use. Big car companies, such as Tesla and Russian Foreign Ministry Monday offered its mediation to help Gulf rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran end diplomatic spat caused by Riyadhs execution of Saudi Shia cleric followed by assaults on two Saudi Arabias diplomatic missions in Iran. We ask Tehran, Riyadh and other Gulf countries to show restraint, the ministry said in a statement before adding Russia is ready to support such efforts. Moscow also said it is very concerned with the volatile situation between its partners-calling on them to choose the path of dialogue. Moscow is deeply concerned by the latest escalation of the situation in the Middle East caused by the major regional powers, Saudi Arabia and Iran, the ministry went on saying. It is also reported that a diplomatic source speaking to AF said that Russia is ready to serve as an intermediary between Riyadh and Tehran. If our partners Saudi Arabia and Iran show they are ready and willing (to meet), our initiative will remain on the table, another unnamed Russian diplomat told Russian TASS news agency. Saudi Arabia has severed diplomatic ties with Shia-dominated Iran after angry mobs torched Saudi diplomatic missions in Teheran and Mashad after the Saudi Arabia announced it executed 47 people including Saudi Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr opposed to Saudi royal family rule. World powers have also called both gulf enemies to show restraint in the face of the escalation of diplomatic spat fearing that the showdown may blow up UN efforts to solve Syrian and Yemeni crisis which are sponsored by Saudi Arabia and Iran through proxies. The Obama administration called on the two regional tigers to show restraint and refrain from letting their antagonism derail talks to end the Syrian conflict. Josh Earnest, spokesman of the White House said the US is very concerned and calls on the two countries not to add fuel to the sectarian rifts or encourage further sectarian conflicts. It is also reported that President Obama has not spoken to leaders of the two countries since the beginning of the diplomatic wrestling but Secretary of State John Kerry had called Iranian and Saudi ministers and urged them for calm. Turkey also warned of further conflagration if the two countries go ahead with the current situation while qualifying the Middle East region as powder keg. Monday, the deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus briefing reporters after a cabinet meeting urged Saudi Arabia and Iran to put tensions behind while holding both countries accountable of the current situation. Enough is enough. (The region) is in need of peace and calm. Everyone must act with caution. Furthermore, Germany also urged both Riyadh and Tehran to keep in mind their important role in the Syrian and Yemeni conflicts, calling on them to improve their bilateral relations. Government spokesman Steffen Seibert Monday indicated that relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran are of fundamental importance for solving the crises in Syria and Yemen, and for the stability of the entire region. UNs expert of human rights in occupied Palestinian territories has resigned Monday over Israels refusal to grant access to occupied areas, reports say. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, Makarim Wibisono, today submitted his resignation to the President of the Human Rights Council, effective as of 31 March 2016, a UN statement said. Even though the UN did not pin the blame on Israel, the UN expert did not sound pleased with Israel. Unfortunately, my efforts to help improve the lives of Palestinian victims of violations under the Israeli occupation have been frustrated every step of the way, Wibisono said in the statement. The Indonesian diplomat took up the position in 2014 while he was assured that he would have access to the occupied territories. I took up this mandate with the understanding that Israel would grant me access, as an impartial and objective observer, he said. He also told reporters that he renewed requests to have access to the Palestinian territories but Israel always turned blind eyes to his calls whereas the Palestinian Authority has been always cooperative. With no reply from Israel to my latest request, in October 2015, to have access by the end of 2015, it is with deep regret that I accept the premise upon which I took up the mandate, which is to have direct access to the victims in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, will not be fulfilled, he said. Wibisono in his impartial role criticized Israel for the 2014 war in Gaza warning of the use disproportionate use of force by Israel against Palestinians. He also charged Israel Defense Forces for carrying out summary executions as they sought to crack down on a wave of lone-wolf attacks with knives, guns and cars. Also Monday, he renewed criticism towards Israel and international community for the lack of protection for Palestinians who have been subject of unspeakable range of human right violations. It is my sincere hope that whoever succeeds me will manage to resolve the current impasse, and so reassure the Palestinian people that after nearly half a century of occupation the world has not forgotten their plight and those human rights are indeed universal, Wibisono said. Wibisono took over American professor Richard Falk who also experienced tough times in his tenure after he called for boycott of Israeli companies profiting from illegal settlement in the occupied Palestinian territories. Mauritanian security forces have given chase of a Mauritanian terrorist sentenced to death who has broken away from his prison cell in capital Nouakchott, reports say. The fugitive named Salek Ould Cheikh borne in 1984 north of the country reportedly succeeded in sneaking out of the detention center on December 31 according to media quoting security sources. Ould Cheikh was sentenced to death in 2011 after confessing that he was plotting the assassination of Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. Reports say the Mauritanian security authorities in cooperation with neighboring countries have launched search for the Islamist. A security source told reporters the fugitive left behind him a cloth bearing the symbol of al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb, a paper on which he wrote the name of Khaled Abou El Abbass (Bellawar) as well as a Malian local number. Chinese vice Foreign Minister Zhang Ming arrived in the Egyptian capital Monday for an official visit seen as ground work for January visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The Chinese diplomat who joined Cairo via Abu Dhabi will have a four-day work with Egyptian authorities. Mings official visit is seen as ground clearing trip to prepare Chinese President Xi Jinpings who is expected in the Egyptian later this month. Prior to his visit low-level talks between officials of both countries have taken place. Egypts Housing Minister Mostafa Madbouly Sunday signed Sunday several memoranda of understanding with Chinese partners to participate in developing the New Administrative Capital, local media say. Local media also pointed out that thirteen Chinese businessmen arrived in Cairo on December 25 on business trip to discuss local airplane manufacturing with Egyptian officials and investors. President al-Sissi since ascending to power in 2014, visited China two times: in September 2015 and December 2014. IS Tuesday carried out a second day offensive on Libyas vital oil terminals prompting national oil company to call for help saying ISs control of the oil region will cause fall of the Libyan state. The Jihadist group pushed further Tuesday on the Libyas coastal region housing the countrys vital oil terminals. The terrorist group reportedly launched fresh attacks against forces guarding the oil terminals at Al-Sidra and Ras Lanouf which were targets of the Monday assaults. Fighting continued today between Daesh and oil facility guards backed by the air force, Ali al-Hassi spokesman of the Oil facilities guards said also pointing out that the fighting broke out at Wadi Kahilah, between Ben Jawad town and Sidra. IS has used suicide attacks against Al-Sidra and Ras Lanouf oil terminals on Monday but were resisted by forces supported by Tripoli air forces which pounded the groups positions. Military forces also pointed out that the Jihadist group set one empty oil tank on fire on Monday. ISs impressive offensive on Libyas oil crescent prompted the countrys National Oil Company (NOC) to launch SOS calls warning that fall of the oil terminals into hands of the terrorist group will be very fatal to the Libyan state. It also called on the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) to take its responsibility. If Daesh took control of oil terminals and fields around al-Sidra, it would greatly paralyse the foundations of the Libyan state, the national company said on its web page. The GNA still lacking blessings from main Libyan rivals law bodies namely the House of Representatives seating in Tobruk and the Tripoli-based General National Congress Tuesday condemned the assaults on the oil terminals. Forces loyal to Ibrahim Jordans militia guarding the oil facilities said they lost seven men as well scores of wounded armed men. IS has embarked on the control of Libyas oil facilities after it established its stronghold in Libyan city of Sirte; hometown of former Libyas strongman Col. Gaddafi ousted and killed in 2011 in a NATO- backed revolution. The Libyan soil stores around than 48 billion barrels accounting for Africas largest oil reserves. Oil revenues represent 75 per cent of the national budget. Daily oil output has significantly slumped to 1.6 million due to unrest. IS has enjoyed free ride in Libya after the country split into rival administrations supported by the GNC and the HoR. The UN proposed the GNA as the sole Libyan central administration capable of ending the nearly five-year conflict. President Nkurunzizas regime has rejected regional mediation proposition for January 6 talks in Arusha in Tanzania, calling for postponement, reports say. Tomorrows talks will not take place! The Burundian government wrote to the Ugandan mediation on December 30 asking it to postpone the meeting to January 15, we are waiting for a response, a top official at the Burundian presidency said under condition of anonymity. Willy Nyamitwe, Head of communication at the Burundian presidency also echoed the refusal of the Burundian regime to attend January 6 meeting proposed by the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni who is leading the regional mediation in the small eastern African political crisis. The Burundian government clearly notified that January 6 date was not a consensus, Nyamitwe told reporters on Tuesday. Reports also point out that the opposed camp; the coalition of opposition parties attending the talks also rejected the January 6 proposed date adding that it is too soon for concrete talks after the two rivals sides were convened late December in Uganda for talks under the auspices of President Museveni. We have not received any invitation yet which means that tomorrows meeting will no longer take place, Pancrace Cimpaye, spokesman of the coalition said. Burundi has been embroiled in political crisis which stemmed from civil society and political organisations opposition to President Nkrunzizas plan to run for a third mandate which he eventually won with a landslide victory in an election boycotted by major opposition parties. The crisis escalated into everyday face-to-face confrontations between security forces and organised youth and groups opposed to the regime. Hundreds of civilians have been killed since beginning for the crisis. Several leaders of the opposition have fled the country in a move to escape the regimes crackdown. In the face of the growing political and social unrest the continental organization; the African Union (AU) agreed to send peace keeping troops-the decision was quickly rejected by President Nkrunziza. Two IS militants confessed to Turkish security forces they received orders to bomb government buildings including the Turkish parliament and courthouses, reports say. Turkish Cumhuriyet daily quoting security sources indicated that the two IS militants known as Musa Canoz (28) and Adnan Yldrm (40) arrested on December 30, revealed that they were instructed by a leading IS figure in Syria to carry out suicide bombings in Ankara on government institutions among which the Parliament and course houses. The daily also reported that the two IS militants confessed they received 20 days of training in preparing bombs and explosives in the Syrian city of Raqqa; the seat of the terrorist groups headquarters. When we returned to Ankara we made our own suicide vests. Our main goal was to deal a deathly blow to the PKK [Kurdistan Workers Party]. However, we were later instructed to carry out attacks on governmental buildings. Then we began to question this order to bomb Ankara courthouses, Parliament and police stations and gave up on the plan. While looking for a place to dispose of the bombs and ammunition we were caught by the police, the suspects were reported as saying. According to reports anti-terrorism police had been on the tail of the two IS militants for three month before nabbing them at the end of last year. Polices raid on the two Jihadists was possible after the security forces succeeded in decoding a last message of a series communications between them and a third person known as Enes; said of Arab origin. Police also told the daily they had seized hand-made explosives and bomb-making equipment produced by the two militants. Another local daily pointed out early this year that the two men received orders from a certain Ebu Enes who turns out be a sheikh after police investigations. The daily also pointed out that the two would-be suicide bombers arrived in Turkey from Syria last year. Former Secretary General of ruling party Nidaa Tounes Mohsen Marzouk Tuesday announced the name of his new party and date of its press conference, reports say. The new party is according to Tunisian newspaper Tunisie Numerique called Path of reconstruction and will hold a conference on January 7 in a move to announce the date of its first meeting. The new party to be launched will encompass out-going lawmakers of Nidaa Tounes who back Marzouk who has criticized President Caid Essebsi for trying to impose family hegemony. Around 17 to 20 lawmakers are expected to join the new party. Reports quoting Marzouks faithful who spoke under anonymity conditions said that the Thursday conference which will see the participation of regional coordination leaders and representatives, will help the dissident group to unveil its political orientation and discuss Tunisias new political spectrum. The local media also points out that outcomes of the Thursday conference will be announced during a meeting in Tunis on Sunday January 10. Furthermore rumors relayed by media point out that the new party will be launched March 20. Marzouks party comes as former President Moncef Marzouki launched his new political party late December last year in response to the countrys chaotic situation caused by ruling Nidaa Touness incapacity to rule. Tunisian authorities have extended the state of emergency until February 21 as the threat of terrorism in the country remains high in the North African country. Following the beach terror attacks perpetrated last July in Sousse killing 38 foreign tourists, including 30 Britons, Tunisian president Beji Caid Essebsi declared a 30-day state of emergency. Five months later, another terrorist blast hit a bus packed with Tunisian presidential guards in the capital Tunis on Tuesday, killing at least 12 people, pushing president Essebsi to impose again a one-month state of emergency. The North African country, which has been targeted by the Islamic State group, is believed to be the biggest exporter of jihadists, with the authorities saying at least 3,000 of its nationals are fighting in Iraq and Syria. Since the Arab Spring uprising which led to the fall of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali regime in 2011, the North African nation which has seen an upsurge of Islamists which tried to grab power in polarized country. According to the UN Working Group on the use of mercenaries, the number of Tunisian militants joining the Islamic State in Syria & Iraq is one of the highest among the foreign jihadists adhering to the radical terror group. The factors pushing Tunisians to join the extremist group are as varied. Some are enticed by religious and political ideologies, while others are lured by financial gains, stressed the UN experts. According to some analysts, Tunisia needs foreign investment to fund its economic development projects, create jobs and stabilize the country challenged by Islamic militants. This is main reason which pushed the European Union to engage talks with Tunisia for a free trade agreement to boost the countrys battered economy and back up its democratic transition. Nuclear power plant component specialist Curtiss-Wright Corporation said Wednesday that it had been awarded contracts with a potential value of half a billion dollars, including incentives, by Harbin Electric Power Equipment Company Ltd. And Shenyang Blower Works Nuclear Pump Company for the delivery of sixteen reactor coolant pumps supporting AP1000 plant sites in China. Shipments of the pumps is not expected to begin until 2019, the company said. The pumps wil be designed for Generation III Plus commercial power plants. The base value of the contracts exceed $450 million. Curtiss-Wright has already established itself in the nuclear power market in China. Under a prior contract, signed in 2007, Curtiss-Wright is producing a total of sixteen reactor coolant pumps for two AP1000 plants currently under construction in the country that is leading the renaissance in nuclear power. The company has been contracted to supply pumps for the Sanmen Units 1 and 2 in Zhejiang Province and the Haiyang Units 1 and 2 in Shandong Province. In November, Curtiss-Wright shipped the first pair of reactor coolant pumps for Sanmen Unit 1, which is on schedule to become the world's first completed AP1000 nuclear power plant. Since then, the company has completed shipment of a second pair of reactor coolant pumps for the same reactor. The company said it expected that the remaining 12 RCPs for the original contract would be shipped in 2016. These critical plant components, produced by Curtiss-Wright's Electro-Mechanical Division (EMD) in Cheswick, Pa., are the largest canned motor pumps ever designed and manufactured by Curtiss-Wright, which is also well known as a prominent defense contractor. Along with reactor coolant pumps, EMD designs and manufactures ship service turbine motors, generators, secondary propulsion systems, valves, seals, control rod drive mechanisms and power conditioning electronics. The company has its eye on the domestic market, as well. Applications for 28 new reactors at 17 power plants have been submitted to the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission), half of which have selected the AP1000 design, Curtiss-Wright proclaims on its Web site. Internationally, the tally includes nearly 70 new reactors under construction in 13 countries, with approximately 160 planned and over 320 more proposed, according to the Web site. Walking into Columbia Care's pot dispensary in Union Square you're not met with a bong, rolling paper, or a certain smell you might expect when you hear the words marijuana and store together. Instead, New York's first medical marijuana dispensary looks like a high-end spaa pristine waiting area with a long green bench, informational posters on one wall, and a brick wall painted over in white are what greet you upon arrival. The dispensary itself is further inside, completely shielded from the public eye. As one of the country's largest manufacturers and providers of medical marijuana, patient care and comfort is top priority for Columbia Care, and only patients approved by the state and recommended by a physician can enter the facility. To enter, you must present a photo ID outside the dispensary. A camera located at the entrance provides staff members in the dispensary with visual confirmation, and patients can then pass through. The dispensary itself is past the lobby and the waiting area, and through a white door in the back. Here too, there's more of the same minimalist design - white counters and tables, wooden panelling in some sections and wooden stools, informational posters on the walls with tons of images of greenery, and potted plants in geometric vases, all of which has been designed by retail design firm, RPG. "The focus of every aspect of the design has been the patient's happiness and patient satisfaction," said Nicholas Vita, CEO of Columbia Care, who was on hand at the dispensary Wednesday prior to its official launch on Thursday morning. "When you think about the materials we usethe natural wood, the photographs of naturewe are really trying to establish that connection between this as an organic product that is grown in an artisanal fashion, and is extracted and turned into something that the patient can ingest and use as a substitute to very harsh pharmaceutical products." In this section of the dispensary, patients can consult with pharmacists on what type of treatment they prefer, talk about their ailments, and make their purchase. A room further inside the center offers privacy for patients who are uncomfortable talking about their condition in public. How it works: New York state prohibits the sale of medical marijuana in smokeable or edible forms, hence the only products available are in the form of tinctures, concentrates for vaporization, and orally ingestible capsules. The office in Union Square is the first of four medical marijuana dispensaries Columbia Care plans to open in the state of New York, with the others planned for Rochester, Plattsburgh, and Riverhead. Rochester is also where the marijuana is grown, as plants can't be grown on-site, but must still be produced within the state. The medical marijuana law in New York, known as the Compassionate Care Act, was passed in 2014, and gave out licenses to five companies that were selected through a competitive process, according to CNBC. Those five companies are each allowed to operate one manufacturing facility and four dispensaries in the state. Columbia Care is the first. And no, it has nothing to do with Columbia Universitythe name came about for two reasons. The company's first facility opened in Washington, D.C.; and, as Vita explains it, "this is thematic of what is old is new again," referring to the United States historically being referred to as Columbia. "We are using a product that has been around for thousands of years for medical purposes and bringing it out of the shadow and into the light." Columbia Care's dispensary is located at 212 East 14th Street. Patients can schedule appointments by visiting Columbia Care's website or by calling 1-800-764-8162 A look inside Manhattan's first medical marijuana dispensary [CNBC] Police officers survey the area in front of the main train station and the Cathedral in Cologne. Photo: Roberto Pfeil/AFP/Getty Images Its been six days since at least 100 women were attacked in the streets of Cologne, a city with about a million people in western Germany, during New Years Eve celebrations. The investigations are ongoing, but the uproar has reached a fever pitch. News of the attacks only started to spread this week, prompting many German politicians to accuse law enforcement or the media of trying to cover up the story because of its potential to influence the migrant debate. The attackers, many of them drunk, were described as North African or Arabic. There is no proof that the men came to Germany with the hundreds of thousands of migrants that arrived in the past year, but that caveat has had little bearing on peoples immediate fearful reaction to the attacks. Residents are especially worried given that the Cologne Carnival also known as the crazy days, an especially drunken and revelry-filled affair is only a month away. Around 1,000 men gathered in the streets outside the train station in Cologne on New Years Eve. Police are skeptical that all of the men were involved in the attacks, but know that smaller groups surrounded women and sexually assaulted or robbed them. At least one woman reported that she had been raped; another plainclothes policewoman also reported that she had been assaulted. Another ten women reported that they had been assaulted on New Years Eve in Hamburg. According to Deutsche Welle, police officers said they tried to clear the square in front of Colognes main train station after a crowd of some 1,000 men began throwing fireworks about. A picture taken on January 1, 2016, shows police arresting a man as people gather in front of the main railway station in Cologne. Photo: Markus Boehm/AFP/Getty Images The men surrounded us and started to grab our behinds and touch our crotches, one woman told CNN. They touched us everywhere. I wanted to take my friend and leave. I turned around and in that moment someone grabbed my bag But there were so many people around me that there was no control. There was no way out. There was no way to protect yourself. A British woman visiting Germany for the holiday told the BBC, They were trying to hug us, kiss us. One man stole my friends bag Ive been in scary and even life-threatening situations and Ive never experienced anything like that. An investigator told a local tabloid, The female victims were so badly pushed about, they had heavy bruises on their breasts and behinds. A police car drives past the train station of Cologne on January 5, 2016. Photo: Oliver Berg/AFP/Getty Images The AP reports that three suspects have been identified, but there have been no arrests yet; the police are currently investigating if a known crime ring in Dusseldorf could be linked to the attacks. There have been several incidents in Dusseldorf where attackers have robbed women after assaulting them in the past two years. The AP adds that since the start of 2014, officers there have identified more than 2,000 suspects of North African origin in connection with organized thefts, though he did not say how many. He declined to say whether there have been any arrests in those cases. Cologne mayor Henriette Reker was asked at a press conference how women could stay safe; she invited plenty of ridicule by advising that Theres always the possibility of keeping a certain distance of more than an arms length that is to say to make sure yourself you dont look to be too close to people who are not known to you, and to whom you dont have a trusting relationship. Many women lambasted the suggestion on Twitter. One said, I have short arms. Will that be a problem for me then in the worst case scenario? Reker won election last fall, shortly after being stabbed in the neck reportedly for her pro-refugee stance. Chancellor Angela Merkel released a statement, saying, Everything must be done to investigate as completely and quickly as possible those who are guilty and to punish them regardless of how they look, where they come from or what their background is. Many of her rivals responded by blaming Merkel and her policies toward refugees Germany has been far more welcoming to migrants than most of Europe, letting in more than a million last year for the violence. Frauke Petry, leader of the right-wing Alternative for Germany party, said, Here we see the appalling consequences of catastrophic asylum and migration policies on Germanys everyday reality. The likes have been rolling in on a Facebook comment that says, I could puke when I read this, and there are still so many deluded idiots who say Welcome refugees Close the borders now. For Gods sake, Merkel belongs on the scaffold. The remark was made, per The Guardian, on the page for PEGIDA, an anti-immigrant group. Police officers survey the area in front of the main train station and the Cathedral in Cologne. Photo: Roberto Pfeil/AFP/Getty Images Many officials in Germany worked fast to counter this frame. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said, That such a big number of people, apparently with migration background, appear to have committed these attacks represents a new dimension. But this mustnt lead to putting refugees who seek protection in our country under a general suspicion. Justice Minister Heiko Maas told France 24, Making an issue out of it, lumping it together with the refugee issue, is nothing but exploitation. Now is the time to determine the facts and then decide on the necessary consequences. A refugee tries to stand up after falling into the sea as Syrian and Iraqi refugees arrive in a raft on a beach on the Greek island of Lesbos, January 1, 2016. Photo: Giorgos Moutafis/Reuters/Corbis In 2015, a record number of migrants and refugees more than a million tried to travel to Europe to escape war or economic hardship. A new year has started, and fewer are braving the journey as temperatures have dropped. Many are still coming, however, and as unsafely as ever. On Tuesday, 34 migrants washed up on the coast in Turkey. At least seven of them were children. Twelve others were rescued, and authorities are still searching for survivors. More than 3,700 migrants died trying to reach Europe last year. This is a crime against humanity, said the governor of the district where the bodies were found. It is murder to send people out to sea like this. This weekend, a 2-year-old refugee died when a boat carrying 40 people crashed into a rock near Greece; he was the first recorded refugee casualty of the new year. The other 39 refugees were rescued, according to The Guardian. In Lesbos, life jackets abandoned by refugees have piled up; volunteers with Greenpeace and Doctors Without Borders recently turned 3,000 of them into a giant orange peace sign. The hard work of volunteers who helped us with this sign, and help 1000s across #Greece everyday is awe inspiring. pic.twitter.com/pCaToNzsKI MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) January 2, 2016 Meanwhile, Europe is still trying to figure out how to deal with the refugees that safely make it to its borders. Traffic jams have snarled Sweden after new identity checks were put into place last weekend. Anyone traveling from Germany or Denmark will now need to show their ID at the border. The new policy similar to ones in five other nearby countries had German foreign ministry spokesperson Martin Schaefer arguing that the Schengen [area] is very important but it is in danger. In the 26 countries that make up the Schengen area, you can travel among them without a passport, but worries about refugees and terrorism have complicated this policy. Anna Carlstedt, president of the Swedish Red Cross, told The Guardian that it is starting to smell like the 1930s. The Guardian added in a later article that EU countries have only resettled .17 percent of the refugees they promised to earlier in 2015. As the Los Angeles Times notes, The focus has now shifted to finding ways to discourage the migrants from embarking on the dangerous journey to Europe and to ensure that those who reach Europe are systematically registered and vetted. EU leaders promised in November to give Turkey more than $3.2 billion in return for help stemming the flow. But at their last summit of the year in December, the leaders failed to take action on another proposal, by the blocs executive arm, to set up a new border and coast guard service to bolster security at entry points. In other words, these policies wont be discouraging migrants from traveling north any time soon. The other long-term option for stemming the tide of refugees is giving them a reason to stay in Syria by expediting an end to the conflict there. Peace talks were supposed to resume later this month, but the feud between Saudi Arabia and Iran could muck them up considerably. One analyst told the AFP that the fight between the two countries will further diminish already low expectations. So that looks less than promising, too. Are there any other ways to help prevent dozens of refugees from dying at sea? Economists gathering at a conference in San Francisco this week said that there are no easy or obvious solutions and that what countries are haphazardly trying right now definitely wont work. Making life miserable for asylum applicants is not really going to do very much to stop them coming, professor Timothy J. Hatton at the University of Essex said, per The Wall Street Journal. Its not a deterrent, so lets put more effort into and resources into refugee welfare and to integration policies for those that are accepted. And, in fact, many countries have been doing that for the last 10, 15 years. Syrian refugee families arrive at their new homes on the Isle of Bute on December 4, 2015. Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images A bigger controversy over Germanys policy toward refugees is erupting after around 1,000 men attacked women in Cologne on New Years Eve. The assaults appeared to have been organized, and officers described the men as looking North African or Arabic. According to the New York Times, Chancellor Angela Merkel released a statement saying, Everything must be done to investigate as completely and quickly as possible those who are guilty and to punish them regardless of how they look, where they come from or what their background is. Many politicians who have been skeptical about Merkels policies toward migrants have criticized her even more after news of this incident started to spread. At least 90 women reported that they had been assaulted; one woman said she had been raped. It is not clear who the attackers were or if they entered Germany with the wave of refugees, but that hasnt stopped people in Germany from getting increasingly worried about how the country will treat refugees this year. Many politicians said that the media, law enforcement, or German leaders seemed to be trying to cover up the attacks. One prominent right-wing politician tweeted, Mrs Merkel, is Germany colorful and cosmopolitan enough for you after the wave of crimes and sexual attacks? Several countries are trying to integrate refugees successfully. (They are also dealing with far fewer refugees than most of Europe.) One family that arrived in Canada at the end of last year told the Windsor Star, Im so happy to be here. One of his children added, Everything is more beautiful here. As Mashable points out, nearly one in four of those million migrants that fled to Europe last year was just a kid. In British Columbia, officials are trying to figure out how theyll get the new refugee students many who cant speak English into schools. Canada intends to resettle 25,000 migrants in the upcoming months. Marketplace spoke to a few refugees now living in northern England. Some seemed optimistic about their new life I like the British people. Others were less enthused The weather here is horrible! The Financial Times recently reported on how hard it was for refugees to find a job in Germany, the country that was originally most welcoming to them. One local official noted that It was different in the 1960s, with the Turkish immigrants. We had a different kind of industry, and a lot of simple work on assembly lines. We dont have those jobs any more. The governor of Bavaria the entry point for many refugees trying to get to Germany said earlier this week that the country should welcome no more than 200,000 refugees this year, far fewer than the nearly million that arrived in 2015. In the U.S., opinions on the refugee crisis are as polarized as in much of Europe, despite the fact that 10,000 refugees is far less imposing than a million. A Quinnipiac University poll from last month showed that 51 percent of Americans support banning Syrian refugees from the U.S. In Georgia, Governor Nathan Deal withdrew his order barring Syrian refugees from the state this week after the state attorney general told him that he couldnt institute such a ban. However, some people are still being welcoming. The director of Catholic Charities in Hartford, Connecticut, told the Hartford Courant that Theres been overwhelming support recently from churches, mosques, individuals, people calling saying, We want to help with the Syrians. The presidential candidates continue to talk about the refugees, too, particularly Donald Trump. He told voters in Iowa last week that the stream of refugees arriving in the U.S. will never stop. And then one day we may have a small army in here. Or a big army in here. I mean its, like, genius. Its one of the greatest military strategies Ive ever heard of. It truly is. Its going to make the old Trojan horse, like, thats peanuts compared to what they did to our country. This post has been updated throughout. Siddhartha Dhar. Photo: Guy Corbishley / Demotix/Corbis On Monday, ISIS released a video rebooting its infamous Jihadi John character a British, balaclava-covered executioner who thirsts for the blood of infidels. The man who originally filled this role, Mohammed Emwazi, was likely killed by a U.S. drone strike in November. Authorities now believe that his replacement in the Islamic States newly released snuff film is Siddhartha Dhar a British citizen and former salesman of bouncy castles. According to the BBC, after Dhar stopped providing children with inflatable birthday palaces, he became one of Britains top Islamist propagandists. Dhar was awaiting trial on charges of encouraging terrorism when he fled to Syria in 2014. The new video also features a pint-sized jihadi, whom the British press have dubbed Jihadi Junior. The Guardian reports that the boy may be the four-year-old grandson of Henry Dare, a devout Christian and London resident. Dares daughter converted to Islam as a teenager and traveled to Syria to join the jihadist resistance in the countrys civil war. Kim Jong-un at a military parade in Pyongyang on October 10, 2015. Photo: Maye-E Wong/ Corbis. All Rights Reserved. North Korea says it successfully tested a hydrogen nuclear bomb, a development that, if true, represents a dramatic advance in its military capabilities. Previously, the nation has tested plutonium weapons in three underground nuclear tests, but hydrogen bombs are much more powerful. Around 10 a.m. local time on Wednesday, an earthquake was detected near North Koreas nuclear test site, sparking concern that the nation had conducted a fourth nuclear test. A short time later, a statement was read on North Korean state TV claiming that the nation detonated a miniaturized hydrogen nuclear bomb, and the test was a perfect success. If theres no invasion on our sovereignty we will not use nuclear weapon, the statement said. This H-bomb test brings us to a higher level of nuclear power. Statements from North Korea are notoriously untrustworthy last summer the nation claimed to have invented a vaccine for Ebola, HIV, and a number of cancers but obviously this is a concerning development. Heres what we know so far. Did North Korea actually test a hydrogen bomb? It seems highly likely that North Korea conducted some kind of nuclear test, but no one has independently verified that the weapon tested was in fact a hydrogen bomb or, as North Korea described it, an H-bomb of justice. And, experts are massively doubtful about the whole thing. Or, as White House spokesperson Josh Earnest put it on Wednesday afternoon, there is significant and understandable skepticism of the claims of the North Korean regime. The U.S. Geological Survey measured Wednesday mornings seismic activity, which took place northeast of Sungjibaegam, at a magnitude of 5.1, and South Korean experts said it appeared the quake was caused by a man-made explosion. A 4.9-magnitude earthquake was recorded near the same spot before North Korea confirmed its last nuclear test in 2013. #NEWSGRAPHIC Map locating a quake in North Korea near its nuclear test site pic.twitter.com/q4WgE0v0H8 Agence France-Presse (@AFP) January 6, 2016 People were evacuated from buildings after tremors from the explosion were felt in the Chinese border town of Yanji: Picture shows students evacuated in Yanji near China-#DPRK border after Pyongyang's H-bomb test pic.twitter.com/kmSGvV5MJ9 CCTVNEWS (@cctvnews) January 6, 2016 Recent satellite photos analyzed by 38 North, a Washington research institute that follows North Koreas nuclear activity, showed evidence that the nation has been digging a new tunnel at its nuclear test site. Jeffrey Lewis, a nuclear expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California, said last month that the tunnel made it more likely that they will conduct a test in the coming year. But he told the Washington Post that Wednesdays blast wasnt drastically bigger than in previous tests, suggesting it wasnt a hydrogen bomb. The South Korean defense ministry said it cant confirm what kind of event occurred, and a senior U.S. administration official told CNN that it may take days to obtain scientific data that can determine whether the test was successful. South Korean lawmaker Lee Cheol Woo told the AP that he was told that the seismic wave caused by the test was small enough that people were skeptical that it could have been caused by even a failed hydrogen-bomb test. For what its worth, heres the announcement that aired on North Korean TV: Why is this different from North Koreas previous weapons tests? In the past, North Korea has only tested bombs that use fission to break the atomic nucleus of elements like plutonium, releasing large amounts of energy. A thermonuclear bomb uses fusion to combine small atoms, such as hydrogen, creating a much larger blast. A fission weapon typically yields around ten kilotons, while a fusion weapon is measured in megatons (1,000 kilotons). If North Korea has a true hydrogen weapon, it would be hundreds of times more powerful than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. North Koreas development of a hydrogen bomb is also concerning because fusion weapons are much harder to make. Some experts believe Pyongyang may already have 10 to 15 atomic weapons, but the bombs are rudimentary. In May, it claimed to have developed miniaturized nuclear weapons, which could be delivered via missile, but many were skeptical. As the Associated Press notes, a successful test of a hydrogen bomb would mean that North Korean engineers are much closer to their stated goal of creating a stockpile of nuclear-tipped missiles that can reach the U.S. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un claimed last month that his scientists were developing a hydrogen weapon, but Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the nonprofit Rand Corp., suggests that he may only have boosted weapons. As Bennett explains in a CNN opinion piece, thats a far more plausible possibility, considering that North Korea only conducted its first nuclear test in 2006: En route to the development of fusion weapons, some countries develop so-called boosted weapons, which use a small amount of fusion to boost the fission process, causing more large atoms to fission and thus releasing more energy initially, perhaps a weapon of 50 kilotons or so. Because some fusion is involved in such a weapon, Kim may be claiming that he has achieved a hydrogen bomb when in practice he only has a boosted weapon. What difference would a boosted nuclear weapon make? If North Korea really has a boosted nuclear weapon of perhaps 50 kilotons, it could do significant damage in a city as densely populated as Seoul, South Korea: About 250,000 people could be killed in such a strike, or about 2.5% of the population. This would mark a genuine advance in the level of damage that North Korea is capable of doing. And if North Korea one day produces a true hydrogen bomb of, say, one megaton yield, then it would be deadlier still. Bennett added to the BBC, The bang they should have gotten would have been 10 times greater than what theyre claiming. So Kim Jong-un is either lying, saying they did a hydrogen test when they didnt, they just used a little bit more efficient fission weapon or the hydrogen part of the test really didnt work very well or the fission part didnt work very well. How are other nations responding? The South Korean government convened an emergency meeting of its National Security Council. This is a grave provocation to our security, threatening the survival and future of our nation and further directly challenging peace and stability in the world, said South Korean president Park Geun-hye. The government in close cooperation with the international community should have North Korea pay a price without fail for the latest nuclear test. Regardless of whether North Korea tested an H-bomb or conducted a smaller nuclear test, the world is very mad at Kim Jong-un. Several other nearby nations held emergency meetings as well, and Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe issued a statement condemning the test. The nuclear test that was carried out by North Korea is a serious threat to the safety of our nation and we absolutely cannot tolerate this, he said. This clearly violates U.N. Security Council resolutions and is a grave challenge against international efforts for non-proliferation. Although China is an ally, they were also not impressed by North Koreas bragging and were not warned about the test in advance. A spokesperson at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs told reporters, China is strongly against this act. North Koreas only friend is probably getting pretty incensed at this point. As The Guardian points out, Kim has refused to rejoin the Chinese-led six-party nuclear talks. In September, he snubbed President Xi Jinpings invitation to attend celebrations marking the end of the second world war. The New York Times adds that it was never surprising that North Korea was far less interested in taking part in international nuclear agreements than Iran: From Pyongyangs viewpoint, there is little incentive to give up the nuclear arsenal. The world is not exactly banging on North Koreas door to do business the way it wants to resume relations with Iran: The North has no oil, no striving middle class, and little strategic value in the modern world. Its greatest power is the threat it poses to one of the most prosperous corners of the globe. One analyst at the New Zealand Contemporary China Research Centre at the Victoria University of Wellington told the Washington Post, In a way, this is a protest against Beijing. They are saying: we can do whatever we want. This shows our independence and we dont need your approval. Russia wants everyone to chill out for a minute, in case North Korea didnt actually test a hydrogen bomb. The foreign ministry called on all interested sides to preserve maximum restraint and to not take actions that could rouse the uncontrolled growth of tensions in Northeast Asia, per the AP. The United Nations Security Council said it would meet on Wednesday, at the request of Japan and the United States. The 15-nation council put North Korea under sanctions after its first nuclear test, and if a fourth nuclear test is confirmed its likely the penalties will be increased. The White House National Security Council released this statement: We are aware of seismic activity on the Korean Peninsula & have seen claims of a nuclear test. Statement: pic.twitter.com/WvyFkpJcZo WH National Security (@NSCPress) January 6, 2016 State Department spokesperson John Kirby added, according to the Washington Post, We have consistently made clear that we will not accept it as a nuclear state. We will continue to protect and defend our allies in the region, including [South] Korea, and will respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations. Marco Rubio was the first GOP presidential candidate to weigh in, offering this predictable assessment: who has been expanding his nuclear arsenal while President Obama has stood idly by. (2/5) Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 6, 2016 If this test is confirmed, it will be just the latest example of the failed Obama-Clinton foreign policy. (3/5) Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 6, 2016 Senator Ted Cruz also blamed Obama and Hillary Clinton for the nuclear test, and then drew his own conclusions for what this all meant for Iran. We saw last night the consequences of this deal if it is allowed to go forward, he said, according to the Washington Post. [Irans] nuclear test may not be underground, measured by an earthquake. It may be above the skies of Tel Aviv, or New York, or Los Angeles. Donald Trump later added that North Korea was a problem that China should deal with. He also offered his analysis of Kim Jong-un, calling him a madman. And nobody talks to him, other than of course Dennis Rodman. Thats about it. Hillary Clinton responded to the incident by drawing eyes back to her resume. As secretary, I championed the United States pivot to the Asia Pacific including shifting additional military assets to the theater in part to confront threats like North Korea and to support our allies, she said in a statement. Why would North Korea conduct a test now? Sussing out Kims motives is nearly impossible, but we do have some clues about the timing. Friday is the leaders 33rd birthday, and new nuclear capabilities are the perfect gift for a dictator. Its also possible that Kim wants a major accomplishment to brag about in May, when the Korean Workers Party holds its first Communist Party congress in 36 years. Phil Robertson at Human Rights Watch thought these were lousy reasons to conduct a test.Kim Jong-un may think it appropriate to celebrate his birthday early with a nuclear test, but even a hydrogen bomb should not cause the world to forget that the Kim familys hereditary dictatorship is built on the systematic brutalization and abuse of the North Korean people, he said in a statement. Kim may also be anxious about North Koreas shaky ties to China, its last major ally, though the move is likely to worsen their relationship even further. Spokesperson Hua Chunying said China firmly opposes the purported hydrogen-bomb test, adding, North Korea should stop taking any actions which would worsen the situation on the Korean peninsula. North Korea offered a poetic explanation for its latest act of defiance. The televised statement said that for North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program while the U.S. continues its hostile policy would be as foolish as for a hunter to lay down his rifle while a ferocious wolf is charging at him. According to Shanghaiist, the state media agency, KCNA, added that any nuclear weapons tested were self-defense against the US having numerous and humongous nuclear weapons. KCNA also noted that The U.S. is a gang of cruel robbers which has worked hard to bring even a nuclear disaster to the DPRK, not content with having imposed the thrice-cursed and unheard-of political isolation, economic blockade and military pressure on it for the mere reason that it has differing ideology and social system and refuses to yield to the formers ambition for aggression. The L.A. Times talked to Bonnie Glaser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, who recalled one official saying that U.S. bargaining in the past had taught Pyongyang that it was OK to pee on the rug and what was necessary now was to not get hysterical every time they engage in bad behavior by going back with a fresh package of proposals. Regardless of what the next year brings does the U.S. try to talk it out with Kim? it seems clear that North Korea has invited the world to invent new ways to sanction it, which will give the country plenty more reasons to hate the rest of the world. This post has been updated throughout. Photo: fau.edu Dr. James Tracy, a communications professor at Florida Atlantic University who believes the Sandy Hook massacre to be a hoax propagated by the federal government, was fired from his teaching position after he harassed parents of Sandy Hook victims and accused them of being government agents, reports the Washington Post. According to the universitys vague press release, Tracy was issued a notice of termination yesterday, which followed up the notice of proposed termination he was sent on December 16. Hes fired as of this coming Friday. A major factor in Tracys firing was an op-ed in the Sun Sentinel by Lenny and Veronique Pozner, whose 6-year-old son, Noah, was shot and killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012. The couple wrote that Tracy sent them a certified letter demanding proof that Noah had lived, and that when they refused to respond, he blasted them on his blog and accused them of accepting government payoffs to feign grief. In an angry Facebook post, Tracy wrote that the Pozners op-ed was an attempt to intimidate his employer into firing him because of the extensive research hed done on the Sandy Hook shooting. The Pozners, alas, are as phony as the drill itself, and profiting handsomely from the fake death of their son, he wrote. Camille Cosby. Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images Among the many things that lawyers are tussling over in the various legal cases involving comedian Bill Cosby is the question of whether his wife of 51 years, Camille, will be compelled this week to testify about her knowledge of his criminal and sexual history in a Springfield, Massachusetts, court. Camille has been ordered to take the stand in a defamation case being brought against Bill by seven women he has accused of lying, after they accused him of sexually assaulting them. It is not the first time that Camille has been asked to publicly react to stories about her husbands extramarital sexual behavior. For 20 years, since tales of his dalliances which reportedly commenced soon after their marriage did began appearing in the tabloids, Camille has been called upon to comment. And she has, perhaps at greatest length to Oprah Winfrey, in a 2000 interview in which she said that her husband had told her about being unfaithful back in the 70s. She told Winfrey that the revelations of his affairs had proved embarrassing in terms of it being an invasion of our private lives. But, she said in another interview at the time, all old personal negative issues between Bill and me were resolved years ago We are a united couple. In more recent years, as stories of not just infidelity but rape and assault have begun to pile up at first to little notice, and then suddenly in numbers almost too large to comprehend Camilles position has become more fraught. She was next to him on-camera, nodding silently, in 2014 as he lectured an AP reporter on integrity after the reporter asked him about assault claims. In December of that year, Camille made a statement, reminding the public that I met my husband, Bill Cosby, in 1963, and we were married in 1964 and assuring them that the man I met, and fell in love with, and whom I continue to love, is the man you all knew through his work He is a kind man, a generous man, a funny man, and a wonderful husband, father, and friend. He is the man you thought you knew. It is telling that Camille kicked off that defense of her husband with a reminder of the years in which they met and married. Because the plight of Camille Cosby speaks volumes about the speed of social change that has taken place during the half-century bridged by her marriage. Here is some of what has changed: our understanding of rape, consent, and the unequal sexual power dynamics between men and women. For decades, one of the most famous men in America managed to keep the alleged serial assault of dozens of women secret; today, he is facing criminal charges. Our ability to question male authority and the way that it has long worked to silence women has sharpened; dozens of women who report that they spent decades blaming themselves and feeling shame and fear after their encounters with Bill Cosby now feel free enough to tell their stories. Yet the woman who is being asked to offer testimony and render judgment on those stories is one whose marriage began in a wholly different era, one in which the dependency relationship between men and women very often left wives at social, economic, familial, and certainly public disadvantage. As recently as a few decades ago, marriage was built on expectations that women give up some part of themselves their educations, their own professional aims, their choice of where to settle, their names in order to form legal alliances with men on whom they would then, necessarily, become dependent. Husbands were the centers and wives were supposed to work around them, in reaction to them: to tame them, domesticate them, prop them up, offer them emotional support, raise their families, clean their houses, often to provide them free ideas for which the men might receive paychecks. It was a pretty raw deal. And perhaps cruelest of all the inequities of traditionally unequal marriage was that while the successes of the husband, no matter how enabled by the labor and sacrifice or intellectual contributions of the wife, never really accrued directly to the wife, the failures of the husband, especially and damnably those failures that took place outside the purview of the marriage, somehow redounded more seriously to her. Camille has said she felt shame about having her private life exposed, surely in part because assumptions about straying men always include the suspicion that unappealing or unavailable wives are somehow to blame. Now, Camille is subject to further criticism: for not believing the women who made the accusations, for not condemning Bill soon enough, for not having guessed the truth about him. Wives are supposed to adhere loyally to their mates, through good times and bad, until those mates do something bad enough, at which point they are expected to judge them swiftly and with clear eyes. This week, a family friend leaked to tabloid newspapers a story claiming that Camille has turned; that she is remaining married to Bill so that she can avoid testifying against him, but that she believed he deserves the hell he is going through. That story has not been officially corroborated. Nonetheless, it satisfied what the public has long been clamoring for: the wife at last reckoning publicly with what her husband has done. *** Camille Hanks, whose upper-middle-class parents both had college degrees, was a student at the University of Maryland planning on a teaching career when she met Bill Cosby, who was seven years her senior. It was the early 60s, the peak of the postwar American rush to the altar; around half of brides were younger than 20, and 60 percent of female college students were dropping out, many of them to marry. The suffocating expectations of early marriage and domestic servility especially for middle-class white women, but also for many middle-class black women were so intense that they helped make Betty Friedans The Feminine Mystique a best seller in the same year that Camille met Bill. She left college at 19 to marry him, and they soon moved to Hollywood, a town she loathed, where his career would take off. Though she would return to school decades later, earning a masters and a Ph.D. in the early 90s, in those early years she was more or less subsidiary to her husband. As Camille told Oprah in 2000, I always said, My husband is the public person. He is the one who has something to say. I never felt I had anything to contribute, something that people would want to hear. Camille raised five children in the years it would later be revealed that her husband was carousing at the Playboy Mansion, having affairs, and, according to his accusers, beginning his pattern of drugging women and having sexual encounters with them without their consent. Camille has said she knew about her husbands infidelities, and it has been reported that a marital reckoning led to the familys move from Los Angeles to Massachusetts though Bill continued to work on the West Coast. It was clearly important to both of them to maintain the marriage. It probably also matters that the Cosbys marriage began just a year before the publication of Daniel Patrick Moynihans The Negro Family: The Case for National Action, a report that placed the blame for the deterioration of the Negro family squarely on the dissolution of marriages that left many women the heads of their families, a matriarchal configuration Moynihan claimed resulted from a tangle of pathology. In 1965, Cosby had become the first black man ever to star in a prime-time television show; he was conscious enough of his non-dissolved, traditional nuclear family that he made it the foundation of his public persona, his comedy act, and eventually of his blockbuster sitcom. The work that Camille was doing the having and raising of children, the staying married to a man she knew had been unfaithful to her was at the heart of her husbands success. She was also rumored to have creative input, to have suggested, for example, that The Cosby Show be about a middle-class, rather than a working-class, family. But she was getting only subsidiary credit: He talked about her warmly, made her the tough-love mom/wife punch line. But she wasnt dancing in a sweater in the opening credits; she wasnt spending her evenings at the Playboy Mansion; she wasnt on the covers of magazines. Camille would become Bills business manager; in later years she has helped to guide his philanthropic contributions; she produced a Broadway play and published a couple of books. Interestingly, as Bill became a respectability-politics scold and denier of systemic racism informing black audiences its not what [the white man]s doing to you; its what youre not doing Camille spoke and wrote eloquently about the racism behind the murder of her son Ennis on a Los Angeles freeway, penning a USA Today column called America Taught My Sons Killer to Hate Blacks. Now, after decades of Camille getting footnoted, fundamentally unserious credit for her role in her husbands accomplishments, it is time for her to answer for his crimes. Never mind that when a wifes whole world is built around her husbands, taking a part in bringing him down, deciding to believe that he is a criminal and a liar, means dismantling the wifes world as well. Camille, who has never had a full public identity of her own, who has always lived in the educational and economic and social shadow of her husband, is now being asked to offer testimony (literal and figurative) on whether that man and the career and reputation around which she has woven her life and with whom she had a family is a criminal, whether the version of morality he has sold America for decades was all built on a violent, vile set of lies. It feels very unjust. But for wives, answering for a husbands misdeeds has long been part of the bargain. *** Which I guess brings us to Hillary Clinton, who in the past few weeks has again drawn the giddy attentions of those on both the right and the left whove been dying to dredge up tales of her husbands sexual past in the context of her presidential campaign, but have not found a legitimate excuse to do so until now. Thank you, Donald Trump. Though Trump and some overeager pundits have drawn direct comparisons between Bill Clinton and Bill Cosby, Im not suggesting an equivalency between the former presidents misdeeds alleged and admitted and those of Bill Cosby. My comparison between the Clintons and the Cosbys in this context is instead about how the length of some public marriages means that they must comprise and account for dramatic shifts in cultural assumptions about gender, sex, and power. What Hillarys critics are trying to claim is that her role as a feminist history maker, or as a feminist advocate on behalf of reproductive rights or paid leave or higher minimum wage or improved access for women and girls to education and economic opportunity around the world, is badly compromised by the fact that she supported her husband not only after his sexual relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, but also after allegations that he exposed himself to Paula Jones in 1991, that he groped Kathleen Willey against her will in 1993, and that he raped Juanita Broaddrick in 1978. Regardless of whether you believe these claims against Bill to be spurious or plausible, what is clear is that his wife is being called on to answer for them, or more precisely, that she is being called on to answer for her role as his wife. Though Hillary Rodham married Bill Clinton 11 years after Camille Hanks married Bill Cosby, and after having earned her own law degree, the terms of her marriage were also shaped in their own way by a presumption of a husbands centrality and a wifes subsidiary nature. Hillary deferred her professional ambitions to move to Arkansas so that her husband might pursue his professional ambitions. Her desire to keep her own name was thwarted when her remaining a Rodham was blamed for his reelection loss in 1980; she became a Clinton. As First Lady, she would write, she was forced into what by definition, [is] a derivative position. Hillary has spent decades maneuvering her career and her family not only around her husbands career, but around his personal peccadilloes; she has been called to comment again and again on his extramarital affairs; she has been blamed for them (see the T-shirt Hillary 2016: Even Bill Doesnt Want Her); she has blamed herself for them (She thinks she was not smart enough; not sensitive enough, not free enough of her own concerns and struggles to pay enough attention to the stresses her husband was under, Hillarys late friend Diane Blair reported in her journal about her conversations with Hillary about Bills affair with Lewinsky); she has been mocked for claiming that she wouldnt stand by her man like Tammy Wynette, then criticized for standing by her man in the wake of his impeachment, then regularly reminded that doing so was what enabled her to finally embark on her own political career (The reason shes a U.S. senator, the reason shes a candidate for president, the reason she may be a front-runner is her husband messed around, said MSNBCs Chris Matthews in 2008). Though Bills career took precedence over hers, Hillary was given a kind of distaff credit: as his rock, as the brains, as the tough one. She was very strong, and he needed her desperately, the Clintons former associate Bernard Nussbaum recently told the New York Times. He would not have been president, I dont think, without her. So her strength enabled his presidency, but now that she might be president herself, his weakness could imperil her chances. Like the Cosbys, the Clintons marriage continues in a world that is different from the one in which it began. The contemporary feminist respect and attention accorded to women who make claims of sexual mistreatment respect and attention that, ironically enough, Hillary attempted to express when she said that sexual-assault victims have the right to be believed permits a reexamination of the allegations that have been made against her husband. But the position she is being put in is emblematic of the double binds placed on wives in all kinds of circumstances. Husbands act; wives react to them. Husbands behave poorly; people look to wives for explanations of why. Wives pay prices for goods they never bought; they do time in publicity hell for actions they never took; they receive judgments for crimes they did not commit. They are offered impossible choices: Do they condemn their partners and thereby destroy the legacies and legitimacy they have helped to build, and if they do not, do they become culpable in those partners misdeeds? Michelle Goldberg wrote last week in Slate that it would be a profound sexist irony if these accusations, having failed to derail Bill Clintons political career, came back to haunt his wife. Its true and horrible. Although it might not be ironic so much as symptomatic of exactly the dynamics that have placed men at the center of marriages, of power, of politics for the whole of this countrys history, while wives have been kept at the margins. Until, that is, they are called to answer for their husbands. by wj But so soon? It appears that Senator Cruz' campaign is gaining enough ground to worry Mr Trump. How do we tell? Because Trump has come out saying that "the party might face a legal headache if it nominates Cruz." Specifically, "Republicans are going to have to ask themselves the question: Do we want a candidate who could be tied up in court for two years?" while the courts make a decision on the subject. It's no secret that Cruz is a US citizen who happens to have been born in Canada. He's a citizen by birth because his parents were US citizens. Just as Senator McCain is a citizen, even though he was born in Panama. (And just as Obama would be a US citizen by birth, no matter where he was born.) But apparently Trump is concerned enough that Cruz might cut into his support that he felt it worthwhile to return to a favorite theme. For those who have argued that the whole carrying on around Obama had nothing to do with his race, consider: last month Trunmp was in Iowa saying "not too many evangelicals come out of Cuba." Sounds as if Cruz, like Obama, just isn't white enough for him -- or at least Trump thinks a lot of his supporters will feel that way. lol aw Reply Parent Thread Link has anyone been able to ID the shirt? i'm curious what the full text says lmfao Reply Thread Link well yeah but it looks like there's more text under that Reply Parent Thread Link pretty sure it's just this http://www.outofprintclothing.com/products/atlas-shrugged-mens-tee Reply Parent Thread Expand Link ....k this shoot tho Reply Thread Link His father infused him with a strong individualist (read: objectivist) outlook which allowed him to navigate the difficulties of being an actor in Hollywood. Sounds potentially Rand-ian, but meh. Reply Thread Link lmao tumblr/twitter tried it I LOVE IT. Reply Thread Link lol maybe they should stop propping up random celebs as these flawless beings and then have a massive overreaction when they aren't 100% perfect Reply Thread Link this is so minor in comparison to some of the dumb shit my good friends have said. sometimes I wonder if these tumblr regulars have irl friends, and if so, what kind of crazy standards they hold them to. you can't just write off everyone who disagrees with you! Reply Parent Thread Expand Link there's having a different opinion from someone else and then there's being a libertarian. call it crazy, but I'd never be friends with a libertarian. don't trust em! Reply Parent Thread Expand Link i'm guessing they have friends who are mature enough to acknowledge and take responsibility for the stupid shit they say, just like they themselves do. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link they dont. they dont ever leave their house either. Reply Parent Thread Link i don't think it's weird to hold celebrities to different standards than people you know in real life. i think it would be weird to do the opposite, actually. you don't know anything about a celebrity but what they put out there. with a friend or family, you have actual history and knowledge of how they think, where they come from etc., so it's easier to make excuses Reply Parent Thread Link MTE. I've seen that picture a dozen times on there and no one had anything to say about it until two days ago... Reply Parent Thread Link Sounds a lot like ONTD, tho. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link same with here Reply Parent Thread Expand Link mte. quit putting these dang celebs on a pedestal Reply Parent Thread Link lmao mte, tumblr is just setting itself up for disappointment. Reply Parent Thread Link Pretty much. Reply Parent Thread Link yep, i love him and even i thought this was waaaay overdramatic lmao Reply Parent Thread Link Not a lot of people is serious about it tho, it's just another excuse to drag celebs and troll their stans, I think it's fun. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link droids would never let us down imo!! Reply Parent Thread Link you think they'd learn sis Reply Parent Thread Link bc they never call people out irl, they use the internet to feel mighty about it Reply Parent Thread Link Or just enjoy them for their bodies Reply Parent Thread Link ikr? no wonder everyone on tumblr is single lol Reply Parent Thread Link Ikr Reply Parent Thread Link I feel like this isn't just applicable to Tumblr because tbh this could go for ONTD and other places as well. Same goes for people bringing up every single negative thing someone has done so they can be ~righteous~ in their dislike of them. I've said and done shitty things before and I've learned and changed my points of view over the years and I would hate for people to be like "Yeah, but you said [thing] once upon a time, so sorry, you're shit forever." No one is literally perfect or 100% informed/awesome on every subject, unfortunately. Reply Parent Thread Link lmao @ this being called a "controversy" him + john were the best part of star wars. i wanted to love daisy but i found out she's posh smh Reply Thread Link I kinda hate her accent, ideky Reply Parent Thread Link she sounds exactly like keira knightley to me lol Reply Parent Thread Link She's posh? I thought she comes from a working class family. Didn't she used to be a waitress before she got the Star Wars gig? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Oh no, she is? :(((( I'm going to pretend I didn't read that though and go on adoring her until I get some receipts. She's just so precious. Reply Parent Thread Link what's wrong w/ posh ppl just wondering, does it mean like rich snob? Reply Parent Thread Link wasn't she a bartender before she was cast in TFA? Reply Parent Thread Link So what? Reply Parent Thread Link aren't most brit actors from posh backgrounds cause they generally go to performing art schools, no? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link but like, as an actual person and human being without a socio-economic label she's super sweet and nice so you can still like her. I get your point and IA wholeheartedly but it's not on Daisy to wilfully step away from a career-making role so these problems can be solved. Would be nice if she spoke about the inequality and class divide within the Brit performing scene though. Reply Parent Thread Link I'm glad we've moved onto the Problematic Fave part of Oscar stanning. I'm sad though because now this means people will pretend I have to pretend looking at Sebastian Stan or a Marvel Chris is acceptable again which... no. Reply Thread Link lol I love the stages of the male stanning. I don't find him attractive (same with forehead stan and chris w/e) but I just love watching everyone thirst and make funny gifs. Keep doing you everyone Reply Parent Thread Link Haha, I have liked Oscar Isaac since Inside Llewyn Davis and was okay with him exploding but not being elevated to Perfect Icon status so this Controversy (TM) is great. Reply Parent Thread Link I don't pay close enough attention to Marvel. I know about Chris saying problematic things, but I missed or forgot any Sebastian Stan controversy? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Ok but for real who was actually paying attention to the shirt? It's such a normal picture and yet he looks SO GOOD MMM. Reply Thread Link lmao seriously, people need to go outdoors and calm down Reply Parent Thread Link I need to see his voting record. Reply Thread Link I've heard of Atlas Shrugged but I really don't know what it's about. So could someone explain why its "problematic"? Reply Thread Link lmfao, perfect and accurate. Reply Parent Thread Link lol this was perfect Reply Parent Thread Link this was really helpful actually lol Reply Parent Thread Link Heart Eyes MF (no comment on the shirt) Reply Thread Link lol ok! Reply Parent Thread Link Same idc Reply Parent Thread Link same Reply Parent Thread Link ALL FAVES MUST FAAAAAAAAAAALL Reply Thread Link More like fame logic; build them up to tear them down. Reply Parent Thread Link lol its a fucking shirt, its not a "ayn rand for president" endorsement. Reply Thread Link Wait, you mean him wearing some dumb shirt that he may or may not have agreed with/read/endorsed the message of the book behind the book cover print 5 years ago is NOT an official endorsement?! Gasp! Reply Parent Thread Link Well he liked the book enough to wear the shirt. Personally I thought the book was so repugnant that I barely wanted to finish it... Obviously there are some ideas in her writing he* agrees with. Edited at 2016-01-06 02:02 am (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link or he could be wearing it ironically? you know how much shit I retweet on my twitter that I blatantly disagree with because im doing it ironically? I also own a mccain/palin campaign shirt my best friend got me as a joke one year for christmas BTW. and besides that, I read The Fountainhead and I liked it - I DONT like the message, I HATED the characters, and think Ayn Rand as a person is a plugged asshole. That being said, I liked the book because it made me feel, it made me think, and it made me decide things I never really thought to much about simply because I hated what was in the book so much I was like "YEP I dont agree with this shit". also, I do like architecture so I liked that part at least. but jesus, people feel so strongly about hating Ayn Rand nobody can wear a shirt ironically, or even like *parts* of her books for decent reasons without being jumped all over for "stanning ayn rand" or some stupid bullshit like that. Edited at 2016-01-06 02:28 am (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link lolll yeah Reply Parent Thread Link MTE what is the fucking big deal? jesus, i remember when people weren't so pc about EVERYTHING Reply Parent Thread Link The Islamic State appears to be trying to add Libyan oil to its source of funding, now that its control of energy outlets in Iraq and Syria are no longer uncontested. Attackers set fire on Monday to a crude oil storage tank linked to the Ras Lanuf oil facility, and car bombs were detonated at the entry to the oil port of Es Sider, according to a spokesman for the countrys National Oil Co. Both targets are key oil ports on the coast of Libyas Bay of Sidra, about 400 miles east of the country's historic capital, Tripoli. The spokesman said he could not identify those responsible for the attacks, but two other people, identified by The Wall Street Journal only as Libyan officials, blamed fighters of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, ISIL and Daesh. The group has a strong presence in the two cities. Related: Middle East Tension Wont Rescue Oil Prices The reason for the attacks appears clear. The Islamic State has been financing its operations in large part by seizing oil production centers in Iraq and Syria, but the effort has been undermined by repeated air attacks from U.S.-led coalition in the region. IS now appears to be turning to Libya as a fresh source of funds. Ras Lanuf and Es Sider are good places to start. Together the ports have a capacity to ship nearly half of the more than 1.6 million barrels a day that, in peacetime, Libya is capable of producing, though they have been shut down for more than a year. Libyas output now is less than one-fourth of that amount. The country has been torn by civil war since its former leader, Col. Muammar Gadhafi, was toppled and killed in 2011. Two governments one based in Tripoli and the other in Bayda in the east and are vying to control the country and its huge oil reserves. Related: Panic In Chinese Markets Has Commodity Traders On Edge Recently, however, they signed a power-sharing agreement, brokered by Morocco, that would set up a unity government by mid-January. But its not clear whether the two sides will cooperate and, even if they do, they can restore Libyas oil production to the levels before Gadhafis death. Meanwhile, the West reportedly plans a major offensive in Libya to defeat IS, or at least to deprive it of oil financing. Britains Daily Mirror reports that units of the Special Air Service (SAS), the kingdoms special military force, have been sent to Libya to prepare for the arrival of about 6,000 Western soldiers and marines, including from Britain, France and the United States and led by Italy. The Western offensive is expected to begin within the next several weeks, the newspaper reported Sunday. Related: Saudi-Iran Dispute Wont Cause Lasting Oil Price Rally The Mirror said IS chief goal is Libyas Marsa al Brega oil refinery, also on the Gulf of Sidra, about 50 miles east of Ras Lanuf and the largest such facility in North Africa. This would give the militants control of most of the countrys oil wealth. The article said SAS forces are advising Libyan commanders on battlefield tactics, and are gathering intelligence on the military situation in the country to Britains chief of joint operations, Lt. Gen. John Lorimer, so he can decide whether to request the presence of more warplanes of the Royal Air Force (RAF) in nearby Cyprus, which serves as an RAF base for the kingdoms operations in Iraq and Syria. By Andy Tully of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Imagine yourself walking into a meeting room where two international "leaders of genocide" are sitting? Worse than walking into Adolf Hitler's final World War II bunker. Kim Jong-un and Bashar al_Assd. They're evil dictators and poisonous governmental bookends at the table. Both of them are over their heads in perpetrating cruelty to their own citizen human beings and have past the point of no return. Even scarier than their evil ambitions to eliminate political opposition and maintain power are how they also differ. Kim Jong-un is now the keeper of an atomic bomb or, even a more sinister hydrogen or "H" bomb. On the other hand, Bashar al-Assad must look to Russia for a holocaust causing nuclear weapons. In my opinion, both of these evil driven ambitious power hungry men with sinister ambitions are desperate because they know how fragile their control is. About the time the only way to maintain political power is by causing death, destruction and genocide, then there's justs no remorse in killing more people, over time, in ther vain efforts to create leadership by ruling others with fear. Obviously, China has propped up North Korea as a buffer zone against the US allied governments in South Korea and in Japan. In Syria, Russian President Putin holds the puppet strings over the Assad genocide machine, because, in part, it's retaliation for Europe tanking the Russian economy. Nevertheless, the two evil world dictators and holocaust bookends are dangerous human belings. As such, they're also mortal men. Meanwhile, until their inevitable mortality occurs, the world is increasingly torn apart by the state sponsored terrorism each is fueling, because neither will participate in international negotiations to improve the humanitarian crises of which they are the root causes. Obviously, the salient question is how can the world survive these two and their evil intentions? It may seem counter-intuitive and politically unpopular, but one way to combat evil is by causing stronger isolalation via economic sanctions and even preventing humanitarian assistance to many victims of these holocausts. Tragically, the response of greater armament only causes an equal and opposite retaliation; but neither dictator can continue to survive the economic collapses of their entire nations. Russia can't prop Assad up forever and Kim Jong-un can't continue to look fat while even his army looks like they're starving from lack of sustenance. Moreover, Kim Jong-un can't buy nuclear technology without money or food to feed the people who provide the expertise. Nor will he be able to buy medicine when he inevitably gets sick or mortally ill. Unfortunately, the routes of economic sanctions and isolation haven't been enormously evident in the past. Nevertheless, we really can't measure how much worse off the world would be if these measures weren't tried in other situations, like in Cuba or Iran. Frankly, economic sanctions contributed to bringing down the Cold War Berlin Wall in Germany and may have finally caused a thaw in Cuban-American relations. (Cuban president dictator Fidel Castro may have had a "call to redemption" when he met with Pope Francis.) Eventually, somebody in North Korea and in Syria will also create change and reject evil. Let's just hope the evil bookends will topple under the weight of their own tyranny. Labels: Berlin Wall, Cold War, Fidel Castro, H bomb, President Putin Speaking directly to the media for the first time since the Netflix documentary on Steven Avery came out, a regular juror in the Steven Avery case insisted to OnMilwaukee on Tuesday night in a lengthy phone interview that Avery is guilty and was not framed by law enforcement. The juror who spoke to OnMilwaukee on the condition of total anonymity expressed general trust in law enforcement and said in the interview that police throughout the country have been mistreated in the media over the past year, a trend the juror thinks is also reflected in the Avery documentary on Netflix, which the person dubbed "one-sided." "I havent changed my mind," said the juror, emphatically, of Averys guilt, despite the national and international furor generated by the "Making a Murderer" documentary, which the juror has watched in full. "No one was afraid of anybody. We all worked together." The juror said the documentary ran 10 hours, whereas the trial was much lengthier and included more evidence. Those who criticize the jury weren't there, said this juror. After finding Avery guilty, this juror said, "I came home and slept like a baby." If Avery was released, as many thousands of petitioners now want, the juror would feel "sick." "I would feel really bad for the Halbachs," the juror said. "So far, they have justice. I dont see that (Avery's release) ever happening. I dont see the justice system as broken. I dont see it broken." OnMilwaukee obtained the jurors' names Tuesday and started contacting them. Since the Netflix documentary took off, and since the trial a decade ago, Avery jurors have been largely silent until now. Earlier Tuesday, the "Today" show aired a segment with the two Netflix documentarians, in which they said a juror in the case had told them that that person believed Avery was framed and had voted guilty out of fear. The documentarians did not identify that juror, who has not spoken directly to the media. The juror who spoke to OnMilwaukee is a different person. Going down the list of names, various jurors appeared to be deceased, their phone numbers disconnected, or they simply werent home. Until this juror answered the phone, that is, and agreed to talk after some prodding, finally giving at least one voice to the until now silent jury that has been excoriated by some on Internet threads and sites. The person who spoke to OnMilwaukee voted and deliberated in the case. The juror emphatically stated that the juror does not believe that any jurors found Avery guilty because they feared for their own safety and that they did not compromise by trading votes, contradicting an account also broken by the "Today" show earlier Tuesday. "None of us jurors were afraid for our lives, none of us," said the Avery juror. At another point, the person added, "There was nobody afraid for their life, there was no compromising, there was no, if you do this or that, nothing." Also on Tuesday, alternate juror Richard Mahler repeated to OnMilwaukee an account that he gave to People magazine earlier in the day, in which he alleged that one of the jurors had a son who worked for the Manitowoc County Sheriffs Department and another was the husband of a woman who worked in the Manitowoc Clerk of Courts Office. Mahler, who was dismissed from the case because of a family emergency, said he believes Avery was framed and was not guilty. Being read the list of jurors names by OnMilwaukee, Mahler pinpointed the name of the juror he said had the sheriffs deputy son. OnMilwaukee tried to contact this man directly, but his phone number is now disconnected. Through relational search databases, the news site identified two younger men connected to this man through what appears to be familial relationships. A man with the same name as one of those two, and the same last name as the juror was, according to his resume posted online, a Manitowoc County Sheriffs corrections supervisor and corrections officer from 2000 to 2010, coordinating the "operations of correctional facility," among other duties. In the resume, this man describes himself as a " Corrections Sergeant with over ten years of experience in supervising, maintaining custody and coordinating movement of incarcerated offenders " The juror who spoke to OnMilwaukee on Tuesday night repeatedly expressed great distrust in the media and would only speak on the case if OnMilwaukee would agree to not print the jurors name, gender or identifying details, saying other media had also called earlier in the day but the juror was not home and did not talk to them. The juror did not want to be identified due to media intensity and web sleuthing in the case. "I dont think people get it," the juror added. "They dont see the whole picture. Its a big vicious circle. Theyre blinded. Theyre not seeing the whole picture." Thats because people did not sit through the actual trial and hear all of the evidence, said the juror. As to the news that Gov. Scott Walkers office announced earlier Tuesday that Walker will not pardon Avery because the governor has a practice of issuing no pardons ever, the juror said, "Scott Walker, that was about the only smart thing hes ever done. I dont see (a pardon) happening, no way." Mahler, however, has spoken freely in the media. On Tuesday, he said he had talked directly to the juror referenced in the "Today" show account and that this juror had also told him about now thinking Avery was framed and voting out of fear. The juror who talked to OnMilwaukee at first blamed Mahler for being the juror in the "Today" show interview, expressing disbelief that any regular juror could hold the beliefs recounted and labeling Mahler a "thrill seeker." Mahler, however, told OnMilwaukee that he is not the juror discussed in the "Today" show story. The juror interviewed Tuesday who denied any tie to law enforcement expressed confidence in police in general, saying theyve been mistreated in the media during the past year. The hoopla over the Netflix documentary "Making a Murder" is more mistreatment of law enforcement, said the juror. Asked if the juror believed sheriffs officials framed Avery or planted evidence, this juror stated emphatically, "No, come on. Its just no." The juror said the jurors only tie to law enforcement is a relative who knew Trooper Trevor Casper, who was slain by a bank robber last spring. The juror said the documentarians and Internet sleuths are "feeding off" negative coverage of police this past year. "Thats all going around now. Cops shooting other people in the backs and everything turn on the news. So yeah, everybody jumps to conclusions." At another point, the juror reiterated this theme, saying of the media and Internet critics, "They thrive on that all in the news, bad cops, cops shooting kids in the back." The juror doesnt believe the coverage is fair. Asked if the juror has respect for law enforcement in general, this juror said, "Just like anyone else." Asked where the juror obtained this belief, the juror said it came from being "brought up hard-working, respectful. I think a lot of the younger people nowadays are not respectful; parents arent home, theyre not respectful, they cover for their kids doing wrong." The juror called the "Making a Murderer" series "one sided." This juror told OnMilwaukee that nothing in the documentary changed the jurors mind about the case and urged OnMilwaukee to go look through the boxes of court records from the case down at the courthouse. "You have to read the 4-6 boxes." Asked what motive the juror ascribed to Avery for the homicide, the juror stated that he/she believed Averys incarceration for his earlier wrongful conviction rape case may have changed him into a killer. "If you were where he was for 18 years " the juror said, voice trailing off. Asked whether the juror was saying that prison turned Avery into a person capable of killing, the juror said yes. Asked whether the juror believed that Avery was wrongfully convicted the first time in the sexual assault case, the person said, "We all saw what happened. DNA exonerated him." Does the juror think he did that offense, too? No, said the juror. Pledge of silence Until this juror answered the telephone and, after some hesitation, agreed to speak for an hour to this news site about the case, this juror said all of the jurors took a group pledge to never talk to the news media. "When we were done, we all chose, we all voted, and we chose unanimously not to talk to any media ever and not to bring it up anymore, and none of us did," said the juror. Asked repeatedly which evidence was most persuasive for guilt, the juror declined to comment and again urged OnMilwaukee to go to the courthouse and read the file. "Theres stuff they left out. Stuff they didnt even show," said the juror of the filmmakers. Asked for specifics, the juror said, "Im not going to comment on that." The juror added, "I dont trust the media." Keys and blood Pressed about specifics in the case, such as whether the juror found it suspicious that a Manitowoc County Sheriffs official had found Halbachs car key in Averys bedroom after repeated searches by other agencies did not turn it up and after being deposed in Avery's civil law suit, the juror said no. "No, you just have to think," said the juror. "It was shaken how many times and all of a sudden it was there. It came out of somewhere, totally." Asked whether the juror was saying the key was planted or that the sheriffs official found the key because it had fallen out of the nightstand where Avery hid it, the juror said the latter. Asked about the hole in the blood vial, about the lack of Halbachs blood in Averys home, and other key pieces of evidence featured in the documentary, the juror declined to comment and again urged people to read the court file to get a better sense of what it was like to be a juror and what jurors actually saw. "What was presented to us was presented right. Do your digging." WELCOME TO THE ORDER Purely frivolous and perfectly harmless snark and admiration for all things stylish and royal. Have any requests? Email me at orderofsplendor at hotmail dot com. Last weekend, after a rally in support of convicted arsonists, Dwight Hammond, and his son, Steve Hammond, a group of armed men occupied the headquarters of the Malhuer National Wildlife Refuge in Burns, Oregon, in protest over the heavy hand of the federal government in administering federal lands to the detriment of adjacent landowners. The group led by Ammon Bundy son of Nevada rancher, Clive Bundy has stated that the protests and occupation are, in part, to stand up for the Hammonds since they will not stand for themselves. The Hammonds have not participated in the takeover and have, in fact, stated that the occupiers, led by Mr. Bundy, do not speak for them. The Hammonds were convicted of burning federal lands upon which they held grazing rights. Various versions of why they set the fires run all the way from covering up poaching of deer to clearing invasive species on the land. It doesnt really matter. The Hammonds were convicted and given relatively light prison sentences which they served. The federal government, demonstrating its heavy hand for those who disagree, appealed those sentences and now the Hammonds are set to begin additional prison terms under a harsher mandatory five year sentence. They voluntarily surrendered to begin those sentences on Monday. The background of the parties are interesting and the protests over the heavy hand of the federal government and the degrees to which it will go in order to deny the continuation of the historic uses of federal lands are worth a doctoral dissertation. But mostly this boils down to an increasing preservationist attitude by government bureaucrats (most of whom have never visited Oregon or for that matter any of the big square fly over states) who believe that using federal lands in endeavors that may result in profits are simply malum prohibitum grazing, growing, mining, drilling, etc. But lets leave aside the validity of the arguments raised by those whose livelihoods are now threatened by that preservationist philosophy. Lets leave aside the fact that over ninety-five percent of the land in Oregon remains unoccupied by man and there is zero threat of denigration of that land. Lets leave aside the fact that the use of the federal lands in those areas has remained virtually unchanged for decades and generations of ranching families and that the denial of the historic use of those lands by adjacent ranching families serves no legitimate purpose other than to deny access to those ranching families. Still, this is an extraordinarily dangerous situation. On one side you have a group of people whose view of the federal government harkens back to the days of the Wild West and who view the government not without some reason as the primary enemy to their futures. Between taxes, regulations and arbitrary enforcement, these people feel smothered by a government grown too big, too involved in their lives and businesses and too unresponsive to their concerns. They are also armed. Time will tell whether they treat that fact with the respect that most of us who were raised in the rural West have for those arms. On the other side you have a federal government. Its current leader has been critical of the very people who are protesting in Burns. President Barack Obama stated in August of 2008 during his presidential campaign: They get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who arent like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations. And that is the attitude that permeates his administration. And it is an attitude that makes the involvement of the federal government in this stand off dangerously explosive. The very cause of the great frustration of Western landowners stands with all the might and overwhelming power of the government which, for many, equates to the reason for the governments indifference toward their plight. They have lost after every turn. The might of the government has not been wielded fairly, although it appears to have been wielded lawfully. Further repression by the federal government will only heighten the feelings of betrayal by an administration that never listens but always demands. Add to that the propensity of the Obama administration to change the narrative about international terrorism to domestic terrorism especially terrorism that encompasses people they consider to be right wing extremists and an escalation of the situation in Malhuer County becomes, for them, a demonstrable incident and more succor for their gun control agenda. Where there is great power there is great responsibility, where there is less power there is less responsibility, and where there is no power there can, I think, be no responsibility. Winston Churchill (circa 1906). Determination of the course of this standoff lies primarily with the federal government. Lets be sure we understand the physical environment of this confrontation. Ammon Bundy and a group of approximately twenty-four others invaded and seized control of a building that houses the Malhuer National Wildlife Refuge administrative office. The whole area is easily isolated and control of entry and exit (meaning food and supplies) can be accomplished with a minimum number of law enforcement officials. It is the middle of the winter. Utility access (heat, electricity, water, landline communications and cellular communications) can all be controlled externally. There were no workers in the building when Bundy and his supporters occupied the building so there are no hostages. All of the business conducted at the wildlife refuge can be conducted remotely. In other words there is no critical rationale for retaking the building. This is a situation that begs for the primacy of local government in its resolution. The best solution would be for Mr. Bundy and his supporters to acknowledge that this has nothing to do with the Hammonds and that what is occurring in Malhuer County is really none of their business. They should leave and take up their cause back in Nevada where they are being directly impacted by the arbitrariness of the federal government. Failing that, the federal government should cede control of the situation to Malhuer County Sheriff Brian Wolfe. I dont know Mr. Wolfe but his sense of what is required in this situation has to be far superior to that of the federal government. At the very least he does not have an alternative agenda regarding terrorism and gun control. Speaker: Jason Williams Oregon Executive Club Speaker Series Wed. Jan 6th, 6:30pm Optional dinner $20 Portland Airport Shilo Inn Jason Williams, Founder of the Taxpayer Association of Oregon, visited Cuba and Iraq in 2015 on charity short-term mission trips. In Iraq, Jason was able to meet and serve refugees who were hunted down by ISIS for extermination. Both Cuba and Iraq are at the center of the nations top foreign policy debates. Jason will be sharing both political, sociological, cultural, religious and topical news items on these countries from the view of being on the inside. The issues of the Cuban embargo, human rights, refugees, ISIS and the war on terror in the Middle East are critical issues we need to know more about. The Stories from the Iraqi refugees were powerful and disturbing Learn about what life is like for refugees Learn about what is going on in Cuba Inside homes converted to churches, once banned by the government, now thrive in Cuba It wouldnt Cuba without the propaganda signs everywhere (private business signs outlawed) Learn so much in just one eveningWed. Jan 6th, Portland Airport Shilo Chinese smartphone maker, LeTv has announced the launch of its innovative 3D helmet along with the LeMe Bluetooth headphones and a super cycle in the Indian market. The Letv 3D helmet is a virtual reality headset which comes with an embedded display. It has got a 5.5inch 2k display from Sharp with 2560x1440 resolution. It comes with 70 degree field of vision and features a myopia dioptre adjustment range of 0-800 degrees. While it can support full HD content @60 fps in 3D as well as 2D format, it can provide a virtual experience of a 1000 inch screen. It has got a USB Type C port to connect with the phone's MHL signal input and also has a 3.5mm jack for connecting headphones. The company has not yet disclosed the price of the helmet in India, however, in China, it is being sold for 1999CNY (approximately Rs 20,500). Dickson Lee, General Manager, APAC Smart Device, Letv says, "It is our constant endeavour to provide our consumers with the most innovative products and best in class experiences. With the new devices, we aim to offer a unique combination of amazing features, and top performance support with good battery life packed in a sleek design." Microsoft is all set to launch its Surface hardware in India. The company has extended media invites for the launch of the 'Surface Pro 4' on January 7. The invite reads, "Start fresh on a brand new SURFACE! Microsoft India invites you to experience the world's most powerful computing device". Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella at a keynote address at Microsoft's Future Unleashed event in Mumbai in November last year had confirmed that the Surface Pro 4 tablet will launch in India in January. The Microsoft Surface Pro 4 boasts a 12.3-inch touch display. It runs on Windows 10 operating system and can be used as a tablet as well as a fully loaded laptop. It weights 766 grams and will have close to 9 hours of battery backup. Abroad it comes with Core M3, Core i5 and Core i7 processor options and with storage starting from 64 GB and expandable up to 128 GB, 256 GB and 500 GB. It also has an 8MP rear camera and a 5 MP front facing camera. While we don't have any confirmation on the pricing yet, abroad the pricing starts at $899 (roughly Rs 59,000). But the Indian price will be much higher owing to multiple factors and duties involved. A few months ago it was the directive that nurses had to declare their white privilege before attending to their patients. NOW The Medical Board of Australia draft code of conduct that will apply to all Australian doctors requires doctors to be culturally safe and comply with a patients beliefs about gender identity and sexuality, with no provision given for a doctor to differ in their professional judgements. .We are concerned with the possible interpretation of culturally safe, that it should not impact on good health outcomes and good medical practice, the group has stated. We are concerned that respectful practice is significantly different to respectful of the beliefs and cultures of others and that this change also could impact on good health outcomes. Respect for a patient does not equal respecting cultural beliefs and practices that may be antithetical to good medical practice. Other possible areas of conflict rel This blog is made for promoting Pakistani movies and supporting Pakistani Cinema Follow us on Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/madeinpakistans Twitter : https://twitter.com/MadeInPakistans YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGQm8VGdehrbeP29vrDVgZw/videos Oppostion want debate on Iran Suadi tussle ISLAMABAD: Since the impasse between Saudi Arabia and Iran is a sensitive issue that needs deft handling, Pakistan cannot commit what role it will be playing because it has friendly ties with both countries, the PMs adviser on Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday. But the explanation offered by Sartaj Aziz in the National Assembly did not cut mustard with the opposition, which promptly rejected it. At the insistence of the opposition benches, Mr Aziz said in a policy statement: The Saudi foreign minister is expected to visit Pakistan on Thursday. The government will be able to make a detailed statement on the issue after meeting him. However, in the same breath, he added that Pakistan believed in playing a positive and balanced role in its foreign policy and our foremost priority should be securing the countrys national interest. In his brief statement, the adviser also highlighted the fact that the Saudi-Iranian rivalry wasnt new, nor was this the first time the two had severed diplomatic ties. There have been a number of such incidents over the past 40 years, as the two countries are involved in proxy tussles against each other, he said. But Mr Aziz did accept the fact that with the emergence of the militant Islamic State (IS) group and given the vested interests of global powers, tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia could have a far-reaching impact over the region in general and Pakistan in particular. Mr Aziz said: The rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia has been dominating the situation in the region for a long time, with many ups and downs. But this time, the crisis is more serious because of several geopolitical factors and the rising threat of extremism and terrorism. Like any other responsible state, he said, Pakistan was also concerned about the escalation of tensions between the two countries. Most western countries have highlighted the danger of an escalation in the sectarian divide in the Muslim world and have called for restraint and a de-escalation of tensions. The adviser also agreed to the oppositions demand for an in-camera session to explain why the government had come up with such a measured response. But led by Leader of the Opposition Khursheed Ahmed Shah, parliamentary parties sitting on the opposition benches called upon the government to provide something more concrete. We have asked what role the government intends to play in this crisis, because in case it is further aggravated, Pakistan will directly suffer, Mr Shah said, terming the policy statement a repetition of what the Foreign Office had already said about the issue. PTI chief whip Dr Shireen Mazari was more hard-hitting in her remarks and asked if the government was waiting for the arrival of the Saudi foreign minister to make its policy on the issue. This is the time to act and take the leadership role, rather than repenting afterwards when others fill the vacuum, she said. However, the government found an unlikely ally in the form of PTI ally Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, who said, Nobody is waiting for Pakistan to play a lead role in the current crisis. The best the government can do is to keep the national interest as its top priority. He said that far bigger powers were involved in what was happening in the Middle East, where even the Organisation of Islamic Countries had proven ineffectual. Earlier, PkMAP chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai reiterated his stance that the elected representatives should be the source of the countrys foreign and defence policies. He warned the government to be very careful in tackling the Saudi-Iranian controversy because it had the potential to create unrest in the streets of Pakistan. In his speech, Mr Achakzai also warned that states within states inside both India and Pakistan were against peace between the two neighbours. It is strange that when somebody visits Lahore, terrorists strike at Mazar-i-Sharif and Pathankot soon afterwards, in an obvious reference to Indian PM Narendra Modis recent visit to Lahore. Baqir Sajjad Syed adds: Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz also met Iranian Ambassador Mehdi Honardoost on Tuesday. The meeting was described by the Foreign Office as a courtesy call, paid by the new Iranian envoy on foreign adviser. [Mr Aziz] congratulated Ambassador Honardoost on his appointment as the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Pakistan. He hoped that the ambassadors tenure in Pakistan would be successful and fulfilling, both in professional and personal terms, a statement said. The Foreign Office had, a day earlier, criticised the ransacking of the Saudi embassy in Tehran as unfortunate, deeply regrettable and a violation of international norms. The issue reportedly came up for discussion during Mr Azizs meeting with Mr Honardoost. USA had warned Saudi Arabia of consequences before execution of Shaikh Nimr al-Nimr WASHINGTON: The United States had warned Saudi Arabia before the recent execution of a Shia cleric that executing Shaikh Nimr al-Nimr would have damaging consequences, the White House said. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest also told a briefing in Washington that the United States had regularly raised concerns about the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia, including in conversations between President Barack Obama and Saudi King Salman. Shaikh Nimrs execution has led to the breaking of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran while a number of other Arab countries have also either severed or downgraded their diplomatic relations with Tehran. The execution has also deepened the sectarian divide in the Middle East. There have been direct concerns raised by US officials to Saudi officials about the potential damaging consequences of following through on mass executions, in particular the execution of al-Nimr, the political opposition figure but also a religious leader, Mr Earnest said. This is a concern that we raised with the Saudis in advance. And unfortunately, the concerns that we expressed to the Saudis have precipitated the kinds of consequences that we were concerned about, he added. Asked if Saudi Arabia gave the White House a heads-up before cutting off ties with Iran, Mr Earnest said: Im not going to get into the details of all of the diplomatic conversations between the United States and Saudi officials. The White House spokesman warned that the Saudi-Iran dispute would make it more difficult to seek a political solution to the Syrian conflict. It certainly is going to be even more difficult to get everybody back around the table if you have the Saudis and the Iranians trading public barbs and public expressions of antagonism between the two countries, he said. The White House official said that the United States wanted Iran and Saudi Arabia to de-escalate the situation and was engaged with both to achieve this target. We are urging all sides to show some restraint and to not further inflame tensions that are on quite vivid display in the region, Mr Earnest said. He said US Secretary of State John Kerry had been in touch with his Iranian counterpart and US diplomatic officials had been in contact with Saudi officials to convey this message. At the State Department, spokesman John Kirby said that while Secretary Kerry and other US diplomats have had direct meetings with both Saudi and Iranian officials, he was not aware of any US effort to bring both Saudi and Iranian officials together to resolve their differences. USA urged India and Pakistan to stay the course WASHINGTON: The United States has urged India and Pakistan to stay the course and not allow extremists to prevent them from engaging to resolve bilateral issues. At a US State Department news briefing, spokesperson John Kirby also asked Pakistan to act against perpetrators of this weeks deadly attack on an Indian air force base. This is an issue as are so many issues between India, Pakistan we want to see them work out bilaterally, he said. The United States, he said, was strongly encouraging the two governments to remain steadfast in their commitment to a more secure and prosperous future for both their countries and for the region. Noting that Pakistan had spoken very powerfully against the attack and had promised to go after those responsible, Mr Kirby said: Its certainly our expectation that theyll do exactly the way theyve said they will. The US official noted that terrorism was a shared challenge that all countries in the region must fight together. He agreed with the observation that both India and Pakistan had shown restraint after the attack and there was no immediate risk of relapse into hostilities in South Asia. The Obama administration has often said that it wanted India and Pakistan to work together to bring peace and stability to the region. It wants to continue this soft-persuasion in a way that enhances the India-Pakistan peace process. Our role has been and will continue to be one of encouraging regional cooperation and communication to get at what is actually a trans-regional threat, Mr Kirby said. When asked whether the Pathankot attack showed Pakistans failure to act against terror groups targeting India, he said: We in the United States want everybody to treat it as a shared challenge were mindful that there remain some safe havens that we obviously want to see cleared out. And we continue to engage with the government of Pakistan to that end. Mr Kirby said the US has been clear with the highest levels of the Pakistan government that its counter-terrorism operations must not discriminate among terrorist groups. He noted that Pakistan too was a victim of terrorism. Thousands and thousands of Pakistani soldiers have been killed. Thousands of innocent Pakistani citizens have been killed, he said. The United States, he said, would continue to work for increased cooperation, communication, coordination; increased information sharing and increased efforts against what we all believe is a shared challenge in the region. Asked if the US wanted Pakistan to do more in the fight against terrorism, Mr Kirby said: We recognise theres more everybody can do not just Pakistan, but every nation in the region can do because it is a shared challenge. Wyoming Gov. Nellie Tayloe Ross. When I was a boy growing up in Cheyenne, Wyoming in the 50s and 60s Nellie Tayloe Ross was still alive. I didnt know it because she was living out her retirement in Washington, DC. But I knew about her. So did every kid who had to study Wyoming history in school Wyoming was proud to be the Equality State. With men busy building things, digging things out of the ground, rounding up dogies, shooting Indians, or drinking themselves into stupors, the few white women in the Territory began to step forward and at first unofficially took on the duties of local administration. In recognition of this women were awarded the franchise in 1869the first in the country. In 1870 women served on a Laramie jury while a female bailiff, Mary Atkinson served the court. The same year at South Pass City Esther Hobart Morris became Justice of the Peace, the first woman officially elected to public office in America. The Territory of Wyoming gave women the vote back in 1869. The shocking scene to them doing just that made the front page of Frank Leslie's Weekly in 1888. The Territory stuck by its commitment even when womens suffrage was discouraging support for statehood in Congress. In 1890 it was admitted to the Union and two years later women were able to vote in local, state, and national elections. Far away on a plantation near the perhaps aptly named Amazonia, Missouri, Nellie Tayloe was born on November 20, 1876. She was raised as a Democrat from a family with Southern roots and Confederate sympathies. The family fell on hard times and decamped to Kansas after the family home burned just before the Sheriff could serve foreclosure papers. After graduating from high school in 1892 the family relocated again to Omaha, Nebraska. That was the year that the Williams Jennings Bryan, the Boy Wonder of the Platte ran for president on both the Democratic and Populist tickets. Young Nellie picked up on the radical Populist principles. She contributed to the family income by teaching piano while she studied at a local two year teachers college. Upon graduation she taught kindergarten classes for four years. In 1900 while visiting relatives in Tennessee, Nellie met a rising young lawyer, William Bradford Ross. They were married two years later and shortly relocated to Cheyenne where her husband put out his shingle. William also went to work trying to breathe life into the moribund state Democratic Party. Wyoming was then dominated with ruthless efficiency by the cattle barons of the Wyoming Cattlemens Association and the political machine put together by Francis E. Warren, first governor of the state and by then a United States Senator. Democrats had represented the small ranchers and farmers who were ruthlessly and bloodily repressed in the range wars that had wracked the state for a decade. They also drew support from hard rock and coal miners who were often engaged in their own bloody battles with mine operators. Ross slowly built an organization and made repeated runs for local and state office. In 1922 he ran for governor and was widely expected to lose badly again. But he forged alliances with disappointed Republican progressives and former supporters of Theodore Roosevelts abortive Bull Moose Party. He persuaded enough of them to join forces with the Democrats when the Harding Administration was caught up in the great Tea Pot Dome Scandal involving improper granting of government oil leases to vast reserves in the state. Local Republicans, indebted to oil man Harry Sinclair, were a juicy target for populist rage. Ross was a popular governor and considered a shoe-in for re-election. But after two and a half years in office, he died suddenly after a botched appendectomy. The Lieutenant Governor temporarily took his place, but under Wyoming law the balance of his term had to be filled by a special election. Democrats turned to his wife as the only candidate who could hold the seat. A re-election poster from 1926. Grief stricken but duty bound, Nellie agreed. But she refused to campaign, leaving that in the hands of her friends. It turned out she had plenty of those. On January 5, 1925 she was sworn in as the first female governor in the United States. She beat Miriam A. (Ma) Ferguson of Texas, the wife of an impeached but popular governor, who was also elected the previous November but who was not inaugurated until January 20. Much to many peoples surprise, Gov. Ross proved not to be just a figurehead. She showed a talent for administration, and she pressed a progressive program including the passage of child labor laws and other reforms. Despite being faced with a Republican legislature, she was able to move much of her program forward. Nominated for a full term in 1926, she was narrowly defeated Republican Frank Emerson. Once again she had refused to campaign. But it was probably her strong support for Prohibition enforcement which cooled the enthusiasm of wet Democrats that was to blame for her loss. Ross, however, had developed a taste for both politics and public service. She worked hand in glove with Eleanor Roosevelt in support of 1928 Presidential Candidate, Governor Alfred E. Smith of New York despite their differences on Prohibition. At the Democratic Convention not only did she give a seconding speech for Smith, signaling the support of a Western, Protestant, reform minded woman for the New Yorker, but she so impressed delegates that she received 31 votes to be slated as Vice President. Afterwards she became Vice-Chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee and head of the Womens Division. She was also elected to the Wyoming legislature. When Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected in 1932, Ross became one of several women, most of them associates or protegees of his wife, who were given major posts in the administration. She was named the Director of the Mint. Director of the Mint Nellie Tayloe Ross shows off a commemorative medallion to President Harry Truman as dignitaries look on. It was not an honorary appointment with the real work done by faceless bureaucrats. Ross was a hands-on administrator. She served five full terms under both Roosevelt and Harry Truman. She was one of the longest serving of Roosevelts original appointees. During her service she oversaw the modernization and automation of production at U.S. mints and the conversion from critical strategic metals like copper to zinc during World War II. She retired when Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower took office in 1952. The mathematical (and other) thoughts of a (now retired) math teacher, About Penplusbytes www.penplusbytes.org is a registered non profit since 18th July 2001. Vision "To be the leading institution for promoting effective governance using technology in Africa". We have options beyond resignation? complacency? or denial? By: Romeo O. Encarnacion The Knossos valley (illustration by permission of Todd Whitelaw). Recent fieldwork at the ancient city of Knossos on the Greek island of Crete finds that during the early Iron Age (1100 to 600 BC), the city was rich in imports and was nearly three times larger than what was believed from earlier excavations. The discovery suggests that not only did this spectacular site in the Greek Bronze Age (between 3500 and 1100 BC) recover from the collapse of the socio-political system around 1200 BC, but also rapidly grew and thrived as a cosmopolitan hub of the Aegean and Mediterranean regions. Antonis Kotsonas, a University of Cincinnati assistant professor of classics, will highlight his field research with the Knossos Urban Landscape Project at the 117th annual meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America and Society for Classical Studies. The meeting takes place Jan. 7-10, 2016 in San Francisco. Kotsonas explains that Knossos, "renowned as a glorious site of the Greek Bronze Age, the leader of Crete and the seat of the palace of the mythical King Minos and the home of the enigmatic labyrinth," was the prosperous epicenter of Minoan culture. Scholars have studied the city's Bronze Age remains for more than a century, but more recent research has focused on the urban development of the city after it entered the Iron Agein the 11th century BCfollowing the Bronze Age collapse of the Aegean palaces. The Knossos Urban Landscape Project over the past decade has recovered a large collection of ceramics and artifacts dating back to the Iron Age. The relics were spread over an extensive area that was previously unexplored. Kotsonas says that this exploration revealed considerable growth in the size of the settlement during the early Iron Age and also growth in the quantity and quality of its imports coming from mainland Greece, Cyprus, the Near East, Egypt, Italy, Sardinia and the western Mediterranean. Larger concentrations of better preserved material from the fringes of early Iron Age Knossos typically suggest a fairly recently disturbed burial context (illustration by permission of Todd Whitelaw). "No other site in the Aegean period has such a range of imports," Kotsonas says. The imports include bronze and other metalsjewelry and adornments, as well as pottery. He adds that the majority of the materials, recovered from tombs, provide a glimpse of the wealth in the community, because status symbols were buried with the dead during this period. The antiquities were collected from fields covering the remains of dwellings and cemeteries. "Distinguishing between domestic and burial contexts is essential for determining the size of the settlement and understanding the demographic, socio-political and economic development of the local community," explains Kotsonas. "Even at this early stage in detailed analysis, it appears that this was a nucleated, rather densely occupied settlement extending over the core of the Knossos valley, from at least the east slopes of the acropolis hill on the west to the Kairatos River, and from the Vlychia stream on the south until roughly midway between the Minoan palace and the Kephala hill." Kotsonas' Jan. 9, 2016 presentation is part of a colloquium themed, "Long-Term Urban Dynamics at Knossos: The Knossos Urban Landscape Project, 2005-2015." Kotsonas serves as a consultant on the project, which is dedicated to intensively surveying the Knossos valley and documenting the development of the site from 7000 BC, to the early 20th century. The project is a research partnership between the Greek Archaeological Service and the British School at Athens. Kotsonas has served as a collaborator on the project since 2009. A 'trained' floodplain monitor lizard pictured in the Kimberly region of Western Australia Australian scientists Wednesday said they had devised an "innovative method of conservation" through feeding giant monitor lizards small cane toads so they won't be killed by larger-sized amphibians. Cane toads, an invasive species from Central and South America that were introduced to Australia in 1935, are so toxic they can kill predators that try to eat them and are continuing to spread across northern Australia at an estimated 40-60 kilometres (25-37 miles) a year. Scientists have said the spread of the cane toadswhich an Australian university study found numbered about 200 million on the island continentwas causing catastrophic population declines in predators. But researchers from the University of Sydney said they were able to teach free-ranging goannas in the Kimberley wilderness in northwestern Australia to avoid eating the toxic toads about to invade the remote floodplain. The scientists offered small, non-lethal cane toads to the wild yellow-spotted monitorswhich have experienced a 90 percent plunge in population following toad invasionswith further trials confirming "just one or two toad meals were enough to convince a goanna not to eat another toad". The goannas quickly learnt to avoid the adult cane toads in the wild after being exposed to the younger, smaller toads. Researcher Georgia Ward-Fear holds a floodplain monitor lizard in the Kimberly region of Western Australia "After training, giant monitor lizards, known as goannas, survived when the toads arrived, whereas untrained lizards were immediately killed," lead researcher Georgia Ward-Fear said of the study, which was published Wednesday in the Biology Letters journal. "Our study provides the proof of principle required to set the framework for an innovative method of conservation," the researchers added in their paper. "Releasing small toads, then, can offer a simple landscape-scale method to conserve wildlife populations, by giving native predators an opportunity to learn rather than die. "Our study provides the first real evidence that this strategy is realistic." Explore further Kimberley goannas trained in cane toad taste-aversion More information: Ecological immunisation:In situ training of free-ranging predatory lizards reduces their vulnerability to invasive toxic prey, Biology Letters, rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.or .1098/rsbl.2015.0863 Journal information: Biology Letters Ecological immunisation:In situ training of free-ranging predatory lizards reduces their vulnerability to invasive toxic prey, 2016 AFP Teetering: Abergeldie Castle. Credit: Russell Cheyne Fierce storms and floods have made this a very difficult winter for many parts of the UK, not least the owners of a historic castle in Aberdeenshire, close to the Queen's residence at Balmoral. Some 20 metres of land behind the 450-year-old Abergeldie castle has collapsed into the River Dee, leaving its rear wall just feet from the bank. With the building on the brink of disaster, Baron Abergeldie, John Gordon, and his wife have vacated to stay with a neighbour. They have begun talking to specialists in order to try to save the castle. This is how I would approach the problem, based on what I can see from the reports in the media. In my employment with consulting engineers over 35 years I have been involved with a number of landslides and erosion problems. Abergeldie's issue has been partly caused by the fact that the natural granular soils present in this area are more likely to be eroded by flowing water than are clay soils. The risk is that the bank erodes just a little more and undermines the building's foundations, which are probably about a metre below the ground. This could topple part of the castle into the river. Direct support to the building could be provided by piled foundations sunk deep into the ground and connected into the building walls and foundations. But even if this could be implemented in time, this is still unlikely to be a suitable or adequate solution, since the ground around the piles could still be washed away. Pile style. Credit: Zhangyang13576997233 The best, fastest and most pragmatic way of avoiding catastrophe would be to build a containment wall some distance into the river and infilling the space between it and the current bank essentially reinstating the river bank. To ensure that the load from the castle is adequately supported, you would have to build the wall some distance from the current eroded river bank I would estimate about five or six metres from looking at the photographs. For the length of the wall, you would want to provide a robust solution by extending some ten metres upstream and downstream of the castle. By the time you take in the outbuilding and road next to the castle, you might be talking about a length of 50m. Material difficulties When it comes to materials for building the wall, you have a couple of options. One solution might be to drive a set of interlocking steel-sheet piles into the river bed, but this brings difficulties. These need to penetrate relatively deeply into the ground, approximately twice the height above ground in this case possibly ten metres below the river bed. The river bed may comprise shallow rock or dense gravel and boulders which prove difficult or impossible to penetrate. The inevitable vibrations might destabilise the ground and threaten the castle. You would also need specialist equipment and contractors of the kind that would take many weeks or even months to procure and mobilise, all of which would drive up the cost. The better option is to form a wall using large rocks, known in the profession as rip-rap. You would then infill the area between the wall and the bank with smaller rocks. Sheet piling. Credit: Sergeii Tverdokhlibov But we are talking about a massive job. Depending upon the extent of the new wall, the job could require thousands of tonnes of stone. Each wagon for transporting these materials can take 20 tonnes. If money was no object and you could obtain all the materials from a local quarry, you could maybe have the work done in a week plus whatever time it takes to get permission from the council, water authorities and so forth. Under the circumstances, you would hope that could be done in another week. In addition, you would need to develop and implement a safe method of construction due to the nature of the problem and the risk of a collapse, including the system for making sure it was being followed. The total cost is very difficult to estimate, but we are potentially talking about many hundreds of thousands of pounds. It's unclear whether there is enough time to complete this job. It's an extremely precarious situation and you have to feel very sorry for the owner. One hopes he's got a dungeon, since that could mean the foundations extended down to river-bed level and therefore be better protected. But that's probably not the case, so the pressure is on. Explore further Flood hazards: Vermont and Colorado as case studies This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Image from Wikipedia A new technique that monitors the movement of chickens can be used to predict which flocks are at risk of becoming infected with Campylobacter - the most common bacterial source of food poisoning in humans in the UK. Research by scientists at Oxford University has found that by using a camera system to analyse the 'optical flow' of chickens, at-risk flocks can be detected when the birds are only seven to 10 days old - much earlier than is usually possible with conventional on-farm sampling methods. Despite efforts to improve biosecurity, Campylobacter - which can reach humans through raw or undercooked chicken - has so far been persistently difficult to eliminate from the food chain. This new early warning system has the potential to transform the way Campylobacter is controlled, benefiting producers, consumers and the birds themselves. The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Dr Frances Colles from Oxford University's Department of Zoology, lead author of the study, said: 'Humans consume nearly 60 billion chickens a year - more than any other animal. At the same time, there is a worldwide epidemic of human gastroenteric disease caused by Campylobacter. It is estimated that up to four-fifths of this disease originates from contaminated chicken meat. A movie demonstrating the optical flow technique with human movement 'Despite intensive efforts to improve on-farm biosecurity practice over the past decade, more than 70% of EU broiler [meat] chicken flocks remained Campylobacter-positive at slaughter during 2008, and the incidence of human disease continues unabated. This suggests that environmental contamination of growing broilers may not be the only cause of high rates of Campylobacter infection in chickens and that key points for intervention - for example, in breeder flocks, hatcheries, or management in the first week of chick life - remain unrecognised.' The Oxford team tested the hypothesis that flocks colonised with Campylobacter might be distinguishable by their behaviour, following suggestions that infection could have an impact on chickens' welfare. Professor Marian Dawkins, Professor of Animal Behaviour at Oxford and corresponding author on the paper, said: 'We used a novel and non-invasive way of monitoring the behaviour of chickens throughout their lives that involved analysing the optical flow patterns from cameras inside broiler houses. 'Optical flow works by detecting the patterns formed by changes in brightness in moving images, both temporally and spatially. It is computationally simple and does not require tagging or marking individual animals, making it ideal for long-term continuous monitoring of large groups of similar animals such as egg-laying hens and broiler chickens, where optical flow is predictive of key welfare measures such as mortality rate.' To test the hypothesis that optical flow analysis might also be able to detect when flocks become infected with Campylobacter, the researchers collected data for 31 commercial broiler flocks. They also collected faecal samples from those same flocks and tested them for the presence of Campylobacter at different ages (21 days, 28 days and 35 days) using standard laboratory methods. This gave a direct comparison between optical flow and testing from faecal samples. Campylobacter-positive flocks showed lower mean optical flow (less average movement) and higher kurtosis (less uniform movement) than flocks without the bacteria - as early as the first 10 days of life. Additionally, this link was independent of external temperature. Professor Dawkins said: 'Our results provide statistical evidence of a link between broiler chicken flock behaviour and Campylobacter status. It is not certain whether the changes in optical flow are a direct effect of Campylobacter, or whether a general reduction in the birds' overall health predisposes them to Campylobacter colonisation at a later date. However, the findings are compatible with the growing evidence that Campylobacter may be detrimental to chickens' health, rather than simply being harmless gut bacteria. 'Use of this optical flow information has the potential to make a major impact on the management of commercial chicken flocks, for the benefit of producers, consumers and the birds themselves. Farm managers able to access such information in real time would have early warning of which of their flocks were most at risk of health and welfare problems, enabling them to intervene before these became serious and helping them to produce higher quality, healthier food with better welfare.' The researchers are working with Isis Innovation, Oxford University's technology transfer company, to ascertain how to make maximum impact from this technique. Explore further Foodborne bacteria can cause disease in some breeds of chickens after all More information: Monitoring chicken flock behaviour provides early warning of infection, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, rspb.royalsocietypublishing.or .1098/rspb.2015.2323 Journal information: Proceedings of the Royal Society B Monitoring chicken flock behaviour provides early warning of infection, When the Black Death swept through Europe in 1347, it was one of the deadliest disease outbreaks in human history, eventually killing between a third and half of Europeans. Prior work by investigators has traced the cause to plague-carrying fleas borne by rats that jumped ship in trading ports. In addition, historical researchers believe that famine in northern Europe before the plague came ashore may have weakened the population there and set the stage for its devastation. Now, new research using a unique combination of ice-core data and written historical records indicates that the cool, wet weather blamed for the northern European famine actually affected a much wider area over a much longer period. The work, which researchers say is preliminary, paints a picture of a deep, prolonged food shortage in the years leading to the Black Death. "The evidence indicates that the famine was a broader phenomenon, geographically and chronologically," said Alexander More, a postdoctoral fellow in the Harvard History Department and a lecturer in the History of Science Department. A widespread famine that weakened the population over decades could help explain the Black Death's particularly high mortality. Over four or five years after arriving in Europe in 1347, the pandemic surged through the continent in waves that killed millions. The ice-core data is part of a unique program linking traditional historical research with scientific data-collecting techniques. The program, called the Initiative for the Science of the Human Past at Harvard (SoHP), is headed by Michael McCormick, the Francis Goelet Professor of Medieval History. SoHP's ice-core project is being conducted in collaboration with the University of Maine's Climate Change Institute and researchers at Heidelberg University. The project's approach puts it at the juncture of environmental science, archaeology, and history. It is supported by the Arcadia Fund of London. More presented his findings at a conference in November arranged to discuss the project. Joining him was Harvard junior Matthew Luongo, an Earth sciences and environmental engineering concentrator from Dunster House, who discussed the discovery of volcanic tephra in the ice core. Tephra, microscopic airborne volcanic particles, are generally believed absent from cores in European glaciers, make Luongo's assumption-puncturing discovery potentially significant. Luongo spent several days at the Climate Change Institute last summer performing chemical analyses and examining the volcanic bits through a scanning electron microscope. Each volcanic eruption has a slightly different chemical fingerprint, so he was able to trace the tephra to the 1875 Askja eruption in Iceland, one of the largest eruptions there in history. Since many eruptions were written about contemporaneously, the ice core's volcanic traces can be used to align ice-core data with written records, providing greater certainty in dating other chemical traces in the ice, such as those from human activities like lead from Roman-era smelting. "I think it was a really important project," Luongo said. McCormick said that the advanced technologies scientists used to understand areas like the human genome and climate change are increasingly being applied to the humanities, and opening new avenues of investigation. McCormick was part of a team that in 2011 used tree-ring data to reconstruct European climate over the last 2,500 years, showing that the period before the fall of the Roman Empire was marked by wide climactic variability. In November, McCormick summed up the use of climate data in historical research as reading history "from the environment itself." "All these things are happening in the sciences and spilling over into the humanities," McCormick said. "Twenty years ago, if you'd have told me that climate could have caused the collapse of the Roman Empire and that we would have the means to test that, I wouldn't have believed you." The new data emerging from the ice core could be the first of a flood of information about the last millennium and beyond. McCormick's University of Maine colleagues, led by Paul Mayewski, have developed a laser-based method of ice analysis. It requires far smaller samples of ice and can take 50,000 samples in a one-meter ice core, compared with just 100 in the previous method. The new technology allows much higher resolution analysis of even very thin ice layersto the specific year and potentially to individual stormsand can go back farther than the 1500 A.D. limit of this glacier with previous techniques. The ice core was the first ever taken specifically for historical research, McCormick said, and was drilled in 2013 from the Colle Gnifetti glacier, high in the Alps near the Swiss-Italian border. It was divided between partner organizations, with the portion allocated to the Initiative for the Science of the Human Past and the Climate Change Institute being held at the University of Maine. The findings about the period preceding the Black Death described by More continue to fill in an emerging and newly complex picture of a key period in human history. Recent research has traced the genesis of the European plague to animal groups in Asia and climate-related outbreaks that traveled along Silk Road trade routes. McCormick said this application of scientific methods opens new avenues of inquiry, akin to discovering colossal collections of historical records, whether read directly from the DNA of ancient people, from the trees that grew at the time, or from the ice deposited in ancient storms. "It's a gigantic set of archives that document the least-documented part of [history]," McCormick said. "It's kind of a renaissance of history." Explore further An ice core study to determine the timing and duration of historical climate stages This story is published courtesy of the Harvard Gazette, Harvard University's official newspaper. For additional university news, visit Harvard.edu. Schematic representation of the nonlocal electron interference experiment. A dc current is driven from the upper left to the lower left contact. A nonlocal, oscillating voltage is measured between the upper and lower right contacts due the magnetic-field induced single-electron interference in the 500 nanometer ring in the middle. Nanotechnologists at the University of Twente research institute MESA+ have discovered a new fundamental property of electrical currents in very small metal circuits. They show how electrons can spread out over the circuit like waves and cause interference effects at places where no electrical current is driven. The geometry of the circuit plays a key role in this so called nonlocal effect. The interference is a direct consequence of the quantum mechanical wave character of electrons and the specific geometry of the circuit. For designers of quantum computers it is an effect to take account of. The results are published in the British journal Scientific Reports. Interference is a common phenomenon in nature and occurs when one or more propagating waves interact coherently. Interference of sound, light or water waves is well known, but also the carriers of electrical current electrons can interfere. It shows that electrons need to be considered as waves as well, at least in nanoscale circuits at extremely low temperatures: a canonical example of the quantum mechanical wave-particle duality. Gold ring The researchers from the University of Twente have demonstrated electron interference in a gold ring with a diameter of only 500 nanometers (a nanometer is a million times smaller than a millimeter). One side of the ring was connected to a miniature wire through which an electrical current can be driven. On the other side, the ring was connected to a wire with a voltmeter attached to it. When a current was applied, and a varying magnetic field was sent through the ring, the researchers detected electron interference at the other side of the ring, even though no net current flowed through the ring. This shows that the electron waves can "leak" into the ring, and change the electrical properties elsewhere in the circuit, even when classically one does not expect anything to happen. Although the gold ring is diffusive (meaning that the electron mean free path is much smaller than the ring), the effect was surprisingly pronounced. Quantum information processing The result is a direct consequence of the fact that the quantum equations of motion are nonlocal. That nature is nonlocal is also well-known from another kind of nonlocality: the counterintuitive ability of objects to instantaneously know about each other's state, even when separated by large distances. Einstein referred to it as: "spooky action at a distance". The Twente results help to further understand the first type of nonlocality, referred to as dynamical nonlocality, which plays a key role in all quantum interference experiments. It is very well known that quantum interference is affected by decoherence (where the physical environment causes loss of phase memory), and by performing a "which-path-measurement" (removing the dynamical nonlocality and hence destroying the interference pattern). Now the researchers from the University of Twente have discovered a new way to affect the dynamical noncality. Namely the geometry of the circuit. Understanding this fundamental effect is important for future quantum information processing. For example when creating a quantum computer. More information: E. Strambini et al. Geometric reduction of dynamical nonlocality in nanoscale quantum circuits, Scientific Reports (2016). Journal information: Scientific Reports E. Strambini et al. Geometric reduction of dynamical nonlocality in nanoscale quantum circuits,(2016). DOI: 10.1038/srep18827 Posted on: 2016-01-06 19:15:04 by davidof Pro rider Theo Lange caught by Tignes avalanche Tuesday 5th January. An avalanche risk of 4, considered the maximum for skiing and 60cm of fresh snow over the previous 48 hours accompanied by strong winds were not enough to discourage Tignes Pro Skier Theo Lange from sking a couloir above the Col du Palet in Tignes. Theo was working on a contract for a film company at the time of the incident. He told French TV that "he checked the couloir by pushing the tips of his skis into the snow" but on the first turn left the you can see a slab break on a fragile base layer. Theo continued and after a heavy jump over some rocks triggers the whole slope. "I went, my feet were trapped, they took me, my luck was that my boots didn't release, my skis stopped me until the slide passed, I was very scared." In a couple of seconds he is taken down the whole couloir. Fortunately the run out was gentle meaning the skier was not buried in the debris. "Oh f*ck, I thought I was going to die". As he skis out there seem to be existing tracks on the slope. Not a day he'll forget in a hurry. Readers with long memories will remember 5 British doctors and their instructor died in an avalanche in this sector in 1994. Three other skiers in the Espace Killy were not so lucky. Two were taken to hospital in Grenoble following a slide on the Bellevard and another was killed after being buried on the Santons piste, closed due to the avalanche risk. Film here: http://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/alpes/savoie/video-theo-lange-pris-dans-une-avalanche-tignes-897565.html http://pistehors.com/one-dead-and-two-seriously-injuried-in-val-disere-avalanches-24200227.htm IPS to Provide Unique Cross Border Payments Solutions for eCommerce Merchants Miami, Florida (January 6, 2016) In an increasingly stringent regulatory climate affecting banks globally, more merchants are looking for a payment processing solution that will help minimize risk and maximize global revenue potential. International Processing Solution (www.onlineips.net) will be onsite at Affiliate Summit West to help educate and inform attendees of the importance of processing directly with its offshore acquiring banks as part of its full range of merchant solutions in the US, Canada, Europe and South America. Online IPS will be exhibiting at the Meet Market event at Affiliate Summit West, taking place January 19-20, 2016 at the Paris Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas Nevada. The single source global payment processing solution will be at table 714 to discuss how merchants can easily navigate the complicated ecommerce landscape with a partner that provides the largest and most customizable suite of merchant services. Services that feature streamlined underwriting and volume-leveraged competitive terms, multi-currency processing, daily, bi-weekly, weekly or monthly settlement, as well as deeply experienced risk management and technical consulting. Online IPS regional partners assist with Local Corporate set-up and upkeep of regulatory and other needs to maintain the local presence. The full range of business categories are supported, as well as all major payment methods from Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, V-Pay, Visa Electron and more. With a single gateway connection to Online IPS platform, merchants can reach banks from the Americas throughout Europe and Eastern Europe. Our European and Brazilian solutions have had merchants seeing significant increases in purchase success rates with our local-based payment services, said Dennis DeLaRosa, President of Online IPS. We look forward to seeing everyone at Affiliate Summit West and sharing how we help our merchants achieve success with offshore sales. Online IPS is fully registered as a Payment Service Provider (PSP) with several international Acquirers, from private banks catering to merchants with special needs, to larger, tier one institutions processing large volumes of transactions. Key members of the companys executive and management team will be at table #714 at the show to talk to merchants about their full range of services, from acquiring solutions based in all the key regions and markets, to cost-effective custom gateway facilities. Other payment and point of sale news: Welcome Welcome to Conservative Musings. The purpose of this blog is to discuss with everyone (conservatives, moderates, independents and progressives) the issues of the day in an intelligent discussion. We believe that discussion can lead to agreement or an agreement to disagree but it must be held in a mutually respectful environment. We learn nothing from name calling or argument for argument's sake therefore we will not allow that to happen here. We will post our point of view and want a spirited discussion of the issues. Please express your opinions, hopefully we all can learn. Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the American Authors Association Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the Military Writers Society of America. QUEENSBURY Warren County Supreme Court Justice David Krogmann dismissed a lawsuit a group of town residents filed in an attempt to nullify Town Board and Planning Board action on the Just Beverages water extraction operation. Krogmann dismissed the lawsuit Dec. 30, in one of his final decisions before retiring. In the matter at bar, the Court finds that the Planning Board and the Town Board both took a hard, reasoned look at the environmental aspects of the proposed amendment to the zoning ordinance, Krogmann wrote in his nine-page decision. Krogmann also determined the residents group did not prove that Town Board action was arbitrary, capricious or otherwise an abuse of discretion, when the board voted in April to add water extraction as an acceptable use in the zone around where the company draws water. The lawsuit dealt with the towns approvals in 2015 of the companys underground well on city of Glens Falls watershed property off Butler Pond Road in Queensbury. The company draws water from the property and trucks it to a packaging plant at the former St. Alphonsus Roman Catholic Church at 31 Broad St. in Glens Falls. In July, the company began packaging and distributing water to national wholesale customers, including the Whole Foods supermarket chain, and locally under a distribution agreement with Saratoga Eagle, a beverage distributor based in Wilton. The residents group that filed the lawsuit opposes the route the companys trucks take along Butler Pond Road to transport the water. The group wanted an alternate route used, where empty trucks would travel to the well site along Buckbee Pond Road, and filled trucks would leave the site via Butler Pond Road. The group argued the Planning Board and Town Board did not take a hard look at the environmental and community impact of truck traffic from the operation. Specifically, the group argued the Planning Board and Town Board should have required or conducted a formal or reliable traffic study of the proposed route and should have compared the traffic generated by the company with other nonresidential uses permitted in a land conservation district. Krogmann wrote that the Planning Board, acting as lead agency for the environmental review process, heard public comments, reviewed hydrology and engineering reports and considered truck transportation. There was discussion regarding the hours of transportation, the size of trucks being used to transport and the number of trucks that would be acceptable through the residential area with the transport trucks, Krogmann wrote. Clearly, the Planning Board considered and addressed such issues relating to the traffic, even without a formal traffic study. The group also argued that the Planning Board and Town Board did not take a hard look at the impact of drawing water from the aquifer, and that water extraction activities are inconsistent with the towns comprehensive plan. Members of the residents group that filed the lawsuit include David and Dawn Judkins, Ernest and Mary Anne Martindale, Richard Inserra, Mark and Vikentia Cox, Richard and Susan Hartman, Sean and Julia Crane, and Robert and Roseanne Simpson. The centerpiece of President Barack Obama's 10-point strategy to reduce gun violence is already in place in New York, according to the region's most active gun show promoter. "It has nothing to do with us," said David Petronis of New Eastcoast Arms Collectors Associates, which is based in Mechanicville. Obama's gun-control package has 10 provisions, and the one getting much of the attention would require more gun-sellers especially those who sell on the Internet and at gun shows to be licensed. It would also require them to conduct background checks on potential buyers. Gun enthusiasts estimate the background checks add about $80 to the cost of a gun. "You cannot buy a gun at a gun show in New York unless you buy it from a dealer, and that already means a background check," Petronis said. His next show will be Jan. 29-31 at Saratoga City Center in Saratoga Springs. He also has shows scheduled there March 18-20 and Aug. 19-21. He also has gun shows scheduled in 2016 at Lake George Forum for June 17-19 and Oct. 21-23; as well as three shows in Manchester Center, Vermont; two each in Albany, Newburgh and Saugerties; and one each in Norwich and Old Forge. Assemblyman Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, is a gun owner, and he is not happy with the president. "As a responsible gun owner and pistol permit holder, I am proud to say that my first vote as an assemblyman was against the SAFE Act," he said in a prepared statement. "The president should be working with the entire legislative body to control gun violence instead of using executive overreach on useless gun restrictions," Stec said. Promoters work with AG In 2011, state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sent representatives out to prove how easily guns could be purchased at gun shows. That led to an agreement among promoters and the state regarding sales at gun shows. Participating gun show operators track the firearms that go in and out of their events. When someone buys a gun from a private seller at the show and passes a background check conducted there by a federally licensed firearms dealer, a tag is affixed to the gun to indicate the screening was done. When guns are taken out of the show, they get checked to ensure that the gun either is leaving with the seller who brought it in or has the tag. In-state support Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., supports the president's action. "We have an obligation to do everything possible to keep Americans safe, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to take steps to end the scourge of gun violence in the new year, she said. "We need to fix our background check system and we need to pass a federal law that actually defines gun trafficking as a crime," she added. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, architect of New York's SAFE Act, which put new gun control measures in place, also supports the president's proposals. Attorney General Schneiderman backs the president's initiatives as well. "Our states gun laws are the strongest in the nation, and yet we have remained the dumping ground for the iron pipeline, which funnels guns from states with weaker gun laws to crime scenes in Binghamton, Buffalo, and the Bronx," Schneiderman said in a news release. Some opposition U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson, R-Kinderhook, who could be running for governor in 2018, came out swinging in his public commentary. "Once again, after failing to gain Congressional support, President Obama is resorting to executive action this time on guns, Gibson wrote on his Facebook page. He's wrong and I will oppose him, Gibson said. He said changes in gun laws, like immigration and other issues, need to be voted on by Congress, not decided by executive order. There may be some gun control advocates out there who for political expediency want this done anyway. Bad idea, Gibson said. When Republicans control the White House, those same individuals won't be so enamored with that administrations use of executive action. Better to stick with the process provided for in the Constitution." On policy, I disagree with the entire 'gun control' approach. Targeting law-abiding citizens does not make us safer and it steps on the Second Amendment, dividing our people, Gibson added. He did agree with Obama on the need for more federal and state support for mental health. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Willsboro, said Obama's actions were unconstitutional. I oppose President Obama's unconstitutional executive action regarding the Second Amendment," she said. "These proposals would have done nothing to stop these recent tragedies from occurring. Furthermore, under our Constitution, Congress makes laws not the president." Stefanik did agree on the mental health provisions. I will continue to work to reform our nations mental health system and support common sense reforms so that we can take action that will help stop gun violence in our country," she said. State Sen. Elizabeth Little, R-Queensbury, recently visited the set of the Fox television detective drama Gotham. She wasnt there to solve a crime, but to witness how state tax credits have facilitated the conversion of the historic Brooklyn Navy Yard into Steiner Studios. They have the largest number of sets and studios east of Los Angeles. So they do make movies there and TV programs, she said, discussing her Dec. 10 visit Wednesday in a telephone interview. The tax credit is not on the movie stars or any of that stuff. It is on the employees that they hire to do the lighting and the staging and the painting, she said. Little visited the studios in her role as chairwoman of the Senate Tourism Committee. Doug Steiner led a tour of the studios. The first Navy hospital is on that base, and hes starting a restoration of that as well, she said. Little said Steiner wants to develop an underwater studio too. Legislative outlook The transition to a value-based payment system will be the biggest issue for health care providers in the 2016 state legislative session, said Dr. John Rugge, chief executive officer of Hudson Headwaters Health Network, a chain of health centers in Warren, Washington, Saratoga, Essex, Hamilton and Clinton counties. Its very tricky because we have critically important organizations that have very thin margins and need to make a jump from one kind of incentive system to another, he said Wednesday in a telephone interview. With a value-based system, providers are paid based on meeting goals for quality of care and reducing expenses, versus the traditional fee-for-service method. Its getting away from paying for just volume of care into doing things that really make a difference in peoples lives, he said. And theres a lot of activity going on in state government, for sure, but also at the federal level to make that transition. Much of the advocacy this session will be oriented to Department of Health administrators, but there is also expected to be some legislation related with establishing the new payment method, Rugge said. Its going to take an enormous amount of cooperation between providers of care and policy makers, especially those in Albany, in ways that we cant predict, he said. This is very complicated. Nobodys ever done this before. I think there is goodwill all around, but this is just enormously complicated. Tea party approval Tea party voters in the region appear generally satisfied with the first-year record of U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Willsboro, said Kellie Greene, a tea party activist who previously ran for Congress locally. Obviously Im not talking to every single person, but everybody Ive talked to thinks that Elise is doing a fantastic job and has been very, very visible, said Greene, who lost the Republican primary to Matt Doheny in 2012 and endorsed Stefanik in 2014. Im sure theres some people who disagree with her on some things, but she does not expect Stefanik will face Republican primary opposition this year, Greene said Monday in a telephone interview. Joe Gilbert, a tea party leader from St. Lawrence County, said Monday in a separate telephone interview that he is not aware of anyone planning to challenge Stefanik in a primary or run against her as a tea party independent candidate. Gilbert said he would rather not discuss Stefaniks overall favorability with tea party voters. Stefanik is seeking re-election to a second two-year term in November. Mike Derrick, a retired Army colonel from Peru, is seeking the Democratic nomination. Matt Funiciello, the Green Party candidate in 2014, is laying the groundwork to run again in November. Agri-tourism State Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, D-Round Lake, said she will introduce legislation to set limits on liability risk for agri-tourism businesses such as self-pick food and produce sellers, Christmas tree farms, corn mazes, hay rides and farm tours. The cost of liability insurance has been going up pretty steadily for those businesses, she said Wednesday in a telephone interview. Twenty-six other states limit liability exposure for agri-tourism business, but New York does not, she said. It (the proposed legislation) acknowledges that there are inherent risks associated with being on a farm: the ground is uneven, theres animals, theres farm equipment, she said. And provided the farmer or operator has taken a reasonable level of care in marking those kinds of hazards, then their liability for anyone slipping or falling is limited. M WAQAR..... "A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary.Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death." --Albert Einstein !!! NEWS,ARTICLES,EDITORIALS,MUSIC... Ze chi pe mayeen yum da agha pukhtunistan de.....(Liberal,Progressive,Secular World.)''Secularism is not against religion; it is the message of humanity.'' Oil consumers in Ghana pay about GH15 per a gallon of fuel, while in the United States of America (USA), a gallon of petrol is sold at just about $2 (about GHC8). Dr. Turkson said the hikes cannot be explained, attributing it to economic mismanagement. I am not too sure why this decision was made considering the fact that world oil prices have fallen and most countries that import oil have rather reduced their fuel prices. That is what we were expecting in this economy so that if utilities have increased then fuel cost must reduce so that consumers will not feel too much the impact of the increment in the utility prices. But we have rather seen fuel prices being increased.' Dr. Turkson said. Dr. Turkson further said: It doesnt define the direction of this economy and some of us tend to believe that the economy is being mismanaged. I am not sure whether any analysis was carried out before implementing policies as these which have negative impacts on the economy, he said. Oil prices fell to its lowest in 11 years on Wednesday amid tension in the Middle East between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Global Brent crude benchmarks were at $34.93 a barrel at 12300 GMT, down 1.5 percent from the day before and the lowest since 2004. US crude futures subsided 46 cents to $35.95 per barrel, continuing their slide from Tuesday. On the issue of the imposition of a 1% tax on interest earned by individuals, Government has already submitted proposals to Parliament to reverse the position, the statement said. However, Dr. Assibey Yeboah told Accra based Citi FM that It is absolute falsehood for anybody to suggest that proposals have been sent to Parliament for a reversal of the one percent withholding tax on the interest, it cant be. According to him the law was passed in September 2015, it became an Act assented by the president for it to take effect 1st January, 2016. Explaining further, he said This thing (Income Tax Law) came into effect 1st January and the Bill has been passed since September, it became an Act assented by the President September 1st waiting for it to take effect this year. Following a public outcry, the government wants to rescind the decision. Following the imposition of the tax, there was huge public outcry over the issue after banks and financial institutions sent SMS alerts to their customers about the provision and how it would affect them. According to a Daily Guide report, the articulator truck had been parked on the shoulder of the road for some days and Adu Gyamfi, who was driving at top speed, ran his car into it. One Gertrude Okyere, a medical student at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), and her seven-month-old child, who were in the car, escaped death. Gertrude sustained a minor cut on her forehead after the strong hit but the child miraculously escaped without any injury. The bloody accident occurred around the Sofoline Interchange around 2pm on Sunday, ASP L.K. Vuha, the Sofoline Police MTTU Commander, disclosed. Read also: According to him, the Pontiac Vibe, registered GW 2088-14, was coming from the Santasi area heading towards Abrepo Junction. He said Adu Gyamfi suddenly rammed his vehicle into the faulty articulator truck which was parked on the shoulder of the road, opposite the Prempeh College. A statement on its website signed by Caroline Otoo, the boards secretary on 5 January said: In accordance with the Issuance Calendar for Government of Ghana Securities for January to June 2016, Bank of Ghana invites bids for the issue of a 3-year fixed rate bond on behalf of the Government of Ghana through the Auction process. The instrument, according to the statement, will be Ghana cedi-denominated and will be issued at par. It shall bear a coupon rate equal to the highest competitive bid accepted at the auction for the security. The coupon rate so fixed shall carry throughout the term of the security. The 3-year Fixed Rate Bond shall be available to both resident and non-resident investors, the statement said. The security shall be listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) for secondary market trading both at the floor of the Exchange or over the counter (OTC). Trading in the securities is subject to the listing rules of the GSE for Government Securities. A statement signed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Hanna Tetteh said the Yemenis and the Syrians are being assisted as a result of the crisis in the Middle East. The Rwandans on the other hand have been tried and had either been acquitted and discharged or had been sentenced and had served their time but did not find it appropriate to resettle in Rwanda. According to the statement the Syrians who will be accepted will have relatives already in Ghana to facilitate the resettlement process. The minister said "at the request of the US Government we have also agreed to accept two detainees of Yemeni origin who were detained in Guantanamo but who have been cleared of any involvement in any terrorist activities and are being released Ghana provides humanitarian assistance and refuge to persons from Rwanda, Yemen & Syria During the year 2015. The Government of Ghana was requested to assist in the resettlement of a number of persons from Rwanda and Yemen, and taking cognizance of the grave humanitarian crises in the Middle East has also decided to provide refuge to some displaced persons in Syria who already have relatives in Ghana. Prior to winding up its affairs on the 31st of December 2015, the Government was approached by representatives of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda to resettle some of the persons who had been tried and had either been acquitted and discharged or had been sentenced and had served their time but did not find it appropriate to resettle in Rwanda. We have decided to respond to the request of the tribunal and have indicated our readiness to take two of such persons and give them residence in Ghana. At the request of the US Government we have also agreed to accept two detainees of Yemeni origin who were detained in Guantanamo but who have been cleared of any involvement in any terrorist activities and are being released. They are unable to return to Yemen at the moment and we have indicated our readiness to accept them for a period of two years after which they may leave the country. Additionally, Government has decided to allow relatives of members of the Syrian community already resident in Ghana who have been displaced as a result of the conflict in their country to resettle in Ghana. In all instances the persons who are being allowed into the country are subject to security clearance and their activities will be monitored during their stay in the country. Ghana recognizes that as a member of the International Community we have a responsibility to assist in International crises situations having regard to our own resources & capacity to assist, and it is in this regard that the Government has decided to take these actions. We wish to assure the public that in doing so we are cognizant of the need to protect the safety and security of our own citizens and are taking all the necessary steps to ensure that is done. Hanna S. Tetteh (MP) Minister for Foreign Affairs & Regional Integration Accra. January 06, 2016. Below is the full statement from the Foreign Affairs Minister Ghana provides humanitarian assistance and refuge to persons from Rwanda, Yemen & Syria During the year 2015. The Government of Ghana was requested to assist in the resettlement of a number of persons from Rwanda and Yemen, and taking cognizance of the grave humanitarian crises in the Middle East has also decided to provide refuge to some displaced persons in Syria who already have relatives in Ghana. Prior to winding up its affairs on the 31st of December 2015, the Government was approached by representatives of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda to resettle some of the persons who had been tried and had either been acquitted and discharged or had been sentenced and had served their time but did not find it appropriate to resettle in Rwanda. We have decided to respond to the request of the tribunal and have indicated our readiness to take two of such persons and give them residence in Ghana. At the request of the US Government we have also agreed to accept two detainees of Yemeni origin who were detained in Guantanamo but who have been cleared of any involvement in any terrorist activities and are being released. They are unable to return to Yemen at the moment and we have indicated our readiness to accept them for a period of two years after which they may leave the country. Additionally, Government has decided to allow relatives of members of the Syrian community already resident in Ghana who have been displaced as a result of the conflict in their country to resettle in Ghana. In all instances the persons who are being allowed into the country are subject to security clearance and their activities will be monitored during their stay in the country. Ghana recognizes that as a member of the International Community we have a responsibility to assist in International crises situations having regard to our own resources & capacity to assist, and it is in this regard that the Government has decided to take these actions. He described as deeply troubling the situation where people found to have engaged in corrupt practices got away with their crimes and said that would have to end. Ghana has for now been made naked because of the high level of corruption, he said, when he addressed the opening session of this years Ministers Conference of the Church in Kumasi. The four-day programme is being held under the theme Jesus Christ, our mandate for ministry - hazards and benefits. It would provide the platform for the Ministers to assess their performance and discuss how to sustain the church on the path of progress. They would also use the event to deliberate on national issues ranging from health, education, job creation to the campaign against corruption. The Moderator noted that corruption had taken such firm root and become so pervasive in all sectors of the nations socio-economic and political life that it was making it difficult for the nation to make headway in its development effort. He warned that as long as the canker thrived, the countrys development would continue to struggle. The Rt. Rev Prof. Martey reminded the clergy that they had been commissioned into the gospel ministry to salvage the society from anything evil and asked that they lived up to their calling. The Rev Dr. Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, General-Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana, called for religious tolerance and harmony. That, he said, was the way to go help promote peaceful co-existence and unity which were vital for the progress of the nation. Prof William Otoo Ellis, Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), encouraged the church to focus both on the spiritual growth and physical needs of the people. The public GMO debate has mainly focused on health and the environment, but hardly ever on the socio-economic impacts of GMOs. The socio-economic ramifications of the imposition of GMOs alone ought to be enough to ban its use in Ghana. The creeping intrusions of GMOs into Ghanas economy, is likely to increase poverty, rather than diminish it; by increasing the penetration of transnational corporations into Ghanas agriculture thus decreasing profit margins for small local farmers. Ghanaian agriculture cannot afford an economy that is designed for the benefit of external interests at the expense of Ghanaians. The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) has already warned [3] of detrimental consequences on Ghanas non-traditional exports (NTEs) should the country adopt genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into crops grown locally. The issues which GEPA raised included the health and other risk concerns regarding GMOs across Europe where the bulk of Ghanas NTEs are exported to and new concerns amongst consumers in the United States, which are affecting sales of GMOs and pushing consumer preference to non-GMO foods. The potential economic harm would be incalculable if Ghana were to be labelled a GMO haven exporting GM crops to the world, the Chief Executive Officer of the GEPA, Mr Gideon Qaurcoo, said in a statement published in the Daily Graphic. [4] The report explained that in view of overwhelming evidence from the EU and Western worlds attitude to GM foods, it would be detrimental for Ghana to introduce GMOs into its crop production as many products would stand the risk of being rejected by important export markets thus hugely damaging Ghanas economy. Exports of Agricultural products (WTO AoA) from Ghana to Europe, in 2014 alone stood at 1335 Million. [5] Many large EU supermarkets are turning anti-GMO, including the biggest REWE in Germany. Reports coming from the US claim organic food sales have doubled since 2007 to $36 billion in 2014. US sales of foods verified as non-GMO have tripled since 2013 to $15 billion. [6] Surging US demand for organic food which is not GMO and is also free of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers kept values for organic feed corn and soybeans aloft even while prices for conventional crops plummeted. Agricultural commodities traders catch the natural foods bug [7]. This is also happening in many parts of the world today. Quite recently, on December 9, 2015, a Thai newspaper published an editorial in which it stated: We have already witnessed Japans rejection of papaya shipments from Thailand because the fruit was contaminated with GMOs. Thai farmers naturally fear that their own crops might go unsold if GMO use spreads with the governments blessing. The supposed benefits of using GMOs amount to little if customers shun the produce when it arrives on shelves. Wider use of GMOs would also affect organic farmers pioneers in a potentially lucrative export market due to the possibility of airborne spores infecting their carefully nurtured crops [8] If Ghanaian authorities really want to help the poor Ghanaian farmer, there is no better time to follow the IAASTD report which recommends low-input, sustainable small-holder model of farming. A UN Report even goes as far as saying Small-Scale Organic Farming Only Way To Feed The World [9]. We can easily establish ourselves as a veritable source of organic foods. GEPA has been at the forefront of promoting and developing the countrys non-traditional exports, including processed and semi-processed agricultural products, handicrafts and services. It is saying the same thing. Through its efforts, earnings from NTEs increased from US$1.164 billion in 2007 to US$2.364 billion in 2012, with a target to reach US$ 5 billion in 2017 [10].The market for organic foods is already growing. Ghana stands a good chance of making a reputation for itself and developing the ever expanding market for healthy sustainable food. It was great to see Ghana making its maiden appearance at the 2015 Middle East Natural and Organic Products Expo (MENOPE) in Dubai. The Ghanaian companies showcased products such as shea butter, dry fruits, coconut oil, morning tea, hibiscus tea, natural cocoa powder and honey. [11] This is to replace the corrupt judges who were dismissed from the bench following the judicial corruption expose by investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas. Some of them were removed with benefits while others were let go without any benefits. Ghana was hit with a massive judicial scandal when it was revealed in an expose by Anas Aremeyaw Anas that Superior and lower court judges took bribes in order to free criminals. According to the Judicial Council the ones removed with benefits showed remorse. Member of Parliament for the area, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, had earlier petitioned President Mahama to intervene in the plights of the affected residents. According to him, NADMO has neglected the victims of the explosion. Background About thirteen people sustained serious injuries after an explosion at an abandoned quarry site in Paebo in the Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipality of the Eastern region. The blast, which occurred on December 23, 2015, collapsed several buildings in the community and destroyed lots of property worth thousands of Ghana cedis. Over one thousand people were displaced as a result of the explosion. Meanwhile, the Nsawam police have arrested one man who was found trespassing in the restricted quarrying community of Paebo, days after an explosion occurred in the area. This was after a meeting between government and Organized Labour over concerns surrounding the hikes in utility tariffs on Tuesday. Organised labour had subsequently in a statement signed by the Trades Union congress, called for a suspension of the utility tariffs, until service providers are assured availability and reliability of power. Employment minister, Haruna Iddrisu had expressed hopes that a consensus on the way forward towards concerns raised would be reached at the meeting on Tuesday. But, Secretary General of the Trade Union Congress, Kofi Asamoah has told Accra-based Citi FM, the meeting ended in a deadlock. "Government tried to do some explanations as to why there was the need for the utility hikes. Beyond that, labour also took a position on the newly introduced energy sector levies. First of all we made it clear that they were undemocratically rushed through Parliament and there were no public consultations held and that its going to worsen the plights of Ghanaians. Government tried to also justify why they needed such taxes raised, he said. Mr. Kofi Asamoah added that the meeting did not really conclusively agree on any principle except some specific issues that were raised and we are supposed to meet again...you will hear from us when we find out that what we are asking for is not being met. The Finance Ministry under the Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information Systems GIFMIS is trying to stop the about 3 percent of the total monthly revenues of the GRA credited to GRA's account for the day to day running of the Authority. A letter from the Finance ministry to the GRA noted that there should be " discontinuation of monthly releases for compensation to subvented agencies." This directive, according to the workers mean the Minister for Finance is treating the GRA as a subvented organisation which is against the law. In the minister's letter he also directed that GRA takes its payroll to the controller and accountant generals office for payment. But the workers argue they want nothing to do with controller and wants a reversal of these directive by close of 6th January 2016. A letter from the Ghana Revenue Authority Public Service Workers Union(GRA PSWU ) and The Ghana Revenue Authority Workers Union (GRAWU) to the Finance Minister Seth Terkper sighted by Pulse.com.gh indicated that the directives from the minister are "unacceptable and unprogressive to revenue maximization". "The path this directive is taking us is not new to us," the letter stated." we have been there before and it neither grew revenue nor motivated Staff. Indeed our slogan as GRA staff has been Collect more and Get more." The group has described the new levies as needless contravention of the Petroleum Pricing Formula as stipulated under the Full Petroleum Downstream Deregulation policy captured under the revised National Petroleum Authority Act.Prices of petroleum products have gone up by margins as high as 27% due to the imposition of the new energy sector levies.Executive Secretary of COPEC, Mr. Duncan Amoah emphasised the coalition's resolve to go to take every step necessary to get government to revise or completely revoke the levies.we need to make a serious case to government that we will not allow government rip us off by smuggling taxes through parliament to flout their own deregulation policy. It appears that when it is the consumers turn to enjoy lower prices from the international market, government sneaks in to impose needless taxes he stressed.Mr. Amoah noted that there exists an opportunity to prevent governments in future from interfering with petroleum pricing the way they have been doing in the past.As we have entered deregulation, I think we will explore those options further and ensure that subsequent or future governments do not take the citizenry for a bad ride anytime they so wish, as far as petroleum issues and pricing are concerned,he added. The former head of the Political Science department of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) said this following the decision of the 2012 presidential candidate of the CPP to contest the upcoming presidential elections as an independent candidate. In a statement, Dr. Sakara said The purpose will be to provide a more focused national interest platform on which we can truly build national consensus around the key issues that will really transform our nation for the good of all of us. But, speaking to Pulse.com.gh, Political Scientist, Dr. Amoako Baah said the move is going to collapse the party. "It is not good for the party...I can assure you that it will have a negative impact on the party because no party can afford to present a new face every four years. Last time around it was Paa Kwesi Nduom who left. And this time around it is Abu Sakara. "He didn't make any loud noise about what is going on in the party but you can be rest assured that there is some undercurrents going on in the party," Dr. Amoako Baah added. Meanwhile, the CPP says Dr. Abu Sakara still remains a member of the party as he has not communicated to the party his decision to resign. In an interview with Pulse.com.gh the CPP general secretary Nii Armah Akomfra said we havent received that resignation...you are still a member until you formerly resign or until you are suspended we havenet gone through that process." He however added that "if he pursues an independent career he has to be expelled from the party. He said the party is as shocked as some members of the public by the announcement of the Agric Economist and the party wishes he rescinds his decision. we hope that he will still think about his decision nominations for flag bearer of the party are still opened for another week or so and we that he will be able to pick form as an aspirant within the party. On Dr. Sakaras accusation that the party has misplaced priorities, the General Secretary said Dr. Sakara would have to explain that to the public and indeed the party if he means well for the party. Pending the receipt of a copy of the report of the eminent panel that looked into the matter, we wish to make the following preliminary comments. 1. The NDC welcomes the decision of the Electoral Commission not to undertake the needless exercise of compiling a new register for the purposes of conducting the 2016 elections. We note that as per the EC's response to the NPP, all the grounds on which the party stood to make that demand were false. This vindicates the position held by the NDC in the discussions that ensued over the matter. As we previously indicated, the demand for a new register was premised on falsehood and an inordinate desire to disenfranchise large sections of our population for electoral advantage. Of particular interest is the fabricated Togolese register which the NPP used in its deliberate attempt to deceive the Ghanaian public. But, the EC, in a response said In examining the identity and status of the 76,000 Togolese alleged to be on Ghanas Register, the EC found that they were all duly registered during the mass registration period in 2012. Most of the voters were registered in districts in the Volta and Northern Regions.These districts include Keta, Ketu South, Ketu North, Akatsi South, Akatsi North, Adaklu, Agotime Ziope, Ho Municipality, Kpando Municipality and Tatale/Sanguli. Our conclusion from this examination is that the voters are duly qualified under the laws of Ghana to be on Ghanas Register.The NPP did not provide any proof of the citizenship status of these persons and did not show any proof that they were not entitled to be registered in Ghana. Registration on the register of another country, under the current laws of Ghana, does not take away ones eligibility to be on the Ghanaian Register.The Commission was also unable to confirm the authenticity of the Togolese Register used by the NPP in their analysis as the Electoral Commission of Togo declined to provide the EC with a copy of its register or confirm the authenticity of the soft copy of the register used by the NPP. It is important to observe that in the petition of the NPP dated August 18, 2015, the party claimed to have based its analysis on copies of the register displayed in Togo prior to their elections. However, upon request from the EC for the register used in the analysis, the NPP presented a soft copy of the Togo Register which the Togolese Electoral Commission says it had not given out to any third parties, the EC added. Five of his followers were also sentenced to death last year. These are the first death sentences for blasphemy handed down by a Nigerian Sharia court; those delivered for other offences have not been carried out. Mr Inyass is a preacher at a local faction of the Tijaniya sect, founded in Senegal by Sheikh Ibrahim Niasse, which has a large following across West Africa. He was reported to have said that "Niasse was bigger than Prophet Muhammad" during a lecture at an event in May, leading to violent protests in the city. The BBC's Yusuf Ibrahim Yakasai in Kano says he then fled to the capital, Abuja, and nine of his followers were arrested for their alleged part in organising the event. When they were arraigned in court, there were further clashes and the courthouse was set on fire, he says. Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! According to a statement by Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President, Lagarde is on a four-day working visit in Nigeria. Below are the 5 major points she made; 1. IMF is not here to negotiate loans Let me make it clear that I am not here (in Nigeria) nor is my team in this country to negotiate a loan with conditionality. We are not into programme negotiations and frankly at this point in time, given the determination and resilience displayed by the President and his team, I dont see why an IMF programme will be needed." 2. Oil is not the major source of Nigeria's GDP Oil is not the major contributor to the Nigerian GDP, it is only about 40 per cent; but it is a big source of revenue for the government." 3. Team of Economists coming to Nigeria next week It is not for me here and now to actually approve or comment on the budget because we have procedures in the IMF under which a team of economists is going to come next week actually to do what we call the Article 4, which is to review and have good discussion with partners the IMF on one hand, and the countrys authorities on the other hand." 4. Aim of the meeting with Buhari is to assess finance situations in Nigeria This is to really assess whether financing is in place, whether the debt is sustainable, whether the borrowing costs are sensible and what strategy should be put in place in order to address challenges going forward. We will be discussing issues of fiscal discipline, financing monetary policies and the degree of flexibility, with the fact that Nigeria with a vibrant large economy, still has to deal with poor people, a lot of inequality and those two components should certainly be the drivers of reforms." 5. Buhari's determination to fight corruption is an ambitious goal "The President's determination to fight corruption and bring about transparency and accountability at all levels of the economy is an important agenda and a very ambitious goal that needed to be deliberated upon." Below are the 5 important things Buhari said; 1. On Accountability We have also told all heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government that on our watch, they will fully account for all funds that get into their coffers. 2. On budget and identifying economic downturns "We have just come out of budget discussions after many weeks of taking into consideration the many needs of the country and the downturn in the economy with falling oil prices and the negative economic forecasts." 3. On surviving economic downturn We are working very hard and with the budget as our way forward; we will do our best to ensure that our country survives the current economic downturn." 4. On cutting down expenses Buhari said the Federal Government is reviewing its operational cost and prioritise its overhead expenses. 5. On welcoming foreign support According to Sanjay Tatpati, Vice President of Kia Motors Nigeria, this is to provide a strong customer service, while expanding the brand. The appointment of Kojo Motors with long-standing dedication to strong customer service is aimed at expanding our network in the light of our increasing sales volume and our commitment to providing the best customer satisfaction. Given Kojos success and track record, we are confident that our customers will be offered top-notch services that exceed their expectations. Ikenna John Oguegbu, Managing Director, Kojo Services, spoke on the new partnership. Kia Motors Nigerias unprecedented growth in Nigerias automotive industry will be a strong asset to the continued success and growth of our company and we are committed to providing Kia customers the ultimate premium services and class-defining ownership experience that is at par with the brands customer-focused ingrained ethos. The cover was shot by the legendary Patrick Demarchelier, where Kelly poses in an off-the-shoulder top. Her blonde tresses resemble the former Princess of Monaco's classic hairstyle,with a bold stare into the lens. anchor became famous for her face off with real estate mogul Trump during the first debate. Kelly, who moderated the session, questioned Trump about his treatment of women, prompting him to call her a "lightweight" and a bimbo. Kelly disclosed to VF in her cover story, however, that Trump used to think of her differently. "He would send me press clippings about me," the ex-lawyer told VF about the Trump. "He would just sign [them] Donald Trump. And he called from time to time to compliment a segment. I didnt know why he was doing that. And then when he announced that he was running for president, it became more clear." According to reports, Inyass Dauda who was arrested in Abuja on August 18, 2015, and taken to Kano for the trial, was tried was conducted in camera. He was arraigned on a two-count charge of blasphemy and inciting crisis. It was gathered that Inyass Dauda, a leader of the Tijjaniyya sect, committed the offences at the Maulud festivity on June 31, 2015. Counsel to the Kano State government, Lamido Abba Soron Dinki, said five witnesses, including the police, testified before the court. Mucheke was arrested and detained by the police of Tuesday, January 5, at the Shirikisho Boarding and Lodging after the Form Three girl was declared missing by her parents and school authority. According to eyewitnesses, Mucheke was seen entering the hotel with the girl and upon recognising the teenager, someone alerted her father. The infuriated father informed the police and on storming the hotel, the two love birds were found naked inside the room and they were arrested. The dramatic incident attracted a huge crowd of onlookers, with many struggling to catch a glimpse at the two as police whisked them away from the lodging. After the arrest, the girls father, told the police that he had given the girl pocket money to go back to school but when the school authority informed him that she had not returned, he organised a search party and was duly informed that that she had been spotted at the lodging with a man. The father added that the girl left home in her school uniform, therefore he was surprised to find her civilian clothes. Isah, who had been sentenced by the same court on several occasions, confessed to the charges of criminal trespass, house breaking and escape from lawful custody. He was sentenced to eight weeks imprisonment with an option of N8,000 fine by the court presided over by Alhaji Umar Kagarko. Kagarko said that it was not his wish to give the convict an option of fine because he was a regular convict. "He is a customer in this court, but since he has pleaded not to repeat the act, I have decided to give him an option of fine, Kagarko said. He also said that irrespective of the magnitude of his offence he had given him a chance to reform and leave a meaningful life. The convict confessed stealing 32 inches plasma television, three pairs of suits, two pairs of shoe and N30, 000 cash. Prosecutor A.O. Urom told the court that one Onyechia Opara of 147, Zone E, Apo Resettlement, FCT, reported the matter at Apo Police Station. Urom said that the complainant was alerted by his neighbours on phone that Isah trespassed into his house and broke into his room. "When he was arrested and taken to the police station he pretended as if the property were his and promised to go and bring the receipts, the prosecutor said. Urom said that in the attempt to go and bring the receipts, the convict ran away. In another development, Isah criminally trespassed into the same house the second time, before neighbours raised an alarm and he was caught. Urom said that the convict was handed over to the police with blood all over him. He said the authority ordered that he be taken to the hospital for medical treatment but he escaped from the police station by jumping over the fence, in handcuffs. "He was finally arrested at Dankogi junction, Urom said. MyZimbabwe reports that the man whose name has not been mentioned to protect the victim's identity, abused the teenager on four consecutive days using the same method between February and March last year and after each rape session, he would dangle a black plastic bag before her, claiming it contained objects that could kill her if she told anyone about the sexual assault. When she could not take the abuse any longer, the girl reportedly sneaked out of the house and went to her aunt's house where she narrated what she has been going through in the hands of her stepfather. The aunt reported the assault to the police and the man was arrested. The suspect, Kenneth Eze, according to eyewitnesses, was spotted by a teenager stealing the fuel from the Udi taxi park where a black marketer usually sold the product to commercial drivers and had allegedly threatened to kill a boy who caught him in the act. It was gathered that the boy who saw him from afar, had walked up to Eze to challenge him and return the fuel to the owner but he told the boy to keep shut or he would strangle him to death, claiming to be a member of a deadly cult group and that his members would come for the boy if anything happens to him. But the 17-year-old boy was not frightened by Eze's threats and raised an alarm which attracted a crowd. The suspect was nabbed as he tried to escape and given the beating of his life and would have been burnt to death before he was rescued by the police. The suspect who said he is a driver, allegedly confessed to stealing the fuel but added that it was his first time to be involved in such an act. The accident occurred when a container on a trailer heavily loaded with cement, driven by one Wasiu Adeleke, fell off the Ojuelegba Bridge and landed on two vehicles, one of which was the car in which the deceased persons were travelling. The deceased were Abubaker Sule, Umaru Sulaiman and Kamilu Umaru. The family of the deceased, in a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed before a Federal High Court in Lagos, also joined as defendants the Attorney General of Lagos State, Lagos State Public Works Corporation and Motor Vehicle Administration Agency. Others joined in the suit are the Attorney General of the Federation, Federal Ministry of Works, Federal Road Safety Commission and driver of the ill-fated truck, and its owner Kilani Ojo Adeyanju, who is currently facing criminal charges before a Lagos State Magistrates Court for permitting Adeleke to drive the truck without a valid drivers licence and other valid particulars. The Promotion which started in the month of September ended in December 2015 with a raffle draw event to produce the winners of the various prizes including the grand prize of an all-expense paid trip to Dubai. Ikymavian Pharmacy Nigeria Ltd, Shomolu, Lagos emerged the grand prize winner of the all-expense paid trip to Dubai out of over two hundred and fifty participants/retailers. The draw was picked by Mrs Abiola Paul Ozieh the Chairman of Association of Community Pharmacist (Lagos Branch) and special guest of honour at the Reload Multivitamin raffle draw event. She commended Reload Multivitamin for engaging the retailers as well as rewarding them for supporting the brand. Prior to the grand prize draw, various prizes of 10 units of pressing iron, 2 units of 32 inches television set, 2 units of Home Theatre system,10 units of ceiling fans, 2 units of refrigerators, and 1 unit of air conditioner were drawn by members of the audience in attendance including representatives of the various media houses that covered the maiden edition of Reload Multivitamin Promo draw anchored by ace broadcaster Omotunde Adebowale David (Lolo of Wazobia FM). Davies said that over the last decade there has been a 65% increase in diagnosis of Diabetes, 549,000 diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and over 120,000 people increase than the previous year. According to research there are lots of people who are at the risks of diabetes over the next 5 to 10 years, with most people being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes which is associated with obesity. We know that we have an ageing population so of course there are lots of ageing people with diabetes, but were seeing in the [Leicester] clinic, teenagers and even children with type 2 diabetes and we wouldnt have seen that 10 years ago. Even under the age of 30 there are many more people developing it than before and having it for a longer time, so there are more complications, Davies told sky news. We are having telecommunications problems in Chibok and environs, there was an attack on Monday night in Toshia village where the insurgents injured some villagers, but there was no loss of life, a local vigilante, Aliyu Ba'na told Sahara Reporters. The village was burnt down, all livestock was carted away, and foodstuffs were equally looted though the military has taken a proactive step by protecting Chibok town. As a result, all routes linking to Chibok are barricaded, he added. Chibok is the town from which over 200 girls were abducted in April 2014. Most of them remain in captivity. About Me Christine Sweeton you will never know me... well not in a few lines... This is coming on the heels of a closed door meeting between Buhari and the IMF boss, Christine Lagarde at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The TUC leaders think otherwise. They said This warning is informed by our bitter past experience with the financial body. Our country is already in dire straight and cannot cope with the IMFs characteristic shylock conditionalities attached to its credit facilities, and must not accept same if that is what the visit is about. For the umpteenth time, we wonder aloud: Cant we solve our challenges as a nation without foreign intervention? Must the Brettonwood institutions be the ones to always determine and tell us when our economy is doing well and when to devalue the naira? They also asked Why must they suggest to us how our economy can be fixed, whereas their recipe has consistently tended to end up impoverishing more Nigerians than ever before? Why has it become so difficult to produce good and quality rice and other local products for domestic and export needs? Since when did it become rocket science for our once functional refineries to produce at more than 30 percent of installed capacity and make petroleum products available? She said Let me make it clear that I am not here (in Nigeria) nor is my team in this country to negotiate a loan with conditionality. We are not into programme negotiations and frankly at this point in time, given the determination and resilience displayed by the President and his team, I dont see why an IMF programme will be needed. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an organization of 188 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world. Punch Newspapers reports that Lagarde also offered to help restructure the countrys tax system and block revenue leakages. Speaking to newsmen after the meeting, Buharis Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina said Mr. President told the IMF boss that the country would look inwards for home-grown solutions to the current economic challenge. According to Adesina, Buhari said We have just come out of budget discussions after many weeks of taking into consideration the many needs of the country and the downturn in the economy with falling oil prices and the negative economic forecasts. We are working very hard and with the budget as our way forward; we will do our best to ensure that our country survives the current economic downturn. We have also told all heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government that on our watch, they will fully account for all funds that get into their coffers. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an organization of 188 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world. She said this after a closed door meeting with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Lagarde said Let me make it clear that I am not here (in Nigeria) nor is my team in this country to negotiate a loan with conditionality. We are not into programme negotiations and frankly at this point in time, given the determination and resilience displayed by the President and his team, I dont see why an IMF programme will be needed. So, of course, discipline is going to be needed; of course, implementation is going to be key for the objectives and the ambition to serve the country well in order for it to be actually sustainable. She also said Oil is not the major contributor to the Nigerian GDP, it is only about 40 per cent; but it is a big source of revenue for the government. We discussed with the President, vice president and the ministers of Finance and Budget how more efficiency, more transparency, better accountability and enlarging the base of revenue could actually contribute to sound budgets going forward. Adding that It is not for me here and now to actually approve or comment on the budget because we have procedures in the IMF under which a team of economists is going to come next week actually to do what we call the Article 4, which is to review and have good discussion with partners the IMF on one hand, and the countrys authorities on the other hand. This is to really assess whether financing is in place, whether the debt is sustainable, whether the borrowing costs are sensible and what strategy should be put in place in order to address challenges going forward. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an organization of 188 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world. The IMF boss is currently on a four-day working visit to Nigeria. Anenih however told the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that he didnt benefit from the money but only shared it as instructed, The Nation reports. The PDP chieftain reportedly told the EFCC that he gave N63 million to a group coordinated by a former presidential aide, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, for the 2015 presidential elections. The money is believed to be part of the $2.1 billion arms fund which was allegedly looted under Dasukis supervision. Dasuki is at the center of the massive money laundering investigation and is alleged to have supervised the looting of the funds which were meant for the procurement of arms for Nigeria's military. He was arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) on December 1, 2015 and handed over to the EFCC the day after. The former NSA is reported to have implicated several prominent persons in the deal including former governors, ex-ministers and members of the PDP. Dasukis lawyer however denied the report that his client had become an informant while the former NSA said that ex-President, Goodluck Jonathan was aware of the transactions he had made. Jonathan has however denied authorizing the release of the stated funds despite the former NSAs claim that he got the necessary presidential approval for the transactions. Dasuki was released on bail from Kuje Prison in December 2015 but was soon re-arrested by the DSS. --------------------------------------------- In a statement by the courts Acting Chief Registrar, Emmanuel Garko on Wednesday, he said none of the accused were charged before the court, so it could not have granted bail to any of them. It will be in the interest of the reporters and editors (the media) to note that these cases involving the accused persons are not all before the Federal High Court of Nigeria as reported by some national dailies, but before Justice Hussein Baba Yusuf and Justice Peter Affen of the High Court of the FCT, he said. He clarified that the Federal High Court of Nigeria is different from the High Court of FCT, which has its respective jurisdiction. It would recalled that Dasuki and others were granted bail on two occasions - on December 18 and 21 2015 at N250m by Justices Hussein Baba-Yusuf and Peter Affen of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The ex-NSA is currently involved in three criminal cases pending before the Federal High Court, Abuja and the High Court of the Federal Capital territory (FCT), Maitama, Abuja. El-Zakzaky is being kept at a police detention facility in Kaduna State, according to Punch. El-Zakzaky is being kept at a detention facility in Kaduna; he cannot be released for now because he is being investigated by the police, a source said. In fact, a probe of El-Zakzakys activities is ongoing and the investigating team is headed by an Assistant Inspector-General of Police, so he is not likely to be released anytime soon. Those calling for his release dont know the gravity of the security breaches he had committed, the source added. The disclosure comes days after the Shiites urged the Federal Government to reveal El-Zakzakys location if it truly wants a peaceful resolution to the crisis between the group and the Nigerian Army. Iran has also said via its Foreign Ministry that it had taken necessary steps to warn Nigeria on the continued detention of El-Zakzaky. Soldiers engaged the Shiites in a battle after the group allegedly attempted to assassinate Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai on Saturday, December 12, 2015. The conflict escalated after soldiers surrounded El-Zakzakyhome and arrested him. The Shiites have claimed that about 1000 members of the group died during the confrontation. ------------------------------------------------------ Fani-Kayode said "I read with amusement the allegation that was made in saharareporters, the unofficial media wing of the Buhari administration, the SSS and the EFCC,, that I was given 1.7 billion naira cash by President Goodluck Jonathan. This is false. " "A few hours later they changed their story and said that I received 1.7 billion naira from the office of the former NSA, Colonel Sambo Dasuki. This is also false. I have never received one kobo from President Jonathan himself, Colonel Dasuki or any other member of President Jonathan's government," the ex-minister said. FFK, as he is fondly called, revealed that he only collected funds from private individuals, and not government coffers, when he headed the Media and Publicity department of the Jonathan/Sambo Campaign organisation. Fani-Kayode also wondered if it was a crime to be a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). His words: "If it is a crime to be a member of the PDP and to be in opposition they should just say so. If it is a crime to speak up for and defend President Jonathan and key members of his government after he has left office they should just say so. "If it is a crime to oppose the Buhari administration and speak up against his gross violations of human rights that they are indulging in and the violation of court orders they should just say so." The former minister also wrote an open letter to President Buhari where he alleged that Mr. President was lying. Mr Obinna Oriaku, the state Commissioner for Finance, gave the warning in Umuahia on Monday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). Oriaku, who said the state generates N2.2 billion from IGR while its wage bill stood at N3billion, added: "Most people see Abia as a state that should be able to stand on its feet without federal allocation. "History has it that the IGR realised from Ariaria market alone was sufficient for the payment of teachers salaries in the old Imo state.'' Oriaku said that this had made the state to resort to generating an accurate data base as well as re-engineering the IGR process. "We have understudied what states like Lagos did to achieve giant strides in the area of IGR and discovered that they have been able to harness the potentials of IGR through automation, he said. The commissioner said strategies had been evolved to ensure that all funds meant for the state were not lost to revenue collection contractors or touts. Mr Asuqwu Antai, DPRs Controller Operation in Charge of Akwa Ibom and Cross River, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Eket, Akwa Ibom on Wednesday. Here in Akwa Ibom, from December till date, we sealed a total of 65 filling stations, Antai said. He said that in spite of closing the filling stations, the marketers continued to innovate ways of circumventing DPRs operation. Antai said the department had embarked on 24 hour surveillance in collaboration with security agencies to ensure that marketers complied with the directive of the Federal Government. They sell with our seal; they sell at night when they know that officials of the department will not be visiting. Our members will henceforth be going for inspections at night with the support of security agencies for surveillance, he said. He said that the department would resist marketers from selling above the government regulated pump price. We cannot continue like this, we all accuse government of insensitivity when government goes out of its ways to address the plight of people. Hogan and Rawlings-Blake said the new open space and state-subsidized financing will stimulate private investment in new homes, retail stores and other businesses to revive impoverished, crime-ridden neighborhoods. "Fixing what is broken in Baltimore requires that we address the sea of abandoned, dilapidated buildings that are infecting entire neighborhoods," the first-term Republican governor told a news conference. "They aren't just unsightly; they're also unsafe, unhealthy and a hotbed for crime."financing will stimulate private investment in new homes, retail stores and other businesses to revive impoverished, crime-ridden neighborhoods. The Baltimore plan includes $75 million in state funding to demolish blocks of abandoned buildings to create space for affordable housing, businesses and parks. The city will provide nearly $19 million worth of administrative services, and the state will offer more than $600 million in financing opportunities for private-sector development. It's a smaller effort than Detroit's, which has razed about 7,100 vacant houses and auctioned off 500 more since May 2014. Detroit's plan intentionally avoids spelling out what happens after the bulldozers leave. Youngstown, Ohio, tried to retool itself into a smaller, greener city under a demolition plan launched in 2005. But John Russo, co-author of "Steeltown U.S.A.," and a visiting research fellow at the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech, said large-scale demolition hasn't had the economic impact planners expected. Rawlings-Blake, a Democrat who is not seeking re-election, said the program would accelerate the city's existing demolition plan, funded at $10 million per year. The city of 620,000 people has about 17,000 vacant houses, concentrated in neighborhoods that saw rioting, looting and arson after Gray's death in April. In block after block in poor neighborhoods, former homes have doors and windows covered in plywood. Some of the boards are marked with signs about controlling the rat population, others with posters about the violence that took the lives of 344 people last year. "We must stop killing each other," one says. The empty, brick row houses are often vandalized and sometimes catch fire. The Rev. Andrew Foster Connors, co-chairman of Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development, said his group has tied its neighborhood redevelopment projects to entry-level job creation for people with criminal records, largely for low-level drug crimes, by working with nearby employers including Johns Hopkins University. "Any kind of redevelopment work, I think, has real potential, but it's got to be paired with job creation programs that connect real jobs with people who need them," Connors said. Wire services The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that many houses and cars were burnt as the truck caught fire at the Kafur junction round-about in Malumfashi. A witness, Kamal Lawal-Nakabo, told NAN that the truck was from Zaria Road and was crossing the round-about to Funtua Road. A NAN correspondent who was at the scene report that the incident attracted the combined efforts of Malumfashi Local Government fire service and the Katsina State fire service officials and residents to put out the fire. He said the fire started at about 5 p.m., and as press time, people were seen pouring sand to stop the fire from covering culverts and water passages, and to individual houses and shops. When contacted, the acting Chairman of Malumfashi Local Government, Alhaji Dikko Bala, confirmed the incident, saying no life was lost. Bala said he was able to mobilise the fire fighting vehicle which responded immediately and the driver of the vehicle and two passengers escaped unhurt. He commended the efforts of personnel of the Federal Road Safety Corps, the Police and the NSCDC for their effort. Vanguard Newspapers reports that the National Secretary of the party, Prof. Adewale Oladipo said We state this because we have been made aware of top directives to break Chief Metuh and if possible poison him during his detention by the EFCC. Chief Metuh, has since his arrest at about 10 am, has been kept incommunicado, with his lawyers denied access to him. Adding that The PDP insists that for whatever reason Chief Metuh was arrested, his rights as a citizen under the law must not be trampled upon. We therefore demand for his immediate release and that due process of investigation and prosecution concerning him should be strictly adhered to. During an investigation into the arms purchase scandal involving the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, the EFCC reportedly traced N1.4billion to the account of a company linked to the PDP spokesman. The spokesman for the EFCC, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, disclosed to newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday, January 5, 2016, that Metuh is being investigated over the N1.4 billion traced to the account of a company, Destra Investment Limited, linked to him in the arms contract scam. Uwujaren, also said he was not aware of Metuhs arrest. The party said this in a statement released by its National Secretary, Prof. Adewale Oladipo. According to Vanguard Newspapers, Oladipo said We are also calling on the international community and well-meaning Nigerians to stand up for this democracy, which our party nurtured for 16 years and deepened to a level where the opposition, for the first time in our political history, had the opportunity to win in a general election. Adding that This onslaught against our spokesman, according to intelligence available to us is part of a larger script by the government to ensure that PDP wings are finally clipped in their mission to install a dictatorial one-party state in the country. The excesses of security agencies under this government, especially the Directorate of Security Services (DSS) and the EFCC, in abridging the human rights of PDP members have become worrisome and a threat to our democratic evolution. The party also alleged that there is a plot to poison Metuh in detention. The spokesman for the EFCC, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, disclosed to newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday, January 5, 2016, that Metuh is being investigated over the N1.4 billion traced to the account of a company, Destra Investment Limited, linked to him in the arms contract scam. Uwujaren, also said he was not aware of Metuhs arrest. Mrs Uchechi Kanu is said to have delivered the child early yesterday morning. Uchechi, finally shared the first photo of their new born son, who has been reportedly named, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. Uchechi recently granted an interview on her husbands reasons for campaigning for Biafra terming him a prisoner of conscience. Kanu is currently being held by the Department of State Security (DSS) on charges of treason. President Muhammadu Buhari has ruled out the likelihood of the Biafra leader being freed on bail after revealing that he came into Nigeria without a passport. Kanu was arrested in October and supposedly granted bail but he was never freed. Mohammed made the statement in response to claims that Buhari was trying to silence the opposition by ordering the arrest of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spokesman, Chief Olisa Metuh. I think the first point to make is that this government is not micro-managing any of the anti-graft agencies. I know for a fact that they dont contact the President or anybody before they do their job, the minister said during an interview with State House correspondents inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Wednesday, January 6, 2016. I think the media also has to do more than they are doing right now, they should investigate these allegations and also make their independent judgment about it. Honestly, if the EFCC or ICPC says that they are able to trace certain amount of money to my account, I dont want you to believe it, I want you to also ask for proof; do your investigation. I can assure you that this government, no functionary in government micro manages or directs the EFCC or ICPC on who to arrest and who not to arrest, he added. According to Sahara Reporters, Metuh had planned to escape to the Caribbean island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis after allegedly obtaining citizenship of the country through substantial financial investment. The report says the PDP spokesperson was intending to fly first to Dubai before heading to his final destination. Our information is that Chief Metuh was planning to move there [St. Kitts and Nevis] to avoid possible arrest and trial [for corrupt enrichment], a source told Sahara Reporters. Metuh was arrested by the EFCC yesterday, January 5, 2016, as part of investigations into the $2.1 billion arms deal fraud which was allegedly supervised by former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki. The PDP spokesperson was accused of receiving N400 million from Dasuki while a sum of N1.4 billion was also allegedly traced to the account of a company linked to him (Metuh). Dasuki is at the center of the massive money laundering investigation and is alleged to have supervised the looting of the funds which were meant for the procurement of arms for Nigeria's military. He was arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) on December 1, 2015 and handed over to the EFCC the day after. The former NSA is reported to have implicated several prominent persons in the deal including former governors, ex-ministers and members of the PDP. Dasukis lawyer however denied the report that his client had become an informant while the former NSA said that ex-President, Goodluck Jonathan was aware of the transactions he had made. Jonathan has however denied authorizing the release of the stated funds despite the former NSAs claim that he got the necessary presidential approval for the transactions. Dasuki was released on bail from Kuje Prison in December 2015 but was soon re-arrested by the DSS. --------------------------------------------- Vanguard Newspapers reports that the partys National Secretary, Prof. Adewale Oladipo said The excesses of security agencies under this government, especially the Directorate of Security Services (DSS) and the EFCC, in abridging the human rights of PDP members have become worrisome and a threat to our democratic evolution. Nigerians and the international community will recall that on a number of occasions, the PDP, through its spokesman has been outspoken on some undemocratic proclivities being exhibited by the APC-led Federal Government in the last seven months. Adding that The arrest of Chief Metuh today underscores the growing political intolerance in our country and the foisting of a police state which was last Wednesday underscored by the President and Commander-in-Chief himself, who defended why a government in a democracy should flout constitutional provision and brazenly disobey court orders. The PDP Publicity Secretary was reportedly arrested on Tuesday, January 5, 2016, in connection with the ongoing investigation by the EFCC, into the arms purchase scam, involving the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki. The party also accused President Buhari of planning to run a one party state. This was disclosed by the states Information Commissioner, Dr Austin Tam-George on Wednesday, January 6, 2016, during a radio programme in Port Harcourt. Tam-Georges comments were contained in a statement released by the Special Assistant to Governor Nyesom Wike on Electronic Media, Simeon Nwakaudu. It reads: I will seek the permission of the Governor to formally write Professor Wole Soyinka, a known supporter of Amaechi if he received part of the N82million spent on a 3-hour Dinner hosted for him by the Amaechi administration. If he agrees that he received such funds, then he will be compelled to refund same to the coffers of Rivers State. At present, we have presented these details to the Police for investigation and prosecution. We shall also take up this matter as a financial crime against the people of Rivers State. More than 160 congressional Democrats filed a friend-of-the-court brief to the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, arguing that a Texas law that effectively forces most of the states abortion clinics to close is unconstitutional. The group, which included Sen. Patty Murray from Washington state and Sen. Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut, wrote in the brief (PDF) that a womans right to decide whether to carry a pregnancy to term or to seek critical medical services, including abortion, should be insulated from the shifting political rhetoric and interest groups whose sole purpose is to erode the right to choose to bring a pregnancy to term afforded to women under [Roe v. Wade], the 1973 case in which the Supreme Court ruled that women could get abortions. The brief was filed ahead of the courts March 2 hearing of Whole Womans Health v. Cole, which challenges a Texas law that requires clinics performing abortions be outfitted with hospital-like surgical centers, an expense many cant afford. Supporters of the law say its meant to protect womens health. Another portion of the law, HB2, which was signed by Texas Gov. Rick Perry in the summer of 2013, requires abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at a local hospital a development that shuttered about half of the state's abortion clinics. If the "ambulatory surgical center" portion stands, it will shrink the states abortion clinics from 41 before the law was passed to 10 or fewer, according to Al Jazeeras calculations. Abortion rights activists have argued that lower-income women in rural Texas who lack child care or transportation will be stuck without a way to safely end their pregnancies, and that millions of women would have to drive 100 miles or more to find a provider. Whole Woman's Health, an Austin, Texas-based organization that runs several health clinics across the country, filed a lawsuit in 2014 contesting the ambulatory surgical center portion of the law, but the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the appeal in June 2015. However, the Supreme Court issued an emergency stay, allowing the affected clinics to stay open as the justices considered whether to listen to an appeal to the Fifth Circuit ruling. The court decided to accept the case in November 2015, and oral arguments will be heard March 2. This is the first abortion case heard by the Supreme Court since 2007, and experts say it will have a major effect on abortion rights across the country. Since 2010, two dozen other states have passed similar laws restricting the circumstances in which abortions can be performed (PDF). The law thats being challenged in Texas is a type of restriction that has been passed in a lot of other states, said Caitlin Borgmann, a reproductive law expert and professor at City University School of Law in New York and executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Montana. For example, only one abortion clinic remains in Mississippi due to a 2012 law requiring abortion doctors to have hospital admitting privileges. The court will have to determine just how inconvenient it is for Texas women to drive longer distances to reach an abortion clinic so as to be an undue burden on them, the standard outlined in 1992 when the Supreme Court struck down Pennsylvanias law requiring women to inform their husbands before having abortions. Its not completely clear what constitutes an undue burden, Borgmann said. Thats why some state governments have thought that they could pass these restrictions. Before the Supreme Court clarifies it, lawmakers and advocacy groups on both sides of the political spectrum have weighed in. The Obama administration also filed a brief to the Supreme Court urging it to strike down HB2, arguing that the restrictions would threaten, not protect, womens health. "If HB2 were permitted to take full effect, the vast majority of the abortion clinics that operated in Texas before enactment of that law would be shut down, resulting in substantial obstacles for women seeking a previability abortion," U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli wrote in the brief submitted Monday. Yakassai said the money was used to ensure that the traditional leaders would mobilize their subjects for the 2015 general elections, Vanguard reports. Yes, myself and 8 others collected N53m from chief Tony Anenih to pay advocacy visit to prominent northern emirs to mobilised their subjects for a hitch free 2015 general elections, he told Vanguard. I want to make it abundantly clear that I didnt receive money from Chief Anenih in my private capacity as Tanko Yakassai but as patriotic individuals who are interested in the peaceful coexistence of the polity, he added. Yakassai said further that the money was spent on allowances, transportation and hotel accommodation for members of his group during an 18-state tour. He listed the beneficiaries of the funds as former minister of state for Foreign Affairs, Alhaji Mamman Anka, Barrister Bitrus Gwada and Alhaji Suleiman Lawal, Dr Bahago, Chief John Macklink from Plateau, and Senator Sodangi. Anenih disclosed the sum given to Yakassai while explaining to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) how he shared a sum of N260 million which he received from former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki. Dasuki is at the center of a massive money laundering investigation and is alleged to have supervised the looting of $2.1 billion funds which were meant for the procurement of arms for Nigeria's military. He was arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) on December 1, 2015 and handed over to the EFCC the day after. The former NSA is reported to have implicated several prominent persons in the deal including former governors, ex-ministers and members of the PDP. Dasukis lawyer however denied the report that his client had become an informant while the former NSA said that ex-President, Goodluck Jonathan was aware of the transactions he had made. Jonathan has however denied authorizing the release of the stated funds despite the former NSAs claim that he got the necessary presidential approval for the transactions. Dasuki was released on bail from Kuje Prison in December 2015 but was soon re-arrested by the DSS. --------------------------------------------- The statement released by the partys National Secretary, Prof. Adewale Oladipo said This onslaught against our spokesman, according to intelligence available to us is part of a larger script by the government to ensure that PDP wings are finally clipped in their mission to install a dictatorial one-party state in the country. Adding that The arrest of Chief Metuh today underscores the growing political intolerance in our country and the foisting of a police state which was last Wednesday underscored by the President and Commander-in-Chief himself, who defended why a government in a democracy should flout constitutional provision and brazenly disobey court orders. Vanguard Newspapers reports that Oladipo also said This development, which did not come to us as a surprise given series of threats to our partys spokesman by the APC and the Federal Government, who are obviously not comfortable with our stance on the confused state of the nation under their watch, is a continuation of APCs grand design to silence and decimate the PDP. The PDP Publicity Secretary was reportedly arrested on Tuesday, January 5, 2016, in connection with the ongoing investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) into the arms purchase scam. Reports say the EFCC reportedly traced N1.4billion to the account of a company linked to Metuh. PDP also accused EFCC of planning to poison Metuh in detention. Dokpesi sent the cards to Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on Tuesday, January 5, 2016. They were delivered by his son and DAAR Communications Chairman, Raymond Dokpesi Jnr and received by the presidents Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina. The older Dokpesi has been charged with money laundering by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after collecting N2.1bn out the $2.1 billion arms fund which was allegedly looted under the supervision of National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki. According to a statement released by the management of DAAR Communications, Dokpesi received the money from Dasuki for publicity and media political campaigns during the 2015 General Elections. The AIT boss was detained at the Kuje Prison after being charged to court by the EFCC. Sylva, in response however, tagged Dickson, whos representing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the desperate one. The governor, during a press conference on Monday, January 4, described Sylva as a violent politician. The party, the APC, is desperate. Their candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva, is desperate. I hear they want to expand their empire across the Atlantic. Although Sylva is my friend and brother, I do not like his brand of politics of violence. I will roundly defeat him (Sylva) and the APC again and again, Dickson had said. In reaction, Sylva described Dickson as an embattled, desperate and divisive person. In the same breadth, he is claiming an unassailable lead, according to him, having won in six out of seven local government areas results so far declared and that he has the total support of the people of the Southern Ijaw LGA, the APC candidate said through the Director of Media and Publicity of the Sylva-Igiri Campaign Organisation, Chief Nathan Egba. At this point, one really wonders why he is still embattled and running from pillar to post, holding press briefings and radio broadcasts almost on a daily basis. Why did he go to beg the Presidency to be allowed to win in the Southern Ijaw LGA in return for defecting to the APC? Bayelsa State has never had a more deceitful, dictatorial, wasteful and divisive governor such as Seriake Dickson, such that instead of campaigning on a pan-Bayelsa platform, Dickson has set about whipping up core-Ijaw and non-core-Ijaw ethnic sentiments within this small Bayelsa State. Why would he, as a sitting governor, import into his own state gunmen from neighbouring states to cause mayhem? All in the bid to win election! Whereas, he knows the terrible security situation the state is facing under him, Sylva asked. An excerpt of a statement released by the partys National Secretary, Prof. Adewale Oladipo reads The PDP declares the arrest of our spokesman as the last straw that may break our democracy. We therefore forewarn the Federal Government and its agencies to save our democracy and forthwith release our National Publicity Secretary. We state this because we have been made aware of top directives to break Chief Metuh and if possible poison him during his detention by the EFCC. Chief Metuh, has since his arrest at about 10 am, has been kept incommunicado, with his lawyers denied access to him, the statement said. The spokesman for the EFCC, linked to him in the arms contract scam. Uwujaren, also said he was not aware of Metuhs arrest. Before his arrest, the PDP spokesperson had dared the anti-graft agency to invite him to their office, rather than trying him on the pages of newspapers. This was revealed to Leadership Newspapers, by Sarakis Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu. Olaniyonu said the meeting will focus on Nigerias economy. He also said the falling oil prices at the international market has negatively impacted the nations oil revenue, external reserve and increased pressure on the Naira at the foreign exchange market. The meeting of the Senate leadership with the IMF chief will be coming after a similar exchange Lagarde had with President Muhammadu Buhari and other managers of the national economy. The IMF boss met with President Buhari in a closed door session, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. After the meeting with Mr. President, Lagarde said Let me make it clear that I am not here (in Nigeria) nor is my team in this country to negotiate a loan with conditionality. We are not into programme negotiations and frankly at this point in time, given the determination and resilience displayed by the President and his team, I dont see why an IMF programme will be needed. So, of course, discipline is going to be needed; of course, implementation is going to be key for the objectives and the ambition to serve the country well in order for it to be actually sustainable. She also offered to help Nigeria track stolen funds, restructure the countrys tax system and block revenue leakages. The IMF boss is currently on a four-day working visit to Nigeria. The incident occurred at the parish of bannur Jodukatte Puttur on New Year's Eve, where police stormed the Protestant church and arrested the 15 Christian worshipers as a means to "protect" them from a mob of Hindu radicals that had gathered outside. The Christians, however, were reportedly released a few hours later after being warned against proselytizing, and told that they must always alert the authorities before any prayer services or celebrations. Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians, said that the Christian minority "is vulnerable and subjected to harassment and persecution by both extremist as well as authorities, who are responsible for protecting citizens. Clearly, Christians are considered second-class citizens in secular India." International Christian Concern noted that Hindu radicals often use anti-forced conversion laws to persecute Christian leaders with false charges against Christians of converting Hindus, leading to arrests and long court cases. The watchdog group warned that nationwide anti-forced conversion laws, which are being pushed by Hindu nationalists, could lead to even more violence and targeting of Indian Christians, who make up a distinct but rising minority. In a statement signed by the Saudi Press Agency, the government insisted that it executed terrorists for the good of the nation and international community. The Saudi government also maintained that the executed persons were found guilty of attacks on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mershad and not because of their religious beliefs. The government of is strongly opposed to the condemnation and protestations on the attacks it is enduring from people who are least abreast with the Islamic jurisprudence practised in our kingdom; which says, Allah Almighty says in the Holy Quran that the recompense of those who wage war against Allah and His messenger and do mischief in the land is only that they shall be killed or crucified or their hands and feet be cut off from the opposite sides or be exiled from the land. That is their disgrace in this world and a great torment is theirs in the hereafter,'"the statement read. The Royal Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia argued that no nation would sit by and watch people who create chaos, provoke acts of violence and spread terrorist propaganda in its domain. As armed men continue to occupy a federal complex in an isolated corner of rural eastern Oregon, refusing to leave until their demands are met, the national spotlight has returned to political groups ideologically opposed to central government. Decades after early 1990s violent incidents involving the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas, and the Weaver family in Ruby Ridge, Idaho, the federal government appears reluctant to engage the self-styled militiamen holed up since Saturday at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters, 30 miles south of Burns, Oregon. Authorities may be prepared to wait patiently to end the siege without violence, as happened with an 81-day standoff with the Montana Freemen group that ended peacefully in 1996. But at the moment, Ammon Bundy and at least a dozen other men who call themselves the Citizens for Constitutional Freedom are forcefully occupying federal property. Though the group in Oregon is small, the number of similar groups has grown exponentially since President Barack Obama was first elected to the White House in 2008, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which tracks their growth. There are now more than 1,200 active anti-government groups, including over 276 armed militias (a 37 percent increase over 2014), and sovereign citizen coalitions that do not recognize the U.S. governments jurisdiction, the SPLC said. The state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, signed a bill, the Lagos State University (Amendment) Bill, into law to make these possible on January 5 at the Lagos House, Ikeja. An added benefit of this law is that there is now a five-year single term for the Vice-Chancellor of the school. LASU Academic Staff Union of Universities made a plea to the government to approve a 5-year single term for VCs in the school after the union engaged the immediate past VC of the institution, Prof. John Obafunwa, in a running battle. Ambode explained that the objectives of making these changes is to raise the standards of the university. The governor said, It is the desire of the state government to build a LASU that will produce better students. In the next few days, changes will begin to happen in the school. He added that the law was a demonstration of his commitment to actualise the dream of the founding fathers of the institution. The attack was claimed by Hizbollah. He said this was in the area of operations of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Ban said that UNIFIL and the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon had taken immediate steps through contacts with the parties to help restore calm in the area. Ban also said UNIFIL was investigating the circumstances of the incident in cooperation with the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Israel Defence Forces. The Secretary-General called on all parties to maintain the cessation of hostilities and to ensure full respect for Security Council resolution 1701 (2006). It will be recalled that the resolution was unanimously approved by the United Nations Security Council on Aug. 11, 2006. The Security Council expressed utmost concern at the spiralling deadly violence and destruction in Lebanon, the Security Council called for a full cessation of hostilities in the month-long war between Israel and Hizbollah. It mapped out a formula for the phased withdrawal of the Israel Defence Forces from Southern Lebanon, while up to 15,000 United Nations peacekeepers helped Lebanese troops to take control of the area. The council expressed concern over the hundreds of deaths and injuries on both sides, the extensive damage to civilian infrastructure and massive internal displacement. According to the council, this is triggered by the July 12, 2015 abduction of two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid; this makes the 15-nation body to unanimously adopt resolution. The Security Council calls for the immediate cessation by Hizbollah of all attacks and the immediate cessation by Israel of all offensive military operations in Lebanon. Aware of its responsibilities to help secure a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution to the conflict, council created a buffer zone free of any armed personnel. Tunisia has been under a state of emergency since an Islamic State suicide bomber attacked presidential guards in November in the capital Tunis following two previous militant attacks on foreign tourists that have damaged the country's economy. Essid named new ministers of the interior, justice and foreign affairs, among others. He gave no reason for the changes but late last year he said he would replace ministers to increase the efficiency of his government. Tunisia, praised as a model for democratic transition since its 2011 revolt ousted autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, has mostly avoided the violent turmoil of other "Arab Spring" countries which also toppled long-standing rulers. But an attack by jihadist gunmen on the Bardo museum in Tunis in March, and a gun attack on foreign tourists at a beach hotel in Sousse resort in June, have left the government struggling to find the best strategy to counter militants. In a statement Essid's office named Hedi Majdoub as the new interior minister and a former presidential adviser, Khemais Jinaou, as foreign minister. Laura Oslund, director/community educator for NyE Communities Coalition, has found herself in a dilemma as of late. The burgeoning popularity of the medical marijuana industry in Nevada appears to be in direct conflict with her longtime anti-drug message, as part of the coalition, after the legislature passed a law allowing regulated dispensaries and cultivators to serve the states medical marijuana patients. Though the issue has since crossed the Rubicon, Oslund, who serves as the coalitions substance abuse prevention specialist and educator, remains firm on her anti-marijuana message. I am disappointed because the general public is not being told everything about medical marijuana, she said. I always use quotes around the term medical marijuana because I do not necessarily believe that it is medical at this point in time and I urge people to do their own research. Through her research, Oslund said the substance, Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of at least 85 active cannabinoids identified in marijuana, and is considered to have a wider scope of potential medical applications than the compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which gives marijuana users their high. She suggested that marijuana growers are focused more on producing strains of marijuana with higher amounts of THC, rather than the CBDs. The beneficial part of marijuana is the CBD and if you go to any dispensary, which I refer to as dealerships, in my head, you will see that it is a high THC number and low CBDs. For them to call it beneficial, I believe is wrong because they are taking out the part that has been proven to be effective, and is very low on what is being dispensed. Oslund also said through her research, she has learned the levels of THC are now at an all-time high. I dont like to say how old I am, but if you look at the strength of the marijuana when I was a youth in the seventies, it was maybe 3 percent THC, and now it is upward of 24 to 27 percent, she said. The hash oil that they are using is upward of 80 percent. People should do their own research and find out more about it and the way it is being dispensed. The most common method of ingesting marijuana is smoking the plant. With the advent of legalization in several states in recent years, the use of edible forms of medical and recreational marijuana such as brownies, gummy bears, along with candy and cookies, are gaining popularity among its users. Oslund said the industry is sending the wrong message to children. With the gummy bears and the cookies and the brownies in edible form, I think it makes it more attractive to children, she said. The kids are eating them and if you see them all sharing one brownie between 12 people that might be an indication that maybe it isnt just a regular brownie. In Colorado and other states, it is already happening. Some kids dont even know what it is thats inside the so-called medication. Additionally, Oslund noted that both children and adults can get confused and accidentally ingest the wrong edible. I also believe the edibles are not being packaged in what would be a prescription form, she said. We have gummy vitamins and stuff. If Im carrying a brownie, is anybody really going to say or ask if its a marijuana brownie or is it just a regular brownie? Last month, the U.S. Senate passed legislation which included a provision that would allow the Department of Veterans Affairs doctors to recommend medical marijuana to patients in states where it is legal. In recent years, many doctors around the country have given their respective support on the use of medical marijuana for patients. Oslund said she is not swayed by the revelation. There seems to be a few that are recommending medical marijuana for many of their patients, she said Its not always their regular position. They dont know your history, they dont look at your medical records and theres no definition for what these patients are getting their medical marijuana cards for. How is that valid? There are bona fide doctors who swear by it and if you look at it, most of it is the high CBD and low THC. High THC negates whatever benefits the CBD has. If you do the research. Oslund also suggested the medical marijuana is not under the same scrutiny as other regulated drugs. We would never accept it from anything else, she said. Look at everything that every pharmaceutical company has to do to get a medication on the market and that is not happening with the medical marijuana. With OxyContin, if a doctor told their patients just have at it, would we accept that format? As a society, we are now dealing with the problem of types of prescriptions of opiates. In 1970, lawmakers classified marijuana as a dangerous Schedule I drug, in the same category as LSD and heroin, under the Controlled Substances Act. That classification is for drugs that have no medicinal purpose, are unsafe even under a doctors supervision and contain a high potential for abuse. In addition, Schedule I drugs include Ecstasy and mescaline. Supporters of medical marijuana are demanding the drug should fall under a less serious category. By comparison, prescription drugs with less than 15 milligrams of hydrocodone per dosage unit, such as Vicodin, OxyContin, cocaine and methamphetamine, are classified under the Schedule II category, which is defined as drugs with a high potential for abuse, and less abuse potential than Schedule I drugs. Oslund said she supports marijuanas Schedule I classification. If you are looking at 27 percent THC, yes, I think it is a dangerous drug, she said. Some of the research has shown that marijuana will not cause psychosis or schizophrenia, but will trigger it. My research has shown that marijuana can have an adverse effect on someone diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. You also want to look at how marijuana affects someone and how it brings out paranoia and paranoia is not a good thing for someone with post-traumatic stress disorder. Next year Nevada voters will cast ballots on whether the state should make recreational marijuana legal to adults 21 years and older. Oslund declined to comment on that issue, other than to say, I dont ever want to say, there could be something positive on the horizon. Theres a plus to what is going on with the medical marijuana industry right now, she said. If there is one positive aspect on all of this, its that they are actually doing more research on it and the effects of marijuana. Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. Pahrumps first local transportation program is about to make a leap toward launch after organizers collected enough money to deliver the four donated buses. Albert Bass, one of the organizers for the Nye Ryder, a local on-demand transportation program, said that four members of the Nye County Regional Transportation Committee will pick up the four buses donated to the program by the Utah Transit Authority on Jan. 13. The initiative was funded by numerous donations from the community, including the Pahrump Nugget and Pahrump Valley Disposal, Inc., that donated $500 each and NyE Communities Coalition donated $300. Bass announced the programs fundraising efforts in October. There are a couple more businesses who committed, yet have not yet submitted as of this date. Also another $1000 in many private donations from individuals in the community, Bass said. Charles Rutkowski, assistant director for the Washington, D.C.- based CTAA (Community Transportation Association of America) recently visited Pahrump and compiled a report outlining the needs assessment of the Pahrump Valley. The 12-page report prepared by Rutkowski showed that Pahrump was very ripe for a transportation program, Bass said. We based our assessment on analysis of the demographics of Pahrump, examination of the configuration of the community, including trip generators such as residential, shopping, commercial and employment areas and discussions with the key stakeholders in the project, Rutkowski said in an email. Prospects for operational funding are very positive and vehicles have already been secured. Due to Rutkowskis findings, Bass said officials will move ahead with technical assistance for the program as they will assign a professional transportation consultant to work with Nye Ryder at no charge. This finding made it possible for the CTAA to continue supporting us and hire a professional transportation consultant company to work with us as a community to develop and implement a mass public transportation program, Bass said. Nye Ryder organizers will work with LSC transportation consultants out of Colorado Springs, Colorado. In the meantime, the CTAA will continue supporting transportation program development, process and implementation requirements. The transportation consultants will help with transportation planning, transit planning and operations, engineering operations and design, data collection and analysis, program requirements and implementation, Bass said. Their first trip to Pahrump is slated for Jan. 21 and 22. Since Nye Ryder had been discussed at the Nye County Regional Transportation Commission in late August, officials scaled the proposed program down to 5,000 hours a month from the original 9,000 hours. In our assessment of the community, we saw that trip generators are scattered, Rutkowski said. This characteristic of the community lends itself to the demand-responsive mode of service that would initially be provided. Over time, as trip patterns become established, fixed route services could be provided. Nye Ryder has yet to get a nod from Nye County commissioners and Nye County Regional Transportation Commission. If the program is approved, officials said the NDOT grant will not kick in until October 2016. Contact reporter Daria Sokolova at dsokolova@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @dariasokolova77 The investigation into the industrial fire at the shuttered waste disposal site near Beatty said that the incident was caused by a chemical reaction between rainwater and sodium metal in the trench area where low-radioactive waste had been buried. The findings from the investigation into the fire at the state-owned radioactive waste disposal site located at US Ecology on U.S. Highway 95 approximately 12 miles south from Beatty were announced by the state of Nevada and Department of Public Safetys State Fire Marshal Division in a press release on Dec. 30. As detailed in our report, this investigation found corrosion of the steel drums containing the metallic sodium over time allowed the packing fluid to seep out, leaving the metallic sodium exposed to the underground elements, Nevada State Fire Marshal Peter Mulvihill said in a press release. Heavier than normal rainfall seeped into the ground, reaching the metallic sodium through a compromised cover causing the fire. The Oct. 18 explosions at Trench 14 preceded a fire that shut down a 140-mile stretch of U.S. 95 for almost 24 hours. Officials also closed schools in Beatty and Tonopah the following day. The 80-acre industrial site in Nye County consists of a 40-acre low-level radiological waste storage site and a 40-acre active chemical processing facility. The site was operated by US Ecology and its predecessor, Nuclear Engineering Co. from 1962 through 1992. The authority was transferred to the state of Nevada in 1997 after the low-level radioactive waste portion of the site was closed. US Ecology continues to operate a 40-acre landfill for hazardous waste, including chemical waste on the land that the company leases from the state. During the investigation, officials collected video evidence, witness statements and evidence found at the scene. As part of the investigation, the state agency team also collected samples of debris displaced from the incident pit, debris from within the pit, and of the white surface coating left downwind of the incident site. The results of the analysis identified all samples to be significantly high in sodium metal, the report said. Waste materials were buried in a variety of containers and packaging, including steel drums, cardboard boxes and wood crates. Over multiple decades after burial, the packaging materials have deteriorated and collapsed, causing void spaces and the resulting settlement of the fill and cover material in several areas at the site, according to the report. Vance Payne, Nye County Emergency Management director, declined to comment on the contents of the report. Nye County continues to be included in the investigation and looks forward to the state of Nevada reporting to the towns of Amargosa Valley and Beatty in a town hall setting, he said. The evidence collected by investigators also showed that portions of the cover were compromised due to settling and collapse of underlying waste containers resulting in subsidence and cracking of the cover and allowing the migration of rainwater into these areas. The heavy precipitation prior to and on Oct.18 saturated the earthen cover over the buried waste, the report said. Rainwater seeping through the compromised earth cover reached the metallic sodium, causing an exothermic reaction between the water and the metallic sodium. Karen Beckley, radiation control manager in the Gov. Brian Sandoval administration said the corrosion and breaking down of the packages is normal over time. In the meantime, the state is receiving proposals from experts to map, study and permanently repair the site. The site is considered safe as the subsidence and cracks have been repaired to prevent moisture from entering the trenches, Beckley said in an email. The site is currently being monitored with an on-site weather station during rain and snow storms to track moisture that may affect the site. There is no plan to move any of the materials from the site at this time. As of Nov. 17, 2015, several interim repairs were completed, including over-packing drums, adding fill dirt, replacing liner covers and adding final material over the top to prevent moisture entry. The cracks on other trenches were dragged, filled and leveled, according to the report. A long-term repair is being analyzed by several agencies and organizations, Beckley said. The interim repairs are adequate for the purpose of maintaining the current state of the site. It is too early to give a time or cost estimate on a permanent repair, she said. We hope to have cost estimates and plans to compare within 60-90 days. The site is being monitored daily by USEN workers, Beckley said. USEN site manager also walks the site monthly and after snow and rainfalls to monitor visual damage. The Radiation Control Program have been visiting site bi-weekly to monthly since the incident for repairs and radiological and visual inspections. The RCP will continue to perform frequent visits until permanent repairs are complete. Officials said the increased oversight is supposed to reduce the possibility of another incident in the event of rain and allow cap cracks and subsidence to be identified and fixed. Contact reporter Daria Sokolova dsokolova@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @dariasokolova77 Recently I was reading an opinion survey of Nevadans taken in November, a few weeks in advance of the presidential caucuses, third delegate selection event in the nation. More than six out of ten Nevadans were negative on prescription drug prices, more than half said they thought there should be an independent body to recommend drug prices, and more than seven of every ten wants the drug companies to have to disclose research and development, marketing and sales costs. But one really interesting finding was that of all the players drug companies, the Food and Drug Administration, physicians, insurers, consumer groups, and so forth none command the trust of more than two out of every ten Nevadans. At about the same time I read that survey, the saga of Martin Shkreli was unfolding. A hedge fund exec, Shkreli was CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals AG. During his leadership of Turing, the corporation received the license for the anti-parasite drug Daraprim, named by the World Health Organization as basic to a successful health system. Under Shkreli, the price was hiked 5,556 percent, from $13.50 to $750 per tablet. Last month, a U.S. Senate committee report looked at another drug Sovaldi, an expensive hepatitis C treatment made by Gilead Sciences. The Senate probe took a year and a half and 20,000 pages of corporate records were examined. Knowing that its plans for pricing would generate anger, the corporation had laid a strategy for facing down the public. Lets not fold to advocacy pressure in 2014, Gilead VP Kevin Young wrote in an email. Lets hold our position whatever competitors do or whatever the headlines. Senators said corporate documents showed little attention was given to affordability or other matters in the publics interest. Gilead priced Sovaldi at $84,000 for a 12-week course of treatment, a level that courted refusals by insurers to pay for prescriptions, and also prompted the Senate investigation. None of this is particularly surprising. This kind of thing has been going on in pharmaceutical corporations for decades. In his last great Senate investigation, more than half a century ago, Estes Kefauver of Tennessee turned up some of the same kind of information. The probe was prompted by unsafe drugs and misleading advertising, but also by pricing. At one hearing on Dec. 7, 1959, Senate staffers presented evidence that Schering Corporation bought a medication called estradiol from a French corporation for about 12 cents for a bottle of 60, sold it to pharmacists for $8.40 and to consumers for $14. Scherings president called the figures misleading and valueless. Perhaps they were, unless you were a woman needing the hormone therapy the tablets offered. For her, a purchase costing $8.40 in 1959 was the equivalent of $68.51 in 2015 dollars. Fourteen dollars in 1959 was $114.80 in 2015 spending power. More to the point, the markup was thousands of percent. These kind of markups were found time and again. Kefauver particularly wanted a law that forced corporations to share their technology. After three years of monopoly sales of any medication, a pharmaceutical firm would be required to license its drugs to other firms. It would still make money from the patent but could no longer prevent competition. Unfortunately, Kefauver ran afoul of a fellow Democrat President John Kennedy. The drug industry and the American Medical Association opposed any reforms, and Kennedy kept bobbing and weaving on what he would or would not support. The scandal over terrible side effects from thalidomide erupted right in the middle of Kefauvers effort, but Kennedy did little to funnel public concern into legislative action. The KefauverHarris amendments to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act were approved, and Kennedy signed the measure, but many achievable improvements were not in it, thanks largely to the president. For no good reason, his administration had presented its own industry-friendly bill in 1962 that included no patent provisions. With Kennedy withdrawing his support for the three-year requirement, the bill was much less consumer oriented. Any bill, of course, must be enforced, and the industry went right back to work finding ways to jack up prices in spite of the new law. It has been doing so ever since, and the kind of exposures of pharmaceutical ripoffs we have seen in the past year will no doubt continue. Little wonder so many Nevadans find so few players to trust. Dennis Myers is an award-winning journalist who has reported on Nevadas capital, government and politics for several decades. He has also served as Nevadas chief deputy secretary of state. A 20-year-old Davenport man is facing a mandatory 25-year prison sentence after police say he robbed at gunpoint a Chinese restaurant delivery driver. According to the arrest affidavit filed by Davenport Police Detective Bill Thomas, on Nov. 21, Eddie Lorenzo Singleton III called in an order for delivery to China City restaurant, 5260 Northwest Blvd. Singleton asked that the food be delivered to 3417 Heatherton Drive. When the delivery driver got to Heatherton Drive, he noticed that there was no such address, according to the arrest affidavit. The driver called the phone number Singleton used to place the order and was told by a male on the phone to deliver the food to the rear of 3418 Heatherton Drive. According to the arrest affidavit, the delivery driver met Singleton and another man in the parking lot. Singleton pointed a handgun in the delivery drivers face and took the food and the money the victim had. The victim told police he knew the man with the gun. According to the affidavit, the victim told police he used to work at a gas station at Heatherton Drive and West Central Park Avenue. The victim told police the man with the gun was a frequent customer of the gas station. Police were able to get a search warrant for the cellphone number used to call the restaurant, according to the affidavit. The service prodicer confirmed that the number belonged to Singleton with the bill being sent to an address in the 3300 block of Heatherton Drive. Singleton is charged with one count of first-degree robbery, a Class B felony under Iowa law that carries a mandatory 25-year prison sentence, 70 percent, or 17 years, of which must be served before parole can be granted. Singleton was being held without bond Tuesday night in the Scott County Jail. Police continue to look for the man who was with Singleton on the night of the robbery. Anyone with information is asked to call the Davenport Police Department at 563-326-6125. OSAGE, Iowa Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called for greater assistance for caregivers of autism patients during a campaign stop here on Tuesday. Flanked by fire trucks, Clinton told a crowd of about 275 people at the Osage Public Safety Building that she is proposing a plan to encourage earlier screenings and to expand research, housing and job opportunities for the estimated 3.5 million people with autism. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates care for an autistic child can vary between $17,000 and $21,000 annually. "That's a physical and financial burden," Clinton told the crowd. The proposal would also push states to honor Medicaid coverage requirements for children and implement a state-by-state compliance scorecard. Autism is five times more likely to occur in boys than girls, according to the CDC. It estimates 1 in 68 children have been diagnosed on the autism spectrum. Clinton also said she backs President Barack Obama's push to expand gun background checks. "If you are too dangerous to fly, you are too dangerous to buy a gun," she said. ONAWA, Iowa Texas Sen. Ted Cruz vowed Tuesday that as president, he would reverse President Barack Obama's new executive orders on gun control, which Cruz said are "not worth the paper they are printed on." The Republican presidential candidate began a campaign swing through Iowa around the same time Obama spoke at an East Room ceremony where he unveiled his plan to broaden federal background checks for firearm purchases. "I can tell you right now, those executive orders are not worth the paper they are printed on, Cruz told about 75 voters at the Onawa public library, because when you live by the pen, you die by the pen and my pen has got an eraser. Obama insisted he had to use his presidential powers in the absence of legal changes he implored Congress to pass to curb mass shootings in the U.S. The cornerstone of his executive actions is a background check requirement for guns purchased from dealers even if they're bought online or at gun shows. The White House also put gun sellers on notice that the administration planned to strengthen enforcement including deploying 230 new examiners the FBI will hire to process background checks. Cruz promised to protect the Second Amendment right of Americans to bear arms. In his first days in office as president, Cruz said he would rescind not just the gun control actions but "every illegal, unconstitutional action taken by this president. Cruz said his his first day checklist would include protections for the religious rights and liberties of U.S. service members. The third thing is to instruct the Department of Justice, the IRS and every other federal agency that the persecution of religious liberty ends today, he said. That means every serviceman and woman has the right to seek out and worship with their hearts, mind and soul and their superior officer has nothing to say about it. Other issues Cruz said he intended to address immediately in the White House were federal funding for Planned Parenthood, the Iranian nuclear deal and moving the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. He added he would also strive to eliminate the Affordable Health Care Act and incorporate a healthcare plan he believes fits the needs of all citizens. "We will pass common sense healthcare reform that makes health insurance personal, portable and affordable and keeps government from getting in between us and our doctors," he said. Cruz's stop in Onawa was part of a weeklong bus tour in Iowa, site of the first nominating contest Feb. 1. The Texas senator has taken a solid lead in some polls in Iowa, though he trails Donald Trump in most national polls. After leaving Onawa, Cruz campaigned Tuesday in Cherokee and Sioux Center. On Wednesday, he has stops scheduled in Rock Rapids, Sibley, Spirit Lake, Spencer and Storm Lake. A group backing the Renewable Fuel Standard is hailing remarks by Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz in western Iowa, saying he's softening his stance on ethanol supports. However, the Cruz campaign says his position hasn't changed. America's Renewable Future said Wednesday that Cruz committed to keep the RFS through 2022, citing an answer he gave to a questioner Tuesday night in Cherokee in northwest Iowa. "While not perfect, this is a big step forward by Sen. Cruz," said Eric Branstad, state director for the group, which has been critical of the Texas senator. Branstad said the remarks are evidence Cruz is listening to Iowans. However, a spokesperson for Cruz's campaign said Wednesday the comments he made in Tuesday are no different than what he's said in the past. "Sen. Cruz's position has been consistent from the beginning, which includes a five-year phase out of the mandate," Catherine Frazier said. The back and forth is the latest in the ongoing controversy over the Texas senator's stand on ethanol, which has become more of an issue as the Iowa caucuses approach. Cruz is being asked about the issue increasingly, and Tuesday night in Cherokee a woman noted the RFS is due to expire in 2022, according to a recording posted by America's Renewable Future. Cruz responded: "You rightly noted that the RFS is scheduled to expire in 2022. When I said we should phase it out, I said it should be a five-year phase out. A phase out from 2017 to 2022 is five years. I do believe there should be a gradual phase out because there have been investment-backed expectations." The pro-ethanol group says Cruz hasn't always backed a phase out. They say he's co-sponsored other repeal bills, including a 2013 measure that would have ended the RFS immediately. But Cruz's camp pointed to a 2014 bill he sponsored that would have phased out the RFS over five years. The RFS, which requires a minimum amount of renewable fuels to be blended with the nation's fuel supply, was created by a 2005 law, then amended in 2007. The law sets out goals for renewable use through 2022. Cruz also wrote an op-ed for the Des Moines Register that criticizes the government for rules that limit the sale of higher-level ethanol blends. The pro-ethanol group says those remarks also represent substantial progress. Cruz is leading in some Iowa polls, but he's increasingly been targeted by critics. The renewable fuels issue is just one of them. He has argued the government and lobbyists in Washington are trying to fool Iowa voters by convincing them the mandate is needed, giving them more power. He also has said that he would end all energy subsidies, though America's Renewable Future has argued that his plan won't get rid of them all. It's not clear how much the controversy will affect Republican caucus-goers. The renewable fuel industry has said the it supports about 73,000 jobs in the state, and Iowa politicians on a bi-partisan basis have argued in its favor. But government subsidies of all kinds have been targeted by conservatives this election season, including in Iowa. DES MOINES The latest round of Iowa supporters for Jeb Bush's presidential campaign includes a former chief of staff to Gov. Terry Branstad, a former state attorney general and a former state lawmaker who now organizes an effort to get women elected to office. Bushs campaign team announced the endorsements Wednesday. Jeb cut taxes, balanced budgets and conservatively governed in an important swing state, former Branstad chief of staff and Quad-City-area state legislator Bob Rafferty said in a statement. We need someone who is able to compete on a national stage, and able to win in November. Jeb Bush gives us the strongest path to victory, and Im excited to support him. The latest Bush endorsements also includes Maggie Tinsman, another former Quad-City-area state legislator who is co-chairwoman of 50-50 in 2020, a nonprofit group that works to get women elected to public office and has set the goal of gender equity in Iowa government by 2020. Also endorsing Bush is former Iowa Attorney General and veteran Evan Curly Hultman of Waterloo and state legislators David Heaton and Greg Forristall. One of a dozen Republicans running for president, Bush has been in the middle of the pack in polls on the race in Iowa, behind the front-running quartet of Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, Marco Rubio and Ben Carson. President Barack Obama's executive actions to tighten gun regulations divided lawmakers representing the Quad-Cities on Tuesday. Congressional Democrats backed his ideas, but Republicans called it an overreach they would closely scrutinize. It's not clear whether Congress can block the president's plans, which were officially announced in a White House ceremony on Tuesday. But Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Iowa Republican who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, pledged a "deep look" at the proposals. He and Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said the issue should be left to Congress. "This is exactly the deliberative process the founding fathers entrusted to the legislative branch of government, not the political agenda of one person," Grassley said. Ernst said she is opposed to the president's "overreaching and unilateral actions." She said current laws should be enforced. Democrats, however, focused on congressional inaction while applauding the president's steps. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said something must be done about gun violence. He noted that 2,939 people were shot in Chicago last year. "The president has a list of things he can do it won't solve all these problems by a long shot, but it moves us in the right direction," Durbin said. On the House side, both of the area's representatives supported the president. Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, said "improving the background check system can help to address the safety of our communities while also protecting those Second Amendment rights." Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., who co-sponsored a bill earlier this year to expand background checks, said "these executive actions respect the rights of law abiding gun owners." The city of Bettendorf wants Russell Companies to commit fully before it hands the development firm a 2.5-acre block in downtown Bettendorf. Bettendorf spent almost half a million dollars acquiring the parcel between 20th and 21st streets and State and Grant streets city officials have coined Town Square. On Tuesday, during a luncheon sponsored by the Bettendorf Business Network, David Smith, vice president of development services at Russell, said the firm plans to purchase the property for a fair market value. Its just a way to keep things moving until we determine what will be developed there, said Smith, who added Russell hired a Chicago-based consultant firm to conduct market research in downtown Bettendorf. Whether its millennial housing or specialty retail, we want to see what the market can support, Smith said. If were spending tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars on this we want to make sure were doing the right thing. Jeff Reiter, Bettendorfs economic development director, said he hopes Russell can produce specific plans for the city-owned block by the end of February. While Bettendorf city staff and aldermen are focused on the block it owns, they also are interested in the companys team of partners, including the Goldstein family, which owns more than 45 acres along the city's riverfront. Bettendorf City Administrator Decker Ploehn has said the Goldsteins have attended meetings with city staff and Russell representatives. With the new Interstate 74 bridge and the land-based Isle of Capri Casino in the works, Smith said the Goldsteins are interested in potential development. "They're at a point in time where they realize it's the right time to move forward on plans and proceed with this," he said. In other Bettendorf business, Jim Russell, president of Russell Companies, said he plans to demolish The Lodge Hotel & Conference Center, 900 Spruce Hills Drive, within the next four months. The company took possession of the iconic property last month. "Unless somebody in this room comes out of left field in the next 30 days with a big check, we're going to tear it down, redevelop that property ... and turn it into something that will be a great asset to the community," he said. "Fragile" is the word that journalist Karen Elliott House used to describe Saudi Arabia in her 2012 book about the country. "Observing Saudi Arabia is like watching a gymnast dismount the balance beam in slow motion," she wrote. The world holds its breath wondering if the Saudis "will nail the landing or crash to the mat." This past week, the House of Saud seemed to have lost its footing. The kingdom's fear of a rising Iran led it to execute a dissident Shiite cleric, triggering riots in Iran, a break in diplomatic relations and a sharp escalation in the sectarian feud that is ravaging the Middle East. What led Saudi Arabia to take these risky actions, and what U.S. policies might reduce the danger that the Middle East mess will get even worse? You can't answer these questions without examining the Saudis' insecurity, which has led them to make bad choices. Saudi Arabia is a frightened monarchy. It's beset by Sunni extremists from the Islamic State and Shiite extremists backed by Iran. It's bogged down in a costly and unsuccessful war in Yemen. And it mistrusts its superpower patron and protector, the United States, in part because of America's role in brokering the nuclear deal that ended Iran's isolation. Countries that feel vulnerable sometimes do impulsive and counterproductive things, and that has been the case recently with the Saudis. Compounding Saudi Arabia's problem is its internal ferment. King Salman's ambitious son, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 30, has devised a plan for modernization and economic growth, with input from McKinsey & Co. and other global consultants. The plan makes all the right recommendations: boost private enterprise; diversify the economy away from dependence on oil exports; reduce the stultifying role of the Saudi state. But these reforms would challenge powerful senior princes and disrupt a society that is resistant to change. A defensive, anxious Saudi leadership tried to show its resolve with last week's execution of 47 extremists. Though global attention was focused on the death of Shiite cleric Nimr Baqr al-Nimr and three other Shiites, the rest of the executed men were Sunni radicals who were allied with Islamic State, al-Qaeda and other jihadist groups. Some Saudi-watchers think that killing Nimr was partly a cover for the execution of the radical Sunnis. Regardless of the motivation, Nimr's execution was a mistake. The Saudis compounded their error by rashly cutting diplomatic relations with Iran and pushing other Arab Gulf countries to do the same. The rationale was that the storming of the Saudi embassy in Tehran appeared to be government-condoned. Saudi pleas for help went unanswered for more than eight hours; the rioters scaled a 20-foot fence; their first target was the embassy computer system. The Saudi action was understandable, but an overreaction. Saudi Arabia's desire to resist Iranian hegemony had already gotten it in trouble in Yemen. The war is said to be costing the kingdom nearly $1 billion a month, with little to show but rubble on the ground. The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have retaliated by attacking towns across the border in Saudi Arabia. The Saudis seemed eager for U.N.-sponsored peace talks on Yemen, until last weekend's blowup. What's the best policy for the U.S. as the Saudi-Iranian sectarian battle deepens? The Obama administration has rightly tried to protect its Syria diplomacy, which just weeks ago had succeeded in bringing Saudis and Iranians together for negotiations in Vienna. The administration was reassured by a statement Tuesday from U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura, who said after meeting Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir: "There is a clear determination on the Saudi side that the current regional tensions will not have any negative impact on the Vienna momentum." The broader U.S. goal should be de-escalation of the ruinous confrontation between Tehran and Riyadh. This inferno has engulfed the region -- from Beirut to Damascus, Baghdad to Sanaa -- and last weekend's events show how easily it could expand even further. The U.S. is talking to both sides, but it also must restrain them -- in part by checking Iran's meddling in other countries' internal affairs. Saudi Arabia's insecurities have been a driver of conflict for 40 years. Fearful of domestic threats, they bankrolled PLO terrorism, jihadist madrassas, al-Qaeda's founders and Syrian warlords. Riyadh's current enemy is Iran, but the anxiety goes much deeper. The Saudis need reassurance that Washington has their back. Even more, they need to build a society that's self-confident enough to combat extremism, at home and abroad. Maybe Gov. Terry Branstad should take up yoga or meditation. Take a deep breath and slow down, Governor. Otherwise, more than 550,000 of Iowa's poor and elderly might find themselves up a creek. Branstad has soldiered forward with his plan to privatize Medicaid, hoping to achieve a transition in a matter of months what other states took years to accomplish. And, predictably, the wheels are falling off. In December, regulators with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services demanded a two-month delay for Iowa's roll-out, which had been planned for Jan. 1. The program just isn't ready, they concluded. Too many questions remain unanswered, they noted. It's not even clear that the four insurance companies slated to take over Iowa's Medicaid program are prepared for the job. An administrative law judge ruled that the state's contract with one of the companies, WellCare, be tossed out completely. That firm has been repeatedly sanctioned for mismanagement and fraud and, last year, three former executives were sentenced to prison. And, to boot, the two-month delay tosses health care access for 37,000 children in the lurch. Throughout the lead-up to Branstad's Jan. 1 deadline, thousands of Medicaid recipients signed incomplete contracts with one of the four providers contracted with the state. As reported by The Des Moines Register, the four insurance companies contracted to take over Iowa's Medicaid program have collectively paid more than $10 million in fines over the past five years. Vetting. Analysis. Research. All have been sacrificed at the altar of speed. Branstad's administration says the switch would shave $51 million in just six months from Iowa's $4.2 billion Medicaid program. Critics, however, have made sport of punching holes in that estimate. Florida, which spent eight years testing its privatization program before last year's full implementation, reported an initial savings. But, in June, the insurance companies claimed underpayment and demanded a renegotiation, which could consume more than $400 million of that savings. Look, at least 39 states force Medicaid recipients into some form of "managed care," which would be more correctly labeled "managed payment." The fiscal results are mixed. But too many other programs including roads and education have been slashed because of ballooning Medicaid costs. We can appreciate the urge to save some cash. House Republicans say Democrats "sabotaged" the controversial privatization effort. Democrats say Republicans are targeting the state's most vulnerable out of party canon instead of reason. And medical providers are weary of the paperwork nightmare that awaits them once for-profit companies start denying services. The simple fact is this: Branstad's haste makes the Obamacare roll-out appear flawless in comparison. Stops, starts and setbacks have plagued the privatization effort from the start. The feds had to apply the brakes just this month because the rush-job could be a disaster for 560,000 Iowans. It's exceedingly clear that ramming through the Medicaid privatization trumped all other concerns within the Branstad administration. And it's even more obvious that the focus on speed threatens the initiative's long-term viability. The well-being of tens of thousands of men, women and children are at stake, Governor. It's no time for pride-driven stubbornness. Please, slow down and get this right. The Quad-City Times Eli Rabett Eli Rabett, a not quite failed professorial techno-bunny who finally handed in the keys and retired from his wanna be research university. The students continue to be naive but great people and the administrators continue to vary day-to-day between homicidal and delusional without Eli's help. Eli notices from recent political developments that this behavior is not limited to administrators. His colleagues retain their curious inability to see the holes that they dig for themselves. Prof. Rabett is thankful that they, or at least some of them occasionally heeded his pointing out the implications of the various enthusiasms that rattle around the department and school. Ms. Rabett is thankful that Prof. Rabett occasionally heeds her pointing out that he is nuts. Chris Christie, then the U.S. attorney for the district of New Jersey and now the states governor and a Republican presidential candidate, was responsible for prosecuting the original case. The philosophy that supports and encourages jihad around the world against Americans came to live here in New Jersey and threaten the lives of our citizens through these defendants, he said in 2007 at a federal courthouse. Fortunately, law enforcement in New Jersey was here to stop them. Trouble for the Dukas started in the winter of 2006 when they and two other men went on vacation in the Pocono Mountains, in northeastern Pennsylvania. They recorded their activities, including horseback riding and shooting rented guns at a public range. In order to share the vacation experience, they went to Circuit City to make DVD copies so each person could have one. The Circuit City person turned in the video to the police and said, These people are shouting out Allahu akbar while shooting weapons, Burim Duka, their youngest brother, said in the Intercept documentary Entrapped. And thats when the FBI got involved and started an investigation that lasted 15 months. Two government informants, Mahmoud Omar and Bakalli Besnik, who had criminal pasts and were paid some $400,000 combined, came up with, planned and lured five men the three oldest Duka brothers, Mohamed Shnewer and Serdar Tatar with a plot to attack a military base. Omar and Shnewer came up with a plot to strike Fort Dix. The informant needed Shnewer to say that my brothers were in on the plot, Burim Duka said in Entrapped. But once the government seen that my brothers werent in and knew nothing about it, they created an illegal gun deal. Mahmoud Omar knew that my brothers were into guns He set up the deal for my brothers to buy some weapons, and the weapons were provided by the FBI, he added. The Dukas have said they were interested in owning the guns to avoid the hassle of lining up to rent some on another vacation or for target shooting. Law enforcement put two completely different theories together, Downs said. When the trial came around, Omar testified that Dritan Duka and Shain Duka were clueless about the plot. [They] had nothing to do with this matter," he told the court. The fact that the court granted a hearing in this case is unusual and suggests maybe the court is troubled by the outcome. The outcome is clearly unjust. So were hoping that this is a signal that the court would like to take another look at the case. Steve Downs civil liberties attorney A dinner table filled with meat, potatoes and locally grown produce is a common sight for many South Dakota families. However, Dakota Seafood Company is working to provide freshly caught items to help change the dining landscape. Co-owner Eric Sharpe said that business has been better than expected since the store opened last summer. The community has really embraced it, and we get new people in every day, Sharpe said. A lot of people here have traveled and know good seafood, and we bring a different quality aspect to it. Offering many seasonal catches, they receive deliveries of fresh seafood five days a week, each day different than the one before. Recently weve had wild salmon, yellowtail, tuna and opah that have done very well, Sharpe said. In addition to the variety of fish that have become popular sellers, the store offers an assortment of lobster as well. The lobster is available on a daily basis in tails and fresh steamed lobster meat, but the store also offers the opportunity to special order live lobsters. Orders must be in by Wednesday night. I place the order early Thursday morning, and they arrive to us on Friday morning, so they arrive to us 24 hours fresh out of the water, Sharpe said. When looking for lobster, Sharpe said that ones caught in cold water with full meat in their shells are a great catch. Each lobster sold in their store is handpicked based on their specifications to help ensure the best quality product for their customers. Lobster can be special ordered in a range of 3/4 of a pound all the way up to 12 pounds. While special ordering live lobster ahead of time guarantees you a fresh catch for the weekend, Sharpe said they do order a few extras each week. They intentionally do not have a holding tank in the store, and make a conscious effort to not over order. Their concept of in and out the door, as fresh as can be guides their ordering process, and they work hard not to hold items from one day to the next. Lobster meat that has been shucked from the shell and fresh steamed lends itself to be used in a variety of recipes. It is commonly used in soups and chowders, classic New England lobster rolls, and even lobster cakes. The majority of the lobster they order comes from Maine, where they are caught in pods, or from California, where they are hand-harvested by divers. Considered by many to be a luxury, lobster has become more accessible to people as a result of the bumper catch throughout the current season. Maine lobster had a record season in 2014," Sharpe said. Dakota Seafood Lobster Chowder Serves: 6 1 pound fresh steamed lobster meat, rough chopped 1 head of fresh fennel, medium dice 2 stalks celery, sliced thin 1 small sweet onion, small dice Corn from 3 heads of fresh corn 4 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup cream sherry 3 cloves of fresh garlic sliced 1 teaspoon bourbon barrel smoked paprika 4 cups fish/shelfish stock 1 pint heavy whipping cream 2 tablespoons rough chopped fresh basil Sea salt and white pepper to finish In a large sauce pot, combine all vegetables, except corn, with the butter and smoked paprika, saute over medium/low heat until soft and translucent, stirring constantly to avoid browning about 5 minutes. Add the sherry and continue to cook until liquid is reduced by half. Add the stock, cream and lobster, bring to a low simmer, simmer for 5 minutes, add corn and cook another 5 minutes. Finish by stirring in basil and season with salt and white pepper to taste. Jeb Bush's recent cancellation of advertising plans in Iowa and South Carolina was yet another cost-saving step for a down-in-the-polls presidential campaign that had already thinned its staff. If not for his flush super PAC, the Republican might be gone from the contest by now. That group, Right to Rise, has burned through half of its $103 million which still leaves it with about as much cash as John McCain spent during the entire 2008 GOP nominating contest. In the 2016 race, money isn't buying love from voters. It is, however, buying some candidates more time. Less than a month before voting begins, the Republican field is still thick with a dozen presidential hopefuls. Super PACs are one reason why. Like Bush, Chris Christie and John Kasich are leaning heavily on these outside groups to communicate with voters. Nearly 96 percent of the money for Bush, Kasich and Christie commercials has come not from their official campaigns, but from their supportive super PACs, according to advertising tracker Kantar Media's CMAG. This is the second presidential campaign since super political action committees burst on the scene after the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision. The 2010 case made it clear that donors can contribute unlimited amounts of money to groups supporting specific candidates, so long as the candidates don't directly control the spending. That means that at any given time a wealthy admirer of a candidate can write a huge check to a super PAC to help keep that person in front of voters, through commercials and mailings. Some super PACs, including one for Carly Fiorina, even have campaign-like voter outreach efforts such as door-knocking and publicizing events that feature the candidate. Those super PAC investments work as an incentive against a candidate giving up too soon, however dim the prospects. While super PACs have dumped buckets of money into politics, they've also helped ensure a more competitive democratic process, said Bradley Smith, a former federal elections commissioner who advocates for looser fundraising restrictions. "The complaint used to be that the candidates would fold up before anyone even voted," said Smith, founder and chairman of the Center for Competitive Politics. "It's not a bad thing that's not the case anymore." One of the first presidential hopefuls to take advantage of the post-Citizens United campaign finance landscape was Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker who sought the 2012 GOP nomination. Las Vegas casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson put up $20 million of his family's money to back his longtime friend Gingrich. That money paid for TV ads when the candidate couldn't afford his own, helping him stay afloat through third-to-vote South Carolina, which he won. Rick Santorum was in a similar position, benefiting from Wyoming investor Foster Friess's super PAC assistance until his candidacy took flight after a surprising Iowa win. "There's no question that a super PAC gives you the ability to sustain the appearance of a campaign even if you can no longer raise money," Gingrich told AP. Both eventually lost to Mitt Romney, who dominated traditional campaign fundraising and also had a big-money super PAC helping out. Gingrich said the 2016 race differs from 2012 in several crucial ways. "That was one guy with a bunch of money versus the rest of us, and now it's a bunch of guys with a bunch of money," he said. At the same time, a celebrity businessman and political newcomer has shown that "money may not matter as much," Gingrich said. Donald Trump's campaign only recently made its first TV ad, putting up $2 million to air it this week in Iowa and New Hampshire. He has dominated the GOP contest without spending much campaign money, and without major help from super PACs which he has decried as "disgusting." Bush, a former Florida governor, is in roughly the opposite position: His super PAC Right to Rise has pumped more than $50 million into its advertising campaign, yet he remains in the single digits in most preference polls. The group is pressing ahead. It has booked at least $24 million more in ads over the next nine weeks in 10 states, including early voting Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, CMAG shows. Over the weekend, Bush's official campaign cuts its South Carolina advertising plan by half and pulled its Iowa ad reservations altogether, an Associated Press analysis of the CMAG data found. Kasich, governor of Ohio, just began airing his first television ad on Tuesday, according to the campaign. But his super PACs have been busy for months. They've showered New Hampshire viewers with almost $10 million worth of commercials and this week told federal regulators they're buying more ad time and distributing pro-Kasich and anti-Christie literature to voters. Republican presidential hopefuls called for a more compassionate discussion around drug addiction Tuesday, with emphasis on substance abuse as a curable disease, not a moral failing. "This is a national calling," former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said at the New Hampshire Forum on Addiction and the Heroin Epidemic. "We should be able to talk about this without all the stigma attached to it. We need to eliminate the stigma." Home to the nation's first 2016 presidential primary and a state that's seen drug deaths skyrocket in recent years, New Hampshire's prominent place on the campaign calendar has turned drug addiction into a hot-button issue on the campaign trail. Health officials estimate that about 400 people died from overdoses in New Hampshire in 2015 including heroin and the powerful opiate fentanyl more than doubling its own rate of overdose deaths in 2013. Candidates have taken to visiting a peer-recovery center in Manchester, attending drug roundtables at local hospitals and sharing stories they hear on the trail from New Hampshire voters battling addiction. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and technology executive Carly Fiorina spoke about how frequently they meet people on the trail in New Hampshire who share their struggles with addiction or talk about family members who lost their lives to drugs. Both have deeply personal experiences with addiction, which they spoke about on Tuesday. Fiorina's step-daughter died from a drug overdose in 2009, while Bush's daughter has struggled with addiction. "The pain that you feel when you have a loved one who has addiction challenges and spirals out of control is something that I share with a whole lot of people," Bush told the crowd after sharing an emotional reflection on his daughter's history with drugs. Bush's daughter graduated from a drug court program in Florida, and he and the other candidates are advocating for the expansion of such programs nationwide. Drug courts send non-violent offenders through treatment programs. The candidates advocate for a similar slate of other policies, including cracking down on dealers and doctors who overprescribe pain killers, placing a stronger focus on prevention and creating more peer-based recovery programs. Injecting a dose of humility into his remarks, another GOP candidate, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, admitted he has "no clue" what it's like to fight addiction, but said that no one is too far gone to save. He said he's come to understand the issue more deeply during his tenure as governor of Ohio as people shared their personal stories about addiction. "You cannot give up, because there's a purpose to your life, you understand that. Everybody in this room has a God-given potential to do something to change this world," he said. "If you can climb out of it, people will learn from you." On policy, Kasich points to initiatives in Ohio aimed at expanding drug education in schools and his decision to expand Medicaid in Ohio, which he says has opened up more resources for treatment and other programs. Chris Christie, meanwhile, pointed to his record as governor of New Jersey focusing on treatment over incarceration for non-violent offenders. He said it is incumbent upon the country's next president to use the bully pulpit to address drug addiction in a meaningful way. "We've been programmed in our society to talk about this as a moral failing," said Christie, who polls show is been making noteworthy gains in New Hampshire ahead of the Feb. 9 primary. "As long as we continue to do this we're going to treat this differently than other diseases." An Iowa border town no longer has access to South Dakotans' addresses through a state system that Sioux City police had used to find drivers caught on speed cameras. South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard's office said the block went into effect Wednesday. Matt Konenkamp is a policy adviser to the governor. He says Sioux City police officers can still access a driver's name and information about their vehicle. A 2014 law bars South Dakota from sharing driver information for use collecting a civil fine for an infraction captured on camera. Sioux City police Chief Douglas Young has said previously that South Dakota blocked the private contractor overseeing the cameras from accessing the information, but his department was still able to access it. Young didn't immediately return a request for comment. Belle Fourche lit up the night with fireworks, a Tri-State Museum open house, a parade and chili as community organizations joined together to celebrate the holiday season. Discussion began on the countys five-year road plan, and Newells FFA received new officer jackets. Belle Fourche and Newell began preparations for Festival of Trees celebrations, each of which would raise record numbers of donations. Newell raised more than $3,000 in its tree and wreath auction alone, with proceeds going to the ambulance and fire departments. Belle Fourche brought in $34,250 with its auction to donate to the Ministerial Association Compassion Cupboard, Meals on Wheels and the Imagination Library. Heather Plunkett, 31, and her husband Ryan Plunkett, 33, were both arrested in early December on marijuana and paraphernalia possession charges. Heather Plunkett, the Butte County States Attorney, would later be removed from her office by Governor Dennis Daugaard. Her sentencing would then be scheduled for Feb. 5, 2016. Assistant Cassie Wendt would then be appointed interim states attorney. Jackson Dental said goodbye to Dr. David Rempel at its holiday open house. Rempel, who still plans to stay in business in Rapid, had worked with Jackson Dental for 11 years. Two cadets, Ryan Grams and Dylan Goetsch, also graduated from the Police Academy in Pierre and began serving as police officers in Belle Fourche. Crews also began preparation for the annual Chistmas dinner in Belle Fourche. The school board then accepted Jennifer Roberts resignation from the Belle Fourche School District. Roberts, currently the elementary school principal, has been with the district for 15 years as a substitute teacher, art teacher and principal. Also in school news, Kevin Smidt was recognized as the principal of the year in South Dakotas region VII. Smidt, the middle school principal, was nominated by high school principal Matthew Raba. The Boy and Girl Scouts also collected and donated more than 3,000 pounds of food to the Compassion Cupboard. The city council later sent the rail construction to bid for the rail park, but not without opposition and questions raised from council members and a few who attended a late December council meeting. A 10-year battle between Greg Raisanen and the city of Belle Fourche also came to an end after numerous city council executive sessions. The city will now enforce complete compliance at Can-Am Auto Repair and full zoning and ordinance compliance. Eight to 12 inches of snow closed school in Butte County mid December as the Chamber of Commerce prepared to celebrate its volunteers. Craig Johnson also made another stop in Belle Fourche to visit friends in the area and bring this years Christmas short story to the library to honor Pat Engebretson before her January retirement. Donations were up this year not only for Festival of Trees celebrations but also for Kids and Cops, which allowed 12 children in the county to spend $6,400 shopping with local law enforcement for the holidays. Butte Electrics open house in its new facility also brought out good attendance. To round out the year, the Christmas Dinner served more than 400 people. Megan Thornhill and Cyler Dowling were selected as Newells Homecoming King and Queen as locals were honored for their contributions to agriculture as October began. At the annual Agri-Business Appreciation Banquet, Dennis and Claudia Price were honored as Ag Persons of the Year; Bryce and Meghan Foos were recognized as the Dick Reder Young Rancher Family of the Year; and Ellis and Mary Lou Tripp were honored as the Ag Business Persons of the Year. The city signed a letter of support as the states attorney moved forward with a tobacco grant application in the hopes of updating policies and signage for smoke-free areas in the city. The South Dakota Department of Education inched closer to making a decision for Teacher of the Year, for which Belle Fourche teacher Shelly Mikkelson was up to win. Tryouts were held for a Seussified Christmas Carol, and the Chamber of Commerce and Center of the Nation Business Association hosted the Belle Fourche Business Appreciation Picnic. A candlelight vigil was also held at the Belle Fourche First Congregational United Church of Christ for Beverly Ann Ozuna-Ulrich. The Belle Fourche School District revealed its results for the Smarter Balanced test, a new state assessment. As Runnings prepared for the move from a 13,000 square foot store to a 60,000 square foot location, the groundbreaking was held in late October at the new location of Highway 85 and 34. Construction was already underway for the new facility, which hopefully will be complete by fall 2016. Emergency repairs were also approved for the Belle Fourche Area Community Center after a pipe burst in a mechanical room on the west side of the building. Meanwhile, Howdys Newmart grocery store in Newell celebrated a century of business. Also in Newell, commissioners wrestled with the citys code of ethics. The ordinance was being instituted due to governmental regulations pertaining to the amount of funding for things like fire trucks and water systems. The Belle Fourche School district united against bullying. High school National Honor Society members presented to elementary students, all who wore orange to raise awareness about bullying. As part of Unity Day through Pacers National Bullying Prevention Center, Cal Erhart, transportation coordinator for the district, organized a day of events. That included lining up for pictures taken from a helicopter where students formed the words united we stand. BLM also announced its plans to build a new facility in Belle Fourche at the rail park with new office and storage facilities. The 18 full-time and summer seasonal employees moved into the 5,600 square foot facility with another 3,300 square feet of warehouse and 32,000 square feet of storage. Alan Curl continued mastering his poker skills, although he did say he was still learning. The Belle Fourche card player won the Mid-States Poker Tour Grand Falls event collecting a trophy and a $64,655 prize. His single event record is a win of $65,941. The Belle Fourche community also remembered their friend and community leader Jean Claire Dahlinger for her creativity and support. Dahlinger, who died unexpectedly in late August, taught in the Belle Fourche school system, later became the middle school principal, and was part of many local organizations. Those included the Belle Fourche Cowboy band as a flute player, the Belle Fourche Arts Council, CASA, South Dakota Humanities, organizer of the World Day of Prayer, and was a member of the St. James Lutheran Church and Daughters of the Nile. Early in the month the Brunner brothers were named the Newell parade marshals. Bruce, Gary, Kevin and Dean were selected by the Newell Community Club to preside as marshals for the Newell Labor Day Parade. Newell celebrated Labor Day with its annual day of events. As American as apple pie, the celebration included a rodeo and parade, which followed the years theme Unity in the Community. Tricia McNeely became the first woman to lead the Army National Guards 842nd Engineer Company. She took over for Commander Matthew Sadler. Also during the middle of the month, Tucker Chytka and Tea Hill were crowned Belle Fourche High School 2015 Homecoming king and queen. The two were elected from 10 senior royalty members. In city news, zoning changes began, with public meetings set for the month of September and October. The purpose of the new ordinance overall, as presented by Ali DeMersseman is to: eliminate conflicts in existing ordinances make the ordinance more user-friendly and easy to administer create an ordinance that supports the citys vision for the physical development of Belle Fourche and address changing demographics and recommendations of a 2013 Housing Study DeMersseman is the community development planner for Black Hills Council of Local Governments. She has been working with the local planning and zoning Board to create the ordinance. The Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with the Belle Fourche Healthcare Center honored all Butte County first responders for their service in police, fire and ambulance response. West River Cooperative Telephone also served free hot dogs and brats in an effort to give back to the community. The tailgate party was one of five events in towns served by the cooperative. As the weather began to cool, artists brought good energy to Belle Fourche for its first Plein Air event. About $1,500 worth of art was sold and more than 50 paintings and drawings were on show for the community. Charlotte Koopman celebrated her 65th anniversary cooking at Bobs Cafe, located on 5th Avenue in Belle Fourche. The Belle Fourche Fire Department got an early start to fire prevention month, which is October, with a kickoff halfway through September. Volunteers visited schools and daycares to share information on what to do in case of a fire at home or in school. In Newell, city commissioners again wrested with the camping ordinance. The city had been working to revise the current ordinance to allow residents to have camping on private property for two non-successive 14-day periods. The Belle Fourche community then rallied in late September to honor their friend, colleague, teacher and family member in the Phil McNally walk/run. The event brought out a range of emotions from a community still feeling the loss. Lead | A very special Christmas gift was given to the Historic Homestake Opera House (HHOH) this year. Fundraising efforts spanning two years were achieved this December to purchase a new grand piano, and the long-awaited instrument was finally ordered on Christmas 2015. The installation of the new Yamaha CX Series 7-foot grand piano will occur the first week of January 2016 on the theater stage of the 101-year-old building, which was built in 1914 by the Homestake Mining Company. The theater was designated a National Landmark of American Music in 1974 by the National Music Council, South Dakota Federation of Music Clubs Bicentennial Committee, and ExxonMobil. A kickoff donation in 2014 in the amount of $2,500 was given in the form of a Quality of Life Initiative grant awarded by the Black Hills Area Community Foundation to help fund the new Yamaha grand piano. We are proud of our relationship with the Homestake Opera House and this project, says Liz Hamburg, executive director of the Black Hills Area Community Foundation. The Homestake Opera House adds greatly to the cultural landscape of our region. Working with donor Matt Batchelder of Batchelder's Plummer Piano of Rapid City, SD, the HHOH organization began planning for the instrument to become an addition to the theater. Soon, more donors began supporting the project, such as the family of the late Black Hills musician Ricky Jacobsen; the Lead High School Class of 1964, and John Senden, Wells Fargo of Spearfish, SD. It has been a pleasure for all of us at Batchelders to work with the Homestake Opera House on this project," says Batchelder. "Im very excited to have another one of our fine performance instruments out in the community, especially a place as iconic as the Homestake Opera House. Im looking forward to seeing all the new opportunities an instrument of this caliber will create for them. Rapid City resident and entrepreneur Don Perdue attended the 2014 Black Hills Cowboy Christmas Concert held at the HHOH and was inspired to enhance the theater's offerings. Perdue and his son Richard Perdue pledged $24,000 in 2015 as a matching donor if the remainder of the match could be met. Meeting the challenge match this year was Deb Rawlins, Lead, SD; Jack and Vianne Kucera, Phoenix, AZ; and Bill and Marjorie Stork, Lead, SD. Dozens of other generous individuals from the Northern Hills helped to reach the goal to purchase the Yamaha conservatory grand piano, which was ordered last week as a Christmas gift to the historic theater. "Both the piano installation and this showcase concert are milestones," says HHOH executive director Sarah Carlson. "This landmark theater and its growing audiences deserve a proper instrument, and were so thankful to have reached this point with the help of so many. It's truly a gift lasting well into the theater's next century." In celebration of the installation of the Yamaha grand piano, an afternoon showcase concert of accomplished and professional pianists will take place on Saturday, January 16, 2016 at 2:00 pm at the Historic Homestake Opera House at 313 W. Main Street, Lead, SD. Performers include Mila Belakova, Rapid City, SD; Pierce Emata, Las Vegas, NV; Matthew Mayer, Omaha, NE; Paul Vande Velde, Lead, SD; and Black Hills State University music professor Dr. Symeon Waseen, Spearfish, SD; among others. Admission for the afternoon concert is $20 for adults, $15 HHOH members, $10 students (high school or college ID) and $5 kids (13 and younger.) Tickets are available by calling the HHOH office at 605-584-2067, or in person at the office in the back of the building on Julius Street 9:00 am to 3:00 pm Monday-Friday; or at the door on event night. The ticket booth opens one hour prior to showtime. Seating is first come, first served, with the exception of honored guests for this special event. Free parking is available as off-street and lot parking within 2 blocks of the theater. The building is wheelchair accessible. For more information or how to get involved, contact the HHOH office at 605-584-2067 or visit www.HomestakeOperaHouse.org. The HHOH is a non-profit organization dedicated to returning the building to productive use for the enrichment of the community and to provide educational and cultural opportunities for generations to come. Support for the HHOH is provided in part by the Adams-Mastrovich Family Foundation, Mary Adams Mastrovich. The HHOH is a equal opportunity provider and employer. As we turn the page on 2015 and welcome the New Year, its a great time to look to the future. Many of us will establish resolutions for 2016. Whether its to spend more time with family, get the household budget under control, lose a few pounds or visit a special place, the New Year brings an opportunity for new beginnings. On Jan. 8, Twentieth Century Fox will release a Leonardo DiCaprio movie entitled The Revenant. If youre wondering, a revenant is one who has returned, as if from the dead. The film is based on the story of Hugh Glass, a trapper and adventurer whose tale of renewal has South Dakota roots. In August of 1823, Glass and a party of fur trappers were scouting for game near the fork of the Grand River in what is today Perkins County, S.D. When he stumbled upon a grizzly bear and her two cubs, Glass was severely mauled, leaving him unconscious and near death. Two of Glass companions volunteered to stay until he died, to bury him properly. Before he passed away, the two men placed him in a shallow grave and left. After they had abandoned him, Glass regained consciousness. Soon after, he began crawling toward the nearest settlement: Fort Kiowa, nearly 200 miles away at the Big Bend of the Missouri River. Glass managed to survive the harrowing trip, eventually catching up with the young men and forgiving them. His tremendous ordeal has been retold several times, most notably by the Frederick Manfred novel Lord Grizzly. Last August, 192 years after Glass ordeal, the community of Lemmon hosted the first annual Hugh Glass Rendezvous, a celebration of mountain man lifestyle and culture. It took place near the Shadehill Reservoir in northern Perkins County, not far from the location where Glass was mauled. Event co-host and artist John Lopez, well-known for his unique metal sculptures, unveiled an extraordinary piece depicting Glass defending himself from the grizzly. A historic marker, located nearby, is dedicated to Glass and his epic journey. The final line reads, Whatever the details, it was a marvelous show of stamina and courage. The opportunity to start fresh often comes in an unexpected way. I am excited for the possibilities in 2016 and I hope you have a great year! Whatever may be your New Years resolution, I wish you the stamina and courage of Hugh Glass. You can do it! "First-graders," Obama said woefully, resting his chin on his hand and wiping away tears as he recalled the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School. "Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad." Obama's 10-point plan to keep guns from those who shouldn't have them marked a concession by the president: He'll leave office without securing the new gun control laws he has repeatedly and desperately implored Congress to pass. Although Obama, acting alone, can take action around the margins, only Congress can enact more sweeping changes that gun control advocates say are the only way to truly stem a scourge of mass shootings. "It won't happen overnight," Obama said. "It won't happen during this Congress. It won't happen during my presidency." But, he added optimistically, "A lot of things don't happen overnight." The centerpiece of Obama's plan is an attempt to narrow the loophole that exempts gun sales from background checks if the seller isn't a federally registered dealer. With new federal "guidance," the administration is clarifying that even those who sell just a few weapons at gun shows, flea markets or online can be deemed dealers and required to conduct checks on prospective buyers. Whether that step can make a significant dent in unregulated gun sales is an open question, and one not easily answered. Millions of guns are sold annually in informal settings outside of gun shops, including many through private sales arranged online. But the Obama administration acknowledged it couldn't quantify how many gun sales would be newly subjected to background checks, nor how many currently unregistered gun sellers would have to obtain a license. Easily reversible by a future president, the government's guidance to gun sellers lacks the legal oomph of a new law, such as the one Obama and like-minded lawmakers tried but failed to pass in 2013. The Justice Department said online the guidance "has no regulatory effect and is not intended to create or confer any rights, privileges, or benefits in any matter, case, or proceeding." What's more, none of the steps would have probably prevented any of the recent mass shootings that Obama invoked in the East Room: Aurora, Oak Creek, Charleston, Newtown, to name some. But Obama defiantly rejected that critique, dismissing it as the tired trope of gun lobbyists who question "why bother trying?" "I reject that thinking," Obama said. "We maybe can't save everybody, but we could save some." Hoping to give the issue a human face, the White House assembled a cross-section of Americans affected by searing recent gun tragedies, including former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz. Mark Barden, whose son was shot to death at Sandy Hook Elementary School, introduced the president with a declaration that "We are better than this." Krebs, the South Dakota secretary of state, said in 2015 there was a 21 percent jump in conceal-carry weapon permits. The total of new and renewal permits jumped to 22,554 in 2015, up from the 18,656 issued in 2014. A total of 26,863 permits were issued in 2013, the highest amount since 2006. Krebs, a Republican, said she expects the trend to continue with concerns over national security and potential federal gun restrictions. South Dakota had a total of 85,273 active gun permits as of Dec. 31. Pennington County, second in population in the state to Minnehaha County, leads in the number of permits, with 13,547, according to Krebs' office. Minnehaha trails by about 1,000 permits. Three other West River counties are in the state's top 10 for gun permits Meade at No. 4, Lawrence at No. 6 and Custer at No. 10. Obama readily conceded the executive steps will be challenged in court, a prediction quickly echoed by Republicans. Chuck James, a former federal prosecutor who practices firearms law at the firm Williams Mullen, said opponents are likely to challenge Obama's authority to define what it means to be "engaged in the business" of selling guns beyond what's laid out in the law. The White House asserted confidence Obama was acting legally, and said Justice Department and White House lawyers had worked diligently to ensure the steps were watertight. Other new steps include 230 new examiners the FBI will hire to process background checks, aiming to prevent delays that enabled the accused gunman in Charleston, S.C., to get a gun when the government took too long. Obama is also asking the government to research smart gun technology to reduce accidental shootings and asking Congress for $500 million to improve mental health care. Other provisions aim to better track lost or stolen guns and prevent trusts or corporations from buying dangerous weapons without background checks. Obama's announcement carved a predictably partisan fault line through the presidential campaign. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, both competing for the nomination from Obama's party, pledged to build on his actions if elected. The Republican field formed a chorus of voices vowing to annul the whole package, with Marco Rubio claiming "Obama is obsessed with undermining the Second Amendment." "Rather than focus on criminals and terrorists, he goes after the most law-abiding of citizens," said House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican. "His words and actions amount to a form of intimidation that undermines liberty." The National Rifle Association, the largest gun group, panned Obama's plan and said it was "ripe for abuse," although the group didn't specify what steps, if any, it will take to oppose or try to block it. The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, just outside San Francisco, rescues 600 to 800 seals and sea lions a year on average from the 600 miles of California coastline it covers, from north of San Francisco to just above Santa Barbara County in the south. But in 2015, the center was brought a record 1,799 animals including California sea lions, Guadalupe fur seals and northern fur seals. The 106 northern fur seals it rescued more than tripled its previous record. And the Marine Mammal Center sees only a fraction of strandings statewide. The California Marine Mammal Stranding Network, a network of independent groups overseen by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, keeps track of stranding events for both live and dead animals, including seals and sea lions, across California. In 2015, they counted more than 4,200 California sea lions, 90 Guadalupe fur seals, and 70 northern fur seals. The center's staff began to realize something was different early in the year. Their network of volunteers and workers began bringing in distressed sea lion pups last January rather than, as usual, in summer. And the pups brought in for rescue were unlike anything the veterinarians had ever seen. They were basically just skin and bones, said Dr. Shawn Johnson, director of veterinary science at the center. Their liver, their pancreas, their intestines were basically shut down. And they were eating themselves from the inside to stay alive by the time we saw them. Some of the pups that had swum from the coast just north of Los Angeles up to northern California were 6 or 7 months old but so small that they were still at their usual birth weight. As sea lions continued to wash up in February and March, it started to sink in that this is going to be a big year, said Dr. Cara Field, a veterinarian at the nonprofit center. In March, the center began to receive elephant seals that had washed up, followed by harbor seals, Guadalupe fur seals, and northern fur seals. Late December is usually a quiet time for the rescue center, but not this past December, when 91 animals were brought in. It was the worst year in the centers 40-year history, staff said. In the quiet oasis of a Rapid City church, Pervaiz Joseph on Tuesday calmly spoke of a cell, thousands of miles away, where kidnappers once tortured him for his Christian faith. An evangelical Bishop from Pakistan, Joseph, 47, has been living in Rapid City with his wife, son, and daughter for a little more than a month. They are here because their home country has become too dangerous for them. After years of living as refugees in Sri Lanka with their paperwork hanging in limbo, the family has successfully received asylum in the United States thanks to help from the office of U.S. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., and Pastor Kelli Patterson of Restored Life Outreach Fellowship church in Rapid City. We have a lot to learn from their faith, Patterson said of the Josephs. They carry their church with them. Sitting in Pattersons church, Joseph reflected on the several-year journey that he and his family have been on to escape religious persecution in their homeland. "I didn't want to leave my country," Joseph said. "I love my country. But I'm here because God has a purpose for me." Joseph used to be a Christian ambassador of peace in Pakistan. His job was to help bridge the gap between the Christian and Muslim communities, mainly in Lahore, the capital city of Punjab, where he lived. As a prestigious evangelical bishop, his work frequently put him in contact with high-ranking government officials. I had the secret code for the prime ministers phone, Joseph said with a wry smile. He was in a small town about 400 miles away from Lahore when the trouble began. It was early 2009, and the son of the local mayor had grown angry with Joseph for openly preaching Christianity. So the mayors son had Joseph kidnapped. My kidnappers told me I had to deny Jesus, Joseph said. I told them, No, I cannot. So they said, Then you have to give us money. The kidnappers demanded a $40,000 ransom from Josephs wife, Razia. They told Joseph that if she said anything to anyone, they would take away his children next. They kept Joseph in a torture cell for two days while they waited. They smashed in his ribs and broke his wrist and shoulder bones. Razia came through with the money, and the kidnappers let him go, but Josephs troubles were not over. The mayors son had persuaded a household servant to accuse Joseph of robbery. In Pakistan, Joseph said, the law allows the authorities to jail an accused robber for up to six months before a trial even takes place. Joseph went straight from his torture cell to another cell in the local jail. He remained there for 20 days, and was let go only when the servant who had accused him of robbery recanted. Joseph contemplated taking legal action of his own but decided against it. There is no justice there, he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. Having regained his freedom, Joseph remained an active force in the religious community. He attended protests against the persecution of Christians and continued to pray with the Muslims in Lahore. The kidnapping, the torture, all of that he could take. It was what came next that convinced him and his family they must flee. He was attending a community event on Oct. 12, 2011, when a group of Islamic extremistsand Joseph emphasized the word extremistsaccused him of blasphemy. Falsely accused, Joseph said with emphasis. A local attorney accused Joseph of profaning the Prophet Muhammed. She, along with several other religious leaders, including members of the Taliban, turned the crowd against him, Joseph said. He was forced into hiding. It is a rule in Pakistan, Joseph said, that someone who is accused of blasphemy is a fair target for militants to do with as they see fit. Soon there were phone calls threatening Joseph's life and the lives of his family members. The family's housekeeper and chauffeur were bludgeoned. His superiors at the United Bishops Council Office began receiving ultimatums. They said, You have to hand over the bishop and his family, Joseph said. They said, We will cut him into pieces and send a piece of his body to every Christian pastor in Pakistan. Joseph said there were about 400 other Christian pastors in Pakistan at the time. They said, If you do not hand over the bishop and his family,' Joseph said, we will burn all the Christian houses. Shortly after that the Christian leadership told Joseph he had to leave. The family fled to Sri Lanka. In 2011, the Sri Lankan government was seeking out refugees and deporting them, so the Josephs had to remain in hiding a long while, staying at the homes of friends and in churches kind enough to give them shelter. It was like being persecuted all over again, said Josephs daughter, Meerab, 17. I would sneak out of the house to make sure nobody saw me, so nobody found out I was a Pakistani. Unable to attend school in broad daylight, Josephs children had to do most of their studies online, which is where Joseph met Patterson, a fellow Christian pastor living in Rapid City. They started regularly corresponding over Facebook, and Patterson would send money when she could. Knowing the family was desperately trying to get asylum in the United States, Patterson called Thunes office for help. I just knew it was the right thing to do, Patterson said. It took about a year to cut through all the red tape, but without Thunes help, Joseph is convinced it would have taken longer. Last year, several constituents contacted my Rapid City office regarding Bishop Joseph and his family who were working through the asylum process at that time, Thune said in an email to the Journal. My staff worked with the State Department on their behalf to make sure the process remained on track and due diligence was given to their application. I am pleased to hear Bishop Joseph and his family are now here in the United States. Altogether, the Josephs spent four years, one month, and three days in Sri Lanka. Its become habit, said Josephs son, Aaroon "Leo" Joseph, 22. To count the days. After 42 hours of travel time, the exhausted family finally arrived at Rapid City Regional Airport on December 4. They were greeted at the terminal by cheers and tearful hugs from members of the Restored Life Outreach Fellowship church. Though the Josephs have been through much hardship, it is difficult to tell from their demeanor. Every one of them is quick to a smile, and they are constantly laughing at each others jokes. They all agree that its precisely this shared sense of humor that has kept them going. That and their faith. You have to rejoice, Meerab said, spreading her hands over her head. They are still adjusting to their new surroundings. This is the first year in his entire life that Joseph has been able to openly celebrate Christmas. The family decorated the exterior of their new home with strings of lights, something they would never have done in Pakistan. Americas people, Joseph said in choppy English. They are pouring heart. Do you understand? They are kind and full of love. PIERRE | Whether telephone companies must provide printed directories to their customers in South Dakota wont be decided for at least a few more weeks. The state Public Utilities Commission deferred the matter Tuesday. Commissioner Kristie Fiegen asked for more time. Printed directories for all have long been standard practice in South Dakota. Up in the air for the commission are two questions: Should companies be required to offer printed directories upon customers requests? Should customers be allowed to place standing orders for printed directories that companies would be required to fulfill? Qwest, now known as CenturyLink, and its directory contractor, Dex Media, want the commission to issue a declaratory ruling. South Dakota already requires telephone companies to provide directories to customers. But the requirement doesnt specify whether the directory must be printed on paper or can be provided digitally, such as through the Internet. A lawyer for Dex Media told the commission Tuesday the company is preparing for the day when it switches to a digital directory as the replacement for mass distribution of printed copies. Brooks Harlow, a Virginia lawyer for Dex Media, said the issue was new to South Dakota. He said directory distribution likely would continue in South Dakota for some time because it is a rural state. Adam de Hueck, a PUC analyst, said South Dakotas law isnt specific. He recommended allowing digital delivery if paper directories remain available on request. PUC chairman Chris Nelson said he never uses a phone book any more and looks up numbers on the Internet, but his elderly mother hasnt touched a computer and probably never will. Nelson said the company has an affirmative duty under state law to provide a directory to customers. Does that require a printed format? I dont think so, not on a universal basis, Nelson said. Fiegen asked Nelson whether he intended to require companies to fill standing orders. He said his plan didnt cover that. Fiegen then asked to defer a decision so they could think some more about it. I think were on the right track of making it more on-line and upon request, she said. Dex Medias Harlow said theres no particular urgency. Theres no immediate plans to change anything in South Dakota, Harlow said. Commissioner Gary Hanson participated by telephone in the discussion and joked that Nelsons elderly mother could get phone numbers the same way Hansons elderly father does. He calls his children, Hanson said. Pennington County residents on Tuesday voted overwhelming to reject the wheel tax that would have raised an estimated $2.5 million annually to pay for highway and bridge projects. According to the final count by the Pennington County Auditor's Office, 59.6 percent of voters rejected the wheel tax, while 40.4 percent voted in favor. Turnout was 15.3 percent of registered voters. The result means residents will not have to pay a wheel tax that would have required either a $3, $4 or $5 tax per wheel, per vehicle, at the time of registration or renewal. The lightest vehicles would have paid the $3 tax, the heaviest the $5. The maximum tax per vehicle would have been $60. Tonchi Weaver, who represents the group Citizens for Liberty that organized the effort to put the wheel tax on the ballot, was gratified saying, "People still care to have a voice in their own government, and that's how it should be." Commissioner Lyndell Petersen who voted in favor of the wheel tax, was resigned to the outcome, saying, "The system was applied and gave us a result. Now the challenge for the Highway Department and commission is to set the best course for moving forward. " The vote eliminates the county's chances of receiving funding from the state Bridge Improvement Grant program, known as BIG, and leaves the Highway Department budget with $2.2 million in cuts. In its 2015 session, the South Dakota Legislature passed a series of increases in fuel taxes and other transportation-related fees. A portion of those increases goes into the BIG program. The Legislature also included a requirement that only counties with a wheel tax may apply for BIG grants. Thus, without a wheel tax, Pennington County will lose out on a possible $1.3 million state grant for bridges. Estimates are the county will contribute about $1.6 million to the BIG pot, which will be allocated to other jurisdictions. Proponents said the wheel tax would have produced a reliable source of highway money, ensuring that necessary repairs and road projects would be done. Further, the proponents said, it would allow the county to tap into the BIG pot. Pennington County resident Larry Zenor last week said he was voting for the wheel tax, explaining, "I think its a fair tax. Wheels that do the damage should do the repair." Opponents argued that another tax will add to the burden taxpayers already are shouldering. And, they added, the state should not be allowed to coerce a county into imposing a tax. Sandra Hellwig, a Pennington County resident, said she planned to vote against the tax. I dont think they spend our tax money wisely," she said of county officials. "It seems like they spend too much on frills and not enough on the basic services you expect the government to provide. Commissioners will meet at 7:30 a.m. today to certify the results of the election. What happens now Commissioners have a few options for repairing the Highway Department budget in the future. The department first must adjust its 5-year plan for maintenance projects to account for the budget shortfall. After the highway plan is adjusted, commissioners could use highway reserve funds to replenish the budget. Highway reserve funds total $2 million and are separate from the general budget reserves. A percentage of reserve funds can be directed toward department programs and another portion can be used for emergency situations. Filling the budget shortfall with these saved funds would wipe out the all of the department's reserves. County commissioners who voted in favor of the wheel tax said they would consider raising property taxes or using stored CPI to increase highway funding in future budgets if the wheel tax failed. Stored CPI is a reference to the portion of the allowable Consumer Price Index, or CPI, increase that counties do not impose. For example, if the CPI is up 1.5 percent in a year, and a county raises its property tax by only 1.3 percent, the amount equal to the remaining 0.2 percentage points can be carried forward for optional use in a future year. Pennington County has about $2 million worth of stored CPI. According to Tom Wilsey, superintendent of the Highway Department, several scheduled bridge and road improvement projects would be postponed if the wheel tax failed. Voters are sending a message to legislators This past year has been monumental for South Dakota politics. From a record number of ballot issue petitions to ongoing political scandals, there is much to consider. Citizens have been successful in bringing ten petitions for initiated measures and amendments to the ballot. Does this double-digit number suggest our state legislators are out of touch with voters? Several measures clearly focus on election reform. Legislation that would seriously limit independent candidates and voter choices passed in the House and Senate (SB69); yet petitioners have successfully challenged the bill via petition. In November, voters can (and hopefully will) defeat this unconstitutional legislation. Another measure offers South Dakotans an opportunity to limit the divisiveness of the two-party system. Non-partisan primary elections provide all qualified voters, regardless of party affiliation, the opportunity to vote for any candidate. A third petition supports an independent redistricting commission, eliminating our elected legislators tendency to gerrymander districts to support the dominate party. Will it be politics as usual when legislators return to Pierre in 2016? The voters are sending strong messages for political reform. Lets hope they are listening. Join independent voters to support political reform at 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, at Dunn Bros in Rapid City. Kim Wright, SD Voice of Independents founder, Rapid City State's congressional delegation not delivering Sen. Rounds and Rep. Noem both voted for the budget that fully funds Obamacare, Planned Parenthood, President Obamas plan to bring many, many Syrian refugees to the U.S. and to raise the debt limit. Rounds said he would stop Obamacare. He lied. Noem said she would reduce the national debt. She lied. And knowing that the Planned Parenthood murders babies and sells their parts, they still voted for it. No excuse. And the FBI said that Al-Qaeda has infiltrated the Syrian refugees and yet they voted for it not caring for the safety of the American people. What has happened to religious beliefs? Sen. John Thune did not vote for the budget, but did you hear anything about him fighting against it like he should have? I didn't either. The religious conservatives have been sold out by these three. Are there any Christian members of Congress left? Please remember this in November. I don't like a liar, a cheat or a thief. And now I include professional politician. With these three representing this state, how long can we expect to remain free? Are S.D. values truly being represented by these three? James L. Cummings, Rapid City SUNDANCE, WYO. | Richard Henry Engelhaupt was born on Feb. 2, 1932, in Newcastle to Henry Casper and Laura Irene (Stanton) Engelhaupt. He passed away Jan. 5, 2016, in Belle Fourche, SD. His early years growing up were on Cold Creek, near Buckhorn, and also on the Horton place south of Four Corners. At the age of 11, his family moved to Nemo, SD. He attended school at Nemo graduating the eighth grade in 1946. At the age of 14, his parents bought the Ben Justice place south of Sundance. Richard and Joe were held out of school during that time to do the necessary work. When Dick was offered the chance to go back he willingly took that opportunity. He was two years ahead of his classmates and enjoyed every minute of high school graduating in 1952. He had a 1941 Chevy Coupe, was popular and liked excuses to stay in town before chores had to be done at home. He drove his car as the school bus for the kids who lived between OHaver Hill and town. He became affectionately known as Hoppy. After graduation Dick held various jobs including work at Polickys Refinery, road construction in Gillette, and mining for Katches in the Bearlodge Mountains. From 1953 to 1955, he worked on his fathers ranch. He married Janet Thompson in 1954, later divorcing in 1978. In 1956, he worked for the US Forest Service. He said many times he wished he would have stayed with that career, but didnt want to move his family. In the fall of 1956, he returned to work for his father until his retirement in 1979. Dick and Janet had five children: Deborah, Henry, Rebecca, Jimmie and Glenn. Dick was employed by Tracy Motor Co. and Sundance Equipment for a short time. In 1980, he started R & H Custom Combining. The business also included fencing and painting. Dick was most passionate about the harvest. He said his dream job would have been to custom cut starting in the south and working his way to Canada. He married Helen Sisson in 1981 and they added commercial weed and insect control to the business. R & H Enterprises operated until 1995. Dick and Helen built Hoppys Car Wash and operated it from 1989-2002. He also worked two winters for the county crushing gravel at the Government Valley Pit. Dick helped Helen at Dillion Hardware until a career change for Helen took place in the fall of 2004. He continued to plow snow for a few years and eventually retired. He enjoyed being a fulltime Grandpa, and kept busy living life to the fullest, until health issues took him off his feet in October 2015. He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Joe; brothers-in-law, Dennis Sisson and Gene Johnson; son-in-law, David Saddler; niece, Diana Engelhaupt; granddaughter, Patty Hilkemeier; and great-granddaughter, Molly Toth. He is survived by his wife, Helen; his children, Debbie Scott, Beckie Saddler, Henry (Dorothy) Engelhaupt, Glenn (Janna) Engelhaupt and Jimmie Engelhaupt; beloved grandchildren are Jennifer (Kris) Glover, Josh (Crystal) Hartford, Kristen (Jon) Carbajal, Robin (Raf) Tamez, Glenn Bud (Jackie) Engelhaupt, Shayla (Nate) Salway, Kelsey (Spud) Jones and Thomas Engelhaupt; great-grandchildren are Sean, Logan, Emy, Taylah, Kayman, Mazik, Teagon, Owen, BranDee, Blaze and Raylynn; sister, Mary Johnson of Idaho; sister-in-law, Virginia Engelhaupt of Indiana; brother-in-law, Harry (Kay) Sisson and sister-in-law, Janice Sisson, all of Sheridan; and several nephews and nieces. Visitation will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 8, at Fidler-Roberts & Isburg Funeral Chapel. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 9, at the Sundance United Methodist Church, with burial to follow at Green Mountain Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, a memorial had been established to benefit Todd Kahlers music program. Online condolences may be written at fidler-isburgfuneralchapels.com. Ukrainian court seizes drilling rigs transferred to Russian territorial waters MOSCOW, January 5 (RAPSI) - The Pechersky District Court in Kiev has seized two jack-up floating drilling rigs belonging to Chernomorneftegaz oil and gas company, according to court records. Drilling rigs, Ukraine and Pyotr Godovanets have been earlier transferred from the Odessa gas field to Russias territorial waters in connection with complicated international situation. The process occurred under cover of the Black Sea Fleet warships because of increased terrorist threats, according to the companys report. Crimean leader Sergei Aksyonov said that relocation of the drilling rigs was conditioned by the technical need. Ukraines Foreign Ministry in turn claimed that the rigs are owned by Ukraine and their transfer to the Russian territorial waters is robbery. Ukraine may also seek damages. Chernomorneftegaz, a gas distributor on the Crimean Peninsula, belonged to Naftogaz of Ukraine until March 17, 2014. After the referendum on Crimeas reunification with Russia, the company was nationalized. Currently, it is a republic-run company managed by the Fuel and Energy Ministry of Crimea. The company extracted hydrocarbons in the Black Sea and Azov Sea shelves as well as on the Crimean Peninsula. It also transports natural gas via pipeline. Nonetheless the claim sparked concern internationally, prompting the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to convene an emergency meeting to be held Wednesday to discuss the matter. A statement issued by the council after emergency closed-door consultations on Wednesday called the test "a clear violation" of council resolutions, adding "therefore a clear threat to international peace and security continues to exist." The council said it had previously expressed determination to take "further significant measures" in the event of another North Korean test and would begin work immediately on a new sanctions resolution in light of "the gravity of this violation." United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also condemned North Korea's announcement, calling it "profoundly destabilizing for regional security." Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, in a statement issued after the council's emergency session, called on the UNSC to hold North Korea accountable "by imposing a tough, comprehensive and credible package of new sanctions" and "steadily increasing pressure" in response to that country's announced nuclear test. In the days and weeks ahead, nuclear experts will be hunting for airborne radioactive particles that could shed light on North Korea's assertion that it tested a hydrogen bomb. The detection of airborne radioactive particles that will give clues as to the type of device that was set off and whether it was a hydrogen bomb, which is more powerful than an atomic bomb and would mark a technological advance for North Korea. Another possibility is that it was not a nuclear device at all but a conventional high-yield explosive. Following the North's last nuclear test, in 2013, it was 55 days before radioactive xenon gas was detected at a monitoring station in Japan, located about 600 milesfrom the test site, which pointed to a nuclear blast by Pyongyang. News of the purported test was relayed by an anchor on North Korean state TV. In the report she said the North had tested a "miniaturized" hydrogen bomb, elevating the country's "nuclear might to the next level" and providing it with a weapon to defend against the United States and its other enemies. If confirmed, it would mark the fourth time the isolated state has exploded a nuclear device. But officials in several countries expressed doubt. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Wednesday that "the initial analysis thats been conducted of the events that were reported overnight is not consistent with North Korean claims of a successful hydrogen bomb test." "Theres nothing that has occurred in the last 24 hours thats caused the United States government to change our assessment of North Koreas technical and military capabilities," Earnest added. South Korea held an emergency meeting on Wednesday and later said it would take all possible measures to respond to its long-time foe's actions. Our government strongly condemns North Korea ignoring repeated warnings from us and the international community and pushing ahead with the fourth nuclear test, which clearly violated the U.N. resolutions, Cho Tae-yong, a senior security official at the South Korean presidential office, said. The test was unexpected in part because North Korea's last nuclear test was nearly three years ago and Kim Jong Un did not mention nuclear weapons in his annual New Year's speech. Some outside analysts had speculated Kim was worried about deteriorating ties with China, the North's last major ally, which has shown greater frustration at provocations and a possible willingness to allow stronger U.N. sanctions. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters that Beijing firmly opposes Pyongyang's purported test and is monitoring the environment on its border with North Korea near the test site. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called North Koreas announcement a threat to his nation's safety. We absolutely cannot allow this, and condemn it strongly, he said. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano said in a statement that the North's nuclear test if confirmed, is in clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and is deeply regrettable. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) detected the quake that South Korea said was 30 miles from the Punggye-ri site where the North has conducted nuclear tests in the past. While the USGS put the depth of the earthquake at 6.2 miles, the South Korean agency said it was near the surface. The earthquake was detected just after 10 a.m. Seoul time. Pyongyang has been under U.N. sanctions due to its nuclear weapons program since it first tested an atomic device in 2006. One Western diplomat told Reuters that if the latest North Korean nuclear test was confirmed, council members would seek to expand existing U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang. Al Jazeera and wire services. Jamie McIntyre contributed to this report from Washington D.C. Central Montana residents who want to know more about water rights can register for a free seminar, "Understanding Water Rights," to be held Thursday Jan 14, 2016 in Lewistown.The seminar is designed to provide basic, practical information for water rights holders and other interested stakeholders. Speaker Scott Irvin, regional manager, Lewistown Water Resources Regional Office, Montana Dept. of Natural Resources and Conservation, will discuss:When can I use my water right and how much am I entitled to?Who needs to file?Use it or lose it - what's abandonment?Marketing water selling and leasing water rights.Reserved water right compacts: what's up in Central Montana?Water right enforcement.Impact of drought on water rights.Water right issues are confusing and contentious," said Irvin. "This presentation will provide a basic understanding of Montanas system of water law, and discuss steps you can take to protect your water use.The seminar will be held at the Community Center at 307 W Watson, next to the Lewistown City Hall/Fire Station complex. Registration and refreshments begin at 4pm, the presentation begins at 4:30, followed by a Q/A session. This seminar is sponsored by Central Montana Resource Council, Montana Farmers Union and MSU Fergus Extension. Attendees are asked to preregister by Jan 8 by calling MSU Fergus Extension at 406-535-3919 or email fergus@montana.edu. Register today, space is limited. Montana has received a second extension to meet standards for the federal REAL ID Act, but stands steadfast in its refusal to come into full compliance despite threats that travelers wont be able to use their state drivers licenses to board commercial airplanes next year. Gov. Steve Bullock received a letter from the Department of Homeland Security dated Thursday that said Montanas efforts in enhancing the security of drivers licenses and identification have resulted in an extension of the implementation of REAL ID requirements through Oct. 10, 2016. In a news release out of Helena on Friday afternoon, Bullock and Attorney General Tim Fox hailed it as a victory over REAL ID in announcing that federal officials had backed off of their threat to stop accepting Montana drivers licenses and identification cards. The Montana Legislature voted unanimously in 2007 to forbid implementation of the federal act that was passed in 2005 to combat domestic terrorism. It was set to be implemented in stages beginning in 2014. Requirement of a conforming identification to board a commercial plane is the last phase in 2016. DHS is expected to announce a more precise date by the end of the year. States that dont comply are in danger of forcing airline travelers to show passports to fly. Others may need them to gain access to certain federal facilities. But as state officials continued to point out Friday, all 150 members of the Legislature in 2007 agreed that REAL ID implementation is, according to the bill, inimical to the security and well-being of the people of Montana (and) will cause unneeded expense and inconvenience to those people. It also raises serious questions about states rights, state officials argued. The Legislature spoke unanimously and said that Montana will not and cannot comply with REAL ID, Mike Wessler, Bullocks deputy communications director, said Friday afternoon. Montana will continue to improve security of our IDs, independent of a federal mandate. *** Montana is among 20 states and territories that have yet to come into compliance with the REAL ID Act. At least four of the others Louisiana, New York, New Hampshire and Oklahoma have received extensions of varying lengths in the past two weeks. REAL ID raises real concerns about the unnecessary collection of Montanans personal and private information by the federal government, Bullock said in Fridays announcement. Our state has taken significant steps, independent of a federal mandate, to bolster the security of licenses, while protecting the right to privacy that Montanans hold dear. The letter Bullock received was similar to one he got from DHS in July 2014. That granted Montana an extension until Oct. 10, 2015, past most deadlines that required REAL ID-level identification to gain admittance to secure federal facilities such as Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls. For the duration of this extension, federal agencies may accept Montana-issued drivers licenses and identification cards for official purposes in accordance with the phased enforcement schedule and existing agency policies, said the latest letter, which like the one in 2014 was signed by DHS Assistant Secretary for Policy Alan Bersin and Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs Philip McNamara. The extension was in response to a letter sent by Bullocks office on Oct. 8, as the Oct. 10 deadline bore down, reminding Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson of Montanas 2007 law and listing three additional features implemented by Montana, independent of the federal mandate, to improve the quality and security of state drivers licenses and ID cards. *** Fox, whose Department of Justice governs Montanas Motor Vehicle Division, praised that division for doing an outstanding job with the difficult task of ensuring Montanas drivers license is highly secure, while balancing our citizens privacy. Among the security measures, he said, are prohibiting someone from holding drivers licenses from Montana and another state simultaneously, using hard-to-reproduce security features, and ensuring the security of personally identifiable information. While Montana refuses to be bullied by the federal government into becoming REAL ID-compliant or into compromising our citizens privacy, drivers license enhancements such as these provide features that distinguish them from fraudulent cards, while at the same time serve as secure proof of identity, Fox said. In its letter to Bullock, the DHS officials listed more than 30 provisions of the REAL ID Act of 2005 that Montana says its meeting. It also listed the eight provisions that Montana has not met, three of which state law prevents it from attaining. One of them commits states to mark fully compliant drivers licenses and identifications with a DHS-approved security marking. Another requires full compliance with the federal law. The third calls for the submission of a final certification package for REAL ID compliance. While the state system does not yet allow for verifying REAL ID cards with states that do issue them, the Motor Vehicle Division plans to do so in a modernization planned for 2019. BILLINGS A group of conservationists and ranchers asked federal transportation officials on Friday to deny a permit for a long-delayed $400 million railroad that would serve a proposed coal mine near the Montana-Wyoming border. The Tongue River Railroad was first proposed more than three decades ago and would open up southeastern Montana's huge coal fields to new mining. But after its sponsors last month sought to suspend the railroad's permit application citing a weak coal market and delays in the proposed Otter Creek mine near Ashland opponents want the Surface Transportation Board to kill the project. "They've been buying time for 30 years and it's time to say enough is enough," said Clint McRae, whose Rocker Six Cattle Co. near Colstrip sits in the proposed path of the 42-mile line. "We've got fence projects on hold, livestock watering pipeline projects that have been on hold because we don't know where it's going." Attorneys for Rocker Six and the Northern Plains Resource Council asked the transportation board to deny the railroad's most recent application, submitted in 2012. It's the fourth application to be submitted for the railroad. Three prior applications involving different routes for the line were approved over the decades, only to have the plans abandoned or changed. The railroad is jointly owned by Arch Coal, BNSF Railway and TRRC Financing. On Nov. 25, the railroad asked the Surface Transportation Board to suspend its permit application indefinitely, pointing to delays in the approval of Otter Creek. Railroad spokesman Matt Jones with BNSF said it had not yet had a chance to review Friday's request to deny its application. But Jones said there was "strong justification" to grant the suspension given the "extended permitting process for the Otter Creek Mine." Beginning in 2009, St. Louis-based Arch paid $160 million to the state of Montana and Houston-based Great Northern Properties for leases at Otter Creek. Those gave it rights to an estimated 1.4 billion tons of coal and company executives once hoped to begin mining at the site by this year. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality in March said it needed more information from the coal company to process its mining application. Arch has said it expects to resubmit the application this month, but the company's growing financial troubles loom large over the project. Arch posted a $2 billion loss in the third quarter of 2015 and has said that bankruptcy is possible. On Thursday, the company was notified by the New York Stock Exchange that it could be removed from the exchange because Arch's market value has shrunk considerably as its share price has plummeted, from $19.30 a share in December 2014 to just 90-cents a share on Friday. A company spokeswoman did not immediately return messages seeking comment. BILLINGS The market value of a Pennsylvania company's stake in one of the largest coal plants in the Western United States has been slashed by 87 percent over the past two years, according to figures provided by Montana revenue officials. The sharp decline in Talen Energy's partial ownership of southeastern Montana's Colstrip Steam Electric Station reflects how exposed some utilities have become to the coal industry's woes. Talen sells its power on the open market, meaning it can't pass along its costs to consumers as can the five regulated public utilities that also have stakes in Colstrip. Elected officials including U.S. Sen. Steve Daines and Rep. Ryan Zinke, both Republicans, frequently hold up Colstrip as an example of how the policies of President Barack Obama are hurting the coal industry. But Talen's case points to another, more immediate factor at play: cheap natural gas. Analysts say competition from natural gas has emerged as the main force behind sweeping changes within the electricity industry, even before the implementation of pending regulations meant to address climate change by reducing emissions from coal plants. "It's much more the pressure from natural gas prices declining. The prospects for coal versus natural gas have deteriorated," said Julien Dumoulin-Smith, a power sector analyst with UBS Securities. Talen's predecessor, PPL Corp., wrote down the value of its stake in Colstrip by more than $400 million in 2013, filings with federal regulators show. PPL spun off Colstrip and other assets earlier this year to form Talen. Since the 2013 write-down, Montana revenue officials have reduced the value of Talen's 25-percent ownership in the plant to just $45.5 million an 87 percent reduction, according to figures provided to the Associated Press by the Montana Department of Revenue. By contrast, the plant's market value among Colstrip's other owners held relatively steady. Talen's 2013 write-down was "a recognition that they're not able to earn the same amount of income. It's a recognition of the obsolescence of their ownership of Colstrip," said Montana Department of Revenue Deputy Director Gene Walborn. "Talen has got to go out and compete with other (electricity) generators in a non-regulated market," Walborn added. Talen spokesman Todd Martin said that Colstrip's other owners can include their interests in the plant in customer electricity rates. Martin did not respond immediately to other questions from the AP. The plant's fate has major implications for nearby communities. Rosebud County counts on it for about 74 percent of its tax base. That figure is even higher, roughly 90 percent, for the city of Colstrip, where the plant's towering smokestacks dominate the skyline. The decreased value in Talen's ownership has forced Rosebud County to cut its current budget about 10 percent, County Commission Chairman Doug Martens said. Colstrip Mayor Rose Hanser said the city also has gone through belt-tightening. The lost revenue has been at least partially offset by an increase in overall tax rates. But that means other taxpayers end up paying more, Martens said. COLSTRIP In the shadow of one of the West's largest coal-fired power plants, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock announced Tuesday the members of an advisory council that will help shape the way the state plans to meet cuts in carbon dioxide pollution required by new federal rules. No matter what ones opinion of the Clean Power Plan is, we cant afford to ignore it, Bullock said. We have far too much at stake. The 27-member panel will make recommendations to the state Department of Environmental Quality and Bullock, who must submit a plan to the EPA by Sept. 6 that details how Montana will cut its CO2 emissions 47 percent by 2030. Bullock signed an executive order Nov. 12 establishing the council. Montana is one of 24 states suing the federal government over the new rules, but the state still needs to create its own path to compliance, Bullock said. We must not let the federal government ultimately dictate a plan for us, and thats whatll happen if we dont come up with our own plan written by Montanans in a way that works for our state. The new standards did single out Montana and move the goalposts on us. Ive said time and time again its not fair for Montana. Bullock, speaking from City Hall in Colstrip, made several references to this regions long ties to and reliance on both coal mining and the four units at the coal-fired electric plant that looms large over town. This is the house that coal built, so its very appropriate to have it here, said state Sen. Duane Ankney, a member of the panel who lives here. Ankney, a 32-year veteran of coal mines, said he wishes it was 20 years ago, when we worried about getting coal from point A to point B. ... But today is a different day. ... Personally, I hope they throw the whole thing out, but that being said we will have a plan. Kathy Hadley, the executive director of the National Center for Appropriate Technology in Butte and a conservation advocate and a council member, said the effects of climate change already are harming Montana. NCAT coordinates many energy-efficiency programs, including partnering with NorthWestern Energy to audit electricity use, identify financial incentives to make homes and business more energy efficient, and recommend changes for NorthWestern customers. Weve seen the increase in wildfires, we've seen the prolonged hoot-owl restrictions we all had last year, and that has huge impacts on our fish and wildlife resources, Hadley said. If nothing is done, climate change could cost 11,000 jobs in Montana, she said. Those numbers come from a December report by Donovan Power Consulting and commissioned by the Montana Wildlife Federation. Bullock said members of the council come from diverse backgrounds, including energy producers, utilities, organized labor representatives, conservationists, hunters and anglers, tribes and small-business owners. The governor implored the council to focus not on their differences and divisions, but the future. As Montanans, value the perspective of folks who may not always see things the way that we do, he said. He stressed the preservation of Montanas existing energy production landscape, as well as the need for the state to adapt efficiency measures. Were fortunate to have some of nations largest coal reserves, highest-rated wind potential and a legacy of hydroelectric power, Bullock said. He said the state doesnt have to choose between addressing climate change and continuing to produce power from coal. Thats a false choice, Bullock said. I know that we can do both. But we need to stop assigning blame and we need to work together to find Montana solutions. *** Anne Hedges, deputy director and lead lobbyist for the Montana Environmental Information Center, called the council a huge disappointment. Its not going to come up with any solutions to the problem, she said. They appointed the same people who created the problem in the first place. Hedges was referring to people on the council who are associated with the coal mining and coal-powered electricity industries. The Clean Power Plan requires solutions and that means renewable energy, energy efficiency, clean energy and there are not representatives from the wind, solar and geothermal industry, she said. Hedges said the council and governor are incapable of creating a plan that will reduce emissions in Montana. Id rather have a federal plan than the status quo, she said. The economics of the electricity market will help create solutions going forward as well, Hedges said. Its far more expensive for NorthWestern Energy to get power out of Colstrips older units than it is from the Judith Gap wind farm, she said. The market is taking care of itself. While Montana works toward ways to comply with the Clean Power Plan, a more immediate issue threatens operations at the Colstirp plant. A bill supported by Puget Sound Energy, a Washington state company, that could result in the closure of two of Colstrips four units will be heard by that states Legislature later this month. Puget Sound, which owns 50 percent of Colstrip units 1 and 2 and 25 percent of units 3 and 4, wants to buy out Talen Energys share of Unit 3. Puget Sound would then own 55 percent of Unit 3, and decommission the older units 1 and 2. Puget Sound, which is is being sued by the Sierra Club over alleged violations of the Clean Air Act, needs approval from Washingtons Legislature because of laws in that state that prevent utilities from buying electricity from coal-fired power plants to be used in that state. A group of lawmakers from Washington toured the units at Colstrip in late November, Ankney said. A conference call will take place soon between Montana and Washington state legislators to discuss whats next, Ankney said. My issue is, if you prematurely close this, not because of economic reasons or anything else, youre leaving about 350 people out of work, about 100 homes that dont have buyers, so youre really putting some economic hardship on the folks in Colstrip, Ankney said. DEER LODGE David Wayne Nelson on Tuesday made an initial appearance in Deer Lodge District Court on two counts of deliberate homicide, as well as felony theft and obstruction of justice charges. Judge Ray J. Dayton entered not guilty pleas on the Nelson's behalf on all charges as requested by his attorneys, to allow them time to have him evaluated. Nelson, 53, of Deer Lodge, was flanked by attorneys Sherri Petrovich-Staedler and Walter Hennessey as he appeared before Dayton. Dayton advised Nelson of his rights and determined that he understood the proceedings and charges being brought against him. Nelson is accused of killing Beverly Giannonatti, 79, and her son, Greg Giannonatti, 57, in late October and stealing 17 100-ounce silver bars from the Giannonatti home on Larkspur Road earlier in the month that he allegedly sold in Missoula. He is charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly removing the bodies and other evidence and disposing of them at remote locations in Powell County and Anaconda-Deer Lodge County. Nelson could be sentenced to death, life in prison, or a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of 100 years for each murder, in addition to sentences on the other charges. Dayton remanded Nelson to the Powell County Detention Center to be held without bail. BILLINGS The woman who showed a nude photo of her son's 13-year-old rape victim to a co-worker was sentenced Tuesday. Pamela Fink Coleman, 51, will serve seven days in jail and be supervised for the next five years after pleading no contest in August to a felony charge of sexual abuse of children. As part of a plea deal, Judge Russell Fagg deferred Coleman's sentencing for five years, contingent on five years of supervision under the Montana Department of Corrections. Fagg also ordered Coleman to pay restitution of about $1,500 to the victim for counseling services the girl's insurance does not cover. Laurel Police Department Detective Jason Wells testified during the sentencing. He said Coleman showed a co-worker a photo of a nude 13-year-old girl while the two were at work together. The co-worker recognized the girl and reported the photo to police. The girl in the photo was one of two victims who reported Colemans son, Jordan Todd Coleman, had raped them. Jordan Coleman, 20, was convicted of having a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old girl in early 2013. In July 2013, Jordan Coleman raped the victim, also a 13-year-old girl, in the basement of his home after she refused to have sex with him, according to charging documents. The girl told police Jordan Coleman asked her for a nude photo prior to raping her, and she sent one. When he requested another with her face in it, she refused. He told her if she didn't send the photo, he would send the previous photo to her friends and family. The victim spoke at the sentencing and said the photo became public knowledge at her school anyway, in part due to Coleman's co-worker telling her daughter, who knew the victim. The victim said she felt disgusting and was taunted by kids at school. "You made me believe I was something I'm not," the girl said. "You made me not want to live anymore ... You made me think this would never get better." Coleman said she kept the photo to help her son's case, which at the time was still pending. "Both what Jordan and you have done to me has changed me forever," the girl said. She asked that Coleman be sentenced to six months in prison. After the victim finished speaking, Fagg told her she was a "bright, articulate" young lady. He added the seven days in jail, in addition to the recommended sentence from the county. Jordan Coleman was sentenced in March to 30 years in the Montana State Prison, with 10 years suspended, for the sexual assaults of the two girls. Jordan Coleman has attempted to contact the victim since his incarceration, Wells said. The first baby born in Ravalli County in 2016 was Felicity Jane Harrold, who came into the world at 2:12 a.m. on New Years Day. A midwife assisted the birth of Felicity, who is the youngest of eight children in the Kevin and Jenny Harrold family. The birth took place in the Harrold home on Skalkaho Highway near Hamilton. Its quite the New Years Day present, Jenny Harrold said. Ive always wanted a big family, so this is special. They are, however, a lot more work than I thought. Shes gorgeous, Kevin Harrold said of his newest daughter. Kevin Harrold is a painting contractor who stayed up to welcome in the New Year. The excitement at home began just after midnight. Midwife Sheehan Ednie-Rosen of Victor arrived soon after to assist with the delivery, as did doula and massage therapist Christina Harrell. Jenny Harrold said her oldest child was born in a hospital in California, but her seven other children were born at home. Having my labor and birth at home provided great freedom for my birthing experience to be tranquil and peaceful, which is what I believe it was designed to be, Jenny Harrold said. It was just a real peaceful thing. Felicity came out pink and perfect. Felicity Harrold weighed seven pounds, nine ounces and was 21 inches long. She joined siblings Noah, age 13; Constance, 11; Lily, 10; Joseph, 8; Susanna, 6; Opal, 4; and Iris, 2. Jenny Harrold said the baby was due on Christmas and her other children were beginning to think the delivery would never happen. But on New Years Day, they came into the bedroom to meet their newest sister at 5 a.m. I think they all heard the excitement, Jenny Harrold said. The older children are homeschooled, and Jenny Harrold is president of the Classical Conversations Home School in Ravalli County. She also creates rugs branded Rugs by Jenny and Skalkaho Rugs. We love the Lord, and know He thinks children are great, Jenny Harrold said. The Harrolds waited to learn the gender of their newest addition until the birth, and the next morning they announced the good news to the neighborhood with pink balloons on their mailbox. In 2012, Montana was among the top six states in the nation for out-of-hospital births. That year, 3.9 percent of births in Montana took place outside of hospitals. Ednie-Rosen said she has been present at 277 births. She started helping women during pregnancy and birth in 1992, and she apprenticed for six years with a midwife in Missoula beginning in 1996. She received her license in 2002. I think it is an individual choice made for many reasons, Ednie-Rosen said. It can be unsafe if there are developing medical conditions. But, in general for healthy women, if it is something they want, it is a good choice. Ednie-Rosen said in Montana midwives are trained, licensed and able to do medical tests. She said about two-thirds of her patients have previously given birth, and most have delivered at home. I cant make a blanket statement to recommend it. It isnt right for everyone, Ednie-Rosen said. But if youre looking for personalized care and a natural, un-rushed, un-medicated birth at home, having a midwife is the best way to go for a lot of women. More women are becoming informed about choices and having more self-determination for their care. As for bringing Felicity Jane Harrold in to the world on New Years Day, Ednie-Rosen said all went well. Labor and delivery took about two hours, she said. It was a perfect birth and a perfect way to start the New Year, Ednie-Rosen said. Most people get an ultrasound and find out the sex of their baby ahead of time, but it is really fun when it is a surprise. It was peaceful and quiet with the other kids asleep. It was a very sweet birth. 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Talks between North and South Korea fell apart in December. On Wednesday, after North Korean state media claimed that the country detonated a hydrogen bomb, Ban condemned the North Korean regime unequivocally, calling the test "profoundly destabilizing for regional security." It looks like the beginning of a familiar pattern in relations between North Korea and the rest of the world: provocation, a negotiation to secure economic aid and political concessions, the exhausting of those benefits, the breaking of the agreement and then starting all over again. Morse Tan, a professor at Northern Illinois College of Law and author of "North Korea, International Law and the Dual Crises: Narrative and Constructive Engagement," said that, in this round of the cycle, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may hope to take human rights off the negotiating table. "North Korea feels threatened by the U.N. Security Council taking up the human rights issues pertaining to North Korea," Tan told Al Jazeera. But this provocation does not necessarily reflect a real security threat. Analysts in South Korea as well as officials from the White House have cast doubt on whether the test, hailed on North Korean state television as a display of nuclear might, was really a hydrogen bomb. Such a claim in the absence of conclusive corroborating evidence conveys desperation and weakness from a regime that has increasingly stood on claims to North Koreas nuclear status as a source of domestic legitimacy, wrote Scott Snyder, senior fellow for Korea Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. North Koreas latest test suggests evidence of weakness rather than strength." There have been reports of multiple purges within the North Korean leadership in recent months, signals of a regime that is not secure, according to Daniel Sneider, associate director for research at the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center at Stanford University. And with plans for a congress of the Workers Party of Korea in May the first such gathering in North Korea since 1980 Kim is looking for a tangible sign of accomplishment. The audience for this is heavily internal, Sneider told Al Jazeera. Conditions for ordinary people in North Korea, meanwhile, are persistently grim. The country suffered a severe drought last summer, followed by flooding, and the U.N.s Food and Agriculture Organization has warned that the country faces a shortfall of 1.2 million tons of food in 2016. North Korea also recently cut its food rations by 21 percent to an average of 250 grams (8.8 ounces) per day about the same as the daily bread ration in 1942 for children under 12 during the siege of Leningrad. Unable to fulfill his promise to deliver economic development along with nuclear development, Kim relies on symbolic shows of strength. He wants to affirm his strength to his own people, Tan said. He has a precarious grip on power and he knows it. With the nuclear test, he tries to show his people that he is strong and powerful and in control. The danger for North Korea is antagonizing China, its only political ally and the source of more than 80 percent of its trade. While Beijing has made its displeasure known, Sneider said Pyongyang is willing to take the risk. Relations with China have been deteriorating for years, but North Korea has faced few consequences from Beijing, which continues to support it economically while publicly criticizing its aggression. There has been no point where China has been willing to change their policy of helping to keep the North Korean regime alive, Sneider said. With Beijing joining the chorus of condemnation for this latest nuclear test, the real risk to North Korea is one its people are already familiar with further isolation from the world. President Hassan Rouhani asked Iran's judiciary on Wednesday to urgently prosecute the people who attacked the Saudi Embassy in Tehran in protest over the kingdom's execution of a prominent Shia cleric. His comments appear to show his determination to reduce tensions with Iran's Sunni Gulf neighbors and continue his attempts to normalize ties with world powers by speaking out on a practice that has become a challenge for the Islamic Republic's foreign policy. On Wednesday, Qatar became the latest country to recall its ambassador from Iran. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Sudan and Djibouti broke ties with Iran earlier in the week. The United Arab Emirates downgraded its relations, and Kuwait recalled its ambassador after the embassy was stormed. Jordan summoned Iran's ambassador. After reaching a landmark nuclear deal with world powers in July, Rouhani is seeking to end Iran's long isolation with the West. However, the repercussions of the attack could jeopardize that, posing the biggest diplomatic crisis of his government. Members of the United Nations Security Council released a statement on Monday condemning the attack and another on a consulate in the city of Mashhad in the strongest terms. By punishing the attackers and those who orchestrated this obvious offense, we should put an end once and forever to such damage and insults to Iran's dignity and national security, Rouhani was quoted as saying in a letter published by the state news agency IRNA. While embassies are often a focus of protests worldwide, Iran still celebrates the anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran every year and refers to it as the second revolution. Since then, Iranians have attacked several embassies in Tehran including those of Kuwait in 1987, Saudi Arabia in 1988, Denmark in 2006 and Britain in 2011 with most of those incidents leading to a breach in diplomatic relations. Some of those attacking the Saudi Embassy and starting fires took selfies and published them on social media a clear sign that they thought they would enjoy immunity from prosecution in a country that has multiple power centers. In the letter, Rouhani asked Sadeq Larijani, the head of judiciary, to bring to justice those behind the attacks. This has been always a paradox in the Islamic Republic, said Hossein Rassam, a former political adviser at the British Embassy in Tehran. While the revolutionary state condones or supports such attacks to capitalize on their revolutionary momentum, the administration dismisses them, as it should deal with their diplomatic consequences. In a signal of how Western ties with Iran have thawed, Britain reopened its embassy in Tehran in August. The nuclear deal also prompted a flurry of European visits aimed at positioning for the end of Irans economic isolation. Iranian police have already announced the arrest of 50 people for the attack on the Saudi mission. However, in previous cases the rioters have been detained for a few days and released without facing any charges. In the case of the British Embassy, we are not aware of any legal action taking place against the aggressors, said Rassam. Although months later [Supreme Leader] Ayatollah Khamenei criticized the move, the attackers walked free, and nothing happened to them more than a gentle slap on the hand. The Iranian government has distanced itself from the attack, saying the protesters entered the Saudi Embassy despite widespread efforts by the police to stop them. Al Jazeera and Reuters INFORMATION, NEWS & OPINIONS POLITIQUES -- Vous etes sur le Blog du journaliste Cyrus Sibert. Suivez nous aussi sur Twitter : @reseaucitadelle ; Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/LeRecitHaiti ; WhatsApp : +509 3686 9669 ; Email : reseaucitadelle@yahoo.fr Sagarmatha Network Pvt. Ltd. is the organization dedicated in the field of printing, publishing service since 2001. As part of media, we've been publishing Review Nepal, an English medium weekly registered at District Administration Office (DAO) Kathmandu with registration number 130-162-163 and reviewnepal.com as an online digital newspaper, with registration number 849-075-076 at Department of Informational and Broadcasting (DIB) from Kathmandu, Nepal since 2003. Blood transfusions drawn randomly from survivors of Ebola may offer little benefit to people afflicted by the disease, according to a report today in The New England Journal of Medicine. Just 69 percent of 84 Ebola patients survived after receiving a transfusion of a survivors plasma (blood minus the blood cells). That was only slightly higher than the 62 percent of patients who survived without receiving the plasma. Doctors in West Africa launched the study last winter as deaths mounted from the most recent Ebola outbreak. During a small flare-up in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1995, seven out of eight Ebola patients infused with survivor blood lived, sparking hopes that blood transfusions could offer a cure for the highly dangerous illness. Unlike experimental drugs, survivor blood is cheap and plentiful during outbreaks. A team of clinician scientists from countries in Europe and Africa conducted the study at a Doctors Without Borders clinic in Conakry, Guinea, with guidance from the World Health Organization. Although the results were disappointing, researchers say that survivor blood deserves additional testing because they randomly chose blood donations and didnt determine which donations contained high levels of bloods key ingredient against Ebola, antibodies that glom onto the virus and block it from causing harm. It can take weeks for a persons immune system to produce these antibodies, and some people naturally produce more than others. Johan van Griensven, the lead author on the report and an infectious disease specialist at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Belgium, says the plasma might have worked better if the researchers used only samples containing high concentrations of antibodies. That didnt happen, in part because laboratories in Guinea lacked the technology to safely test survivor blood donations for antibody levels. But the researchers are now sending samples of the donated blood to France, where they can test antibody levels as well as data on how patients viral levels changed after the infusion. Those results will be available in a few months, van Griensven said. This could go in two directions. One is that survival and changes in viral load correlate with the amount of antibody present, which will provide strong evidence of a causal link, he said. That would mean we should stockpile plasma. The other possibility is that the follow-up will find no correlation, which means transfusing survivor blood is not a cure. The trial was funded by a $3.1 million grant from the European Union, with additional support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. A far less expensive study led by Sierra Leonean scientists on whole blood (which includes red cells) showed preliminary signs of success reported previously in Al Jazeera America but those data have yet to be peer-reviewed and published in a scientific journal. On Dec. 29, Guinea was declared Ebola-free. The outbreak killed 8,414 people in West Africa; an additional 13,000 people were infected and survived. A virologist who was not involved with the study, Daniel Bausch of Tulane University, called todays results sort of preliminary. Before studying Ebola, he focused on Lassa fever, another viral disease that causes bleeding. Data suggest that survivor plasma can help stem Lassa, he said, but only if the blood has high antibody levels. Until the antibody levels of the Ebola survivors plasma are known, Bausch said, we should not just toss this idea out into the trash. OUR SPONSORS Our sponsors offer the best services available and make The View From Fez possible. Please visit them by clicking on images below A U.S. Marine has asked a Philippine court to reverse his conviction in the killing of a transgender Filipina and seeks a bail and a reduction of his six- to 12-year jail term, his lawyer said Wednesday. Lawyer Rowena Garcia-Flores said she would insist that her client, Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton, did not kill Jennifer Laude in a motel room after they met in a disco bar in October 2014 and that his sentence should be eased because he surrendered to authorities. In December a judge convicted Pemberton of homicide, not the more serious charge of murder as prosecutors sought and sentenced him to a lighter jail term than what the victim's family wanted. The regional trial court judge in Olongapo city, northwest of Manila, said she downgraded the charge because conditions such as cruelty and treachery had not been proven. The court will start to hear Pemberton's appeal on Thursday. "We're going for an acquittal," Flores said by telephone. "He defended himself because he felt he was being conned but he did not kill Laude." In case the court upholds the conviction, Flores said she and other defense lawyers asked the court to consider easing Pemberton's sentence because he surrendered to authorities and that he had "no intention to commit so grave a wrong." The killing sparked anger in the Philippines and reignited calls by left-wing groups and nationalists for an end to America's military presence in the country. The pleas come at a time when the U.S. is reasserting its dominance in Asia and Manila has turned to Washington for support amid an escalating territorial dispute with China. Pemberton, an anti-tank missile operator from New Bedford, Massachusetts, was one of thousands of U.S. and Philippine military personnel who participated in joint exercises in the country in 2014. He and a group of other Marines were on leave after the exercises and met Laude and her friends at a bar in Olongapo, a city known for its nightlife located outside Subic Bay, a former U.S. Navy base. At least two witnesses testified that Laude was a sex worker. Pemberton, 21, has been detained at a compound guarded by Philippine and U.S. security personnel, at the main military camp in metropolitan Manila, and not in an ordinary jail as demanded by Laude's family. The emotional case has sparked concerns about special treatment for visiting U.S. forces, and left-wing activists have called on the government to fight Pemberton's appeal. Another Marine, Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith, was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison on charges of raping a Filipina woman in 2005. He was held at the U.S. Embassy in Manila until a Philippine appeals court overturned his conviction in 2009, allowing him to leave the country amid anti-U.S. protests. "If we allow Pemberton's conviction to be reversed or reduce his sentence, this will send a wrong message to U.S. soldiers: That they can commit crimes and get away with it," left-wing activist Renato Reyes said. The Associated Press SNc Channels: Search About Salem-News.com Jan-06-2016 10:19 TweetFollow @OregonNews Taiwan: Release Wang Guang-Lu Taiwan has tried to position itself as a champion of indigenous rights in recent years. Taiwans President Ma Ying-jeou cheers with the audience during National Day celebrations marking the 101st anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China, in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012. Ma pledged greater efforts to fix the islands economy, now limping along at about a 2 percent annual growth rate. (AP Photo/Wally Santana) (LONDON) - President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Ma Ying-jeou Office of the President No. 122, Sec. 1, Chongqing S. Rd Zhongzheng District Taipei City 100 Taiwan (R.O.C) Your Excellency, I am William Nicholas Gomes, Human rights defender and Freelance journalist. I would like to draw your attention to the following case. Wang Guang-Lu (Tama Talum), a 56- year old man of the indigenous Bunun tribe of Taiwan, began a 3 and a half year prison sentence on December 15, 2015, as punishment for hunting. His 94-year-old mother had asked him to give her some game meat. After hunting a small deer and a mountain goat for her, he was arrested, tried and convicted. His appeal to the charges of illegally carrying a weapon and illegally hunting protected wildlife was refused by Taiwans Supreme Court on October 29, 2015. This is a humanitarian case, since he will no longer be able to take care of his mother, or his children, and is himself in poor health. A long prison sentence causes their family unnecessary hardship. It should be noted that both animal species hunted are considered to be of least concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Hunting, fishing, and gathering have been integral parts of indigenous culture, ritual and identity to the Austronesian peoples of Taiwan for millennia. In most tribes, hunting is an important coming-of-age ritual for young men. For men of all ages, it is an important spiritual practice of communication with the ancestors and mountain spirits. Since the Republic of China came to Taiwan in 1945, they have labeled these subsistence and ritual practices as savage and criminalized them. Taiwan has in recent years tried to position itself as a champion of indigenous rights. The government has promised to take into consideration indigenous cultural practices when dealing with such legal cases, even establishing indigenous hearing chambers for such cases. The state, however, continues to violate the right of indigenous people to hunt. International law on indigenous peoples supports the right of indigenous people to their traditions of hunting, fishing and gathering. Article 20 of the United Nations Declarations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples says that Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and develop their political, economic and social systems or institutions, to be secure in the enjoyment of their own means of subsistence and development, and to engage freely in all their traditional and other economic activities. Article 19 of Taiwans own Basic Law on Indigenous Peoples states that indigenous persons may hunt, but only for traditional culture, ritual or self-consumption . Taiwans Basic Law on Indigenous Peoples, passed in 2005, calls for all relevant laws to be revised to permit the implementation of indigenous rights as promised in the law. Yet, Taiwan continues to violate the inherent rights of its indigenous peoples. As international supporters of indigenous hunting rights in Taiwan, I ask you to immediately file an extraordinary appeal to the Supreme Court on behalf of Wang Guang-Lu. Thank you for your prompt attention to this pressing matter. Yours sincerely, William Nicholas Gomes Human Rights Defender & Freelance Journalist Note : 1. http://thracanada.blogspot.ca/2015/12/thrac-writes-letter-to-president-ma.html 2.https://www.change.org/p/prosecutor-general-yen-da-ho-taiwan-free-wang-guang-lu-and-legalize-indigenous-hunting-in-taiwan Yours sincerely, William Nicholas Gomes Human Rights Defender & Freelance Journalist Twitter @wnicholasgomes Email: william@williamnicholasgomes.com www.facebook.com/williamnicholasgomes _________________________________________ Human-rights | Inter | Taiwan | Most Commented on Articles for January 5, 2016 | Articles for January 6, 2016 | Articles for January 7, 2016 Career Center students want your organs! PECK Health occupations students at the Sanilac Career Center are again registering new organ and tissue donors. More than 2,200 new organ and tissue... Pickup crashes into Sandusky police car Alcohol is suspected in two unrelated traffic accidents in Sandusky, one involving a car that hit a tree and shed, and the other a pickup... Local library leader to get highest award Charles Mitchell, president of the Brown City Public Library, will be honored this evening (Oct. 19) with a 2022 Michigan Library Award. Mitchell, who led... Click On Our Advertisers Ads Most of our ads have links to take you directly to their Websites. Just click on an ad and away you go. Every four years, presidential candidates descend on the Iowa State Fair to meet local activists, give stump speeches and pose for photos. The event happens seven months before the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses. As a longtime Iowan, I can say the fair is good fun. But the candidates go there mostly to pander to Iowas powerful agribusiness interests. Iowa is the largest corn producer in the United States, and more than 90 percent of gasoline sold in the U.S. contains ethanol. The states agribusinesses benefits from the renewable fuel standard, a 2007 law that requires gasoline producers to blend ethanol, which is almost always distilled from corn, to their product. The caucuses embody the power of grass-roots politics, but the influence of the ethanol lobby shows how corporate interests can undercut democracy. Iowans will hold caucuses on Feb. 6 to choose their presidential candidates. According to a new Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics poll, 77 percent of Democratic likely caucusgoers surveyed said they support the renewable fuel standard, as did 61 percent of Republican ones. As world leaders noted during the high-stakes climate conference in Paris last month, global warming remains a crucial challenge, but ethanol is a poor way of reducing greenhouse gases. Mandating smaller, more efficient motor vehicles and better public transportation would reduce fossil fuel consumption far more effectively. In Iowa artificially inflated corn prices and revenue, enhanced by government mandates, continue to encourage producers to plant it from fencerow to fencerow. This increasingly common practice has reduced wetlands and grasslands that could soak up water and reduce the risk of flooding. Partly as a result, Iowans and others around the Midwest have faced unprecedented floods over the last 20 years. Yet ethanol mandate advocates portray it as an environmentally sound, renewable fuel, although its long-term use actually threatens the environment. Iowa has lost a considerable amount of nonrenewable topsoil to corn production. Some areas in Iowa have about half the fertile soil as they did when farmers began plowing in the 1840s. The emphasis on corn has increased the use of cancer-causing nitrate fertilizers and pesticides. The chemicals run off the land and endanger drinking water and flow down the Mississippi River. Fertilizers have produced a growing dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, almost devoid of life, affecting the livelihoods of fishermen. Many processed foods in the U.S. contain corn or corn syrup. In 2014 the U.S. Department of Agriculture classified 14 percent of American households as food insecure. With so many Americans facing hunger and even more suffering abroad, using corn to power cars is horrible idea. Subsidized corn ethanol benefits a privileged few. The price of Iowa farmland remains prohibitively expensive, nearly $7,000 an acre, making diversified family farms less and less viable. Someone other than the owner, such as employees or tenants, farms more than half the states agricultural land. And those who live outside the state own 20 percent of Iowas farmland. Farmers rely on petroleum-based fertilizers, huge diesel tractors and combines and long-distance trucking between farms and markets. As food-security activist and writer Andy Fisher said recently, todays intensive agriculture is a process of turning oil into food. And after using fossil fuels to produce corn, ethanol production entails using more energy to turn corn into fuel. Mazany Seven times a year, the nine-member board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago meets in the most secure building in the city, in... If you are currently a print subscriber but don't have an online account, select this option. You will need to use your 7 digit subscriber account number (with leading zeros) and your last name (in UPPERCASE). The escalating tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran is the story of a declining state desperately seeking to reverse the balance of power shifting in favor of its rising rival. History teaches us that it is not rising states that tend to be reckless, but declining powers. Rising states have time on their side. They can afford to be patient: They know that they will be stronger tomorrow and, as a result, will be better off postponing any potential confrontation with rivals. Declining states suffer from the opposite condition: Growing weaker over time, they know that time is not on their side; their power and influence is slipping out of their hands. So they have a double interest in an early crisis: First, their prospects of success in any confrontation will diminish the longer they wait, and second, because of the illusion that a crisis may be their last chance to change the trajectory of their regional influence and their prospects vis-a-vis rivals. When their rivals who have the opposite relationship with time seek to deescalate and avoid any confrontation, declining states feel they are left with no choice but to instigate a crisis. Saudi Arabia is exhibiting the psychology of a state that risks losing its dominant position and whose losing hand is growing weaker and weaker. This explains why an otherwise rational actor begins making seemingly panicky and incomprehensible moves. From its decision to give up a seat on the United Nations Security Council after having campaigned for it for over a year and celebrated its election to the UN body only a day earlier to its reckless and failing attack on Yemen, to its push against the nuclear deal with Iran, to the deliberate provocation of executing Shia political dissident Nimr al-Nimr, its conduct is that of a sunsetting power. Iran, on the other hand, is by all accounts a rising power. Ironically, much of Irans rise is not due to its own actions, but must be credited to the reckless mistakes of its adversaries. The U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq eliminated Tehrans primary nemeses to its east (the Taliban in Afghanistan) and its west (the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq). In addition, Irans own Machiavellian maneuvering also ensured that it and not the U.S. has become the most influential outside actor in those two. Even though the Syrian civil war has been very costly to Iran in terms of resources, soft power and standing in the Arab world, Tehran views the survival of its ally, the Bashar al-Assad regime, as reconfirmation of Irans power and deterrence. Although Iran cannot be declared a winner of the Arab spring, it has probably lost the least compared to Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the U.S. Moreover, the nuclear deal has opened the door for Irans rehabilitation among the community of nations. Once a pariah in the eyes of many key states, Iran exercises power and influence in the region that is now increasingly accepted. Furthermore, the European Union has made no secret that it views the nuclear deal as a first step towards a broader rapprochement with Iran and recognizes that the international community must work with Iran in order for it to be a force for stability. In fact, the EUs support for reengagement with Iran is partly driven by its assessment that the Wests current relationship with Saudi Arabia isnt sustainable. As the New York Times has reported, in the current standoff between Saudi Arabia and Iran, EU sympathies tend to lean toward Tehran. Liberatoria Todo el material de este blog puede ser libremente utilizado citando autor y enlace activo al articulo correspondiente. Tutto il materiale contenuto nel blog puo essere utilizzato liberamente citando autore e link attivo. Alcune foto sono prese da internet e valutate di pubblico dominio. Se eventualmente gli autori avessero qualcosa in contrario alla pubblicazione, possono comunicarmelo all'indirizzo email fla.detomin@gmail.com e provvedero prontamente alla loro rimozione. Algunas fotos son tomadas por Internet, presumiendo que sean de dominio publico. Si eventualmente el autor no desea que su foto sea publicada en este blog, puede avisarme contactandome a fla.detomin@gmail.com y proveo a eliminarla Some photos published on this site are taken on internet and therefore considered of public domain. If any author or publisher wish to deny their consent to publish these photos, they may contact me at fla.detomin@gmail.com and i'll remove immediately these photos from my site. Interesting international death penalty data via Amnesty International | Main | Two new Slate commentaries assailing the modern death penalty and modern prisons Marc Mauer has this essay in Democracy: A Journal of Ideas which makes the case for a heavy presumption that no prison sentence should be longer than two decades. Here are excerpts from the piece: The excessively lengthy incarceration of offenders yes, even for violent crimes is counterproductive, costly, and inhumane. To remedy this problem, Congress and state legislative bodies should establish an upper limit of 20 years in prison as a maximum penalty, except in unusual cases such as a serial rapist who has not been amenable to treatment in prison or a mass murderer. The rationale for such a policy shift is grounded in both humanitarian and public-safety concerns. Life sentences ruin families and tear apart communities; they deprive the person of the chance to turn his or her life around. Moreover, it has long been known that individuals age out of crime, and that this occurs at a surprisingly young age. As is true of all adults, offenders mature in prison as they age and develop a longer-term vision for their lives. Research by leading criminologists Alfred Blumstein and Kiminori Nakamura demonstrates that an 18-year-old arrested for robbery is no more likely to be arrested for this crime by the age of 26 than anyone in the general population. Thus, each successive year of incarceration after this decline sets in produces diminishing returns for public safety. This impact comes at great cost as well. Estimates are that the cost of imprisoning an elderly offender is double that of a young offender, largely due to high health-care costs. Given that public-safety resources are finite, incarcerating aging prisoners inevitably diverts resources from preschool programs, substance abuse treatments, and mental health interventions that all produce demonstrated and substantial crime-reduction benefits. Lengthy prison terms also exacerbate the dramatic racial and ethnic disparities that have defined the phenomenon of mass incarceration. Nationwide, nearly two-thirds of the people serving life in prison are African-American or Latino. The sight of elderly men of color in prison uniforms and bound in wheelchairs only reinforces the racialized nature of incarceration in the modern era. Some skeptics would argue that while the public-safety argument may apply to many offenders, there are nonetheless individuals who present such a threat to the community that even 20 years in prison is not sufficient for public protection. Thats certainly correct. But the problem is that on the day of sentencing, no one including the judge can predict who those people are, or how individuals may mature over a 20-year period. For this reason, policymakers could establish a mechanism to evaluate the public-safety risk of select prisoners as they near the end of their 20-year term. A review board comprised of psychologists and other professionals could make recommendations either to a judge or a parole board regarding whether continued confinement is necessary for public safety. And in such cases, they should also propose appropriate treatment interventions designed to produce behavioral change leading to eventual release. While some might think this is unrealistic, sentences of more than 20 years are quite rare in many democratic nations. Norway, for example, limits prison terms to no more than 21 years, followed by a period of civil confinement when deemed necessary. Even the worst mass killer in the countrys history, Anders Breivik, who killed 77 people in 2011, is serving such a prison term. Contrast this to the current practice in the United States, where countless drug offenders are serving far lengthier terms. San Francisco Chronicle star columnist C.W. Nevius has the unfortunate habit of casting himself in the role of hero in his own stories. And a new blog post from him is no exception, and in it he details an incident wherein he tried to ride Muni without paying, got caught, and yet wasn't given a ticket because (presumably) the SFMTA fare officer recognized him as a reporter. "I gave [the fare officer] the Clipper, it buzzed, and I was busted. Fair enough," writes Nevius. "But I have to say, for Christmas Eve, the guy was a bit of a supercilious jerk," he continues after apparently coming to the conclusion that there is no faster way to get readers on his side than to insult someone working for Muni. "While his partner was writing a ticket, he was baiting me," furthers the columnist, "asking, for example, if I thought it was all right to ride free." Baiting you? Maybe he was just slightly incredulous that an older, (likely) seemingly employed man couldn't be bothered to pay the $2.25 cost of a ticket? This is not the first time the Chronicle's top curmudgeon has made us do a massive head turn. In 2012, he wrote a piece relating an incident where he nearly hit a cyclist while driving, but somehow after reflecting upon the matter decided that the moral of the story was that the cyclist needed to "turn down the volume" because he yelled at the careless columnist. But back to today's post. Nevius goes on to explain that after he handed over his ID, the officer decided not to issue him a ticket after all, and assumes that his locally famous name got him out of the fine. The writer then concludes his post with a heartwarming note about the lesson learned. "Moral: check your Clipper Card before you ride," he sagely proclaims. And yet, earlier in the same piece, he explains that he had plenty of time to pay even after realizing his card was empty, he just thought he could get away with it even going so far as to say his not paying "was fine until we got to the gate and a traffic control officer." "When I got on I swiped my Clipper Card several times to no avail. I finally realized it didnt have enough money on it," he scribbles. "So, rather than go up and pay the conductor, and having watched several people get on without paying, I fell prey to my lessor person and skipped payment." Look, we get it. Nobody likes those Muni fare inspectors. But when after getting preferential treatment, even though you're in the wrong, why would you write a column calling that inspector "a supercilious jerk"? Related: Breaking: C.W. Nevius Has Moved to San Francisco Hell hath no fury like a husband scorned, and the Contra Costa Times has the story of one particularly hellish husband who, following a breakup, allegedly exacted his vengeance upon his onetime groomsmen in devilish fashion. From behind bars, 33-year-old Walnut Creek resident and alleged groomzilla Joshua Van Buskirk denied the charges against him, specifically that he had left a calling card of a joker after igniting his estranged friends' vehicles. However, Concord police discovered in his condominium an ominous "list of people with names crossed off" and two decks of playing cards. Van Buskirk was previously employed by Wells Fargo, but lost his job in May and separated from his wife, whom he wed four years ago, this past August. Following their split, he was placed on a 72-hour mental health hold at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek and diagnosed as paranoid delusional. His ex has since cited his behavior as erratic and filed a restraining order against him. Avowing the break from his groomsmen to the Contra Costa Times, said Van Buskirk: "It tore me apart because I'd been there for them... They didn't even reach out to me or care one bit. They didn't say 'Happy Thanksgiving' or 'Merry Christmas' or any of that shit. They just dropped me." Police allege that from October through December, Van Buskirk poured gasoline on one groomsman's car near the site of their softball field, lit up another's truck in Antioch, and ignited a third's garage door. At the site of each crime was a joker playing card, by the truck was a bottle of "sex lubricant," and by the third was a smashed J&B Scotch bottle. Van Buskirk's ex has told investigators that, while on their honeymoon, the couple saw a magician write on cards during tricks he performed. The J&B bottle, she speculated, was because of his initials. Other objects left at the scenes of the crimes, such as a dog collar and a Bacardi bottle, may have also held personal significance among his former friends. Van Buskirk has pleaded not guilty to the crimes, which include making Molotov cocktails, and is being held on $2.1 million bail. When asked if he was the arsonist responsible for the incidents, he replied "I do." Just kidding, he said, "No, sir." We've got some more Super Bowl intrigue for you today: The Super Bowl 50 Host Committee has received millions of dollars in contributions from both individuals and organizations as it prepares for the big day on February 7 in Santa Clara and the fan-village fun in SF the week prior. However, due to its nature as a non-profit, the committee has no legal requirement to disclose who those donors are. With $50 million already donated, this lack of a transparency requirement has some worried about the potential for abuse though the committee says they're being completely transparent, regardless. The committee is structured as a 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization with the Internal Revenue Service, notes the Chronicle, which means that a majority of the money coming in and out is shielded from any public scrutiny. One expert on 501(c)(6) organizations, professor of law at Louisiana State University Philip Hackney, explained to the paper why the citizens of San Francisco should be paying attention. Theyre filling public roles in very private ways, noted Hackney, who furthered that "it has the potential for graft. Hackney was quick to clarify that there is no evidence of malfeasance, but without mandated donor disclosure it is hard to be 100 percent sure what is happening behind the scenes. "People in San Francisco want to know what is happening," he observed, "just like they would want to know what the city council is doing." What's more, the 501(c)(6) status differs from the more tradition 501(c)(3) non-profit in that it still allows the group to lobby politicians and advocate for political goals. As for the committee's part, a spokesman for the organization told the Chronicle that the group is listing donors on its website legal requirement or no. We value transparency," said Nate Ballard. "Everyone who has given even a dime to the host committee is listed publicly. In the interest of transparency, weve revealed the name of every corporate sponsor, even though our tax status does not require us to. But, of course, without the legal requirement to disclose all donors, we have to take the committee at its word that the list is complete. So, who are the donors? Chevron, Google, and a couple of prominent law firms to name a few. And who are the people that advise on how the money is spent? The list includes former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and Google VP David Drummond. With an estimated 20 percent of funds raised not going toward event production costs, there is an awful lot of cash getting spread around. Just sayin'. All previous Super Bowl 50 coverage on SFist. That the leader of a Bay Area dirt bike gang might actually be a Marin County Sheriff's deputy was brought to the public's attention late last month after an investigation pointed strongly to the fact that an officer was leading the illegal rides. Well, it also apparently caught the attention of the officer's law enforcement superiors, as the once-Deputy no longer works for the Sheriff's Department. The initial report was published on December 22, and CBS 5 confirmed yesterday that the focus of the investigation, Zack Schlief, is no longer employed by the Department. However, citing privacy issues, the Sheriff's office did not say if Schlief was fired or simply quit. Bay Area SuperMoto (BASM), as the group called itself, would ride through the streets of San Francisco blowing stop signs and driving over sidewalks and document the crimes for posterity on the internet. One self-proclaimed former member explained the group to CBS 5. "It is a sport," said the man, who requested anonymity. "It's how many dangerous maneuvers can you pull, how good are you at riding and not wrecking your bike into these cars and things that are around you." Video shot by the station depicts Schlief bragging about being a BASM leader. Everyone new welcome, if you have never been on big rides before, its a lot of fun," says the then-deputy. "When you are the one that is leading the ride, like me and him, its like fucking herding cats." It should be noted that BASM is a totally different reckless riding crew than the spectacularly named "Chicken Shit" dirt bike gang that briefly took over the Haight last summer. Officer Carlos Manfredi of the San Francisco Police Department explained to CBS 5 why groups like BASM are so troublesome. It puts everyone in danger, noted Manfredi. They are riding without any regard for public safety. Theyre doing wheelies, performing stunts throughout the city. Its all fun and games until someone gets hurt. Maybe now that the group's alleged leader is out of a job, BASM will be slightly more cautious going forward. Maybe. Previously: Video: Is A Marin County Sheriff's Deputy Leading A Bay Area Dirt Bike Gang? You know the long-vacant, domed church building across from Dolores Park near 20th Street? It's long been rumored to be getting converted into residential units much like the brick church down the block was converted into a single luxury home a few years back, and subsequently sold to a school. Now we have renderings of what those fancy condos will look like in the building now rechristened The Light House and originally known as the Second Church of Christ Scientist though it remains to be seen how many millions the developer will be asking for them. SFGate's On the Block blog grabbed the renderings from design firm Modyfier (who weirdly don't have a web presence?), via listing agent Marcus Miller, who claims there's already been plenty of advance interest in the property. Developer Siamak Akhavan, interestingly, is the very same guy who did the conversion on the Castle on the Park, a.k.a. the former Mission Park Congregational Church down the block at 19th which never actually found a residential buyer in part because it hit the market in 2008 for almost $10 million, just as things tanked. Akhavan finally sold it in 2011 to the nearby Childrens Day School for the much discounted price of $6.6 million. After the neighborhood rejected a plan to demolish the 1917-built Christian Science church a few doors up, Akhavan forged a plan to subdivide it into four residential units, keeping the domed penthouse unit for himself. According to Miller, the renovation seismically retrofits the structure and reuses many architectural elements while "preserving the historic quality and integrity of our architectural past." Akhavan will be selling the three lower units for a mint, no doubt, with move-ins now estimated around March. Drool away. The 24-year-old sister of the nine-year-old boy who was killed Sunday in Yuba County by her three pit bulls spoke to the media Monday evening and is shattered by the death. She takes responsibility for the tragedy, telling Sacramento station FOX 40, "I failed him, whether it's my fault, my dogs' fault, whoever's fault. I wanted to protect him, and I wanted to give him an amazing life." Alexandria Griffin-Heady told reporters that her brother, Tyler Griffin-Huston, loved the dogs, "he laid in the bed with them. He played with them. He wanted one of their puppies." The three pit bulls, who all lived with her in a trailer in the town of Linda, were left alone with the boy for three hours Sunday morning while she had to go to work. The boy, who was in the foster care system following their mother's death in 2011, was spending the weekend with her and was living with foster parents in Elk Grove. The Sacramento Bee spoke to the foster mother, who said after hearing the news, "To die like that, it was just horrific. When Child Protective Services called me, I just screamed." She said she was hesitant about letting the boy go stay with the sister, but had been at peace with it because he was happy to have close family living nearby. A judge was set to decide if Griffin-Heady could become his full-time guardian, provided she got an apartment. The exact circumstances surrounding the mauling will never be known. Griffin-Heady guesses the boy "got up to go to the bathroom," and maybe the dogs wouldn't let him leave the trailer to do so, but she can't be sure. A report yesterday suggested that two of the dogs, who were the year-and-a-half-old offspring of the other, four-year-old female, had been kenneled when Griffin-Heady left the home. The investigation is ongoing, but criminal proceedings sound unlikely since the dogs did not appear to have any previous record of being dangerous. "Were always mad when something terrible happens," says criminal law professor Michael Vitiellobut to the Bee. "That doesnt mean someone is liable in a criminal way." It is likely that all three dogs will be put be put down, though investigators have said that only two of the dogs showed clear blood on their muzzles. Griffin-Heady says she understands, and that Tyler's life was "more important." "His only wish for Christmas was to have a mom," she said, tragically. "I so badly wanted to be that person for him." Previously: Nine-Year-Old Boy Mauled And Killed By Sister's Three Dogs Project to rent a vessel of prayer for repentance and forgiveness to break the curse due to the triangular trade. This will make the circuit of this slave trade. VERMILLION, S.D. | Jon Kvols' grandfather grew up using horses on his farm. While standing next to a Case IH tractor that can be programmed to steer itself, Kvols chuckled when asked about the technological advances made in agriculture. "It's amazing to see the difference from when grandpa was alive to now," said Kvols, a Laurel, Nebraska, farm appraiser who was checking out the latest ag advancements at the 33rd annual Dakota Farm Show in Vermillion with his son, Forrest, and father, Jim. A few feet away, Ben Vanosdel, a salesman for Mark's Machinery Inc., of Yankton, South Dakota, said that tractor with the self-guidance system is just the latest of many developments he's seen in his 35 years selling farm equipment. "I've been doing this a long time and seen a lot of changes," Vanosdel said. Nowhere are those changes more apparent that at the farm show, which opened Tuesday in the Dakota Dome on the University of South Dakota campus. For two more days, farmers can learn more about drones, precision ag systems and center pivot irrigation systems that can be run with a cellphone. Of course, among the dozens of exhibitors are the traditional pieces of equipment, power tools, livestock gates and seed dealers. But seeing computer monitors set up at tables was a common sight as dealers and salesmen eagerly showed producers how a little technology can go a long way toward increasing yields and efficiency. At the Birdseye Farming booth, Michael and Laura Wilson talked about how their drones can be used to check crops and livestock. Flying beneath clouds that can block satellite and airplane cameras, drones can use infrared cameras to detect unhealthy plants that wouldn't show any signs of distress to the naked eye. Drones can also be used for three-dimensional mapping, crop counts, cattle counts and inspecting fields for wind or hail damage. Crop data could be used, for example, to show areas in fields that could use extra nutrients, thus saving the farmer from wasting expensive fertilizer on the whole field. "There are so many things, nobody knows what all you can do with it," Michael Wilson said of the emerging technology. At another booth, Lance Heine, a salesman with Heine Electric and Irrigation, of Hartington, Nebraska, explained how soil data can be downloaded into the Valley center pivots so that the irrigation systems will deliver just the right amount of water to each spot in a field. Known as Variable Rate Irrigation, the new technology became popular during a recent drought, especially in areas where water use was limited. "When you can only have so much water you can put on, you want to put it where you need it," Heine said of the center pivots, which now can be turned off or on, sped up or slowed down by using a cellphone or laptop. Across the way, Troy Thompson, territory manager for Micro-Trak Systems in Eagle Lake, Minnesota, talked about how his company's precision technology allows farmers sitting in their tractor cabs to use a touch-screen monitor to adjust the amount of fertilizer being applied while planting. It's a valuable tool when farmers are also using data showing the nutrient needs in every acre of their fields. "It's getting down to precision to the ounces if you want to," Thompson said. "With what the grower is paying (for fertilizer), they want to know where every ounce is going." Back over by that Case IH tractor, Jim Kvols, a farmer since 1972, said he's embraced the technology, especially after seeing how it can improve efficiency and crop yields. "It's wonderful stuff," he said. DES MOINES | Iowa lawmakers are unlikely to tackle anything that will cause legislators as much heartburn as raising the gas tax for the first time in more than a quarter of a century. After being talked about for several years, the 10-cent gas tax hike that kicked in March 1 passed the Iowa Senate 28-21 with 16 of 26 Democrats and 12 of 23 Republicans voting for the increase. It cleared the House 53-46 with 23 of 43 Democrats and 30 of 56 Republicans supporting it. However, theres nothing on the 2016 agenda like the magnitude of the gas tax increase, according to House Speaker-select Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, who will succeed Speaker Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, when the 2016 session opens Jan. 11 in Des Moines. Lawmakers took big bites in recent sessions, she said. This is a year to digest. The 10-cent gas tax hike that kicked in March 1 is projected to raise roughly $215 million in new funds each year to pay for Iowas bridges and roads. With the new revenue, the Iowa Transportation Commission has approved record spending of $3.2 billion for fiscal 2016-20 on highway construction and right-of-way acquisition. The five-year plan is 20 percent larger than the $2.7 billion 2015-19 plan. Much of the additional revenue will be spent on bridges, modernizing and improving safety on the existing highway system. There may be more to do, but House Minority Leader Mark Smith, D-Marshalltown, doesnt see transportation issues playing a leading role in the 2016 session. Well likely continue to look at transportation issues, but I think this should be a session that deals with education and Medicaid, he said. If this isnt the year for big bites Upmeyer referred to, it might not be a good year for smaller bites. She doesnt see issues such as banning cell phone use while driving, including texting, and restricting or banning traffic enforcement cameras as high priorities this year. However, Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Tod Bowman, D-Maquoketa, thinks action on those issues is possible. Texting while driving is the biggest issue to resolve, he said Tuesday. There was support in the GOP-controlled House last year, but the ban was tied to enhanced enforcement of auto insurance requirements. Bowman wasnt comfortable pairing the issues. I hope we can get the texting ban, but they shouldnt be tied together, he said. Lawmaker, Sen. David Johnson, R-Ocheyedan, would support making texting while driving a primary offense, which would allow law enforcement officers to stop motorists if they have reason to believe drivers are texting. Its moving along. Ill have a bill going in to try that again, to make it a primary offense, Johnson said. When I bring it up with people, they seem to understand that its really getting out of control, especially with younger drivers. However, he doesnt hold much hope for a ban on traffic enforcement cameras. The traffic camera issue is dead, dont you think? Johnson said. Its been around longer (than distracted driving issues) and it never gets anywhere. Bowman expects the Legislature will look at regulating Uber and other transportation networks, but doesnt know whether agreement can be found. Des Moines has its own vehicle-for-hire ordinance, but most Iowa cities have no ordinance addressing ride-sharing. Whats good for the rest of Iowa may not work for Des Moines, so we may need a carve-out for Des Moines," Bowman said. He also wants to look at a provision in the latest federal transportation bill to promote programs to decrease drunk driving, especially by reducing repeat offenders. If theres movement on any of those issues, lawmakers will give them consideration, Smith said, but I dont think that theyre going to be high issues on the radar. The focus on the budget this year will supersede those issues. Journal Des Moines Bureau reporter Rod Boshart contributed to this story. ONAWA, Iowa | Texas Sen. Ted Cruz vowed Tuesday that, as president, he would reverse President Obama's new executive orders on gun control, which Cruz said are "not worth the paper they are printed on." The Republican presidential candidate began a campaign swing through Iowa around the same time Obama spoke at an East Room ceremony where he unveiled his plan to broaden federal background checks for firearm purchases. "I can tell you right now, those executive orders are not worth the paper they are printed on, Cruz told about 75 voters at the Onawa public library, because when you live by the pen, you die by the pen and my pen has got an eraser. Obama insisted he had to use his presidential powers in the absence of legal changes he implored Congress to pass to curb mass shootings in the U.S. The cornerstone of his executive actions is a background check requirement for guns purchased from dealers even if they're bought online or at gun shows. The White House also put gun sellers on notice that the administration planned to strengthen enforcement including deploying 230 new examiners the FBI will hire to process background checks. Cruz promised to protect the Second Amendment right of Americans to bear arms. In his first days in office as president, Cruz said he would rescind not just the gun control actions but "every illegal, unconstitutional action taken by this president. Cruz said his his first day checklist would include protections for the religious rights and liberties of U.S. service members. The third thing is to instruct the Department of Justice, the IRS and every other federal agency that the persecution of religious liberty ends today, he said. That means every serviceman and woman has the right to seek out and worship with their hearts, mind and soul and their superior officer has nothing to say about it. Other issues Cruz said he intended to address immediately in the White House were federal funding for Planned Parenthood, the Iranian nuclear deal and moving the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. He added he would also strive to eliminate the Affordable Health Care Act and incorporate a healthcare plan he believes fits the needs of all citizens. "We will pass common sense healthcare reform that makes health insurance personal, portable and affordable and keeps government from getting in between us and our doctors," he said. Cruz's stop in Onawa was part of a weeklong bus tour in Iowa, site of the first nominating contest Feb. 1. The Texas senator has taken a solid lead in some polls in Iowa, though he trails Donald Trump in most national polls. After leaving Onawa, Cruz campaigned Tuesday in the Northwest Iowa cities of Cherokee and Sioux Center. On Wednesday, he has stops scheduled in Rock Rapids, Sibley, Spirit Lake, Spencer and Storm Lake. SIOUX CITY | As she campaigned in Sioux City Tuesday, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said Tuesday she supports a series of new executive orders by President Barack Obama that bypass Congress in the effort to reduce gun violence. "I am very proud of what the president called for this morning with his executive order," Clinton said. Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, said too many American deaths by mass shootings necessitates action to make people safer. She cited 90 people being killed daily on average by guns in the U.S. In making the order, Obama said Tuesday he is not undertaking "a plot to take away everybody's guns," but said legislative inaction in recent years meant a new approach was needed. Clinton made a similar point in speaking to more than 500 people at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Sioux City. "I am really appealing to responsible gun owners. We can do this, in accord with the Constitution. We can stand up to the existing gun lobby, and in fact I would like to see gun owners go back to forming an organization that would compete with the NRA to go back to the kind of safety that was done, that the NRA used to really do," Clinton said. During the day Republicans and others contended Obama was aiming to gut the Second Amendment right to gun ownership. The crux of Obama's plan is a more sweeping definition of gun dealers that the administration hopes will expand the number of sales subject to background checks. Under current law, only federally licensed gun dealers must conduct background checks on buyers. But at gun shows, websites and flea markets, sellers often skirt that requirement by declining to register as licensed dealers. Clinton said she supports closing the gun show loophole and having more comprehensive background checks. "Everything I have just said is supported by a big majority of Americans and a big majority of gun owners," said Clinton, who cited talking with a military veteran and gun owner earlier in the day during a prior event in Osage, Iowa. Marilyn Meade, of Le Mars, heard Clinton speak and intends to vote for her in November. Meade backed Clinton's views on guns. "I am absolutely for it. We have too many guns," Meade said, adding that too many are not used for hunting but for mass shootings. There are two other Democratic candidates in the race, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley. Clinton is leading in polls nationally and in Iowa, which has the first-in-the-nation caucus contest on Feb. 1. Steve Econ, of Le Mars, Iowa, said he has seen Clinton and Sanders in person. He has voted for Republicans going back 20 years, but caucused for Democrats in 2008 and 2012. Econ said he is still making up his mind for 2016, but likes Clinton, who is a former first lady, U.S. senator from New York and secretary of state under Obama. "I am looking for somebody who has some policy credentials. Foreign policy, (Clinton) has got as good of policies as anyone," Econ said. Clinton's stop Tuesday was her fourth in Sioux City during the election cycle. SOUTH SIOUX CITY | Rollin L. Hunter, 91, of South Sioux City passed away Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015, at Regency Square Care Center in South Sioux City. Abiding by Rollin's wishes, cremation has taken place. Graveside services will be at a later date in Dakota City Cemetery, with military rites. Arrangements are under the direction of Meyer Brothers Morningside Chapel. Online condolences can be extended to the family at www.meyerbroschapels.com. Rollin was born on March 10, 1924, in Homer, Neb., to Thomas and Mabel (Gilson) Van Cleave. Mabel passed away a few days after his birth, leaving Thomas with Rollin and three other small children. Before her death, it was Mabel's wish that Rollin be given to her sister, Nora (Gilson) Hunter, and Nora's husband, Thomas Hunter, to raise. Nora and Thomas raised and adopted Rollin. As they were farmers, he grew up on farms in the Homer, Walthill, and Winnebago, Neb., area. Rollin attended Winnebago schools. During World War II, and while Rollin was in his final year of high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was inducted into the Army in Fort Crook, Neb. Rollin was a light tank crewman and technician with the 751st Tank Battalion, 1st Armored Division, 5th Army. He actively served from Feb. 27, 1943, through Nov. 4, 1945. He saw duty in North Africa and in the Italian Campaign. He took part in a amphibious landing on the beachhead in Anzio, Italy, and eventually, in the liberation of Rome from the German Armed Forces on June 4, 1944. Rollin married his high school sweetheart, Betty Thompson, on Nov. 11, 1945, in Winnebago. They made their home in California for a short time, Winnebago, and then moved to South Sioux City in 1950. Over the years, Rollin worked in a number of Siouxland packing plants, including Swift and Company, Sioux City Dressed Beef, and Sioux City Dressed Pork. He also worked at R.V. Mitchell Distributing and Lane's Bottling Company in Sioux City. Lastly, Rollin worked as a meter reader for the city of South Sioux City until his retirement. Rollin loved nature and animals, and he was a kind, generous, soft hearted man. He was fun-loving and had a great sense of humor. He enjoyed reading as well as traveling with his wife and best friend, Betty. Rollin will be remembered as a loving and devoted husband, father, and grandfather. Survivors include a son, Tom (Deanna) Hunter of Omaha; a daughter, Kathy (Larry) Lantz of South Sioux City; three grandsons; five great-grandsons; a paternal half sister, Marge (Van Cleave) Hedrick of Dakota City; and a stepbrother, Donald Hunter of Clovis, Calif. Rollin was preceded in death by his parents; his wife of 66 years, Betty on March 13, 2012; two brothers; one sister; one paternal half sister; one stepsister; and one stepbrother. The family would like to thank Hospice of Siouxland, Regency Square Care Center, and friends for all their help and support throughout this difficult time. SIOUX CITY | A simmering border battle over Sioux City's speed cameras on Interstate 29 reignited Wednesday. South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard's administration shut off Sioux City police's access to a database that had been used to issue tickets to South motorists caught speeding by the mobile cameras. An adviser to the governor said the latest maneuver is meant to enforce a 2014 law designed to prevent private companies operating automated traffic cameras from collecting information about South Dakota-registered drivers. The law blocked Redflex, the Arizona-based company that manages speed and red-light cameras for the city, from getting the registration information from an interstate data-sharing system. As a law enforcement agency, however, Sioux City police were able to retrieve the information, enabling Redflex to continue to mail the citations. In the future, a driver's address and city will be redacted in the sharing system, Daugaard's office said. The city wasn't backing down Wednesday, saying it planned to counter South Dakota's latest move. "We believe that we will continue to send citations to anyone caught violating the speed limit on Interstate 29 by our cameras," Assistant City Attorney Justin Vondrak said. "We have the means and the ability to send citations to the registered owners at their current addresses." Daugaard's office spelled out the new policy in a letter to the city Wednesday. We are aware of whats going on. I dont know how were going to handle it, Mayor Bob Scott said. Im not worried about it. Well cross that bridge when we have to. Sioux City Police Chief Doug Young declined comment Wednesday and referred all questions to the city's legal department. Matt Konenkamp, a policy adviser to the South Dakota governor, said the law isn't meant as a defense against a ticket. If Sioux City police can find the driver's information by a different means, Redflex could still issue the ticket. Konenkamp said redacting where South Dakota drivers live also will not prevent Sioux City police from getting the information they need in criminal matters. If an officer is involved in a traffic stop, they can reach out to South Dakota's dispatch center around the clock to obtain a driver's address, he said. "We have offered to discuss our concerns about what's happening with them, and we reiterated in a letter that if our concerns can be alleviated we can restore their full access to this information," Konenkamp said. "We hope that we could come to a resolution on this issue." No South Dakota city maintains automated traffic cameras, but a number of the state's motorists, including residents in neighboring Dakota Dunes and North Sioux City, regularly cross the Iowa border. Former South Dakota state Sen. Dan Lederman, R-Dakota Dunes, was the main sponsor of the Senate version of the 2014 bill that forbids the state from providing information about its registered drivers to companies such as Redflex. Lederman declined to comment Wednesday. -- The Associated Press contributed to this report SIOUX CITY | The Salvation Army of Siouxland surpassed their 2015 Red Kettle Campaign goal by around $14,000, a spokesperson with the organization said. This year's goal was set at $180,000, and the latest numbers show that $194,000 of donations have poured in since the campaign began during the holiday season, said Allison Liska, volunteer and development director. The news came as a relief to the organization, who was a bit worried on Christmas Eve when they were short of their goal by 30 percent. "Its amazing that Siouxland believes in us and supports our mission here in our community," Liska said. All the donations will stay in Siouxland, Liska said, and will be put towards their food pantry, after school programs, camps and social services, said Liska. In addition, the campaign will helped 540 families -- including 994 children -- who received food baskets and gifts this past Christmas. A coat drive was also expected to give out over 1,500 coats to adults and children. The Red Kettle Campaign in the Salvation Army's biggest fundraiser that supports programs throughout the year. SIOUX CITY | The Junior League of Sioux City is accepting Mildred Anderson Grant proposals. The league's purpose is to address community needs through the help of trained volunteers. The organization has been distributing Mildred Anderson grants since 1990, according to a news release. Funds are distributed through a competitive application process. Grants up to $1,000 are awarded to charitable organizations that follow these guidelines: -- Must not have received a Mildred Anderson Community Grant within the previous year (June 2014 - May 2015). -- Must not be currently involved in a Junior League project or one being considered for project status during the current league year (Sept. 2015 - May 2016). -- Applicants must be located within the greater Siouxland tri-state area (approximately 30-mile radius from Sioux City). -- Proposed project that addresses a community need. -- Proposed project must be compatible with the purpose of Junior League of Sioux City. -- Applicant must use community volunteers to carry out the proposed project. SIOUX CITY | A Sioux City man suspected of being involved in several car burglaries has pleaded not guilty. Wiley Spencer, 19, entered his written plea Monday in Woodbury County District Court to second-degree theft, possession of burglar tools and possession of a controlled substance. His trial was set for April 12. Spencer was arrested Dec. 3 after Sioux City police stopped his vehicle and found methamphetamine, stolen gift cards and a stereo with the serial number scraped off. During a search of his home and a second vehicle, police found thousands of dollars worth of property believed to have been stolen, court documents said. While out on bond, Spencer was arrested Monday on burglary charges. He and two others are accused of breaking into vehicles in the 3600 block of DuPont Street on early Monday morning. Also arrested were Kelley Kuester, 18, and Marcos Guthridge, 18, both of Sioux City. All three have preliminary hearings scheduled for Jan. 14. SIOUX CITY | Local leaders huddled for two hours Tuesday to lay out a plan of attack for curbing vagrancy and homelessness in Siouxland. An estimated 70 people attended the meeting at the Sioux City Public Museum. The forum, led by Deb Burnight, was hosted by the Sioux City Police Department, Downtown Partners and Siouxland Human Investment Partnership, or SHIP. Attendees worked around several focuses, including shelter and housing, collection of data, community outreach, research and education. Tuesdays forum sparked fresh enthusiasm and garnered more support than previous meetings on the topic, said Matt Ohman, executive director of SHIP. This was a better-organized meeting to take the next steps to address the issue of vagrancy of homelessness, Ohman said. I think we definitely had people engaged and thats the most important piece. I think thats a huge first step. One of the major topics discussed was the need for more temporary shelters as well as permanent, affordable housing. Such a measure would complement current homeless shelters in Sioux City, like the Warming Shelter on 916 Nebraska St. and the Gospel Mission at 500 Bluff St. Ohman said the meeting participants also began forming subgroups that will work on specific topics. We have the different subgroups as a response to the larger issue, Ohman said. If one of those subgroups comes up with a plan that is successful, like a super shelter, then our work is successful. A centralized communication hub will also be launched soon, said Sioux City Police Capt. Lisa Claeys, to help smooth out questions, comments and suggestions. Claeys said the subgroups will help organize the amount of work that is needed. This problem didnt happen overnight, and its not going to be solved overnight, Claeys said. There is a lot of work that needs to be done in a lot of different areas. Native American activist Frank LaMere praised the meeting as a success. I think we are beyond process here today. What I saw, what I heard and what I was involved with tells me that there is a real commitment and resolve to deal with this issue of homelessness and vagrancy, LaMere said. LaMere was also encouraged to see city officials in attendance such as Mayor Bob Scott, Police Chief Doug Young and several City Council members. At a previous meeting last fall, some leaders complained about the small number of elected officials in attendance. I saw community leaders take ownership of the problem and thats what you need first and foremost, LaMere said. This is not a Native problem or a non-native problem -- this is a Sioux City problem. And I saw Sioux City step forward today and say what can we do about it. The New Year's execution by Saudi Arabia of the Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr was a deliberate provocation. Its first purpose: Signal the new ruthlessness and resolve of the Saudi monarchy where the power behind the throne is the octogenarian King Salman's son, the 30-year-old Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman. Second, crystallize, widen and deepen a national-religious divide between Sunni and Shiite, Arab and Persian, Riyadh and Tehran. Third, rupture the rapprochement between Iran and the United States and abort the Iranian nuclear deal. The provocation succeeded in its near-term goal. An Iranian mob gutted and burned the Saudi embassy, causing diplomats to flee, and Riyadh to sever diplomatic ties. From Baghdad to Bahrain, Shiites protested the execution of a cleric who, while a severe critic of Saudi despotism and a champion of Shiite rights, was not convicted of inciting revolution or terror. In America, the reaction has been divided. The Wall Street Journal rushed, sword in hand, to the side of the Saudi royals: "The U.S. should make clear to Iran and Russia that it will defend the Kingdom from Iranian attempts to destabilize or invade." The Washington Post was disgusted. In an editorial, "A Reckless Regime," it called the execution risky, ruthless and unjustified. Yet there is a lesson here. Like every regime in the Middle East, the Saudis look out for their own national interests first. And their goals here are to first force us to choose between them and Iran, and then to conscript U.S. power on their side in the coming wars of the Middle East. Thus the Saudis went AWOL from the battle against ISIS and al-Qaida in Iraq and Syria. Yet they persuaded us to help them crush the Houthi rebels in Yemen, though the Houthis never attacked us and would have exterminated al-Qaida. Now that a Saudi coalition has driven the Houthis back toward their northern basecamp, ISIS and al-Qaida have moved into some of the vacated terrain. What kind of victory is that -- for us? In the economic realm, also, the Saudis are doing us no favors. While Riyadh is keeping up oil production and steadily bringing down the world price on which Iranian and Russian prosperity hangs, the Saudis are also crippling the U.S. fracking industry they fear. The Turks, too, look out for number one. The Turkish shoot-down of that Russian fighter-bomber, which may have intruded into its airspace for 17 seconds, was both a case in point and a dangerous and provocative act. Had Vladimir Putin chosen to respond militarily against Turkey, a NATO ally, his justified retaliation could have produced demands from Ankara for the United States to come to its defense against Russia. A military clash with our former Cold War adversary, which half a dozen U.S. presidents skillfully avoided, might well have been at hand. These incidents raise some long-dormant but overdue questions. What exactly is our vital interest in a permanent military alliance that obligates us to go to war on behalf of an autocratic ally as erratic and rash as Turkey's Tayyip Recep Erdogan? Do U.S.-Turkish interests really coincide today? While Turkey's half-million-man army could easily seal the Syrian border and keep ISIS fighters from entering or leaving, it has failed to do so. Instead, Turkey is using its army to crush the Kurdish PKK and threaten the Syrian Kurds who are helping us battle ISIS. In Syria's civil war -- with the army of Bashar Assad battling ISIS and al-Qaida -- it is Russia and Iran and even Hezbollah that seem to be more allies of the moment than the Turks, Saudis or Gulf Arabs. "We have no permanent allies ... no permanent enemies ... only permanent interests" is a loose translation of the dictum of the 19th century British Prime Minister Lord Palmerston. Turkey's shoot-down of a Russian jet and the Saudi execution of a revered Shiite cleric, who threatened no one in prison, should cause the United States to undertake a cost-benefit analysis of the alliances and war guarantees we have outstanding, many of them dating back half a century. Do all, do any, still serve U.S. vital national interests? In the Middle East, where the crucial Western interest is oil, and every nation -- Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Libya -- has to sell it to survive -- no nation should be able drag us into a war not of our own choosing. In cases where we share a common enemy, we should follow the wise counsel of the Founding Fathers and entrust our security, if need be, to "temporary," but not "permanent" or "entangling alliances." Moreover, given the myriad religious, national and tribal divisions between the nations of the Middle East, and within many of them, we should continue in the footsteps of our fathers, who kept us out of such wars when they bedeviled the European continent of the 19th century. This hubristic Saudi blunder should be a wake-up call for us all. WASHINGTON -- The value of free advice is measured by what you pay for it, and Republicans don't usually ask me for mine. Nonetheless, the GOP's presidential race is one of the most fascinating political brawls in years. It's about to hit full stride, and I can't resist kibitzing. I know the leading candidates will take my guidance for what it's worth. Marco Rubio: You have three related problems. You're trying to appeal to every wing of the party, which means that none regards you as one of its own. There is no state in the early going that you can consider an obvious bet. And, to put it charitably, you do not look like a person of conviction. You were pro-immigration until you weren't. You optimistically embraced the changing nature of our nation until you ran an ad about "all of us who feel out of place in our own country." You left McCainville to enter Trumpland. Your supporters see your weaknesses as your strengths: Yes, you might be well-positioned to pull all parts of the party together. But in appeasing everyone, you're creating the impression, as an Iowa pastor told my Washington Post colleagues Sean Sullivan and David Fahrenthold last month, that you're a candidate "talking out of both sides of his mouth." If you lose, this will be the principal reason. You need to show some conviction, perhaps by taking at least one inconvenient stand. In primaries especially, winning requires you to decide whose votes you'll write off. You won't make it by remaining everyone's second or third choice. Somebody's got to trust you deeply. Jeb Bush: For me, you're the biggest surprise. I really thought you'd be a better candidate. When I saw you speak in early 2014, you were loose and confident, conveying a real sense of optimism about the country. I thought enough voters, even in a gloomy Republican Party, would find this appealing. It hasn't panned out that way. You made a lot of mistakes and seem unhappy in your work. Your name is a problem. Most liberals don't realize how many conservatives view your brother as a big government guy. Meanwhile, many in the so-called Establishment wing worry that another Bush won't win. You at least found a purpose when you went after Trump in last year's final debate. The paradox: The only way you'll have a chance of winning is to forget about winning. Relax. Run as the guy you said you'd be, the upbeat candidate of inclusion. Marry your attacks on Trump to a positive vision of a welcoming GOP. Be the candidate whom Republicans horrified by Trump and Ted Cruz can repair to with pride. It may not work. But it's the only thing that can, and you might at least start enjoying the campaign. John Kasich: I've always had a soft spot for you because, as governor, you supported the expansion of Medicaid under Obamacare in Ohio. Alas, most people in your party don't agree with me. Still, you sound best when you talk like a compassionate conservative because that's the person you want to be. Why not go for it? If Jeb follows the strategy I just outlined for him, you guys might collide. But you have said your main worry is how St. Peter will judge you at the end. Run a campaign for him. Ted Cruz and Chris Christie: Philosophically, you guys aren't my cup of tea. But I have to admit: You're running the campaigns I would run if I were you. Ted, you have the focus Marco doesn't. You're trying to pull together all the right-wing groups in the party, and they happen to constitute a huge part of it. Chris, you're betting it all on New Hampshire. The right move. You're campaigning up there as if you were running for governor. Also exactly right. Ben Carson: Please go back to neurosurgery or inspirational speaking. You're gifted at both. Rand Paul: Stay in for a few more debates to make your libertarian case on foreign policy. You're sparking a necessary discussion. But you know perfectly well you have to go back to Kentucky soon to protect your Senate seat. Donald Trump: I have nothing useful to say, and you'd pay no attention anyway. But I do owe you a debt of gratitude. I have a book coming out in a couple of weeks called "Why the Right Went Wrong." Because of you, people are especially interested in figuring this out. So, just this once: Thank you. Yes, international terrorism is a problem, but so is the homegrown terrorism that has reared its ugly head in our society too often. We can all remember the bombing in Oklahoma that killed so many innocent children and adults was by a homegrown terrorist, Timothy McVeigh. The shootings of innocent children in their classrooms and lunchrooms in various communities were also acts of terror, and the killing of people simply going to a Batman movie was an act of terror. The shooting of a liberal congresswoman in Arizona and killing of innocent bystanders was an act of terror and the recent killing of worshippers at a black church was an act of terror. The killings in a community college in Oregon was an act of terror, and at a planned parenthood clinic another act of terror, and the list goes on and on, all homegrown and non-Muslim. All of these acts brought the same kind of fear and the sense of loss of safety and as easily could have been in our hometown as anywhere else. The Second Amendment isnt a license to kill and we shouldnt use defense of the Second Amendment as a way to allow the indiscriminate possession and use of assault weapons as if no new regulations are needed. - Jerry Eaton, Sioux City DES MOINES | A 1-cent sales tax earmarked for school infrastructure would be extended 20 years, but the revenue would be shared with water quality programs under an ambitious proposal unveiled Tuesday by Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad. Under Branstads plan, which requires legislative approval, the school infrastructure sales tax, which is set to expire in 2029, would be extended to 2049, and annual revenue increases would be divided: The first $10 million in new revenue each year would go to schools, and the remaining would go to water quality programs. Branstads office estimates the proposal would generate $7.5 million for water-quality programs in the first year and $4.7 billion over the next 32 years. Branstad called his plan a win-win situation, saying it creates revenue for water quality programs without raising taxes and still provides reliable funding for school infrastructure projects. This is probably the biggest and boldest proposal Ive put together in all my years as governor, Branstad, the longest-serving governor in the nations history, said Tuesday during his meeting with Statehouse media to preview the upcoming legislative session. The Republican governors plan was endorsed Tuesday by former Democratic Iowa governor and current U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Vilsack sat next to Branstad at Tuesdays meeting and called the governors plan a solid framework that promptly addresses an issue that needs immediate attention. Iowa is one of the leading contributors of nutrients that have flowed down the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico, creating a so-called dead zone where oxygen is insufficient to sustain fish and marine life. The federal government has required Mississippi River states, including Iowa, to develop solutions to reduce the amount of nutrients flowing into the river. There is a limited period of time to work on this water quality issue, Vilsack said. "The reality is we need to work on it now." Sioux City School District Superintendent Paul Gausman appeared at Tuesdays news conference at the Capitol and expressed support for the governors proposal. Gausman said he approves the plan because it ensures the school infrastructure sales tax will be extended, which would allow schools to use long-term loans to fund infrastructure projects. The way I look at this is in 2029 that number goes to zero, Gausman said. "With this extension, that number continues for us, with $10 million in annual growth." Branstad and legislative leaders said they support funding water quality programs but are hesitant to fund them with tax increases. Branstads proposal was met with hesitation from Democratic Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, who criticized the plan for using future school infrastructure funding to pay for water-quality programs. Sacrificing that (future school infrastructure funding) for the sake of another priority, for water, I dont think makes a lot of sense, Gronstal said. It is a solution, an effort that undercuts local schools. Iowa State Education Association President Tammy Wawro echoed Gronstals sentiment that Branstads plan equates to robbing Peter to pay Paul. Wawro expressed exasperation that Branstads plan includes reducing future school infrastructure funding after years of what she and many schools think has been inadequate state funding for school districts. Im really at a loss, to be honest, that were even having a discussion about this, Wawro said. The fact that were even having a conversation about this, taking even part of the pie meant for kids to take care of another important priority, its just very disturbing right now for us. Branstad declined to say whether he would approve extending the school infrastructure sales tax without the provision for water quality programs. House Speaker-select Linda Upmeyer said House Republicans have been divided on whether to extend the school infrastructure sales tax beyond 2029. DES MOINES | Gov. Terry Branstad said Tuesday he hopes to be able to maintain his request to boost state supplemental aid to K-12 public schools by 2.45 percent when he presents his fiscal 2017 budget blueprint to state lawmakers next week. Its going to be a real big challenge, Branstad told reporters attending a legislative forum sponsored by the Associated Press. When I make my budget recommendation next Tuesday, my hope is that we can get to 2.45 (percent). Its not going to be easy. Its going to be a real stretch. We have some real issues with the growing costs of Medicaid. Even with managed care for Medicaid, its still growing significantly, the governor noted. We have other budget needs as well, but that is a very big priority and one that I hope we can achieve. Branstad proposed that state aid to schools be boosted by 1.25 percent for the current school year and 2.45 percent for the fiscal year that begins July 1 when he submitted his biennial budget request last January. But since then, state revenue estimates have been set and scaled back due to weakness in the farm economy and other factors that caused the governor to hedge his school-funding expectations. The six-term Republican said he continues to work on the recommendations he will make when he addresses a joint session of the 86th Iowa General Assembly next week, but he was hopeful the state could afford a roughly $100 million boost in school funding in fiscal 2017 with each percentage increase equaling about $41 million. During a separate 2016 session discussion involving four leaders from the House and Senate two Republicans and two Democrats House Speaker-select Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, noted the House approved a 2 percent boost in K-12 funding that is awaiting Senate approval, while Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, said his caucus prefers the 4 percent increase that senators sent to the House for consideration once the split-control Legislature convenes on Monday. Two of Russias Sukhoi Su-25s at Bassel Al-Assad International Airport in Latakia, Syria, one type of ground attack aircraft involved in the Syrian intervention. Source: Mil.ru, Wikipedia Commons. BY EURASIA REVIEW JANUARY 4, 2016 By Fadi Elhusseini* Since the outbreak of the Syrian uprising, Russia has limited itself to its traditional role of providing arms as well as military and logistical experts to its Arab allies. As Syrian President Bashar al-Assads regime weakened, the Russians intensified their military support dramatically. Recently, the Russian Caesar opted to expand his role in Syria to include direct intervention against enemies of the regime. The move towards direct intervention constitutes a revolution in Russias role in the Middle East and portends a deeper shift in the region Russia has claimed that its intervention in Syria was intended to destroy IS after the US-led campaign proved to be an abject failure, according to an unnamed US military official speaking to CBS News. Well acquainted with terrorism, one might argue that Moscow is undertaking a pre-emptive war against Islamic extremist groups. But some have linked the intervention to the Ukrainian crisis as well as the desire for increased leverage in the Middle East and more power at the negotiating table. Thus Russias stated intentions have been met with skepticism about the real motive behind the decision to intervene directly. One widespread opinion is that Russia wants to secure a military presence on warm- waters the Mediterranean Sea. While this sounds plausible, Russia has been enjoying this presence for some time already. Warm-water ports are of great geopolitical and economic interest and they are the ports where the water does not freeze in wintertime. Those ports have long played an important role in Russian foreign policy. The Russian Empire fought a series of wars with the Ottoman Empire in a quest to establish a warm-water port. The collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War I didnt give Russia any further control. The Soviet Union enjoyed access to naval bases throughout the Mediterranean, yet its collapse brought an end to that access, except for the base in Tartus in Syria. Since 1971, Russian naval has had presence in Tartus and with Russias recent intervention, this port enjoyed unprecedented fame. So what really lies behind the dramatic shift in Russian foreign policy? In fact, Russias recent direct intervention in Syria gave a goodbye kiss to the conventional regional order that ruled the Middle East for ages. Traditionally and even at the peak of the Cold War, Russias (either the Soviet Union or the Russian Federation) role was limited to sending arms, military and logistical experts to its Arab allies. The current intervention constituted a revolution in Russias role and marked an extraordinary heavy military intervention The recent Russian intervention coincided with a number of important events. First is the Iranian nuclear deal which gives Iran a more prominent regional role, especially when considering the economic potentials this deal left Iran with. Second is the US gradual withdrawal from the region, which was symbolized in the withdrawal of its troops from Iraq, handing over Iraqs destiny to the Iranians, cooling off efforts in the Palestinian- Israeli conflict that led to the emergence of other initiatives (e.g. the French, the New Zealand), and finally its decision to withdraw the defensive shield from Turkey (for technical reasons according to the US announcement). Giving up its historical allies in Egypt (Mubarak) and Tunisia (Ben Ali), in addition to leaving the Saudis and the Gulf to fight Irans influence in Yemen alone are other signs of US declining role in the Middle East. A few years ago, the president of the US Council on Foreign Relations, Richard N. Haass, wrote that the era of the United States domination in the Middle East was coming to an end and that the regions future would be characterized by reduced US influence. Many observers do not believe the US will voluntarily abandon its role in the region, but the actions of other nations, combined with the Russians plans in Syria, clearly point in this direction. Under the slogan fight against terrorism, China sent aircraft carrier Liaoning-CV-16 to Tartus and sources revealed that Beijing is heading to reinforce its forces with J-15 Flying Shark jets and Z-18F & Z-18J helicopters equipped with anti-submarine, in coordination with Tehran and Baghdad. France and Britain followed suit; the latter announced that it would mobilize reinforcements and military capabilities to the Mediterranean and Paris said it would send Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to participate in operations against ISIS in addition to six Rafale Jets in the United Arab Emirates and six Mirage aircraft in Jordan. For its part, the US, whose aircraft carriers have been absent from the region since 2007, ordered a mere 50 special operations troops to Syria in order to help coordinate local ground forces in the north of the country. US President Barack Obama condemned Russias direct intervention strategy, saying it was doomed to fail. And yet in a press conference in August 2014, he acknowledged that the United States does not have a strategy in Syria. Media talks aside, Washington cannot have been taken by surprise when the Russians commenced their operations in Syria. Assuming that the Obama- Putin summit, which came hours before the Russian earliest move in Syria, did not tackle Russias intervention plans, there were many clues that prove US prior knowledge of Moscows decision. In July 2015 Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani visited Moscow to coordinate the Russian military intervention and thus forging the new Iranian-Russian alliance in Syria. According to a Reuters report, Soleimanis visit was preceded by high-level Russian-Iranian contact and meetings to coordinate military strategies. Two months later, Iraq, Russia, Iran and Syria agreed to set up an intelligence-sharing committee in Baghdad in order to harmonize efforts in fighting ISIS. A senior US official confirmed on 18 September that more than 20 Condor transport plane flights had delivered tanks, weapons, other equipment, and marines to Russias new military hub near Latakia in western Syria, followed by 16 Russian Su-27 fighter aircraft, along with 12 close support aircraft, four large Hip troop-transport helicopters and four Hind helicopter gunships. Hence, it is clear that the US administration was at least aware of the Russian massive preparations and yet opted to keep its presence to the minimum. In this vein, it can be strategically said that this decision goes in line with the aforementioned US grand plan in the region and marks a calculated strategic gain when securing a small share in a Russian traditional sphere of influence: Syria The stated Russian motivation behind this involvement does not match for the facts on the ground. In other words, fighting ISIS, who does not have fighter jets or missile defense systems, does commensurate neither with the sophisticated air defenses that the Russians installed at the Humaimam base (such as SA15 and SA22 surface-to-air missiles) nor the Russian announcements that 40 naval combat exercises were due to start in the eastern Mediterranean, including rocket and artillery fire at sea and airborne targets. For that reason, some other experts found in Russias intervention as part of its new maritime strategy, that was published on 26 July 2015. The new maritime doctrine of the Russian Federation to 2020 is a comprehensive state policy for governing all of Russias maritime assets, military fleets, the civilian fleet, merchant marine, and naval infrastructure. Russia therefore might be looking to kill as many birds as possible with one stone: 1- Moscow will first and foremost dictate its political will on any future solution in Syria and the inclusion of Iran and Russia in Vienna talks is just a case in point. Better, Secretary of State John Kerry now concedes that the longtime Russias ally Bashar Al-Assad might indeed be allowed to retain power for a period, Germanys Chancellor, Angela Merkel said that the West will have to engage with Assad if it is to have any chance of resolving the Syrian civil war and the British indicated a similar shift in policy. 2- Second, Russia has now guaranteed a bigger role in the formation of a new Syrian government , even if Assad is pushed out of power and any nascent regime would seriously consider Russias role and presence in the country; including military, investment and commercial interests (e.g. in 2011 Russia invested $19 billion in Syria). 3- Third, Russia is underway to expand its military presence; not only in Syria, but also in the region and the announced intelligence sharing agreement demonstrates this goal. For example, Russia offered a large array of military hardware to Iraq (such as military helicopters in 2013 and Su25s fighter aircraft) that the US has refused to sell. 5- Fifth, Russia is making pre-emptive war against Islamic extremist groups from which Russia has long suffered. Russia cant tolerate the return of Chechens or other fighters who joined ISIS and is concerned that the West may use those radicals against Russia in a similar scenario to the Afghani case. 6- Sixth, the Russian intervention came amidst confirmed military sources that the longtime Russian ally the Syrian regime is about to fall when it controlled only 18 percent of the country and its army exhausted 93 percent of the stock. 8- Finally, Russia aims at the revival of its military industries market as it was able to promote itself as an international player that can be relied upon to contain Iran, to prevent the Syrian regimes use of chemical weapons, to contribute actively in the fight against terrorism, and to sell technologies for peaceful energy in the Middle East. For example, the Russian Defense Ministry is working currently on major deals with Gulf Arab states in order to develop the Marine Corps, and air defense systems, techniques of unmanned aircrafts, armored vehicles and signal systems. Russia is now building two nuclear facilities in southern Iran and in February Russia agreed to build nuclear reactors in Egypt. Moscow is negotiating as well with Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and Jordan for deals to develop nuclear power, the largest deal was on 19 June 2015 when Moscow agreed to establish 16 nuclear reactors in Saudi Arabia. In short, Russia must now be taken seriously as a major player on the Middle East scene. The Russian recent intervention is Syria was not the first move in that direction and regional powers have reached the same conclusion even before. That said, it was not outlandish to see that Middle Eastern leaders visiting Moscow in no time. Did you know that LinkedIn is one of the most powerful marketing tools for insurance agents? Thats right, LinkedIn is more than a website to show off your work history and connect with other professionals. However, there is a strategy for effective marketing on LinkedIn. Simply having a profile isnt enough to attract clients, but youre on the right track if you do have one already. With just under 400 million users, there are more than enough potential clients to keep your insurance agency busy. All you have to do is reach them and thats exactly what youre going to learn how to do in this article. Below are LinkedIn marketing tactics for insurance agents to attract more clients and transform their business. LinkedIn Marketing Tactics 1. Optimize Your Profile Similar to Google, social media websites are also search engines. Your LinkedIn profile needs to be optimized so potential clients can find you easily just as you optimize your website for search engine traffic. Optimizing your LinkedIn profile is simple. Just follow the guidelines below: Upload a professional profile image. Include keywords in your headline. Complete each section with detailed descriptions. Add skills and get endorsements for those skills. Showcase your honors, awards, and certifications. Feature professional memberships. Incorporate branding into your background image. Add a link to your website. Depending on how complete your profile is, this process might take you 15 minutes to an hour. Spend the time to do it right and you wont have to mess with it again, except for minor updates. 2. Join LinkedIn Groups LinkedIn groups are excellent for networking with other agents and for sharing industry advice with each other. You might not get very many clients from these groups, but you can gain valuable insights that help you improve your business. LinkedIn groups are small hubs where professionals share marketing tips, discuss industry trends, and act as a supportive community for all of their fellow members. Dont miss out on one of the best benefits that LinkedIn has to offer! Featuring these groups on your profile also adds credibility and makes your profile look more complete to prospective clients. 3. Create Content on LinkedIn Publisher LinkedIn has an active community of content publishers and consumers that you can take advantage of for free. When you create a post on LinkedIn Publisher your post will automatically become part of LinkedIns Pulse network and get your message in front of thousands (or millions) of people! Getting started is easy and the engagement is often much higher than insurance agents see on their own websites. The only real downside to LinkedIn Publisher is that you dont own the content. Also, the content will be featured exclusively on LinkedIn. For this reason, you dont want to abandon your company blog entirely for LinkedIn Publisher but its certainly a great addition to your content marketing strategy. 4. Share Content From Your Company Blog Speaking of sharing content on LinkedIn, the business-friendly network is one of the best outlets for promoting your blog content. As a result of the professional atmosphere on LinkedIn, potential clients are more likely to engage with your content on LinkedIn than they are elsewhere. That doesnt mean you shouldnt be promoting your content everywhere you can, because your specific target clients might prefer another platform. However, LinkedIn can be a massive lead generator and its often overlooked in favor of Facebook and Twitter. 5. Always Be Connecting When it comes to sales, the mantra is always be closing but when it comes to successful marketing on LinkedIn, the mantra is always be connecting! Your ability to meet new prospects is largely determined by the size of your network and the quality of your connections. Obviously you dont want to start rapidly connecting with random people for the sake of having a gigantic network. You want to make real, genuine connections in large quantities. This might sound challenging, but it wont be if youre following the tips outlined in this article. By optimizing your profile and getting active in groups, youll find that more people will start reaching out to you. As you publish content you can connect with people that comment and share your posts, as well as with other publishers. 6. Add a Link to Your Profile in Your Email Signature This is one of the easiest ways to grow your network on LinkedIn. As an insurance agent, youre sending emails all day long. Each one of those emails is an opportunity for a new connection on LinkedIn. You should have a link to your profile on your website and other social media pages, as well. People wont think to find you on LinkedIn if they dont know youre there. See Also: Secrets for Using Digital Marketing to Drive More Inbound Sales Calls 7. Generate Leads With LinkedIn Ads Other than Facebook, LinkedIn has the best overall advertising platform of the social media networks. Its similar to advertising on Facebook, with slightly less targeting features. However, I will point out that pay-per-click advertising can quickly drain your marketing budget if you dont have a solid game plan. Rather than throwing an ad together in a hurry, do some research and start your first campaign with a limited budget to test things out. One of the significant benefits of LinkedIn Ads over other social media advertising is that its especially powerful for lead generation. If youve had limited success with PPC advertising elsewhere, dont write it off altogether until youve tried LinkedIn Ads. The Rub In the digital marketplace, LinkedIn sits atop the list of content marketing destinations for every insurance agent. Becoming proficient at LinkedIn marketing will take time and effort. However, the juice is definitely worth the squeeze for those insurance agents who establish their expertise and authority on LinkedIn. Theres no shortage of SaaS or CRM offerings for businesses in the U.S. But there are other markets around the world that dont necessarily have the same offerings to cater to their businesses. As an engineer in the Bay Area, Benny Tija realized that there may be a market for a product that he could build in his home country of Indonesia. So, he and his co-founder left their other jobs to start Bornevia. Read about the business and what it offers to Asian businesses in this weeks Small Business Spotlight. What the Business Does Offers an SaaS multi-channel customer support platform. The help desk platform includes channels like email, Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, live chat and SMS in one ticketing platform. So, the businesses that use it can communicate with their customers in a variety of different ways. Business Niche Being the first startup in Indonesia to build a SaaS CRM platform for customer service. Tija, CEO and co-founder of Bornevia, told Small Business Trends, Many of our clients in Southeast Asia primarily love our solution due to two things; UI/UX simplicity plus the fact that we have WhatsApp, live chat and email integrations plus analytics to monitor individual KPIs. How the Business Got Started Because of an untapped market. Tija explains, I used to work for a SaaS B2B tech company in SF Bay Area (now already acquired by Microsoft). Back then, I used lots of other B2B tools such as Zendesk and Jira and felt that there was untapped potentials in the growing Asia tech startup ecosystem. In April 2012, I left and went back home to Indonesia and decided to adopt the idea of SaaS helpdesk software and localize it based on popular support channels so it can fit in [an] Asian market better while we can grow our low touch tractions on the global SMB market as a SaaS product. Tija and his co-founder secured some angel funding and spent six months building the product before launching. Biggest Win Successfully switching to a free trial model. Tija explained that early on they were worried about getting enough sign ups, so they used a freemium pricing model. But once they realized they were getting enough interest, they wanted to switch to a free trial model. He says, Since beginning 2015, we switched to using [a] free-trial model because we believe its easier to track leads this way and in October, we increased efforts on doing outbound user acquisitions locally. The results have been highly positive for our business. Biggest Risk Focusing on building a product over sales. Tija says, As I spent time in Bay Area as an engineer building a SaaS B2B product, my experience tells me that a great product should help market and build value itself in the long term. It was a great decision, since many people like and appreciate our product due to its stability and UI/UX design. Team Tradition Celebratory dinners. Tija says, We always do special dinner at a fine-dining restaurant with the whole team when celebrating a major milestone (raise funding, really major feature release, etc). Favorite Quote Always put your customers first, employees second, and shareholders third. Jack Ma * * * * * Find out more about the Small Biz Spotlight program. Images: Bornevia In digital marketing we understand the importance of tracking. We spend money getting people to our site with hopes theyll do what we desire them to do and that well learn something about how to improve our digital marketing efforts. While weve seen a consistent trend of print spend be allocated to digital spend, we often forget that print advertising is still a channel worth understanding. In fact, one study shows that print ads are more likely to engage users and prompt action. This begs the question, if print can be a strong channel, why dont companies invest in it? The answer is likely because companies are now used to understanding what their dollars are doing. When print, TV and billboards were the primary ad spots, attribution was not an easy task. But today, companies have built a habit of understanding how much revenue is generated by their ad spend dollars thanks to the Internet and Google Analytics. Currently when print ads list the website on the actual ad in the hopes that users will check out the company at home on their desktop, users usually do just thattheyre likely to type it into their browser. This would then mean that the traffic is classified as Direct, which is not a fun traffic source to analyze or understand in Analytics. Or maybe the user does a Google search for the brand and clicks on one of their pages in the search results, which would classify the traffic as Organic Search. Unfortunately, both of these metrics are wrong. The print ad should get the credit for bringing the user to the site. So how can we track print advertising digitally? To help make sure you can track print advertising digitally in Google Analytics so that you can better analyze the success of your ads, below is an easy four-step process. How to Track Print Advertising Decide on a vanity URL Most print ads include a domain name or URL, but if you want to know which website visitors saw this ad youll need a vanity URL. Vanity URLs are unique, short and/or simple URL that demonstrates the brand or ad campaign. For example if the company EntoBento, a San Diego based dog treat company, ran a promotional ad in Time Magazine, the vanity URL might be entobento.com/time. Create and apply UTM parameters to the landing page URL for the ad UTM parameters are tracking codes appended to the end of a URL that allow you to customize your tracking sources. You can use the Google UTM builder to create the tracking URL for the ad in just a few minutes. Continuing with the previous example, the tracking URL for EntoBentos ad might look like: entobento.com/?utm_source=time%20magazine&utm_medium=print&utm_campaign=promo We got this URL by using the UTM builder mentioned above. We simply plugged in the URL of our website and the tool generated this new URL with UTM parameters for us. Redirect the vanity URL to a URL with custom UTM parameters This part is a little technical. A developer will have to create a redirect to send traffic from your vanity URL to the tracking URL. This means, taking the example from above once again:entobento.com/time would redirect to entobento.com/?utm_source=time%20magazine&utm_medium=print&utm_campaign=promo). Check Google Analytics real-time reports After the redirect is setup, paste your vanity URL into the browser to test the redirect and that the UTM is working properly. Open Google Analytics and navigate to Real-Time reports on the left side. Select traffic sources to confirm you see the tracking. Below is a screenshot of what the report looks like: Why It Matters: The Benefit of Tracking Print Ads Via Google Analytics By implementing print ad tracking youre reducing the amount of traffic that is wrongly classified as Direct or Organic search and gaining insight into how your different print efforts are working. With this practice you will be beyond most companies who do print advertising with little understanding of how their ad performs. Extra: This same process can be applied on your business cards, handouts, fliers, billboards, stickers, or your banner at an event / tradeshow. Wouldnt that be interesting to see how much handout traffic you get? Or what the bounce rate is on your business cards? Get creative. If your business is using print, dont be scared to track it digitally. Do you have experience with tracking print ads through Google Analytics? Let us know if you have any questions or thoughts in the comment section below. Republished by permission. Original here. There are many fitness goals out there that we desire. Some of us want to be leaner and others wish to put on muscle mass. The thing is, for you to achieve your fitness goals, you need to Italy allocates 300m to preserve cultural heritage The Domus Aurea palace was built in 64 AD by Roman Emperor Nero (37-68 AD) and will be restored for 13m [Credit: Fabio Campana/epa/Corbis] TANN you might also like The Italian cabinet allocated 300 million euros (324.49 million U.S. dollars) to preserve the national cultural heritage, the Culture Ministry announced on Monday.The resources will be distributed according to a three-year plan to fund 241 projects across the country, according to Minister for Cultural Heritage and Activities Dario Franceschini."Such investment proves that culture is back at the core of the government's action," Franceschini said in a statement."From art and archaeology to museums and libraries, all our cultural heritage sectors are receiving a significant boost, in economic and political terms," he added.The plan will pour fresh resources into 19 of the 20 Italian regions.Rome and the surrounding Lazio region would receive the highest funding in the plan, namely 68.4 million euros, according to data of the ministry.Tuscany would follow with 20.5 million euros, then Emilia Romagna and Veneto in the northeast of the country, with over 14 million and 13 million, respectively.Further 11.9 million euros would go to the northern Lombardy region, whose capital is Milan, and 11.4 million to the northwest Piedmont.Other areas receiving major funds would be Naples and the surrounding Campania region, the Island of Sardinia, and Puglia.The new resources will add to 360 million euros, in both European and national funds, which the cabinet assigned in June 2015 to the preservation of the cultural heritage in Italy's five southern regions (Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Puglia, and Sicily).Such regions feature several major artistic assets and touristic attractions, including the country's largest archaeological site, Pompeii, and provide support to some of the cultural heritages which were not so well protected due to negligence.The 300-million-euro plan would not only focus on restoration projects, but also allow security measures in the Italian museums to be strengthened, according to the ministry.Some 50 million euros will be used to purchase or upgrade video surveillance and alarm systems of major cultural sites across the country.Another 45 million would pay for the so-called "Art-Bonus" provision, which the cabinet approved in May 2014 to grant a 65 percent tax deduction for private donations to cultural restoration projects.Overall, the plan will provide some 53.7 million euros to museums, some 58 million euros to arts, more than 37 million to archaeological sites, and 22 million to libraries.Major restoration projects will include a 13-million-euro maintenance on the palace of Roman emperor Nero, or "Domus Aurea", which is a huge complex located atop the Palatine Hill in Rome.Also in the Italian capital, some 5.4 million euros will be used to refurbish the Palazzo Venezia.Venice alone would receive 6 million euros.More than 2.4 million euros will fund the restoration of San Martino museum in Naples, some 2 million will be used to repair the ancient city walls in Siena, Tuscany, and 3.5 million will be given to the National Library in Florence. Let it be light between us,brothers and sisters from the Earth.Let it be love between all living beings on this Galaxy.Let it be peace between all various races and species.We love you infinitely. I am SaLuSa from Sirius Channel:Laura/Multidimensional Ocean , . . - . . . :Laura/Multidimensional Ocean The gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless. The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well. By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism. PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: http://so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at http://so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at http://so.md/expungeme. (Jan. 5, 2016)The Prince Frederick Barrack of the Maryland State Police (MSP) today released the following incident and arrest reports.THEFT: On December 29, at 11:41 am, Trooper First Class Bray responded to Jim's Tool and Party Rental in Prince Frederick for a theft complaint. The manager reported that a client had rented a 14 inch Stihl chop saw (model TS420) on Nov. 15 for a four hour period and failed to return the saw. Numerous unsuccessful attempts have been made to retrieve the saw. Charges are pending.Preston N. Long, Jr., 23, of Huntingtown, arrested on 12/28/2015 @ 06:48 am by TFC T. NewcomerGarrick L. Williams, 50, of Huntingtown, arrested on 12/29/2015 @ 04:24 am by TPR. J. WarrickTeffren T. Jones, 29, of Huntingtown, arrested on 12/31/2015 @ 11:42 pm by TPR. J. WarrickSamantha R. Watkins, 18, of Chesapeake Beach, arrested on 01/01/2016 @ 02:59 am by TPR. P. KaitzBonnie C. Blankenbaker, 43, of Port Republic, arrested on 01/01/2016 @ 11:47 am by TFC B. MeurrensVashon V. Bishop, 42, of Lusby, arrested on 01/01/2016 @ 03:55 pm by TFC C. EsnesMax P. T. Sacks, Jr., 28, of Prince Frederick, arrested on 01/02/2016 @ 08:35 pm by TPR. C. MegelickDaniel J. Hummel, 19, of North Beach, arrested on 01/03/2016 @ 12:42 am by TFC T. NewcomerPrasit Changngam, 35, of St. Leonard, arrested on 01/03/2016 @ 12:43 am by TPR. N. Rucker The federal funding bill of December 2015 changes littles for those health services important to the LGBT community. Carl Schmid, of the AIDS Institute, said that the Institute and other lobbyists had defeated attempted budget cuts. As the National Institutes of Health (NIH) received a $2,000 million increase, HIV research funding could increase. Chronically underfunded LGBT health priorities, such as transgender health, will remain underfunded. Congress approved a $4.5 million increase in funding for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and Tuberculosis Prevention. This brings total funding for these programs to $1,122.3 M, a 0.4 percent increase. The administration had requested a $63.9 million increase. According to Schmid, three programs fund most HIV treatment: Medicare, Medicaid, and Ryan White Care. Prior statutes have set the funding formulas for Medicare and Medicaid. Congress cannot easily change those formulas. While Congress has not yet reauthorized Ryan White Care (RWC), it can continue to operate as long as Congress funds it. This bill funds Ryan White Care through the end of the 2016 budget year. For most RWC programs, Congress funded the same amounts for 2016 as it had for 2015. One RWC program, the Early Intervention Program received a $4 million increase in 2016. Congress rejected the Administrations request to move Children, Youth, Women, and Families programs into the Early Intervention Programs. Looking at these figures in isolation hides the effects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on RWC. Many RWC clients are enrolling in Marketplace Health Plans or Medicaid plans in those states (not Florida) which Expanded Medicaid. Instead of RWC paying for their entire health care, RWC is now paying only for their premiums. This creates more funds available for other RWC programs. Language in the House Sub-Committee report prioritizes research about bio-medical interventions rather than behavioral interventions. Carl Schmid emphasized that these interventions are inter-related. Behavioral interventions are necessary to improve adherence and to increase HIV testing behaviors. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a bio-medical intervention, relies on a schedule of daily dosing (adherence), a behavior, for its effectiveness. According to Schmid, attempts to cut HIV funding come from many sources. The GOP, now the majority party, generally favors cutting non-defense spending. Some Christian rightists tend to oppose funding programs that benefit the LGBT population. As HIV has become more manageable, other disease constituencies have also begun to question its amount of research funding. They charge that diseases that affect more people should receive greater research funds. People making this argument have tended to favor using disease burden as the criteria for allocating research funding. Historically about 10 percent of the NIH budget has gone to HIV research. Some members of Congress have wanted to reduce that amount. According to Carl Schmid, the exact allocation of funds within NIH remains an administrative choice, not a Congressional one. Ominously, Congress has peppered this budget report with instructions to report on the disease burden of specific diseases. Medical research about one disease may yield knowledge about another. For example, research to increase adherence to a daily dosing schedule for PrEP can benefit other disease treatments that require daily dosing such as tuberculosis or cardio-vascular disease. Schmid said that allocation for research funding decisions should be made on multiple criteria, rather than just the disease burden. For example, infectious diseases may require more public health resources than noninfectious diseases. Some diseases, such as HIV, have a global impact. Most HIV infected people live in Africa, which lacks resources for research. Schmid stated, The AIDS Institute can understand why other disease constituencies might question the amount that HIV receives. Disease burden, however, should not be the sole criteria for making these decisions. The ladies of Lips are paying tribute to the Queen of Pop. In a benefit for Care Resource, Lips, the longtime drag den, is hosting a Madonna themed party. The dinner show is scheduled for 7 p.m., Jan. 20 at the Lips location in Oakland Park, 1421 East Oakland Park Blvd. Were fortunate to be able to lend support to a great organization like Care Resource, said Yvonne Lame, Lips founder and co-owner, in a news release. Theres no better reason to celebrate than Madonna coming to town and each of our divas is ready to put her own unique twist on The Queen of Pops great music for this worthy cause. Madonna is bringing her Rebel Heart tour to Miami for two shows at American Airlines Arena, Jan. 23-24. Her provocative style has long attracted a gay following and Lips performers are ready to reinvent many classic Material Girl numbers. Lame is promising a night featuring Madonna anthems Papa Dont Preach, Like A Virgin, Into The Groove, and Like A Prayer. Cost for the evening is $31, which includes dinner, beverages, cover charge, taxes and gratuity. Reservations are strongly encouraged as this particular show, Lame insists, will sell out. Reservations can be made by calling 954-567-0987 or visit LipsUSA.com Proceeds from this Madonna themed Lips party will benefit AIDS Walk Miami 2016 now in its 28th year. Care Resource, South Floridas oldest and largest HIV/AIDS service organization, operates facilities in Miami, Miami Beach, Little Havana and Fort Lauderdale. Palm Beach State College will present retired judge Rand Hoch with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Award at the schools annual MLK celebration. Attorney Rae Franks, a law school classmate, nominated Hoch for the award. In law school, Rand and I shared a passion for advancing workers rights, said Franks, in a news release. Over the years, he has worked tirelessly as a pro bono advocate, activist and organizer working to secure equal rights for minorities and women. Hoch grew up in Massachusetts and was at the State House when then Governor Francis Sargent signed a bill into law lowering the voting age. Hoch moved to South Florida in the 1980s and founded the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council in 1988. The organization is dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. It is a humbling experience to receive an award honoring Dr. King, Hoch said in a news release. In 2015, Hoch worked with the Palm Beach County Commission and City of West Palm Beach to address the problem of shopping while Black, effectively expanding the definition of places for public accommodation. The MLK Celebration is scheduled for 11 a.m., Jan. 14 on the Lake Worth campus of Palm Beach State College. The keynote speaker is Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, host of HuffPost Live and BET News as well as a frequent contributor to CNN. To RSVP for the event, visit www.palmbeachstate.edu/mlk/rsvp Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, aka The Big Dog, returned to the campaign trail on Monday to give a speech in support of his wife, Hillary. Speaking at Nashua Community College in New Hampshire, Clinton said Hillary is practicing a brand of politics that are inclusive enough to actually get something done. The nations 42nd President said the 2016 election is about restoring broadly shared prosperity, rebuilding the middle class. While in New Hampshire, Clinton steered clear of any verbal jousting with Republican front-runner Donald J. Trump. Appearing on Fox News New Years Eve program from his Palm Beach Mar-a-Lago private club, Trump said if he gets the Republican nomination he would be the Clintons worst nightmare. Early indications are Trump appears headed for a GOP takeover. With just under a month to go before the Iowa Caucuses, the billionaire businessman leads a Real Clear Politics national poll of Republican candidates with 35 percent support. U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas places second in the same poll with 19.5 percent followed by U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida (11.5 percent), retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson (8.8 percent) and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (4.8 percent). Cruz embarked on a bus tour of Iowa this week aimed at whipping up support among the states evangelicals. Several polls have Cruz leading in the Hawkeye state making him a target for Trumps brash rhetoric. Not too many evangelicals come out of Cuba, OK. Trump told a crowd in Iowa last month. Cruz, 45, who identifies as Southern Baptist, was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada to an American mother and Cuban father. There are a lot of people who talk a good game about their faith, including Mr. Trump and Mr. Cruz, Armstrong Williams, business advisor to Carson, told CNN last week. Dr. Carson lives it. The Republicans are slated to debate again Jan. 28 from Des Moines, Iowa with Fox News broadcasting the proceedings. Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton holds a 49 to 37 percent lead in Iowa over U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont with Ex-Maryland Governor Martin OMalley polling at six percent. Sanders, however, holds a slight edge in New Hampshire (49 to 45) site of the nations first primaries Feb. 9. The Democrats are scheduled to debate again on Jan. 17 in Charleston, South Carolina in a format hosted by the National Black Caucus and moderated by NBC. Michael Leeds is best known as a director, but with the world premiere of his comedy, Who Killed Joan Crawford? at Island City Stage next week, South Florida audiences will also get to evaluate his talents as a playwright. Im a director first, so I have no ego as a writer to cut, he explained in a phone interview between rehearsals. Im used to working with a playwright, so Im wearing my director hat when Im writing. The Tony Award-nominated director actually started with the title. Leeds was reading about the iconic actress when the title came to mind. I just had to write a play to back up the title and started to imagine how that could play out, he recalled. A fan of Agatha Christie murder novels, Leeds drew inspiration from the mystery writers And Then There Were None and the corresponding movie, Ten Little Indians. He envisioned a birthday party with a theme all the guests would be invited to come dressed as their favorite Joan Crawford movie character. The host is a soap opera star and his friends include his publicist, writer, investor, therapist and a young memoirist. The story begins with lots of laughs until a murder is committed. As in all these plays and movies and books, its a rainy night, theyre in a cabin upstate and the road is blocked after a tree falls, Leeds explained with a slight chuckle. Part of the fun of it for me is five men who are dressed as a woman, but not trying to be a woman, he added. Theyre lumbering around the stage in heels and make-up. Leeds coaxed Island City Stage artistic director Andy Rogow for the production, along with another well-known local actor, Kevin Reilly. Also in the cast are Troy Stanley, Christian Vandepas, who Leeds worked with in last seasons production of Poz, and New York actor Barry Marcus. Already, the plays title has raised eyebrows. One patron told Rogow she didnt know Joan Crawford had been murdered. When they hear its a comedy-thriller, that intrigues them more, Leeds said. The play has already received a couple of readings in Chicago, where it was a winner of a contest by a local theater for gay-themed plays, but the current rehearsals are shaping the production in important ways. The personal qualities of the characters come out more in rehearsals, he said. Theres also an old expression that the last actor to show up is the audience. You learn so much from them and their reactions. The Broadway veteran said its not uncommon for well-rehearsed productions to undergo major rewrites after the first preview performance with an audience. Leeds also relied on advice from award-winning South Florida playwright Michael McKeever and his partner, equally accomplished director Stuart Meltzer. They say writing is actually rewriting and sometimes you have to kill your babies, Leeds said, but if the buzz coming from rehearsals is any indication, Leeds baby is going to make it this time. Island City Stage presents the world premiere of Who Killed Joan Crawford? written and directed by Michael Leeds, Jan. 14 Feb. 14, at Abyss Stage, 2304 N. Dixie Hwy. in Wilton Manors. Tickets are $35 at IslandCityStage.org. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and trans gender headlines from around the world. Lesbian Lesbian Mom gets Legal Help with Alabama Adoption Case (SFGN) A lesbian mother, identified only as V.L. in court documents, is receiving legal support in her request to have her adoption case reviewed by the US Supreme Court, Metro Weekly Reports. V.L. was previously denied visitation rights to see her three children, even though she had legally adopted them in Georgia. She is challenging a decision by the Alabama Supreme Court which refused to recognize the out-of-state second-parent adoption of the three children she was raising with her former partner, identified as E.L. As of last week, the US Supreme Court issued a stay on the Alabama courts decision, allowing V. to have visitation rights until there is a permanent resolution. While her case awaits review, V is also receiving support from various adoption advocates and legal scholars. They have filed seven amicus briefs on her behalf, arguing that the separation is harmful to the children involved, and violates the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the constitution, Metro reports, under which states are expected to respect those court judgements issued in other states. "This unprecedented decision by the Alabama Supreme Court harms not only our client and her children, but thousands of other adoptive families," said Cathy Sakimura, director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, which is representing V.L. "These amicus briefs show a broad consensus among adoption experts, advocates and scholars, as well as constitutional law scholars, that adoption law and the Full Faith and Credit Clause strongly protect the finality of adoptions from attack years later and require all states to recognize adoptions from other states, even if they may disagree with the law applied in those adoptions." Gay HIV-Positive Man Leads SF AIDS Foundation (SFGN) Tim L. Jones was names the San Francisco AIDS Foundations (SFAF) interim CEO in December, according to the Bay Area Reporter. SFAF is one of the largest AIDS nonprofits in the country. Jones is gay and HIV positive. About his HIV status, Jones says, it is "significant in the sense that we're hoping to move into an era of supporting people living with HIV more so than what we are today." In addition to trying to end the transmission of HIV, SFAF is also establishing Strut, a gay and bi mens health center set to open in January. "We are looking to help people living with the disease, so that's me, and it really does hit home that I'm involved at this level of the organization," said Jones. "I'm somebody who has benefited from the AIDS foundation. ... It's important for us to stay focused on helping those living with HIV going forward." Jones takes over from Neil Giuliano who served as CEO for the last five years. Giuliano announced in August that he was leaving SFAF to become CEO of Greater Phoenix Leadership, a business organization that focuses on civic improvement. Jones has said that one of his priorities is to ensure "we're focused on serving our clients to the best of our abilities," especially through Strut. The center's opening comes at "an unprecedented time for the foundation, he said. We have really developed a stronger commitment to the community by ensuring our board members are very engaged. Giuliano and predecessors Mark Cloutier and Pat Christen were all HIV negative. However SFAF co-founder Cleve Jones, is also HIV positive. SFAF spokesman Andrew Hattori told the Reporter that SFAF co-founder Cleve Jones "We have a long history of HIV-positive members of our board of directors, including past board chairs." Bisexual New studies show bi people are excluded by straight and gay peers (SFGN) Confirming what many bi people have felt for some time, the Journal of Bisexuality December issue published two studies outlining the discrimination bisexuals deal with inside and outside of the LGBT community, the Daily Beast reports. One study was conducted by Counseling Psychology Ph.D. student Tangela Roberts and two professors at the University of Massachusetts. They surveyed 745 bisexuals about their experiences with discrimination. The survey asked participants to complete an Anti-Bisexual Experiences Scale (ABES), which on a scale of one to six, ranked how frequently they experiences certain forms of discrimination. Examples included being told they were confused about their orientation, being excluded from certain social networks, and having it assumed that they are more likely to cheat. Although the level of discrimination that bisexuals experienced from heterosexuals, when compared to discrimination from the lesbian and gay community, was statistically significantly higher, the effect size reveals that the degree of difference was small, their study concluded. Essentially its like saying that two people are yelling at you, but one voice is a decibel higher, Roberts explained to The Daily Beast. Yes, statistically one voice is more significant, but the difference between the two voices is small. The average ABES score reported for experiences with straight people was 2.38. The average for experiences among gay men and lesbians was only slightly lower at 2.29, the Beast reports. Similar results were found in a smaller study conducted at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto by postdoctoral research fellow Corey Flanders. Of 35 bisexual women interviewed about mental health, many described feeling excluded even in LGBT safe spaces. Transgender Mother of Murdered Trans Teen Seeks Financial Help (SFGN) The murder of transgender teen Gwen Araujo in 2002 played a large role in the advance of transgender rights. Now Araujos mother, Sylvia Guerrero, is struggling financially and has launched a crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe. "I have been borrowing money to keep afloat, but I'm drowning," Guerrero wrote on the site. She is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and various medical issues, says the Bay Area Reporter. "I made a promise to Gwen that I wouldn't give up, and that I'd keep moving forward," Guerrero said in an interview. "She keeps reassuring me that things are going to be OK." Araujo was murdered in October 2002 while attending a house party in Newark California. Her body was taken and buried in a grave in the Sierra foothills. Araujos murder, along with Guerreros advocacy, spurred a new level of attention to transgender issues, including the barring of the panic defense, where those charged with murder cited their victims sexual orientation or identity as the trigger. Now, 13 years after her daughters murder, Guerrero is coping with PTSD, celiac disease, and rheumatoid arthritis, and has lost her social security benefits. She has been unable to see her doctors or receives her medications. She has been splitting her time living with two of her children as shes been unable to afford a home of her own. "When this was the top story, everybody was there," Guerrero said in the interview. "People were coming out of the woodwork." But now, she said, "nobody wants to help. It's not today's news. It's old." As of Monday, January 4, people have contributed $2,259 toward Guerrero's goal of $4,000. She hopes to buy a used car with the money. Instead of new legislation existing law is amended. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled A wider overhaul to Slovakias 40-year-old construction law remains on hold, while the parliament has continued adopting partial revisions, the last being passed on September 30 with the goal of easing the potential arrival of carmaker Jaguar Land Rovers new plant. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement More information about the Slovak business environment Please see our Investment Advisory Guide. This years edition was published also thanks to cooperation with the Investment Support Association (ISA). The general partner of the guide was the law firm Noerr. Preparation of a brand new construction law has been on the governments agenda for years, and work on the current version began in 2012. But it now looks like the plan to make it effective as of July 2016, already postponed from 2015, will fail. Minister of Transport, Construction and Regional Development Jan Pociatek withdrew the bill, which would replace a 1976 law, from discussion in parliament on September 22 after criticism from the opposition. The ministry has reiterated that this draft bill represents the greatest possible consensus. Citizens deserved after almost 40 years a brand new construction law, which would give clear rules to construction and make their life easier when dealing with their issues at construction offices, Martin Kona, Transport Ministry spokesman, told The Slovak Spectator. The draft bill solved the issues of illegal construction, ad construction, professionalisation of workers at construction offices and many other fields that have been lacking clear oversight. A consequence is that the currently valid construction law, which does not address the current needs of the construction sector will continue to be in effect. The Urban Development Institute (IUR), a non-profit association representing professionals involved in the area of land development and planning, perceived the withdrawal of the draft bill from the parliament in the given situation as the best and professional solution. The withdrawal of the bill has neither a negative nor a positive impact on the construction sector, Juraj Suchanek, executive director of IUR, told The Slovak Spectator, adding that if the bill is adopted in haste and with hidden mistakes, related negative impacts would occur in practice in a short period of time. Suchanek warned that it is unimaginable that the draft bill would be radically changed during the discussion in parliament given its scope, complexity and importance of processes it adjusts. During such a course such changes might have been adopted whose impacts may not be thoroughly analysed and which in the end might have had negative impacts on the quality of the law. We really appreciate the stance of Minister Pociatek and assess positively also his call and expert cooperation during completing the bill, Suchanek told The Slovak Spectator. IUR has been participating in preparation of the draft bill since 2012 and we have been investing not a small effort to improve the draft bill. Also now we are prepared to provide our expertise as well as experiences from practice. We believe that the withdrawal of the bill [from parliament] has created space for making it better in the future. While the Construction Ministry has reiterated that it would continue to look for broad support of the new law, yet it is questionable whether it will manage to do this by the next parliamentary elections scheduled for March 2016. We will continue to look for solutions in order to find strong support for the law across the whole political spectrum while discussions should be led on an expert level and not on the basis of interests of lobbyist groups, said Kona. Amending the construction law The aim of the revision adopted on September 30 is to make permission processes more effective, and in this way to improve the attractiveness of the business environment in Slovakia, according to the Ministry of Transport, Construction and Regional Development that prepared it. Thus significant investments should receive permission for construction projects within the shortest possible time period. President Andrej Kiska signed the amendment into law on October 14. The revision will become effective the day it is published in the Collection of Laws because of urgent general interest. The draft revision, which also solved land expropriation, went through the discussion in parliament via a fast-track proceeding aiming at easing the arrival of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) which looks set to build a new plant near Nitra in western Slovakia and invest hundreds of millions of euros. The cabinet estimates that talks with JLR should be completed by the end of 2015 while works on a so-called strategic park where the investment may land are already underway. JLR, owned by Indias Tata Group, announced its selection as its preferred location for a new plant on August 11 while it has already signed a letter of intent with the Slovak government for the potential development of the new plant. Opposition deputies criticised the fast-track proceedings, arguing that there was no reason to hurry. They warned that the revision creates space for speculation with land and that it might be unconstitutional. The legal think tank Via Iuris called on deputies not to pass the revision due to its significant negative features and argued that it falls outside Slovakias larger construction laws. It pointed out that the revision omits the duty to carry out the so-called development permit process in cases of so-called strategic parks. Thus one of the permission processes within which projects are assessed against local master plans are cut out, without being replaced. Via Iuris also fears that the environmental impact assessment will be only formal. THE SLOVAK Interior Ministry will deploy 25 police officers to assist in securing public order in Macedonia. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled The government is to approve the deployment on January 13 and they will leave for Macedonia on February 1, Prime Minister Robert Fico told the press on January 5. The biggest problem the European Union faces is unregulated migration flow entering Europe in Greece via Turkey, Fico said, as reported by the TASR newswire, adding that they bring security risks. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement The current decrease in the inflow of migrants is caused by the weather and not by measures adopted at the EU level. Fico said that currently 1,000-5,000 migrants are entering Europe daily, according to the prime minister. He added that these are still unacceptable numbers and that they will rise in the spring. In an effort to address the migration crisis and the protection of Schengen area borders, Slovakia deployed a unit of 50 police officers to Hungary in October 2015 and 20 to Slovenia in November 2015. Interior Minister Robert Kalinak said that Slovak police officers were deployed at a 40-kilometre stretch of the Hungarian-Serbian border and have detained 64 people. He added that Slovakia will offer 100 police officers to the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders (Frontex). We are in the throes of the selection procedure, where there are more applicants than there are vacancies, so we can select the best, said Kalinak, as quoted by TASR. Although Macedonia is not an EU member, it is located on the so-called Balkan route via which refugees travel to western European countries. Regarding this, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia asked the Visegrad Group countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia) for aid in addressing illegal migration and also for equipment aid. The Czech government decided on December 21 on the deployment of 25 police officers that will serve in Macedonia from mid-January until the end of February. In addition, the Czech Republic will offer 20 million Czech crowns (740,000) in order to address the issue, TASR wrote. The 25 police officers being despatched will be joining a group of 31 police officers that left Hungary on January 4 to assist at the Macedonian-Greek border. CYBERATTACKS against energy companies in Ukraine in December 2015 are connected to attacks on media and targeted cyber-espionage against Ukrainian government agencies. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Analysing the KillDisk malware used in the attacks, researchers of Slovak software company Eset found out that the new variant of this malware contained some additional functionality for sabotaging industrial systems. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement About half of the 1.5 million inhabitants of the Ivano-Frankivsk region in Ukraine, some 200 kilometres from the Slovak border, were left without electricity for several hours on December 23. The Ukrainian media outlet TSN was the first to report that the outage was caused by the malware, but Eset researchers discovered during their analysis that this was not the only case. Moreover, other power distribution companies in Ukraine were targeted by cybercriminals at the same time, Eset wrote in the press release. The attackers have been using the BlackEnergy backdoor to plant a KillDisk component onto the targeted computers that would render them unbootable, according to ESET researchers. The BlackEnergy backdoor Trojan is modular and employs various downloadable components to carry out specific tasks. In 2014 it was used in a series of cyber-espionage attacks against high-profile, government-related targets in Ukraine. In the recent attacks against electricity distribution companies, a destructive KillDisk Trojan was downloaded and executed on systems previously infected with the BlackEnergy Trojan. It was also used in the attack on participants of the GLOBSEC security conference held in Bratislava in 2014, Eset wrote. The first known link between BlackEnergy and KillDisk was reported by the Ukrainian cybersecurity agency, CERT-UA, in November 2015. In that instance, a number of news media companies were attacked at the time of the 2015 Ukrainian local elections. The report claims that a large number of video materials and various documents have been destroyed as a result of the attack. The KillDisk variant used in the recent attacks against Ukrainian power distribution companies also contained some additional functionality. In addition to being able to delete system files to make the system unbootable functionality typical for such destructive Trojans this particular variant contained code specifically intended to sabotage industrial systems. Apart from the regular KillDisk functionality, it would also try to terminate processes that may belong to a platform commonly used in Industrial Control Systems, said Anton Cherepanov, malware researcher at Eset, as quoted in the press release. If these processes are found on the target system, the Trojan will not only terminate them but also overwrite their corresponding executable file on the hard drive with random data in order to make restoration of the system more difficult. Our analysis of the destructive KillDisk malware detected in several electricity distribution companies in Ukraine indicates that the same toolset that was successfully used in attacks against the Ukrainian media in November 2015 is also theoretically capable of shutting down critical systems, Cherepanov added. THE BELIEVERS in Slovakia celebrate two different feasts on January 6, which is a national holiday in Slovakia. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled On this date Christians celebrate the Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day, and the revelation of God the Son as human in Jesus Christ. The feast commemorates principally the visit of the Magi to the Christ child, and thus Jesus physical manifestation to the Gentiles. It belongs to the oldest Christian feasts. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement According to the Bible, wise men from the East were led by a star to the infant Jesus in Bethlehem, arriving twelve days after his birth to present gifts of gold (for a king), frankincense (for a priest), and myrrh (as a symbol of suffering). They were later depicted as three kings and by tradition called Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar, though the evangels do not state anything about their number, status or names, the TASR newswire wrote. In Slovakia, the festival is marked by masses celebrated throughout the country, and there are also several concerts and Bethlehem plays held in churches, TASR reported. Meanwhile, members of the Eastern Orthodox Church in Slovakia are preparing to celebrate their Christmas holidays, which fall on January 6-9 according to the old Julian calendar (named after Roman Emperor Julius Caesar). Most Orthodox believers, residing mostly in eastern Slovakia, celebrate Christmas Eve, or viliya, on January 6, and celebrate the birth of Christ on January 7 rather than on December 25, which is the date according to the Gregorian calendar, introduced under Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. THE INTERIOR of Ivan Cehelskys house in Povazska Bystrica resembles a fairy tale cottage. There is tastefully placed furniture, porcelain in the cabinets and every visitor is welcomed by smell of Christmas pastries. Yet there is something strange about the house. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Someone broke to my house in summer, damaged taps and flooded whole house therefore we dont have carpets here as they are still drying, Cehelsky told The Slovak Spectator. Cehelsky is an environmental activist, which angers some businessmen in the town, according to him. In recent years he has experienced several attacks: Someone broke his windows, his son's car was burned and his cottage in Osturna village was set on fire and burned to the ground. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement For his activities, Cehelsky received White Crow award in 2011 honouring Slovaks who take personal risks as whistleblowers. Since then his story was widely spread by media yet he still suffers one or two attacks every year. The biggest problem - according to him and many other whistleblowers - is that Slovak authorities lack will to help them. Ruthless business In late 2009 Cehelsky approached Environmental Inspection in Zilina city pointing to forest being cut down in the protected area of Strazovske vrchyl. When investigating the cutting he found out that a local deer-field was extended from 70 hectares to 204 hectares. The fence around the field blocked migration path of animals in point of multiregional relevance. The field is popular place for influential people and even ex-president Ivan Gasparovic goes there to hunt, according to Cehelsky. After learning about the fence Cehelsky again approached Environmental Inspection and later also prosecutor office. Subsequently his bulling started. Firstly, they broke our windows [in house] while I was in my cottage, Cehelsky said. After I came back home the cottage was burned to the ground. In order to deal with those attacks he approached police but saw a little will to investigate his case. Police launched official investigation only after several years in summer 2015 after his house was flooded. Cehelskys house is insured but the cottage is not. However, he has not seen any money from insurance company to cover house repairs because investigation is still ongoing. The same is true for his sons burned car. Losing a job Also another winner of the White Crow prize, Zuzana Melichercikova encountered unwillingness of institutions after she revealed an alleged fraud at the Law Faculty of Comenius University in 2008. Melichercikova informed that a group of students with a very similar profile was admitted to the school under strange circumstances. All already graduated from one school and worked as tax consultants. The school did not accept them at first, but changed its decision even as there were students with better test results who were still denied entry. She turned to a prosecutor office but it shelved the motion arguing that this matter is in the schools jurisdiction. Dean of the Law Faculty Marian Vrabko accused Melichercikova of leaking internal data and the faculty filed a criminal motion. The case made it to the Constitutional Court but it was not proven that it was a fraud. Currently the investigation has been shelved. Due to long-term conflicts at work Melichercikova submitted her notice and to avoid collecting unemployment she started to work at McDonalds. Defamation destroyed relationships After Melichercikova pointed to the suspicious accepting of potential students, defamation on the internet about her personal life began. There is suspicion that one of IP addresses used for sending defamation messages was used by Smer MP Anton Martvon who then worked at the faculty as an expert lecturer. He claims to have alibi for the time when messages were sent. Melichercikova has since sued him. Internet messages targeted my private life and particularly hurt my daughter who was then 12-years-old, Melichercikova told The Slovak Spectator, adding that her daughter then moved out and started to live with her father and, what is more, she wanted to change her name to avoid being connected with her mother. Zuzana Melichercikova (Source: SME) Her case has been protracted for two years and no court session has ever taken place. Martvon did not come to the first session saying that he has to present in the parliament. The second hearing was cancelled because judge retired and the case was passed on. He studied the case for whole year. He set the date of third session on January 2016 but in December 2015 Melichercikova received note from the court that judge has changed again. We will probably wait for another year, Melichercikova said. I dont believe that these things are coincidences. Meanwhile she found a job in Austria and improved relationship with her daughter. Our relationship is improving but we still dont talk about that, Melichercikova said. However, she is not ashamed of me anymore. Procrastinating authorities Both those White Crow recipients agree that one of the biggest obstacles they had to overcome was the unwillingness of institutions to deal with their motions. Cehelsky sent a letter to Prime Minister Robert Fico trying to explain his situation. The Government Office passed his letter to Environment Ministry and Interior Ministry. The Environment Ministry employees arranged a meeting with him and together they visited the local Landscape Park Governance Office. However they learned there that all shortcomings were solved and there is no reason to deal with the case further. Ministry inspectors did not even take a look at the fence, according to Cehelsky. Two day later Cehelskys house was flooded. When it comes to the Interior Ministry, Cehelskys letter was sent to local police office. It means that it came to same people who refused to deal with his case in past. Melichercikova has similar experiences. After the prosecutor's office rejected her criminal complaint she approached the Interior Ministry, which also did not accept her complaint. The Education Ministry never responded to her letter. Law school representatives have ties with police officers and prosecutors, she said. The Law Faculty, Interior Ministry, Prosecutor Office, investigators when you check the names of people working there you will see that they are relatives, classmates and so on, Melichercikova said. Law without people does not work The stories of these whistleblowers show that these courageous people often pay a big price for their activities. For instance, they lose their jobs, their relationships crumble, their health deteriorates or they become stigmatised as snitches. After years of endeavours by activists to push through a law on protecting whistleblower, Robert Ficos Government approved a law on their protection that has been in force since January 2015. The law entitles whistleblowers to free legal aid from the Legal Aid Centre that comes under the remit of the Justice Ministry, but only after they have already drawn attention to dishonest behaviour and are in need of a lawyer. The centre also provides preliminary consultations, but this is only basic legal advice, according to the centres former director Maria Kolikova. The environment in which the law is supposed to operate is a bigger problem. Only one in two people believe in the police and one in four in the courts. Theres still a lack of big fish being convicted in politically sensitive cases. Change is needed in the approach of the police, courts and prosecutors offices, according to Pavol Lacko from the Fair-Play Alliance. Without systemic changes in these areas, its possible that this law will function only on paper, said Pavol Lacko from the Fair-Play Alliance. FROM July 2016, public will be able for the first time to take a look into the central register of distrainments; until now, only state authorities can have a look. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Records of specific cases from court distrainors have been entered into the registers database for the past year. From July 1, each citizen will have the opportunity to check whether there is, or not, a distrainment order against them, the president of the Slovak Chamber of Distrainors, Miroslav Paller, told the SITA newswire. The chamber expects that this step will also improve the business environment. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement The launch of a central registry of distrainments has been a long-term priority of the Slovak Chamber of Distrainors, he said, adding that not knowing about ones own distrainment proceeding is one of the most frequently stated reasons why the subjects of such proceedings do not take the necessary steps for concluding their case and do not cooperate with the distrainor involved. Moreover, business-people will be able to check on their potential business partners and thus avoid nasty surprises in the future. Financial institutions, too, will get a new tool enabling them to better evaluate potential risks in relation to clients who may not be able to afford to take a loan and could therefore end up in distrainment after falling into a spiral of debts, SITA quoted Paller. The establishment of a central register of distrainments was approved by parliament in 2014, and since January 2015, distrainors have been obliged to record every new distrainment order and update information on ongoing and concluded cases. The database is gradually being completed retrospectively, back to the time when distrainment offices were established 20 years ago. By the time it is made open to public, the database should be complete. A book and a cup of coffee: two of the most comforting things in our modern lives. As the poet R.M. Engelhardt once wrote, A smoke, a book, a cup of coffee. These are the little things that get us through this sometimes weary world and all the rainy days. I have a special love of books and coffee, the two pairing perfectly together. Coffee can be a pick-me-up to a dreary day; so can a book. Coffee can be the jolt you need to start on a new project; so can a book. The memory of a good cup of coffee will stay with you long after youve consumed it, and the same goes for a good book. Its no surprise then that the combined bookstore/cafe enterprise would work so well. I think the special connection between books and coffee is simple: ideas, says Matthew Davis of Politics & Prose in Washington D.C. Bookstores are creative places that are full of new ideas and stories and perspectives. Coffee is the lubricant for that creativity. There is a connection between coffee and books that goes beyond the feeling of coziness induced when we wrap one hand around a warm mug and use the other hand to turn the pages of whatever we are reading. Bookstores, much like coffeehouses and cafes, serve as community hubs, gathering places for like-minded individuals. They are places where we can spend hours perusing pages of books full of history, information, stories, inspiration, and new ideas. It is no wonder then that just as coffee has been banned for its connection to stimulating free, intellectual thought, so have booksand unfortunately, many still are. The connection of books and coffee is not new, nor is the proliferation of coffee houses, which dates back to the 1600s, says Kristen Gilligan of Denvers Tattered Cover chain, where cafes are built right into the bookstores, encouraging customers to grab a book or two and sit down in a comfy chair with a drink. There was significant growth in coffee houses during the 1950sthe beatnik era with its poetry readings, music, conversation, social and political movements. Gilligan points out that we see this happening today, not only in coffee shops, but in bookstores with more expansive offerings, appealing to people with many different interests in books, and culinary persuasions. Cafes may serve this social purpose, but theres also a more personal element at play. While cafes are social places by nature, they can also let you be publicly anonymous, reminds Gilligan. You can sit, lingering among the sounds of undecipherable chatter, the whoosh of the espresso machine, and the clink of coffee cups and silverware that surround and envelop you in your own world. You can read a newspaper or a book, solve crossword puzzles, write, or set up a temporary office and scratch some items off your to-do list, she continues. Cafes can provide a quick escapeall without really unplugging from day-to-day life. Books often serve a similar purpose, allowing us to detach from the world around us and dive into a new one. In that way, books can be our solace, and they require our undivided attention. Reading is a soothing experience, says Zack Ruskin of Book Passage, a Marin County bookstore and cafe, just north of San Francisco. Our brain narrows in on the moment. While watching television or listening to music still provide the opportunity to browse your iPhone or laptop, books require our full attention. In this state of focus and relaxation, a piping hot beverage just seems a natural fitsomething to sip on with purpose as you reach a particularly insightful passage or encounter an unexpected twist. Books require our focus, and coffee aids in that process; together, the two force us to slow down. As Davis points out, Third Wave coffee has brought back the concept of slowing down our interaction with coffee and appreciating it. Even the brewing process has slowed down, we are long past instant coffee and now taking a few minutes for one single cup of coffee, reviving methods like the pour-over and press pots. In the same vein, he continues, customers dont race through bookstoresthey quietly shuffle around and carefully flip the book over to read the synopsis, grab a book or two, then find a chair to read a bit. Hopefully with a cup of coffee in their hand. But while coffee paired with books is far from a new concept, some businesses are approaching the combination with a modern spin. Take Shakespeare & Co. in New York City (no, no relation to the one in Paris). In September, this iconic bookstore opened under new ownership (On Demand Books), with a revolutionary way of thinking about books and coffee: not only can you buy and read books, but you are encouraged to print your own, with their Espresso Book Machine. This print-on-demand feature is not only a game changer for authors looking to self-publish, but also for readers who are looking for hard-to-find titles. Once youve printed your book, you can sit down with a cup of coffee made with Counter Culture beans. Imagine the coffee-fueled novel that youve been hammering out on your laptop, fueled by countless filter coffees. Once youre finished, you step over the machine to turn it into a final printed piece, then you pop back over to the cafe to tell people about it; its an ongoing cycle of inspiration and ideas. In the mind of Dane Neller, founder of On Demand Books, the bookstore is becoming a cultural spot theres elements of the traditional with the modern. And that includes coffee. A coffee bar is a critical component, adds Neller, bookstores are about community, about gathering. Coffee bars are about that too. Adding a coffee bar to a bookstore helps to solidify and grow that community. When we were purely a bookstore, our regular customers came in at most once a week. Now that we have a cafe as well, our regulars come in once a day, says Danielle Hulton of Seattles Adas Technical Books, where they specialize in math, science, engineering, and technology books, but also a coffee service thats reflective of their love for technology and science (for example, theyve got Kyoto Cold Drip Towers). Its great to have a closer connection with our customers, says Hulton. Also, our store is consistently buzzing with people and ideas because people come in more frequently. The other book-centric locations that serve as a community hub? Libraries. At the Brooklyn Public Library you can take some time before or after you check out your books to visit the cafe run by the acclaimed pie shop Four & Twenty Blackbirds. In fact, knowing how much of a community hub and gathering place a library can be, was a part of the reason that we were attracted to it in the first place, says Four & Twenty Blackbirds co-founder Emily Elsen. At the cafe located in the main lobby, the bakery serves a selection of its beloved pies as well as a full lunch menu of soups and salads, which you can finish off with coffee from Stumptown Coffee Roasters. In the past, the cafe has worked with a variety of local Brooklyn roasters. For Elsen, the pairing of coffee and books (and in her case, pie) is simple. Enjoying a good coffee and something that youre reading seems pretty hand in hand, pretty complementary, says Elsen. As they say at Four & Twenty Blackbirds: keep reading, theres pie! We could probably add and coffee too. In todays digital age, where online book giants are squashing out independent brick-and-mortars, bookstores are forced to think of different ways to get readers into their stores and keep them there. This beloved combination just might be what helps to guide these businesses forward. I think the bookstore of the future is the coffee bar of the future and vice versa, says Neller. The internet can do a really good job if you want something but if you want to experience something and be a part of a community and shop for your books, write your books, you cant do that online. Anna Brones (@annabrones) is a Sprudge.com staff writer based in Paris, the founder of Foodie Underground, and the co-author of Fika: The Art Of The Swedish Coffee Break, available now from Ten Speed Press. Read more Anna Brones on Sprudge. Top photo appears courtesy of Tattered Cover. Tomar un cafe means have a coffee in Spanish. But accept a friends invitation to tomar un cafe in Spain and you can expect beer, soda, and, not unreasonably, a plate of jamon to arrive at the table. Here, having a coffee is, semantically anyway, less about black liquid in white ceramic than social connection and shared relaxation. This is what makes Monkee Koffees work both challenging and gratifying, according to Oscar Gonzalez, co-owner of the Madrid cafe. We are in our second year now, but it has [felt] like three years, he says. It has been very hard. Monkee, which opened in late 2014, is one of the citys still small number of third-generation coffee shopslocals would call it un cafe 3G. Unlike most of the others, however, Monkee is in an untrendy, tourist-scarce neighborhood, Vallehermoso in the Chamberi district. On a recent Sunday afternoon, classic soul and R&B bounce off the cafes brick walls and exposed pipes. Laptop-engaged 20-somethings speaking Spanish and English take to a large wooden communal table like capuchins to a tree. At the bar, they order espresso-based drinks made on a chorizo-red, two-group La Marzocco FB80 from a house blend by Spanish roaster Supracafe. To the right of three Mazzer grinders, customers pick up fresh, simple day fare, such as salads, yogurt stuccoed with granola, and a basic classic, toast with tomato puree. On the far end, glass tiers showcase baked goods, including a revelation in ovenly output: the carrot cookie. Gonzalez concedes that, when it had been time to brand Monkee and spread news of its debut, he and his business partner, Salvador Figueros, and their five fellow investors, benefited from the decades theyd all spent as professional marketers, mainly in the TV industry. Gonzalez had also traveled enough to take inspiration from Blue Bottle, Intelligentsia, and his favorite, Panther Coffee in Miami. But those examples only got them so far. In fact, the seven owners, operating under the company name Slow Koffee, began with outsize ambitions. We wanted to have enough people to be able to grow very fast, Gonzalez admits, to have the economic resources to grow. But, as I told you, this [one] year felt like three, because we had wanted to launch some 20 to 25 [branches] and it had to go slowerbecause in Spain we dont have the market. Securing real estate was not easy for a startup in Spains volatile economy, the group learned, with listed properties monthly rent jumping from 2,000 to 5,000 within a year. The space Monkee settled on had been abandoned for 20 years, Gonzalez explains. This made it more affordable and also provided a blank slate for its industrial chic-meets-vintage schoolhouse aesthetic, which, though familiar in some corners of the world, still has Madrilenos smitten. Building up a team required patience, too. Today Monkee has eight skilled baristas, six of whom spent the last year training on the job. (That Gonzalez knows of just one La Marzocco repairperson in all of Madrid is yet another story.) Its true that Spains coffee culture has been slow to evolve. At an average eatery, youll usually find delicious, well-prepared food. But ask for a solo (a single shot of espresso) or a cafe con leche (something that once yielded a cafe au lait but which now appears to have transformed into a latte) and youll realize that 100 percent Arabica beans and fresh milkor even milk thats been steamed no more than onceare not givens. Italian behemoths Illy and Lavazza seem about as nationally endeared here as Zara and Chupa Chups. In more commerce-driven parts of town its easy to spot paper cups from Starbucks, in Spain since 2002. So if Madrid might not yet be ready for a score of Monkees, the capital is due to get two more in 2016. And if the first one is a reliable indicator, they will be popular. Earlier this year, public TV station Telemadrid broadcast a segment reporting that Monkee was continuing to revolutionize the world of coffee. Not long after, a headline in Spanish daily El Mundo suggested Monkee might be the best cafe in Madrid. Though the oil and vinegar bottles at the sugar-and-napkin station probably get more attention than Monkees AeroPress or Hario V60, Monkees Third Wave trappings are unmistakable. The cafe hosts cuppings, and each month a new single-origin coffee is listed on a blackboard with a few lines detailing its provenance. The beans come from microroasters right in the city, such as Mokka, Guayacan, and Puchero Coffee Roasters. Actually, [for] now we are teaching coffee culture, states Leticia Kerinec Lopez, Monkees community manager. She points to the cafes communal table. Thats something new here in Spain, because we never share a table, she says. The first time I saw that it was in London, and then in New York, but here I have never seen it. According to Gonzalez, another exotic habit Spaniards are learning at Monkee is bussing their own used cups and plates. These trays, he says of the wooden boards nearby, when [customers] finish, they take them up. Here, in Madrid, thats incredible. My father, every day he [comes and] has a coffee, and afterward he takes [the tray up]. His mother, he adds, would be shocked to see him do this at home. Monday morning had dawned a clientele far more diverse than the weekends. It well reflected Gonzalezs vision for Monkee. This is for everybody, he says. Theres the risk in places like this that [people] wont go because [they think]: This place is not for me. No, we dont want that. We want a place for everybody. To the un-Monday-morning-like beat of reggae, businesspeople talked shop, students seemed to battle their own pressing deadlines, retirees read, a child fed her doll, and, sure enough, Gonzalezs 81-year-old dad came in for his daily caffeine fix. Karina Hof is a Sprudge staff writer based in Amsterdam. Read more Karina Hof on Sprudge. The expert explained that Pyongyang did not depend on trade with other countries, and had the lowest foreign trade Gross National Product (GNP) value in the world. Therefore, the country is unlikely to see any worsening in its economic situation even if the alleged nuclear test led to new sanctions. According to Vasily Kashin, a senior research fellow at the Moscow-based Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, North Koreas military strengthening is aimed at showing everyone that it "is the way it is, it is nuclear and will not be another way, these are new facts, a new status quo." Kashin added that the current Pyongyang leadership was unlikely to give up nuclear weapons, so the international community should come to terms with the new realities and act on them. "All other levers of influence have been exhausted, that is why the North Koreans are acting the way they are. Because they believe and understand that it will not get worse," Kashin said. Wang Junsheng, an expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said however that Pyongyangs nuclear status is unlikely to be accepted by the global powers. "In the current situation, North Koreas status of a nuclear empire will not be accepted. The United States and Japan will soon issue their tough position on this," Wang said. According to Wang, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un picked January 6 for the nuclear test on purpose, as he believes that the world is unlikely to react to it harshly during the New Year celebrations. The expert reminded that both Washington and Seoul were also busy with their respective upcoming presidential elections in 2017. "The international community will only go as far as making tough statements, the world has other business on its mind other than North Korea. The Middle East is ablaze right now, it is really more serious than North Korea," Lankov said. Kashin agreed with Lankov that the issue of the North Korean nuclear program was overshadowed by the conflict in the Middle East. "Today North Korea has announced a nuclear test. The Chinese government firmly opposes it. The prevention of nuclear proliferation and the provision of peace and stability in Northeastern Asia this is China's position," China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said. Hua said that Beijing has called on Pyongyang to act in accordance with its obligations in the area of nuclear non-proliferation. The Chinese government might even avoid harsh public statements condemning Pyongyang, but next thing you know Beijing would suddenly need to replace several bolts in oil pipelines leading to North Korea or find an unknown toxic substance in products destined to North Korea, Lankov said, hinting how the Chinese could punish Pyongyang. "Currently, many top officials within the Chinese government don't particularly like North Korea, but the Chinese strategic interests demand a stable split on the Korean peninsula," Lankov explained. If good relations with China are so important to North Korea, then why did Pyongyang decide to test a hydrogen bomb, making Beijing angry? Lankov suggested that it could have happened due to the lack of coordination between the North Korean military and its diplomats. A few times in the past, the military carried out tests which set back the work of North Korean diplomats. For example in February 2012, Pyongyang signed an important agreement with the United States about the delivery of some food supplies into North Korea. However, Washington scrapped the deal two weeks later after the North Korean military tested one of its nuclear missiles, Lankov reminded. At the same time, however, the German economy experienced no boom for more than 25 years: Since the introduction of the euro in 1999, the country registered only a modest economic growth, which was three percent less than that of the French economy and ten percent less compared with Spain. According to the expert, the growth of the German economy is one-sided and unbalanced it is almost exclusively driven by consumption, while the investment rate remains the lowest among all industrialized countries. "Despite booming consumer demand, German companies invest less in Germany and more in countries abroad. Companies complain about poor infrastructure, lack of skilled labor forces, [] excessive bureaucracy and false regulations," the expert said. Moreover, the German market is currently characterized by a rising inequality regarding wealth, income and opportunities, with "far too few people in Germany having a real chance to use their professional skills," the expert argued. Although, Germany is now at the peak of its economic performance with a high level of competitiveness and a strong labor market, certain sectors require serious improvements. "However, the experience teaches us that economies often need to be in trouble until politicians demonstrate their will to carry our necessary reforms," Fratzscher said. "The coming years might therefore be years of missed opportunities," he concluded. According to members of UN investigative teams, 29 cluster submunitions had been found in a village in the countrys Hajjah Province, Press TV reported. Local sources earlier said that Saudi military aircraft had once again used internationally-banned cluster bombs in airstrikes on the village of al-Odair. A spokesperson for the OHCHR said it had received alarming information on the alleged use of cluster bombs by Saudi-led coalition forces in Hajjah. Inspectors discovered fragments of 29 cluster bombs during a visit to the village of Al-Odair where witnesses claimed other villages had also been affected, with civilians stepping on unexploded submunitions. Over the past few months Saudi Arabia has seen its national currency plunge to a 16-year low on fears that its huge budget deficit driven up by falling oil prices may force Riyadh to float the battered riyal. The ongoing crisis in relations with Tehran could stifle foreign investment. This would be bad news for Riyadh, which needs foreign funding to avoid borrowing from domestic banks to fund the budget deficit. "One-year forwards will likely touch 800 points levels this week, depending on the level of escalation of the events between Saudi and Iran," a senior bank trader from the region said, speaking on condition of anonymity. On Saturday Saudi Arabia announced the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 other people in a move that drew angry condemnation from Sunni and Shiite Muslims worldwide. Human rights organizations accused Riyadh of persistently implementing repressive policies that stifle freedom of expression, association and assembly." For 12 days they walked without food or water. Del Shad and his mother were among the escapees who he says were offered a simple choice: convert to Sunni Islam, or die. We are Yazidi, and we will stay so We tried to resist, but we didnt have weapons, he told RT correspondent. They came for all of us. The men were killed; the women and children were taken. In the village of Kocho, they never got a chance to run. ISIS took thousands there. Another refugee Ceve Beiru Hadji told how her nephew decided to go back to his village. They seized him, his wife and her sister, she added, showing a family picture. It was taken before the wife and teenage sister were taken as sex slaves. I had lost everything. There were 23 of us in the family. Now I am alone. The Nowrooz camp has given the refugees a chance to start over and they live on with a strong hope that one day they will be reunited with their loved ones again. "People with disabilities are being struck in their residence," Abdullah Ahmed Banyan, a patient at the al Noor Center, told International Business Times. "Around 1:30 AM, two missiles hit the live-in quarters of a home for the blind. Can you imagine they are striking the blind? What is this criminality? Why? Is it the blind that are fighting the war?" Bombs also struck Sanaas chamber of commerce building, a wedding hall, and at least one residential area. "The chamber of commerce was targeted last night by an air strike. For what reason?" said Abdel Hakim Naser, head of legal at the Chamber of Commerce, according to International Business Times. "This kind of air strike is not justified and we hope that all sides refrain from targeting commercial and civilian sites and civilians." Earlier on Tuesday, Colville spoke to reporters in Geneva about the terrible toll the conflict is taking on Yemeni civilians. In December alone, 81 civilians were killed. "This is more than twice the number of civilians reported killed in November," Colville said. "We have also received alarming information on the alleged use of cluster bombs by coalition forces in Hajjah Governorate." The problem is that Washington also wants to be in charge in Europe, so Europeans use it to slash their own military spending, knowing that if push comes to shove and there is a real possibility a military confrontation, the United States would always be there to provide their security. In other words, both European nations and US leaders in Washington like the current system. Everyone is happy, except US citizens, whose tax dollars are spent to provide security to Eastern and Central European nations against a non-existent threat, Bandow explained. That's why this has to change, the author argued, adding that the times of a US-dominated NATO disappeared years ago. "It's time for the allies to discuss what comes next. Perhaps a European-run NATO Perhaps a continental defense tied to the European Union," Bandow said. At this point it could be anything which would require Europeans to take care over their own defense and make their own contributions without relying on the United States to pay their bills. As for Washington, it has other things to do than putting its soldiers in Eastern and Central Europe waiting for a Russian invasion, which everyone knows would never happen, the military analyst said. In October of 2015, the nationalist Law and Justice Party won Poland's parliamentary elections, winning nearly 38 percent of the vote. The Law and Justice party supports a greater NATO presence in Poland. Talking about the test the analyst said that it is not yet confirmed that it was a hydrogen bomb test but If it is a hydrogen bomb test this means that North Korea has advanced its nuclear weaponization program at a much faster pace and more deadly pace than most analysts predicted in the past. According to the analyst what really matters is that North Korea has once again broken out of that realm of states that try and cooperate with each other regarding such matters. So in a way North Korea said the heck with everybody else and conducted a nuclear test. The question now is not how we engage North Korea; the question is how we contain North Korea. Talking about the ramifications Bechtol said that there will be more sanctions against North Korea but as it is the country operates outside of the lawful international system anyway; these sanctions may not be so effective. 40% of North Koreas economy is illicit activities and the only country they trade with is China, Iran and African countries that cant get military gear from anybody else. I think we have to do more forceful things from an economic sense. I think we need to do what the US, Russia and China and other countries did back in 2005 to 2007. Bechtol goes on to discuss those imposed sanctions against North Korea. Economic means are the only weapon to use against North Korea. It is important to bring them to the bargaining table so that they do not attack South Korea, concluded the analyst. Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran will continue to escalate at least verbally. In actuality this could have a tremendous impact on negotiations for a solution to the civil war in Syria; it will certainly aggravate the Sunni Shia conflict in Iraq, it may also escalate the fighting in Yemen between Saudis and Houthis who are supported by Iran, Ben-Meir told Sputnik. The brother of the executed cleric has blamed Washington for letting the tragedy happen despite having opportunities to prevent it. In regards to that the expert said, The United States appears to be leaning more in favor towards Iran and one of the reasons for that is the nuclear negotiation. The US does not see any justification for executing the cleric. Talking further about the relations between the US and Iran, the expert said that since the US is not punishing Iran for testing two ballistic missiles that they recently tested, it seems that the Saudis themselves decided to take the matter into their own hands and demonstrate to the domestic audience that Saudi Arabia can take care of itself. The fact that the Saudis are not happy with the US position in connection to Iran has also played a role in the Saudi initiative to execute the cleric. It was a number of components. In a way the US trying to stay away from this conflict has contributed to the development of these events, Ben-Meir said. He noted that in his opinion, the Sunni-Shia conflict may go on for decades to come and it will make it very difficult to reach agreement in Syria. It is because Saudi Arabia which represents Sunni Islam and Iran which represents Shite Islam are at odds with each other as both are fighting for hegemony in the region. There is no doubt that King Salman of Saudi Arabia had the final word for the execution of the cleric Nimr al-Nimr although they are not prepared to say it because they maintain the judicial process and that process works very well, and as their prime minister said that their legal system reached the decision for the sentence and hence it had to be carried out as was determined by the judges, they try to distance the judiciary from the king itself, the expert concluded. But did the Soviet Union pose any threat to the UK or the US at that time? The USSR lay in ruins: some 70,000 cities, towns and villages were devastated by the war, tens of thousands of factories, collective farms, schools, hospitals and other public buildings had to be reconstructed. In contrast, the United States' economy caught a second wind after the WWII. The Soviet government hoped for help from its former wartime allies, but its expectations were not met. "Stalin was aware of Anglo-American hostility, but tried nevertheless for a time to work with his putative 'allies' without however sacrificing what he saw as Soviet vital interests. 'I am not a propagandist', Stalin said to an American interlocutor, 'I am a man of business', " the academic continues. Professor Carley calls attention to the fact that Soviet military policy was not provocative: after WWII the Red Army was demobilized to approximately 25 percent of its wartime strength. However, under the rule of the 33rd President of the United States Harry S. Truman, Washington started to form an anti-Soviet European bloc. Eventually, in 1949, the US-dominated bloc was transformed into a powerful military alliance. "Funded generously by the United States, the polarization of Europe continued into the 1950s, and West Germany became a NATO member in May 1955. This development provoked the formation of the Warsaw Pact, led by the USSR," the Canadian academic narrates. The Obama administrations aim all along has been to reduce American involvement in the region and turn attention elsewhere, but that approach is having the effect were seeing now: heightened tensions between these two geopolitical rivals in a way that poses a serious threat to US interests, Simon Henderson, director of the Gulf and energy policy program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy said. The Saudis are disappointed because they feel that Tehran has been able to attack the Saudi Arabian embassy because of Washington's desire to implement the agreement on the Iranian nuclear program, the expert added. As a consequence they see Irans regional power being enhanced, and without the US to fall back on they feel they have to react, the Christian Science Monitor quoted Henderson as saying. A political scientist from the Heritage Foundation, James Phillips, also believes that Washingtons neutrality has exacerbated tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran. According to the analyst, US foreign policy has focused on pivoting away from the Middle East and in the process turned things over to the Iranians and that is seriously scaring Riyadh. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) Earlier on Tuesday, Obama unveiled measures that will require individuals involved in trading firearms to obtain special licenses and carry out background checks of their customers. The US government would treat failure to comply by firearms salespeople as a criminal matter. "The things he [Obama] proposed today are by and large, already law in place," Henry said. Obama also pledged to increase funding for treating mental health, as well as support research on gun safety technology. The president underscored that the measures will not violate US citizens constitutional right to bear and keep arms, but many are skeptical. While most Americans were preparing for Christmas celebrations and buying presents for their families, US authorities were planning raids on illegal migrants in Georgia, Texas and other states. The first arrests took place right after the holidays, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Monday. The DHS also constituted that the first wave of mass deportations of those who lost their asylum cases could impact as many as 15,000 people. The advocacy organization #Not1More Deportation reported that during mass arrests in the Atlanta area Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents stormed into the homes of undocumented immigrants not even showing warrants and removed mothers and children as young as 4 years old. "They took away children so young they would've needed car seats in their vehicles for them," said executive director of the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights Adelina Nicholls in a statement released Sunday. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) Oil companies are endangering the lands across the United States with their fracking activities, the Center For Biological Diversity Climate Media Director Patrick Sullivan told Sputnik. "The more oil companies frack, the more contaminated wastewater they produce, and that dangerous waste is polluting our water and putting large parts of our country on shaky ground," Sullivan said. On Monday, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission announced it would regulate five wastewater injection wells by limiting the amount of wastewater injected during the fracking process. Free Speech Double Standard: Rutherford Institute Asks U.S. Supreme Court to Declare Unconstitutional Its Own Ban on Expressive Activity on Plaza Contact: Nisha Whitehead, Rutherford Institute, 434-978-3888 ext. 604, nisha@rutherford.org WASHINGTON, Jan. 6, 2015 /Standard Newswire/ -- Attorneys for The Rutherford Institute have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to declare its own ban on expressive First Amendment activity on the Supreme Court plaza unconstitutional. In asking the Court to hear the case of Hodge v. Talkin, Rutherford Institute attorneys argue that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia's decision to uphold a 60-year-old federal statute criminalizing expressive First Amendment activity on the Supreme Court plaza conflicts with the high court's own rulings regarding expressive activity in public elsewhere. For example, in 1972, the Supreme Court struck down limits on similar protests on the Capitol grounds, located across the street from the Court's plaza. The Court of Appeals ruling was issued in response to a lawsuit filed by Rutherford Institute attorneys on behalf of activist Harold Hodge, who was arrested while standing silently in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on a snowy day wearing a sign voicing his concerns about the government's disparate treatment of African-Americans and Hispanics. The Rutherford Institute's petition for a writ of certiorari in Hodge v. Talkin is available at www.rutherford.org. Affiliate attorney Jeffrey Light is assisting The Rutherford Institute in defending Hodge. "This is definitely a first: asking the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court to declare unconstitutional their own statute limiting expressive activity," said constitutional attorney John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute and author of Battlefield America: The War on the American People. "It's our hope that the Supreme Court will reconcile the inconsistencies inherent in this First Amendment ban on what is essentially their front porch and reinforce their historic commitment to free speech activities in public places." On January 28, 2011, Harold Hodge quietly and peacefully stood in the plaza area near the steps leading to the United States Supreme Court Building, wearing a 3' X 2' sign around his neck that proclaimed: "The U.S. Gov. Allows Police To Illegally Murder And Brutalize African Americans And Hispanic People." The plaza is a place where the public is allowed to gather and converse, and is in all relevant respects like a public square or park where citizens have traditionally met to express their views on matters of public interest. However, Hodge was handcuffed, placed under arrest, and then transported to U.S. Capitol Police Headquarters for violating 40 U.S.C. 6135, which broadly makes it unlawful to display any flag, banner, or device designed to bring into public notice a party, organization, or movement while on the grounds of the U.S. Supreme Court, thereby banning expressive activity on the Supreme Court plaza. Rutherford Institute attorneys subsequently filed a lawsuit challenging 6135, and in June 2013 a district court judge struck down the law finding the ban to be "repugnant" to the Constitution, "unreasonable, substantially overbroad, and irreconcilable with the First Amendment," not to mention "plainly unconstitutional on its face." In response, the government not only appealed that ruling, but the marshal for the Supreme Courtwith the approval of Chief Justice John Robertsissued even more strident regulations outlawing expressive activity on the grounds of the high court, including the plaza. Rutherford Institute attorneys have since filed a related lawsuit challenging the Supreme Court's more strident regulations. Now, you can make a tax deductible contribution via VDARE to "Paul Kersey" by clicking here If you enjoy SBPDL, we encourage you to make a donation to help sustain our growth. For a donation of $75 or more, we'll send you signed copies of three SBPDL books of your choice. For $100 or more, we'll send you signed copies of four books. For $300 or more, you get signed copies of every Paul Kersey book. Your generous donations help SBPDL grow. You can also send cash, check, or money order to: Paul Kersey P.O. Box 527 Oakton, VA 22124 We also accept Bitcoin donations! Inquire at sbpdl1 (at) gmail (dot) com for details. E-mail us at sbpdl1@gmail.com A former 40 year Atheist analyzes Atheism, without resorting to theism, deism, or fantasy. *** If You Don't Value Truth, Then What DO You Value? *** If we say that the sane can be coaxed and persuaded to rationality, and we say that rationality presupposes logic, then what can we say of those who actively reject logic? *** Atheists have an obligation to give reasons in the form of logic and evidence for rejecting Theist theories. Word of Atlanta's general awesomeness is getting out, y'all. A resurgent economy and growing supply of living options (for renters, at least) is helping the city regain the famed magnetism it enjoyed in the '80s, '90s and early aughts except this time, as indicated by our New Voices Atlanta series last year, the urban core is a special kind of magnetic. Now, a South Floridian named Guillermo wants in on the action. He and his wife have read much about Atlanta's intown renaissance and plan to buck the trend leaving Florida to retire in Atlanta. In advance of his first scouting trip to ATL neighborhoods, Guillermo sent an earnest letter this week, asking for expert advice. But instead of sharing a few biased in-house opinions, we figured we'd open the floor and let readers lend Guillermo a whole bundle of biased advice. See the future ATLien's letter after the jump, and please extend a warm, informational Peach State welcome in the comments section. Editor: I will be driving into Atlanta this Friday. I plan to stay for the weekend. I have heard and read a great deal about the developing neighborhoods of urban Atlanta, and I'd like to drive around and check things out. My wife and I live in South Florida but want to retire in Atlanta. Most people say that I am crazy (might be true), but I want to live in a city where I can walk, talk to intelligent people and have plenty of entertainment options. I don't want to rely on my car anymore. I don't need a big place, just one large enough for the two of us and maybe an extra bedroom for guests ... oh, and maybe a terrace/patio large enough to lounge and cast my eyes on something pretty. This will be the first of many visits to survey my eventual retirement spot. Which neighborhoods should I visit? Thank you, in advance. Guillermo G. New Voices Atlanta series [Curbed] The South Bays economy is in a strong place, but continued inflation and a likely recession are among the future challenges, experts predict. When your son offers to cook for you, you dont say no, even when you know youll be footing the bill for the groceries. (Some things never change.) Then again, I would have paid handsomely in a restaurant for this spicy Mexican dish, which features shredded chicken simmered in a smoky red sauce made with six varieties of dried chile. Given its lengthy cooking time, youll probably want to try it on the weekend. But then youll have plenty of leftovers to stuff into burritos or pile on crunchy tostadas. Another plus: Because its served with a variety of toppings everything from shredded lettuce and Mexican crema to sliced avocado or guacamole, each diner can customize the final product. CHICKEN TINGA For chile paste 1 dried pasilla pepper 1 dried morita pepper 1 dried ancho pepper 2 dried guajillo peppers 2 dried chipotle peppers 2 dried chiles de arbol For chicken tinga 3 pounds boneless chicken breast or thigh Vegetable oil for frying Salt and pepper Large onion, thinly sliced 3 cloves of garlic, chopped 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with chile (we used RoTel) 28-ounce can diced tomatoes 1 cup chicken stock 2 to 3 tablespoons chili powder (we used hatch chili powder from Reyna Foods) Make chile paste: Clean chiles by removing stems and seeds, place in microwave-safe bowl, then microwave at 15 second intervals for 30 to 60 seconds to release flavors. Add enough water to bowl to coat peppers and microwave for an additional minute. Let cool then puree into a thick paste. Set aside. Make tinga: Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large pot or dutch oven, heat a small amount of oil until almost smoking. In batches, brown pieces of chicken; remove to plate. Once chicken is done cooking, add the sliced onion to the pan and cook in juices until slightly browned. Add garlic and continue to cook another minute or two until light golden brown. Add pureed chile pepper paste and dried chili powder and cook for 1 minute. Add diced tomatoes and bring to a soft boil. Add cooked chicken back to pot. Cover and place in 350-degree oven; bake until chicken is tender, 1 hour to 90 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and shred into bite-sized strands. Place pan over medium heat and cook sauce until reduced by about half. Add shredded chicken back to pan and cook with sauce, stirring occasionally, for another 10 to 20 minutes until sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. Serve chicken with warm tortillas with your favorite toppings fresh guacamole, crumbed queso fresco, Mexican Cream or sour cream, salsa, and 1 or 2 slices ripe avocado. Serves 8. Dan McKay Life Works thankful for generous donation On behalf of all the people Life Works serves, we thank Georgia Pacific for the generous donation of toilet paper. The gift will help more than 100 children and adults with disabilities in our community. We also thank the United Way of Cowlitz County, Woodland Truck Line and the Cowlitz Regional Conference Center for their part in making this gift available for so many people in need. All of us at Life Works wish you a wonderful holiday season, and a very happy New year. Thank you for all you do to make our community a great place to live and work. David Hill, Executive Director Life Works Backpack Buddies a huge success Columbia Heights Elementary Schools Backpack Buddies program was once again a huge success. We were able to supply 58 CHE students and all of their siblings (a total of 85 children) with backpacks full of presents, hats, gloves, scarves, toiletries, food and more. We could not have done this amazing thing for these students without the help of our awesome CHE families who donated so many items. We also thank the following organizations for their enormous help: Columbia Heights Assembly of God, Catlin Properties, Happy Kids Dentistry, Animal Health Services, Longview Police Department, Windermere Real Estate, Bethany Lutheran Church, Pioneer Lions and Highlander Dental. We have such an amazing school and community. The look on these students faces was priceless and they were all so excited. Thank you so much for making this happen. Tana M. Lee Columbia Heights Elementary School Rotary supports Hospice bereavement programs Kelso Rotary recently contributed $1,000 to support the children and teens in our bereavement programs. This gift will help us care for youth who are dealing with significant losses. Over several decades, there have been many success stories as children receive assistance through our programs. Some return years later, complete our volunteer training and then join us in our work with the next generation of children. We provide free, personalized support for all children and teens in our community not only those with hospice experiences. Any youth who has lost a loved one through an accident, violence, suicide, natural causes or military activity may participate. At this time, we are providing support to 45 youngsters ages 5 to 18. We appreciate Kelso Rotarys careful consideration of the most urgent needs in our community. It has been an honor to list Kelso Rotary among our supporters since 1999. On behalf of the youth in our care now and in the future, we thank Kelso Rotary for their generosity. Dan Spjut, President Board of Directors Community Home Health & Hospice Poblano, cilantro and roasted tomato in this dish make for green, tough-to-pair flavors, says Belinda Chang, director of wine and spirits at Maple & Ash in Chicago. The dish needs red wine that can handle them. But not cabernet sauvignon. Most of those wines would not succeed in taming the green. THE FOOD Spicy beef tenderloin Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Brown 1 1/2 pounds beef tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes, about 6 minutes. Transfer meat to a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet. Add 1 white onion, thinly sliced, and 1 poblano, seeded, thinly sliced; cook over high heat until crisp-tender, 5 minutes. Add 3 cloves sliced garlic; cook, 1 minute. Add 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) fire-roasted tomatoes, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 chopped chipotle pepper plus 1-2 tablespoons adobo sauce; cook until reduced by half. Return meat to skillet; simmer over low heat until meat is done to your liking. Serve over rice, topped with chopped cilantro. Makes: 4 servings Recipe by Lisa Schumacher THE WINES Choices by Belinda Chang, director of wine and spirits at Maple & Ash in Chicago, as told to Michael Austin. 2012 Robert Sinskey Vandal Vineyard Cabernet Franc, Carneros, Calif.: This juicy, elegant, silky, black-fruited red wine has just a hint of green typical of cabernet franc, and will handle the spicy sauce perfectly. 2014 Domaines Ott Chateau de Selle, Cotes de Provence, France: Many dry, still roses are great for dishes with complex flavors because they are blends of multiple grape varieties. This rose is made from cinsault, grenache, syrah and cabernet sauvignon. It will work well with the dish because it will brighten up everything with its refreshing acidity. Also, its lovely red fruit flavors will echo the tomatoes nicely. 2011 Giovanna Madonia Tenentino Sangiovese, Emilia-Romagna, Italy: Tuscans might think they have a lock on sangiovese, but their neighbors to the north in Emilia-Romagna have been making wine since the seventh century B.C. Romagnan sangiovese is characterized by its fine tannins and soft palate feel, floral aromas and the typical red fruits that wines made from this grape exhibit. Sangiovese is a brilliant match for tomato sauces, and the sauce in this recipe is no exception. By the dim light of more than 100 flickering candles, a bundle of blue balloons floated into the night sky to the tune of Norman Greenbaums Spirit in the Sky. Attached to the balloons were pieces of paper scribbled with personal notes about late Police Chief Ralph Painter, who was shot dead after responding to a call outside a West Rainier car stereo store. Tuesday marked the fifth anniversary of his death. The man charged in Painters death, Daniel Butts, still awaits trial while undergoing mental health treatment at Oregon State Hospital. On one of the notes, Painters daughter, Julie Heuer, 40, wrote that she missed hearing her father laugh and sing. Standing with her family in front of the candlelit crowd at Rainier City Park, Heuer said her father would be humbled to know how many people came to pay their respects. Amy Painter, Painters widow, nodded in agreement. She said she was grateful so many people showed up. Still hurts like it was yesterday, she said in between hugs from friends. Hed be humbled. He would not like all the attention. Mayor Jerry Cole spoke to the crowd at the beginning of the evening, emphasizing Painters legacy in the community. When you look back, five years isnt very long at all, Cole said. The one thing that we can do is never forget, and I know the Rainier community ... they havent forgotten and never will. Sgt. Eric Bunday of the Hillsboro Police Department, who previously worked for the Columbia County Sheriffs Office, took to the microphone to talk about what he calls Ralph moments, or times when Ralph pops up out of nowhere. He remembers a time after Painters death when he was about to begin a long day of work. He was tired and jet-lagged from a trip. While driving on Highway 30, Bunday said he saw a rainbow and knew it was a sign from Ralph. It was him saying, youre OK, Bunday said through tears. At the end of the service, after all the balloons had disappeared into the dark sky, Heuer said it was inspiring to see and hear from the many people who knew her father. He would think it was way too big of a deal, she said with a smile. But he deserves it. Decembers floods caused about $9.2 million in losses and damage to public and private property in Cowlitz County, an amount that will make it easy for the county and state to qualify for a federal disaster declaration and assistance. Cowlitz Emergency Management officials submitted a flood damage report to the Federal Emergency Management Agency late last week. This is not necessarily comprehensive at all. It is a rough estimate just to get FEMA to come in, said Lori Hendrickson, a coordinator for the County Department of Emergency Management. The state as a whole needed to show it had at least $9.5 million in flood damage to qualify for federal assistance. Cowlitz Countys damage, combined with $3 million in flood damage reported in Lewis County, will easily surpass that mark. Other entities such as Clark County and state highways and fisheries agencies, will report damages, too. According to the Cowlitz tally, 121 homeowners reported total damage of $2 million, 15 businesses (most of them in Kalama) reported losses of $1.2 million, and eight public agencies reported $6 million in damage. The biggest loss was reported by the Cowlitz County Public Works Department, at $4.2 million, including $3.5 million for damage to roads and bridges, said Ernie Schnabler, the county director of Emergency Management. None of the public agency estimates include damages to the Kalama River state fish hatchery or state highways in the county. Nor does it include damage from the Christmas week windstorm, which occurred after the Dec. 14 FEMA-set cutoff date for flood damages. (Schnabler said earlier hed hoped that windstorm damage would be included.) The early December storms flooded downtown Kalama and parts of rural Cowlitz County north of Kelso and Longview. It caused extensive sliding on Kalama River Road and shut down Interstate 5 northbound near Woodland. As significant as the flood damages were, they pale in comparison to other major floods. For example, the February 1996 flood caused about $40 million in damage to public and private property in Columbia County ($60 million in todays dollars). And damage to public facilities alone in Cowlitz County in that flood 20 years ago were at least $10.2 million in todays dollars. FEMA and state damage assessment teams are expected to visit Cowlitz County Wednesday to review the damage and meet with public officials. Though they will likely visit damaged neighborhoods, it is not necessary for property owners to meet with them at this time, Schabler said. Generally speaking, federal flood assistance consists of low-interest loans to private property owners and outright grants to public agencies for damages, including employee overtime rung up to react to disasters. Once a federal disaster is declared, FEMA will set up a disaster assistance center were individuals can apply for help. There are, it turns out, dozens of way to say yes or no. Hundreds gathered Tuesday afternoon at the Clark County Event Center at the Fairgrounds in Ridgefield to offer testimony on the proposed rail-to-marine oil terminal at the Port of Vancouver that would be the nations largest, receiving an average of 360,000 barrels of oil per day. For those following the project proposed by Vancouver Energy, a consortium of Tesoro Corp. and Savage Companies, the comments for and against the terminal were familiar. The likelihood of a catastrophe becomes not a probability, but an eventuality, said Russell Freeman of Vancouver. We see this as an opportunity for the environmental community to partner with Vancouver Energy to create a showcase of stewardship, said Rob Rich, a supporter of the project. The hearing is the first of two scheduled in Vancouver by the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, the state regulatory body that is reviewing the project and in November issued a draft Environmental Impact Statement. The council will eventually make a recommendation to Gov. Jay Inslee, who will have the final say in approving the project. As the hearing on the draft environmental review continued Tuesday afternoon, the blue signs and green thumbs-up stickers of supporters mingled with those decked in red, who were giving a visual thumbs-down to the proposal. The opponents, many wearing red shirts, appeared to outnumber the supporters. Speakers came from all over Western Washington and Northwest Oregon. Comments for the first few hours were fairly back-and-forth between supporters and opponents, however. Opponents on Tuesday hammered on the risks involved with four 120-unit trains full of oil traveling through the Columbia River Gorge and into Vancouver every day. Our safety is in your hands. We urge you to tell Gov (Jay). Inslee to deny the project, said Jared Smith, president of the local Longshore union. Supporters reiterated that the project could be operated safely. I have seen this company go above and beyond when it comes to protecting its employees and the environment, said Jerry Miller, who worked for a Savage Cos. terminal in North Dakota. The project has been controversial from the time the proposal became public in 2013. Opponents have seized on what they call risks to life, property and ecosystems that they say cannot be mitigated. Vancouver Energy has said the terminal will bring jobs and tax revenue to the community and will contribute to U.S. energy independence. Oil arriving at the terminal would be transferred to ships for transport to refineries, though there is the possibility of foreign export included in the environmental review. The site evaluation councils current public review period, which also includes a hearing in Spokane, is a significant milestone in the states exhaustive review of $210 million project that would be the nations largest oil transfer terminal. Another hearing will be held Jan. 12, also at the Clark County Event Center at the Fairgrounds in Ridgefield. Project opponents said they hoped to attract hundreds of people to a demonstration at the fairgrounds during a dinner break, which begins at 4:30 p.m. For its part, Vancouver Energy opened a hospitality room, open to all, at the event center. Todays hearing could then last to 11 p.m. or until the last speaker. After another hearing Jan. 12 in Vancouver, comments will continue to be collected through Jan. 22. Candace Sanders has been in the law business for more than 40 years, but shes never had a client of her own. Until now. Sanders, 59, recently became one of the first limited license legal technicians (LLLT) in America, practicing out of an office on 12th Avenue in Longview. Washington is the first state to try out an LLLT program, which is overseen by the Washington State Bar association and certifies non-lawyers to provide lower cost legal assistance to clients who want to represent themselves in court. There are now nine throughout the state, and Sanders is the only one in Southwest Washington. The goal of the program is twofold: Educate people about the law and give a chance at legal representation to those who cant afford a lawyer, a need the programs leaders say hasnt been met until now. According to a 2003 study by the Washington Supreme Court, thats a lot of people. It estimated that low-income people have 1.1 million legal problems annually and yet face 88 percent of their legal problems without advice or representation from an attorney. In authorizing these limited legal technicians, (the Supreme Court was) looking at it from an access to legal representation (angle), said Jill Karmy, a Ridgefield workers compensation lawyer and state bar association representative for the 3rd Congressional District (Southwest Washington). We are leading the nation on this idea that non-lawyers can provide some legal services. It really is to try to get legal services to low-, middle-income people. The program could have a big impact in rural areas with many low-income residents, such as in Cowlitz County. Longview lawyer G. Alex Styve reflected that in her 30 years in family law, legal representation for local residents has always had a donut hole. Those who are poor enough may qualify for free assistance through the Northwest Justice Project and Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Legal Aid. Those who are wealthy enough can hire lawyers. But plenty of people fall in the middle of that spectrum, in need of legal help but unable to afford it. Sanders, a paralegal for retiring Longview family lawyer Bob Falkenstein, said she charges less than half of the hourly rate that her boss does. Though she charges a flat fee depending on the type of case shes handling uncommon for lawyers, who normally charge per hour Sanders estimates her hourly costs are $125. For an initial consultation, Sanders charges $50. To settle a divorce when no children are involved, she generally charges $750. A typical divorce attorney charges $250 an hour. Though her services cost less, Sanders duties differ in crucial ways. She cant represent anyone in court or negotiate on behalf of clients, and there are restrictions on what legal documents she can prepare. She said she can help people with any family law issues from divorces to custody issues. However, without advice from a family lawyer, she cant help in third-party custody cases, major parenting plan modifications and Indian child welfare cases. Her experience also differs from a lawyer. To become an LLLT, a person needs to have at least an associates degree, completed 45 hours of American Bar Association-approved curriculum and family law courses through the University Of Washington School Of Law, pass the technicians exam and have 3,000 hours of paralegal experience. Annual continuing education also is required. This is the best of both worlds, Sanders said of her new job, which shell practice out of the same 12th Avenue office shes at now. Its giving me an opportunity to use the skill set Ive developed over the years and kind of do my own thing. Limited license technicians have faced some pushback from lawyers, who have grumbled that LLLTs will take away their business. Sanders, who has three clients now, said there will always be a need for lawyers. Were not competing, she said. Some cases are very complicated. Theyre very high conflict. If youre going to litigate something, and you can afford an attorney to represent yourself in a courtroom, it would be much better than trying to represent yourself. Stephen Crossland, president of the Limited License Legal Technician Board, also doesnt think technicians will steal work from lawyers. If anything, they could help the law business. Crossland said these technicians also may help slow an oncoming two-fold crisis: There arent enough lawyers going into the business, and there could be a mass exodus as baby boomer lawyers retire. A Washington State Bar Association study several years ago estimated that half of all Washington lawyers are 50 years or older. Over the years, weve heard youre gonna take away work from us. Our answer is if you were doing this work we wouldnt be having this discussion, Crossland said. Silver shoplifted A Castle Rock business owner told police that someone shoplifted $7,000 worth of silver Sunday from his shop, located in the 100 block of Huntington Avenue. Spinning in the snow Police received numerous reports of vehicles deliberately spinning in circles in parking lots and on streets Sunday. Castle Rock police advised several ATV riders that the laws against riding in public parks is still in effect when its snowing. Police also received several reports of people throwing snowballs at vehicles. A western New York company has been awarded a multimillion dollar contract to demolish the New York State Fairgrounds' historic Grandstand, main entrance and race track the first step in the fair's $50 million transformation project. Total Wrecking & Environmental, which is based in Tonawanda, won the contract with a $5 million bid, according to the state Office of General Services. In addition to the demolition work, the contract includes infrastructure improvements paving, sanitary and storm sewer work, site grading, a storm water retention pond, utilities and water lines. Gov. Andrew Cuomo detailed the fairgrounds improvement plan in September. Some of the new features will include a 110,000-square foot expo center and equestrian facilities. By tearing down the Grandstand and race track, the state fair will be able to expand its midway and construct a new RV park. The current main entrance will be replaced with a new entryway equipped to handle electronic ticketing. Some parts of the project the Chevy Court improvements, new main entrance, improved midway and RV park will be completed by July 2016. The equestrian facility and expo center will open in July 2017. Longview police Tuesday arrested 10 more people on suspicion of drug activity, continuing a surge in drug arrests in the last month. One of two houses agents raided Tuesday is owned and rented out by local chiropractor Ronald Gerne, marking the second time in a month that drug busts have occurred at homes where Gerne is a landlord. Gerne owns two homes at 361 Oregon Way. At one of them, police arrested four Tuesday on suspicion of drug activity. On Dec. 7, Longview police led one of its largest drug busts ever at 2311 West Castleman St., arresting 12 people at the home Gerne leases and sublets to tenants. Gerne told The Daily News on Tuesday that hes trying to evict more people from the home at 361 Oregon Way. Gerne filed four evictions last year against five people at the Oregon Way homes, according to court records. Gerne said he didnt know drug activity was going on at the Oregon Way house and did his best to prevent it. He said he always has tenants sign agreements not to do illicit drugs and does background checks on all his tenants. With this town, there is drug activity, ... meth and heroin. Its a police issue as well as a city issue. Its unfortunate that drug activity is going on, he said. You just have to keep watching and keep talking (to residents). On Tuesday, police also arrested six at 5 Cottonwood Place in West Longview on suspicion of drug activity and a warrant. The two busts are the latest in a string of busts in the Kelso-Longview area that collectively have resulted in 36 arrests during the last month. Sgt. Marc Langlois, head of the Longview Street Crimes Unit, said the unit recently ramped up drug investigations because its had an increase in calls about suspicious activity in the city. Police officers said they found methamphetamine, heroin, packaging material, scales and other drug paraphernalia at both homes. The following four people were arrested after the search at 361 Oregon Way: James Anthony Baechler, 48, transient, on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine; Brian Allen Smith, 42, Kelso, on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine and a dangerous weapon; Crystal Dawn Littlejohn, 32, Longview, on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine; Autumn Stanfield-Shadday, 23, Rainier on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, possession of heroin with intent to deliver and three counts of delivery of heroin in a school zone. The following six people were arrested after the search at 5 Cottonwood Place: Megan Rose Vivian, 34, Kelso, on suspicion of possession of heroin and oxycodone; Kenneth Lee Wilson, 64, Longview, on suspicion of possession of heroin and operating a drug house; Arianna Audelia Hadley, 24, Kelso, on suspicion of possession of heroin; Odin Michael Turner, 45, Kelso, on a warrant for probation violation; Michael Angelo Salaz, Sr. 34, transient from Alaska, on a warrant and suspicion of possession of heroin; Sunny David Cronk, 37, transient, on a warrant. On Dec. 27, 2015, we published an editorial titled, Youre Free to Go. The editorial talked about how the difference between government and private industry is results. Specifically, private industry is held accountable for achieving results, while government largely is not. The issue of felons being let out of prison early by the state of Washington was used as an example of our state government not achieving results. Since the editorial published, more information has come out about the early prisoner release mess, which has further proved the point of government ineptitude and its cost. One of the inmates let out early has already committed more crimes. Robert Jackson, a convicted felon, was let out of jail four months too early. One month after being released Jackson was in trouble again for killing his girlfriend, Lindsay Hill, and has been charged with manslaughter. Jeremiah A. Smith, a second inmate released early, has been charged with murder in connection with a botched May robbery. Smith should have still been in prison when the shooting occurred. So what else do we know about the early release fiasco? We learned from a story in the Seattle Times, written by Joseph OSullivan and Lewis Kamb, that the software fix to make sure felons served their sentences properly was delayed 16 times. Washington State Corrections Secretary Dan Pacholke released this stunning information. And to make the announcement even more stunning, Pacholke declined to say why the software fix was delayed on those 16 different occasions, citing the pending outside investigation. He also claimed the project was not correctly prioritized. How do you think Lindsay Hills relatives feel about this? Their loved one is killed by a convicted felon, released early from prison in error, and the corrections secretary wont explain what went wrong in deference to an investigation? Pacholke said, It is my preference that the review is conducted independently. What would Pacholke say if his loved one was killed? This sad, unfortunate story is the reason we point out the lack of accountability in government because it comes at a huge cost to society. In this case, a young woman lost her life. Were shocked more people are not calling for full and complete accounting of this mess immediately. The Columbian wrote an editorial indicating none of this was either Pacholkes or Inslees direct fault because neither of them were in their current roles when the problem was discovered. We say thats ridiculous. This is at least partially Inslees fault as hes been governor since 2013. Governor Inslee needs to be held accountable right along with the staff members who were part of this failed project. And Pacholkes role is to fix this problem now. On a similar note the state of Washington just asked for an extension to comply with a judges order to give mental health patients timely competency evaluations and care. The state now wants until the end of May 2016 to comply with the judges order. The mental health care delay sounds a lot like the delay Millennium has faced in getting a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) from the state. If you remember, the state Department of Ecology couldnt make the November 2015 deadline and had to promise the EIS by the end of April 2016. Unfortunately this list could go on and on. Our question to you is how do we the people bring accountability to government? Felons are roaming the streets, citizens in need of mental health are not getting timely treatment and businesses are treated poorly. Does this meet your expectations? We know its not acceptable to us, and we expect more from our elected officials. "We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844 Between January 2003 and September 2006, out of 138 letters to the editor that I sent to the Financial Times before I placed them on this blog they published these 15 . Not bad! Thank you FT!Unfortunately, since then and until the very last day of the decade, out of some 1.000 letters that you can find here, FT published none, zero, zilch. Of course FT is under no obligation whatsoever to publish any of my letters and of course one should not exclude the possibilities that my letters might have quite dramatically gone from bad to worse yet one wonders.My usual suspects are:1. Someone in FT with a delicate ego feels his or her importance diminished by giving voice to a lowly non PhD from a developing country daring to opine on many issues of developed countries.2. That FT has some sort of conflict of interest with the credit rating agencies that makes it hard for them to give too much relevance to someone who considers they have been given too much powers.3. The FT establishment had perhaps decided there were only macro economic problems and not any financial regulation problems, and wanted to hear no monothematic contradictions on that.4. That FT feels slightly embarrassed when someone repeatedly asks the emperor-is-naked type question of what is the purpose of the banks and realizing this was something FT should have itself asked a long time ago.5. It is way too much oversight for FT to handle.6. Or am I just supposed to be a living example of one half of the Financial Times motto, namely that of "without favour"Which one do you believe is closest to the truth? tech2 News Staff Asus has released a press statement comfirming to launch its Zenfone Zoom in India this month. The device made its debut at CES last year, and the last couple of months Asus has been hinting at its launch. Now, the company released a statement, "Scheduled to hit the Indian market later this month, the new addition to ASUS expanding smartphone range, the imaging-masterpiece will truly enable the users to See The World Up Close!" The highlight of the device is the 13MP rear snapper that supports 3X optical zoom, Laser Auto Focus and 10 lens elements with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). The device also features Asus' Pixelmaster technology that helps capture better images in low light conditions sans flash. There are two variants of the device - one with an Intel Atom Quad Core Z3580 processor clocked at 2.3GHz and another with an Intel Atom Quad Core Z3590 (up to 2 cores running at 2.5GHz). It is still unclear, which variant wil make it to the Indian market. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, 4G LTE (Cat 4) and microUSB 2.0. The Android Lollipop based smartphone comes with ZenUI on top. Besides, the specs sheet also includes a 5.5-inch 1080p display covered with Gorilla Glass 4, 4GB RAM, a 3000mAh battery and storage options from 64GB to 128GB. It also packs in a microSD card slot with support for cards up to 128GB. The device is slated for a US release in February at $399, and the company will reportedly disclose further details by 20 January. There is no word on India pricing or launch date yet. tech2 News Staff After the launch of the Tizen-based Gear S2 smartwatch at IFA 2015, Samsung has revealed at CES 2016 that the smartwatch will soon be compatible with iOS devices as well. Earlier, it provided the flexibility of running on non-Samsung devices too that supported Android 4.4 KitKat with more than 1.5GB RAM. How closely knit it will be with iOS will be clear only later this year. For now, it is undergoing development and no other details have been revealed. September last year saw a similar move by Android Wear when Google announced in its blog that all future Android Wear watches, including those from Huawei, Asus and Motorola would support iOS. According to reports, two new variants of Gear S2 have also been unveiled. One with an 18 K rose gold display with an ivory leather belt and a Platinum-plated one with a black leather belt. There are reports of a Samsung Pay app coming soon as well. It will require a Samsung device and users will be able to make payments from their wrist like Apple Watch users do with Apple Pay. tech2 News Staff While we all know Microsoft did side Cyanogen when the company announced that it wanted to build its own version of Android, a few months later it was confirmed that it had cancelled the plans. However, Microsoft was interested in a commercial deal in the future to get their software onto Cyanogens mobile operating system and today we have something more on that. Cyanogen Inc. has released Cyanogen OS 12.1.1 for the OnePlus One with Microsoft's Cortana inside. And it is not just an app but one that's built-in and deeply integrated into Cyanogen's Android bits. Recently, we heard that Microsoft did make Cortana available for Android smartphones. Still then, users could not use the 'Hey Cortana' hot word, which means that users had better access to Google Now instead. With Cortana literally baked into the new Cyanogen OS ROM, OnePlus One users will be able to use the hot word and get things done purely by voice. Users will be able to set appointments, alarms, turn toggles on or off and even check or send messages with the same. Sadly though, Cortana integration that comes with Cyanogen OS 12.1.1 (it's still Android Lollipop) will remain open for the US region only. So for users who prefer Google Now, Cortana can simply be uninstalled. Back in April 2015 Cyanogen Inc. announced its partnership with Microsoft that led to pre-installed Office suite, Bing, Skype and more on smartphones running the custom software. For those of you who are unaware, OnePlus ships its smartphones with its own Oxygen OS and Cyanogen OS is available as an alternative firmware. The same will show up as an update under settings. LIVERPOOL | Beginning this year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to make a massive investment in upstate New York's infrastructure. During a preview of his annual agenda Wednesday in Liverpool, Cuomo said his budget proposal will include $22 billion over five years for upstate bridge and road repairs. Under the plan, the state would provide $1 billion to fund the BRIDGE NY program, which would repair and maintain at least 200 key local and state bridges. An additional $1 billion would be used for the PAVE NY program to fund local and state road reconstruction projects. To make roads better equipped to handle extreme weather conditions, Cuomo wants to invest $500 million for an infrastructure hardening program. He's also pushing for $30 million to support upstate mass transit services, which will likely mean more funding for Centro's bus operations in Cayuga County and central New York. For the Thruway, Cuomo wants to increase funding for the highway's infrastructure by $700 million, which would be in addition to last year's $1.285 billion allocation. With the boost in state support, the Thruway would freeze tolls for all drivers until 2020. "If you're doing business across upstate New York, you have to get on that Thruway," Cuomo said. "We want to bring down that cost of doing business." To achieve that goal, Cuomo proposed a tax credit for frequent commercial and passenger commuters. Passenger vehicle operators who use E-Z Pass and pay at least $50 in tolls annually and commercial vehicle owners with E-Z Pass tags who pay between $100 and $9,999 in tolls each year would be eligible for the credit. According to the governor's office, the credit would benefit 911,743 passenger vehicle drivers, 26,139 businesses and 976 commercial trucks. Drivers would save an average of $97 each year, while businesses and commercial trucks would save an average of $686 and $1,872, respectively. The Thruway toll reduction plan would allow farm-owned vehicles using E-Z Pass to pay no tolls when using the Thruway to transport products to stores. This would be achieved through a 100 percent tax credit, which would save the state's farmers $5 million annually, according to Cuomo's office. "It will make a real difference in people's pockets," Cuomo said. "It will make a difference in commuters' pockets. It will make a difference in the pockets of business and make yet another loud statement to businesses that upstate New York is the place to do business." Cuomo said his executive budget will include $750 million for a sixth round of the regional economic development council competition. Central New York has been successful in the annual contest, winning top awards four of the past five years. In 2015, the Central New York Regional Economic Development Council was a winner in the Upstate Revitalization Initiative. The panel will receive $500 million over the next five years to help fund various economic development projects. Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney, who introduced Cuomo at Wednesday's event, lauded the governor for his continued support of the region. "It's been a real culture change for us in central New York under Governor Cuomo," she said. hidden Facebook is ready with a contingency plan should Google ever pull its Android app from the Play Store, according to a media report. Facebook and Google are at odds with each other given their competing ad and search interests, but according to sources, the world's largest social network is ready if things ever really go down the tubes, engadget.com reported on Tuesday. To begin with, Facebook would replicate many of the services that one gets through Google Play-enabled apps, like in-app purchases and updates. It has also explored ways to help people download its app outside of a store, and considered alternatives to Google Maps for location info, the report said, adding that Facebook may have even gone so far as to test Android users' dependence on its app. It's not known if Google was aware of this fallback before now, but it wouldn't be surprising if the search giant had at least considered the possibility. The report added that it's doubtful that Zuckerberg and crew would give up a competitive tool like Facebook app any time soon, as this would mean shooting itself in the foot given the social network is a big draw to the Play Store and a source of in-app revenue. Facebook did not comment on the apparent leak. IANS hidden Huawei, the world's top three smartphone vendor, said on Wednesday its smartphone shipments rose 44 percent annually to 108 million in 2015, thanks to strong sales in China and Western Europe. The Shenzhen-based company also said revenue for its consumer business group, which sells products such as smartphones and tablets, jumped 70 percent year-on-year to $20 billion in 2015. The company, which competes with global leaders such as Samsung Electronics Co and Apple Inc, said last week it expects to post a 35 percent jump in sales revenue for 2015, thanks to a strong performance across its business platforms. At the onging CES 2016, the company is rumoured to launch the P9 smartphone. The specifications for the smartphone include a 5.2-inch display and the all-new octa-core Kirin 950 chipset. While the chipset recently made its first appearance in the Huawei Mate 8 smartphone, it now seems like the next likely contender to sport it could be the Huawei P9. The Kirin 950 SoC made by Huaweis HiSilicon is indeed a unique one. It packs in eight cores in all with the usual 4+4 set up. It has the 4 x Cortex A72 cores for heavy tasks, while the lighter duties are handled by the lower-powered 4 x Cortex A52 cores. But theres more. Huaweis HiSilicon team also managed to squeeze in an i5 co-processor which according to the company is present to support speech recognition, low-power consumption MP3, and many more low-powered tasks. With inputs from Reuters tech2 News Staff Oracle has signed an agreement to acquire AddThis, a provider of publisher personalisation, audience insight and activation tools. AddThis connects people to content and enables marketers to develop more personal and effective relationships with their current and future customers. Its website claims that over the past decade, over 15 million sites have adopted AddThis' suite of website marketing tools to increase social sharing, improve engagement and drive conversions. The acquisition will help Oracle Data Cloud, the Data-as-a-Service business that operated the data ID Graph understand consumer behaviour across all media channels. Oracle Data Cloud ingests third-party data, extracts value, and activates the data to drive insights and harness this knowledge for targeting, personalisation and measurement. In a letter to partners and customers, Omar Tawakol, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Oracle Data Cloud said that the AddThis team brings significant knowledge and capabilities to Oracle and will further extend the value Oracle Data Cloud brings to market. AddThis received $73 million in funding from 15 investors - including Institutional Venture Partners, New Enterprise Associates, Novak Biddle Venture Partners, and Rho Ventures - according to CrunchBase. It has 110 employees. The acquisition signals Oracle's growing interest in the marketing tech domain. AddThis will become part of Oracle's Data Cloud business which also houses assets from two recent acquisitions BlueKai and Datalogix. All this taken together will mean more business from brands and ad firms and online content companies that want intelligent tools to make sense of their audience and monitise them to the max. hidden Samsung Electronics Co Ltd urged a U.S. appeals court on Tuesday to find that a jury in 2014 should not have made the South Korean company pay nearly $120 million to Apple Inc for infringing three patents. Apple's "quick links" patent, which accounts for more than $98 million of the damages award, was the main focus in Samsung's latest effort to overturn major court victories by the U.S. technology company over the past two years. During more than an hour of highly technical arguments, Samsung's attorney Kathleen Sullivan said Samsung did not use the same technology as Apple to detect and link to specific data, such as phone numbers, in its phones' Web browser and messenger applications. Apple's lawyer, William Lee, told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, the nation's top court specializing in patent issues, that the jury's verdict was supported by "substantial evidence." Two of the three judges at the hearing seemed to question Apple's arguments over the interpretation of the patent, which Sullivan said the appeals court had already rejected in a separate case. But Lee cautioned against accepting Samsung's theory, which was rejected by the jury. In court papers, Samsung also said the two other patents it was found to have infringed are invalid, an argument Apple said should be rejected. The companies have appeared at the court several times over the last two years. The latest appeal stems from the May 2014 verdict in a federal court in San Jose, California ordering Samsung to pay $119.6 million for using Apple's patented technology without permission. The three infringed patents cover the iPhone's slide-to-unlock, autocorrect and quick links features. The same appeals court in September ruled that Apple should have been awarded an injunction in the case, barring Samsung from selling devices that infringe its patents. The court, however, said Samsung could remove the patented features without recalling its products. In a separate lawsuit, Samsung on Dec. 14 paid Apple $548.2 million, part of what it owes for infringing different patents and designs of the iPhone. Samsung is continuing to fight that case by appealing part of the judgement to the U.S. Supreme Court. Another trial on further damages will be held in March. The case is Apple Inc v. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, No. 15-1171. Reuters hidden Nvidia has unveiled a new, lunchbox-size super-computer for self-driving cars and said Volvo Car Group will be the new device's first customer. Volvo, of Sweden, is owned by China's Geely Automotive Holdings. Nvidia made the announcement at the beginning of the Consumer Electronic Show here. Calls to Volvo's spokesman in China were not immediately answered. The new Drive PX 2, said company CEO Jen-Hsung Huang, has computing power equivalent to 150 MacBook Pro computers, and can deliver up to 24 trillion "deep learning" operations - allowing the computer to use artificial intelligence to program itself to recognize driving situations - per second. Partnerships between automakers and Silicon Valley companies on self-driving technologies are taking center stage at this year's show. Also on Monday, General Motors Co. announced a $500 million investment in ride-sharing service Lyft. Huang didn't offer revenue projections for Drive PX 2, but automotive is the fastest-growing business segment for Nvidia, whose largest revenue source is video games. Recently, Nvidia had released version 1.0 of two software development kits (SDKs) called Nvidia GameWorks VR and Nvidia DesignWorks VR which are optimised to work along with Nvidias own GeForce and Quadro line of GPUs for VR gaming as well as VR production. Reuters Merkel Under Fire on Migrants After New Year Sex Attacks https://t.co/4iLHlZGPMx Germany Sees 135 Per Cent Increase In Asylum Applications In Just One Year https://t.co/4Bou8wUFpv Wilkommen auf Rape City: a new Code of Conduct for the Women of Cologne https://t.co/xb8XfopXAl Authorities Play Down Migrant Sex Assaults As Attacks Highlight 'New Dimension' For Europe https://t.co/mGiXC2iDft After Cologne, Perhaps It Is Time For The People Of Germany To Consider Merkel's Sanity https://t.co/HMRFSz4RkV After Cologne, Perhaps It Is Time For The People Of Germany To Consider The Sanity Of Angela Merkel https://t.co/JXHdAEo5sz Instead, it now has to spend the next 50 years trying to figure out how to integrate Islam. Genius. Volleyball results from Thursday Friday, Oct. 7, 2022, 8:34 a.m. -- LAPEER COUNTY -- The Almont varsity volleyball team beat Madison Heights Lamphere and New Lothrop in a triple header at Almont Thursday. Dryden beat Bay City All Saints... Golf and tennis regional results Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022, 5:41 p.m. -- LAPEER COUNTY -- Boys' high school tennis regionals and girls' golf regionals took place yesterday. Lapeer girls' golf placed 11th at the Div. 1 regional hosted by Oxford... Friday night football scores Friday, September 30, 2022 10:15 p.m. LAPEER COUNTY Lapeer beat Grand Blanc 39-17 at Lapeer to remain undefeated at 6-0. Almont upset Croswell-Lexington 37-26 North Branch routed Richmond 62-10 Imlay City/Dryden fell to Yale... Summer sports camps/clinics Wednesday, June 15, 2022, 4:40 p.m. -- LAPEER COUNTY -- Below is a list of the summer sports camps and clinics that will take place through early Aug. The regular sports update posting of high... KSA's decision to cut ties can't cover its big crime: Rouhani Bahrain, UAE, Sudan rally to Saudi side: Kuwait recalls envoy from Iran: UN condemns attacks on Saudi embassy: US fears regional conflict Al Jazeera News : Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has said Saudi Arabia's decision to cut diplomatic ties with Tehran "cannot cover its crime" of executing prominent Shia religious leader Nimr al-Nimr. Riyadh on Sunday severed relations with Iran after its embassy in Tehran was set ablaze during protests against Saudi Arabia's execution of Nimr, who was put to death along with 46 other mostly Sunni convicts on terrorism charges. "The Saudi government has taken a strange action and cut off its diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran to cover its crimes," Rouhani said on Tuesday in a meeting with Danish Foreign Minister Kristian Jensen, reported by Iran's official IRNA news agency. Allies back Saudi Arabia in showdown with Iran "Undoubtedly, such actions can't cover up that big crime," he added. Rouhani's comments are the latest in an escalating diplomatic row between regional heavyweights Iran and Saudi Arabia that has raised international concerns over peace efforts to end the wars in Syria and Yemen - the nations support opposite sides in the two conflicts. The Saudi ambassador to the UN said on Monday, though, that the severing of the ties "should have no effect" on attempts to end to the wars. "We will continue to work very hard towards supporting the peace efforts in Syria, in Yemen, wherever there might be a need for that," Abdullah al-Mouallimi told reporters in New York. "How is that going to affect the behaviour of Iran, we do not know, you will need to ask the Iranians for that," added al-Mouallimi, accusing Tehran of not being supportive of attempts to find peace before this latest falling out between the two nations. "They have been taking provocative and negative positions and lines, and as such I don't think that the breaking of relations is going to dissuade them from such behaviour." Earlier on Tuesday, Kuwait became the latest country in the region to back Riyadh, recalling its ambassador to Iran over the attacks on the Saudi diplomatic mission. Bahrain, Sudan and the UAE have also rallied to Saudi Arabia's side, breaking off or downgrading relations with Iran in recent days. Iran has accused Saudi Arabia of using the attack on the embassy as a pretext to fuel tensions. On Sunday, UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon issued a statement criticising both the executions and the attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran. The US government also expressed public fears over the escalating war of words. "We do continue to be concerned about the need for both the Iranians and the Saudis to de-escalate the situation," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. "We are urging all sides to show some restraint and to not further inflame tensions that are on quite vivid display in the region." Turkey said that it hoped the tension would diminish "as soon as possible". "The region is already engulfed by a circle of fire, it can no longer bear bigger crises," said Numan Kurtulmus, Turkey's deputy prime minister. "As a country which has friendly relations with Iran and Saudi Arabia, we believe that both countries should show restraint." Gov. Andrew Cuomo boasts about the state's record $25 billion investment in upstate New York since he took office five years ago. In the 2016-17 fiscal year, he hopes to add to that mark with billions more in infrastructure funding, tax cuts and other support to bolster upstate's economy. At an event in Rochester Tuesday, Cuomo unveiled his plan to allocate $7 billion for upstate projects and other initiatives. "We have made upstate a priority for a long time and this is going to follow that tradition," he said. The proposals include a $300 million tax cut for small businesses. The three-part plan would reduce the corporate tax rate for small businesses from 6.5 percent to 4 percent. For small businesses that file individual tax returns, Cuomo wants to exempt 15 percent of their income for taxable purposes. Partnerships and small businesses filing as S corporations also will receive the 15 percent exemption. Over a five-year period, Cuomo said the tax cuts will help more than 1 million small businesses in New York save $1.5 billion. "It's exactly the signal that we want to send," he said. Other proposals outlined by Cuomo: - The four regional economic development councils that weren't successful in the 2015 Upstate Revitalization Initiative competition will each receive $50 million grants to help fund projects endorsed by the panels. "We want them to know we're with them and we want to fund their top projects," Cuomo said. - A sixth round of the regional economic development council initiative. The state will provide $750 million to fund projects throughout the state. - A new Downtown NY initiative. Cuomo proposes allocating $100 million to fund downtown redevelopment projects. Ten communities one in each of the state's 10 regions will receive $10 million each to revitalize downtown areas. The state will provide urban planning experts to assist with the development of the revitalization plans, Cuomo said. - Cuomo wants to increase funding for water infrastructure projects by $100 million, bringing the state's commitment up to $300 million. He said this will leverage $1.5 billion in local investments to fund infrastructure repairs. "That's going to make a significant difference all across upstate New York," he said. Cuomo plans to make more announcements on other upstate initiatives during his joint State of the State and executive budget address Jan. 13 in Albany. PBL launches Master Credit Card Md. Abdul Halim Chowdhury, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Pubali Bank Limited poses at the inaugural ceremony of Master Card Credit Card in the city on Wednesday. Economic Reporter : Pubali Bank Limited on Wednesday announced the launch of their first MasterCard credit card in Bangladesh. Cardholders will get access to unique privileges and discounts with MasterCard's wide network of partner merchants in the country. Md. Abdul Halim Chowdhury, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Shafiul Alam Khan Chowdhury, Additional Managing Director, Mohammad Ali, Deputy Managing Director and other Senior Officials Gitanka D. Datta, Vice President of MasterCard Bangladesh attended the launch of the credit card. Speaking on the launching ceremony, Md. Abdul Halim Chowdhury said, "We are a leading bank of Bangladesh and our focus has always been on enhancing customer experience by providing the best product and technology to them. We are delighted to partner with MasterCard and launch the first Pubali Bank MasterCard credit card to provide a richer experience and endless benefits to cardholders. Bangladesh is a progressing economy and we are committed to introducing safe and secure technology in the banking sector and promote the country's transition to a cashless economy." Syed Mohammad Kamal, Country Manager, MasterCard Bangladesh echoed the sentiment and added, "MasterCard aims to see a world beyond cash. Our partnership with Pubali Bank is a step toward making this a reality by introducing pioneering technology solutions of global standard that ensures both security and added convenience to cardholders. The new credit card comes with unrivalled features and benefits for cardholders which complement the fast paced lifestyle of our upwardly mobile consumers in the country." With an extensive network of over 1,000 partner merchants in Bangladesh, MasterCard seeks to offer cardholders greater access to a variety of privileges and discounts. Pubali Bank is also expanding their partner network to complement these offers. The new collaboration will bring consumer promotional offers like BOGO (Buy-1-Get-1) at leading hotels and resorts in Cox's Bazar and Sylhet where cardholders will be eligible for a complimentary night stay at a hotel. Additionally, cardholders will be eligible for a free supplementary card. Sweatmeat factories fined Tk 30 lakh Chittagong Bureau : A mobile court of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on Tuesday night fined two sweet factories at city's Panchliah and Bitazid area Taka 30 lakh for different reasons. RAB Executive Magistrate Sarwar led the mobile court at Shershah Colony area under Biyazid thana fined Banoful Sweets factory and Bibirhat area under Panchlish thana, fined Madhuban Sweets factory Taka 15 lakh each. Banoful Sweets factory was fined for producing adulterate foods items, selling packaged products without mentioning expiry date on the products while Madhuban Sweets factory was fined for producing sweetmeats in unhygienic environment using Shisa and Ghonochini, said the executive magistrate. Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen intensify as rebels fire back AP, Sanaa : Yemeni security officials say the Saudi-led coalition has intensified airstrikes on the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, targeting Shiite rebels known as Houthis. The officials said Wednesday the airstrikes targeted rebel positions in Sanaa, including those at the presidential palace and the airport. They say at least 20 Houthis have been killed in the strikes since Tuesday. The officials, who are independent in the conflict that has torn Yemen apart, spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Meanwhile, tribal officials in the Houthi stronghold of Saada in northern Yemen, which borders Saudi Arabia, say rebels have been launching rockets into Saudi Arabia. They say this has stepped up since a truce ended last Saturday. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to reporters. Geneva report adds: At least 81 civilians were killed in Yemen last month, most of them in Saudi-led airstrikes, despite a short-lived and repeatedly violated ceasefire, the United Nations said Tuesday. "During the month of December, at least 62 civilians were reported to have been killed by airstrikes attributed to the coalition forces," Rupert Colville, spokesman for the UN human rights agency, told reporters. That number, he pointed out, was more than double the 29 civilians reported killed in such strikes a month earlier. The number of civilians killed by the Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels and their allies was meanwhile cut by two thirds to at least 11 in December from 32 a month earlier, Colville said. The remaining eight civilian deaths last month have not yet been conclusively attributed to either side, he told AFP. The dramatic increase in the number of civilians killed in airstrikes came despite a ceasefire declared on December 15, at the same time as UN-backed peace talks between the warring sides began in Switzerland. But the talks ended five days later with no major breakthrough, and the ceasefire collapsed on January 2 after being violated on a daily basis. Colville pointed out that UN rights agency staff had begun receiving reports of violations "within minutes of the ceasefire beginning." The ceasefire certainly did little to shield civilians. On December 18, he pointed out, 18 civilians were allegedly killed when two airstrikes hit a civilian house in Wadi Kena, in Saada, and two days later, six civilians, including three children, were killed in strikes on a residential neighbourhood in Al Hudayhda City. Azarenka moves into Brisbane quarters AFP, Brisbane : Former world number one Victoria Azarenka moved into the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International when she downed little-known Belgian Ysaline Bonaventure 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday. Bonaventure, who had lost in the final qualifying round, gained a main draw spot when top seed Simona Halep pulled out with a leg injury on Tuesday. She pushed the two-time grand slam winner hard, particularly in the 56-minute first set when she blasted 18 clean winners. But once Azarenka weathered the storm she was able to master the 21-year-old Belgian and was never really troubled thereafter. "I think the beginning definitely was really tough," said 26-year-old Azarenka. "She played very well. You know, it's always a little bit of a moment of adaptation when you don't know who you play, so it's an adjustment. "But I'm glad I could stay strong in the beginning and turn it around, because it wasn't going my way at first for sure." Azarenka spent 51 weeks as world number one in 2012 but suffered a severe foot injury in 2014, finishing the year at 32. She was then hampered by a left thigh problem in 2015, which affected her climb back to the top 10. Azarenka started the year at number 22 and is unseeded this week. Nizami`s death penalty upheld Verdict amid tight security in and around SC Massive search on vehicles were conducted in all key-points of the city on Wednesday to avoid any untoward situation centering verdict on appeal by war criminal Matiur Rahman Nizami. Staff Reporter :The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the death sentence of war crimes convict Matiur Rahman Nizami, Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami, for his crimes against humanity during the War of Liberation in 1971.Rejecting Nizami's appeal, a four-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice SK Sinha, delivered the verdict amid tight security in and around the court. The other judges of the bench are Justice Nazmun Ara Sultana, Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain and Justice Hasan Foez Siddique.The verdict removed the last legal barrier to execution of the Jamaat leader by hanging unless he is granted a presidential clemency. Three leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami and one BNP leader had so far been convicted by the tribunal and executed.Nizami was accused of setting up the Al-Badr militia, a paramilitary unit accused of collaborating with the Pakistani army in large-scale killings and targeting Bangladesh's Hindu minority and intelligentsia. He was convicted on charges of genocide, murder, torture and rape. Many of those killed during the nine-month war of secession were teachers, engineers and journalists. The SC upheld the International Crimes Tribunal-1 order that sentenced Nizami to death for committing crimes. The apex court upheld Nizami's death penalty for three of the four counts of charges, while he was acquitted for the rest one. The SC upheld Nizami's life term imprisonment for two charges, out of four for arrest, detention, torture, and murder of three people, including Maulana Kasim Uddin of Pabna Zila School on June 4 in 1971, complicity in torture, murder and rape at Mohammadpur Physical Training Institute in Dhaka, and murder of Badi, Rumi Jewel and Azad at Old MP Hostel in Dhaka on August 30 in 1971. The SC acquitted the Jamaat leader of two other charges.On December 8 last, the SC fixed January 6 for delivering the verdict on the appeal filed by condemned Nizami challenging the death penalty. Earlier, the defence placed their arguments on November 30, December 1 and 2 while the prosecution completed placing arguments on December 8.On October 29 in 2014, the International Crimes Tribunal-1 sentenced Nizami to death. Nizami filed an appeal challenging the death sentence and claimed himself innocent and sought to be cleared of the charges on November 23 in 2014.After receiving the full text of the verdict, Nizami will be allowed 15 days time to decide whatever he will file a review against the judgment. Otherwise, the state can move for execution.Attorney General Mahbubey Alam expressed satisfaction with the verdict. Defence lawyers, however, said that they did not get justice.After the SC verdict, Mahbubey Alam said that the verdict reflected the expectations of the nation. The Jamaat leader's execution would be carried out after the disposal of review, if he files it, he added. He said that following the SC verdict, it has been established that Nizami was involved with the killing of intellectuals and professionals.Meanwhile, Nizami's lawyers said that their client would take decision on the review petition. Then they would move in this regard. Advocate Khandker Mahbub Hossain, principal lawyer for Nizami, told reporters, "The decision to file a review is entirely a personal choice of my client. If he gives consent, we will go for review."Khandker Mahbub Hossain, also President of Supreme Court Bar Association, said that the tribunal targeted the wrong men. "The entire world knows what the Pakistan army did during the Liberation War in 1971. They committed the offence of murder, offence of arson, offence of rape, and mass killing. They are let off," he said. Merkel office sealed off due to suspicious package RT : The office of German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been sealed off after the discovery of a suspicious package, Reuters reports citing a police spokesman. The mail box was later discovered to be harmless, and police have given the all-clear. "We are investigating a suspicious package," a police spokesman told Reuters earlier. An eyewitness also informed the agency there were four yellow plastic crates visible in the sealed-off area. The spokesman added that the package had been discovered in the course of a routine patrol at 8:30 local time. Several hours later, the police informed reporters that "the experts found nothing suspicious." Four yellow crates resembling mail boxes were described by eyewitnesses as being inside the sealed off area. The German channel N24 earlier cited police as saying the objects were indeed mail. The news comes as Europe is on high alert over a sharp rise in terrorist attacks - the most recent major one being the November 2015 attacks in Paris, which claimed 130 lives. Since then, a string of threats and alerts have been coming in across the continent. Compounding this problem is the huge influx of refugees created by the fighting in the Middle East and North Africa. As Europe tries to prove to the world its commitment to its values and accept more refugees, the potential threat of terrorism is growing with the influx. This has led authorities to intensify already draconian checks, with an increased focus on Muslims. Many experts worry this is creating a vicious cycle of radicalization in Europe. Abbas sent to jail on surrender in arson cases Court Correspondent : The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court of Dhaka on Wednesday sent BNP Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas to the jail rejecting his bail petitions in three cases. Of the cases, two were filed with Paltan and Motijheel Police Stations in December 2014, and January, last year on the charge of creating violence. Magistrate Md Mahabubur Rahman of the CMM Court passed the order rejecting the BNP leader's bail petitions in two separate cases filed with two police stations. Earlier on Wednesday morning, Mirza Abbas surrendered to the court and sought bail in five cases- two filed with Mirpur Police Station, one each with Paltan and Motijheel Police Stations. He has been facing a graft case filed with the Special Judge Court-4 of Dhaka. The court, however, allowed him bail in two arson cases filed with Mirpur Police Station. His Counsel Sanaullah Maih stood for his bail, while Public Prosecutor M Abdullah Abu argued on behalf of the state. On December 28, 2014, some miscreants torched a bus of the Ministry of Public Administration at Paltan intersection on the eve of the shutdown (hartal) of December 29. Later, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) M Abdul Malek Hawlader of Paltan Police Station filed a case against 43 people, including BNP Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Mirza Abbas, and 20-25 unidentified people under the Explosive Substances Act. On January 4, last year, Sub-Inspector of Motijheel Police Station, Suman Chandra Nath, filed another case against 81 BNP leaders and activists, including Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Mirza Abbas, and Barrister Andalib Rahman Partha, for the same allegations, as some miscreants torched a private car at AGB Colony in Motijheel area ahead of the hartal of January 5. Consul office of Ethiopia opens in city Staff Reporter : The inauguration ceremony of the office of the Honorary Consul of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to the Peoples' Republic of Bangladesh was held in the grand ball room of the Westin, Dhaka on 2nd January, 2016. Shams Mahmud has been designated as the Honorary Consul of Ethiopia to Bangladesh. The address of the new Consular Office is at House no - 23, Road no- 129, Gulshan Avenue, Gulshan-1, Dhaka-1212. Gennet Zewide, the Ambassador of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to Bangladesh, Nepal, Thailand and India was present in the ceremony with her officials. Shahriar Alam, M.P, State Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attended the ceremony as the chief guest. Hussain Muhammad Ershad, MP, Former President & Special Envoy to the Prime Minister and Rowshan Ershad, MP, Leader of the opposition in the Parliament also attended the ceremony. Top government officials, foreign diplomats, civil society and media representatives were present. Shams Mahmud is the only son of Mrs Parveen Mahmud, FCA and Anisul Islam Mahmud, MP, Minister, Ministry of Water Resource. Shams Mahmud is the Managing Director of Shasha Denims Limited, one of the leading Denim manufacturing companies in Bangladesh. He is also the chairman of Energies Power Corporation Ltd, Managing Director of Shasha Garments Limited and Shasha Textiles Limited. Male relatives can accompany female workers to KSA Deal signing soon Sagar Biswas : Saudi Arabia has lifted its "informal restriction" on Bangladesh, allowing the country to send male workers to the kingdom along with the housemaids. The restriction has been relaxed by the Saudi authority apparently to encourage sending female workers from the country like Bangladesh. The male workers will discharge their duties under the supervision of Saudi Domestic Service, officials said on Wednesday. Bangladesh government and the government of Saudi Arabia have already reached a consensus about the issue. The signing of agreement in this regard will take place soon after the joint working groups of both countries sit to finalise the overall recruiting process, the officials said. "From now, a female domestic help will be accompanied by a male worker, when she will go to Saudi Arabia. The male worker also can go without any cost. But he must be a nearest relation of the female worker," Nurul Islam BSC, Minister for Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment, said. Clarifying the stance of government, the Minister during a media briefing at the Prabashi Kalyan Bhaban yesterday said that such initiative has been taken to ensure 'security and safety' of Bangladeshi female workers in Saudi Arabia. It is to be noted that Bangladesh had signed an MoU [memorandum of understanding] with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in February last year to send 2,00,000 domestic help without any cost. In the first phase, the KSA showed interest to take 30, 000 female domestic help in June last year. But significantly, the Bangladeshi female workers showed less interest to go to KSA, even with no cost facility. Only 20, 951 female workers registered their names till the date for going Saudi Arabia. In this situation, Bangladesh set condition to KSA that it would have take one male worker against each female domestic help. Students to bear pay-hike of their teachers Schools raise tuition fee M M Jasim : The students and guardians have been demonstrating in city's different schools since Sunday against the increase of tuition fees by the school authorities without consulting the guardians. According to the guardians, different school authorities have increased tuition fees from 46 to 62 per cent which, they said, is very difficult for them to pay. They also threatened for tougher movement if their demand for withdrawal of the increased fees is not met soon. The school authorities, on the other hand, said they have increased the tuition fees to meet the enhanced salary of the teachers and employees. The students and guardians of Bangladesh Bank Adarsha High School held a demonstration on the school premises from 9:00am to 12:00pm on Wednesday. As the school authorities are yet to meet their demand, the guardians vowed to continue their demonstration until their demand is met. Nasir Uddin, a guardian, said the school authorities informed them about the increase of tuition fees without any prior consultation with them. "My son is a student of class VI. I had to pay Tk 350 per month as tuition fee last year. Now I have to pay Tk 500 per month which is very difficult for me to pay. We have been demonstrating for the cancellation of the increased fees, but no result," he said. "My daughter is a student of class III. I paid Tk 250 per month. Now I have been asked to pay Tk 400. It is so high for me, said Md Hasan Mahmud, another guardian. However, the headmaster of school, Mostafa Kamal, told The New Nation yesterday that due to the enhance of salary of teachers and employees, they have to spend around Tk 33 lakh per month while they could earn only Tk 17 lakh after increasing of tuition fees. He asked the guardians to submit a memorandum to the managing committee of the school to press home of their demand. Acting Principal of Willes Little Flower School and College Abul Hossain said, "We have enhanced the salary of our teachers and other staff members. So, we have decided to increase the tuition fees." On Sunday, the guardians and the students of Wills Little Flower School at Kakrail in city blocked the road in front of the school protesting against the increase of tuition fees by the school authorities. The blockade triggered severe traffic jam in the area. The Willes Little Flower has increased tuition fees between Taka 900 and 1200 for its Bengali, English Version and English Medium students. Meanwhile, Ideal School and College has increased the tuition fees for Bengali and English version of by Taka 100 and 200 from the existing ones, while Viqarunnisa Noon School and College enhanced fees by Taka 200. The parents said they have received letters from school administration that planned to increase the school fees which is unrealistic and too high. "Our movement against the discrimination and fixation of new tuition fees will continue until the issue is settled," said Abdul Halim, an agitating guardian of Wills Little Flower School. "We requested the school authorities not to increase the tuition fees as it will be quite impossible for them to pay. We also gave them time till January 20 to resolve the problem," Nilufar Begum, a guardian told this reporter yesterday. The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (SHSE) has formed a probe committee to investigate the allegation. Director General of SHSE Professor Fahima Khatun told The New Nation on Wednesday that the probe committee has asked to submit its report as early as possible. "We also asked the school authorities in the city to submit their report on expenditure. We will take action against schools who will fail to submit it in time," she added. She also said, "The students and guardians should not go to demonstration as they could inform us if the school authorities do not respond to their demand positively." U.S. Rep. John Katko doesn't dispute that the rise in gun violence must be addressed. But he disagrees with President Barack Obama's use of executive authority to impose policies instead of working with Congress on legislation. Obama announced several actions, including a requirement that will force any business selling guns, whether it's at a gun show, online or in a store, to secure a license and conduct background checks on buyers. He also proposed bolstering the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' ability to enforce existing gun laws by hiring 200 new agents. The proposals have been lauded by Democrats, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. Cuomo, who successfully pushed for passage of a new state gun control law the SAFE Act in 2013, said Obama's executive actions are a "critically needed step forward." "For too long, the American people have been without sensible gun control at the federal level," Cuomo said in a statement. "Thousands of lives have been cut short and countless families have been forced to bury their loved ones too soon all due to gun violence. "The fact that Congress refuses to act and pass a national law that protects the American people while also respecting their Second Amendment rights defies common sense." But Katko, R-Camillus, doesn't believe Obama's approach is the right one to combat gun violence. Bypassing Congress to implement these policies is a "divisive tactic," he said. "Meaningful and effective reform will only come if we do more to improve background check systems, actually identify those individuals who pose threats, improve access to mental health care and work to counter radical extremism," he said. "I have and will continue to work on these types of bipartisan, common sense solutions in Congress so that our nation can come together and make a difference to protect our communities from gun violence." While Katko isn't supportive of Obama's actions, he does believe more needs to be done to prevent gun violence. Before running for Congress in 2014, he was a federal prosecutor in Syracuse. From that experience, he learned that local law enforcement agencies lack the resources to enforce existing laws. To reduce shootings, Katko said local law enforcement needs more support and the background check system should be improved. Greater access to mental health services also should be a priority. Katko also stated his support for a bill that would prevent terrorists from buying guns. U.S. Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican, has introduced a bill that would prohibit individuals who have provided material support to a terrorist group or may have ties to terrorism from purchasing firearms. The legislation has 94 cosponsors, most of whom are Democrats. Crisis in the Gulf may adversely affect manpower export THE country's overseas manpower market is shrinking, because of ongoing economic crisis at some places and political and military turmoil at others across the world, news report said while experts equally blame the inability and inefficiency of our government to maintain proper channel with the government of the recruiting countries and their employers in public and private sectors to keep the markets on hold. The most worrying factor is that since the Middle East and Gulf states are major destination of Bangladesh workers and as the conflict in the region is spreading, the market appears to be facing major risks of shrinking, if not a complete shut down from violence and military actions at different fronts. The report has quoted an official of Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) as saying that the country may face severe set back as most markets are closing to force Bangladesh to concentrate in sending workers to Qatar and Oman - two top destinations at the moment as UAE and Saudi Arabia have stopped recruitment for quite some time. Government manpower export figure for 2015 show more than 5.5 lakh Bangladeshi nationals have gone abroad for jobs during this period and nearly 80 per cent travelled to the Gulf and other Middle Eastern countries. Now that the region is becoming destabilized following the snatching of diplomatic ties by Saudi Arabia with Iran and about half a dozen Gulf countries joined the escalation, Bangladesh has a lot to think about new market. Experts believe that the government must take serious diplomatic efforts to protect the existing market and expand new market in Africa, and in East and South Asia where the situation is peaceful and faster economic growth needs more workers. Many fear that the situation may not be the same this year as the last year when the highest number of workers went to Oman followed by Qatar. Insiders said recruitment by Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Iraq drastically slowed down and in the new situation the need for foreign workers in those countries might suffer the major setback. Meanwhile Bangladesh manpower demand in Malaysia has also dropped mainly because of systemic problem how to recruit and who will oversee recruitment to make it transparent and free from corruption and exploitation of poor workers. The limited market in Europe has become almost shut following Syrian refugee crisis and tightening of their border and internal labour market. Bangladesh is heavily dependent on expatriate remittance, besides finding jobs to young people entering job market every year. Any setback will bring catastrophe and we believe the government and private sector must work accordingly. Looking for the vulture assist with Neolithic burials 2 years ago . NEWS AND VIEWS THAT IMPACT LIMITED CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT "There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty." - - - - John Adams Steve Williams has a message for the two other candidates seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge U.S. Rep. John Katko in November. Let's debate. Williams, an attorney from Baldwinsville, said his campaign will send formal letters to Colleen Deacon and Eric Kingson the two other Democrats running for Congress requesting debates. His campaign has already contacted Democratic committee leaders throughout the 24th Congressional District about organizing the forums. He hopes the discussions will be held before county Democratic committees endorses a candidate in the congressional race. The 24th District includes Cayuga, Onondaga and Wayne counties, plus the western portion of Oswego County. "Given the diversity of the district, and the range of issues our next congressperson will face, I propose a debate in each of the four counties in the district," Williams said in a statement. "The voters of our district deserve an in-depth, positive discussion of the issues affecting central New York." The three candidates will participate in a public forum at 7 p.m. Thursday at Manlius Library. The event was organized by the Manlius Democratic Committee. Kingson said he will participate in any debates that are held in each of the district's four counties. "I welcome that," he said. "People should get to know who would like to represent them." A representative for Deacon's campaign said they're talking to the committees and are "happy to participate in whatever the parties want to do in advance of the designation process." Williams, an ex-U.S. Navy prosecutor who's now a partner at Smith Sovik in Syracuse, entered the congressional race in October. His announcement came a few weeks after Deacon, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's former central New York regional director, announced her candidacy on Oct. 1. Kingson, a Syracuse University professor and Social Security expert, officially launched his campaign in September. Picked up a copy of the Times of London this week.They have an Irish edition.Thought I might pose with it on Main Street.I'm going for the executive look this season.It's as close as I get to a new year's resolution.During a lull in the posing, I wandered into a cafe and for want of anything better to do, began to read the Times of London.And lo!What light through yonder window breaks.It is the east and my cousin Freddie Treeves is the sun.Amid a cornucopia of wearisome arteekles about climate change, there was one particularly dramatic surprisingly fascinating splash in the centre page featuring my own cousin no less and his shop being inundated in the south eastern town of Enniscorthy.Here's larfs, thinks I sympathetically, reading eagerly.The Times gave a little back story, pointing out that Freddie's family business had traded since 1880.Close enough.The family were indeed doing business in the nineteenth century.Some romantics say as early as 1820.But that's only if you consider sheep stealing a business.Arf arf.I'm not going to fault the Times on that.No the flubber is that while the family have indeed been in business since 1880, they have been in business in Enniscorthy for just the last twenty years.The 135 year old business was here in Kilcullen.So we wouldn't really have been in a position to note any climate change down Enniscorthy way before the Britney Spears era.The Times didn't bother finding out that our family bought the Enniscorthy premises at the side of a bloody great river so recently. Nor did the Times find out that we made the purchase during a long hot Summer without bothering to check whether the nearby river flooded the premises during Ireland's traditional winter storms. (Plot spoiler: It did.)Under the pression of a sort of selective noblesse oblige, Freddie did tell the man from the Times that the premises had flooded once before, around the year 2000.My Uncle Ron confrimed for me this evening: "Sure it's always flooding."Still.No need to let something so arcane as a reality check spoil a good climate change story.The most poignant bit of the Times account was where they described my fatigued gritty tousled cousin (played by Bruce Willis) sleeping upstairs in the shop as he had stayed there late trying to move stock to safety.He woke up in the morning and found the ground floor under three feet of water.He was eventually evacuated by boat.He really was.The Times got that bit right.I would have to quibble though with the three feet of water reportage.And knowing Freddie I would also quibble with them about the reasons for an evacuation by boat.I'm guessing maybe twelve inches of water in the ground floor of the shop.And the necessity of a boat to evacuate the cousin?Well Freddie is a big tough rugby player and could stroll through three feet of alligator infested water without a problem for anyone except the alligators. Only he is also a rather natty dresser and would not like to get his cuff links or his Brooks Brothers trouser suit damp.Listen folks.It's not exactly a scene from the disaster movie Twenty Eight Days Later, is it!I can practically hear Freddie's exclamation as he looked downstairs yesterday: "F------ water, It'll ruin my Calvins. I'm calling the cops."And the Paddy Whacks brought in a boat to evacuate him,You gorra larf.The punchline of this Pullitzer Prize winning piece of Times romanticism came with Freddie telling the reporter: "We don't want relief assistance. We want people to stop shopping on line and to start buying from local retailers again. That's the only way you're going to have businesses on main street."Ah yes.I agree with Freddie on that point.At least he's put his finger on the real cause of climate change in Ireland.King Canute couldn't have said it better.By the by, there's another more bathetic boat story doing the rounds from our winter of climate change.Assistant Prime Minister Maisie Baines (Or some such name, she's the Labour Party woman, election slogan: "And abortions for all") was visiting a disaster zone in the west of Ireland.She was being transported in a canoe.The canoe tipped over.The canoe tipped over because the depth of flood water in the disaster zone was not sufficient for a canoe to gain traction.Oh the humanity.Well folks, I do not believe the planet is doomed from climate change.But I do think the Times of London is doomed.It can't be long now.Last word to teeny bopper temptress pop group Bewitched, who like all Irish teeny boppers are aged in their fifties.Take it away girls: AUBURN | Fifth-grade students at Casey Park Elementary School sat in its auditorium Tuesday expecting to hear a talk about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Instead, they found a magician on stage in a black tuxedo with a bright red shirt and black bow tie, handcuffed and working to break free. "It creates an element of surprise," said Karvell, the 65-year-old magician, about his performance, "There Is No Magic In Drugs." He continued, "It relaxes the atmosphere, and then turns around and becomes an educational lecture, but the students don't even realize it." Karvell is the magician's stage name. (He wishes to keep his real name private.) A lifelong resident of Auburn, Karvell got into magic as a child. It was his way to escape bullying at school and his father's alcohol abuse, he said. "I became very quiet and very shy, and also afraid of my dad," Karvell told the students. "I share all this to let you know I have problems in life. You'll have problems in life. I don't have the answer, but I do know drugs and alcohol are not the answer." Every magician has magic words, and Karvell's were "Yes I can" words to empower his young audience to refuse drugs and alcohol. Every time the students said the magic words, an empty bucket of water suddenly became full, and Karvell would pour it out. Murmurs and whispers spread through the crowd. "What?" a student gasped. When he showed students the empty bucket, they'd say the magic words again. And again, the bucket magically became full. "Drugs and alcohol doesn't care about who we are," Karvell said. "It will play no favors with you, but you have the powers of the magic words." Karvell has been doing magic and teaching children about the dangers of drugs and alcohol for the last 24 years. He travels all over central New York, from Auburn to Binghamton and Lockport to Utica. He recently performed for a school in Watkins Glen. His program has also been featured in Atlanta, Georgia and some parts of Pennsylvania. Karvell has had many sponsors over the years, including the Cayuga County Sheriff's Department. He has performed at the graduations for the international Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, in addition to special assemblies at schools, like Tuesday morning's. His performance at Casey Park Elementary was sponsored by Generations Bank; it's the bank's ninth year doing so. "Just talking to the kids isn't effective," said Anthea Perry, assistant principal of Casey Park Elementary School. "You need to keep their attention. We're trying to find new and different ways to get the message across." Perry said Karvell's magic show has done a great job getting the children engaged. This is his fourth year performing at Casey Park Elementary. And for Karvell, there's something particularly special about performing in his hometown. "I went to the school on Genesee Street," Karvell said. "That was unique (performing there), because here I'm in a school where I actually walked the halls. It's amazing, too, driving around and remembering the ways I walked home from school." The most rewarding part for Karvell, he said, is the reaction he gets from the students. It's their participation in the magic show, their raised hands and enthusiasm, that hits home. Sometimes a student or two will approach Karvell after the show to ask for advice or tell them about problems they may be having at school or home. He gets letters from students, too. "You don't know how you can inspire someone," Karvell said to the sea of young faces. "You have your whole lifetime to make a difference." If you are looking for the new Immoral Minority posts, you should know that they can be found here at our new home Please stop by to get caught up on politics, join the conversations, or simply check out the new digs. Incoming Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne Photo courtesy Louisiana lieutenant governor's office One Acadiana will host a meeting Thursday with newly appointed Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne, who will discuss the upcoming special legislative session. Dardennes new boss, Gov.-elect John Bel Edwards, is planning a three-week special session that will commence the week after Mardi Gras to work on stabilizing Louisianas finances, the Associated Press reports. His administration estimates the state faces a $750 million shortfall in the remaining six months of the $25 billion budget that ends June 30, and a gap more than twice that size next year, AP says. Edwards takes office Jan. 11. Dardenne will speak from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at The Picard Center, following U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidys 9:30 a.m. discussion. Monet rahapelien ystavat ovat viime vuosina loytaneet netticasinot ja olleet ihmeissaan. Verrattuna kotimaisen Veikkauksen kivijalkarahapeleihin puhutaan aivan eri tason palautusprosenteista ja lisaksi pelaaminen on aarimmaisen helppoa ja turvallista. Netticasinoiden maara on tana paivana todella suuri ja niita loytyy jokaiseen lahtoon, suurin ongelma aloittelevalla pelaajalla onkin tehda valinta siita, minka netticasinon valitsee. Kaikkien netticasinoiden mainospuheet naet lupaavat kauniita asioita ja niiden lapinakeminen on tietysti tarkeaa. Nyrkkisaantona voidaan kuitenkin jo kattelyssa todeta, etta jos valitsemasi netticasino on lisensoitu ETA-alueella, sen kanssa ei tule olemaan ongelmia, ellei niita itse jarjesta. Kay tutustumassa parhaisiin netticasinoihin osoitteessa www.ilmaiskierroksia.info! Ensimmainen nyrkkisaanto on siis varmistaa, etta valitsemallasi netticasinolla on ETA-alueen lisenssi. Suurimmassa osassa tapauksista se on Maltan eli MGA:n lisenssi. Myos Viron, Englannin ja Gibraltarin lisensseja nakyy ja naissa valvonta on jopa Maltaa tiukempaa. Lopputulema on kuitenkin se, etta ETA-alueen lisenssi takaa suomalaisille verovapaat voitot seka sen, etta niita valvotaan kontrolloidusti. Maailmalla on iso nippu Curacaon lisenssilla toimivia netticasinoita ja niistakin suurin osa on laadukkaita. Ne eivat kuitenkaan ole suomalaisille asiakkaille verovapaita, joten emme suosittele niita. Tana paivana markkinoille on ilmaantunut paljon ETA-alueella toimiva netticasinoita ilman rekisteroitymista. Jos tarkoitus on vain pelata yksittaisia pelikertoja, on varsin helppo suositella naita. Netticasinot ilman rekisteroitymista tarjoavat palvelun tunnistautumisen verkkopankin avainlukulistan avulla ja saman palvelun kautta tapahtuvat talletukset ja mahdolliset voittojen nostot silmanrapayksessa. Normaaleihin netticasinoihin pitaa asiakkaan rekisteroitya, tehda talletukset ja tunnistautua dokumenttien avulla. Tama on lisenssiehtojen mukainen kaytanto, eika kovinkaan monimutkainen, mutta silti monet asiakkaat haluavat yksinkertaista ja nopeaa palvelua. Toki normaalit netticasinot tarjoavat usein asiakkailleen laadukkaita talletusbonuksia ja erilaisia kampanjoita, joten kannattaa tarkkaan punnita, kumman ratkaisun valitsee. Kannattaa myos muistaa, etta tunnistautuminen tehdaan vain kerran, joten mikaan jatkuva riippakivi se ei ole. Suomalaiset asiakkaat ovat netticasinoille tarkeita, joten kaikilla vahankin laadukkailla netticasinoilla on suomenkieliset sivut seka suomenkielinen asiakaspalvelu suomenkielisyys kannattaakin ottaa netticasinoa valittaessa nyrkkisaannoksi. Vaikka tana paivana englanninkielisyys on harvoille ongelma, on suomenkielisten netticasinoiden maara niin valtava, etta suosittelemme niiden kayttoa. Rahansiirrot ovat tana paivana niin hyvassa mallissa, etta niiden kanssa tuskin tulee mitaan ongelmia. Kolme tarkeinta segmenttia: Suomalaiset verkkopankit, luottokortit (Visa, Mastercard) seka nettilompakot (Skrill, Neteller) loytyvat jokaisesta laadukkaasta netticasinosta. Viime vuosien trendiksi noussut verkkokauppa on kehittanyt rahansiirrot niin laadukkaiksi ja nopeiksi, etta niiden suhteen ei ole enaa vuosiin ollut ongelmia. Luonnollisesti netticasinot kayttavat naita samoja palveluita ja hyotyvat kehityksesta. Naiden isojen linjojen jalkeen netticasinon valintaan vaikuttavat luonnollisesti tarjottavat tervetuliaisbonukset uudet asiakkaat saavat tana paivana kovan kilpailun myota merkittavia etuja netticasinoilta ja niita kannattaa luonnollisesti vertailla. Erilaiset talletusbonukset, ilmaiskierrokset seka ilmaiset pelirahat tuovat suuriakin rahanarvoisia etuja ja niiden vertailu on ehdottomasti kannattavaa. Myoskaan useampien tilien avaaminen ja tervetuliaistarjousten kayttaminen ei missaan nimessa ole huono idea. Kun edella mainitut asiat ovat mieleisia ja vaihtoehtoja on vielakin jaljella, mennaan jo nyansseihin. Toki pelivalikoima on yksi kriteeri, mutta taman paivan netticasinoissa tamakin asia on paasaantoisesti varsin samanlainen. Toki useamman samantasoisen netticasinon vertailussa kannattaa yleensa valita se, jossa on eniten peleja tarjolla. Vaikka omat suosikit loytyisivatkin useammasta, voi tulevaisuudessa mielenkiinto nousta joihinkin muihin peleihin ja silloin on tietysti mukavampaa, etta ne loytyvat valikoimista. Viimeisena voidaan nostaa esiin kaytettavyys joidenkin netticasinoiden sivut ovat vilkkuvia, valkkyvia ja epakaytannollisia. Omaan silmaan ja kaytettavyyteen sopiva sivusto on luonnollisesti aina se paras valinta. Tarjonta netticasinoissa on tana paivana valtava ja jokaiselle loytyy varmasti se oma netticasino onnea matkaan! The Cayuga County Legislature has named its 2016 chairs for the various standing committees. It's been a historic moment for the Democrats in Cayuga County after the party took control of the Legislature and Keith Batman was elected chairman on Monday night. To add to this, five of the six chair positions are filled by Democrats. Legislator Mark Farrell is the chair for Ways and Means. Legislator Benjamin Vitale is the chair for Public Works. Legislator Paul Pinckney is the chair for Planning and Economic Development. Legislator Joseph Bennett is the chair for Health and Human Services. Legislator Ryan Foley is the chair for Government Operations. Legislator Patrick Mahunik is the chair for Judicial and Public Safety. "One thing I looked at are those people that shared a vision of the county, of what we needed to do moving forward, and whom I had worked with and knew and had some comfort level," Batman said about the new chairs. "From the standpoint of the leader of an organization, you want people that you've worked with and that you know kind of share your perspective." Batman said that he did not agree with some of the changes to the chair positions in the past. For example, former Chairman Michael Chapman had taken over the Judicial and Public Safety Committee after Farrell was voted off. Farrell, who is also the owner of White Chapel Funeral Home and a retired Auburn firefighter, said he felt he was qualified to hold the chair position. Batman agreed, saying Chapman took over Farrell's position because Chapman felt change was good. "In this case, that's not the point," Batman said. "We're not making these changes because sometimes change is good. We're making these changes because we want to move forward with a different vision for the county. We have very specific things as we move forward, and part of that is recognizing leadership structure that supports that." Farrell, who will be taking on the chair position for the Ways and Means Committee, has been a constant voice expressing concerns about the budget. His attention to detail and commitment to his position, in addition to their shared views, are what made Batman choose him for the post. And Farrell is looking forward to taking on his new responsibilities. "Over the last four years I've been up there, we've lacked progressive thinking," Farrell said. "I think that there are some people that have chaired committees that have stated that they don't feel it's their position to challenge some of the spending that goes on, and I think that's a contradictions of beliefs that some of us have." He plans to keep an eye on expenditures and challenge department heads when need be. "That's our job," he said. "I don't see myself as a legislator. I see myself as a taxpayer with a voice and a vote." Another structural change that Batman announced during Monday night's meeting is the addition of committee sub-groups to address specific challenges facing the county. Some of those challenges Batman mentioned included a capital plan, a budget plan, improvement of water quality and increase in broadband access. He envisions these groups to be more independent of the Legislature. While the groups are not finalized, Batman has asked legislators to let him know what topics interest them most in order to compile a group that is passionate about their undertaking. Once those leaders are determined, they will reach out others who may be able to provide expertise and insight. He said he plans to evaluate how the groups are doing in a few months. "Frankly, it's an experiment," he said. "If it doesn't work, then, we'll punt. We'll see how else we can approach the issues." It is an accepted principle that a cornerstone of any focused, well-developed and on-time fiscal budget depends upon viable revenue and expense projections early in the budget process. Public school districts are no exception, and they depend for a large part of this information on someone else. Last year, that someone withheld revenue projections on purpose. Most school districts in New York state rely on state funds to balance their budgets. The amount and distribution of state funds to public school districts has been erratic and unpredictable since 2008-09. This means that school districts cannot make significant budget decisions about where they will place their state resources unless state government releases those amounts for each school district. These are referred to as State Aid Runs. Historically, the state has produced two State Aid Runs. The first is generated by the governor when he releases his executive budget proposal in January of each year. The second is released by state government shortly after the passage of the state budget due by April 1 of each year. Then, school districts have to adopt their budgets, submit property tax levy calculations to the state, and publicize their adopted budgets to voters for the annual May budget vote. Historically, the governors executive budget has contained valuable clues as to a minimum aid amount and distribution of state aid funds that would go to each school district. This run serves as a basis for public school district budget development prior to the approval of the state budget and the dissemination of the final State Aid Runs when the state budget ultimately is passed into law. While this is not the final amount each school district will receive, it sets the floor on the amount and distribution of these school district revenues. Armed with the executive budget State Aid Run information, districts can begin to make informed and thoughtful decisions as they develop their own budgets. Last January, however, the governor refused to release those executive budget State Aid Runs to school districts. Thus, public school districts had no clue as to the amount of state aid they might receive to determine programs for students, staff levels, local property tax implications and balance their budgets. Unfortunately, school districts were left to make these critical decisions within the few short weeks between the passage of the state budget in April and the legally required publication of each school districts budget ahead of the public vote in May. No enterprise private or public would deem this a best practice, but school districts around the state were forced into this situation for a purely political reason make state aid a negotiation ploy in the governors larger education agenda. If the governor and voters want school districts to be as thoughtful as possible about budget decisions, school districts must have all of the revenue information they can obtain as soon as possible. That includes State Aid, because more often than not it is the largest revenue source many school districts have. School district budgets are serious business for children, taxpayers, employees and communities. The governor knows he has a responsibility to help and not hinder the development of school district budgets. The denial of prospective state aid revenue predictions is counterproductive to the thoughtful analysis and discussion needed at every level of government and public school districts. He must extend a helpful hand and not turn his back again to those charged with such an important responsibility. The appropriate thing to do is for the governor to return to the long-established best practice and share his executive budget proposals State Aid Runs with New York school districts immediately after the conclusion of his state of the state/executive budget proposal on Jan. 13. Each term, I'll post "The List", along with pictures of new additions. Subsequent posts will show the progress I've made and any quilts that I complete. Hopefully, you'll enjoy reading a little about these projects, too. From time to time, I may post additional works here, too. Feel free to comment. I'd be happy to hear from YOU. If you would like to follow my blog by email, scroll down to the bottom of the page. The link is in my sidebar right before the archives. Thanks for visiting and have a quilty day! I'm SO glad that you stopped by to see what I've been working on! My blog was started at the request of some Ravelry friends. We were starting a UFO Club and they wanted to be able to see the projects on my list. KSN&C is intended to be a place for well-reasoned civil discourse...not to suggest that we dont appreciate the witty retort or pithy observation. Have at it. But we do not invite the anonymous flaming too often found in social media these days. This is a destination for folks to state your name and speak your piece. It is important to note that, while the Moderator serves as Faculty Regent for Eastern Kentucky University, all comments offered by the Moderator on KSN&C are his own opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of the Board of Regents, the university administration, faculty, or any members of the university community. On KSN&C, all authors are responsible for their own comments. See full disclaimer at the bottom of the page. Four days after minimum wage in New York increased to $9 an hour, Gov. Andrew Cuomo argued that the hard-fought gain hadn't gone nearly far enough and that his new target is $15. But rather than discuss the issue with state lawmakers and business leaders, Cuomo seems to believe he can bully the issue through the Legislature with a massive public relations campaign. An online petition has already been activated, and Cuomo said that advocates will be making phone calls even going door to door to muster support. Joining Cuomo at a Manhattan rally Monday was Brooklyn-born actor Steve Buscemi, because, we can only surmise, Cuomo is convinced that people are more apt to get behind causes endorsed by famous people. Cuomo also has the backing of one of the state's most powerful labor unions, the Local 1199 SEIU health care union, which intends to spend millions of dollars on a minimum wage hike marketing campaign. And the governor has already issued a preemptive warning to Senate Republicans who might try to block the move, insisting that voting against $15 an hour would be to "vote against the 3 million New Yorkers who need it." The state just completed a three-year phased-in increase in the minimum wage that raised it from $7.25 to a somewhat modest $9. And we still haven't seen the full impact of Cuomo's single-handed initiative to give fast-food workers a raise. Business leaders argue that increased wages will result in fewer jobs and increased prices especially in upstate communities dotted with farms and small businesses. Nevertheless, Cuomo now says that wages should increase another $1.75 an hour at the end of 2016 and up and up and up from there until topping out at $15 in 2021. The bottom line is that Cuomo is seeking a 67 percent increase in the minimum wage over just six years. This plan would lead to monumental changes in New York's economy, and therefore demands a thoughtful approach and a thorough examination rather than passionate speeches and movies stars. Six banks will take donations for Southern Illinois Community Foundation's Flood Relief Regional Disaster Fund to help those affected by flooding on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. Donations will be accepted at all branches of Farmers State Bank, Legence Bank, First Bank and Trust of Murphysboro, U.S. Bank, Anna-Jonesboro National Bank and The Bank of Carbondale. SICF has had a disaster relief fund for a number of years. It was used for Harrisburg after the tornado hit and for the Brookport tornado two years ago, Byram Fager, president of the SICF board, explained. In the immediate aftermath of a disaster, the fund can be used to help meet immediate needs, such as shelter, food and clothing. After that you go into a phase where you can help people on a long-term basis, Fager said. SICF will make sure donations are used to help the people who need help the most. As part of a disaster relief, we partner with other agencies that are on the ground. We try to get money from donors and see that it is efficiently given to people affected by the disaster, Fager said. In this case, SICF will verify that damage was caused by flooding and that homes are in the area declared a disaster. In this case, we have four counties on the Mississippi and some flooding on the Ohio. A flood wreaks havoc all the way across the area, Fager said. Donations may also be mailed to Southern Illinois Community Foundation, 3000 W. DeYoung St., Suite 800-B, Marion, IL 62959. Make checks payable to: Southern Illinois Community Foundation (or SICF) and put Flood Relief Regional Disaster Fund in the memo. Donations also can be made through the groups website. All contributions to SICF are tax deductible and will receive a tax receipt. For more information, call SICF at 618-997-3700 or visit www.sicf.org. WEST FRANKFORT With the holidays over, West Frankfort officials are ratcheting up their plans to bring new business to the citys recently purchased outlet mall, Mayor Tom Jordan said Tuesday, Jan. 5. Much of the work to this point since city officials signed off on the $1.8 million purchase in the fall has been geared toward securing lease agreements between the city and current mall occupants. City officials have also been in talks with the Illinois Department of Transportation about to improve the frontage road at what is now the Wet Frankfort Outlet Mall. Basically it was a mutual decision that the holidays were not a good time to try and make a big push for new tenants, Jordan said. He expects meetings to begin in the next week or so with the citys economic development consultant to begin reaching out to potential tenants, Jordan said. Much of the mall has been vacant for at least 10 years, jump-starting city discussions in the spring last year on the possibility of purchasing the property to take over development. Those discussions were finalized in October, when City Council members agreed to buy the mall from California-based DeSantis Real Estate. Jordan views the purchase as low-risk, saying current rent will cover much of the citys payment toward a $1.2 million loan for the purchase. The city will also use $600,000 from capital projects paid through an existing 1 percent sales tax. Given development in Mount Vernon and Marion along the Interstate 57 corridor, Jordan sees little reason why the mall cannot be more successful and spur development around it, he said. Now with the mall in city hands, Jordan believes city officials will have more involvement in prospective development, he said. The reason we bought the property was we felt like we didnt have a seat at the table, Jordan said, adding that officials also hope to develop property around the mall. MARCELLUS | When the Marcellus Board of Education hosts its first meeting of the new year Monday, it plans to appointment a permanent superintendent who will take the place of an interim at the end of the academic year. According to a news release from the Marcellus Central School District, the school board will appoint Michelle Brantner the current Moravia Central School District superintendent to replace Interim Superintendent Judith Pastel, who assumed the role from former Superintendent Craig Tice. According to the release, Monday's meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in the Marcellus High School auditorium, where the board will vote on the appointment shortly after opening the meeting. After the vote, there will be a welcome reception for Brantner with refreshments, and then the board will reconvene in the library learning commons for the regular business portion of its meeting. Brantner has served in the superintendency in Moravia since 2009 and is expected to begin her position in Marcellus July 1. She replaces Pastel, who previously served as Skaneateles' interim superintendent and reprised the role in Marcellus when Tice accepted the Fayetteville-Manlius superintendency. Im incredibly excited to be moving to Marcellus Central Schools, Brantner said in the release. I think its a wonderful community, and I think the board members have shown themselves to be impressive representatives of the district. I cant wait to start this next chapter of Marcellus history. In the release, Board President Ryan Riefler called Brantner "student-centered and a strong leader in curriculum" and said the next superintendent "embodies the personal values prized in a close-knit community like Marcellus. We are pleased Mrs. Brantner has accepted our offer to lead our district, Riefler said. In addition to her impressive accomplishments throughout her career in education, Mrs. Brantner possesses the qualifications and abilities to continue and expand Marcellus distinction as a high-performing district." Brantner started her career in 1991 as a Spanish teacher in the Norwood-Norfolk school district then served as assistant high school principal in Newark, New York and high school principal in Lansing for seven years before becoming Moravia's top administrator. Two companies have been issued a complaint for allegedly illegally discharging pollutants into the Ohio River at its Cairo facility, according to a news release from acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District James Porter. The Clean Water Act complaint was filed on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency against American Commercial Lines (ACL), Inc. and wholly-owned subsidiary ACBL Transportation Services, LLC. The complaint alleges the companies repeatedly violated National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits at the facility from June 2007 to February 2014. ACL, a marine transportation service, allegedly discharged sewage and polluted wastewater into the river from two office septic systems, a marine sanitation device and a barge cleaning operation. The wastewater allegedly exceeded permit limits on biological oxygen demand, total suspended solids, total residual chlorine and fecal coliform. The companies are charged with committing at least 554 Clean Water Act violations over the span of almost seven years. Reports submitted by the companies to the Illinois EPA show that many alleged violations were egregious and ACL exceeded the daily maximum fecal coliform limit by more than 50 occasions from 2007 to 2013. The complaint seeks civil penalties of as much as $37,500 per violation day against both companies. CORA Just behind the wall and sandbags stood a lot of water, stretching as far as the eyes could see. The only telltale sign that something might be amiss were some trees and the top of a green location sign a few inches above the water. A few weeks ago, that mass of water wasn't there, as it was a continuation of Illinois 3, meandering from Cora into Chester, one of the tour guides noted. Touring that site and others in Grand Tower and Olive Branch on Tuesday were representatives from the Delta Regional Authority, a government agency that works to improve economic opportunity in communities in 250 counties and parishes in an eight-state area, including parts of Southern Illinois. Chris Masingill, federal co-chairman of the organization, and Mike Marshall, alternate federal co-chairman, were invited to tour the area by Cary Minnis, executive director of DRA's local partner, the Greater Egypt Regional Planning and Development Commission. Also along on the tour were Derek A. Misener, coordinator of the Jackson County Emergency Management Agency; Emily Burke, a Jackson County board representative and member of the DRA's Delta Leadership Council; and Jason Ashmore, mayor of Sesser and co-chairman of the Delta Leadership Network State Advisory Council. In addition to surveying the flood waters and conditions at the Illinois 3 flood gate, the group visited a sandbagged part of the levee in Grand Tower before moving on to survey damage in Olive Branch. Marshall noted that the water seemed to be receding, and was not standing as it had been in 1993, when flood waters stayed high for days and saturated the levee soil, creating a more vulnerable condition. "I think it could have been a lot worse," Marshall said. "We were lucky that it did not continue to rise." Banks will accept donations for Flood Relief Regional Disaster Fund Six banks will take donations for Southern Illinois Community Foundation's Flood Relief Regi As the water continues to recede and roads become visible and accessible again, assessments of the damage and costs of response, like extra law enforcement and other personnel, will begin to be tabulated, Misener said. That data will be turned over to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency; if those tabulations meet certain thresholds, IEMA can request assistance from the federal government for reimbursement, Misener said. Misener said what he'd like to see, initially, is an overpass road built above the Illinois 3 floodgate in Cora and new rivers gauges installed that will accurately read the Big Muddy River's elevations. Its a long way from Morocco as Gov. Bruce Rauner knows to Alexander County. He had to cut his vacation short and fly home to tend to this pesky emergency involving the Mississippi River. Although we cant fault the chief executive for taking his family to Spain and Morocco for the holidays and although we can eventually forgive him for not telling anyone that he was going we cant help but notice the irony that while the Rauners were riding camels in the desert, the waters were rising in Illinois. So the governor flew back home and toured the counties where the levees were holding and the one where the levee eventually tore away. He did his drive-around with Brandon Phelps and Gary Forby and a few other political folks, and he posed for photos and looked like a concerned governor. But he had little to offer. He didnt promise much, Chalen Tatum said. Tatum, the chairman of the Alexander County Board, isnt surprised. The state is out of money. There is a budget impasse. Besides, this is business as usual for the states southernmost and probably poorest county. Seems like we keep getting beaten down. When the medical marijuana facility was approved in 2015, it went to Union, not Alexander County. Two years earlier, the state shuttered the Tamms Correctional Center. People in the county have learned that there is little largesse from state government. And theyve learned not to believe even what sounds like good news. When funds were finally approved in 2013 to begin the property-buyout process after the 2011 flood, hopes were high. And just as property owners were starting to see the results of that program last summer, the program was suddenly shut down. Now it is caught in some political tug-of-war involving the state budget, and battling political interests. Even a soggy levee holds more water than some governmental promises. So with the state out of money, the river raging, and the levee failing, it comes down to local folks to take care of the work. Tatum, as board chairman, has been one of those at the center of this emergency. Hes certainly not the only one. Joey Thurston, the site superintendent at Horseshoe Lake, had crews providing most of the sand and sandbags to help people protect their homes. That freed up Alexander County Highway Superintendent Jeff Denny and his crews to haul rock up to the levees to shore them up. There were many, many more people. They work for state agencies, and county departments. Theyre firefighters, law enforcement officers and heavy equipment operators donating time and diesel. There are volunteers who helped people move and who served up food to the tired and hungry. Thats a spirit worth celebrating. People helping people, and they are mostly locals. Now thats a promise you can bank on. Because we all know that much like Morocco, Springfield is a long way from Alexander County. Black Water Barrels LLC, a new cooperage business, is establishing operations in Bamberg County. The company is investing $3.6 million in the facility, resulting in the creation of 57 new jobs over the next five years. A startup firm, Black Water Barrels LLC will specialize in manufacturing 53-gallon barrels made of FAS-grade, quarter-sawn American white oak for use in the bourbon industry. Black Water Barrels LLC has full capacity to produce additional size barrels, including but not limited to 60-gallon and 30-gallon. In addition, other wood profiles will be available to serve the spirits, beer and wine industries. To house its operations, the company is purchasing the former Zeigler Chevrolet dealership, which is approximately 9,000 square feet. The company plans to add an additional estimated 12,000 square feet to the building, located at 3941 Main Highway in Bamberg. Expected to be fully operational late in the second quarter of 2016, Black Water Barrels LLC anticipates hiring to begin in April 2016. To make order inquiries or obtain additional information on the company, contact info@blackwaterbarrels.com. We are very excited for the opportunity to build our barrel manufacturing company in Bamberg County, S.C. During the process of visiting several states and counties, the people of Bamberg welcomed us with open arms. We look forward to being part of such a great community and working with the county and state to become South Carolinas only cooperage," Black Water Barrels LLC President Greg Pierce said. Gov. Nikki Haley, a Bamberg native, said, Its exciting to see new companies choose our state as their home for the future because it proves that Team South Carolinas approach to providing a business-friendly environment is working. Black Water Barrels investment, and the 57 new jobs it will create, will make a real difference in Bamberg County, and is a reason to celebrate across South Carolina. The National Weather Service has upped snowfall totals in its storm forecast through Friday to as much as 18 inches in Flagstaff and Williams. Doney Park could get between 7 and 11 inches. That's on top of the 12.6 inches recorded at Pulliam Airport since Tuesday night. And even more snow is due to fall southeast of Flagstaff. Forest Lakes is predicted to get 17 to 23 inches, and Pine-Strawberry 16 to 22. The storm is expected to intensify starting at 8 p.m. Wednesday and last through 5 p.m. Friday. In Page, where light snow has fallen, schools will be on a 9:30 a.m. delayed start Thursday. 4 p.m. update: 89A reopens The Arizona Department of Transportation announced State Route 89A has reopened between Flagstaff and Sedona. The roadway was closed around 9 a.m. due to a rockslide. Southbound and northbound lanes are both open at this time on Interstate 17, but ADOT is still warning drivers to use caution and expect delays from winter driving conditions. _____ 1:45 p.m.: Flagstaff has received 12.6 inches of snow since Tuesday evening, according to the latest update from the National Weather Service. A colder winter storm system is expected to move into the area tonight. The period of heaviest snow from that storm is expected during the day on Thursday. Travel will be difficult. Snow is forecast to decrease by Friday morning and end from west to east during the afternoon and evening. _____ 11 a.m.: Northbound Interstate 17 has reopened. The Arizona Department of Transportation made the announcement a couple hours after northbound lanes were shut down from the Sedona exit at State Route 179 to Interstate 40 due to crashes and now. Southbound and northbound lanes are both open at this time on I-17, but ADOT is still warning drivers to use caution and expect delays from winter driving conditions. State Route 89A between Flagstaff and Sedona was closed around 9 a.m. due to a rockslide. The Arizona Department of Transportation estimates it will reopen at 1 p.m. or 1:30 p.m. I-40 remains open statewide but it has heavy snow from Flagstaff to U.S. Highway 93 near Kingman. Meanwhile, Flagstaff Pulliam Airport is asking frequent fliers to check in with American Airlines before trying to make the drive out to the airport. It's the airlines that cancel the flights, not the airport. If you call the airport, they will direct you to call the airline, said Airport Director Barney Helmick. The first flight out of the airport this morning was canceled by American Airlines because the airline could not get the plane into the airport last night, Helmick said. Helmick said the runways at the airport are clear but due to the way the snow is falling, visibility is very poor and it is unlikely that any flights would be making it out of the airport today unless the visibility improves. "As long as it keeps falling the way it is, its going to be a problem for them (pilots)," he said. Travelers can reach American Airlines at (800) 428-4322. _____ 10 a.m.: Northbound Interstate 17 is expected to remain closed all morning at the Sedona exit. The Arizona Department of Transportation announced this morning the closure at State Route 179 was due to snow and crashes. State Route 89A between Flagstaff and Sedona is also closed due to a rockslide. There is no estimate for when the road will reopen. _____ 9:30 a.m.: Heavy snow across the Flagstaff region had already caused two power outages and the closure of Interstate 17 northbound as of Wednesday morning. The Arizona Department of Transportation closed I-17 northbound around 7 a.m. due to heavy snowfall with no current estimate for when it will reopen. Meanwhile, Arizona Public Service crews are responding to two power outages in Kachina Village. A total of 672 customers are affected by the two outages, one that occurred at 5:20 a.m. and another that struck at 6:59 a.m. Crews are out investigating the power lines but have no estimate for when power will be restored, APS spokeswoman Jenna Schaver said. According to the National Weather Service, nearly 10 inches of snow have fallen at Flagstaff Pulliam Airport in the past 24 hours. Flagstaff Unified School District Schools are closed, Coconino Community College classes are on a two-hour delayed start and the first flight out of Flagstaff Pulliam Airport has been cancelled, according to the city of Flagstaff's Facebook page. _____ 5:30 a.m.: Is Flagstaff about to join the 2-in-3 Club? That's two feet of snow in three days, the upper limit of a National Weather Service forecast that is a wet one, no matter how deep the snow. The storm that began moving through Flagstaff Tuesday night and continues this morning was set to drop between 6 and 10 inches on Flagstaff and other areas above 6,000 feet. Doney Park is forecast to get 4 to 6 inches of snow by noon. Williams can expect 5 to 9 inches and Jacob Lake will likely receive between 6 and 10 inches. The North Rim at the Grand Canyon is forecast to receive between 8 and 12 inches of snow. Then, beginning at 10 p.m. Wednesday through 5 p.m. Friday, another storm is forecast to dump between 12 and 16 inches on Flagstaff, according to the Weather Service. The heaviest period of snow from this storm is predicted for Thursday morning, with winds of 20 to 30 mph sending wind chills plummeting. The snow will linger in the Flagstaff region right through Friday afternoon. Williams is also in for heavy snow, while areas between 5,000 and 6,000 feet can expect about 4 to 8 inches, and snow could fall as low as 5,000 feet. That means even Sedona, Winslow, Tuba City and Page could see an inch or two. Daytime temperatures should hover in the 20s and 30s, while overnight temperatures could dip into the teens. The National Weather Service is urging travelers to use caution, as winter driving conditions will mean slippery roadways and limited visibility. Drivers are urged to give themselves extra time to get to their destinations. Information on road conditions and closures is available from the Arizona Department of Transportation at 1-888-411-7623 or www.az511.com. Additional weather information is available at www.weather.gov/flagstaff. When it comes to presidential qualifications, Donald Trump appears to have walked into a Democrat and Republican wall by calling for a moratorium on visa issuance and immigration of Muslims to the United States until the State Department improves the vetting procedure to fully guarantee that the applicants coming from countries and groups wanting to destroy our government and Constitution are blocked. The White House weighed in on Trumps moratorium call, using spokesman Josh Earnest, appealing for a condemnation of him stating his comments disqualify him for president This is an odd moral high ground coming from the White House with extra presidential qualifications, along with elected representatives and the raft of presidential wannabes lamenting that that is not what America is -- a place where its citizens can be secure. Scratching our heads, we ponder if the White House and congressmen who take an oath of office freely to protect and defend our Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic actually know and comprehend the Constitution and the words used to frame it? The constitutional qualifications for president of the United States are No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States. Note the constitutional distinction of natural born Citizen and Citizen. The paramount question is why would the founders make the distinction of natural born Citizen and Citizen if it was not meaningfully important? Chief Justice John Marshall, delivering the opinion of the court in Marbury vs. Madison (1803) stated, "It cannot be presumed that any clause in the Constitution is intended to be without effect; and therefore such construction is inadmissible, unless the words require it." "Citizen," "naturalization" and "natural born Citizen" are ALL in the original, unamended Constitution; therefore, none can mean the same thing. The constitutional framers understood natural born Citizen and Citizen to be uniquely different and unequal; and deliberately established this unique presidential qualification while specifically excluding naturalization as a qualification. The Supreme Court case Minor vs. Happersett (1874), which is the only high court case to look at the qualifications for president, is the one case that all self-appointed guardians and professors on presidential qualifications currently overlook and never discuss publicly. In this one case, the court actually defined what the founders meant by this unique phrasing of natural born citizen. Chief Justice Waite delivered the unanimous and precedent-setting opinion of the court in Minor vs. Happersett, and no other court has ever reversed nor reviewed again the presidential qualifications since this case. The court declared what the founders understood, that a child born to parents (note plural, thus mother and father) who are citizens of the United States at the time of their birth is a natural-born citizen, meeting the presidential qualification in the Constitution. This finding has nothing to do with where the child was born as the ruling is silent; it has everything to do with the parents and their citizenship status to the United States. As this is a precedent-setting case, nothing else influences it. Based on the Supreme Court findings in 1874 and reviewing the heritages of President Barack Obama, Senator Ted Cruz and Sen. Marco Rubio, one needs to ask do they fit the constitutional requirement of natural-born citizen? Cruz can claim only one parent as a U.S. citizen at his birth, his mother Eleanor Cruz. His father, Rafael Cruz, was born in Cuba, and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2005. Cruz was born in 1970. Even though he was born in Canada, had both his parents been U.S. citizens, he would be without question a natural-born citizen as his place of birth is not at issue (knowing that place of birth has no bearing on natural-born citizen status is not common knowledge to our elected representatives or the people at large). Rubio was born in 1971 and his mother and father were both Cuban citizens at the time of his birth, becoming naturalized citizens in 1975. Do any of the above politicians meet the constitutional requirement for president given the courts unanimous precedent-setting decision of 1874? The Orangeburg County YMCA hired Kelley Wannamaker of Orangeburg as its new executive director. Wannamakers professional history includes teaching at Marshall Elementary School and Orangeburg Preparatory Schools. At OP, she served as the Child Development Center director, the Lower Campus administrator and the head of schools. She has also worked alongside her family at her parents furniture store, Orangeburg Furniture Exchange. Wannamaker is the chairman of the Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerces Leadership Orangeburg County and will work with the Junior Leadership of Orangeburg. She received her bachelors and masters degrees from the University of South Carolina and has attended South Carolina State University. Wannamaker is married to Rusty Wannamaker of St. Matthews and together they have five children. They are members of First Presbyterian Church. She is a member of the Orangeburg Assembly and a former member of Rotary. Wannamaker has served on the Orangeburg Fellowship of Christian Athletes board and is a sustaining member of the Junior Service League. We are very excited to have Kelley Wannamaker as the new leader of the Orangeburg County YMCA, said Bruce Williams, YMCA of Columbia chief executive officer. We think that she will be a wonderful asset in connecting our community with the many resources that our Y has to offer and growing many life-changing programs and services at the Y, Williams said. The Orangeburg County YMCA is part of the YMCA of Columbia association, which has six locations in the Midlands. The division between Sunni and Shiite Muslims is intense and ages old. In the context of todays geopolitics, it is both problematic and advantageous to the West. The non-Muslim world has grown accustomed to perceiving Islam as a threat to Christianity, western values and the very existence of many people in the world. It is understandable the Sunni-Shiite divide can be seen as a good thing. In other words, as long as Muslims are fighting each other, there is less focus on attacking elsewhere. The down side is the battle between Shiite and Sunni is a destabilizing factor in battling the most radical elements of Islam. With Shiite-dominated Iran and the Sunni states led by Saudi Arabia getting deeper and deeper into proxy wars in Yemen and Syria and now in open conflict, there is no realistic hope for stability in the volatile Middle East. The risk of Sunni-Shiite warfare extending beyond Syria, Yemen and Iraq is dangerous and a risk to western interests. Jon Gambrell, an Associated Press reporter since 2006 who has covered the Middle East from Cairo and Dubai since 2013, offers perspective on the latest development in the Saudi-Iranian conflict: By executing a senior Shiite cleric, Saudi Arabia effectively lit a match to set off regional sectarian tensions and its rivalry with Iran, threatening to derail already-shaky peace efforts over the wars in Syria and Yemen. It also is part of a more aggressive stance by the kingdom in the past year, which included launching an air campaign against Shiite rebels in Yemen and increased aid to rebels in Syria. The policy in part reflects a greater willingness for risk-taking to counter Iranian influence in the Arab world, especially with Riyadh worried about a potential easing of relations between Tehran and Washington in the wake of last year's nuclear deal. But it also has a powerful domestic factor: a show of toughness by King Salman and his son, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, aiming to bolster their rule at a time when Saudi Arabia is facing an economic crisis brought on by low oil prices. To the greater world, however, the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr took on a different appearance. The execution sparked outrage among Shiites around the world, with protests in Iraq, Bahrain and Pakistan, and even in Saudi Arabia's tightly controlled Shiite heartland in the east. Iran's government which presents itself as a defender of Shiites in the region loudly condemned the killing. Attackers stormed, ransacked and burned the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, prompting Riyadh to cut off ties in response. Al-Nimr's death was a dramatic step because Saudi Arabia has rarely resorted to the death penalty in dealing with unrest among its Shiite minority, which has long complained of discrimination in the Sunni-led kingdom. A vocal opponent of the Saudi royal family, al-Nimr was seen by Shiites in the region as a political dissident, although he always contended he did not foment violence. Shiites had warned against his execution ever since a Saudi court convicted him of sedition and other charges and sentenced him to death in 2014. He was executed among a group of 47 people convicted on terrorism charges almost all connected to Sunni radicals and al-Qaida painting him with the same brush as a threat to security. For the royal family, the execution signals a tough hand against any trouble from Saudi Arabia's Shiites and bolsters the kingdom's posturing as the champion for Sunni Muslims in the region against Iranian influence. (But) the intensified Saudi-Iranian tensions could doom the multilateral talks launched by the U.S. and Russia in Vienna last month aimed at pushing a plan to end Syria's civil war. Riyadh and Tehran were both participating in those talks, and it was already going to be extremely difficult to get them both fully behind a peace plan: Iran is the main backer of Syria's President Bashar Assad, and Saudi Arabia has backed the rebels, determined to oust Assad and deprive Iran of a key ally. Efforts for peace in Yemen already appeared to be crumbling. A truce there largely ignored by combatants ended this (past) weekend. That civil war has killed more than 5,880 people since March and keeps Saudi Arabia and its allies mired in a conflict that has no clear sign of ending soon. All the while, Saudi Arabia faces budgetary pressure as global oil prices have sunk under $40 a barrel and likely will remain low well into this year. The kingdom already has made some cuts, but more could be around the corner, forcing it to make unpopular decisions for a society used to government subsidies. But there's one place it's not cutting back: It allocated $57 billion in defense spending for 2016. Those domestic worries are part of the reason for the show of toughness abroad. Thus the conclusion that ramping up the Saudi-Iranian battle puts more pressure on each regime to take actions that put neighbors and their own countries at greater risk. And despite any current issues the United States and the West have with policies, instability in either or both countries is the last thing that is needed at this time. NORWAY -- Billy Hayden, a landscaper and owner of Haydens Nursery in Cope, presented plans for the proposed downtown streetscape project on U.S. 321 during Norway Town Council's Monday night meeting. Palm trees and crepe myrtles, with brickwork, will be added in downtown Norway, Hayden said. Some of the landscaping will be done where parking spaces are currently located, he said. Its a similar plan to (what was done in) Denmark, Hayden said. Councilman Gregg Covington said the town will pay for the streetscape project with its share of Orangeburg County's 1-percent capital projects sales tax funds. Hayden said he couldn't provide the total cost of the project since it is still in the planning stage. The plans have been submitted to the South Carolina Department of Transportation for review, he said. The plan for the streetscape is in the town hall if anybody wants to look at it," Mayor Ann Johnson said. Trash receptacles and approximately 16 park benches have already been installed downtown, she added. Hayden said the locations of the receptacles and benches may have to be adjusted once the streetscape plans are finalized. In other business, council members discussed overdue customer water bills. Town ordinance specifies that water services to customers who fail to pay their bills by the deadline will be discontinued. Water bills are due by the 18th of each month and a late fee is assessed starting on the 19th. If the 18th falls on a weekend, there is a grace period of the next business day. Council agreed that on the 26th of each month, which is the town's cut-off date, customers who still have a balance on their accounts will have their water services disconnected for non-payment. Customers were reminded that it is unlawful to tamper with a water meter that has been disconnected for non-payment and that the Norway Police Department will issue a citation if the reading on a meter is different from the cut-off reading. Also during the meeting: Johnson and Covington were sworn in for their new terms on council. Police Chief Scott Ward reported a car was vandalized in December; other than that, there were very few incidents last month, he said. The mayor reported the concrete had been poured for the new Family Dollar, with construction to begin on the store in February. Council approved a motion by Covington to initiate an annual Norway Citizen of the Year Award. A Bamberg man will remain at the Orangeburg County Detention Center on charges that he attacked a nurse at the Regional Medical Center on New Years Day. Bryan Alexander Pierson, 28, of Orange Grove Road, is charged with one count of first-degree assault and battery and one count of kidnapping. Orangeburg County Magistrate Meree Williamson denied bond for Pierson during a hearing Tuesday afternoon because of the severity of the kidnapping and other charges pending against him. She said not setting bond on the kidnapping charge would be in the best interests for the safety of the people of Orangeburg County. Williamson did set a $15,000 surety bond on Pierson for the assault charge. Pierson's next court appearance will be in General Sessions Court at 9 a.m. on March 28. The unemployed man, who is the father to a 10-year-old child, told Williamson he is facing other charges, such as third-degree burglary, grand larceny and petit larceny, among others. Victims advocate Alexis Guinyard said the victim, who didn't do anything to provoke the attack, is terrified. Guinyard said the handcuffed Pierson was at RMC for a medical examination and after the exam was completed, he reached over the nurses head from behind and put her in a choke hold with the handcuffs pressing on her neck. The nurse suffered bruising and redness consistent with such an attack, the victim's advocate said. According to the incident report, Pierson was transported to RMC from the detention center after he fell. Someone at the detention center later told authorities Pierson had made comments that he was planning to escape from either the detention center or RMC. The report states that Pierson put the nurse into a choke hold restricting her breathing and her movement. While his arm was around her neck choking her, he was also twisting her head sideways, the report states. Officers at RMC grabbed Pierson during the attack on the nurse and deployed a Taser in order to subdue him. Were just fortunate this young lady didnt have injuries any worse that what she suffered, Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said. It could have been worse than what it was. On Monday, Pierson also appeared in bond court where he was charged with first-degree burglary from an incident on Willow Swamp Road in Norway on Dec. 17. During the burglary, Pierson and a co-defendant are reported to have stolen a Mathews Monster Chill bow, a brown 391-DGOLD Beretta shotgun, a 54-inch orange Marlen shotgun, a black Ruger magnum rifle with a scope and a black Mossberg rifle with a scope. The value of the stolen weapons is estimated at $6,400. If convicted of first-degree burglary, Pierson could face a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole. On the charges of kidnapping and first-degree assault and battery, Pierson could face a maximum of 30 years in prison if convicted. Issues of concern to people who live in the west: property rights, water rights, endangered species, livestock grazing, energy production, wilderness and western agriculture. Plus a few items on western history, western literature and the sport of rodeo... Frank DuBois served as the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003. DuBois is a former legislative assistant to a U.S. Senator, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior, and is the founder of the DuBois Rodeo Scholarship. LOS ANGELESTo understand the power and potential dangers of El Nino, look at satellite images of the Pacific Ocean on Sunday. At least four storms were brewing the farthest still getting going in Asia and all aimed at California. Its this pattern, a series of back-to-back-to-back storms seemingly arriving on a conveyor belt, that concerns officials bracing for potential damage from the predicted winter of heavy rains. El Nino storms: its steady, not spectacular. But its relentless, said Bill Patzert, climatologist at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge. Its not 10 inches in 24 hours and nothing afterward. Its a 1-inch storm, a 2-inch storm, followed by a 1-inch storm, followed by a 2-inch storm. As this goes on for many weeks, then you start to soak the hillsides then you get more instability. And then, instead of having 6 inches of mud running down your street or off the hillside behind your house, then you can get serious mudflows 2 to 3 feet in height. This week was the first that the weather pattern associated with El Nino has formed over California this season. A first system Monday didnt amount to much after it ran into dry air out of the mountains, but three more storms are targeting California on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Patzert said. The next systems seem primed to deliver at least a couple good punches Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by plenty of showers Thursday, the National Weather Service in Oxnard said in its forecast. The riskiest areas for this week are areas recently burned by wildfires, such as the Camarillo Springs community in Ventura County, Silverado Canyon in Orange County, and the communities near the Christmas weekend brush fire that burned north of Ventura. Officials are concerned about flash floods in those areas, and a voluntary evacuation advisory is planned for Silverado Canyon, which is recovering from a fire in 2014. But the worst problems will probably come later in the winter. This is the first major line of storms. The ground isnt quite saturated yet, said meteorologist James Thomas of the National Weather Service in San Diego. Its later in the winter that the risk heightens; in Southern California, thats particularly in neighborhoods and roads below arroyos and canyons and along the beach. Thats called, The price you pay with the view, Patzert said. Still, Patzert said, Southern California isnt expected to encounter the same kind of widespread regional flooding that has hit the South in recent weeks. Although such devastating flooding occurred earlier in the 20th century, the transformation of the Los Angeles, San Gabriel and Santa Ana rivers into concrete-lined flood control channels has protected the region for generations. Besides this El Nino, there are only two similarly strong El Ninos in the record books over the last half-century. The 1982-83 El Nino caused more than $500 million in property damage in California, which is equivalent to more than $1 billion in todays dollars, and unleashed flooding and sent mud and rock raining over canyon and coastal roads, destroying the Seal Beach Pier and severely damaging the Santa Monica Pier. The El Nino of 1997-98 also caused more than $500 million in damage, and 17 people died during those storms. In February 1998, 13.68 inches of rain poured down on Los Angeles almost a years worth of precipitation. That month, two California Highway Patrol officers died in San Luis Obispo County after their car fell into a massive sinkhole as a river eroded a highway; two Pomona College students were killed when a tree slammed into their SUV; and mud pummeled homes in Laguna Beach, crushing homes and killing two men. The arrival of the El Nino-influenced weather pattern in California comes just as expected, when El Ninos influence on California weather peaks in January, February and March. A subtropical jet stream thats normally not well-defined has emerged as a strong force over California. And when the jet stream is stronger and closer, the storms can maintain their strength or get stronger as they approach California, Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at Stanford University, said in an interview. The back-to-back storms mean a week not seen since December 2010, the last time a weeklong series of weather systems had a significant effect on Southern California, said Thomas, the San Diego meteorologist. The National Weather Service estimates as much as 2 to 3 inches of rain will fall along the coast of Los Angeles and Orange counties through Thursday a decent amount, given that the average rainfall for all of January in downtown Los Angeles is about 3 inches. Through Thursday night, there could be 2 to 4 feet of fresh snow in the San Bernardino Mountains at elevations above 7,000 feet, where Big Bear Lake is. So thats significant, Thomas said. He warned of areas of near zero visibility because of blowing snow from Tuesday afternoon through Thursday night, and gusts of up to 50 mph. So itll be a mess up there. Tuesday is expected to be the heaviest storm day for officials monitoring the Solimar fire burn area north of Ventura, which charred more than 1,200 acres over Christmas weekend. Vegetation, once burned, can no longer hold back loose sediment, and officials are worried about mud and debris crashing onto Solimar Beach communities, Pacific Coast Highway and sections of the 101 Freeway all the way up to the Sea Cliff area. Even half an inch of rain in an hour could create a debris flow in these burn areas, said Gil Zavlodaver of the Ventura County Sheriffs Office of Emergency Services. Elevated levels of uranium measured in soil near a northern Arizona uranium mine are spurring state regulators to reevaluate dust and air pollution controls for three Grand Canyon-area mines. The high readings were taken at Pinenut Mine, about 10 miles north of the Grand Canyon. Uranium concentrations at one location near the mine measured more than four times background levels twice in a row. After receiving notice of the elevated readings, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality suspended work on air quality permit renewals for Pinenut mine and two others near the Grand Canyon that are all owned by Energy Fuels Resources. While prompting the halt of the permitting process and extensive state review, the gravity of those uranium concentrations in terms of environmental and human health impacts is small, according to state officials and federal scientists. Its a pretty low level, I would say, relative to other regulatory limits, said Katie Walton-Day, a research hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey who is studying concentrations of metals in soils around the mines. Comparing the numbers The elevated uranium values were measured at one of five testing sites outside Pinenut Mine. The concentrations, which ranged from 5.33 to 8.52 parts per million are two to three times the levels of uranium naturally found in the regions soils, said Brad Van Gosen, a USGS geologist studying potential impacts of uranium mining near the Grand Canyon. The levels are still minute, however, compared to the 5,000 to 10,000 parts-per-million concentrations found in uranium ore, Van Gosen said. The states Department of Environmental Quality weighed in on the soil concentrations as well, saying they do not present an immediate health risk. The highest uranium level recorded at Pinenut 8.52 also is far below the 200 part-per-million concentration that is the state's trigger for remediation in non-residential soils. Trigger for action The idea of sampling and testing soils near a mine is to provide an early indicator of whether dust emissions might be affecting offsite areas, according to ADEQ spokeswoman Caroline Oppleman. After receiving notification of the mines elevated readings, the department requested the company boost dust control measures, including increasing water spraying of the uranium ore. ADEQ also requested that Energy Fuels do expanded soil sampling at 16 sites around the location where the elevated uranium levels were detected. If an upward trend in uranium in soils continues to be detected, the mine must develop a reclamation plan. For the company's part, Energy Fuels spokesman Curtis Moore called the issue "minor and preliminary." Though it doesn't yet have a set timeline, the state plans to begin a new comment period on the three uranium mines' air quality permits and will reschedule public meetings on the topic that were supposed to take place in Flagstaff and Tuba City in February. Those new comment opportunities will happen after ADEQ evaluates Pinenuts new sampling measures and determines that all three air quality permits have adequate air pollution control measures. The department already has identified some areas of improvement in the Pinenut mine permit and its radiation survey plan, Oppleman wrote in an email. Impact, big or small Whether they pose a direct threat to human health or not, elevated levels of uranium should be a red flag for ADEQ and the Forest Service that the business of storing uranium ore at a mine site comes with pretty much guaranteed impact, said Roger Clark, Grand Canyon Program Manager with the Grand Canyon Trust. Four times anything is significant, Clark said. The Trust is one of several organizations advocating for the creation of a Grand Canyon National Monument, which would permanently ban new uranium mining claims on 1.7 million acres surrounding the Grand Canyon. It would not, however, affect existing mines or claims with established and valid existing rights. A 20-year ban on new mines, established by former Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar in 2012, currently is in place. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Saint Thomas is one of the 12 disciples of Jesus and is also known as doubting Thomas. He is the patron saint of architects and woodworkers/carpenters, which is explained by the apocryphal legend. This legend of Saint Thomas relates that he was sold by Jesus as a slave to a South-Indian king, who wanted to have a palace built. The king gave massive amounts of gold to Thomas for his castle, but he distributed it to the poor. When the king learned of this he was angry and wanted to execute Thomas. However, the Kings brother, who miraculously had returned from death, intervened and told the king that he had seen an enormous palace in heaven. When he asked to whom this palace belonged, he was told that it belonged to his brother, the King. Upon hearing this Saint Thomas was released. Saint Thomas is frequently depicted with a square or a compass as these are the tools of the builders, and with a spear (signifying the wound in Jesus side where doubting Thomas laid his hand in, or the spear that caused his death as a martyr). /By AzerNews/ By Aynur Karimova Deteriorating relations between Middle Eastern rivals - Saudi Arabia and Iran - are likely to make oil prices further jump, which are down by two-thirds since mid-2014. Riyadh's execution of a prominent Shiite Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr sent crude prices sharply higher in early trading in Asia, Europe, and the United States on Monday, thus, showing geopolitics as the biggest price drivers in oil market. Global oil benchmark Brent climbed over 2.5 percent and more than a dollar to a morning high of $38.50 per barrel on Monday, before easing back to $38.28 at 0136 GMT - still up $1. U.S. crude's West Texas Intermediate futures were up 76 cents, or 2.05 percent, at $37.80 a barrel. Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran early on Sunday and Shiite Iran's top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, predicted "divine vengeance" for the execution of al-Nimr. Responding to the storming of its embassy in Tehran, Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Iran on January 3. The kingdom also rallied its Sunni allies to cut diplomatic ties with Tehran. The Obama administration, which is keen on a closer relationship with Iran and enjoys a long-standing alliance with Saudi Arabia, has expressed hope that Tehran and Riyadh would retreat the hostile rhetoric that has fueled the worst crisis between them. China, the European Union and Russia also called on Tehran and Riyadh to take steps to settle their differences peacefully. Iran has also expressed regrets for an attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran. Tehran said it has arrested demonstrators responsible for the assault and has pledged to deter future attacks against all diplomatic facilities in Iran. However, Iran's regret has not stabilized the worsening relations with Saudi Arabia as the petrol factor played a crucial role in worsening relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, OPECs two biggest powers. It is obvious that Riyadh knew that its decision to execute al-Nimr would cause uproar in the region and would put additional strains on its already tense relations with Tehran. Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, has taken advantage of Irans global isolation in recent years to increase its own role in the region and in global oil markets, while Iran, which has some of the biggest proven reserves, hopes to ramp up exports following an expected lifting of sanctions against it after reaching a deal over its nuclear weapons development program. Saudi Arabia and its Sunni neighbors worry that the deal, by freeing Iran to export more oil and earn more money, will allow a rejuvenated Iran to expand its regional influence at their expense. Oil is just a part of the broader rivalry between the two countries, both of which rely heavily on income from exporting oil, and both of which have suffered as crude prices plunged over the last year and a half. Crude prices have fallen from about $110 a barrel in the summer of 2014 to the mid-$30s a barrel today. Annually, that costs Iran about $25 billion in foregone revenues and costs Saudi Arabia almost $200 billion. But Saudi Arabia has been able to withstand the price decline better. As the biggest oil producer and dominant voice inside OPEC, Riyadh has ignored calls from other OPEC members, including Iran, to throttle back its oil production to prop up falling prices. Some analysts claim that if the escalations between Iran and Saudi Arabia increases further, it could increase potential threat of failure of supply of Iran's strategically important raw materials to the world market via the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-third of the world's maritime oil supplies are delivered to the consumers. The northern coast of the strait belongs to Iran, while the southern - to the United Arab Emirates, which has already recalled its ambassador from Tehran as a result of the recent conflict. In this regard, Iran will likely seek for new alternative routes. Iran could potentially start transporting oil through Azerbaijan as the country enjoys an extensive network of pipelines, as well as a good relationship with its southern neighbor. Technically, Iran can deliver its oil to Baku on the Caspian Sea and/or via the railway transport for subsequent export via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) and further via the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. However, the economy of such deliveries should be seriously studied, especially against the background of low world oil prices. /By AzerNews/ By Nigar Orujova The young and still developing insurance market of Azerbaijan has finalized 2015 with about 5-15 percent monthly growth. The last year was remembered with a number of events, results of which will be visible this year. Traditionally, in 2015 the market was mainly formed on base of the life insurance, insurance of property against fire and other risks, compulsory insurance of the real estate, fully comprehensive automobile insurance and health insurance. The data for 11 months of 2015, demonstrates the overall picture of the Azerbaijani market that includes 26 insurance companies. For this period, charges exceeded 403 million manats ($258 million), and payments reached 157 million manats ($100 million). However, novelties were also noted in the market: a unified system of damage assessment Audatex was introduced in 2015, the country has joined the international system of auto insurance Green Card, and some progress has been recorded in developing mechanism for health insurance and improvement of agricultural insurance, etc. Audatex assessment, which allows implementing a common approach and system of damage assessment of an accident, was introduced in October. The new system has not shown its results yet, however, many insurance companies observe decrease in number of complaints and dissatisfaction of customers in this area. Another significant event was marked in last May when Azerbaijan has joined the international system of auto insurance Green Card, which implementation started from this January. This system will relief Azerbaijani citizens from the unpleasant problems related to vehicles, different types of property, life and health in a few foreign countries. If a car owner holding an Azerbaijani Green Card suffers losses in the territory of one of 48 member countries of Green Card, then the sum of the insurance payment will be determined by the largest amount provided in the legislation of the country. Car owners will have to purchase an Azerbaijani Green Card before entering a country that is a member of the system. At the same time, car owners registered in those member states that are part of the system will not need to contract border insurances. This year, one more novelty in the car insurance is expected in the country. The Parliament will review amendments to the law On compulsory insurance, which include the introduction of direct settlement in an accident. This means that after changes in the law the affected person can receive payments from his insurance company. However, there are some nuances: firstly, it only applies to the mandatory liability insurance of vehicle owners, and secondly, the direct settlement implies insurance availability of the both sides of accident. Nevertheless, these amendments will facilitate the process of obtaining insurance payments, as the customer will know in advance, whom to contact to get insurance cover. In addition, the amendments presuppose that conclusion of contracts and carrying out of calculations for compulsory insurance will be implemented online. This will reduce fraud during settlements between insurers and intermediaries. Conclusion of the contract through the Internet will also reduce the charge of the insurance companies, which creates opportunity to provide products at a cheaper price. Some progress was also observed in the field of medical insurance. Despite that fact that voluntary health insurance has long been available in the country, this type of insurance is still mostly in demand among large companies. In January-November 2015, voluntary health insurance accounted for only 15.7 percent or 64.3 million manats ($41 million) of all fees on the market. The government is still discussing application of the compulsory medical insurance, considering social importance of health insurance. Last year saw adoption of specific measures in this regard. In the first half of 2016, the State Agency for compulsory health insurance is expected to determine the national model of compulsory medical insurance, develop proposals for legislative acts, as well as finalize preparation of the medical institutions for the implementation of the model. By 2017, implementation of a pilot project for the introduction of compulsory medical insurance is expected. As for property insurance market, it managed to increase by more than half in 2015. However, about a third of the insured property in Azerbaijan accounts for the capital Baku, which raise the need of development of this sector in the region as well. Insurance of responsibility for operation of real estate also increased in the country last year. Population is not well educated about the insurance in Azerbaijan. This often causes problems between insurance companies and its customers. A special commission was created in 2015 because of the large number of claims on work of insurers. However, practice shows that only 20-25 percent of the complaints are justified. Both the government and the insurance companies in Azerbaijan are carrying out measures to educate the public. An action plan until 2018 was adopted last year for the development of insurance, which also sets out specific objectives and defines a serious and tough law to protect the interests of policyholders. PHOENIX -- Ignoring six appellate court judges and even members of his own Republican Party, Gov. Doug Ducey on Wednesday chose a lawyer known for his views and legal battles on limited government to serve on the Arizona Supreme Court. In selecting Clint Bolick of the Goldwater Institute, Ducey said in a prepared statement that he is "nationally renowned and respected as a constitutional law scholar and as a champion of liberty.'' And the governor cited his "unwavering regard for the rule of law.'' What Ducey did not mention in his announcement is Bolick's long history of filing suit -- and sometimes winning -- against government agencies at all levels. But the governor, speaking later to reporters, said he does not see that as a negative. "He has pushed for decades in support of the United States Constitution and the Arizona Constitution,'' Ducey said. And Bolick said that being put on the bench does not mean his activist days are behind him. "I think any judge is going to be an advocate for his or her interpretation of the law,'' he said. "But you're moving from a position of advocating for your client to advocating for the Constitution and the laws.'' Bolick, sworn in just hours after the governor's announcement, said being self-labeled an "activist'' does not mean to him what it does to some others. "I am what is referred to as a texturalist,'' he said, taking the words of the Constitution "literally.'' "When judges stray from the text of the Constitution and supplant their own ideas ... they're amending the Constitution,'' Bolick continued. "That, to me, is beyond the scope of proper judicial action.'' Ducey's first appointment to the court could have an effect on the entire five-member bench, a fact that Bolick acknowledged. "Among the justices on the Arizona Supreme Court, I probably have devoted more attention to arguing under the state constitution rather than the federal Constitution, and looking at the distinct rights and opportunities that are protected by the Arizona Constitution,'' he said. "So, in that sense, it's probably a different direction.'' But Bolick said he's not concerned that, given his background, some people may be keeping tabs on his rulings. "I'm used to a life of scrutiny,'' he said. "I think that judges should write opinions that people are going to want to read, going to want to argue about and, hopefully, find inspiring,'' Bolick said "And if I can do that I'll be very proud.'' Bolick, a 1983 law school graduate of the University of California at Davis, has spent much of his legal career with organizations known for their battles with government over regulation. That included a stint at the Mountain States Legal Foundation which advocates for limited government and free enterprise, the Institute for Justice which describes itself as a "libertarian public interest law firm'' which sues over issues of school choice and property rights, and the Alliance for School Choice which has been at the forefront of using tax dollars for private and parochial school education. But it has been at the Goldwater Institute, where Bolick has worked since 2007, that he has been the most active in his litigation, some of it against the state. Bolick replaces Justice Rebecca White Berch who is retiring. Ducey chose Bolick from seven names sent to him by the Commission on Appellate Court Appointments. By law it screens applicants for vacancies and must give the governor at least three names. No more than two-thirds can be from any one political party. And the governor is required to choose from that list. By naming Bolick, Ducey becomes only the second governor to go outside his own party since the current selection process for justices was approved by voters in 1974. In his application, Bolick said he was a Republican until 2003, choosing at that time to become a political independent. Republican Jane Hull was the only other governor to ignore party labels, naming Democrat Ruth McGregor to the high court in 1998. Bolick also was the only one on the list sent to Ducey who was not already on the state Court of Appeals. In fact, Bolick has no judicial experience at all. The governor, however, said that did not bother him, saying the same is true of some justices on the U.S. Supreme Court. He challenged the 1998 voter-approved Citizens Clean Elections Act which allows candidates for statewide and legislative office to get public funds if they don't take private donations. But courts rejected his contention that using civil, criminal and traffic fines to finance the program was an illegal tax. Bolick, however, had better luck in getting the U.S. Supreme Court to kill a provision of the Arizona law which provided matching funds to publicly financed candidates when their foes spend more. He also has gone to court in support of giving a type of voucher of public dollars so parents can send their children to private and parochial schools, successfully got courts to rule that cities can't provide pay to police for union activities, and obtained a ruling overturning city laws restricting "sign walkers'' who hang around street corners urging passers-by to stop at local merchants. And he and colleagues at the Goldwater Institute are currently Republican lawmakers seeking to overturn a vote by the Legislature to expand the state's Medicaid program, an expansion pushed by Jan Brewer, Ducey's predecessor. Bolick, a 1983 law school graduate of the University of California at Davis, has spent much of his legal career with organizations known for their battles with government over regulation. That included a stint at the Mountain States Legal Foundation which advocates for limited government and free enterprise, the Institute for Justice which describes itself as a "libertarian public interest law firm'' which sues over issues of school choice and property rights, and the Alliance for School Choice which has been at the forefront of using tax dollars for private and parochial school education. But it has been at the Goldwater Institute, where Bolick has worked since 2007, that he has been the most active in his litigation, some of it against the state. Aside from ongoing legal efforts to kill the state's Medicaid expansion, Bolick challenged the authority of the state Board of Cosmetology to tell a spa owner she could not use live fish to do "pedicures'' on customers. Bolick argued there was no need for the state to regulate the practice. But courts rejected his arguments, siding with the board's arguments that the "fish spa'' created health issues. But when the same board said people who braid hair also need to be licensed he championed a change in state law to exempt them. Bolick, however, failed in his challenge to the decision by the Arizona Corporation Commission to require electric utilities to generate a certain amount of their power from renewable sources, including solar. He was somewhat more successful in getting a court to rule that cities can't limit ads at bus shelters solely to commercial messages. And he helped overturn local regulations that limited the kind of political clothing that people can wear to polling places. Bolick currently represents some non-Indian parents who are suing to overturn the federal Indian Child Welfare Act which requires require state courts when placing Indian children for adoption to give preference to a member of the child's extended family. That is followed by priority by other members of the child's tribe and, ultimately, other Indian families. Bolick also named DCS as a defendant because it follows that policy. When litigation has proven not to be the answer, Bolick has been involved in crafting changes to the Arizona Constitution, including a measure requiring a secret ballot for union elections. He also helped push a provision guaranteeing the right of people to have -- or not have -- health insurance, a measure aimed at giving Arizonans the right to ignore the Affordable Care Act. The effectiveness of that provision, however, remains untested. /By AzerNews/ By Amina Nazarli Moscows Tretyakov Gallery will for the first time feature the paintings by the famous Azerbaijani artist, Tahir Salahov. The opening of the exhibition dedicated to the 160th anniversary of the Gallery is scheduled for January 22 and will last until March 20. The event will put on display the artists works from the funds of the Tretyakov Gallery, Russian Museum, National Art Museum of Azerbaijan named after Rustam Mustafayev, Azerbaijan National Art Gallery, Tahir Salahovs house-museum and private collections. The exhibition will show how the masters bright and expressive style has been changed for almost 60 years of his creativity. Salahov's early works showed the life and work of the Baku oil workers and portraits of famous composers, using contrasting red, black, light and dark-grey shades. Later, his paintings became more peaceful and lyrically contemplative, lines became smoother and more melodious, and the palette more sophisticated. Born in Baku and living in Moscow artist Tahir Salahov is one of the most prominent representatives of the Azerbaijani art. He also has a studio at the Moscow Art Institute. Salahov is the world-renowned artist, who sensitively catches the rhythms of life and able to listen and hear the time. He is the master of portraits, landscape pictures, still-life paintings and large many-figured paintings. The artist is the vice-president and honorary president of the International Association of Plastic Arts of UNESCO, the vice-president of the Russian Academy of Arts, People's Artist of the USSR, Azerbaijan and Russia, and is the winner of a number of high awards, including the State Prize of the USSR and Azerbaijan. The artist became one of the leading representatives of the so-called "severe style", a trend in Soviet art of the 1960s that aimed to set off a hard, publicist, and realist view against the ceremonial "polished reality" of the Joseph Stalin era. Portraits occupy a special place in Tahir's creative activity. He has painted the portraits of Azerbaijan's foremost composers - Gara Garayev and Fikrat Amirov along with Azerbaijani poet Rasul Rza and Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, to name a few. Each portrait reflects Tahir's efforts to draw out the inner worlds of his subjects. /By AzerNews/ By Sara Rajabova 2015 become another year of no effect in settlement of the long-standing Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which emerged over Armenia's territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor. The efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group international framework established to settle the problem havent yielded desired results so far. On the contrary, the stalemate in the conflict resolution led to dangerous activation of the military operations on the contact line of the Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces. Ilgar Velizade, head of political scientists club South Caucasus considers that the military-political situation in the conflict zone will remain tense in 2016. He told Day.Az website that the escalation of tension has already led to the fact that the ceasefire regime hasnt been observed for a long time. The weak dynamics in the negotiation process, obviously, "compensated" with quite high political-military activity in the region, he added. During the whole year, the Azerbaijani Army has carried out massive military tactical exercises near the frontline attracting all types of troops that might be involved in possible military operations in the conflict zone, working over the various scenarios of military operations, maximally close to reality. Such a scale of exercises could not but attract the attention of the opposing side, which actively tried to influence the OSCE Minsk Group in order to compel them to force Azerbaijan to abandon this line, the expert said. 2015 can be characterized as a year of numerous clashes of the Armenian and Azerbaijani troops, increased provocation of the Armenian side, as well as more losses from both sides. Standing strong against Armenia's unceasing operations along the line of contact, the Azerbaijani leadership further empowered the military and has moved to formulate the necessary armament policy by adhering to international requirements. The country also regularly holds military drills to check the training level and fighting capability of the army. Velizade further noted that now the Armenian side is using its chairmanship at the CSTO with a view to hide behind this organization and send message to Baku. But, judging by the results, these efforts did not give the desired effect. None of the closest allies of Yerevan expressed readiness to condemn Baku, preferring loud and significant silence, the expert underlined. Asked about the possibility of renewal of bloody war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the expert did not rule out such a scenario. The probability of war always exits. In fact, the war has never ended. Today, forms and methods of waging wars have seriously changed. Today, the presence of the ceasefire is not a hindrance for the resumption of war. Latent, positional war with use of various weapons is already underway, Velizade believes. He stressed that only the will of Azerbaijans political leadership and objectively folding conditions prevent the possibility of an open conflict. It seems that the Azerbaijani side expects that full-scale armed conflict with Armenia can serve to the plans of external forces, which will use it to pursue their political strategy in the region, when Armenia can become a tool, and Azerbaijan will be the likely victim. Preferring to act with small but effective steps, Baku is clearly in no hurry in playing to a hand of such plans, Velizde concluded. For over two decades, Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in conflict, which is a source of major instability in the South Caucasus region. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. A fragile ceasefire has been in place since 1994, but long-standing efforts by U.S., Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far. Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on its pullout from the neighboring country's territories. /By AzerNews/ By Sara Rajabova U.S. President Barack Obama has invited Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to attend 4th Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C. in March 2016. Novruz Mammadov, deputy head of Azerbaijani presidential administration and chief of the administrations foreign relations department made such an announcement on his Twitter page on January 6. Mammadov said President Obama sent a letter to the Azerbaijani leader on December 3. The U.S. president in particular noted that Azerbaijan has demonstrated steadfast support of the global nuclear security architecture. He also expressed hope that Azerbaijan will continue to prioritize efforts to interdict nuclear and radiological materials. Recently, U.S. State Department Secretary John Kerry has praised Azerbaijans role in the withdrawal of Iran's uranium to Russia, saying Azerbaijan played a role in facilitating the shipment. Iran has shipped its stockpile of low-enriched uranium to Russia as a key step in fulfilling its commitments under the landmark nuclear deal reached with six world powers in July in Vienna. The nuclear security summit will be held in Washington, from March 31 to April 1, 2016. The first Nuclear Security Summit was held in Washington in 2010, the second - in Seoul in 2012, the third - in The Hague in 2014. The Summit will continue discussion on the evolving threat and highlight steps that can be taken together to minimize the use of highly-enriched uranium, secure vulnerable materials, counter nuclear smuggling and deter, detect, and disrupt attempts at nuclear terrorism. /By AzerNews/ By Laman Sadigova An activist of the opposition movement New Armenia, Gevorg Safaryan, was arrested on January 10 for two months and charged in using violence against a government representative. Safarian was detained after clashes with police in Yerevan on New Year's Eve. In particular, several dozens of protesters were trying to place a Christmas tree at Freedom Square without coordination of the Yerevan Municipality, and the police did not allow them to do so. After clashes five activists were taken to the police, but were freed later, except Safaryan. His lawyer suggests that Safaryan first accused police in violence; however, his words were left unanswered. He said that as a result of the aggressive actions of the police six activists were seriously injured, while two of them were hospitalized. Activist Gagik Yeghiazaryan, who witnessed the incident, in turn, argues that the police without any ground tried to interfere with the peaceful rally. /By AzerNews/ By Gulgiz Dadashova For Iran, the gas market of the neighboring countries, especially Georgia can be a good start to gain relief from sanctions that have crippling effect on its energy-dependent economy and further supply gas in the direction of West. The Islamic Republic announced on January 4 that it plans to export its natural gas to Georgia through a pipeline, potentially viewing Armenia as a transit country. Alireza Kameli, the managing director of the National Iranian Gas Export Company said Tehran will supply 8.5-14 million cubic meters of gas a day to Georgia, adding that a contract will not be signed unless the project becomes economically justified. So far, Azerbaijan has been the main supplier of gas to Georgia. The energy-rich Azerbaijan exports its excess hydrocarbons (oil and gas) through Georgia, while helping the country solve its need for them. Armenia, which is in economic blockade due to its aggressive policy against Azerbaijan, receives gas from Iran and Russia. The Russian gas is being delivered to Georgia only as a payment in exchange for gas transit to Armenia, for which Georgia gets 10 percent of the total deliveries. Energy security has always been among the top priorities of any nation and Georgia is not alone in its desire to enhance its energy security. Recently, the country started talks with Russias Gazprom over increasing gas supplies up to 200-300 million cubic meters. However, Tbilisi has repeatedly announced that it is considering all options in economic matters, but while making decisions it tends not to harm relations with strategic partners Azerbaijan being one of them. As for Tehrans plans, the country does not seem much interested in the financial side of the case. It probably just needs to enter the Georgian market, perhaps with a long run aim to supply its gas further. However, Kameli refuted Tehrans plans to export gas to Europe through pipelines, saying that Iran thinks of exporting LNG to Europe. Kameli stressed that the planned gas exports to Georgia were intended for domestic use and not for Europe. Nevertheless, the question is can Iran really enter the Georgian energy market and challenge Azerbaijan energy dominance? SOCAR Energy Georgia announced that Iran's gas will not be a serious threat to Azerbaijan's supplies. We have an agreement with the Georgian government till 2025, under which SOCAR Energy Georgia will supply all social sectors with natural gas. If we can not supply anytime due to any reasons, Georgian side has opportunity to import gas from other sources, SOCAR Energy Georgia Director General Mahir Mammadov told APA-Economics. Demand of Georgian market for natural gas increased 8-9% every year, he said adding that SOCAR Energy Georgia meets demand of other consumers in Georgia. Moreover, we offer reasonable price, Mammadov added. He says the natural gas to be transported by Iran to Georgia through Armenia will not create a competition: Georgian market is too small to create a competition. There are not mechanisms of gas transportation from Iranian side to Georgia. Negotiations are underway. If the price will be lower than Azerbaijans, that will lead to a competition. However, Georgian market is too small and our agreement allows us to operate conveniently. Azerbaijan ensures supply of more than 80 percent of the gas consumed by Georgia. To date, the gas supply level of Georgia is 65-67 percent for real customers and 73-74 percent for prospective customers. SOCAR Gas Georgias operating activities cover 90 percent of Georgias territory, albeit it is only 45-48 percent on the customer base. The Georgian Energy Ministry said that no agreement exists with Iran on natural gas transportation to Georgia for the present. Iran is the largest gas producer of the world and holds talks with all potential customers in the region. The aim is to supply Georgia with stable gas for long-term perspective, the statement says. Meanwhile, expert Levan Kalandadze believes that Georgia technically will not be able to import gas from Iran. And if in the future rehabilitation of the pipeline will be realized, Iran will be included in short list of countries that supply gas to Georgia," Kalandadze told local media Considering the issue, Iran's aging infrastructure and lack of capital investments cannot be ignored. The country lacks modern equipment, facilities and investments; also it will take time to increase Iranian gas output even if the sanctions are lifted any time soon. Iran's enriched and sweet gas production capacity stands at about 700 mcm/d and 550 mcm/d, but actual production level is lower than the mentioned figures. Irans average daily gas consumption in the current fiscal year (starting March 21) surpassed 456 million cubic meters, whereas the number was 431 million cubic meters for the last fiscal year. BP statistical review of 2014 shows that in 2013 Iran exported gas almost solely to Turkey, with 8.7 billion cubic metres, with 0.7 billion cu m going to former Soviet republics. Iran has even been importing gas from Turkmenistan for more than a decade (4.7 billion cu m in 2013), which actually makes it possible for Tehran to export gas to Turkey because Iran consumes about 97 percent of its own gas. Thus, Iran faces major obstacles to it becoming a large gas exporter to Georgia and the European market in the foreseeable future, while the Azerbaijan enjoys great economic advantage over its northern and southern neighbors and that makes its market share safe for today. The crisis in relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran can escalate into an open interconfessional conflict and Ankara should stay away from all that is taking place, Ermagan Kuloglu, a retired Turkish major general, told Trend in an exclusive interview Jan. 5. Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran soured after execution of Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent Shia cleric, by the Kingdom along with other 46 people, which was followed by a strong protest from Iran. Mass protests took place in Iran following the said execution. In particular, the Saudi embassy in the capital Tehran and the consulate in the city of Mashhad were attacked, after which Riyadh broke off diplomatic ties with Tehran on Jan. 3. Saudi Arabias permanent representative to the United Nations Abdullah al-Moallem had earlier said that relations with Iran will be restored only when Tehran stops interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, including that of Saudi Arabias. Meanwhile, Turkeys Foreign Ministry expressed concern about the attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran and described the attacks as unacceptable. The ministry also called for Iran and Saudi Arabia to be careful and use the language of diplomacy rather than threats. Kuloglu believes that the severance of diplomatic ties between Tehran and Riyadh can negatively affect the whole Muslim world. He also didnt rule out that a number of other countries, protecting their own interests, may take part in a possible open military conflict that can arise as a result of the crisis in relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran. There is already a religious polarization in the Islamic world Shiites and Sunnis, who are supported by a number of non-Muslim countries, he said. The expert believes that the Shiite Muslim bloc led by Iran is supported by Russia and China, while the Sunni Muslim bloc led by Saudi Arabia is supported by the US and Europe. /By Trend/ Ikrom Nazarov was appointed the new ambassador of Uzbekistan in Kazakhstan, the press service of the foreign ministry of Uzbekistan reported. Earlier, Nazarov worked as the counselor and charge d'affaires of the Republic of Uzbekistan to Poland. Nazarov departed from Tashkent to Almaty on January 5, said the ministry. Previously, the post was held by Alisher Salohiddinov since November 2012. The legal base of bilateral Uzbek-Kazakh cooperation has more than 100 intergovernmental and interdepartmental documents. Legal basis for relations between the two countries includes the Treaty of eternal friendship between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, which was concluded in 1998 and the Strategic Partnership Agreement, signed in June 2013. Positions of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan coincide in strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime, assistance in the economic reconstruction of Afghanistan, the revival of the Aral Sea, the development of transit transport corridors and alternative energy sources, rational use of water and energy resources of the region in accordance with international law. /By Trend/ /By AzerNews/ By Aynur Karimova Kazakhstan, an energy-rich Central Asian nation, has revealed its plans on development of oil and gas fields in the Caspian Sea in 2016. The country's Energy Ministry told Trend that it will hold conceptual study regarding the development of Kalamkas-Sea oil field in the Caspian Sea in the current year. Based on the research results, plan and budget for the fields development will be prepared, after which the forecasted period for the start of production will be available, the ministry said. The Kalamkas-Sea field is a part of the North Caspian Project, which also includes the development of giant Kashagan field and smaller fields - Aktoty, Kairan and South-West Kashagan. Geological reserves of the Kalamkas-Sea are estimated at 159 million tons of oil, while recoverable reserves at 57 million tons of oil. At the same time, conditions for oil production at Kalamkas-Sea are easier than on other fields of the project. The ministry also plans additional evaluation work on Aktoty and Kairan fields. Kazakhstan will carry out additional exploration work on the Kurmangazy oil field in the Caspian Sea in 2016. In 2016, it is planned to monitor the abandoned wells and develop the project of additional exploration work on the field," the ministry said. In 2015, a monitoring of the abandoned wells was carried out on the Kurmangazy field. No production activities, including drilling and seismic surveys on the field were conducted last year. The field is developed on the basis of a production sharing agreement between KazMunayTeniz and Rosneft. In 2006 and 2009, two exploration wells were drilled on Kurmangazy, but they didnt reveal any signs of oil, despite the fact that the preliminary forecasts regarding the field were promising and were estimated at one billion tons of recoverable reserves. After that, it was proposed to close the project. The ministry said that the decision to close the project was declined at the level of the governments of Kazakhstan and Russia and the contract remains in force. It was decided to resume exploration work at an intergovernmental commission meeting in 2014. Forecasted reserves of the field are estimated at 2.8 billion tons of equivalent fuel, they are located in deep-seated Paleozoic sediments, and the exploration work is associated with high risks, according to the ministry. Kazakhstan's plans on Central and Khvalynsk fields Kazakhstan's Energy Ministry also noted that the country expects Russia in 2016 to grant rights for subsoil use regarding the Central field, according to previous agreements. The Central field is located within the Russian sector of the Caspian Sea, but its development should be conducted with the participation of Kazakh partners. Reserves of the field are estimated at 169.1 million tons of equivalent fuel. The term of the exploration license expired in 2009. The companies couldnt obtain a new license, as Russian law forbade the work of private entities on the shelf. In October 2015, the presidents of Russia and Kazakhstan signed a protocol allowing Russian government to issue a license for the geologic exploration and production of oil and gas on the Central field. After obtaining the rights for subsoil use, Kazakhstan plans to carry out design and survey work and assess the damage inflicted to aquatic bioresources from engineering research on this field. It is planned to continue considering feasibility study of the field development and coordinate conditions of PSA regarding the Khvalynsk project as well. Khvalynsk oil and gas condensate field is located in the northern part of the Caspian Sea and should be developed under the PSA. The reserves of the field are 322 billion cubic meters, 18.398 million tons of condensate, 241.897 million tons of oil. Kazakhstan, which enjoys huge hydrocarbon reserves, produces oil mainly from its largest fields Karachaganak and Tengiz. The Karachaganak field's oil and gas reserves amount to 1.2 billion tons while its natural gas reserves are estimated at 1.35 trillion cubic meters. About 49 percent of Kazakhstan's gas production and 18 percent of its produced oil are extracted from this field. The Tengiz field in the west of the country is also one of the deepest and largest oil fields in the world. Total estimated reserves amount to three billion tons (26 billion barrels). Another large oil and gas field Kashagan is located in the north of the Caspian Sea. Oil production at Kashagan started in September 2013, but its operation was suspended when a gas leak appeared along its pipeline. /By AzerNews/ By Sara Rajabova After reaching a nuclear deal that put an end to suspicions about Irans nuclear energy program, the United States is now pushing on the Islamic Republic over its ballistic missile program, which faces hard reaction of Tehran. Last week, the U.S. Treasury Department revealed its intention to impose financial sanctions in the wake of Irans missile testing in October and November. The move met acute discontent of the Iranian officials. President Hassan Rouhani immediately issued an order calling on the defense ministry to expedite efforts for boosting the countrys missile power. The potential sanctions are considered by the officials as violation of the agreement reached last July between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Though the clinching of nuclear deal was expected to normalize the relations between the Western countries, namely with the European countries and Iran, as well as eliminate roughly 40-year old enmity between United States and the Islamic Republic, however, Washingtons using the previous tone in regard to Tehran could endanger the implementation of the nuclear deal and even torpedo the attempts on solving nuclear dispute. Tehrans test-firing missiles, which the United States says would be capable of carrying a nuclear payload, was considered violation of 2010 U.N. Security Council resolution. Iran does not accept that the U.N. resolution bars it from testing missiles, as long as it has no nuclear weapons to place on them. Facing strong reaction of Iran, the United States seemed unwilling to worsen the situation and nullify long-lasting international efforts on resolving the nuclear dispute. The Wall Street Journal reported that an announcement of new U.S. sanctions was planned for this week but delayed for an unspecified period without explanation. Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser of U.S. said the administration had additional diplomatic and technical work to complete before announcing any new sanctions related to the missile program, but the delay was not a result of pressure from Tehran. While Washington has strained relations with Tehran over the years, currently it is not in favor of aggravating the situation even more. On the contrary, in the wake of the developments taking place in the world, namely Washington, as well as Europes tense relations with Russia, the U.S. seems interested in activation of the Islamic Republic. The Wests relations with Russia become strained over the Ukraine crisis. Irans return to global oil market, and its restoring and improving the economic relations with European countries after sanctions removal will strengthen Washingtons hand in squeezing Moscow with more pressure. Moreover, Iran has abided by the main terms of the nuclear deal, which require it to give up material that world powers feared could be used to make an atomic weapon and accept other restrictions on its nuclear program. Early in the new year, the United States and European Union are expected to unfreeze billions of dollars of Iranian assets, allow Iranian firms access to the international financial system and end bans that have crippled Iran's oil exports. Iran is in expectation of the soonest and complete removal of the international sanctions that battered countrys energy-dependent economy over the years. Iran has repeatedly said it plans to raise oil output by 500,000 barrels per day post sanctions, and another 500,000 bpd shortly after that, to reclaim its position as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries' second-largest producer. The Islamic Republic is also seeking to open bureaus across Europe. Managing-Director of Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines Mohammad Saeedi said once the arbitrary sanctions on Iran are lifted, Iranian-flagged ships can travel between Iranian and European ports. Launching shipping bureaus across Europe can facilitate exports of Iranian oil and non-oil products to European ports. Furthermore, as the Iranian government is moving toward a much-awaited removal of international sanctions, Rouhani's administration has ordered the bankers to be ready for the imminent opening of the countrys doors to the international economy. Valiollah Seif, the governor of the Central Bank of Iran said the country prepare its banking infrastructure for post-sanctions activities and also improve their standards to better operate when the sanctions are lifted. Early signs of lifting restrictions on Iran have already appeared. Irans petrochemical sanctions are already fully removed. For the first time in the past five years Iran received money for petrochemical export via a European bank, Mehdi Sharifi Niknafs, executive director of the Iranian Petrochemical Commercial Company said. Though petrochemical-related sanctions have been removed already after reaching an interim nuclear deal in November 2013, Irans petrochemical exports was facing problems due to banking system sanctions. Baghdad will be a mediator in the resolution of the diplomatic crisis between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said, RIA Novosti reported. Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia Adel al-Dzhubeyr announced the rupture of diplomatic relations with Iran on Jan.3 because of its "overt interference in the internal affairs of the Kingdom, enemy actions in the region and the attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran and consulate in the city of Mashhad." The incidents took place on Saturday as part of protests against the Saudi Arabias execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent Shia cleric. After Saudi Arabia, kingdom of Bahrain on Monday announced the severance of diplomatic relations with Iran. Iranian diplomats were given 48 hours for leaving the country. Sudans Foreign Ministry also announced the break of diplomatic relations with Iran. In turn, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced a reduction of diplomatic relations with Iran to the level of charge d'affaires, state news agency WAM reported. Ambassador of the UAE was recalled from Iran and the number of the missions members was reduced, the agency reported with reference to the Foreign Ministrys statement. /By Trend/ PHOENIX -- A veteran state lawmaker wants to block communities trying to boost their revenues through a special interim census from counting residents who are not in this country legally. The legislation crafted by Sen. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, would allow cities, towns and counties to count only those who are U.S. citizens, nationals of U.S. territories, or are legally admitted to the United States. More to the point, SB 1044 would forbid counting anyone who is an illegal immigrant. Kavanagh's move come as several Arizona cities are conducting mid-decade counts to get a more accurate figure of how many people are present. That can have immediate financial consequences as some state dollars are doled out to communities based on population. There's a lot of money involved. This past budget year the state distributed nearly $609 million in "urban revenue sharing.'' State transportation dollars also are allocated to communities at least in part based on population. In general, the larger the community, the bigger the slice. How many people are here illegally remains a guess at best. Pew Hispanic estimated there are 11.3 million undocumented individuals in the country. And its most recent figures for Arizona put the figure at about 300,000. Where they are within the state, however, is one of those unknowns that Kavanagh hopes to determine through his legislation. The question remains, though, whether it's fair to cut aid based on whether someone who is living in a city or town is legally present. Camp Verde Town Manager Russ Martin said his community is not bothering with a special census, figuring the additional dollars would not justify the cost. But he said it is important to get an accurate count of everyone. "Every person or tourist or whomever (who) is in your town for any reason, and for any length of time, utilizes town services,'' he said. Martin said the taxes collected, including state shared revenues "are in place to ensure the fairest distribution of those costs amongst all of those populations.'' Kavanagh, whose wife, Linda, is the mayor of Fountain Hills, sees the issue from a different perspective. "Why should the people in Fountain Hills get less state-shared revenue because there are more illegal immigrants in Phoenix?'' he asked. Nor is he dissuaded by arguments that communities have to provide services to all in their borders, here legally or not. "If a city that has that problem wants to perhaps pressure the federal government to do their job and remove these people, then this will encourage that,'' Kavanagh said. He conceded there are flaws to the plan. One is that, no matter what happens in a mid-decade tally, the Census Bureau's official decennial count will include all residents, legal or not. So the new revenue sharing figures after 2020 would be reset based on total population. Then there's the simple question of why anyone would admit to someone who shows up at the door there are people present who are not here legally. But Kavanagh said his 20 years as a police officer suggests otherwise. "People said, 'What criminal in their right mind would incriminate themselves after you read them Miranda (rights)? ' '' he said. "They do it every day.'' Kavanagh's measure, if approved, could affect more than just how the state is divided up among its 30 legislative districts. He conceded that if Arizona might not get another congressional seat if does not count its undocumented population. But Kavanagh said that does not bother him. "We don't deserve a congressman, no state deserves a congressman, based upon numbers of illegal immigrants,'' he said. "It's simply a matter of principle.'' There also could be political implications, with legislative district boundaries now drawn based on total population, legal and otherwise. And while that once-a-decade process is now governed by figures from the Census Bureau, which does not ask legal status, Kavanagh hopes his measure, if approved, pushes the federal agency in that direction. Kavanagh may get some legal help in that contention: The U.S. Supreme Court is currently weighing a case out of Texas which seeks a ruling that states can consider only eligible voters in drawing districts. That would eliminate not only those who are undocumented but also could mean that prisoners and even minors did not count. Kavanagh, however, does not seek to go quite that far. "They're here legally,'' he said. "I don't believe that, in any way, should we legally recognize people here illegally or apportion any benefits or representative rights based on illegal presence.'' Ukraine offers carriers to use the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route for carrying goods to Central Asia bypassing Russia, said the Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry in a message posted on its website Jan. 6. A container train will depart Jan. 15 from Illichivsk, Ukraine, for a test journey to China through Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan (via the Caspian and the Black seas), read the message. The route is the Silk Roads new direction and an alternative that allows redirecting cargo traffic in easterly direction, bypassing Russias territory, said the message. It [the route] includes ferry services across the Black and Caspian seas (Illichivsk-Batumi and Alat-Aktau) and is designed to be competitive as compared to the traditional overland route. Technologies, expedited delivery times, and tariff conditions have been agreed upon to launch the container train, and operators have been defined for it, said the message. The test journey [of the container train] will open up an alternative way to deliver cargos from Ukraine to the countries in Central Asia. The train will contain roughly 20 cars. Earlier, Russia completely ceased goods transits from Ukraine through its territory. /By Trend/ /By AzerNews/ By Laman Sadigova No symptoms of swine flu were observed in Azerbaijani citizens, who returned from abroad after the holidays, said Rakif Abdullayev, the director of the Republican Anti-Plague Station under the Azerbaijani Health Ministry. Some countries neighboring Azerbaijan already afflicted the deadly virus. Over the past weeks, several people were diagnosed with the H1N1 flu in Georgia, Turkey, and Armenia. Abdullayev said thermovisors were installed at all the border checkpoints of Azerbaijan to determine the temperature of border-crossing persons. "If anyone has a fever, the appropriate tests are taken and later sent to us. The analysis results are issued immediately. Until today, all the answers were negative, that is, no virus is detected," said Abdullayev. The State Customs Committee also announced that it is taking necessary prophylactic actions to prevent spread of swine flu, identified in Turkey, in the country. It informs that so far the virus has been detected in no one of the border checkpoints. Eight people died from the swine flu in Turkey since early 2016, Turkish Health Minister Mehmet Muazzinoglu said. Swine flu killed 30 people throughout Turkey in 2015. As many as 27 cases of flu caused by H1N1 virus subtype have been registered during the last few weeks in Armenia, Armenian Health Minister Armen Muradyan said, Novosti-Armenia reported. In total, more than 350 cases of acute respiratory infections, 67 of which are accompanied by pneumonia, have been recorded in the country, he said. Swine flu, which first detected in the United States in April 2009, could spread rapidly to reach other continents. H1N1 virus is a unique combination of influenza virus genes never previously identified in either animals or people. H1N1 is distributed by airborne transmission and its symptoms are high fever and pyrexia. United Arab Bank (UAB) has announced changes to its senior management team to support the banks strategy of delivering value to its customers and sustainable growth to its shareholders. Julio de Quesada will assume the new role of chief business officer (CBO); Sheikh Mohamed Al Nuaimi has been appointed as executive vice president of retail, and Vijit Malik as head of corporate and institutional banking. The appointments underline UABs efforts to align its organisational capabilities and leadership with its business strategy and plans for 2016 and beyond, a statement said. De Quesada, who joined UAB in May this year as executive vice president, wholesale and international banking, brings a wealth of international commercial and corporate experience to UAB, having held several senior global positions in the finance industry over the last few decades. In this newly created role, he will have oversight of the entire bank business lines, resulting in a more focused organisational structure aimed at strengthening cross-selling and enhancing product diversification. Al Nuaimi has been part of UABs management team for the past 10 years, and has supported business growth through various roles. In this new position as EVP of Retail, he is responsible for leading the banks retail business and ensuring it achieves the performance objectives set. Malik, who joined UAB recently, brings over 17 years of local market industry experience to the corporate and institutional banking division, in addition to his international experience in financial institutions. Samer Tamimi, acting chief executive officer, commented: These initial appointments are part of our plan to ensure the bank has the right leadership team to respond to the changing economic environment, as we align our business operations to facilitate better cross-function collaboration and build a simpler, low-risk and balanced organisation. This new organizational capacity combined with our strong capital structure and our conservative risk management framework, position us well to continue to provide our customers with a comprehensive, well-integrated suite of financial services. - TradeArabia News Service Egyptian government has reached an agreement with the World Bank on a $500-million loan which will be used to build a million residential units under its 'social housing' project, said a report. The loan will be paid back by Egypt over the course of five years. Earlier, the World Bank agreed to offer Egypt $1.5 billion in financing for social housing and sanitation for villages over a period of three years, housing, utilities and urban development, reported Ahram Online. The project, which was launched early last year, aims at building a million residential units across the country for low-incomers, said the report. The Ministry of Housing will start implementing a number of residential units on an area less than 90 sq m each to suit the citizens' income particularly in new cities in Upper Egyptian governorates, it added. Jindal Shadeed Iron & Steel, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Indian conglomerate Jindal group, is set to start operations soon at its giant steel reinforcing bar (rebar) mill in Oman, said a report. The sultanates largest rebar mill, which boasts a 1.4-million-tonne per annum (mtpa) capacity, is the latest addition to the expanding integrated steel complex of Jindal Shadeed Iron & Steel at Sohar Port, reported the Oman Observer. Rebar is widely used with concrete in the construction of buildings and all kinds of civil structures. Along with cement and steel, rebar is a staple of the building and construction industry. Once the plant becomes operational, Jindal Shadeed will become a supplier of finished steels for the first time in its five-year-history with the imminent production of rebar, stated the report citing its top official. "Our 1.4 mtpa capacity rebar mill is not only first of its kind in terms of capacity, but its also the most modern. From the planning stages through to the cold trial stage, we succeeded in crossing all the hurdles," remarked Naushad A Ansari, the company director and plant head. The impending launch of the rebar mill is a highpoint for the company which, like steelmakers around the region, has been squeezed by a prolonged downturn that is hurting the global industry, he added. Cofely Besix said it has won a key facility management services contract from Emirates Real Estate Corporation (EREC), a government corporation managed by the UAE Ministry of Finance. A joint-venture between Cofely Services and the Besix Group, the company is a major provider of integrated facility management services in the Middle East. As per the deal, Cofely Besix will provide full hard and civil facility management services to a portfolio of EREC buildings located in eight different locations across the emirates in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah. The scope of work includes operations and maintenance of electrical systems, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) and ventilation systems, fire and life systems, BMS (building management system), 24-hour MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) services, potable water, cooling towers, including several data centres among the sites, as well the integration of end-users into the building. The EREC rents their buildings to various ministries and government authorities, which means there is a high volume of customers visiting the buildings, explains Ian Harfield, the chief executive of Cofely Besix Facility Management. "There are also various VIP areas dedicated to the managerial level of the ministries including many high-profile visitors such as the ministers of foreign affairs, education and justice, hence we need to make sure that all the buildings are maintained to the highest standards," he added. Established in 2008, Cofely Besix Facility Management presently employs 650 staff members in the UAE and 800 in Qatar. Its major clients include Dubai Mall, Aldar headquarters and almost 100 Musanada schools in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.-TradeArabia News Service Saudi Aramco has signed a second contract to build homes for its employees, the state-owned oil company said on Wednesday in its weekly magazine The Arabian Sun. The contract to build 791 homes is part of plans to build more than 8,000 homes in total, as well as schools and community facilities, as the company seeks to meet soaring demand for accommodation from its growing workforce. Aramco's workforce grew to almost 62,000 in 2014 from just over 57,000 the year before as the company, which has both the world's largest proven crude oil reserves and is the largest crude exporter, expands its activities. Most expatriate workers in Saudi Arabia live in gated communities, which allow Westerners to enjoy more relaxed living conditions than would be permissible in wider Saudi society. The new development on a 10-sq-km plot of land in Dhahran is 8 km southwest of Aramco's headquarters. The cost and timeframe of the project, to be built by a consortium of Saudi-based Azmeel Contracting and China's Sinohydro Corporation, was not disclosed. Aramco already has many gated communities. The largest is at its Dhahran headquarters, with a population of 10,000 people. In September, Aramco said Azmeel had been awarded the first contract in the project to build 955 homes.-Reuters Salary increase forecasts for 2016 in the UAE and Qatar are recorded at 4.9 per cent, a figure below 5 per cent for the first time in five years, a report said, adding hikes in Saudi Arabia are expected to hover around 5 per cent, much lower than the traditional 6 per cent seen in the last few years. The newly released 2015 Total Remuneration Survey Results from Mercer, a global consulting leader in health, wealth and careers, also noted that caution is also being witnessed with companies hiring intentions, which have considerably declined over the past year. In 2014, 71 per cent of organisations interviewed for the survey stated they planned to increase headcount in 2015, but when asked the same question earlier this year, only 57 per cent declared plans to increase personnel during 2015. In Saudi Arabia, the decline was from 79 per cent to 66 per cent. Nuno Gomes, principal - Information Solutions Business Leader at Mercer Middle East, said: There is no doubt that 2015 has seen one of the biggest shifts in economic momentum in the Middle East in recent years. The rapid decline in oil revenue, which has resulted from oil prices falling from over $100 to less than $50 a barrel, is having a significant impact on the growth plans for businesses in the region. This fall in petro-dollar income has led to cuts in government spending observed in the last three to six months, which is compounding the situation. Added to this are underperforming financial markets and regional conflicts, with the overall picture one that is subduing companies confidence and curtailing investment, added Gomes. It is clear that 2016 is likely to be characterised as being a year of restrictions, caution and a focus on improved efficiency from an HR, compensation and benefits perspective. Companies are looking to introduce new and interesting approaches to rewards, and benefit from the macro-economic environment to make necessary or desirable changes, Gomes explained. Mercer Middle East reports that many organisations are using the current economic climate to make changes that will simplify their compensation structures and policies, with the most common approach being the consolidating of guaranteed allowances. The organisation says that this phenomenon reflects the increasing pull of the region as a career or life choice, with a concomitant higher value placed by expatriates on monthly pay, irrespective of its form. One clear trend observed in Mercer Middle Easts 2015 Total Remuneration Survey was an increase in the consolidation of allowances, which we recorded as being at 19 per cent, with predominantly housing and transportation being bundled, Gomes said. The prevalence was 13 per cent last year and 9 per cent in 2012. This doubling of the practice in just three years is something we attribute to the modern generation of expatriates seeking similar remuneration structures to those found in their countries of origin. Pension arrangements and flexible working The survey found that 10 per cent of companies in the UAE have a pension scheme in the form of a savings plan, a differentiating factor for organisations seeking positive attraction and retention outcomes. In reference to flexible working, , the poll found that 51 per cent of organisations say they offer flexible working hours to their employees, a small increase from 49 per cent in 2014 and 46 per cent in 2013. Pension plans are likely to become more important for employees in the coming years and we anticipate that companies will start to adopt of formal schemes as opposed to the savings plans that we are currently seeing. When we look at flexible working, these are policies that always land well with employees in the UAE, as they cater for the diverse workforce found in the country, said Gomes. TradeArabia News Service Hempel Paints, one of the worlds leading coatings suppliers, will join KMC Building Materials as the strategic sponsors of the gulfInteriors 2016 to be held in Bahrain. The Northern Gulf's highly acclaimed annual expo for interior design and fit-out firms, gulfInteriors will run from April 26 to 28 at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre. It is being organised by Bahrain-based Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions (HCE) under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prime Minister of Bahrain Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa. Hempel Paints, a regular exhibitor at gulfInteriors, has used the show to launch some of its most innovative products for the world of decor colour and interior design. Its list of clientele within Bahrain include elite companies of the industrial sector such as Bapco, Alba, Asry, GPIC as well as other sectors within the private and government companies. On the partnership, Jamil Matraji, the sales manager of Hempel Paints in Bahrain, said: "The importance of gulfInteriors for us is very much built on the advantage of being able to meet our existing and potential customers as well as to provide a strong brand presence to our key targets in the real estate and construction sectors of the Middle East." "Hempels products are manufactured in our factory in Mina Salman, Bahrain. We will be taking the opportunity as strategic sponsors to highlight our 'made local but selling global' credentials," added Matraji. Jubran Abdulrahman, the managing director of HCE, said: "We are thrilled to have the backing of one of the worlds leading names in decor paints and coatings. Their attendance at gulfInteriors over successive years shows the value proposition that the exhibition has as a showcase for the interiors and decor sector." The event takes place alongside two other major exhibitions - gulfBID and Gulf Property Show - thus ensuring the continued success of the biggest integrated business-to-business showcase for the construction, interiors and property sectors ever to be staged in the Northern GCC.-TradeArabia News Service The US State Department said on Tuesday it was in discussions with other US agencies on imposing sanctions against Iran for an Oct. 10 ballistic missile tests by Tehran that violated U.N. Security Council resolutions. "We are fully prepared to use sanctions with respect to this most recent ballistic missile test (and) are still working through some technical issues there," spokesman John Kirby said. Responding to news reports that the State Department stopped sanctions from being imposed because Iran objected, Kirby said: "There continues to be a robust inter-agency discussion about moving forward on sanctions." He added: "We don't take sanctions advice or guidance from Iran or any other country." Reuters North Korea is "likely" to have conducted a nuclear test on Wednesday that caused an earthquake near a known testing site in the isolated country, the South Korean and Japanese governments said. The United States Geological Survey reported a 5.1 magnitude quake that South Korea said was 49 km (30 miles) from the Punggye-ri site where the North has conducted nuclear tests in the past. "We suspect a man-made earthquake and are analysing the scale and epicentre of the quake," a Korea Meteorological Administration official told Reuters by phone. North Korea plans a major announcement at 0330 GMT, South Korean media said. South Korea's presidential office convened an emergency security meeting while Japan's chief government spokesman said the earthquake was likely caused by a nuclear test. The US Defense Department is "looking into reports of a possible seismic event near North Korea's nuclear facilities," a U.S. official said. While the USGS put the depth of the earthquake at 10 km, the South Korean agency said it was near the surface. The earthquake was detected just after 10 a.m. Seoul time (0100 GMT). North Korea, under U.N. sanctions for its nuclear and missile programmes, has so far conducted three nuclear tests - in 2006, 2009 and 2013 - all at Punggye-ri, near where the earthquake took place. The 2013 test registered at 5.1 on the USGS scale. It is not yet known if North Korea has successfully miniaturised a nuclear device small enough to be used as a warhead on a ballistic missile, but the likelihood of the isolated country successfully miniaturising a device increases with each test. South Korean stocks and the won currency fell slightly after reports of the likely test on Wednesday, and foreign exchange authorities were suspected by dealers to have intervened. Reuters Saudi Electricity Co (SEC), the Gulf's largest utility firm, said on Wednesday it had signed an agreement for a $1.4 billion loan with seven international banks to be used as a back-up credit facility. The facility has a lifespan of three years and was provided by Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Mizuho Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, HSBC, JP Morgan, Credit Agricole and Deutsche Bank. On Dec. 16, SEC said it signed an agreement for a reserve credit facility worth up to SR2.5 billion ($666.1 million) with National Commercial Bank and Samba Financial Group. The transaction announced on Wednesday brings the company's total revolving facilities to a value of 7.75 billion riyals, the statement added. Reuters Egypt's cabinet has approved two conditional contracts with Chinese firms to produce electricity from coal-fired plants with a total capacity of over 4,000 megawatts (MW), Electricity Minister Mohamed Shaker said on Wednesday. China's Dongfang Electric Corporation plans to build a plant with a capacity of 1,980 MW while Shanghi Electric submitted an offer to construct four plants with a combined capacity of 2,400 MW, Shaker said at a news conference. Egypt has been facing a power shortage that has hampered heavy industry in recent years. Shaker said in December that his country expects to add 2,500 to 3,000 MW of electricity generating capacity this year. Falling oil and gas production coupled with rising consumption have turned Egypt from an energy exporter into a net importer. Egypt began renting two floating liquefied natural gas storage and regasification units (FSRUs) last year that allow it to import gas for fuelling power plants, and a third is expected by the end of 2016 or early 2017. Reuters A new study has listed `factories automation as one of the top three emerging trends in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the UAE in 2023. The other two upcoming trends for 2023 in the two GCC countries, according to the study by Poly, are smart liv NEW BEVERAGE NEW FOOD ITEMS 65 NEW WHOLE BEAN COFFEE For more Updates and News about Starbucks Philippines visit https://www.facebook.com/StarbucksPhilippines/ Starbucks Philippines will go full blast this January 8, 2016 as they will release new food items, new beverage, new whole beans coffee, new merchandise and also the much awaited Starbucks Cards featuring the Lunar New Year and Valentines Day.Mark your calendars now and check out the my check list of the new items that will be available starting tomorrow in all Starbucks branches nationwide.Starbucks Philippines will release these two new Starbucks cards this January 8 February 22, 2016. First is that they will feature the Lunar New Year card with a design that welcomes the Year of the Monkey. Its funny that I got reminded by Starbucks that the year 2016 is the year of the monkey.Then they will release too during the same release date their Valentines Day card. Wow! Its so early and they are the first to release a Valentines Day merchandise as early as January.Both cards will be available this January 8 February 22, 2016 and the card can be acquired with an initial load amount of PHP 300.As a Starbucks collectors says collect them all cards!Last December Starbucks Philippines sent over this Casi Cielo whole beans coffee. Ive tried it yesterday and its good and theres a strong fruity-like kick. Read the full details of this beans in our check list belowI also got this new tumbler from Starbucks Philippines and it features their new tumbler collection for 2016. Its so cute and you can see theres a monkey figure spinning under the tumbler. This tumbler design celebrates the Year of the Monkey.And below are the upcoming new releases at Starbucks Philippines.January 8 February 22, 2016A deliciously rich red velvet sauce combined with mocha, steamed milk, our signature espresso and lovingly topped with cheesecake whipped cream, and lightly sprinkled with real strawberry bits.Short - 145Tall 155Grande 170Venti 180Our signature espresso and steamed milk combined with a decadent white chocolate chestnut sauce and finished with whipped cream and chestnut drizzle.Short - 135Tall 145Grande 160Venti 170January 8 February 22, 2016A smooth and velvety calamansi cheesecake on a butter cookie crust. 140 (slice)1,500 (whole)A tortilla filled with juicy fried chicken fillet coated with tonkatsu sauce. 120A chewy cookie loaded with Belgian milk chocolate with a dash of sea salt.60Tender and juicy chicken slices combined with al dente penne pasta and creamy tomato sauce with mushrooms. 165Ham, Emmental cheese and arugula with pickled Dijon on a crusty and chewy French baguette. 165Greet the Lunar New Year with a new take on crispy wafer rolls, infused with Starbucks Espresso Roast in a special tin can packaging.PHP 595Moist and light vanilla cake and cream cheese frosting with pastel colored sprinkles. 130 (slice) 1,150 (whole)Layers of al dente lasagna with creamy tomato spinach filling. 165A rich buttery flavored, light and fluffy texture. Best served with clotted cream.A flavorful muffin bursting with sweet, juicy blueberries is beautifully complemented with light and moist muffin batter.95A buttery and flaky croissant filled with cream cheese, cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Best served warm.120January 8 February 22, 2016 Bright with a smooth cocoa finish an exquisite cup of coffee that celebrates everything we love about the Antigua region. The beans for Guatemala Casi Cielo, which is Spanish for almost heaven, come from the coffee-growing paradise of the lush Antigua valley. This complements well with chocolate, nuts, caramel, berry, lemon, herbs and cheese.425This is a coffee of one true love, and three names. We created it just for a Seattle restaurant in 1975, naming it Jakes Blend. People love it. So many, in fact, that we began hand scooping and blending it to order in our stores, where it was known as 80/20 Blend, for the recipe. The love was so strong we finally made it official, calling it Caffe Verona after the city that inspires so many. By any name, this is a thing of pure romance. This complements well with milk and dark chocolate.375This coffee exemplifies the quality of Panama Carmen Estate. Rich volcanic soil, cool nights and sun-filled days culminate in a distinctive taste elegant florals and bright lemony citrus notes with nutty praline sweetness.495This light-bodied coffee is distinct with its bright and citrusy cocoa notes. Its complementary flavors are citrus, nuts and chocolate.495 Starbucks The Sapphire Bloc, Pasig City Today's Highlights Fun stuff to do today. Thursday support group meetings Alcoholics Anonymous: 6:30 a.m., 917 N. Beech; 10 a.m., 328 E. A St.; noon, 500 S. Wolcott, Ste. 200; 5:30 p.m., 456 S. Walnut; 6 p.m., Douglas, Congregational United Church of Christ, 405 N. 6th St.; 7 p.m., Shepherd of the Valley, public welcome; 7 p.m., Edgerton, 763 Center St.; 8 p.m., 917 N. Beech St.; 8 p.m., 328 E. A St. Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are open. Casper info: 266-9578; Douglas info: 307-351-1576. Al-Anon: 7 p.m., 500 S. Wolcott, Ste. 200; 7:30 p.m., 328 1/2 E. A (upstairs). Narcotics Anonymous: Noon, 500 S. Wolcott, 12-24 Club; 8 p.m., 4700 S. Poplar (church basement), closed. Website: http://www.urmrna.org. Suicide Survivor's Support Group: 6:30-8 p.m., 1032 E. First St. A support group for people who have had someone in their life die by suicide. Info: 233-4277. Alzheimer's Caregiver Support Group: 10 a.m., Wyoming Dementia Care Alzheimer's Caregiver Support Group meeting, Central Wyoming Senior Services, 1831 E. Fourth St. Mount Hope open house Mount Hope invites you to come and tour our school, observe classes and visit with our headmaster. Please join us any time between 8 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. Mount Hope Lutheran School offers preschool through eighth grade and follows a classical curriculum. Registration for the 2016-17 school year is now open. For more information, please call us at 234-6865. Veterans help available Alisa Cochrane, a state of Wyoming veteran service officer, is available to meet with veterans and their families to discuss state and federal veterans benefits, Department of Veteran Affairs claims or VA health care at the following places and times: 9 a.m. to noon, Douglas, Workforce Center, 311 N. Russell Ave. If there is inclement weather, please check with the staff at the outreach locations to ensure Cochrane will be available. In addition to the scheduled outreach, she is available at other times by calling 472-0212. Five Trails hears dog training The Five Trails Rotary Club will hear from Garrett Neufeld at noon at the Casper Petroleum Club. Community members are welcome to attend this presentation as guests of the Five Trails Rotary Club. Neufeld, president of Sit Means Sit Dog Training, will give a presentation about his business. If you or someone you know of would like to present at a future Five Trails Rotary Club meeting, please call Brian McCash at 307-259-3444. Community impact at Pizza Ranch Pizza Ranch, 5011 E. Second St., hosts Community Impact nights from 5 to 9 p.m. normally on Mondays and Wednesdays. Members of nonprofit groups bus tables for tips, and 20 percent of meal tickets from diners who mention the group are donated as well. Dine-in, delivery or pickup orders qualify. Today's nonprofit is the Ukraine Adopting Fund. St. Anthony open house Please join us for an open house to "Discover the Possibilities" from 5 to 7 p.m. at St. Anthony School in Casper. We offer exceptional educational programming for ages preschool through eighth grade. St. Anthony Tri-Parish Catholic School was established in 1927 to provide students with a Christ-centered outlook on life. We aim for academic excellence within an atmosphere of religious and moral training. Along with formal subjects, the school strives to develop a sense of God, a sense of responsibility, a respect for self and for authority, consideration for others and self-discipline in each student. These teachings will provide direction and certainty in the lives of each student. We hope you will join us. For questions, please call our office at 234-2873. CYMS open house "When I walked into CY for the first time, I knew that I belonged," a sentiment frequently voiced by numerous current and former Cyclone students and parents. Visitors also share similar impressions as did a community professional participating in CY's annual career day by writing, "Your school is gorgeous, your students so well behaved, and your teachers are super." Our entire CY teaching and learning community looks forward to sharing a cookie or a cup of coffee as we say, "Welcome, new Cyclones!" from 5 to 7 p.m. during an enrollment open house at our state-of-the-art school, 2900 Cyclone Drive. A short presentation will be held in the Commons at 5 p.m. Come meet our great staff and principals. Its an excellent opportunity to tour the school before making your online enrollment decision. If it isn't possible to attend, call 253-2700 or email Registrar Jodie Estes at jodie_estes@natronaschools.org so that we may make alternate arrangements for you. Please register online as soon as you've made your school choice decision, and remember that waiting lists for CY grades six, seven and eight are projected. NCHS open house Natrona County High School Open House begins with presentations at 5:30 p.m. in the Mustang Activities Complex, and will conclude in the new east wing by 7:30 p.m. This open house is for all eighth-grade students who are interested in attending NCHS in the 2016-17 school year. We look forward to meeting our new students and their families and we are excited they are joining our NCHS family to carry on the Mustang tradition of excellence. For more information, please call 253-1701. Additional school open houses 5 to 6:30 p.m., Centennial Junior High School, Frontier Middle School. Safari International The Central Wyoming Safari Club International will hold its monthly meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Casper Petroleum Club. Local member Steve Hinton will give a presentation on his late fall white tail deer hunting trip to northern Saskatchewan, Canada. Nonmembers are always welcome. Come and join us and share some of your hunting stories. For more information, call Dale Leatham at 307-797-2097. A Casper teenager charged with armed robbery was found unfit to stand trial following an evaluation at a state mental hospital, a judge announced Tuesday. Brandon Carl Reeder will remain under the care of doctors at the Wyoming State Hospital for three months. An evaluation at the hospital found Reeder was mentally unfit to stand trial, Natrona County District Judge Daniel Forgey said. All proceedings in Reeders case were temporarily suspended. Reeder could stand trial if he is found mentally fit after undergoing treatment at the hospital. Authorities say Reeder, 18, is responsible for two robberies in April at Casper businesses, during which he allegedly used a silver revolver to force store clerks to give him money. Reeder was 17 years old at the time of the crimes. Reeder has not entered pleas to the charges. Police have said Reeder acted alone when he robbed Ridleys Family Market gas station on Second Street on April 3 and the Homax Conoco gas station on South Poplar Street on April 5, court documents state. In both robberies, Reeder held a silver revolver in his left hand and wore a black ski mask with enlarged eye holes, court documents state. Reeder allegedly placed the revolver down on the store counter as he was collecting the money. During both incidents, Reeder entered the store and said, Give me all the money, the documents state. During the Homax robbery, Reeder also allegedly said, Hurry, or Ill start shooting. Police identified Reeder using surveillance footage at a Loaf N Jug on Second Street. Reeder went into the store holding the mask he would later wear in the Ridleys robbery, according to the documents. Clothing Reeder was seen wearing in the video matched descriptions from robbery witnesses. Officers also recovered a revolver from Reeders vehicle. Defense attorney Hampton Young is representing Reeder. A woman who allegedly shot her husband Sunday during an argument at their apartment has been charged with attempted murder, court records show. Dana Michelle Miller faces one count of attempted second-degree murder, according to updated documents filed Tuesday in Natrona County Circuit Court. Miller's husband, Dustin Edward Baer, was in stable condition Tuesday at Wyoming Medical Center. Miller is also charged with three counts of aggravated assault and one count of possession of a deadly weapon with unlawful intent. She is being held in the Natrona County Detention Center in lieu of $100,000 bond. Miller, 37, called 911 on Sunday to report she accidentally shot her 26-year-old husband, Dustin Edward Baer, a police report states. Officers responded to the apartment at 1900 S. Missouri Ave. and found Baer in the kitchen. A Glock 9 mm handgun was next to him. Medics treated Baer before taking him to the Wyoming Medical Center emergency room. Baer suffered a collapsed lung and was in a medically induced coma Monday, prosecutors said during Miller's initial hearing in Natrona County Circuit Court. While choking back tears during the hearing, Miller asked for a public defender to represent her. According to the police report, detectives interviewed Miller at the police department Sunday. She told them she and Baer had been drinking alcohol at their apartment. She said Baer became drunk and started calling her insulting names, which caused her to be frustrated, according to a police report. Miller said she grabbed the handgun from under their mattress in their bedroom. She said she walked into the kitchen where Baer was standing and pointed the gun at him in an attempt to make him stop calling her names, the report states. She said Baer continued to insult her, so she pulled the trigger, according to the report. Miller said she dropped the gun, placed a towel on Baer and called the police. Miller told police she had threatened Baer with the gun before during a similar argument, the report states. Detectives went to the hospital after Baer had been brought out of the coma, according to the report. Baer was unable to keep his eyes open and was noticeably in pain, the report states. Baer told detectives Miller had been drinking vodka on the night of the shooting. He said Miller became violent when she drank, so he took the handgun from under the bed, according to the report. Miller demanded Baer give her the gun. When Baer gave Miller the gun, she told him, Id really like to shoot you right now, the report states. Baer said he told her to do it, at which point Miller shot him. He told detectives he tried to call police but his phone was too soaked with blood and he was unable to use it. He told detectives the argument spawned over Miller taking his debit card and refusing to return it, according to the report. A preliminary hearing will be set to decide whether enough evidence exists for Miller to stand trial. News coverage from Israel is often distorted if measured against the 'Code of Ethics' guidelines of journalism. The origins of bad news about a country thus lie with numerous foreign media. This project exposes one of many methods used.Bad News from the Netherlands has raised major international interest since it appeared on the web in October 2007. Many thanks are due to all those who have contributed news, ideas and financing. Support us to expand this project.Act against the biased media: start a bad news blog about another country. If you want to use this layout, please contact us at the e-mail address below. Do It Yourself The "Bad News Movement" is not a franchise, but consists of independent initiatives of which Bad News from the Netherlands is the first. Yet as the initiator of the movement, we would like to make a few suggestions to those who want to establish similar projects: 1. Always keep in mind the target of the blog: showing only negative items about a country makes its society aware of how some of their media distort the image of Israel. 2. Focus on items from leading sources such as the government, major media, well-known institutions. 3. Do not concentrate on one or a few areas. Deal with as many major aspects of the country as possible: government, politics, justice, media, culture, civil society, etc. 4. Do not exaggerate issues beyond what is mentioned. A collection of bad news is bad enough without blowing up the facts. Let the facts speak for themselves. 5. While one can draw part of the information from the more sensational papers, let them not dominate the blog. 6. Do not emphasize ethnicity of people where it is irrelevant to the issue. 7. When necessary, provide comments on issues which require it, but try to present the majority of issues without comment. The Wyoming Supreme Court denied an appeal Tuesday from a Pennsylvania man convicted and sentenced to prison for the fatal shooting of a Casper man in 2013. The Supreme Court refuted each of John Knospler Jr.s claims, which centered on his alleged inability to adequately defend himself at trial. Knospler shot and killed James Kade Baldwin on Oct. 4, 2013, in the parking lot of Racks Gentlemens Club. A jury found him guilty of second-degree murder in December 2014, and a judge sentenced him to 30 to 50 years in prison. In a brief filed Aug. 24, Knospler and his attorneys, Timothy Newcomb of Laramie and Joseph Low of California, assert the Natrona County District Court made errors during evidentiary rulings and in the writing of jury instructions. In Tuesdays 14-page opinion, Chief Justice E. James Burke wrote the District Court made no error in its rulings before and during Knosplers trial. According to witnesses at the strip club on the night of the murder, Baldwin approached Knosplers car and tried to open the passenger side door. Upon finding it locked, he walked to the drivers side door. Witnesses said they then saw Baldwin fall face first into the snow and the blue Chevy speed from the parking lot. Knospler maintained he acted in self-defense when he killed Baldwin. He said Baldwin punched through his car window while he was sleeping in the vehicle, causing him to react. In his appeal, Knospler claimed his defense team should have been allowed to present evidence at trial that Baldwin had an extensive criminal history. The Supreme Court ruled evidence of a victims criminal history is only admissible if it shows that the victim engaged in life-threatening behavior. The appeal also asserted Baldwin had a predisposition for aggression as demonstrated by videos of child pornography and bestiality he allegedly viewed on his cellphone. The District Court disallowed expert evidence relating to the videos at trial, a decision with which Knospler disagreed. The Supreme Court asserted evidence of a persons character is not admissible to prove that on a particular occasion the person acted in accordance with the character trait. Knospler also argued that prosecutors left out jury instructions that would have given him the opportunity to fully present his defense. He proposed a jury instruction that stated a person is allowed to act in self-defense in their home or habitation, and asserted his car qualified as a place of habitation. The District Court declined to include this instruction after determining that the definition of habitation does not apply to vehicles. The Supreme Court agreed with the lower courts decision. Knospler also claimed the District Court unfairly allowed the prosecution to introduce new evidence at the last minute. The evidence pertained to testimony by people who interacted with Knospler on the night of the murder. The Supreme Court rebutted the complaint, stating Knospler failed to file a timely complaint since he did not raise the issue until after the testimony at trial. Natrona County District Judge Thomas Sullins denied last January a request from Knospler for a new trial. That appeal was based on many of the same claims in the Supreme Court appeal. A committee for the Natrona County School District is considering changes to the district attendance policy that may include stricter consequences, like loss of credit for non-attendance. The High School Expectations Committee, a group of teachers, administrators, board members and parents, is trying to advance the districts goal to raise graduation rates. The board of trustees imposed a districtwide dress code last year after the idea was considered by the Expectations Committee. The idea is to increase performance in schools by setting higher standards, said Rita Walsh, member of the districts board of trustees. As we set expectations, we are changing the culture in the high school -- through communicating this idea that attendance is important, Walsh said. Among the many points hashed out in small groups, committee members suggested: schedule changes, such as a four-day week with activities on the fifth; consistent consequences, like losing credit after a set number of absences; published data on attendance goals that would hold schools accountable. District policy technically limits absences, excused or unexcused, to 10 days per semester, but the consequences are unclear. Wyoming law says that 10 consecutive days of absences result in an automatic drop. Many students see a loophole in the state law, said Christopher Dresang, member of the committee and vice principal at Natrona County High School. Kids can skip school for nine days, show up on the 10th, and their track record is reset, according to the state. That puts schools in a difficult position, said Dresang. We're making rules for kids who dont follow rules, he said. But for kids who are just taking advantage of the system, a new policy will make the consequences more black and white, he said. There is a possibility of pushback from parents if a new policy is perceived as too strict, but that will likely be a short-term response, Walsh said. To combat this, the districts communications department will likely put forward an awareness campaign about the importance of attendance. Chronic absence appears to be related to failure to graduate, and skipping class is a habit that starts early. Seventy-eight percent of students who attended ninth grade in the district four years ago, yet failed to graduate with their peers last year, had 15 or more absences in ninth grade, according to data provided by the district. Some ideas raised during the meeting went beyond rewriting policy, such as switching to an automated attendance system where students essentially check in and out using a swipe card. That appealed to me because I can track kids. I can look for problem kids, Dresang said. I think we are at that size that we need something beyond administration. Dresangs small group also suggested the district provide alternative scheduling, like night classes. Despite being a district that prides itself on choice, there is no alternative to the traditional 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. school day, he said. Though there is no set deadline, the groups recommendations will be considered by the boards policy committee, before the entire board does a first reading. The Expectations Committee will also have a chance to weigh-in before the final vote, Walsh said. The committee will meet again Feb. 1. Casper resident Michael Duncan bought a pistol -- his third -- at Rocky Mountain Discount Sports on Tuesday morning, shortly after President Obama announced executive actions intended to address gun violence. Duncan didnt buy the handgun because of Obamas announcement, aimed at tightening control and enforcement of weapons. Hes been thinking about purchasing a new pistol for months. But hes not entirely happy with the executive actions, either. The only reason Im buying this pistol is I want to protect myself and my family, he said. The executive actions only add burdens for law-abiding gun owners, Duncan said, moments after clearing a background check that was required for his gun purchase. Criminals who want guns will skirt the law to get them, he said. Wyoming has one of the highest -- if not the highest -- rates of gun ownership in the nation, depending on who's research you cite. An often-quoted study puts Wyomings ownership rate at nearly 63 percent -- the highest in the nation. But that report was published in 2002. A more recent study shows gun ownership in Wyoming is closer to 54 percent. The national rate of gun ownership hovers in the 30 percent range, depending on the study. Many gun store owners in the Casper area said they were still trying to understand Obama's executive actions, since they are new. Were not aware of anything thats in it, said Tom Fields, a salesman at Rocky Mountain Discount Sports. Yet unsurprisingly, many Wyomingites feel passionate about restrictions on gun rights in general. Brad Shirley, an employee at Rocky Mountain Discount Sports, said the president doesnt understand regular people. Hes totally guarded by people with automatic weapons, Shirley said. He and his family. U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis and Sen. John Barrasso, Republicans who represent Wyoming in Washington, criticized Obama in prepared remarks. President Obamas words and actions on gun control today are a desperate attempt by a last-term president to come up with legacy points, Lummis said. The President cannot claim to respect the Constitution while at the same time use the swipe of his pen to impose restrictions on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans. Both politicians said Congress will not accept the executive actions. We all agree that we must find ways to control violent crime and keep guns out of the hands of criminals, Barrasso said. This can be done by enforcing the laws already in place. We must look at ways to address the mental health issues that contribute to gun violence in America. Duncan, who plans to target shoot with his new pistol, said he didnt have a problem with a provision in Obamas announcement that will require background checks at gun shows. He believes the checks are especially necessary for people who buy handguns. Most of our (gun) crimes are committed by handguns, he said. DEER LODGE A Montana judge has entered not guilty pleas on behalf of a handyman charged with killing a Deer Lodge man and his mother during a confrontation over the theft of 1,700 ounces of silver. Powell County Attorney Lewis Smith said 53-year-old David Wayne Nelson was arraigned before District Judge Ray Dayton on Tuesday morning in Deer Lodge. Nelson remains jailed without bail. A trial date has not been set. Nelson is charged with deliberate homicide in the Oct. 24 deaths of Gregory Giannonatti and Beverly Giannonatti. Charging documents say Nelson confessed to attacking them in the bathroom of Beverly Giannonatti's deceased ex-husband's house. Nelson also is charged with stealing the silver and disposing of evidence. Nelson's public defenders asked that Dayton enter the pleas because they hadn't decided whether to request a mental health evaluation for Nelson. The emperor has no clothes. The Donald has no policy. This is not exactly news, but it is too often forgotten in the carnival that is the 2016 presidential race. Donald Trump's campaign style serves to obscure the substantive void, leaving reporters chasing after his latest rhetorical bomb rather than pressing him on policy. Not, of course, that such questioning produces answers. Trump evades questions about how he would approach a particular problem with airy assurances about management and deal-making. There's only so much follow-up that can be done in the face of this bombast. Join me on a trip through a typical Trump stump speech, this one an hourlong ramble just before the new year in South Carolina: The crowd size. His poll numbers. Why he must attack Hillary Clinton. The media is the worst. The trade deficit with China. How much money Jeb Bush has wasted. Has he mentioned the polls? Matt Drudge, great guy. How bad a job Clinton did at State. How nice of Vladimir Putin to praise him. (No sarcasm intended.) His Ivy League pedigree and big vocabulary. Back to Clinton: "She just gives me a headache." He's going to build the strongest military ever. Obamacare is a disaster. Common Core's dead. Trump's spent no money on his campaign and he's No. 1. Marco Rubio, nice guy but what about those somber ads with a black background? What great ratings those debates got. Not smart to answer questions about ISIS -- he wants to be unpredictable. How bad the Iran nuclear deal is. The Iraq War, huge mistake. The environmentalists' attack on Trump's hairspray and how the spray is much better than the pump, with those blobs that get stuck and he needs to take a shower. By the way, he lives in a very nice apartment, and "nothing gets out" into the atmosphere. The hoax of global warming and the threat to the universe. Speaking of the universe, Miss Universe, and "oh, did I get rich" off the pageant. How many televisions he orders a year from South Korea and how we are using our military to support countries like that who don't need our help. His wall versus the Great Wall of China. Even his hats are made in America, and you can buy other things on his website, too. Carly's a nice woman. China's building military fortresses in the South China Sea and we're worrying about the environmental impact of a border wall with Mexico on toads and turtles? Wait until China has to deal with Carl Icahn. Don't worry about the cost of a wall. The Old Post Office building is coming in under budget. As is his campaign. By the way, Hillary has lower energy than Bush. Trump's a nice person. He actually wants to help Syrian refugees, with a massive safe zone. Can you believe Angela Merkel was the person of the year and he wasn't? The wall -- Mexico's going to pay. Ted Cruz, he's a good guy. Remember the escalator in Trump Tower? The press that day looked like the Academy Awards. No one would be talking about illegal immigration if it weren't for Trump. More polls. Bernie Sanders, a total disaster who wants to raise your taxes to 90 percent. Back to Clinton; he's the last person she wants to run against. Trump will save the Second Amendment. If only Parisians had guns. It wasn't politically correct for neighbors to report ISIS sympathizers in San Bernardino. Trump's poll numbers went up after the attacks. The trade stuff is easy. How we messed up Iraq. We're going to be rich, safe, strong again. Readers, this is no caricature -- it's Trump unfiltered, alighting briefly on a topic, complicated or trivial, before flitting to the next. And it's not as if Trump bolsters his stump speech with policy depth in proposals or interviews. If Obamacare is a disaster, what's Trump's replacement? If Common Core is dead, what's his alternative? The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center has estimated that Trump's tax plan -- one subject he barely mentions -- would cost $9.5 trillion over the first decade, not including added interest. In 2000, when a surplus was forecast, George W. Bush proposed cuts costing $1.3 trillion. They were extensively debated -- in the campaign. Trump relies on his ability to dominate the news with provocative distractions, to repel serious questions until interviewers' time runs out. We must find a way, if not to pierce the bluster, at least to expose it. The Wyoming Legislature is preparing to convene for a budget session. The plan lawmakers come up with will pay for the states operating costs from July 1 of this year through June 2018. It will certainly be a tall order. Oil, natural gas and coal account for about 70 percent of state revenue. Because of a slide in prices, total revenues in Wyoming are expected to be down $210 million. Funding for school construction is also expected to take a hit. Some of our legislators have talked about realistic ways to plug those gaps: expanding Medicaid to 20,000 low-income Wyoming adults, borrowing from the states rainy day fund, even raising taxes. No matter how we might view those ideas initially, they represent meaningful conversations that we need to have here in Wyoming. The states financial situation deserves our full attention. We cant allow ourselves to get distracted by peripheral issues. Unfortunately, we worry that some legislators have forgotten that critical point, as evidenced by a recently unveiled bipartisan effort that aims to shield guns and ammunition in bankruptcies and other instances in which creditors would be taking assets. That mission, sponsored by Sens. Drew Perkins, R-Casper, John Hastert, D-Green River, Tony Ross, R-Cheyenne, and Reps. Don Burkhart, R-Rawlins, Cathy Connolly, D-Laramie, Mike Greear, R-Worland, and Steve Harshman, R-Casper, has little to do with Wyomings financial situation. Worse yet, it has served as a distraction. Thats not the kind of leadership Wyoming needs heading into this important budget session. Legislators have just a few weeks to hammer out these important points, and the ones that merit the most attention are the ones that directly affect Wyomingites daily lives. Those are all fine efforts. We certainly like the jackalope -- it will always be the official legendary critter of our hearts -- and the Magna Carta is a significant milestone in British independence. Admittedly, that was a general session, not a budget one, so the scope of the gathering was broader. Even so, why did lawmakers spend time on those issues when far more essential ones are begging for attention? In the upcoming budget session, lawmakers have the opportunity to truly make a difference in the states financial future. They should focus on making prudent, thoughtful decisions that are in the best interest of Wyomingites -- and every nonrelated bill simply detracts from that. Notes on Texas's nominal Brief in Opposition in the DAPA litigation Marty Lederman A spike in radioactive soil contamination around a remote uranium mine north of the Grand Canyon has caused Arizona regulators to delay issuing new permits for three mines. Energy Fuels Resources Inc. found elevated radiation just outside its Pinenut Mine, which is north of the Canyon and south of Fredonia. The company has completed mining the site but is storing ore above ground and trucking it to a Utah mill. Arizona Department of Environmental Quality officials say the contamination is at least four times higher than the areas background radiation levels, but poses no immediate health risk. As a result of the findings, the state will delay renewal of air-quality permits for activities at Pinenut and two other Energy Fuels uranium mines, including one under development south of Tusayan on the Grand Canyons South Rim. The company says contamination is extremely low and is not a threat to the environment; mining opponents say the pollution shows its time for a permanent ban on new uranium mines around the Canyon. The evidence continues to accumulate regarding the adverse effect of uranium mining around the Grand Canyon, said Roger Clark, Canyon program director for the Grand Canyon Trust. The Grand Canyon Trust backs a proposal by Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona, to designate a 1.7 million-acre Greater Grand Canyon Heritage National Monument on national forest and Bureau of Land Management lands north and south of Grand Canyon National Park. The proposal is considered dead on arrival in the current Congress, but could be a road map for preservation if President Obama chooses to use his Antiquities Act authority to designate a monument. A national monument would make permanent the current 20-year moratorium on new uranium claims around the Canyon, which the Obama administration approved in 2012. It would not deter mining on existing claims, including those for which Energy Fuels is seeking renewed air-quality permits. The permit delays will not immediately affect mine operations. The company continues work under its old permits, but must intensify environmental monitoring and has agreed to step up dust suppression. The company currently is drilling a shaft into its Canyon Mine, in the Kaibab National Forest, where it has yet to produce ore. Operations at the depleted Pinenut Mine include trucking of stored ore and eventually mine cleanup. The third mine affected by the permit delays is the EZ Mine, a proposed mine that, like Pinenut, is on BLM land south of Fredonia. The Grand Canyon Trust, Sierra Club and Center for Biological Diversity all oppose the mining and had asked the state to deny the permits before the Pinenut contamination was reported. The Department of Environmental Quality had planned public hearings in Flagstaff and Tuba City, but now will hold off and instead reopen and extend the public comment period, department spokeswoman Caroline Oppleman said. Our priority is to ensure that the health of Arizonans and our environment are protected, and we take this responsibility very seriously, she said, particularly when it comes to the permits we issue. Energy Fuels spokesman Curtis Moore released a statement saying routine testing found a very low level of uranium near the mines fence line. These levels are marginally above natural background levels of uranium and pose no risk to public health or the environment, he said in the statement. The levels are extremely low, and Energy Fuels is working with the ADEQ to determine if any additional dust control or other measures are appropriate. Clark, of the Grand Canyon Trust, agreed that the Pinenut contamination likely poses no immediate threat. However, he said it is unclear whether mine practices would protect campers who frequent the Canyon Mine area once ore starts coming out of it. He suggested regulators should force the company to truck ore in airtight containers instead of simply covering it with tarps in a dump truck. We dont have epidemiological studies of how close someone might camp to Canyon Mine, Clark said. Is it safe for them to be there, to spend a week camping? We just dont know. Clark and other supporters of a new national monument and permanent mining ban also worry that uranium will contaminate groundwater and springs inside the Grand Canyon. Entered into eternal life on December 24, 2015. During the latter part of his life, Pete had some health challenges but he overcame adversity and lived a full and active life. He is survived by his loving wife, daughters, stepchildren, and all of their spouses and progeny. Pete is remembered with love, as he touched so many with his zest for life and ability to empathize with and support all those in his orbit. Pete was incredibly loving, fun, devoted, generous, hardworking, humble, capable and honest; a man who inspired love and loyalty from his family, friends, co-workers, customers and indeed easily formed bonds with anyone he met. Pete enlisted in the Navy in 1945 on his seventeenth birthday, during the final days of World War II. He spent the next four years visiting ports all over the world, including Asia, the Middle East and Southern Europe. He remained in the Reserves after his service and was called back to duty at the beginning of the Korean War. He served under fire off the coast of Korea, aboard a patrol frigate decoy ship drawing fire from shore batteries. His ship also rescued downed U.S. pilots and took them to safety. He had an adventurous and successful career in the Navy and came home to work hard and become a father to four daughters, seven stepchildren, their spouses and their progeny. Pete had a long and successful career at NCR, maintaining business machines and he could fix anything, anywhere and anytime. He crisscrossed the state and became an authority on Tucson history and business. He simply knew everyone. His love of people of all cultures allowed him to become part of any community where he worked and he easily bridged any divide. Like his family and friends, his customers trusted him and relied on him. More than anything else, Pete had a remarkable depth of compassion for everyone, human and animal, which set him apart. He will live forever in our hearts because he has always been so much a part of us during his life. We love you, Pete. You are with us always in heart and mind and we are so grateful for having you in our lives. Family will greet friends from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. on Friday, January 8, 2016 at BRING'S BROADWAY CHAPEL, 6910 E. Broadway Blvd., Tucson, Arizona 85710. Memories may be shared on the Brings website at www.bringfuneralhome.com. Memorials, in lieu of flowers, may be sent to the Humane Society of Southern Arizona, 3450 N. Kelvin Blvd., Tucson, Arizona 85716. Interment will be held at Holy Hope Cemetery on Saturday, January 9, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. Amanuel Aman Gebremariam took a circuitous and perilous route to Tucson, where he is the chef and owner of the citys two Zemams restaurants. Gebremariam was 25 in 1979 when he fled his home in Asmara, Eritrea, Africa, to escape the civil war. He left his parents and three siblings behind. Walking for 17 days, he found a refugee camp in east Sudan. Because he spoke English well, he was hired by the United Nations to work in the medical clinic, where he met his wife, Cindy, a UN volunteer from Cincinnati. They married in 1983, and spent the next six years traveling the world, working with the Peace Corps and UN. In 1989, they came to the states. Mutual friends suggested they consider living in Tucson. They arrived in 1989. Your life is like a Hollywood movie. How did you go from Africa to opening Zemams? In my country, domestic work is mostly done by women, but I always loved to watch my mother cook. My sister would yell at me to get out of the kitchen, but I was fascinated by the smells and the way she mixed the spices. That was where I began to see that cooking is like chemistry; if you put the wrong amounts in, you dont get the right taste. After I earned a business degree from the University of Arizona in 1991, I went to work for a company, but I didnt like working in an office. I enjoyed cooking, and I remembered my mothers kitchen, so I decided to open a little restaurant using her recipes. I named the restaurant Moma Zemams in tribute to her. What experience did you have to open a restaurant? My first job when we got back to the states was a dishwasher at McDonalds. While working for the Peace Corps, I did work at the American Club in Mauritania (country in northwest Africa), but it was nothing like opening a restaurant. My wife said to me, what makes you think you can open a restaurant? But it was what I wanted to do. What is it you like most about cooking? About running a restaurant? I see people when they return empty plates, and how happy they are theres nothing like making people happy. But to do that, it requires a lot of hard work and dedication, and consistency. We use a lot of spices, and if we put too much of a spice in a dish, we hear about it from our customers. Owning a restaurant is a really, really hard job. There is no margin for error. I work six days a week, and on the seventh I am shopping for the next week. But I have learned that a good location, good food and good service makes you successful, and we have been around a long time. Two years ago you opened a second location. What led to that decision? At the time, there were plans to make Broadway a six-lane road, and that would have taken my property. So I found a property on Speedway and opened that about 2 years ago, in advance of closing the Broadway location. Now the plans have changed, so I have two restaurants. What do you think attracts people in Tucson to your restaurant? Youre not the typical Tucson fare. We buy all of our ingredients locally, so it is Tucson. I think what makes us unique is how we prepare those ingredients. What is a favorite dish of yours and why? There is a dish I created which is called Yetakelt-Wae, a medley of fresh vegetables and potatoes. The other dish I created is a roasted cauliflower. Most people steam broccoli or cauliflower and just serve it with a little salt and pepper. The way I roast it and add spices, it tastes so different. There is so much more you can do with vegetables. Its like chemistry. Would you pay more in city sales tax if it meant the city could afford to replace aging fire trucks, or if it could afford to not cut the parks and rec budget? The city will poll voters several weeks from now to find out whether voters might support a half-cent sales tax increase. The Tucson City Council approved the poll Tuesday. The poll would cost $10,000-$20,000, said Mayor Jonathan Rothschild. Local leadership groups may help pay for it, he said. The council spent time Tuesday discussing the options for improving the revenue side of the city budget. A half-cent sales tax increase would bring in about $50 million a year but must be approved by voters. The city budget will become unmanageable in the next few years, said Council Member Paul Cunningham. If the city does nothing, general-fund deficits are projected to grow to $50 million by FY18. The council should be bold enough to face the problem and take action to put a sales tax increase on the ballot, Cunningham said. A half-cent sales tax increase would bring the city rate to 2.5 percent. Oro Valley and Marana recently increased their rates to that mark. Thats kind of become the new standard, Rothschild said. Without a tax increase, the city would have to cut services, said Council Member Regina Romero. Voters have to decide what city services will become, she said. Do they want a struggling city, she asked, or would they choose a thriving city? A poll would show whether Tucsonans are willing to pay more, and also what they would prefer to pay for, such as public safety, transit, roads or parks, she said. Council Member Richard Fimbres said the extra tax revenue should benefit one specific service, such as parks. He said voters approved Proposition 409, a $100 million road bonds project, in 2012 because it met a specific need. The poll results, plus input from citizen committees, would help shape ballot questions. For us to run an election is going to cost us some good money, so we should at least know that weve got a good chance to win, Rothschild said. A tax hike would have to be approved by voters, but the timing of the election was not determined in Tuesdays meeting. Growing Marijuana In other action, the council approved increasing the allowable size of off-site cultivation sites that grow marijuana for medical marijuana dispensaries to 4,000 square feet, up from 3,000 square feet, and allow outdoor growing with certain requirements. With fewer restrictions in the Phoenix area, many growers set up their farms there instead of here, the Arizona Daily Star reported in 2010. Tucson may be a 17-hour drive from the occupied federal buildings in southeastern Oregon, but the occupiers arguments sound like an echo from Arizona. The federal government has overreached by so much, the argument goes, that it is behaving unconstitutionally, forcing us to act unilaterally to rein it in. Thats what the armed men say who are occupying the offices of a remote national wildlife refuge in Oregon. They argue the federal government went too far in pursuing what they say are excessive sentences against two ranchers convicted of arson. Thats also what our own state Rep. Mark Finchem, an Oro Valley Republican, says. A bill Finchem has introduced would prohibit the state from using any resources to support or implement unconstitutional presidential executive orders, federal policies or even U.S. Supreme Court rulings. The court can pass an opinion all day long, Finchem told Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services. But until that opinion goes back to Congress and becomes an enactment, and is signed into law, a statute, by the president, its not operable. Finchem told me, States are co-equal sovereigns, so we also have an opinion that matters in this. Yes, the Supreme Court is not really so supreme in the view of an increasingly prominent group of self-described constitutionalists. We all have an opinion, after all, and whos to say the states view isnt actually the correct one? Thats the fundamental problem with the constitutionalist fever that has a hold on a good part of Arizonas and Americas right wing. Their arguments devolves into an anarchical view that our country should operate based on cherry-picked constitutional principles interpreted by ad libbed authorities. My education on these matters so-called militias and constitutionalists goes back more than a decade. In the late 1990s, while covering Tucsons federal court, I repeatedly went through civil suits by people claiming that judgements made against them were invalid because they were made in courts where a gold-fringed American flag flew, making it an admiralty court. Thats one of the outer rings of anti-federal-government conspiracy theories, but ultimately most of them are related in declaring the governments actions unconstitutional and our own need to rein them in however we see fit. Over the years one Southern Arizona character really helped me grasp constitutionalist arguments and their weaknesses. Richard Mack, the former sheriff of Graham County, has had periods of national prominence since the mid-1990s. He won a 1997 Supreme Court ruling that sheriffs do not have to perform background checks for gun purchases, as dictated by federal law, and spun that into a partial career in public speaking. His big argument is for constitutional sheriffs the idea that sheriffs are the top constitutional authority in any given county. In his view, sheriffs because theyve sworn the oath to uphold and defend the constitution, and because they are elected should step in when constitutional rights are being violated. A constitutional sheriff would have stopped the arrest of Rosa Parks for refusing to sit at the back of the bus, Mack has often said. How are they to judge? Well, if they swear an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, then its their job to figure it out. And we are apparently to accept their judgement. One of the occupiers of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge offices is Jon Ritzheimer, a man who became infamous after organizing an armed anti-Islam rally in Phoenix last summer. F--- Islam is a slogan he embraced. In the fall, Ritzheimer pursued the idea of arresting Debbie Stabenow, a U.S. senator from Michigan, because she voted in favor of the U.S.-Iran nuclear deal treason in his view and that of some fellow travelers from Michigan. The idea was to journey across the country, arresting all those senators who voted for the deal, finishing up by arresting the president. Now, that may be a bit further out than some constitutionalist actions, but it is in keeping with the idea of do-it-yourself constitutional interpretation and enforcement. This is something our Legislature, too, has excelled at over the years. The Legislature referred to the 2014 state ballot an initiative similar to the bill Finchem has proposed this year, and we passed it by 51 percent to 49 percent. Proposition 122 amended the state Constitution to give Arizona voters and the Legislature the power to overturn any unconstitutional federal-government act through initiatives or bills. Who determines whats unconstitutional? Well, thats an open question, much as in Finchems bill, which contains no language to explain who are the arbiters as to which executive order, federal policy or Supreme Court opinion violates the Constitution. Finchem told me hes willing to hear suggested amendments, but that the state House might be the best judge because of its power of the purse. Finchem, by the way, is a retired police officer from Michigan and a member of the Oath Keepers, a group of current and former military members, police officers and first responders dedicated to upholding their view of the Constitution, especially protection of the right to firearms. Among its list of orders we will not obey is: We will NOT obey orders to invade and subjugate any state that asserts its sovereignty and declares the national government to be in violation of the compact by which that state entered the Union. Who decides what is invasion or subjugation? Again, who knows maybe the Oath Keepers board? These self-described constitutionalists all have their own ideas but ignore the obvious we already have a judicial system that grapples with questions of constitutionality every day. The courts are the home of the rule of law. Whether youre in Oregon or Arizona, when those rulings go against you, it doesnt give you the right to take up arms against the entire federal system or improvise your way out of it. PHOENIX A first-term lawmaker is pushing legislation he contends will block at least two branches of the federal government from imposing their will on Arizona. HB 2024 would forbid the state from using its resources to implement any presidential executive order unless it was approved by Congress and found to be constitutional. Rep. Mark Finchem, R-Oro Valley, said he crafted the bill even before President Obama announced Tuesday he is taking executive action to redefine who is a gun dealer and subject to requirements to do background checks. A second section would apply the same standard to directives of federal agencies. Those appear not to be much of a leap from Proposition 122, a state constitutional amendment approved in 2014 allowing the state to refuse to fund what it considers unconstitutional federal actions. In fact, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 1997 case involving Graham County Sheriff Richard Mack, ruled that even Congress could not force local government to use their resources to conduct background checks on gun buyers. But HB 2024 also would extend the same language to decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court. Finchem said that, absent congressional action, there is no reason Arizona should have to do anything or use state resources to comply with court rulings. Finchem told Capitol Media Services its wrong to even call what comes from the high court a ruling. And he derided the idea that the justices were creating case law. Its not law at all, he said. Its case opinion and past practice, past application, said Finchem, who got seven other Republicans to sign on as co-sponsors of the measure. And he said that it really is just the opinion of the majority of justices in a given case. The court can pass an opinion all day long, he said. But until that opinion goes back to Congress and becomes an enactment, and is signed into law, a statute, by the president, its not operable. Many high court rulings that involve specific disputes between individuals, businesses and even governments are unlikely to trigger what Finchem proposes. Thats because they do not require states to actually use any of their resources. But there are cases where what the justices decide can have financial implications for state and local governments. One ruling in that category is the justices decision that states cannot deny same-sex couples the right to wed. The net effect was to tell states that if they issue marriage licenses they must make them available to all couples regardless of sexual orientation. Finchem said he sees no reason why the justices, on their own, can force that on states. He said civil marriage is essentially a creation of the Internal Revenue Service on the premise the taxing agency needed to know who was entitled to certain benefits. If the federal government wants to issue a gay marriage license, theyre free to do that, Finchem said. But its not a state license. He said the federal government and a federal court cannot force the state to do something that is contrary to the states own constitution. With one vote in opposition, the Pima County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a contract with the economic development organization Sun Corridor Inc. Supervisor Ally Miller cast the only vote against the contract for economic-development services with the group formerly known as TREO, or Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities, saying she didnt think it had produced enough results. Have we seen the results? Miller asked in an interview after the vote. Quite frankly, Mr. Snell (Joe Snell, Sun Corridor president and CEO) has not delivered for 10 years. The contract reaffirms the boards approval of $441,000 in funding for the current fiscal year and includes an additional $210,000 for assistance in locating companies interested in purchasing or leasing county-owned land. In order to continue funding an organization, I need to see something happening, Miller told fellow board members in discussing her vote. Among other board members voting in favor of the contract, Supervisor Ray Carroll said he was confident Sun Corridor would deliver. Theyve really refocused on our core employers, Carroll said. He noted the organization changed its name from TREO in 2014 and has since redoubled its efforts to attract defense, aerospace, logistics and export-related businesses. Ive seen the type of work theyve done to make this region even stronger, Carroll said. Sun Corridor and its predecessor TREO have helped with the relocation and expansion of more than 100 companies to the region, including Accelerate Diagnostics, HomeGoods, Arizona Canning Co., Comcast and Ventana Medical Systems. There also have been less-well-paying employers operating call centers and now-shuttered solar-technology-based companies that also are counted among the successes. Sun Corridor board members speaking at the meeting including Dennis Minano, a former executive at General Motors, and Guy Gunther, vice president operations for Arizona at CenturyLink said the organization has been able to parlay each dollar of government funding into $3 in private investment. Our No. 1 goal is to increase export-based employment in our economy, County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said, adding that seeking more retail or housing are not part of the economic development goals of the county. County officials have hinted in the past few weeks that an announcement would be made soon that shows Sun Corridor, working in partnership with the county and others, stands on the verge of finalizing a deal that would bring in a new employer and nearly 500 jobs to an area near the airport. Huckelberry said a second major employer also has an interest in an opening in the same area. Miller, however, said the millions of dollars the county has poured into economic-development contracts with Sun Corridor and its predecessor have not been fruitful. Instead, she said the county should look north to Marana to see a successful model of economic development. I certainly would like to use Marana as a best-practices blueprint, she said. Miller referred to the recent opening of an outlet mall in the town, Ventana Medical Systems plan to build a distribution center and the expansion of Sergeant Aerospace and Defense, which expanded its footprint in Marana in 2010. Carroll said the primarily retail-based development Marana has sought cant be compared to primary job-providing industries the county has courted. Thats just hyperbole, he said. Supervisor Miller is continuing to be an obstacle when it comes to the representation of the county and its ability to retain new employers. As the midterm elections come ever closer, it can feel as if were stewing in a cauldron of tribalism, of our side vs. their side with no middle ground and little agreement on much of anything. That makes it a good time to take a breath and realize the consensus weve reached on some issues that were incredibly contentious not long ago. It gives us hope in the angry days ahead. Donations can be sent to BNC at Max Obuszewski, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, Baltimore, MD 21212 . Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast [dot] net. Help India! By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS New Delhi : Tussar, the crisp, shining fabric that goes into making saris, jackets and all kinds of apparel for the well heeled, is facing a rough patch on its home turf in eastern India. Support TwoCircles Weavers in the villages of Bihar, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh are battling a shortfall in the supply of silk thread. The production of cocoons from which the Tussar silk fibre is derived has been affected by a combination of natural and manmade factors. Deforestation, a fickle climate, the stranglehold of middlemen, growing state control over acquisition of cocoons, poor distribution and marketing and uneven pricing have taken their toll. It has consequently affected the quality of tussar silk produced in the country. India grows nearly 120,000 tonnes of tussar cocoons annually on 165,000 hectares of mulberry plantations. Tussar cocoons are not being cultivated in adequate numbers and mulberry plantations devoted to tussar are dying because of neglect, said Niranjan Kumar Poddar, secretary of one of the largest silk weavers cooperatives in Bihar, the Berozgar Mahila Kalyan Sanstha in Bhagalpur. The NGO employs 3,600 poor women, mostly firewood gatherers, from villages in Bhagalpur, Banka (in Bihar) and Sahibganj, Godda (in Jharkhand), who weave tussar, muga and andi silk in four workshops-cum-production centres spread across these districts. The Sanstha, which is in Delhi to hawk its cache of tussar saris, apparel textiles and shawls at a Nature Bazaar organised at Dilli Haat by Dastkar, a society for crafts and craftspeople, is doing brisk business. But production shortfall apart, it is becoming very difficult to buy cocoons because of rising prices and quality fluctuations, Poddar said. Tussar fibres derived from cocoons cultivated in Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh cost Rs.1,200 per kg, but for the last two years we have not been able to source a single cocoon from the state. The Central Silk Board, Bangalore, TRIFED and the Chhattisgarh state government have been buying the entire stock grown in the villages of Bastar in Chhattisgarh. The Silk Board has created a pool the Cocoon Bank in Chaibasa in the West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand to supply cocoons to weavers at a subsidised cost. The bulk of the cocoons goes to government cooperatives. There is nothing for NGOs like us, Poddar said. Fibres from cocoons grown locally in Dumka, Kathikund and Deogarh in Jharkhand are priced Rs.3,200 per kg. But the threads are of poor quality because the cocoons, unlike those grown in Chhattisgarh, are hard. This is telling on the quality of the weave. The silk is lighter and not resilient enough, Poddar said. The tussar fibre is also under siege from the influx of cheaper Chinese silk in the market. Deforestation has destroyed vast acres of mulberry plantations in 15 of the 22 tribal districts in Orissa. We are getting the bulk of our tussar yarn from Bangalore, which is very expensive. It costs between Rs.1,500 to Rs.2,200 per kg depending upon the count. But in a bale of 5 kg, at least 200 grams are rejected during quality check, said Jayant Sahoo of the Orissa-based weavers NGO, Bunaikar. Local tussar, though cheaper at Rs.1,800 a kg, is difficult to get because of low productivity. The NGO, based in Baragarh and Barpalli bordering Chhattisgarh employs 32 weavers, all women from local self-help groups. The tussar industry here is controlled by small-time traders and middlemen who dictate the prices. Rehbher Handlooms, an NGO of 10 women from Maheswar town in Madhya Pradesh that weaves at least 100 to 200 kg of silk every year, does not have any avenue to retail or sell its products. Officials of the Central Silk Board, Bangalore, say the government is doing its best to help the weavers. Climatic fluctuations, growing conditions and deforestation have taken their toll on the production of tussar cocoons because it is a forest-based industry. The Silk Board has set up a cocoon bank, a centralised collection centre, in Jharkhand to bail out farmers, a senior official of the Central Silk Board told IANS from Bangalore. Layla Tayabji, chairperson of Dastkar, feels that indigenous crafts need permanent display space and artisans more incentives. The crafts sector is still looked at as millions of cheap hands, she said. Help India! By Parveen Chopra, IANS New York : Workers lawsuit against the owner of Devi the only Indian restaurant with a single Michelin star in the US for labour malpractices will continue irrespective of shutting down of the popular eating joint in New York. Support TwoCircles In fact, the 15 erstwhile waiters, runners and bussers of Devi allege that the owner, Rakesh Aggarwal, shut down the restaurant early last week in retaliation to their lawsuit filed in April. However, he has been quoted as saying that he closed shop to cut losses. No comments, is all Aggarwal had to say when approached. To protest Devis closing, its jobless workers eight of whom are South Asians held a demonstration outside the restaurant on Manhattans 18th Street. They plan more demonstrations outside Aggarwals Baluchis chain of restaurants, the workers counsel Tushar J. Sheth told IANS. He is a staff attorney with the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans through litigation, advocacy and education. Sheth said the case relates to Devis minimum wage and overtime violations and illegal tip confiscation. The plaintiffs seek to recover unpaid wages and tips as well as punitive damages. The case is in the federal court of southern district of New York. At this stage, we are providing evidence, and the owner has to defend. If not settled before December, the case will go to trial, Sheth said. Sheth said labour malpractices are not confined to Indian restaurants but are endemic to all restaurants, Chinese, Korean, French, you name it. Devi, started in 2004, will be missed by its many patrons. One major fan was Frank Bruni, the chief food critic for The New York Times, who posted Devi: An Elegy on his blog. Devis innovative menu was crafted by chefs Suvir Saran and Hemant Mathur. Help India! Special series on Irom SharmilaPart-2 By Anjuman Ara Begum, TwoCircles.net, Support TwoCircles Heirangoithong massacre: March 14, 1984: Thousands were watching a volley ball match at the Heirangoithong Volley Ball Ground in Imphal. Some extremists tried to snatch weapons from the CRPF personnel there which resulted in the CRPF beginning to fire killing five people. The injured extremists soon fled. The CRPF at the spot then began to shoot indiscriminately at the crowd, and more joined the team from the nearby CRPF camp. Thirteen people were killed and 31 injured in the firing that went on for half an hour. Mr Y Ibotombi Singh, District Judge, was appointed as Enquiry Commissioner vide Manipur Government Notification No 1/1/ (45)/84-H dated June 25, 1984. The Commissioner reported that there was no cross-firing and that two constables fired at the crowd even after the extremists had fled away, killing and wounding them. It found that the Platoon commander instigated to fire more instead of controlling the situation. It also reportedly accused the Platoon commander of being little conscious and completely forgetting his duty. A compensation of a mere Rs 10,000 each was given to the next of kin of those killed and those injured were given Rs 4000. Operation Blue Bird at Oinam: July 10, 1987: Insurgents raided the Assam Rifles post at Oinam village and looted the armoury. Nine AR personnel were also killed in the attack which triggered the Operation Blue Bird. Three months saw a reign of terror by the AR in 30 villages there. Fourteen civilians were shot dead and several others died of hunger, starvation and torture in the concentration camps, out of the shock of witnessing the torture of dear ones, etc. In an infamous incident of the operation, a woman was forced to deliver her child in public view in an open field, as the troops jeered. Tera Bazar Massacre: March 25, 1993: Unidentified youth shot at CRPF personnel at Tera Keithel, Imphal which killed 2 CRPF men. Thereafter, the CRPF personnel rushed out and fired indiscriminately. Five civilians were killed and many others received bullet injuries. However, no enquiry has been instituted to date. RMC Massacre: January 7, 1995: On the morning of January 7, 1995, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel shot dead nine innocent persons at the Regional Medical College (RMC), Imphal, in retaliation for the attacks on them by the members of an armed opposition group. The victims were Moni Riba, a student of RMC, Laimayum Pradeep Sharma (Guard), Wangkhem Upendra Singh, driver, Mohammed Jakir, rikshaw puller, and autorikshaws drivers Saikhom Premchand Singh, Hijam Khogen, R K Khogen Singh, Angom Debendra Singh and Koijam Rajendra Singh. Shri.D.M Sen, retired Judge, Calcutta High Court, conducted an inquiry and confirmed the arbitrary and intentional shootings by the CRPF personnel. The enquiry commission found that one member of an insurgent group had fired at the CRPF personnel posted at the RMCs main gate. He was guarding his colleagues who were injured in Bishenpur district on January 1, 1995. However, the injury of (their colleague) Mr. Yadav provoked the CRPF personnel of the 199th Battalion and they were angry when they were fired. As soon as the firing took place, the CRPF personnel reportedly shouted hamara admi ko mara, sab Manipuri ko maro. After killing two medical staffs, the CRPF personnel came near the gate of the RMC and shouted at the rikshaw pullers and started firing at them. A rikshaw puller Mohammed Zakir cried out Allahu akbar when injured. One CRPF personnel shouted, kya Allah? and shot again. Zakir fell down and died on the spot. Five rickshaw pullers were killed. Compensation paid by the state to the next kin of those killed was Rs 25,000 and the injured received compensation of Rs. 5, 000. On March 17, 2008, the Adhoc Additional Sessions Judge, Fast Track Court, Guwahati, convicted four CRPF personnel for killing the nine civilians. A statement issued by the Central Bureau of Investigation from New Delhi on March 26, 2008, said that the four CRPF personnel were handed life terms in an order issued on March 17, 2008, and named the convicted men as Head Constable Ram Dayal Sah, Constables Shiv Kumar Pandey and Puttu Lal and Naik Md Razak. The four were also fined Rs 5000 each, failing which their prison terms would be extended by three more months Malom Massacre: November 2, 2000: Assam Rifles convoy was attacked near Malom, Manipur by insurgents. In retaliation, the troops shot at civilians at a nearby bus-stop leaving 10 civilians dead, including a 60 year old woman and a boy who had been awarded the bravery award by the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. A brutal combing operation followed. Irom Sharmilas fast-to-death began in the aftermath of this incident. Several other massacres are Oinam Leikai Massacre on November 21, 1980 Ukhrul Massacres on May 9, 1995 Bashikhong massacre on February 19, 1995 Churachandpur Massacres on July 21, 1999 Nungleiban Massacre on October 15, 1997 Tabokpikhong Massacres on August 12, 1997 Tonsen lamkhai Massacres on September 3, 2000 (is it 1999?) (http://www.voiceofkangleipak.com/pageout.php?pageid=3) Special series on Irom SharmilaPart-1 Special series on Irom SharmilaPart-3 Help India! By Mohd. Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net, Hyderabad : Terror attacks in our nation bring despair for many but bliss for some; it is the time when those expected few can indulge in their business of bullying our gullible Indian audience. Support TwoCircles After Dilsukanagar terror strike the investigation went into the newsrooms of our newsmakers and newsmens, even before NIA reached the blast site. What then, to eclipse the terror our media was full of theories on how exactly blasts were carried out with every minute detail even naming the bomb planters. Every news channel became a private security agency putting their neck in the blast site, trying to get clues to solve it before their competition does. After few days they become courts and pronounced their competitive judgments and conclusions on who the attackers were. Maharashtra ATS Chief Rakesh Maria showing mugshot image of Yaseen Bhatkal A week after those horrible deadly terror strikes, NIA and Hyderabad Police SIT was flexing muscles as to who will be the best agency to solve the case. CID, OCTOPUS, Counter Intelligence, Task Force, ATS of Karnataka and Maharashtra were busy in their ambiguous investigations. Even as CCTV video footage were still lying in forensic laboratory, here comes another bombshell from media especially from Headlines Today for public to digest. They claimed that CCTV camera footage showed that Ahmed Zarar Siddibappa alias Yaseen Bhatkal alleged top Inidan Mujahideen commander personally planted bombs at Dilsukhnagar, (remember it was the same news channels which a day back was running a story that terrorists cut the wires of CCTV cameras before planting bombs). They also claimed that he may still possibly be hiding in old Hyderabad (which after the blast became synonymous for terror hide outs for news channels). Some reputed news outlets even PTI quoted their sources saying the same; this comes a day after Sushil Kumar Shindes statement that this terror strike was a avenged attack on the hanging of Afzal Guru and Ajmal Kasab. For sure this premature statement of HM, mainstream media doesnt found anything prejudicial to the ongoing investigation. But it was not the first time Yaseen Bhatkal was reportedly spotted planting bombs in CCTV camera. In 2010 German bakery blast investigation, Maharashtra ATS chief Rakesh Maria give a breakthrough to journalists during a press conference by stating that CCTV camera footage shows Yaseen Bhatkal personally planting bomb at the Bakery. Mr. Maria for the first time produced the mughot images of Yaseen Bhatkal but that CCTV camera footage was never been showed. When I spoke about Yaseen Bhatkal to one senior journalist from Bangalore who works for a reputed national news magazine, said in a spate Man he is Indian James Bond. Every security agency thinks he is the master mind, the man behind everything supposed to be wanted in terror context. But no one knows exactly where he is and how he unerringly functions. Or even if he really exists in India at all. Yaseen Bhatkal our Indian James Bond, since 2007 has his name print in every major blast (other than which targeted Muslims specifically), in some cases he was the bomb maker and planter. But still he is at large. Media says he is roaming across India bullying our massive security agencies and counter terrorism cells. Media quoting their highly placed sources in IB or MHA came to conclusion that Indian Mujahideen was formed in Bhatkal a picturesque coastal town at Karnataka. The main leaders were Syed Riyaz Shabandri alias Riyaz Bhatkal, his elder brother Syed Iqbal Shabandri alias Iqbal Bhatkal and some alleged their distant relative Ahmed Zarar Siddibappa alias Yaseen Bhatkal. Iqbal Ahmed father of youngest victim of Dilsukhnagar blasts Aijaz Ahmed Same highly placed sources told media that Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal after July 2006 Mumbai train bombings ran away and now hiding in Pakistan. And now from Karachi they carry out their operations through their loyal second in command James Bond IM6 agent Yaseen Bhatkal, who since 2007 is planting bombs in every nook and corner of Indian Territory. Just three days after the blasts India Today media group carried an investigative report claiming that this James Bond have headquarter not in London but in Dubai. Report gave Yaseen Bhatkals mobile number 9990985606 which according to them was known to Maharashtra ATS from 2011, and till 2012 he made 1000 calls to Dubai for money or his remuneration transactions from IM6. They also stated that this spy agent spoke 369 times to his other covert colleagues in India. But then the question is what was Maharashtra ATS doing since 2011, tracing 1000 calls to Dubai and 369 calls in India of the man who is wanted in 10 terror cases. But thats not the end of it many leading news dallies and channels claimed that Yaseen Bhatkal was caught by Kolkata police in December 2009 for fake currency racketing. This startling revelations was first made public, by none other than former resident editor of The Hindu and terror expert Parveen Swami. In his insensitive piece Prison murder could hold clues to Pune attack on Yarewada jail murder of Qateel Siddqui. Mr. Swami wrote that Siddiqui bailed out Yaseen Bhatkal from Kolkatas presidency jail naming Yaseen Bhatkal Mohammed Ashraf a resident of Darbhanga and a Unani doctor. Nurse treating a blast victim at Osmania General Hospital After taking lead from their teacher Swami, some journos beg to pardon on his piece. T.A. Johnson of Indian express wrote that Yaseen Bhatkal was arrested in Kolkata in a theft case, and Qateel Siddiqui was also imprisoned along with Yaseen. But he somehow convinced Kolkata police that he is Bulla Mallik, 26, son of Karthik Mallik, a resident of No. 9, North Range, Kolkata-17 and walked out of prison with two of his accomplices. Precely Thomas of Hindustan Times try to make her report little filmy and state that Yaseen was arrested in 2010 and walked out of Kolkata prison suggesting his name as Shahrukh. Whereas NDTV reported that yaseen was arrested by Kolkatas special task force on the tip off from Intelligence Bureau. But conceding with others, NDTV said he was released after spending few months in Alipore jail where he assumed a fake identity. It is difficult to grasp above reports, especially of NDTV, because some newspapers reported that in 2010 Yaseen along with Qateel applied for a passport in Ranchi on fake identity of Anjar Hussain. But IB got alerted and passports were never issued. So how IB which has sustained identification of Yaseen can does let him run away at Kolkata at fake identity even when he was in Alipore jail for some months. But according to news reports its not the only time agent 007 gave slip to our high class intelligence bureau and counter terrorism cells. In October 2008, reportedly Yaseen bullied Karnataka Police as they delayed a raid on an alleged hideout near Kopa in Mangalore. In November 2011 apparently Yaseen evade an arrest when his father in law Irshad Khans house was raided in Chennai. Media reports said that Agent Yaseen was on shopping tour to buy some vegetables at market when raid proceeded thus he eventually evaded it. But the most thrilling story of Yaseen Bhatkal giving glitches to counter terrorism cells is provided by Praveen Swami again. But in this story Stephen Fleming (Swami) changed the occupation of Yaseen from Unani medical practitioner to Ayurveda and fake name in Darbhanga from Mohammed Ashraf to Dr. Imran. In this story Agent 007 gave a slip to both Maharashtra ATS and Delhi Police Special Cell after July 2011 bomb blasts in Mumbai. Apparently due to the feud between both the agencies, ATS caught special cells mole with Yaseen thus helped him in escaping arrest by Delhi Police. Rediff.com reported that Yaseen after allegedly orchestrating various bombings was staying in a flat just 500 meters away from ATS headquarters in Byculla. Really a close shave for ATS and Delhi police. Many questions arise after reading above incidents, the key are, who is this James Bond? and who trained him? Some journalists claim that he was a civil engineer with good job in Dubai; some say he got engineering diploma in mechanics thus really good in assembling bombs. Some like Praveen Swami stick his carrier to traditional medical professions. Ahmed Siddibappa alias Yaseen Bhatkal did work for a brief period in Dubai, but after some time he disappeared. His father Zarar Siddibappa a wealthy business man from Dubai claimed one day he and his son had verbal fight, after that Ahmed left his house in Dubai and never seen again. Father believes his son is innocent and his name is dragged down in every blast by the media. Zarar Siddibappa even claimed that he never used the name Yaseen to call his son, and said this alias is a media creation. Yaseen father went a step ahead and sued on behalf of his son, The Hindu and Praveen Swami for writing alleged defamatory articles declaring his son mastermind in every major blast. We gullible Indians or the mango people (as how political class wants to call us) might never get to know the facts or real truth about this Indian James Bond or his organization IM6. But one thing clearly emerged from it which no one can deny that investigations on the wave of terrorist attacks is being frequently attributed to IM and throuwn away in the dust bin of Indian legal system. With different states and media, different theories emerge, claiming IM a lose network of Individuals. In every major blast we havealways heard the names of Riyaz, Iqbal and Yaseen Bhatkal but arrested will be some other youths.. Till now nearly 150 Muslim youths have been arrested in 7 different states, accusing them to be part of IM. In our country with ongoing legal proceedings, trials can go on for years in a sorry state of affairs. Till then they will keep grinding in Indian legal classification. In Hyderabad Dilsukhanagar blasts, same story is getting repeated where Syed Maqbool an alleged IM operative is now brought here by NIA. And now Hyderabad police started illegal detention of Muslim youths, even of those who were acquitted in Mecca Masjid blast conspiracy case. One only hopes and prays that this reported visit of Indian James Bond to Hyderabad doesnt turn the directions or influence our already shady investigative process. Help India! Kolkata : The Trinamool Congress on Wednesday said it will act against its MP Idris Ali who accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of having links with terrorists who attacked the Pathankot air base. I feel Modi has links with terrorists. Why did the attack happen right after his visit to Pakistan? Ali asked at a public meeting in his constituency on Tuesday. He said it was his personal opinion. Support TwoCircles Condemning Alis comments, the Trinamool promised to take action against him. The comments are very unhealthy and crass, and the party doesnt endorse such views. He has been asked to explain in writing. The party will take appropriate action, Trinamool spokesperson Derek OBrien said. The Lok Sabha member from Basirhat in North 24 Parganas district also threatened to chop off the limbs of CPI-M leader and former West Bengal minister Gautam Deb. Retaliating to Debs comments that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee deserves to be jailed, video grabs quoted him as saying: I will break his back and chop off his limbs and throw him into jail. Help India! By TCN News, Mumbra (Thane): Continuing its country-wide campaign of upholding and strengthening secular aspects of the country, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), organised a gathering under the title Deen aur Dastoor Bachav Tehrik (Save Religion and Constitution Campaign) at Mumbra, Thane. Support TwoCircles A public gathering was held on the evening of January 4, with a huge congregation of more than five thousand people at Mumbra railway station. This marks the beginning of AIMPLBs activities which will be culminated with two-day event between February 24 and 25. Mumbra is considered to have a strong Muslim presence locality in Navi Mumbai. In August 2015, AIMPLB launched a movement with an aim to save religion and the Indian Constitution and is appealing to other minority communities to be part of the programme. In the backdrop of this campaign many public meetings and gatherings are being organised throughout India. Mumbra event is also a part of the same campaign. India is a democratic country where people of all religions are given constitutional rights to profess & practice their religion. But attempts are being made to deny minorities their constitutional rights .This will not be tolerated. The government should note that will not tolerate any interference in the Muslim Personal Law, a press release from Board on the occasion of Mumbra event reads. The Board says that it is a representative of concerns of all the minorities of India and is neither anti government, nor against constitution of India, as also it is not against any good work been done by government for the poor or backward or marginalised section of the society. Speakers at the gathering asserted that the board will stress upon the government to respect the right to profess, to practice and to preach faith. Also the government has a duty to protect religious minorities and control the fanatics of Hindutva Right wing group. Vasant Kolambe (BAMCEF), Pastor Rakesh Prasad (President Christian Ekta Sangh), Maulana Ali Asgar Haideri (President All India Shia Federation), Zafar Ansari (Secretary Jamat-e- Islami Hind (JIH) Maharashtra), Mushtaak Bagdadi (President Wahedat-e-Islami Mumbra), Maulana Mufti Sahrif Ahmad Sabri (President Sunni Islahi Tehreek), Maulana Umrain (Convener of AIMPLB Maharashtra), Maulana Junaid Qasmi were the Guest of honor and Speakers of the event. During the program BAMCEFs Vasant Kolambe said, Top commanders in Shivaji Maharajs army were Muslims but Hindutva right wing groups portray that Shivaji Maharaj was against Muslims and vice versa. Hindutva right wing groups are mere 2.5% of population of India and are killing rights of OBC, SC and Muslims. None of us are enemies of each other and we all should stand together. Pastor Rakesh Prasad,Christian Ekta Sangh President said, We are being threatened by Hindutva right wing groups. They beat and burn our people; our nuns are being molested in churches and other places. Once while preaching Bible in Mumbra, few anti social elements gathered, shouting their religious slogans & forcing us to stop. All minorities should stand on one platform to fight with such people. Maulana Ali Asgar Haideri Sahab, President of All India Shia Federation said We minorities want to make this country & not to break it. We gave Lal Qila as a symbol of Strength, gave Taj Mahal as a symbol of Beauty and gave Qutub minar as a symbol of ascent and Pride to this country. Zafar Ansari, Secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) Maharashtra said, We need to unite all Muslims, Christian Sikh Lingayat , SC ST, OBC & Others Suppressed community of the country to fight against the Communal Fascist anti national Forces. Islam teaches peace but if Muslims do not follow, they cannot survive in this world. I humbly request to all brothers & sisters of our country to study and understand Deen-e-Islam, its message of peace & justice .It provides safety to all suppressed, he added. Help India! By Sharique Usman The Rohingya Muslims who escaped the ethnic cleansing in Myanmar are living forsaken life as refugees in different host countries as rather unwanted guests. Forced to live their homeland, around one lakh such Rohingyas sought refuge in different south Asian countries, including India. From Jammu to Delhi to Hyderabad their life is a story of hardship, struggles and pain. Support TwoCircles In south Delhi, a newly developed slum (in making ) named as Sharam Vihar near Shaheen Bagh and Jasola has given shelter to 60 such Rohingya Muslim families who travelled 3,000 km in order to survive the wrath of Buddhists in the Arakan region of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. Sharam Vihar constitutes 300 families mainly from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bangal who also came here for the long battle of survival; but as this slum constitutes majority of Muslims so they accommodated these refugees who are not easily accepted in other parts of Delhi. These refugees do not really have anything for a living and are often dependent on the poor neighbourhood for the basics at home. Even the shanties they live are often made of nothing more than cartons of electronics like refrigerators or washing machines, and plastic sheets the collected from nearby homes. They have witnessed the International Human Rights Day twice since they came to Delhi, but are still unable to understand the meaning of human rights. With all the hardships, they still find solace in the fact that here they can practice their faith freely after years of persecution in Myanmar and have a small mosque in the locality that has become an important uniting factor of identity. Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has issued refugee identity cards to them that protect them from falling preys to indiscriminate arrests and harassments by the police by labeling them illegal Bangladeshi. The Government of India, which is not a party to the 1951 refugee convention, has nevertheless let them live in the country but extended little help to them while the current Delhi government which claims to be the champions of common men and fights for the rights of the slum dwellers too are silent. As the winter chill intensified in Delhi and we switched on our heaters, some students of Jamia Millia Islamia got together to help these refugees. They raised around one lakh rupees to buy blankets, bed rolls, shawls, rice, potatoes, etc. and distributed among them. (Sharique Usman is a PhD candidate at the Social Work Department of Jamia Millia Islamia and can be contacted at [email protected]) Those who wish to help Rohingya refugees can transfer the money at the below mentioned details: Bank Name: State Bank of India Branch Name: New Friends Colony, New Delhi Account Holders Name: Sharique Usman Account Number: 31745675841 IFSC Code SBIN0006069 Help India! New Delhi : President Pranab Mukherjee will present the Hindi Sevi Samman for 2012, 2013 and 2014 on Thursday at a function to be held in Rashtrapati Bhavan. Fourteen scholars receive this award in seven different categories every year for their contribution in the field of Hindi language and literature. The award consists of one lakh rupees and a certificate, an official release issued here said. Support TwoCircles The Hindi Sevi Samman scheme was initiated by the Central Hindi Institute, Agra, in 1989. Quentin Tarantino may be currently on the promotion trail, as his spaghetti western homage The Hateful Eight hits the Cinema screens, but the pirates seem to have upstaged the Films release. He has also taken the opportunity to explain his disdain towards anyone attempting to use electronic equipment on the set of his productions. Piracy group statement A statement has been released in the last few days by the piracy group (thought to be called Hive-CM8) behind the online leaking of The Hateful Eight. They explained their determination to share new films with those people who are not rich enough to enjoy the experience of seeing the films at the cinema. Perhaps regretting their actions after the fact on reflection, the group subsequently added an apology for the upload and suggested that they had no intention of repeating it when future films are about to be released. Violent spaghetti western The Hateful Eight is typical in many respects of many of Tarantinos films: immensely entertaining but especially violent in equal measure. Some critics have compared the film to Reservoir Dogs with the various characters being deeply suspicious of each other and a generally claustrophobic feeling in evidence throughout. Certainly it has a talented cast to engross viewers in the action, with Kurt Russell and Bruce Dern alongside the directors regular favourites Michael Madsen and Tim Roth. Throw in a masterful score by the legendary Ennio Morricone and all the ingredients for a rip-roaring spaghetti western are in place. Admirer of Samuel L. Jackson Tarantino has been eulogising about the man viewed as THE star of The Hateful Eight in recent interviews. The film is the sixth production that the extraordinary director and the equally professional actor Samuel L. Jackson have collaborated on. The much-admired figure described Jackson as an actor who attacks my material with the seriousness of a seasoned theatrical. The pair last worked together on Django Unchained, where Jackson played the part of a powerful house slave. Stephen was a particularly sadistic right-hand man to plantation owner Calvin Candie (played brilliantly by Leonardo DiCaprio), so much so that Tarantino felt obliged to omit some scenes from the final cut for fear of how the public might react when seeing Jackson on the street in civilian life. Ban on electronic equipment Tarantino has also shared his approach regarding the usage of electronic equipment such as mobile phones on his film sets. His strict no electronics on set ban has been in operation for some time now, brought in to avoid ruining shots by their unwanted interruptions mid-action. The 52-year-old has seen benefits as a result with a marked difference in the crews interactions. He explained that they get to know each other (better) and work together towards the end result. Referring to his crew as a family since the ruling came in, Tarantino told the press that the atmosphere on his sets was something he was really proud of. The Hateful Eight is due for general release on 8th January. Nestling at the bottom of the mountains near Cape Town in South Africa, is the seaside resort town of Scarborough. This is a popular destination for visitors. Someone is shooting and killing the baboons that live in the town. The Cape is known for its baboons, especially in the protected areas. However, they quite often spill over into residential areas where their behavior can cause problems. The local baboon troop which used to contain 18 members two years ago has been reduced to just seven Animals. Two of the most recent deaths occurred when someone shot them with a high powered air gun. Cape officials believe the killer is a local resident in the town and they are appealing for information from the public. The conflict between humans and the baboons can cause the animals to lose their lives. Problem animals are sometimes shot at by the Cape City officers, however, they use paintball guns to try and chase the apes away from the town. Julia Wood, Biodiversity Manager for the City of Cape Town says, We dont support lethal methods. The animals may be hurt by paint balls, but it discourages them from staying in the town and, at the same time, it lowers the numbers that they might possibly have to kill. Although some problem animals are euthanized from time to time, this is done only with the approval of Cape Nature and the SPCA. Jenny Trewothan of the NGO Baboons Matters Trust said that they believe the method the City Council uses to chase the baboons away is encouraging residents to shoot them. They are being sent the wrong message. If people see the council shooting, they think they can do it as well. Jenny said to Enca news, people get very frustrated but it doesnt give anybody the excuse to kill these animals. Baboons that become too familiar with people can become aggressive. They have been known to attack and kill small dogs and cats, rummage in dustbins, and may put small children in danger. The best way for people to prevent baboons from hanging around, is to take extra care with how they pack and store the waste from their homes. It is very important that visitors to areas where baboons occur do not feed them. Feeding wild animals almost always results in the death of animals that lose their fear of humans. London Casino Croupier Sacked For Stealing Chips January 06 2016 Matthew Pitt Editor An unscrupulous casino croupier has been sacked and cautioned by police after being caught stealing chips by hiding them in his socks. The unnamed man worked at the Genting-owned Cromwell Mint casino in South Kensington, London, devised a scam where he stole chips by placing them in a false pocket in his trousers, which was connect via a tube to his socks, the Daily Mail reported. According to the report, the now sacked dealer passed the stolen chips to his female accomplice on a fire escape when he was on a break, who then returned to the casino several days later to cash the chips in. While it is unknown how long for or how much the scam netted the man, police found 12,000 in cash when they searched his flat. Police arrested and cautioned the thief, but no official charges have been brought upon him, although he has lost a lucrative job that netted him 30,000 per year, plus tips. This incident is not the first of its kind because in June 2015, two British croupiers were jailed after being found guilty of a roulette scam that cost the Coral Island casino in Blackpool an estimated 23,000. Daniel Johnson and Craig Walker worked as croupiers at the casino where they hatched a plot to rig the roulette wheel during quiet periods in the casino. Bosses grew suspicious when they realised the pairs accomplice, Kevin Traynor, was regularly enjoying large wins despite gambling for relatively small amounts. CCTV footage confirmed Johnson and Walker were performing what is known as a no spin where the ball is kept in the same spot, allowing Traynor to bet on the same number and win 35-times his bet. All three men pleaded guilty at Preston Crown Court where the judge sentenced Johnson to 12-months imprisonment, Walker 14-months, and Traynor received a nine-month suspended sentence. Earlier in 2015, a Romanian gambler was jailed for 18-months after admitting 14 counts of fraud. Mihai Lacatos marked cards at the Playboy Club, which allowed him to cheat the exclusive venue out of more than 40,000. Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+! PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Retrospective: Stars Shine in $100K Super High Roller January 06 2016 Donnie Peters Taking place from Jan. 6-14, the 2016 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) marks the 13th installment of the famed poker festival. The series "promises to be the biggest PokerStars festival ever held" and is comprised of 104 events, with a wide variety of buy-ins ranging from $120 to $100,000. It all started in 2004 on a luxury cruise ship visiting Jamaica, Mexico, and the Cayman Islands. That first year, the event was co-branded by PokerStars and the World Poker Tour. In 2008, WPT sponsorship of the event ended and the stop became part of the European Poker Tour (EPT). In 2010 and 2011, the event was a featured stop of the North American Poker Tour, and then it returned as part of the EPT in 2012. Currently, the PCA makes his home as the highly anticipated midway point on the EPT schedule. While the PCA Main Event is widely considered as one of the most important and prestigious poker tournaments of the year, we'd like to kick off our PCA retrospective series with focus on the $100,000 Super High Roller event, taking place Jan. 6-8, 2016. This event is coming off a record-setting edition in 2015, with 66 entries, and it's a marquee event that poker enthusiasts everywhere look forward to. 2011: First Year Sees Katchalov Defeat Negreanu I can still remember how I felt when it was announced that the 2011 edition of the PCA would feature a mammoth $100,000 buy-in poker tournament. Estimations quickly made ways around the PokerNews offices as to how many entries the event would get and who would show up, but none of that chatter had me prepared for the buzzing feeling that ran through my veins while walking the floor of the event as the first cards were pitched in the air. For the players, this was a six-figure buy-in event and some were, without question, overextending themselves by taking a shot. For the media, we all knew the same this was a six-figure buy-in event and some of these players were without question overextending themselves by taking a shot. The first few hands of the event were played in almost complete silence, but the tension broke just 30 minutes into play when Dutch player [Removed:39] hit the rail in spectacular fashion. For Berendsen, his $100,000 ticket saw him wake up to pocket kings halfway through the first level of the day. Each player began with 250,000 in chips and a stack of 250 big blinds. That didn't stop Berendsen from getting every last one of those chips into the middle against Nick Schulman. Unfortunately for Berendsen, Schulman woke up to a brighter sunrise that day in the Bahamas, as he held pocket aces. Berendsen couldn't improve and was the first player sent packing. "Seat open!" was the cry from the voice of Daniel Negreanu at the table, which prompted plenty of jaw dropping and chatter from around the room. As the day wore on, 38 players entered the competition. Day 1 finished with 23 left and German Tobias Reinkemeier in the lead. With a prize pool of $3.743 million up for grabs, the grind to the final table on Day 2 was exactly that, a grind. Following the completion of Day 2, the field had been cut down to just seven, and it was Schulman leading the pack. Only the top five spots were set to reach the money, meaning two unfortunate players would go home with nothing to show for their efforts come Day 3. Andrew Lichtenberger was the first player to go on Day 3, and his elimination set up the bubble. Then, the richest person in Hungary and 1980 TIME Magazine Man of the Year, Sandor Demjan, busted in sixth place to Eugene Katchalov. With everyone then in the money, Humberto Brenes hit the rail in fifth place for $200,000, Schulman fell in fourth for $400,000, and Bryn Kenney was knocked out in third for $643,000. That set up a near-even heads-up duel between Katchalov and Negreanu, and it didn't take long for Katchalov to pull away. A couple big pots for Katchalov gave him a sizable lead, but then Negreanu doubled back to give himself additional life. Even so, Katchalov took a chip lead of nearly 4-1 into the dinner break. Upon their return, Katchalov didn't stop the charge and soon finished off his opponent to earn the $1.5 million top prize and the inaugural PCA $100,000 Super High Roller title. Negreanu scored an even $1 million for his runner-up finish. 2012: Online Legend Viktor Blom Scores the Massive Win The following year, the $100,000 Super High Roller returned to the 2012 PCA schedule. The second edition of the event tallied 30 players and 32 entries, thanks to the reentries of Bill Perkins and Jonathan Duhamel. The attendance was down from the opening installment, but nevertheless a prize pool of $3.136 million was generated. Of that, $1.254 million would be awarded to the winner and the top five spots were slated to pay out. Day 1 of the event saw 18 players advance to Day 2 with Isaac Haxton in the lead. Day 2 finished with eight players remaining and Galen Hall atop the pack. Also still alive at this point were Brenes and Negreanu, who both made Day 3 and cashed the prior year. Duhamel, who was in the event for $200,000 in buy-ins, also maneuvered his way to Day 3. Brenes fell short of a cash in eighth place, and then Mike "Timex" McDonald busted in seventh. With the tournament on the official bubble with six players remaining, Scott Seiver saw his stack get shorter and shorter. Eventually, Seiver ran pocket jacks into Hall's pocket kings and finished as the event's "bubble boy." Negreanu was the first to go in the money, earning $250,900 and bringing his two-year total in this event to $1.25 million. Duhamel then busted in fourth place, winning $313,600 and profiting $113,600 on his run. Both of those eliminations were taken care of by Viktor "Isildur1" Blom. Hall then busted in third, leaving Blom and Dan Shak heads up with Blom in front. The two jabbed back and forth in the early portion of the match, but then Blom took the first big chunk from his opponent to really extend his lead. Not too long after that, Blom finished Shak off to earn the $1.254 million first-place prize. Shak scored $846,700 for his second-place result. 2013: From Bubble To Champion, Redemption for Seiver Seiver's $100,000 entry in 2012 didn't work despite the player putting in three days of work. After earning the unwanted title of "bubble boy," Seiver was back in the action the following year and looking to reach the money. After Day 1, he trailed only Philipp Gruissem on the leaderboard, and the final number of entries came in at 59. With a prize pool over $5.724 million, the top eight spots were planned to pay out. First place was over $2 million, and Seiver found his way at the final table once again with the sixth-best stack. Antonio Esfandiari was eliminated as the "bubble boy" to end Day 2, meaning Seiver, and the others, had locked up at least $228,960 in prize money. The action at the final table came fast and furious. On just the third hand of the day, the prior year's runner-up, Shak, busted in eighth place. He was quickly followed out the door by Vladimir Troyanovskiy in seventh place and Greg Jensen in sixth place during the same level. Gruissem then busted in fifth place for $400,700 a little over an hour later and four players remained. Seiver had busted both Shak and Gruissem. David "Doc" Sands maintained his chip lead for quite some time before Seiver finally edged him out with four players left. Then, Sands busted Cary Katz in fourth, and it was a neck-and-neck between Seiver and Sands while Schulman, who finished fourth in 2011, brought up the rear. Eventually, Sands took out Schulman and entered heads-up play with the lead. Sands quickly extended his lead in the match, but Seiver fought back until a big clash in Level 24 with the blinds at 100,000/200,000/30,000 saw Seiver get lucky and double. It was his pocket nines that were all in preflop against the pocket tens of Sands, but Seiver spiked a nine on the flop to take nearly a 6-1 chip lead. Shortly thereafter, Sands was eliminated in second place and earned over $1.25 million. 2014: Dan Shak Reaches Third Final Table in a Row After a runner-up finish in 2012 for $846,700 and an eighth-place finish in 2013 for $228,960, the familiar face of Shak returned to the final table for the third year in a row. This time he had done so in a field of 56 entries and found himself leading the final seven players into Day 3. After a double elimination on the bubble to end Day 2 saw Paul Newey finish one spot outside the money in ninth place and McDonald cash in eighth for $217,320, the group returned the next day to see Ole Schemion bust seventh, Tony Gregg go out sixth, and Matt Glantz finish in fifth. Esfandiari, who was the prior year's "bubble boy," fell in fourth place and earned $575,920. In the final trio, Shak was joined by the tough competition of Vanessa Selbst and Fabian Quoss. Despite at one point holding the chip lead over her opponents and looking like she would go on to win, the tides turned for Selbst quickly when Quoss doubled through to to lead knock her to the bottom of the group. Shortly after that, she was all in against Quoss once again, and this time she was eliminated. Quoss entered heads-up play with about a 2-1 advantage over Shak, soon extended the gap, and there wasn't much Shak could do. Shak was certainly hoping to improve upon his second-place finish from two years prior with a victory, but it would be another bridesmaid result for the semi-professional high-stakes poker player and hedge fund manager. This time around, Shak scored nearly $1.2 million for his result and brought his three-year total in this event from 2012-2014 over $2.25 million. For Quoss, he banked over $1.6 million and ignited the best year of his poker career. When 2014 was all said and done, Quoss had won over $3.12 million. 2015: Steve O'Dwyer Tops Record-Setting Field The 2015 edition of the PCA $100,000 Super High Roller was a record-setting affair. There were 66 entries in all, stemming from 50 unique entries and 16 reentries. That generated a prize pool of $6.402 million and first place was set at nearly $1.9 million. At the start of Day 2, there were 44 players remaining with Sam Greenwood in the lead. The top nine places were to pay out, and that meant one player had to go home empty handed with 10 players left. That proved to be David Peters to send the remaining nine into the money. To close out Day 2, Jake Schindler fell in ninth place and Seiver, the winner from two years prior, busted in eighth place. Sorel Mizzi led the way over the final seven players with everyone left guaranteed at least $313,700. On Day 3, Andrew Robl was the first to go, and then Greenwood's run ended with a sixth-place finish worth $396,920. Fifth place was then secured by Christoph Vogelsang, before Mizzi's run landed him with a fourth-place result. The final three players were Steve O'Dwyer, Roger Sippl, and Kenney, who finished in third place in 2011. At the time three-handed play began, O'Dwyer was last in chips, but fortunes would see him come out on top when it was all said and done. First, O'Dwyer doubled through Sippl to take the lead, and then O'Dwyer busted Kenney to give Kenney another third-place finish in this event. That prompted heads-up play between O'Dwyer and Sippl, with O'Dwyer holding a big lead. In the heads-up match, O'Dwyer drew first blood and Sippl could never really gain his footing. Eventually, it was all over shortly into Level 23 with the blinds at 80,000/160,000/20,000 when O'Dwyer's beat out Sippl's . For the win, O'Dwyer earned over $1.87 million and catapulted himself to having a career year that would see him earn nearly $4.9 million. Sippl scored almost $1.35 million for finishing in second place. That concludes the first part of our retrospective series on the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. The 2016 PCA $100,000 Super High Roller will commence on Wednesday, Jan. 6, and is anticipated to be another spectacular event with big names involved and huge prizes up for grabs. You'll be able to find live reporting coverage right here on PokerNews, plus stayed tuned for more to come from our retrospective series as PokerNews will look at both the Main Event and $25,000 High Roller. Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+! Sharelines A retrospective look at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $100,000 Super High Roller. Important! We are not vets, if your pig is ill, seek veterinary care! We speak from experience and share what we have seen in our pigs... Gaofen satellite system generates millions of images for China's ministries, regional governments Updated: 2015-12-29 16:14 By Zhao Lei in Xichang, Sichuan province(chinadaily.com.cn) The Gaofen Earth observation satellite system has snapped more than 4 million photos over the past few years, benefiting land resource management, forest surveying, fire prevention and agricultural forecasting across China. The Ministry of Land and Resources alone has received 695,000 images taken by the Gaofen-1 and 239,000 by the Gaofen-2 and used them to survey natural resources, locate water sources for border defense units, pinpoint disaster hazards, handle emergencies and monitor urban construction, said Fang Hongbin, a senior expert at the ministry's China Aero Geophysical Survey and Remote Sensing Center. Each year, Fang's team receives high-definition images from 490 places covering 19 million square km. Before April 2013, when China launched the Gaofen-1 observation satellite, almost all of those photos had to be bought from foreign companies, imposing a huge cost on the ministry, he said. "Now nearly 80 percent of the high-definition images are taken by our Gaofen satellites, which substantially reduces our financial burden and improves our work," he added. The ministry has made 16-meter-resolution images for all of China's territories and established a database of the nation's geographical features and natural resources. The Gaofen images have enabled border defense units in southern Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region dig 36 wells to address a water shortage. In the country's northeastern border areas, several military infrastructure projects determined suitable locations through analysis of Gaofen satellite-taken pictures, Fang said. With the system's assistance, inspectors found several unapproved mining sites in Hunan's Hengyan area and more than 1,000 places in southwestern China that were likely to be struck by natural disasters. Gaofen satellites have also helped with relief efforts after disasters, including the 2013 Changdu earthquake in Tibet autonomous region and the recent landslide in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, Fang said. The ministry's law enforcement units now use high-definition images to monitor local governments' land usage, he said. Currently, 21 provincial-level regions have set up a Gaofen data applications center to receive and distribute images and data generated by the satellites, according to the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense. By the end of November, Gaofen-1 and Gaofen-2 had generated more than 4 million images that have been used by 1,100 government departments, institutes and companies in 18 sectors, the administration reported. Huang Guosheng, a researcher at the State Forestry Administration, said forestry authorities have greatly benefitted from the use of Gaofen images. "The satellites have enabled us to monitor forests in a timely manner and find forest fires as well as unapproved timber cuttings soon after they take place," he said. In the agricultural sector, Gaofen satellites reduce local government reliance on foreign satellite images in estimating harvests, forecasting droughts and floods, and forecasting plant disease and pest control, said Zhang Haitao, a publicity officer at agriculture ministry. Hong Kong tops list of New Year favorites Updated: 2016-01-05 07:58 By Su Zhouin Beijing and Kahon Chanin Hong Kong(China Daily) Visits from the Chinese mainland to Hong Kong grew slightly over the New Year holiday, according to travel agencies. Tuniu, one of the leading online outbound travel service providers, based in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, said on Sunday that Hong Kong ranked first among overseas tourist destinations, thanks to the efforts made by the region's tourism industry coupled with preferential prices for hotels and airlines. Lvmama, another online travel service provider, based in Shanghai, saw the same trend. Data provided by Lvmama showed that the visits paid by mainland travelers to Hong Kong and Macao as a package jumped tenfold compared with the same period last year. "More than 30 percent of mainland tourists chose to spend the New Year holiday overseas, especially neighboring regions and countries," said Wang Xiaosong, chief executive officer of Lvmama. "The growth in trips to Hong Kong and Macao mainly came from the interest in Hong Kong Disneyland's 10-year anniversary. Fans of Disneyland, especially kids, flooded there during the holiday," Wang said. For years, Hong Kong was the first choice for outbound mainland tourists. Now it is losing its luster for increasingly affluent and sophisticated mainland tourists to competitors such as South Korea, Japan, Thailand and Europe. Xu Xiaolei, spokesman for China Youth Travel Service, said he saw a slight rebound over the Christmas holiday and expects another rise between 1 percent and 3 percent from the New Year to the Lunar New Year holidays. However, Xu said, the overall situation remains at a standstill. The next growth engine may come from individual visitors instead of tour groups, Xu said. Joseph Tung Yiu-chung, executive director of the Travel Industry Council in Hong Kong, said he has heard that hotel occupancy did well during the New Year holiday, but he understood inbound tourist groups have continued to perform badly compared with individual travelers. Yan Xin, publicity officer at Ctrip, a leading online travel service provider based in Shanghai, said Hong Kong is no longer on the top 10 list for outbound tour groups, but is still the favorite for individual visitors and shopping-driven travelers. "Hong Kong tops the most favorite overseas shopping destinations," Yan said. "Paris and Seoul followed as the second and third favorite choices. "Among travelers who plan their own trips, Hong Kong also ranked first. And this also put Hong Kong as the first choice for overseas hotels." Relocation of wild African elephants to China hailed Updated: 2016-01-06 08:20 By Qiu Quanlin in Qingyuan, Guangdong(China Daily) Oppah Muchinguri, Zimbabwe's environmental minister, said during a visit to Qingyuan, Guangdong province, that more African elephants will be sent to China for a better life. Qiu Quanlin / China Daily Relocating more wild African elephants from Zimbabwe to China in the near future will help protect the animals, as they will be in a better and safer environment, a high-ranking Zimbabwean official said. "We are happy to see that young African elephants have been well accommodated here in China. They look very healthy and energetic," said Oppah Muchinguri, Zimbabwe's environmental minister, during a visit to a rare plants and animals center in Qingyuan, Guangdong province. Early last year, 25 young African elephants were imported from Zimbabwe to the center as part of an international African elephant conservation program. At the center, developed by domestic theme park and tourism operator Chimelong Group, the young elephants eat fruit, cereals and grasses, some of which are imported from the United States. It includes a 1,300 square-meter food processing house, and a group of veterinarians, according to the center. Muchinguri said more African elephants and other animals from Zimbabwe will be sent to the center, as the country has been trying to protect them from being poached and threatened by the worsening environment. "Because of the bad weather, including drought and climate change, we cannot keep the large population of elephants any longer," said Muchinguri. As a result, Zimbabwe has been looking for international cooperation to protect them. "Wild animals, elephants in particular, consume lots of water and food, which we cannot afford. Sometimes, they destroy our crops," she said. Zimbabwe currently has 85,000 African elephants, of which a growing number have been threatened by human activities such as poaching, according to Muchinguri. "Poaching elephants is becoming serious and sophisticated in Zimbabwe. We will work closer with the Chinese side in anti-poaching," she said. Muchinguri said the introduction of the animals to China would help Zimbabwe invest more in elephants conservation. "Our ecosystem cannot handle such a large number of animals. So we would rather export and sell more elephants and other animals to those willing to take care of them," she said. Early overseas media reports have criticized Zimbabwe's government for selling young elephants to China, saying the move, which had already sparkled outrage from animal rights advocates, would destroy the animals' living environment. The elephants, all more than 5 years old, were part of a 27-strong group of elephants captured in 2014 in Hwange National Park, according to Muchinguri. "We will not apologize for selling elephants to China. As you see they are living very healthy lives here. And the introduction of the African elephants will help arouse awareness of the need for better protection of the wild animals," she said. Riyadh looking to assert itself in Middle East Updated: 2016-01-06 08:21 By Wang Hui(China Daily) The feud between Saudi Arabia and Iran sparked by Saudi Arabia's execution of a Shiite cleric shows no sign of abating. After Saudi Arabia announced it was cutting diplomatic ties with Iran on Sunday, Bahrain and Sudan followed suit and severed their diplomatic relations with Iran. The abrupt deterioration of ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran was triggered by Saudi Arabia's execution of 47 individuals it had convicted on terrorism charges, including a prominent Saudi Shiite cleric, Nimr al-Nimr. Angry Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi Embassy in Teheran on Saturday and set fire to it. In response, Riyadh announced it was severing ties with Teheran, and it ordered Iranian diplomats to leave within 48 hours. With Saudi Arabia ruled by Sunni Muslims and Iran run by Shiite Muslims, ties between the two countries have remained cool, if not tense, in recent years. But the latest souring of relations between the two major countries in the Middle East has heightened tensions to their highest point in years. Judged by the norms governing international relations, the action of deliberately damaging a country's embassy is sure to cause a severe setback in bilateral ties. But that does not necessarily mean severing ties is the appropriate response. In September 2012, armed men stormed the US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, killing four Americans including the US Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens. As the United States was the mastermind behind a regime change in the country, it did not respond with cutting ties with Libya. If history is a mirror, Saudi Arabia seemed to be overreacting to the torching of its embassy in Iran. After all, Teheran did not want the incident to continue to fester and acted quickly to deal with the incident, announcing 40 people had been arrested on suspicion of taking part in the attack on the Saudi embassy. Yet, if the complexity of ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia and Western countries is taken into consideration, it is not difficult to understand Saudi Arabia's strong reaction this time. Thanks to the shale gas revolution, the US is less dependent on Saudi oil today, which has led to a decline in Saudi Arabia's importance on the US' geopolitical chessboard. Since the rise of the Islamic State terrorist group in Iraq and Syria, an increasing number of politicians and media commentators in the West have openly accused Riyadh of "funding jihadists". The shift in relations between Saudi Arabia and the US-led West culminated last month in a new anti-terror coalition of 34 Sunni states rallied by Riyadh to boost its own profile in the campaign, which was obviously futile in the face of the much larger coalition led by Washington. Meanwhile, Iran's relations with the US-led West have dramatically improved. In July, Teheran and five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany reached a historic agreement which paved the way for resolving the long-standing Iranian nuclear crisis peacefully. However, the agreement was met with strong opposition from some US allies in the region including Saudi Arabia, and its severing ties with Iran can be perceived as an open show of defiance to the US' warming ties with Iran. As the US still needs Riyadh as an important ally to project its power and help it tackle thorny issues in the region, Washington is asking for both Riyadh and Teheran to exercise restraint after condemning the torching of Saudi Embassy in the strongest terms. But the sole superpower obviously should do more and draw Riyadh and Teheran back to diplomatic channels to resolve their differences. The author is a senior writer with China Daily. wanghui@chinadaily.com.cn (China Daily USA 01/06/2016 page12) Need for second aircraft carrier is real Updated: 2016-01-05 10:51 By Zhang Zhouxiang(chinadaily.com.cn) An undated file photo shows China's first aircraft carrierLiaoning. [Photo for chinadaily.com.cn] The Ministry of Defense has confirmed that China is building a second aircraft carrier. Zhang Junshe, a researcher at the PLA Naval Military Studies Research Institute, shares his views on the development with China Dailys Zhang Zhouxiang: Q: What are the major differences between Chinas second aircraft carrier and the first? A: The hull of Chinas first aircraft carrier Liaoning was purchased from Ukraine, although its engine, power distribution system and weapons are all China-made. The second one will be fully designed and made in China and set a milestone in Chinese navy history. The trial and operation of Liaoning have provided precious experiences, which help the designers and engineers to avoid some common problems in the building of an aircraft carrier. Q: How big will the new aircraft carrier be? And why will it use conventional instead of nuclear power? A: Middle sized. Aircraft carriers can be divided into four categories according to their tonnage. Chinas new aircraft carrier will displace about 50,000 tons of water without loading and possibly 60,000 tons when fully loaded, which makes it a mid-sized aircraft carrier. Building a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier involves many concerns: security, preventing nuclear leaks and the replacement of the nuclear reactor after it expires in 15 years. China has technologies to use nuclear power in submarines, but it needs more research to do so in an aircraft carrier. Q: Is a second aircraft carrier necessary for China? How many does China need? A: Yes, because one aircraft carrier is not enough to meet the defense needs of a large country like China. Aircraft carriers have to undergo regular checks and trials, and some times even repairs. Therefore, a country like China theoretically needs at least three aircraft carriers to ensure one is always in operation. For example, neighboring India has three aircraft carriers. As a country with 1.3 billion people, more than 18,000 kilometers of coastlines, about 3 million square km of maritime territory and increasing overseas interests, China certainly needs three aircraft carriers. Those hyping up the China threat theory need to look at Chinas reality. Huawei unveils Mate 8 smartphone Updated: 2016-01-06 11:09 By Linda Deng in Las Vegas(China Daily USA) Huawei Technologies unveiled its Mate 8 smartphone on Tuesday morning at CES 2016 to much fanfare. The conference room at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center for the Shenzhen-based company's press conference was filled with analysts, media and hundreds of excited "Hua fans". The Mate 8, presented by Kevin Ho, president of the Huawei Consumer Business Group Handset Business, features a stylish design with a 6-inch screen, an upgraded camera, longer battery life and other new features that improve on the Mate 7, one of the smartphones that has helped the company grow rapidly around the globe. Kevin Ho, president of Huawei Technologies' Consumer Business Group Handset Business, introduces the company's new smartphone Mate 8 at CES 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Tuesday. Linda Deng / China Daily Over the last five years, shipments of Huawei's smartphones have increased from 3 million in 2010 to 100 million devices worldwide in 2015. According to Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei's Consumer Business Group, the company saw its smartphone shipments grow 44 percent in 2015. With 9.7 percent of the smartphone market, it's now third in the world behind Samsung and Apple. Yu said Huawei hopes to surpass Apple in the next two years. "We positioned Huawei as a long-distance runner. With the support from our global research centers and product centers, we have capacity to focus on technical innovation and world-leading product designs," Ho said. Sixteen R&D centers have been set up in the United States, Germany, Sweden, Russia, India and China. Huawei Consumer BG is one of Huawei's three business units and covers smartphones, mobile broadband devices, home devices and cloud services. Ho said this year's performance represented an important achievement, as Huawei continues to grow and launch several global flagship devices each year focused on the premium market. Its objective is to integrate the best in creativity, design, fashion, photography and performance. The Huawei Mate 8 will first be available in 30 countries, including Spain, Germany, France, United Arab Emirates, Mexico and Australia. In Europe, prices start at 599 ($644) for the 32GB model with 3GB of RAM. For 699, there is a model with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Huawei will be offering the phone in a mocha brown, champagne gold, black and silver. The Mate 8 is not being launched in the US. Huawei also unveiled two Swarovski crystal-bejeweled smartwatches specifically designed for women, Huawei Elegant and Huawei Jewel; a tablet, the Huawei MediaPad M2 10.0; and the Nexus 6P, a critically acclaimed phone made in conjunction with Google. Huawei also announced that the gold-colored Nexus 6P is available in 32GB and 64GB models and at BestBuy.com, select Best Buy stores and the Google Store. Huawei has 34,000 retail stores globally - more than 9,000 in China; 6,000 in Western Europe; and 1,500 in Latin America. It's ranked 88th on Interbrand's Best Global Brands list and 70th on BrandZ's Most Valuable Brands list. lindadeng@chinadailyusa.com H-1B changes proposed Updated: 2016-01-06 11:09 By Niu Yue in New York(China Daily USA) The Obama administration has proposed a less restrictive policy for H-1B visa applicants - foreigners with specialized skills seeking to live and work in the United States. According to the newly-announced policy, applicants can stay in the US legally and not face deportation before they finish the application process, rather than the limited wait time under current regulations. Wang Junjie, a lawyer based in New York, said this initiative would benefit approximately 100,000 people now with pending applications, many of whom are from China. An H-1B visa is one of the big hurdles for Chinese students who want to work in the US after graduating here, said Wang. Lily Zheng, a Hong Kong-born financial agent who graduated from Columbia University, chose to work for a small private financial firm that is owned by Chinese immigrants, even though she got numerous offers from big banks in the US. Because of H-1B visas, she had no choice. Zheng said nearly all of the big banks do not help their potential employees apply for H-1Bs. "Most of the companies automatically assume you are a permanent resident, but once you tell them about your status, they go back on previous offers," said she. "The most ridiculous part was that some human resource staff in big companies did not even know about H-1B application procedures." The H-1B visa system offers applicants a temporary working visa only if they are selected in a lottery-like draw. "I can understand the dilemma those big companies are facing," said Zheng. "If I failed in the lottery draw, I would have had to go back rather than continue working for the company. This would bring the company huge costs and headaches." A small company, which was willing to help her apply for an H-1B visa, seemed better suited, she said. Now Zheng works as financial assistant on an H-1B visa and her company has promised to help her apply for a green card. Yi Xian, an overseas Chinese freelance writer in Los Angles, called the new H-1B visa policy "encouraging and inspiring". She said the channels of Chinese self-expression would be widened if more tolerant and open-minded changes could be made to H-1B visa policies. Long Yifan in New York contributed to this story. Clinton courts Asian-American vote Updated: 2016-01-06 11:09 By Jack Freifelder in New York(China Daily USA) Hillary Clinton is reaching out to Asian American and Pacific Island voters to support her campaign for the White House. The Democratic presidential front-runner will visit San Gabriel, California, on Thursday to launch "Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders for Hillary," the first of many events to "engage, energize and organize AAPI (Asian-American and Pacific Islander) voters," according to a statement from her campaign. San Gabriel's population of about 40,000 is 60.7 percent Asian, according to US Census figures. There are 5.9 million registered Asian-American voters, according to a report by the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies. The report shows that within the next 25 years that figure will increase to 12.2 million. US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton greets audience members following a campaign town hall meeting in Concord, New Hampshire January 3, 2016. Brian Snyder / Reuters The Democratic share of Asian-American votes has increased from 36 percent in 1992 to 64 percent in 2008. Clinton won the Asian vote during the 2008 Democratic primary in California against Senator Barack Obama, and he won 73 percent of the Asian-American vote in his 2012 presidential re-election In her appearance in San Gabriel, about seven miles from Los Angeles, Clinton "will discuss what's at stake in this election for the AAPI community, and how she'll fight for them as president," according to a release from the campaign that promises "a number of events and activities that will engage, energize and organize AAPI voters." Kansen Chu, a California state assemblyman, told China Daily that the events in California are meant to "build up excitement for Clinton". "In recent years, we have seen more Asian Americans show interest in participating in politics," he said. "More people of Asian descent have been elected to city councils, especially in smaller cities. "There are a considerable number of Asian Americans living in California, but voter turnout among them is still quite low," Chu added. In San Gabriel Clinton will be joined by elected officials, including California Congresswoman Judy Chu, and local community leaders. Chu is the chairwoman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and the first Chinese-American woman elected to Congress. During her two-day visit to the Golden State, Clinton will also attend fundraising events. On Thursday, it will be a $2,700-per-person luncheon in San Gabriel, followed by a "family celebration" reception that afternoon at Jim Henson Studios in Los Angeles. Lisa Henson, a television and movie producer and the daughter of the creator of the Muppets, and her husband, artist and animator David Pressler, will host the event. Tickets are $500 to $2,700. On Thursday night, another fundraiser will be held in Los Angeles with investor Warren Buffett as a special guest. Lia Zhu in San Francisco contributed to this report. jackfreifelder@chinadailyusa.com Lunar New Year will light up Lincoln Center Updated: 2016-01-06 11:09 By Hong Xiao in New York(China Daily USA) Chinese students in the US will be taking the stage at Lincoln Center to celebrate the upcoming lunar New Year Celebrity Chinese dancer and talk show host Jin Xing will be joining the students. "Currently, the United States is the most favored destination for Chinese students to study abroad," said Li Mengyu, CEO of TF Media Group Inc, host of the gala, at a press conference on Tuesday in New York. "In 2015, there were nearly 300,000 Chinese students studying in the US." Li Kaidi, a Chinese student who graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design, demonstrates poses in the traditional Chinese dance that she will perform at the Lunar New Year gala at Lincoln Center. Hong Xiao / China Daily "TF Media organizes the 2016 North American University Lunar New Year Gala to enhance communication and interactivity among Chinese students and scholars in North America and to share the spirit of Chinese New Year," Li said. "Chinese students from different universities in the US used to celebrate Lunar New Year separately," said John Lam, chairman of Lam Group, another co-organizer of the gala. "This year, students who have talent in the arts are being called together to perform at Lincoln Center, one of the greatest stages in the world," Lam added. "I believe the youths' performances will attract viewers from the world over, which will play a positive role in promoting Chinese culture to the world, enhancing mutual appreciation and understanding between different peoples," Lam added. Wen Bo, who was stage director of Columbia University's acclaimed 2014 Lunar New Year Gala, will direct the gala. Wen said that for the first time, a professional art crews will participate in the production's music and choreography. Wen said he and his team were surprised at the high quality of the performances in the auditions. However, since the show had to be kept under two and a half hours, a lot of fabulous acts had to be left out or combined, Wen said. The gala takes place at Lincoln Center's Geffen Hall on Jan 31 with nearly 30 performances in different genres to be performed. Chinese students and scholars from Harvard, Columbia, Princeton, Yale, Cornell and 20 other universities in the US will be joining in the performance. American students and scholars who are fans of Chinese culture will offer audiences a special surprise at the show. xiaohong@chinadailyusa.com Equities try to get footing after China-inspired selling Updated: 2016-01-06 11:09 By Paul Welitzkin in New York(China Daily USA) A day after a massive selloff that started in China global stock markets Tuesday turned in a mixed but steady performance. In China, the Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.3 percent to 3,287.71 while the CSI 300 Index of large-capitalization companies managed a gain of nearly 0.3 percent to 3,478.78. Share prices in Europe advanced cautiously while equities were mixed in the US and Latin America. "Clearly the fear over China hasn't abated," Ben Kumar, investment manager at Seven Investment Management, which has over $9 billion in assets under management, told The Wall Street Journal. In a bid to shore up investor sentiment, Chinese officials unveiled measures to stabilize the mainland's markets. The People's Bank of China pumped nearly $20 billion into money markets, its largest cash injection since September, Reuters reported. It also intervened in the foreign exchange market to support a weakening yuan, The Journal reported, citing two people familiar with the matter. The China Securities Regulatory Commission announced it was planning new rules to further restrict share sales by major stakeholders in listed companies, and said it would tweak the circuit breaker mechanism amid that it had fueled Monday's sell-off. After the CSI 300 fell 7 percent on Monday, trading in Shanghai and Shenzhen was suspended before resuming on Tuesday. "Market participants will become familiar and comfortable with the circuit breakers over time. It is welcoming to hear the CSRC is willing to evaluate and solicit feedback on the implementation of circuit breakers. A well-functioning market needs good regulatory oversight and interaction of market participants," Brendan Ahern, chief investment officer at Krane Shares, a US-based provider of China-focused exchange-traded funds said in an e-mail. Ahern called Monday's selloff in China "the culmination a weak manufacturing PMI number, a lower CNY (yuan) fixing rate and the coming expiration of the insider sale ban from the summer. Alone these events would have little effect though together they created a short term challenge to trading in the New Year. We do not foresee Monday's weakness leading to a broader pullback in the market, especially in light of the CSRC's language on pushing out the insider sale ban." However, some analysts believe Monday's selloff was needed. ""We've been waiting for a market drop like this for a long time," Samuel Chien, a partner of Shanghai-based hedge fund manager BoomTrend Investment Management Co. told Reuters. "The economy is poor, stock valuation is still high, and the yuan keeps sliding, showing capital outflows are accelerating. The market drop is overdue." "There are a lot of concerns on China and emerging markets in general," noted Anatoli Annenkov, senior European economist at Socit Gnrale, according to the Journal. John Frisbie, president of the US-China Business Council, said investors should not view China's stock market as a reflection of China's economy and "should not overreact." "Movement in China's stock indices has less to do with market or earnings fundamentals of the listed companies than it does with the need for further financial market reforms in China," Frisbee said. The council is a private, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization of roughly 220 American companies that do business with China. paulwelitzkin@chinadailyusa.com A year after attack, Charlie Hebdo cover cartoon stirs critics Updated: 2016-01-06 08:58 (Agencies) French President Francois Hollande (C) and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo unveil a commemorative plaque outside the former offices of French weekly satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo during a ceremony to pay tribute to the victims of the last year's January attacks in Paris, France, January 5, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] PARIS -- A cover cartoon of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo to commemorate its late journalists killed a year ago, gave a fuel to critics in the country which was preparing a memorial week of last year's victims. In a special edition to appear on Wednesday, the magazine said to publish a front page showing an angry God with blood on his hands and a Kalashnikov strapped to his back. "One year later, the assassin is still on the run," its headline says, pointing the finger to religions to be behind the attacks. To the Catholic Church in France (CEF), this cartoon was "useless provocation." "The CEF does not comment what seeks only to provoke. Is this kind of controversy that France is in need?" it tweeted. Speaking to the news channel BFMTV, My Lord di Falco, Bishop of Gap said "What is religions? They are people. And nobody demanded to harm the newspaper. They would tend to treat these editorials with lack of interest." In the Muslim camp, Abdallah Zekri, the head of the Islamophobia Observatory, declined to commemorate the victims of last year's Jan. 7 attacks. "I decided in the next 48 hours, to do something for the memory of the Charlie Hebdo killed journalists. But, I will do nothing at all. I really feel that I'm attacked (by a Charlie Hebdo's cover cartoon)," Zekri told BFMTV. Please turn JavaScript on and reload the page. Loading... Checking your browser before accessing the website. This process is automatic. Your browser will redirect to your requested content shortly. Please wait a few seconds. In the 1970s and 80s, a large pool of migrant labourers from Bangladesh in Kolkatas construction sector had no reservations in revealing their identity. Cut to 2016 and there are, officially, hardly any workers from Bangladesh in the sector, according to a city-based real estate developer.Yet, recent World Bank data (Bilateral Remittance Matrix, 2014) show, of the $7.6 billion of outward remittances from India, 54 per cent or $4.16 billion was to Bangladesh alone in that year. Almost every year, 50-55 per cent of Indias total outward remittances are to Bangladesh.Geographical proximity, a large pool of undocumented migrant labour, porous borders, historical ties and, more recently, the increasing interest of Indian companies in Bangladesh are some of the reasons behind the trend.At present, non-banking finance companies are not allowed to facilitate outward remittances from India to there; all the transactions must be routed through banks. However, for major global remittance companies, Bangladesh is a major market.Promoth Manghat, chief executive officer at UAE Exchange, says: Actual outward remittances from India are much more than any official figure. Globally, Bangladesh is a major market for remittances for us. We are actively looking at starting remittance services from India to Bangladesh but regulations do not allow us to do so. We are in dialogue with the regulators.According to Indias 2001 census data, 5.1 million persons were reported as migrants. Nearly three million were from Bangladesh, 900,000 from Pakistan, 500,000 from Nepal and 100,000 from Sri Lanka. Thats only part of the story, for research documents indicate India is home to a large pool of undocumented migrants, especially from Bangladesh and Nepal.Interestingly, after Bangladesh, Pakistan accounts for the second highest remittance outflow from India, at 27 per cent of the total. This is mainly on account of historical ties and consequent migration flows. General patterns of outward remittance and migration follows a parallel trend. A World Bank report, Remittance Market in India, 2012, by Gabi G Afram, refers to a 2008 study by an A Kumar. It had stated that estimates of irregular migration from Bangladesh to India range from five million to 20 million. Most of these migrants work as unskilled or semiskilled labourers and domestic servants. The report says India is an important destination country for migrants from Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Migration from Bangladesh, Nepal and Lanka is mainly of unskilled and semiskilled workers, the study says. Interestingly, World Bank data shows that 90 per cent of outward remittances of India are to the countries with highest migrant population, viz, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal. Another report by the International Labour Organization quotes a study by P Wickramasekara in 2011, which says migrant movements within South Asia are primarily geared towards India and Pakistan. Although these are largely undocumented, the United Nations Population Division estimates India hosts some six million migrants (mainly from Nepal and Bangladesh)," it says. Business ties with Bangladesh Over the past six-odd years, a number of Indian companies have started operations in Bangladesh. Notably, the definition of outward remittance by the World Bank is wide, including those by workers, compensation of employees and migrants transfers. Thus, remuneration of Bangladeshi employees by Indian companies in Bangladesh is counted as remittance. In recent years, there have been a number of acquisitions by Indian companies in Bangladesh. This apart, there have been a number of joint ventures and alliances by Indian companies; many Indian companies have also opened subsidiaries in Bangladesh, notes Ambarish Dasgupta, head of management consulting and eastern region at KPMG in India. Between 2011 and 2014, foreign direct investment outflow from India to Bangladesh increased 161%, from $26 mn to $68 mn, says KPMG. Some of the major investments proposals from Indian companies include Reliance Power's $3 billion plan to set up a 3,000 Mw power unit, based on imported liquefied natural gas there, and Gujarat-based Adani Group plan to invest $2.5 bn in building a 1,600 Mw coal-fired power plant in Bangladesh. The government there has also offered to establish two Special Economic Zones for Indian companies, beside allowing Life Insurance Corporation to start operations, says KPMG. Film actor and producer Aamir Khan will cease to be the face of Incredible India, the signature advertising campaign for the tourism ministry to promote India globally, the government confirmed Wednesday late evening, after many twists and turns. Khan, recipient of the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awards, has been the ambassador for Incredible India since 2009, when the Congress-led government was in power. And, had continued since the current government took power in 2014. The current decision is being attributed to Khans recent remark on "rising intolerance in India" but the government tried to distance itself from that controversy. The tourism ministry spoke in many voices through the day on the subject. In the evening, minister of state for aviation and tourism Mahesh Sharma confirmed the development through a tweet, often used as the official medium of communication by this government. Aamir Khan ceases to be the mascot for governments Incredible India campaign, contract for which has expired, Sharma tweeted. A few hours before, the ministry had issued a written statement on the Press Information Bureau (PIB) website, that "in response to certain news reports appearing in the media about Aamir Khan, the ministry clarifies there is no change in (its) stand. And, the ministry further clarifies that at present it has a contractual agreement with creative agency McCann Worldwide to produce a social awareness campaign and the said campaign featured Aamir Khan. While the ministry statement was ambiguous, its officials maintained, off the record till later in the evening, that Khan was still the brand ambassador for Incredible India and that "the rumours about Khan being out of the campaign was triggered by a misinterpretation of an RTI (Right to Information) query posed to the government. Prasoon Joshi, lyricist, screen writer and chairman of McCann Worldgroup's Asia Pacific division, told Business Standard in a text message that McCann had a contract with the ministry of tourism for (the) athithi devo bhava (scheme) which we have delivered. Joshi, whos worked for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on some key campaigns, did not respond to specific queries on whether McCann would continue to work with the ministry on Incredible India or if Khan would remain the brand ambassador. The ministry is learnt to have had a contract of Rs 2.69 crore with McCann for the campaign, whose contract gets over this month. Khan is believed to have worked on the campaign without a fee. Among others, film star Amitabh Bachchan is engaged in another tourism campaign, for Gujarat. Sources in the ministry said a fresh tender would be floated soon and there was no decision on whether McCann would get the Incredible India project again. Officials said that there was nothing direct between the ministry and Khan; the deal was between actor and agency. However, people tracking the sector say a brand endorser who symbolises India is always selected in line with the client's wish the government or tourism ministry in this case. Sources said the ministry was now likely to opt as ambassadors for faces who have done the country proud, rather than focusing on a Bollywood personality. They, on the condition of not being named, ruled out Khan being brought again. Among others, the ministry is looking at an autorickshaw driver who saved a foreign tourist as one such ambassador. We are looking at fresh, unknown faces, an official said. However, for international promotion, the ministry is expected to select a known famous face again. Khan, who often tweets his thoughts on social and Bollywood issues, kept silent on Wednesday. His previous tweet was on January 1, wishing everyone a happy new year. Tourism has been a focus area for this government and minister Sharma has often referred to Khan as boosting the image of India. Things seem to have changed after the actors November remark at an award function that his wife, Kiran Rao, had asked if they should move out of the country as she feared for the safety of their children in an environment of intolerance. Backing writers and intellectuals who had returned awards in this regard, as a mark of protest, Khan had said, it was "important that those in power strongly condemn what's wrong". Premier Explosives has surged 15% to Rs 475 on the BSE after the company announced that it has signed, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Israel Aerospace Industries Limited for exploring potential business opportunities. At 10:54 a.m. the stock was up 14% at Rs 471 as compared to 0.02% fall in the S&P BSE Sensex. The trading volumes on the counter jumped over seven-fold with 189,000 shares changed hands against an average 26,000 shares that were traded daily in past two weeks on the BSE. Premier Explosives (PEL) is one of the major companies in India manufacturing the entire range of commercial explosives and accessories for the civil requirement. Currently PEL is only Indian private entity designing, developing and manufacturing solid propellants for Indian missiles viz. Akash, Astra, etc. Djibouti said today it has cut diplomatic relations with Iran amid a diplomatic crisis with ally Saudi Arabia. The tiny Horn of Africa nation is a strategic port on the Gulf of Aden with a key position on one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. Djiboutian Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf has "severed diplomatic ties with Iran," a government statement read. The small state lies at the mouth of the Red Sea, just across from Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition launched an air war in March against Iran-backed Huthi rebels who seized control of the capital Sanaa. Tehran today warned Riyadh to stop working against it as the row between the two rivals intensified. The crisis began at the weekend when Saudi Arabia executed prominent Shiite cleric and activist Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr as well as 46 other convicts, prompting a furious reaction from Tehran. Iranian protesters then ransacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran. Riyadh, Bahrain and Sudan severed relations with Tehran while Kuwait recalled its ambassador. An Indian-origin British national who was a former partner at consulting firm McKinsey & Co has been arrested in New York on allegations of fraud amounting to nearly $890,000, federal prosecutors said today. Navdeep Arora, a former partner in the Chicago office of McKinsey & Company, was arrested on Sunday at JFK Airport in New York. Arora, 51, of London, is charged with eight counts of wire fraud in an indictment filed in US District Court in Chicago. Arora made an initial appearance yesterday in District Court in New York and was ordered detained pending further proceedings, the Department of Justice said. The indictment, which was returned in August and unsealed yesterday, also charges Matthew Sorensen, a former internal consultant for State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, with five counts of wire fraud. Sorensen, 49, of Bloomington, Illinois, is scheduled to appear for arraignment on January 11 in Chicago. According to the federal charges, Arora oversaw various consulting services provided by McKinsey to State Farm. The indictment contends that Arora and Sorensen used two companies - "Gabriel Solutions" and "Andy's BCB" - to defraud their employers out of phony consulting fees. Sorensen billed McKinsey for the bogus work purportedly performed by the companies, and Arora allocated the fees to the State Farm projects to which he was assigned, according to the indictment. As a result of the scheme, McKinsey and State Farm paid $38,265 for consulting services purportedly performed by "Andy's BCB", and $452,710 in fees billed by "Gabriel Solutions," the indictment states. Sorensen pocketed nearly all of the fees paid to "Andy's BCB," and he took approximately $370,000 of the amount paid to "Gabriel Solutions", according to the indictment. In addition to the phony consulting services, the indictment contends that Arora fraudulently obtained over $400,000 from McKinsey, State Farm and other McKinsey clients in the form of travel and expense reimbursements. Arora claimed that the costs had been incurred for legitimate business purposes, when in reality the expenses pertained to Arora's personal travel. The indictment alleges that Arora falsely expensed personal trips to Scottsdale, Napa, Vail, Miami, Las Vegas, New York, London, Prague and Munich, among . Arora also obtained reimbursement for personal expenditures he incurred in Chicago while residing there, the indictment states. The Chicago expenses included hotel, dining and theater costs, according to the indictment, it said. Terrorist group praises Australias Israel position The Albanese Governments decision to no longer recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has been welcomed by listed terrorist organisation Hamas. Major announcement on Marinus Link Anthony Albanese was with Jeremy Rockliff in Tasmania on Wednesday to make a major announcement on new under-sea transmission cables to connect the Apple Isle with Victoria. Loud bang: Earthquake rattles town in Victorias north An earthquake has shaken a small Victorian town and is the latest blow for residents facing the threat of further flash flooding in the state's north. Coatsworth slams AMAs response to Medicare scandal Former Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Coatsworth says the survival of Medicare depends on "us cleaning up our own act" following allegations of the public system wasting billions of dollars. Here I will share my feelings about America and her Future. Let it be known to all the World, I love all Humankind, however the poor actions of the few that take away the Freedom's of the many wear on my soul. I don't hate them I feel sad for their foolishness before God and humankind. Those leaders who seek to 'Keep their Oaths of office' and those who seek only self glory, power, tyranny and the destruction of America as it was founded, hoping to turn it into a Dictatorship, Marxist or other state of Tyranny. For a long while I was unsure of putting a blog together with my thoughts on this, however Truth must be shared, if not to Awake American's to their dangerous situation then to record the folly of the ways of the wicked who do exist in the leadership of our Nation, States, Counties, Towns. Sad that I must add this page. "We often search for things in life, yet seldom do we find. Those things in life that really matter, until we make the time." S.T.Huls God Bless the Republic of America! Blogging from a cultural historian Follow me on Twitter @AngloAmCulture Watching the emergence of the New World Order / Globalisat Cabal; collating and commenting on news and articles from a non-institutional Christian perspective. Watching the end-time new world take shape. Sixteenth in a series of stories highlighting the 2015 20 Under 40 recipients. CEDAR FALLS Clifton Paulsen says anyone can be a leader as long as they take that extra step to help people. Paulsen, 39, has done just that, applying his passion for helping animals in distress along with his compassion for people who need a helping hand. I guess thats how I like to run my business and my life. If I can get everyone around me to succeed, Ill be successful, he said. Professionally, Paulsen owns the Cedar Valley Veterinary Center in downtown Cedar Falls. He has served the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association as part of the Power of Ten Leadership Initiative and as part of a committee that evaluates veterinary tech programs for recertification. He also serves as a mentor for veterinary students. In the past, he has worked with young people as a volunteer with the members of the Cedar Falls High School swim teams. Dr. and Mrs. Paulsen opened their home to the youths, hosting team meals and being an open door to anyone, said Vicki Mauer of Cedar Falls, who nominated Paulsen for his 20 Under 40 honor. Paulsen employs a staff of 15, including two other veterinarians. He shows the same kind of helpful spirit with young people on his staff as a mentor, Mauer said. Dr. Paulsen has been selected by at least three Iowa State University vet med students to be the mentor who gives them their white coat in a ceremony signifying their entry to the professional school, Mauer said. Volunteering is crucial to the health of a community, Paulsen said. Its the extra things that make you feel good about the daily things you do, he said. I love what I do, but sometimes volunteering is more important than your actual work and your actual job. As a 20 Under 40 winner, Paulsen is deemed a young leader in the Cedar Valley community, but he said anyone who has the desire can be a leader. A leader is anyone that takes that extra step to help people, he said. Paulsens office treats primarily small animals, but the doctor has a special fondness for horses, he said. He has been involved with American saddle bred horses from a young age. Promoting the breed and exhibiting of show horses is his passion, Mauer said. In 2009, Paulsen assumed responsibility as the head of the Iowa Limited Breeders Stake. At that time, the jackpot for the winners was $9,000; in five short years, he has worked tirelessly to improve the organization. Last September, the jackpot was $35,000, and the event now garners national attention for Iowa, Mauer said. Clifton and Debbie Paulsen have been part of Prairie Lakes Church since 2005 and have served together as a Connections Couple in the churchs Wee Kids Ministry. Clifton Paulsen is involved in a monthly mens group led by John Fuller, senior pastor. Despite the pressures and responsibilities of his growing business, he always makes time for his family and their events, Mauer said. Juliette Sinner of Cedar Valley Veterinary Center also nominated her boss for the 20 Under 40 honor. He has a genuine kindness and compassion for his employees, clients and most importantly his patients, Sinner said. He creates a fun work environment so everyone has a good time and is happy all while maintaining a professional atmosphere. Dr. Paulsen will work until 4:30 a.m. and be back at 7:30 that morning without complaint. He is one of the most dedicated doctors and deserves this award. WATERLOO | The AARP will hold a forum on Thursday to provide an overview of issues in the 2016 presidential race, particularly as they relate to the future of Social Security. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Clarion Hotel, 5826 University Ave., in Waterloo. The event is part of a statewide effort to reach people across the state to talk about the organization's "Take a stand" campaign. It also will provide a session on how to participate in the Iowa caucuses. The campaign focuses on the presidential candidates' positions for keeping Social Security strong. The program will be led by AARP Iowa State Director Kent Sovern and AARP Iowa Associate State Director Anthony Carroll. Almost one in five Iowa adults, or about 610,000 Iowans, receives Social Security benefits. Three in 10 Iowans age 65 and older rely on Social Security as their sole source of income. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. OSAGE | Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called for greater assistance for caregivers of autism patients during a campaign stop on Tuesday. Flanked by fire trucks, Clinton told a crowd of about 275 people inside the Osage Public Safety Building that she is proposing a plan to encourage earlier screenings and to expand research, housing and job opportunities for the estimated 3.5 million people with autism. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates care for an autistic child can vary between $17,000 and $21,000 annually. "That's a physical and financial burden," Clinton told the crowd. The proposal would also push states to honor Medicaid coverage requirements for children and implement a state-by-state compliance scorecard. Autism is five times more likely to occur in boys than girls, according to the CDC. It estimates one in 68 children have been diagnosed on the autism spectrum. Clinton also said she backs President Barack Obama's push to expand gun background checks. "If you are too dangerous to fly, you are too dangerous to buy a gun," she Area students spent their last day of holiday break in the sewing lab of Beatrice Middle School making quilts to send to active military service members and military veterans. Eight students signed up for the 4-H Quilts of Valor Workshop, which was the first of its kind locally and a collaboration between the Gage County Extension Office and local Quilts of Valor coordinators. Quilts of Valor is a national organization that donates red, white and blue quilts of endless patterns to active military service men and women or military veterans touched by war. Between 2003 and 2015, the foundation has awarded more than 119,000 quilts, including more than 300 made by Nebraska 4-H members and other quilters. The quilts are meant to comfort service members and remind them they are appreciated and respected. Nebraska is the first state to challenge 4-H members to make the quilts. The effort was first introduced in Nebraska in 2011. Its leadership, its community service, said 4-H program assistant Jane Esau, who works at the Gage County Extension Office. It really, really exemplifies doing something for someone else and honoring someone for their service. To participate, students must be at least 10 years old, pay $5 and be able to operate a sewing machine and sew a quarter-inch seam. They each also brought their own pins, seam ripper, measuring tape and an adult helper, if necessary, in order to make one quilt per student. The children sewed the tops of the quilts in the workshop on Monday and will finish piecing and sewing at home. A machine will add the batting and backing. Fabric was donated by area groups and individuals and the backing was sold to Gage County 4-H at cost by Beatrice business Quilt Stitches. From there, the quilts will travel to the Gage County Fair, the Nebraska State Fair and finally to the recipients. All Nebraska quilts of valor will go to Nebraska active military members and military veterans. The quilt Beatrice High School junior Katie Steffen started on Monday will be the fifth she has made in the last five years, but her first for Quilts of Valor. I really like making quilts and I saw them (Quilts of Valor) at the fair and it looked like a really good opportunity to help some people, Katie said. Its really nice that somebody else can use it. I can only use so many of my own. That fact that it will be used and loved thats a great feeling. Steffen said she had been sewing at home throughout her break from school. Its really good to know this skill and be able to help other people, she said. Katie has made quilts for family members and has sewn bags, pillows, stuffed animals and other items. She said it might be hard to part with her quilt of valor when its finished, but its for a good cause, which makes her feel good. Quilting is fun, she said, and anyone who can operate a sewing machine and sew a quarter inch seam fairly straight can make a quilt. Diller-Odell sixth grader Allison Engelman hopes to be able to give her quilt of valor to her great-grandfather, an Army veteran. She said she went to the workshop to make the quilt to give away and to improve her quilting skills. I really like to sew and I like to make people happy, Allison said. I like to think that its fun. You can really do it whenever you want. You can sew without being judged. She said her grandmothers taught her to sew and quilt starting in the second grade. The hardest part of making a quilt, she said, is waiting for it to come back after the front, batting and backing are stitched together by a machine. I cant really stand the suspense, Allison said. Diller-Odell eighth grader Melina Kostal also started sewing in second grade. This quilt will be the third shes made. She signed up for the workshop after seeing the Quilts of Valor at the fair every year. Making a quilt for military veteran or service member makes her feel good and happy, she said. The hardest part of making a quilt is keeping going and not taking too many breaks, Melina said. Each quilt is valued at $250, said Phyllis Schoenholz, the Nebraska South Central Coordinator for the Quilts of Valor Foundation. I dont know if people know this, but most fabric is $12 a yard, sometimes higher, Schoenholz said. For one quilt, fabric can cost over $100 and paying to have the three layers sewn together can also cost over $100, she said. The quilts the 4-H students are working on are about 60 by 80 inches. Quilting improves a quilters hand-eye coordination, dexterity, stitching and sewing skills, math skills and eye for color and design, Schoenholz said. The big thing the Quilts of Valor effort teaches 4-H members is community service, she said. They feel good giving back, Schoenholz said. Theyre involved in citizenship. And its a patriotic feeling. Each quilt made in the workshop has a strip of Husker fabric and 4-H clover fabric. MASON CITY | Promising to "re-embrace the principles of limited government," Florida Sen. Marco Rubio emphasized his conservative credentials Tuesday to an overflow crowd at the Historic Park Inn. Rubio, painted by pundits and Republican rivals as one of the establishment candidates this year, repeatedly stressed his opposition to big government, his loyalty to constitutional principles and his disdain for the Obama administration. "Seven years ago, Americans elected a man dedicated to changing, transforming America. He believes the Constitution is outdated and he is focused on getting around it," said Rubio. As an example, he cited Obama's latest use of executive orders on gun registration. "He has assigned more people to enforcing that than he has to the war on ISIS," said Rubio. "When a government is doing things it shouldn't be doing, it can't do well what it is supposed to be doing." He listed several actions he would take as president, some on his first day in office. Among them: Repeal every one of Obama's executive orders. Revoke the nuclear deal with Iran. Repeal Obamacare. Appoint judges who will interpret the Constitution fairly. Seek term limits on federal judges. "This is a national security election," said Rubio, adding that immigration is a national security issue. He said immigration is a different issue than it was a few years ago because ISIS is using the system to infiltrate dangerous people into the U.S. "If you are coming into this country and we don't know 100 percent who you are or 100 percent why you're coming, then you will not be allowed in," said Rubio. He said it is a matter of national security to have a fence along the southern border, to hire more border agents and to have sensors and cameras and tracking systems. Rubio said as president he would rebuild the military, rebuild the intelligence community, conduct "a real war on terror, not a rhetorical one," and reform the Veterans Administration. "Veterans should be able to use their VA benefits at any doctor's office or hospital of their choice," he said. Regarding education, Rubio said, "We don't need the federal Department of Education. Those decisions should be made at the state and local level." Asked by an audience member about entitlements, he said, "I would take all entitlement money and block grant it back to the states." He said Social Security and Medicare are legitimate entitlements money older people are entitled to "but they are intended as safety nets, not a way of life." In a Cedar Rapids town hall meeting Tuesday the Florida senator said he offers the best contrast to presumed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. One out of six Republicans is running for president, he said, getting a chuckle out of an early morning crowd of about 100 people at his Marriott Hotel campaign event. I think its down to one out of seven. Although the race for the Republican nomination is far from over, Rubio said the party has a pretty good head start on the general election because none of our candidates is a socialist and none of our candidates is under FBI investigation. We cannot afford another four years like last seven, he said. This is why we cant afford to elect just any Republican because this is not just a battle between two political parties. It is a choice about our identity as a nation. James Q. Lynch of the Cedar Rapids Gazette contributed to this story CEDAR FALLS | Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump will return Tuesday to the Cedar Valley. Trump, a real estate mogul who is leading the primary in national polls, will hold a campaign rally at 6 p.m. at the University of Northern Iowa West Gym, 1227 West 27th St., in Cedar Falls. Doors will open at 4 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. People can register for the event online at: www.eventbrite.com/e/donald-j-trump-in-cedar-falls-ia-tickets-20442150021. Trump most recently visited the area Oct. 7, filling Electric Park Ballroom in Waterloo with more than 1,000 attendees. MASON CITY | A Hampton man's arraignment on a first-degree murder charge has been rescheduled from Thursday to next Tuesday. The 2:30 p.m. arraignment for Ronald Rand, 61, who allegedly shot to death his 51-year-old girlfriend, Michelle Key of Waterloo, on Dec. 13 at his home, will take place in the courtroom at the Cerro Gordo County Law Enforcement Center. Rand was transferred from the Hardin County Jail to the Cerro Gordo County facility last week to facilitate contact with his court-appointed attorney, Susan Flander. He is being held without bond. Editors note: This story contains graphic information that some readers may find disturbing. WEST UNION Three small voices leveled serious charges Wednesday morning in Fayette County District Court: Girls 5, 6 and 8 years old accused Leroy Kula Jr., 35, of Arlington, of performing sex acts on them. Kula is on trial for two counts of second-degree sexual abuse and two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. He waived his right to a jury trial. Judge Richard Stochl is hearing testimony and will weigh the evidence. The girls also know Kula as Boo and Boone, according to their testimony. The two youngest testified outside Kulas presence via a closed-circuit television system set up in a room adjoining the courtroom. The oldest of Kulas alleged victims, however, took the witness stand about 20 feet from the defendant and his attorney, Matthew Hoffey. During her opening statement, prosecutor Denise Timmins said Kula had video cameras throughout his home. Each fed a VCR, which recorded at least one of the girls dressing and undressing. Timmins asked about events at Kulas house, which each of the girls described. Did he have a lot of swimsuits for you? Timmins asked the oldest girl. Yes, she said. On cross-examination, Hoffey asked the girl if anything bad ever happened while she was at Kulas house. He had sex with me. When I spent the night at his house, the oldest girl testified. Kula was naked, but she had pants on, according to the girls testimony. The statement seemed to catch the attorneys by surprise. Is this the first time youve said anything about this? Hoffey asked. Yes, the girl said. The girl later testified she had talked to a school counselor about the alleged incident and with her father a little bit. Timmins asked what the girl meant by had sex. The girl said she didnt know. Where were Boos hands? Timmins asked. On me, the girl testified. The younger girls identified body parts on an outline of a person drawn by Timmins. Each testified Kula performed a sex act on them while he and they were naked. The youngest also alleged Kula took nude photos of her with his phone. Did (Kula) ever ask you to keep a secret? Timmins asked the youngest girl. But I didnt, she testified. The state alleges the sexual abuse primarily happened on weekends from January to October 2014 at Kulas house. One of the girls held a pair of stuffed animals as she testified. Timmins later offered as evidence a video of one girl recorded at St. Lukes Child Protection Center in Cedar Rapids. Hoffey did not resist, and in fact told Judge Stochl he wanted all three included. Hoffey suggested the recordings reveal inconsistencies in the girls stories, which goes to their credibility. The person who made the recordings, Rosanne Van Cura, also testified Wednesday. She is a forensic interviewer and supervisor at the Child Protection Center. Van Cura testified about talking to the girls from 25 to 55 minutes in October 2014. She also told Timmins delayed disclosure of sexual abuse is common among victims. A primary reason is fear: fear of getting into trouble, fear of not being believed and fear of causing problems for the abuser. On cross-examination, Van Cura acknowledged interviewing kids 4 to 6 years old presents particular challenges. Such young children are not adept at telling linear narratives with a clear beginning, middle and end, according to Van Cura. Victims of sexual abuse may demonstrate new behaviors, such as bed wetting. Van Cura, though, told Hoffey any trauma might produce similar behavior. REINBECK | A Reinbeck man has pleaded guilty to child pornography charges in what prosecutors said was a 12-year stint that involved more than 7,000 images and 23 videos. Robert Turner, 34, entered a plea to one count of receipt of child porn on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. He faces five to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and sentencing will be at a later date. According to court records, Turner came to the attention of authorities in 2013 when investigators found porn on a peer-to-peer computer network and traced it to an Internet address connected to the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, where Turner was a student living on campus. Peer-to-peer networks are decentralized file sharing systems that allow users to access information stored on other members computers. Officers found images of children, some under age 12, involved in sexual activities on two computer hard drives and a flash drive at Turners F Street address, records state. He was indicted in November 2015. As part of the plea on Tuesday, Turner admitted to receiving porn between August 2001 and August 2013. The case was investigated by the Cedar Falls Police Department, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Tremmel as part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative. WATERLOO | A federal jury has found a Waterloo man guilty of gun charges stemming from a June arrest where officers found crack cocaine and a pistol. Jurors found Marchello Rembert, 32, guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing crack cocaine with the intent to distribute after about two hours of deliberation. Sentencing will be at a later date, and Rembert faces up to 30 years in prison and a $1.25 million fine. Authorities said Rembert was barred from handling firearms because of prior convictions for drug offenses, theft and fraud. On June 4, Rembert was in the 200 block of Cottage Street when Waterloo police arrested him on an unrelated warrant. During a pat-down search, officers found 14 baggies of crack cocaine in his front pocket and a loaded 9mm Ruger pistol in his girlfriends vehicle. During analysis of the firearm, police located Remberts left index fingerprint on the left side of the firearm near the trigger guard area. The girlfriend, Trisha Elaine Millard, pleaded guilty to charges of possession of a firearm by an unlawful drug user in December. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa C. Williams and was investigated by the Waterloo Police Department, which was assisted by the FBI, Federal Task Force, Black Hawk County Sheriffs Office, the Cedar Falls Police Department Hawk County Sheriffs Office, the Cedar Falls Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement. WATERLOO The Black Hawk County Board of Supervisors avoided budget sticker shock. The supervisors heard about a few challenges but no pending disasters Tuesday during an overview of their budget preparation process for the fiscal year starting July 1. It doesnt look too bad at this point, said Finance Director James Bronner. Thats what makes me nervous. Board members are expected to begin working in earnest Thursday, going through departmental budgets, setting a county government spending plan and property tax rate for the next fiscal year. Bronner said there are still some unknowns in the proposed budget wages for unionized workers and other staff and health insurance costs, for example but initial proposals did not carry major cost hikes. The known trouble spots include several capital projects, spiraling juvenile detention costs and the potential loss of revenue in the county attorneys fine collection program due to a change in state laws. The countys budget for detaining juvenile offenders is $350,000 per year but is on pace to reach $600,000 by years end. This uptick has been coming for a bit, Bronner said. Were just seeing the result. The county attorneys office has been generating a net $500,000 in extra revenue through the collection of delinquent court debt. But a new law effective last July could cause the county to lose a large share of that revenue to a private collection firm. Supervisor Frank Magsamen said the Iowa State Association of Counties is lobbying to change that legislation this year. Any change, however, would be unlikely before the budget must be adopted. If they dont make any changes in it theres going to be a dramatic impact on the county attorneys budget, Magsamen said. Other challenges include the replacement of the jail security system, repairing the jail parking lot and either realigning or replacing a failed Cedar Valley Nature Trail bridge over Wolf Creek in La Porte City. On the upside, the county expects a major reduction in its debt payments for a new E-911 communications system. This years tax levy for the system was based on a $15 million estimated cost, which later came in at $8.7 million, allowing the tax levy to be lower next year. The county also will see a $300,000 drop in its property tax asking as part of a 22-county mental health care region. The Black Hawk County Engineering Department will see a full year of revenue for a 10-cent-per-gallon gas tax increase approved by the Iowa Legislature last year, helping pay for additional road repairs. And Bronner said the county-operated Country View nursing care facility, which has been a drag on county funds in years past, appears to be holding its own. It is still self-sustaining at this point, Bronner said. There is no general fund (taxes) going into it and it has its own fund balance. Third in a series looking at the upcoming legislative session. DES MOINES | Despite pressing environmental challenges, 2016 is not shaping up to be a banner year for Mother Nature at the Statehouse. The best hope to fund cleanup of polluted waters and soil conservation is a voter-endorsed sales tax increase that has little hope for consideration in an election-year session. Agricultural interests advocate a voluntary approach to reducing farm chemicals polluting Iowa streams and drinking water. They back practices such as cover crops, no-till or strip till planting and use of nitrification inhibitors when applying fall fertilizer. That's the approach supported by Gov. Terry Branstad, Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey and Department of Natural Resources Director Chuck Gipp. Northey said more than $325 million in state and federal funds have been spent on water quality programs in the past year -- not including spending by farmers. However, critics say such efforts have failed to reduce farm chemical runoff. Those concerns led the Des Moines Water Works to sue drainage districts in three upstream counties that feed into the Raccoon River basin. The lawsuit claims fertilizer runoff in Buena Vista, Crawford and Sac counties raises nitrate levels for the water works' 500,000 customers to dangerous levels. High levels of nitrates are linked to health problems by public health officials and are especially hazardous for infants. The water works says it has been forced to spend millions of dollars to remove nitrates from drinking water and may need to build an $80 denitrification plant. Environmental advocates also are pushing federal regulators to take tougher steps to enforce clean water rules and impose nutrient management plans farm groups oppose. Iowa voters in 2010 approved a measure that would direct three-eighths of a percent of any sales tax increase to a natural resources trust fund. But it depends on the Legislature approving that sales tax hike. Such a levy could raise up to $180 million annually. Sen. David Johnson, R-Ocheyedan, has authored a bipartisan bill seeking to implement the three-eighths of a percent sales tax. But Sen. Randy Feenstra, R-Hull, the ranking Republican on the Senate Ways and Means Committee and a leading critic of the water works legal action, said a tax increase is a nonstarter. I dont see that getting any consideration. We passed the gas tax last year. I havent talked to anybody that says theyre working to get that passed. I think there are other ways to make this work, said Feenstra. Feenstra concedes something must be done, and believes a Dordt College study of farming practices holds promise. He also has proposed legislation to block the water works lawsuit. Senate Republican Leader Bill Dix, a farmer from Shell Rock, said farmers want to keep nutrients in the soil and are willing partners in voluntary solutions. But he said the lawsuit has angered farmers, who also are leery of the Environmental Protection Agency and what they consider heavy-handed regulation. Northey has asked Branstad to include a $10 million request for the Iowa Water Quality Initiative when the governor submits his fiscal 2017 state budget plan to a joint session of the Legislature next week. Northey said the money -- on top of $9.6 million approved for the current fiscal year -- would help farmers try new water quality practices. He also wants $7.5 million for conservation cost sharing and $1.92 million to close ag drainage wells. Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, said his caucus supports environmental legislation, but past efforts were vetoed. He said lawmakers want to see what Branstad proposes given the states current financial situation. I think Gov. Branstad is going to be embarrassed by his environmental record and probably come back with some recommendation, Gronstal said. We certainly would be willing to look at that, but were not going to cannibalize education or the basic social safety net so that he can put a fig leaf on his record on the environment, the Senate Democratic leader added. DES MOINES A 1 percent sales tax earmarked for school infrastructure would be extended 20 years, but the revenue would be shared with water quality programs under an ambitious proposal unveiled Tuesday by Gov. Terry Branstad. Under Branstads plan, which requires legislative approval, the school infrastructure sales tax, which is set to expire in 2029, would be extended to 2049, and annual revenue increases would be divided. The first $10 million in new revenue each year would go to schools, and the remainder would go to water quality programs. Branstads office estimates the proposal would generate $7.5 million for water quality programs in the first year and $4.7 billion over the next 32 years. Branstad called his plan a win-win situation, saying it creates revenue for water quality programs without raising taxes and still provides reliable funding for school infrastructure projects. This is probably the biggest and boldest proposal Ive put together in all my years as governor, Branstad, the longest-serving governor in the nations history, said Tuesday during his meeting with Statehouse media to preview the upcoming legislative session. The Republican governors plan was endorsed Tuesday by former Democratic Iowa governor and current U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Vilsack sat next to Branstad at Tuesdays meeting and called the governors plan a solid framework that promptly addresses an issue that needs immediate attention. Iowa is one of the leading contributors of nutrients that have flowed down the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico, creating a so-called dead zone where oxygen is insufficient to sustain fish and marine life. The federal government has required Mississippi River states, including Iowa, to develop solutions to reduce the amount of nutrients flowing into the river. There is a limited period of time to work on this water quality issue, Vilsack said. The reality is we need to work on it now. Superintendents of the Cedar Valleys largest school districts expressed hesitancy or outright opposition toward the proposal. I did meet with the governor before Christmas, said Jane Lindaman, superintendent of Waterloo Community Schools. I do appreciate that he has worked really hard to get first-hand opinions and explain his thinking. However, she noted the sales tax was originally approved by voters in countywide referendums and suggested Branstad should not only rely on the views of school superintendents in modifying its purpose. I just dont think that I would say water quality is the next biggest priority, said Lindaman. I think it would be wise for other opinions to be sought before a decision is made. Cedar Falls Superintendent Andy Pattee supported extending the sales tax another 20 years, but noted many school districts were already counting on projected revenues between now and 2029. Were pleased that this is becoming a discussion point about extending out the 1 percent sales tax, he said. Our belief is that (those revenues) should be used for the intended purpose. Ed Klamfoth, superintendent of the Waverly-Shell Rock Community Schools, supported the water quality projects, but not at the expense of a funding stream expressly created for districts that they continue to need. Those sales tax dollars were created for school infrastructure, he said. Im opposed to it just because it was not the intent of the law. Branstad and legislative leaders said they support funding water quality programs but are hesitant to fund them with tax increases. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal criticized the plan for using future school infrastructure funding to pay for water quality programs. It is a solution, an effort that undercuts local schools, Gronstal said. Iowa State Education Association President Tammy Wawro echoed Gronstals sentiment that Branstads plan equates to robbing Peter to pay Paul. The fact that were even having a conversation about this, taking even part of the pie meant for kids to take care of another important priority, its just very disturbing right now for us, Wawro said. Branstad declined to say whether he would approve extending the school infrastructure sales tax without the provision for water quality programs. House Speaker-select Linda Upmeyer said House Republicans have been divided on whether to extend the school infrastructure sales tax beyond 2029. Branstad also said Tuesday he hopes to be able to maintain his request to boost state supplemental aid to K-12 public schools by 2.45 percent when he presents his fiscal 2017 budget blueprint to state lawmakers next week. A year ago, Branstad proposed state aid to schools be boosted by 1.25 percent for the current school year and 2.45 percent for the fiscal year that begins July 1. But since then, state revenue estimates have been scaled back due to weakness in the farm economy. Staff writer Andrew Wind contributed to this story. CEDAR FALLS | The Knights of Columbus Council 4516 is welcoming all area students in grades four through seven to participate in the 36th annual spelling bee Feb. 6 at St. Patrick School, Seventh and Washington streets. Any student, whether public, private, parochial or home-schooled, may participate as long as they attend or reside in one of the following school districts: Allison-Bristow, Aplington-Parkersburg, Cedar Falls, Clarksville Community, Denver Community, Dike-New Hartford, Gladbrook-Reinbeck, Grundy Center, Hudson Community, Janesville Consolidated, Nashua-Plainfield, St. Patrick School, St. Pauls Lutheran School, Waverly and Waverly-Shell Rock Community. Spelling bee kits with instructions, entry form, rules and spelling words are being provided to the area schools. Each school will have a spelling bee competition at their facility to determine the five contestants to advance to this district competition. For students who study at home, the reference desk at the Cedar Falls Public Library will have the spelling bee kit available. Entry forms are to be submitted by Jan. 26. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. Feb. 6 in the school's multi-purpose room; the spelling bee will begin at 9:10 a.m. Awards will be presented at the end of the day to the first five places from each grade, and and all students will receive a certificate of participation. The top two finalists from each grade will advance on to regional competition Feb. 21 in Oelwein. Ames will host the state competition March 6. The Blue Rivers Area Agency on Aging has a new executive director, but the organization's goal remains the same to help citizens ages 60 and older be as independent and active as they can be for as long as its safe to be so. Zoe Olson started in the position on Dec. 21. Olson, a Nebraska native, was previously the director of marketing and public relations for Aging Partners in Lincoln, a public information officer for Nebraska Health and Human Services office and the executive director of the Nebraska Wheat Growers Association. Blue Rivers Area Agency on Aging serves eight counties in the southeast corner of Nebraska and is headquartered in Beatrice. It provides information, referral services and transportation to area seniors. Were an agency, so people come to us to seek help, Olson said. It can be about nutrition or maybe someone wants help with how they can remain in their home. The agency also helps operate 20 senior centers in the eight counties. The Beatrice Senior Center voted last year to take on serving and making meals for its visitors, though the meals are still contracted through BRAAA. Olson said BRAAA is working on a four-year plan, which is tasked in increments and completed a year at a time. Im excited to see what the future holds for us, Olson said. It will be interesting to see what we can do for our seniors in our area. The future is limited only by our imaginations. Area agencies on aging exist throughout the state and the country, as mandated by the federal government in the Older Americans Act of 1965. The agencies receive federal, state and county funds. Area agencies on aging are such a great deal, Olson said. They employ very dedicated, very passionate people who really have the best interests in mind and find answers for people. Sometimes, we cant solve every issue. If someone has made a lifetime of bad decisions, we cant fix that. But were going to try our very best to help. A major change in this line of work, Olson said, is that the aging population is increasingly growing and living longer. The average life expectancy in 1965 was 67 for a man and 70 for a woman, she said. Now, people are living to be 85, 90, 100, Olson said. Its a much different time now than it was before. Jill Cammack, who heads transportation and nutrition at BRAAA, said the biggest challenge for the local agency over the years is trying to provide the same level of service with less funding all the time. Larry McKee is the president of the board of the Beatrice Senior Center. He said Tuesday he hadnt met Olson yet. Hopefully, we get started off in a new chapter, McKee said. Were still trying to get home-delivered meals approved through Blue Rivers Area Agency on Aging. Maybe she can get that approved so we can move forward with that. McKee said BRAAA used to lead the meal program at the senior center entirely, but now the main relationship between the agency and the center is the renting of space at the center for the agencys transportation buses and the subsidized food program by the agency for the center. Olson has lived in Texas, Virginia and Missouri and said its good to be back in Nebraska. Nebraska a great place to be from and a great place to live, Olson said. We have many things have here that one doesnt appreciate until moving away and coming back. She said those things include Nebraskans sense of community, desire to help others and respect for age. Janice Price, a retired employee with BRAAA, was the interim director before Olson filled the position. Former director Julie Hippan retired in September. Veterans post to hold community breakfast WAVERLY The Waverly Area Veterans Post is planning a community breakfast from 7:30 to 10 a.m. Saturday at the Waverly American Legion, 208 Eighth Ave. SW. The menu includes eggs, cheesy potatoes, biscuits and gravy, sausages, baked goods, coffee, juice and more. The Waverly Area Veterans Post, a nonprofit military organization, is comprised of the Waverly area AMVETS, American Legion, Marine Corps League and VFW for the purpose of building a shared facility to provide service and support for all U.S. military and their families. The breakfasts are open to the public. Donations are accepted in support of the new veterans center being built at the current VFW site. Girl Who Fell topic of January meeting CEDAR FALLS Ardelle Brown will lead AAUW participants in an introduction to and discussion of Heidi Durrows The Girl Who Fell From the Sky on Jan. 11. Cedar Valley Discuss, Discover Diversity will hold this discussion on the second floor of the Cedar Falls Public library. Participants need not have read the book to join the discussion. Durrows novel is inspired by true events. All Cedar Valley residents are welcome to join the discussion of this girl who struggles with a new school, and her confusion about whether she is African-American like her father or white like her Danish mother. CV3D is supported by the Cedar Falls branch of the American Association of University Women and assisted by the support of the Cedar Falls Public Library. Red Herring Theatre sets Farragut North CEDAR FALLS The Red Herring Theatre will present a reading of Farragut North at the Hearst Center for the Arts at 7 p.m. Jan. 14. The performance is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be served. Farragut North by Beau Willimon, who is best known for the Netflix series House of Cards, is a timely play about a U.S. political campaign. The readers-theater-style presentation is directed by Emily Eisenman. The cast includes James Healy, Mike Schlumbohm, Hallie Cook, Sam Card, Tom Carlisle, Toni Wilson-Wood, Joel Zummak and Jestin Hoffman. Vietnam has borrowed a lot of policy ideas from the Chinese over the years, including a household registration system ( as I discussed a couple of years ago ), and a population policy aimed at bringing fertility down and keeping it low. In the early 1990s Vietnam introduced its two-child policy, which was only loosely enforced, but probably helped the birth rate drop from an average of 3.2 children in 1990 to just below replacement level (1.9) in 2000, where it has stayed since, according to the data from the UN Population Division . The result has been a classic demographic dividend, in which the working age population has expanded both numerically and as a fraction of the population, while the older and younger age groups have declined as a percentage of the total. The average person in Vietnam is better off now as a result, albeit still poor by global standards. This week's Economist has sort of an overview of Vietnam's population trends and policy in light of the country's health ministry circulating a draft revision of its population law. It is not a moment too soon. A whopping two-thirds of the countrys 90m people are of working age. That gives Vietnam a chance to boom economically over the next three decades. But the demographic dividend may then stop abruptly. Fertility rates in some Vietnamese cities have fallen to below the population replacement rate, a trend that could eventually lead to a shortage of workers, as Japan and other rich countries have learnt to their cost. The difference is that Vietnam risks growing old before it grows rich. The Economist seems not to understand the idea that the demographic dividend is a transition period. You cannot keep it up unless you kill off people before they reach old age. You have to use that dividend to figure out ways to keep the economy going. And, by the way, the World Bank data do not suggest that Vietnam is likely to get rich, no matter what its population policy. So, the other troublesome items in the proposed revision of policy are considerably more important: The new population law, in its current wording, would not help. It proposes to leave the two-child policy in place and ban abortion after 12 weeks, down from the current limit of 22 weeks, except in cases of rape. That may send even more pregnant Vietnamese into shadowy abortion clinics. In September some 17 public-health professionals complained about the proposed law in a letter to the health minister. Such pressure may prompt the government to extend the proposed 12-week limit. However, the population-control measures being mulled by the ministry contain another troubling feature: a pre-natal focus on population quality. That sounds harmless enough, but the underlying idea, according to a foreign health-policy expert in Hanoi, is that health officials could encourage mothers to abort fetuses showing signs of disability. It is likely that couples in Vietnam will not return to the larger families of the past, so changes to the two-child policy are not apt to have much effect. However, putting women's health at risk by limiting the options around abortion--as well as the idea of seeking some sort of "population quality"--are not things that should be promoted by any government. One dead, one injured in falls from cliffs in Shawnee Forest Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Jan. 05, 2016 | PADUCAH, KY By West Kentucky Star Staff Jan. 05, 2016 | 10:56 AM | PADUCAH, KY Whether a defamation lawsuit against the Paducah Economic Development Board and its CEO will be dismissed was supposed to be decided in court, but the hearing wasn't held as scheduled. Lawyers were supposed to attend a motion hour Monday, with GPED and Darnell wanting to dismiss the defamation case altogether. After being delayed to Monday afternoon, the motion hour was not held at all, and another date has not been set. The lawsuit was brought by the St. Louis-based Sansone Group over allegations that GPED CEO Scott Darnell was trying to undermine a proposed 400,000 square foot shopping development near Kentucky Oaks Mall. It would be the first of its kind in nearly 20 years for Paducah. The lawsuit alleges that Darnell defamed Sansone by directly interfering with their proposal with the retailers that agreed to open in the new development. Jim Sansone with the Sansone Group, told West Kentucky Star last week that they are still moving forward with the project as planned. "We are continuing to move forward with the project. It's certainly is taking some turns that were unexpected, and it has certainly taken a lot longer than we had originally hoped. We know the people in McCracken County would like to see this project. We think it's a good area, and so we are continuing to pursue the development and we're hopeful that we will be able to bring it to the residents of McCracken County," said Sansone. Sansone says the project may end up being a little more than the original 400,000 square feet initially planned. He says 100% of the businesses scheduled to locate in the new shopping center are new to Paducah. Sansone says they anticipate an announcement about construction of the development sometime before the end of the 1st quarter of this year (2016). ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Weston Ochse is a former intelligence officer and special operations soldier who has engaged enemy combatants, terrorists, narco smugglers, and human traffickers. His personal war stories include performing humanitarian operations over Bangladesh, being deployed to Afghanistan, and a near miss being cannibalized in Papua New Guinea. His fiction and non-fiction has been praised by USA Today, The Atlantic, The New York Post, The Financial Times of London, and Publishers Weekly. The American Library Association labeled him one of the Major Horror Authors of the 21st Century. His work has also won the Bram Stoker Award, been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and won multiple New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards. A writer of more than 26 books in multiple genres, his military supernatural series SEAL Team 666 has been optioned to be a movie starring Dwayne Johnson. His military sci fi series, which starts with Grunt Life, has been praised for its PTSD-positive depiction of soldiers at peace and at war. Weston likes to be called a chaotic good paladin and challenges anyone to disagree. After all, no one can really stand a goody two-shoes lawful good character. They can be so annoying. It's so much more fun to be chaotic, even when you're striving to save the world. You can argue with him about this and other things online at Living Dangerously or on Facebook at Badasswriter. All content of this blog is copywrited by Weston Ochse. The Sanctum Sanctorum is Doctor Strange's base of operations, and one of the key elements of the upcoming adaptation that fans are most excited to see. Located in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, it's a TARDIS-esque mansion that sits on a nexus point of mystical energy, and a (super)natural place for Doc to set up shop when he returns from Kathmandu with his fancy new sorcery skills. A new set photo posted to producer Louis D'Esposito's Twitter has revealed the iconic window that many will recognise as Strange's skylight/Seal of the Vishanti, which protects the mansion from supernatural invaders. Take a look at the image below: https://twitter.com/louisde2/status/684173966370451456 It's awesome how comfortable Marvel are at this point with being so faithful to the comics. They've proven to themselves - and the world - time and again that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The design of the film looks on point; the concept art of the rest of the Sanctum - and what we've seen of the various cosmic inter-dimensional spaces that Strange is going to be tripping balls through - makes it seem like Marvel's really going for it with embracing the weirder aspects of Doctor Strange's character. Which is, well, all of them. By the time the release date for Doctor Strange rolls around, it will be one of the most anticipated Marvel films on the docket (if it isn't already). They've scored the perfect casting with Benedict Cumberbatch - that much can be agreed upon - now we just have to hope Marvel break out of their formulaic funk and deliver us a villain as good as Loki in either Mads Mikkelsen's mystery character or Chiwetel Ejiofor's Baron Mordo. 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impact we have on the lives of women within our network, we can never share their stories as well as they can. Which is... Wingspan Portfolio Advisors Showed Preferential Treatment to White Employees over Black Employees More Bad News (Layoffs) For Wingspan Portfolio Advisors. The Company is SINKING fast. THIS IS A VIDEO OF THE MONROE LAYOFF. HOWEVER THIS MONTH WINGSPAN ANNOUNCED ITS CLOSING ITS FLORIDA OFFICE AND LAYING OFF 150 WORKERS THERE. PERMANENTLY. And to think Wingspan's FAILED EXECUTIVES, Justin Belter, Jason Dickard and others have rushed to start another company, called Agility 360, in Carrollton, TX.It seems the website for Agility 360 was thrown up overnight. Their Facebook page has a few photos. Most are of Justin Belter and Jason Dickard standing by the Agility 360 door sign smiling but looking 'out of sorts'. Sort of like they are both sleeping out of their cars and tried to rush and put themselves together for the photo. I can't allow myself to feel sorry for these assholes because they treated so many people, primarily blacks, like shit. At the height of Wingspan's "glory" these guys ruled the roost like dictators. Doing whatever the hell they wanted. Walking the fuck over people in my opinion and as well as many former employees I've spoken to. Their new company, Agility 360, is suppose to be in the business of 'advising' other firms on how to run more efficiently and survive challenges. If they were so good, why did Wingspan FAIL? It has closed offices and laid off hundreds of staff in every state its ventured into. It's CEO has stepped down. The company is STRUGGLING. These guys were NOT good executives. They are just good at Marketing (as Steven Horne was) but not at EXECUTING. Chase Bank Tells Wingspan Portfolio Advisors To "HIT THE ROAD JACK!" AND DON'T COME BACK ESSENTIALLY THE SAME THING BANK OF AMERICA TOLD THEM AS WELL. HOPEFULLY THEY DELIVERED THE MESSAGE LIKE RAY CHARLES.. THAT WAY IT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SO HARSH. Wingspan Portfolio Advisors Files for Ch. 7 Bankruptcy Protection Justin Belter, FAILED WINGSPAN EXEC, GRINS After Being Hired By Agility 360-WHITE PRIVILEGE AT WORK Black Man, Father of Four, Murdered in Private Prison By Guards Who Refused Him Medical Help! Michael Sabbie, Father of Four, was having trouble breathing. He had to stop to catch his breath. He told the guard he could not breath and the guards responded by slamming him to the ground and denying him medical care. They also tasered him. He died in Jail. This is the definition of torture and it is happening right here in the United States, a country that claims to be free. Politicians who claim America isn't great are right in a way but they don't have the right reasons in mind. This is is the REAL reason why America isn't great. A man who hasn't even been sentenced and is technically innocent is denied adequate medical care in a private jail. No prison or jail should be private anyways because privatization leads to abuse such as what you all see in this video. Racist White NC Hospital Volunteer Attacks Black Family Seeking Medical Help Edina Police Abuse Black Pedestrian (Minneapolis) Such a disturbing video to watch. Black Man Confronts His Thieving White Boss For Stealing His Wages I have seen so many black people get their wages STOLEN by these so-called 'upstanding good productive white DEMONS '... OOPS.. I meant 'Citizens' that a video like this is refreshing. This happens a lot. Especially to those at the bottom. Black, Marginalized and Poor. White people steal the wages of blacks (Hispanics too) left and right and feel they are safe because they are white and have the power to terminate. But every now and then a black man decides to take back his DIGNITY and approach these devils and demand to be PAID IN FULL. JOB BE DAMNED. Racist White Woman Attacks Hispanic Woman In IHOP For Speaking Spanish The Devils Are Waking From Their Hibernation. The Black One Percent Explains The White/Black Wealth Gap THE BLACK ONE PERCENT EXPLAINS WHITE PRIVILEGE. "White People often say 'pick yourselves up by your bootstraps'. But what they fail to grasp is that some people don't have any boots. When people talk about success they fail to understand that no matter how talented they are someone helped them along the way. No one did it all on their own. For every one dollar a white person has in wealth, blacks have $.06 cents in comparable wealth. A lot of that comes from the fact that throughout so much of America's history blacks could not build wealth. Whites were paid and allowed to build wealth to leave down to their children who built on the wealth. Blacks had no wealth to build upon." ------------------------------ Dr. Boyce Watkins Discusses Economic Genocide Of Blacks In America Dr. Boyce Watkins discusses the Economic Genocide Of African Americans in America. RACISM.. IN 2015 How racism has evolved in Today's world. And How It Has Not. BROKE WHITE PEOPLE ARE LIKE TOOTHLESS LIONS... Or like a 7 ft tall man who can't dunk... Or a brand new Lexus with no tires.. Interesting Analogies. Interesting Commentary from Tommy Sotomayor. First Lady Michelle Obama Speaks of Her Shock At The Racism She Has Faced As First Black First Lady Jay Z 'TIDAL' - SLAMS WHITE SUPREMACY IN HIDDEN MESSAGE Eugenics, Black Genocide And The Hidden White Agenda, MAAFA 21 Documentary THE HIDDEN WHITE ANSWER TO THE 'NEGRO DILEMMA'. MAAFA 21 Eugenics, Black Genocide And The Hidden White Agenda, MAAFA 21 Documentary Photo Shows British Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Mother Being Taught Nazi Salute By Edward VIII The IMF, WTO DESTROYS Economies of Black Countries, For The Financial Gain of WHITE COUNTRIES This is an incredible documentary detailing 'economic racism' perpetrated by white nations on black nations. (Please read below for details).This documentary due to the overwhelming response has now been monetized. It was on youtube at first free of charge with millions of views but now it can be purchased off the website http://www.lifeanddebt.org/ It's a compelling and moving portrayal of how power operates and how power corrupts. TO PURCHASE AND WATCH THE DOCUMENTARY PLEASE VISIT THE WEBSITE: http://www.lifeanddebt.org/ This documentary was created by a black woman named Stephanie Black who is from Jamaica. It details how the I.M.F (The International Monetary Fund), and the W.T.O (the World Trade Organization) continue to enslave through poverty and perpetual indebtedness. How do they do this? They loan poor nations which are struggling money at incredible interest rates which they know they can never pay back. Just like Loan Sharks. As part of the lending deal, they 'mandate' these nations open up their markets to other countries with no trade restrictions. When this happens all of the local industry that has supported the people in these countries begins to dry up and die, as the country is then flooded with cheap produce and meats from industrial countries at such low prices the country's own produce, meat and production markets are destroyed forever. Impoverishing the Country. Forever. When this is done wealthier nations move in with the IMF's permission and began to PLUNDER whatever resources they desire. Shocking Medical Experiments White Doctors Performed On Black Women Its Shocking to See the Type of Medical Experiments These White People Did on Black Women for the Advancement of Medical Science How Europeans Used False Teachings of History To Conquer Black People Worldwide INCREDIBLE, MUST SEE DOCUMENTARY Marlon Brando On America's Hypocrisy, and Racism INTRODUCING "LYRICKS". "I CAN'T BREATHE" Wake up my people. Wake up. HEAVY. REALLY HEAVY. VERY DEEP LYRICS. ABOUT POLICE BRUTALITY AND POLICE CORRUPTION AND RACISM. INTRODUCING NEW RAPPER (CHINESE RAPPER) "LYRICKS". WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SONG. WOW. By Any Means Necessary (A Call To ARMS To END White Supremacy) - Ibrahim Sincere P.O.W.E.R.F.U.L. B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L. Introducing.. IBRAHIM SINCERE Tim Wise: On White Privilege Toni Morrison Takes White Supremacy To Task Toni Morrison To White People: "If You Can Only Be Tall, Because Somebody Else is On Their Knees, Then You Have A Serious, Serious Problem" C.K. Lewis on the UNEARNED PRIVILEGES of Being "White" Pregnant Black Woman Abused During Illegal Arrest. ACLU Sues. CHARGES DROPPED. Why was the black woman treated differently than the blonde? This shit has to stop. Per the ACLU, the woman did not have to identify herself as no crime, even using the officer's OWN WORDS, had not been committed. Homewood Alabama Police Racially Profile, Assault Black Motorists When Will The Racism END? Black People Are Under ASSAULT in AMERIKKKA. Virginia Cops Tase And Pepper Spray Black Man Having A Stroke Homeless Black Woman BEATEN by CHP Officer Daniel Andrew Black Brothers Racially Profiled and Arrested in Colorado. ACLU SUES. Charges DROPPED. Why were these brothers stopped and thrown to the ground and arrested? Colorado Springs has stated two different reasons. First reason was they were driving 'slow' in a high crime area and the second reason was they 'had a cracked windshield'. Two BULLSHIT reasons to manhandle and arrest someone. FUCK THE POLICE. Chris Rock Explains The Only Way Black People Can Win in America Racism In The United States By The Numbers Vlogger Brothers = RACISM IN AMERICA BY THE NUMBERS Racism Is Real Racism. In Amerikkka. Unbelievable Exchange. Especially Near the End of The Video. Ernestine Johnson --> THE AVERAGE BLACK GIRL P.O.W.E.R.F.U.L. The woman is a PURE TALENT. Rapper T.I. - "New National Anthem" in response to America's Genocide and Oppression of Blacks Rapper T.I. delivers a powerful, gut wrenching response to America's Genocide and Oppression of Blacks in the new song titled "New National Anthem" Welcome To Being A White Minority In America We're sure you'll LOVE IT.. LORD GIVE ME A SIGN A CRY FOR HELP.. IN OUR PAIN WE NEED YOU. FUCK AMERICA. IN OUR DARKEST NIGHT, YOU'LL PULL US THROUGH. Police Racially Profile, Assault Two Black Men For No Reason. The Brothers Fought Back. Respect. Detroit Police Racially Profile to young black men and then assaulted them. The Brothers, one in law school, knew their rights and FOUGHT BACK. RESPECT. White Supremacy & Fear of a Black Planet Powerful Video. Very Moving. Yes. The "Truth" is "Refreshing". A southern white man, a self proclaimed "Redneck" calling out America's WHITE SUPREMACY. EVIL AND RACIST - The Koch Brothers Exposed At Minute 40:52 Watch How The Koch Brothers Are Dumping Cancer Causing Chemicals Into Poor Black Communities Killing Poor Innocent African Americans By The Truckloads. All Of Whom Are Being Taken Out By Cancer. Bass Pro Employee Says "Niggers Shouldn't Have Right To Buy Guns In The Store" CROOKED NJ COPS CAUGHT FRAMING INNOCENT BLACK MAN Dirty Pigs. Blacks in America are under systemic assault. We don't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting a fair shake. WHITE WASHED A Documentary On WHITENESS COMING SOON --> HIDDEN COLORS 4. The Religion of White Supremacy COMING SOON --> Hidden Colors 4. The Religion of White Supremacy. Currently Under Production. These Young brothers need your support. Please be a part of the growing movement to support black films and documentaries. To Finish the Project they need $60,000.00. They have raised $28,000 so far. It is time WE started telling OUR OWN Story. The Documentary Focuses on *Global Racism *Racism in Religion *Omitted History *Financial Warfare *Health and Racism *Solutions to these issues And so much more. If you have any doubts about their work. Please feel free to check out Hidden Colors 1 through 3. AMAZING WORK! link to their gofundme page --> http://kck.st/1KiYUUo Challenging Racism, Privilege and Denial by Tim Wise Melanin: The God Particle POWERFUL DOCUMENTARY. Let's Help This TALENTED, Young Black Man Bring This To The "Big Screen". Background Check on the White Man. Uncovering Hidden Atrocities A moving documentary about White Subjugation of the Black Race and the Continued oppression that continues. Megyn Kelly Schools Bill O'Reilly About White Privilege Doug Grissinger Stetson University College of Law "I worked once for an upmarket (white owned) retailer in Manhattan. He watched the store on video from his office, alerting store security to shadow EVERY black who entered. Yah... even ex-Supreme actress Diana Ross got the treatment." The Paradox of Race in America Chris Hayes examines the racial double-standard that still dominates American society. Mugging The Poor: Predatory Policing In The U.S. Dr. Umar Johnson Calls Out The Hypocrisy Of Black Men Who Date White Women Blacks Supporting White Supremacy Through Patronizing White Businesses? White Like Me.. A Documentary on the Economics of Race and White Racial Privilege .. A Powerful Documentary on The Economics of Race. Racism is about ECONOMICS. Who controls the resources. The Labor. Who is able to subjugate and rule over others. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Ferguson, MO and Police Militarization (HBO) John Oliver Calls Out America's Racist, Broken Prison System Says: 'We Are Doing A Terrible Job' Jessie Duplantis Gives A POWERFUL Message To The Black Race NBC News Anchor Brian Williams Raps Gin and Juice Who Is Standing Up Against Racism In Corporate America? G.W. Bush Why CNN's Don Lemon & Elitist Black Folks "Just..Don't..Get..It" Very well spoken indeed. Murderer George Zimmerman Walks Free After Killing Black Teen,But Will The Streets Be So Forgiving? Racism in America: Small Town 1950s Case Study Documentary Film Dr. Cornel West on Racism, Inequality, & American Empire TX Schools Teaching Blacks Descended from Ham, Jews Practice 'Flawed Religion' Dear Mexico, Take Texas Back PLEASE! SNAKE - UNCLE TOM - WHITE MAN'S PET They Hate What They Fear They Operate On An Entirely Other Stratosphere. Outside the Established "Norms" Set For Minorities. Wingspan Has Resorted to Using "US" Against "US".. Why Do You Think That Whites In The SOUTH Have Historically Done The Dirtiest Damn Shit? They Want Us "LeaderLESS". Every Black That Shows Organizational Skill, They Quickly DISCREDIT. The Late, Great Booker T. Washington Blacks Lagging All Other Races in Business Ownership Don't Spend Money in Stores That Don't Hire Blacks The Black Man (And Woman) Will Never Be Free Without Economic Security. Americans Are Losing Freedoms Slave Labor and the Founding of America Ferry to Pea Patch Island Docking at the Island. Tram once you land on Pea Patch. Birds flying to the island. The officers quarters are nicely furnished. Recreation of the Prisoner's Barracks. Inside Recreation of Prisoner's Barracks Soldier's graffiti can be found throughout the fort. The stars from inside the fort. Time lapse of visitors holding flashlights during the Ghost Tours. While ghost stories are at the tip of everyone's tongues at the fort, my research implies the fort has bigger problems. When reading about the re-internment of the soldiers buried on Pea Patch Island, I came across an odd report that stated "On opening the trenches & graves it was found that there had been interred 135 Union and 209 Confederates; and of these, 22 coffins though well preserved, were found to contain nothing." A coincidence? I think not. Missing bodies, lots of bats? Clearly, the fort has vampires. I know I gawked when Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter came out but maybe it's not such a stretch. :) All kidding aside, it really is a treat to see the fort at night and the fort gives night tours during the month of October. I hope everyone enjoyed the post and can get out to see the fort! It really is a great place to learn about history and nature. For schedules, tickets and tour info: To find out more about the fort and the soldiers sent there, visit: the Fort Delaware Society When standing on the banks of the Delaware, the fort is menacing and appears not far off. Amidst the seagull caws you can hear the voices of onlookers claiming "I could swim that." The reality is that it's farther away than it looks. In modern times, you take a ferry to reach the island, in the 1860s the majority of men who thought thought they would take their chances trying to swim across, were swept under by the strong currents.In the early days, prisoners were kept inside the fort but as prisoners outnumbered guards and crowding became a problem, barracks were build outside the walls of the fort for the prisoners and only officers and Federal troops were kept in the fort for protection. Confederate prisoners taken after the Battle of Gettysburg were sent to Fort Delaware and prisoner numbers soared to 11,000 shortly after the battle.In total, more than 40,000 Confederates were held on the island. According to the Fort Delaware Society, almost 3,000 Confederates died there as well as 39 civilian POWs and 109 Federal soldiers. Many of the deaths occurred during an outbreak of smallpox in 1863 and other illnesses. There were only 5 reports of drownings and 7 who died of gunshot wounds. While the living conditions were not as bad as some other POW camps at the time, the summers could be hot, muggy and mosquito infested and the sheer number on inmates on the tiny island made cramped conditions inevitable. Men were fed 3 light meals a day until 1864 when their rations were cut in retaliation for poor POW camp conditions in the Confederacy.The island today would be unrecognizable to the men held there during the Civil War. It is currently a quiet nature preserve where you can see ibises, osprey and heron as the island is an important nesting area as more and more habitat is destroyed. The fort is also home to many bats who enjoy the dark cavernous walls as a hibernation destination. The bats of the fort are sadly infected with White-Nose Syndrome, a disease responsible for killing millions of bats in the last few years. You see many more animals than people and touring the island is much more like strolling along the beach than visiting a POW camp. Along with the wildlife you can take tours of the fort, see living historians doing daily 1860s tasks such as laundry and blacksmithing as well as specialized history tours and demonstrations. If you visit it is worth it to try and get a $5 "Behind the Scenes" tour if you can.The island has its share of purported paranormal activity and lore. One of the stories I heard was of a drummer boy who tried to escape by hiding in a coffin but accidentally got buried alive. I looked into how plausible this story was as it didn't make sense to me that one could escape this way if the dead were buried on the island as some were. It turns out that many men were buried in New Jersey at Finn's Point National Cemetery . In fact, the men who remained at the fort were reinterred at Finn's Point after the war in 1875. The spirit of this boy supposedly still wanders the fort and tugs on people's clothing.Another story of escape involved a Florida man who was part of a Union practical joke only to turn the joke around on the pranksters. The Union soldiers thought it would be funny to watch some southerners to try to ice skate on the frozen Delaware River. The Florida man did some dramatic and entertaining falls until out of range of the guard's rifles, then skated right across the river to freedom. I likewise investigated whether this story could be true and the Delaware does indeed freeze over some years. Regardless if these two stories are true, there were thousands of escape attempts and 273 confirmed escapes.Many of the failed escape attempts are used to explain the various apparitions, mysterious tugs and paranormal experiences at the fort. Youve got a decent hand. Youre sure of it, but you dont want to bet everything on it because you know the game and know that youll lose. What do you do? That depends in part upon how strong your hand is (or isnt). For example, if you have an ace low flush, you might be tempted to fold, knowing you probably wont make money betting with it. On the other hand, if you hold a pocket pair, you may have enough confidence in the strength of your hand to bet all-in, hoping for a full house or better. In order to get the most from your hand, you need to understand what the odds are against each possible outcome. Heres how you can figure out whether or not you should push your luck with a particular hand. The decision of the player to do the okbet login will provide him good return in the future. This is the platform that is considered as the reliable option. It provides the players with the high stake of the winning. Even a representative is there who will work to serve the people. The Value of A Pair Lets assume weve just dealt two cards and one player has three suited cards and another has four. If the first player bets, then hes going to win about half the time (assuming everyone else folds), so his expected return is 50 percent. The second player has a much tougher time. Hell have a good chance of winning only when he gets three of a kind, which happens 1/4th of the time. So he has a 25 percent chance of winning. When he makes the call, the third player has a 55 percent chance of winning. His expected return is 45 percent. Of course, if the first player loses, then the chances of the third player winning go way up about 80 percent. All of these percentages are based on the assumption that all players will fold. The value of the hand is calculated by taking the probability of winning times the amount you would win if you did win. This gives us a number between zero and 100. Well use $5 as our basic unit for calculating the value of the hands. If you had 10 chips and could choose any five, what would you pick? Well, wed obviously take the top hand, which is worth $50. The second best hand is a little bit worse $45 since youre giving up some equity for the opportunity to win more. So now lets calculate the value of the remaining hands. If the second player chooses a third card, his expected gain is $25, which represents the difference between the two hands. A fourth card increases the expectation to $30, while adding a fifth card drops it back down to $20. Since there are no sixth cards, the value of the hand is equal to the average of the five cards, which is $24.60. The value of a suit We can also figure out the value of a suit by looking at the value of each individual card within that suit. Lets say were dealing a standard deck of 52 cards. One person holds a KQ; the next person has a 7D; and the third has a 2S. Each person has a 20% chance of winning. What is the expected return of having this group of cards? Well, the KQ has a 5% chance of winning, the 7D has a 4% chance, and the 2S has a 3% chance. So the total expected return is 25%. The same logic applies to the other suits, where the probability of winning goes up as the value of the card decreases. For instance, the Aces have a 9% chance of winning, Kings have 8%, Queens have 7%, Jacks have 6%, and Tens have 5%. So the expected returns add up to 36%. Now lets add all of these numbers together to get an estimate of the value of a hand. Assuming that each hand was equally likely to come up, our total would be 60 percent. But we know thats wrong! Not every hand is created equal. It turns out that a royal flush beats the rest of the pack pretty consistently. So were going to adjust our calculations to reflect this fact. Royal Flushes So far, weve assumed that all of the cards were equally likely to come up. Actually, most poker players believe that Royal Flushes are extremely unlikely. In fact, many experts estimate their frequency at less than 0.1 percent. To account for this, lets increase the probability of winning for each card in a Royal Flush by 10 percent. Now when we calculate the value of a Royal Flush, well find that its actually worth 62.5 percent of what it used to be. The value of the cards in each rank will still add up to 100, but theyre now weighted differently. So what does this mean for you? Well, if you hold a Royal Flush, youre probably going to win about 75 percent of the time. And if you hold a hand like QJT, youll win about 75 percent of the time too. And if you hold a straight, youll win nearly 70 percent of the time. In short, the bigger your hand, the more likely you are to win. Of course, even though youre getting a higher hit rate, youll also tend to lose more often. So if you hold a straight, youre almost guaranteed to lose. But if you hold a Royal Flush, youre going to win about one-quarter of the time, and youll win about twice as much money. So youre almost certain to profit from such a hand, but youll also take a lot of losses. Now, I mentioned that youll lose money on any hand. In fact, youll lose money roughly half the time. So if you hold a straight, youll lose about 25 percent of the time. If you hold a flush, youll lose about 40 percent of the time. And if you hold a pair, youll lose 35 percent of the time. In addition, if you hold a set one of the two highest ranks youll lose 35 percent of the time. Finally, if you hold a high card in the lowest rank, youll lose 30 percent of the time. But the interesting thing is that youll lose less money on those losing hands than you do on winning hands. Why is that? Well, suppose you hold a straight. Theres a 65 percent chance youll win. But suppose you hold a pair instead. Theres a 65 percent chance youll win. But you lost on your last hand. So theres now a 75 percent chance that youll lose again. On the other hand, if you hold a straight and lose, theres still a 65 percent chance youll win again. So youre only losing about 15 percent of the time. This means that you can minimize your losses by playing only hands that are reasonably likely to win. So if you hold a straight, youll probably lose around 25 percent of the time. But if you hold a flush, youll probably lose around 40 percent of the time. And if you hold a pair, youll probably lose around 35 percent of the time. And if you hold a set, youll probably lose around 35 percent of the time. But if you hold a high card in the lowest rank, youll probably lose around 30 percent of the time. In summary, the higher the probability that youll win, the lower your loss percentage will be. And the lower the probability youll win, the higher your loss percentage will be. So the optimal strategy is to play only hands whose probability of winning exceeds your expected return. If you hold a straight, theres a 65 percent chance of winning, so youll lose around 25 percent of the time. If you hold a flush, theres a 65 percent chance of winning, so youll lose around 40 percent of the time. And if you hold a pair, theres a 65 percent chance of winning, so youll lose around 35 percent of the time. But if you hold a set, theres a 65 percent chance of winning, so youll lose around 35 percent of the time. And if you hold a high card in the lowest rank, theres a 65 percent chance of winning, so youll lose around 30 percent of the time. Of course, you shouldnt ignore your opponents actions entirely. You should always give them credit for being smart, making decisions, and doing whatever it takes to beat you. But just remember that youre being punished for having a decent hand. The previous poll on Eastern NC NOW showcased what are many of OUR Constitutional Republic's certain obstacles to remain viable, where the top encumbrance to that continuance as a functioning Republic was the Biden /Harris Wide Open Southern Border. Understanding this overwhelming concern to real America citizens: Do you believe it important to challenge the veracity of those legislated concerns of Democratic Socialists by transporting Illegal Migrants to their Sanctuary cities, counties and states for their direct care? Yes; test the depth of their sense of well being by giving Democratic Socialists an opportunity to enact all Sanctuary provisions in their communities to test how much they truly do care. No; the Biden /Harris Wide Open Southern Border Project is designed to only inundate "Red States" to begin their Demographic Upheaval for the benefit of we Democratic Socialists, our politics. Environmentalists envision multistate action mirroring tobacco lawsuit RALEIGH While environmental activists believe New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's investigations of oil giant Exxon Mobil and coal producer Peabody Energy could develop into a multistate class-action matter on the scale of the lawsuit against cigarette makers, North Carolina has not joined Schneiderman's campaign.Environmental groups have pushed Schneiderman to determine if Exxon Mobil and Peabody Energy misled the public about the public health risks from climate change.Samantha Cole, a spokeswoman for North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper, said in an e-mail response.Cooper's office did not respond to questions asking if he endorses his New York counterpart's legal tactics, whether he would consider a similar filing in North Carolina, or if he sees a legal parallel between research questioning global warming and the multibillion-dollar Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement in 1998 that North Carolina joined.said Kathleen Sullivan, spokeswoman for the Southern Environmental Law Center in Chapel Hill.Dustin Chicurel-Bayard, spokesman for the North Carolina chapter of the Sierra Club, referred questions to the national office, which was one of 40 environmental groups calling for a federal investigation of Exxon Mobil's climate research efforts. The national office did not respond to messages.Lord Christopher Monckton, chief policy adviser to the Science and Public Policy Institute and a former policy adviser to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, has noted that legal probes like those in New York abuse government power to silence scientists whose research conflicts with studies favored by government regulators and environmentalists blaming changes in the planetary climate on human activity.Monckton told Carolina Journal.Monckton said, noting that it's been more than 18 years since any rise in global temperatures has been found.Monckton blamed the continued warming narrative on activists, academics, and bureaucrats with financial incentives to maintain tax-funded research that conforms to a political agenda.The absence of evidence has not stopped those who say man is responsible for a heating planet have gone so far as to call for the use of laws created to punish organized crime to prosecute those conducing scientific inquiry that is skeptical of the apocalyptic global-warming rhetoric.David Legates, a professor of climatology at the University of Delaware, was forced to quit as state climatologist over his skeptical views of human caused climate change. Legates' offenses, in the view of the proponents of human-caused climate change, included his contention that there was no clear evidence of sea level rise in Delaware.Similarly, environmentalists harshly criticized North Carolina Republican lawmakers and Gov. Pat McCrory after a law passed in 2012 barred the state's Coastal Resources Commission and other policymakers from using sea level rise projections based on unreliable statistical models.In a Spotlight report for the John Locke Foundation, Patrick Michaels, director of the Center for the Study of Science at the Cato Institute, found that sea level increases of the magnitude the state commission projected wereLegates told CJ that climate research supporting man-caused warming is devolving into junk science among a government-funded, scientific technological elite.At the Tenth International Conference on Climate Change in Washington, D.C., in June, Kathy Hartnett White warned aboutin the climate change debate.White is the director of the Armstrong Center for Energy and the Environment at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and former chairman of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.White said.that attacks on the scientific method areshe said.Willie Soon, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, is another skeptic of human-caused climate change. He believes solar effects play a much larger role in the Earth's heating and cooling cycles.Critics accused Soon of failing to disclose fully funding sources for his research , which resulted in a February letter from several U.S. Senate Democrats demanding 10 years of detailed funding data from the John Locke Foundation, which co-sponsored a conference where Soon made a presentation.Soon told CJ that the intrusion of politicians into scientific inquiry is nothing new, but the climate change movementand becoming more of a threat to sound science.Rather than silencing global warming critics, Soon said,especially given the complexity of the Earth and theregarding its climate.Climate change activists want to create an atmosphereSoon said, Teachers urged to promote UN sustainability agenda Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere End poverty in all its forms everywhere Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls Goal 6: Ensure access to water and sanitation for all Ensure access to water and sanitation for all Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all Goal 8: Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries Reduce inequality within and among countries Goal 11: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources Goal 15: Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss Goal 16: Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies Goal 17: Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development Teachers are indeed central to the success of the new goals, not only because how they teach is essential to providing a quality education, but also because what they teach is of utmost importance to being able to ensure systems of governance, and promote global citizenship, gender equality, dignity and justice for all. Start the change in your own classroom and be a good example others can follow. Your voice will have more impact when you can show how well your students have learned. Your students can help snowball your calls for change. Teach them about levering their voices on social media using #teachlearn in their tweet, to join a common online conversation and help lobby politicians, the press and the world. Next, get your school colleagues on board, and begin a school-wide reform. Speak up! Lobby your trade union get the agenda on their list of priorities. Acronym of the Week Quote of the Week Yesterday, ace Carolina Journal reporter Dan Way brought a fascinating yet frightening UNESCO email to my attention. The organization announced a new campaign that calls on teachers "to become advocates for education to help lobby for progress toward achieving the new sustainable development agenda."First, what is the sustainable development agenda? " Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development " was a resolution adopted by the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 25, 2015. They describe it as a "plan of action for people, planet and prosperity" and to that end outline 17 goals and 169 targets. Goals are as follows:Setting aside the specific details and the environmentalist claptrap, a number of these goals are innocuous or even laudable. Who wouldn't want to see an end to poverty or hunger?But details matter.It's been well established that the United Nations is not a fan of the free market or competition. Only governments and their allies, coordinating with one another to advance the interests of the whole, have the capacity to improve the overall well being of humans. For example, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development states that "sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth" is only possible "if wealth is shared and income inequality is addressed" (p. 8). They promote "fundamental changes in the way that our societies produce and consume goods and services" (p. 8) and want to "work with local authorities and communities to renew and plan our cities and human settlements so as to foster community cohesion and personal security and to stimulate innovation and employment" (p. 9)Wealth redistribution? Check.Controlling the means of production and consumption? Check.Dictating where and how people live and work? Check.It would sound like a conspiracy theory or movie plot if it weren't so clearly spelled out in the text of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.Second, what is the role of teachers? Enter the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization or UNESCO.Obviously, the Agenda will receive little support from citizens in some UN member nations, including the United States, if those governments promote it directly and exclusively. Progressives realized in the early twentieth century that compulsory and universal systems of government schooling are an ideal vehicle for inculcating values and transforming behavior of emerging generations of citizens. It continues to be one of the central tenets of twenty-first century liberalism, socialism, and internationalism (see Quote of the Week below).True to form, the UNESCO email states,The email links to the Advocacy Toolkit for Teachers to Provide a Quality Education, which includes suggestions for teachers,...students,...and unions,In the short term, the UN's sustainable development agenda is destined to fail. There is little incentive for totalitarian regimes and communist nations to adhere to it. The same is true for much of the developed world. The long-term prospects are a different story. The UN's idea of "sustainability" has clearly made inroads in North America, Asia, and Europe, and the United States continues to inch closer to the UN ideal. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO, " Education 2030: Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action ," October 27, 2015, p. 6 Joyner said she's healthy and used only about $500 in health care services last year, but paid Blue Cross nearly $6,700 in monthly premiums. Her current plan would cost nearly $9,500 in premiums for the full year, plus a $3,500 deductible that Joyner would have to pay before coverage kicked in. "It's like 2 1/2 car payments for me," she said. "I'd be paying $9,500 a year for my annual physical and lower prescriptions." Doctors: Patients: Obamacare's third annual enrollment period for health insurance is officially underway. Americans who do not have access to employer-sponsored health insurance, are self-employed, or have been dumped into the individual marketplace by their employers have the opportunity to sign up or renew their government-knows-best health insurance plan. While low-income North Carolinians benefit from plans paid for by other taxpayers, middle-income residents are getting pummeled with some of the highest double-digit percentage premium increases in the U.S.A recent article from The News & Observer tells the story of Janet Joyner, a Raleigh resident who is struggling to make ends meet when it comes to paying for health insurance.As health insurance is becoming more expensive, some basic health care is curiously becoming more affordable because an increasing number of primary care physicians are breaking away from the status quo. By cutting the cord with insurance companies, doctors can spend more time with their patients in exchange for upfront cash payments.This simple and effective strategy is known as direct primary care (DPC) . It brings back the incredible value of personalized medicine, and it's a win for both doctors and patients.Imagine not having to spend over 40 percent of practice revenue on personnel responsible for submitting claims to insurance companies. Opting out of insurance contracts allows solo direct care practices to break even on just four patients per day rather than 32 in today's typical practice setting. DPC heightens providers' professional satisfaction because they can escape the corporate environment of the ever-consolidating health care industry and instead hold fast to their autonomy. Calling their own shots under this business model allows for them to actually practice the art of medicine by scheduling longer appointment times with patients if necessary and even committing to house calls.Because primary care is relatively inexpensive to administer, DPC is an affordable option for the masses. Just ask Dr. Brian Forrest , whose practice is located in Apex, North Carolina. He continues to emphasize this concept after seeing a Medicaid patient and a CEO sitting next to each other in his waiting room. For a monthly payment equivalent to a gym membership (not multiple car payments), patients are entitled to around-the-clock care. Despite limited data on direct care, existing literature concludes that patients enjoy an improvement in health outcomes while saving on overall health expenditures when compared to those navigating the traditional health insurance system. A study conducted by the University of North Carolina medical school and North Carolina State University MBA students found that patients seeking treatment at Dr. Forrest's practice, Access Health Care, spent 85 percent less and enjoyed an average of 35 minutes per visit compared to 8 minutes in a non-direct care practice setting. Other studies have shown similar results. The proposed Keystone Pipelines: Above. Click image to expand. With ultra-Liberal Joe Biden to Amateur Obama's right and the concession-ridden John Kerry (a.k.a. Lurch) to his left, The Amateur announces to America that the fascist Democrat Left will take a more important role in the shaping of America's energy policy: Below. America's many pipelines coursing the heartland: Above. Considering the fact that the Democrat Mainstream media has taken a "hands-off" policy in regards to Democrat scandals for the purpose of providing cover to a Democrat Department of Justice's choices to not pursue criminal indictments on proved Democrat criminal behavior: Is there a double standard for the Democrat Mainstream media? 88.41% Yes, what is the practice for the Republicans should be proper for Democrats. 7.25% No, Democrats should be immune from serious investigation and prosecution because they care so much more. 4.35% I don't care, I prefer the low-information approach to life. 69 total vote(s) Voting has Ended! America's first Socialist president, Barrack Hussein Obama, did announce today, November 6, 2015, that he ">would use executive fiat to kill any chance of the Keystone Pipeline. For those of you who do not really know, or truly understand the Pipeline story, I offer this in summation: The Keystone Pipeline is a privately funded pipeline that was planned to connect the Tar Sands of Alberta, Canada, in a series of three pipelines, including and through the Cushing, Oklahoma distribution point, ultimately, arriving at the proclivity of the refineries and warm water ports along the Gulf of Mexico. The purpose of the pipeline is to provide a means to refine the heavy oil sludge from the Alberta Tar Sands, at various points in America along the pipeline, so that it could remain as a North American resource for energy, and shipped to America's friends if necessary.The Democrat EPA, after many years of scrutiny, awarded the permits to the pipeline partners to Canada's TransCanada Corporation, after they bought the interest of American Oil Company Conoco Phillips in 2009. Since the TransCanada Corporation is Canadian, United State law required that the State Department give final approval, which partisan Socialist Hillary B. Clinton, as Secretary of State, would need to give, and now over 7 years later once it got in the hands of the state department, current partisan Democrat Secretary of State John Kerry advised Socialist Obama to use executive action to permanently shelve the long permitted privately funded project devised to aid in the production of North American energy independence; shelve it, put all that clean, green energy into the tank of the family combustible engine.The family combustible thingy is generally driven by folks, who generally do not rally around all things cool and green, and if they had time to discover just how much public money was put in the pockets of Democrat cronies to keep Democrats elected, they probably never would. In actual terms, when it gets really bad, when the price of energy finds its natural path to far higher levels, folks will wonder why. And, the why of it will be the condemnation of the blaming process, and fault shall be well delivered.Watching Comrade Obama take credit for the unrealistically low fuel prices, due to the Democrat hated Fracking and the rare overabundance of domestic energy, was surreal. What if that all changes? What if the the Saudis continue to pump an overabundance of crude to keep the American Fracking industry 'on the ropes', and then stops pumping when the rig count in America's shale regions has dropped precipitously, or have been tragically discontinued, and can not be recovered? Posture all you want about green energy, but it will not put one drop of gas in your tank; not in this real world.And for what? So the anti-fossil fuels lobby can stand flush in their Democrat largess, while their Climate Change minions can bask in some misunderstood glory that they might have saved something rare. And what will be saved? Certainly not the United States Economy at that point - a time that may prove demonstrably tragic for a once great nation.And will Socialist's messiah care then? Not a bit. If he is still living, he: will have made his money, will continue making money, like Bill Clinton did charging huge fees to crowds of rich, adoring Socialists (they are out there, stronger than ever), who will blame others for the nation's vast problems. Remember how Hussein blamed George W. Bush for 6 years for all of his poor decisions, and still does when he thinks he can get away - pretending that he owns nothing of his historically atrocious days in office.For perfect future reference, Hussein Obama will own the Keystone Pipeline, and all of entirety of America's deficiency in its energy infrastructure debacle, from all the energy inaction that he is responsible for: the Solyndra pay for play Scandal; to the BP Gulf Horizon Disaster inaction ; to the public Stand against fracking and drilling; to the stated policy to work to get the cost of gasoline as high as possible ; to the unconstitutional purposeful destruction of the coal industry, by executive fiat, to satisfy his rabid, and often unwise, fascist Socialist environmental base; to creating a foreign policy that wholly precipitated the destabilization of the Middle East - it is literally on fire; to Obama's specious argument that ">'deep-sixing' the Keystone Pipeline will not effect the economy and not having the pipeline will avoid a potential environmental catastrophe does hold up to the 'smell test' of reasonable folk.Reasonable folk know that: 1) statistics represent that oil tanker train cars are far more of an environmental hazar d than pipelines; 2) If pipelines were really dangerous, then why are there so many tens of thousand of pipeline miles running through the center of our nation, with no environmental incidents, and wouldn't a handsome Liberal/Socialist President want to stand on principle, and desire to re-mediate other possible environmental disasters and remove some existing pipelines?If you think Obama's presidency is one of a disingenuous man completely concerned with placating, or emboldening his whacked-out far Left, with many in the Democrat Mainstream Media, you would be correct. If you believe Hussein Obama to be a great president for well understanding that Climate Change is the most impending national disaster, who definitively knows what is best for the rest of us, the U.S. Constitution be damned, you would be one of the aforementioned less informed Democrats that I just mentioned. It is that simple. Video of the Bataclan Theater terrorist tragedy, where the Paris police tarried in their rescue, and was the worst of it in France: Below. The "Jayvee Team", ISIS, as underplayed by American President Hussein Obama shortly after his Benghazi Cover-up was initiated, attacked multiple locations in Paris, France, killing many, wounding more. In these Friday the 13th Terrorist Attacks, ISIS has not claimed responsibility, but at least one arrested in conjunction to these attacks has claimed to be a member of ISIS.America's Amateur President vowed to "Bring those responsible to justice"; but, we heard this all before. You remember all of these pronouncements before - at least twice: before the Benghazi cover-up (at least Obama put an American film maker in jail for over two years), and then after the IRS Political Targeting Scandal (feigned outrage at this news conference , and then promptly stonewalled congress's investigations, and summarily forgot; it was yet another Obama lie, or criminal act).The worst of the terrorist attacks was at the Bataclan Theater, where over 115 attendees of a heavy metal concert by an American band, Eagles of Death Metal, died blood soaked deaths. It was grisly, and the French have every right to be concerned, even to the point of marshal law; however, they should not count on Obama for any measurable support. If by forthcoming measurable support, Obama could offer: 'leading from behind' as in the Libyan conflict; surrendering held territory as in Iraq; feigning outrage over the Benghazi Terrorist attack , and then did nearly nothing seek justice for these Islamist Terrorist murder; a ' red line in the sand ' in Syria, then he shrank from his promise; negotiating away American prestige to Iran and with Islamist terrorists, and so much more; The Barack is your "peace-loving-man".The full truth of the matter is trust in Obama, and trust in American is in limited quantity abroad, and is never feared by our collective enemies now when needed to be. While Hussein Obama is president, France, actually, no nation should depend on Obama's America for any real leadership or support. As ISIS comes knocking at our broad door, America will need a real president to lead our Republic and then to save it. After the horrific, and latest Islamist Terrorist attacks in Paris, and in America, where some Patriots still understand the Islamist Terrorist threat; especially with 9/11 fresh in our hearts: What is the hypocrisy within Liberal Irony?Liberals, who almost always eventually adopt Authoritarian values, generally have a more unprincipled approach to dealing with life's inherent issues; hence, their lives are filled with an abundance of hypocrisy, which openly foments some grand irony.We watch the infantile behavior on Campuses across the nation, where severe stupidity has taken the place of young minds and spirits being formed into useful, purposeful adults. Most notably is the University of Missouri ridiculous behavior of the children on campus; that bad behavior being reinforced by the U. of Missouri quasi adults, who are tasked as their instructors, caretakers and role models.With that explained, and the dire effects of Liberalism known as a debilitating crutch on college campuses - most of them bastions of Liberal indoctrination - we begin: Is it ironic that a Liberal communications instructor on the Missouri Campus, Melissa Click, takes a public, and unequivocal stand against the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights as a teachable moment for these impressionable campus children? Is it ironic that the report, on November 13, 2015, that the University of Minnesota Student Government did reject a resolution for a memorial of recognition for the victims of 9/11, because that memorial could create an 'unsafe' space of comfort for "non-whites", was on the same day that the horrific Islamist Terrorist attacks in Paris exploded upon the World's headlines? Is it ironic that Hussein Obama's Administration has gone to great lengths to usurp local authority to police our communities, yet will need that first line of defense, especially since Obama does not wish to be perceived to use the Federal military, when Muslim extremists seek to kill and maim Americans, which is their ideological purpose?That is enough for now, and we shall do this again as similar examples of Liberal hypocrisy is presented. RALEIGH - North Carolina schools got a mixed report from the latest independent tests, known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). During the coming political season, you should expect to hear a lot about those NAEP results. Unfortunately, you should not expect to hear a lot of useful information about them.Education is the single largest enterprise financed by state and local governments. Everyone recognizes that it is critical to a productive economy, to good citizenship, and to a healthy society. Everyone has an opinion about it. Everyone should.Those opinions, however, should not be used as filters to screen out inconvenient information. What social scientists call "confirmation bias" is a major problem in debates about education. Rather than scan for news that makes our "side" look better and the other "side" look worse, we should read voraciously, from many different sources, and withhold judgment until the information is carefully evaluated and considered.In the 2015 NAEP scores, both defenders and critics of Republican rule in Raleigh can find talking points to their liking. North Carolina's 8th-graders experienced four-point declines in both reading and math when compared to the 2013 results. On the other hand, North Carolina's 4th-graders posted a four-point increase in reading, while dropping a point in math.You may have read or heard these results when they first came out. You may have read or heard Democrats making hay of the 8th-grade declines and Republicans taking credit for the 4th-grade reading gain.But did you hear this? None of North Carolina's trends, up or down, was statistically distinguishable from the performance track of the nation as a whole. When you are talking about one, two, or even three points of difference on scales in the hundreds of points, what may at first glance seem notable can turn out to be nothing more than statistical noise.Every two years, NAEP officials release their reading and math scores accompanied by graphs, tables, and appendices to explain this critical issue of statistical significance. Every two years, the issue gets downplayed or ignored. It's like reporting pre-election polls without including the margin of sampling error.As it turns out, only a handful of states had statistically significant NAEP gains (or losses) relative to the national average in any category from 2013 to 2015. Among 4th-graders, the only places to post such gains in both reading and math were Louisiana, Mississippi, and the District of Columbia. Among 8th-graders, the only place where that happened was Arizona. If we broaden the time frame out a bit, starting in 2011 rather than 2013, the list of top-performing states broadens a bit, as well, to include Tennessee, California, Indiana, and Wyoming.Of these jurisdictions, Wyoming and D.C. spend more than the national average on their public schools, after adjusting for student enrollment and cost of living, while Indiana, Arizona, Mississippi, Tennessee, and California spend less and Louisiana roughly matches the national average. Indiana, Arizona, Louisiana, D.C., and Tennessee get fairly high scores from conservative education reformers for their policies on standards, teacher quality, and school choice. But California, Mississippi, and Wyoming don't.Drawing useful conclusions from test-score data about the successes and failures of education reform requires more than just eyeballing numbers and writing copy for attack ads. Scholars in America and around the world have been producing valid work on this subject for decades now. In general, their findings suggest that in places where standards are high, tests are independent and meaningful, teachers are hired and retained on the basis of real qualifications and ability, and parents have more choices about where to send their children to school, academic performance tends to be higher , even after adjusting for student and family characteristics. By comparison, variables such as per-pupil expenditures, average teacher salaries, and average class sizes do not exhibit consistent relationships with test scores, graduation rates, or other outcome measures.For North Carolina, the real news from the 2015 NAEP was that we essentially followed the national trend - unfortunately so, in the case of 8th-grade reading and math. RALEIGH I used to have the naive idea that journalists based their editorial decisions on independent standards that obtained no matter who was involved in a news story.If corruption was occurring, I, in my callow youth, thought journalists would condemn it whether it was Democrats, Republicans, Socialists, or Communists who were involved. I don't believe that anymore, and haven't for some time.A big turning point for me was the Clinton-Lewinsky affair. At first, the media said,But, as it became clear that the president did have sex with an intern, the media began saying,When it became clear he had lied to a grand jury, the media decided,I knew then that the mainstream media had sold its soul.The same thing is happening today with, irony of ironies, Bill Clinton's wife. Her travails with Benghazi and her emails have gone through a similar goalpost-lowering process. She and the current president at first claimed that four Americans died in a "protest" caused by an anti-Muslim video. United Nations ambassador Susan Rice was sent out to five Sunday-morning television talk shows to claim the video was to blame.Hillary Clinton herself told the parents of the dead Americans that the video was to blame and that she and the president would punish those who were responsible. They quickly engineered the jailing of the video's producer, who is still afraid to speak publicly for fear of being jailed again.When it became evident that Clinton had a separate, personal Web server, and that she used a personal email account, requests were made for those emails. Soon we learned that 30,000 of her emails had been erased and the server destroyed.When she testified under oath late in October in front of the House Select Committee on Benghazi, all of what had been only suspected was confirmed.She had lied about the video, to the nation and to the parents of the dead. She had destroyed emails. She had jeopardized top-secret information by passing it to political operatives via unsecured channels. She had ignored dozens and dozens of pleas from Ambassador Chris Stevens to beef up security in Benghazi.The media, however, had moved the goalposts so far for Hillary that all of these damaging, incriminating facts became irrelevant to them. What was important was not the lies about the video, the callous disregard for Stevens' concerns, the jailing of an innocent American to protect the meme that global terrorism was on the run, or the lies to the parents of the dead.No, the story the next day was how wonderfully the aging Clinton had done by enduring her 11 hours of testimony before the mean Republicans.Imagine if those standards had been in play in covering the Watergate scandal. Canl Bahis siteleri sektoru son derece onu ack ve farkl ozelliklere sahip bir sektordur. Elbette bahis secenekleri arasnda yuksek kazanc getiren alan kuskusuz canl bahistir. Peki, canl bahis nedir? Canl Bahis Nedir? Canl bahis adndan da anlaslacag gibi devam eden musabakaya bahis yapmaktr. Bu bahis musabaka devam ederken de yaplabilir olmasdr. Basta futbol olmak uzere voleybol, tenis, hentbol, basketbol, buz hokeyi ve masa tenisi gibi spor organizasyonlarna canl bahisler yaplabilmektedir. Canl bahis siteleri bu oyunlarn hepsine yuksek oranlara bahis yapmanza imkan tanr. En fazla tercih edilen futbol canl bahisleri diger alanlara gore daha fazla on plandadr. Siteden siteye degisen sartlar ve uygulama esaslar soz konusu olsa da kurallar sabittir. Canl bahisi populer klan ve heyecan katan en onemli ozellikle musabakann basladg ana dek bahis yapabilmedir. Canl bahis icerisinde yer alan secenekler kazanma sansnz da dogrudan arttrmaktadr. Ilk korneri kim kullanr, ilk tac, gol, sar kart, krmz kart gibi futbol musabakas icerisinde olabilecek hemen hemen her seye bahis yaplabilmektedir. Normal bahisegore de son derece yuksek oranda olmas avantajl yonlerini ortaya koymaktadr. Nitekim dogru secenek ksa surede kazancl ckmanza etki edecektir. Strateji ve dogru analizle 90 dakika gibi bir surede anaparanzkatlayabilirsiniz. Tabi bunu basarabilmek icin mutlaka musabakaya dair ayrntlar iyi degerlendirmek gerekir. Soz konusu musabakann detaylarn inceleyip, cezal, sakat oyuncu veya performans dusen takm oyunu gibi detaylar bilmek canl bahiste kazanc belirleyen onemli unsurdur. Guvenilir Canl bahis hem heyecanl zaman gecirmeyi hem de musabakalar takip ederken para kazanmay saglamaktadr. Canl Bahis Nasl Oynanr? Bahislerinizi guvenilir sitelerden gerceklestirdiginiz zaman herhangi bir sekilde para cekme de sorun yasamazsnz. Guvenilir bahis siteleri tespit edip sonrasnda da uyelik islemlerini tamamlamanz gerekmektedir. Belirlenen uyelik sartlarn yerine getirip hesabnza da paray aktardktan sonra bahis islemlerini sorunsuz yapabilirsiniz. Peki, canl bahis nasl oynanr? Oncelikle bahis konusunda mutlaka dogru site arastrmas yapmalsnz. Yapacagnz arastrma neticesinde buldugunuz site uzerinden canl bahisislemlerini gerceklestirebilirsiniz. Bunun icin uye olup, hesaba para atp, canl bahis bolumune girmelisiniz. Sonrasnda dahil olmak istediginiz musabakann saatini ogrenip, gerekli analizleri yapmalsnz. Tahminlerinizi belirledikten sonra karsnza ckacak olan bahis sayfasndan istediginiz hamleyi yapmalsnz. Bahis tutarn belirledikten sonra musabaka baslayacaktr. Canl bahis diger normal bahis esaslarna gore farkllklar icermektedir. Bunlardan en onemlisi musabakann gidisatna gore islem yapabilir olmaktr.Ayrca musabakann 2. Yarsna gore hamle yapp ayr bir bahisin soz konusu olmas da ciddi avantajdr. Dogru hamle ile sizde istediginiz bahisi yapp kazanc elde edebilirsiniz. Nitekim canl olarak yapacagnz bahis icin mac oncesi raporlara gore hareket etmek onemlidir. Cunku takmlarn durumlarn analiz etmek tahmin gucunu arttracaktr. Misal tamnn en iyi oyuncusu sakat ya da kart cezals ise takmn performansnda dusus yasanacaktr. Buna ek olarak takmn deplasman performans ile evinde ki performans ayr olacaktr. Burada da takmn musabakay nerede yaptgna bakmak gerekir. Bu ayrntlar da iyice analiz ettikten sonra bahsinizi yapp kazanmann keyfini yasayabilirsiniz. Canl Bahis Siteleri Son derece yuksek getiriye sahip bahis sektoru uzun zamandr faaliyet gostermektedir. Cok ciddi rakamlarn soz konusu oldugu bu sektor zamanla sanal ortamlara donusmustur. Elbette guvenli ve bir o kadar da avantajl olan bu siteler cok yonlu frsatlar sunmaktadrlar. Canl iddaa siteleri gerek yeni uyelere gerekse de hali hazrdaki uyelerine bolca bonus frsatlar vermektedir. Yatracagnz tutara gore belirlenen bonuslar site icerisinde rahat hareket etmenizi de saglayacaktr. Canl bahis sitelerini kullanmadan once mutlaka guvenli olup olmadgna goz atmalsnz. Zira baz kullanclar guvenli olmayan sitelerden yaptklar islemlerden dolay magdur olmaktadrlar. Nitekim guvenli ve sorunsuz hizmet sunan yurt ds site tercih etmek en dogru secenektir. Sektorde uzun yllar faaliyet gosteren siteleri tercih edebilirsiniz. Bu alanda yer alan yabanc siteler musteri memnuniyetine onem vermektedir. Oncelik site kullanclarn sorunsuz sekilde bahislerini yapabilir olmasn saglamaktr. Bahis sitelerinde amac hem daha fazla kullancya hizmet vermek hem de sektorde emin admlarla ilerlemek onceliklidir. Dogru site tercihi ile sizde canl bahislerinizi sorun yasamadan gerceklestirebilirsiniz. Sizler icin hazrlams oldugumuz canl bahis siteleri listesi su sekildedir; Mobilbahis Tempobet Bets10 Bahigo 1xbahis Betboo Youwin Superbahis Sralams oldugumuz bu siteler sektorde basarl islere imza atms sitelerdedir. Canl bahis konusunda beklentileri karslayacak olan bu siteler sizlere kolaylk sunmaktadrlar. Bol bonuslu secenekle de sizlere farkl bahis yonlerini sunacaklardr. Sistemsel etki icerisinde her zaman etkin sonuc alabilmek icin surekli olarak faaliyet icerisindedirler. Canl Bahis Taktikleri Bahis sektorunun en fazla dikkat edilmesi gereken hususu dogru taktik ve dogru tahmindir. Elbette dogru tahmini yapabilmek icin analizi cok iyi yapmak gerekir. Canl bahis taktikleri arasnda ilk sra analiz gelmektedir. Analiz yapamadgnz zaman basarl tahminlerde bulunmanz pek de mumkun degildir. Cunku bahiste onemli olan konu musabakann analizini cok iyi yaplmas gerektigidir. Canl bahisin ozelliklerini iyi bilmek ve nasl bir hamle yapacagnz bilmek gerekir. Ozellikle riskli maclarda yaplacak degerlendirmeler cok daha onemlidir. Canl bahis yapacaklarn takip edecegi degerler takmlarn durumlar ile alakal olmaldr. Performans uzerine kurulu bahis sisteminde takm degerlendirmesine iyi bakmak gerekir. Iki takmn son 5 macta nasl bir sonuc ortaya koyduguna bakarak hareket etmek onemlidir. Ayrca hangi takm evinde daha iyi performans sergiliyor diye de ayrca bakmak gerekir. Analizlerle alakal puan durumlarna da goz atmak cok onemlidir. Puan degerlendirmesinde oncelikle takmlarn ihtiyaclar ile dogru orantl hareket etmek gerekir. Cunku olusturulan performans takmn da durumunu ortaya koymaktadr. Nitekim istenilen sonucu elde edebilmek icin tum ayrntlar bilmek gerekir. Takm ici duzenden tutunda da takmn son durumuna kadar her ayrnt onemlidir. Iki takmn birbirleri arasnda ki sonuclar da incelemek gerekir. Burada dikkat edilecek detaylarn basnda maclarda kac gol oldugu ve gollerin hangi dakikalarda atldgdr. Cekismeli gecen musabakalarda bazen goller ilk yarda daha fazla olurken baz maclarda da ikinci yarda daha cok gol olmustur. Iki takm arasnda ki maclarda gollerin cogunlugu ilk yarda geliyorsa buna gore bahis yapabilirsiniz. Canl Bahis Siteleri Bonuslar ve Kampanyalar Bahis yapanlar veya yapmay dusununler sitelerin sunmus olduklar frsatlar merak etmektedirler. Cunku siteler daha fazla kullancya erismek icin her donem kampanyalar duzenleyerek kullanc odakl hamleler yapmaktadrlar. Canl bahis bonuslar ve kampanyalar oldukca populer olup, siteler bu konuda adeta birbirleri ile yarsmaktadrlar. Birbirinden farkl ozelliklere sahip olan kampanyalar size frsatlar sunmaktadr. Daha cok kazanma ihtimalinizi arttran bu bonuslar daha cesur olmanza da dogrudan etki edecektir. Nitekim bonuslar sitelerin cekiciligini ve avantajlarn arttrmaktadr. En cok kazandran canl bahis siteleri bedava bonuslar ve kampanyalar icin http://www.milano2018.com/canli-bahis-siteleri-2022/ linkinden yardm alabilirsiniz. Hos geldin bonusu ile baslayan ve sonrasnda para yatrdkca bonus veren cok sayda site bulunmaktadr. Canl bahis bonusu veren siteler yeni uyelere sunduklar frsatlar farkl kampanyalarla mevcut uyelerine de sunmaktadrlar. Hali hazrda siteyi kullananlarn da bonus frsatlarndan yararlanmalar icin donemsel kampanyalar olusturmaktadrlar. Boylece baska sitelere gidisler olmayacag gibi site de daha keyifli zaman gecirmek mumkun klnmaktadr. Bu tur eklentiler yapan sitelerde musteri memnuniyeti daha fazladr. Bahis siteleri ozellik ve uygulama bakmndan farkllklar bunyelerinde bulundurmaktadrlar. Verilen bonuslarn olusturulmas ve kullanclar aktarlmasnda yatrlan para miktarlar belirleyici olmaktadr. 1.000 TL yatran bir kullanc yuzde 20 bonus frsat olan bir kampanyadan 200 TL bonus kazanabilmektedir. Yatracag tutar 10.000 TL oldugunda bu bonustutar 2.000 TL olabilmektedir. Gerceklesen ve uygulanan esaslar tamamen donemsel olarak yaplan kampanyalarla alakaldr. Iyi Canl bahis siteleri bonuslar ve kampanyalar icin sitelerin vermis oldugu oranlar takip edebilirsiniz. Canl Bahis Siteleri Para Yatrma Online Canl bahis yapacaklarn merak ettigi konulardan bir digeri de para yatrma islemleridir. Oldukca onemli olan bu konuda hata yapmamak cok onemlidir. Canl bahis sitelerine para yatrma islemi sanlann aksine son derece basittir. Oldukca basit ve uygulama esas dogru etki olusturan bu yapda sizde islemi rahatca tamamlayabilirsiniz. Para yatrma konusunda su yolu izleyebilirsiniz. Guvendiginiz ve herhangi bir sekilde aklnzda soru isareti kalmayan bahis sitesine uye olmanz gerekmektedir. Uyelik islemini sorunsuz sekilde tamamladktan sonra para yatrma islemine gecebilirsiniz. Kullanacagnz siteye uye olduktan sonra karsnza kullanc ad ve sifresini gireceginiz yer gelecektir. Buraya giris yaptktan sonra site icerisine islemlere devam edebilirsiniz. Sitede yer alan para yatrma sekmesine tklayp sonrasnda karsnza gelen sayfay inceleyebilirsiniz. Para yatrma bolumunde yer alan ksma ne kadar para yatracagnz yazp devam tusuna basmalsnz. Yatrmak istediginiz tutar girip sonrasnda da devam tusuna bastktan sonra karsnza kart bilgilerinizi gireceginiz sayfa gelecektir. Kredi kart kullanarak para gondermek isteyenlerin tercih ettigi bu sayfa tum bilgiler girilip islem onaylanmaldr. Canl bahis sitelerine para yatrma islemini gerceklestirmek icin hesaba havale secenegini de kullanabilirsiniz. Site icerisinde musteri hizmetleri ile iletisime gecerek banka hesap numaralarn ogrenebilirsiniz. Belirtilen IBAN numarasna istediginiz tutar havale edebilirsiniz. Havale ederken acklama ksmna yazlacak bilgilere dikkat etmelisiniz. Kredi kart veya banka havalesi ile gerceklesen para yatrma islemi sonucunda site hesabnzdan bakiyenize bakabilirsiniz. Bakiyenize gore dilediginiz sekilde bahislerinizi gerceklestirebilirsiniz. Canl Bahis Siteleri Para Cekme Canl bahiste dogru hamleler ve dogru tahminler sonucunda kazandgnz bedeli geri almak isteyebilirsiniz. Kazanclarnz istediginiz banka hesabnza cekebilmek icin uymanz gereken kurallar soz konusudur. Oncelikle bahis sitelerinden para cekebilmeniz icin uye olurken dogru bilgi paylasmnda bulunmanz gerektigidir. Cunku canl bahis sitelerinden para cekme islemi icin kullanc hesab ile talep edilen banka hesap bilgilerinin ortusmesi gerekir. Yani uye olurken verilen bilgi ile banka hesab kime ait ise o bilgiler ayn olmaldr. Bu uygulama sitenin hem kullancsn hem de kendisini guvene alma politikasdr. Ayrca frsatclarn onune gecerek yeni bir uye olusumunun da onune gecmek amac gutmektedir. Uye olan kisi farkl para cekilme talebi verilen hesap farkl oldugunda para cekme islemi gerceklesmeyecektir. Bahisleriniz sonucunda kazanc elde edebilir ve bu kazancnz da hakknz olarak almak isteyebilirsiniz. Burada son derece basit uygulama soz konusu olurken siteler aras farkl gorunumler soz konusu olabilir. Fakat yine de tum sitelerde uyenin site icerisinde para cekme bolumune girmesi yeterlidir. Burada cekilecek olan tutarn belirlenmesi ve hesap numarasnn girilmesi ile birlikte islem onay gerekecektir. Para cekme taleplerinde sizden gerekli bilgiler istenmekte ve havale islemi istenilen bilgiler esliginde yurutulmektedir. Dogru bilgi paylasmak sorunsuz para cekebilmeniz en onemli kuraldr. Istenilen bilgiler girildikten sonra site sorumlular gerekli kontrolleri yapp herhangi bir sorun yoksa ksa surede hesabnza gerekli paray aktaracaklardr. Canl Bahis Sitelerinden Para Cekmek Icin Istenen Belgeler Bahis sitelerine uye olduktan sonra baz kullanclar para cekme taleplerinin karslanmadg konusunda sikayetlerde bulunmuslardr. Bu sikayetlersektorde uzun zamandr bulunan guvenilir bahis siteleri de yer almaktadr. Fakat sikayetlerin dayanaklarna bakldgnda ise islerin tamamen farkl oldugu gorulmektedir. Yasanan bu durum kullanclarn hatal bilgi girmesi ve uyelik bilgileri ile banka bilgilerinin uyusmamas ile dogru orantldr. Birde canl bahis para cekmek icin istenen belgeler eksik ya da hatal olarak sunulmus olabilir. Ortaya ckan karsklar neticesinde para cekme talebinde bulunan kisi istedigini alamadg icin sikayetci olmaktadr. Oysa ki istenilen bilgiler dogru ve istenilen evraklar eksiksiz sunulsa para cekme islemi sorunsuz olacak. Sitelerin para cekme konusunda dikkatli hareket etmesi hilelerin ve illegal faaliyetlerin onune gecmek adnadr. Cunku baz kullanclar farkl bilgiler vererek ikinci hesap acabilmektedirler. Bazen de bilincsizce hatal bilgi girilebilmektedir. Hatal islemlerin cozumu konusunda islem yaptgnz sitenin musteri temsilcileri ile gorusebilirsiniz. Talepleriniz dogrultusunda para cekme islemlerinde ki sorunlar giderilecektir. Canl bahis para cekmek icin istenen belgeler listesi su sekildedir; Kullanc bilgileri ile banka bilgilerini karslastrmak icin kimlik fotokopisi Banka hesap bilgileri Ikametgah ve kisiye ait herhangi bir fatura. Kacak Iddaa Turkiyede dogrudan bahis yapmak icin resmi kanallar kullanlabilmektedir. Fakat tercih edilen ve oran olarak cok daha fazla frsatlar sunan kacar iddaasiteleri bulunmaktadr. Bu siteler kanunlara aykr sekilde yaplmakta olup, yasal bir dayanag yoktur. Elbette bu sitelerin kurulus merkezi Turkiye olmayp, ds ulkelerdedir ve faaliyetler belirlenen siteler uzerinden yaplmaktadr. Kacak Iddaa oldukca riskli olup, cok dikkatli olunmas gerekir. Kacak Bahis Kanunlar cercevesinde istediginiz gibi bahis yapamayabilirsiniz. Bahis yapabilmek icin ya kanuni olarak sorun olmayan ulke dsnda ki kumarhanelere gitmeniz veya kacak bahis sitelerinden islem yapabilirsiniz. Zira bu durum tehlikeli olsa da cok sayda site guvenli sekilde bu alanda hizmet vermektedir. Kacak bahiste oldukca fazla secenek bulunurken yuksek oranda kazanc sunuyor olmas da ragbeti arttryor. Illegal Bahis Bahisin bircok alanda yasak oldugu Turkiyede bu alanda cok sayda yabanc merkezli siteler hizmet vermektedir. Illegal bahis sektorunde faaliyet gosteren siteler guvenli hizmet anlays ile kullanclarna frsatlar sunmaktadr. Yurt ds merkezli bu siteler sorunsuz sekilde hizmetlerini surdururken bulunduklar ulkelerde kanunlara uygun sekildedir. Elbette faaliyet noktasnda bulunduklar ulkelerde sorun teskil etmese de Turkiyede faaliyet gostermeleri kanunin yasaklanmstr. Yasads Bahis Gerek olusturulan etkenler gerekse de ortaya konulan riskler yasads bahis de oldukca tehlikelidir. Kanunlarn mudahil olduklar bu alanlar da hem kullanclar hem de populer bahis yaptranlar tum riskleri goze almaktadrlar. Fakat yasaklardan uzak sekilde guvenli hizmet sunan siteler de bulunmaktadr. Takipler neticesinde kapatlan sitelerin muhakkak alternatifleri kurularak yollarna devam etmektedirler. Canl Iddaa Siteleri Nelerdir? Dunya genelinde kabul gormus cok sayda guvenli hizmet veren populer bahis siteleri bulunmaktadr. Elbette bu siteler dunyann bircok ulkesinde faaliyet gosterse de Turkiyede yasaktr. Sektorde yer alan cok sayda legal iddaa siteleri bulunmaktadr. Herhangi bir kanunsuzlugun olmadg bu sitelerden hzl ve guvenli islem yaplabilmektedir. Tabi bu sitelerde uygulanan oranlar yasal olmayan sitelere gore daha dusuktur. Illegal sitelerin tercih edilme sebeplerinin en onemli etkeni de olusturulan oranlardr. Peki, Iddaa siteleri nelerdir? Faaliyetleri ve uygulama esaslar nelerdir? Turkiyede faaliyet gosteren yasal iddaa siteleri listesi su sekildedir; Iddaa Bilyoner Tuttur Birebin Oley Nesine Misli Iddaa 2004 ylnda hizmet vermeye baslayan Iddaa Spor toto tarafndan kurulmus olup, ilk etapta bayilik seklinde calsmaya baslamstr. Elbette zamanla gelisen teknolojiye ayak uydurarak internet uzerinde de populer bahis severlerin hizmetine sunulmustur. Kuruldugu donemde devletin resmi kurumu olarak faaliyet gosterirken gelinen yeni donemde ozellestirilmistir. Bilyoner Turkiyede faaliyetine 2006 ylnda baslayan Bilyoner ilk ozel yasal bahis sitesi olma ozelligine sahiptir. Guvenilir bahis siteleri Turkiyede bunlardr. Ksa surede populer olan site halen faaliyetlerini sorunsuz sekilde surdurmektedir. Tuttur Ksa surede adndan bahsettirmeyi basaran Tuttur 2009 ylnda faaliyetlere baslamstr. Guvenilir bahis siteleri arasnda yerini almstr. Gunumuze dek bircok alanda populer bahis yapanlara frsatlar sunarken avantajlar ile de begeni toplamstr. Birebin Kullanc odakl calsmalar surdurse de 2011 ylnda sektore giren Birebindiger sitelere gore daha az ragbet gormektedir. Bahis oynamak ise bu sitede oldukca kolaydr. Elbette farkl yaklasmlara sahip olmasndan dolay ilerleyen sureclerde adndan sklkla bahsettirecek gibi gorunuyor. Oley 2009 ylnda Dogus yayn gruplarnn istiraki olarak kurulmus olup yasal olarak herhangi bir sorunu olmayan sitelerdendir. Bahis siteleri arasnda hzl cks yapms bir sitedir. Oley yapms oldugu yenilikler ile kullanclarn da dikkatini ksa surede cekmeyi basarmstr. Nesine Birbirini takip eden surecte Nesine de yine 2006 ylnda hizmet vermeye baslamstr. Yasal bahis siteleri arasnda yerini almay basaran firma ksa surede sevilen ve ragbet goren bir site olmustur. Misli 2009 ylnda sektore cok hzl giris yapan Misli cok sayda reklam filmi ile on plana ckmay basarmstr. Internet uzerinden hem yasal hem de sorunsuz hizmet veren bahis sitelerinden bir tanesi olmustur. Canl Bahis Siteleri Kayt ve Uyelik Islemleri Her zaman populerligini koruyan ve surekli gelisim gosteren canl bahis gun gectikce daha da gucleniyor. Bahis oynamak icin ise sitelere uye olunmas gerekir. Yuksek getirisi ve begeni toplayan faaliyetleri ile cok sayda site bu alanda faaliyet gostermektedir. Elbette sorunsuz sekilde uye olmanz ve faaliyetler gostermeniz de oldukca kolaydr. Canl bahis siteleri kayt ve uyelik islemleri dakikalar icerisinde gerceklestirilecek yapya sahiptir. Uye olacagnz siteyi belirledikten sonra siteye girmeniz gerekmektedir. Girdiginiz sitenin ana sayfasnda uye ol ya da kayt ol bolumu bulunacaktr. Siteler arasnda degiskenlik gosteren bu alanda temel unsurlar bulunmaktadr. Elbette farkllklar olsa da temelinde benzer bilgiler uye olmak isteyen kisilerden talep edilmektedir. Uye ol bolumune tkladktan sonra karsnza uyelik bilgi formu ckacaktr. Bu formda sizin kim oldugunuzu ogrenmek ve sitenin guvenligini saglamak adna islemler yaplmaktadr. Uyelik formunda yer alan ad soyad bolumunu eksiksiz ve dogru sekilde doldurmalsnz. Sizden bu formda istenen bilgilerin tamamn girmeniz istenecektir. Istenen bilgiler mutlaka dogru ve eksiksiz sekilde olmaldr. Eksik veya hatal bilgi uyelik islemlerinde sorun teskil edebilir. Yine de yanls bilgi girisine ragmen uyelik islemleri tamamlanabilir. Fakat boyle bir yol izleyenler sonrasnda buyuk skntlarla karslasabilirler. Bu skntlarn basnda da para cekme islemlerinde yasanan sorunlardr. Uyelik islemleri dikkatli ve ozenle doldurulmas gereken yapdadr. Canl bahis siteleri kayt ve uyelik islemleri gerceklestirilirken verilen bilgiler site yonetimi tarafndan muhafaza edilmektedir. Herhangi bir sekilde 3. Sahslarla paylaslmas gibi bir durum soz konusu degildir. Bu faaliyetleri surduren sitelerin guven unsurlar arasnda bu nokta onceliklidir. Bahis sitelerine uye olurken hatal bilgi paylasmnda bulunmak size faydadan cok zarar verecektir. Diyelim ki bilgileri hatal girdiniz ve uyelik onayland. Uyelik tamamlandktan sonra siteye para yatrdnz ve kazanc elde ettiniz. Kazancnz sonrasnda hesabnza almak istediginizde karsnza banka bilgileri bolumu gelecektir. Para cekme talebi gerceklestikten sonra site uyelik bilgileri ile banka hesap bilgileri ortusmez ise paranz alamazsnz. Boyle bir durumla karslasmamak adna bu hususa ayrca dikkat etmelisiniz. Jan 6, 2016 | By Kira Mcor Technologies has today launched its first-ever full-color, paper-based desktop 3D printer, which uses non-toxic, eco-friendly A4 office paper as the build material rather than extruded plastic. Based off of the larger Iris industrial 3D printer model, the new ARKe desktop 3D printer eliminates many of the costs and safety concerns involved with traditional 3D printing, all while offering full, photorealistic color in an easy-to-use and compact machine. The ARKe 3D printer is currently on display at CES 2016, and has been named a CES Best of Innovation Awards Honoree in the 3D printing product category. Mcor, founded in 2005 by brothers Conor and Fintan MacCormack in Ireland, hopes to stand on the shoulders of 2D printing and use its proprietary technology to lead the consumer 3D printing revolution, particularly at the 3D printing educational level, where more and more 3D printer companies have been shifting their focus. Adding to its existing lineup of industrial paper-based 3D printers, the Iris HD and Matrix 300+, the ARKe is a compact 3D printer (its full dimensions are 34.4 x 22.8 x 23.6 inches), designed with the goal of making full color 3D printing more accessible to a latent creative market, the ARKe includes several key characteristics that set it apart from traditional 3D printing technology. First of all, like all of Mcors products, the ARKe provides unmatched, full-color capability. According to the company, with a DIP of 4800 x 2400, the print head enables the ARke to exceed the DPI resolution of the highest comparable industrial 3D printer by a factor of 2x. We have previously seen this sort of beautiful, full-color capability on display in Keith Browns 3D printed sculptures. Our definition of full-color us any color at any time, said Conor MacCormack, co-founder and CEO. The big change [for 3D printing] is going to be in educationand color is one very important missing piece. Examples of full-color and photorealistic 3D prints achieved with the ARKe paper-based 3D printer Secondly, due to the use of standard paper rather than extruded plastic, harmful particle emissions and toxic chemicals are almost entirely eliminated, making the 3D printing process safe and eco-friendlyan increasingly important consideration as 3D printers become more and more common in our households, classrooms and offices. Whats more, using paper as a 3D printing material means that the finished 3D model is entirely recyclable, adding to the technologys sustainability. Of course, one of the most important advantages of paper-based 3D printing is its cost-effectiveness. Office paper is accessible and affordable, and thanks to Mcors Selective Deposition Lamination (SDL) technology, it can be molded into surprisingly stable and realistic 3D models. In terms of its design, the ARKe 3D printer is customizable, coming in various designs such as Chrome, Wood or Union Jack. "Our mission is to put a 3D printer in every office, classroom, and eventually every home, and Mcor ARKe is a huge step in that direction, said MacCormack. The launch of Mcor ARKe is a defining moment for Mcor and the 3D printing industry, much like the iPhone was for Apple and the 747 was for Boeing. I believe that this is a disruptive step that will transform this industry stimulating widespread adoption of 3D printing particularly in education and among creative professionals. Though paper may seem like a flimsy replacement for plastic, the SDL layering process, which works by using an adhesive to stick individual sheets of paper together, results in finished 3D objects that are in fact extremely strong and durable. According to the company, its 3D printers are ideal for prototyping, art and history projects, and various accurate and realistic 3D modeling needs. Paper is incredibly strong when you layer it up, said MacCormack. Think of paper like a scaffold, and then you can put into it a resin, so you can get things that are really, really hard. The ARKe will be available for purchase in Q2 2016, with an MSRP of $5,995. According to the company, its Iris 3D printer has already been sold in 60 countries, and so far the ARKe has received more than 2,500 pre-orders. While the majority of 3D printer companies are hard at work developing the next generation of unbelievable 3D printing materials, including liquid metal, conductive graphene, ultra strong ceramics, G3DP glass, and all matter of plastic-based 3D printing filaments, Mcor certainly stands out from the crowd with their innovative, affordable, and eco-friendly paper-based 3D printing solutions. They are also one of many 3D printer manufacturers to definitively set their sights on one of the most rapidly growing 3D printer segments: low-cost, consumer 3D printers for the educational market. All images credit: Mcor Technologies Posted in 3D Printer Maybe you also like: Anja wrote at 9/21/2016 5:19:42 PM:@Sam: Thanks, fixed.Sam Brook wrote at 9/21/2016 2:33:08 PM:caption under dragon/horse...acheived??!! Try achieved....!3D wrote at 7/24/2016 1:33:23 PM:Yes the price was 6000.. Then the price was 9000.. They supposedly had lots of presales (about 5000), made some updates to the machine and now the price is 18000! Thanks MCOR, great logic. What a way to thank your prospect customers, I hope everybody cancels their order. Kindly correct this :-)Vasia Pupking wrote at 1/12/2016 7:02:23 PM:Are there not enough forest has been destroyed already? Paper usage must be eliminated in the near future if we don't want to turn our planet in the lifeless desert. I hope they go bankrupt.Fawad Inam wrote at 1/8/2016 12:31:31 PM:price of this machine is 8995$. kindly correct this Jan 6, 2016 | By Alec Over the past few years, the military branches of various nations have been steadily adopting metal 3D printing technology as a cost-effective solution to quickly manufacture a wide range of parts, and the US Air Force is no exception. As they just announced, the Air Force is now upgrading their 3D printing capacity by enlisting the services of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc, who will develop new standards for 3D printed liquid-fueled rocket engine parts as part of a $6 million deal. This new contract is part of a drive by the US military to reduce its dependency on costly, foreign-made components. The Atlas 5 rocket which is manufactured by United Launch Alliance, for example, features Russian-made RD-180 rocket engines. More contracts like this are expected over the coming year, with a major one for US-developed propulsion systems forthcoming. However, cost efficiency is also one of the goals, as 3D printing these engine parts will significantly reduce the cost and time involved in production, while even giving engineers more design freedom and flexibility. Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings was reportedly tapped for their extensive experience in metal 3D printing, and the contract calls on Aerojet to define rigorous inspection processes that can be applied to 3D printed components to ensure that they meet the requirements of complex aerospace systems. They are also developing the AR1 engine as an alternative for the Russian RD-180 engine. The contract is part of the U.S. Air Force Booster Propulsion Technology Maturation Broad Agency Announcement. According to Julie Van Kleeck, vice president of Advanced Space & Launch Programs at Aerojet Rocketdyne, 3D printing technology is perfect for aerospace manufacturing. New liquid rocket engine designslike the AR1 engine we are building to replace the Russian-made RD-180are increasingly taking advantage of 3-D printing technology because it reduces the amount of time and money required to build these complex components, she said. It is imperative that engine manufacturers understand the qualification methodology for this revolutionary technology because of the criticality of the assets they help launch into space. The Air Forces decision to tap Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, is not so surprising when their experience is taken into consideration. They are an innovative company with lots of experience in the aerospace and defense markets, and have previously worked on missile defense and strategic systems, among others. In 2014, they successfully tested an engine entirely made with 3D printed parts and was capable of producing 5,000 pounds of thrust. Last year, they also succeeded in replicating the injector of the gas generator used on the Apollo-era F-1 rocket engine using 3D printing, in an attempt to prove the technologys cost effective and accurate reputation. Incorporating additive manufacturing and the new qualification processes into our AR1 design will be essential to having an American engine for the Atlas V and proposed Vulcan launch vehicles ready by 2019, said Van Kleeck. Dr. Jay Littles, director of the companys Advanced Launch Vehicle Propulsion department, was confident that their experience brings an extra dimension to the program. We are taking our seven decades of experience in building rocket engines, which represents more than 2,100 successful launches, and combining that with our in-depth knowledge of additive manufacturing to assist the Air Force in defining qualification requirements for this technology, he said. In fact, Fast Company magazine named Aerojet Rocketdyne No. 1 in its ranking of The Worlds Top 10 Most Innovative Companies of 2015 in Space, because of the companys advances in additive manufacturing. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: Chris C wrote at 1/6/2016 6:13:40 PM:The Pentagon could not care less that thy are ordering up 1960's technology at 2010 prices. It would have been far safer to just use SpaceX rocket motors. These are state of the art and have been subjected to an incredible amount of validation. And having multiple rocket engines (versus one) is far more safe. Morgan Meis in The Porch: Every ghost story that has ever been told has its roots in existential panic. It is a panic weve all experienced at some time or other, generally in the wee hours when the mind turns to fear and death. The secret truth is that the ghost stories we tell later, once weve calmed down, are really a form of consolation. The stories serve to forestall our root fear by means of spooks and scares. The idea that there are spectres out there, many of them malevolent, is preferable to the alternative, which is that there is nothing out there at all. An evil spirit is, at least, confirmation of an afterlife, if an angry confirmation. The scariest ghost story imaginable, then, would be a ghost story in which there is no ghost, in which there can be no ghosts, because there is only the abyss. David Lowerys new film A Ghost Story flirts at the edge of such an abyss. In the film, a young man (Casey Affleck) dies in a car crash, leaving his young wife (Rooney Mara) to mourn him. The young man, whose name we never learn, comes back in the form of a ghost. We know hes a ghost because he is wearing a white sheet over his head. The white-sheeted ghost proceeds to haunt the house in which he previously lived. Eventually, his wife moves out. But the ghost stays. New tenants come and go. The ghost stays. The house is demolished and a giant office is built in its place. The ghost stays. The ghost is thrown back in time (just go with it) and experiences events at the same spot long before the house was built. Still, the ghost stays. More here. The Twentieth Pictorial Trek from Here to There and Back Again We begin along Washington's waterfront, where the sun sets over the Pamlico River: Above. Along that same waterfront, a sun soaked flower full of nectar is a wonderful feeding point for bees: Below. photos by Stan Deatherage Click images to expand. Along the banks of Bouge Sound, in Morehead City, we watch the sun stretch the clouds to make a brief but powerful appearance: Above. Nearly 50 miles offshore, at Big Rock, we notice: An unusual abundance of traffic, and that the waters are routinely rough as the opposing Gulf Stream and the Labrador currents skim one another as one heads south and the other conveys north, with a rich palate of blue in many different shades everywhere: Below. photos by Stan Deatherage Click images to expand. to find a school of bottle-nose dolphins just off the beach in Nags Head: Above. And, we witness the evening glow of a sinking sun on the Bodie Station Lighthouse: Below. photos by Stan Deatherage Click images to expand. The Raleigh skyline stands tall from its southern exsposure: Above. Early Spring flowers raise their color along the wall protecting the North Carolina Governor's Mansion: Below. photos by Stan Deatherage Click images to expand. Here, we view the clubhouse of Pinehurst's famed Course #3: Above. Downtown Pinehurst, North Carolina is an intriguing village: Below. photos by Stan Deatherage Click images to expand. Pilot Mountain, at 2,421 feet above sea level, has more than its share of rocky slags and promontories viewing North Carolina's Piedmont: Above. From the heights of Pilot Mountain, we travel to highest point east of the Mississippi, where the tallest mountain chain exists - the Black Mountains (this shot is from near the top of Mt. Mitchell in Yancey County): Below. photos by Stan Deatherage Click images to expand. Back in Washington, NC, we watch the sunset over the Pamlico River from the trestle fording that river at Washington: Above. photos by Stan Deatherage Click image to expand. Below is our new interactive map that will show where all the pictures were made, and if you wish, you can get the distances and directions to these vistas. Also, you can interact with the map by placing your address in the "Enter an Address or Place & Click Find" field, and then click find to get best directions and mileage between your address and the chosen subject site. More features to follow. Loading Google Map...Please Wait... Enter an Address or Place & Click Find Find Latitude Longitude Zoom This is the twentieth of a new series of images from across North Carolina from my travels, and from the long intervals that I have spent with my camera making a record of where I have been. Upon examination of these random images, I concluded that best format would be the one page arrangement, where I cut the images to 1280 pixels wide, arrayed in a wide viewed 'fancybox' series, where there is a title of explanation, and maybe a bit more, but mainly, the photo should speak rather than my words. In fact, I plan to put my words on hold for a bit here, which will be to the fine relief of a great many.Each series will be random and varied; however, most will center from here in eastern North Carolina, which is closer to my home in northeastern North Carolina, in the county of Beaufort, and the county seat of Washington, my home. From this perspective, we will reach out beyond the myriad waters: fresh and calm, brackish and moving, salty with powerful waves, and get to see North Carolina, where we may know it a little better, if only through images.This random display of images of North Carolina, made by the Tar Heel traveler, may have been revealed earlier in BCN, and when I can remember a relative series, I shall link to it; however know that this series of ongoing themes will remain that there is no theme. In this random projection of unrelated images, the series will seek its relevance, its beauty and its strength of purpose.Our travels turn south to Carteret County, where 'water, water is everywhere'.From these deep blue seas, we head north and east:After a brief time at the Outer Banks, we head west to Raleigh, the state's capital, in Wake County.The Sandhills of North Carolina is south and west of Raleigh, where we find the storied hamlet of Pinehurst.After our visit to North Carolina's Sandhills, we head northwest to North Carolina's foothills, North Carolina's most easterly mountains - Sauratown Mountains (mostly in Surry County).And then back home ...We'll do another one of these as the time becomes ready and appropriate. At your leisure, please follow this link to the growing list of this pictorial series - "Across North Carolina" Andrew Cockburn in Harper's: One morning early in 1988, Ed McWilliams, a foreign-service officer posted to the American Embassy in Kabul, heard the thump of a massive explosion from somewhere on the other side of the city. It was more than eight years after the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, and the embassy was a tiny enclave with only a handful of diplomats. McWilliams, a former Army intelligence operative, had made it his business to venture as much as possible into the Soviet-occupied capital. Now he set out to see what had happened. It was obviously something big: although the explosion had taken place on the other side of Sher Darwaza, a mountain in the center of Kabul, McWilliams had heard it clearly. After negotiating a maze of narrow streets on the south side of the city, he found the site. A massive car bomb, designed to kill as many civilians as possible, had been detonated in a neighborhood full of Hazaras, a much-persecuted minority. McWilliams took pictures of the devastation, headed back to the embassy, and sent a report to Washington. It was very badly received not because someone had launched a terrorist attack against Afghan civilians, but because McWilliams had reported it. The bomb, it turned out, had been the work of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the mujahedeen commander who received more CIA money and support than any other leader of the Afghan rebellion. The attack, the first of many, was part of a CIA-blessed scheme to put pressure on the Soviet presence in Kabul. Informing the Washington bureaucracy that Hekmatyars explosives were being deployed to kill civilians was therefore entirely unwelcome. Those were Gulbuddins bombs, McWilliams, a Rhode Islander with a gift for laconic understatement, told me recently. He was supposed to get the credit for this. In the meantime, the former diplomat recalled, the CIA pressured him to report a little less specifically about the humanitarian consequences of those vehicle bombs. I tracked down McWilliams, now retired to the remote mountains of southern New Mexico, because the extremist Islamist groups currently operating in Syria and Iraq called to mind the extremist Islamist groups whom we lavishly supported in Afghanistan during the 1980s. Hekmatyar, with his documented fondness for throwing acid in womens faces, would have had nothing to learn from Al Qaeda. When a courageous ABC News team led by my wife, Leslie Cockburn, interviewed him in 1993, he had beheaded half a dozen people earlier that day. Later, he killed their translator. More here. Assaf Gavron in the Washington Post: I was an Israel Defense Forces soldier in Gaza 27 years ago, during the first intifada. We patrolled the city and the villages and the refugee camps and encountered angry teenagers throwing stones at us. We responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. Now those seem like the good old days. Since then, the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians has seen stones replaced with guns and suicide bombs, then rockets and highly trained militias, and now, in the past month, kitchen knives, screwdrivers and other improvised weapons. Some of these low-tech efforts have been horrifically successful, with victims as young as 13. There is plenty to discuss about the nature and timing of the recent wave of Palestinian attacks a desperate and humiliated answer to the election of a hostile Israeli government that emboldens extremist settlers to attack Palestinians. But as an Israeli, I am more concerned with the actions of my own society, which are getting scarier and uglier by the moment. The internal discussion in Israel is more militant, threatening and intolerant than it has ever been. Talk has trended toward fundamentalism ever since the Israeli operation in Gaza in late 2008, but it has recently gone from bad to worse. There seems to be only one acceptable voice, orchestrated by the government and its spokespeople, and beamed to all corners of the country by a clan of loyal media outlets drowning out all the others. More here. George Gillett in Salon: Reused needles, poorly trained staff and expired medications. The picture Hemley Gonzalez describes to me is not one often associated with adjectives such as saintly in the medical profession. Yet as he discusses his experience volunteering at facilities run by Missionaries of Charity, the organization Mother Teresa founded, it becomes increasingly apparent that few of his anecdotes correlate with the reputation she enjoys. I was shocked to discover the horrifically negligent manner in which the charity operates, he recalls. His story is not atypical. Writing in the New Internationalist magazine about her experience working at Missionaries of Charitys headquarters in Kolkata, another volunteer urged that the organization be finally held accountable for its actions of abuse and neglect. Similar concerns were raised in a 1994 UK documentary that featured the story of a 15-year-old patient who had been admitted with a relatively simple kidney complaint. His condition had deteriorated soon after the facility had refused to transfer him to a local hospital to undergo surgery. Criticism of Mother Teresas mission has also come from the medical profession. Dr. Robin Fox, former editor of the medical journal the Lancet, described the Missionaries of Charity facilities as haphazard as early as 1994, recounting how he witnessed a young man with malaria be treated with only ineffective antibiotics and paracetamol. Along with the neglect of diagnosis, the lack of good analgesia marks Mother Theresas approach, he wrote in an article for the journal. More here. Toby Craig Jones in The New York Times: WHEN Saudi Arabia executed the Shiite cleric and political dissident Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr on Saturday, the countrys leaders were aware that doing so would upset their longtime rivals in Iran. In fact, the royal court in Riyadh was probably counting on it. It got what it wanted. The deterioration of relations has been precipitous: Protesters in Tehran sacked Saudi Arabias embassy; in retaliation, Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties. More severe fallout could follow possibly even war. Why did Saudi Arabia want this now? Because the kingdom is under pressure: Oil prices, on which the economy depends almost entirely, are plummeting; a thaw in Iranian-American relations threatens to diminish Riyadhs special place in regional politics; the Saudi military is failing in its war in Yemen. In this context, a row with Iran is not a problem so much as an opportunity. The royals in Riyadh most likely believe that it will allow them to stop dissent at home, shore up support among the Sunni majority and bring regional allies to their side. In the short term, they may be right. But eventually, stoking sectarianism will only empower extremists and further destabilize an already explosive region. Over the past decade, Saudi rulers have turned to Iran and Shiites every time they needed an easy scapegoat. Anti-Iranian and anti-Shiite sentiments have long existed among religious extremists in the kingdom, but today they are at the heart of Saudi Arabias national identity. This development is dangerous for Saudi Arabias Shiite community, estimated at 10 to 15 percent of the population, and for the entire Middle East. This is hardly the first time Saudi Arabias Shiites have come under fire. Sectarianism under Saudi rule dates back to the early 20th century. But until recently, the kingdoms leaders have balanced strong-armed tactics with efforts to accommodate community leaders, seeking to minimize the dangers of sectarianism. More here. Jedediah Purdy in The New Yorker: On Saturday, January 2nd, a group of armed men occupied the stone-walled offices of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, in Harney County, Oregon. Created by President Theodore Roosevelt, in 1908, to protect egrets and other birds from hunters who sold their plumes to clothing manufacturers, the refuge is centered on wetlands in a region that is mainly high desert. At more than ten thousand square miles, Harney County is bigger than nine states, including Maryland and New Jersey, and about the size of Rwanda or Haiti. About seventy-seven hundred people live there; more than ninety per cent of them are white and the rest are nearly all Native American or Latino. Three-quarters of the county consists of federal land, which is owned and directly administered by the United States government. Ammon Bundy, leader of the occupying group, and his father, the Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, belong to a long-simmering Western populist movement that has never accepted limits on the private exploitation of public lands. Cliven Bundy, the patriarch of the family, first drew attention by refusing to pay fees to graze his cattle on public land. Bundy and his fellow occupiers have said that they came to Harney County to support local ranchers named Dwight and Steven Hammond, who have been in disputes with federal-land managers over grazing for decades, and who, on Monday, went to prison for setting illegal fires on federal land. (The Hammonds have distanced themselves from Bundys occupation in public comments.) More here. Rowan Williams at The New Statesman: Sir James Frazer still casts a long shadow. The wonderful intellectual fugue that is Frazers Golden Bough, the 12 volumes of its definitive edition published mostly in the years leading up to the First World War, continues to influence the terms in which great tracts of cultural history are understood not least in its celebrated genealogy of magic, religion and science. Human culture advances from the magical world-view, explored in such loving (if disapproving) detail by Frazer, towards religion, in which the crudities of magic begin to be purged by moral maturity, en route to the triumph of science. There is still an assumption in popular writing about religion and science that this is our best way of understanding intellectual history: as a journey from ignorant and inept ways of comprehending how the world works, and how best we manipulate it, towards the objective explanatory scheme of modern scientific analysis. Yet matters are not so simple, as Frazer himself recognised. In practice, magic and religion as Frazer defines them are inseparably intertwined, to the degree that both assume the existence of invisible agencies that may perhaps be persuaded or coaxed into acting in a particular way. At the same time, magic is more like science in also taking for granted a scheme of things in which effects infallibly follow causes. To this extent at least, magic has paved the way for science, says Frazer; and (in the unmistakable voice of Victorian-Edwardian Cambridge) he also argues that it helped to save the world from the tyranny of the uneducated multitude by making a place for the independence and power of the expert even if this wasnt the right sort of expertise to win a Trinity prize fellowship in the 1890s. more here. Consider these real-life scenarios: An Arizona family is told their 6-year-old son, Ryan, has symptoms on the autism spectrum. Doctors say he will need 20-40 hours per week of individual therapies. Ryan's parents can't afford that. What can they do?In Nevada, Katie, a sixth-grader, is struggling to fit in at her local school. Her parents believe Katie would thrive in a different environment, but they can't afford tuition at a private school. What can they do?Fortunately, both of these stories had happy endings, because these families live in states that offer education savings accounts ESAs for short. ESAs are personal accounts managed by parents to pay for private school tuition, tutoring services, books and other educational expenses.Accounts are funded by transferring a percentage of taxpayer money allocated for each pupil by the state into the student's individual account. Ryan's family turned to an ESA to fund educational therapy for him, and Katie's family used one to pay tuition at a private school that is more suited to her needs.Currently five states have ESA programs.So why are ESAs the latest "hot" thing in education? They work. They meet the needs of families and students while spurring innovation, value and efficiency in the schools.As with any instrument that disrupts the status quo, opposition has developed.Some argue that ESAs take money from public schools. But doesn't the state legislature have the right to encourage education through a variety of vehicles? The state already provides vouchers for thousands of pre-school kids to receive childcare services in private facilities. The state and federal governments provide financial assistance for students to attend college at the school of their choice, public or private. So why not K-12 too?Do ESAs drain funding from the public schools? The converse may be true. The funding for ESAs is less than the normal funding per pupil. Thus the use of ESAs can reduce crowding and often actually increase per student support. Since many private schools have a lower cost, ESAs may actually save taxpayers money.Second, critics claim ESA programs lack accountability. But where is the accountability when 28 percent of traditional public and charter schools received D and F scores on North Carolina's most recent report card?Let's also remember that, since parents pay tuition, private schools are more sensitive to parental concerns. That constitutes a built-in accountability mechanism.ESAs are an idea whose time has come. They offer parents the opportunity to take control of their child's education, and they offer children the opportunity to access quality educational options that are right for them. Let's hope North Carolina becomes the sixth state to offer this school choice option.You can also read this article as it was posted in the Charlotte Observer: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/ opinion/ op-ed/ article43487736.html#storylink=cpy "Instead of a competent city-builder who is also gay, Houston got a culture warrior whose parting gift to the city is a deeply stupid fight over 'HERO' the Houston Equal-Rights Ordinance which among other things would create a new body of local civil-rights law (the lawyers cheer with one voice) covering transgender/transsexual people in the matter of public accommodations, meaning public toilets and the like. This wasn't preceded by some crisis in the matter of toilet accommodations for men in dresses, but the issue is critically important to some people: Namely, to people who are in their affluence and comfort able to maintain a state of graceful blindness to the actual nuts-and-bolts problems facing Houston." Currently, there are no specific standards in the Healthful Living Essential Standards that address transgender students. The information taught with regard to Reproductive Health and Safety is dictated by the Healthy Youth Act which is set by the General Assembly. Unless lawmakers choose to require that we specifically teach content, it is unlikely that it will be added to our standards. That being said, SB526, The School Violence Protection Act does list gender identity as one of the "isms" that is protected against bullying. Schools are responsible for making sure that ALL students attend school in a safe and supportive environment. We do have standards for Mental and Emotional Health that address discrimination. Some LEAs choose to address LGBT youth as part of these standards. That is a local decision. Hello Miss Dillon, Hope you are well. Educators in the school system work with issues involving transgender students on a case-by-case basis and will continue to do so. Like you, we are also following the national discussion. How would you feel if the Federal government told you that your son or daughter had to share a bathroom or locker room with a student of the opposite sex?How would parents feel if their own school board was quietly changing policies to accommodate a few students over the majority in their district?Parents in multiple states are finding out. Will parents in North Carolina soon face the same mandate?In Chicago, parents have just found out that the federal government is forcing their daughters to share a locker room with a male student, who says he "identifies" as a girl. The Obama administration's Department of Education filed suit under Title IX, claiming the Chicago school had violated the civil rights of the student in question for not allowing the male student to use facilities for female students.The boy in the Chicago case was offered a separate dressing area to address his needs, but that wasn't good enough. The boy, through his lawyer, demanded that the school treat him as a female since that is what he identifies as, despite physically being a male.Meanwhile, in Boulder, Colorado, the theme is that kids need to be taught about transgenderism starting as early as second grade. Why? Because one student at one school identifies as transgender. A parent has filed a civil rights suit there to force the district to act; apparently her child has 'gender fluid' issues.The take-away from the Chicago and Boulder stories seems to be that the comfort of the one is outweighing the comfort of the many.Around five months ago, parents in Fairfax County, Virginia were up in arms after information came to light that school board members had changed its "nondiscrimination policy" to include "gender identity" and the board acted without informing the public.To add insult to that past injury, emails recently obtained show that the Fairfax board hired a consultant to work on the policy before the vote to make such a hiring was even taken. The Washington Times reported that the board was also paying the consultant without taxpayer approval.Voters in Texas in this November's election cycle overwhelmingly rejected a similar measure that would have opened up public spaces like restrooms to those identifying as transgender. Houston voters weren't having it and the HERO ordinance was defeated by a landslide of 61 percent against to 39 percent in favor.Kevin Williamson of National Review Online sagely noted that HERO's creator, the first openly gay mayor of that city, didn't use her position to aid the city in crucial areas. Instead, Mayor Annise Parker went full social justice warrior:Let's turn our sights closer to home, here in North Carolina.Recently, acting Superintendent for Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools Ann Clark has moved to insert the topic of transgenderism into the district's sexual education curriculum. What's more, Clark has already apparently done it. Clark recently promoted a "transgender documentary" that was paid for using the taxpayers' money.At the state level, I asked Vanessa Jeter with Communication and Information Services at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction about the topic.Jeter stated that,Ms. Jeter included a statement regarding state standards and curriculum:Looking at Wake County, which is the 16th-largest school district in the nation, the question needs to be asked: what will the Wake Board do? I asked both the Wake County School Board and Wake County Schools communications department for official comment.I posed the following question: Does Wake have a plan to incorporate transgenderism into the district policies and intend on including it in sexual education classes? I also asked if Wake County would be allowing transgender students to use locker rooms and restrooms of their choice, as well as any future plans to create such spaces for youth who allegedly identify as transgender.The answer I received from the Wake County Schools Communication department was brief:Well, I'm reassured, aren't you?The Wake County School Board, as of the writing of this article, has yet to respond other than to ask what outlet I was writing for. Two national lists recognize ECU's support for student veterans Recognition of military service members and their families is central to the annual Veterans Day ceremony on campus, pictured above. ECU's commitment to the military earned top rankings in national media outlets this year. A Field of Honor outside Joyner Library is designed to honor veterans and members of the military. Flags were sold by the Pirate Veterans Organization, with proceeds benefiting homeless veterans in Greenville. ECU's support for student veterans and military service members has gained national recognition. (Photos by Cliff Hollis) East Carolina University is getting high marks by two national organizations for its efforts in supporting student veterans and military service members.In a new listing released Nov. 9, the Military Times ranked ECU 28th in its Best for Vets: Colleges 2016. ECU was the highest ranked in North Carolina; in total, seven N.C. institutions were listed among the 125 four-year schools ranked.ECU also has been named a "Military Friendly School" for 2016, which recognizes the top 20 percent of trade schools, colleges and universities that are doing the most to embrace service members, veterans and their families.Provost Ron Mitchelson said ECU is fulfilling its commitment to improve access to military service members and veterans.Mitchelson said.The Military Times rankings are based on a comprehensive assessment of veteran and military student services and rates of academic achievement at 600 schools participating in a detailed survey, according to a news release.The Times also uses data from the Veterans Affairs, defense department and three education sources: the IPEDS Data Center, College Scorecard data and the Cohort Default Rate Database, the Times said.said Amanda Miller, editor of Military Times' Best for Vets ranking and special editions.The rankings are published this week in printed and online editions of Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times and Marine Corps Times as well as at www.MilitaryTimes.com ECU was last recognized as a "Military Friendly School" in 2010. The designation process by Victory Media includes extensive research and a data-driven survey of more than 8,000 schools approved for Post-9/11 GI Bill funding.The Military Friendly Guide is the premier resource used by military personnel and their families when choosing an institution of higher learning. The publication is distributed to all base education centers worldwide and offered to every military member at retirement or transition from service to civilian life.ECU's Academic Military Affairs Committee coordinated the university's efforts for designation. The committee has members from across campus including the registrar, admissions, Student Veterans Services and continuing studies. Rondall Rice, a 29-year Air Force veteran and ECU's director of university studies, chairs the committee and coordinated the survey responses.Rice said designation as a Military Friendly School and the ranking by Military Times recognizes ECU's consistent, outstanding efforts across all areas of the university academics, academic and student support, and services for current military personnel, veterans and their families.Rice said.ECU's programs include participation in the Veterans Administration Yellow Ribbon Program, which extends GI Bill benefits to cover out-of-state tuition. ECU also has one of only 79 VA-funded Veterans Support on Campus representatives across the nation and the only one in North Carolina.Other support groups include the student-led Pirate Veterans and the ECU Student Veteran Services office which offers Green Zone training for faculty and staff to increase understanding of military and veteran students and issues they may face in college. Also, ECU has programs to award academic credit for military training using American Council on Education recommendations.ECU's Military Advisory Committee helps raise scholarship money for ROTC and military students and coordinates veterans recognition and military appreciation events. Dixon Hughes Goodman (DHG), the top 20 public accounting and advisory firm, announced on Wednesday the Directors and employees ofStegman & Companyof Baltimore, Maryland, will join DHG on June 1, 2016. Stegman & Company is the oldest Maryland-based CPA firm and recently celebrated its 100th anniversary of providing service to the greater Baltimore and Mid-Atlantic region. DHG is enthusiastic to welcome Stegman & Companys people, their rich history and their record of client service and industry leadership," stated Matt Snow, CEO of DHG. "Their significant experience and leadership within the financial services, private client services, construction, and technology & life sciences industries will be an asset as we expand further in the Mid-Atlantic region. Together we will focus on building valuable careers with our people and helping our clients achieve their goals. The current Directors of Stegman include Virginia Anderson, James Dougherty, Elizabeth Gantnier, Michael Giuffrida, Garrett Parks, M. Conor Quinn, Keith Wiessner and William Williams, Jr., who will become Partners or Directors of DHG. We are very proud of the 100 year history of Stegman," said Liz Gantnier, president of Stegman, per a statement. "Joining forces with DHG continues our commitment to client service and technical strength. Together we can expand the services that we offer to clients throughout our region. This represents our commitment to expanding our presence in Maryland and the Greater Baltimore area and brings the total DHG personnel in the market to approximately 250," added Gary Thomson, DHG Mid-Atlantic regional managing partner. "We are excited about the future. For more onDixon Hughes Goodman, head to their site here. San Antonio CPA firm Findling, Milam & Pyle has joined Houston and San Antonio-based ABIP, PC, effective Jan. 1, 2016. Findling, Milam & Pyle dates back to 1964 and currently has 14 professionals. The firm mostly caters to closely held and family-owned businesses, along with high-net-worth individuals. The firm plans to continue to operate out of its current office for the time being. We are excited to be a part of the team and look forward to working alongside the professionals at ABIP, PC, said Findling, Milam & Pyle partner David Zurbriggen in a statement. ABIP opened its San Antonio office in 1954 and later formed the firm of Thompson, Williams, Biediger, Kastor & Young, which also became part of the San Antonio office. More recently, ABIP acquired the firms of Patricia Wagner, CPA, in 2012 and Joy S. Chestnut & Company in 2014. ABIP, PC has approximately 70 professionals in four core practice areas and is led by managing shareholder Scott Irvine. In a continuing effort to meet Defense Department funding targets and rebalance the civilian workforce, some Air Force installations will implement civilian reduction in force authorities effective through April 4.Following a major command needs assessment in early August, more than 1,000 civilian overages were identified across 48 Air Force installations going into fiscal year 2016. Having the RIF authorities will assist in the placement of employees not assigned against funded positions and allow greater flexibilities for employees to be placed at their installations while retaining their grade or pay.Voluntary efforts to balance the civilian workforce since fiscal year 2014 have moved us significantly closer to our target manning levels, said Lt. Gen. Gina Grosso, the deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel and services. We have reduced the number of affected employees through several rounds of voluntary separation and retirement programs as well as reassignments to vacant positions.Overage positions have been reduced through pre-RIF placements, hiring controls and several rounds of Voluntary Early Retirement Authority and Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay in fiscal years 2014 and 2015. The Air Force no longer has the ability to carry overages when the position is not funded and will use RIF authorities to help place most of the remaining civilians on funded positions.The RIF authority allows each location to use additional placement options such as: change to lower grade, retain pay/retain grade protections, and waiver of qualifications to place additional affected employees. The remaining employees will be offered registration in the DOD Priority Placement Program and receive consideration for future vacancies according to their registration.Although we have made great strides, we still have a number of affected employees to place into funded vacancies, and RIF authorities will enable us to achieve that goal, said Debra Warner, the director of civilian force management policy. The Air Force recognizes and strives to balance the invaluable contributions of our civilian workforce with the fiscal realities under which the DOD and the government as a whole are operating.The processes available use RIF procedures to determine employee placement rights into vacancies as well as provide the flexibility to waive qualifications to create more placement options.We will take care of our civilian Airmen by using every possible measure to minimize personal financial hardship for our civilian workforce and their families, Grosso said. We are committed to assisting each individual through this transition.The fiscal 2016 civilian RIF implementation is separate from sequestration actions.For information about civilian employment, RIF and other personnel issues, visit the Air Force Personnel Center website Deployed loadmasters fix problems on the fly A weasel is characterized by its tenacity, persistence and keen senses. It is an animal also known for its ability to react quickly in any given situation. An airlift squadron at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, shares these characteristics. Airmen of the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron encompass the characteristics of their mascot, and the loadmasters who work there are key to the missions can do and ready to go attitude. Were the lifeline connecting all the different bases and forward operating bases together, said Lt. Col. Daryl Smith, the 774th EAS commander. Our loadmasters are really the business end of the C-130 (Hercules). We never stop and we always have airplanes moving around. In what can often become 12-16 hour days, a loadmasters job doesnt end as soon as an aircraft is loaded. We are responsible for everything besides physically flying the plane, said Tech. Sgt. John Beal, a 774th EAS loadmaster. Most of our work is done on the ground, loading and verifying cargo by making sure any kind of weight limits, hazardous material limits or compatibility limits are met. While in the air, loadmasters also act as additional sets of eyes for the pilot, watching for malfunction indicators, balancing fuel levels and even scanning for threats on the ground. We are able to get troops and their gear, cargo or supplies to the hard to reach locations that no other cargo plane can, said Staff Sgt. Michael Demik, a 744th EAS loadmaster. Stateside, a loadmasters work mostly consists of training. Out here we are able to apply our training into real world flights. While other airframes, such as the C-17 Globemaster III may have more cargo space, the C-130J utilized by the airlift squadron here is the perfect fit for the mission. I consider the C-130 the pickup truck of the Air Force, Smith said. A C-17 is better for oversized cargo, but they require a much bigger footprint. Using its aft loading ramp and door, the C-130 can accommodate a wide variety cargo, including everything from utility helicopters and six-wheeled armored vehicles to standard palletized cargo and military personnel. In an aerial delivery role, it can airdrop loads up to 42,000 pounds or use its high-flotation landing gear to land and deliver cargo on rough, dirt strips. Additionally, the C-130 can be rapidly reconfigured for the various types of cargo such as palletized equipment, floor-loaded material, airdrop platforms, container delivery system bundles, vehicles and personnel, or aeromedical evacuation. In any kind of operation it feels kind of like were the shock absorbers, Smith said. If something gets to the plane late we have to make sure it still gets to where it needs to be at the right time. Sometimes it comes to us to fix problems at that moment. That problem can even be how to get service members out of trouble. The thing I love most about being a loadmaster is pulling troops out of hostile locations, said Staff Sgt. Justin King, a 744th EAS loadmaster. There is nothing better than knowing we are the freedom bird for them. Fixing problems on the fly is just one more area of expertise of 744th EAS Airmen. There are really two reasons I love being a loadmaster, Demik said. One is being part of a crew and the camaraderie that comes with accomplishing things as a team. Second, is the fact that we are able deliver critical items and supplies to people in need. It is very satisfying to be a part team that together, can accomplish anything. Even as the Afghan security forces concluded their operation to sensitise the Indian Consulate in city of Mazar-e-Sharif, it has now come to fore that the three terrorists who had occupied a big house from where they targeted the Indian mission left two messages written in blood on the walls that their mission was to avenge the execution of Afzal Guru. Afzal Guru, the J&K resident, was hanged to death in 2013 for his role in the December 13, 2000 attack on Parliament House in New Delhi. Afghan security forces had killed the three attackers on Monday night after a 25-hour long siege. One of the two messages written in blood read: Afzal Guru ka inteqam (Afzal Guru is avenged) and Ek shaheed, hazaar fidayeen, stated the other. Although there is concrete information on the identities of these attackers or the organisation to which they were affiliated, it establishes a close link between the attack on Indian Consulate and Indian Air Force Base in Pathankot. Importantly, the terrorists who were involved in the Pathankot attack had told Rajesh Verma, a Gurdaspur resident who was abducted by them, that they were going to storm the airbase to avenge the hanging of Afzal Guru. The Pajhwok Afghan News service had posted photos of the messages that were scribbled in blood on walls that appeared to have been hit by bullets and shrapnel. Security sources said the JeMs affinity to Afzal Guru was understandable as he was convicted for the Parliament attack that was blamed on the group based at Bahawalpur in Pakistans Punjab province. The Mazar-e-Sharif attacker were initially resisted by the ITBP personnel guarding the Indian Consulate after which the Afghan Special Forces launched a major assault and killed all of them late on Monday. West Bengal will witness the assembly elections this year. And we are seeing the hints of that in WB. Violence breaks out in Malda when the protesters came across a North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) bus trying to cross the rally. Its been almost three days now since an angry mob turned violent during a rally and torched Maldas Kaliachak police station along with over a dozen vehicles. However, so far only 9 out of 130 accused have been arrested. Also, 6 of 9 were let off on bail hours after the arrest. Tension gripped up, public properties were damaged in this riot. Ahead of elections, communal violence and riots have become fashion nowadays. Let it be in Bihar, UP or West Bengal. Political goondas are killing innocent people. These riots are very strategic and political involvements are for sure. If Malda police has to be believed then the entire incident was pre-planned and it was not a mere religious gathering by Muslims groups protesting against the hate speech of Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamlesh Tiwari. A strong anti-Hindu sentiment in the locality, reportedly propagated by all three political parties-ruling Trinamool Congress, Congress and CPI(M)-turned into massive violence in which the local Muslims turned hostile towards the state administration. In a fit of rage, they torched buses and police vehicles, ransacked government properties and set the Kaliachak police station on fire. The protesters held tall green flags and marched on the National Highway (NH)-34. Meanwhile, an Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamlesh Tiwaris remarks on Prophet Muhammad was uncalled for. When we dont want any other religion to comment on our God and beliefs then we should refrain ourselves from commenting on others religion. Although, the Hindus and Muslims had been living together for centuries in the Indian sub-continent, yet there had never been any signs of merger of the Hindu and Muslims societies. The two have always remained as two distinct social systems, two separate cultures and two different civilizations. The condition of the Indian Muslims after 68 years reveals the truth of the so-called Indian secularism. The hate and rift between Hindus and Muslims was the outcome of divide and rule policies of the British era. Regretfully, todays politicians are still refining on this evil practice and playing dirty politics by creating Hindu-Muslims riots on sensitive issues. West Bengal is probably very sensitive in this matter as compared to other states. These incidents speak volumes of the inefficiency of the state administration and the political masters who are heading the government. West Bengal may become a hot spot and an epicenter for all anti-national activities. Communal hatred is only perpetrated by political parties for selfish interests. The police in Bengal seem to be already politicized like the police force in UP. The intolerant brigade seems to be mute to the happenings in West Bengal. If the same had been in any BJP ruled states, they would have voiced their concerns. The flip side of the Kaliachak rampage tells a different story. Security agency officials and police sources revealed that the motive behind the massive rally and subsequent attack on a police station was something else. CCTV footage of the attack at Kaliachak police station is now being examined to identify the people who actually carried out the act of violence and ransacked the barrack. In various joint operations, the police and security agencies had seized many FICN (Fake Indian currency notes) consignments that came to this side of the border through the help of locals, but could not be distributed in other parts of the country. The local police and BSF personnel had prepared a detailed list of suspects who were involved in the fake notes racket in the border belt and were keeping an eye on their movements. This is said to have infuriated a section of Muslims in the region who were allegedly involved in anti-national activities. Tiwari, who claims to be the working president of Hindu Mahasabha, had called Prophet Muhammad the first homosexual in the world. He is currently behind bars on charges of hate speech. However, a BJP MLA Shamik Bhattacharya has been arrested as a preventive measure to thwart further escalation in the already tensed area. BJP has accused Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government of shielding the accused and acting against the saffron party members. Around one lakh Muslims gathered in Muzaffarnagar, demanding death penalty for Tiwari. Similar protests against Tiwari have been reported from Bengaluru and Delhi, no wonder if entire India too gets burned in the fire. Even after several hours of inactivity, most residents still choose to stay indoors and shops remain closed. The situation continued to be tense as Section 144 is still imposed in the area. God knows, when this hate saga will end in India. I hope BJP is not planning something worst to win the elections in West Bengal. There are very thin chances for the saffron party to win assembly elections in that state. Nuclear experts cast doubt on Wednesday on North Koreas claimed first successful test of a miniaturised hydrogen bomb, saying the detected seismic activity suggested a less powerful device. The announcement followed hints last month by leader Kim Jong-Un that Pyongyang had already developed a hydrogen, or thermonuclear, bomb a claim greeted with scepticism by experts at the time. Crispin Rovere, an Australia-based nuclear policy and arms control specialist, said the 5.1 magnitude tremor detected at the Norths Punggye-ri nuclear test site was too small to support Pyongyangs claim. The seismic data thats been received indicates that the explosion is probably significantly below what one would expect from an H-bomb test, Rovere said. So initially it seems to be that theyve successfully conducted a nuclear test but unsuccessfully completed the second-stage hydrogen explosion, Rovere said. The test came just two days before Kim Jong-Uns birthday. Analysts said the Norths leader had been looking for a major achievement to highlight at a rare ruling party congress scheduled for May the first gathering of its kind for 35 years. I dont think it was a hydrogen bomb test. The explosion had to be larger if it was a hydrogen bomb test, said Choi Kang, vice president of the Seoul-based Asan Institute for Policy Studies. I think they are disguising it as a hydrogen test because Kim Jong-un mentioned it before, Choi said. A thermonuclear bomb uses fusion in a chain reaction that results in a far more powerful explosion than the fission blast generated by uranium or plutonium alone. The North has made many unverifiable claims about its nuclear weapons strength, including the ability to strike the US mainland, which most experts dismiss at least for now. In September, however, the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security had raised a red flag over what appeared to be a new hot cell facility under construction at the Norths main Yongbyon nuclear complex. Radiation Fears Analysts at the think tank said satellite images suggested it could be an isotope separation facility capable of producing tritium a key component in the design of thermonuclear weapons. Bruce Bennett, a senior defence analyst with the Rand Corporation, was also unconvinced by the H-bomb test claim. If it were a real H-bomb, the Richter Scale reading should have been about a hundred times more powerful than what we saw, which would have been in the range of seven or so, he told. Bennett assessed Wednesdays explosion as in the 10-15 kiloton range, just less than the Hiroshima blast in 1945. He said the fusion element of the explosion may have failed entirely, or the fission element did not operate correctly. But Bennett said the increasing power of the blasts heightened the prospect of triggering an earthquake and the release of radiation from the underground test site, a source of great concern to Chinese people across the border. Our nation is progressing and it will develop at a faster pace. It is necessary that we maintain internal peace and goodwill among our citizens. The government must maintain friendly relations with our neighbours. Since last few years, terrorism and infiltration from across the borders have increased significantly. Why is this happening? Despite high alert some terrorists managed to sneak into the Pathankot air base. They possess AK-47 but our jawans were holding old rifles. Soon after sneaking in, the terrorists had split into two groups. While one group immediately got into action and engaged the forces, the other moved to the airmens barrack. The Pathankot air force base is spread over several kilometres, which include forest areas. It houses a fleet of MiG-21 fighter jets and Mi-25 and Mi-35 attack helicopters, along with other military hardware. There are CCTV systems at the gates and other strategic points. But the base is monitored through aerial surveillance and watch towers installed in a gap of 100-200 metres. I noticed a NSG expert on television who apparently was wearing a bullet proof jacket with the words NSG written prominently on it. Do you think that terrorists will run away after watching this label? Then I tried to assess his physical fitness and facial countenance. I feel that even at this age I will look fitter and my face will have better expression. I have been saying that youth must undergo compulsory national service but the government has failed to implement this policy. How come terrorists always have such an easy cross over at the border? Is it a coincidence that night vision equipment at the exact crossing point was not working? Our borders are made porous by vested interests who give two hoots to the security of India. The infiltration also raises a serious question mark if the security agencies are turning a blind eye on the use of the route that is used by Punjabs strong drug cartel. Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of reversing foreign policy from outcomes to optics, Congress stepped up attack over governments handling of ties with Pakistan in the wake of the Pathankot terror attack which came within days of his Lahore visit. Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) based militant body United Jihad Council (UJC) claimed responsibility for the attack. The UJC spokesperson said that militants in Kashmir have been fighting Indian Forces for last 27 years and that India adopted all available means to crush the Kashmir movement. There are serious security lapses and intelligence failures in Pathankot. Corruption is root cause of such complete failure in this country promoted by corrupt politicians of country. High time action is taken against forces manning our international borders. (The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.) The experiment to curb the toxic smog in Delhi by banning private cars on alternate days has not gone down well with the high court. Judges today asked the government of Arvind Kejriwal to explain why the trial should last more than a week. Criticizing public transport as insufficient, people are inconvenienced, the judges said. A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath also said the Delhi government will have to admit that they do not have sufficient public transport to ferry people which was causing inconvenience to a large section of society. Arent these six days enough for you? We have permitted the government to run this scheme for one week during which they must have collected data relating to pollution levels in the city, it said. The court, however, fixed the matter for January 8 by when it has asked the government to get instructions on whether its pilot project can be reduced to a week instead of 15 days. It also asked the government to provide data related to changes in the pollution level between January 1 and 7. In these six days you must have collected data related to pollution level, we think its sufficient for you. You will have to think about inconvenience cause to public at large, the bench said, adding, there is a practical difficulty. It also said that the court does not interfere with the policies but government must think about it as people are knocking its door complaining of inconvenience being caused. You (government) have to think about it. Your status report is vague and does not reveal much, the bench said, adding, There is no sufficient public transport. Is it really necessary to have it for 15 days? The court also wished to know from the government how many cabs are plying on diesel and CNG in the capital and what level of pollution were they emitting. The courts direction came on a batch of petitions filed by various individuals including lawyers who have challenged AAP goverments December 28, 2015 notification bringing into force the scheme which allows private cars with odd-numbered plates to ply on odd-numbered dates and vice-versa. While seeking quashing of the notification, a plea filed by Delhi High Court Bar Association President Rajiv Khosla sought explanation from Delhi government on what jurisdiction it has to fix a fine of Rs 2,000 without amendment in the Motor Vehicles Act. Opposing the move from various sections of the society, senior standing counsel Rahul Mehra, appearing for Delhi government, said the scheme is only for 15 days and the State is equally pained by the inconvenience being caused to public. The Government on Tuesday had said that a data of pollutants collected from over 55 locations showed a clear trend of improving air quality in several areas across the city and that there has been a positive impact of the odd-even scheme. According to the scientists of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), 80 per cent of PM2.5 air pollution is caused by vehicular traffic and reduction in its levels, even in outer areas of Delhi shows that reduction of four wheeled vehicles on roads since the New Year Day is having a positive impact, the government had said in a statement. However, a report by IIT Kanpur had said vehicular pollutions contribute to around 25 per cent of PM2.5 concentrations during winters which comes down to 9 per cent during summers. ...Sunday, in response to a question from the mother of a teen child with autism, Clinton noted that the increase in the number of children diagnosed with autism is a problem that should be taken seriously. Clinton tells us that there are 'millions of Americans with autism.' She seems onboard with the idea that all Americans share the same rate of autism, yet the Washington Post reports that she does see autism as a critical issue. In New Hampshire on Sunday she talked about finding the cause and preventing autism. It would be nice if the reporter at the Washington Times took the time to look up the facts on autism. In 2010, the rate was one in every 110 children, not one in 68. One in 68 was announced in 2014. (And does the ever-increasing numbers bother anyone at the Times?) By Anne Dachel Hillary Clinton has announced her plan to deal with the autism epidemic. It's being reported by the major news outlets. Here are two examples. I think we have to take seriously what seems to be an increasing diagnosis of autism," Clinton said at a Derry, N.H. town hall meeting. "And we have to do much more research about what is causing it. Weve got to do what we can to prevent it. And then when it is diagnosed, intensive treatment that can really help that person be as successful as possible." Jan 5, 2016, Washington Times: Hillary Clinton tackles autism with plan to boost screenings, health care coverage Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton unveiled an initiative to boost screenings for autism and pressure states to require health care coverage of the disorder, which affected one out of 68 American children in 2010. Mrs. Clintons plan would push states to require private insurers to cover services for children with autism, conduct early screening especially in the underserved black and Latino communities, and establish public-private partnerships that will ensure a post-graduation transition plan for every student with autism, among other initiatives, her campaign said in a statement Tuesday. ... As a country, we must make a priority of supporting the millions of Americans with autism, and their loved ones. My plan takes a comprehensive approach by boosting screening, improving treatment, and expanding employment and housing opportunities for those with autism, Mrs. Clinton said in a statement of her new plan. Too many American families are staying up at night worrying about their family members, especially children, who are living with autism. There is more we can do. Autism now affects more than 2 percent of our children. Comparable rates have not been found in the older adult population, especially adults with classic autism, whose symptoms are easily recognized. While elected officials and presidential candidates argue about health care reform, the economy, and the terrorism threat, no one is alarmed over what's happening to our children. We need to do more than call for awareness, services and support. We need to recognize that autism is a health care emergency for this country. Clearly a disorder affecting two percent of our children with no known cause or cure is a critical issue for Americans and should be addressed in the presidential campaign. Most of all, there has to be acknowledgement of the huge controversy over vaccines as the cause of the never-ending increases in autism. The candidates need to answer the massive number of parents who believe that their child's autism is directly related to the vaccines they received. We need to have a survey they all have to take. My questions are listed below. Please post your ideas. Do you believe that there has been an actual increase in the number of children affected by autism in the United States over the last 25 years? Do you think that autism has an environmental cause? Ten years ago, the Congress created the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee which was headed by Dr. Thomas Insel until this past year. Their purpose was to develop a 'strategic plan, develop and annually update a summary of advances in ASD research, and monitor federal activities related to ASD.' So far, despite years of supposed effort, IACC hasn't done anything that has helped a single child. Will you call for an end to IACC and the establishment of a committee that will address autism as a health care emergency?" When IACC was created, the autism rate was one in every 166 children. Today, it's one in every 45, according to the latest figures from the CDC. Still no health official has ever gone on the record calling autism a crisis. Incredibly, no authority has ever definitely stated that there has been real and dramatic increase in the number of affected children. Instead, they continually remind us with each update in the rate that no one is sure if THIS increase means more children actually have autism. This leads the media to report that there hasn't been any real increase in the autism rate and that it's all due merely to better diagnosing and an expanded definition of the disorder. As president, will you call for research looking for a comparable rate in the adult population?" The most controversial issue in pediatric medicine concerns the safety of the ever-expanding vaccine schedule and the link to autism. Do you see any problem with a system where the agency that approves, recommends, and vigorously promotes vaccines, is also in charge of vaccine safety? Are you concerned at all about the revolving door between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the industry they regulate? Are you comfortable with all the money ties between the CDC and pharma? Would you insist on truly INDEPENDENT vaccine safety research instead of the industry-controlled studies we currently have? Will you call for an independent investigation of the charges made by a CDC scientist that his agency covered up research results showing a link between the MMR vaccine and autism and that these fraudulent findings were used by the Federal Court of Claims to dismiss 5,000 claims of vaccine-induced autism? Will you call for an investigation of findings announced in 2011 showing that the government has compensated over 80 cases of vaccine-induced autism at the same time health officials deny any connections between vaccines and autism? Will you call for reform of the CDC, an agency that literally has oversight over itself? Will you call for a simple comparison study of fully-vaccinated and never-vaccinated children? Parents have been asking for such a study for two decades, yet officials refuse to look into this critical issue. It would be proof that vaccines aren't seriously and negatively affecting children if never-vaccinated kids also had soaring rates of autism, learning problems and a myriad of other health problems. We could finally put this controversy to rest. HILLARY CLINTON AND THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE NEEDS TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS. THEY CAN'T BE ALLOWED TO WALK AWAY FROM THIS ISSUE. Anne Dachel is Media Editor for Age of Autism. We have an act of war going on that could come to our country and my job as governor is to protect the people of our state while also showing empathy to those people who are being harmed by terrorists. The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them ... will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area. U.S. military action against the Islamic State is currently illegal; it violates the Constitution and the War Powers Act, and it can't reasonably be justified as covered by Congress' 2001 authorization of the use of military force against Al-Qaeda and its enablers.... But now the administration has a golden opportunity to make any future military action against Islamic State lawful. The Islamic State has attacked France. France is a NATO ally. The president could invoke the NATO treaty, which obligates the United States to come to France's aid. The war against the Islamic State would rest on sound legal authority, with no congressional involvement (beyond funding, which Congress is already doing) needed. Article VI of the Constitution makes treaties the "supreme law of the land" if they were made "under the authority of the United States." This, at the very least, allows the president, with Senate ratification, to make legally binding commitments to use the powers of the federal government, which clearly include the power to wage war, and otherwise use military force. Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty is such a commitment, and it pretty clearly applies in this case. I agree with Ilya that the Obama Administration's current domestic legal justification for the war against the Islamic State is sketchy at best. But I am not sure I agree with him that [Article 5] should be read as a "pre-authorization" for the President to use military force without going back to Congress for a specific authorization.... [Article 11] of the North Atlantic Treaty states that "[t]his Treaty shall be ratified and its provisions carried out by the Parties in accordance with their respective constitutional processes."... If you are someone who believes that Congress must authorize the use of force by the President in most cases, than this language would mean that the President has to go back to Congress.... In any event, I don't think it makes sense to read the NATO Treaty as saying much at all about domestic allocation of war powers. The main legal purpose of [Article 5] was (is) to allow NATO countries to act consistently with the U.N. Charter's limitations on the use of force (such as they are). Invoking [Article 5] ... might have mattered if the U.S. and France weren't already using military force against ISIS in Syria in ways somewhat inconsistently with the UN Charter. But they have been bombing for months already, so I am not sure it is even worth invoking [Article 5] at this point. In the event of an enemy attack on the US itself, the president has the legal authority to use force...without additional congressional authorization.... Article 5 [gives] him the same authority to use force as he would have in the event of an attack on the United States itself. All of this is in accordance with US "constitutional processes." The true main purpose of Article 5 is to commit the signatories to a system of collective defense against attack a commitment originally necessitated by the threat of the Soviet Union, but not limited to that specific danger. Empowering the president to assist an ally under attack without having to seek congressional authorization pretty obviously facilitates that purpose, as it makes the US commitment to defend its European allies more credible and certain. Jeb Bush wants the United States to declare war on ISIS. Speaking on "Meet the Press" on Sunday, Bush addressed the recent attacks in Paris and said that he believes America has a responsibility to lead in the fight against what he called "this radical Islamist threat."... "This is viewed as a law enforcement exercise by the Obama administration. We should declare war," Bush said. "We have the capabilities to do this. We just have to show the will." January 5, 2016 Congress is starting the new year with a clear warning that the Middle East and Europe need to do a whole lot more to prevent jihadis from moving around the globe. The House Foreign Affairs Committee is scheduled to vote Jan. 7 on legislation to create a plan to combat international travel by terrorists and other foreign fighters. The bill, from panel member Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., notably requires the State Department to single out at-risk countries that fail to meet minimum standards for combating travel by foreign fighters. The vulnerabilities that currently exist with international security abroad pose a concerning threat to our homeland, Zeldin said in a statement. The development of international border security standards is critical. With the rise of terrorism at home and around the world, its essential that we work together as a global community to monitor and stop the movement of terrorists. The preliminary panel vote comes as Congress has been clamoring for action in the wake of last months deadly shooting in San Bernardino, which the FBI on Jan. 5 said appeared to be foreign inspired but not foreign-directed. Just before their Christmas break, lawmakers made it harder for Europeans and others with ties to Iran, Iraq, Syria and Sudan to benefit from visa-free travel to the United States. Zeldins bill tracks closely with the conclusions of a September 2015 House Homeland Security Committee report whose very first recommendation was the creation of a national strategy to combat terrorist travel. The State Department would have six months to craft such a plan, with a special focus on foreign nations needs and shortcomings. In addition, the State Department and Homeland Security Department would be instructed to cooperate on an annual report tracking foreign countries progress in preventing travel by foreign fighters. Those nations that fail to make significant efforts to comply with the standards set forth in the bill would be at risk of losing US economic and military assistance. The threat of a US aid cut is particularly concerning for Middle East nations such as Tunisia and Jordan and, to a lesser extent, Morocco that receive millions in US aid every year. Those three countries ranked first, third and seventh, respectively, among the top 10 nations of origin of foreigners fighting in Syria and Iraq, according to data compiled by the Homeland Security panel (oil-rich Saudi Arabia, which doesnt get any substantial US aid, ranked second). To help foreign countries better control their borders, Zeldins bill would also authorize the Department of Homeland Security to provide them with excess nonlethal equipment and supplies. The bill specifically instructs the agency to accelerate the provision to foreign governments of its automated global targeting system to evaluate travelers along with the State Departments system to securely compare and evaluate personal identification. The Department of Defense is already authorized to share excess weapons with foreign countries as part of a program that came under scrutiny after protesters in Ferguson, Missouri, were met by heavily armed police forces in 2014. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment. Separately, the House panel is also scheduled to vote Jan. 7 on legislation from Rep. Steve Russell, R-Okla., that would restrict the Obama administrations ability to remove Iranian individuals and institutions from a US list of sanctioned entities. January 5, 2016 CAIRO The liberal New Wafd Party is the oldest political party in Egypt. It was founded in 1918 by Egyptian leader Saad Zaghloul under the emblem of Egyptian nationalism, which seeks to preserve national unity among Muslims and Christians. In May 2010, Sayyid al-Badawi took leadership of the party, which has entered all of the Egyptian elections that have been held since the outbreak of the January 25 Revolution. The party won 45 seats in the latest parliamentary elections, held in two rounds in October and November of 2015. The party came third in these elections after the Free Egyptians Party (FEP) and the Nations Future Party. Badawi, in an interview with Al-Monitor, addressed the negative phenomena that marred the electoral process. These included bribery of candidates as well as vote buying. Badawi said there is an unclean route that one has to take to cast a vote. Meanwhile, he praised the states impartiality and said it was an unprecedented position in the past 60 years of political life in Egypt. Badawi said the parties that won parliamentary seats by buying members of parliament are temporary parties that only have a short lifespan because they are not based on political grounds but rather can be attributed to certain people. In his view, as soon as these people disappear for one reason or another, these parties will also disappear, as opposed to the Wafd Party, which was founded on national tenets nearly 100 years ago. Badawi strongly criticized the businessmen who fund parties, pointing out that these negative phenomena had not existed before and now pose a major threat to the political life in Egypt. The text of the interview follows: Al-Monitor: How do you assess the recent parliamentary elections, including the first and second stages? Badawi: Assessing the electoral process should be divided into two axes. The first is the ballot box, while the second is the route to the ballot box. As far as the first axis is concerned, the state was impartial as it was not biased to any political faction or movement, and Egypt's judges, police and armed forces played a major role in maintaining order and security. For the first time in 60 years, the ballot boxes were clean. As for the second axis, which is the route to the ballot box, it was far from being clean as it was marred by several violations; some candidates resorted to political money, while some voters accepted that their votes be bought. Al-Monitor: To what extent did bribery play a part in the electoral process, especially buying candidates or votes? Badawi: Political money was used in two phases. The first phase was before the nomination, as some parties paid huge sums to some candidates to have them leave their own parties. Chief among these parties were the FEP and the Nations Future Party, which bought candidates from the Wafd Party, among others. Twenty-three of the candidates bought from the Wafd Party won parliamentary seats and now belong to political money parties. My question to those who believe that there are candidates who chose to leave the Wafd Party without any financial temptation is the following: What, apart from money, would prompt any Wafd candidate to leave a party as important as the Wafd Party, which has a political, national history and a record of struggle in order to join other unknown parties? The second phase is buying votes, which is an unforeseen phenomenon in parliamentary life since 1866. We used to say that the [Muslim] Brotherhood offers electoral bribes to buy votes through commodities such as oil and sugar. This time around, however, huge sums of money were paid to buy votes in front of the very eyes of [election monitoring] committees. For the first time, we found electoral brokers bargaining with candidates to bring voters after collecting their cards, as well as groups to vote for those who pay in cash. Al-Monitor: In past statements to the press, you said that some parties spend lavishly during the elections, yet their sources of funding are unknown. Which parties are you referring to? Badawi: The funding sources of these parties have become well known. The FEP is funded by a businessman, while the Nations Future Party is funded by a number of businessmen, led by businessman Ahmed Abou Hashima. This is according to the partys head, Mohamed Badran, a hard-working guy whom I respect and wish success for. But the phenomenon of businessmen funding political parties is new and strange, and it poses a major threat to Egypt and its political life. Political competition between parties has turned into financial competition. Al-Monitor: Is the party satisfied with the 45 parliamentary seats it won? Badawi: Given that the elections were marred by polarization and given that candidates and votes were bought, I can only be satisfied because the Wafd Party has always relied on its national and political history and reform programs. It never resorted to political money. Our MPs were not paid, and they now call themselves the naive MPs. Also, the 45 MPs have a vision, a program and a long experience in parliamentary work. Many of the parties that relied on political money are not real parties, as they do not have many members or cadres and they lack a regulatory structure or a political history. They are all temporary parties, called the one-session parties because they rely on people and not on ideas, principles or tenets. Al-Monitor: The FEP won 13 seats in the 2012 parliamentary elections, yet jumped to 65 seats in the recent elections. In your view, what is reason for this huge increase in the number of seats? Badawi: The FEP won 43 seats in the first phase in Upper Egypt, where there are provinces in which Christian voters dominate such as Asyut, Sohag, Minya, Beni Suef and Luxor, and thus the reluctance of voters to participate in the elections was a factor that had a significant impact on the success of the largest number of the FEP [candidates]. In the second phase in Cairo governorate, Wafd only won one seat, while the FEP won nine seats in Christian-dominated constituencies such as Shubra, al-Sahel, Farag, al-Zawiya, Sharabia, Qasr al-Nil and al-Hadaeq. I do not blame them for it, because this is the freedom of choice guaranteed by the constitution and the law; I am simply stating the reasons why the FEP outweighed the Wafd Party, and by the way, most of the FEP candidates if not all of them are Muslims. Al-Monitor: In the 2012 elections, the participation rate reached 52%, while in 2015, it was only limited to 29%. How do you explain this? Badawi: This percentage, unfortunately, is quite low, and I think this is because the Egyptians have voted more than six times since the outbreak of the January 25 Revolution, whether in the constitutional declaration on March 19, 2011, or the elections of the People's Assembly or the Shura, the Muslim Brotherhoods constitution, and the constitution of the June 30 Revolution and twice for presidential elections. However, their living conditions did not improve, and I think their reluctance reflects a state of general frustration with the country as a result of the difficult economic conditions that followed the two revolutions, in addition to the terrorism threatening the country to derail the Egyptian economy, especially when it comes to tourism and Arab and foreign investments. Al-Monitor: Do you believe that the parliament, in its current form, represents all segments of society? Badawi: Regardless of the negative aspects I spoke about, I am optimistic about this parliament. The deputies are qualified and will be observed by the people and the media, so they will no longer be prisoners of their thoughts and conscience as before. I hope this next parliament brings hope to Egyptians and succeeds in helping them overcome this state of depression. Al-Monitor: The For the Love of Egypt list announced that it was forming an alliance called the Support the State bloc. Did the Wafd Party join? Why or why not? Badawi: We signed the Support the State document, and we are still committed to its principles, which include respecting the constitution, calling to build a modern democratic civil state, respecting public freedoms and establishing the rule of law and everyone agrees with these principles. However, the coalition, according to the constitutional usage and the constitution of 2014, should be a partisan coalition or led by parties. We have never heard of a group of independents leading a coalition in any parliament around the world. In addition, [Article 5] in the constitution states that political life in Egypt is based on having several parties that peacefully share power, and thus, we must support partisan diversity instead of being dependent on it. Al-Monitor: How do you explain the absence of parliamentary representation for the left-wing parties? Badawi: Unfortunately, left-wing parties have not developed themselves and have not undergone changes like everyone else. I am sad to see that an ancient party with a great history, such as the National Progressive Unionist Party, only won one seat. We should all support these parties and stand by their side so they would perform their roles. Al-Monitor: How do you explain the severe decrease in representation of Islamic parties in parliament, despite the fact that they won more than 70% of seats in the 2012 elections? Badawi: The Nour Party paid for the Brotherhoods acts and bloodshed in the Egyptian street. I believe the Nour Party should be represented in the parliament, and I am against the exclusion of any current whatever their partisan, political and intellectual affiliation is, so long as they do not have blood on their hands and have not resorted to violence and force. Al-Monitor: How do you evaluate the performance of Sherif Ismails government? Badawi: Unfortunately, trembling hands still control the Cabinet. Even now, the president is the one who takes reform steps and launches major national projects. The government did not do anything; it has to keep up with the president and accelerate the pace of their work in order to gain the ordinary citizens support. I would like to note that the first government the president presents to the parliament, the partys parliamentary body will approve of, because the president is the one responsible before the people and there is no responsibility without power. Thus, the president should pick the government that would be able to interpret his thoughts and implement his program so the people would be able to hold it accountable. Al-Monitor: What are the bills the party seeks to have approved in the parliament? Badawi: We have in the Wafd Party the shadow government, which drafted the partys electoral program. It has bills in all fields and disciplines and will cooperate with the government, and we will give it all experiences, bills and studies we have available. Al-Monitor: In your opinion, what are the most important existing legislations that we need to review in the next parliament? Badawi: I am against reconsidering the laws issued by the president; I am with their ratification. The Wafd Party will not impede issuing laws complementary to the constitution, because we are running out of time and we must bring the nations ship back to safety. January 5, 2016 The crusaders have once again taken over Jerusalem. Wearing chain mail and metal helmets and carrying flags, shields and swords, they arrived Dec. 30 at the prime ministers residence for another battle. This time, they seek to express their opposition to a government initiative to establish a new community settlement for Druze citizens in the Galilee, in precisely the area where the battle of the Horns of Hattin took place in 1187. As is fitting for warriors, they were not deterred by the rain or the Jerusalem chill. As they surrounded the residence, they held signs that read Deus vult, the crusaders rallying cry that means God wills in Latin. These protesters are avowed history buffs who annually re-enact the battle of the Horns of Hattin, in which the crusaders were defeated by Saladins soldiers. The re-enactment includes full dress, weapons, horses and tactical maneuvers in keeping with the period. They fear this tradition will come to an end and this historically, religiously and archaeologically important area will change forever. At the protest in front of the prime minister's residence they were joined by archaeologists and kibbutz members from the neighboring religious Kibbutz Lavi, whose residents also oppose the project at its planned location. Protesters dressed for the re-enactment of the battle of the Horns of Hattin hold signs in front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem, Dec. 30, 2015. (photo by Yuval Avivi) Gennady Nizhnick, an expert in biblical archaeology and the head of the Jerusalem Kingdom Club for historical re-enactment, came to the protest wearing chainmail, which his friend anointed with oil when it started to rain so that it wouldnt rust. According to him, the new settlement is supposed to house 10,000 people, the same as the number of casualties at the famous battle. In the Middle Ages the king was the one who decided everything, and so we came directly to the prime minister, Nizhnick said. "Why establish a settlement at the spot that should be a [UNESCO] World Heritage Site and is important to many groups of people around the world?" wondered archaeologist Rafi Lewis, whose research focuses on this area. A new Druze locality should be established, but not there. He said the area is rich with archaeological findings, but only part has been excavated. Its topographical characteristics led to many historical events happening exactly there: Napoleon fought there, and battles from the War of Independence occurred at that spot. Lewis added that some, "mainly American Protestants and evangelists, identify this place as the Mount of Beatitudes," the place where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. In November, a subcommittee of the National Planning and Building Administration authorized the establishment of a new settlement intended for the Druze population in the Horns of Hattin area, as the governments attempt to solve the housing crisis in the sector. These lands belong to the state, argued Deputy Minister and Druze Ayoob Kara in the printed Makor Rishon newspaper. The place doesnt disturb anyone. Its desolate. According to Lewis, the process of moving the plan along is happening faster than usual to prevent opposition by different elements, among other reasons. Alongside the archaeologists and historians, environmental organizations also want to see the settlement built elsewhere. On Jan. 5, the plan was set to come up for authorization at the National Planning and Building Administration. A source at an environmental organization involved in this type of decision told Al-Monitor that the administrations authorization is not the final word, and that even afterward, objections to the plan can be submitted. All the groups opposing the plan want to emphasize that they support the establishment of a new Druze settlement a very sensitive topic, given the government's discriminatory treatment of the Druze, but not at this site. "The area is on UNESCOs tentative list of places to be recognized as World Heritage Sites, Nizhnick said. Its a place that could attract tourists and contribute to the local community. There are similar sites around the world where no one would dream of building. Its a monument in itself, a holy place for three religions and part of the historical landscape that is important to conserve. The hill itself was declared a national park, but the slopes where the battle took place should also be given that status. Massive building there would completely change the character of the area. For his part, Lewis said, Its a world heritage site, which while not directly related to Israeliness or Hebrew culture, was placed in our hands for safekeeping. Its immoral to abandon it for some political reasons. He argued that many organizations and politicians are afraid to oppose the construction at the site because they dont want to be seen as biased against the Druze. Ruti Bolvik, a member of Kibbutz Lavi, said that the fact that this is a Christian and Muslim heritage site does not matter to religious kibbutz members, explaining, The damage to the historical landscape would be terrible. Its not just another field. Its a historical site important to three religions and its the last place they should build. Nati Rosensweig, the manager of livestock at the kibbutz who identifies as a cowboy, agrees with Bolvik. "Our cattle grazes just at that spot," he said, "but there are wild animals there too, like herds of gazelles that would be hurt by the construction. Theyre planning to build 2,500 housing units. Its clear the national park would be affected. Kibbutz members wonder why the Ministry of Tourism does not develop the area as a tourist attraction, and note that everyone at the kibbutz is familiar with the areas history. Another group that supports the struggle against the plan is Lev BaGalil (Galilee in Our Heart). We still really support the establishment of a Druze settlement, said Ofir Shik, the director of the association. At last the government is taking a step in the right direction for this sector. But on the other hand weve learned of the complexity of the chosen location, and these are values that shouldnt clash. The advancement of the Druze population is necessary, but the conservation of heritage sites that are important to so many cultures is also critical. There are good alternatives, which many in the Druze community prefer because of their proximity to existing towns. As Lewis noted, the regional topography has seen various battles at the Horns of Hattin for hundreds of years. Now it seems that a new battle is being waged. The only question that remains at this point is which side will lose. January 5, 2016 After Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran, the chairman of Irans Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, Saeed Ohadi, said that the decision to continue or suspend hajj travel to Mecca and Medina would ultimately be up to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Ohadi said that at the moment, plans for the next hajj pilgrimage are taking place as scheduled and nothing has been changed. After the Saudi announcement that it was cutting ties with Iran, pictures surfaced online of Saudi officials removing the sign of the office of pilgrims affairs in Mecca belonging to Iran, and some Iranian social media users began to call for a boycott of the hajj, which will take place in September. Iranian member of parliament Mohammad Ali Esfanani, spokesman for the parliaments Judicial and Legal Committee, said the termination of diplomatic relations means that the hajj should also be suspended. The hajj pilgrimage is mandatory for Muslims who are able to afford it. Umrah pilgrimage, which is not mandatory and can be undertaken at any time of the year, was suspended in April after two Iranian boys were sexually assaulted by Saudi security at Jeddah airport. Esfanani said that while the hajj is mandatory, it can be excused when there are difficult circumstances. He rejected the idea of having another country handle visa issues for the hajj. This is not the first time there have been calls for suspending Iranian participation in the hajj. Esfanani said that Iran should have first cut diplomatic ties in September after a stampede in the Saudi city of Mina killed 461 Iranian pilgrims. According to Saudi officials, only 769 people total were killed, but according to The Associated Press, over 2,400 people died. Ohadi said that after the stampede, 79 Iranians were buried in Mecca, but that the families of 37 of those buried there requested that their bodies be returned to Iran. So far, Saudi Arabia has returned 10 of the bodies. Saudi Arabias decision to cut ties with its regional rival Iran came after protesters stormed the Saudi Embassy in Tehran in reaction to the execution of Shiite activist Nimr al-Nimr. While Iranian officials have condemned the attack on the Saudi Embassy and arrested over 40 individuals involved, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir announced that Saudi Arabia will cut all air traffic and commercial ties between the countries and that Saudi citizens will be barred from traveling to Iran. Jubeir, however, added that Iranian pilgrims will still be welcome to travel to Mecca and Medina. Iranians wishing to do so will presumably have to pay the additional cost of flying to the United Arab Emirates first rather than flying directly to Saudi Arabia. Ohadi said that despite Jubeirs comments that Iranian pilgrims are still welcomed, he still has not heard anything from the Saudis' hajj organization office. The year 2015 was a tragic year for Iranian pilgrims. In addition to the Jeddah airport attack and the Mina stampede, on Sept. 14 a crane crash killed over 100 people, eight of them Iranian, including a top scientist. Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger photo by Stan Deatherage Don't you just love it when politicians who know NOTHING about a subject try to lecture people who DO KNOW something about a subject? Law enforcement and military folks get more than their fair share of it. And so do businesspeople.MillerCoors has made the decision to close its Eden brewery (which is in senate president pro tem Phil Berger's hometown) by September 2016. Here's their explanation, published on the corporation's website:MillerCoors goes on to shed some more light on the reasons behind their decision:Volume has declined. That could likely have something to do with the dramatic rise of the craft beer industry in North Carolina. The economic climate, brought on largely by politician and bureaucrat meddling, has made it tough to do business in the United States of America. Anyone who has ever taken an economics class, or run a business, knows that a corporation's first and most important mission is to make money for its investors. It is not a charity. It is not an employment service.Politicians and bureaucrats keep piling red tape on businesses and passing crap like ObamaCare, and then throw fits when businesses respond by cutting back or moving away or shutting down altogether. Atlas Shrugs.This sounds a lot like an economic concept called 'creative destruction.' I just read about a plant in North Carolina that made CDs shutting down after more than four decades of operation. Society has evolved toward alternatives to the CD. Demand had declined dramatically for this firm's products. They were likely spending more than they were taking in. As society innovates and creates, some things have to go away to make way for these new things.This situation has created quite the Twilight Zone plot - with the top Republican in Raleigh holding rallies with the Teamsters to protest the actions of a corporation. Politicians have to scream and make noise about stuff like this - for the benefit of the folks back home. And Phil Berger and other Republicans are doing just that:Actually, it does pass the smell test. If you go back to the company's release, they talk about the strategy to target areas more toward the northeastern US. You cut transportation costs and labor costs by moving your production closer to the geographic areas you are targeting. The release also suggested that (1) the Eden brewery was overlapping too much with the Shenandoah brewery, and (2) Shenandoah was much newer, much more state-of-the-art.From a business standpoint, it sounds - overall - like a smart move. I hate it for those people in Rockingham County. But think about it. Here in Moore County - at one time - we had a booming horse carriage manufacturing business. Folks in that industry started to panic when those accursed automobiles started showing up everywhere. But people survived. They adapted.It looks like large corporate brewers are struggling to compete with these smaller craft brewers . The small brewers' costs are lower, and there is apparently a stronger demand for their products out there.There is all kinds of evidence out there that our economy is now favoring smaller, independent businesses over large corporations. It sounds like we need to rethink our economic development strategy to stop pandering to Big Pharma and the Fortune 400, and start aiming to accommodate and welcome the next Henry Ford, Bill Gates, or Steve Jobs. The guy or gal operating that startup out of their garage who has a lot of drive and big dreams. January 4, 2016 As the leading Palestinian national movement celebrates its 51st anniversary, two major challenges loom large in determining whether it survives or disintegrates. Fatah, formerly the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, was established in 1959 but declared itself publicly on Jan. 1, 1965. The first press release under the Fatah name announced a guerrilla operation by its military wing, al-Asefa, initiated from south Lebanon against the Israeli water system. The movement has been credited by historians with shaping present day Palestinian nationalism by leading the Palestinian struggle for liberation and independence. It has further played a role in changing the Palestinian mindset from victimized refugees at the mercy of the international public eye to a proud nation insisting on their liberation. But this identity which became the movements raison detre was epitomized by Yasser Arafat, who was replaced by Mahmoud Abbas. The difference between the two is often reflected in the image that they have chosen to portray. Arafat was proud of his army fatigue and nationalist keffiyeh and keeping irregular work hours, while Abbas attempts to portray a leading civilian by regularly wearing a business suit and encouraging a professional work ethic. Fatahs success was also due to the fact that it was a wide-ranging movement and not simply a political party with narrow goals. Mohammad Masharqa, a senior adviser at the Palestinian mission in London, recalled in an interview with Al-Monitor that as a movement, Fatah was able to draw Marxists and religious Islamists. It welcomed right-wing and left-wing activists, nationalist secularists and Islamists. They fought for liberating Palestine and establishing a democratic state for all its citizens irrespective of their religions and beliefs, Masharqa said. The Oslo Accord launched in 1993 changed that, and the movement has been swallowed by the newly established governmental structure, as per Masharqa. Fatah has a challenge to decide whether it is a national movement that supports the government, or [whether it is] the ruling party of the government. Each definition has its requirements and will therefore yield different results. A national movement would continue to focus on resistance activities until liberation is reached; however, a ruling party is bound by bureaucracy and cant participate in resistance activities, whether violent or nonviolent. Fatah insiders are not as worried about this issue, but rather feel that Fatahs problems stem from the fact that it has failed, on both political and national levels, to bring about change in ending the occupation or in setting a clear tangible strategy in this direction. Ahmad Ghneim, member of the Fatah Consultative Committee, an advisory council that includes former members of the Revolutionary Council and Fatahs Central Committee, told Al-Monitor that to succeed, Fatah needs to address these setbacks. We are aware that there is little political horizon these days with Israel, and the US, in the next year, is clearly not on board, he said. However, Ghneim feels that there is a lot that can be accomplished despite the national setbacks. Ghneim noted that a number of young Fatah leaders are attempting to deal with the national crisis by trying to seek national reconciliation, especially with Hamas. Regionally, there has been polarization between nationalists and Islamists. But we should not allow ourselves to fall in this trap. We should not have to pay the price of internal Arab differences, he added. The same sentiment about the effects of regional issues on local ones was reflected by a Fatah activist in Gaza, Zakaria Talmas. The intervention of Arab governments and the dirty use of political money have to be dealt with, he told Al-Monitor. Privately, Fatah officials indicate that the pressures from Arab countries are focused on refusing attempts at reconciliation with Hamas. Press reports have indicated the depth of the Arab intervention in reconciliation issues. Al-Monitor learned from a trustworthy source in the movement who requested anonymity that a number of second-generation Fatah leaders began a campaign to break up the reconciliation logjam with Hamas. The campaign included visits to Qatar and a meeting with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal to find out exactly why words of reconciliation are not translated into actions. The Fatah gestures toward Hamas appear to have produced some positive feedback. While the Hamas leadership in Gaza continues to ban large public celebrations of Fatahs anniversary, one of the moderate Hamas leaders has taken the extraordinary step of publicly congratulating Fatah on its anniversary. On his Facebook page, Ahmad Yousef, a former adviser to Hamas Ismail Haniyeh, wished Fatah success in its efforts for reconciliation. Political disagreements might have kept us apart, but we should work together hand in hand for a better national and social future. Many saw in this statement a positive hint toward an end to the split and the opening of a new page between the two movements with the beginning of the new year. January 5, 2016 The new year seems to have opened yet another chapter on Middle Eastern instability, as Saudi Arabia executed 47 prisoners including popular Saudi Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, whom it accused of "foreign meddling." The beheadings opened a chasm with Iran on one side and most of the Arab Gulf states on the other. After the Jan. 2 executions, Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi Embassy annex in Tehran. Though Tehran publicly denounced the raid, Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Iran the next day. Iran responded in kind, expelling Saudi diplomats. Diplomatic ties were the only binds left between the countries, following the crisis in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, which took relations to their worst days. Now there are no ties left between Iran and Saudi Arabia, as well as Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates downgraded its diplomatic representation in Iran to charge daffaires. However, In practice, we had no real diplomatic relations in recent years, an Iranian diplomat told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. The diplomat elaborated on Riyadh officials' decision to suspend diplomatic relations with Iran, saying, Iran is not their problem. [Iran is just] an excuse to justify their iron-fist policies in the region since 2011. Nimrs execution, unlike his arrest in 2012, did not stir remarkable protests in his stronghold, Qatif, in eastern Saudi Arabia, home of the Saudi Shiite minority. This might be due to the tight security measures that were taken by Saudi authorities, who are reported to have killed one protester Jan. 3 and injured another when a group of angry Nimr supporters burned tires. Iran and Saudi Arabia are fighting two main proxy wars in Syria and Yemen, where thousands of people are being killed. The resistance bloc is backed by Tehran, with Riyadh backing the moderation bloc. In Iraq, both parties disagree on who should have a role and what those roles should be, and now, on how the war with the Islamic State (IS) should be fought. The Saudis have concerns over the Iranian role in Iraq mainly the support given to the Popular Mobilization Units and other Shiite militant groups while the Iranians accuse Saudis of being the main supporter of terrorism. In Lebanon, a war of words dominates the scene but seems to be, at the moment, under control. The country which has been without a president since May 2014 is divided between the pro-Saudi Future Movement and pro-Iran Hezbollah, and both, despite exchanging harsh statements every now and then, are meeting regularly. In Bahrain, the Shiite opposition seems to be under heavy pressure from the Saudi-backed royal family. For four years, the opposition in the tiny Gulf kingdom has been demonstrating, demanding reforms and partnership. The state, along with its Saudi allies, accuses the opposition of being backed by Iran and, for this reason, arrested its main figures. Saudi Arabia seems headed toward escalation, announcing Jan. 4 that it was suspending flights and trade with Iran and calling for an Arab League meeting to take further steps. The Saudis seem to have planned their action and reaction all together, another Iranian government official told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. They knew this wouldn't go away without a minimum reaction. ... They were going to sever ties and pressure other countries to follow suit. For years, Iran lived in isolation and our country is better than many other countries in the region, so what is going to change? Iranian officials issued several statements and speeches condemning Nimr's execution, and though some of the commentary was very harsh, that is all they did. There was nothing to be done but for the Iranian side to express its dismay and condemnation of the Saudi act mainly since Nimr was the leader of the Shiite minority in Saudi Arabia and an ayatollah, which means he could issue Islamic fatwas and edicts. [The Saudis] try to fabricate enemies to divert attention from their structural domestic and regional challenges, the first Iranian diplomat said. When asked if there might be a solution soon, he said, No, and we are not happy because this hurts us all. But the Saudis are gambling, and they seem to be looking for a fight because they are losing somewhere else. The main questions now, with Saudi-Iranian relations at their worst levels, are how this will affect the region and where the two regional superpowers are going to settle their accounts. The first possible indication was Saudi Arabias decision to end the truce in Yemen. Several warplanes resumed airstrikes on the Houthi Ansar Allah rebel movement close to Iran, putting negotiations between the latter and Yemen's pro-Saudi President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in danger. If things continue this way, there is not likely to be a next round of talks and, if there is, a deal might be very hard to reach. In Syria, while the war continues on the ground, a political path is taking place under the auspices of the United States and Russia. The developments between Saudi Arabia and Iran might halt the already-slow and tiny progress and complicate the efforts, especially if both sides decide to use the Syrian arena to settle their accounts. Some Arab journalists have suggested that Nimr's execution was in fact due to a Syrian incident, namely the Dec. 25 killing of Zahran Alloush, a Saudi-affiliated commander of the Jaish al-Islam Islamist coalition. The journalists say Saudi Arabia wanted to take revenge for his death by killing an Iranian-affiliated symbol in the same rank of Alloush, and Nimr was their best choice. That theory presents several questions. One is, why execute Nimr instead of Ahmed Ibrahim al-Mughassil, head of the Saudi Hezbollah (al-Hejaz) Party, who Riyadh says is responsible for the Khobar bombing and of being an Iranian arm? Also, why carry out the execution now, and did the Saudis study the implications not only for bilateral relations but also for the whole region? January 5, 2016 CAIRO Saudi Arabia has been steadily boosting its agricultural investments in Sudan in recent years, raising concerns in Cairo that any increase in Sudans use of Nile River water will come at the expense of Egypts share. Riyadh has been encouraging Saudi investors to pump more money into Sudan in conjunction with Sudans participation in the Saudi-led intervention against the Houthis in Yemen. Yet internal reports prepared by Egypts Water Resources and Irrigation Ministry, along with the Agriculture and Land Reclamation Ministry, confirm that Sudan is already using its entire allotment of Nile water, according to a government official briefed on the issue who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. The investments, which include building dams on the Nile in Sudan, threaten Egypt's water security, an Egyptian government source confirmed to Al-Monitor. On Nov. 3, Saudi Arabia agreed to provide $1.7 billion to construct three dams in northern Sudan. The Kajbar, Dal and Al-Shiraik dams should be completed in five years. That amount comes in addition to $500 million Riyadh has provided for other water and electricity projects and the cultivation of a new 1 million acre area on the banks of the Atbara and Setit rivers in eastern Sudan. The total amount of arable land in Sudan is estimated at almost 208 million acres, which is equivalent to 45% of the Arab worlds arable land, out of which only 30 million acres are being used. At the Summit of Arab Leaders in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in March 2015, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir announced that Sudan had taken a series of measures to implement an initiative on Arab food security and was ready to receive Arab investments. The summit nearly coincided with the second Saudi-Sudanese investment forum in Riyadh in late February 2015, which confirmed the increase of Saudi investments in Sudan, currently pegged at more than $13 billion. Then at the Sudanese-United Arab Emirates forum in Abu Dhabi in May 2015, investment projects worth $16 billion were discussed. The UAEs current investments in Sudan amount to $6 billion. Water experts in Egypt have repeatedly warned against expanding agricultural areas in Sudan, saying it will be disastrous for Egypt. Moreover, the Egyptian government has faced a wave of opposition to its paradoxical announcement that Cairo will participate in agricultural projects in Sudan. Egyptian Water Minister Hossam el-Moghazys confirmed to Al-Monitor last year that Egypts agriculture projects in Sudan will depend on alternatives for the Nile water, be they groundwater or rainwater. Former Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Nasr Eldin Allam told Al-Monitor that Sudan is currently using its entire share of Nile water, although Khartoum has repeatedly claimed otherwise. He noted, Before I left the ministry in 2011, I was supervising the establishment of a water scale to determine Sudans use of the Nile water. It showed that Sudan was using its total 18.5 billion cubic meter [almost 5 trillion gallon] share of the water, as stipulated in the Nile Water Agreement of 1959. Allam stressed that any new agricultural investments in Sudan using Nile water would be deducted from Egypts share and would be a violation of that agreement. Allam said Egypt must fast-track meetings of the Egyptian-Sudanese joint body tasked with Nile water management, express Cairos fears regarding those new investments and make things perfectly clear with Sudan. He warned that the Sudanese investment plan that is currently on the table and involves Saudi Arabia, some Gulf states, Iran and Turkey confirms that Sudan needs much more than its current share of water, but the plan is unclear about where the water will come from. Allam said it will be no easy matter for Egypt to arrange discussions with the Arab investors most notably Saudi Arabia to guarantee an alternative water source and to take into account Egypts share. He added, Sudan may consider it an act hostile to development on its soil, and we need to talk to Sudan directly before resorting to such a step. Haitham Awad, head of the Irrigation and Water Hydraulics Department at Alexandria University, told Al-Monitor, Sudan has the right to develop its territory and improve the peoples standard of living, while taking into account Egypts right to the water. The plan focusing on the new dams, which is on the table, will undoubtedly increase its water consumption. In addition, the evaporated water [from the new dams] will cause the amount of water reaching Egypt to decrease, which poses a threat to Cairos share of water. Awad added, Any expansion of Sudans agricultural areas by 10,000 [acres], without taking into account its share of the water, will cause the destruction of 7,000 [acres] of agricultural land in Egypt." He said, "Talk about the possibility of resorting to groundwater for agriculture in Sudan is illogical because of the cost of drilling wells. Awad criticized Cairos policies that encourage Egyptian agricultural investment in Sudan. He said, Any extra use of the water in Sudan will be at the expense of the Egyptian share. Cairo has remained silent about the escalating boundary dispute with Sudan over the Hala'ib Triangle, as well as the Sudanese position favoring Ethiopia in the construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam, which violates the 1959 agreement. It will probably take the same approach to its concerns about the suggested increased agricultural investments in Sudan, particularly since the investors are Saudis and since Cairo is keen not to further complicate the current Egyptian-Saudi ties. January 5, 2016 Rising tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran have put Turkeys ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) on the spot again, providing a fresh example of how its Islamist/Sunni-driven strategic plans for the Middle East can be undermined by unforeseen developments. Pressure began building after the Saudis beheaded 47 prisoners, including popular Shiite cleric and critic Nimr al-Nimr, on Jan. 2. This latest, and to date most dangerous, crisis between Saudi Arabia and Iran began only days after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Riyadh for talks with King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud aimed at increasing cooperation on regional issues, most notably on Syria. Erdogans visit was crowned by the establishment of a Strategic Cooperation Council between the two countries for that purpose. The trip followed Ankaras decision to participate in the Saudi-led Islamic Military Alliance announced in mid-December by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said after the Saudi announcement that Turkey looked favorably on the alliance, which he characterized as a step in the right direction by Islamic countries. He said the alliance will counter efforts to correlate Islam and terrorism. The composition of the 34-nation alliance, however, has led some analysts to see it more as a Sunni coalition through which Saudi Arabia aims to check and reduce Irans regional influence. Providing a rare example of concurrence, Turkey's decision to join the coalition has elicited criticism from both secularist and Islamist commentators in Turkey, who are now warning the government against becoming embroiled in the dispute between Riyadh and Tehran. All these developments also come at a time of tension between Turkey and Iran over Syria, where they support opposing sides. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani criticizes Sunni powers, especially Saudi Arabia but including Turkey, for supporting forces fighting against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. "Does the destruction of Syria lead to the strengthening of Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates or other countries? Who is pleased by Syria's destruction, other than Israel?" Rouhani said during a Dec. 21 news conference in Tehran. Erdogan in turn accused Iran of again fomenting sectarian divisions in the region by supporting Assad. If Iran did not stand behind Assad for the sake of sectarian gains, maybe we would not be talking about Syria today, Erdogan said during a Dec. 27 speech in Istanbul. Turkey and Saudi Arabia have been at odds over Ankaras support for the Muslim Brotherhood and Riyadhs backing of the military coup in Egypt in 2013, which toppled President Mohammed Morsi. Istanbul and Riyadh have, nevertheless, found room for agreement in Syria in recent months, especially after the death of Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud in January 2015. Both Turkey and Saudi Arabia are deeply unhappy that Assad is still in power and are lukewarm toward Moscow and Washingtons decision to open a place at the table for the Assad regime in efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis. Given this general backdrop, the Saudi side undoubtedly expected Turkey to support it in its dispute with Iran. However, Turkey unexpectedly found itself in a difficult position: It does not want to openly antagonize Iran, with which it maintains crucial energy ties, despite the antipathy it may feel toward the country. Ankaras ambivalence was made apparent by its inability for three days to issue a statement about the execution of Nimr and the attacks against Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran by angry protesters. When the statement finally came, it was noted that Turkey was trying to place itself in a diplomatically safe middle ground, which was unlikely to please either Tehran or Riyadh. Talking to reporters after a Cabinet meeting Jan. 3, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesman Numan Kurtulmus called on both countries to de-escalate the tension. The dispute, he said, could have dire consequences for the region, which already resembles a powder keg. It is essential for Turkey that diplomatic missions in foreign countries are protected according to the Vienna Convention. We advise Iran to protect all the diplomatic missions in Iran, Kurtulmus said. We are a country that has abolished the death penalty. We do not believe that the death penalty, and especially political death penalties, will contribute to regional peace, he added, pointing a finger at Saudi Arabia. Riyadh is unlikely to be happy about his reference to political death penalties. The statement by Kurtulmus, however, did not do away with Ankaras ambivalence regarding the crisis. A written statement issued by the Foreign Ministry after Kurtulmus remarks accused Iran and apportioned no blame to Saudi Arabia. This appeared to be an attempt at appeasing Riyadh after Kurtulmus remarks. We are concerned about the attack against Saudi Arabias diplomatic missions in Iran, the statement said, going on to indicate that these attacks were unacceptable. Calling on the two countries to return to the language of diplomacy, the Foreign Ministry statement made no reference to the execution of Nimr, despite the prevalent view in the international community that this was a provocative and unnecessary act that will only increase sectarian tensions in the Middle East. There was, however, little backing for Saudi Arabia among Turkeys pro-government Islamist supporters, thus revealing that little love is lost among Turkish Islamists for the Saudi regime and the Wahhabi interpretation of Islam on which it is based. The fact that AKP supporters feel an affinity for the Muslim Brotherhood and have abhorred Riyadhs hostility toward the group is also a key factor that determines the view of Turkish Islamists toward Saudi Arabia. This was apparent in a commentary by Akif Emre, a prominent columnist for the pro-government daily Yeni Safak. Emre asked derisively in his column how it was that Saudi Arabia had "become the lead of the Sunni world and the representative of the majority of Muslims in the world, and went on to argue that the crisis between Riyadh and Tehran is not based on sectarian considerations. The picture we have today, which gives the impression of being centered on sectarianism, is only one product of the different dimensions the regional war for influence has taken on, Emre wrote, going on to argue that Riyadh executed Nimr to create controlled tensions in the region. Emre also blasted the Saudi-led Islamic alliance against terrorism. The fact that the Saudis have set up a coalition against the Islamic State, which itself is the product of the Saudi ideological approach, is a strategic irony, he wrote. Maintaining that Riyadh is trying to establish a bloc for itself composed of non-Shiite powers, Emre said, Turkey should not fall into the lap of this alliance or take sides in the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Murat Yetkin, the staunchly secularist editor-in-chief of Hurriyet Daily News and a columnist for the daily Radikal, also cautioned against taking sides in the dispute. The surprise here is not in Yetkins views, but in seeing a secularist and an Islamist columnist in a rare moment of agreement. The idea of a Saudi-led alliance against terrorism perpetrated in the name of Islam was a bad idea from the start, Yetkin wrote in his Radikal column. It is not right for Turkey to be part of an alliance led by one of the most oppressive regimes in the world, he added, calling on Davutoglu to keep Turkey out of the Sunni-Shiite rivalry being spearheaded by Riyadh and Tehran. Whatever the AKPs intentions may be in cozying up to Saudi Arabia, they remain on hold now because of the Saudi-Iranian conflict which also shows yet again that Ankaras regional plans are ultimately at the mercy of the unpredictable ways of this part of the world. January 5, 2016 SANAA, Yemen Houthis in Yemen have been detaining, kidnapping and even using journalists as human shields in military barracks targeted by the air force of the Saudi-led Arab coalition. The year 2015 dealt a major blow to press freedoms in Yemen amid growing concerns over the fate of at least 13 journalists who continue to be held by rebels with no news about their situation for a month. Marwan Dammaj, secretary-general of the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS), sounded the alarm as Houthis expanded their attacks against journalists. Yemens journalists need to take broader action. Journalists are being horribly tortured in the prisons of [the Houthi] militia, he said. Dammaj also confirmed to Al-Monitor that journalists have been specifically targeted. All of the independent and partisan press institutions have been closed, while all of the official public and government institutions have been seized. The YJS secretary-general pointed out that as a result of all of these attacks, hundreds of journalists lost their jobs and sources of livelihood. Meanwhile, Reporters Without Borders classified the Houthis as the second-largest hostage-takers of professional journalists, following the Islamic State (IS). The organization said the abduction of journalists has become a common occurrence ever since the group seized Sanaa in September 2014. It is now second only to Syria as the country reporters are kidnapped the most. Sanaa is now devoid of media outlets opposing the Houthis' de facto authority, especially since many daily and weekly newspapers were forced to suspend their publications and were politically and systematically abused by Houthis, according to Reporters Without Borders. The group said many of Yemens journalists have left their homes for villages and rural areas or fled the country entirely; the total has been estimated to be as high as 500. Yemeni journalist Fares al-Humairi told Al-Monitor, Journalists paid an exorbitant price during the last months of the war. About a dozen colleagues have been killed while 13 others continue to be detained in Houthi prisons after some were released. The press experienced its worst incident as Abdullah Kabel and Joseph al-Aiziri, two journalists detained by Houthis, were killed at a military site targeted by the Saudi-led Arab coalition air force in May south of Sanaa. This prompted the YJS to accuse the Houthi group of using journalists as human shields in an unprecedented, deliberate murder carried out by an unruly and irresponsible group. Amer al-Dumaini, deputy editor of Al-Nas weekly, told Al-Monitor that the militias war on the media is an essential part of the war waged by Houthis on the various media outlets of different affiliations. This war was obvious since the first day of the coup, he said. Dumaini added, The [Houthis] are so focused on journalists because they are aware of the importance of the media and the role the media could play in exposing the groups behavior and violations. That is why, he said, the group rushed to storm the capital, Sanaa, on Sept. 21, 2014, and install its own people in the TV sector to spread misleading information and promote its own ideas and policies. With the start of the Operation Decisive Storm military operations, the Houthis harassment grew so violent that it was tantamount to a crime whose perpetrators should be sentenced to a death sentence, imprisonment and execution, Dumaini told Al-Monitor. Dumaini pointed out that the groups war was aimed at muting the opposition media outlets through a set of repressive and arbitrary measures that affected the civil, independent and partisan media outlets in the country. Chief among these measures, Dumaini said, are the storming and looting of media outlets and the suspension of their printing operations. Add to this the blocking of news websites for surfers in Yemen as well as acts of harassment and violence against journalists, he said. These acts included stalking, kidnapping, murdering, imprisoning and torturing journalists. On Oct. 13, three reporters were arrested in the Hadramout province (in eastern Yemen) after covering a demonstration in the Mukalla provincial capital to demand the departure of al-Qaeda militants from the city. Those arrested were Amir Baaweidan, a reporter at the local Azaal TV channel; Mohammed Mokri, a reporter at Yemen Today newspaper; and cameraman Akram al-Yamani. This means that the rebels have not been the only ones attacking journalists and that other armed groups also took part in these acts. 19213482-mmmain.jpg BP is selling its Decatur plant. (bp.com) BP is in the process of selling its Alabama petrochemicals plant to Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited, the firm said this morning in a news release. The leading oil and gas producer announced in November it would try to sell its Decatur facility as part of a broader reorganization of its global petrochemicals business. The complex operates on 1,000 acres and can make 1 million tons per year of purified terephthalic acid, or PTA, for the production of polyester. BP, which acquired the Decatur complex in 1998 after merging with Amoco, is spending $200 million to improve its Cooper River, S.C., and Geel, Belgium facilities, both of which are the largest PTA-producing sites in the Americas and Europe. "This agreement allows us to focus investment on our world-class PTA production facility in Cooper River, South Carolina, and a key PTA feedstock producer in Texas City, Texas, as well as to maintain a strong position in the important U.S. petrochemicals industry," said Rita Griffin, chief operating officer of BP Global Petrochemicals, in a statement. The sale includes the site, working capital and related infrastructure, and certain contracts with suppliers and customers. BP Director of Media Affairs Michael Abendhoff, who declined to provide the purchase price, said the plant's 400 employees will transfer to the new owner when the sale closes in early 2016. BP's operating units in Decatur make PTA, paraxylene (PX), a raw material for PTA production, and naphthalene dicarboxylate (NDC), a chemical used in new-generation polyesters and resins for LCD flat-panel displays, ultra-thin data storage tape and other products. "We are grateful to our employees who have made the Decatur facility a safe, reliable and valuable contributor to BP's business for so many years," said Luis Sierra, head of BP's global aromatics business unit. "We believe this agreement -- with an established global industry leader such as Indorama Ventures -- provides a compelling future for those employees, the site and the community of Decatur." Based in Bangkok, Thailand, Indorama Ventures operates in 19 countries in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia Pacific. The company says it is the largest PET producer in the world with $7.5 billion in 2014 revenue, 14,000 employees and 58 manufacturing sites. Indorama Ventures operates other Alabama properties at AlphaPet in Decatur and Polyamide High Performance in Scottsboro. IMG_0782.JPG Right at Home on 2045 Cecil Asburn Drive in Huntsville. (Courtesy) Right at Home and Caregivers of the Valley are expanding their reach in north Alabama through a new partnership to better serve local clients. Caregivers of the Valley recently joined forces with Right at Home, a Nebraska in-home companionship and personal care company with offices in Huntsville and Birmingham. Caregivers was previously a division of Palliative Care Partners, a nonprofit subsidiary of Hospice of the Valley in Decatur. The organization's caregivers and staff will operate under Right at Home and continue to support Decatur/Huntsville area clients. Right at Home now has roughly 150 part-time employees with the expansion. "The healthcare industry is complex and overwhelming for families," said Bradford Meythaler, president of Right at Home in Huntsville. "When we are able to work together, we are able to meet the patient care goals the families want." Right at Home, which entered the Huntsville market two years ago, has served about 1,000 families in Madison, Limestone, Marshall and Morgan counties in that time. Hospice of the Valley CEO Debbie Heard said her nonprofit has helped approximately 10,000 patients since 1985. She said Hospice of the Valley will continue to be the area's "end-of-life specialists," while Right at Home will help to fill a growing gap between home health and hospice care for seniors and disabled adults. "I hope it will help us position ourselves for success and a growth in our patient census," Heard said. "Hospice care is very competitive and we feel like we go the extra mile for our patients and families." Right at Home offices are independently owned and operated and directly employ and supervise all caregiving staff. Employees are screened, trained, and bonded/insured prior to entering a client's home. Meythaler said the partnership will allow Right at Home to spend more time training caregivers to provide the proper level of care to patients. Employees receive continuing education on a variety of topics, including dementia/Alzheimer's disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, congestive heart failure, stroke, cancer, hospice and more. "We are constantly partnering with healthcare providers throughout the community because all have our own strengths," Meythaler said. "When we can partner and work together, we can provide a better result to our families." Cherokee County officials say they have arrested a Centre man who is a convicted sex offender and was not complying with the state's registration and notification act. Sheriff Jeff Shaver said Alford Eugene Henderson, 54, was arrested Monday after investigators learned he was living in Rome, Ga. rather than at the Centre address he had provided. Convicted sex offenders are required by law to notify the sheriff in their county when they move, change addresses or begin staying at another location. Shaver said Henderson was convicted in 1994 for first degree sexual abuse. Henderson is being held without bond in the Cherokee County Detention Center. Screen Shot 2016-01-06 at 11.37.35 AM.png Authorities discovered this vandalism on the front of the Bessemer fire administration building early Sunday morning. (Submitted by Henry Rutledge) Recent vandalism at a Bessemer Fire Department building has catapulted an ongoing federal lawsuit back into the public eye. Bessemer firefighter John Johnson filed a lawsuit in Dec. 2014, alleging that he was wrongly suspended after writing a personal Facebook post expressing his displeasure with multiple racial incidents at the fire station. Bessemer Fire Chief Paul Syx, Bessemer Fire Captain Johnny Eidson and Bessemer Mayor Kenneth Gulley are named defendants in the suit, along with the city of Bessemer. Some of Johnson's alleged encounters filed in federal court include firefighters, including superior ranking officers, draping a rope noose over the rafters of the firehouse, just above a pool table with a Confederate flag cover on it; a group of firefighters drawing a swastika on a whiteboard in Johnson's and his family's presence; and an "undercurrent of racism" present during Johnson's employment. Additionally, Johnson alleges that his white coworkers were never suspended for similar Facebook posts. But this week, the lawsuit was brought to light once again. On Sunday morning, authorities discovered vandalism on the Bessemer fire station administrative building. Spray-painted on the building were the words: "CHIEF SYX IS A RACIST". Bessemer Police Department Sgt. Cortice Miles said police are investigating the incident, and no charges have been filed. While it is unclear if this week's vandalism directly referenced the lawsuit, Johnson's attorney Henry Rutledge said on Wednesday that his client did not vandalize the building. "We don't have any idea who did it," Rutledge said. "I know there are a fair amount of disgruntled employees of the fire department, some who have been fired, left on their own or even are still there. But someone else sent my client the photo." When asked about both the vandalism and the lawsuit on Wednesday morning, Syx said he was advised by the city attorneys not to comment. Bessemer City Attorney Shan Paden did not immediately return calls Wednesday morning. But attorneys representing the city filed a motion April 9, 2015, to dismiss the lawsuit, stating that Johnson's claims occurred before July 2012, which would disqualify them because of a two-year statute of limitations. On April 24, 2015, U.S. District Senior Judge James Hancock denied the motion to dismiss. Rutledge said he will take depositions from Syx and Gulley this week. He expects the case to go to trial in the coming weeks. Johnson is seeking compensation for the time he was suspended in 2012, as well as mental anguish and promotions Johnson says he missed out on because of his race. Irondale Police Chief Ken Atkinson presented a check for more than $1,700 to Make-A-Wish Alabama, money raised by his unshaven officers over the past three months. The Irondale Police Department launched its Badges and Beards effort three months ago. The initiative allows officers to grow beards and mustaches, which is usually against regulations, during the months of October, November and December. The catch, however, is that they have to donate $100 each to be allowed to do so. Atkinson said a recent study shows more than 400 children in Alabama will be diagnosed with a life-threatening condition in each of the next three years. Make-A-Wish grants wishes every day, and somewhere in the U.S., he said, a wish is granted every 37 minutes. Irondale officers set a goal of $1,500 but ended up raising $1,777. Most of the department's officers participated, and said they can't wait to do it again this year. Probate judges in Jefferson and Montgomery counties say they will continue to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples despite an administrative order from Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore on Wednesday advising them and other state probate judges to stop the practice. And Montgomery's probate judge was critical of Moore for issuing the order. Jefferson County is the largest of the 67 counties in Alabama and Montgomery County is the fourth largest by population. Jefferson County Probate Judge Alan King said that his office will continue to follow the ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court in June that cleared the way for same-sex marriage nationwide, not the order issued by Moore. "In Jefferson County we will continue to follow the U.S. Supreme Court order and issue marriage licenses to all individuals," King said this afternoon. King said he had received a copy of the administrative order from the Alabama Administrative Office of Courts telling probate judges to halt the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples. He said his office researched the ruling and never stopped issuing marriage licenses to anyone. Shelby County Probate Judge Jim Fuhrmeister said in a statement that his office is continuing its practice of issuing marriage licenses to both opposite sex and same sex couples following the U.S. Supreme Court order in Obergefell and the federal district court order in Strawser - a case out of Mobile County. But Fuhrmeister said that he and the county attorney are reviewing Moore's administrative order and all applicable state and federal court orders on the issue. Montgomery County Probate Judge Steven Reed said he is ignoring Moore's order and suggested that the chief justice step down if he can't follow the ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in June that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. "I think he (Moore) has jumped the shark at this point," he said. Reed said he doesn't know if Moore's order today was an attempt by Moore to "get on Donald Trump's radar" or generate publicity for some other reason. But he said the order is an embarrassment to Alabama and to the Alabama Supreme Court. "I think it sets a bad example when the chief justice behaves like this," Reed said. "We don't get to pick and choose what laws we follow. ... If he (Moore) can't follow those laws he ought to step down," Reed said. Not all the probate judges feel the same way. The probate office in Mobile, the state's second largest county, announced it was not issuing marriage licenses to same-sex or opposite sex couples in the wake of Moore's order. Madison County halted issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples on Wednesday but is taking applications while they await clarification of Moore's order. Another probate judge also came out publicly in support of Moore's order today. Washington County Probate Judge Nick Williams, who has publicly expressed his opposition to gay marriage, issued a statement today. Williams' office, like several others in the state, have taken the approach of not issuing marriage licenses to either same-sex or opposite-sex couples. "He will continue with that approach," according to Williams' statement through his attorney, Jay Hinton. "He (Williams) agrees with the Chief Justice in today's Administrative Order that the US Court ruling has created confusion over what law governs but it did not change the law or Constitution of Alabama insofar as what is marriage.: "The US Supreme Court has clearly said time and again that 'the domestic relations exception to federal diversity endures to this day as a matter of statutory interpretation,'" according to Williams' statement. "Federal courts lack the 'judicial expertise' possessed by state courts 'because of the special proficiency developed by state tribunals over the past century and a half' in marriage/divorce/child custody type matters. He hopes that the Alabama Supreme Court will soon reaffirm the authority of Alabama's Constitution over marriage and will rule consistent with the limits of federal jurisdiction over these matters." "If there remains any dispute about that jurisdiction or the application of the principles of federalism to this issue, Judge Williams asks Alabama's Congressional delegation to take up and push passage of the proposed legislation before them which would state explicitly that the federal court system does not have jurisdiction over domestic relations issues such as defining marriage," according to Williams' statement. Fifth Avenue Fatality.jpg (carol robinson/crobinson@al.com) Authorities today released the name of a man killed earlier today in a crash at a Birmingham intersection. The Jefferson County Coroner's Office identified the victim as Devin Blake Childers. He was 25. The crash happened at 8:07 a.m. at the intersection of 50th Street and Fifth Avenue South. Birmingham police said Childers was the driver a Honda traveling westbound on Fifth Avenue. The traffic light at the intersection was not properly functioning, and was flashing yellow. The driver of eastbound pickup truck treated the flashing traffic light as a four-way stop, police said. He stopped, and then began to turn left onto 50th street. At that time, Childers passed the vehicle in front of him and was struck by the pickup truck. He was pronounced dead on the scene at 8:18 a.m. The crash remains under investigation, but police said no charges are expected against the pickup driver. Tuscaloosa Rape Suspect.PNG Police are trying to identify this man in connection with a sexual assault at a Tuscaloosa motel. (Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide) Lawmen are asking for the public's help identifying a man wanted for question in the sexual assault of a woman sexually assaulted at a Tuscaloosa motel over the weekend. The Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit this afternoon released surveillance footage of the man, and marked their request as urgent. Tuscaloosa police and Tuscaloosa Metro Homicide investigators responded at 8 a.m. Saturday to America's Best Value Inn at 3500 McFarland Boulevard on a report of a sexual assault. Lt. Kip Hart said the 30-year-old victim, who is from Georgia, woke up in her room to a black male sexually assaulting her. The suspect fled, Hart said, and the victim called police. She told investigators she and a friend had been out and she was brought back to the motel by another friend. She said that as she was going into her room, a black male who said he was security guard approached her nd said he would help get her into the room. She fell asleep, and woke up a few hours later to the same man assaulting her. She said he was in his 20s or 30s, and was wearing blue jeans and hoodie. The motel said they do not have a security guard. The victim was taken to DCH Regional Medical Center for treatment and later released. Anyone with information about the man is asked to call the Tuscaloosa Metro Homicide Unit at 205-464-8690 or to call Crime Stoppers at 205-752-STOP (7867). Walker County Fire.PNG Twin toddlers were killed when fire swept through their Walker County home Monday, Jan. 4, 2015. (Special to AL.com from Walker County Today) The house fire that killed twin toddlers in Walker County on Tuesday was electrical in nature, the Alabama State Fire Marshal's Office ruled. "The fire originated in a living room wall, igniting the couch, which helped to spread the flame and ultimately trapped the toddlers," Steve Holmes, public information officer for the State Fire Marshal's Office, said. Walker County Coroner Joey Vick identified the victims as 19-month-old Kamden and Kelsey Williams. Their father, Darrin Williams, was injured in the blaze. He's currently in intensive care at Walker Baptist Medical Center in Jasper and is expected to survive. Holmes said the children were playing inside the house at the time of the fire. He didn't know if they were on the couch at time the fire ignited. Vick told AL.com the twins were playing in the living room when Williams went to the rear of the house to use the restroom. When the father returned, the couch was in flames. Authorities say Williams tried to pull the burning couch out of the home. He went outside to pull it from that direction, and that is when the blaze jumped to other parts of the house. The home was quickly engulfed. Vick said he was called to the scene at about 6 p.m. Kelsey and Kamden were pronounced dead on the scene at 8:30 p.m. He said because of the massive amount of damage to the house, he couldn't tell what room the twins were in when they were found. "They were laying side by side on their stomachs,'' he said."It was just terrible." Holmes said this tragic incident illustrates the importance of drafting a family escape plan in the event of a fire. Police have recovered a pickup truck believed used by the killer or killers in the shooting death of a Hoover man slain on his own doorstep, and now investigators are challenging those who know what happened to come forward. "Fortunately for us, and from an investigative standpoint, one round was fired by one suspect holding one gun. So now that triggerman has 'friends' who are talking to others,'' Hoover police Capt. Gregg Rector told AL.com. "Maybe they thought they were going out to break into cars and not kill an innocent person who was simply going about his daily routine. We'll see how long it takes for one of them to come forward and do the right thing. Or, they can wait on police to come for them." Mike Gilotti, a 33-year-old husband, father and Iraq war veteran, was shot to death about 4:55 a.m. just outside his home in the 5500 block of Park Side Circle in Hoover's Lake Cyrus subdivision. He was heading to the gym for a morning workout when police believe he encountered one or more suspects breaking into his car. One shot was fired, and Gilotti collapsed on his doorstep. He was later pronounced dead on the scene. Rector said at least 10 cars had been broken into overnight in the same subdivision. They believe Gilotti surprised a thief, and died as a result. Hoover investigators worked throughout the day following leads and processing evidence. Rector said surveillance video obtained from a nearby resident provided officers with a suspect vehicle description, which was an older Ford F-250 pickup seen leaving the Lake Cyrus area very close to the time of the murder. About 11 a.m., Bessemer police officers were notified of an abandoned truck near the intersection of Roland Avenue and Elmore Street. This area is located near the Jonesboro and Burstall communities. Some of the items recovered from inside the pickup truck were stolen during the rash of vehicle break-ins on Park Side Circle. The abandoned Ford F-250 was towed to Hoover for further evidence processing. Rector said it was also reported that four unknown black male suspects were seen walking away from the truck and getting into a dark colored Jeep Cherokee. Detectives believe those individuals likely have ties to the Bessemer area. Anyone with information about a group of males riding in a Jeep Cherokee in this area is urged to contact police. Additionally, Rector said, the abandoned Ford F-250 was stolen late Monday night in a residential area of Tuscaloosa County. There were also multiple vehicle break-ins reported in the same area where the truck was stolen. These crimes occurred in the Highway 69 / Inverness area of Tuscaloosa County. It appears the suspects committed these crimes earlier in the night, prior to coming to Hoover. Sgt. Alex Miles with the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday their Criminal Investigations Division is working with Hoover police. They aren't yet releasing details about the Tuscaloosa crimes for fear of jeopardizing both investigations. Gilotti served as a U.S. Army tank commander, first lieutenant and platoon leader in the 12th Cavalry Regiment. An Avon, Connecticut native, Gilotti worked at the State Farm claims office on Lakeshore Parkway. He and his wife had two young sons, ages 5 and 1. Co-workers said they were not authorized to speak about Gilotti but said the entire office is devastated. "Our hearts go out to his family, friends, and coworkers and he will be greatly missed," said State Farm spokesman Roszell Gadson. Police are asking that any resident who observed suspicious persons or vehicles in the area, especially between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m., to contact detectives. Any resident who believes their vehicle was burglarized overnight and has not yet filed a report with police is asked to do so. Hoover police investigated five homicides in 2015. The city has had 21 murders over the past 10 years, and hasn't had an unsolved murder since 2004. "Our detectives are determined to solve this senseless crime. They already have more evidence than they had a few hours ago,'' Rector said. "We also know the suspects who were breaking into the cars are indeed the same suspects who shot Mr. Gilotti. These individuals are heartless and have no regard for human life. " A GoFundMe account has been launched to help with the family's expenses. Investigators continue to ask for the public's assistance in helping solve this senseless crime. Individuals who have knowledge of these suspects and their identity are urged to come forward immediately. Sergeant Keith Czeskleba can be reached at 205-739-6795 or you may contact the Hoover Police Department at 205-822-5300. Tipsters can remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward by calling Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama at 205-254-7777. "This whole scenario and how it unfolded this morning is just unthinkable and sickening. It's really difficult to talk about without being angry,'' Rector said. "Mr. Gilotti was outstanding man who proudly fought for our country. He was successful, responsible and just living a normal life. Now his wife lost her husband and two precious kids lost their dad. It's just heartbreaking." The Georgia trial for the father accused in the hot-car death of his toddler son has now been delayed until April Justin Ross Harris will appear in Judge Mary Staley's courtroom on April 11 to face trial in the June 2014 death of 22-month-old Cooper Harris, Atlanta's Fox 5 reported today. His trial was to have started next month, but now motion hearings instead will be held during three days in February. Harris, formerly of Tuscaloosa, has remained jailed for the past 16 months. Authorities contend Harris intentionally left his son in the car. An eight-count indictment against Harris includes: malice murder, felony murder, felony murder, first-degree cruelty to children, second-degree cruelty to children, sexual exploitation of children, and two counts of dissemination of harmful material to minors. His attorneys, however, argue it was an accident. Pretrial motions have been ongoing since September. In the initial motion hearings, Harris' lawyers tried to bar the media and public from the pretrial hearings but the judge said that wouldn't happen. In October hearings, defense attorneys tried to convince the judge to separately try charges that Harris had inappropriate online exchanges with an underage girl separately, but the judge declined to separate the cases, the AP reported. Detective Phil Stoddard of the Cobb County police department read several conversations from a social media app called KIK in open court today, where Ross Harris allegedly asked a 17-year-old girl to send him a picture of her lower private part, according to Fox 5 in Atlanta. The detective said Harris met the girl online when she was 16-years-old and knew exactly how old she was, but deceived the teen of his age. Prosecutors also introduced evidence that Harris requested and successfully received a picture of another minor's lower body part. They say Harris engaged in affairs and wanted to escape his married life and saw his son, Cooper, as in the way of enjoying his life, the television station reported. sarah_parcak_2014-03.jpg Sarah Parcak (the modern-day Indiana Jones, space archaeologist), who is also a 2012 TED Fellow, has been awarded numerous research grants and contracts from NASA, the U.S. Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation and the National Geographic Society. She is an elected Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and was a featured lecturer (2009-12) of the Archaeological Institute of America. She received the UAB Exceptional Innovation Award in 2011, as well as the UAB Honorary Alumni Award in 2012. (UAB / Special to The News) Sarah Parcak has brought global attention to UAB, most recently by winning a 2016 TED Prize and a $1 million grant. Now the space archaeologist is going to appear on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, according to a release listing the show's upcoming guests. She's the guest on Friday's show, along with actor Matthew Broderick and a musical performance by Kacey Musgraves. The show airs on weekdays at 10:35 p.m. CT on CBS. Parcak, sometimes known as the Indiana Jones of space, is the founder of UAB's Laboratory for Global Observation. She uses satellites to prevent looting at historical locations and discover new sites. She has helped locate 17 potential pyramids in Egypt and identified more than 4,000 forgotten settlements and lost tombs. She has not yet announced what she plans to do with the grant money, but will reveal her project at the annual TED conference Feb. 16. In 2011, her work was spotlighted in a BBC documentary, "Egypt's Lost Cities." In 2012, she was named a National Geographic Emerging Explorer and a TED fellow. Tuesday is usually the slowest day of the week at Birmingham Pistol Wholesale, but not today. The Alabama gun shop was filled with would-be gun buyers following President Barack Obama's controversial executive actions on gun control. Although gun rights advocates' fears that Obama would take more extreme action - such as banning assault weapons - were unrealized, confusion over the executive action's impact and further concern that the president wants to eventually strip guns away helped spur business. "It's getting close to like what it was like after Sandy Hook," said Johnny Walker, the owner of Birmingham Pistol Wholesale, referring to the run on guns that started after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in December 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. "It's not there, but its close." The executive orders have also drummed up interest in a gun show at the Cullman Civic Center this weekend, according to promoter Brent Oliver. "I do expect a bigger crowd just with what's going to take place in trying to impose and executive order," Oliver said on Monday, before details of the executive order were known. While other Alabama gun shop owners and firearms dealers didn't report such a robust stream of customers, they said Obama's general gun control agenda, which included a call for a ban on assault weapons after Sandy Hook, has been a boost to gun buying. Congress blocked such proposals in 2013. "What President Obama has done is actually increased gun sales over the last two months by probably 2000 percent. So we hope he keeps talking. Every time he opens his mouth, my door opens," said Russell England, a lawyer and owner of Alabama Guns and Outdoors in Pelham. "I thought that a lot of people will see what he did today and see ... the fact that [executive action on gun control] can be done regardless of what Congress thinks. People may see that there are more drastic measures coming in the next year." Aaron Short, a small Hoover-based dealer who also builds and modifies guns for customers at Short Defense Systems, said he's been fielding a lot of questions this week over gun owners who are concerned about how the executive actions will affect them. "I've seen an uptick in people who are concerned that [gun rights are] going to be restricted to the point where they can't get stuff," said Short, who is a licensed dealer and has to perform background checks as a result. Instead of renewing a call to ban assault weapons, Obama's executive actions announced Tuesday would broaden background checks to cover all sales conducted online or at gun shows. The orders also include hiring additional personnel at the FBI and ATF to process the increased background checks as well as boosting funding for mental health treatment. The president announced the executive orders on the five-year anniversary of the Tucson, Arizona shooting that killed six people and seriously wounded former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. But Short said Obama's executive actions won't accomplish the president's goal of preventing gun violence and mass shootings. "I don't think any of the changes he's making - they're not super helpful. They're not going to change anything as far as preventing any kind of crime. Nobody is sure how these changes would've prevented Sandy Hook or San Bernardino," he said, referring to the school shooting and the mass shooting in California committed by radicalized Muslims last month. England said the executive orders will be difficult to enforce. He said it was doubtful that all small-time gun sellers, such as collectors who decide they don't need so many guns, would make the effort to get a license. "That's about as weak as anything could ever be," he said. "There's no way to police that." Has someone unleashed the curse of the Witch of Yazoo City? Mississippi News Now is reporting some of the chain links that surround "The Witch's Grave in the City of Yazoo's Glenwood Cemetery were reported stolen on Monday. Disturbing the grave is said to unleash the curse of the witch, which more than 100 years ago, caused Yazoo City to burn to the ground, according to local legend. Police didn't provide any details on the theft or possible suspects to the news station. According to Yazoo City legend, an old woman who lived on the Yazoo River in the late 1800s was caught torturing fishermen she lured in off the river. The sheriff chased the woman through the swamps, but she had nearly drowned in quicksand by the time the lawman found her. Before she died, the woman swore revenge on Yazoo City and its residents. "In 20 years, I will return and burn this town to the ground!" she said, according to legend. No one apparently thought about it, until 20 years later when the fire of 1904 destroyed more than 200 houses and almost every business in Yazoo City. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said if he's elected to the White House he will reverse President Obama's gun control orders. "The Second Amendment, it's so great to me," Trump said at a campaign rally held Saturday in Biloxi, Mississippi. "We're not changing the Second Amendment." While officially unveiled yesterday, the Obama administration has been pushing the main tenents of the order for years. The changes include increasing the number of background checks for firearms sold at gun shows and over the internet and devotes more resources to keeping weapons out of the hands of those not allowed to have them. Obama said yesterday the order was "not a plot to take everyone's guns away." "But we've created a system that dangerous people are allowed to play by different set of rules than responsible gun owners," Obama said. Trump isn't buying it. "I will veto (Obama's order). I will unsign that so fast," Trump said. The businessman-turned-candidate doubled down on those statements at a rally held yesterday in New Hampshire, specifically hitting on the president's use of executive order as opposed to working through Congress, The Hill reported. "Wouldn't it be nice to actually get Congress together and do it the old fashioned way?" Trump said, adding the president's use of executive order is "not good, it's not fair, and they're not going to screw with the Second Amendment." Dr. Ed Richardson Former State Superintendent Ed Richardson is chairman of the Alabama Public Charter School Commission. (Robin Conn/The Huntsville Times) The chairman of the Alabama Public Charter School Commission today predicted that fewer than the maximum 10 charter schools will open in the fall of 2017, the earliest charters are expected to begin operating in the state. "If we have 10 the first year I'll be very surprised," Commission Chairman Ed Richardson said. "I think there will just be very few." The Alabama Legislature passed a bill last year to allow charter schools, and the commission is working with the Alabama Department of Education to hammer out the details. Alabama was the 43rd state to authorize charter schools. The law allowed up to 10 start-up charter schools a year in the state. Charter schools are publicly funded schools that have autonomy in finance, personnel, scheduling, curriculum, instruction and procurement that regular public schools do not have. In exchange for that autonomy, they are expected to meet certain performance goals spelled out in the charter contract. Start-up charter schools are governed by independent boards that must be 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt organizations. To start a charter school, an organization will apply to an "authorizer," either the local board of education or the Alabama Public Charter School Commission. Local school boards can choose whether to become authorizers. So far, four city school systems have applied to become authorizers: Athens, Bessemer, Birmingham and Madison. Organizations in districts where school boards choose not to authorize charters can apply to the Alabama Public Charter School Commission. At today's meeting, the commission reviewed and discussed what it should require on charter school applications. Applicants will be expected to provide information about school programs, operations, capacity and a financial plan. Richardson said he expected the commission to give final approval to an application template during a telephone conference later this month. The application template, once approved, will be posted online so that organizations interested in starting a charter will know what information is required. Charter school applicants who are approved will enter a contract with the authorizer with more specifics about how the school will operate and its goals. A subcommittee of the commission is working to draft a contract template and hopes to have that completed by the end of April. Richardson said prospective charter school organizations would then have ample time to know the contract requirements in order prepare to open with the 2017-2018 school year. "We wanted to give them at least a year," Richardson said. "There is nothing that would keep them from starting before that. But we just felt, particularly this first time around, a year's lead time would be adequate." Charter schools could operate with specific academic themes, such as vocational and technical, visual and performing arts, or math, science and technology. Charter contracts will be for five years. According to the charter school law, authorizers can cancel or not renew the charter contract if the school fails to make adequate progress toward the goals spelled out in the charter. Updated at 10:11 a.m. on Jan. 6 to list four school systems that have applied to become authorizers. Enrique Marquez Jr. FILE - In this Dec. 21, 2015, courtroom sketch, Enrique Marquez Jr. appears in federal court in Riverside, Calif. Marquez, a friend of one of the shooters in the San Bernardino massacre that killed 14 people, was indicted Wednesday, Dec. 30, on five charges that include conspiring in a pair of previous planned attacks and making false statements when he bought the guns used in this month's shootings, authorities said. Marquez is is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday, Jan. 6, in federal court. (Bill Robles via AP, File) (Bill Robles) The man who bought the rifles used in the San Bernardino attack pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges in a federal indictment accusing him of conspiring with one of the shooters and to provide material support to terrorists. Enrique Marquez Jr., 24, appeared in federal court in Riverside with his hands and feet shackled. He answered "not guilty" when asked to enter his plea to the five-count indictment. A jury trial was scheduled for Feb. 23. Marquez could be sent to prison for as long as 50 years if he's convicted. According to the FBI, during 10 days of interviews Marquez revealed plots he and his friend, Syed Rizwan Farook, discussed but never carried out to slaughter students at a community college and murder motorists on a congested freeway. The Dec. 30 indictment superseded charges he originally faced when arrested two weeks after the Dec. 2 shootings carried out by Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, at a building where Farook's colleagues from the San Bernardino county health department were meeting. The couple killed 14 people and wounded 22 others before being killed hours later in a dramatic shootout with police. Authorities said Marquez was not involved in the killings, but that his failure to warn authorities about Farook and his purchase of the guns had deadly consequences. Marquez and Farook were friends who grew up next door to each other in Riverside. Farook, 28, introduced Marquez to Islam as a teenager a decade ago and indoctrinated him in violent extremism, according to the FBI. Marquez bought two rifles for Farook in 2011 and 2012 and the two planned to launch bomb and shooting attacks at Riverside City College, where they attended classes, and a notoriously gridlocked section of highway without exits. Marquez faces two firearms violations for being the so-called straw buyer who purchased the guns in his name because Farook, who was born in the U.S. to Pakistani immigrants, "looked Middle Eastern," authorities said. He also faces charges of marriage fraud and lying on immigration paperwork for wedding to Russian woman whose sister is married to Farook's brother. The FBI said Marquez admitted he was paid $200 to marry the woman and he lied on immigration papers that he lived with her so she could stay in the U.S. A lawyer for Marquez previously argued unsuccessfully that his client should be released on bond because he had willingly spoken with the FBI while he was not in custody and never fled. Public defender Young Kim has since filed paperwork in court to prevent investigators from speaking with Marquez without his lawyer present. Police say a Florida woman helped her boyfriend smother and kill his 6-year-old son while they played video games on Christmas Eve. Ashley Cole, 22, of Englewood, Fla. trapped the boy's feet behind her back on the couch while her boyfriend pinned him down with his body weight, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office told NBC News. Cole is charged with principal to aggravated manslaughter of a child. Her boyfriend and the boy's father, James "Rick" Dearman, was arrested last week and charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child. According to reports, Dearman and Cole, his live-in girlfriend, told the 6-year-old and his 7-year-old sibling to go to bed at around 7:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve, but they refused and starting running around the room. James "Rick" Dearman Cole initially told police that Dearman forced both children to stand facing the wall. When that punishment didn't work, Cole allegedly asked her boyfriend if they could "elevate the punishment ... to squishing," she allegedly told police. "His son screamed that he couldn't breathe and begged to use the bathroom, eventually urinating on the couch and becoming unconscious," according to a statement from the sheriff's. Police say Dearman and Cole ignored the boy's screams. After about five minutes, the boy stopped fighting. Dearman and Cole then went to the garage to smoke, according to police. Dearman called 911 when he realized the boy wasn't breathing, according to the report. The boy later died at a nearby hospital. Cole and Dearman are both being held on $1 million bond. A gunman is holding a 2-year-old hostage in a Buford, Ga. home. Police say the incident began late Tuesday night as a domestic situation involving a couple, WSB-TV reported. A man inside the house on Beyers Landing Drive in Buford was reportedly threatening to shoot everyone inside and then commit suicide. A teenager reported to police at around 10 p.m. that his mother and several other people were being held in the house. After Gwinnett County SWAT team responded, the suspect let everyone but the 2-year-old out of the house. Neighbors identified the hostage taker as Thy Ho, the father of the toddler. Gwinnett Police Cpl. Deon Washington told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the child is still alive and appears to be unharmed. The neighborhood is on lockdown as police continue to negotiate with the hostage taker. Arrest warrants for aggravated assault have been issued for the suspect. U.S. Rep. Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, has risen to a position of some prominence in the House of Representatives but winning a fourth term in Congress may not be so easy. In fact, Politico listed Roby's race in Alabama's 2nd Congressional District as one of nine primaries to watch nationally this year. Roby could be pushed by Becky Gerritson in the March 1 GOP primary, Politico observed. Gerritson has Tea Party support and she has criticized Roby for supporting government funding of Amtrak, which was part of an overall spending bill that funds the government. Roby spokesman Todd Stacy defended her vote, pointing out that federal funding for Amtrak was cut by 40 percent in the spending bill and that the vote was in support of avoiding a government shutdown. "This is a very conservative district and every conservative organization rates her tenure in Congress as a failure," Politico quoted Gerritson as saying, referring to an AL.com story in November. Stacy on Wednesday disputed the claim, citing that Roby has: A lifetime "A" rating from the National Rifle Association for fighting to defend the 2nd Amendment; A 100 percent rating from National Right to Life for fighting to defend the unborn. A 100 percent small business rating from the National Federation of Independent Businesses for her work to support homegrown Alabama businesses. The No. 1 rating among all Alabama delegation members from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for her support of pro-growth policies; Roby was chosen to serve on the House Select Committee on Benghazi, which is investigating the deaths of four Americans in Libya in 2012. Becky Gerritson. Politico reasoned that Gerritson may find success at the ballot box due to the fact that the GOP frontrunners for president - Donald Trump and Ted Cruz - have strong Tea Party backing. According to campaign finance reports, however, Gerritson appears to be at a distinct disadvantage. Though the most recent reports are from Sept. 30, 2015, Roby has more than $730,000 on hand for her campaign while Gerritson has a debt of $8,500. Click here to read the full article from Politico. Updated Jan. 6, 2016, at 12:44 p.m. with additional information on Roby. Jonathan McConnell 2016.jpg Jonathan McConnell (Jonathan McConnell for Senate) Jonathan McConnell, who is challenging Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., in the March 1 Republican primary, rolled out endorsements Tuesday from 100 Marines who served with him and a conservative political organization that prioritizes military issues. McConnell, a 33-year-old former Marine captain who lives in Homewood, is one of four Republican challengers to Shelby, who is seeking a sixth 6-year term in the Senate. In an endorsement letter, the 100 Marines praised McConnell's leadership skills in the military. "Career politicians in Washington D.C. sent us to defend this country, then failed to provide the medical care and support many of us needed when we got back. We need people just like Capt. McConnell to continue to stand up and be leaders--people whose first priority is their country, not their pocketbooks or special interests," they said. "America is at a crossroads and needs men and women willing to fight for her not only overseas, but here at home as well. Capt. McConnell has proven his willingness to fight for the land we love. America needs him to fight for her in Washington." McConnell, who runs a security business and plans to spend $250,000 of his own money on the election, also received the backing of Special Operations Speaks, or SOS, which partially cited the former Marine's military background as a reason it endorsed him. "We're backing this Christian conservative as a key step toward our commitment to restore credibility, integrity and honor throughout the U.S. Government," said SOS co-founder and retired Army Special Forces Lt. Col. Ken Benway. "For America's safety, we absolutely must have this former Marine captain in the U.S. Senate!" Larry Ward, the group's political director, said SOS interviewed McConnell before giving him the endorsement, adding that the group didn't have any intention of backing Shelby. He likened the candidacy of McConnell, who is making his first run for political office, to the campaign of Rob Maness, a retired Air Force colonel who ran for Senate in Louisiana and came in third in the state's jungle primary in 2014. "This could be a competitive race," Ward told AL.com. "We're in a year where conservatives again are looking to outsiders and people who have good resumes and are a little more conservative than the mainstream." Counihan.jpg Kevin Counihan, CEO of Healthcare.gov, stopped in Birmingham on Jan. 6, 2016 as part of a tour of Southern states. (Amy Yurkanin|ayurkanin@al.com) Health insurance enrollment through the federal exchange in Alabama could reach 200,000 by the end of this month - a substantial increase from last year - according to Kevin Counihan, CEO of Healthcare.gov. At the end of open enrollment last year, about 170,000 Alabamians purchased health insurance through the exchange. Counihan said Alabama hit that number at the end of December 2015, one month before open enrollment ends. More young people are also purchasing health insurance through the exchange this year, Counihan said. An infusion of young customers may encourage insurance companies to enter or stay on the exchange, he said. "I think the best thing we can do is grow the customer base and create a vibrant market with a good mix of risk," Counihan said. Enrollment has exceeded expectations this year. Many experts and officials expected growth to slow substantially this year because many of the older and sicker customers who needed insurance coverage had already enrolled. Counihan said more customers are enrolling to avoid tax penalties of at least $695. Those penalties don't apply to customers who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but too little for subsidized insurance on the exchange. Open enrollments ends on Jan. 31. Healthcare.gov also introduced several new features this year to make the site more user-friendly, including tools that allow users to estimate out-of-pocket expenses and search plans by doctor or hospital. "Buying health insurance is not easy and simple, but our job is to make it easier and simpler," he said. But the enrollment period hasn't been completely uneventful. Demand overwhelmed the system on Dec. 15 - the deadline to purchase insurance that would start on Jan. 1 - and officials extended the deadline by two days. "You build these waiting rooms to accommodate big surges," Counihan said. "What we saw was a strong, stable system that withstood the pressure." In Alabama, navigators, brokers and others raised concerns about competition on the exchange. Three health insurance companies offer plans in the state, but one has said it could leave the exchange next year. Counihan also said they discussed outreach efforts in communities with limited access to the internet. Counihan visited Birmingham on Wednesday, following stops in Louisiana and Mississippi earlier this week. He met at Princeton Baptist Medical Center with officials from Enroll Alabama, Birmingham Health Care and the Dannon Project, groups that promote health insurance enrollment. His visit happened on the same day that Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives promised to deliver a bill to President Barack Obama that would repeal much of the Affordable Care Act. Counihan declined to comment on the bill. "I got hired to keep the trains running on time," he said. "The politics of it are above my pay grade." Senator Jeff Sessions (AL.com file) President Obama's executive order aimed at reducing gun violence is another misguided effort that ignores the facts, Sen. Jeff Sessions said. "The proven method for saving the lives of innocent Americans is not disarming them. The proven method for saving the lives of innocent Americans is to arrest, prosecute, convict and jail criminal offenders, especially armed career criminals illegally using guns. This is the way to reduce gun violence," Sessions said. Obama announced the policy changes from the White House today. The order includes expanding the definition of a gun dealer to require more background checks. It also devotes additional resources and law enforcement to help reduce gun crimes and closing loopholes that would allow some people to acquire high-powered weapons. Sessions said the order "seeks to limit law-abiding Americans' exercise of their constitutional rights" even while the "administration's policies have let loose thousands of dangerous criminals onto America's streets." He points to Obama administration policies that do away with many congressionally mandated minimum sentences for drug trafficking, crimes that often involves firearms. "Every day, lax sentencing costs lives," Sessions said, pointing to the case of Tyrone Howard, the suspect in the October murder of New York Police Officer Randolph Holder and Raleigh Sizemore, a suspect in the November shooting death of Kentucky police officer Daniel Ellis. Howard is a gang member with 28 arrests and two prison sentences for drug crimes. He was later convicted with of another drug crime but sent to a diversion program instead of jail. Sizemore had been sentenced to 10 years in prison for operating a meth lab but was paroled after three years. Immigration and guns Sessions also pointed to the case of Kate Steinle, the 32-year old woman who was shot and killed in July by Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, who was in the country illegally. The killing happened in San Francisco, a "sanctuary city," which does not honor federal requests to hold people found to be in the country illegally. Lopez-Sanchez had been deported five times before he allegedly shot and killed Steinle. Sessions said the Obama administration refuses to address the connection between immigration enforcement and crime. "In just the last three years, ICE encountered and then let go 235,000 criminal aliens, taking no action to remove them. Yet the victims of their crimes, and their demands for justice, are not heard in the Oval Office," said Sessions, chairman of the Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest. "How many thousands of lives would be saved if we enforced our immigration laws, our guns laws, and our drug laws? Public safety is not being held hostage by the 'gun lobby,' but by the open borders lobby and the anti-law enforcement lobby," Sessions said. "Crime is rising across the nation. Homicides are surging. Violent crime is increasing. And the Administration is acting to make it harder for law-abiding Americans to purchase guns while freeing some of the most dangerous felons in the world. This record makes it clear that the Administration is far more focused on rolling back enforcement of the law and reducing prison populations, than protecting the American people from crime and violence," he added. Maxwell Air Force Base Maxwell Air Force Base (file photo) Rep. Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, and U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., said Wednesday they would push back against a possible plan by the federal government to house illegal unaccompanied minors at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery, calling the potential proposal an inappropriate use of tax dollars and a "terrible idea." Roby pointed out that Maxwell was also being considered to housing unaccompanied minors, who have been flooding the southern border from Central America, last year, but Alabama's elected official successfully lobbied against the proposal. "A military base is no place to house illegal immigrant children. Bases like Maxwell are engaged in real military activities - training, education, cyber warfare - many times in classified settings that are very sensitive. Their mission does not need to be distracted by housing, feeding and securing hundreds of detainees," the congresswoman said in a statement. "Housing illegal immigrant children at an active military base like Maxwell-Gunter is a terrible idea. We shut it down the first time and we are working every angle to shut it down again." Shelby said he would be among the Alabama elected officials who would fight the proposal. "This administration has once again ignored what is in the best interest of the American people. The decision to assess the possibility of housing illegal immigrants at Department of Defense facilities, like Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, will only exacerbate our illegal immigration problem by not enforcing the laws on the books," Shelby said in a statement. "President Obama's disregard for the rule of law and his attempt to push executive amnesty has led us to where we are today. I remain steadfast in my opposition to illegal immigration, and I will fight against allowing those who break our laws to be housed at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base." Chief Justice Roy Moore issued an order today saying that a ruling issued last March by the Alabama Supreme Court remains in effect and that probate judges "have a ministerial duty not to issue any marriage license contrary" to Alabama's law and constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. In a four-page administrative order, Moore said the conflict between the state court ruling and the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June has caused "confusion and uncertainty" among probate judges. Moore said he issued the order today in his role as administrative head of the state court system. He quoted a state law that says the chief justice is empowered to "take affirmative and appropriate action to correct or alleviate any condition or situation adversely affecting the administration of justice within the state." Moore wrote that since the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that many Alabama probate judges are issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, while others are issuing licenses only to opposite-sex couples or not issuing licenses at all. "This disparity affects the administration of justice in this state," he wrote. Rep. Patricia Todd, D-Birmingham, state director of the Human Rights Campaign, which advocates for civil rights for gays, lesbians and transgender people, said Moore is the one who has caused confusion for probate judges. She said the issue is settled by the U.S. Supreme Court and Moore doesn't get to "pick and choose" which Supreme Court rulings to adhere to. "The reality is he's wrong," Todd said. "Let's get on and deal with the real issues facing Alabama." The HRC's national organization issued a statement. "Yet again, Chief Justice Roy Moore is flagrantly defying the rule of law, and empowering those who wish to stand between same-sex couples and their constitutional right to marry the person they love," HRC Legal Director Sarah Warbelow said. "Regardless of what Roy Moore says, marriage equality is the law of the land. His obstructionist tactics tarnish the reputation of the great state of Alabama, and we urge all of the state's probate judges to issue licenses to same-sex couples, as is their duty under the law." U.S. District Judge Ginny Granade of Mobile ruled last January that Alabama's ban on same-sex marriage violated the U.S. Constitution. That touched off a wave of confusion and conflicting legal orders, as some Alabama probate judges began issuing same-sex marriage licenses, while others did not. The Alabama Supreme Court issued its order in March in response to a request from two conservative groups, the Alabama Citizens Action Program and the Alabama Policy Institute, as well as Elmore County Probate Judge John Enslen. The order enjoined probate judges from issuing licenses contrary to Alabama law. Moore was not listed as participating in that order. Seven of the eight other justices concurred in the result. About four months later, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its long-anticipated order, striking down state bans on same-sex marriage. In that case, Obergefell vs. Hodges, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the 14th Amendment requires states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and to recognize same-sex marriages entered in other states. The justices, in a 5-4 decision, overturned a Sixth District ruling that had upheld same-sex marriage bans in Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. Moore, in his order today, says the Alabama Supreme Court continues to deliberate on how the U.S. Supreme Court ruling affects the state court's orders from March. Moore said rulings by federal courts since the U.S. Supreme Court ruling could affect the issue in Alabama. Moore said the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the U.S. Supreme Court case invalidated only the same-sex marriage bans in Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. And he said the U.S. District Court in Kansas found that although the U.S. Supreme Court ruling "is clearly controlling Supreme Court precedent, it did not directly strike down the provisions of the Kansas Constitution and statutes that bar the issuance of same-sex marriage licenses." In addition to the response from Todd and the Human Rights Campaign, Moore's order today drew forceful criticism from others. Montgomery County Probate Judge Steven Reed said on Twitter that Moore's "latest charade is just sad & pathetic. My office will ignore him & this." Scott McCoy, senior staff attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center, issued a statement calling Moore's order a "dead letter." "In no way does his administrative order supersede Judge Granade's federal injunction prohibiting probate judges from enforcing discriminatory Alabama marriage laws. "If probate judges violate the injunction, they can be held in contempt. This is Moore yet again confusing his role as chief justice with his personal anti-LGBT agenda." Americans United for Separation of Church and State called Moore's order a "pathetic gesture that is doomed to fail." "I have a news flash for Roy Moore: The U.S. Supreme Court upheld marriage equality in June and the decision extends nationwide," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. "All Alabama probate judges remain bound by a federal court order to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples." This story was updated a number of times, including at about 3 p.m. to add comments from Rep. Patricia Todd and the Human Rights Campaign, and at about 3:35 p.m. to add comment from Montgomery County Probate Judge Steven Reed. 57th Medical Detachment Helicopter: Above. As a Dustoff Pilot, I would fly out for pick-ups in the field. Each day I would see the conditions that the ground troops had to endure and I would draw comparisons to my own situation.They would be dirty, often very wet, often very hot, many times could not see 10 yards into the jungle in front of and behind them and in danger of receiving fire at any moment. At the end of the day they were still in these horrid conditions and now they had to try to survive the night.My situation was different. We were often in great danger but, at the end of our missions, we had a clean bed to sleep in, good food and security of some kind. I often thought that I would not trade my job for that of an infantry soldier for anything.As Major Paul Bloomquist told me on my first day in Viet Nam, as we sat in a downtown restaurant,One day we flew up to Bien Hoa to pick up patients and transport them back to Saigon. The patients were not ready when we arrived and we shut the ship down to wait.I was sitting on a skid and talking to walking wounded from the aid station. Most showed some sign of the wounds they were recuperating from...bandages, crutches, limps, etc. These were the infantry soldiers for which I had often felt so sorry.At one point, one of wounded stood towards the front of the ship and while looking at the Plexiglas but not looking at me said,I guess we are all comfortable with what we know and are trained to do.Alex J. OrtolanoDustoff 78 57th Medical Detachment '65 Richard Shelby Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby promised to hold hearings on the president's executive actions on gun control during an appearance at the Red Mountain Republican Club in Birmingham. (Howard Koplowitz) Updated Jan. 6 at 4:44 p.m.: Shelby sent a letter to Lynch on Wednesday asking the attorney general to testify before his subcommittee later this month and again in February about the executive actions and the Justice Department's budget request for the next fiscal year. "While I am open to examining any and all proposals to keep Americans safe from harm, I have grave concerns that the new rules that the president has put forward will unnecessarily restrict the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens, while having no direct impact on reducing gun violence," Shelby wrote. Original story: U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., vowed he would use his power over a Senate subcommittee to hold President Barack Obama accountable for his executive actions on gun control by attempting to withhold funding for Obama's initiatives in what the senator called an assault on the Second Amendment. "I want people to have the right to bear arms," Shelby said Tuesday to the Red Mountain Republicans at Regions Field in Birmingham. "I've been around the block a little bit. I don't recall any president issuing as many executive orders like this president. He's the president of the United States. He's not a czar, he's not a king, he's not a dictator. My gosh." Shelby is the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, which has jurisdiction over the Justice Department. Alabama's senior senator, who is running for re-election this year, said he would lead hearings into the executive orders on gun control and compel Attorney General Loretta Lynch to testify before the subcommittee. The executive actions announced Tuesday by Obama would expand background checks on all gun sales conducted online and at gun shows. They would also hire more ATF and FBI agents to process the background checks and boost funding for mental health programs. Shelby called the moves the "first step" in stripping Second Amendment rights, saying the president effectively told law-abiding Americans "we're going to take your guns away from you." "Well I would remind the president that, you know, the Second Amendment is not a suggestion, it's the Constitution, the right to bear arms," the senator continued. "There are 300 million guns in America and millions of people got guns and they feel a little more secure with them." Lucy.jpg Lucy Still is the first woman to hit Alabama roadways as part of the state's motor unit. (ALEA) Alabama State Trooper Lucy Still made history in Dec. when she became the first woman to join the state's motor unit, patrolling state roadways on a motorcycle. Still, from Selma, said she had a personal motivation for joining the unit. She told AL.com that when she got her first ticket, it was from a State Trooper who gave her a speech lecturing her on her misdeed. She said she wasn't angry about it; she was inspired to become a Trooper. Still said that when she ended her tenure with the active duty Army, she planned to fill out a Trooper application immediately. When she attended the Alabama Criminal Justice Training Center in 2006, she was bunkmates with Trooper Jennifer Jacobs. She and Jacobs saw the motor unit training and were transfixed. That's when they decided to become members of the motor unit. A few years later, Trooper Jacobs was killed in a domestic shooting. When Still officially became a member of the motor unit, she thought of her roommate. "Achieving this goal is especially meaningful for me because I am doing this for both us," she said. As for being the first woman in the motor unit, she said she felt humbled. "I feel it's an honor, and I do not take it for granted -- but I don't want to be looked upon as that female Motor Unit rider. I just want to be known as a member of the motor unit," said Still. She said that she hopes other young women consider careers in law enforcement and chase their goals. "If they have their minds made up that they want to be in law enforcement, go for it," said Still. "Find a successful mentor who is already in the field and to gain as much knowledge from that person that you can." Secretary of law enforcement Spencer Collier also commended Still. "I am proud of Trooper Still not only for her commitment to protect the citizens of Alabama, but for her hard work and dedication, allowing her to achieve her goal of becoming a member of the State Trooper Motor Unit," said Collier. Still began patrolling the roadways in Dec. The University of Alabama has taken steps to temporarily ban hoverboards, the controversial toy that has a tendency to catch on fire. UA set forth the following rules on Wednesday: * Hoverboards will not be allowed in University housing and residential facilities, including Greek houses. * Hoverboards cannot be recharged in any UA-owned or UA-leased facility or building. * Individuals who choose to ride hoverboards on campus must follow all traffic and pedestrian laws. "Restrictions will remain in place until safety concerns are resolved," the university said in an email to students. The email also included a link to data citing safety concerns with hoverboards from the CPSC. A team of U.S. special operations forces were evacuated from an area in southern Afghanistan Wednesday morning after spending the night in a compound surrounded by Taliban forces. Fox News first reported the ongoing battle, which killed one American soldier and wounded two others, on Tuesday. Military Times reports the soldier's body and the wounded personnel have been evacuated also. A U.S. team of quick responders remain on the ground in Marjah in Helmand province where they are guarding a helicopter that was damaged in yesterday's actions. According to the Pentagon, two HH-60 Pave Hawk medical evacuation helicopters were sent to the scene yesterday to remove the body and the wounded. One helicopter had to return after taking fire and another was damaged when its rotor blades hit a wall in the compound as it tried to land. The crew of the damaged Blackhawk has been airlifted out as well. Overnight, the U.S. conducted 12 airstrikes in the area in support of the American and Afghan forces. The Department of Defense said the U.S. soldiers were advising and assisting Afghan forces when they encountered the Taliban fighters. A number of Afghan forces were injured as well, according to DOD spokesman Peter Cook. More than a dozen U.S. Army special operations soldiers are trapped amid a firefight in Marjah, Afghanistan, a senior Pentagon official told Fox News Tuesday night. The soldiers are believed to be taking cover in a compound surrounded by Taliban fighters. Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook told reporters earlier in the day that a U.S. service member was killed and two injured after they came under fire while conducting a training mission with Afghani troops in Marjah. Two HH-60 Pave Hawk Medevac helicopters were sent to the scene but one had to return to base after receiving fire. The other landed safely but was damaged when it rotor blades struck a wall. The helicopter remains at the scene. "This is an ongoing situation, there is still a fight going on in the immediate surroundings. And we'll provide more details as they become available. But as you can imagine, because of this situation right now, we don't yet have all the details surrounding what's taking place," Cook said. It's believed the troops still at the compound are part of the original training team as well as a helicopter rescue team. An AC-130 gunship has been called in to provide air cover, Fox News reports. Cool said Secretary of Defense Ash Carter is receiving regular updates on the situation. A 64-year-old driver struck a 6-year-old who was crossing the street to go to school early Wednesday morning, according to Spanish Fort Police. The incident occurred while the child was heading to Spanish Fort Elementary School at 7:40 a.m., according to police chief David Edgar. A police officer conducting traffic alerted drivers to stop on School Road, but the man did not heed the warning and proceeded to hit the child "at a very low rate of speed," Edgar said. Luckily, the child was not severely harmed. He was treated on scene and able to go to class. Edgar said the driver was ticketed for failing to obey the officer. Motorists are urged to use extreme caution around schools especially in the early morning and mid-afternoon hours when children come and go. On average, 21,000 students are injured on their way to school every year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and 77 percent of those injured are harmed by school buses or other vehicles. Wynnsong16pic.JPG Wynnsong 16, a Carmike Inc. property, located in west Mobile, Ala. (file photo) Mobile Police Chief James Barber speaks to the local media following a Mobile City Council public safety committee meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, at police headquarters in Mobile, Ala. (John Sharp/jsharp@al.com). Mobile city officials could explore the possibility of revoking the business license of movie theaters or other facilities in the city that do not take the appropriate action to keep visitors safe. But City Council members, in stopping short Tuesday of saying they were issuing a direct warning to Georgia-based Carmike Inc. - owners of the Wynnsong 16 multiplex cinema in west Mobile -- said they want to "take every action necessary" to ensure safety following a potentially deadly situation Christmas night in the Wynnsong's parking lot. The comments came during the council's public safety committee meeting in which Police Chief James Barber updated city officials on his review of the private security protocols that were in place at the movie theater. Approximately 400 juveniles gathered outside the cinema complex and created a disturbance that lasted for hours. At around 10:14 p.m., four teenagers were shot leading to an eruption of chaos that spilled into nearby businesses and streets. None of the injuries were considered life-threatening. "We must keep everything possible such as pulling a license so they know we're serious," Councilman John Williams said. "They should know this City Council will provide the tools to our police chief to make sure their events are safe." He added, "We are not going to make threats. We don't want to be an adversary. We want them to be successful in their business. The way to be successful is to produce a safe environment all our citizens can patronize." Barber said an investigation is ongoing into the unruly gathering of youths where age ranges were from 18-year-old adults to 8-year-old children who had been dropped off by their parents. "Kids were waiting into the early morning hours to get rides," Barber said. "You are dealing with (hundreds) spread throughout the area. When the shots were fired, you had a huge safety concern as the crowd was disbursed. It was amazing we didn't have a child ran over (by a vehicle) that night." Council members expressed other safety concerns and the potential for disaster had someone been injured or shot at by police. No arrests have been made, but police have named 17-year-old Johnny Vail as a person of interest. Vail is being held in jail on unrelated gun charges. "We are going to have a Baltimore or a Ferguson here," Councilman C.J. Small said, referring to two situations in which police shootings prompted national calls for action against local police departments. "We need to take proactive action now." Barber said the Christmas night incident was a "perfect storm" for the unruly behavior outside the Wynnsong 16. He said that at Regal Mobile Stadium 18 - where a shooting occurred in the parking lot during Christmas night 2014 - new security measures were put in place within the past year banning unsupervised juveniles from the property after 7 p.m. "You got a popular movie ("Star Wars: The Force Awakens"), Christmas night is a big movie night for young people and certain procedures were put into place (at Regal) that stopped congregations there that drove the crowds to Wynnsong," Barber said. Barber has since said that Wynnsong's security plan was not adequate enough to handle the crowd, and that only three off-duty police officers were brought onto the property long after the crowd began to swell outside the theater around 7 p.m. Barber also said that the movie theater's surveillance systems were also inadequate, and said that police are negotiating with Carmike about having Wynnsong included in the department's "Project Shield" program. Project Shield is a new partnership between the private sector and police that allows authorities access to live security camera feeds. Since the program's inception this summer, police have been able to gain access to more than 2,000 surveillance and security cameras. Popular teen gathering spots, such as Bel-Air Mall, are participants. Barber, who met with local and regional management teams with both Wynnsong and Regal on Monday, said he's been pleased with the initial reaction from the local management staffs. But some council members expressed displeasure that a representative from either theater was in attendance at the meeting. Williams and Councilwoman Bess Rich both said that a future meeting is likely to happen in which representatives from both theater companies will be required to attend. "I wish they were present ... it would have been helpful for the city for them to show their corporate spirit," Rich said. "We expect a certain amount of security for our citizens. There was a lot of risk that transpired in those hours." A spokeswoman with Carmike did not respond to a request for a comment. "We will meet again," Williams said. "We are, again, encouraged greatly by the local management's cooperation with the chief of police." mobile sign.jpg A sign taped in the Mobile County probate judge office window (Casey Toner) Mobile County Probate Judge Don Davis today stopped issuing marriage licenses, citing an order from Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore. A sign taped in the window states: "In order to comply with the administrative order of Alabama Chief Justice Roy S. Moore dated January 6, 2016 and rulings of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, the court is not issuing marriage licenses to any applicants until further notice. This action is necessary to ensure full compliance with all court rulings that apply to the court and to Mobile County Judge of Probate Don Davis. We regret any inconvenience encountered." Cari Searcy, one half of the lesbian couple that sued to overturn the state's ban on same-sex marriage, called Moore's latest decision "very disappointing." "It's like a temper tantrum," Searcy said. "He didn't get what he wanted so he's continuing to fight it." In July, retired Baldwin County Circuit Court Judge James Reid granted the adoption for Searcy in Mobile County Probate Court of her wife's biological son, Khaya Searcy. His approval of the measure ended a winding and politically fraught legal battle for Searcy and her wife Kim McKeand. The couple first filed suit in 2006 when their son Khaya was 3-months old prior to his heart surgery. They were denied on the basis that only a married couple or single person could adopt a child. Four years ago, the couple re-filed the case after getting married in California in 2008. The path to the adoption was cleared in January when a federal judge overturned the state's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. Five months later, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. Searcy said that she was unaware how this latest action affects her lawsuit. "Our family is still recognized, still protected and all the marriage that did happen should be valid in the state," she said. "That is good news." Meanwhile, it's still up in the air whether the state will reimburse Searcy's attorneys' legal fees after she won the suit. They contend that they are owed more than $200,000, a number that state officials claim is about $150,000 too high. A secretary behind the window in the Mobile Count Probate Office said that marriage licenses that had already been issued will still be processed. In a four-page administrative order, Moore said the conflict between the state court ruling and the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June has caused "confusion and uncertainty" among probate judges. Moore said he issued the order today in his role as administrative head of the state court system. He quoted a state law that says the chief justice is empowered to "take affirmative and appropriate action to correct or alleviate any condition or situation adversely affecting the administration of justice within the state." Madison County Probate Judge Tommy Ragland also stopped issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples Wednesday after Moore's order. Probate judges in Jefferson and Montgomery counties say they will continue to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples despite Moore's administrative order. U.S Attorneys Joyce White Vance of the Northern District of Alabama and Kenyen Brown of the Southern District of Alabama issued a statement condemning the order: "The Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court has issued an administrative order, directing probate judges that they may not issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, despite the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last year on marriage equality. We have grave concerns about this order, which directs Alabama probate judges to disobey the ruling of the Supreme Court. Government officials are free to disagree with the law, but not to obey it. This issue has been decided by the highest court in the land and Alabama must follow that law." This story was updated at 11:53 a.m. Jan. 6, 2015 to include a comment from Alabama U.S. Attorneys Joyce White Vance and Kenyen Brown. The day humankind proved it is not too smart ... again.When did the First World War end? Many of you just said to yourselves...The 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month of 1918. It sounds like that was scripted by Hollywood.The most awful part of the story is that the armistice was signed at 5am on November 11th but was not effective until 11am and the fighting continued for those last six hours between 5am and 11am.After the war, in a Congressional Hearing, General Pershing blamed Marshal Foch but many said that, at the time, Pershing appeared to be gung ho about the last assaults.These were full frontal assaults as vicious as any on any other day of the war.The Germans were shocked when the assaults started but defended against them with all that they had.During these six hours, thousands of men were wounded or killed fighting for land on which they could have casually strolled smoking a cigarette at 11:01am on the 11th Day of the 11th Month of 1918.I wish I were kidding you.SmartfellaAfter you read below, I will invite you to ask yourself a very sobering question.I published "The last day of World War One" commentary on April 23, 2008. It was about how WWI continued for six hours after the armistice was signed at 5 A.M. on November 11, 1918.At present I am reading a book by Joseph E. Persico entitled 11th Month, 11th Day, 11th Hour. The quoted excerpt that follows is from page 3 of this book..."The captain read the message twice. It must be a mistake. True, the night before, the U.S. 26th Division had received Field Order 105 to attack at 9:30 this morning. But at 9:10, just as they had been checking their ammunition and fixing their bayonets, word came that the armistice had been signed. Hostilities were to cease at 11 A.M. The attack had been cancelled. And here was another message telling the captain that the assault had been reinstated. His watch showed 10:30. A half hour remained in the war."Now for the sobering question ... If you were this captain, what would you have done?Would I kid u?SmartfellaFoolishness...Or Is It? ... Where Silliness & Common Sense come together to make Funny. Majority of raids have been conducted on Muslim homes, businesses and places of worship using emergency powers. French police have raided hundreds of homes, restaurants and mosques in the two months since the deadly November 13 attacks in the French capital carried out by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group. At least 130 people were killed in the series of asaults targeting restaurants, a concert hall and a stadium across Paris. Under the new emergency powers passed in the aftermath of the tragedy, authorities were granted extra powers to conduct raids and detain people on suspicion. Although the state of emergency is set to expire on February 26, the government of President Francois Hollande has already stated it might be extended. The emergency laws date back to a 1955 convention that gives French agencies sweeping powers, allowing them to operate almost free of judicial oversight. The return of Charlie Hebdo Local representatives are given the ability to place people under house arrest, citing only a suspicion on the part of the intelligence services that those arrested pose a national threat to French security. Authorities can also order police raids without a warrant and target commercial and residential properties where they think information about terrorism may be found. Charlie Hebdo attacks and Islamophobia The majority of the raids have been conducted on Muslim homes, businesses and places of worship. Yasser Louati, spokesman for the Collective Against Islamophobia in France, has warned that: The Muslim minority in France feels like its being treated as the public enemy. Until now, according to the French government, authorities have conducted more than 2,700 raids and enforced 360 house arrests. Some 1,000 people have been arrested to date and 51 people jailed, mostly related to illegal weapons or drugs. Those under house arrest must remain in their homes after sunset and stay within a specified area during the day. They must also report to police three times a day and may have to wear electronic bracelets. Emergency and civil liberties Muslim groups and individuals are now taking the government to court for committing what they describe as illegal acts in the name of terror prevention. About 20 complaints have been filed since the state of emergency was declared. In December, about 100 organisations including Frances Human Rights League demanded that the government lift the state of emergency. The new emergency laws have, however, proved popular among a population increasingly worried about terrorism. Government ministers have defended the laws as an important tool to safeguard public order and society. Double standards in the Paris attacks coverage Civil liberties groups in France have started documenting testimonies of people who have been subjected to what they describe as unfair raids by the police. In early December, police conducted a search at the Baytouna shelter for suspected jihadist activity. The shelter, located in Argenteuil, northwest Paris, houses women with no social or family ties. No charges were filed. In the same month, armed police raided a halal restaurant called Pepper Grill. In the Haute-Garonne region, a man was placed under house arrest because he allegedly was acquainted to Salafist groups. On closer examination, it was revealed he was not a Muslim, but a practising Catholic. Other raids have also alarmed civil liberties groups. In the Dordogne region, during the week of the UN climate summit COP21 in Paris, local farmers had their farms searched for allegedly carrying out terrorism-related activities. One case in particular has come to embody the lack of judicial oversight in the enactment of the emergency measures. Three days after the attacks in Paris, police in the Bouffemont area of the city conducted a midnight raid at the house of an Air France baggage handling supervisor. The man was apparently singled out because of his position at Charles de Gaulle airport. One informant claimed the suspect had praised the attacks on Charlie Hebdo, the French satirical magazine that came under attack in January last year. The baggage handling supervisor denies all allegations. Yet two days later, he was placed under house arrest. The Interior Ministry retracted his house arrest only after his lawyer, Yassine Yakouti, filed a complaint. I feel relieved to have my freedom back, said the 36-year-old man, who wishes to remain anonymous. But I am still shocked. It was the worst moment of my life. Civil liberties groups have warned the French state has embarked on a dangerous path after the Paris attacks. Last month, the government revealed two modifications to the constitution that it intends to put before parliament. The first measure would write the state of emergency into the constitution. The second change would allow the government to strip French citizenship from any dual nationality holder convicted of crimes against the fundamental interest of the nation. As Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve has said, Its just a start, these operations are going to continue, the response of the republic will be huge, will be total. The one who targets the republic, the republic will catch him. Francois Hollande claimed unity after Hebdo attacks but much has changed since then in Paris. Paris, France The street in front of the former Charlie Hebdo building is almost empty. A plaque, placed here on Tuesday January 5, to commemorate the journalists killed inside almost a year ago is being modified. A spelling mistake was spotted earlier in the day; the name of the artist Georges Wolinski had been misspelled as Wolinsky. The famous cartoonist was one of the 12 people killed in the attack on the offices of the controversial satirical publication. A man is re-carving the correct letter on the plaque, which is now hidden behind a canvas cover, as a young woman in a yellow raincoat stares fixedly at the building. Next door, two girls lean out of a window to take in the scene. One bystander, 56-year-old Isabelle, on holiday with her husband, had travelled all the way to Paris from La Reunion island, a French territory in the Indian Ocean. Its important for us to come here, she said. We live 10,000km from here, but we are French! And the emotion is still there. French security measures The January 7, 2015 attack on the Charlie Hebdo offices began a three-day killing spree that also claimed the lives of police officers and shoppers at a kosher supermarket. A few days later, on January 11, an estimated 3.7 million people, including world leaders, marched through the streets of Paris, and other cities around the world, in an act of solidarity with the journalists and the people of France. French President Francois Hollande claimed that the spirit of January 11 had united the French people. But much has changed since that moment. French politicians approved a sweeping new surveillance law, 130 people were killed in a series of coordinated attacks on November 13, changes to the French constitution have been proposed, which could, among other things, see French-born dual nationals convicted of terrorism, stripped of their French citizenship, and the country is in the middle of a state of emergency. My daughter is seven years old and all this year she has been asking a lot of questions. So I bought the memorial edition of Charlie Hebdo this issue of the survivors last year, as a symbol, as an explanation for her, for me, said 42-year-old Chimene. After her shift as a Metro station agent, she takes a break at a Cuban cafe in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, where the November attacks took place. At the beginning of the year, she liked this spirit of January 11, she explained, but confided that it had quickly disappeared. No stories of unity any more, she said between sips of coffee on the covered terrace. For 27-year-old Guillaume, the unity does not really matter any more. What he wants above all is to protect his family. In Paris, I am careful about everything. Yes, Im scared, he said while chain-smoking and chatting with his girlfriend, Hortense. He lives in Creil, a far off Paris suburb that is home to a large number of migrants. He is not opposed to the new measures, to the state of emergency or to people being stripped of their citizenship if this will bring greater security. Hortense nodded in agreement. The measures implemented are extreme, but we are in an extreme situation, she said. Anger on the streets of Paris Eighteen-year-old Helene and Gabrielle are medical students in Paris. Gabrielle is Muslim. Her father migrated to France from Iran when he was only 14 years old. She stands strongly against the measures that would strip people of their citizenship, but said that she does not feel as though she is stigmatised as a French Muslim. Watch: French Muslims in the spotlight after Paris attacks Helene added that although they are aware such ridiculous Islamophobia does exist, they do not blame the French politicians for it just as they dont blame them for the attacks. Politicians are doing their best, it is not their fault, said Helene, jokingly adding that she is more concerned about all the hard work she must do to complete her studies. In front of the former Charlie Hebdo building, TV journalists did not seen to know what to film. When a reporter for France 5, part of the French public television network, tried to speak to a middle-aged man who was passing by, he responded angrily, accusing the journalists of being disrespectful. The reporter turned and slowly moved away, her commemoration issue of Charlie Hebdo, which was to be released the next day, tucked under her arm. Researchers in the UK are seeking to recreate ancient natural remedies to tackle bacterial infections as alternative treatments amid the emerging antibiotic-resistant super-bug epidemic that the world is facing. Scientists at the University of Nottingham say they have discovered that a 1,000-year-old Anglo-Saxon treatment used for eye infections and recorded in the medieval Balds Leechbook has an extraordinary ability to kill MRSA, a drug-resistant strain of Staphylococcus aureus. The 10th century remedy which includes garlic, wine, and cow bile has yet to be tested on humans, but it has showed promising signs that it could contribute significantly to the fight against the deadly bacterial infection, researchers say. Early results on the potion, tested in vitro at Nottingham and backed up by mouse model tests by Dr Kendra Rumbaugh from Texas Tech University in the United States, are astonishing, said a statement on their website. The solution has had remarkable effects on Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) which is one of the most antibiotic-resistant bugs costing modern health services billions. Antibiotic Resistance: The End of Modern Medicine? Dr Christina Lee, one of the researchers involved, talked to Al Jazeera about the significance of the findings in dealing with what she described as a terrifying antibiotic-resistance crisis. According to the World Health Organisation, it is an increasingly serious threat to global public health that requires action across all government sectors and society. Lee also discussed the main causes of the growing problem, including the overuse and misuse of antibiotics by humans. Al Jazeera: How effective was the potion at killing Staphylococcus aureus? Lee: In killing the bacteria, we could not believe it. We expected it would destroy about 30-40 percent. It killed 99 percent of Staphylococcus. So we then sent it to a colleague in the US to test it against MRSA in mice. And there it worked better than the current last line of defence. Al Jazeera: How many other bacterial infections could it help treat? Antibiotics becoming useless Lee: We are not quite sure. We are in the process of trying it on other types of infections. What actually is important is to consider that it might be effective on others as well. It does take some time and research in order to do that. This is just one of 13,000 remedies we got from the Anglo Saxon period. We are in the process of bidding for research funding in the hope that we might find out more. Hopefully we can pass this on to pharmocologists who can possibly do something with it. Al Jazeera: Could it be more effective than conventional antibiotics? Lee: There has not been a new antibiotic in a long time. What it may be is an alternative treatment in the market. What I have to say is that there is not an ingredient that bacteria has not become immune to. Bacteria is very clever at evolving. So this may be an avenue to explore when conventional antibiotics are starting to fail. Al Jazeera: How did you choose this particular recipe and then recreate it? Lee: We chose this particular concoction because we knew it had elements that are effective at treating infections including garlic and other allium species. We followed the instructions to the letter. We thought it was really important to get ingredients that are organic and free of modern chemicals. The instructions said to pound the ingredients and mix them well, which makes perfect sense to set free active ingredients. You then leave it for nine nights, which is also a very important step. We also tried to get wine that is fairly regional. The problem is that contemporary wine is cut with new world wine, which is different from the wine from the Anglo-Saxon period. So we made sure to grow it organically in a region very close to where the manuscript was written down in southern England. The wine is important because it is a solvent. You can use that in medicine to activate ingredients and we knew that. Al Jazeera: How alarming is the antibiotic-resistance problem? Lee: The growing antibiotic resistance is terrifying. People talk a lot about terrorism, but antibiotic resistance is killing more people than terrorism. It will take many researchers from across the world and more funding to try to fix this problem that we can no longer ignore. Many people have become used to thinking that taking antibiotics is a solution for infection, but in many cases this is now starting to fail and we have some really terrifying drug-resistant species of bacteria now. Another frightening thing is that animals are fed antibiotics to stay healthy. So with the consumption of more animal produce, we are actually already ingesting a lot of the antibiotics. Universities are shifting their priorities. Teaching loads have been declining primarily because research has been increasingly prioritized by both universities and faculty. For faculty, publish or perish has come to dominate tenure and promotion decisions; for institutions, bringing in research dollars is a mark of prestige. As a result, both colleges and their faculty are putting more emphasis on research...at the cost of teaching. In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell was awarded the first U.S. patent for a telephone. The first long distance coast-to-coast telephone call was placed in 1915-exactly a century ago.Fast-forward 100 years. Phones, many now mobile, are almost unrecognizable from their original 1876 design. And they do so much more than just make long-distance telephone calls. Users can text each other, surf the web, go shopping, take high quality photos, calculate large sums, listen to music, play games, and control their TVs.Remarkably, all these features are available for less money than the first cell phone. Motorola debuted the world's first portable cellular telephone in 1983. That phone, known as the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X, measured more than a foot long, weighed almost 2 pounds, and cost a whopping $3,995. Today, a new iPhone 6s costs just $649 (or far less with a service contract).The history of many other products and services mirror that of the telephone. International travel, cars, appliances, delivery service, books, prepared food, music, and photography are now more abundant, better, and cheaper than they were when invented.Why can't the same be said for higher education? Because, unlike other sectors where gains in productivity have led to better and cheaper products for the consumer, higher education's "product" is neither better nor cheaper.Defenders of higher education often cite Baumol's cost disease as the cause of the ever-increasing cost of college. The classic example of an activity that falls victim to Baumol's cost disease is a symphony performance-where instruments, musicians, and venues haven't changed in centuries. Therefore, there are no observable gains in productivity.Many academics argue that university education is the same. Teaching, they say, hasn't changed in its delivery or standards since Socrates' time. Highly educated professional experts still lead discussions and shape young minds in modern America the same way Socrates did in ancient Greece. And since the main driver of cost in higher education is faculty salaries, there are no savings to be had. As salaries rise in other professions that require considerable postsecondary education, so must university salaries.But at best, this theory can only explain a portion of the costs of higher education. That's because Baumol's "disease" really only applies to one part of a professor's job-the in-person delivery of education, e.g. the lecture or discussion. This, in turn, is only one part of the total activity of a university.To be fair, however, the important task of classroom teaching has changed little over time. But what the theory ignores are the important advances in the technology that support higher education, that have enabled the faculty to become much more productive than even a half-century ago.These advances have occurred in four major areas of higher education delivery:At one time, oral examinations were the main form of assessment. Later, these viva voce exams gave way to written tests, which were graded by hand. Then, in the 1970s, the advent of the Scantron allowed professors to supplement written exams with multiple-choice sections. Even such seemingly minuscule factors as students switching from handwriting assignments to typing them has saved professors considerable time; they no longer have to interpret students' poor penmanship.Today, new web-based technology has helped move many assessments (including homework) online. These online forms allow for various question types (including multiple choice, short answer, matching, fill-in-the-blank, and essay). They also offer plagiarism- and grammar-checkers for essays and research projects submitted online. Together, these tools allow professors to grade more exams or problem sets in less time.Veteran professors have seen revolutionary change in research methods during their careers. Many first conducted empirical research using punch cards, which took hours to process results. Today, research faculty have far better options for data processing, many that use simple (and fast) point-and-click commands.Access to academic literature has also improved. Researchers were once restricted to the information they could physically access in a local library or, later, through inter-library loans. Today, university libraries subscribe to thousands of academic journals electronically. Complicated searches can now be conducted without consulting a card catalog or even leaving the office.Communication with students is easier than ever. For example, online versions of syllabi, complete with calendars, due dates, and FAQ sections, mean that students don't have to bother their professors with questions to which they should already know the answers. Professors can now email all their students at the same time with the click of a button. Grades are posted online instead of in the hall outside a professor's office. Communication about grades, study tips, and missed classes is now quicker and more painless than ever.The "sage on a stage" format has also evolved. Teaching assistants allow universities to supplement large lecture courses with small discussion sections. The advent of film and then the Internet meant that lectures in topics that rarely change (like physics or ancient history) can be recorded once, then used many times-often to "flip" or blend a classroom Given these advances in technology and others too numerable to mention here, it becomes clear that higher education only partially resembles a symphony performance. There have, in fact, been many productivity gains since higher education's inception. Professors can complete all of their non-classroom activities much more efficiently than they could in the past.Yet the performance of students has not measurably improved. Quite the contrary; many graduate without gaining making significant gains in knowledge or critical thinking skills. Others drop out because they find little value in what's offered.But it is the failure to control costs that is most obvious. They have increased every year-for students, parents, and taxpayers. Even many schools that are small and relatively "cost-conscious" have barely managed to hold the line on tuition increases. In an era when everything else is getting cheaper, this is not good enough.The reason efficiency increases have not been passed to students and others is that universities have kept their savings on campus instead of sharing them. Those savings have been used to shift professors' time from teaching to research and to hire more administrators and professional staff at ever-escalating salaries.Economist Andrew Gillen analyzed the number of classes that tenured and tenure-track professors taught between 1988 and 2004. He found that the average teaching load declined 25 percent-from 3.6 to 2.7 courses per term. At research-intensive universities, the typical professor teaches just 1.8 courses. However, he found that similar declines occur at every type of higher education institution in the U.S., including at community colleges. Given current trends, it's likely that professors teach even fewer courses today than they did in 2004. According to Gillen:Administration, too, has grown. According to an analysis of federal figures by the American Institutes for Research and the New England Center for Investigative Reporting, the number of non-academic administrative and professional employees at U.S. colleges and universities more than doubled between 1987 and 2011. The growth in these administrative positions vastly outpaced the growth in the number of students or faculty.Not only has the number of administrators grown, so has their pay. As Jesse Saffron and I showed here , "2.17 percent [of UNC's employees], earn more than $200,000 and 6,243, or 13 percent, earn more than $100,000."Higher education's gains from productivity should be put to better use. As it stands now, amazing innovations in teaching and education delivery are benefiting the system instead of the student. Universities should take advantage of the efficiencies that exist by decreasing administrative staff and insisting that faculty teach more. Only then will students benefit from the recent innovations in higher education. South Sudan farmers must choose between feeding the war-torn nation or profiting from lucrative international markets. Yei, South Sudan Under the hot, midday sun, a handful of farmers huddle around a coffee tree, holding down a branch to pick off the ripe, bright red coffee cherries. Theres a lot of benefit in growing coffee, says Iseya Lokolo Latio, a coffee farmer. The statement reflects a new way of thinking among local farmers, many of whom have casually grown coffee for decades. This year, however, they are scaling up and selling their beans abroad to multinational coffee company Nespresso. The money I get will pay for school fees and medicine, Latio says as he drops off six kilos of coffee cherries at the cooperatives newly built wet mill. The coffee cooperative offers an idyllic rural scene rarely associated with South Sudan, a country that continues to be plagued by a brutal conflict despite a fragile peace deal struck in August this year. Even as the farmers are harvesting coffee to be sold in Nespresso stores around the world, more than 3.9 million, a third of the population, is at risk of going hungry, with 4.6 million in need of humanitarian assistance. Since the conflict began in December 2013, more than two million have been forced from their homes, unable to tend to their fields. Traders can only access hard currency on the black market at more than five times the official rate, which has hindered imports and sent prices through the roof. While fighting has been raging in the north, the surroundings of Yei town, located near the countrys southern border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, have remained relatively peaceful. The area is known as the countrys agricultural heartland. It is perhaps the only part of South Sudan that still stands a chance of luring wary investors, many of whom left the country when fighting broke out. Marketing coffee for hope Nespresso decided to set up shop here after it discovered the distinctive taste of South Sudans coffee beans. Nespresso is a subsidiary of Nestle, one of the worlds largest food corporations. The company pledged $2.6m to develop South Sudans coffee export sector. Nespresso is marketing its investment through brand ambassador George Clooney, as a unique chance to diversify South Sudans heavily oil-dependent economy, build peace and offer a glimmer of hope for war-torn South Sudan. Being able to sell coffee on the international market has restored a sense of pride among the farmers, said Janno Van Der Laan, South Sudan country manager for Technoserve, an NGO funded by Nespresso to improve production techniques of coffee farmers. Coffee farmers have welcomed Nespressos investment, which offers an opportunity to scale up production beyond the limited local demand and charge a premium price. Its much better to harvest the coffee for export. We just take it to the wet mill and get our money. Its easier than having to look for a market here in South Sudan, said Sebastian Hakim Daniel, a coffee farmer who also heads the local coffee cooperative established by Technoserve. Until the farmers produce higher yields, the $2.2 they earn a kilo of dried coffee wont be enough to make a living. But already the coffee trade is proving lucrative and word is getting around. We are thinking of growing coffee in the future, said Simon Lomeriga, a farmer who heard about Nespressos initiative. Some of us have coffee trees, but we havent developed them because up to now, there was no market, said Lomeriga, who leads a cooperative that grows cassava, maize and other crops for consumption in Yei and, when yields allow, the capital Juba. Infrastructure development obstacles As Nespresso is looking to expand its network of coffee growers from 200 to 8,000 by 2020, farmers in the region might soon be faced with a choice: Grow coffee for export or grow food for the non-farming and urban population. Given the current scarcity of inputs to production, it seems like an unavoidable trade-off. In theory, South Sudan is endowed with vast stretches of fertile land, more than enough to grow food for its own population and export cash crops. But much of the countrys agricultural prime real estate remains untouched due to conflict, poor infrastructure and lack of public and private investments. The struggle of Lomerigas cooperative epitomises the consequences of institutional neglect of the agricultural sector. Tractor-hire services are not available in the region, limiting his farmers to manual tools when tilling or watering their fields. Even labour is becoming increasingly scarce in South Sudan, a country with one of the lowest population densities in sub-Saharan Africa. The handful of laborers working the fields were brought from neighboring Congo. It is difficult to find workers. The youth want to go to the towns to look for jobs there, said Lomeriga. Food production for local markets Although coffee might present an attractive alternative to farmers who struggle to grow food, many dont believe it is a priority for their young, troubled nation. We need to produce food now, with all these people fleeing from other parts of South Sudan due to conflict, said farmer Eli Lomoro, referring to tens of thousands of displaced people who have arrived in Yei since 2013 a 10 percent increase in the citys population in two years, by official estimates. There is not enough food in the local markets, Lomoro added. Most food consumed in South Sudan is imported and, with the plummeting value of the South Sudanese pound vis-a-vis the US dollar, increasingly unaffordable for much of the population. Producing more food locally would ease the pressure, but private investment is needed to do so. Farmers are doing their level best. Theres a need for the private sector to get involved, said Salah Edward, principal at the Yei Agricultural Training Centre, a local NGO that works with farmers to improve yields. Experts believe such investments should be channeled on the basis of the nations priorities. The priority should be to fulfil the needs of the local demand. The next step is to go for cash crops to be imported into other countries, for example coffee, tea and tobacco, said Edward, who is a trained agro-economist. Now that a peace deal has been signed, the government is optimistic that investors will pour in. The most important thing we need now is peace. I believe the investors are eyeing this country, said Beda Machar Deng, South Sudans minister of agriculture. But in order to unleash the countrys agricultural potential, the government first needs to create a viable investment climate and start spending on infrastructure rather than its military. Until then, Nespressos coffee farms are likely to remain the only lucrative option for resource-strapped farmers. MORE Al Jazeera coverage on South Sudan Most of France supports the limitations on their liberties in the fight against terrorism for now. Agnes Poirier is the UK editor for the French political weekly MARIANNE, and a political commentator for the British, American, Canadian, French and Italian press, and a regular contributor to the BBC, Sky News, and Al Jazeera. She is the author of 'Touche, A French woman's take on the English' I owe you the truth we are not done with terrorism. Our services constantly thwart attacks, said French President Francois Hollande in his New Years Eve address to the nation. As wishes for the New Year go, this is a decidedly sombre one. Indeed, how could anyone in France express joy or even hope for some respite when Paris, still reeling from last Novembers attacks which left 130 people dead and another 350 injured, is about to witness a whole week of memorial services to remember those three days last January when France lost its innocence? On January 7, 8 and 9 last year, Frances most cherished cartoonists, three of them in their 80s, and their colleagues at the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, were killed, three members of the police force shot dead, and consumers of a Kosher supermarket targeted and killed for being Jews. The murder of those 17 French citizens by French-born jihadists was followed by the largest march on the streets of France since the liberation of France in 1944, and before that, since the national funeral of Victor Hugo in 1885. Four million people including two million in Paris alone marched to show unity. Heads of state from around the world, among them both the Palestinian and Israeli leaders, but with the notable absence of US President Barack Obama, joined the march in Paris to show support. What France does best Big marches and demonstrations are among the things that France does best; January 11 will remain in history as an emotionally charged and powerful display of both resilience and defiance. However, one year on, France may have lost more than just its trademark insouciance. READ MORE: Dont let ISIL divide France Today, tens of thousands of armed forces members, deployed at home, are patrolling the streets of France and protecting vulnerable sites such as synagogues, but also mosques, churches and faith schools. As for the overworked and overstretched French police, they now have a new task, that of protecting hundreds of personalities such as philosophers, writers, and moderate imams... by As for the overworked and overstretched French police, they now have a new task, that of protecting hundreds of personalities such as philosophers, writers, and moderate imams who are critical of the leniency shown by past French governments towards radicalism. The Franco-Tunisian Hassen Chalghoumi, imam of Drancy, northeast of Paris, known for his fight in favour of a more inclusive Islam, needs round-the-clock protection. Much more has changed in France. The country is living in a state of emergency, one which confers considerable additional powers to the police, the details of which are to feature in a proposed revision of the constitution. To be adopted, the bill needs the support of at least 611 of the 925 French parliamentarians, and will be debated early in February. Among the amendments to the constitution under consideration is the deprivation of citizenship for dual nationals who commit terrorist acts. This symbolic measure, supported by 85 percent of the French people, according to a recent poll, has divided French parliamentarians, beyond their own affiliations to the left or the right. Many argue against it, arguing that dual nationals shouldnt be specifically targeted and that instead national degradation the stripping of civic rights and imprisonment should be applied to anyone who commits terrorist acts, stopping short at depriving citizens of their citizenship. Risky suspension of civil liberties Of course, the state of emergency is seen by many as an unbearable or certainly risky suspension of civil liberties, and the environmental militants belonging to the ecological causes most radical fringes were the first to experience it in the run-up to the COP21 summit in Paris. They not only braved the ban to march but threw bottles at the police. The Force was not on their side and some of them were consigned to house arrest for weeks. Most of the French people, wary of more attacks, are for the moment supportive of the governments approach, accepting the limitations on their liberties in the fight against terrorism. For the moment, living in security feels more important than the right to demonstrate. However, as time goes by, Hollande, whose presidency comes to an end in May 2017, will have to tread very carefully. The state of emergency must remain a temporary measure; if this is not the case, the definition of democracy in France will have to be amended too. Agnes Poirier is the UK editor for the French political weekly MARIANNE, and a political commentator. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. Netanyahu must dismantle the six states within a state Israel has created and grant every Arab and Jew full equality. Tragedies are a time for soul-searching and deep reflection for some. For others, they are an opportunity to make political capital and to fan the flames of hatred. Benjamin Netanyahu tends to fall squarely into the latter category. At a Tel Aviv bar where authorities believe a terror attack took place leaving two dead and seven wounded, the Israeli prime minister took aim at the 21 percent of Israeli citizens who identify themselves as Palestinian or Arab. He demanded loyalty to the states laws from everyone, claiming that Arab areas of Israel were crime-ridden, lawless and radicalised enclaves. While crime is a greater problem in Arab towns and villages than in Jewish ones, this is partly due to decades of neglect by the state, which has been more concerned with the security threat Palestinians in Israel potentially pose than to the threats posed to them. Although Netanyahu praised the swift Arab condemnation of the attack, he quickly returned to his comfort zone when he said: We all know that there is wild incitement of radical Islam against the state of Israel within the Muslim sector. Jewish inciters While incitement does occur, what Netanyahu is wilfully ignoring is that the vast majority of Palestinians in Israel are peaceful and obey the laws of a state which increasingly discriminates against them, and this despite being citizens of a country which erased their homeland and occupies their compatriots in the West Bank and Gaza. More insidiously, while condemning incitement when committed by Palestinians, Netanyahu, in contrast to the moral courage displayed by President Reuven Rivlin, is silent about, excuses or even defends the Jewish inciters in Israel, many of whom are members of his party or coalition. READ MORE: When Palestinian women take up arms In some cases, he even promotes them. Take the firebrand of the far-right Jewish Home party, Ayelet Shaked. Despite her track record of incitement, including during the 2014 Gaza war, Netanyahu appointed her justice minister, without betraying a hint of irony. In this capacity, she has widened her net to include not only Palestinians, but also the Israeli supreme court and leftist NGOs. The smooth-tongued Bibi, as his supporters affectionately call him, has a long track record of dangerous incitement. by Incitement also helped Netanyahu to win the 2015 election, when he warned supporters that the right-wing government is in danger because Arab voters are heading to the polling stations in droves as part of a sinister leftist plot involving left-wing NGOs [who] are bringing them in buses. In fact, the smooth-tongued Bibi, as his supporters affectionately call him, has a long track record of dangerous incitement. Leah Rabin, for one, had no doubt that Netanyahu, along with other members of the hard right, was responsible for creating the toxic atmosphere of hate which facilitated the assassination of her husband, Yitzhak Rabin. Despite his two decades at the wheel of the juggernaut driving Israel off a cliff, Netanyahu had the audacity to tell Arabs at the weekend: Whoever wants to be Israeli must be Israeli all the way. Marginalised minorities Like far-right rhetoric elsewhere, his comments imply that citizenship for the majority is an inalienable birth right, no matter how much they undermine the state, while for marginalised minorities it is a favour which must be earned and for which they must constantly express gratitude. I will not accept two states within Israel, Netanyahu insisted, suggesting that Palestinian-Israelis are a state within a state. What Netanyahus self-righteous rhetoric overlooks is that Israel, when you include all the territory it controls, is composed of at least half a dozen unequal states, according to my count. At the top of the pyramid sit Israeli Jews, though they are also subdivided according to ethnicity and class. Then there are the Palestinian and Arab citizens of Israel, who theoretically have equality with their Jewish compatriots and enjoy it in the more enlightened corners of society. However, this is undermined by the legal system which contains at least 50 laws which discriminate against Arabs, according to the legal centre Adalah as well as other forms of racism and discrimination. Although Jerusalem was annexed by Israel, its Palestinian inhabitants live under the precarious status of permanent residents, thereby turning natives into immigrants, and allowing the state to strip them of that status on the flimsiest of pretexts. Severe restrictions However, Jerusalemites do enjoy social security coverage, freedom of movement and the right to work in Israel. Their compatriots in the West Bank, on the other hand, face severe restrictions, live under martial law (except in Area A, where the Palestinian Authority possesses notional authority), reside behind walls, barriers and fences, and eke out an existence under the shadow of settlements. READ MORE: Blame it on the mufti In contrast, settlers occupy a legal grey zone, in which they live on Palestinian land but enjoy the protection of Israeli law and the military. Ideological settlements are more akin to the lawlessness Netanyahu attributed to Arab towns in Israel, because of the Israeli authorities reluctance to bring violent settlers to justice which, in the words of Israeli human rights group BTselem, creates impunity for hate crimes, and encourages assailants to continue. At the bottom of the pile lies Gaza, which is almost hermetically sealed by Israel and Egypt, and forgotten except in times of war. Israel controls Gazas territory militarily, but without any boots on the ground, and takes no responsibility for this occupation. If Netanyahu really wants everyone to be Israeli all the way, he needs to move beyond self-righteous posturing to a rights-based posture. He must dismantle the six states within a state that his country has created and grant every Israeli and Palestinian, every Arab and Jew, full equality before the law and full citizenship. Khaled Diab is an award-winning Egyptian-Belgian journalist, writer and blogger. He is the author of Intimate Enemies: Living with Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land. He blogs at www.chronikler.com. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. In the US, guns are far more than weapons they are ideological talismans. Khaled A Beydoun is a law professor, and author of American Islamophobia: Understanding the Roots and Rise of Fear. The rise in gun violence, and its most horrific episodes, brought US President Barack Obama to tears on Tuesday afternoon. Flanked by the mothers of Jordan Davis and Chris Martinez, amid the memory of other victims of gun violence, Obama delivered an urgent call and outlined an executive plan for greater gun control. Obamas tears were every bit as memorable as his words. While listing the string of mass shootings that unfolded in recent years, Obama paused when he recollected the 20 schoolchildren gunned down by Adam Lanza in Newtown, Connecticut in December 2012. Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad, Obama revealed, in a rare moment of presidential candor and emotion. As if speaking directly to the segment of Americans that associate rising gun violence with easy access to arms. White privilege Nearly 2,600 miles from Washington, DC, in Burns, Oregon, stood the opposition. Led by Ammon Bundy, 100 men brandishing guns and holding a contrary stance on arms dominated the headlines. Hailing from rural, predominantly white spaces, Bundy and his band of gun-toting protesters view the Second Amendment as the cornerstone of citizenship. The very marker of freedom that, if any way diminished or circumscribed by the federal government, justified violent response. For Americans living within or on the margins of cities ravaged by gun violence, Obamas plan could not come too soon. Yet, for factions from remote townships who romanticise about 18th century-styled militias, and view gun ownership as the fundamental constitutional right, Obamas speech and tears are not a call to disarm but rather, a call to take on even more arms. READ MORE: Oregon standoff and a clear case of white privilege A series of rifts divide the United States and its people. The election of Obama in 2008 delivered two distinct messages with regard to race the nations most embedded and turbulent faultline. For conservatives, Obamas ascent to the Oval Office marked the opening of a post-racial America evidence that racism was a relic of the past. Or, for blatant racists, the beginning of white Americas end. For progressives, however, the election of Obama marked a historic symbolic achievement, not meaningful structural reform. The arrival of the first black president intersected with the erosion of affirmative action, widening wealth gaps between black and white Americans, and during Obamas second term, the gutting of the Voting Rights Act intensifying voter suppression in predominantly black districts. The racial divide The racial divide in the US mirrors its spatial divide. Americans of colour, victimised by gun violence inflicted by citizens and police, are largely concentrated in cities. These are the disproportionate spaces where the vast majority of mass shootings take place. The racial divide in the US mirrors its spatial divide. by Far from US cities, in rural towns and remote and townships, is where the Second Amendment holds both constitutional and spiritual significance. These isolated, overwhelmingly white working-class spaces spawn the likes of Cliven Bundy, Jon Ritzheimer of anti-Muslim protests fame, and the majority of the National Rifle Associations (NRA) rabid base. In the US, guns are far more than weapons. They are ideological talismans, and depending on which side one stands, symbols of either individual liberty or systematic violence. Republican candidates, most notably Donald Trump, have capitalised on this divide. By stoking xenophobic and Islamophobic fears, Republican frontrunners have issued a call to arms against illegal immigrants, Muslims, and thugs, playing on race and racism to embolden NRA backers and militants. Disarming dangerous elements However, for Charleston, South Carolina, Aurora, Colorado, and Obamas hometown of Chicago, gun control does not mean using both hands but disarming dangerous elements within the community. And just as importantly, those looming on the fringe. READ MORE: A demonstration of white privilege Like Dylann Roof, whose hell-bent racism moved him to execute nine black churchgoers in Charleston. Or Craig Stephen Hicks, who shot and killed three Muslim American students in Chapel Hill in February 2015. And the 100 armed militiamen in Oregon, who view black, brown and Muslim Americans as transgressors and terrorists. For communities ravaged by mass shootings, gun control does not diminish freedom, it diminishes danger. Federal monitoring of gun sale controls will lessen the chances of innocent teenagers, such as Jordan Davis, being gunned down. Obamas reforms also mitigate access to guns in gang-ridden communities, where youth, residents and other innocents have fallen victim to direct and stray bullets. We know we cant stop every act of violence, every act of evil in the world, Obama pleaded, before firing at the NRA and their textual interpretation of the Second Amendment, adding more fodder to the gun control standoff in the US, and the deepening the racial, spatial and ideological divides that lay beneath it. Khaled A Beydoun is an Assistant Professor of Law at the Barry University Dwayne O Andreas School of Law. He is a native of Detroit. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. North Korea said on Wednesday it successfully detonated its first hydrogen bomb, a claim that if confirmed would signal a major advancement in the isolated countrys nuclear capabilities. The announcement made a month after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un suggested the secretive Northeast Asian nation had the capacity to launch an H-bomb sparked immediate regional tensions and drew international condemnation. Yet, some officials and analysts raised doubts whether the explosion was indeed a full-fledged test of a hydrogen device. Al Jazeera examines the most important questions surrounding North Koreas announcement. Has North Korea actually detonated a hydrogen bomb? People in the capital Pyongyang cheered their countrys claimed military success on Wednesday, images showed, but it could be a long time before it has actually been proved a hydrogen device was indeed tested. H-bombs are much more difficult to design and produce compared to atomic bombs and can be thousands of times more powerful. Such a device could evaporate the entire city of New York completely no one would stay alive, Andrei Lankov, a professor of Korean Studies at Kookmin University in Seoul, told Al Jazeera. With an atomic bomb you can kill half of Manhattan, at most. While much more potent, H-bombs are also much more costly. For the North Koreans to have such a powerful and expensive [device] is a bit of overkill it simply does not make sense, Lankov told Al Jazeera. Its like buying a Porsche to go shopping in a shop nearby Its a very expensive programme which will not really make a major contribution towards their security but governments sometimes do crazy things. Im sceptical but it might be the case. OPINION: What we know about the North Korean leader Adam Cathcart, a lecturer in Chinese history at the University of Leeds, said North Korea has previously made claims over huge scientific leaps that have not been substantiated. However, Kim Jong-uns statement back on December 10 about the states H-bomb abilities certainly telegraphed this test, and at least tells us that the supreme leader has staked his prestige on the claim, he told Al Jazeera. Does the announcement change what we know about its nuclear programme? From 2006 to 2013, North Korea conducted three nuclear tests of atomic weapons all at the Punggye-ri site, near which a 5.1 magnitude earthquake was detected on Wednesday. Regardless of the validity of the hydrogen bomb claims, Wednesdays announcement has left no doubt about Pyongyangs commitment to its nuclear programme, analysts said. [It is showing] that its relatively successful and making progress, Remco Breuker, a professor of Korean Studies at Leiden University, told Al Jazeera. And more importantly perhaps that the possession of nuclear weapons is non-negotiable for this regime. Lankov agreed. Whats important is to know it [the nuclear programme] exists. When North Koreans began to talk about their nuclear programme initially there were some people who suspected that they were bluffing. Why did North Korea decide to do this now? From the moment the H-bomb test was announced on state television, speculation has been rife about what prompted North Koreas action. Some analysts said although they were not completely surprised by the move, there are still questions over its timing. In recent months North Korea appeared to have had increased its efforts to improve relations with several other countries, from its traditional regional ally China to Russia and nations in Southeast Asia. How does hydrogen bomb work? They were very unusually active and they were looking for some kind of breakthrough, some kind of improvement, said Lankov. For a brief while, especially over the last three months, they were more open to the world about getting some investment. Breuker said one theory is that in the absence of international tensions, the test was prompted by domestic factors, over which we dont have any control, not even much understanding, so this is not a good situation to be in. North Koreas government said it deserves to possess nuclear weapons to counter threats from the US, but Cathcart said he did not believe Pyongyangs latest actions were about negotiating with the Barack Obama administration even though in the past two decades or so, North Korea has done its most rapid negotiating with lame duck US administrations in their second term. Whats next for North Korea, its neighbours, and international relations? Neighbouring countries and global powers issued stern statements against North Korea following Wednesdays announcement, while the UN Security Council called an emergency meeting. While it is almost certain the move will prompt the imposing of further economic sanctions, some analysts said the measures will not have major repercussions unless the US decided to introduce comprehensive financial sanctions that would essentially ban all global banking institutions from dealing with Pyongyang. READ MORE: World powers vow to punish North Korea after nuclear test The test is also expected to worsen North Koreas relations with Beijing, which has long been frustrated by the nuclear programme of its troublesome neighbour, a recipient of Chinese aid and investment. North Korea risks losing yet more goodwill from its main patron and nominal ally China, said Cathcart. I dont think that Beijing is going to abandon North Korea at the UN when it comes to human rights issues, but there will be more pressure within Chinese society and the political-diplomatic field to turn the screws on North Korea even as China tries to keep one hand open for North Korean economic reform and external investment, which it sees as the long-term solution to the problem. Jamaat-e-Islami leader loses appeal against war crimes sentence in case Islamists say is part of a government crackdown. Bangladeshs Supreme Court has upheld a death sentence against a top Islamist political leader for crimes committed during the countrys 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. Motiur Rahman Nizami leader of the countrys biggest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami was convicted by a special war crimes tribunal last year of a raft of offences that included genocide, murder, torture and rape. Four opposition politicians, including three leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami, have been convicted by the tribunal and executed since late 2013. Nizami has been in jail since 2010 when he was charged with war crimes by the tribunal set up by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina that year. Bangladeshi authorities say about three million people were killed and more than 200,000 women raped during the liberation war. Islamists have denounced the tribunal as part of a politically motivated campaign aimed at weakening the leadership of Jamaat-e-Islami, a key ally of the countrys main opposition party. Jamaat has called for a nationwide strike on Thursday in protest. Nizami is accused of setting up the Al-Badr militia, a paramilitary unit accused of collaborating with the Pakistani army in large-scale killings and targeting Bangladeshs Hindu minority and intelligentsia. A panel of senior Supreme Court judges rejected his appeal, removing the last legal barrier to his execution by hanging unless he is granted a presidential pardon, which analysts see as unlikely. Rising violence Attorney General Mahbubey Alam expressed satisfaction with the verdict. Defence lawyers said that they did not get justice. Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, Nizamis lawyer, said the tribunal targeted the wrong men. The entire world knows what the Pakistan army did during the liberation war in 1971. They committed the offence of murder, offence of arson, offence of rape, and mass killing. They are let off, he said. While Jamaat-e-Islami strongly opposed the independence of Bangladesh and the break-up of Pakistan, it denies any participation in war crimes during the 1971 conflict. The executions since 2013 have come amid a rise in violence in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, with armed groups claiming the murder of two foreigners and four secular writers and a publisher last year. The government has blamed the increase in violence on Jamaat-e-Islami but the party denies any link. Iraqi foreign minister meets with counterpart in Tehran after Riyadh severed diplomatic relations with Iran. Iraq is willing to mediate between Iran and Saudi Arabia, its foreign minister said, as a deepening diplomatic row between the two regional heavyweights continued. Ibrahim al-Jaafari was speaking on Wednesday in a joint press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who appeared to indicate that Tehran was open to resolving the stand-off. Zarif said Iran wants no tension in the region and would always welcome dialogue with its neighbours. Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic relations with Iran after its embassy in Tehran was stormed by protesters angered by the kingdoms execution of a prominent Shia cleric, who was put to death along with 46 other mainly Sunni convicts on terrorism charges. Though thousands of Iraqi Shias took to the streets on Tuesday to protest the execution of Nimr al-Nimr, Baghdad has taken a more cautious line. Iran is a key ally of the Shia-led government in Baghdad, has helped it in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group, and supports powerful Shia militias in the country. At the same time, as the fight against ISIL enters its second year, Iraq is grappling with its worst political and security crises since the withdrawal of US troops in 2011. Last week, Saudi Arabia sent an ambassador to Baghdad for the first time in 25 years. Regional tensions should be faced wisely, responsibly and rationally in order to preserve the security and stability of Iraq, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a statement on Tuesday. Qatar has become the latest country to back Saudi Arabia in its dispute with Iran, recalling its ambassador to Tehran on Wednesday in response to the attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions last weekend. Jordan, Djibouti, and Turkey also expressed pro-Saudi positions on Wednesday after the embassy attacks in Iran that followed the execution of a renowned Shia leader in Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the execution of 47 men for terrorism charges in Saudi Arabia was a domestic issue. One of those put to death was Shia Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr a move that stirred sectarian anger across the region. Forty-six of those who were executed are Sunni and they are executed because they are affiliated with al-Qaeda. One of them was a Shia religious leader. This decision was previously taken and Saudi Arabia implemented it. This is their decision, Erdogan said in a speech in the capital Ankara. The president also said those who remained silent about the deaths of people in Syrias civil war were causing an uproar over the execution of one person in Saudi Arabia, apparently referring to Iran though he did not name names. EXPLAINER: World reaction to Iran-Saudi hostilities You are giving your support [to the Syrian regime] either implicitly or openly. You are giving financial and weapons support to the murderer [President Bashar] Assad, Erdogan said. The Saudi Arabian embassy [in Iran] was hit with rocket launchers. Its embassy in Iraq was also vandalised. This is not acceptable in terms of international relations. Meanwhile, Irans President Hassan Rouhani asked the countrys judiciary on Wednesday to urgently prosecute the people who attacked the Saudi missions. By punishing the attackers and those who orchestrated this obvious offence, we should put an end once and forever to such damage and insults to Irans dignity and national security, Rouhani was quoted as saying in a letter published on the state news agency IRNA. Djibouti cut diplomatic relations with Iran in response to the storming of the Saudi embassy. The tiny Horn of Africa nation joins Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Sudan in entirely severing relations with Shia Muslim Iran. Djibouti cut its diplomatic ties with Iran out of solidarity with Saudi Arabia, Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf told Reuters news agency in a text message. Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait have recalled their envoys to Iran. Meanwhile, Jordan summoned Irans ambassador in Amman on Wednesday to condemn the embassy attack, and Iranian interference in Arab affairs, according to Jordanian state news agency Petra. Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy and other diplomatic posts early Sunday. Since the attacks, Iran says it has made arrests and has criticised the violent protesters. Irans top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, predicted divine vengeance for the execution of Nimr. New report says blood samples show that people were at some point exposed to sarin or a sarin-like substance. The deadly nerve agent sarin has possibly been used in Syria, the United Nations acting disarmament chief has told the UN Security Council. Kim Won-soo spoke to reporters on Tuesday after briefing the Security Council behind closed doors on the latest report from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The report said OPCW investigators who looked at 11 allegations of chemical weapons use came across one instance of blood samples indicating that individuals were at some point exposed to sarin or a sarin-like substance. Further investigation would be necessary to determine when or under what circumstances such exposure might have occurred, the report said. The OPCW only carries out fact-finding missions, but the Security Council in August established an expert team that will seek to assign blame for chemical attacks in Syrias war. Malik Ellahi, an OPCW spokesman, said there hasnt yet been a decision taken on which body should conduct further investigation into the blood samples. The opposition Syrian National Coalition has urged the OPCW to investigate an alleged chemical attack last month in the Damascus suburb of Moadamiyeh an area besieged by government forces. The opposition blamed President Bashar al-Assads regime, but the Syrian government denied involvement and blamed rebels and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Doubts expressed Kim said OPCW fact-finding teams were still assessing reports of alleged chemical attacks, carrying out investigations, and sending their findings to the Security Council expert body, which is known as the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM). Then, the JIM will do its own investigation, he said. The report raises other outstanding issues, including questions about the Syrian governments completion of the destruction of its declared chemical weapons stockpile as called for under an international agreement. That agreement came after an infamous sarin attack on the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta in August 2013 that killed more than 1,000 people and drew international horror. Syria agreed the following month to destroy its entire supply of chemical weapons under a deal negotiated with the US and Russia. The last batch of 1,300 tonnes of chemicals declared to the OPCW was handed over in June 2014, but several Western governments have expressed doubts that the Assad regime declared its full arsenal. Two detainees of Yemeni origin to be resettled in the west African nation after spending years in the notorious prison. The US military announced on Wednesday that two detainees held for years without charge at the Guantanamo Bay prison will be transferred to Ghana, leaving 105 detainees at the notorious camp. Yemeni Mahmud Umar Muhammad bin Atef, 36, and Khalid Muhammad Salih al-Dhuby, 38, will settle in Ghana for two years, the defence department said in a statement. The United States is grateful to the government of Ghana for its humanitarian gesture and willingness to support ongoing US efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, it said. Ghanas foreign ministry said in a statement the two men have been cleared of any involvement in any terrorist activities but are unable to return to Yemen. It added they will be able to leave Ghana after two years. Both Atef and Dhuby had been cleared for release in 2010. US President Barack Obama has pledged to shut the controversial prison located in Cuba since his election in 2008. Despite signing an executive order in 2009 to shut it down, Obama has not been able to do so because of political oppostion. A number of prisoners have been freed and resettled in places other than their home countries with detainees sent to Uruguay, Estonia, Kazakhstan, and Oman. Of the 779 detainees brought to the prison in 2002, most have been freed or transferred without facing any charge. Perspective from here and over there. Body of third American also taken out after heavy fighting with the Taliban in Helmands Marjah district. Two wounded US soldiers and the body of a third were evacuated from a battlefield in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday during a joint US-Afghan operation, the US military said. A team of American special operations troops advising their Afghan counterparts became pinned down by the Taliban during heavy fighting on Tuesday near the city of Marjah in Helmand province. The evacuation was delayed when a helicopter took fire and was unable to land, and another was unable to take off. All three casualties have been evacuated successfully from the area, US Army Colonel Michael Lawhorn said. Read more: Analysis: The Talibans resurgence in Afghanistan Omar Zawaq, Helmand governors spokesman, told Al Jazeera the main Marjah highway had been retaken after the Taliban sealed it off a day earlier during the siege. Most of the areas that were under Taliban control are now cleared and supply routes have now been reopened too, he said. Taliban seizes southern district The Taliban suffered heavy losses in the clashes. However, it is an ongoing battle and has not completely ended. Some areas are still under the Taliban, Zawaq said. The Taliban recently attacked a number of cities in Helmand, one of several fronts where its fighters have advanced in the past year. Marjah is one of the main supply routes for Sangin district to the north of Helmand and has been the scene of heavy fighting between Afghan forces and the Taliban in the last few weeks. Meanwhile, Mohammad Jan Rasoolyar, deputy governor of Helmand, has been fired at the request of the Afghan National Security Council (ANSC) over a Facebook post he wrote in December, in which he pleaded with the central government to send reinforcements, local authorities said. Read more: Residents stranded as battle for Helmand intensifies Rasoolyar used his Facebook account to make an emotional plea to President Ashraf Ghani for help as government forces were outnumbered and surrounded by the Taliban in Sangin. He warned the president the entire province was in danger of falling. ANSC said local officials must be reminded that using social media to voice their dissatisfaction against government decisions and policies will never be tolerated. Rasoolyar defended his actions when contacted by Al Jazeera for comment. I voiced my concern over Facebook after I requested for support several times earlier, he said. If they hired me, they can fire me too. They have the authority. I am just worried about the situation in Helmand as everything is getting out of control. Buenos Aires Jazz.15 International FestivalBuenos Aires, ArgentinaNovember 10-15, 2015Imagine opening the pages of a major daily newspaper, turning to the Op-Ed section and seeing, prominently placed amidst the usual commentaries on politics and international crises, a tome to the recently deceased jazz singer and composer. Sound like an impossible dream? Not, it turns out, in Argentina, where an elevated appreciation for the arts and the contributions of artists to society have long been a part of the national psyche. The short opinion piece by Guadalupe Raventos, published in Clarin, one of the country's major daily newspapers, celebrated Murphy's ability to "move us with his songs."Given that such an organic understanding of the importance of the arts is well established in Argentine culture, it's understandable that the artistic director of the Buenos Aires Jazz International Festival chose to cast the ninth edition of the undertaking in equally inclusive terms. "The festival has played an active and vital role in the development of an increasingly heterogeneous Argentine jazz," commented Adrian Iaies, the respected pianist and composer who has been at the helm of the annual event since its inception eight years ago. "This is not an abstract idea but a political concept," he added pointedly. "The festival is every one of us."The six-day extravaganza featured 70 concerts staged in six venues sprinkled throughout this expansive metropolis and included appearances by 26 ensembles from abroad and 44 domestic groups. Thirteen master classes and workshops and a "film and jazz" series built around the screening of movies and documentaries related to the jazz culture augmented the live shows. Most of the performances were offered to the public free of charge on a first come, first serve basis. Even concerts that required a ticket were reasonably priced; the best seats in the Teatro Colon, the city's fabled opera house, for a performance by theQuartet, were a mere $25. As the last notes of an outdoor big band faded into the moonlit night at the outdoor amphitheater at Parque Centenario, festival organizers proudly announced that a cumulative audience of 90,000 had been served.With so many tempting options at hand, choosing which event to attend proved to be an ongoing dilemma. And there was more than just the choice of music to take into account; visiting different venues also provided an opportunity to explore culturally and architecturally distinctive Buenos Aires neighborhoods, from La Boca, the rough-around-the-edges port district that was home to thousands of arriving Italian immigrants a century ago to Once, site of the city's historic Jewish enclave. For those drawn to a small club setting, night-capping sessions were on tap at two of the city's best jazz clubs, Cafe Vinilo and Thelonious Club.The opening night's sole offering was a set by guitarist, one of the festival's international headliners, and a New York City-based rhythm section of pianist, drummerandon bass. The concert set the tone for much of what would follow in five event-packed dayswell-produced performances attended by sophisticated fans and staged in truly stunning surroundings.Bernstein's date, and most of the high profile concerts that were to follow, was staged in the city's newest cultural center, Usina del Arte, literally the "Art Power Plant." Located in La Boca, the former electricity-generating plant, constructed in 1916 but renovated and converted three years ago into a state-of-the-art center for visual and performing arts, boasts a fanciful facade that's reminiscent of a 19th Century Italian monastery. An exhibit of 1940s era Italian culture, including a video loop of Benito Mussolini ranting at a Rome rally, was featured concurrent with jazz festival events.As Bernstein and his quartet quickly discovered, the facility's contemporary, industrial-style design is pretty to the eye but can be acoustically challenging, thanks to a preponderance of hardwood surfaces and metal trim. At its best, the 800 seat space renders an overly bright, often brittle sound. Opening the set with Thelonious Monk's "We See," it took the engineer a while to zero in on a workable balance, with better definition of the bass. Thereafter it was smooth sailing.My seatmates were Julia Sanjurjo, a young vocalist who later in the week would sing "You Stepped Out of a Dream" and "Darn That Dream" at the "New Voices of Jazz" concert featuring four of Argentina's emerging female jazz vocal talent, and Sebastian Loiacono, an up-and-coming tenor saxophonist who is featured on his older, trumpet-playing brother Mariano's new hard bop album, Black Soul. Like other members of the audience, these two newly-minted members of Argentina's ever expanding community of jazz practitioners hung on every note, listening with serene attention to these internationally-known stars, studying their technique and admiring the quartet's high level of intuitive communication and stylistic expertise.Bernstein is an affable presence onstage. Often sporting a half-smile, he delighting in his quartet's chemistry on such works as Cole Porter's "I Love You," which featured an exquisite Washington bass solo, and "Dragonfly," a Bernstein original with a catchy jazz fusion mode that allowed the guitarist to display the breadth of his stylistic range. The quartet put a convincing stamp of originality on such standards as "Yesterday" and "Everything I Have Is Yours." A particular treat was the leader's original based on the changes of "Tea For Two" and rendered, odd meter style, in 5/4. Drummond, however, overpowered many of the performances with relentless and overly showy stick work, retreating, oddly, to more subdued timekeeping only during his own long solo outings.Pianist Fortner emerged as a crowd-pleaser, flashing a broad grin when Bernstein signaled it was time for him to solo. The following day, the young musician was featured in one of the festival's many workshops and had an opportunity to explore his fascination with the early, stride-rooted piano styles of Jelly Roll Morton and other pioneers. His enthusiasm and light but technically brilliant touch made such evergreens as "Dinah" and "It Had To Be You" resonate with the audience. And, he paid tribute to Louis Armstrong, saying that "Without him, none of us would be doing what we are doing today." He followed up with enticing arrangements of Bill Evans and Duke Ellington tunes, his left foot happily stomping out the time.Every day at Buenos Aires Jazz presents the dilemma of which evening concert to attend when three or four are on tap. On this night, I had to pass, regrettably, on drummer Daniel "Pipi" Piazzolla's Trio (yes, he is the grandson of tango legend Astor Piazzolla) and an Argentine quintet performing Latin American versions of Monk's repertoire to attend a set by a quartet comprised of one Argentine and three Brazilian musicians and billed as "The South American Reunion." Notably, the group featured bassist Sizao Machado, a celebrated jazzman who has performed and recorded with such notables as, Elis Regina,and Milton Nascimento, among many others. The concert introduced the audience to music from the quartet's latest album, Suda stylish update on made-in-Rio-fashioned jazz, focusing on rhythmic synergy and buoyant melodies.Argentine jazz fans who are particularly keen on avant-garde, "free" oriented artistsand there are many of themwere delighted by the appearance of Japanese pianistand her Tobira Quartet. Those enamored of plucked piano strings, eerie cymbal effects, blasts of pithy, unfocused trumpet work and other such devices found much to appreciate in this group's challenging set. Of interest was how the quartet approached the highly conceptual compositions, beginning at the outer limits of the construction and gradually bringing the piece back into the realm of a more formally structured, conventional arrangement.On the next night's outing, I had to forsake seeing the duo of vocalist, the well-known pop tango and bossa singer and daughter of big band leader Jorge Anders, and guitaristto take in what turned out to be a true festival highlighta stunning, full-blown recreation of Charlie Parker's "Bird With String" sessions of 1949 and 1950.The setting for the Bird concert was itself memorableAMIA (Argentine Israelite Mutual Association), the Jewish cultural center that was bombed, allegedly by Iranian terrorists, in 1994 at the cost of 85 lives. The center features a cozy theater that seats about 300far too few for a concert of this importance and quality. Those who attended the gratis event queued up in the rain on the sidewalk, waiting to be processed through a perfunctory security screening that included a metal detector. On the marquee, the names of the souls who had perished in the bombing. Once inside, concert goers could take in an art exhibit addressing holocaust the Jewish diaspora themes.The opening performance featured the duo of Turkish guitarist Serkan Yilmaz and Hikaru Iwakawa, a Japanese musician who specializes in the quena, the traditional flute of Andean indigenous cultures. Yilmaz plays a 10-string guitar in a style reminiscent of the rhythmically robust manner Brazilian multi-instrumentalist Egberto Gismonti pioneered 40 years ago. The duo's original repertoire and their improvisational prowess produced a memorable set, with airy sonic textures and rhythmically aggressiveness at the same time."Bird With Strings" featured alto saxophonist Carlos Michelini, a string quartet conducted by the animated Daniel Camelo, plus a traditional rhythm section, trumpet, oboe and English horn. Michelini, who captured Parker's style in both tone and technique, later posed the rhetorical question: Why recreate something so well known? "Should we stop reading Cervantes just because 'Don Quixote' was written over 400 years ago?" Point well made.Despite some feedback woes that perplexed the sound engineer, the set left most in the audience spellbound. Although the tunes"Just Friends," "Laura," "I'll Remember April" and other hits from the 1940s are well known to most jazz fans, experiencing the dynamic Michelini's Parker-perfect reading, the attention to jazzy accents demonstrated by the classically-trained string players, and some fine solo work by trumpeter Guillermo Calliero all contributed to a concert that was more than merely memorable. Another set that drew strong interest featured U.S. trumpeterbacked by Argentine pianist Ernesto Jodos' trio. Currently on the faculty of Graz, Austria's University for Music and Dramatic Arts, Rotondi has released 13 albums as a leader and has worked as a sideman on close to 100 sessions. He is a compelling soloist with more than a bit ofin his soul, a strong sense of swing and terrific instincts as a soloist. Although not the kind of artist who is a likely candidate to be featured at a major U.S. festival, his skillset was perfect for his visit to Buenos Aires.Rotondi's Usina del Arte performance drew on a number of key references. He opened with "Mary Ann," a funky blues from Ray Charles' book and commented on his tenure backing the singer. On ballads like "It's Easy To Remember But So Hard To Forget," the trumpet master displayed his lyrical sensibilities, crafting elegant, probing improvisations. Rotondi was also featured as the guest soloist in the festival's closing concert at the Parque Centenario Amphitheater, fronting the Manuel de Falla Conservatory Big Band, a high energy local ensemble of college-age musicians.Earlier in the evening, Branford Marsalis' quartet impressed the audience that packed the 2,487-seat Colon Opera House for what was billed as the festival's showcase event. The saxophonist commented that it was great to be back in Buenos Aires after over 20 years but barely uttered a word thereafter, not even to mention the titles of the tunes. Alternating between soprano and tenor, Marsalis and the group covered a lot of bases, from frenzied bebop to Nola-style funk, classic swing and even a hint of North African sonorities. One of the few songs that was widely recognized, Duke Ellington's 1930s classic, "In A Mellow Tone," elicited a particularly warm response.With its focus on a talented pool of national musicians, European artists and a handful of well-known soloists from the U.S., Buenos Aires Jazz has created a programming formula that offers much to city residents and overseas visitors alike. And, although the city is awash in concerts by noted international artists on any given night of the week, it's an easy bet that most of those who attended the recent edition can't wait for next November to roll around.Photo credit: Mark Holston Four masters programs at UFs Hough School of Business ranked among the best in the nation. The Eduniversal Best Masters ranking released their rankings Dec. 25. They created the rankings based on a programs reputation, student satisfaction and the average starting salary of graduates. The four programs placed in the top five among U.S. public universities, said John Kraft, the dean of UFs Warrington College of Business. Weve been consistently ranked for a number of years by them, he said. The master of science in management and the master of international business ranked second in the nation, Kraft said. The master of science in entrepreneurship ranked fourth, while the full-time master of business administration ranked fifth. All programs except the MBA were combined, with students starting masters coursework their junior and senior years, he said. Students graduate with both their masters and bachelors degrees. Kraft said UFs business school focuses more on graduate programs than undergraduate degrees. The undergraduate degrees have been shrinking over time and will continue to shrink, he said. Weve focused on growing (graduate) programs. The combined programs have been offered for 10 years, Kraft said. About 600 students graduate from the schools combined programs every year. Jasmin Tahirovic, a UF international business masters student, said by the time he graduates, he will have his both his bachelors and masters degrees. The 22-year-old said the combined programs set UF apart because they offer real-world experience. Through the graduate school, he studied abroad in South Korea for about a week in May. While there, he visited Samsung, the Hyundai Motor Company and other businesses, he said. He learned business culture differs between countries. In South Korea, he said forming relationships in business is important. In the U.S., the interaction is less personal. Were taken outside the classroom, Tahirovic said. Were getting taken literally to another country. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now The combined classes will help him when he enters the workforce, he said. Its like, heres something youll actually be doing in the workplace, Tahirovic said. Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter @k_newberg. The Gainesville Community Development Committee will meet today to discuss a housing concept and how it may benefit the community and its homeless population. Gainesville City Commissioners Randy Wells and Craig Carter will discuss tiny housing, a social movement promoting homes five to 21 times smaller and substantially cheaper than a standard single-family home. The social movement could tie in with the citys Achievable Housing project, which aims to provide citizens with affordable and sustainable housing, Carter said Tuesday. The tiny house concept isnt new, and the development committee has discussed it before, he said. But today the committee will look at an ordinance recently passed by the city council of Rockledge, Florida, to allow and regulate tiny houses in their city. Carter said he hopes to recommend that the City Commission let staff draft an ordinance to allow tiny housing in certain zoning districts or residential neighborhoods. Tiny houses could help Gainesville address its homeless population and provide residents a cheaper housing alternative, Carter said. However, its not a perfect solution to the homeless situation. This is a not a cure-all for everything, Carter said. Possible drawbacks include clusters of tiny houses developing into American favelas or a negative economic impact on traditional homes if built near residential communities, according to a presentation by the Broad and Cassel law firm. Nonetheless, its a concept Carter and Alachua County Commissioner Robert Hutchinson said they support. Hutchinson said the tiny houses could allow the city and county to house the homeless and later address mental health issues, drug addictions or other problems they may have. Put them in a house first, and then start dealing with their other issues, Hutchinson said. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now Contact Hunter Williamson at hwilliamson@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @hunterewilliam. We're sorry to report that you now have another reason to spend even more money at Target. For the first time ever, the retailer is launching its own nail-polish line, Defy & Inspire. And just wait until you see the reality-show-inspired shade names (Bachelor Nation, listen up!). Don't say we didn't warn you. The line will launch on January 17 with 38 shades of five-free polish, plus a basecoat and a topcoat. I had a chance to try the polish a few weeks ago and can say that on my perpetually peeling nails, the manicure lasted three whole days before the first chip. That's amazing in my book. And the formula goes on so opaque and glossy that you need only one coat (seriously, two would be overkill). Then there's the fact that each bottle costs a reasonable $7.49. But forget about everything else I just said, because I haven't gotten to the best part: Each shade name is inspired by reality TV. If you consider yourself a member of Bachelor Nation, there are plenty of shades for you. There are also some serious throwbacks (who remembers Made and Next?). Here's a quick run-through of some of the MVPs: Toddlers and Tiaras(baby pink) Newlyweds (a bubble-gum pink) Made(a muted coral) Bachelorette and Bachelor (pink and cornflower blue) In even more Bachelor-themed shades, there's Rose Ceremony and The Final Rose (both reds), Girls Tell All(another bubble-gum pink), and__ Fantasy Suite__ (a midnight blue) The Hills(a punchy coral) And of course the original: Laguna Beach (ocean blue) You're Fired(a classic red) Tribal Counsel(a khaki-nude) Simple Life(pastel purple) And my personal favorite...Make It Work (a pretty teal) Did some of your favorite reality-show names or catchphrases make the list? For more beauty news, watch: AR's Editor Joe Shea Talks About Elections On Iranian TV Bear Stearns Saved By Fed As Lehman Bros. Falters; Major Bank Failure Looms Over Wall Street, Sends Markets Into 200-Pt. Dive Lie Upon Lie Five Years Into the Iraq War The Administration Still Churns Out Lies by Randolph Holhut A Small Tragedy Even at 90, As Friends Turn Cool She Knows the Show Must Go On by Joyce Marcel I'll Take Me Imagine John Wayne or Arnold In Heels, Silk and a Girdle by Elizabeth Andrews Sen. Nelson Calls For New Fla. Primary; Gov Crist Backs 'Do-Over' Who'll Win? Ask Spock Spock.com Engine Predicts Winners By Site Searches; It Can be Wrong by Jay Bhatti Chatting Up The Cat God Gave Me Dominion Over Him But I Think He's a Non-Believer by Constance Daley Death of a Thug The Life and Horrors of Suharto by Andreas Harsono ___________________________ This Just In Sierra Club: McCain Ducked All 15 Key Votes On Green Laws (AR) A Work By AR's T.S. Kerrigan Is Chosen As 'Best Poem' By Wordpress Site Murder At Mile 63 The Deadly Assault and Bush Administration Cover-Up by S. Eben Kirkesby and Andreas Harsono 5427 14th St. West, Bradenton, FL 34207 $6.99 Fish Fridays! Manatee Co.'s Only 24-Hr. FREE Wi-Fi Paid Advertisement On Native Ground AFTER 5 YEARS, WE'RE STILL LIED TO ABOUT IRAQ by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Next week is the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. And it is likely that sometime in the next couple of weeks, the 4,000th American soldier will die in Iraq. [MORE] Momentum OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - It's 1931, and a 14-year-old girl is standing alone on a stage. She's small and lively with dark curly hair, widespread hazel eyes, slender wrists and an open, eager face filled with the wonder of performing. Her name is Rose, and one day she will be my mother. But now she is performing an Eugene O'Neill monologue called "Before Breakfast" for a ladies' club in a wealthy suburb of Long Island. [MORE] One Woman's World COMFORTABLE WITH MYSELF by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- I'm not sure but I think I may be socially incorrect. [MORE] On Native Ground ENOUGH FOR A WAR, NOT FOR A PEOPLE by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Last week, the National Governors Assn. met in Washington, D.C. One of the tasks the NGA had on its agenda was to ask President Bush to increase federal spending on roads, bridges and other public works projects as a way to stimulate the economy. He rejected their pleas out of hand, claiming that infrastructure projects wouldn't offer any short-term economic boost. [MORE] Brasch Words BEWARE THE SELF-REVERENTIAL PRESS by Walter Brasch BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Shortly before the primary votes this past week, Newsweek's Jonathan Alter called Sen. Barack Obama's surge to the Democratic nomination "inevitable." It also called for Hillary Clinton to "start her campaign for Senate majority leader." [MORE] Constance A CONVERSATION WITH MY CAT Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- Normally, when the cat starts his evening rant of meowing continuously until he makes his point, I just take it as long as I can, pick him up, and put him in the garage for the night. He doesn't want to go, but the meowing stops and I don't care if he likes it or not. [MORE] Momentum OUT OF STRUGGLE, ART by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Here we are again at the crossroads of art and social change, having the opportunity to watch good and great films about the lives of women in support of the Women's Crisis Center. [MORE] Campaign 2008 HOW TO PREDICT SUPER TUESDAY II WINNERS? ONLINE SEARCH by Jay Bhatti NEW YORK, March 4, 2008, 7:00PM ET -- With the outcomes of the Texas, Vermont, Ohio and Rhode Island primaries to be decided tonight, how possible is it that online searching can predict who will win tonight's primaries? [MORE] One Woman's World DON'T VOTE; IT ENCOURAGES THEM by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- Call me angry and disgusted but don't call me un-American because I won't be voting come November. [MORE] On Native Ground BUSH AND THE KEYBOARD COMMANDOS by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- As the days tick down toward the eventual departure of President George W. Bush from the White House, it's a hopeful sign that most Americans are no longer moved by his Administration's constant exploitation of terrorism for political gain. [MORE] Momentum WHICH AMERICA DO YOU LIVE IN? by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- It's a little confusing. [MORE] Make My Dat THE LAWYER THAT ATE NEW YORK by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- I used to know a guy who, quite literally, didn't get hyperbole. He didn't understand exaggeration. As a result, he missed most jokes that came his way. [MORE] On Native Ground FIDEL RETIRES: NOW THE COLD WAR IS REALLY OVER by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Maybe now, we can finally say the Cold War is over. [MORE] Make My Dat THE LAWYER THAT ATE NEW YORK by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- I used to know a guy who, quite literally, didn't get hyperbole. He didn't understand exaggeration. As a result, he missed most jokes that came his way. [MORE] One Woman's World POLITICS IS NO PARTY by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- Are you having a hard time focusing your eyes? Do you have faint red spots all over your body? Is there a ringing in your ears and do you see wavy lines when you look at your television set? Do your hands shake when you try to hold a cup of coffee? And have you recently been forgetting what day of the week it is - or what year? [MORE] Make My Day FOR BETTER OR WORSE ... A LOT WORSE by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- "Marriage: It's Only Going to Get Worse." [MORE] Constance YOU CALL THESE RIGHTS? by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- When you express an opinion you hope to persuade others to your point of view. It doesn't always happen but still, opinion writers try. [MORE] Momentum THE BRIDGE WOMAN by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - Out there in America - yes, still - is a generation of women who were born in the 1940s, raised in the 1950s, and who came to radical consciousness in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I am one of them. Hillary Clinton is one of them. [MORE] On Native Ground OBAMA AND MY GENERATION by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- I originally planned on voting for Dennis Kucinich in the Vermont Primary on March 4. [MORE] The Willies: WARNING: THIS MEDICATION MAY MURDER YOUR FRIENDS by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla. -- You've heard the warnings, haven't you? Stop Prozac and you may take a shotgun, an Uzi or an AK-47 and mow down your family and friends, or even a whole classroom full of your fellow students. You didn't? Well, that warning is not on the bottle, but like countless mass-murder incidents before it, Friday's shootings at Northern Illinois University, as well as the Virginia Tech shootings that killed 32 last year, was probably precipitated by the effect of stopping medications that suppress anger and other powerful emotions but do not relieve the underlying cause. Isn't it time we started warning people - or stopped prescribing these medicines? [MORE] One Woman's World DON'T KNOCK ON MY DOOR by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- I wish I could feel delight in my poet's mansion being like Grand Central Station all the time, but I can't. And I wish my place was such a place that someone would one day write: "Her door was always open and she always made you feel all fuzzy and warm in her presence. She could make a cup of coffee seem like a banquet." [MORE] Reporting: Panama PANAMA'S VIOLENT LABOR UNREST INTENSIFIES Mark Scheinbaum PANAMA CITY, Panama, Feb, 15, 2008 -- After just one day of relative calm, wildcat construction strikes by some members of Panama's largest union flared up again Friday morning, four days after a police sniper shot one worker. More than 140 demonstrators have been injured and at least 500 arrested, authorities say. [MORE] Brasch Words TO STIMULATE ECONOMY, BUY A CHINESE-MADE U.S. FLAG by Walter Brasch BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Walking down Main Street, pushing a grocery cart loaded with clothes, toys, and appliances was Marshbaum. Fastened to the right front corner of the cart was an American flag tied onto a three-foot ruler. [MORE] Make My Day THE TOOTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TOOTH by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- To commemorate the death of noted shark exploder Roy Scheider, and the "Jaws" movies that resulted in Erik never setting foot in the ocean again, we are reprinting this column from 2003. Shark Experts 0, Sharks 1 [MORE] Momentum THE WINTER OF MY DISCONTENT by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - As I write this, it's raining ice. Maybe a half a foot of snow and ice has already landed up here in the woods of Dummerston. Our cars are encased in it, and the door to the house is blocked. The satellite dish that brings in our Internet service quit about 20 minutes ago - frozen solid. [MORE] The Willies AMERICA TO HILLARY: GET OUT! by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 13, 2008 -- Sen. Hillary Clinton has adopted the Rudy Giuliani strategy, and it's working - for Sen. Barack Obama. It turns out to be the strategy all Democrats are seeking - an exit strategy. But it's not for Iraq. It's for her exit from the race for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination. [MORE] Constance CONFESSIONS OF A DISAPPOINTED VOTER by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- A week ago at just about this time, I completed an article and was about to submit it as scheduled to The American Reporter. I was feeling rather elated, ready to show up on Super Tuesday morning, firmly touch the X next to Rudy Giuliani's name and get on with my day. He was my choice; he would get my vote. [MORE] Reporting: Florida SIERRA CLUB SET TO SUSPEND FLA. CHAPTER by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 10, 2008 -- The national Sierra Club is set to suspend its Florida chapter after years of divisive infighting, the president of the national club told Florida members in a letter delivered to some this weekend. It is the first time in its 116-year history that such a step has been considered by the club, according to news reports. [MORE] One Woman's World PLANT A NEW WORLD THIS SPRING by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- For a little while, the men will just have to toss and turn in their fear-free-women beds. For a small space of time Hillary Clinton will just have to trudge on toward the White House without my faint applause in the background. [MORE] On Native Ground VERMONT AND THE 5 STAGES OF CONSERVATIVE GRIEF by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- First, Vermont tried to convince the nation to impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney. [MORE] Make My Day REBEL WITHOUT A TONGUE by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Kids' brains work in amazing ways. At times, they can grasp complex concepts and make impressive discoveries. Other times, you have to wonder how we ever survived as a species. [MORE] The Willies FOR DEMOCRATS, NOW IT'S ABOUT RACE, INCOME AND GENDER by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Feb. 6, 2008 -- It's not a good time to be a Democrat. As the Super Tuesday results demonstrated, the presidential race between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton has divided the partly along clear racial, income and gender lines - the very distinctions the party has sought to erase in principle but has emphasized in its pursuit of diversity. [MORE] Momentum SUPER TUESDAY BLUES by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Super Tuesday has come and gone and I still can't get excited about the upcoming presidential elections. [MORE] The Willies ON THE BRINK OF HISTORY, YOUR PUSH IS NEEDED by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 5. 2008 -- I'm expecting a sea change tonight. I believe that for the first time in this nation's history we will once and forever banish racism as the deciding factor in the destiny of African-Americans, and indeed adopt diversity as our path to the future. [MORE] Campaign 2008 AT 88, EVERY VOTE REALLY COUNTS by Ted Manna DENVER, Feb. 5, 2008 -- Pearl Turner will caucus for Mitt Romney tonight in Denver. [MORE] One Woman's World STAND BY YOUR WOMAN by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- The black vote. The gay vote. The fundamentalist vote. The Hispanic vote. [MORE] An AR Special SUSPECTS IN BENAZIR ASSASSINATION HAVE TIES TO MUSHARRAF by Ahmar Mustikhan WASHINGTON, D.C. -- When Gordon Brown this past Monday feted coup-leader-turned-President Pervez Musharraf at 10 Downing Street, Britain's new prime minister probably didn't ask the Pakistani dictator a question that is now on many minds: Did you order the murder of Benazir Bhutto? [MORE] Momentum TO THE VERMONT DELEGATION: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR US LATELY? by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. Back when President George W. Bush and Dick Vice President Dick Cheney were building up to their loathsome war in Iraq, very few people were brave enough to call the bullies' bluff. [MORE] On Native Ground IF BUSH HAS HIS WAY, WE'LL NEVER LEAVE IRAQ by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. - In his final State of the Union address on Jan. 28, President Bush cautioned against accelerating U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq, saying that it would endanger the process that has been made over the past year. [MORE] Campaign 2008 CLASH OF COMMENTS AND PROTESTORS AT CLINTON, OBAMA RALLIES IN DENVER by Ted Manna DENVER, Feb. 1, 2008 -- At least four presidential campaigns of both partiers rolled into in Denver this week ahead of the Feb. 5 "Super Tuesday" primaries in 22 states, but it was the Democratic presidential contenders who drew the big crowds and duked it out Wednesday. If sheer numbers are any indication, Sen. Barack Obama - preceded by a buoyant and beautiful Caroline Kennedy - won the round handily. He is the overwhelming favorite to win the Colorado primary next Tuesday. [MORE] The Willies WHY THE FLORIDA PRIMARY STINKS by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Jan. 30, 2008 -- I was with my wife and daughter driving the back way from Miami home to Bradenton when we stopped at a McDonald's in Clewiston, the only big town along the vast shore of Lake Okeechobee, the state's precious freshwater reservoir. The McDonald's had three televisions at a central seating area, each tuned to a different network, and our table was in front of CNN as the very first election results started to pour in around 7:30PM. With them, almost as counterpoint, suddenly came such an overwhelming odor of cow plop that my wife started to throw up as we all ran to the parking lot. [MORE] Passings: Suharto DEATH OF A KEMUSU THUG by Andreas Harsono JAKARTA - A few minutes after hearing that former president Suharto had died in his hospital bed, Marco, a militia leader in downtown Jakarta, raced to Suhartos house, wearing his jungle camouflage and began guarding the Suhartos residence on Cendana Street. [MORE] Constance I REMEMBER YOU by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga.. -- It seems to be more often lately that the sentiment is spoken but it's always been out there: "You never get over the death of your child." This is true. But the heartfelt expressions come from some who cannot fathom the notion of losing a child; their own child is who is in their mind, not another mother's child. [MORE] Ive been gone a while from the blogging scene. Some of my more regular readers no doubt noticed but did not hassle me about it. Thank you for that. Sinc... 6 years ago Safety paid off last year for the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch, both for the health of employees and the nonprofits finances. On Tuesday, the organization for area at-risk teens received a $95,279 dividend from the Montana State Fund, which administers workers compensation insurance. Officials from the Helena-based agency presented a check to the Boys and Girls Ranch at the office of PayneWest Insurance in Billings on Tuesday morning. Its truly gratifying to see the efforts of our safety people and also bring down accidents for our children and our workforce, Dick Reich, chief financial officer for the Boys and Girls Ranch, said after the presentation. The Montana State Fund distributed $4.8 million in dividends to 2,520 employers in Yellowstone County for 2015, the largest dollar amount for a county in the state. The agency distributed $35 million statewide, its largest in history. Dividends are based on the amounts of workers compensation claims filed by employers. The fewer claims filed, the more money that will likely come back to the employer at the end of the year from insurance premiums, said Laurence Hubbard, president of the Montana State Fund. At the Boys and Girls Ranch, located between Billings and Laurel, an increased focus on conflict de-escalation and other training helped decrease work accidents, said Sally Venard, the ranchs safety director. The dividend will go into the $22 million general fund of the Boys and Girls Ranch, Reich said. Its unlikely it would be used to reopen the nonprofits youth group program and day treatment program in Lewistown, which officials at the nonprofit announced Monday would close in March. Hubbard is in the middle of an eight-city tour handing out dividend checks from the Montana State Fund. He hit Sidney and Glendive Monday, and hell continue on to Bozeman, Missoula, Ronan, Polson and Helena. The goal is to encourage safe workplace practices by showing they have financial benefits, Hubbard said. The employers were handing these checks to they get it. Its not luck. Its because theyre doing things right, he said. Clashes between anglers, boaters and a landowner at a fishing access site in Sweet Grass County last summer have prompted Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to propose building a new boat ramp to access the Boulder River. Some Sweet Grass County officials had initially indicated support for pitching in to solve the problem, but more recently county commissioners have told the state agency it is on its own. Its not the countys responsibility in any way, said Bill Wallace, commission chairman. Some FWP officials also wavered in their support of the project, originally saying the problem was being exacerbated by the landowner, Shawn Titeca, who was charged with striking an anglers car door with his vehicle on June 20. A jury trial in the case is set for Feb. 16 at 9 a.m. in Sweet Grass County District Court. We felt a better use of the money was to work on the campground, said Ken Frazer, Region 5 fisheries manager. We were pushed to change the plan. Proposal In its draft EA, which FWP has reopened to public comment until Jan. 20, the state would pay to build a new boat ramp and parking area downstream from the road that leads to Titecas bridge. His property is on the opposite side of the river from the Boulder Forks fishing access site, but the road to access his property goes through the state land. Rafts, canoes and kayaks have been launched next to Titecas bridge at a site pioneered by boaters. No official launch was ever designated at the property, which is wedged between the Main Boulder River to the east and the converging West Boulder River. The site sees limited boating use, about three to four weeks in the spring or early summer, and only when the water is higher. The initial estimate for the cost of the boat ramp and parking lot was $72,000, but FWP had only requested $38,000 for a project to upgrade the camping facilities at the site. We had money to redo the road to the picnic area, that money would be shifted, Frazer said. FWP operates on a two-year budget cycle, so it would be another two years before the agency could ask the Legislature for additional funds. Gravelling Instead, FWP asked the county to pay for some of the gravel to alleviate the costs. Initially, the county seemed willing to pitch in, but public opposition from groups like the Crazy Mountain Stockgrowers Association prompted the county officials to back down, although Commissioner Wallace said he did put FWP in contact with a nearby gravel provider. All we were going to pitch in was gravel anyway, Wallace said. We had a close source, but then we used it all up. Frazer estimated the gravel costs alone at about $20,000. To help bring down the price tag for the new boat launch further, FWP has trimmed its initial proposal, like getting rid of a new vault latrine, according to Frazer. Construction work could start as early as this spring provided an archaeological survey of the site OKs the development. Frazer said some old American Indian campsites had been previously identified at the Boulder Forks. Access The Boulder River is a tributary to the Yellowstone River, fed by snowmelt from the Beartooth and Absaroka mountains. Much of the property along its banks is private, making public fishing access points few and very valued by the public. Use of the Boulder Forks fishing access site has been increasing in the last few years, Frazer said, even though the floating season is short and access is difficult. This summer, a landowner near the Eightmile Bridge along Highway 298, which travels down the river valley, temporarily blocked access to a pullout next to the river to prevent boaters from using the area as a boat take-out. Its the nearest public site downstream from Boulder Forks. The landowner complained the boaters left trash, blocked the road to his home and left their cars parked dangerously close to the highway. Theres no way of developing a good access there because the banks are so steep, Frazer said. Theres not enough property to slope a ramp. The next closest FWP site is about 14 miles downstream at Big Rock fishing access site. Thats the problem with that whole lower Boulder, Frazer said. Access is so limited. Despite an increase in fishing pressure, Frazer said the rivers trout seem to be doing fine. Some of the locals claim fishing is way off, he said. But the fish numbers are still there. Very few trout anglers harvest a fish anymore. Resolution Will developing a new boat launch at Boulder Forks exacerbate the problem at Eightmile Bridge? Frazer said its possible. Commissioner Wallace said he didnt think so, but he is confident a new boat ramp will decrease anglers and boaters hassles with landowner Titeca. That will benefit the county, Wallace said, since prosecuting Titeca is expensive and stirs up bad blood between recreationists and landowners. Its gotten blown way bigger than it should have, Wallace said. Imagine what it would be like if there were only 23 bald eagles left in the entire world. That would be pretty sad. This situation occurred in the 1980s when it was found that only 23 California condors remained alive. California condors are the largest land bird found in North America, with a wingspan that can measure 9 feet wide. The big black birds can weigh up to 25 pounds. Like vultures, condors are scavenger birds natures garbage men and may travel 150 miles in a day searching for food. They once lived in areas ranging from Canada south to Mexico and from California east to Florida. In 1985 scientists began capturing the last of the 22 remaining California condors so they could be bred in zoos. Thanks to that effort, there are now about 420 condors alive, a great recovery for a species that had been on the brink of extinction. One of the originally captured California condors, now a 35-year-old male, was released back into the wild last week. He is only one of four of the original captured birds still alive. Watching this California condor, who has been so instrumental to recovery of his species, rejoin the wild flock, is an emotional and historic moment, said Joseph Brandt, a lead condor biologist. Its like seeing him come full circle. While in captivity, the male helped to give birth to 30 condor chicks that were all eventually released into the wild. He also helped produce the first chick in captivity. Brett French, Gazette Outdoors editor Manda Lynn Schaible buried her head in her hands as she listened to the 911 call she placed after finding her boyfriend's body in a pool of blood outside their home. The homicide trial of Patrick O. Neiss, 44, continued Tuesday with the testimony of Schaible, Frank Trey Greene's girlfriend. Schaible was the one who found 47-year-old Greene after he was shot to death March 8, 2013. Neiss was charged with deliberate homicide and tampering with evidence. His trial began Monday before Judge Gregory Todd. On March 8, 2012, Greene's girlfriend, Schaible, told investigators she was at home with Greene, who went outside to work on his truck at about 7:30 p.m. She testified she worked out after Greene went outside. As part of her workout, Schaible said she turned up the volume on the radio. At about 10:40 p.m., she went outside because Greene had gotten a phone call. As she walked out of the house she saw Greene's truck, but could not see him. She walked around the front of his truck. "That's when I see his feet," Schaible testified. She said there was blood around his head and at first she thought something had fallen on him. In the 911 call, Schaible names Neiss as someone who could have shot Greene. During testimony she said she never saw Neiss that night but did see what she thought was his car drive past after she found Greene's body. The call lasts about 10 minutes, and Schaible can be heard crying, screaming and calling Greene's name. "Trey! Trey! Trey!" she repeats on the call. "He's been shot in the back of the head," Schaible said. The 911 dispatcher asked Schaible if she could turn Greene over. "I dont want to see his face, I dont want to see what's under there," Schaible said on the call. Schaible was tested for traces of gunpowder residue that night, and an indicative amount was found on her. Forensic pathologist Thomas Bennett testified about the autopsy he performed. He said there was an open head wound where Greene was shot, with lots of bleeding. Part of the bullet went deep into Greene's brain. Greene was shot three times, with the head wound the cause of death, Bennett said. The bullet entered Greene's head but did not reemerge. One shot went through Greene's left back and the other through the front of his right abdomen. Bennett did not identify any defense wounds on Greene. He also could not determine an accurate time of death. The shots fired would have come from a distance greater than four feet, Bennett said. Bennett recovered two .40 caliber bullets from Greene's body. Five .40-caliber shell casings were found around Greene's body as well as two spent bullets. The casings matched some found on Neiss' property. All the bullet casings found were fired from the same gun, according to a report by the Montana State Crime Lab. No .40 caliber handgun has been found at either man's residence. Neiss' 10-year-old son testified about the .22-caliber gun and shotgun Neiss owned, as well as a silencer Neiss made out of a flashlight. The boy said his father got rid of both of those guns prior to Greene's death. The boy said he never saw his father with a .40-caliber gun. Neiss was arrested that evening about 11 p.m. Investigators said Neiss was found to have gunpowder residue on his body but wasn't charged for more than a year due to lack of evidence. Neiss was arrested again in August 2014 and charged. He is being held in the Yellowstone County Detention Facility on a $500,000 bond. Greene and Neiss owned adjacent properties in Yellowstone County, west of Billings. Greene lived at 800 Homewood Park Drive, and Neiss lived about two thirds of a mile south on Homewood Park Drive, at 7200 Central Avenue. Neiss and Greene had several run-ins during 2012. Neiss believed that Greene had stolen a motor from him in 2007 while Neiss was in prison, according to court documents. A water tower on Neiss' property had the word 'motor' spray painted on it in the direction of Greene's property, according to court documents. Three witnesses, including Neiss' girlfriend at the time, told Yellowstone County sheriff's investigators that Neiss had talked about hurting Greene in the past for taking the motor, according to court documents. Austin Bennett and his family were on Allegiant Air flight 145 Saturday night, flying from Billings to Phoenix, when he heard a loud bang. It sounded like an explosion, like a boom, but there was no smoke or fire, he said Wednesday by telephone from Phoenix, where he lives. Then Bennett heard what sounded like a tennis shoe tumbling in a dryer but louder than that, he said. Bennett was sitting probably three-quarters of the way back on the right side of the plane. A disabled engine forced the aircraft to divert to the Grand Junction Regional Airport in western Colorado. The flight with 158 passengers and six crew members left Billings Logan International Airport at 8:33 p.m., headed for Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. The crew noticed an indicator that signaled a problem with the No. 2 engine, said a statement from Allegiant Air, and followed protocol, declaring an emergency and diverting to Grant Junction Regional Airport. The aircraft landed at about 10:20 p.m. Passengers left the airplane and were given hotel vouchers for the night. They boarded a replacement aircraft the next morning and completed the flight to Phoenix. Allegiant mechanics have determined that it was necessary for the aircraft to be taken out of service, and the No. 2 engine is currently being replaced, the statement said. The affected engine will be examined to determine the cause. Saturdays incident was just one of several the airline company has dealt with recently. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported that an Allegiant aircraft that left Orlando, Fla., bound for Cedar Rapids, Iowa, made an emergency landing at the Chattanooga airport Dec. 31 after a problem was discovered with the right engine. The Tampa Bay Times said Allegiant had five emergency landings altogether out of Florida between Dec. 24 and Dec. 31. The planes suffered a variety of mechanical issues, the Times reported. Carly Klessens, who lives in Phoenix, was also a passenger on flight 145 Saturday night. Her husband, Michael, was sitting in the front row, and she sat in the second row with the couples two children, Sophia, 10, and Brayden, 8. Klessens and her children were playing cards when she heard a loud clunk. She didnt feel any kind of jolt, she said. It didnt really alarm me except that the flight attendants, who were in front chatting, turned around really fast, Klessens said. Within a minute, one of the flight attendants responded to a telephone call from the cockpit, Klessens said. That was my indication that something wasnt quite right, she said. They didnt say anything to us at that point. Although the fasten seat belt sign wasnt lit, Klessens daughter wasnt permitted to get up and go to the restroom, another tip-off, Klessen said. She felt the plane descend, but it wasnt until 10 or 20 minutes before the aircraft landed that the captains voice came over the loudspeaker, announcing the engine had failed and the aircraft was being diverted to Grand Junction. When we started to land, I saw all the emergency vehicles, she said. Thats a little nerve-wracking. The aircraft landed smoothly, she said. Bennett and his wife, Freddie, were returning from a holiday visit to her parents in Billings. They were on the aircraft with their 23-month-old daughter, Salem, and 4-month-old son, Coram-Deo. After the loud noise, I scooped up my daughter, he said. She started to cry some, so I held her on my lap and sang a song to her. The lights flickered briefly in the cabin, Bennett said, but the aircraft didnt falter. A flight attendant, who was asked what was happening, assured the passengers that everything was OK. No one addressed the issue, he said. "We could see the Grand Junction lights before they said they had to change course." This is the second time Bennett has experienced this type of situation. The first happened in November 2014, while he was on an Allegiant flight from Phoenix to Billings to meet up with his family. The aircraft was 20 minutes out of Phoenix when the pilot announced they would have to return to the airport to repair mechanical issues with the engine. They kept us on the plane, fixed it, then took off, Bennett said. There was a lot of anxiety on that ride, as well. Allegiant is giving flight 145's passengers $150 vouchers toward a future flight, saying they can redeem the vouchers by telephoning the airline's call center. Bennett said he isnt sure hell take Allegiant up on the offer. Im highly doubting I would go back on an Allegiant flight, he said. I feel like they really need to resolve some of their issues on passenger safety. Cape Air officials said Tuesday that a pilot shortage is the cause of a spate of recent flight cancellations at Billings Logan International Airport. Hyannis, Mass.-based Cape Air provides $52 flights between Billings and five other Montana communities Sidney, Glasgow, Glendive, Wolf Point and Havre. According to its online schedule, five daily flights are offered from Billings to Sidney, and two each to the other four destinations. Trish Lorino, Cape Airs vice president for marketing and public relations, said 16 flights have been cancelled in recent days due to the pilot shortage. The airline has brought in pilots from other markets it serves and is teaming with Jet Blue and seven universities to get pilots the hours they need to receive certification aboard Cape Air Cessna aircraft. We are sorry for the impact this has had on the community, she said. We have had some challenges here. The pilot shortage is truly a significant one not only for Cape Air, but for all carriers. It is definitely something that has affected our completion rates. Lorino said shed just completed a conference call with the companys pilot group and others to discuss the continuing ramifications of higher co-pilot qualification standards implemented by the Federal Aviation Administration following a 2009 crash near Buffalo, N.Y., that killed 50 people. Ensuing rule changes designed to boost safety have increased the qualification requirements for first officers, also known as co-pilots, who now must earn an Airline Transport Pilot certificate and have logged 1,500 hours total time as a pilot. Before the rule, announced in 2013, first officers were required to have a commercial pilot certificate, which requires 250 hours of flight time. It can be arduous for young pilots to log that much flight time, Lorino said. It is truly leading to pilot attrition, she said. People dont want to pursue it because it is expensive and time-consuming. As part of the federal governments Essential Air Service program, Cape Air and others have been, since airline deregulation in 1978, subsidized to provide air service to what would otherwise be underserved communities. Kevin Ploehn, the citys aviation and transit director, said that low salaries paid by the nations smaller, regional carriers are a disincentive for people to go get their (commercial pilots) license. Flight school might cost you $200,000, but you start at $20,000 a year, Ploehn said. He said Essential Air Service airlines put a premium on not cancelling their flights. If they are not flying, they are not getting paid the subsidy, he said, and thats way more than the ticket price. A recent study projects more than 14,000 pilots reaching the mandatory retirement age of 65 between 2015 and 2022, Ploehn said. The good news is that the major airlines are making tons of money, so theyll be able to fill those retirements, Ploehn predicted. The bigs can fill those, but its killing the regionals, he said. Some pilots at smaller providers, he said, will elect to move into the cockpits of the nations major regional airlines, including SkyWest Airlines and Republic Airways. Cape Air flights in Montana always have a first officer on board, Lorino said. The airlines Gateway Program partnership with Jet Blue allows first officers to log the time they need on Cape Air flights before going on to a career at Jet Blue. We did it proactively, Lorino said, in light of the shortage coming on hard. In some cases, management pilots have left their desks to help fill the pilot gap, and some officers have been allowed to pick up extra flights on their day off, she said. People concerned about pilot shortages should write their congress member, Lorino said. Write your congressperson and ask them to take a look at first officer qualifications, she said. It is so limiting. Its affecting the big carriers and its putting a crimp on air travel. The Montana Violent Offender Task Force arrested a wanted man Wednesday morning after he was pulled over driving someone elses truck on Billings' South Side. Steven Edward Schlosser, 45, had an outstanding warrant for a probation violation. Several members of the task force and Yellowstone County Sheriffs deputies arrested Schlosser after he was pulled over near the intersection of South 30th Street and First Avenue South, said Rod Ostermiller, chief deputy of the Montana district of the United States Marshal Service. Ostermiller said Schlosser had been staying in a Billings motel. The vehicle he was driving did not belong to him but was not reported stolen at the time of the arrest. According to the Montana Department of Corrections correctional offender network, Schlosser has been sentenced for four drug related felonies since 2011, including counts of criminal possession of dangerous drugs and criminal possession with intent to distribute. His sentences were handed down in Yellowstone and Missoula counties. On Dec. 30, 2000, my son was murdered by a drug dealer. The pain of that tragedy has diminished little for my family even 15 years later. Ive learned that when youre victimized by a crime like this, youre a victim for life. The criminal who murdered my son was sentenced to more than 100 years in prison. And even though we know he will be there for a long time, we also know that this case will likely never end. For years, weve watched and participated in the court process, and will continue to be involved as the years move forward. He will eventually be up for parole, and we know that those parole hearings will dredge up all the pain of that loss all over again. Respect for victims No family should have to go through what mine went through. But crime is a difficult fact of life, even as our law enforcement has become better and better at preventing crime. When it does happen, we need to make sure that the victims receive the help and respect that they deserve. This is why Im a supporter of Marsys Law for Montana, a proposed constitutional amendment that would ensure that victims of crime are treated as well as individuals accused or convicted of crime. Marsys Law would give victims of crime in Montana the right to be notified of proceedings occurring in their case and the right to be heard at those proceedings. It would also provide the right to protection from harassment and the right to be notified of changes in an offenders custodial status, among others. The rights afforded by Marsys Law are simple and straightforward. It doesnt diminish the rights of defendants in any way rather it elevates the status of victims so that courts consider both the victim and the defendant when making decisions. Im forever grateful to the prosecutor who handled my sons murder case. He acted with professionalism and showed real compassion to my family. He did an excellent job, but even with his attentiveness to detail my family was still left out of a few critical developments in the case. For instance, we were never notified of an important hearing regarding victim restitution, and subsequently were not given an opportunity to be heard by the court. I bring this up because I believe these are the types of oversights that Marsys Law will help to address. With Marsys Law, we would have been afforded a remedy for that hearing that we were left out of. Sign the petition now Law enforcement and prosecutors in Montana do an incredible job. Ive seen them comfort and console families whove been victimized, and take the time to help crime victims through the difficult criminal justice process. But Marsys Law will ensure victims rights are respected every time, consistently. As a constitutional amendment, Marsys Law needs to be passed by the voters in the 2016 General Election. To qualify for the ballot, we need to collect about 50,000 signatures from Montana voters. Marsys Law for Montana signature gatherers are in the field in cities across Montana right now if you encounter one in your community, please take a moment to add your name to help us get on the ballot. Victims of crime suffer enough. We can do more to ensure that they dont endure further pain and frustration in the criminal justice system. Join me in supporting Marsys Law for Montana. The rapidly escalating conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran, sparked by the execution of a Saudi Shiite activist, may seem like the natural outgrowth of a decades Sunni-Shiite tensions. More than denominational differences, whats driving the open conflict is the Saudis deepening fear that the U.S. is shifting its loyalties in the Persian Gulf region from its traditional Saudi ally to a gradually moderating Iran. And in a sense, theyre right: Although the U.S. is a long way from becoming an instinctive Iranian ally, the nuclear deal has led Washington to start broadening its base in the Gulf, working with Iran where the two sides have overlapping interests, of which there are many these days. The Saudis executed the activist, Nimr al-Nimr (it means Tiger the Tiger, by the way, which could possibly be the best name ever), last weekend because they wanted to send a message to the countrys Shiite minority and neighbors, and because they thought they could get away with it. Nonviolent activist killed The outspoken al-Nimr symbolized the possibility that Saudi Shiites might never fully accept their second-class status and, worse, might seek autonomy or independence in the event of the Saudi states weakness. The Saudis seem to have calculated that if Iran made any noise about the execution, it would not have leverage to do anything about it. Undoubtedly the Saudis knew the Americans wouldnt be best pleased with them for killing a nonviolent activist but again, they mustve thought it wouldnt matter. Executing al-Nimr was thus probably intended to demonstrate that the Saudis can go it alone, making security-related decisions without worrying what their neighbors or the U.S. think. If thats right, the execution was an indirect signal that Saudi Arabia is feeling isolated, and that if isolated, it will act unilaterally. Here the Saudis overplayed their hand. The Iranians reacted cleverly. First, the government stirred up public sentiment by condemning the execution. Then, it allowed angry protesters to storm the Saudi Embassy in Tehran. Finally, the Iranian government shut down the protest, made arrests and issued public statements disclaiming responsibility for what had happened. The Americans, rather remarkably, took the Iranian side. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry let it be known that he was talking to his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif. In the past, a U.S. secretary of state wouldve reached out solely to the Saudi foreign minister, not least because there were no official diplomatic ties to Iran. Meanwhile, a former deputy CIA director, Michael Morell, publicly praised the Iranians for their handling of the situation in Tehran. This was downright astonishing, given Americans historical associations with embassy occupation there. Saudis feeling nervous There are still plenty of points where U.S. and Saudi interests converge, and oppose Iranian interests. Both sides dislike Syrian President Bashar Assad and want Hezbollah to have less, not more, power in Lebanon. Both want to stabilize Egypt and indeed the region more broadly, creating a broad-based Sunni alliance to balance Iranian expansion. But an alliance based on accidents of converging policy is a lot less solid than what Saudi Arabia traditionally had with the U.S., namely an alliance based on reliable, instinctual friendship. In that longtime relationship, the Americans ignored Saudi human-rights abuses and absolutism, and the Saudis turned a blind eye to unflinching U.S. support for Israel. Among close friends, such aberrations can be forgiven. Thats now changing, and the Saudis are understandably feeling nervous about it. The painful truth for the Saudis is that the U.S. and Iran are plausible strategic allies, whose once close relationship was disrupted by the Islamic Revolution. The U.S. preference for Saudi Arabia in the Gulf was the result of Iranian intransigence and ideology, not any inherent strategic advantage possessed by the kingdom. A Republican president, urged on by Israel, might conceivably try to roll back the Obama administrations steps to realignment, and bring back the good old days for the Saudis. And Hillary Clinton might be tougher on Iran than Barack Obama has been. But foreign policy continuity on Iran is likely, regardless of rhetoric. Any president will need to try and produce wins on Islamic State and Iraq and those cant be achieved without Iran. HELENA A beautifully crafted book, printed by letterpress on handmade paper and illustrated with printed engravings. This is what Helena author and professor Aaron Parrett plans to create at his Territorial Press, a new letterpress studio at 201 1/2 N. Rodney St. Although the studio is new, the press most definitely is not. Its a C&P platen press built in 1920 that Parrett found in Black Eagle. Most of his lead and wood type came from White Sulphur Springs. Some are in an old wooden type cabinet with 20 drawers, or cases. Each holds a different typeface. Altogether, Parrett now has 70 cases of type. All his equipment is neatly arranged in a tall, skinny storefront business next door to the Vanilla Bean. Through the studios glass door, obscured with a quadrant map, one finds Parrett in winter hat, heavy boots and printing apron fitting lead letters into an iron type stick that he will use to make a form that he locks in place on the press. Once that is rubbed with ink, its raised and pressed against another plate holding the paper. The speed and movement are operated by Parrett pressing a foot treadle. Today Parretts print job is simple -- labels for his wifes band, Doolittle Shack. This is just for fun, he said. As are some classy, distinctly irreverent business cards printed for friends. But hes also printed limited editions -- 65 copies -- of Charlie Bs, a Triptych, containing three poems, one each by Mark Gibbons, Kurt Sobolik and Dave Thomas. All the words were set by hand, letter by letter. Each Triptych is a single sheet of heavy cream stock printed with rich black and red lettering of the poems. And each sheet was passed through the press a total of seven times before it would later be folded into the attractive three panel publication. But what Parretts most excited to talk about is the first prototype book hes printing at his studio, Curses. Its a collection of 40 very vile expressions with a Latin commentary, said Parrett, who teaches Latin at Carroll College and is a tenured English professor at the University of Great Falls. Parrett will be following in the footsteps of J. Allen Hosmer, who wrote and printed A Trip to the States in 1865. Hes our muse, said Parrett. Hosmer was the first Montanan to write a book, print it with handset type page by page and then hand bind it back in 1867. Im going to be the second. The first real Territorial Press book will be either a book of poems by Brynn Holt or a collection of short stories by Parrett with wood engraving art by Seth Roby. This is the way it would have been done in the 1860s, Parrett said of his press. Its quite an undertaking to handset type for a book. This is not a commercial enterprise. Its an art. He quickly admits, Its an obsession that makes no sense. But its one that is taking hold across the country -- to resurrect the book arts. Parrett equates it to the rising popularity of the organic and sustainable agriculture movement. To his knowledge, Parrett is the only letterpress printer in Montana doing all handset type, he said. Parretts small press can only print an 8X10 inch area, he said, which limits what jobs he can print. But his eye is on quality, not quantity. The Territorial Press mission, he said, is the idea of preserving book arts in the age of Kindle and eBook. As an English professor, he appreciates the mass production of books and making them accessible electronically. But theres something different about reading a real book. I dont think the book will go away. It will be art. The typography changes the way you read, he said. All those aspects of the book are part of the experience. Its beyond the acquisition of information. One could say Parretts been on a path to the Territorial Press most of his life. He remembers growing up in Helena and making small books as a kid. In high school, he figured out how to use his typewriter to type book pages into different quadrants. By using carbon paper, he could make multiple copies and then cut the pages apart to make several books at a time. Hes also a collector of old leather-bound books and has learned how to do rebinding. When he decided to pursue his Territorial Press studio, Parrett traveled to Berkeley, California, to work with Peter Koch, a Montana native who is one of the premiere printers and letterpress artists in the world. He prints limited editions of handmade books as works of art. Hes the patron saint of Territorial Press, said Parrett. Hes sort of our mentor. So Parrett was very honored that Peter Koch Printers and the Territorial Press are releasing a letterpress edition of a novella by Montana author Matt Pavelich, who Parrett calls one of Montanas finest writers. The book, Himself, Adrift, is a fictional account of the mysterious disappearance of Thomas Francis Meagher. This spring the Territorial Press and Bedrock Books plans to host a reception for Pavelich and Koch. Parrett, it turns out, is a man of many fascinations. Just a few of them include printing, teaching, writing books and essays and also music. He has authored three books: Literary Butte: A History in Novels and Film, Montana Then and Now, and A Princess of Mars" (E. R. Burroughs) annotated by Aaron Parrett. A musician and songwriter, he also performs across Montana and has recorded two albums or CDs: The Sinners, and Stumbo Lost Wages. For more information, visit aaronparrett.org. Have some old letterpress items to pass on? You can reach him at aaronparrett1@yahoo.com. CASPER, Wyo. A woman who allegedly shot her husband Sunday during an argument at their apartment has been charged with attempted murder, court records show. Dana Michelle Miller faces one count of attempted second-degree murder, according to updated documents filed Tuesday in Natrona County Circuit Court. Miller's husband, Dustin Edward Baer, was in stable condition Tuesday at Wyoming Medical Center. Miller is also charged with three counts of aggravated assault and one count of possession of a deadly weapon with unlawful intent. She is being held in the Natrona County Detention Center in lieu of $100,000 bond. Miller, 37, called 911 on Sunday to report she accidentally shot her 26-year-old husband, Dustin Edward Baer, a police report states. Officers responded to the apartment in the 1900 block of South Missouri Avenue and found Baer in the kitchen. A Glock 9 mm handgun was next to him. Medics treated Baer before taking him to the Wyoming Medical Center emergency room. Baer suffered a collapsed lung and was in a medically induced coma Monday, prosecutors said during Miller's initial hearing in Natrona County Circuit Court. While choking back tears during the hearing, Miller asked for a public defender to represent her. According to the police report, detectives interviewed Miller at the police department Sunday. She told them she and Baer had been drinking alcohol at their apartment. She said Baer became drunk and started calling her insulting names, which caused her to be frustrated, according to a police report. Miller said she grabbed the handgun from under their mattress in their bedroom. She said she walked into the kitchen where Baer was standing and pointed the gun at him in an attempt to make him stop calling her names, the report states. She said Baer continued to insult her, so she pulled the trigger, according to the report. Miller said she dropped the gun, placed a towel on Baer and called the police. Miller told police she had threatened Baer with the gun before during a similar argument, the report states. Detectives went to the hospital after Baer had been brought out of the coma, according to the report. Baer was unable to keep his eyes open and was noticeably in pain, the report states. Baer told detectives Miller had been drinking vodka on the night of the shooting. He said Miller became violent when she drank, so he took the handgun from under the bed, according to the report. Miller demanded Baer give her the gun. When Baer gave Miller the gun, she told him, Id really like to shoot you right now, the report states. Baer said he told her to do it, at which point Miller shot him. He told detectives he tried to call police but his phone was too soaked with blood and he was unable to use it. He told detectives the argument spawned over Miller taking his debit card and refusing to return it, according to the report. A preliminary hearing will be set to decide whether enough evidence exists for Miller to stand trial. University of Mary students pursuing health tracks will soon work with man-made "cadavers" thanks to a $500,000 Margaret A. Cargill Foundation grant secured by the school. The university will purchase six of the SynDaver Labs synthetic bodies to form an anatomy lab, said Dr. Jodi Roller, dean of the School of Health Sciences. "While many schools utilize real cadavers that are tediously dissected and can only be used once, the SynDaver Labs technology creates the world's most realistic synthetic human tissues and body parts that are flexible, can be studied in less time and are durable and less costly," Roller said in a press release. The school also plans to invite junior high and high school students from across the region to experience the new lab. Roller said she hopes to spark an interest among youth who may choose to study health care and fill openings for health professionals in rural America. -- Amy R. Sisk A taxi driver accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl who he was driving home was cleared of charges Tuesday. The state dismissed charges against Michael Joseph Zerr, 41, of Mandan. Zerr was charged in South Central District Court in Morton County with felony sexual assault, an offense carrying a maximum of five years in prison had he been convicted. On Aug. 16, Zerr, a driver for Taxi 9000, picked up a fare, a 17-year-old Mandan girl, from a residence in south Bismarck and was to drive her to her home in Mandan, according to an affidavit signed by Mandan Police Detective April Jose. The girl told police that Zerr asked her "weird" questions, such as if she had ever been with an older man. At one point, Zerr allegedly pulled into a gas station parking lot and began to kiss the girl. He allegedly continued sexually assaulting her as she tried to push him away. According to court documents, the prosecution was unable to meet the burden of proof to try Zerr for the charges. Lawmakers focused on the issue of verifying residency during discussion Tuesday on an interim study of whether or not to enact voter registration in North Dakota. Members of the interim Judiciary Committee questioned how a voters residency is proven in current laws outlining voter identification and how, or if, it could be improved through voter registration. North Dakota is the lone state in the country without voter registration, having eliminated it in 1951. Burleigh County Auditor Kevin Glatt didnt take a stance as to being for or against voter registration but said verifying a voters address is critical. My concern is that no one validates the address as authentic or as residential addresses. No one confirms that the person lives at this address or has been there for at least 30 days, Glatt said. He said the North Dakota Department of Transportation is the main gatekeeper as far as elections and is a quasi-voter registration system already. This is because the data it compiles makes up the states Central Voter File from which poll books are generated. The Central Voter File is updated nightly. Glatt said he wasnt sure at this point how the state would authenticate addresses or who, if anyone, other than the DOT should do so. Deputy Secretary of State Jim Silrum said hes spoken to counterparts in states, including Minnesota and Colorado, and they could outline their procedures to the committee at a future meeting. He said the DOT as the gatekeeper of elections is the same in every other state. Two previous interim studies, in 1975-76 and 1999-2000, looked at the issue and in several legislative sessions dating back to the late 1950s attempts have been made to bring registration back. In 1975, a voter registration bill passed both chambers but Democratic Gov. Art Link vetoed it due to concerns over some of the laws language. In response to Mike Shauers letter titled Trace trouble to Liberalism. there is one fundamental rule among right-wingers: liberals are to blame for everything. The problem with right-wing conservatives is that they always need someone else to blame for whatever is wrong because they are never to blame for anything. The liberal media is to blame for putting cameras and microphones in front of them when they spew their hatred, lies, racism, sexism, and bigotry. And liberal politicians are to blame for everything in government, even when Republicans have overwhelming power as they currently do with control of Congress, the Supreme Court, and a majority of the state legislatures and governorships. Heres a question for those who (in Shauers words) want America restored back to her greatness. How far backward do we need to go to restore the greatness they say we once had? Should we go back to the days of slavery when black people were defined in the U.S. Constitution as three-fifths of a person? Or maybe before 1920 when women couldnt vote? Or the 1950s and '60s when black people were being beaten and lynched for standing up for their constitutional rights? There is a slight problem with going back to the 1950s however. The top tax rate was around 90 percent, which is over double what it is today and union membership was around 30 percent versus around 10 percent today. With all that evil liberalism of high taxes and strong unions (and a booming economy I might add), I doubt this is the greatness these right-wingers have in mind. Im not sure exactly what point in history we will find the greatness these right-wingers want, but going backward is obviously the only way forward in their funny world. FARGO -- Three weeks after an apparent foodborne illness outbreak at the Cass County Jail, the North Dakota Department of Health determined what likely made about 110 inmates sick over a two-day stretch in mid-December. Although an official cause is still pending, State Epidemiologist Laura Cronquist says testing by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention points to Clostridium perfringens bacteria as the culprit, based on stool samples from several inmates. Clostridium perfringens is commonly found on raw meat and poultry, according to the CDC, and infection can occur when foods are prepared in large quantities and kept warm for a long time before serving. "It's really common," Cronquist said, adding, "It's not really surprising that it's an institution that this happened in." Last month's outbreak was the second major outbreak at the Cass County Jail in four years. In the latest case, about 40 percent of the jail's 282 inmates had symptoms including diarrhea and nausea. No inmates were hospitalized, and jail staff said the illness was short-lived. Clostridium perfringens was also the likely cause of a larger illness outbreak at the jail in November 2011, when 90 percent of the 184 inmates inmates came down with diarrhea and vomiting. In that case, the organism was also found inside sick inmates, but couldn't be confirmed in the most likely food source, the chili macaroni served that day. Jail administrator Capt. Andy Frobig, who wasn't on staff when the 2011 outbreak occurred, said he's anxious to get the bottom of the issue but won't make any changes until the final investigation report comes out. He said the problem could be due to how kitchen staffers take temperatures of food in large batches, or could involve leftover food that's used to make dishes such as casseroles. "If they can identify a specific reason, we'll obviously make adjustments to prevent it from happening again," Frobig said. He's asked the jail's food service provider, CBM Managed Services of Sioux Falls, S.D., to get in touch with an inspector at Fargo Cass Public Health, which is working with the state Health Department and CDC on the matter. Even though the pathogen has been pinpointed, Cronquist said the CDC will still test samples of food that was served to inmates shortly before they became ill last month. The Cass County Jail freezes meal samples daily to save in the event of illness in a process referred to in the corrections industry as a "dead man's tray." Cronquist said she's working with the CDC to determine which of those specific foods will be tested. MISSOULA, Mont. Highway fatalities in Montana jumped 17 percent in 2015. While its too early to pin down the reason, state officials have their theories. At least 224 people died on state roads last year, after 2014 ended with an encouraging count of 192. That was down 16 percent from 2013 and just the second time in 18 years fatalities dipped below 200. Were definitely going the wrong direction, said Mike Tooley, director of the Montana Department of Transportation who launched MDTs Vision Zero in May 2014. Increased travel in response to plummeting gas prices, earlier winter travel conditions, and an increase of the speed limit on most sections of the Montana's interstate highways from 75 mph to 80 mph in October are all potential factors. But the climb to 224 isnt so severe when compared with the 2013 fatality count of 229, or the four-year average of 212, said Col. Tom Butler, chief of the Montana Highway Patrol. Its very difficult to pin down a year-to-year change because there are so many factors that go into a fatal crash, Butler said. Saying one year we had an X increase because of this is just impossible to do. Main factors According to Tooley, the same three factors dominate the accident statistics every year: Speed, alcohol and lack of seat belt use. Id actually put seat belt use at the top, he said. The one thing that always stands out is a colossal lack of seat belt use, Butler agreed. Itll be 30 days from the end of December before the official 2015 highway death toll is known, said Butler. But as the numbers stand today, 178 of the 224 deaths were not wearing seat belts. That means three-fourths of them could easily still be alive today. The highway patrol breaks down factors in crashes and fatalities into a dozen categories. According to a preliminary report, only one of the 12 reflected a decrease from 2014 to 2015. Alcohol was a factor in 75 deaths, down from 77. Speed played a part in 77 deaths as opposed to 49 in 2014. Other significant increases included deaths in daylight hours (a 49 percent rise, from 85 to 127) and deaths in one-vehicle crashes (up 18 percent from 130 to 153). Folks are speeding, leaving the roadway and not wearing seat belts, Tooley said. The report also includes data for five kinds of roadways interstate, primary, rural, secondary and urban. The biggest statewide increase in both crashes and deaths occurred on secondary roads. Forty-three people died on Montana two-lane roads outside of towns that are neither U.S. or state highways. That compares with just 23 the previous year. It was a jump of a whopping 87 percent. Meanwhile, crashes and deaths on urban streets showed declines of 33 percent and 27 percent, respectively. Most of the increases in fatalities happened in the Havre and Billings districts, which accounted for 12 and 11 more deaths, respectively. The Kalispell district of northwestern Montana saw one more death in 2015: 23, compared with 22 in 2014 (and 40 in the deadly year of 2013.) The Missoula district actually saw a drop from 27 in 2014 to 26 last year. Vision Zero MDTs Vision Zero campaign has the admittedly lofty goal of eliminating all traffic fatalities in a year. Tooley said the jury is out on a new law passed by the 2015 Legislature that increases the fine substantially for a first-time conviction of driving under the influence. Were waiting to see what the effect of that is, but it really should improve the first-time DUI offense picture, he said. If you stop it at the first-offense level, you stop it at the seventh-offense level. Ongoing attempts in the Legislature have failed to make lack of seat belt use a primary offense for which a vehicle can be stopped by law enforcement for no other reason. Tooley said he always goes to the Capitol to support such bills, and points to the success in other states that have passed a primary seat belt law. Studies show that a 10 percent increase in usage would equate to at least 12 lives saved in a year. Tooley lauded Rep. Dick Barrett, a Democrat from Missoula, for trying a new tactic in 2015. His proposal kept seat belt violations as secondary offenses, but raised the fines from $20 to $100. It died on a 6-6 vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee, but Tooley called it the most promising Ive seen in years for adult seat belt use. A campaign over whether to impose term limits on North Dakota lawmakers and the governor is a mismatch so far at least financially. Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Term Limits, has contributed more than $810,000 in the past two years to get the ballot proposal before voters. Lawmakers and opponents complain they can't keep up with out-of-state interests. Opponent say there has been no time to organize and raise funds before the vote. Last month the North Dakota Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the measure should be placed on the November ballot. 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These werent the newer sleeker models, but the old ridge-barreled green numbers that were as distinctive as they were heavy. They were the binoculars of choice for a local expert, a mentor I had as a kid birder growing up in the midwest. I didnt know a lot about binoculars, but I knew that red dot meant something about quality. And its not for nothing that you still see those binoculars around the necks of birders today. Since then Leica has attached the Trinovid name to a handful of different binoculars, and theyre doing it again with the launch this year of the new Trinovid HDs, a binocular with the Leica name that comes in at under $1000. Last month, I had the privilege of being part of a group of birders and writers to travel to The famous Lodge at Pico Bonito in Honduras at the behest of Leica Birdings Jeff Bouton to try out the new binoculars. The idea was that we would put this new glass through its paces under pretty serious birding conditions. We tried not to disappoint. Pico Bonito, and the whole of western Honduras, is a remarkable place for a naturalist. The birding was intense, as was the herping and insecting and mammaling. We tested the new binoculars alongside older Trinovid models and Leicas flagship Ultravids in low-light conditions in dense wet rainforest. We tested the close-focus on insects and hummingbirds. And we carried the binoculars up mountains using the the Adventure Strap. Here are a few thoughts. Overall impression of the binoculars is very positive. The resolution is excellent, even in low-light or otherwise challenging situations, and comparable to the Ultravids the vast majority of the time. They are well-balanced and not overly heavy, at least compared to the more expensive Leica models and my own Zeiss Victorys I use at home. I appreciate long eye-relief in a binocular and the Trinovids held up well in that regard, which is not something I could say of Leica in the past. For birders who prefer a shorter eye-relief, the eye cups on the Trinovid ratchet to intermediate lengths. The diopter is located on the right eye piece, and it does not lock. Birders with large hands might inadvertently knock it out of alignment with their thumbs depending on how you hold your hands. This was not a big problem, but something to be aware of. Close focus is exceptional as advertised. Im not quite 6 feet and I could focus on objects just beyond my toes. That alone makes this binocular a great choice for those who pair their birding with insect observations. That said, the focus wheel is long. It takes almost two full turns to go from closest focus to farthest. The focus knobs on a couple of the binoculars I tested were also a bit stiff, but that may have more to do with the fact that the bins were new. A more broken in prototype pair was a bit better. If youre looking for something like Leicas last iteration of Trinovids, you might be disappointed. These Trinovids are an entirely different binocular from the ground up. The last Trinovids were essentially the same glass used in Leicas premier Ultravid models in a less expensive wrapper. They also retailed at about 50% more than these new bins. The bins are still made in Europe (at Leicas new plant in Portugal), but in order to get the price under $1000 Leica had to use lesser glass. Its still high-quality and the binoculars are very good, dont get me wrong, but its not as good as it was. But its also not as expensive. As for the Adventure Strap, well, its different. The thick neoprene strap is comfortable, to be sure, and the idea of attaching the binocular to the case is one that has some merit. How many of us simply toss the case in a corner and only seek it out when were planning on packing the bins in a carry-on bag? This strap is sort of a cross between a typical binocular strap and the harnesses that are very popular. In fact, some of the women on our trip noted that they found the strap to be more comfortable than harnesses. Its not going to win you any style contests (as if birders care about that), but ultimately whether you like it or not is going to be a matter of personal preference. Speaking for myself, I found it to be most useful for strapping the bins to my chest when tackling difficult stretches of trails, but when birding normally it served no clear purpose. Its hard to shorten it to the length I find most comfortable, and I had no reason to re-wrap the bins when I was lifting my binoculars every few minutes to look for birds. Its the sort of thing that might be more useful for a hunter, who would be traversing difficult terrain and only using the binoculars occasionally. In the end, I dont think that very many birders will choose these Trinovids because of the Adventure Strap, but some may decide they like it. For those that dont, the binoculars are still of high quality and a good replacement strap can be found pretty inexpensively. All said and done, birders looking for quality optics at a price south of $1000 would do well to check these out closely. Leica calls these entry-level premium, and thats about right. You can get a bit of that red dot quality for a price that wont break the bank too much. ===== Thanks to Leica Birding for inviting me to test the binoculars. Thanks to The Lodge at Pico Bonito for lodging, guides, and food. The American political writer Frank S. Meyer is known as the father of fusionism, which is usually defined as the synthesis between traditionalist and libertarian thought in modern conservatism. In practical political terms, it brought together social conservatives, free-market advocates, and proponents of a strong national defense to fight against Communism abroad and the welfare state at home and formed the basis of Ronald Reagans governing coalition, as well as of think tanks like the Heritage Foundation, American Enterprise Institute and the Acton Institute. For those of us who came of age during the Reagan presidency and call ourselves conservatives (a group which includes my fellow 40-somethings Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio), fusionism was the basis for our political opinions. With the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991 and Bill Clintons 1996 declaration that the era of big government is over, it appeared that fusionism had decisively won its decades-long argument against progressive liberalism, even if much work remained to be done to restore the social, economic and military well-being of the United States. (Fusionism is a particularly American idea, but like all American ideas, it has universal aspirations. It has influenced most European center-right parties, though not to the same degree as the Republicans.) Tensions that were kept under check during the Cold War soon began to emerge, however. Former Reagan speechwriter Pat Buchanans disavowal of free trade and immigration in his 1992 primary challenge to incumbent President George H. W. Bush was the first significant sign of a new, populist nationalism that is now in full view with the candidacy of Donald Trump and in other parts of Europe. These tensions are derived from those between freedom and virtue, tensions which Meyer (among many others) saw as fundamental to, but ultimately reconcilable in, Christian metaphysics and Western civilization. But as our acceptance of concepts such as being and nature started to fade, so too did our ability to hold it all together intellectually and politically. In fact, thinking that such tensions could be fused or synthesized in any kind of final sense may have been asking for the definitive resolution of an intractable human problem. Christians should not be surprised by the lack of a political solution. Individually and collectively, humans have always struggled between the pride of autonomy and the humility of obedience. Rather than provide us with a political model or rule us directly, God took on human flesh and died to redeem us of our sins. The primary arena for spiritual battle is the interior life. As St. Augustine asks in The City of God (Book V, chapter 17), So far as the life of mortals is concerned, which is spent and ended in a few days, what does it matter under whose rule a man is going to die, as long as those who govern do not force him to impiety and iniquity? The temptation for Christians is therefore to neglect or downplay politics. Social conservatives who care predominantly about the family and religion, as well as libertarians who focus mainly on economic freedom, often do the same. Nationalists do not suffer the same weakness and are much more adept at stirring the passions of a people, especially in times of economic anxiety, mass immigration and Islamic terrorism. Is this the ultimate fate of fusionism? John OSullivan argues that populists are rising due to the failure of mainstream conservative parties, many of which were once Christian-Democratic, to satisfy moral traditionalists, patriots and social fabric conservatives. Roger Scruton writes about the recovery of the concept of home in our politics. In previous letters from Rome, I have cited Pierre Manent on the need for the nation as a political form. The splintering of the conservative coalition is accelerating even though its ideas won the great debates of the late 20th century. Or perhaps the coalition is faltering precisely because the debate was won. Orthodoxies have a way of settling in and becoming accepted without knowing the reasons why. Christian Europe remains alive in our historical memory and empty cathedrals but not much else. Those who try to revive the nation in Europe are seen as dangerous demagogues rather than beneficial statesmen. Sentimental humanitarianism is preferred to strident nationalism in todays Europe and perhaps soon enough in America. Fusionism may have worked well as an alliance meant to win elections, especially when there were too few of each type of conservative to have any discernible effect on society. But today we all speak about family values, community and progress without knowing what these mean anymore and how they may all fit together. The problem with fusionism as an idea is its inability to distinguish between different human goods that are often in competition with each other. The liberal reply to this problem is simply to live and let live, rather than to ask people to think and choose among these goods. And by people I mean a political body that Augustine said can be defined and even judged by what it loves; where there is no people, there can be no republic (see City of God, Book XIX, ch. 23-24). Politics and the soul are more related that we may have thought. North Koreans might not have food to eat this year, but their government has announced that it has successfully tested a miniaturized hydrogen bomb. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) released the following statement earlier today in Vienna: Our monitoring stations picked up an unusual seismic event in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) today at 01:30:00 (UTC). The location is very similar to the event our system registered on 12 February 2013. Our initial location estimate shows that the event took place in the area of the DPRKs nuclear test site. The DPRK also claimed today that it has conducted yet another nuclear test, the fourth since 2006. ABC News quotes a North Korean reporter on the activity: We have perfectly succeeded in testing our first hydrogen bomb, an anchor said on North Korean state TV. It was one hundred percent capable from our own wisdom, technology and power. We have now scientifically test-proved a miniaturized hydrogen bomb. In a statement to the press, Ban Ki Moon, The United Nations Secretary-General, condemned North Koreas actions and demand[ed] the DPRK cease any form of nuclear activities. International leaders and analysts have responded quickly to the incident, most calling on North Korea to cease all nuclear testing as this action breaches the United States Security Council resolutions. A senior researcher at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Melissa Hanham, is less concerned about the potential threat. Im pretty skeptical, she said, [t]he seismic data indicates it would be very small for a hydrogen test It just seems too soon to have this big technical achievement. But North Korea has always defied expectations. Referring to the potential weapon as the H-bomb of justice, The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that North Korea needs such a weapon: The U.S. is a gang of cruel robbers which has worked hard to bring even a nuclear disaster to the DPRK, not content with having imposed the thrice-cursed and unheard-of political isolation, economic blockade and military pressure on it for the mere reason that it has differing ideology and social system. Like, Hanham, many U.S. officials are skeptical as to whether the threat is a real one. No matter whether this situation is a potential international threat, or just a farce created by the North Korean government to look more powerful than it really is, its not good. Michael Auslin, writing for the American Enterprise Institute, takes the situation very seriously: Whether Pyongyang intends to demand a new round of negotiations, so as to give the fiction that it might give up its new H-bomb capability, it is wise for Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo to consider the strategic and operational implications of a North Korean H-bomb. After all, even if todays announcement is disproved, Pyongyang one day likely will get a fusion weapon. The test should be a spur for Seoul and Tokyo to begin serious, meaningful discussions both bilaterally and with the Washington on cooperation to deal with this new danger. Pyongyang is building up military strength; meanwhile the North Korean people will likely face a terrible food shortage this year. The U.N.s Food and Agriculture Organization said that [t]he country is distributing an average of 250 grams of daily food rations per person, a 21 percent decline from a three-year average. And also: North Koreas crop production has often been affected by drought and floods, deepening the countrys food shortages which some experts say are the result of bad planning and poor policy. Once again, there is evidence that this nation is continuing to deny the dignity of its people and is instead threatening war with the rest of the world. For a more in-depth look at some of the horrors the North Korean government has caused and the struggles average citizens face each day, see my review of Joseph Kims Under the Same Sky. Even Vulcan is embarrassed. (drawing by Adam Stermer) ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham. David Sher is co-CEO of AmSher Compassionate Collections and past Chairman of Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce, ONB, and CAP. Let's turn Birmingham around. Click here to sign up for our newsletter. There's power in numbers. (Opt out at any time) I've agonized whether to publish this piece about our region's propensity for humiliation. One of my best friends warned me, "Why bring it up?...move on and forget it." I think we can be fairly certain, however, we are just around the corner from another embarrassment, and another, and another. You probably think I'm going to write about , pricey , or unexpected , but Birmingham politics is only the tip of the iceberg. Our Birmingham region -- not just the city of Birmingham -- has a terrible record of public embarrassment. We are all affected I'm amused when my friends in the suburbs gleefully tell me they are so glad they have nothing to do with the city of Birmingham. Whether we like it or not, we all have something to do with the city Birmingham. Every action by Birmingham city government has an impact on our companies, our jobs, and our reputation. Look at these Fox News and CNN headlines about Birmingham: Fox News: Brawl at City Hall: Birmingham Mayor, Councilman Come to Blows CNN: Mayor and City Council brawl at meeting We are national news! You may live in Irondale or Trussville, but the next time you're in Chicago and someone asks you where you're from -- you're going to say 'Birmingham.' No one in Chicago cares that Irondale is a separate city. And the next time a company in Germany or Japan wants to open a new plant in the South or in Alabama -- the site selection committee will have read about Birmingham's follies. Jefferson County is much worse Birmingham's political stumbles have been inconvenient -- Jefferson County's blunders have been tragic. Jefferson County had a very public bankruptcy in 2011 that lead to a parade of county commissioners being convicted and marched off to jail. Google 'Jefferson County Alabama' and you get this scathing piece from Bloomberg Business: "The challenges facing (Jefferson) county's finances and its sewer system won't end with bankruptcy. Because the new bond issue pushes debt service payments into the future, rising 67 percent in 2024, the county is facing a projected $1.2 billion gap in money available to maintain the sewer system." ...or this piece in Rolling Stone: The Continual Screwing of Jefferson County, Alabama "The citizens of the Birmingham, Alabama area years ago got themselves into trouble when corrupt local officials borrowed billions to pay for an elaborate new sewer system...The local pols then doubled down on their corruption and stupidity when they ran to Wall Street to refinance the County's debt into the future, signing the citizens of JeffCo up for billions more in finance charges." Talk about humiliating? It's time to fix our local governments Many people blame our misfortunes on our elected officials -- however, the problem is not our elected officials, it's the government structure we place around them. If you live in the Birmingham metro-area, there's more than an 80 percent chance you reside outside the Birmingham city limits so you can't vote and you have no leverage in Birmingham city politics. All you can do is criticize, complain, and endure the public shame. We desperately need to create some form of regional governance so we can have control of our own destiny. Regional governance has certainly worked for many of our Southern peer cities like Nashville, Charlotte, and Louisville. But how do we fix Jefferson County? One of the first lessons we learned in government class in elementary school is the importance of three branches of government -- executive, legislative, and judicial. Jefferson County does not have an executive branch of government. Since Jefferson County has only a legislative and judicial branch, there is no balance of power -- and no controls. Our county commissioners govern unchecked. That's the obvious reason so many of our county commissioners were jailed. They could do anything they wanted and they did. In 2009 our state legislature created a county manager for Jefferson County. This is a definite improvement but the county manager is appointed and therefore can be fired by our county commission. So we still do not have an independent executive branch. You wouldn't want to have a city without a mayor, a state without a governor, or the U.S. without a president. We in Jefferson County should consider creating an executive branch with a mayor elected countywide who could have the vision and resources to compete as a region. We appear to have a competent county commission now but what about the uncontrollable elected officials who may succeed them? We can either make some changes in our governance or we can be a media laughingstock. You decide. Although Birmingham-Southern College is known for its traditional liberal arts curriculum, it sets aside 4 weeks each year for its faculty and students to engage in nontraditional learning together. Hundreds of BSC students are spending this month involved in service-learning projects locally, nationally and globally, while many others are studying specific areas of interest individually or with faculty or in on-campus courses as part of the college's 2016 Exploration Term. "Students are taking advantage of classes and travel that span the faculty's wide range of expertise including sociological study of therapy and service animals, photography in Iceland, leadership in The Walking Dead, and the role of chemistry in human history," said Katy Leonard '03, director of exploration term and contract learning at BSC. "Students are also engaging in independently created projects on topics such as Peruvian healthcare, Puebloan astronomy, osteology and urban farming." For more than 30 years, Birmingham-Southern has offered an E-Term project examining major cultural and historical sites in Italy. The study-travel course "Classical and Renaissance Italy: The Major Cities and Places in Between," taught by Michael McInturff, examines the ancient world of the Romans and Estruscan and explores the foundations of modern Europe. In one of several new classes offered this year, a group of students will work with John Lytle Wilson '99, BSC instructor of art, as he teaches "Creating Books for Kids." A complete list of courses is available at www.bsc.edu/academics/krulak/exp-con/bulletin/2016/index.html. shutterstock_30514699.jpg As a maritime worker, you face a high risk of an on-the-job injury. You have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world whether you are a seamen, merchant mariners, or fisherman. Maritime injuries are woefully common, and when they occur, you might be days away from medical care. Non-life threatening injuries can become life threatening, and what would be a minor injury on land can become an emergency at sea. To make matters more difficult ,the vessel captain, and through him, the vessel owner, controls nearly everything on board. "A seaman's rights are not protected at sea despite what you are told," warns Joe Lococo, owner and co-attorney of Lococo & Lococo PA. "The minute you are injured, the vessel's owner and their insurance company will start building a case against your injury claim." Due to the extreme circumstances surrounding an injury, a worker will be prompted to sign documents before being taken off the boat to medical attention. Lococo advises workers to seek legal counsel immediately upon injury and never sign anything without having an attorney look over the documents. "When you work offshore you lose track of time. A lot of times a worker can't remember the date they were injured, the names of their crew members or don't get an accident report completed right away." Lococo has personally seen many situations where workers have been "railroaded" by their companies in order to avoid full injury compensation. "These guys are in a vulnerable spot and they can become victimized." The law has several special legal remedies available to help ensure injured seamen receive full compensation and care if injured at sea or on a vessel. It's important a worker finds an attorney that is familiar with maritime laws such as The Jones Act, the Death on High Seas Act, and the laws relating to unseaworthiness. Maritime injury attorneys must also know international law because your injury may have happened on a foreign flagged ship. "Working with Gulf Coast attorneys and the Louisiana courts offer you more protection and administer better justice because they understand the law, but also the claimants they are working with," says Lococo. "Maritime life is very unique and not everyone understands those kinds of working conditions." If you are injured at sea, offshore or on a boat, please contact Joe or Virginia LoCoco at Lococo & Lococo PA and they will gladly assist you. GULFPORT, Mississippi -- A woman living alone died in an early morning house fire in Gulfport. Harrison County Coroner Gary Hargrove tells WLOX TV an 82-year-old woman died in the fire. The victim's name has not been released. The fire started in the early Wednesday in a home on 41st Street. While the cause remains under investigation, officials suspect an electrical short. Gautier Fire Inspector Tim Regan told the television station this was the first fire fatality in the city since 2011. GULFPORT, Mississippi -- A former Mississippi college administrator has pleaded guilty to a meth-trafficking charge that carries a penalty range of 10 years to life in prison. The Sun Herald reports Morris Etheredge, 41, former academic dean of Virginia College in Biloxi, pleaded guilty Tuesday to possession with intent to distribute meth in Harrison County and elsewhere. Etheredge, of Gulfport, also faces a possible fine of $1 million for having two pounds of meth brought to south Mississippi from Oakland, Calif. U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden will sentence him April 14. Etheredge's job with Virginia College reportedly ended in February 2013, according to his early statements to investigators. He is a licensed nurse and had a different job at the time of his arrest, his attorney said in a court filing. His co-defendant, James Corey Broussard, 35, is set for trial Jan. 19 on a three-count indictment. Broussard also is from Gulfport. The men had been arrested in a traffic stop in Hancock County on Aug. 5. Etheredge admitted he and Broussard had bought the meth for $13,000 and were driving it back to Harrison County, the complaint said. Etheredge also said they had bought meth in the same city a few weeks earlier, court papers show. Both men were ordered held without bond after a hearing with testimony on their admissions that they each used meth on a regular basis. A federal grand jury indicted the men Sept. 1. Broussard faces trial on charges of conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute meth and interstate travel in aid of drug-racketeering enterprises. GAUTIER, Mississippi --- City leaders joined with neighboring municipal governments in the Coastal three counties on Tuesday night when they adopted a resolution requesting the state legislature to appropriate at least 80 percent of the $750 million in economic damages coming from the BP oil spill to the affected coastal county and city governments. Citing the damage to the coast's economy and tourism, the resolution states the money would stimulate a more rapid and vigorous economic recovery across the Mississippi Coast as it continues to struggle for a comeback. The resolution states further: "any significant redirection of economic damages money away from the Coastal counties is in obvious contradiction to the...intent of the economic damages settlement." However, it was a discussion of the Bemis Avenue water and sewer woes that took up half of the two-hour meeting. About 18 Bemis Avenue residents were in attendance to hear a report from representatives of Goodwyn Mills and Cawood Engineering and ClearWater Solutions, the city's public works service provider, on several options to improve the troubled area. When the city privatized public works several years ago, it was hoped the problems would be resolved. Chad Jordan, CWS manager, distributed a list showing what had been done to better maintain the Bemis area, activities such as cleaning of lift stations, repairing leaks, fixed manholes and installation of preventers and pop-off values. But frustrated residents told of sewage backing up into their yards and streets. In recent years, three residents that had sewage back up inside their homes filed lawsuits against the city. Denise King, PE, GMC project manager, presented three options for the city to consider ranging in costs from $75,000 to $500,000. None provided an overall fix. The first would provide pre-programmed control of flow levels along Bemis Avenue at a cost of $75,000. The second would involve installation of grinder pump systems at the critical residences on Bemis, but residents would have to maintain those systems and pay additional power costs to run them. And third, a gravity main would be replaced to take residents off the existing main so they could use their wastewater facilities during rainfall events and eliminate overflows from the existing 21-inch gravity main. This third option does not address the root cause of the avenue's problems, could move the odor issue to another part of the city and overflows to another part of the system and would require a permanent utility easement to reach the nearby Stonegate subdivision. Bemis resident Tammy Killingsworth said, "We pay the same for water and sewer as anyone else. Councilman Casey Vaughan represents Ward 3 in which Bemis is located. "The residents don't deserve these conditions," he said. "They don't' get the services they pay for. They want us to take action." Councilman Hurley Ray Guillotte expressed his frustration over the lack of progress. He recommended the council proceed with option 1 as those changes are needed no matter what other courses of action are taken in the future. Mayor Gordon Gollott and the council voted unanimously to direct City Manager Samantha Abell to prepare funding possibilities for option one. Bemis is the collection route for many of the city's lift stations. The city's sewer infrastructure is very old and is plagued by the continual presence of sand in the lines. "Bemis is part of a bigger picture," said Abell. In other action, the mayor and council: --- Approved applying for a $10,000 grant from the PeopleForBikes Foundation to add bicycle pathways along North Martin Bluff Road. A 50 percent local match may be met by in-kind services. --- Authorized the purchase of 38 sets of structural firefighting turnout gear at a cost of $83,828 to be paid from Fire Insurance Rebate Funds. Fire Chief Robert Jones noted the purchase helps meet standards for safety and protection of firefighters. Gautier city leaders approved a proclamation designating Monday as National Human Trafficking Prevention Day and urged their citizens to learn about all forms of modern slavery and the signs and consequences of human trafficking. John Jones, executive director of Advocates for Freedom, at left, in accepting a copy of the document, said more than 200,000 American children are at risk. --- Set their 2016 state and federal legislative priorities that are listed in a white paper on the city's website: www.gautier-ms.gov. Abell was instructed to add the issue of post office addresses. "One-third of the city on the west side has Ocean Springs addresses," she said, citing the confusion that results in U.S. Census tabulation, voter turnout, cable service benefits and political boundary lines. "We are reaching out to our Congressional delegates to get this changed. It is not a local problem, but a (U.S.) post office problem." --- Reappointed Mary Elsie Hubley, Ray Brown and Henry Enrico "Rico" Borrazzo to the Gautier Historic Preservation Commission. --- Announced city offices would be closed on Jan. 18 in observance of the birthdays of Robert E. Lee and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. GULFPORT, Mississippi -- Pascagoula native Tommy Murphy has been named the new Coast Division Manger for Mississippi Power, the company announced Wednesday. In his new role, Murphy will manage all customer service functions, as well as serve as one of the company's coast leaders. "I am incredibly excited to have the opportunity to serve our customers across the Coast," Murphy said. "South Mississippi is my home and I look forward to working with our employees in Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Stone and George counties." Murphy is currently the Community Development Director, responsible for leading community partnership efforts with key external stakeholders at the local, regional and state levels. "Tommy brings three decades of proven leadership, strong external relationships, a strategic vision and broad company knowledge to his new role," said Vice President of Customer Services Organization Nicole Faulk. "His experience across our company will serve him well as he continues the positive relationships we have with our customers across the Coast Division." Murphy earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, with a minor in Mathematics, from the University of Southern Mississippi and is also a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology management program. He began his career with Mississippi Power in 1985 and has previously served as the company's Chief Information office, Employee Relations manager, Bay St. Louis area manager and as a national Economic Development recruiter. PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Jackson County supervisors say their decision to replace longtime board of supervisors attorney Paula Yancey after 18 years had nothing to do with her performance, but rather a desire to simply make a change. During Monday's regular meeting, supervisors went into a private meeting before determining the issue didn't qualify for executive session as the issue was not Yancey's job performance. Supervisors then met privately with Yancey, after which Yancey withdrew her name from consideration and the board voted unanimously to appoint assistant board attorney Gary Evans to replace her as lead attorney. "She's done a great job for the county for 18 years," said board president Barry Cumbest, who said he wasn't in favor of replacing Yancey. "She's got more experience in Jackson County politics and than the entire board right now. "But the others decided they wanted to make a change. It wasn't a question of voting her out, but appointing someone else." New District 5 supervisor Randy Bosarge, who made the initial objection to the executive session, said he favors the county contracting out its legal work, in the same manner as the four Jackson County municipalities. The county board attorney position is full-time and pays $115,000 to $125,000 per year. "We're one of the few counties in the state that hires a full-time attorney," Bosarge said. "Based on the numbers I've looked at, I think we can save some money. (Replacing Yancey) had nothing to do with her performance. We just needed to go in a different direction. I'm all about saving the county some money." Supervisor Troy Ross also supported making a change. "From my view, sometimes when you've got a position like that with someone in there so long, it's good to get someone new in there," he said. A message left for Yancey was not returned by the end of the day Tuesday. In 2014, Yancey ran for Jackson County Chancery Court Judge and was defeated by 18 votes by incumbent Neil Harris. It would be natural for banks to blame recruitment strategies for their employee turnover. But the problem might have less to do with finding good people than it does with keeping them. A recent seminar I conducted reinforced my belief that a number of banks are potentially misdiagnosing why they are losing employees. Institutions are quick to assume that their recruitment efforts are lacking. But dwindling staff might relate more to banks' inadequate onboarding and mentoring programs. At the event, a rookie branch manager conveyed the stress and confusion most people experience in a new role in any field. When recalling a misunderstanding he had had with a colleague, he smiled and kidded, "I suppose I missed that stuff in training. Or, it may just be that I'm a slower learner than most." But he's not a slow learner. In fact, I knew he was a promising new manager. He was improving sales, if not yet in great numbers, and turning around a branch that had been disappointing. He was, however, new to the industry. He was recruited and hired because he was a top salesperson at a nearby location for a national retailer. And while he had sales experience, he had limited sales management experience. Being a great salesperson does not necessarily prepare a person to lead sales teams. His comments were evidence that he had a healthy mindset in his new job. And his potential to perform well in a new industry reflects the promise for banks to draft new managers from outside the industry a talent pool that is only growing. As technology increasingly transforms the banking industry, many institutions have begun recruiting nonbankers more aggressively than ever. The retail perspectives and sales experience of outsiders are in demand as banks aim to transform their branch models. These attributes are beneficial for banks. But we need to be careful that we're not scaring off potentially good employees or suppressing new hires' ideas and energy early on. That's not a potshot at banks. Most industries have rules, regulations and procedures, among other things, for new employees to learn. But banks tend to have more red tape to master than other industries. More important, I find that many institutions have not matched their recruiting efforts for outside talent with the kind of training and mentoring programs that can make the difference between disillusionment and success. Through the years, I've heard many bankers lament high turnover of nonbanker recruits. Some of the turnover rates are startling and make it very difficult to build momentum in the affected branches. In more recent years, I've had scores of bankers ask for advice on where to recruit "the right people" for increasingly sales-focused banker positions. They think their turnover problem is largely caused by recruiting folks from the wrong areas. In response, I tell them to focus on recruiting people who impress them, regardless of where they're found. Great potential team members, who would never consider a banking career until they are asked by an interested and proactive recruiter, are everywhere. Sure, there will be unsuccessful hires. But to defend against high turnover, institutions should look at onboarding and mentoring efforts as much as recruiting. If new hires' most prevalent feelings in the first few days, weeks or months on the job are confusion, stress and failure, then disillusionment sets in. I'm not suggesting that new recruits need coddling. Folks cannot be shielded from the demands and expectations of their jobs for very long. Too often, however, recruits are put on the front line sooner than we'd like. I've kidded with bank management that we find ourselves in "we need you too much to train you" situations. Will that ever change? I wouldn't hold my breath. Our smaller staffing models typically don't lend themselves to having extra personnel to fill positions while new hires get months of training. One suggested solution may seem like a cliche, and I make it half in jest, but banks should consider mentoring initiatives similar to a big brother or big sister program. Make the first page of new branch manager training material a directory of managers who were hired six to 12 months earlier. Those folks may not be the most experienced bankers, but they are the most qualified to give relatable advice to their brand new peers. Assigning new managers an experienced mentor manager to check in with can be a simple and valuable resource. Bringing new managers together after they've been on the job for a short time for Q&A sessions with top managers can also be helpful. Even if the information shared by an experienced manager is identical to what a new recruit heard in training, having best practices reinforced by colleagues can be powerful. Banks can also start a "Dumb Questions Book," an idea I implemented in a previous job with help from district managers. When we created such a book, these dumb questions were thrown out to the groups at future manager meetings and we were frequently surprised at the different answers we got to the same question. Some answers were even better than the ones our district managers had come up with. Our trainers eventually included several of our dumb questions into their own sessions. A theory I've long held is we're programmed from an early age not to raise our hand and ask what we fear to be a dumb question, out of concern of looking foolish. But when someone does work up the courage to ask a "dumb" question, many others in the room let out a sigh of relief and feverishly scribble the answer. Having a book devoted to answering such questions could be a resource for new hires. Bottom line: When we remove the fear of looking lost or feeling foolish, we tend to get more open and honest pictures of where our people need more help. Dave Martin is an executive vice president and chief development officer at Financial Supermarkets Inc. He can be reached at dmartin@supermarketbank.com and on Twitter at @instorebank. BancorpSouth in Tupelo, Miss., has agreed to settle a lawsuit tied to how it determines overdraft fees on debit card and ATM transactions. The $13.7 billion-asset company disclosed in a regulatory filing Tuesday that its bank will pay $24 million to create settlement fund. The company said it expects to record a one-time expense of $16.5 million when it reports fourth-quarter results later this month. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, took issue with BancorpSouth's policies tied to the posting order of certain transactions. The proposed settlement is subject to preliminary and final court approval and should be finalized by Jan. 22. BancorpSouth said it viewed the settlement as a compromise and a way to avoid more litigation expense, adding that it is "not in any way an admission of liability, fault or wrongdoing." Numerous banks in recent years have settled class actions based on predatory overdraft policies. Nearly all of them have been settled, according to the filing. BancorpSouth also settled an overdraft case in 2012, where it agreed to cap the number of overdraft fees a customer could incur in a day. Who will be the dominant power in the Middle East: Sunni Saudi Arabia or Shia Iran? The theological divide between the two versions of Islam, now 1,400 years old, is unbridgeable. About 85 percent of the world's Muslims are Sunnis. Only Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, and Bahrain, have a Shia majority. Saudi Arabia is a monarchy ruled by the Sunni Saud family, currently Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud, in which 90 percent of the population is Sunni. Saudi Arabia is custodian of Islam's two holiest sites at Mecca and Medina, and the site of the annual pilgrimage of the world's Muslims. In the Islamic Republic of Iran, 95 percent of citizens is Shia. Coupled with this theological divide between the two countries are five other factors: tension between an absolute monarchy and a ruthless Islamic republic, struggle for political hegemony in the Middle East, the historic conflict between Arabs and Persians, the Iranian interest in nuclear weapons, and the dramatic decline in the price of oil. A familiar spectacle in the Middle East is of angry mobs taking pleasure in killing those they dislike and in destroying the property of foreigners. Israel has long suffered from this, and so has the United States. A disgraceful low point was the event in 1979, when a mob in Iran took 52 U.S. diplomats hostage for 444 days. Even more disgraceful is that the anniversary of the event is still a day for national celebration in Tehran. Britain also suffered when in 2011 its Embassy in Tehran was ransacked, leading Britain to expel all Iranian diplomats in its country. Yet even in the violent and tumultuous Middle East, the beheading by Saudi Arabia in early January 2016 of 47 men, including the Shiite cleric Nemer al-Nemer (aka Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr) for alleged terrorism, and the consequent violence by Iranians, storming and burning the Saudi embassy in Tehran, and attacking the Saudi consular offices in the city of Mashhad, was startling. The immediate Saudi response was to break diplomatic relations with Iran and suspend air and commercial links between the two countries. There are no innocents in the story. For years, Sheikh Nemer, a disciple of Ayatollah Khomeini, has been calling the state of Saudi Arabia illegitimate, and he was one of the leaders of an armed terrorist group in the east part of the country. Of course, both of the two regimes, fundamentalist Islamic, are violent and intolerant. However, Saudi Arabia has been protected by the West because of its oil resources. It is a sick joke, and thus appropriate that the Saudis have the chair of the absurd U.N. Human Rights Council. Neither side is innocent about inflicting death on non-believers. Saudi Arabia was responsible, by beheadings and firing squad, for 158 executions during 2015, while Iran, using hanging, according to estimates of Amnesty International, executed 743 in 2014, and more than 850 in 2015. Iran is world-famous for stoning adulterers and repressing dissent. Are the two countries at war? Are they sleepwalking toward conflict, as did the Great Powers in Europe in 1914? The two sides do confront each other in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. But they are unlikely to repeat the historic European experience of the bloody struggle between Catholics and Protestants for territory and converts. It was gratifying that the Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, condemned the violence as "totally unjustifiable." Nevertheless, Saudi Arabia, and also Bahrain and Sudan, did cut diplomatic ties with Iran. The Saudis and Iran are already fighting a proxy war on opposite sides in the Yemen civil war between the recognized government and the Houthi rebels. They differ on Syria, where Iran is supporting the regime of President Assad while Saudi Arabia is supporting some of the Sunni groups who are fighting Assad. They differ on the price of oil. Saudi Arabia is maintaining its oil production, producing an oil glut that has led to oil prices currently being less than $40 a barrel. Saudi Arabia so far can afford the cut even if it reduces spending and energy subsidies, but Iran cannot. Iran has been acting in a belligerent fashion in general. It fired rockets close to the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Truman, though President Barack Obama did not admit that it had happened and did not react to it. Many will now agree that the nuclear deal with Iran has led it to be more aggressive. Iran is violating United Nations resolutions that ban it from testing ballistic missiles. Iran has conducted two such tests since July 2015 with missiles that can deliver nuclear weapons, and it is now obvious that it is accelerating its missile program. This acceleration will be strengthened after Iran, according to the nuclear agreement, receives $100 billion in frozen assets. Again, the Obama administration has been unclear on the issue. On Wednesday December 28, 2015, the president told Congress the U.S. would target some Iranian companies and people responsible for the ballistic missile program. A day later, he changed his mind and said sanctions would be delayed. One thing is clear. A terrible bargain, one of the worst alliances in history, was made in the 18th century between the founder, Muhammad ibn abd al-Wahhab, of an extremist version of Islam and the then-ruler, Muhammad ibn Saud, of a part of Arabia. Saudi Arabia exploited Wahhabism in order to control the holy places of Mecca and Medina. In turn, Saudi Arabia has used its vast income from oil to spread the Wahhabist version of Islam throughout the world. The world is now familiar with this aggressive Islamist point of view, one of excommunicating apostates; influencing or controlling education, law, and social affairs, enforced by a religious police force; and waging violent jihad against non-believers. No end of the conflict between the two countries is in sight. The Arab League may call an extraordinary session to discuss the issue but is unlikely to take action. Again President Vladimir Putin has stepped in, and Russia has volunteered to be an intermediary, though this will not be accepted. Secretary of State John Kerry has limited the U.S. role to calling for diplomatic engagement and direct conversation to calm tensions. No one wants the United States to be involved in any conflict between the two Islamic powers. What the Obama administration should do is to begin considering immediately its nuclear deal with Iran and cancel it before Iran becomes too strong. Illustration by Ronny Gordon Creeping sharia infiltrates every nook and cranny of America. Including our classrooms. Among other things, the Muslim Brotherhood (as well as the Saudis) wields enormous influence over curriculum that threatens not only public schools, but private and parochial schools as well. After reporting on Islamic supremacy in our schools a year ago, I thought it worthwhile to see how things have progressed since then, for better or for worse. (Guess which it is.) When last we left off, heres where things stood. In most cases, information only came to light because parents stumbled upon homework assignments or their child told them something of concern. Students learned to recite allegiance to Allah along with Muslim prayers and chants. Students were also taught the Five Pillars of Islam, that Muslims pray to the same God as Christians and Jews, that Mohammed was a man with strong moral values, that terrorists are freedom fighters, that Muslims treat those they conquer better than America does, along with the taqiyya version of CAIRs mission. Sharia law was promoted, Qurans were introduced into classrooms, students studied Arabic, female students wore burqas as part of a lesson on Islam, and special courses on Islam prohibited students from wearing a cross or saying the name Jesus. Homework assignments required students to promote the Golden Age of Islam while students also had to write about what it would be like to travel to Mecca. All the while, Muslim students were given special privileges that Christian and Jewish students were not afforded, including time off during the day to pray. Textbooks whitewashed Islam while diminishing Christians and Jews, videos framed non-Muslims as bigots and validated enforcement of blasphemy laws, a Muslim author gave a lecture that stretched over four days about her Islamic-themed book, and field trips to mosques (including the one the Tsarnaev brothers attended) involved non-Muslim students praying to Allah, with non-Muslim boys joined adult Muslims in prayer while girls were told Islam is pro-woman. Teachers who spoke out were punished. An elementary school teacher was forced to resign after making critical comments about Islam on a talk radio program, CAIR attempted to smear another teacher by accusing her of being a racist after she drew an analogy between the Taliban and Hamas during a lesson on bullying, and Christian teachers were harassed by Muslims in the school hierarchy. (See here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.) So where do things stand today? Sadly, we have more of the same. Much more of it, as Islamic supremacy continues to gain ground in our schools. (See here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.) A workbook for a three-week course on Islam told students that for the duration of the course they will become Muslim by selecting Muslim names and wearing them on ID tags around their necks, dressing up as Muslims and acting the part in order to receive a good grade, being told jihad is a struggle against oppression, playing a dice game called Jihad that pits one group of students against another, reading the opening chapter of the Quran and analyzing various other verses, and memorizing the Shahada (the prayer for conversion to Islam). Students across various school districts were told that Islam had nothing to do with the 9/11 terror attacks, were taught an Islamic fight song that implied that Allah is the only God, completed a project that involved making pro-ISIS propaganda posters, and a Palestinian activist gave a presentation to third graders that urged them to become freedom fighters for Palestine. Homework assignments included analyzing statements by bin Laden, material from an ISIS blog featuring a female recruiter, and statements from Obamas Cairo speech that demonized the West and framed Muslims as victims. Students also had to write the Shahada (including the oath There is no God by Allah) and sing Allahu Akbar in an Arabic song. And a Muslim cleric who was a public school teacher peddled sharia and routinely left school early to conduct prayer services at his mosque. (Hes since been fired.) Meanwhile Muslims continued to press for special accommodations, such as school closures for Muslim holidays. Mind you, federal law allows students of minority religions to take off from school on their religious holidays without any penalty. But this is not good enough for many Muslims who offer all manner of rationales for why they need more. Some cite relatively high (emphasis on relatively) percentages of Muslims who live in certain districts. But even when their numbers are scant the same pressure is applied, as in Baltimore where no tests are scheduled on Muslim holidays, despite the fact that Muslim students comprise a mere two-to-three percent of the student body. In one case, a Muslim community leader argued that Muslim students dont want to miss class even if the absence is excused because it would place an undue burden on them to catch up for the day they missed. So he wants school policy to prohibit tests on Muslim holidays and the day after so Muslim students won't have any pressure to study during their observance. He admits the ultimate goal is for the school district to close schools completely on those days because: We want our sons and daughters to feel as American as anyone else and to be on equal footing as everyone else. (Nice try. How about Muslim students cope just like Jewish students and Hindu students and students from other religious minorities who have been faring just fine? Deal with it!) Another example of we-are-a-tiny-minority-but-you-owe-us rationale can be found in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, where Muslims comprise less than two percent of the population. No matter. Sporting events are banned the night prior to Muslim holidays and no tests are administered on the holidays themselves. Then theres this rationale offered up in Burlington, Vermont, where it is being recommended that schools close for Muslim holidays because most Muslim students are recently arrived refugees who dont speak much English and missing school will have a negative effect on their learning. But as often happens in these cases a domino effect kicks in, and now the small Hindu community in Burlington wants school closures on their holidays. However no accommodations will be made for Hindus. Heres another scenario. In Irvington, N.J., where the superintendent had no idea how many Muslim students were in the school system, schools are closed on Muslim holidays based on inclusion rather than necessity. Riiiiiiiiight. And what necessity could one ever argue in any of these cases? But who needs necessity when you can stand on the soap box of rights, as Kaity Assaf, a Muslim teenager in New Jersey did when she claimed it comes to down having the right to have the two most important Muslim holidays acknowledged publicly by closing all schools in her district. Then there are those who claim victimhood and make loud demands, as happened a couple of months ago in Jersey City, NJ, when the school board made a difficult and gut-wrenching decision and refused to close schools for Muslim holidays after Muslims in the community requested this accommodation on six days notice. One Muslim in attendance screamed, My child should be able to celebrate the holiday! (as if anyone was stopping that from happening) while another stated We feel alienated! (whats new?). Still another stepped up to the microphone and smirked: Were no longer the minority. Thats clear from tonight. Were going to be the majority soon. Arrogance, demands, victimhood, threats, and above all, being above all. Hat tips: Fox News, Counterjihad Report, Breitbart, Jihad Watch, The Clarion Project, Atlas Shrugs, The Right Scoop, Legal Insurrection, Front Page Magazine Remember when Obama, the guy with big plans to resettle America's neighborhoods, clashed with Bibi Netanyahu for refusing to abandon construction and resettlement plans in East Jerusalem? The president was so incensed that Netanyahu hesitated to comply with his demands that he left the prime minister sitting in a room alone while he went upstairs to eat. Thats when, out of fear of being wiretapped, Netanyahu and his delegation chose not to use White House phones. As usual, Bibis discernment was on target because recently it was revealed that Obama, concerned about his nuke deal with Iran, directed the National Security Agency to spy on Israel, American Jewish groups, and friends of Israel in the U.S. Congress. For eight years, in addition to displaying open hostility toward the Jewish state, here in America, the president has pushed the boundaries on everything from limiting First and Second Amendment rights to passing a failed stimulus package to ramming through healthcare reform to making a nuclear deal with Iran to promising amnesty to illegal aliens. Yet despite the U.S. Constitution being shredded, the law flouted, and domestic and worldwide chaos being stirred up by a philosophically driven Obama, time and again, the onslaught of detrimental policy pronouncements have been met with an insipid response from the presidents supposed political adversaries. Now, after learning that the Executive branch of the U.S. government spied on the Legislative branch, its less confusing as to why the former Speaker of the House, John Boehner (R-OH), and his compadre in the Senate, Mitch McConnell (R-KY), seemed so reticent in resisting this president. At first, it appeared as if former Speaker Boehner acquiesced out of fear that Republicans would be blamed for things like government shutdowns, or accused of not showing compassion toward hordes of unaccompanied minors, or worse yet, perceived to be the Party of No. Now we find out that although John Boehner was likely spared the wrath of the battery cables, the antique dental drill, and duct tape, before grabbing his Coppertone and heading back to Ohio, Chicago-style coercion may be what caused teary-eyed Boehner to consistently fold like a cheap lawn chair. Next up: Kevin McCarthy the Republican from California who was the shoo-in to replace Boehner. After receiving an email from a conservative activist that threatened to expose an alleged extramarital affair, McCarthy withdrew his candidacy to be Speaker. Ironically, McCarthys decision coincided with a cryptic letter written by Congressman Walter Jones (R-NC) to Republican Conference Chairperson, Cathy McMorris Rodgers. In the letter, Jones asked that candidates with embarrassing misdeeds committed since joining Congress " withdraw from running for positions of leadership. What exactly did the North Carolina representative know, and what was his letter really alluding to? Finally, theres newly ordained Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan (R-WI). Pauls the guy who, besides being Romneys running mate in 2012, stood firmly against the Affordable Care Act. After being insulted publically by the president for daring to try to reel in the debt and deficit with actual numbers, Ryan had the guts to label Obama the Campaigner-in-Chief. Unfortunately, somewhere between 2011 and 2016 Ryan lost his determination. Suddenly, the solutions the new speaker criticized so strongly in the past have become solutions he seems willing to live with. Atrocities such as the $1.1 trillion Omnibus Spending Bill, which subsidizes the presidents plan to accept into America Syrian refugees who will likely be infiltrated by ISIS and leaves conservatives wanting on issues like defunding Planned Parenthood. Worse yet, the spending bill contains provisions totaling over $1 billion to help fund the implementation of the same healthcare reform bill the new speaker spoke harshly against just five years earlier. Speaking of surveillance and Obamacare, lets not forget Republican Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts baffling decision that doubled down on defying the Constitution and helped pave the way for socialized medicine. Now, The Wall Street Journals eye-opening piece titled: U.S. Spy Net on Israel Snares Congress may shed light on why two branches of the U.S. government have rolled over and accommodated Obama on every front. According to the article, Barack Obama employed the NSA to spy on foreign leaders like Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Bibi Netanyahu, a practice he promised to discontinue doing to friendly heads of state two years ago. An anonymous senior official quoted by the WSJ said that when the administration secured the NSAs services the presidents goal was to ensure that Netanyahu did not stand in the way of Iran attaining the bomb they plan to use to annihilate Israel. During the Iran deal negotiations, the NSA also listened in and reported back to the president conversations Benjamin Netanyahu had with friends in Congress. So, while targeting our allies, also swept up were the content of private conversations with U.S. lawmakers. In other words, politicians that fit the presidents enemy criteria probably include any turncoat who attended Netanyahus March address to a joint session of Congress where Bibi argued against the presidents nuclear deal with Iran? The 44 Democrat protesters who chose not to attend exempts only 8% of Congress from snooping. Therefore, 92% of Congress may have had their private conversations wiretapped, which might explain why Republicans consistently grant a paranoid Obama unprecedented leeway on things they swear they oppose. With that said, and although pure speculation, could the majority partys consistent pusillanimous posture be based on their knowledge that Americas first black male president blackmails those he considers enemies in Congress? And didnt Richard Nixon resign for much less? Based on the seriousness of the spying accusation, if true, Barack Obama should step down or be impeached, which may require the Republicans in Congress to pull up their pants, place concern for self aside, and finally do something thats long overdue -- put the survival of America first. Jeannie hosts a blog at www.jeannie-ology.com The mayor of Cologne, Germany, made a statement about the war zone in her city on New Years eve, courtesy of Muslim imports who threw fireworks into crowds, molested, raped, attacked, and robbed non-Muslims, while also getting into brawls among themselves. Dozens of non-Muslims were victimized and the police believe there are many more victims who have yet to come forward. A large number of women were groped and raped as multitudes of Muslim savages pulled their hair and ripped off their clothes, grabbing and invading every orifice of their bodies while laughing and calling them sluts. Despite the scale of the violence and video cameras capturing much of it, the police only made five arrests. And the one-sided war in Cologne on New Years eve was covered up by officials and the media for several days. So now were in Phase 2, when leaders and the media decide what to say. Heaven forbid it would resemble reality. Its all quite predictable by now as elected officials obscure the truth, abandon their primary duties to protect and defend their citizens, and enforce sharia law, as the media crawls right along with them parroting stupidity like its going out of style. And so, as Breitbart reports, the mayor of Cologne Henriette Reker (newly elected and pro-migrant) blamed the victims for failing to defend themselves against the attackers, stating that women and young girls have to be more protected in the future so these things dont happen again. Ah, ok. I see. First of all, what might these things be, Ms. Mayor? Let me help you out. These things to which you refer include the barbaric rape of non-Muslims by Muslims. Anyone who suggests that all would be well if only Germanys women and girls would take greater care not to bring rape upon themselves is not fit to serve in public office. (That would be you.) And how might they better prepare themselves, as you suggest? By not going out alone? Thats sharia. Or by going out with a male chaperone in order to be more protected? Thats sharia. Or by avoiding Western dress? Thats sharia. How dare this mayor put the onus on women to make sure theyre not raped? This is the essence of dhimmitude. This is how the West is handing over the keys to the kingdom. The enemy is not named. The enemy is not held responsible. Instead, the enemy is welcomed and indulged. There is only one thing women in Germany (and throughout the West) can do to protect themselves. Buy a gun and learn how to shoot it. (And when the next election rolls around, vote for someone sane, if possible.) Meanwhile, Ms. Mayor from Hell was not finished. Apparently the Cologne carnival is coming up and the powers that be are anticipating trouble. Of course they wont say from what quarters, but we know from what quarters. Heres how theyre handling it: This means, they should go out and have fun, but they need to be better prepared, especially with the Cologne carnival coming up. For this, we will publish online guidelines that these young women can read through to prepare themselves. Guidelines for preparation. Whats it going to be called? How to prepare for rape jihad? Stupid Europeans have invited the enemy into their midst and now find themselves needing guidelines for how to survive among barbarians. Ms. Mayor continued down her lunatic path as only a leftist can, rejecting any link between the attacks and migrants (contradicting her own chief of police) while other officials sounded the alarm bell on the deteriorating state of control the local government has over the city of Cologne noting the city and the police are unable to guarantee the safety of locals and tourists. Then theres a special warning for women, noting they must assume themselves to be a high security risk especially at night. (Note that the potential victims are considered security risks, not the perpetrators.) They further note that on New Years Eve there was a legal vacuum and a no-go area for women. With the climax of the Carnival season it is unfortunately expected to be a similar situation. A legal vacuum? What the hell is that? Id say they had a vacuum of law and order that resulted in the area becoming a no-go zone. Where are the police? Where is the military? How can the West win this war if one area of one city in one country cant even be defended on one night? German police have admitted to losing several urban areas to migrant gangs as so-called no-go zones, but this is possibly the first time a public square in the centre of a European city has been acknowledged by officials as having been lost to criminality, and out of the control of police at night. But as well know all too well, what unfolded in Cologne was not unique to Cologne. Not by a long shot. Breitbart London reports on rapes and robberies on New Years eve perpetrated by Muslims in Munich, Stuttgart, Detmold, and North Rhine-Westphalia. And how did the media cover these abominations? Well, despite the BBC having their office in Cologne, the report published on Tuesday was similar to the one they filed a few days ago and failed to mention migrants until the 18th paragraph. Similarly, Deutsche Welle (the German equivalent of the BBC) didnt mention the description of the attackers until the 10th paragraph in their Tuesday report. Every day I hope to wake up to a world waking up. But so far, its a frenzy of madness as far as the eye can see. Hat tip: Jihad Watch Ted Cruz has made the interesting argument that he is tougher on illegal immigration than Donald Trump. Trump has called for the mass deportation of illegals but promised to let the "good ones" back in. He has never described what percent of illegals are the "good ones," and many Trump supporters, caught up in the cult of personality for the candidate, don't seem interested in the details. But Ted Cruz has said he will enforce the law, and the law requires the deportation of illegal aliens. If Cruz will enforce the law, and Donald Trump will allow illegals back into America, does this mean that Ted Cruz is tougher on illegal immigration than Donald Trump? Not necessarily. It is true that Ted Cruz was the first to call for finishing the border fence, back when Donald Trump was still calling for amnesty for illegal aliens. But Donald Trump has called for legislatively ending birthright citizenship, something Cruz is doubtful of. What it seems to come down to is that Cruz will order deportations, with no option to return, and Trump will order mass deportations, with options to return for an unknown number after an unknown period of time. I remember in the last Bush administration, ICE (the immigrations and custom service) would every so often stage a raid of a large poultry plant and deport some illegals but for the most part would never go to the obvious places and communities where illegal aliens were located to deport illegals en masse. If Cruz is talking about merely returning to the "show raid" period of the George W. Bush administration, very few illegals would be deported. On the other hand, we have no idea how many illegals Donald Trump would offer citizenship to, and Ted Cruz has said unambiguously that whether deported or not, he would not offer citizenship to illegal aliens. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz struck a hard line on immigration, declaring before a campaign stop in Kennesaw on Friday that he opposes granting the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S. citizenship "today, tomorrow, forever." That's pretty unambiguous. There's no mention of amnesty for untold "good ones." So, given these uncertainties, perhaps Ted Cruz really is tougher on illegal immigration than Donald Trump. As the primaries grow closer and closer, I realize what a risk it is to support Donald Trump. Even today he is liberal on so many issues, and the issues he has changed on, like immigration, he has come to only in the past year. I rationalized the idea of supporting Trump on the grounds that he was the best candidate to deal with immigration, but without any elaboration on how many "good ones" will get citizenship, I think Ted Cruz is the safer candidate on this issue, and he certainly is better on nearly all the other issues as well, at least if you're a constitutional conservative. This article was written by Ed Straker, senior writer of NewsMachete.com, the conservative news site. Donald Trump has warned Hillary Clinton not to play the "women's card," or else he will talk about her role in Bill Clinton's attacks on women, including rape. But if that happens, can we expect Hillary to raise the subject of Donald Trump's alleged rape of his then-wife, Ivana, after Donald was on the receiving end of botched baldness reduction surgery? [Warning: graphic language at the link ed.] Ivana Trump's assertion of "rape" came in a deposition part of the early '90s divorce case between the Trumps, and revealed in the 1993 book Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J. Trump. The book, by former Texas Monthly and Newsweek reporter Harry Hurt III, described a harrowing scene. After a painful scalp reduction surgery to remove a bald spot, Donald Trump confronted his then-wife, who had previously used the same plastic surgeon. "Your [f******] doctor has ruined me!" Trump cried. What followed was a "violent assault," according to Lost Tycoon. What was the response of the Trump team to these charges? Michael Cohen, special counsel at The Trump Organization, defended his boss, saying, "You're talking about the frontrunner for the GOP, presidential candidate, as well as a private individual who never raped anybody. And, of course, understand that by the very definition, you can't rape your spouse." "It is true," Cohen added. "You cannot rape your spouse. And there's very clear case law." "It's not the word that you're trying to make it into," Cohen told The Daily Beast, saying Ivana Trump was talking about how "she felt raped emotionally She was not referring to it [as] a criminal matter, and not in its literal sense, though there's many literal senses to the word." This kind of evasive response is something you'd expect from the Clintons. Nowhere does Cohen say that Trump never forced himself on his wife. Under pressure from Trump's lawyers, Ivana produced this curious response. "During a deposition given by me in connection with my matrimonial case, I stated that my husband had raped me," the Ivana Trump statement said. "[O]n one occasion during 1989, Mr. Trump and I had marital relations in which he behaved very differently toward me than he had during our marriage. As a woman, I felt violated, as the love and tenderness, which he normally exhibited towards me, was absent. I referred to this as a 'rape,' but I do not want my words to be interpreted in a literal or criminal sense." Even this response seems to indicate that Mr. Trump forced himself on his wife. We can't know for sure what happened. We weren't there. We don't know if Mr. Trump actually forced himself on his wife, or even whether he had baldness reduction surgery. But the charges are out there, and the Clinton camp seems to be waiting for Trump to be nominated before using them. Given that, is Donald Trump the best candidate to take on Mrs. Clinton, given how he was accused of "non-criminal" rape? It's a little like nominating Mitt Romney to take on Barack Obama; Romney was ineffectual in attacking Obama because Romney also supported nationalized health care. I worry the same thing will happen with Trump, where his own "rape" charge will haunt him when battling Mrs. Clinton. This article was written by Ed Straker, senior writer of NewsMachete.com, the conservative news site. Throughout the history of civilization, bridges have been constructed to connect cities across waterways and over unfavorable terrain so that trade and empires could flourish. But bridges also provide opportunities for cities to show their economic might and engineering capabilities. Many have become icons of cities, regions and entire countries. The Russky Bridge in Vladivostok is Russias latest pride. Russky Bridge is located off the coast of Vladivostok, in the Peter the Great Gulf, across the narrow strait of Eastern Bosphorus, connecting the large wooded island of Russky to the city. During the Soviet era, the island was primarily of military importance because of the way it shielded Vladivostok from the south. For most of the past 150 years, the Russians held numerous military units in forts and batteries that are spread out over a massive area. Until recently, even the inhabitants of Vladivostok had to get a special permit in order to visit the island. Photo credit: Bayakov Alexey/Wikimedia Russky Island is now open to tourists and is connected to Vladivostok by a magnificent bridge. Inaugurated in July 2012, the Russky Bridge is 1,885 meters long, with its central section suspended by cables is 1,104 meters the longest in the world, beating China's Sutong bridge by 16 meters. Russky Bridge was constructed to serve the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference that took place on the island in September 2012. As soon as the summits location was announced, federal and state governments pumped billions upon billion of Rubles into the citys roads and railways as it prepared to host the APEC summit. The Russky Bridge was the biggest single investment. The summit preparations reportedly cost more than $20 billion, with an estimated $1.1 billion spent on the bridge alone. There are plans to develop the island further as a large scale tourist resort. It was also supposed to be the business and academic zone. Numerous luxury hotels were built for guests and delegates attending the summit to stay and the Far Eastern Federal University campus was also opened. But since the summit ended, development has mostly stalled. One Russian website wrote (translated from Russian): The bridge was built, the summit held - and then what? It was supposed to open on the island of Federal University. But who is there to learn? Young people and teachers are not in a hurry to leave the mainland. "There is not even drinking water in the island", - complains one of the students. The bridge, which was built with a capacity 50,000 vehicles per day, is now used by no more than a few thousand cars and tourist buses. The island has only about 2030 kilometers of asphalt roads. The remaining roads are still unpaved. As travel website Lonely Planet notes, at the moment Russky Island is very much a DIY attraction. Photo credit: Dmitry Nevozhay Photo credit: www.newsvl.ru Photo credit: www.newsvl.ru Photo credit: www.newsvl.ru Photo credit: www.newsvl.ru Photo credit: www.newsvl.ru Photo credit: www.newsvl.ru Photo credit: Bayakov Alexey/Wikimedia Photo credit: Bayakov Alexey/Wikimedia Photo credit: www.newsvl.ru Photo credit: www.newsvl.ru Sources: Wikipedia / New Civil Engineer / Russia & India Report ELIZABETH - Amid war and tensions across the globe, public shootings at home, and violent crime locally, Community Access Unlimited (CAU) recently hosted the second annual Union County Day of Prayer. Father Jack Martin and Cantor Matt Axelrod, who participated in the event, were interviewed on WSOU-FM's "Kinship of Catholics and Jews", where they further discussed the activities and goals of the Union County Interfaith Coordinating Council. Father Martin described the Community Access Unlimited interfaith prayer service as a wonderful experience which represented all of the great world religions, including Judaism, Catholicism, Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism. "It was well received and well attended. It was really a powerful experience," said Father Martin, "It was a privilege to be a part of this along with leaders of other faiths." Cantor Axelrod portrayed the Union County Interfaith Coordinating Council, sponsored by CAU, as unique and effective because it includes not only faith communities and houses of worship, but also various civic organizations in the community. "It is not just a religious organization," said Cantor Axelrod, "It helps and reaches everybody in the community." With the aid of representatives from groups such as the YMCA, local schools and first responders, the organization is able to reach the community more easily. Click here to listen to the segment; http://bit.ly/1RhUyoV Cantor Matthew Axelrod has served the Congregation Beth Israel in Scotch Plains for 25 years. He has also served on the United Synagogue Commission on Jewish Education and is a member and past president of the Executive Council of the Cantors Assembly in New Jersey. Father Jack Martin, Priest Emeritus, is a resident of Caldwell. He formerly served at St. Mary's Church in Elizabeth and is well-known for his service to people in desperate situations, such as those who dealt with the natural disaster in Haiti a few years ago. The Union County Interfaith Coordinating Council is an organization of interfaith congregations and community-based nonprofits with the mission to facilitate regular interfaith meetings in order to make way for the building of bonds between a community of different faiths and to respect the inclusion and encourage welcoming of others regardless of faith, race or disability and to be proactive on social issues. The council's objectives are to sponsor regular engagement opportunities that facilitate the building of bonds within the Union County interfaith community and their congregations; strengthen the Union County religious congregations through involvement, action and education in self-help; and build working relationships between Union County religious organizations and Community Access Unlimited that create opportunities for youth and people with disabilities and their support staff. Community Access Unlimited (CAU), celebrating its 37th year of success in 2015, supports people with special needs in achieving real lives in the community. CAU provides support and gives a voice to adults and youth who traditionally have little support and no voice in society. CAU helps people with housing, life skills, employment, money management, socialization and civic activities. CAU also supports opportunities for advocacy through training in assertiveness, decision-making and civil rights. CAU serves more than 5,000 individuals each year. Google has made so much noise and received so much news about driverless or autonomous cars that one would think that they were on the leading edge of technology when it comes to this field however, according to studies by Reuters, it is the auto manufacturers themselves that hold the majority of patents in this growing field. Even though Ford was tooting its own horn at CES, Toyota actually holds twice the patents (1400) of any other company. Next in line is Germanys Robert Bosch, Japans Denso Corp, followed by Koreas Hyundai Motor and then General Motors. Google finally makes the list falling into 26th place. Tony Trippe, principal author of a report by the Intellectual Property and Science division of Thomson Reuters, said in an interview, Automakers arent as good as technology companies in tooting their own horns. But when you look at the patent data, the automakers are all over this. These numbers must take into account that it is not necessarily the number of patents, but the quality of those filed. Non-US companies are more aggressive when it comes to filing patents and there is the fact that it takes 18 months between a patent filing and when the public actually gets to see them. One must also take into account the many alliances that are forming between automakers and tech companies certainly a necessity for the driverless car to come to fruition. Google has said all along that it has no interest in becoming an auto manufacturer, but the manufacturers could certainly use its technologies. It is suggested that Apple and Telsa would make logical partners because their patents complement each other Telsa with batteries and Apples navigation and communications. GM announced Monday it will invest $500 million in Lyft Inc to develop an on-demand network of self-driving cars. Partnerships will certainly continue to grow as we get closer to the era of the driverless car. The studies into fully self-driving cars is also spearheading many other new features finding their way onto todays automobiles, such as automatic braking and other safety systems to avoid collisions while driving. Reuters says that the auto industry is involved with three simultaneous and interconnected technologies cleaner alternatives to the internal combustible engine, linking cars to information or data service and finally the self-driving cars. The latter would eventually lead to electric cars connected to the internet that could be summoned with your smartphone and provide rides-on-demand. At the end of May 2015, during the Google I/O conference, the company unveiled Project Brillo and accompanying networking protocol, Weave. At the time, Brillo and Weave were announced along with Android Pay and Android Marshmallows new features, and many of Brillo and Weaves features were sidelines for coming later in the year. Brillo was set to combine functionality of Nest, the smart home thermostat, Android and Chrome. We did see a number of aspects of Project Brillo fleshed out as 2015 unfolded, such as how the technology is based upon Android but optimized for smaller connected devices and will use a combination of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios for communication. Googles Weave is the language or networking standard that would allow different devices to communicate with one another, and would be another of Googles open source software developments. But one thing that the new platform was missing is that of hardware partners. Seven months later, we are aware of six hardware vendors planning on supporting Brillo and Weave. At the Consumer Electronics Show, Las Vegas, we are aware of six hardware manufacturers over and above Nest (who as part of Alphabet, might reasonably be expected to work with Brillo and Weave technology). These six partners are planning on releasing Brillo or Weave-enabled technology in 2016. The first is Harman, the speaker manufacturer. Harman is being billed as the first systems integration partner for Brillo and Weave and have promised to incorporate the new technology later in the year. Harman has also said that it will simplify the design process for manufacturers by providing support throughout the entire development cycle. Advertisement Harman will be joined by semiconductor designer and manufacturer, Marvell, has announced two microcontrollers that will support Weave, the EZ-Connect MW300 and MW302. This means that other manufacturers can buy these components so as to easily incorporate Weave technology into their hardware. Another business that will be supporting Googles new IoT technology is ASUS, which already manufacturers Googles OnHub router. ASUS new Internet of Things product portfolio will support Brillo and Weave. Smart lock manufacturer, Kwikset, will be designing their 2016 locks to support Googles technology, and this will allow the technology to integrate with Android devices going forwards. The final manufacturer is LG, where here the business has been developing and using smart appliances for some time now, but one of LGs limiting factors has been how readily accessible these smart devices have been to non-LG products. With Googles Brillo technology and Weave networking protocol behind the scenes, providing the necessary encryption and security for interoperation, this should free up these particular device manufacturers to concentrate on building great products to bring to the market. Project Brillo is slowly taking shape and it is hoped Google will be reporting more hardware partners in due course. Netflix, boasting roughly 62 million subscribers, spends a good deal of money on both contracts for existing content and exclusive premium content, most of it being brand new and filmed or created just for Netflix. In 2016, in fact, that amount is projected to be $5 billion. This content does a fairly good job of attracting new users and retaining current ones. Along with incoming price hikes, this should lead to a fairly profitable future for Netflix. Some analysts say this will be to the tune of $8.7 billion in gross profit for 2016. If $5 billion is earmarked for new content, this leaves $3.7 billion of wiggle room before the streaming service ends up posting a net loss for the year. To say that theyre doing well would be putting it lightly; as of this writing, theyre the most subscribed-to streaming service in the world. YouTube isnt doing too badly, themselves. Even with YouTube Red in its infancy, theyre expected to post $9 billion gross revenue this year. With their profit sharing setup with content creators being a 55% deal in favor of the creators, that means theyve laid $5 billion on the table for 2015, if the $9 billion figure is correct. Analysts are predicting year on year growth in the area of 17%, putting YouTubes gross profits at $20 billion for 2020. Applying that to 2015, this means that they should see about $10.5 billion in 2016, nearly $5.8 billion of which will be lining content creators pockets just to account for ad revenue sharing. With new original content brewing for YouTube Red and YouTube supplying things like studio time and licensing deals, its not hard to see how the remaining $4.7 billion can quickly diminish. These secondary sources of spending are expected to increase to compete with the likes of Netflix and Hulu, as well as draw more users to YouTube Red. Advertisement YouTube is expected to bring Alphabet 5% of their profits for 2015, which will rise as more subscribers come to YouTube Red and the gross profit rises. This will take time; the way YouTube is set up inherently imposes a fairly low net profit margin to begin with and investing in new services will quickly take the wind out of the sails of total profit figures. With year on year growth as projected, YouTube is expected to put an extra $3 billion net profit in Alphabets pockets for 2020 despite the revenue sharing agreement and paying for new content, depending on how much investing YouTube may want to do. With YouTube Red bringing YouTube into the premium subscription world to compete directly with Netflix, its anybodys race to 2020 and largely will depend on how many users are willing to jump on board and stay on board. Last year at CES, Pioneer was one of a few companies to show off Android Auto (the others being JVC-Kenwood and Hyundai). They launched the AVH-4100NEX, AVIC-7100NEX and the AVIC-8100NEX at the show, and they became available shortly after. Weve been using the AVH-4100NEX for almost a year now, and absolutely love the head unit. Today, Pioneer has unleashed three new models. They are the AVH-4200NEX, AVIC-7200NEX and the AVIC-8200NEX which are going to retail for $700, $1200 and $1400 respectively. Pricing them the same as last years models which quickly dropped and you can now find the AVH-4100NEX for around $400. All three of these are sporting support for Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and of course Pioneers AppRadio, which supports apps like Pandora and Spotify. The company announced two other head units, however those are not compatible with Android Auto. These three head units are mostly the same, with the two higher-end models having support for Nokias HERE Maps and the difference between those two being audio quality and internal storage for HERE Maps. When installed, youll have two USB cables, one which will be for Android Auto and the other for Apple CarPlay, now you cant switch these cables, as they are plugged into different outlets behind-the-scenes. If youre using a Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X or OnePlus Two, youll want to get a USB Type-A to a USB Type-C cable to use in the car. Advertisement Android Auto has been around for a little bit now, and we have a good selection of after-market head units available that support Android Auto thanks to Pioneer and JVC-Kenwood. If you are looking to get a head unit just for Android Auto, then youll likely be okay with the AVH-4200NEX, and its the cheapest model as well. It does still have AppRadio and HD Radio, for those that prefer those features. As of now, Pioneer has not published a release date for these three head units. But we should see them later this year. Typically they are available online at Pioneers website, as well as Amazon and other retailers. You can also take your car to Best Buy or CarTunes to get it installed in case you are unsure of how to get it installed, theyll take good care of you. Today has already seen a number of big press events taking place during CES and from some of the big-name manufacturers like LG and Qualcomm. Most recently it has been the turn of Samsung as their press event has now taken place and come to an end. As to be expected, this was always going to be one of the highlight events of the show with many tuning in to see what the South Korean tech giant would announce next. In terms of those announcements, Samsung did highlight the introduction of their new Family Hub which looks to offer a way for families to interact through a display which comes equipped on some of Samsungs new fridges. In addition, Samsung also announced the launch of a couple of new color variants of the Gear S2 smartwatch. The first being a new Rose Gold variant, while the second is more of a Platinum-based option. Both had recently being rumored in the run up to CES and were expected to be announced at the event. However, that was not all that Samsung announced during the event as there was also a mention of Samsung Pay. There is little arguing with the success of Samsungs mobile payment solution as Samsung Pay is quickly becoming regarded as one of the winner forms of mobile payments, due to its ability to be used at far more terminals than what other NFC-only solutions currently rely on. As such, Samsung took todays opportunity to announce a widening of Samsung Pays worldwide footprint. Advertisement In particular, Samsung today confirmed that Samsung Pay will be coming to more countries in the near future. Those listed as due to see the service arrive include Australia, Brazil and Singapore. Firm dates on when the payment solution will arrive in these countries was not provided by Samsung, but they did confirm these countries would see the solution arrive this year, along with the already confirmed extended roll out to China, Spain and the UK. For those wondering, there was no announcement in regards to a widening of the service to other mobile devices, Samsung or otherwise and only the announcing of the expansion to the countries. Okay so we have seen and heard a about a lot of new amazing stuff at CES so far. We got to see a handful of new technology ranging from the gold Nexus 6P to the new Huawei Elegant and Jewel smartwatches. Well we got more news from you and its from Apples rival, Samsung. During their CES press conference, the electronics giant announced that their The Gear S2 will have compatibility with iOS. This is a rather bold statement from the company who has been competing with Apple for years now. As we already know, Apple has their own smartwatch which is only compatible with an iPhone. Samsung didnt provide much detail on their move to getting their smartwatches in front of Apple users. It seems though that this may be a tricky challenge since these are rival companies. None the less, it shouldnt be a big deal. Samsungs Gear S2 watch is special in its own way. The Gear S2 doesnt run on the open sourced Android Wear. Instead Samsung has chosen to use their own home grown operating system called Tizen. The watch features a 1.2 inch circular display that consist of a screen resolution of 360360. There is also a 1GHz dual-core processor and a 300mAH battery. According to Samsung, you can get 2 to 3 days of life out of the battery so well see what Apple Watch users think of this. Of course NFC comes equipped with this time piece so mobile payments can be made. Since Apple has their own payment system, it will be interesting to see how this turns out. Also, the Gear S2 can be used with any Android device with Kit-Kat 4.4 or higher and 1.5 gigabytes of RAM. So branching out to the iPhone with an entirely different ecosystem probably wont be too much of a problem. Advertisement There is bound to be quite a bit of time before more than a few iPhone users are choosing the Gear S2 over the Apple Watch. The main question is, will iPhone users go out and buy a Samsung smartwatch? There is of course no way to know for sure, but Samsungs Gear S2 is sure to entice even just a few Apple users. Hearing this news is surprising and probably raises a few eyebrows but in an overall view, this is business. If you have any queries or are interested in attending any coaching or seminars, please feel free to get in touch with me with my Contact: ... (ANSA) - Naples, January 5 - A mobster was gunned down in a bar at Melito just north of Naples Tuesday. Luigi Di Rupo, 24, was the victim of the local Camorra mafia in a turf war, police said. Two hitmen followed him into the bar and hit him with at least two shots as customers cowered for cover. Di Rupo was close to the Amato-Pagano clan, based in the northern Naples suburb of Secondigliano, police said. He had a record for weapons possession and not, as originally reported, drugs offences. Failure of rains, since 2009, caused water shortages in Syria. Rivers ran low. The wells dried up. And there has not been enough water for people, fields, or cattle. The country's northeastern breadbasket is devastated. Economy is in shambles. But the Syrian government has been indifferent to people's difficulty. A protest against the government started, in 2011. Soon it escalated into a sectarian conflict between the majority Sunnis and the ruling Alawites. After Islamic State and other fighters joined in, and it morphed into a serious regional crisis. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, in the last 4-1/2 years of the conflict, 320,000 people have been killed, including 12,000 children. About 1.5 million people have been wounded or permanently disabled. Now with aerial bombing by Russia and the West, the war has become deadlier. With infrastructure shattered, and the economy in shambles, terror-struck and traumatized Syrians started fleeing as early as 2010. According to a BBC report, more than 11 million people, one-half of them children, have been forced to leave their homes, leading to the "worst humanitarian crisis" of our times. Almost 60 percent of the Syrians refugees fled to the neighboring countries - Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt. Faced with their own problems, the host countries cannot adequately care for them. Therefore, some of them started looking for refuge in Europe. Aided by traffickers and smugglers, in wave after wave, men, women and children have been venturing across the northeastern Mediterranean, in overloaded, rickety boats and inadequate rafts. More than 7,000 refugees have drowned on the way in the last two years. About one million, who succeeded in reaching Greece, overwhelmed the nation's humanitarian and logistical resources. Greece closed its borders. They trudged overland through Macedonia, Serbia, Hungary, and Austria. And their trek was not easy. At some places, they were treated rather harshly. Also, more than 70 of them were found abandoned to die in a truck in Austria. However, tragedies did not deter them. Governments of Germany, U.K., Canada, and USA have agreed to take in several thousand refugees. But some people are afraid, they may be terrorists. A few U.S. politicians have whipped up an anti-refugee storm. Fear of strangers is not uncommon. As Rudyard Kipling once wrote: The Stranger within my gate, He may be true or kind, But he does not talk my talk-- I cannot feel his mind. I see the face and the eyes and the mouth, But not the soul behind. In the case of the Syrian refugees, what offends some people is also their religion, Islam. But they forget that most of the 6.7 million Muslims, who live in the United States, are peaceful people. Percentage of extremist among them very likely is not significantly larger than that in any other religions. Also all refugees coming to the United States have been thoroughly screened. Fortunately for the refugees, the Oregon Governor Kate Brown has agreed to "open the doors of opportunity" to them. __ Pritam Rohila, Ph.D. of Keizer is a retired neuropsychologist and chair of Oregonians for Peace. He can be reached at pritamrohila@yahoo.com. peeking through the blinds.jpg Paris and San Bernardino, Calif., are thousands of miles away from central Pennsylvania, but the first-time shopper in a gun shop in Mechanicsburg was scared anyway. "I just want to feel safer," the woman, who asked not to be named, told PennLive's Candy Woodall on Tuesday. "After the attacks in Paris and California, and all that's gone on the last couple years, I feel like it's time to buy a gun and learn how to use it." She wasn't alone. There was a run on gun stores and county courthouses across the country this week as President Barack Obama rolled out new executive orders that would, among other things, increase the number of government officials who process gun background checks and expand the number of gun dealers who need federal licenses under current law, The New York Times reported. (The woman told Woodall, by the way, that Obama's executive action had nothing to do with her decision.) The president, who's entering the last year of his administration and fed up with Congressional resistance, also plans to ask Capitol Hill lawmakers for more money to combat mental illness (which pro-Second Amendment types say is more sorely needed than new gun laws). All the measures are within Obama's authority. And none have anything to do with taking guns away from law-abiding citizens. That there is no such effort, legislative or otherwise, fell on deaf ears this week amid a cacophony of ill-focused rage. That's because Americans are scared. They're scared of an over-reaching federal government. They're scared of strange, dark-hued people from unpronounceable lands who might or might not be trying to kill them. They're scared that their economic opportunities are drying up. And they're scared that maybe, just maybe, someone they know on Instagram might be having a better time than they are in some glamorous hot-spot right now. But it is a fear that flies in the face of reality - stoked by both the mass media and a political culture bent on capitalizing on all the things that go bump in the night. It is a groundless fear - one that divides us a country rather than brings us together. We're afraid, armed for bear, and talking past each other in a national conversation that is more polarized by the day. Never mind that the odds of being a victim of terrorism are a staggering one in 20 million. As a matter of comparison, you're four times more likely to drown in your bathtub than to fall victim to some deranged Jihadist or homegrown wing-nut. Never mind that the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 2008 decision lovingly cited by gun-rights advocates, ruled that the Constitution protects the individual right to gun ownership. Yes, that decision, District of Columbia v. Heller, also imposed reasonable restrictions. But is there anyone, for instance, who disagrees with the premise that the mentally ill and felons should not be allowed to own a gun? That's not government overreach. It's common sense. Yes, in rare circumstances, the government can take your property. But it is a costly and time-consuming process for all involved. Nonetheless, in Oregon, a band of militants has taken over a bird sanctuary to protest what they say is a too-powerful and illegitimate government -- but not too powerful or illegitimate that they're above asking for supporters to send them cash and snacks through the U.S. Postal Service. And, yes, the middle class is shrinking - but that has more to do with movement within economic classes. More Americans are moving up. But, yes, some are also moving down, according to Pew Research Center data. Those falling out of the middle class, and into the lower rungs of the economy, has been on the rise since 2000, The New York Times reported. All those factors have given rise to a new populism - on both the left and the right - that plays on those fears. On the left, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-described "Democratic socialist" vying for his party's presidential nomination, has railed against Big Banks and income inequality. On the right, there's reality TV star/real estate developer/all-purpose celebrity Donald Trump who has sat atop the polls for months, defying expectations of a fall, by channeling a very specific kind of American nativism. So what do we do about this? Well, a deep cleansing breath might help. And yes, the media can turn down the heat some too. Frightening each other to death, courtesy of networks that simply reinforce our respective ideological biases clearly isn't helping. But we also have an obligation to ourselves to ratchet down the rhetoric, and look to our better angels on what makes this country great: Our willingness to embrace each other, despite, not because of our differences. That's not to say you shouldn't be cautious. That's commonsense. But no, the world is not ending. And, no, they're not coming to get you. An independent blog looking at ethical fashion, sweatshops, organics, sustainability, charity and the third sector. The world of apparel and its worldwide impact, mixed with articles about fundraising and charities. Written and produced by Rob Wickings. Best Business Products and Services Would you like to submit an article in the Business category or any of the sub-category below? Click here to submit your article. Would you like to have your product or service listed on this page? Contact us. Best Internet Products and Services Would you like to submit an article in the Internet category or any of the sub-category below? Click here to submit your article. Would you like to have your product or service listed on this page? Contact us. Best Health Products and Services Would you like to submit an article in the Health category or any of the sub-categories below? Click here to submit your article. Would you like to have your product or service listed on this page? Contact us. Best Travel Products and Services Would you like to submit an article in the Travel category or any of the sub-category below? Click here to submit your article. Would you like to have your product or service listed on this page? Contact us. All the latest Ashbourne news. Ashbourne is an historic market town in Derbyshire. Situated on the southern edge of the Peak District, it is known as the 'Gateway to Dovedale' and the 'Gateway to the Peak District'. Ashbourne is famous for the annual Royal Shrovetide Football Match, which has been played since at least 1667, although its origins may date back centuries earlier. Ashbourne became a Fairtrade town in March 2005. The popular Tissington Trail, which follows the route of the former Ashbourne to Buxton railway, starts on the edge of town. Keep up to date with the latest news from the town by signing up for our newsletter. This Page has moved to a new address: Sorry for the inconvenience Redirection provided by Blogger to WordPress Migration Service A Catholic source spoke to AsiaNews about Pyongyangs alleged fourth nuclear test. After The agreement between Seoul and Tokyo over the comfort women and the cooling of relations with Beijing, the young dictator knows he is alone. Rather than give up power, he is willing to go for total war. A hydrogen bomb is more powerful than an atomic bomb. International experts still doubt Pyongyangs real capacity to develop such a weapon. The UN Security Council meets today. Seoul (AsiaNews) The alleged fourth nuclear test carried out by the regime of Kim Jong-un "confirms the young dictators mad vision. He thinks like Samson. Rather than give up power, he is willing to go for total war, said a Catholic source knowledgeable about the Kim-run Stalinist regime. The agreement between Seoul and Tokyo over the 'comfort women', the cooling of relations with Beijing, and Japans rearmament have put Pyongyang in a corner," the source, anonymous for security reasons, told AsiaNews. This comes after state TV announced that North Korea successfully performed its first miniaturised hydrogen bomb test at 10:00 am (local time). International seismology centres detected the event as a 5.1-magnitude tremor next to the North's main Punggye-ri nuclear test site. This is a major development. Not only is a hydrogen nuclear bomb more powerful than an atomic bomb, but it can be small to fit in warheads of ballistic missiles that North Korea has had for years. Complicating matters, in addition to claims that it tested a hydrogen bomb, North Korea in the past said it tested a submarine-launched missile. The ability to launch missiles from submarines would change the whole calculation of military response because warning times of an attack would be much shorter. North Koreas total isolation "is the key to understand these continuous provocations, the source told AsiaNews. The regime's nuclear programme began in 2002, and since then it has carried out three tests that have been widely condemned. Yet, until now, it was all about posturing. In exchange for slowing down its programme, Pyongyang would get humanitarian aid. At present, with state media hyping the rhetoric, there is nothing much to barter. It might actually mean war. North Koreas militaristic rhetoric goes back a while but became more strident in 1990s when "Dear Leader" Kim Jong-il came to power. Son'gun is North Koreas "military first" doctrine, giving priority to the Korean People's Army over the rest of society. Because of it, the countrys military includes 2.4 million members out of a population of 20 million. Now, the source said, "the military are Kim Jong-uns last chance of survival, unless there is a change of direction in the management of Pyongyangs international relations. Still, I cannot see how they can go back today." Reactions were swift. In Japan, Prime Minister Abe said that this fourth test was a "serious threat to the safety of his nation and that could not be tolerated. In New York, all the members of the Security Council of the United Nations agreed to an emergency meeting. Even North Koreas main ally for decades, mainland China, was quick to criticise the test. "We strongly urge the DPRK* side to remain committed to its denuclearization commitment, and stop taking any actions that would make the situation worse," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told journalists at a regular briefing. Beijing was not aware of Wednesday's test in advance, Hua said; however, she added that China would "make our assessment" of Pyongyang's claim that it was a hydrogen bomb. * DPRK: Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Speaking at the Epiphany Mass, Pope Francis reiterated the Churchs missionary mission, which is not proselytising. The Church lives from the mysterium lunae. She reflects Gods light, and cannot illude herself into thinking that she shines with her own light. Like the Magi, countless people, in our own day, have a restless heart. In front of the child and his mother, let us present them with our gifts: our freedom, our understanding and our love." Vatican City (AsiaNews) In the homily he delivered in todays Mass in St Peters Basilica celebrating the solemnity of the Epiphany, Pope Francis said that for the Church, There is no other way. Mission is her vocation. For the pontiff, the festivity expresses the manifestation of the child Jesus to all the nations, represented by the Magi, as noted in todays Gospel (Mt, 2: 1-12). In his homily, Francis focused on the mission. To proclaim the Gospel of Christ, Francis said, is not simply one option among many, nor is it a profession. For the Church, to be missionary does not mean to proselytise. For the Church, to be missionary means to give expression to her very nature, which is to receive Gods light and then to reflect it. Hence, the Churchs mission and the light she announces is not her property. The Church cannot illude herself into thinking that she shines with her own light. Saint Ambrose expresses this nicely by presenting the moon as a metaphor for the Church: The moon is in fact the Church . . . [She] shines not with her own light, but with the light of Christ. She draws her brightness from the Sun of Justice, and so she can say: It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me (Hexaemeron, IV, 8, 32). Christ is the true light shining in the darkness. To the extent that the Church remains anchored in him, to the extent that she lets herself be illumined by him, she is able to bring light into the lives of individuals and peoples. For this reason, the Fathers of the Church saw in her the mysterium lunae. Hence, We need this light from on high if we are to respond in a way worthy of the vocation we have received. The Magi, the pope went on to say, represent the men and woman throughout the world who are welcomed into the house of God. Before Jesus, all divisions of race, language and culture disappear: in that Child, all humanity discovers its unity. The Church has the task of seeing and showing ever more clearly the desire for God which is present in the heart of every man and woman. Like the Magi, countless people, in our own day, have a restless heart which continues to seek without finding sure answers. They too are looking for a star to show them the path to Bethlehem. Francis then spoke about the "sign" of the star, which the Magi saw and followed to reach Bethlehem. All this has something to say to us today. We do well to repeat the question asked by the Magi: Where is the child who has been born the King of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage (Mt 2:2). We are impelled, especially in an age like our own, to seek the signs which God offers us, realizing that great effort is needed to interpret them and thus to understand his will. We are challenged to go to Bethlehem, to find the Child and his Mother. Let us follow the light which God offers us! The light which streams from the face of Christ, full of mercy and fidelity. And once we have found him, let us worship him with all our heart, and present him with our gifts: our freedom, our understanding and our love. Let us recognize that true wisdom lies concealed in the face of this Child. It is here, in the simplicity of Bethlehem, that the life of the Church is summed up. For here is the wellspring of that light which draws to itself every individual and guides the journey of the peoples along the path of peace. During the Angelus on the day of Epiphany, Pope Francis called on the faithful to follow the Magis example, not to settle for mediocrity, for just getting along, but to seek the meaning of things, and peer with passion into the great mystery of life." For us, The Gospel, the Word of the Lord, is the star that guides Christ. The pontiff also expressed his spiritual closeness to the Orthodox and Catholic communities who celebrate Christmas tomorrow. Vatican City (AsiaNews) "The shepherds and the Magi teach us that to meet Jesus we must know how to look up into the sky, said Pope Francis in his Angelus address to the pilgrims who crowded St Peters Square on the day the Church celebrates the feast of the Epiphany. The pontiff, who celebrated Mass in St Peters Basilica this morning, explained what it means to "look up into the skies. It means not turning inward, focused on ones own selfishness; it means having a heart and mind open towards Gods horizon, which always surprises us; it means knowing how to accept his messages, responding promptly and generously." "The shepherds of Bethlehem, Francis noted, ran over to see Jesus not because they were particularly good, but because they were on a night watch, and, raising their eyes towards the sky, saw a sign, listened to his message and followed him. The Magi did the same: peering into the skies, they saw a new star, interpreted the sign and went forth from afar." "When they saw the star, the Magi were overjoyed (Mt, 2:10). Even for us, there is great consolation in seeing the star, because it makes us feel guided and not abandoned to our fate. The Gospel, the Word of the Lord, is the star, as Psalms says, Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path (119:105). This light guides us towards Christ. Without listening to the Gospel, it is not possible to meet him! The Magi, in fact, following the star, came to the place where Jesus was. Here they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage (Mt, 2:11). "The Magis experience calls upon us not to settle for mediocrity, for just getting along, but impels us to seek the meaning of things, and peer with passion into the great mystery of life. It teaches us not to be scandalised by small things and poverty, but [instead calls upon us] to recognise the majesty of humility, and know how to kneel in front of it." "May the Virgin Mary, who welcomed the Magi in Bethlehem, help us look up by ourselves, follow the star of the Gospel to meet Jesus, and know how to lower ourselves to worship him. Thusly, we can bring a ray of his light onto others, and share the joy of the journey with them." After the Marian prayer, Francis expressed his "spiritual closeness to the brothers and sisters of the Christian East, Catholic and Orthodox, many of whom will celebrate the Lord's birth tomorrow. To them, we extend our best wishes for peace and good tidings, and speaking ad lib, "let us also send them in greeting a big round of applause! Finally, Epiphany is the World Day of Missionary Childhood, the pontiff said. It is a celebration for children who, with their prayers and sacrifices, help their neediest peers by becoming missionaries and witnesses of brotherhood and sharing." Law Professor Shows Class How It's Easy To Be Tricked Into Lying Trending News: As A Witness, It's Really Easy To Be Tricked Into Lying Why Is This Important? Because you have a right to remain silent for a reason. Long Story Short With the surging popularity of Netflixs Making a Murderer, an old YouTube video of a law professor lecturing students on why they should never talk to the police is making the rounds again. He shows how easy it is to lie without even knowing it. Long Story As more and more people watch Netflixs hit docuseries Making a Murderer, people still arent clear on the innocence of the series subject, Steven Avery. Maybe he was outright framed and is completely innocent. Maybe he did kill Teresa Halbach, but the police planted some evidence to strengthen the case. Then again, as more evidence has become public, maybe things happened exactly as prosecutors say they did. What most of us can agree on however, is that Averys co-defendant and nephew, 16 year old Brendan Dassey, was the victim of some shady interrogation practices. Resurfacing with the series popularity, this old YouTube video from a Regent University law lecture explains exactly why Dassey (and you) should never talk to the police. The full video is here, but Business Insider did a nice job of condensing it to its key point you can be manipulated into lying without even knowing it: Professor James Duane gives students a smattering of facts taken from a newspaper story: Three people were found dead in an apparent gang-style slaying in an apartment. It may be a murder-suicide, and someone in the military may have been involved. Then he asks the students a simple question: How many people were found shot dead in the apartment one, two, three, or none? The answer, of course, is technically none the news report said nothing about a shooting, just that the killings were gang-style, which could mean anything. But if police asked the same question and you gave a numerical answer, youd find yourself in hot water. By extrapolating that the victims were shot, youd technically admit having knowledge that wasnt released by the media, and thus could only be known by someone involved in the crime. Its a shockingly similar scenario faced by Brendan Dassey in Making a Murderer. The prosecutions case against Steve Avery rested on Dasseys testimony that he arrived at Averys home to find photographer Teresa Halbach naked and restrained to Averys bed. Dassey then claimed that Avery coerced him into raping her, stabbing her and finally helping dispose of her remains in a fire pit. However, theres a problem. Police found evidence of gunshot wounds in Halbachs remain, but no clear explanation of how they got there. During a videotaped interview, investigators are heard encouraging Brendan, a learning-disabled teenager being questioned without his parents or legal counsel, to tell them what happened to her head. He clearly doesnt know (or wont say), and throws out guesses of what could be done to someones head cutting her hair, hitting her, etc. Finally, exasperated, the investigators come out and ask him: Who shot her in the head? Dassey implicated Avery, and the rest is history. Its an extreme example, but a somber reminder that the role of police is to accept that a crime has occurred and then determine the perpetrator among suspects who are unlikely to admit to their involvement. In the case of good interrogation, this relies on a lot of patience and good listening skills looking for information that an uninvolved bystander couldnt know, asking them to tell their stories backwards and forwards to highlight inconsistencies, etc. Police are good at identifying liars, which helps them make their case. In the case of bad interrogation, we see what happened to Dassey: Manipulation, leading, and vague threats. The problem is that the end result is the same. Thats why everyone should know their rights when it comes to talking to the police. Depending on where you live, you may not even be required to speak to them on the street or provide identification without being detained. When it comes to more formal detentions, interviews and interrogations, not once has talking to the cops helped anyone. Their motivation is to convince you that the truth will set you free, and that innocent people should have nothing to hide. That may be true in a philosophical sense, but as the video shows even innocent people can unknowingly implicate themselves in a crime. Consider, too, that if the police have asked you to come in for an interview, theres a good chance that they already have enough evidence to arrest you theyre just hoping that youll be pressured into revealing more info or confessing outright (and innocent people have and do confess to crimes). Guilty or not, you have the right and obligation to make their case against you as flimsy as possible. Of course, thats not to say that you shouldnt help the police if youre a witness to a crime with valuable information those are the people the cops rely on to get criminals off the streets. Its just important to keep in mind that a conversation with a police officer is rarely as simple as it seems. Own The Conversation Ask The Big Question: Why arent more people taught their rights in school? Disrupt Your Feed: I feel for this, and I didnt even do anything. Drop This Fact: More than 1 out of 4 people wrongly convicted (and eventually exonerated) of a crime made a false confession or incriminating statement. Many international students who study for a degree in Australia look to stay on and work in the country after graduation and the country is keen to retain such talents.Immigration officials are reminding soon to be graduates that if they want to continue to work and live in Australia they can look to a state nomination as a way of doing so. "As part of its aim to attract and retain international talent in specific skill areas, Australian states and territories can provide pathways to working and living for international graduates," said an immigration official."These pathways are through state nominations that assist with the skilled visa application process. Each state and territory manages its own state nomination immigration process," he added.In general State nomination provides a pathway to permanent residency for international graduates but it is not a visa application, it assists in meeting the requirements for an Australian visa.If nominated a graduate must then lodge a visa application with the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) who are responsible for the assessing and granting of all visas.However, by applying for state nomination as an international graduate applicants can benefit from access to a more extensive occupation list and gain additional points towards the Federal points test for the 190-Skilled Nominated visa and the 489-Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa.It is worth checking the regulations for the State where you want to work. For example in South Australia, if any of your studies were undertaken outside of the State, a minimum of 50% of your qualification must have been completed in South Australia.Other rules may or may not vary, State by State. It is also worth noting that in some instances for skilled work experience to be considered, it must be in a skilled occupation listed on the State Nominated Occupation Lists.In Queensland, for example, applicants must have a Masters Degree or a higher qualification from a Queensland institution and have graduated within the last two years. They must also have an offer of employment in their skilled occupation which must be for at least 12 months.Queensland also asks for evidence of having sufficient funds to continue to support living in the country and a commitment to long term settlement in the State for at least two years after the visa is granted.There are exemptions, depending on circumstances, and also some occupations have limited places in certain States. When these places have been filled, further applications for state nomination cannot be accepted. JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Princess Mary shuns the sparkle for an understated ivory dress to join Danish royals Crown Princess Mary of Denmark proved she's a true style chameleon by stepping out in a floor-sweeping ivory dress - just days after she dazzled in a sequin-adorned evening gown. The Australian-born royal, 43, donned the understated attire to attend the nation's annual New Year's Diplomatic Reception on Tuesday. Adding interest to the otherwise demure dress, Mary tied a blush-pink coloured belt around her waist and hung a taupe overcoat on her shoulders as she made her way into the halls of Copenhagen's Christiansborg Palace with her handsome husband Crown Prince Frederik, 47. Her ensemble wasn't without a hint of sparkle though as she accessorised the plain but elegant dress with a large pearl necklace complete with pink diamond droplet, a light blue ceremonial sash and a broach. The mother-of-four pulled her glossy brunette locks into a half-up half-down style - a look coveted by the Duchess of Cambridge - and make-up was kept simple with just a slick of pale pink lipstick. Mary's husband meanwhile, was very dashing in his Danish military uniform. Queen Margrethe, dressed in a navy brocade coat with fur sleeves, was also in attendance and led the evening proceedings. It is the first official function the 75-year-old has attended alone since her husband, Prince Henrik, 81, retired from royal life. The New Year's Diplomatic Reception is held in honour of the members of the diplomatic corps. Despite only being the first week of 2016, it has already been a busy one for the Danish royals. On Friday, they were out in force to attend the annual New Year royal banquet at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen. Wearing a midnight blue velvet floor-length gown with the bottom half embellished with delicate sequins, Princess Mary looked elegant as she arrived arm-in-arm with Prince Frederik. She wore her hair pinned back underneath her antique diamond and ruby-encrusted tiara and paired her outfit with her Knight of the Order of the Elephant collar. Prince Frederik donned Danish military uniform and carried his ceremonial sabre for the traditional event and the couple were greeted with thunderous applause from well-wishers as they exited the car and made their way up to the castle doors. His parents Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik hosted the VIP gala and waved to the waiting crowds as they made their way inside. Their younger son, Prince Joachim, 46, also wore traditional military regalia for the event and was pictured beaming as he made his entrance with his wife Princess Marie. The 39-year-old wore an exquisite cream floor-length dress embroidered with small flowers and a beautiful tiara. January is one of the most eventful months of the year for the Danish court, especially for Prince Frederik and Australian-born Princess Mary. Following the New Year's banquet, there is at least one more turn of the year party before they celebrate the birthday of her twins, Prince Vincent Frederik Minik and Princess Josephine Sophia Ivalo Mathilda, who turn five on January 8. Read more:chiffon bridesmaid dresses The carmaker is also considering introducing new model lines, rather than adding new body styles to Jaguar's current line-up. Jaguar design chief, Ian Callum, has confirmed that the British automaker will replace the current XJ sometime in the future. He also revealed that the company was planning on developing new model lines instead of new body styles for its existing range of models. Talking about a new XJ, he said: Were looking at that now, and other things, too other car lines, additional ones. [Well] continue to grow. Speaking to our sister publication, Autocar UK at the LA motor show 2015, Callum did not specify from where the growth would come but did say that a capacity crunch would stunt any immediate new models. JLRs three production facilities in UK are expected to hit maximum production capacity of 6,50,000 units once the production of the F-Pace SUV and XE sedan are fully ramped up. The company is currently in the process of developing a fourth facility in Slovakia, due to open in 2018. JLR doesnt want to be BMW or Audi in size, he said. Chasing volume relentlessly is a problem. We dont have aspirations for more than a million a year between us. You can lose prestige. He also said that the company was unlikely to follow its German rivals and develop multiple body styles for the same model and would instead look to add more models to its line-up. When asked about a model smaller than the XE, Callum said his team were continuously talking about a smaller Jaguar but added there was nothing planned for a production model. He also ruled out a return of the XK. As for the XJ, Callum believes the design of the current car still stands out on its own. People think its brand new if they havent seen it before. He hinted that there was a push within the company to make the next XJ more practical, but he believed it should still major on style. Although the technology is still under development, its primary goal is to improve safety for all road users. Kia will introduce it to its future model range to eliminate potential threats, or in some cases, the boredom of driving, as the fully autonomous car is now inevitable.The South Korean company came to CES with the sole purpose of showing the progression of its current autonomous driving technologies or those that will be developed under the Drive Wise sub-brand in the next 15 years.As Tae-Won Lim, Senior Vice President at Central Advanced Research and Engineering Institute of Hyundai Motor Group, stated, Kia is undergoing a very promising and gradual process of introducing partially and fully autonomous technologies to its vehicles. Although the first marketable fully-autonomous car from Kia will not be available in the immediate future, the work our R&D teams are currently doing to develop our range of DRIVE WISE technologies is already improving on-road safety and driver assistance. The innovations presented at this years show demonstrate the future direction we are taking.Systems such as Highway Autonomous Driving, Urban Autonomous Driving, Preceding Vehicle Following, Emergency Stop System, Traffic Jam Assist or the Autonomous Parking & Out will help eliminate many downsides of driving on todays congested roads, including dangers, stresses or hassles, and will allow the driver to focus more on the pleasure of driving.Drive Wise technologies will also improve communication and the interaction between the driver and the car with the new Human Machine Interface (HMI) functions, such as gesture control, fingerprint sensors and smart device connectivity.Thanks to HMI, the future cars from Kia will be able to recognize individual drivers preferences on start-up, based on their fingerprints or even their smartwatches, and change the cabin atmosphere accordingly. After the state of Nevada recently granted Kia an exclusive license to test the new technologies on public roads and in normal traffic conditions, the South Korean carmaker is said to have plans to invest around $2 billion in the development of state-of-the-art technologies under its new Drive Wise sub-brand by 2018. SUV The yet-unnamedwas designed at the brands California design studio and comes with many advanced features, the company announces in its brief press release. The vehicle seems to be the largest Kia SUV to date and paves the way for a potential SUV flagship for the South-Korean brand.We expect the carmakers new SUV concept to feature the same tiger nose front grille and other design features seen on its recent models. Whats shocking about this exhibit is the color. Its painted in a golden yellow thats entirely unexpected of a Kia. Most likely, this shade wont be available when the car comes to market.Anyway, the bold color chosen for the concept only emphasizes the new courageous design direction that Kia intends to follow in the coming years.Furthermore, we cant help noticing the massive alloy rims fitted to this concept car, but we tend to believe that their availability is limited to the concept.A closer look reveals the cars unique door handles. Judging by their placement on the rear doors, Kias latest concept could have reverse-opening rear doors, also known as suicide doors. They could also slide to the back of the vehicle, although theres no perceived evidence of the presence of the necessary rails to achieve this.While the hood and front fenders seem pretty standard and show nothing out of the ordinary, what immediately catches our eye is the rear pillar. Its shape reminds us of the previous generation Toyota Land Cruiser, while the rake of the windshield is reminiscent of the current generation of the same model. This is a common occurrence in the field of SUV design, especially in a side view of the vehicle.Considering all this, and with Peter Schreyer at the helm of the companys design department, we can only expect good designs from this Korean brand and its sister, Hyundai. And if Mr. Schreyer isnt in an inspirational mood, he accepts guidance from Luc Donckerwolke, the ex-design director for Audi, Bentley, and Lamborghini. The Japanese company is investing a massive amount of money in this field and will work on almost thirty new projects in the AI and robotics fields, all with the help of MIT and Stanford. Toyota has opened new offices in Palo Alto and Cambridge, Massachusetts, to aid their scientists push on these new fields.In addition to the large team, Toyotas Research Institute will be guided by a dedicated Advisory Board of scientific, corporate and public policy leaders from around the world.Toyotas first mention of their plan to develop new AI tech was in November 2015, and the company didnt miss a beat and it established what can be considered an all-star team in the world of science.The initial investment for this project is of $1 billion , spread over a five-year period. The Japanese company wants to use its new team for improving the safety of its vehicles, developing self-driving cars, increasing access to cars for those who cannot drive for medical reasons, accelerating development and discovery of artificial intelligence and machine learning, and more.The ultimate goal of Toyota in this direction is developing a car incapable of crashing . This objective is similar to that of Volvo, but works in a different way: while Volvo has already promised that nobody will die in one of their cars made after the year 2020, Toyota is planning on building a car incapable of crashing.So, lets review the initial technical team of the Toyota Research Institute. The Chief Operating Officer is Eric Krotkov, a former DARPA Program Manager. One can say he knows his way with AI and driver-less cars. The chief of the Machine Learning Department is Larry Jackel, former Bell Labs Development Head and DARPA Program Manager. James Kuffner, CMU Professor and former head of Googles Robotics department will head the Cloud Computing section.In charge of the Autonomous Driving department is John Leonard, a Professor of Mechanical and Ocean Engineering at MIT. Also from MIT is Russ Tedrake, who is in charge of Simulation and Control. Brian Storey, a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Olin College of Engineering, will be responsible for Accelerating Scientific Discovery. The three professors will work part-time with the Toyota Research Institute, so that they are able to continue their teaching activities.The only Toyota Motor Corporation employee in the initial technical team is Hiroshi Okajima, Project General Manager of the R&D Management Division. Photo courtesy of Union Leasing. Union Leasing can trace its roots to the earliest days of the fleet leasing industry. The company was started in 1955 by Lawrence Faul under the Faul Group. The company continued to grow and, in 1989, Larry Faul Jr. sold the business to the Sasser family, who was looking to diversify its portfolio of rail-focused businesses. Sasser Family Holdings is a fourth-generation, family-owned business dating back to 1928. Union Leasing now exists alongside Chicago Freight Car Leasing, CF Rail Services, CF Asia Pacific Group, NxGen Rail Services, and Xced Aviation Services in the Sasser Family Holdings portfolio. To learn more about Union Leasing and its future plans, Automotive Fleet interviewed President Kent Boskovich. Below are excerpts from the interview: AF: How are you positioning Union Leasing for the future and what is your strategy to get there? Specifically, what are your short- and long-term goals to grow Union Leasing? Boskovich: Our goal for the long-term future of Union Leasing is steady, sustainable growth while maintaining our agility and responsiveness to our clientele. Their needs play a significant role in our long-term strategy. By listening to the challenges they face, we are able to evolve without losing the personal touch we pride ourselves on. Our short-term goals are focused on year-over-year growth by growing with our current clients and welcoming new clients organically and through acquisitions. We are augmenting our position as a leader in customer service and satisfaction by investing in our internal technology, front-end processes, and staff to ensure we can always support the high level of customer service Union Leasing is known for. AF: With Union Leasings focus on small- to mid-size fleets, what are your initiatives for new products, technology investments, and service offerings to better serve this market? Boskovich: Union Leasings technology investment will support our clients in ways they find valuable without adding unnecessary complexity to their jobs. We are very intentional about continuing to service the small- to mid-size fleet market. The size of their fleet may not require a dedicated fleet manager, so they often rely on us to function as an extension of their own staff. This means we will continue to listen and evaluate the addition of product and service offerings that add value and resonate with them. For example, adding a flexible-term rental offering via our acquisition of Express 4x4 Truck Rental addressed a specific need of many of our clients. It all goes back to our core purpose of delivering superior customer service and expertise to help our customers better serve their customers. And, with our Net Promoter Score hovering above 77, we feel that Union Leasing is on the right track. AF: How does the acquisition of Express 4x4 Truck Rental fit within your strategic growth plans? Does Union Leasing have an appetite for additional acquisitions? Boskovich: The acquisition of Express 4x4 Truck Rental is a perfect example of our long-term growth being fueled by our focus on our clients. Our growth strategy includes diversification of assets and markets, as well as pursuing clientele that value stability and high-touch customer service. On its own, Express 4x4 Truck Rental is a premier truck rental provider in a variety of markets that compliment Union Leasings client-base; this broadens our reach and ability to serve those markets. The addition of a flexible-term rental service also provides Unions existing clientele with a shorter-term, scalable solution for fleet needs that may be contingent on fluctuations in their individual markets. Additional acquisitions are certainly part of Union Leasings growth strategy. However, we intend to be pragmatic and diligent in evaluating any potential opportunities. We place the utmost importance not just on financial performance, but also on ensuring a good cultural fit for the personnel and clients involved. Customer service is a primary tenet of our core values, and we will not dilute those values to achieve growth via acquisition. Photo courtesy of Union Leasing. AF: How does the Union Leasing vehicle portfolio break down between open- and closed-end leasing? How does it break down between cars and trucks? Boskovich: Our fleet is currently comprised of 45-percent passenger vehicles, 42-percent light-duty trucks, and 13 percent medium-duty trucks. Our leasing portfolio is now about 96-percent open-end TRAC leases, with the balance being closed-end. The closed-end leasing percentage is down from roughly 10 percent two years ago as a result of Union Leasings departure from the government fleet market. Exiting the government fleet market was not an easy decision, particularly because we were able to develop some great relationships, but we found that Unions culture of high-touch customer service and personalized attention didnt reconcile with the highly commoditized climate of government purchasing. AF: Union Leasing is owned by Sasser Family Holdings. Could you provide AF readers with background on your parent company and how it assists you in better serving your fleet clients? Boskovich: Sasser Family Holdings is a fourth-generation, family-owned business dating back to 1928. Our founder, Fred H. Sasser, left his job at Mather Stock Car to start his own company focused on moving refrigerated goods out of Chicagos sprawling stock yards. While many businesses were crippled by the Depression, he saw an opportunity to serve the needs of his cash-strapped clients by providing quality refurbished used railcars and parts to them. Because of this keen focus on the needs of clients, the business survived, allowing growth and diversification in the rail industry. As the company grew, it became evident that there was a need to be able to diversify outside of rail to offset economic downturns and continue to be able to provide consistent service to clients in good times and bad. Building off the expertise in leasing and managing transportation assets, under our current CEO, Fred R. Sasser, Union Leasing was acquired in 1989. Union Leasing now exists alongside Chicago Freight Car Leasing, CF Rail Services, CF Asia Pacific Group, NxGen Rail Services, and Xced Aviation Services in the Sasser Family Holdings portfolio. These businesses are leaders in providing commercial and industrial-focused rail, ground support, and vehicle transportation equipment solutions. Being part of a larger, privately-owned, global organization holds many advantages for us and our clientele. The diversification of the holding companys asset types helps insulate Union Leasing from the financial hardships faced by many of our competitors in the event of a down market. We also enjoy the benefits that arent often seen in a smaller organization, including the pooling of internal resources, guidance of diverse experience, and an extremely competitive cost of financing due to our collective global volume. The biggest advantage might just be that by being part of a family-owned company, particularly one that focuses on stability for future generations, we are able to take a long-term view on how we grow and how we meet the needs of our clientele. The combination of these factors plays a major role in helping Union Leasing succeed as we grow our niche of the fleet management marketplace. AF: What is the history of Union Leasing? What is the companys origin and how did it evolve to its current position in the marketplace? Boskovich: Union Leasing can trace its start to the earliest days of the fleet leasing industry. We were started in 1955 by Lawrence Faul under the Faul Group. The company continued to grow and, in 1989, Larry Faul Jr. sold the business to the Sasser family, who were looking to diversify their portfolio of rail-focused businesses. Like the other companies in our family of businesses, Union Leasing has grown through listening to our clientele and supporting our relationships in good times and in bad. This focus has allowed us to evolve in to the full-service fleet management company that we are today. I joined Union Leasing in 1998 as a regional sales manager, and then advanced to a management role before being named president in 2007. During my tenure as president at Union Leasing, we have grown our team, client-base, and have evolved from a fleet leasing provider to a full-service fleet management provider, but we have never lost sight of the most important thing the human face of fleet management, our people, and our clients. One accomplishment I am most proud of during my time at Union Leasing is the commitment we have made to put together the best group of people in the fleet management industry. It is that commitment to our people that has elevated Union Leasing to its current position in our marketplace. Photo courtesy of Union Leasing. AF: What do you see as being the top four trends currently facing small and mid-size fleets, and how are these trends going to play out in the future? Boskovich: We are seeing a few primary trends as we continue to evaluate the needs of the Union Leasing client-base. These are not exclusive to the small and mid-size fleet segment, but the most important trends for us are the ones that affect our clients. Managing growth effectively: Managing the growth of their fleet, keeping an eye on fleet costs, and making proper decisions for the future of their fleet can be an overwhelming task for our clients. We continue to see our clients moving towards a total outsourced model for their fleet management needs, which we have positioned Union Leasing to provide. Looking for more than a vendor: At Union, we talk a lot about building relationships with our clients and being a partner to help them grow their businesses; and this is not just lip service. The more our clients look to Union Leasing as an extension of their own staff, the more intimately we need to know their business. This type of relationship is mutually beneficial and allows us to help our clients succeed. This is not just being reactive to our marketplace, this is our core purpose; delivering superior customer service and expertise to help our customers better serve their customers. Increased sophistication: With all of the resources and technology available to our client-base, they are growing increasingly sophisticated in their approach to evaluating fleet management solutions. Gone are the days of making decisions based on the amount of a lease payment; our marketplace is looking for more knowledge and experience, combined with a partner that is willing to put some skin in the game to help them prosper. Changing of the guard: As is the case in most industries, Union Leasing is seeing the difference that the change in generations is bringing to the business world. As our clientele transitions to a more data-driven and technology-fueled generation, Union Leasing must also evolve. While the changing expectations of the next generation represent a challenge to some, we see it as an opportunity for an agile organization like Union to grow and innovate so we can continue to exceed those expectations. AF: What keeps you up at night in terms of the fleet marketplace? Do you have any concerns? Boskovich: I consider myself lucky to honestly say that I sleep very well at night. I believe Union Leasing is in an excellent position to overcome the challenges we may face, both in the short- and long-term, because we have the best team in the industry. Every member of our organization is empowered and focused on delivering superior customer service and expertise to our clientele. By every measure, our team achieves that goal time and time again. AF: What differentiates Union Leasing from other fleet management companies? What are the ideals and business philosophy that drive you and Union Leasing? Boskovich: The people our experienced and knowledgeable team, and our clientele are what set us apart from other fleet management companies. We believe in building long-term relationships with clients to ensure we understand their unique needs and provide the flexibility to meet them. Our strength is customizing our product and service offerings, and supporting them with a dedicated team whose sole purpose is to ensure client satisfaction. That client satisfaction bolsters our ability to keep our clients from commoditizing their fleet decisions, and takes a page straight out of our organizations core values. Every interaction is guided by our 87-year-old core values of integrity, customer service, teamwork, and adding value. These are the values by which we measure our own success. We could exceed all of our revenue projections, but if we arent living up to those values, we arent living up to our own expectations. In our last client satisfaction survey, 100 percent of Unions responding clients said that our core values were important to them. Knowing how important these values are to our organization and how hard we work to uphold them, its no wonder that we continue to succeed in our marketplace. UPDATED Silver Spring, Md. John King, the newly minted acting education secretary, dropped by Joanne Leleck Elementary School at Broad Acres in Montgomery County, Md., to welcome students back from the holiday break, highlight the schools use of new federal money for preschooland chat with reporters. King, who replaced recently-departed education Secretary Arne Duncan, outlined his top three priorities for his single year in office: One is to focus on equity and excellence in all of our schools. Two is to lift up teaching, King said. He said hes the product of New York City public schools and that teachers helped get him to the place hes in today. And he had one higher education goal: We need to focus as a country on getting back to first in the world in college completion, which will mean making sure students graduate from high school ready for the challenges of post-secondary education. (King also outlined these same three areas in a letter to U.S. Department of Education staff earlier this week, and we wrote about them here .) King doesnt think the newest edition of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act will have a big impact on whether or not hes able to move forward with that agenda. The president signed the Every Student Succeeds Act because he believes and we believe that it builds on the civil rights legacy of the law. We are confident we can work together with states and ensure that implementation of the new law advances equity and excellence in our schools. The key will be to make sure states use their new flexibility around accountability and intervention systems in ways that are [focused] on equity and opportunity for the highest-need students, he said. King held up Montgomery Countyjust outside Washington, D.C.as an example of a district thats doing a good job of meeting the needs of a diverse population. (Incidentally, King is a Montgomery County parent. His daughtersa 4th grader and a 7th graderattend school in the district.) Does it matter that King is acting? Some GOP aides on Capitol Hill have raised eyebrows behind the scenes about the fact that King was never put up for Senate confirmationeither for his current gig or for his previous post as a senior aide filling the role of deputy secretary, the No. 2 job at the department. But so far, no lawmakers have publicly grumbled about the move. UPDATE: Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., the chairman of the Senate education committee and a key author of ESSA, would really like to get an official nominee, he said in a statement Tuesday. I hope the administration will nominate someone to serve as Secretary of Education because its important that the agency is run by someone the Senate has confirmed to increase confidence in the departments efforts to implement the law. And Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., the House education chairman, also would like to see a secretary with Senate confirmation. The American people would be well served if they had an education secretary who was vetted and confirmed by the United States Senate, especially as the department begins implementing the new K-12 education law, he said. We will continue to stay in close contact with the department to ensure all federal laws are being implemented as Congress intended. So does King think the acting in front his title will hurt his efforts? Doesnt sound like it. Thats a decision for the president to make, King said. I will say that the authorities of the acting secretary are the same as the authorities of the secretary. Incidentally, there are a lot of senior aides at the department filling key roles when it comes to implementation of ESSAAnn Whalen, a senior aide is taking on the duties of the assistant secretary of elementary and secondary education, and Amy McIntosh, another senior aide, basically has the job of assistant secretary for planning, evaluation, and policy. Mike Smith, who has worked on education policy for five different presidents (including President Barack Obama) doesnt see so many acting folks as a big deal. Its par for the course at the end of an administration, he said. On the more fun side: King also read Snowmen at Night to a group of prekindergarten students at the event (and he was surprised that not all of them had seen Frozen). One child asked King if he was the president. King said no, but that he worked for the president, and hes nice. Officials at Cape Air blamed a pilot shortage for recent flight cancellations at Billings Logan International Airport, in Montana, according to the Billings Gazette. Officials with the regional airline said 16 flights have been grounded over the last few days because pilots couldnt be scheduled. An airline spokesperson said they have brought in pilots from other markets and have teamed up with Jet Blue and seven universities to help get pilots trained and fill the empty seats. Since 2013, first officers for Part 121 operations must have an ATP and 1,500 hours to fill jobs that previously required just 250 hours and a commercial certificate. Cape Air operates flights under both Part 121 and Part 135, which requires 500 hours total time for first officers. The Air Line Pilots Association has disputed claims by U.S. airlines of a pilot shortage. Thousands of highly qualified and experienced U.S. airline pilots are either furloughed or working overseas and eager to return to U.S. airline cockpitsunder the right conditions, Capt. Lee Moak, president of ALPA, said last year. Pilot jobs at regional airlines typically offer low pay and few benefits. Cape Air says at its website that first-year Cessna 402 captains earn an average salary of $31,000 to $40,000 per year, depending on their schedules. Benefits include a health-care package and family travel privileges. Cape Air is one of the biggest independent regional operators in the U.S., with more than 500 flights a day nationwide and in the Caribbean, including five communities in Montana. The company operates a fleet of 83 Cessna 402s, 4 British Islanders, 2 Cessna Caravan amphibians, and 2 ATR turboprops, carrying more than 735,000 passengers a year. 6 January 2016 18:41 (UTC+04:00) By Sara Rajabova The first week of January marks the anniversary of liberation of Fizuli regions Horadiz village from the Armenian occupation. In 1994, 21 settlements and Horadiz village of the Fizuli region were liberated thanks to a successful operation of the Azerbaijani armed forces. The Armenian armed forces` attack on Beylagan was prevented thanks to Horadiz operation, and the Azerbaijani army launched a counter-attack to liberate 20 villages of Fuzuli region, Horadiz settlement and Jojug Marjanli village of Jabrayil region. A parade was held on January 5, 2016 to mark the liberation of the Horadiz city and Fizuli regions villages from the Armenian invasion. The residents of the region, soldiers of the military units participated at the event held in Horadiz. The former fighters who took part in the Horadiz operation voiced readiness to liberate the occupied territories from Armenian occupation at any time. As a result of Fizulis invasion on August 23, 1994, some 51 villages and the centre of the region were seized by the Armenians leaving more than 55,000 inhabitants displaced. From 1988, the Fizuli region has been subjected to constant attacks by Armenians. As a result of the occupation, more than 1100 inhabitants of Fizuli were martyred, 113 - were taken prisoner and 1450 people were left disabled. The region covers a territory from the south eastern slopes of the Karabakh Mountain range to the Araz River. It borders on the Azerbaijani regions of Khojavand, Jabrayil, Agjabadi, Beylagan and Iran along the Araz River. The ancient historical monuments of world importance in Fizuli region were left under occupation and many of them were destructed. After invading Azerbaijan's territories, Armenia has been pursuing the campaign of ruining cultural and historical monuments of Azerbaijani people. The most famous of these monuments is the Azykh Caves, known as a living site of stone-age man. Unfortunately, the fate of this, as well as other ancient monuments is unknown due to the Armenian occupation. The operations section supervising the devastating effects to the environment and natural resources in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan has identified a number of facts of destruction of natural resources by Armenians in the Fuzuli region in the occupation period. Armenians cut down all the trees in the village of Dovlatyarli located in a forest zone and destroyed the green spaces along the roads in the Gochahmadli and Yaglivand villages. Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor that caused a brutal war in the early 1990s. Long-standing efforts by U.S., Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far. As a result of the military aggression of Armenia, over 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed, over 4,000 are reported missing and almost 100,000 were injured, and 50,000 were disabled. The UN Security Council has passed four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to this day. -- Sara Rajabova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 6 January 2016 13:00 (UTC+04:00) By Nouriel Roubini At the cusp of the new year, we face a world in which geopolitical and geo-economic risks are multiplying. Most of the Middle East is ablaze, stoking speculation that a long Sunni-Shia war (like Europes Thirty Years War between Catholics and Protestants) could be at hand. Chinas rise is fueling a wide range of territorial disputes in Asia and challenging Americas strategic leadership in the region. And Russias invasion of Ukraine has apparently become a semi-frozen conflict, but one that could reignite at any time. There is also the chance of another epidemic, as outbreaks of SARS, MERS, Ebola, and other infectious diseases have shown in recent years. Cyber-warfare is a looming threat as well, and non-state actors and groups are creating conflict and chaos from the Middle East to North and Sub-Saharan Africa. Last, but certainly not least, climate change is already causing significant damage, with extreme weather events becoming more frequent and lethal. Yet it is Europe that may turn out to be the ground zero of geopolitics in 2016. For starters, a Greek exit from the eurozone may have been only postponed, not prevented, as pension and other structural reforms put the country on a collision course with its European creditors. Grexit, in turn, could be the beginning of the end of the monetary union, as investors would wonder which member possibly even a core country (for example, Finland) will be the next to leave. If Grexit does occur, the United Kingdoms exit from the EU may become more likely. Compared to a year ago, the probability of Brexit has increased, for several reasons. The recent terrorist attacks in Europe have made the UK even more isolationist, as has the migration crisis. Under Jeremy Corbyns leadership, Labour is more Euroskeptic. And Prime Minister David Cameron has painted himself into a corner by demanding EU reforms that even the Germans who are sympathetic to the UK cannot accept. To many in Britain, the EU looks like a sinking ship. If Brexit were to occur, other dominos would fall. Scotland might decide to leave the UK, leading to the breakup of Britain. This could inspire other separatist movements perhaps starting in Catalonia to push even more forcefully for independence. And the EUs Nordic members may decide that with the UK gone, they, too, would be better off leaving. As for terrorism, the sheer number of homegrown jihadists means that the question for Europe is not whether another attack will occur, but when and where. And repeated attacks could sharply reduce business and consumer confidence and stall Europes fragile economic recovery. Those who argue that the migration crisis also poses an existential threat to Europe are right. But the issue is not the million newcomers entering Europe in 2015. It is the 20 million more who are displaced, desperate, and seeking to escape violence, civil war, state failure, desertification, and economic collapse in large parts of the Middle East and Africa. If Europe is unable to find a coordinated solution to this problem and enforce a common external border, the Schengen Agreement will collapse and internal borders between the EU member states will reappear. Meanwhile, austerity and reform fatigue on the eurozone periphery and among non-eurozone EU members such as Hungary and Poland is clashing with bailout fatigue in the core. Populist parties of the left and right with their shared hostility to free trade, migration, Muslims, and globalization are becoming more popular throughout Europe. Syriza is in power in Greece; a leftist coalition is in office in Portugal; and the Spanish election could lead to significant political and policy uncertainty. Virulent anti-migrant, anti-Muslim parties are becoming more popular in Europes core, including the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, and Sweden. In France, the far-right National Front came close to winning power in several regions earlier this month, and its leader, Marine Le Pen, may do well in the 2017 presidential election. In Italy, moreover, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi is under attack by two anti-euro populist parties that have risen in opinion polls. And Chancellor Angela Merkels leadership is now under threat in Germany, following her courageous but controversial decision to allow almost a million asylum-seekers to enter the country. In short, the distance between what Europe needs and what Europeans want is growing, and that gap could spell deep trouble in 2016. The eurozone and the EU are facing multiple threats, all of which call for a collective response. But what we are seeing is its member states increasingly adopting a national approach, thus undermining the possibility of Europe-wide solutions (the migration crisis is a tragic case in point). Europe needs more cooperation, integration, risk sharing, and solidarity. Instead, Europeans appear to be embracing nationalism, balkanization, divergence, and disintegration. Copyright: Project Syndicate: The Europe question in 2016 --- Follow us on Twitter: @Azernews 6 January 2016 17:54 (UTC+04:00) By Aynur Karimova Russian energy giant Gazproms refusal to purchase Turkmen natural gas may push Turkmenistan into a complicated situation. Gazprom Export cited current trends on the global gas markets, as well as "a number of financial and economic issues" as reasons for the decision, Turkmengaz State Concern reported on January 4. Bruce Pannier, an expert on Central Asia, and the Senior Correspondent at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, believes that the biggest problem Turkmenistan faces from Russia stopping imports of Turkmen gas is that it leaves Turkmenistan with just the two customers China and Iran. Turkmenistan is still exporting some gas to Iran, somewhere between 6 to 8 billion cubic meters annually, so Ashgabat can count on some revenue from those sales. However, following the easing of relations with world powers and removal of international sanctions imposed on Tehran over its nuclear energy program, Iran will likely not be a customer of Turkmen blue fuel for much longer. Turkmenistan is also exporting a large amount of gas to China, and the figures vary between 30-45 bcm. However, the problem with sales to China is that some part of the gas Turkmenistan is exporting is counted as repaying multi-billion dollar Chinese loans to develop Turkmen gas fields and build the pipelines connecting Turkmenistan to China. "China and Turkmenistan have never made public the deals they have reached, so it is difficult to know how much gas China is taking as repayment or even how much China is paying for the gas, though there were some reports a few years ago that suggested the price was just under $200 per 1,000 cubic meters," Pannier noted. Gas sphere was one of the strategic areas of partnership between Turkmenistan and Russia until recently. Turkmenistan transports its gas to Russia via the Central Asia-Center gas pipeline that was constructed during the Soviet period and monopolized by Russias Gazprom Company. Turkmenistan, which has the fourth largest proven gas reserves in the world and produces about 70-80 billion cubic meters of gas a year, is actively implementing an energy strategy aimed at increasing exports of the blue fuel and diversifying its supply routes to the largest global markets, where the demand for energy resources is growing. "However, it appears that soon Turkmenistan will only be exporting gas to China. That leaves Turkmenistan in a bad position to negotiate the price of its gas since China could simply refuse and then no one would be buying Turkmen gas," Pannier added. Taking these challenges into account, Turkmengaz has already expressed its willingness to negotiate with Gazprom Export a wide range of issues related to the economic ties between the two companies. Russia's decision has political motive The expert believes that there is a political motive in Russias decision to suspend purchases of Turkmen gas and increase purchases of gas from Uzbekistan. "Russian-Turkmen relations are not good. Up to now, Moscow has not been able to find a political mean to put pressure on Turkmenistan, but halting gas imports, even the relatively meager amount Turkmenistan was sending, hurts Turkmenistan in a very public way," he said. So far, Russia has purchased natural gas only from three countries of the Central Asian region - Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Supplies from Turkmenistan are regulated by the intergovernmental agreement of 2003, which envisages the cooperation until 2028. The document envisages the supply of up to 80 billion cubic meters of gas per year to Russia via the Central Asia - Center and East - West pipelines. Despite the contracted annual volumes of 70-80 billion cubic meters, firstly, the volumes were decreased to 10-11 billion cubic meters per year throughout five years. The annual volumes dropped by 2.5 times in 2015 and stood at 4 billion cubic meters. Last year, Turkmenistans Ministry of Oil and Gas Industry and Mineral Resources reportedly said that Gazprom Export LLC (100-percent subsidiary of Gazprom) doesnt pay the remaining money for the actually delivered Turkmen natural gas, without explaining the reason. Gazprom said in early 2015 that it will purchase only 4 billion cubic meters of gas from Turkmenistan and was going to challenge the terms of the contract in the Stockholm arbitration. Later, the world media reported citing the sources close to Gazprom that the company has filed a lawsuit in Stockholm Court against Turkmengaz demanding to revise the prices in the gas supply contract. The gas monopoly attributed reduction in gas purchases to the fact that demand for Russian gas in Europe and in Ukraine had shrunk, said Forbes. Due to declining gas export prices in Europe, linked to the constantly falling oil prices, the previously set price for Turkmen gas at $240 per 1,000 cubic meters appeared unsatisfactory to the Russian side. Having failed to negotiate lower prices, Gazprom unilaterally shifted to payments at European export breakeven price in January, said Forbes. Gas payments in the first five months of this year have been carried out by Gazprom under this scheme. Little chances for huge gas projects Commenting on possibility of acceleration of energy projects envisaging export of Turkmen gas to various countries, the expert said that despite the fact that the Turkmen government wants very much to diversify gas export routes and is pushing both Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India and the Trans-Caspian pipeline projects, there is little chance either of those projects will even be close to being completed. "TAPI is routed through Afghanistan and the Baluchistan region in southern Pakistan, two areas facing huge security problems. Russia, at least, and probably Iran will oppose construction of the TCP on the grounds that the legal status of the Caspian Sea is not yet decided and there could be dire environmental consequences from the pipeline. Recent Russian Navy activity in the Caspian Sea guarantees no one could build the pipeline without Moscow allowing it," he noted. Therefore, the choice does not depend on Turkmenistan, but on many factors outside Turkmenistans control. "My guess is that neither TAPI nor TCP will be built and operational within the next decade and it probably will be much longer than that, if ever," the expert stated. Gazprom to increase supplies from Uzbekistan Meanwhile, Gazprom has announced that it will increase the purchase of Uzbek gas. This information was confirmed by Alexei Miller, the Head of the company. "We highly appreciate the results of the negotiations reached with our Uzbek friends. Uzbekistan is our reliable partner in the gas sector, and we will continue to further develop our mutually beneficial cooperation. And, quite naturally, the volume of purchases of Uzbek gas will increase this year," he told journalists on January 4, Russian media reported. Pannier believes that Uzbek gas can easily replace Turkmen gas. "Gazprom now says it will import at least 3.1 bcm of gas from Uzbekistan in 2016. Uzbekistan only exported some 1 bcm to Russia last year. Just a few years ago Uzbekistan was exporting several times that amount of gas to Russia," he said. Since January 1, 2016, Gazprom has increased the volume of purchases of natural gas from Uzbekistan. The agreements were reached at the end of December 2015. However, no concrete figures were revealed. "It is worth mentioning that Gazprom is developing gas fields in western Uzbekistan and the Uzbek gas that Gazprom buys will probably be gas from Uzbek fields Gazprom is developing," Pannier stated. "Uzbekistan probably should not become accustomed to selling gas to Russia for long. If world prices remain low I think Russia, Gazprom, will stop buying any gas from Central Asia soon," he concluded. -- Aynur Karimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 6 January 2016 15:33 (UTC+04:00) By Sara Rajabova 2015 become another year of no effect in settlement of the long-standing Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which emerged over Armenia's territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor. The efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group international framework established to settle the problem havent yielded desired results so far. On the contrary, the stalemate in the conflict resolution led to dangerous activation of the military operations on the contact line of the Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces. Ilgar Velizade, head of political scientists club South Caucasus considers that the military-political situation in the conflict zone will remain tense in 2016. He told Day.Az website that the escalation of tension has already led to the fact that the ceasefire regime hasnt been observed for a long time. The weak dynamics in the negotiation process, obviously, "compensated" with quite high political-military activity in the region, he added. During the whole year, the Azerbaijani Army has carried out massive military tactical exercises near the frontline attracting all types of troops that might be involved in possible military operations in the conflict zone, working over the various scenarios of military operations, maximally close to reality. Such a scale of exercises could not but attract the attention of the opposing side, which actively tried to influence the OSCE Minsk Group in order to compel them to force Azerbaijan to abandon this line, the expert said. 2015 can be characterized as a year of numerous clashes of the Armenian and Azerbaijani troops, increased provocation of the Armenian side, as well as more losses from both sides. Standing strong against Armenia's unceasing operations along the line of contact, the Azerbaijani leadership further empowered the military and has moved to formulate the necessary armament policy by adhering to international requirements. The country also regularly holds military drills to check the training level and fighting capability of the army. Velizade further noted that now the Armenian side is using its chairmanship at the CSTO with a view to hide behind this organization and send message to Baku. But, judging by the results, these efforts did not give the desired effect. None of the closest allies of Yerevan expressed readiness to condemn Baku, preferring loud and significant silence, the expert underlined. Asked about the possibility of renewal of bloody war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the expert did not rule out such a scenario. The probability of war always exits. In fact, the war has never ended. Today, forms and methods of waging wars have seriously changed. Today, the presence of the ceasefire is not a hindrance for the resumption of war. Latent, positional war with use of various weapons is already underway, Velizade believes. He stressed that only the will of Azerbaijans political leadership and objectively folding conditions prevent the possibility of an open conflict. It seems that the Azerbaijani side expects that full-scale armed conflict with Armenia can serve to the plans of external forces, which will use it to pursue their political strategy in the region, when Armenia can become a tool, and Azerbaijan will be the likely victim. Preferring to act with small but effective steps, Baku is clearly in no hurry in playing to a hand of such plans, Velizde concluded. For over two decades, Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in conflict, which is a source of major instability in the South Caucasus region. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. A fragile ceasefire has been in place since 1994, but long-standing efforts by U.S., Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far. Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on its pullout from the neighboring country's territories. -- Sara Rajabova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 6 January 2016 17:07 (UTC+04:00) By Laman Sadigova No symptoms of swine flu were observed in Azerbaijani citizens, who returned from abroad after the holidays, said Rakif Abdullayev, the director of the Republican Anti-Plague Station under the Azerbaijani Health Ministry. Some countries neighboring Azerbaijan already afflicted the deadly virus. Over the past weeks, several people were diagnosed with the H1N1 flu in Georgia, Turkey, and Armenia. Abdullayev said thermovisors were installed at all the border checkpoints of Azerbaijan to determine the temperature of border-crossing persons. "If anyone has a fever, the appropriate tests are taken and later sent to us. The analysis results are issued immediately. Until today, all the answers were negative, that is, no virus is detected," said Abdullayev. The State Customs Committee also announced that it is taking necessary prophylactic actions to prevent spread of swine flu, identified in Turkey, in the country. It informs that so far the virus has been detected in no one of the border checkpoints. Eight people died from the swine flu in Turkey since early 2016, Turkish Health Minister Mehmet Muazzinoglu said. Swine flu killed 30 people throughout Turkey in 2015. As many as 27 cases of flu caused by H1N1 virus subtype have been registered during the last few weeks in Armenia, Armenian Health Minister Armen Muradyan said, Novosti-Armenia reported. In total, more than 350 cases of acute respiratory infections, 67 of which are accompanied by pneumonia, have been recorded in the country, he said. Swine flu, which first detected in the United States in April 2009, could spread rapidly to reach other continents. H1N1 virus is a unique combination of influenza virus genes never previously identified in either animals or people. H1N1 is distributed by airborne transmission and its symptoms are high fever and pyrexia. --- Follow Laman Sadigova on Twitter: @s_laman93 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 6 January 2016 16:26 (UTC+04:00) By Sara Rajabova U.S. President Barack Obama has invited Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to attend 4th Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C. in March 2016. Novruz Mammadov, deputy head of Azerbaijani presidential administration and chief of the administrations foreign relations department made such an announcement on his Twitter page on January 6. Mammadov said President Obama sent a letter to the Azerbaijani leader on December 3. The U.S. president in particular noted that Azerbaijan has demonstrated steadfast support of the global nuclear security architecture. He also expressed hope that Azerbaijan will continue to prioritize efforts to interdict nuclear and radiological materials. Recently, U.S. State Department Secretary John Kerry has praised Azerbaijans role in the withdrawal of Iran's uranium to Russia, saying Azerbaijan played a role in facilitating the shipment. Iran has shipped its stockpile of low-enriched uranium to Russia as a key step in fulfilling its commitments under the landmark nuclear deal reached with six world powers in July in Vienna. The nuclear security summit will be held in Washington, from March 31 to April 1, 2016. The first Nuclear Security Summit was held in Washington in 2010, the second - in Seoul in 2012, the third - in The Hague in 2014. The Summit will continue discussion on the evolving threat and highlight steps that can be taken together to minimize the use of highly-enriched uranium, secure vulnerable materials, counter nuclear smuggling and deter, detect, and disrupt attempts at nuclear terrorism. -- Sara Rajabova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 6 January 2016 10:00 (UTC+04:00) By Nigar Orujova The intense economic situation around the world shows the need to diversify economy especially for the oil producing countries. In Azerbaijan is keento switch to other spheres of economy and makes investments to develop such promising spheres as transportation and agriculture. One of such high potential areas of economy is information technologies, that has been on the agenda in the country for the recent decade. Azerbaijan's ICT market showed stable growth in 2015. The year was marked with influx of new start-up projects by young entrepreneurs, who formed their own business, mainly connected with software, which is characterized by stability, flexibility and good adaptation to the changing market conditions. It is needless to say we live in the information era, which decides the future of any country. During transformation period, that changes decision-making model and doing business, technological solutions play an important role. Companies and enterprises should think about cost-effective solutions, efficiency and impact of investments. The state also aims to grow, develop and evolve involving the technological solutions. Many government agencies are moving online, which is key to their sustainable development. One of such advances of the recent years was ASAN service a network of simplified access to government services that expanded its activity in 2015. Today, citizens can escape red tape and solve their problems fast by means of this service, which is also fighting with corruption and bribery. It is possible that the service will further migrate to the online platform, and the number of its services will increase significantly. Thus, the citizens will not need to visit the service center at all. Rendering e-services by the state structures is becoming more convenient and flexible, which is a major element to promote the use of IT-tools by both state agencies and population. However, to promote flexible e-services the population should be promoted with sustainable Internet connection. Development of the Internet in Azerbaijan was going at a moderate pace covering more communities in rural and remote areas in 2015. Another challenge of this sphere at present is to achieve better quality that can be reached by applying optical connections. This type of connection requires cooperation of the public sector to private enterprise. In addition, the recent steps to facilitate activity of SMEs can help the internet providers to develop around the country. However, they still need the state support. The developing information technology also requires expansion of production, and today Azerbaijan is launching more and more intellectually oriented and high-tech products. The country has already deployed production of ATMs, payment terminals, digital decoders, computers, etc. The big future belongs to the development of intellectual-oriented products and software. For this purpose, Azerbaijan is developing high-tech parks around the country and also supports education especially in the IT sphere. Whether or not the oil prices will stabilize in the near future, Azerbaijan needs to develop the high technology to occupy the rightful place in the region. __ Nigar Orujova is AzerNews staff journalist. Follow her on Twitter: @o_nigar Follow us on Twitter: @AzerNewsAz Well, here we are in the new year folks. It promises to be a good one: full, no doubt, of great examples of teachers and students rising above the nonsense that continues to find its way into our national conversation about education. And full, too, of even more of that nonsense than usual. How do I know? Its a presidential election year. Get ready. Lets start with this one: over in another corner of this website, Andrew Ujifusa is reporting that our candidates for president arent taking a break from one of their favorite sportscomplaining about education. Specifically, he provides a link to a video of Republican Marco Rubio accusing President Obama of trying to take over our schools with common core. Ive said before that President Obamas Department of Education may be as guilty of overreach as any cabinet department has ever been, but I cant help but chuckle as I think about a presidential candidate complaining about arbitrary misuse of executive authority...while claiming that he will arbitrarily use his executive authority to undo everything his predecessor did that he deems unconstitutional. Who needs courts anyway? Whats not worth chuckling about is Rubios complete misunderstanding of what Common Core is and where it came fromor, if not that, his shameless pandering. No, the standards were not issued by Obama via executive fiat, and, no, they were not forced on any statescertainly not by the federal government. You can complain that more teachers should have been involved in writing the standards, and you can hem and haw about how hard it is for parents to do their kids homework now that Common Core has come to town, and you can complain that informational text isnt as awesome as fiction is. I can accept all of those excuses for disliking Common Core, even if I disagree with them. But its not a federal takeover of your local schools . No. This isnt a value judgment, its a statement of fact. Enough already. But, wait, theres more. If you need another example of why politiciansand, maybe most especially, presidential candidatesshouldnt tak about education, go here and watch this video . If you went, you know that was Hillary Clinton talking about schools. What she said was this: I wouldnt keep any school open that wasnt doing a better than average job. Clinton appears to have been ad-libbing when she said this, and, friends, maybe she was. Why not? Say the wrong thing about Wall Street and the economy might tank; say the wrong thing about ISIS and the terrorists might win. Say the wrong thing about education and...wait, whats the wrong thing to say about education again? Just stick to platitudes like I wouldnt keep any school open that wasnt doing a better than average job, and be done with it. Wheres the harm in that? Well, lets think about this for a second. As my friend Jake Knaus , an elementary school teacher and Teacher Policy Fellow with MinnCAN , an organization that promotes public education in Minnesota, put it: Heres why studying math is important, kids. Let me let him explain: In order to have an "average," one, by definition, needs to have half the sample above and half the sample below the average. The logical conclusion is that there would be no schools open at all, if all of the "below average" schools are closed every year. Jakes point is that you cant just shut down all the below average schools (just like you cant replace all the below average teachers ) because as soon as you do you readjust what it means to be average. If you had, say, a hundred teachers lined up in a row according to their effectivenessand, no, dont even get me started on how we could ever actually do that; just hang with me for a secondand if the distribution of effectiveness was pretty even (which is what would have to happen for there to be an average in the first place), then replacing the bottom ten with teachers who used to be average or better (above below average, to be precise) would re-establish the average. What this means, of course, is that a new bottom ten would emerge. They would, presumably, be the second-worst ten in the previous lineupnumbers 80-89 in the lineup of worst teachers, because the last bottom ten would have been replaced by new average teachers. Stop right there. Two questions have to be raised. The first one is: where are these new average teachers going to come from? Assuming we ever could agree on what makes a teacher above average, below average, or simply average (student standardized achievement test scores, anyone?), would we find new above average teachers simply by creating them out of thin air? Are they currently riding the pines at hedge funds waiting for their big break? We are surely not going to find them in colleges and universities. If we thought that was possible wed already be making them, not allowing new teachers to bypass teacher education altogether. The more important question is even harder to answer: where does it end? At some point, if we keep replacing the bottom ten in the distribution, the bottom ten has to become what we previously thought of as average. Eventually, the teachers occupying the top ten in the distribution to begin with would be overtaken and would become the bottom ten themselves. Right? Maybe Hillary Clinton wants to create a new entity, the Lake Wobegon Federal Opportunity School District: Where Every Teacher, and Every School, Is Above Below Average. Or maybe this is all nonsense. I think they call it continuous improvement . Whatever it is, it aint common sensewhich is what presidential candidates always seem to be wanting to sell us. Common sense dictates that an average is made an average because something is above it and something is below it. To shut down all the below average schoolsI should say, to not keep them openisnt a real policy position. Its the kind of claim you make when you want people to think you know something about something you dont really know enough about. The philosopher Harry Frankfurt had a word for it , and I think you know what it is. Maybe Clinton, like Rubio, was simply playing to the base, assuming Clintons base believes that nettlesome feds have a nasty habit of making life harder for good schools while below average schools get a free ride. Who knows? All I know is that the hardest work being done in education right now is being done in those schools that struggle the most to meet the needs of students, and a lot of that work is being done by teachers who want desperately to see their students succeedeven if it means submitting to a shameless federal takeover of education . Instead of shutting them down, it would be nice to see our public leaders support the work of these teachers for a change. Id much rather listen to them talk about how theyre going to do that. 6 January 2016 16:41 (UTC+04:00) By Aynur Karimova Ukraine has offered its cargo carrier companies to use the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route for transporting goods to Central Asia bypassing Russia. The Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry reported that a test container train will depart from Ilyichevsk on January 15on the Ukraine-Georgia-Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan-China route (via the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea). "This route is a new direction of Silk Road and an alternative, which will allow redirecting cargo traffic in an easterly direction, bypassing the Russian territory. It includes ferry crossings of the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea (Ilyichevsk-Batumi and Alat-Aktau) and is designed to become competitive to the traditional overland route," the ministry said. The opportunities of Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, which enjoys an opportunity to become attractive and profitable for consignors from European countries, were presented to the cargo carrier companies of Ukraine during a road show on November 16, 2015 and at the international forum Bridging Europe and Asia: a new look at the formation of transcontinental routes in Odessa on December 3. "Technologies, accelerated delivery times and tariff conditions were agreed and its operators were defined to run the container train. The test container train will open up an alternative way to deliver cargo from Ukraine to the countries of Central Asia. The container train will include approximately 20 wagons," the ministry added. The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route will transport approximately 300,000-400,000 containers by 2020, bringing hundreds of millions of manats in profit to Azerbaijan. The first container train on this route arrived at Baku International Sea Trade Port from China in August. The train, consisting of 44 wagons, departed from the Alashankou export station of the Chinese Urumqi-Xinjiang province and arrived in Tbilisi in eight days transiting through the territory of Azerbaijan. An agreement creating a coordinating committee to develop a Trans-Caspian International Transport Route was signed by Kazakh, Georgian, and Azerbaijani representatives in late 2013. The project is being implemented by Kazakhstan Temyr Zholy, China Railways, Azerbaijan Railways, Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company and Baku International Sea Trade Port. -- Aynur Karimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 6 January 2016 16:47 (UTC+04:00) Global oil market continues to be oversupplied, which will be the main factor for the further fall in oil prices, despite the Middle East tensions, according to the global oil market analysts. The fact remains that global oil storage is near capacity and this will keep oil prices low, Sam Barden, the director of Wimpole International, an energy market development company, told Trend. Barden does not believe that the recent conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran will trigger an increase in oil prices. I do not think the current Iran Saudi tensions will increase oil prices. I remain of the belief that we will see oil prices go below 25 dollars this year and we could see oil lows of 1999 when we saw 9-dollar oil, Barden said. Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran soured after the execution of a prominent Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr in the Kingdom. Iran strongly condemned the execution of Nimr al-Nimr, there were mass protests in the country, in particular, Saudi embassy in the capital Tehran and the consulate in the city of Mashhad were attacked. Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic ties with Iran on Jan 3. Oil prices slid to an 11-year low on Wednesday under pressure from a strong dollar and weak Chinese data, as crude continues to suffer from a persistent supply glut. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, fell 4 percent to $34.95 a barrel on Londons ICE Futures exchange, the lowest intraday level since July 2004. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. price gauge, was down 3.1 percent at $34.90 a barrel, according to The Wall Street Journal. Meanwhile analysts at British economic research and consulting company Capital Economics believe that a sustained recovery in oil prices will have to depend on production cuts outside OPEC and on signs of stronger global demand. These factors, rather than fresh disruption to supply from the Middle East, are the key factors behind their end-2016 forecast of $55 for a barrel of Brent. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 6 January 2016 12:30 (UTC+04:00) By Sara Rajabova After reaching a nuclear deal that put an end to suspicions about Irans nuclear energy program, the United States is now pushing on the Islamic Republic over its ballistic missile program, which faces hard reaction of Tehran. Last week, the U.S. Treasury Department revealed its intention to impose financial sanctions in the wake of Irans missile testing in October and November. The move met acute discontent of the Iranian officials. President Hassan Rouhani immediately issued an order calling on the defense ministry to expedite efforts for boosting the countrys missile power. The potential sanctions are considered by the officials as violation of the agreement reached last July between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Though the clinching of nuclear deal was expected to normalize the relations between the Western countries, namely with the European countries and Iran, as well as eliminate roughly 40-year old enmity between United States and the Islamic Republic, however, Washingtons using the previous tone in regard to Tehran could endanger the implementation of the nuclear deal and even torpedo the attempts on solving nuclear dispute. Tehrans test-firing missiles, which the United States says would be capable of carrying a nuclear payload, was considered violation of 2010 U.N. Security Council resolution. Iran does not accept that the U.N. resolution bars it from testing missiles, as long as it has no nuclear weapons to place on them. Facing strong reaction of Iran, the United States seemed unwilling to worsen the situation and nullify long-lasting international efforts on resolving the nuclear dispute. The Wall Street Journal reported that an announcement of new U.S. sanctions was planned for this week but delayed for an unspecified period without explanation. Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser of U.S. said the administration had additional diplomatic and technical work to complete before announcing any new sanctions related to the missile program, but the delay was not a result of pressure from Tehran. While Washington has strained relations with Tehran over the years, currently it is not in favor of aggravating the situation even more. On the contrary, in the wake of the developments taking place in the world, namely Washington, as well as Europes tense relations with Russia, the U.S. seems interested in activation of the Islamic Republic. The Wests relations with Russia become strained over the Ukraine crisis. Irans return to global oil market, and its restoring and improving the economic relations with European countries after sanctions removal will strengthen Washingtons hand in squeezing Moscow with more pressure. Moreover, Iran has abided by the main terms of the nuclear deal, which require it to give up material that world powers feared could be used to make an atomic weapon and accept other restrictions on its nuclear program. Early in the new year, the United States and European Union are expected to unfreeze billions of dollars of Iranian assets, allow Iranian firms access to the international financial system and end bans that have crippled Iran's oil exports. Iran is in expectation of the soonest and complete removal of the international sanctions that battered countrys energy-dependent economy over the years. Iran has repeatedly said it plans to raise oil output by 500,000 barrels per day post sanctions, and another 500,000 bpd shortly after that, to reclaim its position as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries' second-largest producer. The Islamic Republic is also seeking to open bureaus across Europe. Managing-Director of Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines Mohammad Saeedi said once the arbitrary sanctions on Iran are lifted, Iranian-flagged ships can travel between Iranian and European ports. Launching shipping bureaus across Europe can facilitate exports of Iranian oil and non-oil products to European ports. Furthermore, as the Iranian government is moving toward a much-awaited removal of international sanctions, Rouhani's administration has ordered the bankers to be ready for the imminent opening of the countrys doors to the international economy. Valiollah Seif, the governor of the Central Bank of Iran said the country prepare its banking infrastructure for post-sanctions activities and also improve their standards to better operate when the sanctions are lifted. Early signs of lifting restrictions on Iran have already appeared. Irans petrochemical sanctions are already fully removed. For the first time in the past five years Iran received money for petrochemical export via a European bank, Mehdi Sharifi Niknafs, executive director of the Iranian Petrochemical Commercial Company said. Though petrochemical-related sanctions have been removed already after reaching an interim nuclear deal in November 2013, Irans petrochemical exports was facing problems due to banking system sanctions. -- Sara Rajabova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 6 January 2016 11:10 (UTC+04:00) By Aynur Karimova Kazakhstan, an energy-rich Central Asian nation, has revealed its plans on development of oil and gas fields in the Caspian Sea in 2016. The country's Energy Ministry told Trend that it will hold conceptual study regarding the development of Kalamkas-Sea oil field in the Caspian Sea in the current year. Based on the research results, plan and budget for the fields development will be prepared, after which the forecasted period for the start of production will be available, the ministry said. The Kalamkas-Sea field is a part of the North Caspian Project, which also includes the development of giant Kashagan field and smaller fields - Aktoty, Kairan and South-West Kashagan. Geological reserves of the Kalamkas-Sea are estimated at 159 million tons of oil, while recoverable reserves at 57 million tons of oil. At the same time, conditions for oil production at Kalamkas-Sea are easier than on other fields of the project. The ministry also plans additional evaluation work on Aktoty and Kairan fields. Kazakhstan will carry out additional exploration work on the Kurmangazy oil field in the Caspian Sea in 2016. In 2016, it is planned to monitor the abandoned wells and develop the project of additional exploration work on the field," the ministry said. In 2015, a monitoring of the abandoned wells was carried out on the Kurmangazy field. No production activities, including drilling and seismic surveys on the field were conducted last year. The field is developed on the basis of a production sharing agreement between KazMunayTeniz and Rosneft. In 2006 and 2009, two exploration wells were drilled on Kurmangazy, but they didnt reveal any signs of oil, despite the fact that the preliminary forecasts regarding the field were promising and were estimated at one billion tons of recoverable reserves. After that, it was proposed to close the project. The ministry said that the decision to close the project was declined at the level of the governments of Kazakhstan and Russia and the contract remains in force. It was decided to resume exploration work at an intergovernmental commission meeting in 2014. Forecasted reserves of the field are estimated at 2.8 billion tons of equivalent fuel, they are located in deep-seated Paleozoic sediments, and the exploration work is associated with high risks, according to the ministry. Kazakhstan's plans on Central and Khvalynsk fields Kazakhstan's Energy Ministry also noted that the country expects Russia in 2016 to grant rights for subsoil use regarding the Central field, according to previous agreements. The Central field is located within the Russian sector of the Caspian Sea, but its development should be conducted with the participation of Kazakh partners. Reserves of the field are estimated at 169.1 million tons of equivalent fuel. The term of the exploration license expired in 2009. The companies couldnt obtain a new license, as Russian law forbade the work of private entities on the shelf. In October 2015, the presidents of Russia and Kazakhstan signed a protocol allowing Russian government to issue a license for the geologic exploration and production of oil and gas on the Central field. After obtaining the rights for subsoil use, Kazakhstan plans to carry out design and survey work and assess the damage inflicted to aquatic bioresources from engineering research on this field. It is planned to continue considering feasibility study of the field development and coordinate conditions of PSA regarding the Khvalynsk project as well. Khvalynsk oil and gas condensate field is located in the northern part of the Caspian Sea and should be developed under the PSA. The reserves of the field are 322 billion cubic meters, 18.398 million tons of condensate, 241.897 million tons of oil. Kazakhstan, which enjoys huge hydrocarbon reserves, produces oil mainly from its largest fields Karachaganak and Tengiz. The Karachaganak field's oil and gas reserves amount to 1.2 billion tons while its natural gas reserves are estimated at 1.35 trillion cubic meters. About 49 percent of Kazakhstan's gas production and 18 percent of its produced oil are extracted from this field. The Tengiz field in the west of the country is also one of the deepest and largest oil fields in the world. Total estimated reserves amount to three billion tons (26 billion barrels). Another large oil and gas field Kashagan is located in the north of the Caspian Sea. Oil production at Kashagan started in September 2013, but its operation was suspended when a gas leak appeared along its pipeline. -- Aynur Karimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 6 January 2016 10:45 (UTC+04:00) The crisis in relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran can escalate into an open interconfessional conflict and Ankara should stay away from all that is taking place, Ermagan Kuloglu, a retired Turkish major general, told Trend in an exclusive interview Jan. 5. Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran soured after execution of Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent Shia cleric, by the Kingdom along with other 46 people, which was followed by a strong protest from Iran. Mass protests took place in Iran following the said execution. In particular, the Saudi embassy in the capital Tehran and the consulate in the city of Mashhad were attacked, after which Riyadh broke off diplomatic ties with Tehran on Jan. 3. Saudi Arabias permanent representative to the United Nations Abdullah al-Moallem had earlier said that relations with Iran will be restored only when Tehran stops interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, including that of Saudi Arabias. Meanwhile, Turkeys Foreign Ministry expressed concern about the attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran and described the attacks as unacceptable. The ministry also called for Iran and Saudi Arabia to be careful and use the language of diplomacy rather than threats. Kuloglu believes that the severance of diplomatic ties between Tehran and Riyadh can negatively affect the whole Muslim world. He also didnt rule out that a number of other countries, protecting their own interests, may take part in a possible open military conflict that can arise as a result of the crisis in relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran. There is already a religious polarization in the Islamic world Shiites and Sunnis, who are supported by a number of non-Muslim countries, he said. The expert believes that the Shiite Muslim bloc led by Iran is supported by Russia and China, while the Sunni Muslim bloc led by Saudi Arabia is supported by the US and Europe. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 6 January 2016 13:57 (UTC+04:00) Moscow has granted four Iranian dairy factories with permissions to export products to Russia, an Iranian official said. Kaveh Zargaran, a member of the Iranian chamber of commerce, industries, mines, and agriculture has said that the decision came after a Russian delegation of veterinarians visited Iran to monitor the quality of the output of the factories, Fars news agency reported. Saying that Russia imports about $4 billion of dairy products annually and $1.5 billion of the total amount includes various types of cheese, he added that Iran is capable of providing all those products. According to Zargaran the annual figure of Irans dairy exports stands at $670 million and if Iran manages to enter the Russian dairy market, the figure will dramatically increase. Iran exported $151 million worth of products to Russia between March and October last year. About $80 million of the amount fell to the share of agricultural products. In other words, agricultural products account for more than half of the value of exports from Iran to Russia. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 6 January 2016 16:18 (UTC+04:00) By Laman Sadigova Uzbekistan will toughen the penalties for the use of tobacco products and alcohol in public places starting from January 2016. Relevant amendments to the Code of Administrative Responsibility were adopted by the Legislative (lower) Chamber of the Uzbek Parliament in November 2015, and approved by the Senate in early December. On the eve of the New Year they were approved by the president. Under the amendments to the Code of Administrative Responsibility, consumption of tobacco products in work places, healthcare, education, sport-rehabilitation facilities, places with fire risks, including gasoline stations and other public places punished with a fine at the size of 1/3 sizes of minimal salary. The smoking is allowed at specially allocated places and rooms at the public places. Currently, MCI in Uzbekistan is 130.240 sums. In Uzbekistan, smoking in public places has been banned since April 2012, but the implementation of the ban is not controlled because of the lack of statutory sanctions. The government also increased fines for consumption of alcohol products in public places. The size of changed fine is now equal to 1/2 sizes of minimal salary. In case if the violation is repeated within one year, the fine will make up from 1/2 to 2 sizes of minimal salary or administrative arrest up to 15 days. Consumption of alcohol products is allowed at wedding, jubilee and other solemn ceremonies, trade and catering points, which have permission to sell alcohol products. --- Follow Laman Sadigova on Twitter: @s_laman93 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 6 January 2016 17:24 (UTC+04:00) By Sara Rajabova Iran has revealed its new underground missile base right after the reports that the United States is eyeing to impose new financial sanctions on the country over the missile testing in 2015. Parliamentary speaker, Ali Larijani visited an Islamic Revolution Guards Corps underground missile depot, situated in mountains on January 5, Iranian media reported. During Larijanis visit the IRGCs long-range Emad missiles, whichs test-firing last October has triggered a great discontent of the West, were exhibited as well. The Emad (Pillar) surface-to-surface missile, designed and built by Iranian experts, is the country's first long-range missile that can be precision-guided until it reaches its target. Following the test-fire, several Western sources claimed that Tehran violated the UN Security Councils resolution 1929 by test-firing the Emad missile, which is believed to be capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. The 2010 UN resolution prohibits Iran from developing missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads. Ban on ballistic missile tests by Iran remains valid until a nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers is implemented. Under that deal reached on July 14, most sanctions on Iran will be lifted in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. Once it takes effect, Iran will still be "called upon" to refrain from work on ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons for up to eight years. The United States said the Emad missiles can take a nuclear warhead and violate the U.N. Security Council resolution. However, Iran rejected the claims saying it has no nuclear weapons to place on them. U.S. officials say Washington will respond to the Emad tests with new sanctions against Iranian individuals and businesses linked to the program. U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said on January 6 the department was conferring with other US agencies about imposing sanctions on Tehran for a recent ballistic missile test. We are fully prepared to use sanctions with respect to this most recent ballistic missile test (and) are still working through some technical issues there, spokesman John Kirby said, according to Reuters. Last week, the reports said the U.S. will impose financial sanctions on Iran. However, the Wall Street Journal reported after that an announcement of new U.S. sanctions delayed for an unspecified period without explanation. The move met acute discontent of the Iranian officials. President Hassan Rouhani immediately issued an order calling on the defense ministry to expedite efforts for boosting the countrys missile power. Reportedly, Iran has the largest and most diverse ballistic missile arsenal in the Middle East. The Islamic Republic expands its missile program amid the concerns of the foreign countries and U.S. sanctions threat. The IRGC claimed that it constructed many underground missile bases in Iranian cities, which are capable of launching various types of missiles. For the first time, Iran released footage of an underground missile base in October last year. The base was located 500 meters below ground surface, according to media reports. The U.S., Britain, France and Germany then called on the United Nations Security Council's Iran sanctions committee to take action over a missile test by Tehran that they said violated a U.N. ban. -- Sara Rajabova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz President Obama referenced school shootingsfocusing especially on the 2012 attacks on Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. as he discussed actions he says will help reduce gun violence Tuesday morning. Surrounded by advocates for stronger gun laws and those affected by shootings, Obama discussed a list of plans that include closing loopholes on background checks required for firearms purchases, making the background check system more effective, federal research into technology designed to make guns safer, and a proposal to spend $500 million to increase access to mental health care. In his remarks, Obama acknowledged failed efforts to pass new gun laws through Congress after the Newtown shootings, in which a gunman killed 20 children and six adults before turning the gun on himself. Every time I think about those kids, it makes me mad, said Obama, who was introduced by Mark Barden, the father of a boy killed at Sandy Hook. He added that children on the streets of Chicago face gun violence every day. Even before Obama delivered his remarks, key players in the gun debate restated familiar positions. Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and several GOP presidential candidates criticized the presidents plans as overreaching actions that could infringe on Americans Second Amendment rights. No matter what President Obama says, his word does not trump the Second Amendment. //t.co/C3UpiNiDop #2a -- Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) January 5, 2016 Others have questioned whether specific gun actions would have prevented school shootings and other acts of gun violence, noting that many shooters acquired their guns legally. We know that we cant stop every act of violence, Obama said, acknowleding that criticism. But what if we tried to stop even one? Obamas actions won praise from the Sandy Hook Promise , an organization founded by some Newtown families that has pushed for new gun laws: We are particularly appreciative of the President's focus on mental health and getting people more access to care. Though mental illness rarely leads to violence, we know that people who lack mental wellness and coping skills can become violent towards themselves or others, and as a country we need to be more educated at recognizing the signs of at-risk behaviors and getting people help. We have always stressed that gun violence prevention cannot succeed without a comprehensive solution that goes beyond just firearms, and we are pleased to see the President offer a broad package of actions. This expansive solution, that narrows loopholes on existing gun sales, gives people aid to prevent violence from ever occurring, ensures smart and effective enforcement of existing legislation and considers future solutions to making weapons safer, will achieve its goal of making America safer and saving lives." Mental health is of particular concern to many Sandy Hook victims families. A November 2014 report by the Connecticut Office of the Child Advocate, which is tasked with reviewing child deaths in the state, detailed how gunman Adam Lanzas emotional and mental health needs went unmet throughout his childhood. The White House plan also won praise from teachers unions. The AFT strongly supports President Obamas effort to take action against our national epidemic of gun violencein 2015 alone, there were more than 52,000 incidents of gun violence in the United States, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said in a statement. Our memberswho are entrusted with the safety and care of our communities and our childrensee the impact of this violence every day. We look forward to working with the White House and other interested key stakeholders to ensure that we never again have to grieve the loss of children and educators to senseless gun violence, National Education Association President Lily Eskelsen Garcia said in a statement."Its going to take all of us to work together to make America safer for our children. The Council of Great City Schools strongly supports Obamas gun actions, Executive Director Michael Casserly said in a statement: Our public schools, particularly in the nation's Great Cities, remain one of the safest places for our children to be, but the toll that street violence takes on our students is alarming and heart wrenching. Too many students have been gunned down or have seen family members, friends, or classmates killed; too many students miss school because of their apprehension about what will happen walking to and from school; and too many students are unable to concentrate on their academic work out of fear for themselves or grief for others. The price that our young people, particularly our males of color, are paying in our cities for the inaction of adults in reducing gun violence is unbearable. And the nation itself is paying a high cost as it squanders the lives of so much needed talent." Related reading about the Newtown shootings and school safety: Follow @evieblad on Twitter or subscribe to Rules for Engagement to get blog posts delivered directly to your inbox. The first 100% gluten-free bakery has opened in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, producing a range of free-from breads and cakes. Twice as Nice opened on 10 December and is owned by Laura Krippner, who started baking commercially in the spring of 2014. She began by selling at the monthly Rode Hall Farmers Market, where she still trades. Krippner is aided in the bakery by Italian baker Walter Liberto, who is getting to grips with gluten-free baking for the first time, and the shop also sells local free-from products, including gluten-free variants of the unique Staffordshire oatcake, made by Weston Coyney Oatcakes. Krippner said: The basic premise behind the bakery is to create a gluten-free safe space. As well as being gluten-free, the bakery caters for other allergies and lifestyle choices. All the bread is free from all 14 allergens and some other products, including the Anzacs cookies, are made without egg or dairy. Krippner said she was inspired to start Twice as Nice due to the poor choice of gluten-free products she found in her area after moving back to the UK. She said: Just because you dont live in a big city it shouldnt mean you cant get things. Her bread received official recognition at the World Bread Awards, where she won a silver award for her Honey Glazed Apple Bread and a bronze for her Sourdough. The first time autism spectrum disorder was raised in this political campaign, in one of the Republican debates, the conversation took a predictable path into a conversation about vaccines and their supposed connection to the neurological disability. And thats the way conversations about autism generally go: theres a lot of talk about the increase in the number of cases of autism being diagnosed , but fewer high-profile discussions about how to support children and adults with autism and their families. Hillary Clintons autism policy proposal released earlier today is noteworthy for flipping the script, a bit: the proposal devotes a lot of attention to the needs of young people with autism, such as supporting laws that would outlaw restraint and seclusion in schools, or that would protect students with autism from bullyingboth issues that disproportionately affect students with disabilities. The proposal would also support research into adults with autism, and promote partnerships aimed at getting employers to hire more people with the disorder, which is characterized by difficulties in social interaction and communication. The focus on people living with autismnot just figuring out what causes itcomes fom the campaign contact with organizations such as the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network . In a press call discussing the proposal, ASAN president Ari Neeman said that its rare that people with autism are asked their opinion about the policy proposals that would affect their lives: Typically when the conversation occurs, its filtered very heavily around discussions about causation. The average person does not wake up in the morning and say, have there been any novel research findings regarding my disability today? Neeman said. Rather, he said, most people would want to know are they working on ways that will make it more likely that I will be able to find and keep a job or have access to education. Its also noteworthy, though, that much of the proposal is built around supporting programs that already exist in policy or law. For example, the proposal would direct federal officials to provide clear information to physicians and parents so that they know that all [Affordable Care Act] health plans must cover autism screening at 18 and 24 months. Many health providers are already doing that, because the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended autism screenings at those ages since 2006. The proposal also says Clinton would direct the Department of Education to work with schools to ensure that every young adult with autism has a transition plan on time. The Individuals with Disabilities Act already has a provision that any student covered by the law must start transition planning by age 16. A concern is that those transition plans have to be meaningful; theres little research in effective programs that help students with disabilities bridge the gap from high school to adulthood . The part of the policy proposal that comes with a price tag are some of the new research priorities, said campaign spokesman Brian Fallon. The exact increase in this area will be revealed in coming weeks as a part of a comprehensive research agenda proposal he said. In addition to autism, Clinton has said she would direct more money to be spent in researching disorders such as Alzheimers disease. Photo: Brittni Mulvin, a teacher at the Arizona Autism School in Phoenix, leads a combined class of 1st and 2nd grade students. Founded by a parent, the 90-student charter school filled up immediately upon opening in 2014.Patrick Breen for Education Week. Related Stories: for the latest news on special education policies, practices, and trends. Is It a Crime to Point a Gun at Someone? Often in criminal law, why you do something matters just as much (if not more) than what you do. So pointing a gun at someone can get you into trouble, but how much trouble will often depend on why you were pointing the gun and at whom. It is a crime to threaten someone with physical harm if you seem to have the means and intent to cause the threatened harm. That crime is called assault. Assault is generally defined as a threat that puts someone in fear of imminent harm, although state statutes do vary and assault is a particularly confusing crime because the term is sometimes used to refer to the related crime of battery as well. Pointing a gun at a person is likely to threaten a person's sense of safety and can certainly give the impression of intent to harm, so you could be charged with assault for it. Prince George Policeman's Assault A fine example of someone who was charged with assault for pointing a gun is the story of a police officer in Prince George County, Maryland, convicted last month of first- and second-degree assault, among other crimes. The officer, Jenchesky Santiago, was caught on film pointing a gun to the head of William Cunningham, shouting, ordering him into a car, and making a very convincing case that he intended to use his weapon. Cunningham and his friends were confronted by the officer because they were illegally parked. In light of their alleged infraction, which was not at all severe, the officer's response was completely disproportionate and ultimately deemed criminal. Under Maryland law, severe assault also refers to battery, which means there was -- beyond the threat -- also an unwanted touching. Clearing up the Confusion Assault is a little bit confusing as crimes go, and that is in part because some states use the terms assault and battery interchangeably. Add to that the fact that the terms are misused on television, making the general understanding murkier. Technically speaking, a battery is an extension of an assault. So, in the assault an unwanted touching is threatened by someone who seems able and willing to commit that touching. Battery is what happens when the person makes good on the threat and actually commits an unwanted touching. But not every threat rises to the level of assault, and state statutes vary in the details, so look up your local laws to ensure you understand the precise elements that go into assault in your state. And just to be safe, don't point guns at anyone. Charged With a Crime? If you are charged with assault, battery, or any other crime, speak to a lawyer immediately. Do not delay. Get help. Related Resources: Judge Orders Bill Cosby's Wife to Testify in Civil Case Bill Cosby's wife, Camille, will have to testify in the civil lawsuit against him. Camille, who is also the actor and comedian's business manager, had asked the court to throw out the subpoena requiring her to give a deposition in the defamation suit filed by seven women against her husband. What happened to one spouse not being forced to testify against another? Does the spousal privilege apply to civil lawsuits? Privilege and Disqualification Massachusetts has specific laws governing spousal privilege and disqualification. While a "spouse shall not be compelled to testify in the trial of an indictment, complaint, or other criminal proceeding brought against the other spouse," this privilege does not extend to civil proceedings like the lawsuit filed against Cosby. Spouses also "shall not testify as to private conversations with a spouse occurring during their marriage." It was this disqualification rule that Camille Cosby sought to invoke, barring her from testifying at her scheduled deposition and possibly during the trial. Disqualification applies "in any proceeding, civil or criminal," with a few exceptions. "No Merit" But U.S. Judge Magistrate David Hennessey was unconvinced. He said Camille failed to prove that she was protected by Massachusetts' marital disqualification law and saw "no merit" in her claim that the law "renders her incompetent to testify in this matter." Hennessey also rejected claims that the value of Camille's testimony would be outweighed by the "undue burden" the deposition would cause. The judge wrote that her arguments "do not outweigh the potential significance of Mrs. Cosby's testimony, nor has Mrs. Cosby provided any authority that they do." Camille was originally scheduled to be deposed tomorrow, but the deposition has been moved to Wednesday next week. Judge Hennessey did order her testimony be kept under seal, meaning the details of her deposition testimony will not be made public. Follow FindLaw for Consumers on Facebook and Twitter (@FindLawConsumer). Related Resources: Managing Debt Whether you are looking to consolidate credit card debt or are looking for complete debt relief, get the advice and tools you need to manage your debt. Lumosity Game Maker Settles Over False Health Claims in Ads Advertisers must limit their claims by law. They can't just say a certain snake oil will cure all ills without any evidence to support it. When they do, the advertiser pays. Lumosity, a company that claims to transform science into games, was advertising the preventative health powers of its gaming products and caught the attention of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection. The company has settled with the agency and will pay consumers $2 million. It also owes a $50 million penalty, which has been suspended because it cannot pay, and the company is barred from continuing to claim that its games stave off dementia and dementia and Alzheimer's disease. FTC on Lumosity Claims "Lumosity preyed on consumers' fears about age-related cognitive decline, suggesting their games could stave off memory loss, dementia, and even Alzheimer's disease," Jessica Rich, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement announcing the settlement. But the company's research didn't back up the claims they were making, and the company charged customers $15 per month or $300 for a lifetime subscription based on those fears. Other Prohibitions on Lumosity According to a report on the settlement in Consumerist, the company also faces the following prohibitions: 1. Lumosity is no longer allowed to make claims that using their games improves cognitive ability to increase performance or helps stave off damage from phyiscal, age-related, or psychological illnesses that can affect thinking and memory, such as Alzheimer's disease, Turner syndrome, or post-traumatic stress disorder. 2. The company can only make claims based on scientific research performed by qualified professionals and that is completely randomized, blinded, and independent from the company itself. 3. Lumosity and its representatives can't use "clinically proven." 4. If Lumosity's claims about improved thinking and memory are true, that would make their game a drug, and subject to approval and regulation by the Food and Drug Administration. Unless they want FDA scrutiny, they will need to rethink their whole brand. 5. Lumosity solicited testimonials through a contest offering prizes like a lifetime subscription to the service, or a trip to San Francisco. That is not allowed. If you are a Lumosity game subscriber, you should receive news of the settlement in the mail soon, along with notice on how to end auto-renewing subscriptions. Related Resources: For one 17-year-old it was a special afternoon. Anderson Combs was among the 52 young men who dove into Spring Bayou Wednesday during the 110th Epiphany celebration in Tarpon Springs. It only took Combs about 15 seconds to capture the cross, which was blessed by a visiting Archbishop and thrown into the bayou waters. He was greeted once he came out of the cold water with warm towels, then was hoisted and carried to St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. "When I first got in, it was a little cold, but once I realized all my brothers were with me, it was a happy moment to be there and I instantly warmed up," he said. Combs lives in Hudson and attends St. George Greek Orthodox Church in New Port Richey. "I was caught off guard because the boat jumped back," he said. "Once he actually ended up throwing the cross in, I was in the water by the time it hit the water. As I swam over, I could see where the wrinkles were coming from. "Then after that, I dove down and nobody found it, and I came up and made sure nobody found it, took a deep breath, went under some people, kicked around and I saw a little bit of white and I grabbed it and I came up with the cross." This was Combs' second time diving for the cross. Thousands of people came to Tarpon Springs for the event, which is the largest Epiphany event in the Western Hemisphere. "It was a beautiful scene," visitor John Mitchell said. "We are from Chicago, we're Greek and this is the first time we had an opportunity to come down to see the Epiphany." "It's nice to see all these young men, like I said, and all these people that come to start their new year like this to see something religious, because sometimes in the world today people are shunning that and it's nice to see," Marilyn Mitchell said. According to tradition, whoever recovers the cross is said to be blessed for a full year. St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman is looking to further bridge the watery divide between his city and Tampa with a ferry service that would run between the two downtowns. "For a ferry project to move forward it really is going to take a cooperative partnership," said Kriseman. Kriseman is making the rounds, looking to drum up support for the project. The St. Petersburg City Council has already agreed to earmark $350,000 for a pilot project which would have the ferry running from October to April. Kriseman is looking for a similar financial commitment from the city of Tampa as well as Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. "We're talking about spending a good deal of time working out a deal and if we don't have the participation of the other partner governments, then it's all for naught and doesn't make sense," he said. Mayor Bob Buckhorn isn't willing to say he's fully on board but he said it is worth looking into. "Numbers are important for me. We need to understand what the risk is, what the return is, if the numbers are real in terms of projections," said Buckhorn. Kriseman said the money would be used to rent and operate one ferry and to build temporary docks near the Tampa Convention Center and the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Art. He admits it could be hard to tell how many people will ride the ferry until it's up and running. "We know at a minimum if we do this what our exposure is. What we won't know is what kind of return would we get to offset that exposure?" Kriseman said. He said that's why he's proposing the six month trial period to figure it out. Kriseman also plans to ask state lawmakers for addition funding for a second ferry which would help provide more frequent service. Here's what you need to know about the Tampa Bay area's weather for the rest of the week: Thursday to be partly sunny and warmer Highs will be back in the mid 70s Thursday will become partly sunny and warmer. Highs back into the mid 70s. Scattered showers could return on Friday as a low pressure area moves over the state. Another disturbance could bring us some rain and maybe a thunderstorm Saturday night. By Sunday, a front will have moved through the area with another shot of cooler and drier air. There is a great deal of model disagreement about the weather for the middle of next week. We will have to just wait and see as we get closer. "There's no media anywhere about these guys, but they're so cool!" That's the thought Tomonobu Yanagi had when he decided to make a magazine about "construction culture." Yanagi was a punk musician in the 1970s, and now manages a waterworks construction firm. He teamed up with Japanese "new journalism" writer Gensho Ishimaru (known for writing about his recreational drug trips) to launch Blue's Magazine. With lavish photos, it covers subjects such as the kind of food construction workers favor (salty, greasy food), what it is like to be on a crew rebuilding the Fukushima area, and the influx of construction workers from Africa and America. From Ignition: Agates on Oregon Coast Crazy Good; Erosion Changes Beaches Published 01/06/2016 at 4:33 AM PDT By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff (Oregon Coast) Agates abound in big ways on the coastline right now, thanks to all those nutty and gnarly winter storms. Those wild waves have made other remarkable changes as well, including shifting streams around, filling beaches with debris, remodeling dunes and more. (Above: photo by Laura Joki, who has been finding some monster agates. These were found in Lincoln City all in one day). The big news is that agate hunting is amazing on much of the Oregon coast. Those massive waves scoured out a lot of sand all over, leaving lots of gravel beds exposed. The best documented example and most stunning is at the Nelscott area of Lincoln City. Early on in these sets of storms, Laura Joki, owner of agate shop Rock Your World, took startling video of the changes there, which included a whopping eight to ten feet of sand getting stripped away, and one access showing off pure bedrock. Something that's a complete rarity. That was near the end of the month, but things have changed just a little. Maybe six inches has returned, Joki said. Enough to barely start covering rocks again. One of the more striking sights in Joki's videos is of a giant mound of blackish rock exposed by storms, which contains a big jasper vein, where she said many of the jasper agates are coming from. They're practically pouring out of that blob. Other places to check for such agate proliferation include Ona Beach (near Waldport), Newport's Moolack and Beverly Beaches, just north of Pacific City (including Tierra Del Mar), Oceanside, Rockaway Beach, Manzanita, the stretch between Arch Cape and Cannon Beach that includes Arcadia and Hug Point, and even the southern part of Seaside (just north of the Cove). Meanwhile, erosion is making quite a few changes to Oregon coast beaches in other ways. The volunteer group CoastWatch has eyes all over the region and has noticed some wild shifts in the way many areas look. At around the Nelscott area and D River in Lincoln City, one CoastWatch member reported seeing not as much erosion at D River, an area not far from the crazy bedrock seen by Joki. One bluff closer to Nelscott was so eroded it had even dislodged some pine trees, however. At Patterson State Park near Waldport, the stream has shifted direction. Instead of curving around it's now a fairly straight path to the tides. Earlier this year it had been quite close to the beach access and almost blocked it, according to CoastWatch. MacPhillips Beach that rather hidden access just north of Cape Kiwanda had been jostled around quite a bit. This is one of the few accesses on the Oregon coast where you can drive on, but storms in December had blocked cars out by depositing huge amounts of debris at the entrance. That same CoastWatch member described the sand dune on the northern face of Cascade Head (by Neskowin) as being remodeled. The Twin Rocks section of Rockaway Beach has a lot of erosion and gravel beds, and one report talked of the ground in front of a rental property getting substantially eaten away. In Manzanita, you can see the dunes having been chomped on by storms and high tides. This is rather remarkable as the dunes are normally a couple hundred feet from the tideline. Streams in that area, like many all around the Oregon coast, are covered in large piles of logs. Arch Cape, near Cannon Beach, is now mostly rocky in many stretches and you can see evidence of fresh slides in the cliffs. At Fort Stevens, some sections that were normally gradual inclines down dunes are a sudden drop, sometimes by as much as five, six feet. It was described as having caved away. Sunset Beach, just north of Seaside, has had its beach approach changed with so many objects strewn around. Oregon Coast Hotels for this activity - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours More agate photos and video from Joki's recent finds below, as well as Arch Cape. When you ask us where the agates and jasper come from on the beach, this is where. Nelscott Beach, Lincoln City, OR 12-22-15 Posted by Rock Your World: Pacific NW Gem & Jewelry Gallery on Tuesday, December 22, 2015 More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will come to Beaumont Jan. 20 for a fundraiser, according to her campaign website. The event, exactly a year before the presidential inauguration, will be between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the home of a local couple. The UK's Parliament, forced by public petition (link), must debate banning racist nylon toilet brush Donald Trump from entering the country. It would be "a mistake" to do so, his organization warned Wednesday, promising "consequences" in the event that the ban happens. The United Kingdom's proposed Donald Trump ban arose after Trump's widely criticized call for a Muslim ban in the United States. British Prime Minister David Cameron has deemed Trump's proposal "divisive, unhelpful, and quite simply wrong." A petition circulating in the U.K. has earned more than 560,000 signatures calling for Trump to be turned away from Britain's borders. However, according to the Trump Organization, a ban would "alienate the many millions of United States citizens who wholeheartedly support Mr. Trump and have made him the forerunner by far in the 2016 presidential election." Further, the Trump Organization warned that were the U.K. to take any action against its namesake, it would "force The Trump Organization to immediately end [investments in Turnberry] and all future investments we are currently contemplating in the United Kingdom." Jeva Lange A 28-year-old woman employed as an English tutor at Kingwood Park High School is accused of having sex with a male student both at her home and in her car. Cierra Nicole Crain, of Cleveland, is charged with sexual assault of a child age 14 to 17. She was not in custody on Tuesday, according to online records. School employees overheard students gossiping about an alleged sexual relationship between a male student and a teacher, Humble school district police said. When the school principal spoke with the student, he confirmed that he had a relationship with Crain, police said. The principal called Crain into her office on Nov. 16 to tell her there had been an allegation of an inappropriate relationship and that she needed to leave the campus, according to the arrest warrant. The first time the student and teacher engaged in sexual activity was at her home, the boy told authorities. Another sexual encounter occurred late in the evening Oct. 30, after he received a Snapchat message on his phone, records state. Prior to that occasion, the boy had communicated with Crain "many times" by Snapchat, he told police. On Oct. 30, Crain asked the boy to meet her in the parking lot of Woodland Hills Elementary School, which he did. The two had sex in her car, according to the arrest warrant. A spokeswoman for the Humble school district could not be immediately reached on Tuesday. Walter Diggles, the executive director of the Deep East Texas Council of Governments who is on administrative leave while under federal indictment, was suspended from pay and benefits by the group's executive committee on Tuesday. "The Executive Committee of the Deep East Texas Council of Governments met with legal counsel regarding the federal indictment of Walter Diggles. The decision was made by the committee to maintain Diggles on administrative leave, but to immediately suspend his pay and all benefits," said Angelina County Judge Wes Suiter, DETCOG president, in a prepared statement. Following nearly three years of legal back-and-forth, a former Jefferson County Sheriff's academy instructor on Tuesday dropped a whistleblower lawsuit brought against the county. Ocie Chaisson's attorney declined to comment on the case, except to say that his client had "moved on." A U.S. magistrate judge has agreed to hear arguments from five defendants who have asked to be dismissed from a federal conspiracy lawsuit brought by former Beaumont ISD contract electrician Calvin Walker and former employee Jessie Haynes. Beaumont attorney Wayne Reaud, The Examiner newspaper along with two of its representatives and reporter Jerry Jordan will argue they should be dismissed from the case because they are protected under the Texas Citizens Participation Act, which encourages "communication made in connection with a matter of public concern," according to the motions to dismiss. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate New gun rules President Barack Obama announced Tuesday will put some private firearms sellers "out of business," at least temporarily, said the organizer of a frequent Southeast Texas gun show that features unlicensed gun sales. One of the gun-related executive actions Obama announced would shrink - but not close - the so-called loophole allowing people to buy firearms from private sellers online, at gun shows and elsewhere without undergoing background checks. It will require more dealers to obtain licenses, keep detailed records on sales and ensure that buyers do not have a criminal history. "It will put (some of) them out of business," said Aubrey Sanders, who operates The Real Texas Gun Show. "My vendors, a lot of them, are retired, old and up in age. They are very conscientious of who they sell to anyway." Although license holders are required to complete voluminous paperwork, it should not preclude "serious" gun dealers from continuing to sell, said James Tuter, a licensed dealer and owner of TCB Tactical in Mauriceville, who supports closing the background-check loophole. RELATED: Obama acts alone on gun control "There's guns getting in the wrong hands and we need to do something about it," Tuter said. "I don't personally have anything against people who don't have a license selling the guns, but they need a way to do a background check." Obama's background-check action will reclassify which sellers need to be licensed - those "in the business of selling guns" - based on volume, frequency, profit and other sales factors. That means more dealers will be required to have a license, which in turn means they must conduct background checks for each sale. Different from the universal background check legislation debated in Congress following the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the enforcement shift will not impact hobbyists or other low-volume sellers. Texas is one of 32 states that does not go beyond federal law in requiring unlicensed sellers to conduct background checks. The state on Jan. 1 began allowing citizens to openly carry handguns. In August, the new campus-carry law, allowing people to carry concealed handguns at public universities, will go into effect. Carriers must first acquire licenses to do so, a process that requires a background check. The state also collects fingerprints from applicants, meaning the process to publicly carry in Texas is stricter than the federal law to make purchases. Sanders' shows on average feature about 150 vendors, about a third of whom are unlicensed, he said. Some private dealers are hobbyists, but others "make a living" and support their retirement selling guns, ammunition and other gear, Sanders said. RELATED: Questions and answers about Obama's executive plan on guns Of the four vendors who don't miss a stop on the circuit, one is unlicensed, he said. The show requires that unlicensed sellers verify the age and address of buyers by requesting government-issued ID. They cannot advertise that their sales do not include background checks, and many ask questions of buyers so that they don't knowingly sell guns to people who wouldn't pass a background check, Sanders said. "It's not like we're a bunch of wild cowboys out there slinging guns everywhere," Sanders said. "We do have certain morals and our own code of conduct. We don't want a firearm to fall into the wrong hands." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Read the complete story in the Beaumont Enterprise. EBesson@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/EricBesson_news [My friend Peter Sheridan is a Los Angeles-based correspondent for British national newspapers. He has covered revolutions, civil wars, riots, wildfires, and Hollywood celebrity misdeeds for longer than he cares to remember. As part of his job, he must read all the weekly tabloids. For the past couple of years, he's been posting terrific weekly tabloid recaps on Facebook and has graciously given us permission to run them on Boing Boing. Enjoy! Mark] Bill Cosby "will die in jail," J. Edgar Hoover's "Kennedy blackmail files" have been revealed, and Jennifer Lopez reveals her "secrets for staying young," which inexplicably doesn't include being born with her parents' DNA and acquiring several million dollars to maintain one's looks. But if we're looking for logic and facts, this week's tabloids aren't the best place to find them. Angelina Jolie has adopted a seventh child "behind Brad's back," claims the Enquirer. You think he might notice, sooner or later? Elvis Presley was murdered to prevent him from running off with an alleged lover he bedded 24 years earlier, the Enquirer also claims. And to complete its trifecta, the Enquirer claims that Kurt Cobain was murdered because the fatal shotgun shell was found to the left of his body though the weapon's chamber ejects shells to the right. Let's get real. Shell casings bounce. Presley wasn't about to leave his young fiance for an old hookup. And Angelina's "adopted" son is still part of a family in Cambodia that she has reportedly helped by buying $200 worth of new clothes a fortune in that country, but still, only $200 which falls slightly short of the legal definition of adoption. Will Cosby die in jail, as the Enquirer promises? Prosecutors have to convict him first. J. Edgar Hoover's "blackmail files" aren't "revealed" at all by the Globe, which claims to have interviewed a "top government official" who doesn't have the alleged files either, and then rehashes all the well-worn allegations about patriarch Joe Kennedy being a Nazi spy, JFK's illicit sex romps, and First Lady Jackie Kennedy's affair with Frank Sinatra. Fortunately we have the celebrity magazines to bring us the week's real news: Sofia Vergara wore it best (or at least, filled it bursting-at-the-seams best), Mark Cuban confesses that he would "rather eat fast food than a formal meal," and the stars are just like us: they snack on the go, they shop for shoes, and they catch some rays. But Us magazine's crack investigative team this week fails to bring us an exclusive look inside the purse of a "celebrity" you've probably never heard of. There's no revelation about what brand of chewing gum they favor, or what flavor lip gloss a starlet totes. No candid shots of car keys, sunglasses and the hip, thought-provoking novel they think they'd like to be seen reading, if only they read something other than well-thumbed scripts that other stars have passed on. Thankfully we have People magazine to bring us its cover story on the "Secrets of the Full House stars," reunited after 20 years. And what are those "secrets"? "Everything happens for a reason," says John Stamos. Bob Saget reveals that his three daughters "are the light of my life." And Jodie Sweetin, recovered from a meth addiction, says: "My life is amazing." Sadly, those aren't secrets any more. Onwards and downwards . . . U.S. Anesthesia Partners has partnered with partnership with South Denver Anesthesiologists in Englewood, Colo. Here are four things to know: 1. South Denver Anesthesiologists joined Greater Colorado Anesthesia, which partnered with USAP in February 2015. 2. SDA, together with Greater Colorado Anesthesia, includes over 230 anesthesia providers. 3. USAP, formed in 2012, has grown to nearly 2,000 anesthesia providers in numerous markets, including Texas and Central Florida. 4. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine's December 2015 publication examined the financial integration of physicians and hospitals, and the association with commercial healthcare prices. The researchers used a regression analysis to examine the relationship between changes in physician-hospital integration from Jan. 1, 2008 to Dec. 31, 2012 in 240 metropolitan statistical areas. The study included more than 7 million non-elderly enrollees for preferred-provider organizations or point-of-service plans included in the Truven Health MarketScan Commercial Database. The researchers found: 1. Physician hospital integration increased from 2008 to 2012 by 3.3 percentage points on average. There was considerable variation in the increase across the country, with the interquartile range going from 0.8 percentage points to 5.2 percentage points. 2. An increase in the physician-hospital integration equivalent to the 75th percentile of changes was associated with an average increase of $75 per enrollee in annual outpatient spending from 2008 to 2012. 3. There was a 3.1 percent increase in average outpatient spend per enrollee in 2012 to around $2,407. 4. Price increases drove the increase in outpatient spending because associated changes in utilization were minimal. The corresponding change in price-standardization spending was $14 per enrollee. 5. The changes in physician-hospital integration weren't associated with significant inpatient spending changes around $22 per enrollee. The integration also wasn't associated with a utilization change. "Financial integration between physicians and hospitals has been associated with higher commercial prices and spending for outpatient care," concluded the study authors. A large portion of any ambulatory surgery center's budget is focused on implants and supplies used per case. The implant selection and use affects case cost and supply chain efficiency can make an immediate impact on a facility's bottom line. That's why it's so important for ASCs to work with suppliers who are valued vendors at their facility. ASC owners and operators run into several supply chain management issues throughout the year. The biggest headaches can include: 1. Inventory management. Materials managers must track inventory coming into the surgery center to ensure clinical staff are prepared for their cases everyday and avoid cancellations. The administrator also needs ordering data to keep the budget balanced and ensure supplies don't expire on the shelves. It's easy to lose track of inventory and nurses may hide materials around the ASC so they'll always have a few extra supplies available if the main closet runs low. 2. Physician preference items. Individual physicians may insist on using certain tools because they have experience with specific brands and a relationship with their vendors. However, if those tools aren't in the ASC's current contracts, they could cost a premium price. ASC operators want to work with surgeons to make the ASC comfortable, but also need to cover their expenses, especially if they could lose money on high-cost implants with low reimbursing payer contracts. 3. Inaccurate price points. ASCs don't always obtain the best price for implants and supplies based on the volume and type of product ordered. In some cases, ASCs can achieve savings by purchasing in bulk or standardizing to achieve the bulk rates. Other times the invoice for materials doesn't match the negotiated price and ASCs pay more than initially thought for certain products. 4. Last-minute shipping costs. Just-in-time ordering and shipping costs for implant systems and other devices burden the ASC. Whether it's because the ASC ran out of materials without replenishing fast enough or a surgeon decides to bring in a complex case at the 11th hour, the freight expenses these items takes a huge toll on the center's bottom line to avoid a preventable cancellation. 5. Product shortages. There are some products, including important pharmaceutical drugs, the ASC needs but are in short supply. Shortages drive up the cost of products, forcing ASCs to purchase from different vendors or find alternative supplies. ASCs can limit the economic impact of these shortages by engaging the alternative options when the need arises instead of hunkering down with the same company and suffering high prices or cancelled cases. There are several strategies ASCs can take to overcome supply chain management issues. First, appoint a materials manager who will keep an eye on all inventory, ordering, contracted rates and invoices to ensure the centers is running efficiently and cost-effectively. This person is responsible for scheduling regular audits, identifying discrepancies and recovering lost inventory or profits from overpayments. The second step for ASCs is automation, which often means partnering with an outside vendor. Automating the inventory management system to check-in and check-out supplies keeps a digital record with easily-run reports on the ASC's progress. The process also helps materials managers avoid ordering duplicates. The administrator and materials manager can also see ordering trends to make sure they aren't over- or under-ordering at any point during the year. Finally, working with physicians to standardize materials and implants can make a huge impact on materials costs. There may always be a few items purchased on consignment or special order for unique cases, but if the bulk of the procedures come from one or two vendors the ASC can incur savings. The savings are especially big when the surgeons choose to partner with the lowest cost implants that don't compromise quality. Hillsboro, Ore.-based Acumed is a medical device manufacturing company that partners with facilities to improve the ASC overall. The company was founded as a small family business in 1988 and launched its first arthroscopy screw line for ACL ligaments in 1991. Now products include implants for the elbow, foot and ankle, hand and wrist, hip and pelvis and shoulder procedures. As a partner, Acumed offers industry expertise and benefits beyond the typical provider for outpatient surgical facilities, including: Supports surgical cases Works with administrators for the best pricing Identifies opportunities to bring more cases into the center Works with centers to generate profits from new cases One of Acumed's core values is to innovate with a purpose, both clinically and operationally. The company supports collaboration between engineers, product managers and physicians. They also work with ambulatory surgery centers to collaborate on cost-savings and revenue driving opportunities unique to each center. For example, Acumed partners with United Surgical Partners International to provide affiliated surgical centers with implants as well as supply chain strategy assistance. "We have several centers located in Texas and Acumed was really able to come in and understand our situation," says Carlos Adame, Director of Procurement for United Surgical Partners International. We believe that in order to effectively manage all aspects of supply chain spend, you have to form formal partnerships with strategic vendors. With that said, we solidified an agreement with Acumed that is based on growth. They understand our position and were able to work with us to positively impact the business." Acumed collaborated with Mr. Adame and his team to develop a press release and promotional booklet for each surgical center. USPI connected with regional managers to discuss the partnership and then each manager implemented the new supply strategy at USPI ASCs. "We don't have enough sales people to do this on our own, but Acumed was able to work with use to spread the initiative," says Mr. Adame. "They printed a thick catalogue with the USPI logo on it that included implants and then sent it to the facilities. In the first quarter we increased same-store business by about 300 percent post-agreement." ASC owners and operators that foster a good relationship with vendors and their third-party partners can optimize services and contracts, as well as leverage their relationship, to achieve the best rates possible. The best deals are struck when managers take time to talk with their partners or vendors and communicate their needs. The ASC industry and healthcare in general is always evolving and as the center's needs change, so will the ways in which partners provide value. The Acumed representatives have a full offering of products and are very knowledgeable about their products. Most company representatives have healthcare administration experience, but Acumed also has negotiating experience and can work with the physicians to help them understand every aspect of the new product. "The more people realize that putting good resources into supply chain function is necessary, the more they'll see success and value in doing agreements and managing functionality," says Mr. Adame. "This will become more important to entities whether it's a thousand-bed hospital or a two-OR ASC. There is a missed opportunity when you don't invest in this particular position." This article is sponsored by Acumed. An honest essay has numerous characteristics: original thinking, a good structure, balanced arguments, and plenty more. But one aspect often overlooked is that an honest essay should be interesting. It should spark the readers curiosity, keep them absorbed, make them want to stay reading and learn more. An uneventful article risks losing the readers attention; whether or not the points you create are excellent, a flat style, or poor handling of a dry subject material can undermine the positive aspects of the essay. The matter is that a lot of students think that essays should be like this: they believe that a flat, dry style is suited to the needs of educational writing and dont even consider that the teacher reading their essay wants to search out the essay interesting. You might want to have online essay editor service to boost your confidence in writing with an error-free output. Academic writing doesnt need to be and shouldnt be bland. The excellent news is that there is much stuff you can do to create your essay more attractive, while youll be able only to do such a lot while remaining within the formal confines of educational writing. Lets study what theyre. Have an interest in what youre writing about Dont go overboard, but youll be able to let your passion for your subject show. If theres one thing bound to inject interest into your writing, its being fascinated by what youre writing about. Passion for a subject matter comes across naturally in your essay, typically making it more lively and fascinating and infusing an infectious enthusiasm into your words within the same way that its easy to talk knowledgeably to someone about something you discover fascinating. Include fascinating details Another factor that may make an essay boring maybe a dry material. Some topic areas are naturally dry, and it falls to you to form the article more interesting through your written style and by trying to seek out fascinating snippets of knowledge to incorporate, which will liven it up a small amount and make the data easier to relate to. A way of doing this with a dry subject is to create what youre talking about that seems relevant to the critical world, as this is often easier for the reader to relate to. Emulate the fashion of writers you discover interesting When you read lots, you subconsciously start emulating the fashion of the writers you have read. Reading benefits you a lot, as this exposes you to a spread of designs, and youll start to require the characteristics of these you discover interesting to read. Borrow some creative writing techniques Theres a limit to the quantity of actual story-telling youll do when youre writing an essay; in the end, essays should be objective, factual and balanced, which doesnt, initially glance, feel considerably like story-telling. However, youll apply a number of the principles of story-telling to create your writing more interesting. consider your own opinion Take the time to figure out what its that you think instead of regurgitating the opinions of others. Cut the waffle Rambling on and on is dull and almost bound to lose the interest of your reader. Youre in danger of waffling if youre not completely clear about what you wish to mention or havent thought carefully about how youre visiting structure your argument. Doing all your research correctly and writing an essay plan before you begin will help prevent this problem. Editing is a vital part of the essay-writing process, so edit the waffle once youve done a primary draft. Read through your essay objectively and eliminate the bits that arent relevant to the argument or labor the purpose. employing a thesaurus isnt always a decent thing Avoid using unfamiliar words in an essay; theres too great a likelihood that youre misusing them. You may think that employing a thesaurus to seek out more complicated words will make your writing more exciting or sound more academic, but using overly high-brow language can have the incorrect effect. Avoid repetitive phrasing Please avoid using the identical phrase structure again and again: its a recipe for dullness! Instead, use a variety of syntax that demonstrates your writing capabilities and makes your writing more interesting. Mix simple, compound, and complicated sentences to avoid your paper becoming predictable. Use some figurative language Using analogies with nature can often make concepts more accessible for readers to know. As weve already seen, its easy to finish up rambling when youre explaining complex concepts mainly after you dont know it yourself. One way of forcing yourself to think about a couple of pictures, present it more simply and engagingly is to form figurative language. This implies explaining something by comparing it with something else, as in an analogy. Employ rhetorical questions Anticipate the questions your reader might ask. One of the ways ancient orators held the eye of their audiences and increased the dramatic effect of their speeches was by using the statement. A decent place to use a statement is at the top of a paragraph, to steer into the following one, or at the start of a replacement section to introduce a brand new area for exploration. Proofread Finally, you may write the top interesting essay an instructor has ever read. Still, youll undermine your good work if its plagued by errors, which distract the reader from the particular content and can probably annoy them. Patients in many cities across the U.S. will enjoy free physician visits under Affordable Care Act coverage this year. Payers in cities like Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Miami and more than a dozen more will be offering physician visits without a copay or coninsurance and without first paying off a deductible, according to the Miami Herald. Insurers are offering these benefits in response to many who purchased insurance, but still did not go to the physician due to high costs, according to the report. They are hoping free visits will help physicians catch illnesses earlier and ward off higher costs down the line, according to the report. Some of the payers offering such benefits include Harken Health, Zoom+, Florida Blue, and Molina Healthcare. Of these payers, some can afford to offer free visits by employing salaried physicians. Others are achieving the free visits by narrowing networks or other means, according to the report. More articles on finance: CBO says ACA repeal bill could save $516B in 10 years: 4 things to know Missouri hospital to close this month as BJC consolidates services CEOs and CFOs: 10 things demanding your attention this year As Epic's presence in the health IT industry continues to grow, so does the company's employee number and physical space. Here are six things to know about Epic's growth in 2015, as well as growth projections for the upcoming year. 1. The EHR vendor, based in Verona, Wis., added approximately 1,400 employees in the last year, with a workforce now reaching approximately 9,400 employees, Dana Apfel, Epic spokeswoman, told Wisconsin State Journal. 2. In early 2015, Epic announced plans to expand its campus by adding five buildings totaling one-half million square feet of office space. The literature-themed campus expansion is the vendor's fifth one, and will bring a total of 1,600 new offices and 1,500 parking spaces. The first three buildings of the expansion are expected to open in 2016, according to Wisconsin State Journal. 3. Epic is finishing its fourth campus expansion, called Wizards Academy, which is based on the aesthetic of historic university campuses like England's Oxford University and Hogwarts, the fictional school from the "Harry Potter" series. This expansion also adds five buildings, which will house 1,580 offices, according to the report. It also includes a full-size cafeteria, the second on Epic's campus. 4. The growth of Epic employee numbers has called for more roads leading to and from Epic's campus, according to the report. In 2016, a main road in Verona is being expanded to four lanes. "We just need a bigger road because of the traffic," Adam Sayre, planning and development director for Verona, said in the report. 5. Epic's employee growth likely parallels the vendor's growth in market share and demand for products. According to a September KLAS report, Epic was one of just two vendors that did not lose any clients in 2014. The other vendor was Watertown, Mass.-based athenahealth. 6. Epic's self-reported numbers indicate the vendor has 355 customers and exchanged 15.3 million patient records on the company's Care Everywhere network in June 2015. More articles on Epic: A year of Epic: 7 biggest stories from the EHR vendor this year Rochester Regional Health proposes $14M Epic EHR update 7 of the most colorful quotes from IT leaders in 2015 As hospitals and health systems work to strengthen their approach to diversity and inclusion, they are creating more chief diversity officer positions. According to a recent study from executive search firm Witt/Kieffer, 58 percent of CEOs, 64 percent of chief human resources officers and 50 percent of chief diversity officers agree or strongly agree that the number and prominence of chief diversity officers in healthcare organizations has improved over the past five years. "The role of a [chief diversity officer] now, more than ever, requires strong communication and negotiation skills, in addition to being comfortable with engaging in uncomfortable conversations," Oliver Tomlin, a board member and senior partner in Witt/Kieffer's healthcare and education practices, said in a prepared statement. Mr. Tomlin adds, "[Chief diversity officers] are becoming more purposeful and impactful in cultivating diversity and inclusion in the workplace and they play a crucial role in recruiting, retaining and developing diverse healthcare leaders." When looking for these chief diversity officers, hospitals and health systems look for candidates from broader backgrounds within healthcare as well as candidates from outside the industry. Here are 15 chief diversity officers to know at hospitals and health systems throughout the United States, presented alphabetically. Note: Chief diversity officers were selected based on editorial judgment and discretion. Individuals did not pay for inclusion on this list. David Acosta, MD, Associate Vice Chancellor of Diversity and Inclusion, UC Davis Health System (Sacramento, Calif.). Dr. Acosta, a family practice physician, leads diversity activities throughout UC Davis Health System, which includes the UC Davis School of Medicine, the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, UC Davis Medical Center and the physician practice group. Prior to UC Davis Health System, Dr. Acosta was chief diversity officer at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. During his tenure there, he established a rural health fellowship program for Tacoma Family Medicine, an affiliated residency program at UW's School of Medicine and a National Institutes of Health-funded Center for Cultural Proficiency in Medical Education at Washington. He also co-authored a diversity strategic plan and founded the Center for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at UW's School of Medicine. Dr. Acosta earned his medical degree from the University of California, Irvine, College of Medicine. Outside of UC Davis Health System, Dr. Acosta is a member of various organizations, including the American Academy of Family Physicians, the National Hispanic Medical Association, the National Alliance for Hispanic Health and the National Association for Rural Medical Educators. Additionally, he serves on several committees at the Association of American Medical Colleges. Kevin Antoine, Assistant Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer of State University of New York Downstate Medical Center (Brooklyn, N.Y.). In his role, Mr. Antoine oversees SUNY Downstate's hiring practices, employment policies, compliance with federal, state and university non-discrimination laws and polices, and workforce cultural competency training. He serves as chairman of the University of Brooklyn Hospital's Cultural Competency Committee. He is also a member of the American Association for Access Diversity and Inclusion, serves on its board of directors and serves as its national legislative director. A former Harvard University Administrative Fellow, he has a law degree from Williamsburg, Va.-based William and Mary, and a graduate certificate in organizational change from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. Elizabeth Appling, Chief Diversity Officer, Erlanger Health System (Chattanooga, Tenn.). As chief diversity officer at Erlanger, Ms. Appling provides leadership and oversight "in efforts to create and sustain a respectful and inclusive culture," according to the health system. Prior to her current role, she was employee relations representative for Erlanger. She is a member of various organizations, including the Institute For Diversity in Health Management and the Tennessee Hospital Association, where she served on the diversity committee. She earned a master's degree in business administration from McKenzie, Tenn.-based Bethel College and is a graduate of the 2012-13 disparities leadership program at Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital's Disparities Solutions Center. Tanya Blackmon, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Novant Health (Winston-Salem, N.C.). Ms. Blackmon is responsible for overseeing diversity and inclusion efforts for Novant Health. Prior to her current role, she held various other positions with Novant Health, including director of inpatient discharge planning, director of clinical improvement and community care services, and COO of Novant Health Charlotte (N.C.) Orthopedic Hospital. Most recently, she was president of Novant Health Huntersville (N.C.) Medical Center. Ms. Blackmon earned a master's degree in business administration from Queens University in Charlotte, N.C., and a Master of Social Work from the University of South Carolina in Columbia. Ronald Copeland, MD, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Kaiser Permanente (Oakland, Calif.). Dr. Copeland was named to his position in 2012. Dr. Copeland was previously president and executive medical director of Ohio Permanente Medical Group in Cleveland. He earned his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati Medical College and completed his residency in general surgery at the State University of New York Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse. Ricardo Forbes, Corporate Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, Baptist Health South Florida (Coral Gables). Mr. Forbes was named to his role in 2009. As corporate vice president and chief diversity officer, he is responsible for developing the strategy for diversity and inclusion programs at Baptist Health. Before then, Mr. Forbes was vice president of its affiliated Miami-based Baptist Hospital. Previously, he was administrative director at North Miami Beach, Fla.-based Parkway Regional Medical Center, which was acquired by Miami-based Jackson Health System from Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare Corp. and is now known as Jackson North Medical Center. He also previously served as an administrator at Miami-based Jackson Memorial Hospital and administrator of University of Miami Hospital and clinic. Mr. Forbes earned a master's degree in public health administration from New York University in New York City. Cristy Garcia-Thomas, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Aurora Health Care (Milwaukee). Named to her role in 2014, Ms. Garcia-Thomas is the first chief diversity and inclusion officer for Aurora Health Care. Additionally, Ms. Garcia-Thomas serves as president of the Aurora Health Care Foundation. Prior to Aurora, she was president of the United Performing Arts Fund, a Milwaukee-based nonprofit organization that raises funds to support prominent performing arts groups in Southeastern Wisconsin. Gloria Goins, Chief Diversity Officer, Bon Secours Health System (Marriottsville, Md.). Ms. Goins became chief diversity officer of Bon Secours in May 2014. In her role, she is responsible for leading the implementation of diversity and inclusion plan goals and initiatives for Bon Secours, among other things. Ms. Goins was previously vice president of business diversity outreach at Prudential Financial, an American Fortune Global 500 and Fortune 500 company. During her tenure with Prudential Financial, she managed a portfolio of 60 nonprofit organizations to create strategic business and recruiting relationships, and she was the company's subject matter expert on multicultural recruiting, marketing and sales initiatives. She earned a master's degree in business administration from Mercer University in Atlanta and a juris doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law in Philadelphia. Andres Gonzalez, Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, Froedtert Health (Milwaukee). Mr. Gonzalez is fairly new to his role. Named to his position in June 2015, he is responsible for overseeing the integration of diversity initiatives systemwide. Prior to joining Froedtert Health, Mr. Gonzalez was chief diversity and inclusion officer at Springfield, Mass.-based Baystate Health System, He was also previously director of diversity, community outreach and supplier diversity at Cleveland Clinic. Mr. Gonzalez earned a master's degree in education from Cleveland State University. He completed Cornell University's industrial and labor relations-diversity executive program in 2014, and is a credentialed Cornell certified diversity professional/advanced practitioner. He also has served as a diversity consultant for a number of national companies and organizations. Ildemaro Gonzalez, Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, Parkland Health & Hospital System (Dallas). Mr. Gonzalez is Parkland's first chief diversity officer. Named to the position in 2014, he works to develop and oversee programs to enhance the diversity of the hospital's workforce, vendors and participation in civic and community organizations. Prior to Parkland, Mr. Gonzalez was global director of inclusion and philanthropy and senior manager of inclusion and diversity at Newell Rubbermaid, a global marketer of consumer and commercial products. He also previously worked at the American Cancer Society as manager of inclusion and organizational development. Mr. Gonzalez earned a master's degree in business administration from Atlanta-based Georgia State University, and he earned both global and senior professional in human resources designations through the Society of Human Resource Management. Joseph Hill, Chief Diversity Officer, Jefferson (Philadelphia). Joseph Hill serves as chief diversity officer of Jefferson, which is made up of Thomas Jefferson University, Jefferson University Hospitals, Jefferson Physicians and the university's innovation and philanthropy arms. Prior to Jefferson, Mr. Hill worked at Milwaukee-based Froedtert Health, where he developed a diversity and inclusion program. Under his leadership, Froedtert's diversity and inclusion team was nationally recognized for supplier diversity and healthcare equality. Mr. Hill earned a master's degree from Howard University in Washington, D.C., and a certificate in diversity management in healthcare from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and the Institute for Diversity in Health Management. Leon McDougle, MD, Chief Diversity Officer, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (Columbus, Ohio). As the first chief diversity officer for The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Dr. McDougle heads up initiatives to improve workforce diversity, inclusion/climate and cultural competency across the organization. He also is tasked with establishing collaborations with leaders of diversity programs at other health sciences colleges and the university. In addition to his chief diversity officer responsibilities, Dr. McDougle practices as a family physician and is a tenured associate professor of family medicine in The Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus, where he earned his medical degree. Jennifer Mieres, MD, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Northwell Health (Great Neck, N.Y.). Dr. Mieres dons many hats at Northwell Health, formerly known as North Shore-LIJ Health System. She not only serves as chief diversity and inclusion officer, but also as senior vice president of the system's office of community and public health. Additionally, she is professor of cardiology and population health at the Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine in Hempstead, N.Y. Board certified in cardiovascular diseases and nuclear cardiology, Dr. Mieres is a Fellow of the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology and the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology. She is a graduate of Bennington (Vt.) College and Boston University School of Medicine. James E. Page Jr., Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, Johns Hopkins Medicine (Baltimore). Mr. Page was named to his position in 2014. Prior to his current role, he was assistant vice president and chief diversity officer at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, where he was responsible for helping to shape a culture focused on delivering culturally and linguistically competent care to patients from more than 85 countries, according to Johns Hopkins. Previously, Mr. Page was responsible for directing nationwide diversity across DaVita, a healthcare organization specializing in dialysis treatments. He also worked at Lancaster (Pa.) General Health, where he was vice president of diversity, inclusion and linguistics. Additionally, Mr. James worked for Dell as a leader in its global diversity, global ethics, compliance and privacy organizations for more than a decade. He earned a master's degree in business administration from The University of Texas at Austin. Deborah L. Plummer, PhD, Vice Chancellor of Diversity and Inclusion, UMass Memorial Health Care (Worcester, Mass.). Ms. Plummer serves as chief diversity officer for UMass Medical School and for UMass Memorial Medical Center and its medical group. In her role, she works with UMass Memorial Health Care leaders to develop and execute a diversity plan, and she works with system leaders to set the vision and provide leadership, strategic direction and coordination of all aspects of affirmative action/equal opportunity commitment and regulatory compliance obligations. In addition to her role as vice chancellor of diversity and inclusion, Ms. Plummer serves as professor in the departments of psychiatry, quantitative health sciences and the Graduate School of Nursing at UMass Medical School. More articles on leadership and management: UPMC Hamot Women's Hospital renamed as Magee-Women's campus: 5 things to know Largest hospital, health system layoffs of 2015 MAHA names president-elect for 2016: 3 things to know The U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote Wednesday on a measure that would repeal the Affordable Care Act, according to The Associated Press. Due to Republican control of the House, the bill is poised to hit President Barack Obama's desk marking the first time a full ACA repeal makes it to the White House, according to the report. The measure, officially called the Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act, comes in the form of a budget reconciliation bill. The reconciliation process has special rules in the Senate in that it requires only a simple majority to pass and cannot be filibustered. The bill has already passed in the Senate. President Obama has indicated he will veto the bill, which the Congressional Budget Office said Monday could have reduced the deficit by $516 billion over the next decade if it passed. Republicans know President Obama will veto the bill, but they want to demonstrate what could happen to the ACA if a Republican takes the White House in 2016, and highlight the differences between the two parties, according to the report. More articles on leadership and management: When will terrorism supplant healthcare as a national issue? It already has Partisan split on ACA repeal deepens Meet Fiona Godlee: Editor of The BMJ, campaigning to change science Major court case rulings and a change in enforcement focus made 2015 a significant year in the False Claims Act arena, and this year is poised to be a significant one as well. The Department of Justice obtained more than $3.5 billion in settlements and judgments from civil cases involving fraud and false claims against the government in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2015, with $1.9 billion recovered from companies and individuals in the healthcare industry. For several years, growth in False Claims Act recoveries has been fueled by the healthcare industry, and it appears that trend is going to continue through this year. In a recent interview with Becker's Hospital Review, Brian Roark, head of Bass, Berry & Sims' Healthcare Fraud Task Force, highlighted some of the major issues surrounding the False Claims Act that emerged last year and will continue in 2016. 1. Use of extrapolation. This allows the government to analyze a statistically significant sample of claims and apply the results across all similar claims for payment filed by a healthcare organization. "Fraud enforcers are using this technique as a shortcut to alleging wide-scale fraud," says Mr. Roark. For example, if a lawsuit claims there was fraud going on at a national healthcare company that was causing false billings all over the country, the government can draw a sample, make its case as to the small number of sampled claims and apply those results across the board. "While this makes sense from the enforcement agency's point of view, it raises questions of fairness from the provider's perspective," says Mr. Roark. The use of extrapolation has been challenged in the courts, and there have been a number of rulings in the government's favor in recent years. Mr. Roark says the outcomes in those cases are "very disturbing" from a healthcare provider's standpoint because they have essentially lowered the government's burden in proving wide-scale fraud in a nationwide case. Due to those rulings, it is likely the enforcement agencies will continue using extrapolation to prove damages and False Claims Act liability in 2016 and for years to come. 2. Focus on physician compensation. There was a continued focus on the relationships between hospitals and physicians in 2015, specifically the role of referrals in driving physician compensation. Physician compensation was at the center of several high-profile False Claims Act cases settled in 2015. One notable settlement involved Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Broward Health, formerly North Broward Hospital District. The health system agreed to pay the federal government $69.5 million to settle allegations it violated the False Claims Act by engaging in improper financial relationships with nine physicians. Michael Reilly, MD, the whistle-blower in the case, alleged the health system carefully tracked the value of physician referrals and pressured physicians to increase referral volume when they lagged. Just one week after the Broward Health settlement was announced, Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based Adventist Health System inked a $118.7 million agreement with the federal government and four states to settle similar allegations. The settlement resolved claims that the nonprofit health system paid bonuses to employed physicians based on a formula that improperly took into account the value of the physicians' referrals to Adventist hospitals. The big settlements in 2015 are not going to be the zenith of physician compensation cases, according to Mr. Roark. He says it could just be the beginning. "The significant publicity around those cases could lead to additional cases being filed, and even if not public, there are likely other cases of this type that are already in the pipeline." 3. Spotlight on individual liability. More and more, the government is holding individuals not just the organizations they work for responsible for fraud. In a memo issued in September, the U.S. Department of Justice showed it is taking a strong stance on pursuing healthcare executives involved in fraud allegations. The memo, which was distributed to federal prosecutors, provides guidance on steps the DOJ is taking to strengthen its pursuit of individual corporate wrongdoing. One key change is that to be eligible for any cooperation credit, companies must give up the individuals involved in the fraud, no matter where they sit within the company. The repercussions of the memo which has been dubbed the "Yates memo" after Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates are significant. These investigations were complicated when healthcare companies only had to provide information about the underlying factual situation, and now the government won't resolve the matter unless a company provides names of those involved, according to Mr. Roark. An unfortunate consequence of the changes could be less cooperation in fraud investigations. "Why would an individual agree to talk to company counsel if the company may have to turn them over to the government?" says Mr. Roark. 4. Disclosure of overpayments. Mandated by the Affordable Care Act, the 60-day repayment rule requires an entity that receives an overpayment from the state or federal government to report the overpayment within 60 days of the date on which the overpayment was identified. In 2015, a major case showed providers that the 60-day clock starts ticking when they simply learn of the potential that an overpayment exists. Robert P. Kane, a former employee of Continuum Health Partners now part of New York's Mount Sinai Health System served as the whistle-blower in the case. The Department of Justice also joined the lawsuit. In February 2011, Mr. Kane sent his superiors a list of 900 billing claims that were possibly submitted in error, and it took two years for Continuum to return the excess pay. In his decision, U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos said an overpayment is identified when a healthcare provider is put on notice of a possible overpayment. "After Kane put defendants on notice of a set of claims likely to contain numerous overpayments, defendants had an established duty to report and return wrongly collected money," Judge Ramos wrote in his decision. That ruling is the opposite of what the defendant hospitals had hoped for. They argued that the 60 days should begin running when a specific overpayment is pinpointed conclusively. 5. Recognition of implied certification. Under this theory, the government or a whistle-blower can allege a claim submitted by a healthcare provider is false if they can show the provider billed for services in violation of some Medicare rule or regulation. This applies even when the healthcare provider never directly certified its compliance to the government when submitting the claim. The implied certification theory allows whistle-blowers to base their qui tam actions on statutes and regulations outside of the False Claims Act. In December, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to review a case that should decide whether the implied certification theory is valid. "This will be one of the most-watched cases in 2016," says Mr. Roark. If the high court upholds the theory, lawsuits can be brought under the False Claims Act against healthcare providers for violations of some rule or regulation that might be a technical violation, according to Mr. Roark. More articles on the False Claims Act: 32 hospitals to pay $28M to settle false claims allegations related to kyphoplasty 6 striking statistics on False Claims Act enforcement in healthcare DOJ rakes in $1.9B in healthcare fraud recoveries: 7 takeaways A Chicago podiatrist who was convicted last summer of accepting monthly kickbacks from now-shuttered Sacred Heart Hospital in Chicago in exchange for referrals has been sentenced to three months in prison, according to the Chicago Tribune. In April 2013, federal authorities arrested Sacred Heart's owner and CEO Edward Novak, its former CFO, Roy Payawal, and four physicians, including Shanin Moshiri, DPM, for their alleged participation in a kickback scheme. After the arrests, CMS suspended reimbursements to Sacred Heart, and the hospital closed in July 2013. In October 2013, Anthony Puorro, who was Mr. Novak's former second-in-command at the hospital, and Noemi Velgara, the hospital's former vice president of geriatric services, were indicted in the case. However, they both cooperated with the federal investigation, including wearing recorders to tape conversations. In December 2014, Mr. Puorro and Ms. Velgara entered into a plea deal with prosecutors. One of the conversations captured on Mr. Puorro's recorder is of Dr. Moshiri discussing the number of referrals he sent to Sacred Heart and how Mr. Novak was never satisfied with the number of patients he sent to the hospital. Last March, a federal jury convicted Mr. Novak, Mr. Payawal and Sacred Heart's former COO, Clarence Naglevoort, of conspiring to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks to physicians for referrals to the hospital. In July 2015, Dr. Moshiri was found guilty of one count of accepting a kickback. Dr. Moshiri was sentenced on Tuesday to three months in prison as well as three months work release, according to the Chicago Tribune. That is a much lighter sentence than what hospital executives who were involved in the scheme received: Mr. Novak received a 4 1/2 year sentence, Mr. Payawal was sentenced to one year in prison and Mr. Naglevoort was given a sentence of nearly two years. More articles on healthcare industry lawsuits: Ex-owner of 3 Calif. medical clinics gets 6 1/2 years for paying kickbacks San Diego diagnostic lab pays $4M to settle kickback allegations 10 latest healthcare industry lawsuits, settlements Evanston, Ill.-based NorthShore University HealthSystem CEO Mark Neaman has accused the Federal Trade Commission of gerrymandering, claiming the agency is only analyzing a small portion of the Chicago area's healthcare market to challenge NorthShore's merger with Downer's Grove, Ill.-based Advocate Health Care, according to the Chicago Tribune. In December, the FTC authorized action to block the planned NorthShore-Advocate merger, and the Illinois Attorney General joined the FTC in the matter. The deal was subsequently halted when both hospital chains and the FTC agreed to a temporary restraining order to stop the transaction. In an administrative complaint, the FTC claimed if NorthShore and Advocate combined they would operate a majority of the hospitals in the combined system's competitive geographic market, composed of northern Cook and southern Lake counties. However, Mr. Neaman claimed the FTC isn't looking at the full picture. In a meeting with the Tribune's editorial board, Mr. Neaman said the combined entity would compete with hospitals throughout Chicagoland, not just in northern Cook and southern Lake counties, and it would have 22 percent of inpatient beds in the six-county Chicago area market. Mr. Neaman also took issue with the FTC's exclusion of some very close competitors in its analysis. For instance, the agency did not include Presence St. Francis Hospital in Evanston in its analysis, even though the hospital is only a few miles from one of NorthShore's hospitals. "It seems kind of strange that you can gerrymander something like this and think for a moment that somebody can't drive from north Evanston to south Evanston," Mr. Neaman told the Tribune's editorial board. "And yet, with all of their work to try to come up with this geography, which suits their purposes, they had to work really, really, really, really hard to get it to just over 50 percent." Although the antitrust battle could take months to resolve, both Advocate and NorthShore have said they remain committed to the deal and will fight the FTC's attempt to prevent the transaction, according to the report. More articles on antitrust issues: FTC official: 'The goals of the ACA and antitrust are in harmony' Researchers use hospital prices to show need to 'combat market power' How ACOs can avoid antitrust scrutiny The whole concept of an "observation admission" is somewhat confusing. In the minds of most patients and providers, too a trip to the emergency department should result in one of two outcomes: 1) the patient is sent home or 2) the patient is "admitted." In practice, however, there is frequently a third option: the patient is admitted for observation. Observation status is a classification used by Medicare when someone is not well enough to be released from the hospital, but not sick enough to be admitted as an inpatient. Although patients still receive medical care, diagnostic tests and medications while in a hospital bed, they are technically considered "outpatients" whose services are paid under Medicare Part B. That means observation status has significant financial implications. Medicare Part B is optional coverage, and the beneficiary is generally responsible for copayments and other costs in addition to a deductible. Furthermore, a hospital observation stay does not count toward the three-day hospital stay required for Medicare coverage of subsequent treatment at a skilled nursing facility. Currently, Medicare only requires notification of observation status if the hospital changes a patient's status from inpatient to outpatient/observation. As a result, many Medicare recipients have stayed in the hospital overnight believing they were inpatients covered under Part A, when in fact they were not and they were not fully aware of the financial implications until they received their bills. For these reasons, President Barack Obama signed the Notice of Observation Treatment and Implication for Care Eligibility Act (NOTICE Act) in August. This legislation is designed to help ensure Medicare patients fully understand their status and their financial liability when they are admitted for observation. Prepare for the change Starting August 2016, the NOTICE Act will require hospitals nationwide to inform patients of their inpatient or observation status. (Five states New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia already require similar disclosures.) Medicare beneficiaries in the hospital for more than 24 hours must be informed in writing of their status within 36 hours of when they begin receiving medical services as an outpatient. The written notice must clearly explain: that the individual is not an inpatient; the reasons for the person's observation status; and the implications in terms of increased financial responsibility and lack of eligibility for coverage in a SNF after discharge. The patient or their representative must sign the notice to acknowledge their understanding. Best practices A study by Brown University researchers published in Health Affairs documents the increased use of observation status for Medicare beneficiaries, and notes that, "Although observation services are often appropriate, the extended use of such services could have unintended consequences for some Medicare beneficiaries by limiting access to skilled nursing care and subjecting them to higher out-of-pocket spending." Although improved patient awareness and education is the goal of the NOTICE Act, it may also have some unintended consequences on patient behavior. Patients concerned about the potential costs associated with observation status, for example, may insist on returning home and leave the hospital against medical advice (AMA). Embedding case managers in the ED is one step hospitals can take to help comply with the NOTICE Act, educate patients appropriately and improve patient care. At Edward-Elmhurst (Ill.) Healthcare, for instance, ED case managers already understand the rules. They work closely with ED physicians and guide them regarding the right initial status. If a person's health status or their insistence on leaving the hospital AMA creates any cause for concern, Edward-Elmhurst case managers reach out to family members, home health and other community-based resources to provide post-discharge care, monitoring and other forms of assistance. In addition, an electronic survey tool enables them to follow up with patients at home to ask if their conditions have deteriorated, improved or stayed the same. For example, when a patient taps the "I'm feeling worse" button in response to the survey, the reply is routed to the case manager, who alerts the care team that immediate clinical intervention is required. Case managers can also identify gaps in understanding regarding discharge instructions, medications or follow-ups. In essence, the technology helps extend the continuum of care 24 to 48 hours outside the hospital episode of care. Enhance compliance and patient care Hospitals and health systems will be better prepared to comply with the NOTICE Act if they start now to: analyze and update observation programs as appropriate; provide additional patient education about observation status; expand the role of case managers; and deploy follow-up tools as a "safety net" for those patients who are not admitted. The NOTICE Act is intended to give patients more transparency and a greater insight into the financial implications of care decisions. By empowering patients with the right education, staff and tools, hospitals can comply with both the letter and the spirit of the law. Tom Scaletta, MD, is board certified in both emergency medicine and clinical informatics. He is the medical director of patient experience and the emergency department chair at Edward-Elmhurst Healthcare, past president of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine and a national speaker on emergency department operations and patient satisfaction. Tom designed a computerized patient communication system praised by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Urgent Matters (George Washington University). NuVasive acquired Ellipse Technologies, a medical device company focused on skeletal deformity. Here are five key notes on the acquisition: 1. NuVasive will acquire Ellipse for $380 million upfront cash payments and the potential for $30 million more payable in 2017 for reaching specific revenue targets. NuVasive expects to fund the acquisition with existing cash-on-hand. 2. The acquisition will likely accelerate NuVasive's revenue growth toward the high single-digit range and be slightly accretive to the company's non-GAAP diluted earnings per share for the first 12 months after the transaction; it's expected to become significantly accretive thereafter. 3. NuVasive's goal is to reach double-digit return on invested capital goal over the next five years, and acquiring Ellipse fits into the company's strategic plan. 4. Surgeons are rapidly adopting Ellipse's magnetic growing rod technology for pediatric deformity cases, providing growth opportunities there for NuVasive. NuVasive currently focuses on adult degenerative and deformity spinal conditions. Ellipse also has a robust product pipeline to enhance NuVasive's internal development and licensing opportunities. 5. The boards of directors from both companies agreed to the acquisition. The transaction is expected to close by the end of February 2016. 6 When the transaction closes, NuVasive will maintain a Design Center of Excellence in Aliso Viejo, Calif., where Ellipse is headquartered. Ellipse's President and CEO Edmund J. Roschak will join NuVasive as a member of the executive leadership team. 7. Goldman, Sachs & Co., is the exclusive financial adviser to NuVasive and DLA Piper is the legal counsel. Piper Jaffray is exclusive financial advisor to Ellipse and Latham & Watkins is the legal counsel. "Ellipse's revolutionary technology, which has been enthusiastically received by surgeons, has the potential to become the standard of care for spine and orthopedic patients," said NuVasive Chairman and CEO Gregory T. Lucier. "It is NuVasive's sweet-spot of game-changing innovation, bolstering our leadership in spine and providing new growth opportunities in the U.S. and around the world." To continue following the latest news and information for Bedfordshire and surrounding areas, simply enter your full postcode below French developer Stargime has completed its fourth acquisition of potential office space in Belfast, it has emerged. The Paris firm snapped up Graham House in Albert Square in the city - close to the Royal Mail headquarters at Tomb Street - towards the end of last year. Commercial property agents McConnell confirmed their client's deal today in a market round-up for 2015. And rival agents CBRE predicted that activity would pick up between now and March after 2015 saw a lower-than-expected 400m worth of deals. McConnell said the year had been "encouraging" but that the overall flow of property coming onto the market in 2015 had not been as strong as hoped for. But director Rory McConnell added: "Opportunities which do become available continue to find willing buyers, and competitive bidding is once again the norm." It acted for Stargime in the acquisition of Graham House, which could deliver up to 80,000 sq ft of Grade A office space. Stargime already owns Artola House as well as Arthur House, home of retailer Avoca - and it's also bought a former First Trust building at Queens Square. CBRE said retail investment had been the busiest sector of the year, accounting for nearly 70% of deals, with offices accounting for the remainder. Retail highlights included the sale of high-profile shopping centres Erneside in Enniskillen, off-loaded by Diageo Pension Trust to a joint venture of Ellandi and Tristan for 34.25m. Corbo Properties also disposed of Fairhill in Ballymena for 45.8m, selling to UK-based fund Rockspring. Ellandi and Tristan also snapped up Bloomfield in Bangor, formerly owned by Michael Herbert, after it was sold by receivers for around 54m. And Lisnagevlin Retail Park was sold to M&G Real Estate for 16.7m. Robert Ditty, senior director at CBRE, said retail had been the most sought-after sector during a year in which activity had been weaker than anticipated. "A number of deals were delayed and are currently going through legals, meaning that quarter one should see a significant amount of investment activity." Mr Ditty said the firm anticipated that some assets and portfolios which were bought over the last few years, could be sold on. That was because private equity firms - many of which acquired property from bank sales - would be seeking to maximise their profits. He said there was likely to be more debt funding around for income-producing investment properties in the next year. But funding for speculative development would remain thin on the ground. Mr McConnell said transactions during 2015 showed there was a "glimmer of light" for office developments. He cited Hastings Hotels' Grand Central hotel project at the former Windsor House, which will also include five floors of office space, as well as the Grade A office plans of Stargime. But Stargime's plans to add an 80,000 sq ft office building to the former First Trust at Queens Square have run into difficulty. As revealed in the Belfast Telegraph yesterday, a report has raised "considerable disadvantages" with the proposal. 70% The percentage of investment carried out in the retail sector 34.25m Value of deal for the sale of Erneside centre Fashion sales at Next and, far right, Marks & Spencer have been hit Shops experienced a challenging Christmas period after online shopping came of age in Northern Ireland, it's been claimed. Despite positive feedback from shopping centres such as Belfast's Victoria Square and Newry's Buttercrane, the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium said "anecdotally" that it had been a hard year for bricks and mortar stores. Its assessment of the year comes as Marks & Spencer tomorrowreveals its Christmas performance, with a fall in sales anticipated for its beleaguered general merchandise division. And Next yesterday reported a fall in in-store sales and a sharp slowdown in its Directory business. With around 20 stores in Northern Ireland, Next is one of the province's biggest clothes retailers. Retail Consortium chief Aodhan Connolly spoke ahead of the release of official Christmas footfall figures on Monday for Northern Ireland's high streets. He said: "Anecdotally, it's been a challenging year due to a number of factors. "Northern Ireland has come of age as far as online retailing is concerned. And the euro rate (currently a euro is worth around 73 pence) has encouraged people to go down south to shop. "Because of those factors, it has been a challenge getting people to spend time in town centres, but I feel our retailers have been meeting that challenge head-on. They've worked really hard to provide value and to make it a great experience to shop in town centres." Ulster University retail expert Donald McFetridge (right) said he anticipated disappointing results for Marks & Spencer tomorrow, with a likely fall in its general merchandise division, including clothing and homewares. "Fashion/drapery accounts for approximately 90% of GM at M&S, but it is fashion that has let them down, yet again. "I also think they will be presenting a set of very good results from the food side of their business. It's such a shame that they can't do with fashion what they do with food." Next blamed unseasonably warm weather for a "disappointing" performance in the run-up to Christmas as it posted a fall in store sales and saw a sharp slowdown in its Directory business. It admitted that disappointing online sales were compounded by poor stock availability - and competitors catching up with the service provided by Next Directory. The retailer said full-price sales fell 0.5% across its stores in the 60 days to December 24, while sales across its Next Directory online and catalogue arm lifted 2%. Mr McFetridge said the Next results reflected problems in mid-market fashion including "increased competition, both in-store and online, more discerning consumers, changing consumer behaviour, intense price competition and heavy discounting". But he said Next was a "formidable force" on the high street and would bounce back. "Wisely, Next do not discount heavily and this, I believe, is very much to their advantage going forward. "Their results are being seen by some analysts as a portent of more bad news to come in the mid-market retail fashion sector." 20 Number of Next stores in NI 73p How much euro is worth against the value of sterling Reform of the business rates system is the "key challenge" for Stormont this year, according to a body which represents independent retailers. The Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association (NIIRTA) said "radical reform" was required to make the rates system fair and cost-effective. A consultation on business rates will close later this month, following a rates revaluation in April last year. NIIRTA chief executive Glyn Roberts said: "With the date and the rate of corporation tax now agreed, the next big issue for the Northern Ireland Executive and local political parties is business rates reform." He said independent retailers faced difficult circumstances during 2016, as they confront the burden of rates, the National Living Wage, the costs of auto-enrolment for employee pensions, and the "ever growing burden of red tape and regulation". The overall effect was to "narrow margins and restrict growth potential," Mr Roberts said. "A number of our members have indicated that expansion plans for their businesses are being put on hold as they struggle to afford to pay these crippling costs. "Unless the issue of high costs is addressed, the creation of jobs and new investment will be reduced at a time when Government needs to be doing more to support our private sector." He also welcomed plans to introduce a new Department of the Economy, combining functions of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) and the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL). Mr Roberts said it marked a "game changer" that would create a "one-stop shop" for economic matters. And Mr Roberts urged businesses to engage with political parties ahead of May's Assembly elections. Ryanair is set to announce its return to Belfast this week - five years after the budget carrier pulled out of the city. It ceased flights from Belfast City Airport in 2010 following delays to a planned runway extension. It wanted a longer runway so that it could operate flights to a number of European destinations. Speculation about the move has been growing since new take-off and landing slots became available at London's Gatwick Airport. But tomorrow the airline is holding a press event, and it is expected it will announce it's setting up a new hub at Belfast International Airport. It comes after the Belfast Telegraph revealed the airline was making a grand return to the city after five years away. Ryanair looks set to begin flying to London's Gatwick airport, with around half a dozen other destinations understood to be on the cards. In November, industry sources said there's a "strong likelihood" that Ryanair will secure at least some of the Aer Lingus slots and will run a Gatwick service from Belfast International, in competition with easyJet on that route. A Ryanair spokesman said: "As we have stated, should we secure workable Belfast-Gatwick slots, then we will launch a high frequency service, but we have had no confirmation to date." British Airways owner, IAG, has been forced to give up the lucrative slots following its takeover of Aer Lingus, and Ryanair has been trying to acquire them, bidding against other airlines. Ryanair's first indication it could make a return to Belfast came in July, when this newspaper revealed it was eyeing up the new slots. The airline currently flies to Faro in Portugal and Alicante in Spain from City of Derry Airport. Its chief marketing officer, Kenny Jacobs, said it was in "discussions with both airports with a view to operating flights to/from Belfast in the future". And chief executive Michael O'Leary said the airline "will certainly be bidding for the slots". Belfast International Airport refused to comment on Ryanair's return, but said: "We talk to a range of airlines on an ongoing and frequent basis. The International Airport had a 22% growth in passengers in October, compared to the previous year, and there will be an extra 300,000 seats available in the winter flight programme. Our numbers are continuing to grow, and we're approaching a total of 4.5m passengers a year." Ryanair carried a record 99.9 million passengers last year which it said followed improvements to customer service. The rolling annual traffic figure was 17% higher than at the same time a year earlier. The Dublin-based carrier's November passenger numbers grew by 21% to 7.71 million, while its load factor rose from 88% to 93%. And just this week Ryanair published the first picture of its new-look interiors, with a radical toning down of its signature yellow. The airline tweeted a photo graph of the forthcoming Boeing Sky cabins this weekend, prompting a mixed reaction from Twitter followers. The airline is set to introduce a new website, app, crew uniform and in-flight menu over the next 12 months. Channel 5 undated handout photo of Winston McKenzie, one of the contestants in this year's Celebrity Big Brother. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday January 5, 2016. See PA story SHOWBIZ Brother. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Ford/Channel 5/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. Channel 5 undated handout photo of Tiffany Pollard, one of the contestants in this year's Celebrity Big Brother. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday January 5, 2016. See PA story SHOWBIZ Brother. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Ford/Channel 5/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. Channel 5 undated handout photo of John Partridge, one of the contestants in this year's Celebrity Big Brother. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday January 5, 2016. See PA story SHOWBIZ Brother. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Ford/Channel 5/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. Channel 5 undated handout photo of Jonathan Cheban, one of the contestants in this year's Celebrity Big Brother. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday January 5, 2016. See PA story SHOWBIZ Brother. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Ford/Channel 5/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. Channel 5 undated handout photo of Megan McKenna, one of the contestants in this year's Celebrity Big Brother. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday January 5, 2016. See PA story SHOWBIZ Brother. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Ford/Channel 5/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. Channel 5 undated handout photo of Kristina Rihanoff, one of the contestants in this year's Celebrity Big Brother. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday January 5, 2016. See PA story SHOWBIZ Brother. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Ford/Channel 5/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. Channel 5 undated handout photo of Scotty T, one of the contestants in this year's Celebrity Big Brother. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday January 5, 2016. See PA story SHOWBIZ Brother. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Ford/Channel 5/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. Channel 5 undated handout photo of Nancy Dell'Olio, one of the contestants in this year's Celebrity Big Brother. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday January 5, 2016. See PA story SHOWBIZ Brother. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Ford/Channel 5/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. Channel 5 undated handout photo of Gemma Collins, one of the contestants in this year's Celebrity Big Brother. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday January 5, 2016. See PA story SHOWBIZ Brother. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Ford/Channel 5/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. Channel 5 undated handout photo of Jeremy McConnell, one of the contestants in this year's Celebrity Big Brother. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday January 5, 2016. See PA story SHOWBIZ Brother. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Ford/Channel 5/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. Channel 5 undated handout photo of Christopher Maloney, one of the contestants in this year's Celebrity Big Brother. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday January 5, 2016. See PA story SHOWBIZ Brother. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Ford/Channel 5/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. David Bowie's ex-wife Angie Bowie, one of the contestants in this year's Celebrity Big Brother. Channel 5 undated handout photo of Daniella Westbrook, one of the contestants in this year's Celebrity Big Brother. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday January 5, 2016. See PA story SHOWBIZ Brother. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Ford/Channel 5/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. Channel 5 undated handout photo of David Gest, one of the contestants in this year's Celebrity Big Brother. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday January 5, 2016. See PA story SHOWBIZ Brother. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Ford/Channel 5/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. Channel 5 undated handout photo of Darren Day, one of the contestants in this year's Celebrity Big Brother. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday January 5, 2016. See PA story SHOWBIZ Brother. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Ford/Channel 5/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. Channel 5 undated handout photo of Stephanie Davis, one of the contestants in this year's Celebrity Big Brother. David Bowie's ex-wife Angie has joined former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Nancy Dell'Olio The Only Way Is Essex star Gemma Collins and ex-EastEnders actress Danniella Westbrook in the Celebrity Big Brother (CBB) house as the reality TV started last night. Other celebrities entering the house include West End star Darren Day, X Factor finalist Christopher Maloney and Liza Minnelli's ex-husband David Gest. The latest series kicked off with a cruel twist for the contestants. The first guest in was Collins, who joined Master of Ceremonies Emma Willis at the live launch. But Collins quickly discovered everything from the beds to the kitchen to the pool had been locked away in crates. The 34-year-old might be in for a shock, as Willis revealed the contestants will have to work to get their home comforts. Collins had already declared herself "not a task type of girl - they'll bore the s*** out of me". She was swiftly joined in the house by John Partridge, who played Christian Clarke in EastEnders. The pair immediately looked for a drink, but were thwarted by the boxed-up luxuries. Actress Westbrook looked stylish in a tight black suit as she became the third celebrity to enter the house - but her high heels came off before she even went down the house staircase. "I'm so scared," she said, as she clutched Willis' hand. Asked what the hardest thing in the house would be, she said: "Someone that sold a story on me that's meant to be my mate." It was a thinly veiled reference to future housemate Christopher Maloney, famous for being an X Factor finalist, and a former friend of the actress. In total, 16 personalities will enter the house, which has a vaudeville theatre theme this year. This year's contestants include: If someone is positively prehistoric, acts like a caveman or is described as being from the Stone Age, the chances are they're seen as horribly outdated. It's easy to look back sceptically at a time before wi-fi, microwaves, vacuum cleaners, Facebook and, of course, the wheel, and wonder how our predecessors managed. And yet quite apart from the popularity of the Paleo diet, it seems that within some of us, there's a desire to find out whether we could survive - or even thrive - in a land before time. No doubt this was one reason why 24 modern-day men and women signed up to life in the Stone Age. Later this month, these time-travellers will appear in the second series of Channel 5's ground-breaking show, 10,000BC, having spent two months in a remote part of Bulgaria, living the life of Palaeolithic man. The cast lived in huts and had to source their own food - fishing, hunting and foraging. Think Big Brother with spears rather than evictions. As part of his ongoing research, US Marine turned Oxford DPhil student of archaeology Klint Janulis (35) acted as the show's guide, taking the cast from AD2015 to 10,000BC - and then observing from afar the inevitable chaos. Now, he's built a replica Stone Age camp on a secret spot of land in Oxfordshire - both to assess the efficiency of Stone Age design and to serve research by the University of Oxford Palaeotechnology Society - and this is where I meet him to find out first-hand what the cast of 10,000BC (and our ancestors) went through, as well as what he hopes to discover from the hands-on approach to history. The wooded site is littered with flint axes and clubs carved out of antlers. In the weak sunlight, the set-up reminds me of a rather rustic Girl Guide camp; basic but not unpleasant. Venison meat roasts on a spit over a fire and more utensils chiselled out of flint and rough stone lie scattered on the leafy ground. These are similar to the specially made Stone Age tools given to the 10,000BC cast for hunting wild boar and deer throughout their stay. (They were trained to mend any tools that broke, or else face weeks without protein.) But whereas hunter-gatherers acquired the necessary skill sets over a lifetime, learning from parents and grandparents, their modern-day equivalents had to start from scratch. "The cast were not hunters," says Klint, chewing on a willow twig similar to those that the participants used to clean their teeth. "It's not just about how to stalk an animal; it's about how to make the tools and how to repair the tools. And they had none of those skills." They learned quickly, he tells me. Strategy and teamwork were crucial to the group's survival. The cast were divided into two tribes, each electing a leader. Pub landlord John, who nominated himself as one chief, is described by Klint as a "chauvinist", although not a malicious one. "He says on camera: 'Female, go tidy up the camp'," says Klint. "He had a picture in his head of what a hunter-gatherer group looked like." Interestingly, this drilled-in perception - a perception that continues to influence social structures in the 21st century - may not be entirely accurate. The other tribe nominated unassuming Suzanne, a retired A&E doctor, as their team leader, and she took a very different approach to John. "She was a badass," says Klint. "She never had to pound her chest or be the alpha person. Her executive function, her ability to devise strategies and see the big picture and plan where all the pieces had to go was amazing." For example, Suzanne decided to set up camp next to a lake, where crayfish were plentiful. And according to Klint, her quick-thinking - which meant that her team had a steady supply of food - should encourage us to rethink gender stereotypes. Women, he says, almost certainly had larger roles in the Stone Age than we've previously given them credit for. While we talk, Klint teaches me some Stone Age skills, including how to make cordage using strips of cedar bark. Cordage was a gateway technology which allowed our ancestors to fasten, loop, build and bind. It's a simple enough process involving twisting and crossing the ribbons of bark into a kind of prototype rope, but it's time-consuming and after a while my thumbs begin to ache. Time for a bit of light relief in the form of painting, something the cast did throughout the two months to stave off boredom. Klint mixes me some colours (charcoal for black, red ochre for red, yellow ochre for yellow and chalk for white) and hands me a willow twig to chew into bristles. Apparently willow makes effective paintbrushes as well as toothbrushes. We paint on to stretched rabbit skins, globs of charcoal dripping on to our crude canvases. I try not to think about my pet rabbit sitting in his cage at home. By now the sun has gone down and it has started to rain. The dark site is cold, damp and thick with wood smoke. We take refuge in a grass hut where unidentified animal pelts are the only things keeping our chilly bottoms off the unforgiving earth. Very quickly, the camp feels even further away from the 21st century. In terms of the show's academic significance, there are limitations - not least because of the omnipresent cameras - and naturally, some elements had to be staged for safety. Stone Age water receptacles, for example, proved too complex and dangerous to use. ("If you get it wrong they get rot on the outside and you get sick," says Klint. "It was a health and safety issue.") The cast also had medics on hand in case of emergency, as well as a drop box where they could leave plants to be assessed by an expert who would return them if they were safe to eat. In the first series, which aired in February 2015, producers occasionally had to step in to ensure the participants' safety. When a freak storm covered the camp in two feet of snow, doctors and survival experts from the safety team intervened, assessing the situation and briefly evacuating the camp. The real value of the show lies not in whether modern man can kill, gut and cook a boar - although, for some, that's entertaining to watch. The series actually provides viewers with a unique insight into human nature, exploring everything from leadership to loneliness. What we learn by the end is that the finely-tuned group dynamics that develop over the course of the series can be applied just as readily to the 21st century as they can to the Stone Age. As Klint tells me while we huddle around the campfire at the end of the day: "People are people, no matter where they're at." And after my trip to the past, I'll be using "Stone Age" as shorthand for impressive. 10,000BC airs on Channel 5 later this month When the barometer of men's sartorial appeal, GQ magazine, rated Prince Philip above Prince Harry in the style stakes it seemed to speak volumes about how style doesn't necessarily span the generations. Yes, Harry (31) is one of the most popular younger members of the royal family, but that doesn't mean he couldn't learn a thing or two about looking the part from his grandfather, who now finds himself a fashion icon at 94. Perhaps it all points to the fact that the definition of style isn't just about the labels on your clothes, but can often have more to do with how a man carries himself. It's something to do with confidence and being at ease in your own skin. Undoubtedly, too, Philip's time in the Navy has informed his views on always being well turned-out. Whether clad head to toe in country checks while hunting at Balmoral or exuding the old-school elegance of a bygone era in tails at a dinner ... Philip always looks immaculate. That's not to say Harry doesn't look rather fetching in his military fatigues or in jeans and a casual shirt, but does he really have much style? What distinguishes him from any other well-heeled member of his age group? Perhaps he'll become more stylish as he gets older, but for now it seems that his grandfather is wearing rather better than he is. Laurence White: The citation which accompanies Prince Philip's entry in GQ magazine's most stylish British men list reads: "He embodies duty and decorum and comes across effortlessly in the way he dresses. He is always British, masculine and appropriate for his role". Essentially it is saying that style is not just about the clothes or the ability to buy the best suits or whatever. In Philip's case it is the man who makes the clothes, not the clothes which makes the man. It is significant that the words duty, decorum and role are used in summing up his style for that is what the longest living male Royal in British history is all about. Since his marriage in 1952 he has always been at the Queen's side, dutifully one step behind when the occasion demands, but an unstinting partner in perhaps the hardest working monarchy in the world. At 94 he still cuts a remarkable figure. A number of health scares in recent years do not seem to have dimmed his vitality or his sense of service. Last year, he carried out 217 engagements at home and 23 abroad, more than the combined totals of Prince William, the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry combined. And not only does he physically wear it well, but he wears his clothes with equal aplomb. In the past he has been described by fashion experts as having a time-honoured style, showing an under-rated tweedy genius and paying homage to classic British tailoring. Critics may say that if a member of the Royal Family cannot dress well then who can, but Philip is no spendthrift clothes horse. Indeed he has a reputation, like the Queen herself, for thriftiness and often has favourite suits or trousers retailored in line with modern, if conservative, trends. One report says he frequently is seen at naval events wearing the same uniform in which he was married - no mean feat as those of us whose marriage can be counted in decades will readily testify. Perhaps it was that naval service - he served from 1939 until 1951 including with the Pacific and Mediterranean fleets during the Second World War - which instilled in him the ability to be always well turned out. Think of all those old servicemen that go on parade every Remembrance Sunday and note their bearing and pride in their appearance. They have a style which even the uniformity of uniforms cannot hide. Then compare them to so many young people today who seem to slouch their way through life. Of course fashion trends change - and the GQ list contains several entrants known for their individual taste in clothes - but style is a mixture of character and apparel. Take David Beckham or One Direction's Harry Styles, for example, who feature high up in the list. They both have an unique sense of style but can carry off even the most outlandish outfits because they project a star quality. Top of the list for the second time is actor Eddie Redmayne, the chameleon-like actor whose latest film sees him star convincingly as the first person to undergo trans-gender transformation from male to female. Given his genius he may even top the list for the most stylish British woman. But what all of the GQ entrants - even those whom we have never heard of - exude is star quality. Prince Philip - once described as HRH Victor Meldrew for his irascible nature - might harrumph at the very idea of being a style icon, but he certainly, after the Queen, is the star of the Royal Family. For anyone else to be beaten in the style stakes by their grandfather would be a blow to the ego, but it is not something that is likely to concern Prince Harry. Unlike his older brother William who daily seems to be growing into the role of future monarch, Harry is still seen as the Prince of Fun. He is the one member of the royal family that young people can most readily identify with, be it through his partying or his action man roles in helping disabled servicemen or taking part in games. He always seems most comfortable when dressed casually, unlike his brother who is quite conservative in appearance. Whether either of the princes can really be said to be particularly stylish is debatable, unlike their grandfather. Another word used in his citation is "appropriate", and that is something which comes primarily from experience. Older men, unless going through some much delayed mid-life crisis, should have learned what suits them and what is age-appropriate apparel. That is why they can often seem more stylish than their offspring. The age of experimenting is over and they make the most of the tailoring, perhaps to hide the imperfections that come with age. As well age brings confidence and that inner swagger can be reflected in the exterior look. Malachi ODoherty: I am a natural born scruff. My father tried through my childhood to comb that out of me, telling me that a man was always judged by how well his shoes were polished. He was of the generation Prince Philip, who thought that character was not so much embellished by clothing as established by it. That his tousle-haired grandson rates below him in the GQ style listings seems the natural order to me. When I visualise myself in the cartoon strip of my life, I appear in cords and a jumper, or double denim, the Lurgan Tux, though I am told I clean up well. It was from Maureen, my wife, that I learnt that a man never really just buys a shirt, but an ensemble. She wouldn't buy a scarf or a brolly without considering colour co-ordination, something that for most of my life I happened upon by accident if at all. Yet, even in childhood there were moments when I was paraded in front of the rest of the family in a new "sports jacket" or sweater to the coos of sisters and mother, and while I hated the attention I was amazed by it, tried to comprehend it, grasped that a boy could change the perception of himself just by the expedient of changing clothes. Which was something like magic. It is the magic that was worked on the urchin David Copperfield when Betsy Trotwood got her hands on him. It also seems basically unfair, a pretence. The real me is the naked man, not the scruff in a jumper, but I don't want to show that off. So there is a pretence there, too. For me, dressing for elegance rather than for comfort feels more of a performance. I have lots of nice ties which I rarely wear, then when I do come out in one, people notice. I still shun clubs that insist on a dress code, insisting on the right to decide for myself what to wear. But it does not surprise me that many older men want to be dapper and neat. What better way is there to cover the deficiencies of a sagging body? I know older men who take as much time over their appearance as any teenager getting ready for the club. The brogues glow, the silk hankie in the top pocket matches the tie and softly contrasts with the shirt; the socks might have been borrowed from Jon Snow. None of these men will appear in the GQ list of the sartorially exceptional because they are not public figures. Few of them, if any, I suspect, are inspired by the contrived elegance of the men who are on the list. All of those GQ men will look simply odd in a few years time when fashion dictates different styles. What really distinguishes them for now is their cultivated slouches of their standard approved body shape, tall and skinny. When I take a little trouble over my choice of shirt and cufflinks for the day, choose to wear a tie and nice jacket, splash on some D and G and go out in the world, it is always as a short and stubby old guy without the wan look and the car. And yet I get the compliments and the looks, too. Whod have thought it? I guess you either have it or you havent. Three local faces give their verdicts on the dress sense of Prince Philip and Harry Hair stylist Paul Stafford (47) is married to stylist Leisa (46). They live in Belfast and have two kids, Joni (14) and Ava (13). He says: The magazine GQ is all about style and has a very classic feel to it now. For the last 15 years tailoring has been such a big part of mens fashion and style. That Savile Row quintessential English gentlemans look which Prince Philip has is really fashionable at the moment. Harry on the other hand has a rugby player, casual, Jack-the-lad, throw-it-all-together and see how it looks style which suits him. Prince Philip has had a very distinctive look for 40 to 50 years and is still stylish today. Tracey Rodgers (48), director of Style Academy Model Agency, is married to Stefan and lives in Belfast. She says: While Prince Philip is always very well turned out, I was quite shocked by the GQ Best Dressed list, as I would consider his look to be quite old-fashioned and staid. Prince Harry on the other hand is quite cool and grungy which I like, especially because he is a member of the Royal family. He was on TV the other night wearing a trendy little thread bracelet and midi ring and his hair always looks like he has just got out of bed and run his fingers through it. Although he is very casual, it suits him. I would imagine they would have quite a job getting him into a suit. Jason Shankey (45) runs a male grooming business and is married to Brenda (44). They live in Belfast and have two kids, Lauren (14) and Will (13). He says: I am not in the slightest bit surprised that Prince Philip was higher up the GQ list than Harry. Older men are a lot more stylish than younger men in my experience just look at George Clooney compared to Justin Bieber. Fashion is actually the opposite of style which is timeless. Fashion comes and goes but good style never goes out of fashion. As men age they realise that style is a much better investment. Harry can be stylish sometimes but usually he is quite scruffy with a beard and is often seen out in Africa wearing shorts. Prince Philip on the other hand is usually in suits or kilts meeting people and is very suave and sophisticated. Mr Nesbitt said a recent task force set up by Regional Development Minister Michelle McIlveen was welcome Northern Ireland's storm-battered coastline is being allowed to ebb away because Stormont's strategy to tackle erosion is holed below the waterline. That is the claim of Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt, who insists coastal erosion should be a formal responsibility given to one of the Government departments. The chair of the Assembly committee that monitors the First Minister and Deputy First Minister described the current reduction of departments as a "wasted opportunity". The 12 departments are being amalgamated into nine, which should be in place just after the Assembly election in May. But the ongoing loss of the province's coast will not be included because it is deemed a new policy area, Strangford MLA Mr Nesbitt said. "As things stand, policy on coastal erosion is a handwritten scrawl on a piece of paper written by a civil servant in 1967," he said. He was referring to the almost 50-year-old Bateman formula, but a report last year concluded: "A deliberate and structured strategic approach along the lines of Shoreline Management Plans is necessary in Northern Ireland. "This would clarify the situation for property owners, developers, planners and the public. "It would enable targeting of resources for sea defences where they are most necessary and it would enable the preservation of the coastal attributes for which Northern Ireland is renowned and which underpin significant economic activity." Mr Nesbitt argued: "We are being knocked back and being told that the exercise is about rearranging existing functions, not involving any new functions. That would require a public consultation and so on. "To a certain extent it doesn't really matter which of the new departments takes it over, as long as one of them does." Mr Nesbitt said a recent task force set up by Regional Development Minister Michelle McIlveen was welcome. He added: "I think it is a good development, but it is not the solution. At the moment it is scattered. If it is a roads issue, that will be Regional Development, if it is rivers that comes under DARD (Agriculture and Rural Development), and the Department of the Environment might be involved also. "Nobody is in the lead, no one is taking a proactive stance, and there is no strategy. "There is no criticism of what the departments do, but it is all reactive. It is all after the event." A statement from Mrs McIlveen said: "Decisions on the responsibilities and functions of the new departments are a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive." Mrs McIlveen and Environment Minister Mark H Durkan attended the first meeting of the new task force last month, which also included Rivers Agency officials and the Ards Peninsula Coastal Group. During the meeting the minister said coastal erosion cannot be managed by one organisation alone "and required bringing together expertise and resources from across central and local government, organisations such as the National Trust and local communities", her department said yesterday. The vast majority of street beggars arrested by police had residential addresses, it has been revealed. The Nolan Show reported PSNI statistics yesterday morning saying police had arrested 130 beggars in Belfast in the past five years, but 100 of them were not homeless. The question of so-called professional beggars was also raised. There are concerns that some beggars in Belfast are doing it as their job, with claims that some are getting picked up in luxury cars at the end of the day and handing the money to a boss. A debate has also started asking if giving money to homeless people on the street is actually helpful, or just prolonging and exacerbating the problem. The Belfast Telegraph asked people in the city centre for their views yesterday afternoon in the wake of the figures. Most said they preferred to buy food or drink rather than giving money. One woman said she didn't feel safe stopping on her own as most of the homeless people she saw were men. Another man said he always chose to walk on by, but supported charities as he thought it would have a greater impact. It's believed that at least six people are sleeping rough on the streets in Belfast every night, often in freezing, damp and dangerous conditions. A recent audit by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive said there were 42 individuals who regularly sleep rough in Belfast, averaging six a night. Homeless charities in Northern Ireland have said they fear the real number could be much higher. Each evening it is normal to see at least five individuals sleeping rough on Royal Avenue in shop doorways, often soaked by the rain. Volunteer groups handing out tea and sandwiches also have a visible presence. The Depaul charity was one of the groups that took part in the recent Housing Executive Belfast street audit. Chief executive Kerry Anthony said the figures showed fewer people here were sleeping rough and that most homeless people weren't "roofless" but lived in hostels, B&Bs and other forms of emergency accommodation. She said that if people were interested in tackling the problem, the most effective way was "to support organisations that are in a position to address not only the immediate but also the long-term needs of people experiencing homelessness". "Our experience has shown that this type of support goes much further to help tackle the root causes of homelessness and make a lasting impact on people's lives." One of the suspects police want to speak to One of the suspects police want to speak to One of the suspects police want to speak to One of the suspects police want to speak to One of the suspects police want to speak to One of the suspects police want to speak to One of the suspects police want to speak to One of the suspects police want to speak to One of the suspects police want to speak to One of the suspects police want to speak to One of the suspects police want to speak to These are the faces of 15 suspects police want to speak to about ferocious rioting after a controversial loyalist parade was stopped last year. During serious disorder last July 13 in north Belfast, 20 PSNI officers were injured, including a policeman whose ear was nearly severed. A teenage girl was also trapped under a car outside Ardoyne shops in an alleged murder bid by a member of the Orange Order. One of the officers who helped lift the car off the 16-year-old lost a tooth after he was hit in the face with a bottle, while another officer had a finger almost bitten off. Images of 15 people - all male - were yesterday released by the PSNI as part of their investigation into the trouble at Woodvale Road, Twaddell Avenue and the Ardoyne shop fronts. The unrest started after Orangemen in north Belfast were banned from marching the return leg of a parade for the third year running by the Parades Commission. The contested parade had been prevented from marching along a stretch of the Crumlin Road. Yesterday a PSNI spokesman said 23 arrests had already been made in connection with the disorder, with 18 people having been charged and a further five reported to the Public Prosecution Service. Detective Chief Inspector Gary Reid said their investigations will continue to bring the perpetrators of the violence to justice. "We are committed to identifying those involved in this disorder and we will be relentless in our pursuit in order to bring these offenders before the courts," he said. "Over the course of the day, police were attacked with masonry, bottles, petrol bombs and fireworks, resulting in 25 officers being injured - five at incidents in the centre of Belfast and 20 in north Belfast that evening. "By releasing these images I am hopeful that the wider community will help us identify these individuals. "It is in everybody's interest - as well as in the interest of justice - that those responsible are dealt with appropriately and I would urge anyone who may have any information to bring it forward." He added: "I also encourage the persons within these pictures to contact police directly - in doing so they will minimise the impact on themselves, their family and their community." It is understood police will publish more images next week in relation to disorder on Rosapenna Street on August 9, when police stopped a controversial republican anti-internment march. Anyone able to provide any information about the 15 people in these images should contact detectives at Strandtown Police Station on 028 9090 1734 or email on POETDPC@psni.pnn.police.uk. The charity Crimestoppers can also be reached anonymously on 0800 555 111. A man previously convicted of a sexually motivated burglary was caught peering into a family's home in the middle of the night, the High Court heard An alleged member of a crime gang charged with multiple burglaries at shops and restaurants across Belfast has been granted bail. Conor Allen (26) is accused of a series of raids last year, including the theft of 15,000 worth of stock from a clothes store. He also faces counts of stealing safes and thousands of pounds in cash from other retailers. Allen, a joiner from Ormiston Drive in Belfast, was detained last week along with 31-year co-accused Andrew Aparicio, of Russell Court in the city. Police claim the pair are part of a bigger gang behind an overall crime spree targeting 15 different premises. Allen has been charged with 10 burglaries and one attempted burglary with intent to steal. His alleged offences include stealing the stock from David Kerr Clothing on the Newtownards Road. More than 2,000 in cash and a safe was allegedly stolen in a raid on a Mexican restaurant on the Lisburn Road. Other safes were seized during break-ins at a fast food restaurant and a branch of Starbucks. Allen is also accused of stealing 2,000 and an iPad from a butcher's on the Upper Newtownards Road. He faces further charges of possessing class B cannabis and class C Lyrica and diazepam drugs. Granting bail, District Judge George Conner banned the defendant from having a mobile phone or contacting his co-accused Aparicio, who remains in custody. Pastor James McConnell arrives at Belfast Magistrates Court yesterday with his wife Margaret and daughter Linda Pacemaker Press Belfast 05-01-2016: Evangelical Christian preacher Pastor James McConnell has been found not guilty of making "grossly offensive" remarks about Islam. The 78-year-old, from Shore Road in Newtownabbey, County Antrim, denied two charges relating to a sermon he gave in a Belfast church in 2014. Picture By: Arthur Allison/ Pacemaker. Pastor James McConnell arrives at Belfast Magistrates Court yesterday with his wife Margaret and daughter Linda Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 5th January 2016 Pastor James McConnell arrives at Langanside courts in Belfast to hear the judgement on the case which was taken against him regarding comments he made in one of his sermons. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye Pastor James McConnell outside court with his wife Margaret during his trial in December Pastor James McConnell outside Belfast Magistrates Court after he was cleared by a judge over remarks that he made from the pulpit in which he said that Islam was "Satanic and Heathen" Pastor James McConnell at home with his wife Margaret last night Pastor James McConnell at home with his wife Margaret last night To the sound of cheers and gospel singing Pastor James McConnell left court number 13 vindicated and defiant. Emerging into the cold and wet January morning, he was greeted by the flash of cameras and supporters' applause. The welcome was more akin to that of a modern day pop star than an evangelical preacher battling old age and poor health. But his improbable brush with the legal system, at the age of 78, has turned him into an unlikely poster boy for freedom of speech. For more than six months this case has been a mere proxy battle in a far wider debate. At its heart is the struggle between the right to freely express views and a growing move towards censorship. When Pastor McConnell first set foot in court last August his defence team signalled their determination to fight the charges. Freedom of expression, it was argued, should include the right to criticise other religions. The pastor's "crime" - in the eyes of the now chastened PPS - was to have made "grossly offensive" remarks about Islam. The two charges were based on a single remark from Pastor McConnell that he did not trust Muslims. Those five words, taken from an hour-long Christian service, resulted in court proceedings that dragged on for nearly six months. They finally ended shortly before 11am yesterday when a judge delivered his verdict. It is not the task of the criminal law to censor offensive utterances, District Judge Liam McNally told the packed courtroom. There was warm applause from the 50-odd crowd who were packed into the public gallery. Many more congregated in the foyer outside. Supporters, some from the pastor's Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle church, had been queuing since the building opened at 9am. As they waited patiently outside court 13 a security guard joked that the hearing should be moved across the street to the Waterfront Hall to meet demand. Pastor McConnell arrived shortly before 9.30am. Smartly dressed in a charcoal-coloured suit, he was again accompanied by his wife Margaret and other family members. He sat alongside them, outside the dock, in the main body of the courtroom. It took less than 30 minutes for the judgment to be delivered. Pastor McConnell sat with his hands clasped together, occasionally leaning forward as he listened intently. As the not guilty verdicts were announced there was measured applause in the public gallery. After shaking hands with his legal team, headed by defence barrister Philip Mateer QC, Pastor McConnell left court for the final time. Outside, the pastor struck a defiant tone as he pledged that he would continue preaching the Gospel. There was also a note of conciliation as he expressed regret that his comments had been misunderstood by some Muslims. "There is no way that I was out to hurt them - I wouldn't hurt a hair on their head," he said. Pastor McConnell also spoke of the wider ramifications of the verdict. "I'm very happy, for the Gospel's sake, that there is liberty to preach the Gospel," he continued. "If I'd been gagged here today every other servant of God would have been under observation as to what he says and what he does. I'm happy that freedom of speech is still held in this country." Pastor McConnell said he felt justice had been done. Defence solicitor Joe Rice agreed: "I'm a believer in justice, and you can only expect justice in the next world - I sound like the pastor - but on this occasion the law and justice have come together. This gentleman has taken a principled stand. "He has carried the can for this to the detriment of his health for nearly two years, and he is to be congratulated. "We are greatly relieved that justice has been done." A short distance away a group of supporters sang hymns and waved banners. Among them was Violet Massey from east Belfast, who is a long-time member of Whitewell Tabernacle. She said: "I am absolutely delighted and I believe it is through much prayer. "The judge is a very wise man. "Pastor McConnell sticks to the Word of God. In trying times like these, you need that Word." Rev Graham Middleton from Donaghadee Free Presbyterian Church, who was at court for most of the proceedings, also welcomed the verdict. "It's the only verdict that there could be, because all he was doing was preaching the truth," he said. "We should stick up for the Bible, and the Bible does make it clear that any other way that is not centred on the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ is false. "As long as Pastor McConnell was preaching that, he was preaching the Scriptures, which is what we preach every Lord's Day." Also present was Ruth Wilson, who said: "I am delighted that justice has been done and an important victory has been won for freedom of speech and religion." At the outset of his now infamous sermon on May 18, 2014, Pastor McConnell had a warning for his congregation. He cautioned that his comments might be taken out of context, adding: "I could be misunderstood tonight... I probably will be." Misunderstood, maybe. But yesterday he stood vindicated, vowing to continue to deliver the Biblical teachings he has devoted his life to preaching. Jailed drugs mule Michaella McCollum spent Christmas in a prison hospital after being struck down with a tropical disease, according to reports. The Tyrone woman wanted to spend Christmas back in Northern Ireland after being cleared to leave prison in November - but red tape has delayed her return to the UK. Under Peruvian law, McCollum and her fellow smuggler Melissa Reid are free to leave the Ancon 2 prison, having served a third of their sentence. Now the Irish Daily Star has reported that she has been struck down by a tropical illness. "Michaela has been brought to hospital in the prison. She has a tropical illness but we don't know what it is," said an inmate. "We really hope she is OK. This (illness) is pretty regular in here, especially for the foreigners." McCollum is said to be able to speak Spanish now and is reportedly popular among the other inmates. Reid and McCollum were working in Ibiza when they claim they were forced to board a flight from Peru with 24lb of cocaine in food packets hidden inside their luggage. They were caught on August 6, 2013 and later pleaded guilty to drug smuggling, each receiving a jail term of six years and eight months. The repatriation of McCollum to Northern Ireland was approved by Stormont's justice minister in January of last year but, like Reid, she remains in jail in Lima for now. The pair had previously been held at Virgen de Fatima prison, but were later moved to the Ancon 2 jail, where conditions are said to be cramped, with poor sanitation and toilet facilities. Reid's father Billy said recently that the impact of his daughter's crime on his family had been "horrendous". He said: "It's horrendous to see your daughter in handcuffs and the living conditions that she has to put up with. "Melissa has spent her own 20th and 21st birthdays in prison in Peru. "She missed the significant event of her only brother's wedding. Events such as Christmas are non-existent for us. There'll be no celebrations in our house, there'll be no Christmas tree until we get her back home.'' Mr Reid spoke out in a video warning about the consequences of drug offences abroad. More than 700 British nationals were arrested for drug-related crimes in 2013-2014, according to the Foreign Office. A group of men taking legal action over their alleged internment and torture in Northern Ireland more than 40 years ago have accused British authorities of waiting for them all to die. The so-called Hooded Men are involved in proceedings against the UK Government, police and the Department of Justice in a bid to have their case fully investigated. A judge was told today that an extensive trawl is continuing for documents relevant to the challenge. But amid concerns concerns at any ongoing delay, a lawyer for the group said one of them passed away within the last year. Another suffered a heart attack while a third has been diagnosed with dementia. And outside the High Court in Belfast the men claimed their efforts to gain access to the files are being stalled. Francie McGuigan said: "I thought it was shameful. We have been waiting for 45 and a half years to get the full truth... and they still won't release the documents. "I think they are waiting for us to die and our case to die." Fourteen men claimed they were subjected to torture techniques after being held without trial back in 1971. They said they were forced to listen to constant loud static noise, deprived of sleep, food and water, forced to stand in a stress position and beaten if they fell. The men were hooded and thrown to the ground from helicopters taking them to an interrogation centre, according to their case. Despite being at near ground level, they had been told they were hundreds of feet in the air. In 1978 the European Court of Human Rights held that the UK had carried out inhuman and degrading treatment - but fell short of making a finding of torture. In 2014 the Irish Government decided to ask the ECHR to revise its judgment. Some of the men have now come together in a bid to force a full inquiry. Separate judicial review proceedings have also been lodged by the daughter of Sean McKenna, another of the group whose death has been blamed on his treatment. Many of those taking legal action were in court today as their case was adjourned to April. Counsel for the Secretary of State and Chief Constable said material is still being received and requires assessment for relevance. According to the men taking the action 16 boxes of files have still to be released. Mr McGuigan, 67, insisted their legal challenge was being taken on behalf of those among their number no longer still alive. "We are all comrades in this," he said. He also vowed that their families would continue with the legal battle if any more of them were to die. Another of the group, 67-year-old Liam Shannon, claimed: "Some of these deaths were premature, they were brought about as far as we are concerned by the hooded treatment." Their solicitor, Darragh Mackin of KRW Law, also voiced dismay at the alleged delay in producing all material in the case. "In the last year one of the men has passed away, one has suffered a serious heart attack and one has an ongoing serious health condition," he said. "It's in the public interest that this matter is resolved expeditiously and in line with international law obligations." His widow Kathryn is offered condolences by First Minister Peter Robinson Mourners at the funeral service for journalist Liam Clarke were told he was more than just "a master with words" - he was "an enormously talented and decent human being". The Belfast Telegraph political editor had a rare form of stomach cancer but continued to work right up until his death. He died suddenly but peacefully early on December 27. Yesterday friends and family gathered at Roselawn Crematorium near Belfast to pay their last respects to the father, husband, political journalist and Zen Buddhist described by those who knew him as fearless and fair. He made his name by breaking scores of major stories, and revealed the vast wealth of south Armagh smuggler and senior republican Thomas 'Slab' Murphy, recently convicted of tax evasion. Among the hundreds of mourners were First Minister Peter Robinson, Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt, Lady Hermon MP, East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson and Labour Northern Ireland shadow secretary Vernon Coaker. The service began with Liam's friend, journalist Hugh Jordan, playing musical accompaniment, and featured Buddhist chanting. In his eulogy, the Rev Earl Storey said: "Liam Clarke was a master with words. Yet his life and work speak more eloquently than any words even he could write. He was an enormously talented and decent human being - a good man." Mr Storey said that Liam was "more than a journalist and that his passing is felt most deeply and painfully by those closest to him and who loved him the most" - his wife Kathryn and children Adam, Daniel and Alice". Liam's journalistic career spanned the Troubles, peace process and the Stormont Assembly. He faced IRA death threats after unmasking Murphy and after the publication of a biography of Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness, his home was raided and he was arrested by police - a move that was successfully challenged by Mr Clarke in the courts. Born in Drogheda in 1954 to Presbyterian minister the Rev Bill Clarke and his wife Alice, Liam's political interest came early. As a pupil at Omagh Academy he and another pupil took a day off school to protest at the killing of civilians on Bloody Sunday. He became a member of the Workers Party where his journalistic career began on a party newspaper, The Northern People. He moved to the Sunday News, Sunday World and The Sunday Times for two decades, where he was Northern Ireland editor. He lived in Ballymena and spent his final four years working for the Belfast Telegraph, where he continued to provide incisive political analysis and exclusive stories. A man has been arrested following Northern Ireland's first fatal car crash of 2016. Fashion store co-owner Norma Diffley (75) died in the two-vehicle collision on the main Belfast-Bangor road on Monday. The Groomsport woman ran a Donaghadee boutique called Re-Creations. The PSNI said yesterday that officers investigating the fatal crash on the A2 dual carriageway had arrested a 33-year-old man on suspicion of dangerous driving causing death. On Wednesday he was released on bail pending further enquiries. The collision between a blue Suzuki Jimny 4x4 and a blue Volkswagen Tiguan happened at around 2.10pm close to the notorious Devil's Elbow bend at Carney Hill. Mrs Diffley, a great-grandmother, is survived by daughters Lisa Bell and Lynn Stevenson. Her second-hand designer fashion store, which she ran with Ms Stevenson, opened in 2007. Mrs Diffley also lived in London for 16 years and worked at the House of Lords as a secretary to the Clerk of Sound Archives. Known to friends as 'Nornie', Mrs Diffley was involved in Groomsport's Remembrance Sunday parade and attended Groomsport Church of Ireland, where she had run the Sunday School for many years. Police have appealed for anyone who was travelling in the area at the time and witnessed the collision or has any information to contact the Collision Investigation Unit at Sprucefield on 101. Michelle Dorrian looks on as Joanne Dorrian comforts sister Ciara at their mother Pats funeral yesterday It's not too late to help us find Lisa, was the message from the murdered hairdresser's cousin, the Rev Adrian Dorrian, at her mother's funeral service. Pat Dorrian (59) died last week never having found her eldest daughter, who disappeared 10 years ago. Losing Lisa took "an unbearable toll on Pat" according to her cleric nephew. Mrs Dorrian bravely led a high-profile campaign over the last decade to find her eldest daughter, who disappeared from a caravan site in Ballyhalbert on February 28, 2005. Despite land and sea searches, her body has never been found. Mrs Dorrian made multiple public appeals for information and fervently wished for the chance to give Lisa a Christian burial. With Lisa's killers maintaining their silence, she was denied this hope. North Down MP Lady Hermon said her friend died of a broken heart. Lady Hermon was among the hundred-plus mourners who filled St Comgall's Church in Bangor yesterday morning amid torrential rain. Pat's husband John, daughters Joanne, Michelle, Ciara and wider family circle were tearful as they said they final farewells. Mr Dorrian, a Church of Ireland minister based at St Mark's in east Belfast, took part in the service, which was conducted by Father Joseph Gunn, and delivered the eulogy. He reissued the family appeal for information that could help find Lisa's body. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Joanne Dorrian at the funeral of Pat Dorrian (59), mother of Lisa Dorrian, at St Comgalls Church in Bangor on January 5, 2016 (Photo by Kevin Scott/Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Michelle Dorrian looks on as Joanne Dorrian comforts Ciara Dorrian who are sisters of Lisa and daughters of Pat. The funeral of Pat Dorrian (59), mother of Lisa Dorrian, at St Comgalls Church in Bangor on January 5, 2016 (Photo by Kevin Scott/Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Joanne and Ciara Dorrian (Sisters of Lisa and daughters of Pat). The funeral of Pat Dorrian (59), mother of Lisa Dorrian, at St Comgalls Church in Bangor on January 5, 2016 (Photo by Kevin Scott/Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Joanne Dorrian (Sister of Lisa and daughter of Pat). The funeral of Pat Dorrian (59), mother of Lisa Dorrian, at St Comgalls Church in Bangor on January 5, 2016 (Photo by Kevin Scott/Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Michelle Dorrian looks on as Joanne Dorrian comforts Ciara Dorrian, who are sisters of Lisa and daughters of Pat. The funeral of Pat Dorrian (59) at St Comgalls Church in Bangor on January 5, 2016 (Photo by Kevin Scott/Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph John Dorrian (Husband of pat). The funeral of Pat Dorrian (59), mother of Lisa Dorrian, at St Comgalls Church in Bangor on January 5, 2016 (Photo by Kevin Scott/Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The funeral of Pat Dorrian (59), mother of Lisa Dorrian, at St Comgalls Church in Bangor on January 5, 2016 (Photo by Kevin Scott/Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Joanne Dorrian (Sister of Lisa and daughter of Pat). The funeral of Pat Dorrian (59), mother of Lisa Dorrian, at St Comgalls Church in Bangor on January 5, 2016 (Photo by Kevin Scott/Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The funeral of Pat Dorrian (59), mother of Lisa Dorrian, at St Comgalls Church in Bangor on January 5, 2016 (Photo by Kevin Scott/Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph John Dorrian, husband of Pat Dorrian (59) at her funeral at St Comgalls Church in Bangor on January 5, 2016 ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph ) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Missing Bangor girl Lisa Dorrian Lisas' sister Joanne arrives at the funeral of Pat Dorrian (59), mother of Lisa Dorrian at St Comgalls Church in Bangor on January 5, 2016 ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph ) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The funeral of Pat Dorrian (59), mother of Lisa Dorrian at St Comgalls Church in Bangor on January 5, 2016 ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph ) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The funeral of Pat Dorrian (59), mother of Lisa Dorrian at St Comgalls Church in Bangor on January 5, 2016 ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph ) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The funeral of Pat Dorrian (59), mother of Lisa Dorrian at St Comgalls Church in Bangor on January 5, 2016 ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph ) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The funeral of Pat Dorrian (59), mother of Lisa Dorrian at St Comgalls Church in Bangor on January 5, 2016 ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph ) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Joanne Dorrian at the funeral of Pat Dorrian (59), mother of Lisa Dorrian, at St Comgalls Church in Bangor on January 5, 2016 (Photo by Kevin Scott/Belfast Telegraph) "Today's a strange day for many reasons, but it would be impossible to talk about Pat's life at all without talking about Lisa, her eldest daughter, who so tragically disappeared nearly 11 years ago," he said. "As someone as devoted to family as she was, such a loss took an unbearable toll on Pat. While the day-to-day of life went on, the reality of having had her daughter taken away so brutally would weigh on her and all the family. The pain of a heartbroken mother would be hers from that day forward. That's not to say there were not moments of celebration in family events, but the injustice of Lisa's disappearence cast a shadow over the rest of her mother's life. "Recent media coverage has spoken about the wish that Pat shared with the family to one day give Lisa a Christian burial. That may not be a wish that Pat saw fulfilled but it is one that can still be fulfilled for her family. May those in possession of knowledge that will allow this be convicted by a sense of justice and fairness that even now they might decide to do the right thing. Pat spoke to me about faith a number of times after Lisa's disappearence. About six years ago we prepared a service of Lisa's memory which took place in Ballyholme." Rev Dorrian described his aunt as someone "dedicated to the service of others". "The picture I want to paint today of Pat is someone who was very dedicated to the service of others, not only in her professional life but most especially in her family life," he told the congregation. "A big part of that professional life was the care of others, and I know it was something at which she excelled, which I know because so many she cared for became very fond of her as she cared for them. "As her nephew I recall the fact that Pat often remembered the little things, she knew our interests and the gifts at Christmas and on birthdays reflected that in a way they didn't have to. "The moments I best remember of Pat were moments when our entire family was gathered together. I remember New Year's Eve parties being a thing. Pat's ability to give to others manifested in a very simple but a very important way, the gift of hospitality. Good food, good company, good atmosphere and good craic. Although they were family events, they weren't just family, neighbours and friends, others were part of those gatherings as well. She was a welcomer. She was someone who brought others in." On behalf of Pat's husband John, her daughters and sisters, he thanked supporters for their messages of sympathy. Proposed legislation on organ donation is "total gobbledygook", according to one of Northern Ireland's most high-profile living donors. GAA pundit Joe Brolly, who gave a kidney to a friend and clubmate three years ago, said the Human Transplantation Bill must be simplified. In evidence to the Stormont health scrutiny committee, Mr Brolly, a practising barrister, said : "The problem with the Bill as it stands is that it is very confusing. "I think that Stephen Hawking couldn't understand this Bill. I mean I am a lawyer, it's what I do, it is my daily bread. It is impossible to understand." Last year Ulster Unionist MLA Jo-Anne Dobson introduced a Private Member's Bill calling for the adoption of a "soft opt-out" system whereby people would be presumed donors unless they state otherwise before their deaths. Under the new model, family members would still have the final say on whether organs would be donated. Mrs Dobson, whose son Mark received a life-changing kidney transplant, wants to adopt a system similar to the one introduced in Wales. If legislation is brought forward it must be simple, non-threatening and not divisive, Mr Brolly said. "If it is simple it is easy to publicise," he added. "What we have always supported is a simple organ donation act that reflects reality." Improving infrastructure and increasing public awareness are also important, it was claimed. Mr Brolly, who was representing the Opt for Life charity, cautioned against rushing through legislation and said the Bill could be easily "saved" by making amendments. Northern Ireland should have a "simply family consent act" with an opt-out for those who are opposed to organ donation, the committee was told. "Organ donation is a fragile system and is very difficult to get it right," said Mr Brolly. It was also revealed that donation rates have increased dramatically in recent years with Northern Ireland topping the global list for living donors. Deceased donations have reached 25 per million population -- up from 16 per million in 2008 and 14 per million in 2007. There are also 16 specialist nurses in the region compared with just five in the Irish Republic. In Spain, which is widely hailed as a model of good practice, donation rates are 36 per million. During a full day of oral evidence on the Bill, the committee also heard from intensive care consultants, charity workers, the British Medical Association and the Human Tissue Authority as well as representatives from the church and pro-life groups. Chairman Maeve McLaughlin of Sinn Fein said MLAs would reflect carefully on everything they had heard. This was the moment a distraught dog owner was reunited with his beloved pet after it fell over a cliff edge. The man and his two sons were out walking their tiny dog on the Ballyhornan coastal path near Newcastle at around 6pm on Monday. The dog slipped over the edge of the cliff and fell around 12 to 15ft into a deep ravine and spent hours sitting on a narrow cliff ledge as his owner watched from above. The man called the police who then asked the Coastguard for assistance and teams from Newcastle and Kilkeel sprang into action to rescue the terrier pup. Newcastle Coastguard station officer Paul Symington said: "The ravine was about 20 metres deep and the dog was about 12 to 15ft below the level of the cliff. It was a very narrow little ledge that he was sitting on. "He was inches away. If he'd gone another few inches, he would have fallen into the sea below. It was a straight drop. He only just got himself stopped on that ledge and then somehow managed to cling on." Around 16 officers from the Newcastle and Kilkeel Coastguard had to trek on foot, carrying their heavy equipment, for almost a mile after their 4x4s got stuck in the boggy fields. Paul explained: "We had trouble getting there, because it's very isolated. There are no roads and we had to go across fields. The fields are absolutely saturated and it was very difficult." When they reached the top of the cliff, they were met by the dog owner and his sons, who were frantic with worry. One of their officers, Eamon Rooney, was the hero of the day as he climbed down the cliff face to save the dog and place him back in the arms of his owners. Paul added: "At one point, we weren't sure if the dog was still there because it had stopped barking, but as Eamon went over the edge, he started to make some noise again. It was a fairly straightforward operation once we got there. The dog wasn't injured. He was in great form." Paul praised the owner for calling the emergency services and for waiting for the specially trained cliff team. He said: "The owner did the right thing. A lot of incidents that occur around the coast of the UK and Ireland come from people trying to rescue dogs by themselves. They look down and they think it's only a couple of feet and they can do it themselves, but then they get into trouble. They can fall and it becomes much more serious. "They did the right thing by calling 999. We train to do these sorts of things and it's very straightforward for us, but it could have been very dangerous for him. Even if it looks like it's accessible, if you lose your footing, it can be terrible." Hundreds of thousands of pounds have been stolen from the accounts of unsuspecting banking customers over the last 12 months alone Illegal skimming devices are being discovered attached to cash machines in Northern Ireland at the rate of nearly one a week, it has been revealed. Hundreds of thousands of pounds have been stolen from the accounts of unsuspecting banking customers over the last 12 months alone. Police yesterday issued a stark warning as they predicted a rise in skimming incidents across the province. The most recent reports have been in Antrim, Carrickfergus and Lurgan. A total of 46 skimming devices were reported last year while another 18 incidents were reported in which either a card or cash had been withheld by an ATM which had been illegally manipulated. Skimming involves a device being attached to a cash dispenser to record the electronic details from the magnetic strips of genuine cards as they are inserted. A miniature camera is hidden, overlooking the PIN pad to capture the number being entered. A fake magnetic strip card is then produced and used with the genuine PIN to withdraw cash at cash machines overseas, where they have yet to upgrade to chip and PIN. Police say it is not possible to provide a figure for the total amount of money which has been stolen, as many card details can be skimmed during each incident, depending on how long the device has been in place. Detective Constable Stephen Crooks, from the PSNI economic crime unit, said there was a strong possibility that there could be more skimming incidents. "In our experience there will be more incidents. I would advise people, whatever their age and wherever they are, to follow some simple steps to keep themselves and their cash safe," he said. "Members of the public can help themselves by taking these precautions but police will be paying increasing attention to activity at ATMs over the coming days." To ensure safe transactions police have issued the following advice: Put your personal safety first. If someone makes you feel uncomfortable, cancel the transaction and use a different machine; If you spot anything unusual about the cash machine, or there are signs of tampering, do not use it. Report it to police and the bank concerned immediately; Be alert. If someone is crowding or watching you, cancel the transaction and go to another machine; Stand close to the cash machine. Always shield the keypad with your free hand and your body to avoid anyone seeing you enter your PIN; Once you have completed a transaction, put your money and card away before leaving the cash machine. Around 80 people gathered in Co Armagh to mark the 40th anniversary of the murder of 10 Protestant workmen by the IRA Around 80 people gathered in Co Armagh in January to mark the 40th anniversary of the murder of 10 Protestant workmen by the IRA. Racquel Brush laid a wreath in memory of her father Ken Worton at the Kingsmill memorial in January. A memorial service has been held at the roadside in south Armagh on the spot where 10 Protestant workmen were murdered in a sectarian atrocity four decades ago. Victims' families, friends, campaigners and politicians gathered to pay tribute to the textile workers on the 40th anniversary of the Kingsmill massacre. The factory workers were ambushed as they travelled along the Whitecross to Bessbrook road in rural south Armagh on January 5, 1976, one of the worst years of the Troubles. Their minibus was stopped and those on board were asked their religion. The only Catholic on board was ordered to flee as the gunmen, who had been hidden in the hedges, opened fire on his 11 colleagues. Around 80 people gathered to mark the anniversary including the sole survivor of the massacre, Alan Black (72). A short act of remembrance was conducted by Pastor Barry Halliday followed by a minute's silence while the families also laid wreaths in memory of their loved ones. Campaigners and politicians spoke during the service including Ulster Unionist MLA Danny Kennedy. Mr Kennedy, who is from Bessbrook, described it as a "solemn service". "There was special reflection because it's a milestone and a landmark anniversary. Forty years is a very long time," he said. "My sense of the day was of great sadness, even after 40 years and with the coroner's inquest pending in the early part of this year, despite all of that there is great sadness that there has not been justice seen to be delivered to the Kingsmill families. "I think the families are hopeful that we can get more information from the relevant authorities, both from the security authorities in Northern Ireland and those in the Republic. "People are still yearning and wanting the truth and seeking a reassurance that they will have access to the truth." The 10 men who died were John Bryans, Robert Chambers, Reginald Chapman, Walter Chapman, Robert Freeburn, Joseph Lemmon, John McConville, James McWhirter, Robert Samuel Walker and Kenneth Worton. The Kingsmill shootings happened a day after the Glenanne Gang, a notorious loyalist murder squad, gunned down six Catholics from two families during a killing spree in Co Armagh. The IRA, which was supposed to be on ceasefire, never admitted its involvement in Kingsmill and the murders were claimed by the little-known South Armagh Republican Action Force. However, in June 2011, the Historical Enquiries Team (HET) found that the IRA was responsible and said the men were targeted because of their religion. No one has ever been convicted for the Kingsmill attack, leaving relatives of those killed feeling robbed of justice and "shunned" by the authorities. The original inquest held in 1978 lasted just 30 minutes and recorded an open verdict, adding to their distress. In 2013 Northern Ireland's Attorney General John Larkin ordered a fresh probe. Preliminary proceedings have already begun and at least three weeks have been set aside for a new hearing in April. Pastor James McConnell at home with his wife Margaret last night Pastor James McConnell arrives at Belfast Magistrates Court yesterday with his wife Margaret and daughter Linda Pacemaker Press Belfast 05-01-2016: Evangelical Christian preacher Pastor James McConnell has been found not guilty of making "grossly offensive" remarks about Islam. The 78-year-old, from Shore Road in Newtownabbey, County Antrim, denied two charges relating to a sermon he gave in a Belfast church in 2014. Picture By: Arthur Allison/ Pacemaker. Pastor James McConnell arrives at Belfast Magistrates Court yesterday with his wife Margaret and daughter Linda Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 5th January 2016 Pastor James McConnell arrives at Langanside courts in Belfast to hear the judgement on the case which was taken against him regarding comments he made in one of his sermons. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye Pastor James McConnell outside court with his wife Margaret during his trial in December Pastor James McConnell outside Belfast Magistrates Court after he was cleared by a judge over remarks that he made from the pulpit in which he said that Islam was "Satanic and Heathen" Pastor James McConnell at home with his wife Margaret last night Prosecutors have come under fire after an evangelical preacher was cleared of charges linked to an anti-Islamic sermon. The Public Prosecution Service is facing growing calls to explain why it dragged Pastor James McConnell to court in a case estimated to have cost the public purse up to 50,000. The 78-year-old walked free yesterday after a judge found him not guilty of two offences linked to an address delivered at his north Belfast church in May 2014. He had described Islam as "heathen" and "Satanic" and "a doctrine spawned in Hell", and said he did not trust Muslims. Yesterday a judge said that while he considered the remarks offensive, they were not "grossly" offensive under the law. Speaking afterwards Pastor McConnell said the case should never have got to court. And last night there was growing criticism of the PPS over its handling of the case. TUV leader Jim Allister, a barrister, said Barra McGrory, the Director of Public Prosecutions, should be ashamed. "This was an unnecessary and vindictive prosecution which the PPS should never have brought," he said. Pastor McConnell, from Shore Road in Newtownabbey, strongly criticised the Islamic faith in the internet-broadcast sermon delivered from the pulpit of Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle. He was charged with two offences under the Communications Act 2003. Pastor McConnell later apologised following a public outcry. He was questioned by police at the time, however last June it emerged he would face prosecution. The three-day trial took place last month. But yesterday a judge said the remarks did not meet "the high threshold of being 'grossly offensive'." District Judge Liam McNally said: "The courts need to be very careful not to criminalise speech which, however contemptible, is no more than offensive. "It is not the task of the criminal law to censor offensive utterances. "Accordingly, I find Pastor McConnell not guilty of both charges." Outside court the pastor said the case should never have reached this stage. "It should never have been brought to court," he said. Pastor McConnell felt justice had been done, adding: "I'm not against any Muslim in this country, and I want to make that absolutely clear. "When I preached that sermon I wasn't against any Muslim. I was against the theology of the Muslims - against what they believe in." Pastor McConnell is believed to be the first evangelical Christian pastor in the UK to face charges linked to remarks in a sermon. However, he said there could be more cases in the future. "I'm afraid so, and I appeal to every servant of God out there that they will have courage and stand up and preach the Word of God," he said. "They need to do that because they will gag us and tell us to shut up, and we can't shut up." As Pastor McConnell left court the PPS was facing growing criticism. Mr Allister said lessons must be learned. "This was an audacious attempt by the PPS to severely curb the foundational right of freedom of expression by bringing censure to the pulpit," he added. "I am glad that the meddling of the PPS suffered the rebuff of acquittal and trust they will learn from the experience. "While Islamist extremists, it seems, can do and say as they like in the UK, a Christian preacher was hounded through the courts for daring to speak his mind. The DPP should be ashamed." DUP MLA Edwin Poots said the prosecution was not in the public interest. "The Public Prosecution Service, which has an amazingly high bar for prosecuting criminals and terrorists, should hang their heads in shame," he said. "They pursued a man almost 80 years of age who had serious health issues zealously and brought charges which didn't stand up." DUP MP Sammy Wilson, who appeared as a character witness for Pastor McConnell, said he "should never have been in court in the first place". He told the BBC: "We live in a free society and in a free society people should be free to express the beliefs that they hold." Peter Lynas from the Evangelical Alliance Northern Ireland said the verdict was "a victory for common sense and freedom of speech". The Belfast Islamic Centre said the Muslim community in Northern Ireland believed in the freedom of expression, but added that "insulting other faiths and beliefs" led to "disunity and mistrust". "Although we disagree with the description of Pastor McConnell's remarks as 'not grossly offensive', we have always been ready to implement the values of forgiveness and pardon as a way forward," it said in a statement. A PPS spokesperson said: "This case was brought by the PPS because of the characterisation by Pastor McConnell of all Muslims as potential terrorists by virtue of their faith. "The court has decided that while offensive this comment, in the context in which it was made, did not reach the grossly offensive threshold required by law for a criminal conviction." The brother of a Co Tyrone woman who died suddenly has paid tribute to his "lovely, beautiful" sister after her husband found her dead at their home. Eimear O'Neill (37) from Dungannon was yesterday described as "one in a million" by friends and family. The popular woman died at her home in the Moy area on Monday night after her husband Kieran raised the alarm. It is understood that the married couple were at home together when Kieran left the house for a few minutes and returned to find her body. Police say they are not treating the death as suspicious. Hundreds of tributes have flooded social media to remember the "true young lady" who was always "full of smiles". It is understood Eimear's sudden passing came just hours after she had attended a wake in Dungannon. Her brother, Conleth McKenna, who is also known as Kicker, paid tribute to his only sister. He said: "I had to do the hardest thing this evening and that was to say goodbye to my one and only lovely, beautiful sister Eimear who was a true young lady and was loved by her family and many friends up and down the country of Ireland. "She will be so missed by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing my sister. "RIP my beautiful sister Eimear, I love you and miss you." Angela Heron posted a tribute to the Co Tyrone woman: "Conleth, people near and far are devastated by the loss of Eimear and shocked to say the least, she was so bubbly, full of life and had so much more to give. Always had a big smile and friendly to all. Will be sadly missed but not forgotten. May she RIP. My thoughts and prayers are with you all." Another posted: "I'm am so sorry to hear about Eimear. Absolutely unbelievable. She was the salt of the earth. A lovely girl. Gutted for you." A spokesman for the Shambles restaurant in Dungannon where she worked, said: "The untimely death of our beautiful friend Eimear has cast a shadow of sadness upon us all at Shambles. To our dedicated, caring, funny and charismatic Eimear, you will be missed beyond measure by everyone. RIP our beautiful friend xx." Eimear's body arrived home last night and her funeral is expected to take place on Friday in Moy. Detective Sergeant Tom Carey holds an improvised rocket in a display of samples of weapons seized during investigations into dissident republican activity Anti-terrorist officers have revealed a lethal haul of dissident republican weapons including r ockets, Semtex explosives, mortars, AK47s and a sniper rifle. Warning of the increasing terrorism threat on both sides of the border, gardai displayed a beer keg bomb discovered during searches at Kilcurry, Co Louth in May 2014. Some of the most shocking discoveries included sophisticated, home-made rockets, about four feet long, which could have been self-propelled by an electronic firing mechanism and carry explosive warheads. In 2015, 31 people were arrested on suspicion of dissident republican activity and 22 have appeared before the Special Criminal Court charged with terrorism related offences. The lethal haul was recovered in a series of operations over the past two years when about 30 pieces of weaponry and 1,000 rounds of ammunitions were taken off the streets. It also included a Sten machine gun, bullets for rifles and materials for bomb detonators including a phone trigger circuit, cords and timer power units. Gardai said the seizures and arrests were made all over the country including in Cork, Limerick, Mayo, Waterford, Kildare and Louth. Assistant Commissioner John O'Mahony said: "I can say with confidence that our interventions and arrests have, without doubt, saved lives. "I don't say this lightly and I think the array of items on display demonstrates a lethal capability." Gardai stressed the weaponry on display was on only a sample of what is available to dissidents in Ireland. The Assistant Commissioner added: "Our success in disrupting this dissident republican activity is demonstrative of our commitment and capability in this area. "One of the strategic goals of An Garda Siochana is to maintain national security and we will continue to direct our resources in areas which disrupt the activities of these individuals and help keep the people of this island safe." And he also warned detective units would be on the look out for dissidents attempting to use the 1916 centenary to launch attacks. Producing healthy food for a growing world population is a 'major challenge' for the 21st century, experts said Almost half of the UK's food and feed now comes from overseas, which is burdening poorer countries with the related environmental impact, a new study says. Over two-thirds of the land needed to produce the UK's food and feed is based abroad, researchers said, meaning 64% of the related greenhouse gases are emitted on foreign soil. Since 1986, the size of this land has grown by 23% to match increasing demand, with associated CO2 emissions rising by 15%, the research published in the Royal Society journal states. South America, the EU and South East Asia are among the places from which the UK sources its food. It is claimed the damage done by the country's agricultural requirements is being "outsourced" to these areas. The study, conducted by researchers from institutions including the University of Aberdeen, said: "Producing sufficient, healthy food for a growing world population amid a changing climate is a major challenge for the 21st century. "However, agricultural trade has implications for national food security and could displace environmental impacts from developed to developing countries. "The UK is currently importing about 50% of its food and feed, whereas 70% and 64% of the associated cropland and greenhouse gas impacts, respectively, are located abroad. "These results imply that the UK is increasingly reliant on external resources and that the environmental impact of its food supply is increasingly displaced overseas." But the report adds that, although this import trend saddles developing countries with environmental damage, it facilitates economic development through international trade. Scientists believe the increasing reliance on foreign food could also make it more difficult for the UK to become self-sufficient. It comes after figures from the National Farmers' Union released last year suggested that, by the mid-2040s, the country will only be able to produce enough food to feed 53% of its population. The report, authored by Henri de Ruiter, Jennie Macdiarmid, Robin Matthews, Thomas Kastner and Pete Smith, said: "Theoretically, the UK could achieve full self-sufficiency; however, this would imply drastic shifts in consumption patterns away from stimulant crops, animal products and many types of fruit and vegetables, which may not be feasible or acceptable." Migrants on a Greek beach, as figures show the number of people seeking asylum in the UK in October was the highest for any month since current records began in January 2009 The number of migrants seeking asylum in the UK has passed 5,000 in a month for the first time in at least six years, figures reveal. Britain received claims from 5,095 main applicants and dependants in October, according to statistics published by the EU's data agency. Press Association analysis shows it is the highest total for any month since current records began in January 2009 and nearly double the number recorded at the start of last year. It suggests that migrants and their families applied to stay in this country as refugees at a rate of 164 every day. There was a dramatic jump in claims last year as the international migration crisis escalated. The number of people applying for asylum in Britain in October was 84% higher than the 2,770 registered nine months earlier in January. It was also a rise of a quarter compared with the previous month. Keith Vaz, chairman of the Commons Home Affairs Committee, said: "These statistics are another nail in the Government's commitment to reduce migration to the tens of thousands. "It is important that we know where these applications are coming from, and that the Government develops a coherent, defensible and transparent policy in processing asylum requests." The Government does not publish monthly asylum data, instead using quarterly figures. These have also revealed a sharp rise in claims, with the number of people applying for asylum reaching its highest level for 12 years between July and September. The Home Office said the Eurostat figures include dependants of the main applicant and reapplications, where a claim may have been withdrawn and then resubmitted, plus others that have been withdrawn entirely. A spokesman for the department said: "The United Kingdom has a long and proud history of offering sanctuary to those who genuinely need our protection. "All claims for asylum are considered on their individual merits, and where people establish a genuine need for protection from persecution, refuge will be granted. "However, if people do not need our protection they are expected to leave the UK and we may remove them if they do not go voluntarily." The statistics indicate that 530 - around one in 10 - of the applications received in the UK in October were from Syrians - a rise of 63% on the previous month. Some 615 claims were made by Eritreans. Claims covering 152,100 individuals were made across the EU in October. Of the 24 member states for which figures are available, Britain received the eighth highest number of applicants. More were registered in Germany, with 54,870 claims, Sweden ( 39,055), Italy (10,440), Netherlands (10,160), France (8,060), Finland (7,005) and Belgium ( 6,020). The figures indicate that the number applying in the UK was nearly five times higher than in Greece - a major entry point for refugees attempting to reach Europe. Last month a watchdog revealed thousands of asylum seekers have dropped off authorities' radar and efforts to trace them are seen as a "drain on resources". This week a committee of MPs called on the Government to accept proposals to take 3,000 unaccompanied children from within the EU on top of the 20,000 Syrian refugees set to be brought to the UK over five years under an expanded resettlement scheme. Police say they are continuing an "extremely complex" investigation into threats of a massacre at a Blackpool school. A number of Facebook and Reddit messages on December 30 and 31 described plans to "kill as many people as possible" at Montgomery High School in Bispham on Monday. The social media poster said the attack would be in revenge for alleged bullying. In the messages they praised gun killers in schools in the United States and posted: "Nobody talks to me or notices me except when they're calling me a nerd and pushing me around." When challenged by one student, the person replied: "You think it's a joke? You'll see bullets, bodies, and blood." The school opened as planned on Monday after police ruled the threat was "not credible". The day passed with no incident as police officers provided a visible presence on site but many parents chose to keep their children away. That night a futher post on the Blackpool Gazette newspaper's website by a user named 'The Real John Smith' claimed they were the person responsible for the original comments and apologised for their actions, said Lancashire Police. The senior investigating officer, Detective Chief Inspector Gary Brooks, said: "This is an extremely complex investigation further complicated by the vast, global nature of the internet. "Whilst the public can't visibly see what we are doing, I must stress that we have a dedicated team of officers and specialist resources working behind the scenes to identify who posted the threats and the subsequent 'apology' on the Gazette's website. Complex inquiries of this nature could take some time to complete. "We are still of the view that the threat was not credible and we do not believe that any staff or pupils are at immediate risk of harm as a result of the posts." He added: "We are treating this new post as a valid line of inquiry and it may well be linked to the original comments but it's still too early for us to say. "The person responsible for the original posts may not have realised the seriousness of their actions and the extent of disruption they would cause. I would urge them to come forward and identify themselves. We will continue our inquiries until we trace this person. "The school is open and we will continue to provide a visible presence." School principal Tony Nicholson said the school was "rapidly returning to full capacity". Anyone with information that could assist police with their investigation should call Lancashire Police on 101 quoting incident reference 0006 of December 30 2015. OMI's single Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix) was the most streamed song of 2015, figures reveal Around 50,000 songs per minute were streamed in the UK in 2015, as music fans swapped CDs and downloads for listening to their favourite bands online. A record 26.8 billion songs were streamed last year, new figures show - a jump of 82% on 2014. Geoff Taylor, head of UK music industry body the BPI, said the surge in streaming was due to the success of services such as Spotify and Apple Music. "More people are discovering how wonderful it is to have all the music in the world to listen to, whenever and wherever you want," he added. Almost a quarter of all music consumed in the UK in 2015 was done so through audio streaming, up from one-eighth in 2014. Vinyl also enjoyed a rise in popularity, with sales up 64% to a 21-year high. Downloads of albums fell by 14%, however, while sales of CDs - still the most popular format in the country - dropped by 4%. UK stars such as Adele and Mark Ronson were among those driving the streaming boom. Hello by Adele was played 7.3 million times in the UK during its first week of release, while Ronson's Uptown Funk, released in November 2014, received around 65 million streams. The most streamed track of the year was Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix) by OMI, which had nearly 72 million plays. Total music consumption in the UK increased by around 4% in 2015. This corresponds to a retail value of 1.1 billion. Responding to the findings, BPI boss Geoff Taylor said: "The soaring popularity of music streaming and the burgeoning vinyl revival mean that UK music consumption rose again in 2015. "Yet again it's UK artists who are driving this growth and inspiring the fans - at home and across the planet - with their award-winning song-writing and performances, whether it's global icons such as Adele, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and One Direction, or recent British breakthroughs and newcomers like Jess Glynne, Little Mix and James Bay." Sales of vinyl have risen steadily since 2012, when they dipped to 400,000. The total for 2015 was 2.1 million. The biggest-selling vinyl release in 2015 was Adele's album 25, followed by Amy Winehouse's 2006 album Back to Black and the Stone Roses' self-titled debut album from 1989. Figures also show that if streaming through music video sites were added to the number of audio streams, the combined total for streams in 2015 would top 50 billion. Claims by North Korea that it conducted a hydrogen bomb test have been met by worldwide condemnation. The secretive state said it successfully tested a miniaturised hydrogen bomb, a move which would be a significant advancement of its nuclear armoury. It was called a "provocation" by Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, while the Japanese Prime Minister said he "cannot allow this". But both the South Korean spy agency and a number of weapons experts cast doubt on whether it was an H-bomb being tested. The magnitude of the earthquake following the explosion was not consistent with what would be expected from such a blast, critics said. North Korean state media said they had developed the "H-bomb of justice" as a response to perceived US aggression. It said: "The (country's) access to H-bomb of justice, standing against the US, the chieftain of aggression...is the legitimate right of a sovereign state for self-defence and a very just step no-one can slander." The test, the state's first since 2013, came as a surprise to many, as no mention of it had been made in leader Kim Jong-un's New Year speech. Experts believe the bomb will largely be used as a means of increasing North Korea's influence on the world stage. The US Geological Survey measured an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.1 - bigger than the three previous bombs in 2013, 2009 and 2006. Expand Close North Korea has announced it has carried out its first hydrogen bomb test. Graphic shows key events in the North Korean nuclear programme The credit GRAPHIC NEWS mu / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp North Korea has announced it has carried out its first hydrogen bomb test. Graphic shows key events in the North Korean nuclear programme But the explosive yield is only a fraction of what would be expected during the explosion of a hydrogen bomb, it is claimed. South Korean politician Lee Cheol Woo said he had been briefed by the country's National Intelligence Service and was told even a failed H-bomb detonation would have a higher explosive yield than was registered. Chemical weapons analyst Karl Dewey, of IHS Jane's, suggested it was more likely the blast was caused by a boosted fissure weapon. Expand Close Graphic shows North Korean nuclear facilities GRAPHIC NEWS / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Graphic shows North Korean nuclear facilities He said: "Hydrogen bombs use lithium deuteride and it is not known if North Korea has the infrastructure to create such material. "What may be more plausible is the development of what is known as a boosted fission weapon. Simple fission weapons or boosted weapons can be used to set off a thermonuclear secondary, but shouldn't be confused with them." Although the development of an H-bomb would be an enormous acceleration in North Korea's nuclear capabilities, it still lacks the means to launch them long-distance. The state military has yet to perfect the multi-stage ballistic missiles which are required for an intercontinental launch. South Korea led the calls for its rival to be hit with further sanctions by the UN. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said of the bomb test: "We absolutely cannot allow this, and condemn it strongly." The Foreign Secretary tweeted: "If North Korean H-bomb test reports are true, it is a grave breach of UNSC resolutions & a provocation which I condemn without reservation." Mr Hammond will discuss the developments with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts. UN Security Council members were meeting in New York on Wednesday to discuss the North Korean claims. A Downing Street spokeswoman said the UK's "initial assessment" confirmed that Pyongyang had carried out a nuclear test, adding: "As to whether or not this is an H-bomb, we need to look at that more." The spokeswoman added: "This is clearly concerning and would be a breach of UN Security Council resolutions." The idea that Jeremy Corbyn would have responded to the Christmas floods faster than the Government when it takes the Labour leader three days to reshuffle his shadow cabinet is laughable, David Cameron has said. The Prime Minister defended his record on flood defences as Mr Corbyn attacked the Government for cancelling a scheme in Leeds and turning down applications to improve protection in York and Cumbria, which have been deluged in recent weeks. Mr Cameron said the Tories had increased spending on flood defences to 2 billion as he taunted the Opposition leader over his drawn-out reshuffle which has prompted two shadow ministers to resign this morning, with more expected to follow. Replying to Mr Corbyn's attacks during Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Cameron said: "We are spending more on flood defence schemes and are stacking up a whole series of schemes that we'll spend more on. "But let me make this point to you. "If you are going to spend billions of pounds on renationalising our railways, where are you going to find the money for flood defences? "The idea that this individual would be faster in responding to floods when it takes him three days to carry out a reshuffle is frankly laughable. "Since I walked into the chamber this morning your shadow foreign minister resigned, your shadow defence minister resigned, you couldn't run anything." Mr Corbyn hit back: "It's very strange that when I've asked a question about Leeds flood defence, then on Cumbria flood defence, the Prime Minister still seems unable to answer. "Can you now tell us if there is going to be funding for those schemes?" The Labour leader had highlighted the coalition's cancellation in 2011 of a 190 million protection project on the River Aire in Leeds, where 1,000 homes have been flooded in recent weeks. He said the Government was still only committed to a scaled-down project in the city before claiming the Government turned down in 2014 funding for new schemes in Keswick and Kendal in Cumbria, both of which were flooded in recent weeks. Describing the decisions as a "mistake", Mr Corbyn then told the PM about a couple in York whose home was flooded, causing some Tory MPs to laugh. The Labour leader intervened: "It wasn't very funny for them. "This young couple lost many of their possessions - photos, children's toys, school work, and they've got the foul stench of flood water in their homes as many families have all over this country. "They are asking all of us wholly legitimate questions - why was it that the insufficient pump capacity in the Foss barrier - again, alerted to in 2013 by a Government report - was not dealt with and those pumps were not upgraded, thus people were flooded in York and their possessions and homes severely damaged? "Those people want answers from all of us, and in particular from you." Mr Cameron chided the Labour leader for holidaying in Malta over the Christmas period while stressing that the Government is investing in York's Foss barrier and has introduced a nationwide flood insurance scheme. The PM replied: "I have the greatest sympathy with anyone who has been flooded and we have to do what it takes to get to people and get communities back on their feet. "That is why we have put record sums in more quickly to help communities in Cumbria, in Lancashire and now in Yorkshire, and we'll continue to do that. " Specifically on the question of the Foss pumps - that was about to be tendered for extra investment and that investment will now go ahead because the money is there. "So what I would say to you - we're putting in the money, we're putting it in more quickly, the military got involved more quickly, and to that couple who got flooded we are also doing something that previous governments spoke about but never achieved, which is to have an insurance scheme so that every single household in our country can get insured - Flood Re. "So have lessons been learnt? Yes they have. Are there more lessons to learn? There always are. "But frankly, we don't need a lecture from Malta from you." Mr Corbyn called for a cross-party approach which would back "properly funded" flood protection schemes and upland management to make homes more resilient. The fire and rescue service's duty to deal with floods should also been put into law, he said. "The reality is that flood defence scheme after flood defence scheme has been cancelled, postponed or cut," said Mr Corbyn. "Many more homes have been flooded and too many lessons have been ignored." Replying, Mr Cameron continued to taunt the Labour leader over his reshuffle. The PM said: "The best I can say is, when you've worked out how to co-ordinate your own party then perhaps you can come and have a word with me. "On the issue of a statutory duty, everybody knows what they have to do when floods take place. "That's why there was such a magnificent response from the emergency services, from the fire services, from the emergency rescue services. "They have our backing to do the vital work and yes we'll go on investing in flood defences, we'll increase the money we're spending on flood defences because we've got a strong economy and a strong country that can back the action that's needed." Senior Government sources denied that the scheme to defend Leeds from floods had been cancelled, as Mr Corbyn suggested, saying that it had never been approved. A source said the scheme referred to by the Labour leader was one of a number put forward and it was turned down in favour of another proposal, which is currently being implemented. Asked whether the scheme was rejected for being too expensive, the Downing Street source said: "The decisions you make are on what is the most effective way to use the resources you have got." A senior Labour spokesman said: "Jeremy Corbyn addressed an issue that affects millions of people - floods - and didn't get any serious answers, just a lot of insults and bad jokes. "I think millions of people will have seen Prime Minister's Questions today as the Labour Party caring about what's happening with the floods and the Government avoiding that." Emma Watson says she wants to start a feminist book club but is struggling to come up with a name. The British actress, who was appointed UN Women Goodwill Ambassador in July 2014, has turned to her 20.4 million Twitter followers for help. The 25-year-old tweeted: "Hi Team, I want to start a feminist book club but so far have only brainstormed 'Feminist Book Club' and 'Emma Watson Book Club'." "I am almost certain there is a more inspiring name out there.... Does anyone have any thoughts ?! #Emma'sBookClub" Thousands of people re-tweeted, liked and replied to Watson, who played Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, with suggestions with the hashtag #Emma'sBookClub. Daily Dot deputy morning editor Eric Geller suggested Watson Your Bookshelf. Other suggestions from Twitter users included Sisterhood Of Prose, Femmanist book club and Read For She. As well as many people wanting to join the club, user @americasingwr suggested Watson invite Harry Potter author JK Rowling to join. She replied: "Definitely going to do that". Watson, who has also starred in My Week With Marilyn, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower and The Bling Ring, was appointed by UN Women to advocate its HeForShe campaign promoting gender equality. She made a speech at a HeForShe event in New York in September 2014 where she stated "I'm a feminist" and told the audience "gender equality is your issue too". Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai said she was inspired to call herself a feminist by Watson's stirring words. UN Women said it chose Watson for the role partly because she was already involved in the promotion of girls' education having visited Bangladesh and Zambia as part of her humanitarian efforts. Watson also recently gave her seal of approval - on Twitter - for the decision to cast black actress Noma Dumerzweni as Hermione for the upcoming stage show Harry Potter And The Cursed Child. She tweeted: "Can't wait to see Noma Dumezweni as Hermione on stage this year." Valerie Deakin died when a car crashed into the Costa coffee shop in Westerham (Kent Police/PA) The family of a woman killed when a car crashed into a coffee shop on Christmas Eve have said their loss is "indescribable". Valerie Deakin, 74, was enjoying a drink with her eldest daughter and best friend when an Audi crashed into the Costa cafe's front in Westerham, near Sevenoaks in Kent, relatives said. Married for 50 years, the "hard-working" mother-of-two, who lived in the village of Udimore, near Rye, East Sussex, died at the scene. In a statement issued through Kent Police, her family said: "The shock and loss are indescribable. Modest, kind, exceedingly hard-working and above all caring, she loved all creatures, great and small, with a passion. We adored her. Rest in peace." Two men and two women who were injured in the crash were taken to hospitals in London and Farnborough. Another woman was taken to Pembury Hospital with minor injuries. One witness described the carnage as looking like "a bomb had gone off". Officers from Kent Police's Serious Collision Investigation Unit renewed their appeal for information about the incident, and asked witnesses to call 01622 798538. The girl was taken to the Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro, before being transferred to Bristol Children's Hospital A 12-year-old girl has been seriously injured in a collision with a police car responding to an emergency call. The girl suffered serious head injuries following the accident in Camborne, Cornwall, on Wednesday morning. Devon and Cornwall Police said the Ford Focus was responding to a violent incident in the town with its blue lights on when the 12-year-old pedestrian was struck. The girl was taken by ambulance to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro before being transferred to Bristol Children's Hospital by air ambulance. The force said the Independent Police Complaints Commission had been informed of the incident. Superintendent Ian Drummond-Smith said: "This is a very sad and terrible incident for everyone involved and a police officer's worst nightmare. "All our thoughts are with the child and her family at this extremely difficult time." Mr Drummond-Smith added: "We do not yet fully understand the circumstances of this incident. "We are carrying out all necessary actions as part of a very thorough investigation and we must remain patient while the IPCC carry out its inquiries." A full investigation is under way and traffic officers and forensic experts are at the scene including senior officers from a neighbouring force. Police are appealing for witnesses. Department store chain John Lewis posted a leap in festive trading figures as surging sales online offset falls across its stores Department store chain John Lewis posted a leap in festive trading figures as surging sales online offset falls across its stores. The retailer saw like-for-like sales lift 5.1% in the six weeks to January 2, but it relied on a 21.4% jump in online trade as comparable store sales dropped 1.2%. The Partnership also revealed "challenging" trading at its Waitrose supermarket arm, which suffered a 1.4% fall in like-for-like sales excluding fuel over the six weeks. Sir Charlie Mayfield, chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, said: " 'This has been a strong Christmas trading period for the partnership despite the non-food market seeing significant shifts in trade patterns and the grocery market continuing to be challenging." The employee-owned firm, which runs 46 John Lewis stores, shrugged off the unusually mild December weather as it hailed "impressive" trading across fashion, home and technology. This comes despite fears sparked for clothing retailers yesterday after Next posted a shock fall in its store sales and a sharp slowdown in its Directory catalogue and online arm, blaming the mild conditions in November and December. John Lewis said the number of shoppers on the high street was lower this year as consumers continued to shift online, with trading through its website making up 40% of all sales in the six-week festive season. But it saw so-called shopper footfall pick up as the clearance sales kicked off after Christmas, helping department store sales rise 23% in the week to January 2. Results for the Waitrose business confirmed the tough conditions in the supermarket sector as grocers battle amid a ferocious price war and the increasing might of discounters Aldi and Lidl. The group said trading came late for the Waitrose chain, peaking with record trade on December 23 and 24, while online sales rose 7.9% over the six-week period. John Lewis said its overall festive performance has kept it on track with full-year profit expectations for between 270 million and 320 million, which comes against 342.7 million the previous year. John Lewis said the Black Friday shopping bonanza saw it send out 18% more parcels than a year earlier - peaking at five parcels a second in the busiest hour. Sir Charlie said "significant" investment in the group's distribution and IT operations helped it cope with uneven trading over the Christmas season. "Despite the fact trade was even more concentrated across a number of very busy shopping days, our operations performed especially well," he added. Booming online business for the department store chain saw smartphone and tablet sales jump by nearly a third, while shoppers increasingly used its click and collect service - up 16% on a year earlier and now making up half of all orders. John Lewis said 35% of all online orders were now collected from Waitrose branches. Overall sales for the John Lewis Partnership lifted 4.1% year-on-year in the six weeks, to 1.8 billion. The department store saw sales rise 5.1% for home products, 6.1% across fashion and 9.6% in technology. Andy Street, managing director of John Lewis, said its growth in fashion sales would have been even higher if the weather had not been so unusually mild. "We won market share in fashion, quite decisively," he added. He said footfall in stores fell as the warmer weather "didn't put people in the mood" for festive shopping trips. "But people were also using the convenience of online," he said. Menswear was its best-selling area in fashion, while Star Wars Lego sets were among its most popular toys. John Lewis also saw strong demand for wearable technology, such as the Fitbit fitness tracker and Apple Watch. Mark Price, managing director of Waitrose, said there was " no festive easing of the tough market conditions we've seen throughout 2015", with grocers buffeted by ongoing food price deflation. But he said profits were maintained despite the sales drop thanks to keeping a tight lid on costs, while the group also saw good growth in online trading. Former prime minister Tony Blair and Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi pictured together in 2007 Tony Blair has strongly denied trying to stop victims of IRA bombings using Libyan weapons from receiving compensation. Colonel Muammar Gaddafi gave arms and Semtex explosives to the republican group during the Troubles. Semtex from Libya became the IRA's most devastating threat during the Troubles and caused the loss of many lives. The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee of MPs is considering how UK victims of the late Libyan leader's aid can be compensated. It has invited Mr Blair to give oral evidence. The former prime minister wrote to the committee last month. Mr Blair wrote: "The attempt to implicate me in deliberately trying to stop IRA victims receiving compensation is utterly without foundation and wrong. "I appreciate the opportunity you have provided me to set the record straight." The committee is exploring options for compensating the bereaved like using the frozen assets of the Gaddafi family. Links between the IRA and Libya date back to 1972 when Gaddafi praised the group. He later provided the IRA with the weaponry to wage an armed conflict which lasted 30 years and claimed many lives. The dictator was ousted from power in 2011 and later killed during an assault on his birthplace. Mr Blair said Libya admitted the extent of its IRA links, from 1992 to 1995. "The issue of compensation for the victims of IRA terrorism made possible by the provision of material by the Gaddafi regime was not an issue raised with me, as far as I am aware. "And of course a statutory compensation scheme for victims of terrorism in Northern Ireland was already in existence, having been set up by a previous government. "The needs of victims were therefore being addressed through the existing structures and mechanisms." He said he understood why victims of IRA terrorism would have wanted their claims raised at the same time as the 2008 compensation settlement of the Lockerbie passenger jet bombing. Mr Blair said for the Americans this was never going to be made part of the settlement since they were focused on their own citizens affected by Lockerbie and a Berlin discotheque bombing and were precluded legally from such an action. "I never tried to get the Americans to exclude the claims of IRA victims. I did not raise this issue with President (George W) Bush. "The email from former Ambassador Vincent Fean to my office evidences no such thing. "It was simply a reflection of government policy at the time." He said he favoured the US having good relations with Libya because it assisted in the fight against terrorism. Mr Blair added he did not raise the issue of IRA victims in any meeting with Mr Bush in 2008 nor any detail about Lockerbie compensation - he was not in government at the time. The former prime minister also recorded his sympathy for the IRA's victims. "It was to ensure that there were not further such victims that I spent more time than any Prime Minister, before me or since, on Northern Ireland and the peace process there." David Cameron has been urged to intervene with Saudi Arabia over the fate of a protester who has been sentenced to death The Conservative government has licenced 5.6bn in sales of arms, fighter jets and other military hardware to Saudi Arabia since David Cameron came to power, according to new figures. New research by the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) states that in the nearly six years since Mr Camerons election in May 2010, the UK has sold weapons to 24 of the 27 states included on its own list of countries of humanitarian concern. The deals come alongside over 2bn in sales to other countries accused of abusing of human rights. Of the countries on the list, only North Korea, Iran and Cuba have not benefited from government-issued arms licences. All of the other 24 have been licenced to make deals with British companies, from Saudi Arabias ongoing purchase of 72 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft (which will be worth a total of 4.5bn upon completion) right down to Eritreas solitary 8,600 purchase of body armour. Overall, these deals are worth 6.2bn. Aside from the purchase of the Typhoon jets, major deals between Saudi Arabia and British companies include a 1.6bn agreement for Hawk fighter jets and bulk sales of machine guns, bombs and tear gas. Read more Read More In fact, Saudi Arabia have access to twice as many British-made warplanes as the RAF does, while bombs originally stockpiled by Britain's Armed Forces are being sent to Saudi Arabia for use in their bombing campaign against Houthi insurgents in Yemen. A UN investigation into Saudi war crimes in the Gulfs poorest nation was blocked by the Saudis themselves. It has been claimed that the Saudis' appointment on to the UNs human rights council may have been secured thanks to a secret voting deal forged with the UK. Other major beneficiaries who feature on the Governments list of countries of concern are China, Pakistan and Afghanistan, sealing deals worth 131m, 117m and 49m respectively. Read more Read More A number of other British arms-trading partners with controversial rights records do not make it onto the official list of concern. Oman, has been licenced to pump 948m into British arms companies since Cameron came to power. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have entered into deals worth 338m and 37m respectively. The overriding message is that human rights are playing second fiddle to company profits, said CAAT spokesperson Andrew Smith. The income of BAE is being put over the rights of people being executed and tortured. Its completely inconsistent to condemn these regimes while signing off on billion-pound arms deals. Two-thirds of UK arms exports go to the Middle East, and thats unlikely to change. We know that Saudi Arabia is arming a number of groups in and around Syria, but weve no idea what weapons are being sent there. Once a weapon enters a war zone theres no such thing as arms control. CAAT also states that the seeds for many of these deals were sown by the Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. We would argue that its more an institutional issue than a party political one, he said. For example, the Al-Yammah arms deal was a long-term series of sales between UK businesses and Saudi Arabia, masterminded by then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1985 and continuing up to 2006. Primary contractors BAE Systems made 43bn from the deal in 20 years, which at its peak was paid for by the delivery of up to 600,000 barrels of crude oil to the UK daily. Read more Read More BAE admitted to false accounting and misleading statements with regards to the lucrative contract. The original negotiations for the multi-billion Eurofighter deal were overseen by Tony Blair's Government and though exact figures are not available, CAAT estimates that Gordon Browns government licenced a further 2bn of sales. Mr Smith added: Watching these events unfolding then they can feel distant and you can feel quite powerless, but there are things which we can change. The Government and local authorities up and down the country are profiting directly from the bombing of Yemen. Challenging them to divest from Saudi Arabia and to stop signing these deals is something people can do directly. Britain was praised in the study for relatively low unemployment levels The UK offers some of the best job prospects in Europe after recovering well from the financial crisis of 2008, according to a new study. Research in 16 countries ranked the UK with Norway, Austria and Estonia for having relatively low levels of the population out of work or under-employed. Spain, Greece and Portugal were said to have the worst job prospects because of their "lacklustre" economic performance, said the report by jobs site Glassdoor. The most impressive jobs rebound since 2008 was said to be in Germany, where employment has risen above pre-crisis levels, said the report. Youth unemployment is more than 50% in Greece and Spain, almost 43% in Italy and nearly 25% in France, Ireland and Belgium - well above the UK figure of 17%. The proportion of those who work part-time but would rather be working full-time has increased everywhere since 2008 with the exception of Germany, Belgium and Sweden. The proportion is highest in Italy, Spain, and Ireland, and lowest in Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway and Estonia. Dr Andrew Chamberlain, Glassdoor's chief economist, said: "European labour markets today are diverse and present myriad challenges, as well as opportunities, for job-seekers. "On the one hand, countries like the UK, Germany, Austria and Switzerland enjoy below average unemployment. "By contrast, Greece, Spain and Portugal have continued to struggle with double-digit unemployment and slow economic growth, partly due to inflexible labour market regulations that have proven difficult to reform in recent years." The UK is seeing falling unemployment and a record 31 million people in work. Sweden has noted a sharp drop in migrant arrivals since photo ID checks were introduced (AP) Germany, Sweden and Denmark are warning that more must be done to stop migrants entering Europe from Turkey but that they hope to ease border restrictions as soon as possible. Senior German interior minister official Ole Schroeder said on Wednesday that "our problem in Europe is that we do not have a functioning system, especially at the Turkey-Greece border". He says a European Union plan to share refugees arriving in Greece and Italy is not working and warned that when EU responses fail "we will come to measures from the member states". It came after talks between senior migration officials from the three countries in Brussels. The meeting was called after Sweden introduced ID checks on all people traveling to Denmark and Denmark tightened controls on its border with Germany. Sweden's migration minister says that the equivalent of 1,000 classrooms full of unaccompanied minors and children have arrived in the country recently seeking refuge. Justice and migration minister Morgan Johansson said that 26,000 young migrants had come and "that is 1,000 school classes arriving in Sweden in four months". Sweden has noted a sharp drop in migrant arrivals since photo ID checks were introduced. Mr Johansson said that 115,000 asylum-seekers have arrived in four months, obliging Sweden to take exceptional border control measures. Danish police say 36 of the 1,366 people they have checked for photo IDs in the past two days at the German border have been refused entry into Denmark. The National Police added on Wednesday a person suspected of human smuggling had been detained. Two other suspects who had been detained have been released. German police say at least 90 criminal complaints were filed over the new year More women have claimed they were sexually assaulted and robbed during New Year's Eve celebrations in the German city Cologne, as police faced criticism for their handling of the incident. At least 106 criminal complaints have been filed since last week, Cologne police spokesman Christoph Gilles said. The figure has increased from 90 since Tuesday. "At least three quarters have a sexual component. In two cases we are investigating crimes that amount to rape," Mr Gilles said. About 1,000 men described by police as being of "Arab or North African origin" gathered around Cologne's main station, next to the city's famous cathedral, on the night from Thursday to Friday. Smaller groups then surrounded individual women, harassed them and stole their belongings. Police initially failed to mention the assaults in report the following morning, describing the festivities as "largely peaceful". Details of the attacks only emerged over the weekend and calls have grown for a comprehensive review of police actions on the night, after some witnesses claimed that officers did not stop the attackers. Mr Gilles said police were well prepared on the night, but "surprised" by the scale and aggression of the attacks. Mayor Henriette Reker said she expected police to analyse what went wrong and "draw consequences from that". She did not elaborate on what that would entail. Police chief Wolfgang Albers has shrugged off questions about his own future, saying that he will stay in his post, though he acknowledged that the initial failure to mention the assaults was a mistake. Ralf Jaeger, North Rhine-Westphalia state's interior minister, said he expected a detailed report from Cologne police this week on who knew what when. "The Cologne police force must clear up meticulously what happened where and when, what police could know and evaluate when and where, and what measures have to be taken." Mr Gilles, the police spokesman, said the city has 10 officers working on the attacks and four men have been detained. Among the angles police are investigating is whether there are any links to similar crimes committed over the past two years in the nearby city of Dusseldorf, where men have groped women to distract them before stealing their belongings. The two cities are 25 miles apart. Markus Niesczeri, a spokesman for Dusseldorf police, said that since the start of 2014, officers there have identified more than 2,000 suspects of North African origin in connection with organised thefts, though he did not say how many. He declined to say whether there have been any arrests in those cases. "At the moment we can't make a serious connection because we don't have the perpetrators from New Year's Eve," Mr Gilles said. "It's not excluded that there are overlaps, but that's still the subject of investigation." Police are encouraging more women to come forward. "Most of the victims were from outside Cologne who filed criminal complaints in their home towns or with federal police," Mr Gilles said, adding that they included women of all ages and nationalities. In addition to widespread shock over the scale and nature of the attacks, the incident has also fuelled public debate about Germany's ability to integrate large numbers of migrants. Germany registered nearly 1.1 million people as asylum seekers last year, according to Interior Ministry figures released on Wednesday, and some politicians who have called for limits on migration have seized on the incident in Cologne to bolster their position. Germany's top security official stressed that those involved must be punished regardless of where they come from. Interior minister Thomas de Maiziere said that "you cannot draw a general suspicion against refugees from the indications that they were perhaps people who looked North African". He added that "a bit of patience is necessary to clear up as completely as possible the structure of the perpetrators and the organisational structures there might have been", including whether there was any link to similar, smaller-scale incidents on New Year's Eve in Hamburg. Mr De Maiziere noted that, under German law, criminal behaviour has a direct effect on a person's asylum proceedings if he or she is sentenced to at least three years in prison. He said that "we will have to talk about whether that needs to be changed". In any case, "anyone who commits serious crimes, whatever status he is in, must reckon with being deported from Germany", Mr de Maiziere said. About 100 people protested Wednesday against a far-right rally near the train station that numbered less than 10 people. Cologne's mayor, meanwhile, was mocked on social media for saying, when asked on Tuesday about what women can do to protect themselves better: "There is always the possibility of keeping a certain distance, more than an arm's length" from strangers. Some of those who criticised her felt that Ms Reker was blaming women for the attacks and lambasted the idea that women could have simply protected themselves by keeping men at arm's length. Ms Reker later said that she regretted any misunderstanding, but had merely been pointing to existing prevention and counselling programmes in response to a journalist's question. "The priority is for concrete security to be provided on our streets and squares," she said. Amel Al-Hajjar, left, and Khadija Falih, both from Iraq, participate in a rally in front of the Saudi Arabian embassy in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, to protest the mass executions in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia executed last Saturday, Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others convicted of terror charges, the largest mass execution carried out by the kingdom since 1980. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) Iraq has offered to act as a mediator to ease tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran that escalated after the kingdom's execution of a Shiite cleric and attacks on two of Saudi diplomatic posts in the Islamic Republic. Some Sunni Arab nations have followed the Saudis' lead and severed or downgraded ties with Iran, while others have offered words of caution aimed at calming the situation. The offer by Iraqi foreign minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, made during a news conference in the Iranian capital, included the diplomat referring to the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr as a "crime", a description that raised questions as to whether Saudi officials would even consider such an offer. The kingdom and its allies say that Mr al-Nimr was executed after being tried and sentenced to death under Saudi law. Mr al-Jaafari's comments show the balancing act that Iraq finds itself in amid the inflamed regional politics. It is relying on Iranian help and powerful Shiite militias to battle the extremist Islamic State group while trying to repair its own ties to oil-rich Saudi Arabia, which last week sent an ambassador to Baghdad for the first time in 25 years. Speaking alongside Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Mr al-Jaafari said Iraq's place in the heart of the Middle East allows it to play a role in trying to "alleviate tensions." "This responsibility has been given to us and we have been active from the early moments to lessen tensions to prevent a disaster from happening that could affect the entire region," he said. Russia also has offered itself as a potential mediator, although it is unclear whether Saudi or Iranian officials have responded to the proposal. Mr Zarif, meanwhile, blamed Saudi Arabia for exacerbating the situation. "We have treated these actions with magnanimity and nobleness but unfortunately our neighbour, Saudi Arabia, did not respond to it properly," he said. "The process of provoking tension must be stopped." The diplomatic stand-off between Iran and Saudi Arabia began Saturday, when the kingdom executed Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others convicted of terror charges - the largest mass execution it has carried out since 1980. In Iran, protesters responded by attacking the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad. Late on Sunday, Saudi Arabia announced it was severing relations with Iran because of the assaults. In the time since, a host of Saudi allies have cut or reduced their ties to Iran. On Wednesday, Oman broke its silence and called the diplomatic post attacks "unacceptable", while leaving its ties to the Islamic Republic untouched. The sultanate has been a long-time mediator between Iran and the rest of the world and helped jump-start negotiations for the Islamic Republic's recent nuclear deal with global powers. In eastern Saudi Arabia, where Mr al-Nimr agitated for greater political rights for Shiites in the Sunni-ruled kingdom, three days of mourning over his death were to end on Wednesday night. Mohammed al-Nimr, the sheikh's brother, said people planned to hold a funeral on Thursday for the cleric, although Saudi authorities already buried his corpses in an undisclosed cemetery. Asked about the diplomatic post attacks, Mr al-Nimr said it was "not acceptable". "We still believe that violence is not the right approach," he said. "About my brother, we were hoping to end it in a political way rather than in blood." The Islamic State group has stepped up attacks on the western Iraqi town of Haditha, where at least 45 Iraqi security forces and Sunni tribal fighters have been killed in clashes over the past three days and another 30 wounded, according to Iraqi officials. The attacks come after Iraqi forces aided by US-led air strikes drove IS militants out of the city centre of Ramadi, the capital of the sprawling Anbar province west of Baghdad. Following that victory a week ago, US officials said the extremist group has lost 40% of its territory in Iraq and 20% in Syria. Coalition officials described a multi-pronged attack on Haditha beginning early this week. IS suicide attackers driving cars loaded with explosives approached the town from three fronts, while other militants fired mortar rounds at the nearby al-Asad air base, home to some 450 foreign coalition forces, none of whom were wounded in the attack. Khalid Salman, a provincial councilman from Haditha, and Shaalan al-Nimrawi, a local tribal sheikh, confirmed the casualty figures among the Iraqi forces. Iraqi forces held on to Haditha and a nearby hydroelectric dam as IS overran much of Anbar province in the summer of 2014. The US-led coalition launched air strikes near the dam to protect it in September of that year. The coalition officials downplayed the recent attacks on Haditha, describing them as an attempt to distract attention from the recent loss of Ramadi. IS militants "don't have the ability to hold terrain," said US Army MajOR Michael Filanowski, adding that the extremist group had suffered heavy casualties as it lost territory. "Those attacks were limited in nature - what we call harassing attacks," said Colonel Steve Warren, the Baghdad-based coalition spokesman, adding that Iraqi government forces were able to "either push the attackers back immediately or regroup and counter-attack with the support of coalition air strikes." Despite the recent losses, IS still holds much of northern and western Iraq, including Mosul, the country's second largest city. It also controls Fallujah, a town near Ramadi where US troops fought some of their bloodiest battles in the years after the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. In an address marking Iraq's national armed forces day on Wednesday, defence minister Khalid al-Obeidi said troops should ready themselves for the next major battles. "The coming days will witness big and pitched battles to liberate what remains of our territories," he said. Making a Murderer documents the story of Steven Avery. Above: Avery's mugshot, taken after his arrest in 1985 Jurors in the case covered in Netflixs Making a Murderer feared for their personal safety if they did not convict Steven Avery, according to the filmmakers. The creators of the series, Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos, have said that one of the jurors in the case has told them that they believe that Steven Avery was framed by law enforcement. Avery deserves a new trial, the juror reportedly told the filmmakers. And if he receives a new trial, in their opinion, it should take place far away from Wisconsin. The filmmakers said that they had asked the person to explain why they had voted that Avery was guilty, if they were uncertain about the case. What they told us was that they feared for their personal safety, Ms Demos said. Read more Read More The film discusses the fact that some of the jurors are thought to have initially believed that Avery was not guilty. But the filmmakers said that the juror was afraid of sticking to that position and sending the case to a mistrial because they were worried for themselves, they said. "They told us really that they were afraid that if they held out for a mistrial that it would be easy to identify which juror had done that and that they were fearful for their own safety,'' Demos said. Ms Riccardi and Ms Demos also said that there was an explicit discussion of trading votes in the case. That is suggested in the film as a potential explanation of the differing votes on various related counts. Independent Malaysia Airlines has lifted a much-criticised ban on checking in baggage on flights to Paris and Amsterdam, a day after limiting bags to lighten the plane and save fuel. The airline had banned check-in baggage for Tuesday and Wednesday flights to the two European cities due to "unseasonably strong headwinds" on a longer flight path it was taking. Passengers slammed the airline on social media and suggested it could have reduced the number of passengers or refused to carry freight instead. The airline said that it "uniquely has been using a routing (to Europe) via Egypt, which has been up to two hours longer than other carriers" for safety reasons. Headwinds over the past four days exceeded 200 knots, which can burn up to 15 percent more fuel on its Boeing 777-200 aircraft, it said. It lifted the ban less than 24 hours after imposing it after concluding it could take a shorter route. The airline said it does a daily risk assessment to determine the most optimum route for flights and that currently, it is taking "a more northerly route". A Malaysia Airlines jet flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down by a missile in eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing all 298 people on board. Earlier that year, a Malaysia Airlines flight heading to Beijing disappeared and is believed to have crashed in the Indian Ocean. People in Seoul walk by a screen showing the news reporting on an earthquake near North Korea's nuclear facility (AP) The UN Security Council pledged Wednesday to swiftly pursue new sanctions against North Korea, strongly condemning its latest nuclear test as a "clear violation" of previous UN resolutions. The sanctions would be the fifth round imposed on North Korea since the country's first nuclear test in 2006. The sanctions are aimed at reining in the North's nuclear and missile development, but Pyongyang has ignored them and moved ahead with programmes to modernise its ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons. The Security Council held an emergency meeting after North Korea announced its first hydrogen bomb test, which would mark a major advance for its still-limited nuclear arsenal. The announcement was met with scepticism, however, with South Korea's spy agency saying the estimated explosive yield from the explosion was much smaller than what even a failed H-bomb detonation would produce. The Security Council said North Korea's actions were a "clear violation" of the four previous sanctions resolutions "and therefore a clear threat to international peace and security continues to exist". The UN's most powerful body said it had pledged to take "further significant measures" - UN code for sanctions - in the event of another test and would begin work immediately on a new sanctions resolution in light of "the gravity of this violation." British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said the test is another example of Pyongyang's "reckless challenge to international norms of behaviour and the authority of the UN Security Council." UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, a former South Korean foreign minister, called North Korea's announcement "profoundly destabilising for regional security." Mr Ban demanded that Pyongyang cease any further nuclear activities. The council last approved sanctions against North Korea three weeks after Pyongyang's third nuclear test on February 12 2013. UN diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because talks have been private, said a new resolution would aim to add more people to the sanctions list, including those linked to a key procurement company, and limit the travel of senior North Korean officials. How tough the new sanctions will be depends largely on China, North Korea's neighbour and traditional ally. The 2013 sanctions resolution was co-sponsored by China and the United States. Ukraine's UN envoy said none of the 15 Security Council members spoke out against imposing new sanctions against North Korea during the closed-door meeting. Ambassador Volodymyr Yelchenko told reporters that China said nothing in the meeting beyond its "standard" comments on North Korea's nuclear situation. China did not comment to reporters after the meeting. Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin said what is needed is "Cool heads ... Proportionate response". He said it would be going "too far" to say that Russia supports more sanctions against North Korea. New Zealand ambassador Gerard van Bohemen said he hoped there would be new sanctions. Japan's UN ambassador Motohide Yoshikawa said the Security Council will hurt its credibility if it fails to swiftly adopt a new resolution imposing "significant" new measures against Pyongyang. He would not go into detail on what kinds of punitive measures Japan would like to see, saying that must be discussed among the council's 15 members. President Barack Obama, with tears streaking down his cheeks, launched a final push to tighten sales of firearms, using his presidential powers in the absence of tougher gun restrictions that Congress refuses to pass. The president struck a combative tone as he came out with plans for expanded background checks and other modest measures that have drawn criticism from gun rights groups, which Mr Obama accused of making Congress their hostage. Palpable, too, was Mr Obama's extreme frustration at having made such little progress on gun control since the killing of 20 school children in Connecticut shocked the nation more than three years ago. "First-graders," he said, resting his chin on his hand and wiping away tears as he recalled the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. "Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad." Mr Obama's 10-point plan to keep firearms from those who should not have them marked a concession by the president, as he will leave office without securing the tough control laws he has repeatedly implored Congress to pass. Although the president, acting alone, can take action around the margins, only Congress can enact more sweeping changes that gun control advocates say are the only way to truly stem the frequency of mass shootings. "It won't happen overnight," Mr Obama said. "It won't happen during this Congress. It won't happen during my presidency." But, he added optimistically: "A lot of things don't happen overnight." The National Rifle Association, the largest gun rights lobbying group, slammed Mr Obama's plan and said it was "ripe for abuse," although the group did not specify what steps, if any, it will take to oppose or try to block it. The centrepiece of Mr Obama's plan is an attempt to narrow the loophole that exempts gun sales from background checks if the seller is not a federal registered dealer. With new federal "guidance," the administration is clarifying that even those who sell just a few weapons at gun shows, flea markets or online can be deemed dealers and required to conduct checks on prospective buyers. Whether that step can make a significant dent in unregulated gun sales is an open question, and one not easily answered. Millions of guns are sold annually in informal settings outside of gun shops, including many through private sales arranged online. But the Obama administration acknowledged it could not quantify how many gun sales would be newly subjected to background checks, nor how many currently unregistered gun sellers would have to obtain a licence. Easily reversible by a future president, the government's guidance to gun sellers lacks the impact of a new law, such as the one Mr Obama tried but failed to pass in 2013 in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre. Hoping to give the issue a human face, the White House assembled a cross-section of Americans affected by recent gun tragedies. Mark Barden, whose son was shot dead at Sandy Hook, introduced the president with a declaration that "we are better than this". Mr Obama readily conceded the executive steps will be challenged in court, a prediction quickly echoed by Republicans. The White House expressed confidence the president was acting legally, and said Justice Department and White House lawyers had worked diligently to ensure the steps were watertight. The announcement received predictably different reactions from presidential candidates. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, both competing for the nomination from Mr Obama's Democratic party, pledged to build on his actions if elected. The Republican field formed a chorus of voices vowing to annul the whole package, with Marco Rubio claiming: "Obama is obsessed with undermining the Second Amendment". That amendment to the US Constitution guarantees the right to bear arms. "Rather than focus on criminals and terrorists, he goes after the most law-abiding of citizens," said House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican. "His words and actions amount to a form of intimidation that undermines liberty." Police have arrested a British man in northern Thailand after US authorities tipped them to an internet address where child pornography was allegedly being uploaded. Department of Special Investigation Lieutenant Colonel Paisith Sungkahapong said the US Department of Homeland Security informed the Thai agency in November that images were suspected of being uploaded and sent from a specific internet address. Police on Wednesday arrested Fabian Frederick Blandford, 64, at his home in Chiang Mai province, where he lives with his Thai wife and two children. Possession of child pornography carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, and distribution of the images carries a penalty of seven years. Pastor James McConnell outside Belfast Magistrates Court after he was cleared by a judge over remarks that he made from the pulpit in which he said that Islam was "Satanic and Heathen" The acquittal of Pastor James McConnell of charges linked to anti-Islamic comments he made during an internet-broadcast sermon is not just a victory for the 78-year-old cleric but, even more importantly, a triumph for the concept of free speech. This was a court case which in the steadfast opinion of this newspaper from the outset should never have been brought. While accepting that the remarks made by Pastor McConnell were very robust and even perhaps ill-couched, we argued that he was entitled to hold those views provided he was sincere in his belief and that his intention was not to incite hatred. The judge in the case came, essentially, to the same conclusion, finding that the remarks were offensive, but not grossly offensive, which was the threshold set by the law in this case. His further judgment - "the courts need to be very careful not to criminalise speech which, however contemptible, is no more than offensive. It is not the task of the criminal law to censor offensive utterances" - was a commonsense finding and one which should be applauded by everyone who treasures the freedoms - especially the freedom of speech - which we all enjoy. But it is a finding which comes at a cost. An elderly man has spent many months with this case hanging over him at a time, we believe, when his wife is also suffering a serious illness. It may have seemed that he relished the fight to clear his name - and his resolute defence of his right to voice his opinion speaks volumes for his character - but his defence team has revealed that his health has suffered from the ordeal of the trial and the real possibility of ending up in jail. It is notable that Pastor McConnell gained support from those who would not appear to be his natural allies, including a Catholic priest, a Muslim academic and a Marxist columnist. The priest, Fr Patrick McCafferty, first met Pastor McConnell because he was dismayed by remarks made by him, but decided that debate on their theological differences was the proper way to settle their argument. As a result, they became friends. And Muslim academic, Dr Muhammad Al-Hussaini, further emphasised that point by arguing that in these times, when religious extremism threatens world safety, it is vital that the public can engage in a rational debate on theological teachings and how clerics preach or give witness to their beliefs. This newspaper welcomes the judgment, which values the right to freedom of expression. It is a freedom on which all sections of the media depend for their very existence and it is a freedom which liberates every one of us, no matter how much we may disagree with the views of others. Had these charges stuck, we would be facing an assault on our beliefs, no matter how sincerely held they are. I refer to Eileen Paisley's eulogy to her late husband Ian reported in the Belfast Telegraph (News, January 1). Eileen appears to like to hear herself talking. The baroness would be better apologising to many folks whom her husband used and abused in the pursuit of power during his career, including (but not limited to) the Reavey family in south Armagh (News, January 2). Under parliamentary privilege in a debate in 1999, Ian Paisley stated - incorrectly - that the brothers from the Reavey family were behind the Kingsmill massacre. Ian Paisley liked to be referred to as the "Big Man", but he was not big enough to admit that he had got it wrong. Their mother Annie Reavey (88) pleaded with Ian Paisley to withdraw the IRA slur on the Reavey family before she went to her grave, but to no avail. In spite of many requests from the Reavey family Ian Paisley stubbornly refused the broken-hearted family's request. Scripture commands those who profess Christianity to be above reproach and to show integrity and decency in all matters. The tears of the Reavey family on the television pleading with Ian Paisley for an apology just to clear the family name will remain etched on my memory for my remaining days. Eileen, you may well have great memories of your loved one, but not everybody wants to hear his virtues raked up every few months. The tape needs to be changed. TIME TO MOVE ON Templepatrick, Co Antrim There is one marked difference in how Sinn Fein conducts its affairs in the two jurisdictions on this island. In the Republic the succession is clear. Things may not work out as expected, but at least there is an expectation in place that when Gerry Adams steps down as leader of the party he will be replaced by Mary Lou McDonald. True, there have been others at Adams' side in the past who fell back into insignificance, but Mary Lou looks like the real thing. The entire political system in the south now takes it for granted that she is a future president of Sinn Fein and very likely a future Taoiseach. But look at the north and ask who is likely to replace Martin McGuinness and the answer is not so clear. There is no obvious successor, no Shinner-in-waiting. Not that McGuinness has given any hint that he is ready to go, but that won't stop speculation mounting as the next Assembly election approaches in May. He is 65 years old, an age at which most people retire - if they can afford to. That is the age at which most of the top tier of the last generation of the SDLP stepped down. If McGuinness does carry on after the next election he will be 70 for the election after that. He is at an age at which a man is vulnerable and he has seen how the stress and the busyness and the rich food have affected Peter Robinson, his outgoing partner in the leadership of the Executive. He is bound to have asked himself how much longer he can go on. Yet, who would replace him? Sinn Fein shuffles people around. None of the ministers in the last Executive was carried forward into the current one and few if any of the current batch can confidently expect to retain their jobs after May. There are good and bad ways of reading this. As a republican socialist party, it really should not be cultivating personalities - celebrity politicians. The practice of paying each member the average industrial wage signals to all that they needn't be over-ambitious. Spreading the workload can be a good thing. It gives experience of office to a wider range of people, yet it also prevents anyone staying in place long enough to become an obvious choice as a future leader. Other political parties have generally tended to bring forward talent and keep it in place. The most obvious example was the DUP, which retained Robinson as a patient deputy for decades so that it was unthinkable that anyone but he would replace Ian Paisley. Similarly, the party signalled that Arlene Foster would move smoothly into the leader's chair when Robinson stepped aside. And Sinn Fein has designated an heir in the Republic, but not here. It has actually clipped the wings of any who rose to prominence before they could get comfortably used to the idea that they might be rising to the top. An obvious future leader of a few years ago was Conor Murphy. He is 52 years old. He held ministerial office as Minister for Regional Development. But he got sidelined off to Westminster, to the wilderness of abstention. In Regional Development he had worked close to Foster when she was Environment Minister in neighbouring offices in the DoE building in Belfast's Adelaide Street. So, he looks like a good choice. And yet he has virtually no current media profile, is estranged from the Assembly, and is missing years of valuable preparation for higher office - his obvious skills apparently going to waste. When McGuinness stepped aside from office to fight the Irish presidential election in 2012 he appointed John O'Dowd, the Education Minister, to fill in for him. O'Dowd has one handicap as an Education Minister, which would show up even more starkly as First Minister representing the country abroad, he does not speak well. In fact, he does not speak grammatical English. The most energetic Sinn Fein politician is Mairtin O Muilleoir. He has created a huge media profile for himself and a massive range of contacts. He is a media magnate and bounces back and forth across the Atlantic to his political and business associates. As Lord Mayor of Belfast he was almost frenetic and reaped votes for himself personally which his party could not have secured without him. Voters like him, despite the fact that he is a Sinn Feiner, whereas with most of the party's candidates it works the other way round. They get elected by people who hardly know them personally, because the party leadership has appointed them and the party machine works for them. Much depends on whether the party would want a self-made celebrity and past form suggests that it doesn't - the top man himself being the one exception. Just look at the number of senior party activists who have been prominent for a while and then shoved back. Caitriona Ruane? She's on the Policing Board, having been an Education Minister. A year ago Gerry Kelly (centre left) was the out-front media manager, the one routinely fielded against Stephen Nolan. No more. Michelle Gildernew (left) was so disheartened by her move from being Agriculture Minister to being an abstaining MP that she suffered depression and wrote candidly about it. Sinn Fein, in the north at least, is the party that picks you up and puts you down again. McGuinness may have no obvious successor because he simply has no intention of standing down, but that would be bad planning, making no allowance for the the kind of disruption that the DUP managed so well. If the security briefings supplied during the recent crisis talks are to be relied on, the IRA may believe that the decision on the succession rests with the army council and, certainly, many key appointments to date have been former gun-toters. They include Jennifer McCann, a junior minister, and Caral ni Chuilin, the Culture Minister. But with the DUP now having appointed a leader who was a child during the Troubles, many will think it desirable that Sinn Fein should also be led by someone with clean hands. Mrs Foster was never in Ulster Resistance; she did not parade on hillsides with a gun licence like, or march with a Third Force. She did not sit at the table with paramilitaries, planning strikes, or threatening to bring the country to a standstill. Wouldn't it be good to have leaders on both sides whose roots are not in belligerence? Ironically, though, the decision may not be taken in the north at all, but by party president for life Gerry Adams, or even by his heir Mary Lou McDonald. Malachi O'Doherty's unauthorised biography of Gerry Adams will be published by Faber & Faber in May The UK's new spying laws could kill people, the ex-technical director of the NSA has warned. Pursuing a strategy of allowing spies to look in on everything that everyone says costs lives, and has cost lives in Britain because it inundates analysts with too much data, Bill Binney has warned UK MPs who are scrutinising the Investigatory Powers Bill. The bill, also known as the Snoopers' Charter, is set to be passed by parliament early this year and will bring with it huge and unprecedented spying powers for UK intelligence agencies and the government. But it has been criticised by privacy campaigners and technology companies who argue that it will put lives in danger. It is 99 per cent useless, Mr Binney said in a letter sent to MPs. Who wants to know everyone who has ever looked at Google or the BBC? We have known for decades that that swamps analysts. He said that strategy had led directly to mistakes that allowed the attacks on 9/11 to go ahead. The US had collected information from the terrorists involved in the attacks, but had not been able to check them because of resources, he claimed. Britain should not go further down this road and risk making the same mistakes as my country did, or they will end up perpetuating loss of life, Mr Binney urged parliament. He described as absolute horses**t the claims by government lawyers that it wouldnt be possible to sift through data before it was collected. Government lawyers have said that there is so much information flowing through communications systems that it wouldnt be possible to monitor it all. But Mr Binney said that those claims were made by someone who does not understand the technology, and that the Investigatory Powers Tribunal the watchdog that is supposed to keep checks on UK spies was misled. Independent Oculus is set to reveal new products at the Las Vegas tech showcase The Oculus Rift virtual reality headset has gone on general sale, marking the first time that the general public can buy the device that many think could bring virtual reality to the masses. But the headset costs $599 and also requires a high-powered computer to be able to run it. The headsets will start shipping to those who pre-order now from March 2016, according to the website. As well as the headset, users will get an Oculus Remote, an Xbox controller for games, and two free titles. But many were annoyed by the price of the headset. The company had previously said that it could cost $200-$400, before announcing that the price would be at least $300. And people will still have to have access to a high-powered computer able to run the complex games. Oculus is offering a tool on its website to allow people to check whether their PC is powerful enough. The Rifts main competitor is the Samsung Gear VR, which is already on sale. That only costs $99 but requires a Samsung phone to power it, which has to be bought on top. Oculus has announced that backers of its Kickstarter campaign will receive free sets of the consumer headset. Independent Jack Dorsey said the majority of tweets would always be short and sweet, but they would also explore changes if people wanted them Twitter users who struggle to stay inside the limits of their 140-character tweets could see that extended by thousands after the site's co-founder hinted at change. Following reports the social networking site will employ a new feature allowing users to tweet up to 10,000 characters at a time, chief executive Jack Dorsey posted a message saying the company will not be "shy" about giving its users more power. The current 140-character restriction was introduced in Twitter's early days, in a similar way to short text messages, and while Mr Dorsey praised it as a " beautiful constraint" he noted that users already find ways to cram more into a tweet by posting images with more words. Mr Dorsey sent a tweet after a report on t echnology website Re/Code suggested Twitter is currently considering upping the limit to 10,000, although he did not refer directly to the report in his message. He used a picture of text, containing 1,325 characters, to tell followers what may be in store. He said the current limit "inspires creativity and brevity", and that the majority of tweets "will always be short and sweet and conversational", but added they are keen to work to "strengthen" the site's purpose. He wrote: "We're not going to be shy about building more utility and power into Twitter for people. As long as it's consistent with what people want to do, we're going to explore it." Such a move could be a good way to attract new users to the site, something it has struggled to do compared to other sites such as Facebook and Instagram, said Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter. He said: "Twitter is an afterthought in social media right now. They need to do something to drive more usage of the service. If people start using the service more frequently, other users will come join in, too." Re/Code reported that one option Twitter is considering is keeping the look of the site with only 140-characters visible in tweets, therefore maintaining the feel of the current timeline layout, but having an option to click for further content. As this last year came to a close on December 31st, its only natural that we all took a moment to reflect on what happened in our lives over the past 365 days. There was a birthday, Christmas, probably a vacation or trip, maybe even a wedding, a new home or a baby. We think back fondly over the blessings and are more than happy to put the bad times behind us. Personally, my 2015 included the stress of building a new home (a tiny one at that), followed by the swift realization that said house had a quadrillion things wrong with it, which meant living out of a hotel and other peoples homes, going back and forth with my builder, running into dead ends, and eventually having to move out again, then moving all my belongings AGAIN into a temporary rental house only to find out that theres a mold problem that is wreaking havoc on my health, and eventually moving my stuff AGAIN back to where I started from in the first place. Needless to say I was kind of tired of moving around. And dealing with stress and the effects it was having on me physically. But wanna hear something crazy? I didnt go crazy. I didnt lose my mind or have a nervous breakdown or run away (although believe me, I thought about it a few times!). I survived and not only that, I actually still managed to find joy in the midst of chaos. So how do you do that? Well, the most important thing is to be patient and trust God. This was a lesson I had already learned during the other trials I had been through in the last few years, like my moms passing. So I had already learned that it does no one (especially yourself) any good to get upset and worry yourself to pieces. It doesnt change a single thing about your circumstances. It just makes you feel miserable in the meantime. God is always in control and He doesnt need my help (a.k.a. micro-managing), so I just need to trust Him and focus on the truths that His timing is always right and He will use all things for good. Just remembering that alone makes things a lot easier to bear because it takes the pressure off of you! It also helps you to remember what is truly important and be grateful. If you are being patient and trusting that God is in control, it helps you to put the focus back on the things that really matter your family, your friends, helping others and of course, your relationship with God. It draws you closer to Him and helps you to see all of the blessings that you DO have more clearly. For instance, even in the midst of all of the tiny house drama I still was making great friendships with new people, acquiring new business opportunities and learning (yet again) that I am stronger than I sometimes give myself credit for. Thats why its so important to focus on the good. Putting your focus and your energy on the things that are good in your life, helps you to forget about the chaos a little and remember that youre going to get through this time. It not only helps you to survive but to actually LIVE and be joyful! Its easy to find joy when everything is going right in your life and the blessings are abundant. But when times are tough, whether its because of unemployment, loss, illness or just plain loneliness it will take a little effort on your part to be joyful. But believe me, its worth the effort. Your body, your mind and especially your soul will thank you for it! Bangladeshi activists celebrate after the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence against Jamaat-e-Islami leader Motiur Rahman Nizami, Jan. 6, 2016. The Bangladeshi Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the death sentence on a war-crime conviction for the head of Jamaat-e-Islami, the countrys largest faith-based party. Chief Justice S.K. Sinha, who led a four-member bench of the Supreme Courts appellate (apex) division, confirmed Motiur Rahman Nizamis death sentence for war crimes committed in 1971, including complicity in rapes, murders of intellectuals and mass killings. Motiur Rahman Nizamis death sentence is upheld. The state has got justice. We are satisfied, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told reporters after the court pronounced its verdict. He said Nizami was only one legal step away from being sent to the gallows: filing a review petition before the Supreme Court to change the verdict. What I can say as a lawyer is that the disposal of the review petition will not take much time, Law Minister Anisul Huq told reporters. Nizami is the fifth alleged criminal from Bangladeshs war of independence from Pakistan in 1971 to have his death sentence upheld by the Supreme Court. The other four a trio of Jamaat leaders and a senior official from the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) all were executed, including three in 2015. Khandker Mahbub Hussain, Nizamis chief lawyer, told reporters that his client would need to determine if he wanted to file a petition for a review. Hussain represented Nizami before the court in early December, claiming his client had not received a fair trial because the evidence presented by the prosecution was dubious. He may snub seeking a review petition as all review petitions in the past did not change the Supreme Court judgment, Hussain told BenarNews. Nizami will have 15 days to file a petition after the Supreme Court publishes the full verdict. There is no timeline for the court to publish the full verdict it can take a day or several months. The review judgment which would follow the verdicts publication and defendants petition, could take a day or two. Nizamis last chance to escape the death sentence, if his appeal fails, would be to seek clemency from the president. On Nov. 22, senior BNP leader Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury and Jamaat Secretary-General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojahid were hanged simultaneously, days after losing their appeals to the Supreme Court and hours after the president rejected their clemency bids. Also on Wednesday, the apex court heard an appeal from another convicted war criminal and Jamaat leader, Mir Quasem Ali, who also faces execution. The court set Feb. 2 as the date for ruling on Alis verdict. Jamaat calls for peace On the eve of the Supreme Court ruling, Jamaat posted a message on its website saying the party would protest the expected decision in Nizamis case but also calling for peace across Bangladesh on Wednesday. The statement also accused the government of being out to eliminate the partys leadership through war-crime trials and convictions. Nizami was arrested on June 29, 2010, and was put on trial before the countrys so-called International Criminal Court its war crimes tribunal in May 2012, on 16 charges. He was sentenced to death on Oct. 29, 2014, on three of the charges, leading to the appeal to the Supreme Court. It upheld Nizamis death sentence over his complicity with Pakistani forces in the killings of 450 people and rapes of at least 30 women in four villages in his home district Pabna, about 200 km (125 miles) north of Dhaka. In 1971, Nizami headed Jamaats student wing, Islami Chhatra Sangha. It turned into an armed group, al-Badr, which was responsible for exterminating countrys top intellectuals two days before Pakistani forces surrendered on Dec. 16 of that year. The ruling Awami League, headed by Bangladeshs founding president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, led the war against Pakistan 45 years ago, when Bangladesh was known as East Pakistan. Assassinated in 1975, Rahman was the father of Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister who rules Bangladesh today. Jamaat and its front organizations opposed Bangladeshs independence and recruited its party men to aid the Pakistani army. Ruling hailed Activists campaigning for death sentences for war criminals celebrated the latest judgment. The Supreme Courts verdict has given relief to the people. We want to see quick his execution, Imran H. Sarker, the spokesman for Gonojagoron Moncho (Mass Awakening Platform), told reporters. The grassroots movement was established in 2013 to demand capital punishment for all war criminals. Sarker also criticized Jamaats ally, BNP, for appointing Nizami to its cabinet when the party governed Bangladesh from 2001 to 2006. This is common knowledge in Pabna that Nizami is a razakar [war criminal]. It is funny that he was punished after 45 years, sexagenarian Abdul Baten, a resident of Nizamis constituency, the Bera sub-district of Pabna, told BenarNews. The leader of a militant group in Aceh says he wants to live in peace as a commoner now that he and about 120 of his men have surrendered. But Nurdin bin Ismail Amat, who is widely known by the alias Din Minimi, may not be immune from prosecution by local authorities for alleged crimes committed by his group, although the Indonesian central government had guaranteed amnesties for him and his men in exchange for their surrender on Dec. 29. I just want a quiet life. I also want to help people who need my help, Din told BenarNews in a phone interview Wednesday. But I dont think I will go into politics because I did not finish school, he said. The interview occurred a day after Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo reiterated his governments promises to Minimi and his group for turning themselves in and putting down their weapons. We will grant him an amnesty for sure, Jokowi said during a Tuesday cabinet meeting on human rights, Indonesian news website Detik.com reported. Din, however, is expected to go through the legal process and potentially face criminal charges, despite Jokowis guarantee of amnesty. Aceh police said they would file charges against Din and his men for their alleged roles in more than a dozen crimes committed in the province. Din and his men surrendered to the chief of National Intelligence Agency (BIN), Sutiyoso, after years of leading his band of fighters in opposition to the provincial government. He also handed over 15 firearms and ammunition to Sutiyoso. At the time of his surrender, Din requested amnesty for members of his group as well as all former Free Aceh Movement (GAM) combatant. He also demanded that the provincial administration guarantee the welfare of orphans, widows of GAM veterans and victims of Acehs three-decade-long conflict. GAM fought a separatist insurgency against the Indonesian government, which ended with the signing of a peace accord in Helsinki in 2005. In addition, Din demanded that the Corruption Eradication Commission investigate cases of alleged corruption in Acehs government. Last year, Din told BenarNews in a separate interview that his group was fighting corruption in the provincial government, which is led by ex-GAM rebels. Maybe Ill do farming Now back home with his family in East Aceh regency, Din has received many visitors ranging from commoners to politicians, including former Aceh Gov. Irwandi Yusuf. Din said that he would like to get back to work, although he is not sure how he would support his mother, wife and three children. Maybe Ill do farming or drive heavy equipment as I did before, he said, adding that his members worked as fishermen or farmers. Aceh Provincial Police Chief Husein Hamidi, however, has vowed to bring Din and his group to justice, even though they have surrendered. On Dec. 31, the police chief blamed Din and his group for 14 criminal cases in the North Aceh and East Aceh districts in the last three years. We will process him and his members legally in accordance with the applicable laws, the chief said, but without saying when the process might begin. Din denied any role in the crimes including kidnapping, extortion, arson, as well as the killing of two military intelligence officers in North Aceh on March 24, 2015. The former militant leader asked if he should sue the police for having shot and killed his men. I already handed over all weapons. What else do they expect? If they want to arrest me, please. But I kept my promise to Sutiyoso, Din said. In December, Sutiyoso told BenarNews that he would ensure the safety of Din and his men after their surrender. Calls for Dins prosecution Two of the people behind the push to bring charges against Din and his followers are the director of Legal Aid Institute (LBH) Banda Aceh, Mustiqal Syahputra, and the coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence Aceh, Hendra Saputra. Giving amnesty to a person who allegedly is behind 14 criminal offenses is tendentious and really should be re-examined, Mustiqal said. He said group members had been tried and sentenced to five years in prison. Their trials revealed that they had committed the crimes on Dins orders. Din Minimi should be prosecuted because he is still on the Aceh polices list of wanted people for his alleged crimes, Hendra told BenarNews. Indonesia has reportedly sought investigative help from China following the recent arrest of a Uyghur man with a suicide-bomb vest, but a Uyghur rights group has cautioned Jakarta to be careful in cooperating with Beijing on such cases. The arrest was one of 13 in various parts of Java in the last two weeks of 2015, with police claiming they had disrupted a major plot backed by an Islamic State (IS) leader in Syria to attack public figures and places of worship in Indonesia. We are cooperating with China and investigating evidence such as ATM cards and cellphones, Saud Usman Nasution, director of Indonesias National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT), told Reuters in an interview Wednesday. He added that an Indonesian team had gone to China to interview members of the mans family, but they did not confirm they were related to him. Groomed The man was arrested on Dec. 23 in Bekasi, West Java, a city on the eastern outskirts of Jakarta, based on information obtained from an Indonesian national arrested in the same city earlier in the day. The Indonesian man, identified as Arif Hidayatullah, was reportedly arrested on his way to work at an automotive company. He allegedly possessed a list of IS supporters in Indonesia and a photocopy of a book about explosives, according to Tribunnews. Later in the day, a Uyghur man identified as Ali was arrested at a boarding house with a false Indonesian identity card. Traces of explosives were found in his room, Tribunnews quoted police as saying. This Ali is allegedly a Uyghur who was studying Indonesian. He was being groomed as a suicide bomber, National Police chief Badrodin Haiti told BeritaSatu in December, shortly after the arrest. The Uyghurs are a Muslim minority within China, and mostly live in the western Xinjiang region. Uyghurs also are spread across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,Uzbekistan and Turkey. During the last couple of years, Uyghurs have been leaving China in droves to escape persecution and repression by authorities who consider them separatists and terrorists and have cracked down on their religion and culture. Chinese authorities have blamed an upsurge of violence in Xinjiang since 2012 on terrorists and insurgents seeking to establish an independent state. A spokesman for the World Uyghur Congress, a diaspora organization based in the United States, urged authorities in Jakarta to be "very careful" when cooperating with China on anti-terrorism cases related to Uyghurs. "We oppose any action taken by Jakarta that justifies China's widespread and systematic human rights violations in Xinjiang, Dilshat Rishit said. Uyghurs with Santoso In 2015, a Jakarta court convicted four Uyghur men of attempting to join an Indonesian terrorist group. They were arrested in September 2014 in Central Sulawesi, not far from the jungles where Santoso, Indonesias most wanted militant, is believed to be hiding. Santoso has sworn allegiance to IS and has welcomed foreigners to join his Eastern Indonesia Mujahideen (MIT) group. The MIT currently has 32 members, including two Uyghurs and three women, security officials say. But the Uyghur man arrested in Bekasi was part of an IS affiliate based in Solo, Central Java, according to the Reuters report on Wednesday. Officials declined to comment on reports that two other Uyghurs from the same group were on the run, Reuters said. Angkhana Neelapaijit (right), the wife of missing Thai lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit, speaks to reporters in Bangkok, Dec. 29, 2015. In demanding that Thailand outlaw so-called enforced disappearances and fully probe the cases of 82 missing people, the U.N.s human rights chief Wednesday highlighted the case of a lawyer from the countrys restive Deep South who vanished 12 years ago. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein called on the Thai government to pass a law that would prohibit such disappearances, as well as undertake decisive and sustained efforts in investigating the cases of the 82 who disappeared nationwide since 1980. All of the families of those who have disappeared have the right to know the truth regarding the disappearance of their kin, as well as any progress and the results of investigations, Zeid said in a statement issued from his office in Geneva. The high commissioner in particular criticized the Thai Supreme Courts acquittal on Dec. 29, 2015, of five police officers who had been implicated in the abduction of lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit from a Bangkok street on March 12, 2004. The court ruled that the evidence against the defendants was too weak. Somchai was never seen again. He was representing five Muslim men from the Deep South who had been arrested under martial law and who alleged that their military interrogators had tortured them. The five were accused of being separatists who had looted a military barracks. In commenting on the outcome in that case, Zeid said the Thai judiciary had failed to consider a civil courts declaration that Somchai had gone missing and important evidence had also not been examined, according to a press release from the high commissioners office. The judiciarys role is not only to interpret laws and procedures but also to protect and defend their citizens rights. The Supreme Court of Thailand missed an opportunity to protect the rights of the victims to truth, justice and redress in cases of involuntary and enforced disappearance, Zeid said. Although Thai officials have vowed to do something about alleged human rights violations, enforced disappearances in Thailand are still a serious problem, his office said. The Thai authorities have a responsibility to ensure victims get all the help they need in finding their loved ones, to ensure the fair prosecution and punishment of perpetrators, and to commit to stamping out the deplorable act of enforced disappearances, Zeid added. No law Because Thailands has no law criminalizing enforced disappearances, the five men implicated in Somchais abduction were tried in 2004 for robbery and assault. In 2006, the U.N. General Assembly adopted the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, which went into effect in 2010. So far, 51 countries have ratified the convention. Thailand signed it in January 2012, but has yet to ratify it. Police Maj. Ngern Thongsuk, one of the men charged with robbing and assaulting Somchai, was sentenced in 2006. Ngern later disappeared in a stream in Pitsanuloke province while out on bail, according to relatives who filed a formal police report. In March 2011, an appeals court acquitted all five defendants, including Ngern, citing unreliable and conflicting testimony from witnesses. Angkhana Neelapaijit, Somchais wife, told BenarNews on Wednesday that she had petitioned the Department of Special Investigation, to reinvestigate her husbands case in March 2015. DSI officials said they would contact witnesses for clue and would discuss with me when they could establish sufficient evidence, said Angkhana, a member of Thailands National Human Rights Commission. ein Google-Unternehmen Google-Dienste anzubieten und zu betreiben Ausfalle zu prufen und Manahmen gegen Spam, Betrug und Missbrauch zu ergreifen Daten zu Zielgruppeninteraktionen und Websitestatistiken zu erheben. 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Sofern relevant, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auerdem, um Inhalte und Werbung altersgerecht zu gestalten. Wir verwenden Cookies und Daten, umWenn Sie Alle akzeptieren auswahlen, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auch, umWahlen Sie Weitere Optionen aus, um sich zusatzliche Informationen anzusehen, einschlielich Details zum Verwalten Ihrer Datenschutzeinstellungen. Sie konnen auch jederzeit g.co/privacytools besuchen. by Jared Compton John Rhoads argues in a recent article that it was Josephus, not Luke, who misdated Quiriniuss census. The gist of his piece is that the Judas whom Josephus associates with a tax revolt in A.D. 6 (Ant. 18.423) is the same Judas whom Josephus says was killed a decade or so earlier by Herod the Great (Ant. 17.14867). Rhoads offers two main arguments in support of this thesis. First, he argues that the slightly different names given both Judases (Judas, the son of Saripheus, and Judas the Galilean) are actually two ways of referring to the same individual. Second, he argues that Judass tax revolt occurred during Herods reign, not following it. Rhoadss arguments are a bit complicated, so Ive tried to sort them out below. If hes right, then many recent attempts to exonerate Luke are largely unnecessary, since Luke doesnt need to be harmonized with Josephus. Whether or not he is right, however, is a question Ill have to leave for another day (or, more likely, someone else). Argument #1: Judas the son of Saripheus = Judas the Galilean. In Ant. 17.14767, Josephus describes the activity of Judas, the son of Saripheus, while in the parallel accounts in Wars (1.648), hes called the son of Sepphoraeos. Alternate readings of the Antiquities account, however, lead Rhoads to conclude that the Wars account is the more accurate of the two. This suggests that Judas, the son of Saripheus/Sepphoraeos was likely the son of a well-known inhabitant of Sepphoris, the capital of Galilee (cf. in Luke 18:37)perhaps the Galilean bandit Hezekiah, who is identified as Judas the Galileans father in another place (Ant. 17.26985; cf. cf. Schurer 1:381). In short, Judas, the son of a well-known Sepphorian in Ant. 17.14867 is, plausibly, Judas the Galilean in Ant. 18.423 (cf. Wars 2.118). What further adds to the plausibility of this identification is the fact that in both accounts Judas is described as a teacher, surrounded by disciples, and aided by another rabbi. Argument #2: The tax revolt occurred during Herods reign. Coponius. Rhoads argues that Josephus incorrectly assumed that Coponiuss presence, alongside Quirinius, meant that Quiriniuss census took place in A.D. 6, since that was when Coponius became prefect of Judea (see Ant. 18.123; Wars 2.11718). The problem with this, however, was that Coponius could not have been prefect at this time since Josephuss narrative presents him as subservient to Quirinius. Quirinius, e.g., is said to have been of consular rank, whereas Coponius, along with others who were sent with Quirinius, was of the lower, equestrian rank. Had Coponius been prefect, he would have answered only to the governor of Syria, which Quirinius was not. Quirinius, rather, is described as a special imperial envoy, in something of a complementary role to Syrias governor (a legate juridicus; governor = legati pro praetore). Whats more, Josephus says that in his administrative capacity Coponius had dominion over the Jews, which would overstate his jurisdiction in A.D. 6, since it did not include Antipas and Philips territories. If Coponius was indeed active in Judea prior to his prefecture, then this probably also explains the otherwise anomalous reference to his presence at the trial of Herods son Antipater in 5 B.C. (Ant. 17.134 v.l.). Sabinus. Rhoads argues that Sabinus, who was present in Jerusalem at the time of Herods death, is another name for Quirinius (see Ant. 17.221, 18.12; Wars 2.16). Both were special envoys of the emperor, both were of consular rank, both were concerned with Judeas tax revenue, and both were in charge of settling Herods estate. Rhoads suggests that both names may have been cognomens (i.e., an extra nameoften a nicknamegiven to a Roman citizen), since such names were often ethnically based. Quirinius, e.g., may have been what the Romans called Publius Sulpicius, as a result of the deity associated with his Sabinian heritage (i.e., Quirinus), a heritage Rhoads infers from the fact that Quirinius was born in Lavinium, a city SW of Rome that had a significant Sabine population. Sabinus, on the other hand, may have been how he was known among the Semites of Herods court. Joazar. Rhoads argues that the high priest removed immediately following Herods death is the high priest Joazar who was removed by Quirinius immediately following Judass tax revolt (see Ant. 17.164b, 206, 339b; 18.26b). Rhoads suggests that Joazar was appointed high priest by Herod after Judass armory raid, not after his eagle incident, as Josephus assumes. This means that Joazar was high priest during Judass tax revolt and eagle incident/execution, which followed. Rhoads then notes that the high priest deposed during the time of Herods funeral and at the behest of Judass followers corresponds with Josephuss reports elsewhere of Archelauss removal, shortly after Herods death, of the high priest Joazar and with his report of Quiriniuss removal of a priest with the same name following Judass tax revolt. In short, Joazar was priest during Judass revolt against the tax administered by Coponius and Sabinus/Quirinius during the latter years of Herods reign. As I noted earlier, Ill leave off a full-scale review for the time being. I did, however, want to conclude by noting a handful of lingering questions that I suspect will need to be part of any fuller engagement of Rhoadss thesis: (1) Why does Josephus say Joazar was succeeded by two different persons if Joazar was appointed and deposed just once (see Ant. 17.399b and 18.26b)? (2) If Joazar was, in fact, the priest deposed by Archelaus to satisfy his followers demands (Ant. 17.206), why does Josephuss other report of this incident, which explicitly mentions Joazar, say Archelaus deposed him for having risen-up with the partisans (Ant. 17.339b)? (3) Why does the catalogue of disturbances in 17.26985 fail to mention the eagle incident, especially if, as Rhoads argues, it followed the armory raid incident? Note: For another approach to the Quirinius incident, see Once More: Quiriniuss Census. And, for the historicity of another part of the nativity narrative, see Star of Wonder, Star of Light. We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. For Immediate Release, January 28, 2015 Contacts: Randi Spivak, (310) 779-4894, rspivak@biologicaldiversity.org Christine Glaser, (312) 613-2164 or cglaser1812@gmail.com Chuck Romaniello, chuckromaniello1945@gmail.com Study: Livestock Grazing on Public Lands Cost Taxpayers $1 Billion Over Past Decade WASHINGTON A new analysis finds U.S. taxpayers have lost more than $1 billion over the past decade on a program that allows cows and sheep to graze on public land. Last year alone taxpayers lost $125 million in grazing subsidies on federal land. Had the federal government charged fees similar to grazing rates on non-irrigated private land, the program would have made $261 million a year on average rather than operate at a staggering loss, the analysis finds. The study, Costs and Consequences: The Real Price of Livestock Grazing on Americas Public Lands, comes as the Obama administration prepares Friday to announce grazing fees for the upcoming year on 229 million acres of publicly owned land, most of it in the West. The report was prepared by economists on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity. Public lands grazing has been a billion-dollar boondoggle over the past decade and hasnt come close to paying for itself, said Randi Spivak with the Center for Biological Diversity. Livestock owners pay less to graze their animals on publically owned land in 2014 than they did in 1981. Today the monthly cost of allowing a cow and calf to graze on federal lands is about the equivalent of a can of dog food. This damaging and expensive grazing program has been broken for years and needs to be fixed. Taxpayers, and the land we all own, deserve better. The gap between federal grazing fees and non-irrigated private land rates has widened considerably, according to the study. Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service grazing fees are $1.35 per month per animal unit (a cow and a calf), just 6.72 percent of what it would cost to graze livestock on private grazing lands. This is a marked decline from the federal fee being 23.79 percent of non-irrigated private rates when the federal fee first went into effect in 1981. The fees for grazing on U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands needs to be seriously reevaluated, said Christine Glaser, an economist with GreenFire Consulting and author of the report. Over the past three decades the fee formula has clearly decoupled public grazing fees from the development of private, state and other federal agencies grazing fees. Bottom line, this formula shields public lands ranchers from grazing rate increases that every other livestock operator has to live with. There are about 800,000 livestock operators and cattle producers in the United States. Of those, fewer than 21,000 or 2.7 percent of the nations total livestock operators benefit from the Forest Service and BLM grazing programs in the West. The Public Rangeland Improvement Act subsidizes a small segment of the livestock industry, said the studys co-author and former Interior Department economist Chuck Romaniello. There needs to be a discussion as to what the appropriate level of that subsidy should be, including if there should be a subsidy at all. The federal subsidy of the grazing program goes beyond the direct costs and fees. There are vast indirect costs to grazing on federal lands, including the government killing of native carnivores perceived as threats to livestock, wildfire suppression caused by invasive cheat grass facilitated by cattle grazing, and expenditure of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service funds from protecting other species threatened by livestock grazing. The full cost of the federal grazing program is long overdue for a complete analysis, the study said. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 800,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. For Immediate Release, January 6, 2016 Contact: Stephanie Parent, (971) 717-6404, sparent@biologicaldiversity.org Lawsuit Launched Over New Pesticide's Danger to Salmon, Other Wildlife EPA Continues to Ignore Science and Approve New Toxic Pesticides WASHINGTON The Center for Biological Diversity submitted a formal notice of intent to sue the Environmental Protection Agency today for approving cuprous iodide, a new antimicrobial pesticide that is highly toxic to fish and aquatic invertebrates. The pesticide is applied during the manufacture of clothing, bedding and other products. When washed, these products will leach copper into waterways. Cuprous iodide poses a particular danger to salmon in the Pacific Northwest. Studies have shown that even a small increase in copper levels can impair salmon feeding, migration, spawning and ability to avoid predators. Despite the threat to salmon and other endangered species, the EPA approved the pesticide for use without consulting with expert wildlife agencies as required by the Act. There are decades of studies showing that copper is one of the most toxic elements for salmon and other aquatic wildlife and yet the EPA approved this dangerous new pesticide anyway, said Stephanie Parent, senior attorney at the Center. This approval is part of a troubling pattern of the EPA greenlighting pesticides without bothering to fully understand how they might hurt people or wildlife. That has to change. On Oct. 6, 2015, the EPA granted broad approval for use of cuprous iodide formulated into an antimicrobial pesticide applied to a wide range of products, including apparel, bedding, carpets, furniture and personal hygiene products. Copper will leach from these materials into rivers, streams and other waterways. Already more than 600 waterways nationwide do not meet copper water quality standards and are listed as impaired. Studies show that coho salmon with limited copper exposure cannot detect predators, an impairment that can be lethal. In approving this toxic pesticide without considering its effects on salmon, the EPA appears to be oblivious to the decades of work and billions of dollars that have been put into recovering salmon, said Parent. It isnt just salmon that are threatened. Copper from this pesticide will hurt many waterways that host other endangered species such as freshwater mussels. More than 70 percent of North Americas 302 mussel species which rely on clean water are extinct or imperiled. The trend is to eliminate copper pollution, like phasing out copper in vehicle brake pads, but the EPA is heading in the opposite direction by approving cuprous iodide, said Parent. The Center will ask the court to order the EPA to consult with federal wildlife biologists on cuprous iodides effects on endangered species and to put in place interim protections necessary to protect wildlife until the consultation is complete. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 900,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. For Immediate Release, January 6, 2016 Contact: Lori Ann Burd, (971) 717-6405, laburd@biologicaldiversity.org EPA Concludes Neonicotinoids Pose Risk to Bees, Fails to Analyze Other Pollinators WASHINGTON The Environmental Protection Agency said today in a pollinator risk assessment that imidacloprid, a popular neonicotinoid pesticide, poses a significant risk to honeybees but it failed to examine risks to nearly 4,000 North American native bees and all other pollinators, including imperiled butterflies, bats and birds. You cant claim to do a pollinator risk assessment and really only look at one pollinator, the honeybee, said Lori Ann Burd, Environmental Health director at the Center for Biological Diversity. Thats not only cheating on the purpose of this work but also cheating the native bees, birds, butterflies and other species threatened by this pesticide. In fact, many of these other pollinators are even more vulnerable to neonicotinoids than honeybees. Todays analysis indicates that for some crop uses, honeybees can be exposed to imidacloprid at concentrations that negatively affect the health of the hive. But a recent Nature study found that wild bees are more sensitive to the acute toxic effects of neonicotinoids specifically that neonicotinoid seed coatings reduce wild bee density, solitary bee nesting and bumblebee colony growth. The EPA did acknowledge that bumblebees are affected by the pesticide at much lower levels than honeybees, but it nonetheless failed to properly assess the risk. In addition, the EPA in this assessment improperly relied on just a single industry-provided study to assess risk to honeybee colonies, despite an abundance of published studies by independent scientists looking at this issue. The EPAs decision to rely on industry-funded research is absolutely unacceptable, particularly when there has been so much research by independent researchers, said Burd. While the EPA emphasized honeybee colony risks, its risk assessment found effects on individual honeybees, not on colonies, from most crops. This risk assessment, while deeply flawed, does expose the substantial effects on individual honeybees from neonicotinoid treated crops, said Burd. However, the EPA refused to make a determination on colony-level risks for specific crops when it had anything less than conclusive evidence on the risks. This flawed methodology caused the agency to dramatically understate the risks of imidacloprid. Also, the colony-level risk assessment only takes into account exposure via nectar, not pollen. So the EPA is analyzing effects on pollinators without even taking pollen into account. Bees and other pollinators face myriad other threats, including climate change, genetically engineered crops and monoculture, disease, pests, and habitat loss. Studies show that even low levels of exposure to neonicotinoids, which act as potent neuro-toxins, increases the risk posed by these other threats on weakened honeybees. Neonicotinoids are a class of pesticides known to have both acute and chronic effects on honeybees, birds, butterflies and other pollinator species, and they are a major factor in overall pollinator declines. These systemic insecticides cause entire plants, including pollen and fruit, to become toxic to pollinators; they are also slow to break down, and thus they build up in the environment. A large and growing body of independent science, including todays study, links neonicotinoids to catastrophic bee declines. Twenty-nine independent scientists who conducted a global review of more than 1,000 independent studies on neonicotinoids found overwhelming evidence linking neonicotinoid pesticides to declines in populations of bees, birds, earthworms, butterflies and other wildlife. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 900,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. Zimbabwe is expected to launch its first digital television by March this year, and Government has urged television content producers to ensure the country has enough to broadcast when the industry is fully digitalised. The digitalisation exercise will create room for 12 high definition (HD) television channels of which six will be owned by Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation while the remainder will go to private broadcasters. Speaking at the launch of the content production phase of the Zimbabwe digitalisation programme in Harare yesterday, Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Deputy Minister Thokozile Mathuthu said Government was committed to digitalisation. She said this was evidenced by efforts that have been put into building transmission infrastructure across the country. Deputy Minister Mathuthu said while Government was in the process of meeting the technical side of digitalisation, it was the content side that mattered most. "Broadcasting is not about technicians or engineers, but it is about content," she said. "If we have no content to show on our television channels, then we may just as well forget about broadcasting. Image via 123RF "The solution is not to look for content beyond our borders. No! The solution is to produce our own local content which is beyond reproach and matches international standards, if not better. "We have to produce content for our country, for the region and beyond as we market ourselves as Zimbabweans in the global village in the long run." She said Zimbabweans were anxiously waiting to feel the results of digitalisation. Digitalisation, she said, was not about ZBC alone or Government but all broadcasters who would come on board with digital migration. "In many countries that are ahead of us in this respect, the content industry employs thousands and thousands of people and generates billions of dollars in earnings. "This is the vision which my ministry has, to grow the content industry to reach those heights. We pride ourselves as a learned people, multi-skilled people, a creative people," said Deputy Minister Mathuthu. Speaking at the same occasion, permanent secretary in the ministry George Charamba said the $125m that Government committed to digitalisation was clear testimony of its interest in the broadcasting industry. He said it was high time local film producers sought to end Nigeria's dominance of the film industry in the continent. "We are not congregating to produce content for any one broadcaster. When we have done our digitalisation, we shall have 12 HD channels. "With those 12 HD channels, from the perspective of Government, I am not interested in any one of them, I am interested in all of them. Which means there is no first born, there is no second born, there is no last born. They are channels whose duty is to keep Zimbabweans entertained, informed and educated. "That means our focus in terms of production is to produce content minimally for Zimbabweans and maximally for Africa. Let us be very, very, very clear. Nigeria has taught us that it is possible for one to launch a broadcast industry that caters beyond your national borders," said Charamba. He said in its endeavour to capacitate the film industry, Government bought 28 HD cameras, 20 editing suites and other equipment that would be hired out to film producers for free. So far, 15 cameras and eight editing suites are already in the country while 13 cameras and 12 editing suites are expected on January 22, 2016. Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe chief executive Obert Muganyura said digitalisation would create an opportunity for them to license more players in the industry. He said the exercise would create employment opportunities adding that the ball was now in the producers' court. Zimpapers chief executive Pikirayi Deketeke said it was gratifying that Government was committed to supporting the broadcasting industry. The integrated media group owns newspapers and a radio station -- Star FM. Deketeke said Zimpapers was interested in establishing a television station in the near future. "I believe this is an historic meeting, an historic moment where we see Government sitting together with the creative industry. "I think it's a rare moment in our history, in our journey and in our development as a people," said Deketeke. He said Zimpapers was an integrated media group which demonstrated Government's commitment to empowering the media industry in Zimbabwe. Africa's signage and graphic industry is set to experience a growth as they are set to witness top innovations at Sign and Graphic Imaging (SGI) Dubai 2016 trade show. SGI Dubai 2016 is the largest and most accomplished trade show in the signage and graphic industry. The 19th edition of the exhibition, which will display innovative products from exhibitors across the globe, will be held from 10-12 January at Halls 3-8 of the Dubai World Trade Centre. A Smithers Pira report forecasted that the printing revenues in Middle East and Africa are set to touch US$26 billion in 2018. Over 16% of SGI Dubai 2015's visitors are comprised of African visitors and this statistic is forecasted to increase for the 2016 edition. International and regional companies in the signage and graphic industries will converge for the show, showcasing the top and best products and services in the industry. International Expo Consults (IEC) (http://www.IECdubai.com), the show's organizers stated that over 400 international and regional exhibitors will unveil about AED220 million worth of printers and equipment in the event. The 19th edition of SGI Dubai expects to receive over 12,000 visitors from 78 countries and they are set to witness the industry's latest products and trends. International Expo Consults (IEC) stated that one of the reasons for global exhibitors setting their sights on this region is due to the forecasted 7.2% revenue growth in the printing industry per annum. "Every edition, we receive an unbelievable amount of support from our African visitors. With Africa's growing economy and its upcoming developments come the increasing demand for state-of-the-art printing equipment. Most visitors from Africa visit the trade show to discover the industry's cutting-edge trends and products and to network with international stakeholders," says Abdul Rahman Falaknaz, Chairman of IEC. Falaknaz added, "Because Africa's printing industry is experiencing a dramatic growth, their industry can benefit from the approach and ideas of different exhibitors in and around the Middle East that they will witness in the exhibition." Africa's gross domestic product in the past decade has been rapidly expanding compared to the global GDP average. Africa is considered to be a USD2 trillion economy, and reports revealed that six out of ten fastest growing economies in the world are in Africa. "Africa's booming economy is an indicator that its signage and graphic sector will experience a huge boost. Companies in the said sector are slowly replacing old equipment with innovations, creating a wide space for global opportunities for printing services and products. The country's developing economy is also set to add in the growing demand for the industry," adds Falaknaz. SGI Dubai 2016 is spread across a bigger floor space compared to its previous editions. It will also house pavilions for players within the digital signage, textile printing and retail signage industry sectors. The exhibitors and visitors, through the exhibition and its seminars, is a perfect platform to learn tips and techniques in the industry. For the last 18 years, SGI played a role in being a converging point for exhibitors and visitors in the signage and graphic industry. The exhibition serves as a meeting platform for print and production manufacturers, sign makers, media and marketing agencies, developers, architects, and brand and image consultants, among others. The 'SGI Dubai 2016' show will be held from 10 to 12 January at the Halls 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of International Expo-Consults (IEC). I have completed my MBA but cannot get my results at the Wits Business School because I have not managed to settle my outstanding fees. Amidst the status quo, I have went on to start a small business in 2010 while I was 19. I have been able to manage the business on a part-time bases for more than six years. This was experience enough to earn me a spot in the prestigeous Wits Business School MBA. I am a 2014 Top 100 Bright Young Minds finalist. In 2015 I made it into the Top 40 Microsoft Elurhuleni Tech Entrepreneurs Programme. I have served in several leadership positions including being a Wits SRC subcom Member. I believe I deserve to graduate and have proved this through completing the Wits MBA while I had zero funding. Recently the European Union awarded me a scholarship to go on an exchange programme at the University of Latvia. I am passionate about the media, branding and marketing industry. My MBA research thesis is centered around brand equity and social media marketing. I am an experienced digital marketer having been in the online marketing space since 2010. Recently I have been specialising in marketing strategies, innovative disruptive marketing, social marketing and big data. I would appreciate any kind of help that can eventually result in me graduating. Regarding Thailands Koh Samui Provincial Court, they had to give the ruling based on how the case was built. We have seen a lot of national issues involved with the ruling. Thailand has been making its main income with tourism. So, they have used Burma as a scapegoat by claiming that Thai people didnt commit the murder in order not to lose face in the world, explained the CPP's General Secretary U Shane Tun (also spelled Shein Tun). Shane Tun wants Burma's government to ensure that the two accused are able to get justice. What we want is for the government to take responsibility for its citizens and be held accountable. A new foreign policy needs to be practiced. During the Revolutionary Council administration, a non-aligned policy was practiced. Now, its time to focus on this and change it, he explained. In their statement the CPP urged the Thai courts to reconsider the convictions because it relied on confessions which the defendants, Ko Zaw Linn and Win Zaw Tun claim were extracted during torture. Another issue mentioned in the letter was the police's handling of the DNA evidence obtained at the scene, which both defense attorneys and Thailand's leading Forensic pathologist Pornthip Rojanasunan allege was mishandled. The CPPs statement also urged the Thai authorities to review its judiciary and reveal the truth after two Burmese nationals were given death penalty late last month following a hotly contested trial. The CPP are not the only ones to voice their concerns about the case. According to state media the Burmese Militarys Commander-in-Chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, sent a formal message to Thailands Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Defence, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army, stressing the need to avoid a situation in which the innocent are found guilty. The CPP won 12 seats in the 2010 national election but was unable to hold on to these seats in the November 2015 election. The instruction has been issued for all states and regions. [The NLD] has already told [its members] from respective states and regions to submit the list if it has been collected in their areas. I was in Arakan State when the instruction was issued so I dont know whether it has already arrived at our office or not, explained U Nyi Pu from the NLDs Farmer Affairs Central Committee. Ko Thae Reh, a central committee member from the Karenni State Farmers Union (KSFU), told BNI that his union is still collecting date for the list of confiscated farmland in Karenni State. We are still collecting data in Hpruso, Demoso, and Loikaw townships, where the majority of the farmland issues have taken place. We have finished in Hpruso. We are still collecting the data in Demoso. We also plan to collect data in Loikaw this month, he said. He added that the KSFU will review the collected data and submit this data to the elected NLD candidates and request them to deal with the matter. A list from Hpruso town has already been released to the public. Although the KSFU had planned to invite the recently elected candidates on the day of its release, they were unable to attend the ceremony. KSFU plans to finish collecting the data in the three townships by the end of March and submit this data in April. We have found many farmland issues in our Karenni State. Karenni State is small, but the number of farmland issues is high. We believe it is higher than in other states, Ko Thae Reh explained. Several types of land confiscation have been identified in Karenni State. They are land that has been confiscated by the Burmese military, local ethnic armed groups, companies, departmental offices and cronies or privileged people. KFSU says many of the land rights problems have been exacerbated by the recently passed Farmland Law. KSFU plans to urge the new government to review and amend the 2012 law which critics saw has made land grabbing easier. It looks like you have reached this page in error ... The content you are looking for has either moved, or if you typed in the address there might have been a mistake. If you believe there has been a technical error please let us know. Most Popular Destinations By cheating on emissions tests, Volkswagen has defrauded hundreds of thousands of American consumers and the U.S. government. Naturally, House Republicans want to shield Volkswagen from the consequences. House Republicans will vote on a bill this week that would virtually eliminate class-action lawsuits that aren't directly related to personal injury, meaning the class-action suit against Volkswagen filed on behalf of nearly 600,000 costumers would be squashed by Congress. Its known as the Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act, but lawyers and advocates call it the VW Bailout Bill. [...] The simplicity of the VW Bailout Bill belies the chaos it would create. Proponents like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the bills leading lobbyist, say they merely want to get rid of non-injury class-action cases, based on potential damages from defective consumer products or corporate actions that have yet to result in harm. Lawyers for class-action litigants argue that defective products deserve compensation even if the consumer hasnt yet been injured. But the bill goes much further, stating that courts may not certify class-action suits unless the plaintiff affirmatively demonstrates that each proposed class member suffered the same type and scope of injury as the named class representative or representatives. Not only would the bill eliminate class-action suits not related to injury, it would even make lawsuits based on injury much more difficult to file by adding new layers of red tape and legalese. I assume there are at least some Republicans who ostensibly represent constituents who also happen to be Volkswagen customers; Republicans who will vote for this bill to fuck over American consumers. The good news is this bill probably won't pass the Senate and there's no way President Obama will sign it. A director for the Republican Liberty Caucus has dumped fake libertarian Rand Paul in favor of fake libertarian Ted Cruz because supporting Rand Paul is a waste of time. Steve Hoffman, one of three national directors and an at-large board member of the grassroots Republican Liberty Caucus, recently endorsed Texas Sen. Ted Cruz despite his previous backing of Paul. "Cruz has the best chance to win, and I felt like I was wasting my time trying to help the Paul Campaign because he simply lacks the money, and what's more, the dynamics to win a national campaign," Hoffman told the Libertarian Republic. The joke's on him because supporting Ted Cruz is also a waste of time, but I digress. Just yesterday Ted Cruz told an audience in Iowa that you're not fit to hold office if you "don't begin every day on your knees asking God for his wisdom" and that they've erred by allowing "nonbelievers" to elect our nation's leaders; leaders who've adopted a "secular agenda." Of course the Liberty Caucus isn't necessarily ceding ground by dropping Rand Paul in favor of Ted Cruz because Rand Paul has also adopted the contradictory position that religious liberty trumps the secular liberty of all others. There's no liberty in denying the rights of others, but that's exactly what Ted Cruz and Rand Paul and, apparently, the Liberty Caucus, have called for. Libertarianism is a bullshit ideology. Try to contain your shock. An examination of the record shows the leaders of the starving Oregon militia, including Ammon Bundy and his family, have donated to Ron Paul several times in the past. Bundy, who is currently leading a group of militants who have dubbed themselves the Citizens for Constitutional Freedom, gave $1,000 to Paul's libertarian-themed campaign in 2008 and $500 to his campaign in 2012. Lisa Bundy, who is identified as the owner of Valet Fleet Service LLC, also gave $2,500 to Paul in 2012. Campaign finance records maintained by the Arizona Secretary of State also show Lisa Bundy gave $5,000 to a state ballot initiative banning same-sex marriage in 2008. In addition, Bundy's brother Ryan, who is also involved in occupying the wildlife refuge, reported donating a total of $613 to Paul's failed 2008 presidential campaign. Birds of a feather flock together, right? There's no doubt in my mind that both Ron and Rand Paul are sympathetic to the cause of the militiamen who've occupied land that belongs to someone else in the name of libertyfreedumb. During the standoff at the Bundy ranch in Nevada last year, Rand Paul called for giving federal land back to the states. Of course Rand has no idea how states would cover the enormous cost of maintaining and policing millions of acres of land. If ownership of federal land were transferred to the states, the land would more than likely be defaced and destroyed. bon appetempt's original motto: tackling semi-ridiculous to outright ridiculous gourmet and/or seemingly intense recipes, despite my novice skill set and average-at-best collection of kitchen appliances and cooking tools.The above was set out, however, before my big culinary change of heart, as documented here . And while we're on the subject of pivotal moments ... there have been a few over the (6) years, like this one and this one and, of course, this one AND now this one If you want to know the whole story, I invite you to read my book WASHINGTON Fearful that the federal government may exercise more control over Puerto Rico, the commonwealth's governor lashed out at a federal government court brief that he said undermines Puerto Rico's right to self-government. Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla sent identical letters to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and President Obama criticizing an amicus brief Solicitor General Donald Verrilli filed with the United States Supreme Court. The brief was filed in the case Puerto Rico v. Sanchez Valle, which hinges on whether Puerto Rico and the federal government are separate sovereigns for purposes of the U.S. Constitution's double jeopardy clause. Verrilli argues that Puerto Rico's transition to self-government between 1950 and 1952 did not change its constitutional status as a U.S. territory or give the territory sovereignty. "The United States did not cede its sovereignty over Puerto Rico, and Puerto Rico did not become a state or an independent nation," Verrilli argued in his brief. "Rather, Congress, in an exercise of its authority under the territory clause, authorized Puerto Rico to pursue self-government, under which local officials would exercise power under a framework approved by Congress Puerto Rico's authority to issue its constitution emanated from Congress, and the constitution could not become effective without congressional approval." He added a variety of examples since 1952 of the executive branch and Supreme Court backing the idea that Puerto Rico is a self-governing territory, but not sovereign. In his letters, Garcia Padilla said Verrilli's views in the brief are "misguided and should not prevail in the Supreme Court." The governor pointed to U.S. communications with the U.N. at the time of Puerto Rico's transition to self-government that said the transition changed the constitutional position and status of Puerto Rico. The governor said that in 1950 the U.S. Congress gave the right to Puerto Ricans to govern themselves by passing a law granting them the "principal of government by consent." "There can be no such thing as meaningful self-government by the people of Puerto Rico under the U.S. Constitution: the only options are to be a colony subject to the plenary power of Congress, a state, or an independent nation," Garcia Padilla wrote. The statements from Garcia Padilla, who is deeply unpopular on the island and will not seek re-election, follow his political belief that Puerto Rico exists as a commonwealth that operates with sovereignty from the U.S. on local matters, according to a source who follows Puerto Rico. But Puerto Ricans increasingly do not share that view, the source said. Congress passed a law in 2014 that would lend federal help to set up a popular vote in Puerto Rico on its future status, but there is currently no vote scheduled and Garcia Padilla has instead put his focus on pushing Congress to give the island a solution to its nearly $72 billion debt crisis. "The status is the real problem and the debt, deficit, and the economy are symptoms and consequences of status. Garcia Padilla has been denying that," the source following Puerto Rico said. Some legislators, including Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., have pointed to the 2014 popular vote law as a strong way to resolve the territory's crises. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has not referred to a Puerto Rico citizen vote, but has consistently said that the fiscal problems on the island extend much further than bankruptcy. Several Republicans in Congress have talked about initiating a control board for Puerto Rico, effectively ending local control over the commonwealth's government, at least temporarily. Chapter 9 bankruptcy, which Garcia Padilla has told Congress is necessary, is available under federal law to governments below the state level. Chapter 9, if extended, would be a venue in which Puerto Rico's public authorities could restructure their debt. If Puerto Ricans were to vote for statehood or independence, the debate in Congress over extending the Chapter 9 provision and others would be moot. Some advocates for statehood point to this fact in saying that statehood would be a long-term solution for dealing with the island's debt problem. The governor's response in the letter does run somewhat counter to his calls to Congress on the debt crisis, because he wants it to use its authority to aid the commonwealth. "It is odd they would hold they are sovereign but are asking Congress for Chapter 9 and other relief," said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum and the former director of the Congressional Budget Office. Puerto Rico Senate President Eduardo Bhatia Gautier said on Sunday that he, like Garcia Padilla, disagrees with the U.S. Department of Justice when it claims that Puerto Rico's status as a "freely associated state" or "commonwealth" is invalid and illegal in the Constitution. "A few days ago I said that the next five months would be the most intense that Puerto Rico had experienced in decades and I'd focus on them with all my heart. I meant not only the acute fiscal crisis we face but also the political relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States," Bhatia Gautier said. Bhatia Gautier is in Garcia Padilla's Popular Democratic Party. The PDP is one of the two main political parties in Puerto Rico. Its primary difference with the New Progressive Party is that it advocates commonwealth status, whereas the NPP advocates statehood. "The expressions and recent actions of the federal government both in Congress and from the White House cause Puerto Rico to finally awaken to an existential reality, crude and imminent," Bhatia Gautier said. On Monday one of the NPP's two candidates for governor, Ricky Rossell-, tweeted, "The position of the federal government again demonstrates the indignity of our colonial reality. Equality can only be achieved with statehood." A file photo. BEIJING (PTI): China's second aircraft carrier, which is now under construction, will focus more on military operations training and technological experiments to improve its defence systems as the 2.3 million strong PLA undergoes massive revamp. "This aircraft carrier will have different missions than those for the Liaoning (the country's first aircraft carrier)," said Senior Captain Zhang Junshe with the People's Liberation Army Naval Military Studies Research Institute. "We use the (the first carrier) Liaoning to test the reliability and compatibility of systems on carriers, and to train personnel. The second carrier will mainly do what a genuine aircraft carrier is supposed to do: running combat patrols and delivering humanitarian aid. Liaoning, which was refurbished after its hull was bought from Ukraine is in operation since 2013," Zhang was quoted as saying by the official People's Liberation Army Daily. Zhang said China urgently needs a second carrier, as the country is seeking to improve its defence systems and safeguard national interests. "The PLA needs at least three aircraft carriers. When it does, one can be on duty, one can train personnel, and the third can receive maintenance," he said. China's second aircraft carrier is under construction in the coastal city of Dalian, Liaoning province, Defence Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun told media last week. The new carrier has been designed in China and will have a displacement of 50,000 metric tons, a conventional power system, and will carry domestically developed J-15 fighter jets and other ship-borne aircraft, Yang said. The ship will use a ski jump mode for launching fixed-wing aircraft, the same as the Liaoning, he added. Zhang said the new carrier's three major systems-power and propulsion, electronic systems and weapons-will all be developed by China and will have better capabilities than those on the Liaoning. He said China will consider developing a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier after it gains enough experience in operating such large vessels. As it is set to expand the fleet of aircraft carriers, Chinese defence experts said the PLA need to need to make significant changes following last week's upgradation of the status of the Missile force to the equal status of army, navy and airforce. The PLA has re-designated its missile force renaming it as Rocket Force(PRF) and formed a support wing the PLA Strategic Support Force (SSF) to provide electronic and cyber surveillance. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 05/01/2016 (2479 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. SIOUX VALLEY DAKOTA NATION RCMP confirm theyre investigating a report that an infant girl was seriously injured and hospitalized in critical condition. As of Tuesday afternoon, police had cordoned off a Sioux Valley bungalow as part of the investigation. However, a woman who identified herself as the mothers sister said the incident had been blown out of proportion. Ian Hitchen / Brandon Sun Dakota Ojibway Police Service officers guard a home at the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation on Tuesday afternoon. The home is part of an investigation into a "seriously injured" infant. Nothings happening, theyre just doing it as a precaution, the woman said. They thought something happened to the baby and its nothing its bacteria in the blood, but it just like got all blown out of proportion. Police tape encircled the bungalow and Dakota Ojibway Police Service officers stood guard, presumably awaiting RCMP investigators to arrive. DOPS indicated that the RCMP Serious Crimes Unit is involved and referred questions to Mounties. An RCMP spokesperson confirmed via press release Tuesday evening that theyre investigating. Mounties say that Virden RCMP officers were called to a report of a seriously injured two-month-old female near the first nation around 10 a.m. on Monday. En route, officers were notified that the girl had been transported to a local hospital. The child was then transported to a Winnipeg hospital where she was in critical condition. The RCMP press release didnt mention whether any charges had been laid, or suspects arrested. The mothers sister said the baby stopped breathing sometime Monday, so an ambulance was called and the child taken to Brandon and then Winnipeg. As of Tuesday afternoon, the parents remained with their daughter in Winnipeg. The relative said doctors didnt know what was wrong with the girl and contacted Child and Family Services, who in turn notified police. Initial tests failed to find anything amiss, she said, but further tests detected bacteria. She said the family had contacted CFS, asking for the police tape to be taken down from around the house. She said she believed the child would be OK. Comments posted on Facebook by another relative also indicate that the girl had stopped breathing at some point, and was taken to the Childrens Hospital in Winnipeg. Her vital signs had returned to normal, the relative wrote, but doctors and family didnt know what had caused her to stop breathing. As of about 10:30 p.m. on Monday, she remained in critical condition, the family member indicated, but she was fighting and improving. She had been sedated to allow her to rest because she was fighting against her breathing tube. ihitchen@brandonsun.com Twitter: @IanHitchen Already have an account? Log in here Police are asking residents to be vigilant after receiving several complaints about a telephone scam involving a person claiming to work for the Canada Revenue Agency. We need your support! Local journalism needs your support! As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed. Now, more than ever, we need your support. Starting at $4.99/month you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website. or call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527. Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community! The London market was sharply lower after oil plummeted to its lowest price in 11 years amid mounting tensions in the Middle East. The FTSE 100 Index was 113.3 points lower at 6023.3, as Brent Crude slumped by more than 2% to 34.83 US dollars a barrel at one point today, as diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran continue to deteriorate. Oil prices have come under pressure from a strong dollar and a slowing Chinese economy, while major exporters such as Saudi Arabia and Russia have maintained output levels to hold on to market share. Oil prices have fallen from 115 US dollars in June 2014 as shale oil from America has also flooded the market. This saw investors in oil firms dump their top-flight stocks with Royal Dutch Shell down 2.5%, BP down almost 2% and Premier Oil down almost 15% in the FTSE 250. Connor Campbell, a financial analyst at broker Spreadex, said falls in oil prices left investors rushing for the exit. Oil cartel the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) meet again in the summer, but tensions between arguably its two most powerful members Iran and Saudi Arabia make it unlikely the group will agree on a production ceiling. The cartel failed to come up with a formal production target for the first time in recent history at its December meeting last year. Iran is also likely to add to the worlds oil glut when western-imposed sanctions are lifted later in the year. The Islamic Republic will reportedly add an additional 500,000 barrels a day to the worlds supply within weeks of the restrictions being removed. Concerns about over-supply and fears that the US may fill its stockpile quotas are the reasons why several investment banks such as Goldman Sachs believe oil prices might trade as low as 20 US dollars a barrel. However, most analysts forecast oil prices will start to rise in the second half of the year as supply from non-Opec nations slows as demand remains relatively robust. The Taoiseach is today beginning a 3-day trade mission to the Netherlands and Germany. Later today, Enda Kenny will be promoting Irish food and produce with some of Holland's top chefs at a luncheon organised by Bord Bia at the Irish Embassy in the Hague. In the afternoon, he will visit the European Space Agencys main research centre, where a number of innovative Irish companies are seeking to exploit technology transfer. The Taoiseach will also address an Enterprise Ireland gathering on the economic recovery and the growing business opportunities for Irish and Dutch companies. On Thursday, he will meet with senior executives of a global food corporation with operations in Ireland, and will tour a major pharmaceutical construction project outside Amsterdam involving a number of leading Irish engineering and construction firms. The Taoiseach will then travel to Dusseldorf, where he will meet with Irish SMEs looking to grow exports to the German market and will address a business networking event in the citys Industry Club. On Friday, in Munich, the Taoiseach will meet senior executives from a number of German companies with significant operations in Ireland and will speak at an event to promote increased Irish beef sales in Germany. The Taoiseach will conclude his visit with a courtesy call to Horst Seehofer, the Minister-President of Bavaria. Representatives of approximately 90 Irish companies will participate in events on the Taoiseachs programme. It is expected that a number of new deals and partnerships involving Irish companies will be announced during the visit. Last year, Ireland exported 165m worth of Irish beef to The Netherlands. The Environment Minister Alan Kelly says he wants to get to the bottom of the issue of insurance companies refusing to give cover for flooding. The Minister and the Taoiseach will meet with representatives from the insurance sector next week to discuss the current spell of flooding. Update (3.44pm): The Office of Public Works (OPW) said this afternoon that water levels on the River Shannon have started to fall or remained stable. Levels on the river remain above 2009 thresholds and the flooding threat still remains, however. Here comes the rain again. .. forecast for the next couple of hrs a pic.twitter.com/li0x9P3nmP Cecilia Daly (@WeatherCee) January 6, 2016 The ESB is holding the discharge at Parteen Weir at 470 cubic metres a second. In Cork, discharges on the Lee at Inniscarra are now normal. Elsewhere, it has cut the outflow at Poulaphouca on the Liffey from 45 to 15 cumecs because of today's expected rainfall. Jim Casey from the OPW said that some rivers in the east and north-east of the country are now being monitored very closely. We remain in a high-flood situation on each of the following catchments in particular: the Suir, the Barrow, the Slaney and the Boyne. They need to be monitored carefully over the coming days, especially with the forecast rainfall, and also perhaps in Wicklow and the Avoca river, Arklow area. Wet &windy weather in S & W areas, extends countrywide later this eve. Some heavy rain likely, some sleet over N areas. Met Eireann (@MetEireann) January 6, 2016 Update (3.35pm): President of the Irish Cattle & Sheep Farmers' Association Patrick Kent says the 2m flood relief funding for farmers is not enough. I wouldnt imagine so, he said. Its not just a question of compensation alone, these people need to be secure in the knowledge that this flooding is not going to reoccur on an annual basis. And so remedial work has to be done on the Shannon, between the ocean and the lakes, to increase the capacity of it to take away the water quickly. And that hasnt been done, that hasnt been addressed. Update 2pm: There is fresh concern about flash flooding on roads in the north east of the country tonight and tomorrow morning as more rain is forecast. Met Eireann says the system which is sweeping up from the south-west of the country is now slower moving than it previously thought and will linger over Cavan, Monaghan, Louth and Meath. Forecaster Gerald Fleming said: "It's a little slower than we had originally thought, so it'll be slower to clear and will still be hanging over Northern Ireland and the northeastern parts of the Republic - that's down over Meath, Louth, Monaghan and Cavan - into tomorrow morning and will finally clear then. "A lot of the land is already very wet, so we're watching what it does in that context and what extra it adds to the burden that's already there." Update 1.15pm: The Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney has announced 2m in funding to help farmers who have suffered fodder losses as a result of flooding. The scheme was agreed by the Government yesterday. The support will apply to the loss of silage, hay, straw and concentrates where there is evidence of damage caused by flooding. Update 12.20pm: Revenue says people whose homes have been flooded can apply to have some of their taxes deferred. Officials claim they want to avoid adding to people's distress and are offering a chance to delay payment on bills including Property Tax, VAT and PAYE or PRSI. Strict terms and conditions apply and a dedicated helpline is open for queries on 1890 20 30 70. Earlier: Clare County Council has said it is anticipating an increase in water levels on the Lower River Shannon at Springfield, Clonlara, this evening and overnight. The council said futher rain and the flow of water from Parteen Weir by the ESB (470 cubic metres per second) will contribute to the higher levels. It means areas downstream - including Springfield, Montpelier, Castleconnell, Mountshannon (Annacotty) and the University of Limerick - are in danger of flooding. Rescue services working in Clonlara during the floods last month. The Local Authority, assisted by Clare Civil Defence and The Defence Forces, is maintaining a 24-hour presence to help households affected by flooding. Around 5,000 sandbags are in the Springfield area to help people in 15 properties, and more sandbags are on standby if required. There are also 30 pumps operating in the area. Met Eireann currently has a Yellow Weather Advisory in place for County Clare and is forecasting that a band of rain will move north-east over Ireland from this afternoon, bringing around 15 to 25mm of rain. Hugh McGrath, Killaloe District Engineer, Clare County Council said: "Water levels have dropped two inches overnight and are now approximately 6-7 inches below the November 2009 peak level which was reached on Saturday night last. "We expect water levels to increase further overnight tonight and as a result standard operating and response procedures are in place in the event of additional flooding incidents occurring. "The Council is also monitoring the Mulkear River which enters the Lower River Shannon south of Annacotty in County Limerick. When in flood, this river can negatively impact on water levels in the Lower River Shannon." By Patrick Flynn An Aer Lingus flight from Donegal to Glasgow has diverted to Dublin Airport with a technical issue. It is the second time today that an Aer Lingus service has diverted to the countrys biggest airport with a problem. Aer Lingus Regional flight EI-3443, operated by Stobart Air, departed Donegal at around 2.45pm. Soon afterwards, the crew informed air traffic controllers that they wished to divert to Dublin with a "technical problem" The ATR 42-300 turboprop plane was rerouted to Dublin where it landed safely at 3.35pm. Stobart Air has confirmed the flight diverted with a technical fault but expects the 37 passengers to continue their journey later this afternoon. Update: Flight EI-3443 continued to Glasgow at 4.40pm. Earlier, Aer Lingus flight EI-672 from Dublin to Budapest, turned around over The Netherlands after the crew reported a technical issue. The crew opted to return to Dublin rather than continue their journey or divert to another airport. The flight left Dublin shortly after 6.20am but landed back at Dublin a little more than two hours later. An airline spokeswoman said: Flight EI-672 en route from Dublin to Budapest returned to Dublin at 08:30 due to a technical problem. The 59 passengers were re-accommodated on a replacement aircraft departed at 09:20. The N25 Cork to Waterford Road between Killeagh and Castlemartyr is currently impassable due to flooding. Due to adverse weather conditions over night, the local diversion routes have deteriorated further and Cork County Council have not been in a position to repair them. There will be further traffic delays expected on the diversion routes tomorrow morning. Signed diversions are in place from Killeagh via Mogeely into Castlemartyr but there will be severe traffic restrictions and these diversion routes are now unsuitable for any H.G.V. Traffic. There should be no deviation from the signed diversion route as roads off of the route are impassable. The R72 Fermoy to Dungarvan Rd is now open and should be used by H.G.V.s in order to avoid N25. The following diversions as agreed between An Garda Siochana and Cork and Waterford County Councils will be in place for Cork to Waterford Traffic: Westbound Traffic All Waterford to Cork Traffic is urged to use the N24 Waterford to Cahir and then the M8 / N8 route to Cork. All Dungarvan to Cork traffic should divert via the N24 route to Fermoy and then the N8 / M8 to Cork. All Youghal to Cork H.G.V. traffic will be diverted at Rincrew Roundabout (Youghal Bridge) via Tallow (R634) and onto the N72 to Fermoy and then onto the N8 / M8 to Cork. Eastbound Traffic All Cork to Waterford Traffic is urged to use the N8 / M8 Cork to Dublin Rd and turn off at Cahir then onto the N24 to Waterford. All Cork to Dungarvan Traffic is urged to travel via the N8 / M8 to Fermoy and then the N72 to Dungarvan. All Cork to Youghal Traffic is urged to travel via the N8 / M8 to Fermoy and then the N72 and R634 to Youghal. All Midleton HGV Traffic wishing to travel in Waterford direction should travel to Jack Lynch Tunnel and then onto the N8 / M8 to Fermoy and then onto Waterford / Dungarvan / Youghal as set out for Cork Traffic above Driving Conditions Some minor roads are currently impassable and not suitable for vehicles. All road users should obey diversion signs and drive appropriately for the weather and road conditions. Some minor roads remain flooded and motorists should obey relevant road signs. Only use your Satellite Navigation System when not on diversion routes as they may take you on roads that are impassable. It has been predicted as one of 2016 biggest movies and it is to hit our cinemas this January 29. Spotlight is the real life story of a group of reporters from The Boston Globe who led a groundbreaking investigation in child sex abuse within the Catholic church. Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana insists Jurgen Klopps training regime is not to blame for a spate of hamstring problems which have brought injuries to crisis levels at Anfield. Playmaker Philippe Coutinho and defender Dejan Lovren both succumbed to hamstring issues in the 1-0 Capital One Cup semi-final win at Stoke. Klopp now has a total of 11 first-team players unavailable including six either with or recovering from hamstring injuries and the German admits it is likely to force him into the transfer market. He currently only has one fit centre-back in Kolo Toure, who gave his manager a scare with a late bout of cramp at the Britannia Stadium. There has been much conjecture about whether the introduction of Klopps gegenpressing style mid-season after he took over from the sacked Brendan Rodgers has led to the injuries former Liverpool midfielder Graeme Souness said it was time for the manager to consider modifying training but Lallana rejected that. We have had a change of manager this season. When that happens lads look to impress more and give more, said the England international. But I dont think these injuries have got anything to do with any changes to our training. Weve had so many games recently that weve mainly been doing recovery sessions between games, so its not as if the training has been really intensive. You cant blame that. Sometimes you are just unlucky with injuries and weve had a lot of bad luck recently. I know from my time at Liverpool that weve got a world-class medical team here. We certainly cant point the finger at anyone. Its a big blow losing Philippe and Dejan, and we just hope they arent going to be out for long. Liverpools packed schedule Fridays FA Cup trip to Exeter will be their fifth match in 14 days is more likely to have a contributing factor, Lallana reckons. Its just a physical game, Lallana added. Look at the amount of games weve had over the Christmas period. Its been a tough run and with the demands on players nowadays theres bound to be injuries. If you look at teams around the league I bet youll find the number of injuries has definitely increased. Not every club is in the semi-finals of this competition (League Cup), playing in the Europa League and about to get going in the FA Cup on Friday night. But well all stick together. Im sure the lads who are out will be working extra hard to get back fit. Klopp has already pointed out his team are doing more recovery sessions than training because of the fixture congestion and the gradual drain on resources has put additional strain on the remaining fit players. But his biggest concern is in central defence where he is hoping Toure will be fit enough to face Exeter, but Mamadou Sakho, who missed the Stoke tie with a minor knee problem, appears unlikely to return. The problem is if all the players in this moment had no injuries in pre-season they are still in the race and can cope with this intensity, but they have had little things and had no chance to recover, he said. We have no break, no chance to recover, but we couldnt wave the white flag. We cant say we have games against Arsenal and Manchester so we can have another team against Stoke. We have to get on with it and see. I dont know if any have a chance of being fit. Sakho? I dont think so. Kolo said its only a cramp, but dont know for him either. We now have three injured centre-backs and the only fit one got cramp at the end of the second half so that was not the funniest thing in the world. Dublin, DCU, Laois, Louth, Westmeath, Meath, DIT and Maynooth University claimed wins in the Bord na Mona OByrne Cup tonight. Cormac Costello fired 2-6, as Dublin blazed to a 3-24 to 2-08 win over IT Carlow in St Brigades, Blanchardstown. The hosts led by 0-07 to 0-00 after 11 minutes, and although IT Carlow netted a goal, Dublin kicked on with Costello and Paddy Andrews firing goals before the break to ensure a 2-16 to 1-02 half-time advantage. A 42nd minute Costello penalty goal helped Dublin to a 3-18 to 1-03 advantage, and they pushed 23 points clear entreating the final quarter, thanks to scores from Michael Deegan and Costello. IT Carlow bagged a second goal from Chris Healy, but it came too late. Dublin and DCU will face-off next Sunday for a semi-final spot, after the North Dublin University beat Wexford by 1-08 to 1-03 in Enniscorthy. DCU led by 0-08 to 0-01 at half-time, and continued to stay on top on the restart, despite playing against a strong wind in the closing 35 minutes. A 17-minute spell which saw Laois bag 1-7 without reply, helped the OMoores to a 1-16 to 1-09 win over neighbours Carlow at OMoore Park. Carlow led by 1-04 to 0-02 after 16 minutes, with John Murphy netting a goal, but the visitors were unable to withstand a strong Laois comeback. A Paul Cahillane goal levelled the tie at 1-04 apiece, before Laois claimed a 1-09 to 1-04 half-time lead, with Donal Kingston and John OLoughlin impressive. Substitutes Darragh Foley and Jack Kennedy worked hard for Carlow, but Laois kicked on for a seven-point win. Early goals from Jim McEnaney and Barry Flanagan helped Louth to a 2-11 to 0-08 win over Kildare in Hawkfield. Both of Louths green flags came in the opening quarter, as Louth took a 2-04 to 0-02 advantage. Kildare struggled for scores in the second half, with a Cathal McNally point their first score of the half with seven minutes left on the clock, to ensure a 2-10 to 0-06 score-line. Despite being outscored in the closing stages, Louth firmly done enough to take victory. A late Denis Corroon point saw Westmeath claim a 0-14 to 1-10 win over Longford. Wind assisted Longford led by 1-10 to 0-03 at half-time, with Michael Brady netting a 16th minute goal, but Westmeath turned the tables. Westmeath were held to just two points in the opening quarter - both coming early on, as scores from Ger Egan and Shane Dempsey had the sides tied at 0-02 apiece after seven minutes. However, Longford were hugely impressive, and moved 10 points clear at the break, with Brian Kavanagh among their scorers. But Westmeath made full use of a strong win on the restart with Corroon the hero. UCD made a strong comeback as they claimed a 2-8 to 0-11 win over Meath in Simonstown. Meath led by 0-08 to 1-03 at half-time, with Donal Lenihan, Andrew Tormey and Sean Tobin among the Royals scorers, but the students worked hard on the restart. Goals in either half helped DIT to a 2-11 to 0-10 win over Offaly at Dunganny. DIT led by 1-06 to 0-03 at half-time, with Ryan Connolly netting their opening goal. Maynooth University were 1-15 to 0-9 winners over Wicklow in Ballinakill. Iraq has offered to act as a mediator to ease tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran that escalated after the kingdom's execution of a Shiite cleric and attacks on two of Saudi diplomatic posts in the Islamic Republic. Some Sunni Arab nations have followed the Saudis' lead and severed or downgraded ties with Iran, while others have offered words of caution aimed at calming the situation. The offer by Iraqi foreign minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, made during a news conference in the Iranian capital, included the diplomat referring to the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr as a "crime", a description that raised questions as to whether Saudi officials would even consider such an offer. The kingdom and its allies say that Mr al-Nimr was executed after being tried and sentenced to death under Saudi law. Mr al-Jaafari's comments show the balancing act that Iraq finds itself in amid the inflamed regional politics. It is relying on Iranian help and powerful Shiite militias to battle the extremist Islamic State group while trying to repair its own ties to oil-rich Saudi Arabia, which last week sent an ambassador to Baghdad for the first time in 25 years. Speaking alongside Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Mr al-Jaafari said Iraq's place in the heart of the Middle East allows it to play a role in trying to "alleviate tensions." "This responsibility has been given to us and we have been active from the early moments to lessen tensions to prevent a disaster from happening that could affect the entire region," he said. Russia also has offered itself as a potential mediator, although it is unclear whether Saudi or Iranian officials have responded to the proposal. Mr Zarif, meanwhile, blamed Saudi Arabia for exacerbating the situation. "We have treated these actions with magnanimity and nobleness but unfortunately our neighbour, Saudi Arabia, did not respond to it properly," he said. "The process of provoking tension must be stopped." The diplomatic stand-off between Iran and Saudi Arabia began Saturday, when the kingdom executed Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others convicted of terror charges - the largest mass execution it has carried out since 1980. In Iran, protesters responded by attacking the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad. Late on Sunday, Saudi Arabia announced it was severing relations with Iran because of the assaults. In the time since, a host of Saudi allies have cut or reduced their ties to Iran. On Wednesday, Oman broke its silence and called the diplomatic post attacks "unacceptable", while leaving its ties to the Islamic Republic untouched. The sultanate has been a long-time mediator between Iran and the rest of the world and helped jump-start negotiations for the Islamic Republic's recent nuclear deal with global powers. In eastern Saudi Arabia, where Mr al-Nimr agitated for greater political rights for Shiites in the Sunni-ruled kingdom, three days of mourning over his death were to end on Wednesday night. Mohammed al-Nimr, the sheikh's brother, said people planned to hold a funeral on Thursday for the cleric, although Saudi authorities already buried his corpses in an undisclosed cemetery. Asked about the diplomatic post attacks, Mr al-Nimr said it was "not acceptable". "We still believe that violence is not the right approach," he said. "About my brother, we were hoping to end it in a political way rather than in blood." Update 10.45am: Experts called in to examine a suspicious package outside German Chancellor Angela Merkel's office in Berlin have given the all-clear. Ministers had carried on with their regular meeting after police cordoned off an area around the Chancellery. The UN Security Council has strongly condemned North Korea's nuclear test and is pledging to pursue new sanctions. A statement issued by the council after emergency closed-door consultations today called the test "a clear violation" of council resolutions, adding "therefore a clear threat to international peace and security continues to exist". The council said it had previously expressed determination to take "further significant measures" in the event of another North Korean test and would begin work immediately on a new sanctions resolution in light of "the gravity of this violation". Earlier, the United Nations secretary-general condemned the announcement of the nuclear test, calling it ``profoundly destabilising for regional security''. Ban Ki-moon demanded that Pyongyang cease any further nuclear activities and meet its obligations for for verifiable denuclearisation. US defence secretary Ash Carter also spoke by phone to his South Korean counterpart Han Min-Koo, and they agreed that a North Korean nuclear test would be an unacceptable and irresponsible provocation, according to Mr Carters press secretary, Peter Cook. Mr Cook said Mr Carter reaffirmed the United States treaty commitment to defend South Korea, which he said includes all aspects of the United States extended deterrence an allusion to a long-standing US promise to defend South Korea with nuclear weapons if necessary. The White House said the US government's early analysis of underground activity in North Korea ``is not consistent'' with that country's claim of having conducted a successful hydrogen bomb test, however. Spokesman Josh Earnest also says nothing has happened to change the US governments assessment of North Koreas technical or military capabilities. He said the US government is still doing the work that is needed to learn more about the nuclear test North Korea claims to have conducted successfully. NEW DELHI: India has raised the price at which it will buy new season wheat from local farmers in 2023 by 110 rupees... ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly, Tuesday, passed as many as nine private members bills, majority of them had... RABAT: One volunteer firefighter has been killed and another injured in a forest fire in northern Morocco, where new... MOSCOW: The Russian Belgorod region bordering Ukraine was hit by strikes on Sunday, leaving at least four people... There's plenty of bad language and abuse on social media, but it doesn't usually come from an elected representative in the Australian Parliament. Libertarian senator David Leyonhjelm has labelled someone a "c---" on Twitter during an argument over Immigration Minister Peter Dutton's text mishap, in which he labelled a female journalist a "mad f---ing witch". Senator Leyonhjelm, whose profile warns that "offensive abusers are blocked", dropped the "c-bomb" the day after he called another Twitter user a "witch". A second childcare provider in the space of a week has announced it would welcome non-immunised children to its ranks. Churches of Christ Care, with its 20 childcare facilities throughout Queensland, advised parents and guardians of its decision this week. At least two major Queensland childcare providers will continue to accept unvaccinated children, despite federal legislation allowing them not to. Credit:Getty Images The organisation's children, youth and families general manager Jane Carter said it would not refuse unimmunised children, despite legislation that gave providers the right to do so. That legislation came into force on January 1. Kabul: An American soldier has been killed and two others were wounded in fighting at the heart of a Taliban offensive in southern Afghanistan, the US military said. The death on Tuesday was in Marjah, Helmand province, where American Special Operations forces have been trying to help the Afghan military fend off a fierce Taliban offensive that has claimed several districts over the past few months. A US military vehicle on Tuesday blocks a road to a logistics company near the site of a deadly suicide attack, claimed by the Taliban, that killed several people and wounded at least 36 civilians, including nine women. Credit:AP The US casualties came during a push by Afghan and US soldiers to clear territory between Marjah and the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah, according to Afghan military officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief the media. For years, Brenton Noel Honeyman lived a double life. Publicly, he was a devout Christian and science advocate, first as a high school teacher and then as Questacon manager of Inspiring Australia Strategy and Partnerships. Brenton Honeyman pleaded guilty to charges of accessing and possessing child pornography. Credit:Twitter But privately, he battled a porn addiction that led him to be convicted of child exploitation material offences on Wednesday morning. The ACT Supreme Court on Wednesday heard that Honeyman's use of porn started in his 20s. Incitec Pivot has warned of a heavy hit to its bottom line after a derailment late last month in northern Queensland although the full cost may take some time to be finalised. The chemicals group said it expected a one-off $14 million hit to the bottom line from the derailment which had resulted in unspecified losses of sulphuric acid. An Aurizon freight train lies beside the tracks after derailing at Julia Creek in Queensland. However, the accident will not affect the full-year production of fertiliser at the group's Phosphate Hill plant, which is expected to be 950,000 tonnes. Incitec Pivot said it expected full production to resume from the third week of January. Former marketing executive Nicky Jackson came up with the idea for an online service to match-make packaged goods suppliers and retailers, after struggling to find buyers to review the skincare range she developed to ease her baby's eczema. Two years later the skincare range has gone by the wayside, but the online marketplace, RangeMe, is expanding overseas, after being snapped up by Australian retailers including Coles, Metcash, Sigma Pharmaceuticals and health food chain Healthy Life. The first large overseas retailer to come on board is Target Corp, one of the largest mass-market chains in the US. Unlike Target in Australia, Target Corp sells packaged food and groceries and health and beauty products, as well as clothing and homeware. RangeMe chief executive Nicky Jackson has signed her first US retailer, Target Corp. "In the first quarter of [2016] there will be other marquee clients like Target, some of whom are very well known," Mrs Jackson said. Tug boat crews in eastern Australia plan strikes next Tuesday and Wednesday for 12 hours, halting all coal carriers, fuel carriers and bulk container vessels into the ports of Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Botany, Melbourne and Geelong. The strike action will effectively shut down Australia's eastern ports for 12 hours from next Tuesday, January 12, in the first of a series of planned strikes. Tug boat crews are set to strike in eastern seaboard ports. The strike threat is likely to be taken to the Fair Work Commission this weekend by the company running the container tugs. Tug boat crews plan to strike in Brisbane and Melbourne ports on Wednesday, January 13, while they plan to strike the day before in Sydney, Botany, Geelong and Newcastle ports. Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation rose to its highest value ever after raising its forecast for gun sales as President Barack Obama announced new restrictions on arms sales. The maker of handguns said revenue for the quarter ending January 31 may be as high as $180 million, a 16 per cent increase from its forecast given in December. Gun sales surged last month as discussion of weapons restrictions heated up after a terrorist shooting in San Bernardino, California, left 14 dead. Concern over more gun regulation isn't the only thing driving sales. People also are buying weapons for personal safety after two shooters opened fire at an employee holiday gathering last month at a San Bernardino public health facility, said Chris Krueger, an analyst with Lake Street Capital Markets. The last large increase in demand occurred after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, in which 20 children and six adults were killed. "Three years ago after Newtown, it was primarily the gun-control factor," Krueger said. "This time it's a combination of personal protection and gun control." It's easy to be wise after the event, as the saying goes. However, the number of people chanting "I told you so" after the collapse of electronics retailer Dick Smith on Tuesday has been abnormally large, and at least one politician Nick Xenophon has demanded to know what the corporate regulator, ASIC, was doing while the company unravelled. The repercussions of the collapse look bound to be widespread. Customers who bought gift cards have already been advised these won't be honoured and that they are in effect unsecured creditors. The leave and superannuation entitlements of the firm's 3300 employees are by no means guaranteed, and of DSE's many creditors (who are reportedly owed $340 million), only the banks look likely to get all their money back. If DSE emerges from voluntary receivership in slimmed down form (the most likely scenario if a corporate saviour can be found), many DSE employees may be let go. The regulatory issues will take longer to unravel, and will focus on the roles of ASIC, Anchorage Capital Partners, and Deloitte. Anchorage is the private equity group that bought DSE from Woolworths in September 2012 for $20 million and then refloated it on the ASX in December 2013 in an IPO valued at $520 million. By September 2014, Anchorage's owners had exited the DSE share register, selling most of their stock above the $2.20 float price. Deloitte is DSE's auditor; it gave the company's finances a clean bill of health in August, not remarking at all on the refinancing problems and inventory issues that would eventually drag the firm under. The links between our executive and our emotional brains continue to develop well into our thirties. Prior to this maturity, they are exceptionally vulnerable to the effects of alcohol, which effectively impairs the brain systems that direct reasonable conduct. In some people, this can result in less reserved behaviour, resulting in social disinhibition that is often perceived as having fun. In others, the disinhibition may unleash repressed or previously controlled aggressive traits, resulting in violence that may prove tragic for both victims and normally decent perpetrators. Our society has accepted the need to stop the carnage and enormous human and financial losses caused by drink-driving, where again alcohol causes severe impairment of judgment rather than simply impairing co-ordination. Experience in curbing drink-driving has shown that only a dramatic change in social norms make the needed difference. Punitive responses such as massive fines simply don't work on their own. Instead, it is the cultural expectation that driving whilst intoxicated is grossly irresponsible, and to drive one must comply and be seen to comply with social norms. It is self-evidently illogical to anticipate that a drunk youngster with physical strength vastly superior to their inebriated intellect is going to be mindful of laws that are intended to punish violent behaviour. Even if such persons are aware of the law, they will not be in a position to judge just how much force can be tolerated by their victim before an assault becomes a homicide. This is similar to drink-drivers, who often cannot perceive the dangerous impairment in their driving. The Newman government's legislation punishing one hit killings is therefore likely to be of extremely limited or no benefit in preventing death, but simply adds to the massive costs that taxpayers have to bear funding lengthy incarcerations. As with drink-driving, it is time to develop solutions that send the message that substance fuelled violence is unacceptable, and the change must incorporate those who are involved in the supply of alcohol. The week before Christmas, Treasurer Scott Morrison announced that $47.3 million spent to entice Hollywood blockbuster productions in the Thor series and the Prometheus sequel Alien: Covenant to shoot in Australia would largely be funded with $35 million earned from the sale of Screen Australia's studio complex at Lindfield on Sydney's north shore. The balance will come from cutting the budgets of other arts agencies, including once again that of Screen Australia. Chris Hemsworth as Thor. It's a tragic postscript to a story that began with great hopes for Australian filmmaking and the power of film to speak for and about ourselves. Now that story has ended in a devastating no-confidence vote from our own government. Not only has it sold a significant Australian cultural asset, it has given the proceeds of the sale to productions initiated and controlled by US-based corporations 20th Century Fox and Disney. The Lindfield complex was purpose-built in the early 1960s to house the Commonwealth Film Unit, established soon after World War II. It was later to become known as Film Australia, and before the government-backed resurrection of an Australian film industry in the 1970s it was among a handful of production companies that kept Australian filmmaking alive. In the public eye, Bill Cosby's goose is pretty much cooked. As a legal matter, however, his conviction on sexual-assault charges stemming from an incident in 2004 will likely rest on whether the trial judge decides to admit what is known as "prior bad acts" evidence. This question, now being heavily mooted in the press and on legal blogs, is a tricky one. The "prior bad acts" in question are of two forms: Cosby's own testimony, in a deposition unsealed last northern autumn, that he obtained quaaludes to facilitate sex acts with women, and the accusations of several dozen women that what Andrea Constand, a former Temple University employee, claims the entertainer did to her, he also did to them. Most of us by now believe that there's fire behind the smoke, and that Cosby, a man the world once revered, is a deeply troubled or perhaps deeply evil human being. But the jury will never hear everything the public does, and for good reason. In the courtroom, unlike in the real world, the fact that a defendant has acted in a particular manner on another occasion cannot be taken as evidence that he acted that way on the occasion in question. This is what is known as propensity evidence, and it has long been forbidden in US courts. Let's divide the "bad acts" evidence into two categories. Cosby's admission in the deposition should come into evidence easily. As a general rule, a party's own past statements are fair game. The tougher question involves the testimony of other women about what Cosby allegedly did to them. I think it's likely the court will admit the evidence, but I'm not sure the court will be right. Nigella Lawson is in Australia and filming episodes for Masterchef's festival of Nigella, the so-called 'Nigella Week'. She will hope her Australian visit goes better than plans for her trip to New Zealand town Invercargill on January 26. Nigella is booked for a Q&A and gala dinner at ILT Stadium in Invercargill, but less than half the 800 available tickets, which start at $299, have sold according to stuff.co.nz. Nigella Lawson with Masterchef's Matt Preston in 2011. The food writer and television personality will be featured on Masterchef Australia as a guest judge in June, with a full week of programs dedicated to her. She was last on the program in 2011. Publicist for the program, Anthony McCarthy, said Nigella would cook for the contestants and was "excited" for the experience that she will get out of the show. MUSIC JAMIE XX The Forum January 6 The Forum has never looked prettier. Flecks of coloured light reflect off the disco balls hanging from the ceiling, covering the room in glimmering rainbows. The venue has been turned into a disco for visiting producer Jamie Smith aka Jamie xx, breakout star of indie London band The xx and remixer to the stars including Florence + the Machine, Adele and Four Tet. Jamie XX danced behind the decks with a vigour that belied his well-documented shyness. Credit:Wolter Peeters The 27-year-old's debut solo album topped a bunch of best-of lists at the end of last year, and for good reason; In Colour is a nostalgic love letter to raving and dance music that pays homage to the past and forges an exhilarating new path. Smith's DJ set does much the same thing any punters hoping to hear a straight rendition of In Colour would have been disappointed, as would casual fans of The xx. A damning audit of the federal government's visa management system has found a litany of weaknesses undermining efforts to locate people who overstay, work illegally or commit serious crimes. The audit, released by the Australian National Audit Office, has found faults in almost all aspects of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection's visa compliance processes. The secretary of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, Michael Pezzullo. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen In the past decade, the department has attempted to improve its performance. However, the audit found little evidence of success, with "initiatives seldom fully implemented or evaluated". An elderly woman was rushed to hospital after she was found pinned under a vehicle in the driveway of a house at Deception Bay, north of Brisbane, on Wednesday. Emergency crews were called to Jesse Court at 1.18pm to free the 70-year-old woman who was trapped under a vehicle for more than an hour. The elderly woman was taken in a serious condition to Royal Brisbane Hospital. Initial reports indicate the vehicle had rolled on top of the woman in the driveway of a house, police said. Fire crews used a piece of machinery called the "jaws of life" as well as airbags to winch the woman to safety about 2pm, who had suffered multiple fractures to the lower half of her body. MySmallBusiness asked three business "clairvoyants" what innovations SMEs will see in 2016. One of the big themes for next year is big data's growing availability to small businesses, another is the rise of business applications for virtual reality. If you could push a button to see the future, you'd find that much of it is about doing just that pushing more and more buttons. Futurists say business activities will become less human, more self-automated. The future, quite literally, will take care of itself. Like HAL in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, Rispin says Watson is capable of answering customer questions, extracting key data from documents and making sense of unconnected, inchoate strands of information. Similar to this is Kira Systems' Diligence Engine which analyses business contracts for anomalies and mistakes. Rispin envisages a whole new line of machine-learning apps which peruse mobile telephone plans, energy bills and insurance contracts, scouring the market for better deals and suggesting alternatives. IBM Watson-powered robots Niki and Nikita at the IBM marquee at the Australian Open 2015 in Melbourne. Credit:Vince Caligiuri "Kira's system can tell if your contract is a good one, what has changed from the old contract and from within its own data tell you if there are better deals available," Rispin says. "You won't need to pay an expensive contracts lawyer." The benefits of big data to small businesses will far outweigh the disruptions, he says. Rispin mentions a sign-maker in Sydney using GoPro cameras to record how many heads turn towards a sign information that can be later sold on to customers. Similarly, a number of Vancouver credit unions are now offering 2 per cent loan discounts to buyers of hybrid cars after data revealed hybrid owners paid their loans off quicker. US-based SRI has developed and patented computer vision technology for food recognition which instantly provides kilojoule content and nutritional values. A recognition diagnosis system has been developed to detect disease types in blood smears. "These are all small businesses that have used big data to their advantage," Rispin says. "You don't have to employ a data scientist costing $160,000 a year." 2. Immersive reality An elderly Chinese woman who failed to return from her morning walk on Wednesday is still missing. Her family reported her missing in the afternoon. Shifen Zhu was found about 1.30am on Thursday, after her very long walk. Credit:Victoria Police But police had already found the 80-year-old Chinese woman, who doesn't speak any English, hours earlier - only to drop her off at a freeway exit. A police media spokeswoman said a Highway Patrol Unit came across the elderly woman, who didn't speak any English, walking along the Monash Freeway about 7.30am on Wednesday. Los Angeles: An Australian self-help author who committed a bizarre bank hold-up in the US has lost a new attempt to have his conviction overturned. Corey Donaldson, 42, portrayed himself at his 2013 trial in Wyoming as a Robin Hood-style hero who robbed a Jackson Hole bank of $US140,000 ($196,000) to give to the poor. Corey Donaldson The jury didn't buy it, announcing its guilty verdict after just 50 minutes of deliberations. Latest News Assetline Capital launches new mortgage products Loans are aimed at small businesses, SMSFs Growing demand for Gold Coast apartments Average price well above $1 million An ex-Aussie franchise owner has launched a new boutique mortgage broking and wealth advisory firm in Brisbane. Mortgage industry veteran Tom Uhlich has sold his Brisbane Aussie franchise and its $300 million loan book after 12 years to launch Boss Money. Uhlich has over 20 years experience in the finance industry, starting his career as an accountant before becoming a mortgage broker. Before purchasing his own Aussie franchise in 2004, Uhlich spent three years as a strategy analyst for Aussie, helping to build the franchise from a one product lender into the mortgage broking model Aussie successfully operates today. Despite a long and successful career as an Aussie mortgage broker and franchise director, Uhlich said he saw a gap in the market to provide a full service boutique finance firm offering finance, risk insurance and wealth creation. It is our purpose to assist clients to understand the various components of their finances in order to make good decisions. The range of services which we offer will expand the opportunities to make wise financial decision. We want to show our customers how our more dynamic business can meet their needs better, founder and managing director of Boss Money, Uhlich said. Boss Money will offer access to products from over 40 lenders and 16 commercial lending specialists. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams This show is more than skin-deep. A group of tattoo and graffiti artists have exchanged their usual flesh and brick canvases in favor of tiny water towers and billboards. The hand-painted miniature models from Boundless Brooklyn will be on display in the Tat It Up show at Grumpy Bert, opening on Jan. 8. The show gives the artists a rare chance to display their work in a gallery setting, said one of the shows curators. Im a big fan of tattoo art and we thought it would be cool to have tattoo artists showcase their artistry on something other than on skin, said Bushwick painter and curator Mary Damian. When you look at their websites, they all have incredible paintings and illustrations so we thought, Lets give them a chance to showcase that. Not just skin deep: (L-R) Curator Mary Damian, Grumpy Bert owner Albert Chau, and artist Cris Element show off the work of tattoo and street artists that are on display for the Tat It Up! show at Grumpy Bert in Boerum Hill. Photo by Louise Wateridge The show is a homecoming of sorts for Boundless Brooklyn, which produces models of assemble-it-yourself model kits of Brooklyns iconic skyline features, including a mini-Kentile Floors sign. More than 100 stores worldwide sell the kits, and some of the water towers are visible on the set of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Founders and Brooklynites David Shulman and Terance Arjo have held gallery shows of their decorated models in the citys other boroughs, as well as in Chicago, Montreal, and Dublin, but the show at Grumpy Bert will be the first in the borough that inspired the business. The owner of the Grumpy Bert store and gallery, a long-term fan of Boundless Brooklyn, said the show has been a long time coming. Weve been carrying their products since they first started, said Grumpy Berts owner and namesake, Albert Chau. We threw around the idea of a show a lot but the timing was never right. So when it was, we decided to go for it. Different strokes: Artists were given free reign to paint whatever they please on the mini water towers and billboards for Tat it up! One painted a salacious Statue of Liberty. Another a classic tattoo pinup girl. And of course, one painted a trippy cat. Photo by Louise Wateridge Damian booked 14 ink-slinging artists for the show, most of them from Brooklyn, including Ink Masters reality show contestant and Park Slope tattoo parlor owner Cris Element. Each artist painted a small canvas and a Boundless Brooklyn water tower or a billboard. Damian has done shows with Boundless Brooklyn before, including a live painting session at the 2015 New York Comic-Con, and said the shows gave a major publicity boost to her and the other artists involved. She hopes the Grumpy Bert show will do the same for this new crop of artists. [Shulman and Arjo] opened up a lot for up-and-coming artists, so we wanted to give back and say thanks, she said. The artists got really creative and for those who dont have the same exposure as others, hopefully its their time to shine. In his element: Tattoo artist Cris Element painted a canvas and Boundless Brooklyn water tower for Tat It Up! at Grumpy Bert. Element works out of Park Slope and Staten Island and was featured on the Spike Channels Inkmaster show in 2014. Photo by Louise Wateridge Tat It Up at Grumpy Bert [82 Bond St. between State Street and Atlantic Avenue in Boerum Hill, (347) 855-4849, www.grump ybert.com ]. Opening on Jan. 8 at 7 pm. Free. Show runs through Jan. 31. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams Talk about a powder-keg situation. The National Rifle Association took aim at two Brooklyn politicians on Jan. 4 responding to the pols calls to limit bulk ammunition sales by posting photos implying violence against them. The picture, which accompanies a screed from association-backed Americas First Freedom magazine editor Mark Chesnut, depicts Polaroid photos of State Sen. Roxanne Persaud (DCanarsie) and Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon (DBoerum Hill) surrounded by bullets. The rifle association lowered itself to base bullying to try to get its message across, Persaud said. They are using intimidation and fear in the same manner that mass shooters are using guns and ammunition to create an atmosphere of fear, she said. Mayor DeBlasio and a slew of Brooklyn politicians and activists decried the National Rifle Association following the posting. Councilman Jumaane Williams (DCanarsie) tweeted The absurdity is insane, and Councilman Brad Lander (DPark Slope) called the tactic beyond outrageous. Persaud and Simon announced draft legislation last month to limit the number of bullets a person can purchase over a 90-day period to two magazines per gun owned. Chesnut claimed the pols dont know enough about gun ownership to legislate it, but Simon called the writer clueless. First of all, he doesnt know anything about what we know, she said. The proposal doesnt aim to limit constitutional rights, rather it is meant to protect constituents from increasing gun violence, Persaud said. In portions of the district that I represent, there is senseless killing, and overall, gun violence is on the rise, she said. Indeed, police tallied 65 shootings in East New Yorks 75th Precinct, which Persaud partially represents, out of a total 1,130 shootings citywide in 2015 more than any other Brooklyn command, law enforcement data shows. The law would also bar people from buying ammunition for weapons they are not legally allowed to possess. Earlier this year, police busted a Canarsie man they say smuggled more than 100 high-powered guns into Kings County over the course of a year. Both pols have received e-mail threats since announcing the proposal, Simon said. The National Rifle Association did not respond to a request for comment. Screamo rippers Frameworks are releasing their new Time Spent EP this February, and now they announced a tour in support of it with their Topshelf labelmates Donovan Wolfington (who released the fuzz punky How to Treat the Ones You Love last year). The tour hits NYC on March 3 at Saint Vitus, and also includes a Long Island show on March 5 at Amityville Music Hall. Tickets for Brooklyn are on sale now and LI goes on sale Friday (1/8) at noon. Brooklyn band TEEN will release their third album Love Yes on February 19 via Carpark. (Pre-orders are available.) It's taken a few years but Teeny Lieberson and the rest of the band seem to have found their sound, somewhere between the quirky rhythms of their debut and the future R&B of 2014's The Way and Color. The result is complex pop, idiosyncratic but effortlessly catchy, with some spectacular harmonies. You can check out the first two tracks on the album -- the 6/8 time of "Tokyo" and the ridiculously catchy "All About Us" -- below. It was the band's first unplugged concert and the first part of the show proved to be delicate, tender and melodic. Tengger Cavalry donned traditional Mongolian outfits during their set, making for an interesting visual. Frontman Nature Ganganbaigal plays a variety of nomadic Mongolian instruments -- the Mongolian fiddle also known as the Morin Khuur, Mongolian flute and the Mongolian guitar (Tovshuur) -- giving each instrument his all. After moving from China to New York City he also reconstructed the band with new members hailing from the States. The lineup includes Tuva fiddle player Robert McLaughlin, bassist Alex Abayev and drummer Yuri Liak. After a 10-minute intermission, Tengger Cavalry graced the staged once again but this time in their favorite bands shirts ready to rock out for a much heavier set with amps and all. They even slipped in "Jingle Bells" for the crowd to get into the holiday spirit. The mostly instrumental set was lively to say the least but there's nothing that completely mesmerized more than the Mongolian throat singing. Award-winning Investigative Journalist Robert Parry (1949-2018) Award-winning investigative journalist and founder/editor of ConsortiumNews.com, Robert Parry has passed away. His ground-breaking work uncovering Reagan-era dirty wars in Central America and many other illegal and immoral policies conducted by successive administrations and U.S. intelligence agencies, stands as an inspiration to all in journalists working in the public interest. Robert had been a regular guest on our Between The Lines and Counterpoint radio shows -- and many other progressive outlets across the U.S. over four decades. His penetrating analysis of U.S. foreign policy and international conflicts will be sorely missed, and not easily replaced. His son Nat Parry writes a tribute to his father: Robert Parrys Legacy and the Future of Consortiumnews. Thank you for donating If you've made a donation and wish to receive thank you gifts for your donation, be sure to send us your mailing address via our Contact form. See our thank you gifts for your donation. Between The Lines' coverage and resource compilation of the Resistance Movement Selected speeches from the Women's March in Hartford, Connecticut 2018, recorded and produced by Scott Harris SPECIAL REPORT: "No Fracking Waste in CT!" Jan. 14, 2018 Jen Siskind Jennifer Siskind, local coordinator for Food and Water Watch, describes the campaign to stop fracking waste in Connecticut, which so far has led to fracking waste bans in 34 towns around the state. Interviewed by Richard Hill on Mic Check, WPKN Radio, Bridgeport, CT SPECIAL REPORT: "Resistance Round Table: The Unraveling Continues..." Jan. 13, 2018 Lindsay Kanaly The panel discusses Trump's long history of racism and the Republican voter suppression juggernaut confronting Democrats leading up to the 2018 elections. Special guest: Lindsay Kanaly, a lead organizer of the Women's Marches planned for Jan. 20, 2018. Panel: Scott Harris, Ruthanne Baumgartner and Richard Hill on Resistance Roundtable, WPKN Radio, Bridgeport, CT. SPECIAL REPORT: "Capitalism to the ash heap?" Richard Wolff, Jan. 2, 2018 Richard Wolff, Economics professor Richard Wolff declares U.S. capitalism to be beyond repair and suggests the need for a radical alternative. Interviewed by Richard Hill SPECIAL REPORT: Maryn McKenna, author of "Big Chicken", Dec. 7, 2017 Maryn McKenna, investigative journalist and author of Big Chicken, talks about the widespread use and dangers of antibiotics in commercial poultry, beef and fruit production. Interview by Bill Duesing, Richard Hill and Guy Beardsly on WPKN's Organic Farm Stand. SPECIAL REPORT: Nina Turner's address, Working Families Party Awards Banquet, Dec. 14, 2017 Nina Turner, president of Our Revolution, talks about the fight ahead for progressives as she receives the Working Families Organization Award for Exceptional Leadership Towards Advancing Progress. The event was held in Meriden, CT. Produced by Richard Hill. SPECIAL REPORT: Mic Check, Dec. 12, 2017 Working Families Party of CT talks strategy and issues for 2018. Lindsay Farrell, executive director of the Working Families Party of Connecticut, discusses the state's electoral landscape and lays out the issues and strategies that could lead to progressive victories in 2018. Interviewed by Richard Hill. SPECIAL REPORT: Resistance Roundtable, Dec. 9, 2017 Disturbing developments in the Trump/Republican Agenda Focus on the tax bill, destruction of our public lands, North Korea and Trump's private CIA. Panel: Scott Harris, Ruthanne Baumgartner and Richard Hill. Special guest: Jo Macallero of Rise and Resist. SPECIAL REPORT: On Tyranny - one year later, Nov. 28, 2017 Professor Timothy Snyder, author of the highly acclaimed resistance manual On Tyranny, discusses his book and offers a fresh assessment of the state of our beleaguered republic. Timothy Snyder, history professor at Yale, is introduced by Stanley Heller, administrator of Promoting Enduring Peace, a Connecticut-based organization that sponsored this event at the United Church Parish House in New Haven on Nov. 28. A brief interview with Snyder conducted by WPKN radio producer, Richard Hill, follows his talk. SPECIAL REPORT: Mic Check, Nov. 12, 2017 Lynne Ide, director of program and policy with the Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut, talks about the current state of health care coverage in Connecticut. Interviewed by Richard Hill, WPKN radio producer SPECIAL REPORT: Resistance Roundtable, Nov. 11, 2017 Focus on the Republican tax plan, the just-released autopsy on the Democratic Party, and Internet censorship by Google, Facebook and Youtube. Including an interview with Hilary Grant, a lead organizer with Action Together Connecticut, who discusses the local results of the recent election, with hosts Richard Hill, Scott Harris and Ruth Baumgartner WPKN producers SPECIAL REPORT: Rainy Day Radio, Nov. 7, 2017 SPECIAL REPORT: Rainy Day Radio, Nov. 7, 2017 Bruce Gagnon, coordinator for the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, describes the extent of -- and motives underlying -- the vast US network of military bases around the globe. Interviewed by Richard Hill, WPKN radio producer SPECIAL REPORT: Resisting U.S. JeJu Island military base in South Korea, Oct. 24, 2017 Joyakol, South Korean peace activist and singer, discusses the crisis on the Korean peninsula and focuses on the resistance to the U.S. huge military base being constructed on Jeju Island. The event was sponsored by the Greater New Haven Peace Council and this audio was recorded by Richard Hill, WPKN producer. Joyakol discusses Americans' biggest misconceptions about the conflict between North and South Korea and the U.S., Interview by Richard Hill, WPKN producer. SPECIAL REPORT: John Allen, Out in New Haven John Allen, founding director of the New Haven Pride Center, Connecticut, talks about his new LGBTQ television show, Out in New Haven, which presents a range of political and cultural issues to the community. Interviewed by Richard Hill on WPKN's Rainy Day Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2018. Promoting Enduring Peace presented its Gandhi Peace Award jointly to renowned consumer advocate Ralph Nader and BDS founder Omar Barghouti on April 23, 2017. Subscribe to our Weekly Summary & receive our FREE Resist Trump window cling (Car window cling) Email us with your mailing address at contact@btlonline.org to receive our "Resist Trump/Resist Hate" car window cling! who helped make our 25th anniversary with Jeremy Scahill a success! For those who missed the event, or were there and really wanted to fully absorb its import, here it is in video Jeremy Scahill keynote speech, part 1 from PROUDEYEMEDIA on Vimeo. Jeremy Scahill keynote speech, part 2 from PROUDEYEMEDIA on Vimeo. Between The Lines on Stitcher Between The Lines Presentation at the Left Forum 2016 "How Do We Build A Mass Movement to Reverse Runaway Inequality?" with Les Leopold, author of "Runaway Inequality: An Activist's Guide to Economic Justice,"May 22, 2016, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, The City University of New York, 860 11th Ave. (Between 58th and 59th), New York City. Between The Lines' Scott Harris and Richard Hill moderated this workshop. Listen to the audio/slideshows and more from this workshop. Listen to audio of the plenary sessions from the weekend. JEREMY SCAHILL: Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker "Dirty Wars" Listen to the full interview (30:33) with Jeremy Scahill, an award-winning investigative journalist with the Nation Magazine, correspondent for Democracy Now! and author of the bestselling book, "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army," about America's outsourcing of its military. In an exclusive interview with Counterpoint's Scott Harris on Sept. 16, 2013, Scahill talks about his latest book, "Dirty Wars, The World is a Battlefield," also made into a documentary film under the same title, and was nominated Dec. 5, 2013 for an Academy Award in the Best Documentary Feature category. Listen to Scott Harris Live on WPKN Radio Between The Lines' Executive Producer Scott Harris hosts a live, weekly talk show, Counterpoint, from which some of Between The Lines' interviews are excerpted. Listen every Monday evening from 8 to 10 p.m. EDT at www.WPKN.org (Follows the 5-7 minute White Rose Calendar.) Counterpoint in its entirety is archived after midnight ET Monday nights, and is available for at least a year following broadcast in WPKN Radio's Archives. You can also listen to full unedited interview segments from Counterpoint, which are generally available some time the day following broadcast. Subscribe to Counterpoint bulletins via our subscriptions page. BTL Blog Special Programming [an error occurred while processing this directive][an error occurred while processing this directive] A compilation of activist and news sites with a progressive point of view Well, NCIS fans, you are in for a crossover treat! When we last left the team, Bishop kicked Jake to the curb, not only because of his affair but because they were not working as a couple. Ducky was reunited with his much younger brother, who suffers from dementia, at a long-term care facility. Ducky had been told that his brother died many years earlier. In the NCIS winter premiere, Sister City: Part One, passengers on a private plane flying from New Orleans to Washington, DC, are poisoned, and Abbys brother Luca (Tyler Ritter) is a suspect. The story concludes on NCIS: New Orleans. I am also going to ignore the breaking news that Michael Weatherly and his very Special Agent Tony DiNozzo are exiting NCIS at the end of this season. Michael Weatherly Leaving NCIS >>> Plane Down The episode kicks off with a private plane heading to Washington, DC, with no radio communication. Some fighter jets are sent to scope out the situation. Meanwhile, McGee is out to get all the dirt on Tony and Zoes break-up over New Years. In MTAC, Gibbs and the team are briefed on how there are no signs of life on the plane. The plane was chartered by Blye Industries, a military tech company. Right now, the plane is over Virginia countryside, but when it runs out of fuel, it will be over Boston, New York and Philadelphia. There is only 10 minutes left to take it down over an unpopulated area. Yikes! Abby and McGee try to hack into the planes computer system to crash it but arent having any luck. They eventually decide to hack a satellite to change the GPS of the plane so that it will change its flight path. The mood in MTAC is tense as Special Agent Dwayne Pride joins the video chat. Just before the order to shoot down the plane is given, the plane changes altitude and crashes itself. Another amazing feat of computer wizardry by McGee and Abby. The celebration is short-lived when Pride calls Gibbs on his cell. They have located the flight manifest, and Abbys brother was on the plane. A horrified Gibbs tries to absorb the news as the plane crashes. A Missing Brother Gibbs tries to calm Abby down as she frantically tries to call her brother. Luca is an in-demand chef who was recently hired by Jenner Blye. Luca is afraid to fly and never leaves New Orleans, so Abby is doing mental cartwheels trying to wrap her head around the fact that she may have just taken down a plane that her brother was on. That is a horrible thought and gives me the chills just thinking about it. Abby remains convinced that she would know if her brother was dead. Gibbs, with his sharp new haircut, tries to convince Abby to visit the site of the plane crash. Bishop, Tony and McGee go to the crash site. NTSB says that the plane stayed pretty straight on impact, so if anyone had been alive on the plane, they could have survived the crash. The manifest lists five names: the pilot, co-pilot, a Blye Industries Senior Vice President, Commander Lively and Luca Sciuto. When Gibbs arrives, the team begins the grim task of examining the plane. The team notices that none of the oxygen masks deployed. Could the victims have been incapacitated before that could happen? The bodies dont show the typical signs of hypoxia. The fifth body is too badly damaged to identify, but its wearing a chefs coat that is embroidered Chef Luca. Things dont look good for Abbys brother. A Terrible Task Ducky and Palmer are waiting in autopsy for Abby to identify her brother. Abby arrives wearing a black floral dress and carrying a folder with her brothers dental records, birth marks and measurements. It is simply heartbreaking to see Abby so devastated. She takes a quick peek at the body before declaring that it isnt her brother. Both Abby and her brother have unattached earlobes, and the bodys earlobes are attached. In New Orleans, Special Agents Christopher LaSalle and Sonja Percy are examining Lucas home. It is filled with cooking gear, cookbooks and pictures with Abby. Tony weighs in by phone. Sonja, who transferred from ATF, knows that Tonys name is familiar, and he asks if she worked with Zoe Keates. Of course, Sonja was at training with Zoe, and she is surprised to learn that the duo has called it quits. Possible Motives LaSalle finds a bag hidden behind a fake wall in the closet. Luca was concealing two guns, a high-tech bug and about $10,000. I am sure that there is a perfectly rational explanation, right? Back at headquarters, McGee learns that Commander Lively was flying in to meet with the Secretary of Defense, but the reason is a mystery. The meeting wasnt set up until late last night, and this makes the team suspicious. Vance only knows that the matter was one of national security. The Secretary of Defense has been trying to speak to the head of Blye Industries about why Commander Lively was on the plane, but Mr. Blye is not returning his calls. Abby arrives and tells Gibbs that Luca texted her saying that he is in trouble. Abby is unable to trace it, but his one word code, conniption, leads Abby to believe that he is in Redbird Bolt, North Carolina, at the Colossal Fun Amusement Park. Gibbs sends Tony and Abby to find Luca. The 29 Most Heartbreaking TV Moments of 2015 >>> Cause of Death This leaves McGee trying to cope in Abbys lab. While McGee is convinced that the computer only obeys Abby, Gibbs points out that the plug is loose. Hilarious! The NOLA team examined the items from Lucas apartment. They found a second bug in Lucas knife case. The biggest finding is that the passengers were all poisoned, but how and the type of poison is still unclear. I am guessing that will not be rave reviews for a chef. McGee finally narrows down the poison to be batrachotoxin, which is secreted by a South American poison dart frog, and it is very dangerous stuff indeed. It was on the utensils but not in the food. The NOLA teams sends over security footage from the night before the flight, which shows the last person seen with the utensils: Luca. Vacation from Hell Rather than fond memories, the park is the scene of terrifying memories of vomit and fright so unspeakable that the siblings swore to never mention it. Tony is less than thrilled that he and Abby actually have to ride the Conniption roller coaster as it overlooks the whole park. After having no luck finding him, Abby spots a headless hippo stuffed animal and knows that Luca is hiding in the haunted house. So Tony and Abby hit the haunted house at night. Abby locates him, and he is freaked-out. He said that he woke up in a motel with no memory of how he got there and saw on the news that the plane he was supposed to be on had crashed. No sooner are the introductions completed than Tony has to arrest Abbys brother. That is going to be one awkward ride home to DC. A Missing Billionaire Bishop and Gibbs pay a visit to Blye Industries and meet with Dalton Greenbrick, the CFO of Blye Industries, and Blake Huxley, who is the head of security. When Greenbrick tries to give Gibbs the runaround about Blye being on an overseas call, Huxley blurts out that Blye is missing. Blye was meeting with Commander Gil Lively in New Orleans, but no one knows why. Am I sensing a theme here? Blyes car is eventually located in a river. Tell the Truth A furious Abby begs Gibbs not to hurt her brother. She explains that her brother is sensitive and fragile, while Gibbs is tough and strong. Luca lawyers up in five seconds. Gibbs has just one thing to say to Abby: she needs to break her brother, or Gibbs will have to. Abby takes her seat across from her brother and informs him that he is suspected of poisoning the people on the plane. Luca is stunned to learn that she doesnt mean food poisoning. Luca took the job on the flight so that he could surprise his sister. He claims that he was drugged and woke up alone in a motel. Abby knows he is hiding something, and they communicate with sign language. Gibbs also knows how to sign, much to Lucas surprise. It seems that Luca is protecting a lady friend, Eva, who he met in a prayer group at church. Eva is leaving an abusive husband, and Luca worries that she is in danger. He also states that they know nothing about the guns, money or listening device found in his apartment. It seems that Eva changes her cell phone frequently and is camera shy, so Luca has no photos of her. Red flag alert, Luca! Of course, if you are involved in in corporate espionage, bugging the chefs equipment is a creative idea. 8 TV Couples We Wish Would Rekindle Their Romance in 2016 >>> One Tough Cookie In New Orleans, Special Agent Merri Brody and Sonja dust Lucas apartment for fingerprints. They find no trace of the mystery woman, except for an artists sketch of Luca with his new friend. Abby is able to use it to run facial recognition software. It doesnt take long to get a hit, and the mystery woman is in several databases. Her name is Eva Azarova, and she works for Russian diplomatic counselor Anton Pavlenko. Luca doesnt believe that Eva is a sleeper agent, and he is relieved when she calls him. It turns out that she wants to talk to Gibbs. Poor, poor Luca. Eva asks Gibbs not to contact Pavlenko using official channels. That Pavlenko is certainly a slippery sort, so Gibbs isnt surprised by her request. Abby is able to trace the call to a certain block, and Luca recalls a Russian restaurant located in the vicinity. Gibbs and Tony hit the restaurant with guns drawn and see Pavlenko lurking at a table. Pavlenko tells Gibbs that he is endangering his own life to help NCIS. One of Pavlenkos agents took Lucas place on the plane and was going to take Pavlenkos place during the meeting with the Secretary of Defense. Pavlenko denies that he had anything to do with the murders, and he takes credit for arranging the meeting in New Orleans. He states that Russia had plans to steal technology developed by Blye Industries for the United States military. Pavlenko spent two days in New Orleans to confirm his suspicions. Pavlenko asks Gibbs if he knows anything about Project Manta Ray and claims that he is trying to stop a war. He needs Gibbs help, of course. A moment later, after taking a drink, Pavlenko is dead. Decoy Time Abby and Luca grab a bite at the diner. Luca tells his older sister that he is heading home to New Orleans in the morning. Palmer and Ducky drive an NCIS van to New Orleans with Pavlenkos body. They are forced to pull over by a group of men with guns who let them go when they discover that they were just decoys. Bishop actually transported the body in a car. Dr. Loretta Wade in New Orleans is a bit concerned about how the body arrives. The Russians also want Pavlenkos body back, but Pride and Gibbs hope that his body might have the answers they are looking for. Manta Ray was a Department of Defense project that created warships that are undetectable by radar. The project was put aside as too costly, but it appears that the Russian government is keen on the idea. One operative in particular, Eva Azarova, may have killed the passengers on the plane when they learned what she was doing for the Russian government. Pride goes to see Luca at a bar. Eva is in the ladies room as Luca tries to cover for her. Eva isnt in the mood for questions and pulls a gun on Pride as Merri and Sonja circle the edge of the restaurant. Luca creates a distraction and Eva flees into the crowded New Orleans streets. Pride tries to talk some sense into Luca. Luca is in denial about Eva being a spy, and he wont help Pride bring her in. Pride decides to keep Luca at the office to keep him safe and out of trouble. The Tooth of the Matter In autopsy, Dr. Wade conducts the autopsy on Pavlenko while Ducky participates via video conference. Pavlenko was killed by the same neurotoxin as the people on the plane. The Russian counselor also has mosquito bites on his legs, and she sends the tissue to forensic scientist Sebastian Lund in the hopes that they can trace where Pavlenko was in New Orleans. They also uncover a listening device and transmitter inside Pavlenkos tooth. The signal is traced to an upscale social club. Paulina Kurteva, who now works for the embassy, is there. She worked a case with Pride, and they have some sizzling chemistry. Kurteva denies being in New Orleans to retrieve Pavlenkos body. The NOLA team put something on Prides phone that allowed him to gain access to one of the Russians phones. The mosquitoes can be traced to a protected turtle habitat about a hundred miles outside of New Orleans. Bishop gets satellite images of a building set up by Blye Industries to monitor the ecosystem. Jenner Blye is in the house, and he is planning to stay put. He knows his life is in danger, so he takes a sip from his water bottle. Thats right it is poisoned. He survives but may have some permanent paralysis. Blye agrees to answer their questions. The Department of Defense gave Manta Ray the green light to build a non-weaponized version, which was used for oil exploration. Backstrum Drull, which is a shell corporation in Moscow created solely to buy foreign technology, may have possession of the ship. The one common link to all the victims is Eva Azarova. Luca was cooking the night that Pavlenko, Commander Lively and Blye met at Blyes house. Luca is the last remaining loose end. That is not good for Luca. Finding Eva Bishop and Brody tail Kurteva, who is in hot pursuit of Eva. They enter Evas apartment when they hear gunshots and find Kurtevas men dead and Kurteva hiding in a closet. Kurteva tells Pride that Eva has refused to come in, and Pride suggests they work together. Luca escapes while Pride is interrogating Kurteva. Abby is seriously angry and concerned for her brothers safety. Pride tells Kurteva that she can give them the frequency of Evas tooth implant and that Kurteva can leave unscathed. Luca reunites with Eva at a museum, and Pride crashes the party. Eva admits to being a murderer just before Huxley begins shooting. Eva runs up to the balcony after him. Eva and Huxley struggle, and Pride shoots Huxley. Eva admits that Huxley was trying to kill Luca because he was the last person connected to the secret dinner in New Orleans. Pavlenko knew that the Russian government had stolen the Manta Ray designs, and Eva was working to confirm it. She even admits that she used Luca as bait to lure Huxley there so she could kill the security officer. Eva is given a moment to say goodbye to Luca and they kiss tenderly as Eva urges Luca to call Abby. Jenner Blye is boarding a plane to Venezuela, and LaSalle accuses him of selling the Russian governments Manta Ray and ordering Huxley to commit the murders. He is arrested for treason. Kurteva tries to take custody of Eva, but Pride sends Eva to meet with Gibbs. I liked this episode of NCIS, but it was really long and complicated. I might have liked it a bit more if they didnt strain to show every character from NCIS and NCIS: New Orleans. NCIS airs Tuesdays at 8pm on CBS. (Image courtesy of CBS) Thanks to the generosity of local residents across the Burnham-On-Sea area last year, local charity Educate The Kids is admitting a record number of new starters their school in Kenya. The charity who brought a choir of 23 Kenyan children to Burnham-On-Sea last summer have been able to admit 84 four to five year olds to their school, Jolaurabi Kindergarten, near Mombasa this month. Southern area organiser Sue Stevens, pictured right with co-organiser Dorothy May, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: This is the highest intake of needy youngsters ever achieved. Each child has their education paid for by a generous sponsor at a cost of just 6 a month or 72 a year. This not only pays for their schooling but also provides a uniform, underwear and shoes. Ongoing fund raising in the local area ensures that each of the 600 plus pupils also receive a cup of porridge at morning break time. The Singing Children of Africa visited the Burnham area last summer when the members were hosted by local families and welcomed by the Mayor and Mayoress, pictured top. They visited many schools and performed in the evenings to packed venues. The proceeds of the tour were used to rebuild the charitys well and pump water into the orphanage and toilets into the primary school. Local people touched by the choir then opted to sponsor a child of their own, resulting in the large intake for January 2016. Sue thanked everyone who played a part in making the tour such a success. The legacy being not only water accessible locally for the community in Kenya, but also an opportunity for these 84 youngsters to receive an education that they otherwise simply would not have. Fundraising and collection of blue and white dresses, blue or navy sweatshirts, grey school trousers, pants and socks continues throughout the year. There will be an opportunity to support the charity at Brent Knoll Farmers Market in Brent Knoll Village Hall on Saturday 9th January, 13th February and 12th March from 10am 12noon where, amongst other items, handcrafted Kenyan jewellery, wood and soapstone carvings, batiks, bags and a limited supply of traditional instruments, as used by The Singing Children of Africa, are for sale. Motorists suffered long delays on the M5 and surrounding roads in the Burnham-On-Sea area on Wednesday following a tanker crash that completely closed the motorway. Highways England re-opened the M5 southbound cariageway at junction 23 at 6pm on Wednesday evening, but the northbound cariageway didnt re-open until early on Thursday morning after resurfacing work was completed. It comes after an oil tanker overturned on the northbound carriageway of the M5 at junction 23 at 9am, spilling 1,000 litres of kerosene, resulting in closures in both directions. A huge clean-up operation took place with fears that some of the kerosene may have entered a waterway next to the motorway, which the Environment Agency investigated. The lorry driver suffered bruises and was left shocked but was otherwise unhurt in the accident, which was reportedly caused by a tyre blow-out. A police spokesman told Burnham-On-Sea.com: We were called at just before 9am after a tanker carrying kerosene overturned just before the slip-road at junction 23 northbound. The top of the tanker split and kerosene spilt onto the carriageway. There were full closures in place at junction 23 southbound (Bridgwater) and junction 24 northbound (Huntworth/Bridgwater). Were working with our colleagues in the other emergency services at the scene and the remainder of the fuel will need to be removed from the tanker before it can be recovered. A fire service spokesman added: Hazardous materials officers from the Fire Service have also attended the scene. The tanker had 6,500 litres of kerosene on board, and a significant amount of this had leaked from the vehicle. Fire crews set to work using compressed air foam to cover the leaked fuel, and used environmental protection packs to block nearby drains to restrict the spread of the leak. Air India Engineering Services Limited (AIESL) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Delhi-based aircraft services firm, Haveus Aerotech, to provide technical assistance to develop Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities at Dubai's Al Maktoum International Airport. AIESL is a subsidiary of Air India. According to the understanding, AIESL will provide its pool of engineers, manpower and technical know-how in building the MRO facility. The total project is spread over an area of 9,000 sq metres and will need an investment of $100 million, said Anshul Bhargava, MD, Haveus Aerotech India. "The MRO facility will be able to service 100 engines in a year," Bhargava said. At present, Indian carriers outsource about 90 per cent of their repair and maintenance work to abroad. This is partly because of the limited capabilities of domestic service providers and partly because of the high tax structure in India. At present, engine servicing is only provided by Air India in the country. The public sector company is also expanding its infrastructure to service Boeing planes by building a new facility at Nagpur, which will be ready by 2018. In order to boost the MRO industry, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has proposed sops in the draft civil aviation policy. Some of them include tax breaks, zero service tax on MROs, simplification of import processes for aircraft spares and exemptions on customs duty on maintenance tools and tool kits. The new MRO will usher in a new aviation technology in Dubai with the Al Maktoum airport witnessing massive aviation activities, the firm said. The official said the company was yet to formally apply for allotment of 1,500 acres for its manufacturing and research and development. Foxconn, the Taiwanese electronic contract manufacturer, will produce smartphones from its Navi Mumbai manufacturing facility from March, said an official of the state government's industries department. It had told them, the official said, that these fourth-generation (4G) technology devices would be for Reliance Jio (commercially launching its service in April) and for Chinese phone maker Xiaomi, an existing customer. ALSO READ: Maharashtra showers tax goodies on Foxconn This will be its first firm project in Maharashtra since the commitment last August by flamboyant founder Terry Gou of investing Rs 33,300 crore to set up electronic manufacturing facilities in the state.''Senior executives are expected to soon meet with officials of Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation. MIDC will notify the necessary land after it receives Foxconn's proposal,'' the official added.Typically, Foxconn and rival global electronic contract manufacturers such as Jabil, Flex and Sanmina follow their clients in setting up factories.Foxconn had a factory to make Nokia phones on Chennai's outskirts, close to the Finnish mobile maker unit. When Nokia shut its operations after Microsoft bought the company, so did Foxconn. Later, it set up a unit at Sri City in Andhra Pradesh, where it makes phones for Chinese phone makers Xiaomi, One Plus and Asus. These are manufacturing smartphones to meet the growing demand in India. Also, making in India brings down the cost of smartphones by 10-12 per cent. -- with inputs from Raghu Krishnan Will HMT Tractors meet the same end as HMT Watches? Facing a severe funds crunch and manufacturing only 1,200 tractors a year against an installed capacity of 8,500, India's maiden indigenous tractor maker is racing against time. The vertically integrated plant on 867 acres here on the scenic Himalayan Expressway is languishing due to bureaucratic hurdles. Established in 1971 in collaboration with Motokov of the erstwhile Czechoslovakia, HMT Tractors produced close to 20,000 tractors a year till the late 1990s. Now, India produces 625,000 tractors a year and HMT's market share has dwindled to 0.25 per cent. HMT Tractors' decline set in when new players entered the market after liberalisation in the 1990s. The centralised decision making of a public sector undertaking could not keep pace with the private sector. The need to seek approval from the HMT headquarters at Bengaluru and a bloated hierarchy led to delayed deliveries. "The business of machine tools is different from that of tractors. Orders for machine tools are placed with advance payments so the working capital requirement is low. It is opposite in the case of tractors. The executives at Pinjore could never convince headquarters about the need for working capital," said an HMT Tractors executive who did not wish to be named. Induction of 250 employees from the Hyderabad and Srinagar plants added an extra burden in the late 1990s. There has been no recruitment since 1993. The average employee age at the Pinjore plant is 55 years. A voluntary retirement scheme offered in 2002 weaned away the most talented engineers at HMT Tractors who moved on to greener pastures in rival companies. C B Goel, one of the young engineers recruited by HMT in 1964 - the Pinjore plant produced only machine tools from 1963 to 1971- runs an automobile ancillary unit in Panchkula. "I was one of the 30 engineers who left HMT in the 1980s to become a supplier of components. When sales started wilting at HMT 10 years ago, most of the vendors switched to other automobile companies," he says. "The quality of the HMT tractor is excellent but delayed payments and inconsistent demand for components makes the survival of small vendors difficult," he adds. The acquisition of Punjab Tractors by Mahindra & Mahindra and the growth of Sonalika Tractors in the last decade provided a life support system to vendors but made things even more difficult for HMT Tractors. Working without a salary for 18 months, the staff here are pinning their hopes on a recent communication by the ministry of heavy industries to the Haryana government. The Centre wants the state government to offer them a golden handshake in return for the land on which the plant is located. But, the state government already owns this land and has no incentive to fund the voluntary retirement scheme. Abhimanyu, Haryana's industry minister, refused to comment on the state's role in revival but sources in the government said the 867 acres gifted to HMT by the Punjab government was owned by the Haryana government in revenue records. HMT has claimed land ownership rights, and a case is being fought in the Punjab and Haryana High Court for the past six years. Most of the Rs 1,083-crore revival package provided to HMT Tractors in October 2013 went into cleaning up its balance sheet. An amount of Rs 200 crore earmarked for capital expenditure and Rs 50 crore for technology upgradation have not been released because these were subject to the condition of the plant producing 10,000 tractors in a year. Working capital of Rs 91 crore was given piecemeal. If given as a lump sum, there could have been better planning and fund utilisation. HMT Pinjore is an integrated township with two schools, a hospital and 1,100 houses. It costs Rs 8 crore a month to keep the facilities going. Given its infrastructure, HMT Tractors can reach break-even by making 750 tractors a month. It has old liabilities of Rs 300 crore and projected voluntary retirement expenses of Rs 600 crore. "If the constraint of working capital is solved, HMT Tractors can beat the competition," says Mahinder Singh, president of the workers' union. Industrial development in Haryana has remained skewed towards districts in the region surrounding Delhi. If HMT Tractors shuts down, this will aggravate the regional imbalance in the state. HURDLE AFTER HURDLE Iron ore prices bounced back after slumping to their lowest in seven years in December, 2015 on bargain hunting by traders and small steel mills. The benchmark 62 per cent Fe grade iron ore recovered to trade at $43.11 a tonne, up 13 per cent from its low of $38.30 a tonne on December 11, 2015. Iron ore miners have cut output globally but its impact is yet to be seen on prices. Experts believe large stock-holding at mine heads coupled with subdued demand from steel mills will not allow iron ore prices to move up for long. There are huge stocks lying at various mines in India. In Odisha and Jharkhand 128 million tonnes of iron ore are waiting to be lifted by steel mills. Iron ore consumption is likely to remain subdued, which will continue to suppress its price, said RK Sharma, secretary-general of the Federation of Indian Mineral Industries. ALSO READ: Exporters unlikely to benefit from duty exemption Before its price started declining, the 62 per cent Fe grade iron ore for delivery in China had shot up to its lifetime high of $192 a tonne on February 17, 2011. The rebound in iron ore prices has prompted government-owned NMDC to defer price cuts anticipated earlier till January. In December, the benchmark iron ore lumps quoted at Rs 2,100 a tonne. A correction was due. But because of the global economic slowdown, sustaining this price level looks difficult, said Haresh Melwani, chief executive officer, HL Nathurmal & Co, a Goa-based iron ore miner. Although Indian steelmakers would see their profitability declining in 2016, the fall would be less than that of other Asian steelmakers because of the country's rising demand and captive iron ore mines, Moodys said. It is unusual for a chief minister to wait for an industrialist to turn up for the foundation stone laying ceremony of his project. When the head of the state happens to be the doughty Mamata Banerjee whose immediate credentials before the Assembly elections of 2011 was to drive away Tata group's Nano project from Bengal, it becomes near-inconceivable. However, Banerjee on Wednesday waited for about half an hour at Salboni in West Medinipur before JSW group's chairman and managing director Sajjan Jindal made it to the site. The event was the foundation stone laying ceremony of JSW Cement's 2.4-million tonne per annum (mtpa) plant. Jindal's flight got delayed, first due to bad weather and then on account of security measures in the wake of President Pranab Mukherjee's visit. TIMELINE 2008: Then Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee lays steel plant's foundation stone Then Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee lays steel plant's foundation stone 2009: Sajjan Jindal says the project has been delayed due to the global financial crisis Sajjan Jindal says the project has been delayed due to the global financial crisis Jul 11: CM Mamata Banerjee publicly expresses disapproval over delay in project CM Mamata Banerjee publicly expresses disapproval over delay in project Aug 11: Rumblings about JSW land acquisition start Rumblings about JSW land acquisition start Sep 11: Jindal meets CM; Banerjee says all issues will be resolved Jindal meets CM; Banerjee says all issues will be resolved 2014: Jindal says project looks difficult without raw material linkages Jindal says project looks difficult without raw material linkages 2016: Mamata Banerjee lays foundation stone for cement plant The project is the first of a series that the JSW group is planning at Salboni where it has 4,300 acres in possession. The project would use only 134 acres and the investment would be around Rs 800 crore. The project, as conceived during the regime of the earlier Left Front government in 2007, was a 10 mtpa steel plant and a 1,600 Mw power plant. "It was our dream to set up a mega steel plant. The government tried its best to pave the way for the project, but there were problems with raw material linkages. The cement plant is a small industrial activity that we are initiating at this site. We are also planning a paints factory and downstream steel units," Jindal told the gathering that included 571 land loser families. JSW Cement would be boosting the capacity to 4.8 mtpa in the next 36 months. Plans are afoot to set up two power units of 660 megawatt (Mw) each that would entail an investment of Rs 8,000 crore. The investment in the paints unit, which would be a new business vertical for the group, was likely to cost Rs 1,000 crore. All put together, the JSW group has laid out investment plans totalling Rs 10,000 crore. "A lot of land would still be left unused. We are not sure how to handle this. We are proposing many more industries," said Sajjan Jindal. Does it mean that the mega steel plant is shelved? "Let's say, it's on the back burner," Jindal said in response to a query at the press conference later. The original JSW project happened to be Bengal's single largest investment at Rs 35,000 crore. But, Salboni is willing to wait out, at least that's a promise that the chief minister managed to extract from the land losers. "Don't be impatient. Of the 571 land loser families, 85 have already got jobs. They have promised in phases the rest will also be employed. This land is a gold mine; it's right next to the National Highway," she said, addressing the land losers from the dais. Sajjan means 'bhadra', she added. "Let them do their work. We must not interfere in their work," a clear message to Trinamool Congress-backed 'syndicates' that have become a menace in West Bengal. JSW Cement would employ 250 people on a permanent basis and another 600 on contract. "You have got a new gift in the new year. Let us nurture it," the CM said in what seemed like an earnest request. At the press conference, Jindal said he was amazed by the chief minister. "She told the people, don't expect too much. She was already bringing down expectations." Paints foray The JSW group today said that it was actively exploring entering the paints business. "We are already into cement and TMT bars, so why not look at paints which is also required for making a home," said Parth Jindal. The foray could be a greenfield venture or an acquisition and was likely to be finalised over the next six months to a year's time. Sharif connection Sajjan Jindal today cleared the air on his equation with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. "We are family friends for more than 20 years now," he said. Asked whether he had any role to play in facilitating the recent meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Sharif, Jindal said, "It was just a coincidence that I happened to be in Lahore when the meeting happened. I was there to attend the wedding of Prime Minister Sharif's granddaughter." When you are starting up, you are low on resources. Getting your first set of customers becomes very crucial. A lot of us, when we take the entrepreneurial plunge, have a fair idea of how the product will look and evolve - and this is something that lies in our hands. But reaching out to your customers is a complete unknown. You always ask yourself these questions -- Will customers try my product? How much do I need to spend on getting customers? Getting your first 100 customers is always one of the toughest, but the most fun part of the entrepreneurial journey. We recently launched our first online program - StartUp with UpGrad - in the area of entrepreneurship. We knew that there is a need for the program in the market, but were unsure if: We will get customers to take up an online program We will get customers to actually pay for an online program As a new venture, we were facing two uphill battles - one of convincing our customers to adopt online education and secondly, to pay for it. Therefore, it became important for us to be smart about our marketing. We tried different techniques- some worked and some didn't. Target a smaller customer group -- fewer cities and right channels As an early stage digital startup, it is very easy to start focusing on getting customers from across India for your product. Yes, it allows you to aim for a larger target group, but you end up spending a huge amount without commensurate conversions. It is important to know your 'one customer' and plan to target them accordingly. In the case of UpGrad, we went ahead with focusing on three Tier 1 cities for our digital marketing initiative with a small marketing budget. We got a very strong response to our marketing campaign. We deployed a small amount on sites (Yourstory, NextBigWhat etc.) that folks interested in entrepreneurship frequent. With that limited marketing budget, we were able to reach out to our narrow target segment multiple times. It is important for an early stage startup to know the right marketing channel and focus on it rather than going after multiple channels. Online marketing is not everything For a lot of entrepreneurs, digital marketing is always the first thing that comes to mind. However, for the first 100 customers it is important to leverage offline marketing significantly. When we were launching Startup with UpGrad, we participated in a number of events across our selected three cities. The reception that we got in these offline events helped us create a strong positioning for the brand UpGrad in terms of credibility. In these events, we got a chance to talk to potential customers that helped shape our product and fine-tune our positioning. In the early stage, as a founder it is important to go out and meet potential customers and get first hand feedback on their expectations, and offline events are great avenues for that. Don't let anything stop you from thinking big When we were conceptualising Startup with UpGrad, we wanted to create a strong positioning for our program. The idea came up in one of our weekly meetings, when a team member asked, "Why don't we interview India's leading entrepreneurs and get them to share their experiences for our program participants?" Initially the idea was laughed away, but we all realised that it did sound like an interesting proposition. We decided we will go ahead with this approach, and reached out to 30-plus first generation tech-entrepreneurs -- from Kunal Bahl of Snapdeal to Deep Kalra of MakeMyTrip, Bhavish Aggarwal of Ola and VSS Mani of JustDial. Most of them responded enthusiastically and we interviewed them for their insights. These interviews and experiences that we offered as a part of the program helped us create a strong positioning for the brand -- and that became a strong marketing message for the program. So when you are starting up, any crazy idea could lead you to a successful launch, and thus do not shy away from thinking bold. Mayank Kumar is co-Founder & MD of UpGrad, an online education platform for working professionals Several top are found to be having a pecuniary relationship with their independent directors (IDs) or the legal/consultancy the latter are part of. Corporate governance experts see these dealings, which are in addition to the payment of sitting fees and commission, as a worrying phenomenon. The S&P BSE 200 Index, a collection of the top 200 on the bourse by market capitalisation, contains 21 companies that have had such a relationship with their 25 IDs, according to Bengaluru-based corporate governance firm Ingovern Research. Of these, six companies from the Nifty 50 Index and four from Nifty Next 50 Index have had such a relationship. The report also found such relationships in 34 smaller companies outside the BSE 200 index. (Such) relationships severely violate the independence of the ID concerned, says an Ingovern report. Companies, it says, should enter into no professional relationship with either their IDs or the companies where the latter are owners or partners or employees. Ingovern identified a Mumbai-based elderly lawyer as the ID with the highest number of such pecuniary relationships. This directors law company acted as a solicitor to the companies. It has had pecuniary relationships with 14 companies where the person was an ID for all or part of FY15. This included two companies of the Nifty 50, one of the Nifty Next 50 and five companies overall of the S&P BSE 200 Index. Some of the directors in this study did not have a direct pecuniary relationship with the company through their firms. However, they acted as a legal advisor to or have represented the promoters of the companies where they serve as an ID. Such a relationship also questions their independence on the said companies, Ingovern said. UNDERMINING INDEPENDENCE Legal/consulting firm will draw a fee from the company and be working with the management Legal/consulting firm no longer acts as an independent party Advice given by it and any valuation done can be questioned, as the ID (being a partner in the firm) might influence the advice Companies often dont disclose the fees paid to these legal/ consulting firms, saying it's not material IN NUMBERS 21 Number of BSE 200 companies with pecuniary relationships 25 Number of independent directors (IDs) involved 15 Audit committee memberships of such IDs 4 Audit committee chairmanships of such IDs The law sets monetary limits (Rs 50 lakh, a tenth of revenue of the legal firm, etc) for such relationships between companies and their IDs, on breaching which the latter may no more be classified as independent. In many of the instances studied, the fees or transaction amounts might not exceed the limits set by the regulations but, said Ingovern, the fact of a pecuniary relationship between a company and its ID raises serious concern on the said independence. It could adversely influence an IDs objectivity on key decisions and also results in a conflict of interest. In their book, Financial shenanigans: How to detect accounting gimmicks & fraud in financial reports, Howard M. Schilit and Jeremy Perler highlight pecuniary relationships of IDs with the companies whose board they're on as one of the important red flags that provide a breeding ground for shenanigans. They cite the example of Krishna Palepu, an ID on the board of the erstwhile Satyam, Computer while also providing professional services to the company. Being paid for providing professional services to a company would cloud an outside directors objectivity and appearance of independence, they've said. Often these IDs sit on the audit committee of the board or even chair it. This raises questions on the independence of this most important committee of the board. If, says Ingovern, companies think it necessary to retain the professional services of the company concerned, in addition to the directors in question, the latter should be classified as non-independent ones. The regulations should also be changed to classify these relationships as related party transactions and with greater disclosures. Pune-based start up PlanMyMedicalTrip, which offers international patients access to medical care at competitive prices, has raised Rs 1.25 crore in angel funding from three investors -- Bhanu Vikram Parsotam, Rohan Desai and Paras Patel.The online platform seeks to strengthen its presence, boost its digital experience and venture into newer geographies with the raised capital. Thailand, UAE, Brazil and Germany are some of the countries the startup expects to enter soon. Founded by Anurav Rane in 2012, PlanMyMedicalTrip has over 1,500 tie-ups with hospitals and doctors in India and Turkey. The solutions provider's target is to capture 15 per cent of India's medical tourism market which is expected to reach $8 billion by 2020. The platform claims to have treated over 3,000 patients since its launch in 2007 under the name of Best Medical Centers. The funding, says founder and CEO Rane, will help the startup serve customers better. "It will also assist us in keeping our energies focused on our philosophy of 'Humanity is the only religion'," emphasises Rane. With the intention of make long hospital stays bearable, the company also plans on facilitating stay of patients in exotic destinations to aid their recovery process. US-based cab aggregation company Uber has announced its partnership with Invest India, an initiative under the department of industrial policy & promotion. This comes a day after the government came out with top names in the new economy world who are coming for the launch of the start-up policy. Travis Kalanick, co-founder and chief exceutive of Uber, is among the start-up leaders attending the policy announcement on January 16. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Mann Ki Baat radio address had mentioned that start-up policy plans would be announced on January 16. Uber, valued at $70 billion, has decided to host six leadership talks by senior executives over the next year. This will include those based at its headquarters in San Francisco. Each session will address a different challenge that entrepreneurs face when founding their own company. For example, fundraising, product design, engineering and how to scale a business, said the company. At the end of the programme, the company intends to fly 10 start-ups heads to San Francisco, where the company will introduce them to global investors, fellow entrepreneurs and the team at Uber. Uber had a bad start in India after one of its platform drivers was arrested for raping a woman passenger. The company is a rival to Ola, the top cab aggregator in India. Bhavish Aggarwal-led Ola has raised $1.3 billion of funds from major investors and is valued at around $5 billion. It is often said that entrepreneurs just need a great idea. But, coming up with an idea is almost the least important part of creating something thats great. Execution is key as is the ability to persevere through the tough times, Uber said in a statement about its partnership, uberEXCHANGE, with Invest India to provide mentorship for Indian entrepreneurs. Practical, first-hand advice can often mean the difference between success and failure when it comes to starting your own business, it added. This public-private initiative is aimed at helping students, entrepreneurs and industry leaders to learn from each other and create a culture that celebrates risks taking and views failure as an opportunity to learn. It will also support the Prime Ministers vision to make India a global start-up hub, the company said. Kalanick will give the first talk at the inauguration of the Start-up India Initiative on January 16. He will speak about his own journey as an entrepreneur and how to succeed through adversity. Telecom major Vodafone is getting ready to launch its 4G (fourth generation) services in Mumbai. The company is in the final state of rolling out these services and is offering an option to upgrade to 4G-enabled SIM cards at 56 stores across the city. Customers will need to have a 4G-enabled handset and a new 4G-Ready SIM card. To ensure a smooth and seamless exchange of 4G-ready SIMs, these are being made available in advance of the commercial launch of Vodafones 4G services in Mumbai. A formal announcement regarding the launch, which is expected soon, will be made in due course. The company claims to have tested its 4G services on its network architecture and believes its service will meet with the speed requirements of customers. In the past few months, it has invested in modernising its existing network, incorporating the latest advances in technology, looking to make it more resilient and energy-efficient. Vodafone is the leading telecommunication services provider in Mumbai and our 8.6 million customers have a lot to look forward to. We want our customers to be 4G-ready so that they can start experiencing the benefits of high speed mobile internet services as soon as they are launched commercially. Hence, (we are offering) this facility to upgrade to 4G-ready SIMs in advance. We are excited and fully geared up to launch our 4G services on the superior 1800 MHz band in Mumbai very soon, said Ishmeet Singh, business head Mumbai for Vodafone India. Customers can walk into any nearby Vodafone store and get their 4G-ready SIM with a hassle free exchange process. On availing the SIM, users can continue usage as per their existing plans and will be automatically upgraded to 4G as soon as the services are launched commercially. Vodafone is readying to launch its fourth generation (4G) services here and other metros before March. The countrys second largest wireless telecom company is offering customers the option to upgrade to 4G SIMs at 56 stores here ahead of the rollout. Vodafone plans to launch its 4G services across Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata before March. The company is in the process of testing its network in these locations it has partnered with leading global technology service providers for the rollout. Currently, Vodafone offers 4G services in 14 towns across Kerala. To avail the services, customers will need to have a 4G-enabled handset and a new 4G-Ready SIM card. To ensure a smooth exchange of 4G-ready SIMs, these are being made available in advance of the commercial launch in Mumbai. A formal announcement on launch will be made in due course. Announcing this, Ishmeet Singh, Business HeadMumbai, Vodafone India, said, Vodafone is the leading telecommunication services provider in Mumbai and our 8.6 million customers have a lot to look forward to. We want our customers to be 4G-ready so that they can start experiencing the benefits of high speed mobile internet services as soon as they are launched commercially. Internet is aggravating the digital divide between the literate and the illiterate, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen said here on Wednesday. Internets contribution is in making information more easily and more widely available, but on the other hand, it is hardening the divide that already exists between the literate and the illiterate. In a country like India, we have a huge number of divisions and digital is adding one more division to that divide, said Sen. Sen, along with Nobel laureates David Trimble, a British politician who was the first first-minister of Northern Ireland; Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Indian-born American and British structural biologist; and Arthur B McDonald, professor emeritus at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, spoke at a session Is the Internet both democratic and dangerous. The event Nobel Solutions was hosted jointly by NDTV and Tata Consultancy Services. On net neutrality and Facebooks ambitious project Free Basics, Trimble said there was a need for access to internet for all. I think that it is important that there is access to internet. The primary reason to do this is economic. The service provider comes later, said Trimble. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has recommended suspension of the service while it decides what to do next. The outcome will be critical not just for Facebook, but also for deciding how the internet will work. Free Basics offers a limited version of the internet on mobile phones that includes access to certain news, health and job portals along with Facebooks social networking site and messaging services, free of cost. The programme, launched 10 months ago in India, has triggered a debate. Two-tier pricing could make drugs available to all A two-tier pricing system - one for poor countries and the other for advanced nations - could ensure drugs are available to all, according to Nobel laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan. The problem is that there are some medicines which deal with some severe public health crisis and they are still in patent (with no cheaper generic available). What do you do in such a situation as many people cant afford that drug? Also, the drug companies are not going to make a large amount of money from the third world. Therefore, it would be better if we have such a two-tier system. Ramakrishnan jointly won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2009 with Thomas A Steitz and Ada E Yonath for their studies of the structure and function of the ribosome, though cautioned the smuggling of lower-priced drugs from poor countries to advanced countries can pose another problem. He also opposed pharmaceutical companies practice of 'evergreening' drugs, where drug makers tweak the drug or formula to extend patent and stop other companies from developing a generic version of the drug. Lord Shiva: As a Greatest Environmentalist in the World, a paper that was to be presented at the 103rd Indian Science Congress here on Wednesday, could not be presented as author Akhilesh K Pandey failed to show up. The science meet has already been marred by controversy after another paper, Blowing of the Shankh by Rajeev Sharma, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from Uttar Pradesh, was found to have no scientific base but was still presented. While it isnt known why Pandey failed to show up at the event, participants have questioned why the organising association let the topic graduate to the presentation stage in the first place despite preparations to weed out mythology from this years event. Gangadhar Mishra, sectional president-environmental science at the International Science Congress Association (ISCA), claimed that the body received 380 papers related to environmental studies, out of which 30 papers were picked, including the one about Shiva. We are venturing into everything that can give you information, including mythology, said Mishra on the sidelines of the event. Whether it has any science or not will be challenged before the speaker when he comes and delivers his lecture. Mishra, a retired professor of chemistry and dean, faculty of science, at the Ranchi University, is the director of Dr Mishras Laboratories Pvt Ltd, which produces medicines that he claims were discovered from ancient Indian scriptures. Only pure science is our real business this time, Arun Kumar, general secretary of ISCA, had said on Saturday. Last year, we had certain issues when mythology overshadowed science. We are staying away from it and concentrating only on science. Papers sent to the ISCA are not peer reviewed or published. Once these are presented at the event, the association cross-examines the author before selecting or rejecting the paper for publishing. In the great Hindu epic, The Mahabharata, Lord Shiva is depicted as a three-eyed God and is often referred to as the Tryambaka Deva. The sun is said to be his right eye, the moon the left eye and fire is his third eye, reads an abstract of Lord Shiva: As a Greatest Environmentalist in the World. Mythology creeping into the event is not a new phenomenon. The 102nd edition of the Indian Science Congress in Mumbai was marred by a controversy over the presentation of a so-called scientific paper claiming aircraft were developed in India during the Vedic period. Ashok Kumar Saxena, general president of ISAC, said he wasnt aware of the latest development. General secretary Arun Kumar wasnt available for comment. On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had apparently snubbed Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA), a scientific association backed by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, by deciding not to present it with an award at the inaugural ceremony of the 103rd Indian Science Congress. A Jayakumar, general secretary of VIBHA, claimed the organisation was to be awarded for its achievement of finding a mention in the Guinness World Records for successfully conducting the worlds largest practical science lesson on December 7. On Tuesday, Blowing of the Shankh was presented under the anthropological and behavioural sciences section by Sharma, the IAS office from UP, suggesting that the shankh had spiritual and mysterious powers. The presentation drew the ire of the audience, who claimed there was no scientific backing to Sharmas claims. The Union Cabinet has given the approval to the proposed tie-up between the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and Singapores Changi airport to operate and manage Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports. AAI and Singapore Co-operation Enterprise had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the island state. The agreement aims to further co-operation in civil aviation and covers six areas, including operations and management of the two airports. On Wednesday, the Cabinet gave post facto approval to the agreement. A formal agreement with the Changi airport has not been negotiated yet. A need was felt that in order to ensure high standards of service at Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports, AAI may enter into operation and maintenance (O&M) contracts, either with or without the responsibility of maximisation of non-aeronautical revenue in the terminal building (excluding land on city side and air side). The city side and airside will continue to be managed directly by AAI, said Press Information Bureau in a statement following the Cabinet meeting. Globally, limited O&M contract models are prevalent for the entire airport operations. AAI has no previous experience in awarding O&M contract model of terminal buildings to other entities. In order to implement the decision, it was necessary to ensure that a suitable entity be engaged for undertaking the O&M contract at Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports, the statement added. Following the MoU, the two sides will collaborate in areas such as master planning and design, traffic development, commercial development, service quality improvement, training and development, cargo handling and management, maintenance, repair and overhaul and operation and management. To ensure more money for micro and small enterprises, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved conversion of Mudra Ltd (Pradhan Mantri Micro Units Development Refinance Agency), into a bank, beside the setting up of two credit guarantee funds. The two funds will cater to loans disbursed under the Mudra Yojana and the Stand-Up India scheme, to support women entrepreneurs and those from backward classes. The renamed Mudra agency (to be called the Small Industries Development Bank of India Bank), will be a wholly owned subsidiary of the Small Industries Development Bank of India. It will undertake refinancing operations. The department of financial services sought approval to set up two credit guarantee funds. The first one is being established for the Mudra loans and another for Stand Up India. With each passing day, banks have been further activating the loans under Mudra, said finance minister Arun Jaitley after the meeting. The said funds are expected to guarantee Rs 1 lakh crore worth of loans to micro and small units in the first instance, and help in reducing risk taken by banks and financial institutions in the case of defaults under the scheme. The number of beneficiaries under Mudra had reached 17.3 million. We were keeping track of all direct beneficiaries. Since we are in early January, there is significant headspace, for public and private sector banks to issue loans under the scheme. So I hope more and more people take the financing, Jaitley added. For the Mudra credit guarantee fund, the government is looking at a corpus of Rs 3,000 crore. It is going to be settled by the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company, in existence on a portfolio basis, to a maximum extent of 50 per cent of the amount in default. OTHER DECISIONS PPP-Ganga The cabinet approved creation of a new Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to explore and develop new markets for treated wastewater, as part of the Namami Gange programme which seeks to integrate efforts to clean and protect the Ganga river. Bangladesh-Haat Also approved was an agreement with Bangladesh to set up border haats (markets), signed in October 2010. It would begin on an experimental basis in four places. Four-laning of highways The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved four-laning of the Nagina-Kashipur section of National Highway 74 in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, for Rs 2,536 crore. The total length will be 99 km. Czech protocol India has signed a protocol with the Czech Republic to promote bilateral cooperation in heavy industry, especially in industrial cooperation and facilities construction, the Cabinet was apprised ILO An instrument adopted by the International Labour Organization on recommendations fortransition from the informal to formal economy was approved. Terrorism The Cabinet gave ex post facto approval to a pact between India and Bahrain on combating international terrorism and drug trafficking. Corporate Affairs Agreements signed by MCA, fair trade regulator CCI and Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs with foreign organisations to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and information, were today approved by the Cabinet. FARAKKA-LAND The government has approved transfer of land from Farakka Barrage Project to the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) for construction of navigational lock parallel to the one at Farakka. We expect the banks to pick up credit guarantee fee as far as the portfolio is concerned. The rate of refinance is one per cent and varies according to the risk assessment, said department of financial services secretary Anjuly Chibb Duggal. The National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC) will be a wholly-owned company of the Government of India, constituted under the Companies Act to manage and operate various credit guarantee funds. Three products available under the Mudra Yojana are Shishu, Kishor and Tarun, to signify the stage of growth and funding needs of the beneficiary micro unit or entrepreneur. Shishu covers loans up to Rs 50,000, while Kishor covers above Rs 50,000 and up to Rs 5 lakh. The Tarun category provides loans of above Rs 5 lakh and up to Rs 10 lakh. The Reserve Bank has allocated Rs 20,000 crore and the first tranche of Rs 5,000 crore has been received by Mudra as refinance. The 2015-16 Budget had proposed to set up the Mudra Bank and a credit guarantee fund, with a refinance corpus of Rs 20,000 crore and a corpus of Rs 3,000 crore, respectively. A credit guarantee fund was also set up for Stand-Up India, for scheduled caste/tribe and women entrepreneurs. Every branch of every bank will at least two persons, one SC/ST and a woman entrepreneur. Total amount to be sanctioned to them for setting up a new business will be Rs 10 lakh to one crore, said Jaitley. Duggal said the Stand-Up India credit guarantee fund will have a corpus of Rs 5,000 crore. The amount guaranteed will be 75 per cent of loans. This will be on an individual basis, she said. With state Assembly elections in mind, the central government on Wednesday approved a financial assistance to drought-hit Uttar Pradesh of around Rs 1,304.5 crore, Rs 753.3 crore less than the amount demanded by the state. UP had demanded an assistance of Rs 2,057 crore for drought relief of which Rs 1,427 crore was for input subsidy. "Last year, UP sought over Rs 4,000 crore as drought relief, but got only Rs 490 crore, the relief is somewhat better this time. However, keeping in view the intensity of drought, the size of the state and need for permanently drought-proofing the state, this is inadequate," Sudhir Panwar, president of Kisan Jagriti Manch and member of UP Planning Board told Business Standard. A sum of Rs 2,553.29 crore was approved by a high-level panel of central ministers chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh for drought relief from the National Disaster Relief Fund, which also included Rs 433.8 crore for Andhra Pradesh and Rs 815 crore for Odisha. The central government has so far allocated Rs 10,451.24 crore for drought relief in seven states. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh, vice-chairman NITI Aayog Arvind Panagariya, Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and senior officers of home, finance and agriculture ministries attended the meeting. Ten states have sought assistance as 280 districts have been affected by drought. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday stepped in to sort out a dispute over the premium to be charged from farmers under the crop insurance scheme proposed to be launched this year at a meeting he held with ministerial colleagues. Details of the meeting, however, were not disclosed. Closing the pricing gap with conventional power, the Union government is planning to benchmark solar tariff at Rs 4.5 a unit. This would be the reference price for solar power projects, over and above which companies would bid for viability gap funding (VGF) from the government. GAINING MOMENTUM Falling solar rates pushes govt to benchmark tariff at historic low of Rs 4.5 per unit Solar project developers to compete for VGF amount Source of VGF is yet to be decided Move comes in the wake of constantly falling solar tariffs Lowest bid was Rs 4.63 per unit The move comes in the wake of constantly falling tariffs in competitive bidding for solar power projects. The last bidding for solar power park of 500 megawatt (Mw) in Andhra Pradesh witnessed the lowest bid of Rs 4.63 per unit by US solar company SunEdison. Japan's SoftBank through its joint venture in India SBG Cleantech won 350 Mw solar power project in the same state at the same tariff. Upendra Tripathy, secretary, ministry of new and renewable energy, confirmed the development but did not divulge more details. The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) would clear the benchmarking of tariff. The new norm would provide buyers a stable tariff regime. A similar move was taken in 2012 during the second phase of Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission with benchmark Rs 5.5 per unit. It was, however, restricted to 750 Mw of solar photovoltaic projects in 2013-14 and 770 Mw in 2014-15. Solar thermal projects worth 1,080 Mw were also funded through VGF. The VGF, then, was sourced from the National Clean Energy Fund and international funds under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This time around, the government is planning to award majority of projects through the VGF mode to stabilise the market, said officials. Modalities on the funding are yet to be worked out. "Given the recent bid outcomes in Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, and the new norms for capex that CERC announced recently, the benchmark revision of tariff under VGF was on the cards. However, it may be worth-while to contemplate if we should have one tariff regime or multiple schemes for a longer-term perspective," said Rupesh Agarwal, partner, BDO India LLP. A recent CERC order estimated capital costs including the cost of equipment, construction, land, transmission and pre-operative expenses of solar PV projects for the upcoming financial year at Rs 5.1 crore a Mw, which is 17 per cent lower than the current capex. In a move to curb vehicular pollution, the government on Wednesday announced it would prepone implementation of Bharat Stage (BS)-VI emission standards by a year, to April 2020. In the process, it decided to skip the BS-V emission standard. This is the second time the BS-VI implementation has been advanced. An earlier draft had advanced its date of adoption to 2021, from 2024. No other country has skipped a standard and leapfrogged to a new standard directly. The government had earlier planned to implement BS-V from 2019 and BS-VI from 2021 for four-wheelers. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and attended by the ministers of environment, petroleum and heavy industries. During the meet, the petroleum and natural gas ministry assured supply of BS-VI fuel across the country by April 1, 2020. In the new emission standard, particulate matter (PM) emission for diesel cars would be 80 per cent less than BS-IV and the nitrogen oxide (NOx) level would be 83 per cent lower. The sulphur content in fuel norms for diesel and petrol under both V and VI standards would not change at 10 parts per million, though it is substantially less than the 50 mandated for both fuels under BS-IV. Automobile companies voiced apprehension and said it would 'neither be technically possible nor advisable' to skip BS-V or advance the onset of BS-VI, before the earlier scheduled 2023. The industry would face other issues while complying with the new standards ahead of schedule. Vinod Dasari, president, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, said, "Technology providers have expressed their inability to provide fully-validated BS-VI solutions for all types and models of four-wheelers before 2023." "Introducing technologies without proper validation and testing on the Indian roads will raise questions over several safety issues, such as car fires," Dasari added. Automakers also raised apprehensions over availability of the requisite fuel. However, state-owned oil marketing companies have pushed for direct migration to BS-VI norms as their refineries are ready to produce the upgraded fuel. According to Dharmendra Pradhan, minister of state, petroleum and natural gas, state-owned oil marketers would invest Rs 28,750 crore for switching over to BS-VI auto fuels. "For the country, in order to switch over to BS-V norms, the requisite 10 parts per million sulphur BS-V fuel will have to be introduced by 2019 across India, before the new technology vehicles are introduced. In case of unavailability of the requisite fuel, use of BS-IV fuel might damage the engine as well as the after-treatment devices fitted," said Dasari. Automakers are not in favour of skipping BS-V standard altogether, especially for diesel vehicles. Explains Bhargava of Maruti: "BS-V and BS-VI are totally different, especially for diesel vehicles. We can go to BS-VI in petrol cars as early as 2019. But for diesel vehicles, we need to start using particulate filter. In case of BS-V, that will help reduce particulate matter or PM2.5 emission. When you move to BS-VI you reduce NOx. You can't really bypass BS-V and go to BS-VI and achieve the end result. You need to bring down both PM2.5 and NOx. For companies who need to develop components and test them adequately for use, time is a constraint. Moreover, you cannot just replicate Euro-VI from Europe and follow it here. There has to be customisation for each vehicle." Some manufacturers, however, are building engines keeping in mind the emission requirements of the future. For instance, Tata Motors' yet-to-be-launched hatchback Zica will be powered by engines that can be tuned to meet BS-VI emission standards. The government believes that the automobile industry "...with its technical competence and commitment to environment will rise to the occasion and support the decision". The decision to skip to BS-VI comes a day after the Supreme Court refused to dilute its December order banning registration of diesel vehicles with an engine capacity of 2,000cc and above in the national capital region. At present, a little over 50 cities in India comply with BS-IV standards, while the rest are BS-III compliant. While more cities are set to join BS-IV from April 1, the deadline for the entire country to adopt BS-IV is April 1, 2017. Indian exporters are unlikely to benefit from the governments decision to exempt iron pellets from export duty because of falling prices in global markets. Pellet exports used to attract five per cent duty before the exemption was announced on Tuesday. The benchmark variety of pellets with 65 per cent Fe is hovering around $57 after hitting a high of $180.2 in February 2012. Prices have recovered after falling to their December low of $54.4 but experts see the recovery as temporary. Produced through various metallurgical processes to reduce transportation cost, pellets are high quality iron ore. Low-grade iron ore can be converted into pellets that contain up to 96 per cent iron. Steel mills use pellets to save energy costs. The exemption in export duty on pellets came at a time when Chinese steel mills face huge stockpiling. Since iron ore exports are not happening from India, shipment of pellets looks impossible. The exemption may not benefit Indian pellet mills at all, said RK Sharma, secretary-general of the Federation of Indian Mineral Industries. Indian miners produce a huge quantity of low grade ore with iron content as low as 35 per cent, which steel mills avoid lifting. The government levied a 30 per cent of export duty on iron ore to discourage its exports and the shipment of pellets was promoted. Later, a five per cent of export duty was levied on pellets as well. Private players have invested Rs 1,000 crore to set up 80 million tonnes of pellet production capacity. These mills are operating at 50 per cent capacity because of weak demand locally and overseas. The exemption will benefit government companies. A huge quantity of iron ore fines is lying with NMDC, which will be supplied to Kudremukh Iron and Steel, a pellet production plant owned by the government. Pellets produced there will be supplied to steel mills in Iran, said Haresh Melwani, an iron ore miner and exporter. Setting a precedent for the entire country, the Union tribal affairs ministry has revised its views to re-interpret the Forest Rights Act (FRA) and allow the Maharashtra forest department to get control back over forest management and a grip on the lucrative trade worth crores in forest produce such as tendu leaves and bamboo. The ministry had previously concluded that only tribals and other forest dwellers had rights to manage their forests under FRA. But after a meeting in November at the Cabinet Secretariat between the environment and the tribal affairs ministries, the latter has made a turnaround and re-interpreted the legal provisions of FRA to give the state government control back over the forests with some conditions. The move also comes after personal intervention by two Union ministers from Maharashtra, Nitin Gadkari and Prakash Javadekar. The latter is the environment and forests minister, which gave his ministry a say in the issue. Gadkari does not hold a portfolio that is involved in issues of forestry. In 2014, the state government had passed regulations that ensured its forest department retained control over forest management, which includes the large-scale trade and sale of forest produce. The tribal affairs ministry found this in violation of FRA, which empowers tribals and other forest-dwellers to hold sole rights to manage the forests, including sale of forest produce in areas where they have traditional claims. The tribal affairs ministry repeatedly told Maharashtra that its rules were prima facie in violation of and irreconcilable with the law. This could now open the Pandoras box with some states such as Madhya Pradesh having already followed suit to put similar regulations in place and states such as Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha working towards such rules as well. Business Standard reviewed correspondence within the Union government and records of the meetings held that show how the turnaround was facilitated over less than a year after a relentless pursuit by Maharashtra, interventions of the Cabinet ministers. Javadekar is the Union minister for forests, environment and climate change. Maharashtra holds significance in this issue. It was in Gadchiroli district that rights over the forest produce were first effectively given to some tribal villages under the United Progressive Alliance government. The tribal villages auctioned and collected crores from the sale of bamboo in the few villages. The erstwhile Planning Commission had estimated in one of its report that the annual trade in forest produce is estimated to be around Rs 50,000 crore. Before FRA was legislated, the trade was almost entirely regulated and controlled by state forest departments, which used to sell these goods through contractors, traders and contractors for industrial use such as beedi making or paper and pulp manufacturing. Tribals were paid wages for extracting the forest produce and substantially lower shares of revenue in some states. The FRA was meant to break this monopoly of forest department and contractors and to recognise rights of tribals and other communities to manage forests a practice legalised in many other forested parts of the developing world where indigenous people have traditional rights. Responding to complaints from Maharashtra over the rules called the Maharashtra Village Forest Rules 2014, the ministry of tribal affairs in August 2014 wrote that these regulations were prima facie in violation of FRA and should be kept in abeyance. Reacting to this, in August itself, Gadkari and Javadekar wrote to the tribal affairs ministry to withdraw its opposition to the state regulations. At that time, the tribal affairs ministry did not relent and reaffirmed that the rules encroached upon and are irreconcilable with FRA and the Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas Act or PESA. Maharashtra did not back off. It sent legal advice from additional solicitor general Pinky Anand, which disagreed with the tribal affairs ministry. The ministry stuck to its guns and wrote back that it had sought legal advice too and had concluded Anand was wrong: the rules violated the FRA and were unconstitutional. It gave a detailed explanation on the several provisions of the FRA that were violated by Maharashtras rules which gave control over forest produce to the forest department. But documents show that on November 17, 2015, the Cabinet Secretariat called a meeting of the tribal affairs ministry and the Union environment ministry after which the tribal affairs ministry finally relented. It passed two orders subsequently on November 27 and December 8 stating its altered stance. A copy of the November order was also marked to the Prime Ministers Office. In November, it said it had taken note of the recommendations of the environment ministry and the Maharashtra government that other stakeholders too could have rights over forestlands besides tribals though the FRA did apply to all forestlands. It continued to say that there was overlap of powers and unresolved legal differences created by the Maharashtra rules but they should harmoniously construed. Then in its December order it concluded, that as agreed in the meeting held in Cabinet Secretariat, it would approve the rules of the Maharashtra government with some amendments. The amendments would state that the rules would apply where rights of tribals are not pending or claimed or gram sabhas (village councils) have concluded that no future rights are likely to be claimed. Earlier, it had opposed the rules reading them along with draft gram sabha resolutions prepared by the state government and said the rules required approval of the President of India as they encroached on the two central laws that expressly over-ride other legislations. The tribal affairs ministry in its U-turn went a step ahead and said the ministry of environment and forests should now prepare a new code for sustainable management of forest resources. For long it has argued that rule making under FRA fell in its domain and traditionally the forest department has been seen antagonistic to letting go of control over forestlands to tribals and other forest dwellers. Till the code is developed by the environment ministry, the state government and others can now carry on with implementing its own rules even if they are legally unresolved by reading them in harmony with forest rights recognised and vested under FRA. With weak economic growth and the burden of stressed assets, the banking sector was adversely impacted in 2014-15. Public sector banks bore the brunt, hurt by rising non-performing assets and dropping profitability. As a result, not a single public sector bank made it to the short list for the prestigious Business Standard Banker of the Year, 2014-15. For the screening, three filters were used: banks total asset size must be at least Rs 50,000 crore; net profit growth of five per cent in 2014-15 over the previous year; and a positive net profit CAGR over the previous two financial years. Only the private sector banks passed the test. A five-member BS Jury met at Hotel Sofitel Mumbai in the tony business district of Bandra-Kurla Complex on a Monday morning. The jury was headed by the former deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and former executive director of the International Monetary Fund, Dr Rakesh Mohan. He set the agenda by stating that while excessive risk-taking was bad, no risk-taking wasnt a good sign either. To select the BS Banker of the Year, he said, a balance had to be found even as the bank should have carved out a niche for itself and maintained key financial parameters. The other members of the jury were Rashesh Shah, chairman & CEO, Edelweiss Group; Anil Singhvi, chairman, Ican Investment Advisors; M D Mallya, former chairman, Bank of Baroda; and Saurabh Mukherjea, CEO (Institutional Equities), Ambit Capital. The jury members opined that it wasnt only tangible information that should be taken into consideration; intangibles like leadership quality, contribution to nation-building, and preserving and enhancing what was already good should also be considered in deciding the winner. The jury went through all the critical parameters, such as asset and liability growth, efficiency ratios like return on assets and return on equity, margin, non-performing assets and provisions, market capitalisation, fee income, cost-to-income ratio and business per employee. In addition, non-financial parameters like financial inclusion initiatives, nation-building through developing markets or carving out segments, corporate governance, customer complaints, and innovative use of technology initiatives were also looked at. After an hour-long discussion, the jury zoomed in on two candidates. It was not an easy choice. The two candidates were almost evenly matched, prompting the jury to examine the intangibles. Finally, the jury members selected Axis Bank CEO and MD Shikha Sharma. The jury found the banks contribution in capital market formation to be enormous. Within a year and a half of taking over the top job at Axis Bank, Sharma acquired Enam Securities. The jury observed that after the acquisition, Axis has turned it into an investment banking powerhouse. The bank regularly features in the top slots in league tables, and the jury gave credit to Sharma for the bank becoming an active institution in capital markets. The jury said banks simply cannot give loans to fund all functions of corporates, and Axis Bank seems to have stolen a march by showing a new template for the new economy. The jury also acknowledged the asset-liability correction that Sharma undertook since taking over in 2009. Shikha Sharma took over the bank in somewhat stressed circumstances and she has led the bank through these difficulties and has indeed made a difference in the performance of the bank. We felt that the kind of risks that she has taken were also very prudent, but perhaps somewhat higher than other banks, said the jury chief Mohan. The banks net non-performing asset ratio was 1.34 per cent as on March 2015, much lower than the 4.4 per cent for the banking sector as a whole. Net profit in 2015-16 rose 18.3 per cent to Rs 7,358 crore, operating profit was up 24 per cent at Rs 3,582 crore, while net interest income grew 19 per cent to Rs 14,224 crore. Advances grew 22 per cent and deposits were up 15 per cent during the year, both higher than the industry. The share of low-cost current account savings account (CASA) deposits remained stable at 45 per cent, a high ratio. The jury said Sharma had done a remarkable job both internally and externally. After P J Nayak left Axis Bank, many senior members followed suit. Those were trying times but Sharma stabilised Axis Bank and focused on key areas, bringing down NPAs, building investment banking capabilities and contributed strongly in developing the capital markets segment. Indian companies are no longer solely dependent on banks for their financing needs, as they can now access the debt and equity markets for funds. Much of the credit for this development should go to banks, even as it cost the lenders low credit growth. No wonder that the prestigious Business Standard Banker of the Year, 2014-15 award was conferred on Shikha Sharma for her outstanding contribution in developing Indias equity and debt capital markets as well as leading Indias third-largest private sector bank at a time when asset quality deterioration is eating away the capital of banks. At the end of 2014-15, Axis Bank had managed to keep its asset quality quite stable even though the economic environment remained difficult. What is your outlook on the economy? Chanda Kochhar : I will take it at three levels: Macro economy, real economy and financial economy. At the macro economy level, we are in a very strong position despite the not-so-good monsoon. All the other indicators are looking much better today. It is not just an improvement from the past but also much better compared to the rest of the world. Our currency is more stable than that of other emerging economies. On the real economy, we can see positive signs. For instance, Coal India's production has gone up. Overall mining activity is up. That creates movement of heavy commercial vehicles and so on. National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is awarding contracts, and SME (small and medium enterprise) contractors are starting to get business. In the financial economy, demand for car loans and commercial vehicle loans remains strong with 16-17 per cent growth. Demand is coming from SMEs. What we are waiting for is a revival in big investments. While the private sector is completing ongoing projects, the bigger investment push will come from government spends. Things have picked up on the highways' side, the next area will be Railways, and after that, we should see activity from the defence. The bigger kick for the economy would come from government spends and, broadly, I think we are moving in the right direction. Aditya Puri : Credit demand reflects the GDP growth rate and to some extent it is distorted in the way it is reported. With lending coming from mutual funds, etc., and considering that there is no oil demand on a comparative basis, credit demand will be 12-14 per cent. So that's not inconsistent with a stable economy. The banking sector is definitely not a constraint. There are fundamental issues outside the banking sector which need to be sorted out and there is no point expecting the banking sector to lead a recovery. Arun Tiwari : If we look at the larger picture, the centre of gravity of GDP growth has been shifting towards the East. India and China contribute 50 per cent of that. If we look at the global ageing population, we are in a sweeter spot, as out of the 1.36 billion population, 800-850 million are below the age of 30-35 years. This is one set of population, that's aspirational and the economy has to do well to accommodate their aspirations. Pramit Jhaveri: In the short-term, things are pretty good and in the medium- and long-term, there is room for great optimism. Coming to the segments we serve, it is unfair to look at only private corporate sector, retail sentiment has been good over the last 18 months, and so have public sector and government spending. Also, India has been more integrated with the world in the last 20 years, and if the rest of the world is struggling, we can't be completely immune to it. If you put all of this together, there isn't much to be pessimistic about. Ravneet Gill : If you look at it from the classical perspective of economic recovery you link it to the capex cycle, but there are many other factors that give you an indication of the health of the economy. Current account deficit, fiscal deficit, etc., are trending in the right direction. From an emerging market perspective, India is doing quite well, vis-a-vis China. While all the large economies in the world moved from the manufacturing to services sector, India is now charting a path which has never been taken before of moving from being a services economy to a manufacturing economy. I am very positive on the economy over the medium-term. Some of the largest business houses are laden with debt. There is also a commodity down cycle. How much of this worries you? Puri: The groups in trouble are not the biggest groups in India. Maybe, one or two are big groups, but no one had heard much about them 10 years ago. And they are definitely not the biggest groups in the time I have spent in the Indian banking system. But they have become big for the banking system... Puri: Yes, for people who dealt with them... Jhaveri: There shouldn't be sweeping generalisations. Yes, there are definitely some pockets of high stress and banks will have a challenging time, but I think making a sweeping generalisation across corporate India is unfair, because that is not the case. In the last five or six years in India, the corporate side of our business has grown and we have lent more to our clients. Today, our non-performing asset (NPA) level on the corporate side is very low and we are in a position to grow. I think the only solution for those pockets of trouble are very hard decisions, a lot of pain and time. Gill: One of the things that one often says is that look at the level of ambition in China and look at the lack of ambition in India. A lot of these groups that invested in 2007-09 and beyond were thinking that India will continue to grow at nine per cent. And India didn't grow at half of that rate. This led to a lot of overcapacity. Many of these guys created assets. So it is not that the money disappeared. I don't think that everybody should be painted with the same brush. By and large, the big groups are in a reasonable state. In the medium-term, though corporate India is not investing, a lot of cleaning up is happening. It will come with some degree of pain, but this will put the Indian economy on a much firmer footing. But current problems exist... Puri: There are pockets that are going through a lot of difficulty. Some of those difficulties are not of their own making. They were told there would be raw materials and so on, which did not materialise. While some can be turned around, others will have to take a very bitter medicine. Is the system capable of giving that medicine is the question? Given what the RBI governor and Ministry of Finance have been saying, I do believe so. Tiwari: PSU banks have much higher NPAs. But did we think four years back that the economy will start doing badly? No. Do we believe that banking is the reflection of economy? Yes. While NPAs have not stopped, the propensity of creating new NPAs has gone down. Foreign banks are withdrawing from specific segments from the Indian market. Your views? Gill: The costs of being global have gone up a lot. So if you look at individual jurisdictions and geographies, the cost of compliance and capital rent are going up. I think this has to come down. What we need to assess is the overall commitment in terms of balance sheet and capital, and whether foreign banks are reducing that in India. The answer is that the commitment of foreign banks remains undiminished. Are you a technology company that happens to be a bank? Kochhar: We are a company that provides banking service through technology. In today's day and age, banking gets provided through technology and you cannot separate the two. That's the way consumers want it and that's how it will be. There is so much of usage of technology even internally such as operations, data analysis, understanding the credit needs of customers and customer interaction. Technology has become a part of everything we do and we are on top of that. Puri: Too much is being said about this. Banking is not changing. It is the business model and delivery mechanism that will change. You have to adjust to the advantages that technology offers to change your business model and the way you analyse big data and the information around your customers to provide far more focused products. So you look at all these disruptors, they are talking about making payments easier or making e-commerce purchase easier. So we split this into two; how can the network change your fundamental business model? And when we changed our model, we do a loan in 10 seconds for our customers and I don't think there are any disruptors who will match that. Technology only changes the way you manufacture, produce and deliver. Are there segments of business that might be seriously challenged, like credit cards, since mobile phones are getting more popular now? Puri: Mobile wallets will only be for a certain set of customers, but cards and payment mechanism will only increase, that is why we are moving towards further dominance in the credit card business and intend to take our share to 40 per cent. Mobile is only an enabler. The wallet is also loaded on to a mobile. We must distinguish between technology as an enabler and technology as a business. Kochhar: Even if you take the mobile wallets, banks launched them even before the other forms of mobile wallets. Banks have an advantage, for example, our 'Pockets' customers can load money to the wallet and use it; even those who are not customers can use the wallet. So the same service can be given to newer customers and to our own customers who want to use your product. Similarly, if everybody has to make payments through mobiles, why would they use other forms of payments? The point is, somebody who is very comfortable using the mobile can still use the mobile app of the bank. Will technology have an impact on employee strength? Tiwari: Transition issues are everywhere. In the last five years, we have seen the onset of technology in the banking space, but the number of branches has doubled. So there will be hybridisation of clicks and bricks. Foreign banks introduced new technologies in the system. But is the initial mover advantage getting eroded? Jhaveri: The banking industry has been acutely competitive. But that doesn't change the basics of banking. If you look at the basics, what you really need is a focus on customers you will serve, your value proposition, ability to deliver it in a manner that they want, creation of economic value for them and finally, is a good experience that is simple, safe and secure. Yes, customers may choose to do business with other banks, but that does not take away our value proposition. Technology is embedded in the way we've been doing banking for 25 years in India. There are just different types of technology that we are referring to. It is only going to increase the size of the pie and make the customer's life better. Private sector banks account for 30 per cent of the system while public banks account for 70 per cent. By 2025, how do you see those ratios changing? Kochhar: Private sector banks have consistently been gaining market share and the trend will continue. A large part depends on individual banks' capabilities to grow, how far ahead you are in the usage of technology, competitiveness, capital adequacy, having a vast range of products which consumers use, ability to think through what are the growth areas and ability to participate in growth. In India, the banking industry should grow at least 2.5 times the GDP growth rate. For our bank, we would grow at least three-four per cent faster than the banking sector. In recent years, private sector banks were more careful while PSU banks were quite aggressive. Many in the latter category are unable to lend further due to capital adequacy norms. Do you see this accelerating growth of private banks? Puri: The banking industry has tremendous opportunity; it is an under-served economy by organised finance compared to the rest of the world. So demand is not an issue. In that scenario, everybody will grow. But everyone has different business models, different target customers, different growth rates, profitability, etc. We are very clear that we don't push the envelope. We have targeted a five-seven per cent higher growth rate than the market over 20 years and that's not changed. People underestimate public sector banks, I think they'll come out fine. Will we grow five-seven per cent faster than the market? Yes. Will the public sector banks disappear? No. Tiwari: Talking about growth, capital will not be a constraint. If we talk about our balance sheets and impaired assets, about 58 per cent is due to stalled projects. Growth can't come unless the core sector is fixed, where cash-flow is the issue. Puri: There could be some consolidation as well. Is Jan Dhan an opportunity? Tiwari: Due to Jan Dhan, there is one realisation that the poor are also bankable. Everybody would benefit. Puri: Let's not look at Jan Dhan in isolation. If you look at Jan Dhan, with Aadhaar and Mudra, there is enough money at the bottom of the pyramid. We already deal with 4.2 million families below the poverty line and we are going to take it to 10 million. We could take it to 20 million with proper identification and there is consistency in subsidy payments. This would allow me to change my credit perspective. Chennai-based Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) has decided to close down 10 regional offices in various states, realigning these under neighbouring ones. Three of these are in this state and the decision has got political attention after a protest from Vaiko, head of a prominent political party here, the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK). According to an IOB notice on December 31, the closure would be from March 1. The three in Tamil Nadu are at Agra, Dindigul, Nagapattinam and Tirupur. The others are at Hubli, Jalandhar, Kozhikode, Mysuru, Rajkot and Tirupathi. Bank sources say it will save around Rs 15 crore a year with the realignment. R Koteeswaran, managing director, was not available for a comment. On Wednesday, the MDMK head questioned the decision. He said the Tirupur office did annual business of Rs 3,582 crore, Dindugal of Rs 2,173 crore and Nagapattinam of Rs 4,491 crore. While IOB was to continue regional offices with lesser business, such as at Raipur where it is Rs 799 crore, Dehradun at Rs 1,947 crore and Nagpur of Rs 1,453 crore. A large number of small units functioned at Tirupur, bringing in foreign exchange and much employment, he said. In October 2015, the Reserve Bank of India had initiated action under the rules after slippage in part of IOB's financial ratios. Branch expansion and hiring were to be restricted till the regulator was satisfied with the improvement, though lending restrictions were not imposed. As reported earlier, IOB had a net loss of Rs 550.8 crore for the quarter ended September 2015, against a net loss of Rs 245.5 crore a year before. The bank said: Increased provisions for domestic and overseas advances resulted in the net loss. Total income in the September quarter rose to Rs 6,770 crore, against Rs 6,441 crore during the same period a year before. Gross non-performing assets as on September 30 stood at 19,424 crore, compared to Rs 13,334 crore a year before. Net NPAs were Rs 12,539 crore, from Rs 9,109 crore in the same period a year before. Creating a natural catastrophe pool - a pooling of private insurance companies for better equalising the risk associated with natural disasters - for the country remains a distant dream, as the industry is yet to form a consensus on the structure of the pool and pricing. The concept was mooted by the finance ministry. While this proposal was presented almost three years ago, size of the pool and who would be a part of it have not been finalised. In the wake of the natural disaster in Uttarakhand, the talk about the proposal came to the fore. In 2013, non-life insurance companies had presented a concept paper on catastrophe insurance to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The concept paper highlighted the need for a pool mechanism to deal with losses from catastrophic events. Because of an absence of such a pool, both insurers and reinsurers have to bear the cost, leading to a big hit on their profitability. In the last two years, catastrophe losses have led to insured losses of almost Rs 15,000 crore, including Uttarakhand floods, cyclones Hudhud and Phailin apart from the recent floods in Chennai and Puducherry. Senior insurance sector executives said the proposal was still stuck as a concept because there has been no consensus on who would fund the process and how the pool would function. A similar pool for nuclear insurance with Rs 1,500-crore capacity also has been launched in June this year, which will provide covers for hot and cool zones in a nuclear plant. A pool structure has been existent in India for motor insurance as the declined risk pool as also terror incidents with the terrorism pool. A pool helps to evenly spread the risks and helps faster settlement of claims. "The crucial areas that are being discussed include who would fund the process and formation of the pool, which are the categories of population that would be covered and whether to have this cover applicable across India or only in those regions prone to such natural calamities," said the underwriting head of a large private general insurer. There was also a proposal earlier to have two different pools, one for below poverty line and one for above, but that has now been scrapped. In India, while there are covers to protect property and life from incidents such as fire, floods and earthquake, there is an absence of a 'natural catastrophe cover' to cater to the needs of people. Reinsurance is also a critical issue, which has dissuaded the industry from taking further steps in this direction. The CEO of a private general insurance firm explained that at least 60-65 per cent of the risks would have to be reinsured, to enable them to provide cover. "Since the risks associated with this segment are very high and we do not have the pricing and pool mechanism in place, reinsurers are not very comfortable in taking a big exposure in this segment in India, at present," said the official. If a pool is formed, on the lines of the terrorism-pool in India, the losses would be distributed evenly. The pool would consist of regular premiums being made by the common citizens, with or without additional government funds infused in it. India's top 10 cities have $179.8 billion (Rs 11.9 lakh crore) GDP at risk, according to the Lloyd's City Risk Index 2015-2025. This index presents an analysis of economic output at risk (GDP at risk) in 301 major cities from 18 man-made and natural threats over a ten-year period. Catastrophes caused by natural events, such as extreme weather, pandemics and plant epidemics account for just over half ($98.1 billion) of GDP at risk in the 10 cities. Mumbai has the largest total GDP at risk with a $47.38 billion (Rs 3.13 lakh crore) risk exposure. Almost one quarter of the city's potential losses are related to pandemic risk, followed by terrorism at 16.77 per cent, market crash at 12.94 per cent and flood at 12.89 per cent. Cabinet approves ILO Recommendation No. 204 (R-204) concerning transition from the informal to the formal economy . . The Union Cabinet under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the proposal for placing the new Instrument adopted by International Labour Organization (ILO) Recommendations concerning The Transition from the Informal to the Formal Economy (No.204) before the Parliament. . . The International Labour Conference of ILO at its 104th Session held in Geneva in June 2015 adopted the above recommendation. Its adoption was supported by India, represented at the Session by the Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment. . . Under Article 19 of the ILO Constitution, each Member State of the ILO is required to submit the instruments adopted by the Conference before the competent authority (the Parliament in case of India) within a period of one year from the closing session of the Conference. . . The Recommendation provides guidance to Members to facilitate the transition of workers and economic units from the informal to the formal economy while respecting workers fundamental rights and promote creation, preservation and sustainability of enterprises and decent jobs in the formal economy and prevent informalization of formal economy jobs. . . There is no financial implication on India in adopting the ILO Recommendation, which is applicable to all workers in the country which ratifies the instrument. . . Background . . ILO Conventions are international treaties, open for ratification by member countries. The ratification of an ILO Convention is a voluntary process. Once ratified, the ILO Conventions create legally binding obligations on the Member countries that ratifies the particular Convention. ILO Recommendations are not open to ratification but they are meant to provide guidance to the National Governments as regards formulation and implementation of policy, legislation and practices. A Protocol is an instrument that partially modifies a Convention. As regards formal ratification of the Convention and Protocol to the Convention, the same is to be decided separately by Government keeping in view the national laws and practices. . . Given the diversity of the informal economy across member States, the competent authority should identify the nature and extent of the informal economy as described in this Recommendation, and its relationship to the formal economy using Tripartite mechanisms. In designing coherent and integrated strategies to facilitate the transition to the formal economy, the Recommendation encourages members to take into account the diversity of characteristics, circumstances and needs of workers and economic units in the informal economy. It also seeks to take into account specific national circumstances, legislation, policies, practices and priorities, effective promotion and protection of the human rights and promotion of gender equality and non-discrimination. . . Cabinet approves transfer of land from Farakka Barrage Project to Inland Waterways Authority of India for construction of a new navigational lock parallel to the existing navigational lock at Farakka . . The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval to transfer of 14.86 hectares of land from Farakka Barrage Project under the Ministry of Water Resources to Inland Waterways Authority of India under the Ministry of Shipping for construction of a new navigational lock parallel to the existing navigational lock at Farakka. . . The details are as follows:- . . i. Transfer of 14.86 hectares of land from Farakka Barrage Project (FBP), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR, RD & GR) to Ministry of Shipping for construction of the new navigational lock at Farakka. . . ii. The cost of the land is Rs.2,35,80,160/- (Rupees two crore, thirty five lakh, eighty thousand, one hundred sixty only) approximately. Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) will bear this cost. . . iii. Construction of the navigational lock is a subproject of Jal Marg Vikas Project. The new lock will ensure smooth and seamless movement of vessels on NW-1. . . The advantage of construction of new navigation lock at Farakka are given below:- . . a) The existing lock is unable to handle the number of vessels currently passing through it efficiently and effectively. At present, considerable time is taken for the vessels to pass the existing navigational lock. Therefore, need for construction of an additional lock to facilitate easy passage of vessels through the lock, given the anticipated increase in the number of vessels and volume of cargo that are expected to pass through it in future after implementation of the Jal Marg Vikas Project; . . b) The process of modernization/up-gradation/repair of the existing navigational lock is time consuming and will put it out of operation during the period of repair. Construction of the new navigational lock therefore is an inescapable option for uninterrupted movement of vessels. . . c) IWAI, a statutory body under the Ministry of Shipping, is the nodal authority responsible for regulation and development of inland waterways for the purposes of shipping and navigation. It is, therefore, within its mandate to build, maintain, operate and manage the navigational locks. . . The works shall be planned/executed in such a manner that the existing arrangements about sharing of Ganga water at Farakka, as per Ganga Water Treaty-1996 between India and Bangladesh, are not affected. . . Ministry of Shipping would work out detailed modalities for construction of new navigational lock as well as modernization of the existing navigational lock at Farakka in consultation with Mo WR, RD & GR/FBP in a phased manner to ensure seamless navigation on NW-1. . . Background: . . i. IWAI is implementing Jal Marg Vikas Project for capacity augmentation of navigation on National Waterway - 1 on Allahabad - Haldia stretch of Ganga - Bhagarathi Hooghly River System with technical and investment support of the World Bank. . . ii. A navigational Lock is already in operation at Farakka under the control of Farakka Barrage Project (FBP) since 1987. This lock needs modernization. . . iii. The first Scooping Mission of World Bank (August 2014) had recommended maintenance and up-gradation works at the existing navigational lock, along with construction of a new lock. The objectives of Jal Marg Vikas Project can be fully achieved if the navigation upstream of the Farakka navigational lock is synchronized to match that downstream of the navigational lock. This is possible only if the second navigational lock is in position at Farakka. . . Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, calls on PM . The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, met with Dr Seth Berkley, Chief Executive Officer of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to discuss innovation in vaccines and implementation of childhood immunisation in India. . . Dr Berkley was appreciative of the new innovative Government initiatives, such as 'Mission Indradhanush' and 'Make in India', both of which are improving childhood immunisation in India. Mission Indradhanush reaches the unvaccinated children and Make in India ensures that vaccines are affordable the poor across the world. . . During the meeting, Gavis proposed new strategic partnership with India for 2016-2021 was discussed. This will see further fund support of up to US$ 500 million from Gavi to accelerate the introduction of modern and highly effective childhood vaccines for all children in India. . . This includes Indias forthcoming rollout of vaccines that will protect children against causes of the biggest childhood killers, pneumonia and diarrhoea, as well as others such as measles-rubella and cervical cancer vaccines. . . The Prime Minister and Dr. Berkley also discussed affordability, quality assurance and sustainability as well as using environmentally sustainable technologies such as solar to improve the vaccine cold chain, not just in India but in all developing countries. . . Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) would induce Fertility among Male: Says Prof Manuela Simoni A Senior Researcher on the Subject at the India Science Congress . . "One third of the infertility in the world is due to the male reproductive problems. Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) can used to induce fertility in hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and in male idiopathic infertility" said Prof Manuela Simoni of University of Moderna and Reggio Emillia, Italy addressing the session on Recent Advances in Male Reproduction as part of 103rd Indian Science Congress at University of Mysore. . . Prof. Manuela referring to her study in the field said that, "FSH treatment can improve male fertility in selected cases. Idiopathic infertility in male which is caused by DNA fragmentation can be treated by FSH treatment. We have recently reviewed the pharmacogenetic potential of FSH for male idiopathic infertility and the study shows that FSH treatment induces male fertility significantly" added Manuela. . . Speaking on this occasion, Dr C V Rao, of Florida International University brought out insight into Luteinizing Hormone (LH) which is released from pituitary gland that is required for reproductive competence in both the genders. The LH stimulation therapy is an effective way of treating infertility" he said. Dr. C V Rao added that, LH can directly regulate male and female reproduction tract functions. Prof Vassilios Papadopoulos, Prof Dianne M Creasy, and Martin Culty were present. Prof P P Mathur chaired the session on the subject of recent advances in Male reproductivity. . . Government brings paradigm shift in the approach for faster implementation under 'Namami Gange' programme . . The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the proposal for taking up Hybrid Annuity based Public Private Partnership (PPP) model under Namami Gange Programme which aims to reform the wastewater sector in India. Marking a paradigm shift in the implementation mode, Hybrid Annuity based Public Private Partnership (PPP) model will now be adopted to ensure performance, efficiency, viability and sustainability. In this model, a part of the capital investment (upto 40%) will be paid by government through construction linked milestones and the balance through an annuity over the contract duration upto 20 years. . . Keeping in view the specialized nature of this model and to scale it up in future on sustainable basis, the Government is establishing a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to plan, structure, procure concessionaires, monitor implementation of such PPP projects and develop market for treated waste water through appropriate policy advocacy under overall guidance of National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG). The SPV will be established under Indian Companies Act 2013 for providing required governance framework and enabling functional autonomy. . . The SPV would enter into a Tripartite Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with participating State Governments and concerned Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) for taking up individual projects. These MoAs will aim at introducing reforms and regulatory measures for recovery of user charges on Polluters Pay principle, restrictions on usage of ground & fresh water for non-potable purposes through stricter monitoring and guidelines that promote re?use of treated wastewater. . . The Ministry in a first of its kind has already entered into an MoU with Ministries of Railways, for purchase of treated water from STPs wherever feasible to facilitate faster market development for treated wastewater. Similar MoUs are also being worked out with other Ministries of Power, Petroleum, Industries etc. . . This is a futuristic step taken by the Government where the market development for treated waste water and structural reforms are complementing the projects. This will help taking up more number of projects with the same allocation as made available under Namami Gange programme with reduced financial liability in the initial years. Spreading the stakes of the private participant over the entire period of concession would ensure continued operations over long-term. Linking of performance standards with the annuities will ensure desired objective of treated water of appropriate standard. It would help gradual capacity building of the Urban Local Bodies by setting ground for recovery of user charges on Polluter Pays Principle. Development of the market for treated water will lead to reduced demand on riverine fresh-water and will result in enhanced flows in river Ganga. These steps would also kick-start the process of responsible use of water in general and go a long way in mitigating the projected water shortage in the country. . . Background:. . It had been observed that benefits accrued from substantial investments made under various past programmes (Ganga Action Plan I & II, NGRBA, Yamuna Action Plan) were less than optimal. According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), almost 30% of the Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) monitored in the 4 states of UP, Uttarakhand, Bihar & West Bengal were not operational and 94% were non-compliant with the prescribed effluent standards. . . Cabinet's approval addresses the above issues that acted as road blocks for all previous efforts to clean river Ganga. The approval paves the road ahead for complete reform in the wastewater sector in India, implementation of projects in a fast track mode and ensure effective utilisation of funds released under 100% funded 'Namami Gange' - central sector scheme. . . Joint Army- NSDC Skill Symposium 2016 held at Manekshaw Centre . . The Indian Army, as part of the 68th Army Day 2016 Celebrations, conducted an Indian Army Skills Symposium in collaboration with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) at Manekshaw Centre, Delhi Cantonment. The Skills Symposium was presided by Lt Gen Rakesh Sharma, Adjutant General of the Indian Army along with representatives from the Ministries of Defence and Skill Development. . . Shri Jayant Krishna, CEO, NSDC delivered the opening address wherein he highlighted the importance of building a relationship between the Armed Forces and the NSDC on skilling prospective military retirees in a nation building role. An orientation workshop was conducted by Shri Rajiv Mathur, Head Standards & Quality Assurance, NSDC, in presence of the Commandants and Training Commanders of the various Regimental Training Centres in the Indian Army. Approximately, 90 Military & Civilian delegates attended the symposium. . . The Indian Army Skills Symposium was followed by a field visit of the Army delegates to IL&FS Skill Development Centre located at Okhla. The visit gave an opportunity to the Indian Army leadership to witness the training standards and norms as prevalent in the industry and explore possible avenues to partner with them in this field. . . The symposium is a significant step after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MoSDE) on Skill Development in July 15 and aims at building a better understanding among the Army Leadership about the National Skilling Initiative and possible opportunities to align prospective military retirees to civilian job roles, as defined under the new NSDC Policy Framework issued in 2015. . . The symposium has paved the way for better coordination and collaboration between the NSDC and Indian Army in the future which will eventually benefit the over 60,000 personnel retiring from the Army each year. . . Col Rohan Anand, SM. PRO (Army) Lieutenant General Suresh Sharma takes over as Director General Border Roads (DGBR) . . Lieutenant General Suresh Sharma has taken over as the 24th Director General Border Roads (DGBR) here today. . . Lt Gen Suresh Sharma was commissioned into Corps of Engineers from Indian Military Academy, Dehradun and has attended all prestigious courses of the Indian Army including Staff Course at Defence Service Staff College, Wellington, Higher Defence Management Course at College of Defence Management, Secunderabad and the National Defence College, New Delhi. The General Officer has held various staff, instructional and command appointments. Some of his important assignments include Command of an Engineer Regiment during OP PARAKRAM, Staff Officer of an Infantry Brigade on the Line of Control, Colonel Administration of an Infantry Division and Brigadier Administration of a Strike Corps. . . He has been Chief Operations Officer and advisor to United Nations Mission in Bosnia & Herzegovina. The General Officer has also tenated the prestigious appointment of Chief Engineer (Indian Navy and Coast Guards), Mumbai and later commanded Bengal Engineer Group & Centre, a premier training institution of the Indian Army. The General Officer was Command Chief Engineer South Western Command and has been elected as Colonel Commandant The Bengal Sappers and Military Survey" from 01 August 2015. The General Officer is a qualified mountaineer and has participated in an international Mountaineering Expedition. Before taking over as Director General Border Roads, he was holding the appointment of Director General Combat Engineers at Army HQ. . . Nampi/RAJ National Level Inter Army Public School (APS) Debate Competition held at New Delhi . . As part of Army Day celebrations 2016, National Level Inter Army Public School (APS) Debate Competition was held at APS, Shankar Vihar, Delhi Cantt today. The Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen MMS Rai, was the Chief Guest on the occasion. . . Speaking on the occasion, the Vice Chief of Army Staff said that the event was organized as part of Army Day celebrations 2016. Army Day celebration is an occasion to remember those Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice and showed us the way to Selfless Sacrifice and Patriotism. As the entire event was being webcast live, he exhorted the students of Armys Educational Institutions to leave no stone unturned in their pursuit for excellence and expressed his desire to see more young men and women from APSs join the Armed Forces. . . The debating spectacle was the culmination of a hard fought series at cluster and regional level Competitions where APS across India vied for top honours. Debating on the topic Academic excellence infused with skill development alone meet the future challenges ", APS Patiala emerged winners and APS Lucknow (Nehru Road) were runners up. Miss Jyotshana Singh of APS Bikaneer was adjudged Best Speaker for the motion, Miss Aafreen Choudhary of APS Patiala against the motion and Mr Anish Sundaram of APS Udhampur as the best interjector. . . The Vice Chief also gave away prizes for Academic Excellence to schools that have performed creditably in CBSE Class XII exams in 2014-15. Trophies were also given to schools topping the list for maximum contributions to training establishments. . . Col Rohan Anand. PRO (Army) Shri Venkaiah Naidu reviews implementation of urban development and affordable schemes . . Directs senior officials to visit States more regularly to enable effective implementation . . Stresses on capacity building and fund transfer to urban local bodies. . . DDA asked to focus on improving quality of construction . . Minister of Urban Development and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu today directed senior officials of his Ministries to visit States more regularly to assist States and Urban Local Bodies in effective implementation of new urban missions launched during 2015. The Minister desired the senior officials to be thoroughly conversant with all the schemes of the Ministry so ass to be able to take up comprehensive review of their implementation with states and urban local bodies.. . Shri Venkaiah Naidu reviewed implementation of Smart City Mission, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Swachh Bharat Mission, Heritage Development and Augmentation Yojana(HRIDAY), Prime Ministers Awas Yojana(Urban) and capacity building of urban local bodies. . . Shri Naidu said that the year 2015 marked a landmark in urban development sector with the launch of new mission and 2016 marks the beginning of implementation challenges with the Central and State Governments and urban local bodies required to walk the talk together. . . After reviewing the progress under Swachh Bharat Mission in urban areas, Shri Naidu said that he will write to all the Chief Ministers inviting their attention to the need for monitoring at the highest level in the state. He was informed by the concerned officials that as against the target of construction of 25 lakh household toilets by March,2016, work has commenced on construction of over 20 lakh toilets of which construction of 8.30 lakh toilets has so far been completed and the target is likely to be met. . . Shri Naidu directed the officials to focus on capacity building of urban local bodies for effective implementation of new urban development schemes. . . The Minister asked Secretary(UD) to take up with states to ensure timely transfer of resources to the urban local bodies. DDA was asked to focus on enhancing quality of construction to meet the expectation of buyers. Vice-Chairman, DDA explained the measures being taken in this regard. . . Setting up of Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV) under Smart City Mission was also discussed in the meeting. It was clarified that SPVs to be set up are meant for focused and timely implementation of Smart City Plans and would in no way encroach on the powers and authority of urban local bodies. . . Shri Venkaiah Naidu desired DMRC, National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) and DDA to set up Skill Development Centres in respective domains for the benefit of the youth. . . AAR Signing of MoU between India and Singapore in the field of Civil Aviation . . The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its ex-post facto approvalfor signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which was signed in November, 2015between Airports Authority of India (On behalf of Government of India) and Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (On behalf of Government of Singapore) in Civil Aviation during Prime Ministers visit to Singapore. . . The objective of this MoU is to establish mutual cooperation in the field of civil aviation, which will cover, to begin with, the airports of Jaipur and Ahmedabad. This cooperation will be extended to other airports with mutual consent. . . The salient features of the MoU include collaboration in Civil Aviation Sector in the areas of (a) Master-planning and design (b) Traffic development (c) Commercial development (d) Service quality improvement (e) Training and development (f) Cargo handling and Management (g) Maintenance, repair and overhaul (h) Operation and management and (i) any other areas with mutual consent. . . Government of Singapore owns one of the best managed airports in the world, which has consistently maintained its ranking for last many years. . . A need was felt that in order to ensure high standards of service at Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports, Airport Authority of India (AAI) may enter into operation and maintenance (O&M) contracts, either with or without the responsibility of maximization of non-aeronautical revenue in the terminal building (excluding land on city side and air side). The city side and airside will continue to be managed directly by AAI. . . Globally, limited O&M contract models are prevalent for the entire airport operations. AAI has no previous experience in awarding O&M contract model of terminal buildings to other entities. In order to implement the decision, it was necessary to ensure that a suitable entity be engaged for undertaking the O&M contract at Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports. . . Union Home Minister chairs High Level Committee meeting for Central assistance to states affected by drought . . The Union Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh chaired a meeting of the High Level Committee (HLC) here today for Central Assistance to States affected by drought. . . The Union Minister for Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information and Broadcasting Shri Arun Jaitley, Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Shri Radha Mohan Singh, Vice-Chairman NITI Aayog Shri Arvind Panagariya, Union Home Secretary Shri Rajiv Mehrishi and senior officers of the Ministries of Home, Finance and Agriculture attended the meeting. . . The Committee examined the proposals based on the report of the Central Team which visited the affected states by severe drought. The HLC approved the assistance from the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) in respect of Andhra Pradesh to the tune of Rs 433.77 crore, Rs 815 crore for Odisha and Rs 1304.52 crore for Uttar Pradesh. The HLC has deferred the decision in case of Telangana to the next week. . . A former partner at consulting firm McKinsey & Co has been arrested on charges that he engaged in a scheme to submit fraudulent invoices and expenses to the company and clients, including State Farm, for more than $890,000. Navdeep Arora, who had been a senior partner in McKinsey's Chicago office, was arrested on Sunday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation after arriving in New York following a flight from London, according to court papers. He was named in an indictment filed in federal court in Chicago along with a former internal State Farm consultant, Matthew Sorensen, who the indictment said participated in the scheme. His arrest was detailed in papers filed on Monday in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, ahead of a hearing later in the day for Arora, 51, who joined KPMG in 2014 after leaving McKinsey and lived in London. A spokesman for US Attorney Zachary Fardon in Chicago confirmed Arora's arrest. A court-appointed lawyer for Arora had no immediate comment. It was unclear if Sorensen, of Bloomington, Illinois, was also arrested. Sorensen, 44, did not respond to requests for comment. The indictment said Arora oversaw services that McKinsey provided State Farm, while Sorensen assisted State Farm in determining whether to hire outside consultants. The indictment said that beginning in 2004, Arora fraudulently charged McKinsey and State Farm for expenses in order to reward Sorensen and an unnamed co-schemer for helping McKinsey get State Farm consulting work. Fraudulent invoices to McKinsey, State Farm and another McKinsey client for unperformed work resulted in $490,975 in fees being paid, the bulk of which Sorensen retained, the indictment said. Arora also submitted fraudulent expenses to McKinsey, State Farm and other clients for domestic and trips for himself, Sorensen and to cities including Miami, Las Vegas, New York, Prague and London, the indictment said. In total, Arora obtained $400,000 in fraudulent expenses, which also covered personal hotel, meal and theatre tickets in Chicago that he claimed were business expenses, the indictment said. McKinsey spokeswoman Rachel Grant said the firm discovered the situation in 2011, notified the client, "terminated the employee involved" and cooperated with authorities. State Farm spokesman Phil Supple said the insurer also cooperated with investigators. He said State Farm had not employed Sorensen in more than three years and had not had a contractual relationship with McKinsey since April 2012. North Korea said it successfully tested a miniaturised hydrogen nuclear device on Wednesday, claiming a significant advance in its strike capability and setting off alarm bells in Japan and South Korea. The test, the fourth time the isolated state has exploded a nuclear device, was ordered by young leader Kim Jong Un and successfully conducted at 10:00 am local time (0130 GMT), North Korea's official KCNA news agency said. "Let the world look up to the strong, self-reliant nuclear-armed state," Kim wrote in what North Korean state TV displayed as a handwritten note. The reported nuclear test drew condemnation abroad, including from China and Russia, North Korea's two main allies. China expressed "resolute opposition" and said it would lodge a protest with Pyongyang. While a fourth nuclear test had been long expected, the claim that it was a hydrogen device, much more powerful than an atomic bomb, came as a surprise, as did the timing. It ensures that North Korea will be a key topic during the US presidential campaign. North Korea has long coveted diplomatic recognition from Washington but sees its nuclear deterrent as crucial to ensuring the survival of its third-generation dictatorship. South Korean intelligence officials and several analysts, however, questioned whether Wednesday's explosion was indeed a full-fledged test of a hydrogen device. The device had a yield of about 6 kilotonnes, according to the office of a South Korean lawmaker on the parliamentary intelligence committee -roughly the same size as the North's last test, which was equivalent to 6-7 kilotonnes of TNT. "Given the scale, it is hard to believe this is a real hydrogen bomb," said Yang Uk, a senior research fellow at the Korea Defence and Security Forum. "They could have tested some middle stage kind (of device) between an A-bomb and H-bomb, but unless they come up with any clear evidence, it is difficult to trust their claim." Joe Cirincione, a nuclear expert who is president of Ploughshares Fund, a global security organisation, said North Korea may have mixed a hydrogen isotope in a normal atomic fission bomb. "Because it is, in fact, hydrogen, they could claim it is a hydrogen bomb," he said. "But it is not a true fusion bomb capable of the massive multi-megaton yields these bombs produce". The United States Geological Survey reported a 5.1 magnitude quake that South Korea said was 49 km (30 miles) from the Punggye-ri site where the North has conducted nuclear tests in the past. North Korea's last test of an atomic device, in 2013, also registered at 5.1 on the USGS scale. The test nevertheless may mark an advance of North Korea's nuclear technology. The claim of miniaturising, which would allow the device to be adapted as a weapon and placed on a missile, would also pose a new threat to the United States and its regional allies, Japan and South Korea. The North's previous miniaturisation claims have not been independently verified. Many experts also doubt whether the North possesses missile technology capable of reliably delivering a warhead to the continental United States. UN MEETING The White House said it could not confirm North Korea's claims of miniaturisation and a hydrogen bomb test, but added the United States would respond appropriately to provocations and defend its allies. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Japan would make a firm response to North Korea's challenge against nuclear non-proliferation. "North Korea's nuclear test is a serious threat to our nation's security and we absolutely cannot tolerate it," Abe told reporters. "We strongly denounce it." South Korea said it would take all possible measures, including possible United Nations sanctions, to ensure Pyongyang paid the price after its fourth nuclear test. "The government must now work closely with the international community to ensure that North Korea pays the commensurate price for the latest nuclear test," President Park Geun-hye said in a statement. "We must respond decisively through measures such as strong international sanctions." North Korea has been under U.N. Security Council sanctions since it first tested an atomic device in 2006 and could face additional measures. The Security Council will meet later on Wednesday to discuss what steps it could take, diplomats said. While the Kim regime boasts of its military might to project strength globally, it also plays up the need to defend itself from external threats as a way to maintain control domestically. The North's state news agency said it will not give up its nuclear programme as long as the United States maintained what it called "its stance of aggression". The nuclear test came two days ahead of what is believed to be Kim's birthday. The North called the device the "H-bomb of justice" and said: "The US is a gang of cruel robbers which has worked hard to bring even a nuclear disaster to the DPRK," using the official acronym for North Korea. However, the agency said Pyongyang will act as a responsible nuclear state and vowed not to use its nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty was infringed. It said it will not transfer its nuclear capabilities to other parties. Benchmark share indices ended at their lowest closing level in three week amid a sell-off in late trades after weak economic data from China and devalution of the yuan sparked global growth concerns while the ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle-East also dampened sentiment. The S&P BSE Sensex ended down 174 points at 25,406 and the Nifty50 closed 44 points lower at 7,741. " came under pressure after weak economic data from China raised global growth concerns. Further, the devaluation of the yuan and the continued geopolitical tensions in the Middle-East and the developments in North Korea also dampened sentiment. Further, investors are also cautious ahead of the third quarter earnings," said Alex Mathews, Head of Research, Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services. ECONOMY Growth in India's services firms rose at its fastest pace in 10 months in December as demand picked up, a private business survey showed today. The Nikkei/Markit Services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) surged to 53.6 in December from November's 50.1, marking a sixth month above the 50-level that separates growth from contraction. The Indian rupee was down 22 paise at 66.82 against the American currency compared to its previous close on sustained bouts of dollar demand from importers. GLOBAL MARKETS European shares were trading lower weighed down by commodity stocks after the devaluation of the Chinese yuan raised growth concerns in the world's second largest economy while talk of a nuclear test in North Korea also weighed on investor sentiment. CAC-40, DAX and FTSE-100 were down nearly 1% each. Asian were mixed with Chinese stocks rebounding after losses in the previous three sessions. The Shanghai ended up 2.2% after market regulator imposed a ban on share sale by major shareholders while Nikkei ended down 1%. Talk of a possible nuclear test in North Korea further dampened investor sentiment in Asia. Hang Seng and Straits Times ended down 1% each. STOCKS IN FOCUS BSE Oil & Gas index was the top gainer along with Metal and Auto indices while FMCG index was the top loser. Reliance Industries ended 2.7% at Rs 1,032 after hitting a 5-month high of Rs 1,038 on the National Stock Exchange. Downstream expansions and the much-awaited US$17bn 4G telecomventure hold the key, but the year will also see it foray in Ecommerce and launch its own brand of 4G devices and several mobile apps. We find excessive pessimism on telecom; commercial launch of 4G in mid-2016 will be a key positive trigger. Ebitda should rise 50% in two yearsdriven by downstream expansion; retain high-conviction BUY; it is our top pick in the sector, foreign brokerage CLSA said in a note. Telecom stocks ended lower with Bharti Airtel down 0.6% while RCom and Idea Cellular ended down 0.4%-1.8% each. The Delhi High Court is likely to pronounce its order on compensation for call drops later today. Metal stocks witnessed profit taking after sharp gains in the previous session. Tata Steel which had surged over 6.5% in the previous trade ended down 2% while Hindalco, Vedanta and Hindustan Zinc ended down 2.8%-4% each. Tata Motors ended down 2.6%. Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) said its US sales rose 30% to 9,638 units in December 2015 over December 2014. Land Rover sales rose 47% to 8,441 units in December 2015 over December 2014. Jaguar sales fell 29% to 1,197 units in December 2015 over December 2014. Among other auto stocks, Maruti Suzuki, Hero MotoCorp, Bajaj Auto and M&M ended down 0.7%-2.6% each. Other Sensex losers include ITC, ICICI Bank and L&T among others. Among others, shares of Bharati Shipyard has locked in upper circuit for fourth straight trading sessions, up 5% at Rs 33.85 on the BSE ahead of board meeting tomorrow to consider issue of convertible warrants to non-promoters on preferential basis. Shares of Gokaldas Exports surged 5% to Rs 69 after the board at its meeting on Tuesday decided to transfer/sale of land, building and related assets pertaining to some of its properties. Rising prices of jute goods triggered by steep raw jute prices have shrunk the export market for domestic manufacturers. A squeeze in export orders could wipe out the profitability of the mills with major export orders. Jute goods exports have logged almost flat growth from 2010-11 (0.19 million tonne) to 2013-14 (0.21 million tonne). However, jute goods exports declined sharply in 2014-15 to 0.15 million tonne, a fall of 27 per cent. Raw jute prices have touched an all-time high of Rs 53,000 a tonne, double the level of Rs 26,000 per tonne in the year-ago period. This has escalated prices of jute goods as well. B T prices are now at Rs 74,000 a tonne whereas Hessian has moved beyond Rs 100,000 a tonne. Rising prices of jute goods have both a short-term and long-term impact on the export market. While exports may not be impacted in a big way in value terms, the decline would be felt in volume terms. We have already lost major export like Egypt and Syria. Also, there is no incentive from the government of India unlike Bangladesh which continues to incentivise jute exports, Manish Poddar, chairman, Indian Jute Mills Association told Business Standard. A report by Jute Commissioner Subrata Gupta says jute mills with substantial export orders have been adversely impacted as several had contracted orders with foreign buyers without expecting such huge jump in raw jute prices. While on the one hand, this could wipe out profit for these mills, on the other, the increase in prices of these goods could also shrink the demand from foreign buyers. Further, the sharp increase in price of some products such as jute felt and Hessian can also adversely impact the opening up of new markets, such as those for geo-textiles and jute composites. These developments do not augur well for the health of the jute sector in the long-term, the report adds. Benchmark indices remain directionless with Sensex and Nifty oscillating between negative and positive territory. However, gains in Reliance Industries have arrested the downfall. At 1:10 pm, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 25 points to quote at 25,554 and the Nifty50 shed 5 points to trade at 7,781 Meanwhile, growth in India's services firms rose at its fastest pace in 10 months in December as demand picked up, a business survey showed today. The Nikkei/Markit Services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) surged to 53.6 in December from November's 50.1, marking a sixth month above the 50-level that separates growth from contraction. World stocks surrendered their gains today after their worst first-day performance in years, extending losses as relief at intervention by China to steady its quickly evaporated in the face of mounting concerns about the global economy. Meanwhile, the Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) were the net sellers to the tune of Rs 352 crore as per the provisional stock exchange data. BUZZING STOCKS Among notable stocks on the Sensex Cipla, TCS, HDFC Bank, RIL, Coal India have all gained strength between 1-3% each According to Karvy Stock Broking report, RIL is expected to maintain profitability in its core business with a capex that increases the operational efficiency across the refining & petrochemicals business, while the new businesses like the Reliance Jio are likely to trigger the next level of growth and boost revenues. The stock has soared 3% Telecom stocks like Bharti Airtel, RCom and Idea Cellular are trading higher by 1% higher each as the Delhi High Court is likely to pronounce its order on compensation for call drops later today. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has asked operators to pay a compensation of Re one for every call drop, maximum three calls per day per mobile user, starting January 1. On the flip side, Tata Motors has lost 1% after Jaguar Land Rover (JLR)- its luxury arm said its US sales rose 30% to 9,638 units in December 2015 over December 2014. Land Rover sales rose 47% to 8,441 units in December 2015 over December 2014. Jaguar sales fell 29% to 1,197 units in December 2015 over December 2014. Tata Steel has witnessed some profit booking after the scrip surged nearly 7% in yesterdays trade. The stock has lost over 1% today. After the Supreme Court of India upheld the decision to ban the registration of diesel vehicles in Delhi, M&M got affected the most. The stock has skid over 1% Other important losers on the Sensex are Sun Pharma, ICICI bank, ITC all down between 1-3% Among other shares, shares of Glenmark Pharmaceuticals have marginally dropped on account of profit taking. The company said its US arm Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc., has received tentative approval from the USFDA for Dronedarone tablets, 400 mg. Shares of Sanghvi Forging and Engineering jumped over 8% after the company said it has received fresh orders from the oil & gas and power sectors. Benchmark share indices ended lower, amid weak European cues, with select index heavyweights leading the decline. The S&P BSE Sensex ended down 174 points at 25,406 and Nifty50 ended down 44 points at 7,741. ITC, Tata Motors and ICICI Bank contributed the most to the Sensex decline. _____________________ (updated at 2:45pm Benchmark share indices came off their day's low as gains in Reliance Industries helped offset some of the losses. At 2:45pm, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 147 points at 25,434 and the Nifty50 was down 40 points at 7,747. Index heavyweight Reliance Industries was up 2.2% while IT major TCS was up 1%. Meanwhile, ITC and ICICI Bank continued to be the top contributors to the decline. __________________________ (Updated at 2:10pm) extended losses in late noon trades, amid weak European cues and weak Dow futures, with ICICI Bank and ITC leading the decline. At 2:10pm, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 208 points at 25,372 and the Nifty50 was down 62 points at 7,726. Growth in India's services firms rose at its fastest pace in 10 months in December as demand picked up, a business survey showed today. The Nikkei/Markit Services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) surged to 53.6 in December from November's 50.1, marking a sixth month above the 50-level that separates growth from contraction. GLOBAL MARKETS European shares were down over 1% each weighed down by commodity stocks after the devaluation of the Chinese yuan raised growth concerns in the world's second largest economy while the further slide in Dow futures also dampened sentiment. CAC-40, DAX and FTSE-100 were down 1% each. Asian were mixed with Chinese stocks rebounding after losses in the previous three sessions. The Shanghai ended up 2.2% while Nikkei ended down 1%. STOCKS IN FOCUS BSE Oil & Gas index was the top gainer along with Metal and Power indices while FMCG index was the top loser. RIL was up 1.7%. According to Karvy Stock Broking report, RIL is expected to maintain profitability in its core business with a capex that increases the operational efficiency across the refining & petrochemicals business, while the new businesses like the Reliance Jio are likely to trigger the next level of growth and boost revenues. The stock has soared 3% Telecom stocks were trading mixed with Bharti Airtel up 1.3% while RCom and Idea Cellular were down 0.5% each. The Delhi High Court is likely to pronounce its order on compensation for call drops later today. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has asked operators to pay a compensation of Re one for every call drop, maximum three calls per day per mobile user, starting January 1. Metal stocks witnessed profit taking after sharp gains in the previous session. Tata Steel which had surged over 6.5% in the previous trade was down 1.5% while Hindalco, Vedanta and Hindustan Zinc were down 1.5%-2.8% each. Tata Motors is down 1%. Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) said its US sales rose 30% to 9,638 units in December 2015 over December 2014. Land Rover sales rose 47% to 8,441 units in December 2015 over December 2014. Jaguar sales fell 29% to 1,197 units in December 2015 over December 2014. India's benchmark stock index slid to a three-week low in the final stretch of trading, as losses in European equities after China weakened the yuan raised concerns about global growth. ITC, the largest tobacco company, was the worst performer on the BSE, while Hindustan Unilever fell to a three-week low. Tata Motors paced losses among automakers after the government said it would directly adopt the more stringent BS-VI emission norms starting 2020, from BS-IV at present. The Sensex fell 174 points or 0.7 per cent to close at nearly 25,406, with bulk of the losses coming after ... Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd. (APSEZL), which is a part of the Adani Group, announced its expansion of the existing terminal Adani International Container Terminal Private Limited (AICTPL) at its flagship Mundra port here today. AICTPL is a 50:50 JV with terminal investment ltd., an arm of Swiss-based Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A, the second largest shipping liner in the world. The expansion is being carried out to create a transshipment hub for the Middle East, South Asia and India. Upon completion, AICTPL will emerge as India's largest container terminal with a total quay length of 1,460 meters and cargo handling capacity of 3.1 million TEUs. It will be equipped with 15 super post pan max quay cranes, capable of handling 18,000 TEU container vessels at the terminal. The expansion of AICTPL will position Mundra as the major transshipment hub in the country providing congestion free and cost effective solution. Construction has already commenced and the terminal will be commissioned in 15 months. Speaking on the occasion, Karan Adani, Chief Executive Officer, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited, said, "We are pleased to take our partnership with MSC to the next level. With this expansion, Mundra will emerge as a transshipment hub for the Middle East, South Asia and India." "It will also make Mundra the largest Container Port in India with a cumulative capacity of 6.6 million TEU and will help in achieving our vision of handling 200 Million Metric Tonnes of annual cargo by 2020," added Karan. Diego Aponte, CEO and President of MSC, said, "We are pleased to partner with Adani on this terminal development and the expansion of AICT." "We are confident that Mundra will become a major transhipment hub within South Asia," added Aponte. The expansion will also exclusively position Mundra as the largest Container Port in the country with 4 state of the art container terminals having a cumulative handling capacity of 6.6 million TEUs, spread over an area of approx. 146 Hectares. Mundra Port already enjoys the coveted reputation of being the largest private commercial port in the country. Its deep draught and strategic location on the Indian coastline makes it an ideal choice for establishing a transshipment hub. APSEZ and MSC had set up AICTPL in 2013 with state of the art technology and environment friendly footprint. Amit Jogi, the legislator from Chhattisgarh's Marwahi Constituency, has been expelled from the Congress for six years. "Amit Jogi who is a legislator and his wrongdoing has also defamed the Congress and hence the party suspends him for six years," said Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Bhupesh Baghel. Baghel also said that the action was followed by the issue of the poll rigging and the alleged audio tape came to light. Baghel also urged the party to expel former chief minister and senior leader Ajit Jogi. "The wrongdoings of Ajit Jogi have defamed the Congress Party and the PCC appeals the All India Congress Committee to expel Ajit Jogi for six years," he told the media here. Commenting on the controversy over an audio tape about him purportedly "fixing" the by-poll seat in assembly poll last year in Chhattisgarh, Amit Jogi had earlier termed the recording as "fake" and claimed he was being blackmailed. The office of German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been sealed off after a suspicious package was found there. According to The Independent, image from the scene showed four yellow postal crates abandoned in heavy snow outside the chancellory in Berlin. A German police spokesman said that the suspicious package is being investigated. However, he did not mention whether they were planning to conduct a controlled explosion. The Supreme Court has upheld the death penalty given to Jamaat-e-Islamic chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, charged for arms trafficking and 1971 war crimes against humanity. A four-member bench of the Appellate Division upheld his death in three charges, life imprisonment in two and acquitted him in three other charges, reported The Daily Star. Nizami was the last high-profile suspect to be tried for 1971 war crimes. The court delayed his verdict in June 2014 because of his poor health. The special tribunal had last year said that death would be the only fitting punishment for the horrendous crimes which Nizami committed. New Delhi, Jan. 6 (ANI): Bollywood director Bejoy Nambiar is fairly new to the industry, if we just look at his filmography. However, his 2013 film 'David' was sufficient to grab Vidhu Vinod Chopra's attention on the young director's caliber which eventually gave him the opportunity of directing the film 'Wazir.' "Vidhu Vinod Chopra had seen David and then he called me. We jammed on other scripts but nothing worked out. But when I was about to say good-bye, he gave three scripts to me out of which one was 'Wazir.' The moment I read the script I wanted to direct the film and Vidhu sir gave me the opportunity to do so. Then we started to work on the adaptation which took two years," Bejoy told ANI. The director, who is known for his short-film 'Reflection', says he feels fortunate about being offered the film when the makers had several stalwarts to choose from. On being asked about his experience of directing Amitabh Bachchan, Bejoy said the opportunity of working with Big B did intimidate him. He said, "To direct someone like Amitabh sir is intimidating but having said that when we all were on the set we were in tune with what we have to do. So, on the set, I was directing Omkarnath Dhar not Mr. Bachchan." Bejoy is excited and nervous about the response from the audience but delighted that 'Wazir' is the first film of 2016. Several countries on Wednesday expressed their solidarity with India, while condemning the Pathnkot terror attack. Condemns the terrorist attack, South Korea said, "Terrorism is a crime against humanity and inhuman act that cannot be justified in any circumstances." Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmud Ali said that his country firmly stands beside India in fight against terrorism. Denouncing the attack, Sri Lanka condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and expressed condolences to bereaved families. Condoling the death of security personnel, Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni affirmed solidarity with the people of India. Similarly, Brazil, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Nepal also condemned the terrorist attack, expressed their condolences. Delivering a master stroke that will provide big relief to the parents seeking admission for their kids in private schools and will have long-term bearing on Delhi's education system, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government on Wednesday ordered scrapping of all admission quotas from private schools, except 25% reservation for children belonging to the Extremely Weaker Section (EWS). Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, "There will be only 25% quota for EWS students, while the schools will have to be made available 75% of seats to general public." Denouncing private schools 'unreasonable admission criteria', Kejriwal said, "We have scrapped 62 criteria of admission process in private schools that were unreasonable and discriminatory." "The Delhi High Court has directed that the criteria and admission process has to be fair transparent and reasonable," said Kejriwal. "Abiding by the HC's direction, the Delhi Government in December had asked all private schools to make their own criteria for making the admission process transparent, and upload those criteria on your website, and also upload on your website that which child has got how many marks under which criteria" he said. "However, when we received their criteria for admission and we complied those criteria, we found 62 of them unreasonable and discriminatory, and thus, order the scrapping of those criteria," he added. The Chief Minister said it had been done in order to make the admission process in private schools transparent and people-friendly. When asked if schools refuse to abide by the government's order, he said "The government can do anything; schools can be derecognised or the government can take over such schools. The Madhesis in Nepal have claimed that the government has adopted a crackdown strategy against them in Terai region to suppress their agitation against the newly-adopted Constitution. The crackdown against Madhesis by the Nepal Government will only push the movement towards further violence, an advocate at Nepal Supreme Court, Dipendra Jha, told Indian ambassador Ranjit Rae on behalf of the marginalised community in a letter. Jha mentioned various incidents of Terai districts which made evident the claim that excessive force and filing of false charges against the protestors are unabated there. Jha said that the government should be responsible to immediately expedite rehabilitation efforts. On December 20, the police shot down a 16-year-old at Gaur, district headquarters of Rautahat, Jha told the Indian envoy. Eyewitnesses said that the police took him into control and shot him when he was returning home from school where the protests were going on. On the same day, United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) Sarlahi district coordinator Ashok Yadav was apprehended by the police from a local FM radio station in Malangwa, where he was present for an interview. A case of public offence was filed against Yadav. The advocate claimed seven protestors in Saptari district are charged with robbery and theft cases based on the complaints of police in the last week of December. Jha said the failure to address the issues of Madhes with larger ownership and efforts of UDMF may usher the movement in the hands of extremists and radical forces that have been fertile during the longest protest in Nepal. The advocate further said that the immediate resolution of Madhes uprising through the moderate force of UDMF will result in sustainable and long lasting peace in the border areas. Jha thanked India for the country's support to stand by social justice, human rights and democracy in Nepal. Nepal Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli on Wednesday condemned the terrorist attack on the Pathankot air base that left seven security men dead and 20 injured. The Nepal Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), in a statement issued here, said, "The Government of Nepal unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and holds the view that terrorism must be firmly and resolutely dealt with wherever and whenever it takes place." Wishing early recovery to injured, said Nepal MoFA, Prime Minister Oli has expressed belief that the perpetrators of this heinous act (Pathnkot attack) will be brought to justice at the earliest. "At this hour of grief, the Prime Minister has extended heartfelt condolences and sympathies to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and through him to the bereaved families," said the statement. . Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli would be visiting New Delhi early next month on his first official foreign trip, said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa on Wednesday. Speaking to mediapersons here, the Foreign Minister said during the Prime Minister's visit, some agreements would also be signed with India to implement past understandings. "The preliminary preparations for the visit have been completed. India will be the first country for Prime Minister Oli to pay an official visit after assuming the office," said Thapa. He said the Prime Minister will leave for India on an appropriate time as the preliminary preparations have been completed. Congratulating Prime Minister Oli on his election to the top executive post, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also invited his Nepalese counterpart to visit India, said Thapa. Thapa said Prime Minister Modi had reiterated his invitation to Prime Minister Oli during a telephone conversation between them last week. The Chinese government has also extended invitation to Prime Minister Oli for an official visit. "Nepal wants to maintain cordial relationship with both the neighbours," Thapa pointed out. The Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notice to the Bihar Government over reported deplorable conditions of prisons in the state. The NHRC took suo motu cognizance of a media report revealing the deplorable conditions prevailing in the prisons of Bihar. This story is based on an exhaustive report titled 'Prisons of Bihar: Status Report-2015' prepared by Smita Chakraburty, an activist and researcher. She was assigned a project by Justice V.N. Sinha, Patna High Court Judge and Executive Chairman, Bihar State Legal Services Authority, to visit all the 58 prisons of Bihar to study the living conditions and submit a report. The Commission observed that although it is not oblivious of the ills plaguing the prison system in the country as a whole, the prisons are also involved in gross violation of human rights of the prisoners that are under the care and custody of the state. Accordingly, it has issued notices to the Chief Secretary and Director General of Prisons, Government of Bihar for factual reports within four weeks. Reportedly, Chakraburty interviewed as many as 30,070 inmates during her study. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has called North Korea's claim a 'serious threat' to Japan and a "grave challenge" to nuclear non-proliferation efforts. According to CNN, Abe said that the test violates the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution. He also said that Japan along with the US, Russia, China and South Korea will take action against Pyongyang and discuss the matter at the UNSC. The Hydrogen bomb test could take North Korea a step closer to developing nuclear warheads capable of striking the United States. According to a statement, North Korea asserted that it would not abandon its nuclear weapons program as long as the US maintained what it called "its stance of aggression". Following the test, a4.9 tremor was experienced and the Pentagon said that it was "looking into reports of a possible seismic event near North Korea's nuclear facilities." South Korea's presidential office, meanwhile, has convened an emergency security meeting in Seoul. The country "strongly condemned" the test and warned Pyongyang that it would be made to "pay the price" for ignoring international opinion. United States President Barack Obama made an emotional and passionate address on Tuesday as he called for a national 'sense of urgency' to limit the incidences of gun violence in the country. According to CNN, the President paused to wipe his tears while talking about the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. "Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad. And by the way, it happens on the streets of Chicago every day," Obama said referring to his hometown where he began his political career. Hitting out at congressional Republicans for fighting against precautionary measures, the President called on America to punish them at the polls. "Each time this comes up, we are fed the excuse that common-sense reforms like background checks might not have stopped the last massacre, or the one before that, or the one before that, so why bother trying. We know we can't stop every act of violence, every act of evil in the . But maybe we could try to stop one act of evil, one act of violence," Obama said. Asserting for a need of new and stricter gun control measures, the President said the Congress 'needs to act' "The folks in this room will not rest until Congress does. Because once Congress gets on board with common-sense gun safety measures, we can reduce gun violence a whole lot. But we also can't wait. Until we have the Congress that's in line with the majority of Americans, there are actions within my legal authority that we can take to help reduce gun violence and save more lives," he said. Asserting that Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel Shaif and the ISI are deeply complicit in the Pathankot terror attack, the Congress Party on Wednesday said there was no point in holding a dialogue with Islamabad as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif accounts for nothing in his country. Congress leader Manish Tewari said the real ruler of Pakistan is General Sharif. "Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif accounts for nothing in Pakistan, his writ doesn't run beyond Raiwind," said Tewari. "He (General Raheel Sharif) and his ISI are deeply complicit in the attack in Pathankot, the attack earlier in Gurdaspur and the terror which is being perpetrated in India since 1980," he added. Tewari while talking to ANI pointed out that the government had 'single agenda of terror' to be discussedwith Pakistan. "Foreign Secretary-level talks should be immediately abrogated. What do you want to talk to Pakistan about? You don't want trade and transit treaty with Pakistan," Tewari said. "You want only one thing that the terror should stop. If terror doesn't stop what you are going to talk to Pakistan about oranges?" he added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday received a phone call from his Pakistani counterpart, who assured him all support in Pathankot attack probe. Investigation Agency (NIA) is questioning Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh, his friend Rajesh Verma and the cook in connection with the Pathankot terror attack case. NIA has registered three cases in the probe and a 20 member team is stationed in Pathankot. NIA DG Sharad Kumar is also visiting Pathankot today to monitor the probe. Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif have announced the inauguration of 'Pakistan Single Country Exhibition 2016' to explore business potential between the two countries. Several renowned companies from Pakistan are participating in the exhibition, which will be held at the BMICH in Colombo from January 15 to 17. The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) under the patronage and support of the Sri Lankan Government is organising the largest single country exhibition, reports the Lanka Page. The major components of the exhibition will be business to business meetings and the Pakistani Food Festival. Lt Gen K.J. Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief and all ranks of Western Command, on Wednesday lauded the security agencies for the 'excellent synergy' exhibited during the combing operations during the terror attack at the Pathankot air base. "There was excellent synergy among agencies in this operation," Gen K.J. Singh told the press conference here. He also asserted that bomb disposal teams were still working and they were playing a very large role in the combing operation. When asked about the combing operations near Tibri camp in Gurdaspur, he said, "There is some information and therefore, police and army looking into it." Reports suggest that India expects Pakistan to take action against the leaders of terrorist group Jaish-e-Muhammaed, which scripted the attack on Pathankot, as a pre-condition for the talks. Lauding the valiant efforts of the security forces for defending the Pathankot air base from the fidayeen, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday said six terrorists have been neutralised so far in the combing operation, which is still on for safety purpose. The Investigation Agency (NIA) team, probing the Pathankot attack, earlier today took Gurdaspur Superintendant of Police (SP) Salwinder Singh to the spot where he was allegedly abducted by the terrorists. The NIA is questioning the Gurdaspur SP, his friend Rajesh Verma and the cook in connection with the case. The NIA has also registered three cases in the probe and a 20-member team is stationed in Pathankot. Meanwhile, BSF Director General D.K. Pathak today visited the sensitive border locations along the Punjab frontier in the wake of the Pathankot attack. Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making an unscheduled visit to Pkaistan to meet his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif, the Congress Party on Wednesday said that the former trusts 'those on the other side of the border' more than his ministers. "Looks like the Prime Minister trusts those on the other side of the border more than us even when they have betrayed us again and again. The kind of statements that our ministers have been making, it appears that the Prime Minister doesn't trust his own ministers. He should have taken opposition parties into confidence before taking such a step," Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said when asked about Nawaz Sharif calling up Prime Minister Modi to give assurance that they would act against those responsible for Pathankot attack. "Prime Minister went there (Pakistan) uninvited. Look what followed. It is the brave efforts of our soldiers that the attackers were neutralized, otherwise the loss could have been more," he added. Sharif had called up Prime Minister Modi yesterday and appreciated New Delhi for showing maturity in its statements post the terror attack on the Pathankot Airbase while asserting that terrorists were trying to disrupt the efforts to bring peace between the two countries. Sharif further assured that their government was working on the leads and information provided by the Indian Government on the Pathankot attack, adding that they would investigate the matter. The telephonic conversation takes place at a time when the Foreign Secretary-level talks with Pakistan scheduled for this month looks in serious jeopardy with strong indications that the Modi Government may call off the engagement if evidence emerges that Pakistan's state actors were complicit in the fidayeen raid on the air base. Reports suggest that India expects Pakistan to take action against the leaders of terrorist group Jaish-e-Muhammaed, which scripted the attack on Pathankot, as a pre-condition for the talks. Lauding the valiant efforts of the security forces for defending the Pathankot air base from the fidayeen, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday said six terrorists have been neutralised so far in the combing operation, which is still on for safety purpose. Expressing concern over the recent tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran after the execution of Shia scholar Sheikh Nimr al Nimr, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has said the Muslim faces grave dangers in the present situation that has risen in wake of the conflict. Aziz said that national interest would be given priority in context of the diplomatic row in Middle East and called for a peaceful resolution to the tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, reports the Dawn. Aziz advocated that Pakistan will continue to play its role to ease tensions between the two sides to promote unity among the Muslims countries. The Shiv Sena on Wednesday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre for going 'soft' on Pakistan and said that the change for which the BJP was voted to power was not visible. "People then voted for a change, they believed that something drastic would happen, they thought that some firm decisions, some firm actions would be taken against Pakistan," Shiv Sena leader Manisha Kayande told ANI. "Those who claimed to teach Pakistan a lesson, why are they going soft. People voted for a change and the change is not visible," she added. Kayande also lashed out at Prime Minister Modi for making an unscheduled visit to Pakistan last month, saying that the BJP had given a reason for Congress to attack them by inappropriately handling relations with Pakistan. Earlier, the Shiv Sena had alleged that Prime Minister Modi's 'chai' (tea) with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif cost the nation seven martyrs. Meanwhile, the Congress has accused NDA government of not being able to manage relations with Pakistan in a proper manner, adding that terrorist activities in the country had risen whenever BJP came to power at the Centre. The operation against the terrorists at the Pathankot air base entered its fifth day today as security forces continue to carry out combing operations to smoke out any remaining terrorist. The Delhi High Court has asked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government to explain as to why the Odd-Even trial should last for more than a week. The High Court has asked the city government to file a detailed account of the impact on pollution level of the new traffic rules, which were introduced on January 1. The AAP Government had declared that the first two working days since the inception of the Odd-Even scheme was a success. This will make Linea leagues ahead of its rivals with class leading performance figures! Fiat Linea - Powered By Abarth has been spied on for the first time. The Italian automaker introduced its performance brand Abarth with 595 Competizione last year. Abarth Punto and Avventura - Powered By Abarth were soon added. Now, the fourth product in the Abarth's Indian lineup would be Linea - Powered By Abarth. It was rumoured that the product was to be launched earlier. Expect to make its launch/public reveal at the upcoming 2016 Indian Expo in February. The vehicle is believed to be priced in the vicinity of Rs. 10 lacs. As it will not be an Abarth Linea like Punto, it will be called Fiat Linea - Powered By Abarth similar to that of the Avventura. The cracker under the bonnet is expected to get a similar tune like Avventura - Powered By Abarth. The specs are likely to be 140 hp @ 5,500 rpm and a max torque of 210 Nm in between 2000-4000 rpm. The engine will be mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox and it is expected to return fuel efficiency in the proximity of 17 kmpl. As it will not be an Abarth Linea, the only major visible changes to the exteriors will be in the form of Abarth Scorpion alloys! It will ride on 195/55 cross-section 16 inchers. Moreover, as seen on the spy pictures, it will also get Powered By Abarth moniker along with a rear boot mounted spoiler, similar to what Fiat had offered with limited edition Linea Elegante. Colours available are expected to be limited like Punto and Avventura. One the inside, Linea is most likely to continue with what Fiat is offering in the top-end Emotion trim. Recommended: Fiat Details Linea Replacement - Tipo Read More on : Fiat Linea Source : CarDekho The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the proposal for taking up Hybrid Annuity based Public Private Partnership (PPP) model under Namami Gange Programme which aims to reform the wastewater sector in India. Marking a paradigm shift in the implementation mode, Hybrid Annuity based Public Private Partnership (PPP) model will now be adopted to ensure performance, efficiency, viability and sustainability. In this model, a part of the capital investment (upto 40%) will be paid by government through construction linked milestones and the balance through an annuity over the contract duration upto 20 years. Keeping in view the specialized nature of this model and to scale it up in future on sustainable basis, the Government is establishing a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to plan, structure, procure concessionaires, monitor implementation of such PPP projects and develop market for treated waste water through appropriate policy advocacy under overall guidance of National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG). The SPV will be established under Indian Companies Act 2013 for providing required governance framework and enabling functional autonomy. The SPV would enter into a Tripartite Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with participating State Governments and concerned Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) for taking up individual projects. These MoAs will aim at introducing reforms and regulatory measures for recovery of user charges on Polluters Pay principle, restrictions on usage of ground & fresh water for non-potable purposes through stricter monitoring and guidelines that promote reuse of treated wastewater. The Ministry in a first of its kind has already entered into an MoU with Ministries of Railways, for purchase of treated water from STPs wherever feasible to facilitate faster market development for treated wastewater. Similar MoUs are also being worked out with other Ministries of Power, Petroleum, Industries etc. This is a futuristic step taken by the Government where the market development for treated waste water and structural reforms are complementing the projects. This will help taking up more number of projects with the same allocation as made available under Namami Gange programme with reduced financial liability in the initial years. Spreading the stakes of the private participant over the entire period of concession would ensure continued operations over long-term. Linking of performance standards with the annuities will ensure desired objective of treated water of appropriate standard. It would help gradual capacity building of the Urban Local Bodies by setting ground for recovery of user charges on Polluter Pays Principle. Development of the market for treated water will lead to reduced demand on riverine fresh-water and will result in enhanced flows in river Ganga. These steps would also kick-start the process of responsible use of water in general and go a long way in mitigating the projected water shortage in the country. Background: It had been observed that benefits accrued from substantial investments made under various past programmes (Ganga Action Plan I & II, NGRBA, Yamuna Action Plan) were less than optimal. According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), almost 30% of the Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) monitored in the 4 states of UP, Uttarakhand, Bihar & West Bengal were not operational and 94% were non-compliant with the prescribed effluent standards. Cabinet's approval addresses the above issues that acted as road blocks for all previous efforts to clean river Ganga. The approval paves the road ahead for complete reform in the wastewater sector in India, implementation of projects in a fast track mode and ensure effective utilisation of funds released under 100% funded 'Namami Gange' - central sector scheme. Powered by Capital Market - Live News Premier Explosives rose 13.16% to Rs 467.70 at 10:42 IST on BSE after the company said it signed a memorandum of understanding with Israel Aerospace Industries for exploring potential business opportunities. The announcement was made during trading hours today, 6 January 2016. Meanwhile, the BSE Sensex was down 41.39 points, or 0.16%, to 25,538.95. On BSE, so far 1.01 lakh shares were traded in the counter, compared with an average volume of 35,205 shares in the past one quarter. The stock hit a high of Rs 475 and a low of Rs 410 so far during the day. The stock hit a 52-week high of Rs 503 on 16 July 2015. The stock hit a 52-week low of Rs 221.40 on 17 March 2015. The stock had outperformed the market over the past one month till 5 January 2016, rising 4.82% compared with 0.23% decline in the Sensex. The scrip had also outperformed the market in past one quarter, rising 16.82% as against Sensex's 4.50% fall. The small-cap company has an equity capital of Rs 8.86 crore. Face value per share is Rs 10. Net profit of Premier Explosives rose 8% to Rs 1.89 crore on 14.63% rise in net sales to Rs 40.27 crore in Q2 September 2015 over Q2 September 2014. Premier Explosives (PEL) is one of the major companies in India manufacturing the entire range of commercial explosives and accessories for the civil requirement. Currently, PEL is only Indian private entity designing, developing and manufacturing solid propellants for Indian missiles viz. Akash, Astra, etc. Powered by Capital Market - Live News Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan is still the brand ambassador of Incredible India, the government said on Wednesday. The tourism ministry issued the clarification following reports in a section of the media that Aamir had been removed as the ambassador of the campaign aimed at promoting tourism in the country. "In response to certain news reports, about Aamir Khan, the ministry of tourism clarifies there is no change in the stand of the ministry in this matter," the statement read. The ministry said it had a contractual agreement with creative agency McCann Worldgroup to produce a social awareness campaign and this featured Aamir, one of Bollywood's most popular names. The actor-producer came under criticism in November after his comments on "growing despondency" in India. Megastar Amitabh Bachchan is set to feature in National Award-winning Bengali director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury's first Hindi film titled "Eve". The movie is expected to go on floors early this year here, says its creative producer Shoojit Sircar. "I will be the creative producer of the film. Tony (the director) is a friend. The cast is yet to be finalised. Only Mr. Bachchan has been confirmed. It will be Tony's first Hindi film. It's a social thriller and will be shot in Delhi," Sircar told IANS. "The film is based in Delhi. It's a very important film in today's time. The shooting will begin early this year. We are planning to get the film on the floor around February or March," Sircar, who had also produced Bengali film "Aparajita Tumi", helmed by Chowdhury, told IANS. The team is still "figuring out" the release date of the film, directed by Chowdhury, who is known for movies like "Anuranan" and "Antaheen". Amitabh and Sircar have earlier worked together for "Piku". Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said on Wednesday said some anti Pak-India elements want to sabotage the dialogue process between New Delhi and Islamabad through acts like the Pathankot air base attack but they would not succeed in their nefarious designs. Indian leadership has not levelled any allegation on Islamabad regarding the Pathankot airbase terror attack, Radio Pakistan quoted Asif as saying. He said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in a telephonic contact have agreed that a cordial relationship was the most appropriate response to the terrorists. Pakistan itself was a victim of terrorism and fighting a successful war against the menace, he said. The terrorist attack on the Indian Air Force base in Punjab's Pathankot town left at least seven security personnel and six terrorists killed. The Indian Army's role in the counter offensive against terrorists who attacked the Pathankot air base was not a limited one, a top army commander said on Wednesday. "That is not correct that the army's role was limited," Western Command chief Lt. Gen. K.J. Singh said at the Chandimandir command headquarters near here. "The first contact was by DSC and Garuds. The DSC fought bravely and one of them killed a terrorist and he was shot by another terrorist. "The second contact was by an army column. Thereafter, they were localised and the NSG neutralised them. The third and final contact was gained by army. This was a joint operation by special forces, Garuds and NSG," the army commander said. He said the army's bomb disposal teams played a large role in the operations. There has been criticism of the central government in dealing with the air base attack, especially in sending the National Security Guard (NSG) to deal with the terrorists. Experts have pointed out that trained army units, who were available at the nearby Mamoon Army cantonment, which is the largest cantonment in the country and has over 50,000 trained personnel, should have been used in the counter operations as they have experience in dealing with terrorists and knew the topography of the place quite well. Justifying the long time, nearly four days, for the operation to eliminate all six terrorists who had entered the Pathankot air base in a pre-dawn attack on Saturday (January 2), Lt. Gen. Singh said a huge area had to be searched and sanitised. "The operation took time as it was a huge area. Everything has to be sanitised," he said. "The total contact period was only 10-11 hours. You should use stop-watch method in this. In the rest of period, the terrorists remained dormant. We were trying to gain contact," he said. Citing a situation during the operation, the army commander said two of the terrorists had entered a double storey structure and troops, who were on the first floor of the same building, had to be brought out safely. He said the probe into the attack by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will trace the entire route and timing of the terrorists. Located at the northernmost tip of northeast Indian, Arunachal Pradesh, was fortunately, shielded from major impacts of the deadly Manipur earthquake because of its geography and geology, said experts, cautioning against complacency. They say lessons must be learnt from the disaster to build site-specific quake-resilient structures. Famous for its biodiversity, Arunachal Pradesh, sharing international borders with Myanmar, China and Bhutan, was perhaps the least affected when a 6.7-magnitude temblor along the Indo-Myanmar border jolted India's northeast and east and neighbours Myanmar, Bhutan and Bangladesh. At least eight people were killed and more than 120 injured in the Manipur temblor that affected its other northeast sisters including Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Sikkim and Nagaland. A six-storey under-construction building toppled in Manipur's capital Imphal where the iconic Mothers' Market also took a hit. "Arunachal was outside a 50 km radius range from the epicentre at Manipur's Tamenglong region. In addition, the geology in Arunachal Pradesh is different," B.K. Rastogi, former director general of Gandhinagar-based Institute of Seismological Research (ISR) told IANS. The soil in Manipur's quake-hot areas is alluvial which magnified the seismic waves, but most of Arunachal is rocky which doesn't have similar amplification effects, explained Rastogi. Common principles of geography and energy distribution played a key role in the state escaping the disaster. "As the distance from the epicenter increases there is an equal decrease in the energy released and subsequently a decrease in the effect. "This is one of the factors why Arunachal Pradesh did not see damage during the Monday's quake," Gibji Nimasow, a professor in the geography department of the Rajiv Gandhi University, Arunachal Pradesh, told IANS. Manipur bore the brunt of the temblor, which struck at 4.35 am and left a trail of devastation in the region: at least four people were injured in southern Assam, walls of some residences and other buildings cracked in Tripura, Mizoram and Nagaland where the intensity was strong. IIT-Guwahati's Chandan Mahanta pointed out the quake was distinguishable from other temblors in the region because of its duration (more than 30-plus seconds) but Arunachal, home to the great Indian hornbills, was lucky time-wise too. "While the first quake was only for a second in Arunachal Pradesh, the second quake on Monday lasted for few seconds, less than a minute, which saved the state from disaster," Nimasow elaborated. While the magnitude of the tremor was 6.7 in Manipur and Assam, it slumped below 6 in Arunachal, said Nimasow. "The potential to cause damage was low as the temblor's intensity was less," disaster management coordinator for UNDP project Sarat Das, told IANS, from Tripura, adding the quake was classified as a moderate intensity one. According to the USGS, moderate to large earthquakes in the region around northeast India, where the subcontinent collides with the Eurasia plate, are fairly common. India's northeast region is considered the world's sixth most earthquake-prone belt. In the last 100 years, some 19 other quakes greater than magnitude-6 have occurred within a 250 km range from the site of Monday's temblor. The largest was a magnitude-8 quake in 1946. But northeast India has not learnt its lessons yet despite its vulnerability, lamented Durgesh C Rai, of IIT-Kanpur's National Information Centre of Earthquake Engineering. "Copying building designs from other cities for modernisation is not right. Buildings in earthquake prone regions should be according to the site-specific codes," Rai told IANS. (Sahana Ghosh can be contacted at sahana.g@ians.in) --indo Asian News Service sgh-ah-sc/vm The official Twitter account of the Australian navy's senior advisor on Islamic affairs has been shut down, days after an anti-Islamic political party complained about tweets that were critical of the party, a media report said. Captain Mona Shindy, who also heads the navy's guided missile frigate system programme office in Canberra, has been counselled and her social network account was shut down some time before Christmas after the Australian Liberty Alliance (ALA) said it had written to the chief of defence complaining of its content, The Canberra Times reported on Wednesday. Captain Shindy is a 26-year veteran and until recently tweeted from the @navyislamic Twitter account as part of her outreach work to encourage Muslims to join the defence force, but ran into trouble after tweeting comments at odds with government policy. Defence personnel are banned from expressing political views in an official capacity. But the Twitter account published tweets critical of Tony Abbott during and after his prime ministership. In a tweet after Malcolm Turnbull claimed the prime ministership from Tony Abbott, Captain Shindy wrote, "#QANDA @TurbullMalcolm talking #islam looking forward to a PM that unites #auspol & #OZ." She also retweeted a comment by counter-terrorism expert Anne Aly that read: "Wait. Did our new PM just give a speech and not mention boats, death cult, security, death cult, terrorism, national security and death cult?" "It is completely unacceptable for an official Defence Twitter account to criticise any registered political party in Australia. This is military interference in Australia's democratic political process. It must stop," ALA president Debbie Robinson said. In a statement to media outlets, Defence said the @navyislamic account was shut down in an attempt to "consolidate" the navy's social media platforms. Captain Shindy has won a government and academia award for her dedication pushing diversity and cultural change in defence. Bangladesh, Brazil and the Maldives on Wednesday joined the list of countries that have condemned the terror attack on the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot that claimed the lives of seven security personnel. "Bangladesh FM (Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood) writes to EAM (External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj), strongly condemns the #PathankotAttack, says that it firmly stands beside India in fight against terrorism," external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted. In another tweet, he said Brazil and Maldives were also among the countries that condemned the attack and expressed their condolences. At least seven security personnel lost their lives and six terrorists were killed following Saturday's audacious attack on the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot. Priti Patel, Britain's minister for employment and Prime Minister David Cameron's Indian champion, will be on a three-day visit to India from January 7 during which she will take part in the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) here. The British Indian politician, who will visit Ahmedabad, Kolkata and New Delhi from January 7 to 9, will be the first British minister to visit India in 2016, the British High Commission said in a statement on Wednesday. "Her visit aims to build on the momentum created by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the UK in November 2015," it said. Patel, according to the statement, will focus on strengthening people-to-people and cultural ties, and on expanding business links between Britain and India. "She will also extend the UK's commitment to support Prime Minister Modi's Skills India project and formally open the United Kingdom's newest diplomatic mission in India," it stated. In a statement, Patel said: "Prime Minister Modi's historic visit to the UK showcased the successful collaboration between the world's oldest democracy and the world's largest democracy, and it truly marked a new era in our relationship." "It provided a genuine opportunity for our two great nations to come together to deepen our existing bonds in business, trade, education, defence, security, culture and much more and in every walk of life our cooperation is creating skills and opportunities for our people. I am delighted to be visiting India this week to build on this momentum and progress." Patel will begin her visit in Gujarat, where she will inaugurate the new British deputy high commission in Ahmedabad. This will be the seventh British deputy high commission in India, the country with the largest British diplomatic network. She will meet Gujarat Governor O.P. Kohli, parliament member Devusinh Chauhan and BJP youth leader Amit Thaker, according to the high commission. Britain is the largest source of foreign direct investment into Gujarat and during her discussions with state government officials, Patel will discuss how bilateral trade and investment, innovation, technology and cultural ties between Gujarat and Britain can be enhanced. In Kolkata, she will speak at the inauguration of the Bengal Global Business Summit and meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to take forward Bengal-Britain business and cultural ties. While in Kolkata, she will also launch the "Roadmap on Low-Carbon and Climate-Resilient Kolkata Strategy". Britain and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation have been collaborating for two years to prepare this strategy paper, which aims to create a "Future Climate Smart Kolkata", the statement said. The roadmap contains recommendations across 20 sectors, including disaster management, health, low-carbon procurement, resource conservation and use of solar energy. In New Delhi, Patel will participate in the launch of the new UK-India Skills Pledge agreed during Modi's visit to Britain. Eleven British companies have committed to support skills development in India. They are: HSBC, Barclays, BG Group, Rolls Royce, OCS, Mott Macdonald, G4S, BP, Aviva, M&S, GSK. "These British companies currently train around 350,000 people in India and invest around 12.7 million pounds ($18.6 million) in training both to meet internal training requirements and as part of our wide ranging CSR programmes," the statement said. "By 2020, they expect to train 670,000 people and invest around 25 million pounds in skills training in India," it added. While in Delhi, Patel will participate in this year's edition of the PBD, the annual conference of the Indian diaspora, to be held from January 8 to 10. This year's PBD is being planned differently with an objective of developing a new paradigm for engagement with the over the next decade, according to an official statement. After the inaugural session, there will be a plenary session, with Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Sushma Swaraj and union ministers and chief ministers of states attending it. Participation in the PBD this year is through invitation only and not through online registration as was the practice. There would be an attempt to do an expert study on various issues concerning the and areas of mutual benefit to India and to them, which would help making new policies for the benefit of India and the diaspora. The traditional PBD conference will be held every alternative year, with a partner state and the next such convention will be held in 2017. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday approved the closure of three Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) companies -- HMT Watches, HMT Chinar Watches and HMT Bearings. "With a cash assistance of Rs 427.48 crore, the three loss making subsidiaries of HMT Ltd. namely HMT Watches Ltd., HMT Chinar Watches Ltd., HMT Bearings Ltd., will attain closure after separation of about a thousand employees through attractive VRS/VSS and settlement of their dues," the CCEA said in a statement. The employees will receive Voluntary Retirement Schemes (VRS) at 2007 payscales. The movable and immovable assets of the three companies will be disposed of according to government policy, the statement added. Of the 31 Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSE) operating in manufacturing, consultancy and contracting services, only 12 are making profits while the remaining 19 are incurring losses. Each and every loss making CPSE is appraised and assessed to check the feasibility of revival and return to profit by the department of heavy industries. "As a part of this exercise, the loss making CPSEs having the potential of turnaround are revived and those found chronically sick are disinvested or closed down after payment of due compensation to employees," the statement said. State-run diversified manufacturing company HMT posted a stand-alone loss of Rs.24.25 crore in Q2 2015-16. The watch subsidiary of HMT, with 1,004 employees, has two factories in Bengaluru, one at Tumkur, 70 km from Bengaluru, and another at Ranibagh. The Chinar unit, with 31 employees, has a defunct factory at Srinagar in Kashmir and an assembly unit at Jammu, while the bearing arm has 56 employees. In October 2015, during the German Chancellor Angela Merkel's state visit to India, HMT was one of the five Indian companies which forged collaboration with German companies. HMT inked an agreement with Fraunhofer in the field of machine tools. The union cabinet on Wednesday gave an ex-post-facto approval to a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between India and Bangladesh for setting up 'Border Haats', an official statement said. The Border Haats aim at establishing a traditional system of marketing local produce thorough local markets in local currency or barter basis, thereby promoting the well-being of the people dwelling in remote areas across the boundary of the two countries. Though not significant as a percentage of bilateral trade, these measures help to improve economic well-being of marginalised sections of society. An agreement was reached in 2010 to establish Border Haats at selected areas, including on the Meghalaya border, to allow trade in specified products and in accordance with the regulations agreed and notified by both governments. To implement the same, an MoU and the mode of operation of Border Haats was signed on October 23, 2010. Subsequently, an addendum to the mode of operation was signed on May 15, 2012. Border Haats are already operational at Kalaichar and Balat (Meghalaya-Bangladesh border), and Kamlasagar and Srinagar (Tripura-Bangladesh border). In addition, both the governments agreed to further establish two Border Haats in Tripura and four Border Haats in Meghalaya on the Bangladesh border. As per the MoU, new areas will also be identified for Border Haats. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Wednesday told the Delhi High Court that call drops are a likely result of "lack of investment" by telecom companies in network infrastructure like mobile towers. A division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath was told that the petitioners (telecom firms) "have failed to keep the investments commensurate with the pace of increase in usage and the growth in number of subscribers being added by them" The court was hearing a plea of telecom operators for a stay on TRAI's compensation policy for call drops, under which a rupee will be credited to the mobile users' account for every call drop (restricted to three per day) starting January 1, 2016. Companies had termed TRAI's October 16 order as contradictory and destructive and sought its quashing. TRAI refuted the claim of the telecom firms that they would incur huge losses if the compensation rule was implemented "The total financial implication on service providers was likely to be not more than Rs.800 crore per annum" which would be 0.75 per cent of their Adjusted Gross Revenue of Rs.1,38,566 crores for the year 2014-15, it said. "The investment made in the infrastructure (other than radio spectrum) in wireless access service segment rose by only 4.6 percent from Rs.2,02,399 crore in the financial year 2012-2013 to Rs.2,11,691 crore in the financial y ear 2013-2014," the affidavit said. "During this period the minutes of usage (MOU) grew by 6.8 percent and the data usage grew by more than 100 percent. Clearly, the investment has not kept pace with the usage," it added. TRAI said it cannot permit telecom firms to "ignore the quality of service of voice calls, which continues to be the primary service for the telecom consumers". It also said in its affidavit that the telcos have to compensate a consumer only when the call originates from its network and is dropped within its network. The court would hear the case on January 7. The central government on Wednesday approved financial assistance for drought affected states from the National Disaster Relief Fund, officials said. Home Minister Rajnath Singh chaired a high-level committee meeting here to discuss the situation in drought-affected states like Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana. The committee granted monetary assistance to all states except Telangana as it deferred its decision about the state till next week. Andhra Pradesh was allocated Rs.433.77 crore, Odisha got Rs.815 crore while Uttar Pradesh got Rs.1,304.52 crore to deal with the situation. The committee examined proposals based on reports of the central team which visited the affected states. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, NITI Aayog vice chairman Arvind Panagariya, union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and other senior government officials attended the meeting. Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Wednesday asked the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) to spell out its liquor policy and "stop playing hide and seek". "This policy has been hanging fire and was being debated for so long. Even the Supreme Court has given our policy a clean chit, but the CPI-M, which was blaming us all the while, says they will spell their policy later," Chandy told reporters here. "Why are they hesitant to spell out what their policy would be," he said. Chandy was responding to Kerala CPI-M secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan's statement on Tuesday that they have not decided on what would be their liquor policy as it has to be discussed in the Left Democratic Front (LDF). Last month, the Supreme Court upheld the state policy to restrict service and consumption of liquor at bars only in five-star hotels. Under the policy, the sale and consumption of liquor at the bars in non-five star hotels is prohibited and as a result, more than 700 bars, which were expected to open, have now been shut permanently. China and Britain issued a statement on Syria issue, agreeing to advance counter-terrorism and a political settlement in parallel. The statement was issued on Tuesday after the talks between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his British counterpart Philip Hammond, Xinhua reported. The two countries voted in favour of the recent UN Security Council Resolution 2254 on Syria, and confirmed their support for a national ceasefire as set out in the resolution, said the statement. They will continue to engage actively in the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) and work with countries from around the region to ensure a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition based on the 2012 Geneva Communique, according to the statement. China and Britain said the Syrian people will decide the future of their country, with the UN playing the role as the main mediator. They expressed deep concern over the continued suffering of the Syrian people and the deteriorating humanitarian situation following the conflict, which had already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions of people. There are 13.5 million Syrians in need of humanitarian assistance, said the statement. The two countries will attend a conference in February with other 60 countries to discuss offering immediate assistance to Syrian people, including responding to the UN's urgent request for further funding. "Both our countries face threats from terrorism, and have a shared interest in defeating all terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq as designated by the UN Security Council," said the statement. They stressed continued support for efforts to tackle terrorism and its root causes in the Middle East and North Africa regions and elsewhere, including the ongoing conflict in Syria, according to the statement. "A political settlement is the only right way out of the Syrian crisis and is in the fundamental interests of the Syrian people. We will make unremitting effort to achieve this goal," Wang said at a joint press conference with Hammond. The world does not lack the ability or resources for the use of force, but steadfast determination and action for a political solution, Wang said. "The path leading to a political settlement may be difficult, but it is an effective tool to fundamentally resolve the problem," he said. China will continue to play a constructive role in its own way, Wang added. China opposes the latest nuclear test conducted by North Korea, a Chinese foreign ministry statement said on Wednesday. The ministry made the statement after North Korea announced on Wednesday that it has successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb test, Xinhua reported. "China is steadfast in its position that the Korean Peninsula should be denuclearised and nuclear proliferation be prevented to maintain peace and stability in Northeast Asia," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said. China strongly urges North Korea to honour its commitment to de-nuclearisation, and to cease any action that may deteriorate the situation, Hua said. "The peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia meet the common interests of all concerned." China is determined to advance de-nuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula, and settle the nuclear issue through the six-party talks, Hua said. Trade volume between China and Russia could stop declining and begin increasing on a yearly basis in 2016, a spokesman for the commerce ministry said on Wednesday. "The foundation of China-Russia economic and trade cooperation is solid. The two countries will make efforts to buoy declining bilateral trade," Xinhua cited ministry spokesman Shen Danyang as saying. China-Russia trade volume fell 29.3 percent year on year in the first 11 months of 2015 to $61.3 billion. Shen attributed the decline mainly to external factors, including sluggish global demand and weak commodity prices, particularly crude oil. "The two countries will innovate cooperation patterns and raise trade facilitation levels to reverse the downward trend as soon as possible," said the spokesman. There were "bright spots" in China-Russia economic and trade cooperation in 2015, he said. China continued to be Russia's largest trading partner in 2015 and bilateral trade accounted for 12 percent of Russia's foreign trade in 2015, up from 11.3 percent in 2014. China's import of crude oil and iron ore, among other major commodities from Russia, maintained double-digit growth. Cooperation projects in energy, nuclear power, aviation, spaceflight, high-speed railway and infrastructure made progress. Last month, the two governments signed a memorandum and agreed on 15 pro-trade measures. "Thanks to these efforts, favourable factors are building up," said Shen. China's first lawsuit on same-sex marriage rights has been accepted by a local court in Changsha, Hunan Province, marking a milestone for LGBT rights in the country, the media reported on Wednesday. Plaintiff Sun Wenlin (pseudonym), a gay man, told the Global Times that the court accepted his suit against a civil affairs bureau in Furong district for not accepting his marriage registration application. Sun filed the case on December 16, 2015, after his marriage registration application was turned down by an official who said that only "one man and one woman" can be registered as married. Sun claimed that local police also visited his home after he filed the case, which has gained a high profile and has been hailed by many LGBT - lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender - activists online. "The officer kept emphasising that it is important to have a child to carry on one's family name, but I can't abide by people imposing their values on me," Sun added. "The original text of the Marriage Law does not say one man and one woman, but a husband and a wife. I personally believe that this term refers not only to heterosexual couples but also to same-sex couples," he said. The court is expected to hand down a ruling on the case within six months. China has legalised LGBT since 1997. Transsexuals are allowed to change legal gender, but only after sex reassignment surgery. The Congress on Wednesday expelled its Chhattisgarh legislator Amit Jogi, son of former chief minister Ajit Jogi, for six years for indulging in anti-party activities. The junior Jogi later said he would challenge his expulsion as the party is not anybody's "Bapoti" (personal property). The expulsion came in the wake of revelations about Amit Jogi's alleged role in fixing the Antagarh by-election in 2014. The decision was taken during a meet of the Congress state unit in Raipur that also approved a proposal to suspend his father and senior Congress leader Ajit Jogi. Chhattisgarh Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel said the party had acted, and it was now the Bharatiya Janata Party's turn to act against those involved in the "murder of democracy" in Antagarh. "The proposal to expel Ajit Jogi was also passed. Since this right is beyond the domain of the state Congress, the proposal to expel him will be sent to All India Congress Committee (AICC)," he said. Amit Jogi, a legislator from Marwahi, voiced disappointment. "I am hurt. The decision to expel me without proving the allegations against me is biased and unfair," he said. "I will exercise my right to appeal under Rule 8 of Article 9 of the party's constitution. I have full faith in the party's leadership." Just after he was expelled, some sitting and former legislators came in the open, extending their support to the Jogis. A large number supporters of Amit Jogi's supporters gathered outside his bungalow. After being expelled, Amit Jogi said: "Congress is not anyone's 'Bapoti' (personal property). " He said he would challenge the party's decision in All India Congress Committee (AICC) as he has three weeks for that. He said he was hurt by the decision. "It is a success of people of the Samanti and Zamindari system and defeat of the Dalit and oppressed tribal. Without conducting any probe, and evidence, this decision is flawed and unjustifiable. I will continue to raise voice for the poor." "According to our constitution I have the right to appeal. I have full faith in Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi. I have full confidence that I would get justice," he added. The Congress had earlier issued notice to Amit Jogi over purported conversations that suggested that financial inducement was offered to the party candidate to make him withdraw from the fray in the by-election to the Antagarh assembly seat in 2014. It also demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Raman Singh and a probe into the issue by a Supreme Court judge. The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the city government whether it can limit the 15-day odd-even number car regulation scheme to a week, saying it has caused inconvenience to people. The government said it was earlier decided that the scheme, which has received overwhelming response since its beginning on January 1, will be tried for 15 days to evaluate its impact. It said vehicular pollution has indeed come down due to success of the scheme, the facts of which the government would put before the court on January 8. "Is it really necessary to have it for two weeks (15 days)? Can't it be confined to eight days? Can you end it on Friday? People are facing inconvenience. Take instructions," said a division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath to the government. The bench asked the government to submit the data on air pollution it has collected in a week during implementation of the odd-even scheme. "It was a pilot project. You must have data (on air pollution) with you now. Show us how much the pollution has reduced. The people of Delhi supported you despite inconvenience. There is no adequate public transport," it added. In December, after the high court called Delhi a "gas chamber", the Aam Aadmi Party government decided to implement the scheme which allows odd- and even-numbered cars to ply on alternate dates. Talking to reporters later, Delhi Transport Minister Gopal Rai said there was 30-35 percent reduction in the vehicular emissions in the first five days of the scheme. He said the government decided to run the scheme for 15 days because it wanted "to have sufficient data and experience". Green activists expressed dismay over the questioning by the court. "The government must not be stopped from doing this," Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director at Centre for Science and Environment, told IANS. "In a time when your (pollution) levels are hitting levels like 300-400, the solution cannot work like a magic bullet that it comes down to 60," she added. "But what these measures are going to help you to do is bring down the steep levels and lower levels of the toxicity of the pollution," she said. "What inconvenience? These are the best days in so many years in Delhi. We are saving time, saving fuel. We are not stuck in traffic jams," she added. The court, while hearing 12 PILs challenging the Delhi government's decision on the odd-even scheme, also asked why diesel cabs were still plying on roads despite a ban. Advocate Rahul Mehra, appearing for the Delhi government, defended the decision of continuing with the odd-even scheme for 15 days, saying the data collected till now shows decrease in pollution levels. Meanwhile, in a status report submitted to the court, the government defended its decision to exempt two-wheelers from the scheme. "In case of two-wheelers, pooling would have been a limited option and it was expected that around 60-70 percent of population would have to resort to public transport. The present available public transport infrastructure is not sufficient to cater to such a huge demand," it said. The status report said the reduction in the number of four-wheelers helps decrease the congestion on roads "which has a positive effect on vehicular pollution control". A 32-year-old Delhi Police constable with the anti-terrorist unit died after a bullet accidentally fired from his own AK-47 assault rifle pierced his jaw here on Wednesday morning during a raid conducted by his unit to arrest a criminal, police said. Anand Khatri, who was transferred to the Special Cell around two months ago from the traffic police, suffered the injury around 5.40 a.m. in Rohini Sector 21 during the raid carried out to arrest Ashok alias Sonu Pandit, a member of the Ravinder Bholu gang. Ashok was reportedly involved in half a dozen cases of murder, robbery and other crime. The 30-year-old Ashok, who carried a bounty of Rs.20,000 on his arrest, was arrested. "Khatri accidentally shot himself with his own AK-47 rifle... He was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead," Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Arvind Deep told IANS. "Khatri lost control while scaling down a wall of the building which was raided by a team of our officers. The AK-47 he was carrying accidentally went off and a bullet pierced his jaw and came out through his head," the officer said. He said Khatri was part of a team of Special Cell officers who carried out the raid. Khatri lived in west Delhi's Najafgarh area. Swedish multinational provider of communication technology Ericsson has collaborated with American telecommunication giant AT&T to build smart, sustainable cities using Internet of Things (IoT) innovations in the US. The alliance will deploy information and communications technology (ICT) to improve citizens' lives where they work and play. "Ericsson is a global leader with the proven software platforms and technology needed to develop smart cities, making them an ideal fit in this effort," Mike Zeto, general manager of smart cities, AT&T IoT solutions, said in a statement. "Together we can help cities enhance the lives of their citizens by saving them money, conserving energy, improving quality of life and further engaging with residents," Zeto added. The alliance will support AT&T's new smart cities framework, which is aimed at helping cities better serve their citizens and would work with local US universities to build smart city environments called "spotlight cities." The framework will be deployed in many US cities with a focus on infrastructure, citizen engagement, transportation and public safety. "Our collaboration with AT&T will help create the cities of the future in which citizens are safer, healthier and better prepared to handle the challenges of daily life. We must determine how to integrate disparate infrastructure for the common benefit of society," Orvar Hurtig, head of Industry & Society at Ericsson, said on the alliance. Ericsson will help to establish smart, sustainable cities by connecting the 100 cities in the world with 4G/LTE and enabling intelligent infrastructure connectivity. Ericsson will also invest in safety, transportation and utilities/energy sectors. The company will also deploy research and sustainability life cycle approach to understand what citizen, business and society value public transportation, inclusion in city planning and smart sustainable city services bring to develop the solutions for tomorrow. The companies on Wednesday also announced field trials for Connected Water solutions in Atlanta, a city in US state of Georgia, to remotely monitor the quality of the city's water from Chattahoochee river basin. Ericsson is present at the four-day International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that starts from January 6 in Las Vegas. A three-member team of experts arrived here on Wednesday to examine the buildings damaged in Monday's earthquake that left eight people dead. The team from the Industrial Training Institute at Roorkee will examine market complexes at New Market and Laxmi Market here that suffered damages in the 6.7-magnitude quake that also injured some 120 people. The team will remain here till January 11 and will decide if the buildings need renovation or should be demolished for new construction. The Manipur government has blamed the Buildings Construction Corp (NBCC), under the union ministry of urban development, for poor quality construction. State minister K Ratan and Chief Secretary O Nabakishore said the state government had no role in the construction of the complexes. T Chaoba, the Bharatiya Janata Party president in Manipur, has demanded a CBI probe into the matter. A health department team is also visiting the interior areas and treating the injured. A four-day-long 'The Golden Crust' food and beverage conclave commenced here on Wednesday. Presented by The Oberoi Group, the conclave is being held at The Oberoi, Gurgaon. It will see pastry chefs from all Trident and Oberoi Hotels in India, and popular patisserie experts from the US and Germany discussing various topics on pastry and baking. An interactive session on entremets and chocolate application will be conducted by Chef Anil Rohira, who is currently the corporate pastry chef for Felchlin Switzerland. Chef Kriti Walia of Cupolicious, Germany will interact with the group's chefs on conceptualising, designing, and making wedding cakes. Sessions on laminated and artisan breads will be held by international baking expert Chef Peter Yuen, owner of the celebrated La Patisserie P in Chicago. The Oberoi Group president Kapil Chopra said in a statement: "'The Golden Crust' is the second of the six culinary conclaves that we have initiated as a part of our food and beverage conclave. "It is a privilege to have experts from across the world travel to India and share their experience with us. We also appreciate all our chefs for their enthusiasm and look forward to a very successful and insightful second edition of the conclave." The initiative is being spearheaded by Chopra and led by Jay Rathore, vice president and general manager, The Oberoi, New Delhi, David Mathews, general manager, The Oberoi, Gurgaon, and Nitesh Gandhi, general manager, Trident, Gurgaon along with chef Rohit Gambhir, chef Ravitej Nath and chef Parvinder Bali from The Oberoi Group. Chef Rohit Gambhir, executive chef, The Oberoi, New Delhi said: "The food and beverage conclave is a unique initiative from The Oberoi Group to delve into finer nuances of gastronomy." As Gajendra Chauhan gets ready to take charge as Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) chairman on Thursday, its students are planning a protest at the campus here. The actor and BJP member says he only wants to focus on doing his "job". On Thursday, Chauhan will chair his first FTII Society meeting. "We will be finalising the governing council and then other agenda will be discussed," Chauhan told IANS. Chauhan, best known for essaying the role of 'Yudhishthir' in B.R. Chopra's "Mahabharat" and has also featured in small roles in various films like "Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge" and "Baghban", was appointed as FTII chairman on June 9, 2015. His appointment was followed by a series of protests by students and celebrated alumni of the Pune-based premier film institute. Students had even gone on an indefinite strike on June 12 as they questioned his professional credibility to lead the institute due to lack of "stature" and "vision". The students withdrew the strike in October after 139 days. Now Chauhan is joining office after seven months of his appointment. For his first day in office, the students are once again planning protests. FTII Students' Association president Harishankar Nachimuthu told IANS: "He (Chauhan) is coming... that is confirmed, but we have not got any official intimation. There will be protests obviously, but we have not decided other things. There will be some protest at the campus tomorrow (Thursday)." On his part, Chauhan is not hassled by the protests as he notes "it's about fulfilling the responsibility". "I have been ordered by the government, and I will do my job. Let me go there and see. I can't comment on what they will do, but I am ready to do my job." Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday said that the government is open to all pilot projects for experimentation in India. "As a minister I am open to all the pilot projects for experimentations. All the new technology projects should be given equal opportunity for exploration," the minister said while addressing a seminar organised by the National Institute of Communication Finance on spectrum management. Asked whether the government is ready to provide airwaves to the players for pilot projects, he said: "The decision of spectrum allocation will be taken after we finally approve their experimentation results." Last month, Google's chief executive Sundar Pichai met Prasad during his visit, and the search-engine giant had reached in-principle agreement with the Indian government for its research and development project, Loon, which is aimed at providing internet connectivity in rural India. "I have proposed Google partner with the (state-owned telecommunications company) Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited for the pilot project," Prasad had said. Pichai's announcements were part of the assurance Google held out to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to its headquarters at Mountain View, Santa Clara, California, in September 2015. Mentioning that spectrum is a scarce resource, the minister said its optimal usage is important. Prasad said when he took over as the minister, allowing spectrum trading and sharing and identifying the defence spectrum bands were the most challenging tasks but all these issues were addressed last year. He said liberalisation of spectrum guidelines will be finalised soon. About spectrum auctioning, he said the present challenge in front of the government is "making auction architecture more liberal". India is keen to develop trade and economy besides people-to-people relations with all its neighbours, including Bangladesh, union Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said here on Wednesday. "The Indian government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keen to develop all types of connectivities with all neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh, to boost trade, economy and people-to-people relations," Sitharaman said after inaugurating the Integrated Development Complex (IDC) at Srimantapur in western Tripura along the border with Bangladesh. "India would construct a bridge over the Feni river to connect the northeastern state of Tripura with the Chittagong international sea port in southeast Bangladesh to accelerate trade, economy besides connectivity," she said. Sitharaman said she would talk to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to sanction Rs.101 crore to build the bridge at the earliest. "After construction of the bridge, Tripura would become the gateway to northeast India and southeast Asian countries," she said. "The government has taken steps to develop road, rail, water and air connectivity with the neighbouring countries. With good physical linkages, India wants to further develop all types of relations with the adjoining countries," she said. Tripura's industries and commerce department director V.G. Jenner said the IDC at Srimantapur, about 50 km south of Agartala, has been developed at a cost of Rs.16 crore provided by the union commerce and industry ministry. The IDC earlier functioned as a Land Customs Station (LCS) and an important trading point between India and Bangladesh. Tripura currently has seven LCSs functional along the India-Bangladesh border. The IDC, built on 2.86 acres of land, is a miniature Integrated Check Post being constructed by India along Bangladesh and Myanmar border to boost trade and business. The IDC at Srimantapur has all basic modern facilities like customs, immigration, banking with currency exchange facility, warehouse and public utility services. Sitharaman, who earlier met Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and discussed issues related to development of infrastructure along the Bangladesh border, said that due to constraints of funds, the North East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy (NEIIPP) was suspended in December 2014. "We would examine all possibilities to revive the NEIIPP to boost growth of industries in the northeastern region. I would personally discuss the issue with the finance minister," she added. To promote industrialisation in the northeast, the union government announced the NEIIPP in 2007 and many incentives and exemptions were incorporated in the policy. Tripura Industries and Commerce Minister Tapan Chakraborty said the state government had submitted various proposals valued at Rs.2.5 crore to the union ministry to develop infrastructure along the Bangladesh border to boost trade and economy. Sarkar and other officials also spoke at the IDC inaugural function. India has set an ambitious target of generating 100,000 MW of solar energy by 2022 but does not have the technology to process sand into silicon, forcing its import in huge quantities, a top scientist said. "As silicon is not produced in the country, we are totally import-dependent for it. Though we have plenty of sand as raw material, we don't have the technology to process it into silicon wafers for solar cells or panels," former Atomic Energy Commission chairman Srikumar Banerjee told IANS in an interview at the 103rd Indian Science Congress here, about 140 km from Bengaluru. Asserting that solar power would reduce carbon footprint in the long-term, Banerjee said energy generated from cells or panels was, however, 20-25 percent of the installed capacity as against 80 percent from a nuclear plant. "As setting up a solar plant is highly capital intensive owing to import of silicon for panels or photovoltaic cells, its power can only complement nuclear or other forms of energy, including renewable and conventional," Banerjee said on the occasion. Though India is a tropical country above the equator, with plenty of sunshine, especially in western, central and southern regions for at least 10 months, harnessing its energy and distributing it with minimum loss at source or in transmission is a challenge for its stakeholders in the absence of a ecosystem yet. "Unlike nuclear, which is a concentrated form of energy, solar is a distributed form, enabling us to have a mix of different sources. Both complement as they emit very low carbon footprint," Banerjee said after delivering a special address on 'Atomic Energy' in a plenary session in the University of Mysore campus. "We can have any installed capacity but what determines its utility and value is the quantum of energy produced in units per hour. A 1,000 mw solar-based plant will not produce more than one-third of what a nuclear or thermal-based plant does per hour," Banerjee pointed out. Ironically, for various reasons, every energy form has issues, including environmental, economic, social and political, which delay execution, leading to cost escalation and shortage in view of the growing demand for power across the country. "Our per capita electricity consumption is about 800 kilowatt per hour, with 25 percent of the population still having no access to power. In contrast, the world's per capita consumption of power is 2,600 kw per hour. We have to generate four times the present output to meet the energy needs of our population, which will be about 1.4 billion in 20 years (2035)," Banerjee noted. As domestic manufacturing of solar cells and panels was limited, the country is dependent on imports from China and other countries, including Germany. "Even if we invest a lot to produce energy from renewable solar and nuclear sources, our dependence on fossil fuels like coal and natural gas will continue though we can reduce proportionately to check carbon emission from thermal power units," he added. In a related development, the government on December 30 hiked the budget for tapping solar energy through rooftop installations across the country to a whopping Rs.5,000 crore from Rs.600 crore earlier. The increased budgetary support will enable utility providers to source power generated from rooftops solar systems through a grid over the next five years under the National Solar Mission. An estimated 4,200 MW of solar rooftop systems are expected to be installed over the next five years on residential, government, social and institutions sectors such as hospitals and educational buildings. (Fakir Balaji can be contacted at fakir.b@ians.in) The central government on Wednesday approved a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between India and Singapore to increase cooperation in civil aviation sector. The approval on the MoU signed between Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Singapore Cooperation Enterprise was taken by the cabinet under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "The union cabinet has given its ex-post facto approval for a MoU, which was signed in November 2015 between the AAI and Singapore Cooperation Enterprise," said a cabinet statement. "The objective of this MoU is to establish mutual cooperation in the field of civil aviation, which will cover, to begin with, the airports of Jaipur and Ahmedabad. This cooperation will be extended to other airports with mutual consent." The statement elaborated that the MoU will enhance collaboration in areas such as traffic development, cargo handling and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operations. "A need was felt that in order to ensure high standards of service at Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports, AAI may enter into operation and maintenance (O&M) contracts either with or without the responsibility of maximisation of non-aeronautical revenue in the terminal building," the statement said. "The city side and airside will continue to be managed directly by AAI." The statement informed that globally, limited O&M contract models are prevalent for the entire airport operations and not just contained to manage terminal buildings alone. "AAI has no previous experience in awarding O&M contract model of terminal buildings to other entities," the statement explained. "In order to implement the decision, it was necessary to ensure that a suitable entity be engaged for undertaking the O&M contract at Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports." City-based Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) is planning to close five regional offices in the country as part of its cost cutting measures, said officials. The move has drawn the ire of MDMK leader Vaiko. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior IOB official said the management has decided to close down several regional offices as a measure to cut down the establishment costs. "The move would basically reduce the rental and power cost outgo. Operationally, it would not impact the customers in a major way," the official told IANS. In a statement issued here, Vaiko opposed IOB's move to close down the regional offices in Tamil Nadu located in Tiruppur, Nagapattinam and Dindugul. Vaiko said the Tiruppur region does a business of Rs.3,582.18 crore while Dindugul and Nagapattinam regions transact a business volume of Rs.2,172.23 crore and Rs.4,490.77 crore respectively. The MDMK leader said there are regional offices of IOB like at Raipur (Rs.798.98 crore), Dehradun (Rs.1,947.41 crore), Nagpur (Rs.1,453.15 crore) that transact much lower business volume but are not in the closure list. "The closure of Nagapattinam regional office might affect low cost government deposits to the bank. The bank is the lead bank for two districts there -- Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur," a bank official said. According to the IOB officials, the employees of regional offices to be closed would be posted in other offices. "The move will also not make the bank top light. The direct benefit will be in the savings in establishment costs," he said. He said the other regional offices that are likely in the hit list are at Tirupati, Kozhikode, Agra, Jalandhar and Rajkot. According to the IOB official, rather than closing the regional offices, the bank management can look at closing the zonal offices as their role is not properly defined. He said some branches may also be on the hit list. According to a bank source, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked IOB to freeze new recruitments. An official told IANS that the bank board had sanctioned recruitment of around 950 messengers to be posted in the branches. However, nothing much has happened after that and it is an open secret that the duties of the messengers are being done by some persons hired at the branch level. "The management will get a certificate from the branches that no unauthorised person has been hired. But a branch cannot function without a messenger," he said. In October 2015, the IOB informed the bourses that the RBI has initiated a prompt corrective action on the bank. "The directions given by RBI are for improving the internal control of the Bank and for the purpose of consolidation of the activities of the Bank," the IOB said in the regulatory filing. IOB's managing director and chief executive officer R. Koteeswaran was not available to comment on the matter when contacted by IANS. Budget passenger carrier IndiGo on Wednesday announced that it will launch 24 new flights connecting key cities within the country during January. "The new frequencies connecting the cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Bhubaneshwar, Vishakhapatnam and Ahmedabad will offer much improved connectivity and choice across the IndiGo network," said Aditya Ghosh, president of IndiGo, in a statement. "We will continue to expand our network to meet the requirements of our business and leisure travellers wherever they demand it." According to the company, it will launch 12 flights from January 7, which will connect Delhi to Trivandrum, Bengaluru to Vishakhapatnam, Bengaluru to Bhubaneshwar, Ahmedabad to Bengaluru, Bhubaneshwar to Kolkata and Chennai to Trivandrum, amongst others. "With effect from January 14, 2016, IndiGo will launch its 6th daily non-stop flight between Chennai and Hyderabad," the statement said. In addition, the budget airline will launch 10 flights from January 15 connecting Bengaluru to Kolkata, Delhi to Ahmedabad, Delhi to Kolkata and Hyderabad to Mumbai. The budget passenger carrier added that these new flights will further consolidate its position as the fastest growing airline in India. Widening its services, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC) is working with schools and colleges in the eastern metropolis and in east India to design customised tour packages for students. Going by the positive response to its tailor-made tour for 700 Delhi University students to northeast India in 2014 and its bespoke Delhi-Agra packages for Assam students in 2013, IRCTC (East Zone) has decided to go full-throttle on harnessing the potential in the education sector, officials said. "We have written to 30 to 40 schools in Kolkata and about 15 have responded regarding tours for summer camps and field trips. The potential is huge and we will arrange for travel, accommodation, security and food for the students during the length of the trip," IRCTC group general manager, East Zone, Debashis Chandra told the media here at an event on Wednesday. IRCTC will also ink a deal with Chhattisgarh to launch the 'Yuva' programme for the youth. "Youth from the state will travel to happening places (education-wise) such as Hyderabad and Bengaluru to explore education opportunities in those places," Chandra said. In addition, self-help groups from east India will be given a chance to market their products (handicrafts etc) through the IRCTC website, said Kaushik Banerjee, deputy general manager (tourism), at IRCTC's Kolkata office. Actress Jennifer Lawrence has stripped off for a magazine shoot. Lawrence, 25, wore just a black brassiere and pants for the shoot for Glamour magazine, reports dailystar.co.uk. The actress also spoke her mind on showing off her assets. "I've got t**s and an a**. And there are things that are made for skinny people -- like a lot of embroidery, or it covers a lot - and those make me look fat. I have to show the lumps," Lawrence said. "If you have b**bs, you have to show, like: 'These are b**bs. This isn't cellulite.' Not that there's anything wrong with that," she added. The Kerala government on Wednesday announced a compensation of Rs.5 million to the family of NSG commando Lt.Col. E.K. Niranjan, who was killed in the counter-offensive against terrorists at the Pathankot air base on Sunday. "A sum of Rs.5 million will be paid to the family. Besides we have decided to offer his wife a state government job and the state government will meet all the expenses of the education of their two-year-old daughter," Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told reporters here. He said several ministers came up with proposals and it was decided to name a new stadium at the Palakkad Medical College after the martyr. "A 10 km long road passing through the village of the martyr will be renovated. Also, on Tuesday, it was decided that a government ITI (trade education centre) at his home town will be named after him," added Chandy. The Karnataka government has already announced a compensation of Rs. 3 million. "Heropanti" actress Kriti Sanon is on cloud nine as her fans have expressed their love by following her on Instagram, enabling her to touch the 'million mark' on the online photo-sharing platform. "Wooohhoo!! Finally the 'million' mark! 1 M on insta!! Thank you so much guys! Your love makes me happy! muah," Kriti captioned an image which she posted on Wednesday. She is seen pouting and winking in the image. The "Dilwale" actress is quite active on the digital platforms including Twitter, which she uses to share updates about her projects and more. -*- 'Sandokan' changed my life forever: Bedi Acclaimed actor Kabir Bedi says his 1976 Italian TV series "Sandokan", which completed 40 years on Wednesday, changed his life. "Happy 40th Birthday, #Sandokan! Evergreen for every generation, even today! You changed my life forever," Kabir tweeted. "Sandokan" tells the story of an Asian Prince turned pirate, played by the "Main Hoon Na" actor, who fights the British Empire for the freedom of his people and the woman he loves: an English woman. The actor had just last year launched a DVD of the show for the Indian market. -*- I love our rich treasure of traditional weaves: Dia Actress-producer Dia Mirza is bowled over by India's traditional weaves. Sharing a photograph of herself donning a pink and yellow sari on Instagram, she wrote: "Good old traditional handwoven Pochampally saree. I love our rich treasure of traditional weaves.#India #Handwoven #traditionalart". The former Miss Asia Pacific had earlier told IANS that a "large part of our generation today is of the opinion that if we are in western garments, we are cool, and if we are not in a western garment, it's not cool. I think we need to change that". Dia's totally doing her bit! Lack of awareness about vigilance procedures has resulted in corruption and misconduct in India, Central Vigilance Commissioner K.V. Chowdary said here on Wednesday. Addressing the 15th edition of the Nalco foundation day lecture series on "Preventive Vigilance: Key to Good Corporate Governance", Chowdary laid stress on awareness of vigilance measures as a fundamental to prevent corrupt practices. He expressed concern that most people in the country lack awareness about vigilance procedures, which results in corruption and misconduct. Chowdary said the vigilance system and procedures should be consistent and simplified, and the mechanism should be robust, and continuously tested. He also focused on a systematic and continuous feedback system. The CVC said public sector undertakings and corporates, along with government organisations, should give due importance to preventive vigilance as well as predictive vigilance. Nalco CMD Tapan Kumar Chand said: "As a corporate philosophy, Nalco has focused on value-based management, taking manifold steps to promote transparency, fairness, responsibility and accountability that are cardinal principles of corporate governance." A book "Aluminium: the Strategic Metal", authored by Chand, was also released, which speaks about the strategic use of aluminium. The first Nalco Kalidas Awards were also handed over to Harekrishna Satapathy, vice chancellor of Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, Tirupati, and Gangadhar Panda, vice chancellor of Jagannath Sanskrit Vishvavidyalaya in Puri for their significant contributions in the field of teaching and propagating Sanskrit. India's largest textile park will come up in Telangana's Warangal town, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao announced on Wednesday. He said the proposed 'cotton-to-garment' park will be set up in an area of 2,000-3,000 acres. The Warangal district collector has already released Rs.100 crore for acquiring land for the textile cluster. The chief minister said that while textile parks in different parts of the country like Solapur, Tirupur and Surat were engaged in manufacturing specific categories of garments, the proposed park in Warangal will cover all segments. KCR, as the chief minister is known, said the international standard park will also have an apparel park for readymade clothing. He said the government would promote the park in collaboration with various companies. "Some companies have already come forward." He was confident that with a major railway junction in Warangal and the possibility to build an airport, the textile cluster would have tremendous potential. He believes the park with a township will increase Warangal's population by four to five lakh in three to four years. With a population of 10 lakh, Warangal is the second biggest city in Telangana after Hyderabad. KCR announced that Warangal will also be developed as an education hub. He said the foundation stone for a health university would be laid soon. He also declared that a tribal university, veterinary and agriculture colleges and a sainik school too will come up in the town. He announced the formation of a special development authority for development of Warangal, which has been selected under the Smart Cities project of the central government. Every year, Warangal will be allocated Rs.300 crore in the budget. A total of Rs.3,000 crore is expected to be provided under all schemes. A multi-speciality hospital, multistoried buildings for the offices of municipal corporation, district collector, police commissioner, development of a theme park and convention centre were the other announcements made by the chief minister. The government will also construct 30,000 houses under double bed-room housing scheme for poor over next two years to make Warangal a slum-free city. China-based internet conglomerate Letv may soon hire an ex-Samsung big shot to function effectively in the rapidly-growing Indian smartphone market, a top industry source said on Wednesday. "Hiring an executive from a leading brand like Samsung only cements their (Letv) intention of capturing international markets as well as the consumers' imagination," the source told IANS. They, however, refrained from naming the man. The buzz comes a day after the company launched three "super products", including a 3D helmet, in the Indian market. According to officials, the company, that calls "sustainable pricing" its unique selling point, is all set to launch two phones here on January 20. Founded in November 2004 and headquartered in Beijing, Leshi Internet Information and Technology, also known as Letv, is engaged in a rich array of businesses, spanning from Internet TV, video production and distribution, smart gadgets, and large-screen applications to e-commerce and Internet-linked super-electric cars. Venezuela parliament swore in its new crop of parliamentarians, the first time in 17 years that an opposition party, the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), holds a majority. Tensions between the government and the MUD have been high for weeks, with incoming Assembly President Henry Ramos Allup vowing to root out corruption within the administration of President Nicolas Maduro, Xinhua reported. During the inauguration ceremony on Tuesday, lawmakers from the ruling Great Patriotic Pole bloc stormed the dais after claiming Allup had broken assembly rules. The Bolivarian loyalists then walked out of the chamber, stating that Allup had prevented them from speaking and only allowed opposition member Julio Borges to present the MUD's legislative agenda. Deputy Diosdado Cabello, former assembly president, told the press "we cannot permit that the rules be violated. The violation was caused because the Assembly was inaugurated today (Tuesday) and he (Ramos Allup) must allow anyone to speak. This is not petulance from our bench. We all asked for the rules to be followed but he ignored us." Earlier in the day, Maduro sought to strike a conciliatory note in an address, saying "I call on all political and social sectors to help the National Assembly be inaugurated in peace and for all laws to be respected." Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay on Wednesday arrived here for a four-day visit to West Bengal, and met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during the day. Among other events, Tobgay will be attending the two-day Bengal Global Business Summit beginning here on Friday. On Wednesday, Tobgay visited the Bhutanese consulate and interacted with the consul general. In the evening, Mamata Banerjee accompanied by government officials paid him a visit. During her visit to Bhutan in October, Banerjee had invited Tobgay for the business summit. The Mexican Senate urged the government to expand economic ties with Cuba, including through signing of a free-trade agreement. In a press release on Tuesday, the Senate prodded the foreign affairs ministry into creating a dialogue with Cuba, discussing topics ranging from a free-trade agreement, immigration, investment, oil and gas exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, to collaboration in science and technology, Xinhua reported. The Senate insisted that bilateral commercial ties "are growing ever stronger, and a free-trade agreement would facilitate the exchange of goods and services and the removal of duties to ensure larger commerce between both nations." Furthermore, the Senate was seeking to follow up on agreements signed between Mexico's Congress and Cuba's National Assembly in June 2015, covering matters related to energy, healthcare, education, the environment and tourism. Last November, Cuban President Raul Castro officially visited Mexico, where he signed a number of agreements with President Enrique Pena Nieto, involving immigration, academic exchanges, tourism and agriculture. While Cuba is only Mexico's 57th commercial partner, Mexico is the sixth-largest supplier to Cuba. According to official statistics, Mexico's exports to Cuba were worth $362.2 million in 2015, but its imports from Cuba stood at $11.6 million. All great food comes from a successful experiment of a chef who has mixed and matched certain ingredients to come up with a masterpiece. So then, it should come as no surprise when chefs around the country experiment with their food. But at Molecule Air Bar, the term experiment has been given an altogether new meaning. Located in Sector 29 in Gurgaon, Haryana state, Molecule's setup takes you back to Adolf Hitler's 'evil' chemistry lab, food served in objects symbolic of a chemistry lab, menu cards in the form of memorabilia from the Second World War, ceiling lights made to look like the structure of a molecule, and the use of liquid nitrogen - all this put together takes fusion food to a level few have seen before. It is sprawled across two floors, including a terrace that has a spectacular view of Gurgaon with a lot of space to move around. "Molecule is a first of its kind in India to offer molecular gastronomy experience along with a German micro-brewery," owner Vivek Bhargava told IANS. "We always wanted to come up with something that youngsters can relate to. We also offer an amazing experience of finest air bar, molecular kitchen and freshly brewed beer coming straight from brewery all under one roof," Bhargava added. The micro-brewery will start functioning from next month. According to Executive Chef Piyush Jain, the menu is straightforward and simple, the whole idea being to serve everyday food with a twist, something rarely seen before. "The cuisine is very progressive, a mix of European, Mediterranean, Indian and even Chinese. But our presentation is what sets us apart from the rest," Jain added. We were served an array of differently presented basic foods ranging from an amuse bouche - star anise flavoured cauliflower soup served with pesto lavash and sprinkled with paprika dust which came on a small military truck. It was creamy and well-balanced. Cauliflower can get a little overpowering, but all the ingredients in this soup could be individually tasted. The next was something that will definitely make people come back to Molecule - dragon smoke popcorn which came in something that resembled a grenade. The popcorn was flavoured with the Maggi tastemaker and was infused with liquid nitrogen. The way to eat it is to grab a bunch and put it all in your mouth. Thick smoke will come out of your nose and mouth! Hence the justification for the name. We were served three types of in-house special cocktails - raspberry and gin, hot apple cider with rum and molecular sangria. The first resembled a bit of a good old cosmopolitan but the addition of gin gave it a better kick. The second is perfect for winter: warm, woody and sweet. The sangria had grated apple instead of the usual chunks. Once mixed with the wine, it is probably the best sangria one can ever drink. Next we were served molecular puchka shots with mint and tamarind chutney and five different flavoured waters - mint, pineapple, orange, cola and beetroot. Golgappas are something that are always fun to eat and experimenting with the flavoured waters is what took this dish to the next level. After this, we were served corn and kurkure chat platter. It is the perfect snack to go with the drinks. What we were served next was definitely the star of the show. The dish was called air bread with chicken - bite-sized morsels, filled with a four cheese sauce, served with a piece of chicken tikka. The first bite was an absolute party in my mouth. The gooey cheese and the tender flavourful chicken constituted the perfect definition of fusion food. After this was a grand performance by chef Jain which left us spellbound. He created a re-deconstructed chat right from scratch. He started with mixing different kinds of fruit with sweet yoghurt, tamarind and mint sauce with a special chutney glaze - chat masala with red paprika - on a plate with liquid nitrogen which in the process was freezing the mixture. After this, he placed the mix on a platter and sprayed it with crystal yoghurt - yoghurt frozen in liquid nitrogen - and sprinkled some boiled chopped potatoes. He then added a sponge bhalla and poured dhokla water on it to soften it and a generous topping of sev. The finale to this show was the spraying of more liquid nitrogen which bound all the ingredients together. The final taste to this grand spectacle was something very unexpected. The freezing of most of the ingredients could give one a brain freeze; so a big first spoon is not recommended. Since I personally dislike chat, this particular dish was not up to my liking, But the dramatics involved definitely made it worth it. We were served a whole lot of other run-of-the-mill dishes also - biriyani arancini balls where they used basmati rice instead of the usual arborio rice; tomato and basil soup with pesto lavash and mozarella cubes was warm like a fuzzy blanket in the form of soup; chicken and paneer tikka, cajun crusted fish with lemon froth fused with South Indian spices, over oily water battered fish fingers, ghee roast keema matar served with mini parathas and a wood fired chicken pizza. The presentation of all these dishes were very unique but the taste was nothing new. To conclude, the theatrics involved was all fine when a person eats with his eyes but what about the actual taste of the food? The food at Molecule was good but that's what it was - only 'good', not great, not mindblowing. But the theatrics is something one has to see and which the chefs pride themselves with. They are not pretentious and have a clear goal in mind - give a memorable experience to the consumer and blow their minds away with the theatrics. FAQs: Where: SCO 53, 4th Floor, Sector 29, Gurgaon Meal for two: Rs.2,000 (with alcohol) Timings: 12 noon-12.00 a.m. (Karishma Saurabh Kalita can be contacted at karishma.k@ians.in ) The mother of one of the convicts in former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination on Wednesday petitioned Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa for her son's release. Arputham Ammal submitted the petition at the chief minister's special cell seeking the release of her son A.G. Perarivalan. Perarivalan alias Arivu was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for assassinating Gandhi at an election rally at Sriperumbudur near here on May 21, 1991. In her petition, Arputham Ammal requested the government to release her son under article 161 of the constitution, under which a governor has the power to grant pardon and reprieve or suspend or commute the sentence of any convict. She also urged the government to take into consideration Perarivalan's good conduct in jail and his health condition while deciding his release. A woman suicide bomber from Sri Lanka's now vanquished Tamil Tiger guerrillas blew up Gandhi at the start of an election rally. Several other people also died in the horrific explosion. Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli will in February embark on his first foreign visit post-assumption of office to India, Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa said on Wednesday, laying to rest speculations that the Communist leader would be touring China first instead of the southern neighbour. "Prime Minister Oli is visiting India first," Thapa, who is also deputy prime minister, said at an event here. Traditionally, Nepali prime ministers have made it a point to visit India first following their assumption of office. Only Maoist Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' rubbed India the wrong way when he chose China as the first destination of his foreign visit after taking over as Nepal's prime minister and attended the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Thapa said preparations were underway in both countries regarding Oli's visit. Thapa, who has already visited India twice in the past three months since the new government assumed office in the Himalayan nation, said Oli will visit China after his India tour. Amid hiccups in Nepal-India ties over the Madhesi issue, there was speculation in the Nepali media that Oli would pick China for his maiden foreign visit and "snub" a call from India. According to diplomatic sources, Oli will visit India in the second or third week of February. The dates would be finalised soon. Thapa endeavoured to stress that the media should shed the mindset of harping on the prime minister's maiden visit. "We have to shun such a mindset ... which nation the prime minister would visit first," Thapa asserted. He said it was "not good" to compare Nepal's "independent and sovereign" relations with India and China. The Madhesis in Nepal's Terai region have been agitating for the pas more thant four months against discriminatory provisions of the country's new Constitution, which was promulgated four months ago. The unrest has led to blockading of the border entry points and held up supply of essential items from India souring bilateral relations. Oli had earlier blamed India for the prevailing situation and there was speculation that he might choose China for his first foreign visit. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had twice called Oli and invited him to India. "The prime minister (Oli) received invitation from India first," Thapa said, and that was why he would visit India first. NIA officials on Wednesday took Punjab Police officer Salwinder Singh with them to reconstruct the entire sequence of events of his 'abduction' by suspected Pakistani terrorists who later attacked the Pathankot air base in a pre-dawn attack on January 2. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) team took Superintendent of Police (SP) Salwinder Singh to the place near Kolian village from where he was allegedly abducted in his car along with two others. The NIA team also took the officer to the place where he was dumped by the terrorists and at the spot where his car was found abandoned. The SP, who was first questioned by NIA officials at his residence in Gurdaspur on Tuesday evening, was questioned by the NIA team on Wednesday also. His jeweller friend Rajesh Verma and cook Madan Gopal were also questioned. The SP is being questioned as a suspect in the case due to inconsistencies in his version of the abduction and the versions of his two companions, a police source said. His role was put under the scanner on Tuesday evening. The NIA team was looking at what the SP and others did for nearly three hours after they left the shrine at 9.30 p.m. in Kathua district till they were allegedly abducted at 12.30 a.m. The police superintendent, who was transferred from Gurdaspur district last week only, had claimed that he, along with Verma and the cook, were stopped and abducted by 4-5 heavily armed terrorists near Kolia village, 25 km from Pathankot, on the night of December 31. The police officer has said his car was stopped around 12.30 a.m. (December 31 night), while the attack began early on Saturday (January 2). He claimed that his senior officers did not take his information on presence of the terrorists seriously initially. Under fire and suspicion about the entire incident, Salwinder Singh told the media on Tuesday: "My information was 100 percent true. There is no doubt about it. I informed senior officers immediately. I don't know why the delay took place." The focus on Wednesday was on the NIA investigation into the entire terrorist attack, including any lapses by the police and security agencies. The combat operation ended on Tuesday with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar announcing that six terrorists were killed. Seven security personnel, including an officer of the National Security Guard (NSG), were killed in the attack. Parrikar admitted to "gaps" which led to "security lapses" at the air base. Combing operations continued on Wednesday to sanitise the base, located in north Punjab, even as the NIA formed various teams to probe the terrorist attack on the high-security defence facility. Sources in the IAF said that every inch of the Air Force Station (AFS) was thoroughly scanned. India on Wednesday expressed "deep concern" following reports that North Korea has conducted a nuclear test. "We have seen reports that DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) has conducted a nuclear test today," external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said in response to a question. He said New Delhi was "assessing the available information, including claims that this was a thermonuclear test". North Korea on Wednesday announced that it has successfully conducted its first hydrogen bomb test. ALSO READ: NATO says North Korea nuclear test undermines security "It is a matter of deep concern that DPRK has again acted in violation of its international commitments in this regard," Swarup said. "We call upon DPRK to refrain from such actions which adversely impact on peace and stability in the region. Our concerns about proliferation links between northeast Asia and our neighbourhood are well-known," he added. Defying global public opinion, reclusive North Korea has claimed to have detonated its first hydrogen bomb sending political shock waves around the world and even angering its ally China. China joined the US, Russia, the European Union and others in condemning the action as a breach of international law and the UN Security Council tentatively scheduled an emergency meeting later on Wednesday at the behest of the US and Japan. Although North Korea's claims were taken with a pinch of salt, detection devices around the world recorded a 5.1 seismic event on the country's northeast coast. But calling the test a "complete success", North Korea announced that the test was ordered by its leader Kim Jong-un, who has said for weeks that Pyongyang has the ability to build a thermonuclear weapon. "If there's no invasion on our sovereignty we will not use nuclear weapon," the North Korean state news agency said. "This H-bomb test brings us to a higher level of nuclear power." Ned Price, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said Washington had not yet determined what kind of test was carried out, but that he expected "North Korea to abide by its international obligations and commitments". State Department spokesman John Kirby said "we have consistently made clear that we will not accept" North Korea as a nuclear state. "We will continue to protect and defend our allies in the region, including the Republic of Korea, and will respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations." And as Foreign Policy magazine put it, North Korea's fourth nuclear test since 2006 "hasn't endeared the North to any potential allies, as both China and Russia have joined the chorus of international condemnation of the test". It cited South Korea's intelligence services and other experts as saying they were sceptical that the test was a hydrogen bomb and going by the yield it looks similar to previous thermonuclear tests carried out by Pyongyang. North Korea's "assertion, if true, would dramatically escalate the nuclear challenge from one of the world's most isolated and dangerous states," said the New York Times. According to experts cited by Time magazine, the three previous tests, including the most recent underground explosion in 2013, were of an atomic weapon, not the exponentially more devastating hydrogen variety. The other two tests were conducted in 2006 and 2009. CNN cited David Albright, a former UN weapons inspector, as telling it last year that North Korea could already have 10 to 15 atomic weapons, and that it could grow that amount by several weapons per year. Albright said he believed Pyongyang had the capability to miniaturise a warhead for shorter missiles, but not yet for intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the US. (Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in) North Korea on Wednesday announced that it has successfully conducted a hydrogen bomb test, hours after what seems to be an artificial earthquake was detected close to the nuclear test site. In a "special" announcement, North Korea said it conducted an H-bomb test, Yonhap reported. The test means a higher stage of North Korea's development of nuclear force, Pyongyang said. By succeeding in the H-bomb test, North Korea "joined the advanced ranks of nuclear weapons states possessed of even H-bomb", it said. Seoul denounced Pyongyang's hydrogen bomb test as a violation of the UN Security Council resolutions. Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam said: "North Korea's provocation is in clear violation of Security Council resolutions and a serious challenge to international peace and security." Seoul has put its military on alert and beefed up surveillance of North Korea after the recent announcement by the communist country. "Regarding the situation, South Korea and the US are closely cooperating," the defence ministry said, adding that it has also launched an emergency crisis management body. President Park Geun-hye will preside over a National Security Council meeting in Seoul. Meanwhile, the White House said it cannot confirm North Korea's claims of a successful H-bomb test, but condemns any violation of the UN resolutions banning Pyongyang from nuclear tests. We have consistently made clear that we will not accept it as a nuclear state. We will continue to protect our allies in the region, including South Korea, and will respond appropriately to any and all the provocations of North Korea, it said in a statement. North Korea's announcement came as a 5.1-magnitude earthquake was detected in an area 49 km north of Kilju, home to North Korea's nuclear test site. Last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said Pyongyang has become a "powerful nuclear weapons state ready to detonate a self-reliant A-bomb and H-bomb". It was the first time that Kim publicly claimed the development of a hydrogen bomb, which is much more powerful than the conventional nuclear weapons. South Korea and North Korea ended their rare high-level talks on December 12 without any agreement over how to mend their strained relations. Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Wednesday said the opposition to the relocation of the Defence Expo, scheduled to be held in March in Goa, was purely political. "What is seen, is only political opposition to the Defence Expo. Only political parties seem to be orchestrating opposition to the project," Parsekar told reporters on the sidelines of a function in Panaji. Traditionally held in the national capital, the Defence Expo, scheduled to be held in March, is being shifted to Goa, because a new convention centre is being built at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. However, DefenceExpo2016, which is the ninth in the series of biennial land, naval and internal Homeland Security Systems exhibitions organised by the defence ministry, has attracted opposition from the ruling BJP-led coalition government's political opponents as well as a section of the civil society over the allocation of six lakh sq.mts of land at the coastal village in Betul, 45 kms from Panaji, for the project. While Parsekar and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has insisted that the Defence Expo is only a temporary project, the opposition to it has claimed otherwise. Parsekar also reiterated that land had only been formally alloted to the defence ministry on a temporary basis. "The land is being given to the ministry for four days to host the expo. The land has not been permanently allocated," Parsekar said. Police and paramilitary troops Frontier Corps (FC) have arrested 11 militants in three operations in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan and south Sindh provinces on Wednesday, officials said. Wasey Khan, spokesperson of the Frontier Corps said the troopers conducted two search operations in Zhob and Kalat districts of Balochistan and arrested seven militants. The arrested militants were associated with outlawed outfit Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and the troops have also recovered weapons from their possession, Xinhua news agency quoted Khan as saying. The militants smuggled the weapons into the country for using them in terrorist activities in Balochistan, he added. The arrested insurgents were shifted to some unknown places for investigations. In a separate operation in the capital city Karachi of Sindh province, four militants were arrested. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Jamil Ahmed said police acted on a tip-off from intelligence agencies and arrested the militants who were planning to carryout suicide attacks in the city. He said police also recovered a bag containing ball bearings, suicide jackets and four kilograms of explosive materials from the custody of militants. Police also recovered bomb-making materials and four pistols from the arrested militants, the DIG said. Pakistani actress and TV anchor Mishi Khan was on Wednesday indicted in a case of criminal breach of trust. In July 2015, a doctor hired Mishi Khan to run an advertising campaign for her clinic and paid her Rs.450,000 by cheque, Dawn Online said. The complainant contended that the actress took the cheque but did not do the campaign. Additional District and Sessions Judge Kashif Javed "indicted the actress for criminal breach of trust", the report said. The actress' lawyers denied the charges against her. The Sikh community in Pakistani Punjab is split over the sale of gurudwara land to build houses. On Tuesday, a group of Sikhs from Nankana Sahib demanded the resignation of Siddiqul Farooq, chairman of the Evacuee Trust Property Board, of illegally selling canal land of Gurdwara Janam Asthan for a housing scheme, The Nation newspaper reported on Wednesday. After staging a protest near the Punjab assembly, dozens of Sikhs gathered outside the Lahore High Court to express solidarity with Mastan Singh, the Sikh leader who faces trial for "anti-state activities". A high court division bench on Tuesday accepted the bail petition of Mastan Singh, a former president of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC). In his petition, Mastan Singh accused Sham Singh, the incumbent president of the committee, of having a false case registered against him. "Siddiqul Farooq and Sham Singh joined hands with the land mafia and illegally sold canal land belonged to Gurdwara Janam Asthan, Nankana Sahib, for a housing scheme," his counsel Anwar Zahid told the court. But Sham Singh's counsel Tariq Bashir Awan argued that the investigation of the case had been transferred to the anti-terrorism department. A law officer urged the court not to accept Mastan Singh's bail plea, saying there were serious allegations of terrorism against him. But after hearing both sides, a bench headed by Justice Mazhar Iqbal Sidhu accepted the bail request. The judge said the prosecution would not benefit by keeping the accused in jail. Sikhs are a minority in Pakistan. President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday inaugurated the 200th birth anniversary celebrations of Pandit Madan Mohan Tarkalankar at Bilwagram in Nadia district of West Bengal. On the occasion, the president lauded Tarkalankar's efforts in spreading among women during the 13th century in Bengal. "Pandit Tarkalankar was a social reformer who laid a strong foundation for the spread of in Bengal," he said, according to an official statement issued here. Tarkalankar set an example by sending his two daughters to Calcutta Female School founded by John Elliot Drinkwater Bethuneto to encourage girls of the city, he added. The president also spoke about his contribution to Bengali and Sanskrit literature. Actor-comedian Ricky Gervais is delighted that "Braveheart" star Mel Gibson will be a presenter at the Golden Globe Awards here on Sunday. The annual awards show, hosted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which honours both film and television stars and shows, revealed that Gibson would be part of the show, on Twitter. "Mel Gibson is presenting an award at The Golden Globes. Thank you Jesus," wrote Gervais, reports dailymail.co.uk. The show will be a reunion of sorts for Gibson and Gervais as the actor, 60, last presented the show in 2010 when the British comedian first hosted. Gervais had introduced Gibson by saying: "I like a drink as much as the next man, unless the next man in Mel Gibson." Gibson played along with the bit, and came out slurring his words. Twiteratti also reacted to the news of Gibson hosting the gala. "Mel Gibson? What are you, desperate?" wrote one person on Twitter. Another was a bit more blunt, writing: "Mel f***ing Gibson? You guys must be out of your minds." Shravan Rathod, one half of the famous Nadeem-Shravan composer duo, met with an accident near Behror in Alwar district over 140 kms from here, when his car hit a divider while trying to save a nilgai. He has suffered a mild fracture, a doctor said. "He has suffered a mild linear fracture in the vertebra," Dr. D.B. Singh, deputy medical superintendent, Kailash Hospital, Behror, told IANS on phone. Shravan was admitted to the Kailash Hospital in the morning, the doctor said. Singh said that a panel of doctors will review his situation late on Wednesday afternoon to decide the further course of action. The accident occurred at around 5.30 a.m. when Shravan was travelling from Noida to Jaipur. Near Behror, a nilgai suddenly came running in front of the car. To avoid a collision, the car instead hit the divider. The car's driver suffered minor injuries, doctor said. Nadeem-Shravan music directors are known for their work in films like "Aashiqui" and "Saajan", but they no longer work with each other. South Korea on Wednesday condemned the terror attack on the IAF base in Pathankot that claimed the lives of seven security personnel. "South Korea: 'Condemns terrorist attack. Terrorism is a crime against humanity & inhuman act that cannot be justified u/ any circumstances'," external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted citing the South Korean statement. At least seven security personnel lost their lives and six terrorists were killed following Saturday's audacious attack on the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot. The United Jehad Council, an umbrella grouping of Kashmiri militant groups based in Pakistan, on Monday claimed responsibility for the attack. Speculation was rife yet again on Wednesday over the purported date of release of incarcerated Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt from the Yerawada Central Jail in Pune. While Dutt's lawyer Hitesh Jain claimed the actor will walk free on February 27, Maharashtra's Minister of State for Home Ranjit Patil said "no decision has been taken in the matter so far". "It is wrong to say his jail term has been reduced. Sanjay Dutt is coming out after completing his sentance and his release term has not been reduced or increased. His release date was set as February 27 before itself," Jain told IANS. This was contrary to what Patil and Additional Director General of Police B.K. Upadhyay had to say. "The government has not taken any decision to reduce his sentence or give remission," Patil told media persons, reacting to reports that Dutt's release was imminent by February-end. Upadhyay, who is inspector general of police (Prisons), said, "The state government has not given any intimation on the issue so far." He remained non-committal on any probable date of Dutt's release. Last month, a senior police official told IANS that Dutt was likely to be released by March 7, barring any unforeseen last-minute hitches. The 56-year-old actor was sentenced to jail for five years in the March 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case for illegally keeping an AK-47 assault rifle. After his sensational arrest in 1993, Dutt spent 18 months in jail and was required to undergo imprisonment for the remaining 42 months. Following a Supreme Court order, he surrendered to police and has been in Yerawada jail since May 2013 and was granted parole on four occasions for various reasons. The Congress on Wednesday attacked the BJP, saying whenever the party has been in power at the Centre, the incidnets of terrorism have gone up. "Last 19 months of Modi government have seen 900 border ceasefire violations on India-Pakistan Border with 19 jawans and 34 civilians having lost their lives," Congress leader and former home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde told the media here. "Even Border Security Force (BSF) has admitted that there has been 35 percent hike in infiltrations from across the Pakistan border in last one year," he said. Shinde said there have been "three major terrorist attacks from Pakistan in last six months - two in Punjab and one in Jammu and Kashmir". "In 1999, IC-184 hijack happened. The then foreign minister accompanied terrorists to Kandahar and released them. During NDA-I, there were hijackings, attacks on Red Fort, Jammu and Kashmir assembly and parliament. Whenever BJP comes to power, terrorism increases," Shinde added. He also opted to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Pathankot air force base attack, saying the government failed to protect the country. "The Modi government has failed to protect the country. If this government continues like this, then instead of 'achhe din', it looks like we may lose our country to terrorists," said Shinde. "Modiji used to say UPA ministers served 'biryani' to Pakistan, what now? He himself went to meet (Pakistan Prime Minister) Nawaz Sharif. What did he discuss there? Were there any press releases? We are in the dark about what they discussed," the former union home minister said. Shinde said the National Democratic Alliance government should send a clear signal to Pakistan that terrorist attacks would not be tolerated. "India can be a friend of Pakistan but that country should take action against terrorism." The Congress leader, however, lauded the armed forces for their prompt action in combing operation at the Pathankot air base. "The work of our brave soldiers should be lauded." Shinde also posed a few pointed questions to the prime minister. "Why is BJP government and PM Modi shying away from calling Pathankot air base attackers as 'Pakistani terrorists'? Why did Prime Minister Modi or his home/defence minister not take control of the entire Pathankot operation putting a clear-cut command and control structure on the ground to lead the operation?" "Why couldn't the Akali Dal-BJP led Punjab government act on intelligence and operational input that it received at 3.34 a.m. on the night intervening December 31 and January 1?" the Congress leader asked. The hacking collective Anonymous has declared war on the Thai police, taking down multiple websites in protest against the conviction of two Burmese men convicted of killing a British couple last year. The cyber activist group posted links to 15 Thai police websites, including the Bangkok Metropolitan Police Bureau, and published several Thai police email addresses, asking its members to hack them, The Guardian reported on Wednesday. On Wednesday, seven of the websites were down and two links showed a black screen with "Failed Law. We want Justice. #BoycottThailand", written in white text. The links also showed Anonymous's signature mask, a white stylised Guy Fawkes face, under text saying "Blink hacker group". Migrant bar workers Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo were sentenced to death on December 24, 2015, for the rape and murder of Hannah Witheridge, 23, from Norfolk, and the murder of 24-year-old David Miller, from Jersey, in September 2014 on Koh Tao island. The case drew the attention of rights groups who warned that migrants had previously been falsely accused of crimes in Thailand. The pair initially confessed to the murder but later rescinded their statements, saying they had been tortured by police to admit to the brutal beach attack. The police, who deny any wrongdoing, were also accused by the defence team of mishandling crucial DNA evidence. In a 37-minute video posted on its Facebook page, Anonymous said the Thai police "would rather blame foreigners or migrants for such crimes so as to protect their tourism industry than accuse their own Thai locals, that may deter tourists from choosing Thailand as their holiday destination". In an effort to boost spending by tourists, Thailand's Customs Department is poised to cut the 30 percent import duty being levied on luxury items, a media report said on Wednesday. The department will convene a meeting with the private sector this month to arrange the tariff reduction before forwarding it to finance permanent secretary Somchai Sujjapongse for deliberation, director-general Kulit Sombatsiri said. The move follows frequent requests by the private sector to promote Thailand as a tourist shopping paradise while encouraging Thai consumers to shop at home instead of abroad, The Bangkok Post reported. Kulit said his department might allow an increase in the number of duty-free shops and collection centres to facilitate tourists. The 10 collection centres for duty-free items are thought to be insufficient to provide services for both Thai and foreign tourists. Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said cutting the import tariff on luxury products would help to promote tourism and turn the country into a shopping paradise for foreigners especially from China, Hong Kong and Singapore. "We hope this measure will help to lift tourist spending on shopping by 15-20 percent," Yuthasak added. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday condemned a hydrogen bomb test conducted by North Korea, saying the test was a "significant threat". Japan has held its national security council meeting immediately after a 5.1-magnitude quake was detected around 10.30 a.m. (local time) in the northeastern part of North Korea, Xinhua reported. North Korea's official media said the country has successfully conducted its first hydrogen bomb test. Pyongyang had conducted three nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013. "The hydrogen bomb test is a significant threat to Japan's national security and is unacceptable," Abe said, adding Japan will consider sanctions against North Korea as its nuclear test violates UN Security Council's relevant resolutions. Japan lifted part of its own sanctions against North Korea since the two countries reached an agreement that Pyongyang agreed to re-investigate the whereabouts of Japanese nationals it allegedly abducted four decades ago. Abe also said Japan will work with the US, South Korea, China and Russia to cope with the issue. Meanwhile, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida will hold talks with the US Ambassador Caroline Kennedy over the nuclear test. Pakistan must do all it can to help India track down the terrorists who planned the attack on the IAF base in Pathankot, a leading newspaper said on Wednesday. "The Pakistan government must do all it can to facilitate the Indian government's hunt for the perpetrators of the attack," The Nation said in an editorial. "Fortunately, it seems that this is the case after all as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called (his Indian counterpart Narendra) Modi to express his condolences and offered assistance in anyway required," it added. Six terrorists believed to be from Pakistan raided the Indian Air Force base at Pathankot in Punjab on Saturday and killed seven security personnel. Security forces killed all six raiders. On Tuesday, Modi urged Sharif to take action against organisations and individuals linked to the Pathankot attack following leads provided by New Delhi. Sharif promised to do that. The editorial warned that the Pathankot attack and the 25-hour siege at the Indian consulate at Mazar-e-Sharif in Afghanistan - "where Pakistan has long been accused of using militants to further its strategic depth policy" - could potentially put a dent in the bilateral talk process. India and Pakistan must accordingly "proceed very cautiously", it said. The Nation also said: "It is time that both countries turn the guns they have been pointing at each other towards the real enemy and act as one towards bringing stability to South Asia." The UN Security Council on Wednesday "strongly" condemned the nuclear test carried out by North Korea. The council convened an emergency closed-door meeting on the issue, reports Xinhua news agency. The members of the security council recalled that they have previously expressed their determination to take "further significant measures" in the event of another North Korean nuclear test, according to a press statement read by this month's Security Council President Elbio Rosselli, permanent representative of Uruguay. The statement said "in line with this commitment and the gravity of this violation, the members of the Security Council will begin to work immediately on such measures in a new Security Council resolution". The surprise announcement by North Korea that it successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb test on Wednesday jolted the international community, as such a move may dampen the denuclearisation process on the Korean Peninsula and threaten regional stability. The H-bomb test is the fourth nuclear test by the country, which has previously conducted three nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013. The US oil boom has changed the world's geopolitics of energy, reducing the influence of the Middle East on oil prices, the American Petroleum Institute (API) said on Wednesday. "The American energy renaissance" is the key reason why the recent conflicts between Saudi Arabia and Iran did not raise the world's oil price, Xinhua cited Jack Gerard, president of the API, as saying. "If such unrest happened 10 years ago, I believe there would be a significant movement in the price of oil," he said. Gerard said the geopolitics of energy has changed significantly over the last decade as the US has experienced an oil boom in recent years and the daily production is now around nine million barrels a day. The US has been the world's largest oil producer since 2013, surpassing Russia and Saudi Arabia, according to the data of the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). The US government lifted the 40-year-old crude oil export ban in December last year, connecting the huge US oil output to the world market. The United States has become "one alternative" for the world oil supply if some oil-producing countries were affected by unrest, Gerard said, adding the market "reflected that" over the past couple of days as unrest continued and tension increased in the Middle East. On Sunday, Saudi Arabia cut off diplomatic relations with Iran after protesters stormed its embassy in Tehran to protest against the execution of the prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. On Monday, three Sunni-led countries -- Bahrain, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates -- joined Saudi Arabia in severing or downgrading diplomatic ties with Iran, adding to the fraught atmosphere in the region. The conflicts among major Middle East oil producers raised concerns about an oil price hike, but the international oil prices kept falling on Monday and Tuesday. The US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude moved down 79 cents to settle at $35.97 a barrel on Tuesday, while Brent crude decreased 80 cents to close at $36.42 a barrel. Scientists at a US university have created a highly efficient biomaterial that catalyses the formation of hydrogen -- one half of the "holy grail" of splitting H2O to make hydrogen and oxygen for fuelling cheap and efficient cars that run on water. "Essentially, we've taken a virus's ability to self-assemble myriad genetic building blocks and incorporated a very fragile and sensitive enzyme with the remarkable property of taking in protons and spitting out hydrogen gas," said study author Trevor Douglas, the Earl Blough professor of chemistry at the Indiana University (IU). "The end result is a virus-like particle that behaves the same as a highly sophisticated material that catalyses the production of hydrogen," Douglas added. The genetic material used to create the enzyme, hydrogenase, is produced by two genes from the common bacteria Escherichia coli, inserted inside the protective capsid using methods previously developed by these IU scientists. The genes, hyaA and hyaB, are two genes in E. coli that encode key subunits of the hydrogenase enzyme. The capsid comes from the bacterial virus known as bacteriophage P22. The resulting biomaterial, called "P22-Hyd," is not only more efficient than the unaltered enzyme but also is produced through a simple fermentation process at room temperature. The material is potentially far less expensive and more environmentally friendly to produce than other materials currently used to create fuel cells. The costly and rare metal platinum, for example, is commonly used to catalyze hydrogen as fuel in products such as high-end concept cars. "This material is comparable to platinum, except it's truly renewable," Douglas said. "You don't need to mine it; you can create it at room temperature on a massive scale using fermentation technology; it's biodegradable. It's a very green process to make a very high-end sustainable material," he added. Other IU scientists who contributed to the research were Megan C. Thielges, an assistant professor of chemistry; Ethan J. Edwards, a Ph.D. student; and Paul C. Jordan, a postdoctoral researcher at Alios BioPharma, who was an IU Ph.D. student at the time of the study. The process of creating the material was recently reported in the journal Nature Chemistry. The option of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president, Mehbooba Mufti taking over the reins of power "is not even being discussed because the daughter is totally focused on the well being of her father", senior Jammu and minister Naeem Akhtar asserted Wednesday. Akhtar, however, added in the eventuality of the ailing chief minister, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, being advised rest by doctors, Mehbooba was the obvious choice. Sayeed has been battling a severe chest infection in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi for the last 14 days. Akhtar also said Sayeed has shown signs of improvement since the team of senior doctors attending on him changed the line of treatment after identifying the source of his chest infection. The veteran Kashmiri politician would be 80 on January 12 and everybody wishes him speedy recovery. PDP workers have been organizing prayer meetings in for Sayeed's well being. On Tuesday, a big prayer meeting was held at the shrine of Kashmir's patron Sufi saint, Sheikh Nooruddin Wali, known reverently as 'Nund Rishi' at Charar-e-Sharief town in Badgam district. The budget session of state legislature begins here on January 18 and the ruling PDP-BJP coalition would like the leader of the house to be present during this crucial session. Constitutional experts say the presence of Sayeed during the legislature session is not mandatory and it can go on in his absence. The state has a deputy chief minister who belongs to the BJP and as per precedence, Nirmal Singh can look after the day-to-day affairs of governance in the absence of the chief minister. Yet, the continuing suspense over who is running the affairs of state has caused an administrative inertia as everybody in the ruling coalition and the top echelons of power is discussing only one thing - would Sayeed be able to discharge his duties after he recovers from his present ailment? "If power has to be handed over to Mehbooba Mufti a constitutional process has to be followed, renowned constitutional expert Zafar Shah said. "First, the PDP legislature party will have to elect her as its leader. Then a letter will have to be sent to the state governor by her claiming a majority in the 87-member. "This letter will have to be accompanied by a letter of support by the BJP allies of the PDP in the assembly or else, the PDP can elect her as the leader of the legislature party and the governor would administer her oath of office as acting chief minister asking her to prove majority on the floor of the house within 15 days. "Since she is presently not a member of either the legislative assembly or the legislative council, Mehbooba Mufti will have to either get elected to the assembly or be nominated as a member of the council," Shah added. Shah also said there is no provision of a caretaker chief minister in the state constitution. "Nobody can presently suggest taking over to Mehboobaji since she is attending her ailing father and any suggestion to decide on future governance would be breaking bad news to the daughter", said a senior PDP minister who wished anonymity. (Sheikh Qayoom can be contacted at sheikh.abdul@ians.in) As a child I knew India as 'Indija Koromandija', a synonym for "paradise on earth" in the minds of most Slovenians. Symbolically then, India was a promised land, whose "rivers flowed with milk and honey" - not water. And I received God's gift of spending the best and happiest years of my life there. Was it really heaven on earth? I lived in Sabarkantha with the Bhil adivasis, along the state border between Gujarat and Rajasthan. It was hill country, now sadly made barren by deforestation and drought. I lived here 40 years -- the longest period of my life, enough time and opportunity to learn and adjust to the situation. I must also add that during those years I made bonds with people from all over India. This world was vastly different from the people I previously lived with. My world view and my values were also so very different from theirs, so that it required a complete change of heart from me to enter into their world. What was their world? It was a feudal, patriarchal world. A world where women were still looked down upon, were illiterate and treated as cheap labour by contractors for roadbuilding and construction, were sexually exploited, were harassed by government babus for the smallest concession - and where women considered themselves of little worth. Their existence was one of survival. How so many women could smile and survive in these situations is something I have no words to describe, but only a deep appreciation for. My challenge was to build up, not only their economic well-being but their sense of dignity as well, and I did this with their help and support. In turn, they made me see how many of the things I wanted were not really necessary. I simplified my life, I learned to do with less. The cornerstone of their lives was their deep love for life. For them, life was a gift, be it ever so hard. They were grateful for it, enjoyed it and expressed it in work, smiles, dances and songs! This led me to see the values of relationship: to take time for each other, to share and know that "everything depends not on what you do, but on who you know". But people are unpredictable; so you need to embrace uncertainty. This means that "nothing goes according to plan. India is a big country, a continent by itself. So lots of travelling is necessary for one who goes there. And travelling in India is difficult and uncomfortable. When you travel, open your mind: India is a sensory overload. You learn a lot by just being there. Another value is to know how to wait. For us Westerners, this is the most difficult thing. Everything in India moves at a slower pace, like in the stories. To make most of time, lose track of it. Throw away your clock, maybe also your calendar! Value the family. It's not a choice, it's a necessity, a way of life. Lack of commitment to family is not just dishonour; it's a personal shortcoming. And yet, paradoxically, I have also learnt very much how to be alone even in the midst of a crowd - alone with oneself and alone with God. My image of God grew tremendously. Not God in a temple, but the Divine Spirit everywhere, as the adivasis see Her. God accepts each and every one with the same loving care. We are all precious in her eyes. The spirituality we aspire to is so much above the petty piety of externals. I marvel at the Indian genius for thinking, for inventing, and am puzzled as to why this country is still so poor. There is so much wealth here - the richest man in the world happens to be an Indian; but so is the poorest woman! Such inequality, such discrimination. The most beautiful women in the world reside here (note how many Miss World and Miss Universe competitions we have won), but the ugliest and most polluted cities are also in India. Truly a continent of contradictions! It was in India that I became a writer. As I said often, I came into myself here, realized my potential, and wrote from my heart . That's how the stories about my Adivasi women, their children and their men, the people I lived with - better, I walked with - were written. My writings brought our tribal Dungri Garasiya Bhils into Gujarati literature, as a dear writer-friend once told me. But not just Gujarati - into other languages like Marathi, Tamil, Slovene, English and Spanish. Their stories went around the world. I feel so proud of them! Finally, dream and be hopeful in this land, lit by the warm sunshine, washed by the gentle rain. Why? Because in India we say, "Everything will be all right in the end". So if things are not all right, it means it's not yet the end. So there's still hope! What I am today is because of what India and its people shaped of me: a happy woman who worked hard, laughed and cried, danced lots, and learnt how to love and enjoy life. I know that I have left my heart here, with my adivasi women among their barren hills. And my home will always be where my heart is. For this is what "home" truly is, is it not? More than a place on earth, one is truly at home in the hearts of friends, and only there. For there are many who pass in and out of our lives, but we only remember those who leave their footprints in our heart. My mind races back over the years to the faces and voices of Indian friends I shall never forget. Yes, I am grateful to this great land, where "milk and honey" flow not only in the big rivers and little streams but in the veins of my hands and feet, for I am the daughter whom India took into her home. Thank you, thank you, aabhara, shukriya, dhanyavaad. (06.01.2016. Marija Sres, a Slovenian, spent four decades empowering the Bhil adivasis of Gujarat. The views expressed are personal. She now lives in the town of Beltinci in Slovenia in central Europe) Is senior Punjab Police officer Salwinder Singh a suspect or a victim in the terrorist attack on the Pathankot air base? Investigating agencies, especially the NIA, are probing the police officer's role in the incident for over 24 hours before the actual terror attack took place on Saturday. The inconsistencies in the statements of Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh, his cook Madan Gopal and his jeweller-friend Rajesh Verma, regarding the same incident have made investigators curious. This has led to the SP being put under the scanner. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been questioning all three since Tuesday evening. One of the discrepancies in their statements is regarding the number of terrorists. While Verma, who travelled the most distance with the terrorists, said there were four terrorists, the police officer and his cook said they were 4-5 terrorists. Another inconsistency was about the terrorists hitting them with rifle butts. While Verma and the cook had bodily injuries, the SP had none. Also, the SP claimed that he could not hear much of what the terrorists were talking among themselves. Verma said they talked to their "commander" and addressed each other as "alpha" and "major". Investigators are baffled by the fact that the terrorists killed the Innova taxi driver, Ikagar Singh, by slitting his throat and stabbing him and also attempted to slit the throat of the SP's friend Verma, leaving him with injuries. Why did they spare the SP, who had not a scratch? The police officer, Salwinder Singh, is claiming that he and two others were stopped in his Mahindra XUV and abducted by 4-5 heavily armed terrorists near Kolian village on Dec 31 night around 11.30. He claimed that he and the cook were dumped in a drain in a forest area by the terrorists after some distance, unharmed, but with their hands, legs and mouths tied. He said that both his mobile phones were taken away by the terrorists. The cook, Gopal, however, said that the police officer still had one phone with him with which he contacted his senior. Th officer's friend Rajesh Verma has claimed that the terrorists threw him in the boot of the multi-utility vehicle and drove towards the Pathankot air force base. The questions being raised by investigators are: Why was the SP travelling late in the night in the border belt? Why did he take that particular link road on the fateful night when, by his own admission, there was another road link to the shrine, where he claimed he had gone to offer prayers, in Kathua district of adjoining Jammu and Kashmir? He even claimed that he did not know anything about this 'short-cut' road. Why was he not carrying his gunmen in the vehicle with him? Why was he not carrying his official weapon with him? Being a police officer, shouldn't he have resisted the terrorists even at the cost of his own life? If he and his companions had got into a scuffle with the terrorists and the terrorists had fired at them, their presence in the area would have been known more clearly. Why didn't he or his friend take any action, like throwing the keys, to somehow stop the terrorists from taking away the vehicle? According to Salwinder Singh's version, he untied himself and the cook after the terrorists dumped him and called up his superior officers around 3.30 a.m. to inform them about the terrorists. However, he was not taken seriously. If his immediate seniors were not taking his version seriously, did he take any steps to inform top officers in Punjab Police? His SUV was found later by the police, abandoned near Akalgarh village, not far from the Pathankot Air Force Station (AFS). It was only after Punjab Police put the SP's mobiles on surveillance that it was known that calls were made to Pakistan from these. This alerted the senior officers about the situation and it was shared with the concerned authorities in New Delhi. Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Suresh Arora said that there was no delay on the part of the state police in acting on the SP's claims. "It was for the first time that the NSG (National Security Guards) were deployed much before the attack. The alert was shared and arrangements were made," Arora claimed. Seven security personnel were killed in the pre-dawn attack by terrorists on the air base on Saturday. Six terrorists were killed with the combat operation ending on Monday evening. (Jaideep Sarin can be contacted at jaideep.s@ians.in) In one basic way, the business of lending money is significantly different from businesses in manufacturing: In the latter, quite often losses occur in the initial years and the hope is that profits will follow; in the former, the cycle is reversed. Very often, loans make money for the lender in the initial years and losses come later should they become bad or non-performing assets. This was well illustrated recently in the cases of HBOS - the entity created by the merger of the Halifax Building Society and the Bank of Scotland) in the UK - and the Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) in India. HBOS needed to be rescued by an infusion of public funds during the financial crisis of 2007-08. The Bank of England's report on the failure of HBOS, one of the UK's largest banks, came out last year, seven years after the incident occurred. The basic problem with HBOS was that it evolved from being a "boring" bank to one which expanded rapidly into commercial and property loans, often relying on short-term funding from the market. When the interbank market stopped functioning during the crisis, HBOS faced a major liquidity problem even as the quality of its assets was coming into question. As John Kay commented (Financial Times, November 11, 2015), "In credit markets, you can earn profits by doing better credit assessment than your rivals, or gain sales by doing worse credit assessment than your rivals. HBOS chose the latter." The case of the IOB seems similar, as reported in Mint on November 27, 2015 (I am taking most of my data from that report). Under a new chief executive, the IOB doubled its loan book in four years, funding it from "high-cost deposits", which increased to 20 per cent of the total by March 2014 from less than four per cent four years earlier. During a three-year period - 2010-11 to 2012-13 - the loan growth was 27 per cent per annum, against the industry average of 17.5 per cent. No wonder the IOB currently has the highest percentage of non-performing assets amongst all the listed public sector banks. The first sign of trouble was evident in the 2012-13 accounts, when the IOB reported a very low return on assets, but it seems regulatory action was initiated only two-and-a-half years later. In a way, both cases illustrate regulatory weaknesses, if not major failures. This is perhaps more understandable in the case of the UK that ideologically preferred - and probably does still - "light touch" regulation. This surely is not the ideology in India; just recall the number of circulars issued by the central bank on regulatory issues. Also, the central bank has representatives on the boards of all public sector banks, and surely they would have known about the rapid expansion in credit portfolio and how it was being funded. Did they not raise any alarm? Do they have any accountability for what happened, or are regulators to be considered as being above such mundane questions? The Financial Stability Report (FSR) published by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) last month, highlights the issue of banks' non-performing assets, now at their highest level for a decade, and that too, when the growth is seven per cent-plus. The RBI governor and senior RBI executives have been expressing concern about the issue from various fora. The FSR reports that five sectors - mining, iron and steel, textiles, infrastructure and aviation - which together constituted less than a quarter of the banking system's loan book, contributed more than half of the "stressed advances". As for mining and iron and steel, did the sharp fall in global commodity prices and the overvalued exchange rate lead to losses and therefore, impairment of the quality of loans? As for infrastructure, what was the contribution of delays in various government clearances to the overruns in project completion schedules and costs (see "Bankers want green nod before project bids" on this issue in Business Standard, January 2)? Within infrastructure, what was the role of delays on the part of power distribution companies in paying for the power? Should the FSR be a compendium of data without much analytical and remedial comment? This apart, the problem of banking profitability and capital adequacy could well become more complex when the new accounting standard (Ind AS109) is implemented in a couple of years. This standard requires the lender to make an assessment of expected future credit losses and their recognition in the accounts. A "true and fair" quantification of these would be a challenging proposition for bankers and accountants alike. The author is chairman, A V Rajwade & Co Pvt Ltd; avrajwade@gmail.com After hitting an 18-month high on Tuesday on product launches and progress of its research and development (R&D) pipeline, Biocon slipped a bit on Wednesday on near-term sales and earnings growth worries. The stock, which has gained 20 per cent over the past couple of months, ended the day down nearly two per cent at Rs 524 a share. CLSA in a recent report said there would be near-term pressure on profitability, owing to low revenue growth and higher R&D costs. Sales growth is expected to be impacted due to capacity constraints on its insulin business, which is a significant contributor to its biopharma sales. R&D spending at seven per cent of sales will keeps costs high as key programmes are going through clinical trials. Recently, Biocon partner Mylan said it expected four biosimilar filings in the US and Europe in 2016. While the biosimilar partnership contains five programmes, four of these are in active Phase III trials and progress of these will act as key triggers for the stock in 2016. The four are biosimilars of existing brands Herceptin, Neulasta, Humira and Lantus used for treating cancer, infection, inflammation and diabetes, respectively. Based on branded sales, the market size is estimated at $30 billion. However, these programmes, especially in regulated markets, are expected to swell only after FY19, say CLSA analysts. Analysts at Spark Capital say the company is a unique play on the global biosimilars opportunity and the potential for volume expansion in biologic drugs after biosimilar launches, especially in emerging markets, is significant. On a sum-of-the-parts valuation of Rs 581, analysts attribute Rs 98 or 18 per cent to the biosimilar (R&D) portfolio. What has led to the price surge in recent times is also the listing of its contract research subsidiary Syngene and its robust sales performance. The listed subsidiary accounts for 42 per cent of the target price. However, the earnings growth of the core Biocon operations is expected to be only 11-15 per cent annually over FY15-18 due to higher research and development expenses as well as depreciation costs after the commissioning of its greenfield facility in Malaysia. Of the 24 analysts tracking the stock, 40 per cent have a sell and equal number are bullish on the stock, with the rest opting to stay neutral with a consensus target price of Rs 487. Given the run-up, await a correction before taking an exposure to the same. The Prime Minister's New Year gift to commuters between Delhi and Meerut may seem positive as National Highway 58, the only existing link between the two places, is heavily congested. However, a cursory look at the numbers may take the shine off the government's claim that it is a "unique" gift to the youth of this country because it would lead to employment and prosperity to nearby areas. There were surely other ways to achieve these objectives. Here's why: The 74-km long Delhi-Dasna-Meerut 14-lane expressway and six-laning of the connector - the 22-km long Dasna-Hapur section of National Highway 24 - will cost Rs 7,566 crore, which comes to about Rs 79 crore a km. Now, consider the cost of laying a new railway track between Delhi and Meerut. While construction of one km of "high-speed" railway track that allows an operational speed of 200 km an hour costs Rs 100-140 crore, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu told Parliament last March that the cost of laying one km of high-speed track was 10-14 times higher than the construction of a "normal" railway track. Assuming that a New Delhi-Meerut railway link would have trains running at 100 km an hour, the cost should not be much more than Rs 10 crore a km. The average railway travel on this sector would take roughly 45 minutes in comfortable conditions, and it would also be more friendly to the environment. Also, if an expressway can make Meerut the suburb of Delhi as is being widely claimed, a faster railway link would have served the same purpose. For the government, the cost would be roughly eight times less. It is thus difficult to understand the reasons for this "grand" expressway plan unless the focus is entirely on faster movement of commercial vehicles. More than the cost issue, the government's past record in executing road projects on this sector is also uninspiring. In 2010, the road transport ministry had even invited and received bids to widen the Delhi-Dasna stretch to six lanes. But the plan was scrapped in 2011. The same has been the fate of several rail-link projects between Delhi and Meerut. For example, a green signal was given to an ultra-modern high-speed train service connecting the two cities way back in 2010. Five years later, all that has been heard is that the relevant authorities are yet to give their no-objection certificates, as a result of which another high-level committee has been constituted to find an alternative route for the train. That's not all - in 2014, the Delhi government had given the go-ahead to a project connecting Delhi with Meerut, Alwar and Panipat through high-speed trains. Nothing has been heard about it since. Such confusion brings into sharp focus how India's transportation system is planned by different authorities in isolation. What is required is an integrated plan that ensures connection of various transport systems as part of an integrated model. The division of responsibilities of overseeing different transport modes between ministries at the national level not only inhibits efficiently coordinated development, it stands in stark contrast to international practice. What is required is a unified ministry of transport with a clear mandate to deliver a multi-modal transport system. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's admission of "gaps in the security" apparatus at the Pathankot air force base and the material recovered from the slain terrorists indicating that it was made in Pakistan should serve as wake-up calls for the Indian authorities. The big question is how the terrorists managed to sneak into the base despite intelligence inputs. It is also incomprehensible why the government handed over control of a sensitive air force near the country's border to the National Security Guard personnel from New Delhi, who are not trained for a defensive role, instead of the Indian Army and its special units who are. The glaring lapses once again expose the chinks in India's security armour. No wonder the terrorists were able to smuggle in a huge cache of arms and ammunition besides taking up residence at the base. The terrorists could not have made their way into the base without local support. The government would do well to probe this angle. N J Ravi Chander Bengaluru can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:The Editor, Business StandardNehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar MargNew Delhi 110 002Fax: (011) 23720201E-mail: letters@bsmail.in Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Angela Merkel's decision to welcome around one million war refugees in 2015 has created momentous political and logistical challenges. But the policy comes with an unexpected positive economic side effect: Berlin is ditching its excessive focus on fiscal austerity. The additional government spending prompted by inward migration will add up to euro 31 billion over 2016 and 2017, the Berlin-based German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) estimates. Additional refugee shelters must be built, migrants fed and German language lessons taught. Moreover, the government is hiring extra staff for the migration authority and the border police. As Berlin doesn't plan to cut other expenditures or hike taxes, the extra outlays will be effectively an economic stimulus programme. In terms of size, it will be equivalent to two-thirds of Berlin's emergency spending package during the 2009 recession. The budget surplus, which rose to 0.8 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2015, will be cut in half, DIW expects. The migrant-related spending should add a quarter of a percentage point to annual GDP in 2016 and 2017, resulting in overall growth of 1.7 per cent this year and 1.9 per cent next, according to a calculation based on Bundesbank estimates. According to Deutsche Bank, Germany will be the fastest-growing euro zone country in the coming year, after Ireland and Spain. Germany's economic growth already looked relatively strong, thanks to domestic forces. A brimming labour market has pushed employment to record levels. Real wages are rising, while the tax burden and the savings ratio are both decreasing. Consumer spending in 2015 grew at the fastest rate in 15 years and is expected to accelerate further. Meanwhile, net trade will generate little if any GDP growth in 2016, suggesting Germany's unhealthy dependence on export-driven growth has become a matter of the past. That's good news for the entire euro area. There may be political reasons to spend. A healthy rate of economic growth and low unemployment are vote winners, and Chancellor Merkel faces the polls in 2017. But there is equal pressure to spend wisely. The challenge that will decide the success of the country's next leader isn't merely finding room for migrants, but properly integrating them into society and the economy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, by calling a meeting of secretaries to the Government of India and asking them for "big ideas", has rekindled hopes of transformative change and reform. In the 19 months of his administration so far, many steps forward have been taken. But, it is also unfortunately true that none of them quite counts as big or transformational reform. In fact, some energy was spent over the past year in particular, explaining why such reform was neither needed nor desirable in India. One of the consequences of this strategy was that concerns of policy drift, and of unfocused administration, began to be aired. By asking for big ideas - even if from secretaries in Union ministries, who may not be the most obvious sources for creative transformational ideas - Mr Modi may have signalled an important change in course as he heads into 2016. It is to be hoped that some of this new thinking seeps also into the process of preparing the Budget. The government's third Budget, to be presented a few weeks from now, will not exactly be its last chance to present impressive reform, but it is among the few remaining realistic opportunities to seize the full advantages provided by the historic mandate of May, 2014. In seeking to reverse the impression of incremental policy making that had become current, Mr Modi seems to have wisely heard the voices of dissent from voters, investors and business. An opinion poll of top Indian CEOs conducted by this newspaper last month discovered that about half of them were unhappy about the pace of economic reform. Demand has been slow to recover, and the Centre for Monitoring of the Indian Economy's report on the last quarter suggested that an initial spurt in new projects and investment has tapered off. If Mr Modi has indeed heeded these warning signs, then it is a welcome indication of a willingness to change political direction that was first signalled in his abandonment of the bill to amend the land acquisition law last year. Indeed, it is to be hoped that a new-found willingness to listen to criticism is visible in other areas, too. It has been reported, for example, that fewer high-profile foreign trips are planned for the PM in 2016 - these had caused some criticism of late. The restrained response to the attack on the Air Force base in Pathankot suggests that a new consistency has been brought to the government's Pakistan policy, previously questioned as being excessively changeable. Mr Modi's unexpected trip to Lahore on Christmas Day hopefully emerged from a mature analysis of the limited value flowing from abandoning India's long-held and bipartisan policy of engagement with Pakistan. The PM's speech recently to the Indian Science Congress eschewed paeans to ancient Indian achievements for a more sober suggestion that modern scientific methods investigate the validity of traditional knowledge. Even the committee set up to suggest changes to the Central Board of Film Certification - condemned as a holding area for political appointees of dubious quality - can be cited as evidence of this new change of heart. If Mr Modi's New Year resolution is to act on some of the criticism that came his way over 2016, it should be whole-heartedly welcomed. Filing a cheque-bouncing complaint has become easier. The government has notified the Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Act, which allows the complainant to file a complaint in the city, where he is based or where the cheque has been deposited. The Act was passed by Parliament in its winter session that concluded in December 2015. The ordinance to the Act was promulgated in June 2015. While complainants whose cheques have bounced will be happier, people who are issuing them also have to be more careful because in the absence of sufficient amount or diverse signature, they will have to go through the pain of travelling to another city repeatedly to fight their case. The Amendment is expected to clear the pending cases of cheque bouncing, as it will be easier for complainants to follow up as they no longer will have to travel. On the other hand, it could also deter those issuing cheques issuing to ensure that the cheques dont bounce, because they will be forced to travel in case a complaint is filed. The Amendment will deter people from issuing cheques without sufficient funds. Until now, they were not bothered because they knew that complainants would not bother travelling far to file their complaint and to follow up the case, says Amit Maheshwari, managing partner, Ashok Maheshwary & Associates, an accounting firm. Earlier, cheque bouncing complaints could be filed in places where the cheque was deposited. But in 2104, The Supreme Court had ruled, in the case of Dashrath Roopsingh Rathod versus State of Maharashtra & Another, that for bounced cheques, cases have to be filed only at the place where the branch of the bank on which the cheque was drawn was located. This created considerable problems especially in respect of cheques issued from an outstation branch. The payees of such bounced cheques had to travel to a different city to fight their case in the court having territorial jurisdiction over the cheque issuing branch, says Rakesh Nangia, managing partner, Nangia and Company, Chartered Accountants. For instance, if cheques issued by a Delhi-based firm to vendors in Mumbai and other cities bounced, it meant that vendors had to travel all the way to Delhi for filing their complaints. Now, the issuer of the cheque has to travel to the cities where the cheque has been deposited and the complaint has been filed. A lot of cases of cheque bouncing were withdrawn due to the confusion over jurisdiction, because it became cumbersome for people to travel to file complaints, says Anshuman Jagtap, an advocate with Hariani and Company. For institutions like banks, it became very difficult to travel to follow up cases of cheque bouncing. And a lot of security money is collected in the form of post-dated cheques. Recovering the money became very expensive for institutions, especially in case of cheques of small amounts, says Jagtap adds. The punishment for cheque bouncing includes both imprisonment and penalty. Such cases tend to go on for a long time. There are estimated two million cases of cheque bouncing in courts, of varying amounts. The Congress on Wednesday expelled former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogis son Amit Jogi from the party for six years in connection with the fixing of an Assembly bypoll in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while at the same time daring Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sack Chief Minister Raman Singh on the same issue. At present, Amit is representing Marwahi constituency in the Assembly. The Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee (CPCC) also passed a resolution urging the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) to dismiss Ajit from the party. The senior Jogi is a member of the Congress Working Committee, the highest decision-making body of the party, and therefore, the state unit cannot take action against him. While the Jogis claimed the rivals in the party had done them in, insiders said it as a clear case of sabotage by the father-son duo. PCC chief Bhupesh Baghel and CLP leader T K Singh Deo will be in Delhi on Thursday to meet the high command. Last week, a taped conversation allegedly featuring Ajit Jogi, Amit Jogi and Puneet Gupta, son-in-law of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, was exposed by a Delhi-based newspaper. The report revealed that the byelection of Antagarh Assembly seat held in September 2014 was allegedly rigged for a hefty amount, with the Jogis playing a role in inducing their own party candidate, Manturam Pawar to withdraw from the contest. Pawar withdrew from Antagarh bypolls at the last minute. The Congress had smelt foul play back in September 2014 and urged the Election Commission to cancel the election. The BJP won the seat. Despite being deeply embarrassed by the episode where Congressmen were exposed working against the party, the AICC sought to salvage the situation by hitting out at the BJP. Congress communication chief Randeep Surjewala said, The Chhattisgarh issue revolves around monetary allurement offered by BJPs Chief Minister Raman Singh to the Congress candidate for withdrawing his candidature. Modis solemn promise to people was zero tolerance for corruption and na khaoonga na khane doonga. The Congress has taken action against one of its leaders. Will Modi now show the courage of his conviction by seeking Raman Singhs resignation? Will Modi now order a fair probe through a Supreme Court judge or a special investigation team-monitored by the Supreme Court? Therein lies the test of truth of promise made by Modi to the people. The PCC had served a notice on Amit and sought explanation within seven days. Baghel said, The explanation filed was not satisfactory. The CPCC had passed the resolution to expel Amit from the Congress for six years. Eleven militants were today killed in an exchange of fire with Egyptian army during raids targeting cities in the volatile north and central Sinai regions. Army spokesperson Brigadier Gen Mohamed Samir said the army also arrested two terrorists. Samir said eight unlicensed vehicles and motorcycles were destroyed during the raids. Egypt's North Sinai has witnessed many violent attacks by militants since the January, 2011 revolution that toppled president Hosni Mubarak. The attacks targeting police and military increased after the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 by military following massive protests against his rule. More than 600 security personnel have been reported killed since then. The military has launched security campaigns in the area, arrested suspects and demolished houses that belong to terrorists, including those facilitating tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip. BJP is embarking on a massive image building exercise in Uttar Pradesh with visits by 17 ministers of Narendra Modi government to 23 Lok Sabha constituencies this month in the politically crucial state where assembly elections are due next year. "To highlight the Centre's achievements, each minister would tour the state for two days on different dates," BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said here today. Surface Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and HRD Minister Smriti Irani are among the ministers scheduled to visit the state. The others include Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, Minister of Food and Public distribution Ram Vilas Paswan, Chemical and fertiliser minister Ananth Kumar Gorakhpur and Science and Technology Minister Harshvardhan (Saharanpur), according to Pathak. During their visits, the Union Ministers would interact with different sections of the society, including intellectuals and business community, and take their views ahead of the budget session, he said. He attacked the Congress saying it was running from debate when it was in power and was doing the same when in opposition. "When it was in power, the opposition party shied away from debate on issues relating to the common people and now they have been disrupting Parliament, when the government was willing to discuss," Pathak told PTI. Authorities have suspended two doctors and six other employees of a government Primary Health Center (PHC)after they were found absent from their duty in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district. During a surprise visit to PHC Chatroo in the district on Monday, MLA Inderwal G M Saroori found eight employees, including the two doctors, absent from their duty, an official spokesperson said here today. The MLA raised the issue with the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Kishtwar, Dr Sham Parshad, who in turn, yesterday ordered the suspension of the eight employees after an inquiry in the matter, he said. Those suspended include Dr Fareed Ahmed Wani, Dr Syed Tajamul, Mohammad Ishaq Dawasaaz, Babita Devi, Vikas, Maheaba Begum, Naseer Ahmed and Farooq Ahmed, the Spokesperson said. The Pakistani anti-terrorism court hearing the 2008 Mumbai attack case today reserved its verdict on the application of the prosecution to form a commission to examine the boat used by the 10 LeT terrorists to reach the Indian coast. The prosecution, in the last hearing on December 23, had filed an application in the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Islamabad, seeking formation of a commission to examine the boat 'Al-Fauz' used by the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists so that the boat could be made "case property". "Today the ATC held the hearing at the Adiala Jail Rawalpindi. Both prosecution and defence presented arguments on the matter and the court reserved its verdict," a court official told PTI after the hearing. "The court may announce its verdict before the next hearing," he said. The court adjourned the hearing till January 13. Al-Fauz is in the custody of the Pakistani authorities in the port city of Karachi, from where the 10 militants, armed with AK-47 assault rifles and hand grenades, had left for India to carry out the Mumbai attack in 2008. According to the Federal Investigation Agency, the attackers used three boats including Al Fauz to reach Mumbai from Karachi. It said the security agencies had also traced the shop and its owner from where the culprits bought the engine and the boat while a bank and a money exchange company were also traced which were used for the transaction of money. The 10 LeT militants had left Karachi on the boat on November 23, 2008. En route, they hijacked another boat, killing four of its crew. They allegedly forced the vessels's captain to take them close to the India shores. The captain was killed when the vessel reached Mumbai's coast. On November 26 that year, the gunmen left their vessel, moored off the coast of Mumbai in inflatable boats and docked in an area of fishing shanties. They broke up into smaller groups to carry out the attack that killed 166 people. Nine of the gunmen were killed by Indian security officials during the attack and the lone surviving terrorist Ajmal Kasab was executed by India in November, 2012. Pakistani authorities have arrested seven LeT members involved with the planning of the attacks including the terrorist group's operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, said to be the mastermind of the Mumbai attack. Other arrested LeT men are Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Sadiq, Shahid Jamil, Jamil Ahmed and Younas Anjum. A trial is underway against them at the ATC since 2009. Lakhvi, 55, secured bail in December last year and was subsequently released from Adiala Jail on April 10 after the Lahore High Court set aside the government's order to detain him under a public security act. Britain's Opposition Labour Party found itself in the midst of a major turmoil today after three ministers resigned from the shadow cabinet revolting against party leader Jeremy Corbyn's decision to sack their colleagues for criticising his policies. Corbyn, the surprise winner of Labour's leadership election last year, has been at the centre of a prolonged controversy since last week as he mulled over a reshuffle, which ended with the firing of shadow culture secretary Michael Duhger and shadow Europe minister Pat McFadden. Shadow railways minister Jonathan Reynolds, shadow foreign affairs minister Stephen Doughty and shadow minister for the armed forces Kevan Jones resigned in protest over the sackings today. While Reynolds and Doughty are protesting over McFadden being fired for "disloyalty", Jones stepped down over Corbyn's decision to replace pro-nuclear weapons MP Maria Eagle with unilateralist Emily Thornberry. "I have just written to Jeremy to resign. I had very well publicised differences with him on foreign policy, defence and national security but I recognised the mandate he had been given. Issues of national security and defence go well beyond party politics. Until we reaffirm our commitment, we are going to be in a very difficult situation," said Doughty, as he announced his resignation on live TV. Jones, in his letter to Corbyn, wrote :"It has been an honour to serve both in Government and Opposition. The Labour Party needs credible policies on defence and security. The best way for me to advance those is from the back benches. "Defence and security is important for many Labour communities across the UK and I will continue to advance the arguments for those communities." Shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn, who openly disagrees with Corbyn on key issues, escaped the axe in the shake-up. He denied he had been "muzzled" by Corbyn, after reportedly agreeing not to publicly criticise the leader's policy positions. "I have not been muzzled. I am going to be carrying on doing my job exactly as before, which is speaking for Labour on foreign policy, supporting Corbyn and campaigning really hard to get Labour elected at the next General Election," he said. Corbyn, the veteran left-winger, has promised to re- energise the Labour party after it lost its second consecutive election in May last year to David Cameron's Conservative Party. However, Corbyn's controversial views on nuclear weapons and his opposition to UK's bombing of ISIS militants in Syria has divided the party. Three children of family hailing from the district, who were killed after a fire broke out in their thatched hut in Jamnagar,Gujarat, were today cremated. They were cremated at their native village Badaguda near here, Alirajpur District Collector Shekhar Verma told PTI. The collector gave Rs 18,000 financial help to the bereaved family to perform the last rites. District superintendent of police Kumar Saurabh said that Gujarat police is conducting a probe into the matter. Yesterday, the children were charred to death after their grass hut caught fire. Dilip Solanki, a native of Madhya Pradesh, and his wife had gone to work at a nearby farm after leaving their three children in the small hut where they lived, sub-inspector of Jamjodhpur police station L C Jesadiya said. "Solanki and his wife work as farm labourers. The couple had two daughters -- Laxmi(4), Ghani(3) -- and 4-month-old son Shivam. The children were charred to death before anyone could rescue them," he said. Five militants of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan were killed and another four, involved in killing of 15 people, arrested during a police raid here today. DIG South zone Jamil Ahmed told the media four men affiliated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were arrested from the posh Defence Housing Authority Phase-1 as they were planning a major terror attack in Karachi. "They are affiliated with the TTP and we recovered four kilogrammes of explosive material from them and other equipment including suicide jackets. We conducted a raid and arrested them on a tip-off," Ahmed said. The police official said they had also recovered a bag containing ball bearings, suicide jackets, bomb-making material and four pistols from the possession of the suspects. He said the suspects were also involved in a 2011 bomb attack on a gambling den in which 15 people were killed and also in sectarian killings. In another incident, senior police official SSP Rao Anwar said they had killed five TTP activists near Sohrab Goth in an encounter in a graveyard. Six vital organs were today harvested from a five-year-old girl from Karur and transplanted into needy patients, hospital authorities said. Janasruthi, a first standard student, met with an accident on January 2 while going to school with her mother and after first aid, was admitted to a private hospital here for further treatment. Since her condition was critical, she was shifted to Kovai Medical Center and Hospital (KMCH) here on January five. As she did not respond to treatment, the girl was declared brain dead early this morning, a hospital release said. After her parents gave consent to donate her organs, a team of doctors from Government Hospital and KMCH harvested her kidneys, heart valve, liver and eyes. The heart valve, one kidney and liver were sent to Chennai Madras Medical Mission, Fortis and Apollo Hospital by special flight, while another kidney was transplanted at KMCH. Two eyes were sent to Aravind Eye Hospital here, it said. The child's father, a cook at Paramathivellur Government Hostel, said that he was proud that his daughter will live long through these recipients. Dr Arun N Palaniswami, Director Quality, KMCH claimed this was the youngest child to have donated her organs outside Chennai in Tamil Nadu. The US-led coalition that has been carrying out air strikes against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria killed about 2,500 jihadists last month, a military spokesman said today. The Pentagon has previously been wary of giving body counts, but today's figures come as officials hope to portray the IS group as being on the defensive after the jihadists suffered a series of setbacks -- including last week's loss of the Iraqi city of Ramadi. "In December, we estimate approximately 2,500 enemy fighters were killed in coalition air strikes across Iraq and Syria," Baghdad-based military spokesman Colonel Steve Warren told Pentagon reporters. He said that since coalition air strikes began in August 2014, the IS group had lost as much as 22,000 square kilometers (8,500 square miles) -- or about 40 percent -- of the territory it once held in Iraq, and about 10 percent, or 2,000 square kilometers, of the land it claimed in Syria. "We believe that ISIL is now in a defensive crouch," Warren said, using an alternative acronym for the jihadists. "Probably in May was really when they reached their culminating point of offensive operations. Since then all they have really managed to do is lose ground." When the size of the so-called caliphate the IS group proclaimed 18 months ago was at its largest, Iraq accounted for a slightly bigger part of it than Syria. A variety of Iraqi forces have reclaimed major urban centers, including Ramadi. Warren said several, squad-sized groups of IS fighters remained in uncleared Ramadi neighborhoods. He claimed Iraqi troops had killed 60 IS fighters in the city in just the past 24 hours. Though the number of slain IS members is significant, the jihadists have been able to fill their ranks almost as fast, especially with disaffected young men from economically and politically crippled Muslim countries in the region. The United States last year estimated there were between 20,000 to 30,000 IS members operating in Iraq and Syria, and Warren repeated that assessment today. Despite suffering defeats, the IS group has pushed for new gains elsewhere, including in strife-torn Libya where the jihadists are trying to seize coastal export terminals. An ongoing strategy for the anti-IS coalition has been to strike the oil infrastructure the group uses to fund its operation. Warren said the jihadists' oil production has been cut by nearly 30 percent, down from 45,000 barrels per day to 34,000. The Afghan Taliban have launched an unprecedented winter surge that points to a desire for an upper hand in peace talks, analysts say, while some suggest rogue Pakistani elements may be bolstering the effort to derail overtures by Islamabad to India. Taliban fighting normally quiets down in winter months with the insurgents resting ahead of an annual spring offensive, but this year has seen a series of fierce attacks -- many focused on Kabul in recent weeks, including three in the capital since Friday. Some say the ongoing fighting is a bid by Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour to consolidate his position ahead of four-way talks between Afghanistan, Pakistan, the US and China slated for next week, a precursor to a revived peace dialogue between Kabul and the insurgents. Ahmed Rashid, a leading expert on the Afghan Taliban, said Mansour was tightening his grip on power through the high-profile attacks, after a shootout between rival insurgent commanders in Pakistan in December left him wounded. "We've never had such a winter offensive before from the Taliban. That winter is going to roll into a continuous spring-summer offensive," he told AFP. "That is looking very dangerous. Mansour is consolidating his position. If he's seen as a military success they will remain loyal to him. "Military success also de-legitimises the anti-Mansour faction that is emerging," he said, referring to the recent formation of a splinter group challenging his rule. "The insurgents are trying to show to the world that they have presence in the country and get more concession in the peace talks," said Dawlat Waziri, a defence ministry spokesman. But Pakistan -- seen as one of the few countries with influence over the insurgents -- is also playing a role, regional analysts said. "The Taliban do not have the authority to decide on peace talks, they are controlled by others," said Zalmay Wardak, a Kabul-based military analyst, referring to Pakistan. In recent years Pakistan has officially re-oriented its Afghan policy, disavowing the use of surrogate fighters such as the Taliban to achieve its foreign policy goals in Afghanistan, where it is seen as fighting a proxy war with India. Islamabad and Delhi recently agreed to relaunch peace talks and Indian premier Narendra Modi made a surprise visit to Pakistan in December, the first by an Indian prime minister in 11 years, immediately after his first tour of Kabul. But two spectacular attacks on Indian interests since the weekend -- a 25-hour siege on India's mission in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif that ended Monday, and a bloody weekend assault on an air base in India -- could signal the desire of elements within the powerful Pakistani military to scupper peace efforts between the two countries, one analyst suggested to AFP. Ninety-five passengers on board an Air India flight arriving from Delhi escaped unhurt when a tyre of the aircraft deflated during taxiing here this morning. "All the passengers are safe," AI station manager P Kujur told PTI. Reduced pressure was found in one of the tyres of the Airbus 320 aircraft, operating on Delhi-Bhopal-Delhi route after it landed at the Raja Bhoj Airport and was taxiing to the terminal building, an Air India spokesperson in New Delhi said. The return flight, which was scheduled to depart for Delhi at 0750 hours, will now leave for its destination at 5 PM after replacement of the tyre, he said. The replacement tyre is being sent through a flight which will reach Bhopal at 3:15 PM from Delhi, he said. The airline will try to accommodate some of the stranded passengers on its other flight, which will reach here at 3.15 PM from Delhi and return a little later, the Air India official said. Virtually sounding the poll bugle, ruling AIADMK today launched its "achievement rallies" across Tamil Nadu ahead of Assembly elections expected in April. Party wing 'Amma Peravai' is tasked with carrying out the awareness on the achievements of the Jayalalithaa-led government since it came to power in 2011. The rallies, aimed at reaching out to the 5.62 crore strong electorate spread over 65,616 polling stations across the state, seek to secure "100 per cent victory" for the party by explaining its government's "development schemes and visionary plans." The rallies were launched here by AIADMK presidium chairman E Madusudanan and Chennai Mayor Saidai Duraisamy and by Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai in Karur. The launch was also done simultaneously by ministers, mayors, office-bearers of Amma Peravai, MPs, and MLAs across the state. Party supremo and chief minister Jayalalithaa had in August last year asked party workers to reach out to all the voters and announced that the mammoth task would be carried out by the Amma Peravai. AIAMDK has also launched dozens of street-corner and public meetings in districts including Kancheepuram and Vellore to do a recall of welfare schemes including freebies. Meanwhile, a day after DMK chief Karunanidhi blamed the AIADMK regime over release of waters from Chembarambakkam Reservoir in an agitation, the ruling party today dubbed his claims as "lies and rumour mongering." An article in AIADMK mouthpiece 'Dr Namadhu MGR' assailed the DMK for treating the torrential rains and resultant floods as a "political opportunity." Presiding over a protest demonstration here yesterday, Karunandhi had alleged that the state's "failure to open the Chembarambakkam reservoir on time had caused flooding (in Chennai) and demanded a judicial probe into the episode. "Karunanidhi staging lies is a habit that did not come to him now, also in 1985, he grabbed the Madurantakkam Lake issue and tried to (politically) harm Puratchi Thalaivar MGR, it is history that he failed in doing that," the article said. "Like today, he tried to plant rumour and do jugglery (then), and he is doing it now too (by spreading) deceitful lies in the name of Chembarambakkam Reservoir," it said. (REOPENS MES8) Meanwhile, in a party release, Jayalalithaa said her party's information technology wing would deliberate poll strategies and use of social media for party development. Consultative meetings of districts including Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram, Vellore, Villupuram and Tirunelveli would be held between January 9 and 26, she said. She also appointed party petitions committee member and state textiles minister S Gokula Indira as the party Women's Wing Secretary replacing L Sasikala Pushpa, a Rajya Sabha MP. However, Indira was relieved of her responsibility of party's organising secretary. AIADMK MPs have given their letters of consent to contribute Rs 1 crore each for flood relief in Tamil Nadu, the state government said today. Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha M Thambidurai, AIADMK Parliamentary Party leader P Venugopal and Rajya Sabha party leader A Navaneethakrishann handed over the letters of consent of the 48 MPs in both Houses of Parliament to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa yesterday in the Secretariat. AIADMK has 49 MPs in both Houses of Parliament including the Puducherry Rajya Sabha Member. In an official release, the state government said 48 MPs have given their consent for a payout of Rs one crore each from their MPs Area Development Fund. On December 30 last, the AIADMK parliamentarians had contributed their one month's salary totalling Rs 24.50 lakh for flood relief. About 1.25 kg of ambergris and 600 kgs of sea cucumber, meant for smuggling, were today seized from two places here, police said. The seized ambergris, a valuable substance obtained from the sperm whale and used in perfume manufacture, was worth about Rs 60 lakh, they said. The sea cucumber, an endangered coral reef species is a star delicacy in many south east Asian nations, was worth about Rs 19 lakh, police said. They were seized from Seraankottai and Vedalai coastal villages after police conducted raids. They were meant for smuggling to Sri Lanka, they said. No arrest made in connection with the seizures, police said. BJP President Amit Shah today held a meeting with the ministers of Rajasthan government, the first such interaction he had with them, and discussed various programmes of the government among other issues. "Chief Minister gave presentation about the works of the government and the ministers also discussed their works with the party chief. Internal security issues with special reference to the state were also discussed in the meeting," BJP state president Ashok Parnami said after the meeting was over. Shah was told about the financial situation of the state when the BJP government was formed in 2013, he said. Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and all the Rajasthan ministers, including cabinet and MoS, were part of the meeting held at a hotel here. BJP's national vice president Avinash Khanna and national joint general secretary V Satishan were also present in the meeting. "There was no complaint about the work of any minister. There was a positive message about the government's functioning. The national president admired the work of the state government," he said. Earlier in the day, Shah was received by Raje and the state President Parnami at Jaipur airport, following which they headed for the meeting. "We are working with a mission to win 2018 Assembly elections and 2019 Lok Sabha elections and we will get success," Parnami said. Assam government has constituted a state level committee for monitoring and implementation of the provisions of the Cable Television Networks Regulations Act 1995. The state government issued a notification on January 2 constituting the committee under the Chairmanship of Assam Chief Secretary and the Principal Secretary or Commissioner and Secretary as Vice Chairman, an official release here stated today. The state Director of Information and Public Relations has been designated as Member Secretary of the Committee. The other members of the committee are Director General of state police, Secretary of Social Welfare Department, Secretary of Women and Child Development, Director of Doordarshan Kendra, Guwahati Working Journalist President Prasanta Rajguru, NGO activist Sunita Changkakoty, academician Dr Trisha Duwarah Bora, psychiatrist Sangita Dutta and sociologist Tabiul Hussain. The Committee has been constituted so that no cable operator can broadcast or telecast any undesirable contents at the state level as per the Cable Television Networks Regulations Act 1995. The term of the Committee will be two years from the date of issue of the notification, the release added. 060116BISHOP CONDEMNS SORCERY By Aloysius Laukai The Catholic Bishop of Bougainville Diocese, His Lordship BISHOP BENARD UNABALI today condemned all sorcery related killings that are happening on Bougainville. Bishop Bernard said that this year is the year of Mercy for the church and he wants to see the people of Bougainville use this opportunity to reconcile and forgive their enemies as Bougainville is heading towards Referendum. He said that from all the sorcery related killings that have happened not one group has reconciled with each other. Bishop UNABALI said that if this trend continues then the outcome of the Referendum is not looking good. The Bishop made these remarks at the ordination of FR. DYLAN HATOBU at the Hahela Catholic Parish this morning. He said that the people must try their best to reconcile and prepare well for the up-coming Referendum earmarked for 2019. Ends Bangladesh's Supreme Court today upheld the death sentence of a top leader of fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami for crimes committed by him during the 1971 liberation war against Pakistan, clearing the way for his execution. A four-member bench headed by Chief Justice S K Sinha dismissed an appeal by Motiur Rahman Nizami, chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, who orchestrated the massacre of Bangladesh's best brains in 1971 using his ruthless Al-Badr militia. "The apex court has put the seal on his death penalty handed down previously by the (Bangladesh's) Crimes Tribunal," senior prosecution lawyer Jiad Al Malum told PTI. A large number of people rallied outside the heavily-guarded court complex to welcome the verdict. The court upheld capital penalty for 73-year-old Nizami in three charges and life imprisonment in two charges. Chief defence counsel Khondker Mahbub Hossain prayed for commuting his death sentence to life imprisonment considering his old age. Nizami is the last remaining top perpetrators of crimes against humanity. Bangladesh's Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in October, 2014 sentenced him to death, a verdict which the Supreme Court subsequently upheld. Nizami then sought to get the apex court verdict reviewed by itself in his last ditch effort to evade the gallows. In 1971, Nizami was the chief of Islami Chhatra Sangha, then student wing of Jamaat. He also headed the Al-Badr militia created by the Pakistan army to suppress the Bengali rebellion. The tribunal said Nizami had been involved in "planning and conspiring" mass killings, murders, rapes and looting at different villages in Pabna. Nizami now faces execution unless his case is reviewed by the court or he is granted clemency by the president. Jamaat's secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed, who was also Nizami's top aide in 1971, was executed last year along with Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, a stalwart of the key opposition BNP which is a crucial ally of the fundamentalist party. Bangladesh so far executed four war crimes convicts since the belated trial process of the top Bengali perpetrators of 1971 atrocities started in line with the electoral commitment of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2008. Two -- former Jamaat chief Ghulam Azam and ex-BNP minister Abdul Alim --- earlier were handed down "imprisonment until death" instead of capital punishment considering their old age. They subsequently died in the prison cells of a specialised state-run hospital. Bangladesh says three million people were killed during the nine-month liberation war against Pakistan in 1971. Bangladesh Supreme Court today upheld the death penalty given to fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami for war crimes during the 1971 liberation war against Pakistan, paving the way for his execution. A four-member bench headed by Chief Justice S K Sinha dismissed an appeal by 73-year-old Nizami, who was convicted of murder, rape and orchestrating the massacre of top intellectuals in 1971 using his ruthless Al-Badr militia when he was its leader. "The apex court has put the seal on his death penalty handed down previously by the International Crimes Tribunal," senior prosecution lawyer Jiad Al Malum told PTI. The court upheld capital penalty for Nizami in three charges and life imprisonment in two charges. Nizami, Jamaat's leader since 2000 and a minister in a former BNP-led government of 2001-2006, now faces execution unless his case is reviewed by the court or he is granted clemency by the president. A large number of people rallied outside the heavily- guarded court complex to welcome the verdict. Chief defence counsel Khondker Mahbub Hossain prayed for commuting Nizami's death sentence to life imprisonment considering his old age. Nizami is the last remaining top perpetrators of crimes against humanity. Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal in October, 2014 sentenced him to death, a verdict which the Supreme Court subsequently upheld. Nizami then sought to get the apex court verdict reviewed by itself in his last ditch effort to evade the gallows. In 1971, Nizami was the chief of Islami Chhatra Sangha, then student wing of Jamaat. He also headed the Al-Badr militia created by the Pakistan army to suppress the Bengali rebellion. The tribunal said Nizami had been involved in "planning and conspiring" mass killings, murders, rapes and looting at different villages in Pabna. Jamaat's secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed, who was Nizami's top aide in 1971, was executed last year along with Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, a stalwart of the key opposition BNP which is a crucial ally of the fundamentalist party. Bangladesh so far executed four war crimes convicts since the belated trial process of the top Bengali perpetrators of 1971 atrocities started in line with the electoral commitment of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2008. Two others - former Jamaat chief Ghulam Azam and ex-BNP minister Abdul Alim - earlier were handed down "imprisonment until death" instead of capital punishment considering their old age. They subsequently died in the prison cells of a specialised state-run hospital. Bangladesh says three million people were killed during the nine-month liberation war against Pakistan in 1971. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today called on Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, who arrived here on a four-day visit. The duo met at a hotel in the evening where state Chief Secretary Basudeb Banerjee was also present. Tobgay is in the city at the invitation of the state government to attend the two-day Bengal Global Business Summit beginning on January 8. Last October, Mamata Banerjee had gone on a five-day tour to Bhutan during which she had invited Tobgay. The Bhutanese PM had developed a good rapport with Banerjee and even drove her once to the hotel in Thimphu. Aditya Birla Group, the world's largest viscose staple fibre (VSF) manufacturer, is creating a one-stop platform for fabric-makers to reach out directly to women's wear exporters and international brands. The move is being driven by the group's fibre business arm Birla Cellulose. It is an expansion of its ongoing LIVA Accredited Partners Forum (LAPF) initiative to aggregate the top talent in fabrics industry. Birla Cellulose would bring together LAPF partners and international brands at Delhi-NCR tomorrow, which is also the country's garment industry capital. The mega event is being held in collaboration with the Society of Noida Apparel Export Cluster, Manohar Samuel, Birla Cellulose President for Marketing and Business Development, told PTI. The initiative is part of the USD 41 billion group's ongoing efforts to nurture various textile value chain partners in the garment export sector, amid struggling garment exports from the country, as the world markets see lots of cheap imports from China and other South Asian manufacturers. Samuel said around 40 LAPF partners would be attending the Noida conclave and showcase their innovative products to over 160 garment exporters, including global brands like Marks & Spencer, Macy's, and GAP, apart from domestic players like Shahi Exports, Orient Craft, Pearl Global and Richa & Co. Leading global buying-houses such as Triburg, Impulse, Li Fung, and Asmara, and domestic brands such as Biba and ITC are also attending the event, he said. The Noida leg is the third one in the LAPF series. The first conclave was held in Jaipur in association with the Garment Exporters Association of Rajasthan last August, whereas Coimbatore witnessed the second LAPF conclave early December 2015. Leading domestic brands like Pantaloons, Van Heusen, Allen Solly, People, Global Desi, Lifestyle, Melange, Shoppers Stop, Reliance Trends, Wills Lifestyle, Desi Belle Chemistry, 109F, Fusion Beats, FBB and Max use LIVA-branded fabric, he said, adding Birla Cellulose enjoys 93 per cent share of the global VSF industry. Of the overall garment exports of around USD 13.3 billion, women's wear market constitutes 80 per cent. Out of this, man-made cellulose fibre-based garments constituted USD 1.85 billion during the January-September 2015 period. During this period, the total textile exports inched up 3.6 per cent, while man-made cellulose-based garments exports rose by 34.5 per cent, according to industry data. The Congress today dismissed as "diversionary tactics" BJP MP Maheish Girri's complaint that party vice president Rahul Gandhi had presented himself as a British citizen to float a firm in the UK which has been forwarded by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to the Ethics Committee of Parliament. "Modi government has utterly failed on the issue of national security. So, such diversionary tactics have been resorted to by BJP MPs. It is laughable. We reject it with the contempt it deserves," AICC Communication Department Chief Randeep Surjewala told reporters. Surjewala was asked about Mahajan forwarding a Girri's complaint to the Ethics Committee headed by BJP stalwart L K Advani. "One MP had sent a complaint to me regarding this. Whenever an MP sends a complaint to the Speaker, it is referred to the committee as per rules. That particular complaint has been referred to the Ethics Committee," Mahajan said yesterday when asked about the issue. Girri, MP from East Delhi, had some time back written to the Speaker requesting for "appropriate inquiry" into party colleague Subramanian Swamy's allegations that Rahul had declared himself a British citizen to float a firm in that country. Swamy had also approached the Speaker in this regard. Reacting to Swamy's allegations last month, Congress had said it was only a typographical mistake in the citizen's column. "This could be a typographical error at some lower level," a Congress spokesperson had said rubbishing Swamy's claim. The party had also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP's 'Dirty Tricks Department Chairman' Swamy of colluding to malign their leader. The Supreme Court had last week dismissed a PIL seeking a probe into Rahul Gandhi's citizenship. Boko Haram gunmen have mounted their first attacks since Nigeria's government declared them "technically" defeated, killing seven people in a raid and suicide bombing, residents told today. The attacks happened yesterday in the northeastern state of Borno, near the Islamists' Sambisa Forest hideout, where the army is looking to flush out remnants of the rebel group. President Muhammadu Buhari, who has made crushing the rebellion a priority, in December said a sustained counter-offensive had reduced the group's ability to strike effectively. The first attack happened in Izgeki village, said one resident, who gave his name as Isyaku, from the town of Mubi in neighbouring Adamawa state. "I received information from my relatives who fled the attack... That some Boko Haram gunmen on bicycles attacked Izgeki across the river from Izghe yesterday morning where they killed two people. "The attack forced villagers to cross the river into Izghe. The gunmen pursued them. One of them who had a suicide belt on him blew himself up near the market, killing five people." Izghe was previously attacked in February 2014 where more than 100 people were killed as the rebels torched homes, opened fire and set off explosives. Thousands of residents fled the attack into Adamawa towards the town of Madagali and elsewhere but following the army's recapture of territory, some managed to return and begin reconstruction. Izghe is in the district of Gwoza, which Boko Haram captured in August 2014 and which the group's shadowy leader Abubakar Shekau declared the centre of its self-styled caliphate. Ayuba Chibok, an elder in the town of the same name, said there was also an attack in the nearby village of Nchiha at about 10:00 pm (2100 GMT) yesterday. "Luckily no-one was hurt but they (Boko Haram gunmen) looted food and burnt a large part of the village," he added. Residents managed to flee. Boko Haram kidnapped some 276 girls from their school in Chibok in April 2014 in a daring raid that captured world attention. Fifty seven escaped soon afterwards but 219 are still being held. The Mumbai-Delhi August Kranti Express was stopped briefly at Valsad railway station in Gujarat today after authorities got an anonymous call informing about a bomb on the train, which later turned out to be hoax. The call was made to the Mumbai Central railway station after the train had departed in evening, police said, adding that information was relayed to Valsad station master who was asked to stop the train when it arrives here at around 8 PM. Government Railway Police (GRP), along with the bomb disposal squad and dog squad, rushed to the spot at around 8.05 PM, said U C Markandey, GRP sub-inspector at Valsad station. "We have searched each and every compartment and all the luggage in the train. The search operation continued for almost 20 minutes. However, nothing suspicious was found in the train. Later, the train was given green signal to continue it's journey," he said. Delhi High Court today asked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government to explain whether it is not enough to continue their odd-even vehicles scheme, slated for a fortnight till January 15, for one week. A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath also said the Delhi government will have to admit that they do not have sufficient public transport to ferry people which was causing inconvenience to a large section of society. "Aren't these six days enough for you? We have permitted the government to run this scheme for one week during which they must have collected data relating to pollution levels in the city," it said. The court, however, fixed the matter for January 8 by when it has asked the government to get instructions on whether its pilot project can be reduced to a week instead of 15 days. It also asked the government to provide data related to changes in the pollution level between January 1 and 7. "In these six days you must have collected data related to pollution level, we think it's sufficient for you. You will have to think about inconvenience cause to public at large," the bench said, adding, "there is a practical difficulty." It also said that the court does not interfere with the policies but government must think about it as people are knocking its door complaining of inconvenience being caused. "You (government) have to think about it. Your status report is vague and does not reveal much," the bench said, adding, "There is no sufficient public transport. Is it really necessary to have it for 15 days?" The court also wished to know from the government how many cabs are plying on diesel and CNG in the capital and what level of pollution were they emitting. The court's direction came on a batch of petitions filed by various individuals including lawyers who have challenged AAP goverment's December 28, 2015 notification bringing into force the scheme which allows private cars with odd-numbered plates to ply on odd-numbered dates and vice-versa. While seeking quashing of the notification, a plea filed by Delhi High Court Bar Association President Rajiv Khosla sought explanation from Delhi government on what jurisdiction it has to fix a fine of Rs 2,000 without amendment in the Motor Vehicles Act. Opposing the move from various sections of the society, senior standing counsel Rahul Mehra, appearing for Delhi government, said "the scheme is only for 15 days and the State is equally pained by the inconvenience being caused to public. The Delhi government, while replying to the court's query as to why women and two-wheelers were exempted from the scheme, said it was done as it is committed to provide security to women and restricting the two wheelers would have paralysed the transport system as there are no sufficient vehicles to cater such a huge demand. "Since, motor cars shall be plied on alternate days according to their registration number being odd or even, it is perceived that their shall be rush in the public transport (metro and buses). "Hence, the exemptions for women vehicles have been given to ensure that there is no compromise on women's safety," the Delhi government said. It further said that a major portion of the population uses two-wheelers and pulling them out of the exemption would have led to congestion in public transport. "The present number of vehicles are not sufficient to cater such a huge demand from the public," it said. Mehra, the standing counsel for the AAP government, further submitted that there was prevalence of respiratory diseases among children and new borns and "we are levelled as the most polluted city in the world". To this, the Chief Justice said "at present you are causing more inconvenience to public." The bench also questioned the exemption granted to senior citizens and the car-pooling method saying the mechanism cannot be termed safe and could be misused in longer run. It also asked the Delhi government to file an affidavit specifying the infrastructure for persons with disability in the public transport. The bench also said that keeping lawyers out of the exemption list was also "practically unsound" and so the Delhi government needs to examine it. The Delhi government counsel, however, said whatever it was doing was being done in the interest of people. "We have to take into consideration the future of the next generation. Entire, world is considering climate change. We also have to move a step. Even Chief Justice of India and the judges of this court ... Are supporting the scheme. Courts have been functioning well in past few days," Mehra said. (Reopens LGD11) The Delhi government counsel further submitted that had the people of Delhi not accepted the scheme, there would have been resentment. "Can all this be equated with our health and health of our children? Do we all want our children to be on nebulizer? People of Delhi are responsible and only one or two per cent are opposing it. Right to Life has to be with clean health and we cannot skirt the issue," Mehra said. He was responding to the pleas filed by the lawyers, who claimed that the scheme had been brought out and made applicable without even carrying out any feasiblity study and was hampering the legal fraternity in carrying out their professional responsibility. One of the petitioners submitted that the notification has not assigned any reason for exempting categorised vehicles and hence was liable to be set aside. "The notification is suffering from legislative incompetence and further the state government did not have the authority and jurisdiction to formulate a policy and further had no power to fix a fine of Rs 2000 without there being an amendment to the Motor Vehicle Act by the competent legislative forum," Khosla argued. The bench, however, refused to pass any interim order on a bunch of 11 petitions filed by different individuals against the AAP government's plan on the odd-even scheme. The vehicles exempted from the scheme include the President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Chief Justice of India, Union Ministers and Governors and Chief Ministers of states and Union Territories "except that of Delhi". Besides, women drivers, CNG-certified vehicles, VIPs, two -wheelers, ambulances, defence vehicles and embassy vehicles have been exempted from the government's ambitious scheme. Earlier, the high court had refused to pass any interim direction on the PILs, saying "Delhi government has proposed an idea, which is to be implemented from January 1, 2016, on trial basis for 15 days. Let them (Delhi government) try it." The court's oral observation was made during hearing the PILs, filed by Shweta Kapoor and Sarvesh Singh, which sought directions for restraining implementation of policy. Fair trade regulator CCI today rejected complaint of anti-competitive practices made against realty major DLF relating to a project in Gurgaon, Haryana. It was alleged that DLF Universal, a subsidiary of DLF Ltd, abused its dominant market position by imposing unfair and arbitrary terms and conditions in the sale agreement pertaining to sale of five units in DLF Corporate Greens project at Sector 74A, Gurgaon. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) dismissed the allegations after a DG-level investigation on finding that there was no violation of competition norms since DLF is not in a dominant position in the relevant market. For this case, 'the market for the services of development and sale of commercial space in Gurgaon' was considered as the relevant market. "Since OP Group (DLF Group) does not appear to be in a dominant position in the relevant market, the question of abuse of dominant position within the meaning of the provisions of section 4 of the Act does not arise," CCI said in the order. Section 4 of the Competition Act pertains to abuse of dominant market position. Based on facts provided by the complainant, CCI prima facie found that there might be a violation of the provisions of Section 4 of the Act and directed the Director General (DG) to conduct investigation into the matter. CCI, in its order, said that large number of players and fragmented nature of market, and considering the number of commercial projects launched and sold by DLF and its competitors over the past five years, it seems that DLF does not hold a significant position to influence the market. Officials of the Central team, assessing rain-related damage in the state, today toured different parts of this severely battered district, which encompasses several suburbs of Chennai. Three officials of the Inter-Ministerial central team visited areas in Kattupakkam, Kaduvetti and Avadi and witnessed and assessed the damage caused by last month's torrential rains and subsequent flooding. They were shown the damage caused to the infrastructure including roads and bridges besides dwelling units among others. The team was accompanied by senior officials of the state government including District Collector K Veera Raghava Rao. An eight-member Central team arrived yesterday to tour rain-affected districts in the state. While Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Cuddalore districts suffered deluge, Tirunelveli and Tuticorin were also severely affected by the north-east monsoon rains. Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has sought more than Rs 25,900 crore assistance from the Centre for the restoration and relief works being undertaken by the state government. She had expressed hope that the Centre would release the amount. (Reopens MES4) Meanwhile, a report from Tuticorin said tension prevailed in some of the flood-hit areas including Maravanmadam and Anthniyarpuram when people blocked the road traffic and picketed the Central team visiting the district to assess the flood damages, demanding immediate provision of basic amenities and repair of damaged roads. The people also wanted the team to listen to their grievances first before meeting the officials, police said. However, following the intervention of officials and police they dispersed. They charged that their areas were neglected by the government during the floods. (Reopens MES5) Meanwhile, a report from Puducherry said an inter-ministerial team of officials appointed by the Central government visited the Union Territory for assessing the extent of havoc caused by the torrential rains in November-December. The team comprising N M Krishnan Unni the Superintending Engineer of the Union Water Resources Ministry and D S Arvind, the Regional Director of Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry made field visits and held talks with the farmers hit by the flood and also the house owners who bore the brunt of the havoc during the fag end of 2015. Farmers apprised the team at Ulaivaaikal in Villianoor bloc of the extent of damage the standing crops suffered. This was the second visit of a Central visit to Puducherry as one team headed by Joint Secretary to Union Home Ministry T V S Prasad had assessed the damage after the rains in November. Puducherry government had sent two reports successively seeking a central assistance of Rs 491.9 crores for managing the situation arising out of the rains. District Collector D Manikandan, who accompanied the team, told 060116RAIBRO WINS CONTRACT By Aloysius Laukai RAIBRO Construction Limited a Port Moresby based company has been awarded the contract to seal the next ten Kilometers of the Buka ring road. The Contract was signed in Buka today between the ABG Acting President, PATRICK NISIRA and the Manager of Raibro Construction Limited, KIERAN BROWN. The Contract for the next ten kilometers from Hagogohe to Halia is worth TWENTY ONE MILLION KINA. Acting President , PATRICK NISIRA said that JOMIK will continue with the first phase which is yet to be completed whilst Raibro will start with the next phase of the Buka Ring Road. He said that the next Ten Kilometers will be out for tender soon. The signing was done at the Bougainville Disaster Offices Conference room in Kubu. Work on the next Ten Kilometers will start in February. Funding of the Buka Ring Road and the other main roads are from the Special Intervention Fund from the National Government. Ends The Centre today approved drought assistance of Rs 815 crore from the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF), Odisha's Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) P K Mohapatra said. Mohapatra said the assistance was approved at the High Level Committee meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi. "The Committee examined Odisha's memoranda seeking an assistance of Rs 2199 crore to tackle drought situation in the state. The committee also examined the report of the Central Team which visited the affected areas in the drought," Mohapatra said. He said the state government had earlier submitted two memoranda with the Centre seeking Rs 2199 crore as standing crops over 13.41 lakh hectare in 215 blocks of 26 districts sustained crop loss of 33 per cent and more. "We will submit the final drought report with the Centre after getting crop cutting reports from districts. The final report is likely to be prepared by January 15," the SRC said adding that the state was expecting some more assistance as the severity of drought is acute in parts of Odisha. The ruling BJD spokesman S B Behera said the Centre should re-consider the amount of drought assistance approved by the High Level Committee. "The state government has already sanctioned Rs 1,000 crore from its own resources for drought mitigation," Behera said. China today strongly condemned its close-ally North Korea's claim of carrying out its first hydrogen bomb test saying it "firmly opposes" the move and will honour its international obligations on sanctions on the reclusive nation. "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) once again carried out the nuclear test irrespective of the international community's opposition. The Chinese government firmly opposes that," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing here. "On the sanctions, China will honour its international obligations and work with the international community to realise the goal of the denuclearisation of the (Korean) peninsula and make our due contributions," Hua said. She said Beijing plans to summon North Korean Ambassador here to lodge a diplomatic protest over the test, which follows three earlier nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013. "To realise denuclearisation of the peninsula, prevent nuclear proliferation and safeguard peace and stability of north East Asia is China's firm position," she said. "We strongly urge the DPRK side to strongly commit to its de-nuclearisation commitment and stop taking actions that make the situation worse," she said. China will push forward the denuclearisation and remain committed to resolve the nuclear issue within the framework of six party talks involving China, the US, North and South Korea, Japan, and Russia, she said. Hua said that China, which share borders with North Korea, has stepped up environmental monitoring following the test and so far tests showed that the gama rays dosage is within the normal range. Hua also said that China is trying to determine whether it is a nuclear or a hydrogen bomb test. "China has noted DPRK statement. We will make our assessment on that. Our position is clear. We oppose their test. We hope they stick to their commitment to denuclearisation and stop taking similar actions." Refuting criticism that the six party talks which China pushed firmly in the past for denuclearisation, Hu said, "Facts have proven that the six party talks is the only practical way to resolve the relevant issue. We are committed to resolve the nuclear issue of the peninsula within the frame work of six party talks." China, North Korea relations mellowed down after the present leader Kim Jong-un came to power in 2011 following the death of his father Kim Jong II. The test, just two days ahead of leader Kim's birthday, was initially detected by international seismology monitors as a 5.1-magnitude tremor next to North Korea's main nuclear test site. Kim had last week suggested that North Korea has developed a hydrogen bomb, but the claim was questioned by the international experts. China today landed two more civilian planes on an artificial island it has built in a contested part of the strategic South China Sea, days after its first successful landing on the island that drew worldwide condemnation. Two civilian aircraft took off from the Meilan Airport of Haikou, capital of Hainan Province and landed at the airfield on Yongshu Jiao in the Nansha Islands, also claimed by the Vietnam. The aircraft flew back to Haikou in the afternoon, state- run Xinhua agency reported. China had last Saturday for the first time landed a plane on the artificial island in the strategic South China Sea, inviting international condemnation and angry protests from Vietnam which accused Beijing of "serious infringement" of its sovereignty. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said last week that China conducted a "test flight" to check whether the newly- built airfield facilities met the standards for civil aviation. Hua had dismissed the Vietnam's protests on the first test flight saying that the "relevant activity falls completely within China's sovereignty" dismissing Vietnam's protests. "China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and their adjacent waters. China will not accept the unfounded accusation from the Vietnamese side," she said, referring to the Spratly Islands by its Chinese name. The strategic South China Sea is rich in natural resources and is also a major shipping lane for global trade. Over half of the world's commercial shipping passes through the Indo-Pacific waterways including one-third of the world's liquefied natural gas. China claims almost the whole of the South China Sea, resulting in overlapping claims with several other Asian nations like Vietnam and the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. They accuse China of illegally reclaiming land in contested areas to create artificial islands with facilities that could potentially be used for military purposes. The Vietnamese foreign ministry had said the airfield was built illegally on a part of the Spratly archipelago that lies within its territory. Terming it as "political malice", Rajasthan Congress president Sachin Pilot today condemned the BJP-led state government's decision to shut down Haridev Joshi University of Journalism and Mass Communication and the decision to merge it with University of Rajasthan. The previous Congress government had set up the HJUJMC for higher and quality studies and research in mass media, but it was closed without any logic and justification which is highly condemnable, Pilot told reporters here. "Earlier, the BJP government had shut down the Ambedkar Law University set up by the previous Gehlot government, and now HJUJMC, which showed the narrow mindedness and political malice of Raje government," he alleged. The state government in a meeting of the Cabinet, chaired by chief minister Vasundhara Raje, had yesterday decided among others to shut down HJUJMC, set up in 2012 during Congress regime, and merge it with the University of Rajasthan. Stating that a legal case on the university was pending in the state High Court, Pilot said, "the government should have waited for final verdict". The department of Journalism and Mass Communication existing in University of Rajasthan is already facing a financial crunch, and the merger of HJ university would only add to the problems, he added. He alleged that the Raje government was misusing the huge public mandate it got in assembly polls. (Reopens NRG16) Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Leader of Opposition (Congress) Rameshwar Dudi also criticised the closure of HJUJMC by the BJP government. In a separate statements, Gehlot said it was most unfortunate that the BJP government closed down the first Ambedkar Law University, then HJUJMC without any proper justification, and also shifted Jan Jaati VishwaVidhyaly from Udaipur to Banwara to appease tribals. While Dudi said if the Congress returned to power in 2019 assembly polls, the same university would set up again. "It is fascist move of the BJP government to close varsities one after another which were opened by the previous Congress government. It is an insult to Rajasthan's glorious history and development of Journalism in the state", he alleged. A constable in Delhi Police's Special Cell today died of a bullet injury allegedly after his AK 47 rifle went off accidentally during an operation against a wanted criminal Sonu Pandit in outer Delhi's Rohini in the wee hours. Anand Khatri (32) was posted in southwest unit of Special Cell in late 2015. The incident took place around 5 AM, when a Special Cell team went to Rohini's Sector 21 following a tip-off that Pandit, who is believed to be a close aide of southwest Delhi-based history-sheeter Ravindra Bholu, was hiding there, police said. "During the operation, Khatri fired accidentally from his own AK 47 rifle and the bullet hit him. He was rushed to a hospital by the other members of the team, but his life could not be saved," Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Arvind Deep said. Khatri's family was informed and his body was sent for a postmortem. India has signed a protocol with Czech Republic to promote bilateral cooperation in the field of heavy industry, especially in industrial cooperation and facilities construction, the Union Cabinet was apprised today. The protocol includes modernisation of the existing facilities in India by the Czech companies, including modernisation of three plants of Heavy Engineering Corporation and a central public sector enterprise (CPSE) under the Department of Heavy Industries at Ranchi, set up with Czech support in early 1960's. "The aim of the protocol is to promote bilateral cooperation...In the field of heavy industry on the principle of mutual convenience and benefit, in accordance with the laws valid on the territories of the states of the Parties and their obligations resulting from other international agreements," an official statement said. "Fifty Shades of Grey" actor Dakota Johnson has condemned Hollywood, saying there is no room for her mother, Melanie Griffith, and grandmother Tippi Hedren. Johnson, who is promoting her new film "Black Mass", said she worries about her future in Hollywood at the age of 26, reported Guardian online. But she suggested matters were much worse for "Working Girl" star Griffith, 58, and Hitchcock muse Hedren, 85. "Why isn't my mother in the movies? She's an extraordinary actress," asked Johnson. "Why isn't my grandmother in the movies? This industry is brutal. No matter how tough you are, sometimes there's the feeling of not being wanted. It's absurd and cut-throat. Whenever I have downtime, I'm unsure that I will ever work again. I don't know what it is, but it's a definite thing that happens to me," she said. Johnson said she remained proud of her work in "Fifty Shades of Grey", the erotic romance that was panned by critics. "I'm proud of Fifty Shades of Grey. I don't need to distance myself from that. The more work I do, the more the general public sees the different things I can do. Do I think it opened doors? Yeah. More people know my name. The Delhi Police today sought the conviction of six accused, who are facing trial for allegedly gangraping a 52-year-old Danish woman here in 2014, saying there was sufficient evidence to prove their ill intent and committing of the crime. Advancing final arguments before Additional Sessions Judge Kaveri Baweja, the prosecutor said on the night of the incident, the woman had sought directions to her destination from the accused persons, who, on the garb of guiding her, took her to a secluded place and raped her. "The accused took the woman to a secluded place which amounts to kidnapping and this shows their ill intention as thereafter, they gangraped her, looted her articles and also threatened her," Special Public Prosecutor Atul Shrivastava argued. He said the provisions of kidnapping, gangrape, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation, dacoity, receiving stolen property under the IPC are made out against the accused and they should be held guilty of all these offences. The prosecutor, while concluding his arguments, also said that scientific evidence, eyewitness account and recoveries made from the accused also nail their guilt. There were a total of nine accused, including three juveniles against whom inquiry before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) is in progress. Shrivastava had yesterday argued that testimonies of the victim and an eyewitness along with medical evidence established that nine accused including three juveniles had raped the woman. The police charge sheet has said the nine accused, all vagabonds, had allegedly robbed and gangraped the Danish tourist at knife-point on the night of January 14, 2014, after leading her to a secluded spot close to the Divisional Railway Officers' Club near New Delhi Railway Station. All the nine accused were arrested. The six adult accused - Mahendra alias Ganja (26), Mohd Raja (22), Raju (23), Arjun (21), Raju Chakka (22) and Shyam Lal (55) - are in judicial custody and facing trial. The nine accused have been booked on charges of gangrape and robbery or dacoity, with an attempt to cause death or grievous hurt. During recording of their testimonies, the six adult accused had claimed innocence and alleged that the police had falsely implicated them in the case. They had also said they do not want to examine any witness in their defence. In a far-reaching decision, Delhi Government today scrapped management and all other quotas except for the Economically Weaker Sections in private schools for nursery admissions and warned institutions violating the the order could be taken over by the education department. Announcing the decision taken at a meeting of the state's cabinet, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called the management quota the breeding ground for "biggest scandal" in the education sector in the country and said his government will not be a "mute spectator" to it. The government also scrapped 62 "arbitary and discriminatory" criterias listed by the schools on their websites for admissions. However, the 25 per cent quota for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) will stay. The decision came in the midst of the admission process for nursery classes in over 2,500 private schools in the capital. "What is management quota? Under it, you get admission if someone is recommended by a chief Minister, education minister, judge, police commissioner, SHOs or by an income tax official. Either it is recommendations or seats are sold. "Management quota is the biggest scandal in the country which the Delhi Government is scrapping. 75 per cent admissions in the private schools will be under open category. Other than EWS category, there will be no other quota," Kejriwal told a press conference. Warning schools of stringent action in case of violations, he said the government will use all available options against erring institutions, including takeover. "If they do not budge, they can be derecognised or government can take them over," he said, adding "the mafia had captured the education system and made it a business. The government will not tolerate this." Kejriwal, with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio, seated beside him, said the was taken to ensure that the admission process becomes pro-people and transparent. Private schools in Delhi have quotas for management, siblings, alumni and many others. The decision also prohibits schools from making parents to declare details like whether they smoke or drink or consume non-vegetarian food. The High Court, in an order, had asked the Delhi Government not to micro-manage the admission process following which the Education Department had allowed the schools to frame their respective criteria and put them on their websites. Kejriwal said certain criteria put out by the schools were "very shocking" and in violation of Article 14 of the Constitution relating to equality before law. "The Education Department officials told me that court has directed not to micro-manage the admission process. I told them not to worry. Tell the court that I have done this. I will tell the court that management quota is the biggest scandal and this should be stopped. And now the Cabinet has given its approval," said Kejriwal. Kejriwal said some of the criteria put out by schools were not acceptable at all. "Children of the those parents who eat non-vegetarian food, smoke or drink will not get admission. Those parents who know music and painting will get more marks. The criteria are so arbitrary, wrong and discriminatory. What does this mean? "You have a handle in your hand and you will decide whom to give admission. It is not acceptable," Kejriwal said. Listing out examples of quotas in different schools, he said one school had reserved 75 per cent seats under management quota and only 25 per cent were open. "The quotas include management quota, sibling quota and what not. In some schools, only 25 per cent seats are open. An order is being issued that only 25 per cent seats will be reserved and it will be for EWS category. "The court had not allowed quota. 25 per cent quota is for the EWS and you have to give 75 per cent seats for general category," he said. (Reopens DEL51) Kejriwal said the government has in an order permitted the schools to give admission to children of staff, teachers or those in the management. "But it was clarified that it cannot be made a quota." He said the government was considering forming a monitoring committee to oversee the admission process. "The government's job is to ensure that whatever the schools do is fair, reasonable and transparent. Government's work is more like a regulator. But if your process is not fair and transparent, then the govenrment will pitch in. So, the government will not be a mute spectator," said Kejriwal. Sisodia said the government's intervention will not impact the ongoing admission process as the schools will finalise the nitty-gritty of the admission only after January 22. "Before our 49-day government had come, the LG had come up with a list of criterion and given rating to each of them. So, the court had said you cannot formulate criteria. You have to give autinomy," said the Chief Minister. Delhi government will constitute a mandi workers development organisation for welfare of labourers working at wholesale vegetable and fruit markets, Delhi Development Minister Gopal Rai today said. Addressing a crowd at a programme held in Azadpur Mandi, he said,"the Mandi Shramik Vikas Sangthan will be constituted for welfare of labourers working at the mandis in Delhi." The organisation will hold camps at the mandis for registration of labourers working there. After registration, the labourers will be provided registration cards, he said. Paying tribute to Chaudhary Heera Singh as a true well- wisher of farmers whose tireless efforts resulted in the Azadpur Mandi for vegetable and fruits, Rai said, "He (Singh) always voiced the concerns and interests of farmers and landless people. Delhi government is furthering his commitment towards the farmers. O60116 TEACHERS ENTITLEMENTS SORTED By Aloysius Laukai The Chairman of the Bougainville Education Board, TONY TSORA yesterday also revealed that all leave fares for teachers were settled and Teachers that were entitled for leave have gone home. He told New Dawn FM that the problem of Teachers not getting their leave entitlements was settled before the Christmas and New Year festivities. MR. TSORA made these comments when giving his update on the 2016 School year which starts in two weeks. He called on teachers who have been posted to Schools to make sure they are in their new locations on time to start as expected. MR. TSORA said that ASITAVI Girls High School will commence as a Girls Secondary School starting this year. He said that Classes will resume one week after Teachers have resumed at the locations. Ends A tweet by Delhi Police regarding a demonstration at north Delhi's Civil Lines area today led to a sharp exchange of words between the force and the Aam Aadmi Party. The police, however, claimed that the objective of the tweet was to ensure that people in Delhi do not face any inconvenience. "Today at 11 AM, 2,000 MCD teachers, doctors & pensioners will protest against non-release of their 3-month salary at Civil Lines," Delhi Police tweeted in the morning. To the tweet, AAP's Delhi convenor Dilip Pandey replied with: "@DelhiPolice Jobless Congress sponsored protest details being announced by u with so much of details as if u have organised it." Delhi Police replied: "@dilipkpandey we issue an alert for any gathering above 1000 people to prevent traffic hassles. We hope you appreciate the objective." To which the AAP leader replied: "@DelhiPolice Appreciate bt did u follow d same wen AAP protested agnst @arunjaitley, demanding his resignation in #DDCAScam? No? It's Ok. More thn 2000 vols protested agnst @arunjaitley on 23 Dec, near Racecourse, Water Canon used, u didn't even mention it on TL." The tweet by the official hundle of Delhi Police was no longer visible on their page or over the micro-blogging network in a few hours, even as senior officials claimed that the tweet was not deleted. Special Commissioner of Police (Operation) Sundari Nanda said that the only objective of the tweet was to ensure that people in Delhi do not face any inconvenience for the demonstration by being aware of it in advance. Delhi Police's tweet virtually appeared to have originated from Bardez in Goa, which senior officials said might have been a technical glitch. Sundari Nanda later assured that the tweet was posted from Delhi. The tweet also drew sharp reactions from twitteratti among other AAP leaders. "So @BhimBassi's team tweeting from "Goa" about Protest in "Delhi" against CM @ArvindKejriwal ???" tweeted AAP leader Kumar Vishwas. Among others, one Manak Gupta tweeted "Why should @DelhiPolice tweet political details of a protest? With no mention of a traffic warning at all," tweeted Manak Gupta. "This verified handle tweet clearly shows how Delhi Police is working against the AAP Govt," tweeted one Avinav. The Madras High Court today directed Tamil Nadu government to furnish details of permissions granted in 2015 to put up digital banners and flex boards and to inform it of the hiatus time in application for and grant of permission in the cases. The First Bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Puspa Satyanarayana, stated this when a PIL filed by 'Traffic' Ramaswamy and 'Satta Panchayat Iyakkam', a social outfit, came up for submission of details of digital banners and flex boards put up in connection with the AIADMK executive and general body meeting on December 31 at Sri Ramachandra Medical college here. On December 30, the Court had dismissed two PILs filed by them, seeking a prayer not to allow the executive and the general body meetings of AIADMK in the premises of SRMC as it was an educational institution. The Court had, however, directed the Advocate General to furnish details of fees paid by AIADMK workers to authorities for erection of hoardings, banners and flex boards in connection with meetings. As per the direction, the Government Pleader submitted all details on permission granted, which showed that five AIADMK functionaries had obtained permissions for fixing the banners. After going through details that permissions were granted in almost all the cases within a short period, the bench sought to know the speed at which other cases were dealt with. The bench said affidavit showed permissions were granted to the five to put up between 50 and 100 and hoardings. The amount remitted at Rs 250 per digital banner in the first case was on December 28, while in all others it was on December 30. "Thus, more or less except in the first case, permission has been granted on the same date on which the application was made and the amount deposited on the same date. We would like to know as to in how many cases in the year 2015 have permissions been granted and what is the hiatus time in other cases between the date of application/deposit of amount and grant of permissions." It then directed the Government Pleader to file an affidavit within three weeks and posted the matter for compliance to February 12. Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi today advocated for opening the borders between India and Pakistan for children from both the countries emphasising that divisions don't exist in the minds of the young. "Let us create a situation where children can go to both sides, there must be not any borders at least for children, " Satyarthi said at an event here. Recognised for his work against child labour, Satyarthi said in his over 30 years of workings in Pakistan, he had noticed that children there were curious about life in India, its movie stars and people. "I have been working in Pakistan for the last 30 years and have travelled across Pakistan and I know the young children are curious to know about India, its films, heroes etc. They really want to come to India and also our children want to see many things in Pakistan," he said. Asked about his thoughts on how to go about achieving peace between the two neighbouring countries, the child rights activist also recounted his meeting with Malala Yousufzai, the teenager from Pakistan with whom he (Satyarthi) shared the Nobel Peace Prize. "I always believed in doing my bit. I met Malala, hugged her, kissed her and asked if she accepts me as her the new father from India. I called her daughter and she called me abbu," he said. Satyarthi said he strongly believes that the solution lay "more in the involvement, participation and leadership of the young people." "We have to find innovative solutions to these problems and invest more on children priorities in policies and programmes. We need to invest more in education for our children and ensure that the world has good laws, which are properly implemented but more importantly we have to build a sense of responsibility towards our children, " he said. Actress Emma Roberts and Evan Peters, who are rumoured to have reconciled after ending engagement last June, rang in New Year together in Malibu. The on-and-off proved their relationship is back by welcoming 2016 at a USD 4,500 property in Malibu, which they rented from Airbnb, reported the New York Post. Roberts, 24, tweeted, "Perfect way to start 2016." The pair apparently made no attempt to hide their affection one another and were seen strolling hand-in-hand on the beach, as well as visiting the Malibu Country Mart and a local Starbucks. Peters, 28, fuelled speculation the couple had reconciled back in October when he gushed about the "Scream Queens" star. He said, "She is really great." Quizzed about their relationship, the "American Horror Story" actor then coyly gave a thumbs up. He added, "I just love her." The actor began dating Roberts in 2012 and proposed to her in December 2013. Their engagement came to a crashing halt last summer and it was claimed the split was "amicable". A former village sarpanch was axed to death allegedly by Maoists for supporting bauxite mining in the district, police said today. Nearly 300 people, including Maoists, militia members and their sympathisers, reached the house of Jerrala village's ex-sarpanch and present director of Chintapalli market committee S Venkata Ramana (30) last night, they said. They took Ramana out of the house, tied him to a pole and killed him with an axe, alleging that the victim was supporting bauxite mining in the agency area of the district, according to circle inspector of police G K Veedhi. The deceased, believed to be a member of the Telugu Desam Party, resided at Chintapalli. He came to Jerrala village yesterday to console the family members of a relative who died in the village, police said. The Maoists looted the house of Ramana in Jerrala village and took away 20 bags of coffee nuts, nine goats and Rs 50,000 cash, before damaging the tiled house and setting it on fire, the inspector said. Later, police sent the body for postmortem and handed it over to his family members. Meanwhile, combing operations are on in the agency area to nab the culprits, police added. The World Bank has warned that failure to pass the goods and services tax (GST) Bill by Parliament could hamper the governments ability to ramp up spending on infrastructure. Failure to pass GST could hamper the governments ability to preserve the status quo of fragmented domestic markets, it added in its Global Economic Outlook report. The risks are mostly of domestic origin and mainly on the downside, the report said. The Constitution Amendment bill to roll out GST is stuck in the Rajya Sabha where the ruling NDA does not have a majority of its own. The bill is being opposed by Congress although many other opposition parties are on board. Congress is seeking three changes in the bill, including a constitutional cap on the GST rate, to support it. In its report, the World Bank said that risks are mostly of domestic origin and mainly on the downside. "Slow progress on land reforms could add to investment delays, and private investment growth may be unable to build further momentum," the report said, adding that the financing of public-private partnerships also remains a challenge. It said although India has made good progress on reducing external vulnerabilities and strengthening the credibility of the macro policy framework, high levels of nonperforming loans in the banking sector, concentrated in construction, natural resource and infrastructure sectors, could impede a pickup in investment if left unaddressed. "There are also downside risks to growth in the near term from sub-par monsoon rainfall across most of India, and farm output growth may prove weaker than projected," it added. The Reserve Bank has allowed foreign investors to buy up to 100 per cent of the paid up capital of Transwarranty Finance Ltd. It has also allowed NRIs to invest up to 24 per cent in the same company. "Foreign Institutional Investors/Registered Foreign Portfolios Investors and Non Resident Indians (NRIs) can now invest up to 100 per cent and 24 per cent respectively of the paid up capital of Transwarranty Finance Limited under the Portfolio Investment Scheme (PIS)," RBI said in a notification. RBI said foreign shareholding by NRIs in Transwarranty Finance have gone below the revised threshold limit. "Hence, the restrictions placed on the purchase of shares of the above company are withdrawn with immediate effect". As per data available on BSE, the promoter held 53.61 per cent in the company as of September 30, 2015, while the rest of 46.39 per cent was held by others. The company has passed resolutions at its Board of Directors' level and a special resolution by the shareholders, agreeing for enhancing the limit for the purchase of its equity shares by FIIs/RFPIs and NRIs, RBI said. The company, headquartered in Mumbai, gives investment banking service to corporate and retail clients. Transwarranty Finance shares closed at Rs 6.20 on BSE today, up 2.82 per cent from previous close. Noted film personalities today hailed the film policy of Jharkhand. "It will certainly strengthen possibilities of film production in Jharkhand, which is blessed with natural beauty," Mumbai-based film producer Ashok Saran said. Appreciating the state government's proposal to set up a film city in Patratu in Ramgarh district, he said the policy would provide opportunities to personalities to exhibit their talent. Renowned documentary producer Meghnath supported the policy as well as the proposal for a film city. He favoured a discussion as to whether the film city would be in the pattern of Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad or Film Development Corporation of Kerala, an official release said quoting him. Apprising the film personalities about the recently approved policy and related issues, Director of Information and Public Relation Department, Jharkhand, Awadhesh Kumar Pandey, said the state government framed the policy to encourage film production as well as to address problems faced by film personalities of the state. Urging them to give suggestions with regard to setting up a film city, Pandey said the state Public Relation Department would organise a workshop in February to discuss issues related to film production and promotion. Film personalities like Sri Prakash, Biju Toppo, Prabal Mahato participated in the meeting. A fire broke out after midnight at a hotel near the military's general headquarters in Pakistan's garrison city of Rawalpindi but no one was hurt in the blaze. The reason of the fire is not known which started at the record room and spread to other areas. The Pearl Continental hotel is located very close to military's general headquarters and the sudden fire eruption saw army jawans running to the site and helping in the rescue efforts. No casualty occurred in the incident as fire tenders doused the blaze while the guests were safely evacuated, police official Muhammad Ramazan said. "We have set up a committee to ascertain the reason for the fire," hotel's chief security officer told media. The hotel is one of the main hotels of Rawalpindi which is located near Islamabad and popular among foreigners. This site is kept by Boyce Richardson, journalist, writer and documentary filmmaker, of a leftist persuasion. Established 1996 Renowned French composer-conductor Pierre Boulez, also known as a profilic writer and pianist, has died at the age of 90. The musician died on Tuesday at his home in Baden-Baden, Germany his family said, reported BBC. "For all those who met him and were able to appreciate his creative energy, his artistic vigour... Will remain alive and strong," the family said. Boulez was also known as the head of the Paris Philharmonic, a cultural institution in Paris that combines spaces all dedicated to music. He was the founder and former director of the Paris based Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique and was also famed for his work alongside leading experimental composers such as Karlheinz Stockhausen and Olivier Messiaen. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls paid tribute to Boulez on Twitter, "Courage, innovation, creativity, this is what Pierre Boulez meant to the world of French music, of which he made a beacon of light throughout the world." Born in the Loire region of France in 1925, Boulez began his musical career at the Conservatoire in Paris, one of the world's most celebrated music schools. In 1945, he became musical director of the theatre company of Jean-Louis Barrault and Madeleine Renaud. During this period, he composed violent early pieces such as his first two piano sonatas and Livre Pour Quatuor for the string quartet. His career as a conductor took off in the 1950s, during which time he performed with the Sudwestfunk (South-West German Radio). He also began acting as guest conductor for some of Europe's leading orchestras and festivals. Boulez's talent led him to be more and more in demand and by the 1960s he was appearing widely as a conductor, going on to become chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and New York Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1996 he won a Grammy for his recording of Debussy's "La Mer" with the Cleveland Orchestra, and won again in 2002 for Boulez Conducts Varese (Ameriques; Arcana; Deserts; Ionisation) with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Upset after her fiance broke off their engagement, a 21-year-old girl and her parents allegedly committed suicide by consuming poison at their house in Borkheda here. The victims were identified as Hemant Chatwani, his wife Rajni alias Kanta (45) and daughter Diksha (21). Police have lodged a case of abetting suicide against the Jaipur-based fiance of Diksha. Chatwani, his wife and daughter consumed poison around 5 PM yesterday at their home in Aditaya Awas area, said Ram Kishan, sub inspector and in charge of Borkheda police station. The three were rushed to Maharao Bhim Singh (MBS) hospital where they succumbed during treatment last night, he said. No suicide note was found, the SI said. However, preliminary inquiry has revealed that Diksha was engaged to a Jaipur-based boy about a year ago but on December 30, he broke off the engagement over phone, Kishan said. On a complaint by Hemant's father Surendra Chatwani, a case under section 306 of IPC was lodged against the fiance Kamal, a resident of Malviya Nagar area in Jaipur, the SI said, adding the investigation is on. The bodies have been sent for post mortem. Meanwhile, a 26-year-old married woman committed suicide yesterday morning by hanging herself in her room in Rangbadi area. Her husband, Narendra Singh Rajput, was away on work, the police said. She was rushed to New Medical hospital where she was declared brought dead, they said, adding the body was handed over to the family members after postmortem. Further investigation is on, they said. Goa Director General of Police (DGP) T N Mohan today said the tourist state is vulnerable to terror attacks, considering the number of foreigners holidaying here. "If you see international or national situation, Goa is vulnerable to terror attack," Mohan told reporters after unveiling 'Little Police' scheme in the city. The state police department has been getting inputs from intelligence agencies on a regular basis, he said. "We go by what intelligence agencies guide us. There are foreign tourists coming here, who can be the target of terrorists. Goa is known tourism destination," the DGP said. "We have taken precautions. We have Anti-Terror Squad and also India Reserve Battalion, which has been constantly on the guard on the beaches," the DGP added. Responding to a query on the Pathankot attack last Saturday, Mohan said whenever there are terror attacks, collateral damage is always there. "It is expected that there is damage. Those who come are not worried about their lives. Collateral damage cannot be ruled out in any act of terror," he said. The governor of Yemen's southern port city of Aden survived a car bomb attack today that killed two bodyguards and critically wounded three others, Yemeni officials said. The assassination attempt on Governor Aidarous al-Zubaidi comes a month after his predecessor was killed in a bombing claimed by a local Islamic State affiliate. Al-Zubaidi has been cracking down on extremist groups, which have exploited the chaos of Yemen's civil war. Last week, government forces retook the strategic Red Sea port from several militias. The officials said the blast was heard throughout Aden. They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Yemen's larger conflict pits a loose array forces fighting on the side of the internationally recognized government against Shiite Houthi rebels and troops loyal to a former president, who together control the capital, Sanaa, and large parts of northern Yemen. A Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes and fighting alongside government forces. Pro-government forces drove the Houthis out of Aden in July last year, which was seen as a major morale boost for anti-Houthi forces. The government has returned to Aden from Saudi Arabia, but has been struggling to control the city as al-Qaida and other militant groups have moved in. Before al-Zubaidi's predecessor was killed last month, he had survived another apparent assassination attempt in August. With maize production likely to drop for the second straight year due to drought, the government has allowed state-owned PEC to import 5,00,000 tonnes of maize at zero duty to meet starch and poultry industry's demand. At present, maize attracts 50 per cent import duty. The zero duty concession on the overseas purchase of maize has been given under the tariff rate quota (TRQ) following representation from poultry, starch and animal feed industry. "The Commerce Ministry has allowed import of 5,00,000 tonnes of non-genetically modified (GM) maize at zero duty under the TRQ. PEC Ltd has been made canalising agency to undertake the import," a senior government official told PTI. A circular in this regard was issued during December-end. Accordingly, PEC has floated a global tender for import of 3,20,000 tonnes of non-GM yellow maize to boost domestic supply from next month, the official said. The non-GM maize is mostly available in Europe. PEC will import maize at zero duty and further supply it to the industry. India had last imported maize in 1991. As per the tender document, bids are to be submitted by January 11 and the decision on tenders will be taken on the same day. The bids will be valid upto January 14. Imported yellow maize should reach Indian ports -- Kandla Magdalla, JSW Jaigarh, Vishakhapatnam, Tuticorin and Kolkata by February. Bidders should bid for a minimum quantity of 70,000 tonnes for delivery at JSW Jaigarh, 40,000 tonnes for Kandla and Vishakhapatnam, 30,000 tonnes for Magdalla, 35,000 tonnes for Tuticorin and 25,000 for Kolkata. Bidders may bid for the quantities at any/all ports, the PEC said. The country is facing a supply shortage of maize used in the starch, poultry and animal feed industry on possible fall in maize output for the second consecutive year because of drought in ten states. According to the industry, maize output is likely to drop by up to 40 per cent in the 2015-16 crop year (July-June) due to 14 per cent deficit in monsoon rains. Maize production had dropped to 23.67 million tonnes in 2014-15 too from the record of 24.26 million tonnes in the previous year. Maize prices have shot up by more than 25 per cent to Rs 1,450 per quintal in last few weeks and traders have started hoarding of the commodity, the industry added. India is traditionally a major exporter of maize to Southeast Asia and the likely fall in production is expected to hit exports. Government today approved an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Bangladesh to set up border haats. The Border Haats will promote the well-being of the people dwelling in remote areas across the borders of the two countries, by establishing traditional system of marketing the local produce through local markets in local currency or barter basis. The "ex-post-facto approval" for the MoU was given by the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The approval was given for "MoU and Mode of Operation of Border Haats signed on 23.10.2010 with Bangladesh for setting up Border Haats on India-Bangladesh Border. "To establish new border haats after identification of suitable locations in consultation with government of Bangladesh and concerned state governments," an official statement said. The approval was also given to modify/revise the terms and condition of the above MoU/addendum in consultation with relevant state governments/central government agencies and Government of Bangladesh. "Though not significant as a percentage of bilateral trade, these measures help to improve economic well-being of marginalised sections of society," it said. During a visit of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India in January 2010, it was agreed that border haats shall be established on a pilot basis at selected areas, including on the Meghalaya border, to allow trade in specified products and in accordance with the regulations agreed and notified by both the governments. In order to implement the same, an MoU and the Mode of operation of Border Haats across the border between Bangladesh and lndia was signed on 23rd October 2010. Subsequently, an addendum to Mode of operation of border haats across the border between Bangladesh and India was also signed on May 15, 2012. Four border haats including - Kalaichar (Meghalaya- Bangladesh border); Balat (Meghalaya-Bangladesh border); Kamlasagar (Tripura-Bangladesh border) and Srinagar (Tripura- Bangladesh border) are already operational. In addition, both the government agreed to further establish two border haats in Tripura and four in Meghalaya on the Bangladesh border. Agreements signed by MCA, fair trade regulator CCI and Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs with foreign organisations to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and information, were today approved by the Cabinet. These 8 pacts will facilitate the exchange of knowledge and information, technical cooperation, experience sharing, enforcement cooperation with the organisations concerned. The areas include corporate governance and corporate social responsibility (CSR), in the spheres of corporate regulation, professions of accountancy and corporate disclosures and reporting. The implementation of the MoUs will be monitored by a bilateral Working Group on corporate governance and CSR. These MoUs are signed between Ministry of Corporate Affairs and the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Netherlands. Besides, agreements have been signed by CCI with Federal Anti-monopoly Service of Russian Federation, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Directorate General for Competition of European Commission, Competition Bureau of Canada. In addition, IICA has entered into pact with George Washington University, USA, Institute of Directors, UK and International Finance Corporation. The Union Cabinet has given "ex-post facto approval in respect of Memorandum of Understanding entered into by Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Competition Commission of India (CCI) and Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) with Foreign Countries/organisations," an official press release said. The "ex-post-facto approval" for the MoU was given by the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Government today cleared a pact which will pave the way for a Singapore government agency to operate and maintain Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports. Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE) had, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Singapore last November, signed the MoU to co-operate in planning and development of Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports besides other aspects including traffic and commercial development, service quality and operations and management. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has today given its ex-post facto approval to the MoU between the AAI and SCE, an official statement said. Singapore has nominated Changi Airport for the project and a team is expected to visit the two airports sometime this month. The visit would follow discussions on terms and conditions for the two parties to work together, AAI Chairman R K Srivastava had said late last month. The city side and airside of Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports, however, will continue to be managed directly by AAI. Globally, limited O&M contract models are prevalent for the entire airport operations, the statement said adding the AAI has no previous experience in awarding O&M contract model of terminal buildings to other entities. In order to implement the decision, it was necessary to ensure that a suitable entity be engaged for undertaking the O&M contract at Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports, the statement said. In 2014-15, Ahmedabad airport handled 5.05 million passengers, out of which 1.22 million were international travellers. During the same, Jaipur airport saw 2.20 million passengers and out of them, 0.33 million were overseas people. By 2023-24, Ahmedabad is expected to see a total of 6.77 million passengers while that at Jaipur is anticipated to be 3.75 million. Haryana government has implemented Learning Enhancement Programme (LEP) to enhance the quality of education in state-run schools. The programme, aimed at bridging the learning gap of some students and their current class, has been rolled out in 3,222 government primary schools, Chief Secretary, D S Dhesi said today at the 42nd meeting of the Executive Committee of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan here. During the first hour of the school, teachers would use LEP material, specially created for the purpose with detailed lesson plans to cover foundational and critical competencies of previous grades, he said. Maths and Hindi have already been covered and classes for English will start this month for which study material has been printed and supplied to the districts, Dhesi said. Out of the 25 Kasturba Gandhi Schools being run in 10 districts of the state, three are day boarding. Besides, two such schools would be opened soon, one in Sirsa and another in Kaithal, the Chief Secretary said. Under 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' Programme, girls studying in 5,268 government-run middle and high schools are being provided a special platform, namely 'Balika Manch', to voice their issues and opinions, he said. Under this, NCC, NSS, Scout and Guide students would also be roped in to encourage drop-out girls to attend schools, Dhesi added. He also said that school Management Information System (MIS) portal was being run under the name 'Parivartan' under which data of students including their guardians will be prepared and made available online. In the first phase, data related to schools and 22 lakh students has been uploaded online, the Chief Secretary said. For financial year 2015-16 Centre has approved a budget of Rs 1,120 crore for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, out of which the total expenditure till November 2015 aggregated was Rs 455 crore, he said. He directed the Additional Deputy Commissioners to ensure smooth functioning of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and said the state government would encourage teachers to improve the quality of education in schools. Hyderabad Metro Rail service would be extended to the famous hill shrine of Yadadri in this district for the convenience of the devotees. "In view of the heavy rush of pilgrims to the Yadadri temple, the Metro Rail service would be extended up till Rayagiri station in Nalgonda," Managing Director of Hyderabad Metro Rail, N V S Reddy said today. Reddy, along with Bhongir MP Boora Narsaiah Goud, today visited the district on the instructions of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao to study the feasibility of extending the Metro rail service to the place. "The pre-feasibility study of the project was undertaken today. Work on the long-term and short-term planning has begun," he said. Reports would be submitted to the Chief Minister at the earliest, Reddy added. A Delhi Court today rejected the IT Department's argument that a businessman, accused in a blackmoney case, should not be allowed to stand surety for his Pak-origin wife in a case relating to her foreign bank accounts, saying he has control over his wife as a husband. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pritam Singh granted bail to Nasreen Moin Qureshi, wife of meat exporter Moin Akhtar Qureshi, on furnishing of a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and a surety of a like amount after she appeared in the court. As her husband offered to stand surety for her, advocate Brijesh Garg, appearing for Income Tax(IT) Department, opposed it saying he was also an accused in a similar case and cannot become surety for another accused. The court, however, rejected the argument saying "he is the husband and has control over this accused (Nasreen), so surety is accepted". Qureshi is also facing prosecution in a black money case for allegedly not disclosing an income of nearly Rs 20 crore. During the hearing, Garg urged the court to impose stringent bail conditions on Nasreen, including that she cannot leave the country without the court's permission as the case related to foreign bank accounts. The court directed the woman that she should intimate the court prior to travelling abroad. The court had earlier summoned her as an accused in the case after taking cognisance of the complaint filed by the IT department under the IT Act and the IPC. It was alleged in the complaint that a search was carried out by IT Department in Nasreen's case and in other connected cases of Qureshi's AMQ Group on February 15, 2014. In her preliminary statement, Nasreen had stated that she had only one bank account in HSBC and had denied owning assets in any foreign country. "Evidence clearly showed that Nasreen Moin Qureshi has not disclosed deposits in JP Morgan Chase Bank in USA for income tax and such deposits represent her undisclosed income, not offered to taxation in returns of income filed by her thereby causing huge loss to revenue," the I-T department had said. It had alleged that the meat exporter's wife had made a false statement in her IT returns for the relevant period. In her statement to the IT department in April 2014, Nasreen had said that before her marriage, her father, who was a native of Pakistan, would have opened her bank account in Pakistan and other countries but no account was opened abroad after her marriage. The complaint, however, had said Nasreen's claim that the foreign bank account was opened by her father was found to be false and investigation has confirmed that she maintained account with the bank in the US. It also alleged that Nasreen had signed the documents in April, 2010 to open two accounts in the US' bank and total deposit in them were over USD 3,02,599. The complaint had said she used debit cards for expenses or withdrawal from the foreign account and she had withdrawn USD 1,79,532. Director of Intelligence Bureau (IB) Dineshwar Sharma today paid courtesy visit to Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel and held a high-level meeting with various top security officials of the state. Sharma's visit to Gujarat, which shares land and sea border with Pakistan, comes in the backdrop of the recent terror attack at an Air Force base in Punjab's Pathankot. However, officials here claimed that the IB chief was here just to express his regards to the CM for organising DGPs conference at Kutch, held from December 18-20. "Sharma was here just to say thank you to our CM for the DGP's conference, which was held in Kutch last month. Otherwise, there was no other agenda of his visit today" said DGP P C Thakur. After meeting Patel in Gandhinagar, Sharma held a high-level meeting with state Chief Secretary G R Aloria at Sachivalaya in Gandhinagar, where various top ranking police officials as well as regional chiefs of Air Force, Army and Border Security Force(BSF) remained present, said Thakur. "After that meeting, we invited Sharma for lunch with top police officials," he added. The countrys largest private sector lender ICICI Bank will be spending Rs 200 crore on social sector projects this fiscal and meet the mandatory two per cent CSR spend norms, its chief Chanda Kochhar said on Wednesday. This financial year, the bank will be spending almost Rs 100 crore on skill development, the bank's Managing Director and Chief Executive told reporters on the sidelines of a bank event here. When asked about the roadmap for achieving the government-mandated target of two per cent of profit on corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects, she said, Our spends group-wide are almost close to the 2 per cent target. Kochhar was speaking after its 22nd skill development academy was inaugurated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at suburban Andheri. She said the bank has already trained 60,000 underprivileged people in 13 specifically identified skill-sets, and is targeting to take the number to 100,000 in the next 15 months. Over 30 per cent of the people who have been skilled for free include rural women, she said. Fadnavis said skilling the population is imperative for the country, failing which the large percentage of population in the working age group will turn into a demographic disaster. Fadnavis said his government is creating a framework to skill the population and welcomed the work done by bodies like Pune's Symbiosis, which is planning to set up a skills university. Kochhar also launched a programme wherein anybody can refer candidates to the skills academy through a dedicated website. She said four of the 22 academies are located in Pune, Nagpur and Narsobachiwadi. At the skill academies, pupils are taught diverse vocational skills like air-conditioner repairing, 2-3-wheelers repairing, office administration and sales, among others. Apart from this, the bank has also helped get electricity to seven off-grid villages in the backward Jawahar tehsil of the newly created Palghar district through solar power, she said. The Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers' Association (IEEMA) organised a road show in the city to promote its upcoming mega event 'Elecrama 2016 - The World Electricity Forum'. Elecrama 2016 will be the 12th edition of the event. It is scheduled to held in Bengaluru from February 13-17, and over 1,000 companies from the power sector are expected to take part in the leading trade and networking forum. IEEMA President Babu Babel said the road show, held yesterday, was organised here as the city is the headquarters of Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd, and is a pioneer in power supply in the country, with 1,800 villages in the district being supplied electricity round-the-clock. "Within a decade, Gujarat has turned around a Rs 2,500 crore loss making power utility into a Rs 500 crore profit making entity. "The state has demonstrated the will to proactively address the challenges in power sector, such as mounting losses of the state's electricity boards, power theft and technology upgradation," Babel said. He said Gujarat's discoms (distribution companies) have been consistently ranked among the top discoms in the country, and it is a role model when it comes to power generation and transmission. The next road show in the series will be held in Jamnagar on January 9, he said. Babel said IEEMA plans to hold around 20 road shows across the country. "Elecrama had organised the preview of its 12th edition in Nairobi, Kenya, which was welcomed by its electricity industry," the event's Chairman Aaditya Dhoot said today. Dhoot had earlier visited other East African countries such as Uganda and Tanzania, and met key ministers and officials. Road shows were organised in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam, Dubai and Jakarta, which saw good participation, he said. An IEEMA delegation would visit Sri Lanka on January 11 to promote the event, he added. Security was stepped up at Indira Gandhi International Airport here after its control room received a "non-specific call" about a man heading for Germany after "doing something big" in the national capital. DIAL control room's call centre in Gurgaon received the call around 7 PM, following which security agencies were informed and security was ramped up, said a police official. "This was not a hoax call. Such calls are technically called non-specific calls and this particular one originated from an international number. It is also suspected to be executed through the Internet," DCP (IGI Airport) D K Gupta said. "The caller, whom we are trying to trace for details, called up and said that a man who is heading for Germany from IGI will do something big in Delhi before he leaves. He did not disclose any further details," Gupta added. Yesterday, security agencies went into a tizzy after the police control room received a call about a bomb at the Parliament premises but it turned to be hoax. Later, the caller emerged as a 40-year-old mentally unstable man from northeast Delhi's Jyoti Nagar area. The national capital is on a high alert till January 26 and security has been already stepped up following the terror attack at Pathankot and then inputs received by the police about the presence of suspected Jaish-e-Mohammad key members here. Security has also been beefed up at railway stations, bus terminuses, markets and around vital installations in the city. Moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference, a separatist amalgam, today welcomed efforts of India and Pakistan to "cooperate" in the aftermath of the Pathankot terror attack which was aimed at derailing the peace process. Expressing deep concern over the recent attack in Pathankot, Hurriyat Conference Chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq said in a statement that it was aimed at only derailing the process initiated at the highest level in the two countries. The Hurriyat Conference said "we appreciate the efforts by the Indian and Pakistani Prime Ministers to cooperate to ensure the creation of a positive atmosphere for dialogue. They must resolve to carry forward and work together to try and rid the region of conflict and violence." On the Pathankot terror strike, the statement said this has been happening in the past as well. "Whenever there is a serious effort made by India and Pakistan to resolve issues, incidents like this have been taking place with the aim to derail the dialogue process. "The elements which seek to vitiate the atmosphere and derail the dialogue process are working against the interests of the people of South Asia. Keeping in mind the nuclear dimension, such incidents can jeopardise the very future of the region, and have the potential to trigger a serious crisis between India and Pakistan," the statement said. The Mirwaiz said despite these challenges, "we urge the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan to carry forward with the peace efforts and dialogue process in a visionary way. It is important that the dialogue process is not allowed to get derailed." He said resumption of dialogue process between India and Pakistan is an "encouraging" step especially that it has been led at the highest political levels and that the two Prime Ministers have personally committed themselves towards the pursuit of peace. "We appreciate their courage and we urge them to take the peace process forward in a bold way and to focus on taking bold steps to resolve issues, especially the main issue of Kashmir," he said. The Mirwaiz said India and Pakistan should actively involve all the stakeholders so that the dialogue process has maximum support from every side. "It is important that, to succeed, the process needs broad support from the political opposition and general public in both countries. The people of Jammu and Kashmir who are the primary stakeholder have to be involved in any successful dialogue process aimed at resolving the Kashmir issue," he added. In a bid to curb vehicular pollution, the government today decided to implement stricter emission norms of Bharat Stage (BS) VI from April 1, 2020 by skipping BS-V altogether. The decision was taken at an inter-ministerial meeting chaired by Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, which was attended by Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Heavy Industries Minister Anant Geete and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar. "Government has decided to leapfrog from BS-IV to BS-VI directly by April 1, 2020. We have decided to skip BS VI emission norms. It is a bold decision and a commitment to environment," Gadkari told PTI here after the meeting. All the other ministries have assured cooperation to make the implementation successful, he added. At the end of December, Pradhan had stated that India would go straight from Euro-IV complaint petrol and diesel to Euro-VI fuel by 2020. Earlier, a meeting of an inter-ministerial group, including representatives of Ministries of Road Transport and Highways, Petroleum, Heavy Industries and Environment and Forests, was unable to reach a consensus. The road transport and highways ministry was of the view the roll out of BS-V norms must start from 2019 but Petroleum Ministry expressed inability to comply with the deadline. Earlier in November, a draft notification by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoEF), had advanced dates for implementation of BS-V norms to April 1, 2019 and BS-VI norms to April 1, 2021. At present, BS-IV auto fuels are being supplied in whole of northern India covering J&K, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, parts of Rajasthan and western UP. The rest of the country has BS-III grade fuel. Tamil-Nadu born Nobel laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan today described the Indian Science Congress as having become "too unwieldy and chaotic". "The Indian Science Congress (ISC) is an association - I believe a private association, but it gets a lot of money from the government. It is a well intentioned organization, but there is a need to get government figures to come and talk to scientists and a place to discuss science policy but it has become very large and unwieldy and fairly chaotic. "It is not really easy to be able to interact in ways that are productive," the scientist said here today. The structural biologist at Cambridge University, who had won the Nobel Prize in 2009, was speaking at a media event attended by many Nobel laureates. The Noble winner had called the on-going Indian Science Congress in Mysuru as a "circus." After attending the 2015 ISC in Mumbai, the scientist had slammed a participant's views on planes as having been invented by a sage in the vedic era. "....One particular Congress in Mumbai last year was an anomaly but by and large most of the Congress is about science but the scientific part is too diffused, too large. That's what I meant when I said it's a circus," the 64-year-old American-British scientist said. A bee delayed an Indonesian passenger plane for four hours after getting stuck in vital equipment and causing a problem with the aircraft's controls, the airline said today. The flight, operated by Indonesian flag carrier Garuda, was scheduled to take off Tuesday morning from the western island of Sumatra and head for Jakarta. But the pilot of the Boeing 737, which was carrying 156 passengers, decided not to take off after noticing a problem with the controls, according to Garuda. "An investigation found that the incident occurred because the plane's electronic engine control suffered a technical problem after an insect got into a pitot tube," airline spokesman Benny Butarbutar said in a statement. "Due to safety concerns, Garuda Indonesia decided to delay the flight." Another Garuda official confirmed it was a bee that became trapped in the pitot tube, a vital piece of equipment which measures airspeed. The airline did not say whether the bee survived the ordeal. After being repaired, the plane took off and landed safely in Jakarta on Tuesday afternoon. Butarbutar insisted the incident was beyond the airline's control, but said that passengers had nevertheless been given money as compensation. It is not the first time an errant bee has caused an aviation incident. Last June, British budget airline Flybe was forced to abandon a flight shortly after take-off when a bee became lodged in an instrument. The latest bee delay emerged as beleaguered carrier Malaysia Airlines announced it was reversing a decision to restrict check-in luggage for some Europe-bound flights due to "unseasonably strong headwinds". The U-turn came after the move, announced Tuesday, baffled aviation analysts, with one describing it as "ludicrous". India Inc today pressed for a clear roadmap for reduction in corporate tax rate from 30 per cent to 25 per cent in the forthcoming Budget. The industry chambers including CII and Ficci also suggested that the withdrawal of incentives should be in tandem with the reduction in corporate tax rate besides removal of minimum alternate tax (MAT). "As far as taxation is concerned, we have asked for a clear roadmap on the 25 per cent (corporate tax)... We are totally in support of removal of incentives and allowances," CII President Sumit Mazumder said after the pre-Budget consultation meeting with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Sharing similar view, Ficci President Harshavardhan Neotia said the chamber has suggested phasing out the MAT "once all the incentives and allowances are reduced". He said that Ficci also recommended continuation of investments in public sector. On Goods and Services Tax (GST), he said the industry bodies reiterated their commitment that "we stand by the government and support the government for its implementation". "He (the Finance Minister) did refer to it obliquely (in the meeting)...It will happen soon," Neotia said, adding that the industry has not lost hope on this. IT industry body Nasscom too suggested certain tax related matters for start-ups. Nasscom President R Chandrashekhar said that it has suggested on the mitigation of tax liabilities particularly taxes which are taken upfront. "...Because most of the start-ups in the initial stage do not actually have too much of revenue and even less in terms of profits," he told reporters here after the meeting. "The discussions with the Finance Minister were on issues related to start-ups, e-commerce and Internet and mobile companies. We are having a separate discussion with the Finance Minister tomorrow," Chandrashekhar said. He said domestic investors are taxed today at a higher rate than non-resident investors and this is certainly an anomaly which has to be addressed in the Budget. Assocham President Sunil Kanoria said he has suggested that the tax regime should be improved along with ease of doing business. "We recommended measures such as easy access to capital for MSMEs and creation of start-up hubs. We hope that GST is introduced soon," he said. Exporters' body FIEO recommended removing the inverted duty structure anomalies in the Union Budget as it not only effects exports but also the manufacturing sector. "We have demanded that for the exporting community, service tax should be exempted for exports," FIEO President S C Ralhan. On fiscal management, Ficci has suggested stepping up investments, particularly in infrastructure. "For this if we need to recalibrate the fiscal deficit target a bit, then we must go ahead with the same," Neotia said, adding that there is a need to widen the tax base. All incomes irrespective of the source above a certain threshold need to be taxed and to ensure that there is no tax evasion, the government should consider making filing of returns and declaration of all incomes mandatory over a particular threshold, say Rs 10 lakhs, he said. To achieve 'Housing for All' target and promote affordable housing, the government should consider providing 3 per cent interest rate subvention for loan taken up to Rs 10 lakhs. Stamp duty exemption may also be provided for such dwellings, he added. Ficci also recommended steps to overhaul the tax administration and dispute resolution machinery. "Give up the policy of setting tax collection and revenue targets for tax officers, since tax collections vary with the economic cycle and business conditions," he said. CII too recommend that capital expenditure on key projects in sectors such as roads, railways, irrigation and power be increased substantially. To push rural demand, CII asked for increase in allocation on schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Seenchayi Yojana. "With greater implementation of direct benefits transfer, the fuel subsidy bill can be steadily reduced. Fertiliser subsidy should be paid directly to farmers as cash transfers," CII President Mazumder said. The phase out of incentives is important for broadening the tax base and for simplification of tax law, he said. "The withdrawal of incentives should be done in a calibrated manner, in line with the reduction in tax rate and keeping in mind the competitiveness of the sector. The MAT should also be withdrawn in a calibrated manner," he added. The US today casted doubts over North Korea's claims of successfully testing a hydrogen bomb, noting that initial analysis is not consistent with the claims of Pyongyang. "Initial analysis is not consistent with N Korean claims of a hydrogen bomb explosion," White House Press Secretary, Josh Earnest, told reporters at his daily news conference. Calling North Korea's action "provocative", the White House official reiterated America's "rock-solid commitment to safety and security of South Korea and Japan." He asked North Korea to end its provocative actions. US National Security Advisor Susan Rice had a White House meeting with China's Ambassador to the US on the situation. "There is no denying the role that China would play in this," Earnest said, adding that the Obama Administration would be talking to China on North Korea's nuclear weapons programme. "We are conducting additional collection and analysis of data. The initial analysis that's been conducted of the events that were reported overnight is not consistent with North Korean claims of a successful hydrogen bomb test," Earnest said in response to a question. "There's nothing that's occurred in the last 24 hours that has caused the United States government to change our assessment of North Korea's technical and military capabilities," Earnest said. "We are continuing the work necessary to learn more about the nuclear test that North Korea conducted last night," he said. "So we're obviously going to continue to look at this by monitoring the situation, assessing the available data and evidence, but the initial analysis is not consistent with the claims that the regime has made of a successful hydrogen bomb test," Earnest said. "What is true is that North Korea continues to be one of the most isolated nations in the world and their isolation has only deepened as they have sought to engage in increasingly provocative acts. "These include not just nuclear tests, but some of the ballistic missile tests that have attracted some attention over the years as well, he said. Responding to a question, he reiterated the rock-solid commitment on the part of the United States to the safety and security of our allies in South Korea. "That commitment also extends to the safety and security of our allies in Japan," he said, adding that the US has demonstrated this commitment. International outrage over the Pathankot terror attack mounted with Bangladesh, South Korea, Brazil, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Nepal today strongly condemning the strike in which seven securitymen were killed. In a letter to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, her Bangladesh counterpart Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali condemned the attack at the premier air base and said his country stands behind India in the fight against terrorism. "Bangladesh FM writes to EAM, strongly condemns the #PathankotAttack, says that it firmly stands beside India in fight against terrorism," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted. Condemning the attack, South Korea called terrorism a crime against humanity. According to it, such inhuman act cannot be justified under any circumstances, said Swarup. He said Brazil, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka also condemned the terror attack. "Sri Lanka denounces the attack and condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, expresses condolences to families," Swarup tweeted. The US, China, Japan, France, Pakistan and Afghanistan have already condemned the terror attack. In its reaction, the US had asserted that it expects Pakistan to take action against the perpetrators of the strike. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday and vowed "prompt and decisive action" against the terrorists behind the strike. In a pre-dawn attack on January 2, a group of heavily- armed Pakistani terrorists, suspected to be belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammed outfit, struck at the Air Force base in Punjab. (REOPENS DEL 78) Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni also wrote to Swaraj condoling the death of the security personnel in the attack. "Italian FM writes to EAM, condoles death of security personnel, affirms solidarity with the people of India," Swarup tweeted. Escalating diplomatic tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia have added fresh strains on OPEC's unity as the cartel grapples with a common response to rock-bottom oil prices, experts said. While it produces a third of the world's oil, the group has struggled with crude values that have tumbled some 60 percent since mid-2014, falling below $40 (37 euros). Crafting a new way forward has become yet tougher since Saudi Arabia executed prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr at the weekend, triggering a sectarian standoff with Iran. "What's happening at the moment between Iran and Saudi Arabia makes searching for a compromise even more difficult," said Francis Perrin, president of Strategy and Energy Policy publications. Gulf countries, led by top OPEC producer Saudi Arabia, refuse to cut production unless the oil-producing states that are not members of group agree to do the same. A cut would likely help prices climb. Though the Saudis have thus far had their way, this unbending stance has been financially painful for the 13 OPEC nations, including Algeria, Venezuela and Nigeria, which draw most of their revenues from black gold. For its part, Iran, the other pillar of OPEC, has no intention of curbing its production with the lifting of Western sanctions just on the horizon, which would allow it to resume crude oil exports. "OPEC has no policy at the moment as it's everyone for themselves," said Ole Hansen, a Saxo Bank analyst. "In the short term, there is no chance of an agreement within OPEC regarding production, and assuming there was some small chance, it has disappeared with the current crisis in relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran," said Pierre Terzian, head of the Petrostrategies weekly. In addition to their political and religious rivalries, the two Middle Eastern powerhouses are also clashing over their share of the oil market. From Iran's perspective, "it would be fair" for other OPEC members, including Saudi Arabia, to "cut their production in 2016 to make some room (for Iran) without pushing prices down further," said Perrin. However, in Riyadh "additional revenue means Iran will have a greater capacity to be a nuisance," in the region, Perrin added. On top of that the kingdom, which has been overtaken in production by the United States, has not given a second's thought to cutting its output. At the end of December Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said "we no longer limit production. If there is demand, we will respond. We have the capacity to respond to demand", according to the Wall Street Journal. Iran today warned Saudi Arabia to stop working against it as their diplomatic crisis intensified despite efforts to defuse a row that has raised fears of regional instability. In the latest salvo in a dispute that has seen Saudi Arabia and some of its Sunni Arab allies cut ties with Tehran, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Riyadh must end its prolonged efforts to confront Iran. "For the past two-and-a-half years, Saudi Arabia has opposed Iran's diplomacy," Zarif said at a joint press conference in Tehran with Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari. "Saudi Arabia has moved against our efforts and, unfortunately, they opposed the nuclear agreement," Zarif said. "This trend of creating tension must stop. We need to stand united... And stop those who are adding fuel to the fire." The spike in tensions comes after Iran last year secured a historic nuclear deal with world powers led by the United States, causing major concern in longtime US ally Riyadh. The row between Saudi Arabia, the main Sunni power, and Shiite-dominated Iran erupted following Riyadh's execution on Saturday of prominent Shiite cleric and activist Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. His death sparked Shiite demonstrations in many countries including Iran, where protesters stormed and set fire to the Saudi embassy in Tehran and the kingdom's consulate in second city Mashhad. Riyadh cut ties with Tehran in response and was joined by several of its Sunni Arab allies including Bahrain and Sudan. The United Arab Emirates also downgraded relations with Iran and Kuwait recalled its ambassador. The row has raised fears of an increase in sectarian tensions in the Middle East that could derail efforts to resolve pressing issues including the wars in Syria and Yemen. The United Nations and Western governments have expressed deep concern, urging both sides to reduce tensions. US Secretary of State John Kerry has made repeated calls to both Iranian and Saudi leaders. "He is urging calm. He is stressing the need for dialogue and engagement, and thirdly, reminding that, again, there's lots of work to be done in the region," State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington yesterday. "It's important to work though that tension, work though those disagreements, so that we can all work harder together on other issues which are affecting the Middle East writ large," he said. Cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Iran is crucial in resolving a range of issues in the Middle East, where they are often on opposing sides. Iranian diplomats have left Saudi Arabia after the kingdom severed all ties with Tehran following attacks on its mission in the Islamic republic, Saudi state media said today. The staff of the Iranian embassy in Riyadh and those of the consulate in Jeddah left "on board a private Iranian plane," state agency SPA reported. Iran's official state broadcaster IRIB said the diplomats have arrived in Tehran, showing pictures of their plane after it landed at Tehran's Mehrabad Airport. It said the plane carried 54 Iranian diplomats and their families, who were welcomed by one of Iran's deputy foreign ministers. Saudi diplomats in Iran returned to the kingdom yesterday, Saudi media reported. Riyadh severed diplomatic ties and air links with Tehran after angry crowds set fire to its embassy in the Iranian capital and its consulate in Mashhad. The weekend protests were in response to Riyadh's execution of leading Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, a driving force behind Shiite protests in 2011. The Iranian ambassador to Saudi Arabia Hossein Sadeghi was quoted on state television as saying that anger at Nimr's execution was natural but the response was not. "Although protest is a civil right, an assault on an embassy and infringing commitments can damage the image of the Islamic republic," he said. "This move was unacceptable and wrong and we should learn a lesson so that, while preserving the right to protest, such an act should not happen," he added. Iraq today offered to mediate between Saudi Arabia and Iran after tensions soared following the kingdom's execution of a Shiite cleric and attacks on two Saudi diplomatic posts in the Islamic Republic. The standoff has seen Saudi Arabia sever diplomatic ties with its longtime regional rival and could hinder efforts to resolve the conflicts in Syria and Yemen, where Riyadh and Tehran back opposite sides, as well as affect the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal. Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari proposed mediation during a conference in Tehran, but also referred to the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr as a "crime." Saudi Arabia and its allies say al-Nimr was found guilty of terrorism charges, and that condemnations of the execution amount to meddling in Riyadh's internal affairs. Iraq has undertaken a delicate balancing act amid the latest regional turmoil. The Shiite-led government in Baghdad relies on Iranian help to battle the extremist Islamic State group, but is also trying to repair ties to oil-rich Saudi Arabia, which last week sent an ambassador to Baghdad for the first time in 25 years. Speaking alongside Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, al-Jaafari said Iraq's place in the heart of the Middle East allows it to play a role in trying to "alleviate tensions." "This responsibility has been given to us and we have been active from the early moments to lessen tensions to prevent a disaster from happening that could affect the entire region," he said. Russia also has offered itself as a potential mediator, though it's unclear whether Saudi or Iranian officials have responded to the proposal. Zarif, meanwhile, blamed Saudi Arabia for exacerbating the situation. "We have treated these actions with magnanimity and nobleness but unfortunately our neighbor, Saudi Arabia, did not respond to it properly," he said. "The process of provoking tension must be stopped." The diplomatic standoff between Iran and Saudi Arabia began Saturday, when the kingdom executed al-Nimr and 46 others convicted of terror charges the largest mass execution it has carried out since 1980. Pakistan's powerful intelligence agency ISI is behind the attack on Pathankot air base in Punjab using a terrorist group it created 15 years ago, a former top White House official has said. Bruce Riedel, who worked in the National Security Council of the White House and was among the few present at the Bill Clinton-Nawaz Sharif meeting in 1999 during Kargil war, said the attack is designed to prevent any detente between India and Pakistan after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surprise Christmas Day visit to Pakistan. In an article in the Daily Beast, Riedel said the attacks in Pathankot and on the Indian Consulate in Mazar-e Sharif in northern Afghanistan was the handiwork of Pakistani terror group Jaish-e-Muhammad which the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) created 15 years ago. He quoted "well-informed press and other knowledgeable sources" for his assessment. He said the ISI is under the generals' command and is composed of army officers, so the spies are controlled by the Pakistani army, which justifies its large budget and nuclear weapons program by citing the Indian menace. "Any diminution in tensions with India might risk the army's lock on its control of Pakistan's national security policy. The army continues to distinguish between 'good' terrorists like JEM and LET and 'bad' terrorists like the Pakistani Taliban, despite decades of lectures from American leaders," he said. Riedel, a former CIA officer, said the Pakistani army has long distrusted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who has advocated a detente with India since the 1990s. "An army coup in 1999 sent him into exile in Saudi Arabia for a decade. His warm embrace of Modi on Christmas Day in his home in Lahore undoubtedly angered the generals," he said. He noted that the US put JeM on the terrorist sanctions list years ago - but it continues to coddle the Pakistani army. "Gen Raheel Sharif, the army's boss, got a warm embrace from the Pentagon last fall-despite the ISI support for the Afghan Taliban's offensive against the Kabul government and despite the Pakistani military's backing of terror groups like JeM," he said. (REOPENS FES 38) Pakistani columnist Mohammad Taqi, in an op-ed in 'The Huffington Post' said that chances are slim that the powerful Pakistani Army would allow any normalisation of Indo-Pak ties. "Chances are slim to none that Pakistan's powerful military will allow normalisation of relations with India, for it perceives such normalisation as a recipe for forgetting the Kashmir problem, which to it is the core issue and the unfinished agenda of partition," Taqi, a former columnist for The Daily Times of Pakistan, said. "Whether or not Kashmir is a core issue to Pakistanis at large, it certainly is the army's trope to justify its existence and appropriation of the lion's share of country's resources," Taqi wrote. Taqi said the "problem is that groups like JeM and Lashkar-e-Taiba have remain under the Pakistan army's wing for so long that the plausible deniability being invoked in that country seems abysmally farcical." "The onus is on Pakistan to prove that it is part of the solution in Afghanistan, not the cause of the problem there -- and not a constant pain in the India side," he wrote, adding that it remains to be seen whether Pakistan will correct its course, or continue to back those who attack the Afghan parliament and Indian military and civilian installations. Pakistan's powerful intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is behind the attack on Pathankot air base in Punjab using a terrorist group it created 15 years ago, a former top White House official has said. Bruce Riedel, who worked in the Security Council of the White House and was among the few present at the Bill Clinton-Nawaz Sharif meeting in 1999 during Kargil war, said the attack is designed to prevent any detente between India and Pakistan after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surprise Christmas Day visit to Pakistan. In an article in the Daily Beast, Riedel said the attacks in Pathankot and on the Indian Consulate in Mazar-e Sharif in northern Afghanistan was the handiwork of Pakistani terror group Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) which the ISI created 15 years ago. He quoted "well-informed press and other knowledgeable sources" for his assessment. He said the ISI is under the generals' command and is composed of army officers, so the spies are controlled by the Pakistani army, which justifies its large budget and nuclear weapons program by citing the Indian menace. "Any diminution in tensions with India might risk the army's lock on its control of Pakistan's security policy. The army continues to distinguish between 'good' terrorists like JeM and Lashkar-e-Taiba and 'bad' terrorists like the Pakistani Taliban, despite decades of lectures from American leaders," he said. Riedel, a former CIA officer, said the Pakistani army has long distrusted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who has advocated a detente with India since the 1990s. "An army coup in 1999 sent him into exile in Saudi Arabia for a decade. His warm embrace of Modi on Christmas Day in his home in Lahore undoubtedly angered the generals," he said. He noted that the US put JeM on the terrorist sanctions list years ago - but it continues to coddle the Pakistani army. "Gen Raheel Sharif, the army's boss, got a warm embrace from the Pentagon last fall-despite the ISI support for the Afghan Taliban's offensive against the Kabul government and despite the Pakistani military's backing of terror groups like JeM," he said. India's plan to activate a new data reception and tracking station in Vietnam has been criticised by a Chinese think tank, terming it an attempt by India to "stir up trouble" in the disputed South China Sea region to serve its own ends. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has set up a Data Reception and Tracking and Telemetry Station in Ho Chi Minh City, which will be activated soon and linked with another station in Biakin, Indonesia, state-run Global Times quoted reports from India as saying. India also has a satellite tracking station in Brunei. Reacting to the report, Gu Xiaosong, a researcher of the Southeast Asian studies at the Guangxi Academy of Social Sciences told the daily that "India has no territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea. It wants to stir up trouble in the region to serve its own ends, which is to counterbalance China's influence." It clearly indicates India's attempt to complicate the regional dispute, Gu said. The comes close on the heels of the foreign ministry's criticism of Vietnam's protest over China landing its first flight on a newly build artificial island. India has been calling for freedom of navigation and over-flight in the South China Sea which Chinese officials say echo with the stand of the US and Japan. China which has objected to US naval ships and planes going close the waters of its artificial island in the South China Sea has no problem with freedom of navigation. India has also been advocating peaceful resolution of the dispute. China states that the dispute over South China Sea with Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan should be resolved through direct consultations between parties concerned. Days ahead of the launch of the Centre's campaign on developing the startup ecosystem, Infosys co-founder and venture investor N R Narayana Murthy today said times are conducive to make it the "decade of entrepreneurs" in the country. "I think all the stars are in place for entrepreneurs and therefore, this is going to be the decade of entrepreneurs," he told reporters on the sidelines of an ICSI event here. He said there is tremendous opportunity in the country and the entrepreneurs have to be enthusiastic. Murthy, who runs venture investing firm Catamaran Ventures, said there is a "lot of" venture capital money available and the government is also very enthusiastic about facilitating them. He acknowledged the thrust the government is giving to the area, with the startup India initiative set to be launched on January 16. In his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced a new campaign, 'Startup India, Stand up India' to promote bank financing for startups and offer incentives to boost entrepreneurship and job creation in the country. Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha had later said that Modi will announce a slew of announcements at the launch of the campaign. India is ranked fourth, behind the US, UK and China, when it comes to the number of startups. Japan's defence ministry today deployed three T4 training planes to collect possible radioactive material in the air following North Korea's claimed hydrogen bomb test, officials said. "To understand the impact of possible radioactive materials released by the test, Air Self-Defence Force planes have collected dust in the air," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, the government's top spokesman, told a press conference. "It is currently being sent to the Japan Chemical Analysis Centre," he said. Suga added that the planes flew in Japanese airspace, while the Sankei Shimbun daily reported that the aircrafts took off from three separate bases in different parts of the country. The cabinet secretary also said no abnormal levels of radiation have so far been detected through monitoring posts installed across Japan as of 4:45 pm local time today. The results collected by the planes are expected to be released on Thursday, an official with Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority told reporters. North Korea's test, which came just two days before leader Kim Jong-Un's birthday, was initially detected by international seismology monitors as a 5.1-magnitude tremor next to the North's main Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the northeast of the country. Last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un suggested Pyongyang had already developed a hydrogen bomb, though the claim was questioned by international experts and there was continued scepticism over today's announcement. A Ho Chi Minh City-bound Jet Airways flight via Bangkok carrying 184 passengers on board from the Chhtrapati Shivaji International Airport here made an emergency landing at Myanmar's Yangon airport due to a snag in the Boeing 737 aircraft. Jet Airways flight 9W-070 from Mumbai to Bangkok was diverted to Yangon on January 5, 2016 due to technical reasons. The aircraft landed safely at 1410 hours local time in Yangon, the airline said in a statement today. Jet Airways operated a relief flight from Delhi to Yangon to fly the stranded passengers to Bangkok, it said. The incident, which happened yesterday, forced the airline to cancel its flights to Ho Chi Minh City from Bangkok and vice versa. The airline said that as a result of the diversion, its flights from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City and from Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok were cancelled. The airline made alternate travel arrangements for guests travelling between Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City, it said adding at Jet Airways safety of our guests and crew is of prime importance. We regret any inconvenience caused to guests. Naresh Goyal-promoted private carrier Jet Airways is likely to soon move the Bombay High Court to seek approval for convening shareholders meet on the merger of its subsidiary JetLite with the parent company. Market regulator Sebi has already approved the merger of JetLite into Jet Airways late last year, airline sources said today. Jet Airways had bought Sahara Airlines in April 2007 for Rs 1,450 crore after an arbitration award. It later renamed Sahara Airlines as JetLite and operated it as a low-cost arm till November 2014. The merger is expected to be completed this fiscal. "Sebi (Security Exchange Board of India) has given its go ahead to the merger late last year. We are now contemplating to approach the Bombay High Court, asking it to allow us convene shareholders meet and take their approval to the merger," sources said on condition of anonymity. Jet Airways is likely to move the court in this regard next week, they said. Jet Airways spokesperson was not available for comments. The Jet Airways board had in September last year approved a proposal to make JetLite a business division of the parent company for better synergy and efficiency in operations besides cost savings by way of merger. At the beginning of 2014-15, Jet Airways had announced a three-year turnaround plan to return to profitability. The plan included various standalone measures and synergies with its strategic investment partner, Etihad Airways. At present Jet Airways and JetLite operate under two different Air Operator Permit (AOP). Jet Airways has currently 98 aircraft in its fleet while JetLite has eight, according to the DGCA data. In November, the combined market share of Jet Airways and JetLite stood at 21.3 per cent, the second largest after low-cost carrier IndiGo, which corned 35.5 per cent during the month. The Mumbai-based airline, in which Etihad holds 24 per cent stake, has reported profit for the two consecutive quarters (April-June and July-September) this fiscal. Jet Airways had posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 83 crore in second quarter of the current fiscal against a net loss of Rs 42.8 crore a year-ago period. A delegation comprising the leaders of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee today met party president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi and apprised her of the political situation in the state. "President JKPCC Ghulam Ahmed Mir along with Senior Vice President JKPCC Sham Lal Sharma and Congress Legislative party leader Nawang Rigzin Jora met the Congress President Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi today and apprised her the latest political situation in the state," a party spokesman said here. He said that the leaders apprised the Congress President about political scenario and ongoing organizational activities of the party. They also discussed the feedback from the workers and people about the functioning of present PDP-BJP coalition government and the role being played by the Congress to represent and highlight the issues of people of all three regions of the state, he said. The party leaders also discussed various measures for further strengthening the party in the state, he said. Union Minister Kalraj Mishra today dismissed the repeated accusations of Uttar Pradesh government of non-cooperation by the BJP-led central government. "The state assembly elections are forthcoming and if they won't criticse the Centre, then how shall they do (politics)," Mishra told reporters on a question regarding the state accusing the Centre of non-assistance. The Union Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises minister was here to address a conference on Prime Minister Employment Guarantee Programme. Stating that the current central government has released more funds for UP than any other regime, he said, "When they are unable to utilise the funds given earlier, then how can the Centre be blamed for that?" Asked whether he was ready to be the face of BJP in 2017 UP assembly elections, Mishra, MP from Deoria district, said there were several faces in the party, who could be the chief minister. "Our preparations for the UP polls are good," he added. Speaking on the occasion, Mishra said it was for the first time in the country that the government has conducted industrial profile and skill mapping to ascertain where MSME industries could be set up. Skill training was being provided to youths so that they as well the industry could know about each others requirement, he said, adding that the priority was being given to UP and requested the state government to extend required cooperation. He said his ministry was making efforts to promote two major schemes ASPIRE and Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme. Under PMEGP, he said, 30,708 units have been set up between 2008-2014 under which 3.1 lakh unemployed got job opportunities and added that in the last six years the Centre has given a grant of Rs 986 crores to UP under the programme. Mishra said in financial year 2015-2016 the Centre has given a grant of Rs 120 crore to the state for setting up 5978 units to provide employment to 47,824 people. However, he said that the UP government could spend only Rs 92.84 crore of the total grant, which he said was "a slow progress". On being asked about the 17 central ministers visit in January to 23 Lok Sabha constituencies of UP, he said the Prime Minister in consultation with other leaders have decided that all central ministers would visit the country. "I myself had been to Coimbatore and now I will be visiting Shillong," he added. Engineering major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) today said its construction arm has bagged contracts worth Rs 2,871 crore across businesses in both domestic and international markets. L&T Construction secured a contract of Rs 1,276 crore in the buildings and factories business, the company said in a statement. L&T Oman, a subsidiary of L&T, has bagged an order worth USD 93.1 million (around 614.46 crore) to construct a regional airport in the Sultanate of Oman, it added. The scope of works includes construction of passenger terminal building, ATC complex, cargo and other service buildings including mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) works, special systems and external works. This will be the third airport project to be executed by L&T in that country and it is scheduled to be completed in 24 months. The company received another order for EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) of a multi-storied residential building involving 16 towers in Lucknow. The project work includes civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, finishes and other external jobs. In the water and effluent treatment business, L&T bagged a water supply order worth Rs 539 crore from the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board, it said. The project will provide water supply distribution network to peripheral circles of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. The work includes construction of 650 km of pipeline network, 20 water storage reservoirs and other associated works. The company also received a Rs 385 crore EPC order in the transportation infrastructure business from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for the construction of Simga Saragaon Road Project (PKG-II) section of NH-200 Raipur to Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh. The project involves construction of 42.45 km of four lane dual carriage way. It also includes a 7.32 km bypass and realignment, 16.22 km of service/slip road, one major and seven minor bridges and 10 vehicular and cattle underpasses. In the metallurgical and material handling vertical, L&T bagged an EPC order worth Rs 312 crore from NTPC for a coal handling plant of 2X660 MW power plant at Tanda, Uttar Pradesh. The scope of this contract covers design, engineering, supply, construction, erection, installation and commissioning of the coal handling plant. L&T also won contracts for other works worth Rs 359 crore. L&T Geostructure secured an order from Indian Oil Corporation for EPC of marine facilities at Ennore Port, Tamil Nadu. It includes construction of a berth structure supported on steel piles, approach trestle and other associated structures. The smart world and communication business bagged an order from the Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation for the design, procurement, installation and commissioning of telecommunication systems at various stations under Phase-1A of the Lucknow Metro Rail Project. The work includes design, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of fiber optic transmission systems, telephone systems, train radio TETRA systems, public address systems, passenger information display systems, master clock systems and CCTV systems. Delhi High Court today termed as "disgraceful" that many people in the national capital defecated in the open due to lack of public toilets and asked civic bodies and Railways whether adequate community latrines have been constructed by them. A bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva issued the direction to the municipalities, Delhi Cantonment Board and railway authorities after the court was told there were not enough toilets and latrines in the city. The court was also told these authorities were required to construct adequate number of community sanitary latrines as per the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act of 2013 and that too within three years of commencement of the legislation. It was also told that to use the existing public toilet facilities, people were being charged money and the poor cannot afford to pay on a daily basis, especially those with large families. The court, thereafter, directed that the affidavits should also indicate whether the authorities have any policy for charging people using public toilets. It also sought details regarding a survey carried out on the number of manual scavengers in the city and asked why a survey has not been conducted of the number of sanitary latrines. The court granted the authorities one week to file their affidavits and warned that if the same was not filed by then, it "will be constrained" to proceed with "contempt action" against concerned officials. It also directed the Delhi government to file an affidavit indicating whether all the provisions of the Act were being implemented and listed the matter for further hearing on January 20. The court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by an NGO in 2007 seeking rehabilitation of manual scavengers. The role of an opposition should be to challenge the government, but Britain's Labour Party has begun the new year at war with itself as leader Jeremy Corbyn struggles to assert his authority over restive lawmakers. The veteran left-winger was the surprise winner of Labour's leadership election last year, strongly supported by the party's membership but opposed by most Labour lawmakers. He has clashed with centrist Labour legislators over issues including his opposition to nuclear weapons and to British airstrikes on IS targets in Syria. Early today, Corbyn moved defense spokeswoman Maria Eagle, who opposed him on nuclear weapons, to another post, and fired two other members of his top team who had criticised him. Legislator Jonathan Reynolds later resigned as Labour's railway spokesman, saying he wanted to be able to speak out free of the constraints imposed on the party's official spokespeople. Corbyn's changes dubbed a "revenge reshuffle" in the press were announced after two days of closed-door meetings, and were more limited than many had anticipated. Corbyn did not move foreign policy spokesman Hilary Benn, who publicly opposed his leader during a House of Commons debate on Syria airstrikes last month. While Corbyn opposed the strikes as "reckless," Benn argued Britain should play its part in defeating Islamic State group "fascists." More resignations could follow as Labour struggles to remain united. Corbyn has promised a new style of politics to re-energise a party that has lost two consecutive elections to prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives, most recently in May. But many Labour lawmakers see his leadership style as ineffectual, his policies as out of touch with voters' views and his commitment to party reform as hollow. One of those who was fired in the reshuffle, former culture spokesman Michael Dugher, changed his Twitter biography to read "sacked by Jeremy Corbyn for too much straight talking, honest politics" an ironic reworking of Corbyn's own campaign slogan. At least four oil storage tanks have been set ablaze during deadly fighting in Libya as the Islamic State group tries to seize export terminals, the National Oil Company said today. The clashes, in which at least 10 security guards have died, began Monday as UN envoy Martin Kobler struggles to convince the oil-rich North African country's rival parliaments to agree on a unity government deal brokered by the world body. The fires broke out at key terminals in Al-Sidra and Ras Lanouf, located in the so-called "oil crescent" along Libya's northern coast, said a statement from the NOC management loyal to the internationally recognised government. The NOC statement did not make clear whether the fires were still burning or if fighting was still under way for a third successive day in the IS push to seize the terminals. A senior executive with the Sirte Oil Co told AFP that four tanks were still ablaze in Al-Sidra. But Mohamad al-Manfi, an NOC spokesman, was quoted by the Libyan agency close to the recognised regime as saying "calm has returned to the area after two days of fighting". Ali al-Hassi, a spokesman for security guards in Al-Sidra, said: "We have lost 10 of our men since the beginning of the IS offensive on the terminals". Mustafa Sanalla, chairman of the rival NOC management in militia-held Tripoli, condemned the attacks. "I hope this appalling violence will lead political leaders on all sides in Libya to understand the magnitude of the threat we face," he said in a statement. "I encourage them urgently to put aside their differences. We need to unite against this common enemy, not tomorrow or next week, but now." IS has been trying for several weeks to push east from its coastal stronghold of Sirte, and officials have warned of crippling consequences if the jihadists manage to seize control of Libya's oil resources. Sanalla urged the "swift formation of a national unity government and the establishment of a unified force structure capable of bringing peace to this country and protecting its natural resources. Taking cognisance of the Opposition's claim over procurement of solar pumps for drought-hit farmers, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has stayed their purchase and directed energy department officials to study Gujarat government's model of procurement in this regard. Fadnavis has instructed Maharashtra Energy Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule to send officials from the department to Gujarat to study their model of procurement of solar pumps and until then, put on hold an agreement with the company that as supposed to supply the pumps. State government had earlier decided to distribute 10,000 solar pumps to farmers in the 18 drought-affected districts of Marathwada, Vidarbha and western Maharashtra region. "We had floated a global tender for the procurement of solar pumps in July 2015. As many as 68 companies had approached, Mahavitaran and Jain Irrigation System qualified to supply solar pumps to the state," Bawankule told PTI. Opposition leader in state council Dhananjay Munde during the Winter session of the state Legislature had claimed that the price of solar pumps in Gujarat are cheaper by over Rs 1 lakh as compared to what has been quoted by Jain Irrigation. "We have to pay 60 per cent amount once the pumps are installed in the farms, 1.5 per cent every quarter till the next five years and the remaining 10 per cent has to be payed at the end of contract period," Bawankule said referring to Munde's claim. He added that Jain Irrigation has agreed to provide a service centre for every 500 solar pump beneficiaries and take responsibility of maintenance of solar panel and pumps. Munde, objecting to government's payment mode, claimed that, "In Gujarat, 5 HP pump costs at Rs 3.5 lakh, whereas Jain Irrigation has quoted the price as Rs 5.40 lakh. According to the payment schedule, 60 per cent would mean the state will pay initial amount of Rs 3.24 lakh to the contractor." "Even if the state has to pay 100 per cent payment at the time of installation of pumps, it is affordable and cheap. On the other hand, Jain Irrigation will get additional 40 per cent profit from existing payment schedule," he said. Taking serious cognisance opposition's claim, Fadnavis has stayed the procurement order and asked the power minister to study the Gujarat pattern. "The CM has asked to send officials to Gujarat and bring their bid documents. One of the director from Mahavitaran will visit Gujarat on Monday and the documents will be submitted to the CM. Later, he will take a final decision in the bid. Until then, we have stopped the signing of the agreement with Jain Irrigation," Bawankule said. Malaysia Airlines said Wednesday it has lifted a ban on check-in baggage on flights to Paris and Amsterdam, after the move angered many passengers who slammed the airline on social media. The U-turn came less than 24 hours after the airline announced that passengers cannot check-in baggage for Tuesday and Wednesday flights to the two European cities due to "unseasonably strong headwinds" on a longer flight path it is taking. The airline said it recently had to operate a longer route to Europe, via Egyptian airspace, for safety reasons. It said strong headwinds over the past four days were in excess of 200 knots, which can add up to 15 percent to fuel burn on its Boeing 777 aircraft. "Based on its current risk assessment, done on a daily basis, the airline is now able to take a shorter route on European flights. Malaysia Airlines maintains that safety is of utmost priority in its operations and will not hesitate to adjust its flight path based on its daily risk assessment," it said in a brief statement. It didn't elaborate on the change in route, and airline officials could not be reached immediately for comment. A Malaysia Airlines jet flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down by a missile in eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing all 298 people on board. Many passengers left angry comments on the airline's Facebook page, slamming it for being the only airline to impose such a ban. Some of them said the airline should have limited the number of passengers and rejected freight instead. Others asked for a refund of their tickets. Losses of two flights in 2014 hit the finances of already struggling Malaysia Airlines. One flight heading to Beijing disappeared and is believed to have crashed in the Indian Ocean. That tragedy was followed months later by the Ukraine disaster. Last year, the airline appointed its first foreign CEO, Christoph Mueller, the former head of Ireland's Aer Lingus, to oversee a major restructuring. Mueller has said the airline can break even by 2018 after cutting 6,000 staff, selling surplus aircraft and refurbishing its international fleet. a 22-year-old jealous UK man brutally killed his girlfriend by stabbing her more than 80 times for ending their relationship, a UK court has been told. Jordan Taylor attacked his 21-year-old girlfriend Laura Davies in Basildon, Essex, where she lived and worked as a groom. Chelmsford Crown Court was told yesterday that the attack that took place in July last year was so forceful that the knife used was left badly bent. Unemployed Taylor is standing a trial after pleading not guilty to murder. "We say her life was taken by this man during a sustained and brutal attack with a knife. She suffered 80 knife wounds to her body," said Prosecutor Peter Gair. "The attack was as a direct result of her telling the defendant that their relationship was over," Gair said. Laura was found near the Essex Horse and Pony Protection Society in Pitsea with multiple injuries. She was airlifted to hospital but died hours later. "Whether it was motivated by jealousy or anger or a mixture of both and other emotions, he exacted a terrible revenge on her which caused her to die at the scene, Gair was quoted as saying by metro.Uk. The prosecution told jurors that Taylor initially attacked Laura in the flat. Gair told jurors she fled outside in her pyjamas but he chased after her and killed her in an area known as the Wishing Well before dragging her body to some nearby bushes. Pathologist Benjamin Swift said a post-mortem examination found she had suffered at least 80 stab wounds. There were also signs she had been stuck all over her body. "She suffered defensive wounds, suggesting she had been fighting for her life," Gair said. On the night of her death, Laura had cooked a meal for both of them at the flat they shared at the sanctuary, the jury heard. Laura had decided earlier that day to end the relationship but to let Taylor continue to live at the flat as she did not want to make him homeless, Gair said. Police later found plates of uneaten food on the kitchen table, suggesting events had escalated quickly. The case continues. Scores of municipal sanitation workers of the city today decided to go on an "indefinite strike" from January 27 claiming the civic bodies' "failure" in meeting their demands, including regularisation of salary. The workers have been sitting on a relay hunger strike for the past month at the Jantar Mantar under various unions. "Under the banner of Swatantra Mazdoor Vikas Sanyukt Morcha we have been sitting on relay hunger strike from December 1 but our demands of regular salary, payment of arrears, regularisation and promotion have failed to evoke any response from the municipal corporation authorities or the government," president of the Morcha Sanjay Gehlot said. "We have decided to go on strike from January 27 since we do not want to cause inconvenience during the festival of Makar Sankranti and the Republic Day celebrations," he said. It is likely that a large number of teachers, doctors, nurses and engineers, besides the class III and IV employees serving under the three municipal corporations -- NDMC, SDMC and EDMC -- will participate in the strike as their salary payment is also delayed by two-four months, Gehlot claimed. Recently, teachers, nurses and engineers of the municipal bodies had also gone on protest raising their demands for timely salaries and other service-related benefits. However, the East, North and South corporations have levelled allegations on the Delhi government of not transferring their pending dues, thus pushing them into a financial crisis. The sanitation workers of the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) had gone on a strike October last leading to unhygienic conditions in the civic area due to huge amount of undisposed filth in the streets. The strike was ended after the Delhi High Court intervened and directed the municipal corporation authorities to ensure lifting of garbage. Meanwhile, scores of municipal employees including a large number of sanitation workers staged a demonstration near the residence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal demanding fulfilment of their demands. "We staged demonstration at Kejriwal's residence today. The MCD employees including even senior officers have not been getting their salaries timely. If the situation did not improve we will also go on an indefinite strike," said Rajendra Mewati, general secretary of the United Front of MCD Employees. German Chancellor Angela Merkel came under mounting pressure today over her welcoming stance toward migrants, which opponents have linked to a shocking rash of apparently coordinated sex attacks in Cologne on New Year's Eve. Police in the western city told AFP they have received more than 100 complaints by women reporting assaults ranging from groping to two rapes, allegedly committed in a large crowd of revellers during year-end festivities outside the city's main train station and its famed Gothic cathedral. Victims blamed men of "Arab or North African" appearance, inflaming a heated public debate about Germany's ability to cope with the nearly 1.1 million asylum seekers the country took in last year. Authorities have said there is no concrete indication that the perpetrators were asylum seekers who arrived in last year's record influx. No arrests have been made. However critics of Merkel's liberal refugee policy charged that the Cologne assaults proved she was playing with fire without a clear strategy to integrate the mainly Muslim newcomers who will settle in Germany. The right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which hopes to gain seats in three regional elections in March, charged the attacks were "a result of unchecked immigration". Late yesterday 200-300 people, according to police estimates, gathered in front of Cologne cathedral calling for more respect for women. One female demonstrator held a sign reading: "Mrs. Merkel, what are you doing? This is scary". A minor girl was mauled to death reportedly by a panther as she went to collect firewood in the forest area of Usar village in Rajsamand district today. This morning, Sangeeta (12) went to collect firewood in the forest area along with her mother, when a panther attacked the girl and took her away in the dense forest, police said. Her mother rushed to Kelwara police station seeking help following which the girl's body bearing injuries in the neck was recovered, they said. The body was handed over to the family after post-mortem, police added. After an argument with the staff of a private college over building of a wall bordering the playground of a local club, a mob went on a rampage inside the campus of the educational institution and torched two vehicles and a computer room at Nischinda in Howrah district today. Three fire tenders fought for half an hour to douse the flames lit by the mob, who stormed the college compound following an argument with the staff over building of a wall bordering the playground of a local club, a police officer said. There was, however, no report of any injury. The mob set aflame a bike and a car parked inside the compound and also torched the computer room after forcing the staff to come out in the open. Personnel of RAF and police were deployed at the gate. where the private B-ED College was located and 16 people were arrested in connection with the incident. World stock mostly slumped today after a North Korean nuclear test unnerved investors and a report showing weakness in China's service industries renewed worries about growth in the world's No 2 economy. European stocks fell in early trading. France's CAC 40 was down 0.6% to 4,509.41 and Germany's DAX shed 0.6% to 10,247.44. Britain's FTSE 100 lost 0.7% to 6,094.83. US stocks were poised to open lower. Dow futures dropped 0.9% to 16,924.00. Broader S&P 500 futures slumped 1.1% to 1,990.30. North Korea announced it had carried out a hydrogen bomb test, after South Korea detected an "artificial earthquake" near the North's main nuclear test site. The test is likely to raise tensions in the region and make investors more cautious and less willing to place risky bets. The surprise announcement makes it tougher to curb North Korea's longstanding efforts to establish an arsenal of nuclear-armed long-distance missiles. A monthly survey of China's service industries slipped to a 17-month low, renewing fears among investors that the world's No 2 economy was facing stronger headwinds. The Caixin/Markit survey of service industry purchasing managers slipped to 50.2 in December from 51.2 the previous month. The index is based on a 100-point scale with numbers above 50 indicating expansion. Service industries have helped offset weakness in trade and investment as China's economy undergoes a painful slowdown, but the latest figures show momentum is slowing. "I didn't expect 2016 to be anything other than a roller-coaster, but we're really starting off the roller-coaster really early," said Michael Every, head of Asia-Pacific financial market research at Rabobank. The poor Caixin reading and a weakening yuan that hurts China's export rivals were bad enough, but now "you have North Korea letting off a hydrogen bomb, not just a nuclear test, but a stronger nuclear bomb," he said. "You wonder how much worse things could get." Stocks in China rebounded on news that Beijing would keep market steadying measures in place. The China Securities Regulatory Commission said that when a six-month old ban on sales by large shareholders ends this week, new restrictions will take effect. Stockholders owning more than 5 percent of a company will be required to sell their shares in private transactions rather than on the open market to avoid shocks to the market, the regulator said. Most regional benchmarks closed lower Japan's Nikkei 225 index lost 1% to close at 18,191.32 and South Korea's Kospi fell 0.3% to end at 1,925.43. Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 1% to 20,980.81 but the Shanghai Composite Index in mainland China rebounded 2.3% to 3,361.84. It slumped 6.9% on Monday and 0.3% on Tuesday. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 retreated 1.2% to 5,123.10. Tourists visiting Mumbai can now get an aerial glimpse of the buzzing metropolis as Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has joined hands with Pawan Hans for heli-tourism. These joy rides are aimed to attract tourists who have limited time at hand but wish to explore Mumbai and other parts of the state quickly, MTDC said in a release here. The helicopters will cost Rs 3,200 (inclusive of taxes) per passenger for a 10-minute joyride. Heli-Tours will initially begin in Mumbai and will subsequently be extended to other tourism destinations like Elephanta Island, Ajanta Caves, Ellora caves and Shirdi. "Heli-Tourism in Maharashtra opens up a world of new possibilities for travellers and sightseers. With the basic idea of providing more to tourists, we are looking to boost potential tourism in the state. We are optimistic that this new initiative will be well received and see tremendous demand in the days to come," MTDC Managing Director Paraag Jaiin Nainuttia said. The government is considering penal action against German automobile major Volkswagen for violating emission regulations, the National Green Tribunal was informed today. "Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises had directed Volkswagen to initiate vehicle recall in India. Within the stipulated time Volkwagen had informed that they will be recalling all affected vehicles estimated number being 3.2 lakhs in India... "On declaration of vehicle recall by the manufacturer, Ministry of Heavy Industries has immediately handed over the matter to Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to examine penal provisions and decide further action related to continuation or otherwise of production and the applicable penalty," an affidavit filed by Ministry of Heavy Industries before a bench of Justice U D Salvi said. The Ministry told the green panel that it had directed Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) to examine whether vehicles manufactured by Volkwagen in India were also using the "defeat device" in the engine control unit. "Accordingly, ARAI has carried out measures in laboratory as well as on road, using real time driving conditions. The measurements show that Nitrogen Oxide emission as measured on road are five to nine times in excess as compared to laboratory emission test limits. "Based on these results, the ministry had directed Volkswagen to initiate vehicle recall in India," the affidavit filed by Pravin Agrawal, Director of Department of Heavy Industry, said. Denying the allegation that it acted in a "slow" manner on the emission fiasco, the Ministry said it took immediate steps to mitigate the situation that had arisen on account of global disclosure made by Volkwagen group. The Ministry further stated there was no "specific data or study" available to assess the contribution of Volkswagen vehicles to overall ambient air quality. The affidavit was filed in response to a plea by Saloni Ailawadi, a Delhi based school teacher, who had sought directions to disallow "manufacturing, assembly and sale" of vehicles manufactured by Volkswagen and its group companies until it was established that they were adhering to the prescribed norms in India. The FBI is still in the dark what the Pakistani-American couple was doing for crucial 18 minutes after they carried out the deadliest terrorist attack on US soil since 9/11 at a California social services centre last month, authorities said. FBI agents said they have yet to figure out what Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, were doing for a critical chunk of time - 12:59 pm to 1:17 pm on December 2 after they killed 14 people and injured many more at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino. When Farook and Malik resurfaced, they were over one km from the center, which at that time was flooded with paramedics, police, reporters and family members frantically searching for loved ones. "We're missing that 18 minutes," said David Bowdich, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angles office. "We're dark," he said yesterday. He said the couple's route involved "a lot of zigzagging around, going back and forth on the highway. There is no rhyme or reason to it that we can find yet." Filling in that missing link would help investigators determine whether Farook and Malik stopped at any homes or businesses or met with anyone else after the attack, Bowdich was quoted as saying by Los Angles Times. The couple seemed in no hurry to flee the city. They briefly pulled over near Seccombe Lake and in a parking lot near the Inland Regional Center. 28-year-old Farook, a Pakistani-American and his wife, Malik, 29, a Pakistani national, were killed in a firefight with authorities after a brief chase. The FBI has previously said the couple appeared to have embraced radical Islamic teachings and had been radicalised "for quite some time." Bowdich said the investigation had turned up no evidence that the attack was orchestrated from abroad. "This seems to be an inspired terrorist act," he said. The FBI has declined to say where Farook went after he left. But the law enforcement official said investigators do not believe Farook would have had time to go back to his Redlands home before the attack. When Farook returned to the event at 10:56 am, he was with his wife. The couple had several weapons, including two military-style rifles. The investigation shows that both AR-15 assault rifles used by the couple were fired inside the conference room where the victims were shot, the law enforcement source said. After fleeing in the SUV, the couple drove through parts of San Bernardino and Redlands - pausing at the lake about 11:45 am. Bowdich said a search of the lake had not turned up anything of value to the investigation. AKELDAMA, FIELD OF BLOOD. A covert prophetic message buried in the Biblical account of Judass betrayal and the purchase of the field of blood by the Sanhedrin with the 30 pieces of silver reward that Judas rejected. The bonus message with this DVD looks at the state of the world finance, and other affairs that relate to the Biblical prophecies. Cost 10.AS IT WAS IN THE DAYS OF NOAH. As in the Days of Noah: From the Prophetic Witness/Two by Two 2009 conference in Chesterfield, come five prophetic studies examining the statements of the Lord Jesus in Luke 17 and Matthew 24 which compare conditions in the world before, and at the time of the Flood with those in evidence at the time of His return. The scriptures are used as a lens to examine conditions in today's world, from the rising levels of violence to the global subculture of alien abductees, and show how the parallels are to be found in the "days of Noah. and the days before the flood." Genesis chapters 5 & 6 are opened to show the invasion of planet Earth by fallen angels and their offspring, leading to investigation of current phenomena in the realm of E.T. and its biblical interpretation. Cost 15.HIDDEN SECRETS AND HIDDEN WARNINGS. Brian through this teaching exposition looks at, as the title says, the hidden secrets and the hidden warnings contained within the scriptures. Matthew Ch13 v 52 every scribe instructed in the Kingdom of Heaven, is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old. Seeking to go into the treasure trove of Gods Word for Him to show us things new and old - Things that are just discovered, Things that have been known in the Word of God for decades and centuries. To appreciate that the Word of God is a revelation of Himself. Cost 10.AN INTRODUCTION TO THE MILLENNIUM. This comprehensive introduction to a topic which is not often addressed in churches, the Millennium, takes the subject head on. Understanding that it was God's intention for His Word to be taken literally (allowing for normal figures of speech etc) Brian gives an informative and refreshing insight into the Reign of Messiah Jesus on earth and the place of the believer within His kingdom. This teaching is designed to inspire and support believers in these dark "last days" and give them a hope, and an objective to which they can work, whilst they anticipate the great reward of the Sabbath rest of God's people. Cost 10.HEAVEN IS HIS THRONE, EARTH IS HIS FOOTSTOOL. An examination from Isaiah and Revelation of the Holy City of God and its inhabitation by the believers, its relevance to the Millennium and eternity. Brian also examines its details given in the Scriptures. This message is in two parts, and both included on this DVD, costing 10. North Korea's announcement today that it has successfully conducted its first hydrogen bomb test drew strong criticism from the reclusive nations' neighbours and the West which warned of a robust response to its "grave provocations". The surprise test was personally ordered by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and came just two days before his birthday. If confirmed, the test would mark another big step toward Pyongyang's goal of building a warhead that can be mounted on a missile capable of reaching the US mainland. The US said it was too early to verify North Korea's claim but vowed to "respond appropriately" to "any and all provocations." "We will continue to protect and defend our allies in the region, including the Republic of Korea, and will respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations," State Department Spokesman John Kirby said in a statement. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, "The nuclear test that was carried out by North Korea is a serious threat to the safety of our nation and we absolutely cannot tolerate this." "This clearly violates UN Security Council resolutions and is a grave challenge against international efforts for non-proliferation," he said, adding his country would seek to coordinate efforts among UN members to deal with the action. South Korean President Park Geun-Hye called the test a "grave provocation" to its national security and a "threat to our future". She said North Korea's action is a strong challenge to international peace and stability. "Tough measures are needed, including the strict sanctions of the UN Security Council and allied and friendly nations," she was quoted as saying by Yonhap agency. China, North Korea's key ally, "firmly opposed" the test which was conducted "irrespective of the international community's opposition". "We strongly urge the DPRK side to remain committed to its denuclearisation commitment, and stop taking any actions that would make the situation worse," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular briefing, using the North's official name. "On the sanctions, China will honour its international obligations and work with the international community to realise the goal of denuclearisation of the peninsula and make our due contributions" China would summon the North's ambassador and launch "solemn representations" over the nuclear test. British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said that both Britain and China opposed North Korea's test of a miniaturised hydrogen nuclear device and support the resumption of so-called six-party disarmament talks. Hammond, who is currently visiting China, said he and his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi agreed to work with other members of the UN Security Council toward "a robust international response." "If a nuclear device has been detonated by North Korea, this is a grave breach of UN Security Council resolutions and a provocation which I condemn without reservation," he said. France condemned the reported test, calling for a "strong reaction from the international community". Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the test "confirms North Korea's status as a rogue state and a continuing threat to international peace and security." The UN Security Council plans to hold an emergency meeting in New York, diplomats said. A hydrogen, or thermonuclear device, uses fusion in a chain reaction that results in a far more powerful explosion. For years, the world has been trying to bring North Korea to the table to talk disarmament, but with little success. The six-party talks are comprised of United States, North Korea, South Korea, China, Japan and Russia. North Korea declared it had nuclear weapons in 2003, and conducted nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013. In May last year, it said it had the ability to miniaturise nuclear weapons, a development that would allow it to deploy nuclear weapons on missiles. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon today denounced North Korea's nuclear test as "deeply troubling" and "profoundly destabilising" for regional security as he called on Pyongyang to halt its nuclear programmes. "The underground nuclear test is deeply troubling and once again violates numerous Security Council resolutions despite the united call by the international community to cease such activities," Ban told reporters here today. Stressing that the nuclear test is a "grave contravention" of the international norm against nuclear testing, Ban said the act is "profoundly destabilising for regional security and seriously undermines international non-proliferation efforts. I condemn it unequivocally." The UN Chief demanded that North Korea cease any further nuclear activities and meet its obligations for verifiable denuclearisation. The world body is monitoring and assessing developments in close coordination with the concerned international organisations including the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation and interested parties, Ban said. Heads of other international nuclear bodies also voice concern over reports of North Korea carryingout the hydrogen bomb test, saying it violates UNSC resolutions and is troubling for the region. UN International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukiya Amano also said that if the nuclear test is confirmed, it is in clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions and is "deeply regrettable." "I strongly urge the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to implement fully all relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the IAEA," he said in a statement. He added that the IAEA remains ready to contribute to the peaceful resolution of the North Korea nuclear issue "by resuming its nuclear verification activities in the DPRK once a political agreement is reached among countries concerned." Meanwhile, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1996, said its experts are "analysing the event to establish more about its nature." "If confirmed as a nuclear test, this act constitutes a breach of the universally accepted norm against nuclear testing; a norm that has been respected by 183 countries since 1996," said the Executive Secretary of the CBTO, Lassina Zerbo, in a statement. "It is also a grave threat to international peace and security," he said. "I urge the DPRK to refrain from further nuclear testing and to join the 183 States Signatories who have signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. Condemning North Korea's surprise nuclear test, US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter and his South Korean counterpart today said Pyongyang's provocations "should have consequences" as such a move is a threat to regional peace and stability. Carter spoke over phone with his South Korean counterpart Han Min-koo to discuss potential alliance responses to North Korea carryingout the hydrogen bomb test. "Carter and Han agreed that any such test would be an unacceptable and irresponsible provocation and is both a flagrant violation of international law and a threat to the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula and the entire Asia-Pacific region," the Pentagon Press Secretary, Peter Cook, said. During the call, Carter reaffirmed the ironclad commitment of the US to the South Korean defence, and that this commitment includes all aspects of America's extended deterrence, he said. Han emphasized the strength of the US-South Korean alliance and its vital role in assuring peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and across the Asia-Pacific. "Carter and Han agreed that North Korea's provocations should have consequences," Cook said. The two defence leaders reaffirmed that the international community does not and will not accept North Korea as a nuclear state, and pledged that both sides would coordinate appropriate alliance responses to these provocations, Cook said. They also agreed to the importance of close coordination with the international community and regional partners in condemning this action. Prior to the call, Carter received a situational update from Gen Curtis Scaparrotti, commander, US Forces Korea. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe condemned North Korea's announcement that it had carried out a hydrogen bomb test today, calling it a "serious threat" to Japan and a "grave challenge" to nuclear non-proliferation efforts. "I strongly condemn this," Abe told reporters. "The nuclear test that was carried out by North Korea is a serious threat to the safety of our nation and we absolutely cannot tolerate this," he said. Abe suggested that the UN Security Council should take up the case as it violates past sanction resolutions. "This clearly violates UN Security Council resolutions and is a grave challenge against efforts for non-proliferation," he said. "Our country, as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, will take resolute measures by coordinating efforts with the United States, South Korea, China, and Russia, including dealings at the UN Security Council," Abe said. North Korea's neighbours lined up today to condemn Pyongyang's claimed hydrogen bomb test, saying it posed a grave threat to regional security. Several governments promised a firm response as tensions soared again in northeast Asia, many calling for further action by the United Nations against the hermit nation, which is already subject to heavy international sanctions. "The nuclear test that was carried out by North Korea is a serious threat to the safety of our nation and we absolutely cannot tolerate this," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in Tokyo. "This clearly violates UN Security Council resolutions and is a grave challenge against international efforts for non-proliferation," he said, adding his country would seek to coordinate efforts among UN members to deal with the action. South Korean President Park Geun-Hye called the test a "grave provocation" at an emergency meeting of the Country's National Security Council (NSC) convened immediately after the broke. "The test is not only a grave provocation to our national security but also a threat to our future... And a strong challenge to international peace and stability," she said, calling for strong sanctions on Pyongyang. In an earlier statement, Seoul said it would "take all necessary measures including additional sanctions by the UN Security Council... So that the North will pay the price for the nuclear test". In Washington, the White House would not confirm the test, but vowed to "respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations". There was no immediate response from China, North Korea's key diplomatic protector, but in a report from Pyongyang, the official Xinhua service said that the "test apparently runs counter to relevant UN resolutions" and "is set to cause repercussions". Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop said her country "condemns in the strongest possible terms" the test, which "confirms North Korea's status as a rogue state and a continuing threat to international peace and security", adding that Canberra would express its concerns to Pyongyang directly and call for stronger UN sanctions. The test, which came just two days before leader Kim Jong-Un's birthday, was initially detected by international seismology monitors as a 5.1-magnitude tremor next to the North's main Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the northeast of the country. Last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un suggested Pyongyang had already developed a hydrogen bomb. The claim was questioned by international experts and there was continued scepticism over today's test announcement. A police sub-inspector, accused of demanding bribe of Rs 4,000, today attempted suicide at his residential quarters here upon realising that Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) sleuths have laid a trap to nab him. Manish Gawande (30), attached to Panchpaoli police station, tried to kill himself with his service revolver but his attempt was foiled by the sleuths who overpowered him, the ACB stated in a release. Earlier, an eatery shop owner had lodged a complaint accusing Gawande, Assistant Sub-Inspector Ulhas Pawar (51) and constable Praveen Jambhulkar of demanding Rs 4,000 in exchange of an official favour, it stated. ACB has booked the trio under relevant sections of Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 although no arrest has been made so far, the release stated, adding a separate case of attempting suicide was registered against Gawande at Panchpaoli police station. In a separate case, a police head constable from Wardha, Mahendra Kamble was caught red handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 4,000 from a complainant for not implicating him in a liquor seizure case, the release added. Noting that the anti-Muslim rhetoric coming from Republican presidential candidates is "dangerous", former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called for having a sense of unity and purpose in combating terrorism. "We need to have a sense of unity and purpose in combating terrorism. What I'm hearing from the other side is not only offensive and shameful, it's dangerous," Clinton said. During the course of the interview, her first in 2016, Clinton, 68, avoided directly naming Republican front-runner Donald Trump, who has been personally attacking her for the past few weeks. "I have a New Year's resolution. I will not respond to his personal attacks," Clinton was quoted as saying by MSNBC. However, Clinton was highly critical of Trump's policy announcements and his statement without personally taking his name. "We should not reward people who use inflammatory rhetoric, who use the kind of derogatory comments, whether it's about Muslims, or Mexicans, or women, or people with disabilities, whoever it might be," she said. "That is not a sign of leadership. That's a sign of, you know, showmanship, of desperation, that should be rejected roundly by the American people," Clinton said. When asked about the anti-Muslim rhetoric of her opponents, Clinton said she found remarks from Republican presidential candidates "deeply distressing". Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli will travel to New Delhi early next month on his first official foreign visit, his close aide said today, scotching speculation that the Communist leader would visit China ahead of India. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa made the announcement, saying some agreements would also be signed with India to implement past understandings during his visit, amid hiccups in Indo-Nepal ties over the Madhesi issue. Madhesis, largely of Indian-origin, are agitating over the new Constitution demanding more representation. They are also protesting division of their ancestral homeland under the seven-province structure and have led an ongoing blockade of key border trade points with India. "We have very important and cordial relations with India. The preliminary preparations for the visit have been completed. India will be the first country for the PM to pay an official visit after assuming the office," Thapa said. He said Oli will leave for India on an appropriate time as the preliminary preparations have been completed. The visit is expected to take place in the first week of February, sources told PTI. Earlier, it was reported that CPN-UML leader Oli, who took over as prime minister in October, was planning to visit China in a marked contrast to the usual practice of the new prime ministers of Nepal to travel to India. Most of the Nepalese premiers have visited India, ahead of China. Only Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' had rubbed India the wrong way when he chose China as the first destination of his foreign visit after taking over as Nepal's prime minister and attended the Beijing Olympics 2008. India had announced Rs. 1,000 crore financial assistance in the form of soft loan to Nepal during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Nepal last year and an equal amount of assistance was announced during External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's trip after the devastating earthquake. India has also announced to convert part of the assistance to be provided to Nepal as grant. When Prime Minister Modi had called Oli to extend congratulations upon his election to the top executive post he had also invited him to visit India. Modi had reiterated his invitation to Oli during a telephone conversation between the two leaders last week. Thapa said that Chinese government has also extended invitation to the Prime Minister for an official visit. Nepal wants to maintain cordial relationship with both the neighbours, he pointed out. "The Indian prime minister during his visit to Nepal earlier had pledged support for the country," Thapa recalled adding that "these support should also be implemented." "PM Oli's visit will make necessary arrangement for the implementation too," he pointed out. Replying to a question, Thapa said that the ongoing blockade on Nepal's southern border will end soon. All other border points except Raxaul-Birgun point have already been open and cargo vehicles are freely moving from these entry points, he said. However, for reopening Raxaul-Birgunj border point, the government is working towards a negotiated settlement with the Madhes based parties through constitutional amendment. The government has floated a four-point agenda to address the 11 demands of the agitating Madhesi parties, he said. The issues relating to proportionate representation and allocation of Parliament seats on the basis of population will be addressed through the Constitution Amendment Bill tabled in the Parliament and the issue relating to provincial boundary demarcation will be dealt with through forming a high-level political committee, he added. The citizenship and all other issues will be addressed through negotiation with the Madhesi parties, he said. German automobile major Volkswagen may face penal action for violating emission regulations, government today told the National Green Tribunal which asked the company not to sell any diesel vehicle in India fitted with "cheat device". While the green panel sought an undertaking from the car -maker by January 11 that it would sell only those vehicles which comply with all emission norms as applicable, the Ministry of Heavy Industries said it was considering penal action against Volkswagen for flouting emission norms. Cheat or defeat device is a software in diesel engines to manipulate emission tests by changing the performance of the vehicles to improve results. Reacting to the NGT order, Volkswagen said in a statement later that its cars are not fitted with any "cheat device" and do not violate Bharat Stage IV (BS IV) emission norms. An affidavit filed by Ministry of Heavy Industries before a bench of Justice U D Salvi said the ministry of "had directed Volkswagen to initiate vehicle recall in India. ... Volkswagen had informed that they will be recalling all affected vehicles estimated number being 3.2 lakhs in India... "On declaration of vehicle recall by the manufacturer, Ministry of Heavy Industries has immediately handed over the matter to Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to examine penal provisions and decide further action related to continuation or otherwise of production and the applicable penalty." The Tribunal, which stopped short of ordering a ban on the sale of Volkswagen vehicles in the country for allegedly flouting emission norms, also directed Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) to place its investigation report by February 4, the next date of hearing. "We do see gravity of the matter. You should not sell cars with defeat device and which are not compliant. Let Volkswagen give an undertaking that it would not sell any vehicle in India fitted with 'cheat device'," the bench said. A Delhi-based school teacher and a few other residents had moved the Tribunal seeking directions to disallow "manufacturing, assembly and sale" of vehicles manufactured by Volkswagen and its group companies until it was established that they were adhering to the prescribed norms in India. Senior advocate Pinaki Misra, appearing for the car- maker, told the green panel that there were no such devices in its vehicles and ARAI was already investigating the matter and its outcome was awaited. "The whole argument is based on the fact that something happened in United States. We are manufacturing different vehicles here. The cars which we sell in India comply to all emission norms. Let ARAI complete its job," Misra said. Responding to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order asking it to give an undertaking that it would sell only those vehicles which comply with all emission norms as applicable, the company later said its vehicles are not violating Bharat Stage IV (BS IV) emission norms in India. "Volkswagen Group India has already intimated why it believes that its cars are not equipped with a 'defeat device'," a company spokesperson said in a statement. In a major move to deter plying of overloaded vehicles on highways, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has decided to force them off the road till the extra load is removed at the cost and risk of transporters. This will be in addition to levying of penal charges of ten times the applicable fee at the toll plazas that is presently being imposed on overloaded vehicles, an official statement said. Apart from curbing accidents the move is also aimed at bringing down vehicular pollution arising out of overloaded goods carriages. "So far, the NHAI toll contractors/ concessionaires, citing lack of space at toll plazas and other practical difficulties, have not been off-loading trucks and were only charging 10 times penalty for overloading," it said. "As per instructions issued by NHAI, from now onwards, the overloaded vehicles will not be allowed to cross the toll plaza but will be towed away and parked at designated place at the owner/driver's risk and cost," the statement said. The vehicle will be released only after the owner/driver pays the penalty equivalent to ten times the applicable fee, undertakes to off-load the extra weight and pays NHAI charges for towing and parking at prescribed rates, it said. Also, if the vehicle remains unclaimed for seven days, it will be handed over to the concerned police station. "The NHAI has directed all its toll plaza contractors and concessionaires to ensure strict compliance of the instructions. NHAI has also directed to ensure wide publicity to the instructions through newspaper advertisements and sign boards in English/Hindi/Vernacular languages erected at the toll plazas," it said. The latest measures shall be effective deterrent in curbing operation of overloaded vehicles on National Highways. "These shall also ensure further compliance of the ban on overloaded vehicles by the Supreme Court," it said. This move will also significantly bring down road accidents as overloaded vehicles are one of the major contributors to fatal accidents. It will also prevent premature damage to National Highways and bring down vehicular pollution arising out of overloaded goods carriages. In India, about 5 lakh road accidents every year claim 1.5 lakh lives and another 3 lakh are crippled for life. National Human Rights Commission has issued a notice to Bihar government over the reported deplorable conditions prevailing in the prisons of the state. Taking suo motu cognizance of a media report highlighting an exhaustive report titled 'Prisons of Bihar:- Status Report 2015' prepared by activist and researcher, Smita Chakraburty, the Commission has issued notices to the Chief Secretary and Director General of Prisons, Government of Bihar and asked for a response within four weeks. Smita Chakraburty was assigned the project by Justice V N Sinha, Judge of Patna High Court and Executive Chairman, Bihar State Legal Services Authority and asked to visit all the 58 prisons of Bihar to study the living conditions and submit a report. "Although it is not oblivious of the ills plaguing the prison system in the country as a whole, the present cover story discloses gross violation of human rights of the prisoners who are under the care and custody of the state," observed the Commission. Reportedly, Chakraburty interviewed as many as 30,070 inmates during the course of her study. The final report was released on November, 15, 2015. The report is stated to be an eye opener and throws light on the denial of basic human rights of prisoners in Bihar and points to the urgent need for prison reforms across the country. It highlights absence of medical facilities in prisons, particularly for women, bias against terror accused and under trials by denying them even the copies of charge sheets of the cases against them. Instances of forced labour by under trials which is punishable under IPC and need of medical and psychiatric help to the inmates were also underlined in the report. The exhaustive study also brought to the fore issues of punishment of prisoners under the discretionary powers provided by the Prison Manual Rules without supervision by an appellate body. Denial of free legal aid counsel to under trials was also talked about, as it pointed out that very few advocates meet the under trials in the court and they go unrepresented when produced before the Magistrate. In what could propel her to the US national political scene, Indian-American South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley will deliver the opposition Republican response to President Barack Obama's last State of the Union address next week. The 43-year-old, who is the first woman and first minority governor in her state's history, will address the country on January 12 after Obama's speech, congressional leaders said. Obama is scheduled to deliver his last annual State of the Union address to a joint session of the US Congress on the night of January 12. Incidentally, the opposition Republican response to Obama's first State of the Union address was also by an Indian-American, Bobby Jindal - the Louisiana Governor whose second term ends on January 11. House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell yesterday announced that Haley will deliver the Republican address to the nation following the State of the Union, in a move that has the potential of propelling her to the national scene and make her a formidable vice- presidential candidate. "Nikki Haley has led an economic turnaround and set a bold agenda for her state, getting things done and becoming one of the most popular governors in America. In a year when the country is crying out for a positive vision and alternative to the status quo, Governor Haley is the exact right choice to deliver the Republican Address to the Nation," Ryan said. "Nikki Haley is a proven leader and committed reformer who believes deeply in the promise of the country we all share. Not only has Governor Haley fought to bring opportunity and prosperity to the people of her state, but she's also demonstrated how bringing people together can bring real results," Senator McConnell said. "Governor Haley knows the American Dream and wants to see every American share in it, and we're pleased that she will be delivering this year's Republican Address," McConnell said. Haley said she is honoured to be asked by party leadership to deliver the Republican address to the nation. "This is a time of great challenges for our country, but also of great opportunities. I intend to speak about both," Haley said. Haley was re-elected to a second term in November last year. She is also only the second Indian-American Governor after Jindal. In a statement, the Republican Party said Haley has delivered results to the people of South Carolina. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said student credit card scheme to provide Rs 4 lakh loan for higher education would be implemented from next financial year and sought banks' cooperation in this regard. Providing student credit card for pursuing higher education forms a part of Kumar's "seven resolves" which he had promised before polls and which has been adopted by the coalition government led by him. Addressing the 54th quarterly banks review meeting, the Chief Minister sought cooperation of the banks for implementation of the scheme. He said the scheme would help lift GER (Gross Enrolment Ratio) in the state. Bihar has a GER of 13 per cent and Kumar said efforts would be made to increase it to 50 per cent. For this it is necessary that students continue education after 12th standard and the student credit card would remove the financial obstacle in this regard, Kumar said. He said the credit card would be issued to students for pursuing education after 12th standard from registration centre in every district. State Finance Minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui, Chief Secretary Anjani Kumar Singh and Principal Secretary Finance Ravi Mittal were also present in the meeting. The Chief Minister asked the banks to expedite opening branches at panchayat level. "At present, there is one bank branch for a population of 11,000 at the national level while Bihar has a bank branch for a population of 17,000," he said adding there is no bank branch in 13 block headquarters despite the fact that road and other infrastructural facilities were present there. On the problem of security in banks, Kumar said it's a matter of concern for everybody and stressed on security audit of banks. Security norms should be followed and those found violating them would be punished. Kumar also emphasised on more effective use of CCTV in banks. (REOPENS CAL4) "Due to bicycle yojna, enrolment of girls in class IX has increased from 1.7 lakh in 2005 to 8.5 lakh today," the Bihar Chief Minister said. "The bicycle yojna has been considered as the most effective tool to boost education in backward regions world over," he said. Kumar said that after strengthening educational system in Bihar now the priority before his government was how to provide quality education. Mathematician Anand Kumar recounted his days of struggle when he had to face many adversities due to poor background. "My mother and brother stood with me when I refused to join a lower-level job in postal department after the death of my father and continued studies," he said. 'Super 30' has a rare distinction of helping more than 330 students of humble background crack IITs since its inception in 2002. The book "Super 30 - changing the world of 30 students at a time" was penned by Canada-based Biju Mathew who is a consultant psychiatrist and an associate professor at the University of British Columbia, and a Bihar scribe Arun Kumar. The 236-page book is published in English by 'Penguin' and in Hindi by 'Prabhat Prakashan'. Around 300 doctors, nurses and paramedical staff working in the city's hospitals, run by the three municipal corporations, today protested against the non- payment of salaries for past three months. They took out a candle march near ITO this evening accusing the Delhi government of pushing the doctors, nursing staff and paramedical staff of the municipal corporations run hospital to a state of starvation by not paying their salaries. Delhi Medical Association (DMA) also extended its support to the protests by the doctors and medical staffs and said if needed it will approach National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). "The attitude of the Delhi government is that they will do everything for the welfare and convenience of patients but nothing for the doctors. It is disgusting. We will approach the NHRC if the salaries are not paid," said DMA president, Dr Ajay Lekhi. Dr K P Rewani, Secretary of Municipal Corporation Doctor's Association said, "Due to non-payment of salaries, doctors, nursing staff and paramedical staff are in a state of starvation and paucity of life saving drugs in hospitals has brought the Delhiites to a state of helplessness and they were being forced to avail treatment at private hospitals." Earlier, the doctors had gone on a week-long strike from December 18 but withdrew it after the authorities promised that their salaries would be released by the end of that month. They also submitted a memorandum to Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal seeking redressal for their long-pending demand on priority basis. "We have gone on strike four times in the last six months. We withdraw it because we do not want the patients to suffer. Government also aasured us that our salaries will be released, but nothing has happened on the front. We cannot work without our salaries," said a doctor from Kasturba Gandhi hospital. North Korea said today it had carried out a "successful" hydrogen bomb test, a claim that -- if true -- massively raises the stakes over the hermit state's banned nuclear programme. Neighbouring South Korea's National Security Council "strongly condemned" the test, while Japanese Prime Minister described it as a "great threat" that represented a gross violation of UN Security Council resolutions. "The republic's first hydrogen bomb test has been successfully performed at 10:00am (0330 GMT)," North Korean state television announced. "With the perfect success of our historic H-bomb, we have joined the rank of advanced nuclear states," it said, adding that the test was of a miniaturised device. A hydrogen, or thermonuclear device, uses fusion in a chain reaction that results in a far more powerful explosion than the fission blast generated by uranium or plutonium alone. Last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un suggested Pyongyang had already developed a hydrogen bomb. The claim was questioned by international experts and there was continued scepticism over Wednesday's test announcement. "This weapon was probably the size of the US Hiroshima bomb but this was not a hydrogen bomb. It was fission technology," Bruce Bennett, a senior defence analyst with the Rand Corporation told the BBC. "The bang they should have gotten would have been 10 times greater than what they got," Bennett said. Given the estimated yield, the device was "unlikely to be a true 2-stage thermonuclear bomb," tweeted James Acton, co-director of the nuclear policy program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The test, which came just two days before Kim Jong-Un's birthday, was initially detected by international seismology monitors as a 5.1-magnitude tremor next to the North's main Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the northeast of the country. Most experts had assumed Pyongyang was years from developing a thermonuclear bomb, while assessments were divided on how far it had gone in mastering the technology to miniaturise a warhead. Whether an H-bomb or not, it was North Korea's fourth nuclear test and marked a striking act of defiance that flew in the face of enemies and allies alike who have warned Pyongyang it would pay a steep price for moving forward with its nuclear weapons programme. Soon after the ground shook around its nuclear testing facility, North Korea trumpeted its first hydrogen bomb test, a powerful, self-proclaimed "H-bomb of justice" that would mark a major and unanticipated advance for its still-limited nuclear arsenal. Pyongyang's announcement today was met with widespread skepticism, but whatever the North detonated in its fourth nuclear test, another round of tough international sanctions looms for the defiant, impoverish ed country. The test likely pushed Pyongyang's scientists and engineers closer to their goal of building a warhead small enough to place on a missile that can reach the US mainland. But South Korea's spy agency thought the estimated explosive yield from the explosion was much smaller than what even a failed H-bomb detonation would produce. The test was met with a burst of jubilation and pride in Pyongyang. A North Korean television anchor, reading a typically propaganda-heavy statement, said a test of a "miniaturized" hydrogen bomb had been a "perfect success" that elevated the country's "nuclear might to the next level." A large crowd celebrated in front of Pyongyang's main train station as the announcement was read on a big video screen, with people taking videos or photos of the screen on their mobile phones and applauding and cheering. In Seoul and elsewhere there was high-level worry. South Korean President Park Geun-hye ordered her military to bolster its combined defense posture with U.S. Forces and called the test a "grave provocation" and "an act that threatens our lives and future." Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, "We absolutely cannot allow this." Washington and nuclear experts have been skeptical about past North Korean claims about H-bombs, which are much more powerful and much more difficult to make, than atomic bombs. A confirmed test would further worsen already abysmal relations between Pyongyang and its neighbors and lead to a strong push for tougher sanctions on North Korea at the United Nations. The Security Council quickly announced an emergency meeting. A successful H-bomb test would be a big advance. Fusion is the main principle behind the hydrogen bomb, which can be hundreds of times more powerful than atomic bombs that use fission. In a hydrogen bomb, radiation from a nuclear fission explosion sets off a fusion reaction responsible for a powerful blast and radioactivity. A South Korean lawmaker said the country's spy agency told him in a private briefing that Pyongyang may not have conducted an H-bomb test given the relatively small size of the seismic wave reported. Soon after the ground shook around its nuclear testing facility, North Korea trumpeted its first hydrogen bomb test, a self-proclaimed "H-bomb of justice" that would mark a major and unanticipated advance for its still-limited nuclear arsenal. The announcement today by the defiant, impoverished country was met with widespread skepticism, as well as a strong condemnation by the UN Security Council, which said it would begin work on a resolution for new sanctions. North Korea's fourth nuclear test likely pushed its scientists and engineers closer to their goal of building a warhead small enough to place on a missile that can reach the US mainland. But South Korea's spy agency thought the estimated explosive yield from the blast was much smaller than what even a failed hydrogen bomb detonation would produce, and the White House said its early analysis of underground activity "is not consistent" with the North's claim of a successful H-bomb test. There was a burst of jubilation and pride in Pyongyang. A North Korean TV anchor said the test of a "miniaturized" hydrogen bomb had been a "perfect success" that elevated the country's "nuclear might to the next level." A large crowd celebrated in front of the capital's main train station as the announcement was read on a big video screen, with people applauding, cheering and recording the report on their mobile phones. North Korea's state media called the test a self-defence measure against a potential US attack. "The (country's) access to H-bomb of justice, standing against the US, the chieftain of aggression ..., is the legitimate right of a sovereign state for self-defense and a very just step no one can slander." There was high-level concern in Seoul and elsewhere. South Korean President Park Geun-hye ordered her military to bolster its combined defense posture with US forces. She called the test a "grave provocation" and "an act that threatens our lives and future." Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, "We absolutely cannot allow this." US Defence Secretary Ash Carter spoke by phone with his South Korean counterpart Han Min-Koo, and they agreed that a North Korean nuclear test would be an "unacceptable and irresponsible provocation," according to Carter's spokesman, Peter Cook. Cook said Carter reaffirmed the US Treaty commitment to defend South Korea, which he said includes "all aspects of the United States' extended deterrence", an allusion to a longstanding US promise to defend South Korea with nuclear weapons if necessary. In saying an early analysis by the US was "not consistent with the claims that the regime has made of a successful hydrogen bomb test," White House spokesman Josh Earnest added that nothing has happened in the last 24 hours to change Washington's assessment of Pyongyang's technical or military capabilities. The US is still doing the work needed to learn more about the North's test, he added. Hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani today said his organisation is not against "pleasant and friendly" ties between India and Pakistan but rubbished the four-point formula which had been mooted by former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Kashmir issue. Hurriyat is not against a "pleasant and friendly relationship" between India and Pakistan "but it is in no way acceptable to Kashmiris that the two countries ignore their wishes, aspirations and sacrifices and talk about potato and onion trade," the separatist leader said. "India and Pakistan should keep this reality in mind that the real stakeholders of the Kashmir issue are its people," he said. Referring to Musharraf's four-point proposal, Geelani said, "This formula is nothing more than softening of borders, people-to-people contact and easing of travel formalities...It is a diplomatic trick of converting the 'Ceasefire Line' into permanent border which was rejected by Kashmiri people in one voice." He described it as a "formula of burial of the wishes, aspirations and sacrifices of Kashmiris" and added it was also against the Constitution and national policy of Pakistan regarding Kashmir. The Hurriyat hawk said the formula was just a "deception" and any such proposal would again be rejected by the Kashmiri people. The formula envisaged softening of Line of Control (LoC), self-governance, phased withdrawal of troops from entire Jammu and Kashmir and joint supervision by India and Pakistan. With Odisha ministers facing protests by supporters of Opposition parties over some issue or the other, the state government today placed two police personnel including an inspector under suspension. While Deogarh IIC Sudarshan Jena has been suspended by Director General of Police (DGP) K B Singh, DSI of Health minister Atanu S Nayak's pilot vehicle in-charge Narayan Sahu was suspended by Deogarh district collector, officials said. Nayak's vehicle was hit by eggs and tomatoes during his visit to Deogarh district yesterday. Both have been suspended on grounds of dereliction of duty, they said. Meanwhile, the Police have arrested six Congress workers including the party's Deogarh Town Committee president Subash Bhoi and Deogarh Municipality councillor Dharmendra Debata on charges of pelting eggs and tomatoes on the Health and Family Welfare minister's vehicle. While Nayak faced the ire of Congress activists yesterday, food supplies and consumer welfare minister Sanjay Dasburma also encountered similar protests at Puri and Chhatrapur on January 3 and 4, respectively. The protests also continued today when school and mass education minister Debi Prasad Mishra was shown black flags by the members of the women Congress in Sambalpur. Though Mishra claimed he had not seen any black flag, the Police said Congress activists waved black flags after the minister left the venue. As protests were being mounted by Congress activists over alleged faulty selection of beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), officials said the state government has asked the Police to remain extra vigilant during visits of ministers to the districts. Oman today said it regretted the "unacceptable" attacks on Saudi missions in Iran but did not announce any measures against the Islamic republic, after some Gulf nations downgraded diplomatic ties. The Omani reaction comes four days after protesters torched Riyadh's embassy and its consulate in Iran over Saudi Arabia's execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent Shiite cleric accused of fomenting sedition in the Sunni-ruled kingdom. The sultanate "expressed its deep regret" over the attacks, which it described as "unacceptable" in a foreign ministry statement published by the official ONA agency. Oman stressed the "need to find new rules that prohibit any form of interference in the internal affairs of other countries." The sultanate is known for its historically strong ties with Iran but is also a member of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), led by regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia. Media reports in Tehran said Oman's foreign minister was expected in the Iranian capital today. The assaults on its missions prompted Riyadh on Sunday to break off diplomatic ties with Iran and order its diplomats to leave the kingdom. Saudi allies Bahrain and Sudan have followed suit and the United Arab Emirates downgraded its ties with Tehran. Kuwait yesterday recalled its ambassador from Iran to protest attacks while also summoning Tehran's ambassador to express its disapproval of them. Qatar, another GCC member, also "strongly condemned" the attacks, but like Oman it did not take any measures. A 26-year-old man sustained bullet injury after two robbers opened fired at a family and decamped with a mangalsutra and Rs 30,000 in cash from a house here, police said today. Two persons made their way into a bungalow on Lilapore-Bhadeli highway on the outskirts of city late last night after jumping the compound wall and entered from unlocked back side door, Sub-inspector of Valsad Rural, V A Dabhi said. The robbers indiscriminately fired at least five rounds on house owner Mohan Tandel and his family members, who tried to resist the loot, he said. Vijay, Mohan's son who is into shrimp business, was hit on his leg during firing by the robbers who then took Rs 30,000 in cash and a mangalsutra before fleeing from the spot, Dabhi said The injured is now being treated in hospital, he said. An FIR has been lodged on the basis of a complaint filed by Tandel, the Sub-inspector said, "We have formed five teams to nab the culprits. In a tit-for-tat, Pakistan has expelled a Bangladeshi woman diplomat and asked her to leave the country by tomorrow, days after a Pakistani female diplomat was sent packing over accusations of having links with the JMB militant group. Pakistan's Foreign Office has issued an order for the expulsion of Bangladeshi diplomat Moushumi Rahman, Samaa TV reported. Islamabad's move came apparently in a retaliation to the expulsion of a Pakistani diplomat from Dhaka in December. Rahman, a Counsellor and Head of Chancery in Islamabad, has been given till tomorrow to leave Pakistan. A Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry official preferring anonymity told PTI in Dhaka that Pakistan yesterday summoned Bangladesh's High Commissioner in Islamabad Sohrab Hossain. "Moushumi Rahman accompanied our high commissioner at the Pakistan's Foreign Ministry where a senior officer of theirs verbally asked (Hossain) to send Moushumi back to Dhaka by Thursday, citing no reason," the official said. Bangladesh today deplored the Pakistani counter-action, calling it a "face-saving" move and asked Islamabad to provide reasons for the expulsion. "This appears to be a face-saving move on the part of Pakistan as it was forced to recall a diplomat of theirs from Dhaka," State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam said. "Such a move is not conducive for friendly ties between the two countries," he told reporters. "They could not explain why (Rahman) has to be recalled." However, Samaa TV reported that the Bangladeshi woman diplomat was expelled for "violation of diplomatic norms." Bangladesh and Pakistan have been embroiled in diplomatic spat over the trial of 1971 war crimes and Islamabad's withdrawal of the "terror-linked" diplomat from Dhaka. The Pakistani move appears a tit-for-tat after one of its diplomats, Fareena Arshad, was withdrawn on December 23 following accusations of terror financing, nearly 12 months after Dhaka expelled another diplomat on identical charges. Alam said: "We will show no impunity if anyone takes his or her diplomatic immunity to get engaged in any activity to create a law and order situation in our country or try to affect Bangladesh's image." According to reports, Dhaka had asked Pakistan to withdraw Arshad after a detained operative of outlawed Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) revealed that the outfit maintained links with her for financing. The Pakistani High Commission had debunked the allegation as "baseless" and said the police claims were "imaginary." Last month, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry voiced "deep concern and anguish" over the executions of war criminals. Officially, three million people were killed during the nine-month long Liberation War against Pakistan. Several Bangladeshi ministers have blasted Pakistan for allegedly promoting militancy. Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan has said that the "Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka has become a den of militants. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today said that Pakistan was examining the possibility of having a currency swap agreement with Sri Lanka, almost an year after India announced a similar deal with the island nation. Sharif, who is on a three-day visit to Sri Lanka, said the two countries were working towards expanding bilateral trade to USD 1 billion from the present USD 325 million. "The understandings we have reached today should bring new vigour and vitality to our relations," he said at the launch of a trade show organised by Pakistan here. Sri Lanka and Pakistan have also agreed to broaden their free trade deal to include investments and services sectors, while forming a joint stock company. "We are also examining the possibility of setting up a joint investment company and having a currency-swap with Sri Lanka," Sharif said. "We have agreed to include investments and services sectors in our bilateral free trade agreement," Sharif said today. "This marks a significant step in our relationship and should help expand our bilateral trade to new heights and create more jobs for the younger generation." He said over 100 Pakistani firms, including those involved in automobiles, food and beverages and pharmaceuticals, will take part in a trade exhibition between January 15 and 17. His remarks came about an year after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in March agreed for a USD 1.5 billion currency swap agreement with the Sri Lankan Central Bank to help the island nation keep its currency stable. In July, the RBI said the special pact will allow Colombo to draw up to USD 1.1 billion for up to six months. Despite attempts by the Central Bank, the Lankan rupee has been under pressure for quite some time. Islamabad and Colombo grew closer during Lanka's civil war by supplying arms to fight Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, who sought an independent state for the ethnic minority. Yesterday, the two nations signed eight agreements to boost cooperation in areas like trade promotion, and science and technology besides combating money laundering and terror financing. His trip comes eight months after Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena's visit to Pakistan in April last year. Scaling up the offensive against the government over Pathankot terror attack, Congress today asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fix responsiblity for the "grave security lapse" and suggested that some heads must roll. "They should realize that it has gone wrong and resignations should happen. If there is a lapse, resignations should happen," former Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde told reporters at the AICC briefing when repeatedly asked whether Congress is demanding resignation of Home Minister Rajnath Singh or Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar into the matter. "This government has totally failed. It has no system in place to protect the nation," he added. AICC Communication Department chairman Randeep Surjewala also said that the Prime Minister should fix the responsibility and take action against the Home and Defence Ministers. "First responsibility is of the Prime Minister as he is the head of the government. Then Defence Minister and Home Minister are also responsible as they deal with the matter. The Prime Minister should act decisively and not merely talk. "The Prime Minister should fix responsibility for this negligence and he reaches to the same conclusion that the nation has arrived at that there has been a huge lapse in the nation's security, he should then take action against the Defence Minister and the Home Minister," Surjewala said. The party asked will the Prime Minister and the BJP government explain as to who is responsible for "grave security lapse" as terrorists managed to reach Pathankot Air Base despite advance intelligence alert and reporting of prior incident. Accusing the government of having "totally failed" on the security front, the Congress leaders played out video clips of Modi favouring a tough approach to deal with Pakistan and slamming UPA government's handling of Pakistan affairs before the Lok Sabha polls. Wondering why the NDA goverment is "soft on Pakistan" over the Pathankot attack, the Congress leaders asked why the BJP government led by Modi was "shying away" from calling the Pathankot Air Base attackers as "Pakistani terrorists", more so when they were loaded with fire arms, explosives, clothes, shoes and logistic support from Pakistan with "handlers located in Pakistan" as reflected by telephone transcripts. Surjewala and Shinde also wondered why the Modi government has not lodged a formal protest till date with Pakistan government, summoned their High Commissioner and taken a decision to place the matter before international fora, so as to "expose and isolate Pakistan" as a state that is "abetting and permitting its soil to be used for anti-India terror activities". Taking a swipe at the Prime Minister, Shinde said Modi used to say that UPA ministers were serving Biryani to Pakistani leaders but what is happening now. "He (Modi) himself went to meet Nawaz Sharif and after that Pathankot happened," Shinde said. Shinde said if this government continued like this, "then it looks like we may lose our country to terrorists." He referred to the strong remarks of Modi after the Mumbai terror strikes. "In the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Modi bitterly criticized Congress-led UPA by mocking us saying stop writing love letters to Pakistan and give Pakistan an answer in the language it understands. In fact Modi held a press conference in Mumbai amidst the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack and criticized the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "One of the principal electoral rhetoric of Modi always was that there has been enough of attacks on the border and it is time for Modi government now (bahut hua seema par waar; Abki baar Modi sarkaar). We have seen Modi ji's view on 26/11 attacks. We have seen what were his demands at that time. We hope that he introspects about what he had said in Mumbai," he said. Shinde said there has been a "rise" in the incidents of terror attacks since the NDA came to power. "Four major attacks have happened during NDA between 1999 and 2004. During NDA-I, there were hijackings, attacks on Red Fort, J and K Assembly and Parliament. Whenever BJP comes to power, terrorism increases. "In 1999, IC 184 hijack happened.The then foreign minister accompanied the terrorists to Kandahar and released them. Since 1999, there is a belief that India has no strength. Terrorists think they can do anything and they will be released," Shinde said. Alleging that timely action was not taken in the Pathankot attack, Shinde said that till coordination is not in place, such attacks cannot be handled. "Pathankot is a sensitive area. When you received intelligence, you should have shut down all movements from airbase," he said. "We can be friends with Pakistan, but we will not tolerate any terrorist attacks. What did Modi ji discuss in Pakistan? We are in dark about what they discussed. "Why did it take Pakistani PM Shri Nawaz Sharif five days to call Indian Prime Minister despite overwhelming evidence about citizenship identity, origin and handling of Pathankot Air Base attackers from Pakistan?" he asked. The former Home Minister also rued that the BJP had raked up his "Hindu terror" remark in Parliament and said that there was a rise in terror incidents after that and wondered if that was the case why a number of terror incidents happened during the earlier rule of NDA. Condemning the terrorist attacks on the IAF base in Pathankot and the Indian Consulate in Afghanistan's Mazar-e-Sharif city, top American lawmakers have said that these deplorable acts of terrorism threaten regional peace and stability. The lawmakers called for bringing to justice the perpetrators of these terrorist acts and favoured strengthening of India-US ties. "These deplorable acts of terror threaten to undermine peace and stability in the region. Those responsible need to be brought to justice immediately," Congressmen Ami Bera and George Holding said in a joint statement. Co-Chairs of the Caucus on India and Indian-Americans, Bera and Holding condemned the Pathankot terrorist attack and Indian Consulate in Mazar-e- Sharif, Afghanistan. "As Co-Chairmen of the House India Caucus, we offer support to the people and government of India and vow to stand together as the US and India address the shared challenge of combating region and global terrorism," their statement said. "Terrorist attack on Indian Air Force base is another reason US and India must work together to fight extremism," said Congressman Ed Royce, Chairman of the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee. "We stand with India in its fight against terrorism. Yet another example of the importance of our counter terrorism partnership," Ranking Member of House Foreign Affairs Committee Eliot Engel said, adding that it is critical that those responsible for this attack are brought to justice. Congressman Pete Sessions, Chairman of the House Rules Committee in a statement condemned the terrorist attacks. "These deplorable acts threaten to undermine peace and the US stands ready to work with our Indian ally to combat terrorism in the region and across the world," Sessions said. Congresswoman Grace Meng, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and its Subcommittee on Asia, condemned the terrorist attacks. "Although those who took part in these assaults were reportedly killed, I hope others who may be involved in these cowardly acts are caught and swiftly brought to justice. Such attacks undermine efforts to bring peace and stability to the region and should also be denounced by the world community. "The US stands shoulder-to-shoulder with our friend and ally India, and I call on US officials to provide India with whatever assistance it may require," Meng said. "My thoughts are with victims, families, others affected by Panthankot attacks; the US continues to stand with India in fight against terrorism," tweeted Congressman Steny Hoyer, House Democratic Whip. The Pathankot terror attack began on Saturday with six terrorists sneaking into the Air Base, leading to an encounter in which seven security-men and six terrorists were killed. An intense 25-hour gun-battle between security forces and terrorists outside the Indian Consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif came to end on Monday with the killing of all the attackers who attempted to storm the Mission building. Braving firing and intermittent shooting of mortars by terrorists, Security Guard (NSG) aided by Garuds and the Army conducted a chain of surgical 'step-by-step' operations to eliminate the six militants and ensured they were contained within a 250-meter radius. An officer privy to the operation said it was a difficult task as on the one hand they had to secure families, air assets, buildings and on the other, they had to contain terrorists in a specific area and neutralise them. In the "well coordinated operation" troops managed to secure all air assets and 3000 families housed inthe over 1900-acre air base. "The NSG aided by the Garuds, special forces of IAF, Army conducted step-by-step surgical operational at specific places with some firepower of army to conclude the engagement with terrorists in over 38 hours in the 5-day long operation", a senior officer said. Although seven persons lost their lives, it is being considered as a coordinated operation and real time one based with air support of attack helicopters, Dhruvs, and ground support of troops armed with infantry combat vehicles and tanks. "We feel that this is the most well coordinated operation with NSG, Army, DSC, Garuds and police working in tandem to eliminate militants and secure all assets inside", the officer said. ALSO READ: Unanswered questions behind the Pathankot terror attack About 300 'black cat' commandos of NSG, the elite counter-terror force, deployed an assortment of most sophisticated assault weaponsand "buster" ammunition tools to neutralise the terrorists who had sneaked into the Air Force base in the border town of Pathankot. In one of the longest running counter-terror operations in the country, the NSG lost its bomb squad commanding officer Lt Col E K Niranjan. The Kerala cabinet today refused permission to controversial IPS officer Jacob Thomas to file a defamation case against Chief Minister Oommen Chandy over certain remarks made by him. Briefing reporters here on the decisions taken at the cabinet meeting, Chandy said though he was in favour of giving sanction to the officer to file the defamation case, his cabinet colleagues opposed it. Permission was refused as per the cabinet decision, he added. Earlier, Chandy had stated that "sanction would be given at that moment itself when permission is sought." DGP Jacob Thomas, now Managing Director of Kerala Police Housing and Construction Corporation, has written to the Chief Secretary seeking sanction to file a defamation case against the Chief Minister for making remarks allegedly causing embarrassment to him (Thomas). Thomas' move came in the wake of criticism by Chandy of the officer's refusal to grant no objection certificates to at least 70 builders for not having safety standards when he was the Director of Kerala Fire and Rescue Services. Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson had forwarded Thomas' letter to the Chief Minister for taking a final decision. Thomas, who has had sore relations with the government, was earlier with the Vigilance. He was shifted to the Fire and Rescue department after he reportedly took a strong stand in the vigilance case against Kerala Congress-M leader K M Mani who was forced to resign as Finance minister in the bar bribery case. (REOPENS DEL36) Dwivedi has been credited with successfully implementing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's several key projects, including TVoA (tourist visa on arrival) and enabled by Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), popularly known as e-tourist visa scheme that led to 293 per cent jump in foreign tourist arrivals in India. He oversaw the Modi government's another pet project of offering long term visa and citizenship to Hindu, Sikh and other minorities of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, who have taken refuge in India after facing religious persecution in their home counties. Dwivedi was also instrumental in completely overhauling the registration process of NGOs under the Foreign Contribution Regulations Act and making it completely online and transparent. A petrol bomb was hurled at the house of an AIADMK worker here today by some unidentified persons. Though no casualty was reported in the incident, a scooter parked there was completely gutted. Morning walkers and other passers by noticed the vehicle in flames around 5.30 AM and immediately alerted Kumar, the AIADMK worker, who is also actively associated with "Amma Peravai", a party forum named after Jayalalithaa. Police, who rushed to the spot, found a broken bottle and a fuse wire near the vehicle. Meanwhile, a petrol filled bottle with fuse wire was also found near a car belonging to Kumar in the premises. Police said Kumar has named some persons, whom he suspected as the miscreants. Police today claimed to have cracked the murder mystery of a Hizbul Mujahideen militant by arresting three persons including a colleague of the deceased from Baramulla district. "Police has solved the murder mystery of a Hizb militant after arresting three people including another Hizb militant last evening," a police spokesman said today. Bullet-ridden body of Fayaz Ahmad Bhat alias Showkat, an active militant of Hizbul Mujahideen, was found in an orchard of village Devbug in Kunzer area of Baramulla district on September 19 last year, he said. During the investigation, it surfaced that Fayaz was killed by his own associates who were operating with him in Pattan-Kreeri-Kunzer belt of the district, the spokesman said. The probe showed that a recycled ex-militant Tariq Ahmad War alias Javaid, in order to eliminate Fayaz, had hatched a criminal conspiracy along with other militants of Hizb -- Bilal Ahmad Bhat, Nisar Ahmad Wani and Ishfaq Ahmad Lone, the spokesman said. "This group of militants had developed some acrimony towards Fayaz, accusing him of misappropriation of funds and suspecting him of planning his surrender before police and security forces," the spokesman added. This group of militants met Fayaz in village Devbug in an orchard and had heated arguments, he said, adding Fayaz was killed by a volley of bullets later in the night nearly two kilometres from the spot where they had met. In the incident, Wani, who was later killed in an encounter with security forces on October 21, also sustained gunshot wounds in the retaliatory gun fire by Fayaz, he said. "Body of Fayaz was carried in the load carrier driven by Sajad Ahmad and dumped at the spot where group had met in the orchards of village Devbug," he said. The vehicle used for transporting the deceased has been seized by police and Tariq Ahmad War, Sajad Ahmad Sheikh and Irfan Ganaie have been arrested in the instant case, the spokesman said. However, militants Bilal Ahmad Bhat and Ishfaq Ahmad Wani are still at large and efforts are on to arrest them, he added. An 8-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her neighbour in Hussaini Alam area, police said. The police have formed three teams to nab the accused Siraz, who is on the run. Four days ago, Siraz allegedly lured the girl to his house by offering her money and sexually assaulted her, inspector A Balaji said. The girl's mother lodged a complaint today. Police have registered a case under the IPC and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Campaigning for the upcoming Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections has kicked off even before the notification for the polls is issued as top leaders of various political parties are criss-crossing the city. TRS, led by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, has taken a lead over its rivals with hoardings highlighting the state government's schemes and programmes being installed across the city. Telangana IT and Panchayat Raj Minister K T Rama Rao, son of K Chandrasekhar Rao, and other ministers have been undertaking visits to residential localities in the city for different development programmes. The elections are expected to be held in coming weeks this month though a formal schedule is yet to be out. Though TRS has established a firm hold on Telangana politics, it has not been known to be a major force in Hyderabad which has a population of about 60 lakhs. TRS did not contest the last GHMC polls in 2009. The IT and Panchayat Raj Minister also sought to reach out to the natives of Seemandhra region in Hyderabad amid allegations by the opposition that the TRS insulted and intimidated them in the past. Saying that harsh comments have been made by the both sides during the separate statehood agitation, Rama Rao has observed that no unwanted incidents have taken place since the formation of Telangana. The GHMC elections assumes significance in view of the nature and size of the city. There are 24 Assembly segments falling under the GHMC limits. There have been allegations that the number of voters exceeded the population in the city and the final electoral rolls are yet to be announced. The TDP-BJP alliance, which had won 15 assembly seats in the last Assembly elections, is keen on repeating its good show in the polls. For TDP, though some of its MLAs have since shifted loyalty to the ruling TRS, the Chandrababu Naidu-led party is determined to prove that it is still a major force to reckon with in Hyderabad. Union Transport and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari addressed a public meeting here in favour of the BJP-TDP alliance earlier this week, while another Central minister Hansraj Ahir took part in canvassing today. "TRS leaders are doing a 'puja' of Nizam and put up his photos and we are seeking votes by having the photos of Sardar Patel. If TRS is working with such people (MIM) who talked about merging with Pakistan during the Nizam period, we have to seek votes in the name of patriotism," Ahir said while addressing an event here. The TDP-BJP leaders are reportedly mulling the idea of requesting top Telugu hero and Janasena Party founder Pavan Kalyan to campaign for the alliance, as his campaign during 2014 elections had helped the combine in a big way. Noting that Hyderabad emerged as IT destination due to the efforts of Chandrababu Naidu, the party is seeking votes to develop the city. Meanwhile, the Congress asserts that substantial progress was achieved in Hyderabad during its rule of ten years. The party would unveil an election manifesto for the city. Assaduddin Owaisi-led Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), the dominant force in the old city of Hyderabad, too put up huge hoardings, contending that it voiced the problems of minorities and the weaker sections. (Reopens BES13) TRS secured 43.85 per cent of votes, followed by MIM (15.85 per cent), TDP (13.11 per cent), INC (10.40 per cent) and BJP (10.34 per cent), according to official data. Meanwhile, Telangana BJP President and MLA G Kishan Reddy told reporters that his party accepts the people's verdict in GHMC elections with humility. Hoping that the ruling TRS would fulfill all the promises it made to people of the city, he said the BJP would continue to work for people's welfare. The sessions court here today allowed the Mumbai police's plea to examine David Coleman Headley, the Pakistani-American Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist, as a witness in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case. "The court allowed our plea to examine Headley as a witness on February 8 between 5 to 9 pm and on February 9 between 7 to 9 am," said special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam. He will be examined through video link. The court had, on December 10, made Headley an approver, granting him pardon. Headley, currently serving a 35-year prison sentence in the US for his role in the Mumbai terror attack of 2008, had told the special judge G A Sanap (as he appeared from an undisclosed location in the US via video link), that he was ready to depose if given pardon. LeT operative Abu Jundal is now on trial in the 26/11 case. Qatar says it has arrested a man trying to smuggle USD 1.2 million worth of diamonds and pearls into the country. The state-run Qatar Agency, quoting customs officials, reported that the bust happened yesterday at Hamad International Airport in the Qatari capital, Doha. The agency said customs officers found seven diamond rings, three pearl necklaces and 43 pearls on the man when they pulled him aside for an inspection. The report said officials had their suspicions aroused when the man had wanted to bring one suitcase into the country with him while leaving another behind for further travel. The report says the man, who was not identified, has been referred to authorities for possible criminal charges. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to visit West Bengal's Malda district, which has recently witnessed witnessed violence that led to communal tension in the area, later this month. The announcement of proposed visit assumes significance as Union Home Ministry has already sought a report from Mamata Banerjee-led state government on the Malda violence. "The Home Ministry has sought the report from the state government. They should submit it as early as possible," a senior official said. Besides, the Union Home Minister may visit the area on January 18. The assurance was given by Singh to 'Nirbhoy Didi', a known social worker from the state, in a meeting held here. Nirbhoy Didi has called on Singh today and requested him to visit the area. She has also cited some other instances of violence in the state, he said. A mob protesting against the alleged blasphemous comments by a right wing leader had recently resorted to violence in Malda district during which Kaliachak police station was reportedly attacked, the official said. There are reports that some people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the incident. Besides, there have been unconfirmed reports of gun fire in the area, the official said. "The report from West Bengal government will give the exact details of the reason of the violence and the present status there," he said. BJP leader Subramanian Swamy today claimed that work on the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya would start before this year-end and an action plan for that would be unveiled at a conference here on January 9. He, however, made it clear that the temple would not come up through a movement but only after the court verdict, which he hoped would come by August-September and with the mutual consent of Muslim and Hindu communities. "We expect the construction work on the Ram temple at Ayodhya to start within the next two-three months and certainly before the end of this year. We will wait for a court verdict and the temple would not come up through any 'andolan' (movement)," he told reporters at the VHP office here. Asked if the decision was linked to the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections in early 2017, he said, "Rama should not be linked with elections. Rama is a matter of faith for Hindus and construction of the temple at Ayodhya is a commitment of every Hindu."He said if the issue comes up later, it will then be linked to the next Lok Sabha polls. Swamy claimed that efforts are being made at resolving the issue amicably between Hindus and Muslims so that the temple and the masjid come up on both sides of the Saryu river in Ayodhya. The issue will be discussed at the 2-day conference in Delhi University on "Shree Ram Janambhoomi temple -The emerging scenario" which would see the coming together of 300 scholars, academics and archaeologists who would discuss legal and other aspects of the Ram Temple. Among the speakers at the conference include legal experts, archaeologists and experts, besides historians and Swamy himself. It will be organised under the aegis of 'Arundhati Vashisht Anusandhan Peeth'. "An action plan will be presented at the conference and government urged to move the court and become a party in the case," he said, adding, "If government supports us, we will start the construction work on the temple within two-three months". Talking about the case, he said, "it is in such a stage that the verdict is likely to come out by August or September this year." Swamy when asked about the controversy over the conference at Delhi varsity campus, said it is not a Delhi University sponsored event but an event for which a hall has been rented out and the same is being held on a weekend. He also rubbished charges by Congress and Left that it was aimed at vitiating the campus atmosphere among students there. "We will hold consultations with the Muslim community and help try to resolve the issue amicably," he said, adding that the the Narasimha Rao government had in 1994 told the constitution bench of Supreme court that it will allow a temple to be rebuilt if it is proved that the site belongs to a temple. The conference will discuss the history, archaeological evidence and the legal issues relating to the Ayodhya temple. Government and rebel bombardment killed at least 20 civilians and wounded dozens in the Syrian capital and a nearby opposition bastion today, state media and a monitoring group said. Mortar rounds fired from the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta region onto residential areas of Damascus left eight civilians dead and 23 wounded, the official SANA agency reported. The attack came after the regime fired rockets onto the Eastern Ghouta town of Douma earlier in the day, killing five civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitor. Eastern Ghouta, which is largely controlled by the Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) rebel group, is regularly bombarded by government forces. Seven other civilians, including a child, were later killed in government air strikes on the nearby towns of Hazzeh and Zamalka, the Observatory said. The monitor also gave the same toll as state media for the attack on Damascus and said some of the wounded there were in critical condition. More than 260,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict erupted in 2011 with protests against President Bashar al-Assad's government. A robotic telescope built jointly by China and Thailand to search special celestial bodies has been operationalised at an observation station in southwest China, the state-media reported today. The 70-cm telescope, which was installed at Yunnan Observatory in Lijiang city in Yunnan Province, was completed last December, said Qian Shengbang, a research fellow with the observatory. At low latitudes, Lijiang enjoys high atmospheric transparency. "(This means) the telescope can help us conduct long-term monitoring of the southern sky to see the movements and evolution, and search for special celestial bodies such as black holes or brown dwarfs," he said. The telescope has been tested and the data acquired will be used to inform time-series photometry, Qian said. Yunnan Observatory has collaborated with Thailand for more than two decades, state-run Xinhua agency reported. A robotic telescope is an astronomical telescope and detector system that makes observations without the human intervention. RPP Infra Projects, engaged in infrastructure development, has bagged new order from Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation, worth Rs 305 million for the construction of residential quarters. The order comprises of construction of 212 units of quarters for police personnel in Dharwad district in Karnataka under the Police Gruha 2020 scheme, RPP Infra said in a BSE filing. "India envisages a big growth for infrastructure in coming days and the company is poised to garner a sizable growth by winning orders currently", RPP Infra Projects Chairman and MD, Arul Sundaram said. ****** CREDAI starts skill development training for workers * Real estate developers' body CREDAI today said it has initiated skill development training for construction workers to bridge the gap of trained manpower. "Construction industry contributes the largest to India's GDP. Yet, this industry faces a grave challenge of unskilled workforce. While this sector continues to grow at a rapid pace, it continues to be devoid of skilled manpower," Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Association of India's (CREDAI) Chairman of committee for skill development Jitendra Thakker said. ****** Kotak Life Insurance launches 'Kotak Premier Life Plan' * Kotak Mahindra Old Mutual Life Insurance Limited (Kotak Life Insurance) today launched 'Premier Life Plan', a limited premium payment, which will offer discounts on premium for higher sum on maturity. The plan aims to add value to lives of customers by providing Protection And Long Term Savings (PALTs), the private insurer said in a release issued here. This plan provides customers the option to save and protect up to 99 years. RBI asks IT assesses in National capital to pay advance dues * Reserve Bank has asked income tax assessees in the National Capital to pay their dues in advance to avoid last minute rush. RBI said there is a rush for remitting income tax dues at the Reserve Bank and other bank authorised to collect income tax towards the end of March/June/September/December is heavy. It become difficult for the RBI to cope up with the pressure of receipts although additional counters to the maximum extent possible are provided for the purpose, it added. "Consequently, the public is required to wait in queues in the RBI for long periods. To obviate the inconvenience involved, assessees in the city are advised in their own interest to avoid last minute rush by remitting their income tax dues sufficiently in advance of the due date," it said. RBI said the assessees can also make online payment of their dues. * * * * * * XL Catlin names Lauren Pollock as VP, Emerging Markets * Global insurance and reinsurance firm XL Catlin today said it has appointed Lauren Tennant Pollock as Vice President, Emerging Markets including India. She will be based in New York. "As we continue to play a critical role in expanding our global reach through disaster risk financing and micro insurance, we believe that Lauren has exactly the right experience and expertise to ensure we are out in front and driving the industry forward," Brendan Plessis, XL Catlin's Head of Emerging Markets said in a statement. * * * * * LeEco touches 4,600-mark * Chinese tech firm LeEco, which had launched its SuperTV panel last month, today achieved a record sale of 4,600 units, after the conclusion of the second flash sale. LeEco today achieved an industry record by garnering a sales order of 4,600, which is 20 times higher than the industry-per-day average sales in the 55 inch and above segment, the company said in a statement. "This record was achieved after the conclusion of the second flash sale that saw LeEco SuperTVs being swept off the shelves within 3 minutes of the start of second flash sale," LeEco said, adding that the two flash sales of Super3 X55 have been immensely successful and witnessed tremendous user response, it added. Muthoot Finance join hands with TechProcess for digital EMIs * Muthoot Finance and TechProcess Payments Services have joined hands to facilitate customers repay their loan EMIs digitally. Under the alliance, customers of Muthoot Finance will be able to repay EMIs over a convenient next generation digital platform powered by TechProcess, Muthoot Finance said in a release. TechProcess' Next Gen Digital Payments Platform is a multi-mode payment platform which is interoperable with more than 185 payment modes including credit and debit card, net-banking e-wallets and the likes. The platform is a single integration omni-channel payment solution compatible with online and mobile channels. * * * * * * FICO, Lendoo partner for credit risk scoring * FICO, the world leader in credit scoring, today announced a new partnership with Lenddo, a specialist in credit and verification technologies. Together, the companies plan to develop a credit risk score for consumers in India who have a limited or no formal credit history, FICO said in a release. The collaboration will combine Lenddo's knowledge in the use of nontraditional data for scoring and online verification with FICO's established strength in credit scores that are predictive, transparent and fair, the release said. The Centre today approved grant of about Rs 2,550 crore to drought-affected states of Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. The decision was taken during a meeting of a High Level Committee chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh here. The Committee examined the proposals based on the report of the central team which visited the affected states by severe drought. The HLC approved the assistance of Rs 2,553.29 crore from the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF). Andhra Pradesh to get Rs 433.77 crore, Rs 815 crore for Odisha and Rs 1304.52 crore for Uttar Pradesh, a press release issued by Home Ministry said. "The HLC has deferred the decision in case of Telangana to the next week," it said. Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley, Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Radha Mohan Singh, Vice-Chairman NITI Aayog Arvind Panagariya, Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and senior officers of Home, Finance and Agriculture ministries attended the meeting. Five bike-borne assailants allegedly looted Rs five lakh at gunpoint from two persons who were returning after withdrawing the money from a bank here, police said today. The incident took place yesterday near Hatsari degree college at Aliganj Kotwali when Ramesh Chandra, an army man, and his nephew were going back to their village after withdrawing the money from Aliganj branch of SBI, they said. According to the FIR, the bikers, who were following them from the bank, waylaid Chandra and his nephew and looted them after firing several rounds, police said. Policehas registered a case against unidentified persons but no arrests have been made so far. Union Minister of Rural Development Birender Singh has sought an "additional fund of Rs 5,000 cr" from the Finance Ministry for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREGA) scheme. According to a "letter", a copy of which was obtained by a group of activists, where Singh has "sought" from Finance Minister Arun Jaitley the extra fund, was today distributed to reporters at a press conference here. "Since MGNREGA is a demand-driven wage employment programme and funds are required to be released to the states on demand being raised at field level, I request you to provide Rs 5,000 cr over and above the budget provision of Rs 34,699," Singh said in the correspondence. According to the letter, dated December 30, 2015, Singh had also "informed" that a sum of Rs 33,448 crore has already been disbursed to states/Union Territories (UTs). Of these, states/UTs have already spent Rs 31,830 crore, the activists claimed. RTI activist Nikhil Dey, of Suchna Evum Rozgar Adhikar Abhiyan, social activist Aruna Roy and economist Jayati Ghosh were among the activists who held the press meet today. Citing the letter they alleged that there was a "shortfall of Rs 5,000 cr" under the MGNREGA scheme in this fiscal" and asked the Centre to pump that additional Rs 5,000 cr to it. Expressing concern over the alleged shortfall of funds, the members further claimed that 12 states including some BJP-ruled like Chhattisgarh and Haryana have already reported "negative" balance and are not in a position to accept applications for more works under the programme. According to the MGNREGA, it aims guaranteeing 100 days of wage-employment in a financial year to a rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. "95 per cent money has already been spent, so there is no money. Twelve states including those led by BJP have negative balance. Today, there is point where we can not even pay Rs 100 crore to any state. That is the crisis point where we stand at. "Rs 5,000 crore is only a breather, not sufficient. It will only ensure the programme is not going to collapse at least," Dey claimed. Ghosh said even if the government is able to generate work during remaining period of the fiscal, it is "unlikely" to come "anywhere close" to levels of works generated in 2010-11 or 2011-12. "Now, this is the context in which we need to understand the current squeeze. Any increase people are giving you is an increase that is based on last year," she claimed. Roy said the "actual problems" will surface now after January when the "pinch of drought" will be experienced in parts of the country in the backdrop of "shortage" of funds. Russia today slammed the claimed testing of a hydrogen bomb by North Korea as a clear breach of international law that could enflame tensions across the region. "If this test is confirmed then it will be a new step by Pyongyang on the path of developing nuclear weapons, which is a flagrant violation of international law and existing UN Security Council resolutions," Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement. "Such actions are fraught with the possibility of aggravating the situation on the Korean peninsula, which already has a very high potential for military and political confrontation," it said. Moscow called on all sides to "show maximum restraint and to refrain from any actions that could lead to an uncontrolled increase in tensions". The foreign ministry reiterated Moscow's commitment to diplomatic talks on resolving tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions and urged a "start soon to a dialogue" aimed at ensuring peace and stability in the region. A spokesman for President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was "extremely concerned" by the claims of a hydrogen bomb test by North Korea -- which borders Russia -- and that the Kremlin strongman had told scientists to look into it. "President Vladimir Putin has ordered all data from monitoring stations, including seismological stations, to be studied thoroughly and to analyse the situation if a test is confirmed," spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian agencies. Earlier today, North Korea said it had carried out a "successful" miniaturised hydrogen bomb test in a shock announcement that triggered swift international condemnation but also scepticism. The claimed test, which came just two days before Kim Jong-Un's birthday, was initially detected as a 5.1-magnitude tremor at the North's main Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the northeast of the country. Posh Sainik Farms in South Delhi is not entitled to be regularised as per the existing policy, the city government today told Delhi High Court which refused to allow any repairs or painting of houses in the area. The Department of Urban Development made the submission in an affidavit before a bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva, which rejected pleas to allow residents of the area to carry out any repairs or painting of their houses in the area. The government said that one of the clauses of the regularisation policy stipulated that it "does not relate to unauthorised colonies or habitations inhabited by affluent sections on public and private land". It has told the court that it had in November 2015 forwarded a proposal to the Union Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) to delete this provision and the Centre was yet to take a decision on it. "It is submitted that as per the extant policy, the said colony is not entitled to be regularised," the Delhi government said in its affidavit. Central government standing counsel Anurag Ahluwalia, appearing for MoUD, told the court that the proposal has been received and was under active consideration and said it would take around 6-8 weeks to arrive at a decision. He also told the court that allowing residents of the area to make repairs or paint their houses would bring everything back to square one. The bench, thereafter, directed the ministry to take a decision within six weeks and listed the matter for further hearing on March 2. Under the proposed amendments to its regularisation policy, the Delhi government has done away with the categorisation of affluent colonies and said the affluent residents would be identified by their plot size. The draft proposal was formulated on directions of the high court to make a policy for regularisation of unauthorised colonies in the national capital, including affluent ones like Sainik Farms. The court was hearing a PIL filed by an NGO alleging illegal construction in Sainik Farms. The NGO, in its plea, has contended that over 500 fresh illegal constructions of huge structures have come up in the area and thousands of tonnes of building material were being taken there despite the court's 2007 order prohibiting the same. Saudi Arabia "must stop" its prolonged attempts to frustrate Iran's efforts to reduce tensions in the Middle East and beyond, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said today. "For the past two-and-a-half years, Saudi Arabia has opposed Iran's diplomacy," Zarif said at a joint press conference in Tehran with visiting Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari. "Saudi Arabia has moved against our efforts and they opposed the nuclear agreement, in line with the Zionist regime," Zarif said, referring to Israel, and Iran's deal last year with world powers over its atomic programme. "This trend of creating tension must stop," Zarif said of Saudi Arabia, which cut diplomatic ties with Iran on Sunday following an arson attack at the kingdom's Tehran embassy the day before. That incident followed anger in Iran, Iraq and other countries after Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shiite cleric, Nimr al-Nimr, on Saturday. "We have never sought to create tension. We have always adopted a policy of interaction and dialogue," Zarif said, reiterating that the Iranian government had condemned Saturday's embassy attack as "not at all justified". "All Iranian officials condemn it," he added. The nuclear deal struck last July between Iran and five other world powers was seen as a diplomatic triumph by its authors but it was vehemently opposed by Israel. Saudi Arabia was also critical of the accord. As the region's dominant Sunni and Shiite Muslim powers, Saudi Arabia and Iran have a difficult history and Riyadh fears that the nuclear agreement will empower Tehran. Shiite-majority Iraq's government has close ties with Tehran. The ISNA agency reported that Jaafari was making efforts to "advance dialogue and have a diplomatic role in preventing efforts to create discord", so that the region could "pass its current challenge". The visit came after the crisis between Saudi Arabia and Iran widened yesterday when Kuwait recalled its ambassador to Tehran and Bahrain severed air links with the Islamic republic. Yemeni security officials say the Saudi-led coalition has intensified airstrikes on the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, targeting Shiite rebels known as Houthis. The officials said today the airstrikes targeted rebel positions in Sanaa, including those at the presidential palace and the airport. They say at least 20 Houthis have been killed in the strikes since yesterday. The officials, who are independent in the conflict that has torn Yemen apart, spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Meanwhile, tribal officials in the Houthi stronghold of Saada in northern Yemen, which borders Saudi Arabia, say rebels have been launching rockets into Saudi Arabia. They say this has stepped up since a truce ended last Saturday. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to reporters. The political battle in Arunachal Pradesh today reached the Supreme Court with Nabam Rebia, who was allegedly removed by some rebel Congress and BJP MLAs from the post of Assembly Speaker, challenging the dismissal of one of his pleas by the Gauhati High Court. A bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur agreed to hear the plea of Rebia when senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Vivek Tankha mentioned the matter for urgent hearing alleging that the Acting Chief Justice of the High Court had "erroneously rejected" his plea. Rebia was removed from the post of the Speaker by 14 rebel Congress MLAs, disqualified by the Speaker, and BJP MLAs on December 16 in an assembly session presided over by the Deputy Speaker in a Community Hall in Itanagar. The Deputy Speaker, before removing Rebia from Speaker's post, had also quashed the disqualification of the rebel Congress legislators. Later, various decisions of the Governor and the Deputy Speaker were challenged by Rebia in Gauhati High Court which passed an interim order keeping in abeyance the decisions of Governor and Deputy Speaker till February one. Rebia has now moved the apex court alleging that he had filed an interim application on the judicial side by seeking recusal of Justice B K Sharma from hearing his plea in the High Court. However, the Acting Chief Justice, on January 4, "has erroneously rejected the Petitioner's recusal application" which should have been decided by Justice B K Sharma whose recusal was sought, Rebia said. "Whether the Hon'ble Acting Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court committed an error by passing an administrative order on an application which was moved on the judicial side (as an interim application) for being listed before Justice B K Sharma? "Whether the Acting Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court committed an error by taking unto himself the Recusal Application, which ought to have been listed for hearing before Justice B K Sharma," Rebia asked in his plea. He also claimed that the plea, filed in the judicial side, was decided by the Acting Chief Justice in his "administrative" capacity. Sri Lanka today said its security forces and intelligence agencies were on full alert on the possibility of any groups having links with the ISIS making their appearance in the country. The Defence Ministry said this in response to media reports about the presence of ISIS terrorists or groups having links to the terror group in the country. "Security forces and all intelligence wings wish to give a categorical assurance that they are on full alert to the possibilities of such links or emergence of IS groups round the clock as it is the prime responsibility of the security forces and national intelligence," the ministry said in the statement. It, however, said that "the situation is in no way a cause for alarm or panic, and any information to that effect as of now cannot be divulged to the media since such intelligence is yet to be analysed, evaluated and properly established." In July, a 37-year-old Sri Lankan was reported killed in an air strike in Syria. There were no other reported cases of ISIS recruits from Sri Lanka so far. Global cues continued to batter Indian equities as the benchmark BSE Sensex slipped for a third day by 174 points to hit a three-week low of 25,406.33, bogged down by China continuing to devalue its currency and of a nuclear test in North Korea. Markets, which were trading almost flat in late afternoon deals, took a sudden plunge of more than 200 points after reports emerged that German police has sealed off Chancellor Angela Merkel's office to check a suspicious package. Authorities later lifted the security cordon in Berlin after inspecting a batch of suspicious mail. Resuming higher at 25,628.23, the Sensex touched the day's high of 25,632.57 on the back of spurt in RIL and a few other blue-chip stocks. However, the index later slipped into the negative zone and touched a low of 25,357.70 before ending at 25,406.33, a fall of 174.01 points or 0.68 per cent. This is the lowest closing since December 15, when it had closed at 25,320.44. The NSE Nifty also remained under pressure and dropped 43.65 points or 0.56 per cent to close the day at 7,741.00. "While the Chinese central bank's decision to lower Yuan's midpoint rate may have helped its equity markets recover, across the globe it added to the weakness in stocks and assets exposed to commodities and minerals," said Anand James Co Head Technical Research Desk Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services. Global sentiment, already rattled by row between Iran and Saudi Arabia as well as concerns over China's economy, took a further hit on escalating geopolitical after North Korea claimed its has tested a hydrogen bomb. Meanwhile, a monthly PMI survey showing that India's services sector activity touched a ten-month high in December driven by a significant rise in new business orders failed to cheer the market mood. From the Sensex kitty, ITC was the worst-hit, down 2.96 per cent followed by ICICI Bank at 2.59 per cent. Others losers included Tata Motors, M&M, Maruti Suzuki, Adani Ports, Asian Paints, ONGC, Hero MotoCorp, Lupin, L&T, Sun Pharma, Axix Bank and HUL. Elsewhere, key indices in Asia, like Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South korea and Taiwan moved down between 0.26 and 1.05 per cent while China moved up by 2.25 per cent. While key indices in Europe, like France, Germany and the UK's FTSE fell by 0.72-0.88 per cent. Also, brent crude dropped to an 11-year low by slumping 4.27 per cent to USD 35.63 per barrel before weekly US government data forecast. Back home, 25 scrips out of the 30-share Sensex pack ended lower. Major losers were ITC (2.96 pc), ICICI Bank (2.59 pc), Tata Motors (2.39 pc), Tata Steel (2.04 pc), M&M (1.95 pc), Maruti (1.94 pc), ONGC (1.82 pc), Adani Ports (1.78 pc), Lupin (1.60 pc), Asian Paints (1.59 pc), Hero Motocorp (1.50 pc), L&T (1.41 pc), Axis Bank (1.27 pc) and Sun Pharma (1.09 pc). However, Reliance rose by 2.67 per cent followed by Cipla 1.75 per cent, TCS 1.31 per cent, Coal India 0.44 per cent and HDFC Bank 0.33 per cent. Among BSE sectoral and industries, FMCG fell by 1.57 per cent followed by metal 1.48 per cent, auto 1.24 per cent, capital goods 1.32 per cent, industrials 1.09 per cent, telecom 1.07 per cent and realty 0.85 per cent, however energy rose 1.42 per cent followed by oil&gas 0.76 per cent, and IT 0.01 per cent. The market breadth turned negative as 1,515 ended lower, 1,404 closed higher while 112 ruled steady. The total turnover increased about Rs 4,098.78 crore from Rs 3,522.50 crore yesterday. The situation in Afghanistan remains challenging and the best way to ensure security in the war-torn country is through an Afghan-led peace process, the US has said, hours after an American troop was killed and two wounded in Helmand province bordering Pakistan. "The situation in Helmand and throughout Afghanistan remains challenging. But we are confident that the Afghan national security and defence forces are continuing to develop the capabilities and capacity to secure the country against a persistent insurgent threat," Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook told reporters yesterday. Cook said the US and Afghan governments agree that the best way to ensure lasting peace and security in Afghanistan is through an Afghan- led and Afghan-owned peace process. Yesterday, a US service member was killed and two were injured when they came under fire while conducting a train, advise and assist mission with their Afghan special operations counterparts on the ground of Marja city in Helmand Province which shares its border with Pakistan. Two HH-60 Pave Hawk Medevac helicopters were sent to provide assistance. One of those was waived off after taking fire and returned safely to its base, the second landed safely but sustained damage to its rotor blades after it apparently struck a wall. The helicopters remains on the ground, he said. "This is an ongoing situation, there is still a fight going on in the immediate surroundings. We'll provide more details as they become available. There are dangerous parts of Afghanistan where the fight is still underway, and Helmand Province is one of those places," Cook said. "The US forces that are there are doing what they can to provide support, training, advice, assistance to the Afghan forces as they take the lead in this fight, as they've continued to take the lead in this fight. "They've shown resilience Helmand Province, but this is an ongoing fight and I think the events of the last few hours in Afghanistan highlight that, highlight the risks that the Afghan forces are taking every single day, and of course, the risks that the American forces who are there assisting them are taking as well," he said. Cook said the Afghan national security forces are getting better at defending their own country. "But they're not at a point yet where they are able to operate entirely on their own, which is why US forces, NATO forces are there, assisting and providing this kind of training and assistance to the Afghans. "So we're confident, because of the support that not only the US is providing, but other countries as well, that the Afghan forces are moving in the right direction. We've seen solid progress from the Afghan forces," Cook added. A constable in Delhi Police's Special Cell died of a bullet injury when he lost balance and his AK 47 rifle accidentally went off during an operation to nab a wanted criminal in outer Delhi's Rohini area today, police said. The constable, Anand Khatri (32), was posted in the southwest cell of the police's anti-terrorist unit around three months ago. During the operation, the bullet hit his chin, said a police officer. "It was a case of accidental firing. The official was rushed to a hospital but his life could not be saved," Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Arvind Deep said. According to the police, the incident took place around 5.30 AM, when a Special Cell team went to a single-storey building in Rohini's Sector 21, following a tip-off that a wanted criminal, Ashok alias Sonu, and his associates were hiding there. Sonu (30), who is allegedly associated with southwest Delhi-based gangster Manjit Mahal and history-sheeter Ravinder Bholu, was wanted in connection with nine criminal cases - including murder, extortion and robberies - across Delhi-NCR and Delhi Police had announced an reward of Rs 20,000 on his arrest. Sonu was being tracked for around the past two months by a team led by two inspectors TIlak Chand Bisht and Rajesh under the supervision of ACP (Special Cell) Sandeep Byala. The raid to nab Sonu was conducted by a Special Cell team, with the help of local police from the Begumpur police station. Once the team reached the single-storey house in which Sonu had holed up, they realised that he was hiding at the terrace, while his associates had fled, police said. The local police was asked to surround the entire house and officials of the Special Cell team, including Khatri, climbed the terrace, said police. Sonu was nabbed from there and as the police team was in the process of bringing him down from the terrace, which had no permanent stairs, Khatri lost his balance and fell, police said. "In such operations, the guns are always cocked to ensure spontaneity. It was by the impact of the fall that the AK 47 went off and the bullet hit him," a senior police officer said. By the time the other team members heard the gun fire and looked towards Khatri, they saw him falling down from the terrace. Khatri was rushed to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, the official said. When a crime team was sent to the spot to collect evidences in connection with the case, blood stains were found in the terrace, said the official. From preliminary investigation, it seems that Khatri tripped over while he was supervising his team mates who were getting Sonu down the terrace. He fell from the terrace after receiving the bullet injury, the official said. "Anand Khatri had joined the police in the year, 2007 and had undergone commando course. He had also played a pivotal role in the recent operations due to his extra ordinary skills and valour," Special CP Arvind Deep said. Khatri's body was sent for postmortem and his family was informed, police said. Khatri played an active role in tracking down Sonu, a dreaded criminal, who had attacked a police constable while being chased in May 2015. While Sonu is being interrogated, efforts to arrest his associates - identified as Pradeep Solanki, Pradeep alias Tota and Manjeet Mahal are in progress, Deep added. Indian Coast Guard personnel today rescued four fishermen, who were stranded at Kurishidai island off Dhanushkodi coast this morning after their boat ran aground. The coastal marine police informed about the incident to the Coast Guard officials who rescued them and brought to the shore, police said. Members of Aung San Suu Kyi's victorious pro-democracy party will take their seats in parliament on February 1, Myanmar's speaker said today, beginning a new era for a nation under army rule for decades. Suu Kyi led her National League for Democracy to a big majority in landmark elections in November, crowning the struggle against almost half a century of military rule. In a statement parliamentary speaker Shwe Mann announced that "all MPs (are) to start the new parliament at 10am on Monday February 1, 2016". But the new government will take office slowly under the complex political system -- it can only be formed after current President Thein Sein steps down on March 31. The NLD-dominated legislature replaces the incumbent one of the Union Solidarity and Development Party, a quasi- civilian junta spin-off that has ruled the country since the end of outright military rule in 2011. First on the MPs' to-do list is choosing the next president. Parliament will select the president from three candidates put forward by the upper and lower houses and the military -- which holds a quarter of the legislature's seat under the constitution. The junta-drafted constitution bars Suu Kyi from the role because she married and had children with a foreigner. She has said she would rule "above" a proxy, without giving details of how this arrangement might work or who she wants to be president. Thein Sein's government introduced major political and economic reforms that culminated in the November poll, which has given the country a glimpse of a democratic future. But the new government faces formidable challenges, including reviving an economy left to rot by the junta and ending ongoing civil wars. Much rests on the relationship between Suu Kyi and the military, which held her under house arrest for some 15 years during the junta era. Despite the reforms the army retains huge political and economic sway. Since her poll victory Suu Kyi has reached out to the army, urging her supporters to seek reconciliation rather than revenge after the brutal junta years. The Telangana government today asked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to initiate a dialogue with US authorities over the "deportation" of several Indian students from America in recent months. "There seems to be lack of clarity on why US authorities are using high-handed methods to deport these students. Also, there have been media reports where the students were mistreated by the US authorities. "I beseech upon you to initiate a dialogue with the concerned US government heads to impress upon them the distress caused to Indian citizens because of these deportations," Telangana IT and Panchayat Raj Minister K T Rama Rao said in a letter to Swaraj. The families of the students pass through emotional and financial distress when they are deported to India as they take loans to fund their educational programmes, he said. Rao pointed out that several students have been deported to India in the last few months despite having valid visas issued by the US Consulate. Chhattisgarh Congress today expelled party MLA Amit Jogi and passed a resolution seeking party High Command's nod for termination of the membership of his father and state's former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi over the Antagarh assembly bypoll audio tape row. "Amit Jogi, Congress MLA from Marwahi constituency has been expelled from the primary membership of the party for six years. Besides, aresolution has been passed by the state party unit to terminate Ajit Jogi from the party," state Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel told reporters after a meeting of the Pradesh Congress Committee, which also adopted a resolution "condemning" the tape controversy. The audio tape released by an English daily contained several phone conversations purportedly between Ajit Jogi, his son Amit and Chief Minister Raman Singh's son-in-law Puneet Gupta, Congress candidate Manturam Pawar and former Jogi loyalists Firoz Siddiqui and Ameen Memon to "fix" the Antagarh bypoll held in 2014. The leaked tape, which has conversations suggesting money changed hands to make Pawar, Congress candidate for the seat, withdraw at the last minute to facilitate the BJP nominee's victory, had triggered a huge political storm in Chhattisgarh with Baghel serving a show cause notice to Amit Jogi last month seeking his reply within seven days. BJP chief Minister Raman Singh and both Jogis have rejected allegations of their involvement in the sordid episode. "We have passed a resolution to condemn the entire Antagarh audio tape row. The act of Ajit Jogi has tarnished the image of party and therefore the state party unit has reached this conclusion after an elaborate discussion," Baghel said. The proposal to terminate party membership of Ajit Jogi, a Congress Working Committee member, will be sent to for approval, he added. Meanwhile, Amit Jogi has said he will appeal the party high command against the decision of Congress' state unit. "I will appeal to the party high command in Delhi against the decision (of expulsion) and I believe I will get justice from AICC President Sonia Gandhiand Rahul Gandhi", he said. On December 30, hours after the audio tape controversy erupted, the Election Commission had asked the Chief Secretary of Chhattisgarh to "urgently" institute a "suitable enquiry" into the emergence of the tape which suggested financial inducement behind the Congress candidate's withdrawal and directed him to submit a report latest by January 7 with his comments. Manturam Pawar, then considered an Ajit Jogi loyalist, had withdrawn from the fray just a day ahead of the deadline and was later expelled from the party. As a political row broke out after the tape surfaced, Baghel had served a show cause to Amit and demanded Raman Singh's sacking and a Supreme Court-monitored SIT probe into the matter, while the BJP had rejected the allegations, saying it was the result of "infighting" in the state Congress. Singh had also trashed the allegations as "baseless" and a bid by the Congress to "drag BJP and his family" into controversy, while Ajit Jogi had dismissed the charge as "completely false" after terming the episode as a "conspiracy" against him and his son. Amit Jogi had lodged a complaint at Civil Lines police station in Bilaspur against the newspaper, claiming the tape was doctored and that neither his father nor he made such calls. A teenage fruit vendor's throat was slit by a group of people, including a man stated to be a local Samajwadi Party leader, at Sardhana area here when he asked them to pay for one kg guava they bought, police said today. While the family of the victim, Saddam (18), alleged that one of the accused Anees Kureshi belongs to Samajwadi Party, district president of the party, Jaiveer Singh, denied that he was a member. According to a complaint lodged by the victim's family, Anees Kureshi along with some of his men bought one kg guava from Saddam, last Friday, Sardhana police station in-charge Mehar Singh said. When asked to pay for it, they beat up Saddam and slit his throat with a knife kept on the fruit cart, he said. On the basis of the complaint, a case was lodged against Salman, Anees, Nafees and Shadab, the police station in-charge said, adding the prime accused, Salman, has been arrested on the day of the incident. Saddam was rushed to the hospital where his condition is now stated to be stable, he said, adding investigation is underway and if Anees is found to be involved in the incident he too would be arrested. However the victim's family alleged that Anees was not being arrested since he is a Samajwadi Party leader and he was pressurising them to withdraw the complaint. Thai police, acting on a U.S. Tip about child pornography uploads, arrested a British man today in a northern province where another Westerner was arrested weeks earlier in a similar case. Department of Special Investigation Lt. Col. Paisith Sungkahapong said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security informed the Thai agency in November that images were being uploaded and sent from a specific Internet address. The uploads were traced by The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, a non-profit group funded by the U.S. government. Police arrested Fabian Frederick Blandford, 64, at his home in Chiang Mai province, where he lives with his Thai wife and two children. "With a court warrant, DSI searched this man's house in Chiang Mai this morning and found a lot of such images, some were taken by himself and some were downloaded. The man admits that the images belong to him," said Paisith. He said that according to an initial investigation, Blandford was friendly with his Thai neighbors. Police said he offered to teach English to local children. Thai newspapers said he had once been a Buddhist monk. Blandford is being held pending formal charges. Under a Thai law that came into force last month, possession of child pornography carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, and distribution of the images carries a penalty of seven years. Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia are attractive destinations for sex offenders because of lax law enforcement despite periodic crackdowns. A 67-year-old American, James Craig Neumann, was arrested on similar charges last month in a different district of Chiang Mai. He was described as a former English-language teacher. DSI's Paisith said the Department of Homeland Security notified Thai authorities of at least one other pedophile-related case last year, involving a Thai man who was traced after posting obscene photos of young girls to a pedophile website. The man had been a primary school teacher. The chief justice of Alabama ruled that the state's ban on same-sex marriages is legal and told probate judges there they had a "ministerial duty" to stop issuing licenses to gay couples. The ruling, in an administrative order from Alabama chief justice Roy Moore yesterday, came seven months after the US Supreme Court, in a historic 5-4 decision, held that states cannot prevent gay couples from marrying and that those that had refused to do so must now recognise such marriages. Critics immediately dismissed Moore's contention that the high-court ruling was limited in scope. They said there was no question that the Supreme Court ruling extended nationwide. Moore, in a four-page decision, cited a state law under which "marriage is inherently a unique relationship between a man and a woman." He argued that a legal judgement "only binds the parties to the case before the court" and noted that the case considered by the Supreme Court, Obergefell v Hodges, was brought on behalf of same-sex couples only from Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. Moore said that the result, in Alabama, was "confusion and uncertainty" regarding "the effect of Obergefell on the 'existing orders.'" Since the Supreme Court ruling, he said, some Alabama judges had issued licenses to same-sex couples, some only to opposite-sex couples and some not at all. The Supreme Court majority made clear in its June ruling, written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, that its intent was to extend marriage rights nationwide. "No union is more profound than marriage," the ruling said. Of gay couples, Kennedy wrote that "their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness" and that "they ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law." He added, "The Constitution grants them that right." Yesterday, critics sharply dismissed Moore's stance. Scott McCoy, senior staff attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Centre, told the AL.Com website that Moore's order was a "dead letter," saying probate judges risked contempt if they failed to issue same-sex marriage licenses. And the group Americans United for Separation of Church and State called Moore's order "a pathetic gesture that is doomed to fail." Judge Moore is an ultra-conservative Christian known for his acts of resistance to federal authority. He was removed during an earlier stint as chief Alabama justice for refusing, in November 2003, to give in to a judicial order to remove a monument bearing the Ten Commandments from a spot before the state Supreme Court building. With the government and operators claiming improvement on call drop front, telecom regulator Trai is conducting tests in seven cities, including Delhi and Mumbai, to find whether quality of service has improved. A Trai official told PTI that drive tests in seven cities across the country started on December 21 and are likely to end by January 8. The cities are -- Delhi, Mumbai, Surat, Kolkata, Pune, Bhubaneswar and Indore. Drive tests are conducted to assess coverage and quality of service of mobile networks. Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has said that call drop problem is improving and operators are putting up more tower sites. The Minister last month said a total of 29,000 new telecom towers were installed by private telecom operators across the country after government took strong exception to the problem of call drops. Operators have also said that they have taken steps to rein in call drops. Meanwhile, Trai today told the Delhi High Court that "lack of investment" by telecom operators in network infrastructure, like mobile towers, appears to be the main reason behind the "pervasive problem" of call drops across the country. In an affidavit placed before the court, the regulator said telecom majors, including Vodafone, Bharti Airtel and Reliance, "have failed to keep the investments commensurate with the pace of increase in usage and the growth in number of subscribers being added by them". Trai's response came on the pleas filed by telcos challenging the regulator's order mandating them to pay consumers Re 1 per call drop experienced on their network, subject to a cap of three a day. Trai had carried out special independent drive tests in Mumbai and Delhi in June and July and found the network quality below par. It followed up with more such tests in September, which showed there was not much headway. Other than the metros, the tests had been conducted in Surat, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar and Ahmedabad. Trai Chairman R S Sharma had held a meeting with top bosses of telecom companies on October 29 and asked them to improve the quality of service. Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar today praised the Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for taking a positive role in implementing bi-lateral issues related to the state. "Due to people's cooperation during the independent struggle of Bangladesh, Tripura always finds a place in the heart of the neighbouring country. The government led by Sheikh Hasina always take a positive role in implementation of any bi-lateral issue related to Tripura," Sarkar said. He was speaking on the occasion of inauguration of an Integrated Development Complex (IDC) here, about 60 km from the state capital Agartala. The multi-facility IDC was inaugurated by Union Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman here bordering Comilla district of Bangladesh to boost bilateral trade and official immigration of the people of the two countries. Sarkar said, Tripura government has submitted a proposal for creating a new waterway through Gomati, the all important river flowing in both the countries, to the Shipping minister Nitin Gadkari who showed a very positive response. "The Centre has asked us to increase the navigability of the rivers so that small ships (Bazra) could cruise along the river", he added. Sarkar said, Srimantapur (IDC) falls under Sonamura subdivision of the Sepahijala district and the state government has a plan to develop the Sonamura town into a commercial hub. Tripura would be the gateway of India's corridor with South-East Asia and play a remarkable role in improving relations with Bangladesh, Union Minister for Commerce Nirmala Sitharaman said today. She said this after inaugurating a multi-facility 'Integrated Development Complex (IDC)' here, about 60 km from State capital Agartala, to facilitate smooth passage of citizens of India and Bangladesh and improve border trade with the neighbouring nation. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accorded the highest importance to improve relations with the neighbouring countries and meaningful implementation of Act-East policy. This IDC was constructed with an eye to improve relations with Bangladesh," she said. "We believe that proper development of our country would not be possible without development of States. I would meet the Union Finance Minister next week to discuss about how the north eastern region could be developed further," Sitharaman said. For land-locked Tripura in particular and the North-East in general, access to Chittagong port, Bangladesh is necessary, she said. "I would definitely take the matter (access to Chittagong port) with the Prime Minister, so that he could then take up the matter with Bangladesh," she added. "Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar also requested me to set up two more border haats in the State and completion of the bridge on river Feni for better communication with Chittagong. These two matters would figure in my discussion with the Prime Minister," she said. The foundation of the bridge on river Feni in Sabroom subdivision of South Tripura district was laid to facilitate border trade. Chittagong port is just 75 km from the bridge by surface transport. The IDC here was built at a cost of Rs 16 crore on 2.83 acres of land bordering Comilla district of the neighbouring country, which is almost like an integrated checkpost having facilities like weigh bridge, warehouse, computerised immigration system, bank with currency exchange facility, among others, according to officials. Manik Sarkar and Industries and Commerce Minister Tapan Chakraborty also spoke on the occasion. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and submitted a detailed report on the recent political developments in the wake of Governor J P Rajkhowa advancing the Assembly session. While mentioning that this matter was sub-judice and was being heard in the Gauhati High Court, the Chief Minister still maintained that the decision by the Governor was taken "without taking consent from him and his council of ministers," an official communique said here today. Tuki also complained to the PM yesterday about the Governor's "tacit role in fuelling dissidence within the ruling Congress party in the state," since Rajkhowa took over charge, the communique said. The Chief Minister alleged that Rajkhowa's conduct was in violation of the principles of Co-operative Federalism as espoused by the Prime Minister after the NDA came to power, the release said. The Prime Minister assured Tuki that he would examine the report against the Governor and take appropriate decisions pertaining to the same, the communique claimed. While discussing the development issues, the Chief Minister requested the Prime Minister for expediting establishment of Greenfield Airport at Hollongi, establishment of Disaster Response Force (DRF) battalion in the state, establishment of High Court in the state and East West Industrial Corridor for border areas. Tuki told the PM that despite repeated requests from the state government, the Centre is yet to depute a central team for inspecting the damages due to floods and natural calamities, the communique said. The PM assured that a team would be deputed soon to visit the state for the same. The PM also took stock of the recent earthquake in the NE Region and was informed by the CM that no casualties or damages were reported in Arunachal Pradesh so far, the release said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today refused to condemn Saudi Arabia for its execution of 47 convicts including a prominent Shiite cleric, saying it was an "internal legal matter" of the kingdom. "The executions in Saudi Arabia are an internal legal matter. Whether you approve or not of the decision is a separate issue," Erdogan said in a televised speech, his first reaction to the controversy which has raised tensions between Saudi Arabia and its regional rival Iran. Erdogan had last month visited Riyadh for talks with King Salman and the political elite, in a new sign of Ankara's warm ties with the kingdom. Turkey and Saudi Arabia, both overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim powers, share the same vision over the conflict in Syria where they believe only the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad can bring an end to almost five years of civil war. Meanwhile, tensions have increased between Turkey and mainly Shiite Iran, which along with Russia is the key remaining ally of Assad. The crisis began at the weekend when Saudi Arabia executed prominent Shiite cleric and activist Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr as well as 46 other convicts, prompting a furious reaction from Tehran. Iranian protesters then ransacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran. Riyadh, Bahrain and Sudan severed relations with Tehran while Kuwait recalled its ambassador. Erdogan dismissed suggestions that the executions were aimed at provoking tensions with Shiite Muslims and also said the attack on the Saudi mission was "unacceptable". "Only three (of those executed) were Shiites," said Erdogan. He also questioned also "why the world did not react" to the condemnation of "thousands of people to death" following the ousting in Egypt of former president Mohamed Morsi, an ally of Ankara. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Monday urged Iran and Saudi Arabia to calm tensions, saying the hostility between the two key Muslim powers would only further escalate problems in an explosive region. But Erdogan's comments contrasted with those Monday by Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus, who is also government spokesman, that "death penalties, especially ones that are politically-motivated, are of no help to making peace in the region." Turkey formally abolished the death penalty in 2004 as part of its bid to join the EU. Turkish police have seized over 1,200 unsafe life jackets destined for use by migrants trying to reach Greece by sea, in a raid on an underground workshop that used Syrian underage labour, a report said today. The authorities seized 1,263 life jackets that failed to correspond to safety standards in the raid on the workshop in the centre of Izmir, a city on the Aegean Sea, the Dogan agency said. Izmir is a major hub for refugees and migrants seeking to make the risky crossing in flimsy boats to EU member Greece. The of the seizure comes a day after Turkish authorities announced that the bodies of 36 migrants had been found on its Aegean coast after their boats sank in bad weather while trying to cross to the Greek island of Lesbos. Turkish newspapers today published harrowing images of the corpses of the refugees as they were found on Tuesday morning, with their faces in the sand and wearing life jackets that had apparently been of no use. Dogan said that the so-called life jackets seized were filled with "packaging" rather than the proper material needed to keep users alive for hours in the water. It said that four people were found working in the workshop, including two young Syrian girls. The confiscated life jackets have been sent to the local police for examination and an investigation has been launched. AFP correspondents who reported on the wave of migrants heading from Turkey to Greece this summer had seen a booming trade in life jackets in Turkish resorts for sale at suspiciously low prices. Turkey, which is home to some 2.2 million refugees from Syria's civil war, has become a hub for migrants seeking to move to Europe, many of whom pay people smugglers thousands of dollars for the risky crossing. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said yesterday 1,004,356 migrants and refugees reached Europe in 2015 but 3,771 died while crossing the Mediterranean. Two rebel JD(U) MLCs Narendra Singh and Samrat Chaudhary were today "disqualified" from the upper House after protracted hearing. The legislative council chairperson Awadesh Narayan Singh passed the order disqualifying the two rebel JD(U) MLCs, Narendra Singh and Samrat Chaudhary for anti-party activities. "Narendra Singh and Samrat Chaudhary, the two JD(U) MLCs, have been found guilty of violation of anti-defection law and disqualified as under tenth schedule of the constitution," Singh told PTI. The two lawmakers with their advocates were present for final hearing on petitions, he said. The legislative council chairperson had earlier disqualified another rebel JD(U) MLC Mahachandra Prasad Singh on identical ground last month. Reacting to annulment of his membership of the legislative council, Samrat Chaudhary kept mum on the merit of the order against him, but sarcastically thanked the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for his disqualification. Narendra Singh, who was a minister in the Nitish Kumar government for eight years, was not available for his comments. It may be mentioned that Sanjay Kumar Singh alias Sanjay Gandhi, the JD(U) chief whip in the legislative council, had petitioned the chairperson of the upper House for disqualification of five rebel party MLCs on charge of their involvement in anti-party activities during Assembly polls. While three rebel JD(U) MLCs have been disqualified, Manzar Alam has resigned from the upper House even as the hearing on disqualification petition of Shiv Prasanna Yadav was underway with the rebel MLC undergoing treatment for unspecified illness at a hospital in New Delhi. The British Parliament will debate this month whether to ban controversial US presidential candidate Donald Trump from entering the country over his anti-Muslim remarks. Lawmakers will get to speak in the House of Commons on a petition calling for the US Republican hopeful to be excluded from Britain. A petition, posted on the UK government website, calling for Republican presidential candidate Trump to be barred from Britain for his "hate speech" against Muslims received more than 550,000 signatures -- way over the 100,000 needed to qualify for a debate in the Parliament. It was launched last month after Trump declared in a speech that Muslims should be banned from the US for security reasons. A second petition, rejecting the need for a ban, is also to be included in the debate, the parliamentary Petitions Committee has announced. "The motion debated will be 'That this House has considered e-petitions 114003 and 114907 relating to the exclusion of Donald Trump from the UK' on Monday 18 January at 4.30pm," a statement said. "Paul Flynn MP, a member of the Petitions Committee, will lead the debate." Initially, the government had responded by saying that it disagrees with Trump's comments, with the UK Home Secretary Theresa May describing them as "divisive, unhelpful and wrong" but stopping short of excluding him. "By scheduling a debate on these petitions, the committee is not expressing a view on whether or not the government should exclude Donald Trump from the UK," said Chair of the Petitions Committee, Helen Jones MP. "As with any decision to schedule a petition for debate, it simply means that the committee has decided that the subject should be debated. A debate will allow a range of views to be expressed." The US presidential hopeful made his call for a "total and complete shutdown of the Muslims entering the US" in the wake of a mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, last month. A poll in the UK found 29 per cent of people contacted by Sky supported him, with 51 per cent opposed. There is no political requirement for the result of a debate to become government policy. The United Nations agencies for human and women's rights have condemned the murder of a Mexican mayor who was killed last weekend just one day after she took office. The agencies yesterday said in a joint statement that the killing of Gisela Mota, the 33-year-old mayor of the central city of Temixco, was a "grave crime" that also "disrupts the political rights of women" guaranteed by Mexico's constitution. They urged the authorities to find the perpetrators, investigate the crime by taking the victim's gender into account and make sure politicians, notably women, are protected. While Mexico has made great strides toward equality between men and women in Congress, the participation of women in mayoral offices "is still insufficient," the statement said. The communique was signed by the Mexico branches of UN Women, which is dedicated to gender equality, and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Morelos state authorities suspect that the drug gang known as Los Rojos murdered Mota on Saturday because she backed a plan to place state and municipal police into a unified command structure. Two suspects were killed and three others have been detained. The UN Security Council is considering imposing further sanctions on North Korea after it carried out a nuclear test, the British ambassador said today. "We will be working with others on a resolution on further sanctions," Ambassador Matthew Rycroft told reporters. The United States, Japan and other members of the 15-member council were working on a draft text that would strongly condemn what Pyongyang has called a hydrogen bomb test, diplomats said. "We have no information on the type of device tested," said Rycroft, but he added: "Any nuclear test is a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions." North Korea said it had carried out a "successful" miniaturized hydrogen bomb test -- a shock announcement that, if confirmed, would massively raise the stakes in the hermit state's bid to strengthen its nuclear arsenal. The announcement triggered swift international condemnation but also skepticism, with experts suggesting the apparent yield was far too low for a thermonuclear device. The council was set to hold a closed-door meeting from 2130 IST to discuss the nuclear test, at the request of the United States and Japan. A senior UN diplomat said there would be a strong statement of condemnation from the council and work would begin on a draft resolution that would provide for targeted sanctions. It was unclear when a vote on the draft resolution would take place. Three previous tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013 triggered waves of UN sanctions. "The latest test is yet another example of the DPRK regime's reckless challenge to international norms of behavior," said Rycroft. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will hold an emergency meeting today in New York after North Korea claimed it had carried out a "successful" hydrogen bomb test, diplomats said. The closed-door morning talks between the 15 member nations were called by the United Nations and Japan. "While we cannot confirm at this time that a test was carried out, we condemn any violation of UNSC Resolutions and again call on North Korea to abide by its obligations and commitments," US mission spokeswoman Hagar Chemali said. If the test was indeed a hydrogen bomb, it would mark a significant increase in capabilities from the North, which previously tested far less fission blasts generated by uranium or plutonium. A hydrogen, or thermonuclear device, uses fusion in a chain reaction. If North Korea's claim is confirmed, it would massively raise the stakes around its banned nuclear program and likely trigger tougher sanctions. Pyongyang has carried out three previous nuclear tests -- in 2006, 2009 and 2013 -- which led to a series of sanctions from the United Nations. Several UN resolutions ban the reclusive North from any nuclear activity or ballistic missile technology. At the council, Pyongyang ally Beijing regularly tries to shield the North from condemnation or sanctions, while Washington repeatedly denounces the communist regime and its human rights violations. Japan joined the council on January 1 under a two-year mandate as a non-permanent member. The UN Security Council today agreed to prepare further unspecified measures against North Korea after it carried out a fourth nuclear test. The 15-member council including China, Pyongyang's ally, "strongly condemned" the test and described it as a "clear threat to international peace and security." Uruguay's Ambassador Elbio Rosselli, this month's council president, recalled that the council had threatened to take "further significant measures" if Pyongyang violated UN resolutions by testing an atomic device. "In line with this commitment and the gravity of this violation, the members of the Security Council will begin to work immediately on such measures in a new Security Council resolution," said Rosselli. The envoy did not specify whether the new measure would extend sanctions against North Korea, but other diplomats confirmed that adding new names to the sanctions list was being considered. North Korea said it had carried out a "successful" miniaturised hydrogen bomb test -- a shock announcement that, if confirmed, would massively raise the stakes in the hermit state's bid to strengthen its nuclear arsenal. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the underground nuclear test "deeply troubling" and "profoundly destabilizing for regional security." He stressed that it was in violation of numerous Security Council resolutions barring Pyongyang from engaging in nuclear activities. Three previous tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013 triggered waves of UN sanctions. Currently there are a total of 20 entities and 12 individuals on the UN sanctions blacklist. British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said his delegation was "working with others on a resolution on further sanctions. The UN Security Council today warned that it will impose new sanctions against North Korea after it carried out hydrogen bomb test with the world body strongly condemning Pyongyang's action as a "clear threat" to international peace and security. The 15-nation Security Council, including China, held urgent consultations here to address the "serious" situation arising from the nuclear test conducted by North Korea. The Council members had previously said that they will take "further significant measures" against North Korea if it conducted another nuclear and vowed to take additional measures. "In line with this commitment and the gravity of this violation, the members of the Security Council will begin to work immediately on such measures in a new Security Council resolution. "The members of the Security Council strongly condemned this test, which is a clear violation of Security Council resolutions...And of the non-proliferation regime, and therefore a clear threat to international peace and security continues to exist," it said. Earlier, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon denounced North Korea's nuclear test as "deeply troubling" and "profoundly destabilising" for regional security as he called on Pyongyang to halt its nuclear programmes. "The underground nuclear test is deeply troubling and once again violates numerous Security Council resolutions despite the united call by the international community to cease such activities," Ban said. The UN Chief demanded that North Korea cease any further nuclear activities and meet its obligations for verifiable denuclearisation. Heads of other international nuclear bodies also voice concern over reports of North Korea carrying out the hydrogen bomb test, saying it violates UNSC resolutions and is troubling for the region. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav will join the 'Asha Yatra' (walk of hope) that will reach here this week, district authorities today said. An initiative of Sri M's 'Manav Ekta Mission', the 'padayatra' from Kanyakumari to Kashmir started on January 12 last year, marking the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. Led by Sri M, the yatra will reach Kanpur on January 9 and he would address students, senior citizens and social workers of the city in the next three days. The yatra will reach Green Park Stadium on January 12 where it would be joined by the CM, according to district administration officials. A public dialogue programme is being organised on January 10 and Sri M will also address students of Kanpur University on January 11. Uttar Pradesh Congress disciplinary committee has recommended for expulsion of former party MLA Rajendra Sharma for six years for alleged anti-party activities, an official said. Sharma was under scanner since last Lok Sabha elections. In the recently held district panchayat elections, presence of Nawajish Manzoor, the son of Samajwadi Party MLA Shahid Manzoor at his residence raised questions and following which an enquiry was ordered, District President of Congress Vinay Pradhan. On the basis of report submitted yesterday by the chairman of UP Congress disciplinary Committee Ashok Bharti, the recommendation for expulsion of Sharma for six years was made to State Congress president Nirmal Khatri. The report was also sent to party president Sonia Gandhi. According to the report, Sharma had planned to defeat Nagma, the party's candidate from Meeurt in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and for joining hands with Samajwadi Party leader Shahid Mazoor's son Nawajish Manzoor during the district panchayat polls. He was also allegedly involved in campaigning for BJP candidate for district panchayat elections. Sharma's supporters today slammed the committee for not questioning him about the allegations before taking any further action. A crime warning was issued by the US Embassy in the Bahamas has singled out operators of personal watercraft or jet skis. The embassy yesterday issued the alert following the sexual assault of a US citizen by a man on one of the watercraft on Cabbage Beach. The Royal Bahamas Police Force said a 26-year-old man was taken into custody as a suspect in the January 2 attack. The embassy said there had been five sexual assaults of US citizens by jet-ski operators in Nassau since July. The embassy banned its staff from using jet-ski rental companies because of insufficient regulation. It recommended US citizens not use them either. The Bahamas Ministry of Transport said in response to the warning that the suspect in the most recent incident was not a licensed commercial operator and not involved in the rental industry. It noted in a statement that all jet ski operators are subjected to "full vetting" by police but added that "despite our efforts, challenges do remain." Ministry officials planned to discuss the issue with operators and business owners today. The embassy expressed similar concerns last year about jet-ski operators as well as rising crime in general in the Bahamas. A US court today indicted a 30-year-old American national for allegedly using weapons of mass destruction against a US military base in Afghanistan. If convicted, Muhanad Mahmoud Al Farekh, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. According to court papers, Farekh assisted in the preparation of a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) for use in the attack at a US military base in Afghanistan. On January 19, 2009, two co-conspirators drove vehicles to the US military base in Afghanistan. The first co-conspirator detonated the VBIED in his vehicle during the attack on the military base. The second co-conspirator drove a truck containing a second VBIED to the military base, but did not detonate that device. Farekh's fingerprints were subsequently recovered from packing tape on the VBIED that did not detonate, federal prosecutors alleged. According to the superseding indictment filed in a US District Court in New York, between December 2006 and September 2009, Farekh provided, attempted to provide and conspired to provide material support to al-Qaeda. The superseding indictment includes the charges from the original indictment, unsealed on May 28, that Farekh provided, attempted to provide and conspired to provide material support to terrorists. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the new charges tomorrow. "Muhanad Mahmoud Al Farekh is charged with conspiring to kill Americans overseas for his role in a VBIED attack on a US military installation in Afghanistan," said Assistant Attorney General John Carlin. Court documents said in 2007, Farekh and two co-conspirators departed Canada for Pakistan with the intention of fighting against American forces. They did not inform their families of their plan before departing, but called a friend in Canada upon arrival to let him know that he should not expect to hear from them again because they intended to become martyrs. One of Farekh's co-conspirators - Ferid Imam - subsequently provided weapons and other military-type training at an al-Qaeda training camp in Pakistan in 2008, according to public testimony in previous EDNY criminal trials. Among Imam's trainees were three individuals - Najibullah Zazi, Zarein Ahmedzay and Adis Medunjanin - who intended to return to the United States to conduct a suicide attack on the New York City subway system. Zazi and Ahmedzay pleaded guilty pursuant to cooperation agreements and have yet to be sentenced; Medunjanin was convicted after trial and sentenced to life in prison. Ferid Imam has also been indicted for his role in the plot, it said. The US stands in solidarity with India in the aftermath of the terror attacks in Pathankot and Majar-e-Sharif, a top American lawmaker today said, underlining that America will continue to work together in the fight against "Islamic extremist terrorists". "My heartfelt sympathies are with the victims and families of those killed in the recent attacks on India's Pathankot Airforce base as well as the attack on the Indian Consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif in Afghanistan," Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard said. A democratic lawmaker from Hawaii, Gabbard is the first ever elected Hindu to the US House of Representatives. "We stand in solidarity with India in the face of these attacks, and will continue to work together in this fight against Islamic extremist terrorists," Gabbard said in a statement. A wheelchair bound Uzbekistan national has been able to walk after nine years following a successful surgery in a city based private hospital here. 55-year-old Guzal Ruzamatova had met with a traffic accident in 2006 and sustained a fracture of the shaft of her left femur (the thigh bone). While she underwent a series of surgeries, the issue could not be corrected. Finally in 2009 all the implants and external fixators were removed and the leg was left to heal on its own. As a result, the patient was practically wheelchair bound with barely any mobility. Ruzamatova contacted the doctors at Medanta Bone and Joint Institute (MBJI) and it was found that she had a shortening of about 12.5 cms of the left leg. She had an extremely limited range of movement of just 20-60 degrees of the left knee. Additionally, the shoe raise worn by her was extremely heavy and did not allow for much motion, said Dr Ashok Rajgopal, Chairman MBJI. Dr Rajgopal, and his team immediately recommended her for a segmental resection and a total knee replacement surgery, both cutting edge procedures. In a surgery that lasted almost six hours, both the procedures were successfully performed on December 17. "When we first met her, she was severely disabled and was a wheelchair bound patient. She had nine previous surgeries and multiple scars on the same leg. Her limb was a little over 12cm short and had an un-united fracture of the thigh bone. We did a segmental resection implant and restored about 11cm of her leg length without damaging any nerve or blood vessel, thereby restoring her quality of life," said Rajgopal. Today, almost three weeks after surgery, Ruzamatova is re-discovering the joys of an independent life free from the handicaps and is comfortably mobile albeit with a walker and independent in all her personal activities of daily living and can bend her knee normally. She has regained 11cms of length in her left leg basically making the length of both her legs almost the same further aiding her movement. With a small insole of 1.5 cms she can further do away with any need of wearing the cumbersome shoe raise in future, the doctor said. Narrating about her experience, Ruzamatova said, "I was treated at Tashkent earlier but it didn't help me much. I didn't have any hope of getting back my leg and walking normally. I am grateful to the doctors for returning my life back to normal. (REOPENS BOM8) Gupta said some of the patients complained of partial vision loss. "Vision is very less... It is too early to say that they have lost eye sight. We are still treating them. It will take at least 2 to 3 days to see how they respond to the drugs being given to them," he said. Meanwhile, Jitender Reddy, son-in-law of one of the affected persons, Anji Reddy (70), alleged negligence on part of the doctors and said they are planning to lodge a police complaint. "My father-in-law, along with other patients, has undergone surgery five times after this incident (to remove the infection), but none of them has responded positively to the treatment," he alleged. Jitender said the patients, most of whom are agriculture labourers from Chevella mandal of neighbouring Ranga Reddy district of Telangana, had got admitted to the hospital with complaint of redness in their eyes and blurred vision. "However, the doctors at the hospital without informing us suddenly conducted cataract surgeries. We are still being kept in dark about what kind of surgery they have conducted and also treatment being given to the patients," he alleged. Metals and mining conglomerate Vedanta Ltd today appointed Samir Cairae as CEO of the Metals division in India. Cairae has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Diversified Metals (India). He will report to Vedanta Resources Plc CEO Tom Albanese and will also be a member of the Vedanta Executive Committee team, the firm led by NRI billionaire Anil Agarwal said in a statement. An electrical engineer from IIT-Kanpur, Cairae has held various leadership positions at Lafarge and Schlumberger in the past, it added. Albanese said: "Samir will provide operational and strategic leadership for the performance of Vedanta Ltd's Aluminium, India Copper, Power, Iron Ore divisions in addition to Commercial and Asset optimisation functions." Vedanta said the appointment is a part of the Senior Leadership key initiatives undertaken by the firm's Human Resource for acquiring global talent to take the diversified metals-to-oil group to new heights. In September, Vedanta Resources had appointed Cynthia Carroll as the Chair of Vedanta Resources Holdings Ltd. Carroll was the Chief Executive of mining giant Anglo American from March 2007 to April 2013. Agarwal is hopeful that commodity prices will be "settling down" in 2016 and will start to recover next year. Zinc will recover the fastest and aluminium will be the next, he added. His companies are India's biggest producers of zinc, copper and aluminum and have been battered by slumping commodity prices globally. The group has cut costs and has reduced overall expenditure by 25-30 per cent without any significant job cuts, he said. "I am one person who does not believe in cutting jobs," he stressed. Cost cutting and operational efficiencies have brought in savings of Rs 8,000-9,000 crore annually, he let out. Agarwal suggested that the government should aggressively allow mining of underground wealth -- from oil to uranium, gold, zinc and potash. "It pains me to see that India has huge prospects for all of these, but still we have to import. We just need to find them. The government should keep things simple. Let 15 more companies come and find resources, produce them and make profit. The government should only look at safeguarding revenue and environment," he said. Agarwal made it clear that his group will continue to invest since time is now to create capacities as services and other costs were low. "We will spend over USD 2 billion in the next two years, mostly in oil and gas, if some government clearances that we expect come through," he said. Known as the acquisition man who bought loss-making government firms like Balco and Hindustan Zinc and turned them around, Agarwal said his group is "open to acquisitions if any opportunity comes by though there is nothing specific in hand at the moment". Asked if he would play the white knight for Tata Steel's UK plants, he said, "I am not interested. Why? One can do better things with that kind of money." Vedanta, in 2011, acquired Cairn India to gain access to the country's biggest on-shore oil field. The firm is now being merged with its parent and Agarwal hoped the merger to go through by May-end. Mining giant Vedanta has revamped the top management of its metals business in India with the appointment of Samir Cairae as CEO of Metals division. Heads of Aluminium, Copper, Power and Iron ore business will report to the new CEO. Cairae, who previously worked with cement maker Lafarge and oil driller Schlumberger, will report to Vedanta Resources Group CEO Tom Albanese, the firm led by NRI billionaire Anil Agarwal said in a statement today. He has been appointed as the CEO of Diversified Metals (India) and will also be a member of the Vedanta Executive Committee team, it added. "Samir will provide operational and strategic leadership for the performance of Vedanta Ltd's Aluminium, India Copper, Power, Iron ore divisions in addition to Commercial and Asset optimisation functions," Albanese said. Vedanta said this appointment is a part of the Senior Leadership key initiatives undertaken by the firm's Human Resource for acquiring global talent to take the diversified metals and mining group to new heights. According to industry sources, Cairae has been brought in to look after the firm's cost cutting measures as well as for asset optimisation as the metals to oil conglomerate braces up for a tough 2016 in the commodities market, which has been adversely impacted by softening prices and subdued demand. Heads of the various metals business such as Iron ore, aluminium, etc in India will report to Cairae, they added. In October last year, Vedanta Resources said it has trimmed capital and operating expenditures in July-September quarter as the mining conglomerate tries to tackle volatile market conditions as well as subdued metal prices globally. Presenting production figures for Q2 2015-16, Albanese had said: "We are continuing to drive efficiency improvements and optimise opex and capex across the business. "While the near term market outlook is challenging, we believe we have the right mix of commodities to benefit from future demand in India and globally." Vedanta Resources said: "In light of the current market conditions, we are focused on optimising our opex and capex, increasing free cash flow and reducing net debt." Challenging commodity prices pulled down the consolidated net profit of Vedanta Ltd by 40.6 per cent to Rs 973.97 crore in the second quarter of the current fiscal from Rs 1,639.93 crore during the same quarter of 2014-15. Net sales fell to Rs 16,349.21 crore from Rs 19,448.14 crore during the same period. Vedanta, earlier known as Sesa Sterlite, last year shut its rolling mill at Balco and also stopped a production stream at Lanjigarh to save costs, that led to about 3,000 job cuts -- both direct and indirect. It also started a cost cutting drive at iron ore business in Goa (Sesa Goa) that includes slashing up to 450 jobs and liquidating non-productive land and other properties. Vedanta stock fell by almost 4 per cent to Rs 88.85 on the BSE. Two parked vehicles and a computer room were torched as a mob went on a rampage inside a private college campus at Nischinda in Howrah district today. Three fire tenders fought for half an hour to put off the flames by the arsonists who stormed into the compound following an argument with the staff of the college over building a wall bordering the playground of a local club, a police officer said. The mob set aflame a bike and a car parked inside the compound and also torched the computer room after forcing the staff to come out in the open. Personnel of RAF and police were deployed at the gate where the private B-ED College was located. There was no report of any injury ir any arrest in the incident. Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray today alleged that NDA government was repeating the mistake of Congress governments and said he was only expressing people's views through Saamana. Saamana, edited by Thackeray, has been critical of Modi government's friendly overtures towards Pakistan. Today's editorial said, referring to Pathankot terror attack, that NDA government was repeating the mistake of Congress governments. Speaking to reporters here, Thackeray said, "I am saying in my paper what people think." Prime Minister Narendra Modi should speak the same language on Pakistan which he used to speak before the elections, he said. Thackeray was speaking to reporters after presiding over a function on the occasion of 'Patrakar Din' (journalist day, observed in Maharashtra to mark the birth anniversary of pioneer Marathi journalist Balshastri Jambhekar) here. Uddhav, in his speech expressed opposition to the demand of separate Vidarbha state. Hailing the sacrifices of those who fought for Samyukta Maharashtra prior to 1960, Thackeray said, "After such a struggle, when we hear of proposal to break up the state, it breaks our heart. Why do we need to split the state?....We got Mumbai by shedding blood and now you are trying to separate Vidarbha. Thackeray also said that in the past there were no attacks on journalists, because "journalists were true to their profession and were considered part of the society." It is high time journalists had a self-imposed code of conduct, so that such attacks didn't happen, Thackeray said. Being a journalist himself, he was always opposed to attack on the fourth estate, he added. Veteran journalist Dinoo Randive was felicitated on this occasion with a lifetime achievement award. The US would continue to play a critical role in the Asia Pacific to ensure stability in the region, the Pentagon has said as China became more assertive in the South China Sea generating much heat in the region. "The United States is and will continue to play a critical role in that part of the world in ensuring stability in the Asia-Pacific. A rebalance to the Asia-Pacific is emblematic of that," Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook told reporters at a news conference. He, however could not confirm flights to artificial islands in the South China Sea. China recently landed a plane on an artificial island it has built in a contested part of the strategic South China Sea, prompting Vietnam to accuse Beijing of "serious infringement" of its sovereignty. "I can't confirm flights from here. I've seen reports of those flights. And, again, we have the same issue that we've had in the past with any effort on the part of countries in that part of the world to militarise and engage in reclamation projects on disputed islands," he said. Cook said the Defence Secretary's own visits to Asia recently was an indication of how US feel that part of the world is, and the role that the US military has played in preserving that kind of stability and security, the prosperousness of that part of the world. "A key reason for that has been the presence of the US military in that part of the world. We are going to continue to play that role and try and do everything we can to maintain that security and stability in the South China Sea and beyond," he said. Actor Will Smith is upset that his iconic "Independence Day" character dies in the film's sequel and said he'll be taking a handkerchief to the screening. The "Men in Black" star was unable to reprise his role in "Independence Day: Resurgence" and said he was saddened when he learned Colonel Steven Hiller's fate in the trailer, which suggests he died while testing a new alien hybrid fighter. "I was working on Suicide Squad during that time. (Independence Day director) Roland (Emmerich) and I had talked about it. "The trailer looks really cool. I'm going to be sitting around with tears in my eyes when that one comes out... It was terrible when I found out my character died," he said. Troops loyal to Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi seized a Red Sea port town today in the country's northwest following fierce fighting with Iran-backed Shiite rebels, a military chief said. "We have full control of the port and the town, along with its historic castle," Fifth Military Region commander General Adel al-Qumairi said of Midi. Intensive clashes had raged in the area since mid-December when government forces trained in nearby Saudi Arabia crossed the border and seized the town of Haradh. The rebels, known as Huthis, have reportedly used Midi's port to bring weapons into their traditional stronghold in the north. Despite losing Midi, they and their allies of renegade troops loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, continue to control a long stretch of the coastline. Government forces have enjoyed air support from the Saudi-led coalition, which launched a campaign against rebels in March after they advanced on the southern city of Aden where Hadi had taken refuge before fleeing to Riyadh. The rebels continue to control the capital, which they overran 2014, but loyalists have captured areas east and northeast of the capital recently. Today, coalition warplanes bombed rebel positions in Sanaa, including the presidential complex, witnesses said. A Yemeni national was arrested here for allegedly overstaying in the country after the expiry of his visa, police said. Shiekh Khalid Ibrahim Khadmi was arrested last night by Bhainsdehi Police Station under Section 14 (a) of the Foreigner Act, Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) H L Mehar said today. He (Khadmi) arrived at Bhainsdehi town in the district from Maharashtra's Akkalwadi area on January 4 for taking part in a function related to a madarsa and a masjid, he said. His visa was found to be expired on December 6, Mehar said. When police came to know about it, he was initially detained but was formally arrested late last night, Inspector General (IG) Satish Chandra Saxena said. Police will produce him in a local court later in the day. The authorities have also informed Yemen Embassy and the concerned officials at the Centre about the issue. By Yimou Lee HONG KONG (Reuters) - Huawei Technologies Co became the first Chinese handset vendor to ship more than 100 million smartphones in a year when its 2015 shipments defied a market slowdown and jumped 44 percent, thanks to strong sales domestically and in Western Europe. Shenzhen-based Huawei disclosed on Wednesday it shipped 108 million smartphones last year, as it sought to shed its budget supplier image to target higher-margin premium models. In comparison, the global industry is expected to have grown at a single-digit rate in 2015 for the first time. Huawei's upbeat performance comes at a time when industry leaders Samsung Electronics Co and Apple Inc are potentially facing a tough year ahead. Samsung said it expected a difficult business environment in 2016 due to a weak global economy and heightened competition, while a Nikkei report said Apple was expected to cut production of its latest iPhone models by about 30 percent in the January-March quarter due to mounting inventories. Chinese handset makers are providing stiffer competition for the smartphone industry giants as cost-conscious consumers are looking for cheaper alternatives with similar features and frills. "There are increasingly more Chinese vendors who can offer good products, so you don't necessarily have to buy a phone from Samsung," said Avril Wu, analyst at research firm TrendForce. "They (Chinese vendors) are taking market shares from the top leaders." But it was too early to say if Huawei could stay as a solid contender to Samsung and Apple, as smaller Chinese players such as Xiaomi Inc and Lenovo Group Ltd often swapped rank after price wars, analysts said. "In China it's true that Huawei grew tremendously over the past six months, but it's a bit of a dog fight within the Android ecosystem," said Carolina Milanesi, analyst at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. "Huawei's going after Xiaomi and all the other smaller Android players." Huawei remains a distant third in the global smartphone market, with a market share of 7.5 percent in the third quarter, after Samsung's 23.8 percent and Apple's 13.5 percent, according to research firm IDC. Moving up the value chain effectively in the global smartphone market remains a challenge for Chinese vendors as they tend to sacrifice profit margins to boost sales volumes, analysts said. Huawei said revenue for its consumer business group, which sells products such as smartphones and tablets, jumped 70 percent year-on-year to $20 billion in 2015. Worldwide smartphone shipments will grow 9.8 percent in 2015 in the industry's first year of single-digit growth, down from 27.5 percent in the previous year, according to IDC. (Reporting By Yimou Lee; Additional reporting by Ritsuko Ando in TOKYO; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman) Shares of the company, whose popular shows include "House of Cards", "Orange Is The New Black" and "Narcos", rose 5.5 percent to $113.60 in afternoon trading. India, Nigeria, Russia and Saudi Arabia were among the major countries where the service was launched, Chief Executive Reed Hastings said at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The company, whose services were available in more than 60 countries before Wednesday's launch, had previously said it aimed to reach 200 countries by the end of 2016. U.S. government restrictions on American companies mean Netflix will not be available in Crimea, North Korea and Syria. The company said on Wednesday it was exploring options for providing its services in China. The company said in July that plans to enter China in 2016 could be delayed. Netflix, which has been spending aggressively to expand globally, has said it planned to "run around break-even through 2016" and then deliver profits. "I think there's been pent-up demand for Netflix outside of the few geographies they were available in previously," Brian Blau, research director at Gartner, told . (Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee, Anya George Tharakan, Lehar Maan in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty, Maju Samuel and Sriraj Kalluvila) The CSR spending of the BSE 100 companies have gone up by almost 75 per cent to Rs 5,240 crore in 2014/15 compared to Rs 3,000 crore in the previous year. However, in a report released by corporate governance advisory firm Institutional Investor Advisory Services India Limited (IiAS), the total spending in 2014/15 is still 26 per cent below the prescribed limit of 2 per cent spending of the three-year average pre-tax profits of the companies. Under the companies Act 2013, it is mandatory for companies above a certain financial threshold have to spend at least 2 per cent of their average net profits of the preceding three years on corporate social responsibilities. In a study of the pattern of spending by these companies, IiAS found that most of the money is being spent in projects related to hunger, poverty and health care (Rs 1,497 crore) and education (Rs 1,466 crore). Environmental sustainability and rural development-related projects attracted funds to the tune of Rs 540 crore and Rs 470 crore, respectively. Many companies chose to contribute towards Prime Minister's relief fund (Rs 61 crore) and some also contributed towards Swachh Bharat Kosh (Rs 47 crore). Though the companies are supposed to spend 2 per cent of their average three-year net profit on CSR activities, the government has decided not to take any action against those which fail to do so. Instead, they have asked the companies to explain why they have failed to spend the stipulated amount. According to IiAS report, public sector companies have been the worst performers with only 63 per cent (Rs 17,000 crore out of the stipulated Rs 27,000 crore) of the stipulated amount being spent on CSR activities. Promoter-owned companies were the best performers with 85 per cent of the stipulated amount being spent on CSR activities. The most common reason for failing to meet the mandated spending limit is "Funds committed but not spent". As many as 22 companies cited this as the reason for their inability to comply with spending limit norms. As many as 18 companies have cited delays (in implementation, project identification, etc) as the reason for not meeting with the spending limit. IiAS noted that "the regulatory framework for CSR is a step in the right direction as it encourages companies to broaden their remit beyond their immediate stakeholders. However, CSR needs to be sustainable for it to continue to enthuse corporates and to have meaningful long-term impact". The auto industry got no respite, with the Supreme Court extending the ban on all diesel vehicles of 2000cc and above. The apex court rejected a joint plea of several carmakers to allow registration of diesel run 2000 cc and above capacity cars and SUVs in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR). On December 16, the apex court had ordered a temporary ban on registration of diesel vehicles with engine capacity of 2000 cc and more till March 2016. The automobile manufacturers had moved the Supreme Court seeking modification of the court's December order banning registration of diesel vehicles in the capital. The most aggrieved companies like Mahindra, Toyota and Mercedes Benz India had appealed against the ban on large capacity (2,000cc+) diesel cars and SUVs. These three automakers are the most hit by the ban with most of their best sellers vehicles going off the shelf in the NCR. Mercedes-Benz India said in an official statement: "The supreme court today gave a patient hearing to our submission and while upholding the ban, has agreed to hear from us with further documentary facts on the matter. We hope for a favorable verdict in the next hearing as Mercedes-Benz vehicles not only comply with the regulatory limits (BS IV), they do so with significant margin." While Indo-Japanese carmaker Toyota Kirloskar Motor said, "Auto companies will now have to share their response on why they claim diesel is not polluting. Our understanding is that if BS I/II/III vehicles are phased-out, it would be more effective in controlling pollution than restricting registration of new BS IV vehicles. All these issues will come up for detailed discussion in the next hearing on January 20", said T S Jaishankar, deputy managing director (commercial), Toyota Kirloskar Motor." The matter is expected to be taken up on January 20 for further discussion. Power Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday exuded confidence that all states will join UDAY after Jharkhand became the first state to sign an MoU to avail benefits of the scheme meant for revival of debt-laden discoms. "All states will come on board. It's an optional scheme. Therefore, they get the confidence that we are not trying to impose anything," Goyal told PTI in an interview. "Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojna (UDAY) is not decided in this (ministry) office. UDAY scheme has been created or crafted with great deal of consultations and collaborations of all the stakeholders. I think it is a living example Team India Prime Minister Narendra Modi has envisaged," he said. Jharkhand on Tuesday signed an agreement with the Power Ministry to join UDAY, which is seen to offer the state a net benefit of approximately Rs 5,300 crore. The central and state governments and JBVNL (Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Ltd) signed the memorandum of understanding under the scheme - Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojna - on Tuesday for operation and financial turnaround of JBVNL. The signing ceremony was held in the presence of the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Raghubar Das. Goyal said that as many as 15 states have agreed to join the scheme covering 90 per cent of total power distribution companies' debt (Rs 4.37 lakh crore). Earlier in the day, terming UDAY as a win-win scheme for all, Power Secretary Pradeep Kumar Pujari said most of the MoUs will be signed in the next few weeks. Asked whether UDAY will resolve all issues related to the power sector, Goyal said, "There is never a one-size-fits-all solution. Therefore, within UDAY, we will innovate when it comes to each state." Explaining further, he said, "The beauty of UDAY is it allows that kind of flexibility to work together with states for better solutions. But the end objective is 100 per cent affordable energy access 24x7 to every citizen of India." Goyal put a premium on transparency, saying, "I am holding myself and all of us responsible and you will be monitoring our performance. I am going to put MoUs in the public (domain)." The entire ministry is working on transparency. "I am quite confident that it will be a big solution to most of the problems," the minister added. He also threw open the scheme to those states that have not unbundled their transmission, generation and distribution business and find it difficult to join the scheme. "They can go for UDAY. The element of transferring debt from discoms to states will not apply to them. But they will enjoy all other benefits," he clarified. There are some 12 states and UTs which are facing this issue. Goyal underlined the need for a dialogue with the states and have a separate dispensation. "We will bring them on board hopefully this fiscal or maybe, in the next six months. They are smaller states or UTs and the pressure is not so immediate also," he noted. New figures from business and credit risk analyst, Vision-net.ie, show that sectors hit especially hard by the recession showed marked signs of improvement in 2015 as start-ups increased and insolvencies decreased. Total start-ups, which includes companies and businesses, were up 8% on 2014 (46,950 compared to 43,605). Dublin was the centre for start-up growth in 2015 and accounted for almost 47% of all new start-ups. Cork and Galway placed second and third, followed by Kildare and Limerick. In 2015, construction sector start-ups increased by 24%, from 1,323 to 1,643; hospitality by 11%, from 1,150 to 1,278; manufacturing by 19%, from 790 to 937; and utilities by 131%, from 64 to 148. Overall in 2015, the professional services; wholesale and retail; and social and personal services sectors were the three most popular for new start-ups. Furthermore, professional services start-ups rose by 11%, from 4,589 in 2014 to 5,104 in 2015; wholesale and retail by 21%, from 1,808 to 2,191; and social and personal services by 18%, from 1,555 to 1,835. Managing Director of Vision-net.ie, Christine Cullen said, "Over the last two years our data has pointed to an emerging recovery, however this recovery has now become tangibly visible within the wider economy. This week alone we have seen Exchequer tax returns over 4 billion ahead of 2014 returns and unemployment data which shows the number of jobless at its lowest level since 2008. "Sectors that were impacted the most by the downturn, like hospitality and construction, have shown remarkable resilience, bouncing back from low levels of growth and high levels of insolvency. While extremely positive, the challenge for these sectors in the period ahead is to achieve sustained and balanced growth to avoid another boom-bust cycle." Source: www.businessworld.ie An EU initiative to drive growth in the SME food producers sector, led by Institute of Technology in Tralee, is calling on micro, small and medium food producers in Ireland to share their views and inform a key set of funding recommendations to the European Commission for the sector. TRADEIT has been engaged in an EU wide consultation with small to medium enterprise (SME) Food Producers since 2013, via 9 hubs, to identify the innovation opportunities, needs and challenges of traditional food based enterprises. The final phase of the project involves the completion of a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) for the sector which will be presented to the European Commission. More than 150 small Irish food producers have been actively involved to date, 850 in total across 9 EU countries. More than 90 per cent of some 1,100 food producing companies in Ireland are SMEs representing a greater regional spread than with any other manufacturing sector. The European food sector is made up of over 300,000 companies and 4.2 million employees and is Europes largest manufacturing sector delivering 14.6 per cent of total turnover with a value of greater than 1000 billion per annum. Ninety eight per cent of the firms involved are SMEs accounting for 52 per cent of turnover and 64 per cent of employment and have an average of 14 employees. The sector has a positive and growing trade balance (28 billion) but is highly fragmented and in terms of world market share the EU is underperforming. The TRADEIT project, which has been funded by the European Commission aims to address this by targeting the traditional food sectors to identify the specific research and innovation needs of traditional, craft and ethnic food producing SMEs to create visibility and a platform for directing future funding and policy actions towards these smaller enterprises. TRADEIT lead at IT Tralee, Dr Helena McMahon says, "The outcomes presented in the draft Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) following almost three years are not as anticipated. It is clearly evident that the needs of these small to micro-SMEs differ greatly from the larger food industry and require specific innovation supports and actions. "We urgently need further feedback from micro and SME food producers to ensure that their needs are met. This is a unique opportunity for small Irish food producers to share their views. Its an opportunity to take control, drive their own support agenda and influence the shape of future funding in 2020 and beyond." Source: www.businessworld.ie It was announced today that the Taoiseach will lead a trade mission to The Netherlands and Germany this week, where his programme will focus on increasing export markets, advancing trade opportunities and attracting investment. Representatives of approximately 90 Irish companies will participate in events on the Taoiseachs programme. It is expected that a number of new deals and partnerships involving Irish companies will be announced during the visit. Today, the Taoiseach will attend a Bord Bia event to promote exports to the Netherlands by Irish food companies. In the afternoon, he will visit the European Space Agencys main research centre, where a number of innovative Irish companies are seeking to exploit technology transfer. The Taoiseach will also address an Enterprise Ireland gathering on the economic recovery and the growing business opportunities for Irish and Dutch companies. Later in the week, he will meet with senior executives of a global food corporation with operations in Ireland, and will tour a major pharmaceutical construction project outside Amsterdam involving a number of leading Irish engineering and construction firms. The Taoiseach will then travel to Dusseldorf, where he will meet with Irish SMEs looking to grow exports to the German market and will address a business networking event in the citys Industry Club. Furthermore, the Taoiseach will meet senior executives from a number of German companies with significant operations in Ireland and will speak at an event to promote increased Irish beef sales in Germany. Source: www.businessworld.ie Finnair that it will expand its service between Helsinki and Dublin for summer 2016 it was announced today. It will go from a daily service to nine flights a week. This will mean an additional 1,800 seats between the two cities for next summer helping to boost leisure and business travel from Finland to Dublin and Ireland. Finnair offers excellent connections from Asia including from Hong Kong and from cities like Beijing and Shanghai in China and Delhi in India bringing even greater connectivity to Ireland for prospective holidaymakers in those markets. CEO of Tourism Ireland, Niall Gibbons says, "Todays announcement by Finnair is more good news for Irish tourism, as we kick off our 2016 promotional drive. Not only will it help grow visitor numbers from Finland, but this expanded service will offer greater connectivity from other important tourism markets, including Asia and the Middle East. "We will continue to co-operate with Finnair to maximise the promotion of their service from Helsinki to Dublin. As an island, the importance of convenient and competitive flights cannot be overstated they are absolutely critical to achieving growth in inbound tourism." Source: www.businessworld.ie Oil prices dropped over 2 percent towards its 11-year low on Tuesday, as traders shrugged off growing tensions between two of the world's biggest oil producers and focused instead on a stronger U.S. dollar and swelling U.S. crude inventories. Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran collapsed in acrimony this week after the Kingdom's execution of a Shi'ite cleric set off a storm of protests in Tehran. On Tuesday, Saudi state news agency reported that four armed men set on fire a bus transporting workers in the nation's oil-producing Eastern Province. Instead of fanning fears of a disruption in supplies, however, some Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries delegates said the rift could exacerbate oversupply concerns by quashing already faint hope on a cut in output. The oil market fell under additional pressure from a firmer U.S. dollar, which gained 0.5 percent to hit a one-month high as traders sought safer havens, and signs of a further swell in already record U.S. inventories. Brent crude prices fell 80 cents to settle at $36.42 a barrel. Prices hit an 11-year low of $35.98 a barrel just before Christmas, capping a year where the benchmark's value dropped by more than a third. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude slipped 79 cents to settle at $35.97 a barrel. The discount for U.S. WTI crude versus Brent widened by some 25 cents after a report that BP Plc was planning work at a large crude unit at the 413,5000 bpd Whiting, Indiana, refinery, effectively backing more crude into the Cushing, Oklahoma hub. U.S. crude inventories fell 5.6 million barrels last week, American Petroleum Institute data showed. At Cushing, stocks rose 1.4 million barrels. Prices pared losses by around 30 cents afterwards, but slipped again afterwards. With so much production globally and healthy inventories, rising geopolitical risks appear muted, according to Matt Smith, director of commodity research at ClipperData. "These two elements are serving as not one, but two security blankets for the market, assuaging any potential supply fears." A Reuters survey found that OPEC oil output fell in December. Yet, OPEC production was pumping close to record amounts, signalling few signs that producing members were choosing to reign in output that has pushed prices to 11-year lows. Iran said it was prepared to moderate its output and exports, once sanctions are lifted, to avoid pressuring prices, a senior National Iranian Oil Co official said. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie Twitter Inc is building a new feature that will allow users to post tweets as long as 10,000 characters, well beyond its current 140-character limit, technology news website Re/code reported on Tuesday. An expansion of the limit to 10,000 characters would allow a tweet of more than 1,000 words with spaces between words and punctuation. For comparison, Lincoln's Gettysburg Address was 272 words, and President John F. Kennedy's inaugural speech was 1,366 words. Twitter may launch the service toward the end of the first quarter but has not set an official date, Re/code said, citing sources familiar with the plans. They said the character limit could change before the final version of the product is unveiled. Jack Dorsey, the company's co-founder, who returned as chief executive in October, in a series of tweets did not say whether Twitter would expand the limit. But he did call it "a beautiful constraint." He added that the company has seen more people sharing screenshots of text, which are a way to get around the 140-character limit. "We're not going to be shy about building more utility and power into Twitter for people," Dorsey wrote in a screenshot of text that was longer than 140 characters. "As long as it's consistent with what people want to do, we're going to explore it." The micro-blogging website, in an attempt to keep the current look for the Twitter timeline, is testing a version of the product that displays 140-character tweets but expands to reveal more content when users click on the tweet, Re/code said. Twitter has been experimenting under Dorsey to make the service more engaging. In the few months since Dorsey returned, Twitter introduced the 'Moments' feature, added polls to tweets, rolled out a "buy" button and replaced its star-shaped "favorite" icon with a heart-shaped icon called "like." Twitter has come under increasing pressure to boost user growth and ad revenue. It had its slowest user growth in 2015 - it now boasts just over 300 million users - and was eclipsed by photo-sharing app Instagram, owned by Facebook Inc, which surpassed 400 million users last year. On Tuesday, however, some users took to Twitter to express their opposition to the possible longer tweet with the hashtag #beyond140. "Just say no to #beyond140!," Andrew Wright tweeted. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie Utah's movement to transfer federal public land to state control is getting attention because of the occupation of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon. (JayPowell/morguefile) SALT LAKE CITY The armed occupation of buildings on a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon puts a spotlight on similar arguments about who should manage public lands that have been brewing in Utah for years. In 2012, the governor signed the Utah Transfer of Federal Lands Act, which authorized the state to seize more than 31 million acres of public lands by the end of 2014. The U.S. secretary of the interior rejected the idea and the land remains under federal control. Now, several Utah state legislators are looking at suing the federal government. John Downen, senior research analyst at the Kem. C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah, coauthored a 2014 study of whether the state can afford to manage the federal lands. Our conclusion was that it depended on the prices of oil and gas, he said. Under the assumptions in our analysis, the state would be losing money on managing the lands. Downen said the current price of oil is below even the worst-case scenario used in the analysis. The study also found the state would have trouble putting out wildfires without the resources and expertise of federal firefighters. Mark Clemens, manager of the Utah Chapter of the Sierra Club, said most Utahns want their public lands to be managed with recreation and conservation in mind. This has been argued in federal court, literally dozens of times, he said. Theres no question except in the minds of certain extremists and demagogues about the constitutionality of the federal government managing the public lands that belong to all of us. Nonetheless, a vocal minority continues to push the issue. In 2015, San Juan County Commissioner Jim Lyman was convicted of several charges including conspiracy after leading a group of people on all-terrain vehicles onto a BLM archaeological site in Recapture Canyon. The text of the Transfer of Public Lands Law is online at le.utah.gov. The study on land transfer is at higheredutah.org. Unseen yet unaccepted: Budapest's Muslim Community Published on January 6, 2016 en fr it es de pl Anti-Islamic feelings in Europe are experiencing an increase after the Paris attacks last November. Even those Muslim communities that are so small as to be barely perceived face discrimination. The case of Hungary's capital Budapest shows how such sentiment can be incited by the government as well as local populations and how it affects those individuals concerned. Two women in hijabs, two policemen, and Amir a Pakistani Muslim now in his third year living in Hungary. He stands next to the armed officers on a tram in Budapests city centre. "Look there", he overhears one of them muttering in a low voice, glancing at the women. Checking a Twitter feed as usual on his way to work, it strikes him: scrolling through news of the latest terrorist attacks around the world as a bearded, apparently "foreign" man, can be a dangerous activity when a Hungarian policeman is looking over your shoulder. Trying his best to look as inconspicuous as possible, Amir lets his smartphone slide back into his pocket. Amir is one of very few Muslims living in Hungary. Due to the modest size of the community, the official 2011 census did not even list Islam when enumerating the country's religions. In the words of Timea Szabo a Hungarian humanitarian worker, journalist and former member of the National Assembly There is no Muslim community in Hungary. According to figures from 2010 from the Organisation of Muslims in Hungary the number hovers somewhere around 32,000. Although many migrants move on to the West or North of Europe, numbers have risen due to the influx into the country last summer. As stated by Sulok Zoltan Szabolcs, president of the organisation, no problem exists from a legal standpoint as Islam in theory has the status of a recognised religion in Hungary. "However," he explains, "sometimes there are very anti-Islamic sentiments." Threats are common content of the mosques email inbox. The most glaring example of violence towards the community dates back to 4 years ago. During evening prayers, several cars parked on mosque property were set on fire. Even though the police were called and arrested someone that same night, the incident was not declared a hate crime, because the building itself was not attacked. "This is a sign that your case is not taken seriously," Zoltan continues, "Such incidents receive a lower priority than if, for example, they happened within the Jewish community. Then it would be a very big case." The use of language "In the Hungarian media, the tone is getting worse," says Zoltan, leaning back in his chair in his office, "We decided not to lodge a complaint or go to court against very anti-Islamic articles, because normally no consequences are taken by the authorities and it is just a waste of money. He makes clear the importance of language in the public area. The imam does not even consider there to be a significant difference between the right-wing and left-wing media in their depiction of his religion. Zoltan smirks ironically when mentioning that the extremist right-wing party Jobbik was formerly pro-Islam because they wanted to make friends with Iran. He also judges political sympathies to be too inconsistent: You dont have to take them seriously. The governments actions in May this year also brought rhetoric into politics more than ever. Billboards funded by the ruling government appeared in public places all over the country baring anti-immigrant as well as anti-Muslim slogans, all in Hungarian. They were emblazoned with slogans such as: "If you come to Hungary, don't take the jobs of Hungarians!" Zoltan believes that this was something to turn public opinion against refugees before most of them even arrived in the country. They also worsened attitudes towards minorities living in the country already. As Prime Minister Orban's government indicated, its billboards were part of a voter survey on immigration sent to all adult Hungarians. After the survey had been conducted, the UN human rights office powerfully contested questions such as: "Do you agree with the Hungarian government that support should be focused more on Hungarian families and the children they could have, rather than on immigration?" It condemned such questions as highly suggestive. Thomas, a volunteer for Migszol the Migrant Solidarity Group of Hungary confirms this view: Everyone is thrown together immigrants, Muslims, terrorists. They say its never about the beard According to Amir, Muslims also face various examples of indirect discrimination. When he came to the country, he had to find a job after leaving a refugee camp. After a few months of searching, he realised he was probably not going to find one even though he had a masters degree in political science from a Pakistani university. In his opinion, the reason was discrimination against Muslims. When they saw my name, they didnt even invite me for an interview," he explains, "And even if they did, they would later ask me to get rid of my beard. For Amir, this was unacceptable due to his religious beliefs: When I told them I would not shave the beard, they did not give me the job. Even though they always blamed it on something else, I knew it was because of the beard. Zoltan also confirms that many of his Muslim friends from Arab countries face difficulties finding jobs. Try to find a job with a headscarf," he says, "It is very difficult. Many companies have a dress code and you wouldnt fit it. Men cant find jobs because of their names or their origin. A mixed outlook for the future Although such incidents are worrying for the Muslim community in Budapest, there are some silver linings. "Hungarians dont get physical as long as you dont," Amir explains, "Street violence is very uncommon in Hungary, at least in Budapest." "Dont forget that in Hungarys capital, you still have quite a multicultural society," adds Mustafa, a non-practising Muslim living in Budapest, "If you look at smaller cities, youll see people being much less tolerant. In some of these places, the nationalistic movement is very strong." Two conditions seem to be vital common denominators for a brighter future for Hungarys Muslims: increased safety and a lack of fear. If only so Amir can scroll through whichever Twitter feed he wants to on the tram. When is hurricane season? Here's what you need to know in South Texas Jephson SHARE By Chris Ramirez of the Caller-Times Oil prices continue to take a major beating in the global marketplace, but energy companies shouldn't panic, a consultant and multinational management expert told local business leaders Wednesday. They'll rebound, she said. When exactly? Well, that's anybody's guess. Mary Jo Jacobi Jephson has spent more than 30 years discussing energy, finance and government in both the United States and Europe. Jacobi, a nonexecutive director for The Weir Group, an engineering company in Scotland, was the guest speaker at the Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corp.'s annual general meeting and investor luncheon. Jacobi was special assistant for business liaison to President Ronald Reagan and later served as assistant U.S. secretary of commerce during President George H.W. Bush's administration. Jacobi, a Mississippi native, acknowledged the anxiety among those in energy circles as crude prices have plummeted roughly 60 percent in the last 18 months. The decline, though good for consumers, has hurt many in the industry by forcing them to dramatically scale back production and reduce staff. Jacobi blamed the trend on both political instability in the Middle East and an energy market flooded with oil from crude-producing nations, which now includes the United States. That won't be the case forever, she said. Prices eventually will rebound because consumers are reluctant to give up on gas-burning vehicles and other conveniences that require fossil fuels. "We've been through this before. We just have to ride it out," Jacobi said. "It's a challenging and cyclical business." West Texas Intermediate crude on Wednesday traded for $34 a barrel, compared with $107 in June 2014. The Port of Corpus Christi will be key to helping the Coastal Bend benefit once oil prices bounce back because of its deep-water access and nearness to the Eagle Ford Shale energy play, she said. Last week, the first of what is likely to be many foreign-bound cargo vessels left the port for Italy. The shipment is believed to be the nation's first export cargo of U.S.-produced light crude oil since the 40-year-old ban was lifted. "You were the first," Jacobi said. "You should be tremendously proud of that." In other news, the Regional Economic Development Corp. released the names of its new board of directors. Gabe Guerra, president of Kleberg Bank, was named chairman of the organization's board, succeeding Al Jones, president of American Bank. Adam Smith, senior refinery optimization engineer for Valero Energy Corp., was named vice chairman, and Bob Blair and Toby Futtrell were appointed treasurer and secretary respectively. Philip Ramirez, principal and corporate president for Turner, Ramirez & Associates Inc., a Corpus Christi architecture and planning firm, was tapped to be fill the board's investor position. Twitter: @Caller_ChrisRam Doc McGregor collection The bascule bridge is up as a ship passes through the entrance to the port turning basin in 1935. The bridge served the city for more than 33 years, after it was constructed in 1926 to span the port entrance. The 97-foot opening was a tight squeeze for the larger ships. Corpus Christi residents got to know the bascule bridge very well before they were done with it. Bill Walraven, the late longtime columnist, described it as "a dark, dingy affair, painted black and covered with a heavy coat of grease to protect it from the salt air. Sirens sounded mightily when it was about to be raised and barriers with flashing lights barred both vehicular and pedestrian traffic." It was a great day when the bascule bridge was opened to traffic on July 30, 1926. Riding across in the first car, a new Buick sedan, were Mayor P.G. Lovenskiold and Navigation District Chairman Robert Driscoll. Two months later, on Sept. 14, 1926, the port was opened with a momentous celebration. The new turning basin must have looked gigantic to the residents and the new bridge was a massive structure compared to the little wooden bridge that had spanned Hall's Bayou. It was not given a formal name, but was known as the bascule bridge. People asked Who was this Mr. Bascule? But the name referred to the type of counterbalanced lift bridge that was called "bascule," French for seesaw. This unfamiliar term became a very familiar one in South Texas. The bridge weighed 1,500 tons. It was 121 feet long and 52 feet wide. It was so finely balanced that two small electric motors could raise it 141 feet into the air in a minute. It had a walkway on one side, streetcar tracks in the middle, and railroad tracks on the port side. It was built by Wisconsin Bridge & Iron and cost the city $406,000. People were pleased with the new bridge spanning the port entrance. The siren that signaled an approaching ship would bring out the curious, who would park their cars and watch as the bridge began to swing up and out of the way for a ship coming in or going out to the sea. Doc McGregor, the ubiquitous photographer, would ride it up, to get bird's-eye photos. Bill Walraven was going to ride it up, but backed out. He said he didn't want to get his clothes greasy. People gathered at the bascule got a close look at passing vessels. As Walraven wrote, "You could almost reach out and touch the ships. People waved to the seamen on deck as they scurried about, preparing to dock the ship." There has always been something intriguing about great ships coming in from the sea, some mystique about the nearness of shipping, the smell of salt air and perhaps that imagined smell of tar and hemp and distant ports of call. But the bascule soon lost its mystique as it became outdated. It was built for smaller ships, a smaller port, and a smaller town. In five years it came to be seen as a bottleneck for traffic, a menace to navigation, and a hindrance to progress. It could take 12 to 30 minutes for a ship to clear and while that was happening motorists were stalled on both sides of the bridge. They became impatient and watched as a ship moved slowly across the bay "like a painted ship upon a painted ocean." Day after day the siren would sound, the red lights flash, and the bascule would rise to the occasion. Children liked this interlude. They could play beside the cars and watch the arriving and departing ships. Some adults found the experience exciting but for others it seemed that going to anywhere from anywhere meant a long delay because of Mr. Bascule. As ship traffic increased so did the necessity for raising the bridge. Drivers would get angry and frustrated. The insults they yelled at bridge tenders could get technical and they would tell them what they could do to themselves. One tender Leon Kirksey said drivers called them "things that aren't in the Sunday school books." If the bridge was an annoying nuisance for motorists, it was an outright danger for ships. The 97-foot opening was a tight squeeze for vessels with a beam of 70 to 80 feet. Originally, the U.S. Corps of Engineers opposed building the bascule because they felt that the 97-foot opening would prove to be inadequate for the larger ships being built. But the city, which was paying for the bridge, said $400,000 was all it could afford. It was a mistake the city would pay for. The Port of Corpus Christi became notorious in shipping circles for what pilots and captains called threading the needle. Capt. O. Nillson, from Oslo, Norway, skipper of the ship Fernland, said, "Corpus Christi is a fine, beautiful city, but that bridge I don't like." Another captain, John Peter Dekker, of the Dutch freighter SS Almdyk, said of the tight squeeze, "It scared hell out of me." One local pilot who made a living threading the needle, said it was really tough in the winter, with a choppy sea, trying to bring in an empty ship. "It bounces around like a bubble, and it's a pretty bad business; you can't see the bridge piling when the empty ship is riding so high." Newspaper archives are full of stories about ships that collided with the bridge or brushed against the sides of the protective fenders. The bridge was closed for 10 days after it was hit by the SS Youngstown in 1931. Part of the wooden hull of the Constitution, Old Ironsides, was scraped off when it smashed into the bascule in 1932. In 1933 the city tried, and failed, to get the Public Works Administration to finance building a new lift bridge. It tried and failed again in 1936, asking the PWA to fund digging a toll tunnel. The city revived the effort to dig a tunnel in 1941, but dropped the idea with the start of World War II. After the war, an idea was discussed to reroute the ship channel around North Beach, but it was too costly and the obstacles insurmountable. When raised to its full height, the bascule was like some great black albatross hanging over the port entrance. And the city, like the bascule itself, was poised with its own devilish balance. It couldn't afford to replace it but, if the port and city were to prosper, it couldn't afford to keep it. (This is the first of two columns on the bascule and Harbor bridges.) I'm beginning to rethink this whole open carry thing. That's the new Texas law that, since Jan. 1, allows licensed Texans to carry a handgun openly. Maybe I'm wrong thinking that a state full of pistoleros is just crazy. After all, more than 800,000 Texans can't be wrong. That's the number of licenses to carry firearms now in the hands of state residents. I'm just trying to figure out why I would want to openly carry a pistol. I never thought I'd look back with nostalgia to the days last year! when Texans could only carry weapons if they were concealed. That at least had an element of moderation. Since Friday, however, somebody can sidle up to you and be carrying a .38 caliber in a holster and not have a badge of some sort. I support the Bill of Rights in all its glory: right to be free of unreasonable searches, the right to a trial by jury, the right to free speech, the right of the press, the right of freedom of religion and, yes, the right to have a firearm. Some might want a European society where firearms in the hands of the general public are extremely rare or heavily controlled. But we are not Europe. Our history is different, especially our history with firearms. But should that difference mean that we should all be carrying our shooting irons openly among polite company? Used to be that brandishing firearms was like using profanity. You only did it with certain companions. You didn't do it around your mother, your wife and anywhere else where it might make people uncomfortable. There was a place and a time for that kind of stuff. Otherwise, you put away that deer rifle or the shotgun you used to shoot birds. If not for safety, then just to show good manners. Profanity is now just another way of communicating and if you don't like it, well, tough cookies. And I can wear my Glock at all hours of the day or night and wherever I want. Why? Because I can. I don't rule out that there are situations where carrying a firearm might make sense. Maybe I'm carrying thousands of dollars in one hundred dollars bills in a suitcase. I once spent a sleepless night worrying about having the proceeds of a school carnival in the house before it could be deposited. A friend of mine who dealt in gold and silver used to regularly transport sacks full of such coins in his vehicle. He never carried a gun. But maybe he should have. A couple of weeks ago we heard noises in the night and thought we had a burglar at the gates. We called the police. They arrived in quick order, searched everything, even adjoining streets. They didn't find anything, but their professionalism, more than any gun, made me feel safer. I have to believe that openly carrying a weapon is not just meant to relieve the gun owner of the nuisance of always trying to conceal the thing. Openly carrying a handgun is meant to send a message. But what is it? Gun advocates say that having a significant portion of the populace openly wearing firearms will make us all safer. But apparently the only ones who feel safer are the gun wearers. Major Texas businesses such as H-E-B and Whataburger have banned open carry from their locations. They say their customers would feel anxious and uncomfortable with fellow customers who are wearing holstered weapons. My guess is that more businesses will exercise their right to ban either, or both, conceal carry and open carry. Weapons remain barred from schools, polling places, racetracks, jails, secure areas of airport and any business that gets most of its revenue from selling alcohol. (Who would have thought that if you want to be in a gun-free environment, you have to go to a saloon?) With posting, guns are banned from hospitals, nursing homes No gramps, you can't take your Smith and Wesson churches and amusement parks. Advocates were right when they told us that nothing much would happen when Texans could carry concealed weapons. There has been no huge spike in shooting deaths as a lot of us feared since conceal carry became the law in 1996. Gun homicides in Texas actually fell about 40 percent through 2012, according to PolitiFact, which noted that the drop in Texas gun homicides is part of an overall drop in crime nationally over the same period. So go ahead and wear that pistol if you need it to feel safer. I think I'll pass. Nick Jimenez has worked as a reporter, city editor and editorial page editor for more than 40 years in Corpus Christi. He is currently the editorial page editor emeritus for the Caller-Times. His commentary column appears on Wednesdays and Sundays. SHARE At least 73 children have died as a result of influenza in Texas over the past five years. Seventy-three needless deaths that likely could have been prevented if more Texans had gotten their annual flu vaccine. Because misconceptions abound regarding what the flu actually is, every minor sniffle and cough is referred to as "the flu." But the virus' severity cannot be understated: It kills an average of roughly 23,000 people in the United States each year more than all other vaccine-preventable diseases combined. Vaccination is the best defense we have against the virus, but not enough people are getting shots. The flu shot is one of the Centers for Disease Control's least-adhered-to recommendations, with only half of eligible Texans and two-thirds of Texas children receiving the annual dose. When vaccination rates are broken down even further, only a disappointing 34 percent of adults 18 to 49 were vaccinated against flu in Texas last season, not even close to the U.S. Health Department's Healthy People 2020 objective of 70 percent. Taking time out to go to the doctor or pharmacist might seem like a pain especially around the busy holiday season but there are good reasons the CDC recommends everyone over age 6 months get the vaccine every year. Influenza is a rapidly mutating virus, and the vaccine formulation is often adjusted to protect against new strains. Plus, your body's resistance to the virus weakens over time; an annual shot ensures peak protection and shields you from the latest strain. Another excuse often used for not receiving the flu shot is a concern that it may not work. For example, because the flu virus mutated early last year, the 2014-2015 flu shot had a lower-than-average effectiveness rate. This year's vaccine formulation appears to be a much better match, closer to the typical 50 to 60 percent rate of effectiveness. Half as likely you'll get sick might not seem worth the hassle but health experts disagree. The most important thing to keep in mind, though, is that getting yourself vaccinated is not just about protecting you. It's also about protecting anyone you could pass the contagious disease on to even if you do not have any symptoms. If that person is a child under 6 months, a pregnant woman or immunocompromised or someone who cares for them it can prove fatal. Lowering your chances of getting the flu also reduces the likelihood of infecting those most vulnerable to hospitalization and death as a result of the disease, such as a child. And that's a different story. That's why the flu shot should not be an afterthought and why Texas' current adherence rate is not acceptable. Seventy-three deaths. With safe and effective flu vaccines available, this number isn't just devastating it's shameful. It's time for Texans to step up and take personal responsibility for the role they play in protecting our communities. Get a flu shot today. Do it for Texas' kids, and do it for yourself. Anna C. Dragsbaek is the president and CEO of The Immunization Partnership, a nonprofit organization based in Houston. This piece originally appeared in TribTalk, a publication of The Texas Tribune. SHARE One of the many mottos of great cowboys is, "Any man can get thrown off an untamed horse but it takes a real man to get back on it and tame it." I think it is fair to say that Premont ISD has been thrown off the horse a couple of times over the last five years as we have struggled with regaining our footing in the academic world. I would be lying if I didn't admit to a whirlwind of a month and half since Nov. 17 when Premont ISD received the letter from TEA Commissioner Michael Williams advising the district of his decision to revoke the district's accreditation and order a school closure. Considering our struggle and the fact that this was our second such letter in four years one might think the "untamed" horse had won and the district should start preparing for the transition. However, there is another old cowboy saying, "You can either go cry in the truck or cowboy up!" Well, in Premont the cowboys/cowgirls don't give up until the horse is tamed. Not because we are stubborn but because Jada, Dillon, Frank, Ruben, Samantha, Elisa, Maria, and all the PISD students deserve a quality education in their own community. On Dec. 2, a delegation of PISD leaders marched into Austin to appeal the Commissioner's decision. This task was not as difficult as one might think when one considers the hard work, dedication, and results garnered by our faculty, staff and, most importantly, students over the past couple of years. Our team presented some basic facts: First, our students have seen academic increases, especially over the past year and a half. When examining the STAAR/EOC scores of all students, all tests we have seen increases in all subjects. Half of those increases have been double digit gains. We just haven't been able to reach those magic numbers necessary to meet standards. However, we have experienced growth. A statistical data analysis of our students' academic progress concluded that the students at our secondary campus, grades had experienced two or more years of academic growth and our elementary students experienced one year of academic growth last year. We are on a projected path to "Meet Standard" as a district this year. Even more exciting is the measured academic accomplishments of our students in the early childhood grades. Our pre-kinder-2nd graders have been demonstrating above-average gains in the areas of literacy and comprehension in the past year. Secondly, we explained the importance of the PISD/TAMUK Alliance which has only been in existence for two and a half years. (It was signed on April 22, 2013 and was initiated in the 2013-14 school year.) This historic alliance has been responsible for many of the initiatives that have impacted the academic programs offered at PISD as well as building capacity of our teachers, thus the quality of the instruction in the classroom. This alliance, when it is given time to succeed, could lead to legislation as well as volunteer efforts of collaboration between schools identified as "Needing Improvement" and education departments in colleges and universities across the state. Thirdly, and related to the PISD/TAMUK Alliance, are the two grants the district has received that will bring over $8 million in programs and services over the next five years to our students. These programs include academic, social, psychological, and after-school services. They will also provide more academic resources to provide our students with research-based, authentic learning instructional services. Finally, we spoke of a different PISD that exists today compared to years past. Today's PISD has a set of systems that holds adults responsible and accountable for successfully teaching our students. Our systems include progress monitoring procedures that lead to real time modifications, if necessary, of our program to address our students' needs in a more efficient and effective manner. Today's PISD administration, faculty and staff are committed and dedicated to developing successful learning systems, a positive educational environment, purposeful systems of assessment and accountability and students prepared for a successful and productive postsecondary life. On Dec. 15 the district was notified by TEA that our appeal was granted and the Commissioner's decision would be abated through the 2016-17 school year. A final decision will be made after the 2016 financial and academic ratings have been finalized. This past Monday, the PISD Board of Trustees met in a special meeting. They unanimously approved and signed the Agreed Abatement Order. While there are a few minor stipulations in the agreement, which the district will meet, the most important is the requirement to meet academic standards this year. This means the next round of STAAR/EOC exams this coming spring will determine the future of PISD past 2017. While the PISD community appreciates the gift of the extension from TEA and takes a minute to celebrate, we understand that now comes the true test of a real cowboy/cowgirl. We MUST tame this academic horse now. Running to our trucks and crying is not an option in Premont. In true cowboy style we are going to cowboy/cowgirl up and do everything we can to make the grade and remain PISD cowboys/cowgirls for generations to come. The futures of Otilia, Michelle, Mando, Michael, Rebecca, Jesse, J.R., and their approximately 450 classmates depend on our success. #ComeAndTakeIt! Just over a year has passed since John Jay joined Fast Retailing as president of global creative. The move was in one way a dramatic change for Jay, who had been at Wieden + Kennedy since 1997. At the same time, it was a homecoming: Jay started his career in the fashion business at the US retailer Bloomingdale's; and Uniqlo was one of the first brands he worked on when, back in 1998, he established Wieden + Kennedys presence in Tokyo. He has remained a friend of Fast Retailings chairman, president and chief executive Tadashi Yanai ever since, and it was ultimately Yanais vision and ambition that he says led him to join the company. When inspired, Jay seems impulsive. For example, the decision to lead Wieden + Kennedy Tokyo himself came on the spur of the moment; he initially went to Tokyo to interview candidates. And before joining Fast Retailing, he had been in discussion with Yanai about being a Wieden + Kennedy client again. Jay says he was looking to make a dramatic big step in his careeralthough at the time he was not sure what that might be. The talks with Yanai rekindled a fire. I had this revelation: why not just join them, he says. A brief history of John Jay 2014 President of global creative, Fast Retailing President of global creative, Fast Retailing 2013 President, ECD and partner, GX President, ECD and partner, GX 2003 Global CD and partner, Wieden + Kennedy Global CD and partner, Wieden + Kennedy 1997 ECD and partner, Wieden + Kennedy Tokyo ECD and partner, Wieden + Kennedy Tokyo 1993 Creative director, Wieden + Kennedy Portland Creative director, Wieden + Kennedy Portland 1980 EVP and director of marketing and creative services, Bloomingdale's So thats what he did. In-house creative roles remain rare, and Jays is still taking shape. He is becoming involved in product design, which he says requires intensive study of the different channels and brands, and is responsible for setting the tone of the company and its services. He describes the job as very unusual much more than that of a typical creative director in that he is involved in so many aspects of the business, things that will benefit the company for years to come. Although Jay has responsibility for all brands under Fast Retailing, which include Helmut Lang, Theory and Comptoir des Cotonniers, his current focus is very much on Uniqlo. He continues to live in Portland, Oregon, which makes sense given that the US is a priority market for Uniqlo and one where its visibility is still relatively low. But he travels to Tokyo every month and even when not in Asia finds himself engaged in spontaneous conversations with Yanai at all hours of the day, often at 3 or 4 am, on topics that range from business to politics to Banksys new exhibition. Sleep, it seems, has always ranked low on Jays to-do lists. John Rowe, MD of Wieden + Kennedy Tokyo, recalls that when he worked at the agency in Portland and lived across the street from it, he would usually see the light of a single officeJaysburning late into the night. Personal background Born Columbus, Ohio Columbus, Ohio Lives Portland, Oregon, and Tokyo Portland, Oregon, and Tokyo Interests Vintage cars and modern art Vintage cars and modern art Little-known fact Has lived and worked in a Chinese laundry At Fast Retailing, Jay certainly does have a lot on his plate and is even involved in the establishment of a global logistics centre alongside Daiwa House, a construction company, in Tokyos Ariake district. The aim is to take Fast Retailings online retail business to a new level. On paper, he says, I work with Yanai on anything creative. That means anything. Now, realistically, Ive got my hands full on the future of Uniqlo. The brand continues to perform well in Asia, especially China and Korea, but in October announced that it had missed its financial target for the year of a 200 billion (US$1.6 billion) operating profit by around 35 billion ($286 million) largely due to over-hasty expansion in the US, where it is still a relative newcomer. Raising its profile there is seen as key to global expansion, and Jays first major piece of work since he joined aims to educate people on what Uniqlo stands for. Considering the imaginative use of digital platforms that Uniqlo is known for in Asia, it looks surprisingly traditional: full-page newspaper ads, including a signed letter from Tadashi Yanai, outlining Uniqlos ethos as a Life Wear brand as well as his great respect for the US as a country. The ads are backed by the Life Wear Book, a premium print product that at first glance looks like a well-produced brochure but is actually much more meaningful. It showcases the clothes, but also seeks to humanise the brand and explain how it fits into daily life, while highlighting its status as a global yet Japanese brand. This approach includes essays by endorsers, among them sportsmen like Kei Nishikori and Adam Scott, Chinese actress Ni Ni, Columbia University professor and anthropologist Laurel Kendall, and kabuki actor Ichikawa Ennosuke IV, who writes: Traditions should not be preserved. Rather, they should be broken. Any time there is too much focus on preservation and on protecting something against change, that something loses more and more of its vitality. Just as surprising is the amount of detail given on the technology behind the products. Articles such as A jean generation, for example, outline Uniqlos reinterpretation of Japans traditional indigo dyeing process, aizome; Powers of warmth uses diagrams to elaborate on the companys Heattech fabric. Life Wear was 20 years in the making, Jay says. This is just the beginning. Were only just starting to talk about it in a concise wayEvery ad so far has been some expression of Life Wear. The [newspaper] letter came from a truth because Mr Yanai speaks openly about America and the things he admires, the ability to dream big. Jay says that cracking America is not a marketing issue. He acknowledges that it is very much about knowing the consumer inside out. Its a complete thinking process, he explains. Its not just a case of making cool ads or building new stores [the company currently operates 42, having opened 17 in the last year alone]. Its basically a question of what is the strategy and what is the vision. Were working that out every day. Jay at the Portland Art Museum 2015 Johnny Le (Johnny-Le.com) Where Jay makes his expertise felt most strongly is perhaps in linking the brand to contemporary culture. At Fast Retailing, he is closely engaged in building creative R&D centres. This is partly to facilitate product innovation, but more importantly as a way of ensuring the brand is able to interact with the people it makes things for. These are not simply about how we can make a new fabric, he says. Its also a case of do I really understand the fabric of the community. I spend a lot of time talking about cultural connections. We see evidence of many great brands that lost their way, not solely because they lost their sense of culture, but thats part of it. They were no longer part of the zeitgeist. Zeitgeists come and go; here [in Tokyo] theres a new one practically every weekend. How does one ensure their brand doesnt lose touch? Theres no easy answer. Its hard work, Jay says. But part of it is just personal. I love interesting people, to have dinner with interesting people. I bring my personal connections into communities. The art of the salon is something I learnt a long time ago. [While at Wieden + Kennedy] I would hold cultural salons all over Asia, making sure the guests were diverse. We would have beatboxers alongside fashion designers and financial journalists. As popular as it is, Uniqlo has its challenges. Indeed, its mass appeal spawned the term 'unibare' several years ago among Japanese students, essentially mocking the wearer of Uniqlo clothing for their mainstream tastes. Jays aim to strengthen the brands ties to more interesting cultural movements, even subculture, is justified and perhaps even overdue. Doing it for a big brand like Uniqlo might not be as easy as for a small, creatively acclaimed agency. However, having the full support of someone like Yanai, a highly creative leader in his own right, is a big help. Hes a tremendous dreamer but one who puts those words into action and makes them become reality, Jay says. He keeps pushing the finish line further out. For any creative person, to have the opportunity to partner with someone in management like that is extraordinary. The new office opens officially next Tuesday (12 January) and will be headed by current Greater China CEO Simone Tam and chief creative officer Jeffry Gamble, both of whom previously held top leadership posts at DDB Group Hong Kong before joining Mcgarrybowen to oversee the Shanghai office early last year. Since then, they have landed clients including Intel, Estee Lauder, The Cheesecake Factory and Kangshifu Juice. The Hong Kong launch continues the agency's strategy of growing its international network. Last year, Mcgarrybowen, in partnership with parent company Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN), acquired Same Same But Different and Manghamgaxiola. Evidently, the network is building on Tam and Gamble's background in the Hong Kong market. "We are so familiar with HK already due to our career and industry roots here while at DDB and Tribal," Tam told Campaign Asia-Pacific. "We needed at least a year [in 2015] to focus on China and familiarise ourselves with the market. We can now devote more time to HK." The new Mcgarrybowen Hong Kong office will launch with a roster of clients in the food and beverage, consumer products, and financial services sectors, said Tam, who was unable to name them individually. "We have seen that clients are somewhat getting a bit tired of the way big agencies work, and are using small shops," said Tam. "Big agencies are still very good at strategic planning but lacking the know-how to execute digitally, so clients complain about non-integration in the big agencies. Small shops are not getting involved in the strategy and ideation process they need to do great work. But we are positioning ourselves as being able to bring the best of both worlds together and hand pick talent whom we believe meets both ends of the stick". A lot of 4A agencies have legacy issues so it is harder for integration to happen, added Gamble, who envisioned that the agency will never become too hugealways under 100 people in Asia. The resources of DAN will set Mcgarrybowen apart in the scramble for new business, Tam asserted. "What I'm observing is that clients will typically choose two big agencies and one boutique one to throw in the mix for pitches," she said. In the first year in Hong Kong, the aim is to recruit 30 to 40 employees to service four to five clients. "We want people who are wired for digital, because a full-service boutique agency like us means that digital solutions needs to be at the forefront of creativity," said Gamble. When asked about business and revenue targets for the new office, the duo said there is "no set plan right now" but "we're going with the flow". | BY Ricki Green | To launch Tiger White in Malaysia, Tiger Beer has put its It all starts with White platform to the test and given beer drinkers the chance to be part of a major creative production unlike any in history. Tiger Beer partnered with Droga5 Advertising in Australia alongside production company, The Sweet Shop to conceptualise the Coaster campaign, the agencys last work before closing their Sydney office. Coaster is the first-ever film to be conceptualised, crowd-sourced and produced by consumers using beer coasters. In December the 14-minute movie premiered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and garnered rave reviews from guests. A suspense packed thriller, the film centres on the adventures of a young chef who is asked to cook for the same mobster that murdered his father 18 years before. International director Baltasar Kormakur helped collaborate on the production of the film, serving as mentor and guide to the budding filmmakers. The Coaster project is part of a campaign for the launch of Tiger White Beer in Malaysia. Customers from bars across Malaysia were encouraged to unleash their creativity and pen their best ideas and plots on beer coasters for the chance to be part of the unique film production. We are delighted to unveil what is possibly the most revolutionary platform ever used to produce a film. We drafted regular bar hoppers and transformed them overnight into filmmakers, with white beer coasters serving as mini-screenplays, storyboards and entry forms. Malaysian consumers are extremely savvy and creative, and we were excited to launch this contest in such a receptive, dynamic market, said Mie-Leng Wong, Global Brand Director at Tiger Beer. Tiger White, Asias wheat beer, was introduced in Malaysia this November. With the brand belief, It all starts with white, Tiger Whites advertising message is that anybody can create anything they want, if they have the courage to start with a bold, first step. The production of any film, no matter how big, starts with a clean white page, a blank canvas. This is where creativity begins. At Tiger, we asked ourselves, what would be our beers symbolic white page? The coaster, of course, added Ms. Wong. According to David Nobay, Creative Chairman of Droga5 Australia, Our teams have spent considerable time in production across Asia, working on Tiger Beer. One thing really came through to usjust how much creativity is alive and kicking on the streets; from Ho Chi Min to Hong Kong and Singapore. From fashion to technology, the region feels even more on fire right now. We were keen to put all that urgency and spontaneity to work across a single creative platform and were really pleased how quickly Malaysia grabbed the baton first with the launch of Tiger White, and now through the debut of the worlds first film to be created on coasters. The Coaster filmmaking contest took place through October and November when thousands of coasters were distributed around Malaysias most popular bars. The coasters served as entry forms for the public and creatively-inclined participants, and online entries were also submitted through TigerCoasterFilm.com. The winning participants were assigned a wide variety of roles including director, scriptwriters, actors, stylists, assistants, and even runners for the production of Coaster. To make the experience more exciting, the acclaimed international director Baltasar Kormakur was brought into the project to help guide and mentor the bar hoppers-turned-film crew. Kormakur directed the Hollywood blockbuster movie, Everest, which opened the Venice International Film Festival earlier this year. Starring Jake Gylenhall and Keira Knightley and based on real life events, Everest follows the travails of mountaineers trapped in a blizzard on Mount Everest. I was invited by Tiger to take on a mentoring role in this film and Im a big believer that you can achieve anything you want regardless of where you come from whether its Iceland or Malaysia. If you dream big, you can achieve big. Ive had to scale mountains and even swim in the North Atlantic Ocean for my other movies, but this is my first time to recruit people to make a film from beer coasters, said Kormakur. The winners of the Coaster filmmaking contest included individuals and professionals of diverse background and skills. Cho We Jun, a banker turned director, was selected as the director of Coaster. He said submitting his application and eventually being selected marked a turning point in his life. Not long ago I was working in a bank, following a path I didnt want to take. Ive made a few films before but none like this. I never imagined working with a director like Baltasar Kormakur to produce a film on this scale. The entire crew has been amazing said Cho We Jun. We come from all walks of life bankers, engineers, flight attendants but we all stepped out of our comfort zones and produced something that we are all extremely proud of. Nikolas Cheah, who was selected to be the production assistant and runner on the film set, commented, I hope our project inspires others to pursue their dreams, no matter how far-fetched they may seem today. Through this contest, Tiger challenged us to take our creativity to a whole new level. Many of us will probably stick to our regular day jobs, but we will always relish this rare, once-in-a-lifetime experience to be part of a movie that the general pubic will get to see. Tiger Beers Ms. Wong concluded, We were overwhelmed by the tremendous response to our project. Its heartening to see that todays generation isnt bound by traditional rules and theyre courageous enough to test new experiences. Whether its planning the night ahead or pondering someones future career everything starts from a fresh, white slate and the most brilliant ideas or opportunities can come from anyone, anywhere, at any time. Client: Heineken Asia Pacific/Tiger Beer Product: Tiger White Agency: Droga5, Sydney Creative Chairman: David Nobay Creative Director: Andy Fergusson Copywriter: Gavin Chimes Art Director: Leslie Sharpe Senior Business Director: Richard Sweetman Head Of Content: Holly Alexander Production Company: The Sweet Shop Director: Cho We Jun Executive Producers: Wilf Sweetland/Daniel Ho DoP: Tan Teck Zee Art Director: Lee Tze Loong Editor: Pan c/o VHQ Post Post Production: VHQ Malaysia Wednesday, January 6, 2016 at 8:50AM Samsung unveiled yet another generation of its Galaxy Gear S2 smartwatches as part of its CES event in Las Vegas. Showing off two new editions including an 18K rose gold version and another in platinum, the wearables will have NFC for Samsung Pay contactless payments. While the Tizen powered Gear S2 will work with Samsung phones and certain Android-powered phones, Samsung has also made their latest wearable compatible with iPhones. The extent of the compatibility is still unknown but at least Samsung has made it possible for more uses to consider their Gear S2 devices. "As soon as the clothes came off everyone got very social and I think it has to do with the fact that we were forced to make eye contact because you don't want to look anywhere else. Because everyone was in this strange, funny, completely surreal experience people bonded really quickly," he said. [Your Business Name] Contact Info Phone: Fax: Email: Web: CAPITOLHILLCUBANS.COM Business Overview Geographic Area Line of Business Brands We Carry Products and Services Discounts Offered Additional Information Business Hours Timezone We Accept The deliveries for the first batch to start this month, and will be completed by the end of 2022. S Shreyash Oct 19, 2022 Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact. Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here. Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing. You are our people. You Care. We Care2. Toyotas conclusion after more than two decades of research on autonomous and automated driving is that the driver must remain the most important decision-maker in the car. Its an interesting point of view that leaves room for interpretation on the degree of autonomous driving future Toyota vehicles will have. The Japanese company seems to go against the tide on this issue, as its rivals are determined to bring self-driving vehicles to the streets by 2020. We believe that it should be the driver that is at the center; the driver should take the initiatives, Toyota s managing officer for vehicle control systems, Moritaka Yoshida, told Autonews Europe. Think about airplanes. They have an autopilot, but when it comes to important operations, the pilot will always take over and the system will support the pilots maneuvers. So the same with the cars, the driver should be at the center, Yoshida added. The executive said Toyotas research in the field will continue at a very high level, with the very significant distinction however the company will offer automated, not autonomous, driving systems. Its a very different strategy than Google s, which promises to bring autonomous driving technology to the market within five years. By 2020, Daimler and Nissan said they will offer autonomous cars , while GM said its cars will have a self-driving feature that can be switched on and off. However, GM doesnt expect fully driverless cars to be a reality for many years to come, according to Michael Robinson, a GM vice president who oversees global regulatory issues. Lets just hope that when autonomous cars do become a reality for the consumer, they dont have anyelectric/software glitches . By Dan Mihalascu PHOTO GALLERY The new China-built Envision crossover wont be Buicks only premiere at next weeks Detroit Motor Show, as brand officials hinted at a second surprise debut. Speaking to The Detroit News, Duncan Aldred, U.S. vice president of Buick, said: We have a very special program, and we had a surprise last year, so well see if we can do something this year as well. At the 2015 Detroit Motor Show, Buick revealed the Cascada Convertible and the well-received Avenir luxury concept car. While GM wont divulge what they have in store for Detroit, speculation is rife as to what it could be, ranging from a new Verano built on the latest Astra and replacements to the Enclave SUV and Regal sedan, to an Opel-based concept car. Kelley Blue Book analyst Akshay Anand suggested to the publication that Buick may show a production version of last years Avenir study or a similarly large sedan to sit on top of the new LaCrosse. . I think they need some flagship sedan to get people excited about the brand, he said. However, as pointed out by The Detroit News staff, Buick officials told reporters in November that, for the time being, the LaCrosse would be the brands top model. Recently, Buick trademarked the Tourx and Regal Tourx names, which point to a taller riding station wagon, and specifically, Opels Insignia Country Tourer. Note: Photos are of the new 2017 LaCrosse from Buicks NAIAS stand Photo Gallery It doesnt have a name yet, but Kias new concept model for the 2016 Detroit Motor Show is a sign for things to come in the Korean brands North American portfolio. Conceived at the automakers California design studio, the concept offers an abundance of advanced technology including state-of-the-art health-and-wellness technology and takes Kias design language in a bold new direction, suggesting styling of a possible future premium large SUV in the brands lineup, said the carmaker in a statement. Kia released a single teaser image of the study that appears to feature suicide-style rear doors. The Korean automaker had pulled its largest SUV, the Borrego, or otherwise known as the Mohave, from the North American market back in 2011, only three years after it went on sale. Its highly likely that Kias upcoming large SUV will share its underpinnings and mechanical hardware with the Hyundai Groups upcoming Genesis SUV. For all the latest news on the next weeks Detroit Motor Show, check out our A-to-Z list. Photo Gallery The top executives of the second largest car maker in the world are coming to the US for the first time since the emissions scandal broke last September and after the civil lawsuit filed against VW by the US Justice Department. VW brand boss Herbert Diess is scheduled to speak at CES on Wednesday and make an appearance at the Detroit Motor Show on Sunday. Matthias Mueller, VWs CEO will also come to the US next week to meet politicians and possibly other officials according to Bloomberg. The news broke after the civil lawsuit filed by the US Justice Department against Volkswagen AG for the installation of defeat devices on some of their diesel models to manipulate emissions tests. This lawsuit could lead to mammoth fines of up to $90 billion for the German company. Volkswagen also has to find a solution with the Environmental Protection Agency about how to deal with the sold cars fitted with the defeat devices. Although Volkswagen has made some progress in dealing with the scandal in Europe, things are still pretty much unresolved in the US. Europes regulators approved the low-cost fixes for 8.5 million engines involved in the scandal -out of the 11 million sold worldwide- with the repairs due to start this month. Experts are saying though that VW will have to spend way more money in the US in order to correct their mistakes. PHOTO GALLERY Cartoon Brew caught up with Dawn of the Croods Hay to talk about how and why his cartoonish 2D prequel series works as bridge to an expanding CGI film franchise, which is about a family that, thankfully for animation, doesnt have to die apart to learn how to live together. Cartoon Brew: The Croods was one of DreamWorks best animated features so far. Whats the plan for adapting it to television? Brendan Hay: The Croods was one of my favorite DreamWorks features as well. I loved how it managed to carefully balance a modern, relatable family dynamic between characters with a cavemans point of view. I love The Flintstones, but it was always about transporting the modern worlds conveniences into its time period. The Croods took the time to create an experience based on how a cave family would live, which surprisingly hasnt been done that often, at least for comedy. The only condition going in was that Dawn of The Croods had to be a prequel, because the next feature film is going to be a sequel. So my thinking went to what the first family sitcom in history might be like. Theres a sentence in The Croods prologue where Eep explained that they used to have neighbors, which sounded like a fun world, so we decided to build that out. What would be The Croods version of The Simpsons Springfield? If we put them into situations that modern families like ours understand and take for granted, how weird, strange or funny could it be? These became the comedy engine that built a whole neighborhood of families and friends around The Croods called Aaah! Valley, named after the last words of its founder. What helped The Croods stand out, particularly in animation, was that it was anchored by Eep, a physically and mentally strong female lead. How does the show plan to handle her? Brendan Hay: Were trying as much as we can to keep that alive. Eep is such a strong female lead, so our show is the prequel to Eeps coming-of-age, which is what The Croods is about. In the feature, shes rebellious from the second we meet her. Dawn of The Croods finds her a few years earlier, before she reaches that place. Shes just starting to realize that she wants to rebel, and do her own thing. But like many kids, shes not yet sure exactly what her thing is. But shes still headstrong and confident, so whatever she does decide to do, she dives in 110 percent. How about the father-daughter relationship? In The Croods, Grug was a stubborn remnant of devolved thinking which almost drove his family to extinction, whereas Eep was forward-thinking and pushed them to survive. Brendan Hay: One thing I really liked about The Croods was that it starred a family who truly loved each other. It wasnt just them taking shots at each other. So were trying to keep that dynamic alive. At the same time, I think what you said about generational difference is very true here. Much of Dawn of The Croods comedy comes from Eep and Thunk, who are often correct because theyre the ones who are starting to think about easier and smarter ways to do things. But in their world, there still is a lot of, Oh, you kids and your crazy ideas! I think its impossible to make an animated family show that isnt in some way inspired by The Simpsons. Thats the bar everyone is trying to reach.Brendan Hay You worked on The Simpsons, and their name has already come up, so Im wondering if the two merged at all while you were conceiving and producing Dawn of The Croods? Brendan Hay: A little bit. We always use The Simpsons in the writers room when were trying to communicate an idea in shorthand. I think its impossible to make an animated family show that isnt in some way inspired by The Simpsons. Thats the bar everyone is trying to reach. We are trying to borrow some of their dynamic, but Dawn of The Croods is also building on the features great action from the hunt at the beginning to squashing and stretching Grug during his reactions to pain. Were trying to be more cartoonish in that way than The Simpsons would be on average. But also, at the heart of our show, and The Croods, is the fact that death could be just around the corner. A lot of Dawn of The Croods humor is about pain or the threat of death, so we really need things like squash and stretch more than other family cartoons. We have to make sure death plays more funny than sad. Speaking of, another thing I loved about The Croods is that, unlike so much family animation, no one in the films family had to die so the kids could learn something. They all got to live and learn together, which is how most families work. Brendan Hay: Exactly! You didnt have that usual thing, where the lead character now has to stand alone. Its like, No, you actually have to learn how to live with your family, and work together. A great, and quite topical, dimension of that dynamic is that The Croods live in a period of significant environmental destabilization. How does the environment, which is where much of films danger came from, play in Dawn of The Croods? Brendan Hay: Because our show is a prequel, the world is a little more brand new at this point. The Croods begins with the whole world coming to an end, so were assuming things start to go really bad somewhere between the end of our series and the feature. So for us, Dawn of The Croods is a slightly more hopeful time, before resources dry up and Grug becomes terrified of the world around him. Its a vibrant, new place the family is still discovering. Also, on a design level, we realized that if we were to completely embrace The Croods initial desert landscape, wed run the risk, especially in 2D, of looking like The Flintstones and other caveman cartoons, or Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner. How do we relate to the film, but still have our own space? The Croods got away from the desert after its first 20 minutes by plunging into a lush, new jungle. We cant do that, so we created some vegetation and crazy rock formations, before the crippling drought set in, to bring in more color and vitality. Can you talk a little bit about where the animation was made. Brendan Hay: Like a lot of DreamWorks shows, we do all the pre- and post-production here, and animate with partner studios. Early on, we weighed the pros and cons of 2D and CG, but opted for 2D for two reasons. One is that we wanted Dawn of The Croods to be cartoonish. On a feature budget schedule, you can make great squash and stretch in CG, but its tougher for television. The other is that, since both our show and the feature will live side by side on Netflix, we wanted viewers to know right away which Croods they are watching. Once we chose 2D, we initially planned Dawn of The Croods to be a Harmony-based show. We were working with Bardel in Canada, but unfortunately we found that Harmony wasnt the best fit for what we were doing. Bardel was a fantastic partner, but because we really wanted to build out a neighborhood around our family, which has six characters, it became tough to use Harmony whenever we got to scenes with more people. So I think three of the first 13 episodes that come out on the 24th were made with Harmony and Bardel, while the rest of them were traditionally hand-drawn with out studio partners in South Korea, EMation, NE4U, and Dong Woo Animation. (Top image: DreamWorks Dawn of the Croods 2015 DreamWorks Animation LLC. All Rights Reserved.) Photo: Facebook He may be way behind schedule, but he is still running harder than ever. Kamloops' Edward Dostaler, or Fast Eddy, has now run, solo, from Victoria to St. John's, Nfld. And he is on his way back, speaking to Castanet from Nova Scotia. Dostaler left Victoria on March 1, 2015, and has run well over 10,000 kilometres completely solo, with no support car. Running all across Canada took me six months and 28 days to complete the first half, one of the fastest times solo and unsupported, explains Dostaler. There are only six of us to make it solo and unsupported. He is running to raise money for research for two causes dear to his heart Alzheimers disease and breast cancer. While the entire run should have been 21,585 kilometres, it has recently grown a lot longer. There are days where I am actually sore, there are days when I can't run anymore and then there are school presentations, says Dostaler. Everyone wanted school presentations because I do talks about believing in one's self, as well as bullying and harassing, the run itself and encouraging kids to be active. Dostaler discovered that without a support car, the additional runs in and out of towns to make public speaking appearances off the main highways, was costing him valuable time and adding dozens of extra kilometres to his trip each day. Extra kilometres that were making the journey nearly impossible. Schools are like deer when you are hunting, they are never right where you want to be, you have to go work for them, says Dostaler. You end up having to do an extra 20 kilometres to do the presentation and by the time you get back to your spot you are exhausted. He decided he needed a car to continue the run, so he flew from Gander, Nfld. back to Kamloops and drove back to Gander, still solo. The car is an advantage as it allows him to get to speaking engagements along the route and provides a safe and stable place for him to store food, clothes and water, but it is also a hinderance as he committed to running the entire way there and back, solo. He now needs to move both him and the car, by himself, the entire way and he has a solution, but it kind of sucks. To ensure he does not cheat, Dostaler now runs and drives the same chunk of road each and every day. For example, from point A he runs 10 kilometres to point B, he then runs back to point A, jumps in the car and drives to point B. He does this over and over and over again each day, which as you may have deduced, means he runs twice the distance required each day and that is, understandably, slowing him down. Is it worth it? Ya, says Dostaler. It is an enjoyable experience, but I am more or less realizing what Rick Hansen said to me. He told it is about awareness and getting the word out there and there will be hiccups along the way. Rick Hansen was eight months behind. He told me if people want to connect with you and talk to you, you are doing a good thing. While he originally intended to make it back to Victoria by this summer, he now hopes to finish the run by the end of 2016. Before he began the run in 2015, he thought the entire run, there and back, would take 344 days he is now hoping to complete it in about a year and a half. I'll probably make it back a year from now, considering there is 20,000 kilometres to run, says Dostaler with a joking grimace. But, I wouldn't have it any other way. I have family and a grandmother who is sick with Alzheimers that I am giving up my time with for. At the end of the day, if you can inspire one person than it is making a difference." Donations are not quite where Dostaler had hoped so if you are interested in his journey or donating check out his website here. Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer Now that Penticton council has approved the relocation of the casino to the South Okanagan Events Centre site, the next step is getting approval from the B.C. Lottery Corporation. Mayor Andrew Jakubeit said they will be sending a letter to B.C. Lottery that council endorses the relocation to the SOEC complex. "We expect that within the next week or two, they would endorse that and give the final green light for Gateway to submit plans to the city," he said. "We then expect they would try to break ground in the early spring, and be up and running by May of 2017." Prior to the special meeting, Monday night, where council voted unanimously in favour of the relocation, public open houses were held. Jakubeit said the overall response from those open houses was 90 per cent approval, as well as the city receiving letters of support. At Monday's meeting, many residents continued to show support, but some in the crowd expressed concerns about parking, noise and the fact the casino will be near a school and the community centre. Jakubeit said if you look at that area, however, the SOEC is already on a busy highway, with commercial development around it, which serves as a buffer to nearby neighbourhoods. Overall, it is the feeling of council the positives will outweigh the negatives. Jakubeit said with the casino relocation they are getting a $25 million investment that will bring jobs. Currently the host local government casino revenue is $1.6 million and that is projected to be $2.1 or $2.3 million because it's a larger gaming space. In addition, with the casino leaving the Penticton Lakeside Resort, the hotel has announced a renovation. "It is spawning other development to happen, and I think that's a good thing for the community," he said. There was also an announcement, Monday, that the city and the Penticton Indian Band (PIB) have reached an agreement that will see the band allow some industrial use on its land in exchange for casino revenue. Under the agreement, the band will zone a portion of its land for much-needed commercial and light industrial uses. In return, Penticton has agreed to share 10 per cent of the Host Local Government (HLG) casino revenue with the band. It's the second such deal in the province. Photo: Kate Bouey There has been a two-vehicle crash at the corner of Pleasant Valley Road and 48th Avenue in Vernon. A small pickup and a car collided around 9 p.m. Tuesday blocking the northbound lane on PV Road and the outer lane heading eastbound on 48th. A witness said a passenger in the car appeared to be injured. A nurse who happened to be passing by administered first aid before the arrival of an ambulance. Both vehicles sustained damage. The truck's canopy lay on the curb in front of the mangled front end of the car. Castanet will provide further information as it becomes available. Send us your news tips at [email protected] Photo: CTV The Law Society of British Columbia is appealing a court ruling in favour of a Christian university that would ban sex outside of heterosexual marriage at its proposed law school. Last month's B.C. Supreme Court ruling quashed the society's 2014 decision not to accredit graduates of the proposed law school at Trinity Western University in Langley. Society president David Crossin says the Court of Appeal should decide the charter issues raised by the case that pits equality rights against religious freedom. Trinity Western requires students to sign a so-called community covenant pledging to abstain from sex outside of marriage between a man and a woman. Law societies in Ontario and Nova Scotia have opposed granting the university accreditation, and rulings on those matters are under appeal. Observers say the case could ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court of Canada. Photo: Contributed - Skylar noe Vack Staff at Blaze King in Penticton jumped into action early this morning as a fire ignited within their building. It is unknown what caused the blaze to ignite within Blaze King Industries Canada, a local company that manufactures wood stoves. Penticton fire crews were called to the structure fire at 1290 Commercial Way at 6:26 a.m. According to a witness, staff had already sprung into action knocking down the fire before fire crews arrived. When crews got on scene they ensured all the staff got out safely, ventilated the building and checked for any fire extension or hot spots. It is unknown how much damage was caused by the blaze. Photo: Contributed - Google Street View Kamloops RCMP are trying to identify suspects wanted in connection with a string of vehicle thefts, hit and runs and one break in. Events began to unfold early Tuesday when police received a report of a stolen Jeep Cherokee from the Curlew Road area in Valleyview. Later in the day, about 4 p.m., a second vehicle was reported stolen in the Cherry Creek area. In this instance, a resident was returning him when he saw his brother's Chevrolet Silverado being driven down the road by an unknown male. It was being followed by a green Jeep. The witness attempted to block the path of the two vehicles, but was struck by both as they fled down the highway, towards Kamloops. When the witness arrived home, he discovered numerous items had been stolen, including several firearms. A short time later, police responded to a hit and run at Summit and Waddington drives involving a Chevy pickup and a Smart Car. The pickup was located abandoned a short distance away. A number of firearms from the break in were found inside the vehicle. Police are attempting to identify the suspects through forensic evidence. Anyone with information concerning the thefts is asked to contact Kamloops RCMP. Photo: Jennifer Zielinski A conduct hearing is now set to take place in March for an RCMP officer, who was suspended with pay from the Osoyoos detachment. The date of the recently scheduled hearing for Const. Amit Goyal, which was not on the list as of late December, is March 8 in Vancouver. Two prior conduct hearings set for July 28 and then Aug. 31 in Vancouver, never happened. According to a news story in The Province, Goyal has also been travelling during his paid suspension, judging from pictures posted on his Facebook page. Goyal was suspended with pay from the Osoyoos RCMP detachment in June of 2013, but the reason why or his whereabouts were not released. His departure followed two incidents involving the officer's vehicles. On Oct. 31, 2012, a 2009 black Audi S5 owned by Goyal was reported stolen from Collision Craft Auto in Osoyoos. The burnt remains of the Audi were discovered in the outskirts of Osoyoos in the spring of 2013. A week later, a 2008 Ford Ranger on loan to Goyal from Collision Craft was also reported stolen. The remains of the burned out Ford Ranger were found several days later, again on the outskirts of Osoyoos. Steve Condon, a former Osoyoos resident who was investigated regarding the car thefts by police officers from Trail, was cleared after passing a lie detector test. Condon, who has since moved to the Lower Mainland, was not charged in the matter. Charges were recommended by the Trail RCMP against Goyal, but were not pursued by Crown. In June, Condon filed a separate lawsuit against Goyal, the RCMP and others. Goyal's whereabouts are unknown, and he could not be reached for comment. Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer It was business as usual at a Penticton business, Wednesday, following an early morning fire. Bryan Rand, the production manager for Valley Comfort Systems, which builds Blaze King wood burning stoves, said a small smoke extraction unit caught on fire, but was quickly dealt with. Deputy Fire Chief Dave Spalding, said the call came in about 6:26 a.m. as a structure fire, but when they arrived on scene they found the piece of equipment, used to filter welding vapours, was on fire. "It pulled in a hot piece of metal that set the filter unit on fire," he said. "The crew just wheeled it outside and put it out. It wasn't much of a fire, just a piece of equipment doing the job it was supposed to do." Photo: Contributed - Wikipedia. A physicians' group in Kamloops is once more sounding the alarm over the proposed Ajax open-pit mine on the southern border of the city. Data from an Environment Ministry air quality monitoring station in the Aberdeen area over the last two-and-a-half months of 2015 shows winds come from a southerly direction 74 per cent of the time. The Kamloops Physicians for a Healthy Environment Society believes the wind direction has implications for the city's air pollution levels in light of the proposed application by KGHM Ajax. Presently, cleaner air enters the upper part of the city from the south - the predominant direction from which winds come, states a society release. The new monitoring site is on the property of the Pacific Way Elementary School about one-kilometre away from the edge of the proposed mine. This means that the school and homes in upper Aberdeen are most often receiving air that has passed over the proposed site of the future mine. This air continues to move down into the city of Kamloops. The group insists dispersion models used in KGHM Ajaxs application must demonstrate wind direction and PM2.5 (fine particulate matter) estimates for the upper Aberdeen site that are in agreement with the new report, which is based on measured Ministry data. If the models cannot replicate the measured data, the models will have no value in describing scenarios for conditions in coming years, states the release. University officials, state and local dignitaries, and members of the campus community celebrated the completion of the new Willard-DiLoreto complex with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Feb. 20. Among the guests was Carol A. Ammon '73 after whom the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is named. The two-year, $63 million project gutted... 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We couldn't find the page you were looking for. Through the gift of The Deaver Phoenix Foundation, the Carson Scholars Fund announces the opening of the Ben Carson Reading Room at Lookout Valley Elementary School. The grand opening ceremony will take place on Monday at 10 a.m. at Lookout Valley Elementary School, 701 Browns Ferry Road. This is the first Ben Carson Reading Room to be created in Chattanooga and the third to be established in Tennessee. The Ben Carson Reading Project is an initiative of the Carson Scholars Fund. The Carson Scholars Fund was founded by retired world-renowned pediatric neurosurgeon and New York Times bestselling author Dr. Ben Carson and his wife, Candy. The purpose of the Ben Carson Reading Project is to create a literacy enriched environment for children to develop their reading skills. The reading project is dedicated to promoting reading as a key to unlocking a childs full potential. Dr. Ben Carson credits reading as being a catalyst to his success. When I was a child, reading allowed me to discover all the opportunities that the world has to offer, said Dr. Carson. There are endless possibilities for students when they discover the joy of reading and learning. If children begin to challenge themselves to soak up all the information they can, they will certainly be able to reach their goals and achieve their dreams. "Lookout Valley Elementary School is honored to be the first school in Hamilton County and the third school in the state of Tennessee to join the collection of superb schools that are already a part of the Ben Carson Reading Project, said Alisan Taylor, principal of Lookout Valley Elementary. It is initiatives like this one that help provide our students of today with the necessary foundation skills so that they may become our scholars of tomorrow. This is the third Ben Carson Reading Room to be sponsored by The Deaver Phoenix Foundation. The Deaver Phoenix Foundation focuses on primary education and in creating environments where children have the opportunity to develop and learn. Shannon Kelley, director of The Deaver Pheonix Foundation said, Everyone will have opportunities in their life, what makes the difference is what you do with those opportunities. Currently, there are 137 Ben Carson Reading Rooms serving students in 17 states and Washington D.C. To learn more about the Carson Scholars Fund visit www.carsonscholars.org. A slice of the worlds most wired city is coming straight to Chattanooga, thanks to Creative Discovery Museums upcoming temporary exhibit, Heart and Seoul: Growing Up in Korea. From Jan. 16 to May 15, guests will ride the Hallyu (the Korean Wave) with the regional debut of this new exhibit that explores the heart and soul of Korean culture. We are thrilled to host this wonderful exhibit and to have the incredible opportunity to establish relationships with the Korean community, said Henry Schulson, executive director at Creative Discovery Museum. We value diversity and view this as a wonderful way to educate our guests about what other children experience growing up in another culture. The exhibit was developed as part of the Freeman Foundation Asian Culture Exhibit Series in an effort to educate children and their families about various Asian cultures. The project was administered by the Association of Childrens Museums and created by the Childrens Museum of Houston. In Heart and Seoul: Growing Up in Korea, five modern-day Korean kids will open their hearts and invite guests to take an intimate look into their lives through their diverse interests, customs and ambitions, including their love of K-Pop and Korean cuisine, their habit of texting to communicate, and even their dreams of being accepted into a good college; their drive is what keeps them studying after school at "hagwon" (or cram school) until midnight. Creative Discovery Museum has hired Cathy Palisoc, a native of Seoul, as a local consultant to help establish a relationship with the Korean community and provide additional insight to the Korean culture. To accurately represent a modern-day Korea, the exhibit gained the support of Koreas most renowned brand and global leader in technology. Samsung helped to ensure the exhibit represents the "inescapable, high-tech feel" of modern Seoul. Through the gift of a variety of Samsung technology, the exhibit displays an authentic modern-day Seoul adorned with the sparkle of electronic billboards, K-Pop studio glitz, smartphones for all-over use, and tablets for learning the language. Samsungs investment in the project includes their specialists installing and transporting the technology for every Museum on the eight-city, four-year tour. The Heart and Seoul: Growing Up in Korea exhibit is truly an admirable showcase of Koreas progressive and dynamic modern-day culture a culture that also uniquely sustains its rich history, said Gregory Lee, president and CEO of Samsung Electronics North America and Samsung Telecommunications America. We hope that our technology integration will not only enhance the visitors experience, but also highlight the countrys vigorous technology advances that Samsung is humbly honored to continue to lead. South Korea is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and a trade and political partner for the United States and other nations. South Korea was the United States' sixth largest supplier of goods imports in 2013. It is enjoying broader influence and receiving greater recognition for its contributions in the realms of arts, culture, and technology. Heart and Seoul: Growing Up in Korea will immerse guests in learning experiences which build understanding of Korean culture to see the differences and similarities between American life and the lives of Korean people. The exhibit is broken down into the following areas: KOREA PLAZA: Hang out with Korean kids and text them questions about what life is like in Seoul. Visit historical and famous sites on an interactive multi-user touch table. Then, launch a kite to fly away the bad luck. KOREA K-POP STARS STUDIO: K-Pop has a huge influence on pop culture in Korea and around the world. Take the stage of the K-Pop TV studio and watch yourself perform with K-Pop stars in front of a 75 TV screen. ANIMATION STUDIO: Did you know The Simpsons, Family Guy, and Avatar were created in Korean animation studios? Check out a stop-motion animation station and draw an animated story. TAEKWONDO STUDIO: Kick, punch and block as you match your moves to Korean children who are experts in this martial art based on 2000-year-old ancient techniques. RESTAURANT: From Kimchi to Korean BBQ, dine in at this authentic Korean restaurant or take on the role of restaurant owner and watch your business boom. APARTMENT: Experience preparations, games and customs for Seollal (Lunar New Year). Try on a hanbok and learn to do the traditional bow, put on a traditional dress, taste New Years foods such as tteokguk (rice cake soup), or play yut nori by throwing sticks and moving tokens around a game board. CLASSROOM: Stories, music and calligraphyit all happens in school. Learn how to speak and write Hangul. Listen to folktales and play the janggu and buk, traditional drums. HANOK GUEST HOUSE: The Jesa Table is a place where Koreans bow in respect to honor their ancestors. Draw an ancestor you would like to honor and bow to experience this tradition. Also, check out the rollup floor mat and view a folk tale. The microcosm is governed by its own laws the rules of quantum mechanics. They describe, for instance, the statistical behaviour of elementary particles. Electrons and all the other constituents of atoms belong to the group of fermions that are never allowed to share identical quantum numbers. This exclusion principle was formulated by the Austrian physicist Wolfgang Pauli in 1925 in order to explain the structure and the stability of atoms. Today, quantum optical experiments provide methods to prove the rules that have been thought of and pressed into elegant mathematical equations in those days. In this regard, scientists in the Quantum Many-Body Division of Professor Immanuel Bloch at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics have made a big step forward. The team around project leader Dr. Christian Gro demonstrated the first direct observation of Pauli blocking, a consequence of the exclusion principle. To this end, they cooled a cloud of fermionic lithium-6 atoms down to extremely low temperatures and loaded the particles into an optical lattice. Since identical fermions are not allowed to occupy the same lattice site each atom is supposed to find its own place. This was exactly what was observed in the experiment with the help of a quantum gas microscope that images atoms with single-particle single-site resolution. Our success is the result of adapting our cooling and imaging methods that were developed for bosons, to the needs of fermions, Christian Gro explains. Our work opens a new avenue for studying quantum correlations in fermionic quantum matter, or to get a better understanding of phenomena such as quantum magnetism and superconductivity. Quantum statistics distinguishes between two fundamentally different kinds of particles. There are, on the one hand, the sociable bosons which condense into a single quantum state at zero temperature. On the other hand, there are the solitary fermions for which multiple occupation of a single state is forbidden. In their work with cold quantum gases scientists have a free choice: particles with integer spins are bosons, whereas fermions are characterized by their half-integer spin. Hence, what kind of statistics, i.e. what social behaviour the atoms obey depends on the total number of their electrons, protons, and neutrons. If the goal is to simulate the behaviour of electrons in a solid crystal with atoms in optical lattices, fermions are, of course, the better approximation. However, in most experiments so far scientists have used bosonic particles since it is, for several reasons much harder to bring fermions down to the low temperatures required. Now, by combining efficient cooling methods with high precision detection the team around Dr. Christian Gro has taken this hurdle in an experiment with fermionic lithium-6 atoms. At first, the atoms are cooled down and caught in a dipole trap. By applying several light-fields the scientists obtain a single plane with a couple of hundred atoms. Now an optical lattice created by interfering laser beams is superimposed. This lattice defines the crystal geometry, i.e. the sites where the atoms are allowed to settle down. The most important and new step, however, was the modification of the quantum gas microscope developed a couple of years ago in the Bloch group. The scientists applied a special cooling method, originally developed to cool ions, to fermions in an optical lattice. Here the quantum mechanical oscillation states of an atom in a lattice well are manipulated in such a way that the atoms are driven into the lowest state, accompanied with a lower temperature. At the same time photons are scattered at the atoms, causing them to light up like tiny nano light bulbs that can each be observed individually. A high resolution microscope objective images the atoms all at once, such that a photographic snapshot of the atomic gas is taken. The measurements show a rather flat distribution in the centre of the trap, with one atom per lattice site. It is important that this distribution arises as a result of quantum statistics i.e. Pauli blocking only, Ahmed Omran points out, doctoral candidate at the experiment. Identical fermions repel each other; there is no other interaction at work. Due to the periodic order of atoms in a solid state crystal the energy levels of the electrons split up into bands of closely neighboured states. If the highest so-called valence band is fully occupied the electrons cannot move, therefore the material is an insulator. The quantum state of the fermionic lithium-system generated in the experiment represents an analogue to that state: the Pauli principle leads to a fully occupied valence band, i.e. to a suppression of conductivity, which manifests itself by a strong suppression of particle number fluctuations detected with the quantum gas microscope. The new technique offers a variety of new possibilities for further experiments with quantum many-body systems made of fermionic atoms. For instance, modifications of the method will make it possible to manipulate even single fermions in the systems, leading to even lower temperatures. There a new antiferromagnetic order is expected to emerge that should be detected and characterized with the quantum gas microscope. Antiferromagnetism is a widely discussed candidate for the explanation of fundamental phenomena in superconductivity. Element 113, discovered by a RIKEN group led by Kosuke Morita, has become the first element on the periodic table found in Asia. Rewarding nearly a decade of painstaking work by Morita's group, a Joint Working Party of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) has recommended that the group, from the RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerator-based Science (RNC), be given recognition for the discovery of the new element. This news was conveyed to Dr. Morita through a letter on Dec. 31, 2015, from IUPAC. In the late 1980s, the group began using RIKEN's Linear Accelerator Facility and the GARIS ion separator, developed by Morita and his group, to explore new synthetic superheavy elements. The work of discovering new superheavy elements is very difficult, and the elements tend to decay extremely quickly -- the isotopes of 113 produced at RIKEN lasted for less than a thousandth of a second. Researchers persevere, however, as the research is important for understanding the structure of atomic nuclei. Scientists hope that the work will lead eventually to the discovery of a so-called "island of stability" where elements with longer half-lives will be found. The search at RIKEN for element 113 started in September 2003, when Morita's group began bombarding a thin layer of bismuth with zinc ions travelling at about 10% the speed of light. Theoretically, they would occasionally fuse, forming an atom of element 113. The team achieved its first success on July 23, 2004, less than a year after starting the experiment. Two atomic nuclei fused, leading to the creation of a nucleus of element 113, which quickly underwent four alpha decays to transform into dubnium-262 (element 105), which then underwent spontaneous fission. Less than a year later, on April 2, 2005, the team saw a second event -- an identical decay to dubnium-262 followed by fission. Though these were good demonstrations, they were not considered conclusive evidence for the existence of element 113, because the decay chain did not demonstrate 'firm connections to known nuclides' (according to the Joint Working Party's 2011 report). The team pushed on with its efforts. In order to create a better picture of the decay chain from bohrium-266 to lawrencium-258, which had not been well characterized, the group performed a new experiment, where a sodium beam was collided with a curium target, creating borhium-266 and its daughter nucleus, dubnium-262. With this demonstration, the grounds for a stronger claim were laid. They just needed to wait to see an atom decaying through the alpha chain rather than spontaneous fission. Following the two initial events, however, the team's luck seemed to run dry. "For over seven years," says Morita, "we continued to search for data conclusively identifying element 113, but we just never saw another event. I was not prepared to give up, however, as I believed that one day, if we persevered, luck would fall upon us again." Then, on Aug. 12, 2012, the group observed the crucial third event. This time, following the four initial decays, the dubnium-262 continued to undergo alpha decays rather than spontaneous fission, transforming into lawrencium-258 (element 103) and then finally mendelevium-254 (element 101). As the chain had been clearly characterized, it demonstrated clearly that element 113 was the source of the decay chain. In response to the new event, coupled with the group's demonstration of the decay chain, IUPAC has announced that Morita's group will be given priority for the discovery of the new element, a privilege that includes the right to propose a name for it. For Morita, then, part of the coming year will be devoted to thinking of and proposing a formal name for element 113, but he is also looking forward to the next step in his research. "Now that we have conclusively demonstrated the existence of element 113," he says, "we plan to look to the uncharted territory of element 119 and beyond, aiming to examine the chemical properties of the elements in the seventh and eighth rows of the periodic table, and someday to discover the island of stability." A Google self-driving car travels in Mountain View, Calif. It'll be years before you can ditch your car and rely on a fleet of on-demand driverless vehicles, but the auto revolution will continue to make big strides in 2016. (Karl Mondon / TNS) We have all found ourselves yelling at a machine, whether it be the TV that doesn't want to turn on or the oven that seems to never preheat fast enough. We fight with the machine knowing very well it is not going to fight back. But this won't last for very long. Self-driving cars are going to be the new machines we'll direct a harsh tone toward, but this machine isn't going to let it slide. Advertisement Google's new self-driving cars are changing the way drivers and pedestrians communicate on and off the road. The company was just granted a patent that will allow the driverless car to better communicate with pedestrians on and off the road. The new patent opens the doors for a variety of communication options between the futuristic car and the typical pedestrians. One of the initial reasons for filing the patent was to make pedestrians aware of the car's next move because there is an element of trust that is lost with switching from human drivers to robot drivers. Despite the advanced technology of autonomous vehicles, it seems as though people trust the natural human instincts that come while driving more than the automatic movements that machines make. Advertisement Mounted screens on the side of the car (with the potential to also appear on the roof, hood and rear) to display to pedestrians if it is safe to cross the street are one avenue of communication that will bridge the gap between pedestrians and self-driving cars. The possible displays on these less-than-obvious screens could be a descriptive text, stop sign signal, or a different traffic sign. But the communication between these oddly shaped robots and pedestrians doesn't stop there. Audible chimes and suggested instructions will accompany these texts and signals to indicate certain messages. Phrases like "safe to cross" or "coming through" will project externally via large speakers to necessary travelers. While these features follow along the lines of what represents a "robot", it would not be outrageous for the driverless car to take on more human characteristics. Imagine a world with driverless car with robotic hands that gestures typical hand motions in everyday trafficand you follow these gestures to keep with the flow of the road. Now stop imagining and look a few years into the future. The patent granted to Google in November 2015 explains how these cars mimic human behaviors through certain mechanisms. To do this, developers of these humanlike vehicles can add robotic hands to make gestures, just like typical drivers, indicating it is safe to cross. But a five-finger hand isn't the only human feature that we can expect to appear in the near future. Robotic eyes on the front of these cars will be implemented to add a different type of 'human-ness' to them. The eyes will allow for pedestrians to understand that the car actually sees them while engaging in traffic. Through speakers, robotic hands, and electric eyes, autonomous cars will encompass human features that will ultimately allow them to communicate with the outside world unlike ever before. These robots are taking on abilities that can open them up to a new world of communication. Talking cars are crazy enough, but being able to make eye contact with a machine and knowing it can respond to a stare is taking on a whole new meaning of artificial intelligence. Nonverbal communication is one aspect of human nature that clearly separates us from the rest of the world, but now that cars can engage in this act, there is no telling what type of relationship we are going to have with robots in the future. If that isn't something you can grasp now, it may be time to start. In remarks at the 2015 Frankfurt Auto Show, the U.S. secretary of transportation said he expects driverless cars will be in complete use all over the world within the next 10 years. LAS VEGAS Chicago, Atlanta and Dallas will get an AT&T smart cities network of free services that could help city officials more efficiently manage and give tools to residents to avoid some common hassles, the communications company said Tuesday. It's part of an effort to build more connected communities thanks to the Internet of Things and alliances of big tech names like Cisco, Deloitte, Ericsson, GE, IBM, Intel, Qualcomm Technologies, AT&T's Smart Cities general manager, Mike Zeto said during a developers summit during international tech show CES. AT&T chose Chicago to participate in its smart cities framework that could allow law enforcement officials to detect gunfire and determine how many people were involved; help city officials better manage operations by remotely monitoring conditions of roads, buildings parks; and let commuters know if traffic lights are out along their routes and remotely view parking meters. Chicago will focus on improving resident engagement, using sensors to maintain infrastructure and making buildings smarter and more energy efficient, said Brenna Berman, the city's chief information officer. "The goal is to better service our residents and to get more out of the budget that we use to deliver those services," she said. Zeto said the program could involve local startups working with the larger companies as well. "We chose the cities based on their propensity to embrace new technology and to have innovative thought leaders within their government, along with the research universities and education systems," Zeto said. Detecting leaks in aging pipes before there's a bust and that makes repairs more costly, or having apps notify residents about poor air quality at parks are among the programs available, he said. AT&T already offers connected utility meters, street lights and water systems, the company said, but it's adding new categories: Public Safety: For better management of traffic patterns for pedestrians at stadiums, parks and busy intersections. Gunfire detection technology, for example, lets law enforcement know where a shooting occurred and helps determine the number of people involved and rounds fired. Infrastructure: To allow for remote monitoring of conditions of roads, bridges, buildings, parks and other venues. Maintenance crews can identify slick roadways during freezing weather or detect bridges that might need repair. Citizen Engagement: Including mobile apps through which folks are provided information to stay better prepared. Commuters can be notified in near real-time if a traffic light isn't working on a route; and they can remotely view parking meters and reserve spaces ahead of time. Transportation: Including digital signage that allows commuters to know in near real-time the arrival time of the next bus or train will arrive, and rent electric bikes at stations throughout the city. AT&T also is developing a new digital dashboard that gives cities a high-level look at their communities' conditions. Officials can watch power outages, water leaks, traffic issues from a single location. Water system sensors, advanced analytics and energy efficiency efforts already have Chicago on the smart city path. AT&T is demoing some of the programs at the developer summit this week. The program will start in particular communities, then scale, Zeto said. "We will work with the city to identify areas in the city and specify problems they would like to solve, and our alliance members will deploy those solutions within the city," Zeto said. Cheryl V. Jackson is a freelance writer. Chicago product designer and crowdfunding veteran Craighton Berman is set to open his own studio in North Park next month, hoping to infuse some life into a strip heavily populated by empty storefronts. Berman signed a lease on an 850-square-foot space at 3251- Bryn Mawr Ave. at the corner of North Kedzie earlier this week, he said. The space, sandwiched between an Asian beauty salon and Sergio's Taqueria & Pizza, will be somewhat of an anomaly on the street. Berman hopes to use it as his studio, storefront and event space, playing host to pop-up and product-launching events. Advertisement "It is going to be a lot of work, I do know that," Berman said. "It's not your typical building (with) Logan Square foot traffic going by being a bunch of young 20-somethings. It's more families. "Honestly, there must be 12 empty storefronts, so I can imagine the foot traffic will only increase," he added. Advertisement As a Chicago maker, Berman has seen some successes. In 2014, he raised $100,000 on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter in 30 days to fund the creation of his Manual Coffee Maker, which quickly developed into a full-fledged business. A coil lamp he designed is on permanent display at the Art Institute of Chicago, and he teaches an entrepreneurial product development class at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He also does illustrations and names companies such as Microsoft as clients. Last month, he launched a new Kickstarter campaign for the Manual Bar Blade, a leather and steel bottle opener that has already drawn the interest of a couple retail locations. Berman said he signed an 18-month lease and is paying about $1,000 per month. Upgrades will start as soon as he is in the space Feb. 1, Berman said. He plans to unleash his illustration skills on the storefront windows, use the front as a gallery, and get people into the shop so they can see how his products work first-hand. "Rent was reasonable enough that it was within the range of what I was already paying," Berman said. "I'd like to make it all my space and grow into it, but if that doesn't work, I have enough experience running coworking spaces" that it could transform into that. Chris Bue, who runs MakerBiz, a 400-person group that meets monthly to discuss product development and inventing, said she expects people will go out of their way to visit Berman's space. "There is such a tactile experience with (physical products) you don't get with digitals, any time you can get customers in the door to get their hands on the product, it adds so much more to the experience," she said. "I think there will be more people in there than you would expect." Ky Dickens, an artist, filmmaker and young parent who has lived in North Park for three years, said she hopes Berman is a catalyst toward transforming that strip along Bryn Mawr into the business district the neighborhood needs. North Park is a neighborhood that feels like a small town inside the city, she said. It's a place where people walk to church on Sunday mornings, host movie nights in the summer for the kids on the block, and invite neighbors over for wine night. Advertisement Northeastern Illinois University and North Park University touch the neighborhood on two sides, and the Chicago River flanks a third. With a steady stream of students and young families passing by, the district should be ripe with businesses, Dickens said. "It takes doers," she said. "The potential for that strip is so beautiful, just because the neighborhood is so concerned about keeping it so economically diverse ... but the community can't meld because there is not a business district." amarotti@tribpub.com Twitter @allymarotti "Of course we want our reporters to be warm and there's nothing wrong with wearing a hat in Chicago," Welsh said. "We just want it to be a hat that looks appropriate. That's what it stemmed from. We'll deal with (Salamone) on it and talk to the reporters to straighten it all out as to what the real intentions are, what our real thoughts are, our policies and what we really want. Chicago Tribune reporter Becky Yerak interviews Peter Haralovich, a Volkswagen diesel owner who is one of the lead plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit filed in Chicago over the rigged emissions tests. Oct. 5, 2015. (Becky Yerak / Chicago Tribune) (Chicago Tribune) The market for used Volkswagen diesel cars shows signs of worsening, and that concerns owners like Peter Haralovich. The Streator businessman owns a 2010 Jetta diesel, one of the models affected by the automaker's September admission that it cheated on U.S. emissions tests. Advertisement Used models involved in the scandal are now taking an average of 155 days for dealers to sell. That's an all-time high since the rigging surfaced and 55 percent longer than groups of comparable cars, according to data released late Monday by Autolist.com, which aggregates sale listings. "You have to ask yourself: What is a car worth that doesn't meet emission control standards?" Haralovich, 67, said. "I'd think it's not worth very much." Advertisement In September, Haralovich became one of the lead plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit filed against Volkswagen in federal court in Chicago. The lawsuit said Haralovich and other owners of affected Volkswagen diesel vehicles will suffer harm and damages because their "vehicles will no longer perform as they did when purchased and will not perform as advertised." "This will result in a diminution in value of every affected vehicle, and it will cause owners to pay more for fuel while using their vehicles," the lawsuit said. Diesel vehicles have been admired for their fuel efficiency. Haralovich recently told the Tribune that, if he ever sells his car, which he bought new in 2011, he worries about his potential liability. "What's my responsibility to the buyer about disclosing the problems with the emissions and whether there could be any repercussions after the sale?" wonders Haralovich, who lives in Bloomington, Ind., but maintains a Chicago residence while representing a European company with Streator manufacturing operations. Autolist also found that used car dealers continue to drop Volkswagen diesel prices to compensate, with list prices about 5 percent below the website's expected price. In the three months or so since the scandal broke, average list prices of affected diesel models are down about $2,000 and are now under $17,000, Autolist said. One 2012 diesel Jetta on Autolist.com is currently listed at $17,588, down from $20,889 on Sept. 24. It has been on the market for 132 days. Swapalease.com, which matches individuals who want to get out of their lease with people who are looking for short-term lease agreements, has found that people taking over Volkswagen vehicles on the online marketplace are down 55 percent since November. Search traffic for Volkswagen on Swapalease.com is down 10 percent. "We still feel that Volkswagen will overcome the current scandal in the long run, but for the time being, consumers remain wary of the brand and clearly are turning their car shopping appetite elsewhere," said Scot Hall, executive vice president of Swapalease.com. Advertisement On Monday, the U.S. Justice Department, on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency, sued Volkswagen in a federal court in Detroit. The complaint alleges that nearly 600,000 diesel engine vehicles, including the model and year of Haralovich's car, had illegal devices installed. The government's lawsuit alleges that Volkswagen illegally installed software designed to make its diesel engines pass U.S. emissions standards during laboratory testing. The vehicles then switched off those measures to boost performance, generating greenhouse gas emissions up to 40 times greater than U.S. environmental standards. Volkswagen admitted in September that the cheating software was included in diesel cars and SUVs sold since the 2009 model year. The company is negotiating a mandatory recall with U.S. regulators. CEO Herbert Diess said Tuesday night at the CES gadget show in Las Vegas that he's optimistic regulators will approve fixes in the coming weeks or months. But the EPA didn't sound as optimistic, issuing a statement Wednesday saying that talks with VW so far "have not produced an acceptable way forward." In December, a federal judge in California was assigned to handle about 500 Volkswagen class actions, including Haralovich's, filed in 60 federal courts nationwide, according to the Clifford law firm in Chicago. Clifford had filed one of the class-action lawsuits in federal court in Chicago. Advertisement Haralovich became a lead plaintiff because he knew a lawyer working with Clifford; Haralovich, who once owned a garage that repaired foreign cars, including Volkswagen, said the lawyer, while in college, worked in his garage. The two have remained friends for nearly 40 years. The 2010 Jetta was the third diesel that Haralovich bought from Volkswagen. "It's really the perfect car for me, because it's a very good road car," he said. "It gets great fuel economy and it delivers a performance that I require for my driving style." He gets about 37 miles per gallon with the car, and his past diesel vehicles have gotten up to 50 miles per gallon. "I'm driving a car that's not technically legal," Haralovich said. Haralovich said he has lost count of how many Volkswagens he has owned. He bought his first one in 1965 as a high school student. Advertisement He has been a fan of the German company's engineering and said he hopes that the company succeeds. "I feel bad that they created this problem for themselves, but it's a great company and a great brand," said the East Chicago native, who wouldn't rule out buying future Volkswagen products if the company gets its act together. Haralovich said he received the diesel "goodwill" package from Volkswagen, which included a $500 Visa prepaid card and $500 in dealership credits, but said that's still "a lot less" than, say, a new car would cost. Associated Press contributed. byerak@tribpub.com Twitter @beckyyerak Larycia Hawkins speaks Jan. 6, 2016, about the notification she received from Wheaton College moving to end her professorial tenure at the evangelical institution. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune) (Chicago Tribune) A tenured political science professor who Wheaton College seeks to fire said the private evangelical school has leveled a number of charges against her, including "her unqualified assertion of religious solidarity with Muslims and Jews." "I'm flummoxed and flabbergasted," Larycia Hawkins said during a news conference at First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple on Wednesday. Advertisement "The charges against me are voluminous about 38 to 40 pages' worth," she said. "But the most shocking and egregious ones are related to claims about my beliefs that is, Wheaton College's interpretation of what my theological beliefs must be based on my statements." Hawkins, 43, announced on Facebook last month that she would don a hijab as part of her Advent devotion to show support for Muslims who had been under scrutiny since mass shootings in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif. Advertisement "I stand in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people of the book," she posted on her Facebook page. "And as Pope Francis stated we worship the same God." Though the college did not take a position on her wearing the headscarf, some evangelical Christians said her statement should have spelled out what makes Christianity distinct from Islam. Not doing so put her in conflict with the statement of faith that all Wheaton faculty members must sign and live out, they said. Within days, the college placed Hawkins on paid administrative leave through the spring semester, pending a review. Though she submitted a theological response to questions about her statement of solidarity, Provost Stanton Jones told the Tribune: "The statement in itself does not resolve all of the issues." Hawkins said the college had recommended she resign. She said the college also proposed a two-year revocation of her tenure, during which time she would continue conversations about the theological implications of her statements and her decision to wear the hijab. Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 16 Larycia Hawkins, center, a political science professor at Wheaton College, talks with supporters Lila Zegar, left, and Fahima Abuzir, right, after addressing media at Chicago Temple on Jan. 6, 2016. The evangelical college has begun proceedings to fire Hawkins over her position that Christianity and Islam share the same God, among other complaints. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune) While negotiations between lawyers for the college and Hawkins' lawyers were still underway, Hawkins received word from Jones on Monday that the termination process already had begun. Among the reasons listed for termination, Hawkins said, were "her unqualified assertion of religious solidarity with Muslims and Jews" as well as statements that Muslims and Christians come from the same clay, and that Muslims and Christians are people of the book and worship the same God. The nearly 40-page memo did not mention performance issues besides concerns about her theology and her unwillingness to continue conversations after submitting her theological response, which she said she had been told would be adequate, her attorney Robert Bloch said. "The notice is not a termination; rather, it begins Wheaton College's established process for employment actions pertaining to tenured faculty members," Wheaton said in a statement. Surrounded on Wednesday by about a dozen Wheaton faculty, alumni and students and dozens of other religious leaders, Hawkins said the college's audacity to question the sincerity of her faith made her question whether its allegiance to uninformed donors trumped its commitment to providing a rigorous Christian liberal arts education for students. Advertisement "I teach at a university that exudes a zeal not only for knowledge and for experience of Jesus but also for experience of the word freedom of thought, freedom of action within the confines of our commitment to live charitably and righteously as Christians," she said. "While Wheaton College can signify that employees sign a statement of faith and adhere to it and I do they did not give me Jesus, and they can't take him away from me." As part of the process, Hawkins will attend a hearing in the next 30 days with the college's Faculty Personnel Committee, an elected body made up of nine tenured faculty members. The committee will hear testimony and evidence from both sides and make a recommendation to President Philip Ryken regarding Hawkins' tenure. While an adviser may accompany Hawkins at the hearing, the college prohibits that person from having a law degree. Ryken then will make a recommendation to the Wheaton College board of trustees. Hawkins said faculty tenured or not should be aware that none of their communication either on social media or in the classroom is protected, which puts academic freedom and higher education in jeopardy. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > "When calling on one member to, over and above every other member of the campus community, answer for a Facebook post that was actually committed to living out the love of Christ and the principles of the statement of faith, no one's safe," she said. "If they're not safe on their Facebook page, they're not safe in the classroom. And that's the end of liberal arts. That's the end of Christian liberal arts That's the end of the academy." Some faculty members at Wheaton are as perplexed as Hawkins by the provost's decision to try terminating the tenured professor. Psychology professor Bill Struthers said many of the faculty at Wheaton could opt to teach elsewhere. They don't because they believe strongly in the school's faith-based mission, he said. Still, they have "legitimate reasons to be asking questions about the process." Advertisement "I've seen the administration act with great integrity on a number of occasions," he said. "That's why this seems so out of character." Hawkins, who appeared at a previous news conference wearing a hijab, appeared without the headscarf Wednesday. She said she took it off after Advent but donned it one more time on a flight from Oklahoma to Chicago on Dec. 30, again to express solidarity with Muslims who encounter profiling in airports. "I actually felt protected in the hijab," she said of the experience. "I felt another layer of reminder to pray and trust God." mbrachear@tribpub.com Twitter @TribSeeker Donna More, a challenger in the Cook County states attorney race, speaks Nov. 24, 2015, at the Bread of Life Church of God In Christ in Chicago. (Brian Jackson / Chicago Tribune) Political newcomer Donna More on Wednesday kicked off her campaign to become Cook County's top prosecutor by attacking State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, with the challenger saying she would have brought charges against a Chicago police officer far sooner in the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald. More did not limit her criticism to Alvarez's handling of what now is the murder case against Officer Jason Van Dyke. She also said Alvarez has done too little to battle public corruption in a county that runs on a "finely tuned system of winks and nods, contracts and kickbacks, jobs here for political favors there." Advertisement "Anita Alvarez has run an appallingly lackluster office for years with delayed prosecutions, wrongful convictions and policies that favor influencers and the well-connected while justice takes a back seat to politics and victims and their families pay the price," More said before dozens of supporters in a rented ballroom at the Hotel Intercontinental on North Michigan Avenue. With that fiery assault on Alvarez, who is seeking a third term, former state and federal prosecutor More began the local post-holiday campaign season in a contest that has attracted national attention because of the McDonald shooting. Advertisement McDonald, an African-American 17-year-old alternative high school student, was killed in October 2014 when a white police officer pumped 16 bullets into his body. Police later said McDonald was lunging at Van Dyke with a knife. A judge ordered a police dashboard camera video of the incident to be released by the city in late November, and Alvarez charged Van Dyke with murder hours before it was made public. The video appeared to show McDonald walking away from Van Dyke, and its troubling images sparked protests and calls for Alvarez's resignation. Protesters have suggested Alvarez should have brought charges far sooner, and More said Wednesday she would have filed them in November 2014 based on the video evidence. Alvarez has said she was investigating the case jointly with federal authorities and was waiting on them to conclude their part of the probe. The criticism and Alvarez's response have become the central issue of the campaign. After More's event, Alvarez spokeswoman Sally Daly defended her boss, noting how difficult it is to convict police officers in misconduct cases. "It is alarming that Ms. More would suggest that this case should have been charged after only looking at the video and without a meticulous examination of all the facts and the evidence," Daly wrote in an email response to questions from the Tribune. Daly also said Alvarez has brought "nearly 200 felony charges in cases involving public corruption or police misconduct" and disputed the assertion that Alvarez's leadership has been "lackluster." Daly listed as Alvarez's accomplishments successful legislative initiatives, alternative prosecution programs and the formation of a new unit to review potential wrongful convictions. Also running in the March 15 Democratic primary is Kim Foxx, a former state prosecutor and chief of staff to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. Foxx also has been critical of Alvarez's handling of the McDonald case. Alvarez became the first Latina to win the office eight years ago, when she won a five-person Democratic primary, and went on to win the general election. Despite Alvarez's incumbent status, the Cook County Democratic Party, in which Preckwinkle has strong influence, did not endorse anyone in the race. Backing More at her event were former First Assistant State's Attorney Robert Milan, who was one of the Democratic primary candidates in 2008; well-known criminal defense attorney Sam Adam Jr. and former Circuit Court Judge Joseph Romano. Also at the event supporting More was ex-gang leader Wallace "Gator" Bradley, a paid consultant to the campaign who has been hired by many politicians as an "urban translator." Advertisement With some loss of Latino and African-American support because of the McDonald case, Alvarez on Wednesday sought to show some strength by announcing that her campaign raised more that $405,000 during the past three months of 2015. In December, More donated $250,000 to her own campaign, on top of $99,000 in contributions earlier from her mother and husband, which lifted contribution limits in the race. hdardick@tribpub.com Twitter @ReporterHal Mayor Rahm Emanuel, seen at a news conference Jan. 5, 2016, accused Gov. Bruce Rauner of using Chicago schoolchildren as pawns in the budget battle in Springfield. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune) Mayor Rahm Emanuel kept up his end of the long-running back-and-forth with Gov. Bruce Rauner on Tuesday, once again accusing the governor of using Chicago schoolchildren as pawns and calling on him to "get the job done" and pass last year's overdue budget. It's the latest chapter in the public war of words between the two old friends and business associates, as Emanuel tries to avert Chicago Public Schools cuts by convincing Springfield to change the way it funds education and Rauner seeks Emanuel's help in getting the Democrat-controlled legislature to carry out his pro-business, union-weakening reforms. Advertisement Emanuel's comments came a day after the governor said he was "very disappointed" in the mayor's handling of police-involved shootings and pledged to sign legislation allowing voters to recall Chicago mayors in the unlikely event the measure reaches his desk. Rauner also repeated his vow not to help Chicago financially until Emanuel helps get the changes the governor wants. As he has repeatedly since Rauner took office, the mayor tried to position himself as being above the fray in Springfield. "As you know, the governor has made comments like that in the past," Emanuel said. "My simple admonition is 'Get the job done, get a budget done.' Advertisement "The children of the city of Chicago are not a pawn in a political game in Springfield to get an agenda done that people don't agree with," the mayor added. "They're not a pawn in a political game, and it's, in my view, a cynical I give the governor credit for being honest about that cynicism." Rauner spokesman Mike Schrimpf later issued a statement in response accusing Emanuel of "playing the tired political game of blaming others for his unwillingness to fix Chicago's finances after more than four years in office because he has not taken on any major structural reforms." Emanuel, who often declines to offer specifics about his private conversations with Rauner, also revealed that the two spoke recently. "I had a New Year's resolution for the governor, because we had a conversation right before the holidays wishing each other well and our families, and that he be able, as a governor, to have his first budget passed before he had to deliver his second address in February." The state has been without a full budget since the new spending year started July 1. Rauner is scheduled to deliver his second budget address to lawmakers Feb. 17. jebyrne@tribpub.com Twitter @_johnbyrne U.S. Reps. Danny Davis, far right, and Bobby Rush, second from right, joined Mayor Rahm Emanuel and CTA President Dorval Carter Jr. at a news conference Jan. 5, 2016. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune) Welcome to Clout Street: Morning Spin, our weekday feature to catch you up with what's going on in government and politics from Chicago to Springfield. Topspin It's Wednesday, Jan. 6, the day after Mayor Rahm Emanuel opposed a federal probe of his Law Department despite a federal judge finding one of his top lawyers concealed evidence in a police shooting. Advertisement The mayor did have some company Tuesday as he continues to try to repair his fractured relationship with African-American Chicagoans. Emanuel brought along two of the city's longest-tenured black officials to make an announcement about an expanded Chicago Transit Authority job program for ex-offenders. Congressmen Bobby Rush and Danny Davis both dismissed questions about whether Emanuel was trying to associate himself with them because of their standing among many of the African-Americans who are angry with the mayor because of his handling of the Laquan McDonald shooting fallout. The lawmakers said they appeared with Emanuel at a West Side CTA bus barn because they back his attempts to give work to people getting out of prison and to improve the city's public transportation system. Advertisement "The one thing I'm very, very proud of, in terms of the Emanuel administration, is the Chicago Transit Authority, because I've worked with them on the whole Red Line renovation," Rush said of the 2013 repairs to the train line running through many predominantly black South Side neighborhoods. "That was very positive for my community, all right?" And Davis pointed out he has long been a supporter in Congress of jobs for ex-offenders. "In politics, you make use of every opportunity. It would have been very difficult for me to say I'm not in agreement with expanding the ex-offender re-entry program when I passed national legislation in 2007 called Second Chance, and when we just re-authorized funding for it a few weeks ago before we left," he said. Rush faces a primary challenge from 21st Ward Ald. Howard Brookins. Davis, meanwhile, faces a potential challenge from two lesser-known candidates. (John Byrne) What's on tap *Mayor Rahm Emanuel has no public schedule. *Gov. Bruce Rauner has no public schedule either. *The City Council Transportation Committee meets at 11 a.m. Agenda here. *In the three-way Democratic state's attorney's campaign, private attorney and former prosecutor Donna More is planning a "campaign kickoff rally" to tell supporters that she will "renounce corruption, cover-ups and passing the buck in the criminal justice system." It's slated for 11 a.m. at the Intercontinental Hotel on North Michigan Avenue. More, who will face incumbent Anita Alvarez and former prosecutor Kim Foxx on March 15, last month blew the lid off contribution caps in that race when she gave $250,000 to her own campaign. Advertisement *Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders' campaign plans to file its nominating paperwork and delegate slate Wednesday, the deadline to do so. Among the names listed are state Rep. La Shawn Ford of Chicago, former Rep. Naomi Jakobbson of Champaign-Urbana and Urbana City Council member Aaron Ammons. From the notebook *Campaign funding limits off in Cook Circuit Clerk race: Attorney Jacob Meister, a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Cook County circuit clerk, has notified state election officials that he is busting campaign donation limits in the contest. Meister broke the caps when he made a $300,000 personal loan to his campaign fund on the final day of 2015, adding to the $37,165 he had previously given his bid. That exceeds the trigger amount of $100,000 that removes limits on campaign donations. Now, all candidates in the race are no longer bound by the $5,400 individual limit or the $10,800 corporate limit or the $53,900 political action committee cap. Meister, along with Ald. Michelle Harris, 8th, Diane Shapiro and former 16th Ward Ald. Shirley Coleman are challenging embattled County Circuit Clerk Dorothy Brown in the Democratic primary. Coleman's petitions have been challenged, and activist Tio Hardiman has withdrawn from the contest. Brown lost the backing of the Cook County Democratic organization to Harris after it was revealed that she was under a federal investigation. (Rick Pearson) *Waguespack weighs in on rep primary: Harish Patel, who's challenging state Rep. Jaime Andrade in the city's Northwest Side 40th House District Democratic primary, has picked up the endorsement of 32nd Ward Ald. Scott Waguespack. "Our state is in crisis. We need elected leaders in the Statehouse who are independent thinkers and committed progressives to get us out of this mess -- not politicians who got there in the first place through political clout and cronyism," said Waguespack, chair of the City Council's Progressive Reform Caucus. Patel, a small business owner and community organizer, is challenging Andrade, who is backed by former Ald. Dick Mell, 33rd. Andrade was appointed to the House seat to replace Mell's daughter, Deb Mell, when she replaced her father as 33rd Ward alderman. (Rick Pearson) *J Street PAC backs Rotering in IL-10: Nancy Rotering, a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 10th Congressional District, has gotten the endorsement of J-Street PAC, a left-leaning pro-Israel group. In a statement, J Street's political director, Ben Shnider, called Rotering "a candidate who understands that hard-nosed diplomacy can succeed in promoting the interests of the U.S. and Israel." Rotering, the mayor of Highland Park, has backed the U.S.-led deal over Iran's nuclear program, something opposed by her rival for the nomination, former U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider of Deerfield. "As a deeply committed supporter of Israel, I believe that the U.S. should work with Israelis and Palestinians to arrive at a two-state solution," Rotering said. Rotering and Schneider are seeking the March 15 Democratic nomination to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Bob Dold of Kenilworth. (Rick Pearson) Advertisement *Raja raises $450,000 in Q4 in IL-8: Schaumburg businessman Raja Krishnamoorthi said he has raised more than $450,000 in the last three months of 2015 in his bid for the Democratic nomination in the north and northwest suburban 8th Congressional District. Krishnamoorthi said the fundraising haul left him with more than $1.25 million as the March 15 primary approaches. Krishnamoorthi is seeking the Democratic nomination along with state Sen. Mike Noland of Elgin and Villa Park Village Manager Deb Bullwinkel. They are vying for the open seat being left vacant by U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth's decision to seek the U.S. Senate nomination. (Rick Pearson) *Delgado drops out: State Sen. William "Willie" Delgado, a Democratic member of the legislature since 1999, abruptly dropped his re-election bid Tuesday. "After careful deliberation, I have decided that it is time to come home to my wife, Iris, and help my only remaining son Adam as he plans for his future," said Delgado, who has served in the state Senate since 2006. "Although I retire from the Senate, I am not retiring from the political arena. We still have much work to do in the city of Chicago, as everyone's efforts are needed to save our public school system, and bring public safety to every community," he said. Delgado, who represents the city's West Side, was facing a primary challenge as well as a challenge to his candidacy petitions. Two others are seeking the Democratic primary nomination, Omar Aquino and Angelica Alfaro, both Chicagoans. Alfaro's petitions have been challenged. (Rick Pearson) What we're writing *Emanuel opposes adding Law Department to federal probe of Chicago police shootings. *Mayor offers New Year's resolution to Rauner: Pass a budget. *Background checks for guns are the norm in Illinois. Advertisement What we're reading *Wheaton College seeks to fire Christian professor over her views on Islam. *Forget the license plate sticker, get a ticket? *Gotta pay those Christmas credit card bills somehow. *Look at the cute gray seal pup born at Brookfield Zoo. Follow the money *Mayor Emanuel moved $21,100 out of his campaign fund to a Chicago carpenters' union political fund on Dec. 31. *The Independent Maps group that's trying to put a statewide redistricting reform question on the November ballot reported another $77,000, led by $50,000 from Christopher Galvin of Harrison Street Capital. Advertisement *State Sen. Don Harmon of Oak Park got $50,000 from the group representing nursing homes. Harmon serves in Senate President John Cullerton's leadership team. On Monday, we reported that the same group dropped the maximum $53,900 to each of Cullerton's three campaign funds. *Track campaign contribution reports in real time with this Tribune Twitter account: https://twitter.com/ILCampaignCash Beyond Chicago *Presidential race, Republican side: GOP operatives worried about Trump, Cruz as nominee. *Presidential race, Democratic side: Sanders attacks Clinton on Wall Street regulations. *Tearful Obama unveils gun control measures. Radio newsman Barry Keefe was known for his deep-bass voice. (Provided by family) Barry Keefe spent 30 years as a news anchor at WTMX-FM and its predecessor, WCLR-FM, bringing an authoritative, deep-bass voice and a friendly, chatty manner to a raft of morning radio shows. "Radio is a gypsy business especially in the cutthroat morning slot but Barry was a constant," said WBBM-AM reporter Bob Roberts. "He had that deep bass, old-school voice of authority yet mastered the art of conversational news broadcasting long before it was common." Advertisement Keefe, 62, died of complications from pancreatic cancer at his Wheaton home Sunday, said his son, former WBEZ-FM reporter and current Vermont Public Radio reporter Alex Keefe. Born on the North Side, Keefe grew up in Niles, Mich. His first radio job, at 17, was at WNIL-AM in Niles. He earned a bachelor's degree in communications from what is now Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich., and he spent three years during college as the news director of the college's radio station. Advertisement After college, Keefe spent about two years as a morning news anchor at stations in Grand Rapids and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, before leaving in 1978 to take a job as the news and public affairs director at what then was known as WCLR-FM in Skokie. Keefe stayed with the station, which took the call letters WTMX in 1989, for three decades through multiple format changes and morning hosts. He was the first news anchor of the popular "Eric and Kathy" show, which debuted in 1996 and is hosted by Eric Ferguson and Kathy Hart. "My first memory of Barry didn't involve seeing him. Fittingly, it involved hearing him his deep, full bass of a voice booming from down the hall," Ferguson said. "That voice, like the man, had a presence. A big voice, but a gentle and kind man with a good heart." Hart said, "While most knew Barry as the consummate newsman, he had this quirky sense of humor and goofy side that I wish everyone could've seen. That is the Barry Keefe I will remember forever." Former Chicago radio newsman Steve Scott, who now is an afternoon co-host at New York's WCBS-AM, said Keefe had a gift for communicating stories to his listeners. "First of all, that voice is the first thing that most people would probably notice about Barry, and it is just a big, beautiful melodious voice, but once you listen more, you would hear that he was a gifted writer and a fabulous storyteller," Scott said. "He didn't just write words on paper, he was telling stories, and I thought he was really good at that." In Keefe's early years at the station, his news staff included Doug Cummings, whom Keefe hired as a rookie reporter in 1980. Cummings, who later reported for WGN-AM and WMAQ-AM before becoming a crime novelist, called Keefe "a raconteur on and off the radio." "Barry matched his (great voice) with writing so skillful he could take the most arcane piece of copy and boil it down to two or three memorable lines," Cummings said. Advertisement Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > Keefe hosted many public-affairs programs at the station, including "Insight," a weekly show that Cummings also hosted. During his career, Keefe won or shared more than 75 awards for his work, according to his family. Some of his honors included winning The Associated Press' award for best enterprise and investigative reporting in 1982, the AP's awards in 1986 for best editorial, best documentary and best public service announcement, United Press International's award for best newswriter in 1991, and the Illinois Broadcasters Association's Silver Dome Award in 2008 for the best public affairs program. Keefe was involved in a variety of volunteer activities, including working to save the Wheaton Grand Theater in Wheaton, forming WTMX's volunteer fair and offering his time to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the DuPage County Suburban Emergency Management Project and the Glen Ellyn-based Teen Parent Connection. After leaving WTMX in 2008, Keefe worked for several years as the assistant director of admissions at the Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago. In addition to his son, Keefe is survived by his wife, Kathy; and another son, Aidan. Visitation is set for 1 p.m Saturday at the Williams-Kampp Funeral Home, 430 E. Roosevelt Road, Wheaton. A service will follow at 3 p.m. Advertisement Goldsborough is a freelance reporter. Chris Christie on Monday repeated a familiar but still bizarre Republican belief about Barack Obama: "We have a guy in the Oval Office who we don't know. He's been serving us for 7 years and we don't know him." Mischief of Faction's Julia Azari put it this way: "It strikes me as a bit similar to Islamophobic remarks about how we don't understand that religion, those people, that culture, etc. Orientalist mystery+panic." Advertisement Yes, one reasonable interpretation of the fixation on "now knowing" Obama is a Republican obsession with race or, as Obama once put it, with "a black guy ... with a funny name." Yet think back to Bill Clinton. What did we "know" about him? For Republicans and his enemies, he was a liar, a philanderer, a draft-dodger, a possibly brainwashed Communist sympathizer, an international drug smuggler, a serial murderer and probably other things I've forgotten but that will be dragged up again in the current presidential campaign. That is: Republicans were not content with Clinton's real faults, but constantly invented new ones, always convinced that if only they uncovered one more "fact," the American people would finally wake up and realize they had been hoodwinked. It's what Republicans now believe about Obama. Advertisement In other words, Republicans who are still obsessed, seven years on, that Obama "wasn't vetted" aren't necessarily thinking the media is suppressing important things about him because he's black. They may simply believe that all Democratic politicians are thugs or worse whatever it is their talk-radio hosts and some politicians are telling them. Thus, if the press hasn't figured out what kind of miscreant Obama might be, then it is clearly missing something important. I'm not saying that race is irrelevant to Republicans' understanding of Obama. It is. After all, Obama isn't just a black president. He's from the same black party that previously elected Bill Clinton. We just shouldn't assume that Obama is uniquely demonized, or that he's the only one perceived as having "secrets" or putting one over on the American people. Our culture believes that individuals, not parties or other institutional actors, drive most of what happens in U.S. politics, especially at the top. So policies that appear obviously wrong-headed (such as Obamacare to Republicans or the invasion of Iraq to many Democrats) seem to cry out for some explanation based on understanding the president himself. Back in the real world, what has been striking about Obama is how little his actions in the last seven years need explanation based on his personal traits. As president he has been essentially a generic Democrat. His policies and priorities are more or less what Hillary Clinton or other major Democratic contenders in 2008 would have pursued if one of them had been elected instead. Consider how few significant fights Obama has had with Democrats in Congress. So we "know" this president just as well as we know any other politician. Or we don't need to know him well to understand his presidency. Bloomberg Leonid Bershidsky, a Bloomberg View contributor, is a Berlin-based writer. AFSCME union members rally outside the State of Illinois Building in Chicago in July 2014. On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court took up an Illinois case that could financially kneecap unions across the country. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) As a child support specialist at the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, my job is to fight for the little ones. Sometimes when parents aren't together anymore, kids get caught in the crossfire. These scars can last well beyond childhood, and they often mean that kids don't get the resources they need to live a decent life. Advertisement So I advocate for these children, hoping that maybe if this process goes a little bit smoother, their futures will be just a little bit brighter. I went into this line of work because I care about kids. But just because I care about kids doesn't mean I also want to support a government union. Advertisement Unfortunately, I have no choice. To keep my job at the state, I have to pay monthly fees to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME, a public employee union that claims to "represent" me. The union voice is not my voice. The union's fight is not my fight. But for the first time in my many years as a public employee, I have hope. Next week, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association. "Friedrichs" in this case is Rebecca Friedrichs, an elementary school teacher who is the lead plaintiff on the lawsuit brought by a group of 10 California teachers and the Christian Educators Association. Friedrichs is a lot like me: someone who loves her job but is forced against her will to pay money to a union, just to stay in the classroom. If Friedrichs wins her case, it would mean freedom for government workers like me. Freedom to choose whether we want to belong to or financially support a union in our workplace. When I was hired by the state of Illinois, no one asked if I wanted a union to represent me. I only found out the union was involved when money for the union started coming out of my paychecks. I don't see my union working totally for the good of Illinois government. For years it supported candidates who put Illinois into its current budget and pension crisis. Government unions have pushed for government spending that made the state's fiscal situation worse. How is that good for the people of the state? Or, for that matter, my fellow union members who face the threat of layoffs or their pension funds someday running dry? The union voice is not my voice. The union's fight is not my fight. But a piece of my paycheck every week still goes to the union. Advertisement I am not anti-union. Unions have their place. And some people like them. But unions aren't a fit for everyone. And I shouldn't be forced to pay money to a union if I don't think it does a good job representing my interests. When I bring this up, people often tell me I'm not forced to pay for union politics, meaning the extra amounts that some employees choose to give toward political action groups that make candidate donations. (This implies that it is acceptable to force people to pay private organizations for other reasons.) In half the states, including Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan, people who work in government can choose whether they want to pay money to a union. Why shouldn't all government workers have that right? What are the unions so afraid of? The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of association. I don't want to be associated with a union that claims to represent my interests and me when it really doesn't. Advertisement I may be in the minority of Illinois government workers on this issue, but it doesn't mean my rights matter any less. Good luck, Rebecca Friedrichs. There are a lot of us out here rooting for you. Mark Janus is the lead plaintiff in Janus v. AFSCME, a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Illinois law that requires state workers to pay union dues or fees. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook. President Barack Obama speaks during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, November 9, 2015. (Saul Loeb, AFP/Getty Images) Last Wednesday morning, the Obama administration notified Congress that it was about to slap new economic sanctions against Iran for conducting ballistic missile tests that violated a United Nations ban. The Treasury Department announcement, set for 10:30 a.m., was abruptly delayed. And delayed again. Advertisement By Wednesday evening, the sanctions, targeting nearly a dozen companies and individuals in Iran, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates that had roles in Iran's ballistic missile program, had evidently vanished into the political ether. Administration officials told lawmakers the sanctions were delayed because of "evolving diplomatic work," The Wall Street Journal reported. A week later, nothing. Advertisement It appears that President Barack Obama couldn't bring himself to call the bluff of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had threatened to walk away from the nuclear weapons deal reached with the U.S. and other nations. Khamenei said sanctions targeted to the ballistic missile tests would violate the nuclear agreement. A dangerous pattern is developing with the Iran nuclear deal: Iran provokes and the West looks the other way. As the U.S. backpedaled, the Iranians pressed their advantage: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani proclaimed on Thursday that he was so incensed by proposed U.S. sanctions that he had instructed the military to expand Tehran's missile program "in terms of range and accuracy." You don't like two missile launches? How about 20? Days later, the Iranian Navy launched rockets within 1,500 feet of an American aircraft carrier and a French frigate in the Strait of Hormuz. This development has been overshadowed by another Mideast crisis. Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shiite cleric on terrorism charges, which prompted Iranian protesters to torch the Saudi embassy in Tehran, which prompted the Saudis to toss out Iranian diplomats and recall their own representatives. Underlying the rising tension is the sense among U.S. friends and foes that the U.S. won't assert itself in any way in the Middle East, even diplomatically. A dangerous pattern is developing with the Iran nuclear deal: Iran provokes and the West looks the other way. The precedent is being set that Iran will not be expected to live by the terms of the agreement. Iran has shipped some of its low-enriched uranium fuel to Russia, as promised per the deal. But Iran didn't come clean, as promised, on the breadth of its past nuclear weapons work. The International Atomic Energy Agency issued a final report riddled with unanswered questions about how close Iran came to building a nuclear weapon. When Iranian officials complained that their citizens could be targeted under a new U.S. anti-terrorism law that would tighten visa procedures for visitors to the U.S., Secretary of State John Kerry leapt to reassure them that they wouldn't. He promised that Obama would wield executive authority to waive the provision. And that now-you-see-it, now-you-don't punishment for the illegal ballistic missile tests? The White House says it is mulling its options and plans to consult Congress. Advertisement The Obama administration's efforts to appease Iran are starting to worry even some prominent Democratic supporters of the nuclear deal. "I believe in the power of vigorous enforcement that pushes back on Iran's bad behavior," Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware said after the sanctions were delayed. "If we don't do that, we invite Iran to cheat." The U.S. and its partners have only one chance to establish that strict compliance from Iran will be expected through the course of this nuclear deal. That chance comes right now, before sanctions are lifted, before millions of dollars flow into Tehran's economy. The U.S. should impose those sanctions for the missile tests. Iran won't walk from the deal. It desperately needs that sanctions relief. And if it does walk away, that will serve notice that Iran never did intend to comply. The Western wink and a nod now invites more trouble soon. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook. Almost 60 years after it opened, St. Alphonsus Liguori Catholic School is at risk of closing next fall. (Stacey Wescott, Chicago Tribune) Supporters of St. Alphonsus Liguori Catholic School said Tuesday the Prospect Heights school's future remains uncertain even though it was not on the Chicago Roman Catholic Archdiocese's list of three schools slated for closure next fall. "The Archdiocese of Chicago Office of Catholic Schools is in active discussions with Saint Alphonsus Liguori Parish and School leaders," archdiocese spokeswoman Susan Burritt said in an email statement Tuesday evening. Advertisement "No decisions regarding the future of Saint Alphonsus Liguori School have been made to date. We will share more information as soon as it is available," she said. On Tuesday afternoon, archdiocese officials announced that Saint Agatha Catholic Academy in Chicago, Saint Peter School in Antioch, and Seton Academy in South Holland would be shuttered next fall.St. Alphonsus was not on the list of schools that will close at the end of the 2015-2016 school year. Advertisement "They're still asking us to jump through hoops," said Amy Principi, whose family's $25,000 donation helped St. Alphonsus' fundraisers reach their goal of raising more than $300,000 in pledged donations by Jan. 4. "It's good news that we're not on the list, but no one is jumping up and down just yet," Principi added. The archdiocese notified St. Alphonsus in December that it was at risk of closing after the current school year unless it was able to secure donation pledges for its operating budget, increase enrollment and ensure that 90 percent of students would return in the fall. While the school weathered a sudden decline last summer to just 129 students, its enrollment is up to 165 students 15 students shy of the 180 students required to be enrolled by next fall. "They are requesting written proof that families will promise to come back next fall," Principi said, adding: "I'm going to continue to be hopeful." kcullotta@tribpub.com Twitter: @kcullotta Nancy Hill Elementary School, in the West Aurora School District, is one of the oldest school buildings in the state. The district is looking at designs for a new school building there. (Steve Lord, The Beacon-News) The West Aurora School Board has rejected design plans for the new Nancy Hill Elementary School in a split vote. The school will be built adjacent to the current Hill Elementary School, which will be demolished. Officials estimate the total cost of construction to be $18 million. Advertisement Voters last year approved $84.2 million in bonds for district construction, including building a new Hill Elementary School, additions at several schools, installing a new type of heating and cooling system in 11 schools and creating a district campus that will include an early childhood and career and technical education center and a new district office. School Board members reviewed site plans at a meeting Monday for the new Hill School, to be built along the north side of West Illinois Avenue between Iowa and Pennsylvania avenues. The school originally dates to 1888 and, after a series of additions, was named for Hill, a longtime teacher and principal, in 1928. Advertisement However, board members voted 5-2 against approving the most recent design plans, with board members Neal Ormond, Valerie Brown Dykstra, Allyson Herget, Ira Lathan and Amie Thompson voting against approving the plans, and board President Robert Gonzalez and board member Robert Patterson voting in favor of the plans. Board members who voted against the design argued in favor of more green space and a more efficient parking lot and traffic plan, echoing concerns of two parents who spoke at the meeting. District officials, including Capital Projects Manager Patrick Dacy, will go back to the city of Aurora and see what can be changed on the plans. Ormond said he was concerned that the design didn't have enough green space for play areas. Parent Gloria Quinto said the proposed design decreases green space and called the parking lot "dangerously designed." She also voiced objections to the district using old furniture from the current school when the new school is built. Trina Schaschwary, a first-grade teacher at Hill, said the school's building design team met with district architect Pat Callahan over the spring and summer to develop a design that included separate parking lots for teachers and visitors, and two playgrounds with "plenty of green space." However, district administration modified the plan, she said. Schaschwary said the single parking lot design with one entrance and exit onto Pennsylvania Avenue is a "disaster waiting to happen." She said statements from district officials that the Aurora police would help with traffic flow is "overly optimistic and has no basis in past history." Regarding the lack of green space in the most recent plan, Schaschwary said, "This is not progress, this is regression." Schaschwary also said the new school was presented by the district as being all new "inside and out," meaning all new furnishings. Advertisement "Now we are being told that only the outside will be new and that an inventory will be taken to determine which of the old furniture will be transported into the new building, in the name of fiscal responsibility," she said. "This is unacceptable." Lathan said the district should look at making more of the school three stories in height, to save space on the site and allow for more green space. He said the parking lot design is "not really efficient." However, Angie Smith, assistant superintendent of operations, said Aurora city officials have told the district that the original parking lot design wasn't as safe as the current design. "I don't know that the design itself is something that could be changed," she said. When asked if the district would have time to have the city look at alternative design plans, Dacy said he believes the design team "shrunk down the parking lot as much" as the city would allow. "My biggest concern is starting the project on time," he said. Advertisement Callahan said it would take "probably a month" to go through the city approval process again. He said the goal is to have the project bid in late February, with a possible groundbreaking this April. Smith said the school is scheduled to open in the fall of 2017. Tony Scott is a freelance writer for The Beacon-News Bremen Youth Services, which provides mental health and substance abuse counseling to hundreds of Southland children and their families each year, appears to be on a collision course with the Bremen Township board in a dispute that could result in a severe setback and financial crisis for the social service agency. At the heart of the dispute seems to be a disagreement between township Supervisor Maggie Crotty and Don Sebek, the executive director of Bremen Youth Services since its inception in 1986, over how to provide the township with information about the agency's client base. Advertisement "We provide mental health, drug abuse and alcoholism counseling to between 130 and 170 clients at any time," Sebek said. "These are individuals 5 to 21 years of age and their families, and it is patient care covered by HIPAA privacy laws." HIPAA stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act passed by Congress in 1996, which includes strong regulations to protect patient records and confidentiality. Advertisement Bremen Youth Services began life as the Bremen Township Committee on Youth in 1964, but in 1986 it became a tax-exempt nonprofit that was able to solicit donations from the United Way and other sources while expanding its reach beyond the township. Its 2015-16 budget is $950,682, with $340,000 of that from the township, according to Sebek. He said that for 40 years, the township was satisfied with his annual report to it, which consisted of only one page of information. That seems a little light for a $300,000 yearly taxpayer investment, although Sebek said township officials always had access to an annual financial audit of Bremen Youth Services. In any event, something changed last year after Sebek requested $40,000 in additional funds from the township, after about five years of $300,000 township contributions. It must be noted that $100,000 of that money goes to pay off a bond issue to complete a building that houses Bremen Youth Services on the grounds of the Bremen Township administrative center near 153rd Street and Oak Park Avenue. Bremen Youth Services began construction on the building but ran out of money. Bremen Township came to the rescue, offering to sell bonds if Bremen Youth Services would agree to pay off the debt through a lease basically using money it receives from Bremen Township, which owns the building. Sebek said he was grateful for Crotty's intervention and help, but the deal means that his agency has $100,000 less each year for its counseling services. "That's why we finally felt the need to ask for additional money," he said. "And that seemed to set this whole thing off." This "whole thing" was Bremen Township's request for information validating the client base that comes from within Bremen Township. Crotty apparently wanted utility bills or some sort of photo ID as proof of residency, similar to what the township requires for people seeking general assistance funds from the township. Sebek, concerned about client confidentiality, checked with an attorney, Renee Popovits, who specializes in such things, and said he was told that such a request would be a violation of HIPAA. He informed Crotty of that fact, noting that he had consulted an attorney, he said, and Crotty asked him if he had hired the attorney. Advertisement When he said he had not, Crotty then hired Popovits for the township, and the lawyer came up with a consent form for Bremen Youth Services clients to sign authorizing the disclosure of the patient's name, age, address, name of parent or guardian, the type of service (either youth counseling or family counseling), the date that services began, the number of sessions attended, the number missed and the service end date. "I also authorize disclosure of a copy of my photo ID and a current utility bill to verify my residence within the township," the consent form states. Sebek was adamant that he wasn't going to submit Bremen Youth Services clients to that sort of "coercion," as he calls it. "These are people in desperate circumstances who come to us seeking help, and instilling) confidence in them that we will protect their information at the outset is a key part of what we do here," Sebek told me. "We can't start off a visit by asking them to sign such a disclosure form." I respect and admire Sebek's defense of patient confidentiality but his adamant opposition to the township's request seems like bad politics. And all of us are used to signing disclosure forms at doctor's offices and hospitals. Sebek told me about 70 percent of the clients served by his organization reside within Bremen Township, although the township provides about 33 percent of its funding. Advertisement Now for some more background. Sebek said he has known Crotty for 40 years, calls her a friend and appreciates all that she has done for Bremen Youth Services, including her time in the Illinois Senate, when Crotty obtained state funds for the agency. Crotty said much the same thing she has known Sebek for 40 years, they have been friends all that time and she has been an outspoken supporter of Bremen Youth Services. "This is simply about a government agency being a good steward of taxpayer dollars," she told me. "You would demand no less of us. We are only trying to determine how the tax money we are using is spent by Bremen Youth Services, and we want to know that every dollar we spend is spent on people who live in our township." As a demonstration of her willingness to compromise, Crotty said that after Sebek refused to use the consent form, the township sent him a letter simply asking that a certified public accountant verify the number of Bremen Township clients and provide that information to the Township Board. Sebek said that request was not reasonable. "The letter was dated Dec. 3, and we had to provide three months of clients by the Township Board meeting on Jan. 4, which included the Christmas holiday period when people aren't working," he said. "In addition, we had to pay for the CPA, and they wanted monthly reports from the CPA. We simply can't afford that on our budget." Advertisement And something else occurred that made Sebek wonder if there was more behind the township inquiries. "The Township Board approved a resolution to get requests for proposals for youth and family services," he said. "So they're looking for another agency to provide the services we have been providing, without a single complaint from anyone on the Township Board until now." At Monday's board meeting, Sebek made an emotional plea for compromise. He brought with him several people who testified to the good works that Bremen Youth Services had done, including elected officials from Oak Forest and Robbins. Sebek was called a "saint" by some of his witnesses, and township trustees agreed with that assessment. Crotty was not there. Everyone seemed to agree that they didn't know how the dispute had gotten to the point that the township is paying an attorney to handle negotiations. Sebek said he tried to talk to Crotty, who told him "this is now between our attorneys." "He was the first one to contact an attorney," Crotty told me during a phone conversation. Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > The trustees urged Sebek to meet with Crotty to try to resolve the issues, and Sebek told me he's eager to do that. Advertisement As for Crotty, she told me that "after 40 years, it's time for us to see if there's a better alternative for us than Bremen Youth Services. That's just good government, to see what alternatives are out there and explore our options. Bremen Youth Services is certainly welcome to submit a bid." Would another agency have to pay $100,000 to lease the township building now occupied by Bremen Youth Services? "That's a contract between Bremen Youth Services and the township," Crotty said. "So, no." As for Sebek, he's convinced after Monday's board meeting that everyone wants the dispute resolved. "If we don't get the township funding, I don't know what we'll do," he said. "I suppose we can continue to exist because we have other sources of funding. But I haven't really thought about that." pkadner@tribpub.com Saladine A. McKinney, 23, of the 1700 block of 16th Street in North Chicago, has been charged with aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated unlawful discharge of a firearm and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. (Lake County Sheriff's Office photo / Handout) The Lake County Sheriff's Office has announced the arrest of a North Chicago man in the Christmas Day shooting of three people in the parking lot of a bar in an unincorporated area near Lake Bluff. According to a release from the sheriff's office, police have charged Saladine A. McKinney, 23, of the 1700 block of 16th Street, with aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated unlawful discharge of a firearm and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. All the charges are felonies, the release said. Advertisement Authorities said two men and a woman were shot outside of Nardos BBQ Bar and Grill on Route 41 just north of Rockland Road about 1:30 a.m. on Christmas Day. An argument reportedly started inside the bar and moved outside to the parking lot, sheriff's police said in the release. Outside, a man and woman were shot in the back, according to Sheriff's Det. Christopher Covelli, and another man was shot in the leg. Advertisement All three have since been released from the hospital, Covelli said. The release said that McKinney is a member of a street gang and called McKinney one of multiple "persons of interest" in the shooting. No other arrests were detailed in the release. Sheriff's police said McKinney's bond has been set at $250,000 and said that, as of Tuesday evening, he was still in the Lake County Jail. Authorities said his next court date was scheduled for Jan. 28. Pioneer Press reporter Mark Lawton contributed. Charles J. Hollstein was shot and killed by Zion police on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. (Courtesy of Carl Hollstein) A man wearing a homemade tactical-style vest and carrying an Airsoft BB gun was fatally shot after he led police on a chase that ended in a struggle in a Zion alley Wednesday morning, Lake County authorities said. It is the second fatal police-involved shooting in the far north suburb since early April. Advertisement Zion police officers responded to a report that a suspicious person was taking photographs of two schools just after 8:30 a.m. at 22nd Street and Bethesda Boulevard, according to Zion police and the Lake County Major Crime Task Force. "The suspicious person was located by officers, and a foot pursuit ensued. It appeared the offender was wearing body armor. After the foot pursuit, a struggle with the offender and officers ensued, which resulted in the offender being shot," a statement from the task force read. Advertisement Authorities declined to identify the man, who was 38 and white, or his hometown at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. They also declined to say how many times the man was shot or where. Lake County Sheriff's Detective Christopher Covelli and Zion police Chief Stephen Dumyahn address the press after a fatal police involved shooting. Jan. 6, 2016. (WGN-TV) (Chicago Tribune) Sheriff's Detective Christopher Covelli said what police initially believed to be body armor was a homemade tactical-style vest with metal inserts. Officers recovered an Airsoft BB gun from the scene of the shooting, an alley behind the 1800 block of Ezekiel Avenue. There are no other suspects in the shooting and police obtained a warrant to search the man's home, police said. An autopsy has been scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday. The two Zion officers involved in the struggle and shooting have not been identified. Both were treated for minor injuries and placed on paid administrative leave until an investigation is completed, according to Zion police. Covelli said officers tried to use a Taser but it did not work because of winter clothing. A woman who said she went outside after hearing gunshots from inside her home around 8:30 a.m. saw officers performing CPR on a man lying in an alley before paramedics took him away in an ambulance. Zion Fire Department Battalion Chief Eric Troy said the man was taken to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan, where he was pronounced dead. "I'm from Chicago so I'm not too surprised, but it was right here in my backyard," said the woman, who asked not to be identified. Advertisement She said she didn't hear a commotion before the shots. Another neighbor, Dawn Jordan, assumed the noise was a backfiring car. The intersection officers were initially called to about a half mile from the scene of the shooting is within a block of Lakeview Elementary School and New Tech High School. Kim Hall, administrative assistant for Zion District 6, said preschool and early childhood classes at Lakeview let out at 11 a.m. with police escorts as a precaution. The afternoon classes were canceled, she said. District 6 and nearby Beach Park School District 3 put schools on lockdown, but the security measures were lifted by noon. Barbara Rossmann, 61, a longtime resident of the neighborhood, said she considers the area to be safe. "It's very shocking, very unusual," she said. "It can happen in any community." Lake County State's Attorney Mike Nerheim said his office was not yet involved in the investigation, though he said prosecutors would eventually review the circumstances of the shooting to determine if any law was broken. Advertisement Nerheim's office looked into another police-involved shooting in Zion in April, when a white police officer fatally shot Justus Howell, a black 17-year-old, in the back. Minority residents and activists linked the case to other shootings of African-Americans across the country. Nerheim ruled Howell's shooting justified, saying investigators determined that Howell had a gun in his hand and turned toward the officer just before he was shot, contentions that authorities said were supported by video of the incident. When asked about the two fatal police-involved shootings in less than year, Zion Police Chief Stephen Dumyahn declined to comment beyond saying, "It's part of the job." Chicago Tribune reporter Dan Hinkel contributed. fabderholden@tribpub.com Advertisement jrnewton@tribpub.com lzumbach@tribpub.com After statewide ISTEP scores plummeted in results released Wednesday, the state's school chief says it's time to dump the pricey, high stakes test in favor of a shorter, student-centered exam that provides quicker performance feedback. "The one-size-fits-all high-stakes approach of the ISTEP+ needs to end," said state Superintendent Glenda Ritz in a statement. Advertisement Wednesday's much-maligned results, based on new hastily designed standards ushered in midyear, showed a statewide English/math pass rate of 53.5 percent, compared with a 74.7 percent rate last year, a 21-point drop. State lawmakers don't appear ready to ditch ISTEP, but they do seem bent on offering a pause in accountability based on the test debacle that included scoring problems and inconsistencies between online and paper tests. Typically, the scores released Wednesday are published before the school year starts. Advertisement Republican Gov. Mike Pence and State Sen. Dennis Kruse, the GOP chairman of the Senate Education Committee, agree with Ritz, a Democrat, that the 2014-15 scores shouldn't be used to judge schools or teachers. Pence originally opposed Ritz's suggestion to pause the scores. He changed his mind in October. Pence now supports Senate Bill 200, introduced by Kruse, R-Auburn, that says schools may not receive a lower grade for 2015 than what they received in 2014. Students in grades 3-8 take ISTEP in public and private schools. Northwest Indiana superintendents decried the results, blaming them on a flawed accountability system. They said Tuesday the process was rife with problems. "I tell people to come back off the bridge," said Lake Ridge Schools Superintendent Sharon Johnson-Shirley. "One test won't determine the rest of these children's lives. I know the baseline to all of this is a lot of money involved in testing." Johnson-Shirley saw Lake Ridge scores drop from 65.7 percent passing to 38.8 percent. She said the results shouldn't be compared because they're totally different exams. "We waited so long that we can't use the results to influence next year's test. It's just ridiculous. They admit there's errors and mistakes. Why not just drop this test?" She said the test was so long and confusing to children that some were crying during test time last year. Advertisement Lake Ridge Assistant Superintendent Janet Flores said all the district's eighth grade math scores came back as "undetermined." She said about 150 students took that portion. And the district's two elementary schools apparently received two different tests. Other school officials agreed the test was haphazard. "We found out late in the year what the standards were even going to be and changing the test midstream made it a lot more difficult for teachers," said Union Township Superintendent John Hunter. Union Township students posted a 63.6 percent English/math pass rate, compared with 82.4 percent last year. Unlike past years, Hunter said special education students took the same test as other students. "While they may be at a different level, they took the same test," said Hunter. Hunter said the results are coming so late, it will be difficult to use them effectively to prepare for the next testing round that starts in March. Advertisement Ritz said the 2015 ISTEP was the first state assessment based on Indiana's new, more rigorous college- and career-ready standards and that's why the scores shouldn't be comparable to last year. Instead, for the first time they show the percentage of students meeting the new college- and career-ready benchmarks at each grade level. Locally, scores in every Northwest Indiana school district dropped. Gary Community School Corp. scores declined from 47.7 passing both math and English to 21.9 percent. Typically high-scoring school districts like Lake Central and Crown Point saw steep declines, as well. At Lake Central, 57.9 percent passed, compared with 80 percent last year. At Crown Point, 71.7 percent passed, compared with 87.3 percent last year. In Porter County, Valparaiso schools dropped from 84.8 percent passing last year to 66.8 percent. Portage Township student scores declined from 80.6 percent to 55.2 percent. Charter schools also saw reduced scores. At Charter School of the Dunes in Gary, just 18.1 percent of students passed both math and English portions. At Gary's Thea Bowman Leadership Academy, 34.7 percent passed. "The challenges associated with the instrument, the technology and the process did not lend itself for a good outcome," said Joi Patterson, president of the Charter School of the Dunes. "If the outcome is to reflect student achievement, then certainly schools should be held harmless for 2014/15." Advertisement ccarlson@post-trib.com Twitter @ccwriterPT ISTEP pass rates 2014 and 2015* Lake County Hanover Central: 76.7% 54.1% River Forest: 71.1% 39.5% Advertisement Merrillville: 68.4% 44.2% Lake Central: 80% 57.9% Tri-Creek: 78.5% 58.7% Lake Ridge: 65.7% 38.8% Crown Point: 87.3% 71.7% East Chicago: 50.3% 27% Advertisement Lake Station: 70.4% 49.5% Gary: 47.7% 21.9% Griffith: 74.7% 49.4% Hammond: 57.9% 35.4% Highland: 78.5% 58.8% Hobart: 77.2% 56.4% Advertisement Munster: 85.3% 71.6% Whiting: 70.8% 40.9% Porter County Boone Township: 83.9% 56.6% Duneland: 82.1% 64.8% East Porter: 91% 69.4% Advertisement Portage Township: 80.6% 55.2% Porter Township: 78.6% 51.3% Union Township: 82.4% 63.6% Valparaiso: 84.8% 66.8% *percentage of students passing math and English Source: Indiana Department of Education Porter County Commissioner Laura Blaney, D-South, files to run for a second term as commissioner Wednesday in the Porter County Administration Building. (Amy Lavalley / Post-Tribune) Republican Coroner Chuck Harris, the first to file for the May primary in Porter County on Wednesday, wants to become the county treasurer. Harris, now in his second term as coroner, by statute can't seek a third term in office. Advertisement "I've always had a thing for finances. I think I've accomplished a lot in the coroner's office and this came up," he said, adding he talked to a lot of people who encouraged him to run. "I thought this would be good. It's a new adventure for me." In addition to the treasurer, other offices up for election in county government this year are surveyor; three at-large council seats; North and South commissioners posts; and judge for Superior Court III. Advertisement Porter County Democratic Party Chair Jeffrey Chidester also filed to run for the North commissioner's seat, which is currently held by Republican John Evans. Several communities have school board races in November as well. State representative and senator offices are also up, as well as governor and lieutenant governor. Congressional districts are part of this year's election, and president and vice president, too. Sundae Schoon, left, the Republican representative in the Porter County Voters Registration Office, chats with Republican Chuck Harris, the county coroner, shortly after he filed to run as treasurer Wednesday in the county building. (Amy Lavalley / Post-Tribune) The primary is May 3 and the general election is Nov. 8. "This election, I believe, will surpass 2008, and 2008 was the largest election Porter County ever saw," said Kathy Kozuszek, Democratic representative in the voters registration office. The November general election that year saw voter turnout at 66.3 percent, and it was 64.4 percent for the 2012 general election, according to online tabulations on the county's website. While the county had 112,000 registered voters in 2008, that's grown by 13,000 people, Kozuszek said, encouraging voters to put in applications for absentee ballots early. Other early filers Wednesday, who are all running to retain their current posts, included Commissioner Laura Blaney, D-South; Surveyor Kevin Breitzke, a Democrat; Councilwoman Sylvia Graham, D-At-large: and council President Dan Whitten, D-At-large. Advertisement Breitzke filed to run for his sixth term in office, which he said isn't unusual for county surveyors in Indiana. "It's the challenge of the office and the opportunity to adopt positive change for the county that will benefit the quality of life of its citizens," he said. Blaney, who served six years on the county council and is seeking her second term as commissioner, said her accomplishments have include securing land for Aukiki Park, establishing the county's first human resources department, securing a major donation toward a new animal shelter, and retooling operations at Memorial Opera House for financial success. "I want to continue as commissioner to ensure we maintain our character while we grow, and to further increase the quality of life for our citizens," she said. Graham filed for her third term on the council, and Whitten for his fourth term. Graham said she loves what she's doing and representing the people, and the county has come through a rough financial patch because of tax caps, "but now I feel like we're getting to the point where we can start things," including building a new animal shelter and an education center at Sunset Hill Farm County Park. Advertisement Whitten said he wants to continue keeping the county's tax rate low and continue with an assortment of projects, including establishing a foundation to handle the proceeds from the 2007 sale of the county hospital. "We have some unfinished business," he said. "I'm looking forward to an opportunity to continue serving our constituents." Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune. By Emerging Strategy Chinas education industry has experienced significant growth in recent years. This is due in part to increasing affluence and a relaxation of the countrys previous rules on the one-child policy. Spending on education has been growing faster than the Chinese economy: in 2014, the governments spending on education totaled RMB 3.28 trillion (around US$512.6 billion) up 8.04 percent compared to the previous year and accounting for 4.15 percent of the national GDP. Chinese households now spend 30 percent of their income on education higher than both Korea (22 percent) and Japan (10 percent). This year, the previous restrictions put on foreign-invested private schools have been largely lifted, though foreign investors are still prohibited to directly engage in certain sensitive fields such as compulsory education, military and China Communist Party schools. One of the fastest growing education market segments in the country is K-12 (kindergarten through 12th grade). In China, private education institutes account for 31 percent of the countrys total education sector, with preschool institutes accounting for close to 90 percent of private education. Moreover, the amount of international schools registered in mainland China has soared in the past 12 years from 22 to 597, making China the largest country in the world for number of international schools. A rising number of wealthy Chinese parents are willing to spend a fortune on the Western-style curriculum and a better English learning environment offered in an international school. Chinas Education System and Entry Barriers for Foreign Investors Chinas Ministry of Education is authorized to issue laws and policies regarding setting up a private school in China. Chinas school education includes pre-school, primary school, middle school, high school, university and college, as well as graduate school education. Pre-school education/Kindergarten: for children aged three to five years old By 2015, a total number of 139, 300 private kindergartens had been established in China. Foreign investors are allowed to invest in joint-venture pre-schools led by a Chinese party, meaning that the headmaster or the chief administrator in a foreign-invested education institution must be a Chinese national. Moreover, the Chinese party must account for half of the members in the board of directors or the joint management committee. Primary School and Middle School: from first grade to ninth grade Primary and middle schools are usually run by local educational authorities with free tuition, although there are some private schools owned by enterprises and individuals. In 1986, the Chinese government officially implemented the nine-year compulsory education policy, which requires all Chinese children to receive nine-year basic education in primary school and middle school. Although foreign investors are not allowed to set up wholly foreign-owned primary or middle schools to enroll Chinese nationals, they may enter the market by cooperating with a Chinese private school or establishing an international school, which will be discussed later in this article. High School: from 10th grade to 12th grade As with the restrictions on the pre-school education market, foreigners investing in this section need to start up as a joint venture and the school must be led by a Chinese party. Not for-profit private schools enjoy the same tax exemption polices that apply to public schools. Notably, foreign students can only apply to international schools approved by the Ministry of Education. Options/Entry Strategies for Foreign Investors Based on the Guidance Catalogue for Foreign Investment, foreign investors are prohibited to set up police schools, military aviation schools and political party schools. Despite the restrictions imposed on foreign-invested private schools, there are three viable options for investors looking to enter Chinas K12 education market. Foreign-invested Kindergartens and High Schools As mentioned before, foreign investment is allowed in the private pre-school and high school education market, given that the school is led by a Chinese party. Joint-Venture International Schools Though not allowed to be directly engaged in Chinas compulsory education system, foreigners may, however, cooperate with a private Chinese school and enroll Chinese students. As stipulated by the law, the school must meet the governments rigid requirements for the campus area and facilities. They must follow Chinas compulsory education rules in designing curriculums for primary and secondary students, which can be relatively flexible when designing high school curriculums. Maple Leaf Educational Systems (MLES), established in Chinas northeastern port city Dalian in 1995, is the first and largest Canadian offshore school in China. With a curriculum endorsed by the British Columbia Ministry of Education, MLES today operates 46 schools from pre-school to high school in 11 cities throughout China, serving over 17,700 students. Wholly Foreign-owned International Schools for Expatriate Children In 1995, China promulgated the Regulations on International Schools for Expatriate Children (JIAO ZONG [1995] No.130), which stipulates that foreign companies, institutions, branches of international organizations legally established in China, as well as foreign individuals residing in China, may apply to the education bureau for the establishment of an international school. However, these schools are limited to foreign passport-holders, and investors may not set up branches. They are also required to submit the name list of their teaching staff and enrolled students to the Ministry of Education each year. Concluding Thoughts Satoko Okamoto, Director at Emerging Strategy, comments: Chinas education sector can appear opaque and unsuitable for foreign investment. The countrys government attaches importance to keeping education free from privatization, which has resulted in parts of the sector being either restricted or outright prohibited from foreign participation. However, with an informed entry strategy and a thorough due diligence conducted beforehand, foreign enterprises can access certain parts of Chinas hugely profitable K12 market and quickly see a massive ROI. With Chinese households currently spending more on education than ever before, now is an opportune time to consider investment. About Us Asia Briefing Ltd. is a subsidiary of Dezan Shira & Associates. Dezan Shira is a specialist foreign direct investment practice, providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to multinationals investing in China, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam, Singapore and the rest of ASEAN. For further information, please email china@dezshira.com or visit www.dezshira.com. Stay up to date with the latest business and investment trends in Asia by subscribing to our complimentary update service featuring news, commentary and regulatory insight. About Emerging Strategy Emerging Strategy is the leading provider of customized market intelligence in the education industry. Their work in this industry focuses on bringing cutting-edge content, technologies, language learning, skill training and assessments in front of institutional and retail customers. For more information on Emerging Strategy and their services, please contact info@emerging-strategy.com. Tax, Accounting, and Audit in China 2015 This edition of Tax, Accounting, and Audit in China, updated for 2015, offers a comprehensive overview of the major taxes foreign investors are likely to encounter when establishing or operating a business in China, as well as other tax-relevant obligations. This concise, detailed, yet pragmatic guide is ideal for CFOs, compliance officers and heads of accounting who must navigate the complex tax and accounting landscape in China in order to effectively manage and strategically plan their China operations. Human Resources and Payroll in China 2015 This edition of Human Resources and Payroll in China, updated for 2015, provides a firm understanding of Chinas laws and regulations related to human resources and payroll management essential information for foreign investors looking to establish or already running a foreign-invested entity in China, local managers, and HR professionals needing to explain complex points of Chinas labor policies. Employing Foreign Nationals in China In this issue of China Briefing, we have set out to produce a guide to employing foreign nationals in China, from the initial step of applying for work visas, to more advanced subjects such as determining IIT liability and optimizing employee income packages for tax efficiency. Lastly, recognizing that few foreigners immigrate to China on a permanent basis, we provide an overview of methods for remitting RMB abroad. Flash Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Tuesday called his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, promising "prompt and decisive action" against possible Pakistan-based perpetrators of the attack upon Pathankot airbase last weekend, said the prime minister's office. Modi received a call this afternoon from Sharif regarding the terrorist attack on the Pathankot airbase, the office said. Modi "strongly emphasized the need for Pakistan to take firm and immediate action against the organizations and individuals responsible for and linked to the Pathankot terrorist attack," it said. India has already given "specific and actionable information" to Pakistan on the involvement of militants in Pakistan in the attack, it said. Sharif "assured Prime Minister Modi that his government would take prompt and decisive action against the terrorists," the statement said. From five to six militants attacked an airbase in Pathankot in Punjab, northern India, in the early morning last Saturday, killing seven Indian air force personnel and a security commando while injuring over 20 others. At least five militants were killed by security forces in a three-day gun battle. Flash The Iran-Saudi Arabia crisis widened on Tuesday as Kuwait recalled its ambassador from Tehran amid growing international concern. Kuwait recalled its ambassador to Iran following attacks on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and consulate general in Mashhad in angry protests against the execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr in Saudi Arabia. "Such action constitutes a flagrant breach of international conventions and violation of Iran's commitment to security and safety of diplomatic missions on its lands," a Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry official was quoted as saying. Saudi Arabia cut off diplomatic relations with Iran on Sunday after the attacks. Some of Saudi Arabia's allies followed suit, with Bahrain and Sudan breaking off ties with Iran and the United Arab Emirates downgrading relations. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday that Riyadh cannot hide the "crime" of killing a religious cleric by severing diplomatic ties with Tehran. The Saudi authorities should have not responded to the criticisms of al-Nimr by beheading him, Rouhani said in a meeting with visiting Danish Foreign Minister Kristian Jensen. "We hope that the European countries which have been sensitive to human rights issues could do their duties in this regard," Rouhani said. The Iranian president, however, stressed that Iran is seeking good relations with its neighbors, including Saudi Arabia. The best way to settle the dispute is through political and diplomatic means, he said, adding that the critical situation in the region requires cooperation among the countries against terrorism. On Monday, the Saudi ambassador to the United Nations said that his country will attend the upcoming Syrian and Yemeni peace talks, despite the fallout with Iran. The disputes "should have no effect" on Riyadh's participation in the talks expected to begin later this month, Ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi told reporters at UN headquarters in New York. The envoy also called on Tehran to "cease and desist" intervention in the internal affairs of countries in the Middle East. "We hope that Iran will take a more positive approach," he said. But the ambassador also said that the two nations are "not naturally born enemies," and that what separated them was Iranian interference, in reference to Iran's support for organizations in other countries, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the administration of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Al-Mouallimi said his nation had "nothing but respect" for Iran's ancient culture, as the two countries live in the same region and have the same religion. After being in a tight spot for over three years and writing off more than 80 percent of losses, China's coal industry faces another tough year with its overcapacity, Securities Daily reported Tuesday. [Photo/China Daily] After being in a tight spot for over three years and writing off more than 80 percent of losses, China's coal industry faces another tough year with its overcapacity, Securities Daily reported Tuesday. Authorities have stressed steps to accelerate the merger and reorganizations of the 'zombie' enterprises, or large-scale sectors with excessive productions suffering long-term losses and have little hopes turning the situations around. Coal sector has become the main target in the sweep. Starting from 2012, the coal price saw continuous slumps with a drop over 30 percent. Even though the price fell lower even than potatoes, many companies would rather lose profit than halt production in order to expand the market share. Industry insider told the newspaper that when production stops, the cash flow stops too which puts the companies in a more difficult situation. Statistics show that the coal sector suffers from an average asset liability ratio of 67.7 percent, the highest point in 16 years. Many coal companies are swamped. Hidili Industry International Development Limited, the biggest private owned coal mining company in Sichuan, has reportedly defaulted on its $183 million debt. China Shenhua Energy Co Ltd, the nation's biggest coal producer by volume, has seen a 40 percent salary cut. The China National Coal Group Corp (ChinaCoal), the nation's second-largest producer of coal by output, sold its low-profitable assets in hard cash worth 927 million yuan to reduce the debt and keep the cash flow. Half of the assets were sold by the end of 2015, but it only reduced the debt by one percent, which stood at 79 percent by Sept 30 last year. According to the company's third-quarter report, the miner has gained 44.8 billion yuan in the first three quarters of last year, a 13.8 percent decrease year on year. The net profit loss was about 1.67 billion yuan, a 352.8 percent slump year on year. It's also the company's first loss in seven years. With the bigger players having their hands tight, small fish find it harder to keep it together in the industry winter. Deng Shun, an analyst with ICIS, told the newspaper that many coal firms keep the wheels running by loaning and will not stop the production any time soon. Deng said that this situation won't last long as the government's accelerates reforming the sector which means that many small- and medium-sized companies will drop out while bigger ones will merge and reorganize. China will accelerate the closing and reorganizing of the coal productions of old and low quality and control the capacity tightly, said Lian Weiliang, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, at 2016 China Coal Trade Conference in December last year. Premier Li Keqiang said that China will lessen the pollution by 60 percent in electric power industry through upgrading, saving around 100 million tons of raw coal demands. According to statistics, 49 cases of mergers had taken place in coal mining industry in the first 11 months of 2015, a 58 percent of increase from the previous year. An industry report released by Goldman Sachs Group showed that the reshuffling of the coal sector isn't enough to save the downward trend, more solutions on reforming and reorganizing the industry are still called for. A worker sets up a display on Sunday in the TCL booth in preparation for the 2016 International CES trade show at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, this week. [Photo/Agencies] More than 1,100 Chinese companies making up more than a quarter of the 3,600 exhibitors will represent at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, this week. Chinese companies have taken out sprawling booths on the show floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Major TV makers Hisense Co Ltd and Sichuan Changhong Electric Co Ltd will set up next to Intel Corp, the US semiconductor giant, occupying prime locations in the main hall at the convention center. The growing presence of Chinese companies is palpable. The Chinese lineup includes makers of home appliances, computers and smartphones, such as Lenovo Group Ltd, Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, ZTE Corp, Haier Group, TCL Corp, Skyworth Digital Holdings Co Ltd and Konka Group Co Ltd. Starting Wednesday, some exhibitors will unveil new products while others hope to use the extravaganza as a springboard to capture bigger slices of their markets. E-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, Chinese website Baidu Inc and LeTV, the "Netflix of China", also will attend the show. Beyond the traditional markets, Chinese companies also will have a presence in the emerging categories of drones and autonomous cars. Shenzhen-based DJI is the world's largest maker of consumer drones and is again expected to dominate the unmanned-systems marketplace this year. Faraday Future Inc, a California-based electric-car company funded by LeTV Chairman Jia Yueting, has received a lot of attention due to some leaked photos of its much anticipated concept car. The details state that it has more than 1,000 horsepower and can go from 0 to 60 mph in less than three seconds. The car will be unveiled at the show. China-based automaker BAIC BJEV announced it will present a new intelligent network system at CES. Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies Inc, said the increased presence of Chinese companies resembles how Japanese players embraced CES in the early 1990s. "Make no mistake, the Chinese have arrived," Bajarin wrote on Time.com. "They plan to disrupt the traditional CE players as much as possible." The world's largest electronics show takes place every January in Las Vegas. Last year, more than 170,000 attendees from over 150 countries gathered across 2.2 million square feet of exhibit space. The event will expand again this year, to 2.4 million square feet. According to various news outlets, people are expecting to see more 4K TVs, virtual reality headsets, robots and drones, smarter homes, fashionable wearables, connected cars and plenty of quirky stuff such as robotic bartenders, connected toothbrushes and smart bras. hezijiang@chinadailyusa.com China is now New Zealand's sixth-largest wine export market by value. Wine exports to China for the financial year to June 2015 exceeded NZ$27 million ($18 million), said Natalie Potts, marketing manager, Asia, for the New Zealand Winegrowers. The top three markets for New Zealand wine exports are the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom. "As Chinese consumption of New Zealand wine grows, we expect to see China rise up through the ranks," said Potts. Wine is New Zealand's sixth largest export good by value. Wine exports last financial year were worth over NZ$1.4 billion, on track to meet the 2020 target of NZ$2 billion. It appears there is a rebalancing across many different sectors of the Chinese wine market, she said. In the past few years, the imported wine market in China slowed. However, in 2015, there were some positive improvements. New Zealand wine exports to China increased nearly 10 percent in value in the first half of 2015. Last year also brought the beverage closer to the everyday wine lover in China, someone who buys it increasingly online, to be had with friends while socializing. Such a lifestyle is a long-term positive for the wine industry, said Potts. She said wine from New Zealand offers "unparalleled purity - not just a pure environment where the grapes are grown, but also the purity and freshness of fruit character that shines in the wines". This purity is key in China, where provenance, authenticity and food security are major concerns for consumers, said Potts. To be sure, New Zealand is a relatively small producer of premium wine, making less than 1 percent of the world's volume. Its vineyards, however, produce stunning results, despite the fact that making wine in New Zealand is not cheap or easy, she said. Environmental challenges, smallish size - just over 1,600 square kilometers - and remote geographical location mean the New Zealand wine industry is quality-focused, not quantity-driven. Still, the islands span an area whose ends are farther apart than Beijing and Chengdu. "These factors give us a diverse range of climates to succeed with many varieties and styles." From its warmer northern regions, New Zealand grows Bordeaux-style red blends and Syrah in Hawke's Bay. In much cooler southern regions, wines such as Pinot Noir and Riesling are grown. In fact, Central Otago is the world's most southerly grape growing region. New Zealand's modern wine industry produces unique flavors like Sauvignon Blanc, which makes up over 85 percent of its exports. However, in China, consumption of New Zealand wine is more balanced between red and white. Grassy, fresh Sauvignon Blanc, complex, cherry-scented Pinot Noir and rich, powerful red blends are Chinese consumers' favorites, said Potts. Shenzhen-based Jiwu.com announced its new strategy on Tuesday to copy Alibaba's success into real estate sector by connecting property sale agents with homebuyers. The company, established in 2011, branded itself as a "Tmall-like platform" that helps China's new home sale agents to reach homebuyers and offer online-to-offline services. Tmall is Alibaba Group Holding's flagship site that enabled premier brands to reach customers through their virtual stores. "We'll not use our own employees to sell homes. Instead, we will offer technologies to help our agents to sell homes because they know much better about specific property projects," Pan Guodong, co-founder and CEO of Jiwu.com, told audience in a Steve Jobs-style presentation. The company last year disbanded its direct sale team to become a pure "platform". Pan is a former manager with Alibaba Group. Another co-founder was from Tencent Holding Ltd. He said with the new model, homebuyers could use their smartphones to inquire dealers in real-time. "Under traditional model we found one third of phone calls to dealers went unanswered. Dealers also responded to customers' online inquiries slowly. On the other hand, agent companies spent huge money on hiring dealers to reach potential customers," he said. To facilitate customers to visit home projects, Jiwu even signed a deal with a Didi Chuxing, a car-hailing company, to provide free trip for customers. Pan sees the property e-commerce as a huge untapped sector, as only 8 percent of China's 10 million units of annual home transactions currently are done through internet platform. The company received a "A+" fundraising with unspecified capital in December, before it underwent a 100 million yuan series A financing in May. A train pulls into a station in Luoyang city, Henan province, June 30, 2015. [Photo / IC] More funds are needed before March for the construction of the Hong Kong section of Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL), the National Business Daily reported on Wednesday. Frederick Ma Si-hang, the new chairman of MTR Corporation, said earlier that the HK$65 billion ($8.39 billion) allocated by Hong Kong SAR government will run out by June 2016, and the company has to inform contractors three months in advance whether new funds will be injected to continue the project. However, Ma added that the Hong Kong section is currently 77 percent completed, and he is confident that the project will be finished in the third quarter of 2018. Last December, Hong Kong SAR government negotiated with MTR Corporation to revise the completion date to the third quarter of 2018, including a six-month grace period. Meanwhile the cost estimate was revised to HK$84.42 billion, HK$18.38 higher than previously budgeted HK$65 billion. Although facing some issues such as overspending and technical difficulties, the Hong Kong section of Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong railway has enormous significance for enhancing the connection between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland. "Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed railway is a national strategic project. I'm sure it'll be completed," Wang Mengshu, a railway expert and academician at Chinese Academy of Engineering, told National Business Daily. The Hong Kong section of the rail link is about 26 kilometers long and will run along a dedicated underground rail corridor from a new terminus at West Kowloon to the boundary near Lok Ma Chau for connection with the mainland section of the XRL. The construction work began in 2010. A Spring Airlne's flight parks at a airport.[Photo/China Daily] WUHAN -- A direct flight between Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province, and Tokyo will be launched this February, according to an announcement by the Japan subsidiary of Spring Airlines on Tuesday. The service will operate every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday starting February 13. The outbound Boeing 737-800 flight will take off from Wuhan at 2:55 pm Beijing time and arrive in Tokyo at 7:20 pm local time. The return flight will depart at 10:00 am local time and arrive in Wuhan at 1:55 pm Beijing time. There will be a promotion on tickets for the first flight, with the cheapest fare costing only nine yuan (about $1.4) excluding airport tax. Spring Airlines, or Chunqiu Airlines, has been operating since July 2005 and is the only budget carrier in China. The Ministry of Commerce said China has accepted the detail discussion requested by the United States, which initiated a case to the World Trade Organization against China's aircraft import tax last month. The aircraft products challenged by the United States are China's domestically made commercial aircrafts, regional passenger jets and agricultural airplanes. Ministry spokesman Shen Danyang said China has been keen to develop aviation industry and related sectors under the WTO rule and expresses regret over the appeal case initiated by the US. Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, the country's aircraft maker, also denied it was given tax breaks by the government in breach of WTO rules after the US initiated a WTO case against China's aircraft import tax. All of COMAC's market transactions, including its sales of planes and import of parts and components from the company's overseas suppliers, are subject to strict regulation and relevant taxes, according to the company. The 2016 Annual Conference of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) will be held in Boao, Hainan, from March 22 to 25, said the organizer on Wednesday. The theme of this year is "Asia's New Future: New Dynamics and New Vision". Premier Li Keqiang has been invited to attend the opening ceremony, Zhou Wenzhong, the Secretary General of the BFA, said at a press conference in Beijing. In the context of fundamental changes in the world economy, Asia and emerging economies have found themselves in completely different internal and external environments, which challenges their innovation-driven development endeavors and governance models, said Zhou. "How Asian economies will steer their economic restructuring, strengthen regional economic connectivity and cooperation and improve infrastructure investments and technological innovation capabilities will attract international attention and dominate the discussions of the conference." Besides, how to inject new vitality into and foster new sources of growth for the world economy will remain the top priority for the 2016 Annual Conference. According to the forum, this conference consists of 83 sessions, including 51 forums, 14 roundtables, 6 themed dinners and 12 entrepreneur dialogues. Discussions will cover a wide range of issues, including macroeconomics, politics, entrepreneurship, innovation, Internet plus, social welfare, culture, sports, religion and civilization. As before, the Annual Conference will invite leaders from political, business, academic, media and other communities, including heads of state and government. The sessions of the 2016 Annual Conference will be attended by ministerial-level officials from 18 major and emerging economies as well as frontier markets. Taobao shop owners are busy packing clothes for their online customers from across the world. [Provided to China Daily] Alibaba Group Holding Ltd said it will step up efforts to compete for more market share overseas, in rural areas and first-tier cities as the e-commerce giant singled out its top priorities for growth. Zhang Yong, chief executive officer of Alibaba said in an internal meeting that was made public on Wednesday that the three areas will be the company's key "battlefields" for e-commerce in the year 2016. Zhang projected that going global and going rural will be one of the key trends in China's e-commerce competition. Apart from that, he said there will be more cooperation between online to offline retailers in 2016. He said Alibaba's Tmall and Taobao have established their leading positions in e-commerce in the trade of physical commodities but there is huge potential to tap in e-commerce in providing shoppers with digital goods and services. Beijing's legislature is considering whether to allow people to eat and drink on subway trains, as members of the city's People's Congress urged on Thursday that such behavior be banned. Eating and drinking, as well as giving out fliers, begging and performing for money should all be prohibited in subway train carriages, and violators should be fined at most 1,000 yuan ($160), according to the Urban Construction and Environment Protection Committee under the city's People's Congress. The committee submitted review opinions on Thursday of a draft to enhance the safety of the city's subways. When it first came out for public review in February, the draft of Regulations on Beijing Railway Transportation Operation Safety said that eating and drinking should be prohibited on subway trains. However, the city's government deleted the stipulation when it submitted the draft to the standing committee of the city's People's Congress for review on Thursday. "Eating and drinking doesn't have much direct relation to the safety of the subway operation," said Yang Hong, an official with the city's Legal Affairs Office, as quoted by China National Radio. Additionally, she said, a large number of personnel would be needed to enforce the prohibition, which, if it becomes law, won't be effective if enforcement lags. However, Guo Pujin, director of the Urban Construction and Environment Protection Committee, believes otherwise. "Eating and drinking in the carriage of the subway may cause disputes between passengers and between passengers and the operators of the subway, as food and drink may be spilled or give out an unpleasant smell," Guo said when announcing the committee's review opinions. Li Wenjie, an official with Beijing Subway Line 8, agreed. Li said she has received reports of people who slipped and fell in stations and in carriages because they stepped in food or drink that had spilled on the floor. One woman even broke a bone, she recalled. "In the carriage, it's more often that the food and drink spill out, burning other passengers or staining their clothes, and the two sides fall into a brawl," she said. "Getting the report of such cases, our employees have guided these passengers out and handed them over to the police in the station." If the prohibition becomes law, the employees of the subway lines will have something to fall back on when dissuading passengers from eating and drinking, she said. However, it would take a special team of law enforcers to patrol subway carriages, because the stewards focus on driving the train and don't have time to supervise passengers' behavior, she said, adding that stewards also lack the authority to levy fines against violators. It's also difficult to patrol the carriages in peak hours, she said. Chen Haibo, 28, who takes the subway to work, said he would welcome the enactment of such a ban. "I never eat on the subway," he said. "The air in the train in the morning peak hour is already very stuffy, and food gives out a smell that further deteriorates the air quality. But I don't think the ban, if legalized, will be effectively implemented, as some people believe it is their right to eat and drink in the train." Contact the writer at wangqingyun@chinadaily.com.cn Sperm banks in China, like this one in Changsha, Hunan province, are seeing an increase in the number of visits by infertile couples. [Photo by Zhang Wei/China Daily] As an increasing number of couples, many past their reproductive prime, seek to have a second child under China's new two-child policy, challenges exist including poor sperm quality, experts said. According to official estimates, 60 percent of the couples who are newly eligible for a second baby are age 35 or older, and many of these are visiting fertility specialists for advice or assistance. Physician Long Wen, who works for the fertility center of Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University in Hubei province, said that more than half of his male patients had "substandard" sperm quality. Long said he usually sees about 80 visitors a day, and that his check involves sperm quantity and quality in the semen. The revelation came as China's State Council issued a resolution on Tuesday on implementing the universal two-child policy and improving family planning services to carry out the new law. The Cabinet-level document aims to set up an overall support system for families with two children, as encouraged in the amendment to the nation's Law on Population and Family Planning, which was approved by the top legislature on Dec 27. The resolution stipulates that the past family planning policy, which limited most Chinese couples to one child, was in line with the nation's practical situation at the time. It calls for streamlining the administrative procedures related to reproduction and optimizing the distribution of public services and resources, such as child and maternity healthcare, child nursing, primary and middle schools and related social welfare programs. Additionally, it urges enhancement of reproductive health services to cover the whole process of childbirth, the training of more skilled obstetricians, midwives and pediatricians, and development of new technologies. There solution also calls for equal access to family planning services, particularly for the migrant population. Meanwhile, Long said that less than 30 percent of the males age 40 and older who consulted him had quality sperm. Those working in the fields of information technology and the media were most susceptible to low quality, mainly due to lifestyles of little exercise, sitting for long periods, a heavy workload and smoking, he said. The number of those consulting him who want a second baby has increased substantially after the policy change, and half of the mare at least 40 years old, Long said. Those 35 or older are at elevated risk of infertility and pregnancy complications, medical experts warned, saying that the reproductive prime is from ages 24 to 28. Zhang Zhichao, head of the Andrology Center at Peking University First Hospital, agreed and said he saw a number of people in their 50s seeking a second child. Theoretically, men's fertility, mainly measured by sperm quality, would last at least into their 50s, but "in reality, many have a problem with that even in their 30s," he said. Some existing conditions like varicosity affect male fertility as well, he added. "It's important for the couples to go through related fertility checkups beforehand." "My first question for those older than 50 would be how old is your wife," he said, urging couples who no longer are young to be cautious about any birth plan. He said that if the wife is past 40, he would recommend against pursuing another child, saying that fertility declines for men and women alike as they age. Qin Lang, a physician at the Reproductive Medical Center of the West China Second University Hospital in Chengdu, Sichuan province, said that among all the couples age 30 and older who consulted him, more than half of the men had substandard sperm quality. Despite the lack of a national survey on sperm quality, China has seen an increasing reproduction problem, with the infertile population exceeding 50 million. Half involve infertile husbands with low sperm quality, according to official estimates. Premier Li Keqiang talks to miners before entering the 300-meter-deep Guandi Coal Mine in Taiyuan, Shanxi province. He praised their hard work, saying the miners are "not only the backbone of Shanxi, but also the backbone of China". Li had an inspection tour in Taiyuan, capital of North China's Shanxi province on Jan 4-5. [Photo/Chinanews Service] When 33-year-old Shi Haiqing answered the phone in the safety center at a coal mine in Taiyuan early on Tuesday, he thought the call might be from one of his colleagues reporting on work safety. But the caller asked: "Can you tell me about the gas density at the position where I am standing now? Can you tell where I am at the moment?" Shi felt the voice sounded familiar, but lost no time in replying. Taking a glance at the control panel, he said, "The gas density is 0.05 (percent per cubic meter)." His heart then pounded with excitement after the caller told him, "This is Li Keqiang." Taiwan's mainland affairs chief, Andrew Hsia, visits the Huanghuagang Mausoleum of the 72 Martyrs in Guangzhou on Wednesday during a trip for a meeting on allowing mainland air passengers to transfer in Taiwan. ZOU HONG/CHINA DAILY Chinese mainland authorities are considering allowing residents to travel on from Taiwan for the first time, the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office announced on Tuesday. Flight transfers through Taiwan's Taoyuan International Airport will first be limited to flights to or from the cities of Jiangxi province's Nanchang, Yunnan's Kunming and Chongqing municipality, the authority said in a statement. No documents will be needed for mainland residents before flying on to third destinations except the usual passports, boarding passes and air tickets, the office announced. Mainland passengers in transit will not be allowed to exit the airport, it said. The mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits will contact Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation, and the transfers will be put into operation after preparatory work, it said. Mainland residents have been allowed to travel to Taiwan but are not allowed to travel on from there to other destinations. Airlines from both sides operate between the mainland and Taiwan. Ni Yongjie, deputy director of the Shanghai Institute of Taiwan Studies, said the change is another step toward normalizing travel arrangements between the two sides, and follows the launch last week of the first telephone hotline connecting the heads of the two agencies responsible for cross-Straits ties. In his New Year greetings on Dec 31, Zhang Zhijun, head of State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, said people from both sides benefited from steady progress in cross-Straits ties in 2015. Ni said cross-Straits relations are at a critical stage with the approaching leadership election in Taiwan on Jan 16. "With increasing cooperation and exchanges, we could say people from both sides are working toward the peaceful development of cross-Straits ties," he said. At least 14 people were killed and 32 injured after a bus caught fire in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region, on Tuesday. [Photo/Weibo] Police arrested a suspected arsonist as the death toll from a bus fire in Northwest China on Tuesday rose to 17, with three more bodies found at the scene, an official said. Eight males and nine females lost their lives in the incident. All 32 injured, aged between 20 and 65, were being treated at Ningxia Medical University General Hospital in Yinchuan, capital of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, according to MaKai, the deputy mayor of Yinchuan. Police arrested the suspect, Ma Yongping, in a building under construction in Helan county, Yinchuan, at 4:30 pm. His trousers were burned. The authorities said the 40-year-old man was helping the police investigation. Jia Shaobing, deputy president of the hospital, said one of the injured was in a critical condition and five were in a serious condition. The others were stable. The incident happened at about 7 am in Helan county when the bus caught fire in front of a furniture store. Passenger Hu Yuexiang, 26, said, "I was sitting in the front of the bus when people suddenly started screaming 'Fire! The bus is on fire!' When I turned around, the flames were racing toward me, and before I knew it my shoes were on fire." He said the passengers rushed toward the front door, pleading with the driver to open it. "I thought the bus was about to explode and I was going to die. Then the door opened and we all rushed out," Hu said. Photos on Sina Weibo showed the bus engulfed by flames. Another passenger, Wang Yongfeng, suffered minor burns to his hands, which were swollen and covered in blisters. "When I boarded the bus, all the seats were taken and many people were standing," Wang said. The bus driver sustained minor burns. About 40 people were traveling on the 84-seater vehicle when it caught fire. The bus, which was en route to Yinchuan Railway Station, was owned by Yinchuan Public Transport Co. The State-owned firm began safety checks on all its vehicles after the incident. President Xi Jinping inspects Guoyuan Port in the Liangjiang New Area of Southwest China's Chongqing on Monday, his first workday of the new year. Xinhua President Xi Jinping made his first visit to the southwestern city of Chongqing on Monday since he took office as China's top leader. The trip, whose many details were yet to be fully disclosed by official media, is widely watched because Chongqing, one of the four municipalities directly overseen by the central government, was once clouded by the corruption scandal of its former Party chief, Bo Xilai, now serving a life sentence. But the presidential visit on the first workday of 2016 was also seen by the domestic media as highlighting Xi's high expectations for the municipality, which has the largest population of all Chinese cities, and its role in leading changes in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and China's vast hinterlands. Connectivity and cutting-edge technology were the focus of Xi's visit to the city, the starting point of the trans-Eurasia Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe international railway route, according to Xinhua News Agency. While inspecting Guoyuan Port on Monday afternoon, Xi praised the project when he was told that countries along the rail route have all subscribed to the practice of "one check for customs clearance". The port, a comprehensive transportation hub that accommodates railways, highways and waterways, is home to 16 ship berths that can handle vessels of 5,000 dead weight tonnage. "This is full of promise," Xi said when he saw the port's various facilities. At Chongqing BOE Optoelectronic Technology Co, a branch of China's display manufacturing giant BOE, Xi examined flexible screens and ultrahigh-definition displays. Xi said "top priority should be placed on innovation", an area in which he said he expected to see major progress. Chongqing has a population of around 30 million, and its GDP in 2014 hit 1.42 trillion yuan ($217.6 billion). Ding Yifan, a senior researcher at the State Council's Development Research Center, said Xi's inspection of traffic and innovation "has actually underlined some priority tasks for the economy and reforms for the whole year". Contact the writers through zhangyunbi@chinadaily.com.cn Five communities have been chosen as pilot areas in a plan to integrate migrant workers with local residents in Guangzhou, Guandong province. Migrants will be invited to join local Party branches and participate in administration, discussion, construction and other affairs of local communities in Baiyun, Yuexiu and Panyu districts, where a large number of migrant workers live. Meanwhile, children from migrant worker families in the pilot areas will be able to attend primary and high schools by 2020, the plan said. Migrant workers do not currently enjoy the same treatment as their urban counterparts who have household registration, or hukou, in education, medical treatment, social security employment and related fields. Zeng Kaizhang, director of the city's management bureau for migrant workers, said a series of training courses for migrant workers will be organized to help them integrate into local communities in the next five years. In addition to teaching special skills and providing instruction in labor laws, the courses include information on local customs and dialects. Guangzhou has more than 7.83 million registered migrant workers. Guangdong province, home to myriad foreign-funded companies, joint ventures and privately run enterprises, has a transient population of more than 34.9 million, the country's largest. Guangdong has more than 88.5 million permanent residents with hukou. "The pilot project will be expanded to the entire city when it is proven successful and effective in building a harmonious society and improving the management of the large number of migrant workers in a major Chinese metropolis," Zeng said. Zhang Yiri, an associate professor of law at Guangzhou City Polytechnic, said the plan is a people-oriented measure to manage the migrant workers who have contributed greatly to the city's economic development. "Migrant workers' legal rights and interests should be further protected," he said. Wang Yangsheng, a migrant worker in Guangzhou's Tianhe district, said the plan is good news. "If my son can go to a local school, most of my difficulties will be solved," he said. Oppah Muchinguri, Zimbabwe's environmental minister, said during a visit to Qingyuan, Guangdong province, that more African elephants will be sent to China for a better life. Qiu Quanlin / China Daily Relocating more wild African elephants from Zimbabwe to China in the near future will help protect the animals, as they will be in a better and safer environment, a high-ranking Zimbabwean official said. "We are happy to see that young African elephants have been well accommodated here in China. They look very healthy and energetic," said Oppah Muchinguri, Zimbabwe's environmental minister, during a visit to a rare plants and animals center in Qingyuan, Guangdong province. Early last year, 25 young African elephants were imported from Zimbabwe to the center as part of an international African elephant conservation program. At the center, developed by domestic theme park and tourism operator Chimelong Group, the young elephants eat fruit, cereals and grasses, some of which are imported from the United States. It includes a 1,300 square-meter food processing house, and a group of veterinarians, according to the center. Muchinguri said more African elephants and other animals from Zimbabwe will be sent to the center, as the country has been trying to protect them from being poached and threatened by the worsening environment. "Because of the bad weather, including drought and climate change, we cannot keep the large population of elephants any longer," said Muchinguri. As a result, Zimbabwe has been looking for international cooperation to protect them. "Wild animals, elephants in particular, consume lots of water and food, which we cannot afford. Sometimes, they destroy our crops," she said. Zimbabwe currently has 85,000 African elephants, of which a growing number have been threatened by human activities such as poaching, according to Muchinguri. "Poaching elephants is becoming serious and sophisticated in Zimbabwe. We will work closer with the Chinese side in anti-poaching," she said. Muchinguri said the introduction of the animals to China would help Zimbabwe invest more in elephants conservation. "Our ecosystem cannot handle such a large number of animals. So we would rather export and sell more elephants and other animals to those willing to take care of them," she said. Early overseas media reports have criticized Zimbabwe's government for selling young elephants to China, saying the move, which had already sparkled outrage from animal rights advocates, would destroy the animals' living environment. The elephants, all more than 5 years old, were part of a 27-strong group of elephants captured in 2014 in Hwange National Park, according to Muchinguri. "We will not apologize for selling elephants to China. As you see they are living very healthy lives here. And the introduction of the African elephants will help arouse awareness of the need for better protection of the wild animals," she said. Accused robber whose case languished for 18 years applies for compensation People accused of crimes who suffer long delays in getting a final court judgment can receive State compensation for time spent in detention and their cases can be thrown out, under a new judicial interpretation that took effect on Jan 1. Under the interpretation issued by China's top court and procuratorate, if the police do not hand a case to prosecutors for more than one year after the expiration of bail, or if prosecutors do not move forward with a case, litigants may be eligible for compensation for past time spent under coercion, such as being held in a detention house. Based on that interpretation, Gao Yanlong, a robbery suspect whose case has had no judgment for 18 years, asked the Sanmenxia Intermediate People's Court in Henan province on Monday to pay more than 2 million yuan ($306,800) in compensation for his 2,410-day detention and the resulting economic losses and mental suffering he endured. He is the first to apply for State compensation under the new interpretation. Gao was given a suspended death sentence for robbery in his first trial after being detained in 1992. After he appealed, the provincial high people's court sent the case back to the lower court to retry the case because of what it said was insufficient evidence and unclear facts. In 1998, Gao was released on bail pending trial, but the case has not been reheard. Wang Yaonan, the spokesman for the intermediate people's court, said on Tuesday that he was aware of Gao's case and confirmed that his application for compensation had been registered. "Our case-filing tribunal is reviewing materials from Gao now and will decide whether to accept the case in a timely manner," Wang said. Under a guideline issued by the Supreme People's Court last year, courts must make a decision whether or not to accept a case within seven days. Yuan Ningning, a criminal law researcher at Beijing Normal University, spoke highly of the latest interpretation, saying that it will alleviate the problem that some criminal cases have not been concluded after a long period. Prosecutors must decide whether to renew their prosecution or withdraw a previous prosecution within one year after a case has been designated for retrial. "But the reality is that some complicated cases were ended after a long period of time," Yuan said. "The interpretation represents progress in protecting litigants' rights. Defendants whose cases were dragged out by pending verdicts and who suffered long-term detention can be compensated," he said. "Also, it will motivate prosecutors to make a decision within the legal time limit for reducing cases like Gao's." "The interpretation will be good news for accused people in such cases," said Ruan Chuansheng, a criminal lawyer in Shanghai. "It is also an effective way to regulate judicial bodies." Sun (third from left on back row) with his classmates at the military college in Chongqing in 1950. Photos Provided to China Daily Among the first passengers of the new high-speed railway between Chengdu and Chongqing was a man with a history as storied as the route: soldier, rail builder, reporter, war correspondent, poet, suspected spy. Sun Yisun helped to build the old Chengdu-Chongqing railway, the first constructed after the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949. "It was the pride of Sichuan, and also a demarcation line of Sun's life," said Tang Jie, a railway bureau spokeswoman who helped organize the former workers' trip on the new line's first train on Dec 26. "He is a living history of the Chengdu railway bureau," she said. Sun, in fact, embodies more than the history of a single rail bureau. He was born to an affluent family in Taizhou, Jiangsu province, in 1932. His father was a teacher, and his uncle was colonel secretary to Chiang Ching-kuo, the eldest son of Chiang Kai-shek, chief of the Kuomintang. Before the Kuomintang lost the civil war in early 1949, Sun's uncle turned down Chiang Ching-kuo's invitation for his family to flee to Taiwan and arranged for Sun to go to Chongqing, which the Kuo-mintang held until November that year. "He thought the CPC would win the war, and asked me to contact a CPC agent working at a local newspaper to accommodate me as an intern," Sun said. After the CPC took Chongqing, Sun entered a military college organized by the Army and became a soldier. Months later, he received an order to join the Chengdu-Chongqing railway construction project as a platoon staff officer responsible for deploying manpower and suppressing local bandits. On July 1, 1952, the railway was completed and Sun was sent to Korea as a war correspondent. He saw United States' bombers level a city beside the Chongchon River in less than "a cigarette's moment", and interviewed US prisoners of war as well as the fathers of Chinese martyrs who were weeping in the places where their sons died. "In my reports, I did not write about Chinese soldiers as heroes, neither did I write about the US Army as vulnerable 'paper tigers'," Sun said. "They are all humans." Sun returned to Chongqing in 1954 and was assigned to build the Chengdu-Baoji railway. He met his wife, a telephone operator with "sweet voice" from Zigong, Sichuan province. They had two children. He wrote poetry about his experiences, but before his third book could be published in 1957, he was classified as a "rightist" and was sent to work on construction sites. Later, he was accused of being a spy. He was "rehabilitated" after 22 years of labor on the rails, and chose to work at a writer's association in Zigong, his wife's hometown, retiring as chairman in 1993. Jiang Lan and Zhou Bin, two young writers from Sichuan, spoke highly of Sun's warmth and generosity and said Sun was an infectiously happy man. Sun published a memoir in the late 1980s and is writing a novel about his life. "I am writing, but I do not regard myself as a writer. I am always a soldier," he said. "My daughter is a painter and my son is a railway engineer. My wife is 81 years old. "I am happy." Chinese President Xi Jinping talks with workers during his visit to Guoyuan Port in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality, Jan 4, 2016. Xi made an inspection tour in Chongqing from Jan 4 to 6.[Photo/Xinhua] Chinese President Xi Jinping said that all the Party members must implement the notions of innovation, coordination, greening, opening up and sharing to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2020 on Wednesday in Chongqing, according to Xinhua News Agency. Xi said, those five concepts are formed from the experience and lessons of the social and economic development at home and abroad. They are also based on the analysis of the future trends of the globe and insights from the laws of economics and social development. "They are our guidelines in the 13th five-year plan period (2016-2020) and the even further future," he said. Xi made an inspection tour in Chongqing from Monday to Wednesday. It is his first visit to this southwest municipality since he took office as Chinas top leader in 2012. Many experts said that this tour is a confidence boost for Chongqing, which has been clouded by the corruption scandal of its former Party Chief Bo Xilai, now serving a life sentence. It is also seen as recognition for its economic and social achievements in recent years. In the first three quarters of last year, Chongqing's GDP growth rate led the country at 11 percent. It is expected that it will maintain the 11 percent growth rate in 2015 while the countrys average is about 7 percent. He said the Belt and Road Initiative will provide a bigger platform for Chongqing to "go out" and the development of the Yangtze River Economic Zone can help the city better connect with the central and coastal areas of China. "Chongqing has great potential and a bright future," he said. He hoped Chongqing plays a major role in the Go West campaign, which actively engages in the development of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Yangtze River Economic Zone and creates new achievements in the process of building a well-off society. During the stay, Xi also visited a port and an IT company in Chongqing. The city, almost as big as Austria, is the fourth municipality under the direct leadership of the central government after Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin, the only one in west China. Chongqing has long been the economic and trade hub in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and a gateway to the vast inland area. During President Xi Jinping's state visit to Singapore in early November last year, the two sides announced the third government-to-government project will be located in Chongqing. Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks to staff members during his visit to BOE Technology Group Co, Ltd. in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality, Jan 4, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] CHONGQING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged officials to work in earnest, have courage to tell the truth and never abuse power in exchange for personal gains. Xi made the remarks during his first inspection tour of 2016 in southwest China's Chongqing municipality from Monday to Wednesday. Leading cadres at all levels constitute the backbone of the Communist Party of China's (CPC) governance force and should take the lead in implementing the "three stricts and three earnests" requirement, the President said. The "three stricts and three earnests" is a series of requirements for officials to improve their lifestyles and work, urging them to be strict in morals, use of power and self-discipline, as we as honest in their work and behavior. "Ideals and belief should not be regarded as slogans that officials just pay lip service to...Instead, they should be converted into strength that encourages officials to take action," Xi said. Rigid implementation of discipline and rules not only requires a set of thorough, effective regulations, but also a process of obeying them hundred percent, he said. The right exercise of power can be achieved through acting by law, Xi said, urging officials to always bear in mind the principle of acting in accordance with the law and never abuse power in exchange for personal gains. The year of 2016 is a vital period for deepening reforms in all respects, the President said, calling on local authorities in Chongqing to fulfil reform tasks assigned by the central authority, as well as explore innovation. "The priority, path, order and methods of reforms should be worked out to make sure the reforms precisely satisfy the demand of local development as well as people's expectation," Xi added. Jiangsu Scammers cheat farmer via text message A farmer was defrauded of 190,000 yuan ($29,121) after following the instructions he received on a deceptive text message telling him seek a refund for a canceled flight. The man surnamed Bao, in Changshu city, had purchased an online airline ticket to fly to the Inner Mongolia autonomous region for a business trip. After receiving the text message, Bao went to a local ATM and followed the instructions to apply for a refund. Instead, all of the money in his bank account was transferred out. Police are investigating. Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Iran on Sunday and asked all Iranian diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours after angry Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Teheran in protest against the execution of 47 people, including prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, on terrorism charges by Riyadh. Following Saudi Arabia's move, Sudan and Bahrain severed ties with Iran and the United Arab Emirates said it would downgrade ties with Teheran. The United Nations, the United States and the European Union all condemned the latest executions carried out by Saudi Arabia, and urged countries in the Middle East not to escalate religious tensions further. On the other hand, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Saudi Arabia would face "divine revenge" for "unjustly spilling the blood" of Nimr and urged the Islamic world to strongly protest his death. This is not the first confrontation between Riyadh and Teheran, which for decades have been fighting for the religious leadership in the Middle East. Portraying itself as the de facto leader of the Islamic world, the Sunni Saudi Arabia has prided its guardianship of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, on which millions of Muslims converge to perform hajj every year. And Iran, as the largest Shiite Muslim country, has become a major security concern for many Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, for not only following a different strand of Islam but also its growing military might. Palestinian group claims it struck border patrol to avenge the recent killing of one of its leaders Lebanese militant group Hezbollah struck an Israeli armored patrol with a roadside bomb at the border on Monday and Israel responded by shelling the area, with no immediate word on casualties. Hezbollah said the attack was carried out by a unit named for Samir Kantar, a prominent Lebanese militant killed in Syria last month. Hezbollah had blamed Israel and vowed to avenge his death, suggesting a possible motivation for Monday's attack. Lin Bai and Xu Zechen, joint editors of the German version of People's Literature, at the launch of the magazine's first issue in late Nov at the German embassy in Beijing.[Photo by Mei Jia/chinadaily.com.cn] Following the warm reception of the English version of People's Literature, a landmark magazine recording contemporary Chinese literary life, its German version was launched in late Nov in Beijing. More multi-lingual versions are either ready or on the way to meet their targeted readers, the editor-in-chief Shi Zhanjun said. The magazine's attempt of taking positive actions to promote Chinese writings abroad and its achievements were praised at a forum "Representing China: A New Perspective of Intercultural Communication" at Beijing Language and Culture University on Friday. The English version, launched in 2011 and entitled Pathlight, is a quarterly redesigned from the cover to illustrations to suit the global taste. Concentrating on one theme in each issue, it features short stories, novellas, and poems by contemporary writers, especially the young and new voices. Besides the latest German version, therere already two issues in both French and Italian language, and one each in Russian and Japanese. Shi said the multi-lingual versions are to expand into 15 languages in the future, including Spanish, Arabic and Korean. Veteran critic Yan Jingming called the moves "historic", because instead of being passively introduced into foreign market, the Chinese writers, especially the younger ones, would find the multi-lingual Pathligh a chance to reach more hearts. An elderly woman (middle) receives the paper cutting cut into Chinese character "" (fu), meaning 'blessing' or 'happiness' in English. [Photo/ xinhuanet.com] A resident in a village in Shaanxi province, Northwest China, complained to the media that his disabled grandfather had received a miniskirt and women's shorts as a New Year gift from the county government. An official from the local government said that all the clothes were donated by a Shanghai clothing company and the clothes were not necessarily for the elderly man but for other family members. China Youth Daily on Tuesday comments: It should have been a good deed like all other welfare offers to people who are in need. The problem is the gifts were inappropriate, which reflects badly on the local government. The officials were simply making a gesture rather than expressing their solicitude. It was once a good tradition for local governments to show their love and care for local residents in this way during the holidays, but nowadays it would be better to make sure what kind of help or gifts would best benefit the recipients, rather than just distributing donations from companies willy-nilly. This would show ordinary people more respect. And it is an every day job. It shouldn't only happen during the holidays. Flames and smoke rise from Saudi Arabia's embassy during a demonstration in Tehran January 2, 2016. Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi Embassy in Tehran early on Sunday morning as Shi'ite Muslim Iran reacted with fury to Saudi Arabia's execution of a prominent Shi'ite cleric. [Photo/Agencies] The feud between Saudi Arabia and Iran sparked by Saudi Arabia's execution of a Shiite cleric shows no sign of abating. After Saudi Arabia announced it was cutting diplomatic ties with Iran on Sunday, Bahrain and Sudan followed suit and severed their diplomatic relations with Iran. The abrupt deterioration of ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran was triggered by Saudi Arabia's execution of 47 individuals it had convicted on terrorism charges, including a prominent Saudi Shiite cleric, Nimr al-Nimr. Angry Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi Embassy in Teheran on Saturday and set fire to it. In response, Riyadh announced it was severing ties with Teheran, and it ordered Iranian diplomats to leave within 48 hours. With Saudi Arabia ruled by Sunni Muslims and Iran run by Shiite Muslims, ties between the two countries have remained cool, if not tense, in recent years. But the latest souring of relations between the two major countries in the Middle East has heightened tensions to their highest point in years. Judged by the norms governing international relations, the action of deliberately damaging a country's embassy is sure to cause a severe setback in bilateral ties. But that does not necessarily mean severing ties is the appropriate response. In September 2012, armed men stormed the US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, killing four Americans including the US Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens. As the United States was the mastermind behind a regime change in the country, it did not respond with cutting ties with Libya. If history is a mirror, Saudi Arabia seemed to be overreacting to the torching of its embassy in Iran. After all, Teheran did not want the incident to continue to fester and acted quickly to deal with the incident, announcing 40 people had been arrested on suspicion of taking part in the attack on the Saudi embassy. Photo provided by Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on July 26, 2015 shows top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong-un making a congratulatory speech at the 4th National Conference of War Veterans on July 25, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua/KCNA] The unexpected announcement by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea that it had successfully tested its first hydrogen bomb will not only deal a huge blow to the already unpredictable process for denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, but also intensify tensions in Northeast Asia. It is still too early to confirm whether it was truly a hydrogen bomb test, because hydrogen bombs require sophisticated technology which many believe the DPRK does not possess. However, the DPRK's nuclear test, its fourth since 2006, resulted in a 5.1 magnitude earthquake near Sungjibaegam, which should set alarm bells ringing about Pyongyang's growing nuclear capability. The test seems to be a response to the West's doubts about Pyongyang's capacity to make a hydrogen bomb after DPRK leader Kim Jong-un claimed it had the capability in December. By drawing global attention with the test, the DPRK has once again called on the world to seriously address its security concerns. On Tuesday, the official Korean Central News Agency released a commentary on the basic factor that compelled the DPRK to bolster its nuclear deterrence, saying "the US had already worked out a nuclear plan to bomb major cities and regions of socialist countries, including major cities in the DPRK, back in the mid-1950s". The long-time appeal by the DPRK to sign a peace treaty with the United States to formally end the Korean War (1950-53) has been ignored by the US. But that should not be an excuse for the DPRK to resort to using nuclear deterrence to seek security, because among other things it poses a serious challenge to China's border security and endangers peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. China, as a responsible power, is always making efforts to resume the Six-Party Talks, in order to peacefully resolve the DPRK nuclear issue. It should not bear the brunt of the deadlock between the US and the DPRK. China supported the sanctions against the DPRK after the latter conducted its third nuclear test in 2013, clearly showing its strong opposition to Pyongyang carrying out nuclear tests. The fourth nuclear test on Wednesday will no doubt raise new challenges for the already cooling China-DPRK ties. Beijing has always cherished its ties with Pyongyang, but the DPRK needs to make real efforts to maintain good relations with its neighbor, for instance, by helping guarantee China's border security, rather than making it difficult. But it would be extremely wrong for the US to think it can just stand by and exploit the rifts between China and the DRPK. Given the growing nuclear capability of the DPRK, it could miniaturize its nuclear weapons and eventually arm its missiles with nuclear warheads posing a threat to the US. The Republic of Korea, an ally of the US, will pay a heavy price for the DPRK's nuclear deterrence. For the DPRK, its dangerous nuclear moves will not bring peace as it expects. Instead, it could mount pressure on those countries to take an even harder stance toward the DPRK, which will only worsen its ties with them. Whats worse, it will give Uncle Sam a perfect excuse to strengthen its military buildup in Northeast Asia, and may escalate tensions further. It's high time related countries resumed the Six-Party Talks, because that is the only way to end the deadlock. Quanzhou, Fujian province, is planning a Maritime Silk Road Museum, which is expected to start construction in 2016. More than 10 experts from the China Central Institute for Culture and History visited Quanzhou on Dec 26-28 to inspect Quanzhou's cultural relics. Quanzhou has renovated cultural sites in recent years, with over 120 projects completed in 11 towns covering more than 4,000 square kilometers. Now Quanzhou has 16 sites on China's World Cultural Heritage Tentative List, with seven more to be added. Famous architect Zhu Pei has been invited to design the museum. In addition, the first regulations on protection of the Quanzhou Maritime Silk Road will come into effect in March, 2016. Sanya in the island province of Hainan tops the list of smog-escape routes since it offers blue skies, blue seas and warm weather. Bao Xinguo/China Daily Travel agencies are pitching popular 'smog-escape routes' as pollution propels Chinese to places with clean skies. Yang Feiyue and Erik Nilsson report. Chinese travel itineraries are increasingly written by the sky. More than ever, "getaway" refers to escapes not only from the office but also from acrid air. Urbanites are heading overseas for "breathers", in every sense of the term. Travel titans caught a whiff of the trend in late December, soon after Beijing issued its first and then second red smog alerts. The country's largest online travel agency, Ctrip, for instance, has since started pitching "smog-escape routes"with great success. "Our app and website searches for destinations rise in pace with smog levels in users' respective cities," says Yan Xin, publicity manager of Ctrip. More than 60 percent of Chinese cities reported high air pollution around Christmas. This gave oomph to overseas escapes' allure during the New Year holiday's three-day weekend, industry insiders say. "Many customers moved their departure dates forward or switched from domestic to international destinations to escape the severe air pollution people expected around the New Year and the Spring Festival holiday (Feb 7-13)," Yan says. Beijinger Zhang Guangqi took two extra days off around the New Year to visit Okinawa with his friend. "It was a spontaneous decision," Zhang says. "I didn't have any specific plans for my visit. I just wanted to escape the air." Still, smog caught up to many who'd escaped over the New Year as they returnedor tried to. Foreign Minister Wang Yi (right) joins his visiting Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moallem for a media briefing in Beijing on Thursday. FENG YONGBIN/CHINA DAILY Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Syrian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Walid Muallem both paid a visit to Beijing, albeit separately, last week, highlighting China's increasing role in the Middle East. During Abadi's visit, China and Iraq issued a joint statement agreeing to establish a strategic partnership and deepen bilateral cooperation in various fields. At his meeting with Abadi on Dec 22, President Xi Jinping said China firmly supports Iraq's measures to safeguard its national security and stability, and will strengthen cooperation in this field. Recent years have seen China's active participation in Iraq's post-war reconstruction, and its cooperation with Iraq in the field of security, as Xi has said, will enhance the Middle East country's ability to safeguard its national security and fight the Islamic State group that has captured most of the Iraqi province of Anbar. As for the Syrian civil war, China has been pushing for its political resolution, insisting that the future of Syria should be decided by the Syrian people. China has actively participated in international mediation to draw the opposing parties in Syria to the negotiating table ever since the civil war broke out about five years ago. Last year, China sent two of its navy vessels which collaborated with the naval forces of Russia, Denmark and Norway to escort ships loaded with chemical weapons out of Syria. That was the first time China provided maritime transportation support to help destroy chemical weapons, and it showed the country is shouldering more international responsibilities. Over the years, China has repeatedly called for greater international efforts to address the humanitarian crisis in Syria. On its part, China has provided humanitarian support to Syria and several other Middle East countries on multiple occasions. This holiday season was a little hectic for me as I was hosting three family friends from China. Entrepreneurs, scholars and physicians, no matter what the parents do for a living, they share something in common: They've sent their teenagers to boarding schools in the US. It seems to be a decision that both the parents and children could not be happier about. Emily Chen, a 17-year-old who is a senior at the Grier School in central Pennsylvania, said she has benefited much from her three years boarding away. "I used to hate schools and homework in China," said Emily, who added that she didn't get as much attention from teachers because she struggled in class. "But here at Grier I have all these fond memories about learning and motivation." Although China in recent years started gradually transforming its education system, its framework and foundational concepts are chronically criticized - they are narrowly focused on students' academic performance instead of wholesome character-building and leadership development. "I still can't forget the nightmare-like years when we had to shuffle Emily back and forth between school and afterschool training institutions," said Hong Chen, her dad. "My wife kept pushing Emily to study harder and would lose her temper" at her progress. "None of us was happy," Hong Chen said. When Emily decided to go to the US to start middle school and finally enrolled in Grier in 2013, the entire family breathed a long sigh of relief. Different teaching methods, different learning approaches and expectations from the school have prompted Emily to be independent and self-advocating. "My experiences at the school lead me to take leaps of faith in myself and encourage me to believe I could make great things happen," Emily said. The Chen family story is not exceptional. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the number of Chinese K-12 students soared to 34,578 this year and accounts for almost half of foreign students attending American high schools and primary schools. The youngest, as indicated in records, is only 10. In 2010, there were 8,857 Chinese students attending US K-12 schools, according to data collected by the Student Exchange and Visitor Program (SEVP). Eva Liu, a marketing professional in Silicon Valley, along with several of her entrepreneurial friends, designed a website and app that help Chinese parents locate the best public and private K-12 schools in the United States. "We feel that sending young children to American boarding schools will continue," said Liu. "The increase shows no sign of abating in the near future." After regularly answering inquiries from China about good schools, homes located in good school districts, and other resources in the US, Liu launched her website and app, which focus on high-quality K-12 school systems and services. "They are gaining popularity among parents of interest," said Liu. "Chinese parents understand what values the American education will generate, and they are getting it." For example, some Chinese families will buy houses in upscale towns with strong public schools. "Our website collects all this information for Chinese families," said Liu, adding that her clients are mostly affluent Chinese with only one child. At Grier, Chen and other Chinese students make up almost half of the school population. The school administration set up a publicity office in China several years ago to welcome Chinese students in order to offset declining domestic enrollment and funding. "Fifty thousand a year including tuition and boarding fees is not a small number," Emily said. "I understand my parents pin high hopes on me." Emily completed her college applications, including several for prestigious Ivy League schools, before Christmas. Contact the writer at junechang@chinadailyusa.com China's Global Newspaper Sorry, the page you requested was not found. Please check the URL for proper spelling and capitalization. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Chinadaily.com.cn, try visiting the Chinadaily home page Turkish coast guards conduct a search and rescue operation after a boat carrying refugees sank off in Ayvalik district of Balikesir during their journey to Europe on January 5, 2016. [Photo/IC] ISTANBUL - The bodies of 34 migrants, at least seven of them children, were found at two sites along Turkey's Aegean coast on Tuesday after they apparently tried to cross to the nearby Greek island of Lesbos. The flow of migrants, mostly fleeing Syria's civil war in search of sanctuary in Europe, has continued despite colder winter weather, though the numbers have dipped somewhat. About one million people are believed to have crossed or attempted to cross the Aegean in 2015, nearly five times more than in 2014. The people found on Tuesday died after their boat or boats apparently capsized in rough seas. It was not known how many vessels were involved or how many people were on board. Twenty-four of the bodies were discovered on the shoreline in the district of Ayvalik, the Turkish coast guard command told Reuters. Ten others were found in the nearby district of Dikili, a local gendarmerie official said. The coast guard and gendarmerie rescued 12 others from the sea and the rocks on the Ayvalik coastline. The coast guard said three boats and a helicopter were searching for more survivors. "This is a crime against humanity. It is murder to send people out to sea like this," said the governor of Ayvalik, Namik Kemal Nazli, referring to the traffickers who exploit migrants desperate to reach Europe. In comments quoted on the Haberturk website, the governor said 50-60 migrants from Iraq, Syria and Algeria had put to sea in two boats from Dikili. Haberturk also reported that the dead people at Ayvalik had included two girls and five boys. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) conducted an ejection test for a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) last month after carrying out one such test in November, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported Wednesday citing a military official. The DPRK's SLBM was believed to have been tested in an initial phase as it was an ejection test, not a full flight test. Under the ejection test, the missile flies just hundreds of meters after being ejected from waters. The Seoul military official was quoted as saying that the December test has not seemed to be a success, noting that the DPRK has continued such ejection tests. The DPRK staged a same ejection test on Nov. 28 last year, which was believed to have failed as it didn't soar from the waters. At the time, some of the debris from the missile was found on the ocean surface. A US media cited a US military official as saying Tuesday that the DPRK's ejection test was staged on Dec. 21 in the East Sea. The ejection tests in November and December indicated an advance in the DPRK's SLBM technology. Pyongyang officially announced its successful test-launch in May of a ballistic missile from a submarine, overseen by top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un. US Brigadier General Diana Holland delivers remarks at a ceremony where she assumed the role as the first female Commandant of Cadets at the US Military Academy at West Point, New York, January 5, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] WEST POINT, N.Y. - The first female commandant of cadets at the US Military Academy was sworn in on Tuesday, the latest milestone for American women who now are allowed to serve all military combat roles. Brigadier General Diana Holland, 47, an Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran, assumed the leadership post after being honored in packed ceremony at the academy 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City, whose graduates typically serve as Army officers. "I'm very grateful for this opportunity," said Holland, a 1990 West Point graduate who thanked her husband and father for their support and said she looked forward to working with the cadets. "They ask for so little, only to be well led." Holland assumes the historic leadership position a month after the US military struck down gender barriers in the armed forces, announcing it would accept women in all combat jobs previously open only to men, from leading infantry soldiers into battle to serving as Navy SEALS. At the ceremony, West Point superintendent Lieutenant General Robert Caslen gave a nod to other female alumni who recently made military history, including the first two women to receive the coveted US Army Ranger title, Army Captain Kristen Griest and First Lieutenant Shaye Haver, who completed their training in August 2015. Holland's resume includes barrier-breaking accomplishments such as becoming the first female general of the US Army Fort Drum & 10th Mountain Division. Holland, whose hometown is Santa Barbara, California, served in Germany as well as in deployments to Iraq in 2004 and Afghanistan in 2010 and 2013. As the 76th Commandant of Cadets, she replaces Major General John Thomson III. The new post marks a return to West Point for Holland, who taught history at the academy after earning a master's degree at Duke University. West Point, founded in 1802, accepted its first female cadets in 1976. Zhang Liangui, an expert in Korean studies at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said he believes that the Wednesday test is "not a surprise" as Pyongyang has renewed its official commitment to its nuclear plans in recent years. It is likely that the United Nations Security Council will convene in the near future and come up with fresh sanctions against the test, Zhang said. "The past sanctions seem to have failed because the effects were way far from remarkable," he said. The Wednesday test is also a further frustration for the stalled Six-party Talks, Zhang said. The Six-party Talks, which group the DPRK, the Republic of Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, were launched in 2003 but stalled in December 2008. The DPRK quit the talks in April 2009. Zhang said that the rest of the parties of the Six-party Talks should take further measures to prompt the DPRK to give up its nuclear plan. China's hectic diplomatic year 2015 saw President Xi Jinping spend 42 days conducting eight trips abroad. It also witnessed an ever-increasing recognition of the country's enhanced global role and a boost in diplomatic ties with major world powers including the United Kingdom and the United States, and neighboring countries like Pakistan and Indonesia. Visit to Pakistan in April China and Pakistan long viewed each other as "iron friends," and upgraded their relations to an all-weather strategic partnership of cooperation, eyeing perpetual friendship from generation to generation. "The Pakistan-China friendship is higher than mountains, deeper than oceans, sweeter than honey, and stronger than steel." said Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. People watch TV news showing the DPRK's breaking news, at Seoul station, in Seoul, the Republic of Korea, January 6, 2016. [Photo/IC] China has always pushed for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, maintaining that all relevant parties should refrain from unilateral moves detrimental to regional peace and stability. President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Park Geun-hye will convene an emergency security meeting on Wednesday. The National Security Council (NSC) meeting will be presided over by President Park at 1:30 pm local time (0430 GMT), Park's spokesman said in a briefing. Park is expected to discuss how to deal with the DPRK's fourth nuclear test, a surprise test of a hydrogen nuclear device. Vice Foreign Minister of the ROK Lim Sung-nam said after an emergency meeting with diplomats that the fourth nuclear test was in violation of the resolutions of UN Security Council that bans the DPRK from conducting any nuclear test. The vice minister said that the hydrogen bomb test is a serious challenge to world peace. The ROK military reportedly strengthened its defense readiness after the nuclear test, saying that it was closely cooperating with the US forces over the raised tensions on the Korean peninsula. The US government said Wednesday that it could not confirm that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) had conducted a hydrogen bomb test, while vowing to respond appropriately to any "provocations." Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday said the test was a "significant threat," according to Japan's public broadcaster NHK. Japan has held its national security council meeting immediately after the quake was detected at around 10:30 am local time (0200 GMT) in the northeastern part of the DPRK. "The hydrogen bomb test is a significant threat to Japan's national security and is unacceptable," the prime minister told reporters, adding Japan will consider sanctions against the DPRK as its nuclear test violates UN Security Council's relevant resolutions. Japan lifted part of its own sanctions against the DPRK since the two countries reached an agreement that Pyongyang agreed to reinvestigate the whereabouts of Japanese nationals it allegedly abducted some four decades ago. Abe also said Japan will work with the United States, the ROK, China and Russia to cope with the issue. Meanwhile, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida will hold talks with US Ambassador Caroline Kennedy over the nuclear test. Test further frustration of Six-party Talks Zhang Liangui, an expert in Korean studies at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said he believes that the Wednesday test is "not a surprise" as Pyongyang has renewed its official commitment to its nuclear plans in recent years. The Wednesday test is also a further frustration for the stalled Six-party Talks, Zhang said. The Six-party Talks, which group the DPRK, the Republic of Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, were launched in 2003 but stalled in December 2008. The DPRK quit the talks in April 2009. Zhang said that the rest of the parties of the Six-party Talks should take further measures to prompt the DPRK to give up its nuclear plan. Next arms race may be around the corner Yu Meihua, director of the Center for Korean Peninsula Peace Studies under the China Reform Forum, said the United States and its allies in Northeast Asia "will take Pyongyang's test on Wednesday as an excuse to initiate the next arms race in the region". Yu made the comment after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea announced earlier on Wednesday that it had successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb test. "Now the US, Japan and the Republic of Korea have one more excuse for reinforcing their military cooperation and relevant deployment in the Korean Peninsula," Yu said. Yu estimated that that the peninsula denuclearization process will be delayed and slowed, and said the test was not conducive to the resumption of the Six-Party Talks. The Six-Party Talks, which group the DPRK, the ROK, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, were launched in 2003 but stalled in December 2008. The DPRK quit the talks in April 2009. Regarding the United Nations, Yu suggested that fresh sanctions may be imposed, external pressures on the DPRK will mount, and its pace of economic cooperation with foreign countries will possibly see a slowdown. Nuclear test made to show increased strength Yu Meihua, director of the Center for Korean Peninsula Peace Studies under the China Reform Forum, said that from Pyongyang's viewpoint what it described as its H-bomb test on Wednesday was a clear indication of its increased weapon technology. Yu was speaking after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea announced on Wednesday that it had successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb test. The test also served as a major step in the DPRK's plan boost its military power, Yu said. Pyongyang believes this is a necessary countermeasure to protect it from threats posed by the United States, Yu noted. "The latest test will boost the top leader's image and the solidarity among the domestic public," Yu suggested. The test may have consequences for Pyongyang's relationships and cooperation with Seoul, Beijing, Washington and Moscow, Yu said. DRPK leader Kim Jong-un (C) watches a firing contest of the KPA artillery units at undisclosed location in this photo released by DPRK's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang, Jan 5, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] The Foreign Ministry issued a rare written statement on Wednesday voicing its "resolute opposition" after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea announced earlier in the day that it had successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb test. "Today, the DPRK, disregarding widespread opposition in the international community, once again conducted a nuclear test, and the Chinese government expresses its resolute opposition to this," the statement said. It is China's firm stance to realize denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, prevent nuclear proliferation and ensure the peace and stability of Northeast Asia, the ministry noted. "We strongly urge the DPRK to honor its denuclearization pledges and stop taking any action that will deteriorate the situation," the statement said. The ministry said championing peace and stability in the peninsula and in Northeast Asia "lives up to the common interests of all parties". "China will firmly press ahead with the goal of peninsula denuclearization and will uphold resolving the peninsula nuclear issue within the framework of the Six-Party Talks," the statement said. The Six-Party Talks, which group the DPRK, the ROK, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, were launched in 2003 but stalled in December 2008. The DPRK quit the talks in April 2009. Expert: Nuclear test made to show increased strength Yu Meihua, director of the Center for Korean Peninsula Peace Studies under the China Reform Forum, said that from Pyongyang's viewpoint what it described as its H-bomb test on Wednesday was a clear indication of its increased weapon technology. Yu was speaking after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea announced on Wednesday that it had successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb test. The test also served as a major step in the DPRK's plan boost its military power, Yu said. Pyongyang believes this is a necessary countermeasure to protect it from threats posed by the United States, Yu noted. "The latest test will boost the top leader's image and the solidarity among the domestic public," Yu suggested. The test may have consequences for Pyongyang's relationships and cooperation with Seoul, Beijing, Washington and Moscow, Yu said. Expert: Test may trigger new arms race Zhang Liangui, an expert in Korean studies at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said he believes that the Wednesday test is "not a surprise" as Pyongyang has renewed its official commitment to its nuclear plans in recent years. The Wednesday test is also a further frustration for the stalled Six-party Talks, Zhang said. The Six-party Talks, which group the DPRK, the Republic of Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, were launched in 2003 but stalled in December 2008. The DPRK quit the talks in April 2009. Zhang said that the rest of the parties of the Six-party Talks should take further measures to prompt the DPRK to give up its nuclear plan. Xinhua contributed to the story China "welcomes and appreciates" the destruction of Syrian chemical weapons, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Wednesday. Hua's comment came after the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons announced on Monday the destruction of all chemical weapons declared by Syria. "This is a successful attempt by the international community to resolve the Syrian chemical weapons crisis, and is the result of joint efforts by the Syrian government, the OPCW, the United Nations and other international parties,'' Hua said. "China has always supported the destruction of Syrian chemical weapons and has made contributions in this regard," she said. China will "continue to work with various parties to push for a political solution for the Syrian issue", she said. Unlike India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has blazed a trail on social media with almost 180,000 Chinese followers on his Weibo account, Indian Ambassador to China Ashok K. Kantha prefers a low profile, both online and offline. His approach, as he prepares to leave office after a successful two-year tenure, has helped ensure the success of hometown diplomacy" a phrase that captures the essence of the relations between the leaders of China and India. The ambassador has, however, opened a Weibo account, attracting around 120 followers, a tiny fraction of Modi's followers. His quieter approach was evident during his farewell reception on Monday evening, as the ambassador, who is leaving China on Thursday to enjoy retirement, gave no speech. Instead, he chatted with more than 200 guests from the diplomatic, military, academic and media circles, for nearly three hours. Kantha became Indian ambassador to China in January 2014. Before coming to Beijing, he was secretary to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. Vijay Gokhale, the incumbent Indian ambassador to Germany, will be his successor, according to sources from the embassy. As ambassador to China he has witnessed enhanced communication between the leaders of the two countries. President Xi Jinping made a state visit to New Delhi in September 2014 and Modi visited Beijing in May last year. "The two visits showcased the high level of personal rapport between our leaders and coined a new term 'hometown diplomacy'. Modi has met with Xi and Premier Li Keqiang as much as eight times over the last eighteen months," Kantha told China Daily. Aided by the ambassador, Modi, an enthusiastic fan of social media, has seen his popularity soar among Chinese Internet users after his Weibo account was opened early last year. Indian embassy sources said two people at the embassy are responsible for updating and maintaining the account. On May 15, Modi uploaded a selfie with Li during a visit to the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. It's the first time that a Chinese central government leader's selfie was publicized by his counterpart. The micro blog entry drew more than 107,000 likes and was forwarded 67,000 times. When discussing the potentiality of ties between the two countries, Kantha uses two acronyms that suggest momentum and progress. "If I have to describe the potential of India-China ties, I will say INCH (India and China) towards MILES (Millennium of Exceptional Synergy)," Kantha quoted Modi as saying in an article written exclusively for China Daily ahead of his farewell. Kantha expressed his satisfaction at the "all-round progress" of the bilateral relationship. "I am happy that my country is the second-largest participant after China in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)," he said. The ambassador recalled his first visit to Peking University in 1982. "At that time, there were barely a dozen Indian students in China; today, there are some 14,000 Indians studying here." India strongly welcomes Chinese participation in development campaigns such as Make in India, Digital India, and Smart Cities, Kantha said, adding that investments from China are flowing into India. Last year, both Jack Ma, founder and chairman of e-commerce giant Alibaba, and Lei Jun, chairman and CEO of Xiaomi Inc, visited India. The two businessmen were also among the list of 19 entrepreneurs met by Modi during his visit to Shanghai on May 16. Lian Peng, a manager of Chongqing-based automaker Changan International Corp, said that the company is planning to set up factories in India as the Modi government is seeking foreign investment. "The potential of the Indian market is huge given its large, young population," he said. During his visit to India in September 2014, Xi said that "China and India have a combined population of over 2.5 billion. If we speak with one voice, the whole world will listen, and if we join hands, the whole world will pay attention". Born in May 1955, Kantha graduated in History from Patna University in 1975. He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1977 and studied Chinese at Nanyang University, Singapore from 1979 to 1981, according to the introduction on Indian embassy's website. "During my travels in China, I have always been impressed with the warmth, friendship and keen interest of local leaders towards India, and I am sure this will translate into more active cooperation on the ground." he said. anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn WASHINGTON -- Initial Analysis indicates that the nuclear test conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is "not consistent" with a hydrogen bomb, the White House said Wednesday. At a regular briefing, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said nothing occurred in the last 24 hours has changed the US assessment of the DPRK's technical and military capabilities. The DPRK announced Wednesday that it has successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb test. Earnest said intelligence agencies are continuing to gather evidence to determine the nature of the test. Any nuclear test conducted by the DPRK is "provocative and a flagrant violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions," Earnest said. "We want the North Koreans (DPRK) to end their provocative acts both in the form of missile tests and nuclear tests, to commit to de-nuclearization and to demonstrate a commitment to pursuing peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," Earnest said. The spokesman also reiterated the "rock-solid" commitment of the United States to the safety and security of South Korea and Japan. On Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Ash Carter and his South Korean counterpart Han Min-koo spoke by phone to discuss potential responses by the two countries to the apparent nuclear test conducted by the DPRK, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said. Cook said that the two leaders "agreed that any such test would be an unacceptable and irresponsible provocation and is both a flagrant violation of international law and a threat to the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and the entire Asia-Pacific region." The two leaders agreed that the DPRK's provocations should have consequences, he said. Also Wednesday, the top Democrat on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee called on the US to respond "resolutely" to the DPRK's nuclear test. "Today's reported nuclear test by North Korea (DPRK) is yet another indication of North Korea's (DPRK's) determination to continue to defy the international community and the threat it poses to regional peace and stability," said Senator Ben Cardin. Cardin said he will work with others in the Senate on legislation to impose additional sanctions on the DPRK and also urged the United Nations Security Council to impose additional sanctions. I assume every lawyer has had a client who starts out emphatically stating exactly what the law is and exactly what you as the lawyer should do for them in light of that law. The biggest problem with this sort of client is they are usually wrong. They are wrong because they usually have read just one law and, without any context, they assume it applies 100% everywhere. A classic example in the United States is those who believe First Amendment free speech rights apply everywhere, when in fact they most certainly do not. A U.S. employment lawyer once told me it is commonly believed private sector employers cannot fire someone for what they say. This is dead wrong. I thought of this the other day after seeing a very long email a foreign client wrote to one of our international litigators explaining exactly how this lawyer should defeat an argument made by the opposing party. The email was very thoughtful and very intelligently written but because the client did not realize that a particular word in a statute did not mean what he thought it did, it was entirely wrong from start to finish. This sort of thing is not at all unusual A while back, I got an email from a U.S. company instructing us to force a particular Chinese company into a China bankruptcy and then use that bankruptcy to seize the Chinese companys assets and then sell those assets at a judicial sale to generate funds to ensure payback on the debt. This company (the email was from a non-lawyer) not only told us exactly what we needed to do to achieve all this, but they included a cursory English language write-up of a PRC Supreme Court judicial interpretation making clear how easy it would be to do what they were proposing we do. As a nice finishing touch, the U.S. company noted that because taking this action would be so clear and because they are just a small company, they would expect our fee for doing this to be low. My response (which I no longer have so I am really just winging it here) stated as follows: What you provided me is one judicial interpretation, standing alone. What matters in China (and in pretty much every other country of which I am aware) is not just what one law says, but how things are actually done. Here in the United States, when our firm has a large litigation matter in another state we bring in local counsel even though we are eminently capable of reading the court rules. But just reading the court rules is not enough because they will pretty much always be silent on many things and even sometimes flat out wrong in terms of how a particular court or even a particular judge handles thing. Without knowing the local flavor, you can be lost. This is even more true in China and this is certainly true of China bankruptcies, which are still rare in China. And here is the thing about China bankruptcies. Whenever I talk with other China attorneys about their experience with China bankruptcies they look at me like I have two heads and mumble something about how there pretty much is no such thing. Sometimes they will jokingly lecture me about how one should not expect a Chinese judge to break harmony by putting a Chinese company into bankruptcy and throwing people out of work. But on one level they are not joking and I just do not see a Chinese court throwing a Chinese company into bankruptcy in favor of you getting paid on your $450,000 debt. That is just not how Chinese courts operate. So though we would be happy to take on this matter for you, you should realize it is anything but the sure thing you seem to believe it will be and it will be anything but cheap either. In fact, in the end, I suspect that our advice will be something other than pursuing the bankruptcy route. Way back in 2011, in The Basics on China Litigation, I listed out a number of rules for litigating in China and one of them was that you should think about the equities of your case, not just the law. Ask what is fair and what would be good for China. Putting a Chinese company into bankruptcy to pay a foreign company on a debt does not jibe with this rule. This Reuters article nicely sums up the realities of China bankruptcies: Courts also have wide discretion on whether to accept bankruptcy filings and must work closely with local government officials, who are generally more concerned about jobs, local tax revenues and social stability than creditors. I never heard back from the US company that wanted us to push their Chinese debtor into bankruptcy, so I have no idea whether they decided to pursue the involuntary bankruptcy with another law firm or just sought out another lawyer who would tell them what they wanted to hear. But there is definitely a very simple lesson to be learned here: one translated law does not a legal system make. China laws as written versus China laws in real life: there is a connection, but it sure as heck is not one to one. You agree, right? (Photo : Getty Images) Huawei phones are being sold in more than 170 countries and regions. Advertisement A recent wave of rumors claim that Chinese tech company Huawei is planning to release its flagship P9 smartphone at an exclusive event ahead of the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show. If the rumors are true, then Huawei might unveil the smartphone anytime on Jan. 5 or Jan. 6. There is also a possibility that the company will unveil the device during the CES. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Huawei's senior vice president confirmed on Chinese social networking site Weibo that the company is scheduled for a pre-CES 2006 event. In a separate post, the Chinese tech company teased its fans about the launch of the much hyped X series device, which is believed to be the Honor X3 phablet sporting a 6.2-inch display. A tipster has also hinted that the Huawei P9 will be the first smartphone to be released with a massive 6GB RAM. On top of that, the smartphone will also have a dual rear camera setup and a ubiquitous fingerprint scanner. Previous rumors claimed that the Huawei P9 is powered by the Kirin 950 chipset and has a 5.2-inch display, which supports Quad HD resolution. In November 2014, a leaked AnTuTu benchmark report gave a peek of the expected specs of the Huawei P9 smartphone. The benchmark confirmed that the rumored Kirin 950 chipset is at the heart of the device. Aside from the P9 smartphone, fans also expect that Huawei will unveil the Mate 8 phablet at the upcoming 2016 CES. The device went on sale in China in December 2015. The release of the device in its native country fueled speculations that it will be availabile globally soon. The Huawei Mate 8 is expected to be fitted with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage space and cost 2,999 Chinese Yen (about$460). The model with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage space costs 3,699 Yen (about $565). The top-tiered model with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage space costs 4,399 Yen (about $672). Advertisement TagsHuawei, P9 (Photo : Getty Images/Andrew Wong) A worker is seen strolling by a greenhouse in the above photo taken in an organic farm outside Beijing, China. The eminent environmentalist John Cobb, Jr. has lauded the Chinese government's emphasis on the development of an "ecological civilization" based on traditional Chinese thought rather than modern Western traditions. Advertisement The Chinese government's efforts to promote sustainable development and nurture the country's ailing environment have received praise from an eminent US philosopher and environmentalist, according to state-run news agency Xinhua. The famous American environmentalist, John Cobb, Jr., founder of the California-based Center for Process Studies, has lauded China's green development and environmental protection programs, saying that -- while they may be contradictory goals -- the Chinese people want the benefits of both a healthy natural environment and a strong and stable economy. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement "What is astonishing is the extent to which China is finding ways to continue growing that are not so costly to the environment," Cobb told Xinhua recently. "The problems are still enormous, and many of them are growing worse. But the efforts made to curb the destruction are also enormous and there are even prospects for reversing the deterioration while continuing to grow." China spent around $34 billion on programs to protect the environment and prevent environmental catastrophes in 2014 alone, according to a report published by World Finance Magazine early last year. While this may seem paltry for a country of 1.4 billion people, Beijing's policymakers have become increasingly aware that environmental degradation exacts a heavy toll on the country's economic growth. Quoting a report issued by the Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning, World Finance Magazine says environmental degradation and pollution had cost China a staggering $9.3 trillion in lost productivity in 2014. With more than forty years of environmental advocacy work behind him, the 91-year old Cobb is among the most respected and influential voices in the global effort to promote organic agriculture and green development. He has followed China's development policies closely over the past ten years, and had earlier praised the Chinese government's emphasis on the development of an "ecological civilization" based on traditional Chinese thought rather than modern Western traditions. "Our universities still largely ignore such ideas," he said in an interview with Xinhua last October. "In the United States, most of the people who work in agriculture today are just as alienated from the land as any urban dweller." The environmentalist has visited a number of China's eco-villages and farms, and believes they can form a strong foundation for China's bid to balance the demands of economic growth against the need to ensure the health of the environment. "I hope the world will begin to emphasize increasing the carbon absorption by plants and soil as much as reducing carbon emissions," Cobb said. "Whereas industrial farming continues to poison the land and lose soil, organic farms absorb carbon and build up the soil. May Chinese farmers return to organic methods before it is too late." Advertisement TagsChina sustainable development, Environmental Sustainability, organic farms, John Cobb Jr (Photo : YouTube Screenshot) OnePlus ONE E1000 smartphone will run on Android Lollipop 5.1.1, but no information regarding the battery was mentioned in the TENAA listing. Advertisement OnePlus 2 Mini flagship smartphone, which has long been anticipated for release, has been spotted on a TENAA listing. OnePlus 2 Mini is one step closer to being a reality and will be the first Mini device of the company. A new OnePlus smartphone has been listed on the database of the Chinese Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center (TENAA), which is China's regulatory and certification body for electronic devices. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The said device is called OnePlus ONE E1000 and its certification has a grant date of Dec. 28, 2015. It will sport a 4.99-inch OLED display with 1080p Full HD resolution and weighs only a mere 138 grams. Its measurement is 69 mm wide, 140 mm tall, and 6.9 mm thin. OnePlus ONE E1000 features a quad-core processor of an unspecified brand and model with a CPU clock speed of 2.0 GHz. A Snapdragon 810 chipset is rumoured to run the new OnePlus smartphone, but is very unlikely to happen. OnePlus ONE E1000 is packing 3GB of RAM with 16GB built-in internal storage capacity and supporting an external microSD expansion of up to 128GB. It has a 13-megapixel main camera in the rear with a support for video recording capabilities of up to 1080p full HD resolution or precisely 1920 x 1080. It will also have an 8-megapixel front snapper for selfies and other similar functions. OnePlus ONE E1000 smartphone will run on Android Lollipop 5.1.1, but no information regarding the battery was mentioned in the listing. It is different from other handsets from the China-based manufacturer because it will only come in black. Many fans now believe that this new smartphone will turn out to be the rumoured OnePlus 2 Mini because of its screen size. Advertisement TagsOnePlus, oneplus 2 mini, ONE E1000, OnePlus ONE E1000 (Photo : Photo by ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images) The government bought local stocks on Tuesday after the CSI 300 Index tumbled 7 percent on Monday causing a trading halt, anonymous sources revealed. Advertisement Chinese authorities have come to the rescue of the sinking stock market, with state-controlled funds used to purchase equities. The Securities regulator, meanwhile, has issued a halt on major investors from selling shares. The government bought local stocks on Tuesday after the CSI 300 Index tumbled 7 percent on Monday causing a trading halt, anonymous sources revealed. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The China Securities Regulatory Commission also informed stock exchanges that the ban preventing stockholders from selling will remain in effect beyond Jan. 8. Chinese policy makers are believed to be playing a big role in cushioning the stock market in a bid to fight a selloff that already saw $590 billion go away in what is considered the worst-ever start to a year in the Chinese market. The government's intervention may allay some selling pressure, but it also challenges the authorities' pledge to keep the markets free and independent. "The market has got some help from state funds and that will support shares in the short term," Wang Zheng, the Shanghai-based chief investment officer at Jingxi Investment Management Co., explained. But Wang cautioned that the market will have to be strong enough to stand on its own without state intervention in the long run. The sales ban on major holders, which started in July at the onset of the $5 trillion market crash, will remain until a new rule comes into effect that would restrict sales. Listed companies were told to release statements confirming that they will halt sales. Large companies willingly obliged. Shenzhen-listed Zhejiang Century Huatong Group issued a statement in an exchange filing that it will not trade any shares on the secondary market at least for another year as soon as its previous commitment expires in January. The refrigerator-compressor-giant, Changshu Tianyin Electromechanical Co., also committed, saying its controlling holders would not sell shares over the next nine months. Investors with over 5 percent of single ownership stocks are also required to adhere to the sale ban. The restriction has, however, attracted the ire of some foreign investors who considered the action as way too far. Advertisement Tagschina stock market crash, stock market, China stock market, China Shares Trading Ban (Photo : YouTube) Lenovos Link 32GB Link dongle is retailed at a price of $39.99, and will be available in March this year. Advertisement Chinese tech giant Lenovo has launched a Link 32GB USB dongle that has the ability to connect Windows users to their smartphone. Lenovo reported that with this technology, Windows users will be able to control their smartphone from their desktop PC. Lenovo Link 32GB looks similar to a USB flash drive, and makes it a simple matter to copy files from one device to another. The device will allow an Android phone to be used as "picture-in-picture" on a Windows desktop. It will give users the ability to drag and drop files between their smartphone and desktop computer. Users can also copy and paste their important documents, watch a video that is stored on the their's phone in full-screen on the desktop, and use their keyboard and mouse to operate Smartphone apps. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The Lenovo Link 32GB dongle features a built-in 32GB internal storage within a 78mm x 21mm x 9mm chassis. The device supports a mirroring resolution up to 1080p display, suitable enough for high-end smartphones but not entirely capable of matching the highest resolutions. To use this device, users must have Windows 7, 8, or 10 operating system installed on their computer or an Android device running 5.0 Lollipop or higher, which is connected via USB to the Link 32GB. Users will also need to download and install the Link app on their Smartphone. It can be found on Google Play Store. Lenovo's Link 32GB Link dongle is retailed at a price of $39.99, and will be available in March this year. Meanwhile, Lenovo has released new devices at CES 2016 on Tuesday such as Yoga 900S, Ideacentre 610S, Ideapad line-ups, ThinkVision X24 Pro monitor, ThinkPad X1 Tablet, ThinkPad X1 Yoga, and WiGig bar. This new devices will be available in March 2016. Advertisement Tagslenovo link 32gb usb link dongle, link 32gb (Photo : China Photos/Getty Images) China has filed a complaint with Myanmar after a landmine on the China-Myanmar border exploded, injuring a Chinese citizen. Advertisement China filed a complaint on Tuesday against Myanmar after a landmine explosion injured a Chinese citizen on the border between the two countries. Hua Chunying, spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, did not say exactly where the incident occurred. Hua, however, said that the explosion happened Jan. 3 Sunday, and injured only one person. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The victim happens to be a Chinese boundary affairs worker who was conducting an investigation in the area. This is the latest incident that has added tension to the already strained ties between both nations. China has been reportedly asking Myanmar to apply some effective measures that would contain or handle to conflict between the Myanmar military and armed ethnic rebel minorities. "The Chinese side has, explains spokeswoman Hua, demanded that Myanmar take effective measures to avoid the future occurrence of a similar situation and prevent the conflict in north Myanmar. Hua said that this incident is considered by the Chinese Foreign Ministry to be a serious concern, and is currently undergoing investigation. She added that China has asked Myanmar to give more effective efforts to ensuring the security of Chinese people's lives and property, as well as keeping peaceful situations in the border areas. The border between China and Myanmar is a 2,000 kilometer-stretch of land consisting of remote and hard to reach areas. The Myanmar military has been fighting against several rebel groups, with at least two operating near the area that borders with China. Due to the fighting that has transpired for years, thousands of Myanmar civilians have sought refuge on the Chinese side of the border. Despite a ceasefire signed in 2012, landmines are still lying on the border grounds waiting for some unsuspecting victims. Myanmar's landmines, according to the Diplomat, are made out of a plastic polymer making it hard to detect using metal detectors. The material itself also takes a long time to degrade, which makes these old mines highly dangerous. Advertisement TagsMyanmar, China-Myanmar border, Landmine, China-Myanmar Conflict A tourist takes photos of one of the five huge banners featuring the red ribbon to mark the World AIDS Day at the National Stadium in Beijing, China. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images) Advertisement About 12,800 people afflicted with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) / Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), or the so-called people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), in Yunnan have been receiving traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment since 2005. The combination of TCM, antiviral therapies, and herbal remedies seemed to be beneficial for the more than 12,800 PLWHA in Yunnan as nearly 40 percent of them gained weight while a substantial fraction also said they suffered fewer colds, authorities said. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement According to the official Xinhua news agency, the TCM project in Yunnan was launched in 2005 with the goal of determining the effects of traditional Chinese medicines to PLWHA. The pilot project, which combines traditional, herbal, and modern medicines, seeks to suppress the load of the virus that causes HIV/AIDS and boost the PLHWA's immune system. Based on the data from 1,130 PLWHA in Yunnan before and after the treatment, more than 40 percent showed good development as they started gaining weight while 18 percent said they have fewer colds attack. According to the Yunnan Academy of Chinese Medicine, TCM treatment can boost the immune system and alleviate symptoms, including fever, diarrhea, and cough. Official records show that about 575,000 people in China have HIV/AIDS by the end of October last year, with 86,634 of them living in the province of Yunnan. Last month, the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee started reading the proposed law on TCM, which calls for a wider role of traditional medicine into the country's health care system. The draft law supports TCM's role in the whole medical system and vowed to expand the traditional medicine's role in dealing with public health incidents and diseases controls and prevention, among others. Advertisement TagsChina HIV, China AIDS, Yunnan Aids, TCM, China TCM (Photo : Getty Images/John Moore) Apartment buildings rise into Chengdu's neon skyline in the photo above. Building on Beijing's efforts to encourage investments outside of China's coastal regions, Chengdu is girding to become the world's next Silicon Valley, according to reports. Advertisement Building on Beijing's efforts to encourage investments outside of China's coastal regions, Chengdu, in southwest China, is girding to become the world's next Silicon Valley, according to reports. The city of 14 million -- once known only for its pandas and a local delicacy called hot pot -- has already begun to attract homegrown startup technology companies as well as big-name Western tech firms, mainly because of low labor costs and favorable local policies. The local government's pet project, the Tianfu Software Park Lab, is home to some 110 new startup firms. The microchip giant, Intel, meanwhile has four factories near the Shiangliu International Airport, in Chengdu's High-Tech Industrial Development Zone. The US multinational technology and consulting company IBM also has headquarters in Chengdu. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement While local authorities have been aggressively promoting the city as a tech innovation hub for some time now, many of the newer corporate investments into the metropolis started coming in after 2012. In November that year, local authorities unveiled a set of tax breaks and preferential policy incentives for Western companies looking to build their headquarters in Chengdu. At the time, local officials told the International Business Times (IBTimes) that companies in industries "actively encouraged by government" received a 15 percent corporate income tax rate, compared with the 25 percent levied in eastern China. Still, many analysts agree that Chengdu's biggest attraction is the low cost of labor. In a symposium held in the city in 2013, the economist and Nobel laureate Robert Mundell said that cheaper labor is among Chengdu's most important competitive advantages, especially when viewed against rising labor costs in the east. "There will always be a low-end production comparative advantage here," Mundell said. Speaking more recently with the Financial Times, Chen Bing, deputy head of the Chengdu Investment Promotion Commission, says workers in Chengdu are paid wages that are typically two-thirds to half of those paid in China's coastal investment hubs. Apart from this, local authorities likewise offer startup companies subsidies on office space. In exchange for this unique perk, companies are asked to promise to remain in Chengdu even after they become profitable endeavors, according to Chen. Of course, profits do not always come rolling in, and Chen admits that the city government does have to tolerate certain risks. The Financial Times suggests that hundreds of startup firms have come to Chengdu only to sputter out and drift into nameless mediocrity, or even outright failure. "We have to tolerate failures, because that is part of business," Chen says. "Some will fail." The possibility of failure notwithstanding, thousands of young entrepreneurs and technology innovators continue to flock to Chengdu in the hopes of making it big. Jonathan Woetzel of the consultancy firm McKinsey says the urge to innovate comes as many Chinese cities outside the country's coastal regions jostle to move their economies up the value scale. This view is shared by other analysts, who say China's central and western cities are aggressively pursuing the transformation of their economic growth models, shifting from a previous reliance on scale and speed of production to a new model that builds on quality and efficiency, as well as private consumption. "Each of these mega cities is starting to behave economically like little countries," Woetzel says. Noting the scale and diversity China's central and western urban hubs, he then adds, "I don't see why in the future China wouldn't have 15-20 Silicon Valleys." Advertisement TagsChengdu, Intel, Startups (Photo : US Navy via Getty Images/Patrick Bonafede) The US Navy's guided missile cruiser USS Shiloh is seen here patrolling the waters of the Western Pacific. US naval commanders are currently rewriting the US Navy's strategy on naval bases in the Asia-Pacific to counter China's presence in the region. Advertisement China is flexing its muscles in Asia Pacific eventually to gain military supremacy in the region, but the U.S. Pacific Fleet is steadily shrinking. However, U.S. Navy officials guarantee that the declining numbers of military personnel are compensated by the use of more advanced ships and lengthened deployments in the area. These also come with postponed maintenance to keep the presence of fewer ships. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement According to Peter Jennings, an expert at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute think tank, it is important to maintain an impregnable military presence even during peacetime. The shrinking US military force in Asia Pacific is "emerging as a serious long-term problem," Jennings noted. There are currently 182 US vessels, that include combat ships, aircraft carriers, auxiliary and logistics vessels, Cmdr. Clay Doss of U.S. Pacific Fleet said. Around 20 years ago, there were 192 fleets stationed in the area. China's People's Liberation Army Navy, meanwhile, has deployed 300 surface ships, submarines, amphibious ships and patrol craft, based on Pentagon's Asia-Pacific Maritime Security Strategy report in August last year. This comes amidst the rising tension in the Southeast Asian region since China became more insistent on its claims to disputed islands in South China Sea. China considers the U.S. military presence in Asia as an attempt to limit the country's powers. Beijing, meanwhile, claims that it is just reclaiming its rightful and historical role as the leading cultural and political power in the region. China has been building roughly 3,000 acres of artificial islands in a part of South China Sea that also claimed by Vietnam and the Philippines, fueling tensions in the area. Several international protests launched did not deter China from pouring sands on the ocean floor and building facilities on the new islands and reefs. Questions now arise as to whether the U.S. Pacific Fleet would be able to sufficiently address issues in case regional anxieties heighten. Admiral Scott Swift, nevertheless, is confident that he has adequate resources. "I'm very comfortable with the resources I have," he said. Advertisement TagsUS pacific fleet, People's Liberation Army Navy, Chin Artificial Islands South China Sea (Photo : Getty Images) China-based manufacturer Tianna will be rolling up its curtains for its second-generation microphone known as USING during the CES this year. Advertisement Since its debut in 1967 in Las Vegas, the International Consumer Electronic Show (CES) has become a springboard for many companies worldwide. With the upcoming CES 2016 on January 6, cutting-edge devices and gadgets from more than 2000 manufacturers will surely be showcased, including China-made hardware products. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Among those expected are Chinese manufacturers audio products, who have been playing a significant role in the event. In fact, during CES 2015, HiFiMan HE-560, a Chinese brand, took home the CES Innovation Award for Headset Products. Looking forward to this year's CES, other known Chinese makers like HiVi and Edifier will try their luck to launch new products, whereas the rest will attempt to outdo US-based rivals. China-based manufacturer Tianna will be rolling up the curtains for its second-generation microphone known as USING. Technical features include more than 98dB audio dynamic range, less than 0.5% distortion degree, 100HZ~13KH frequency response and 10-meter effective distance. Furthermore, it promises a splendid karaoke experience from the clear, solid and full sound it provides. Through detail-oriented approach, USING microphone is a creation of one of the country's renowned four-time IF and Red Dot award recipient Li Jiafang. Its grip made from ABS engineering plastics and overall features meets international standards. Many are anticipating it will be presented at CES 2016 with a much cheaper price-performance rate. But even before the start of CES 2016, USING has already captured consumer's interest, especially modern families who want to enjoy a diverse karaoke experience. To check and test the product personally, visitors are invited to see Tianna's booth at South4 #35411 Topower in Las Vegas, USA, during CES 2016. Advertisement TagsTianna, USING, #CES2016, Las Vegas (Photo : Reuters) The police have arrested a man suspected to be behind the bus fire in Northwest China that killed 17 passengers Advertisement Police have arrested the suspected arsonist behind the bus fire in Northwest China on Tuesday which killed 17 people and injured 32 others. The suspect, Ma Yongping, was reportedly hiding in a building under construction site in Yinchuan county when the police captured him. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Chinese authorities said three more bodies were retrieved from the bus bringing the number of fatalities to 17. Eight men and nine women perished in the fire, while 32 people who sustained injuries are currently being treated at the Ningxia Medical University General Hospital in Yinchuan, said Ma Kai, the deputy mayor of Yinchuan. Doctors attending to the fire victims in the hospital said one of the injured was in critical condition, while five others were in serious condition. The rest of the patients were pronounced in stable condition. The bus, which was enroute to Yichuan Railway Station, suddenly caught fire at the juncture of a furniture shop, sending the passengers panicking and rushing towards the door. The incident happened in the morning of Tuesday at the Helan county as the bus was on its first trip of that day. The 84-seater vehicle was traversing a long stretch of the road when the bus burst into flames, trapping most of the 40 passengers onboard. The passengers rushed to the front door and pleaded to the driver to open it. Reports indicate that the fatalities were seated at the back and were unable to rush to the bus door because of the raging flames that instantly engulfed them. "I was sitting in the front of the bus when people suddenly started screaming 'Fire! The bus is on fire!' When I turned around, the flames were racing toward me, and before I knew it my shoes were on fire, " said Hu Yuexiang, 26. Advertisement Tagsbus fire, northwest China, Ma Yongping, 17 bus fire fatalities, 32 injured passengers The Chocolate Math of it All - v. 9/30/2021 Number of Days Since This Chocolate Bet Started: 5,495 Number of Chocolate Items Eaten: 5,495+ Number of different items combined with chocolate: 371 - from Absinthe to Zucchini) Weight of Chocolate Eaten: ~ 5,495 oz. (343.43 lbs. or 155.78 kg) Total Number of Chocolate Calories Consumed to date: ~ 824,250 (There are, on average, 150 calories in 1 oz. or 28.3 grams of chocolate.) Number of Companies producing chocolate items I've eaten: Approx. 1,592; Number of bean-to-bar makers: 194 Number of Countries where chocolates were made: 66 Number of Pounds of Chocolate Americans Eat: Approx. 11-12 pounds per year; I eat 27 lbs. (more than 12 kg.)/year. Per capita chocolate consumption in Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Ireland: 8-9 kilograms (17-22 pounds)/year. Global demand has stayed high, despite economic fluctuations. Cost of all these Chocolates: A lot of money, but worth every penny. Chocolates range from $1 to $20 each. Occasionally I receive gifts or samples. Copyright Information All other product names, logos, trademarks, and product packaging designs belong to their respective owners. Content and photos are by Corinne C. DeBra unless otherwise noted; all photos are posted in low resolution. Copyright (c) 2006-2021 Corinne C. DeBra, Chocolate Banquet The unknown can be frightening for anyone, no matter the stage or season. Anytime we step outside our comfort zone and try something new, we may hear that little voice of doubt inside that says, "Can I really do this?" How loud and clear that voice is depends on one's mindset. Due to cities like Ferguson and Baltimore, activist movements like #BlackLivesMatter and #ICantBreathe, and tragedies like last years massacre of nine black Christians by a white supremacist in a South Carolina church, conversations about race are once again in the national spotlight. As a pastor whose church has moved to broaden its ethnic diversity, and as a Hispanic man whose heart breaks over systemic injustice, Im pleased to see so much attention devoted to healing some of our countrys deepest wounds. Thus, I was excited to learn that Jim Wallis, the founding editor of Sojourners magazine, has weighed in with Americas Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America (Brazos). For many reasons, the book offers a welcome contribution. First, its an excellent resource for getting up to speed on contemporary race relations in the United States. Wallis provides a solid overview of troubling social realities like mass incarceration, the school-to-prison pipeline, racialized policing, immigration, and Americas shifting demographic makeup. Second, it highlights systemic injustice, connecting the dots between historical legacies and present-day realities. There are powerful, indicting statistics on dysfunctions in our criminal justice system, public schools, immigration policies, and other influential spheres. Wallis rightly wants us to see such injustices not as mere political problems but as rooted in sinimplying the need for deeper repentance and change. Third, Wallis walks the talk. He has been on the front lines for decades, listening to and pleading on behalf of minority voices, living in rough neighborhoods, ... 1 You have reached the end of this Article Preview You have reached the end of this Article Preview To continue reading, subscribe now. Subscribers have full digital access. Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here. Several faith leaders were asked to write brief comments about the future of Roe. I was glad to see that I was not the only person asked who sees life as beginning at conception and who is ready to see Roe overturned. Concordia Seminary's Shepherds of God's Flock Set for Jan. 7 Decision-making process is focus for prospective students at this one-day event Contact: Melanie Ave, 314-505-7378, avem@csl.edu ST. LOUIS, Jan. 5, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- Concordia Seminary, St. Louis will host a one-day event Thursday, Jan. 7, for prospective seminarians. Called Shepherds of God's Flock, the event is for college students and second-career men to explore questions they have about coming to the Seminary in a relaxed, retreat-like atmosphere. At this one-day event, participants explore ministry through Bible study, hear panel presentations from pastors and students, and talk with others who are asking the same questions. Shepherds of God's Flock is about the decision-making process of "service as a shepherd." Shepherds of God's Flock is one of the Seminary's annual admissions events that gives participants valuable information about formation for pastoral and diaconal ministry. There is something for everyone including events for prospective students who are in high school, college or are considering ministry as a second career, as well as events for prospective Seminary families. To learn more about Seminary's visitation events, call 800-822-9545, email admissions@csl.edu or visit www.csl.edu/admissions. About Concordia Seminary Concordia Seminary, St. Louis provides Gospel-centered graduate-level theological education for pastors, missionaries, deaconesses, scholars and other leaders in the name of The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod (LCMS). To learn more, visit www.csl.edu. Share Tweet Alabama Chief Justice Says Judges Must Uphold Sanctity of Marriage Amendment Contact: Liberty Counsel, 800-671-1776, Media@LC.org MONTGOMERY, Ala., Jan. 6, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore issued an administrative order today saying, "Alabama probate judges have a ministerial duty not to issue any marriage license contrary to the Alabama Sanctity of Marriage Amendment." "Confusion and uncertainty exist among the probate judges of this State as to the effect of Obergefell on the 'existing orders' in API," Moore wrote. "Many probate judges are issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in accordance with Obergefell; others are issuing marriage licenses only to couples of the opposite gender or have ceased issuing all marriage licenses." Therefore, pursuant to his responsibility to "take any such other, further or additional action as may be necessary for the orderly administration of justice within the state," Chief Justice Roy Moore has ordered Alabama probate judges to uphold the Alabama Sanctity of Marriage Amendment. "I applaud Chief Justice Roy Moore for this order reaffirming the marriage law in Alabama," said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. "The Alabama Supreme Court issued an order in March 2015 barring probate judges from issuing same-sex marriage licenses after a federal court in January of last year overturned Alabama's voter-approved constitutional amendment defining marriage as one man and one woman," Staver explained. "In Alabama and across America, state judiciaries and legislatures are standing up against the federal judiciary or anyone else who wants to come up with some cockeyed view that somehow the Constitution now births some newfound notion of same-sex marriage." "The opinion of five lawyers on the U.S. Supreme Court regarding same-sex marriage is lawless and without legal or historical support," Staver concluded. Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics. Angela Merkel: How Germany's Iron Chancellor is shaped by her Christianity When Time magazine chose Angela Merkel for their Person of the Year 2015, they placed a large picture of her on the front page and a full-length profile inside. Surprisingly or perhaps not the profile's 9,000 or so words hardly mentioned the German Chancellor's Christian faith. Merkel is not a soap-box politician. She does not specialise in big visions. She measures, weighs, hesitates, and then finally acts. She prefers to lead, as the phrase goes, from behind. All this means that, unlike say Margaret Thatcher, which whom she has been often compared, she does not go in for candid professions of her Christian faith. Yet, from occasional remarks she has made over the years, it seems that Merkel's Christianity is deep, genuine and important. Merkel's father, Horst Kasner, was a Lutheran pastor and theologian, who, very unusually, moved into East Germany in 1954, when his daughter was six, just as thousands were moving Westwards. Kasner felt some sympathy with East Germany state socialism (or at least with what it was ostensibly trying to achieve) although that did not preclude his family from intense surveillance from a government that was deeply hostile to faith and freedom. Merkel grew up in a house with a church-run centre for people with mental and physical disabilities. She was heavily influenced by her father, although primarily by his "logical rigour" which she took into her early career as a chemist. Edging her way into politics after the fall of the Berlin Wall, she was appointed as a minister by Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who recognised her talent but also wanted a Protestant woman from the East to help balance his cabinet of largely Roman Catholic men. For all that she might be an outsider to her party, Merkel speaks its language. The Christian Democratic Union openly talks of the Christian ethic, and in particular the Christian valuing of humanity made in the image of God, as its foundation for politics. Merkel has echoed such sentiments, allowing critics to claim that her faith is mere window dressing by a politician who needs to appeal to the more traditional, Catholic elements in her party. This is undoubtedly the truth, but not the whole truth. Occasionally, Merkel offers glimpses of her more personal faith. "I am a member of the evangelical church. I believe in God and religion is also my constant companion, and has been for the whole of my life," she told a theology student on a videoblog interview in 2012. "We as Christians should above all not be afraid of standing up for our beliefs," she continued. Precisely how that shapes her politics is unclear. Merkel does the 'Christian moral framework' thing, just as Gordon Brown (and, much more implicitly, Tony Blair and David Cameron) did. But she has accepted invitations to speak at the International Meeting of Prayer for Peace (could one envisage a British Premier doing that?), and asked for the meeting's prayers for the Euro crisis. She also spoke at the German Evangelical Church's annual synod urging Germany's Protestant and Roman Catholic churches to stress their common beliefs in the challenging run up to the 2017 Reformation anniversary. Perhaps most tellingly, in the increasingly tense debate over Islam in Germany, Merkel has not circumvented the thorny issue of religion. While analysts feel that her extraordinarily generous (others have said foolhardy, or criminally negligent) response to the refugee crisis was due more to her East German upbringing, fostering a deep sense for the importance of free movement, rather than her Christian one, she has still articulated a moral angle to the problem. "If we not have to start apologising for showing a friendly face in response to emergency situations, then that's not my country". Moreover, she has argued that the proper response Muslim migration is not some mythically-neutral secularism, still less the kind of Islamophobia increasingly evident in sections of German society, but a securer grasp of Christian faith, declaring that Germany suffers not from "too much Islam" but "too little Christianity". The sentiments are controversial. But then so is virtually everything that a politician of Merkel's standing does. For all her privacy, pragmatism and hesitation, Merkel shows glimpses of principled steel that are connected to her private, but sincere Christian faith. Nick Spencer is Research Director at Theos, which is running a series of essays on the Christian faith of global political leaders. His book The Evolution of the West will be out in 2016. Archbishop pleads for prayer as global Anglican leaders prepare to meet The Archbishop of Canterbury has issued a plea for prayer as the leaders of his divided church prepare to meet in Canterbury next week in an attempt to avoid schism over homosexuality. Archbishop Justin Welby has invited the leaders of the 38 Anglican provinces to the meeting in Canterbury on from Monday to Friday next week. Already some conservative primates have threatened to walk out if no attempt is made to discipline the pro-gay liberal provinces such as the Episcopal Church, which consecrated the first openly gay bishop Gene Robinson in 2003. Without success in staving off a split next week, it probable that the next Lambeth Conference, the ten-yearly meeting of all Anglican bishops and archbishops from around the world, will be postponed indefinitely. One possible solution will be a move away from the present structure of the Anglican Communion to a more federal model similar to that adopted by the Lutheran churches of northern Europe and Scandinavia. Archbishop Welby said: "As we approach the Primates' meeting we need to recognise that we're going to be dealing with some very, very difficult issues within the life of the Anglican Communion, but also hugely difficult issues that are affecting the whole church of Christ and our whole world. "What I would ask people to pray for more than anything else is wisdom and love. That the love of Christ for each of us, for each of us who are sinners, each of us who fail, will so overwhelm us that we are able to love each other as we should. And wisdom that we may know the call and purpose of God and in love and wisdom serve his world in the way he calls us to." The agenda will be wide-ranging, reflecting the crucial role the Communion plays in helping individual provinces deal with complex social and political realities on the ground, a key motive for attempting to avoid schism. As well as sexuality, the Primates will debate issues such as the growing persecution of Christians, vulnerable children and adults and the environment. But central to the meeting will be a review of the structures of the Anglican Communion, and deciding together their approach to the next Lambeth Conference. Significantly, Archbishop Foley Beach, leader of the consevative Anglican Church in North America, not currently a recognised province of the Communion, has been invited and will be present for part of the meeting. Archbishop Welby said: "The difference between our societies and cultures, as well as the speed of cultural change in much of the global north, tempts us to divide as Christians, when the command of scripture, the prayer of Jesus, the tradition of the church and our theological understanding urges unity. A 21st-century Anglican family must have space for deep disagreement, and even mutual criticism, so long as we are faithful to the revelation of Jesus Christ, together. "We have no Anglican Pope. Our authority as a church is dispersed, and is ultimately found in Scripture, properly interpreted. In that light I long for us to meet together under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and to seek to find a way of enabling ourselves to set a course which permits us to focus on serving and loving each other, and above all on the proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ." The Archbishop has also published a special prayer for the meeting: Collect for Primates 2016 Gracious Father, who in your prophet Isaiah promised us a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, counsel and inward strength, knowledge and true godliness: breathe that same Spirit on the leaders of your church today, that they may meet you in one another, find perfect freedom in your service, and bring forth your Spirit's fruits of love, joy and peace; that your church may be renewed in the form of your Son, born, crucified and risen that we might be one with you and in you, ever one God, merciful and mighty. Amen Arizona churches offer refuge for Central Americans facing deportation Churches across Arizona have united to provide sanctuary for migrants from central America facing deportation. The effort comes after the Department of Homeland Security launched a renewed endeavour to deport adults and children who entered America illegally and stayed after they had been ordered to leave by a judge, according to The Arizona Republic. 121 adults were taken into custody over the weekend in Georgia, Texas and North Carolina. Although none of the 121 were from Arizona, several churches in the state have or are considering plans to offer sanctuary for Central Americans facing deportation. "We're seeing a real united front in the faith community that these raids are immoral, that we should not be targeting people who have fled violecne, who will be sent back to perhaps a violent situation that could be fatal," said Rev Noel Anderson, national grass-roots coordinator for Church World Service, an interfaith coalition. One of the churches considering opening its doors is Shadow Rock United Church of Christ in Phoenix, which previously offered sanctuary to Guatamalan Eleazar Misheal Perez Cabrera for 110 days after a judge issued a deportation order. "Migration is a natural human phenomenon that when people are hungry they move where the food is, when they are thirsty, they move where the water is and where there is violence, they move away from the violence," said Rev Ken Heintzelman, the head pastor of Shadow Rock. "What we have done with our laws is we have criminalized a natural human phenomenon, and that is wrong. That's immoral." He added that his congregation felt a moral obligation to protect the Central Americans fleeing violence, particularly as the United States has added to the conditions causing families to migrate. He said: "We have made life intolerable for people who want to live peaceful family lives and we don't take any responsibility for that." The Department for Home Security Secretary, Jeh Johnson, said that the operation launched over the weekend "should come as no surprise" and that he stood by his decision. "I have said publicly for months that individuals who constitute enforcement priorities, including families and unaccompanied children, will be removed." Bangladesh Supreme Court upholds death penalty for Islamist leader Bangladesh's Supreme Court has upheld the death penalty for Motiur Rahman Nizami, the leader of the country's top Islamist party, for atrocities committed during the war of independence from Pakistan in 1971. Four opposition politicians, including three leaders of the Islamist party, the Jamaat-e-Islami, have been convicted by a war crimes tribunal and executed since late 2013. The executions have come amid a rise in Islamist violence in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, with militant groups claiming the murder of two foreigners and four secular writers and a publisher last year. The court rejected an appeal by Nizami, head of the Jamaat-e-Islami, who was sentenced to death in 2014 by the tribunal for genocide, rape and orchestrating the massacre of top intellectuals during the 1971 war. "The court upheld the death sentence. We are happy with the verdict," state prosecutor Syed Haider Ali told Reuters. Jamaat-e-Islami, which has said the charges against Nizami are baseless, called for a nationwide strike on Thursday in protest. Nizami, a former minister, has been in jail since 2010 when he was charged with war crimes by the tribunal set up by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina that year. He is one of the most significant people to have been found guilty. Islamists have denounced the tribunal as part of a politically motivated campaign aimed at weakening the leadership of Jamaat-e-Islami, a key ally of the country's main opposition party. Nizami could be hanged within months unless the Supreme Court reviews his case again, or he is granted clemency by the president. "My client will decide whether he will file a review petition," chief defense prosecutor Khandker Mahbub Hossain told reporters. The government has blamed the increase in Islamist violence on the Jamaat-e-Islami but the party denies any link to the militant attacks. Additional reporting by Reuters. Charlie Hebdo front cover disrespects all faiths, says Vatican Newspaper The Vatican newspaper has condemned the French Satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo's latest front cover, which depicts God as an assassin, saying it disrespects all believers, of whatever faith. The special edition of Charlie Hebdo has published a million copies to commemorate the first anniversary of the terrorist attack at their office which killed 12 people, eight of whom were Charlie Hebdo employees. The front cover depicts God as a terrorist carrying a machine gun and is accompanied by the caption: "One year on: the assassin still on the run." The Vatican Newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, said the illustration "is insulting towards faithful of all religions: it is a caricature which is not at all helpful at a time when we need to stand by each other." Charlie Hebdo had bought into a false narrative that violence in the name of religion is true religion, according to the newspaper, who drew attention instead to number of religious leaders who had rejected violence in the name of religion: "Behind the deceptive flag of uncompromising secularism, the weekly is forgetting once more what religious leaders of every faith unceasingly repeat to reject violence in the name of religion using God to justify hatred is a genuine blasphemy, as Pope Francis has said several times," it added. "In Charlie Hebdo's choice, there is the sad paradox of a world which is more and more sensitive about being politically correct, almost to the point of ridicule, yet does not wish to acknowledge or to respect believers' faith in God, regardless of religion." Shortly after the Charlie Hebdo attack on 7 January 2015, when brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi killed 12 people, Pope Francis condemned the killings. "To kill in the name of God is an absurdity," Pope Francis said, with a caution that "each religion has its dignity" and "there are limits". Christianity is being quietly erased from public life. What are we going to do about it? A strange and troubling paradox is now glaringly evident in society today. On the one hand the UK Government is praising and giving funding to Christian initiatives in communities and recognising the rich contribution the church makes to national life. On the other it is proposing measures to tackle extremism that could privatise Christianity. As we enter this New Year, it is clear 2016 will be a critical year for Christian freedoms. This week former Whitehall mandarin William Nye talked of the "secularising spirit" now permeating the machinery of government. After 20 years of working at the highest level he sees the gradual "squeezing out of Christianity" from our national life despite the public expressions of support from ministers. The chilling effect has been that more and more Christians are afraid to speak out and feel disenfranchised. The very nature of society is rapidly changing. Gone are the days when our culture was automatically framed by Judeo Christian values and laws passed based on these timeless truths. Since the First World War, the Enlightenment and the teachings of Darwin we began to see the retreat of Christians from national life. No longer was the language of Christian teaching understood or natural. Instead, the aggressive rise of secular thought, coupled with a new worldview that denied any absolute truths has led to a pluralist society where you can believe anything you want, so long as it does not jar with the 'anything goes' mentality that pervades our culture. Evangelical Christianity has become the unwanted guest at a party everyone else is trying to enjoy. The silencing of Christianity, as Nye called it, is all the more apparent when you remember that traditionally Christianity has been a very vocal faith. Think of Wilberforce courageously telling Parliament his faith informed his tireless campaigning against the slave trade. In previous generations, Anglican ministers preached to parliament, urging our rulers to govern wisely and with a mind to God's truth. Nye's comments are a reminder that at the very least Christianity is in the eyes of many an entire irrelevance. Even worse is the very definite agenda to remove or undermine Christian values in favour of more progressive understanding of "truth". Secularism, materialism and postmodernism have undermined Christian values to the point where Christians themselves feel pressure to stay silent. Liberalism is the new orthodoxy. It pains me to be such a merchant of doom at the start of 2016, but which of us can deny the sinister way Christianity is being quietly erased from public life. Jesus told His followers to expect persecution. And a sense of perspective is needed because we must acknowledge the freedom we currently enjoy. Fellow Christians are suffering in far more difficult circumstances in other parts of the world. But now the gospel freedom we have taken for granted for so long is under threat. The very heart of church life is being threatened by a weak definition of British values. Quite rightly the Government is grappling with how to tackle extremism. However, the present proposals to seek to prevent the radicalisation of young people are ill thought through and could have dangerous repercussions for religious freedoms. It is not wrong to want to protect children from "undesirable teaching ", but in the context of the Government's strategy such a phrase carries a sinister ring to it. Traditional Christian views could be deemed undesirable because they are not accepted by wider society. The very heart of church life is being threatened by a weak definition of British values. The battle against plans to inspect youth groups and summer camps is really a battle of ideas and definitions. Plans to register and regulate "out of school education settings" need challenging. The Government have defined British values broadly, yes, but even the attempt to do so is flawed. The definition, highly subjective as it is, will come into direct conflict with Christian teaching on marriage, sexual ethics, education, gender, the dignity of life and so on. Freedom of speech, conscience and religion were the earliest human rights to be recognised, as Os Guinness rightly reminds us a civil public square requires that all have the right to act and engage in public life. And we would also do well to remember Thomas Jefferson's words "Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that their liberties are a gift from God". We erase these Christian truths at our peril. It is vital that we are not naive about the scale of the challenge we face. If we had to stand up for Christianity by ourselves, we may as well give up now. But we are not engaging in this fight alone. Our God is ever faithful and awesome in power. He is able to do impossibly more than all we ask and it is within His power to stem the tide of liberalism and so called progressive ideologies. He uses people like us to make a lasting difference. Far from being quiet, Christianity should graciously be bolder in speaking the truth. 2016 is a year of many challenges yes, but also a year of real opportunity. Nola Leach is the chief executive of CARE. Garissa University reopens nine months after massacre, but Christian students too scared to attend Garissa University has re-opened nine months after al-Shabaab killed 148 people on the campus in Northern Kenya. Staff returned to work this week and students are expected back on Monday. However only 60 of the previously 800-strong student population are expected to attend when classes resume, most of whom will be Muslim. On 2 April 2015, gunmen raided the college for more than ten hours, killing 148, mostly Christian students. Roman Catholic Bishop Joseph Alessandro of the Garissa Diocese has welcomed the reopening of the university, but highlighted that currently most of the Christian students "are still scared" and will not return to their studies. However, the bishop added: "We hope they will join soon." In the aftermath of the shooting last April, 650 students from the college were offered places at its sister campus in Eldoret, western Kenya. They are not expected to return to Garissa upon its reopening. "It is too early to imagine the same students would go back. They have scars and wounds both physically and psychologically, which are still too fresh," said George Ogalo, the national director of Fellowship of Christian Unions, an organisation that serves Kenyan universities. Security has been increased on campus, including a police station within the college. The government has also promised a security wall will be erected around the school's perimeter. Hearing of Virginia man who stabbed missionary and his wife postponed The court hearing of an apparently homeless man from Northern Virginia has been pushed back to allow more time to go through evidence. Attorneys of both sides agreed last Monday (Jan. 4) to move back the hearing to Jan. 19. According to Frederick News Post, Circuit Judge G. Edward Dwyer Jr. has allowed the rescheduling of the hearing of Song Su Kim, who allegedly stabbed to death 63-year-old Korean missionary Chung Hwan Park. Kim is charged with with first-degree murder in the death of Park and attempted first-degree murder in the stabbing of his wife Ae Suk Ko. The missionary couple comes from Suwon, South Korea and were working as volunteers for a Christian complex called the Anna Prayer Mountain Church Retreat Center in the Maryland city of Urbana as kitchen workers. The stabbing happened in the very same compound back in July 26, 2015. The court ordered a mental health evaluation for Kim last September 2015, after the suspect entered a plea of not being criminally responsible due to mental health reasons. The evaluation will determine whether Kim was indeed driven by a mental disorder to not see the weight of criminal conduct. 30-year-old Kim was a beneficiary of the ministry that Park and his wife worked for, and was reportedly dropped off by his mother at the centre five days before the incident. CBS News reports that the charging documents state that Kim's motive for the murder was frustration over being treated badly by "All Koreans," and as a result felt the urge to "Attack a Korean." Deputy State's Attorney Nanci Hamm also told CBS News that Park was stabbed 13 times, while his wife was stabbed four times. Song Su Kim of Falls Church, Virginia is a Korean-born U.S. citizen who moved to America as a child with his mother. Ko, wife of Park, survived the attack. In an interview with The Washington Post, Ko said that she is happy that her husband is in heaven, but wishes that she was with him. Kirk Franklin tells pastors who stood by Donald Trump: 'I hope you now see why we're losing respect as Christians' Although some evangelicals sided with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump when he suggested that all Muslims should be banned entry to the United States, others were appalled by his proposal. Christian singer and songwriter Kirk Franklin belongs to the latter group. Franklin said the business magnate and his supporters in the evangelical community are causing the rest of the world to doubt the goodness of Christians. "To every pastor that stood next to Donald Trump last week, I hope you now see why we're losing respect as Christians in the world...While you were so busy wanting 'camera time,' you didn't 'take time' to examine his character," Franklin tweeted on his personal account (@kirkfranklin). "Banning Muslims does not reflect our country, or our Christ." Many of Franklin's fans agreed with him. One Twitter user named Carla Napolitano shared the Bible verse Romans 15:7. It says, "Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God." She added, "They are not true Christians. If they were, they would not lead with hate, but with love." Another commenter named Desi Derata said, "The people who call themselves 'Christian' on Twitter are some of the meanest, most hateful people around. SAD." Of course, there were also some who criticised Franklin for his remarks and defended Trump. "He [Trump] didn't ask anyone to go out there and kill but banning until vetted. (It) isn't a bad idea to me," one commenter said. "This is bad, but it's not the reason Christianity is losing respect. Stop making excuses," another added. 'Madam Secretary' season 2 spoilers: Elizabeth deals with NASA emergency in episode 11 An emergency aboard the International Space Station will coincide with the peace talk problems with the Russians in the upcoming episode of the CBS series "Madam Secretary." In "Unity Node," TV.com reports that Elizabeth McCord (Tea Leoni) will have her work cut out for her, managing two big complications at the same time. ISS, the space station orbiting the Earth has just sent a code red, but details on the specifics still remain a mystery. Will the sudden hurdle at the largest artificial body in orbit have something to do with the botched peace deals between the United States and Russia? Although under NASA, the habitable satellite was established by diplomatic treaties and agreements. ISS is divided into two units, the Russian Orbital Segment (ROS) and the United States Orbital Segment (USOS). Is sabotage of the station part of the Russian contingent plans in case of foul play by the Americans? The explosion during the midseason finale certainly shocked the world, especially as it was targeting one or both world leaders, Russian Premier Maria Ostrov (Angela Gots) and U.S. President Conrad Dalton (Keith Carradine). The promo photos released for the upcoming episodes show the POTUS and his Secretary of State alive and safe. CarterMatt reports that this does not bode well for Ostrov, as it becomes apparent that she is the one who did not survive the blast. It is possible that the Russians have planned a hostage crisis on the ISS and use this to twist the arms of the United States. The second half of season 2 is expected to reveal the person behind the attack against Ostrov and Dalton. As far as viewers are concerned, the unknown military man could have been sent by anyone who did not want the peace talks between the United States and Russia to push through. One suspect for the crime is Ukraine, as the country's president was missing in action in the scheduled meeting in Geneva. "Madam Secretary" will return on Sunday, Jan. 10, at 8 p.m. EST on CBS. Republican critics pounce on Obama even before he could spell out new gun control measures U.S. President Barack Obama will shortly be announcing a series of new executive actions aimed at reducing gun violence. But even before he could open his mouth to explain his plans, criticsmostly from the Republican camp, particularly the GOP presidential candidatesare already calling his initiatives as unconstitutional and as part of his efforts to disarm America. White House officials said Obama would announce the package of gun control measures on Tuesday, the Washington Post reported. One key provision, according to the Post, would require more gun sellers to be licensed and would force them to conduct background checks on potential buyers. Obama appears to be gearing up for a fight against his detractors. In a Twitter message on Monday evening, the president said, "The gun lobby may be holding Congress hostage, but they can't hold America hostage. We can't accept this carnage in our communities," referring to the National Rifle Association (NRA). Republicans in Congress and on the campaign trail immediately blasted Obama's forthcoming executive actions. Some gun rights advocates threatened to challenge them in court. House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wisconsin) issued a statement Monday saying that even without knowing the plan's details, he thinks "the president is at minimum subverting the legislative branch, and potentially overturning its will." "This is a dangerous level of executive overreach, and the country will not stand for it," Ryan said. At least four Republican presidential candidates have already assailed the president's plans. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) called Obama's move as "illegal and unconstitutional." Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida), for his part, said Obama "has waged war on the Constitution." "You can pass all the gun laws in the world that you want," he said. "It will not stop the criminals," Rubio added. "The president is a petulant child," New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie told "Fox News Sunday." "Whenever he doesn't get what he wants...this president acts like a king." Carly Fiorina told CNN Obama is acting like "a lawless president." "It is delusional, dangerous, not to mention unconstitutional," she said. "We have a long list of criminals who own guns, who routinely purchase guns. We know who these people are, and we are not prosecuting any of them." In a tweet, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a direct challenge: "Obama wants to impose more gun control. My response? COME & TAKE IT." However, Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton hailed Obama's plan during a campaign stop in Iowa on Monday, saying she would go even further as president. Fox News columnist Todd Starnes said if Obama really wants to crack down on gun violence, all that needs to be done is to strictly enforce the laws that are already in place. "But that's not the point. This president ultimately wants to disarm the nation," Starnes said. He said the principal reason America's Founding Fathers wrote the Second Amendment "was to protect all the other amendments." Starnes noted that after the Muslim terrorist attack in San Bernardino the Washington Post found that 53 percent of voters oppose a ban on assault weaponsa record high. "The American people seem to understand what the president does notguns keep our families safe," Starnes said. "So instead of declaring war on law-abiding gun ownersmaybe the president ought to declare war on the true threat facing our nationradical Islam," he added. Sudanese pastor acquitted of obstructing church demolition A Sudanese pastor has been found innocent of charges that he had obstructed a court-ordered demolition of his church in Khartoum. Pastor Hafiz Mengisto of Khartoum Bahri Evangelical Church, along with lawyer Mohaned Mustafa, had challenged engineers who tried to take down a building not mentioned in the court order on July 1 last year. The two were arrested, and their trial began on December 14. The case against Mustafa was dismissed on December 23, and against Mengisto on December 29. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has welcomed the men's acquittal, but said it remains "deeply concerned by the State's repressive actions against religious minorities in Sudan". Mengisto suffered head injuries while in police custody, and the head of discipleship at his church, Talahon Nigosi Kassa Ratta, remains in custody after being arrested on 14 December. Two other pastors of a different denomination, Rev Kwa Shamal and Rev Hassan Abduraheem of the Sudan Church of Christ, were also arrested on 19 December. CSW's Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas has called for their immediate release. "Their detention without charge is in clear violation of their right to liberty and security of person as detailed in article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Sudan is a party," he said. Thomas urged the African Union to hold Sudan to account in its constitutional guarantees of religious freedom. The Khartoum Bahri Evangelical Church was where Rev Yat Michael, a South Sudanese pastor who faced trial for espionage last year, once spoke out against the persecution of Christians in Sudan. Michael and another pastor, Rev Peter Yeith, were eventually found not guilty of six charges, including "offending Islamic beliefs", promoting hatred amongst sects and undermining the constitutional system, and were released in August 2014. According to Release International, they had also opposed government attempts to sell off church property. According to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, the Sudanese government "continues to engage in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of freedom of religion or belief." Designated by the Commission as a 'country of particular concern' since 1999, Sudan's population is over 97 per cent Muslim, and the country's criminal code restricts religious freedom for all citizens. It also imposes Shariah Law on Muslims and Christians, allowing the death penalty for apostasy, stoning for adultery and prison sentences for blasphemy. The USCIRF's 2015 report also notes the use of government policies and societal pressure to promote conversion to Islam. It is "impossible" to obtain permission to build churches, while their destruction has increased over the past four years. Texas police chief tells citizens to arm themselves, warns Obama: 'If you try to disarm us, you will cause a revolution' A police chief in East Texas is urging citizens to buy guns to arm themselves against terrorists and fight President Barack Obama. Randy Kennedy, who heads the police in Hughes Springs, made the plea in a video he posted on Facebook after President Obama's speech on terrorism Sunday, according to Raw Story. "I watched President Obama tonight and heard what he had to say about confronting terrorism, and I didn't find his words encouraging at all," Kennedy said. "What I'm asking all of my citizens to do, all my law-abiding citizens, I am asking you to help me and our fellow law enforcement officers by arming yourselves." Kennedy said by arming themselves, citizens will send a message to terrorists that they will fight back. "We need to send a message to the criminal element as well as these terrorists and these jihadis who want to murder in the name of their god, and the criminal element that want to go out, you know, and just totally destroy our way of life," he said. He defended gun owners, saying that "nobody who is a legal gun owner has ever wanted to harm or kill anyone." Obama spoke to the nation about the San Bernardino, California shooting that killed 14 people, finally admitting that it "was an act of terrorism, designed to kill innocent people." He said the U.S. Congress "should act to make sure no one on a no-fly list is able to buy a gun." "What could possibly be the argument for allowing a terrorist suspect to buy a semi-automatic weapon? This is a matter of national security," he said. Obama also said there is a "need to make it harder for people to buy powerful assault weapons like the ones that were used in San Bernardino." "I know there are some who reject any gun safety measures. But the fact is that our intelligence and law enforcement agenciesno matter how effective they arecannot identify every would-be mass shooter, whether that individual is motivated by ISIL or some other hateful ideology," he said, adding that the solution "is make it harder for them to kill." Kennedy said President Obama should "understand what the Second Amendment is for." "It is there for the American people to protect themselves against the criminal element, to protect themselves against terrorists and radical ideology. And it's also there to protect us against that that has overreached power," he warned. He told President Obama that "you are not our potentate, sir." "You are our servant. And you were elected to serve and protect us first. And I suggest, sir, since you are a constitutional expert that you better review your history on the Constitution and understand we are a free people and are subject to no one other than the almighty God and Jesus Christ, the king," he said. Kennedy warned the President that "if you try to disarm us, sir, you will cause a revolution in this country to occur." The question at the centre of the Wheaton College row: Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God? So it looks as though the endgame's begun for Larycia Hawkins and Wheaton College. The professor sparked a theological firestorm with her decision to wear a hijab during Advent to show her solidarity with oppressed Muslims. Worse than this, though, in the eyes of many, was her accompanying Facebook statement: "I stand in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people of the book. And as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God." Conservative evangelicals rounded on her, accusing her of promoting a synchretistic "Chrislam", and Wheaton suspended her. Now it's issued a statement saying it has begun a process likely to end in her being fired. In technical terms, it's issued a Notice of Recommendation to Initiate Termination-for-Cause Proceedings. Hawkins has been vigorously assailed by conservatives, but Wheaton has come in for trenchant criticism too. If Hawkins is a dangerously woolly liberal, Wheaton's trustees are pitchfork-waving heresy-hunters. Neither of these caricatures is true, though there is arguably considerably more justice on one side than on the other. So how should we think about these issues? 1. Is the Islam issue the only one between Hawkins and Wheaton? The theological sound and fury has been generated by her statement that "we worship the same God". However, in her original post she says: "I stand in human solidarity with my Muslim neighbor because we are formed of the same primordial clay, descendants of the same cradle of humankind a cave in Sterkfontein, South Africa that I had the privilege to descend into to plumb the depths of our common humanity in 2014." The Sterkfontein caves are the remains of the earliest human-like creatures ever discovered were found, dating back more than 3 million years. The caves have been called the Cradle of Humankind. This is a huge problem for Wheaton. Its conservative evangelical base includes many perhaps a majority who believe in young-earth creationism and a literal interpretation of Genesis 1-3. In a lengthy article on its website the college says that while it's open to the idea that God created all other species by evolution over aeons of time, human beings are a special case and were directly created. In its statement of faith to which Hawkins is obliged to subscribe it says: "We believe that God directly created Adam and Eve, the historical parents of the entire human race; and that they were created in His own image, distinct from all other living creatures, and in a state of original righteousness." Without commenting on the intellectual coherence of a position that allows for the evolution of, say, a giraffe but draws the line at a human, Hawkins' approving reference to Sterkfontein leaves her in a very vulnerable position. It's also worth saying that she has been asked no less than four times to affirm her adherence to the college's beliefs, over various issues. Whatever the rights and wrongs of this particular case, the fit between her and Wheaton may not, in fact, be particularly good. 2. Do Muslims and Christians worship the same God? It's desperately important to be clear about what this statement means, and many commentators have not been. In spite of Hawkins' denials, it has been taken to imply that there is no essential difference between Christianity and Islam and that we believe the same things about God. Her hijab-wearing, particularly in the anti-Muslim climate epitomised by Donald Trump and Franklin Graham, muddied the theological waters and allowed her to be presented as a "Chrislamist" who was trying to ride two horses at once. The strength of the reaction against her indicates the poverty of evangelical Christian thinking on this issue and the extent of the hostility toward Islam generated by the right-wing media. In fact, understanding the assertion "we worship the same God" requires us to pay careful attention to the context of the statement and the intention of the speaker. Far too many commentators have not done so, including, apparently, Wheaton College. Leaving aside whatever other issues there may be between it and Hawkins, it included in its FAQs about the case the question: "Is it true that Christians and Muslims worship the same God?" It answered with a statement of the difference between the two faiths and an affirmation that "salvation is through Christ alone". The implication is clear enough: because of these differences which no one denies we do not worship the same God. At one level, it's absolutely clear that we don't. Muslims don't believe in the Trinity. They don't believe that salvation is through Christ. Their God is different from ours. But is it still possible to say that he is still, in some sense, the same God? Here we come back to the context, and the speaker. Hawkins was clear that her words and action were in solidarity with Muslims who have faced an extraordinary public backlash in the US as a reaction to the San Bernardino shootings. Her reference to Pope Francis appears to be in connection with his visit to the Central African Republic the week before her post. The CAR has been riven with violence between Christians and Muslims and Francis visited a mosque as part of efforts toward reconciliation. He did not explicitly say on that visit that "we worship one God", but he did refer to Christians and Muslims as brothers. However, he has previously been very clear indeed: after his inauguration he received a delegation from various denominations and faiths and referred to "Muslims, who worship the one living and merciful God, and call upon Him in prayer". So, in the context of a world in which Christians and Muslims desperately need to a find common ground of respect and understanding, how can we say such a thing? First, we can acknowledge our shared history. Christians, Muslims and Jews are Abrahamic faiths in that they spring from common roots. There are huge differences between Christianity and Islam, particularly in our understanding of the Trinity. But these are no greater than the differences between Christianity and Judaism and saying that Christians and Jews worship a different God would be theologically ludicrous. Second, we can acknowledge our shared theology. Like Christians, Muslims believe that God is one, that he is eternal, omniscient and all-powerful. They believe that history is linear rather than circular, like Hindus. We are close enough to them to be able to talk the same theological language, even if we say very different things in it. It makes sense, in the context of dialogue and solidarity, to say that Christians and Muslims worship the same God; in the case of other religions that language is less appropriate. Third, we can consider the alternatives. If we don't believe that we worship the same God, what exactly are we saying? That when Muslims pray, there is simply no one there to hear? Or perhaps that Allah (incidentally the word used for God by Christians in Arabic-speaking countries) is really some sort of demonic figure, a sort of alternative to the real thing? This is theological nonsense: God is one, and there is only one God. Yes, we believe that he has revealed himself to a particular people and uniquely in Christ; but we cannot argue that he has left the rest of the world with no knowledge of himself. Fourth, we can be honest about our motivations. In a hard-hitting Washington Post article, theologian Miroslav Volf says that Hawkins' suspension "not about theology and orthodoxy. It is about enmity toward Muslims." I don't think that's necessarily true of Wheaton's decision, and I don't think it's true of everyone who agrees with what it's done. But I do believe there's an undercurrent of hostility and suspicion toward Muslims among Christians which we need to be aware of and repent of. Many of the comments I've read about this case have been more concerned to attack Muslims than demonstrate grace. One of the best articles on the question whether Christians and Muslims worship the same God is by Timothy George, an evangelical scholar of impeccable orthodoxy and high prestige and a trustee of Wheaton College. He wrote it in 2002. George concludes that the answer to the question "Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad?" is both Yes and No. "Yes, in the sense that the Father of Jesus is the only God there is...Christians and Muslims can together affirm many important truths about this great God his oneness, eternity, power, majesty. As the Qur'an puts it, he is "the Living, the Everlasting, the All-High, the All-Glorious" (2:256)." But also, "No, for Muslim theology rejects the divinity of Christ and the personhood of the Holy Spirit both essential components of the Christian understanding of God..." Hawkins, in solidarity with Muslims, chose to emphasise the "Yes". It appears that Wheaton and the mass of commentators from evangelical perspective have chosen "No." It's hard to avoid the conclusion that in doing so they have spoken from a position of fear and distrust rather than confident hope. When the currents of nationalism and xenophobia are strengthening, it's easy to be swept along with them. Now, surely, is the time for Christians to resist; and acknowledging that we have some common ground is not much to ask. Follow @RevMarkWoods on Twitter. Who will fight society's religious illiteracy? I believe in God. There I said it and it looks like my world hasn't collapsed around me. These are four little words which are easy to say on a Christian website, but can prove costly in many other settings. I thank God I can admit to that here in the UK without fear of intimidation, persecution or worse. Yet despite all of our apparent freedoms, we're frequently reminded that for many of us it is still difficult to admit outside the safety of Christian circles. This week the Telegraph reported that speaking about faith is "not the done thing" in civil service culture and the public sector, according to William Nye, a former top Whitehall mandarin. The Secretary of State for Wales, Stephen Crabb announced at last month's Conservative Christian Fellowship Wilberforce Address that "I have never found it easy as a politician to talk about my faith. In an age where every word is watched for something that can be construed as a gaffe, off-message or representing some bigoted or irrational attitude, it is a topic which many of us steer clear of... And as for the topic of personal prayer, well that's become a total no-go-area". You only have to look at the torrid time Tim Farron received from the media following his election to Liberal Democrat leader to know that there is plenty of truth behind those words. So I have a great deal of respect for Adrian Chiles when at the start of his new two-part series, My Mediterranean, on Sunday night, he begins with the statement, "I believe in God". Chiles is all the more unusual in that he comes from a family of atheists and is a fairly recent convert to Roman Catholicism. He is on something of a mission to prove that the majority of believers of all faiths are pretty normal people and not remotely similar to the fanatics and terrorists that gain the vast majority of the media's attention. In an interview promoting his programme he came out with this: "Jesus said, 'The meek will inherit the earth.' Well, they might do but they get no press along the way at all, they're completely forgotten." Convincing the controller of BBC2 to let Chiles make the series is an impressive achievement, although the BBC's removal of any references to God or faith in the title is a reminder of how twitchy our national broadcaster still is about how it approaches religion. This was just as apparent in the programme's content. Certainly we got away from the hellish stories of religious extremism, but it was replaced by a 'basically all religion is the same and can't we just get on?' approach. We had lots of happy people enjoying festivals and Chiles finding commonality and good will all over place, even when he spoke to a gay atheist Jew. In fact he became most irked when he met some British evangelical women visiting Israel who responded to his thought that, "We're more or less all the same and we're under the same God", with a resolute, "We're not! Because on the Temple Mount in Arabic it says that God has no son, which to a Christian is offensive because God does have a son and that son's name is Jesus." It may have left him uncomfortable, but it was a much needed reality check. It feels bad to be overly critical of Chiles' well-meaning effort to present religious belief in a positive light, but the problem is that by attempting to distance itself from a theology of radicalism and hatred it has swung to the opposite extreme towards a theology of 'nice' that has little in the way of substance. Sure, we are reminded of our common humanity and that it is possible to get on with those who hold different beliefs, but we're still left none the wiser as to what those beliefs actually are. Such an approach had the inevitable consequence of leaving Chiles questioning the very nature of religious identity and more confused as to what is worth believing. Anyone who has more than a basic grasp of the world's greatest faiths will know that there are distinct and irreconcilable differences between them. The problem is that most people in this country just don't have that basic grasp. Religious illiteracy and naivety coupled with a secularising spirit that has permeated much of our culture has resulted in the situation we now find ourselves in where discussing religion in any meaningful way is virtually impossible. If we are going to change this and actually work towards being a less ignorant society, what we don't need are fluffy headed attempts to gloss over religious differences. Instead we need to embrace and understand them. When we genuinely see where others are coming from, it is much easier to put ourselves in their shoes even in we choose not to stay in them. The irony of this is that the BBC in its attempts to be all things to all people is doing everyone a disservice, including itself. I strongly believe that many of us are curious to learn more about the fuel that makes different religious believers tick. I've been in situations in schools where I've met students with limited prior knowledge lapping up accounts of Jesus' life because for the first time they've seen the biblical Jesus instead of a watered down two dimensional version and seen why he had such an incredible impact on those who encountered him. Those students went away with a smattering of knowledge that allowed them to make a bit more sense of the world and a greater insight into the uniqueness of Christianity. Until broadcasters realise there is an appetite for a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of our major religions, it will be left up to those with a faith to get that message over, which to be honest is as it should be. We need more Christians to do the brave thing like Adrian Chiles and declare without apology that, "I believe in God", even if it makes us look foolish. But it will only be of real value if it is accompanied by a willingness to explain what that entails and what difference it makes. Would Jesus expect anything less? Gillan Scott regularly writes about the relationship between Christianity and society. He is deputy editor at archbishopcranmer.com. You can follow him on Twitter @gillan_scott. "Pursuit of Happiness" actress Thandie Newton sparked a social media controversy with Starbucks Monday after tweeting a photo of a questionable store display. The English actress' photo shows a black child-like figure at the counter of a central London Starbucks that was being used to display Colombian coffee beans, reports the Mirror. Along with the photo, Newton wrote, "Seriously @Starbucks? At the counter - Loin cloth and Safari hat on a black child. Happy New Year circa 19th century." The company promptly issued an apology via a tweet to Newton for its controversial choice of decor saying, "@thandienewton we are very concerned to learn of this incident & we can't apologise enough. We have removed the figure & are investigating." RELATED: Why some Christians are upset at Starbucks' new holiday cups Though, Twitter took to flame over this eyebrow-raising incident and other users chimed in with their opinions: Later, Starbucks issued a formal, detailed statement: "Serving as a welcoming place for everyone is core to who we are as a company. As we became aware fo the offense, we immediately removed the figure from our store. We aim to provide an inclusive environment for all customers and communities in which we serve, and we are working with our partners (employees) to avoid similar incidents from happening in the future. We apologize for the offense caused." RELATED: Houston's eateries on the health inspectors' nasty lists It seems, Starbucks has been unintentionally making the news in recent months. Last November, the chain was accused of waging a "war on Christmas" when it issued its annual holiday cups in a decidedly non-festive plain red design, leading some - including presidential candidate Donald Trump - to consider a boycott. And in December, the company was put on blast by Momofko head honcho David Chang after it debuted bagel balls and a brief snuff over polar bear cookies that had been discontinued years earlier. Last year, Starbucks also was caught under fire for their initiative on race relations. "Race Together" was scrawled on Starbucks cups and intended to stimulate conversations about race relations in America, but the Internet fired back. The argument over the message noted that most of the company's leadership are predominantly white, while many of its baristas are minorities. Starbucks has since stopped spreading the message. Click through the gallery above to learn useful Starbucks hacks for your next visit to the coffee house leader. States that expanded publicly funded health insurance to the working poor are racking up the benefits, while similar workers in Texas continue to cost taxpayers millions of dollars a year, according to new research. The benefits of the Affordable Care Act for state health care budgets are becoming clearer for the 30 states that opted-in to the Medicaid expansion program. Texas has seen only more suffering after Republicans rejected any government plan to reduce the state's uninsured rate through Obamacare. Professors at Harvard Medical School studied Kentucky, which expanded Medicaid; Arkansas, which pays private companies to insure to the poor; and Texas, where only children, their mothers and the disabled qualify for Medicaid. The uninsured rates in Arkansas and Kentucky have dropped 14 percent between 2013 and 2014, when the Affordable Care Act began paying states to insure everyone who earns less than 138 percent of the federal poverty level. The public program in Kentucky and the private program in Arkansas were equally effective, researchers found. Texas, meanwhile, still has the highest uninsured rate in the country. The drop in the uninsured rates in Arkansas and Kentucky came with financial benefits for the states, just as Obamacare supporters predicted. "Skipping medications because of cost and trouble paying medical bills declined significantly, and the share of individuals with chronic conditions who obtained regular care increased," the study found. That means fewer taxpayer dollars reimbursing hospital emergency rooms for treating indigent people whose preventable and manageable conditions can be managed more cost-effectively through routine access to affordable health care. I know opposing Obamacare and denying affordable health care to the poor are articles of faith among most Republican primary voters, which is why lawmakers rejected even a conservative solution to this problem. But I hope that the brewing state budget crisis created by the collapse in oil and gas revenues, and a likely court-ordered revamp of the public school finance system, will allow fiscally conservative heads to prevail and leverage federal funding. After all, Texans are paying twice to provide health care to the working poor, once through their federal taxes and then again through property taxes to county health systems. Drawing down the federal funds Texans deserve only makes sense. Elections are when we tell our politicians what we expect from them when they go to Austin. Now is the time to let them know we need to solve the uninsured problem in Texas. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Several suspects rammed a church van into a discount store early Wednesday morning in northeast Houston, snatching cigarettes and other tobacco products. The smash-and-grab robbery happened about 3 a.m. at a Family Dollar store in the 5900 block of N. Wayside near Kenton, said Lt. Larry Crowson of the Houston Police Department. Crowson said the suspects backed the van into the store, smashing a hole through the cinder block wall. They jumped out of the van and dashed inside the store. Surveillance video recorded images of at least three men snatching tobacco merchandise. Then they left, abandoning the van at the scene. The van had been taken from a nearby church. No descriptions of the men were released. Police are investigating the case. The family of a Texas Southern University freshman shot and killed outside his dorm in October sued the school Wednesday, arguing that security was too lax at the campus in a rough southeast Houston neighborhood. Brent Randall, a freshman described by TSU President John Rudley described as "a beautiful young man, trying to get his life together," was one of two people shot outside the Courtyard Apartments in October. The shooting was one of four at TSU last fall. While University of Houston leaders and area lawmakers have fought against the University of Texas' plans to expand on 300 acres in Houston -- calling the move an invasion -- one school in the neighborhood is welcoming the state flagship. Texas Southern University does not fear a UT "Trojan horse." Rather, the university's president said he wants to see where TSU can fit into the plan. "I'm not on that bandwagon," Texas Southern President John Rudley said during a meeting with the Houston Chronicle's editorial board Tuesday. "People who have said we're going to push back -- I don't see the substance in the push-back part. I think we all are supposed to be able to listen. It might be a public policy issue where it may help the state of Texas overall." UT Chancellor William McRaven announced Nov. 5 that he intended to purchase the land not for a full campus, but for a collaboration and research center that would attract new investment to the state's fourth-largest city. Concerns soon arose, however, that the UT facility could drain research money or coveted faculty from UH. McRaven has repeatedly said that he has no intention of competing with Houston schools and would be open to working with them on the land. Rudley met with McRaven last month to discuss the issue and said on Tuesday that he liked what he heard. "He's an honorable guy," Rudley said. "Sometimes you have to look to the people who bring you something. If you look to the guy who has been to war and battle, I tend to trust what he has to say. I at least want to hear what he has to say. And if he says he's going to do something, I believe he's going to do it." TSU has not seen an increase in state funding in seven years and last year saw the deepest budget cuts of any university in the state -- a nearly 5 percent reduction in funding. Working with UT in Houston could benefit the school, Rudley said. "I think we should listen and see where Texas Southern can fit in and where it could possibly be a good move for Texas Southern," he said. State Rep. Dan Huberty, R-Houston, has been named the 2015 Haden McKay MD Citizen of the Year by the Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce. Huberty will be honored at the chamber's Annual Awards Extravaganza, slated for 11 a.m. Jan. 22 at the Overlook, 20114 Pinehurst Drive in Atascocita. Chamber president Jenna Armstrong said the Haden McKay award began in 1967. The Haden McKay MD Citizen of the Year Award recognizes selfless public service by an individual, performed outside of his professional career. More Information Want to go? What: The Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce's Annual Awards Extravaganza When: 11 a.m. Jan. 22 Where: The Overlook, 20114 Pinehurst Drive in Atascocita Details: Email codell@lakehouston.org or call 281-446-2128 See More Collapse "Haden McKay was a doctor in Humble for a very long time," Armstrong said. "He delivered babies here and then he took care of them for life. He was who everyone in Humble saw." McKay was elected mayor of the city in 1971. "He served as either mayor or on the city council for 38 years," Armstrong said. "He was very involved and a voice everyone listened to in the city of Humble." Huberty has a significant resume of volunteer leadership that spans for years in our community," Armstrong said. Huberty was sworn-in to serve District 127 in the Texas House of Representatives on Jan. 11, 2011. Since then, he as served on a number of committees, including Public Education, State Affairs, Redistricting and Transportation Funding, Expenditures and Finance. Prior to serving as a state representative, Huberty was a member of the board of trustees for the Humble Independent School District. "I ran for the school board in 2005 to try to make a difference in the district," he said. "Humble ISD was a fast-growing district, and I wanted to make a difference for our kids. I believe it's a very important position in our community." Public education has remained a top priority for Huberty while he has been in office. "We focus a lot on improving the quality of education, trying to reduce the number of tests and create better connections between students and teachers," he said. Huberty also is concerned with transportation issues and illegal sand mining on the San Jacinto River. He is focused on the issues of property taxes and annexation of unincorporated areas in the state. "We want to stop cities from being able to annex without the vote of the people," Huberty said. Looking ahead to the next session, Huberty said he plans to retain his strong focus on education. "We have more stuff to do with education reform issues," he said. "I have a lot of ideas for parents to make sure they have a say in education and for ways to be more transparent with education." He said more than half the bills he's authored have been focused on education. "Everything I've done in public service is to provide better education for my kids and everyone else's kids," he said. "We have a system in Texas that has been working, but we can always make it better." Huberty also has worked to help students with dyslexia, joining forces with the Humble ISD Education Foundation to raise awareness of students affected by the disorder. Huberty spent 25 years in the business of managing parking facilities throughout the country. He was transferred from his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio to Houston 20 years ago. He most recently served as executive vice president for SP Plus Corporation, leaving the post a year ago to become a consultant in the industry. He currently is involved in real estate ventures. Huberty said he spends most of his free time with his wife and three children, 15 year-old Brianna, 13 year-old Ryan and 11-year old Dylan. The family attends St. Martha's Catholic Church in Kingwood. "When you have kids, your time is their time," he said. "They're all very active." He is a board member of the Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the Kingwood Chamber of Commerce and the Crosby-Huffman Chamber of Commerce. He is also a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Humble Intercontinental Rotary club. In addition, Huberty is a board member of the Be an Angel organization, which works to improve the quality of life for children with multiple disabilities or deafness by providing adaptive equipment and select services to individuals and institutions. "I've been very fortunate in my life and business career to be able to give back," he said. Celebrating volunteers In addition to announcing the Citizen of the Year Award, the chamber will celebrate outstanding volunteer leaders and accomplishments during the event, as well as the Spirit of the Chamber Award, Rising Star Award and Chairman's Award. The outgoing chairman of the board, members of the board of directors and committees, event and task force chairs will also be honored. "We're a nonprofit and heavily rely on businesses and individuals to volunteer time to facilitate our programs," Armstrong said. "This is our time to say thank you. They really deserve that recognition." The cost to attend is $55 per person. Two reserved seats are $100 and a reserved table of eight with corporate identification is $450. The deadline to make a reservation or cancellation is Monday, Jan. 18. "We've had a very good year," Armstrong said. "We were one of three finalists in North America for chamber of the year. That's something we are proud of." The Humble Independent School District is poised to add six new school campuses to the district, with two of those scheduled to begin construction during the next two years. "Over the next eight years, conservatively, we are going to grow by another 13,500 students," said Humble school district superintendent Guy Sconzo. There are nearly 50 different housing developments where construction is taking places, and that includes multi-family apartment complexes that add to the number of families coming to Humble ISD. The voters in Humble ISD approved $245 million in 2008 to add two new schools, purchase land for additional campuses, upgrade existing facilities, as well as provide upgrades in transportation and technology. "It has been eight years since we had a bond request from our community, and we still have funds remaining from that bond and those funds have enabled us to purchase all of the land needed for the six new campuses, and it will easily allow us to build three of the needed six new schools," Sconzo said. "In fact, the board is hard at work trying to figure out a way to stretch those funds so we can build four of the needed campuses." Since 2008, the district has opened an elementary school, and plans to break ground on the 28th elementary school campus, and the ninth middle school campus. This 28th elementary school will essentially help relieve overcrowding at Atascocita Springs. Attendance zones for elementary No. 28 are scheduled be established in the 2016-17 school year, with the campus set to open in August 2017. The 111,000 square-foot school is expected to cost $28 million and will be designed to serve about 950 pupils in kindergarten-fifth grade, Sconzo said. The new middle school will address student enrollment increases essentially at Timberwood. Attendance zones for middle school No. 9 are scheduled to be established during the 2017-18 school year, with the school projected to open in August 2018. The projected cost of middle school No. 9, including construction and furnishings, is $50 million. The 204,000 square-foot building is designed to serve 1,050 students in sixth, seventh and eighth grade. "Both schools are being built in The Groves," Sconzo said. "With FMC Technologies moving its headquarters to Generation Park, and the development of the Grand Parkway, there is high demand for housing in the area." Growth also is occurring in older subdivisions. Families with school-age children often purchase homes being sold by older residents. The most dramatic growth can be seen in West Lake, where more than 10,000 homes are under development. The West Lake area encompasses development off Beltway 8 and west of Lake Houston, along West Lake Houston Parkway. The Groves, Park Lakes, Bridges on Lake Houston, Lakewood Pines, Stillwater on Lake Houston and Legend Homes are some of the new developments. Nicole Zimmerman, project manager for Crescent Communities and The Groves, said the plans to add about 2,200 homes to the Humble ISD community. The 1,000-acre Groves is located on Sages Ravine Drive in Humble is expected to be built out by 2020. "We are in a very exciting time, right now, " Zimmerman said. "We have 375 lots on the ground so far, 120 home sales to date, and 75 closed homes." With new home sales booming in the Humble area, the district is expecting to convene a another bond committee in 2017. "At that time, an open invitation will be issued to the community to serve on this important committee," Sconzo said. The committee will examine results of comprehensive district-wide facilities and optimum usage studies that currently are underway. The studies will provide data to the Bond Study Committee and school board, Sconzo added. The remaining new schools - an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school - will require funding from Bond 2018 to build and furnish. Sconzo said the bond referendum needs to occur in 2018 so that High School No. 7 can be built and opened by 2022. "If High School No. 7 does not open in 2022, enrollment will have grown so much at Atascocita and Summer Creek high schools that each will be serving 4,500 students or more," he said. Montgomery County constables said Tuesday they are investigating the reported assault of a teenage female jogger in The Woodlands. The 14-year-old girl was jogging on a greenbelt at around 4:45 p.m. near the 4700 block of Lake Woodlands Drive "when an unidentified male came up from behind her and assaulted her," the Montgomery County Constable Precinct 3 said in a press release Tuesday. Over four days in early September, Iraqi fighter pilots carried out fifteen air strikes against Islamic State targets in Salah ad Din and Kirkuk provinces, just north of Baghdad. The story didn't get much play. Five short sentences in the Associated Press, with a canned quote by a Pentagon spokesman and few details. None of the major news networks paid any mind. The Guardian, one of Britain's leading daily newspapers, presented a marginally fuller picture: The planes were American-made F-16s, among thirty-six ordered by the Iraqi government back in 2011. The United States had repeatedly delayed delivery of the jets, citing safety issues as the Islamic State group, or ISIS, became a direct threat to Balad Air Basethe jets' future home. Of course, ISIS was the very reason Iraq now needed the planes urgently, and eventually the first four arrived in July. Still, The Guardian largely dismissed the delivery of the F-16sthe first ever in the history of the Iraqi Air Forcesaying they would not be "a game changer" in the fight against ISIS. It had been more than a year since ISIS had captured Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, prompting the intervention of a coalition led by the U.S. Air strikes had targeted ISIS territories for much of that year. So you could understand how the news media didn't think fifteen more carried out by four Iraqi planes would change the fight in a fundamental way. But how those pilots came to be flying those airplanes in the skies over their home countrythat was a big change indeed. The men flying the F-16s had recently returned to Iraq from a base in Tucson, Arizona, another desert more than seventy-five hundred miles from Baghdad, where they had completed more than three years of training with United States Air Force pilots. They had lived among Americans, eating tacos at Mexican cantinas, trying to follow the NBA. They had missed their families, their own beds, the mothers' home-cooked meals, their hometowns. These men, who back in Iraq had learned how to fly in Cessnas and Beechcraft T-6 single-engine prop training planes, now knew how to control the mighty F-16 Fighting Falcon, a multimillion-dollar, Lockheed Martinbuilt military combat machine that can reach speeds of 1,500 miles per hour. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate An Alief man who has been named a "person of interest" in an Austin judge's shooting was home at his father's house during the crime, his father testified Wednesday. Authorities named Chimene Hamilton Onyeri as the prime suspect after state District Judge Julie Kocurek was shot at her home on Nov. 6. Kocurek survived and has been released from the hospital. "He was watching TV with his friends," Innocent Onyeri testified in a hearing in an effort to have a bail set for his son in another shooting. The elder Onyeri, a 72-year-old retired teacher, works the night shift as a security guard. He said his son was home when he left the home about 8:30 p.m. the night of the judge's shooting. Onyeri is in the Harris County jail without bail, charged with murder in an apparently unrelated shooting. The 28-year-old is accused of fatally shooting Jacobi Alexander at an apartment complex in the Alief area about 9:35 p.m. on May 18. Police said Onyeri shot Alexander eight times because he punched Innocent Onyeri during an altercation stemming from a fender bender the day before, according to court records. Houston Police detectives received a tip that Onyeri bragged about the shooting, saying he stood over Alexander's body as he shot him in the head. Police found Alexander's body lying on the ground in a courtyard at the Falls of Bellaire complex at 6771 Westbranch. Onyeri has not been charged in the Travis County shooting, but police searched his home in Alief in connection with the case. Onyeri had a case before Kocurek in Austin, where prosecutors were seeking to revoke his probation in a fraud case, a move that could send him to prison for as long as 20 years. Onyeri has a lengthy criminal record. In 2013, he was acquitted by a jury during a trial on charges of armed robbery. He also was arrested and charged with murder in a 2008 shooting, but those charges were later dismissed. Before that, he spent six days in jail after pleading guilty to misdemeanor marijuana possession. He also admitted guilt in 2007 to evading arrest in a plea deal that saw the dismissal of charges for trespassing and unlawfully carrying a gun. Prosecutors said that Onyeri was arrested for separate felonies in Austin, Sugar Land and Louisiana while he was last out on bail in Harris County. In the Travis County case, Onyeri and a friend were arrested during a traffic stop in 2012 for possession of 17 fraudulent gift cards embedded with stolen credit card numbers. State District Judge Jan Krocker granted the request for bail and set it at $1 million. San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera filed notice Tuesday that he will appeal last months Superior Court decision allowing city police officers who allegedly exchanged racist and homophobic text messages in 2012 to keep their jobs and avoid discipline. Herrera said in a statement that the Dec. 21 ruling that the Police Department had waited too long to take action on the misconduct allegations was a misinterpretation of the one-year statute of limitations set by the states Peace Officer Bill of Rights. The department, Herrera said, had to wait to investigate the officers because of a federal corruption probe into former Sgt. Ian Furminger and several other officers. Officials had been instructed by federal investigators not to do anything that would alert Furminger that his text messages were being read. The text messages, containing racist and antigay remarks calling African American people monkeys and encouraging the killing of half-breeds, raised issues of bias in the department and forced the district attorneys office to re-evaluate thousands of cases handled by those officers. Thirteen cases have been dismissed. The messages were discovered in 2012 by federal investigators looking into allegations that plainclothes San Francisco officers took and divvied up thousands of dollars found during searches of drug dealers and their homes. Superior Court Judge Ernest Goldsmith said in his ruling that the messages had little to do with the federal allegations, and could have been handled separately by the Police Department. Police Chief Greg Suhr moved to fire eight of the officers implicated in exchanging text messages and discipline six others in April 2015, about a month after the text messages surfaced in a court document. Suhr said he began the investigation into the text messages after Furminger was convicted in December 2014. Goldsmith said the police force should have brought the matter to court if it had been instructed by federal investigators to hold off on disciplinary proceedings. Even if that was the case, the judge said, the department could have started the process when Furminger and the other officers were indicted in February 2014. Herrera said the judges holding that the text messages were not the subject of a federal prosecution ignored the unchallenged and explicit testimony of the federal prosecutors themselves. And the rulings arbitrary choice of the indictment as the point at which confidential federal evidence became usable for local employment discipline ignores federal law, investigative norms, and the plain language of the Peace Officer Bill of Rights itself, which tolls the statute of limitations while a criminal prosecution is pending. After Suhr sought the firings, Officer Rain Daugherty filed a lawsuit against the city in May, citing the statute of limitations. Other known officers implicated in exchanging the text messages were Capt. Jason Fox, Sgt. Michael Wibunsin, Officer Sean Doherty, Officer Richard Ruiz and Officer Angel Lozano. Herrera said that if the ruling stands, it will seriously jeopardize the ability of local and federal agencies to cooperate on future investigations into police misconduct in California. Alison Berry Wilkinson, Daughertys attorney, said Tuesday that Herrera is recycling what they argued in front of Judge Goldsmith. It was unsuccessful there and we dont think it will be successful in front of a court of appeal, she said. Wilkinson said the city was also acting prematurely in filing a notice of appeal, as litigation in Superior Court is still ongoing. They obviously didnt read the rules for the statute of limitations and they obviously havent read the rules for the court of appeal either, she said. Vivian Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: vho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VivianHo This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The state trooper who arrested Sandra Bland, the 28-year-old African-American woman who was found dead three days later in her Waller County jail cell, has been indicted on perjury charges, a special prosecutor said. Hours after the decision was announced, the Texas Department of Public Safety said it was initiating termination proceedings against Brian Encinia, the 30-year-old trooper who last July stopped Bland for failing to signal a lane change and arrested her. The announcement came late Wednesday afternoon at the courthouse in Hempstead, about 50 miles northwest of Houston, during the grand jury's fourth meeting since it was convened this fall to deliberate the circumstances around Bland's arrest and incarceration. RELATED: Indicted trooper describes Sandra Bland traffic stop (Story continues below.) Darrell Jordan, one of five special prosecutors, said the grand jury's indictment stemmed from a statement the trooper made in a one-page affidavit he filed in Bland's arrest, in which he said he pulled her out of her Hyundai Azera to "further conduct a safe traffic investigation." "They just didn't believe it," Jordan said, adding that a warrant would be issued for Encinia's arrest. Larkin Eakin, Encinia's lawyer, said he spoke with the trooper after the indictment. "He was surprised obviously, because he does not feel anything was misleading in his report," Larkin said, adding that Encinia would plead "not guilty" to the charge against him. Bland's case was one of several high profile lethal incidents between law enforcement and civilians over the last 18 months that prompted nationwide protests about the treatment of people of color by police, and her face was among those that became emblems of the Black Lives Matter movement. RELATED: Grand jury declines to indict jail employees in Sandra Bland's death Encinia - who joined DPS in June 2014 - stopped Bland on July 10 for an improper lane change near Prairie View A&M University, her alma mater, and where she had recently taken a new job. Video of the incident - from a bystander and a dashboard camera in Encinia's cruiser - recorded an increasingly confrontational encounter between the two after Bland refused to put out a cigarette, with Encinia at one point brandishing a stun gun and yelling at Bland, "I will light you up!" Data curated by FindTheData Encinia has never spoken publicly about the arrest. The only account made public is from the affidavit he filed and the recordings, where he could be heard telling a supervisor the traffic stop was not over when he pulled Bland out of the car. "The traffic stop was not completed," he said, in the video. "I was trying to get her out over to sign." Later, he told the supervisor he repeatedly tried to de-escalate the situation, parts of which were out of the frame of the camera, and that Bland kicked him and tried to get away. Later, he can be heard saying he needed Bland on the sidewalk "because I don't want to be out in the middle of the road while we're arguing or whatever." RELATED: Bernie Sanders says Sandra Bland would still be alive if she were white Three days after the arrest, jail staff found Bland hanging in her Waller County jail cell from a noose made from a trash bag. Her death, ruled a suicide by medical examiners, sparked disbelief from her family in Chicago and fueled outrage among many across the country over how police use force in encounters with civilians. After the video surfaced, DPS Director Steven McCraw said Encinia violated department standards and the department's courtesy policy and placed him on administrative duty. Following news of the indictment, DPS announced it was beginning termination proceedings against Encinia. "Following the Waller County grand jury indictment of Trooper Brian Encinia today, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) will begin termination proceedings to discharge him from the department," the agency said, in a press release Wednesday night. The indictment follows an announcement in December by special prosecutors that the grand jury had declined to indict any members of the Waller County jail staff or sheriff's office. Jordan said that while the grand jury will continue reviewing other Waller County cases, it had concluded its review of Bland's arrest and death. Previously, state regulators had found that the Waller County jail was in violation of minimum jail standards, and faulted the jail for not putting Bland on a stricter observation watch and missing warning signs that she was a potential risk for suicide. Bland's family has filed a civil lawsuit in federal court in Houston and has repeatedly criticized Waller County's handling of Bland and the grand jury's review of her death. Cannon Lambert, one of the Chicago-based lawyers representing Bland's relatives in their lawsuit, said the family still had questions. "We just don't understand why it took six months to charge him for lying when you can see he was lying in the videotape they have had from the very beginning," he said. "We also don't understand why [Encinia] wasn't charged with assault when he said 'I'll light you up, and with battery for grabbing [Bland] when she was in the car." "Why didn't they charge him with false arrest?" he continued. "The whole arrest was predicated on a phantom kick - why didn't they charge him with abuse of police power -- all he had to do was give her the warning." The charge the trooper now faces is a Class A misdemeanor. If convicted, Encinia could face up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine. Bland's mother, Geneva Reed-Veal called the grand jury decision a "slap on the wrist." "What I'm looking for is for the accountability to be placed where it needs to be," she said. "That's what I want to see." The state Office of the Attorney General - which is representing Encinia in the wrongful death lawsuit filed by Bland's family against the trooper, DPS, the Waller County Sheriff's Office, and two Waller County jailers - will not be representing him in the criminal case, according to an OAG spokeswoman. RELATED: Waller County's request to end lawsuit asks why relatives didn't bail out Bland The outcry following Bland's death led state lawmakers to hold several hearings on jail procedures and safety and for state regulators to change how inmates are evaluated for mental health issues after they are arrested. After the announcement of the indictment, House County Affairs Committee Chairman Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, who presided over hearings to investigate policing and safety in the state's jails, said in a statement he was "glad that Sandra Bland's family will get their day in court." "In my opinion, Trooper Brian Encinia's actions were the catalyst for the death of Sandra Bland," he said. "Trooper Encinia is innocent until proven guilty and it is now up to our justice system to make the final determination." More on HoustonChronicle.com: Cindy George and Dylan Baddour contributed to this report. A member of a militia group that conducted armed patrols of the South Texas border has been sentenced to more than three years in prison on weapons charges. Kevin Lyndel Massey, 49, of Quinlan, was found guilty last year of being a felon in possession of a firearm on two occasions. On Monday, a federal judge in Brownsville sentenced Massey to 41 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, authorities said. The nation's highest immigration court has temporarily halted the deportations of 12 Central American women and children who the federal government detained last weekend as part of its first significant nationwide enforcement effort focused on these recently arrived immigrants. Attorneys with the CARA Family Detention Pro Bono Project filed for an appeal at 4 p.m. Tuesday, and by 8 p.m. the Board of Immigration Appeals decided to briefly stay their removal while it reviews their cases, said Wendy Feliz, a spokeswoman for the American Immigration Council, an immigrant advocacy group in Washington D.C. "This is totally unprecedented," she said. "The (board) never acts so fast." The families are part of 121 Central American women, mainly living in Texas, Georgia and North Carolina, who federal agents detained for deportation last weekend -- the first large-scale attempt to deport these migrants, part of a huge influx over the last two years that has shaken the Obama administration. The operation targeted adults and children caught crossing the border after May 1, 2014, who have been told to leave the country by an immigration court and who Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Monday would not be eligible to stay in the U.S. by seeking asylum or through other means. But the board's decision late Tuesday night means their claims for asylum are not necessarily exhausted as the government has claimed, Feliz said. "The (board) is reviewing them because clearly they believe they are worthy of appeal because something could have gone wrong," she said. "The fact that they did such a quick stay means (the board) wants to look deeper and figure out what happened here." Immigrant advocates have sounded widespread alarm about the raids, saying the government is targeting vulnerable women and children who could have valid asylum claims if they had access to legal representation. Pro-bono attorneys have interviewed eight of the families so far and said they are from Honduras and El Savador, two countries with the highest murder rates in the world and widespread gang violence. Katie Shepherd, managing attorney for the CARA project working at the Dilley detention center outside of San Antonio, said federal agents also violated the families' rights by denying them access to counsel and arresting them without showing them warrants. "Our interviews revealed that these families have bona fide asylum claims, but were deprived of a meaningful opportunity to present them at their hearings in immigration court," Shepherd said in a statement. "It's beyond shameful that these families, who risked everything to seek protection in the United States, were being forcibly returned to the violence and turmoil they fled in Central America." Immigrant advocates said many of these families were ordered deported without appearing in court either because they don't understand they must or because they are afraid to. Of those who do, the vast majority have no legal counsel to help them navigate the complex asylum process. An analysis of about 26,300 deportation cases involving mostly Central American women with children who arrived after 2014 showed less than 30 percent of these families had attorneys, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. Without counsel, only 1.5 percent were allowed to stay compared to more than a quarter of those with attorneys. "Why is the department using these kinds of tactics for a vulnerable population and importantly have these families received meaningful access to the kinds of protections available to them?" asked Greg Chen, director of advocacy for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, a group in Washington D.C. "We are very concerned." Proponents of reducing immigration argue these women and children have broken the law by entering the country illegally and should be held accountable, a view which Johnson reiterated in a statement earlier this week. "I know there are many who loudly condemn our enforcement efforts as far too harsh, while there will be others who say these actions don't go far enough," Johnson said Monday. "I also recognize the reality of the pain that deportations do in fact cause. But, we must enforce the law consistent with our priorities." The board's temporary stay, however, might mean some of these families still do have legitimate claims to asylum, which by law means they cannot be prosecuted for entering the country illegally while they apply for that status. HILLVIEW, Ky. (WLKY-TV) Wednesday marks one week since Hillview Police responded to an overdose call and used Narcan to save a man's life. Robert Druck was rushed to University Hospital for treatment shortly after he overdosed on heroin last Wednesday night. He tells WLKY, if it was not for a well-trained police officer and Narcan, he would not be alive. "At that point, you really do not know what is going on. You do not know what is happening," said Druck. Druck said he has overdosed more than a dozen times and each time, the experience is the same. He remembers using the drug, closing his eyes and then waking up abruptly. "It is just like going to sleep and all of a sudden you wake up and everybody is hollering your name. It is kind of crazy," said Druck. On Wednesday though, something different happened. Druck went to the Hillview Police Department and watched video captured on the body camera of the officer that treated him. "We want them to see what the process was that they went through. It is kind of for shock value," said Hillview Police Chief Bill Mahoney. Druck watched for the first time as officers worked to revive him. They administered Narcan, a treatment that combats the effects of drugs like heroin. For several minutes in the video, Robert Druck lies still. Finally, he comes to. "It definitely feels like there is a purpose. You know? I have been through it so many times and to keep making it, time after time, I mean there is hope," said Druck. It is a sentiment shared by Chief Bill Mahoney. He tells WLKY last year his department worked with the Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition to train his officers to use Narcan. Their goal now is simple. They want to help people in their community. The officer who treated Druck said it was "one of the high points" of his career. It is proof, Chief Mahoney said, that their approach to policing can work. "This person does not need to go to jail. This person needs some guidance on how to get some help," said Mahoney. That is why his officers also received training in crisis intervention. Mahoney said taking that approach might be part of the reason Robert Druck has decided to seek treatment at a rehab facility. "The experience, just to be able to give back a little bit, maybe I can help one person, if they hear my story. That would be enough for me," said Druck. This is the first time a Hillview police officer has used Narcan since they began carrying it. Story originally published on WLKY-TV. SPOILER ALERT: If you're currently watching the "Making a Murderer" series, proceed with caution. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker doesn't seem to be feeling all too generous toward Steven Avery, the 53-year-old inmate who's the subject of the popular Netflix series "Making a Murderer." Avery is serving a life sentence for the 2005 murder of Teresa Halbach, a 25-year-old photographer, in Manitowoc County, Wisc. The show, which premiered on Netflix in 2015, has drawn attention to his case and the activities of the prosecution and police. Avery previously served 18 years in prison for a brutal sexual assault, but was exonerated by DNA evidence. He was suing Manitowoc County officials over their actions in his previous conviction at the time of Halbach's death. Walker spokeswoman Laurel Patrick told the Huffington Post that the former, one-time leading GOP presidential hopeful had made the decision earlier in his gubernatorial duties not to issue pardons. A Change.org petition addressed to President Obama has generated more than 270,000 signatures as of 5 p.m. Tuesday. It will be eligible for a response by the White House with an an additional 30,000 signatures. "Making a Murderer" has become a big success. See other true-crime shows in the gallery above. The Obama administration on Tuesday sought to enlist the support of the nation's governors, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, to beef up the federal system of gun background checks. A four-page letter signed by U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch asked for better reporting of state criminal, mental health, and domestic violence records. She also warned that the administration will make public each states' record of cooperation "in the coming months." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Mark Mulligan/Staff Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Mark Mulligan/Staff Show More Show Less 3 of 3 AUSTIN - The judge presiding over Ken Paxton's felony securities case on Wednesday ordered that three attorneys prosecuting the case be paid in full in the latest blow dealt to the Republican attorney general. Paxton, who was indicted just months into his first-term as the state's top lawyer, in December asked presiding Judge George Gallagher to cap the fees going to three Houston attorneys prosecuting his case. Gallagher on Wednesday sided with the prosecutors by issuing an order mandating they be paid according to previously agreed to terms. AUSTIN - If you can't beat 'em ... charge 'em? The Texas Democratic Party on Wednesday began selling signs businesses can post to ward off people taking advantage of the state's new open carry law. The party made the decision to print and sell the signs after hearing business owners were confused about what the signs need to look like, according to spokesman Manny Garcia. Don't think the Democrats are just out to make a quick buck, Garcia added: "There's an expense for printing, so, we're not necessarily making a ton of money off of this." Under the new law, which allows licensed gun owners to publicly tote their handguns in a hip or shoulder holster, businesses can bar open carry from their premises by posting a so-called 30.07 sign. The sign warns gun owners that anyone who openly carries a handgun at that location can be subject to criminal trespass charges; it must be displayed "in a conspicuous manner" and feature the message in English and Spanish in one-inch letters of contrasting colors. To ban concealed handguns, business owners have to post a separate sign with similar requirements. If neither is posted, a business owner also has the power to verbally tell an armed individual to leave. If that person does not, the customer can be subject to criminal trespass charges, which results in automatic revocation of one's license to carry upon conviction. "There were all these stories about businesses having all this confusion about what open carry signs are compliant," said Garcia. "Some of our lawmakers actually reached out to us and thought it'd be a good idea to make this available to businesses who are concerned and want to be compliant." Democrats in the state House and Senate were almost unanimously opposed to the new open carry law, which went into effect on Jan. 1. The law was easily passed in the Republican-dominated Legislature, but included a provision that those who want to open carry must obtain have a concealed handgun license. The signs the party is selling cost $7 each. Garcia did not know how much it costs to print each sign. Several other websites also are selling similar signs. THE LEAD: Marco does Texas There are about eight weeks to go until the March 1 primary in Texas, and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is just now jumpstarting his campaign here to show his rivals, namely Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush, that he wont cede ground in the Lone Star State, even if he's far from first place. The Dallas Morning News Bob Garrett on Tuesday reported on the senator's first public appearance in Texas: "Republican state Reps. Larry Gonzales of Round Rock and James Frank of Wichita Falls and former Reps. Linda Harper-Brown of Irving and Martha Wong of Houston have lent their names to the Rubio effort. They will serve as Texas co-chairmen and chairwomen as the presidential candidate intensifies his aggressive campaign across all 50 states, spokeswoman Caitlin Conant said. "On Wednesday afternoon, Rubio will appear at a 4:30 p.m. rally at The Westin Dallas Park Central, 12720 Merit Drive. Members of the public who wish to attend can RSVP here. He will then attend a private fundraiser at the home of Dallas businessman Tom Hicks Good Wednesday morning, Takers. We hope we never jump the shark, a la Donald Trump, but were sure youll let us know if we do. In the meantime, send your scoops, complaints and predictions to bobby.cervantes@chron.com or tweet me @BobbyCervantes. Obtaining police body camera footage may prove though under new Texas law, by Quorum Reports Eva Ruth Moravec. Stakeholders and there were many in Texas' new comprehensive police body camera law largely agree the legislation was a necessary first step. But there are serious concerns that the law, which sets policies and establishes a grant program to fund the cameras, will allow law enforcement agencies to keep the public from ever seeing footage that may show police in a negative light. http://goo.gl/TzdMXQ Texas companies are a growing part of political transparency trend, by the San Antonio Express-News David Rauf. It is part of a growing trend, experts say, among some of the biggest businesses in the country: voluntarily revealing a broad mix of political spending activities to ensure shareholders and the public know how corporate funds are being spent on politics. Most corporations have political action committees and are required under federal and state law to report political contributions and expenditures. But in most cases major corporations spend big bucks to push a political agenda through avenues that lend themselves to secret political spending, referred to as dark money, via nonprofits that do not have to disclose donors. http://goo.gl/y2tVZN White House seeks Abbotts help on gun background checks, by the Houston Chronicles Kevin Diaz.A four-page letter signed by U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch asked for better reporting of state criminal, mental health, and domestic violence records. She also warned that the administration will make public each states' record of cooperation in the coming months. http://goo.gl/VOeBnx Deportations stopped for 12 immigrants targeted in raids, by the Associated Press. Lawyers said Tuesday that they've managed to temporarily stop deportation proceedings for 12 individuals from four families rounded up over the weekend, when authorities apprehended 121 people in the country illegally. Attorneys are appealing to a Justice Department immigration appeals board for the 12, who had been slated for immediate deportation. http://goo.gl/dKBSAQ Obama, 14 states and dozens of groups join HB 2 fight, by the Houston Chronicles Brian Rosenthal.The abortion providers challenging Texas's strict new regulations announced Tuesday that hundreds of people had filed briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court on their behalf, including lawyers representing the federal government, 14 states, seven cities and dozens of medical and legal groups, as well as several women who have undergone the procedure. http://goo.gl/Kwiq5y Lee left behind $3.9 million in campaign account, so what happens next? The Houston Chronicles Rebecca Elliott: When Harris County Commissioner El Franco Lee died unexpectedly Sunday, he left friends and allies in mourning, political hopefuls jockeying for his job and an uncommonly large campaign war chest of nearly $4 million. What happens to that sum - which far outstrips the campaign cash held by all of his fellow commissioners combined - remains an open question. http://goo.gl/Jasyp2 SPEED READ Tilove: If we allow non-believers to elect our leaders Ted Cruz with James Dobson, Austin American-Statesman Abbott: Obama gun control actions trampled Bill of Rights, Associated Press Ramsey: For politicians, no statute of limitations on comments, Texas Tribune Texas Take: Cruz, as Iowa front runner, draws heat, Houston Chronicle Herman: Capitol history for sale? Austin American-Statesman Middle East tensions not moving oil prices, Houston Chronicle Questions and answers about Obamas executive plan on guns, Associated Press Blind man tells Ted Cruz even he can see through Hillary Clinton, The Dallas Morning News Two top lawyers said lawsuit to remove Susan Hawk, The Dallas Morning News Border Patrol hires new RGV sector chief, McAllen Monitor Waller County backs off plan to limit early voting, Houston Chronicle Cruz, Trump deadlocked in California: poll, The Hill Cruz might not need Trump supporters, Roll Call Ken Paxton again seeks to block legal fees in redistricting case, Austin American-Statesman Group of Hispanic voters seeks docs in Pasadena voting rights case, Houston Chronicle Cartel leader La Barbie expected to plead guilty in cocaine case, Houston Chronicle QUOTE TO NOTE This is it, really? This is what theyve been hyping for how long now? This is the proposal theyve spent seven years putting together? Theyre not really doing anything. Jennifer Baker, an official with the NRAs Washington lobbying arm, responding to President Obamas executive action on guns http://goo.gl/JgCBjx RACE TO 2016 Ted Cruz downplays Trump raising concerns over Canadian birth, by the Associated Press. Previous foreign-born Americans notably Republicans John McCain and George Romney have run for president with some mention, but no serious challenges, of their eligibility. The comments mark a reversal for Trump, who in September downplayed Cruz's birthplace in an interview with ABC. http://goo.gl/lD7ZNh Why gun control is back as a Democratic campaign issue, by Bloombergs Margaret Talev. For more than two decades, Democrats have been spooked about campaigning aggressively for gun control, after voter backlash to gun limits and the rising political power of the National Rifle Association were seen as factors in Democrats losing Congress in 1994 and the White House in 2000. Going after guns didn't fit neatly with Democrats' efforts to win back more centrist voters in rural parts of the country. If the current dynamic holds, this year may be different. "It now will be more of an issue than we've seen in the last two presidential election cycles," said Robert J. Spitzer, author of five books on gun policy and chairman of the political science department at the State University of New York at Cortland. http://goo.gl/X1JyQq Donald Trumps low-energy campaign, by the Politicos Ben Schreckinger. Trump, who once derided Jeb Bush for lacking energy, has done fewer campaign swings than any of his top-tier rivals 100, versus Bushs 172 and while others have only increased the pace, Trump has barely expanded his schedule; next week, hell stage a rare Sunday rally. http://goo.gl/uJkdds Supporters seek to persuade Dems to ditch and switch for Donald Trump, by NYTs Alan Rappeport. The pitch was directed at Democrats and independents in the audience, urging them to become Republicans and vote for Mr. Trump if they really want to show their support. It could be an important strategy for Mr. Trump as the pace of primary season picks up, and he looks to turn his raucous campaign events into voters, delegates and ultimately the Republican nomination. To accomplish that, Mr. Trump will be relying on people who do not tend to vote and trying to persuade some Democrats and independents to change parties so that they can vote in states that allow only registered Republicans to participate. http://goo.gl/wQknQd The summers final Live on the Waterfront concert was held Wednesday evening at Prince Arthurs Landing. The popular series in Thunder Bay has completed nine weekly shows that began on July 13. Wednesdays concert was unique as it was held one hour later in the evening to mesh with the 10 p. Cherokee Historic Preservation Commission seeks new member The Cherokee Historic Preservation Commission has a vacancy for a new member beginning immediately due to the departure of a... Library friends busy building Book Baskets This year will mark the 23rd year for the Book Basket Project, which is a major fundraising project for the... Pre-registration deadline for voters this weekend The voter pre-registration deadline for the general election is Saturday, Oct. 24. The Cherokee County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections... Drought worsens as harvest heats up Cherokee County continues to slip deeper into extreme drought, a trend being seen throughout Northwest Iowa as rainfall remains scarce... By D.P. Morrissey The role of the technology executive is undergoing a fundamental transformation, and during this change CIOs are expected to implement mobility, cloud and BYOD initiatives while assisting business units with strategy and revenue-producing technology. IT departments are now being driven by business needs as well, and the CIOs seat at the executive round table has never been so critical to a companys success. The changing role of the CIO, the growing complexity of networks and the seemingly endless streams of data are reasons for both excitement and concern. As the line between tech guru and business innovator blurs, CIOs are transitioning into a more prominent role in the business. The stakes have grown, the responsibilities have grown, and so too has the clout of the CIO. A recent survey from Qvidian revealed just how important the CIO is to business and revenue growth. CIOs hold a vital position that can have an enormous impact on a sales teams success. CIOs can accelerate business growth by automating backend research and administrative tasks, freeing up sales teams to do what they do best: Sell. Additionally, tech executives who take an interest in the sales process are able to explore solutions that explain the sales process and recommend content that can maximize touch points at every stage of the buyer journey. One major pain point sales teams face is ineffectual search. 17% of Qvidians survey respondents are easily accessing the right content for each particular selling situationwhich leaves 83% of sales people that are left struggling to locate the content they need, likely abandoning their search and relying on outdated content instead. Information is power, and CIOs are able to better equip sales teams with the proper informationdelivered at the right timein order to address a prospective clients needs. CIOs now have to think in terms of how IT can enable business velocity and the role they play as an equal partner at the executive round table, said Shehzad Merchant, an expert in enterprise networking and Chief Technical Officer at Gigamon. The role of IT has evolved from that of a supporting organization to one that is a business enabler and business driver. That is a fundamental shiftWhereas traditionally IT was viewed as a cost and productivity function designed to support the employee base, in todays digital, online and on-demand world, IT has become more critical to delivering value and impacting business outcomes, Merchant said. CIOs have to increasingly think of themselves as being business leaders, i.e., they have to think strategically about where the business is going, what the business drivers and requirements are going to be, and how IT can play the role of a business driver and enabler, he said. The role of the CIO is not for those weak in the knees. Business units have more expectations from IT, and CIOs often find themselves overrun with requests from numerous departments. A report from The Hackett Group, titled IT Key Issues in 2015: Innovation and Agility Are Driving the IT Agenda, revealed that CIOs and their tech teams must respond more quickly to shifts in business demands, while decreasing expenses through greater efficienciesno simple task. More than 170 executives from global companies took part in the report. Of them, 48% said their company wants to drive down the cost of IT functions through efficiency and productivity improvement. 32% said theyre looking for IT to improve their companys customer experience/service levels. Additionally, 65% said innovating their companys business model, product and service offerings remains a top priority. Niel Nickolaisen is the CTO of OC Tanner, a company that makes employee recognition awards. Nickolaisen knows of the importance of weighing in on business innovation. I believe that in the old days (about 9 months or so ago) an IT leader could be successful through the quality delivery of IT utility services, he said. This worked well since many of us came up through the utility services rankswe were amazing at delivering these services. But times have changed. Now, since every aspect of the organization utilizes technology for everything (social, mobile, analytics, cloud, marketing and lead generation, collaboration, fulfillment, etc.) successful IT leaders need to also lead in the use of technology to drive all types of innovation and change. At the same time, we cannot forget or not pay attention to the utility services as they are mission criticalno matter how cool or compelling our analytics, no one can use them if the servers or network are down. There is a balance that must be maintained, he said. Much of our credibility comes from our ability to reliably deliver those utility servicesif we are the gang that cannot shoot straight operationally, why would anyone trust us with the organizations strategy and innovation? D.P. Morrissey is a freelance writer who covers business and technology. He lives in New York City. Photo by Shawn Walker Black Silent Majority: The Rockefeller Drug Laws and the Politics of Punishment, by Michael Javen Fortner (Harvard University Press, 368 pp., $28.81) Three decades ago, in response to a drug epidemic that was laying waste to urban minority communities from Los Angeles to Miami to New York, Congress passed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, which imposed much harsher penalties for crack-cocaine offenses than for crimes involving powder cocaine. For federal sentencing purposes, someone convicted of selling 50 grams of crack was subject to the same mandatory-minimum ten-year sentence as someone convicted of selling 5,000 grams of powder cocaine. This crack/powder disparity was increasingly attacked as racistcrack offenders tended to be black, while powder offenders tended to be white. Never mind that Representatives Charles Rangel and Major Owens, two black liberal Democrats from New York not known for their reluctance to play the race card, led the fight to impose the differential. Never mind that 11 of the 21 black lawmakers serving in Congress in 1986 supported the new law. And never mind that even those black congressmen who opposed it did not do so on grounds that it was racially unfair. At the time, many black lawmakers and activists saw in crack cocaine a unique threat. The drug was considered more accessible, more addictive, and more closely associated with violent behavior than its powder form. Proponents of the crackdown on crack believed that lawful inner-city residents would be better off if crack offenders were locked up for longer periods of time. In other words, the motivating factor was safety, and the resulting racial disparities were incidental. Yet todays critics of the 1986 law ignore or play down the role of black leaders in its passage and pretend that racial animus drove the effort. According to Michael Javen Fortners urgent and extraordinary new book, Black Silent Majority: The Rockefeller Drug Laws and the Politics of Punishment, this sort of politically expedient revisionism also shapes todays related debate over the mass incarceration of black men. Fortner responds to best-selling authors like Michelle Alexander, a law professor at Ohio State University, who has argued that a white backlash against the civil rights gains of the 1950s and 1960s led to the utilization of penal policy to restore the old Jim Crow social order of white supremacy. To Alexander and most of the liberal commentariat, mass incarceration has less to do with black criminality and more to do with historical white resistance to racial equality. In their view, prisons are tools of racial subordination. Under the auspices of a war on drugs, a racially biased criminal-justice system targets people simply for being black, not necessarily for breaking the law. Hence the tendency of leftists to obsess over the racial imbalance of the prison population while rarely discussing the racial imbalance among perpetrators of crimeas if the two are wholly unrelated. Fortner, a political scientist at the City University of New York, challenges this wobbly liberal narrative by detailing the history of black activism that spurred Governor Nelson Rockefeller in the early 1970s to make New York the first state to mandate lengthy prison sentences for drug offenses. Todays mass-incarceration phenomenon, the author argues, is an outgrowth of Rockefeller drug policies that enjoyed strong support from working- and middle-class blacks who were being terrorized by black criminals. Crime rose rapidly nationwide in the 1960s and 1970s, and law-abiding blacks in places like New York bore the brunt of the consequences. Between 1960 and 1968, for instance, violent crime rose by 50 percent nationwide and by more than 450 percent in the Big Apple. Within New York City, some neighborhoods suffered a great deal more than others. Homicide rates in white working-class precincts (Canarsie, Brooklyn), white middle-class areas (Bayside, Queens), and white upper-class precincts (Upper East Side) were dramatically lower than in precincts in minority communities, writes Fortner. The homicide rate in one Harlem precinct was over twenty-six times the rate in the Upper East Side, almost fifty times the rate of the most dangerous precinct in Bayside, and almost forty times the rate in Canarsie. Between 1966 and 1976, blacks in New York City constituted half of all homicide victimsas well as about 50 percent of drug-related deathsdespite being only about one-fifth of the citys population. The books broader pointand Fortner makes it in a clear, fluid prose style that rarely lapses into academic jargonis that a black silent majority at the time was much more alarmed about drug addiction and violent crime than its white analogue and ultimately motivated to take action. It was blacks who instigated the crackdown on black criminality, often over the opposition of white liberals and black political elites. Many minority legislators voted against the drug laws, and survey evidence indicates that, driven by their own interests and ideologies, they were at odds with the communities they represented, writes Fortner. Eventually, Rockefeller, no pioneer of punishment, began to recite the grievances of working- and middle-class blacks, to appropriate their language and echo the discourse of their movement. In addition to assessing academic studies, Fortner has marshaled interviews with black activists, transcripts from legislative hearings, literature of the period, and numerous press reports to support his central claims. Readers may be especially intrigued by the punitive bluntness of the black press at the time. The Chicago Defender ran political cartoons in the early 1970s that portrayed black thugs menacing black neighborhoods and included captions like Brother HOOD in Black Communities and Stop Black on Black Crime. After a bank employee was shot dead in 1970, the Atlanta Daily World published an editorial with the headline CRIME MUST BE STOPPED. It goes hard for the Christian heart to say this, but stiffer measures, all the way up to capital punishment, seem to be the only tangible way to protect that portion of society, which has not fallen under the heels of hardship and become animals. Animals! wrote the editors. This bank, which has apparently become a target of hoodlums, and has young female tellers scared out of their wits, has employed numerous black people for years, and is making major contributions to the cause of advancement in Atlanta. Or consider this 1972 editorial on crime in the Washington Afro-American: The exceedingly high incidence of housebreakings, pocketbook snatchings, robberies, shoplifting cases and shootings are not simply the outgrowth of bad social conditions, said the editors. Its time to recognize that basic honesty has a lot to do with it. Honesty begins at home and makes little difference whether or not you are poor, unemployed and whatsoever. The editors continued: Its also time we stop blaming everybody else for the criminal acts which occur in our neighborhoods. The victims of most of these criminal acts are black, and . . . the vast majority of these acts are caused by black people, and in the end the whole city . . . suffers. I dont know Fortners personal politics, and his book is a work of scholarship, not a polemic. But in a moving preface, he does mention that his experience as a black youngster reared on Brooklyns mean streets during the height of the crack epidemic informs his perspective. While the literature on mass incarceration has correctly highlighted racial discrimination within the criminal justice system, it has unnecessarily discounted the hurt and terror of those who clutch their billfolds as they sleep, of those who exit their apartments and leave their buildings with trepidation, and of those who have had to bury a son or daughter because of gang activity, the drug trade, or random violence. Fortner wrote Black Silent Majority, he says, to recover the voice of the invisible black victim. His book accomplishes that and much more. The disbanding of a federally funded trauma team that helps people deal with the Sandy Hook massacre has forced the Massachusetts town to improvise to ensure the recovery care continues. But the Newtons plan to replace the Recovery and Resiliency Team with four of its own full-time employees is more than a stopgap it is part of a larger process of assuming long-term responsibility for helping Newtowners live with an irreplaceable loss. It is a huge challenge, but we need to accept our reality and find the pathway to the resources we are going to be responsible for providing for decades, First Selectman Pat Llodra said. We have to be honest about it and own it and say this is who we are. If Llodra and other leaders had their way, the six-member Recovery and Resiliency Team of counselors and care managers would stay in Newtown for a least another two years, because it has gained the communitys trust that is so integral to trauma recovery work. But from the teams inception in mid-2014, everyone knew the mission would end in March when Department of Justice funds run out, even if Newtowns need for trauma services remains high. There are new people coming forward needing support every day, said Melissa Glaser, a licensed professional counselor who heads the team. But we knew that the Department of Justice had awarded funds for an 18-month term, so everything we have done has been with the knowledge that this team as it exists will be exiting. The danger is the trust between the team and 800 Newtowners who have received services will need to be rebuilt when new town employees take over in March under an expanded social services department. It has the potential to create gaps, however, the town is trying to prevent that, Glaser said during an interview in her office on the towns Fairfield Hills municipal campus. Many of our support programs will be able to continue with the structure we have put in place. The towns plan to add a team of four social workers and specialists to help people navigate the convoluted mental health care system would be financed with a combination of fund transfers and grants. Two grants of $50,000 each have already been secured from Danbury-based Praxair and from the Newtown-Sandy Hook Community Foundation. The grants will offset most of the cost of hiring two employees in March. A larger single grant from the federal Victims of Crime Act will be requested next week and would cover costs of two additional employees for three years, Llodra said. Our goal is to get enough resources in place so that we have sustainable community wellness and mental health, Llodra said. Our core needs are still present and they have not gone away. The Resiliency and Recovery Team was created with part of a $7 million justice department grant Newtown received following the 2012 slaying of 26 children and educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The idea was for the team to reach out not only to the families of the victims and those in the school that day, but to everyone who was affected by the worst crime scene in Connecticut history. The team was also a clearinghouse about where to get help for post-traumatic stress, a resource for navigating the fragmented mental health system, and a developer of training and support programs for teachers and first responders. The problem is there has been much more than just the terrible tragedy in Sandy Hook to confront. Recovery efforts have been set back by the glare of national media attention, the divisiveness of political debate over gun control and mental health, and by the hostility of conspiracy theorists who deny Sandy Hook happened. There is no short-term solution in trauma and grief work, Glaser said. And this situation is obviously extremely complicated with all the different layers that impact this community. As such, it took months for the team to earn the trust of people whose hurt is beyond repair. Just six months ago they started to make an impact, so that we are starting to see some success, said Llodra, who serves on the teams oversight board with Joseph Erardi, the schools superintendent, and the Rev. Matthew Crebbin, president of the Newtown Interfaith Clergy Association. The R&R team worked hard to establish relationships and develop credibility with people, and to close that effort down and restart it with new people means we are going to have to rebuild those relationships again, Llodra said. Llodra stressed no personal information about anyone who was assisted by the team can be shared without that persons permission. The towns Board of Selectmen began acting before Christmas to prevent the disruption of grief services in March, transferring $40,000 from a contingency account, which, along with $100,000 in grants, will pay for two new employees. At the same time, the additions will improve the Social Services Departments ability to meet more needs in the community. The department currently does not have mental health professionals. We havent had a person with a degree in social work or a professional psychologist or clinical people, newly elected Selectman Herb Rosenthal said during a recent meeting. We have had to purchase those services in the past when we have needed them. Selectman Will Rodgers agreed. I am very excited by this, he said at the December meeting. The towns challenges will be to hire professionals who are certified in trauma work, and to continue funding the recovery effort, Glaser said. Models have been established for town employees to follow, and Glasers staff will offer training to ease the transition, she added. It is very hard to quantify the impact of all our work, Glaser said. But in the 18 months we have been in place, we have provided a tremendous amount of support for this community. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. There were more airline deaths worldwide due to deliberate acts in 2015 than from accidental air crashes, for the second year in a row, according to an industry tally. There were only eight accidental airline crashes last year, accounting for 161 passenger and crew deaths the fewest crashes and deaths since at least 1946. The tally by Flightglobal, an aviation news and industry data company, excludes a German airliner that was deliberately flown into a mountainside in the French Alps last March, and a Russian airliner packed with tourists that exploded over Egypt in October. The toll for those two incidents was 374 killed. In 2014, the toll from a Malaysia Airlines plane that disappeared and another that was shot down over Ukraine in 2014 was 537 deaths compared to 436 accident deaths that year. In recent years, airline safety has improved very considerably to the point where, typically, there are now very few fatal accidents and fatalities in a year, said Paul Hayes, Flightglobals director of air safety and insurance. However, flight security remains a concern. Although some years are better than others, the fatal accident rate has been improving for many years. The global fatal accident rate for all types of airline operations in 2015 was one per 5 million flights, the best year ever. The previous best year was 2014, with a fatal accident rate of 1 per 2.5 million flights. Airline operations are now about four or five times safer than they were 20 years ago. Those tallies are for all types of airline flights, including cargo, positioning, training, and maintenance flights. There were just 98 paying passengers killed last year in accidental crashes compared to 790 in 2007. A far cry from 1970s, when the annual average of passengers killed in accidental crashes was 1,289. A big reason for the improving record is better engineering: Todays airliners and aircraft engines are far safer than earlier generations of planes. They are more highly automated, which has reduced many common pilot errors. They have better satellite-based navigation systems. They are made of stronger, lighter weight, less corrosive materials. And theyre equipped with safety systems introduced in recent decades, and repeatedly improved over time, that have nearly eliminated mid-air collisions between airliners and what the industry calls controlled flight into terrain pilots who lose situational awareness and fly their planes into a mountainside or into the ground. The aircraft improvements are due primarily to lessons learned from crash investigations that are taken into account when new planes are designed, said John Goglia, a former National Transportation Safety Board member. As older planes are replaced with newer planes, aviation becomes safer, he said. Were now up to about the 7th generation of jet airplanes, he said. We know the first generation DC-8s, 707s had a higher accident rate than the second or the third or the fourth generations, and it just moves on up. But more needs to be done to weed out disturbed pilots and guard against acts of terrorism, experts said. The Germanwings case is especially perplexing, said John Cox, a former airline pilot and aviation safety consultant. Pilot Andreas Lubitz managed to conceal his troubles even though airlines are continually evaluating pilots for signs of trouble. Pilots evaluate each other as well. Its not known what caused Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 to disappear while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, but many aviation safety experts theorize that it was mostly likely the result of deliberate acts, probably by one of the two pilots. Pilots from day one are so ingrained with protecting the passengers, with learning skills to deal with unanticipated events and evaluated on how well you deal with stress, Cox said. Those who dont do well with it dont survive as professional pilots. The Islamic State has claimed credit for a bomb suspected of blowing apart a MetroJet A320 over Egypt. Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down by a Russian Buk surface-to-air missile fired from rebel-held territory in Eastern Ukraine, according to Dutch crash investigators. Terrorists have been probing nonstop since 9/11 and every once in a while they find a way to get through, Goglia said. The new frontier in airline safety is a managerial philosophy known as SMS, or safety management systems, he said. Airlines are systematically gathering data on safety trends, and encouraging pilots, dispatchers, mechanics and others to report problems by promising there will be no retaliation for mistakes. The information is then shared across the industry in an effort to spot problems before they lead to an accident. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. In recent months, the safety of hoverboards has been called into question. Several instances of fire have prompted multiple bans on the recreational transportation device that despite its name doesnt hover, but rather rolls forward and back like a sideways skate board. Hoverboards, also known as smartboards or balance board, are also being investigated for their potential to ignite in flames in a small number of instances. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has counted 22 hoverboard fires in 17 states, according to an agency spokeswoman. One fire occurred at a kiosk at a Houston-area mall, temporarily closing the shopping center. CPSC agents are actively investigating fires caused by the boards. In recent weeks, a hoverboard reportedly exploded in a South Carolina home. Two teens at the home received hoverboards for Christmas. One teen had just finished charging his board when the batteries combusted and flew about 20 feet across the living room, lighting a chair on fire and burning the carpet. Last month, an Augusta, Ga., fire department issued a warning about potential fire dangers after they had to respond to a fire caused by a hoverboard. The Fire Department says in a news release that they responded to a fire at a house on Christmas Day. A resident had placed the self-balancing scooter outside. The device was heavily burned on the side that holds the charger. Inside the home, firefighters found black burn marks on two walls and the floor of the dining room. No one was injured in the fire. The release says owners shouldnt overcharge hoverboards, and to keep an eye on them while they are charging. They advise people to use one plug per socket, and allow the device to cool off before charging. Officials say no one was injured, and Walker says the fire caused no structural damage to the home. Louisiana State University has issued a temporary ban from students using hoverboards on campus and in campus-run housing. WAFB TV reports the LSU Department of Residential Life issued a statement saying they had made the decision to prohibit the use, possession, or storage of electronic skateboards including self-balancing boards/scooters, and other similar equipment in all university-managed residence halls, apartments, and Greek houses. The change comes after LSU officials met with their Risk Management and Safety board and determined that the boards batteries can burst into flame, especially while being charged. Officials say the ban will stay in place until safety standards for all models are implemented. Officials with Southern Californias commuter railroad, MetroLink, issued a ban as well. They said the ban was issued following safety concerns about the self-balancing, battery-powered devices. Reports of hoverboards bursting into flames have come out of at least 10 states in recent months. The ban goes into effect Jan. 4. Spokeswoman Sherita Coffelt tells City News Service that there have been no reported injury accidents involving hoverboards on Metrolink trains or at its 55 stations. She says the devices will not be seized but passengers with hoverboards will be asked to exit trains. News of the potential fire risk prompted several U.S. airlines to ban them because of the potential fire danger. The hoverboard, which was one of the most popular gifts this holiday season, has also been a ticket to the emergency room for some people. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says it has received dozens of reports of hoverboard-related injuries across the country. One Houston-area hospital reported treating 14 hoverboard injuries between Christmas and New Years Eve. Doctors at Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital started keeping count after they started seeing patients who had hurt themselves, according to the Houston Chronicle. The hoverboard became the gadget to have over the last few months. Athletes and celebrities have been seen riding them. In one video, retired boxer Mike Tyson can be seen falling off one. But doctors say hoverboard riders should wear the same gear and take the same precautions as rollerbladers or skateboarders. They get on these hoverboards without any protective gear whatsoever, said Dr. David Wong of Memorial Hermann Sugar Land, an emergency room doctor who also has his own hoverboard. They should wear wrist guards, helmets, elbow guards and knee pads. Spokesmen for Houston Methodist hospitals and Ben Taub Hospital in Houston also reported a handful of injuries, the Chronicle said. According to the CPSC, some of the injuries have been serious, including concussions, fractures, contusions/abrasions, and internal organ injuries. In a statement issued last month on the safety of hoverboards, CPSC Chairman Elliot F. Kaye voiced his concern that there were no safety standards in place for the recreational device. Strong safety standards protect consumers, said Kaye. Retailers should always be asking their suppliers if there is an applicable safety standard in place before agreeing to sell those products. The absence of any standard should cause retailers to require extra proof of sound design, manufacturing and quality control processes. The Associate Press contributed to this article. Federal accident investigators are considering launching another search of the wreckage of a freighter that sank in October in an attempt to locate the ships black box. Tom Roth-Roffy, the lead investigator for National Transportation Safety Board, told The Associated Press that a weeks-long search found one of the El Faros missing decks, but not the mast where the ships voyage data recorder was attached. The agency on Sunday released the first images of the ship in its final resting place. There were no human remains found whatsoever, and no personal effects whatsoever, Roth-Roffy said. I think we found one boot. The El Faro sank Oct. 1 after losing engine power and getting caught in a Category 4 hurricane while sailing from Jacksonville to San Juan, Puerto Rico. There were 33 mariners aboard and no survivors. Roth-Roffy said the NTSB would need to launch a second search of the wreckage 15,000 feet below the sea if it wants to find the data recorder, which would have recorded the captains final transmissions. They are still determining if and when such a search would occur. The images of the sunken ship show a breach in the El Faros hull and its main navigation tower missing. Roth-Roffy says crews did locate one of the missing decks about a half-mile away from the main ship. Images show it resting on the seafloor, its windows broken out. The ships stern, or rear end, was buried more deeply than the bow, or front, Roth-Roffy said. Investigators are still piecing events of the sinking together, but at this point theyve ruled out a major structure failure as a cause of the El Faros sinking, Roth-Roffy said. The issue with the detachment of the upper two decks, were looking at that carefully, he said. Even without the data recorder, the images taken by remote-controlled underwater vehicles are helping to shed some light on the case. Roth-Roffy says all of the ships cargo containers except for four were gone. The El Faro was carrying automobiles. Determining what happened to the ship will be more difficult without the data recorder, but NTSBs investigators have said they are still confident theyll be able to find answers. After suspending their search for the data recorder in November, Roth-Roffy says they may go back to search again. The recorder was attached to the ships main mast, a 35-foot tall structure that crews havent yet located. The data recorder charts the date, time and speed of a marine vessel, and also records conversations on the bridge that could include key decision-making between captain and crew. While recovering a small piece of equipment at such depth is difficult, there is precedent. The black box of the Air France jetliner that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on June 1, 2009 on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris was found in about 12,800 feet of water. Crews also retrieved the black box of a South African Airways airplane that crashed into the Indian Ocean in 1987 in more than 15,000 feet of water. Families of the crew members have filed multiple lawsuits against the El Faros owners, Tote Marine, alleging wrongful death and negligence. They argue the ship should never have tried to outrun a hurricane, and that the decision to do so was motivated by money. Tote Marine has asked a federal judge to limit or release its liability, and company officials have claimed the El Faro was maintained properly and in good condition. The company says it does not comment on individual lawsuits. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. 40th Spoleto Festival: 'Porgy and Bess' Production Celebrates Charleston's History Held annually in Charleston, South Carolina, The Spoleto Festival U.S.A (a 17-day showcase of opera, theater, dance, classical, and jazz music) will enter its 40th year upon its return this May. To honor the city that has hosted it since 1977, the 40th Spoleto Festivals program will include a production of George Gershwins 1935 opera Porgy and Bess, set on the fictitious Catfish Row in Charleston. The Porgy and Bess production, which has been over a year in the making, will celebrate Charleston's history at a time when the city needs it most: in the wake of the Emanuel AME Church Shootings. With roots in its twin -- the Festival dei Due Mondi, staged in Spoleto, Italy since 1958 -- the Spoleto Festival U.S.A. was originally set in Charleston at the request of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Gian Carlo Menotti who, having founded the Italian festival, sought to establish a counterpart in the United States. Charleston was chosen for its Old World charm, intimate feel, and numerous theaters within walking distance. Now, after many seasons of exciting Charleston residents with world-class arts productions, the Spoleto Festival is turning 40 this May and is celebrating with a grand production of George Gershwin's seminal opera Porgy and Bess at the Gaillard Center -- a choice that reflects a key point of Charleston's history. As the Charleston City Paper points out, "the last time Porgy and Bess was performed at the Gaillard way back in 1970 marked the first time the venue hosted an integrated audience." The Porgy and Bess production was initially planned for last year's festival, but was cancelled due to unfinished renovations at the Gaillard. Now, with renovations complete, the production will be scheduled for the 40th Spoleto Festival's 2016 schedule, and is poised to carry more weight, considering Charleston's history, in the wake of the Emanuel AME Church shooting last June. Referring to other Spoleto events that were planned in direct response to the shootings, the Spoleto Festivals General Director Nigel Redden had said, "its impossible not to acknowledge the traumas of 2015. Among the responses will be elements of an exhibition at the Gibbes Museum of Art, called The Things We Carry: Contemporary Art in the South, and a multimedia work by Visual Artist Carrie Mae Weems called "Grace Notes: Reflections for Now". Though unintended, the Porgy and Bess production -- George Gershwin's opera concerning the hopes and struggles of black America, now a century behind us -- may yet prove to be a valued artistic "afterword" for the shooting, so as to bolster the morale of the state and to celebrate Charleston's history, both its fiction and its harsh realities. The New York Times also reported that the 40th Spoleto Festival will open with a preview of a new production of Oscar Wildes The Importance of Being Earnest and a jazz lineup that will include Arturo OFarrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, Ms. Salvant, and Pianist Jason Moran, among other renowned talents. Tickets for the 40th Spoleto Festival, held from May 26th-June 12th, will go on sale beginning January 14th. [This article reflects a January 6th, 2015 edit, correcting a false claim that the Spoleto Festival's staging of 'Porgy and Bess' was "in response to" the Emanuel AME Shootings.] 2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TagsSpoleto Festival USA, George Gershwin, The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, Festival, Gian Carlo Menotti PSA: President Barack Obama's Executive Order Does Not Infringe Anyone's 2nd Amendment Rights Today, President Barack Obama gave a speech about a new executive order that he has issued. It has to do with gun control, and the paranoia is running rampant, with many gun owners thinking their weapons will be taken away or it'll be impossible to get another one. So here's a nice little PSA for all you who share that thought: Obama's executive order in no way, shape or form infringes upon anyone's Second Amendment rights. In fact, this order is essentially just an attempt to tighten up background checks, especially for smaller arms dealers who may not be keeping full and accurate files on when and who they sold weapons to. Gee, maybe that's a bit of common sense, huh? "The White House is seeking to expand background checks for buyers," an excerpt from CNN's coverage read. "The measure clarifies that individuals 'in the business of selling firearms' register as licensed gun dealers, effectively narrowing the so-called 'gun show loophole,' which exempts most small sellers from keeping formal sales records." That's really the main hitting point from the order. Let's do everything we can to make sure that the actual people buying weapons are law-abiding citizens with no mental health issues. Right? Crazy thought process, I know. But instead of thinking logically and rationally, a great deal of gun owners -- mostly Republican -- are blowing it way out of proportion, claiming that these orders are infringing their right to get a gun. Oh, really? Let me ask, in the past seven years or so, has anyone come knocking on your door asking for your guns? Has anyone at a gun store told you that you couldn't purchase one because of any new laws? No? Amazing. You still have your guns, and you have the right to purchase a weapon any time you want; granted, you pass a background check. But our background checks have been insufficient in the past, and as CNN put it, the gun-show loophole is a real problem. This order is an attempt to try and close that loophole, as well as several others. Many ask why he should even issue this order because it won't stop mass shootings. That's correct, but why would we have any security measures at all then anywhere? Bad people will do bad things if they want to, but that doesn't mean we should stop trying to reduce the amount of times that happens. And if it happens once, let's not let that bad person be able to do it again. It's common sense. And the President knows that, and said as much in his speech. He also clarified at the beginning and throughout that he doesn't want to take away anyone's rights, and believes in the second amendment himself. "I believe in the Second Amendment, there written on paper, that guarantees the right to bear arms," Obama said via CNN. "No matter how many times people try to twist my words around, I taught constitutional law. I know a little bit about this. But I also believe that we can find ways to reduce gun violence consistent with the Second Amendment." CNN also reported that the White House "will provide more funding for mental health treatment, FBI staff and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives agents." So for anyone who says they aren't trying to get to the root of the problem, there you go. Of course they're trying to get to the root of the problem, because we do have too much violence in America and doing as many precautionary measures as possible is not a waste of time at all. It's high time we stop being committed to one party or another and just be human beings -- Americans. We need to protect our people, and all people for that matter, as best we can. This is the right thing to do, and those tears in Obama's eyes during the speech today were real. You may not agree with everything he does, and I haven't either depending on the issue or action, but that does not mean he isn't a human being too. This is crucial time in our country, and we need to stand together. Gun owners and non-gun owners alike. Trying to keep weapons out of criminals and mentally ill people's hands is a noble cause, and one that shouldn't be criticized so heavily. 2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TagsBarack Obama, Gun Control, Executive Orders Wadada Leo Smith & John Lindberg Face 'Celestial Weather' on New TUM Records Release (REVIEW) Wadada Leo Smith and John Lindberg face 'Celestial Weather' on new CD. (Photo : Radcliffe Roye) Finland's TUM Records, both on disc and live at their annual Helsinki TUMfest, has been allowing musicians to explore their inner capabilities, expressions and dreams that may or may not be commercial enough to actually sell. In that sense, it's amazing they've been in business for 13 years. Good for them! The latest such offering, Celestial Weather, features two such progressive, forward-thinking adventurers, John Lindberg on double-bass and Wadada Leo Smith on trumpet. It's an example of exotica, esoterica even. Smith, 74, and Lindberg, 56, met in the band of Anthony Braxton, 70, an American super-musician with over 100 albums to his credit. "Malachi Favors Maghostut" takes up the first two tracks as Smith's tribute of sorts to bassist Malachi Favors [1927-2004], also known as Maghostut. He was a mainstay of Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), an organization that Smith "graduated" from as well. It's a spiraling assemblage of sound that's as bleak and mysterious as anything else herein. It takes some getting used to. The next five tracks--the "Celestial Weather Suite"--might get bogged down by incessant drama like soundtrack music creating tension but there's a pay-off for its meandering. Part #5, "Tornado," is that pay-off. It's as upbeat as they're going to get. This is music that you cannot put on as background. You might forget it's on. Yet if you listen, and listen hard, its oh-so-subtle intricacies carry the day. Most of it was composed spontaneously in the studio. Its essence lies in the fact-especially on the last two-track "Feathers and Earth"-that these musicians respond to each other audibly, surprisingly, succinctly and satisfyingly to achieve a constant conversation throughout. They are so attuned to each other's every tic and spasmodic eruption, that the thrill of it all is anticipating such reactions. 2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TagsWadada Leo Smith, John Lindberg, TUM Records, REVIEW Confederate Flag Compared to Infamous Historical Symbol by Quentin Tarantino Quentin Tarantino is one of the most famous/infamous directors in Hollywood, known for ultra-violent films like Kill Bill, Inglorious Basterds, and Django Unchained. In a recent interview, Tarantino compared the Confederate flag to a very infamous historical symbol. Quentin Tarantino recently compared the Confederate flag to the infamous Nazi symbol, the swastika, referring to it as the American Swastika. And there certainly are some correlations. While many pro-Confederate advocates would argue the flag represents states' rights, independence, and the like, for normal people, the flag symbolizes hate, division, and racism. I lived in South Carolina, northwest of Charleston where a young white supremacist shot several African Americans while they were at church. Even when I lived in the South, I viewed the flag as a "really bad thing." Whether or not a few people see the flag as a symbol of a good thing, the majority do not. In Tarantino's own words, "I mean, I've always felt the Rebel flag was some American Swastika. And, well, now, all of a sudden, people are talking about it, and now they're banning it, and now it's not OK to have it on f______ licence plates, and coffee cups, and stuff." More interestingly, especially with the 2015 uproar regarding the Confederate flag, comes The Hateful Eight, a film focusing on a time right after the Civil War. Uproxx describes the film as "set against a post-Civil War backdrop with wounds still fresh and hatred between Union and Confederate characters still flowing. Of course, those injuries still have not fully closed, which makes the film relevant even today." So what do you think about Quentin Tarantino's comparison of the Confederate flag to the Nazi swastika? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below! 2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TagsQuentin Tarantino, The Hateful Eight, Confederate Flag, Racist, Nazi Matthew Scott Matthew Scott, right, with defense attorney Noah Munyer. (Adam Ferrise, Northeast Ohio Media Group) AKRON, Ohio -- A Cuyahoga Falls man will spend the next eight years in prison for abusing his 3-month-old daughter who eventually died. Matthew Scott, 29, showed little emotion Wednesday during his sentencing hearing in front of Summit County Common Pleas Judge Mary Margaret Rowlands. He apologized for putting his daughter in harm's way but denied his actions were intentional. "This was in no way an act of anger or violence," Scott said. "This was not supposed to happen. It was an accident. This has been a nightmare for me." Scott pleaded guilty to child endangering, a second-degree felony. Rowlands sentenced Scott to the maximum allowable sentence. Scott was originally charged with murder but a county grand jury returned an indictment for child endangering. Investigators were never able to prove exactly when and how she was injured because medical tests showed that Alivia suffered injuries days or weeks before she went to the hospital. Assistant Summit County Prosecutor Angela Poth-Wypasek gave three theories that explained Alivia's death. She said it's possible Alivia suffered another brain injury the day she went unconscious, that she lost consciousness from a previous brain injury or that she died from suffocation. Defense attorney Noah Munyer argued that prosecutors agreed to the child endangering charges and that he would have refuted their claims had the case gone to trial. Poth-Wypasek characterized Scott as a marijuana-smoking, lazy, father who treated his daughter as a nuisance. She read text messages Scott sent shortly before he called 911 on Feb. 5 that indicated he smoked marijuana earlier in the day. Poth-Wypasek said that he told four different versions of the events that led up to him finding the unconscious baby. He told authorities that he dropped the baby at different times and later said that he tossed her across the room. He also waited more than four minutes before calling 911. Alivia was taken from their East Broadway Avenue home to Akron Children's Hospital, wehre she spent 11 days on life support. Poth-Wypasek said Scott was not present at the hospital when Alivia died. Alivia's grandfather, Timothy Mueller, said their family also blames Scott for being the only person present when another of Scott's daughters, 4-month-old Sierra Scott, died suddenly in 2011. The Summit County Medical Examiner reopened that case and changed her cause of death from accidental to undetermined. "He is a monster and deserves the maximum sentence," Mueller said during the hearing. "He has ruined a lot of lives. My daughter is a shell of her former self." AKRON, Ohio -- A suspended licensed practical nurse is accused of stealing prescription painkillers from the rehabilitation facility where she worked. Clarissa Witchey, 30, of Windham, is charged with theft, a fourth-degree felony. She turned herself in on Tuesday and was released on a $5,000 bond. Witchey admitted to stealing 20 oxycodone pills July 1 and July 2 from Summit Transitional Care, which is housed inside St. Thomas Hospital, according to court records. She told investigators that she took the drugs for her personal use, police reports say. Witchey altered medical records in order to hide the theft, according to police reports. The state nursing board investigated the incident and reported their findings to Akron police and prosecutors. Witchey's nursing license is currently inactive. The Ohio Board of Nursing has not taken any formal disciplinary action against Witchey. A message left at Summit Transitional Care was not immediately returned. Summit County Council.jpg Summit County's finances were strong in 2015, Executive Russ Pry said Monday. (John Harper, cleveland.com) AKRON, Ohio -- Summit County's finances ended 2015 in the black, despite an extra payroll week that cost the county $5.1 million, the Akron Beacon Journal reports. Summit County Executive Russ Pry told County Council that the county's finances are in good shape, the newspaper reported. Several departments posted record revenues, including the building department. "Things are getting healthier and people are working," Pry said. Brimfield Bread Oven a first in Northeast Ohio: Bread loaves at Brimfield's new bakery come out of a wood-fired brick oven, lightly charred and crisp on the outside. French baguettes and rolls of country sourdough, German sourdough rye, olive and herb focaccia, pull bread and blueberry lemon scones are just a few of the items the new bakery has to offer, Cleveland Scene reports. The Brimfield Bread Oven, located on Ohio 43 in Brimfield, just about 10 miles east of a Akron, is the first bakery of its kind in the region. It opened for the first time at 7 a.m. today. Towpath improvements coming in 2016: Another $510,000 from the Knight Foundation will improve signage and add attractive features to the Towpath Trail in downtown Akron, the Beacon Journal reports. There are also plans in the works to connect legs of the trail to the Akron Art Museum and University of Akron. Macedonia hires CPA finance director for $106,000: To replace Scott Svab, the much maligned former finance director who is suing the city for defamation, Macedonia Hired Rhonda Hall, a certified professional accountant from Twinsburg, and agreed to pay her $106,000 per year. The News Leader reports that City Council unanimously approved the new six-figure contract for Hall, nearly double Svab's $55,000 per year salary. She will over see financial reports and accounting for the city of roughly 11,000. Macedonia police chief tells residents, stop calling 911 for internet outages: Macedonia Police Chief Jon Golden asked residents to stop calling 911 for information in a Facebook post last month, The News Leader reports, after a day in which the city's call center was overwhelmed with complaints about power outages and water main breaks. "I can't say it strongly enough. Do not call the police department when you lose service," Golden writes. "Resist the urge; call the service provider direct, then wait it out like the rest of us." 27FHERTa EnerSys, the Reading, Pennsylvania-based manufacturer of stored energy solutions for industrial applications, such as batteries and power equipment, has announced plans to permanently close its 110-year-old facility at 12690 Elmwood Ave. by May 31, and will cut all 95 jobs there starting Feb. 19. Richard Pelger tests a ferro transformer at the Hertner Division of Enersys in Cleveland in this Plain Dealer file photo. (David I. Anderson, Plain Dealer file) CLEVELAND, Ohio -- EnerSys, the Reading, Pennsylvania-based manufacturer of stored energy solutions for industrial applications, such as batteries and power equipment, has announced plans to permanently close its 110-year-old facility at 12690 Elmwood Ave. by May 31, and will cut all 95 jobs there starting Feb. 19. The company sent a statement to The Plain Dealer via email saying that "After a lengthy review, EnerSys has decided to close the Cleveland charger facility located in Cleveland, Ohio. Future charger production will occur at EnerSys facilities in Richmond, Kentucky and Ooltewah, Tennessee. "This was a difficult decision that was only arrived at after considerable review and analysis that determined customers' needs would be better served with these changes. EnerSys will be working with all of its employees in an effort to assist them in securing new employment in the Cleveland area," the statement concluded. The Elmwood Avenue facility, which makes the batteries used to power forklifts, mining machinery and other heavy equipment for big-box retailers, warehouses, and distributors around the world, traces its roots to electrical engineer John Hertner, who founded Hertner Electrical Co. in Cleveland in 1906. By 2006, the company employed 143 people at its Elmwood Avenue plant. "Among its early electrical products was the transverter, a device that took the flickering out of the early silent movies," reported Thomas W. Gerdel, The Plain Dealer's manufacturing reporter at the time. "The success of the transverter provided the impetus for building on the current location on Elmwood Avenue more than 80 years ago." EnerSys Chairman, President and Chief Executive John Craig came to Cleveland for the centennial celebrations with the workers, as did three of the founder's grandchildren: John and Tom Hertner and Elizabeth Mihalik, who flew in from Nebraska, Colorado, and Texas. "This operation has built great battery chargers over the years," Craig said at the time. "They've been able to take care of our customers ... We have no intention of moving it anywhere." Workers marked the milestone by putting commemorative stickers on all of the company's industrial battery chargers for six months. In EnerSys' second-quarter 2016 earning report on Nov. 2, 2015, Craig told investors that even though the company's adjusted earning per share of 97 cents per share exceeded expectations, "we continue to experience a global reserve power spending pause and have taken actions to reduce our manufacturing and SG&A [selling, general and administrative] costs until our order rate picks up." According to a WARN notice filed on Dec. 22, 2015, with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, EnerSys Delaware Inc. will stagger its job cuts by category: Starting Feb. 19, engineers, technicians, charger associates, electrical testers and transformation operators will lose their jobs. Starting April 1, high frequency operators, high frequency testers, material handlers, maintenance workers, maintenance machinists, and transformation operators will lose their jobs. Starting April 15, planners, engineers, technicians, procurement managers, administrators, production supervisors, buyers, quality managers, and logistics specialists will lose their jobs. Starting May 15, engineers and technology engineering managers will lose their jobs. Starting May 31, all remaining workers, as well as project managers, plant managers, production managers, and human resources business partners, will lose their jobs. EnerSys said most of the employees are represented by United Steelworkers Union, Local No. 1- 00243. WASHINGTON -- The nation's oil and gas industry needs less federal regulation, fewer taxes and political recognition that fossil fuels are the foundation of "an American Renaissance," the nation's top oil and gas lobbyist said Tuesday. Jack Gerard, president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, the industry's leading lobbying organization, applauded the recent federal legislation lifting the 40-year-ban on exporting U.S.-produced crude oil, repeatedly slammed the Obama Administration for its environmental initiatives and criticized environmental groups without naming them. Gerard spoke at a Washington, D.C., luncheon following the API's release of its fifth annual report, which takes stock of the industry's condition while laying out a broad agenda for the coming year. Despite the current downturn in the oil and gas industry that has led to the layoff of more than 100,000 workers, the cheapest gasoline in nearly a decade and plummeting natural gas prices, Gerard described the industry as "a dominant global force" that has not only created high-paying jobs but also pumped $1.2 trillion into the U.S. economy. Jack Gerard, president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute "America's emergence as a global energy leader has fundamentally re-ordered the world's energy markets, by elevating the importance of North American energy production and reducing what had been the dominant roles of OPEC and Russia," he said. As evidence, he cited the relative stability of U.S. oil prices despite the current political confrontation between Saudi Arabia and Iran. A decade ago, oil prices would have spiked because of such a confrontation, he said, because the United States was not a major producer. But he did not mention the downturn in global demand for oil and the growing global glut of oil, much of it stored in tankers, as Saudi Arabia and other OPEC countries continue to produce more oil than is needed to prop up their oil-based economies at a time when oil prices have decreased. Claiming that the ascension of U.S. producers has changed world oil markets, he seemed to be arguing that purely environmentally driven policy federal policies without market and geopolitical considerations could lead to a disaster. "The energy policy decisions we make today will determine whether this nation remains a positive stabilizing force in the world's energy market and whether consumers can continue to count on" its continued growth, he said. Gerard punctuated his remarks with frequent references to those who would use "ideology" to make decisions about regulating the industry rather than the facts as API sees them. "The best way forward on energy policy is not through legislative mandate [or] over-reaching regulatory oversight but by using what we call the U.S. Model," he argued, a model that relies on state regulatory oversight in collaboration with the industry. He cited President Obama's Clean Power Plan as an example of over-reaching and unnecessary regulation. The plan issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, calls for states to work with electric utilities to reduce power plant carbon dioxide emissions by 32 percent by 2030 compared to levels back in 2005. But the industry had already reduced CO2 emissions before the plan was released, Gerard said, by switching from coal to natural gas. Therefore, the new regulation is not needed, he argued, assuming that the utilities switched from coal to gas entirely because of market prices, rather than because they anticipated the new regulations. Gerard said the president's decision to nix the proposed multi-billion dollar Keystone Pipeline delivering crude from Canada's oil sands to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries as an action driven entirely by ideology and not market considerations. Even the government conceded that the decision could lead to high CO2 emissions, he said, because the oil would still get to the Gulf Coast, but by rail rather than pipeline. Though this is a presidential election year and API does not expect to get a lot of legislation through Congress, one policy the industry would like to see eliminated is the Renewable Fuel Standard, first passed in 2005. The standard requires oil companies to blend increasing amounts of ethanol into gasoline. Gerard called the rule "a relic" of the past before U.S. shale oil production got underway. Continuing or expanding the standard will lead to higher fuel prices and is "a direct threat to our nation's economy," he said. MENTOR, Ohio -- Greenville, South Carolina resident Robyn Kucinic is in town for her great-grandmother's funeral, but she and her husband spent some time Tuesday at Point Blank Range & Gun Shop. With the news of President Obama's gun control plan, she'd decided to buy a gun for the first time in her life. "I never thought I'd get a gun," said Kucinic, 38, a mother of three young children. "We bought a small gun last week, and my husband wanted me to come out and get some practice. "We're here because of the president's executive order. My husband said, 'Ya know, if this is the way that this government is going to run, we need to make sure we have something to protect our family in the instance that enough laws are passed that makes it hard for the common, law-abiding citizen to get a gun.' We would pass background checks, but we just needed to take a step to be sure and protect our kids." The couple were among a steady stream of customers at the gun shop, soon after President Obama announced executive actions to strengthen gun control regulations. The efforts are intended to expand background checks for some firearm purchases and step up federal enforcement of the nation's gun laws, according to the White House. The measures are seen as modest steps that stop short of the large-scale changes to the gun trade Obama sought from Congress three years ago. That type of legislation would have closed loopholes that allow millions of guns to be sold without background checks at gun shows or in online firearm exchanges. "I know Congress is definitely not perfect. They need to stop arguing and work together. But I just feel President Obama should act through Congress," Kucinic said. "I feel he's sidestepping the way our government is meant to be run by doing all of these executive orders." From newly armed citizens to longtime NRA members, people visiting Point Blank Range & Gun Shop were happy to share their opinions. Most of the people who decided to buy a gun for the first time said they feared the possibility of roadblocks to buying one later on. According to the White House, the new guidance for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is intended "to ensure that anyone who is 'engaged in the business' of selling firearms is licensed and conducts background checks on their customers." Jonathan H. Adler, who teaches courses in constitutional, administrative, and environmental law at the Case Western University School of Law, says it's a modest step whose largest impact will probably be to require to require a license for those gun sellers who should have had one anyway. "Taken at face value, the new ATF guidance is thus nothing more than a restatement of existing legal requirements," he said. "Put another way, it merely identifies those who are already subject to the relevant federal requirements and does not in any way expand the universe of those gun sellers who are required to obtain a license and perform background checks. "In other words, it is -- as the document says -- a guidance, and not a substantive rule. It has no legal effect." But after hearing the reaction of some presidential candidates and pundits, including claims that the president was taking guns from law-abiding citizens or was changing the 2nd Amendment, some people chose to head to a gun store for the first time. Charles B. McDonald, 70, of Painesville, said the news prompted him to sign up for a class that would enable him to carry a concealed weapon. He doesn't own a gun yet, but plans to buy one as soon as he finishes the class. "I had no plans of buying a gun until all of this taking-the-rights-away talk came about. Then I started thinking about my age. And I have some apartments and I do carry some money with me sometimes," he said. "The main reason I'm here is because if some rights are taken away, I want to get in before it happens. I'm from Middlefield and grew up with guns. We used to walk down the street carrying BB guns, but now you can't do that. Even my daughter has a gun. I've just never had any interest in owning a gun, until now." Bob Posatiere Sr., 60, of Mentor, is a member at the Mentor gun range. He also teaches a class for people who want to carry concealed weapons, and he found it interesting that so many people seemed to panic. "People always panic. No president can make law. That's why we have the system that we have, so he's making recommendations," he said. "But most people unfortunately don't pay enough attention to government. They see something on TV, believe what they hear and see, and think that it's going to be a law. "Some of these recommendations, most people don't have a problem with, but there's a portion that hasn't been figured out yet, and people are interpreting things all sorts of ways. "I don't trust any politician," Posatiere added. "Besides, most of these proposals they have are not going to stop criminals. They're going to get firearms. There are all sorts of rules and regulations on drugs, and when was the last time you saw meth in a store? These guys still get drugs." Drew Denner, 55, of Painesville, is an NRA member who has been shooting for at least 30 years. He supports Obama's efforts to try to keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them, such as criminals and children, or who don't know how to shoot them. Denner, who is licensed to carry a concealed weapon, said he has no argument with the president's initiatives. He supports efforts to require more gun sellers to be federally licensed and perform background checks for attempted purchases. Like many other NRA members, however, Denner said he is worried about what might come next. "I want to know what's the hidden agenda of these politicians," he said. "A gun is only as dangerous as the person who carries it." 515 Euclid dark.JPG The 515 Euclid Ave. parking garage, at right, could be the base of a high-rise apartment tower developed by Stark Enterprises, through a joint venture with an investor group led by Reuven Dessler. (Michelle Jarboe/The Plain Dealer) CLEVELAND, Ohio - A vision of an 18-story apartment tower rising above a downtown parking garage inched closer to reality in December, with the formation of a joint venture between an outspoken developer and a quiet businessman. Stark Enterprises of Cleveland consummated a deal last month with Reuven Dessler, the managing partner of an investor group that owns a parking structure at 515 Euclid Ave. By joining forces, the investors aim to support a high-rise residential project just as a handful of developers are jostling to see who will be first in decades to finance and construct such a building in the city. Hints about the deal popped up in mortgage-modification records filed in mid-December. Dessler, a real estate investor and co-founder of the Mazel Co., a closeout-merchandise wholesaler based in Solon, made adjustments to an existing mortgage on the Euclid Avenue property with Thrivent Financial. The documents don't reveal the terms or structure of the joint venture. But one of the filings mentions developer Bob Stark, president and chief executive officer at Stark Enterprises. In a phone interview, Dessler confirmed that the development joint venture is in place. But he wouldn't discuss the details. "It's still premature," he said. "I'm not sure what there is to write about it at this point. But with 1,800 people waiting for apartments in downtown Cleveland, anything is newsworthy." Public records show that there hasn't been an outright sale of the property, a seven-story, 524-space structure that includes air rights for vertical construction. "What we're comfortable saying is that we're going to develop this project," said Ezra Stark, chief operating officer of Stark Enterprises, the developer behind Westlake's Crocker Park, the Eton Chagrin Boulevard shopping center in Woodmere and other retail-centric properties. "We're going to partner with [Dessler's group] in terms of developing it." Ezra Stark wouldn't divulge project costs, potential rents or aesthetic details. But he said the developer is working with two architectural firms - Westlake Reed Leskosky in Cleveland and Boston-based Nadaaa - on a design. He characterized the project as "Millennial-driven housing," with 200 or so units largely aimed at renters in their 20s and 30s. Stark aims to start construction after the Republican National Convention, which will be held downtown in mid-July. The apartments could be finished by late summer 2017, Ezra Stark said. That's a quick turnaround, but the developer has the benefit of the foundation and infrastructure of the 515 garage, which was designed and built to support a residential tower. The 515 Euclid garage opened in 2005 and was built to support a residential tower. A decade later, plans for that project are materializing under a different property owner and development team. Ohio Savings Financial Corp. finished the garage, lined with street-level retail spaces along Euclid, in 2005. Dessler and other investors acquired the property through a 2011 bankruptcy auction. At the time, real estate brokers touted the air rights as a major selling point. "I think it will be a great project, and I wish Bob Stark the best of luck," David Goldberg, who oversaw development of the garage for Ohio Savings Financial Corp., said of the apartment plans. "I think it will be very successful, and I'm glad to see that our original vision is coming to fruition." Dessler wouldn't identify his partners, beyond Stark. A recent mortgage filing also mentions Jacob Koval, the other Mazel co-founder. Harbor Group International, which owns the nearby 200 Public Square office skyscraper, manages the garage but has no ownership stake. "My strength is to pick the right partner to do something with," Dessler said, pointing to Stark's track record in the suburbs and big ideas for downtown. "I like his vision," Dessler added. "The passion that Bob Stark has, his passion, drive and dedication, it supersedes anything." Stark expects to take advantage of 15 years of property-tax abatement - a sweetener the city routinely grants for residential projects - for the apartments. The developer also is talking to the city about modifying an existing tax-increment financing district along lower Euclid Avenue. That district, established in 2002, gives landlords the ability to capture increased property-tax revenues from their projects and to divert the funds to pay off construction debt. Ohio Savings Financial Corp. tapped that financing mechanism to build the 515 garage. Now Stark hopes to take advantage of 15 years of TIF revenues once the tax abatement burns off. Ryan Sommers, the financial consultant on the project, said Stark also is talking to the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority about bond financing that would allow the developer to avoid paying taxes on construction materials. "Large-scale projects are benefiting from stronger market conditions, and you're seeing capital structures that are less complex than those of the past," said Sommers, alluding to the complicated underpinnings of developments including the Flats East Bank and The 9. The 515 proposal is simpler, he said, but "it's still very costly construction. You have to go vertical, and it's in the center of the central business district." Building apartments atop a garage also is less ambitious than Stark's other downtown plan, for a mixed-use project called nuCLEus in the Gateway District, just a short walk away. Designs unveiled last year showed offices, stores, restaurants, a hotel suspended over buildings and walkways and a 54-story tower, most of it filled with apartments. Stark acquired the Gateway District site, north of Quicken Loans Arena, in 2014 through a joint venture with J-Dek Investments Ltd. of Solon. Ezra Stark said that plans for the 515 high-rise aren't an indication that Stark has lost interest in nuCLEus. "They're completely different flavors," he said, adding that apartments on Euclid Avenue will be less costly to rent than those near The Q. "So it's going to attract a very different person." Stark still is assembling financing for nuCLEus and hopes to start construction on the property - now a parking lot, a dingy garage and a small retail building - after the GOP convention leaves town. Demolition of the existing structures isn't likely to happen before the convention. Construction would take at least two years. "We have tens of millions invested in nuCLEus, and we are for sure doing it," Ezra Stark said, adding that the project team is negotiating with the city over public financing. "It's a much harder lift. It's a much more complex project." CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio - Burglary, Carriage Drive: A woman arrived home 10:33 p.m. Dec. 31 to find her front window open and an Xbox, desk computer and laptop computer missing. Police declined to provide additional information because it is under an active investigation. Dispute, East Summit Street: After a woman's husband refused to move his car so she could drive her car from the home Jan. 1, she called police. An officer arrived and found both to be under the influence of alcohol. The man said she shouldn't drive after drinking. Police agreed. Disturbance, Main Street: Yours Truly personnel requested police help after a customer yelled obscenities, and ate her salad with her hands, disturbing the other customers 10:08 a.m. Jan. 1. The 24-year-old Chagrin Falls woman was transported to a hospital for evaluation. Criminal Mischief, East Summit Street: Broken eggs were found on a woman's porch 11:30 p.m. Dec. 30 after she heard two thumps on her house. She saw two youths get into a car to drive away. She spoke to them, but they denied doing the deed. Fraud, East Washington Street: A business owner was contacted by her bank after someone made two unauthorized charges at a Walgreens store Dec. 30 using her business credit card. She filed a police report Dec. 31. Police are awaiting information to obtain possible store video of the transactions. Theft, Bradley Street: While he was out of town someone stole a package delivered to a man's house. The delivery company indicated the package was delivered on Dec. 24. The victim filed a police report Dec. 29. Welfare Check, North Street: Police were called to check on a man 2:12 a.m. Jan. 3 after his girlfriend said she received photos on her cell phone of him on the kitchen floor with a possible injury. The responding officers found no evidence of him hurt or in need of medical assistance. The man and his girlfriend had argued earlier in the night. CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio - Nearly 1,000 students at Chagrin Falls High and Middle schools Wednesday explored the rain forests of Borneo, an active volcano in Ecuador and some of the most deadly battles of World War II. All through Google Cardboard, a virtual reality app you can use -- along with a cardboard viewfinder -- on your smartphone. While most classrooms are hushed, students didn't contain their enthusiasm for what they were able to see. Teachers only smiled as students exclaimed "Wow!" or "so cool!" Google Expedition teams are kicking off the New Year visiting schools around the world, including the Chagrin Falls district and St. Raphael in Bay Village. Chagrin applied in 2014 for the Google experience. The district learned before winter break it made the list for two visits. The second will be later this month. Faculty and students were so impressed that the district plans to apply for a grant, which will allow them to buy the viewers, smartphones and programs for full-time use. How do the expeditions work? Google provides cardboard virtual glasses, smartphones and a technical representative for free, in the program. Teachers can choose from 180 experiences, most of which are science or social studies related, but experiences are available for any curriculum. The expeditions are comprised of virtual reality panoramas: 360-degree photo spheres, 3D images and video and ambient sounds. A beach expedition I checked out included the sound of the waves, gulls, wind and even the conversation of a couple standing nearby. As I looked in a specific direction, the sounds that would come from there got louder, while others faded into the background. The Wildlife Conservation Society, PBS, the American Museum of Natural History, the Planetary Society, and the Palace of Versailles contributed to developing the curriculum for students. Teachers control the class from a tablet. They can point to specific areas to direct student attention to what they are talking about; and be able to see where students are looking with icons on their tablet. Teachers did have to, from time to time, redirect a student's attention, since they were so caught up in what they could explore, some wandered off. Students see an arrow to know the direction of specific spot where teachers would like them to focus. Can I do this at home? You can buy the cardboard viewers on Amazon or eBay for as little as $4. The app is free. Google predicts more than 2 million cardboard viewers will be in use by the end of the year. So go virtually check out a rain forest somewhere. Chagrin Bluffs Eight custom homes will be built on the border of Moreland Hills and Chagrin Falls. Construction begins next week. (Brenda Cain, cleveland.com) MORELAND HILLS, Ohio - Eight new luxury homes will be built overlooking the Chagrin River valley in the coming months. Larry Bloch of Bloch Builders said he will build the homes on 27 acres off Chagrin Boulevard, on the border of Moreland Hills and Chagrin Falls. The lots will range in size from 2 to 5 acres. Bloch plans to break ground next week on the first house in the Chagrin Bluffs subdivision, a 7,500-square-foot model home. He expects all the custom-built houses will range in size from 4,000 to 10,000 square feet. Lots begin at $350,000. Homes will likely sell for $1 million plus. Block said he has been working on this project for nearly five years. The village gave the go-ahead to build in December. North Korea claimed it detonated a hydrogen bomb in a test Wednesday, a move that was condemned by the U.S., Britain, Japan and even China. It was the politically isolated country's first nuclear weapons test explosion in three years. Experts said the claim that the test involved a hydrogen bomb, which is more powerful than an atomic bomb, could not be confirmed. The White House said that initial analysis of the test was not consistent with a successful hydrogen bomb. The report on the state KCNA website came within hours of reports from various agencies that a large earthquake had been detected near a known North Korean nuclear test site. According to KCNA, North Korea tested a miniaturized hydrogen nuclear bomb "in the most perfect manner," putting it in possession of hydrogen bomb capability, which it described as "the most powerful nuclear deterrent." Read More World condemns North Korean H-bomb test North Korea wanted what it called "the H-bomb of justice" as protection from the "ever-growing nuclear threat and blackmail by the U.S.-led hostile forces," according to KCNA. It would use the weapons only if its sovereignty were encroached upon, the statement on KCNA said, but would not roll back its nuclear development until the U.S. had dropped its "vicious, hostile" policy toward the isolated Communist state. "The U.S. is a gang of cruel robbers which has worked hard to bring even a nuclear disaster to the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korean], not content with having imposed the thrice-cursed and unheard-of political isolation, economic blockade and military pressure on it for the mere reason that it has differing ideology and social system," according to the statement. "The present-day grim reality clearly proves once again the immutable truth that one's destiny should be defended by one's own efforts," the statement went on. "Nothing is more foolish than dropping a hunting gun before herds of ferocious wolves." It was North Korea's first nuclear test since February 2013 and the fourth overall. An investor watches stock prices in Shanghai, China. Aly Song | Reuters Beijing has unveiled a string of measures to soothe sentiment following Monday's stock crash, reviving memories of last year's aggressive stabilization program but fueling doubts over China's commitment to market reforms. On Tuesday, state-controlled funds, known as China's National Team, were reportedly buying equities while the People's Bank of China (PBOC) injected $20 billion into money marketsthe largest operation since September. Authorities are also rumored to be directly intervening in currency markets to halt the renminbi's rapid depreciation. And on Wednesday, officials announced arguably the most crucial measure yet. A ban on major shareholders offloading stakes in listed firms due to expire on Fridaywidely considered a major catalyst behind this week's selloffwill remain in place until new rules are promulgated, the Shanghai Securities News said at the market open. No further details, such as when the ban would be lifted, were given. "Despite talk last year that the so-called National Team were not going to directly intervene in stocks, this idea seems to have reversed," said Chris Weston, IG's chief market strategist, in a morning note. Stocks warmed up to the announcement, with Shanghai and Shenzen indices rallying more than 2 percent on Wednesday. The news follows South China Morning Post reports on Tuesday that Shenzhen Stock Exchange officials called listed companies encouraging them not to sell last year's holdings in a verbal appeal for voluntary compliance. It's unclear whether any companies who refuse to comply will be punished. When the ban was first implemented last July, regulators warned that anyone found in violation of the rule would be "severely" dealt with. Many analysts anticipated November's decision by the International Monetary Fund to include the renminbi into its global reserve currency basket would be a wake-up call for China. By becoming a more prominent player on the international financial stage, the expectation was Beijing would commit itself to becoming more market-oriented instead of resorting to the National Team when trouble arises. "China certainly does like to fiddle with markets. Their fundamental problem is that they want the benefits of capital market but without the volatility," said Fraser Howie, independent analyst and a long-time China watcher. watch now "The rule is very simple the Communist Party runs the show, and they will do whatever is necessary to keep the balls in the air, and do it longer than anyone here in the West believes possible," the " Mad Money " host said. While these tactics may sound ridiculous to some, Cramer thinks they could actually be possible under the rule of law in China. They are doing whatever they want. Cramer wouldn't be surprised to see the Chinese government go to great lengths to extend the ban on selling large blocks, bar insiders from significant sales or even demand households only buy stocks, not sell. On Monday, they tried circuit breakers, and that ended in error. Tuesday, they decided to put billions to work just so market didn't crash under its own weight. According to Jim Cramer, the Chinese communists are running the Shanghai composite through trial and error. They are inventing new techniques to manage stocks and will do what is necessary to stabilize the index. China doesn't play by the rules. In fact, in some ways, the rules seem silly to them Between Aug. 19 and Aug. 26, 2015, the Shanghai composite plunged to 2,927 from 3,794. During that time, many wise investors said the Chinese government would not be able to stop the decline. They were wrong. "No democratically elected government with rules and mechanisms and checks and balances could do it. But China doesn't play by the rules. In fact, in some ways, the rules seem silly to them," Cramer said. Read more from Mad Money with Jim Cramer Cramer Remix: When to start buying Cramer: How to play FANG, Apple amid the sell-off Cramer: Woof! 2015 Dogs & darlings of the Dow Cramer thinks China is not about to allow anyone to destroy the wealth it has created. The Communist Party wants to build wealth to create a consumer-led economy to emerge, one that creates less pollution and spends money more like Americans. The Chinese stock market is still in its infancy, and the government is making up the rules as they go along. So, the recent volatile trading in China can be attributed to communists tinkering with the notion of how to make it work. "My point is you need to learn from what happened in August. China is a communist dictatorship that has confiscated more wealth than any other nation on Earth, and they are real keen on executing people for white-collar crimes," Cramer said. So, if the Communist Party wants the Shanghai composite index to stay above 3,000, Cramer thinks they will find a way. They did it in August, and will do it again. It seemed to Cramer that the Chinese government is taking a multidecade view of its stock market. They want to figure out how it works, and they got a little too rambunctious recently. They figured things had calmed down since the summer and started making adjustments. "Are those adjustments phony? Not if you are the one making the rules. And in China, the Communist Party makes the rules, or at least makes up the rules as they go along," Cramer said. watch now Jim Cramer couldn't help but notice how quickly investors wrote off 2016 after about nine hours of trading. But the market proved on Tuesday that sometimes the facts refuse to align with a negative story. "So, what ended up happening? How about a breath of rationality and a departure, no matter how momentarily, from crazy town?" Cramer said. Cramer has referred to a crazy-town market as one that has stocks linked to the price of oil. If oil goes up, so do stocks and vice versa. But in the real world lower oil prices are additive to the earnings of many industries, such as the airlines. In fact, the oil stocks themselves rallied on Tuesday. That was the first time in ages that Cramer could recall that oil stocks diverted from the price of crude. Even household names such as McDonald's , which Cramer thinks will be a powerhouse in 2016, along with Kimberly-Clark , Clorox and PepsiCo were able to rally off of a whiff of a Fed-induced recession. "I like a market where the facts can and do get in the way of a negative story," Cramer said. (Tweet This) Read More Cramer: What was really behind the huge rebound From Cramer's perspective, the Chinese communists are running the Shanghai composite through trial and error. They are inventing new techniques to manage stocks and will do what is necessary to stabilize the index. On Monday, they tried circuit breakers, and that ended in error. Tuesday, they decided to put billions to work just so market didn't crash under its own weight. They are doing whatever they want. Cramer wouldn't be surprised to see the Chinese government go to great lengths to extend the ban on selling large blocks, bar insiders from significant sales or even demand households only buy stocks, not sell. While these tactics may sound ridiculous to some, Cramer thinks they could actually be possible under the rule of law in China. "The rule is very simple the Communist Party runs the show, and they will do whatever is necessary to keep the balls in the air, and do it longer than anyone here in the West believes possible," the "Mad Money" host said. So, if the Communist Party wants the Shanghai composite index to stay above 3,000, Cramer thinks they will find a way. They did it in August, and will do it again. Read More Cramer: Communist China is guessing with stocks It's that time again! Jim Cramer rang the lightning round bell, which means he gave his take on caller favorite stocks at rapid speed: Public Storage : "I happen to love this stock ... It was cut to neutral by Goldman at the end of the year and I said to myself this one is the great real estate investment trust baby boom play." Exelon : "Not crazy about Exelon. I like Dominion. Exelon doesn't have the growth, but I wouldn't bother to sell it here. It's really gotten hammered already." Seagate Technology : "I'm not selling this stock at a 7 percent yield. I'm not going to do it. I just don't think it is that bad." Harley-Davidson : "I just saw a piece at The Street today about cash flow problems at HOG. Here is my issue with HOG, let's just be real blatant about it. The Japanese are subsidizing competition to Harley-Davidson with that weak end. And our government doesn't stand up to defend our great manufacturers. That is the problem with Harley, as it is with Polaris." Read more from Mad Money with Jim Cramer Cramer Remix: When to start buying Cramer: How to play FANG, Apple amid the sell-off Cramer: Woof! 2015 Dogs & darlings of the Dow Nustar Energy : "No. I'm trying to avoid that whole high-yielding complex. I don't trust the yields." Dover Corporation : "Oh man, people think it is an oil and gas company. When it yields more than 3 percent, that will make it an accidental high yielding stock. Let it come down a little more. If you own it I don't expect necessarily great things because it does have too much oil and gas exposure." Scripps Networks Interactive : "Cable is so out-of-favor right now that it just doesn't really matter how good they are doing. And they are doing well. I'm reluctant to sell a stock that sells that cheaply that has that good management." watch now watch now watch now Conflict escalation between Saudi Arabia and Iran might be unpredictable and worrisome, it is not yet a case for alarm, former U.S. ambassadors told CNBC on Tuesday. The OPEC members have motivations to get through this crisis, said James Smith, a former United States ambassador to Saudi Arabia. "ISIS is a common threat to both Iran and Saudi Arabia," he said, speaking on "Power Lunch" Tuesday. "We need them talking." Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said on Tuesday that he doesn't know if Iran wants to combat ISIS. While the row between Iran and Saudi Arabia boiled over after the execution of a Shiite cleric that lead to Iranian protesters storming into the Kingdom's embassy in Tehran, Smith does not consider the execution as a sectarian issue. Instead, he says it was an effort of internal stabilization by the Saudis. "It's only the Iranian that looks at this problem through a sectarian prism," he said. "The 47 individuals who were executed, this was not a sectarian issue to [Saudi Arabia]; it was an internal stability issue by punishing terrorists and those who've incited terrorism." The U.S. has yet to interfere, but another former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Robert Jordan, says events like "the red line in Syria, the Iran nuclear deal and now the Iranian missiles this past week," have contributed to Saudi concern. "At each turn, the Saudis see a weaker America, an indecisive America, and one that they can't really count on," he told CNBC on Tuesday. Fears have reached investors who are eyeing oil in the event of a conflict escalation. In this regard, Jordan says the market has yet to see a full-on price war. Check out the companies making headlines after the bell Wednesday: Macy's stock whipsawed after the bell, dipping sharply before making a steep recovery. The company reported November and December comparable sales that fell 5.2 percent and cut its fourth-quarter and 2015 earnings-per-share guidance. Macy's CEO Terry Lundgren blamed unseasonably warm weather for weak sales. The retail giant also announced restructuring measures to be implemented early this year, including job cuts and store closings. Shares of competing retailer Nordstrom rose in after-hours trading. On Tuesday, Citi downgraded its shares to "neutral" from buy," saying Nordstrom's best-in-class positioning wouldn't be able to bear the challenges department stores are currently facing. Netflix shares continued to edge up after rallying nearly 10 percent in the regular session. The streaming platform celebrated its launch of service in 130 new countries on Wednesday. North Korea's claim Wednesday to have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb ignited "another tinderbox in the world besides the Middle East," said former ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson. While doubting the detonation was actually as powerful as a hydrogen bomb, he pointed out on CNBC's "Squawk Box" this was Pyongyang's fourth nuclear test since 2006. "I don't think this was a hydrogen bomb," Richardson said. "It was apparently six kilotons. A hydrogen bomb is 20." The office of a South Korean lawmaker on the parliamentary intelligence committee reported the six-kiloton size of the test, roughly the same size as the North's last test, which was equivalent to six to seven kilotons of TNT. "It basically says to the world, 'Hey we're around. You can't just deal with Iran and the Middle East,' " Richardson said. "And it also says to the world, 'We're going to develop a nuclear arsenal regardless ... and it's not going to be a bargaining chip.' " Read MoreNorth Korea: We have 'H-bomb of justice' after nucleartest Richardson, who served as energy secretary during President Bill Clinton's administration, stressed the gravity of North Korea's aggression. "This is a very serious situation. Some real high-level diplomacy mainly the U.S., China, and now Russia, which is another friend of North Korea need to engage more than we have." watch now High tech is coming, again, to your home. Tech companies and appliance makers are showing off their latest lines of connected devices promising to make consumers' lives better, safer and happier at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Much has been made about the market opportunity underlying smart homes, but consumers are not yet convinced. The Consumer Technology Association acknowledges this, forecasting that sales of wearable devices will be quadruple sales of smart home devices in 2016, reaching 38 million and 9 million units sold, respectively. Amazon Echo Source: Amazon That still represents a $1.2 billion revenue opportunity, and a 20 percent increase over last year, according to the CTA. (It expects revenue for consumer electronics overall to hit $287 billion this year.) "Most people are scared or don't understand smart homes because it's been presented to them as: 'Here's a hub and a bunch of sensors, why don't you try to turn on your lights,'" said NextMarket Insights analyst Michael Wolf. "Once consumers realize there are these technologies that are just so much better then the old technology, they'll probably adopt them," said Wolf. One difference, compared to CES in years past, is that companies are putting less effort into becoming the de facto platform for your entire house, and more into delivering specific products. "Companies have recognized that that battle has been won, and it's coming down to a few primary platforms and ecosystems, like [Alphabet's ] Nest and [Samsung's] SmartThings," said Wolf. This next generation of connected appliances works with those established systems, plus a few others, and is tailored to specific consumer needs. For example, Whirpool is showing off a refrigerator, dishwasher and range that integrate with Alphabet's "Works with Nest" and "Amazon Dash Replenishment." Both let users control these appliances and replenish supplies remotely via an app. Samsung refrigerator unveiled at CES 2016. Source: Samsung Samsung 's new Family Hub Refrigerator (reportedly costing $5,000), a connected refrigerator featuring a large touchscreen and cameras, lets users see what they have at home while out grocery shopping. In some parts of the U.S., where there are deals with grocery stores, consumers can replenish supplies via a MasterCard app. "In the future you could add restaurant partners, commerce partners you can start to think about interesting consumer opportunities," said Betty DeVita, MasterCard's chief commercial officer. Many of the best products on show at CES aim to serve a specific subset of consumer and do that one thing really well. Some products want to take common activities and make them more convenient. "The door lock, if executed properly ... it could be the real game changer," said Forrester analyst James McQuivey. Smart locks, offered by companies like August, are particularly popular with second-home owners, and people who rent their homes via Airbnb. GreenPeak Technologies is demonstrating its new Family@Home application based on a self-learning algorithm which recognizes patterns of behavior and sends alerts when things change unexpectedly. The company is particularly focused on the growing elder care market, with more seniors now living at home for longer. Another key component of the emerging smart home: Artificial intelligence and machine learning. Many companies believe that consumers want to minimize their time managing all these devices and like Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg they are looking for solutions that anticipate their needs and take care of them. Alphabet 's Nest Labs has long been a leader in this regard. "We tend not to use the term 'smart home.' We prefer what we call creating the 'thoughtful home,'" said Mike Soucie, product strategy lead at Nest. Amazon 's cloud-based virtual assistant Alexa, the brain behind Amazon Echo, a freestanding in-home speaker, lets users control smart home devices using voice commands. It is always on and hands-free. The company has set up the Alexa Fund, a $100 million fund to encourage developers to build products on its platform. "Voice control and video analytics are major trends," said Tom Kerber, Parks Associates' director of energy and home controls. Netatmo outdoor security camera. Source: Netatmo Home security also is a big deal, so no surprise that remote video cameras feature prominently. A recent study by Arris found that security features are the most popular "Internet of Things" functions, with devices for home monitoring via cameras and sensors having the highest appeal. One company, Netatmo sells an outdoor security camera that can tell the difference between a person, a dog or a car, and alert the homeowner when it sees something peculiar. Video analytics company Apical provides facial recognition, while protecting consumer privacy by only communicating the relevant metadata from a video stream, rather than the video stream itself. "Combination sensor products that include voice, video, temperature and air quality sensors use the combined data set to gain a better understanding of the context of events in the home, enabling a much richer user experience," said Kerber. watch now Many companies have realized that in order for the smart home to function, different products from different companies need to work together. To that end, on Tuesday executives unveiled a number of partnerships around specific products. LG announced a strategic partnership with Alphabet's Google to work on smart objects that also ensure privacy and security, though they didn't identify any specific products. "We are working very closely with Google and would like to embrace their ecosystems and make most of our ecosystem work with their products," said Skott Ahn, president and chief technology officer of LG. "The biggest digital home announcements at CES are the ones that consumers won't care about, like the gradual rise of Google's [smart home operating system] Brillo and [smart device communication platform] Weave and protocol for home connectivity," said McQuivey. Ford announces partnership with Amazon at CES 2016 to connect cars with smart homes. Source: Ford How about your home teaming up with your car? Ford announced a partnership with Amazon that connects Ford's Sync Connect with Amazon Echo, so users can tell Alexa to, among other things, start their car. From within the car, drivers can talk to Alexa and control their home as if they were standing right there in the kitchen making dinner. Characteristic mushroom shaped cloud begins formation after the first H-Bomb explosion (US) at Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacifi on 6th November 1952. Three Lions | Getty Images North Korea announced on Sunday that it had successfully conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test, using what it said was an advanced hydrogen bomb or an "H-bomb". Experts haven't yet verified whether the weapon was indeed an "H-bomb", though they widely agree that it created an explosion which far exceeded previous tests. U.S. Geological Survey measured the explosion at a magnitude of 6.3, and shockwaves were measured at more than 130 stations in destinations as far away as Argentina. But what exactly is an H-Bomb? CNBC explains What is a hydrogen bomb? A hydrogen bomb is a type of nuclear bomb, just like an atomic bomb, where the explosive energy comes from as nuclear reaction. The difference comes from how that energy is created. An atomic bomb uses fission, that is, the breaking of an atom's nucleus into smaller particles. This results in the release of neutrons and lots of energy that become an atomic explosion. In comparison, a hydrogen bomb is about fusion fusing atomic nuclei together to combine into bigger ones. watch now A hydrogen bomb, or a thermonuclear bomb, contains a fission weapon within it but there is a two-stage reaction process. It uses the energy from a primary nuclear fission to set off a subsequent fusion reaction. The energy released by fusion is three to four times greater than the energy released by fission, giving the "hydrogen" bomb, or H-bomb, more power. The name comes from the fact that it uses a fusion of tritium and deuterium, hydrogen isotopes. Essentially, an H-bomb is only limited by the amount of hydrogen within it and can be made as powerful as its builder wishes it to be, making it a big threat should a perceived "rogue" state like North Korea develop one. When was it created? The U.S. used two atomic bombs in World War II against Japan, effectively forcing the country to surrender and ending the war. Then, in 1952 and 1954, it detonated hydrogen bombs in the Marshall Islands. In 1954, the U.S. conducted further tests of the hydrogen bomb in the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. One of the bombs detonated as part of a series of tests was called "Castle Bravo." It produced an explosion believed to be up to 1,000 times more powerful that the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. The Bravo bomb yielded 15 megatons (15 million tons of TNT) and was - and is still - the largest bomb ever exploded by the U.S., Atomic Heritage notes. The largest ever hydrogen bomb, known as the "Tsar Bomba," was detonated by the then-Soviet Union in 1961, with a yield of 50 megatons. How might it be used? The world was first alerted to North Korea's hydrogen bomb developments in January 2016, when it claimed to have created a "miniaturized" H-Bomb. The announcement caught the attention of world leaders and nuclear experts far more than its previous nuclear bomb tests because it indicated that North Korea may have developed the capability of creating an "H-bomb" on a much smaller scale than those previously seen. This means a bomb that could potentially fit on the end of a missile and be launched by a submarine or aircraft. This undated picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on September 3, 2017 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) looking at a metal casing with two bulges at an undisclosed location. STR | Getty Images North Korean state media published photos Sunday of President Kim Jong Un inspecting a peanut-shaped device in front of a diagram, which led analysts to suspect it could be fitted into the nose cone of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). In a statement Sunday, the North Korean agency responsible for developing nuclear weapons described the manufacturing of an "H-bomb to be placed at the payload of the ICBM." Should we be scared? watch now Navigating the fragile diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Russia has proven difficult for Google and Coca-Cola, which felt the wrath of both nations after major online faux-pas this week. Coca-Cola faced fire after it originally posted a New Year's greeting on a Russian social media site which featured a map of Russia that excluded Crimea, the region of Ukraine that it annexed in 2014. After facing pressure from a number of Russian users on Vkontakte the region's answer to Facebook Coca-Cola posted a revised version of its map which included the region. But changing the map of Russia to include Crimea only prompted further outrage from Ukrainian users who issued a barrage of insults across social media and called for a boycott of Coca-Cola - a campaign which also found support amongst regional politicians. TWEET In a statement published late Tuesday, Ukraine's U.S. Embassy said it had express concerns about the post to both the U.S. Department of State and Coca-Cola itself, urging the company to make an immediate correction. "Coca-Cola's actions violate the official U.S. position condemning Russia's illegal occupation of Crimea, which is and has always been an integral part of Ukraine," the embassy wrote in an online statement. The post was later taken down altogether. A spokesperson for the company told CNBC in an email that the stylized map was changed by a hired agency without the company's knowledge or approval. "We, as a company, do not take political positions unrelated to our business, and we apologize for the post," the spokesperson said. Google Translate results compare Russia to Mordor Coca-Cola isn't the not the only company facing criticism in the region, with Google having to explain incorrect translations service between Ukrainian and Russian. Earlier this week, anyone wanting an Ukrainian-to-Russian translation of "Russian Federation" would get the result "Mordor" the region occupied by evil forces in J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy novels, including the "Lord of the Rings" series. The surname of the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, came out as "sad little horse," while Google also confirmed to CNBC that the Ukrainian word for "Russians" was appearing as "occupiers." Getty Images E-cigarette makers are pouring tens of millions of dollars into advertising their waresand teenagers are getting the message loud and clear, federal health officials reported Tuesday. As advertising skyrockets, so do the number of teens seeing it. They're vaping by the millions now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. The CDC says that trend threatens to derail decades of progress in helping prevent kids from taking up smoking. More from NBC News: Just how much is cancer due to your genes? Yeast infection pill linked to miscarriage Debt, bankruptcy are rewards for cancer survivors "The same advertising tactics the tobacco industry used years ago to get kids addicted to nicotine are now being used to entice a new generation of young people to use e-cigarettes," said CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden. "What's happening is widespread marketing of e-cigarettes that kids are seeing," Frieden told reporters in a telephone briefing. "Kids should not be using e-cigarettes and yet 2/3 of kids in this country are seeing e-cigarette ads." CDC researchers used a 2014 survey of 22,000 children and teens to find that 68.9 percent of middle and high school students more than 18 million kids see e-cigarette ads. More than half see them advertised in stores, 40 percent online and 36 percent on TV or in movies. "During 2011 to 2014, current e-cigarette use among high school students soared from 1.5 percent to 13.4 percent, and among middle school students from 0.6 percent to 3.9 percent," the CDC said in a statement. "At the same time, spending on e-cigarette ads rose from $6.4 million to $115 million." Advocates said the industry must be stopped from advertising to children. "The irresponsible and indiscriminate marketing by the e-cigarette industry, coupled with a complete lack of government oversight, is putting the health of our nation's kids at risk," said Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "It shouldn't be a surprise that youth use of e-cigarettes has skyrocketed when kids are being inundated with marketing for these products." Frieden said the tactics are effective, and include online "viral" marketing that cannot even be measured. "E-cigarette ads use many of the same themes independence, rebellion, and sex used to sell cigarettes and other conventional tobacco products," the CDC report said. watch now There's also a widespread belief that e-cigarettes are safe, or at least safer than conventional tobacco products. But several studies have suggested this may not be the case. "E-cigarettes typically deliver nicotine derived from tobacco, which is highly addictive, might harm brain development, and could lead to sustained tobacco product use among youths," the CDC said. Late last year a team at the Harvard School of Public Health found many e-cigarette flavors deliver harmful chemicals, including diacetyl, the chemical blamed for causing "popcorn lung" in workers at microwave popcorn packaging plants. Other teams found formaldehyde, which is known to cause cancer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2014 proposed asserting its authority over new tobacco products including e-cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco and nicotine gels. The White House is reviewing final proposed regulations for it to do that. Supporters and some researchers say e-cigarettes may help people quit smoking what they call combustible cigarettes, but the research is limited. Public health experts have been clamoring for FDA to extend its authority as e-cigarettes have exploded in popularity. Former FDA commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg called the industry the "wild, wild West." The American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network and the American Lung Association both urged the White House to speed authority for FDA to regulate e-cigarettes. "Once the FDA has authority, the American Lung Association urges it to act swiftly to crack down and end marketing practices aimed at youth," the group said in a statement. "It is also incumbent on states to enact and enforce laws to stop retailers from selling these products to children." CDC says studies have shown that tobacco ads work. "Tobacco product advertising can entice youth to start using tobacco," the report says. Weak growth among major emerging markets will weigh on global expansion in 2016, according to the latest report from the World Bank, with advanced economies solely responsible for a modest increase in global activity. According to the World Bank's "January 2016 Global Economic Prospects" report published Wednesday, economic growth in 2016 would pick up to a 2.9 percent pace, from 2.4 percent in 2015, despite weakness in emerging market economies. AsianDream | Getty Images While global economic growth was less than expected in 2015 amid a decline in commodity prices , flagging trade and episodes of financial volatility, the World Bank noted, the outlook for the coming year hinged on how developed economies performed. "Firmer growth ahead will depend on continued momentum in high-income countries, the stabilization of commodity prices, and China's gradual transition towards a more consumption and services-based growth model." The World Bank predicted that developing economies are set to expand by 4.8 percent in 2016, less than earlier forecasts, but up from a post-crisis low of 4.3 percent in the year just ended. However, growth is projected to slow further in China, while Russia and Brazil are expected to remain in recession in 2016. The South Asia region, led by India, is projected to be a "bright spot" with the recently negotiated Trans-Pacific Partnership having the potential , it said, to "provide a welcome boost to trade." Although the World Bank saw a faster-than-expected slowdown in large emerging economies as "unlikely," such a scenario could have global repercussions, it warned. "Risks to the outlook also include financial stress around the U.S. Federal Reserve tightening cycle and heightened geopolitical tensions." Poverty reduction watch now watch now watch now North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un may have just achieved exactly what he did not want. There will probably be further sanctions after North Korea's claim that it blew up a hydrogen bomb Wednesday, but another likely consequence is that the major allies arrayed against North Korea the United States, Japan and South Korea will cooperate more closely than they have up to now, experts told CNBC. The Wednesday trial registered as a 5.1 magnitude seismic event, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and a Pyongyang mouthpiece claimed the country tested a miniaturized hydrogen nuclear bomb "in the most perfect manner." Experts have expressed doubt whether North Korea actually used such a powerful weapon, but a fourth nuclear test from the isolated state marks a potential geopolitical crisis, experts said. Officers from the Korea Meteorological Administration point at the epicenter of seismic waves in North Korea, at the National Earthquake and Volcano Center of the Korea Meteorological Administration in Seoul, South Korea, on Jan. 6, 2016. Lee Jin-man | Getty Images And that crisis will likely boost multilateral cooperation between the U.S. and its major Pacific Rim allies. "I think it's quite likely we see increased defense deployments and military exercises around the Korean peninsula," Nick Consonery, the Eurasia Group's Asia director, predicted. In addition to show-of-force exercises, experts suggested that Japan, South Korea and the United States could now further align their information-gathering procedures including sharing the load for reconnaissance flights and human intelligence. Read More North Korea: We now have the 'H-bomb of justice' "This may add in a slightly more quiet way rather than an extremely public way to the drive to have greater intelligence-sharing between the three countries," Rodger Baker, vice president of Asia Pacific Analysis at Stratfor, said. Beyond immediate North Korea-focused cooperation, Wednesday's test could serve to strengthen the U.S.'s existing alliances. "This will certainly give more substance to the U.S.-South Korean alliance: It will take an already deeply integrated relationship and carry it further," said Charles Armstrong, a professor of Korean Studies at Columbia University. In fact, Baker suggested that the partnership-boosting reaction to the nuclear trial may push Seoul to adopt the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system. (THAAD is a Lockheed Martin -developed anti-ballistic missile system, which China strongly opposes.) South Korea and Japan may also increase their cooperation, Armstrong said, explaining that the North Korean test has come at a "critical point of improvement in the relationship" between to the two countries. Read More World condemns North Korean H-bomb test "We should look for a substantial increase in direct military interaction between South Korea and Japan," he said. "Already there has been low-level cooperation, and whether this will make this relationship more explicit at the military level, we'll have to see." Seoul and Tokyo announced last week that they had reached an agreement to resolve the issue of Japan's use of Korean "comfort women" in forced brothels during the Second World War. Although some in South Korea opposed the resolution, international observers deemed the move a strengthening of bilateral relations. watch now But it remains to be seen just how much increased international cooperation can actually accomplish. Regional experts told CNBC that an increase in information sharing could lead to slightly more aligned national goals, but a unified multilateral front remains unlikely. "We would hope that something like this would catalyze South Korea, Japan, the U.S. and other regional powers to work closer together, but I don't think it will change the security situation in northeast Asia very much," said Lisa Collins, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Korea Chair. Read MoreJust what is a 'miniaturized' hydrogen bomb? The major question for post-test geopolitics, experts said, is how China reacts to North Korea. Some said they expected Beijing to offer Pyongyang a slap on the wrist, but others predicted that the pariah state's dubious claims of a hydrogen bomb could move the Chinese closer to the other regional leaders' point of view. "The test really pushes all of Asia's major powers closer together: Not just Japan, South Korea and the U.S., but also China," Consonery said. "We'll see increased convergence." Beijing has pressured North Korea to cease its nuclear development, so if Wednesday's test actually utilized new technologies, then China could want to hinder any further move in the "wrong direction," Consonery said. watch now One technology CEO told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" that he expects the global macro-economy in the next year to mirror that in 2015, even with challenges in China, North Korea and Europe. "When I look at 2016, I think from our perspective, from a macro-economic perspective, a copy of 2015," said Intel CEO Brian Krzanich. "We saw China slow down in '15. We expect it to stay pretty stable but slower than the growth we've seen in prior years for 2016. Our model says emerging markets, they also are slower as well. But the U.S. and Western Europe continue to grow at the pace they've been growing, as well." Krzanich spoke Wednesday from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where technology companies are stationed this week to show off their newest products and partnerships. Despite economic uncertainty, Intel has its sights set on the future of the cloud, Krzanich told CNBC. Intel, a company known for PCs, chips and data centers, has instead showcased futuristic devices like personal-assistant robots at the event, as part of a journey to find "next big experience" consumers are looking for. Industrial uses of drones, such as inspecting pipelines and looking at cell towers, could be where drones "really kick off," Krzanich said. But he said he sees a natural connection between data centers and devices for consumers' "active lives," like drones and hoverboards used in sports. Intel announced collaborations with ESPN, New Balance and Oakley this week, following that vein. I have always favored an expansive use of the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve to use as a lever against the artificial oil supply constraints imposed on the world market by OPEC. The war on the U.S. economy has now flipped, with artificial oversupply drowning our great energy companies, costing more than 100,000 well-paying, highly-skilled jobs and other support jobs, in the process. A number of things should be considered: Pay producers not to produce, but require them to keep their wells intact and ready to go, when prices invariably rise, just like we do to protect our farmers and agriculture industry. Provide other direct price supports for oil and gas producers for the proper capping of wells and laying down of rigs that preserves and ensures their future ability to return to service quickly. Provide loan guarantees to banks and other lenders, so that they can continue to fund the industry to help keep these strategically important businesses afloat. Amend the bankruptcy code to allow for expedited and special treatment of oil-producing assets, enabling them to be kept as whole as possible, so that their producing power and future potential is not lost for another generation. Give oil-patch workers enhanced unemployment benefits or temporary government jobs as caretakers of the oil fields, so that they do not lose their skill set and remain at-the-ready to fire up fallowed production. Enable the Interior or Energy Department to purchase parcels containing so-called drilled-but-uncompleted wells , so-called DUCs, which could act as a secondary Strategic Petroleum Reserve. German police gave the all-clear after investigating five items delivered to Chancellor Angela Merkel's office in central Berlin on Wednesday. Officers had cordoned off the Chancellery as ministers gathered for a morning cabinet meeting inside. Germany and other European powers have been on particularly high alert since Islamist militants killed 130 people in Paris on Nov. 13. The cabinet meeting went ahead as planned and police started removing the cordon later in the morning. "The experts found nothing suspicious," a spokesman for Germany's Federal Police said. He said five items had been opened without saying whether they were packages or letters. Police shut down two train stations in Munich over New Year after receiving a tip that militants from Iraq and Syria were planning attacks. In 2010, police intercepted a package in Merkel's mailroom at the chancellery which Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said contained explosives sent from Greece. Police sealed off German Chancellor Angela Merkel's office to check a suspicious package as ministers gathered for a cabinet meeting in the building early on Wednesday. Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook. The Oresund Bridge between Denmark and Sweden is perhaps one of the most potent symbols of the close ties between European countries. Three decades ago the two countries opted to go passport-free as part of the Europe-wide "Schengen" zone. But much has changed since then. Sweden and Denmark for years regarded as two of the most liberal countries in the world and a model for left-leaning proponents of wealth distribution -- are reintroducing border checks in response to an influx of migrants into the European Union (EU). The move has been described as the beginning of the end, the writing on the wall and adds to the growing list of countries that have brought an end to passport-free roaming across their borders. Johan Nilsson, AFP "Even within the EU it's a surprising development," Carsten Nickel, Senior Vice President at Teneo Intelligence told CNBC. "That's a very different story from what we have seen in the western Balkans." In late 2015, Hungary's hardline Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, ignored accusations of xenophobia and instructed a border fence to be built to fend off migrants. Although the move was widely condemned, other European Union countries have since followed suit, and reinstated controls, including Austria and most notably Germany. After the Paris attacks, Belgian and French police also started carrying out border checks. Although it is not the first time that borders have been temporarily closed, the spiralling migrant crisis combined with elevated security concerns are already leading to a tightening of the current rules. The EU's executive arm has proposed the introduction of checks against EU and national databases for EU citizens arriving at and leaving the 26-country passport-free area. The bloc is also planning the creation of a new European Border and Coast Guard force to patrol its external borders with a stronger mandate than its current teams. The demise of the Schengen agreement would have serious economic consequences -- the Brussels-based Brueghel think tank says almost 1.7 million residents from Schengen countries crossed borders to go to work. Longer queues at border controls would harm the free movement of goods within the bloc, one of the cornerstones of its internal market and a boost to economic growth, as well as a key attraction for foreign investors. But it would also be hugely symbolic. "The longer term risk is that Europe loses credibility with investors," Nickel said. A crisis too far? Parallels have been drawn with the sovereign debt crisis that engulfed the euro zone in 2009-10 and from which many single currency members are still reeling. European authorities were determined to preserve the currency even in the face of mountainous debt and huge disagreement over the handling of the crisis. "In the euro zone crisis we had a truly supranational institution: the European Central Bank. We have no equivalent in Schengen," Nickel points out. It may take another summer of migrant arrivals and fatalities before a real solution takes shape. Nickel believes leaders will only really act when the pressure mounts, as they did in the euro zone debt crisis. "The (European) Commission's proposal is too idealistic," he said. "I don't think we're moving towards a radical solution. " Samsung is taking on Apple in the smartwatch battle on its own turf - or operating system at least. The South Korean electronics giant announced on Wednesday that its Gear S2 smartwatch will now be compatible with Apple's iOS devices. Previously the wearable only worked with certain Samsung phones. Now the company is going directly after Apple users, hoping to win over Apple Watch users on to a Samsung wearable device. By accessing a wider user base, Samsung will be hoping to attract more developers, who can now also gain access to Apple users, to make apps for the South Korean group's products. watch now watch now watch now watch now Middle Eastern powerhouse Saudi Arabia wants better ties, trade and investment with Russia, a country it sees as a "great power," the Saudi minister of foreign affairs told CNBC. "With regards to our relationship with Russia, we believe that the extent of trade we have with Russia is not in line with the size of our respective economies. We are both members of the G20 but we have very little trade, very little investment and so we wanted to change that," Adel al-Jubeir told CNBC on Tuesday. "Russia is a great power. Russia has 20 million Muslims living in it. Russia can play a positive role and we wanted to engage with Russia, we wanted to improve our relationship with Russia not at the expense of our relationship with any other country but for the sake of having better ties with Russia." He noted that Saudi Arabia would take a pragmatic approach to investing in Russia, however. "If we find investments that are profitable, (then) yes (we will invest). If we find investments that are good for the Saudi people and the Saudi treasury yes, but we invest the way any serious investor does you look at cost and you look at returns." The country had already begun a process of "reaching out and encouraging trade, encouraging scientific exchanges, encouraging investment and we will continue to do that," al-Jubeir noted. Russia the peacemaker Al-Jubeir's comments come amid rising tensions between the country and its neighbor Iran, following Saudi Arabia's execution of a prominent Shiite cleric this weekend which prompted protests in Iran. Following an attack on Saudi Arabia's embassy in Tehran after the execution, diplomatic ties were severed with Iran and a war of words has ensued between the countries. Russia has offered to play the role of mediator in a bid to repair relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran but Foreign Minister al-Jubeir said his country did not need help. "When it comes to mediation, we don't need mediation. We know where Iran is, Iran knows where Saudi Arabia is, they know what our issues with them are and what they have to do is show us that they are serious. Show us a change in behavior, show us a change in attitude, show us a desire to want to have normal relations with us and we will do the same, we have no issue with this," he said. Salman bin Abdulaziz, deputy prime minister and crown prince of Saudi Arabia, right, speaks with Vladimir Putin, Russia's president, seated left, during a plenary session at the Group of 20 (G-20) summit in Brisbane, Australia. Rob Griffith/Pool via Bloomberg The row has prompted fears for regional security and for Syrian peace talks, in which both countries are involved. On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia signaled its soured relations with Iran would not affect talks on Syria, another round of which is scheduled in Geneva this month, Reuters reported. In those peace talks too, Russia has offered to play a role, particularly given its closeness to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and potential ability to influence his position in the peace process. Al-Jubeir appeared to welcome Russia's role in the talks, saying Saudi Arabia had made it "very clear" to Russia that it could play a "very important role by putting pressure on Bashar Assad to step down and allow for a transition in Syria." Read More This is how much Russia's 'war' in Syria costs Don't mention oil Despite the seemingly warmer relations between Saudi Arabia and Russia, oil remains a thorn in the side of the relationship. Both countries are major global oil exporters and both have had to contend with a steep drop in the price of oil, from around $114 a barrel in June 2014, to around $36 a barrel today. What divides them, however, is their reaction to the decline in price caused largely by demand failing to keep up with a continuing glut in supply. Saudi Arabia and OPEC, of which it is the de facto leader, have refused to cut oil production in a bid to support prices, preferring to drive out competitors elsewhere (shale oil producers in the U.S. and Canada, for example). Saudi Arabia and recession-hit Russia have reportedly had talks on the oil price but there has been no change in OPEC, and effectively, Saudi Arabia's strategy. Al-Jubeir denied that his country could control the oil price, arguing that it is "controlled by the markets and by supply and demand." "It is subject to cyclical swings depending on how much supply, how much demand and this affects the price of oil. I think the discussions about being able to manipulate the price or being able to manipulate the markets are exaggerated. At the end of the day its fundamental economics of supply and demand." watch now Eco-friendly consumers can now put their money where their mouth is. "Fifty million tons of plastic go into the landfill in toothbrushes alone and we're here to change that," said Patrick Triato. He founded The Goodwell Company, an e-commerce start-up selling biodegradable toothbrushes, equipped with recycled aluminum handles and bristles made of activated charcoal, which Triato says helps fight bad breath. As a consumer product industry veteran, Triato was used to developing goods which he said had one thing in common: a limited lifespan. In turn, he created a sustainable toothbrush that he says lasts forever. The toothbrush costs $29.99, but The Goodwell Company told CNBC it plans to lower the price to $19.99 soon. Compostable accessories for the toothbrush include head replacements, floss and tongue scrapers. The attachments can then be bought as a one-time purchase or via a subscription plan that ranges from $5 to $15 every other month. The American Dental Association recommends replacing toothbrushes approximately every three to four months. The Goodwell Companys biodegradable tootbrush. Source: The Goodwell Company Alicia Syrett, board member of New York Angels, said she's concerned the price may be too expensive for the average person. She wondered how the start-up justified its numbers. "Ninety-five percent of the product gets made in Portland, [Oregon], and right now it's economy of scale," Triato told CNBC. He added that once demand increases, he'll be able to bring down the price. Nir Liberboim, founder of venture capital firm Uprise Ventures, which focuses on lifestyle brands, questioned if consumers would actively go online to shop for a toothbrush. Read MoreA start-up delivering wine by the glass "We just make it as simple as possible to get a toothbrush and you don't even have to think about it," Triato said. But The Goodwell Company is brushing up against some hefty competition, including major oral care brands like Oral-B, owned by Procter & Gamble . Yet, the industry is still expanding overall. Market research firm IBISWorld told CNBC it projects oral care sales will grow at a rate of 3.1 percent per year over the next five years. Triato told CNBC The Goodwell Company sold $100,000 in toothbrushes in 2015, and currently has upward of 1,500 subscribers. And according to the founder, the start-up projects it will be profitable in 2016. The Goodwell Company said it also has plans to unveil an app that tracks users' brushing habits. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, the start-up launched in November 2014, and has raised $50,000 from crowdfunding platforms CircleUp and Crowd Supply. As China's stock market continues its roller-coaster ride into 2016, many market watchers are turning to an alternative measure to track what's going on in the world's second-largest economy. Rather than looking to stock prices or economic data, investors are focused the country's currency, the yuan . Attracting that attention is the fact that the difference between the onshore yuan and the offshore yuan has reached its largest level in several years. "It's probably more important for investors to watch the currency than the stock market," said John Vail of Nikko Asset Management, given that highly volatile Chinese stock market indexes are more likely to be influenced by government measures and swiftly changing sentiment. The onshore yuan is circulated in China and is tightly controlled by the People's Bank of China, while the offshore yuan trades outside of China. As authorities push to create a more stable, widely used currency, the ideal difference between the two measures would likely be zero, with the value of the onshore yuan matching the offshore. But the two diverged drastically in August, when the Chinese government allowed its currency to float more freely and sent the yuan tumbling. Recently, the yuan has taken another dive, with the offshore yuan falling on Wednesday to its lowest level since it started trading in 2010. Because the offshore currency is driven more by international markets, its relative frailty seems to reflect investor nervousness, and suggest further declines in the yuan's value. Read More Offshore Chinese yuan plunges to five-year low against dollar For some, that expected currency weakness could also hint at bigger problems for global markets. "To us that is more of a reflection of some risk, and certainly is a signal that there is a risk-off attitude that permeates throughout the globe here," technician Chris Verrone of Strategas said Tuesday on CNBC's "Trading Nation." "It's not just Chinese stocks that are weak. It's much of Asia that sends a similar message." Larry McDonald, head of U.S. macro strategy at Societe Generale, said the currency spread has previously been a warning sign for both Chinese and U.S. equities. In August, when the two measures diverged on the heels of the yuan devaluation, Chinese markets tumbled, followed by U.S. markets. McDonald pointed to a similar pattern in the start of 2016: a widening yuan spread in December, a 7 percent drop in the Shanghai composite on the first trading day of the year, and a subsequent plunge in U.S. stocks. "The layman will look at Chinese politics or regulation in China and try to figure it out," McDonald said, but this chart cuts through the noise. "When the spread has widened, it's a sign that people want to get their money out." Read More The problem for stocks: 'You can't get a bottom near a top' Weak economic data out of China has recently reignited fears over its slowing economy, the most recent of which include manufacturing and services sector activity that fell short of expectations. As Chinese markets have become a notable influence over U.S. equities, talk of the comparison between onshore and offshore yuan rates has become more prominent. Lindsey Group analyst Peter Boockvar said the renewed focus has been spurred by the persisting weakness in the offshore yuan, and the increased tolerance of the Chinese government to let that weakness play out. "There are moments when the Chinese authorities want to compress the two and that calms things down," he said. "The attention span is short. It goes back and forth." Now, Boockvar said, it's a question of how much authorities will intervene as the currency spread reaches historic levels. "It's a little disappointing for authorities," Win Thin of Brown Brothers Harriman said, since the government would like to see unification of the two values as it looks to join the International Monetary Fund's basket of freely usable currencies. As China fixes the onshore yuan rate daily, the country is trying to manage the divergence with caution, Thin said. Read More The IMF, the SDR and the yuan explained Nonetheless, Thin said the widening spread is the "middle station" to forming a "fully convertible currency." More weakness in the yuan should come with the process, as Chinese authorities attempt to establish a sustainable global currency. Thin expects the worries over China and the Chinese yuan to cool in the meantime. "We always try not to panic when things come out of China," he said. "That to me is always the wrong reaction." Books about China politics are displayed in a books store in Causeway Bay district in Hong Kong on January 5, 2016. Phillipe Lopez | Getty Images A publisher of books critical of China's leaders who went missing in Hong Kong last week has traveled to China voluntarily, his wife said on Tuesday, as Britain reminded its former colony of its commitment to press freedom. Four other associates of the publisher, which specializes in selling and publishing gossipy political books on China's Communist Party leaders, have been unaccounted for since late last year. The disappearances and China's continued silence have stoked fears of mainland Chinese authorities using shadowy tactics that erode the "one country, two systems" formula under which Hong Kong has been governed since its return to China in 1997. Lee Bo, 65, a shareholder of Causeway Bay Books, went missing last week, amid mounting speculation he may have been taken by Chinese agents. His wife, Sophie Choi, however, withdrew a missing persons report for her husband on Monday. "He went voluntarily so that's why ... I cancelled the report," Choi said in brief comments to reporters staking out her apartment. Hong Kong police confirmed in a statement that the missing persons report had been cancelled, but said they would continue investigating. Neither Lee nor his wife could be reached by Reuters on their mobile phone numbers. Britain confirmed on Tuesday that Lee was a British passport holder. An embassy spokesman in Beijing added in a statement that Britain was "deeply concerned" by reports of disappearances and detentions. "We encourage the Hong Kong SAR (special administrative region) government to honour its commitment to protecting the freedom of the press, and we hope the Chinese authorities will continue to make every effort to ensure that the environment in which the media and publishers operate in the Hong Kong SAR supports full and frank reporting," the statement said. Hammond raises case with Chinese foreign minister British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, visiting Beijing, said he had raised Lee's case with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi. "Our view is that the Basic Law, the Joint Declaration, the principle of one country, two systems means that in a question of any breach of Hong Kong laws, the question must be settled in Hong Kong by the Hong Kong judicial system," Hammond told reporters. The Basic Law is Hong Kong's mini-constitution, while the 1984 Joint Declaration provided for the handover of power in Hong Kong from Britain to China. "We would hope that wherever Mr. Lee is, if he is charged with any offences, those offences would be tried in Hong Kong," Hammond added. Asked whether China would recognize the British passport, Wang said: "On the specific case you mentioned, based on the Basic Law of Hong Kong and China's nationality law, this person in question is first and foremost a Chinese citizen." Wang said that it was "not necessary to make groundless speculation" before the individual, his family, the Hong Kong and Central governments made official statements. He did not respond to a question on whether the booksellers had been detained by Chinese authorities. Britain handed the global financial hub back to China under an agreement that its core liberties and way of life - including freedom of speech and an independent judiciary - continue for 50 years. In a handwritten note dated January 3 and purportedly written and signed by Lee, photos of which were widely circulated on social and local media but couldn't be verified by Reuters, Lee wrote that he had travelled back to China in order to assist with an unspecified "investigation". An officer at the Public Security Bureau in Shenzhen, just over the border from Hong Kong in China's Guangdong province, told Reuters he'd been instructed by his supervisors to say he wasn't aware of the case. The Guangdong provincial Public Security Bureau said it wasn't aware of the situation and referred inquiries to the Guangdong propaganda department. "I don't know anything about this," said Deng Hong, a deputy director of Guangdong's Information Office when contacted by Reuters. The office gave no immediate response to faxed questions seeking further details on Lee's whereabouts or his involvement in any investigations. watch now Private companies created far more jobs than expected in December, a bright sign for an economy that has been otherwise struggling, according to the latest numbers from ADP and Moody's Analytics. Payrolls surged by 257,000 against economist expectations of 192,000, with gains evenly distributed among small, medium and large businesses, the report released Wednesday said. Professional and business services led the way with 66,000 new positions as service-related jobs overall accounted for 234,000 of the total. Small businesses have led the way for most of the jobs recovery since the Great Recession, but it was large businesses those with more than 500 employees that created the most positions, with 97,000 added. Companies with fewer than 50 employees contributed 95,000 while medium-sized firms hired 65,000. Markets had been slumping ahead of the announcement, with Dow futures off more than 300 points. The good jobs news had no market effect, however. Officials who compiled the report offered no specific reason for the jobs jump in December, which will stand as the biggest month of the year for employment. The number represents a gain from the 211,000 rise in November, which was revised lower by 6,000. "J. Michael Pearson remains in the hospital where he is being treated for severe pneumonia, and as the timing of his expected return is uncertain, he will be on a medical leave of absence until further notice," Valeant said in a statement. Drugmaker Valeant Pharmaceuticals on Wednesday named Howard Schiller as interim chief executive officer to replace Michael Pearson, who has been on medical leave due to pneumonia. Schiller was Valeant's chief financial officer from December 2011 to June 2015 and is now on the company's board. Before Valeant, he worked in investment banking at Goldman Sachs for 24 years. Robert Ingram, a Valeant director since December 2010, will be chairman, the Canadian company said. Valeant shares were down 3 percent at $97.19 in premarket New York trading. Reports broke on Tuesday evening of the appointment of a CEO to replace the management team that had been running Valeant since Pearson was hospitalized in late December. Activist investors Bill Ackman applauded Shiller's appointment. "We think Howard will do an outstanding job and have enormous confidence in him," he told CNBC. "Howard benefits by having worked alongside Mike (Pearson) for many years and having remained on the board since he stepped down as CFO. As a major shareholder of the company, his interests are directly aligned with those of other shareholders." Ackman also called Bob Ingram "a superb choice as chairman" and wished Pearson a speedy recovery. CNBC contributed to this report. watch now Embattled German automaker Volkswagen has stepped up its pursuit of driverless car technology and released a new electric van prototype in a bid to put the diesel emissions scandal behind it. Volkswagen announced Wednesday said it had formed a strategic partnership with Mobiley e, which creates a real-time image processing cameras. The aim is to put these cameras on future Volkswagen cars so that they can build a picture up of roads and environments to create high definition maps that will form the basis of driverless cars. "The new world will be defined by automated driving, in the future it will be an everyday feature of our life and it will completely change mobility," Herbert Diess, chairman of the board of management, said at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Wednesday. Volkswagen Passenger Cars CEO Dr. Herbert Diess speaks at CES 2016 next to the Budd-e electric van. David Becker | Getty Images Volkswagen's move follows on from its purchase, along with BMW and Daimler, of Nokia's HERE mapping business in August. Detailed mapping is seen as the basis for driverless cars. Very few details about the partnership were given, but it highlights the growing trend of automakers to partner with technology firms as well as using their own research teams. Last year, South Korea's LG announced it would be providing the key components for General Motors' upcoming Chevrolet Bolt EV. And Ford this week said it would allow its vehicles to be compatible with Apple's CarPlay and Google's Android Auto the technology giants' own in-car operating systems. A number of other carmakers have said they are working on electric cars and technology companies are keen to get in on the act. But at the same time, Volkswagen is keen to keep control of a lot of the development of autonomous driving, which was a big motivation behind the purchase of HERE. 'Comprehensive' emissions plan Hazing anniversary a time of reflection for Santulli family Danny Santulli's family hopes the attention given to his situation can help end hazing nationwide, Santulli's father, Tom Santulli, told the Tribune. Best of Business 2022: Learn Who Won Our 15th Annual Reader Poll Local professionals chose their favorite business and professional services, products, healthcare, dining and more. Find out who their top picks are. Sandwich Man: McGinnis Grill Eyes Expansion Columbus restaurant veteran John McGinnis aims to add a second food truck and a brick-and-mortar location for his savory sandwiches. Herbert Slatery By Ryan Poe of The Commercial Appeal The Tennessee Attorney General opined Tuesday that Shelby County government isn't responsible for paying the dissolved Memphis City Schools system's $1.1 billion liability for retiree health benefits unless the County Commission votes to assume the obligation. So the billion-dollar question is, who is responsible for making the payments against that Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) liability? On Wednesday, County Commissioners said the city was the responsible party, but Memphis Chief Legal Officer Bruce McMullen said the city isn't responsible for the liability of a special school district created by the state, and would fight any lawsuits to pay the money. "There's no obligation on the city. There is nothing in this," he said, holding up the opinion, "directing the city to say anything. And I do want to point out to you that this is an Attorney General's opinion. This is basically an advisory. This is not a judge just ordering or ruling or anything of that nature." "I'm not going to opine about who specifically is responsible," he added. "What I'm going to tell you is that the city of Memphis is not responsible." Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland had this to say in a prepared statement: "The attorney general was not asked if city government is responsible for the special school district debt. The attorney general was asked if Shelby County government was responsible for the special school district debt." Strickland didn't immediately return calls seeking further comment. The opinion, written by Attorney General Herbert Slatery III and requested by Republican state Sen. Brian Kelsey of Germantown, states that the county is not responsible for the expense unless the County Commission votes to take on that responsibility. The debt "shall remain the obligation of the town, city or special school district," Slatery said in the opinion. The opinion was shared with the County Commission's education committee on Wednesday by committee chairman Commissioner David Reaves. The current Shelby County Schools system's OPEB liability is about $1.5 billion, an amount county officials have said would become the county's responsibility. Of that amount, $1 billion was incurred by MCS, said SCS Supt. Dorsey Hopson. "I assume it will be fully litigated. It could possibly mean a lot more money in the classrooms for kids," Hopson said. He was at the committee meeting on Wednesday to have amendments to the school system's budget approved. He also shared early projections, including an anticipated $72 million budget shortfall for fiscal 2016-17. He earlier said that scenario included a $7 million increase in benefits costs and setting aside additional money for OPEB. And while Commissioner Terry Roland had said during the debate over the schools merger that MCS' OPEB debt should belong to the city, Commissioner Heidi Shafer cautioned that the opinion from an attorney is not a binding ruling from a court. Unlike in some other school systems, both the city and county were paying into the Memphis City Schools. In the 2007-08 fiscal year, the city contributed $93 million to the $891 million budget, compared to the county's $354 million contribution. School board member Chris Caldwell, who chairs the board's finance committee, said he thought there was a "strong possibility" that the attorney general would rule this way. But he cautioned the opinion is "a long way from them assuming the responsibility." Caldwell also noted that passing the responsibility to another local governing body doesn't absolve SCS of any stake in the matter. "Often there seems to be mental lines drawn about what community you live in," Caldwell said. "And I think we all live in Shelby County, and I don't see that Shelby County can prosper without a successful Memphis. Our destinies are all intertwined. So we need to work together to resolve this issue and all similar issues that affect the entire community." Martavius Jones, a new Memphis City Council member who served on the MCS board from 2006 through 2013, said the opinion was "unfair" if it puts the burden on the city, and said the county should shoulder the OPEB liability. "I could see that if the city was solely responsible for funding the city schools," he said. "But it wasn't." He added: "I think that's a ridiculous opinion, and I disagree with it." Covering the MCS OPEB costs would be another multi-million dollar problem for a city that's already struggling to fund its own pension and OPEB liabilities. The city is currently paying Shelby County Schools $41.8 million in installments through 2030 as part of a settlement. SHARE Lee Harris January 1, 2015 - Steve Cohen, Congressman 9th District. (Stan Carroll/The Commercial Appeal) By David Royer of The Commercial Appeal State Sen. Lee Harris is firing up the rhetoric against U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen as he weighs a possible bid for the Ninth District congressional seat. Harris, a law professor and former Memphis City Council member, took to social media on Tuesday calling Cohen "out of sync with the vast majority of Memphians" after Cohen offered some harsh words about Harris' level of political experience. Cohen, meanwhile, said he feels "a little bit betrayed" by Harris, whom he supported for state senate in 2014. Harris would leave office before his first term ends in 2018 if his challenge against Cohen is successful. "When you get elected you ought to work and learn, and be proud of what you accomplish, not just run for the next office," said Cohen, who has held his current seat since 2006. Harris emphasized Tuesday he hasn't made any commitment yet whether to run against Cohen in a primary for the traditionally Democrat-held seat. But he already has leveled criticism at Cohen in part for his concerns over Gov. Bill Haslam's Tennessee Promise scholarship, which offers free tuition to state community colleges and technical schools for Tennessee students, regardless of income or high school achievement. Harris says the program is supported by Memphians who want better opportunities for their children, but Cohen has opposed the measure, saying it channels funding from Tennessee's lottery-funded Hope Scholarship program he helped create when he was in the state senate. That prompted a dismissal from Cohen on Monday, who said in an interview with The Tennessean that it was "sophomoric" for Harris to bring up a state scholarship as an issue in a federal congressional race. "IN RESPONSE TO US REP COHEN'S STATEMENT: Cong. Cohen has already resorted to using words like 'ignorant' and 'sophomoric' to describe me," Harris fired back on Twitter, opening a salvo of 10 barbs targeting the congressman. Harris won the District 29 state seat formerly held by Ophelia Ford with 42 percent of the vote in 2014, breaking a Ford family hold on the district that stretched nearly 30 years. He said he doesn't know whether he would face criticism over leaving early, but said, "I am always a believer in disrupting the status quo. That's who I am." Cohen took 75 percent of the vote in the 2014 general election for his seat, and 66 percent of the primary vote against Democratic challenger Ricky Wilkins that year. In a September poll by The Commercial Appeal, 62 percent of respondents said they had a favorable view of him. He called last year his "most successful" ever in Congress, citing his work to bring a $30 million federal grant to help redevelop an area south of Downtown Memphis, and an amendment that brought funding to process sexual assault kits. Follow more politics and policy coverage from the InforMemphis team on Twitter and Facebook. Republican congressman Stephen Fincher (left) of Tennessee (AP Photo/Lance Murphey) By Michael Collins of The Commercial Appeal WASHINGTON Tennessee Republicans in Congress accused President Barack Obama of grandstanding and trying to strip law-abiding citizens of their Second Amendment rights by issuing a series of executive orders on Tuesday that will impose more gun-control restrictions. "President Obama has no business trampling on our Second Amendment rights," said U.S. Rep. Stephen Fincher, a Crockett County Republican. "The president's decision to punish law-abiding Americans is nothing more than an ongoing diversion tactic used to draw attention away from his inability to keep Americans safe from terror attacks." Speaking at a White House news conference in which he wept while recalling young victims of gun violence, Obama said he will bypass a Congress that has refused to act and will impose a series of gun-control restrictions through executive orders. The measures will expand the number of gun buyers subject to criminal background checks, order more gun research and better tracking of lost guns, and encourage more prosecutions for domestic violence. U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, a Memphis Democrat, commended Obama for taking action and said lawmakers cannot continue to sit back and do nothing while more than 30,000 Americans die of gun violence each year. "The vast majority of Americans including the vast majority of gun owners believe we must take sensible steps to address these horrible tragedies," Cohen said. "That's what the president is doing." But Tennessee Republicans blasted the president for going around Congress and called his actions an assault on the rights of gun owners. Fincher said none of Obama's orders would have prevented terrorist attacks from happening, nor would they have stopped criminals from getting firearms. "But they will make it more difficult for law-abiding citizens to exercise their Second Amendment rights,' Fincher said. "The president should stop circumventing Congress and ignoring the will of the American people." Raumesh Akbari is the Tennessee state representative for District 91. Oct 10, 2013 (Brandon Dill/Special to The Commercial Appeal) SHARE By Linda A. Moore of The Commercial Appeal Education dominated the conversation on Tuesday during a town hall meeting of the Shelby County Legislative Delegation held at the National Civil Rights Museum and broadcast live on WDIA-AM 1070. Educators and education advocates represented the majority of the more than 100 people who attended, questioning the nine Democrats of the county's delegation in Nashville on how to fight the takeover of local schools by Tennessee's Achievement School District and the need to fully fund Shelby County Schools under the state's Basic Education Program. The state legislature has never fully implemented the BEP funding plan, leaving school districts across the state short of funds. "We are underfunded by $101 million," said Cynthia Alexander-Mitchell, director of the division of family and community engagement with SCS. "The question is what do we need to do to help you help us get that funding equalized?" she asked. Rep. Raumesh Akbari, pointed to the several school systems in the state, including Davidson and Knox counties, that have joined together to sue the state over funding. "When the smaller systems felt they were not adequately funded, they filed a lawsuit and changes were made," Akbari said. Questions were also asked about halting ASD takeover of underperforming schools. ASD, which oversees 27 schools in Memphis and two in Nashville, is authorized to take over the bottom 5 percent of low-performing schools. Last month it announced the takeover of four more SCS schools. However, a recent Vanderbilt University study found that district-run improvement programs, like Shelby County's Innovation Zone, have produced better results than schools taken over by the state. "If it's all about the children, why is money appropriated for ASD is not getting to iZone?" asked Reginald Fentress with the Memphis Shelby County Education Association. "If we have a system that's working, why can't the state appropriate that money there?" It's an issue the legislature's Black Caucus has addressed, said state Rep. Antonio Parkinson. "It's not about education, it's about money," Parkinson said. Also on the panel were state representatives Karen Camper, Barbara Cooper, G.A. Hardaway, Larry Miller and Joe Towns, and state senators Sara Kyle and Reginald Tate. The event was moderated by radio personality Bev Johnson and organized by Akbari. The legislative session resumes Tuesday. Follow more politics and policy coverage from the InforMemphis team on Twitter and Facebook. SHARE By Richard Locker of The Commercial Appeal NASHVILLE The Fayette County Commission is to meet Thursday night to appoint a successor to former state Rep. Leigh Wilburn, who unexpectedly resigned the House District 94 seat in December, a little more than a year after her election to a two-year freshman term. The district includes all of Fayette and McNairy counties and a narrow strip of Hardeman County mostly south of Tennessee 57 along the Mississippi border. As the home county of Wilburn, a Republican from Somerville, the Fayette County Commission gets to select an interim to serve until the November legislative elections, including through the state legislative session that opens Tuesday. Three candidates have filed letters with Fayette County Mayor Rhea "Skip" Taylor's office seeking the appointment but nominations can be made by any member of the commission during its meeting, set for 7 p.m. at the Bill G. Kelley Justice Complex in Somerville. The three candidates thus far, all Republicans, are: Jamison "Jamie" Jenkins of Somerville, a retired University of Tennessee agricultural extension agent, former county Republican Party chairman and the county's former administrator of elections. Hal Rounds, a Somerville lawyer and tea party activist. Thomas Cooper of Piperton, a nurse practitioner who teaches in the University of Tennessee Health Science Center's College of Nursing and also works as an emergency room advanced practice nurse. One issue the commission is likely to consider is whether to select an interim who plans to run for election for the seat later this year or someone who would serve only the remainder of the current term. Jenkins and Rounds both say they will not run for the seat this year. Cooper has announced his candidacy for the seat in the August GOP primary. A possible controversy erupted this week after Rounds sent a letter to county commissioners saying he has the endorsements of Wilburn and Bolivar attorney Stephen L. Hale, who along with Rounds were the three candidates in the 2014 Republican primary that Wilburn won. She was unopposed in the 2014 general election. "I am the only person presently seeking this position who has appealed to the voters in a previous election. I am the only one who has received a substantial number of votes from your constituents. And now, I am the only one who is receiving the endorsement of every other candidate who faced the voters in this district in the last election," Rounds wrote commissioners on Saturday. Wilburn endorsed Rounds but Hale sent a letter to commissioners Tuesday flatly denying that he has endorsed Rounds. "At no time have I or anyone acting on my behalf done anything or said a single word that would lead anyone to the conclusion that I would ever endorse Hal Rounds for any public or private position. In fact, anyone who knows me in the least would find the notion of such an endorsement to be preposterous," Hale wrote. Hale also wrote, "I ran against Hal Rounds because I vehemently disagree with his positions on certain important political issues and I stridently disagree with his tactics in attempting to get his way. His letter to you reaffirms my concerns." When asked about his letter and Hale's response, Rounds said Tuesday, "I had been told he had said he favored me and if I'm mistaken on that, then I withdraw it. I was trusting a rumor and evidently I was wrong." Wilburn won the 2014 primary with 50.8 percent of the vote in the three counties to Rounds' 28.4 percent and Hale's 20.8 percent. Rounds ran second to Wilburn in Fayette County and Hale ran second in McNairy and Hardeman counties. In addition to Cooper, Ron Gant of Fayette County, president of an insurance agency, has announced he will run in the GOP primary for the seat, but is not seeking the interim appointment. SHARE By Jennifer Pignolet of The Commercial Appeal The creators of Memphis School Guide are hosting a school choice fair in Frayser on Saturday. The fair, which will feature about 20 public schools, public charter schools and private schools, will be held at Union Grove Baptist Church, 2285 Frayser Blvd., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is free and open to the public and will also include free workshops on topics like preparing for the new state testing format. Tennessee Carriers will provide transportation, and Premier Kids Enrichment Center will provide child care. Peabody Elementary parent Ginger Spickler backed by several funding groups, some with charter school ties created Memphis School Guide to help parents navigate the decision about where to send their children to school in Shelby County. It provides information on a family's options depending on where they are living, important questions to ask each school, and how to enroll a child in that school. The second edition of the guide was released last month and can be found at http://memphisschoolguide.org/. Nikki Boertman/The Commercial Appeal January 5, 2015 - Elfos, in Germantown, has a sign on the front door reading, Due to more repair than anticipated ELFOS will be closed the week of January 4-9 2016. We apologize for the inconvenience. Sincerely, Alex and Kim Grisanti SHARE By Jennifer Biggs and Jane Roberts of The Commercial Appeal Elfo's Restaurant, one of the finest places in Germantown for upscale dining, has closed. Owner Alex Grisanti intended to keep the news quiet, but gave up when a representative of the Alcohol and Beverage Commission stopped in Tuesday to do inventory. "I'm upset, I'm devastated that I'm cashing my chips in, but that doesn't mean I won't be back with another restaurant," Grisanti said. Grisanti, son of restaurateur Ronnie Grisanti, opened Elfo's in an old building on Germantown Road in 2008 after working for years with his father. He said Germantown had been good to him and his family, but that the cost of keeping up the building at 2285 S. Germantown Road made staying prohibitive. Alex rebuffed inquiries when the restaurant closed this week, saying he was only "regrouping." But rumors were active on Germantown Facebook pages, with some blaming a possible realignment of Germantown Road for the demise. Employees got the word Monday, said Adam Bartholomew, a part-time bartender who posted on Facebook that he was "shocked to say the least." "They said they were closing for now, and that if anything changed, they'd let us know," he said Tuesday. He estimated Grisanti had 20 employees. Others on Facebook said the issue was about upgrades Grisanti would need to make to the building in the historic part of Germantown. It was built in the 1920s. "He loved that place like no other," said Judd Grisanti, Alex's brother, also a chef. "The electrical and plumbing meets code, but it's not what you need for a busy, busy restaurant." According to the Shelby County Assessor's site, it and the building at 2283 S. Germantown Road are owned by a family trust of Frank R. Pidgeon. Calls to the family were not returned. Tuesday afternoon, workers from Delta Wholesale Liquors were carting out boxes of wine and liquor. A delivery man who would not give his name said the firm received a call that day to pick up the inventory. "I certainly enjoyed the food there," said Greg Marcom. "It has a special place in my heart for several reasons. I always enjoyed going there. Alex was always there. He was always a gracious host, greeting his patrons and making them feel welcome and special." Marcom hopes that if Grisanti reopens, it's in Germantown, where Grisanti and his wife live. Grisanti comes from a long line of restaurateurs who've been turning out fine Italian food, some from family recipes, for more than 100 years in Memphis. Alex's son, Elfo, recently graduated from culinary school and had joined his father at the restaurant. For now, Elfo Grisanti will pursue other opportunities and Alex will concentrate on a gun business he owns, but he says he'll be looking for a new restaurant opportunity. "In a few months, me and my son might open a small, 20- to 30-seat, upscale restaurant," he said. SHARE By Eli Lake and Josh Rogin As the cold war between Iran and Saudi Arabia heats up, the Obama administration is trying to straddle the fence and not take sides, but its actions tell a different story: They all seem to favor Tehran. Following the Saudi government's announcement Saturday that it had executed 47 prisoners, including a popular Shiite cleric, the U.S. State Department did two things. First, it issued a statement expressing concern that Riyadh's actions were "exacerbating sectarian tensions." Then Secretary of State John Kerry called Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, urging him to try to de-escalate the crisis. Spokesmen for the White House and State Department on Monday insisted the U.S. was not taking a side, and that Kerry was set to call Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir. But U.S. and Arab diplomats tell us that America's Gulf allies, who feel most threatened by Iran, see things very differently. The State Department has criticized Saudi Arabia before for executions and its human rights record. But this time, its spokesman, John Kirby, undermined the Saudi claim that Iran's government was culpable for the attacks on its embassy, noting in his opening statement that Iran appears to have arrested some of those responsible. What's more, the Saudis argue that this time the U.S. criticism went too far because the cleric, Nimr al-Nimr, was inciting terrorism. "We do not accept any criticism of the kingdom's judicial system," al-Jubeir said Sunday. "What happened was that those who have led terrorist operations that led to the killing of innocent people, were convicted." Following Saudi Arabia's decision Sunday to cut diplomatic ties and end Iran-bound commercial flights, Bahrain, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates also downgraded relations. One senior Gulf diplomat told us he expected other Sunni Arab states would follow suit. At the root of the problem for Sunni Arab states is the nuclear deal reached last summer by Iran and Western nations. When the White House sold the pact to Congress and Middle Eastern allies, its message was clear: Nothing in the deal would prevent the U.S. from sanctioning Iran for non-nuclear issues. Yet that has not been the case. Last week, the Treasury Department balked at the last moment on sanctioning 11 entities and individuals it deemed responsible for helping the Iranian government develop its ballistic missile program in violation of United Nations sanctions. Treasury officials had told lawmakers the new sanctions would be announced Dec. 30, but then the announcement never came. Hill staffers briefed on the issue said the State Department had intervened at the last minute, following objections by the Iranian government. A senior administration official told us the sanctions weren't dead and that the U.S. was still working through some remaining issues, but didn't specify any timetable. A week earlier, Kerry wrote personally to Zarif to assure him that the Obama administration could waive new restrictions in a law passed by Congress that would require visas for anyone who had visited Iran to enter the United States. The Iranian government had objected that the visa requirement would violate the terms of the nuclear agreement. Yet Iran's sentencing of a U.S. journalist on espionage charges in November, and its detention of a U.S.-Iranian dual national in October, have led to no downgrade in relations. The State Department also supported the International Atomic Energy Agency's closing of its file on Iran's nuclear program, despite a report from that agency which found weapons-related activities had continued to at least 2009, and despite being denied unannounced on-site inspections at key Iranian military facilities. U.S. officials tell us Iran has extraordinary leverage at this moment, as the world waits for it to implement all of its obligations in the nuclear deal. Iran has begun to remove stocks of low enriched uranium per the agreement, but it still hasn't made all of the modifications to its nuclear reactor at Arak or completed other tasks it promised in the deal. When Iran makes good on its obligations, most of the assets now in foreign banks will be unfrozen, giving the regime a windfall of tens of billions of dollars. Critics of the administration say the U.S. should take advantage of the power it has before that money is freed up. "Our maximum leverage to respond to serious non-nuclear issues is before implementation day," said Rep. Mike Pompeo, a Republican member of the House Intelligence Committee. "After implementation day, the Iranians get the money and the sanctions are lifted." Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East negotiator who is a vice president at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, said the Obama administration sees the Iran deal as the one stabilizing factor in a region that is increasingly spinning out of control, and is therefore giving the U.S.-Iranian relationship top priority. "The Iranians hold the Obama legacy in their hands," he said. "We are constrained and we are acquiescing to a certain degree to ensure we maintain a functional relationship with the Iranians." At the same time, though, the U.S. is losing leverage over Iran and its ability to influence the actions of the new Saudi leadership is also waning. The Saudis have given up on building ties to the Obama administration and are pursuing their own course until the next president takes office. "It is the worst position for the great power, because everyone says no to us without cost or consequence," Miller said. Monday, White House press secretary Josh Earnest cited Kerry's effort to include Iran in talks over a political resolution in Syria as evidence that the U.S. has played a constructive role in bridging the sectarian gaps between the region's most powerful Sunni and Shiite nations. "The United States has succeeded in leading the international effort to bring all sides together to try to bring about a political resolution inside of Syria," Earnest said. Yet some experts believe that Kerry's Syria peace process unfolding in Vienna, which is premised on getting Iran and Saudi Arabia to work together, is actually counterproductive. After all, during the first meeting, the Iranian and Saudi foreign ministers traded accusations of supporting terrorism before hardening their positions. "I don't blame Obama-Kerry and Vienna for the Saudi-Iran blowup. But I do think that the current situation underscores a hidden cost of endeavors like Vienna," said Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution. "Riyadh may brush off any criticism from the U.S. as motivated by the perceived interest of Obama in fostering rapprochement with Tehran, reducing our odds of success." That's certainly the signal the Saudis are sending. At this point, the message couldn't be any clearer. If Obama won't punish Iran, Saudi Arabia will. Eli Lake and Josh Rogin are Bloomberg View columnists. SHARE By Rachel Marsden There has been much hand-wringing over President Barack Obama's announcement of gun-related executive actions. Few issues spark as much passion in America as gun control, and it's almost impossible to have a rational conversation about firearms these days without some people freaking out about having their guns taken away. Nervous gun owners should take a deep breath, since tighter gun control would require government to suddenly become efficient at something. Despite being mugged in Paris a few years ago, I don't feel naked or vulnerable because I don't carry a gun. Firearms aren't readily available in France, and there isn't much of a gun culture there. There were no guns involved in my incident. (If the perpetrators had pulled a gun, France's self-defense laws likely wouldn't have stopped me from killing someone, though I'd have preferred to use my bare hands rather than a gun of my own.) Having grown up in Canada, where there is no gun culture, my first thought during the mugging did not run automatically to "gun." Sure, some bad guys in France obtain guns, but it's tough to find them when there aren't many available. That's not the case in the U.S., and it simply never will be. Mutually assured destruction is at the very foundation of the U.S. Constitution and American culture. It's an interesting paradox: The U.S. has for decades sought to prevent hostile nations from obtaining weapons of mass destruction, yet many Americans find it perfectly acceptable for any nutcase to be able to legally pack heat even though a rogue state poses far less danger to the average American than a rogue citizen. America hasn't been nuked, but a great many people have died in gun incidents. I don't think Obama's new firearms measures constitute a nefarious plot to disarm America any more than I think advocating healthy eating is a plot to rip the Coke cans out of people's hands. However, it's hard to believe that the best plan this administration can come up with to combat gun violence is one that essentially dumps more cash into the pockets of government agencies. According to the White House statement announcing the new measures, the Federal Bureau of Investigation "will hire more than 230 additional examiners and other staff" to process background checks. The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms will get another 200 enforcement agents. As if additional personnel will make an already-bloated bureaucracy more efficient. The departments of Defense, Justice and Homeland Security get to "conduct or sponsor research into gun safety technology." Why not offer huge tax incentives for firearms manufacturers to do this? Why does every new idea have to cost the taxpayer money? An extra $500 million of proposed funding will go toward increasing access to mental health care. Maybe mental health care would already be accessible and affordable if Americans didn't have sky-high health care premiums as a result of the health care lobby being in cahoots with the Washington establishment. A new rule will require background checks for the purchase of weapons at gun shows or through a trust or corporation. Yet one of the most critical elements of the whole plan is being dumped into the laps of the individual states. According to the White House statement, "Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch has sent a letter to states highlighting the importance of receiving complete criminal history records and criminal dispositions, information on persons disqualified because of a mental illness, and qualifying crimes of domestic violence." The federal government will be able to line the pockets of its agencies under the guise of hiring, outreach, customer service and technological innovation things the government is generally pretty awful at doing, and that are rarely improved or streamlined with additional money. Meanwhile, the foundation of the proposed gun control measures determining who's fit to own a gun is left to state governments. So, American gun owners, you can sit back, clean your firearms and relax, knowing that the government is too awash in bureaucracy and ineptitude to get to you any time soon. Rachel Marsden is a columnist, political strategist and former Fox News host based in Paris. 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The event is held annually prior to the opening of CES and attracts hundreds of developers. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said companies like AT&T, Ericsson and Intel have to introduce smart technology to mayors and city councils in ways that can help elected officials get re-elected. He suggested that smart city tech vendors open their meetings with city officials by saying, "What I will tell you isn't going to get you beat" in the next election. Reed's remark drew laughter from the crowd of developers, as did his insight that city mayors and councils, not federal officials, must be the crucibles for smart tech rollouts. "In Atlanta, you need me and eight votes [on the council]. You should meet with me rather than go to Washington," he said. Federal Communications Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel was also on the panel, and perked up at Reed's remark. After Reed said it was more important for vendors to go to cities than Washington with tech ideas, he told the FCC commissioner, "I meant that in a loving way." But Reed's frankness came with an important kernel of truth about the private-public partnerships that must evolve with Internet of Things tech. AT&T announced it is working with Atlanta as well as Chicago and Dallas on smart city innovations that would give cities a more comprehensive look at power failures, water leaks and traffic, among other things. Bob O'Donnell, an analyst at Technalysis, said cities that invest in smart city projects will have to weigh the benefits of adding sensors to water and sewer lines and streetlights -- among other infrastructure -- compared to spending public funds on social problems like helping the homeless and drug addicted in their communities. "It's really a hard question of whether you focus on the homeless and drug addicted in a city, so you have to ask what is the priority for opening up parking spaces for the rich" with a smart app that relies on video sensors focused on parking areas, O'Donnell said in an interview in after the panel discussion. The biggest questions city mayors will face is how smart city elements are paid for, including how much taxpayers will be dinged, O'Donnell added. While tech vendors might be willing to do upfront smart city projects to seed the technology, they will surely expect a payoff in coming years. "These vendors are not going to give it up for free," he added. Another big question for elected city leaders is how citizens might react to video sensors being installed to monitor traffic and crowds, which could raise privacy concerns. AT&T Mobility CEO Glenn Lurie said in an interview after the panel concluded that city deliberations about privacy and how data is used should be upfront and that the technology used for city projects should be designed to protect privacy. AT&T's position is similar to most other vendors: it says that customers must opt-in to have their data shared, as in an app that tracks a person's location, and that data gathered will be anonymized if shared with third parties. "Our number one job is cybersecurity," Lurie said. "We've been forthright about what our [privacy] policies are." Lurie said that working with mayors on smart city tech won't be much different than approaching car companies for LTE wireless connections. On Tuesday, AT&T said it had reached a multi-year deal with Ford to be the exclusive LTE provider to new U.S. and Canadian cars, which will reach 10 million vehicles by 2020. The carrier now works with nine of 15 major car companies to provide wireless connections. In all, AT&T signed 300 deals with companies for Internet of Things technology in the past year, and supports 25 million connected devices. Red Bull is already using 3G wireless from AT&T and Wi-Fi to connect 200,000 drink coolers to monitor their location, temperature and other performance characteristics, Red Bull officials announced at the summit. Red Bull used AT&T's M2X Data Service, announced one year ago, to help build the cooler monitoring application. AT&T Mobile and Business CEO Ralph de la Vega told developers in his morning address that "very few in the industry have near these assets." "We're just scratching the surface of what we can do in the space," Lurie said. He noted that research firm Gartner and network-equipment company Cisco have predicted there will be 50 billion connected-IoT devices by 2020. That represents a "massive" $1.5 trillion financial opportunity by 2020, Lurie added. Rosenworcel, the FCC commissioner, said she favors expanding the available wireless spectrum for commercial and industrial markets to "decrease the cost of access," which will increase city officials' interest in experimenting with smart tech. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich joined Ericsson CEO Hans Vestberg in describing ways their companies support IoT technology that can be used affordably by cities. Vestberg showed a plastic device produced by a 3D printer that can be used to incorporate sensors that monitor water pressure and contaminants. Vestberg also predicted that smart city technologies could reduce carbon emissions by half by 2030, an amount equal to the carbon footprint of both Europe and the U.S. today. "The planet has scarce resources," Vestberg said. "I see this [smart city tech] as a must." NOT content with a galette des rois of jaw-achingly sweet frangipane, or the brioche version smothered in dried fruit and coarse sugar, bakers in Alsace have begun making meaty versions. It is the idea of the regions butchers and traiteurs who have created what they call the tourte des rois - a puff pastry with a filling of beef, lamb or chicken sauce instead of the frangipane... a bit like a French take on a sausage roll, Cornish pasty or Scottish bridie. Regional newspaper L'Alsace points out that different producers are coming up with their own ideas for the fillings with a pastry covered in star designs and a wine-marinated chicken and mushroom sauce in Mulhouse, while in Heimsbrunn Pierre Pross uses a recipe from his mother that uses spices such as nutmeg. Each cake still has a feve treat inside with porcelain designs representing cote de buf, gigot d'agneau, paupiette de buf, osso-buco or bacon. While one baker in Meurthe-et-Moselle has hidden special diamond-shaped beans in two galettes, which can be swapped for a real diamond worth 600 see our story on the history of galette des rois at connexionfrance.com others are including kama sutra feves in Le Mans, Tour de France feves in Manche and in Lorraine they have feves commemorating this years 100th anniversary of the Battle of Verdun. (See bottom of page for photos) Meanwhile, in the Somme town of Abbeville patissier Patrick Lombart said that while travelling the country as a compagnon du Tour de France apprentice he found that different areas like different types of galette des rois: He told Courier Picard that the puff pastry version was No1 in the north of France, making up three-quarters of sales, while in Savoie it was the sugary brioche ring with red pralines and in Midi it was a version tropezienne using a brioche with cream filling. This year he is offering a galette seche dry galette with only creme patissiere as a filling that can be sliced horizontally and filled with your own favourite jam. Bakers Emmanuel and Sandra Brand show L'Alsace their tourte des rois at Wittmann Brand The Gerbe d'or boulangerie in Le Mans shows its kama sutra feves to France Bleu Ouest France shows the special Tour de France feves used by bakers in Manche for this year's start Denis Pultier shows Est Republicain the Verdun feves being offered by bakers in Meuse this year DO YOU have a Boulevard Aristide-Briand near you? Or do you send your child to school in a Jules-Ferry or a lycee Emile Combes? If so, you are already familiar with key names in the construction of the French Republic. Between them, these three politicians were responsible for free state schooling, obligatory education for girls and the rock of state neutrality towards religion on which la Republique is built: the principle of laicite. The term is very much in the news, with a new laicite charter being introduced into schools this autumn alongside classes in morale laique. Presenting the charter, Minister for Education Vincent Peillon explained: Everyone is free to have his own opinions but no one has the right to contest teaching content or miss a class in the name of religious precepts. Public debate over the Muslim community in France pops up in the news regularly and is nearly always related in one way or another to perceived challenges to this element of the Constitution. Peillons remarks refer also to repeated evangelist pressure to alter class content, in particular regarding the theory of evolution. A recent example was the proposal to swap two Christian holidays with Jewish and Muslim ones: confusing whether France was secular or multi-religious. Left and Right politicians often unite to initiate laws to protect laicite. Once the source of conflict with the Catholic Right over private education funding, the principle, an important element in the integration process, regularly generates ill feeling these days among extremist sectors of the Muslim community. That is why, a century after the original 1905 law, several new laws have been passed to protect it. First, a few explanations. Laicite does not translate well. Secularity is close but confusing. Laicite is not easy to define either. It has evolved over two centuries and is evolving still. The concept was born of the Revolution, which guaranteed freedom of conscience to all and first separated State and Church. Napoleon backtracked, signing a concordat with the Vatican in 1801 that was to poison Church-State relations during the 19th century and put laicite on the back burner for much of it. (For historical reasons, this concordat still applies in Alsace and Moselle.) Having been suppressed by the Vichy regime (along with liberte, egalite, fraternite without which laicite could not function), the principle was cast in the constitution of the Fourth Republic in 1946 the State is indivisible, laic, democratic and social and remains firmly in that of todays Fifth. To understand the concept is to go a long way towards understanding the French. Maybe it could be defined as their permanent search for a delicate balance between sharing what they all hold in common, the Republic, and catering for diversity. It is the principle that protects both personal and collective liberty and, as such, is the responsibility of both State and citizen. The indivisibility of the State is the States refusal to recognise any religious or ethnic community. France is one. There are two major dates in the history of laicite: 1881 and 1905. In 1881-82, Minister of Education Jules Ferry decreed school to be publique, gratuite et laique state-run, free and non-clerical. Teaching in French to a national programme provided children, whatever their linguistic background or beliefs, with the theoretical possibility of equal opportunity. It created a framework in which adults could bring no pressure to bear on pupils to adhere to any philosophy, religion or political idea. That remains the basis of the French educational system today. The 1905 law, engineered by Emile Combes and Aristide Briand, enforced the neutrality of the State and State institutions through the separation of the Churches and the State. Since that date, the State recognises no religion and therefore cannot directly fund any either. If the same law grants the individual total liberty and privacy regarding beliefs, there is one condition: they must not disturb public order. Given the repeated trauma that religion has caused in Frances recent history from the Wars of Religion to the expulsion of the Huguenots and the Dreyfus affair this means no proselytising and nothing that could be remotely interpreted as such. It also explains why, in France, religious belief is far more than a private matter. Things spiritual belong to the realm of intimacy. It is extremely unusual to see anyone wearing any conspicuous religious symbol in public. To do so is perceived as a deliberate act, a message to others. It is unthinkable to ask someone what their religion is and most people will be frankly embarrassed by anyone saying what theirs is. When Nicolas Sarkozy publicly announced he had appointed Frances first Muslim prefect, he sent shockwaves throughout the land. Knowing this helps in understanding intense French reaction to young girls wearing veils. It is seen not only as an unacceptable way of bringing religion into the public sphere, but also a form of peer pressure on other girls to do the same. Which takes us back to Jules Ferry and neutrality in the classroom. This insistence on the privacy of beliefs was of course also reinforced after World War II by the fate of Frances Jews under the Vichy regime, and the obligation to publicly show their religion by wearing the yellow star. As a result of the trauma of State responsibility in their deportation and extermination, no statistics may be made regarding peoples religious beliefs, ethnic origin or colour. All citizens are not only equal, but remain neutral in the eyes of the State. The mosque debate The 1905 law was finally well accepted by both Catholic and Protestant churches in France, who benefited financially when the State handed existing buildings and their costly maintenance over to local authorities. But the State cannot fund new religious buildings. Hence the mosque-building debate and recent legislation allowing local authorities to contribute. For with generous donations from Saudi Arabia and Muslim foundations abroad pouring in, the inherent risk of encouraging fundamentalist movements to develop in France is obvious. Under the Nicolas Sarkozy government, the training of imams in France to Republican principles was considered. But the State cannot finance religious education either. The impasse has been paradoxically circumvented by the Catholic University offering courses, and Algerian imams due to work in France being trained in French and laicite at the government-funded Institut Francais in Algiers. Conspicuous symbols and full-face veils After a number of potentially inflammatory cases in which some schools were confronted with Muslim girls wearing Islamic headscarves, legislation was passed in 2004 banning the wearing of any conspicuous religious symbol or sign in state schools. Never specifically aimed at the Muslim community (kippas, large crosses and Sikh turbans fall under the same category), the new law, despite fears it would be perceived as discriminatory and arouse further reaction, had the almost immediate effect of calming the situation, though some veiled Muslim girls and turbaned Sikhs found their way to private schools. But this legislated solely for public schools, not privately run establishments. In March of this year, Fatima Afif, an employee dismissed in 2008 from the privately run Baby Loup creche in the Yvelines for refusing to remove her headscarf, won on appeal for wrongful dismissal on the grounds of religious discrimination. New legislation is now under consideration to cover pre-school structures and religious symbols in the workplace, none of which are currently covered by law. When, in late July, a police officer in the town of Trappes stopped a fully veiled young women for an ID check in the middle of Ramadan, he did not know he was unleashing days of rioting. But Cassandra, 22, was not infringing any law on laicite. This time it was the one against dissimulating the face in the public sphere, put into effect by the Sarkozy government in 2011. Introduced ostensibly as anti-terrorism legislation, many felt its real purpose was more anti-veil. In fact, the number of women in France wearing the niqab is extremely small, and the number of women fined likewise. Laicite with an adjective The latest solution of Frances politicians to calm the debate has been to add adjectives. Sarkozy invented laicite positive, in which the government took into account the existence of religious groups in France. He created a representative Muslim council, through which to address the Muslim community in France. Representative of only a portion of Frances Muslims, many of whom are non-practising, it has created more problems than it has solved. The Hollande government has coined laicite apaisee, a low-profile approach in which negotiation would replace legislation as the best way of winning over those who regard the principle with suspicion. True laicistes believe the principle cannot survive any moderating tags. It must exist alone. Universities oppose campus headscarf ban proposal In early August, Le Monde published a report signed by members of the Haut Comite de lIntegration (HCI), a body no longer briefed to deal with laicite since the creation of a separate mission last April. It called for a Muslim headscarf ban in universities. Government replies were swift but hardly in unison. Minister of the Interior Manuel Valls stated evasively that the subject needed to be considered, while Genevieve Fioraso, Minister for Higher Education, warned that we should avoid problems where there are none. For Gerard Blanchard, president of La Rochelle University, and vice-president of the national CPU, Conference des Presidents dUniversite, laicite is not an issue on his campus or anywhere in France. We have 14% foreign students in La Rochelle, mostly from South East Asia, and we only ask women students to take off their veils in science laboratories, for safety reasons. That has never posed a problem. The University Presidents Conference has issued a public statement against any specific university ban. For Blanchard, the over-mediatised debate that burst upon us mid-summer is without foundation. He is adamant that he has never had a complaint from a teacher. An environmentalist, he is far more concerned by pressure that could be brought on teachers to introduce non-scientific versions of the origins of the universe into the syllabus. No university teacher should ever have to submit to any pressure on the content of his teaching. Jean-Loup Salzmann, president of the CPU, and president of Paris XIII, in the heart of Seine- Saint-Denis, one of the most multi-cultural universities in France, firmly believes in laicite, but sees no need for new laws on the campus. His main concern is elsewhere. He is angered by the incongruity of the State promoting laicite on the one hand, while financing the Catholic universities on the other. Expressing a personal opinion, he said: The main issue for these young Muslim women, who have enough problems coping with family pressure, is to achieve independence and emancipation through their studies, whether they wear a veil or not. An anti-veil law would achieve the opposite of what we want. Many of these women would then not have access to university at all. How the principle of laicite is applied today NICOLAS Cadene, chairman of the Observatoire de la Laicite, a watchdog committee created last April by President Francois Hollande to report on how the principle of laicite is applied in France today, spoke to Connexion. Can you define this difficult concept for our readers? Laicite is a principle which allows us all to live together. It is not a ban on religion or religious practices. On the contrary, it guarantees believers and non-believers alike the freedom to express themselves, to practise or not to practise a religion as they choose, on condition that public order is not disturbed. The State adopts an attitude of total impartiality towards citizens, who are all equal in the eyes of the State. Do the current religious bank holidays not favour one religious group? Christian festivals have, for the majority, become traditional holidays with little religious significance. Still, the State does not want to be seen as favouring one religion over another. In 1905, there was no Muslim population. But I dont think this poses a real problem. Employees can use their RTT (recuperation of unpaid overtime in the form of days off) as they wish. The Stasi Commission (set up by President Jacques Chirac in 2003) went a long way towards identifying issues in the workplace. We shall build on that. The conspicuous religious symbols ban was seen as directed only at women. Is that not a form of discrimination? If people set out to present themselves in a way which is obviously a proselytising or a provocative attitude, that is not acceptable. It is not so much what people wear or their physical appearance, as the reason behind the choice. This is one of the subjects we shall be working on. Islam has no clerical hierarchy. Isnt the laicite legislation trying to apply to individuals a law aimed at an institution? Doesnt the 1905 law need to be adapted? Not at all. The principle enables us all to live together. But, of course, we must avoid situations in which one group feels stigmatised by the law. That is one of our major subjects of reflexion. But there is no question of adapting the principle to new circumstances. It is one of bringing people to understand that laicite is not a ban on religious practice but a system of personal freedom and helping them to adapt to the principle. There has been talk in the press over banning the Islamic headscarf at university. [The full-face veil is already banned anywhere in public]. The State has a duty to protect minors from any form of ideological persuasion, hence the headscarf ban in schools. University is a world of adults. But the Republic has a duty to protect its citizens against the dangers of extremism. Some people attribute to laicite powers it simply does not have. There is an urgent need for strong political action, at state and local level, in order to resolve the many problems the threat of extremism has brought to certain sectors of society. The Observatoire has published its first report, a history and background to the concept. What else has it achieved? We helped draw up two important documents: the laicite charter and the syllabus for non-religious morality for schools. Both take effect this year. In addition, our report has pinpointed situations needing close attention in public administrations and local authorities (non-Metropolitan France included), as well as in the private sector. How do you see your work developing? We need a better definition of laicite that reiterates the States position of neutrality and is more clearly understood by all, in France and at an international level. We are drawing up guidelines for the application of laicite and religious practice in the workplace, and in the wake of the Baby Loup issue [see main article], for pre-school structures. We must show people how to react to situations. Overreaction is one of the major problems we face, when so much could be achieved by negotiation and taking things calmly. When one considers how Jeremy Corbyn has been mocked and reviled this week, even by many on his own side, for his absurdly slow reshuffle, one has to say he didnt do too badly today. He got through PMQs by sticking with grim determination to the floods. There are always lessons to be learned. Corbyn began by reminding the House that David Cameron had deployed this cliche two years ago in response to some floods, and asked: Were they? For a moment or two, Cameron stuck to the question raised. It remains his view that when floods occur, there are always lessons to be learned. But the Prime Minister thought it would be a dreadful waste to spend the whole of PMQs learning those lessons. There were other more amusing things to talk about. Soon Cameron was observing that it would be useless to expect Corbyn to respond rapidly to the floods when it takes him three days to run a reshuffle. Corbyn mentioned his visit to Chris and Victoria, whose home had been flooded. When the Tories made derisive noises, he gave them one of his hard stares and added: It wasnt very funny for them. Cameron continued to strike low blows. He remarked that frankly we dont need a lecture from Malta: a reference to Corbyns recent holiday on that island. The Prime Minister also said that when Corbyn has worked out how to co-ordinate his own party, he can come and talk about how to co-ordinate the response to the floods. Once Corbyn had sat down, Cameron took the chance to fling the titles of some Shakespeare plays at him, including Comedy of Errors, Much Ado About Nothing, and Loves Labours Lost. One couldnt help reflecting that Shakespeare would have been far wittier at Corbyns expense, while also bringing out the poignancy of that ridiculous figures predicament. If Cameron had treated Corbyn with a degree of sympathy, or just with studious politeness, it is possible that the effect would have been more wounding. For how does one make fun of a Leader of the Opposition who has already turned himself into a laughing stock? SUBSCRIBE Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates straight in your inbox. Close Size does not matter for the smallest of the chameleons. For, these tiny lizards can snag up prey faster and relatively bigger than their larger brethren. Christian Science Monitor described a study of chameleons of varying sizes to determine which had the longest and most powerful lash of the tongue. The study was conducted by capturing high-speed 3,000 frames per second video of chameleons in action to reveal that the smallest lizard measuring 1.5 inch long could grasp prey from a distance of 2.5 times their body length. The bigger lizards had relative smaller tongue-lashes. The Washington Post reports that the smallest lizard in the study also had the most powerful stroke of tongue that lashed out at 8,500 feet per second with a force 264 times that of gravity. The Post explained that smaller lizards may need more energy per gram of body mass which may have left them with highly efficient tongues. "Smaller species have higher performance than larger species," said Brown University biologist Christopher Anderson. Studies in the past have indicated that chameleons can stretch their tongues by just as much as their body length. That limit was arrived at by studying large chameleons. By studying chameleons across a range of body sizes, Anderson has now been able to show that the smaller lizards have more efficient tongues. "What this study shows is that by using smaller species, we may be able to elucidate these higher performance values," he said. The study has been published in the journal Scientific Reports. See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare Close We often feel more buzzed after a glass of wine than a glass of beer, ever wondered why? Champagne always hits faster than any other alcoholic spirit. "Some of the dizziness you can feel after champagne is due to both the brain getting [a little] less oxygen and also the [effects] of the alcohol at the same time," explains researcher Boris Tabakoff at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Tabakoff further explains that all the bubbles in a sparkling wine are made of carbon dioxide. This CO2 contends with oxygen in our body. According to the Princeton University study on alcohol absorption, the increased carbon dioxide in your bloodstream "increases the pressure in your stomach, forcing alcohol out through the lining of your stomach into the bloodstream." This can elevate the alcohol absorption in the body, even if that happens momentarily. The doctors suggest that the best way to avoid feeling heady, you should sip the wine slowly. However, if you want to prevent the hangover then switch your glass of bubbly with water and alternate this between each glass. This way you will be able to overcome the dehydration that happens due to drinking, says NPR. "What happens when you first start drinking," Tabakoff explains, "is that a hormone that controls your water balance, an anti-diuretic hormone, is suppressed." And this leaves us heading for the ladies' or men's room - which can precipitate a pounding headache in the morning. Tabakoff also explains that it is not only the dehydration that is at play when we get a headache next morning. "High levels of alcohol in the brain have fairly recently been shown to cause neuro-inflammation, basically, inflammation in the brain," he says. He also said, "Food is very good for the purpose of slowing the absorption of alcohol." See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare You Cant Report Truthfully On Israel Without Facing Its Wrath By Richard Falk 06 January, 2016 Electronicintifada.net Makarim Wibisono says Israel has blocked him from fulfilling his UN mandate to report on human rights violations in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. Jean-Marc Ferre UN Photo Makarim Wibisono has announced his resignation as UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, the position I held for six years until June 2014. The Indonesian diplomat says that he could not fulfill his mandate because Israel has adamantly refused to give him access to the Palestinian people living under its military occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Unfortunately, my efforts to help improve the lives of Palestinian victims of violations under the Israeli occupation have been frustrated every step of the way, Wibisono explains. His resignation reminds me in a strange way of Richard Goldstones retraction a few years ago of the main finding in the UN-commissioned Goldstone report, that Israel intentionally targeted civilians in the course of Operation Cast Lead, its massive attack on Gaza at the end of 2008. I responded to media inquiries by saying that I was shocked, but not surprised. Shocked because the evidence was overwhelming and the other three distinguished members of the UN fact-finding commission stuck by the finding. I was not surprised because I knew Goldstone a former judge of the South African constitutional court to be a man of strong ambition and weak character, a terrible mix for public figures who wander into controversial territory. In Wibisonos case I am surprised, but not shocked. Surprised because he should have known from the outset that he was faced with a dilemma between doing the job properly of reporting on Israels crimes and human rights abuses and gaining Israels cooperation in the course of gathering this evidence. Not shocked, indeed grateful, as it illuminates the difficulty confronting anyone charged with truthful reporting on the Palestinian ordeal under occupation, and by resigning Wibisono doesnt allow Israel to get away with neutering the position of special rapporteur. It is worth recalling that when Wibisono was selected as my successor, several more qualified candidates were passed over. Although the selection guidelines stress expert knowledge of the subject matter of the mandate, Wibisono gained the upper hand precisely because of his lack of any relevant background. I can only hope that now the UN Human Rights Council will redeem its mistake by reviving the candidacies of Professor Christine Chinkin and Phyllis Bennis, both of whom possess the credentials, motivation and strength of character to become an effective special rapporteur. The Palestinians deserve nothing less. Honesty When I met with Makarim Wibisono in Geneva shortly after his appointment as special rapporteur was announced, he told me confidently that he had been assured that if he accepted the appointment the Israeli government would allow him entry, a reassurance that he repeated in his resignation announcement. I warned him then that even someone who leaned far to the Israeli side politically would find it impossible to avoid reaching the conclusion that Israel was guilty of severe violations of international humanitarian law and of human rights standards, and this kind of honesty was sure to anger the Israelis. I also told him that he was making a big mistake if he thought he could please both sides, given the reality of prolonged denial of fundamental Palestinian rights. At the time he smiled, apparently feeling confident that his diplomatic skills would allow him to please the Israelis even while he was compiling reports detailing their criminality. He told me that he was seeking to do what I did but to do so more effectively by securing Israels cooperation. It was then my turn to smile. Facing the heat What I discovered during my six years as special rapporteur is that you can make a difference, but only if you are willing to put up with the heat. You can make a difference by giving foreign ministries around the world the most authoritative account available of the daily realities facing the Palestinian people. By so doing you have to expect ultra-Zionist organizations and others to react harshly, including through a continuous defamatory campaign that seeks by any means to discredit your voice and will mount accusations of anti-Semitism and, in my case, of being a self-hating Jew. What both shocked and surprised me was the willingness of both the UN secretary general and US diplomatic representatives at the UN to bend in Israels direction and join the chorus making such denunciations. Although periodically tempted to resign, I am glad that I didnt. Given the pro-Israel bias of the mainstream media in the United States and Europe, it is particularly important, however embattled the position, to preserve this source of truth telling. My hope is that the Human Rights Council will learn from the Wibisono experience and appoint someone who can both stand the heat and report the realities for what they are. Richard Falk is Professor Emeritus of International Law at Princeton University. Among dozens of books, he is the author of Palestine: The Legitimacy of Hope US-Armed Saudi Coalition Cancels Ceasefire, Renews Military Onslaught In Yemen By Thomas Gaist 06 January, 2015 Countercurrents.org Saudi Arabia officially canceled a weeks-old cease-fire in its war against Yemen Saturday, ending a formal period of truce between the regime and the Houthi insurgency that began on December 15. The regime has already launched a fresh wave of airstrikes since declaring the truce over. According to the UN Saudi jets have pounded areas throughout the country over the last three days in attacks that have already destroyed a handful of civilian targets. Saudi forces have already attacked several targets in densely populated civilian areas within Yemens capital of Sanaa, according to UN human rights representative Rupert Coalville. The latest Saudi strikes destroyed a medical center for blind patients on Tuesday. Earlier this week airstrikes also destroyed Yemens chamber of commerce headquarters. Yemens main population centers are currently under various degrees of military siege and blockade, including the capital Sanaa and the southern port city of Aden, as well as Taiz, a city of some 200,000. An 8 p.m. curfew was imposed in Aden on Monday, after pro-government forces wrested control of areas of the city that had been taken over by Al Qaeda-linked militia and other militia factions. The war against Yemen is only one of countless US-orchestrated slaughters perpetrated against the Middle East. Nonetheless, it is being waged with an especially frenzied level of criminality and recklessness. The Saudi regime and its American backers are proving in Yemen that they will use any level of military force and mass terror in defense of their power and control over the highly strategic region. Wave after wave of Saudi-led bombing has routinely struck known civilian targets and residential areas. At least 8,100 Yemeni civilians have been killed or wounded since the beginning of the Saudi-led bombing campaign in March, according to the latest UN figures. Within days of the beginning of the Saudi air war in March Saudi attacks struck a refugee camp, a civilian market and a medical center. The number of civilian casualties produced by Saudi air attacks continued to increase sharply throughout December in spite of the supposed truce. Amid the ceasefire and simultaneous peace talks in Geneva, the total number of Yemeni civilians killed more than doubled in December by comparison with November. Saudi airstrikes are responsible for two thirds of the civilian deaths caused by the war, a UN report found in September. More than 2.5 million Yemenis have been displaced and nearly 200,000 have sought refuge in other countries since the Saudi onslaught began. Saudi strikes have been launched in flagrant violation of international law against areas with known schools and hospitals, according to Johannes van der Klaauw, UN humanitarian official in charge of Yemen. Saudi forces have launched countless accidental strikes against civilian areas, wedding parties and medical facilities. The widespread destruction of Yemens social and productive infrastructure has led to conditions in which the vast majority of the population struggles without secure sources of food, electricity or running water. Within two weeks of the launch of the Saudi air war, more than 10 million Yemenis had lost all access to food, water and electricity, according to initial reports in April 2015. Some 100,000 Yemenis were displaced from their homes within the first two weeks of the Saudi war alone. The UN food agency warned recently that Yemen as a whole is at risk of slipping into famine. Nearly half of Yemens provinces are characterized by near famine conditions, according to the World Food Program. One million Yemenis are already malnourished and Yemens health care infrastructure is close to collapse, according statements by top UN emergency relief official Kyung-wha Kang. Some 300,000 young children (ages 1-4) are malnourished and some 7.6 million Yemenis are living in borderline starvation conditions. Human rights groups also report that many Yemeni children are showing signs of mass psychological trauma. In the months since initial accusations of cluster bomb usage by Riyadh were advanced by Human Rights Watch in April, Saudi forces have continued to use illegal cluster munitions against civilian areas. UN investigators found dozens of shell casings from Saudi cluster weapons near villages in Yemens Haradh District. The US media has maintained the maximum level of silence possible in relation to the Yemen war. A Saudi air strike which destroyed a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) hospital in Yemen in late October, just weeks after US forces incinerated a large MSF hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, passed with barely a ripple in the American press. With the help of the corporate media, the Obama administration has worked to distance the US and NATO from the war and downplay the scale of the crimes being perpetrated by the US-backed Saudi forces. In reality, the Saudi monarchy has received a blank check from Washington to wage war in Yemen. The US government and military have played a central role in the war, providing close support for the Saudi air campaign, including logistics, weapons, intelligence and target selection. The US has carried out thousands of mid-air refuels of Saudi coalition planes, and has been running joint military operation centers in Saudi territory to streamline the assault. In November, President Obama signed an authorization green lighting an additional purchase of $1.3 billion worth of US weapons by the Saudi regime. The Saudi royals have enthusiastically seized on the open-ended US backing for their campaign to place their military apparatus on a total war footing and assemble an Islamic war coalition in preparation for confrontation against Iran and Iranian forces and interests throughout the Middle East. Official Saudi budget estimates for 2016 allocate nearly $215 billion to military sectors. The regime plans to double the size of its military by 2020, building up its combat-ready force to over 500,000 soldiers and spending some $150 billion on an array of new advanced weapons systems, according to figures cited by the Daily Telegraphs Con Coughlin. Just days prior to the December 15 ceasefire, Saudi Arabia announced the formation of the Islamic Military Alliance, which includes Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Nigeria, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The Saudi war against Yemen is being waged by a coalition of states that closely overlaps with the roster of the IMA coalition, which is widely understood among regional analysts to be essentially an anti-Iranian alliance. The renewed Saudi offensive against will include forces from the Kuwaiti military, reports last week revealed. On Tuesday, the Kuwaiti regime announced that it will suspend diplomatic ties with Iran, joining Bahrain, UAE and Qatar in issuing punitive measures against Tehran and signaling their alignment with the Saudi monarchy. Revised Annual Per Capita Greenhouse Gas Pollution For All Countries What Is Your Country Doing? By Dr Gideon Polya 06 January, 2016 Countercurrents.org The Paris Climate Change Conference failed Humanity and has locked in a catastrophic temperature rise of about plus 2.7 degrees C. All ordinary folk can do is to boycott the worst polluters. World Bank analysts have revised annual greenhouse gas (GHG) pollutions upwards by 50% to 64 billion tonnes CO2-e by properly accounting for land use for animal husbandry and the same approach has been used here to properly re-calculate annual per capita GHG pollution for all countries and hence the best targets for global Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) to save the planet. World Bank analysts carefully re-evaluated the contribution of livestock production to world annual GHG pollution and found that the world's annual total rose from 41.76 billion tonnes CO2-equivalent (CO2-e) as estimated by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) to 63.80 billion tonnes CO2-e, with livestock production contributing over 51% of the higher figure [1]. A key element of their analysis was to use a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of methane (CH4) relative to that of carbon dioxide (CO2) of 72 in a 20-year time frame rather than the 25 on a 100 year time frame used by the FAO [1]. Indeed the World Bank analysis evidently still understates the GHG pollution because NASA scientists have re-evaluated the GWP of CH4 as 105 in a 20 year time frame with aerosol impacts considered [2]. Relatively up to date and accurate data on global CO2 emissions from cement manufacture and burning fossil fuels is available from the US Government [3] and from the EU Emission Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR) [4]. Global 2000 data on annual per capita greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution with and without land use is available on Wikipedia [5] and was used, as outlined below, to determine for every country a current corrected estimate of annual per capita greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data that is otherwise astonishingly unavailable for ready access by concerned citizens of the planet. World non-land use CO2 pollution in 2013 was 4.932 tonnes CO2 per person per year [4], and with a world population of 7.137 billion in 2013 this corresponds to 35.23 billion tonnes CO2-e. The World Bank estimate of 63.80 billion tonnes CO2-e involves 63.80 35.23 = 28.57 billion tonnes CO2-e due to land use and livestock [1]. The previous FAO estimate of 7.52 billion tonnes CO2-e due to land use and livestock is 3.8 times less than the revised World Bank estimate of 28.57 billion tonnes CO2-e due to livestock; the FAO estimate of an annual total of 41.76 billion tonnes CO2-equivalent (CO2-e) minus 35.23 billion tonnes CO2 (due to fossil fuel burning and cement) is 6.53 billion tonnes CO2-e due to land use which is 4.4 times less than revised World Bank estimate of 28.57 billion tonnes CO2-e due to livestock; accordingly, as described below, a correction factor of 4 was conveniently applied to make upwardly corrected estimates of annual per capita GHG pollution due to land use. For each country, 2013 annual per capita CO2 pollution from fossil fuel burning and cement (A) [4] was subtracted from 2000 annual per capita GHG pollution with land use included (B) [5] to get an estimate of annual per capita pollution due to land use only (C) which was corrected upwards by multiplying by a factor of 4 to get a corrected estimate of annual per capita GHG pollution due to land use (D). The sum of A plus D gave a corrected estimate (E) of current annual per capita GHG pollution for each country. In some cases, A was greater that B, in which case A was taken as the final current corrected estimate (E). Below are listed revised annual per capita greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution for all countries (tonnes CO2-e per person per year), the world average being 63.80 billion tonnes CO2-e / 7.137 billion people in 2013 = 8.9 tonnes CO2-e per person per year. The countries are grouped as the Very Good (below world average annual per capita GHG emissions) , the Good ( 1-2 times world average), the Bad (2-4 times world average) and the Ugly (4-41 times greater than the word average). The Ugly - about 4 to 41 times the world average: Belize (366.9), Guyana (203.1), Malaysia (126.0), Papua New Guinea (114.7), Qatar (101.8), Zambia (97.5), Antigua & Barbuda (85.6), United Arab Emirates (82.4), Panama (68.0), Botswana (64.9), Liberia (55.0), Indonesia (53.6), New Zealand (53.2), Australia (52.9; 116 if including its huge GHG-generating exports), Nicaragua (51.2), Canada (50.1), Equatorial Guinea (47.5), Venezuela (45.2), Brazil (43.4), Myanmar (41.9), Ireland (41.4), United States (41.0), Cambodia (40.5), Kuwait (37.3), Paraguay (37.2), Central African Republic (35.7). The Bad between 2 and 4 times the world average: Peru (34.8), Mongolia (32.2), Singapore (31.2), Bahrain (30.5), Trinidad & Tobago (29.8), Cameroon (29.5), Congo, Democratic Republic (formerly Zaire) (29.3), Cote d'Ivoire (29.1), Denmark (27.8), Brunei (27.4), Bolivia (27.3), Guatemala (26.9), Belgium (26.3), Ecuador (26.2), Estonia (25.4), Laos (25.3), Suriname (25.1), Netherlands (24.9), Libya (24.9), Nepal (24.6), Benin (24.5), Angola (23.8), Madagascar (23.7), Argentina (23.7), Uruguay (23.7)*, Luxembourg (23.6), Turkmenistan (23.5), Czech Republic (23.5), Zimbabwe (23.3), Gabon (23.1), Greece (21.9), United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (21.5), Cyprus (21.4), Congo, Republic (21.0), Spain (20.9), Finland (20.6), Israel (20.2), Norway (20.1), Colombia (19.8), Namibia (19.8), Mauritania (19.7), South Africa (19.4), Ukraine (19.1), Germany (18.6). The Good - between 1 and 2 times the world average: France (17.7), Italy (17.6), Uzbekistan (17.5), Costa Rica (17.1), Sudan (16.8), Saudi Arabia (16.6), Slovenia (16.5), Azerbaijan (16.4), Russia (16.2), Sierra Leone (16.2), Slovakia (15.9), Honduras (15.8), Hungary (15.5), Kazakhstan (15.4), Portugal (15.0), Sweden (15.0), Iran (14.5), Iceland (14.2), Mexico (13.9), Oman (13.8), Malta (13.3), Austria (13.0), Poland (12.9), Jamaica (12.8), Palau (12.8), South Korea (12.7), Guinea (12.5), North Korea (12.1), Bahamas (12.1), Nigeria (11.7), Nauru (11.7), Malawi (11.7), Mali (11.6), Chad (11.6), Taiwan (11.6), Latvia (11.4), Vanuatu (11.1), Switzerland (11.0), Romania (10.9), Togo (10.9), Japan (10.7), Serbia & Montenegro (10.4), Seychelles (10.2), Bulgaria (10.1), Lebanon (9.8), Syria (9.4), Tanzania (9.3), Turkey (9.2), Barbados (9.1), Jordan (9.1), Occupied State of Palestine (9.1)*, Philippines (9.0), Guinea-Bissau (9.0). The Very Good - at or below world average (8.9): Ghana (8.9), Thailand (8.7), Chile (8.7), Fiji (8.7), Belarus (8.6), Sri Lanka (8.5), Macedonia (8.5), Tonga (7.4), Croatia (7.4), China (7.4), Burkina Faso (7.3), Bosnia & Herzegovina (7.2), Kenya (7.1), Dominican Republic (7.1), Senegal (7.0), Tunisia (7.0), Algeria (6.6), Grenada (6.4), Samoa (6.2), Rwanda (6.1), El Salvador (6.0), Lithuania (5.9), Mozambique (5.8), Lesotho (5.7), Burundi (5.5), Iraq (5.5), Eritrea (5.3), St Kitts & Nevis (5.1), Uganda (5.1), Haiti (5.0), Mauritius (5.0), Albania (4.3), Dominica (4.2), Bhutan (4.1), Niger (4.1), Ethiopia (4.1), Moldova (4.0), Georgia (4.0), Yemen (3.7), Tajikistan (3.7), Afghanistan (3.6), Swaziland (3.6), Cuba (3.5), Cape Verde (3.5), Kyrgyzstan (3.4), The Gambia (3.0), St Lucia (2.9), Bangladesh (2.7), Egypt (2.6), Niue (2.6), Pakistan (2.5), Morocco (2.5), Djibouti (2.4), St Vincent & Grenadines (2.4), Armenia (2.3), Maldives (2.1), India (2.1), Cook Islands (2.1), Vietnam (1.9), Sao Tome and Principe (1.9), Comoros (1.6), Solomon Islands (1.4), Kiribati (1.2), Tuvalu (1.2)* (* indicates an estimate based on that for an immediately contiguous, ethnically-related country). Conclusions. The above analysis lists countries in order of corrected annual per capita greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution and readily distinguishes the Very Good (annual per capita GHG emissions below the world average) from the Good ( 1-2 times greater than the world average), the Bad (2-4 times the world average) and the Ugly (4-41 times greater than the word average). The countries that are merely Good GHG-wise deserve our encouragement but the Bad and Ugly countries merit global blowback via Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS). The weak, non-binding and dishonest Paris Climate Agreement has betrayed our children, grandchildren, future generations, the Developing World, Humanity and the Biosphere the target of 1.5 to 2 degrees C is both unavoidable and catastrophic and key matters are non-binding. The Paris betrayal demands a peaceful, world-wide Climate Revolution involving peaceful actions via the ballot box and via Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against all politicians, corporations and countries disproportionately involved in ecocidal, speciescidal and terracidal GHG pollution that amounts to state terrorism, state-sanctioned corporate terrorism and state-sanctioned climate terrorism [6, 7, 8]. The 2009 Report of the German Scientific Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU, Wissenshaftlicher Beirat der Bundesregierung Globale Umweltveranderungen) entitled Solving the climate dilemma: the budget approach crucially stated: The budget of CO2 emissions still available worldwide could be derived from the 2 degree C guard rail. By the middle of the 21st century a maximum of approximately 750 Gt CO2 (billion metric tons) may be released into the Earth's atmosphere if the guard rail is to be adhered to with a probability of 67%. If we raise the probability to 75%, the cumulative emissions within this period would even have to remain below 600 Gt CO2. In any case, only a small amount of CO2 may be emitted worldwide after 2050. Thus, the era of an economy driven by fossil fuels will definitely have to come to an end within the first half of this century [9]. The consequences of this declaration of less than 600 Gt CO2 (600 billion tonnes CO2) in emissions for a 75% chance of avoiding a catastrophic 2 degree C temperature rise are profound. Thus, would you board a plane if it had a 25% chance of crashing? Further, the average world population in the period 2010 and 2050 will be 8.321 billion . Accordingly the per capita share of this Terminal Carbon Pollution Budget is less than 600 billion tonnes CO2/8.321 billion people = less than 72.1 tonnes CO2 per person. Using the above corrected data for the annual per capita greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that properly accounts for land use and livestock impacts, one can determine how many years left at current rates of GHG pollution (in units of CO2-e or CO2-equivalent i.e. taking other GHGs into account) before a given country uses up its fair share of this Terminal Carbon Pollution Budget. Thus, for example, for Australia 72.1 tonnes CO2-e per person / 52.9 tonnes CO2-e per person per year = 1.4 years left relative to 2010, noting that this analysis does not take into account historical pollution of the atmosphere. Thus Australia used up its fair share of the world's Terminal Carbon Pollution in 2011 and since then has been stealing the entitlement of the other countries which have not yet used up their entitlement. Indeed the whole world is very close to using up its Terminal Carbon Pollution Budget. Thus years left before the world uses up this budget = 72.1 tonnes CO2 per person/ 8.9 tonnes CO2-e per person per year = 8.1 years relative to 2010 and thus only about 2 years relative to 2016. We are badly running out of time to deal with man-made climate change, and sensible, humane, science-informed people can (a) inform everyone they can about the corrected annual per capita GHG pollution data presented here, and (b) urge and apply Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against all people, politicians, parties, companies, corporations and countries disproportionately involved in the greenhouse gas pollution that so acutely threatens Humanity and the Biosphere. References. [1]. Robert Goodland and Jeff Anfang. Livestock and climate change. What if the key actors in climate change are cows, pigs and chickens?, World Watch, November/December 2009: http://www.worldwatch.org/files/pdf/Livestock%20and%20Climate%20Change.pdf . [2]. Drew T. Shindell , Greg Faluvegi, Dorothy M. Koch , Gavin A. Schmidt , Nadine Unger and Susanne E. Bauer , Improved Attribution of Climate Forcing to Emissions, Science, 30 October 2009: Vol. 326 no. 5953 pp. 716-718: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/326/5953/716 . [3]. List of countries by carbon dioxide emissions per capita, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_carbon_dioxide_emissions_per_capita . [4]. European Commission, CO2 time series 1990-2013 per capita for world countries, Emission Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR): http://edgar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/overview.php?v=CO2ts_pc1990-2013 . [5]. List of countries by greenhouse gas emissions per capita, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_greenhouse_gas_emissions_per_capita . [6]. Gideon Polya , Paris Climate Agreement Betrays Humanity Which Must Apply Boycotts, Divestment And Sanctions (BDS) Against Climate Criminal People, Corporations & Countries , Countercurrents, 14 December, 2015: http://www.countercurrents.org/polya141215.htm . [7]. Stop state terrorism : https://sites.google.com/site/stopstateterrorism/ . [8]. "State crime and non-state terrorism": https://sites.google.com/site/statecrimeandnonstateterrorism/ [9]. WBGU, Solving the climate dilemma: the budget approach, 2009: http://www.wbgu.de/fileadmin/templates/dateien/veroeffentlichungen/sondergutachten/sn2009/wbgu_sn2009_en.pdf . Dr Gideon Polya has been teaching science students at a major Australian university for 4 decades. He published some 130 works in a 5 decade scientific career, most recently a huge pharmacological reference text "Biochemical Targets of Plant Bioactive Compounds" (CRC Press/Taylor & Francis, New York & London , 2003). He has published Body Count. Global avoidable mortality since 1950 (G.M. Polya, Melbourne, 2007: http://globalbodycount.blogspot.com/ ); see also his contributions Australian complicity in Iraq mass mortality in Lies, Deep Fries & Statistics (edited by Robyn Williams, ABC Books, Sydney, 2007: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/ockhamsrazor/australian-complicity-in-iraq-mass-mortality/3369002#transcript ) and Ongoing Palestinian Genocide in The Plight of the Palestinians (edited by William Cook, Palgrave Macmillan, London , 2010: http://mwcnews.net/focus/analysis/4047-the-plight-of-the-palestinians.html ). He has published a revised and updated 2008 version of his 1998 book Jane Austen and the Black Hole of British History (see: http://janeaustenand.blogspot.com/ ) as biofuel-, globalization- and climate-driven global food price increases threaten a greater famine catastrophe than the man-made famine in British-ruled India that killed 6-7 million Indians in the forgotten World War 2 Bengal Famine (see recent BBC broadcast involving Dr Polya, Economics Nobel Laureate Professor Amartya Sen and others: http://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/history/social-economic-history/listen-the-bengal-famine ). When words fail one can say it in pictures - for images of Gideon Polya's huge paintings for the Planet, Peace, Mother and Child see: http://sites.google.com/site/artforpeaceplanetmotherchild/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/gideonpolya/ . Muslim Women: Breaking The Glass Ceiling Of Patriarchy By Moin Qazi 06 January, 2016 Countercurrents.org Muslim women across South Asia are slowly getting empowered to stand up to patriarchal practices that undermine their dignity. In literate societies, Muslim women, like their counterparts in other creeds, are an empowered community. First, they challenge cultural norms within their communities that deny Muslim women rights and visible roles. They believe that rights have been accorded to them in foundational Islamic texts, but that cultural interpretations of these same texts disallow what is rightfully theirs. They do not call this a feminist struggle, but describe this as a reclamation of their faith. Muslim womens activism around education and equal opportunities are often underpinned by their emancipatory readings of foundational Islamic texts. Muslim women are also challenging patriarchy that all women experience around unequal power hierarchies in society and the objectification of womens bodies in some sections of the media. In this regard they stand with their sisters of all backgrounds. Muslim womens traditional importance in Islamic society has always been and continues to be the foundation of the Islamic family. Social values strongly reinforce orientation towards marriage and children as the normative pattern based on Muhammads (peace be upon him) own example. Child rearing, early education, and socialization of children are among womens most important tasks in Islamic societies worldwide. Although traditionally excluded from the public male domain, Muslim women have been privately involved in study and oral transmission of Islamic source texts (Quran and Hadith). In modern times, they have entered into both secular and religious forms of education with enthusiasm supporting their long standing role as family educators and moral exemplars as well as training for professional careers in the workplace outside the home. The Quran recognizes the childbearing and childrearing roles of women, but does not present women as inferior to or unequal to men. On the contrary, central to Islamic belief is the importance and high value placed on education. From the true Islamic point of view, education should be freely and equally available to women as much as men. Islam anticipates the demands of Western feminists by more than a thousand years. A stay-at-home wife can specify that she expects to receive a regular stipend, which is not that far from the goals of the Wages for Housework campaign of the nineteen-seventies. Elsewhere, the fully empowered Muslim woman sounds like a self-assured, post-feminist typea woman who draws her inspiration from the example of Sukayna, the brilliant, beautiful great-granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). She was married several times, and, at least once, stipulated in writing that her husband was forbidden to disagree with her about anything. All these conditions are based on the canons of Islam and on early Muslim practice. A Muslim woman, cannot be forced to enter into marriage without her agreement; indeed she has the right to revoke a marriage to which she did not agree in the first place. We now have an inquisitive and empowered generation that will not easily accept rules and codes without reasoning them out and arguing on every strand before embracing it. A very heartening development is that unlike earlier times when only those who had finally retired from all worldly responsibilities would make the hajj pilgrimage, the youth is very actively participating in this most potent Islamic exercise. A hajj is a revolutionary experience which radically transforms ones mindset and provides a correct perspective of Islam. An exposure to a composite global culture gives an invigorating perspective to the pilgrim. Few Muslim women outside the urban areas may want to behave like Western women. The sexually exploitative element remains high in the West, however strident the rhetoric of sexual equality. Perhaps this is best illustrated by the well-known cigarette ad depicting a woman smoking: Youve come a long way, baby. The message is clear: you too may now die of cancer through smoking. The high rate of divorce and sexual disease are common consequences of the reckless drive to equate the sexes and free sexual relationships. Comparison may mean little outside the cultural context, but it is important to point out that until a hundred years ago Western women had virtually no rights in law or practice. Over a thousand years before the first European suffragette, Islam gave far reaching rights and a defined status to women. But these Western attitudes have undoubtedly helped to stimulate discussions of the problem in Muslim urban society thereby revealing the gap between the talk of the Islamic ideal and the actual situation of women. Women emerged as the centerpiece of the Western narrative of Islam in the nineteenth century, and in particular in the later nineteenth century, as Europeans established themselves as colonial powers in Muslim countries. Their narratives simultaneously and hypocritically perpetuated the Victorian English narrative that European men were superior to women while also denigrating Muslim culture for being oppressive to women. The veil, to Western eyes, then became the most visible marker of the differentness and inferiority of Islamic societies. The Muslim resistance to this colonialism, then, supported veiling, not necessarily as a symbol of female subordination, but as a reaction against colonization and assumptions of European supremacy. Muslim women certainly do not share the western notion of femisnism. These women do not accept that being feminist means being Western and believe that Western women should be respectful of other paths to social change. First, there are multiple causes of discrimination against women, and religion is but one. Second, gender relations structure womens options in all societies. Third, it is futile to focus on misery elsewhere as an escape from the realities of our own lives. And fourth, the issue of power remains crucial for understanding gender inequality in any society. Western thinkers and practitioners must reconsider their assumptions about the role of Islam in womens rights, and approach this topic with a more nuanced lens. They must understand the necessity of recognizing and consciously accepting the broad cultural differences between Western and non-Western conceptions of autonomy, as well as respecting social standards that reflect non-Western values. They should pay heed to what First Lady Michelle Obama expressed to hijab wearing students: You wonder if anyone ever sees beyond your headscarf to see who you really are, instead of being blinded by the fears and misperceptions in their own minds. And I know how painful and how frustrating all of that can be. It is clear that Muslim womens empowerment, like many things, cannot be imposed on a country or a culture from the outside. Men and women within these conservative communities must first find their own reasons and their own justifications to allow women a fuller role in society. Increasingly, they are finding those reasons within Islam. Like men, women deserve to be free. It is only a matter of time until the day comes when they [women] test their chains and break free. As Rumi says in the Mathnawi, Woman is a ray of God. She is not just the earthly beloved; she is a creatior , not the created. Moin Qazi is a well known banker, author and Islamic researcher .He holds doctorates in Economics and English. He was Visiting Fellow at the University of Manchester. He has authored several books on religion, rural finance, culture and handicrafts. He is author of the bestselling book Village Diary of a Development Banker. He is also a recipient of UNESCO World Politics Essay Gold Medal and Rotary Internationals Vocational Excellence Award. He is based in Nagpur and can be reached at moinqazi123@gmail.com SHARE Justin Long Troy Tornatta Becky Kasha Hahn Kiefer Real Estate Services has expanded its staff of commercial brokers to seven, with the inclusion of Justin Long and Troy Tornatta. In addition, Becky Kasha, who joined the firm in October of 2014 as a commercial broker and legal counsel, has been promoted to vice president. Long graduated from Ball State University with a degree in Urban Planning and Real Estate Development. He is a founding partner of RED LLC, a consulting and development company focused on economically and environmentally challenged sites and projects. Tornatta graduated from the University of Southern Indiana. He served as a Vanderburgh County councilman and then Vanderburgh County Commissioner from 2001-2010. He worked in his family business, Tornatta Tire, for 20 years, before leaving to pursue a full time career in real estate. Kasha has represented the Vanderburgh County Assessor and the Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals. She currently serves on the Board of Zoning Appeals and Burdette Park Advisory Board, and is president of VOICES, Inc. SHARE Karin Goedeke Sara Linton Karin Godeke has returned to to Haynie Travel from AAA to serve as a travel specialist. Godeke has more than 30 years experience with domestic and international travel including French Polynesia, Asia, Europe, Mexico, and the Caribbean. She is a graduate of Northwood and the University of Southern Indiana. Sara Linton is now marketing manager and sales assistant after working in the recreation industry. Linton is a 2014 graduate of Indiana University, concentrating in tourism and hospitality. Haynie Travel is a member of Signature Travel Network of more than 6,000 travel professionals, and is an affiliate of FROSCH International, a privately owned global travel agency with more than 1,400 employees and annual sales exceeding $1.5 billion. SHARE By Susan Orr of the Courier and Press Peabody Energy has agreed to contribute as much as $75 million this year toward health care benefits for retirees of Patriot Coal, a Peabody spinoff that is now defunct. The agreement takes the form of a legal settlement between St. Louis-based Peabody and the United Mine Workers of America. Both parties signed off on the agreement last week and announced the news late Monday. Under the agreement, Peabody will pay $7.5 million each month from January through October. The money will go into a Voluntary Employees' Beneficiary Association, or VEBA, which helps pay for Patriot retirees' health care benefits. According to the miners' union, the agreement covers 12,000 Patriot retirees, dependents and widows, most of whom live in West Virginia, Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana. It does not affect retirees of the Squaw Creek mine in Warrick County. They are covered under a different agreement. "I am pleased that we have been able to reach this agreement," United Mine Workers President Cecil Roberts said in a news release. In its own news release, Peabody stated "the market conditions occurring in the coal industry are unprecedented and have created hardship for stakeholders at all levels. The company is pleased to have reached this new agreement to resolve uncertainty for UMWA participants related to Patriot." The settlement concludes a legal issue that has come up more than once in recent years. Patriot filed for bankruptcy for the first time in 2012. Following that bankruptcy, in 2013 Peabody entered into a three-party agreement with Patriot and the United Mine Workers. In that agreement, Peabody agreed to pay into a Patriot retirees' VEBA. Peabody said it also agreed to provide credit support to Patriot, and Patriot agreed in turn to reimburse Peabody for any credit support that it drew upon. As part of the 2013 agreement, Peabody contributed $90 million in January 2014 and $75 million in January 2015. That 2013 agreement also called for Peabody to contribute $75 million this year and $70 million in 2017. Patriot filed for bankruptcy a second time in May 2015. Following that filing, Peabody said, Patriot breached its settlement agreement. According to legal documents, Peabody said Patriot's breach excused Peabody from its obligation to make the 2016 and 2017 VEBA payments. Patriot is no longer in operation the company sold off essentially all of its assets, and its bankruptcy case wrapped up last fall. Under the terms of the current agreement, Peabody's financial obligation to the Patriot retirees' VEBA will end after this year. The agreement also says that Peabody can terminate its monthly payments before October if Patriot retirees become eligible for an alternative form of health care benefits under pending federal legislation. That legislation, the Coal Healthcare and Pensions Protection Act of 2015, was introduced in the U.S. House in May 2015 by Representative David McKinley, R-W.Va. The legislation would allow the Patriot retirees to receive benefits under the federal Coal Act. The legislation has attracted 64 co-sponsors from both parties, though it was referred to subcommittee in June and nothing has happened since. "We are hopeful that we can get something moving soon in Congress over the next few months," said Phil Smith, the United Mine Workers of America's director of governmental affairs. If that legislation fails, Smith said, the Patriot Coal VEBA has no other sources of funding after Peabody's obligation ends in October. "That's why it's so important to us that we get this legislation passed." The miners' union has had a series of rallies in the area in support of the legislation. About 1,000 people turned out for a rally in Evansville, which took place in early November. SHARE By Len Wells of the Courier and Press An Evansville man has been sentenced to 10 years in an Illinois prison after being found guilty of being in possession of a stolen vehicle. Martin A. Ritch, 41, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on the class-2 felony conviction in White County Circuit Court in Carmi, Illinois, on Monday. Ritch drew a consecutive 10-year sentence for burglary. A jury found him guilty after an October trial. In addition to prison time, the judge ordered Ritch to pay $3,589 in fines and fees, which include $2,960 in restitution to the victim in the case. The standard sentencing range for a class-2 felony in Illinois is 3-7 years. "Mr. Ritch was sentenced to an extended stint in the Illinois Department of Corrections for his serious offenses," said White County State's Attorney Denton Aud. "We will continue to prioritize seeking justice against those criminals that intentionally victimize other citizens." Ritch was also ordered to serve another two years of parole once he is released from prison. SHARE By Len Wells of the Courier and Press An Olney, Illinois, man who delivered methamphetamine to a confidential source last summer has been sentenced to 16 years in prison. Justin W. Cleaver, 37, was sentenced on Tuesday to an extended eight years in prison for delivering less than five grams of meth to a confidential informant; five years for possession of between five and 15 grams of meth, and three years for using his vehicle in the transportation of meth. The judge in Edwards County Circuit Court ordered Cleaver to serve the sentences consecutively. In return for his guilty plea, the state dropped a more serious class-1 felony meth-related charge. Cleaver has been in the White County jail at Carmi since his arrest on Aug. 31 during a sting operation near West Salem, Illinois. The operation conducted by the Edwards County Sheriff's Department. By Megan Erbacher of the Courier and Press Just about 60 days before the testing window opens for Hoosier students to take the first portion of year's ISTEP test, and after almost five months of delay, the Indiana Department of Education publicly released statewide and local results for the 2015 assessment early Wednesday. Across the state, 67.3 percent of students passed the English-language arts section, while 61 percent passed the math portion. Just more than 53 percent passed both sections. Fourth- and sixth-grade students who passed the science section was at 69.2 percent. And 70.4 percent of fifth- and seventh-graders passed the optional social studies portion. EVSC officials said those figures don't factor into the accountability metrics. The results can't accurately be compared to previous years, officials said, because this is a different test and the first round of results represent Indiana pupils meeting the new, "more rigorous" college- and career-ready standards at each grade level. In the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp., 60.3 percent of students passed English-language arts and 54.9 percent passed math, while 47.8 percent of pupils passed both sections. EVSC schools performing on the high end included Scott Elementary School, with 80.9 percent of students passing both math and English-language arts, and Oak Hill, which had 78.4 percent of pupils pass both sections. EVSC schools on the lower end of performance included Lincoln, with a 13.9 percent pass rate of both sections, and the Academy for Innovative Studies, with 7.1 percent of students passing both portions. SEARCH YOUR SCHOOL'S SCORES HERE But with "a number of" unresolved student scores, EVSC officials don't plan to use the data. EVSC Assistant Superintendent for Strategy and Accountability Katie Minihan said officials have corresponded with IDOE and CTB/McGraw-Hill since November, when the first round of scores was released to schools and parents. Minihan said officials at those organizations continue to ask for student information that the EVSC has already given. "It just makes you a little curious why they're sending it back to us for things that they have," she said. "And we've been given no indication of when we'll have resolution on any of those, which I think makes you a little concerned that we're releasing scores and we don't have every student score resolved at this point." The EVSC has used other metrics "to move students forward," Minihan said. "So getting this in January when we start testing in February, if you waited to use this you'd be doing a disservice to students," she said. "We've clearly moved on," said EVSC Superintendent David Smith. "When the data came out earlier, we certainly pored over the results." Smith said, overall, third-graders performed better than expected, with a district pass rate of 52.2 percent on both sections. "We knew we were going to drop along with everyone else," he said. "That was indeed the case. But when you look at similarly situated peer corporations, we actually performed better. I think that's evidence that what our teachers are doing now is helping our students grow." In the Catholic Diocese of Evansville, 83.5 percent of Catholic pupils passed English-language arts, 80 percent passed math and 73 percent passed both parts. Diocesan Superintendent of Schools Daryl Hagan said it's important for families to remember that ISTEP is an important data point, but it's not the only data point. "At the end of the day, the diocese will take a look at the data as we do each and every year," Hagan said. "We will dive into that data and see where our students performed well, and find areas where maybe they didn't perform as well as anticipated. And then we'll put together a program that helps target our teachers in the right direction so those students can continue to master new standards." Other local school district results include: Warrick County School Corp.: 79.4 percent of students passed English-language arts, 73.7 percent passed math and 67.3 percent passed both; in the Metropolitan School District of Mount Vernon: 69.1 percent passed English-language arts, 61.7 percent passed math and 54.5 percent passed both sections; and in the Metropolitan School District of North Posey County: 73.7 percent passed English-language arts, 73.2 percent passed math and 62.7 percent passed both. ISTEP pass rates play a role in determining teacher compensation and assigned A-F school accountability grades, although state lawmakers have already said they plan to pass legislation to shield teachers and schools from this year's test results. Across the state, school corporations experienced technical difficulties with the 2015 online test. Lawmakers intervened to shorten the test length's. And differences between online and paper versions of the test also caused concern. Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz said in a statement that the 2015 scores establish a baseline for Indiana's progress toward college- and career-ready benchmarks. She also stated she believes it's time for Indiana to move away from the "one-size-fits-all high stakes" ISTEP assessment. By Zach Osowski INDIANAPOLIS Lawmakers pushed two bills related to ISTEP scores out of committees Wednesday, looking to protect teachers and schools from poor test scores. The bills were passed the same day ISTEP scores were finally released, confirming fears that new standards and possible testing issues were leading to a large drop in scores. House Bill 1003, authored by Rep. Robert Behning, R-Indianapolis, who chairs the House Education Committee, was the first bill to gain approval. The bill, which will de-couple ISTEP scores from teacher evaluations if a teacher experienced bad scores on the 2015 test, passed 12-0. Behning said if a teacher's ISTEP scores would improve his or her evaluation, those scores will be used. A few hour later, Senate Bill 200, authored by Sen. Dennis Kruse, R-Auburn, passed the Senate Education Committee 10-1. SB 200 will allow schools and school corporations to use their 2013-14 grade if it is better than their score on the 2014-15 test. Both bills have the support of Gov. Mike Pence and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz. Ritz testified on behalf of both bills, saying schools and teachers needed help after a tumultuous testing cycle last year. "I believe in strong accountability," Ritz said. "But I believe in accountability that makes sense." Unlike in the House committee meeting, there was some opposition to SB 200. Two different groups testified that the bill went away from Indiana's strong stance on accountability. Caitlin Bell, with the Institute for Quality Education, said lawmakers shouldn't step away from accountability. Bell said perhaps this year's scores were a reflection of where students stand with regards to being college and career ready. Sen. Jim Banks, R-Columbia City, said he agrees in part with Bell but thinks the scores this year are an anomaly. He said he is fine with pausing accountability for one year but doesn't want to see the same organizations showing up next year asking for the same thing. Despite the scores finally being released Wednesday, lawmakers still aren't convinced the scores are valid. Behning said language calling for a rescore of the 2014-15 ISTEP test could be inserted into a bill this session. "Everything that could possibly go wrong has gone wrong," Behning said in regards to the test. "We have to do something to establish validity." Despite the legislation moving forward, some of the 2014-15 scores will be used and they will all be used as a baseline moving into 2016's test. For that reason, Behning said they have to be sure the scores are all accurate. An investigation by the Department of Education in December concluded no students were given incorrect scores. Ritz said the DOE is still conducting validity studies on the test. Despite the DOE investigation, lawmakers and others still seem to be concerned with the accuracy of the ISTEP scores. Caryl Auslander, the education policy director for the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, testified before both education committees on Wednesday, asking for a rescore. SHARE By Staff Report Southern Indiana Democracy for America will discuss the 2016 Indiana legislative session at its monthly town hall meeting on Wednesday. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Browning Room A at Central Library. Possible legislation, including religious freedom matters, Sen. Jim Tomes' effort to render some public bathrooms male and female only, and a litany of environmental concerns, will be discussed at the meeting, including how the state plans to tackle the need for updated infrastructure. SOINDFA offers monthly discussions in an effort to give people an opportunity to voice their opinions in a civil, moderated forum where all attendees are encouraged to speak out. All Town Halls are open to the public and free to attend. SHARE By John Martin of the Courier and Press Several Tri-State senators and congressional representatives on Tuesday condemned President Barack Obama's executive actions on gun regulations, saying they undercut ownership rights. In a statement, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., dismissed Obama's actions to more tightly regulate gun sales. He says Congress will track the actions closely to ensure they follow the Constitution. McConnell says the American people are seeking a leader to counter terrorist threats from Islamic State militants and al-Qaida, but instead Obama is giving them "lectures, distractions and attempts to undermine their fundamental Second Amendment rights." Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., said Obama's "unconstitutional executive actions disregard the separation of powers and infringe on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans. I oppose any effort that infringes on these constitutional rights and will work with my colleagues to ensure our Constitution is respected." Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican and presidential candidate, said via Twitter he would fight Obama's executive orders "tooth and nail." Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., issued a statement late Monday, saying he's "carefully reviewing" Obama's actions. "As I've said in the past, I think it's reasonable to consider ways to reduce gun violence while protecting the rights of law-abiding citizens," he said in part. Obama on Tuesday outlined actions intended to reduce mass shootings, suicides and killings across the country, from an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, to a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, to a holiday party last month in San Bernardino, California. Obama will seek to expand the number of background checks on those who buy firearms at gun shows. Under current law, only federally licensed gun dealers must conduct background checks on buyers, but many who sell guns at flea markets, on websites or in other informal settings don't register as dealers. Gun control advocates say that loophole is exploited to skirt the background check requirement. "This is not going to solve every violent crime in this country," Obama said. Still, he added, "It will potentially save lives and spare families the pain of these extraordinary losses." Now, the Justice Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will issue updated guidance that says the government should deem anyone "in the business" of selling guns to be a dealer, regardless of where he or she sells the guns. To that end, the government will consider other factors, including how many guns a person sells and how frequently, and whether those guns are sold for a profit. Other actions announced by Obama at the White House Tuesday include a request to Congress for $500 million to improve mental health care, and a memorandum directing federal agencies to conduct or sponsor research into smart gun technology that reduces the risk of accidental gun discharges. The Obama administration also plans to complete a rule, already in the works, to close another loophole that allows trusts or corporations to purchase sawed-off shotguns, machine guns and similar weapons without background checks. The executive actions on gun control fall far short of what Obama and like-minded lawmakers attempted to accomplish with legislation in 2013, after the Newtown massacre that shook the nation's conscience. Even still, the more modest measures were sure to spark legal challenges from those who oppose any new impediments to buying guns. Those opponents include Reps. Larry Bucshon, R-Ind., Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., and John Shimkus, R-Ill. "As Americans, we mourn the senseless acts of violence and commit to finding a resolution," Bucshon said in prepared remarks. "Unfortunately, the president overlooks the underlying issues when he exploits these tragedies to further his political agenda. Instead of limiting the rights of law-abiding citizens, we need to improve the way mental illness is treated, better enforce laws currently on the books, and implement a strategy to defeat radical Islamic terrorism." Whitfield, in his prepared statement, said: "President Obama's plan to circumvent Congress and implement more gun control measures on his own is yet another example of his disregard for the Constitution. This president's consistent pattern of executive overreach is shameful, but not surprising based on his past seven years of failed leadership. Our Founding Fathers clearly spelled out the right to bear arms with the 2nd Amendment and the president has no business unilaterally pushing his agenda on law abiding citizens. I expect this power grab to be challenged in the courts and will continue my efforts in Congress to defend American liberties." The headline on a statement issued by Shimkus, who represents Southeastern Illinois, said the congressman "takes aim" at Obama's executive actions. Shimkus' statement said Obama's announcement was "purely political" and "designed to punish and scare the millions of law-abiding gun owners the Obama administration despises." Chris Cox, who runs the National Rifle Association's lobbying arm, said the actions would not have prevented any of the mass shootings Obama mentioned when announcing the steps at the White House. The Associated Press contributed to this report

KEVIN SWANK / Courier & Press ARCHIVES

The Tropicana Riverboat is seen at dock on the Ohio River on Thursday, April 24, 2014. The casino will now move into a land-based facility after Gov. Mike Pence allowed the gambling bill to become law.

SHARE By Zach Evans of the Courier and Press City officials approved a lease amendment with Tropicana on Tuesday, a key part to the casino's transition from water to land. The amendment includes provisions that the casino will pay $25 million upfront in 10 years worth of rent payments to the city, $12.5 million of which has already been added to the city's coffers. The rest of the cash will come after the casino's $50 million expansion to land is completed. Phil Bayt, an attorney with Indianapolis-based law firm Ice Miller, helped broker the deal for the city. Bayt said during the first Evansville Redevelopment Commission meeting of the year that while the casino's main operations won't be in the leased part of the land, they've agreed to continue leasing the land through 2055. The casino leases about 10 acres from the city, most of which is located by the Riverfront property where the riverboat is docked and its restaurant and bar pavilion is located. The casino has also agreed to not contest its property tax assessments over the next 10 years except pending appeals or the buildings being demolished. Property taxes on a $50 million, 70,000-square-foot building could be substantial. "That's absolutely a big bonus," Bayt said. "We wanted to make sure there wasn't a back door. They were upfront people and agreed with that." As previously announced, the approved lease also includes language that will give the Evansville Port Authority $1 million to help make improvements for the LST 325 to move from Inland Marina to the space the riverboat currently occupies. The casino will also let the LST 325 have a ticketing booth and a small museum building or gift shop on the land it leases from the city. Construction on the casino's expansion is expected to start between April and June this year, and last for 18 to 24 months. The Indiana Gaming Commission still needs to approve the design plans. The board will consider the request during its February meeting. In other business, the redevelopment commission approved an agreement to take possession of Deaconess Clinic's Downtown parking lot to make way for the medical school campus construction. In return for the parking lot, the city will set aside 100 parking spaces for Deaconess Clinic employees and patients in the to-be-built parking garage adjacent to the Downtown convention hotel and the medical school. DENNY SIMMONS / COURIER & PRESS Omar Atia, imam of the Islamic Center of Evansville, addresses the Rotary Club of Evansville at the Tropicana Evansville Executive Conference Center Tuesday afternoon. SHARE Imam Omar Atia arrived in Evansville back in 2012 and has since started his own consulting company, ThoughtFire. He spoke to the Rotary Club of Evansville Tuesday afternoon. By Megan Erbacher of the Courier and Press It's time to let go of the "Us vs. Them" mindset. Omar Atia, imam at the Islamic Center of Evansville, told the Rotary Club of Evansville and community members that everyone needs to "cease and desist and stand against" that mentality. Atia spoke and answered questions about his religion at Rotary's first meeting of the year on Tuesday. Atia, who accepted the role of imam, or "prayer leader," in December 2014, said the divisive mindset is being propagated from all sides. He stressed that it's important everyone stands for "what all faiths call to do, which is that we elevate." "That we be there for each other as a community," he said. "And think about our city and realize that God didn't guide us to Him regardless of our faith so that we could use that against people. It's to use it for people." Rotary President Elect Luke Yaeger said he thinks the club serves as a place for "centers of influence" to spread messages. "We've tried to be very intentional about giving information to our members and the public in general about issues that we as a community are facing," Yaeger said. "Or maybe that we're facing as a nation or as a world. And so the timing of this topic, and certainly our connection to Omar and many other leaders of faith, has provided a good forum for us to be able to bring this to the forefront." Atia has more than 16 years of leadership, consulting and training experience. He moved to Evansville in 2012 with his wife and three children. A year later, he cofounded his international consulting company, ThoughtFire, which trains large corporations in "applied creativity" and "lean management." Atia was born in Illinois and lived in Cairo, Egypt, for part of his childhood, but has resided in Indiana most of his life. He graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and a master's degree in interdisciplinary engineering. "So if there's one thing to remember, it's to model what you believe God genuinely loves," he said, "and don't deceive yourself into something that self-serves." SHARE By Zach Osowski INDIANAPOLIS Funding for a third Regional Cities program will be one of the Senate Republicans top priorities for the 2016 legislative session, along with road funding, ISTEP help for schools and tougher sentencing on drug dealers. The session opened on Tuesday. Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, will author Senate Bill 302 to put an additional $42 million into the Regional Cities program. Last month, the Indiana Economic Development Corp. awarded funding to three regions instead of the originally agreed-upon two. The Southwest Indiana region was one of the three winners. "I think this is another example of good economic development," Kenley said. "We hope to persuade the rest of the legislature to go along with us." Sen. David Long, R-Fort Wayne, said he believes the Regional Cities bill has the support it needs to get through the Senate. He said the initiative brought cities and counties that had never worked together before to the same table, and he was fine with funding a third region. House Speaker Brian Bosma, a Republican, expressed some surprise last month when three winners were announced, but said he thinks the bill will get through the House Ways and Means Committee if it comes over from the Senate. The Senate GOP caucus will also push for local funding for roads, as well as a hold on school ISTEP grades. Because of poor scores due to increased standards and testing issues, lawmakers will seek to protect schools and teachers from bad grades. The school protection bill, authored by Sen. Dennis Kruse, R-Auburn, will start in the Senate. That bill will allow schools to keep last year's ISTEP grade if its better than the score they got on the 2015 test. The Republicans will also back Sen. Brandt Hershman, R-Buck Creek, and his plan for local road funding, which would disperse local income tax currently being held by the state back to local communities. Both those bills have the support of Gov. Mike Pence, and are featured on his legislative agenda. Hoosiers can also expect new laws regarding drug dealers. Senators are working on bills to make it easier for prosecutors to charge someone with dealing drugs and to increase sentencing for convicted drug dealers. Noticeably absent from the list of priority bills was the LGBT civil rights bill unveiled by Long in November. Long said that bill does not have enough support from the caucus to make it an agenda item, but promised the bill would get a hearing. "It is an important issue," Long said. "We just didn't have a consensus in the caucus." The Senate Republicans also highlighted bills helping farmers with property tax costs and a bill extending services to veterans as legislative priorities as well. Those high hopes for a more functional, more transparent and, most importantly, more responsive Evansville City Council barely made it to the opening gavel of 2016. In its very first meeting, the council, under the new leadership of Missy Mosby and Jonathan Weaver, damaged its credibility and the credibility of the Police Merit Commission. It did so by playing old-school politics, denying citizens a chance to speak until after a vote was taken, and casting those votes without any true discussion of the merits of the candidates sure signs that a decision had been made in advance. It was a chaotic and shameful evening for a group that promised transparency long before they all were voted in last November. If you missed the meeting, the live stream at courierpress.com or the stories we since have published, the council declined to reappoint the Rev. Adrian Brooks to the police commission, instead choosing Brandon Scott, much to the dismay of an overflow audience at the Civic Center. Councilwoman Connie Robinson and Councilman H. Dan Adams voted for Brooks' re-appointment; the seven others, with no real discussion of the candidates' qualifications, voted for Scott. Brooks, as pastor of Memorial Baptist Church and chief executive officer of the Memorial Community Development Corp., arguably is the most influential African-American in the city. He works among his parishioners and neighbors, seeking jobs, pushing for diversity in the public and private sectors, and demanding equity for the underserved. It's not a stretch to credit Brooks, the Rev. Rabon Turner of New Hope Baptist and other center city ministers with helping Evansville avoid the violent fate of cities small and large across the United States. They did so with outreach, from the pulpit, and via peaceful protest marches that some associated with law enforcement demonized as "anti-police." That's where the council's decision becomes most troubling. While no one offered up a specific reason for not reappointing Brooks, Robinson claimed that the local Fraternal Order of Police which supported the re-elections of Mosby and Weaver wanted him out. FOP officials denied that. While this newspaper has had as many disagreements as agreements with Brooks, he stood out by always following his conscience. A merit commission should not be made up of only those who agree with the police, and in Brooks members of the African- American community and the economically challenged of all races had a trusted representative. As we've seen in Evansville and elsewhere, developing trust between police and minorities is not easy, and this won't make the street officers' jobs any easier. Even more troubling is that Weaver, who pushed for Scott, also an African-American but relatively unknown in the community, did not tell his nominee that Brooks wanted to remain in the position. That put Scott in a vulnerable position, and he did not react well after the meeting when he declined to speak to reporters and, unlike Brooks, did not address the audience after the decision was made. It certainly is the council's prerogative to appoint board members as it chooses. But it also is the council's duty to listen to the public, and it failed to do so. If this is how this council is going to operate, both the body and the city will be in for a long four years. SHARE Pastor John R. Dunn Princeton, Indiana Broadway Christian Church in Princeton deeply appreciates the recent generosity of Mr. G in supporting our efforts to provide free food to our community through our "Be Our Guest Mea." The actual expenses related to our meals is minimized because we volunteer all of the work, absorb the costs of utilities and benefit greatly from the great work done by people at the Tri-State Food Bank. Since his entire contribution to our church will be devoted to "Be Our Guest", we can expect that Mr. G's generous donation will provide the food and supplies to feed 600 people in 2016. We have been serving a free meal on the last Tuesday of the month for over a decade. The fact that we have less than 70 active members and yet are able to feed an average of 150 people on a monthly basis surely demonstrates the grace of God at work and the possibilities that exist for any size congregation to truly make a difference. We appreciate the role that Tim Ethridge and the Courier & Press played in sharing the generous contribution of Mr. G. The time you committed to hand-deliver the gift is much appreciated. We are grateful that people like Mr. G and yourself are willing to step forward to support efforts to help people in our communities. Federal Prisons a Breeding Ground for Terrorists: As more and more home-grown terrorists are locked up in America's federal prisons, experts are becoming worried that prisons, where terrorists are more likely to spread their beliefs than renounce them, have become breeding grounds for radical Islam. Fox News reports that the advent of the Islamic State terrorist group, or ISIS, and their aggressive recruitment of Americans has resulted in the imprisonment of 71 people in the U.S. on ISIS-related charges, including 56 arrests in 2015 alone, the most terrorism arrests in a single year since September 2001. Moreover, there are hundreds more in federal prisoners serving time for terrorist activities related to other terror groups, 100 of which are scheduled for release in the next five years, and there is a possibility that more terror suspects could be transferred to U.S. prisons from Guantanamo Bay. The FBI says that radicalized inmates are concerning for many reasons, including the possibility they could urge other prisoners to attend radical mosques upon being released from prison, their heightened risk of inciting violence against prison staff and other inmates, and their passage of skills used in terrorism activities to others. New Gun Measures Would Have Had no Effect on Mass Shooters: Following President Obama's announcement Tuesday of executive action to expand background checks at gun shows, flea markets and online sales and add more staff to process them, an Associated Press review shows that the measures would have had "no impact" on several of the most notorious mass shooters in recent years. Michael R. Sisak of CNS News reports that in some recent U.S. mass shootings, such as those in Sandy Hook and San Bernardino, the shooters used weapons purchased by others. In Aurora, Co., and the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., while the shooters had mental health issues they were cleared to buy weapons because federal background checks only looked into criminal histories and court-ordered commitments for signes of mental illness. A former Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent says the new regulations won't make it easier to secure convictions against unlicensed gun dealers because the rules remain too vague to help investigators, who already face an uphill battle prosecuting individuals that sell a small number of firearms. Lethal Heroin Hits MA: A deadly strain of heroin has struck western Massachusetts, killing eight people in one week amid a regional and national epidemic. Sarah Jorgensen of CNN reports that the deaths were concentrated in a few small cities in the state, prompting police in the area to warn the public about the lethal strain, dubbed "Hollywood" heroin. According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, between 2012 and 2014, there was a 63 percent increase in opioid-related deaths in the state, and a total of 1,089 people died of opioid-related overdoses in 2014 alone. The rest of the nation is not immune from the problem: the Center for Disease Control and Prevention says that, nationally, deaths from drug overdoses reached an all-time high in 2014 and, from 2013 to 2014, deaths from overdoses of prescription drugs and heroin rose 14 percent, maintaining its position as the leading cause of unintentional death for Americans. This past weekend, police in Springfield, Mass., seized 9,000 bags of heroin with the "Hollywood" stamp on it and arrested four individuals. An investigation to determine what makes this particular strain so dangerous is still ongoing. The newly appointed receivers of electronics chain Dick Smith has put a call out for buyers while confirming existing gift vouchers would not be honoured and lay-by deposits would not be refunded. James Stewart, Jim Sarantinos and Ryan Eagle of Ferrier Hodgson were appointed receivers and managers for Dick Smith Holdings on Tuesday morning. Due to the financial circumstances of the group, unfortunately, outstanding gift vouchers cannot be honoured and deposits cannot be refunded. Affected customers will become unsecured creditors, said Stewart. He said the 393-store retail chain would continue operating while his team sought opportunities for a sale. We are immediately calling for expressions of interest for a sale of the business as a going concern, Stewart said, adding that the New Zealand arm was profitable and attractive to potential buyers. Staff will continue to be paid, with the receivers assuring the 3,300 employees that entitlements would be covered under the governments Fair Entitlements Guarantee (FEG) scheme if the business cannot be sold as a going concern. Stewart did not comment on the root causes of Dick Smiths woes, other than to point out that the business had become cash constrained in recent times. CRN contacted Ferrier Hodgson but a spokesperson declined to reveal the creditors or the extent of debts. Dick Smith's publicly listed print and distribution supplier PMP Limited revealed to the market Tuesday afternoon that its exposure could be up to $4 million, in a hint of revelations to come. Dick Smith went into voluntary administration this morning after failing to secure sufficient short term funding. The chain copped a $60 million write-down on inventory in December then ran a clearance sale - but failed to turn around its fortunes. This time last year the company was celebrating a $56.8 million year-on-year increase in revenue to hit $693.8 million for the half-year to 31 December 2014, with net profit up $25 million to $25.2 million. Dick Smith was established in 1968 as a Sydney car radio installation business in Sydney. The eponymous entrepreneur sold his share to Woolworths in 1982, with the supermarket giant selling it to Anchorage Capital Partners in 2012. The business floated on the ASX in 2013. As electronics reseller Dick Smith battles to trade after entering voluntary administration, creditors and investors have been left wondering where it went all wrong. The national chain handed over the reins to administrator McGrathNicol this week after failing to secure short-term support from its banks. The same banks appointed Ferrier Hodgson as receivers and is currently seeking a buyer. "Dick Smith has been an iconic Australian brand for decades and it's sad to see their demise, said Ruslan Kogan, founder and chief of Dick Smith rival Kogan.com. It's a bittersweet situation It's a sign of the changing retail landscape that has more and more Aussies turning online. Forager Funds Management publicly flagged concerns about Dick Smith last year, with investment analyst Matt Ryan writing a blog on 29 October provocatively titled Dick Smith is the greatest private equity heist of all time. The blog accused private equity firm Anchorage Capital of "using all the tricks in the book, to turn Dick Smith from a $10m piece of mutton into a $520m lamb. Ryan claimed Anchorage paid only $10 million out of its own pockets then used Dick Smiths balance sheet and liquidated assets to fund the $115 million acquisition from Woolworths in 2012. Anchorage then turned its $115 million Dick Smith stake into a public float worth a bumper $520 million, with investors lured by an inflated profit forecast, according to Ryan. He explained that by the end of 2014, cash flow should have been shaky but was propped up by credit from suppliers. By the end of 2015, the electronics reseller ran out of places to hide, as creditors demanded payment. This float... smelled funny from the very beginning. Sorry Dick Smith investors, youve been had, wrote Ryan at the time. Anchorage Capital declined to comment on the Dick Smith situation. CRN contacted several major technology vendors - Acer declined to comment on supply relationships while others had not responded at the time of writing. Dick Smith resells a broad range of PC makers, including Apple, HP, Acer, Asus and many more. McGrathNicol and Ferrier Hodgson were also contacted but CRN was referred to media statements only. Founder and namesake Dick Smith - who has not been involved in the business since selling to Woolworths in 1982 - told Fairfax Media of his suspicions about Anchorage's half-billion dollar float and said it was a "classic case of people going for quick growth and getting into very quick problems". "I imagine there is room for three consumer electronics companies, but they need to be well managed," he said. Foad Fadaghi, managing director of analyst firm Telsyte, told CRN that retailers in the electronics space have come and gone before and that the Dick Smith collapse would have minimal bearing on the industry. The consumer electronics industry is in relative good health supported by a strong housing sector, small business accelerated depreciation tax changes and improving non-mining economy, Fadaghi said. We expect 2016 to be key year for retailers as many will introduce new products such as VR, smart home and wearables technologies that require hands-on experience. After nearly a year in preview, Amazon Web Services on Monday US time generally released Amazon WorkMail, its cloud-based email and calendaring solution that's making a play for the large base of hosted email customers owned by Microsoft and Google. WorkMail aims to differentiate itself with security and control features. The enterprise-grade email, compatible with Microsoft Outlook and other popular email clients, allows users to choose encryption keys, select the location in which they want their data to reside and pay only for the mailboxes they create. While Amazon has been shoring up the product and developing its market since its introduction in January 2015, several partners told CRN USA that adoption has been sluggish, and WorkMail is a long way from threatening Google Gmail or Microsoft Office 365 Exchange in the category. WorkMail was designed to work in data-rich, email-intensive environments. It provides room for 50 gigabytes of messages and attachments in each inbox, and individual messages can consume up to 30 megabytes of storage, wrote Jeff Barr, AWS' chief evangelist, on the company's blog. The touted security features include location controls; encryption of stored data using KMS keys; encryption key management with S/MIME or SSL; message scanning for malware, spam and viruses; and policies and mobile device management features by which administrators can impose security restrictions and remotely wipe devices. WorkMail is compatible with Microsoft's Active Directory, allowing users to sign in through their Outlook clients with their current corporate credentials. The service can also be accessed through a web client on most popular browsers, and works with any mobile device that supports Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync protocol. Barr noted that since the preview release, AWS has added new features, including a simplified setup process through Simple AD, regional data control, support for more clients - including Apple Mail - and a tool to migrate existing inboxes. This article originally appeared at crn.com Channel programs News Presidio To Buy 430-Person Cisco Collaboration Titan Netech Michael Novinson Share this Presidio made its purchase of $300 million Netech official Wednesday, acquiring one of Cisco Systems' top Midwest partners with expertise in cloud, security and collaboration. The deal, which was first reported by CRN last month, adds 11 offices, 430 employees and a differentiated physical security unit to the roster of New York-based Presidio, No. 21 on the 2015 CRN Solution Provider 500. They really understand the industry and they run a good business, Bob Cagnazzi, Presidios CEO, told CRN Wednesday. "It's a terrific team and a good management team." [RELATED: Sources: Presidio To Buy $350M Cisco Networking Powerhouse Netech] Cagnazzi said the acquisition of Caledonia, Mich.-based Netech -- No. 107 on the 2015 CRN SP 500 -- should result in real-estate consolidation, more preferred pricing for Netech and its customers, and higher gross profits for account managers at both companies thanks to more cross-selling opportunities. Presidio has access to preferred pricing across several vendors and distributors that Netech isnt privy to today due to Presidios edge in certifications and volume of business, Cagnazzi said. Three of Netechs four owners founder and CEO Jim Engen, and his sons Tim and Ryan Engen will be leaving the company to pursue other business interests. The fourth owner Jim Engens son-in-law Mark Wierenga will move from being Netechs executive vice president of sales and operations to president of Presidios North Central Area, reporting directly to Cagnazzi. Presidio is looking to keep all of Netechs other employees, Cagnazzi said, which includes nearly 200 engineers holding more than 1,200 technical certifications. Presidio expanded into the Midwest three or four years ago, Cagnazzi said, and does some business in Chicago, Indianapolis, Michigan and Ohio. It takes a long time to organically grow that presence, said Cagnazzi, noting that Presidio and Netech have only two or three common customers. Terms of the acquisition, which was signed Dec. 31, were not disclosed. Presidio expects to close the acquisition by the end of March. From a cross-selling perspective, Netech customers should be able to tap into Presidios cybersecurity, cloud, Internet of Things and managed services business unit soon after the acquisition closes. Cagnazzi also expects to eventually expand Netechs physical security offering to Presidio customers, but cautioned it will take much longer since it must be deployed locally rather than from a centralized location. Netechs physical security practice is unique, Cagnazzi said, in that it not only resells Cisco products but also offers non-IP products that can overlay Cisco or other IP-based technology. Therefore, Netechs physical security products must be manually rolled out to new customers on trucks, which Cagnazzi said makes expanding into additional regions more complicated. For the most part, though, Cagnazzi said Presidio and Netech support common vendors, technology areas and customer types. Both solution providers specialize in data center, collaboration, networking and security, Cagnazzi said, and have strong relationships with vendors such as Cisco, VMware, Dell and EMC. Both companies specialize in servicing midmarket customers, Cagnazzi said, although Presidio might have a few more large enterprise clients due to the concentration of large companies near Presidios New York City headquarters. This will be Presidios fourth major deal in the past three months, following the October sale of refurbished hardware subsidiary Atlantix Global Systems, No. 155 on the 2015 CRN SP 500, to private equity giant Millstein & Co., and the November purchase of cloud consulting, engineering and integration firm Sequoia Worldwide. Presidio also plans to sell Sequoia into Netech environments, Cagnazzi said, and will continue making deals when theres a good opportunity and a solid management team in place at the company being acquired. Presidio received an infusion of capital in December 2014 when private equity powerhouse Apollo Global Management acquired the firm from American Securities. Cloud News AWS WorkMail Generally Available, But Still Far From Threatening Microsoft Exchange And Google Gmail Joseph Tsidulko Share this After nearly a year in preview, Amazon Web Services on Monday generally released Amazon WorkMail, its cloud-based email and calendaring solution that's making a play for the large base of hosted email customers owned by Microsoft and Google. WorkMail aims to differentiate itself with security and control features. The enterprise-grade email, compatible with Microsoft Outlook and other popular email clients, allows users to choose encryption keys, select the location in which they want their data to reside and pay only for the mailboxes they create. While Seattle-based Amazon has been shoring up the product and developing its market since its introduction in January 2015, several partners told CRN that adoption has been sluggish, and WorkMail is a long way from threatening Google Gmail or Microsoft Office 365 Exchange in the category. [Related: Amazon Web Services Takes Aim At Microsoft With New Cloud Email Service] WorkMail was designed to work in data-rich, email-intensive environments. It provides room for 50 gigabytes of messages and attachments in each inbox, and individual messages can consume up to 30 megabytes of storage, wrote Jeff Barr, AWS' chief evangelist, on the company's blog. The touted security features include location controls; encryption of stored data using KMS keys; encryption key management with S/MIME or SSL; message scanning for malware, spam and viruses; and policies and mobile device management features by which administrators can impose security restrictions and remotely wipe devices. WorkMail is compatible with Microsoft's Active Directory, allowing users to sign in through their Outlook clients with their current corporate credentials. The service can also be accessed through a Web client on most popular browsers, and works with any mobile device that supports Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync protocol. Aater Suleman, CEO of Flux7, an AWS partner based in Austin, Texas, said he's seeing the email solution come up more frequently in conversations with customers, especially those that are less technically inclined. Flux7 recently signed a deal with a prestigious New York law firm that wants to eliminate desktops and company-owned laptops, Suleman said. The firm implemented a bring-your-own-device policy and will be using AWS WorkSpaces going forward as its primary desktop equipment, he told CRN. "Having a secure, cloud-based email is central to such a transformation," Suleman said. "The law firm will be able to eliminate an expensive support contract with a local firm, enable removal of employees, and offer a more secure, auditable and defensible system than before." Barr noted that since the preview release, AWS has added new features, including a simplified setup process through Simple AD, regional data control, support for more clients -- including Apple Mail -- and a tool to migrate existing inboxes. PUBLISHED JAN. 5, 2016 Data center News EMC Appointment: Partners Positive About Sakac's New Post Atop VCE Matt Brown Share this Partners see "tremendous upside" to EMC's decision to make Chad Sakac president of VCE, the company's converged infrastructure unit, which is being renamed as the EMC Converged Platforms Division. Sakac, a top engineering exec at EMC known for his smarts and his influential Virtual Geek blog, was made head of the converged division Wednesday. He takes the helm from Praveen Akkiraju, who has run VCE since 2012. Akkiraju will stay on at EMC as an adviser to David Goulden, president of EMC Information Infrastructure, according to an EMC statement. "Chad is extremely partner-friendly," said Brendan Lynch, CEO of Eastern Computer Exchange, a Milford, Conn.-based VCE partner. "I see tremendous upside for our customers, for EMC and us, the partners. This is a very good thing." [Related: VCE Execs: We're The 'Go-To' Vendor In Converged Infrastructure] "Chad's a very bright guy, and he'll bring incredible structure and order to all the current VCE processes," Lynch said. In particular, Lynch said, he is hopeful that Sakac will help EMC scale its converged infrastructure business to a greater extent than VCE has to date. Sakac "has been a massive, vocal supporter of VCE," said one former VCE executive who didn't wish to be named. "He's always been an advocate, and I think it's a good fit. It's part of the journey from being a joint venture to being integrated into EMC, and sometimes that requires different people and some adjustments." Sakac takes on the new role in addition to being EMC's president of global systems engineering, a position he's held for three years. With its new name and new president, VCE and its personnel will be more deeply integrated into EMC, Goulden said in a statement. EMC said the changes are meant to create tighter alignment within its "federation" of companies and to simplify technology options and deployments for enterprise customers. VCE started as a joint venture between EMC and Cisco, which maintains a 10 percent stake in the company. Its key product is its Vblock converged infrastructure system. Still, VCE is evolving, and so is its relationship with Cisco. In May, VCE launched its VxRack line of hyper-converged infrastructure appliances. Unlike Vblock and VxBlock systems, which use Cisco UCS servers and Nexus switches, VxRack uses white box servers. EMC is set to be acquired by Dell in a $67 billion deal between May and October. Top execs at each company, as well as Cisco, have said they'd remain committed to VCE after the merger. PUBLISHED JAN. 6, 2016 Mobility News Apple iPhone 6s, 6s Plus Production Cuts: Investors Panic, Channel Shrugs Joseph F. Kovar Share this A Tuesday report by Japan's Nikkei Asian Review that Apple is expected to significantly cut output of its new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus smartphones sent investors scrambling to sell Apple shares, but an Apple partner said there's no reason at all to panic. Nikkei reported that Apple has told its Japanese and South Korean parts suppliers that it will cut first calendar quarter 2016 output of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus smartphones by 30 percent compared with earlier expectations set when the devices were launched in September. Nikkei said the decreased sales expectations come as a result of lackluster sales in markets around the world, a lack of a perceived advantage for the new technology compared to older models, and the price impact from the appreciation of the U.S. dollar. [Related: Gartner: Microsoft Windows-Powered Smartphones Struggle In Q3] Apple did not respond to a request for further information by publication time. Investors punished Apple over the report. The company's share prices fell 2.5 percent, to 102.71, by the close of the trading day, and in after-hours trading continued falling, to less than $102.40. One Apple partner, however, said reports of a possible cut in output will likely have little if any impact on the channel's business with the vendor. Stephen Monteros, vice president of business development and strategic initiatives at Sigmanet, an Ontario, Calif.-based solution provider and systems integrator that works closely with clients looking to move their applications from PCs and tablets to smartphones, said Apple's telling suppliers about a 30 percent cut in production expectations does not mean that output will actually fall. "Remember, these were Apple's projections," Monteros told CRN. "Apple projections always call for incredible growth. Their sales are strong, so the company always sets the bar high." Customers who purchase Apple products are investing in the Apple platform, Monteros said. "With Apple, it's almost a religion," he said. "When someone goes to Apple, they're not going back to something else." Monteros said there are still lines at the Apple Stores, and customers are increasing their use of Apple technology. "It may be there's not the kind of growth [Apple] saw in the past," he said. "Or maybe people are just holding on to older phones longer. But they still need apps." PUBLISHED JAN. 5, 2016 Steve Ragan reported this week that researchers at Rapid7 disclosed some vulnerabilities in Comcast's Xfinity home security system. The systems use wireless sensors to detect opened doors and windows, and to detect motion when a home is expected to be vacant. Wireless sensors make installing a security system very easy. At the same time, wireless sensors are vulnerable to radio frequency interference - whether incidental or intentional. Security products by necessity walk an often-grey line between function and usability. On the one hand, elaborate, multi-layer controls can provide a high degree of security, but at a high financial as well as usability cost. As an extreme example, Jake Williams writes of the Australian government resorting to hand-delivering submarine plans and communications, to eliminate entirely the chances of communication being intercepted electronically. On the other hand, simple and user-friendly controls are far less cumbersome, but far easier for a determined adversary to overcome. Consumer-grade systems tend to err more on the side of usability - frustrated customers cost companies in the form of technical support, and tend not to be repeat customers. The Xfinity system fails open, meaning a disabled sensor does not trigger an alarm. A simple radio frequency jammer can interfere with the sensors, preventing any alarm when someone opens a door or window or passes a motion sensor. A burglar with the right equipment can easily disable the system and break in without triggering an alarm. Think about it though: do you want your home alarm to alert you every time a sensor briefly loses connectivity with the base station? Or worse, alert local authorities? Many cities have local laws that assess citations and fines for false alarms. That Xfinity security systems are vulnerable to abuse in this manner is noteworthy, but there is a more important point to consider. Vulnerabilities need to be understood in the context of what is being protected, and in the context of who is the intended user. As a consumer, or as an enterprise product specialist, include failure mode in your evaluation of a product. How does the product behave when things don't go as expected - and how do you want it to behave? Do you have thoughts to add? Disagree? Comment below or hit me up on Twitter at @dnlongen. When Canadian photojournalist Paul Watson was taking a photo of a dead U.S soldier being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu in Somalia in 1993 after being pulled from a wrecked Black Hawk helicopter, he imaged he heard the soldier saying to him, If you do this, I will own you forever. The stark photo won Watson a 1994 Pulitzer Prize and reshaped American foreign policy. It also led playwright Dan OBrien to reach out to Watson, which led to a friendship that inspired OBriens award-winning drama The Body of an American. A true story, The Body of an American opens this week at Hartford Stage. Among the honors its earned is the inaugural Edward M. Kennedy Prize. The drama is unique in that its a play about writing a play, where the playwright is a main character. Its also an intimate story touching on emotional issues like guilt and trauma, how we deal with such things and how we might find ways to heal. OBrien earned a 2015-16 Guggenheim Fellowship on the basis of this gripping and provocative work. He shared more about it in a recent interview: Q: I understand you first heard Watson talk about the ethical and personal consequences of capturing this heart-wrenching photo during an NPR interview, and that you were struggling with ghosts of your own at the time. What made you reach out to him? More Information Hartford Stage, 50 Church St. Thursday, Jan. 7-Sunday, Jan. 31. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays 7:30 p.m.; Fridays, Saturdays 8 p.m.; Saturdays, Sundays 2 p.m.; Wednesday matinee 2 p.m. Jan. 20 only. $85-$25. Free events for hearing/vision impaired, others on website. 860-527-5151, www.hartfordstage.org See More Collapse A: This play and two poetry collections, a chamber opera and a new play Im writing currently are my ongoing attempts to figure out what it was that made me reach out to Paul in the first place, now almost 10 years ago. Simply put his story of feeling haunted was haunting to me. I felt an extreme identification with him, despite our obvious differences, and I was and continue to be compelled to write by the very question youve asked. Q: Why did taking that photo cause him such anguish? A: This is another mystery. Over a 30-year career Watson has taken so many photographs of war, written so many articles about war, yet this is the only experience that haunts him so literally. He believes he is cursed, by the ghost of this soldier, and that he will some day pay a terrible price. Perhaps it was simply guilt he did win the Pulitzer Prize, after all, for a photo that he sometimes sees as an element in the desecration of this soldier. There were certainly many people at the time, and today, who strongly disapproved of his taking the photograph. And yet Watson was doing it because he hoped it would save lives American and Somali. Similar desecrations of American soldiers had occurred in previous weeks in Mogadishu, and because there was no photographic proof, the Pentagon denied it was happening. Watson wanted the truth to be known, and U.S. foreign policy to be formed in the light of that truth. We were killing hundreds of Somalis, and losing our own soldiers, for no very good reason. Q: Would you say Watson is still haunted by the words of that slain soldier? A: Yes, Paul still feels haunted. In my new poetry collection, New Life (CB Editions, London, 2015), Ive written poems based on what Paul has told me recently about the ghost. I have gently tried to introduce the possibility that the soldiers words, If you do this I will own you forever, are not necessarily a death sentence, but perhaps a profound acknowledgment that he will be, and was, forever changed by the experience, and that perhaps he, perhaps me, perhaps all of us by extension, owe this soldier something. But who knows? I worry, too, that I have participated in this soldiers desecration by writing about Pauls story. But I can sleep at night because I believe deeply that the truth has a value greater than any individual concern, and the challenge is to engage with these painful episodes with artistic, that is moral, integrity not to close our eyes. Q: How has the friendship you forged with Watson helped you with your own struggles? A: Most importantly I consider Paul my friend. He lives in Vancouver, when hes not writing stories about the Arctic, or covering Afghanistan or Syria (until recently; hes just resigned from the Toronto Star), and I live in Los Angeles, but we know each other so well now, via our peculiar collaboration. I find Paul inspiring, without romanticizing him, I hope. He inspires me to try to tell the stories that seem to matter most, which are often the stories that people dont want to hear. lkoonz@newstimes.com; Twitter: @LindaTKoonz This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate During the Vietnam War, neither the military branches nor the states kept records of who served, in which capacity, when and where, and what happened to them. It was left to towns and cities, and some did a better job than others. That was the case, too, during World War II. But the country supported that war, and more attention was given to those who fought it. Vietnam was different. It was an undeclared war with no clear beginning, no clear outcome, no clear purpose. The only thing clear about it was controversy. More than 58,000 Americans died and 300,000 were wounded. Stamford was one of the places that did not keep good records. No one knows for sure how many residents served or died in Vietnam. But two city natives are trying to find out. Retired history teacher and school administrator Tony Pavia and his son, Matt Pavia, a teacher and school administrator in Darien, are tracking down the Stamford stories. Their best guess is that 28 young men from Stamford were killed in Vietnam. Theyre not guessing how many served. We have to think its in the hundreds, Matt Pavia said. But we know nothing more than that. It isnt for lack of trying. With help from Dan Burke of the Stamford Historical Society, the Pavias checked whatever military records they could find, along with after-action battle reports, military websites and military monuments. They researched birth records, obituaries, wedding and engagement notices, school yearbooks, phone books, voter registration rolls and city directories. They searched on Google and Facebook, and in libraries and VFW halls. Given the missing records and the passing of 50 years, luck has played a part. They were having a tough time, for instance, gathering information about Marine Corps 2nd Lt. Charles David Kerr, known as Dave, a 21-year-old helicopter pilot whose job was to pull wounded Marines off of battlefields. Kerr was hit by mortar fire as he slept in his tent at Quang Tri Airfield the night of Dec. 15, 1967. Before the Pavias knew any of that, Kerr was a mystery. He was born in McKeesport, Penn., a mill town near Pittsburgh, but his address when he signed up for the Marines was Stamford, Matt Pavia said. He didnt go to any school in Stamford that we could find. But he also was not listed as a veteran in McKeesport, and we couldnt find him as having gone to school there. They were at a loss. Then Matt Pavia checked the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association website, where members often leave comments. A guy named Harry Weeks from Utah posted something about Kerr, Pavia said. I emailed him. Weeks went to the Marine aviation academy with Kerr. Weeks said that night they were up late talking about what they wanted to do when they got back to the world, as they called it. Then Weeks fell asleep and, the next thing, he heard explosions. They learned that Kerr had a wife named Judy, but have not been able to contact her. They still dont know how Stamford came to be Kerrs home, verified by a listing on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Wall of Faces website. Staff Sgt. Jerold Shelton has a similar story. The Pavias learned that Shelton is buried in a cemetery in Hanceville, Ala., where he was born. But he lived for a time in Stamford, where he was a student at St. Johns Catholic elementary school and Stamford High School. Shelton enlisted in the Army as a Stamford resident. He began his Vietnam tour in June 1968. He was part of a unit providing medical aid to South Vietnamese villagers when he was killed by the Viet Cong near Duc Hoa on Jan. 28, 1969. Shelton was 21. He and his Stamford fiance, Mary Brooks, planned to marry that August. Shelton is listed on veterans monuments in Stamford and Alabama. Marine Corps Pfc. Isaac Sapp also died a Stamford resident with roots in the South. The Pavias found his 1969 Stamford Advocate obituary. All it told us was that his parents lived in South Carolina and he was from Williston, S.C., but lived in Stamford, Matt Pavia said. But he wasnt in any school yearbooks. We didnt know where to start. Then they heard that Sapp was in a famous Life magazine story published June 27, 1969, when the Vietnam war was in its sixth year and showing no signs of ending. The story, Vietnam: One Weeks Dead, asked readers to pause and look into the faces of the 242 young men who were killed during one week that spring, printing all of their photographs. The 21-year-old Sapp, hometown Stamford, Conn., was pictured. He was killed in a bomb blast at Hill 55 near Da Nang Air Force Base. From there Matt Pavia checked the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund website, where he found a posting about Sapp written by an Ohio woman, a former Stamford resident named Hattie King. King gave Pavia the number of Sapps sister, who explained how her youngest brother, loved for his kindness, left the South with his friend to escape segregation, and joined an older Sapp brother who lived in Stamford and worked at the Clairol factory then on the East Side. The two young African-Americans, Sapp and his inseparable friend, Grady Seabrooks, joined the Marines under the buddy program. At the time the Marines were looking for recruits and said if you signed up with a buddy, they would allow you to stay together for the duration of your service, Matt Pavia said. But then the military separated them. After Sapp was killed, Seabrooks was never the same, family members reported. The Pavias have largely completed profiles of the 28 Stamford residents killed but need more information about Kerr, Shelton, Sapp and others: Lance Corporal Ronald France of the Marines, killed March 12, 1969. He was a member of B Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment stationed at Vandergrift Combat Base, readying for Operation Purple Martin. Major Kent Gandy, 34, a helicopter pilot with the Armys 254th Medical Detachment. He was the son of a Stamford doctor, Alfred Gandy, and had a wife, Jeanne, and four children, Kent, Kim, Keith and Kip. He was killed Aug. 13, 1966 during a rescue mission near Long Khanh. angela.carella@scni.com; 203-964-2296; stamfordadvocate.com/angelacarella This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Hillary Clinton is deploying her most valuable asset defined by Donald Trump as a liability to Bridgeport. Former President Bill Clinton will visit the citys Black Rock neighborhood Jan. 12 for a pricey fundraising reception to support his wifes White House ambitions. The $2,700 per person event is being hosted by software executive Oni Chukwu, according to Clintons campaign website. It comes just weeks before Iowa holds its first presidential caucuses on Feb. 1. The timing of Clintons return to Connecticut, where Bill and Hillary met as Yale Law students, is significant. In recent weeks, the 42nd president has been targeted on the campaign trail by Trump, who said he would consider Clintons extramarital affairs fair game in a race against Hillary Clinton in the general election. Trump, the Republican real estate mogul, went so far as to compare Clinton to comedian Bill Cosby, who was charged last week with sexual assault. I think President Clinton is responding with exactly the right tone and basically declining to dignify Trumps taunts, said U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. Blumenthal went to Yale Law School with the Clintons. He is an incomparable emissary and asset to her, especially in Connecticut because they both have longstanding ties and allegiances to our state, Blumenthal said. He is one of the most successful presidents in achieving economic growth and job creation in recent American history, ending his presidency with tremendous prosperity, no deficit and great economic momentum. But Connecticuts top Republican went on a Trump-like riff about the former president, saying that Democrats need to look in the mirror next time they accuse the GOP of engaging in a war on women. We have historical evidence of Bill Clintons escapades, said J.R. Romano, the state GOP chairman. Were not talking one transgression here. This is the typical Democratic mantra dont look under our bed because it proves were hypocrites. A request for comment was left Wednesday with Hillary Clintons campaign. Bill Clinton was president during Joe Ganims first stint as Bridgeports mayor, which ended unceremoniously in 2003 when Ganim was forced to resign and served seven years in federal prison for corruption. The citys voters overwhelmingly returned Ganim, a Democrat, to his former office last November, capping an improbable comeback that saw his partys standardbearers such as Gov. Dannel P. Malloy keep their distance from Ganim. At this point, the mayor has not yet been invited to the fundraiser, said Av Harris, a spokesman for Ganim. So he wasnt planning on going. But that could change in the future. Harris said Clinton visited Bridgeport when Ganim was mayor in 1998 and they had a positive rapport. He recalled that very fondly, Harris said. The mayors door is always open. Hes happy to get together anytime he wants. The choice of Bridgeport as a fundraising destination for Clinton is notable departure from the political playbook of both Democrats and Republicans, who tend to frequent the Gold Coast haunts of Greenwich, Stamford and New Canaan for campaign cash. Chukwu is the president and chief executive officer of etouches, a Norwalk-based software and event management company. He resides in a $4 million contemporary on the water in Black Rock, the wealthiest neighborhood in a city with widespread poverty. A request for comment left Wednesday for Chukwu was not returned. neil.vigdor@scni.com; 203-625-4436; http://twitter.com/gettinviggy Double murder trial day 4: A star witness for the prosecution backed out in the courtroom The prosecution case in chief has to change its line up of witnesses when one decides not to take the stand when called to do so Tuesday morning. OMG Coffee Excellence aims to serve the complete coffee experience OMG Coffee Excellence has continued growing and has more expansion in mind. 'Im so proud of where we have come,' co-owner Philip Brown said. We use a range of cookies to give you the best possible browsing experience. By continuing to use this website, you agree to our use of cookies. You can learn more about our cookie policy here, or by following the link at the bottom of any page on our site. See our updated Privacy Policy here. As countless people clamour for a recipe they think might bag them a mate, others are starting to wonder: do we need to worry if our partner leaves the house with cookware? by Samantha Selinger-Morris How might the Queen further honour Sir David Attenborough OM, CH, CVO and CBE, 90 in May, two weeks after herself? By investing him with the Order of the Garter, our highest order of chivalry, a source suggests. Currently there are three vacancies in the 24-strong Garter, founded in 1348. The TV naturalist already enjoys a special royal privilege. He's not required to wear a name badge at palace receptions. Sir David Attenborough (pictured) is to be awarded the Order of the Garter, our highest order of chivalry, a source suggests Nottingham University's team against St Catharine's College, Cambridge, on BBC2's University Challenge this week, were disdained by quizmaster Jeremy Paxman, 65, some viewers think. He beamed benevolently at the Cambridge quartet, calling them 'Cats,' while chastising Nottingham, who were roundly beaten, for being 'absolutely hopeless' on the subject of classical music. Paxman read English at St Catharine's, by the way. Nottingham University's team were disdained by quizmaster Jeremy Paxman (pictured) on BBC2's University Challenge this week Nairn-based movie star Tilda Swinton, pictured, has stirred up a 'cultural appropriation' row for playing the Ancient One, a Tibetan High Lama, in Marvel Studios' film Doctor Strange. Critics say she 'whitewashes' the character's race out of the story. And isn't having a woman portray a Lama odd? Marvel's president, Kevin Feige, says Ms Swinton, 55, is 'very androgynous'. Why doesn't he keep a civil tongue in his head? Actress Tilda Swinton (pictured) has stirred up a 'cultural appropriation' row for playing the Ancient One, a Tibetan High Lama, in Marvel Studios' film Doctor Strange Astronaut Tim Peake, 43, makes a big deal of taking a spacewalk next week but it's hardly the first. That was by a Russian cosmonaut in 1965. Peake's somersaults in the zero gravity space station have also been performed many times before. Saying 'God save the Queen' in space is a first, but sounds silly. So was dialling the wrong number from space while calling his mother. There must be a serious purpose to this mission but you wouldn't guess it from Peake's circus antics. British Astronaut Tim Peake (pictured), 43, will take part in his first spacewalk next week Today presenter Sarah Montague, 49, is accused by listeners of being 'disgracefully negative', 'unbearably rude' and 'unmeasured' in her interview with multi-millionaire Tory mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith, 40. In fact, she gave him an easy ride, and he talked over her questions. His Labour rival, Sadiq Khan, 45, turned his interview with earnest Ms Montague into a personal political broadcast, sounding sly and boastful. Neither the interviewees nor Ms Montague benefited from the experience. The Princess Royal leaves on Monday for a sensitive assignment: an 11-day visit to the Falkland Islands and South Georgia, which are still coveted by Argentina. Our busiest royal she carried out 544 engagements last year Anne, 65, isn't slowing down. It's said she wasn't amused when her family presented her with an old-fashioned pension book cover. Yorkshire-born Sir Patrick Stewart, 75, who played the dignified captain of the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek, describes the first episode of Blunt Talk, the new US TV sitcom in which he's a UK newscaster in LA: 'I'm drunk, stoned, driving my Jaguar on Hollywood Boulevard, picking up a transsexual prostitute.' I trust the character isn't based on one of our own fine TV news boys!? A photographer has imagined what screen icon Marilyn Monroe would be like today - and no doubt she'd love Instagram. Daniel Sachon, 20, a student at Central St Martins, in London, created his first solo exhibition with Suzie Kennedy, an English model who looks remarkably similar to the blonde bombshell. In the exhibition, titled 'Disruptive Innovation,' Marilyn is seen brandishing a Starbucks coffee like so many celebrities papped now and flicking through her iPhone. Scroll down for video David Sachon created his first solo exhibition where Marilyn Monroe is seen brandishing a Starbucks coffee In another, Suzie Kennedy poses as Monroe with an iPhone. The English model who looks remarkably similar to Monroe and worked with David on the shoot Daniel said: 'The concept behind the series was looking at Marilyn and our generation's fascination with her, and in general how we are an incredibly nostalgic generation who innovate and move forward through our obsession of the past. 'I am looking at where Marilyn would be today, in a world where fame is more transient than ever and the relationship between brands and celebrity is stronger than ever before.' Daniel imagined the Some Like It Hot icon on her iPhone no doubt flicking through Instagram in the picture titled 'Millennial Marilyn' and pictured coyly with a Starbucks cup. Although Marilyn did not advertise any products in her time in the spotlight, she is often associated with Chanel due to her famous answer to the question about what she wears to bed at night: 'Chanel No 5.' Although Marilyn did not advertise any products in her time in the spotlight, she is often associated with Chanel due to her famous answer to what she wears to bed at night: 'Chanel No 5.' Daniel pictured Marilyn in an imaginary ad for the brand Danie used the images to look at how stars leave more of a legacy after death than during their lifetimes Daniel said: 'Her legacy has had a massive impact on our generation - perhaps it is because she reflects a time where fame was special and nothing like today's instant fame' Daniel reflected maybe her enduring appeal is partly down to fame being more 'special' then and not so easy to achieve for people Daniel pictured her in an advert for the brand titled 'Chanel to bed,' with Marilyn holding a bottle of the iconic perfume. Daniel also used the images to look at how such stars leave more of a legacy after death than they do while still performing. He said: 'I am exploring how the legacy we leave behind us can have a greater impact than anything we do whilst alive. 'Her legacy has had a massive impact on our generation - perhaps it is because she reflects a time where fame was special and nothing like today's instant fame.' Has also created a Google Chrome plug-in that will eradicate them If you're struggling to get that all-important promotion and fail to garner the respect you deserve at work, it could all be down to a few phrases you're using in your email correspondence. Entrepreneur Tami Reiss and the team at Cyrus Innovation are so convinced that women's choice of words over email are holding them back in the office that they've created a Google Chrome plug-in that will eradicate them. Working like a spellcheck, the Just Not Sorry extension adds a red line under self-demeaning phrases in your emails. So which words should you be avoiding if you want to reach the top? Tami Reiss and the team at Cyrus Innovation are so convinced that women's choice of words over email are holding them back that they've created a Google Chrome plug-in that will eradicate them The spellcheck tool highlights the words and phrases that are undermining your authority at work 'Sorry', 'does this make sense' and 'actually' are all phrases she believes undermine women in the office and make people respect them less. Joan Kingsley, an organisational psychotherapist and author of The Fear-Free Organization: Vital Insights From Neuroscience To Transform Your Business Culture, agrees. She said: 'Saying sorry and apologising over emails is a very British way of doing things and sets up a negative tone right from the start. Youre making the recipient think that youve already done something wrong, when you havent! 'Its particularly common among women who are so used to saying sorry for themselves. But its time to stop apologising. 'Sorry', 'does this make sense' and 'actually' are all words she believes undermine women in the office and make people respect you less, according to the experts The Google Plug-in shows how one of your emails would look thanks to the Just Not Sorry tool 'Be nice, be polite and be direct. Be clear, honest and open and thats true if youre asking someone to do something or if youre responding to a request for something. 'The fact is everyone is so busy, they dont want to read emails that are wordy so keep it as brief as possible. Being succinct isnt rude, its actually very thoughtful as youre showing that you understand that the recipient is very busy and doesnt have time to read four paragraphs. Tami and her team believe that if you're struggling to respect at work, it could all be down to certain words cropping up in your email correspondence 'But while you shouldnt apologise for yourself you should also be conscious of how aggressive you are coming across in emails; anything that is critical is going to come across as aggressive. Always look for something positive to say if you need to be critical too.' Bev White, Managing Director, Penna Career Services, believes that using the phrases 'I heard that' or 'I guess that...' are also hindrances. 'Starting a sentence like this suggests you are not basing ideas or decisions on facts, which you absolutely must to be a successful leader,' she said. 'Anecdotal insights can be useful but boardroom level discussions should be evidence-based.' She also believes you should never utter the words: 'Why dont you ask...' because this opener suggests a lack of confidence in your own thoughts and ideas and its crucial that you demonstrate leadership in order to advance your career. 'An alternative approach would be to gather the insights yourself and make that part of your response rather than simply turning the problem over to someone else or using someones thoughts and ideas as your own,' she said. Bev also maintains that shunning someone else's idea by saying you 'don't like it' will set you back in the workplace. She explained: 'When it comes to brainstorming, no idea is a bad idea as negativity blocks innovation. Position yourself as solutions driven and show respect for other peoples idea with a phrase such as "Thats an interesting perspective. We could build on that by She is one of the most photographed women in the world - and just like her sister, when Pippa Middleton debuts a new wardrobe item, it instantly becomes a must-have. Her powerful style influence was something Melbourne business owner Rebecca Starkins hoped to harness when she sent the 32-year-old one of her monogrammed totes. And on January 1 the Duchess of Cambridges stylish sister was pictured at Gatwick Airport, tote in tow, on her way to St Barts. Miss Starkins told Daily Mail Australia Middleton's celebrity power was an entirely new level. Celebrity influence: The Duchess of Cambridge's sister Pippa Middleton was spotted in St Barts carrying a tote by Australian brand Little Makes Big Business savvy: The monogrammed tote was sent to Pippa by 24-year-old business owner Rebecca Starkins It was really exciting to see her using it and enjoying it, Miss Starkins, 24, said. It was a massive affirmation for the design of the bag, as well as the publicity it brings. The royal connection is a massive coup for Little Makes Big, the business Miss Starkins started as a 16-year-old student. The leather and canvas monogrammed tote she sent Pippa was launched just over two years ago and has also been carried by celebrities including Bethenny Frankel and Gayle King. Fashion forward: Miss Starkins launched the tote bag just over two years ago and it has already been used by Pippa Middleton, Bethenny Frankel and Gayle King Classic design: The tote is made of tan leather and navy canvas and can be monogrammed, customised or feature a symbol THE LITTLE MAKES BIG TOTE The Little Makes Big tote is made with tan leather and navy canvas. The classic design has contrasting white stitching on the leather and a solid base insert. The design features a large zip pocket and phone compartment. Totes can be monogrammed, customised or feature a symbol. They retail for $189, $199 and $169 respectively. Advertisement So how does a relatively unknown business go from an online store to the hands of celebrities in just over two years? Miss Starkins, who studies commerce, entrepreneurship and innovation, found the answer was simple. Paid advertising does not secure a high conversion, she said. Social media is saturated, in this day and age everyone has a really quick ability to recognise an ad when scrolling through your Facebook feed. We use social media as a platform and also try and secure a little bit of coverage, or a tick of approval, from some influencers who complement our brand. I gifted a whole lot of incredible people with the tote, and hoped maybe one day they would be seen wearing it. Marketing strategy: I gifted a whole lot of incredible people with the tote, and hoped maybe one day they would be seen wearing it,' she said But while having a celebrity spotted with your bag is one thing, turning that in to a profit is another. Miss Starkins said she needed to engage with those opportunities and respond directly to the celebrity influencers to thank them, and in doing so hopefully garner traction through social media. The business has come a long way since Miss Starkins launched it as a Year 11 student for a group project. Humble beginning: Miss Starkins launched the business as a 16-year-old Year 11 student with a line of monogrammed smocks Making a difference: Little Makes Big employed women from Destiny Rescue Sewing Production House giving them an opportunity to support themselves The team made monogrammed smocks for junior school girls, with all proceeds to go to charity. The business was such a success Miss Starkins decided to continue it after the project had ended. She sewed and sold smocks, library and book bags, before outsourcing the production side of the business overseas to Destiny Rescue Sewing Production House. The business gave girls who had been rescued from exploitation by the charity an opportunity to work and build their experience so they could become employable in their home towns. Future goals: Miss Starkins will launch a clutch and hopes one day her tote will be worn by Kate Middleton Miss Starkins went on to develop the tote and plans to launch a clutch in coming months. I think in terms of the clutch its not monogrammed so has the opportunity for wholesale, she said. And as for future celebrity endorsements? Pippa, we love you, we also love your sister, Kate, Miss Starkins said. Kate [Middleton] would definitely be fantastic, I think shes a really good fit with the brand. Last year, it was the naked bottom of a reality TV star that broke the internet. Such was the hysteria over Kim Kardashians derriere that websites all over the world crashed under the strain. In 2016, however, something far more wholesome is sending the web into a frenzy. A frying pan. But the surprise viral hit is no ordinary skillet its the multi-sectioned Master Pan, designed to cook an entire meal, from breakfast to a restaurant-standard dinner, over a single hob. The furore was begun by Olympic diver Tom Daley, who posted a photograph of himself online using the gadget to cook a proper English breakfast on Sunday morning. He was using the five-sectioned pan to whip up a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages and beans all cooked simultaneously in the separate compartments. Put to the test: Daily Mail writer Sarah Rainey tries out the all-in-one breakfast pan that sent the web into a frenzy after it appeared on Instagram Perfect fry-up: Tom Daley sent Instagram users into a tizzy when he posted this image on social media, which has been like 47,900 times Since then, the image has been liked 47,900 times on picture-sharing website Instagram, accompanied by a flood of comments from users clamouring to buy one for themselves. I need one of those pans in my life, said one. That breakfast pan is amazing, cooed another. Im finding this if its the last thing I do. And others declared the implement genius and admitted to a serious dose of pan envy. However, amid the global curiosity comments came from as far afield as Japan, Spain and Australia many cooks doubted its practicality. Food cooks at different rates, so this might make you ill, said one Instagram follower. Might want to take your bacon out as those sausages arent done yet, said another. Think about cleaning Tom Daleys stupid frying pan, wrote an amateur cook. Its not going to fit in a dishwasher. Another added: Can someone explain to me why Tom Daleys pan is so great? It looks hugely unwieldy. Intrigued, and a sucker for new kitchen gadgets, I decide to try the magic multi-pan for myself. THE OTHER CRAFTY PANS THAT COOK EVERYTHING AT ONCE The 4-in-1 multi use pan, which multitasks better than Nigella BEST FOR SMALL MEALS: 4 IN 1 MULTI USE PAN 24.99, houseofbath.co.uk This looks like an ordinary saucepan but multi-tasks better than Nigella. It includes a four-way divider, allowing you to boil four different veg at once, a three-way poacher to poach eggs at the same time, and an add-on steamer to allow you to cook more veg. Each quarter segment is very small and the dividers are aluminium, meaning they cant be used on induction hobs. But this is a real time-saver if you are cooking for two. TIMESAVING RATING: 5/5 The Cooks Professional set of two divided pans, which is the answer to any student's prayers BEST FOR HUNGRY TEENS: COOKS PROFESSIONAL SET OF TWO DIVIDED PANS 9.99 reduced from 39.99, clifford-james co.uk The answer to any students prayers two pans which can cook the perfect hangover fry-up as fast as you can say What a party that was. These two carbon steel frying pans are 30cm and 26cm in diameter, with the larger divided into three sections and the smaller split into two. You can cook five different types of food from beans to mushrooms to salmon at the same time. Theres a griddle section for sausages and steak. TIMESAVING RATING: 4/5 The four-way saucepan, also has a see-through lid so you can watch the vegetables cook BEST FOR SINGLES: FOUR-WAY SAUCEPAN 17.95, houseofbath.co.uk This handy little 6in-diameter saucepan has a removable four-way divider, which slots neatly inside to separate the pan into quarters. Simply fill with water, boil and add vegetables. Theres a see-through lid so you can watch them cook simultaneously. The smaller size means it is perfect for a singleton. It wont cope with much more than two chopped carrots, four broccoli florets and half a cauliflower. TIMESAVING RATING: 3/5 Advertisement Tracking one down is simple enough although Tom, 21, doesnt reveal where he bought his, a similar pan is sold at Lakeland. The Master Pan is widely available in America but was launched in Britain only last week. It costs 59.99 and is described as a divided frying pan for cooking multiple foods perfect for preparing a complete meal at once. Who knows if Daleys was a gift from his American fiance or a clever piece of product placement by the manufacturers? Certainly, Lakeland said yesterday sales of the pan had risen 1,000 per cent, meaning its entire stock intended to last three months had sold out in just two days. Other types, available online, cost between 70 and 120. But do multi-pans really live up to the hype? Mine arrives in a huge cardboard box, with a three-page instruction book, plus several recipe suggestions. Its certainly hefty. Made from cast aluminium, it weighs 2kg (4lb 4oz), which is around the same weight as my heaviest iron casserole dish. Its a 32 x 38cm (12 x 15in) rectangle, so not small either, and lugging it onto my hob isnt easy. Once its in position, I hit upon my first problem. The pan is so large it stretches over not one but two gas hobs. Given the space between the two, its impossible to see how the different compartments will heat up at the same time. The secret, apparently, lies in the base theres a round 24cm (9.5in) induction plate designed to rapidly transfer heat from the centre outwards across the base, into the corners and up the sides of the pan. You can use it on all types of hobs, including gas, electric and the modern glass-topped induction hobs that use magnetic energy to heat pans. You can even put it in the oven, as the handle is heat-resistant up to temperatures of 180c (360f). But what about different cooking times for different ingredients? Surely meat, for example, will take far longer than eggs or beans? The American manufacturers insist theyve got this covered. The Master Pan is designed so that the grill section which is in the middle of the pan will be 15-20 per cent hotter than the side sections, so its ideal to cook meats and fish in the centre section while the side sections remain slightly less hot to cook vegetables, potatoes, pancakes and baked beans, they boast. There are even handy instructions for cooking a fried breakfast start by cooking the sausages and bacon first in the ridged central section, then the eggs, and finally the beans in the smallest, top right-hand square as they take the least time to cook. Remarkably, the heating mechanism seems to work and quickly. I give the bacon and sausages six minutes to sizzle away on their own before adding the other ingredients, and the tell-tale golden griddle marks start appearing on their skins almost instantly. The two left-hand sections have an indented circle in the base, making them perfect for frying an egg, once you have started on the meat. But determined to recreate a perfect Daley, I melt a little butter and crack two eggs into each section for scrambling. The illusion fades, however, when I try to cook my eggs. Although the pan is hot, the heat isnt equal on the compartment sides, meaning they dry up and stick in the middle, while remaining squidgy and uncooked around the edges. The same thing happens with the beans, which take an age. When they do start to bubble, they overflow into the meat section, which in turn is sputtering fat all over my eggs. It all looks a little messy and mixed-up, with bits of bean burning under my sausage and bacon fat congealing on top of the scrambled eggs. Whats more, as I try to spin the pan around to heat it evenly all over, I find the lipped edge on the opposite side to the handle has become incredibly hot making it impossible to manoeuvre the pan (now a good kilogram heavier with all the ingredients). Still, 15 minutes after I started, everything looks just about ready and I ladle my full English out of the pan and onto a plate. It may look a bit muddled, but it tastes delicious, like a regular cooked breakfast but without the greasy mess and collection of dirty pans usually left on my stove afterwards. Now, surely, comes the tricky part: cleaning it. Lakelands version is dishwasher-safe and though its big, the pan fits flat on the top level of an average dishwasher. Theres really no need, though. Gratifyingly, the non stick coating on the pan has worked a treat and the remnants of my breakfast simply glide off with a squirt of washing-up liquid. Even the burnt bits from the bacon come off with a quick scrub from a damp cloth. It is, in fact, hard to find much to dislike about this pan aside from its bulkiness (which makes cooking with it a welcome alternative to a New Year gym session). It wont impress culinary purists, but if youre unashamedly in a hurry to cook a fuss-free meal, this is a handy device to have ready-to-use in the cupboard. Even some professionals are convinced. William Sitwell, food critic, author and judge on BBC TV series MasterChef, says the multi- sectioned pan is ingenious. Its the pan every mother needs to give her son or daughter as they leave the nest, he tells me. It deals with the age-old problem of having too little space for pans on too few rings and cuts down on the amount of equipment you need to buy. I reckon this is the greatest culinary invention since the bread slicer. If this gets more people hovering around the stove, so much the better. And why stop at breakfast? The makers suggest trying out curries, stir fries, fish dishes and even more ambitious recipes such as coq au vin in the pan. Im not convinced, especially as the bite-sized compartments are far too small for cooking things like rice or potatoes. Although the Master Pan may not have changed my life, its certainly changed the way Ill cook my full English breakfast in future. And Id happily pay 60 for that. GADGET TEST: MASTER PAN V SMART BREAKFAST MASTER FEMAIL's Jo Gould tracked down Toms Master Pan and put it to the test against another whizzy breakfast gadget to find out which one is better. Two breakfasts: Master Pan's results (left) and the meal cooked on SMART Breakfast Master (right) Master Pan, 59.99 from Lakeland Size: 7/10 Ease of use: 10/10 Heat distribution: 10/10 Easy to clean: 9/10 Overall: 10/10 Master Pan, 59.99 from Lakeland is dishwasher safe, oven safe, non-stick and reassuringly heavy The Tom Daley original is dishwasher safe, oven safe, non-stick and reassuringly heavy. The box suggests grilling sausages and bacon in the ridged griddle centre and using the smaller compartments for your accompaniments. I go for sausage and bacon in the middle, mushrooms, beans, a slice of toast (though you couldnt fit any more than one in, so the use of a toaster is best) and a fried egg which has a circular well section. The pan is seriously huge, so most hobs would struggle to accommodate it on one burner, but I imagine you could use several burners for a similar effect. I have a large wok burner though and the pan heats up impressively fast. Its ready to start cooking on in under a minute. I make the mistake of putting all my breakfast items in at the same time, and my beans are done almost immediately, leaving me hanging around waiting for my sausage to cook at the end. The non-stick does its job and the pan is super easy to clean, requiring only a wipe down even for my dried on beans. If you were to put this in the dishwasher you wouldnt get much else in on the same shelf. Still, I want one. SMART Breakfast Master, 50.99 from Tesco Direct Size: 9/10 Ease of use: 7/10 Heat distribution: 6/10 Easy to clean: 9/10 Overall: 7/10 Not strictly a pan, but rather a multi-use gadget with a pan compartment, this still makes cooking breakfast a whizz. After an inspection of the instructions I work out its a toaster that also allows you to fry thin strips of meat (like bacon), eggs or veggies at the same time. It requires a bit of heating up before the pan section is hot enough to use, but once its up and running I cooked a rasher of bacon, mushrooms and toast in under ten minutes before quickly frying an egg to go with it on the same plate - though the bacon just wont crisp up as its not hot enough. There is also the option of boiling up to six eggs, or poaching three, at the same time using various attachments. Annoyingly this cant be done at the same time as the frying pan tray is in use. However, if you were cooking breakfast for one, or doing lots of eggs and toast at the same time, this machine is a great option. Cleaning wise, the toaster has a standard tray to collect crumbs and the attachments like poaching tray can all go in the dishwasher. The frying pan tray is non-stick and simply requires a cursory wipe over, although if food becomes stuck on the makers suggest filling the tray with water and turning the tray on to dislodge. A nice novelty gadget that would make lots of breakfast times a doddle. SMART Breakfast Master, 50.99 from Tesco Direct scored an overall result of 7/10 CONCLUSION Once put to the test it becomes clear that these two are two very different beasts. The Multi Pan is a great idea and I cant understand why no one else has done it! It really does cut down on time, faff and all the washing up and is a high quality product that will last if taken care of. The Smart Breakfast Master is also a fab product; you can leave it to make eggs and toast whilst you get ready for work and it too saves on all the boring cleaning up. Id be happy with either, but Im kicking myself I didnt put the Master Pan on my Christmas list. Advertisement A mother-of-three has finally found happiness again, four years after the tragic passing of her husband. In 2011, Kristian Anderson and his wife Rachel Anderson-Evans made worldwide headlines after he created a touching video tribute to her for her birthday, featuring Prime Minister John Key and Hugh Jackman. Mr Anderson, who had terminal bowel and liver cancer, received millions of views on his tear-jerking video, and was invited to join Oprah Winfrey on stage with his wife at her Australian show in 2011. Scroll down for video Moving forward: Rachel Anderson-Evans (left), 40, has found love with Richard Evans (right) four years after her former husband, Kristian Anderson passed away Renewed hope: In December, the happy pair received a Christmas present like no other when Mrs Anderson-Evans gave birth to their first child, believed to be named Xavier The talk show host sent the New Zealand-based couple and their two little boys on a dream holiday and a trip to Disneyland to create lasting memories before Mr Anderson tragically passed in early January, 2012, at just 36-years-old. Now, four years later, Mrs Anderson-Evans has overcome unimaginable grief and managed to find love once again, was married in a fairytale like ceremony and, in December, gave birth to a baby boy. Richard Evans, a previously divorced father-of-one from a small town in Auckland, emailed Mrs Anderson-Evans a few months after the passing of her husband. Viral success: Mr Anderson (centre), who was diagnosed with terminal bowel and liver cancer, received millions of views on his heartwarming video and was invited to join a touched Oprah Winfrey on stage with his wife (left) at Oprah's Australian show Heartwarming: In 2011, Kristian Anderson and his wife Rachel Anderson-Evans made headlines after he published a touching video tribute to her for her birthday '"My name's Richard", he wrote. He'd included a picture of himself with his little girl Italy, now eight. "Your story really touched my heart",' he'd written,' Mrs Anderson-Evans told That's Life! magazine. The kind-hearted dairy farmer had seen Mrs Anderson-Evans' story on TV and offered them a trip to his Queenstown holiday house, and although she graciously declined, the emails continued and feelings later blossomed into a romance. After meeting for the first time, Mrs Anderson Evans' said she and Mr Evans started skyping regularly and 'that ray of light got brighter.' A fairytale: Mr Evans, a kind-hearted dairy farmer, had seen Mrs Anderson-Evans' story on TV and Mrs Anderson-Evans a trip to his Queenstown holiday house, and although she declined, the emails continued True love: Nine months later Mr Evans proposed to Mrs Anderson-Evans at the beach and the couple married in January 2014 alongside family and close friends A year after the death of Mr Anderson, Mrs Anderson-Evans had moved to Auckland with her two boys, Cody and Jakob, to be closer to family members when she realised her feelings for Mr Evans were growing. 'One day Richard took Cody and Jakob out in his boat. Watching them sailing towards me with huge smiles on their faces, I felt the earth shift. "I think I'm in love with this man",' Mrs Anderson-Evans said. Nine months later Mr Evans proposed to Mrs Anderson-Evans at the beach and the couple married in January 2014 alongside family and close friends. Always in their hearts: Mrs Anderson-Evans has described their little boy, believed to be named Xavier, as the 'first step in our journey' and while Mr Anderson is no longer alive, he is still a large part of all of their lives. In December, the happy pair received a Christmas present like no other - their first child together. Mrs Anderson-Evans has described their little boy, believed to be named Xavier, as the 'first step in our journey' and while Mr Anderson is no longer alive, he is still a large part of all of their lives. 'We talk about him alot. Richard helps preserve his memory for Cody and Jakob and holds me when I cry,' Mrs Anderson-Evans said. 'It's lovely to think Kristian had a hand in this happiness.' 'I just can't wait to see what our future holds.' A woman who was filmed breastfeeding a baby on busy London Tube train was heckled by an actor to find out how other passengers reacted to the situation. YouTube prankstersTrollstation produced the six-minute clip as a 'social experiment' to test whether people believe it's 'appropriate' for a woman to feed in public. The video begins on a platform at Elephant & Castle station, where actress Amina Maz explains: 'Today we're doing a breastfeeding experiment. Let's see if people find this uncomfortable.' Trollstation produced the video as a 'social experiment' to test people's reactions to breastfeeding in public When she boards a busy Tube carriage and pretends to feed her baby - a doll hidden under a blanket - Irish actor James Slattery lays into her, accusing her of 'exposing herself' and demanding that she move to a different carriage. James sits a few seats down from Amina and looks visibly frustrated as he spots her feeding her baby, before saying: 'Excuse me... you're not breastfeeding, are you?' When she replies: 'I am... do you have a problem?' he says: 'I'm not trying to be argumentative or anything but I feel a little bit uncomfortable about it. It's just a thing that's been passed down in my family. 'There should be a designated carriage on here for it. I just don't want you to do it in front of me. Why could you not make express or something before you came on here? I just feel uncomfortable.' Amina tells him: 'My baby needs to eat.' As fellow passengers join in with the debate, they seem largely on the mother's side. One woman asks James: 'Why don't you move onto the next carriage?' and another tells him: 'You should probably move away.' In the six-minute clip, a fellow 'passenger' - actor James Slattery - asks Amina to move to a different carriage The heated exchange sees members of the public leaping to Amina's defence James replies: 'No, I pay my ticket, I pay a yearly subscription. Why should she be allowed to expose herself on the bloody train like this? Look, she's half-naked, what the hell.' He then goes on to insist that, while he's not trying to make the mother feel awkward, her breastfeeding makes him uncomfortable. Amina implores her fellow passengers to stick up for her, saying: 'My baby needs to eat. What do you want me to do?' As the argument becomes increasingly heated, a man sitting opposite her assures her that she's done nothing wrong, saying: 'She has every right to do this if she wants to,' and suggests James changes carriage himself. The argument continues as strangers look on. One man sat himself in between Amina and James At one point, James accuses Amina of being 'half-naked' and 'exposing herself' on public transport He insists that she has every right to breastfeed her child, before getting up and sitting in between the mother and the Irish man, telling him that he's 'behaving quite aggressively'. As the argument rages on, Amina tells her accuser: 'You're the only one making this sexual.' When she explains that it's her legal right, he hits back: 'Who made it legal to expose yourself in public? You've got your tit out.' Before long, the entire section of the carriage has joined in. At this point, the cameraman - who had been filming through the door of the adjacent carriage - enters and informs the group that they are being filmed as part on an experiment. One kind stranger stands up for Amina, assuring her that she has done nothing wrong by feeding her baby Eventually they admit that the whole exchange had been a prank, branding the man who stepped in a 'hero' He tells the kind stranger: 'We're making a movie, so you're a hero.' When he asks passengers what they thought about the exchange, one woman says: 'I thought it was despicable.' The man who had sat between Amina and James admits that he had found the experience 'a bit tense,' before explaining that he works in the mental health sector and 'it's our job.' Trollstation regularly produces 'hidden camera' pranks, and describes itself on its Facebook page as 'intentionally provocative and controversial with the aim to laugh with the public.' Amina, 23, from London, told FEMAIL she felt compelled to make the video after seeing members of her own family suffer 'weird stares' from strangers when breastfeeding in public. It seems even Robert Pattinson needs a bit of a boost in January. In his new campaign for Dior Homme Eau For Men cologne, the 29-year-old actor can be seen wandering alone around the streets of New York as inspiring messages such as, 'Dream as if you will live forever' appear on the buildings. London-born Robert, who started working with the French fashion house in June 2013, was shot by German director Peter Lindbergh - the maestro of black and white photography. Robert Pattinson smoulders as he wanders alone around the streets of New York in an arty monochrome advert for Dior Homme Intense London-born Robert, who started working with the French fashion house in June 2013, was shot by German director Peter Lindbergh - the maestro of black and white photography The 29-year-old actor can be seen wandering alone around the streets of New York as inspiring messages such as, 'Dream as if you will live forever' appear on the buildings Although he might not be playing a vampire any more Robert, famous for his role as Edward Cullen in the Twilight franchise, proves he's still got a dark and mysterious side. In the arty monochrome film, set to the track 'All I Need' by L'Orange & Jeremiah Jae, Robert looks pensive as he strolls along the sidewalk and gazes out of a high-rise window. Dressed smartly in a long overcoat, white shirt and thin black tie, Robert throws the camera a number of confident stares and can be seen in one shot fiddling with his cuff links. Key messages pop up on the sky line during his stroll including, 'Never regret anything' and 'They were made to be broken.' Although he might not be playing a vampire any more Robert, famous for his role as Edward Cullen in the Twilight franchise, proves he's still got a dark and mysterious side In the arty monochrome film, set to the track 'All I Need' by L'Orange & Jeremiah Jae, Robert looks pensive as he strolls along the sidewalk and gazes out of a high-rise window Dressed smartly in a long overcoat, white shirt and thin black tie, Robert throws the camera a number of confident stares and can be seen in one shot fiddling with his cuff links A spokesperson for the brand described the clip as 'a video that rolls out shots of a streetwise prince with a disarming gaze. His urban look is irresistible and brings back the aura of a modern rebel' Key messages pop up on the sky line during his stroll including, 'Never regret anything' and 'They were made to be broken' Robert Pattinson wanders around New York in the film as motivational messages appear on the skyline A spokesperson for the brand described the clip as 'a video that rolls out shots of a streetwise prince with a disarming gaze. His urban look is irresistible and brings back the aura of a modern rebel.' Robert previously revealed that he came onboard the Dior campaign because it was a change of pace for his career. '[I did it because] I wanted to do something different for me... doing something that is quite mainstream but also edgy fit into where I want my life to go,' he told Elle France. And though Robert has won plenty of fans with his handsome looks, he recently revealed that he has anxiety over his appearance. 'I remember when I first did Twilight I didn't care about how I looked - there was less pressure, I guess. I was like, 'I'm cool as sh-t!'' Pattinson told InStyle magazine. '[Now] every time I appear somewhere, I think, 'I don't know how many more times I can do this.' Dressing up to go somewhere and be looked at - I get so nervous.' Robert previously revealed that he came onboard the Dior campaign because it was a change of pace for his career The Christian Dior campaign features a number of arty shots of the city and the crowds of people in the streets Robert told Elle France: '[I did it because] I wanted to do something different for me... doing something that is quite mainstream but also edgy fit into where I want my life to go' Although Robert has won plenty of fans with his handsome looks, he recently revealed that he has anxiety over his appearance Meanwhile, he silenced claims that his romance is on the rocks with fiancee FKA Twigs on January 2 by stepping out for a cosy London date with her. The pair proved they are still going strong as they enjoyed a romantic evening stroll filled with incessant chatting and laughter. Their outing comes just a short while after a source told E! that the couple are still very much an item, contrary to split reports. 'They haven't drifted apart [despite claims], but they haven't spoken as much lately because of his filming schedule,' the insider explained. 'There most likely won't be a wedding this year, but that has been the expectation for months.' They added: 'There isn't a rush to get married. Fall plans turned into winter plans and now there are no specific plans, but they still plan on getting married.' Speaking about his style, he said: 'I remember when I first did Twilight I didn't care about how I looked - there was less pressure, I guess. I was like, 'I'm cool as sh-t!'' Advertisement Its form-fitting gowns are a staple of the red carpet and its muses include Hollywood screen sirens such as Monica Bellucci and Scarlett Johansson. But now famed Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana has turned its attention to a more modest offering with its first range of hijabs and abayas - the loose, full length robe favoured by some Muslim women. The collection, which was revealed via the Arabian branch of the website Style.com, mainly comes in black and neutral hues although there is a smattering of print. Scroll down for video Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana has launched their first ever collection of abayas and hijabs as they seek to cater for the growing demand for Muslim fashion The range makes a heavy nod to D&G's Sicilian heritage with liberal use of black lace (left). One of the more understated pieces in the range (right) is given a splash of colour with bold floral accessories The fashion site said the collection 'celebrates the inimitable dolce vita that is distinct to us in the Arab world.' But it's still distinctively D&G with a sprinkling of the daisies, lemons, and red roses that appear in the brands Spring 2016 collection, as well as a sprinkling of playful polka dots. The abayas and hijabs come in sheer georgette and satin weave charmeuse fabrics, and D&G signature lace detailing is also a strong presence. One floating neutral coloured abaya is heavily embellished with intricate black lace, echoing the brand's penchant for dramatic femininity, while another is embellished with an all over lace pattern. The abayas and hijabs come in sheer georgette and satin weave charmeuse fabrics, and D&G signature lace detailing is also a strong presence. Lush red roses, which feature in D&G's Spring 2016 collection, add a splash of colour and flair to this black abaya The design duo have been widely praised on social media for their new collection, but a handful of commentators branded it outdated. 'It's good for a first timer designer like this. But it's still so 2007 in the Middle East,' one Instagram user said Stefano Gabbana also announced the launch of the collection on his Instagram page, with the hashtag #dgabaya. No information has been released as yet on how much the pieces will cost or what regions they will be available in. However, the collection is already receiving a hugely positive response from fashion fans online. 'It's so amazing to see you create this,' Melissa Marsella wrote on Instagram. 'There are a lot of lovely ladies that will look and feel absolutely incredible because of you.' A model shows off a headscarves decorated with daisies, teamed with a pair of matching sunglasses (left) while another poses in a striking white abaya with black lace stripes (right), which ticks the monochrome trend The designers have been praised online for paving the way for other fashion houses to cater for Muslim women who want to buy high end clothing. A report by Thomson Reuters has predicted that Muslim spending on fashion and footwear will increase to $484 billion by 2019 Olenkarogan said she thought the designs were 'perfection', while an excited user 4mm1na said the collection is 'totally on my buy list'. Rexkless_x also praised D&G for paving the way for more designers to make high fashion clothes for Muslim consumers. 'For D&G to even make a line like this will make others realise there's a competition going on,' she said. 'And soon all high end designers will be making abayas and it will be a success we can finally wear designer clothes with good material and designs.' Philistine Ayad took to Twitter to praise the designers, saying: 'Thank you for seeing that there is beauty in our differences. #MuslimandProud.' D&G have joined the likes of Tommy Hilfiger and DKNY in offering capsule collections tailored for Muslim customers. Brands such as Mango, Zara and Net-a-Porter have also offered Ramadan collections during the holy month Stefano Gabbana announced that he and design partner Domenico would be creating a Muslim fashion range in an interview last year. D&G's quirky lemon sunglasses add a touch of fun to the model's ensemble (right), which has a matching print. Catering to the Muslim market is a growing focus for luxury designers and high street brands alike Both Kelly Hidge and The Cloaked Room declared they were 'obsessed' with the collection. Yalla Spree added: 'Now that's one clothing line we're definitely looking forward to.' However, not everyone was so effusive in their phrase however, with some branding the collection outdated. Rexkless_x wrote on Instagram: 'It's good for a first timer designer like this. But its still so 2007 in the Middle East. It's only 2015 in the West's eyes.' Last year, Stefano Gabbana revealed the design duo would be creating a range for Muslim customers in an interview with The National newspaper. 'Im really fascinated with the Middle East and weve just completed a pret-a-porter collection of abayas and sheylas,' he said. 'Pieces have some lace, embroidery and some prints but not too much,' he said. At the time he said the collection would be available in the United Arab Emirates in October 2015, but the launch has only just been announced. Catering to the Muslim market is a growing focus for luxury designers and high street brands alike. A report by Thomson Reuters found that Muslims spent $266 billion on clothing and footwear in 2013. The report also predicted that figure to increase to $484 billion by 2019. Growth in retail in the Arab world is currently outpacing Asia and Russia. Tommy Hilfiger and DKNY have launched capsule collections for Muslim customers. And Monique Lhuillier has designed a range of caftans for the luxury online retailer Moda Operandi. Online designer clothing retailer Net-a-Porter provides a 'Ramadan Edit'. On the high street, while Zara and Mango have also offered specially themed collections during the holy month. Late last year H&M featured their first ever hijab-wearing model in an ad campaign - Mariah Idrissi. After the festive break, Queen Letizia and King Felipe VI were back on public duty today as they undertook their first engagement of the New Year. Looking elegant in an ankle-length black gown with lace detail and a cream fitted jacket, Letizia, 43, appeared relaxed at the traditional celebration of the Pascua Militar, a ceremony which is a long-standing tradition for the Spanish military, dating back to 1782. As Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Felipe, 47, donned his full military regalia for the event; only the second that he has attended as king. Scroll down for video A Spanish salute: King Felipe steps up to the podium and makes a royal salute with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to his right and Spanish Minister of Defense Pedro Morenes to his far left. Feliz ano nuevo! A relaxed-looking Letizia shakes the hand of some of Spain's most decorated military men, as King Felipe looks on It is tradition that the attending Queen wears a long dress and Letizia didn't veer from the dress code with her monochrome outfit. The parade, which was combined with a reception at the Palacio Real, was held to mark Epiphany - a national holiday in Spain. Considered almost as important as Christmas Day itself, Epiphany marks the moment when baby Jesus, at just a few days old, was seen for the first time by the Magi or Three Kings. Known in Spain as El Dia de los Reyes (Day of the Kings), it is celebrated with presents and colourful parades, the oldest of which takes place in Valencia. The biggest and most important, however, is Madrid's - thanks in no small part to the presence of a real king at the procession. It is only the second time the royal couple have attended the Epiphany celebrations as King and Queen after Felipe took the throne in 2014 A touch of the flamenco? Letizia's floor-length gown had pretty lace detail at the bottom A wave on Epiphany: As Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, a white-gloved Felipe, 47, donned his full military regalia including a khaki uniform and pink and white sash Felipe chose the occasion to address the ongoing terror threat faced by European countries. He said in a speech: 'We have been through tough times, some of them with tragic outcomes, such as the violence the brutal onslaught of terrorism, which has brought death to so many cities, streets and squares across the world, and that has cruelly hit countries that are our friends, where citizens and fellow Spaniards have lost their lives.' The day will have proved a welcome distraction for the royals. The older sister of Felipe, Princess Cristina, is currently facing charges of tax fraud and will stand trial next week. Cristina, 50, is the first member of the Spanish royal family to face the courts since the Spanish monarchy was reinstated in 1975. The trial also involves Inaki Urdangarin, Cristina's husband, who is accused of money-laundering and fraud. The 43-year-old Queen wore her hair loosely tied back and finished the look with some simple pearl drop earrings It's a tradition that the attending Queen wears a dress that goes down to her feet for the Pascua Militar ceremony, which dates back to the 18th century The couple share a conversation under the grandiose chandelier inside the Royal Palace in Madrid The couple share a smile as they prepare to meet key individuals from the Spanish military The age of the Champagne flute could be over as wine experts declare that wider glasses are the best way to enjoy fizz. The tall, tapered glasses which were originally designed to showcase sparkling wine's tiny, rising bubbles might soon be as rare as the vintage Champagne saucers that preceded them. It seems that the most knowledgeable names in the wine business from France to California are eschewing effervescence in favour of flavour. Fizzling out: Tall Champagne flutes are set for extinction if wine buffs have their way Boss of leading glassmakers Riedel Crystal, Maximilian Riedel, declared it was his goal to make flutes 'obsolete' claiming their use 'inhibits our ability to explore the depth of aroma and flavour in the wine.' Philippe Jamesse, head sommelier at Les Crayres restaurant in Reims, declares he has 'always hated the flute', adding: 'At home I always taste in wine glasses. I was always embarrassed to serve Champagne in flutes I knew we could do much better.' Maximilian Riedel promotes a more rounded tulip shaped tall glass instead of the classic flute He took his idea to local glass manufacturer Lehmann and they created an elongated glass, rounded in the middle and tapering towards the top. Jamesse and Gerard Liger-Belair, a physicist at the University of Reims, discovered that the spherical shape of the glass 'encouraged vertical movement and respected the role of the mousse [how fizzy the wine feels in the mouth]'. Master of Wine writer Anne Krebiehl says: 'Like so many in the business I have been drinking my Champagne and sparkling wines from white wine glasses. 'That way I can gorge on the lovely aroma and taste, and fully appreciate what makes those bubbles such a joy to drink.' Producers like Louis Roederer, said: 'Our Champagne style needs aeration to fully demonstrate its potential, so we often use white wine glasses. 25 years ago we developed our own tulip glasses, which were larger than the flute.' Flutes are not just going out of fashion in France as Italy's foremost traditional-method winemakers Matteo Lunelli reveal. 'Traditional narrow flutes cannot deliver the perfume and complexity of a Trento DOC sparkling wine,' Lunelli says. 'I prefer large, tulip-shaped glasses, especially for vintage or reserve wines tasted with food. Flutes are fine for parties and toasting, but serving Ferrari Perl in a large tulip-shaped glass immediately changes the experience.' The trend has already spread to California according to leading restaurateur Jordan Nova: 'While the majority of guests are used to flutes, we have found that winemakers and savvy guests have begun asking for white wine glasses for Champagne.' Melania also said she has a good relationship with her step-children because she acts as a friend, not as a mother she isn't a 'nagging wife' but says she doesn't hesitate to tell her husband when she disagrees with him The former model obtained a work visa and had the resources to fly back and forth to Slovenia to get it stamped before becoming a citizen She said she doesn't have a problem with Donald's stance against Muslim and Mexican immigrants - because she came to the country legally Advertisement Move over, Donald - for once, the spotlight is on Melania Trump, who has opened up about her history as a model, her relationship with her step-children, and, of course, her famous husband, in a new interview. The 45-year-old Slovenian stunner posted for a series of glamorous photos for Harper's Bazaar's February issue, which were taken inside her Manhattan home and which run alongside one of only a handful interviews she has ever granted; in it she delves into topics like her husband's stance on immigration and his ability to be an 'amazing president'. Despite showering him with praise, however, Melania admits that she doesn't always agree with him - and also avoids talking about their potential future in the White House. Scroll down for video Opening up: Melania Trump, 49, opens up about her husband, presidential candidate Donald Trump, her step-kids, and her modeling career in the interview GOP imagery: Melania posed with an inflatable elephant - perhaps a nod to the Republican symbol - for the photo feature in Harper's Bazaar It's a bling thing: Donald, 69, married Melania in 2005 and recently gave her a stunning 25-carat ring for their tenth anniversary Melania admits she hasn't spoken out publicly very much in the past, but insists that's not because she isn't political. 'Because of who my husband is, and our life, and also he is number one in the polls - well, you take that all together, and people are very curious about me,' she said. 'I'm choosing not to go political in public because that is my husband's job. 'I'm very political in private life, and between me and my husband I know everything that is going on. I follow from A to Z. But I chose not to be on the campaign. I made that choice. I have my own mind. I am my own person, and I think my husband likes that about me.' But while she might be up-front about her opinions with him, she's not so quick to voice them to the press. Throughout the interview, which appears in the February issue of the magazine, out on January 19, she continually avoided answering directly any questions about what she actually thinks things would be like if she moved into the White House. Keeping mum: Melania said it was her choice not to speak out much on the campaign trail; she said that's her husband's job Vocal at home: She also said she shares her opinions - which sometimes differ from her husband's - with Donald all the time She also refused to discuss past First Ladies with the interviewer, condescendingly calling him 'cute' when he pushed her to name her favorite first ladies. Instead, she repeatedly shifted the focus back to Donald, voicing amazement at the crowds he draws and praising his attributes. 'He is handling everything very well,' she said. 'He is not politically correct, and he tells the truth. 'Everything is not roses and flowers and perfect, because it is not. He wants America to be great again, and he can do that.' Both the interview and the shoot - which sees Melania posing in from of an American flag, holding a Stars and Stripes clutch, and dressed in red, white, and blue while posing with an inflatable elephant symbolizing the GOP - took place in the couple's lavish three-floor penthouse apartment at Trump Tower. Luxe life: The interview and shoot were both held in the couple's luxurious three-floor penthouse apartment Over-the-top: Their apartment in Trump Tower features ornate hand-painted ceilings and a marble fountain All for show? Though Trump, pictured in 2001, often criticizes Hillary Clinton in the news these days, he still keeps a picture he took with her in his home The interviewer noted that Melania's enormous 25-carat diamond ring, which was a gift for her tenth anniversary, matches the opulent setting in which they sat, which includes hand-painted art on the ceiling, a white marble fountain, and plenty of photos in the living room - including, surprisingly, one of Donald with his arch rival Hillary Clinton. The mogul had donated to Bill and Hillary's foundation and also invited them to his wedding, and in 2012 told Greta van Susteren at Fox News that the current Democratic frontrunner is 'a terrific woman.' 'I am biased because I have known her for years,' he said. 'I really like her and her husband both a lot. I think she really works hard. And I think, again, shes given an agenda, it is not all of her, but I think she really works hard and I think she does a good job. I like her.' How soon we forget: Melania said she doesn't have a problem with Trump's anti-immigration stance, even though she immigrated from Solvenia in 1996 Nice to have the resources: She came to the US to work as a model and said she had to go back to Europe several times to get her visa stamped Melania didn't address Trump's comments about other candidates, but did insist that her husband is the politician American really needs. 'He is a great leader - the best leader, an amazing negotiator,' she said. 'America needs that, and he believes in America. 'He believes in its potential and what it can be, because it is now in big trouble... I just believe he has what it takes to be an amazing president.' She also refused to raise issue with Donald's stance on immigration. The 69-year-old businessman has proposed building a wall along the US-Mexico border (and insists that he will make the people of Mexico pay for it) and has suggested banning Muslim immigration altogether. But while his comments and proposals have drawn criticism from both Democrats and Republicans alike, none of them bother Melania, who was an immigrant herself. Unattainable: Melania met Donald at a Fashion Week party and refused to give him her number when he asked. The couple is pictured together in 1998 Success on her own: Melania went on to pose for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition in 2000 (pictured) while she and Donald were dating In 1996, she traveled from Slovenia to the US on a work visa, and became a citizen a decade later after marrying Donald. When asked about her immigration process, though, she noted that she 'followed the rules'. 'I came here for my career, and I did so well, I moved here. It never crossed my mind to stay here without papers. That is just the person you are. You follow the rules. You follow the law. Every few months you need to fly back to Europe and stamp your visa. 'After a few visas, I applied for a green card and got it in 2001. After the green card, I applied for citizenship. And it was a long process.' When she was 28 and working successfully as a model, she met Donald, then 52, at a Fashion Week Party. Donald had just split from Marla Maples, but was attending the party with a date so when he asked for Melania's number she refused. Instead, she offered to take his, wondering if he'd give her his work number or personal one. He gave her both, as well as the number for his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Not-so-evil stepmother: The former model insists she gets along with her step-kids because she offers herself as a friend, not a mother figure Dad the Prez: Melania has been preparing Barron for a possible future in which his father is President The importance of compromise: The former model said she's not a 'nagging wife', but she's not a 'yes' person who agrees with everything, either Soon after, they went on their first date to dinner, and then to the swanky nightclub Moomba and were married in 2005. They have a nine-year-old son, Barron, who has been taught to speak Slovenian just like his mom. (Melania is also fluent in French and Italian.) She added that she has a good relationship with her step-kids, likely due in part to the fact that most were already adults when she met their father, and she doesn't try to fulfill a mothering role. At 45, she is only seven years older than Donald Jr., 38, and doesn't have many years on Ivanka, 34 or Eric, 32, wither. The youngest, Tiffany, is 22, and grew up on the West Coast. Melania also shared that she's not as shy as people seem to think, nor is she a 'yes' person but she's also 'not a nagging wife'. She'll offer her opinion to Donald - which can certainly differ from his own - but she doesn't try to change him. In turn, she said, he doesn't try to change her. Fans of Strang are calling themselves 'Strangers' and there is a Tumblr blog entitled StrangeCore that is dedicated to his 'normcore' style Thousands of people have taken to social media to declare their love for the duo, including actresses Kristen Bell and Uzo Aduba lawyers Dean Strang and Jerome Buting made up convict Steven Avery's defense team on the 10-part Netflix documentary The Netflix documentary series Making a Murderer has captivated millions across the country and coincidentally turned two middle-aged lawyers from Wisconsin into unlikely heartthrobs who inspire Tumblr accounts and professions of love on Twitter. The streaming service's 10-party series tells the story of Steven Avery, a convict from Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, who was imprisoned for 18 years after being wrongfully convicted of rape, only to be released and charged with murder two years later. And while the innocence of the documentary's subject is hotly debated as many believe he was framed, it is Avery's Midwestern defense lawyers Dean Strang and Jerome 'Jerry' Buting who have left many viewers' hearts pounding. Scroll down for video Still got it! Wisconsin lawyers Dean Strang (L) and Jerome 'Jerry' Buting (R) have become unlikely heartthrobs after the debut of the Netflix true crime series Making a Murderer last month Famous faces: Actress Kristen Bell shared this photo of the duo on her Twitter page this week Literary reference: Orange is the New Black star Uzo Aduba dubbed Strang a modern day Atticus Finch, the beloved hero in Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird A-list attraction: Uzo (right), 34, and Kristen (left), 35, are just two of Strang and Buting's many female fans The men, who have been dubbed the heroes of the documentary by many, have surprisingly attracted a great deal of fanfare following the debut of the series last month, with more and more people finding themselves besotted with the lawyers. 'Someone needs to splice together some courtroom footage of Dean Strang and Jerry Buting to the soundtrack of Sexy Boy. Or Whatta Man,' one woman wrote on Twitter. Other people have taken the lawyers' images from the documentary and covered them in hearts the way a school girl would doodle on picture of her crush. Strang's followers are calling themselves 'Strangers' and the lawyer has inspired a Tumblr page entitled StrangCore that is dedicated to 'early-mid 2000s normcore style'. Yeah! This woman cheekily tweeted about how she wants a 'Dean Strang in the sheets' along with a wink emoticon New Year's resolution: Hadly Freeman noted that Strang and Buting are her first crushes of the year Word play: Alex Dauoust used the popular hashtag #strangcrush to share her love for Strang Not alone: More and more fans are taking to social media to admit that they are besotted with the Midwestern lawyers featured in the 10-part Netflix series Focus: The lawyers made up convict Steven Avery's defense team on the 10-part Netflix documentary The men have even stolen the hearts of Hollywood celebrities. Orange is the New Black star Uzo Aduba took to Twitter on Wednesday to compare Strang to the beloved hero in Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird. 'Dean Strang is Atticus Finch. #MakingAMurderer,' she tweeted. While Kristen Bell shared a heart-shaped photo of Strang and Buting on Twitter, writing: 'I'm going to get a locker in 2016 just to put this up.' However, she and Uzo are only two of many admirers. 'I want a Jerry Buting in the streets and a Dean Strang in the sheets,' Dana Wickens cheekily shared on Twitter, while Hadley Freeman dubbed the men her 'First 2016 crush'. And Alex Dauoust added: 'Dean Strang...more like Dream Strang #strangcrush.' Totally smitten: Adrienne Grierson proudly shared this image of her framed photo of the duo Fifty Shades of Grey Suits: Nick Anstett predicted that people are going to start writing fan fiction about Strang and Buting It's not cheating: Kat Canipe Wells declared her love for Strang and Buting on Twitter even though she admits she is married Fantasy sequence: This Twitter user said she wants to see a video of Strang and Buting set to Shawn Michaels's hit Sexy Boy or Salt 'N' Pepa's Whatta Man No words: Twitter user Maeve Higgens just shared a photo of Strang along with 24 hearts to show her love Although some may find the national obsession perplexing, many noted that they fell in love with the men during the series because of their tireless pursuit of clearing Avery's name. Avery had been in prison for 18 years when DNA evidence exonerated him of a sexual assault conviction in 1985. He was released in 2003 and, two years later, sought $36 million from Manitowoc County for the wrongful conviction. However, less than a month after the federal lawsuit was filed, Avery was charged with first-degree intentional homicide for the murder of 25-year-old photographer Teresa Halbach. The docuseries shows Strang and Buting skillfully arguing the case that the Manitowoc officers who were in the middle of being deposed in his lawsuit were also involved in the gathering of evidence for the Halbach murder and may have framed him. Next level: Strang has his own parody Twitter account featuring the user name 'Sexy Dean Strang' True love: 'My future baby daddies,' Erika Morales wrote when she shared this photo on Instagram Real McDreamy: This Twitter user imagines that Strang would be an amazing person to go on a date with Not alone: Brianne Angarole wanted to know if other people were felling 'wonderfully strang about their #strangcrush' School girl crush: One Buting fan put hearts and the phrase 'I want to hug you' on a picture of him as an act of love Strang and Buting's lusty following only continues to grow as more and more people take to social media wax poetic of their passion and pursuit of justice. 'I guarantee you that there is already a copious amounts of Dean Strang and Jerry Butin fan fiction #MakingAMurderer,' Nick Anstett noted, while Adrienne Grierson proudly showed off her framed photo of the duo on Instagram, writing: 'Not that I'm smitten or anything.' Even writers working for fashion magazines such as Vogue and Elle aren't immune to the lawyers' undeniable appeal. 'Could I really make a life in Wisconsin?' Julia Felsenthal wrote in an essay for Vogue. 'Had I truly fallen head over heels for the most unlikely of paramours: Steven Averys diminutive defense attorney, Dean Strang?' Meanwhile, Diana Bruk broke down the reasons why Strang has become a 'sex symbol' in her Elle essay entitled Deconstructing Your Sexual Attraction to Making A Murderer's Dean Strang in 13 Steps. And you know you've made it when a Buzzfeed quiz is created in your honor. The website came up six questions to help readers determine if they 'belong with Dean Strang or Jerry Buting'. However, Dean admitted that he and his family are having a hard time coming to terms with the proclamations of love. A Pret customer who was left disappointed when he purchased an unsatisfying wrap soon had a change of heart after the restaurant responded to his complaint in the most brilliant fashion. Tom Dodds, 25, from Oxford, popped into the high street chain to purchase a Chef's Special avocado and crayfish wrap on his lunch break - but described it as 'possibly the worst tasting item he has ever eaten.' The City worker tweeted the company to express his dismay - and what followed was two hours' worth of unexpected lyrical banter. Tom Dodds, 25, purchased a 'Chef's Special' avocado and crayfish wrap from Pret on his lunch break but described it as 'possibly the worst tasting item he has ever eaten'. After complaining and being offered a free lunch, the high street giant engaged in a pun-tastic witty exchange of private messages on Twitter Messaging the food chain on social media, Tom informed them that he was less than impressed with his lunch. The food chain offered him a free lunch as compensation via direct message on Twitter. Things started off formally with Tom responding: 'Thanks! That's great service,' to which Pret replied: 'You're very welcome - please let us know if we can be of any further help.' Clearly in a playful mood, Tom responded: 'That Fish Cray' - inspired by Jay Z and Kanye West's N***** In Paris lyrics. Pret, who were seemingly keen to show off their puns, put their spin on Jay Z's 99 Problems lyrics, writing: 'I've got 99 problems but the fish ain't one.' Tom Dodds, who works in the City, tweeted the company to express his dismay - and what followed was two hours' worth of unexpected lyrical banter Taking Silento's Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) as his point of reference for his comeback, Tom wrote: 'Now watch me fish, then watch me craycray. Fish fish, then I craycray.' Pret - using The Weeknd's 'I Can't Feel My Face' as inspiration - wrote: 'I can't feel my plaice when I'm with you,' and Tom replied: 'Prawn to be wiiiiiild.' Next up for Pret was Taylor Swift's hit song, Shake It Off, which Pret put a fishy spin on by writing: 'Baby, I'm just gonna hake, hake, hake, hake, hake, I hake it off, I hake it off.; Upping the ante, Tom responded by adding his own lyrics to Notorious BIG's Juicy rap: 'It was all a dream, I used to read turbot magazine. Goldfish, cod and anchovy in the limousine.' Pret's final message was the short but sweet Fix Up Look Sharp by Dizzee Rascal, which they put a spin on by penning: 'Coyyyyy.... fix up look carp.' Tom signed off the banter-filled thread with Adele's latest hit, Hello, writing: 'Halibut from the other siiiiide... I must have cod a thousand times...' Tom told FEMAIL: 'They have offered me a free lunch, as well as a good deal of banter over a successful afternoon in the office - reading the responses back was making our whole office laugh' Speaking to FEMAIL and the unexpected and witty exchange, Tom said: 'I go to Pret once or twice a week as I work in the City and its quick easy and usually very tasty. 'They have offered me a free lunch, as well as a good deal of banter over a successful afternoon in the office - reading the responses back was making our whole office laugh. The exchange was on and off for about two hours so kudos to the busy Pret team. 'Regarding the content, some of my sales team and friends from our co-working office chipped in with some. 'The Notorious BIG Juicy lyrics were a complete group effort and in my view the Moorgate teams final hour.' A spokesperson for Pret added: 'Having fun with our customers is a big part of what makes us tick - both in our shops and on social media. 'Our pun champ is feeling a little too coy to be named on this occasion though I'm afraid...they're not really one to fish for compliments.' Thus, the effect of obesity on mortality had been underestimated until now That's because BMI doesn't account for overall weight - only a snapshot The study said measuring obesity and mortality through BMI is 'flawed' It is a health message we have all heard - if you're obese or overweight, shed pounds. The risk of chronic illnesses, including various cancers, heart disease, diabetes and other ailments, has been shown to fall if people lose weight. But now, scientists have cast a shadow over that mantra. For they said losing weight may not reduce a formerly obese person's risk of early death. Rather, those who shed the pounds, but were once obese or overweight are still at a 27 per cent heightened risk of premature death, compared with their slim peers. Researchers identified a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease and diabetes among formerly obese people, who had lost weight. They said the effect of obesity on mortality has previously been underestimated because the use of BMI as a measure obscures the health impact of weight change over time. Scientists revealed that formerly overweight people still face a 27 per cent higher risk of early death - even if they shed their excess pounds and become a 'normal' weight. The new study said the effects of obesity on mortality had long been underestimated because BMI obscures the health impact of weight change over time Those disease rates are much higher in that group than for those people who maintained their high body mass index, and remained overweight. Scientists suggest this could be because the weight loss was triggered by illness. The research, conducted by scientists from Boston University and University of Pennsylvania, concluded that prior studies focusing on the link between obesity and mortality are flawed. In the past, researchers relied on one-time measures of BMI that, the Boston and Pennsylvania scientists said, obscure the health impacts of weight change over time. Therefore, the medical community has underestimated the effects of excess weight on mortality, they said. Lead study author Dr Andrew Stokes, an assistant professor at Boston University, said: The risks of obesity are obscured in prior research because most of the studies only incorporate information on weight at a single point in time. The simple step of incorporating weight history clarifies the risks of obesity and shows that they are much higher than appreciated. Scientists tested a model that measured obesity status through individuals reporting of their lifetime maximum weight as opposed to a snapshot survey of weight. The risks of obesity are obscured in prior research because most of the studies only incorporate information on weight at a single point in time. The simple step of incorporating weight history clarifies the risks of obesity and shows that they are much higher than appreciated Dr Andrew Stokes, an assistant professor at Boston University They determined that formerly obese people who had a normal weight at the time of the survey was higher than those whose weight never exceeded that category. The team of researchers said they opted to use weight histories in their study because obesity at a particular age may predispose people to illness even if they later lose weight. Furthermore, weight loss is often caused by illness, they said. The scientists examined data from the 1988-2010 National Health and Nutrition Survey. They linked the data to death certificate records up until 2011. Respondents were asked to report their maximum lifetime weight and their current weight at the time of the survey. Of the group of people in the normal-weight category at the time of the survey, 39 per cent had previously been in higher-weight categories. The team then used statistical criteria to compare various models including some that looked at data on weight histories and others that didnt. The scientists thus determined that weight at the time of the survey was a poor predictor of mortality as compared to models using data on lifetime maximum weight. The scientists said: The disparity in predictive power between these models is related to exceptionally high mortality among those who have lost weight, with the normal-weight category being particularly susceptible to distortions arising from weight loss. These distortions make overweight and obesity appear less harmful by obscuring the benefits of remaining never obese. People who were overweight or obese and then lost their weight were found to have a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease or diabetes (pictured here, in a pancreas) than those who stayed overweight There had long been controversy over the relationship between obesity and mortality, the researchers noted. A 2013 study indicated that being overweight was associated with lower mortality and that slight obesity had no excess risk of death. Yet, many studies have demonstrated that people who lose weight have higher rates of death than those who maintain that rate. The researchers said that few studies considered that illness may be a cause of weight loss because of decreased appetite or increased metabolism. The scientists said more research should look at weight histories. There are at least 22 different types of cancer that are triggered by genetics - and passed down through families, a new study has revealed. Harvard scientists, working with colleagues in Denmark and Finland, have discovered those forms of the disease with the highest 'excess familial risk'. They include prostate, breast, lung and colon, their findings show. Furthermore, scientists found that a person has a 33 per cent risk of developing some form of cancer if one of their siblings is diagnosed with the disease, the researchers said. Where one twin is diangosed with cancer, their healthy sibling is at increased risk of developing the disease. Prostate cancer, pictured under the microscope, was found by scientists at Harvard, to have the highest familial risk in non-identical twins, at 22 per cent FAMILIAL RISK OF 22 INHERITED CANCERS IN NON-IDENTICAL TWINS CANCER FAMILIAL RISK PERCENTAGE (%) Overall cancer 37.1 Prostate 22.0 Breast 19.9 Lung, trachea and bronchus 13.4 Colon cancer 7.9 Melanoma 6.1 Testis 6.0 Rectum and anus 5.8 Bladder 5.5 Head and neck 5.1 Nonmelanoma skin cancer 4.6 Stomach 4.4 Leukemia (other - non-acute) 4.1 Pancreas 3.7 Corpus uterl 3.6 Ovary 2.9 Larynx 2.7 Cervix uterl 2.6 Liver 2.1 Kidney 1.8 Brain, central nervous system 1.8 Non-Hodgkin lymphoma 0.9 Gallbladder, extrahepatic bile duct 0.3 Source: Journal of the American Medical Association The scientists examined the familial risk of cancer in sets of twins. They discovered that having a twin sibling diagnosed with cancer increases a person's risk of developing the disease themselves. And, their findings rang true for both identical and non-identical twins. The discovery in non-identical twins, they said, suggests the risk is also prevalent in siblings that are not twins, given the genetic differences. Co-lead author of the study, Jacob Hjelmborg, of the University of Southern Denmark, said: 'Because of this study's size and long follow-up, we can now see key genetic effects for many cancers.' The study, by researchers at Harvard, the University of Southern Denmark and the University of Helsinki, is the first to provide family risk estimates for these and other, rarer cancers. It also reveals, for the first time, that in twin pairs where both developed cancer, each twin was often diagnosed with a different form of the disease. Researchers said this suggests that, in some families, there is a shared increased risk of any type of cancer. Because of this study's size and long follow-up, we can now see key genetic effects for many cancers Jacob Hjelmborg, study co-lead, of the University of Southern Denmark Lead author, Dr Lorelei Mucci, an associate professor of epidemiology at Harvard Chan School, said: 'Prior studies had provided familial risk and heritability estimates for the common cancers - breast, prostate and colon. 'But, for rarer cancers, the studies were too small, or the follow-up time too short, to be able to pinpoint either heritability or family risk.' Familial risk of cancer is a measure of the cancer risk faced by an individual. The study also assessed the heritability of cancer - a measure of how much of the variation in a population's cancer risk is due to genetic factors. Researchers looked at more than 200,000 twins, both identical and fraternal (non-identical), in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, who took part in the Nordic Twin Study of Cancer. They were followed by scientists for an average of 32 years, from 1943 to 2010. Large twin studies, such as this, as useful to scientists, allowing them to assess the importance of inherited factors in cancer, and assess familial cancer risk by taking into account how genetically similar identical and non-identical twins are. Overall, researchers found one in three people taking part developed cancer over the course of a lifetime. This 'excess familial risk' was seen for common cancers such as breast and prostate cancer, but also rarer types including testicular cancer, head and neck cancer, melanoma (pictured), ovarian, and stomach cancer Cancer was diagnosed in both twins for 3,316 of the pairs. Of those pairs, the same cancer was diagnosed in 38 per cent of identical twins and 26 per cent of non-identical twins. The scientists estimated when one non-identical twin was diagnosed with any form of cancer, the co-twin's risk of developing the disease was 37 per cent. In identical twins the risk jumped to 46 per cent. One of the strongest familial risks was found in cases of testicular cancer. Researchers found that a man's risk of developing the disease was 12 times higher if his non-identical twin was diagnosed with it. And for identical twins the risk was 28 times higher for the healthy twin if one of the pair was diagnosed. The scientists noted that non-identical twins are similar genetically to siblings who are not twins. As a result, the finding of excess cancer risk in non-identical twins does suggest an increased cancer risk for families where one sibling is diagnosed with cancer. Overall, the findings show the heritability of cancer was 33 per cent. Significant heritability was found for skin melanoma (58 per cent), prostate cancer (57 per cent), non-melanoma skin cancer (43 per cent), ovarian cancer (39 per cent), kidney cancer (38 per cent), breast cancer (31 per cent) and uterine cancer (27 per cent). Co-senior author of the study, Jaakko Kaprio, from the University of Helsinki, said: 'Findings from this prospective study may be helpful in patient education and cancer risk counselling.' The study was published online in JAMA. For more than a century the world's coughers and wheezers have rubbed it into their collective chests. Millions swear by the active ingredients of Vicks VapoRub to soothe cold and flu symptoms and allow them a sound night's sleep. But it seems there's more than one way to skin a cat. An increasing number of Vicks fans are claiming the ointment works better for them when they put it on their feet. The manufacturer recommends that Vicks is applied lightly to the chest and back areas of children and liberally for adults According to the enlightened who are spreading the word on Facebook and other internet forums the unorthodox approach also involves putting on socks over gooed up toes before slipping into bed. Writing on the Netmums website, a woman called Julie said: 'Yes have done this it really does work. I put some on my feet last night as I have a cough and had a great night's sleep. 'Within a few minutes of putting on my feet, putting socks on and lying in bed, I can feel the vapours reach my throat! This only works when going to bed and never works for me during the day.' Another woman called Clare added: 'Agreed I saw this tip on Facebook and tried it when baby had a bad cough. Was amazed it worked think I can say it is one of the best tips I've ever read.' Vicks was first concocted in the 1890s by pharmacist Lunsford Richardson, from North Carolina. He later gave it the name Vick's Magic Croup Salve after his brother-in-law Dr Joshua Vick, and in 1912 rebranded it as Vicks VapoRub. According to the enlightened who are spreading the word on Facebook and other internet forums the unorthodox approach also involves putting on socks over gooed up toes before slipping into bed Writing on the Netmums website, a woman called Julie said: 'Yes have done this it really does work. I put some on my feet last night as I have a cough and had a great night's sleep' 'I know you're under the weather but can you walk a little faster?!' It came to prominence during the flu epidemic of 1918. Among its ingredients are camphor an essential oil extracted from trees which is said to calm coughs and eucalyptus oil, which has antibacterial effects and is used as a decongestant. The manufacturer recommends that Vicks is applied lightly to the chest and back areas of children and liberally for adults. There is no mention of feet but that hasn't stopped thousands passing on the unconventional tip. Dr Lynne Jordan, a chartered psychologist, said: 'One theory could be that it helps reduce stress. 'By concentrating on something else, i.e. the process of putting Vicks on with the socks, you are reducing your stress levels. When people have coughs they tense up and as a result they breathe in more shallowly which irritates the cough further. Reduce the stress and in theory you would reduce the cough.' TV doctor Dr Ranj Singh added: 'There is no evidence to suggest it is more effective to put it on your feet so it could just be a placebo effect.' A woman who used a comb to push tablets down her throat needed emergency surgery after it ended up in her stomach. The unidentified Turkish patient is said to have swallowed the 20cm (8in) comb after using it to get medication down her gullet. The woman, who unsurprisingly fainted following the incident, was rushed into surgery at the Akdeniz University Hospital, Antalya. The unidentified Turkish woman is said to have swallowed the 20cm (8in) comb after using it to try and get medication down her throat A doctor treating her explained: 'Due to a sudden involuntary gag reflex the plastic comb passed through the patient's throat and ended up in her stomach' The Turkish medics who treated the Turkish. They warned the incident could have been fatal had the comb lodged itself in the woman's airway and constricted her breathing A doctor at the hospital said: 'The woman later said she used the comb because the tablet had become lodged in her throat and she wanted to free it. 'However, due to a sudden involuntary gag reflex the plastic comb passed through her throat and ended up in her stomach.' An emergency team of specialist doctors and nurses performed the surgery, which lasted for 45 minutes. She remained in hospital overnight and was discharged the the next day. The doctor continued: 'The incident could have been fatal had the comb lodged itself in her airway and constricted her breathing. 'As it was, it went all the way to her stomach and we removed it from there. 'My advice to anyone who has a pill lodged in their throat is to swallow a glass of water, not a comb.' The story comes after a Chinese woman was nearly killed last year after swallowing a 30cm kitchen spatula in a bid to clear her throat. Guan Hsuing, 31, said she had been cooking a new recipe that involved exotic herbs and spices, when she suddenly felt her throat starting to swell up in an allergic reaction. She told aid: 'I remember some folk remedy saying it helps to use something to unclog the throat,' Ecns.cn reports. She first tried to clear her throat with her fingers, followed by three chopsticks, which were all broken. The story follows the tale of Chinese woman Guan Hsuing, who was nearly killed last year when she put a 30cm (12in) kitchen spatula in her mouth to clear her throat Ms Hsuing said she put the utensil in her throat as she'd heard it was a good method of clearing it. 'I remember some folk remedy saying it helps to use something to unclog the throat,' she said When that failed, she then decided to use something larger, and put the 30cm long (12in) handle of a cooking spatula down her throat. She became so panicked the utensil became wedged into her throat so tightly she could no longer get it out. She was admitted immediately for emergency surgery where doctors managed to extract the cooking utensil. But they were forced to cut away 20cm (8in) of her oesophagus that had been damaged beyond repair. They then had to stretch her stomach lining in order to make a new connection between her oesophagus and her stomach. Diners have been warned about the dangers of eating rare burgers after a TV investigation revealed how easily deadly bacteria can be served up at popular high street chains. Minced beef bought from the upmarket burger restaurant Byron was found to contain listeria innocua. Although a mild strain which does not cause disease, experts warned the presence of it only served to show that other potentially lethal strains of bacteria - such as E.Coli - could easily be found there. Leading food poisoning expert Professor Hugh Pennington last night told Channel 4's Tricks of the Restaurant Trade they should be banned. While rare steak has long been served, the trend for rare burgers is more recent. But burgers are more of a health concern than steak because contamination on the outside of a cut of meat can be mixed into the middle of the patty where it gets less heat needed to kill the bacteria. Speaking to MailOnline today, Professor Pennington said the trend of dishing up rare burgers is a 'serious public health issue.' And he warned that rare or undercooked meat can contain bacteria including salmonella, listeria, campylobacter and the most dangerous of all, E.Coli O157. Scroll down for video Laboratory tests revealed listeria innocua was present in a medium rare burger bought from a Byron restaurant. Although a mild strain of bacteria, experts say it suggests more deadly strains could be present Channel 4's Tricks of the Restaurant trade sent burgers from three upmarket burger restaurants for tests They found one of the medium rare burgers from restaurant chain Byron contained listeria innocua 'The only safe burger is one that has been cooked properly, for the right length of time and at the right temperature, so the juices run clear. The risk is low, but the consequences of an E.coli O157 infection can be life-threatening or life-changing. 'At best, you are talking about painful diarrhoea but it can cause kidney problems, brain damage and it can be lethal. 'One thing we do know is that E.Coli O157 is a threat and we have a bigger problem with it in the UK than anywhere else in the world. 'This is a public health issue and a preventable problem. It may change if someone falls seriously ill or worse but that's not a good thing to wait for.' Last night's TV investigation follows new regulations introduced by the Food Standards Agency in September which recommended any burger chain selling rare burgers should provide warnings on the menu to vulnerable groups including children, pregnant women and the elderly. The FSA also states that children should only be served well done burgers, particularly the very young. THE DANGERS OF EATING RARE BURGERS Eating rare or undercooked burgers can be dangerous as the meat could contain potentially lethal bacteria. Bacteria found on steak is typically found on the outside and destroyed when a steak is seared. But mince is potentially dangerous because it is more likely to include contamination all the way through, as what was the outside of a piece of meat is now mixed up with the inside. This means harmful bacteria - such as salmonella, listeria, campylobacter and the most dangerous of all, E.Coli O157, could be present in any uncooked parts of the patty. Advertisement Last year's ruling allows restaurants and pubs to serve them rare or lightly cooked in the middle, providing chefs are satisfied the meat comes from a reputable source. On the back of this, the show tested how rigorously leading burger chains Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Byron and Honest Burgers applied the rules. It sent children Abbey, 11, and Jamie, 15, to each of the restaurants to see what happened when they ordered medium rare burgers. The pair were both served with no advice or warnings on the menu at Gourmet Burger Kitchen and Honest Burgers. Byron, which previously made the headlines when George Osborne tweeted a picture of himself eating one, did have a warning on the menu. It stated that undercooked meat can increase the risk of foodborne illnesses, particularly in the young. However, the staff still sold them the burger. While it is not illegal to serve undercooked burgers to children, experts warn it can be dangerous. The programme then tested plain medium-rare burgers from the same three chains for any trace of bacteria. The restaurants served the children medium rare burgers (pictured) despite FSA warnings that children should only be served well cooked burgers The upmarket burger chain made the headlines when George Osborne tweeted a picture of him eating one Gourmet Burger Kitchen and Honest Burgers both came back with a clean bill of health. But the laboratory testing found the burger from Byron contained listeria innocua. Professor Pennington, who specialises in bacteriology at the University of Aberdeen, said diners only have to eat about one bacterium to get a potentially lethal infection. 'We have a comprehensive food management system to assure the safety of the food we serve. We are proud of the quality of our beef and the rigour of these systems. A spokesman for Byron 'That burger had listeria in it, probably not a very large amount of it to start with, and however it was processed and cooked, didn't get rid of it so there were bacteria in it that shouldn't have been there,' he said. 'The problem with rare burgers is that you might fall ill from eating a bug that's contained in the rare burger. Burgers are essentially cooked to kill off the bugs. 'I would like to see rare burgers off the menu but if the public is demanding it, at the very worst we have to let the public know the risks they are running.' The FSA said it was something it would follow up with the restaurant and local authority. A spokesman for Byron said: 'We have a comprehensive food management system to assure the safety of the food we serve. 'We are proud of the quality of our beef and the rigour of these systems. Staff at Honest Burgers served children, aged 11 and 15, medium-rare burgers, despite FSA guidelines stating they should always be well done Gourmet Burger kitchen did not have any warnings on its menu about the dangers of consuming rare meat 'Listeria innocua is a non-pathogenic strain of bacteria that is widely found in the environment and we are investigating the results of the report provided.' The only safe burger is one that has been cooked properly, for the right length of time and at the right temperature, so the juices run clear. Professor Hugh Pennington It also said that all hamburgers ordered from its children's menu are served fully cooked, in line with FSA recommendations. A spokesman for Gourmet Burger Kitchen said: 'It's our policy to serve our Junior Menu burgers well done as standard. We continuously work with the FSA to maintain rigorous processes. 'As of January 2016, this new FSA advice is on our menus.' Honest Burgers told the programme: 'We have a rigorous process that allows us to serve safe burgers. We always make it clear to customers that if they want their burgers cooked well done, they can ask.' Doctors say closing their lists is the only way of maintaining safe care for existing patients Almost 300 surgeries are refusing to take on new patients because they are so understaffed, an investigation has found Doctors say closing their lists is the only way of maintaining safe care for existing patients. Some are having to offer so-called golden hellos of 9,500 on top of six figure salaries to try and attract new GPs. An BBC investigation has identified 299 practices that said they were not taking on patients. This is about 4 per cent of the 8,500 surgeries in England although many others may have closed off their lists without stating it publicly. They include Ranworth Surgery in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, which recently advertised a new GP job with a 9,500 bonus. The practice closed its list when it reached 9,000 patients, which it deemed unsafe. It is one of three of the four surgeries in the centre of Clacton which isnt accepting new patients, meaning people have travel to practices on the outskirts of the town. Practices across England are in crisis and struggling to cope with a shortage of GPs and ever increasing patient demand. Rising numbers of doctors are retiring early or moving overseas without being replaced by younger trainees who are instead opting for careers in hospitals or the private sector. At the same time, demand from patients is increasing due to migration and an aging population, living longer, with complex needs. If surgeries close their lists then new patients moving into an area have to register with other practices further away. This may be very inconvenient, especially if they are elderly and have to travel by public transport to the next village or town. Dr Helen Stokes-Lampard, spokesperson for the Royal College of GPs, said: This is an extremely worrying time in general practice, for both patients and GP surgeries alike. Every patient should be able to see a family doctor close to their home and GPs want to provide the best quality of care to their patients. This situation is leaving general practice on the brink of collapse and it is patients who are losing out. Closing patient lists only takes place as a very last resort, when all other options have been exhausted and there is a clear threat to patient safety. If surgeries close their lists then new patients moving into an area have to register with others further away Katherine Murphy, chief executive of The Patients Association, said: The news that such a large number of practices have closed their lists to new patients is extremely worrying for patients and will mean even more will struggle to get the care they need. Surgeries are meant to apply to NHS England which runs the health service before closing their lists, but can still do so without permission. This situation is leaving general practice on the brink of collapse and it is patients who are losing out Dr Helen Stokes-Lampard, spokesperson for the Royal College of GPs Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that 100 applied, of which 46 per cent were approved. But separate data from the NHS Choices website from November reveals that 299 practices closed their lists. An investigation by the Mail last year revealed how rising numbers of GPs were retiring early because their pension pots had already reached the maximum 1.25 million limit. Dr Chaand Nagpaul chair of the British Medical Associations GP Committee chair said: General practice across England is under unprecedented pressure. Some practices are having to consider taking the difficult decision to close their practice lists in order to safeguard safe and effective care because they do not have the resources or staff to treat the sheer number of patients coming through their surgerys door. Most people can't wait for the long, warm days of summer to return. But for one young woman, being out in the sunshine is a nightmare she must actively avoid. Andrea Monroy, 23, was born with xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) - a hereditary defect which means her body is unable to repair damage from the sun's ultraviolet rays. The rare genetic condition causes extreme sensitivity to the sun and can lead aggressive skin cancer if she is exposed to sunlight. It means she can only leave the house either at night or if she is covered from head to foot in protective clothing. Andrea Monroy has a rare condition that can lead to cancer when sufferers are exposed to sunlight As a child Miss Monroy developed an unusual amount of freckles and was diagnosed with XP when she was five. The condition, which only affects about 2,000 people worldwide, means he could get cancer from sunlight. Her parents took drastic measures to protect her from the sun's harmful rays like home-schooling and having tinted windows fitted to their house. 'In every single way I have always had a different life,' said Miss Monroy, from San Diego, California. 'I never went to school as it wasn't safe and my mum taught me to read and write. 'The house windows were tinted and are curtains were kept closed if I was in the room.' 'I usually don't go out much in the day. Everything I do is at night. When I go out, the sun must not touch my skin. 'I wear a hat that has a special plastic to protect me from the sun, not completely but it does help. 'And I also wear gloves, the material is special to protect me from the sun. It can be very hard but I cover all of my body by wearing jeans, boots, and a jacket.' Andrea was diagnosed with Xeroderma pigmentosum when she was five after she started developing a lot of freckles as a toddler The illness means she cannot go outside in the daytime and must even protect herself from exposure to UV rays at night The symptoms of the extremely rare hereditary condition started when Andrea was two. She cannot leave the house during the daytime unless she wears protective clothing Miss Monroy has already undergone 25 surgeries to remove cancerous cells and has ongoing treatment to target pre-cancerous cells. Now the brave young woman blogs her experience on her website and YouTube channel: NightLensBlog to encourage other people who are facing challenges. I love my freckles and my scars, I've learnt to love myself. I wish the world was more open She said has learned to love her freckles, despite years of people picking on her appearance. 'It makes me feel like a better human,' she said. 'I thought I was the only one in the world with XP. I realised I wasn't and I met others that had same thing as me. 'I live each day, day by day. I don't want to think about the future I just want people in general to live and love life to fullest. 'Life is hard but there is always a way to make the most of it. 'I love my freckles and my scars, I've learnt to love myself. I wish the world was more open.' Anyone who has grown up in a large family knows only too well the tears, rows and constant battles for their parents' attention. And now scientists believe the size of a family really can affect the behaviour and achievements of children. A new study has found that for every additional child born, the others are more likely to suffer poor cognitive abilities and behavioural problems afterwards. Boys were more likely to misbehave while girls saw their performance in maths and reading skills dip. The study found that for every additional child born, the others are more likely to suffer poor cognitive abilities and behavioural problems afterwards (file photos) Using data from 1986 to 2012 taken by the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) and by the Children and Young Adult Survey, three economists analysed how older siblings performed before and after a younger sibling was born. They looked at the number and timing of births into a family and matched these to various mental and behavioural traits. Levels of parental engagement were also crucial - with factors like how often families eat meals together, one-on-one time with each child, affection and the safety of the home also affecting how a child performed. As families got bigger, the time spent with each child reduced, which has been linked to worse outcomes for children, they found. 'Our fixed effect estimates indicate that the arrival of a younger sibling reduces measures of parental investment as well as cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes of older children by approximately one-tenth of a standard deviation,' the research paper said. The study was conducted by economists Chinhui Juhn, Yona Rubinstein, and C. Andrew Zuppann, who questioned whether the 'quantity' of children would effect the 'quality' of their upbringing. It discovered that parental investment in older kids fell by 3 percentile points after a young child is born, while cognitive scores fell by 2.8 percentile points and behavioural problems increased. Boys were more likely to misbehave while girls saw their performance in maths and reading skills dip 'We have documented a significant trade-off between quantity and quality of children for NLSY mothers and their children. 'On average, children in larger families have lowered parental investment and worse cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes. ' Other factors found to influence the outcomes was the mother's intelligence and economic well-being. On average, children in larger families have lowered parental investment and worse cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes Mothers were asked to take the Armed Force Qualification Test (AFQT), used by the military to assess skills including reading and reasoning. Those who scored badly saw a larger drop in cognitive scores when they had their second child. The study follows another by German researchers which found the first-born in a family tends to be the smartest and each successive sibling is slightly less bright. The Leipzig University researchers were unsure why big brothers and sisters seemed to be the most blessed - but suggested it could be because they benefit from their parents undivided attention at least until a little brother or sister comes along. It is also possible that the eldest childs brainpower gets a boost from teaching his or her siblings about the ways of the world, they said. Several Indian hackers have joined hands to launch a massive attack on Pakistani websites to avenge the terror attack at Pathankot Air Force Station. According to hackers, they have hacked over 20 websites, including crucial Pakistani government sites. Cyber crime experts claim several hacking groups from India are working together to carry out a mass defacement operation on key Pakistani websites. Indian hackers have joined forces to target crucial Pakistani government websites, cyber experts confirmed The group is also identifying and blocking profiles on social media and websites being operated by banned terror outfits like Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and Indian Mujahideen (IM). For last three days all the active hacking groups are working on attacking Pakistans cyber territory. Our Army is not replying, but we will not remain quiet but attack them on the virtual world, an underground hacker told Mail Today. The source added that hackers are sharing details of vulnerability in Pakistani websites among themselves, the better to deface them. Each successful attack is celebrated by posting the tricolour with a patriotic Indian song on the compromised website to express anger. Cyber experts claim that attacks from India are focused on targeting government websites. The Pathankot terror attack has another potential casualty on its list - the forthcoming India-Pakistan talks. The foreign secretary-level engagement between the two countries is scheduled for January 14-15, but now looks doomed. Top south block officials told Mail Today on Wednesday, requesting anonymity, that in order for talks to go ahead India would want Pakistan to take some positive action, based on proof sent to Islamabad about the terror attack at the Indian Air Force base. India and Pakistan were to hold bilateral talks on January 14, but these now look likely to be delayed Collected material indicates that the attack on the base was carried out by agents from across the border. Even if Pakistan responds positively and initiates some action, it is too short a timeframe to hold the foreign secretary-level talks next week, said an official. The sources, however, indicated that there may not be a blanket freeze on talks and they might be resumed later. Security establishment officials said the terrorists were trained in either Lyallpur or Chaklala air base in Pakistan, and knew exactly what - aircraft, hangers, ammunition depots, fuel dumps etc - to look for to destroy. Apart from sophisticated weapons, they were carrying the lethal aluminum powder which makes any fire extremely difficult to douse, even with heavy extinguishers. Mission flush-out Government officials said the operation could from no angle be called a security failure. There was no intelligence failure. Response time was far shorter than that witnessed in 26/11, said an official. And despite a whole posse of extremely well-trained terrorists coming in with the best weapons, just one soldier died in battle. Five died unarmed when terrorists entered and opened fire and one died trying to recover a terrorists body, the official added. He said the army was in charge of the operation throughout and Inspector General (operations) of NSG Major General, Dushyant Singh, was in command of the rescue operation. It took time to flush out terrorists from the base because forces wanted to limit casualties. Security personnel at the Pathankot airbase during the combing operation If they had reached anywhere near our strategic assets, we would have risked more casualties with a whirlwind operation, said the official. Security officials believe the last two terrorists to die were kept as second in line. They were supposed to crawl out at night when the guns fell silent and try to blow up a parked aircraft. The forces were asked to keep firing intermittently and headlights of defence vehicles were kept on to stop the two from sneaking out of their hideouts and causing bigger damage. And it worked, the official said. Our response The Indian security forces hinted that they had given a befitting response to the terrorists without elaborating on the matter. The IAF, in a statement released on Wednesday evening, trashed the notion that the operation was botched up. The IAF said all strategic locations around the airfield were well-protected following the tip-off about a possible attack, and aerial surveillance by remotely piloted aircrafts, the C-130J Special Operations aircraft and helicopters with night vision and thermal imaging devices, was carried out. The movement of terrorists was first detected by a remotely piloted aircraft. The surveillance prevented terrorists from entering the sensitive technical zone where aircrafts were parked and fuel and weapons were stored. The officials also confirmed that terrorists had most likely used the cross-border drug route to get into Punjab with the help of corrupt officials, which Mail Today had reported about on Tuesday. The role of Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh is also being investigated. Officials said Singhs late night visit to a shrine near Kathua on December 31 is inexplicable. The SP was allegedly abducted on his way back from the shrine. Officials found it strange that Singh was allowed to leave unharmed, along with his cook, and his friend Rajesh Verma was attacked. Salwinder Singh told Mail Today in an interview that the terrorists did not harm him as he was not in uniform. Also under scanner is the failure of the Border Security Force (BSF) to check infiltration from the international border. It is possible that the arms used by the terrorists could have made their way through drug trafficking arteries that are thriving despite high security alert in the state. NIA chief takes stock at base By Mail Today and PTI Five days after the attack on the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot, combing operations continued on Wednesday in a bid to sanitise the base. The NIA chief also arrived on the spot to monitor operations. Security officials said combing operations may continue for the next few days. Combing operations may go on at the airbase for the next few days Defence Minister Manohar Prrikar on Tuesday said all the terrorists inside the base had been neutralised. (Still) I will not give a negative report till the combing operations are over. The combing operations may be over by tomorrow, he said, adding that the combing operation was for safety purpose as there are live, unexploded bombs, besides rest of the ammunition. He had stated that the terrorists were carrying AK-47s, modified Under Grenade Barrel Launcher, pistols, Swiss and commando knives, 40-50 kg of bullets besides 3- 4 dozens of magazine and mortars. Parrikar had announced that seven security personnel killed during the attack will be treated as martyrs, which will entitle them to all the benefits available to battle casualties in a war-like situation. With the focus shifting to investigation, anti-terror probe agency the NIAs chief Sharad Kumar arrived in the afternoon for an on-the-spot assessment. Kumar had said on Tuesday that solving the conspiracy behind the attack was a very big challenge but recalled how the agency had in the past established the identity of culprits in many blind cases. Its a very challenging case and a lot of investigation needs to be done. Therefore, I am not fixing any deadline to the case but we will try to complete the probe soon, Kumar had said. Asked about the nationality of the terrorists involved in the attack, the NIA chief had said there was little doubt that the accused were from Pakistan and added whatever evidence that is available in front of us till now is based on intercepted telephone calls. BSF hunts for border breach point By Abhishek Bhalla in New Delhi The Border Security Force (BSF) is making efforts to locate tunnels adjoining the border areas from where terrorists who attacked the air force base in Pathankot infiltrated. Asked to give an explanation on how the infiltration took place, the BSF has submitted a report to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) stating there was no breach that could have led to the infiltration. Sources said the possibility of tunnels cannot be ruled out. The BSF report, which is based on ground assessment, says there were no signs of the fencing being breached, nor was there any indication from locals living near border areas of a possible movement from across the border. Sources said there was no indication to suggest that the terrorists used streams or nullahs to cross the border. A series of infiltrations have taken place along the International Border in the last two years, with Pakistan-based terrorists targeting security forces. After every attack the agencies have failed to explain how the infiltration took place. The BSF has always maintained that there were no signs of infiltration from areas it had secured. The National Investigation Agency, which is probing the attack in which seven security personnel were killed and six terrorists gunned down, is unravelling the mystery behind the attack. It is essential to know how the terrorists entered. We need to know whether there was any local help, said an official. The NIA quizzed SP Salwinder Singh in Pathankot after he had earlier recorded his statement before the Punjab Police claiming five terrorists had kidnapped him, official sources said. There were some discrepancies in the statement of Singh which were being looked into, the official added. Sources said Singh was taken to the places he had visited before he was kidnapped, along with his jeweller friend Rajesh Kumar Verma and cook Madan Gopal. Singh had claimed that he was returning from a temple late at night on December 31, when terrorists kidnapped him. The NIA also recorded the statement of the caretaker of the shrine. The NIA will also probe whether there was collusion between drug cartels and Indian officials that made the entry of terrorists easy. Easy availability of drug couriers, tunnels, and inserting pipes through the border fencing were earlier listed as factors responsible for drug smuggling. Being a VIP might not always be helpful, especially in airports. The Director General (DG) of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) found this out the hard way. DG BD Sharma missed his flight from the Delhi airport because of the VIP treatment he got from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). According to a top CISF official, inspector and sub inspector level officials have been transferred out of Delhi to different cities, and almost 20 members of the CISF staff working in the control room were shifted to other wings because of the missed flight. Almost 20 CISF personnel were shifted to other wings after a top official missed his flight. (File picture) In December, the office of SSB Director General requested a courtesy from the CISF as DG BD Sharma was flying out of Delhi by a Jet Airways flight. He reached Delhi airports Terminal-3 and was escorted by CISF staff to the VIP lounge where he was asked to wait. A CISF official was to inform him about the departure timings of his flight, a senior SSB official told Mail Today. But the DG kept waiting in the lounge and no one came with any update. When he finally enquired about his flight, he was told it had already left the Delhi airport. He was waiting in the lounge as one senior staff, in-charge of the courtesy of VIPs, told him that he will inform accordingly. The DG was travelling for some important meeting but missed it due to the carelessness of the CISF staff, the official added. Top officials heading security at T3 also did not take any action on this careless act, and the matter reached the airport DIG, the official said. When Mail Today contacted BD Sharma he confirmed, saying: Yes I missed the flight but this is an internal matter, for further details, the CISF can be contacted. When Mail Today contacted ADG CISF RK Pachnanda, who heads the airports sector, there was no reply. However, a senior CISF official posted at IGI airport said that immediate measures have been taken in this case. When the matter reached senior officials, personnel of inspector and sub-inspector levels were transferred out of Delhi. Officials also shifted staff out of the courtesy control room to other wings. New officials have been brought in to handle courtesy of VIPs, the official told Mail Today. The CISF has a dedicated courtesy control room working round the clock. Almost three dozen officials are engaged to facilitate VIPs visiting Delhi airport, especially top government officials and sometimes businessmen. Recently, workings of this control room underwent a change after senior officials of CISF faced allegations of facilitating Matang Sinh, an accused in the multi-crore Saradha scam. It's time for the banks, credit card companies and payments firms to sit down and devise some new rules and safeguards when it comes to online bank transfers. In the past year, weve seen a big surge in online scams. Almost every week, a new one seems to surface, with the hackers always one step ahead of the game. Every time a new security measure is put in place, fraudsters think of a novel way round it. It means the banks are constantly fire-fighting. Paying the price: Almost every week, a new credit card or banking scam seems to surface, with the hackers always one step ahead of the game To make matters worse, they have been monumentally poor at alerting their customers to new types of fraud. Yet often theyre the ones who see desperate cases first such as that experienced by newlyweds Sarah and Ritchie Tough. When a customer loses tens of thousands of pounds to a fraudster, there is often nothing they can do to get it back. Banks say they are not to blame because all they have done is follow customers instructions. If you were held up in the street by someone wielding a knife and told to hand over all your cash, you probably wouldnt expect your bank to refund the money youd had stolen. Likewise, youd hardly expect to get your money back if youd been duped into parting with your hard-earned cash by someone youd met in the pub or even at your local church. Yet when it comes to handing over money to an online fraudster who convinces us that they are a legitimate business, we expect banks to pay out. The problem lies in the way banks seem to deal with these cases. Often a fraud is spotted quickly by a customer, but the speed at which the banks fraud departments work can be catastrophically slow. Here at Money Mail, we routinely hear of cases where it can take three or more days for a reported fraud to be investigated by which time the money is gone. Evolve: Financial institutions need to be much better at communicating and warnings of information about fraud Had it been properly probed at the time, much of the cash could have been saved. This needs to be rectified immediately. While banks have 24-hour fraud reporting services, they now need to have investigating teams on hand round the clock, too. Then, if they dont act swiftly, banks should be liable for the fraud. After all, theyd act promptly if you told them they were going to be robbed tomorrow, so customers should be able to demand the same prompt action. At the same time, financial institutions need to be much better at communicating and warnings of information about fraud. Its no good just having signs in branches, warnings on online accounts, or relying on the goodwill of Neighbourhood Watch schemes to alert locals. These are all too little, too late. What is needed is a major nationwide advertising campaign warning everyone about the dangers of online fraud. We also need much better advice for anyone about to make online payments, such as leaflets from solicitors and banks when you are taking out a mortgage. My own advice for anyone transferring large sums of money is always to move a very small amount first. Then call the recipient to make sure they have got those funds, before moving the rest. And never, ever trust bank details to an email. You never know who might be watching your account. Lousy advice I dont welcome the return of financial advisers to banks. One big benefit of the ban on commission was that it killed off the sale of investments in branches. Time and again, weve seen utterly inappropriate products being sold to customers who really didnt know what they were buying. In many cases, they should never have been steered towards the stock market in the first place. For those that werent mis-sold, what has happened since is also appalling. Having been sold an investment, many have since been abandoned. They cant go into a branch to find out how their savings are doing, and its hard to find information on the internet. With no money to be made from customers nest eggs any more, banks just dont seem to care. Free money! Perhaps the greatest financial achievement in the Coney household last year was using cashback websites. These are the internet sites which you visit before doing online shopping and which pay a fee to you normally 2 per cent to 6 per cent based on what you spend. Shopping in our house is a responsibility outsourced to Mrs C and she is a big convert to these websites. Cashback: Internet sites which you visit before doing online shopping and which pay a fee to you normally 2 per cent to 6 per cent based on what you spend Yesterday, she declared she had made 400 in 12 months. Thats basically free money on things we would have bought anyway. I know many readers are cynics about cashback websites but they are a great tool for anyone keen to get on top of their finances. Starting this Saturday and continuing all next week in the Mail, well be giving you our best tips to give your household budget a makeover. Well be showing how you can save 3,000 in a year by cutting your bills and becoming a more savvy spender. I regularly trade stocks and shares. I recently received an email with an investment report recommending I buy shares in a small company whose shares only cost a few pennies. Shall I take a punt? K. P., Hastings Caution: It is very likely the recommendation could be an investment scam known as a pump and dump scheme Holly Black, of Money Mail, replies: Unless you know the firm that sent you this report, I would exercise extreme caution before buying the shares of any company it recommends. While there are various stock brokers and analysts which do send out reports recommending shares to buy and sell, you have to sign up to receive these. As with any other junk mail, if you did not subscribe then it is best ignored and deleted. It is very likely the recommendation could be an investment scam known as a pump and dump scheme. This is when fraudsters will buy up a load of cheap company shares. They then obtain contact details of many investors and email them with reports such as these. The hope of the fraudster is that investors are tempted to buy the shares recommended, which then causes the price to rise significantly. PENNY SHARES AREN'T CHEAPER Investors should always remember that companies whose shares cost a few pennies can still be more expensive than those whose shares cost pounds. The price of a share alone does not measure a company's valuation. The most common way to value a share is the price-to-earnings ratio, based on how its share price compares to its earnings per share. The fraudster, who already holds the shares, waits for the price to go up and then sells his holdings, enjoying the profits. But this causes the price to fall again and the victims are left out of pocket with shares, often in failing businesses, which are difficult to sell. Frequently, the scam will involve recommending very cheap shares, such as the ones you mention, which only cost a few pennies. This is because you are more likely to take a bet on something if it doesnt cost you too much, whereas you might baulk at an unsolicited email which asks you to part with thousands of pounds. Its a clever scam along the lines of that featured in the film Wolf Of Wall Street, because its so cheap for the fraudsters to carry out. Easy money: Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort in film Wolf Of Wall Street, who used scams like this because it's so cheap to carry out They dont need to take your money from you directly or, in this case, even cold call you. Once they have your email address, all they need to do is send out a legitimate-looking report and hope enough people are tempted to invest. Because of that, its also very difficult to prove who was responsible for any subsequent rise or fall in the share price. While this isnt a widespread scam in the UK just yet, it is thought to be on the increase in the U.S. and therefore likely to affect more and more people in this country in the future. The best advice is to not even read any unsolicited reports or emails that are sent to you, and to always do a lot of research before you make any investment. Friends Life provided a valuation on my pension in July, giving it as 40,882.82. I took advice and was told the best option would be to cash it in because an annuity would not be suitable for me. In September, the fund was valued at 39,212, which I put down to market fluctuation. Friends Life kept banging on about an annuity and other options but I maintained I wanted to cash it in. I then started a new job that meant I would have to pay much more tax if I took all my pension as cash, so I contacted Friends Life and said Id just like my 25 per cent tax-free lump sum. The next quote I received, in October, was 23,992.98. Where has my other 17,000 gone? While all this had been going on, I was sent five packages all relating to an annuity I never wanted. Mrs S. P., Leicester. Gone: In September, my pension fund was valued at 39,212 - the next quote I received, in October, was 23,992.98 I have excellent news for you. The quotation you received in October was a mistake. Your fund value is 40,592 a fact that Friends Life has confirmed to you in writing. Friends Life also mistakenly sent you duplicate information, which partly explains the plethora of packs you received. A spokesman says the retirement pack outlines all the options, including the new pension freedoms. It also signposts you to Pension Wise and the Money Advice Service, and emphasises the importance of seeking financial advice. You have indicated that you are interested in a drawdown option that would allow you to take your pension gradually and thus mitigate potential tax liabilities. Friends Life says one option would be to transfer to the consumer platform of its parent company, Aviva. But there are other options. An independent financial adviser would be able to point you towards the most suitable based on your personal circumstances. STRAIGHT TO THE POINT I have 3,300 shares in Eurotunnel. How much are they worth and how do I sell them? G. B., Bournemouth. Groupe Eurotunnel SE is listed on the French stock exchange, and on 7 January 2016 the shares are at 10.54 today which is 7.87. So 3,300 shares are worth around 25,971 (Figures amended after initial publication). To sell, you need to contact the share issuer or a stockbroker. Will National Savings pay interest without deducting tax on its Pensioner Bonds from April in the same way as banks and building societies? D. B., by email. Any interest added from April 6, 2016, will have no tax deducted. So if you bought the 65+ Guaranteed Growth Bonds after April 6 this year, your interest will be paid before tax when it is added on the 12-month anniversary. Interest added before April will be paid after 20 per cent tax. So non-taxpayers who took out a bond before then will still have to reclaim the tax. If you took out the three-year version before April 6, youll also have to reclaim tax paid on the first interest payment added to your account. We live in a house we dont own as it comes as part of my partners job. Wed like to buy a home for when were old or if my partners job changes. Will we be affected by the higher stamp duty charges Ive read about on second properties? R. B., Hertfordshire. No. The Government has confirmed the extra 3 per cent tax on standard stamp duty rates to be paid on second homes wont apply to people in your situation. The tax is to be brought in from April as part of a crackdown on buy-to-let landlords and will hit those who already own a home and buy an extra property to rent out. I am a pensioner who recently sold some investments, making a 1,100 profit on the gain. Should I be paying tax on it? D. J., via email. No. Capital Gains Tax is paid at a rate of 18 per cent or 28 per cent depending on your income on profits of more than 11,100 this tax year. Your profit from the sale of your shares is below this level. So long as you havent made other profits this year that might take you over the limit, you will not have to pay tax on the gain. Santander won't pay interest on bond I was cajoled into buying In May 2012, I took out a six-year stock market bond with Santander. I said at the time that I was in poor health, but I was cajoled into taking it. Now Santander has relented and released my bond, but it refused to pay interest for the past three- and-a-half years and will also not entertain compensation. N. H., Bournemouth. Selling a six-year bond to someone who is in poor health is beyond the pale. So why did Santander refuse to entertain compensation? Well, it seems it was offered. Santanders records show you made contact in November 2014 asking to surrender the bond due to poor health. Your complaint was upheld and redress offered and you were told you could surrender the bond without penalty. But a spokesman says: For reasons unknown to us, he did not accept the offer and chose to leave the bond in place. I suspect your poor health may have played a part in this and you may have been too busy or simply mislaid the letter. Santander says you approached them again last year looking to close the bond. As nearly a year had passed, the offer would normally have lapsed. However, due to your health and as a gesture of goodwill, it agreed to the surrender. This is when you complained about there being no interest payment. You have now accepted Santanders November 2014 offer of 1,546.33 redress along with 100 for distress and inconvenience from being sold a product that was not right for your needs. The redress is based on what your money could have earned had you not taken the advice. Your bond capital of 40,000 was paid out separately. Help me with a taxcode blunder After serving in the RAF for 30 years, I entered the Christian ministry and retired at the end of August 2014 as I approached my 74th birthday. For many years, I had an RAF pension and a stipend operated from two different HMRC districts. I had problems getting the right tax code, so engaged an accountant. He retired in 2012 and handed over his business to a firm that has dealt with me at a distance for the past couple of years. When I planned to retire, I informed my new accountant, who told HMRC. I then received four tax codes from two tax districts, all of which allowed for a full years ministerial allowances. My accountant queried this and other tax codes were issued. I am now told that I owe HMRC 926. My accountant says this is because I was given an excessive expense allowance in my original tax coding. Even though my accountant informed HMRC the codes were wrong, an underpayment had built up. We did not ask HMRC to make a full yearly allowance for my expenses and it was informed of my planned retirement. Rev D. W., address supplied. As with many retired people, your tax affairs are rather complex. While I have a great deal of sympathy for your predicament, it looks as though on this occasion HMRC has got it right. HMRC says it did not learn of your change of circumstances until October 2014, and it did not know you were receiving a pension from the Church. Your case became more complicated as your agent asked HMRC to swap codes between your RAF pension and your employment. He then called back the same day to say you had retired, so HMRC allocated your personal allowance back to the RAF pension. However, the code from the first call was still issued and it seems this was used by the Church against your pension there it has the same payroll number as your job. So, yes, you did receive too much allowance, but it feels to me this has as much to do with your accountant muddying the waters as to anything HMRC has done. There is a window for collecting underpaid tax and HMRCs request falls well within this. However, the good news is HMRC has agreed to allow you to pay the money back over a few years, if this will help at all. Someone will contact you directly to discuss this. Global stock markets swung violently again today, giving back yesterday's modest rally after a slump on Monday amid worries over China, a slump in oil prices and a nuclear test in North Korea. In late afternoon trade, the FTSE 100 index was down 1.2 per cent or 75.6 points at 6,061.6, while in Europe, Germany's CAC 40 index fell 1.2 per cent and France's CAC 40 index fell 1.5 per cent. And US stocks joined in the fresh market rout as well, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average shedding 1.3 per cent. The falls tracked weaker showings by most Asian markets after a weak China services sector report led the People's Bank of China to set the yuan's midpoint rate at its weakest level in 4-1/2 years. In China, however, blue chip shares rose sharply today, with the Shanghai Composite up 2.3 per cent after state media said a selling ban on major shareholders brought in to help arrest a market crash last summer would remain in place for the time being. Down: The FTSE 100 index fell 2.4 per cent on Monday, its biggest opening day fall since 2000, as the sell-off in China, worries about the global economy The CSI300 index, which tracks shares traded in both Shanghai and Shenzhen and crashed by 7 per cent on Monday, then fell another 2.5 per cent yesterday before finally closing up 0.3 per cent after the stock market regulator and central bank stepped in to restore shattered confidence and prop up prices. The avoidance of another bloodbath, at least for now, eased rattled nerves in London yesterday following the worst start to the year for 16 years. The FTSE 100 index fell 2.4 per cent on Monday, its biggest opening day fall since 2000, as the sell-off in China, worries about the global economy, and mounting tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran hit stock markets worldwide. It clawed back some of the losses yesterday, closing up 43.81 points at 6,137.24. Joshua Mahony, market analyst at trading firm IG, said the worrying start to 2016 continued with markets failing to recover their opening day losses. The China Securities Regulatory Commission had said on Tuesday it could extend restrictions on share sales by major investors. The selling ban, which was imposed last summer during the so-called Great Fall of China when share prices were tanking, is due to expire on Friday. At the same time, the Peoples Bank of China injected 13.6billion into the Chinese banking system to keep borrowing costs down. There were also reports that the national team of state-owned financial institutions were buying shares while the central bank moved to prop up the battered currency, the renminbi. Many observers have criticised the Communist governments interventions, arguing they have kept stock prices excessively high. High-flyers at one of Europes biggest hedge funds earned an average of 3.3million each last year, according to company filings. Accounts published by the UK arm of Brevan Howard, which was set up in 2002, show 37 partners shared 120.6million in 2015. The average pay of 3.3million was up from 1.9million the previous year when 45 partners shared a pot of 85.4million. It is thought that billionaire co-founder Alan Howard and other senior rainmakers would have earned far more than the average. In the money: Billionaire co-founder Alan Howard and other senior rainmakers would have earned far more than the average 3.3million The Sunday Times Rich List puts Howards fortune at 1.5billion making him the wealthiest hedge fund manager on the list. The 74 per cent increase in average pay for the 12 months to the end of March came despite the companys flagship fund suffering its first ever loss in 2014. The Brevan Howard Master Fund posted a loss of 0.8 per cent in 2014. It is thought that it racked up a second loss in 2015. But the UK division still pulled in 156.6million in fees from clients in the 12 months to the end of March 2015 up 27 per cent on the previous year. Partners at Brevan Howard operate on the standard hedge fund promise of a 20 per cent cut in any profits they make for clients and a 2 per cent fixed fee known as the two and 20 model. The accounts show the highest paid member earned a staggering 51.9million in 2015, up from 31.9million in 2014. But a company spokesman claimed that the member was actually a pool of money that is distributed to staff rather than an individual. Hedge funds have suffered a difficult period and Brevan Howard has seen its assets under management drop from a peak of around 27billion in 2013 to about 17billion. Sterling plunged to a nine-month low against the US dollar last night and extended those falls today to take it close to levels not seen since David Cameron took office nearly six years ago. The pound overnight slumped to as low as $1.4638 its weakest position since April last year despite figures showing construction activity picked up at the end of last year. And it fell further to hit $1.4617 this morning as today's UK services sector activity index slightly disappointed. Sterling has fallen nearly 15 per cent in the last 18 months and is now close to reaching levels last seen in 2010 when Cameron became Prime Minister and George Osborne became Chancellor. Weak: Sterling has fallen about 15 per cent in the last 18 months, with the pound down as low as $1.4617 today John Goldie, a foreign exchange dealer at currency firm Argentex, said the pound could head below $1.40 this year. Others have suggested it could reach $1.30 a level last seen in 1985 as low interest rates and uncertainty over Britains future in Europe take their toll. The slump in sterling is bad news for British holidaymakers heading to the US but could boost exports by making goods made in the UK cheaper for American buyers. However, the pound remains strong against the euro, hitting demand for UK goods on the Continent. Sterling reached up to 1.3660 this morning. Newlyweds Sarah and Ritchie Tough knew the moment they stepped inside the three-bedroom house in a quiet street of an historic market town that this was where they wanted to settle down and raise a family. But today, the dream of these first-time buyers is in tatters. The 45,000 deposit they spent almost a decade building up was snatched in a cruel new scam that targets homebuyers. Sarah, 28, says: It makes me sick to my stomach that someone could even think of doing something like this. It was our money for our future, we had been saving for ages and now it is gone. Upset: Couple Sarah and Ritchie Tough are the latest victims of a cruel online con that has hit homebuyers nationwide as fraudsters come up with new methods to try to dupe victims out of cash The couple, who had hoped to buy a home in Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire, are the latest victims of a cruel online con that has hit homebuyers nationwide as fraudsters come up with new methods to try to dupe victims out of cash. A computer hacker monitors emails sent by a solicitor and a homebuyer. They look for anywhere cash transactions are discussed. In some cases, solicitors emails are hacked. In others, the buyer is targeted. The fraudster watches for when a bank transfer might be about to be made and pounces. They send the homebuyer an email which appears to be from the solicitors address, typically telling them that the details of the law firms bank account has changed. The unsuspecting homebuyer sends their cash to the new account, where it is grabbed by the fraudsters. In the past year alone there have been scores of instances of the crime. It is becoming such a problem that the legal watchdog has warned its members to check their computer systems are secure and has suggested to firms that they consider encrypting emails. Sarah, a recruitment consultant, had been dealing with their Leeds-based conveyancing firm Advantage Property Lawyers by email for weeks prior to their expected home move. In December, she received an email from the firm asking her to transfer the 45,000 deposit for the 269,000 property. It was an exciting moment it meant the house buy was going to happen. But a few days later, on December 17, on her way into work in Cambridge, Sarah checked her phone and found she had received another email, apparently from Advantage Property Lawyers. It said the firms usual bank account was being audited, so Sarah should instead pay the cash into a Barclays branch. It gave her an account number and sort code. Nothing seemed amiss, so Sarah stopped at her local branch of the bank on her way to the office and paid the cash. She later received another email apparently from Advantage thanking her for the transaction and stating that the cash had gone through. Dismay: The Barclay's fraud team did manage to get the couple back 22,000 of their cash, but the remainder of the deposit has been lost The couple spent the weekend excited that they would finally be able to move into their own home. But on Monday, Sarah spoke to a solicitor from Advantage, who told her the cash had not arrived. The solicitor said the email about the bank transfer had not been sent by them. Sarah says: I was sitting at my desk in pieces. I couldnt stop shaking. I was just in complete disbelief that everything we had saved had gone. She rang Barclays fraud team, which then started to investigate. The bank did manage to claw back 22,000 of their cash. But the remainder of the couples deposit has been lost because the crooks withdrew it in three transactions at different branches in a single day. Dark: The Solicitors Regulation Authority watchdog has warned of this growing scam. It says around four companies a month are being targeted by fraudsters. Now the only way they will be able to buy the house is if their families can lend them the missing money. A computer expert found it would have been impossible for the couple to tell that emails were not genuine It is unclear whether the criminals hacked into the Toughs emails or those of the solicitors. A computer expert has analysed the emails and found it would have been impossible for the couple to tell that they were not genuine. Advantage Property Lawyers has told the couple it is not liable as the fraudster must have hacked into the Toughs email. Barclays also says it is not responsible for any losses as it only followed the Toughs instructions. The couple have asked an IT expert to conduct further tests. Caution: A spokesman for the industry watchdog, the Council for Licensed Conveyancers, said that they frequently remind the lawyers they regulate how they can protect themselves and their clients from scams Ritchie, 34, a director at a wine company, says: Losing this money is bad enough. But what makes it worse is that this could have all been avoided if our emails had been encrypted. It seems crazy to ask us to transfer such huge amounts by sending a bank account number. The Solicitors Regulation Authority watchdog has warned of this growing scam. It says around four companies a month are being targeted by fraudsters. A spokesman says if you receive a suspicious email to contact the law firm to check it is genuine. This is an issue that is not going away. Law firm client accounts are being targeted Chief executive Paul Philip, says: This is an issue that is not going away. Law firm client accounts are being targeted and solicitors and their clients are suffering disruption and potential loss. It is essential that firms understand the risks and take precautions to avoid falling victim to these attacks. A Barclays spokesman says: Barclays had no way of knowing that the account would be used for fraudulent purposes. As soon as we are alerted to suspicious account activity or it is picked up by our transaction profiling work, we investigate the circumstances and if we are satisfied that the accounts are being used to launder the proceeds of crime, we act as quickly as possible to close the accounts. Customers who transferred funds into the account after fraud has been detected would receive a refund. Growing problem: The Solicitors Regulation Authority watchdog has warned of this growing scam. It says around four companies a month are being targeted by fraudsters A spokesman for the industry watchdog, the Council for Licensed Conveyancers, says: We frequently remind the lawyers we regulate how they can protect themselves and their clients from frauds and scams. Clients should always do all they can to keep email accounts and personal data secure as a precaution and take great care with high value transactions in particular. Advantage Property Lawyers said that the firm was not responsible for the couples loss. It said its emails were not encrypted but that this was standard industry practice. A spokesman for the firm says: We have every sympathy for the Toughs its a terrible situation and 45,000 is a lot to lose. We are more than happy to help with the police investigation. We checked with our internal and external IT people as soon as we discovered what had happened. They have confirmed to us that there is no way our email system had been hacked in this case and the fraudulent emails definitely did not originate in our system. We stick to the highest industry standards in all aspects of our business. Hundreds of thousands of inexperienced savers sold investments by High Street banks have been left stranded, a Money Mail investigation can reveal. Our probe has uncovered how the life savings of loyal bank customers are left to languish in duff funds with high charges that they signed up to in branches. Customers have been shut out of getting help with their investments because banks scrapped their financial advice services following a series of mis-selling scandals and the introduction of tough new rules by the City watchdog. It means that in some cases, customers are only told how their savings are doing once a year. Stranded: Life savings of loyal bank customers are left to languish in duff funds with high charges If they want to top up their investment, they sometimes have to pay charges of 5 per cent. And they can only get help if they are wealthy, or are willing to pay a 500 fee. The revelations come as Santander announced that it was going to begin offering investment advice in branches again, three years after abandoning sales under pressure from fines for mis-selling. It now plans to employ 225 advisers across the country by March. Other banks are also thought to be planning a return to investment advice via an automated service - 'robo-advice'. These systems generate recommendations based on personal information entered into a website. But many of these services will turn out to be either too expensive or too complicated for the hundreds of thousands of savers who were convinced to bet their nest eggs on stock market investments before the banks withdrew investment services. Patrick Connolly, from independent financial advisers Chase de Vere, says: 'Investors who were sold products through bank branches are offered very little support. 'The performance of funds run by banks is typically mediocre at best. Banks don't spend money hiring top fund managers. Investment companies live and die by their performance. Banks don't as they have a captive audience. They don't have to compete on price either and there is no incentive to reduce their fees.' How these duff funds were sold Before the banking crisis most of the High Street banks had advisers in branches to sell investments. Often these were the bank's very own range of funds. Advisers targeted those who had a few thousand pounds in their bank account. Typically, savers were invited to pop in for a free financial review or assessment - it all sounded very friendly and informal. At the meeting a financial adviser would then recommend a fund. The adviser was paid commission for making the sale, which could be around 5 per cent of the amount invested. On top of this there would be an annual charge which would be shared between the investment company running the fund and the bank. If customers wanted to check their investment, add to it, or withdraw it, they'd just need to pop in to the branch and speak to an adviser. But as the years passed, HSBC, Lloyds, Barclays and Santander all faced complaints over the way these investments were sold. And these were just the latest in a series of scandals where commission paid to advisers was blamed for persuading salesmen to recommend inappropriate deals. In 2013, City watchdog the Financial Conduct Authority acted: it banned the payment of commission. It decided that any organisation which wanted to offer financial advice had to charge customers a fee, and they also had to spell out the annual cost of their investments. People using automated self-service machines at a branch of HSBC bank And they had to make it clear whether advisers were qualified to offer funds from across the whole market, or just a limited range. Banks knew that these would make investing unattractive to their customers, so shut down their branch-based advice services to all but the very wealthiest. Suddenly ordinary savers were left with no help. This left those who had already been sold investments out in the cold. Why only the wealthy get help If you pop in to or look at the website of any major bank you'll find lots of information for anyone that wants a new investment - but very little help for those already saving. Information about older investments is available on bank websites, but finding it can seem almost impossible. Among the big High Street banks, Lloyds Banking Group, which includes Halifax, only gives advice in branches through its Wealth Advice Service. To qualify you need an annual income of 100,000 or to have investments of this amount. At Santander you must have a minimum of 50,000 to invest or already have 25,000 with them and be prepared to invest another 25,000. HSBC only gives advice to those with more than 50,000 in savings. At NatWest and RBS you can get financial advice no matter what your income or amount of savings. But it costs 500 for an initial session and if you invest you are charged 2.5 per cent of the money you put in though the 500 advice fee is deducted from this charge. The bank estimates that, on the average Isa saving of 6,064, that works out at a total charge of 150. If you want to invest money through Barclays you have to do it through its Wealth and Investment Management service and need a huge 500,000. Rich advice: Among the big High Street banks, Lloyds Banking Group, which includes Halifax, only gives advice in branches through its Wealth Advice Service What can existing customers do? If you don't have enough savings or income to match the bank's criteria you can get information - not advice - on investments through their websites or by phone. But these websites are difficult to navigate for those unused to the world of investing. A key problem is that often the funds existing customers bought are no longer available to new investors. For example, with Lloyds exactly where on its website you look for information depends on when you bought your investment. You have to find the right product name and then look at the date you were sold it. From June 2010 until April 2014, it sold four specific funds run by Scottish Widows Unit Trust Managers - Balanced Growth, Cautious Growth, Progressive Growth and Adventurous Growth. Around 175,000 customers have money invested in these. Before this, HBOS and Lloyds TSB offered a range of more than 30 funds - all run by Scottish Widows. These have high charges. Scottish Widows' tracker fund annual charge is 1 per cent. By contrast, popular investment house Fidelity charges just 0.06 per cent a year on its Index UK Fund - that's a difference of 9.40 in fees for every 1,000 invested. If you cash in some or all of your investment within three years of your first payment, you face an exit fee. This amounts to 2 per cent if you cash in your fund in the second year or 1 per cent in the third. The bank no longer sells these funds. Barclays customers who signed up in branches have been unable to manage their investments in branches or online, except to sell, since February 2011 when it withdrew its Financial Planning Advice Service. Gone: Santander sold its Portfolio Investment Service, which allowed investors to buy growth or income funds through its branches These investors not only lost their access to advice, they were forced online or to use the phone. Santander sold its Portfolio Investment Service, which allowed investors to buy growth or income funds through its branches. Since April 2014, they haven't been able to add to their investment, use their annual Isa allowance or switch between funds. There is no easy link on the bank's main website for investors who bought funds through the bank before January 2013. You have to go to a tag that says 'financial advice'. It then sends you to a separate website, a freephone number - or advises customers to read the Financial Times. RBS and its subsidiary NatWest offered Expert Managed Solutions funds in branches between June 2008 and October 2012. They are no longer available to new customers but existing ones can add money to savings they've already got - if they send a cheque. According to the bank's website, there is still an initial fee of 5 per cent - this should have been to cover the cost of advice, but even though you now get none, you still pay it. So for every 1,000 you pay out, only 950 actually ends up in the fund. And if you want to check the value of your investment, it is yet another bank that unhelpfully recommends you 'check the price of the fund in the Financial Times and online', although it does add: 'Alternatively, you can call us.' HSBC still offers both existing and new customers its World Selection investments - the 1,663million Balanced, 786million Cautious and the 540million Dynamic funds. The ongoing annual charges at less than 1 per cent, according to its website, are among the cheapest levied by banks. Performance of funds is mediocre at best. Figures supplied to Money Mail by Hargreaves Lansdown show over the past ten years the FT All Share Index rose by 86 per cent but the 2.7billion Scottish Widows UK Growth fund - sold in Lloyds branches - climbed just 49 per cent, the 920million Halifax UK Growth 59 per cent, the 810million Santander UK Growth 72 per cent and the 417million NatWest UK Equity 75 per cent. Of the bank funds running over ten years, only RBS Growth and NatWest UK Specialist beat the average at 117 per cent and 108 per cent respectively. Since November 2014, the Scottish Widows funds have been managed by independent investment managers Aberdeen rather than Lloyds, so performance could yet improve. Laith Khalaf, from Hargreaves Lansdown, says: 'There are no exceptional managers on funds run by banks. They used their branch network to promote their own funds.' The FCA is investigating how more savers can get access to financial advice cheaply. Richard Lloyd, executive director of consumer champion Which?, says: 'It's vital that people can get the advice they need to help them make important financial decisions. 'But too many consumers don't have anywhere to turn for good quality, affordable advice. This review must ensure consumers have access to the right support and protection that helps financial services work better.' Santander this week announced a new advice service, but also said it was developing a new investing website for customers. A spokesman adds: 'If customers want further information they can contact Santander customer service either by phone or by post.' Barclays says: 'We expect to provide a full investment service which allows clients to invest new money and switch investments in 2016.' Lloyds says: 'Our market review showed demand for a fee-based financial planning service decreases when customers have lower amounts to invest. 'We made the decision not to offer an investment advice service for customers who hold less than 100,000 in savings and investments.' At RBS, a spokesman says: 'As there is a fee for financial advice, we do not offer it unless it is likely to provide sufficient financial benefit over and above the fees involved. 'A customer with 10,000 invested would not meet this criteria. However, with 25,000 invested they could get advice if they were happy to pay the relevant fees.' HSBC says: 'We offer our World Selection funds for those with at least 50,000 investable assets. Existing customers who no longer qualify receive a monthly statement and use our helpline for assistance.' Sweden. A country associated with equality, humanitarianism, flatpack furniture, crime novels and great pop songs. Or at least it used to be. While still a nation known for its women, dark thrillers and book cases, the once proudly egalitarian Sweden is closing both its minds and doors. This month, the right-wing Sweden Democrats party polled 20 per cent, and after taking in the most refugees-per-capita in the EU, the Swedish government announced a cap. Swedish pride? In just seven years, an anti-immigrant party formed by Nazi sympathizers has gone from a right-wing movement to a serious political player supported by a fifth of Swedes In just seven years, the anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats(SD) has gone from not having a single MP, to becoming a political party supported by a fifth of Swedes. The party was formed in 1988 by a motley crew of ex-members of national-socialist, racist, and 'keep Sweden Swedish'-organisations. In the past decade, the Sweden Democrats has done its utmost to wash itself clean of its brown history. And it's working. In the autumn of 2008, SD were polled at around four per cent, and in the 2010 general election they won their first seats in parliament. The 2014 election result was a cold shower for the seven mainstream parties, as SD got nearly 13 per cent of the votes, equal to 49 MPs. A nationwide poll carried out this December found that 19.9 per cent would vote SD. In the south, it's even the most supported party of them all. To most Swedes, it is an embarrassment that so many fellow countrymen support an anti-immigrant party formed by Nazi-sympathisers. But not even those who vote for SD would touch the word 'racist' with a barge pole. 'Nationalism': Sweden Democrats supporters celebrate after winning 13 per cent of the votes after the Swedish general election in 2014 - up from 5.7 per cent four years earlier Sweden was recently named 'the least racist country in the EU', with just four per cent saying they would not want to have a person of a different ethnicity as a neighbour - compared to 21 per cent of Germans. It is clear that Swedes are not racist, we just vote for them. So, what happened in the last seven years that turned a small fringe party to a big political player? 'The Sweden Democrats got into parliament by becoming the obvious right-wing alternative,' says Daniel Poohl, editor of Expo, the anti-extremism magazine co-founded by the late Stieg Larsson. 'Then, they made sure they limited their opponents' striking surface. They distanced themselves from their own extremist history and changed their nationalistic standpoint. 'They started saying: "we needed to preserve Swedish culture", instead of "Swedish ethnicity" - which at the end of the day means the same thing, but using a different rhetoric.' This saw a slow increase in polls over the years leading up to the 2014 general election, but the recent spike in SD support is a result of number of key events which all took place simultaneously. The Moderate Party - 'the Swedish Tories' - changed political direction, from restrictive immigration policies, to 'opening our hearts' for refugees and migrants. This saw many on the right side of the spectrum switch allegiance to SD. The Sweden Democrats have long been a single issue party, and as immigration became an increasingly hot topic, so did they. The migration crisis took a firm hold of Europe, with many heading for Sweden, and after years of reluctance to discuss immigration, the government has been forced into action. The recent policies from the Swedish government - restricting numbers and imposing border control checks - has confirmed SD's view that immigration is bad for the economy, effectively legitimizing their 'doomsday rhetoric' to the public, adds Mr Poohl, Speaking to Swedes in the capital, the most common reason given to explain SD's spike in support is the increasing number of beggars, an issue which barely existed seven years ago. A majority of these are EU migrants, many are of Roma backgrounds, and what was a minor problem in central Stockholm in 2008, is now visible even in small towns in northern Sweden. 'When you hear people talking about immigration you often hear them say I dont really want to vote SD, but if all the other parties keep avoiding the question[of immigration], society will fall apart,' says Josefine, 26, from Stockholm. 'The man on the street is tired of it being taboo to talk about immigration as a problem.' Two sides: People hold a banner reading 'refugees welcome' as they take part in a demonstration in solidarity with refugees seeking asylum in Stockholm last September Heading for Sweden: Refugees wait to board a train to Malmo, Sweden at Copenhagen train station, joining some 160,000 asylum seekers in 2015, more than any other European country per capita Changes: From having almost completely open borders, Sweden has now imposed temporary border controls, ID checks on trains from Denmark, and plans for temporary residency permits It is impossible to analyse the rise of SD and anti-immigrant views in Sweden and not take into account the power social media holds over the lives of Swedes. Sweden is one of the world's best connected nations, with more than 90 per cent having internet access. In addition, nearly half of those have access to the internet on a computer, a smartphone AND a tablet. As the issue of immigration has become more and more important to the electorate, and the main parties reluctant to discuss it for the fear of being seen as supportive of SD, the discussions have flourished online. Emanuel Karlsten, a journalist and social media expert, explains that Sweden Democrats have used this like no other party in Swedish history. 'Social media has always been the primary platform for the Sweden Democrats. A traditionally schooled politician would have been taught that the press is something which needs to be utilized, through press releases and interviews, and you communicate with the public through the press. But SD built their support outside mainstream media and despite mainstream media, where they were not allowed in. 'Their relationship with their voters is built on the fact that they say things that 'mainstream media doesn't dare say', and so are able to take the underdog line of being "forced" to use social media. 'If you compare SD to any other political party, you see how they are much more digitally aware, much more social media friendly, and much more used to online communication. 'They are able to use it, and they know how important it is as a tool to take a stand and voice their opinion. It makes it easy for them to dress in what we in Sweden call the 'victim cardigan'. They claim to be the victim of a bullying establishment authorities, media and politicians. 'Their party leader Jimmie Akesson has the most liked Facebook page of all the leaders of the eight main parties - including Prime Minister Stefan Lofven. Worrying growth: A nationwide poll carried out in December showed 19.9 per cent of Swedes would vote for Jimmie Akesson and the Sweden Democrats, and the party is now the biggest one in the south Facing reality: The stats say the Swedish economy is capable of handling the current migration crisis - yet Swedes keep supporting the anti-immigration party But the Sweden Democrats' love affair with social media has not been one without drama and scandals. A number of high-ranking politicians have been caught repeatedly making racist remarks on social media, something which SD tackled by enforcing a 'zero tolerance on racism' policy in 2012. During the transformation from a four per cent party to third-biggest, SD has become a well-oiled social media PR machine. 'They have become more professional. As social media has been their only platform they've had no choice,' Karlsten adds. 'Previously, SD was very "all over the place" and openly racist on social media. 'People with extremist views were able to rise in the ranks very quickly, and in recent years there has been revelation after revelation after revelation that they are still high up within the party. 'So SD has had to come up with a lot of strategies mainly excluding anyone who openly posts Nazi and racist views - to mark that they are "not racist". 'There has been a definitive change. They have been polished.' However, as much as social media has helped the Sweden Democrats, the migrant crisis that hit Europe in recent years, and how it has been handled by the Swedish government, appears to have boosted their numbers. Sweden welcomed more than 160,000 asylum seekers in 2015, more than any other European country per capita. Just before SD polled nearly 20 per cent in December, the Swedish centre-left coalition government introduced border controls and plans for temporary residency permits. From saying 'my Europe doesn't build walls' in September, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven made a U-turn, announcing: 'We have taken in too many for too long. We need a pause for breath'. But all the figures show that Sweden can take it. Despite the migration crisis, the Swedish economy grew by 3.9 per cent in the last quarter of 2015, compared with the same period last year. Those were the days: Sweden used to be famous for 70s pop songs and flatpack furniture, but the rise of right-wing politics is changing this Land of IKEA: Despite the 'migration crisis' and welcoming 160,000 asylum seekers, the Swedish economy grew by around SEK 150bn (12bn) in 2015 The Swedish Migration board estimates that the migration crisis will cost Sweden SEK 60bn (4.77bn) next year. But in 2015 alone, despite said crisis, the Swedish economy grew by around SEK 150bn (12bn). All the statistics point at the current migration crisis not affecting the individual Swede's economy in any other way than a few crowns extra in taxes. And still, the Sweden Democrats keep gaining followers, with a mid-December poll naming them the biggest party in the south of Sweden with more than 26 per cent of voters. Daniel Poohl explains: 'Their increase since 2008 is not just connected to the migration crisis, but also the movement behind the party. 'They have more visibility on social media, more other media channels of their own, and as political movement they have a simple story and model of explanation 'This simplified model of explanation is built on the idea that there is a "politically correct elite" trying to destroy the great nation of Sweden by building an alliance with minorities to ensure that "normal people" miss out. 'Today, this way of looking upon society has rooted and spread outside of the SD movement, egged on by columnists, leader writers and journalism. 'When this simplified model of explanation is given more space in society, then the winner is the party whose view of the world is built on that.' Emanuel Karlsten adds: 'Voters are tired of established politicians and want someone to shake things up for the established parties to adapt to. Which in itself is causing problems. 'Established parties want to stay as far away from SD as possible which makes it harder to approach the issues of immigration and integration, because SD has already called dibs on these issues. Advertisement Thousands of Cubans are caught in a new refugee crisis triggered by President Obama's moves towards ending the embargo on the country, Daily Mail Online can reveal. As many as 8,000 are living in squalor in Costa Rica where their attempts to reach the United States have stalled, with the central American country facing a growing humanitarian crisis over their presence. The Cubans are trying to get to the US land border with Mexico, where they will be able to claim refugee status in America, and a rapid path to citizenship. Thousands have fled the Communist country since Obama and Raul Castro last year ended more than 60 years of frozen relations. They have moved in a panic prompted by fears that the detente would lead to the abolition of automatic refugee status for Cubans who reach the US land border. Scroll down for video Encampment: This is how thousands of Cubans are living - in cobbled-together shelters largely open to the elements with growing fear of disease after they became stuck in Costa Rica as they made their way to America, fearing the open door was about to be closed by Obama Squalid: Concerns are mounting over the health of refugees who are stranded in Costa Rica. Doctors have been called to the makeshift shelters to deal with diarrhea, dehydration, vomiting and influenza Desperate: Having run out of money, Cuban refugees in Costa Rica are relying on food kitchens at makeshift shelters. In total 8,000 are stuck in the country, unable to make the next step in their planned route to the US Improvised: Conditions are basic for the Cubans in Costa Rica. They fled because they believed Obama was close to ending the open-door refugee policy but are now stranded Makeshift: The thousands at the border are living largely outdoors and improvising their own washing facilities Registration: Newly arrived Cuban migrants check in to a shelter in La Cruz and a volunteer registers them at a makeshift shelter in the border town of La Cruz Refuge: Among the 12 official migrant shelters in the border town of La Cruz is the Liceo Experimenta Bilingue La Cruz, where Cubans take turns to keep it clean. The area has seen its population increase by a quarter since the crisis unfolded Mass arrival: Until Christmas, around 150 were arriving every day in Costa Rica from Panama at places including Paso Canoas, where up to 3,000 are now stuck No place to call home: The border post with Panama at Paso Canoas has become a tent settlement Roadblock: Costa Rica is currently the end of the road because of Nicaragua's decision to close its borders. The Cubans had made their way from Havana to Ecuador, then to Colombia and Panama - but cannot get to the US land border The unforeseen consequence of a move to normalize relations has created a growing crisis in Central America. In total 8,000 people are stranded in Costa Rica, which has become the final stop in a journey which for most began with flights to Ecuador, followed by long road trips through Colombia and Panama. Costa Rica's neighbor to the north - Nicaragua - has closed its borders to Cubans seeking passage on a route which would take them on to Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and through Mexico to the US land border. Daniel Ortega, Nicaragua's left-wing president, is a close ally of Castro, and his action is seen as being in line with attempts by the Havana regime to stop people fleeing. But the decision to seal the border, taken by Ortega in November, has created a mounting refugee crisis in Costa Rica. There thousands of people who have run out of money, having paid people traffickers tens of thousands of dollars to get them to the US land border, are now unable to go any further. More than 4,500 are being housed in refugee camps along the Costa Rican border with Nicaragua, 3,000 more on the Panama crossing and 500 or so scattered elsewhere in the country. Most of the camps are in La Cruz, in the province of Guanacaste. The area's population of 24,000 has grown by 25 percent because of the influx of Cuban refugees. At one stage before Christmas, more than 150 Cubans were reaching Panama every day through Ecuador or Colombia. All the temporary camps as a result are full to the brim and some Cubans have taken to sleeping on the streets while others have been taken in by Costa Rican families and churches. Children, pregnant women and the elderly have been caught up in the impasse and the Red Cross in Costa Rica has been called into treat travelers for illnesses such as, diarrhea, dehydration, vomiting, and influenza. Doctors have also had to deal with an outbreak of chickenpox among dozens of Cubans who have been quarantined in a church close to the border with Nicaragua. Kindest cut: A refugee passes the time by having his hair trimmed in one of the La Cruz shelters. Local authorities face an increasing burden - and the refugees say they only moved because of Obama's peace moves with the Castros Boredom: The thousands of Cubans spend their days hoping for news of where to go next. But there is no sign of the crisis ending soon Border problem: The Cubans have previously massed at the border with Nicaragua in November, when the ban on transit visas first came into effect, to make their feelings clear Anger: A Cuban migrant holds a sign that reads 'Down Ortega-Castro dictatorship' during protests against the effective closing of the Nicaraguan border. Daniel Ortega is the Nicaraguan president, a Sandanistan left-winger who is closely allied to the Castro regime No way through: Tension flared on November 16 over the border closure, in the wake of Ortega's move. But it is Obama who is the seen as the ultimate cause, opening detente with the Cubans and raising fears of the open door being closed Danger: Living in tents in the rain at the border post with Panama, where an estimated 3,000 Cubans are stuck. The conditions are leading to growing health concerns Open hand, closed border? Cubans panicked that this handshake between President Obama and the Cuban Communist president, Raul Castro, would lead to the end to automatic refugee status for Cubans reaching the US land border - so-called 'dry-foot' arrivals TWO MONTHS ON THE ROAD AND NOT A CENT LEFT - BUT DETERMINED TO GET TO THE US Claudia Ponzeti hugs her two-year-old son and assures him gently that very soon he will see his father again. Anthony has just recovered from sickness, brought on by being trafficked across mountains in Colombia with thousands of other Cubans who want to live the American Dream. The journey has already taken two months and the human traffickers have taken more than $5,000. She has nothing left. Claudia, 26, a high school teacher from Havana, hopes to be reunited with her husband Michael who left for the US a year ago and has settled in Kentucky. Desperation: Claudia and Anthony Ponzeti 'Last year after Obama and Castro met and shook hands, my heart missed a beat and I could no longer sleep. 'I kept having nightmares that I would never see my husband again and Anthony his father. 'He told me to sell everything and plan to come to the US immediately.' 'There is no travel agent in Cuba who can do this for you. There is no travel for us between the two countries and I had to do something.' The first step was to Ecuador, with a passport and visa obtained by traffickers, then a boat trip in the Pacific to Colombia, and a long land trip to Panama. She first made contact with the people smugglers in Havana at the end of 2014, after her husband, a builder, had successfully been transported to the US via Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Mexico. 'They promised they would get us to Mexico and then the US, but there is so much confusion about what happens next to us,' she said. She made it to Panama, then spent four days on a bus traveling through Costa Rica and onto Nicaragua, only to be turned back at gunpoint at Penas Blancas. 'Since then, we have waited and waited. 'We have been traveling for nearly two months and it has been very difficult, very difficult. 'When I get to America I am going to kiss the earth and then hug my husband and never let him go. I hope it is soon.' Advertisement Many others are sleeping in the open on foam mattresses in temperatures that reach the nineties, although Costa Rica has opened 34 temporary shelters in places such as fire stations and schools to house others. They are fed by volunteers and local officials in the affected border areas and lines for soup kitchens have become a familiar sight. Groups of migrants sit on street corners while others look for free wifi signals in the few cafes in La Cruz to read up on the latest political moves to help them and to contact loved ones left behind in the Caribbean. The growing humanitarian crisis is being blamed on President Obama's rush to cement relations with Cuba before he leaves office at the end of the year. Refugees accuse the White House of 'insensitively' offering olive branch to Havana without giving clear indications of what future immigration policy will be towards Cubans. 'Obama should say categorically what will happen to Cubans. Will we still be welcomed in the United Stateswho knows?' said college lecturer Mirtha Vega, who is among the refugees. 'People got scared and left Cuba as soon as they could and there has been so much panic. 'America wanted us before and now we simply do not know and that is why this crisis has developed. 'Obama shook hands with Castro and everybody got scared. There are many people back home who are preparing to leave now for the US if they can manage it.' Another refugee Carlos Alberto, 54, an economist, said: 'We are human beings who have fled our country and are now being treated like rats. America must take the blame for this and not just Nicaragua. 'For more than 50 years we have been promised freedom in America if we could make it there. What is Obama going to do in future for Cubans and what will the next President do when he has gone?' Cubans who are able to get out of the Communist country have been given refugee status automatically since 1966, with President Clinton amending the law in 1995 to make it apply to so-called 'dry foot' arrivals - those who make it to US land border, rather than into territorial waters. Jim Rodriguez, Costa Rica Red Cross sub director of operations, said: 'It is a very difficult situation with the refugees who need all the help that can be given to stop a larger humanitarian crisis. 'We are providing medical aid, food supplies, blankets, personal hygiene kits and help from hospitals for those who need it. 'There are some of the Cubans who have high blood pressure, diabetes and heart problems. There has also been an outbreak of chicken pox. 'These people feel safe with us because they have had very difficult times and all because they want a better life.' None of the refugees spoken to by Daily Mail Online want to stay in Costa Rica or return to Cuba - all want to reach the US. Three doctors interviewed by Daily Mail Online in the refugee camps said they decided to engage with human smugglers as they believe the US will close its doors soon. They claimed they could no longer bear to spend the rest of their lives scraping a living on $25 dollars a month wages. Another refugee, a college teacher from Havana, said she had dreamed of living in America since her early teens and the hopelessness of trying to teach in Cuba without enough books and few computers had forced her hand. Alejandro Esteban, 23, an engineer from Havana, said: 'The greatest fear was that we may not be allowed into the United States if we remained in Cuba and did not leave immediately. 'But today the big worry is that we may be forced to go back to Cuba. 'We feel we are being used for political reasons and that our government has asked Nicaragua to stop us from going ahead to Mexico and then to the US. 'Nicaragua is an ally of Cuba and that speaks for itself. But we want the US to come and help us because there is too much suffering among the Cuban people here. 'Many have spent their life savings to come this far and have nothing left, absolutely nothing. 'We do not earn many dollars anyway in Cuba, so you can imagine how desperate everybody is. Many of us have family in the US and many have left their husbands, wives, parents and even children behind in Cuba.' Esteban paid $2,000 to traffickers to get him through Colombia after leaving Cuba at the beginning of November, but like his 8,000 fellow countrymen is now stranded in Costa Rica. 'I had to travel through the night times and pay the Colombian police when they stopped me and wanted to arrest me,' he said. 'We should be allowed our human rights of being allowed to travel. We are not cattle. We are humans and we want to enjoy the same rights that many millions and millions of people have. 'In the two months we have been forgotten and only the kind Costa Rican government and people are caring about us.' The first attempt to break the refugee crisis may happen within days. The Central American Integration System, a group of countries who share political and economic support, has come up with a plan to fly 250 refugees to San Salvador as a trial run, possibly on Wednesday. But that would represent a fraction of the total numbers in Costa Rica, and if they have to pay for their tickets, most would be unable to afford to follow in subsequent flights. The plan would also rely on the refugees moving from El Salvador to the US without being stopped at El Salvador's border with Guatemala, or by the Mexican authorities at the border between Guatemala and Mexico. Daily Mail Online has asked the White House and State Department for comment. President Obama is, however, taking a close interest in the refugee crisis hitting Europe. He plans to host a United Nations summit on the issue later this year, it was announced before Christmas. 'PEOPLE WILL WELCOME US WITH HUGS WHEN WE MAKE IT TO THE U.S.' Stranded: Dr Neldys Aranguren, 45,and her husband Ernesto, 53, a paramedic. 'Ernesto and I could not bear to be left behind in Cuba forever if America changed its immigration policy towards us.' Three Cuban doctors are among the thousands caught up in the refugee crisis at La Cruz and all have given up the Cuban medical careers to begin new lives in America. Dr Neldys Aranguren, 45, is stuck in the refugee camp at the Li Ceo Experimental Bilingual School in La Crus with her husband Ernesto, 53, a paramedic. She said: 'I have been a doctor in Havana for 21 years and my salary is $20 dollars a month at Bejucal Hospital. 'My husband and I are fed up with the political situation in Cuba which stops people from developing and the lack of freedom. 'America is the country where people are paid properly and doctors are respected for the work they do. Dr Henry Roque, 43, says: 'I want to then work as a doctor and show the Americans my skills' 'To be able to help people who are sick, I need to have proper medical equipment and facilities. It is not the case in Cuba. 'Ernesto and I could not bear to be left behind in Cuba forever if America changed its immigration policy towards us. 'I have been looking at the map of the United States my entire adult life and I want to be there.' Dr Henry Roque, 43, lived in Ecuador for the last three years, but went on foot through parts of Colombia to get to the port of Turbo, which is an open door to Panama. Soldiers patrolling the area threatened to shoot him unless he paid them another $100. 'All I want is to reach Miami, Florida and be with my twin brother who went there a few years ago,' he said. 'I want to then work as a doctor and show the Americans my skills as an epidemiologist. I believe the studies I have done and the work that I can do will be properly appreciated there. 'I cannot live on $30 dollars a month in Cuba. There is no attraction to go into medicine in Cuba when the lack of respect is there and no money. 'It has been a very frightening time so far and we know that there are dangerous times ahead. 'But I believe in humanity. I believe we will get to the US and the people will welcome us with hugs. I have to believe it.' Dr Yudelkis Gimenze, 32, sent his wife Dayli, 28,and daughter Stephanie, 7, to America in 2012. They now live in Naples, Florida, and on November 9 he started the same journey. 'Last summer I became a doctor and got my degree from the Gustavo Abderia College, but I could not wait to see my family in the US,' he said. 'I was going to travel at this time anyway regardless of what is happening between Cuba and America, but it has been a nightmare. 'I cannot believe we are being denied our human rights and being held here. Everybody thanks the Costa Ricans, but our government and the US should come to a plan now and allow us to move on. 'I am a good man and I want to be a doctor in the US. I do not want anything from the US; only to be with my wife and daughter and to help sick people.' Advertisement Desperate for news: Cubans use their cellphones to try to find out what is going on - but it is in reality, an impasse No place for children: A shelter at the border between Panama and Costa Rica in Paso Canoas, Panama. Three thousand Cubans are stuck there Nowhere to go: Bleachers inside a school outbuilding have become home to dozens of the refugees. They and thousands more left Cuba in the belief that their chance to become American was in jeopardy Relying on the weather: Improvised shelters are used by hundreds of Cubans, leading to concerns over their health Basic sanitation: Costa Rican authorities, the Red Cross and volunteers have put together makeshift washing facilities but cases of illness have been reported, leading to concerns about the safety of the thousands who are stranded Writing on the wall: Gratitude to Costa Rica expressed in a mural is in contrast to the calls for action for the impasse to be ended to let the Cubans get to the US to claim refugee status U.S. authorities took 121 people into custody over the weekend, primarily in Texas, Georgia and North Carolina, as immigration authorities moved to deport families who entered the United States illegally after May 2014, officials said on Monday. The so-called removals of adults and children followed an increased rate of deportation of single adults to Central America since the summer of 2014, the Department of Homeland Security said. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a statement: 'This should come as no surprise. 'I have said publicly for months that individuals who constitute enforcement priorities, including families and unaccompanied children, will be removed.' U.S. authorities took 121 people into custody over the weekend, primarily in Texas, Georgia and North Carolina. Border Patrol agents are seen in Texas last month Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a statement: 'I have said publicly for months that individuals who constitute enforcement priorities, including families and unaccompanied children, will be removed' American officials are keen to avoid a repeat of the surge in unaccompanied children entering the United States in 2014, when tens of thousands of minors traveling without adults flooded across the southern U.S. border illegally. U.S. authorities have cracked down on convicted criminals living illegally in the United States in the past year. The White House would not comment on Monday on specifics of the weekend apprehensions by immigration authorities. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said at a news briefing: 'The enforcement priorities laid out by the administration are concentrating our efforts to deport felons, not families, and to prioritize the case of recent border crossers.' The apprehensions targeted adults and children who crossed the southern border illegally after May 1, 2014, DHS said. They had been ordered removed by an immigration court and exhausted legal remedies and asylum claims, it said. Most families will be taken to family residential centers before being put on flights to their home countries. Border Patrol agents are seen with a boy in Texas in December Most families will be taken to family residential centers before being put on flights to their home countries. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) condemned the actions and said the deportation policies were rigged against families. Cecillia Wang, director of the ACLU's immigrants' Rights Project, said in a statement: 'These raids are a scare tactic to deter other families fleeing violence in Central America from coming to the United States.' Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign also seemed unhappy with the push. 'Hillary Clinton believes the United States should give refuge to people fleeing persecution, and should be especially attentive to the needs of children,' Politico quoted a campaign spokeswoman as saying. A rare disease has almost killed two newborn babies after they were both infected with a contagious virus that left them fighting for life in intensive care. Tinley Beutel and Lincoln Elwell, both from Toowoomba in Queensland, suffered almost identical symptoms and were diagnosed with different strands of a group of viruses just weeks after they were born. Baby girl Tinley was born healthily on December 2 but fell ill three weeks later when she stopped eating, developed a temperature and became lethargic. Tinley Beutel (pictured) and Lincoln Elwell, both from Toowoomba in Queensland, suffered almost identical symptoms and were diagnosed with different strands of a group of viruses just weeks after they were born. She was rushed to Brisbane's Lady Cilento Children's Hospital where she was put on respiratory machine, had her chest cut open and was given spinal taps before doctors were able to diagnose her with parechovirus. The virus, which is a respiratory and gastrointestinal infection, can cause rashes, irritability, fever and diarrhoea - and in severe cases it can cause hepatitis or encephalitis. 'I thought she was going to die, I didn't think she would make it. Her heart rate was all over the place, her blood pressure was dropping. They had to put her on life support to keep everything stable,' her mother Skye Browne told Daily Mail Australia. Doctors initially thought Tinley had meningitis or a twisted bowl because of her symptoms, but she was diagnosed with parechovirus after five days in intensive care. Baby girl Tinley was born healthily (pictured) on December 2 but fell ill three weeks later when she stopped eating, developed a temperature and became lethargic Tinley was rushed to Brisbane's Lady Cilento Children's Hospital where she was put on respiratory machine, had her chest cut open and was given spinal taps before doctors were able to diagnose her with parechovirus Tinley Beutel has now returned home with her parents Skye Browne and Jason Beutel and siblings Rykar (left), Taylor (right) after a 10 day stint in intensive care Parechovirus is spread from person to person by direct contact with nose and throat discharges, including saliva or nasal mucus, sneezing and coughing, as well as faeces. There is currently no specific treatment for the potentially fatal disease but doctors are trying to work on a vaccine. Tinley is now back home after a 10 day stint in intensive care, but baby boy Lincoln is still fighting for his life in the same hospital more than a month later. Lincoln was diagnosed with enterovirus, which is part of a group of viruses that includes parechovirus, just a few days after he was born. 'We were told a number of times he might not make it, that he might die,' Lincoln's mother, Zoe Elwell. Lincoln was diagnosed with enterovirus, which is part of a group of viruses that includes parechovirus, just a few days after he was born on November 27 While Lincoln (pictured before he fell ill) remains in intensive care at Lady Cilento Children's Hospital, Ms Elwell says her son is now showing signs of recovery Ms Elwell took him to the hospital after he stopped eating and was sleeping for long periods of time. Doctors started doing tests before his heart rate shot up to 240 for six hours. 'His heart started to fail and he couldn't breathe. They had to put him on a machine otherwise he would have died,' Ms Elwell said. WHAT IS PARECHOVIRUS? It is a potentially fatal respiratory and gastrointestinal infection. Can cause rashes, irritability, fever and diarrhoea - and in severe cases hepatitis or encephalitis. Virus is spread from person to person by direct contact with nose and throat discharges. There is currently no specific treatment but doctors are working on a vaccine. Children under three are at most risk of developing severe disease. Advertisement While Lincoln remains in intensive care at Lady Cilento Children's Hospital, Ms Elwell says her son is now showing signs of recovery. The parents of both children are now urging others to be on the lookout for symptoms of the virus. 'When Tinley got sick she was presenting with windy pains, so I was trying to bring wind up. It wasn't until she became lethargic that I knew something was wrong,' Ms Browne said. 'If I had kept thinking it was wind she probably would have died because her heart rate was so high she would have had a heart attack. 'My advice to parents is that if their baby is at all not themselves - if they have temperatures, not feeding or irritable - I'd go straight to the doctor.' The first reported case of parechovirus was recorded in Australia in December 2013 and there has since been mini-outbreaks in various states. Children under three months of age are most likely to develop the severe disease and babies can become unwell quickly. Health authorities say good hygiene is the best protection, which includes washing hands with soap and water after going to the toilet, before eating, after wiping noses, and after changing nappies or soiled clothing. The 'hacktivist' group Anonymous claims to have attacked Thai police websites in protest against the trial of two migrant workers sentenced to death last month for the murders of two British tourists. Anonymous said on its Facebook page that 14 Thai police websites had been attacked. Of those it listed, nine were inaccessible yesterday. The words 'Failed Law', 'We Want Justice', and a hashtag #BoycottThailand were displayed on some of the hacked sites, along with the name of Myanmar-based 'Blink Hacker Group'. A message is displayed on a computer screen in Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday after the police website was allegedly hacked by the group Anonymous in response to a Thai court decision that has been widely protested Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were killed on a beach on the picturesque island of Ko Tao, in Thailand Burmese migrant workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun (pictured) were later sentenced to death for the crime, despite protestations about how the Thai police and courts handled their prosecution Thai Police confirmed the attack on its websites but said there was no confidential data on the public websites. In a 37-minute video posted on the Anonymous Facebook page, a masked person questioned the competency of the Thai police force and its handling of this and other cases. On December 24, a Thai court found Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, both 22, guilty of killing Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24. The pair's battered bodies were found on a beach on the southern Thai holiday island of Koh Tao in 2014. Dechnarong Suthicharnbancha, a police spokesman, said: 'They're not good enough to hack into our system and steal any of our data.' He added: 'I received an initial report that the hackers are from another country.' When asked if he meant they were from Myanmar and whether the hack was in response to the Koh Tao verdict, he said, 'It's possible. We are investigating.' Police rushed to solve the crime, under intense pressure to limit negative publicity to the tourism industry. They were criticized for not properly securing the crime scene and conducting more than 200 random DNA tests. The also released names and pictures of suspects who turned out to be innocent, mishandled crucial DNA evidence from the victims and allegedly tortured their prime suspects. A judge dismissed the allegations of torture, saying there was no evidence it took place. A police diver searches for evidence in the water near where Ms Witheridge and Mr Miller's bodies were found The verdicts sparked anger in Myanmar where hundreds held protests outside the Thai Embassy in the commercial capital of Yangon, calling for the two to be released. After facing several days of fierce criticism, Thai junta Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha angrily dismissed those calls in his first comments on the case since Thursday's verdict. 'They have the right to appeal, right? Laws all over the world have this. Or should Thai law not have this? Is it the case that we should release all people when pressured?' a visibly angry Prayut told reporters. Prayut, who seized power in a coup last year, is known for his mercurial outbursts and often colourful statements. In the days and weeks after the Koh Tao murders, Prayut ordered police to make swift arrests, fearful of the impact the killings might have on the vital tourism industry. He frequently aired his own opinions about who might be guilty, saying it was unlikely a Thai could carry out such a grisly murder. The woman whose testimony sent Steven Avery to prison for a rape her did not commit is speaking publicly for the first time since the release of the controversial and polarizing new Netflix documentary Making A Murderer. Penny Beerntsen was raped and attacked in 1985 while running along a beach near her home in Wisconsin, and eventually identified Steve Avery as her assailant, sending him to prison for 18 years before he was released because of DNA evidence that proved another man had committed the crime. The practices used by the police in getting Beerntsen to pick Avery out of a lineup were called into question, and she is now speaking about how awful she felt when she realized what had happened because of her testimony. She is also sharing what her relationship as like with Avery after he was released, and the fact that he asked her for money to buy a house. Scroll down for video Past: Penny Beerntsen (above in 2014) was raped in 1985 while running along a beach near her home in Wisconsin, and identified Steven Avery as the perpetrator Tough: Avery (above in 2005) served 18 years in jail before he was set free due to DNA evidence that proved the assailant had been Gregory Allen Crime: Avery is serving life behind bars for the murder of Teresa Halbach (above) 'The day I learned of the exoneration was worse than the day I was assaulted,' wrote Beerntsen in a piece for The Marshall Project. She then added; 'After the DNA results came back, I just felt powerless. I cant un-ring this bell. I cant give Steve back the years that hes lost.' Adding to the guilt Beerntsen felt was the fact that Avery was 23-year-old at the time he was out in jail, and that he had five children - including newborn twins. 'There was really no physical evidence connecting the two of us. It was a she-said-he-said case. And my testimony sent an innocent person to prison,' said Beerntsen. 'His kids have grown up without him. I absolutely wanted the earth to swallow me.' At this time the real perpetrator, Gregory Allen, was arrested for the crime. When Avery was released he seemed to harbor shockingly little ill will towards Beerntsen the way she explains it, and she even apologized to his parents, who had little to say. He then called her however and things got a bit weird. 'A few months after I met Steve, he left a message for me. So I called him and he was kind of beating around the bush. He was telling me how he didnt have any money and he couldnt get a job and he was living on his parents property and it wasnt going well and he wanted to get his own place to live and it would really be nice to have a house,' said Berrntsen. 'I finally came out and said, Steve, are you asking me to buy you a house? And he said yes. I said, Thats not possible. We probably should not be talking to each other. I will be deposed in your civil suit. 'He was cordial, he wasnt abusive or anything. It was just clear he wanted money from me.' Shortly after she learned that Teresa Halbach was missing and was last seen on Avery's property, saying that is part of the reason she has a 'complicated' relationship with the man. Meanwhile, when asked why she did not speak with the producers of the Netflix documentary, she said; 'They were very convinced that he was innocent. I was not convinced.' Candidate admits that copyright of the song is owned by Rude Music but denied anything he did was illegal or infringed on a copyright Huckabee says the event wasn't organized, advertised or promoted by his presidential campaign that it was a non-partisan rally Davis is the Kentucky county clerk who sparked a national debate after she refused to sign marriage licenses for same sex couples Sullivan says Huckabee never got permission to play it at Kim Davis rally that he led this past September Rude Music Inc. is run by Frank Sullivan, member of band Survivor and co-writer of Eye of the Tiger Republican Presidential candidate wants copyright lawsuit brought on by Rude Music Inc. in November to be tossed out Mike Huckabee thinks he should get a pat on the back instead of being slapped with a lawsuit. Daily Mail Online has exclusively learned the Republican Presidential candidate wants the legal battle he's in with Rude Music Inc. over his use of the song Eye of the Tiger - thrown out. According to legal papers obtained by Daily Mail Online Huckabee feels, if anything, he has helped the song and the band Survivor become relevant again since the record was released decades ago. In September, Huckabee held a rally for controversial Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis following her release from jail. During the rally, Eye of the Tiger played as Davis walked out of jail after five days behind bars with the former Arkansas governor. Davis sparked a huge debate across the US for refusing to sign marriage licenses for same sex couples - and was held in contempt. Scroll down for video Legal battle: Frank Sullivan who runs Rude Music Inc. and is a member of the band Survivor filed lawsuit against Huckabee for President in November after Eye of the Tiger played during a rally for Kim Davis, the controversial Kentucky county clerk who refused to sign same sex marriages 'Survivor': Mike Huckabee holds hands with Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis as she is released from the Carter County Detention Center in September in Grayson, Kentucky. Davis was held in contempt for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples No campaign event: Mike Huckabee says the Kim Davis event wasn't organized, advertised or promoted by his presidential campaign and therefore he says that due to the context of the rally for Davis the use of the song, which was only played for a minute, is protected by the first amendment Two months later, the company Rude Music Inc run by Frank Sullivan, who is a member of Survivor and co-wrote the song made famous by the film Rocky III, filed a lawsuit against Huckabee for President claiming they did not give permission to Huckabee to play the song at the rally. The music company said the candidate should have known better since he was already warned by the band Boston back in 2008, during his first presidential run, for using the song More Than a Feeling without permission. Rude Music Inc. is suing for damages for the illegal use of Eye of the Tiger and also filed an injunction against Huckabee from ever using Sullivan's his music again without his permission. The presidential candidate admits that a copyright of the song is owned by Rude Music but denied that anything he did was illegal or infringed on a copyright. Huckabee refutes that band Boston demanded he cease using their song following the use of one of their tracks during a 2008 event. Smash hit: Eye of the Tiger became the theme song of Rocky III in the early 1980s. A source tells Daily Mail Online that Mike Huckabee feels he made it relevant again He explained that he was accompanied by a former guitarist for the band named Barry Goudreau - who played with them for three years - but that another member, Tom Scholz, wrote a public letter asking him to stop using the band's music. In regards to the Kim Davis rally, Huckabee says the event wasn't organized, advertised or promoted by his presidential campaign. He says no campaign posters were present and it was a non-partisan rally that featured talk of god and religion. Huckabee says that due to the context of the rally for Davis the use of the song, which was only played for a minute, is protected by the first amendment and the lawsuit has no leg to stand on. One of Australia's top police officers believes it's time for elderly drivers to get off the roads. NSW Police head of traffic John Hartley said drivers over the age of 70 were two and a half times more likely to die in a roadside accident, the Daily Telegraph reported. He added that senior citizens often found it difficult to stay centred in their lane, stop in time for red lights and reverse safely without running into objects. NSW Police head of traffic John Hartley said drivers over the age of 70 were two and a half times more likely to die in a roadside accident The number of fatalities on the road for senior citizens has spiked by 20 per cent in the last year alone 'It is these issues that put older drivers, their passengers, and other road users at great risk,' Assistant Commissioner Hartley said. 'Personal responsibility is the key to keeping us all safe on NSW roads. Don't wait until you're involved in a near miss, or a crash, to reconsider your driving ability.' The latest figures put out by the NSW Centre for Road Safety revealed that the number of fatalities on the road for senior citizens has spiked by 20 per cent in the last year alone. Drivers over the age of 70 represented nearly 22 per cent of the total fatalities in 2015 - while the age bracket makes up just 11 per cent of the population. NSW drivers over the age of 75 are required to sit a medical test every year to retain their license But David Carvosso, chairman of National Seniors, believes these numbers don't accurately reflect the capabilities of elderly drivers - who are more susceptible to an injury in accidents. 'An accident that might impact a younger or a middle-aged person could have a different impact on an older person it could be far more significant,' he said in November. 'Bones weaken, people are more frail and more susceptible in an accident.' NSW drivers over the age of 75 are required to sit a medical test every year to retain their license, while drivers above 85 must pass an additional practical driving assessment every second year. Western Australia requires similar conditions for drivers above 80, while the rest of the states do not enforce medical tests - but encourage drivers to report medical conditions that may impair driving. The chairman of National Seniors believes elderly drivers are just more susceptible to an injury in accidents BMA has claimed that patient safety will suffer as a result of longer shifts Junior doctors have made an extraordinary plea for hard-Left trade union leaders to join them picketing hospitals when they go on strike next week. The British Medical Association said a victory for the doctors in their bitter battle with the Government would 'signify the first real crack in the entire edifice of austerity in the UK'. The BMA has insisted it is opposing Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt's changes to working hours for junior doctors on the grounds they would be harmful to patient safety. Junior doctors have made an extraordinary plea for hard-Left trade union leaders to join them picketing hospitals when they go on strike next week But in an explosive memo to the leaders of other trade unions, doctors' leaders admit there is a political motive at the heart of the row. The statement, placed on the BMA's website, is headed: 'To our fellow workers, trade unionists and activists: we need you!' It appeals for supporters of other unions to join them on the picket lines which patients will have to cross when seeking care next week. The article, written by Dr Yannis Gourtsoyannis, a member of BMA Junior Doctors Committee National Executive, says: 'There is no way that we can win this on our own. We need all concerned citizens, activists and trade unionists to stand alongside us in this fight. 'We are in no doubt that [George] Osborne, [David] Cameron and Hunt will use the proposed doctor's contract as a tool for achieving the destruction of safe terms and conditions throughout the NHS and throughout the public sector. 'The Conservative Party is attempting to stretch the NHS into an ostensibly seven-day elective service whilst simultaneously launching the biggest assault on NHS resources in its history. The politics of austerity represents a clear and present danger to the nation's health. 'A victory for the junior doctors would signify the first real crack in the entire edifice of austerity in the UK.' The BMA has appealed for supporters of other unions to join them on the picket lines, which patients will have to cross when seeking care next week Last night the plea was condemned as 'desperate' by patient groups. There were also signs of alarm among junior doctors about the impact of the strike on patients. The BMA announced on Monday that they will stage three successive walkouts starting next week each one creating progressively more chaos for the NHS. Thousands of operations and appointments will be cancelled and patients will be warned to avoid A&E and treat themselves at home. Up to 45,000 junior doctors are expected to take part in the protests and nurses and consultants will be relied upon to stand in for them. The first walkout will begin at 8am next Tuesday January 12 with doctors only treating emergency cases for a 24-hour period. This will be followed by another 48-hour 'emergency-only' walkout on January 26. The action will culminate in an all-out 'no cover' strike on February 10, when doctors will completely desert their patients for the first time in the NHS's history. The row centres on Mr Hunt's proposed new contract for junior doctors which involves more evening and weekend work for less money. He wants to increase out-of-hours staffing levels to prevent 11,000 needless deaths a year. To do this, he has to curb the number of hours doctors could work at more lucrative anti-social hours rates. In return, however, he has promised to increase their base salaries by up to 11 per cent. Up to 45,000 junior doctors are expected to take part in the protests and nurses and consultants will be relied upon to stand in for them The head of the Mid Staffs inquiry Sir Robert Francis whose report revealed that woeful care at Stafford Hospital led to the deaths of up to 1,200 patients has urged doctors to abandon strike plans. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he warned that patient safety would be compromised and public confidence would be shaken if it went ahead. He said junior doctors would be 'deceiving' themselves' in pursuit of 'destructive' strikes and pleaded with them to 'think long and hard' before they walk out. Roger Goss, of Patient Concern, described the plea for other unions to man the picket lines alongside the doctors as 'desperate'. He said the NHS still worked to 'standard office hours' rather than 24/7. Joyce Robins, also of Patient Concern, said of the strike: 'It will have a very serious effect on patients. People will suffer.' In signs that support for the strike was waning, some doctors expressed their concerns. Rachel Oates, a junior doctor training to be a GP, spoke of her 'frustration'. Writing on Facebook, she said: 'I don't feel enough notice was given. I have patients booked. These are people who have been waiting weeks for an appointment.' James Norman, who practises in London, admitted he would find it difficult to tell patients why he was deserting them. 'Were I to be on a picket line tomorrow I do not feel I could explain why we were striking, which may lead to some awkward discussions with patients today.' Sainsbury's is plotting a 1billion bid for the owners of Argos as it looks to take on internet giant Amazon. The bold approach by Britains third largest grocer for Home Retail Group, which also owns Homebase, would bring together two of the High Streets biggest names. It could see Argos counters open inside Sainsburys stores, while customers who go into Argos outlets would be able to buy Sainsburys clothing and homewares, but not food. Supermarkets and other retailers face fierce competition from shopping websites, which enjoy lower costs and can drive down prices. Business minded: Sainsbury's bold bid for Argos would bring together two of the High Street's biggest names, and could see Argos collection counters open inside Sainsbury's stores (file image) Speed of delivery has become a key selling point: Amazon is now able to deliver within one hour in some parts of the UK. The big grocers are also fending off challenges from discount supermarket chains such as Aldi and Lidl. Argos was founded in 1973 by Richard Tompkins, the entrepreneur behind Green Shield Stamps. On return from a holiday to the Greek city of Argos he renamed his business and opened the first Argos store in Canterbury, allowing shoppers to redeem books of the stamps for goods. The chain now has 840 stores in the UK and with its fleet of trucks and state-of-the art technology is able to deliver items to customers within hours of taking an online order. At its peak it printed 18million catalogues twice a year, although this has now shrunk to 12million because of online sales. Argos also introduced Elizabeth Duke jewellery counters, started in 1980 and named after a directors wife. Within two years of launch they were one of the UKs biggest jewellery retailers. Jewellery and watch counters still feature in stores. Clive Black, an analyst at broker Shore Capital, said: It is quite marvellous to see a British grocer seeking to expand after what has been a period of woe for the sector. Sainsburys is currently the strongest performing of the big four supermarkets, gaining sales and market share while others have declined. Competition: Supermarkets and other retailers face fierce competition from shopping websites, which enjoy lower costs and can drive down prices (file image) It has 597 supermarkets and 707 convenience stores employing 48,900 people. Even so, it has struggled with fierce retail competition and it now has spare space in many of its stores. It already has a deal with Argos in which a number of concessions were launched in its supermarkets. The bid comes after Home Retail issued a warning over its profits in October. It spent more than planned on advertising and buying vans, and in the past it has struggled to move with the times, having begun life as a catalogue business. The firm found itself overtaken by rivals who moved more quickly to adapt to the internet, although it has invested heavily in technology since. The takeover would see DIY chain Homebase return to the ownership of Sainsburys. The DIY chain was sold by the supermarket for 969million in 2000. Sainsburys said its cash and shares approach had been rebuffed by Home Retail Group, which is valued at 1billion. It is believed to be preparing an improved offer of between 1billion and 1.3billion. Home Retail Group said it had rejected the approach, which undervalued Home Retail. The family is still searching and hope they will be able to talk to Chris one day Goggin's mom tried the number but it was disconnected A California boy was just hoping to find some crab or small shrimp when he stumbled on an even better birthday surprise - a bottle with a message nearly 30 years old. Ryder Goggin was celebrating his fifth birthday with his mother on the Mendocino coastline when he came across the letter written by a boy from Sacramento, nearly 200 miles away, in 1988. 'Hi, my name is Chris,' the letter began. 'I am 10 years old and in the fifth grade.' Ryder Goggin was hoping to find some crab or shrimp while celebrating his fifth birthday on the Mendocino coast in California when he stumbled across this letter written by a boy 200 miles away in 1988 Heather Baird, Ryder's mother, said she immediately tried calling the number that had been written on the note - but it had been disconnected. 'I live in Sacramento. Call me when you find this to let me know where it washed ashore.' The letter was dated September 5, 1988. Heather Baird, Ryder's mother, said she immediately tried calling the number that had been written on the note - but it had been disconnected. That's when Baird contacted her aunt, who works at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. They were able to locate who the number belonged to in 1988, but he had passed away. Efforts to reach out to his family, as well as any 36 to 39-year-old in the Sacramento area named Chris, Christopher, Christina and Christine, were made by MyFox8. But so far, every clue has led to a dead end. 'I think it would be great to find Chris,' Baird told MyFox8. 'And find out where he put the bottle in the water.' 'I hope we find out really good things about how his life went.' That's when Baird contacted her aunt, who works at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. They were able to locate who the number belonged to in 1988, but he had passed away A fifth who used parental controls said kids got past them by age of six Many surveyed parents are allowing their kids to surf the internet unsupervised at the age of four-and-a-half (file pic) Children as young as four are being allowed to surf the web unsupervised. However parents whose children are now teenagers took a much stricter attitude when their offspring were younger. They did not let them use the internet alone until they were almost 12. The survey of more than 2,000 parents shows how rapidly attitudes to the internet have shifted in little more than a decade. It also raises fresh fears over the online safety of children growing up in Britain. The poll found that, on average, parents with children under the age of six now only wait until they are four-and-a-half before they leave them to go online without supervision. Whilst many will simply be watching cartoons on iPads or smartphones, others are bound to stumble across unsuitable websites and videos. What is more, millions of households have done nothing to limit the kinds of websites their children can access at home, according to the research. Four out of ten British parents still do not have internet controls in place to block pornographic or other inappropriate content. Those who do are concerned that their children can navigate around them. A fifth of parents who put the controls in place said their children could get past them before the age of six, whilst nearly half of parents (43 per cent) do not think the porn filters are tough enough for teenagers. Around the same number believe their children are far more tech-savvy than them, while a fifth of British parents worry that their own impoverished technology skills could be putting their children at risk. However, access to online porn is not the only danger of having too much internet access too young. Psychologists claim it can interfere with childrens sleep, and adversely affect their concentration at school. Four out of ten British parents still do not have internet controls in place to block pornographic or other inappropriate content. Those who do are concerned that their children can navigate around them (file pic) Parents are also worried about the impact using the internet has on their childrens mental health and ability to interact with others in the real world. More than a third of parents surveyed for the consumer website uSwitch fear these could be impaired, while one in ten parents thinks at least one of their children has already become so divorced from reality that their social skills have suffered. The other great concern for parents is for their childrens job prospects. A Minnesota woman who delivered conjoined twins in August was reportedly kept from seeing her baby daughter at a Colorado hospital. It should have been the happiest day of Amber McCullough's life after she gave birth to two baby girls, Hannah and Olivia, at a Colorado hospital in August 2015. But the moment of joy was snatched away all too soon after medics told her that one of the conjoined twins, who were attached at the chest, abdomen and pelvis, was unlikely to survive. Sadly, Olivia died after doctors were unable to salvage her heart following surgery to separate the girls, while Hannah was left fighting for her life in a special ventilator in hospital. James Avery is representing McCullough. He told KUSA she was accused of being disruptive by Children's Hospital Colorado, which made a behavioral agreement for her. Scroll down for video Amber McCullough, who delivered conjoined twins in August has been barred from seeing her one daughter at a Colorado hospital Hannah has been at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Children's Hospital Colorado Prior to being kept from going in, McCullough could see Hannah for two hours each day in mid-December, the television station reported. A hospital lawyer sent an email detailing supposed agreement infractions, Avery told KUSA. McCullough is refuting the allegations against her, the news outlet noted. She alleged on GoFundMe Tuesday: 'After reporting a sentinel event involveing too much heparin, a broviac placement, a hematoma that extended past her jawline and into her face with a nurse refusing to call a doctor, then spraying blood profusely from her neck, and then learning that the CT they took identified air bubbles in her neck from a hematoma before they ever sent her back up in the first place, they just didn't read it until hours later, after all that we were retaliated against for having filed complaints to make sure that it never happens again.' McCullough continued: 'I am currently not allowed to see my daughter at all as a result of their retaliation and lies. 'I have proof of their lies as I wised up some time ago not to step foot in that place without a recorder in my bra. 'I am also currently suing them over the retaliation as it violate, patient right, parental rights, Joint Commission rules, the patient care act, and others. 'Suing them is about holding them accountable and having a voice for parents. 'Clearly, we do not have enough protections in place for patients and parents. 'That is, easily enforceable protections. This needs to change.' She alleged on GoFundMe Tuesday that after complaining about her daughter's medical care, 'we were retaliated against for having filed complaints to make sure that it never happens again' Children's Hospital Colorado is seen here. McCullough is seeking donations to move the girl to a Boston hospital McCullough wrote she is seeking donations to move her daughter to a Boston hospital, and that it would take $19,267. Children's Hospital Colorado said in a statement to KDVR: 'It is the hospital's policy to refrain from discussing matters when a patient or patient family member has filed a Notice of Claim, notifying the hospital of an intent to sue. 'In addition, with respect to the privacy of the patient and family and in compliance with HIPAA privacy regulations, Children's Hospital Colorado is not able to release any further information concerning this patient.' McCullough told the Fox affiliate on Tuesday she now has permission from the hospital to see her daughter. The TV station reported that 'Children's Hospital would not confirm the decision.' Amber McCullough, 31, from Hastings, Minnesota, is trying to move Hannah (right) to Boston In September, McCullough wrote about being finally able to hold her daughter for the first time. The overwhelmed mother, from Hastings, Minnesota, said the 'amazing' experience had brought her to tears. 'You could have knocked me over with a feather,' she wrote on her GoFundMe page. 'It instantly brought tears to my eyes. On her 16th day of life I finally held my little girl. It took three people to move her to me with all her tubes but I got to hold her! I'm still so elated. 'I've been holding her every day since.' McCullough who is an identical twin herself said her daughter was recovering fast and showing signs of development. 'Babies do better when being held by mom,' she added. She is very much aware who her mommy is. She hears my voice and looks for me. The nurses can tell me the response in her vitals when she sees me and hears me. Hannah was initially placed on a ventilator for premature babies after suffering from premature lung problems, blood loss and jaundice following the separation surgery. But she made such good progress that doctors were finally able to take out her breathing tube. 'I cried with her as I finally got to hear her little amazing voice,' her mother added. 'It is the most beautiful sound to hear your child. Twins Hannah and Olivia, pictured in a pregnancy scan, were connected at the chest, abdomen and pelvis and shared an abdomen, liver and intestinal tract 'I have to think of how many times I must have taken it for granted when my son was a baby screaming and crying in the middle of the night loathing sleep deprivation. I appreciate and take such glory in hearing her voice in a way I can't describe after having to watch her cry silently with a tube in her mouth. 'Even if it keeps my up all night, it will always touch my heart with a very particular joy.' McCullough was still battling the grief at losing her other daughter, reported ABC News in September. 'I was distraught and grieving when they were born,' she added. 'In some ways I see her Olivia when I look at (Hannah) and hold her,' she said. 'She is forever in my heart and I'm missing her greatly.' Amber McCullough, pictured on the eve of her delivery, gave birth to her conjoined twins Hannah and Olivia by Cesarean section, but only Hannah survived McCullough had initially believed she was having just one baby, and only discovered in her second trimester that she had conjoined twins. But she refused to terminate the pregnancy, telling KUSA: 'I just can't lose both. There's a chance of saving one.' The twin babies were born via cesarean at Colorado Fetal Care Center in Children's Hospital Colorado, sharing an abdomen, liver, pelvis and intestinal tract, but had separate hearts and kidneys. Olivia also had a single-ventricle heart instead of a double one, was missing heart valves, a congenital brain malformation and a malformed leg towards the back of their hips. Amber McCullough posted this picture of her surviving daughter Hannah whose conjoined twin Olivia died CONJOINED TWINS: RARE BUT NOT UNIQUE Conjoined twins occur once every 200,000 births and develop from the same fertilized egg. The developing embryo starts to split into identical twins during the first few weeks after conception but stops before the process is complete. The partially separated egg then develops into a conjoined fetus. Around 50 per cent of conjoined twins arrive stillborn - while 35 per cent survive just one day, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Girls stand a better chance of surviving than boys, although the reason for this is not clear. One of the earliest documented cases of conjoined twins were Mary and Eliza Chulkhurst, who were born in Biddenden in Kent, England in the year 1100, and were joined at the hip. When the wealthy sisters died at the age of 34, they left their fortune to the Church of England. In honor of their generosity, it was customary for English citizens to bake little biscuits and cakes in the sisters' images and give them to the poor. Advertisement Their mother had told KUSA ahead of the surgery: 'If I had my way, I'd keep them together if they both could live. But it's not possible. If they stay together, they'll both pass.' The twins underwent an operation to separate them, which lasted around ten hours, under the supervision of renowned fetal surgeon Dr. Timothy M. Crombleholme. Sadly Olivia wasn't able to pull through while the operation left her sister in critical condition. In August 2015, she told Minneapolis station KARE-TV she appealed for prayers for her surviving daughter's recovery. She said: 'I would like everyone to know, and for the message to be read that Hannah did survive the surgery. However, she is very critical and very delicate. So what I would like is to appeal to as many people public for prayer. I believe in the power of prayer and the talent of medical professionals here. Could you please ask that the public pray as she waits for her life this week? McCullough had urged people on her GoFundMe page to donate to the Childrens Hospital of Colorado, Ronald McDonald House in Aurora and Prenatal Partners for Life. 'Without Children's Hospital of Colorado, neither of my daughters would have had a chance,' she wrote. 'They didn't put me off or turn me away contingent on guarantee of payment like most places do. 'Instead, they told me to just get her and we'd figure it out from there. I truly consider this place to be a miracle factory full of compassion.' She added: I just want to throw out a big thank you to everyone again for the prayers, donations and encouraging words throughout this difficult time. Donald Trump joked with his audience in Claremont, New Hampshire on Tuesday night, chuckling along with a man who shouted that only 'a Muslim' would have made the nuclear deal with Iran that President Barack Obama has forcefully advocated. He followed that up minutes later by laughing along with supporters who cracked a joke about Hillary Clinton's bathroom habits during the last Democratic debate. Trump added during an impromptu Q&A session with audience members that he suspected America's voting system is unfair and 'out of control' because of a lack of security measures insuring everyone can vote just once. The latest Muslim controversy began when Trump said some of the Obama administration's decisions could be explained by ulterior motives 'some other agenda that we don't even know about.' He cited the Iran agreement, asking supporters, 'Who would make this deal?' "A Muslim!' one man shouted. Trump asked him to repeat the remark, saying he hadn't heard it the first time. Scroll down for video TROLLING THE PRESS: 'Oh, I'm supposed to reprimand the man!' Trump said of an audience member who shouted that only 'a Muslim' would have made Obama's Iran deal, softly telling him, 'How dare you' STILL HOT: Trump drew about 2,000 people to a high school gym on Tuesday night in temperatures that dipped below 10 degrees Fahrenheit CIRCUS IN TOWN: Audience members often make their own signs in support of Trump, like these two in Claremont 'Okay, I didn't say it. I didn't say it!' the Republican presidential front-runner insisted with a smile, as laughter rang out in the Stevens High School gymnasium. And then, entering full-on entertainer mode, The Donald recalled a September moment in Rochester, New Hampshire when he was criticized for not upbraiding a town hall questioner who hammered Muslims and suggested Obama was among them. JUST TWO FELT THE BERN: A pair of protesters were ejected from Donald Trump's rally in Claremont, New Hampshire after they shouted Bernie Sanders' name at the top of their lungs On Tuesday, he grinned, saying, 'Oh, I'm supposed to reprimand the man! Who's the man that said that. I have to reprimand [him].' After a dramatic moment, he said softly, 'How dare you.' 'I reprimanded him,' he said, turning to face a rank of TV cameras. 'Now the press can't be angry.' 'I'm admonishing you, for the press,' Trump added. 'You're admonished.' Trump has had a stormy relationship with followers of Islam, most recently advocating in a TV ad for a temporary ban on noncitizen Muslims' entry into the U.S. until the government can get a handle on the ISIS terror army's influence on home-grown radicals. Tuesday's rally was a raucous affair punctuated by dozens of supportive audience shouts. During a section of Trump's stump speech about the soon-to-be court-martialed Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, a man yelled that the United States should 'send him back' to Pakistan. Later, he criticized Hillary Clinton, who has said her New Year's resolution is to let Trump occupy his own 'alternate reality' and refuse to punch back. 'Where's Hillary?' he asked at one point, saying that she is keeping a decidedly lower profile than he is on the campaign trail. 'In the bathroom!' dozens yelled back in unison. That was a jab related to the December 19 Democratic debate, which proceeded without Clinton after one commercial break because the women's restroom was further from the stage than the men's. Afterward, a Trump aide asked DailyMail.com, 'Did you like the bathroom joke? I thought you'd like it.' In the moment, The Donald trolled the press again. 'That's terrible ... You should never say that,' he told the jokesters, tongue-in-cheek. EXCITEMENT: Fans crushed around Trump after his speech in search of autographs and selfies I'M YUUUUUUGE: Trump read out the latest polling results from Reuters on Tuesday, praising the pollsters for putting him on top 'WHERE'S HILLARY?' Trump got his answer about the former secretary of state's comparatively low profile, as audience members shouted: 'In the bathroom!' The Donald ended his remarks on Tuesday by leaping into a spontaneous question-and-answer period with audience members who asked him about a range of issues including medical marijuana ('Medical is good,' he said) and gender equality ('I like equal pay'). LOOK, MA: Trump brought an audience member up on stage with him on Tuesday night for a selfie as the crowd cheered him Asked about the integrity of America's election process, he entered uncharted territory in his half-year-old campaign. 'You've got to have real security with the voting system,' Trump said. 'This voting system is out of control. You have many people, in my opinion, that are voting many, many times.' Seemingly referring to Democrats, he alleged that 'they don't want security, they don't want cards.' It's unclear, but that's likely a reference to the long-brewing voter-ID controversy that has sent the Obama administration to federal court in a bid to strike down state laws requiring government-issued IDs before anyone can vote on Election Day. Only two protesters interrupted Tuesday's rally after the campaign issued a pre-event announcement warning against angry outbursts but asking fans to be kind to anyone who disregarded the request. 'Bernie Sanders!' they yelled, before police escorted them out. Trump 'supports the First Amendment just as much as he supports the Second Amendment,' a voice had intoned over loudspeakers earlier in the evening. 'However, some people have taken advantage of Mr. Trump's hospitality by choosing to disrupt his rallies, by using them as an opportunity to promote their own political messages.' The Donald's other rallies have become flashpoints of left-wing dissent in recent weeks. FREQUENT SIGHT: A protester was removed from a Trump rally Monday night at the Paul Tsongas Center in Lowell, Massachusetts BATTLE ZONE: Reactions from Trump's crowds when protests erupt have become more and more belligerent, with brief disruptions escalating into near-riots Monday night's event in Lowell, Massachusetts included about eight separate disruptions each followed by booing from the crowd and swift ejections by police and Secret Service agents. 'While they certainly have the right to free speech,' the announcement continued, 'this is a private event paid for by Mr. Trump. We have provided a safe protest area outside of the venue for all protesters.' Weather Tuesday night in Claremont was 13 degrees Fahrenheit. More than 1,000 people were still braving the cold to line up when Trump was scheduled to arrive, waiting for Secret Service pat-downs and metal-detector screenings. The brief anti-protest message, which came a half-hour earlier, advised that 'if a protester starts demonstrating in the area around you, please do not touch or harm the protester. This is a peaceful rally.' At that, three men standing in the gym let out loud cries of 'boo!' And then, tongue-in-cheek, the announcer issued campaign marching orders for dealing with anti-Trump activists. 'In order to notify law enforcement officers of the location of the protester, please hold your rally sign over your head and start chanting "Trump! Trump! Trump!"' he said. 'Ask the people around you to do likewise until the officers remove the protester. Thank you for helping us make America great again.' Jeremy Corbyn faced a string of resignations following a shambolic reshuffle today and was accused of appointing a shadow defence secretary who knew 'nothing about defence'. Kevan Jones resigned as shadow armed forces minister insisting his boss, Maria Eagle, had been replaced by Emily Thornberry against her will - and accused Mr Corbyn's team of spinning the news. Mr Jones was the third resignation handed to Mr Corbyn today. He followed shadow rail minister Jonathan Reynolds and shadow foreign minister Stephen Doughty - who resigned live on the BBC - out of Labour's front bench team. Mr Doughty claimed Mr Corbyn's team had made statements which were 'lies' about the reasons for sacking Europe minister Pat McFadden. Kevan Jones, pictured left in Westminster today, was the third man to walk out of Jeremy Corbyn's team. He followed Jonathan Reynolds, pictured right outside Parliament today, who started the dominoes falling by resigning in protest at the sacking of Pat McFadden. The sacking of Blairite Mr McFadden came after he attacked the Stop the War Coalition of which Mr Corbyn was chairman for claiming the Paris terror attacks showed France was reaping the whirlwind for military intervention in the Middle East. Mr McFadden said yesterday: He said he felt it was an attack on him and that he had come to the conclusion because of that and one or two other things that I shouldnt continue. Ms Thornberry has faced immediate questions about receiving a donation from law firm Leigh Day, which is facing sanction over allegations it represented Iraqis making false claims against British troops. The string of resignations followed a farcical reshuffle which took Mr Corbyn 36 hours to complete and resulted in just two moves. The first official word from Labour was produced just before 1am today when the party confirmed Maria Eagle would replace the sacked Michael Dugher, with Ms Thornberry promoted to replace her at defence. The sacking of shadow Europe minister Pat McFadden provoked horror among Labour MPs and claims Mr Corbyn's decision - dubbed for weeks a 'revenge reshuffle' - had been 'vindictive and stupid'. In a resignation letter to Mr Corbyn, Mr Jones said: 'The issue of the UK's nuclear deterrent and how we progress the aim of nuclear disarmament has always been one that has divided opinion within the Labour Party. 'There are well founded views on each side of the debate and I respect those like yourself who advocate a unilateralist position. 'However, as you know from our discussions when you appointed me in this role, I do not agree with this view. I have been clear and consistent that I believe it is the right policy for the country to maintain a minimum credible nuclear deterrent, while working to advance global nuclear disarmament.' Ms Thornberry is known to back Mr Corbyn's position on nuclear weapons, as does Ken Livingstone - the co-convenor of Mr Corbyn's review of Trident. Mr Jones later told Sky News Ms Thornberry 'knows nothing about defence'. Mr Doughty was the second to go and quit live on television, telling the BBC's Daily Politics programme that he had "looked at his own conscience" and was stepping down after the leader's office told "lies" about the reasons why Europe spokesman Mr McFadden had been dismissed. Jeremy Corbyn, pictured left leaving home today, is facing a front bench walkout after he sacked Pat McFadden, pictured right explaining his sacking today, in what has been dubbed a 'vindictive and stupid' move Earlier, Mr Reynolds said the decision meant he too had to return to the backbenches. Mr Doughty told the BBC Mr Corbyn's team were briefing lines which were 'simply not true'. He added: 'One of the reasons I agreed to serve were his comments about new politics, about being open and transparent, about being straight talking. 'That seemed to be the case for the first few weeks and months of his leadership and I was perfectly content with that. Mr McFadden said his sacking had 'a lot to do' with this statement which he put before the Commons, in which he asked Mr Corbyn to 'reject the view that sees terrorists acts as always being a response to what we in the west do?' 'But unfortunately there is a tendency of some of those around him in his team to be conducting some pretty unpleasant operations against people who have loyally served the party in government and opposition.' He added: 'We cannot be seen to be equivocating over (national security). When an individual like Pat is singled out for his comments on those very issues, that is a matter of conscience for me, given I would have said exactly the same things, that I should continue on the front bench in that situation.' Lord Mandelson last night warned the reshuffle would make it even harder for Labour to win a general election and said it would take a lot of courage from MPs to oust Mr Corbyn. Joe Haines, who served as press secretary to Labour PM Harold Wilson, urged in the New Statesman the shadow cabinet to mount a coup against Mr Corbyn before the party was a goner. Backbencher Ian Austin said Mr McFadden's sacking had been 'vindictive and stupid' and later laid the blame for the 'shambles' at Mr Corbyn's door - naming Seamus Milne, one of the leader's senior advisors, as a key problem. But shadow chancellor John McDonnell dismissed the trio who have quit as part of a 'narrow right-wing clique'. 'We have had a few junior members resign today and of course that's their right but they do all come from a sort of a narrow right-wing clique within the Labour Party based around the organisation Progress, largely,' he told BBC Radio 2's Jeremy Vine Show . Jonathan Reynolds, left on Sky News this afternoon, was the first to resign today, as a shadow railway minister, and he was swiftly followed by foreign affairs spokesman Stephen Doughty, pictured centre today resigning on the BBC. Kevan Jones, pictured right explaining his resignation today, was the third out of Mr Corbyn's team citing nuclear weapons policy The first to quit, Mr Reynolds said today: 'On reflection regarding yesterday's Labour reshuffle, I have decided that it's best if I serve the party as a backbencher.' In his letter to the Labour leader, Mr Reynolds said: 'I am writing to you to resign from my position as shadow rail minister in the transport team. A LABOUR VETERAN WHO HAS SERVED EVERY LEADER SINCE JOHN SMITH Mr McFadden has served every Labour leader since being a speech writer for John Smith Pat McFadden, whose sacking late last night has produced so much outrage, has spent his career in Labour politics and rapidly rose up the ranks after he was first elected in 2005. Gordon Brown made him a minister in his first government in 2007, putting him in charge of employment relations. He led for the business department in the Commons as the Business Secretary Lord Mandelson was a peer. Harriet Harman elevated Mr McFadden to the top table by making him shadow business secretary following Labour's 2010 defeat. Ed Miliband reshuffled him to shadow the Europe brief in October 2014, a position he then held under Jeremy Corbyn until his firing. Before entering Parliament, Mr McFadden was an advisor to Tony Blair, serving as his political secretary from 2002. The early stages of his political career were spent as a speech writer to the late John Smith, who led Labour following the defeat of Neil Kinnock at the 1992 General Election. Advertisement 'I have always seen your election as Labour leader as a catalyst for the Labour Party to have a wide debate about its future policy positions. This is a debate I welcome and want to be part of. 'I feel the best way to do this is to not be a member of the Labour front bench team at this time.' He added: 'Although I was personally against the proposal to extend airstrikes into Syria, I cannot in good conscience endorse the world view of the Stop the War Coalition, who I believe to be fundamentally wrong in their assessment and understanding of the threat the UK faces. 'The security and well being of my constituents must always be my first consideration and I therefore believe my colleague Pat McFadden was right to condemn those who would to any degree absolve ISIS for their actions following the atrocities in Paris.' Mr Reynolds said he understood Mr Corbyn's desire for a 'greater degree of discipline on the front bench' and said this meant he could better advocate his causes from the backbenches. Mr Jones endorsed the pair's view on Mr McFadden's sacking, telling Sky News: 'The reasons why he's been sacked are just bizarre.' A Labour source said: 'Jeremy has responded to him and thanked him for his service.' The source said the leader's office understood Mr Reynolds desire for a more active role in policy. They added: 'Jeremy Corbyn clarified again his condemnation of ISIL and the need for a political solution and pressure, including cutting off funding.' Following the resignations, Mr Austin told the BBC World at One: 'I think it's been a shambles from start to finish, and indeed over the weeks before that. 'I think the leaders' office, and people like Seumas Milne, have got absolutely nobody to blame for that but themselves. 'I think they should reflect on the way this has been done.' Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: 'This reshuffle shows that a divided Labour Party is a threat to national security. 'The Labour Party has a leader who would abolish the Armed Forces and withdraw from NATO, a shadow chancellor who wanted to disband MI5, and now a shadow defence secretary who would scrap our nuclear deterrent. 'North Korea's deeply disturbing claim to have exploded its first hydrogen bomb underlines the importance of taking our national security seriously, not handing it to a Labour Party that would unilaterally disarm Britain.' Former Labour leadership contender Chuka Umunna said he was 'sad' to see Mr Reynolds leave Labour's front bench today Jamie Reed - who quit Labour's front bench within seconds of Mr Corbyn being declared leader in September, said the move was a 'genuine shame'. Mr Reynolds appeared alongside Mr Corbyn as recently as Monday at a protest against rising rail fares. Earlier, shadow chancellor John McDonnell said Mr McFadden had been guilty of 'distorting' Mr Corbyn's views on the motives of terrorists. EMILY THORNBERRY RECEIVED A DONATION FROM LAW FIRM FACING TRIBUNAL The new shadow defence secretary Emily Thornberry received a 14,500 donation from Leigh Day - a law firm facing possible suspension over allegations it represented Iraqis making false claims against British troops. Mr Thornberry received the money from the human rights firm to fund a legal research assistant while she was shadow attorney general under Ed Miliband's leadership. Ms Thornberry declined to say whether she would hand the donation back, telling the Evening Standard it was a 'non-story' and that Leigh Day were a 'great firm'. Leigh Day have been referred to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal in relation to the firm's handling of the Al-Sweady case. It is understood the Solicitors Regulation Authority found the firm had failed to declare, work out, or fully comprehend that detainees they were representing were insurgents and not villagers. They also failed to assess the reliability of claimants whose allegations turned out to be false. The decision to pass the allegations to a tribunal means up to three of the firm's employees could be quizzed. If found guilty, they could be struck off, barred from legal practice and fined tens of thousands of pounds. In a statement Leigh Day said: 'We believe the decision to refer the firm to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal is premature as it has not been given a proper opportunity to respond.' A spokesman added: 'We refute all of the allegations made against us.' Asked about Ms Thornberry in the Commons, Prime Minister David Cameron said: ''I do think it is instructive that we have lost a shadow secretary of state for defence who believed in strong defence; who believed in our nuclear deterrent. And instead we've got someone apparently who takes funds from Leigh Day.' Advertisement He also confirmed today the 'new politics' would now mean shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn was banned from disagreeing with his leader at the Commons despatch box. Mr McDonnell insisted Mr Benn was free to express his own views from the backbenches without resigning but would not be allowed to repeat his widely admired speech advocating bombing ISIS in Syria while speaking for the party. And Mr Benn insisted today he had not been gagged by the leadership. He said: 'I haven't been muzzled. I'm going to be carrying on doing my job exactly as before, which is speaking for Labour on foreign policy, supporting Jeremy Corbyn and campaigning really hard to get Labour elected at the next general election.' Mr Benn said he was 'really sad to lose' Mr Doughty from the front bench, adding he would 'miss his wisdom, insight and comradeship'. Labour emerged today with the final line up of a reshuffle which began at 2pm on Monday. The first official statements were made a little before 1am today and included only a handful of changes. Junior appointments - including one to replace Mr Reynolds on the transport team - will continue. David Cameron had already mocked the 'longest reshuffle in history' before the official results revealed Mr McFadden had joined ex shadow culture secretary Michael Dugher on the casualty list. He told reporters in Downing Street on his way to Prime Minister's Questions his 'jokes don't work' if Mr Corbyn has finished shuffling his pack. Shadow defence secretary Maria Eagle was shunted sideways to take over Mr Dugher's brief, herself being replaced by Emily Thornberry - who agrees with Mr Corbyn on nuclear weapons but who is best known for being sacked by Ed Miliband in a snobbery row. Mr McFadden has been replaced by Pat Glass. All other shadow ministers have so far remained in their posts despite the many hours of late night talks - ensuring the reshuffle is far less extensive than predicted amid bitter rows over Christmas. The moves infuriated Labour MPs. Ian Austin, an ex-minister, tweeted: 'Sacking @patmcfaddenmp is vindictive and stupid. A serious, credible & popular shadow minister, respected & liked on all sides of PLP.' He added: 'Reshuffle news: @MichaelDugher sacked for calling for unity, @patmcfaddenmp for criticising ISIS. @meaglemp moved for backing party policy.' Former Labour Minister Ian Austin led outrage from MPs blasting the sacking of Mr McFadden as a 'vindictive and stupid' move Stephen Doughty, a junior foreign affairs spokesman in Hilary Benn's team, said he agreed entirely with the remarks which appear to have cost Mr McFadden his job New Labour MP Wes Streeting said he was 'gutted' by the move and after 36 hours of deliberations on the reshuffle, added: 'what a shower' Stephen Doughty, a deputy to foreign secretary Hilary Benn, added: 'I agree with everything @patmcfaddenmp said in these comments. Shocked if this why he's been sacked.' Wes Streeting said he was 'gutted' by the move adding: 'Crucial year with EU ref and we've lost an experience heavy weight. 'What a shower.' McFadden appeared to anger Mr Corbyn with his response to the Paris attacks in November when he had attacked the Stop the War Coalition, which Mr Corbyn used to chair, for its comments claiming France was 'reaping the whirlwind' for Western intervention in the Middle East. The MP said his differences with the Labour leader on dealing with terrorism were an issue of 'substance'. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'He said he felt it was an attack on him and that he had come to the conclusion because of that and one or two other things that I shouldn't continue. 'I think when we say that terrorist attacks are somehow our responsibility, we run the danger of not defending our own societies strongly enough, so this was a difference of substance. 'He clearly feels that me saying that terrorists are entirely responsible for their actions, that no one forces anyone to kill innocent people in Paris, blow up the London Underground, to behead innocent aid workers in Syria, that when I say they are entirely responsible for that he clearly interpreted that as an attack on him.' Mr McFadden said he agreed to stay on the front bench when Mr Corbyn became leader because he believed the upcoming referendum on Britain's relationship with Europe was of 'huge importance'. He added: 'I never pretended that I agreed with Mr Corbyn on everything else and it's not a surprise that I didn't.' Maria Eagle (left) was shifted from shadow defence secretary to replace Michael Dugher, having been seen as blocking Mr Corbyn's desire to oppose renewal of the UK's nuclear deterrent. She was replaced at defence by Emily Thornberry who agrees with Mr Corbyn on nuclear weapons Mr McDonnell insisted it was not a disagreement on substance and that Mr Corbyn agreed terrorists were responsible for their own actions. He told Today: 'I think Jeremy felt we needed to have someone (at shadow Europe) who he had more confidence in. That's the ability of the leader. 'Expressing views has to be done in a way which is not personalised in any way - if you feel very strongly on an issue and you want to be part of the team, you either hold to collective responsibility or you go to the backbenches and it is better if you're there.' Mr McDonnell added: 'Pat unfortunately I think distorted Jeremy's views and there has been a number of occasions like that. 'When Pat says something like that, he's been around a long while, he knows how that will be interpreted.' Turning to Mr Benn, he added: 'Hilary Benn has ensured he works more closely with Jeremy in future and that he will be representing the views of the Labour Party and the Parliamentary Labour Party. 'When it comes down to future debates we won't have a situation where he will be speaking from the front bench when there is a major disagreement on policy and the majority of the Parliamentary Labour Party is against him. Hilary Benn and Jeremy Corbyn were forced to go to the Commons for a statement on Europe last night, where they sat side by side ignoring each other. It emerged just hours later that Mr Benn would keep his role 'He's recognised the mandate Jeremy Corbyn has from our members, an overwhelming mandate.' Sources close to Mr Benn said it was hard to foresee the next time a free vote might occur on foreign affairs where he and Mr Corbyn were not agreed. They added the biggest foreign affairs of the year would be the EU referendum - where Labour is united. The promotion of Ms Thornberry has raised eyebrows after she sparked a storm in 2014 by claiming she had 'never seen anything like it' when she tweeted a picture of a terraced home in Rochester with three England flags and a white van in the drive. The tweet saw her sacked by Ed Miliband but Mr Corbyn restored her to the front bench in a junior justice role last year. Ms Thornberry also found herself embroiled in controversy just before Christmas, when it emerged she received nearly 15,000 from one of the law firms which had been criticised over false claims British soldiers were involved in torture and murder in Iraq. The donation, paid by Leigh Day and Co, was to pay for a legal research assistant for her office. She also drove a further wedge between herself and supporters after it emerged she snubbed several schools near her home in Islington, north London instead choosing to second her children to an elite secondary school 13 miles away. The fact she shares Mr Corbyn's views on Trident is likely to be a primary reason behind her appointment, with the leader apparently having been determined to remove Ms Eagle from the role because of her refusal to accept his opposition to Britain's nuclear deterrent. But Conservative sources said her appointment 'shows a divided Labour Party are even more of a threat to our national security'. Ms Thornberry's promotion back to the shadow cabinet comes after she sparked a storm last year when claimed she had 'never seen anything like it' after tweeting a picture of a terraced home in Rochester with England flags and a white van outside Today's developments follow an extraordinary show of shadow cabinet support for Mr Dugher in the minutes after his sacking yesterday. Mr Dugher revealed his firing on Twitter - many hours before Mr Corbyn's team were prepared to confirm it - and later mocked the Labour leader by saying he had been 'sacked for too much straight talking, honest politics'. Labour deputy leader Tom Watson led nine members of the shadow cabinet in offering support. Mr Watson praised Mr Dugher, describing his removal as 'a loss'. He said: 'Labour's loss in the Shadow Cabinet will be compensated for by Michael's free thought on the back benches.' Shadow home secretary Andy Burnham also paid tribute to Mr Dugher, who ran his leadership campaign. Mr Burnham had insisted on a job for his friend as a condition for taking a role in the Shadow Cabinet last September. But yesterday he chose to stay put as his colleague was booted out. Paying tribute, he said: 'Michael is Labour to the core and I have no doubt he will continue to serve the best interests of our party in whatever way he can. 'We face a big challenge in winning back the trust of our traditional supporters in the north and midlands and Michael is one of the authentic voices who can do that. 'I thank him for all the support he has given me and wish him well.' Shadow young people minister Gloria de Piero added: 'In over 20 years of friendship with Michael, I have witness his tireless commitment and determination to campaign for a Labour government. 'I know that will continue from the backbenches. 'But it's always sad to lose to lose someone from an ordinary background from the shadow cabinet.' And shadow mental health minister Luciana Berger said: 'Michael has shown great passion and dedication to his brief as shadow secretary of state for culture, media and sport.' David Cameron also mocked the Labour leader in the Commons, and apologised to him for 'interrupting the longest reshuffle in history'. In a reference to Ms Eagle, and her twin sister Angela, who is also in the Shadow Cabinet, Mr Cameron derided Mr Corbyn as an 'albatross'. To gales of laughter from Tory MPs, and smirks from some opposition MPs, the Prime Minister told Labour: 'Never mind how many Eagles we end up with, I think you have all worked out you've got an albatross at the head of your party.' A senior Labour source said Ms Eagle - who had clashed with former London mayor Ken Livingstone over a defence policy review they were jointly overseeing - had been keen to take on the culture brief. Was that it? Jeremy Corbyn's reshuffled shadow cabinet in full 48 hours after he began - with just two changes A Florida college has officially fired a professor who claimed the massacre of children at a Connecticut elementary school was staged. James Tracy, a professor at Florida Atlantic University's School of Communication and Multimedia Studies, was served a notice of termination on Tuesday. The school sent Tracy a notice of proposed discipline last month, with ten days to respond. School officials did not say whether he had replied. James Tracy, a professor at Florida Atlantic University's School of Communication and Multimedia Studies, was served a notice of termination on Tuesday Although the school gave no reason for the action, the parents of one student killed at Sandy Hook recently claimed in a Florida newspaper that Tracy was taunting them. Tracy was reprimanded in 2013 for writing in his blog that the Sandy Hook killing was staged, and he has questioned accounts of other mass slayings. An email seeking comment from Tracy wasn't immediately answered on Tuesday. Tracy launched his own conspiracy theory in the aftermath of Sandy Hook three years ago, based on conflicting media reports from the day of shooting that lead him to question whether it happened at all. As part of the theory the massacre never happened, Tracy questioned whether Noah Pozner (left) - one of the 20 children shot dead by crazed gunman Adam Lanza (right) - ever existed, demanding proof from his parents As part of the bizarre theory, Tracy allegedly began harassing the parents of six-year-old Noah Pozner - one of 20 children killed in the attack by shooter Adam Lanza - demanding proof that the child ever existed. The university has previously said Tracy does not speak for the school. Tracy insinuated 'corporate media' institutions, as well as government authorities, spun official accounts of the massacre that left 26 dead, including 20 children, to drive a preconceived agenda of gun control in America. A total of 26 people were killed in the Sandy Hook massacre on December 14, 2012, with 20 children and six staff shot dead by Lanza 'As documents relating to the Sandy Hook shooting continue to be assessed and interpreted by independent researchers there is a growing awareness that the media coverage of the massacre of 26 children and adults was intended primarily for public consumption to further larger political ends,' he wrote on his blog. A total of 26 people were killed in the Sandy Hook massacre on December 14, 2012, with 20 children and six staff shot dead by Lanza. Attorney general: Jeremy Wright is boosting the number of prosecutors available to challenge lenient sentences and help tackle the rising caseload Complaints about lenient sentences imposed by judges have risen sharply amid concerns criminals are being let off with unduly soft punishments. The latest figures show that in 2014 there were 674 complaints made on behalf of victims following anger that sentences handed to killers, paedophiles, robbers and rapists were not tough enough a rise of 97 per cent on the 342 made in 2010. Now attorney general Jeremy Wright, Britains top law officer, is boosting the number of prosecutors available to challenge lenient sentences and help tackle the rising caseload. In 2014 the attorney general referred 122 cases to the Court of Appeal up 42 per cent since 2010. Since 2011, 322 sentences have been beefed up after complaints. Under the attorney generals pilot scheme announced today, the prosecutors who can appeal using the Unduly Lenient Sentences (ULS) scheme is to be widened from Treasury counsel a small group of 18 senior barristers who take on such cases on behalf of the Government to about 800 lawyers. Mr Wright said: Its vital that the public are able to legally challenge custodial sentences and to make sure offences are being properly punished. With the number of referrals increasing, it is right that we look at ways to widen the approach. Under the ULS, members of the public can ask the attorney general to examine sentences they believe to be very low. Rising terms: In July 2013, disgraced BBC presenter Stuart Hall (left) had his sentence for a series of sex assaults on young girls doubled, and last month rapist Martin Tom (right) also had his sentence increased It is reserved for certain types of case including murder, rape, robbery and some child sex crimes. Government law officers may then ask the Court of Appeal to look at the sentence. The punishment can be kept the same, increased or the court can issue guidance for future cases. Its vital that the public are able to legally challenge custodial sentences and to make sure offences are being properly punished Attorney general Jeremy Wright In July 2013, disgraced BBC presenter Stuart Hall had his sentence for a series of sex assaults on young girls doubled after Appeal Court judges ruled his 15-month term was inadequate and should be increased to 30 months. Last month, Martin Tom, 26, from Beccles, Suffolk, who raped a woman during a burglary while high on crack cocaine, had his sentence increased from five years and four months to seven-and-a-half-years by the Court of Appeal. with the investigation into what happened at this point A Southern Illinois girl who went missing last week and sent her parents a cryptic text message was found safe on Monday. Delia Ann Stacey, 18, texted her family 'help' on December 28 before going completely silent despite frequent attempts by her parents and law enforcement to contact her. She was found 300 miles from home on January 4, after calling her mom to say she was safe. 'Stacey advised that she was fine, and required no police assistance,' the Herrin Police Department said in a statement. Fox News reports that Stacey has since been 'uncooperative' with the investigation into what happened. Missing girl: Delia Ann Stacey (pictured), 18, texted her family 'help' on December 28 before going completely silent despite frequent attempts by her parents and law enforcement to contact her Stacey had last been seen wearing a grey shirt and blue jeans when she disappeared, with the news causing a massive search. Stacey left her father's home by foot and told her family she was going to meet a friend but she did not say who she was going to see. The authorities did not say at the time whether they expect foul play in Stacey's disappearance. Stacey's sister-in-law had been posting to Facebook asking for Stacey to come home and for anyone who has information about her to speak up. 'ok ppl I need your help my name is Christen Stacey I'm on my sister in laws face book she is missing has anyone seen her today at all last seen at her father's this morning then took off an we haven't heard from her since her phone goes straight to voice mail,' she wrote. Stacey's Facebook friend Valerie Simmons mentioned that Stacey's father is having health issues. 'Delia. Please come back we love u if u were taken from us u need to fight like mad Ur dad needs u he is back in the hospital heart is giving out on him,' wrote Simmons. Another one of Stacey's Facebook friends Wanda Abrahamsen had said she wasn't so sure Stacey was taken.'Yea i think mabe she took off with a man and she is afraid dad wont like or except i pray she grows up and comes home,' said Abrahamsen. An attack of good sense: Finally, after months of using strong-arm methods to force ministers into line, David Cameron (pictured yesterday) gave way About time too! David Cameron has at last had an attack of good sense. For the past year, he fought to prevent Conservative ministers from revealing their private views about Britains membership of the EU. Stubbornly, he was determined to silence Eurosceptics in his Cabinet by threatening them with the sack if they wanted to tell the truth about where they stood on a political issue that is one of the biggest for generations. Mr Cameron was guilty of blatant double standards. He was more than happy to let ministers who support our continued membership of the EU express their minds freely. But he was determined to muzzle those who took the contrary view. If the PM had continued this policy, it would have led to a paralysis of his government in the run-up to this years referendum. He would have exiled certain ministers and replaced them with obedient time-servers. For months, the Mail has been urging the Prime Minister to do the right thing in this matter of momentous national importance. Yet he arrogantly refused to listen. We pointed out that the referendum on British membership of the EU is the most important vote since Britain elected to stay in what was then known as the Common Market, more than 40 years ago. The PM seemed unable to concede this fundamental argument. But on an issue as vital as this, it is essential that the debate should be held in the open, with no constraints and no double standards. Addressing the Commons: The Prime Minister (pictured yesterday) deserves grudging respect for making, however belatedly, a decision which should be celebrated by everyone who believes in British democracy Finally, yesterday, after months of using strong-arm methods to force ministers into line, he gave way. But this was only because a gun was held to his head by Eurosceptic Cabinet ministers led to his credit by Chris Grayling, Leader of the House of Commons. Nevertheless, the PM deserves grudging respect for making, however belatedly, a decision which should be celebrated by everyone whatever their view on the European issue who believes in British democracy. His climbdown is of great importance because Britain is about to embark on a national debate that will determine our identity for the next 100 years. Of course, supporters of our continued membership of the EU argue that Britains future can only be secured through being signed up to this trans-national organisation which is committed to obliterating ancient national identities. They insist that we cannot survive on our own in an unfriendly world without the crutch of EU membership. On the other hand, Eurosceptics believe that ultimately nothing matters more than British independence and our ability to make our own laws. Both sides claim powerful, economic and moral arguments. They offer voters competing visions and rival values. Both argue that our nation will be irrevocably harmed if the referendum makes the wrong decision. Whatever the ultimate truth, both sides can agree on one thing: that the British people must now face up to one of the most important decisions in our long history. The truth is that the referendum has the potential to be one of the great liberating moments for our country. For the past three decades, our entire political discourse has been poisoned by bitter squabbling about Britains relations with Europe. Question: Will Boris Johnson opportunistically show disloyalty to Mr Cameron and use the debate as a cover to launch his campaign for the Tory leadership? Now we have the chance to clear the air once and for all. Furthermore, the moment is now imminent, with the decision day expected at the next EU summit in Brussels in the middle of next month. I understand that Mr Cameron told Eurosceptic Cabinet ministers over the weekend that they need only wait till then to learn the details of his negotiation. Will Theresa May stay true to the logic of her Tory conference speech when she warned that the EU prevented Britain from controlling migration - and place herself at the head of the Leave campaign? After that date, they would be free to make their views on British membership of the EU plain for all to see. This argument by the PM, I am assured, proved decisive in dissuading mutinous ministers from resignation. Events are now moving at lightning speed. A deal for Britains continued membership will be struck in Brussels. The Prime Minister will then announce the new terms of British membership to the British Parliament. After that, the starting gun for the European referendum will be fired. Mr Cameron and George Osborne are determined that the vote will be held in July even though Electoral Commission regulations state that no referendum can be held until the autumn, at the earliest. Downing Street is determined to ride roughshod over the Commission. It will be fascinating to see if it has the power to do so. Whatever the date of the poll, every politician will examine his or her conscience, and make a career-defining decision. Will Theresa May stay true to the logic of her Tory conference speech when she warned that the EU prevented Britain from controlling migration and place herself at the head of the Leave campaign? Will Boris Johnson opportunistically show disloyalty to Mr Cameron and use the debate as a cover to launch his campaign for the Tory leadership? For make no mistake, with Mr Cameron having already signalled that he wont be standing for re-election as Prime Minister in 2020, the EU referendum offers the perfect chance for those who want to succeed him to make their pitch. These are not decisions that can be put off much longer. For the Conservative Party, this is therefore an especially perilous moment. According to one recent opinion poll, 75 per cent of Tory members are strongly opposed to British membership of the EU. Probably around 50 per cent of backbench Conservative MPs will campaign for the No argument. Intriguingly, these rebels will find themselves working alongside Ukip spokesmen. They may find their new allies all too congenial. Meanwhile, in another delicious twist, pro-EU Tories will find themselves on the same platforms as senior Labour politicians Tony Blair, Peter Mandelson, Hilary Benn, David and Ed Miliband, and so forth. Indeed, they are likely to discover that they agree about much more than they differ. Historical precedent: It is highly relevant that Harold Wilsons Labour Party split badly after the 1975 referendum on Europe Most importantly, there is every possibility that the divisions over Europe will result in a permanent split in the Tory Party, and perhaps a genuinely seismic shift. Who could rule out the possibility of a merger between the Blairite wing of the Labour Party and Camerons Tories, particularly in view of the formers antipathy to a Labour Party run by Jeremy Corbyn and his hard-Left supporters? There is a historical precedent. It is highly relevant that Harold Wilsons Labour Party split badly after the 1975 referendum on Europe and the issue was the key factor in the decision by top Labour figures such as Roy Jenkins to set up the Social Democratic Party leaving Labour out of government for 18 years. David Camerons wise decision yesterday makes the prospect of a Tory Party break-up far less likely Fully mindful of this, David Camerons wise decision yesterday makes the prospect of a Tory Party break-up far less likely. By allowing ministers freedom of conscience, he has enabled them to be true to their beliefs without imperilling their careers. However, a word of warning. Although the PMs climbdown is welcome, it should nevertheless be regarded with suspicion. Mr Cameron has shown again and again that he wants to skew the EU debate in favour of British membership. He only backed down yesterday under extreme duress. Also, there are widespread concerns that he will be urged to take revenge later, in a post-referendum reshuffle. That would provoke the Tory civil war that the Prime Minister wants to avoid. Or does he? In fact, many believe that Mr Cameron has always planned to use the referendum as a means of purging his party of the members he doesnt like and cynically offering the opportunity for Blairites in Labour who disdain Mr Corbyn to form a pact with the Tories. Followed banks receiving fines for mis-selling risky stock market investments, often to the elderly and vulnerable A third inquiry into the banking industry has been shelved in a week by the City watchdog. The Financial Conduct Authority launched the probe into investment advice almost two years ago after revelations banks, fund managers and insurers were 'bribing' financial advisers to sell their products. It followed several banks receiving huge fines for mis-selling risky stock market investments often to elderly and vulnerable customers. But yesterday it emerged the watchdog has decided not to publish the results of its investigation, leading to accusations of a 'cover-up'. The Financial Conduct Authority (file photo) launched a probe into investment advice almost two years ago after revelations banks, fund managers and insurers were 'bribing' financial advisers to sell products The news comes after it was revealed on Monday that the FCA will not take formal action against HSBC over claims its Swiss private banking arm was routinely helping super-rich clients avoid tax and less than a week after it shelved plans for a sweeping investigation into pay and behaviour in the industry. It led to fresh accusations the FCA is 'going soft' on banks and that the industry's powerful lobbying machine is increasingly holding sway over the Government and regulators. Last week the FCA was accused of bowing to pressure from Chancellor George Osborne to ditch its inquiry into the culture of UK lenders. The advice probe focused on the use of 'inducements' dished out by financial companies to advisers, such as tickets for concerts and sporting events, with state-backed Royal Bank of Scotland one of those coming under fire after blowing 350,000 on hospitality suites at Wimbledon. FCA sources insisted there was no point in publishing the findings, because tough new rules from Brussels on such inducements will render them outdated. But last night this defence received short shrift from MPs, and the Treasury Committee intends to question the Chancellor and acting FCA boss Tracey McDermott over its apparent softening in stance towards the banks. John Mann, a Labour member of the committee, demanded the FCA hand over a copy of its report. He said: 'This sounds like a cover-up to me. There is no question the FCA and the Government is going soft on banks this is a calculated and deliberate strategy. The FCA investigation followed several banks receiving huge fines for mis-selling risky stock market investments often to elderly and vulnerable customers 'We need to... find out who made the decision to shelve this investigation, who authorised it and how much the Treasury is behind it.' Consumer campaigner Martin Lewis accused the Treasury and FCA of 'cosying up' to the banks. Mr Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, said: 'A series of reports have... been canned or hidden. My suspicion is there is pressure coming from the Treasury. I would not be surprised if these moves were designed to cosy up to the banks to ensure they keep their business in Britain. This comes at the cost of transparency and fairness for millions of customers.' Last night the Treasury stressed that the FCA is independent and said suggestions ministers persuaded it to drop investigations are 'false and misleading'. A spokesman said: 'The Government has been absolutely clear that the integrity of the City matters to the economy of Britain, which is why we have taken concerted action to improve conduct across the banking sector and deal with the abuses... of the past.' A woman who has been searching for her long lost mother for more than 30 years is appealing for her to come forward as she makes her final attempt to find the woman who left her when she was just a child. Melbourne woman Claira Cannon, 35, has spent most of her life searching for her mother who disappeared when she was just four years old. Carol Pauline Cannon (nee Flynn) grew up in England and has been a missing person since she disappeared from Box Hill in Victoria in 1984, leaving behind four children and her husband Michael. It's believed the English woman, who struggled with mental issues including severe post-natal depression, has lived in various states around Australia and given birth to at least four more children. Her family hasn't heard from her or seen her since she walked out. Claira also hopes to meet her twin half brothers, John Raymond and Bradley George, born March 1 1990 in Victoria and both adopted by same family. Their adopted surname is unknown. Carol Pauline Cannon (nee Flynn - pictured) grew up in England and has been a missing person since she disappeared from Box Hill in Victoria in 1984, leaving behind four children and her husband Michael Claira only has a handful of photos of her missing mother Carole Pauline Cannon (nee Flynn) pictured right Melbourne woman Claira Cannon, 35, has spent most of her life searching for her mother who disappeared when Claira was just four years old Her daughter says Carol Cannon suffered severe postnatal depression after her eight pregnancies and it's understood she was admitted to a mental health facility 'I just want to be able to pick up a phone and say "Hi Mum" which may sound trivial to some, but would truly mean the world to me,' Claira wrote in a Facebook post. Claira's Facebook post, which pleads for information from the public, has been shared more than 9000 times in just two days. After she disappeared, Carol Cannon gave birth to at least four other children who were adopted out to two families, according to the Herald Sun. In her search for her mother, Claira has met a half-sibling, cousins and other relatives that she didn't even know existed, by searching on websites such as ancestry.com.au and appealing for information. Claira, pictured as a child (in blue jacket) with her mother (far left) says she desperately wants to know if her mother is alive Claira's Facebook post, pleading for any information from the public, has been shared more than 9000 times in just two days Carol Cannon suffered severe postnatal depression after her eight pregnancies and it's understood she was admitted to a mental health facility, according to Claira. 'Her date of birth is 10th June 1951, born in England but came to Australia in the sixties... Lived in Victoria while with us but i think has lived in other states since,' she said. 'My four gorgeous children have no idea what's happened to their grandma and would love to meet her... It means so very much to me.' Claira has yearned to hear from her mother - a woman she has little memory of and nothing to remember her by other than a handful of old photographs. The 35-year-old says social media is her last chance after trying every other avenue. Claira says it was difficult to grow up without her mother and longs to know if she is still alive. Nuclear experts have cast serious doubts on North Korea's claims that it had detonated a hydrogen bomb, saying the resulting seismic activity suggested a far smaller device. The hermit nation crowed on state TV that it had carried out a 'perfect' H-bomb test this morning, an explosion that triggered a 5.1-magnitude earthquake. But scientists and intelligence agencies were quick to dismiss the report, saying the size of the blast was too small to have come from such a weapon and was likely disguised to appear like one. As opposed to the atomic bomb, like the one dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, a hydrogen device can be up to 1,000 times more powerful. However, South Korea's spy agency said the blast from North Korea's device produced an explosive yield of just six kilotons, even smaller than Hiroshima's. Scroll down for video North Korea today claimed it had conducted a 'successful' hydrogen bomb test. The blast triggered a 5.1 magnitude earthquake when it exploded at 10am local time at the Punggye-ri test site in the north east of the country. The pictures shown on South Korean TV (above) are file images from nuclear tests by other countries Pyongyang confirming this morning's detonation ends weeks of speculation that leader Kim Jong-Un had developed such a weapon. He is photographed here signing the order to conduct the hydrogen bomb test North Korea today conducted a 'successful' hydrogen bomb test, Pyongyang has confirmed. The detonation of the thermonuclear weapon triggered a 5.1-magnitude earthquake when it exploded at 10am local time on Wednesday in the north east of the country South Korean lawmaker Lee Cheol Woo, who sits on the parliament's intelligence committee, says the agency told him that even a failed hydrogen bomb detonation typically yields tens of kilotons. While an atomic bomb uses just nuclear fission (the splitting of atoms), a hydrogen version uses fission as a first-stage detonation to set off a fusion (combining of atoms) reaction, generating temperatures similar to those found at the sun's core. This could mean that North Korea's test was successful at the fission stage, but failed to produce the resulting fusion reaction. North Korea does have A-bomb technology: its first three nuclear tests, from 2006 to 2013, were devices on roughly the same scale as the ones used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Crispin Rovere, an Australia-based nuclear policy and arms control specialist, said: 'The seismic data that's been received indicates that the explosion is probably significantly below what one would expect from an H-bomb test. 'So initially it seems to be that they've successfully conducted a nuclear test, but unsuccessfully completed the second-stage hydrogen explosion.' Joe Cirincione, a nuclear expert and president of Ploughshares Fund, a global security organisation, said North Korea may have have experimented with a 'boosted' hybrid bomb that mixed a hydrogen isotope in a normal atomic fission bomb. 'Because it is, in fact, hydrogen, they could claim it is a hydrogen bomb,' he said. 'But it is not a true fusion bomb capable of the massive multi-megaton yields these bombs produce'. Fear: A resident watches a news report on DPRK's first hydrogen bomb test in Seoul, South Korea Experts have been quick to cast doubt on the claims, saying the size of the explosion and resulting earthquake was far too small to have come from an H-bomb. The image shows another nuclear test from other countries Bruce Bennett, a senior defence analyst with the Rand Corporation, also said the detonation had clearly failed. He said: 'If it were a real H-bomb, the Richter scale reading should have been about a hundred times more powerful.' Analysts also say that Kim Jong Un had been looking for a display of sabre-rattling bravado to mark his birthday in two days and also to highlight a rare ruling party congress scheduled for May, the first gathering of its kind for 35 years. 'I don't think it was a hydrogen bomb test. The explosion had to be larger if it was a hydrogen bomb test,' said Choi Kang, vice president of the Seoul-based Asan Institute for Policy Studies. 'I think they are disguising it as a hydrogen test because Kim Jong-un mentioned it before,' Choi said. China's foreign ministry said authorities were evaluating the environmental impact of the nuclear test, but said currently the radiation level in the area was 'normal'. Japanese monitoring posts had also detected no radiation, its top government spokesman said. North Koreans watch a news broadcast on a video screen outside Pyongyang Railway Station as the state confirmed that their detonation of a thermonuclear weapon had been a 'perfect success' Reading a typically propaganda-heavy statement, the anchor on North Korean state television confirmed that a 'miniaturised' hydrogen bomb had been tested - news which was met with celebration HUNDREDS OF TIMES MORE POWERFUL THAN HIROSHIMA: HOW HYDROGEN BOMBS CAN VAPORISE CITIES WITH TEMPERATURES AS HOT AS THE SUN A hydrogen bomb can be up to 1,000 times more powerful than the atomic weapon that devastated Hiroshima in 1945. The centre of an H-bomb blast can reach many millions of degrees centigrade as hot as the Sun vaporizing nearly all matter in its path. While an atomic bomb uses just nuclear fission (the splitting of atoms), an H-bomb uses fission as a first-stage detonation to set off a fusion reaction (combining of atoms), generating incredible amounts of energy. 'Think what's going on inside the sun,' says Takao Takahara, professor of international politics and peace research at Meiji Gakuin University in Tokyo. 'In theory, the process is potentially infinite. The amount of energy is huge.' A mushroom cloud produced by the first explosion by the Americans of a hydrogen bomb at Eniwetok Atoll in the South Pacific in 1952. H-bombs are hundreds of times more powerful than the Hiroshima blast The biggest H-bomb blast to date was the Soviet Union's 'Tsar Bomba' which exploded in the Arctic with a force of 57 megatons. The power of Hiroshima, by contrast, was just 10-15 kilotons, but nonetheless killed 200,000 people. Both the A-bomb and H-bomb use radioactive material like uranium and plutonium for the explosive material, meaning both produce large amounts of radiation. The technology of the hydrogen bomb is more sophisticated, and once attained, is a greater threat. They can be made small enough to fit on a head of an intercontinental missile, making North Korea's pursuit of the device all the more worrying. But the H-bomb requires more technology in control and accuracy because of the greater amount of energy involved. Experts believe North Korea may have just experimented with a 'boosted' hybrid device that mixed a hydrogen isotope in a normal atomic fission bomb. These devices are compared in the graphic above The hydrogen bomb is in fact already the global standard for the five nations with the greatest nuclear capabilities: the US, Russia, France, the UK and China. Other nations may also either have it or may be working on it despite a worldwide effort to contain such proliferation. The first U.S. test of an H-bomb was on November 1, 1952 in the Marshall Islands, a chain in the Pacific Ocean. The crew of a Japanese fishing boat that unknowingly went into the waters near the nuclear testing of one test got acute radiation sickness. Since the 1960s, nuclear tests have gone underground to reduce radioactive fallout. The hydrogen bomb was never dropped on any targets. Advertisement North Korea had previously hinted at the possession of 'stronger, more powerful' weapons. Today is the first time the existence of such a bomb has been confirmed A laboratory employee from the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety's regional office in Gangneung, east of Seoul, checks for radioactive traces in the air in Gangneung Despite the scepticism, world leaders including the North's ally China have lined up to condemn the test as the UN Security Council announced an emergency meeting to discuss its response. The thermonuclear weapon is believed to have detonated into the atmosphere at 10am local time at the Punggye-ri test site in the north-east of the country, with tremors felt many miles away. The news was broadcast on state television, which showed a copy of Kim's initial signed order dated December 15. It triumphantly declared: 'Let's begin the year of 2016... with the thrilling sound of our first hydrogen bomb explosion, so that the whole world will look up to our socialist, nuclear-armed republic and the great Workers' Party of Korea!' In a typically propaganda-heavy statement, North Korean state TV crowed that the test a 'perfect success', elevating the country's 'nuclear might to the next level' and providing it with a weapon to defend against the US and its other enemies. 'We have now joined the rank of advanced nuclear states,' it said, adding that the test was of a 'miniaturised' device. South Korea tanks are deployed near the Demilitarized zone. South Korean President Park Geun-hye ordered her military to bolster its combined defense posture, calling the test a 'grave provocation' South Korean soldiers patrol the barbed-wire fence in Paju, near the border with North Korea, South Korea, as tensions in the regions escalate over North Korea's reported test of a hydrogen bomb BAN ON ALL NUCLEAR TESTING STILL ELUDES THE WORLD All nuclear explosions are in theory banned under the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) signed in 1996. But the treaty is not yet in force because it has not been ratified the remaining eight nuclear states: China, Egypt, North Korea, India, Iran, Israel, Pakistan and the United States. The Vienna-based UN Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation has a worldwide network of monitoring stations to detect nuclear testing. One of the first steps to outlaw nuclear testing came in 1963 with the Limited Test Ban Treaty, signed by three of the then four nuclear states (the UK, the U.S. and the Soviet), which pledged to stop detonations in the air, underwater or in space. France continued atmospheric tests until 1974 and China until 1980. Devices were normally detonated on towers, from balloons or dropped by airplanes over the sea or on islands. These explosions spew huge amounts of radiation in the atmosphere which can be spread for miles around and cause devastating health and environmental problems for years to come. Underground nuclear testing was still allowed under the treaty, with the Soviet Union doing so until 1990, the UK up to 1991 and the U.S. until 1992. Advertisement In response, South Korean President Park Geun-hye ordered her military to bolster its combined defense posture with U.S. forces, calling the test a 'grave provocation' and 'an act that threatens our lives and future.' Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said: 'We absolutely cannot allow this.' The test was also denounced by China, the North's closest ally, where border residents were evacuated from homes after being hit by tremors. Beijing said the blast was carried out in defiance of the international community and urged North Korea to refrain from acts that might worsen tensions on the Korean Peninsula. NATO general secretary Jens Stoltenberg sais the test undermined international security and called on Kim Jong Un to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes 'in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner'. British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond described the test as a 'provocation' and a 'grave' breach of United Nations Security Council resolutions. Hammond wrote on Twitter: 'If North Korean H-bomb test reports are true, it is a grave breach of UNSC (UN Security Council) resolutions and a provocation which I condemn without reservation'. His comments were echoed by Hilary Benn, Labour's Shadow Foreign Secretary who condemned the test 'in the strongest possible terms'. He added: 'The country's nuclear programme poses a grave threat to international peace and security and does nothing to improve the prospects of the people of North Korea, who continue to pay the price for the country's misguided policies.' The White House said it could not confirm North Korea's claims, but added the United States would respond appropriately to provocations and defend its allies. The blast comes after weeks of speculation that leader Kim had illegally developed such a weapon, which is lighter yet hundreds of times more powerful than the fission blast generated by atomic bombs. The 'perfect' test - which took place at the Punggye-ri test site (pictured) - marks a major step in North Korea's nuclear development and is bound to cause considerable anxiety to neighbouring countries Prior to being confirmed, Chinese and South Korean officials both said there were early indications the tremor was man-made, with South Korea's Met Agency saying it was 'highly likely' the earthquake was caused by nuclear testing There has long been scepticism by Washington and nuclear experts on past North Korean claims about H-bombs. But a confirmed test would be seen as extremely worrying and lead to a strong push for new, tougher sanctions on North Korea at the United Nations. In a broadcast five-and-a-half hours after the blast, a state television news reader announced: 'The republic's first hydrogen bomb test has been successfully performed at 10am on January 6, 2016, based on the strategic determination of the Workers' Party.' Reading a typically propaganda-heavy statement, the anchor added that North Korea 'joined the rank of advanced nuclear states', providing a weapon to defend against the United States - who they claim to have 'numerous and humongous nuclear weapons' - and its other enemies. The broadcast concluded by saying: 'If there is no invasion on our sovereignty we will not use nuclear weapon. This H-bomb test brings us to a higher level of nuclear power.' The successful detonation marks a major step in North Korea's nuclear development and is bound to cause considerable anxiety to neighbouring countries. The country has been under U.N Security Council sanctions since it first tested an atomic device in 2006. It could now face additional measures. The Security Council will meet later on today to discuss what steps it could take. Last month, Kim Jong-Un had suggested Pyongyang had already developed a hydrogen bomb - although the claim was greeted with scepticism by international experts. A hydrogen, or thermonuclear device, uses fusion in a chain reaction that results in a far more powerful explosion than a standard nuclear device. An intensity shake map released by the US Geological Survey (USGS) shows the location where the preliminary 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck - caused by the detonation of a thermonuclear weapon Last month, Kim Jong-Un had suggested Pyongyang had already developed a hydrogen bomb - although the claim was greeted with scepticism by international experts. A South Korean man watches on as news of the earthquake broke this morning Like other types of nuclear explosion, the explosion of a hydrogen bomb creates an extremely hot zone near its center. In this zone, because of the high temperature, nearly all of the matter present is vaporised to form a gas at extremely high pressure. A hydrogen bomb is hundreds of times more powerful than the atomic bomb that devastated Hiroshima in 1945. North Korea had previously hinted at the possession of 'stronger, more powerful' weapons. Today is the first time the existence of such a bomb has been confirmed. Cho Tae-yong, deputy head of South Korea's National Security Council (NSC), responded to the test by saying: 'Our Government strongly condemns North Korea ignoring repeated warnings from us and the international community and pushing ahead with the fourth nuclear test, which clearly violated the U.N resolutions.' President Park Geun-Hye convened an emergency meeting of the NSC as soon as the detonation was announced. 'We will take all necessary measures including additional sanctions by the U.N Security Council so that the North will pay the price for the nuclear test,' a statement said. North Korean nuclear tests worry Washington and others because each new blast is seen as pushing North Korea's scientists and engineers closer to their goal of an arsenal of nuclear-tipped missiles that can reach the United States. Chinese and South Korean officials both speculated that this morning's earthquake was 'man-made' before the North Korean state TV announcement. South Korea's Met Agency considered it 'highly likely' that the 5.1 magnitude earthquake was caused by nuclear testing. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks to reporters at his official residence in Tokyo. He strongly criticised the actions of North Korea and Kim Jong-Un Japan's Defense Minister Gen Nakatani (middle) arrives at the Prime Minister's official residence in Tokyo following reports of the detonation An official enters the South Korean defence ministry in Seoul as they investigated the source of the morning blast and resulting earthquake People watch a news report at a railroad station in Seoul after seismologists detected a 5.1 magnitude tremor next to North Korea's main atomic test site this morning Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stressed his belief that the testing of any hydrogen bomb is a threat to his nation's safety. Abe told reporters: 'We absolutely cannot allow this, and condemn it strongly.' France also condemned the reported test, calling for a 'strong reaction from the international community', President Francois Hollande's office said. Their statement also called the detonation 'an unacceptable violation of U.N Security Council resolutions'. We will take all necessary measures including additional sanctions by the U.N Security Council so that the North will pay the price for the nuclear test. South Korean National Security Council (NSC) The U.N organisation tasked with monitoring the world for signs of nuclear testing confirmed the detection of 'an unusual event in the Korean Peninsula.' A statement from Lassina Zerbo, head of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation, read: 'Our International Monitoring System detected an unusual seismic event in the Korean Peninsula at latitude 41.27 longitude 129.10.' Zerbo added that the detonation of a nuclear weapon would be a breach of the U.N treaty and a grave threat to international peace and security The US Geological Survey also confirmed that the epicentre of the tremor was in the north east of the country, taking place some 30 miles north west of Kilju city. Punggye-ri - North Korea's only nuclear test site - is located in a mountainous region in the North Hamgyong Province. It is alleged to have been the location of nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013. A 2013 explosion registered a 5.1 magnitude tremor. North Korean officials confirmed that too was a successful nuclear detonation. According to Channel News Asia, the China Earthquake Network Centre gave the depth of today's quake as zero kilometres, noting it was registered at almost precisely 9.30am Beijing time. Eight months after their home was inundated by water, they were hit again The couple's plans to get married on the picturesque property were dashed They had to leave for three months after floods destroyed the home in April A soon-to-be married couple who rebuilt their home after flood water tore through their property last year have had to scramble to save what they can as a deluge threatens to destroy their home for a second time. Kirsten Lawrence, 25, and her fiancee Kyle Bennett, 25, moved back into their property in Salt Ash, north of Newcastle, in July last year after floods devastated the Port Stephens area in April. The couple, who have been together for five years, said it felt like they stepped back in time on Tuesday night when waters rose amid torrential rains, causing flood water to pour into their home. Last time it was just so awful. I can't explain how hard it was to watch everything we had worked so hard for disappear and now we've had to go through that again, Ms Lawrence said. The couple said it felt like they had stepped back in time on Tuesday night when waters rose amid torrential rains, causing flood water to pour into their home only months after restoring it Kirsten Lawrence, 25, and her fiancee Kyle Bennett, 25, moved back into their property in Salt Ash, north of Newcastle, in July last year after floods devastated the Port Stephens area in April. I just dont know what we are going to do, there is just so much more water this time,' she told Daily Mail Australia. The 25-year-old nurse said the water was a foot deep when Mr Bennett borrowed several industrial pumps and tried to save the contents of their home, which had only been replaced a short time earlier. Only months away from walking down the aisle, Ms Lawrence said their plans to marry on the picturesque property had already been dashed after last year's floods decimated the area. They are now nervously waiting to hear if the venue they booked for the wedding, a retreat in nearby Anna Bay, has been hit as hard as Salt Ash. 'It almost ruined our chances last time but I don't care if I have to build an ark to get married on, I will,' she said. The family dog looks out at what was a grassy back yard before the torrential rain hit The water was a foot deep when Mr Bennett borrowed several industrial pumps and tried to save the contents of their home, which had only been replaced months earlier Ms Lawrence said their plans to marry on the picturesque property had already been dashed after last year's floods decimated the area (Pictured after floods in April) They are now nervously waiting to hear if the venue they booked for the wedding, a retreat in nearby Anna Bay, has been hit as hard as Salt Ash The couple scrambled madly after the heavy rains hit, attempting to put their furniture on bricks A canvas from the wall floats by as the television sits less than a metre from the murky flood water Ms Lawrence said they waded into the water to bag their clothing after losing everything in April last year The home, situated on a two and a half acre block, looks like a house boat floating on a river Ms Lawrence sought refuge at her in-law's, who also live on the property in Salt Ash, north of Newcastle Rubbish bins from the property and surrounding areas have overturned, dumping waste into the rising water The determined pair spent a sleepless night wading through the cold water so they could shove piles of bricks under the furniture and bag up their clothing in a bid to keep things dry. But to make matters worse, the property's septic tank overflowed and now their belongings are floating alongside masses of garbage in 'sewerage water'. '[The water] is all full of rubbish from bins being tipped over and the septic tanks back flowed sewerage, so all the water in the house is contaminated,' she said. Mr Bennett's parents, Louise and Greg, also live on the two and a half acre block so the resilient duo were able to take cover and watch as their home submerged in the murky water. 'It almost ruined our chances last time but I don't care if I have to build an ark to get married on - I will,' she said. '[The water] is all full of rubbish from bins being tipped over and the septic tanks back flowed sewerage, so all the water in the house is contaminated.' An outdoor setting remains in place as water rises around it on Wednesday morning The family cars were moved to higher ground after water started to rise in the car hold 'It broke me to pieces last time but in times like these all you can focus on is that we still have each other' A small hut on the property, which stood on stilts, remains dry as the house submerged Flood waters replaced rolling green fields after heavy rain battered the area on Tuesday night Ms Lawrence said they lost all of their furniture, clothing and electronics in the last flood and had to wait months before they were replaced by their insurer, while personal items with sentimental value were lost forever. The 25-year-old bride-to-be said she wouldn't have been able to do it without the support of her partner's parents, who own the quiet block of land and worked tirelessly to restore the home to its former glory. After being without a home for two months, the 25-year-old's decided to paint the house themselves because the contractors were taking too long and they had grown tired of being without a place to call their own. 'We were so excited to get back into the place before this happened. Now I am afraid to move back in and start over if there is a chance this will just happen again. '[Last April's floods] broke me to pieces but in times like these all you can focus on is that we still have each other,' Ms Lawrence said. The couple posted a picture on social media to mark the first day back in their home after April's floods While the flooding was not as severe in April, Ms Lawrence's home was left in a mess Debris covered the property as the flood waters started to subside Ms Lawrence said they lost all of their furniture, clothing and electronics in the last flood and had to wait months before they were replaced by their insurer The wild weather even uprooted a massive tree not far from the their Salt Ash home Ms Lawrence said the couple will still have to come up with a long term housing option, as she is unsure if their home will be structurally sound after sitting in water for such a long time. But at this stage can stay with family and friends who have rushed to support the embattled pair as they prepare for rains to continue into Wednesday evening. Newcastle, a short drive from Ms Lawrence's property, has been hit with the most rainfall in 25 years, recording more 300mm in the past 24 hours, according to Weatherzone. An evacuation order was issued for 30 home in nearby Raymond Terrace, with SES volunteers door knocking residents telling them to leave. The captain of a U.S. submarine has lost his job and cost taxpayers $1million after he grounded the nuclear missile sub in November. Capt. Dave Adams of the USS Georgia was relieved of command on Monday by Rear Adm. Randy Crites, commander of Submarine Group 10 at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, according to CNN. 'Commanding officers are held to the highest standards of professional conduct and accept the responsibility of command with full regard for its consequences,' the Navy said in a statement. The USS Georgia, an Ohio-class guided missile submarine, struck a channel buoy and grounded as it was returning to port in Kings Bay, Georgia, on November 25. Adams was the leader of the sub's Blue crew (there is also Gold), one of the alternating crews that run the sub. The Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Georgia (SSGN 729) arrives for a routine port visit to Souda Bay in 2009 - in November, the sub was badly damaged Capt. Dave Adams of the USS Georgia's Blue crew was reassigned after he grounded the submarine in November, causing $1million worth of damage Adams, commander of Submarine Group 10, was in command at the time and took full responsibility for the accident. Only the outside of the submarine was damaged and no water was taken on. Fixing the 18,000-ton, 560-foot-long nuclear submarine sub will cost an estimated $1million. The incident remains under investigation. 'The actions that hazarded Georgia upon a scheduled return to port in the dark on the morning of 25 Nov were mine alone,' Adams wrote in a statement, according to the The Brunswick News. 'I ask that my lapses not be used to denigrate the terrific service of the sailors and families of Georgia Blue. The former captain of the USS Georgia (above) resigned after he admitted he was the sole reason the sub ran aground after striking a channel buoy in Kings Bay, Georgia 'After 30 years of serving in the worlds finest Navy, my only regret is that I will miss sailing with them again to stand against our nations enemies.' The Navy said Adams was being reassigned within Submarine Group 10. The Federal government has rejected claims that cuts to the Medicare Benefit Schedule may leave woman paying up to $30 for a pap smear. Concerned pathologists have said the result of charging for these tests could be potentially fatal, but the office of Health Minister Sussan Ley has hit back saying that the Medicare rebate for pap smears have not been changed. She said that the removal of an incentive payment was different to taking away a Medicare rebate. 'Medicare is not designed to be a guaranteed bankable revenue for corporations, nor is a taxpayer-funded payment like this provided to cross-subsidise other costs of doing business for pathology companies,' a spokesperson said, Sky News reported. The federal government have rejected claims cut to the Medicare Benefit Schedule may leave woman paying up to $30 for a pap smear A petition addressed to Ms Ley demanded the government keep 'pap smears and pathology services free of charge' has accumulated 35,000 signatures since Tuesday night. 'Medicare is not designed to be a guaranteed bankable revenue for corporations, nor is a taxpayer-funded payment like this provided to cross-subsidise other costs,' Ms Ley said 'These cuts are unfair to the average Australian, but will especially hurt women,' the petition, started by Sydney woman Brigitte Garozzo, states. 'This is yet another attack by a Liberal government on Australia's already cash-starved Medicare system.' Ms Garozzo has urged supporters to launch rallies in their local community and has already organised a event at Sydney Town Hall in February called: 'These Cuts Are Killing Us.' Social media users have also voiced outrage at the cuts, posting to Ms Ley's official Facebook page. 'Out of curiosity, who's [sic] brilliant idea was it to slug women with the cost of pap smears? Life-saving diagnostic tests and your people yet again remove the affordability of them,' one disgruntled woman wrote. Concerned pathologists have said the result of charging for these tests could be potentially fatal, but the office of Health Minister Sussan Ley (pictured) has hit back saying the cuts are untrue 'My tax dollars go to a medicare system to help me and other Australians. Why are you touching something so important and vital,' another said. A statement released by the office of Health Minister Sussan Ley on December 28, outlined the first items to be cut from the Medicare Benefits Schedule. 'This first stage of work has provided recommendations about the immediate removal of lower-volume MBS items in some specific specialities where there is clinical consensus that they are 'obsolete' and no longer represent clinical best-practice.' 'Reasons range from more-clinically appropriate and/or efficient technologies and procedures already listed on the MBS through to patient safety, unnecessary doubling-up of item claims and decreasing usage.' Although the government disputes the claims, a petition addressed to Ms Ley demanding 'the policy be scrapped' to keep 'pap smears and pathology services free of charge' has accumulated 35,000 signatures According to the statement, the items were used a total of 52,000 times over 2014 and 2015, costing $6.8 million. A pap smear or test is a procedure conducted by a doctor or gynecologist to check changes to the cells of a woman's cervix and can detect early stages of cervical cancer. It involves an instrument called a speculum being inserted into the vagina and a tiny brush is used to scrape some cells from the cervix. put on two sets of gloves because he didn't want to touch 'that thing' with his 'bare hands' A transgender passenger was forced to remove a prosthetic penis for inspection while going through airport security - an act which made him feel 'demeaned'. After completing a full body scan and removing the prosthetic, the passenger felt embarrassed when a senior member of staff put on two pairs of gloves before saying 'you want me to touch that thing with my bare hands?'. The man expressed his concern after the incident which took place in 2015, and submitted a complaint through the National LGBTI Health Alliance to a Senate committee inquiry on airport and aviation security. A transgender passenger was forced to remove a prosthetic penis for inspection while going through airport security - an act which made him feel 'demeaned' (stock image) In a formal statement by the LGBTI health alliance it noted its concerns regarding the 'climate of pervasive discrimination against LGBTI populations' in airport and aviation security In a formal statement by the LGBTI health alliance it noted its concerns regarding the 'climate of pervasive discrimination against LGBTI populations' in airport and aviation security. The transgender passenger said he was selected to go through a body scanner at the airport which picked up a prosthetic he was wearing in his underwear. 'I explained to the officer at the scanner that I am trans and that I was wearing a prosthetic, to which he responded that he would need to get his supervisor,' the transgender person said. 'In full view of other travellers, the Supervisor approached me putting rubber gloves on. He seemed more concerned with displaying his authority and making a spectacle out of the situation. 'When I asked him what the gloves were for, he told me that he was going to do a 'private search'. 'Not only did this make me feel incredibly uneasy, and anxious, but it was demeaning and unnecessary.' The transgender passenger said he was selected to go through a body scanner at the airport which picked up a prosthetic he was wearing in his underwear (stock image) The passenger was taken into a small room with two security officers, and was made to sign a form first before the body search (stock image) The passenger was taken into a small room with two security officers, and was made to sign a form first before the body search. The supervisor proceeded to put on a second glove and when asked why, he replied: 'You want me to touch that thing with my bare hands?'. The transgender person placed the prosthetic on a tray and the supervisor then patted him down. 'Once he was satisfied, he turned around and opened the door for me to leave - my prosthetic still sitting in the tray,' the passenger added. 'I asked him to close the door so that I could have some privacy as I placed my prosthetic back in place. 'He closed the door and both men stood watching me as I put it back in place. 'I felt that the supervisor had no regard for me as a human being and treated me as though I was a criminal right from the beginning, even though I had taken all steps to cooperate with him. I have had to deal with some very confronting situations in the past so have developed a thick skin, but this experience overshadowed what was meant to be a holiday and it has left me feeling incredibly degraded and has made me anxious about travelling.' The passenger submitted his complaint as part of a Senate inquiry into airport and aviation security which will make it's final report in May. The US sees Syrian leader Bashar Assad staying in power until at least March 2017 - outlasting Barack Obama's presidency by at least two months. Even in a 'best-case scenario' for political transition in Syria, officials in the Obama administration do not think the dictator will step down earlier than spring next year. The March date would be more than five years after the US President first called for Assad to leave. The US sees Syrian leader Bashar Assad (pictured) staying in power until at least March 2017 - outlasting Barack Obama's presidency by at least two months The March date would be more than five years after the US President (pictured) first called for Assad to leave An internal timeline prepared for US officials dealing with the Syria crisis sets an unspecified date in March 2017 for Assad to 'relinquish' his position as president and for his 'inner circle' to depart. The timeline is based on a broad UN-endorsed plan that was initially laid out at an international conference in Vienna in November. Syria, according to that strategy, would hold elections for a new president and parliament in August 2017 - some 19 months from now. In the interim, Syria would be run by a transitional governing body. Countless hurdles lie ahead for this latest blueprint for ending five years of conflict that has killed more than a quarter-million people, created the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II and allowed the Islamic State group to carve out a would-be caliphate across parts of Iraq and Syria. Not the least of those hurdles is the growing rift between Sunni-led Saudi Arabia and Shiite-ruled Iran, which back opposite sides in the Syria conflict and had to be lobbied heavily to agree to meet in Vienna to craft a way forward for the war-torn country. An internal timeline prepared for US officials dealing with the Syria crisis sets an unspecified date in March 2017 for Assad to 'relinquish' his position as president and for his 'inner circle' to depart Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shiite cleric and then severed diplomatic relations with Iran this week after its embassy in Tehran was stormed by a mob protesting the death. It is not yet clear what impact those developments might have on the Syria negotiations. If Saudi-Iranian tensions can be overcome, if peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition go ahead later this month as planned and if they are successful, the biggest challenge to the U.S. timeline is still that no one else has yet agreed to its specifics, particularly those related to Assad's departure. Assad has steadfastly refused to step down while his nation's terrorist threat, as he sees it, persists. The timeline offers no explanation for exactly how Assad would leave or what his post-presidential future might hold. And his chief backers, Russia and Iran, have resisted all efforts by outside powers to determine Syria's future leadership, insisting that is a decision for the Syrian people. Russia and Iran may object to the U.S. timeline's call for Assad to leave six months before elections would be held. In addition, the Syrian opposition wants Assad out as soon as possible. The opposition along with U.S. allies like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey could view the American concept as a betrayal. The United States is balancing numerous considerations as it seeks to quell Syria's violence and advance several strategic objectives. Saudi Arabia executed prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr and then severed diplomatic relations with Iran this week Its top priority now is rooting out the Islamic State from its headquarters in northern Syria. Still, Obama and other U.S. officials promised for years to end the Assad family's 45-year-grip on Syria, arguing that a leader who uses barrel bombs and poison gas on his own people has lost legitimacy. Ridding Syria of Assad could also strip Iran of its foothold in the heart of the Arab world and dramatically change the security equation for neighbors such as Israel, Lebanon and Turkey. In recent months, Washington and its allies in European capitals have retreated from demands that Assad leave power immediately as the Islamic State gained territory in the region and the priority shifted to defeating the militant group. The timeline, however aspirational, shows how U.S. diplomats and policymakers are determined to outline an exit plan for Assad and not let concerns over the Islamic State and other extremist groups allow him to cling to power indefinitely. The document obtained by the AP starts Syria's new political process next month. An 18-month transition period would be initiated, consistent with the plan endorsed by the U.N. Security Council last month. The U.N.'s special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, has set a Jan. 25 date for government-opposition peace talks to begin in Geneva. The U.S. timeline envisions the Security Council signing off on a framework for negotiations between Assad's representatives and the opposition, leading to the formation of a security committee in April. That would be accompanied by an amnesty for some government and military members, and moderate opposition leaders and fighters. The transitional governing body would then be created. In May, the Syrian parliament would dissolve, according to the timeline. The Security Council would recognize the new transitional authority and lay out the transition's next steps. These include major political reforms, the nomination of an interim legislature and an international donors' conference to fund Syria's transition and reconstruction. The next six months, through November 2016 when Obama's successor is elected would be devoted to the sides drafting a new constitution. The Syrian people would get a chance to vote on that document in a popular referendum in January 2017, according to the timeline. Only then would the process lead to what Washington calls the root cause of the entire conflict and the growing extremist threat across the Middle East and beyond: the end of Assad's rule of Syria. In March 2017, the timeline reads: 'Asad relinquishes presidency; inner circle departs.' The document uses the U.S. government's preferred spelling of Assad. are angry 'she is using taxpayer dollars to conduct research on "50 Shades of Grey," "Lady Gaga," and "Twilight"' A Mizzou professor was taped yelling out loud 'I need some muscle over here' while trying to kick out a student journalist from a protest this past fall. It emerged this week that over 100 Republican legislators in Missouri have signed a letter calling for the professor in question, Melissa Click, to be fired and her tenure application rejected. Click appeared in the video taken at the University of Missouri-Columbia in November 2015. Referring to student journalist Mark Schierbecker, the assistant communications professor was taped saying: 'Who wants to help me get this reporter out of here? I need some muscle over here.' Scroll down for video Prof. Melissa Click was taped yelling out loud 'I need some muscle over here' while trying to kick out a student journalist from a protest this past fall Referring to student journalist Mark Schierbecker, the assistant communications professor was taped saying: 'Who wants to help me get this reporter out of here? I need some muscle over here' Click stepped down from a School of Journalism courtesy position in November The video has amassed more than 2.7million YouTube views. In its description, Schierbecker wrote: 'Just earlier, Tim Wolfe had resigned as the University of Missouri System president.' Click stepped down from a School of Journalism courtesy position in November, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted. She apologized in a November 10 statement, saying: 'I have reached out to the journalists involved to offer my sincere apologies and to express regret over my actions. 'I regret the language and strategies I used, and sincerely apologize to the MU campus community, and journalists at large, for my behavior, and also for the way my actions have shifted attention away from the students' campaign for justice.' The letter from Republican Missouri House members and state senators said: 'As a professor in the School of Journalism, Click's role should have been to remind students that we must respect the First Amendment rights of all individuals and that the student reporters there were doing nothing more than their jobs; jobs which are soundly protected by our Constitution.' The letter also said: 'Our constituents have expressed outrage at the fact she is using taxpayer dollars to conduct research on "50 Shades of Grey," "Lady Gaga," and "Twilight." Another published letter, this one backing Click, includes over 100 faculty signatures. The University of Missouri-Columbia is seen in this file photograph Click's page with the school's communication department says: 'Current research projects involve 50 Shades of Grey readers, the impact of social media in fans' relationship with Lady Gaga, masculinity and male fans, messages about class and food in reality television programming, and messages about work in children's television programs.' USA Today reported that another published letter, this one backing Click, includes over 100 faculty signatures. The letter, according to the news outlet, said: 'We affirm our support of her as a colleague, a teacher and a scholar, and we call upon the University to defend her First Amendment rights of protest and her freedom to act as a private citizen.' Both Click and Mizzou spokesman Christian Basi did not immediately respond to email messages seeking comment sent Tuesday evening. But the vouchers valued $970 are probably worthless pending investigation Western Sydney father was going to buy school laptops for his kids Many customers had gift card vouchers totalling up to $1,000 Furious Dick Smith customers with vouchers worth up to $1000 have vented their rage after the company went into receivership and declared outstanding gift cards won't be honoured. Less than a fortnight after Christmas, receivers Ferrier Hodgson announced on Tuesday the electronics retailer's gift vouchers won't be honoured and paid deposits will not be refunded. Father-of-two Tim Hawkins, from Mulgoa in western Sydney, recently used his credit card points to buy $970 worth of Dick Smith gift cards. He was going to use them to buy school laptops for his kids, age 11 and 14. The vouchers arrived in the mail overnight, soaked by the recent rain - and completely useless at the troubled retailer. 'I think it's outrageous they're still operating a business but not honouring the arrangements,' Mr Hawkins told Daily Mail Australia. Scroll down for video 'It's atrocious': Father-of-two Tim Hawkins (pictured with family) used his credit card points to buy $970 worth of Dick Smith vouchers. He was going to use them to buy his two children school laptops... But Mr Hawkins (pictured with his son) may be out of luck with his gift cards probably worthless Time's up for Dick Smith? The troubled electronics retailer was taken into receivership this week - and many customers are furious their arrangements won't be honoured Talk to the Techxperts: A Canberra man shared photographs with Daily Mail Australia of himself using his gift card in lighthearted ways, such as spreading Nutella, after learning his $50 voucher was worthless 'A nice coaster for my whiskey': The Canberra man, who did not want to be identified, joked he would get 'so many uses' out of the card 'It's really dishonourable. And in the name of a good icon like Dick Smith - it's atrocious'. Mr Hawkins rang his bank and they have launched an investigation, but he's not optimistic they will be able to redeem his points. 'I reckon we're cooked,' he said. And he's far from alone with Dick Smith's Facebook page deluged with angry complaints of 'theft' and people threatening to come to the store and take the goods they are owed. Ferrier Hodgson said customers will be considered unsecured creditors, meaning many people will have to register for the chance to get their money back. Consumer groups say some may not get anything. Several customers told Daily Mail Australia of their anger at the money they and their loved ones have lost, while others mocked their now useless Christmas presents online. A Canberra man shared photographs of himself using his valueless $50 gift card to defrost his freezer and to spread Nutella. He also repurposed it into a drink coaster for a tumbler of whiskey. ''So many uses. I'm sure I'll get $50 out of it,' joked the man, who said he did not wish to be named. 'I do feel bad for the person who bought it for me, they are feeling quite guilty that the basically got me a dud gift - and feel kind of scammed out of $50. Despite its lack of financial value, the card was apparently rather helpful in unlocking doors (left) and removing stones from his boot (right) The card apparently has a bright future in this Canberra household - its owner using it to de-ice his fridge Student Li Huiwen (centre), 19, said she was 'extremely angry' she could not use the card Many customers, like student Li Huiwen, lost much more money. She spent $900 on gift cards she purchased from Coles in October. She told Daily Mail Australia she wanted to buy a mobile phone and there was a 10 per cent off deal for gift cards at the time. When she brought her card to the Melbourne Central store on Tuesday it was declined and she was furious. 'They just said unfortunately and (blah blah blah) I am sorry, that kind of thing,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'I got extremely angry. 'Their staff tell me that maybe I can use it in the future, but I don't think so.' Sydney single mother Donna Bennetts' student daughter bought her a $200 Dick Smith card for Christmas. 'All my kids were going to put in to buy me a computer,' Ms Bennetts told Daily Mail Australia. But she was left irate when a manager at Dick Smith in Menai, south of Sydney, told her it was useless on Wednesday. 'I'm a single mum, I work virtually full time,' she said. '$200 is a lot of money to us - I've got a mortgage. Single mother Donna Bennetts (pictured left) said what was happening was 'robbery' while retiree Robin Prior (right) said 'to me it's almost theft' CONSUMER GROUPS TELL WHAT TO DO IF YOU'VE LOST MONEY The devil is in the detail, with some banks offering chargeback services for some credit card transactions. Consumer group CHOICE said: 'Customers who buy goods with a credit card, or certain debit cards, are generally better protected than those who pay by cash. 'If you have used a credit card to pay for goods in full and haven't received them, you may have a case for chargeback.' People who pay with cash or popular debit card options may not have as much luck, with the consumer group saying they should apply to be part of the administration process. 'The only option available to customers who paid with cash or a cheque, or who used a debit card and chose either the "cheque" or "savings" option at time of purchase, is to wait for the outcome of the administration process.' 'After that it's a bit of a waiting game. You may get the full amount, a little bit, or in very unfortunate cases you may get nothing.' You can find more information from CHOICE on warranties and faulty product returns here. Advertisement 'That was a lot of money (to my daughter) because she's working part time and she studies and lives at home.' 'It was only not even two weeks ago that was bought. 'It's despicable behaviour by Dick Smith - not the staff, by the company. 'They knew damn well. They held off the receiverships until they got everybody's Christmas money. 'It's robbery'. Retiree Robin Prior told her children to buy their father a gift card from Bunnings warehouse or Dick Smith for Christmas. 'My husband has everything,' said Ms Prior, who recently moved to Banora Point on the Tweed Coast. 'He can go off with his $200 and buy himself something. 'Most men like to buy himself something with someone else's money... stick it in your wallet and when you want something, go and get it. 'We were devastated. 'To me it's almost theft'. 'You can't tell me the administrators didn't know in November that the store was going downhill rapidly, and to take people's money knowing that is wrong'. Dick Smith has lost more than 80 per cent of its value since August. A Dick Smith spokeswoman was called for comment. 'If an act of touching is not consented to, and the act was of a sexual nature, then that could constitute a battery,' said the school College students at East Carolina University in North Carolina might want to think twice before offering that neck rub. According to The College Fix, the school's new sexual misconduct policy includes the neck as a part of the body that, if touched without consent, could be considered sexual battery. The new policy describes sexual battery as 'the intentional or attempted sexual touching of another persons clothed or unclothed body, including but not limited to the mouth, neck, buttocks, anus, genitalia, or breast, by another with any part of the body or any object in a sexual manner without their consent', reports the outlet. North Carolina University has changed its sexual battery definition policy to include unwanted touching of necks, which could include neck rubs (file picture) The policy changes were reportedly approved on November 20 but only took effect on Friday. The previous version of the policy made no mention of necks being a point of contention, reading that sexual battery could include, 'non-consensual sexual contact includes, but is not limited to, kissing, touching of the genitalia, anus, buttocks or breast of a person.' It also reportedly said that the touch could count 'however slight.' The College Fix points out that the policy doesn't define what makes a touch sexual versus benign. Asked point blank by the outlet whether neck rubs could be considered sexual battery, the school reportedly responded, 'If an act of touching is not consented to, and the act was of a sexual nature, then that could constitute a battery. The college said that the important thing isn't where someone is touched, but whether or not it is mutually consented 'The purpose of this is to ensure that each act is consented to by the parties and that consent is active and mutually understood.' The school said there was no specific incident that caused them to add 'neck' the policy, but that it is continually updating policy. An April article in the East Carolinian profiled students who said that they had reported sexual misconduct, only to be met with questions about their dress or drinking habits. A student who was called 'Jordan' in the article said, 'ECU just did not treat me right. They straight up asked me what I was wearing as one of the first questions in my meeting. 'They also continued to ask me if I was drinking; I felt like it kept coming up. It shouldnt matter what clothing someone has on.' A political science professor at an evangelical Christian college is on the verge of being fired after she declared that Muslims and Christians worship the same God. Wheaton College said it was taking steps to fire Dr. Larycia Hawkins, a tenured professor at the liberal arts college outside of Chicago, after she wrote a controversial Facebook post. Hawkins wrote on the social media site on December 10 that she was donning the hijab during the period of advent before Christmas as a sign of solidarity with Muslims. Wheaton College, an evangelical Christian college, is taking steps to fire tenured professor Dr. Larycia Hawkins after she declared that Muslims and Christians worship the same God In her post, she said: 'I stand in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people of the book. 'And as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God.' Hawkins, who has worked at the university since 2007, was placed on administrative leave after the comment drew criticism. On Tuesday the school said, in a statement, that Wheaton's provost had delivered a notice to President Philip Ryken recommending her employment be terminated. 'This Notice follows the impasse reached by the parties,' the statement said. 'Dr. Hawkins declined to participate in further dialogue about the theological implications of her public statements.' Hawkins (pictured attending a service at St. Martin Episcopal Church in Chicago on December 13) said she was donning the hijab during the period of advent before Christmas as a sign of solidarity with Muslims In her post (part of it is pictured above), she said: 'I stand in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people of the book' The school has said that Hawkins was not placed on leave because she wore a hijab, but because her 'theological statements seem inconsistent with Wheaton College's doctrinal convictions.' The Provosts notification also cites as the basis for seeking her termination that Hawkins made an 'unqualified assertion of religious solidarity with Muslims and Jews.' After a hearing with a faculty committee and other reviews, The Wheaton College Board of Trustees will make a final decision regarding Hawkins' employment. Hawkins could not immediately be reached for comment about the notice to recommend her termination. On her website, Hawkins said she received an emailed notification on January 4 that her employment was up for review and she planned to address the issue at a Chicago-area church on Wednesday. 'Dr. Hawkins maintains Christian support for the Muslim community amidst the ongoing anti-Muslim climate,' the site said. Wheaton College associate professor Larycia Hawkins (center) is greeted with applause from supporters as she begins her remarks during a news conference on December 16 The school (pictured) has said that Hawkins was not placed on leave because she wore a hijab, but because her 'theological statements seem inconsistent with Wheaton College's doctrinal convictions' On her Facebook page on December 10, Hawkins said she would wear the hijab in solidarity with her Muslim neighbors because 'theoretical solidarity is not solidarity at all.' 'I don't love my Muslim neighbor because s/he is American,' she wrote. 'I love my Muslim neighbor because s/he deserves love by virtue of her/his human dignity.' Hawkins also called on other women to join her campaign, with three of her friends responding with pictures of themselves also wearing hijabs. The post has since been shared more than 1,600 times. Her gesture comes as Muslims around the United States report worries of a backlash and growing Islamophobia after a couple who had pledged allegiance to ISIS massacred 14 people in San Bernardino, California, in early December. Hawkins, who has written on race, religion and American politics, said she had consulted with the local chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations, an advocacy group, to make sure that it would not be seen as offensive for a non-Muslim woman to wear the headscarf. Qianqian 'Queenie' Xu was only two months old when she died after a horrific stabbing attack that also left three of her family members in hospital. Police will allege the child's grandfather, 53, attacked the baby girl before turning on her mother and grandmother in a Brisbane home, 9 News reported. During the attack, the child's grandfather, who was visiting with his wife from China, also injured himself. Scroll down for video Qianqian 'Queenie' Xu was only two months old when she died after a horrific stabbing attack What appears to be a baby carrier on grass near the scene of the stabbing attack on Wednesday Just months ago, Queenie's mother had boasted proudly of her 'little princess' who was born on October 15, weighing 3.1kg, at Brisbane's Mater Hospital. Days later, she posted a photo of her bundle of joy sleeping wrapped up in a striped pink, yellow, green and white blanket. Congratulations to the new parents flooded in, with loved ones commenting on their baby's 'perfect little face' and calling her an 'angel'. But on Wednesday afternoon, the young family's lives took a tragic turn after screams were heard coming from their home on Watheroo Place in Parkinson, in Brisbane's south, and the baby's mother, 28, ran from the house looking for help. Investigators continue to sift through the house for evidence at Parkinson on Thursday Neighbours have gathered at the scene to watch police investigations unfold as officer stand guard outside As officers dig through the scene, three of the baby girl's family members remain in hospital under police guard Neighbours recall seeing a man walking down the street after the attack 'dripping with blood' Residents on Watheroo Place recalled hearing loud screaming and seeing a man walking down a street covered in blood after the attack, The Courier Mail reported. They told the newspaper how they saw the man, thought to be the baby's grandfather, handcuffed and sitting on a driveway 'dripping blood' after police arrested him. The 28-year-old mother, who had serious but non-life threatening injuries, was found at a property at nearby Mapleton Circuit, where she had fled to raise the alarm. The grandmother, in her 50s, was found unconscious in the Watheroo Place home with Queenie who was taken to Lady Cilento Hospital where she later died. Her grandmother was sent to Princess Alexandra Hospital with life-threatening injuries. In the front yard, a 53-year-old man was found with multiple stab wounds and he was also taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital with life-threatening injuries. Emergency services staff stand near a pool of blood after being called to the scene of the attack Police and ambulance vehicles clustered near the Brisbane address on Wednesday afternoon Emergency services were called to an address in Parkinson, in Brisbane's south, about 2.30pm Blood could be seen on the drive outside a house in Parkinson, a suburb in Brisbane's south Police officers at the scene of the stabbing on Watheroo Place, where four family members were seriously injured A spokeswoman for the Metro South Hospital and Health Service, who runs Princess Alexandra Hospital, told Daily Mail Australia on Thursday morning the two patients in their 50s were in a critical but stable condition in the intensive care unit. The 28-year-old woman was serious but stable, the spokeswoman said. Police say the 53-year-old man and his wife had both undergone surgery. Following the incident, a Queensland Police spokeswoman said the details about what happened were still unclear. A group of police officers huddle near the scene of the incident at Watheroo Place Forensics crews were pictured at the scene on Wednesday where a crime scene was established 'We don't know what's happened. [There are] three adults with injuries and we believe one of those adults is responsible, we just don't know which one,' she said. Police had talked briefly with the mother on Wednesday evening, but she would not be able to make a formal statement until she was deemed fit to provide one as was the case with the elderly couple. Officers were stationed at the hospital with the trio. In a statement, police said they did not believe anyone else was involved in the incident. Images from the scene show blood pooled on what appears to be a driveway, and clusters of emergency services vehicles and police officers. Two crime scenes were established at the Watheroo Place property and an investigation was underway. Hundreds of reports of offensive and disorderly behaviour are now public Urinating on seats, upturning filled dinner trays and masturbating on board are just some of the countless shameless acts witnessed on Australian airlines - and they're almost all fuelled by alcohol. Freedom of interest documents obtained by the Daily Mail Australia reveal hundreds of offensive and disorderly behaviour cases dealt with by the Australian Federal Police over the past four years. Some of the lewder encounters are described in vivid detail, with the offending passengers often so drunk that their questioning has to be delayed until they sober up. Passengers took to social media to highlight their worst airline experiences. This flight attendant discovered a bottle of what appeared to be filled with urine left behind on board a plane Make yourself at home: A topless passenger sprawls across two seats as a cabin crew speaks to the man A young passenger can be seen sitting on a child's potty bowl in the middle of an aisle aboard a plane One Japanese businessman travelling the ten-hour flight from Tokyo to the Gold Coast was met by authorities upon arrival and arrested for a number of disturbing actions committed on board. Passengers said the man stripped his pants down to his ankles and proceeded to 'place both hands under his black tights and engage in vigorous hand movements.' He also was seen openly flicking through a hard-core pornography magazine featuring underage women, inappropriately touching female passengers on board and engaging in heated arguments. Earlier the man had a bottle of private vodka he had taken on board confiscated by flight attendants - but not before he had managed to consume a large amount of the spirit. Forget where you are? A passenger sleeping across two seats as he places one hand down his underpants Whoops! An arline passenger got more than what they wanted when one person revealed a bit too much A passenger got a little comfortable on board as he sprawled his legs against the window during his nap time Another passenger was spotted keeping their hands warm as they placed them down their pants on board He was fined $2,125 after a lengthy process involving the Japanese Consulate. Another flight from Brisbane to Darwin had to be diverted to Townsville after a man on board told crew members he had 'killed before' when they asked him to stop violently shaking his seat back and forth. The man threatened further violence - including breaking necks - until he was intercepted by police who arrested him and found a serrated steak knife hidden in his carry-on baggage. An intoxicated man flying to Perth from Karratha in northern Western Australia came to the attention of crew members after he repeatedly tried jamming his personal headphones into an earphone jack. Australian Federal Police documents reveal hundreds of offensive and disorderly behaviour cases on airlines authorities have responded to over the past four years (stock image) A large majority of the shameless acts performed up in the sky were fueled by alcohol (stock image) One passenger thought it would be a good idea to stretch their leg against the seat in front of them Clothesline aboard? A passenger had his socks hung up along his window - forgetting about those around him A used condom is spotted on a flight as passengers take to social media to share their horrific experiences The passenger seated next to him tried to inform him they couldn't fit, but an argument arose as the drunk man became more and more aggressive. To make his point clear, the drunk man proceeded to upturn the neighbouring man's meal tray on his seat, pick up his coffee and spit into it while staring into his eyes. He was moved to a separate seat, but continued to be a huge nuisance - swearing at other passengers and at one point spraying water from his mouth across several seats. He was given a move on notice from Perth airport and issued with a hefty infringement notice. One passenger flying from Indonesia to Australia was rudely awoken to the sound of urine splashing on the floor besides him and on his blanket. Another intoxicated man upturned a neighbouring passengers meal tray onto his seat after an argument broke out (stock image) One Japanese businessman travelling from Tokyo to the Gold Coast openly flicked through a hardcore pornography magazine, stripped off his pants and inappropriately touched a female passenger (stock image) Michael Thorn, chief executive of Canberra-based Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education, told The Age harsher penalties for intoxicated people should be considered by major Australian airlines. 'Given the number of alcohol-fuelled situations on Australian airlines requiring police intervention, the current policies are clearly failing or aren't being effectively enforced,' Mr Thorn said. 'Airlines wishing to take further steps to prevent alcohol-related harm should also consider measures such as limiting the amount of liquor served to each passenger for instance, by providing no more than four standard drinks on a single occasion in accordance with Australia's alcohol guidelines.' There are hundreds of similar case summaries publicly available on the Australian Federal Police website, dating back to 2011. One passenger flying from Indonesia to Australia was woken to the sound of a man urinating on the floor besides him and on his blanket It's official: Australians prefer luxury cars over the humble family vehicle, the Ford Falcon. In vehicle figure sales just released today by the Australian Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), Australians bought almost twice as many Mercedes Benz as they did the humble Ford Falcon. The 'VFACTS' figures for last year, show Australians bought 9373 Mercedes-Benz C-Class vehicles for the year, almost double the number of the 5845 bought in 2014. By comparison, just 5938 Ford Falcons were sold to Australian drivers in 2015, the company recording a paltry 333 sales of the car in December. While the Mercedes C-Class, which includes the sedan, coupe, and wagon, has previously outsold the Falcon in a single month, it has outstripped Ford Falcon sales figures over a twelve month period. Australians bought more Mercedez Benz C-class cars (pictured) in 2015 than they did the Ford Falcon, pushing the luxury car ahead of the more traditional Australian family vehicle The 2015 Ford Falcon (pictured) was bought by only 5938 Australians, making it almost half the sales figures of the Mercedes Benz C-Class which sold to the tune of 9373 vehicle almost twice the German car's 2014 figures The rise of the Mercedes and the decline of the Australian family car is not just about the boom of the German vehicle, along with its rivals from the same country, BMW and Audi, being driven out of showrooms at a faster rate. It is also about the crash of Ford, along with the iconic Aussie brand, Holden. The VFACTS figures show that in 2015 Ford recorded its worst results since 1966, 49 years earlier. Holden crashed to its lowest since 1993, with Toyota being the clear winning brand nationally. Overall, Holden was just a bull bar in front of Hyundai, selling a total of 102,951 cars to fourth-placed Hyundai's 102,004. But it was the rise in so-called medium-sized luxury cars which was telling of changing Australian driver's car habits. In the medium cars over $60,000 class,the Mercedes C-Class (pictured) sits at the top, almost doubling the number of BMW 3 Series cars sold, and coupled with the Mercedes CLA-Class, trebling the BMW figures In the medium cars over $60,000 class,the Mercedes C-Class sits at the top, almost doubling the sales of the BMW 3 Series for the month of December. The top five in this segment for 2015 overall were as follows: 1. Mercedes-Benz C-Class 9373 (up from 5845 of 2014) 2. BMW 3 Series 4146 (down from 4588) 3. Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class 3659 (up from 2682) 4. Audi A4 2478 (down from 2635) 5. Lexus IS 2036 (down from 2686) In the large cars under $70,000, which includes the Ford Falcon, Holden held first place in sales for 2015, selling 27,770 Commodores. The Ford Falcon managed to come second for the year, although it was beaten for the month of December 2015 by the Toyota Aurion. In the luxury car class of large cars over $70,000, Mercedes-Benz E-Class came first with an annual sales figure of 1428, beating in order of sales the BMW 5 Series (1038, up from 882 the previous year), the Audi A6 (554, down from 617). the Jaguar XF (487,down from 846) and the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class (451,up from 377). Top vehicle brands sold in Australia in 2015 overall: 1. Toyota 206,236 (up from 203,501 of 2014) 2. Mazda 114,024 (up from 100,704) 3. Holden 102,951 (down from 106,092) 4. Hyundai 102,004 (up from 100,011) 5. Mitsubishi 71,743 (up from 68,637) 6. Ford 70,454 (down from 79,703) 7. Nissan 66,062 (up from 66,025) 8. Volkswagen 60,225 (up from 54,801) 9. Subaru 43,600 (up from 40,502) One elementary school in New Jersey has decided to stop saying 'God bless America' rather than face an expensive court battle. Glenview Elementary School in Haddon Heights will no longer say 'God bless America' after the morning recital of the Pledge of Allegiance. The school received a letter from the ACLU saying that the phrase, which started shortly after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, is unconstitutional and would make it harder for non-religious parents to raise their children as they see fit. Scroll down for video Students had a tradition of saying 'God bless America' after the morning Pledge of Alliance in Glenview Elementary but the ACLU has put a stop to it Parents at the school were upset at the change and one parent said her daughter will say it anyway - students are allowed to say the phrase on their own as it would constitute free speech Principal Sam Sassano told CBS Philly that the saying was not obligatory, nor did it have religious connotations, it was just a way to honor fallen 9/11 first responders. Plenty of parents were angry at the change. 'As a parent, my daughter is going to keep saying it,' mom Debbie Krezel told the outlet. 'It's not religious. It's not preaching God to anybody. It's patriotic and its respectful.' Glenview Elementary School in Haddon Heights, NJ (above) will no longer encourage students to say 'God Bless America' 'It never, to us, invoked any type of religious intentions. It was basically a patriotic gesture that the boys and girls were doing,' Sassano said. 'There's nothing being forced on my child. The fact that the ACLU is doing this is ridiculous,' said mother Jamie Monagan. Tribe leaders have demanded protesters occupying a nature reserve in Oregon 'get the hell out of here' as they claimed the disputed federal land should be under their control. The Burns Paiute tribe said they were 'dragged' from their land in the 1870s and that they have a greater claim to the land than the protesters, led by the Bundy family. The tribe, who have used the 'sacred site' for as long as 6,000 years, accused the demonstrators of 'desecrating' the reserve and called for them to leave immediately. The group of about 20 protesters, overseen by Ammon Bundy, have been occupying Malheur National Wildlife Refuge for four days in protest over federal ownership of the land. They are fearful that the FBI could launch a raid on the building they are holed up in but said they are willing to give their lives to 'defend freedom'. Scroll down for video The Burns Paiute tribe demanded protesters (protest leader Ammon Bundy, center) occupying a nature reserve in Oregon leave as they claimed the disputed federal land should be under their control The group of about 20 protesters, overseen by Ammon Bundy (pictured talking to the Press on Wednesday), have been occupying Malheur National Wildlife Refuge for four days The Burns Paiute tribe (tribe chairman Charlotte Rodrique pictured) said they were 'dragged' from their land in the 1870s and that they have a greater claim to the land than the protesters Charlotte Rodrique, chairman of the Burns Paiute tribe, said: 'I just think they're a bunch of glory hounds. I don't give much credence to their cause. 'The protesters have no right to this land. It belongs to the native people who live here. There was never an agreement that we were giving up this land. We were dragged out of here. 'Armed protesters don't belong here. We have no sympathy for those who are trying to take the land from its rightful owners.' Ms Rodrique added that the refuge was vital to the tribe because it is a source for handicrafts and also contains medicinal plants. She added that tribe members were worried about the protesters 'desecrating one of our sacred sites'. She told The Oregonian that the tribe still see the reserve as 'our land no matter who's living on it', but said they had a good relationship with the federal authorities who have protected their 'cultural rights'. Rodrique added: 'We don't want people who have no interest in this country at all in here, ramrodding their way through things and possibly being destructive.' Live free or die: Arizona rancher LaVoy Finicum, holding rifle, speaks to reporters at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, on Tuesday near Burns, Oregon. Finicum said Tuesday: 'There are things more important than your life and freedom is one of them. I'm prepared to defend freedom.' Leader of the group: Ammon Bundy, one of the sons of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, speaks during an interview at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Tuesday, January 5, 2016, near Burns, Oregon The tribal council's sergeant at arms Jarvis Kennedy said the demonstrators' claims that they wanted to take back the land to create logging and farming jobs was false. 'We don't got no jobs here. But we don't need them to back us up,' he said. 'They just need to get the hell out of here, I'm sorry. Because we didn't ask them here. We don't want them here ... This community is hard-working.' The tribe signed a treaty with the federal government in 1868 stating that the authorities must protect the natives, but they claim it did not express permission for the government to take control of the land. The Bundy family and their group of protesters initiated the stand off at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge after claiming the land should be returned to ranchers. The band of farmers are fearing a raid by the FBI and many of them said they are prepared to fight to stand their ground. When asked if he would rather be killed than arrested, Arizona rancher LaVoy Finicum told NBC he had 'no intention of spending any of' his days in a jail cell. 'There are things more important than your life and freedom is one of them,' he said. 'I'm prepared to defend freedom.' Finicum's bold statement came just hours after he expressed hope that the standoff would end soon so that he could return to his ranch. 'I need to get home,' he said earlier Tuesday. 'I got cows that are scattered and lost.' The elements: With the weather well below freezing Tuesday night, Finicum kept warm by hiding under a blue tarp The FBI in Portland referred calls to the Harney County Joint Information Center, which said in a statement it had no information on arrests or arrest warrants and that authorities were 'still working on a peaceful resolution.' The leader of the ground, Ammon Bundy, said they would take a defensive position anticipating a possible raid. Late Tuesday, the group moved a large plow vehicle to block the refuge's driveway. Bundy told reporters Tuesday the group would leave when there was a plan in place to turn over federal lands to locals - a common refrain in a decades-long fight over public lands in the West. 'It is our goal to get the logger back to logging, the rancher back to ranching,' said the son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who was involved in a high-profile 2014 standoff with the government over grazing rights. Holding their ground: The group fears a possible FBI raid, and says they are prepared to defend their positions. Above, a manned watch tower is shown at sunrise Tuesday, January 5, 2016, near Burns, Oregon Overnight, there were also reports that Bundy had made a comparison between his group's struggle and the civil rights movement, specifically likening themselves to Rosa Parks in a Twitter post. But MSNC reporter Tony Dokoupil revealed on Wednesday that the account is in fact a parody. 'People, Ammon Bundy is not operating a twitter account. I stood with him last night as tweets supposedly from him went out,' the reporter wrote on Twitter Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, a report surfaced calling into question the anti-government stances of the leader of Bundy. According to public records, Bundy took a $530,000 loan from the federal government in 2010 for his Arizona truck maitenance company. When confronted with the fact, Bundy claimed that it was not a conflict of his current political protest. 'I am not anti-government...there is a role for government and that the federal government's role is to protect the states from the outside world,' he said, according to CNN. 'And the state's role is to protect the counties from the federal government - and the county's role is to protect the people from the state so the people can go about freely using their lands and resources and their rights. ... So there's a role, but all government's role is to serve the people. Whenever those governments step out, then that's when we step in.' The younger Bundy's anti-government group is critical of federal land stewardship. But environmentalists and others say U.S. officials should keep control for the broadest possible benefit to business, recreation and the environment. Randy Eardley, a Bureau of Land Management spokesman, said the group's call for land ownership transfer didn't make sense. 'It is frustrating when I hear the demand that we return the land to the people, because it is in the people's hand - the people own it,' Eardley said. 'Everybody in the United States owns that land. ... We manage it the best we can for its owners, the people, and whether it's for recreating, for grazing, for energy and mineral development.' Bob Sallinger, conservation director of the Audubon Society of Portland, said in a statement this week that occupation of the refuge 'holds hostage public lands and public resources to serve the very narrow political agenda of the occupiers.' The group is in their fourth day occupying a government building on the wildlife preserve. Above, an American flag is shown at the entrance to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters on Tuesday Protest: Jon Ritzheimer, of Arizona, a member of the group occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters, adjusts on sign Tuesday The armed group seized the refuge's headquarters Saturday night. Bundled in camouflage, earmuffs and cowboy hats, they seem to be centered around a complex of buildings on the 300-square-mile high desert preserve. Finicum said the power was still on at buildings at the refuge. 'If they cut it off, that would be such a crying shame. All the pipes would freeze,' he said. Ammon Bundy offered few specifics about the group's plan to get the land turned over to local control, but Finicum said they would examine the underlying land ownership transactions to begin to 'unwind it.' The federal government controls about half of all land in the West, which would make the wholesale transfer of ownership extremely difficult and expensive. For example, it owns 53 per cent of Oregon, 85 per cent of Nevada and 66 per cent of Utah, according to the Congressional Research Service. Taking over federal public lands in Idaho could cost the state $111million a year, according to a University of Idaho study. Bundy said the group felt it had the support of the local community. But the county sheriff has told the group to go home, and many locals don't want them around, fearing they may bring trouble. Get out: Not all in the rural community are happy that their home has made the national news. Above, a sign referencing the occupation in front of a local home on Tuesday A community meeting was scheduled for Wednesday. Harney County Sheriff David Ward said in a statement the meeting was to 'talk about their security concerns and the disruptions that the behavior of the militants on the refuge are causing for our people.' So far, law enforcement hasn't taken action against the group, whose rallying cry is the imprisonment of father-and-son ranchers who set fire to federal land. The group calling itself Citizens for Constitutional Freedom said it wants an inquiry into whether the government is forcing ranchers off their land after Dwight Hammond and his son, Steven, reported back to prison Monday. The Hammonds, who have distanced themselves from the group, were convicted of arson three years ago and served no more than a year. A judge later ruled the terms fell short of minimum sentences that require them to serve about four more years. Police closed off the main entrance to Chancellor Angela Merkel's office in Berlin on Wednesday after a suspicious object was reported, but they found nothing dangerous. A sniffer dog alerted officials during a routine check of mail arriving at the chancellery on Wednesday morning, but explosives experts declared it safe later in the day. Ms Merkel remained in the building in downtown Berlin, which was not evacuated, and chaired a regular Cabinet meeting Wednesday morning. Taking no risks: Eyewitnesses and photographs from the scene showed four plastic yellow postal crates in the cordoned off area outside the Berlin office of German Chancellor Angela Merkel Photographs from the scene show four plastic yellow postal crates in the cordoned off area outside the main entrance of the German Federal Chancellery. The 'suspicious package' was discovered during a routine security check at the entrance of the Chancellery, a police spokesperson said. The Chancellery in Berlin is one of the largest government headquarters in the world, and although it has a semi-official 'Chancellor apartment', Ms Merkel lives in a private flat at a separate location. Ms Merkel has come under fire over her open border policy on migration, which has seen Germany welcome 1.1million refugees and migrants this year - more than any other EU country. No fear: Angela Merkel arrives for the weekly cabinet meeting on Wednesday morning despite the police tape and 'suspicious package' outside the main entrance of the Chancellery Mystery boxes: Germany's Federal Police has released limited information about the incident, with a spokesperson confirming that they are 'investigating a suspicious package' Yesterday, a number of right wing political parties rounded on the Chancellor after 1,000 men of 'Arab and North African origin' were said to have carried out a wave of sexual assaults in Cologne. German police are hunting for the men, who are accused of rape and numerous sexual assaults at Cologne's main train station, next to the city's famous cathedral on New Year's Eve. About 90 women have reported being raped, robbed, threatened or sexually molested at the New Year's celebrations by young, mostly drunk, men, police said Tuesday. The incident has stirred strong emotions in Germany and has fuelled calls by right-wing groups to halt the admission of immigrants. The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has gained in polls in part at Merkel's expense thanks to a campaign against refugees, said she should close the border. Michelle Meadows Lavars' son was recovering from surgery when he had a boost in spirits the day before Christmas - he received acceptance to the university he had applied to. The family's celebration of the good news from Victoria University was short lived. His excitement, along with that of about 14,500 other hopefuls who received acceptance messages, was dashed when the university issued an email after the New Year, saying the acceptance message had been a mistake. Meadows Lavars was not the only person to use social media to slam Victoria University Michelle Meadows Lavars called the university's mistake a 'horrible, horrible error' Victoria University (pictured) in Melbourne sent out thousands of enrolment acceptance messages on Christmas Eve - only to revoke them this week People affected by the recall of the acceptance messages have slammed Victoria University Ms Meadows Lavars shared her anger at the mistake on the university's Facebook page, saying her son had been on an 'emotional rollercoaster', and she was not alone in slamming the institution. Heidi Jackson wrote: 'Poor form Vic Uni, poor form. So how many desperate and driven students received email offers in error? Shame on you....' Lola Lopez also posted, saying: 'As someone who was a recipient of one of those emails, I am bitterly disappointed. It's a cruel joke to play on someone.' Pamela Dean said she hoped someone 'got their butt kicked' for the mistake, while Kaylene Holmes asked if the university had been hacked. A number of people have taken to the Victoria University Facebook page to complain about the mistake This woman suggested the acceptance letters that were revoked were some sort of cruel joke This Facebook user suggested the mistake reflected badly on the university's Bachelor of Information Technology course The university posted several messages apologising for the mistake after people criticised it online The university responded to several of the posts on Facebook, apologising each time. Another woman, Amanda Dumesny, 29, told The Age of her humiliation at finding out she had not actually been accepted. She had applied for a undergraduate course and, believing she had got in, told friends and family. 'All my family and friends that I told over the Christmas holiday, 'hey I am going to go to Victoria University, I am so excited for my course', I am now losing face in front of them,' she said. When she talked to the institution, she received a 'dismissive' response and said it did not realise the impact on those affected. Amanda Dumesny said she was humilited at finding out she had not actually been accepted Ms Dumesny she received a 'dismissive' response and said it did not realise the impact on those affected Once the university had been notified of the mistake email by students on Monday, it had 'acted immediately', the Courier Mail reported. While it would not confirm how many of the emails were sent out, it was thought to be about 14,500. The recall message reportedly said 'We regret to advise that this email was sent as a result of a system error. All applications are still being assessed by our admissions team'. Acting vice-chancellor Professor Kerri-Lee Krause said the institution apologised for the error and any confusion it might have caused. '[Victoria University] looks forward to issuing course offers in the coming weeks after thorough assessment of applications, and wishes all students well in their chosen studies,' she told the Courier Mail. It's a mystery of British aviation that has haunted historians and pilots alike for 75 years. But now one historian claims to know how Amy Johnson, the first female pilot to fly solo from Britain to Australia, died. Dr Alec Gill claims Amy's death was intentionally covered up after she was sucked into the propeller of the ship trying to rescue her. Pioneer Aviator Amy Johnson was the first woman to fly solo from Britain to Australia. One historian now believes her death was a cover up after a failed rescue mission after she crashed in the Thames Estuary Dr Alec Gill (pictured) claims Amy died when she was sucked into a boat propeller in a failed rescue attempt Amy died in 1941 after her plane crashed in the Thames Estuary. Her body was never recovered and her death remains a mystery to this day. However, one witness on board HMS Haslemere, the converted ferry that attempted to rescue her, remembered the ship's engines being reversed, which may have caused Johnson to be pulled into the propellers. 'This ship should have gone down in history as the vessel that saved her life,' said Dr Gill. 'Instead, historians are now beginning to conclude that the propellers of the Haslemere killed her.' Dr Gill believes after the gruesome death, the details were deliberately covered up. Amy's route: The 11,000-mile trip took Amy from Croydon, UK, through the Middle East and Asia to her final destination of Darwin in northern Australia. Amy had no lights, radio or fuel gauge to help her navigate Front page: The pioneer's tragic death in 1941 was reported in the Daily Mail paper's January 7th edition Amy was given a 10,000 cheque from the Daily Mail for her trip from Croydon, UK, to Darwin, Australia 'The Royal Navy did not want to admit to the Royal Air Force - or indeed a nation at war - that they had killed Britain's favourite female pilot,' Dr gill said. There was no inquest into Amy's death because her body was never recovered. Amy began flying In 1928 when she joined the London Aeroplane Club, but was told after her first lesson that she would never make a flier. She ignored the criticism and gained her pilots licence, becoming Britains first qualified woman ground engineer. Amy was given financial help to buy a two-year-old the de Havilland Gipsy Moth biplane for 600. The aircraft, which she named Jason, had no lights, radio or fuel gauge. Flying solo: Amy Johnson, pictured by her plane in Calcutta, India, during her 1930s solo flight round the world Famous: Her plane Jason, a De Havilland Gipsy Moth, was donated to the Science Museum in London She challenged herself to beat the 15-day record set by Bert Hinkler for the solo flight from Britain to Australia even though her longest flight to date had been two hours from London to Hull. After breaking multiple flying records, at the age of 37 she disappeared. HULL'S HIGH-FLYING HEROINE Amy Johnson was born in 1903 just before the Wright brothers introduced the world to aviation Daughter of a Hull fish merchant and married to pilot Jim Mollison She enrolled in flight school and became Britains first qualified woman ground engineer, despite being told she would never be a flier She flew in World War II as part of the Air Transport Auxiliary Amy was 26 when she flew solo to Australia in 1930 The 11,000-mile trip from Croydon to Darwin was completed in 19 days The second-hand plane named Jason cost 600, paid for by her father and oil tycoon Lord Wakefield Jason was a de Havilland Gipsy Moth biplane and is now on display in the Science Museum in London Amy set a string of records, including a solo flight from London to Cape Town, Moscow and Japan She died on January 5, 1941 after her plane crashed into the Thames Estuary The plane she was delivering to the RAF crashed off Herne Bay, Kent. Her body was never found She was 37 when she died Advertisement This week marks the 75th anniversary of her death, which kicks off a massive month-long festival in Hull later this year to celebrate Amy's life and record-breaking flights. However, the festivities are marred by a controversy separate from the new claim about her death. The city has asked for Jason, which was donated to the Science Museum in London and remains there today, to be displayed at the Amy Johnson Festival. The aircraft was due to form the centrepiece of the event, which they hope will attract 100,000 visitors to the city this summer, but the museum has refused to hand over the plane. Despite an offer to cover all costs involved in the loan, the Science Museum has still declined the request. Museum chiefs expressed concerns that the historic plane may not be looked after properly in Hull and complained about security and costs. Festival director Rick Welton said: 'Given Amy Johnson flew the plane to Australia you would think we could get it 200 miles from London to Hull without all this fuss. 'I was so cross at their response. It felt like we were being treated as an ignorant bunch of Northerners. 'Clearly, no one is going to nick Amy Johnson's plane. It can't even fly. It is hanging on the third floor of the Science Museum. They got it in there so they must be able to get it out again. 'We have also offered to raise funds to pay for all costs. So it is silly to say it is too expensive and cannot be done.' Nancy Grace has insisted the filmmakers behind Making a Murderer have got it wrong and says when she saw the documentary she was 'deeply disturbed'. It comes as the prosecutor in the case revealed that Steven Avery was planning to create a torture chamber and says he claimed that burning a body was the best way to remove DNA evidence. The 10-episode Netflix series revolves around the murder of freelance photographer Teresa Halbach, 25, in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. TV host and legal expert Nancy Grace, left, has hit out at the programme Making a Murderer for portraying convicted killer Steven Avery, right, as innocent Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey were convicted in March 2007 and have remained imprisoned since. However, the series has raised questions over the convictions and has prompted nearly 250,000 to sign petitions demanding the pair's release. But TV host and legal expert Ms Grace has hit out at the programme for portraying Avery as innocent saying it is misleading viewers. Speaking on Morning Express with Robin Meade, she said: 'When I saw this so called documentary I was deeply disturbed. Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey were convicted in March 2007 of the murder of Theresa Halbach and have remained imprisoned since None of Halbach's (pictured) DNA was ever discovered inside of Avery's home, where the prosecution claimed she was raped and shot in the head 'I studied the Halbach disappearance and murder when it happened and I had the chance to get Avery on the stand and grill him. 'And I grilled him like a steak on the grill and asked him about his own theory about what happened and he couldn't answer. 'Why couldn't he answer? Because he was lying.' She also claims that the Netflix show left out significant details regarding Avery's prosecution and says the documentary is all about him 'whining' he has been the victim of a miscarriage of justice. Ms Grace added: 'There were hardly any details regarding guilt. 'Granted there was a miscarriage of justice when he was behind bars on a sexual assault charge. Ken Krat, the former Calmut County district attorney, who also says the show left out vital information 'But does this mean he shouldn't be convicted of Holbach's murder because of that?' Her comments come as others who believe the convictions were correct are fighting back claiming the popular show purposely excluded evidence which painted Avery in a bad light. According to those close to the case, this evidence includes the fact Avery met Halbach wearing just a towel and called her three times on the day she disappeared. And according to Ken Kratz, the ex-Calumet County District Attorney, who prosecuted Avery, the show has left out vital information. In an email to TheWrap.com, Mr Kratz claims that when Avery first served time in prison, he told an inmate that he was planning on building a 'torture chamber' on his release so he could rape, torture and kill young women. The former prosecutors also said the fellow inmate revealed that Avery told him the best way to get rid of a body was to 'burn it' because the heat destroys DNA evidence. Avery had been in prison for 18 years when DNA evidence exonerated him of a sexual assault conviction in 1985. He was released in 2003 and, two years later, sought $36million from Manitowoc County for the wrongful conviction. Less than a month after the federal lawsuit was filed, Avery was charged with first-degree intentional homicide for the murder of Halbach. Avery's defense argued that Manitowoc officers who were in the middle of being deposed in his lawsuit were also involved in the gathering of evidence for the Halbach murder and may have framed him. Avery was released in 2003 on a sex assault conviction and, two years later, sought $36m from Manitowoc County. It was then that he was tied to the murder of Halbach Brendan Dassey, Avery's 16-year-old nephew, then confessed to sexually assaulting Halbach and cutting her throat on his uncle's orders. He later said the confession was coerced. None of Halbach's DNA was ever discovered inside of Avery's home, where the prosecution claimed she was raped and shot in the head. Avery was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Dassey was also given a life sentence but has a chance for early release in 2048. Netflix's Making a Murderer became an instant hit when it was released December 18. It received glowing reviews from critics and celebrities alike, who took to Twitter to share the number of hours they had binged and to beg their followers to watch. 'I can't stop watching,' wrote Mandy Moore. 'It's crushing but utterly spellbinding.' 'Never mind an Emmy or an Oscar...Making a Murderer deserves a Nobel Prize,' tweeted Ricky Gervais. The brother of the prominent Shiite cleric executed in Saudi Arabia has blamed US President Barack Obama for failing to prevent his death. Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr's execution has inflamed tensions in the Middle East and sparked a deterioration in diplomatic relations between Sunni-led Saudi Arabia and Shiite-ruled Iran. Now his brother, Mohammed Al-Nimr, has blamed Obama for failing to use his influence with the Saudi government. Mohammed Al-Nimr (pictured) has blamed Barack Obama for failing to use his influence with the Saudi government to prevent the execution of his brother Nimr al-Nimr Mohammed Al-Nimr said he asked US officials to urge Barack Obama (pictured) to speak out publicly against the planned execution of his brother - but the US 'limited themselves to general statements from the State Department' In an interview with Yahoo News, he said: 'I am sorry to say that the American government did not offer to make any efforts on this, although they knew the danger of this action and the repercussions. 'We asked very clearly for the American president to intervene as a friend of Saudi Arabia - and the Americans did not intervene.' He said he urged the US consulate in Dharan, Saudi Arabia to ask Obama to speak out against the death sentence but that the US 'limited themselves to general statements from the State Department'. Yahoo News reports that businessman Mohammed al-Nimr, who was speaking from eastern Saudi Arabia, is himself a Shiite political dissident and that his son Ali al-Nimr, is also facing a death sentence in the country. Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr's execution has inflamed tensions in the Middle East He is increasingly concerned that his son Ali faces the same fate, but called on 'political energy' in the hope Saudi Arabia's allies will intervene. Ali was arrested as a 17-year-old during street protests as the Arab Spring was unfolding in 2011. 'I am certain that if somebody like Obama calls for the release of Ali al-Nimr, Ali would be set free,' he told the website. The White House reportedly declined to comment on Mohammed al-Nimr's remarks but a senior administration official told Yahoo News that it had spoken to the Saudi government about the cases of Nimr and Ali al-Nimr and asked them 'to ensure fair trial and appeal guarantees and transparent judicial proceedings in all cases.' International concern has continued to mount since the execution over the weekend. The crisis between Saudi Arabia and Iran widened on Tuesday when Kuwait recalled its ambassador to Tehran and Bahrain severed air links with the Islamic republic. Joining Riyadh and its Sunni Arab allies in taking diplomatic action, Kuwait said it was withdrawing its envoy following an arson attack at the Saudi embassy in Tehran. The violence came after Saudi Arabia's execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent Shiite cleric accused of fomenting sedition in the Sunni-ruled kingdom. Iran condemned the killing again on Tuesday, with Rouhani accusing Riyadh of seeking to 'cover its crime' by severing ties. Iranian protestors surrounded the Saudi Arabia embassy in Tehran, Iran on January 2 amid a backlash over the execution of the prominent Shiite cleric The United States and other Western powers have called for calm amid fears the dispute could raise sectarian tensions across the Middle East and derail efforts to resolve bloody conflicts in Syria and Yemen. There were protests in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Bahrain and Pakistan after Nimr's execution. Iraq's top Shiite authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, said the execution was an unjustified act of aggression. BMA supposed to be 'apolitical' but some say it is 'politically motivated' One said: 'Now we can all vote Labour again' when he became leader A driving force behind the doctors' strike said Nazi Joseph Goebbels would be 'proud' of Tory 'lies' over the NHS, it was revealed today. Dr Kailash Chand, deputy chairman of the British Medical Association, is also a Labour member and is among other leading figures who belong to the party and support Jeremy Corbyn. At one point he nicknamed Simon Burns, a health minister between 2010 and 2012, 'Goebbels' and later said even Hitler's propaganda minister would be 'turning in his grave' about Tory lies. Critics have said the Labour links to the top of the BMA prove that the series of walkouts starting on Tuesday are 'politically motivated'. And came as junior doctors made an extraordinary plea for hard-Left trade union leaders to join them picketing hospitals when they go on strike next week. Comparison: Dr Kailash Chand, deputy chairman of the British Medical Association, said that Tory 'lies' on the NHS, led by Jeremy Hunt, right, and other policy areas would even shame the Nazi propaganda machine Message: Dr Chand has repeatedly labelled Tories like 'Goebbels' and he is one of two senior council members who are Labour members Supporter: Labour member Dr Tom Dolphin backed Mr Corbuyn and told him in a tweet: 'The Labour Party must build on the surge of support you bring with you to take on the Tories' Dr Chand is one of two senior member of BMA's council who are Labour members while at least four more outspoken members have sympathised with the party and Jeremy Corbyn. He has also been outspoken on the need for a strike saying Jeremy Hunt 'has left them no choice' and also claims contracts offered to junior doctors are 'unfair and unsustainable'. BMA council member Jacky Davis, a consultant radiologist, supported and spoke at a Jeremy Corbyn fundraiser, according to the Telegraph, and also tweeted: 'Now we can all vote Labour again' when he was elected leader. Fellow member David Wrigley tweeted that with Corbyn in charge of Labour: 'We can beat the Tories & make this country great again'. Clive Peedell, a BMA council member and co-chair of the NHS Consultants Association who stood against David Cameron in his Witney constituency in May, tweeted: 'Labour members have got their party back' when Jeremy Corbyn was elected in September. London consultant and Labour member Tom Dolphin, urged Twitter followers to vote Labour and said in a tweet to Jeremy Corbyn: 'The Labour Party must build on the surge of support you bring with you to take on the Tories.' And Yannis Gourtsoyannis, a member of the BMA's junior doctors committee, posted on the BMA website: 'A victory for the Junior Doctors would signify the first real crack in the entire edifice of austerity in the UK' - the key plank of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership. He has also written for a number of socialist publications. Dr Mark Porter, chairman of the BMA, has said that Tory plans for a seven-day service when a doctor can be seen any day are 'very wasteful'. The BMA announced on Monday that they will stage three successive walkouts starting next week each one creating progressively more chaos for the NHS. Critics: Dr Mark Porter, chairman of the BMA who earns 171,692 a year, has called the Tory NHs reforms 'very wasteful' and Clive Peedell, a BMA council member, tweeted: 'Labour members have got their party back' when Jeremy Corbyn was elected in September Criticism: Mr Peedell stood against David Cameron in his constituency in May and blames the Tories for mismanagement of the NHS Thousands of operations and appointments will be cancelled and patients will be warned to avoid A&E and treat themselves at home. Up to 45,000 junior doctors are expected to take part in the protests and nurses and consultants will be relied upon to stand in for them. The first walkout will begin at 8am next Tuesday January 12 with doctors only treating emergency cases for a 24-hour period. This will be followed by another 48-hour 'emergency-only' walkout on January 26. The action will culminate in an all-out 'no cover' strike on February 10, when doctors will completely desert their patients for the first time in the NHS's history. The BMA claims that it is an 'apolitical' organisation but critics have said that some leaders are 'politically motivated'. Andrea Jenkyns, a Tory on the health select committee, told the Telegraph: 'I am appalled by the language used by Dr Chand. I would expect the BMA to engage in a constructive and positive manner rather than politically motivated mud-slinging.' In response a BMA spokesman said: 'The BMA is an apolitical organisation. 'The call for industrial action was made by junior doctors themselves, with 98 per cent voting in favour of taking action, demonstrating the strength of feeling amongst the profession against government proposals that are unsafe and unfair.' Left-wing: Yannis Gourtsoyannis, a member of the BMA's junior doctors committee, is a union member and anti-austerity campaigner and Jacky Davis is a backer of Jeremy Corbyn Vocal: Ms Davis has accused the Tories of lies and a cover-up as it faces strikes by junior doctors The BMA has insisted it is opposing Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt's changes to working hours for junior doctors on the grounds they would be harmful to patient safety. But in an explosive memo to the leaders of other trade unions revealed last night, doctors' leaders admit there is a political motive at the heart of the row. The statement, placed on the BMA's website, is headed: 'To our fellow workers, trade unionists and activists: we need you!' It appeals for supporters of other unions to join them on the picket lines which patients will have to cross when seeking care next week. The article, written by Dr Yannis Gourtsoyannis, a member of BMA Junior Doctors Committee National Executive, says: 'There is no way that we can win this on our own. We need all concerned citizens, activists and trade unionists to stand alongside us in this fight. 'We are in no doubt that [George] Osborne, [David] Cameron and Hunt will use the proposed doctor's contract as a tool for achieving the destruction of safe terms and conditions throughout the NHS and throughout the public sector. 'The Conservative Party is attempting to stretch the NHS into an ostensibly seven-day elective service whilst simultaneously launching the biggest assault on NHS resources in its history. The politics of austerity represents a clear and present danger to the nation's health. 'A victory for the junior doctors would signify the first real crack in the entire edifice of austerity in the UK.' Last night the plea was condemned as 'desperate' by patient groups. There were also signs of alarm among junior doctors about the impact of the strike on patients. The row centres on Mr Hunt's proposed new contract for junior doctors which involves more evening and weekend work for less money. He wants to increase out-of-hours staffing levels to prevent 11,000 needless deaths a year. To do this, he has to curb the number of hours doctors could work at more lucrative anti-social hours rates. In return, however, he has promised to increase their base salaries by up to 11 per cent. Up to 45,000 junior doctors are expected to take part in the protests and nurses and consultants will be relied upon to stand in for them The BMA has appealed for supporters of other unions to join them on the picket lines, which patients will have to cross when seeking care next week The head of the Mid Staffs inquiry Sir Robert Francis whose report revealed that woeful care at Stafford Hospital led to the deaths of up to 1,200 patients has urged doctors to abandon strike plans. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he warned that patient safety would be compromised and public confidence would be shaken if it went ahead. He said junior doctors would be 'deceiving' themselves' in pursuit of 'destructive' strikes and pleaded with them to 'think long and hard' before they walk out. Roger Goss, of Patient Concern, described the plea for other unions to man the picket lines alongside the doctors as 'desperate'. He said the NHS still worked to 'standard office hours' rather than 24/7. Joyce Robins, also of Patient Concern, said of the strike: 'It will have a very serious effect on patients. People will suffer.' In signs that support for the strike was waning, some doctors expressed their concerns. Rachel Oates, a junior doctor training to be a GP, spoke of her 'frustration'. Writing on Facebook, she said: 'I don't feel enough notice was given. I have patients booked. These are people who have been waiting weeks for an appointment.' James Norman, who practises in London, admitted he would find it difficult to tell patients why he was deserting them. 'Were I to be on a picket line tomorrow I do not feel I could explain why we were striking, which may lead to some awkward discussions with patients today.' Lieutenant Commander David Balme, who seized a top-secret Enigma machine while storming a captured German U-Boat, has died aged 95. He is pictured on HMS Bulldog The Royal Navy Officer who seized a top-secret Enigma machine while storming a captured German U-Boat has died aged 95. Lieutenant Commander David Balme, who died on Sunday, was credited with helping to shorten the Second World War by two years after he led the boarding party that raided Nazi boat Greenland in 1941. He was said to have had no idea what the 'funny' instrument was when he initially picked it up - but his mission enabled British intelligence experts to secretly intercept and decipher signals sent from Germany to its submarines for the remainder of the War. Sir Winston Churchill later credited the code-breaking operation, which sometimes cracked 6,000 messages a day, with saving lives across Europe and giving Britain the crucial edge in battle. But the top-secret nature of their work meant Lt Cmdr Balme's role in the operation's success stayed on the classified list for decades. David Edward Balme was born in Kensington, west London, on October 1, 1920. He joined Dartmouth Naval College in 1934 and served as a midshipman in the Mediterranean in the Spanish Civil War before being reassigned to the destroyer Ivanhoe in 1939. Balme was appointed to the destroyer HMS Bulldog, which he described as a 'happy little ship', as her navigator in the early 1940s. It was while he was serving on this ship that he came across the German submarine. It was midday on May 9, 1941 when he was ordered to 'get whatever' he could from the U-110. After rowing across to it, he made his way to the conning tower and had to holster his pistol in order to climb down three ladders to the control room. Recalling the incident many years later, he said: 'Both my hands were occupied and I was a sitting target for anyone down below.' He was said to have had no idea what the 'funny' instrument was when he initially picked it up. Above, an Enigma coding machine Finding no-one aboard, Lt Cmdr Balme and fellow members of the boarding party spent six hours searching the submarine and found a device that resembled a typewriter as well as code books. The 'typewriter', which was actually an 'unbreakable' code machine designed by the Germans to protect military communications, proved invaluable to Alan Turing and his team of code-breakers at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire. After the war, Lt Cmdr Balme married his wife Susan in 1947 and they had three children. He was said to enjoy hunting and was also a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron. His significance in the Allie's victory was not revealed until the Seventies, when the secrecy shrouding Bletchley Park and the code-breakers' work finally began to lift. He was presented with a Bletchley badge and a certificate signed by Prime Minister David Cameron and local MP Julian Lewis. Last night Dr Lewis paid tribute to the former sailor, who kept the U-boat commander's cap and binoculars as souvenirs. His mission enabled British intelligence experts to secretly intercept and decipher signals sent from Germany to its submarines for the remainder of the War. Above, workers in 'decoding' huts at Bletchley Park In 1999 Lt Cmdr Balme condemned a Hollywood attempt to re-write history after it was revealed that a 55million film shot in Rome and Malta suggested that the Enigma device was captured by an American destroyer in the Mediterranean. Above, a shot from the film He said: 'Having learned of the vital capture of the Enigma coding equipment from the U-110 when studying wartime history I was delighted to discover that the brave young officer responsible was one of my constituents. 'David had thought that the story of what he had done could never be known. I am proud to have counted him as a friend MP Julian Lewis 'Only when the breaking of Enigma was revealed did he get the full recognition, which he richly deserved, for his achievements. 'He played a crucial role in the winning of the Battle of the Atlantic at a very young age and I am proud to have counted him as a friend.' Lt Cmdr Balme lived in Lymington , Hampshire, before moving to a nursing home in nearby Milford on Sea. In 1999 he condemned a Hollywood attempt to re-write history after it was revealed that a 55million film shot in Rome and Malta suggested that the Enigma device was captured by an American destroyer in the Mediterranean. He said: 'Rome and Malta make for better scenery than Greenland and Scapa Flow but Enigma was among the greatest British triumphs of the war. 'It's wrong to pretend the Americans were responsible. People don't like that sort of thing.' The execution of a female journalist in ISIS's 'capital' Raqqa was kept secret for months so jihadists could use her Facebook account to trap other activists. Ruqia Hassan Mohammed, 30, was accused of being a spy and murdered by ISIS in September, but her family were only told of her death last week. It has now emerged that ISIS jihadists hacked her Facebook account, and maintained it for months after her death in a bid to trap other opponents, according local activist group. Scroll down for video Journalist: Ms Hassan's family were only informed of her death three days ago and were told she was found guilty of carrying out counts of espionage 'Her Facebook account remained open in order to entrap friends who communicated with her,' a member of Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently told the Independent. He added that ISIS had continued to access Ms Hassan's social media accounts until as recently as last week, sending messages to her friends and contacts claiming that she was still alive. Writing under the pen name Nissan Ibrahim, Ms Hassan, a Syrian-born Kurd, often posted information about the daily lives of residents living under ISIS in its Syrian stronghold of Raqqa. It is believed that the young journalist was first arrested by ISIS militants last summer, with her last Twitter post was on July 21 last year. 'Go ahead and cut off the internet, our messenger pigeons won't complain,' Ms Hassan wrote for the final time, maintaining her good sense of humour and hope even during the most difficult of times. Murdered: Ruqia Hassan regularly posted information about the daily lives of residents living under ISIS in its Syrian stronghold of Raqqa Her family were only informed of her death four days ago and were told she was found guilty of carrying out counts of espionage. ISIS has been carrying out a ruthless murder campaign to silence anyone who might be speaking out against their rule or providing intelligence information about their movements in Raqqa. The jihadi group has previously posted videos showing the execution of members from Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently. Several members of the group have also been assassinated in Turkey by ISIS militants. ISIS's latest video showed a British fighter taking part in the execution of five Syrian men accused of carrying out acts of espionage. Executions: The terror group's captives (pictured), dressed in orange jumpsuits, were filmed 'confessing' in Arabic to spying for British security service Warning: ISIS also threatened David Cameron in the video in which it executes five suspected spies (pictured) Each of the men are forced to give an account of why they were charged with spying. The victims give their names and briefly discuss the details of their so-called offences presumably under duress. Although their identities could not be verified, among them was Umaar Hamud al-Ja'far, 30, from Raqqa, who said he supplied information about the city's topography. Another victim, Ubi Muhammad Abdul Ghani, 26, said he undertook covert surveillance. Faisal Hamud al-Ja'far, 25, said he was also from Raqqa and stated he was paid money to open an internet cafe in the city. There are now fears the upcoming carnival will be scene of similar assaults Police fear the violence in Cologne may be linked to a known criminal gang who use sexual assault as a means of distraction, as more than 100 women have so far reported being assaulted. Two more victims have spoken out today on German TV, after they were sexually assaulted and attacked with fireworks during the city's New Year's Eve celebrations. One woman, known only as Jenny, suffered serious burns when a firework was shoved into the hood she was wearing. 'I heard a sizzling sound in my hood,' said Jenny. 'I somehow tried to get the firecracker out of the hood. Then it fell into my jacket and burned everything.' She added: 'The scars will be permanent. I was lucky that it didnt explode.' Scroll down for video 'Scarred for life': A victim of the Cologne New Year's Eve attacks, known only as Jenny (pictured), was left with horrific burns on her shoulder after a firework was shoved into the hoodie she was wearing Horrific: Jenny shows photographs of the serious burns that she suffered on her shoulder, after a firecracker was pushed inside her hood during the New Year's Eve attacks in Cologne Police say the wave of attacks were perpetrated by groups of 'Arab or North African' men in the city centre, in what they described as a 'new dimension in crime'. Another distressed victim, who did not want to be identified, told Euronews: We were fondled, I was groped between my legs. My friends were also fondled. My boyfriend tried to pull me away. There was quite a big group of people, maybe thirty or forty,' But Cologne's mayor Henriette Reker has insisted that there is no evidence the men involved in the attacks were refugees. 'There are no indications that there are people involved here who have received accommodation here in Cologne as refugees,' she told a press conference. Police in Dusseldorf, which is 25 miles away from Cologne, are concerned the attacks are linked to a criminal gang comprising of 2,000 North African men, who sexually assault women as a distraction before stealing their possessions. One of the first victim's to speak out, an 18-year-old named Michelle (pictured, in the square outside the main train station where she was attacked), described being surrounded by a group of 30 'angry' men who groped her and her friends then stole their belongings as they fled Michelle's (pictured on German TV) shocking testimony comes as the city's own council today admitted its town centre was now a 'no-go area' for women Another distressed victim (right), who did not want to be named, told German TV how she was 'groped between the legs' after a gang of around 40 men surrounded her and her boyfriend during the harrowing attacks Police said a wave of attacks - which has so far seen 100 women report being assaulted - were perpetrated by groups of 'Arab or North African' men (pictured, left and right-wing protesters facing off in Cologne) Supporters of Pro NRW, a right-wing group that campaigned against the construction of new mosques in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, protest following the New Year's Eve sex attacks in Cologne One of the first victim's to speak out, an 18-year-old named only as Michelle, described being surrounded by a group of 30 'angry' men who groped her and her friends then stole their belongings as they fled. Witnesses and police have described men working in 'coordinated' groups to grope women who were unable to escape, while two women reported they were raped. Michelle's shocking testimony comes as the city's own council today admitted its town centre was now a 'no-go area' for women, while it has emerged similar attacks occurred the same night across Hamburg and Stuttgart. And while German media and authorities stand accused of covering up previous incidents to avoid stoking tensions, there are fears the upcoming carnival celebrations in Cologne will see a repeat of the brazen attacks. Both Cologne's police chief and Germany's public broadcaster yesterday apologised after they were accused of attempting to cover up the extraordinary attacks. On New Year's Day police said the celebrations had passed off peacefully with a 'jolly atmosphere'. But then dozens of women said they had been robbed and sexually assaulted during the night. The victims' testimonies come as protesters angered by authorities' alleged inaction held demonstrations last night. Hundreds of people gather in front of Cologne's main railway station, where disorder broke out last week and groups of 'Arab or North African' men attacked dozens of women Groups of revellers gather in the city centre during the celebrations last week which quickly turned to chaos A police van makes its way through the throngs of people who gathered to see in the new year in Cologne last week A group of men set off fireworks during the New Year's Eve celebrations in Cologne last week. Police say groups of men (not pictured) were responsible for coordinated attacks on women Although there were some disruptions caused by fireworks (pictured) and general disorder, it was only several days later the true scale of the sex attacks at the public celebrations were revealed Michelle told N-TV: 'There were 11 of us together at the time. 'At around 11pm we were at the main train station and wanted to travel on to see the fireworks, and that was when we first noticed all these men standing around. 'We managed to go into the cathedral and wanted to go past the Museum Ludwig to join everyone and watch the fireworks by the river, but suddenly we were surrounded by a group of between 20 and 30 men.' Sensing danger, she and her friends then grabbed each other and started holding hands. 'They were full of anger, and we had to make sure that none of us were pulled away by them. They were groping us and we were trying to get away as quickly as possible.' As they fled and were groped, the men also took the opportunity to rob objects from their pockets, stealing mobile telephones as the teenage girls fled. Later as they attempted to go home, they noticed how more men were shooting rockets and other fireworks at each other near the train station. 'It was around 12:30 and we went back to the train station to catch a train that was supposed to go at 1am. But there were so many people around it was really difficult to get to the platform.' She said it was impossible for them to stay together and that her group got separated. Police working near the main railway station in Cologne arrest a man during the riotous party in the city centre A couple sit on a step while two police officers check an abandoned bag left in the city centre of Cologne Although police across Europe were on high alert for possible terror attacks on New Year's Eve, Cologne police chiefs have also come under fire for not preventing the sex attacks 'It was only when I got to the platform that I realised my train was not travelling, as I had to go back through the mass of men and walked the 5 kilometres [3miles] home by foot.' While police have not yet made any arrests in relation to the sex attacks, they claim to have identified three suspects. Wolfgang Albers, the head of the city's police, refused to step down despite criticism for failing to arrest a single person over the attacks. Asked why police had claimed the celebrations had passed off peacefully, he said: 'That was wrong. For this we apologise.' Public TV station ZDF also apologised for being slow to cover the attacks, which were initially only reported in local medi. Ralf Jaeger, Interior Minister of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) declined to give further details of the investigation but said he expected 'a very detailed report' this week from the police. It comes as Cologne city councillor Judith Wolter wrote a letter urging people to avoid the city centre after declaring it unsafe 'for women' in the wake of the attacks. Mrs Wolter, a council group leader and opposition councillor, also warned the upcoming carnival should be considered equally dangerous. She wrote: 'The area in and around the central station, the cathedral and the adjoining area towards the banks of the Rhine can be for tourists [and locals] no longer considered - even in normal times - as safe.' Left-wing protesters gather before the city's famous Gothic cathedral today with a sign that reads: 'No to racism, no to sexism' Police officers secure the front line separating the left-wing protesters from the right wing demonstrators - who hold a banner reading: 'There is no fundamental right to asylum abuse' Police officers watch over the public square where the sex attacks and robberies occurred on Thursday night Describing months of petty crime in the area, including drug dealing, robberies and thefts, she warned it should now be classed a 'no-go area'. 'Especially for women, it must be assumed that there is a high security risk here in the evening and night.' She said the upcoming carnival should be considered a 'similar situation' in which police are unable to guarantee revellers' safety. The incident has brought tensions - caused by Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to open her country waves of migrants - to the front of the national debate. The country took in around one million asylum seekers in 2015, many of them fleeing war-ravaged Syria. Alarmingly, a spokesman for police in the nearby city of Dusseldorf said officers there have identified more than 2,000 suspects of North African origin in connection with organized theft offences since the start of 2014. Some of the offences also involved sexual assaults as a means of distracting victims, and Dusseldorf police were cooperating closely with their counterparts in Cologne to examine possible ties to crimes there, spokesman Markus Niesczeri told The Associated Press. Protesters in Cologne city centre last night wave a placard reading: 'Against sexism, against racism' Women hold up signs that read: 'Mrs Merkel - where are you? What are you saying? This worries us!' A group of women unfurl a large banner reading 'fight sexism' during the protest in Cologne last night Up to 300 people took part in the demonstration, triggered by a wave of sex attacks in the city centre during last week's New Year's Eve celebrations Police officers stand guard at a train station in Cologne as protesters make their way to the demonstration German police have now admitted that at least two other major cities saw similar incidents. Bild reported both Hamburg and Stuttgart saw similar attacks - with 118 women across the three cities having now come forward claiming to be victims. In Hamburg, 27 women have so far filed complaints, of which 10 were sex attacks and 17 dealt with the robbery of purses and telephones. One witness told the paper more and more foreign men came into a Hamburg club and were grabbing women's backsides. Local police spokesman Holger Vehren said: 'The information we have so far is that the victims were targeted at the same time by more than one man with a southern or Arabic-looking appearance.' BOOM IN IMMIGRATION LEADS TO HEIGHTENED TENSIONS Cologne, located in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, is a 2000-year-old city which was first established as an outpost of the Roman Empire. Throughout the following centuries, its population has steadily increased to now number more than 1million people, with a total of 3million living in the wider area. The huge population boom is attributed to immigration, much of which comes from Turkey. Official statistics show that in 2006, just over 30 percent of the population were migrants and 120,000 were Muslim. However, these figures are likely to have drastically altered in the past two years as waves of migrants from Syria and other conflicts in the Middle East make their way into the country. Last year alone Cologne welcomed 10,000 migrants into the city. The exact numbers of the recent influx have not yet been confirmed by official statisticians, but in 2012 - before the worst of the asylum-seeking crisis had begun - migration flows had already risen by a third from the previous year. This huge migration, which many in Germany fear will over-run existing social systems and infrastructure, has been partly facilitated by Chancellor Angela Merkel's willingness to take in 1million migrants this year alone. Advertisement It also quoted two schoolgirls, aged 17 and 16, who were at a New Year's market. Describing feeling as though they were being 'hunted', they said they were tripped up and grabbed from behind. 'We were completely in panic, hands were touching us all over. When you pushed one hand away, there was another one suddenly back on the same place. There were grabbing us on our breasts, crotch and backsides.' In Stuttgart, Bild claimed that around 15 Arabic-looking men had met on the Schlossplatz and, despite the fact that thousands of people were around, had grabbed a group of 18-year-old girls who they groped on the crotch. The screaming girls had only been rescued when two men stepped in and the attackers ran off, stealing their mobile phones in the process. In Cologne, an undercover policewoman was reported to be one of those attacked, while police say they expect more victims to come forward. Last night up to 300 people, according to police estimates, gathered in front of Cologne cathedral calling for more respect for women. One female demonstrator held a sign reading: 'Mrs. Merkel, what are you doing? This is scary'. Heiko Maas, Germany's Justice Minister, said the assaults represented 'a new dimension of crime that we will have to get to grips with,' adding that they had appeared to be 'coordinated'. Asked by a journalist whether refugees were behind the rampage, Maas said police were still working to identify the attackers. 'This is not about where someone is from but what they did,' he said. 'Making an issue out of it, lumping it together with the refugee issue, is nothing but exploitation. Now is the time to determine the facts and then decide on the necessary consequences.' And Thomas de Maiziere, the Interior Minister, yesterday lashed out at police in the city of Cologne for failing to stop the attacks. 'The police cannot work in this way,' de Maiziere told public TV channel ARD. Querying why the police cleared the town square before the attacks occurred in the same location, he added he was 'urgently demanding clarification' about the police's purportedly late reaction. Regarding concerns the men were migrants, he added: 'You cannot draw a general suspicion against refugees from the indications that they were perhaps people who looked North African. The first refugees arrive at the holiday park Droomgaard in Kaatsheuvel, a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant on January 6 A group of refugees and migrants wait at the holiday park in the Netherlands, where some 1,200 refugees will be temporarily housed Asylum-seekers, clutching suitcases containing their most precious possessions, prepare to move into their new homes in the Droomgaard holiday park, in the Netherlands Asylum-seekers walk down a path through the holiday park, where 1,200 refugees will be temporarily housed in the holiday accommodation A view of the Droomgaard holiday park in Kaatsheuvel, a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant on January 6 'A bit of patience is necessary to clear up as completely as possible the structure of the perpetrators and the organizational structures there might have been.' However, in the wake of the attacks, one of Germany's most powerful politicians and an ally of Angela Merkel has said that uncapped immigration must be stopped. Horst Seehofer, the Bavarian leader of the Christian Social Union, said that the country should make sure that from now on there was an absolute limit of no more than 200,000 refugees per year into Germany. He said: 'Speaking from experience of the past, I believe that Germany can probably accommodate between 100,000 and 200,000 asylum seekers from warzones per year. 'This number we can absorb, and can be integrated. But anything over that in my opinion is too much.' And he added that refugees who do not have any identification should be turned back at the borders, saying: 'We need to restore the rule of the law in Germany and in Europe. This also means that anybody who travels into Germany must be able to have identification.' The statement is enormously significant for Merkel as Seehofer is leader of the Christian Social Union, which is only present in Bavaria where it is the partner of the CDU. Together the two parties are known as The Union. VICTIMS DESCRIBE TERRIFYING ORDEAL AT HANDS OF MOB ATTACKERS Since the vast scale of the attacks emerged, several victims have come forward to describe terrifying scenes in the marauding mob. Katja L, 28, said she was with three friends outside the station when they encountered a group of 'foreign-looking men'. 'Suddenly I felt a hand on my bottom, then on my breasts, then I was groped everywhere,' she told Cologne tabloid Express. Fireworks are set off among revellers in the city town square on New Year's Eve. The evening was marred by a wave of sex attacks that police say witnesses claim were carried out by 'Arab' or 'North African' men 'It was horrible. Although we screamed and flailed about, the guys didn't stop. I was beside myself and think that I was touched about 100 times across around 200 metres [220 yards].' A woman in her 30s, interviewed on rolling news channel N24, said she was groped by a group of 'Arab-looking men'. 'They didn't look at me aggressively, they seemed more curious than anything, and a little drunk,' she said. 'I was furious.' According to Bild, a student named Evelyn, 24, from Rheinland-Pfalz, who was at the train station in Cologne, said: 'I had a knee-length skirt on, and suddenly I felt a hand on my backside under my dress. I turned round immediately and saw a grinning face.' She said that she managed to get to the cathedral and sat on a bench and suddenly she was surrounded by men once again, and had only heard them speaking Arabic. 'The only English they knew was "Hey Baby". I was grabbed and held by the arm and it was a nightmare. We were trapped in a mass of people.' Lea Westkamp, 19, told a TV station: 'I was surrounded and helpless. I could do nothing. These men were all over me.' Advertisement Meanwhile, Cologne mayor Henriette Reker has caused outrage for comments suggesting women need to be 'better prepared' for such incidents. Instead of calming fears, she caused more upset with her suggestions on how women should behave to avoid similar incidents like remaining 'within your own group, and asking bystanders to intervene or to help as a witness'. Speaking on live TV, she said women should be 'more protected in the future so these things don't happen again', Breitbart reported. 'This means they should go out and have fun, but they need to be better prepared, especially with the Cologne carnival coming up. 'For this, we will publish online guidelines that these young women can read through to prepare themselves. 'In essence what it contains is the basics that you would expect, for example that women should keep a good distance from strangers and also stay away from large groups of men.' She added that the code of conduct would soon be available online. The statement caused a storm of outrage on social media with people asking whether women should now feel guilty for being sexually assaulted if they failed to follow the rules. Police stop and search men at city's central train station last night amid an increased police presence The city's council has now admitted the town centre is a 'no-go area' for women after a councillor claimed it had been plagued by months of petty crimes prior to the sexual assaults Police vehicles are parked by the city's main train station last night as police carry out foot patrols GERMAN POLICE ARREST 'VIGILANTE HEADING TO TRAIN STATION CARRYING A MEAT CLEAVER' Police say the 26-year-old, arrested carrying this meat cleaver, was looking for revenge for the sex attacks in Cologne German police have arrested a man alleged to have been looking to extract revenge from immigrants over the New Year's Eve sex attacks. The man, 26, was arrested by transport police yesterday morning while on a train heading to the station in possession of a meat cleaver. Arrested in Gelsenkirchen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, police said he appeared nervous about being checked so they decided to search his luggage. Police said he told officers he was shocked by the sex attacks at the station last week, and had decided to travel there to make sure it did not happen again. Volker Stall, a police spokesman, said the man wanted to 'bring things in order'. 'When he was asked what he was planning, he said he was travelling to Cologne in order to get a picture about what exactly happened there for himself. 'Asked what he planned to do with the weapon, he said that the meat cleaver was a part of that process.' Advertisement Others suggested that banks should avoid bank robberies by keeping armed robbers at arm's length and used the hashtag #eineArmlange. Others said such rules would be impossible to control in the carnival that occurs before Lent in Catholic countries like Germany, typically during February or early March. However, Germany's Family Affairs Minister rebutted with comments reiterating that women in the country should be free to wear miniskirts and to go into whatever areas they wish without fear of sex attacks. Speaking to local media outlets, Manuel Schwesig, 41, said urgent action was needed to stop the return to a time when women could no longer move around freely and did not have the freedom to wear what they want. She described events in Cologne, Hamburg and Stuttgart as abhorrent. She said: 'We need to make clear that the values in Germany include the fact that women need to be treated with respect. 'I don't want to end up once again where we have to debate about what women need to do to avoid incidents like this. Instead we need to change the attitudes of the men.' Many German politicians are now hardening their stance and speaking publicly about the need to stop the influx of immigrants after it was revealed that most of the men seem to have been either from North Africa or the Arabic world. CSU-general secretary Andreas Scheuer told the Rheinischen Post that there should be an immediate stop in the influx of immigrants. He said: 'It is inconceivable and unacceptable that women in the big German cities can be sexually assaulted and robbed in public streets and public places by young migrants.' Others however warned against overreacting against the news of the sex attacks, such as sociologist Ortwin Renn from the University of Stuttgart. He said it was wrong to pretend that all immigrants were angels, just as it was to do the opposite. He pointed out that millions of immigrants celebrated the New Year in a peaceful way, but added that because the sex attacks received media attention they had been given undue prominence and 'more value than they deserved'. He added: 'There is no more criminality among Arabs or Muslims than anybody else. 'We statisticians say always that there is an equal amount of good and bad in people regardless of their country or their ethnic group.' A huge crowd of people gather to watch a firework being set off in front of the city's famous Gothic cathedral A police van moves through the crowds that gathered in the famous town square to see in the New Year However, German media and some public authorities are facing accusations they ignored or covered up simmering problems due to fears it would stoke tensions surrounding the country's immigration policy. German public broadcaster ZDF has apologised for delays in reporting on the wave of sexual assaults amid accusations of media self-censorship of the inflammatory issue. The rash of attacks and thefts was only widely covered by national media early this week, after police had initially reported no major incidents. News editors of ZDF's flagship 'Heute' [Today] evening news programme apologised on social media for not reporting on the incidents at least in its Monday evening bulletin, four days after the attacks. 'The news situation was clear enough. It was a mistake of the 7pm Heute show not to at least report the incidents,' wrote deputy chief editor Elmar Thevessen on the show's Facebook page. Editors had decided to postpone the news segment to Tuesday, the day Cologne's city hall and police held a crisis meeting on the attacks, he wrote, admitting this was 'a clear misjudgement'. Meanwhile, Bild, which is the country's biggest selling daily newspaper, has accused officials of ordering a cover-up of the extent of crime carried out by illegal immigrants. It has published photographs of asylum seekers exchanging money in small packets at the central train station of Frankfurt. The paper said that all of the officials dealing with the problem had been ordered not to talk about it, as it was a subject which was extremely sensitive and forbidden to be spoken about in an 'offensive manner'. The reason was to avoid alarming the general public, already concerned about the vast number of asylum seekers being allowed in the country, but also in order to avoid providing material for right-wing extremists. Former German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich branded it as a cartel of silence and a blackout of news on his Facebook page, adding that they were now seeing the consequences of uncontrolled immigration which 'can no longer be swept under the carpet'. MUSLIM LEADERS CALL FOR RESIGNATIONS OVER POLICE 'FAILURES' Germany's Muslim leaders have called for resignations over Cologne police failures to prevent the attacks at the New Year's Eve celebrations Muslim leaders in Germany say police and security agencies are responsible for an 'unparalleled failure' in Cologne and have called on bosses to step down. Lamya Kaddor, president of the Liberal Islamic Association, said: 'It is more than shocking for me especially as a woman the way the police can allow something like this to happen. 'If it is true, what we have here is that 1,000 men managed to get together with the express objective of assaulting women, then I would expect personal consequences with both the police and the security services.' The Islamic studies expert, originally from Syria, also alleged that the sex attacks were being instrumentalised for political reasons. She said: 'This discussion is being driven by those on the far right. They seem to be implying that this scandal is something to do with the possible ethical or religious background of the attackers.' She highlighted the case of the former interior minister Hans-Peter Friedrich who posted on his Facebook page about a cartel of silence and a news blackout when it came to the question of immigration crime. She said she was outraged that he had written that they were now seeing the consequences of uncontrolled immigration which 'can no longer be swept under the carpet'. She added: 'That just shouldn't be allowed. A former government minister should stick to the facts. 'The direction that the reports are taking disturbs me. Patriarchal behaviour is not just a problem in Islam, it is also problem in South America and India, so not just in Muslim countries.' Bekir Alboga, the spokesman for Germany's Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB), said: 'When the investigation shows that there were indeed 1,000 men that are gathered together with the aim of assaulting celebrating German female citizens and that those women couldn't be protected from sex attacks, then I think those that were responsible for failing to provide that protection should see consequences.' He added: 'It is incredible that in the main train station area so many crimes can have been carried out, yet the police and indeed other people who were there didn't seem to notice anything. 'If this is true as it is written, then we would expect from both the managers of the train station and the police as well as the security services that it is properly investigated. 'It is also amazing that if there were 1,000 people speaking a North African language, it sounds like an organised thing. Whatever way you look at it, it's bizarre.' He added however that culturalising crime is wrong. He said: 'It's well known for years that Islam condemns both theft, sex attacks, violence and alcohol.' And Aiman Mazyek, the president of the Central Council for Muslims, said the inevitable consequence of the events was that more policemen with migrant backgrounds were needed to be added to the force. He added: 'Only in this way can we send a stronger message about the defence of democracy and fight against right-wing extremists, who are stoking the fires of hatred against asylum seekers almost daily, calling for the defence of the Christian country and accusing migrants of sexism.' Advertisement Meanwhile police union chiefs have launched a fierce defence of officers, saying the Cologne sex attackers could feel emboldened to carry out new attacks because they have little to fear from the police or the justice system. 'It is highly unlikely that the perpetrators of the Cologne attacks will ever face justice,' said police union chief Rainer Wendt. If the offenders were not caught, 'they will feel absolutely emboldened to commit such acts again in the shadow of anonymity,' he cautioned. He said that police lacked the personnel to make effective enquiries, adding that CCTV footage didnt always provide proof of a crime. The union chief also defended Cologne police from accusations from Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere that they had failed in their duty to protect. The United Nations has launched a probe into fresh allegations that its peacekeepers sexually abused four minor girls in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR), according to the UN spokesman. The UN mission in CAR, known as MINUSCA, said that it received the claims on Monday and has asked the countries whose troops were allegedly involved in the abuse to investigate. Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general, said UNICEF is working with a local partner to help the girls receive medical and psychosocial care. The four victims were also provided with clothes, shoes and hygiene kits. The nearly 11,000-strong MINUSCA, set up in 2014, has been hit by a series of claims of sexual abuse by the peacekeepers However, in line with UN policy not to disclose the countries whose peacekeepers were accused of sexual abuse, Dujarric did not say where the peacekeepers were from. It is up to the country contributing troops to investigate and prosecute the soldiers. The nearly 11,000-strong MINUSCA, set up in 2014, has been hit by a series of claims of sexual abuse by the peacekeepers which pushed UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon to remove the mission chief last year. In December, an independent panel slammed the UN response to the sexual abuse allegations, saying the international body failed to properly evaluate peacekeepers for past abuses and needed to do more to protect children. Advertisement Each year, hundreds of Sami herd their reindeer flocks across Scandinavia's northernmost parts, a journey which takes two months, covering hundreds of miles. Around 3,500 reindeer and dozens of Sami make the annual trip across the snow, dashing from Karasjok, the Sami capital of Norway, over the snowy plains of northern Scandinavia, and across the Finnish border. The Sami are the indigenous people of Scandinavia and live in the Arctic parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, in an area recognised as Sapmi. Breathtaking: Amazing drone footage shows thousands of reindeer make their annual migration across Norway to Finland Making moves: The indigenous Sami people of Scandinavia are traditionally associated with reindeer herding, although it is a less common practice nowadays, with just ten per cent making a living from reindeer in one way or another Long way to go: Around 3,500 reindeer made the annual trip across the snow, which took nearly two months in total Although traditionally associated with reindeer herding, only ten per cent of the Sami remain in the reindeer business, with some 2,800 living as full-time semi-nomadic herders. Photographer Jan Helmer Olsen used a drone to film the migration of a massive herd of reindeer across Norway to Finland in temperatures reaching minus 15 degrees. Mr Olsen said: 'My footage felt very special as nobody ever manages to see how the herd moves as one body from the air. It's watching a huge flock of birds in flight. 'Filming the event was a spur of the moment thing as the reindeer stay well away from urban areas and it's a trek out to find them. 'Using a drone was always just a hobby to me, but I get a lot of satisfaction out of the footage as it is so rare for somebody to film from the sky above.' Stunning views: Clouds turn pink against the ice-blue sky as temperatures go way below zero above the Arctic circle in Scandinavia Nice work: Photographer Jan Helmer Olsen used a drone to film the migration of a massive herd of reindeer across Norway to Finland Running along: The migration of reindeer from one grazing area to another can take months, and happens every year Where's Rudolf? While families across the country took down their festive decorations, the herd made its laborious way across the frozen plains to cross the Norwegian-Finnish border Tradition: The Sami are the indigenous people of Scandinavia and live in the Arctic parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia Contrast: The reindeer stop for a break against a glorious sunset near the Finnish border A campaign has been launched to name one of the four newly discovered elements in honour of dead Motorhead rocker Ian 'Lemmy' Kilmister. Fans are hoping Lemmy's name will live on, not only in their hearts, but also in the periodic table. Lemmy was diagnosed with an extremely aggressive form of cancer on Boxing Day and died just two days later at his home in Los Angeles. He had just celebrated his 70th birthday on Christmas Eve. Scroll down for video A campaign wants a new element named for Ian 'Lemmy' Kilmister of Motorhead , who died on December 28 Kosuke Morita smiles as he points to a board displaying the new element 113 during a press conference A petition on Change.org is calling for one of four newly discovered super-heavy elements, chemical number 118 in the periodic table, to be named 'Lemmium'. The petition, set up by John Wright, a business support manager from York, states: 'Heavy rock lost its most iconic figure over Christmas with the sudden and unexpected death of Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister. 'Lemmy was a force of nature and the very essence of heavy metal. We believe it is fitting that the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) recommend that one of the four new discovered heavy metals in the periodic table is named Lemmium. 'An astrological object (a star) has been named Lemmy to meet the IUPAC naming recommendations.' The online campaign on Change.org has already received more than 15,000 supporters of its 25,000 goal The four new elements have 'completed' the periodic table. They all have temporary names while the scientific community tries to figure out symbols for element number 113, 115, 117 and 118 These elements have been temporarily named as ununtrium, (element 113), ununpentium (element 115), ununseptium (element 117), and ununoctium (element 118) while names and symbols are formalised. HOW AN ELEMENT GETS ITS NAME After the discovery of a new element is established by the joint IUPAC-IUPAP Working Group, the discoverers are invited to propose a name and a symbol to the IUPAC Inorganic Chemistry Division. Elements can be named after a mythological concept, a mineral, a place or country, a property or a scientist. After examination and acceptance by the Inorganic Chemistry Division, the proposal follows the accepted IUPAC procedure and is then ratified by the Council of IUPAC. All new elements should have an ending that reflects and maintains historical and chemical consistency. This would be in general '-ium' for elements belonging to groups 1-16, '-ine' for elements of group 17 and '-on' for elements of group 18." Source: International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry Advertisement New elements can be named after a mythological concept, a mineral, a place or country, a property or a scientist. The petition has already gained more than 15,000 supporters on the change.org, but some Motorhead fans said the heavy metal honorific is not what Lemmy would have wanted. One fan wrote on the petition page: 'Let's not. Lemmy himself said in 2010, "We were not heavy metal. We were a rock'n'roll band. Still are. Everyone always describes us as heavy metal even when I tell them otherwise. Why won't people listen?" Why won't you listen?' Another, Christopher Scurrah, added: 'Lemmy always said Motorhead wasn't heavy metal, he said "We're Motorhead and we play rock and roll". If 118 is a noble gas that's fine with me.' The four new elements were discovered by scientists in America, Japan and Russia and were verified on December 30 by the IUPAC, which governs chemical naming, terminology and measurement. The new elements are the first to be added to the periodic table since 2011, when elements 114 and 116 were added. Kosuke Morita, who was leading the research at Riken Nishina Centre for Accelerator-Based Science, said his team now planned to look to the uncharted territory of element 119 and beyond.' Ryoji Noyori, former Riken president and Nobel laureate in chemistry said: 'To scientists, this is of greater value than an Olympic gold medal.' Although the petition says it wants element 118 to be named for Lemmy, one fan said there's only one element that could be named for him that's in keeping with the heavy metal motif: Element 115. Fraudster: Asda boss Paul Kelly (right) faces jail for transferring 180,000 from the supermarket's charity fund to the ballet company run by his gay lover David Murley (in the black shirt) An Asda boss faces jail after he transferred 180,000 from the supermarket's charity fund to prop up his gay lover's ballet company. Paul Kelly, 55, a vice-president of corporate affairs at the retailer, fraudulently claimed the money was to assist after flooding, but it went to his partner David Murley's dance school instead. Kelly, a respected Government adviser until the offending came to light, had been the chairman of Asda's charitable foundation. The shamed executive could be jailed after pleading guilty to seven charges of fraud when he appeared before Leeds Crown Court. Three charges relate to Kelly 'dishonestly and intending to make a gain for himself or another' by making a false representation to the Asda Foundation by 'purporting that monies were to be used for assisting flood victims, whereas the monies were to be paid to Murley Dance Company.' Four charges relate to Kelly making a false representation to the Asda Foundation that the Murley Dance Company was a charitable organisation whose objectives came within the scope of the Asda Foundation Trust. The offending took place between July 2013 and May 2014. The case was adjourned for a pre-sentence report and a psychiatric report. Kelly will be sentenced on February 16. He was dismissed as vice-president of corporate affairs at the retailer in September 2014 following an investigation. At the time he shared an 800,000 south London townhouse with Mr Murley. Asda confirmed that Mr Kelly 'left' the company just days before he had been due to sit on a panel at Labour's party conference with then Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. He has also rubbed shoulders with former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, and had recently been made an ambassador for Prince Charles's Business in the Community charity. Mr Clegg was pictured with Kelly when Asda was made an official partner for the 2014 Tour de France's Grand Depart in Yorkshire. Facing jail: Kelly pleaded guilty to seven charges of fraud. In the past he has rubbed shoulders with former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg when Asda partnered the 2014 Tour de France's Grand Depart (pictured) Deception: Kelly, 55, (left) a vice-president of corporate affairs at Asda, fraudulently claimed the money was to assist after flooding, but it went to his partner David Murley's (right) dance school instead Kelly has previously been an adviser to the Government on food policy, alcohol and obesity. Mr Murley, 36, has performed with Madonna, the Royal Opera and English National Opera. A spokesman for the supermarket said at the time of Kelly's dismissal: 'Asda expects the highest standards of integrity from its colleagues. Although we're incredibly disappointed by these allegations, we are pleased that our internal controls worked.' Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker will not pardon the convicted killer at the center of Netflix documentary Making a Murderer - after it emerged he once claimed that his brothers may have committed the crime he is serving time for. Steven Avery, 53, and his nephew Brendan Dassey were convicted in March 2007 of the murder of photographer Teresa Halbach, 25, in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and have remained imprisoned ever since. Both protest their innocence and court documents show Avery believes his own brothers may have killed the woman and framed him for her murder due to a family dispute. Scroll down for video Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (pictured right) will not pardon Steven Avery (left), the convicted killer at the center of Netflix documentary Making a Murderer Avery (right, with his brother Charles) at the family's auto salvage business in 2003. According to court documents, Avery said Charles along with other brother Earl may have murdered Teresa Halbach But despite the 10-part series casting doubt on their convictions and online petitions demanding their release, Walkers office ruled out any chance of a reprieve. Walker, a former Republic presidential candidate, is not swayed by more than 300,000 signatures on Change.org calling for Averys exoneration, his spokeswoman Laurel Patrick said. Those who feel they have been wrongly convicted can seek to have their convictions overturned by a higher court, she said. A Whitehouse.gov petition President Barack Obama to pardon the men has received more than 113,000 more than the 100,000 that is need for the administration to comment on the request. However, the president does not have the authority to issue pardons in state cases. Only Walker who has not issued one since his election in 2010 has that power. Making A Murderer became an instant phenomenon when it began streaming on Netflix on December 18. It has emerged that Avery has claimed his brothers Earl (left) and Charles (right) may have carried out the murder, for which he is serving a life sentence Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey were convicted of the murder of photographer Teresa Halbach (pictured) in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, in October 2005 The documentary questioned the handling of the case and the motivation of Manitowoc County law enforcement officials. It suggests authorities planted evidence against the men, a claim that has been rejected by Robert Hermann, the current sheriff of Manitowoc County. But it has since emerged that Avery claimed his brothers Earl and Charles may have carried out the murder, for which he is serving a life sentence without parole. In legal documents filed by Avery in 2009, and obtained by TMZ, he claims that both of his brothers have a history of sexual violence against women - with Earl once pleading no contest to sexually assaulting his daughters. Meanwhile, Charles was once charged with sexually assaulting his wife. Brendan Dassey, Avery's 16-year-old nephew (pictured, in 2010) confessed to sexually assaulting Halbach and cutting her throat on his uncle's orders. He later said the confession was coerced The documents also allege that Charles had a history of harassment against women visiting the family auto salvage and pursued one so aggressively, she reported him to police. Avery then goes on to claim that his brothers had a reason to frame him as they were fighting over the family business. They were also jealous that he was on the verge of a multi-million dollar settlement after being wrongfully convicted of sexual assault. Charles spoke with TMZ and said he had nothing to do with the death of Halbach. He also claims that he never sexually assaulted his wife and claims he had been running the family business since 1990, and if anything wanted to have his brother join him as he was about to receive a massive settlement. Avery had initially served 18 years in prison until DNA evidence exonerated him of an unrelated sexual assault conviction in 1985. He was released in 2003. He then filed a $36 million federal civil rights lawsuit against the county, along with its former sheriff and district attorney, for the wrongful conviction. But less than a month after the federal lawsuit was filed, Avery was charged with first-degree intentional homicide for the murder of Halbach. That case was settled in 2006 for about $400,000, according to online court documents. Avery, left, claims that his brothers Earl and Charles had a reason to frame him over the murder of Teresa Halbach, right as they were fighting over the family business Dassey (pictured in 2007) confessed to sexually assaulting Halbach and cutting her throat on his uncle's orders. He later said the confession was coerced Since the series aired, two online petitions have been launched to campaign for the two men to be given a presidential pardon Avery's defense argued that Manitowoc officers, who were in the middle of being deposed in his lawsuit, were also involved in the gathering of evidence for the Halbach murder and may have framed him. Averys nephew Dassey, who was 16 at the time, then confessed to sexually assaulting Halbach and cutting her throat on his uncle's orders. He later said the confession was coerced. None of Halbach's DNA was ever discovered inside of Avery's home, where the prosecution claimed she was raped and shot in the head. Avery was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Dassey was also given a life sentence but has a chance for early release in 2048. Since the series aired, two online petitions have been launched to campaign for the two men to be given a presidential pardon. One of the campaigns claims that Making a Murderer shows that the justice system 'embarrassingly failed both men, completely ruining their entire lives.' However, several others have spoken out claiming the documentary has missed out several significant pieces of evidence from the case. According to those close to the case, this evidence includes the fact Avery met Halbach wearing just a towel and called her three times on the day she disappeared. And according to Ken Kratz, the ex-Calumet County District Attorney, who prosecuted Avery, the show has left out vital information. In an email to TheWrap.com , Kratz claims that when Avery first served time in prison, he told an inmate that he was planning on building a 'torture chamber' on his release so he could rape, torture and kill young women. Four teenagers have been arrested after a police officer who was called to their school when they refused to go home was allegedly assaulted. The students from the Cambridge Academy in Cambridgeshire, refused to go home at the end of the school day yesterday, causing a stand-off with teachers. Four police cars and two patrol vans were scrambled to the school after disorder broke out and all four pupils were arrested. Four teenagers have been arrested after a police officer who was called to the Cambridge Academy when the students refused to go home was allegedly assaulted The school is run by TBAP (Tri-borough Alternative Provision), which runs six schools in London and Cambridge for children who have been expelled or missed out on education due to illness. It specialises in supporting children who have been excluded from mainstream schools and, according to its website, 'have grown up in very challenging circumstances'. A spokesman for Cambridgeshire County Council, the local education authority, said: 'Some of the young people refused to go home at the end of the school day and there was a stand-off in the street with teachers. 'Some of the young people were arrested and the others were dispersed.' A Cambridgeshire police spokeswoman said: 'We were called to the TBAP (Tri-borough Alternative Provision) Cambridge Academy in Ascham Road at 1.20pm on Tuesday to reports of a disturbance. 'Four teenagers were arrested. Three on suspicion of breaching a dispersal order and one on suspicion of assaulting a police officer.' The school is run by TBAP (Tri-borough Alternative Provision) which runs six schools in London and Cambridge for children who have been expelled or missed out on education due to illness A TBAP spokesperson said: 'Incidents like this are rare, but we have robust procedures in place to deal with behaviour and help students and staff to de-escalate potential issues. 'On this occasion, staff deemed it necessary to involve the police to help manage the situation. 'TBAP took over responsibility for the school in September last year. We are therefore still undergoing a period of transition while our model is implemented and expectations around learning and behaviour are introduced. A man called his then-girlfriend a 's**t' and shouted at her for wearing short-sleeved tops in the months before he allegedly stabbed her to death. Jordan Taylor is said to have used a six-inch knife to carry out the 'sustained and brutal' attack on horse sanctuary worker Laura Davies, a court heard. The 22-year-old allegedly stabbed Miss Davies, 21, more than 80 times - including 18 times on her face - on July 3 last year after she ended their relationship and he was overcome with 'anger and jealousy'. Jordan Taylor (left) is said to have called his then-girlfriend Laura Davies (right) a 's**t' and shouted at her for wearing short-sleeved tops in the months before he allegedly stabbed her to death The jury at Chelmsford Crown Court today heard details about the former couple's relationship. Miss Davies' sister Joanne Bright told the court the beginning of the relationship, which started early last year, had coincided with a change in her sister's behaviour. She said: 'She became very quiet and our conversations would be two-minutes long when we would have usually talked for hours. 'She was very quiet. She very rarely stayed with us and she wasn't ever available. She became shut off and subdued.' Miss Bright also alleged Taylor was 'controlling' and claimed he had confronted her sister after she came back from a night out with people from the horse sanctuary. She said: '[Laura] said Jordan was very controlling and he didn't like her going out and when she did go out one night with people from the sanctuary, she came home and there was a major row and he called her a s**t. Miss Davies, a 21-year-old horse sanctuary worker, died after Taylor allegedly used a six-inch knife to carry out a 'sustained and brutal' attack Miss Davies' mother Dyanne Lambert and her half sister Joanne Bright are pictured leaving court today after giving evidence 'He would complain about what she wore when she went out. He didn't like skirts, dresses or short-sleeved clothes.' Taylor was also alleged to have taken Miss Davies' bankcard as he got 'really controlling'. Miss Bright added: 'She told me he had got really controlling and she wanted to end the relationship but she wasn't prepared to see him out on the street and she would let him stay there. 'She couldn't take him being controlling any more. He had taken over her bank card and she had had enough.' In October 2014, Miss Davies' mother Dyanne Lambert was asked by her daughter to pick up Taylor and bring him to her flat at the horse sanctuary because he had been thrown out of his family home in Derby. Miss Lambert told the court: 'She said he had been made homeless and she wanted to help him and give him a roof over his head because she didn't want to see him homeless. Miss Davies' mother today told Chelmsford Crown Court her daughter used to love wearing a Jack Daniel's top - until Taylor allegedly told her she could not wear it anymore 'She told me his name was Jordan Taylor. He was going to stay there as friends. I had an inkling that it would become more.' Taylor spent Christmas 2014 with Miss Davies and her mother at her home in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. By early 2015, Miss Lambert knew the pair had become an item and she said she also began to notice a change in her daughter's behaviour. She told the court: 'Her clothes started to change. She wouldn't wear a vest top. She had a favourite Jack Daniel's top that she would wear when it was warm. 'She wasn't wearing them anymore and her T-shirts became very high-necked. From what she said, he said he didn't like her wearing them, so she didn't wear them. 'She said Jordan didn't like her wearing those tops for work. The Jack Daniel's top came down loosely at the arm and you could see a little bit of bra, so she wasn't allowed to wear it.' Miss Lambert added while she was visiting her step-daughter in Hertfordshire in June last year, she received a call from Taylor's phone but could not make out what was being said. She told the jury: 'I put it on loud speaker and I gave it to my daughter and she said: "It could be them having an argument." 'I switched it off and tried phoning him back, but there was no answer. I called Laura who did answer. 'She said she was OK but I knew that he was there in the room and she wouldn't say they had had an argument. 'She was different in that conversation. It was like she didn't want me to know there was an argument.' The last contact Miss Lambert had with her daughter was when she called her mother to ask her to take her shopping in Basildon for a fan. She added: 'She said [Taylor] kept moaning [about how warm it was] and he wanted a fan. I don't know why he couldn't do it himself. 'She used to say I was over-protective because she was so tiny. She would say: "Mum, I'm big enough and old enough. I can look after myself." 'I used to say: "You're still my baby and I want to know you're OK." Meanwhile, sanctuary workers revealed Taylor had been attending course so he could be a doorman on the day of Miss Davies' death. He arrived back at the 55-acre sanctuary around 3.30pm, the court heard. Stable manager Sarah Mills told the court Miss Davies had confided in her on the afternoon of July 3 that she was planning to end the relationship with Taylor. She told the court: 'She had had enough and was going to break the relationship off.' In October 2014, Miss Davies' mother Dyanne Lambert was asked by her daughter, pictured (right) and with Taylor (left), to pick up Taylor and bring him to her flat at the horse sanctuary because he had been thrown out of his family home in Derby Leigh Perry, assistant sanctuary manager, also told the jury: 'Laura was too kind for her own good. 'She was thinking more of him than of herself. She wanted him to have a job. She didn't want to do anything rash to stop that happening for him.' David Mills, a fellow horse groom at the sanctuary, also took the stand to tell the jury he knew from speaking to Miss Davies that Taylor 'started arguments over petty things'. He claimed two days before Miss Davies died, he heard an argument between her and Taylor while he was in the staff room, which is close to the pair's flat. He told the court it lasted 'a couple of minutes'. A short time later, he received a text message from Miss Davies telling him she was leaving the sanctuary grounds 'to get a few things'. She couldn't take him being controlling any more Joanne Bright, Miss Davies' half sister Kimberley Skilbeck, Miss Davies' sister in law, also told the jury about a family barbecue in March last year which Miss Davies attended without Taylor. She said: 'Jordan wasn't there because he thought she was going to the barbecue to meet another guy and start an affair. 'She felt suffocated by him. She didn't want to be with him anymore. She was going to end the relationship. 'I told her it wasn't a good relationship to be in and to end it. She was upset but she knew what she had to do. She didn't like being controlled.' Peter Gair, prosecuting, yesterday said: 'During the evening of Friday, July 3, we say Laura Davis was attacked by this man during a sustained and brutal attack on her with a knife - an attack which left her with 80 knife-related wounds. 'That attack was, we say, a direct result of Laura telling the defendant that their relationship was over. 'Whether it was jealousy or anger or a mixture of other emotions, the defendant then attacked her and effectively exacted terrible revenge on her.' Taylor has denied one count of murder but has accepted he killed Miss Davies. He listened to court proceedings through a set of earphones. The number of migrants seeking asylum in Britain has more than doubled in ten months and has now reached a record 5,000 applications per month, it was revealed today. Official figures have revealed that there were 5,095 asylum applications in the UK in October - 164 every day - compared to 2,230 in February. It is the highest figure for any month since current records began in January 2009 and the first time since then that the level has exceeded 5,000. Huge rise: The number of migrants asking for asylum in Britain has more than doubled in less than a year and broke through 5,000 for the first time in six years European picture: Britain received the eighth highest number of applicants - with Germany receiving the highest number - 54,870 in October Of the 24 member states included, Britain received the eighth highest number of applicants. More were registered in Germany, where 54,870 people lodged asylum claims in the month, as well as Sweden (39,055), Italy (10,440), Netherlands (10,160), France (8,060), Finland (7,005) and Belgium (6,020). TOP TEN: EU COUNTRIES RANKED BY ASYLUM APPLICATIONS Germany 54,870 per month Sweden 39,055 Italy 10,440 Netherlands 10,160 France 8,060 Finland 7,005 Belgium 6,020 UK 5,095 Switzerland 4,745 Denmark 3,635 Advertisement The figures indicate that the number applying in the UK was nearly five times higher than in Greece, which is a major entry point for refugees attempting to reach Europe. The Europe-wide data reveals a dramatic jump in asylum applications last year amid the international migration crisis. The number logged in Britain in October - the most recent month for which UK data is available - had almost doubled compared with January, when there were 2,770. There were also more than 1,000 more applications that the 4,055 registered in September. The Government does not publish its own monthly asylum data, instead using quarterly figures. These have also revealed a sharp rise in claims, with the latest Home Office data showing the number of people applying for asylum reached its highest level for 12 years between July and September. The Eurostat data indicates that 530 - around one in 10 - of the applications received in the UK in October were from Syrians - a rise of 63 per cent compared to the previous month. Some 615 claims were made by Eritrean citizens. Last month a watchdog revealed thousands of asylum seekers have dropped off authorities' radar and efforts to trace them are seen as a 'drain on resources'. Journey: Refugees board the train heading for the Serbian border today - and some will eventually claim asylum Front line: Many migrants are entering Europe in Greece before moving on to countries like Hungary, pictured Caseworkers told inspectors there were approximately 10,000 cases where the claimant and dependants including children were not in contact with the Home Office or had absconded. Earlier this week a committee of MPs called on the Government to accept proposals to take 3,000 unaccompanied children from within the EU. This would be in addition to the 20,000 Syrian refugees set to be brought to the UK from camps in the region around the war-ravaged country over five years. The Eurostat figures cover people who submitted an application for international protection or who were included as a family member. They show claims covering 152,100 individuals were made in the EU in October, although figures for the month are not yet available for some countries. A student was violently attacked in a busy London street in broad daylight by a mugger attempting to steal his camera while a getaway moped-rider waited just yards away. Metropolitan Police are now appealing for information after the victim was repeatedly kicked in the face and dragged across the pavement in Tower Hamlets, East London. Unable to strip anything from the victim, a 20-year-old architect student, the attacker jumps onto a white moped driven by a getaway accomplice. After the attack the man was rushed to hospital for emergency dental treatment. The attacker, wearing dark motorcycle equipment and a black crash helmet, walks up to the victim and grabs him from behind. He then wrestles the student to the floor trying to rip the camera from him In the footage the attacker, wearing dark motorcycle equipment and a black crash helmet, walks up to the student strolling down the street. Then in a brutal sudden move he attempts to strip the students camera bag from behind. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: Someone shouted at him to look out for a moped and, moments later, the passenger on the bike got off, jumped over nearby railings and grabbed the victims camera. All the while watching from the road is the getaway driver wearing a red jacket, dark trousers and a black helmet. Refusing to let go, the suspect kicked the victim several times and tried to steal his photographic equipment, said a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police After repeatedly kicking the man in the face and dragging him across the pavement, the attacker jumps back over the railings to escape The attacker leaves empty handed as he runs to escape on the white moped driven by the accomplice Refusing to let go, the suspect kicked the victim several times and tried to steal his photographic equipment, said the police spokesman. After repeatedly kicking the man in the face and dragging him across the pavement, the attacker jumps back over the railings to escape. The two suspects are seen riding off out of shot. The victim is left lying on the street as nearby members of the public come over to help. The attempted robbery occurred on 23 December 2015 outside a shop on East India Dock Road in Tower Hamlets, London. 'Some were taken by himself and others were downloaded,' police added Police found 'a lot of such images' at his home, said inspector in charge Police in Thailand have arrested a British father of two for possessing child pornography. They arrested Fabian Frederick Blandford, 64, after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security tipped them off about illegal images being uploaded from a specific internet address. Police found 'a lot of such images' at his home in Chiang Mai province, Lieutenant Colonel Paisith Sungkahapong said today. Police in Thailand have arrested British father of two, Fabian Frederick Blandford (pictured), for possessing child pornography Thai police arrested Blandford (pictured) after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security tipped them off about illegal images being uploaded from a specific internet address The uploads were traced by The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, a non-profit group funded by the U.S. government. 'Some [pictures ] were taken by himself [Blandford] and some were downloaded', said Mr Paisith, who added: 'The man admits that the images belong to him.' Blandford was said to be good friends with his Thai neighbours and had offered to teach English to local children. He was reported to have once been a Buddhist monk. He claimed on a social media profile, which has since been taken down, that he was a monk 'for one week'. Blandford is being held in custody pending formal charges. Under a new Thai law brought in last month, possession of child pornography carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and distribution carries a penalty of seven years. Police found 'a lot of such images' at Blandford's (pictured) home in Chiang Mai province, Lieutenant Colonel Paisith Sungkahapong said today Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia are attractive destinations for sex offenders because of lenient law enforcement despite periodic crackdowns. A 67-year-old American, James Craig Neumann, was arrested on similar charges last month in a different district of Chiang Mai. He was described as a former English-language teacher. Lang Van Pham (pictured) was found guilty of assault and fined 570 after he locked two girls in his nail salon when one refused to pay for a manicure What began as a 19-year-old woman refusing to pay for a 30 manicure has ended in a more than 500 fine for the nail bar worker who locked the women into his shop. Lang Van Pham, 26, of Penarth, South Wales, was found guilty of assault by Cardiff magistrates for pushing Anais Petherick, 21, after he shut her and her sister Sinead, 19, inside the store. Pham locked the girls into the Amazing Nails salon after Sinead made him and his salon-owner wife Thamh Thu Thi Nguyen repeat the treatment at least seven times, then refused to pay. A court heard the pair were 'alarmed and upset' when the salon door was shut - and Anais was pushed onto a sofa by Pham. Pham denied assault and told the court he did a 'beautiful job'. He said: 'I did her nails so many times and I did beautiful job. Maybe I was a little bit angry.' The two sisters visited Amazing Nails together for manicures. Anais, whose nails were painted by Thamh, paid but Sinead complained several times about Pham's work. Thamh even tried to correct Sinead's nails but trouble flared when the 19-year-old refused to pay. 'If you are not happy with it, pay and you don't have to come back next time,' Pham told the girls. Witnesses described how Mr Pham 'darted' to the counter to get a key before locking the store's front door, which also prevented two younger customers from leaving. It was when Anais tried to push on the door to leave that Pham assaulted her. Sinead Petherick, 19, (left) and sister Anais, 21, (right) were locked in the Amazing Nail salon in Penarth, South Wales, by Pham when Sinead refused to pay for her treatment after it was repeated several times Anais said Pham's behaviour at the Amazing Nail salon (pictured) made her feel scared and uncomfortable Prosecutor Jamie Dewar told the court: 'Anais asked if she could leave and reached to the door with her right arm. 'At this point Pham used both hands to push her left arm causing her to fall onto a leather sofa next to the door.' Anais said Pham's behaviour made her feel scared and uncomfortable. 'He could have done a lot worse - you just don't know. He was so scary, the way he was acting. 'It was like the devil,' Anais said. Pham told police in interview he refiled Sinead's nails 'four or five times' but she was still unhappy with the service. Defence barrister Neil Evans said: 'He had done all 10 nails and she said her thumb was slightly out of kilter from the other nails. 'Pham's wife made another two attempts to rectify the problem but after that Sinead announced she was not paying the 30 fee. 'She then stood up and her and her sister started to walk towards the door but Pham got there first and locked it.' Mr Evans said that Anais had 'grabbed a pool cue and then was swinging it wildly at Pham but she struck the glass on a number of occasions.' A Republican former U.S. attorney believes Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton could be facing imminent indictment over her email scandal, possibly roiling the Iowa caucuses or the New Hampshire primary in February. Joe DiGenova, a one-time federal prosecutor originally appointed by President Reagan, told conservative radio host Laura Ingraham Tuesday that the FBI's still-pending investigation of Clinton's email server seems to have reached 'a critical mass.' Congressional Republicans last spring discovered that Clinton used a private, home-based email server in her New York home while she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. The scandal has dogged her presidential campaign for almost the entire past year. The FBI has been probing whether any classified intelligence was compromised through Clinton's unusual email setup, but she has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing and has yet to be charged with any crime. DiGenova said that may be about to change. Scroll down for video Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton has been dogged for almost an entire year by controversies stemming from her use of a private, home-based email server while she was heading the State Department between 2009 and 2013 Joe DiGenova, a former U.S. attorney originally appointed by President Ronald Reagan, believes Hillary Clinton is facing imminent indictment over the mishandling of classified intelligence 'They have reached a critical mass in their investigation of the secretary and all of her senior staff," DiGenova said Tuesday on Ingraham's show. 'And, it's going to come to a head, I would suggest, in the next 60 days.' FBI Director James Comey has resisted efforts to lay out a timeline for his agency's probe of the Clinton case, but if it is as imminent as DiGenova believes, it could devastate Clinton's campaign. The Iowa caucuses are on Feb. 1 and the New Hampshire primary is on Feb. 9. 'It's going to be a very complex matter for the Department of Justice, but they're not going to be able to walk away from it,' DiGenova said. 'They are now at over 1,200 classified emails. And, that's just for the ones we know about from the State Department. That does not include the ones that the FBI is, in fact, recovering from her hard drives.' One telling event would be a personal interview between Clinton and the FBI. Although the former secretary of state famously testified at an 11-hour congressional hearing in October, she has not yet been interviewed by federal agents. DiGenova said such an interview would likely precede any public release of the agency's conclusions in the case. Clinton campaigning in Sioux City, Iowa, on Tuesday DiGenova on 'Meet the Press' in 1998 discussing the Monica Lewinsky case A recommendation for prosecution would not only roil the presidential race, but would put President Barack Obama in an unbelievably difficult position. Decisions about prosecution, DiGenova noted, do not lie with the FBI but with the Justice Department - headed by Attorney General Loretta Lynch. 'I believe that the evidence that the FBI is compiling will be so compelling that, unless [Lynch] agrees to the charges, there will be a massive revolt inside the FBI, which she will not be able to survive as an attorney general. It will be like Watergate. It will be unbelievable,' he said. 'The evidence against the Clinton staff and the secretary is so overwhelming at this point that if, in fact, she chooses not to charge Hillary, they will never be able to charge another federal employee with the negligent handling of classified information,' DiGenova continued. 'The intelligence community will not stand for that. They will fight for indictment and they are already in the process of gearing themselves to basically revolt if she refuses to bring charges.' Parents could be given a special week to take their children away for a cheaper holiday - and not get fined - if plans to cut the lengthy school summer break go ahead. Brighton and Hove City Council is considering overhauling school holiday dates to help families avoid the steep rise in the cost of breaks during the summer months. It comes after the Government cracked down on unauthorised absences from schools, telling headteachers that they can no longer let children go on holiday during the term. Families could get cheaper holidays if plans to cut the lengthy school summer break from six weeks to four go ahead (stock picture) Brighton (stock picture) City Council is considering overhauling school holiday dates to help families avoid the steep rises in the cost of breaks during the summer months Families are often left with the dilemma of whether to pay more to go on holiday during the summer break, or take their child out of school and run the risk of a fine. In Brighton, the city council may look at cutting the six-week summer holiday and creating a 'standalone' week's holiday when going away is less expensive. Inset days could also be co-ordinated into a block to create a long weekend or even a full week's break at a time when holidays are less dear. New rules introduced in September 2013 mean that the 10 days of discretionary absence teachers used to be able to apply in 'special circumstances' must now only be applied in 'exceptional circumstances'. Unauthorised absences are liable to referral to the authority's Education Investigation Service, with warnings and fines a possibility. Persistent absence is currently any pupil that has 85% attendance or less. In September 2015 the Department for Education raised the persistent absence figure from 85% to 90%. That means a child who is absent for seven mornings or afternoons in half a term is classed as persistently absent. At this point any absence remains unauthorised unless medical evidence is available. Last year Jon Platt, 44, from the Isle of Wight, overturned a court fine imposed on him for taking his daughter to Disney World in term time after successfully arguing his daughter's absence did not mean she failed to attend school on a regular basis. Brighton and Hove City Council's children, young people and skills committee will consider on January 11 whether to discuss the options with the city's schools. Individual schools make their own decisions about when they take their inset days. The council has no powers to tell schools to take them at particular times. Councillors claimed they were introducing the move to benefit poorer families, despite the area's affluent reputation with a higher than average proportion of dynamic young workers and low proportion of single parent families. Committee chairman Tom Bewick said: 'If there is something we can do to offer lower-income families in particular the chance to take holidays that would otherwise be unaffordable then I think it's worth exploring. It comes after the Government cracked down on unauthorised absences from schools, telling headteachers that they can no longer let children go on holiday during the term (stock picture) 'Being able to take a cheap family holiday in March, for example, would make a huge difference to thousands of local people including, of course, our teachers. 'The long summer holiday goes back to the 19th century when children helped bring in the harvest. It's time to take a fresh look at this and try and find a consensus for what works best for families in the 21st century.' An investigation by the Press Association in October revealed the number of fines given to parents for taking their children on holiday in term time has almost trebled in two years. Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act showed that in the last academic year alone, at least 50,414 penalty notices were issued due to children being taken out of lessons for trips. This is up 25% on the year before, when at least 40,218 penalties were given out, and up 173% from the 18,484 fines handed out by local authorities in 2012/13. These figures cover 71 councils that provided data for all three years. The hikes came in the wake of a Government crackdown on absence, including strict new rules on term-time holidays introduced in England. The penalty for taking children out of school without permission is a 60 fine per child, rising to 120 if it is not paid within 21 days. Those who still fail to stump up may be prosecuted, with a maximum fine of 2,500 or a jail sentence of up to three months. Recent guidance by the National Association of Head Teachers said exceptions could be made for funerals, weddings and religious events, but family holidays were unlikely to match the criterion. In Brighton, schools make their own decisions on when to take inset days. Any plans agreed through the new proposals would not come in until the 2017-18 academic year. If councillors agree to explore the options, proposals would be brought back to a future committee for talks before further consultation with parents, carers and schools. If approved, the Brighton proposal could pave the way for other authorities to follow suit although each council would have to pick a different week in order for the system to work. The parents of the two-year-old girl who tragically died when her father accidentally ran over her has spoken out just a day after her death. Savannah passed away on Tuesday after her father struck her driving a grey four-wheel-drive on the driveway at the familys home in Inglewood, 15-minutes north of Perth. The mourning parents released a statement on Wednesday to farewell their 23-month-old daughter and to warn other families to be mindful of where their children are. Scroll down for video Savannah passed away on Tuesday after her father struck her driving a grey four-wheel-drive on the driveway at the familys home in Inglewood, 15-minutes north of Perth The mourning parents released a statement on Wednesday to farewell their 23-month-old daughter and to warn other families to be mindful of where their children are Savannahs parents would like to warn all families about the dangers of reversing cars and children, the statement said. Thank you for the outpouring of love for Savannah, the statement released through WA Police said. Savannah is now with her sister Gracie in heaven. Gracie died at birth just 12 months ago, according to Nine News. The mother also posted to her Facebook page that their daughter was precious Thank you for the outpouring of love for Savannah, the statement released through WA Police said Neighbours said the little girl was gorgeous, happy and energetic. Its a very close neighbourhood, everyone loves them and we all love each other here, the neighbour told Yahoo7. The mother also posted to her Facebook page that their daughter was precious. The family has asked for their privacy to be respected. Shed been struck around 4.25pm at the Crawford Road home and was rushed to hospital in a critical condition. She died at Princess Margaret Hospital shortly after arriving. The father had been moving the car into the driveway, according to Nine News. Police will prepare a report for the coroner. The father had been moving the car into the driveway when he accidentally struck her around 4.25pm A toddler was hit by a grey four-wheel-drive (pictured) in the drive way of her family's Perth home (pictured) Police believe the car was being driven by her father at the time of the accident The toddler was in serious condition when she was taken to the hospital but later died Business is better than ever for Smith & Wesson, now that President Barack Obama has unveiled a series of new gun restrictions. Shares of the world's largest firearms manufacturer jumped 11.1 per cent to $25.86 - its highest level since 1999 - after a tearful Obama laid out executive action he is taking to require more gun sellers to get licenses and more gun buyers to undergo background checks. On the eve of Obama's speech introducing stricter gun control rules, Smith & Wesson boosted its third quarter and full fiscal year sales and earnings outlook. Scroll down for video Business is booming: Shares of Smith & Wesson surged 11.1 per cent to $25.86 after President Obama announced new gun control measures Tuesday Bright future: Ahead of Obama's big announcement, Smith & Wesson boosted its third quarter and full fiscal year sales and earnings outlook The company said that 'the sell-through rate of its products at distribution has been stronger than originally anticipated, resulting in reduced distributor inventories of its firearms.' Put simply, Americans demand for guns is outstripping the supply. In another boost to the industry, data released on Monday from the FBI's Adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), which serves as a proxy to overall consumer demand in the firearms industry, showed a surge of 37.6 percent in December. Smith & Wesson stocks were up 12.2 per cent to $26.12 in morning trade Tuesday, ahead of the president's anticipated announcement. In an emotional address in the White House, surrounded by family members of people killed in shootings, Obama's voice rose to a yell as he said the constitutional rights of Americans to bear arms needed to be balanced by the right to worship, gather peacefully and live their lives. Taking action: President Barack Obama, joined by Vice President Joe Biden, right, speaks in the East Room of the White House Tuesday about steps his administration is taking to reduce gun violence President's tears: Obama broke down in tears while talking about the 20 elementary school children who were killed in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012 What's next? The Obama administration will require more gun sellers to get licenses and more gun buyers to undergo background checks Obama has often said his toughest time in office was grappling with the December 2012 massacre of 20 children and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. 'Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad,' Obama said, tears rolling down his cheek. 'That changed me, that day,' he said, after being introduced by Mark Barden, whose 7-year-old son was killed in the shooting. 'My hope earnestly has been that it would change the country.' Under the changes announced by the president, the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is issuing guidelines intended to narrow exceptions to a system that requires sellers to check with the FBI to determine whether buyers have criminal records, are charged with crimes or have mental health conditions that would bar them from owning a gun. Fire power: Smith & Wesson's stock has surged 125 per cent in the past year, which was marked by several mass shootings In the past year, which was marked by at least a half-dozen mass shootings, including the massacre in San Bernardino, California, last month that left 14 dead, Smith & Wesson's stock has surged 125 per cent, reported The Guardian. When all the figures are tallied up for 2015, the firearms makers revenue for the year is expected to be around $650million, compared to $627million the year before, with $25million pouring into Smith & Wessons coffers in the last three months alone. In a press release Tuesday, the Massachusetts-based company said it expects sales for the three-month period ending on January 31 to rise to $175-180million, up from a previous forecast of $150-155million. Smith & Wesson was not the only gunmaker to have benefited from Obama's proposed gun checks. A fifteen-year-old girl known online as 'YourFavoriteBunBun' is facing child pornography charges for allegedly selling nude photos and videos of herself on the internet. The Michigan teen allegedly made around 20 sales and over $1,000 (680) from the online business for more than a year. Relatives of the girl informed her mother who then contacted the police, after she confessed that she had been 'producing nude photographs of herself and selling them to strangers on the internet', according to police documents. A fifteen-year-old girl from Michigan known online as YourFavoriteBunBun' is facing charges for disseminating child pornography after allegedly selling nude photos and videos of herself on the internet The teen, believed to be from Kent County, apparently gave a confession to police and reportedly told them she used an account on messaging app Kik to make her sales. Detective Matthew Batchelder said: 'Men would then contact her and ask what she was selling. She would then tell them that she would send them nude pictures and videos for a price.' She apparently used the handle 'YourFavoriteBunBun' and said her customers knew she was underage and would send her money for pictures and videos via PayPal. The footage did not show her face but it often showed her masturbating. The girl allegedly recorded over 15 illicit videos in just two months, making around 20 sales and over $1,000, according to police reports. The girl said she recorded upwards of 15 illicit videos in the two months before police caught up with her and there was reportedly no set price. The teen now faces possible charges for disseminating child pornography, which is a felony offence in America, despite the fact the material in question was of herself. Email addresses were also seized of four people believed to be the girl's repeat customers, who reportedly paid for her images via PayPal. A father who was left paralysed after falling from the ninth storey of a tower block while trying to escape from a fire has learnt how to walk again. Subah Amini suffered near-fatal injuries to his legs, back and chest and major internal bleeding when he fell from the window of his London flat on June 28 last year. The 31-year-old, who was left paralysed from the waist down and told he would never walk again, has now stunned doctors with his recovery. Subah Amini, pictured (left) with his daughter Hibbaa, suffered near-fatal injuries to his legs, back and chest and major internal bleeding when he fell from the window of his ninth-floor London flat (marked by smoke, right) on June 28 last year The married father-of-three said the last thing he could remember was trying to climb out his window. He said: '[I was] trying to climb out of the window of my flat onto the balcony to escape. 'Then I was waking up in hospital with doctors telling me I had been in a coma for a week. 'I was told I would never walk again but I kept trying to keep positive because it was just such a blessing I was still alive.' The 31-year-old, who was left paralysed from the waist down and told he would never walk again, has now stunned doctors with his recovery and is able to walk on crutches (right) Mr Amini, who is pictured with his three daughters (left to right) Hibbaa, Bareera and Basimah, even travelled to China to get physiotherapy Mr Amini was then told he was taken to hospital after the fall from the window of his apartment in Andrew Reed House, Southfields. He had suffered a ruptured aorta, the body's main artery, broken his left leg, smashed his right heel into 130 pieces, snapped his sternum and burst the vertebrae in his spine. More than 30 firefighters battled the blaze in Mr Amini's flat, the cause of which is still unknown, and 200 people had to be evacuated from the tower block. His wife Naila and daughters Hibbaa, five, Basimah, three and Bareera, one, were away visiting family when the fire broke out. Mr Amini was initially paralysed from the waist down due to a squashed spinal cord and was given a 20 per cent chance of survival by doctors. Mr Amini, pictured in hospital (left) had suffered a ruptured aorta, the body's main artery, broken his left leg, smashed his right heel into 130 pieces, snapped his sternum and burst the vertebrae in his spine. Above, an X-ray of Mr Amini's spine after some treatment The father-of-three is photographed alongside four other patients after he travelled to China for physiotherapy, which was not available on the NHS Following his recovery, Mr Amini revealed he believes his life was saved for a reason and has devoted his life to helping those in need including flood victims at Christmas. He is pictured helping residents in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, after the floods He spent ten months in various hospitals in London and Wakefield before travelling to China for intensive physiotherapy, which was not available on the NHS, last summer. He slowly regained movement in his legs and can now walk with crutches. Following his recovery, Mr Amini revealed he believes his life was saved for a reason and has devoted his life to helping those in need. He said: 'I think I survived to make other people's lives better in any way I can. To help others means I can take a positive from what happened.' An Optus social media manager has received a barriage of marriage proposals and nominations to be Prime Minister or Australian of the Year after calmly reasoning with customers who complained of posters written in Arabic. Famously known only as Dan, like Cher, the Facebook community manager has won over the hearts of the almost 273,000 whove liked the telecommunications company on Facebook. Optus had faced a backlash late last year when customers called advertisements written in Arabic in Casula Mall in Sydney's west an 'outrage'. But the backlash was nothing compared to the volume of proud customers whove since flooded the Facebook page with love for the polite and reasoned way Dan explained their decision to advertise in Arabic and why it shouldnt matter. Optus advertisements written in Arabic had been placed in Casula Mall in Sydneys west late last year, and faced a backlash from customers who called it an outrage The signs were originally removed after Optus said they faced a direct threat, but are to be returned. Australia is a country where English is our language. All people who live here are required to read speak understand English. All advertising should be in English, one customer wrote to the public page. Thanks for the feedback, Dan wrote using the official Optus account. Australia is a nation full of languages, some 200 plus of them are native to Australia, but English is not one of those native languages. I live in Melbourne, a city renowned for its multicultural community, with world famous precincts to celebrate other cultures. We have Lygon St, where you can still hear Italian spoken in a lot of the restaurants. Lonsdale St and suburbs like Oakleigh, where you can practice your Greek. Richmond, known for its Vietnamese restaurants and stores. He told other complainants that, Casula itself is listed as having over 10% of the population speaking Arabic at home When one commenter said they were starting to think you are a Moslem yourself, Dan, he responded: I have no religious ties actually Jason, but it would be an easy assumption to make since I openly display love and compassion, which are among of the values of the Islamic faith Dan. Another person complained that 'this is Australia not Islam', to which Dan responded: 'Hi Linda, thanks for your feedback. Australia is a country while Islam is a religion'. Dan has since become so renowned that Optus customers have flooded their Facebook page with support for him, jokingly nominating him for Australian of the Year, the next Prime Minister, or suggesting he receive a pay rise at the very least. Other of Dans fans have asked for his hand in marriage. 'I've got a fever and the prescription is more DAN!' one said. 'Dan is a gentleman and a scholar. Well done sir, well done,' said another. And its even proven to be successful in bringing in new customers, with many saying they will leave their mobile or internet providers for the company. Im not even an Optus customer but I love Dan, one person wrote. The Republican primary hasn't yet begun, but leading candidate Donald Trump is so confident about his positioning that he already has his sights on the general election and Hillary Clinton. Trump told The Hill he could win Pennsylvania and bragged that he'd have a 'real good shot' in New York - two states that have voted to send Democrats to the White House since the '80s. 'This is my place,' Trump said of his home state, and also Clinton's. 'I love New York.' And 'If I win New York, the election 'is over,' he said. The Republican primary hasn't yet begun, but leading candidate Donald Trump is so confident about his positioning that he already has his sights on the general election and his prospects of beating Hillary Clinton Trump, seen here yesterday at a rally in New Hampshire, said he could win Pennsylvania and bragged that he'd have a 'real good shot' in New York - two states that have voted to send Democrats to the White House since the '80s Trump's odds of winning the GOP nomination have sharply increased over the last month as he has maintained a sizable double-digit lead over other contenders. Only one of the GOP's other candidates is polling anywhere near him nationally: Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who is looking to pull off an upset in Iowa and use the momentum to surge past Trump in later primaries. 'Iowa is important to me,' Trump told the Hill. 'It would be a less risky answer not to say that. I could tell you that, "Well, I hope I do well in Iowa" and that would cover all the bases. I dont want to say that. Id love to win Iowa. To me, Iowa is very important.' Regardless of what happens in that contest, the first one of the election cycle, Trump said he's confident he'll take home the trophy. 'Ive been a closer all my life,' he said. 'Its what I do I win. Other people dont win. I know more about winning than anyone.' He added: 'I close. Other people dont close.' With the GOP' nomination battle set to be settled as soon as March, the former reality TV star has turned his attention to Clinton, the presumed winner of the Democratic Party's process. In addition to serving as first lady, Clinton spent one and a half terms representing New York as one of its two U.S. senators. She'd be the favorite to win the state in a general election given its history of going for the Democrat on the ballot for the last two and a half decades. Trump believes that his appeal to independents and non-traditional voters will give him a boost in purple and blue states, New York included. 'I will expand the map,' he told The Hill. The billionaire, who bases his business in Trump Tower in New York City, has turned up the heat on his one-time friends, the Clintons, in preparation for a head-to-head match-up, saying Barack Obama 'schlonged' Hillary in 2008, then swatting back at her accusations of 'sexism' with attacks on Bill. 'What does she know about me,' Trump said today during an interview that aired on MSNBC's Morning Joe program. Trump's repeatedly derided Bill as an abuser of women, drawing attention to his past sexual indiscretions, and pointed out that he lost his law license for a time as part of a court settlement related to his womanizing. On MSNBC, Trump said now that Bill is campaigning for his wife it's 'open season' on him, too. 'Now if he wasn't campaigning maybe it would be different,' Trump said, 'and if he weren't a past president it would be totally different...I'd leave the spouse out of it.' Trump said the only reason he brought up Bill's sex life is because Hillary called him a sexist. If she drops the attack for good, Trump said he'll back off, too. That won't stop him from from criticizing Bill's record in other areas, though he said, if relevant to the conversation. The body of Sebastiano Magnanini, from Venice, was found tied to a shopping trolley in Regents Canal on September 24 Three men have admitted dumping the body of an Italian art thief who stole a 1million painting in a canal and then trying to go on a shopping spree with his bank card. The body of Sebastiano Magnanini, from Venice, was found tied to a shopping trolley in Regents Canal on September 24. He had previously been investigated for links with the Italian mafia. Magnanini, 46, was found by a horrified passer-by and his seven year-old child. Today Michael Walsh, 31, of Islington, north London, and Paul Williams, 64, of no fixed address, admitted preventing Magnaninis burial at Blackfriars Crown Court. Daniel Hastie, 22, of Tottenham, north London, admitted attempting to use the Italians bank card after his body had been disposed of. Mr Magnaninis body was found near the entrance to the Islington tunnel close to Kings Cross shortly after 9am on September 24. He was last seen by in the area on 22 September and is thought to have been living and working in south London. A post mortem was carried out but did not reveal a cause of death and further toxicology tests are still ongoing. Hastie, appearing in the dock in a grey Nike sweatshirt and jeans, admitted conspiracy to commit fraud and two separate counts of carrying an offensive weapon - a heavy steal chain and large wooden stick on September 7. Williams is suffering from bone marrow cancer and Hastie has autism, the court heard. They will return for sentence on February 5. Originally from Venice, Mr Magnanini was jailed for 18 months in 1998 for his part in stealing the Education of the Virgin by Battista Tiepolo. Along with two accomplices, they took the painting from the citys Santa Maria della Fava church in 1993. Magnanini, 46, was found by a horrified passer-by and his seven year-old child. Today Michael Walsh, 31, of Islington, north London, and Paul Williams, 64, of no fixed address, admitted preventing Magnaninis burial at Blackfriars Crown Court Originally from Venice, Mr Magnanini was jailed for 18 months in 1998 for his part in stealing the Education of the Virgin by Battista Tiepolo. Along with two accomplices, they took the painting from the citys Santa Maria della Fava church in 1993 The church had been left unlocked and the case prompted much debate about the security of religious buildings in Italy at the time. The artwork was found months later found in a farmhouse in Tessera, near the Marco Polo airport. The case was handed by anti-mafia investigator who suspected the involvement of the mafia clan of the Venetian Rivieria. Three months later in 1994 they were arrested and charged with aggravated theft. Magnanini and his two accomplices confessed and revealed the hiding place of the painting, in a warehouse near the airport, wrapped in a sheet, damaged only by a fold. Police were able to recover it before it was cut into four pieces and sold on. They were tortured, raped and burned with acid for Victims of the 2008 anti-Christian riots in east India could be canonised Nearly a hundred Christians slaughtered in mob violence in India in 2008 could soon be on the road to sainthood. Cardinal Oswald Gracias, the most senior Roman Catholic cleric in the sub-continent, said he will personally ask Pope Francis to start to process to canonise the martyrs of Kandhamal in the eastern Odisha province. He has ordered Church authorities to collect evidence of atrocities against Christians who refused to abjure their faith at the point of death. 'Martyrs': Namrata, was one of dozens of Indian Christian villagers who were injured in the porgoms in 2008, which saw more than 90 Catholics butchered by Hindu nationalists in the eastern Odisha province The martyrs include more than 90 Catholics butchered by Hindu nationalists during a seven-week pogrom against the Christian minority. Protestants also died in witness to their faith but they will not be included among any future saints canonised by the Pope. They include Parikhit Nayak, a Dalit Christian Protestant convert from Hinduism who was tortured to death in front of his wife, Kanak. Some Hindus who had previously been his friends and neighbours burned him with acid, castrated him and finally disembowelled him, with some of them wearing his intestines around their necks as garlands. Victims also include Rajesh Digal, a Pentecostal minister who was ordered by a Hindu mob to renounce his faith. Hope: India's most senior Roman Catholic cleric has said he will personally ask Pope Francis to start to process to canonise the martyrs of Kandhamal The victims were tortured, raped, burned with acid, castrated and disemboweled before they died, refusing to renounce their faith and convert to Hinduism When he refused, he was beaten severely and was buried up to his neck for two days, with his tormentors urinating in his mouth as he begged for water. The mob eventually battered him to death with clubs, sticks and axes. Rajni Majh, an orphan girl in the care of a Catholic priest, was raped by members of a mob before she was tied up and burned alive. A 28-year-old nun was also gang-raped by at least 10 men. Cardinal Gracias, the Archbishop of Bombay and the leader of the Catholic Church in India, said he has personally asked the Vaticans Congregation for the Causes of Sainthood to start investigating the martyrdoms. The Church is sensitive to modern day martyrs, the cardinal told Fides, a Vatican-based news agency. The roles of the witnesses of the martyrs are quite important. It is a tedious work and needs proper and timely documentation. Cardinal Gracias added: I am willing to speak personally about Kandhamal violence and its martyrs to Pope Francis. Victims: A Indian Christian villager looks over her home in Orissa's Kandhamal district in 2008 Destruction: A church in the village of Raikia, Kandhamal, is pictured in the wake of the attacks in 2008 The cardinal has meanwhile instructed Archbishop John Barwa of Cuttack Bhubaneswar, whose niece was raped in the violence, to initiate the sainthood process at the local level in preparation for its formal opening. Relations are usually peaceful between Christians, who make up 2.5 per cent of the countrys 1.1 billion people, and Hindus who account for more than 80 per cent. However, in the last decade instances of violence in India have multiplied dramatically, with hard-line Hindu groups claiming missionaries are persuading lower caste Indians to convert to Christianity. The outbreak of anti-Christian violence in 2008 followed the killing of a radical Hindu leader in August 2008 by Maoist rebels. Even though Communists claimed responsibility for the assassination, Hindu groups blamed Christians instead. The violence also displaced some 56,000 people, forcing many of them to hide in forests where some were killed by snakebites, and destroyed an estimated 6,500 Christian houses and 395 churches. 'That's unfortunate,' Cavalier said when Daily Mail Online confronted him over his Marine fabrication He wears military style garb including a shemagh scarf often worn by soldiers serving in the Middle East, and has th e code name 'Fluffy Unicorn' A key figure in the armed militia takeover of a federal building in Oregon has been posing as a retired US Marine to boost his 'combat' credentials, Daily Mail Online can reveal. Brian Cavalier the personal bodyguard of controversial ranchers Cliven and Ammon Bundy who lead the group openly boasted to members of the press that he is a Marine who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. But Daily Mail Online has learned that Cavalier, 44, has faked his military background to appear more credible as a militia henchman - a fact sure to anger some of the group's supporters. According to US Marine Corp records Cavalier has never served as a Marine, whether it be as a recruit or a Marine Corps contractor. Scroll down for video Bravado: Brian Cavalier, 44, the personal bodyguard of Cliven and Ammon Bundy, openly boasted that he is a retired Marine. But US Marine Corps records prove the big-bellied braggart never served as a Marine Private eye: Cavalier keeps a close watch on rancher Cliven Bundy, center, meeting with supporters Bearded Cavalier wearing military style garb including a shemagh scarf often worn by soldiers serving in the Middle East joined several armed militia to occupy the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Oregon on Saturday a move which grabbed national attention. The menacing, 6ft tall bodyguard was also seen flanking Ammon Bundy during a series of press conferences held outside the refuge and has been heavily involved in coordinating security at the compound where the group is holed up. But despite his self-styled military image and his heavy use of military phrases, we can reveal Cavalier is in fact a tattoo artist with a long rap sheet for DUI and theft, not a former soldier. According to police records, Cavalier, from Arizona, has been arrested several times for DUI and one case of 'extreme DUI' in Arizona. He wears military style garb including a shemagh scarf often worn by soldiers serving in the Middle East In 2014 he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft of property and was sentenced by the Prescott Valley Municipal court in Prescott Valley, Arizona. He is also listed as appearing in court in Santa Clara, California several times in the 1990s for unspecified offenses. Since the armed occupation of the wildlife refuge Cavalier has refused to reveal his identity to members of the press. He told journalists that he simply goes by the name 'Fluffy Unicorn'. When Daily Mail Online visited the refuge on Monday Cavalier joked that he might change it to 'Raging Unicorn' because he was irritated by our questioning. 'Yesterday it was Fluffy Unicorn', he said. 'Today it's Raging Unicorn.' Then he made his false declaration. 'I'm a retired United States Marine, I can rage,' he said, before dropping in that he had served in Afghanistan and Iraq. During several encounters with Cavalier - who on one day wore a hat with a badge stating 'major league sniper' on the front - he gave off an air of a long-time serviceman. When our reporter asked about accessing the refuge building, he barked: 'No that's logistical security issues that we can't have happen, head count can't be divulged for security purposes.' A shirtless Cavalier lies asleep on a bed with a handgun laid out next to him as well as bottles of Bacardi and Captain Morgan rum. While 'Fluffy Unicorn' might be Cavalier's code name for the armed occupation, we can reveal his real nickname is in fact 'Booda' or 'King Booda' due to a large Buddha tattooed across his belly The military pretense continued when our reporter tried to climb a wildlife observation tower which the militia is using as a guard tower. Cavalier screamed for us to get down. 'Now we are at a cross hair where my men and photographs of aerial reconnaissance or photography is now putting people's lives in jeopardy and I will be upset,' he said, adding: 'I don't know what the hell could happen, they could be out there with snipers and not know who you are.' While 'Fluffy Unicorn' might be Cavalier's code name for the armed occupation, we can reveal his real nickname is in fact 'Booda' or 'King Booda' due to a large Buddha tattooed across his belly. The tattoo, one of dozens, can be seen in photos of Cavalier posted on Twitter. In one snap he exposes his substantial gut under his t-shirt to display his Buddha and is seen carrying a handgun in a holster. In another shot a shirtless Cavalier lies asleep on a bed with a handgun laid out next to him as well as bottles of Bacardi and Captain Morgan rum. Outside the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Monday one brave reporter asked Cavalier whether two symbols tattooed on his eye-lids were swastikas. Cavalier snapped: 'No they are Chinese symbols for GAME OVER, so when I'm dead people know it's game over.' It's believed Cavalier, who is from Arizona, has been working with the Bundy family for the past two years. According to police records, Cavalier, from Arizona, has been arrested several times for DUI and one case of 'Extreme DUI' in Arizona The burly militiaman also featured prominently during a tense armed stand-off at the Bundy ranch in March 2014 when authorities tried to seize Cliven Bundy's cattle over a grazing rights row He also featured prominently during a tense armed stand-off at the Bundy ranch in March 2014 when authorities tried to seize Cliven Bundy's cattle over a grazing rights row. He can be seen in several press photos flanking Bundy and surrounded by heavily armed militia members. When Daily Mail Online confronted Cavalier over his Marine fabrication he seemed nervous and the bravado of previous days vanished. 'That's unfortunate that someone would say that,' he said, refusing to deny the claim. When asked if our information was wrong, he responded: 'I'm not commenting on anything, I told you what it is.' Cavalier asked who our source was and when told the US Marine Corp (USMC) had confirmed he was never a Marine, he said: 'That's unfortunate they would say that. It is what it is.' When it was pointed out to Cavalier that people might be upset once they discover his lie, he added: 'Hey you've got a job to do and I've got a job to do.' Claiming to be a Marine is not technically illegal - the Stolen Valor Act of 2013 allows for prosecutions only if someone falsely claims to have a combat decoration, and does so with intent to obtain money, property or other tangible benefit. Cavalier is therefore staying just within the law. But his stolen valor is not alone. One of his militia colleagues also has a history of being wrongly called a Marine. Blaine Cooper was once identified as a Marine in an interview in 2014 following a publicized rant he made against John McCain in which he demanded the senator's arrest for treason during a town hall meeting. Militiaman Jon Ritzheimer, left, is a retired Marine reservist but Blaine Cooper, who has been a prominent figure outside the occupied refuge dressed in full camo military fatigues, was forced to release a statement denying he had spent any time in the service Shortly afterwards Cooper who has been a prominent figure outside the occupied refuge dressed in full camo military fatigues - was forced to release a statement making clear that he had in fact not spent any time in the Corps. Online research shows that Cooper was enlisted to join the Marines in what is called the 'Delayed Entry Program,' or DEP, but never attended bootcamp. The DEP is a program available for all branches that gives enlistees up to a year from their enlistment to show up for initial training. According to a Wikipedia entry Cooper is a member of the Arizona State Militia. Cooper's appeared in a YouTube video in which he rubs bacon on a copy of the Koran before burning and shooting arrows in to it, in a 'message to Muslim extremists'. He adds that the Koran is, 'the most evil, pathetic book on the face of the planet.' Another militia member, Jon Ritzheimer, can genuinely claim to be a Marine, however. Ritzheimer is a staff sergeant and retired Marine reservist with two combat deployments to Iraq as a motor vehicle operator according to personnel records. Ritzheimer never earned a combat action ribbon - a personal award denoting that the recipient was fired upon by the enemy, according to information released by the Marine Corps to The Washington Post. He was, however, given a certificate of commendation for engaging three suspected insurgents after an improvised explosive device struck a vehicle in his convoy in 2005. Last year Ritzheimer gained notoriety after sponsoring a contest in Arizona where participants were supposed to draw the Islamic Prophet Muhammad - an act seen as blasphemous by many Muslims, and intended to provoke them. Ritzheimer first attracted national attention in May 2015 when he began pacing in front of a mosque near his home in Phoenix, Arizona wearing a t-shirt that had 'F**k Islam' emblazoned across the front. Later that month he organized an 'anti-Muslim protest' outside the mosque that drew 250 people. A TV journalist claims she was tricked by a world-renowned surgeon after he told her the Pope would officiate their wedding before she found out he was already married. Benita Alexander, 49, first met Italian surgeon Paolo Macchiarini in 2013, while working on a TV special about his work for NBC called 'A Leap of Faith'. The surgeon earned something of a celebrity status after he carried out the first living stem cell procedure on an Italian woman, where he replaced part of her windpipe. Tricked? Benita Alexander says she met surgeon Paolo Macchiarini in 2013 while working on a TV special about his work for NBC High profile: Dr Macchiarini, pictured in November 2008, earned something of a celebrity status after he carried out the first living stem cell procedure on an Italian woman, where he replaced part of her windpipe Speaking to Vanity Fair, Ms Alexander says he then impressed her by boasting of powerful friends such as President Barack Obama as well as Bill and Hillary Clinton. She claims the pair jetted off on holidays all over Europe and the Caribbean, shopping in expensive stores and dining at Michelin-starred restaurants. Then, in 2013, Ms Alexander claims the surgeon asked her to marry him on Christmas Day - and even told her that he could get Pope Francis to officiate their wedding. Ms Alexander says that the couple set the date for July 2015, and claims that her husband-to-be told her he had invited the likes of Elton John and Vladimir Putin to celebrate with them at the ceremony. However, she admits that she started to have doubts when she learned the Pope would actually be touring South America when she was due to marry - and therefore was highly unlikely to be able to attend the wedding, let alone officiate it. So she decided to hire a private investigator to help her get to the bottom of her partner's claims - and soon found that Dr Macchiarini was actually a man of more modest means living in Barcelona and, perhaps worst of all, that he was still married to his wife of 30 years. Tall tales: Ms Alexander says the surgeon impressed her by boasting of powerful friends such as President Barack Obama as well as Bill and Hillary Clinton And after hiring a private investigator, Ms Alexander found that Dr Macchiarini, pictured, was a man of more modest means living in Barcelona and that he was still married to his wife of 30 years Ms Alexander told Vanity Fair: 'I just didn't want to put two and two together. I didn't want Paolo to not be the man I believed him to be. 'This was not some guy I picked up in a bar. This was a renowned accomplished surgeon whom we had followed all over the world. 'The very prospect of him making all of this stuff up, even as I described it to friends, is surreal.' Ms Alexander now says that she has moved back to New York but admits that she has traveled to Barcelona to confront Dr Macchiarini. And try as she might, Ms Alexander will not be able to forget the surgeon any time soon; since their relationship broke up, she has learned the documentary she worked on with him has actually been nominated for an Emmy - but says that the news brought her little comfort or happiness. She added: 'Of all of the things Ive worked on that should have been nominated it had to be this one. I wanted to vomit.' This is the moment a driver plummeted off the edge of a cliff - and survived. The entire drop was captured on a GoPro camera fixed to the man's 2004 Subaru Forester XT. As he skirts his way around the perilous two-lane Angeles Crest Highway, he gets distracted by a person holding a sign he cannot read. By the time he realizes it's a warning to watch the curve ahead, it is too late. YouTube user TurboFoz was driving along the Angeles Crest Highway last year as he approached this curve It was sharper than he expected, and he tried to push gently on the breaks but swerved sharply The side of the road wasn't strong enough to bring him to a standstill and his Subaru burst through the wall With no room for an emergency stop, he makes a desperate attempt to softly push down on the brakes. But the maneuver sends his Subaru counter-clockwise, across the center median, bursting through the side rail over the cliff edge. 'It happened so fast all I can remember is everything crashing and spinning,' the man, YouTube user TurboFoz, wrote when he uploaded the January 2015 video this week. 'I thought I was rolling over down the side of the mountain. I was confident I was going to land upside down and get crushed. 'I was on the world's worst roller coaster that could only end with death, or so I thought. I came to a stop, still yelling, not fully comprehending what just happened, or how far down the mountain I was and that I actually just crashed my car.' Incredibly, TurboFoz landed on a rock completely unscathed. The man could then be heard wailing in panic as his car hurtled down the cliff into the mountain valley He said he was certain he was going to land upside down and be crushed by the impact This was the last thing the camera captured before it cut out - but amazingly the man survived 'Luckily for me, I landed on a rock wall that was part of a drainage pipe that went through the mountain. It was the only horizontally level piece on an extremely steep sloped hill. Had I spun off a few feet before or after, I'd be dead.' Uploading the video, he issued a warning to fellow drivers. 'This is a reminder to be safe, pay attention and KNOW THE ROAD before you try to have "fun" on it,' he said. 'I failed on all 3 of those accounts and it nearly cost me my life. I've more than learned my lesson and would hope some others do by my example.' The Angeles Crest Highway sits in the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County, California, en route to the Angeles National Park. After he got out his car, the man climbed to the top of the cliff and looked down at his immaculate vehicle Swerve marks could be seen on the highway where the man had veered over the edge of the cliff An Israeli humanitarian aid agency has flown a team into Britain to help people flooded in the north of England, it emerged today. IsraAID flew in a four person team to help rebuild homes and distribute supplies in Leeds after the city was flooded in a Christmas deluge. The charity, which does most of its work in developing countries, confirmed to MailOnline the work was the first time they have deployed to Britain. The four person IsraAID team headed to Leeds which saw its city centre deluged when the River Aire broke its banks following record breaking rainfall last month IsraAID have responded to 10 disasters triggered by tornadoes and flooding in the United States. Shachar Zahavi, founding director of IsraAid, told the Jewish Chronicle: 'The team have already met with small independent initiatives across the north that are delivering food, gutting houses, and helping to rebuild their homes. 'Our volunteers will assist with the current effort being carried out and use our experience in these disasters to work out what more we can do and how.' He continued: 'We have responded to 10 floods and tornado disasters in the US and when we saw what was happening to the UK in the news it looked worse than ever before. 'We wanted to show the community we would be there for them.' He said: 'We got in touch with the Jewish communities around the north of England and they told us about the independent NGOs working on the ground. 'We contacted them and arranged to send our team to help they said yes and here we are.' Mr Zahavi added: 'The first team were greeted by locals with open hands and are now mapping the workloads which would include distribution of goods and gutting houses helping people repair their homes. On New Year's Eve Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn visited Leeds after the flooding, including a stop at new business The Climbing Lab , which had its plans set back by flooding 'We have another team of five waiting to be sent from Israel we just have to assess where they are most needed and what is the best thing we can do to help.' The River Aire in Leeds hit record levels in the storms, leaving hundreds of homes flooded. Judith Blake, the leader of Leeds City Council, said last month the authority had warned the Government that flooding in Leeds was a 'catastrophe waiting to happen'. Ms Blake called for 'significant investment' in additional flood defences for the city to prevent future flooding. She said: 'The cost of the damage caused by this event will be considerable and if ever the evidence was needed that cities like Leeds must have the best possible comprehensive flood defences, this is it. 'The council warned the Government, after several near-misses in recent years, that a major flood in Leeds was a catastrophe waiting to happen but the response was slow and not the level of investment we know the city needs for it to be fully protected. 'While now is the time to focus on the wellbeing of our residents and the condition of their properties and possessions, we will again be calling on the Government for further significant investment in additional flood defences for Leeds. Louis Richardson has gone to trial over an accusation of rape and three accusations of sexual assault. He denies all the charges against him The former secretary of Durham University's prestigious Union Society has gone on trial to deny raping one student and sexually assaulting another. Louis Richardson, 21, from Jersey, is accused of having sex with the woman at his home when she was 'crazy drunk' and unable to consent in March 2014, Durham Crown Court has heard. Richardson, of St Helier, denies one charge of rape and three sexual assaults. The next morning he told her she was 'rubbish in bed because she was unresponsive', the jury was told. The rape complainant, who cannot be identified, wept as she gave evidence via a videolink, and told the court she liked Richardson because he was 'very confident' and 'he seemed to be everything that I was not'. She explained she was 'very, very intoxicated' when she was in Klute nightclub and recalled seeing Richardson. The next thing she remembered was waking up at Richardson's flat the following morning. 'I can remember him saying I was really bad in bed because I was unresponsive. I felt just completely horrified, like I had done everything wrong. I had been too drunk, just got myself into the state and going back with him.' She told the court that on the way to the party where Richardson allegedly pulled up her top, he had kissed her and made a joke about rape. 'I pushed him away and said I didn't want to do that,' she said of his attempted kiss. 'He pushed me against a wall and kissed me and said "Don't worry darling, it's rape".' She explained to the jury Richardson allegedly meant the kiss was not her responsibility and not her choice. 'He was making a joke about rape. It is a semi-popular thing that students do,' she said. Accused: Richardson (pictured) is the former secretary of Durham University's prestigious Union Society It is alleged Richardson told the girl the morning after he took her home from Klute nightclub that she was 'rubbish in bed because she was unresponsive'. Richardson denies making that comment She considered withdrawing her allegation with the police but then decided to go through with it. 'I didn't want anyone else to go through that,' she said. The woman said initially she tried to laugh it off, and that she had been stupid for thinking of Richardson as someone who would have looked after her when she was drunk. Richardson told police it was 'likely' they had had sex after he had seen her in Klute nightclub and took her back to his home. He said they had both been drinking but said they were not drunk. He denied saying she was 'rubbish' at sex and accepted during the police interview that would have been cruel, the court heard. Richardson also denies a charge of sexual assault against the woman, relating to an allegation he lifted up her top at a friend's house to expose her bra, and said: 'Oh get your t*ts out... everyone else has seen them.' The rape complainant agreed with Philippa McAtasney QC, defending, that she and the defendant had sent each other jokey, flirtatious Facebook messages. Richardson poses with the Man with Potential Selves statue by Sean Henry in Newcastle city centre Asked if sending him a photo of her cleavage was 'very flirtatious sexual banter', the woman replied: 'I suppose so, yes.' The defendant was also charged with attacking another student at a house party in October 2014. Richardson allegedly apologised in a Facebook message to a mutual friend but did not contact the woman directly, the court was told She said she had felt ill and went to sleep in an empty bedroom. When she awoke she claims she found a man with one hand on her breast and the other over her knickers. When she pushed him off, Paul Cleasby, prosecuting, said he replied: 'If you wanted me to stop you could have asked.' The jury was told she replied: 'I was asleep.' The October 2014 complainant told the court she was really shocked, embarrassed and 'freaked out' after Richardson sexually assaulted her. 'I froze up, I suppose I was quite scared,' she said via video link. She recalled his appearance as skinny, with floppy hair and noted 'he had quite a posh accent'. Richardson kissed her on the lips before leaving the party, she said. The complainant was asked if she considered contacting the police. 'I thought it would be a one-off. A bit of a creepy experience that had happened. I tried to put it to the back of my mind,' she said. Richardson allegedly apologised in a Facebook message to a mutual friend but did not contact her directly, she said. The October 2014 complainant came forward with her complaint to the police after she was told that Richardson had been arrested for allegedly raping the Klute nightclub victim. During a second interview regarding the October 2014 complainant, Richardson claimed he was comforting the woman in bed, and he had put his hand on her shoulder. The spoiled rotten 'affluenza' teen Ethan Couch spent more than $2,000 on hookers and booze at a Mexican club, but when his money ran out, he offered up a Rolex watch as collateral. Prior to being caught by authorities, Couch and his mother Tonya went to a strip club in Puerto Vallarta called Harem on the evening of December 23, where employees said he partied the night away. The 18-year-old, who received a slap-on-the-wrist probation term for killing four people in a drunk driving accident, had several drinks with his mother before she left the club leaving him behind. While in the club alone, Couch maxed out his debit card as he partied with two women in a private back room area of the club that boasts of 'boobies and booties galore' over its main entrance. Scroll down for video Ethan Couch, 18, who received a slap-on-the-wrist probation term for killing four people in a drunk driving accident, had unwittingly maxed out his debit card as he partied the night away in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico before he was taken into custody Couch partied the night away with two girls in a private back room at Harem, a Puerto Vallarta strip club that boasts of 'boobies and booties galore' over its main entrance It was at Harem that Couch hit his stride, spending hours, and thousands of his parents' dollars, on the boobies and booties on offer. When it was time to pay his bill, Couch was 6, 000 pesos short, which is roughly $345 Employees at the club said Couch, who was extremely drunk, racked up a huge tab that included lap dances from the women among other things. Harem manager, Eduardo Dudinez, told Daily Mail Online that no-one at the club remembered Couch being there. 'But then, we asked the top management what we should say if we were asked by the press and they told us we not should say anything,' he added. 'So if I did know anything I wouldn't tell you! 'We get all types of people in here, from senators to El Chapo Guzman,' said Dudinez, referring to the infamous drug lord who has twice escaped Mexican prisons. 'So saying anything about our clients could kill our business.' Dudinez said many other members of the Mexican criminal gangs are regulars at Harem. Tonya Couch (left) appears in Los Angeles Superior court for an extradition hearing January 5 Couch and his mother, 48-year-old Tonya Couch (above), fled their hometown of Fort Worth, Texas, last month after a beer pong video was posted on Twitter Unlike in the United States where clients generally pay for dances as they go, most strip clubs in Puerto Vallarta run up tabs to be settled at the end of the evening. As the man gets more drunk it becomes difficult for him to remember just how many dances he has bought. Added to that he is expected to pay inflated prices for drinks for the girls he is with. The website Strip Clubs of Mexico warns: 'There are a lot of complaints about padded tabs in Puerto Vallarta strip clubs, so consider paying as you go.' It is not uncommon for the client to realize at the end of the night that he doesn't have enough cash on hand to pay his bill, both employees said. 'It is our policy to escort the man back to his hotel or to an ATM machine to get our money if they don't have it with them,' said Dudinez. According to ABC News, Couch was 6,000 pesos short on his bill, which is roughly $345. A police officer of Mexico's National Migration Institute (INM) keeps watch at the immigration office where Ethan Couch is held at the Iztapalapa neighborhood in Mexico City January 5 A guard closes the gate at the entrance gate of the Agujas immigration detention center Couch is being detained by authorities A waiter at the club had to escort Couch back to his hotel when he could not pay the bill in the early morning of December 24. He nor his mother had any cash to pay the remainder of the bill so he gave the waiter his Rolex watch as a guarantee that he would repay his $345 debt the next day, ABC News reported. However, the club was closed December 24 and December 25. Employees at the club told ABC News that the pair was never seen again. The mother-son duo moved into a condo in Puerto Vallarta without notifying staff at the hotel they were leaving. A cleaning woman at the resort attempted to get into the room earlier in the day on December 24, but no one would answer as the 'Do Not Enter' sign was on, ABC News reported. She later entered the room and realized they had left. Fred and Tonya Couch have been widely blamed for their role in their son's self-destruction Mexican law enforcement finally nabbed them December 28 after they fled into the country from their hometown of Fort Worth, Texas December 19 with their dog. The pair fled the country after a video shared to Twitter showed Couch apparently playing beer pong, which is a breach of his probation and could land him behind bars. Currently Couch, who died his blonde hair black, is sitting in a Mexico City jail trying to fight efforts to extradite him to Texas where authorities want to question him about the video. His hotshot Mexican defense lawyer, Fernando Benitez, said he met with Couch Tuesday. Benitez said that Couch is 'fine' and 'everything's OK' without revealing any further details as to whether or not his client has dropped an appeal that has suspended his deportation back to the United States, the Associated Press reported. The teen's 48-year-old mother was transported to California December 30 and she is charged with hindering apprehension of a felon. Cars are seen parked outside of the shabby apartment building where Ethan Couch and his mother were detained by authorities, in Puerto Vallarta A sign for Los Tules resort is shown in Puerto Vallarta where Couch and his mother stayed after fleeing Texas If convicted she faces up to 10 years in prison. 'While the public may not like what she did, may not agree with what she did, or may have strong feelings against what she did, make no mistake Tonya did not violate any law of the State of Texas and she is eager to have her day in court,' Tonya Couch's attorneys Stephanie K. Patten and Steve Gordon said in a statement released to ABC News. She is expected to be transported back to Texas this week. The reports of the teen's drinking are crucial since part of his probation from the horrific 2013 crash prohibits him from consuming alcohol for the next 10 years. Construction diggers used by Islamic State terrorists to build defences have been destroyed in airstrikes carried out by RAF bombers armed with laser-guided missiles. Footage of the strikes shows the two machines positioned in fields being targeted through the sights of a RAF Typhoon. But moments after they fall into the sights of the bombers, the diggers explode in two near identical ground rattling explosions. Scroll down for video A construction digger operated by ISIS near Mosul is blown to pieces using RAF laser-guided missiles The videos were released by the Ministry of Defence as part of its regular updates on the British bombing campaigns in Iraq and Syria. On December 2 the British Parliament voted to extend the bombing raids on ISIS targets into Syria following months of strikes on militants in Iraq. The MoD claimed the diggers were used on the outskirts of Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, which has been under ISIS control since June 2014. In the new year, the RAF has focused on supporting the offensive against Ramadi, which was reclaimed by Iraqi forces operating with the help of coalition airstrikes. Among the targets destroyed by Reaper drones on January 1 were ISIS machine-gun positions and a team of jihadis armed with RPGs. Two days later RAF Typhoon fighter jets bombed more mortar teams, snipers and machine-gunners, while Tornado jets dropped missiles on a truck-bomb and ISIS mortar and machine guns. The MoD's airstrikes update comes as the U.S.-led coalition fighting the terrorist group claimed the militants have lost 30 percent of the territory they once held in Iraq and Syria. Baghdad-based spokesman Colonel Steve Warren told reporters the extremists have lost 40 percent of their territory in Iraq and 20 percent in Syria, adding that they are now in a 'defensive crouch'. Many believe the losses the group have sustained in the past month is why earlier this week it released a new propaganda video featuring British militants threatening the West. The laser-guided Paveway IV missile (circled) is seen barrelling down on the digger at the top of this picture Filmed from inside the plane's surveillance system, the MoD said the digger was being used by ISIS to build defences The moment the missile struck the digger, the machine and the area surrounding it erupted into a ball of flames It has been suggested the masked jihadi who appeared in the video is British fanatic Siddhartha Dhar, also known as Abu Rumaysah, who fled the country for Syria while on bail for terror charges. And a child pictured in the video is suspected to be Isa Dare, a four-year-old born to south-east London jihadi Grace Dare, 24. Since the U.S.-led coalition began launching airstrikes in 2014, Kurdish forces have pushed ISIS out of parts of northern Iraq, including the town of Sinjar, and driven the extremists out of a band of Syrian territory along the Turkish border. Further south, Iraqi forces and Shiite militias recaptured the Iraqi city of Tikrit last year. But ISIS has also made fresh advances, capturing the Syrian town of Palmyra - home to famed Roman-era ruins - and the western Iraqi city of Ramadi in May of last year. Iraqi forces backed by U.S.-led airstrikes drove Islamic State militants from Ramadi's city center last month, recapturing most of the provincial capital of the sprawling Anbar province. By the end of the month, there will be three Clintons campaigning with former first daughter Chelsea hosting a trio of fundraisers for her mom in Los Angeles. The Chelsea Clinton events will all have a 'hip young edge,' writes the Hollywood Reporter, and will 'take advantage of arts-oriented venues.' The former first daughter, who recently announced she was pregnant with her second child, formally started fundraising for Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton last month, hosting a mother-daughter holiday affair, alongside actress Drew Barrymore. Scroll down for video Release the Chelsea! The former first daughter will be making three stops in Los Angeles, fundraising for mom, and then will return to New York to do a $2,700 per ticket event at SoulCycle This week, Bill Clinton did his first solo stint for the campaigning, taking his message to the voters of New Hampshire. Now, Chelsea Clinton will play her unique part. While Los Angeles is associated with the movie industry, she'll likely be courting donors from the tech and arts scene if the venues and hosts are of any indication. Chelsea Clinton's first stop in Los Angeles will be at the offices of renowned architect Frank Gehry First, she'll head to the Venice offices of world famous architect Frank Gehry, for an event on Monday, Jan. 25. The next day, the young Clinton will host a 'conversation with Chelsea Clinton' lunchtime fundraiser at the Lantern House, also in Venice, co-hosted by Scott Meyers, a C++ computer language guru, who recently retired. The house, which is really a trio of cottages, is an artsy Venice landmark with its colorful rooms and lanterns spread through the property. Rounding out the tour, Clinton will head to Newport Beach for a fundraiser at the home of Michael Chegini, a real estate investor and his wife Sholeh, who's a human resources executive. After her west coast tour, Clinton is due back in New York City for a $2,700-per person fundraiser at the Tribeca location of SoulCycle, a hip spin studio. It was only a matter of time before Chelsea Clinton was brought in to be a fundraising draw. Chelsea Clinton's second west coast fundraiser will take place in the artsy Lantern House. She'll be hosting it alongside computer language entrepreneur In Hillary's corner: Scott Meyers (left) will be co-hosting a fundraiser with Chelsea Clinton in Venice, while Michael and Sholeh Noori-Chegini (right) are having the Clinton daughter at their Newport Beach house The house is really a trio of cottages and has become a local Venice landmark. Chelsea Clinton's fundraising seems aimed at the Los Angeles tech and arts scene She's played an understated, yet more vocal, role in her mom's campaign doing breezy media appearance like one on Ellen, where she was gifted an Elmo-meets-Ready for Hillary wagon for daughter Charlotte by the talk show host. Like mom, she's appeared on Live with Kelly and Michael too. And has been spotted alongside chief Clinton aide Huma Abedin at several events. However, Chelsea Clinton has yet to attend a Democratic debate. Flashback to eight years ago and it was a much more guarded Chelsea. The former first daughter refused to talk to reporters at all, even as she started stumping for her mom on the campaign trail in the run-up to the Iowa Caucuses, as Sen. Barack Obama's campaign was gaining steam. In December 2007 the same point in the campaign where we are today Chelsea Clinton memorably brushed off a nine-year-old 'kid reporter' for Scholastic News. 'Do you think your dad would be a good "first man" in the White House?' the petite reporter had asked. French prosecutors and a mechanic have today refused to corroborate Nigel Farages claims that he was warned his car had been sabotaged. The Ukip leader described a scary dash across a French motorway in the path of a lorry after a tyre on his Volvo V70 fell off - and said he feared it was an assassination attempt. Mr Farage also said French police had told him that there had been foul play with his car and said it was probably because he was an enemy of the Establishment and dared to challenge mainstream views. 'Target': Nigel Farage (pictured on Sunday) claims he was the victim of an assassination attempt, after he careered off a French road - but prosecutors and a mechanic denied his wheel was tampered with Getaway: Mr Farage was forced to leap over the barrier of the motorway near Dunkirk to escape from speeding lorries in October, as pictured in this reconstruction The French police looked at it and said that sometimes nuts on one wheel can come a bit loose but not on all four The mechanics were absolutely certain of [foul play] but I have decided to take no further action, Mr Farage told a Sunday newspaper. But according to French newspaper Liberation, both the prosecutor and mechanic deny making such remarks. Liberation reported that Philipe Marquis, owner of the garage, had never seen anything like it [and that he] found it weird. Why didnt he call the police then? Because he did not suspect it was a consequence of a sabotage Instead, the mechanic suspected the nuts had been wrongly screwed after another repair. Mr Marquis tried to ask if Mr Farage had his car fixed in another garage but he could not find out because the garage owner does not speak English. We had to talk by sign language, he said. Asked if sabotage had been mentioned, Mr Marquis said: I never said that, he just saw us screwing back the nuts. Liberation said while police did arrive to the scene of the accident, on October 21, they did not examine the car, because no one was hurt. Dunkirks prosecutor said: If they had noticed a sabotage, they would have had to open an investigation. It would not have been left up to Mr Farage to veto an investigation. Responding to Liberations report, Mr Farage said that he no desire for this story [of his road incident] to come out. I never mentioned any mechanic. As far as I'm concerned, this is a dead story, he said. One plausible explanation for the tyre falling off was revealed in a recall notice for Volvos issued in 2010. The car manufacturer had warned that wheel nuts on certain models had not been tightened properly and could make the wheels more likely to fall off. However Volvo later suggested that Mr Farages car had not been part of that recall. Mr Farage's Volvo, which was involved in the incident, and Mr Farage fears he was the victim of a malicious act Malicious: The Ukip leader has received previous death threats during his time at the head of the party Mr Farage, who has received death threats during his tumultuous time as leader, spoke out over the weekend about the frightening incident, which took place near Dunkirk. It was the middle of bloody nowhere, and I was caught in a very bad position, he said. There was a huge section of roadworks with cars going back and forth on the same side of the carriageway. I suddenly realised I was losing steering but there was no hard shoulder to pull on to. 'I slowed down, put the hazards on and then one of the wheels came off. I jumped over the wall as quickly as I bloody well could to get away from lorries and everything. When the emergency services arrived, they told a shaken Mr Farage that he had been the victim of a malicious act. The French police looked at it and said that sometimes nuts on one wheel can come a bit loose but not on all four, Mr Farage said. When he was asked who he thought might have been responsible, Mr Farage replied: I havent got a clue. Quite frankly, the way my lifes been over the past two-and-a-half years, nothing surprises me. The crash, which took place in daylight at the end of October, has been kept under wraps by Mr Farage until now. Mr Farages Volvo V70 comes with a single locking nut on each wheel, which should be immune from interference. But if the other four nuts are loosened, then the remaining one is likely to sheer off as soon as the car is travelling at speed. The Ukip leader has been embroiled in a series of poisonous feuds within his party over recent years, both in London and in the European Parliament, where he sits as an MEP. The boyfriend of the sorority girl allegedly murdered by an active duty Marine in a road rage attack on New Year's morning has told how he is surviving, 'day by day'. Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail Online Brice Riddell, 20, who had dated Sara Mutschlechner since mid-summer spoke of his devastation at how life can 'just be gone in a moment' and revealed his heartfelt hope that justice will be done for his 'sweet sweet girl.' Standing in front of his fraternity home in Denton, Texas, the University of North Texas student said: 'We were together at least midway through the summer until New Year. 'It's day by day right now. We're all getting stronger in remembrance for all the great times we had with Sara. Scroll down for video Grief: Brice Riddell, 20, had dated Sara Mutschlechner since mid-summer. He spoke of his devastation at how life can 'just be gone in a moment' and revealed his hope that justice will be done for his 'sweet sweet girl'. Pictured: Cpl Eric Jamal Johnson, 20, (left) has been arrested on suspicion of shooting dead sorority sister Sara Mutschlechner (right), a 20-year-old University of North Texas junior, early on New Year's Day Pictured: Cpl Eric Johnson, was arrested at his air base in Yuma, Arizona, on Tuesday morning. He is an administrative specialist of Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron-1, which he joined in August 2013 'There was a very nice vigil that happened in the Greek Life office. I'm drawing strength from all the brothers and friends and just hanging out and having good times because that's what Sara would have wanted.' Twenty-year-old Sara's last tweet was a reference to the time she had spent with Brice earlier on that fateful New Year's Eve night and Brice recalled: 'I was with her all the way up until about an hour before everything transpired. 'It's just crazy to imagine how everything can just be gone in a moment.' Brice had partied with Sara and friends at the now infamous gathering on Crisoforo Drive until around 1 in the morning when he left, bidding her a Happy New Year. Now, trying to make sense of the violence that followed barely an hour later Brice said: 'I don't know if it was out of hate, out of just wanting to make a point more than they even intended but the issue is it happened and it's not okay. 'I'm just really relieved that they've finally found somebody who's directly related to what happened. She was such a sweet, sweet girl. 'She deserves justice.' Cpl Eric Johnson, of Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron-1, was arrested at his air base in Yuma, Arizona, on Tuesday morning. According to police, shots were fired from a black SUV that pulled up beside Sara as she was driving through Denton, Texas, in the early hours of New Year's Day. Johnson, 20, is an administrative specialist and had been stationed at the Marine Corp Air Station in Yuma since August 12, 2013. It is unclear if he was on holiday leave. He will be detained in Yuma County Jail until he is extradited to Texas. Johnson was at the same party as Sara and her friends. He left at around the same time with two of the party's performers of the rap collective Dayonta Boyz, as well as two other African American males in a black SUV Mutschlechner, philanthropy chair of her sisterhood, was driving this sedan when she got into a fight with members of an SUV. Shots were fired, she was hit in the head, then crashed into an electrical pole Sara's group had been at a nearby party on Crisoforo Drive which hosted a number of musicians, including local rap collective The Daytona Boyz. They left shortly before 2am. Johnson, whose street name is 'Santana Sage', was also at the party. He left at around the same time with two of the Dayonta Boyz - known as Tay-K and F***PimpyZ - and two other African American males in a black SUV. Both vehicles were driving through Denton when Johnson's black SUV pulled up alongside Sara's sedan. Members of Johnson's group started shouting that they wanted to 'f***' the two girls in the car. One of Sara's two male friends hit back that the comments were inappropriate. One of the men in the SUV told him he would 'beat his ass' and another said, 'I'll shoot your ass', and 'displayed a handgun'. According to police, Sara's party did not make derogatory comments in response and drove off. But as they went through the intersection at West University Drive, shots were fired from the SUV and Sara was hit in the head. The 20-year-old immediately lost control of her sedan, veered to the right into a parked car then crashed into an electrical pole. She was taken to hospital and treated for her wounds but died later on New Year's Day. Another girl in Sara's car broke her collar bone, and was treated in a local hospital. Police said at least two of the men in the SUV had been at the same party as Sara and her three friends but the groups are not believed to have interacted until the dispute between their vehicles. They insisted that the investigation is ongoing. Detectives are examining surveillance film taken from a nearby business, which is believed to show the vehicle involved. Speaking to Daily Mail Online Johnson's stepfather, Darryl Joseph, 49, expressed shock at the news of Johnson's arrest which he said he was only just learning. He said: 'Eric's a great kid. He's never had no problems.' The house on Crisoforo Drive where Sara had partied with her friends was empty yesterday after the occupants who rented the house left in haste, clearing out their stuff and piling it into a truck just yesterday. Outside the evidence of the party was clear with overstuffed trashcans and bags holding beer cases, cups and other party detritus. Neighbors said the occupants who rented the house left in haste, clearing their stuff into a truck just yesterday Today the house on Crisoforo Drive where Sara partied with friends lay empty, its door wide open Respectable: Eric Johnson's family home in Fort Worth, Texas. He lived on based with the Marines This was the flier made for the New Year's Eve party Sara and her friends attended, as well as Johnson and his friends, including at least two members of headline act Daytona Boyz, Tay-K and F***PimpyZ According to police, Johnson (pictured left and right) threatened one of Sara's male friends and flashed a gun Johnson (pictured, left, with a friend). Sara's friends who were in the car with her have told police they recognized this 'F*** Everybody' shirt, and said someone in Johnson's car was wearing it during the fight In the car with Johnson: Police said two members of the rap collective the Daytona Boyz were also in the black SUV. They identified the rappers by their stage names: F***PimpyZ (left) and Tay-K (right) The police were called at least twice as the party raged on Thursday night and into the small hours of Friday morning with one neighbor reporting partygoers banging on her door and windows at 5 in the morning. According to Mallory Bersi, 21, 'It was really weird. At like 5am someone was banging on the door trying to get into our house. They were like banging on the door, on the windows, they went into the back yard. We called the cops. Things like this don't happen in this neighborhood. It was crazy, scary.' A neighbor of Eric Johnson's mother Sheryl Joseph, Virgil Turner, 49, has lived across from them for six to eight years. 'When we got here they were already here. I know Eric a little bit. When we moved here him and my kid used to play. They used to skateboard up and down this street. Then he took off and went to the military. 'He was a nice boy. I'm very surprised. 'I know his mom. She's a very nice lady, very friendly, never had a problem with her.' He added: 'I'm just shaking with this news. I'm very surprised. He was a very nice boy from a very nice family. 'I haven' t seen him but he was back here for the weekend.' According to her LinkedIn page, Mutschlechner had volunteered at the American Cancer Society The parents (pictured) of Mutschlechner said their daughter had dreamed of being a film director or producer and that being an organ donor was a cause close to her heart Mutschlechner's devastated parents have revealed that she was an organ donor - and that she has already helped a burns victim. In an interview with Fox 4, the parents of Mutschlechner said their daughter - a junior at the University of North Texas - had dreamed of being a film director or producer and that being an organ donor was a cause close to her heart. Her father Clay called the killing 'senseless and tragic' while her mother Gloria said: 'All I could think about was her and this horrible thing that happened to her. She did not deserve this.' Clay added: 'We're all going to miss her. Some people don't get to have their kids 20 years. We have to be blessed with what we've had with our time spent.' Donald Trump said Wednesday that he doesn't know if Ted Cruz, his chief rival in Iowa, is legally eligible to be president, and urged him to ask a federal court for the answer. 'I don't know, to be honest,' he said in passive-aggressive fashion, when CNN's Wolf Blitzer asked if he believed Cruz, a Texas senator, was a 'natural-born citizen' of the United States. 'I like him a lot,' Trump said. 'And I don't like the issue. I don't like bringing even it up. And you know, it wasn't me who brought it up. It was the Washington Post doing an interview.' Trump said with Cruz as the GOP's nominee, Democrats could make an issue of his past dual citizenship in Canada, where he was born to an American mother and a Cuban father. 'How do you run against the Democrat, whoever it may be, and you have this hanging over your head if they bring a lawsuit?' Trump asked. 'A lawsuit would take 2 or 3 years.' He said Cruz should go to court and ask for a declaratory judgment a pre-emptive ruling designed to give people guidance before they risk running afoul of the law. Scroll down for video WARNING: Trump is hinting that the Republican Party should think twice about nominating Sen. Ted Cruz instead of him, because it could result in new headaches over a 'birther' controversy NATURAL-BORN CITIZEN? Cruz was born in Canada to an American mother and a Cuban father, and while that seems to satisfy the Constitution's presidential requirements, it has never been tested in the courts AY, CARAMBA! Cruz's father Rafael, a fiery evangelical pastor, was a Cuban citizen when the senator was born in Canada in December 1970 'You go in seeking the decision of the court without a court case,' he explained. 'You go right in. You go before a judge. You do it quickly, it can go quickly.' Trump said he's used the legal tactic in his business dealings. 'I'm doing this for the good of Ted,' the billionaire insisted,' adding that 'I like him and he likes me. We have a good relationship. Ths will clear it up.' 'Once a judge rules that he's okay, then the Democrats can't bring a lawsuit later on.' 'If Ted should eke it out, and I hope that doesn't happen, and he's got this cloud over his head, I don't think it's going to be possible for him to do very well' in the general election. He said, though, that he hopes Cruz is eligible to serve in the Oval Office. 'I want to win this thing fair and square. I don't want to win on this point,' Trump told CNN. The new soft line of attack is likely to raise doubts about Cruz in Iowa, where some polls show him leading Trump, and others show the reverse. Eventually, Trump hit him directly. 'Ted was in favor of amnesty,' he said of the nation's immigration battles. 'Him and Marco Rubio have been arguing over who's weaker!' 'JUMPING THE SHARK': Cruz invoked a cultural shorthand to suggest that Trump is grasping for an attention-grabbing way to discredit him as The Donald slides into a losing position 'ENJOYING': White House press secretary Josh Earnest says it would be ironic if Republicans chose as their nominee someone who was actually born outside the country Trump spoke to The Washington Post on Monday before a rally in Lowell, Massachusetts, saying of the citizenship question that it would be 'a very precarious one for Republicans because hed be running and the courts may take a long time to make a decision. You dont want to be running and have that kind of thing over your head.' 'Id hate to see something like that get in his way,' Trump added. 'But a lot of people are talking about it and I know that even some states are looking at it very strongly, the fact that he was born in Canada and he has had a double passport.' Blitzer corrected Trump on Wednesday, saying Cruz only had an American passport despite his years-long dual citizenship. 'I think it's wonderful if he didn't' have a Canadian passport, Trump responded. Cruz fired a shot at Trump on Tuesday with a tweet containing an iconic 1977 scene from the TV series 'Happy Days': Fonzie jumping over a shark tank in his motorcycle. Fans regarded it as the moment the show descended into the ridiculous and began a slide toward oblivion. 'Jumping the shark' has become cultural shorthand for a novel but desperate gambit that signals a decline in quality and a big step toward irrelevance. Reporters asked White House press secretary Josh Earnest on Wednesday whether or not the president enjoys watching the Trump vs. Cruz drama. 'I dont know if he does, but I sure do,' Earnest quipped, earning a room full of chuckles. 'It would be quite ironic,' Earnest said, 'if after seven or eight years of drama around the president's birth certificate if Republican primary voters were to choose Senator Cruz as their nominee, 'somebody who actually wasn't born in the United States and only 15 months ago renounced his Canadian citizenship.' PRESSING FLESH: Cruz is working overtime in Iowa, where some polls show him leading Trump just weeks before the all-important caucuses Trump has gone back and forth about Cruz's legal status in a presidential race. In December 2014, a month before he hit the campaign speaking circuit, The Donald told ABC News that 'I think if he's born in Canada it's a problem, no question about it.' Ten months later, though, as he and Cruz formed a bromance friendship and seemed to have a mutual non-aggression pact Cruz for months declined to take shots at Trump, and vice-versa Trump waved off any worries. 'I hear it was checked out by every attorney and every which way and I understand Ted is in fine shape,' he said then. Now, as the two men are fighting for dominance in the first caucus state of Iowa, Trump is putting the issue back on the table. The federal courts have established that children born abroad to at least one U.S. citizen are citizens themselves, as long as the parent in question lived in America for a set number of years. When Cruz was born, that requirement was 10 years of residence which his mother satisfied. DISSENT: Pundit Ann Coulter is echoing Trump's questions, saying Cruz may not be eligible to serve in the Oval Office Legal scholars have argued that Cruz meets the Constitutional standard for winning the White House, but his particular circumstance has never been tested in front of a judge. Conservative columnist Ann Coulter tweeted on Monday that Cruz's status is by no means settled. Quoting the New York Times, she wrote: 'NYT: Cruz was born outside the U.S. to 1 American parent: "Under the Constitution this makes him a 'natural born citizen.' Absolutely false.' Trump famously beat the birther bushes during Obama's first term in office, goading him into releasing his long-form birth certificate although conspiracy theorists still contend it was faked. The Donald frequently takes credit for putting the matter to rest. But on Wednesday he hinted that there may be another chapter in that saga waiting to be written. 'I have my own theory on Obama,' he said. 'Someday I'll write a book. I'll do another book and it'll be very successful.' Toledo archbishop Braulio Rodriguez said domestic violence happens because women 'do not obey men' A leading archbishop has sparked outrage in Spain by saying that domestic violence occurs because 'women do not obey men'. The Archbishop of Toledo Braulio Rodriguez told his congregation that wives could avoid being hit by doing what they are told. Women could also escape being physically abused by not asking their husbands for a divorce, Rodriguez said. He told churchgoers in his sermon: 'The majority of cases of domestic violence happen because the woman's partner does not accept them, or rejects them for not accepting their demands. 'Or often the macho reaction comes about because she asked for a separation,' the archbishop said. The Roman Catholic churchman - who has taken a vow of celibacy - also said many relationship problems occured because the couple were not in a 'true marriage', and he criticised the practice of 'quickie divorces'. He said: 'I don't think our political leaders are worried about divorce figures when they have fought so hard to implement the so-called quick divorce.' He made the comments during a mass held in Toledo Cathedral on December 27, and they were later published in the Our Father parish bulletin. Thousands of furious Spanish women have now taken to social media to slam the cleric. One wrote: 'The archbishop of Toledo has linked domestic violence to couples not being in a "proper marriage". So says the celibate man who believes in a ghost.' Another added: 'He should be locked up for inciting violence. This idiot should keep his medieval views to himself.' In 2015, 56 women were killed in Spain because of domestic violence. More than one million cases of domestic violence have been dealt with by the Spanish courts since 2007, with and judges handing down prison sentences to 148,000 men. In 2015, 56 women were killed in Spain because of domestic violence. Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched against violence against women and gender discrimination in Madrid in November that year, some of them (pictured) wearing white masks and holding posters Ben Carson Retired physician Age on Election Day: 65 Religion: Seventh-day Adventist Base: Evangelicals Resume: Famous pediatric neurosurgeon, youngest person to head a major Johns Hopkins Hospital division. Founder of the Carson Scholars Fund, which awards scholarships to children of good character. Education: B.A. Yale University. M.D. University of Michigan Medical School. Family: Married to Candy Carson (1975), with three adult sons. The Carsons live in Maryland with Ben's elderly mother Sonya, who was a seminal influence on his life and development. Claim to fame: Carson spoke at a National Prayer Breakfast in 2013, railing against political correctness and condemned Obamacare with President Obama sitting just a few feet away. Achilles heel: Carson is inflexibly conservative, opposing gay marriage and once saying gay attachments formed in prison provided evidence that sexual orientation is a choice. Ted Cruz Texas senator Age on Election Day: 45 Religion: Southern Baptist Base: Tea partiers Resume:U.S. senator. Former Texas solicitor general. Former U.S. Supreme Court clerk. Former associate deputy attorney general under President George W. Bush. Education: B.A. Princeton University. J.D. Harvard Law School. Family: Married to Heidi Nelson Cruz (2001), with two young daughters. His father is a preacher and he has two half-sisters. Claim to fame: Cruz spoke on the Senate floor for more than 21 hours in September 2013 to protest the inclusion of funding for Obamacare in a federal budget bill. (The bill moved forward as written.) He has called for the complete repeal of the medical insurance overhaul law, and also for a dismantling of the Internal Revenue Service. Cruz is also outspoken about border security. Achilles heel: Cruz's father Rafael, a Texas preacher, is a tea party firebrand who has said gay marriage is a government conspiracy and called President Barack Obama a Marxist who should 'go back to Kenya.' Cruz himself also has a reputation as a take-no-prisoners Christian evangelical, which might play well in South Carolina but won't win him points in the other early primary states and could cost him momentum if he should be the GOP's presidential nominee. Jim Gilmore Former Virginia governor Age on Election Day: 67 Religion: United Methodist Base: Conservatives Resume: Former governor and attorney general of Virginia. Former chairman of the Republican National Committee. Former U.S. Army intelligence agent. President and CEO of the Free Congress Foundation. Board member of the National Rifle Association Education: B.A. University of Virginia. Family: Married to Roxane Gatling Gilmore (1977), with two adult children. Mrs. GIlmore is a survivor of Hodgkin's lymphoma Claim to fame: Gilmore presided over Virginia when the 9/11 terrorists struck in 1991, guiding the state through a difficult economic downturn after one of the hijacked airliners crashed into the Pentagon. He is nest known in Virginia for eliminating most of a much-maligned personal property tax on automobiles, working with a Democratic-controlled state legislature to get it passed and enacted. Achilles heel: Gilmore is the only GOP or Democratic candidate for president who has been the chairman of his political party, giving him a rap as an 'establishment' candidate. A social-conservative crusader, he is loathed by the left for championing the state law that established 24-hour waiting periods for abortions. Gilmore also has a reputation as an indecisive campaigner, having dropped out of the 2008 presidential race in July 2007. John Kasich Ohio governor Age on Election Day: 64 Religion: Anglican Base: Centrists Resume: Governor of Ohio. Former chairman of the U.S. House Budget Committee. Former Ohio congressman. Former Ohio state senator. Education: B.A. The Ohio State University. Family: Married to Karen Waldbillig (1997). Divorced from Mary Lee Griffith (1975-1980). Claim to fame: Kasich was Ohio youngest-ever member of the state legislature at age 25. He's known for a compassionate and working-class sensibility that appeals to both ends of the political spectrum. In the 1990s when Newt Gingrich led a Republican revolution that took over Congress, Kasich became the chairman of the House Budget Committee a position for a wonk's wonk who understands the nuanced intricacies of how government runs. Achilles heel: Some of Kasich's political positions rankle conservatives, including his choice to expand Ohio's Medicare system under the Obamacare law, and his support for the much-derided 'Common Core' education standards program. Marco Rubio Florida senator Age on Election Day: 45 Religion: Catholic Base: Conservatives Resume: US senator, former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, former city commissioner of West Miami Education: B.A. University of Florida. J.D. University of Miami School of Law. Family: Married to Jeanette Dousdebes (1998), with two sons and two daughters. Jeanette is a former Miami Dolphins cheerleader who posed for the squads first swimsuit calendar. Claim to fame: Rubio's personal story as the son of Cuban emigres is a powerful narrative, and helped him win his Senate seat in 2010 against a well-funded governor whom he initially trailed by 20 points. Achilles heel: Rubio was part of a bipartisan 'gang of eight' senators who crafted an Obama-approved immigration reform bill in 2013 which never became law a move that angered conservative Republicans. And he was criticized in 2011 for publicly telling a version of his parents' flight from Cuba that turned out to appear embellished. Donald Trump Real estate developer Age on Election Day: 70 Religion: Presbyterian Base: Conservatives Resume: Chairman of The Trump Organization. Fixture on the Forbes 400 list of the world's richest people. Star of 'Celebrity Apprentice.' Education: B.Sci. Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania Family: Married to Melania Trump (2005). Divorced from Ivana Zelnickova (1977-92) and Marla Maples(199399). Five grown children. Trump's father Fred Trump amassed a $400 million fortune developing real estate. Claim to fame: Trump's niche in the 2016 campaign stems from his celebrity as a reality-show host and his enormous wealth more than $10 billion, according to Trump. Because he can self-fund an entire presidential campaign, he is seen as less beholden to donors than other candidates. He has grabbed the attention of reporters and commentators by unapologetically staking out controversial positions and refusing to budge in the face of criticism. Sweden has warned it cannot cope after the equivalent of 1,000 classrooms full of children arrived there in just four months. The Scandinavian countrys migration minister yesterday said it had been forced to put checkpoints on its border with Denmark earlier this week for the first time in half a century after more than 115,000 people claimed asylum in the time period [four months]. At an emergency summit in Brussels, Morgan Johannson said 26,000 young migrants, some of them unaccompanied, had flooded the country, which has a population of just 9.5million. That is 1,000 school classes arriving in Sweden in four months, he added. Sweden has begun checking IDs at its border with Denmark, to prevent illegal migrants crossing its borders The border checkpoints represented a massive U-turn for the Swedish government, which had been the most welcoming to migrants European Union migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos convened the talks after Sweden introduced ID checks with Denmark on Monday, followed by a similar move by the Danes, who began border controls with Germany. But senior German interior ministry official Ole Schroeder warned that our problem at the moment in Europe is that we do not have a functioning border control system, especially at the Greece-Turkey border. We had an average influx of 3,200 refugees per day arriving in Germany, and the numbers are not declining in the last days, he added. Mr Schroeder said that an EU plan to share refugees arriving in Greece and Italy was not working and warned that when EU responses fail we will come to measures from the member states. At an emergency summit in Brussels, Morgan Johannson (pictured) said 26,000 young migrants, some of them unaccompanied, had flooded the country, which has a population of just 9.5million Swedish police officers perform identity checks among passengers on board a train from Copenhagen, after it warned it can't cope with the number of migrants crossing its borders European Union migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos convened talks after Sweden introduced ID checks with Denmark on Monday, followed by a similar move by the Danes, who began border controls with Germany European Commission Margaritis Schinas responded that Mr Schroeder had clearly indicated a number of areas that do not work optimally, [but that] does not mean that the Commission is wrong. Guards began inspecting passports on the iconic Oresund Bridge between Sweden and Denmark on Monday, marking a massive turnaround for the Swedish government, which had been the most welcoming to migrants. Pledge: Mark Astaire, vice chairman of the investment banking division at Barclays Bank, told MPs today banks would still do well if the UK left the EU The City of London would continue to thrive if Britain votes to leave the EU, a senior banker said today. Mark Astaire, vice chairman of the investment banking division at Barclays Bank, told MPs the Square Mile would not collapse if voters for Brexit in this years referendum. He said that, whatever the result of the vote, London would still be the largest financial centre in Europe in 10 years time. The comments are at odds with apocalyptic claims by some in the financial sector that a vote to leave the EU could push banks away from the capital. Ratings agency Standard & Poor warned last year that Brexit would see financiers choosing to locate in Dublin or Paris instead. Appearing before the Treasury select committee, Mr Astaire said: The City of London is a great success story, despite the challenges its had. Its one of our leading industries and its clearly the European leader. London has thrived within the Union. I have to say I think it will continue to thrive outside the Union though I think there will inevitably be some challenges in the event that Britain was to leave. Do I think that if the UK was to leave the Union, London wont be the leading financial centre in Europe in 10 years time? I would have to say no. He conceded that there was a risk at the margin that some financial institutions would relocate from London to cities still in the EU. But he said: I dont think Londons going to collapse whatever happens, far from it. There are lots of other good reasons why London is going to continue to be successful. There is clearly a risk at the margin that people just get up and go. Contrast: Mr Astaire said his bank Barclays, which is based in Canary Wharf, pictured, and London's financial sector would still 'thrive' if the UK cuts its ties with Brussels Mr Astaire said that while he believed most businessmen wanted to stay in Europe, there are many who do not. Brexit is seen by many people as being perhaps in the long-term interests of the British economy, but as being an uncertainty they would rather not have to deal with as the leader of a business, he said. People are very cautious about the uncertainty of a Brexit even if they think it might fundamentally be the right thing to do. He suggested that if the UK votes to leave, he would prefer a clean break rather than a Euro-lite relationship such as Switzerland, which has access to the single market as part of the European Economic Area (EEA) but has to abide by a slew of Brussels rules. If theres a Brexit, it should be an opportunity. To then have a Euro-lite relationship may prove to be a missed opportunity. Mr Astaire also criticised EU rules which he said were harming the financial sector, such as those limiting bankers bonuses. He said it made it harder to attract the best talent from the US. London has thrived as a financial centre within the European Union. Thats not to say there arent rules we think are unhelpful to UK but more general to European economies more generally. He told MPs there was a disadvantage relative to American banks and that it is a negative in the broader sense. One of the big challenges for European banks is being able to compete on a level playing field with what are largely the American banks, he said. He said British banks were the only European institutions in the premier league. Our ability to do so is pretty important, he said. Robert Oxley, a spokesman for Vote Leave, said: Despite the doom mongering from the in-at-all-costs brigade, its clear the City would flourish outside of the EU. London is a success often in spite of the EU, not because it. If we Vote Leave we can build on the strength of our financial services, rather than handing more and more control of them to Brussels. James Chew, group head of regulatory policy and strategy at HSBC, told MPs, however, that he believed the City would be harmed by Brexit. London always had a load of intrinsic advantages location, language, law, liquidity, he said. Having access to the single market has undoubtedly bolstered that and enhanced the status of London as a hub. How Londons position would sit if there were a vote by the British people to exit; I think that would depend very much on the nature of the exit. The position under a soft exit where were EEA members would be very different to the position under a hard exit, and would depend on the institutional arrangements that are put in place between the EU and the UK. The White House said this afternoon that it has seen no evidence to support North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un's claims that his country has developed a hydrogen bomb. The 'initial analysis is not consistent with the North Korean claims of a successful hydrogen bomb test,' President Barack Obama's spokesman said today. 'I cant give you a detailed assessment at this point,' White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said, 'This is after all an event that just occurred 18 hours ago or so.' SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO The White House said this afternoon that it has seen no evidence to support North Korea's claims that it has developed a hydrogen bomb. The 'initial analysis is not consistent with the North Korea claims of a successful hydrogen bomb test,' President Barack Obama's spokesman, Josh Earnest, said today Nothing has changed in the last 24 hours to change the United States' assessment of the country's technical and military capabilities, though Earnest said. 'Were obviously going to continue to look at this by monitoring the situation,' he told reporters this afternoon, but 'the initial analysis is not consistent with the claims that the regime has made.' Earnest said the US came to that conclusion based on seismic data, as well as information obtained by its allies in the region. North Korean state television announced the atomic test, the fourth of its kind since 2006, at 10 am local time, flashing a picture of Kim signing a Dec. 15 order permitting the exercise. Calling it 'the republic's first hydrogen bomb test,' KRT said, 'We have now joined the rank of advanced nuclear states.' North Korea says the blast was created by a miniaturized device and that is why it did not register higher on the seismic scale. In any case, the White House said the test was a 'provocative and a flagrant violation' of United Nations security resolutions. The international community is considering appropriate consequences. The US and Japan called an emergency United Nations meeting today and members agreed that additional sanctions on North Korea over its military activities, which also include unapproved ballistic missile tests, should be developed. Earnest said today that he was 'not prepared to list' potential retributive actions while asserting that the U.S. will 'consider a wide range of options.' 'This is something that we take quite seriously, but I don't have specific potential responses to itemize for you at this time.' If new financial sanctions were on the way, for example, Earnest said that is not something the US would necessarily want to announce in advance. Already, the North Koreans are 'enduring extreme poverty,' the White House spokesman said, as a result of the current sanction regime. 'All of that is a result of the failed leadership of the North Korean regime,' he stated. The United States has, however, succeeded under the leadership of President Obama and isolating the country and 'cementing the international unity of opinion' that it needs to 'demonstrate a commitment to some peace and stability on the Korean peninsula.' North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signs a document regarding the test of a hydrogen bomb in this image taken from North Korea's state-run television KRT. The US says its not real, though North Korean people are seen here celebrating the success of the first hydrogen bomb test in Pyongyang today China also has a 'significant role' to play in that process, Earnest said, and President Obama frequently reminds President Xi Jinping of that during their talks. Xi visited the White House last fall and the two presidents 'agreed in that meeting that neither would accept North Korea as a nuclear state,' Earnest said. China and the US disagree in on many policies - 'but this is an issue on which we do agree...and that agreement is significant because of the important role that China plays as a neighbor of North Korea,' the White House official said. Hillary Clinton called on the 15-member UN Security Council 'to immediately impose additional sanctions.' Clinton, a former Obama administration official, also said China 'must be more assertive in deterring the North's irresponsible actions, and it should take actions to halt prohibited activities transpiring across its borders or its firms that participate in illicit trade or proliferation will have to face sanctions.' As for the United States' response to those actions, Clinton said, 'North Korea must have no doubt that we will take whatever steps are necessary to defend ourselves and our treaty allies, South Korea and Japan.' 'North Korea's goal is to blackmail the world into easing the pressure on its rogue regime. We can't give in to or in any way encourage this kind of bullying. Instead, we should increase pressure and send Pyongyang an unmistakable message that its nuclear brinksmanship won't succeed.' The former secretary of state further took credit for the United States 'pivot' to the Asia Pacific and focus on confronting threats like the one from North Korea. 'I worked to get not just our allies but also Russia and China on board for the strongest sanctions yet,' she proclaimed. Republicans are turning news that North Korea may have advanced its nuclear capabilities into a new assault on President Barack Obama's foreign policies Republicans are turning news that North Korea may have advanced its nuclear capabilities into a new assault on President Barack Obama's foreign policies. 'North Korea is run by a lunatic who has been expanding his nuclear arsenal while President Obama has stood idly by,' GOP presidential candidate and Florida Senator Marco Rubio said. If tests confirm that communist country has developed a hydrogen bomb as Kim claims, 'it will be just the latest example of the failed Obama-Clinton foreign policy,' Rubio added. Before the White House briefing Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker said proof of North Korea's claims would serve 'as a sober reminder that ignoring this threat and hoping it will go away does not constitute a policy.' 'Reports of a North Korean nuclear weapon test late yesterday are troubling enough in isolation, but if confirmed, this news is especially disturbing when put in context with events of the last several years,' Corker said in a statement. Other Republicans have castigated the president for 'weak' leadership since word spread about North Korea's atomic test. 'They have just not acted strongly at all around the world,' Chris Christie, another GOP candidate, said of Obama and Clinton, his former top diplomat who is seeking the Democratic nomination for president. While North Korea was celebrating, the international community was deciding how it would punish the country for issuing its fourth unsanctioned nuclear test The White House blew off attacks from Republicans who are seeking a promotion today and said, 'They're trying to win votes from conservative Republicans in the presidential primary.' 'We've heard a lot of campaign rhetoric but not a lot of specific tangible suggestions about what should be done different,' Earnest said. 'I think that is not unique in the context of an election.' He added, 'That is why the president ifs focused on confronting this challenge by making our national security interests the top priority.' On Fox News, Donald Trump accused the administration of not working closely enough with China or North Korea to resolve the issue. 'Nobody is talking to them whatsoever, and nobody is discussing it with China. China has total control, believe me. They say they don't - they have total control over North Korea, and China should solve that problem,' the Republican presidential candidate said. 'And if they don't solve the problem, we should make trade very difficult for China,' Trump argued. 'North Korea is totally under their control. Without China, they wouldn't eat.' Trump also called Kim a 'madman.' Elliot Engel, the top-ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the U.S., South Korea and Japan should work together 'to develop an appropriate response.' 'For now, its clear that Russia and Chinathe lifelines of North Koreas regimeshould do more to discourage these dangerous actions and try to bring North Korea back to the six-party talks,' he said, referring to a process that ended in 2009 when the country banned UN nuclear inspector. U.S. and Chinese officials have been on touch about the matter today, Earnest said during his briefing. National Security Advisor Susan Rice spoke with Chinese ambassador earlier this afternoon at the White House. Before the end of the day, President Obama also hopes to speak to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-hye. Bill Clinton dismissed Paula Jones in the 1990s as a 'floozy' and a 'nobody' after she sued him for sexual harassment, according to an audio diary recorded by a confidant. Clinton also said that Jones, a former Arkansas government employee, was trying to have her 'moment in the sun', Clinton's friend and biographer, Taylor Branch, said in a recording on October 2, 1997. The news of the revealing recordings comes just days after presidential candidate Donald Trump said that President Clinton's personal life should be 'fair game' during his wife Hillary's campaign. Scroll down for video Bill Clinton called Paula Jones a 'floozy' according to an audio diary recorded by his friend and biographer, Taylor Branch, in 1997 Jones, pictured in the 1990s, claimed Clinton unzipped his pants and asked her to perform a sex act on him in a Little Rock hotel room in 1991 The recordings dating back to the 1990s were recently surfaced by the Washington Free Beacon. Branch said in his diary that Clinton had discussed with him the pending sexual harassment lawsuit in which Jones claimed Clinton unzipped his pants and asked her to perform a sex act on him in a Little Rock hotel room in 1991. '[Clinton] said they had now changed Paula Jones's hair style, made her look less like a floozy, and that she didn't seem to have any visible income but was always driving a new car,' Branch said. '[Clinton] said these political lawyers are going to tell her that there's not much likelihood that she would get any money out of this,' said Branch, who drew from his recorded diary entries for his 2010 biography The Clinton Tapes. 'That it's just about [Jones] 'being somebody' because, if she settles the case, she goes back to being 'nobody,' and the trial is going to be her moment in the sun,' he added. Clinton said that he thought the IRS had good reason to audit Jones, who was audited in 1997 during the lawsuit, Branch said. '[Clinton] said 'I didn't have anything to do with it, and I know nobody around here had to do with her getting audited by the IRS,' Branch Said. But, Branch added, 'independently, it stands to some reason. She doesn't have any visible means of support and is always traveling around and driving a new car, no job, so forth.' A judge dismissed Jones's lawsuit in 1998, saying she couldn't demonstrate damages caused by Clinton's alleged harassment. When she appealed, Clinton paid her a $850,000 settlement to drop the suit. Branch said that Clinton said Jones, pictured in recent years at her home in Arkansas, was trying to get her 'moment in the sun' when she accused him of sexual harassment Jones's case was dismissed in 1998, but when she appealed Clinton paid her a $850,000 settlement to drop the suit. Pictured above is Jones in earlier years Branch, a historian and author, used his recordings to write a Clinton biography, called The Clinton Tapes At the time, however, Clinton told Branch that 'there is no way there'll be a settlement, because i'm not going to pay a dime. I would rather have a trial'. Around the same time, Clinton publicly apologized for his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. 'My overall impression tonight was that whereas [Clinton] said that he had sinned and this was very difficult, and he needed to work on his private relations, and so forth, I was amazed by how impersonal he seemed to be dealing with it,' Branch said in a September 1998 recording. 'He had a number of conversations about impeachment with people on the phone that I'll try to recount later, but it seemed like another interesting political problem that he was going into from every angle,' he added. Branch recorded dozens of conversations with Clinton for the president's personal oral history project in the 1990s and 2000s. While Clinton kept the actual recordings, Branch would orally record his own notes after the wide-ranging conversations. He later donated the recordings to the University of North Carolina. Clinton has admitted to having affairs with Lewinsky and Gennifer Flowers. He was accused of sexual harassment and misconduct by a number of women, including Jones, and former White House aide Kathleen Willey. The recordings were revealed just days after presidential candidate Donald Trump said that Clinton's his personal life should be 'fair game' while his wife, Hillary Clinton, is running for president While promoting his wife Hillary's presidential campaign in Nashua, New Hampshire last week, an ABC News reporter asked him during a short, impromptu interview about GOP front-runner Donald Trump's claim last week that the former president's past was 'fair game' for criticism. Clinton took a long pause and seemed unsure how to respond. 'The Republicans have to decide who they want to nominate,' Clinton eventually answered. 'I think there's always attempts to take the election away from people, so I'm just going to give it to them.' Trump, in a phone interview on NBC's 'Today' show last week, criticized Bill Clinton's controversial history with women after Hillary Clinton announced he would campaign for her in New Hampshire. Trump said he has been unfairly accused of misogyny by Democrats when they themselves are using Bill Clinton as their standard-bearer, and on the 'Today' show he named names, starting with Lewinsky and Jones. 'If she's going to play that game, and if he's going to be out there campaigning, then it's certainly [fair game] and I think everybody agrees with me on that,' Trump said. Also, in an interview with Radio Iowa last week, Trump said he is putting Clinton on notice that she cannot 'play the woman card' as long as her husband campaigns for her. 'With all of her past and her past dealings and, frankly, she's been involved in it with her husband as much as anybody, for her to be discussing that I think is out of bounds and I've let them know that,' he said. 'I think we have to have fair fights here and fair dialogue and we have to do what's right for the country and she shouldn't be discussing it. Probably maybe more so than anybody I know she shouldn't be discussing that.' But Trump later in the week said his own past indiscretions would also be ripe for criticism this year. A Cincinnati mother has been sentenced to jail time for harassing another homeowner with foul-mouthed emails in a drawn-out feud over a failed real estate deal. On Tuesday, a judge sentenced Jacqueline Crysta Pleatman to 180 days behind bars but subsequently suspended three-quarters of the jail term, requiring the married mother-of-three to spend only 40 days in lockup. In November, Pleatman, a self-described software developer, was convicted of one count of telecommunications harassment, a misdemeanor, stemming from her email exchanges with Grant Troja. Mom jailed: Jacqueline Crysta Pleatman, center, pictured in court last year, was sentenced on Tuesday to jail time in a real estate deal gone bad Harsh words: The mother-of-three (left) was convicted in November of one count of telecommunications harassment for sending Grant Troja (right) rude emails and texts calling him a 'real SOB' Show of contrition: When given a chance to speak, a tearful Pleatman, pictured here in court earlier, apologized to Troja and said she was a different person now The dispute between Pleatman and Troja started in 2013 when the woman and her husband backed out of a deal to purchase Trojas $1.2million home in upscale Cincinnati suburb of Indian Hill when they found out a neighbor had been convicted of attempted murder. Troja, who works in the restaurant industry, filed a lawsuit against the couple claiming breach of contract. As the civil case was winding its way through the court system, Troja accused Pleatman of harassing him, leading prosecutors to file criminal charges against her. Court documents show Troja told police she peppered him with text messages and emails, one of which contained the phrases, youre a real SOB, youre a despicable specimen of mankind and grow up and get some balls,' reported Cincinnati.com. In another missive to Troja that was read aloud during Pleatmans trial she wrote: 'You can either end this mess or I will take you down in every legal way possible. This is not a threat, it is a fact. Regards, Christi.' Prosecutors also argued that the woman tried to ruin her nemesis' career by contacting his employer, according to reporting by WCPO. During her sentencing Tuesday, Pleatman sobbed as she apologized for her actions, vowed to 'follow the rules' and insisted to the court that she was a changed person, having spent nine days in jail since the outset of the twisted case. Ugly dispute: The feud between Pleatman and Troja started in 2013 when the woman and her husband backed out of a deal to purchase Trojas $1.2million home after learning of his neighbor's criminal past Not buying her act: A prosecutor described Pleatman as a 'bully' with a history of harassment. She recounted how the married mother-of-three once sent the wife of her lover a letter describing their sexual exploits Her defense lawyer argued that the brief period of incarceration left an indelible mark on his client, who was accustomed to living in a mansion. 'Shes a broken woman,' attorney Clyde Bennett said. 'Her spirit has changed.' As part of the penalty phase, the blonde mother-of-three will have to perform community service and pay a $250 fine. Her time in jail will be followed by two years of probation. When given a chance to speak, the defendant apologized to Grant Troja for causing him 'stress' and inconvenient, and promised to never break the law again. Prosecutor Gwen Bender questioned the sincerity of Pleatmans repentance, describing her as a 'bully' with a history of telecommunications harassment. Bender recounted how one time Pleatman, who is married, sent a lewd letter to the wife of a man with whom she had an extramarital affair, describing to her rival in detail their sexual exploits. She also said Pleatman contacted her ex-lover's employer and falsely accused him of raping her. Not out of the woods: Pleatman (left) still has two criminal cases and a civil jury trial pending against her The prosecutor said that in her jailhouse phone conversations, Pleatman talked about putting on a tearful display in court and expressed concern about whether she would look presentable without makeup for the cameras. The judge granted Pleatman's request to allow her to stay out of jail while her lawyers appeal the ruling. She still has two additional criminal cases pending against her stemming from related charges of obstructing official business and criminal damaging. Footage said to show tremors in China, more than 100 miles from test site Shocking footage from China is said to show the tremors of an earthquake created by North Korea's hydrogen bomb test, which took place more than 100 miles away. The reclusive country announced it had carried out a 'perfect' thermonuclear test this morning, triggering a 5.1 magnitude earthquake. A video from China's north eastern Yanji county shows a highway shaking uncontrollably as a result of the blast. Stills from the same area revealed cracks forming in a playground where many children had gathered and locals being evacuated from a building. Footage from the Chinese county of Yanji (pictured), more than 100 miles away from where North Korea detonated the bomb, showed the highway shaking from an alleged earthquake Hydrogen bombs (top left, explainer graphic) can generate vast and violent amounts of energy through nuclear fission - the splitting of atoms - followed by fusion - the combining of atoms Pictures from the same area near China's border with North Korea showed cracks developing on the ground as a result of the blast Yanji, Huichun and Changbai - which are located near China's border with North Korea - are said to have felt the tremors the most. Atomic weapons experts and North Korea's opponents have cast doubt over the H-bomb explosion, saying the size of the blast and resulting earthquake was far too small to have come from such a device. Hydrogen bombs can produce explosions up to 1,000 times more powerful than atom bombs, such as the one dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. That A-bomb delivered the equivalent of around 15 kilotons of TNT explosive, while the US hydrogen bomb tested at Bikini atoll in 1954 delivered 450 kilotons. This extra destructive power means they are standard issue in the arsenals of the US, Russia, Britain and France. South Korea's spy agency said today's blast produced an explosive yield of only six kilotons. One of the country's senior lawmakers, Lee Cheol Woo, said even a failed hydrogen bomb detonation yields tens of kilotons. Stills from near the China-North Korea border showed locals being evacuated from a building after the quake North Korea today conducted a 'successful' hydrogen bomb test at its Punggye-ri test site, Pyongyang claimed today FROM LUXURY GOODS TO VISAS: THE SANCTIONS IMPOSED ON REPEAT OFFENDER NORTH KOREA The UN has imposed a number of sanctions on North Korea since it first tested an atomic device in 2006. ARMS EMBARGO October 2006: The security council imposed an arms embargo and ban on a range of imports and exports to prevent North Korea from carrying out nuclear tests or launching ballistic missiles June 2009: Ban was extended to any military material, financial transactions and technical training related to the supply and use of arms, nuclear and missile technology 2013: The provision was further strengthened to allow countries to seize and destroy material connected to North Korea's weapons programs TRAVEL, LUXURY GOODS AND ASSETS FREEZE 2006: A UN sanctions committee was created to 'blacklist' those deemed to be providing support to North Korea's banned programs. Those blacklisted had their assets frozen and were banned from travelling abroad 2013: This was strengthened to those who may have helped North Korea evade sanctions THE BLACKLIST There are 20 entities and 12 individuals on the UN sanctions blacklist, which was last updated in July 2014 when sanctions were imposed on the Ocean Maritime Management (OMM) company for arranging shipments of concealed arms from Cuba to North Korea in 2013 The North Korean nationals on the blacklist are mostly involved in trading houses and commercial banks, but there is also Atomic Minister Ri Je-Son and the former director of the Yongbyon nuclear research center, Ri Hong-Sop Advertisement American agencies added that the evidence from the blast was 'not consistent' with North Korea's claims. Crispin Rovere, an Australia-based nuclear expert, said: 'The seismic data that's been received indicates that the explosion is probably significantly below what one would expect from an H-bomb test. Let's begin the year of 2016... with the thrilling sound of our first hydrogen bomb explosion, so that the whole world will look up to our socialist, nuclear-armed republic Newsreader on North Korean TV 'So initially it seems to be that they've successfully conducted a nuclear test, but unsuccessfully completed the second-stage hydrogen explosion.' The nuclear test, which caused an earthquake that was measured by the United States Geological Survey, was ordered by North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un. The thermonuclear weapon is believed to have detonated in the atmosphere at 10am local time (1.30am GMT) at the Punggye-ri test site in the north-east of the country, North Korea's official KCNA news agency said. Thousands across the country gathered in public squares to watch a newsreader announce the H-bomb test on state TV. As people raised their arms to the sky and cheered, she said: 'Let's begin the year of 2016... with the thrilling sound of our first hydrogen bomb explosion, so that the whole world will look up to our socialist, nuclear-armed republic and the great Workers' Party of Korea.' North Koreans watch a news broadcast on a video screen outside Pyongyang Railway Station as the state confirmed that their detonation of a thermonuclear weapon had been a 'perfect success' North Korea had previously hinted at the possession of 'stronger, more powerful' weapons. Today is the first time the existence of such a bomb has been confirmed The nuclear test, which caused an earthquake that was measured by the United States Geological Survey, was ordered by North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (pictured) Experts have been quick to cast doubt on the H-bomb test, saying the size of the explosion and resulting earthquake was far too small to have come from such a device Last month, Kim Jong-Un had suggested Pyongyang had already developed a hydrogen bomb - although the claim was greeted with scepticism by international experts. A South Korean man watches on as news of the earthquake broke this morning An intensity shake map released by the US Geological Survey (USGS) shows the location where the preliminary 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck - caused by the detonation of a thermonuclear weapon TIMELINE OF NORTH KOREA'S ATTEMPTS TO BECOME A NUCLEAR POWER August 31, 1998: North Korea fires a rocket over Japan and into Pacific Ocean but its accuracy is reportedly poor with no meaningful strike capability. July 5, 2006: North Korea launches a three-stage rocket with a potential range of 6,700 kilometers (4,100 miles) but it fizzles after liftoff, according to U.S. and South Korean officials. North Korea has never acknowledged the launch. October 9, 2006: North Korea conducts its first underground nuclear test blast, after citing 'extreme threat of a nuclear war' from United States. April 5, 2009: A long-range rocket said to be carrying a satellite reaches the Pacific but fails in the third stage. Despite North Korea's claims of success, no satellite reaches orbit, U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command says. April 14, 2009: North Korea quits six-party nuclear disarmament talks and vows to restart nuclear facilities in protest against international condemnation over its rocket launch. May 25, 2009: North Korea conducts its second nuclear test. June 13, 2009: North Korea says it will start enriching uranium, a possible second route to manufacture nuclear weapons in addition to a plutonium-based program at its reactor. May 11, 2010: North Korea claims to have succeeded in nuclear fusion reaction, which led to speculation that the country was trying to build a more powerful bomb. Outside analysts doubt the North's claim. February 29, 2012: North Korea announces a moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests in food aid deal with U.S. April 13, 2012: North Korea launches long-range rocket from west coast that fizzles shortly after liftoff. Pyongyang acknowledges failure. The United States announces it will not carry out the food aid deal. December 12, 2012: A long-range rocket launch puts a satellite in orbit in just 10 minutes. The U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command says North Korea appears to have put object in space. February 13, 2013: North Korea carries out its third nuclear test. May 9, 2015: North Korea says it has successfully test-fired a newly developed ballistic missile from a submarine. Missiles launched from submerged vessels would be harder to detect that land-based ones, but many analysts say North Korea likely remains years away from having an operational system. December 10, 2015: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un claims to have achieved the capability to detonate a hydrogen bomb. January 6, 2016: North Korea says it has conducted a hydrogen bomb test. Advertisement In a typically propaganda-heavy statement, she added the test was a 'perfect success', elevating the country's 'nuclear might to the next level' and giving it with a weapon to defend against the US and its other enemies. It broadcast what was said to be a handwritten note by Kim Jong Un, which said: 'Let the world look up to the strong, self-reliant nuclear-armed state.' The pariah state also claimed the bomb was miniaturised, meaning it could be carried on a missile that would pose a new threat to the United States and its regional allies. Pyongyang has developed the Taepodong-2, a long-range missile with an estimated range of around 3,700 miles. This puts it in striking distance of Japan, Australia and mainland US albeit only Alaska. Other missiles - based on Soviet Scud technology - can reach neighbours, such as South Korea. North Korea does possess atom bomb technology. Its first three nuclear tests, carried out between 2006 and 2013, were devices on roughly the same scale as the ones used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. South Korea tanks are deployed near the Demilitarized zone. South Korean President Park Geun-hye ordered her military to bolster its combined defense posture, calling the test a 'grave provocation' South Korean soldiers patrol the barbed-wire fence in Paju, near the border with North Korea, South Korea, as tensions in the regions escalate over North Korea's reported test of a hydrogen bomb It has been under Security Council sanctions since it first tested an atomic device in 2006. Now, the UN Security Council has warned to start work on significant new measures in response to North Korea, which could mean a further expansion of sanctions. We will take all necessary measures including additional sanctions by the UN Security Council so that the North will pay the price for the nuclear test South Korean President Park Geun-Hye Its latest test, which comes after weeks of speculation that Kim had illegally developed an even more powerful weapon, has been condemned by countries around the world, including its allies China and Russia. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon blasted the act, saying it was 'profoundly destabilising for regional security'. South Korean President Park Geun-Hye ordered its army to bolster its combined defense measures with the U.S. and called the test a 'an act that threatens our lives and future'. 'We will take all necessary measures including additional sanctions by the UN Security Council so that the North will pay the price for the nuclear test,' she said in a statement. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said: 'We absolutely cannot allow this.' Prior to being confirmed, Chinese and South Korean officials both said there were early indications the tremor was man-made, with South Korea's Met Agency saying it was 'highly likely' the earthquake was caused by nuclear testing A laboratory employee from the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety's regional office in Gangneung, east of Seoul, checks for radioactive traces in the air in Gangneung An official enters the South Korean defence ministry in Seoul as they investigated the source of the morning blast and resulting earthquake BAN ON ALL NUCLEAR TESTING STILL ELUDES THE WORLD All nuclear explosions are in theory banned under the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) signed in 1996. But the treaty is not yet in force because it has not been ratified the remaining eight nuclear states: China, Egypt, North Korea, India, Iran, Israel, Pakistan and the United States. The Vienna-based UN Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation has a worldwide network of monitoring stations to detect nuclear testing. One of the first steps to outlaw nuclear testing came in 1963 with the Limited Test Ban Treaty, signed by three of the then four nuclear states (the UK, the U.S. and the Soviet), which pledged to stop detonations in the air, underwater or in space. France continued atmospheric tests until 1974 and China until 1980. Devices were normally detonated on towers, from balloons or dropped by airplanes over the sea or on islands. These explosions spew huge amounts of radiation in the atmosphere which can be spread for miles around and cause devastating health and environmental problems for years to come. Underground nuclear testing was still allowed under the treaty, with the Soviet Union doing so until 1990, the UK up to 1991 and the U.S. until 1992. Advertisement The test was also denounced by China, the North's closest ally, where border residents were evacuated from homes after being hit by tremors. Beijing said the blast was carried out in defiance of the international community and urged North Korea to refrain from acts that might worsen tensions on the Korean Peninsula. NATO general secretary Jens Stoltenberg says the test undermined international security and called on Kim Jong Un to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes 'in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner'. British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond described the test as a 'provocation' and a 'grave' breach of United Nations Security Council resolutions. Hammond wrote on Twitter: 'If North Korean H-bomb test reports are true, it is a grave breach of UNSC (UN Security Council) resolutions and a provocation which I condemn without reservation.' U.S. government experts do not believe the device was a hydrogen bomb, but said it would take several days to determine exactly what kind of nuclear device Pyongyang set off. A variety of sensors, including 'sniffer planes,' have been tasked with collecting evidence. South Korean officials and analysts also questioned whether Wednesday's explosion was a test of a full-fledged hydrogen device, pointing to the fact that it was roughly as powerful as North Korea's last atomic test in 2013. Stocks across the world fell for a fifth consecutive day as the North Korea tension added to a growing list of geopolitical worries and China fuelled fears about its economy by allowing the yuan to weaken further. No countries were given advance warning of a nuclear test, South Korea's intelligence service said, according to lawmakers briefed by intelligence officials. Reading a typically propaganda-heavy statement, the anchor on North Korean state television confirmed that a 'miniaturised' hydrogen bomb had been tested - news which was met with celebration in North Korea (pictured) Japan's Defense Minister Gen Nakatani (centre) arrives at the Prime Minister's official residence in Tokyo following reports of the detonation Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks to reporters at his official residence in Tokyo. He strongly criticised the actions of North Korea and Kim Jong-Un HUNDREDS OF TIMES MORE POWERFUL THAN HIROSHIMA: HOW HYDROGEN BOMBS CAN VAPORISE CITIES WITH TEMPERATURES AS HOT AS THE SUN A hydrogen bomb can be up to 1,000 times more powerful than the atomic weapon that devastated Hiroshima in 1945. The centre of an H-bomb blast can reach many millions of degrees centigrade as hot as the Sun vaporizing nearly all matter in its path. While an atomic bomb uses just nuclear fission (the splitting of atoms), an H-bomb uses fission as a first-stage detonation to set off a fusion reaction (combining of atoms), generating incredible amounts of energy. 'Think what's going on inside the sun,' says Takao Takahara, professor of international politics and peace research at Meiji Gakuin University in Tokyo. 'In theory, the process is potentially infinite. The amount of energy is huge.' A mushroom cloud produced by the first explosion by the Americans of a hydrogen bomb at Eniwetok Atoll in the South Pacific in 1952. H-bombs are hundreds of times more powerful than the Hiroshima blast The biggest H-bomb blast to date was the Soviet Union's 'Tsar Bomba' which exploded in the Arctic with a force of 57 megatons. The power of Hiroshima, by contrast, was just 10-15 kilotons, but nonetheless killed 200,000 people. Both the A-bomb and H-bomb use radioactive material like uranium and plutonium for the explosive material, meaning both produce large amounts of radiation. The technology of the hydrogen bomb is more sophisticated, and once attained, is a greater threat. They can be made small enough to fit on a head of an intercontinental missile, making North Korea's pursuit of the device all the more worrying. But the H-bomb requires more technology in control and accuracy because of the greater amount of energy involved. The 'perfect' test - which took place at the Punggye-ri test site (pictured) - marks a major step in North Korea's nuclear development and is bound to cause considerable anxiety to neighbouring countries Experts believe North Korea may have just experimented with a 'boosted' hybrid device that mixed a hydrogen isotope in a normal atomic fission bomb. These devices are compared in the graphic above The hydrogen bomb is in fact already the global standard for the five nations with the greatest nuclear capabilities: the US, Russia, France, the UK and China. Other nations may also either have it or may be working on it despite a worldwide effort to contain such proliferation. The first U.S. test of an H-bomb was on November 1, 1952 in the Marshall Islands, a chain in the Pacific Ocean. The crew of a Japanese fishing boat that unknowingly went into the waters near the nuclear testing of one test got acute radiation sickness. Since the 1960s, nuclear tests have gone underground to reduce radioactive fallout. The hydrogen bomb was never dropped on any targets. Advertisement In previous such tests, Pyongyang had notified China, Russia and the United States beforehand, they said. North Korea has been under UN Security Council sanctions since it first tested an atomic device in 2006 and could face additional measures. The Security Council was holding an emergency meeting to weigh what steps it could take. It said North Korea's actions were a 'clear violation' of the four previous sanctions 'and therefore a clear threat to international peace and security continues to exist'. However, South Korea's spy agency said the blast from North Korea's device produced an explosive yield of just six kilotons, even smaller than Hiroshima's. The chilling truth: Kim COULD press the nuclear button By John Everard, former British Ambassador to North Korea The pressing question the world is now asking is if North Korea did develop a hydrogen bomb, would they ever use it? Is Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un really that dangerous? In what now seems a chilling New Year message, he threatened 'a merciless sacred war of justice' if North Korea suffered the slightest provocation from its several enemies. Might 'sacred war' involve using nuclear weapons, and perhaps a hydrogen bomb (if North Korea really has one)? We just don't know. What we do know is that in the space of a week the world is already a more dangerous place. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (pictured) threatened 'a merciless sacred war of justice' if North Korea suffered the slightest provocation from its several enemies 'Let the world look up to the strong, self-reliant nuclear-armed state,' Kim said in a statement today (pictured, Korean artillery units taking part in a firing contest) Right now, geologists and nuclear scientists will be poring over the seismic data from North Korea, desperately trying to work out whether the device that caused an explosion with a magnitude of 5.1 yesterday morning really was as the North Koreans claim a hydrogen bomb. But to an extent, whatever they discover doesn't really matter. It is quite worrying enough that North Korea has 'traditional' fission-based nuclear weapons. Although the blast from these is less than from a hydrogen bomb, would it really matter whether a city is blasted into rubble or into dust? In any case, if the North Koreans don't have an H-bomb yet, they will certainly keep trying to develop one. And if it could be 'militarised' so that it can be carried by a missile launched from a submarine (and that's a big 'if') then the unthinkable such as an attack on one of the big cities on the Western coast of America becomes a real possibility. Test launches by North Korea of submarine-borne missiles have so far ended in failure, but they won't fail for ever. If and when they do succeed, and if they manage to build a sufficiently small nuclear warhead to fit on a missile, then they might be able to threaten anywhere from Seattle to San Diego with nuclear attack. We are probably not at that stage yet, but the North Koreans will continue to strive towards it. As the former British ambassador to North Korea, I was in Pyongyang when they began their nuclear testing programme in 2006, in the face of almost total international opposition. John Everard, a former British Ambassador to North Korea, says the country is dangerous whether it does or does not have a H-bomb (pictured, a mass rally in Pyongyang to mark Kim New Year Address) The North Koreans are a proud and patriotic people with a genuine sense of grievance against foreign powers that, they feel, never give them a fair chance. That first test was received with great excitement and pride in the country's technical prowess. That, of course, was just what the regime wanted. But then I saw how quickly this excitement turned to dismay as reports began to filter through overcoming official censorship and media control of just how much Kim's nuclear programme was costing this still desperately poor country. Three years ago, the programme's cost was estimated at around $3 billion, and it has obviously risen still further. In a country where the capital's scrupulously clean streets do now offer restaurants and coffee shops for a wealthy elite, but where the rural poor are often short of food, that sort of money would buy an awful lot of rice. I suspect that reactions to this fourth test will go through the same phases. So why did Kim Jong-un carry out this test? The reasons will be complex, but in essence Kim Jong-un seems, at least for now, to have decided that confrontation is going to get him more of what he wants in terms of international leverage and status than diplomatic negotiation. As North Korean television said yesterday, 'the way to peace does not lie across a dirty conference table'. There may, however, be good reason for his bellicose confidence. Pyongyang has nuclear shelters just as Britain did during the tensest days of the Cold War. Famously, Pyongyang's deep metro system was built to double as just such a collection of shelters. Every now and then, the city's obedient population are herded into them in yet another rehearsal for a nuclear attack. Three years ago, North Korea's nuclear programme cost around $3 billion, and it has risen still further (pictured, leader Kim Jong-un) Are these shelters for the general population big enough? Perhaps. More importantly, are they deep enough to survive a nuclear blast? Nobody knows. What we do know, though, is that North Korea's leadership have access to a deep tunnel complex that would make the Tora Bora tunnels of Afghanistan where Osama bin Laden is said to have hidden after the 9/11 attacks look like a winter sink-hole in the Home Counties. The North Korean leadership has had years to prepare for an attack. These tunnels will almost certainly be big enough and deep enough for the country's political elite to survive one or more nuclear blasts. The truly worrying thing, then, is that if Kim Jong-un believes he can survive a nuclear attack or counter-attack, then he may well be willing to press his own nuclear button. That was bad enough when he just had a nuclear bomb; it would be worse should he now have access to the more powerful H-bomb. It seems that he is prepared to risk even his relationship with China, North Korea's only ally and a vital economic partner, in order to develop ever more powerful weapons of mass destruction. Only three months ago, relations between the two countries seemed warm and friendly, with China which has always rather soft-peddled when it comes to international sanctions against North Korea sending one of its most senior politicians to the celebrations in Pyongyang to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Ruling Workers' Party. 'The truly worrying thing, then, is that if Kim Jong-un (pictured) believes he can survive a nuclear attack or counter-attack, then he may well be willing to press his own nuclear button,' writes Everard The Chinese went out of their way to sound supportive making all the right noises about economic co-operation and increased levels of aid. What was left unsaid, however, was the very clear political subtext that in return for this increased economic support, China, a member of the UN Security Council and therefore opposed to nuclear proliferation, expected a level of control over North Korea's behaviour, particularly when it came to its nuclear programme. For two months, it seemed as if Kim Jong-un was happy to go along with this, even arranging for his favourite home-grown girl group, the Moranbong Band, to embark on an official tour of China. But on the very day the girls departed, Kim Jong-un announced, albeit to a disbelieving world, that North Korea had developed an H-bomb. (Those shocked by yesterday's test reports can't say they weren't warned.) Now, he has escalated tensions still further by claiming to have tested the bomb, again without giving the Chinese any advance warning at all (although the North Koreans had carefully given the Chinese notice of their previous tests). In a terse statement, the Chinese confirmed this lack of notification yesterday, going on to pledge their co-operation with the international community in its efforts to rid the entire Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons (which means the North there have been no nuclear weapons in South Korea for decades). The Chinese are clearly and understandably very angry. They don't want Kim Jong-un's provocative behaviour to prompt the Americans to increase their military presence in South Korea. China does not want Kim Jong-un's (pictured during tribute to North Korea's founder Kim Il Sung) provocative behaviour to prompt the Americans to increase their military presence in South Korea They know that if a shooting war ever restarted on the Korean peninsula, the North Koreans would invoke their alliance with China to ask for Chinese military support. There would be no enthusiasm in Beijing for this. Neither do the Chinese want North Korea's policy of aggressive confrontation to disturb the already delicate political and military balance in this increasingly territorial part of the world. It's notable that relations between South Korea and Japan, both close U.S. allies, have grown notably warmer in recent months, which will not have pleased China, which hopes for a loosening, not a tightening, of ties between the Asian democracies. It may be that this latest alarm will blow over, but we can be sure that Kim Jong-un's scientists will continue to try to develop both a hydrogen bomb and the means to deliver it. If they ever succeed, the world will immediately become a much more dangerous place. Their two other children, aged 12 and 14, were taken into custody An American couple has been arrested in Spain on suspicion of murdering their seven-year-old son whose decomposed body was found wrapped in sheets in their apartment on Wednesday. Police in Girona, north-east Spain bordering France, suspect the child had already been dead for around four weeks. Officers were called to the building by the landlord who was chasing unpaid rent from the 'black, middle class' family dating back to September. But when they finally forced entry into the 1,100-a-month apartment, they were met with an overwhelming smell and started searching the rooms, according to EFE. The boy was found dead on a bed, wrapped in blankets, and did not appear to have any obvious injuries. An American couple has been arrested in Spain on suspicion of murdering their seven-year-old son whose decomposed body was found wrapped in sheets in their Girona apartment (pictured) on Wednesday Officers were called to the building (pictured) by the landlord who was chasing four months' unpaid rent from the family. When they got into the 1,100-a-month flat, they were met with a smell and started searching His father, 39, is an engineer with possible ties to the US consulate who does not speak Spanish or Catalan, El Pais reported. The child's mother, 38, and two brothers, aged 12 and 14, do not speak Spanish either and rarely leave the apartment in the city's Eixample district, neighbors told the newspaper. The couple, who have lived in the city with their children for around 18 months, were detained. According to local media, they did not resist arrest. Their older children have been taken into custody and will undergo a mental health assessment. Neighbors told El Pais the children studied using online programs in English rather than attending a local school. Police (pictured with a body bag to retrieve the corpse) insist the investigation is ongoing as they work to determine why the child's death went unreported, and why the family lived with the corpse for around a month The couple, who have lived in the city with their children for around 18 months, were detained Police insist the investigation is ongoing as they work to determine why the child's death went unreported, and why the family lived with the corpse for around a month. A cause of death will be announced after an autopsy this week. Her vocals are heard on the new debut single ForGet You, where she sings: 'Your life is like a roller coaster. Your life is like purgatory' She was raped, starved, and abused by Priklopil outside Vienna The Austrian kidnapping victim who was locked in a cellar for eight years and became a media sensation after she escaped in 2006 has lended her vocals on the debut single ForGet You. Natascha Kampusch disappeared on her way to school in 1998 when she was 10 years old and was held captive by Wolfgang Priklopil in Strasshof an der Nordbahn, a suburb outside Vienna. Miss Kampusch, who has since been a spokesperson for animal rights group Peta, also released a memoir of her ordeal and hosted her own talk show which ran for three episodes. Natascha Kampusch (left, during a TV interview following her escape in 2006) was walking to school at the age of 10 when she was kidnapped by Wolfgang Priklopil (right), a communications technician Miss Kampusch is pictured here in 2013 at the premiere of the film, 3096 days, which was based on her book of the same title chronicling her ordeal The single has been released by SAG7, a group that supports the Highly Sensitive Person (or HSP), a term coined by Dr. Elaine N. Aron in 1996 to describe those who may process sensory data much more deeply due to hypersensitive nervous systems. Although Miss Kampusch is not directly involved with the group, it is believed she wanted to lend her support, and her voice can be heard at 2:20. She sings: 'Your life is like a rollercoaster. Your life is like purgatory. You'll never be a hero.' Priklopil, who committed suicide soon after Miss Kampusch's escape, kept her confined to a custom built cellar measuring five square metres under his garage. Eventually, she was allowed the leave the chamber to spend time in the rest of the house, but she was often chained to her captor and forced to call him 'My Lord' or 'Maestro' while she was ordered to clean his house and made to shave her own hair. After the book was released, she revealed that she was raped by Priklopil while she was held captive In her 2010 autobiography, titled 3,096 Days to mark the time she was held captive, Miss Kampusch described being beaten up to 200 times a week. Priklopil rigged up an intercom system to her cell, monotonously repeating Obey! Obey! Obey! into the speaker, and even told her: 'I always wanted to have a slave.' She was given very little food and kept semi-naked in an attempt to prevent her from escaping. As a result, she weighed less than six stone at the age of 16. She eventually managed to run away and alert the police in 2006 when Priklopil was making a phone call. Miss Kampusch had a complicated relationship with her captor and revealed in 2013 during a television interview that she was raped during her time under his watch. After his death, she bought Priklopil's old home and filled in the cellar. Miss Kampusch, who reportedly carries a photo of him around with her at all times, has said she wished Priklopil had lived to tell his side of the story. She has attempted to build a new life, but has struggled with being recognised in public. She has reportedly earned 5million in various media deals. Her autobiography was also adapted and made into a feature film. Apparently being a billionaire presidential front-runner no longer protects you from having your ideas stolen anymore. That's what Donald Trump is complaining long and loudly about, accusing his Republican rival, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, of stealing his idea to build a massive wall on the U.S.-Mexican border to eliminate illegal immigration from Mexico. According to a report in Politico, Trump said Cruz, his long-time ally, have only recently started to propose an immigration crackdown by building a wall. 'People are picking up all of my ideas, including Ted, who started talking about building a wall two days ago,' Trump told the newspaper Tuesday. 'The fact is, they won't get it built, they don't know how to do the job and they won't get Mexico to pay for it.' Scroll down for videos PALS NO MORE? The relatively peaceful relationship between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz may be fraying on the Republican presidential campaign trail over the issue of illegal immigration from Mexico ROBBED: Trump says Cruz is stealing his idea for a 'big, beautiful wall' between the U.S. and Mexico, to keep out illegal immigrants 'I was watching the other day. And I was watching Ted talk. And he said, "We will build a wall," The first time I've ever heard him say it,' Trump added in a TV interview on Sunday. 'And my wife, who was sitting next to me, said, "Oh, look. He's copying what you've been saying for a long period of time." ' 'Every time somebody says "We want a wall," remember who said it first,' Trump also said at an event in New Hampshire Tuesday. 'Politicians do not give credit.' Cruz's campaign claims the Texas senator was actually the first to suggest a wall along the border and opposed Senate immigration reform efforts as far back as 2013. 'He's been working on these things a long time and long before Donald Trump announced his candidacy,' campaign spokesman Rick Tyler told Politico. 'We are glad that Donald Trump announced his candidacy and we are glad that Donald Trump brought a lot of attention to these issues, but it is not true to suggest that he's not been thinking about these issues and working on them for a long time.' According to Politico, Cruz has indeed supported a stronger U.S.-Mexico barrier long before Trump announced his presidential campaign last June, digging up quotes and votes from 2012, 2013 and 2014. Cruz formally proposed an immigration plan in November - including building 'a wall that works,' with more sophistication and tie-ins to boosted border agent staffing and surveillance - which could be seen as a more-encompassing proposal than Trump's simpler call for a stronger, bigger wall. The dust-up comes as Cruz and Trump may be ending their long allegiance on the campaign trail, as both candidates have refrained from attacking each other directly except on rare occasions. Cruz's campaign says he was at the forefront of the immigration debate long before Trump's presidential candidacy Trump has left some of the attacking to his surrogates, such as campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, who told CNN Tuesday that Cruz has been inconsistent on immigration. 'I find it very difficult to believe that Sen. Cruz is not going to allow individuals to come back into the country legally,' Lewandowski said. 'He [Trump] brought this up the day he announced and what he has said from day one is: If we don't have a wall, we won't have a border, we don't have a country anymore.' But at an Iowa campaign stop this week, Cruz criticized Trump for his oft-repeated statement that he would separate the 'good' and 'bad' illegal immigrants. 'He's advocated allowing folks to come back in and become citizens. I oppose that,' Cruz said. On Monday, in Massachusetts, Trump was having none of it, pointing instead to his success as a real estate developer. '[Cruz] says, 'We're gonna build a wall,' Trump said. 'Now, here's a good thing: He's a politician, so he wouldn't know where to start. You know, I know how to build a wall.' 'I know exactly how to build a wall. I know the footings. I know exactly how deep they have to go. I know everything.' VC hero Johnson Beharry will not face trial involving his 150,000 Ferrari California after prosecutors decided it was 'not in the public interest.' Lance Sergeant Beharry, 36, appeared before magistrates last month accused of failing to tell police who was driving the car when the offence was committed. The hearing was adjourned and trial was set for 2016 at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court in north London. Beharry, of the Isle of Dogs in East London, was expected to deny one count of failing to provide information to the Chief Officer of Police for the Metropolis. But the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has now decided that pursuing the case wasn't in the public interest and the charge was dropped. Lance Sergeant Beharry, 36, appeared in court last month after he allegedly failed to tell police who was driving his Ferrari at the time of the offence The car involved in the offence, a Ferrari California, is a two-door convertible grand touring sports car worth 150,000. Prosecutors have now dropped the charges after saying Beharry made efforts to provide the police with the information they required (file picture) A CPS spokesperson said today: 'It was not considered in the public interest to continue the prosecution as material was provided to the CPS that confirmed the defendant had made efforts to provide the police with the information required.' Police allegedly wrote to Beharry about the identity of the driver on May 17 last year. The offence comes under section 172(3) of the Road Traffic Act 1988. Beharry was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military decoration for valour for British armed forces, for his actions under fire in Iraq in 2005. He saved the lives of 30 members of his unit, the 1st Battalion Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, in Al Amarah, in the South-East of Iraq. In the first engagement, he was driving a Warrior armoured vehicle which was hit by multiple rocket-propelled grenades. The platoon commander, the vehicle's gunner and a number of other soldiers were injured, while Beharry was forced to open his hatch to steer his vehicle, exposing his face and head to the attack. Beharry received the Victoria Cross in 2005 for his actions in Iraq. It's the highest military decoration for valour for British armed forces The Lance Sergeant saved the lives of 30 members of his unit, the 1st Battalion Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, during two different attacks in Al Amarah He drove the Warrior through the ambush, taking his own crew and leading five other Warriors to safety. During the second attack, Beharry was again driving the lead Warrior of his platoon through Al Amarah when his vehicle was ambushed. A rocket-propelled grenade hit the vehicle six inches from Beharry's head, and he received serious shrapnel injuries to his face and brain. Other rockets then hit the vehicle, incapacitating his commander and injuring several of the crew. Despite his life-threatening injuries, Beharry managed to drive the Warrior out of the ambush area before losing consciousness. He required brain surgery and was still recovering in March 2005 when he was formally invested by the Queen. Beharry was the first recipient of the VC in 23 years, and the first living recipient in more than 30 years. In 2008, he drove his car into a lamppost at 100 mph in a suicide attempt. He was knocked unconscious but escaped unharmed. In March 2011, Beharry reached the semi-finals of BBC's Dancing on Ice. This is Elaine Harmon, a pilot in WWII was taken in the 1940s. Harmon's family are fighting to have her mother's ashes at Arlington National Cemetary A petition to allow female Second World War pilots to be buried in Arlington Cemetery is gaining traction after they were ruled ineligible by the government. As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 30,000 people had backed a petition on Change.org to allow the remains of war heroes, such as Elaine Harmon, on the hallowed ground. Terry Harmon, Elaine's 69-year-old daughter, also hopes Congress will bring the issue up when Eric Fanning is made Secretary of the Army. Elaine Harmon's ashes are sitting in a closet in her daughters home, where they will remain until they can go to what her family says is her rightful resting place: Arlington National Cemetery. Harmon piloted aircraft in World War II under a special program, Women Airforce Service Pilots, that flew noncombat missions to free up male pilots for combat. Granted veteran status in 1977, the WASPs have been eligible to have their ashes placed at Arlington with military honors since 2002. But earlier this year, then-Secretary of the Army John McHugh reversed course and ruled WASPs ineligible. After Harmon died in April at age 95, her daughter, Terry, of Silver Spring, Maryland, was dismayed to learn that the Army had moved to exclude WASPs. She said her mother had helped lead the effort to gain recognition for WASPs. 'These women have been fighting this battle, off and on, for over 50 years now,' she said in an interview last week. Harmons family and others are working to overturn McHughs directive. During the war, the women were considered civilians. But since 1977, federal law has granted them status as veterans. Since 2002, they have been eligible to have their ashes placed at Arlington. McHughs memo, which Terry Harmon obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, says Army lawyers reviewed the rules in 2014 and determined that WASPs and other World War II veterans classified as 'active duty designees' are not eligible for inurnment placement of their urns in an above-ground structure at Arlington. Scroll down for video The largest group affected by the memo is actually the Merchant Marine, nearly 250,000 of whose members served during World War II. The WASP program was much smaller just over 1,000 women were accepted into the program, which ran from 1942 to 1944. In a statement, Army spokesman Paul Prince said the cemetery superintendent in 2002 had no authority to allow WASPS remains into the cemetery. This photo provided by the Harmon family shows Elaine Harmon at the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington in 2010. Harmon was a pilot in World War II under a special program, Women Airforce Service Pilots, that flew noncombat missions to free up male pilots for combat Under federal law, he said, WASPs are eligible only for burial at cemeteries run by the Department of Veterans Affairs not Arlington National Cemetery, which is run by the Army. Kate Landdeck, a Texas Womans University history professor who has focused much of her academic research on WASPs, said she doesnt understand the rationale for the Army going out of its way to exclude this group of women from Arlington after they had been deemed eligible for over a decade without controversy. WASPs 'are a distinct group of women with the surviving 100-or-so women all in their 90s,' she said. 'It is just mean-spirited for the Secretary of the Army to question their value to their country. Again.' Gen. Henry H. 'Hap' Arnold, who commanded the Army Air Forces in World War II, created the WASP unit in 1942 with the intention of granting it full military status, but Congress never approved it. So the WASPs served as a paramilitary unit, subject to military discipline and staying in barracks, Landdeck said. Unequal: Then-Secretary of the Army John McHughMcHughs memo, which Terry Harmon obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, says Army lawyers reviewed the rules in 2014 and determined that WASPs and other World War II veterans classified as 'active duty designees' are not eligible for inurnment They test-flew repaired military aircraft, trained combat pilots and towed airborne targets that other pilots fired at with live ammunition during training. Arlington is running out of space and faces ongoing pressure over its eligibility requirements. Tight rules spell out whose ashes can be laid to rest there, and even tighter rules spell out who is eligible for in-ground burial, which place a greater strain on the cemeterys capacity. Harmons family says the WASPs arent asking for anything beyond what they earned: eligibility for placement of ashes. And they say the impact on cemetery capacity would be minimal, given that so few World War II veterans remain. Harmons granddaughter, Erin Miller, said her grandmother, a Maryland native, had specifically requested her ashes go to Arlington. 'My grandmother is from here,' Miller said. 'Arlington is kind of our local national cemetery.' In an interview archived with the Library of Congress, Elaine Harmon recalled she needed permission from her skeptical father to begin training as a pilot while a student at the University of Maryland. Disgraced Glee actor Mark Salling has been pictured leaving the gym with a female friend as he defiantly continues with his daily life in spite of swarming paparazzi. The 33-year-old was arrested on child pornography charges on December 29, and walked free after posting $20,000 bail. But as he awaits his trial later this month, it seems Salling is determined to get his life back on track. He was spotted looking relaxed and cracking a nervous smile at photographers on Monday as he left the gym in sunny Los Angeles with a blonde friend who also strode confidently past the crowds. Getting on with things: Disgraced Glee actor Mark Salling (left) pictured leaving the gym in Los Angeles with a female friend on Monday as he defiantly continues with his daily life in spite of swarming paparazzi The 33-year-old, arrested on child porn charges on December 29, and walked free after posting $20,000 bail He cracked a nervous smile at photographers as he strode through the parking lot The pair clutched refreshments after their workout session just days after Salling posted bail The actor will be in court later this month. For now, he is continuing as normal with his friend's support Strolling through the parking lot, sipping refreshments and wearing sunglasses, he appeared far less tense than he had last week. The day after he was charged, Salling was spotted covering his face and looking forlorn as he left a friend's home and headed out of a T-Mobile store. Police seized all his electronic devices in their raid of his Sunland, California, home executed by the LAPD's internet Crimes Against Children Task Force unit. It was revealed last week that a search of Salling's computer has allegedly yielded pornographic images depicting children under the age of ten. Authorities said they found in all more than a thousand images depicting children in sexual situations, among them kids younger than age ten. Lt. Andrea Grossman, of the LAPD, described some of the lewd images depicting grade school-aged girls as 'disturbing', reported the New York Daily News. Spotted: Mark Salling was seen out in Los Angeles last week, just one day after being released from jail New devices: The Glee star was seen heading out of a T-Mobile store just days after police seized all his electronic devices in their raid of his Sunland, California, home Information: He was freed from Los Angeles Downtown jail on $20,000 bail on December 29, and seen carrying his bail bond folder as well a day later Dark side: Mark Salling is pictured above, in complicated make-up and costume, on the set of his latest movie Gods and Secrets Replacement? The director of the movie said he would wait to see if the allegations were true before deciding whether to recast the film Possession of more than 600 images can carry a punishment of up to five years in prison. TMZ's sources said police were '100 percent' certain they would find child pornography in Salling's home based on a tip they had received from his ex-girlfriend and additional evidence. The allegations were first reported by Crime Watch Daily. They said police used battering rams to get into the house because he refused to let them in at first. His computer and other electronic devices were reportedly seized by cops after Salling refused to tell them his password. TMZ reported that an ex-girlfriend tipped off the cops, forcing them to investigate before the raid to check it wasn't for revenge. According to records, the house raided by the LAPD belongs to Jonathan Hernandez, who has been Salling's roommate as far back as 2011. It's not known who is currently living there. Previous problems: In March he settled a $2.7million lawsuit with a woman for sexual battery (above in 2014) On January 1, photos emerged showing Salling on the set of his latest movie, before his arrest on child pornography charges this week. The photos show the actor made up to look like a science fiction villain, with saw blades coming out of his head and throat and metal caging his chest, for the film Gods and Secrets, which is still in production. Following Salling's arrest, the director of the film, Adi Shankar, said he would wait to see the results of the investigation before making a decision on whether to recast Salling's role. 'I won't feed our growing pitchfork culture. I'm going to wait for all the facts to arrive and if in fact these allegations are true, I will immediately take action, which includes removing his scenes from the project,' Shankar said in a statement. The former Glee star was reportedly cast in a starring role in the film. According to IMDB, the film 'explores the darker ramifications of a world filled with superheroes - for the people they protect and the famous heroes themselves. The dark genre project aims to put a fresh spin on iconic superhero tropes and mythos'. Salling shot to fame playing Noah 'Puck' Puckerman in the hit FOX series Glee. He first appeared in 2008 and was a regular until season five. Salling's arrest was not the star's first brush with the law. In March he allegedly reached a $2.7million settlement with a woman who had sued him for sexual battery. In 2011, Roxanne Gorzela claimed he forced her to have unprotected sex and then when she confronted him several days later, he pushed her to the ground injuring her knees. It was reported that the case was settled midway through trial after Gorzela dropped the sexual battery claim. Salling admitted to negligently causing her to fall and injure herself. She is not believed to have been the woman who tipped off the authorities. His representatives have not returned DailyMail.com's calls for comments. Salling was born in Dallas, Texas, and was reportedly home-schooled in a 'strict Christian home'. He attended Providence Christian School and Our Redeemer Lutheran elementary schools, and after graduating from a high school, he travelled to California and attended Los Angeles Music Academy College of Music in Pasadena, California and began studying guitar. He gave guitar lessons to make a living. Breakout role: Salling shot to fame with his role as Puck on the Fox show Glee Relationships: Salling's most recent girlfriend was 19-year-old Big Time Rush actress Denyse Toyt (above). It is not known whether they are still together Raid: The LAPD's internet Crimes Against Children Task Force unit served a search warrant at an address in Sunland, California where the 33-year-old TV star lives (pictured) Salling's first acting role came in Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering (1996) with Naomi Watts. He also starred in The Graveyard in 2006. The Texas native has been romantically linked to many celebrities, including some of his co-stars on the musical show. In 2008, he dated former The Hills star Audrina Partridge, but the relationship appeared to die out. He was then in a relationship with co-star Naya Rivera, who plays Santana Lopez. In 2010 the relationship soured, and she was accused of egging his house and keying his Lexus in a jealous rage. In 2011, he ended his fling with Gorzela before their legal issues began. In 2014 he was spotted at Cochella music festival with another co-star Lea Michele. However the relationship never flourished. More recently he dated 19-year-old Big Time Rush actress Denyse Toyt. A City firm run by a 'Wolf of Wall Street' playboy financier who is accused of groping female colleagues was not a safe place to work, the Old Bailey heard today. Finance company Capital World Markets (CWM), situated in Heron Tower in the City of London, is run by the 34-year-old son of murdered millionaire fashion tycoon Aristos Constantinou. Married Anthony Constantinou is currently on trial at the Old Bailey accused of groping three women during after-work drinks between October 2014 and February last year. Married chief executive Anthony Constantinou, 34, (pictured arriving at the Old Bailey with his wife today) is accused of groping three women during after-work drinks between October 2014 and February last year On one occasion, one alleged victim described how the chief executive shoved a chunk of wasabi paste in her mouth, remarked that she had a 'cracking a*** and t**s' and then thrust his tongue into her mouth, treating her 'like a piece of meat', the court heard. Another of the alleged victims told the court that she quit shortly after Constantinou kissed her and squeezed her bottom in October 2014. She said the alleged attacks 'didn't bother me' but made her feel as though Constantinou did not care about his company's reputation. 'Working for someone who had done this to me, obviously I'm not the first and I felt I wouldn't have this job for long', she told the court. 'I felt my boss was not responsible very much for keeping the company out of trouble. 'I didn't feel it was a very safe workplace that would guarantee me long term enjoyment.' The woman, who cannot be identified, quit in November that year after firing off a long email listing her gripes with working at the financial group. Anthony Constantinou (pictured outside the Old Bailey yesterday), is the chief executive of finance firm Capital World Markets in the City of London When it was pointed out the alleged sexual assault by Constantinou was not among the complaints, the women replied: 'Of course not, I didn't think and I still believe at that time it wasn't anything relevant. 'I still believe that this is about work and anything else is separate.' She added: 'What exactly happened, yes, I didn't consider it anything serious. 'It could happen and I would let it go anyway, that's the kind of person I am. 'It didn't bother me.' The alleged victim told police that she would only complain on record about Constantinou if it would help her get compensation or a new job, the court heard. She was first contacted by police on April 1 last year to be interviewed about the alleged attack six months earlier. In the police note from the initial phone conversation, the officer wrote: 'She currently does/is not working and any motivation for making a complaint would be centred around financial compensation'. Asked about the comment, the woman told the court: 'At that time I was without a job and I was stressed financially. 'I felt if I made a complaint it would not be because I felt traumatised by the event itself as a sexual assault, but for me the case was an overall what was going on in my work life.' She added to the court: 'The time I was questioned by the police, I was without a job and not knowing what happens in these situations and how the system worked. 'As an unemployed, I would only do something if that would get me compensation or a job. 'Obviously I wouldn't want to, as an unemployed, spend any money on the case. 'My first priority was to find a job, I was financially stressed, and anything else wouldn't be my agenda at that time.' Anthony Constantinou, who has been pictured with Princess Beatrice and showing Princess Anne around his company premises (pictured above), has sponsored the London Boat Show and Chelsea FC in the past One of the victims likened the atmosphere in the office to the Hollywood film Wolf Of Wall Street (pictured) She said the officer told her she was unlikely to get compensation, and she told the jury: 'That was what I expected to hear.' The woman also said she had not sought out legal advice for a possible legal claim over her departure from CWM. Yesterday, she told the court that Constantinou pulled her into a utility room and forced his tongue into her mouth on October 6, 2014. She said she thought the incident happened after a drinks party in Constantinou's office on the 21st floor of the Heron Towers, in Bishopsgate, to celebrate the businessman's birthday. She said she pushed him away, but he put his arm around her as the group of colleagues headed to nearby Drift cocktail bar. The woman claims Constantinou then grabbed her bottom in the bar before pouring a drink over her as a joke. The woman said she was '100 per cent sure' that the alleged attack had taken place. Another alleged victim claimed she was left feeling 'like a piece of meat' when Constantinou force fed her spicy wasabi and then forced his tongue into her mouth. The tycoon allegedly told her: 'You can't say no to a Greek man' and commented that the woman had 'cracking a*** and t**s'. Constantinou is pictured arriving at the Old Bailey on Monday. He is the youngest son of fashion tycoon Aristos Constantinou, who was gunned down in his Bishop's Avenue mansion in 1985 when Anthony was three Constantinou, who is part-Greek, told one victim she couldn't 'refuse a Greek man', the Old Bailey heard It is claimed Constantinou attacked her after exploding with rage at a business meeting, throwing a phone against the wall. 'She described the atmosphere that day as very Wolf of Wall Street', said prosecutor Eloise Marshall. The prosecutor said the allegations came to light when one of the women filed a complaint with the police in Grays, Essex. Constantinou, who has been pictured with Princess Beatrice and showing Princess Anne around his company premises, has sponsored the London Boat Show and Chelsea FC in the past. He is accused of sexually assaulting a third woman three times during a drinks party on October 29. It is said he kissed her in the ladies toilets, pinned her against a wall in reception and kissed her again, before dragging her into a stock room where he pulled her pants down and exposed himself and molested her. Constantinou, of Hampstead, north London, denies six counts of sexual assault. Also Wednesday, it was ruled that Janice Dickinson could not depose Cosby in her defamation suit against the actor The District Attorney said there was not enough evidence to charge Cosby for this alleged assault Goins alleged she met Cosby at the Playboy Mansion, he gave her a drink and she awoke to find him biting her toes with his pants around his ankles the statute of limitations had run out in that case The first incident alleged occurred in 1965 when the victim was 17-years-old and Bill Cosby will not face criminal charges in two separate alleged sexual assault incidents that Bill Cosby will not face criminal charges in two alleged sexual assault incidents that occurred in California. The Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office revealed on Wednesday that they were declining to file charges against the actor. The news comes just one week after it was announced that Cosby would be facing three felony charges of aggravated indecent assault in Pennsylvania over a 2004 incident involving Andrea Constand. Also on Wednesday, it was ruled that former supermodel Janice Dickinson could not depose Cosby in a defamation suit she has filed against the actor following claims he made about her after she accused him of sexual assault earlier this year for an incident that occurred in 1982 in Lake Tahoe. TMZ reports that Dickinson is being allowed to go forward with her case, but at this time cannot question Cosby. Scroll down for videos Off the hook: Bill Cosby (above last Wednesday) will not face criminal charges in two separate alleged sexual assault incidents that occurred in Los Angeles Small win: Also Wednesday, it was ruled that Janice Dickinson (above in November) could not depose Cosby in her defamation suit against the actor Alleged incident: Chloe Goins (above) alleged she met Cosby at the Playboy Mansion, he gave her a drink and she awoke to find him biting her toes with his pants around his ankles As for the cases that could have led to charges for Cosby, the first incident alleged occurred in 1965 when the victim was 17-years-old. That woman, whose story is similar to the one shared by Sunni Wells, claimed that Cosby took her to a jazz club and that after buying her alcoholic beverages took her to a residence and Hollywood and forced her to have sex. The LA District Attorney wrote; 'Filing the crime of forcible rape is barred by the statute of limitations, and as such, any consideration of criminal filing is prohibited by law.' The second alleged sexual assault involved Chloe Goins. Goins, who was 18 at the time, had alleged that she met Cosby at the Playboy Mansion, he gave her a drink and that she awoke to find him biting her toes with his pants around his ankles. The District Attorney pointed out a number of problems with this claim, starting with the fact that Goins was not certain of the night the assault had happened at the Play Mansion. The night she had originally claimed, investigators were able to determine that Cosby had been across the country in New York. Furthermore, there was no footage of either Goins or Cosby outside the party from video studied by the investigators in the case. A search of the guest lists from other parties that year at the Mansion also showed that Cosby had only been there on one occasion, in February. Alleged incident: The first incident alleged occurred in 1965 when the victim was 17-years-old and sounds similar to the story shared by Sunni Wells (above in March with Gloria Allred) Then, investigators were unable to find the friend who accompanied Goins the night of the alleged assault. They received a number for the woman from Goins, but upon contacting her said; 'The potential witness acknowledged having previously worked at the location described by [Goins] and having previously possessed a cell phone with the same number provided by [Goins]. 'The potential witness, however, denied knowing [Goins] or having ever visited the Playboy Mansion.' That witness then directed investigators to another possible witness, who also denied knowing Goins. The potential criminal offenses of misdemeanor sexual battery and misdemeanor indecent exposure occurred in 2008, and are 'barred by the statute of limitations' as well according to the report. 'There is insufficient evidence to prove these crimes beyond a reasonable doubt,' writes the District Attorney. 'We are satisfied that the Los Angeles DAs office fully and fairly evaluated all the facts and evidence, and came to the right conclusion,' said Cosby's lawyer, Chris Tayback, after learning of the District Attorney's decision. Spencer Kuvin of the law offices of Craig Goldenfarb, who was representing Goins, said in a statement; 'Todays news from the Los Angeles County District Attorneys office that Bill Cosby will not face criminal charges in the sexual assault of Ms. Chloe Goins is a disappointment to Ms. Goins and our team that stands behind her. 'However, we recognize that the bar for criminal prosecution, which is proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, is extremely high. We nonetheless commend the efforts of the LAPD and the District Attorneys office with respect to their criminal investigation. 'This criminal investigation did reveal some very important evidence. Most importantly, it uncovered documentary proof that Mr. Cosby was at the Playboy Mansion in early 2008, a time when Ms. Goins was under eighteen years old.' Gloria Allred, who represents the woman who accused Cosby of the 1965 incident, said; 'It is very difficult for a person who alleges that she is a victim to understand that there are arbitrary time periods set by law and that if allegations are not reported within that time period that it will be too late for a prosecutor to pursue them.' She added that her client was 'very disappointed,' This news also comes one day after Cosby's wife Camille successfully managed to delay her deposition in a defamation case being brought against the actor by seven women who have accused him of sexual assault. A judge last week rejected Camille's motion to avoid being deposed, but that same judge agreed to delay the deposition while her appeal is considered by the court. The seven women who have filed the suit against Cosby- Tamara Green, Therese Serignese, Linda Traitz, Louisa Moritz, Barbara Bowman, Joan Tarshis and Angela Leslie - have accused him of defaming them in the press by calling them all liars. Green filed the suit alone last year, and then the other six women joined her, with each coming forward and sharing their experience with the comedian, saying that he drugged and sexually assaulted them. Cosby then countersued, accusing the women of conspiring to ruin his now-cancelled entertainment projects and insisted they made up their stories of abuse. The women's attorney wanted to question Camille about what she knew about her husband's extra-martial activities over the past couple decades. Cosby's legal team fired back saying his wife had no first-hand knowledge of the allegations in the lawsuit. 'Information that was the subject of confidential communications between Mrs. Cosby and defendant is protected by Massachusetts' spousal disqualification rule,' the lawyers claimed, and demanded Camille not be ordered to take the deposition under oath next month. But the women argued that Camille was Cosby's business manager and did have relevant information to help them with their case. Camille blasted the women's attempt to depose her in the documents that were filed last Wednesday, arguing first that the law is very clear about a husband and wife not having to testify against another or share information from private conversations. The judge said in his ruling however that he found 'no merit in Mrs Cosby's argument.' That is the ruling that Camille is now trying to appeal. Troubles: Cosby, 78, is currently out on $1million bail and had to surrender his passport after being arraigned last week for the alleged sexual assault of Andrea Constand (above last Wednesday) Cosby, 78, is currently out on $1million bail and had to surrender his passport after being arraigned in an Elkins Park courtroom last week. The first preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for January 14, next Thursday. The criminal complaint alleges that on the night in question Cosby told Constand to take three blue pills that left her feeling weak and then led her to a sofa where the assault took place. When she woke up the next morning he gave her a muffin and sent her home. The charge against him is punishable by five to 10 years behind bars and a $25,000 fine. Steele said at the press conference on Wednesday that Cosby made two failed sexual advances towards Constand before the incident now in question. The affidavit of probable cause describes both incidents, as well as the night of the alleged assault. Constand claims that the first time Cosby made an advance at her was after the two shared a meal at his house and were sitting on his sofa having a discussion. Charged: Cosby's mugshot (above) taken last week in Pennsylvania That is when 'without warning, Cosby reached over and touched her pants, her waist, and her inner thigh', according to the affidavit of probable cause. She claims she then excused herself, went to the bathroom, gathered her things and left. The next time he made an advance at her also occurred at his home in Elkins Park, and this time he 'unbuttoned her pants and began touching her,' according to the affidavit of probable cause. Once again Constand claims she left soon after. Then, sometime between mid-January and mid-February 2004, the alleged sexual assault occurred. Constand claims she arrived at Cosby's home and was greeted by the actor, who was wearing a sweatsuit. The two spoke about Constand's future, and she told Cosby she was feeling 'drained' and 'emotionally occupied'. That is when Cosby allegedly went upstairs and returned with three blue pills. telling Constand: 'These will make you feel good. The blue things will take the edge off.' Constand claims she then asked if the pills were herbal, to which Cosby replied: 'Yes. Down them. Put 'em down. Put them in your mouth.' According to the affidavit of probable cause, Cosby then told Constand to have some wine, and soon after she began to have trouble speaking and seeing. Cosby then allegedly told her to lie down on the couch, and soon after, according to the affidavit of probable hearing, was 'fondling her breasts, put his hands into her pants, and penetrated her vagina with his fingers'. He also allegedly took her hand and placed it on his erect penis. Constand claims she woke up hours later around 4am and realized her bra was undone and above her breasts and that her sweater was bunched up. As she made her way to the door she claims Cosby was standing there in a robe and holding a muffin, which he handed to her as she left while saying: 'Alright.' Former Met detective Colin Sutton said worries over cost of policing could have led to the delay in finding bodies It is feared the 48-year-old has travelled to Ghana, the country of his birth Came 18 days after police searched property following their disappearance Police found bodies of Sian Blake and her two sons buried in their garden Police did not find the bodies of Sian Blake and her sons for 20 days because they were worried about running up a large overtime bill searching for her over Christmas, a former murder detective claimed. Police discovered the partially decomposed bodies of former EastEnders actress Miss Blake, Zachary, eight, and Amon, four, buried in their back garden in Erith, Kent 20 days after they were reported missing. Ex-Metropolitan Police detective Colin Sutton said worries over the cost of policing over the Christmas period could have played a role in the delay, which allowed Arthur Simpson-Kent Miss Blakes partner and the father of her sons to flee the house. Scroll down for videos Arthur Simpson-Kent, 50 (right), who is being sought by police after his partner, ex-EastEnders actress Sian Blake (left), and their two young sons disappeared three weeks ago, has reportedly fled to Ghana, Africa Route: Mr Simpson-Kent is believed to have travelled from his south-east London home to Ghana via Glasgow and Amsterdam. Ghanaian security sources reportedly said he arrived in the African country on December 19 'If the search had taken place over Christmas it would have been three times the price because of the overtime,' he told The Sun. 'Fortunes had been earmarked in overtime payments to police the New Year's celebrations and all those bank holidays. The last thing the Met needed in the current financial situation was an expensive murder inquiry. The case was taken over by murder squad detectives on Monday, and the three bodies were found the next day. 'There is greater pressure than ever not to waste money that may have influenced the decision making,' Mr Sutton told The Times. 'It was the wrong decision and a bad decision and its noticeable that as soon as everyone got back to work after Christmas on Monday morning that things really started happening.' Ex-Metropolitan Police detective Colin Sutton (left) said worries over the cost of policing over the Christmas period could have played a role in the delay, which allowed Simpson-Kent (right) to flee the house On Mr Simpson-Kent's Facebook profile he claims to have family ties to Cape Coast, in Ghana, in Africa It is feared 48-year-old Simpson-Kent has travelled to Ghana, the country of his birth, on flights via Glasgow and Amsterdam, and could have arrived in the African country three days after he was quizzed by British police at his home on December 16. Ghanaian security sources told the Mirror that he arrived in the country on December 19 on a KLM flight. Yesterday Scotland Yard referred its handling of the case to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, who will focus on the way in which officers handled the early part of the investigation. Last night Miss Blakes grieving family demanded answers as to why police did not find the bodies when they searched the bungalow in Erith, south east London, on December 18. They also expressed their anger that it took Scotland Yard more than two weeks to issue a missing persons appeal for the 43-year-old EastEnders actress who was seriously ill with motor neurone disease and the two youngsters. Police search officers trawl a nearby alleyway close to Ms Blake's family home in Erith using garden forks Flowers, a cuddly toy and a box of chocolates were left in the front garden of the bungalow in tribute to the mother and her two children Miss Blakes aunt, who gave her name as Terry, said: The police did take a long time to find the bodies and the family want answers. Officers are probably trying their best and we know it is difficult but we want a full investigation. Sians mum is obviously very upset. The police are coming to visit the family today. She added: I didnt know Sians partner much and I didnt realise he is believed to have gone to Africa, but they obviously need to find him quickly. Last night the Met continued to appeal for information relating to the whereabouts of Mr Simpson-Kent, but refused to reveal what country they believe he is in. Interpol, the international police force, are understood to have put out an alert for his whereabouts, but last night refused to confirm this. Two star-shaped balloons, cuddly toys and a bouquet of flowers were also left in tribute, as a police officer stood guard The message on the bouquet read: 'Sian, Zachary and Amon, we will all miss you and you are always in our hearts. 'Sian your beautiful boys are a credit to you' Ms Blake vanished with her two children Zachary, left, eight, and Amon, four, after packing the boot of her car Miss Blake, who played home-wrecker Frankie Pierre in the BBC soap in the mid-1990s, and her sons were last seen during a visit to relatives in Leyton, east London, on December 13. Three days later, after an organisation raised the alarm, police spoke to Mr Simpson-Kent at the family home. After the visit Miss Blake and the two boys were officially registered as missing. Texts sent from Miss Blakes phone claimed that she wanted to be alone with her children for her last Christmas. However police are now examining allegations the texts were actually sent by Mr Simpson-Kent to dampen any suspicion. The hairdresser was classed as a high-risk missing person when police could not get hold of him following their conversation with him on December 16. Last night a neighbour who spotted the interview said: The police were standing outside for almost ten minutes talking to Arthur outside. He was very animatedly and waving his arms and it looked to me like he didnt want them to come into the house. I just thought it was quite strange because if police turned up at my door with something serious I would have invited them in. Eventually they did go into the house but Im not sure how long they were there as I had to leave. Police search officers remain at the house in Erith, where a black sheet covers the front window. A cuddly toy, chocolates and a flowers have been laid in tribute in the garden Officers dressed in blue boiler suits crouch down on their knees outside the family home as they search grassed area Police officers arrive at the home of Ms Blake carrying equipment today as detectives continue their investigations Two police officers carrying spades search around the family home and a nearby alleyway, which remained cordoned off today After speaking to Mr Simpson-Kent officers made almost daily door-to-door inquiries with neighbours with one telling them that they had spotted Mr Simpson-Kent removing full bin-liners from the bungalow. On January 2 almost three weeks after Miss Blake and her children were last seen police even knocked on the door of a flat in Walthamstow, north east London, that Mr Simpson-Kent and Miss Blake moved out of four years ago in the vain hope that the current resident might know where they were. The murder squad finally took over the investigation two days later after Miss Blakes silver Renault Scenic was found in Bethnal Green, east London, on January 3. Detectives are trying to establish whether there had been any sudden change to the family's circumstances in the weeks before they disappeared Two blue police forensic tents were erected in the rear garden of the family's three-bedroom bungalow in Erith. Forensics can be seen combing the area for evidence, while reporters wait outside the front of the house Forensics and a police officer are pictured in the garden in the home in Erith yesterday as the area was dug up Ms Blake was last seen packing black bags into the boot of a car in Leyton, east London. The car - silver Renault Scenic - was found abandoned in Calvert Avenue, Bethnal Green, east London over the weekend Yesterday a forensic team continued to search the property for clues as well-wishers started to leave tributes to the victims. One note said: Sian, Zachary and Amon, we will all miss you and you are always in our hearts. Sian, your beautiful boys are a credit to you. I loved how they would wave and call out to me whenever I saw them. Rest in peace. Such a lovely lady and with your boys, you are safe now. Home-wrecker: Fans hated Ms Blake's EastEnders character, Frankie Pierre, who pursued married cafe worker Alan Jackson (Howard Antony), pictured. She said she received hate mail from viewers of the show Career: As well starring in EastEnders Ms Blake also appeared in British teen drama Skins Advertisement Thousands of fish have found themselves on the move in Paris as the iconic canal that they call home undergoes a dramatic face-lift. City workers have spent the past two days netting 4.5 tonnes of trout, carp and bream from the Canal Saint-Martin, which is being drained for the first time in 15 years in a massive clean-up operation. The fish are being moved to their new home in a section of the canal which is not being drained. Scroll down for video Hard work: A worker, wrapped up against the January weather, grabs a runaway as they round up 4.5 tonnes of fish from Canal Saint-Martin Proud moment: A worker shows off a large fish removed from the Canal Saint-Martin, which is undergoing a dramatic make-over Meanwhile, a whole host of bizarre and unexpected objects have already surfaced, including mopeds, bicycles, trolleys and even old cameras and tape recorders. The three-mile long stretch of canal flows through the heart of the French capital's 10th arrondissement, one of the city's most exclusive and fashionable districts. But in recent years the area has developed a reputation for its lively nightlife, and a magnet for tourists and locals alike. Residents blame this surge in popularity as the reason for some of the more bizarre objects that have been discovered lurking in the canal. The last time the canal was emptied, in 2001, among the 40 tons of rubbish were bicycles, motorbikes, gold coins, wheelchairs, a toilet bowl, two First World War shells and even a car. Catch of the day: Fish are cleaned and weighed after they were captured as the Parisian canal is being drained for maintenance Netted: A worker sifts through fish as they are cleaned before being rehomed in a different stretch of the canal which is not being drained Fresh start: They had just three days to fish out and rescue the 4.5 tons of trout, carp and bream that have made their home in the canal Team work: Employees clutching nets save fish that are trapped in the dregs of the drained canal, to move the fish to their new home Dregs: Municipal workers wade through the canal Saint-Martin with a bucket full of fish, as the canal is drained for the first time in 15 years Going wading: Staff force their way through clouds of leaves and rubbish floating on the surface of the canal's remaining water This time round, the clean-up team has already discovered a pistol during the operation, which has been handed over to the police. Emptying to 90,000 cubic metres of water, and renovating its four double locks, will cost the city 9.5million euros (7million), and it will remain drained of water for three months. The first step was to drain the water until just 50cm were left in the bottom of the canal. This allowed the team to fish out the trout, carp and bream that have made their home in the canal, and transfer them to another part of the canal. The team had just three days to catch the fish before the canal is fully drained on Thursday. Napoleon Bonaparte commissioned the canal in 1804, according to news site France24, to provide the city with goods and fresh water. Mission: The massive operation includes draining the three-mile stretch of water, cleaning out the rubbish and it's four double locks Hook, line and sinker: Workers hold a pike perch as they catch fish inside a lock during the draining of the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris Rescue operation: An employee releases trapped fish into a container before they are taken to their new home away from the operation Unrestrained: Workers attempt to control fish in the canal cleaning operation which is costing the city 9.5million euros (7million) But residents lucky enough to live in the now exclusive vicinity of the river are concerned about its thriving nightlife, and the damage it does to the area. They even launched a social media campaign to draw attention to the vandalism and drinking, posting Instagram images of piles of vomit and smashed bottles. The deputy mayor in charge of the environment, Celia Blauel, beseeched Parisians to respect the canal once its makeover is finished. If everyone mucks in and avoids throwing anything in the water, we might be able to swim in the canal in a few years, as in numerous other European cities, she told Le Parisien. Discarded: The Canal Saint-Martin clean-up operation is costing the French capital authorities some 9.5million euros (7million) Rusted wheels: An abandoned bicycle lies covered in mud at the bottom of the canal, which has been uncovered in the clean-up operation Future: The deputy mayor in charge of environment, Celia Blauel, beseeched Parisians to respect the canal once its makeover is finished Historical: Napoleon Bonaparte commissioned the canal in 1804 to provide the capital city with goods, transport and fresh water Clean-up operation: A man wades through the last dregs of the Canal Saint-Martin, in the heart of one of Paris' most fashionable areas Hidden treasures: An abandoned scooter, covered in mud, is revealed as the water from the three-mile stretch of canal is drained away Discoveries: The last time the canal was drained, in 2001, more than 40 tons of rubbish and discarded possessions were revealed Exclusive: The Canal Saint-Martin runs through the heart of one of the French capital's most fashionable districts, the 10th arrondissement Frozen in time: An old camera lies at the bottom of the Canal Saint-Martin, as it is drained in a massive and expensive clean-up operation Muddied: Residents lucky enough to live in the exclusive area near the canal blame its lively nightlife for the amount of discarded items Abandoned: A man inspects the numerous discarded bicycles at the bottom of the canal, which hasn't been drained for some 15 years Unusual journey: A man steers a bicycle as he walks through the remaining water in the canal, before it is completely drained on Thursday Sneak peak: A woman looks at the Canal Saint-Martin after it was drained for maintenance, which is expected to take around three months Lucky: Residents who live in the exclusive vicinity of the river are concerned about its thriving nightlife, and the damage it does to the area A 15-year-old boy has been arrested after a mother and daughter were found murdered in their home. Shannon Duke, 40, and 18-year-old Chloe Duke were shot and killed inside their Anchorage, Alaska, home on Tuesday night. The teenage boy, who police said lived with the pair, then allegedly drove away from the scene before he was tracked down by cops. Scroll down for video Shannon Duke, 40, (left) and 18-year-old Chloe Duke (right) were shot and killed inside their Anchorage, Alaska, home on Tuesday night A 15-year-old boy has been arrested after the mother and daughter were found murdered in their home by the teenage victim's father According to KTUU, Chloe's father came home to find his wife and daughter had been killed. Police would not release the name of the teen in custody, as he is below the age of 18. They would also not reveal his relationship with the two victims. Officers have reportedly recovered a gun but they would not say where. Anchorage Police Department spokesman Jennifer Castro told KTVA the investigation was ongoing and could not reveal anymore evidence. The boy is behind bars at the McLaughlin Youth Center. After news of the pair's death surfaced, friends paid tribute on social media. One said: 'Tuesday night two of my good friends in Anchorage, Alaska were murdered. I am absolutely heartbroken. These were good and loving women and did not deserve this. 'Shanon Duke, you helped me and loved me through the darkest of my days, you reminded me of the love that still exists in this world. 'Chloe Duke, you were a young woman, just starting out in life, but you were so full of goodness and grace, I loved seeing your positive posts, and was looking forward to your light radiating in this dark world as you navigated your way through adulthood. 'I will miss you both so very much. The world is a much darker place without you two in it. Love you both forever. RIP my friends, I know you are with Jesus at this very moment.' Chloe's (left) father (not pictured) reportedly came home to find his wife and daughter had been killed The woman at the center of a murder-for-hire love triangle that left one Texas doctor dead and another in prison is speaking out for the first time. Richelle Shetina, 53, was dating Dr Joseph Sonnier III in 2012 when he was shot and stabbed to death in his home in Lubbock, Texas. It was later revealed that the murder was tied to Shetina's ex-boyfriend, plastic surgeon Dr Thomas Michael Dixon. 'Evil followed me straight to Joseph's door,' Shetina told ABC News' 20/20 in an exclusive interview. 'This good and kind and decent and loving man. Like it or not evil followed me right there.' Scroll down for video Richelle Shetina, 53, was dating Dr Joseph Sonnier III in 2012 when he was brutally murdered in his Lubbuck, Texas, home in 2012. She is now speaking out for the first time Plastic surgeon Thomas Dixon (left) was convicted of hiring a man to kill Sonnier (right), who was found murdered in July 2012. Sonnier was dating Dixon's ex-girlfriend, according to an arrest affidavit A jury in West Texas in November deliberated less than two hours before finding Dixon, of Amarillo, guilty of capital murder in the death Sonnier. Shetina said she is trying to move on with her life now that the trial is over. 'There are real sociopaths and psychopaths that walk amongst us They're charming, and they are witty. And they sit at the dinner table with you and your children. And sometimes they sleep in your bed with you,' Shetina told '20/20.' 'They're not capable of feeling love for you or empathy for anyone When the mask starts to slip-- when you see that, don't ignore it. Don't try to rationalize it And get out as fast as you can. Truly. Run as fast as you can,' she added. Prosecutors alleged Dixon gave business partner David Neal Shepard three bars of silver worth $9,000 in exchange for killing Sonnier. Dixon received a life sentence without parole automatically because prosecutors were not seeking the death penalty. The Amarillo doctor had denied any involvement in the death of Sonnier, who worked as the chief pathologist for Covenant Health System in Lubbock. Shetina said 'Evil followed me straight to Joseph's door', and urged people to be aware of the actions of psychopaths Dixon (left, in his 2012 mug shot) was convicted of paying David Shepard (right) three silver bars worth $9,000 to kill Sonnier, however he claims he only asked Shepard to spy on Sonnier At trial, Dixon testified that he paid Shepard the silver to become a shareholder in an allergy testing business that Shepard was starting. Dixon told jurors he did conspire with Shepard to stalk Sonnier, after Shepard told him about his experiences as a private investigator. Dixon said he gave Shepard money to travel to Lubbock to take photographs of Sonnier cheating with other women to try and ruin the pathologist's relationship with Dixon's former girlfriend. 'I never in my wildest dreams thought anything could happen to Joseph Sonnier. I never thought he could be harmed or murdered ever. I wanted pictures, and it turned into something I never foresaw ever,' Dixon said. Investigators said Shepard broke into Sonnier's home in Lubbock, then stabbed the doctor and shot him several times with a gun in July 2012. Shepard agreed to a plea deal in 2013 and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Dixon's first capital murder trial ended in a deadlocked jury. Investigators said that after murdering the doctor, Shepard tried to kill himself by slitting his wrists, however Dixon closed the wounds and told him to leave town, according to Dixon's arrest affidavit. Dixon, pictured here during his arrest in 2012 was sentenced to life without parole because prosecutors were not seeking the death penalty Sonnier was the chief pathologist for Covenant Health System in Lubbock. Shetina told a police detective that Dixon was her ex-boyfriend and that he 'insisted on seeing her, even though she was dating Dr Sonnier', according to the 2012 arrest affidavit. Police discovered through an online database that Shepard had sold a 100-ounce bar of silver at an Amarillo pawn shop for $2,750, the affidavit said. Shepard told his roommate that he broke into Sonnier's home through a window and shot him several times with a gun Dixon had given him, the affidavit said. Lubbock Police Capt Jon Caspell said at the time that he didn't know when Dixon and the woman broke up. Dixon and Sonnier appeared to have known each other aside from the woman, Caspell said. Dixon was a well-known plastic surgeon at High Plains Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in Amarillo. Cher wants Michigan governor Rick Snyder to be killed be firing squad, according to her latest series of erratic tweets about the Flint water crisis. Her outburst came hours after Snyder declared a state of emergency in Flint on Tuesday because children were found to have rocketing levels of lead in their blood from drinking contaminated tap water. Federal officials also confirmed they're investigating the matter that prompted a local public health emergency. However, it seems the songstress - who has become notorious for her unique combination of capital letters, emoji, and political diatribes on Twitter - is not content with Snyder's actions. Not happy: Songstress Cher (pictured in New York in May) wants Michigan governor Rick Snyder to be killed be firing squad, according to her latest series of erratic tweets about the Flint water crisis First she tweeted accusing Gov Rick Snyder of back-pedaling and called for him to be jailed Later, the 69-year-old said Gov Snyder deserved to be shot dead for the water contamination Gov. Rick Snyder (pictured) declared a state of emergency in Flint on Tuesday She fumed to her 2.93 million followers that Gov Snyder should be jailed because he 'is a murderer' and 'gave people poison'. The tweet itself read: 'GOV.Of MICHIGAN IS A MURDERER HE Made Decision 2GAVE ppl POISON WATER,&NOW MUST SIGN DISASTER BILL.CHILDREN WILL"NEVER"RECOVER #JAILFORRICK' Minutes later, she added that Gov Snyder should be killed, writing: 'WTF IS GOING ON W/POWER MAD,GREED DRIVEN,KILLER, INCOMPETENT,POLITICIANS?THEY R CRIMNALS!! GOV.RICK SNYDER OF MICH. #FIRINGSQUADWORKSFORME' Snyder's press secretary Dave Murray responded to the tweet with a statement. 'It's unfortunate that someone would use such rhetoric at a time when the governor is working so closely with Flint's leaders on coordinated efforts to protect the health and welfare of people in the city and across our state,' he said. Recently, Cher has also backed British voters' attempts to have Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump barred from entering the country. She also engaged in a Twitter spat with Republican candidate Ted Cruz. Snyder's action on Tuesday follows emergency declarations declared by the city and Genesee County, which requested help from the state. Michigan's declaration makes available state resources in cooperation with local response and recovery operations. The Flint River (above) is seen flowing through downtown Flint, Michigan - The city switched from Detroit's water system to Flint River water in a cost-cutting move in 2014 In December, Food Bank of Eastern Michigan worker, Kelly Belcher shows some of the bottled water in the agency's warehouse that will be distributed after elevated lead levels were found in the city's water U.S. Attorney's spokeswoman Gina Balaya said in an email that the federal investigation is 'an effort to address the concerns of Flint residents,' but she couldn't say whether it is a criminal or civil investigation. The city switched from Detroit's water system to Flint River water in a cost-cutting move in 2014, while under state financial management. Detroit's water system serves about 4 million people in communities across southeastern Michigan That was intended as a temporary step while a pipeline was built from Lake Huron. Residents complained about the water's taste, smell and appearance, and children were found to have elevated levels of lead due to the water supply. Exposure to lead can cause behavior problems and learning disabilities in children. The city returned to Detroit water in October. Before the switch, the city is was telling residents to use only cold water for drinking, cooking and making baby formula, and recommending they use the certified filters. Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, left, of Hurley Hospital, and Dr. Lawrence Reynolds, CEO of Mott Children's Health Center, speak to the Genesee County board of commissioners on Monday in Flint about elevated levels of lead in the drinking water and its potential effect on children, including learning and behavior problems The General Motors Foundation, the local United Way and others have given at least $105,000 to buy filters for 5,000 residents. Last week, Snyder apologized and Michigan's top environmental regulator, Department of Environmental Quality Director Dan Wyant, resigned after a task force created by Snyder blamed problems on his agency. Administration officials have pledged to cooperate fully with any federal requests. The state initially downplayed lead concerns but ultimately had to commit $10.6 million to reconnect Flint to Detroit and to respond with filters, testing and other services. The city's request for a disaster declaration includes roughly $50million in aid, most of which is taken up by $45 million to replace 15,000 lead service lines - 'one of the most cost-intensive endeavors related to ameliorating water contaminants' in its system, according to the application. The Republican establishment's best hope of cutting Donald Trump off at the pass lies in between the mountain peaks in New Hampshire, the more moderate of the first two early voting states. There, four Republicans are locked in a tight battle to become the mainstream's standard bearer, though, and a new survey released today shows that they're crowding each other out. If three, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and John Kasich, were to drop out, a Public Policy Polling memo sent out this afternoon shows the fourth, Marco Rubio, would rise to the top and run nearly even with Trump. GET OUT, GET OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE: If three establishment candidates, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and John Kasich, were to drop out, the fourth, Marco Rubio, pictured, would rise to the top and run nearly even with Donald Trump Without those other 'establishment' candidates, Marco Rubio can nearly take on Donald Trump in the early state of New Hampshire If John Kasich (left), Jeb Bush (center) and Chris Christie (right) dropped out, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio would eat up there support and be almost able to beat Donald Trump in New Hampshire Under current conditions, Trump is 14 points ahead of his rivals at 29 percent in the Granite State. Rubio has roughly half that, 15 percent, followed by Christie and Kasich with 11 percent each and Ted Cruz and Bush who are both at 10 percent. Everyone else in the race had less than five percent. If the candidates repping the establishment wing of the party consolidated their voting power, Rubio's support would soar to 34 percent. In such a scenario, when no other candidates were in the race aside from the top three, Trump's backing would also rise to 36 percent and Cruz would double his share of the pie to 19 percent. Trump would retain a two percent edge over Rubio. However, the Florida senator would be within striking distance and close enough that he could overtake the billionaire by turning out more voters. If Cruz also dropped out of the race, Rubio would beat Trump in New Hampshire 52-40, PPP found. Turned on its head, Cruz would also beat Trump 46-39 if Rubio were gone. Bush would come close to Trump in a head-to-head match-up, but he wouldn't win outright like Cruz and Rubio. The two would virtually tie, with the win going to Trump by one. PPP didn't say how Bush, Kasich or Christie would fare if Rubio left the race instead. And in reality, none of them have signaled that they are willing to call it quits before New Hampshire in order to undercut Trump. Even if the 'low energy' Jeb Bush, along with Chris Christie and John Kasich drop out, establishment candidate Marco Rubio still doesn't quite topple Donald Trump The Democratic polling agency did share that Bush and Rubio were each chosen by 11 percent of voters as their second choice in the race, while Christie was selected by 10 percent. Those numbers suggest that any one of those three could effectively challenge Trump if they came to a gentleman's agreement. Christie has the best shot at siphoning off some of Trump's voters, though. PPP found he was the top, alternative choice for for Trump supporters, picking up 37 percent of them if the GOP front-runner was no longer in the race. The polling organization's memo suggests that Christie may pick up some Trump supporters yet if they change their minds after seeing the results of the first contest in Iowa, a week before, where Trump could lose to Cruz. Fundamentally, while he has the most and fiercest support, Trump isn't particularly well liked by GOP voters in New Hampshire. PPP discovered that Trump ranked eighth among the 12 remaining candidates when it comes to personality, and his favorability level was one notch below 50 percent - and that's among voters within his own party. All the drama was on the Labour benches. Jeremy Corbyn performed okay at Prime Ministers Questions. He had David Cameron floundering with questions about Yorkshire floods. Labour are trying to turn the northern English flooding into a class issue. But behind Mr Corbyn and to either side, with drawn-dagger stares and surly scowls, sat his enemies. Like that poor castle in Aberdeenshire, Mr Corbyn was being undermined by a torrent dissent in full spate. The mutiny was startlingly open. In the House I have neither seen anything so brazen nor heard such a silence as that which greeted Mr Corbyn. Scroll down for video Jeremy Corbyn performed okay at Prime Ministers Questions. He had David Cameron floundering with questions about Yorkshire floods You might have thought his allies would have cheered him but instead there just fell a wind-whistled nothingness. Could the Labour Whips not have arranged supportive noise? Alas, Mr Corbyn has allowed distance to develop between himself and his Chief Whip, Dame Rosie Winterton. Before PMQs, Westminster was a-tingle with the sacking of Shadow Europe minister Pat McFadden, who had criticised Left-wing apologists of terrorism. Mr McFaddens dawn interview on Radio 4, calmly critical of Mr Corbyn, had freshened the sensation. Shortly before PMQs we heard of two Labour frontbench resignations little-known figures called Reynolds and Doughty. A third (Defence spokesman Kevan Jones, a heftier presence) came during PMQs. Mr McFadden, with feline lightness, had selected a backbench seat near the top right of the Chamber as you look towards the Chair. He chose the second bench from the back, one favoured by Blairites. Near him sat the likes of Chuka Umunna, Yvette Cooper, Liam Byrne, Angela Smith. Mr Umunna leaned across to pat Mr McFadden on the thigh. Ian Austin, sitting a few feet away, stood, stepped up and shook the McFadden hand. Wayne David did likewise. All this was done in full view of the Conservatives. It was a flaunting of distaste for the Corbynistas. Before PMQs, Westminster was a-tingle with the sacking of Shadow Europe minister Pat McFadden, who had criticised Left-wing apologists of terrorism. Mr McFaddens dawn interview on Radio 4, calmly critical of Mr Corbyn, had freshened the sensation The sessions first question, from Tory Karen Lumley (Redditch) capitalised on this. She asked the PM to assure her that no minister would ever be sacked for condemning terrorist attacks (for this, let it be recalled, is what seems to have happened to the hapless Mr Mc-Fadden). Mr Cameron blurted out a few prepared sentences attacking Mr Corbyns mishandling of the Labour reshuffle. In the big bad world, North Korea had tested a nuclear bomb, the Chinese economy was in trouble and Iran and Saudi Arabia were in dispute. None of these matters was raised. During Mr Corbyns contributions, neat and slender Stephen Kinnock (Lab, Aberavon) chatted in jocular fashion to big, untidy Jess Phillips (Lab, Yardley). Their expressions did not suggest undying admiration for their leader. When Nadhim Zahawi (Con, Stratford-on-Avon) mentioned William Shakespeare, an off-form Mr Cameron hurried into another passage of scripted gags. He had been wondering if the Labour reshuffle would go into its Twelfth Night, thought it had been a Comedy of Errors and was worried that Loves Labours Lost. Mr Corbyn became oddly angered by this lightweight nonsense. He muttered to himself, biting his beard, casting eyes hither and thither. Another little behavioural detail to report: The index finger of Hilary Benns left hand. A Tory MP, Peterboroughs Stewart Jackson, noted that the new Shadow Defence Secretary, Emily Thornberry, had seen fit to take a donation from the immoral, thieving and ambulance-chasing lawyers who have been hounding our brave service personnel in Iraq with spurious claims of human-rights abuses. Mr Cameron flew into a denunciation of the Labour Left and said he was amazed that Centrists such as Mr Benn had not resigned from the Shadow Cabinet. It was at this point that Mr Benns index finger began tapping out an agitated beat. Had a nerve been touched? As the session ended, yet more Labour MPs rushed up to Mr McFadden to squeeze his arm, shake his hand and show sympathy. A Texas state trooper has been indicted for perjury in the case of black police detainee Sandra Bland who died in custody last summer. Bland was found dead in a jail cell in Waller County, Texas, three days after she was arrested for a traffic stop in July, 2014. Her family filed a lawsuit, accusing Waller police of subjected her to unwarranted brutality in custody. Today a grand jury voted to indict Texas State Trooper Brian Encinia, who arrested the 28-year-old, during a traffic stop, for perjury, Fox 32 reports. Scroll down for video Texas State Trooper Brian Encinia (right) who arrested 28-year-old Sandra Bland (left) during a traffic stop, has been indicted for perjury The trooper is accused of making a false statement in his incident report about the stop. 'They just didn't believe it a warrant will be issued and we'll go from there,' special prosecutor Darrell Jordan told the Houston Chronicle. If convicted, Encinia could face up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine. The case was resumed this month after the jury were not able to decide if the cop should face charges. Bland was pulled over on July 10, 2010, by Encinia for making an improper lane change. Dashcam video showed their interaction quickly became confrontational after Encinia asked Bland to put out a cigarette and she refused. Bland was arrested and charged with assaulting an officer, a felony. Bond was set at $5,000 in a court appearance the following day. The 28-year-old black woman was found dead (pictured) three days after being detained by a white officer Bland (pictured left and right), from Chicago, was pulled over for a traffic stop in Waller County in July Outrage: Bland's family has widespread support for their lawsuit against the county as they claim Bland was subjected to unwarranted police brutality in custody. Here, protesters hold a placard with her face on it Defending the sheriff's office and jailers, the county claimed Bland committed suicide because she was despondent over her family's failure to pay her bail. Court documents filed by Waller County cited a medical examiner's report, that concluded Bland's death to be a suicide. Bland's family disputes the medical examiner's findings. Bland's death came amid heightened national scrutiny of police and their dealings with black suspects. Dashcam footage of the arrest, by Trooper Brian Encinia, shows Encinita threatening Bland with a stun gun after she refuses to put out her cigarette. Shortly afterwards the two are alleged to have got into a tussle, during which Bland kicked Encinita. Bland then spent three days in custody and was due to be released after her sister raised bail money when she was found dead. Waller County Sheriff's Office has said she hanged herself with a trash bag, but a large number of Bland's friends, family, and rights groups have refused to accept that explanation. Forensics experts found around 30 scabbing cut marks on her arms, which were between two to four weeks old, predating her arrest. There were also scab wounds on her back and minor abrasions around her wrists, which Diepraam indicated could have come from her arrest, in which she struggled against handcuffs and was pinned to the floor by an officer's knee in her back. The mother (left) and sister (center) of Sandra Bland, listen to attorney Larry Rogers Jr. (right) explain concerns about the Texas grand jury's verdict last month when they failed to reach a verdict Prosecutor Darrell Jorden announced in Decemebr the grand jury could not decide whether the trooper, Encinia, that arrested Chicago-based Bland (pictured in custody) should face charges over her death Encinita has since been placed on administrative leave while an investigation is carried out, while Bland's family have filed a lawsuit against Waller County police. The Texas trooper had previously been cautioned about 'unprofessional conduct' in a 2014 incident while he was still a probationary trooper, it has been revealed. The disciplinary entry regarding Trooper Brian Encinia of the Texas Department of Public Safety was contained in Encinia's personnel file. Encinia's performance evaluation for September and October 2014 referred to him receiving 'a written counseling for unprofessional conduct ... occurring while at a school in Austin.' The circumstances weren't specified. Speaking in August, attorney Cannon Lambert said the family felt they had been forced to file a wrongful death suit in order to get more information about Bland's death. She accused police of being uncooperative, and said the family were angered by the fact that Encinita had not been fired from his job. Most people dream of winning the lottery and being hopefully set for life. For 73-year-old Donald Magett that dream came true when he won the Cash for Life lottery in the 1980s. The Kalamazoo, Michigan resident has since fallen on hard times and is selling his lotto ticket worth $1,000 a month Thursday through Miedema Auctioneering in Byron Center on Repocast. However, the payout from the ticket will only last as long as the original winner lives. According to a notice from the auction house, when Magett dies, the $12,000 annual payment will end. Scroll down for video Donald Magett is selling his Cash for Life lottery ticket that's worth $1,000 a month Thursday in an auction. The 73-year-old orginally won in the 1980s but has since fallen on hard times (File photo above) However, the payout from the ticket will only last as long as the original winner lives. According to a notice from the auction house, when Magett dies, the $12,000 annual payment will end In order to win the ticket through the auction, a minimum $30,000 bid is required and each following bid will be $25 increments. Magett, who is a former police officer, is auctioning the ticket off in an attempt to pay down his more than $1.5 million debt, WXMI reported. In 2005, Magett filed a bankruptcy petition after he was sued by the federal government for misusing the retirement funds of Magic PI & Security, a private security firm that he owned and operated. Magett started the firm in 1997 after he retired as a police officer. In 2007 he was convicted on a number of charges of pension fund theft, money laundering and criminal conspiracy in connection with his company. He was sentenced to six years in federal prison and three years of supervised release. The elderly man has since been released from prison. The auction, which is being hosted through Miedema Auctioneering in Byron Center (above), begins at 8am and will end at 8.30pm Thursday, January 7 Tom Richardson, his bankruptcy trustee, said that Magett, who won the ticket in February 1984, is in good health. Auctioneer Duane Mingerink told the television station that this auction is a leap of faith. 'This is a very unique case,' Mingerink told WXMI. 'It's like gambling. Who knows? Ya know, you're taking a risk. 'I mean, the gentleman actually could die next week. He could die in 20 years, 30 years. We just don't know. 'If he makes it 10 years, you've done very well. It's been a great investment,' The auction begins at 8am and will end at 8.30pm Thursday, January 7. House Democrats say the number of Americans receiving insurance through Obamacare is actually 22 million - and slam Republicans for repealing the law without offering any alternative After 61 failures over six years, Congressional Republicans on Wednesday passed a repeal of the 2010 Affordable Care Act that they have loved to hate. While the GOP has tried to repeal all or part of the controversial bill about 61 times before, this time the measure will actually reach President Barack Obama's desk - where it faces an all-but-certain death. The final vote was 240-181. Obama has given no sign that he has any intention of retreating from his signature domestic policy achievement - a stance White House spokesman Josh Earnest indirectly reiterated earlier this week. Overcoming the all-but-certain presidential veto would require two-thirds of House and Senate lawmakers to override - a threshold that even supporters concede would be impossible to reach. The bill also includes a provision that strips Planned Parenthood of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding, an agency which serves an estimated 2.7 million American women, mostly from low-income households. Scroll down for videos House Speaker Paul Ryan, shown here at the Capitol on Wednesday, finally achieved what his predecessors could not - a repeal of the 2010 Affordable Care Act which currently insures as many as 22 million Americans President Obama, shown here at the White House on Tuesday, is all but certain to veto any retreat from his signature domestic policy achievement Ryan has seemed giddy all week about the Obamacare repeal vote Asked why Republicans would repeal health care for as many as 22 million Americans without offering an alternative, Ryan on Wednesday simply said, 'Just wait' At a press conference earlier Wednesday on Capitol Hill, Ryan was giddy about the vote. 'With this bill we are standing for life. We are confronting the president with the hard, honest truth - Obamacare doesn't work. Higher premiums, fewer choices and restricted access, these are not signs of success. 'Obamacare is not successful. They are signs of failure and the American people deserve better. The people deserve a truly patient-centered healthcare system and ultimately this is going to require a Republican president. That's why our top priority in 2016 is going to be offering the country a clear choice with a bold pro-growth agenda.' Asked why the GOP would repeal the health care law without first offering an alternative, Ryan said, 'Just wait,' without elaborating. But on the campaign trail, Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton slammed Republicans earlier in the week. 'They're willing to turn their backs on 19 million Americans, to turn our healthcare system back to the insurance companies so if you have a pre-existing condition it will be hard for you to afford care,' Clinton said at a town hall in Davenport. ' 'If you're a woman, you'll be charged more, because that's what used to happen. Prescription drugs - hey, watch out. They'll go as far and fast and high as the drug companies can take them. Because they have no plan, the Republicans just want to undo what Democrats have fought for decades and what President Obama got accomplished.' 'We need a president, just as President Obama will, to veto that. But if there's a Republican sitting there, it will be repealed. And then we will have to start all over again.' We owe it to the American people to take our best shot at repealing Obamacare, and thats what well do next week - GOP Rep. Vicky Hartzler Some 19 million Americans are on some form of health insurance through Obamacare, which passed through Congress in late 2009 without a single Republican vote and has now withstood two Supreme Court challenges mostly intact. During Wednesday's House debate, Democrats said the number of Americans receiving insurance through Obamacare was actually 22 million. But Republicans said they 'owed it' to their constituents to attempt another repeal. In the party's weekly radio address over the weekend, GOP Rep. Vicky Hartzler of Missouri used the same phrase. 'We owe it to the American people to take our best shot at repealing Obamacare, and thats what well do next week,' she said. 'As a result, President Obama will soon have a choice: Does he support the people and womens health, or does he support Washington mandates and tax dollars going to Planned Parenthood?' Planned Parenthood became a hot target of conservatives this year after secretly recorded videos surfaced that purported to show agency officials discussing harvesting fetal tissue. At least four Republican-controlled congressional committees are currently investigating the organization. Planned Parenthood has an annual budget of about $1.3 billion, of which $528 million, or 41 percent, comes in the form of grants and reimbursements from the federal government. The agency provides about 300,000 abortions each year among a wide variety of other womens health services that include breast exams, cancer screenings, birth control and treatments for diseases. A total of 2.7 million women use services from the organization, many of whom are low-income women who have no other form of health care. Federal funding for abortion in most cases has been prohibited since 1976, when Congress passed a clause called the Hyde Amendment that has been inserted into annual appropriations bills each year since then. But critics say that funding Planned Parenthood even partially with federal money essentially endorses funding for abortion procedures, since the agency can shift funds around within its budget. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell in December ushered an Obamacare repeal measure through the Senate - barely As for the Obamacare repeal, House Republicans followed the lead of their colleagues in the Senate, who in December narrowly passed a repeal measure by a vote of 52-47. That was just barely over the simple majority of 51 votes that was necessary under an unusual, rarely used parliamentary procedure but well short of the supermajority of 60 votes that are usually necessary for legislative success in the Senate. The parliamentary maneuver is called reconciliation, and is allowed under congressional rules on a limited basis if the legislation significantly affects the federal budget. Indeed, on Monday the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office released an updated estimate that the repeal effort could save up to $42 billion more than expected because of a different bill Congress passed last year that delays or ends a variety of taxes in the Obamacare program. The original savings estimate was $474 blliion between 2016 and 2025. After Wednesday's vote, Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell was as excited as was Ryan in his own statement. 'For years, middle-class families called on Washington to build a bridge away from Obamacare, but Democrats continued to prevent Congress from putting an Obamacare repeal bill on the Presidents desk. That ends today,' McConnell said. Now President Obama will finally have a repeal bill on his desk and a consequential choice to make: He can defend a status quo thats failed the middle class by vetoing the bill, or he can work toward a new beginning and better care by signing it.' At the White House on Monday, Earnest was asked about potential cooperation between the White House and Republicans in Congress on the issue of improving mental health programs as it relates to gun violence. 'I will say that there's a lot of skepticism rooted in Republican claims that they care about improving mental health care in this country, when they're prepared this week to actually take their 60th vote to repeal the very law that has done more to expand access to mental health care than any other law in decades,' Earnest answered. A young man concerned about his father visiting sex workers on a regular basis took extreme measures to stop him by donning a fake SWAT costume to ward him off the behaviour. The 21-year-old called Guo, who normally works as a security guard in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, east China, bought a full replica costume on the internet and patrolled the city streets, according to People's Daily Online. The outfit included a plastic pistol, padded vest, toy handcuffs, a fake electric baton and even a counterfeit badge claiming to show his rank within the organisation. Action man: Guo, 21, took matters into his own hands by attempting to deter prostitutes in Changzhou, China Guo claimed that he had come up with the idea of the outfit after discovering that his father frequently paid local sex workers, and decided that he had to take action to prevent it. The young man said that he had worked as a security guard since 2013 but had always dreamed of being a police officer, an ambition he had so far not yet fulfilled. On New Year's Day a man made a complaint to police, claiming that a SWAT officer patrolling a Changzhou street had frightened his dog with an electric baton. After rushing to the scene, officers discovered the sheepish imposter Guo in his full gear and brought him in for questioning. Thorough: The outfit included a plastic pistol, toy handcuffs, a fake electric baton and even a counterfeit badge The young man said that that very morning, Jan 1, his father had called him to request that he lend him some money. Worrying that his father would be using the money to buy services from prostitutes, he refused him and went out to patrol the pavements for streetwalkers in anger at his father's past misdeeds. A man and woman from China tied up a defenseless mouse and interrogated it on camera for allegedly stealing bananas, as a recently emerged video shows. The rodent was bound by its legs while the woman, thought to be from Chengdu, southwest China, asked if it enjoyed eating bananas and has any accomplices, reports the Peoples Daily Online. Almost 80,000 people have commented on the video with conflicting views after it was uploaded yesterday on the Chinese website 163.com. The mouse is bound to the bottle ready for interrogation (left). Then he is whipped and shouted at (right) Whipped: The rodent was hit as the woman who was also laughing asked it: Do you have any accomplices According to the report, the woman caught the mouse in her home, strapped it to a bottle and began the interrogation. The 90-second video shows the tiny mouse tied with white rope to what looks like a bottle filled with water. Its legs are spread tightly around the bottle. Its back legs look almost dislocated, and its front legs are tied above its head, again tightly around the bottle. Completely helpless and unable to escape, the mouse is then whipped and shouted at by the unidentified woman together with another male voice. The woman shouts at the mouse in her local dialect: Are the bananas tasty? and Do you have any accomplices. She then whips its nose, but it is not clear what she is using to do this. The man comments every now and then but it is hard to make out what he is saying. They are both laughing throughout the whole video, this goes on for a long time. The video was uploaded online yesterday for people in China to comment. As of writing, over 79,731 people shared their views. Some people said it was cruel, while others thought the video was funny. One user named '111419632' claimed this video should not be shared: Animals are lives too! There is no necessity to do so, film it, and upload it online. She should keep it private. The woman doesnt seem intelligent. The mouse was accused of stealing and interrogated (left). Its legs were bound so tight is couldn't move (right) Interrogation: The mouse was accused of stealing the woman's bananas in Chengdu southwest China An anonymous user from Guangdong, southeast China, posted: We all have our different means of living. The mouse looks so cute, but Ill still freak out if I see one in real life. 'Zyophthal' felt sorry for the mouse: Dont harm it, it only does it to survive. Poor mouse. 'Lmczew' said: The mouse looks so cute. It looks like Stuart little. Another anonymous user from Guangdong: The woman looks like shes going to eat it alive. However, one person called 'Kuai 8' thought the mouse got what it deserved: Whoever said the mouse is has not been troubled by mice before. Those little things, I could kill them a million times. While some, like user 'Mao Ye Ye Hao Ji Yo' made a joke of the video: This is a good mouse. It did not out its accomplices. Woman spotted harming the bird at the Haigeng Dam in Kunming city A tourist at the idyllic Haigeng Dam in Kunming city, south China, has been caught viciously grabbing a seagull and using it as a prop to pose for pictures. The woman took the frightened red-billed gull by its wings and pretended to eat it next to a man as her other travelling companions snapped the photos, reports the Peoples Daily Online. Special patrol officers in the area immediately spotted them harming the bird and stopped them on the spot on December 25. They educated the tourists and released the petrified seagull back to nature. Sickening: Two tourists grab the gull at Haigeng Dam in Kunming city, the woman pretends to eat it Cruel: The seagull looks as if it is suffering as they violently grab it for fun at the dam in Kunming city, China According the report, this is not an uncommon sight at the popular tourist destination. Every year, Kunming city sees tourists grabbing sea gulls with their bare hands in order to take pictures with them. On December 9 the Peoples Daily reported a similar incident that happened in the same area, another group of tourists were pictured tormenting the gulls. They grabbed their feathers, and squeezed them tightly as they posed for the camera. When this happened it immediately sparked an online debate with many people expressing anger and condemnation towards the tourists. A spokesman from the local forest police said as soon as they discover such behaviour they will hold the related tourists responsible according to Chinese laws. Evil: Tourists in Kunming city, south China viciously grabbed a seagull and used it as a prop for pictures Poor thing: The man is laughing at the woman as they cruelly harm a defenseless red-billed seagull Busted: Special patrol officers in the area immediately spotted them harming the bird and arrested them Chinese tourists are becoming notorious for their bad manners when travelling. In May 2015 four Chinese tourists were blacklisted by China's authority for their unruly behaviour. This was the first warning the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) issued since the organisation launched a series of regulations the same month, aimed at raising public awareness of tourism etiquette. They now have a 'bad behaviour record' for up to ten years, which will restrict their future travelling and harm credit record. The longest blacklist period of 10 years was given to tourist Li Chunwen from Shaanxi. He was pictured on top of a statue modeled after a female solider from revered Red Army during a trip to Shengli Mountain, also in May 2015. It's unclear if the sea-gull-grabbing female tourist has been blacklisted. Canny homeowners starting out with 50,000 could have become property millionaires by investing in the 'hottest' areas of London, new research suggests. However, accruing a seven figure sum from buying property may not be as easy as it sounds, as you would have needed to move every year for 20 years to cash in. The exhausting theoretical journey would have begun in 1995 with the purchase of a 50,000 flat in Lambeth Walk and ended with a 1,182,000 house in north London's up and coming Turnpike Lane. Buyers who bought a 50,000 flat in London's Lambeth Walk in 1995 could today be sitting in a 1m property The key to making the money was investing in areas before so-called gentrification took place, according to the findings by estate agent Knight Frank. This is where upper or middle-income families and individuals move into a deteriorated urban neighbourhood, often forcing out lower-income families and small businesses who can no longer afford the rising prices and rents. During the past two decades large swathes of the capital have been gentrified, leading to concerns there are now few areas left where those on an average income can afford to buy a family home. Constantly moving and capitalising on the process of gentrification means homebuyers have been able to move up the property ladder. The research highlights that the highest growth has largely been outside the higher price brackets of prime areas of central London during the past 20 years. They include Tooting Broadway, Walthamstow and Hoxton. Knight Frank's Tom Bill said: 'Most of the strongest growth's been outside prime central London apart from the middle of the financial crisis.' THE BIGGEST PRICE RISES IN THE PAST 20 YEARS IN LONDON Year Change % Location Equity after costs 1995-96 24% Lambeth Walk 59,207 1996-97 34% Hoxton 75,716 1997-98 30% Tulse Hill 94,350 1998-99 25% East India 113,656 1999-00 44% Tooting Broadway 157,800 2000-01 27% Plumstead 194,056 2001-02 30% West Ham 238,888 2002-03 34% Dagenham 303,167 2003-04 15% Barking 330,944 2004-05 15% Woolwich Barracks 362,739 2005-06 14% Earls Court 394,564 2006-07 32% Campden Hill 489,951 2007-08 23% Marylebone 569,259 2008-09 4% Warwick Avenue 515,838 2009-10 24% Fulham 601,588 2010-11 14% Belsize Park 643,991 2011-12 18% South Gloucester Road 713,199 2012-13 19% Belgravia 800,629 2013-14 35% Walthamstow 1,011,567 2014-15 28% Turnpike Lane 1,182,045 Source: Knight Frank Turnpike Lane is an up-and-coming area of London where savvy buyers are moving in The first year in Lambeth Walk would have seen the initial 50,000 increase to 59,207 after costs as prices there jumped 24 per cent in a year - faster than anywhere else in London that year. You'd then have needed to move to Hoxton to bank a 34 per cent profit. The trail would lead south to Tulse Hill and then east to once run-down areas such as East Ham and Woolwich. By 2008, the initial 50,000 would be worth 500,000. However, this was the year when prices fell in every area of the capital as the financial crisis took hold. Exclusive areas of London recovered from the worst economic slump since the second World War as foreign buyers snapped up post-slump bargains. You would have then needed to buy in Fulham, Belsize Park and Belgravia to approach the 1m mark. In the past couple of years, you would have needed to spend a year in Walthamstow and do a final move to Turnpike Lane. Alex Gosling, chief executive of estate agents HouseSimple.com, said: 'Although this research is clearly hypothetical, it does show just how much money you could have made if you had invested in London property pre-2000 and stayed in the market. 'The London property market has seen impressive growth since 1995, outperforming all the other main investment types in that time period. Elsewhere, a drug used to prevent strokes started its career as rat poison Poor hand-washing, untidy labs and cigarettes smoke are behind some of science's most groundbreaking innovations From pacemakers to smart dust, some inventors stumbled on their luck The history of medicine is one of hard work, tireless research and great intuition. It is also one of sheer luck. Many of the technologies and treatments that still have a profound impact on our lives have been discovered by scientists accidentally stumbling upon them, sometimes after egregious blunders. MailOnline spoke to Dr Wayne Osborne who led us on a trip through the ages to look at some of medical science's most important - if inadvertent - discoveries. British engineer and inventor Sir William Cubitt proposed using the muscular power of idle prisoners at Bury St Edmunds gaol in 1818 to generate useful work (pictured, an old 'treadmill' at Brixton prison 19th century) Dr Osborne is head practitioner at website Treated.com. THE TREADMILL It will probably not surprise many that this gym fixture was first conceived as a punishment device. British engineer and inventor Sir William Cubitt proposed using the muscular power of idle prisoners at Bury St Edmunds gaol to generate useful work in 1818. Inmates walked for up to 10 hours on these early treadmills - or 'treadwheels' - grinding grain or transporting water in the process. More than 100 years ago a US patent was filed, in June 1913, for a treadmill-style 'training machine', and the first consumer models were produced during the 1960s by mechanical engineer William Staub. Nowadays the pain-enduring factor remains, even if the machinery itself is decidedly more advanced. 'A staple fixture in the gym, treadmills have become a crucial tool in improving cardiovascular conditioning and reducing heart disease,' Dr Osborne said. Inmates walked for up to 10 hours on early treadmills(pictured, left) , grinding grain or transporting water in the process. Although less brutal, modern treadmills (pictured, right) are equally based on pain-endurance ANAESTHESIA Four doctors and scientists - Crawford Long, William Morton, Charles Jackson and Horace Wells - all realised by chance that mixing ether with laughing gas, or nitrous oxide, reduced pain and sensitivity in their patients. Over time, the ether-based compound caught on as a standard pre-surgery procedure. Artificial sweeteners like aspartame, saccharin and Splenda were discovered mostly as a result of poor hand-washing habits 'Without anaesthesia, surgical procedures would undoubtedly be much, much rarer; and perhaps be a method of treatment completely unavailable to those with heart conditions and the elderly,' Dr Osborne continued. SWEETENERS Artificial sweeteners were discovered mostly because of poor hand-washing habits. Scientist Jim Schlatter came across aspartame when he licked his finger to turn the page of a book after he had been working on a chemical experiment in his lab. Chemistry student Constantin Fahlberg, also guilty of not washing his hands, noticed the sweet taste of Saccharin on the bread he was eating. And by total negligence, a lab worker mistook the label 'testing' on a jar for 'tasting', thus discovering the sweetener known today as Splenda. 'Sweeteners (used in moderation) can be a healthier alternative to sugar, and have proved to be a valuable invention for people living with diabetes,' Dr Osborne explained. In 1895, German physicist Wilhelm Rontgen accidentally positioned a piece of cardboard covered with fluorescent material near a cathode ray experiment set. He noticed the cardboard shone in the dark when the source of cathode rays was turned on. A stock image of an X-ray is pictured X-RAYS In 1895, German physicist Wilhelm Rontgen accidentally positioned a piece of cardboard covered with fluorescent material near a cathode ray experiment set. He noticed the cardboard shone in the dark when the source of cathode rays was turned on. Rontgen called them X-rays because he had no clue of what they were - 'X' being a code symbol for 'unknown.' For many decades, though, people in Germany, kept calling them Rontgen-Rays. 'X-rays have gone on to become one of the most important diagnosis tools for bone breaks, fractures, and a host of other conditions affecting the major organs,' Treated's Dr Osborne said. The 'unknown rays' have also saved lives in other ways, being routinely used worldwide as a security measure to detect concealed weapons and hazardous materials. The 'unknown rays' have also saved lives in other ways, being routinely used worldwide as a security measure (stock image) to detect concealed weapons and hazardous materials PENICILLIN In 1928, Scottish researcher Alexander Fleming was desperately trying to develop a 'wonder drug' that could cure several kinds of bacterial diseases. Ironically, it was only when he discarded his experiments in his notoriously untidy laboratory that he found what he was looking for - a blob of mould had started growing on his test dishes, killing a wide range of harmful bacteria. Fleming's memorable reaction was a wry: 'That's funny.' 'Without that discovery, bacterial infections would be much more life-threatening than they currently are, and some types of cancer treatment wouldn't be possible at all,' Dr Osborne explained. Less than a year later, in March 1929, penicillin was released. Alexander Fleming (pictured in his lab) was desperately trying to develop a 'wonder drug' that could cure several kinds of bacterial diseases. It was only when he discarded his experiments in his notoriously untidy laboratory that he accidentally discovered penicillin Blood thinner Warfarin started its life as pest control WARFARIN Warfarin, a blood thinner that today is used to prevent strokes and heart attacks, started its life as pest control. It was also discovered by accident. In the early 1920s, cattle in the US and Canada started suffering from a strange condition. They would bleed to death even after minor procedures such as castration. In 1921, a veterinary called Frank Schofield realised that the cattle were ingesting a particular sweet clover plant, which functioned as a potent anticoagulant. The substance was initially patented as a rat poison. It was again by accident, after some people ingested the poison, that its anticoagulant effects were fully understood. Since 1954, it has been used as a medicine. The pacemaker (pictured) was invented after Canadian inventory John Hopps, while experimenting with radio frequency, noticed that if a heart stopped beating, it could be restarted through stimulation via mechanical or electronic means PACEMAKER 'Since their introduction in 1958, pacemakers have helped more than half a million patients with heart disease in the UK alone,' Dr Osborne explained. And credit for the device goes to Canadian inventor John Hopps. Hopps, while training as an engineer at the University of Manitoba, was experimenting with radio frequency heating to restore body temperature. Swiss researcher Walter Jaeger was trying to create a poison detector when the sensor reacted to his cigarette's smoke instead He noticed that if a heart stopped beating due to cooling, it could be restarted through artificial stimulation via mechanical or electronic means. From there, he went on to develop the pacemaker. SMOKE DETECTOR Swiss researcher Walter Jaeger was attempting to create a poison detector that exploited the phenomenon of air ionisation, but none of his experiments worked. Air ionisation typically involves using high voltages to electrically charge - or ionise - molecules in the air. The story goes that when a frustrated Jaeger started smoking a cigarette in his lab, his prototype sensor reacted to the smoke. This paved the way for the invention of home smoke and fire detectors, which first appeared in large factories and offices in the early 1950s. Only in 1965, Duane Pearsall would create a battery-powered alarm that could be installed in any home. The American Red Cross recently released figures stating that smoke detectors cut the risk of fire-related death by 51 per cent. Mario Moretti Polegato (pictured) was in Nevada for a business event in the early 1990s. After walking in the Nevada Desert, and bothered by his overheated feet, Polegato fashioned several holes in his sneakers with a hunting knife to let air through Polegato launched his footwear company, Geox, (a pair of Geox shoes) in 1995. The company's technology has since been patented in over 100 countries BREATHABLE SHOES Italian entrepreneur Mario Moretti Polegato worked in the field of wine production, until, in the early 1990s, he went to Nevada for a business event. After walking in the Nevada Desert, bothered by his overheated feet, Polegato fashioned several holes in his sneakers with a hunting knife to let air through. This became the prototype for a unique type of 'breathable' shoe, and was the first step to creating a multi million-dollar empire. He launched his footwear company Geox in 1995 and his technology has been patented in over 100 countries. 'As a simple and effective way to let excess heat out of shoes, breathable footwear helps to reduce the risk of fungal skin infections of the feet,' Dr Osborne said. Researchers testing sildenafil (pictured under its more famous name of Viagra) as a cure for hypertension and heart disease failed to see results, but the subjects reported lasting effects in a another part of their body. Pfizer patented the medicine and Viagra was approved for use in erectile dysfunction VIAGRA Researchers testing sildenafil as a cure for hypertension and heart disease failed to see results, but the subjects reported unusual, lasting effects in another part of their body. Pfizer patented the medicine and Viagra was approved for use in erectile dysfunction. 'Over 23 million prescriptions have been issued for Viagra since it became available in 1998,' added Dr. Osborne. SMART DUST American chemist Jamie Link literally blew her doctoral project to smithereens to make her discovery. When the silicon chips she was working on shattered into pieces, Link reported that the individual elements still functioned as sensors afterwards. 'Smart dust is today used to monitor the purity of water, detect harmful airborne chemicals, and locate and destroy tumour cells in the body.' Smart dust, also known as smartdust, is a system made up of microelectromechanical (Mems) including sensors, robots and other devices, that can detect light, temperature, vibration, magnetism, or chemicals. A 'mind-reading' device that can decipher words from brainwaves without them being spoken has been developed by Japanese scientists, raising the prospect of 'telepathic' communication. Researchers have found the electrical activity in the brain is the same when words are spoken and when they are left unsaid. By looking for the distinct wave forms produced before speaking, the team was able to identify words such as 'goo', 'scissors' and 'par' when spoken in Japanese. Researchers from Japan used technology that measures the electrical activity of the brain to decipher brainwaves that occur before someone speaks (stock picture). They found distinct brainwaves were formed before syllables were spoken The scientists behind the technology said they can identify brain waves associated with syllables or letters of the Japanese alphabet, meaning it may be possible to decode entire words and sentences without the need for any of them being physically spoken. To 'listen' to the unspoken words, the researchers used a method called electroencephalogram, or EEG. This technology records electrical activity from the brain using an array of electrodes on the scalp to detect the brain waves. RISE OF THE BRAIN CONTROLLED MACHINES Forget joysticks and exoskeletons, the future of warfare could see robot armies controlled using just a commander's mind. China has been training students at a military academy to use headsets that detect and interpret the brain activity of the wearer, allowing them to control the machines. At a demonstration in Zhengzhou, students used the device to send robots trundling in different directions. They were also able to turn the robot's heads and get them to pick up objects. The technology uses a brain computer interface known as a electroencephalograph, which uses electrodes in a cap to detect tiny changes in the electrical activity of the brain. By training a computer to recognise particular patterns that accompany commands, such as turn left or turn right, this can be then transmitted to control the robot. The technology is being developed at the military academy's laboratory for brain-machine coordination. Advertisement The team focused on a part of the brain known as Broca's area, which is thought to be involved in language processing and speech. Lead author Professor Yamazaki Toshimasa, an expert in brain computer interfaces at Kyushu Institute of Technology in Japan's Fukuoka Prefecture, and his team asked 12 men, women and children to recite a series of words, measuring their brainwaves as they did so. They found each syllable produced a distinct brain wave activity from the initial thought to the actual utterance. Activity could be seen up to two seconds before a word was spoken. By compiling a database of different sounds, the researchers found it is possible to match these brainwave patterns to words, even if they are not spoken. According to a paper presented at a conference organised by the Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers, the team's algorithms were able to correctly identify the Japanese words 'haru' and 'natsu', meaning summer and spring, 25 per cent and 47 per cent of the time. They found it could identify single characters up to 88 per cent of the time. Professor Toshimasa believes the technology could be used to help people who have lost the ability to speak, or have become paralysed, to communicate. The told MailOnline that so far they have trained the system to recognise seven Japanese words, but hope to expand it in the future. He said: 'It could help with communication with aged people.' He continued that the technology could also be adapted to allow people to control robots through the power of thought by helping the machines interpret instructions from brain activity. The team focused on a part of the brain known as Broca's area, which is thought to be involved in language processing and speech (pictured in purple) The brain reading technology could be used to help astronauts communicate in space (stock picture used) as sound does not travel in the near vacuum in orbit around the Earth. Astronauts instead need to rely upon radio communications, but the mind-reading device could make this process easier Elsewhere, astronauts or deep-sea divers could use it improve communication in outer space or underwater where sounds can be distorted or difficult to transmit. Speaking to the Japanese newspaper Nishinippon, Professor Toshimasa explained: 'Applications such as manipulating robots also become possible.' A strange astronomical phenomenon could be the best chance yet for finding alien life, astronomers have claimed. They say globular star clusters on the outskirts of the Milky Way might be the first place we find intelligent life. The Milky Way galaxy has about 150 globular clusters, most of them orbiting in the galactic outskirts, densely packed, holding a million stars in a ball only about 100 light-years across on average. Scroll down for video Is anyone there? Globular star clusters like this one, 47 Tucanae, might be excellent places to search for interstellar civilizations, researchers say. GLOBULAR STAR CLUSTERS The areas are extremely old, dating back almost to the birth of the Milky Way, and formed about 10 billion years ago on average. The Milky Way galaxy has about 150 globular clusters, most of them orbiting in the galactic outskirts, densely packed, holding a million stars in a ball only about 100 light-years across on average. Advertisement 'A globular cluster might be the first place in which intelligent life is identified in our galaxy,' says lead author Rosanne DiStefano of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). DiStefano presented this research today in a press conference at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society. The areas are extremely old, dating back almost to the birth of the Milky Way, and formed about 10 billion years ago on average. As a result, their stars contain fewer of the heavy elements needed to construct planets, since those elements (like iron and silicon) must be created in earlier generations of stars. Some scientists have argued that this makes globular cluster stars less likely to host planets. In fact, only one planet has been found in a globular cluster to date. However, DiStefano and her colleague Alak Ray (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai) argue that this view is too pessimistic. Exoplanets have been found around stars only one-tenth as metal-rich as our Sun. And while Jupiter-sized planets are found preferentially around stars containing higher levels of heavy elements, research finds that smaller, Earth-sized planets show no such preference. 'It's premature to say there are no planets in globular clusters,' states Ray. Another concern is that a globular cluster's crowded environment would threaten any planets that do form. A neighboring star could wander too close and gravitationally disrupt a planetary system, flinging worlds into icy interstellar space. However, a star's habitable zone - the distance at which a planet would be warm enough for liquid water - varies depending on the star. While brighter stars have more distant habitable zones, planets orbiting dimmer stars would have to huddle much closer. Brighter stars also live shorter lives, and since globular clusters are old, those stars have died out. HOW COULD WE FIND LIFE? The closest globular cluster to Earth is still several thousand light-years away, making it difficult to find planets, particularly in a cluster's crowded core. But it could be possible to detect transiting planets on the outskirts of globular clusters. Astronomers might even spot free-floating planets through gravitational lensing, in which the planet's gravity magnifies light from a background star. In 1974 astronomer Frank Drake used the Arecibo radio telescope (pictured) to broadcast the first deliberate message from Earth to outer space. A more intriguing idea might be to target globular clusters with SETI search methods, looking for radio or laser broadcasts. The concept has a long history: In 1974 astronomer Frank Drake used the Arecibo radio telescope to broadcast the first deliberate message from Earth to outer space. It was directed at the globular cluster Messier 13 (M13). Advertisement The predominant stars in globular clusters are faint, long-lived red dwarfs. Any potentially habitable planets they host would orbit nearby and be relatively safe from stellar interactions. 'Once planets form, they can survive for long periods of time, even longer than the current age of the universe,' explains DiStefano. This, the researchers say, would mean life would have ample time to become increasingly complex, and even potentially develop intelligence. Such a civilization would enjoy a very different environment than our own, they say. The nearest star to our solar system is four light-years, or 24 trillion miles, away. In contrast, the nearest star within a globular cluster could be about 20 times closer - just one trillion miles away. ALIEN CIVILISATIONS MAY BE FREQUENT TRAVELLERS The civilizations would enjoy a very different environment than our own, researchrs say. The nearest star to our solar system is four light-years, or 24 trillion miles, away. In contrast, the nearest star within a globular cluster could be about 20 times closer - just one trillion miles away. This would make interstellar communication and exploration significantly easier. 'We call it the 'globular cluster opportunity,'' says DiStefano. 'Sending a broadcast between the stars wouldn't take any longer than a letter from the U.S. to Europe in the 18th century.' 'Interstellar travel would take less time too. 'The Voyager probes are 100 billion miles from Earth, or one-tenth as far as it would take to reach the closest star if we lived in a globular cluster. 'That means sending an interstellar probe is something a civilization at our technological level could do in a globular cluster,' she adds. Advertisement This would make interstellar communication and exploration significantly easier. 'We call it the 'globular cluster opportunity,'' says DiStefano. 'Sending a broadcast between the stars wouldn't take any longer than a letter from the U.S. to Europe in the 18th century.' 'Interstellar travel would take less time too. 'The Voyager probes are 100 billion miles from Earth, or one-tenth as far as it would take to reach the closest star if we lived in a globular cluster. Flying under the radar has long been the aim for pilots on secret missions. Now scientists have developed a lightweight anti-reflective coating based on the structure of a moth's eye that could make aircraft invisible to radar. The secret to the new coating is the creation of millions of tiny hollow spheres of carbonised sugar, arranged in a tightly-packed hexagonal monolayer. Scientists have developed a lightweight anti-reflective coating that could make aircraft invisible to radar. The secret to the new coating is the creation of millions of tiny hollow spheres of carbonised sugar, arranged in a tightly-packed hexagonal monolayer (scanning electron microscopy image of hollow spheres shown) These spheres have been shown to absorb nearly all radiation in the Ka-band, 26-37 gigahertz frequency, which is used by military targeting radar and law enforcement speed traps. Anti-reflective coatings are applied to many surfaces including computer and phone screens, as well as stealth aircraft and other military hardware. A coating which is 100 per cent anti-reflective in visible light would appear as a shapeless black mass, while one which had this property in the microwave range would be completely invisible to radar. In practice, materials will respond differently to different wavelengths. BUILDING INVISIBLE MATERIALS Anti-reflective coatings are applied to many surfaces including computer and phone screens, as well as stealth aircraft and other military hardware. A coating which is 100 per cent anti-reflective in visible light would appear as a shapeless black mass, while one which had this property in the microwave range would be completely invisible to radar. In practice, materials will respond differently to different wavelengths. The sugar-based coating derived in this research is tuned to absorb radiation in the Ka band, with wavelengths from around 7.5 to 10mm. The secret is the size of the biopolymer beads which form the hollows inside the coating, which at around 6mm are slightly smaller than the wavelengths of microwave and radar beams, and the thickness of the carbon walls that surround them. The hexagonal arrangement of the spheres is also important, mimicking the compound lenses in a moth's eye which is known to be exceptionally good at absorbing light in order to give it the best chances of seeing and avoiding a predatory bat. Advertisement The sugar-based coating derived in this research is tuned to absorb radiation in the Ka band, with wavelengths from around 7.5 to 10mm. The secret is the size of the biopolymer beads which form the hollows inside the coating. At 6mm, these are slightly smaller than the wavelengths of microwave and radar beams. They are slightly smaller than the thickness of the carbon walls that surround them, too. The hexagonal arrangement of the spheres is also important, mimicking the compound lenses in a moth's eye. A moth's eye is known to be exceptionally good at absorbing light in order to give it the best chances of seeing and avoiding a predatory bat. To make the coating, the scientists from the Research Institute for Nuclear Problems at Belarusian State University coated beads made of biopolymer plastic with sucrose, a common form of sugar easily derived from natural sources. The beads were then burned in a special process called pyrolysation, destroying the plastic which was driven off as gas, while charring the sugar into carbon. The result was the creation of hollow carbon spheres, which were given a second pyrolysis treatment at 900C (1,652F) in a flow of nitrogen gas to create a glass-like material. With these hollow carbon spheres packed into a hexagonal monolayer, the material was found to achieve almost perfect microwave absorption, and is said to be the first antireflective material to achieve this. 'The monolayer formed by spheres with a radius of 6mm and a shell thickness of about five micrometres enables the highest microwave absorption coefficient, which is more than 95 percent at 30 gigahertz,' said Dzmitry Bychanok, primary author of the study published this week in the journal Applied Physics Letters. With these hollow carbon spheres packed into a hexagonal monolayer, the material was found to achieve almost perfect microwave absorption, and is said to be the first anti-reflective material to achieve this. It could make future fighter jets more difficult to detect. A stock image of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is shown These spheres have been shown to absorb nearly all radiation in the Ka-band, 26-37 gigahertz frequency, which is used by military targeting radar and law enforcement speed traps. An example of how spheres arrange themselves inside a Petri dish is pictured The team's next project is to develop the substance from a two-dimensional coating into a 3D structural material. In a separate study, Chinese scientists also recently claimed to have invented a new material that could make future fighter jets more difficult to detect than ever before. They said the material, or microwave absorber, can hide from radars by reflecting waves at ultrahigh frequencies and is thin and light enough to be used on military aircraft, ships and secret equipment. Modern radar use arrays of antennas that direct microwave energy to 'see through' clouds, fog or smoke and estimate an object's size so it can be identified. Microwave absorbers already exist and effectively absorb microwave energy to make objects invisible to radar, but they are usually thick - making them unsuitable for aircraft. Or they only absorb certain waves. The hexagonal arrangement of the spheres also mimics the compound lenses in a moth's eye (pictured). A moth's eye is known to be exceptionally good at absorbing light in order to give it the best chances of seeing and avoiding a predatory bat Chinese researchers recently invented a similar material, or microwave absorber (pictured above) that they claim can defeat microwave radar at ultrahigh frequencies (UHF). Current absorbers are thin and their frequency range is low. The new material is also thin and light enough to be used on military aircraft To solve these problems, a team of researchers from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China has developed an ultra-thin, tunable broadband microwave absorber for ultra-high frequency applications. Primary researcher Wenhua Xu said: 'Our proposed absorber is almost ten times thinner than conventional ones.' The material has an ultra-thin absorbing surface called an active frequency-selective surface absorber (AFSS). This is made up of arrays of patterned conductors fitted with two common types of circuit elements known as resistors and varactors. Advertisement Good Morning America (GMA) anchors rarely venture far from their set in Time Square, but when they do it's usually for a one-of-a-kind experience. This morning, Amy Robach took the audience on a journey deep into an ice sink hole in the Southeastern region of Iceland. With the use of a high-tech drone camera, viewers saw live footage of a climbers descending thousands of feet into the icy caverns of the Breiamerkurjokull glacier. Scroll down for video Good Morning America anchors rarely leave the Time Square set, but when they do it usually for a one-of-a-kind experience. This morning, Amy Robach took viewers on a journey deep into an ice sink hole. With the use of a high-tech drone camera, we saw live footage of a climbers descending thousands of feet into the icy caverns of the Breiamerkurjokull glacier, located in Southeastern region of Iceland Experts are interested in theses formations, as they hope to understand how the ice melts and sweeps into the oceans, which has been the culprit behind rising sea levels around the world and threatening coastlines. Scientists say that low-lying areas, such as Florida, are being directly affected by the melting ice. On her trip Robach also visited the Blue Lagoon, the famed 102-degree geothermal spa that is a popular tourist destination. This isn't the first time the breakfast show has taken us given us a specular show or the first time they've been to Iceland.. Last year, the program broadcast live through a pair of drones from inside the heart of Iceland's most active volcano with a lava field the size of Manhattan. The drones' technology allowed 'GMA' viewers to see the erupting Bardarbunga Volcano from just 380 feet above it. FACTS ABOUT BREIDAMERKURJOKULL Breiamerkurjokull is an outlet glacier of the larger glacier of Vatnajokull in southeastern Iceland. Emerging as a tongue of the Vatnajokull, it ends in a small lagoon, known as Jokulsarlon. As the icebergs break away from the tongue of the glacier, they drift slowly to the mouth of the lagoon and eventually join the ocean. They are stated to float in the deep lagoon for 5 years, which is 600 m deep and spreads over an area of 17 km. It was near the ring road till 35 years ago before retreating rapidly and forming the Jokulsarlon lagoon. The 752 m high Breiamerkurfjall Glacier was enclosed by the Breiamerkurjokull and Fjallsjokull before the drifting started and formed the Breiarlon lagoon, which is not as dramatic as the Jokulsarlon lagoon. The first settlers arrived in Iceland around 900 AD when the edge of the glacier tongue of Breiamerkurjokull glacier was about 20 kilometres (12 mi) further north of the present location. Advertisement The pictures captured by the drones showed the lava bubbling inside the crater and even erupting into a wall of fire. Iceland doesn't just attract tourists; Hollywood has long known of its appeal. In fact, cinematographers have chosen Iceland's frozen landscapes to serve as otherworldly backdrops for blockbuster hits such as 'Thor,' 'Batman Begins,' 'Die Another Day,' 'Game of Thrones' and 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens.' Experts are interested in theses formations, as they hope to understand how the ice melts and sweeps into the oceans, which has been the culprit behind rising sea levels around the world and threatening coastlines. Scientists say that low-lying areas, such as Florida, are being directly affected by the melting ice The latest 'Star Wars' film, which is breaking box office records, filmed some of its interplanetary landscapes in Iceland. SmugMug, an online photo service, used drones to capture Iceland's breathtaking terrain for the 2015 documentary 'Climbing Ice: The Iceland Trifecta.' The film documented climbers' attempts to conquer an iceberg, the ceiling of an ice cave, and an iceberg crevasse. The drones' technology allowed 'GMA' viewers to see the erupting Bardarbunga Volcano from just 380 feet above it. The pictures captured by the drones showed the lava bubbling inside the crater and even erupting into a wall of fire. Iceland doesn't just attract tourists; Hollywood has long known of its appeal In fact, cinematographers have chosen Iceland's frozen landscapes to serve as otherworldly backdrops for blockbuster hits such as 'Thor,' 'Batman Begins,' 'Die Another Day,' 'Game of Thrones' and 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens.' The latest 'Star Wars' film, which is breaking box office records, filmed some of its interplanetary landscapes in Iceland Breidamerkurjokull is an outlet glacier of Vatnajokull, or the Vatna Glacier, which is one of the largest ice caps in all of Europe. There are several volcanoes located under the ice cap. About 10% of Iceland is covered by glaciers and ice caves can be found in several locations in most of them, according to Iceland Magazine. Emerging as a tongue of the Vatnajokull, it ends in a small lagoon, known as Jokulsarlon. SmugMug, an online photo service, used drones to capture Iceland's breathtaking terrain for the 2015 documentary 'Climbing Ice: The Iceland Trifecta.' The film documented climbers' attempts to conquer an iceberg, the ceiling of an ice cave, and an iceberg crevasse. Breidamerkurjokull is an outlet glacier of Vatnajokull, or the Vatna Glacier, which is one of the largest ice caps in all of Europe Good Morning America's Amy Robach is in Iceland for a feat that's unprecedented in television history: to take viewers live into an ice sinkhole that's thousands of feet deep. Using the very latest in drone camera technology, Robach watched as a daring team of elite ice climbers ventures down into the vertical ice drop located in the Breidamerkurjokull glacier For more than 15 years researchers have been talking about the breaking apart of this giant glacier, and fears it will completely slide of into the north Atlantic. Just three years ago, it was reported the glacier moved 20 kilometers further south and closer to the ocean. This disaster will also hinder the areas tourism, as hundreds of visitors come every year to see the icebergs for themselves. There are several volcanoes located under the ice cap. About 10% of Iceland is covered by glaciers and ice caves can be found in several locations in most of them, according to Iceland Magazine . Emerging as a tongue of the Vatnajokull, it ends in a small lagoon, known as Jokulsarlon 'The glacier has been shrinking for most of the twentieth century,' Dr David Evans, of Glasgow University, told The Guardian. 'However it is clear it is now approaching the point where a great mass of it will break up, and pour down to the sea.' 'When it does, Jokulsarlon will probably fill up with sediment.' 'However it is clear it is now approaching the point where a great mass of it will break up, and pour down to the sea.' 'When it does, Jokulsarlon will probably fill up with sediment.' Evans joined Loughborough University to study the massive glacier and found a huge depression had formed over its frozen heart.'This hole rests over the portion of the inland fjord still covered by ice,' said Evans. 'Effectively, the glacier is breaking up around that hole and is slipping into the fjord' Emerging as a tongue of the Vatnajokull, it ends in a small lagoon, known as Jokulsarlon. For more than 15 years researchers have been talking about the breaking apart of this giant glacier, and fears it will completely slide of into the north Atlantic. Just three years ago, it was reported the glacier moved 20 kilometers further south and closer to the ocean Evans joined Loughborough University to study the massive glacier and found a huge depression had formed over its frozen heart. 'This hole rests over the portion of the inland fjord still covered by ice,' said Evans. 'Effectively, the glacier is breaking up around that hole and is slipping into the fjord.' 'It is beginning to disintegrate and in the next few years will collapse into the water.' Bardarbunga Volcano (pictured). This disaster will also hinder the areas tourism, as hundreds of visitors come every year to see the icebergs for themselves. 'The glacier has been shrinking for most of the twentieth century,' Dr David Evans, of Glasgow University, told The Guardian . 'However it is clear it is now approaching the point where a great mass of it will break up, and pour down to the sea For light sleepers even the tiniest of sounds in the night can rouse them from their rest, leaving them feeling exhausted the next day. But a new material that can block out noise at the touch of a button could provide a new type of smart sound insulation to help avoid interruptions in the middle of the night. The material uses spring-like structures that can be stretched or squashed to interfere with sound waves, effectively turning the noise that can pass through it on or off. Scientists used elastic tubes arranged in helices to create a material that acts like an on/off switch for sound. When uncompressed (pictured) it allows sound to pass through, but when compressed, it causes the air to deform and prevents sound within the frequency range audible to humans to pass through It could provide a new way of creating rooms that can have their sound proofing turned on and off, which could find uses in buildings or transportation. The material, for example, could be used to insulate homes allowing sounds of the world outside to come inside during the day before being blocked out at night. STEALTH JETS COATED IN SUGAR Flying under the radar has long been the aim for pilots on secret missions. Now scientists have developed a lightweight anti-reflective coating based on the structure of a moth's eye that could make aircraft invisible to radar. The secret to the new coating is the creation of millions of tiny hollow spheres of carbonised sugar, arranged in a tightly-packed hexagonal monolayer. These spheres have been shown to absorb nearly all radiation in the Ka-band, 26-37 gigahertz frequency, which is used by military targeting radar and law enforcement speed traps. The secret is the size of the biopolymer beads which form the hollows inside the coating. At 6mm, these are slightly smaller than the wavelengths of microwave and radar beams. They are slightly smaller than the thickness of the carbon walls that surround them, too. The hexagonal arrangement of the spheres is also important, mimicking the compound lenses in a moth's eye. Advertisement It could even be used when homeowners might want to stop sounds from escaping from their bedroom, or to spare their neighbours from the soundtrack of the film they are watching. By linking the material to a timer, it could also allow homeowners to turn their bedrooms into silent havens at night, but allow sound to wake them up again in the morning. Professor Nicholas Fang, a mechanical engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge who led the research, described the material as an sort of acoustic switch. Speaking to Chemistry World, he said: 'This is most likely the first acoustic metamaterial that can switch sound on and off in the audible frequency range using pure mechanical compression.' The material works using elastic helices made from coiled tubes that look much like springs. In research published in the journal Advanced Materials, the research team, which included scientists from Harvard University, made an array of 36 elastic helices between two foam sheets. When fully open, sounds audible to humans were able to pass through the material unaffected. However, when compressed, the material caused a 30dB drop in the frequency range that is audible to humans. The prototype was tested with sounds within the frequency range 2.757.40kHz. The range of human hearing extends from 20Hz to 20kHz, but it is most sensitive between 1 kHz and 4 kHz. Writing in the journal, the researchers said: 'In the un-deformed conguration the helices are in a compact state and the system is equivalent to a square array of solid cylinders in air. The new material could be used to help better insulate bedrooms against sound at night while giving homeowners the option to let sounds in again during the morning When compressed (pictured) the material interferes with the way sound passes through it, meaning those audible to humans are no longer transmitted 'However, as the metamaterial is deformed, the pitch of the helices increases and the air originally inside their internal cavity connects to the surrounding uid, signicantly reducing the solid volume fraction of the system. 'Importantly, we demonstrate that this change in volume fraction induced by the applied deformation is sufcient to suppress the initial band gap, giving us the opportunity to design a new class of acoustic switches.' Professor Fang and his colleagues are now hoping to use their findings to develop similar materials that can be used in the real world. Sound insulation currently requires bulky and unsightly tiles (sound insulation in a radio booth pictured) that are permanetly fixed, but the new material could be hidden within walls and turned on or off Their prototype is possibly too thick and slow to be used as sound insulation, but it could be used to develop thinner material that can be controlled electronically. However, current sound insulation tends to be bulky, expensive and unsightly, using large amounts of foam to deaden vibrations that transmit sound. Advertisement Virtual reality is set to be the biggest technological breakthrough of 2016. Today, the Oculus Rift went on sale, while dozens of firms are showing off VR headsets and software at CES in Las Vegas. Dailymail.com took the latest headset, the Gear VR developed by Oculus and Samsung, to the streets of New York to find out if it's really ready for primetime - and how New Yorkers would respond. Scroll down for video Dailymail.com's Sarah Pusateri takes to the subway with the Gear VR: The wireless system is designed to be worn anywhere, and lets you play games and even watch Netflix in a virtual cinema. A wireless touchpad on the side of the device lets you navigate through menus, while a wireless gamepad can also be used. Our fearless reporter Sarah Pusateri took to the streets, subways and parks of Manhattan while trying out the Gear VR and its wireless controllers. The technology allows commuters to watch Netflix on the subway and play games in the street. Samsung bills the new model as its first consumer VR product, although it still requires some savvy on the consumer's part to use. The Gear VR is relatively cheap, at just $100. You do need your own headphones, preferably wireless, plus a recent Samsung phone the Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge Plus or Note 5. The Gear VR is meant for use while sitting down, ideally in a swivel chair. You can't walk around and explore your virtual environment. (You might trip over the ottoman or break things if you tried.) Your phone attaches to the front of the Gear VR headset, just in front of the lens for your eyes. Put the headset on, and your surroundings disappear as the phone screen opens a window into an unreal, three-dimensional world. USING GEAR VR ON THE STREETS OF MANHATTAN: THE VERDICT Wearing the headset out in public was a little odd because it more or less puts you in another world. You cant see through it so its difficult to be aware of your surroundings; kind of like texting but without the use of your eyes and ears. It would be great for a long train ride assuming you had your wallet secured. Since I was with a camera person, I wasnt afraid to have a little fun with the headset, and so I wasnt as concerned with stumbling on the train tracks or into someone. Had I been alone, obviously I would have had to be more cautious. I appreciated the mobility of the headset; being able to take it everywhere. I got a few weird looks but its New York and I think people are accustomed to seeing much stranger things on their commute and on the street. I could see where this product could be a lot of fun. I would love to have used it to explore a city Id never been or go underwater or go back in time! Its a really unique experience to be able to look around and feel like youre actually inside the product. Sarah Pusateri Advertisement As you turn your head, the image shifts accordingly to give the sense of being there in real life. You can even turn all the way around to see what's behind you. The screen projects slightly different perspectives to your left and right eyes to give the virtual world depth. Although the Gear VR doesn't yet capture the user's motions, future versions are expected to use sensors and even clothing to track wearers. There are dozens of apps, from games to Netflix, to download form a special app store developed by Oculus. The upcoming HTC Vive does offer that kind of walkabout experience, though you'll also need an uncluttered room. That offers the possibility of brand-new VR experiences, such as walking around Mars or a building you just designed. The Vive, along with the Sony PlayStation VR and the Oculus Rift, will do much more than Gear VR, but will likely cost many times the $100 the Gear VR will set you back. Passengers were banned from checking in luggage by Malaysia Airlines with the carrier claiming 'unseasonably strong headwinds' that reached 230mph forced them to lighten the aircraft. Flights from Kuala Lumpur to Paris, London and Amsterdam on Tuesday and Wednesday were affected by the decision after the airline claimed it had to travel on a longer flight path, thus using more fuel. The move baffled passengers, who slammed the airline on social media after they were told their luggage would travel out separately on another aircraft. Passengers at Kuala Lumpur Airport were told they would not be allowed to check in luggage on journeys to three European airports The airline said it now operates a long route to Europe via Egyptian airspace for safety reasons. It didn't elaborate on the reason behind the new route, but a Malaysia Airlines jet flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down by a missile in eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing all 298 people on board. Malaysia Airlines said the longer flight path consumes more fuel and this, combined with 'temporary unseasonably strong headwinds, is limiting the airlines' ability to carry baggage in cargo'. It said on Facebook that economy-class passengers can only carry a cabin bag up to 7 kilograms (15.4 pounds) while those in business and first class are allowed two pieces totaling 14 kilograms (30.8 pounds). The flights use Boeing 777 aircraft. The baggage limit did not affect flights from those cities heading to Malaysia. Workers on the ground would have had an easier job after Malaysia Airlines temporarily banned checked-in luggage due to 'strong headwinds' Headwinds over the past four days exceeded 230mph, which can burn up to 15 per cent more fuel on its Boeing 777-200 aircraft, it said. It lifted the ban less than 24 hours after imposing it after concluding it could take a shorter route. The airline, in an e-mail to Associated Press, said it does a daily risk assessment to determine the most optimum route for flights and that currently it is taking 'a more northerly route.' It didn't elaborate. Many passengers left angry comments on the airline's Facebook page, slamming it for being the only airline to impose such a rule. Some of them said the airline should have sold fewer tickets, limited the number of passengers and rejected freight instead. Others asked for a refund. Colin Blake wrote: 'No other airline flying from Asia to London or Europe seems to have this problem apart from [Malaysia Airlines], while Saravanak Kumar added: 'Until when is this ridiculous policy going to be in place? Time to change airline.' Evelyn Tan arrived in London from Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, and had still no idea where her luggage was. She wrote: 'I was told that I can call a number or check the status of my delayed luggage online. Been trying the number all morning but kept on hold for long periods of time each time and the online luggage tracer doesn't work. 'Can someone please confirm when my luggage will be delivered?' Meanwhile another passenger, Steven Lee, seemed doubtful that the decision was taken due to the headwinds when he wrote: 'Is there are security threat to MH airlines flying to Europe that the public should know about?' And the airline has almost certainly lost the custom of Chai Wong, who added: 'Probably the most stupid decision ever, I won't fly with you just for this reason.' The airline said it now operates a long route to Europe via Egyptian airspace for safety reasons. It didn't elaborate on the reason behind the new route The airline said no compensation would be given but passengers could reschedule with no extra cost. Losses of two flights in 2014 hit the finances of already struggling Malaysia Airlines. One flight heading to Beijing disappeared and is believed to have crashed in the Indian Ocean, months before another jet was shot down over Ukraine. Expensive hotel rooms have nothing on the cost of a hospital bed in some of these countries round the world. Take Singapore, for example, where the average sick or ill traveller without insurance can fork out up to 430 for each night spent in hospital - before any healthcare costs are applied. A study has found that the second most expensive hospital beds were in the US, with the average traveller having to pay 362 a night. Expensive hotel rooms have nothing on the cost of a hospital bed in some countries round the world Next on the list was Hong Kong, with beds costing 347 compared to the average travel insurance to the country being just 35 (based on a 35-year-old traveller on a two-week trip). Both the Netherlands and Canada also made the top five, with hospital stays costing 323 and 290 on average, followed by high prices from the UK, Germany, France, Japan and Spain. The study was conducted by finder.com.au, who compiled data based on the most recent WHO Department of Health Systems Financing estimates, along with over 10,000 quotes through finders travel insurance comparison service. THE COST OF A HOSPITAL BED AROUND THE WORLD Destination Singapore USA Hong Kong Netherlands Canada United Kingdom Germany France Japan Spain Cost of a hospital bed 430 362 347 323 291 272 270 249 244 234 Travel insurance cost 35 49 36 40 48 38 39 82 38 39 Advertisement In Singapore, for example, the average sick or ill traveller without insurance can fork out up to 430 for each night spent in a hospital bed - before any healthcare costs are applied Consumer advocate Bessie Hassan said: 'While many sensible travellers will find cover before they leave for holidays, there will inevitably be some who ditch travel insurance altogether. 'The reality is, if you're overlooking insurance, you're taking a gamble. 'These figures don't take into account other transportation, medicine or surgery costs that may also fall under your insurance policy or for uninsured travellers, boost their medical bill,' Hassan said. Although travel insurance can save a large sum of money for injured travellers, it is important to note than any injuries incurred while intoxicated or under the influence of drugs may not qualify for cover. A survey compiled by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the travel association ABTA in 2014 found that over a third of Britons between the ages of 16 and 24 do not bother to take out travel insurance before they visit a foreign destination. A passenger on a long-haul KLM flight from Amsterdam to Beijing attacked and wounded a co-pilot before he was subdued by others on board, the Dutch airliner has said. Witnesses, quoted by Dutch media, said the man had stabbed the co-pilot either with a knife or with a piece of broken glass in Sunday's incident, but that was not confirmed by KLM. The daily flight KL897 took off around 5.35pm local time from Schiphol airport in Amsterdam on Sunday en-route for the Chinese capital, and landed safely at 10.31am on Monday. The man, who Dutch news outlets are saying was Chinese, is alleged to have 'stabbed' the co-pilot on board the KLM flight 'On Sunday, January 3, on board flight KL897 en route for Beijing, a confused passenger locked himself in the toilets and inflicted slight wounds on himself,' the airline said in a statement sent to AFP. 'He then slightly wounded the co-pilot in one of the kitchens in the cabin,' KLM added, stressing that at no point was the plane in danger. After the man 'was overwhelmed he was attached to a seat for the rest of the journey,' the daily De Telegraaf said, quoting a witness. Once the KLM plane had landed at Beijing Airport, the man was escorted off the plane by 15 police officers The Dutch newspaper reports that passengers said the pilot was 'stabbed' by the man, and state he was of Chinese origin. The attacker was taken off the flight by about 15 policemen who were waiting for the plane to land on the tarmac in Beijing, another witness told the paper. KLM said the co-pilot was treated for his injuries in Beijing and was now back in the Netherlands. Earlier this week, MailOnline reported on how a female passenger tried to open a plane's emergency exit in mid-air and threatened to kill herself before she was restrained by flight crew. The shocking incident happened on board a Beijing Capital Airlines that was travelling from from Changsha in Hunan province to Sanya in Hainan in China. The incident was relayed on Weibo by one passenger, who said that the woman was spotted by staff trying to open the door. Thankfully it is reported to be in good health We all know that pets can't bear to be parted from their owners when they going away on holiday. One plucky schnauzer hated the idea so much it decided to stowaway in his owner's suitcase, bagging a free flight to Japan from Hong Kong over the Christmas holidays in the process - and giving the owner the surprise of his life at the other end. The bizarre international adventure took place on December 28. The owner was heading to Japan on a leisure trip, the pooch staying put with family. An adventurous dog bagged a free flight to Japan from Hong Kong over the Christmas holidays and gave the owner the surprise of his life when it was discovered at the other end. Stock image used The bizarre international adventure took place on December 28, with the owner assuming the dog was being looked after by family It wasn't until the owner's mother-in-law couldn't locate the dog at the house that she texted to notify him of the disappearance. The man checked his luggage at Hokkaido airport and to his amazement found the jet setting canine among his belongings, thankfully in good health, according to EJI. The owner wasn't sure how the incident had occurred, but his best guess was that the wily mutt had snuck in before he closed his suitcase. Allegedly, while he was packing, the man thought the dog was sleeping in the next room and so hadn't previously worried when he hadn't seen it before departing. The stowaway is said to be fine after the five-hour flight. It was estimated that he had been in the bag for around seven hours in total. Despite his journey, the schnauzer was sadly unable to continue the trip with his owner. A tour guide suggested the dog should be handed over to the Japanese customs authorities, who would then send it back to Hong Kong, so the trip could proceed. The owner checked his luggage at Hokkaido airport (pictured) and to his amazement found the jet setting canine among his belongings, thankfully in good health It is not known how the animal managed to get through airport security. Reportedly an Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department spokesperson said it was notified of the incident by a Japanese government official and that the dog was sent back to Hong Kong on December 30. According to EJI, Cheung Chung-chiu, a training director at the Hong Kong Canine Training Association, putting a dog in a suitcase and taking it aboard a plane could be regarded as smuggling. He has been celebrating the holidays with his family in Hawaii. But 61-year-old Dennis Quaid showed no signs of Christmas indulgences as he displayed his ripped torso on Tuesday. The veteran actor cut a youthful figure with an impressive eight-pack as he waved to friends on Oahu's North Shore. Scroll down for video Impressive: 61-year-old Dennis Quaid showed no signs of Christmas indulgences as he displayed his ripped torso on Tuesday The topless Traffic star wore just green, white and black patterned board shorts and a baseball hat as he mingled with other guests at the Turtle Bay resort. Clearly enjoying some sunshine, he displayed some serious bicep budge had caught a few rays on his collarbone and shoulders. The father-of-three spent Christmas with 23-year-old son Jack - whose mother is ex-wife Meg Ryan. In shape: The veteran actor cut a youthful figure with an impressive eight-pack as he waved to friends on Oahu's North Shore. They were joined by his eight-year-old fraternal twins, Thomas Boone and Zoe Grace - whose mum is wife real-estate agent Kimberly Buffington - who all posed together in an Instagram snap posted by Jack. He married Kimberley on July 4, 2004 in Santa Monica and despite her filing for divorce twice and him once, they have reconciled and dismissed a separation. Their twins were welcomed in November 2007 via gestational carrier, and at ten-days-old were given a nearly fatal dose of the blood thinner heparin. Gym bunny: The topless Traffic star wore just green, white and black patterned board shorts and a baseball hat as he mingled with other guests at the Turtle Bay resort. Muscles: Clearly enjoying some sunshine, he displayed some serious bicep budge had caught a few rays on his collarbone and shoulders Youthful: Dennis's latest project is comedy movie A Dog's Purpose alongside Bradley Cooper, which is due for release in 2017 Catching rays: He has been celebrating the holidays with his family in Hawaii and perhaps should have asked them for sunscreen He explained how well they have recovered during a chat on the Allegedly podcast hosted by Theo Von and Matt Weiss, according to an article by TMZ. 'They are perfectly normal as can be now,' Quaid explained, proudly adding: 'They are like head of their class.' The Breaking Away star said during the ordeal that he started 'to go to that dark place' but pulled himself back, telling them: 'You go to remain optimistic.' Dennis's latest project is comedy movie A Dog's Purpose alongside Bradley Cooper, which is due for release in 2017. Family fun: Funny face pulling was the order of the day in the Quaid household for Christmas - (L-R) Jack, Kimberley, Zoe Grace, Thomas Boone and Dennis Alex Reid has spoken lovingly of his father Bob, who sadly passed away shortly before the star made his debut in pantomime last week. The cage fighter, who was married to Katie Price from 2010-11, thanked his fans for their kind words after his beloved dad died following an illness. Alex, 40, addressed the audience after appearing as the Genie in a production of Aladdin at The Stiwt Theatre in Wrexham last week, telling them his dad, 77, died just before the performance. Scroll down for video Tribute: Alex Reid has spoken lovingly of his father Bob, who sadly passed away shortly before the star made his debut in pantomime last week Leader Live reports that Alex received huge cheers from the panto crowd as he made his speech, telling the crowd: 'I'd like to have three cheers for anybody who is through a difficult time. Just before this performance, my father passed away. It's very sad and I'm very upset but I'm doing the best thing he would have wanted me to do. 'I'm here having fun and making you guys happy. Dad, I love you.' Super close: Alex, 55, addressed the audience after appearing as the Genie in a production of Aladdin at The Stiwt Theatre in Wrexham last week, telling them his dad, 77, died just before the performance Alex took to Twitter after the show writing: 'Thank you for giving me the strength to carry on dad! I know you won't rest in peace, as your always be by my side!' (sic). 'No way was I ever pulling out and not making Christmas so special four all these guys and all the kids who'd booked tickets! 'And the cheer of hysterical screams I got backstage from all of this crew, just made it all worth it, for me and my dad! Alongside a photo of his father in a 'Alexander The Great' t-shirt, he added: 'Dad's not looking down on me from heaven, he's right next to me! Me and dad would love to thank everyone for your kind thoughts'. His hero: Alongside a photo of his father in a 'Alexander The Great' t-shirt, Alex tweeted: 'Dad's not looking down on me from heaven, he's right next to me!' Sharing his progress: Alex has been sharing photos of his hospital visits to see Bob since December, revealing that he gifted his father photos of daughter Dolly for his 77th birthday last month Alex has been sharing photos of his hospital visits to see Bob since December, revealing that he drove from North Wales to his dad's bedside in between performances while he also gifted his father photos of his daughter Dolly for his 77th birthday last month. Alex's sad news comes as his ex wife Katie appeared on Loose Women on Tuesday, where she told her co-stars she wouldn't be surprised if Alex transitioned to be a woman. The former glamour model was discussing new film The Danish Girl which follows the story of one of the earliest gender reassignment surgeries, with Katie admitting she can't wait to watch Eddie Redmayne's film as it's close to her own experiences with Alex. Last Christmas: The cage fighter shared photos from Bob's bedside as they marked the festive season shortly before he passed away 'Every individual is different in how they do things, but obviously one of my husbands liked to dress as a woman, whether he'll end up being a woman, who knows, only he would know that,' she said after watching the scene, before confirming she was talking about Alex, who she married in 2010. She went onto explain that she felt Alex's cross-dressing, which he has openly talked about, started when she offered to put makeup on him. 'So basically we had a drink and I said, "Shall we try and do some make-up?" mucking about, and obviously I opened a can of worms, a can of worms I wish I never opened,' Katie explained. They've reunited in the Big Apple after spending the festive season apart. And on Tuesday Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid stepped out for another date night in New York, coordinating in edgy black ensembles. Gigi flaunted her model figure in leather trousers and a coordinating coat while the former One Direction star headed out with his new partner. Scroll down for video Inseparable: Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik were seen leaving heading out on Tuesday evening for another date night in NYC Gigi, 20, looked gorgeous in her skin-tight black trousers teamed with a chic long-line fur and leather coat. She added patent ankle boots with buckle detail and a touch of glitz with her statement gold belt and pretty pendant. The catwalk star continued the edgy vibe by pulling her long blonde locks back into a high ponytail while she showed off her flawless complexion with just a hint of makeup. See the latest Zayn Malik updates as he and girlfriend Gigi Hadid reunite in New York Model looks: Gigi, 20, looked gorgeous in her skin-tight black trousers teamed with a chic fur and leather coat Zayn, 22, meanwhile stuck to his favoured style of ripped skinny jeans teamed with lace-up chunky boots. The Brit kept warm in the chilly NYC temperatures with a black coat layered over a white t-shirt, with the low neckline flashing a look at the ex boybander's tattoos. Zayn teased his highlighted locks into a hair-raising style for another evening with his gorgeous girl. On her turf: Zayn, 22, meanwhile stuck to his favoured style of ripped skinny jeans and a white t-shirt which flashed a look at his tattoos The pair have been inseparable this week and were previously spied looking every inch the superstar duo as they headed out together on Monday. Gigi and Zayn's relationship appears to be going from strength to strength, with Kendall Jenner's BFF sharing a picture of her man holding her cat on Instagram over the weekend. The shirtless image of Zayn comes just a day after she appeared to be supporting the hunky star by layering on his favourite football club's jersey on Friday night. Looking chic: The catwalk star added patent ankle boots with buckle detail and a touch of glitz with her statement gold belt and pretty pendant Statement locks: Zayn teased his highlighted locks into a hair-raising style for another evening with his gorgeous girl Or so she thought, because her so-called boyfriend took to Twitter to tease her after his beloved Bradford City AFC club reached out to her, offering her an updated shirt. The former boyband member, who's thought to have been seeing the US model since November, said: 'It's a lil old' as he cheekily replied with a winking face smiley. Zayn and Gigi took their romance public in November last year when they were pictured holding hands after a night out. Visiting his girl: Zayn has jetted to New York to spend time with Gigi after the festive season with his family New romance: The pair have been inseparable this week, trading social media pics and comments He was previously engaged to Little Mix star Perrie Edwards, while Gigi split up with Joe Jonas a matter of weeks before she started dating Zayn. Zayn also once had a romance with Hollyoaks star Stephanie Davis, who has finally talked about her 'relationship' with the ex 1D star as she makes her first appearance on this year's Celebrity Big Brother. The 22-year-old dated Zayn in 2011 following his split from Rebecca Ferguson, and Stephanie says she remains on good terms with the star. Blossoming romance: Zayn and Gigi took their romance public in November last year In an interview conducted by Channel 5 ahead of her appearance on the UK reality show on Tuesday night, she said: 'Im not about to spill beans, [on Zayn]. It was years ago, I dont know why people are still bothered.' She continued: 'Zayn is a good guy and Ive not a bad word to say about him, and I know hes not got a bad word to say about me. It lasted 5 months is that even a relationship? It ended well. 'I hope hes happy now hes left I think thats the best thing he could have done for himself. I hope he votes for me!' Rocco is said to prefer 'normal family life' in the UK with his dad and stepmum Jacqui Ainsley 15-year-old has sought refuge with father Guy in London to avoid singer's 'strict rules' His parents are reportedly preparing for a custody fight over his living arrangements. And now as Madonna and Guy Ritchie gear up for court, further details have emerged about 15-year-old Rocco's alleged fights with his superstar mother. The teen quit Madonna's Rebel Heart tour a month ago, according to insiders speaking to The Mirror, with the final straw coming as the 57-year-old reportedly took his mobile phone away. Scroll down for video Final straw? 15-year-old Rocco Ritchie is said to have quit Madonna's Rebel Heart tour a month ago after the 57-year-old reportedly took his mobile phone away A source has told the paper that Madonna's strict rules while on the road led to her son seeking refuge with his film director dad in London. 'Madonna is quite firm with Rocco and she took his phone from him when it interfered with his studies,' the source claims. 'She is stricter than Guy and Rocco doesn't like it. When she took the phone away, it pushed him over the edge.' Rocco is said to have left the tour a month ago and refused to return to his mother with Guy said to have hired a lawyer in preparation for a legal battle to continue care of his son. The teen is alleged to prefer his 'normal family life' with his filmmaker Guy, stepmum Jacqui Ainsley and their three young children, spending weekends at Guy's Grade II listed Ashcombe House in Wiltshire. Family: Rocco (second from left) is staying with his stepmother Jacqui Ainsley (left) and father Guy in London as his parents reportedly prepare for a court battle An insider told The Sun: 'When Rocco is in England he gets to live a low-key life. He can go about his business and talk to girls without paparazzi stalking him.' Meanwhile, friends believe the Material Girl singer - who split from Guy in 2008 - wasn't pleased when her ex married model Jacqui in August. 'She was unhappy that Jacqui had cemented her role in Rocco's affections', a source told the paper. MailOnline has contacted a spokesperson for Madonna for comment. According to TMZ, the British director has called in lawyers to go head-to-head with Madonna, as their 15-year-old son is keen to remain living in London with his father. A source said: 'Madonna is quite firm with Rocco and she took his phone from him when it interfered with his studies' Family was on the mind for Madonna on Tuesday, as she shared a flashback photo with daughter Lourdes Leon, youngest child David Banda and estranged son Rocco. Despite the reports that the 57-year-old is embroiled in a custody residence battle, the defiant queen of pop captioned the sweet shot: 'Love Conquers All............ #rebelhearts' It's another thinly-veiled response to ongoing claims that her son feels like she treated him more like a trophy than a son and follows reports he has blocked her from seeing his own social media posts. The photo, thought to be taken before Madonna and Rocco's father Guy split in 2008, sees Madonna's three children doting on her in a sweet embrace. It was previously claimed that Madonna was 'embarrassing' her son with her Instagram posts, which last week included a direct post to wish a Happy Christmas to the 'Sun-shine of my Life!' On her mind: Madonna shared a throwback photo with her three children Lourdes Leon (left), David Banda (centre) and estranged son Rocco (right) this week Fans have been speculating if his mother's insistence on embarrassing him by posting a catalogue of awkward photos of him online has proved to be the straw that has broken the camel's back. Rocco is said to have claimed he would have a more 'stable and loving' home life with Guy, who lives with his wife Jacqui and their three children, Rafael, four, Rivka, three, and Levi, 18 months. The Sun report that the Rocco was supposed to return to New York for the first day of term at the Lycee Francais school on Monday but has remained in London with Guy and his family. A movie colleague of Guy's has told the paper that the teenager has a vastly different life when in the UK: 'When Rocco is in England he gets to live a low-key life. He can go about his business and talk to girls without paparazzi stalking him,' claims the family friend. 'Rocco finds making friendships in New York much more difficult. Over here everyone is trying to score an invitation to Madonna's house. When he stays with his dad he is allowed to play guitar until the early hours of the morning.' A representative for Madonna has been contacted for comment. They rang in the New Year whilst holidaying in Fiji. However, it seems the holiday is far from over for Benji Marshall and his wife Zoe as the pair have continued with their tropical escape, jetting to Vanuatu to celebrating their third wedding anniversary with a romantic getaway. And Zoe is taking advantage of the island's idyllic scenery, showing off her enviable bikini body amid the location's picturesque waters. Scroll down for video More in love than ever! Benji Marshall and his wife Zoe are celebrating three years of marriage in style, with a romantic getaway to Vanuatu Zoe treated fans to a topless photo, showing off her pert derriere as she sat on the edge of her private infinity pool wearing just her white bikini bottoms. Peering off into her azure surroundings, Zoe's flawless figure was on full display in the sultry shot which showed her long luscious locks cascading down the length of her toned back. Meanwhile, Zoe enlisted the help of her NRL husband to show her the ropes of snorkeling on Tuesday. What a sight! The radio host treated fans to a topless photo, showing off her pert derriere as she sat on the edge of her private infinity pool Floating while holding onto her hubby's hands, she was gently guided through the water, her long, lean bikini-clad body fully visible in the image. 'Super hot snorkeling teacher,' Zoe captioned the shot on Instagram. 'And yes I learnt how to snorkel in a shallow pool... And yes I also wore a life vest in the ocean and yes he held my hand the whole time,' she added. 'Not sure how I will go it alone today,' she joked, proving the pair to be as in love as ever. 'Super hot snorkeling teacher': Zoe enlisted the help of her NRL husband to show her the ropes of snorkeling on Tuesday On Tuesday, the couple's actual anniversary, the pair spent the day reclining on chairs in a scenic infinity pool. 'Show offs @steven_khalil,' Zoe penned underneath the enviable picture. It appears that the couple are joined by their friend, famed fashion designer Steven Khalil on their romantic escape. Steve and Zoe are known to be BBFs, and it seems to be an ongoing tradition for the fashion designer to accompany the couple on their trips as he also tagged along for their second anniversary in Fiji, last year. 'Show offs': On Tuesday, the couple's actual anniversary, the pair spent the day reclining on chairs in a scenic infinity pool At one with nature: Another image showed the brunette beauty sitting in her bikini, poised with her legs crossed in front of a cascading waterfall The same day Zoe took to Instagram to express her appreciation for her man. Sharing a snap from their wedding day, she simply captioned it 'three' - making reference to their milestone occasion . Another image showed the brunette beauty sitting in her bikini, poised with her legs crossed in front of a cascading waterfall. If you've got it, flaunt it! Zoe has been taking advantage of the island's idyllic scenery, showing off her enviable bikini body amid the locations picturesque waters Third wheel: The couple are joined on their romantic escape by their friend, famed fashion designer Steven Khalil who also accompanied them on their second anniversary last year which they spent in Fiji Before soaking up the sun and sights in Vanuatu, the couple spent a week with friends on the nearby island of Fiji where they rang in the New Year. During their stay the gang treated themselves to a boat cruise as well as taking long hikes and getting some much needed rest and relaxation. 'Started the day with my best friends, circuit training by @benji6marshall then mediating, tarot reading and swimming in the ocean @mandijupp My heart is about to burst,' Zoe penned to Instagram. Holiday mode: Before soaking up the sun and sights in Vanuatu, the couple spent a week with friends on the nearby island of Fiji where they rang in the New Year Busy holiday: During their stay the group treated themselves to a boat cruise as well as taking long hikes and getting some much needed rest and relaxation Bikini body: Zoe currently co-hosts the 3pm Pickup radio show on KIIS FM alongside Katie 'Monty' Dimond Speaking her mind: The author of lifestyle blog Know Your Worth, Zoe recently opened up about the use of the term WAG, claiming that the term carries with it a derogatory connotation Zoe currently co-hosts the 3pm Pickup radio show on KIIS FM alongside Katie 'Monty' Dimond. The author of lifestyle blog Know Your Worth, Zoe recently opened up about the use of the term WAG, claiming that the term carries with it a derogatory connotation. Speaking to Daily Mail Australia recently, she justified her argument by saying: 'Postmen don't have a WAG, policemen don't have them and the Prime Minister doesn't have one, but if you play with balls - you have a WAG.' 'As soon as you're called a WAG your identity diminishes,' she said, adding, 'it's offensive and tacky, I hate it'. 'I've struggled with my own identity in the media industry, I'm not just someone else's identity; it's a shallow tag and derogatory,' she added. She's making her way along the Californian Coastline on what appears to be a stylish road trip. And Sunrise co-host Samantha Armytage has been spotted relishing her time in America taking a well-earned break from the early starts on morning TV. The 38-year-old shared her excitement at being in the Napa Valley and shared an Instagram snap of her jumping for joy in the middle of a vineyard, despite the winter weather and bare grapevines. Scroll down for video My spiritual home: Sunrise host Samantha Armytage wore a heavy black military inspired coat paired with fitted black jeans as she jumped around on a Napa Valley vineyard The presenter was pictured wearing a heavy black military inspired coat paired with fitted black jeans, the hint of a pale blue turtleneck sweater visible underneath. Her blonde hair swept into a bun and she finished off her casual look with a pair of black Nike trainers as she was seen jumping for joy in the vineyard. She shared the post on social media writing: 'Jumping for joy in my spiritual home' and added an emoji of a wine glass. Happiness: Samantha jumped for joy in the middle of a vineyard, despite the winter weather and bare vines Namesake: She posed out the front of the upscale Sam's Social Club while visiting the Californian region The gloomy winter weather didn't dampen her spirits as she posted another picture of herself leaping through the bare vines in the vineyard. 'And again... (I can't stop jumping, I'm SO excited..) Wake up grapes!!! I know it's winter, but Mumma needs a glass of wine!!' she captioned the post. Next stop on her terrific tour of the famous Napa Valley was the upscale Sam's Social Club, and she shared a picture with fans of herself pointing towards her namesake signage. Road trip: The Sunrise co-host has been travelling around California during her break from work Sightseeing: Her holiday has included visits to The Grove, Santa Monica Beach, the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, and Big Sur Samantha has been exploring the state and her holiday which has included visits to The Grove, Santa Monica Beach, the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, and Big Sur. She was particularly excited to drive on the wrong side of the road while exploring the coast, boasting on social media that she was 'more than happy' to do so. The TV personality has been updating fans throughout her trip, including the overpriced photo she took in LA with characters from the children's movie, Frozen. She had to cough up $5 for the picture, which ended up being very unflattering of herself with Elsa, Kristoff and a towering Olaf the snowman. He became a household name for his long-running turn as charismatic lawman Tony DiNozzo Jr. But NCIS star Michael Weatherly revealed on Tuesday he leaving the popular role after 13 years on the hit CBS show. It comes after the 47-year-old was charged on two counts of DUI after he was allegedly caught speeding in Hollywood last November. Scroll down for video 'It's been a fantastic ride': Michael Weatherly revealed his 13 year stint on NCIS was at an end on Tuesday just months after an early morning DUI speeding arrest The 47-year-old said on Twitter: 'DiNozzo is a wonderful, quixotic character and I couldnt have had more fun playing him over the past 13 seasons. '(CBS president) Les Moonves and CBS gave me the opportunity of a lifetime. 'I will miss the amazing crew and cast, who are like family to me, and to the fans all over the world THANK YOU, its been a fantastic ride!' The station also confirmed he would end his stint on the police procedural show, which follows a team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, at the end of the current season. Bittersweet: The star paid tribute to the cast, crew and CBS in a series of emotional tweets Onscreen: Michael starring as Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo on NCIS alongside Cote de Pablo A spokesman added: 'He is a valued part of the CBS family, and the immense charm and talent he brings to the screen as "Very" Special Agent Tony DiNozzo has helped make NCIS what it is today the No. 1 drama in the world.' CBS also said it hopes to pursue future projects with the actor in the future. It comes after Weatherly, ex-fiance of Jessica Alba, got charged with two counts of DUI after spending spent 15 hours behind bars after he was allegedly caught speeding in November.. He faces a maximum of six months in jail and up to $1,000 in fines if convicted. Star turn: He has featured as a main cast member on the show since it began in 2003 His Dark Angel: Michael was engaged to his former co-star Jessica Alba from 2001 to 2003 However as this is Weatherly's first offence he is likely to receive a much more lenient sentence. The actor was engaged to his Dark Angel co-star Jessica from 2001 to 2003. After they split he went on to marry Bojana Jankovic, the mother of his two children. He has starred as Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo on NCIS since 2003. She is famous for her long model legs. And Rachel Hunter was more than happy to put her prized pins on display as she attended the Ovation 2016 Winter TCA (Television Critics Association) tour in California on Tuesday. The former Sports Illustrated model looked ready to talk all things beauty as she rocked a classic black mini dress to promote her upcoming series, Rachel Hunters Tour of Beauty. Black to basics: Rachel Hunter was more than happy to put her prized pins on display as she attended the Ovation 2016 Winter TCA (Television Critics Association) tour in California on Tuesday Putting on an effortlessly chic sartorial display in the Bardot style dress, the New-Zealand born beauty ensured she turned heads in the leggy ensemble. Adding height with Perspex and white block heels, the Vogue cover girl opted not to accessorise with more than a bracelet. Sharing an image of herself smiling on stage at the event held in Pasadena , Rachel told fans: Today at the TCA ... For the press leading up to the premiere of the show ... Oh and mercury goes retrograde #tourofbeauty. During her appearance, the blonde beauty admitted she has considered plastic surgery after being left horrified by some of her pictures. LBD: The former Sports Illustrated model looked ready to talk all things beauty as she rocked a classic black mini dress to promote her upcoming series, Rachel Hunters Tour of Beauty Working the camera: Putting on an effortlessly chic sartorial display in the Bardot style dress, the New-Zealand born beauty ensured she turned heads in the leggy ensemble According to Associated Press, Rachel told the audience: In real life I was fairly happy with myself. In photos I was horrified. People were like, 'Why don't you get rid of those deep lines (around her mouth)? However, the mother-of-two began to change her opinion once she began working on her 13-episode series which sees her jet around the globe to discover indigenous beauty secrets and how beauty is defined in various cultures. She continued: After going on this journey and seeing other cultures away went that superficial idea of beauty. Ideas of beauty are old and need to be shattered. We have no self-acceptance. If we don't enjoy who we are then how can you offer fully any sense of beauty or well-being or longevity? All smiles: Sharing an image of herself on stage at the event held in Pasadena , Rachel told fans: Today at the TCA ... For the press leading up to the premiere of the show ... Oh and mercury goes retrograde #tourofbeauty Simple look: Adding height with Perspex and white block heels, the Vogue cover girl opted not to accessorise with more than a bracelet Timeless beauty: During her appearance, the blonde beauty admitted she has considered plastic surgery after being left horrified by some of her pictures The show follows her around the world as she searches for treatments to maintain a youthful complexion and to stay healthy. Her series has already seen her visit exotic locations, such as Morocco, Dubai, Korea and Brazil. Not only has she investigated more contemporary beauty treatments, such as radio frequency machines in the US, but also the traditional Japanese exfoliation method of facial shaving. It's not Rachel's first foray into television, as she used to be on the judging panel for New Zealand's Got Talent and she also hosted on series of Britain's Make Me A Supermodel. Changes: However, the mother-of-two began to change her opinion once she began working on her 13-episode series which sees her jet around the globe to discover indigenous beauty secret She has also made several guest appearances, one rather notably in the 2003 Fountains of Wayne song, Stacey's Mom, where she features as a sultry, bikini-clad mother. The gorgeous blonde found fame in 1989 after appearing in a Sports Illustrated spread, then went on to marry rocker Rod Stewart, who was more than twice her age, a year later. They had two children, Renee and Liam, but the pair separated in 1999, and their divorce was eventually finalised in 2006. She has been enjoying herself over the New Year period, indulging in an idyllic break in Puerto Rico. And Tara Reid shared a picture from her lovely getaway on Instagram on Wednesday, although her super-slim frame has caused concern among her social media followers. In the image, the 40-year-old American Pie actress looks happier than ever as she's joined by two hunky pals, including a shirtless gent with rippling muscles, while rocking a bikini. Scroll down for video Holiday time! Tara Reid shared a snap of herself on holiday in Puerto Rico with pals on Wednesday, but fans have commented on her worryingly thin frame, clearly visible in the bikini shot Showing off her famously slight frame - complete with a tiny, slim waistline, super-lean thighs and visible ribcage - and ample chest in a tropical printed green bikini, she looked as though she had not a care in the world. Along with the snap, she told her followers where she was enjoying her first week of 2016, writing: 'In the El Yunque rain forest Rico beautiful!' The blonde beauty flashed a huge smile while her locks tumbled over her bare shoulders in front of a waterfall in the El Yunque National Forest. Despite her happy demeanour and apparent body confidence, fans of the actress were quick to comment on the picture on the social networking site, many of them remarking on her worringly thin physique. Concern: The 40-year-old is known for her slight frame and previous botched boob job, but is still receiving criticism over her figure One user, shawnhempstead, told Tara that '30lbs would do you good'. And elisa.santi added: 'This is not beautiful and should not considered so ... this is unfortunately sick.' 'What the f**k happen to your body,' an Instagram follower called akamajaff chided her. And triedby12carriedby6 commented on her chest - which she has had augmented: 'You were infinitely hotter before all the work you had done.' Another fan of Tara's, j26silly, simply commented: 'To skinny (sic).' However, it wasn't all negativity towards Tara, as some of her fans stuck up for her in light of the more damning comments. Duchess.diaz wrote: 'Oooof course the females are the ones hating but you're a stunner @tarareid.' And panicchick praised the Sharknado star, adding to the comments section: '@tarareid I like you, you're real & beautiful.' Over the years, Tara has gained more column inches for her ever-changing figure than she has for her big-screen efforts. Hitting back: Tara (pictured in 2015), previously hit back at her body critics, saying - 'I'm just what I am. So if you wanna get mad at me cause I'm skinny, go ahead. I am what I am..' Back in 2004, she underwent liposuction and breast enlargement surgery, but it went horribly wrong, something she later spoke about. 'It looked like I got completely butchered up,' she confessed of her enlarged cleavage. Of her liposuction, the star added: 'I had body contouring, but it all went wrong. My stomach became the most ripply, bulgy thing.' She has also previously claimed that she is just naturally thin, in response to body criticism. 'I'm just a small boned girl, you see?' she told TMZ in late 2014. 'I eat, I eat, I eat, I eat. 'Some people eat too much you yell at them - they're fat,' Tara said, referring to any critics saying her body was too frail. 'I'm just what I am,' she said. 'So if you wanna get mad at me cause I'm skinny, go ahead. I am what I am.' Meanwhile, Tara has had a wonderful festive period, and recently shared snaps of herself with her sister enjoying a spa break, showing off her bikini-clad chest in a selfie. Channel Nine presenter Leila McKinnon has cleared up speculation about her mystery on-air lisp after revealing she now has lingual braces. The 43 year-olds lisp while presenting a recent episode of A Current Affair left fans puzzled as they took to Twitter to share their theories about the speech defect. However, Leila wrote a lengthy post on Wednesday to explain that she had in fact been adjusting to the new braces which she got four months ago. Scroll down for video Mystery solved: Channel Nine presenter Leila McKinnon has cleared up speculation about her mystery on-air lisp after revealing she now has lingual braces Leila initially took to Twitter to clear up the rumours with a good-natured post as she wrote: Thankth for your interetht in my lithp, yeth I have braceth now, not great in my job but I'm working on it @ACurrentAffair9 #ACA. She then added: Not a tongue piercing, not lip filler, but thanks for the theories. Just an awful open bite @ACurrentAffair9 #ACA. Leila then went on to explain the issue further in a blog post shared on Mamamia as she wrote: I got braces because I have an anterior open bite. That means I cant bite anything. At all. Something's different: The 43 year-olds lisp while presenting a recent episode of A Current Affair left fans puzzled as they took to Twitter to share their theories about the speech defect Adjusting: However, Leila wrote a lengthy post on Wednesday to explain that she had in fact been adjusting to the new braces which she got four months ago I can chew on my two back teeth. But to transfer my food from my plate to my two hard working chewing teeth I need a knife and fork. Leila claimed she had first been told she would have to get her jaw broken and re-set at the age of 16 and chose not to have the procedure. Then at the age of 34, she had been told by an American dentist that she would need braces and surgery costing up to $50,000 to fix her issue. She continued in her post: My reliable two chewing teeth are starting to crack under the pressure, literally. So I have lingual braces. They cleverly run behind your teeth so you cant see them but they do make speaking a more little more difficult. Laughing it off: Leila initially took to Twitter to clear up the rumours writing: Thankth for your interetht in my lithp, yeth I have braceth now, not great in my job but I'm working on it @ACurrentAffair9 #ACA Taking it in her stride: Leila was able to find humour in the situation and impressed fans with her response Taking it in her stride: Leila was able to find humour in the situation and impressed fans with her response The blonde presenter explained that she also had to undergo an operation to have metal plates screwed into her cheekbones, which anchor the hooks in her mouth which will be attached to her molars. Leilas post came after Twitter users shared their intrigued at her off-putting lisp with one musing: Is it just me, or is Leila McKinnons speech slightly different than normal? Another added: Anyone know why Leila McKinnon has a lisp? She never used to and she looks so different. Something's different: Leilas post came after Twitter users shared their intrigued at her off-putting lisp with one musing: Is it just me, or is Leila McKinnons speech slightly different than normal? Australian supermodel Miranda Kerr made her debut on the Victoria's Secret runway in 2006, before leaving the brand in 2013. And on Wednesday, her mother Therese shared on social media the ultimate throwback picture of her daughter at her very first show for the lingerie giant when she was 23-years old. Therese shared the shot on Instagram showing Miranda, now 32, wearing her hot pink robe and smiling for the camera, showing off her trademark dimples. Scroll down for video 'How young do you look here!' On Wednesday, Miranda Kerr's mother Therese shared on Instagram the ultimate throwback picture of her daughter, at her very first Victoria's Secret show back in 2006 'This is a little flashback,' Therese began her post before calling Miranda her nickname. 'How young do you look here Randamay @mirandakerr xxx.' In the image, a tanned Miranda shows off a beaming smile and has her brown hair teased out over her shoulders. For the show she wore a variety of looks including a white bra and panties matched with mittens, a hood and sleeves, and a green lingerie set. Backstage: Therese's shot was taken before the show and as the girls got ready in 2006 Racy in lace! In the 2006 show, she wore a variety of looks including a white bra and panties (L) and a green lingerie set (R Stunning: The show helped putt Miranda on the international modelling map In 2007, Miranda - who hails from the regional town of Gunnedah in New South Wales - shot to fame when she became the first ever Australian model to be offered a contract with the brand. That year she also became the first Australian Victoria's Secret angel. The brunette parted ways with Victoria's Secret in 2013, amid rumours that she had been dropped for being difficult to work with. The retail giant denied such whispers, with the brand's president Ed Razek even stating in a public announcement that, 'she will always be an angel to me'. The way it was: The stunner ended up leaving the brand in 2013 In November, the leggy star spoke about her experience with Victoria's Secret to Australia's Morning Show. She confirmed there is little chance she will ever return to the runway for the brand, saying: 'I'm embracing the other stage that I'm at in my life'. 'I don't know. It was such a wonderful experience for me being a part of Victoria's Secret, and they really were such a family to me for such a long time,' she said. 'It was a magical time in my life and I feel like I embraced it while I was there', she added before admitting that she has reached a new stage in her life. Her wing-wearing days are over: In November, Miranda Kerr, 32, confirmed that there is little chance she will ever return to the Victoria's Secret runway Geena Davis looked younger than her 59 years as she was spotted enjoying a day on the beach in Honolulu, Hawaii on Monday. And it's no wonder, as the actress could be seen shielding her enviable skin from the sun's rays with a large, floppy black hat. The Thelma & Louise actress was joined by one of her three children as she took in the lovely views of the Hawaiian beach, while also enjoying a cold beverage. Scroll down for video Beautiful in black! Geena Davis looked lovely in a flowing, black maxis dress as she hit the beach in Honolulu, Hawaii on Monday with her son Geena wore a sleeveless, black maxi dress which cinched in to show off her toned waist, before falling to just below her ankles. She coupled the flattering number with a pair of coordinating black flip flops with bow embellishments. The Accidental Tourist star wore a floppy, black sun hat over her long, brunette tresses, which were styled straight. She also accessorized with a pair of sunglasses, while toting a brightly colored purple, pink, blue, and green beach bag. That's how she stays so young! The Thelma and Louise actress protected her youthful-looking skin with a floppy, black sun hat as she basked in the warm sun Geena showed off her natural beauty for the beach outing, on which she was joined by one of her sons, sporting blue, patterned swim trunks. The Oscar winner has three children with husband Reza Jarrahy, 13-year-old daughter Alizeh, and 11-year-old twin sons Kaiis and Kian. The Geena Davis Institute founder's husband Reza and their other two children were not photographed on the outing. Meanwhile, the actress has recently been working on upcoming sci-fi dramedy Marjorie Prime, as reported by Deadline. Just the two of us! Not pictured on Monday's beach outing was Geena's husband Reza Jarrahy (photographed at the Los Angeles premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in December), with whom she shares daughter Alizeh and sons Kaiis and Kian The Michael Almereyda-directed picture - based on the 2014 Pulitzer Prize-nominated play by Jordan Harrison - follows Marjorie, an aging violinist who, at age 85, finds that her memory is failing her. The clever woman - played by Lois Smith who performed the part onstage - enlists the use of a service that provides holographic recreations of deceased loved ones as their survivors would like them remembered. They were last seen showing off their moves on the dancefloor. But on Wednesday night it was time for Strictly Come Dancing pro couple Karen and Kevin Clifton to let others take the spotlight, as they sat in the audience for the press night of Guys And Dolls at the Savoy Theatre, London. The married couple swapped their glitzy Strictly costumes for some edgy winter ensembles as they cosied up on the red carpet which also welcomed the likes of Emma Thompson and Stanley Tucci. Hitting the red carpet: Strictly Come Dancing pro couple Karen and Kevin Clifton attended the press night for Guys And Dolls at the Savoy Theatre, London on Wednesday night Karen, 33, showed a hint of skin with her racy lace-up black top for the theatrical date night. The US dancer accentuated her long legs with a pair of chic white flared trousers, teamed with glitzy peep-toe heels. She kept warm with an elegant fur-collared tweed coat, while her dark locks were looking flawlessly glossy. See more of the latest news on the Strictly Come Dancing stars Karen and Kevin Clifton Stunning: Karen, 33, showed a hint of skin with her racy lace-up black top for the theatrical date night A hint of makeup highlighted the Strictly pro's stunning features as she pulled faces on the red carpet. Kevin, 33, meanwhile showed off his edgy sense of style in an eclectic ensemble, teaming patchwork trousers with a leather blazer. The Grimsby-born star added chunky lace-up boots and accessorised with a huge statement pendant draped around his neck, drawing attention to a flash of chest under his low-cut t-shirt. Nice look! Kevin, 33, meanwhile showed off his edgy sense of style in an eclectic ensemble, teaming patchwork trousers with a leather blazer His signature geek-chic glasses and slicked back locks finished off the dancer's look. Karen and Kevin headed straight out for a night on the town after jetting home to London from New York just hours earlier. The couple spent the festive break with Karen's family in the States, after wrapping up the latest series of Strictly just before Christmas, which saw Kevin reach the final with his celeb partner Kellie Bright. 2015 was an exciting year for the pair as they tied the knot in a chic London ceremony in July. Dancer's bod:The US dancer accentuated her long legs with a pair of chic white flared trousers, teamed with glitzy peep-toe heels Messing around: The beauty pulled faces on the red carpet ahead of the preview performance What a show! Karen and Kevin and the celeb audience enjoyed a preview of the new production of the classic musical which stars Sophie Thompson and David Haig Take a bow: Sophie, David, Jamie Parker and Siubhan Harrison lapped up the rousing applause The quick-footed couple, who no doubt put on a stellar display for their first dance, invited a host of former Strictly alumni including Scott Mills and Rachel Riley along to the bash. It marks Karen's first wedding and Kevin's second; the dancer was previously married to fellow professional dancer Clare Craze, with the pair splitting up in 2010. Kevin - whose divorce was finalised in 2013 - originally auditioned for the show at the same time as Karen in 2012, but only joined the group of dancers for the next series. He proposed to Karen in April 2013 during the stage show of Burn The Floor. Star-studded red carpet: Emma Thompson and her daughter Gaia Romilly Wise also enjoyed the theatrical evening at the Savoy Keeping casual: Emma was low-key in a grey coat and checked scarf as she larked around with the cameras Natural beauty: The screen legend added a pair of drop earrings and a hint of makeup to her low-key look Karen and Kevin joined a huge crowd of celebs who turned out for the preview of The Chichester Festival Theatre revival of Guys & Dolls at the Savoy Theatre on Wednesday night. Emma Thompson and her daughter Gaia Romilly Wise also hit the red carpet, with the acting legend dressed down in a long grey coat and cosy scarf. Joely Richardson was smart in a leather jacket with cropped smart trousers and ankle boots for her night at the theatre, while Stanley Tucci, Kevin and Karen's Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood and Samantha Womack also enjoyed the performance. Another screen legend: Joely Richardson was smart in a lather jacket with cropped smart trousers and ankle boots for her night at the theatre Glammed up: Arlene Phillips chose a pair of statement floral shoes for the red carpet while EastEnders' Laurie Brett brightened up her head to toe black with a slick of bright red lippie Super chic: Samantha Womack looked pretty in her floral jacked teamed with suede thigh-high boots Suave: Ainsley Harriot, who appeared on last year's Strictly, was dapper in a smart three piece suit Theatre fans: Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood teamed a blazer with jeans while Hollywood star Stanley Tucci was looking sharp as he hit the red carpet Celeb-packed night: John Hurt and his wife Anwen Rees-Myers cosied up together for the cameras Class acts: Patricia Hodge, who was seen on screens over Christmas in the last ever episode of Downton Abbey also hit the theatre while acclaimed actress Susan Hampshire showed her support Everyone's here: Ben Elton bought his whole family along for the Guys & Dolls preview Curtain up: Naughty Boy swapped a night in the studio for the West End while Stephen Merchant was also spotted on the red carpet Back again: Robert Lindsay, who is no stranger to the Savoy Theatre thanks to his acclaimed run in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels in 2014, attended with his wife Rosemarie Hitting the West End: Charlotte Richie (second in from left) with family and Tom Chambers were other famous faces in the audience Congrats! John Hurt was keen to praise Guys & Dolls cast member Jamie Parker on his performance at the after party What a performance: John's wife Anwen was seen chatting animatedly with the handsome actor Theatre fans: The couple posed for photos at the official after party Vicky Pattison showed off her toned and tanned legs as she made her way into the ITV studios for her Loose Women debut as an official panellist on Wednesday. The 28-year-old looked incredible as she posed for a few photographs outside wearing a navy mini dress which had a tartan collar, worn with a very sexy pair of red shoes. She teamed the look with a contrasting mustard coat which added a pop of colour to her look, as well as a patent bag which matched her footwear perfectly. Scroll down for video Mellow yellow: Vicky Pattison showed off her toned and tanned legs as she made her way into the ITV studios for her Loose Women debut as an official panellist on Wednesday Leggy lady: She wore a navy mini dress with her mustard coat, complete with matching red shoes and bag Vicky looked perfectly groomed for her appearance, wearing her raven locks in perfectly teased curls. Her make-up was perfectly applied for the occasion, with a slick of berry lipstick and smoky eyes accentuating her features. The outspoken former Geordie Shore star joined regular show hosts Sherrie Hewson, Coleen Nolan and Ruth Langsford for her one-off appearance on the panel. Wow thing: Vicky looked perfectly groomed for her appearance, wearing her raven locks in perfectly teased curls Lovely: She walked arm-in-arm with her publicist Gemma Wheatley and appeared to be in high spirits This came one day after Katie Price made her own debut on the show, although she'll be back on a weekly basis. But fans of Loose Women have taken to Twitter to express their delight at Vicky's hosting skills, with many of them calling for her to be a regular instead of Katie, whose appearance left many people cold after she made a major gaffe: calling Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne, Eddie Reymar. One viewer commented, as Vicky made her successful appearance: '@VickyGShore Brilliant on #loosewomen. After the debacle of yesterday with #katieprice, This works, Yesterday didn't.' TV gold! Vicky Pattison made her Loose Women debut as a panellist, during a one-off stint on the show on Wednesday Another added: 'Doing a good job Vicky! @VickyGShore Worth twice Katie Price, just hope you got the same money... @loosewomen #gogeordielass #loosewomen.' 'Well I think Vicky will be back on Loose Women, not sure about Katie Price,' one TV viewer commented, comparing the two. Another slammed panto star Katie for her 'wooden' appearance, writing: 'Vicky over katie price any day #loosewomen shes a naturel unlike wooden monotone pricey.' Not such a great time: The previous day, Katie Price - who has been revealed as a regular on the ITV daytime show - didn't make such a great impression High praise: Fans of Loose Women took to Twitter to praise Vicky for her successful debut, many of them comparing her to Tuesday's guest host Katie Price The social media praise kept on coming, as another admirer of the Geordie lass said: 'Vicky pattison is a much better loose woman than katie. She comes across as so lovely and caring too.' Plenty of others reckoned that Vicky should be given a full-time position on the popular show. One admirer commented: '@VickyGShore is awesome on @Loosewomen... full time please #loosewomen.' 'Loving @VickyGShore on Loose Woman! Worth watching now! #loosewomen,' someone else piped up. Get her a job! Many fans of the Geordie Shore star called for her to be made a permanent addition to the line-up She certainly made a good impression during her time alongside the regular presenters, which made Katie's gaffe the previous day look all the more embarrassing. The incident came as Katie introduced the topics of discussion for Tuesday's episode, including a debate about finding out your partner is transgender, inspired by the star's new film The Danish Girl. 'And we'll be discussing the dilemma raised by Eddie Raymar's new film The Danish Girl', the former glamour model declared. 'How would you react if your husband confessed he wanted to become a woman?' Hiya! The I'm A Celebrity winner was a complete natural, according to fans of the daytime show Stunning: The 28-year-old looked gorgeous for her TV appearance, rocking a thigh-skimming navy dress with a tartan collar and cuffs Remembering: Vicky also chatted about her time on I'm A Celebrity, revealing that controversial contestant Lady C was allowed to take in plenty of luxuries The 37-year-old star soldiered on with the live broadcast, but her gaffe didn't go unnoticed by her fellow presenters, several of whom gawped at her in amazement. And, of course, Twitter erupted with criticism and mockery thanks to her mispronunciation. One joked: 'Wow Katie Price's first day on Loose Women and she calls Eddie Redmayne Eddie Raymar', alongside a host of laughing emojis. 'That was a great start Katie price. Who is Eddie raymar?', another queried. Oops: On Tuesday, Katie had a cringeworthy moment on the panel, as she called Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne, Eddie Reymar 'That was a great start Katie price. Who is Eddie raymar?' Following her gaffe, plenty of TV fans took to Twitter to mock her Her awkward debut comes after she promised to be 'the most outspoken of them all' when she made a comeback as a regular Loose Women panellist. Meanwhile, th news of Vicky's new assignment on Loose Women broke shortly after she was crowned Queen of the Jungle, after winning over the hearts of the nation. Speaking to The Sun, an ITV source said: 'Vicky won I'm A Celeb by a landslide so everyone knows she is popular, especially with a younger audience. Making herself at home: Vicky looked to be having a whale of a time as she sat in the coveted spot Star quality: The ex-Geordie Shore regular couldn't have looked happier as she chatted to the show's star guest, Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain Fab in florals: Nadiya looked gorgeous in a pretty floral dress which she matched with a coordinating scarf and pumps Philanthropic: Nadiya was on the show to chat about her work with WaterAid UK 'ITV are desperate to keep a hold of her and invest in her as a future star.' It was initially rumoured that she would be doing a month-long trial, but it was later revealed that she would be appearing just the once. During her stint on the show - which included Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain as a guest - Vicky looked gorgeous as she rocked her prim yet still sexy navy dress The star also bonded immediately with new co-star Sherrie, giving her a huge hug and suggesting they go on a night out together to find a man after the 65-year-old claimed it was too late for her to find love. Bonding: She got on well with the panel, even getting up to hug co-star Sherrie Hewson On the toon? Vicky said she'd take Sherrie out for the night so they can both meet some men, after the 65-year-old claimed it was too late for her to find love Will she be coming back? Although the reality TV star is signed on for one episode, fans have called for her to be a regular addition Speaking about her own love life dreams, Vicky - who is currently without a man in her life - said: 'I have to believe in [love]. 'I'm single and I've had some terrible relationships over the years, the only thing that keeps me going in pursuit of a soulmate is my mum and dad met when they were 11 57 now, still together. The brunette beauty continued: 'It's the dream isn't it? Everyone wants to find that right person who completes them. 'A best friend, a partner, everything. I know it's out there because I've seen it within my family. If it wasn't for that, then all these idiots I've been going out with over the years, they might wear us down.' So excited! The giddy star - who has dreams of being a presenter - expressed her excitement at the role on Twitter earlier in the day FBI probes whereabouts of San Bernardino shooters after massacre Federal investigators in California appealed for the public's help on Tuesday in piecing together the whereabouts of the San Bernardino shooters during a brief period after the massacre. David Bowdich, head of the FBI office in Los Angeles, said that while investigators had largely determined the movements of Syed Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik on the day of the massacre December 2, there were 18 minutes unaccounted for after the shooting that left 14 people dead and 22 injured. He said investigators have been unable to determine where the couple was between 12:59 pm and 1:17 pm. This image obtained by ABC News on December 7, 2015 was apparently taken as Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik were going through customs in Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on the evening of July 27, 2014 The period falls between the time of the shooting, which took place at 10:59 am, and the time the couple was spotted by police and died in a firefight at around 4 pm. "So why is that 18 minutes so important?" Bowdich told a press conference. "It's important because we want to ensure that we know whether or not they stopped at any locations, any residences, any businesses that we don't already know about." He said it was possible that the couple during those 18 minutes may have stopped at a storage facility or had contact with someone. "We just don't know," Bowdich said. "It may not be an important fact, but until we close that gap we don't know." He said investigators had determined that after the attack the couple drove around the San Bernardino area, where they lived, stopping at several locations, including a lake. Bowdich said a search of the lake had produced nothing linked to the investigation. North Korea faces UN condemnation over nuclear test The UN Security Council met Wednesday for emergency talks to condemn North Korea after its claim of a successful hydrogen bomb test -- a shock announcement that, if confirmed, could raise the stakes in Pyongyang's bid to beef up its nuclear arsenal. The 15-member council was considering further sanctions against Pyongyang over the surprise nuclear test that UN chief Ban Ki-moon said was "deeply troubling" and "profoundly destabilizing for regional security." The test drew swift condemnation from the international community, including from China, the North's main ally, and Washington, which said it was still studying the precise nature of the test and vowed to "respond appropriately." People watch a news report on North Korea's first hydrogen bomb test, at a railroad station in Seoul, on January 6, 2016 Jung Yeon-Je (AFP) The announcement also triggered skepticism, with experts suggesting the apparent yield was far too low for a thermonuclear device. North Korean state television said "the republic's first hydrogen bomb test" had been "successfully performed at 10:00 am (0130 GMT)." "We have now joined the rank of advanced nuclear states," it said, adding that the test was of a miniaturized device. State television showed North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's signed order -- dated December 15 -- to go ahead with the test, with a handwritten exhortation to begin 2016 with the "thrilling sound of the first hydrogen bomb explosion." South Korean President Park Geun-Hye condemned what she described as a "grave provocation" and called for a strong international response. Ban said he "unequivocally" condemned the underground test and demanded that North Korea "cease any further nuclear activities." - Push for more sanctions - The UN Security Council was meeting behind closed doors at the request of the United States and Japan, who were pushing for a new UN draft resolution on further sanctions. "We will be working with others on a resolution on further sanctions," British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft told reporters. The council was expected to issue a strong statement of condemnation, but any further measures hinged on the response from China, a veto-wielding council member. Beijing has restrained US-led allies from stronger action against Pyongyang in the past, but has shown increasing frustration with the North's refusal to suspend testing. In an initial reaction, the foreign ministry in Beijing said it "firmly opposes" the nuclear test, which was carried out "irrespective of the international community's opposition." The three previous tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013 triggered waves of UN sanctions. - Skepticism - The new test, which came just two days before Kim's birthday, was initially detected as a 5.1-magnitude tremor at the North's main Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the northeast of the country. The weapons yield was initially estimated at between six and nine kilotons -- similar to the North's last nuclear test in 2013. A hydrogen, or thermonuclear, bomb uses fusion in a chain reaction that results in a far more powerful explosion than the fission blast generated by uranium or plutonium alone. Last month, Kim suggested Pyongyang had already developed such a device. That claim was questioned by international experts at the time, and there was continued skepticism over Wednesday's test announcement. "The seismic data that's been received indicates that the explosion is probably significantly below what one would expect from an H-bomb test," said Australian nuclear policy and arms control specialist Crispin Rovere. The first US hydrogen bomb test in 1952 had a yield of 10 megatons. Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst with the Rand Corporation, said if an H-bomb was actually tested, the detonation clearly failed -- at least the fusion stage. "If it were a real H-bomb, the Richter scale reading should have been about a hundred times more powerful," Bennett told AFP. South Korea's defense ministry also told reporters it doubted Wednesday's explosion was thermonuclear in nature. There were expressions of concern but no public panic on the streets of Seoul, where people have become largely inured to North Korea's provocations over the years. Most experts had assumed Pyongyang was years from developing a hydrogen bomb, while assessments were divided on how far it had gone in developing a miniaturized warhead to fit on a ballistic missile. - Gesture of defiance - Whatever the nature of the device, it was North Korea's fourth nuclear test and marked a striking act of defiance in the face of warnings from enemies and allies alike that Pyongyang would pay a steep price for moving forward with its nuclear weapons program. The North's official news agency was unrepentant. US "imperialists" had escalated the situation on the Korean peninsula to the brink of war, defying the North's calls for a peace treaty, it said. "The more frantic the hostile forces get in their moves to isolate and stifle the DPRK (North Korea), the stronger its nuclear deterrent will grow, bringing them to deathbed repentance." The final response of China, North Korea's economic and diplomatic patron, will be key in determining the international community's next step. "Beijing will face increased pressure both domestically and internationally to punish and rein in Kim Jong-Un," said Yanmei Xie, the International Crisis Group's senior analyst for Northeast Asia. But China's leverage over Pyongyang is restricted by its overriding fear of a North Korean collapse. "A nuclear-armed North Korea is uncomfortable and disturbing," Xie said. "But a regime collapse in Pyongyang leading to mass chaos next door and potentially a united Korean peninsula with Washington extending its influence northward to China's doorstep is downright frightening." Map locating Punggye-ri nuclear site in North Korea, where Pyongyang says it conducted a hydrogen test on January 6 North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un signed the document authorising a hydrogen bomb test on December 15, 2015 Yonhap (North Korean TV/AFP) United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki- moon speaks to the press at the UN in New York on January 6, 2016, before a Security Council meeting about North Korea claiming it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb Timothy A. Clary (AFP) Graphic comparing estimated size of nuclear tests, including a claimed hydrogen bomb detonation by North Korea John Saeki/Adrian Leung (AFP) North Korea staged a mass rally at the Kim Il-Sung square in Pyongyang, on January 5, 2016 KNS (KCNA via KNS/AFP) French tourist killed in speedboat accident off Thai island A speedboat struck and instantly killed a French tourist while she was swimming in waters reserved for snorkellers at a Thai resort, police said Wednesday. The woman, 52, died at the scene Tuesday afternoon after the boat struck her as she was snorkelling off Poda island, one of several small islands in the tourist hot-spot of Krabi province. Police arrested the speedboat's 29-year-old driver, Yothin Subsak, and charged him with causing death by a reckless action. Tourism is a key source of revenue for Thailand, which received nearly 30 million foreign visitors in 2015, contributing to a third of GDP Nicolas Asfouri (AFP/File) "He confessed to the charges," Krabi's tourist police commander Lieutenant Colonel Man Rotthong told AFP. "The victim and her husband stayed in nearby Phuket and she bought a diving package here," he added. Tourism is a key source of revenue for Thailand, which received nearly 30 million foreign visitors in 2015, contributing to a third of GDP. Accidents involving tourists are common in a country where safety regulations are often weakly enforced. A bus crash before Christmas killed 13 Malaysian tourists in northern Thailand. Australian giant monitor lizards trained to avoid eating toxic toads Australian scientists Wednesday said they had devised an "innovative method of conservation" through feeding giant monitor lizards small cane toads so they won't be killed by larger-sized amphibians. Cane toads, an invasive species from Central and South America that were introduced to Australia in 1935, are so toxic they can kill predators that try to eat them and are continuing to spread across northern Australia at an estimated 40-60 kilometres (25-37 miles) a year. Scientists have said the spread of the cane toads -- which an Australian university study found numbered about 200 million on the island continent -- was causing catastrophic population declines in predators. A 'trained' floodplain monitor lizard pictured in the Kimberly region of Western Australia But researchers from the University of Sydney said they were able to teach free-ranging goannas in the Kimberley wilderness in northwestern Australia to avoid eating the toxic toads about to invade the remote floodplain. The scientists offered small, non-lethal cane toads to the wild yellow-spotted monitors -- which have experienced a 90 percent plunge in population following toad invasions -- with further trials confirming "just one or two toad meals were enough to convince a goanna not to eat another toad". The goannas quickly learnt to avoid the adult cane toads in the wild after being exposed to the younger, smaller toads. "After training, giant monitor lizards, known as goannas, survived when the toads arrived, whereas untrained lizards were immediately killed," lead researcher Georgia Ward-Fear said of the study, which was published Wednesday in the Biology Letters journal. "Our study provides the proof of principle required to set the framework for an innovative method of conservation," the researchers added in their paper. "Releasing small toads, then, can offer a simple landscape-scale method to conserve wildlife populations, by giving native predators an opportunity to learn rather than die. "Our study provides the first real evidence that this strategy is realistic." Azarenka moves into WTA Brisbane quarters Former world number one Victoria Azarenka moved into the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International when she downed little-known Belgian Ysaline Bonaventure 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday. Bonaventure, who had lost in the final qualifying round, gained a main draw spot when top seed Simona Halep pulled out with a leg injury on Tuesday. She pushed the two-time grand slam winner hard, particularly in the 56-minute first set when she blasted 18 clean winners. Victoria Azarenka of Belarus hits a return against Ysaline Bonaventure of Belgium during their women's singles match on the fourth day of the Brisbane International tournament, on January 6, 2016 Saeed Khan (AFP) But once Azarenka weathered the storm she was able to master the 21-year-old Belgian and was never really troubled thereafter. "I think the beginning definitely was really tough," said 26-year-old Azarenka. "She played very well. You know, it's always a little bit of a moment of adaptation when you don't know who you play, so it's an adjustment. "But I'm glad I could stay strong in the beginning and turn it around, because it wasn't going my way at first for sure." Azarenka spent 51 weeks as world number one in 2012 but suffered a severe foot injury in 2014, finishing the year at 32. She was then hampered by a left thigh problem in 2015, which affected her climb back to the top 10. Azarenka started the year at number 22 and is unseeded this week. She said she was pleased with how she had been able to take control of the match midway through the first set. "I think just to feel the momentum shift in the match was important, you know, in the beginning of the year," she said. "Especially since I haven't played in a while. So it's good to go through those moments." Azarenka will play 2015 US Open runner-up Roberta Vinci in the quarter-finals. "She's been playing really well and showing some great results," Azarenka said of the eighth-seeded Italian. "I think you can see improvement in her game. I think she's just on the rise and she feels really good, confident." Fourth-seeded German Angelique Kerber was impressive in her 6-3, 6-0 demolition of American Madison Brengle. The world number 10 will now take on Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the quarter-finals. Little-known American Samantha Crawford upset seventh-seeded Swiss Belinda Bencic 7-5, 7-5 in 90 minutes. The qualifier from Florida will now take on Germany's Andrea Petkovic, who ousted Russia's Ekaterina Makarova 7-5, 6-4. Petkovic conceded she knew nothing of the 20-year-old Crawford. "I don't know anything -- it's going to be classic YouTube stalking from my side," she said. "I don't know if I'm going to find a lot, but she must be playing tremendously well to beat Bencic and win three qualifying rounds." Ysaline Bonaventure of Belgium hits a return against Victoria Azarenka of Belarus during their women's singles match on the fourth day of the Brisbane International tournament, on January 6, 2016 Saeed Khan (AFP) Ivory Coast government resigns but PM stays Ivory Coast's government resigned on Wednesday after President Alassane Ouattara vowed to bring more "efficiency" to the West African state just two months after he was re-elected. Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan presented his resignation and that of his government at what was to have been the first cabinet meeting of the year in a move observers said was expected. But after praising the 73-year-old economist for astutely handling his brief during three years in the post, Ouattara's office said Kablan Duncan would remain as head of a new team. Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara at the presidential palace in Abidjan on November 3, 2015 Sia Kambou (AFP/File) "The president of the republic (has signed) a decree nominating Daniel Kablan Duncan as prime minister and government head and has instructed him to propose a new government as soon as possible," presidential secretary general Amadou Gon Coulibaly said. Prior to Coulibaly's announcement on Kablan Duncan's retention, Ouattara had declared a new cabinet would be "put in place in the coming days -- targeting greater cohesion and more efficiency of government action." Ouattara, 74, says he is seeking to mold a "new Ivory Coast" to draw a line under the turmoil of the civil war in 2011. Reelected for a second-five year term on October 25, Ouattara has said he wants to deepen national reconciliation and draw up a new constitution which he plans to put to a referendum. Other aims include redistributing uneven wealth and tackling high youth unemployment. - 'A new dynamic' - Following the vote, which observers hailed as generally smooth and peaceful, Ouattara himself indicated he wanted to see fresh faces in government, including more women in cabinet posts. But he praised Kablan Duncan's team, expressing gratitude for "your competence, your leadership and your action at the head of the government", and hailing the cabinet for its "good conduct" in state affairs. Addressing the president, Kablan Duncan explained he stepped down recognising Ouattara's desire to bring "greater efficiency" to the management of government affairs. "At the last 2015 cabinet meeting on December 23, you expressed your wish to inject a new dynamic into government action, undertaking a government reshuffle targeting greater efficiency in dealing with our fellow citizens' primary concerns," he said. "In view of this, and as you embark on your second term, I would like.. to present to you my resignation as prime minister," Kablan Duncan said. A respected member of Ivory Coast's Democratic Party (PDCI), which was founded in the 1940s by former president Henri Konan Bedie, Kablan Duncan took over as prime minister in November 2012. He formed a broad team of figures drawn from the coalition which propelled Ouattara to power although several key posts were reserved for technocrats. Kablan Duncan replaced fellow PDCI member Jeannot Kouadio Ahoussou, a surprise casualty of disagreements which emerged within the coalition. Kouadio Ahoussou served as premier for eight months in 2012, replacing Guillaume Soro who served in the post for five years. Before becoming premier, Soro headed the Patriotic Movement rebel force which led a 2002 rebellion against former president Laurent Gbagbo, which triggered the first civil war. Soro is now head of the National Assembly. Last year's poll took place without incident in Ivory Coast, a key West African economy and the world's prime cocoa producer, enabling the country to turn the page on a wave of bloodshed and violence which claimed some 3,000 lives in the wake of Ouattara's initial election triumph over Gbagbo in 2010. Now 74, Ouattara -- a former high-flying economist -- won a solid victory in the October elections, cementing Ivory Coast's return to stability after years of turbulence. Ivorian Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan, pictured on September 17, 2015, presented his resignation and that of his government on January 6, 2015 Sia Kambou (AFP/File) Libya oil storage tanks set on fire during IS assault At least four oil storage tanks have been set ablaze during deadly fighting in Libya as the Islamic State group tries to seize export terminals, the National Oil Company said Wednesday. The clashes, in which at least 10 security guards have died, began Monday as UN envoy Martin Kobler struggles to convince the oil-rich North African country's rival parliaments to agree on a unity government deal brokered by the world body. The fires broke out at key terminals in Al-Sidra and Ras Lanouf, located in the so-called "oil crescent" along Libya's northern coast, said a statement from the NOC management loyal to the internationally recognised government. An image grab from a video uploaded on social networks on January 5, 2016 shows a petroleum storage tank burning at Al-Sidra oil terminal, near Ras Lanouf The NOC statement did not make clear whether the fires were still burning or if fighting was still under way for a third successive day in the IS push to seize the terminals. A senior executive with the Sirte Oil Co told AFP that four tanks were still ablaze in Al-Sidra. But Mohamad al-Manfi, an NOC spokesman, was quoted by the Libyan news agency close to the recognised regime as saying "calm has returned to the area after two days of fighting". Ali al-Hassi, a spokesman for security guards in Al-Sidra, said: "We have lost 10 of our men since the beginning of the IS offensive on the terminals". - 'Put aside differences' - Mustafa Sanalla, chairman of the rival NOC management in militia-held Tripoli, condemned the attacks. "I hope this appalling violence will lead political leaders on all sides in Libya to understand the magnitude of the threat we face," he said in a statement. "I encourage them urgently to put aside their differences. We need to unite against this common enemy, not tomorrow or next week, but now." IS has been trying for several weeks to push east from its coastal stronghold of Sirte, and officials have warned of crippling consequences if the jihadists manage to seize control of Libya's oil resources. Sanalla urged the "swift formation of a national unity government and the establishment of a unified force structure capable of bringing peace to this country and protecting its natural resources." Kobler was equally insistent on the need for a political settlement. "Every day that passes without a deal being endorsed is another day gained by IS," he said in a statement late Tuesday. Libya descended into chaos following the 2011 ouster and killing of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi. It has had rival administrations since August 2014, when an Islamist-backed militia alliance overran Tripoli, forcing the government to take refuge in the east. The United Nations is pressing both sides to accept a power-sharing agreement it hopes will help to reverse IS's territorial gains. Oil is Libya's main natural resource, and the country sits on reserves estimated at 48 billion barrels, the largest in Africa. It had a pre-revolt output capacity of about 1.6 million barrels per day (bpd), accounting for more than 95 percent of exports. But unrest has forced a major slump in production, and output now stands at around 500,000 bpd. Libya's oil and gas facilities Kun Tian (AFP) 'About 2,500' IS fighters killed in Iraq and Syria last month The US-led coalition that has been carrying out air strikes against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria killed about 2,500 jihadists last month, a military spokesman said Wednesday. The Pentagon has previously been wary of giving body counts, but Wednesday's figures come as officials hope to portray the IS group as being on the defensive after the jihadists suffered a series of setbacks -- including last week's loss of the Iraqi city of Ramadi. "In December, we estimate approximately 2,500 enemy fighters were killed in coalition air strikes across Iraq and Syria," Baghdad-based military spokesman Colonel Steve Warren told Pentagon reporters. Smoke billows following a reported air strike by the US-led coalition on December 29, 2015 on the outskirts of Ramadi Ahmad al-Rubaye (AFP/File) He said that since coalition air strikes began in August 2014, the IS group had lost as much as 22,000 square kilometers (8,500 square miles) -- or about 40 percent -- of the territory it once held in Iraq, and about 10 percent, or 2,000 square kilometers, of the land it claimed in Syria. "We believe that ISIL is now in a defensive crouch," Warren said, using an alternative acronym for the jihadists. "Probably in May was really when they reached their culminating point of offensive operations. Since then all they have really managed to do is lose ground." When the size of the so-called caliphate the IS group proclaimed 18 months ago was at its largest, Iraq accounted for a slightly bigger part of it than Syria. A variety of Iraqi forces have reclaimed major urban centers, including Ramadi. Warren said several, squad-sized groups of IS fighters remained in uncleared Ramadi neighborhoods. He claimed Iraqi troops had killed 60 IS fighters in the city in just the past 24 hours. Though the number of slain IS members is significant, the jihadists have been able to fill their ranks almost as fast, especially with disaffected young men from economically and politically crippled Muslim countries in the region. The United States last year estimated there were between 20,000 to 30,000 IS members operating in Iraq and Syria, and Warren repeated that assessment Wednesday. Despite suffering defeats, the IS group has pushed for new gains elsewhere, including in strife-torn Libya where the jihadists are trying to seize coastal export terminals. Up to 26 dead as Syria regime, rebels trade fire: reports Government and rebel bombardment killed up to 26 civilians and wounded dozens in the Syrian capital and a nearby opposition bastion on Wednesday, state media and a monitoring group said. Mortar rounds fired from the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta region onto residential areas of Damascus left eight civilians dead and 23 wounded, the official SANA news agency reported. The attack came after the regime fired rockets onto the Eastern Ghouta town of Douma earlier in the day, killing six civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitor. Syrians evacuate a wounded man on a stretcher following a reported air strike by Syrian government forces in Damascus' rebel-held suburb of Zamalka, on January 6, 2016 Abdulmonam Eassa (AFP) The monitor gave a slightly different toll of nine dead and 30 wounded, some critically, in the bombardment of Damascus. Ten other civilians, including a child, were later killed in government air strikes on the town of Hazzeh and one in Mesraba, east of the capital, the Observatory said. Eastern Ghouta, which is largely controlled by the Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) rebel group, is regularly bombarded by government forces. Abbas denies concern of Palestinian Authority collapse Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas dismissed Wednesday weeks of rumours that the Palestinian Authority could collapse, saying he would "never give up" on it. Abbas, 80, was speaking publicly for the first time since rumours surfaced last week that he was in poor health, which the PA has categorically denied. He did not discuss the matter and appeared well. He also spoke as three months of violent attacks by frustrated Palestinian youths on Israeli targets have made the PA and its leadership appear increasingly out of touch. Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas gestures as he speaks during a Christmas lunch with members of the Christian Orthodox community on January 6, 2016 in the West Bank city of Bethlehem Thomas Coex (AFP) The PA, the governing authority set up under the 1993 Oslo peace accords with Israel , has faced funding shortages, and its ongoing security cooperation with the Jewish state has been heavily criticised. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is preparing a contingency plan in the event of the PA's collapse, according Israeli media reports. "I have heard a lot of talk in the past few days about the Authority, the destruction of the Authority, the collapse of the Authority," Abbas said. "The Authority is an achievement of ours that we will never give up." "Don't dream of its collapsing, don't even dream," he told a press conference during a lunch during a lunch to mark Christmas, which some Orthodox churches celebrate on Thursday. The PA was meant to be a temporary body until a fully independent Palestinian state was created, but more than two decades after Oslo young Palestinians see little hope of the dream becoming reality -- and many do not feel Abbas represents their concerns. In a recent poll, two-thirds of Palestinians said they believed a new armed uprising, or intifada, would serve "national interests" better than negotiations. Abbas refused to countenance an end to the PA. Over 160 killed in Madagascar cattle theft clashes: army At least 161 people, including nearly a dozen soldiers, were killed in cattle-rustling violence in Madagascar last year, authorities announced on Wednesday. Theft of the much-prized humped zebu cattle has surged in recent years on the Indian Ocean island, where hunting the animals is a rural tradition among young men seeking to prove their virility. The cattle are also stolen to be sold for money to the nearby island nation of Comoros, despite a government ban. A child guards zebus in Anja, southern Madagascar, on May 23, 2012 Andreea Campeanu (AFP/File) "We have had a rather heavy toll: 11 killed and about 30 wounded among soldiers and some 100 dead, 150 to be precise, for the dahalos (rustlers)," Madagascan army General Beni Xavier Rasolofonirina told AFP. "In a context in which the gendarmes were not able to carry out their internal security functions" the army launched a five-month "pacification operation" that mobilised 1,300 soldiers, the general said. A symbol of wealth, zebu are at the heart of local culture in southern Madagascar, where they are eaten only at weddings or special celebrations, sacrificed for ancestor worship or in burial rituals. The tradition of stealing them has fuelled inter-communal violence, with the army accused of carrying out extra-judicial killings and razing villages that are suspected of sheltering cattle rustlers. Members of the island nation's civil society have denounced the soldiers' use of violence during these operations, with Madagascar's defence minister admitting to military "blunders". Naib stars as Afghanistan win series against Zimbabwe Gulbadin Naib hit a career best, undefeated 82 as Afghanistan defeated Zimbabwe by two wickets to win the fifth one-day international and take the series 3-2 on Wednesday. Naib smashed six sixes and three boundaries in his 68-ball knock as Afghanistan chased down their 249-run target to claim a second successive series win over Zimbabwe after winning in Africa in October. Naib's final six came off the third last ball after his team had been 121-5 at one stage. Afghan cricketer Gulbadin Naib tries to catch a ball during the ICC Twenty20 World Cup fifth qualifying cricket match between Hong Kong and Afghanistan in Chittagong, Bangladesh on March 18, 2014 Munir Uz Zaman (AFP/File) His partnership of 85 with Rashid Khan for the seventh wicket proved key after Zimbabwe had appeared to be on course for a third successive win in the series after losing the first two matches. Hamilton Masakadza had hit 110 after Zimbabwe batted first while Peter Moor (42) and Richmond Mutumbami (40) also starred as the African side had been 167-3. Afghanistan were 66-3 in reply after fast bowler Luke Jongwe sent back Mohammad Shahzad, Noor Ali Zadran and Narwoz Mangol. But Hashmatullah Shahidi and Mohammad Nabi steadied the innings before Naib took charge with his man of the match performance. "The partnership with Rashid helped and gave me the energy to carry on," Naib told cricinfo.com. Afghanistan skipper Asghar Stanikzai hailed his team's win which also cemented their place in the top 10 of the world rankings. "It's a phenomenal achievement to start off the year with a series win. Gulbadin has proved he's got the skill to play even in ODIs," said Stanikzai. "Afghanistan are known for their ability to bounce back and we showed that today. It's a historic day for us." Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura blasted his team's below-par performance. "I thought we lost it in the last nine overs of our bowling, where we didn't bowl our yorkers well. We bowled into Gulbadin's arc. When it comes to execution of our skills, it wasn't up to the standards," said Chigumbura. "That was the difference between a win and a loss. I wanted to bowl, but was struggling and felt a bit of pain. We have to look forward now and bounce back in the T20 series." The Twenty20 series between the two sides gets under way at Sharjah on Friday. Brief scores: Zimbabwe 248 all out in 49.5 overs (Hamilton Masakadza 110) v Afghanistan 254-8 in 49.4 overs (Gulbadin Naib 82 not out) Afghanistan won by two wickets In US presidential race, Trump confronts rising rival Cruz The US presidential nominations battle kicks off February 1 in Iowa. Donald Trump leads the Republican race nationally, but in the heartland state, he risks being eclipsed by Senator Ted Cruz, whose rise is bedeviling the billionaire. Gone is the conviviality between the two candidates atop the Republican field vying to take the White House in the 2016 election. Trump has dug deep into his file on the Texas senator to wield his latest political weapon: Cruz's birth in Canada 45 years ago, and questions about his rival's eligibility for the presidency. Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump, pictured on January 5, 2016, has raised Ted Cruz's birth in Canada 45 years ago, and questions about his rival's eligibility for the presidency Scott Eisen (Getty/AFP) In an interview Tuesday with the Washington Post, Trump appeared to jump at the chance to revive the issue -- and perhaps throw Cruz off his game. "Republicans are going to have to ask themselves the question: 'Do we want a candidate who could be tied up in court for two years?' That'd be a big problem," said the 69-year-old Trump. "I'd hate to see something like that get in his way. But a lot of people are talking about it," he added. Cruz declined to take the bait. Pressed on the matter Wednesday on the campaign trail, he expressed confidence that the legal matter has been settled. "People will continue to make political noise about it, but as a legal matter it's quite straightforward," he told reporters. The US Constitution establishes three criteria for presidential eligibility: he or she must be age 35 or older, have resided in the United States for at least 14 years, and be a "natural born citizen." That last clause was left ambiguous, although it excludes naturalized Americans. Several experts believe that Cruz, born in Calgary to an American mother and Cuban father, meets the standard of a natural born US citizen. Cruz cited the precedent of 2008 Republican nominee John McCain, who was born in the Panama Canal Zone, and 1964 standard-bearer Barry Goldwater, born in Arizona before it became a US state. Anticipating possible controversy, Cruz renounced his Canadian citizenship in 2014. Trump and Cruz have sized each other up for months. They occupy the same political lane, portraying themselves as Washington outsiders opposed to the establishment. Cruz, elected in 2012 with support from the grass-roots Tea Party movement, leads Congress's rebellious wing, perpetually accusing his own party's leaders of being too accommodating to President Barack Obama. To date, Cruz has hesitated to clash with Trump, even when the real estate tycoon faced a barrage of criticism from many in his party for his anti-Muslim remarks. In return, during a party debate in December, Trump praised the senator's "wonderful temperament." - Iowa: First test - Cruz has nudged ahead in Iowa among Republican voters, earning 31 percent support versus Trump's 27 percent, according to the RealClearPolitics poll average. It is far from a decisive lead, but enough to trigger Trump's exasperation. Cruz, a steadfast advocate of religious freedom, is a better logical fit for many evangelical conservatives in Iowa. The results of the Iowa caucuses are famously unpredictable. Participation is low, about 20 percent, and most voters settle on their candidate in the final days. The winners of the previous two caucuses, Mike Huckabee in 2008 and Rick Santorum in 2012, ultimately fell by the wayside. For Trump, a defeat in Iowa would dent his image as the undisputed Republican leader. "I'd love to win Iowa. To me, Iowa is very important," he told The Hill. Twelve Republicans remain in the race. Behind Trump and Cruz are Senator Marco Rubio; retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson; New Jersey Governor Chris Christie; and Jeb Bush, son and brother of two presidents. The Democratic race is effectively between favorite Hillary Clinton, 68, and independent Senator Bernie Sanders, 74. Former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley trails in third and is seeking an Iowa miracle. Clinton finished third in Iowa in 2008, behind Obama and John Edwards. Today she stands at 50 percent in Iowa polls, 13 points ahead of Sanders. Her campaign is nonetheless investing considerable time and funds in the Hawkeye State, aware that a poor showing there would mark a terrible start to the year. She has barnstormed Iowa, hosting 69 events over 35 days there, the Des Moines Register said. "I know that if I get off to a good start here in Iowa, we're halfway home," Clinton said Monday in Davenport. Supporters of Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump hold up handmade signs at Stevens High School on January 5, 2016 in Claremont, New Hampshire Scott Eisen (Getty/AFP/File) Luxury goods to visas: North Korea under UN sanctions Four sets of UN sanctions have been imposed on North Korea since it first tested an atomic device in 2006. Here's a look at the sanctions: FOUR RESOLUTIONS This picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on March 26, 2013 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (L) inspecting the landing and anti-landing drills of KPA Large Combined Units 324 and 287 and KPA Navy Combined Unit 597 The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions imposing or strengthening various sanctions on North Korea. Two UN measures were adopted in 2006 and 2009, while two more resolutions were passed in 2013. ARMS EMBARGO The Security Council first imposed an arms embargo and a ban on a range of imports and exports to prevent North Korea from conducting nuclear tests or launching ballistic missiles in October 2006. In June 2009, the ban was extended to all military material, financial transactions and technical training related to the supply and use of arms, nuclear and missile technology. In 2013, that provision was further strengthened to allow countries to seize and destroy material connected to North Korea's weapons programs. TRAVEL, LUXURY GOODS, ASSETS FREEZE A UN sanctions committee was established in 2006 to put together a blacklist of persons and entities deemed to be providing support to North Korea's banned programs. The targeted sanctions provide for a global travel ban, including on family members of those who are blacklisted, and a freeze on their assets. This was extended in 2013 to persons and entities who may have helped North Korea evade sanctions. The latest raft of measures call on all countries to prevent the sale of luxury goods to North Korea, a measure designed to hit Pyongyang's elites. 20 ENTITIES/12 INDIVIDUALS Currently there are 20 entities and 12 individuals on the UN sanctions blacklist. The list was last updated in July 2014 when sanctions were imposed on the Ocean Maritime Management (OMM) company for arranging shipments of concealed arms from Cuba to North Korea in 2013. The North Korean nationals on the blacklist are mostly involved in trading houses and commercial banks, but there is also Atomic Minister Ri Je-Son and the former director of the Yongbyon nuclear research center, Ri Hong-Sop. ARE SANCTIONS EFFECTIVE? Experts and diplomats agree that sanctions have a limited effect and are only one tool in the broader international effort to help North Korea strip away its pariah status. "The resolutions have had some impact, but not a lot," said Roberta Cohen, a North Korea expert at the Brookings think tank in Washington. "Really the elephant in the room is China and what it is willing to do unilaterally as well as in the UN," she told AFP. Cohen argued that big powers at the United Nations need to look beyond sanctions and have a serious discussion about reunification on the Korean peninsula that address China's concerns. Timeline of nuclear North Korea Adrian Leung/John Saeki (AFP) Mexican lawyer visits 'affluenza' teen, will visit again MEXICO CITY (AP) The Mexican lawyer for a Texas teenager who used an "affluenza" defense in a fatal drunken-driving accident in the U.S. met with his client Tuesday, but said he was not at liberty to discuss what they talked about. Attorney Fernando Benitez sat down with his client, Ethan Couch, at the immigration detention center where the teen is being held on the outskirts of Mexico City. Benitez said his client was "fine" and "everything's OK." A guard closes the gate at the entrance gate of the Agujas immigration detention center, where U.S. fugitive Ethan Couch is being detained, in Iztapalapa, Mexico City, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2016. The Texas teen known for using an "affluenza" defense in a fatal drunken-driving accident is being held at a Mexico City immigration detention center. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) He declined to say whether Couch might drop an appeal that has suspended his deportation back to the United States. The attorney said he was "not at liberty to disclose what we talked about," adding that he had received "concrete instructions not to give information to the news media." A vehicle exits the compound of the Agujas immigration detention center, where U.S. fugitive Ethan Couch is being detained in Mexico City, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. The Texas teen known for using an "affluenza" defense in a fatal drunken-driving accident is being held at a Mexico City immigration detention center. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) Vincent Ceron sweeps the entrance of the Agujas immigration detention center, where U.S. fugitive Ethan Couch is being detained in Mexico City, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. The Texas teen known for using an "affluenza" defense in a fatal drunken-driving accident is being held at a Mexico City immigration detention center. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) Wednesday, January 13 Today is Wednesday, Jan. 13, the 13th day of 2016. There are 353 days left in the year. Highlights in history on this date: 1559 - Coronation of Elizabeth I of England. 1794 - U.S. President George Washington approves a measure adding two stars and two stripes to the American flag, following the admission of Vermont and Kentucky to the union. 1813 - British fleet blockades Chesapeake and Delaware bays in United States during the War of 1812. 1822 - Liberal Constitution is adopted in Greece. 1849 - Sikhs are defeated at Chillianwalla in India, but British suffer heavy casualties. 1893 - Britain's Independent Labor Party, a precursor to the current Labor Party, meets for the first time. 1898 - Emile Zola publishes the manifesto 'J'accuse,' an attack on the anti-Semitism in France that sent Jewish army officer Alfred Dreyfus to prison. 1915 - South African troops occupy Swakopmund in German South-West Africa; Earthquake in central Italy kills 30,000 people. 1935 - Saar votes to return to Germany after being administered by France under League of Nations supervision. 1945 - Soviet forces begin offensive in Silesia, Germany, now mostly part of Poland, in World War II. 1959 - Belgium grants reforms in Belgian Congo following disturbances. 1967 - Gnassingbe Eyadema, now a lieutenant colonel, seizes power in Togo in a bloodless coup. 1982 - An Air Florida 737 crashes into a bridge after takeoff and falls into the Potomac River, killing 78 people. 1987 - An employee of the Dupont Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is charged with setting a New Year's Eve fire that killed 96 people and injured more than 140 others. 1988 - Taiwanese President Chiang Ching-Kuo dies of heart attack at age 77. 1991 - Lithuanian television station in Kaunas is seized by Soviet paratroopers in brutal assault that leaves 14 people dead. 1993 - Former East German leader Erich Honecker flies to Chile as a free man after his trial for manslaughter ends because of his ill health. He dies a year later. 1995 - A fast moving passenger train rams into a stationary train in Bangladesh, killing 39 people. 1999 - The chief of Brazil's Central Bank, Gustavo Franco, unexpectedly resigns and his successor devalues the currency by 8 percent, roiling world financial markets. 2000 - Microsoft chairman Bill Gates promotes company president Steve Ballmer to chief executive officer. 2001 - In a rare disclosure, China says it has punished 242 organizers of the Falun Gong spiritual movement and sent an undisclosed number of followers to labor camps during an 18-month-old crackdown. 2007 - A military tribunal in Italy convicts 10 former members of the Nazi SS in the 1944 slaughter of more than 700 people near Bologna the worst civilian massacre in Italy during World War II. The 10 receive life sentences for murder, while seven others are acquitted. 2008 - China's government reports that the country has closed more than 11,000 small coal mines as part of a two-year-old safety crackdown aimed at stemming the industry's high death toll. 2012 - Ratings agency Standard & Poor's deals a setback to Europe's ability to fight off a worsening debt crisis by downgrading the government debt of France, Italy, Spain and Austria. But it keeps Germany's at the coveted AAA level. 2013 - A Cairo appeals court overturns Hosni Mubarak's life sentence and orders a retrial of the former Egyptian president for failing to prevent the killing of hundreds of protesters during the 2011 uprising that toppled his regime. 2015 Charlie Hebdo's defiant new issue sells out before dawn around Paris in a city still shaken by the deaths of 17 people, many of them staffers at the satirical weekly newspaper, at the hands of Islamic extremists. Antoinette Bourignon, Flemish mystic (1616-1680); Prosper Jolyot de Crebillion, French dramatist (1674-1762); Pietro Metastasio, Italian poet (1698-1782); Charles Nelson Reilly, U.S actor (1931-2007); Richard Moll, U.S. actor (1943--); Kevin Anderson, U.S. actor (1960--); Julia Louis-Dreyfus, U.S. actress (1961--); Orlando Bloom, British actor (1977--). Thought for Today: Cruz downplays Trump raising concerns over Canadian birth SIOUX CENTER, Iowa (AP) Ted Cruz tried to make a joke Tuesday out of Republican presidential rival Donald Trump raising questions about whether the Texas senator's birth in Canada could be a liability if he becomes the GOP's nominee. Trump told the Washington Post in an interview published Tuesday that Cruz's Canadian birthplace and his holding a double passport was a "very precarious" issue that "a lot of people are talking about." Trump has ramped up his attacks on Cruz since the Texas senator sprinted ahead of the billionaire businessman in some opinion surveys in early-voting Iowa. Cruz, in response to questions about Trump's comments, said the best way to respond was to laugh it off and "move on to the issues that matter." He first reacted on Twitter, posting a link to a video from the 1970s television show "Happy Days" showing the character Fonzie water skiing over a shark. The moment, known as "jumping the shark," has come to refer to the use of a gimmick to halt the decline of a television show or other effort. Republican Presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas talks to a reporter while standing with supporter Court Oviatt of Logan, Iowa, after a campaign speech at the public library in Onawa, Iowa, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) "What the American people are interested in is not bickering and back and forth," Cruz told reporters before a town hall in Sioux Center that drew hundreds of people. Cruz was concluding the second day of a six-day swing through Iowa before the Feb. 1 caucuses, while Trump was holding a rally in New Hampshire. The U.S. Constitution says only a "natural born Citizen" may be president. Legal scholars, however, generally agree the description covers foreign-born children of U.S. parents. Cruz was born in Calgary, Alberta, in 1970 while his parents were working in the oil business there. His mother, Eleanor, is from Delaware, while his father, Rafael, is a Cuban who became a U.S. citizen in 2005. Cruz has said that because his mother is a citizen by birth, he is also one. Under U.S. law, anyone born to a U.S. citizen is granted citizenship no matter where the birth takes place. Cruz renounced his Canadian citizenship in 2014, amid speculation he was preparing for a presidential run, less than a year after he his birth certificate. But that didn't stop Trump from raising the issue Tuesday. "Republicans are going to have to ask themselves the question: 'Do we want a candidate who could be tied up in court for two years?' That'd be a big problem," Trump said in The Washington Post interview. "It'd be a very precarious one for Republicans because he'd be running and the courts may take a long time to make a decision. You don't want to be running and have that kind of thing over your head." Trump was one of the loudest voices questioning whether President Obama was born in Kenya and thus not eligible to be U.S. president. Obama is an American citizen; his father was Kenyan, his mother American. Previous foreign-born Americans notably Republicans John McCain and George Romney have run for president with some mention, but no serious challenges, of their eligibility. The comments mark a reversal for Trump, who in September downplayed Cruz's birthplace in an interview with ABC. "I hear it was checked out by every attorney and every which way and I understand Ted is in fine shape," he told the network then. But Trump has been ratcheting up his attacks on Cruz in recent weeks. Trump first unleashed a verbal assault on Cruz in December at an event in Des Moines where he questioned Cruz's evangelical faith. "I do like Ted Cruz, but not a lot of evangelicals come out of Cuba," he said of the country where Cruz's father, an evangelical preacher, was born. Trump didn't mention the issue or Cruz by name at a rally in Claremont, New Hampshire on Tuesday evening, but did accuse him of stealing his plan to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. "Then the other day I head for the first time, a nice guy, so I'm not going to mention it, but one of the candidates said, 'And we'll build a wall,'" said Trump. "I said what?" "Shouldn't he give me some credit?" he asked, returning to the issue. "Politicians do not give credit. I've just learned that over the last few months." Trump then vowed that his wall would be built better, bigger, stronger and cheaper. ___ Colvin reported from Claremont, New Hampshire. ___ Follow Scott Bauer on Twitter at https://twitter.com/sbauerAP and find more of his work at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/scott-bauer Chicago's law department under review after police scandal CHICAGO (AP) Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel was on the defensive again Tuesday, dealing with the fallout from a judge's opinion accusing a top city lawyer of hiding evidence in another case involving a fatal police shooting. Unlike the earlier setbacks that dealt with the actions of police officers, though, this one involves the work of the city's law department, where attorneys map strategies for dealing with lawsuits against the police force. At a news conference, Emanuel repeated his call for "zero tolerance" for a city employee not holding professional standards, "especially an individual representing the city in a courtroom." But attorneys for people who have accused the police department of wrongdoing allege that the case shows the city plays a role in covering up for police misconduct. Sharon Fairley, acting head of the Independent Police Review Authority, speaks at a news conference, Monday, Jan. 4, 2016, in Chicago. The head of a city watchdog that investigates Chicago police shootings pledged greater transparency as the agency does its work, while at the time Monday a federal judge blasted the citys legal arm for trying to conceal evidence in one police shooting. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford) "It shows the city hasn't just fought to protect officers; it also fights tooth and nail to protect its lawyers," said Steve Greenberg, an attorney for the family of Darius Pinex, a black man shot and killed by police during a 2011 traffic stop in Chicago. "I don't think they cared that (Pinex) got killed, they didn't care what the truth was and they didn't care they cheated (with the evidence)." Emanuel has been on his heels since the November release of video showing a police officer shooting a black teenager 16 times, and has been trying to restore confidence in his leadership while quelling calls for him to resign. Prosecutors charged the white officer with first-degree murder in the 2014 death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald hours before dashcam video went out. But that, the ouster of the police superintendent and Emanuel's promises of reforms haven't quieted his critics. In Pinex's case, the officers who stopped his car testified that they did so because it matched a car involved in a shooting they had heard about over their police radio. They said they shot Pinex after he refused their orders and put his car in reverse. But records later emerged showing that the officers weren't listening to the channel broadcasting the radio traffic about the car involved in the earlier shooting. In his ruling Monday in a lawsuit brought by Pinex's relatives, U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang said a city attorney "intentionally concealed" that evidence. Emanuel didn't specify Tuesday what steps he'll take in light of the accusations against the city attorney, Jordan Marsh, who resigned after Monday's opinion was handed down. Nor would he say whether he would order a full review of Marsh's work, noting that his top legal adviser, Stephen Patton "is going through the pieces right now in that area." Torreya L. Hamilton, a private lawyer, said Chang also sanctioned the city's law department for not being forthcoming with evidence in a case in which she was helping represent a man who accused police of false arrest and an illegal search. She said the problem is bigger than a single city lawyer going astray. "There is a culture there of, 'We are protecting the good guys, police, against bad guys and so we should be able to bend the rules to protect them," said Hamilton. "I have seen time and time again that (city lawyers) are not held to the same rules." There is no indication that Emanuel's job is in immediate jeopardy, but he continues to face protests and criticism over the police issues. On Monday, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner said he was "very disappointed" with the way the Democratic mayor has handled police misconduct cases and that, if given the opportunity, he would sign off on legislation that would let voters try to recall the mayor. Emanuel said he won't step down and currently there is no law that allows for him to be recalled. And the calls for his resignation have largely come from grassroots activists and residents, not from the city's political powerbrokers. ___ Associated Press writer Michael Tarm contributed to this story. Sharon Fairley, acting head of the Independent Police Review Authority, speaks at a news conference, Monday, Jan. 4, 2016, in Chicago. The head of a city watchdog that investigates Chicago police shootings pledged greater transparency as the agency does its work, while at the time Monday a federal judge blasted the citys legal arm for trying to conceal evidence in one police shooting. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford) Haiti election chief says runoff can be held Jan 24 PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) Haiti's election chief said Tuesday night that Jan. 24 will be the new date for presidential and legislative runoff votes after meeting with other members of the country's much-criticized Provisional Electoral Council. President Michel Martelly had announced last week that the elections council was warning that the runoffs must be held by Jan. 17 at the latest to fulfill the constitutional mandate of inaugurating a new president Feb. 7. But in a Monday letter to Martelly, council chief Pierre-Louis Opont said more time was needed to organize the already once-postponed runoffs, writing that 12 days of preparation "will not be sufficient." FILE - In this Nov. 11, 2015 file photo, protesters step on a campaign poster promoting presidential candidate Jovenel Moise, during a demonstration against official preliminary election results, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The special election commission confirmed on Sunday, Jan. 3 2016, that irregularities where committed during the first round presidential elections and made recommendations to guarantee the transparency of the next electoral round that will take place on Jan. 17. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery, File) Then Tuesday evening, Opont said in a new letter to Martelly that he could "guarantee" the council would be able to organize the final election round a week later. The United Nations, the U.S. government and representatives of other nations making up the "Core Group" that monitors Haiti have urged state institutions and political actors to "take all steps necessary to ensure a peaceful transfer of power to a newly elected president" by the Feb. 7 deadline. U.S. State Department Counselor Thomas Shannon and the U.S. special coordinator for Haiti planned to visit the country Wednesday. A U.N. statement said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was concerned about the "prolonged election process" and urged Haitians to ensure it was "concluded as soon as possible in a transparent, inclusive and credible manner." The political fighting and seesawing dates for the final round was met with exasperation by furniture maker Henri Alcime, who said he had little faith in any Haitian office-seeker but still intended to vote. "What kind of country changes election dates like this? Tomorrow they could say they changed their mind again," Alcime said with a sigh as he secured wooden chairs and headstands for the night at his streetside business in a hillside neighborhood of Petionville. If there was another delay, a transitional government might have to be formed in the impoverished country where elections are never easy and allegations of vote manipulation are common. That is precisely what the Group of Eight opposition alliance, comprising second-place finisher Jude Celestin and seven other presidential candidates, is demanding. The group wants the members of the Provisional Electoral Council to resign over what it says is corruption and vote-rigging. It also says a transitional government is needed to complete the electoral process in a fair and transparent way. It's not clear if a political compromise can be reached to get Celestin to participate in the runoff campaign. He has called the official results putting him in second place behind government-backed candidate Jovenel Moise a "ridiculous farce" and refused to campaign. He has also stayed mum in recent weeks, leaving other Group of Eight members to issue statements and talk to the press. A commission that recently evaluated Haiti's electoral process and was meant to provide clarity about the Oct. 25 first-round presidential vote has done little to clear up Haiti's election muddle since it issued its recommendations over the weekend. While the commission's report said the contest between 54 candidates was "stained by irregularities" even as it did not have the ability or time to sufficiently probe fraud allegations, a panel spokesman later said most of the irregularities had to do with the ineptitude of poll workers. The commission also said the October vote showed "clearly that the electoral institution no longer enjoys the credibility that permits it to continue with the process without the danger of sinking the country into a still-more-serious crisis." Yet commission spokesman Rosny Desroches said Monday that the runoff could still reasonably be held this month if various improvements were made. Elections held in early August and late October have been the first votes during Martelly's tenure. Despite pressure from the U.N., the United States and elsewhere, previous efforts to hold legislative and local votes were snarled by bitter infighting between the executive and legislative branches. ___ Defense: Evidence in Chinatown racketeering case is flimsy SAN FRANCISCO (AP) An attorney for a man accused of murder and racketeering in a San Francisco Chinatown organized crime investigation railed Tuesday against federal prosecutors for using what he called secret surveillance and shady witnesses. Tony Serra, lead attorney for defendant Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow, said in his closing argument that the prosecution case was built on "shadows of evidence, the echoes of evidence." The case could go to jurors later in the day. CORRECTS TO REMOVE REFERENCE OF CHINESE FRATERNAL GROUP- J. Tony Serra, lead attorney for Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow, center, speaks to reporters Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, at the Phillip Burton Federal Building in San Francisco. The trial of Chow, a man charged with murder and racketeering in an organized crime investigation centered in San Francisco's Chinatown is headed to a jury. Defense attorney Curtis Briggs is seen at right, and student intern Patrick Stefek on left. (AP Photo/Janie Har) Chow was charged in an investigation involving an undercover federal agent posing as a member of an East Coast crime syndicate. Chow took the witness stand during the trial, saying he was innocent of the charges and had previously renounced his life of crime. Prosecutors have accused Chow of taking over a Chinese fraternal group with criminal ties after having its previous leader killed and running an enterprise that engaged in drug trafficking, money laundering and sales of stolen cigarettes and alcohol. He is also alleged to have conspired to kill another gang rival. Serra a flamboyant and well-known defense lawyer derided the prosecution's evidence as flimsy, saying it was based on secret recordings and shady testimony from Chow's former colleagues. "These are snakes," he told jurors. "Would you believe a talking snake? You will not, no one will." During her closing argument in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, federal prosecutor Susan Badger urged jurors to disregard claims that Chow was a changed man, saying deception was part of his nature. "He is not the victim here," Badger said during her nearly four-hour presentation. "He is not the world's most misunderstood criminal." The undercover FBI agent testified that he spent hours with Chow and people connected to him at fancy restaurants and nightclubs, recording many of their conversations. The agent, who testified under a pseudonym to protect his identity, said Chow tried to distance himself from any criminal activity during the probe but repeatedly accepted money after introducing the agent to money launderers. The probe led to the indictment of more than two dozen people in 2014 and the racketeering conviction of state Sen. Leland Yee. Chow testified to dealing drugs and getting involved in a street gang but said he decided to renounce criminal activity after engaging in meditation. He denied involvement in the slayings and said the agent gave him the money because the agent was looking out for him, not in exchange for criminal activity. The Latest: UN agency says nuclear test is breach of treaty SEOUL, South Korea (AP) The latest on the North Korean announcement it has conducted a hydrogen bomb test (all times local): ___ 1:45 p.m. In this Oct. 10, 2015, file photo, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gestures as he watches a military parade in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea said on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, it has conducted a hydrogen bomb test. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File) The head of the U.N. Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization, which monitors worldwide for nuclear testing, says if confirmed, a nuclear test by North Korea would be a breach of the treaty and a grave threat to international peace and security. Lassina Zerbo says in a statement that the universally accepted norm against nuclear testing has been respected by 183 countries since 1996. Zerbo urged North Korea to refrain from further nuclear testing and join the 183 states who have signed the treaty. George Jahn, Vienna ___ 1:40 p.m. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the North Korean announcement of a hydrogen bomb test is a threat to his nation's safety. Abe told reporters: "We absolutely cannot allow this, and condemn it strongly." He called it a violation of the U.N. Security Council agreements that is against the global efforts toward nuclear disarmament. Abe says he will take "strong action," work with other nations, the U.S., South Korea, China and Russia, as well as through the U.N. Yuri Kageyama, Tokyo ___ 1:25 p.m. The U.N. organization monitoring the world for signs of nuclear testing says it has detected "an unusual event in the Korean Peninsula." The head of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization Lassina Zerbo says in a statement: "Our International Monitoring System detected an unusual seismic event in the Korean Peninsula at latitude 41.27 longitude 129.10." The location on the map places the epicenter at North Korea's Pyunggye-ri testing site in its northeastern mountains, where all of its nuclear tests have been conducted. North Korea said Wednesday it had conducted a hydrogen bomb test, which, if confirmed, would put Pyongyang a big step closer toward improving its still-limited nuclear arsenal. George Jahn, Vienna Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks to journalists at his official residence in Tokyo after North Korea said it had conducted a hydrogen bomb test, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. A television anchor read a typically propaganda-heavy statement on state TV that said North Korea had tested a "miniaturized" hydrogen bomb, elevating the country's "nuclear might to the next level" and providing it with a weapon to defend against the United States and its other enemies. (Kyodo News via AP) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT In this image made from video from KRT, North Korean state broadcaster, a North Korean man speaks during a broadcast aired on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. North Korea says it has conducted a hydrogen bomb test. The surprise announcement that complicates already difficult efforts to curb the country's push for a working nuclear arsenal. (KRT via AP Video) The Latest: US can't confirm N. Korea nuke test SEOUL, South Korea (AP) The latest on the North Korean announcement it has conducted a hydrogen bomb test (all times local): ___ 2:25 p.m. In this Oct. 10, 2015, file photo, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gestures as he watches a military parade in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea said on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, it has conducted a hydrogen bomb test. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File) The White House says it can't confirm a North Korean nuclear test, but said it would condemn such a test as a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. North Korea said Wednesday it has conducted a hydrogen bomb test a move that would put the country a step closer toward improving its still-limited nuclear arsenal. National Security Council spokesman Ned Price says the U.S. is "aware of seismic activity on the Korean Peninsula in the vicinity of a known North Korean nuclear test site and have seen Pyongyang's claims of a nuclear test." He calls on North Korea to abide by its international obligations and commitments and said the U.S. consistently made clear that it will not accept North Korea as a nuclear state and will continue to defend U.S. allies in the region. ___ 2:10 p.m. Crowds dressed in thick winter coats have gathered outside a large video screen near a Pyongyang train station to cheer and take video and photos on their mobile phones of the state TV anchor announcing the country had carried out a nuclear test. Some people raised their hands and applauded. Many smiled and cheered. ___ 2 p.m. South Korea says it will consult with allies and regional powers to get North Korea to face the consequences of the nuclear test it said it had carried out, such as additional U.N. sanctions. Presidential security official Cho Tae-yong says: "We strongly condemn" the North's fourth bomb test. He says North Korea must abide by U.N. resolutions that require the country to scrap its nuclear and ballistic missile programs completely and irreversibly. South Korea's Defense Ministry also says it is bolstering security and monitoring on North Korea. Hyunh-jin Kim, Seoul, South Korea ___ 1:45 p.m. The head of the U.N. Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization, which monitors worldwide for nuclear testing, says if confirmed, a nuclear test by North Korea would be a breach of the treaty and a grave threat to international peace and security. Lassina Zerbo says in a statement that the universally accepted norm against nuclear testing has been respected by 183 countries since 1996. Zerbo urged North Korea to refrain from further nuclear testing and join the 183 states who have signed the treaty. George Jahn, Vienna ___ 1:40 p.m. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the North Korean announcement of a hydrogen bomb test is a threat to his nation's safety. Abe told reporters: "We absolutely cannot allow this, and condemn it strongly." He called it a violation of the U.N. Security Council agreements that is against the global efforts toward nuclear disarmament. Abe says he will take "strong action," work with other nations, the U.S., South Korea, China and Russia, as well as through the U.N. Yuri Kageyama, Tokyo ___ 1:25 p.m. The U.N. organization monitoring the world for signs of nuclear testing says it has detected "an unusual event in the Korean Peninsula." The head of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization Lassina Zerbo says in a statement: "Our International Monitoring System detected an unusual seismic event in the Korean Peninsula at latitude 41.27 longitude 129.10." The location on the map places the epicenter at North Korea's Pyunggye-ri testing site in its northeastern mountains, where all of its nuclear tests have been conducted. North Korea said Wednesday it had conducted a hydrogen bomb test, which, if confirmed, would put Pyongyang a big step closer toward improving its still-limited nuclear arsenal. George Jahn, Vienna Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks to journalists at his official residence in Tokyo after North Korea said it had conducted a hydrogen bomb test, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. A television anchor read a typically propaganda-heavy statement on state TV that said North Korea had tested a "miniaturized" hydrogen bomb, elevating the country's "nuclear might to the next level" and providing it with a weapon to defend against the United States and its other enemies. (Kyodo News via AP) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT In this image made from video from KRT, North Korean state broadcaster, a North Korean man speaks during a broadcast aired on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. North Korea says it has conducted a hydrogen bomb test. The surprise announcement that complicates already difficult efforts to curb the country's push for a working nuclear arsenal. (KRT via AP Video) Palestinian wave of violence marked by increased female role NABLUS, West Bank (AP) When Palestinian youths began a wave of grassroots and often suicidal stabbing attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians several months ago, it wasn't his three sons that Ramiz Hassoneh was worried about it was his daughter. Ignoring her father's warnings, 20-year-old Maram took a kitchen knife to an Israeli military checkpoint on Dec. 1 and was shot dead as she tried to attack the soldiers, according to the Israeli military. The deadly mission put her among some 20 young females who have been involved in attacks on Israelis in recent months a new trend that has confounded both Palestinian families and Israeli security officials. While battling Israel was once a role restricted to Palestinian men and boys, the current wave of violence has seen an unprecedented spike in female involvement. And where the few women who did engage in attacks in the past were typically underprivileged females seeking redemption after being rejected by their families, the attackers are now largely ideological, educated women from supportive homes. In this Monday, Dec. 28, 2015 photo, Hanan Hassoneh, 45, holds a photo of her daughter Maram, in the West Bank city of Nablus. Maram, a top English student at An-Najah University and a devout Muslim, was shot and killed when she tried to stab Israeli soldiers at a West Bank checkpoint on Dec. 1, 2015. Arabic reads, "the martyr hero Maram Hassoneh, stabbing operation at Anab checkpoint." (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed) Palestinians consider the trend to be a combination of rising Islamist zeal, the growing role of women in the conservative society and the brewing desperation of a younger generation with few prospects. In Maram's case, her family said she had a burning drive to resist the Israeli occupation somehow. A top English student at An-Najah University and a devout Muslim, Maram was deeply troubled by TV images showing the death of young Palestinians killed in attacks and clashes with Israel. She had memorized the entire Quran and cited religious and nationalistic motives for her desire to strike at Israelis. Unlike her younger brothers, who busied themselves with daily life, her father said Maram was an independent thinker who couldn't be swayed from her convictions, even after serving six months in prison for another unsuccessful stabbing attempt on a soldier two years earlier. "Girls are more sensitive to the occupation. They are more emotional about these things," said Hassoneh, sitting in his Nablus home under a large poster of his late daughter wearing a headscarf. "She believed that she would inspire the boys to do something ... She looked at me and said: 'When our men who sit in coffee shop see (a girl) killed, they will move.'" His wife, Hanan, sitting next to him with a gold necklace featuring Maram's image, said her sorrow was mixed with pride. "I'm happy she is a martyr, but I miss her a lot," she said. Since the violence erupted in mid-September, 21 Israelis and an American Jew have been killed, mostly in stabbing attacks carried out by young Palestinians in their late teens or 20s. Many attackers were doomed to failure from the start, armed with only crude weapons such as knives, scissors and potato peelers. At least 132 Palestinians have been killed, of whom 11 were women. Israel has identified 91 of the Palestinians killed as attackers; the rest died in clashes with Israeli troops. Israel says the violence is the result of incitement by Palestinian leaders and on social media sites. The Palestinians say it stems from frustration over nearly 50 years of occupation, failed peace talks and continued Israeli settlement construction. In previous rounds of violence, women were expected to stay home while the boys fought. But women's increased presence online, where most of the rallying cries to violence take place, and general advancement in society have emboldened many to partake in the "national struggle," said Jihad Harb, a Palestinian researcher and commentator. "Social media has opened a new horizon for the new generation. They interact and build their thoughts in a new way that gives girls the same chances of boys," he said. The Israeli military says that of 152 attacks recorded, 22 were by women. It attributed the rise to a new, bolder generation of Palestinian women that did not belong to the established military organizations and did not ask for anyone's permission to act. One of the most notable incidents involved a pair of cousins, aged 16 and 14, who stabbed an elderly Palestinian, mistaking him for an Israeli, with a pair of scissors near a popular Jerusalem marketplace. Security camera footage captured a police officer shooting one of them dead and wounding the other. Ibrahim Awwad, the father of 16-year-old Norhan, who was wounded, said he was shocked by their botched attack and could only speculate that they were driven by the daily life in the Qalandia refugee camp north of Jerusalem, where they often woke to the sounds of shootings. "If I knew they were going to carry out an attack, I would have tied them up in the house," he said. "But everything was normal. There were no signs." Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that because females didn't fit the typical profile of an attacker, they aroused little suspicion and had an easier time getting around Israeli checkpoints. That has now changed. Hanan Ashrawi, the most senior female Palestinian official, said the surge in attacks reflects an overall more active political approach of the younger generation. She said that Israeli measures had provoked all Palestinians and that women feel "they are just as affected by this reality." Deeper religious devotion was also a factor, she added. Taha Qatanani said his 16-year-old daughter Ashraqat's greatest wish was to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, and when he was unable to get her the necessary permits, she accused him of letting her down. Tensions at the site, the third-holiest in Islam, and rumors that Israel was trying to expand its presence there enraged her, Qatanani said. On Nov. 22, she pulled out a knife at the entrance to a West Bank military base when a settler driving by veered off the road and struck her with his car. A soldier then shot her dead. "As long as there is occupation there will be resistance," said Qatanani, who served several stints in Israeli prisons for his activity in the Islamic Jihad movement. In the family living room on the outskirts of Nablus, there was a makeshift shrine to Ashraqat featuring her image against a backdrop of Al-Aqsa and a wooden carving in her honor with a bloodied knife piercing through a map of historic Palestine. "I would have much more relief if my son had done it," Qatanani said over tea, pointing to 18-year-old Yassin. "My masculine mentality says the man should do it. But I consider the girl doing it a much stronger message ... when it gets to the degree that a girl carries out an attack it means there is nothing else." ____ Follow Heller on Twitter at https://twitter.com/aronhellerap . In this Dec. 28, 2015 photo, Taha Qatanani, 44, and his daughter Ranci, 7, sit near a makeshift shrine to honor their daughter and sister, Ashraqat, featuring her image against a backdrop of the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, in the West Bank city of Nablus. On Nov. 22, 2015, Ashraqat pulled out a knife at the entrance to a West Bank military base when a settler driving by veered off the road and struck her with his car. A soldier then shot and killed her. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed) Death toll rises to 58 in southern China landslide BEIJING (AP) Chinese rescuers have dug out dozens of bodies from a massive landslide that occurred at a construction waste dump in southern China more than two weeks ago, bringing the death toll to 58, authorities said Wednesday. The Shenzhen city government said authorities had identified 52 of the 58 bodies and that an additional 25 people remain missing. In the Dec. 20 disaster, a mountain of construction waste that had been piled up against a hill collapsed during heavy rains onto an industrial park in Shenzhen. The city near Hong Kong makes products ranging from cellphones to cars, and attracts workers from all parts of China. Authorities have arrested 11 people on the charge of negligently causing a serious accident. One local official overseeing the regulations of the construction waste jumped to his death, and senior officials have bowed in public apology over the incident. N. Korea's bomb test further imperils relations with China BEIJING (AP) China sees North Korea's claim to have conducted its first hydrogen bomb test as yet another act of defiance, and will likely retaliate by joining tougher United Nations sanctions and could possibly even impose its own trade restrictions. Wednesday's test was staged close enough to the border to send palpable tremors into northeastern China, prompting schools to be evacuated. The political reverberations in Beijing will likely be just as dramatic, boding ill for a relationship already under strain. "Relations will become colder than ever," said Lu Chao, director of the Border Studies Institute at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences in the northeastern province that borders North Korea. A Chinese paramilitary policeman stands guard outside the North Korean Embassy in Beijing, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. North Korea said it conducted a powerful hydrogen bomb test Wednesday, a defiant and surprising move that, if confirmed, would be a huge jump in Pyongyang's quest to improve its still-limited nuclear arsenal. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) North Korea acted "willfully in disregard of the opposition of the international community, including China, and caused a real threat to the lives of the Chinese people living along the border," Lu said. China's Foreign Ministry said it would summon Pyongyang's ambassador to Beijing to lodge a formal protest, and said environmental officials were monitoring air quality near the border though they had found nothing abnormal so far. "China firmly opposes this nuclear bomb test by North Korea," ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters at a daily briefing. "North Korea should stop taking any actions which would worsen the situation on the Korean Peninsula." Despite its ally status, the North did not inform China of the test beforehand, South Korea's National Intelligence Service said. Lu said he expects China to strictly implement any new U.N. sanctions, as well as take a tougher line on economic cooperation projects in both the public and private sectors. He also expected Chinese companies to shy away from future business with the North, seeing it as an unsafe investment destination. "That will have a huge impact on North Korea's economy," Lu said. At the same time, China has an aversion to any action that might contribute to the collapse of the regime in Pyongyang, on whose behalf China fought in the 1950-53 Korean War. China fears a collapse could bring a wave of refugees and violence surging across the border, along with a possible U.S. military presence in the North. China has signed on to previous rounds of U.N. sanctions, and Chinese officials and scholars have typically said that the country has limited additional leverage to wield against North Korea. "China's attitude is tough, but the means at its disposal are limited," said Jin Qiang, a professor at Yanbian University's Institute of Northeast Asia Studies in Jilin province bordering North Korea. Chinese experts routinely state that Beijing's aid is not as substantial as some in the West imagine. Nor is North Korea's demand for Chinese oil big enough to serve as an effective tool, with other conduits available to Pyongyang, including smuggling on the high seas, Jin said. "It seems that China has been put into a difficult position," Jin said. "All China's efforts are aimed at curbing North Korea to prevent the situation from deteriorating, but they've failed." Relations have cooled notably since Kim Jong Un's ascension to power in 2011, and the reclusive leader has yet to pay a visit to his most important sponsor and ally. Chinese President Xi Jinping is believed to be unwilling to invest much political capital into ties with the North. Recent years have seen ups and downs in relations. China has long been frustrated by the North's refusal to rejoin six-nation nuclear disarmament talks hosted by Beijing, and its insistence on going ahead with missile launches and nuclear tests. The shock 2013 execution of Kim's uncle Jang Song Thaek, who was known to be close to China, was seen as a setback to ties. Kim also was seen by some as snubbing Xi by staying away from a mammoth military parade in Beijing in September marking the end of World War II an event attended by South Korea's President Park Geun-hye. Relations were seen as improving with the appearance of the Communist Party's fifth-ranking leader, Liu Yunshan, at an October military parade in Pyongyang to mark the 70th anniversary of the Workers' Party. In a conspicuous public display of affection, Liu and Kim sat side by side on the observation deck, then clasped hands and raised them aloft like champion athletes as the world's media looked on. Then, in yet another twist, an all-female band formed personally by Kim abruptly left Beijing in December after cancelling its three scheduled concerts in the Chinese capital. China said only that the Moranbang Band's performances were called off "due to communication issues at the working level." Speculation among Korea watchers focused on the possibility that thin-skinned North Koreans were protesting over a perceived slight from the Chinese side, possibly over the song selection or guest list. Public opinion among many ordinary Chinese has hardened against the North, although support remains strong for the government to continue to prop up the North rather than risk chaos and a possible U.S. presence along China's border. Many Chinese are wary of the U.S. military's activities in Asia. ___ Associated Press researcher Yu Bing contributed to this report. A woman cycles past a Chinese paramilitary policemen stand guard outside the North Korean Embassy in Beijing, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. North Korea said it conducted a powerful hydrogen bomb test Wednesday, a defiant and surprising move that, if confirmed, would be a huge jump in Pyongyang's quest to improve its still-limited nuclear arsenal. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) Chinese paramilitary policemen watch journalists gathering outside the North Korean Embassy in Beijing, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. North Korea said it conducted a powerful hydrogen bomb test Wednesday, a defiant and surprising move that, if confirmed, would be a huge jump in Pyongyang's quest to improve its still-limited nuclear arsenal. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) Chinese paramilitary policemen stand guard outside the North Korean Embassy in Beijing, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. North Korea said it conducted a powerful hydrogen bomb test Wednesday, a defiant and surprising move that, if confirmed, would be a huge jump in Pyongyang's quest to improve its still-limited nuclear arsenal. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) A driver is silhouetted as a Chinese paramilitary policeman stands guard outside the North Korean Embassy in Beijing, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. North Korea said it conducted a powerful hydrogen bomb test Wednesday, a defiant and surprising move that, if confirmed, would be a huge jump in Pyongyang's quest to improve its still-limited nuclear arsenal. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) A North Korean national flag flutters in the wind near trees at its embassy in Beijing, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. North Korea said it conducted a powerful hydrogen bomb test Wednesday, a defiant and surprising move that, if confirmed, would be a huge jump in Pyongyang's quest to improve its still-limited nuclear arsenal. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) A North Korean national flag flutters in the wind on the roof of its embassy in Beijing, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. North Korea said it conducted a powerful hydrogen bomb test Wednesday, a defiant and surprising move that, if confirmed, would be a huge jump in Pyongyang's quest to improve its still-limited nuclear arsenal. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) Members of the student group Scholarism hold placards during a protest outside the Liaison of the Central People's Government about the disappearances of booksellers in Hong Kong, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Five men associated with a Hong Kong publisher known for books critical of China's leaders have vanished one by one in the last three months, alarming activists and deepening suspicions that mainland authorities are squeezing free expression in the enclave. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu) Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying speaks during a briefing at the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. North Korea's main ally China said it "firmly opposes" Pyongyang's purported hydrogen bomb test and is monitoring the environment along its border with the North near the test site. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying speaks during a briefing at the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. North Korea's main ally China said it "firmly opposes" Pyongyang's purported hydrogen bomb test and is monitoring the environment along its border with the North near the test site. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) Navy leader says 'nukes' essential to US survival WASHINGTON (AP) In his blueprint for a stronger Navy, the sea service's new top boss, Adm. John M. Richardson, is blunt about what he thinks matters most: nuclear punch. Battling terrorists is today's problem, but in looking toward a farther horizon, Richardson wants a Navy built to counter unpredictable future threats from other countries such as North Korea, which on Wednesday announced its first hydrogen bomb test. No. 1 on Richardson's list is a new fleet of nuclear-armed submarines, known as "boomers," that prowl the oceans as the quiet centerpiece of the nation's nuclear force. The Navy plans to replace the current fleet of 14 Ohio-class boomers, which began service as early as 1981, with 12 next-generation subs. "This is foundational to our survival as a nation," Richardson writes in what he calls his design for the future, released Tuesday. FILE - In this July 30, 2015 file photo, Navy Adm. John Richardson testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. In his blueprint for a stronger Navy, the sea services new top boss, Richardson, is blunt about what he thinks matters most: nuclear punch. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File) It also is a gigantic investment, estimated at $100 billion. Even one of the project's biggest supporters, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., calls the cost "staggering." And it happens to be just one of three efforts by the Pentagon to modernize the U.S. nuclear "triad" - new long-range bomber aircraft, new or upgraded land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles and new missile-toting submarines. The price tag for these, plus related upgrades and replacements, is likely to approach $348 billion by 2024, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Richardson acknowledges the expense but argues it is part of the cost of doing business on the world stage. "From a security standpoint in this day and age, a world-class nuclear capability" is required to be considered a great power, he said Dec. 31 in an Associated Press interview. Without it, "we could be threatened or coerced by another nation who could hold this nuclear threat over our heads," he added. Russia and China are both modernizing their nuclear forces, although not every expert agrees that this alone justifies the United States following suit, at huge expense. William J. Perry, defense secretary from 1994 to 1997, says the U.S. can adequately deter a nuclear attack with a slimmed down force of nuclear bombers and nuclear-armed submarines. He favors scrapping the Air Force's land-based missiles, or ICBMs. Others say a combination of ICBMs and subs would be the right mix. In almost any proposed arrangement, the submarines would be part of the mix. That is because they are easily the least vulnerable to targeting by an enemy force, since they are nearly undetectable while on undersea patrol. Richardson took over as the Navy's chief of naval operations, its top job, in September after three years as head of naval nuclear propulsion programs, meaning he was responsible for the nuclear reactors that propel submarines and aircraft carriers, but not for the Navy's nuclear weapons. He is a career submariner. His focus on the Navy's nuclear future may seem surprising at a time when the military's agenda is dominated by the threat posed by the Islamic State and other terrorist groups, which are not in the nuclear game and may not be deterred by U.S. nuclear weapons. The Navy plays several roles in countering terrorist threats, including launching airstrikes from aircraft carriers, flying aerial reconnaissance missions and providing Navy SEAL teams as part of the military special operations forces in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the greater Middle East. Richardson says the Navy must stay fully involved in countering terrorism, but he is convinced that it must also maintain a nuclear arsenal second to none. Like most new service chiefs, Richardson spent his early weeks on the job developing a document that outlines his view of the service's future. At the top of his list of ways the Navy must strengthen its combat power is the nuclear challenge, which he defines as maintaining and modernizing the nuclear submarine force. He also cites international terrorist groups as a long-term threat to security and stability around the world, and he worries about North Korea making new advances in its nuclear weapons and missile programs. Pyongyang's claim Wednesday that it had tested an "H-bomb of justice" was met with skepticism, but the test likely pushed North Korea's scientists and engineers closer to their goal of building a warhead small enough to place on a missile that can reach the U.S. mainland. On Iran, Richardson says the nuclear deal that the U.S. and other world powers made with Tehran "may curb its nuclear weapons ambitions," but the government there still poses threats in other ways, including with advanced missiles. He says the Navy also is challenged by an accelerating range of technological change, including advances in genetic science and artificial intelligence. "Our competitors are moving quickly, and our adversaries are bent on leaving us swirling in their wake," he wrote. He mentions Russia and China as well as North Korea. Amid this change, the U.S. faces a "return to great power competition" for the first time in 25 years, he says, with China seeking to develop a global reach and Russia asserting itself militarily, not just with its occupation of Crimea and incursion into eastern Ukraine but also its tough talk. "Their goals are backed by a growing arsenal of high-end warfighting capabilities, many of which are focused specifically on our vulnerabilities," he wrote. This is where nuclear weapons come in, Richardson says. The current fleet of Ohio-class submarines, armed with Trident II missiles and based at King's Bay, Georgia, and Bangor, Washington, has already exceeded its projected 30-year lifespan. Congress sends health law repeal to Obama for first time WASHINGTON (AP) The GOP-led Congress sent legislation to President Barack Obama Wednesday repealing his signature health law, fulfilling a promise to Republican voters in a presidential election year but inviting a certain veto. The nearly party-line vote in the House was 240-181. The legislation already passed the Senate last year under special rules protecting it from Democratic obstruction, so it goes straight to the White House. Republicans boasted of a signal achievement, saying they were forcing Obama to face up to the failures of his law while illustrating the stark political choices voters face. House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis. talks to reporters as Congress begins the new year on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. After dozens of failed attempts to undo President Barack Obama's health care law, the GOP-led Congress will finally put a bill on the president's desk striking at the heart of his signature legislative achievement. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) "We are confronting the president with the hard, honest truth," said Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. "Obamacare doesn't work." Democrats called it pointless political theater that will have the same ultimate outcome as the 61 previous repeal votes that were blocked in the Senate, since Obama will veto the legislation. "A bill that is going to the White House, that will get the fastest veto we've ever seen happen in this country, is a monumental vote?" said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass. "This is just a waste of everyone's time." Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton has decried the repeal legislation while leading GOP candidates applauded it. Ryan and other GOP leaders acknowledged it will take a Republican president to get rid of the law. But they said that is the point. "It is our opportunity as Republicans to lay out the choice for the American people," said Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington. Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California predicted that a Republican president will be in the White House next year and Congress will pass the repeal legislation again, "but we won't have to worry about a veto from the White House." For maximum visibility Republican leaders made the legislation, which also cuts federal funding for Planned Parenthood, their first major vote of 2016. Although they don't command sufficient votes to override a presidential veto, they hope to schedule the override vote to coincide with the Jan. 22 March for Life in Washington commemorating the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. Yet Ryan hedged when asked whether the House will ever vote on a GOP replacement to Obamacare. Ryan has pledged that the House will come up with its own plan this year, something the GOP has repeatedly promised but failed to do in the nearly six years since the law's enactment. But he said details such as whether this plan will actually come to a vote have not been determined. "Nothing's been decided yet," Ryan said. "Just wait." Three Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the repeal bill: Reps. Robert Dold of Illinois, and Richard Hanna and John Katko of New York. One Democrat voted for it: Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota. The bill would dismantle the health law's key pillars, including requirements that most people obtain coverage and larger employers offer it to workers. It would eliminate the expansion of Medicaid coverage to additional lower-income people and the government's subsidies for many who buy policies on newly created insurance marketplaces. And it would end taxes the law imposed to cover its costs. More than 16 million Americans have gained health coverage since the law was enacted, according to government figures. They could risk losing it under the GOP approach. Republicans argue the health law has driven up costs and hurt consumers, and they promise "patient-centered" solutions in its place. The bill would also terminate the roughly $450 million yearly in federal dollars that go to Planned Parenthood, about a third of its budget. A perennial target of conservatives, the group came under intensified GOP pressure last year over providing fetal tissue for research. Planned Parenthood officials and Democratic lawmakers accused Republicans in floor debate of attacking women's health. Republicans, in turn, took to the floor to critique Planned Parenthood in graphic terms, accusing the group of killing babies. Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., chairman of the House Budget Committee and a physician, appears before the Rules Committee, joined at right by Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., a member of the House Budget Committee, as he sponsors legislation that would repeal President Barack Obama's signature health care law, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. The legislation will be the first order of business as the House returns for the holiday break and will mark the first time a bill repealing the health law makes it all the way to the White House. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Rep. Rob Woodall, R-Ga., offers his criticisms of the Affordable Care Act as the House Rules Committee prepares legislation that would repeal President Barack Oabma's signature health care law, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. The legislation will be the first order of business as the House returns for the holiday break and will mark the first time a bill repealing the health law makes it all the way to the White House. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee, voices her objections as the GOP-led panel prepares legislation that would repeal President Barack Oabma's signature health care law, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. The legislation will be the first order of business as the House returns for the holiday break and will mark the first time a bill repealing the health law makes it all the way to the White House. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Questions and answers about Obama's executive plan on guns WASHINGTON (AP) President Barack Obama's plan to strengthen controls on guns in the U.S. is meeting swift resistance from gun rights groups, Republicans and even a few Democrats who say it's up to Congress to enact new policies on firearms. Yet the overall effect on gun violence could prove to be relatively small. Some questions and answers about Obama's presidential actions on gun control: ___ President Barack Obama, joined by Vice President Joe Biden and gun violence victims, pauses as he speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, about steps his administration is taking to reduce gun violence. Also on stage are stakeholders, and individuals whose lives have been impacted by the gun violence. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) WHAT ACTION IS OBAMA TAKING? Obama announced a 10-point plan to try to keep guns from people who shouldn't have them. The centerpiece is new federal guidance that seeks to clarify who is "in the business" of selling firearms and has to get a federal license. Licensed dealers must run background checks on prospective buyers, but private sellers don't. Obama is aiming to narrow that loophole so that more firearms sold at gun shows, flea markets or online are subject to background checks. Other steps include 230 new examiners the FBI will hire to process background checks. And Obama is directing federal agencies to research smart gun technology to reduce accidental shootings and asking Congress for $500 million for mental health care. Further steps aim to better track lost guns and prevent trusts or corporations from buying dangerous weapons without background checks. ___ I SELL A FEW GUNS FROM TIME TO TIME. DO I NEED TO REGISTER? There's no cut-and-dry answer. The new guidance says if your "principal motive" is profit, you're a dealer, but if you occasionally sell guns from your personal collection, you're not. Someone who only sells at gun shows or online can still be a dealer. There's no specific number of guns that triggers a requirement to register. But the Justice Department is warning sellers that courts have convicted people for dealing without a license even when they've sold as few as two guns. It's up to individuals to look at the guidance and determine whether they need a license. The penalties for making the wrong call are steep: up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for those who deal firearms without a license. If you're not sure, you can contact the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. ___ WOULD THIS HAVE STOPPED RECENT MASS SHOOTINGS? Probably not. An Associated Press review shows that Obama's executive actions would have had no impact in keeping weapons from suspects in several of the deadliest incidents, including Newtown, Connecticut; San Bernardino, California; and Aurora, Colorado. The shooters in Newtown and San Bernardino, for example, used weapons purchased by other people. Obama's actions could potentially reduce other gun deaths especially suicides, which cause two-thirds of gun deaths. But it's unclear whether the steps will significantly curb unregulated gun sales. Millions of guns are sold annually in informal settings outside of gun shops, including many through private sales arranged online. The Obama administration acknowledged it couldn't quantify how many gun sales would be newly subjected to background checks. Nor could it say how many currently unregistered gun sellers would have to obtain a license. ___ WHY NOW? Obama is running out of time. With barely a year left in his presidency, he has to act quickly to roll out new policies, especially if he wants them to become ingrained and harder to rescind when the next president takes over. After the Newtown shooting, Obama in 2013 sought far-reaching, bipartisan legislation that went beyond background checks to ban certain assault-style weapons and cap the size of ammunition clips. When the effort collapsed in the Senate, the White House said it was working to identify every legal step he could take on his own. But a more recent spate of gun-related atrocities, including in San Bernardino, California, spurred the administration to give the issue another look. ___ CAN THE PRESIDENT DO THIS ALONE? Obama says he can. Republicans and gun rights advocates say he can't. The White House says Obama is acting fully within his legal authority, by clarifying existing laws that Congress has already passed. It's an argument Obama has used before when opposition in Congress has led him to take sweeping executive action on immigration, climate change and other issues. Still, Obama readily concedes the executive steps will be challenged in court. One likely option for opponents is to challenge Obama's authority to define what it means to be "engaged in the business" of selling guns, since that definition isn't laid out in the law. ___ Associated Press writers Eric Tucker and Michael R. Sisak contributed to this report. Follow Josh Lederman's work at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP or http://bigstory.ap.org/author/josh-lederman An emotional President Barack Obama pauses as he speaks about the youngest victims of the Sandy Hook shootings, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, where he spoke about steps his administration is taking to reduce gun violence. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Germany: nearly 1.1 million migrants arrived last year BERLIN (AP) Nearly 1.1 million people were registered as asylum-seekers in Germany last year, more than 400,000 of them from Syria, the government said Wednesday. The Interior Ministry said that 1,091,894 people in total were registered between January and December. Syrians were by far the biggest single group, accounting for 428,468 people. They were followed by Afghans, 154,046 of whom were registered, and 121,662 Iraqis. Migrants line up for an appointment in front of a waiting tent on a cold and snowy early morning, at the central registration center for refugees and asylum seekers LaGeSo (Landesamt fuer Gesundheit und Soziales - State Office for Health and Social Affairs) in Berlin, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. German Interior Minister will present a migration report on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) Germany has seen more refugees and other migrants arrive than any other European country. In the early part of 2015, that included large numbers of people from Balkan countries who have very little chance of winning asylum. The fourth- and fifth-biggest groups of asylum-seekers last year came from Albania and Kosovo. The influx was slower in December than in previous months, with 127,320 people arriving down from 206,101 in November. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said that was largely because of stormy weather in the Mediterranean Sea. The total tally of registered asylum-seekers includes an as-yet undetermined number of people who were registered twice at different locations or continued to Scandinavia or elsewhere, de Maiziere said. He added that the number of people who actually sought asylum will only become clear as applications come in "it is under 1 million, but how far under 1 million can only be said in the course of 2016." Actual asylum applications have lagged behind arrivals. The government said that 476,649 people formally applied last year the highest number on record and more than double the previous year's figure of 202,834. "We think the level of refugees and asylum-seekers who have come to Germany is too high, and are working so that it isn't repeated on this scale in 2016," de Maiziere said. There's widespread agreement on that in Germany, but disagreement on how to go about it. Chancellor Angela Merkel has emphasized the importance of diplomacy and getting other European countries to share the burden, but her conservative allies in Bavaria advocate setting a cap on the number of refugees Germany can take. Bavarian governor Horst Seehofer has suggested a figure of 200,000. "International efforts haven't yet won through," Seehofer said Wednesday. "We must wait and see what happens in this field in January and February ... and then evaluate what we need in addition." Seehofer said that if arrivals continue at the pace they did in December, "we would have this year ... more refugees than in the whole of 2015." Merkel played down the differences as she arrived at an Alpine retreat of Seehofer's Christian Social Union, insisting that her party and his have much more in common than they have divisions. She said it was very important both to "achieve an appreciable reduction of the refugees" by tackling the reasons people are fleeing and sending home rejected asylum-seekers and preserve freedom of movement within the European Union. Migrants arrive on a cold and snowy early morning at the central registration center for refugees and asylum seekers LaGeSo (Landesamt fuer Gesundheit und Soziales - State Office for Health and Social Affairs) in Berlin, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. German Interior Minister will present a migration report on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) Migrants are silhouetted as they warm themselves inside a waiting tent to get an appointment at the central registration center for refugees and asylum seekers LaGeSo (Landesamt fuer Gesundheit und Soziales - State Office for Health and Social Affairs) in Berlin, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. German interior minister will present a migration report on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen intensify as rebels fire back SANAA, Yemen (AP) Yemeni security officials say the Saudi-led coalition has intensified airstrikes on the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, targeting Shiite rebels known as Houthis. The officials said Wednesday the airstrikes targeted rebel positions in Sanaa, including those at the presidential palace and the airport. They say at least 20 Houthis have been killed in the strikes since Tuesday. The officials, who are independent in the conflict that has torn Yemen apart, spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Meanwhile, tribal officials in the Houthi stronghold of Saada in northern Yemen, which borders Saudi Arabia, say rebels have been launching rockets into Saudi Arabia. A man stands on the rubble of the Chamber of Trade and Industry headquarters after it was hit by a Saudi-led airstrike in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed) They say this has stepped up since a truce ended last Saturday. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to reporters. Men walk on the rubble of the Chamber of Trade and Industry headquarters after it was hit by a Saudi-led airstrike in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed) A man uses his mobile to take pictures of the rubble of the Chamber of Trade and Industry headquarters after it was hit by a Saudi-led air strike in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed) Employees walk on the rubble of the Chamber of Trade and Industry headquarters after it was hit by a Saudi-led airstrike in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed) Men inspect a building damaged by a Saudi-led airstrike in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed) An employee inspects a room inside the Chamber of Trade and Industry headquarters after it was hit by a Saudi-led airstrike in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed) A damaged car is seen at the site of a car bomb attack in the southern port city of Aden, Yemen, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. Yemeni officials say the governor of the southern port city of Aden has survived a car bomb attack that killed two and critically wounded three of his bodyguards. (AP Photo/Wael Qubady) Men inspect the rubble of the Chamber of Trade and Industry headquarters after it was hit by a Saudi-led airstrike in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed) Iraq offers to mediate between Saudi Arabia, Iran TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Iraq on Wednesday offered to mediate between Saudi Arabia and Iran after tensions soared following the kingdom's execution of a Shiite cleric and attacks on two Saudi diplomatic posts in the Islamic Republic. The standoff has seen Saudi Arabia sever diplomatic ties with its longtime regional rival and could hinder efforts to resolve the conflicts in Syria and Yemen, where Riyadh and Tehran back opposite sides, as well as affect the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal. Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari proposed mediation during a news conference in Tehran, but also referred to the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr as a "crime." Saudi Arabia and its allies say al-Nimr was found guilty of terrorism charges, and that condemnations of the execution amount to meddling in Riyadh's internal affairs. In this picture taken Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, by a citizen journalist, which has been verified and is consistent with other AP reporting, Sheikh Hassan al-Saffar, a top Shiite cleric from Qatif, center, stands with family members of Shiite Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and other Shiite notables, as they receive condolences on the second day of mourning for him at a mosque in the village of al-Awamiya, eastern Saudi Arabia. Al-Nimr was an outspoken critic of Saudi Arabia's Sunni monarchy but denied ever calling for violence. His execution on Saturday has sparked outrage among Shiites across the region. The poster behind the men shows Mohammed Ali Abdulkarim Suwaymil a young Saudi Shiite who was executed at the same time as al-Nimr. (verified UGC via AP) Iraq has undertaken a delicate balancing act amid the latest regional turmoil. The Shiite-led government in Baghdad relies on Iranian help to battle the extremist Islamic State group, but is also trying to repair ties to oil-rich Saudi Arabia, which last week sent an ambassador to Baghdad for the first time in 25 years. Speaking alongside Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, al-Jaafari said Iraq's place in the heart of the Middle East allows it to play a role in trying to "alleviate tensions." "This responsibility has been given to us and we have been active from the early moments to lessen tensions to prevent a disaster from happening that could affect the entire region," he said. Back in Iraq, however, thousands of Iranian-backed Shiite militiamen marched in Baghdad and across the south to protest the execution of al-Nimr. Qais al-Khazali, the head of the powerful Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, gave a speech in the southern city of Basra in which he called on Baghdad to cut diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia, expel the newly arrived ambassador and boycott Saudi goods. Russia also has offered itself as a potential mediator, though it's unclear whether Saudi or Iranian officials have responded to the proposal. Zarif, meanwhile, blamed Saudi Arabia for exacerbating the situation. "We have treated these actions with magnanimity and nobleness but unfortunately our neighbor, Saudi Arabia, did not respond to it properly," he said. "The process of provoking tension must be stopped." Iran's President Hassan Rouhani accused the Saudi government of fanning strife between Shiite and Sunni Muslims and creating "an Islamaphobic atmosphere" in world opinion, according to a news release from Iran's U.N. Mission. At a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, Rouhani also accused the Saudis of providing money and weapons to "terrorists," carrying out airstrikes in Yemen, and obstructing "the victory of Iraqi and Syrian governments," the release said. The diplomatic standoff between Iran and Saudi Arabia began Saturday, when the kingdom executed al-Nimr and 46 others convicted of terror charges the largest mass execution it has carried out since 1980. Iranian protesters responded by attacking the Saudi Arabia's embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad. Late Sunday, Saudi Arabia announced it was severing relations with Iran because of the assaults. On Wednesday, Iranian diplomats in Saudi Arabia returned to Tehran, according to state media. Since Saudi Arabia severed ties to Iran, a host of its allies have cut or reduced their ties as well. Among those is Bahrain, which said Wednesday it had broken up a Shiite militant group backed by the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Bahrain's Interior Ministry accused the suspects of receiving $20,000 from Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and of having links to those behind a July 2015 bombing that killed two police officers Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, has a Sunni-ruled monarchy but a Shiite majority. It has faced low-level turmoil since 2011 Arab Spring-inspired protests by Shiites seeking more political rights. It has long accused Iran of fueling the unrest and sponsoring attacks in the country, something the Islamic Republic has denied. Also on Wednesday, Qatar recalled its ambassador from Iran to protest the attacks on the Saudi diplomatic missions, according to a brief report carried by the official Qatar News Agency. Oman broke its silence on the Mideast turmoil and called the Saudi diplomatic post attacks "unacceptable," while leaving its ties to Iran untouched. The sultanate has been a long-time mediator between Iran and the rest of the world and helped jumpstart negotiations for the nuclear deal with global powers reached last year. In eastern Saudi Arabia, where al-Nimr agitated for greater political rights for Shiites in the Sunni-ruled kingdom, three days of mourning over his death were to end Wednesday night. Mohammed al-Nimr, the sheikh's brother, said people planned to hold a funeral Thursday for the cleric, though Saudi authorities already buried his corpses in an undisclosed cemetery. Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr was a staunch critic of the Saudi government but always denied advocating violence. Asked about the diplomatic post attacks, Mohammed al-Nimr said it was "not acceptable." "We still believe that violence is not the right approach," he said. "About my brother, we were hoping to end it in a political way rather than in blood." ___ Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Reem Khalifa in Manama, Bahrain, Susannah George in Baghdad and Joseph Krauss in Cairo contributed to this report. ___ Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellap . FILE -- In this Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016 file photo, smoke rises as Iranian protesters, upset over the execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr in Saudi Arabia, set fire to the Saudi embassy in Tehran, Iran. Diplomatic tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which began with the kingdoms execution of al-Nimr and later saw attacks on Saudi diplomatic posts in the Islamic Republic, have seen countries around the world respond. On Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, President Hassan Rouhani said Saudi Arabias move to sever ties with his country couldnt cover its crime of executing Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. (Mohammadreza Nadimi/ISNA via AP, File) Amel Al-Hajjar, left, and Khadija Falih, both from Iraq, participate in a rally in front of the Saudi Arabian embassy in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, to protest the mass executions in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia executed last Saturday, Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others convicted of terror charges, the largest mass execution carried out by the kingdom since 1980. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) Shia Muslims who live in Greece shout slogans during a rally against the execution of cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, outside Saudi Arabia's Embassy in Athens, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Saudi Arabia executed last Saturday, Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others convicted of terror charges, the largest mass execution carried out by the kingdom since 1980. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) A Shia Muslim who lives in Greece takes part in a rally against the execution of cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, outside Saudi Arabia's Embassy in Athens, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Saudi Arabia executed last Saturday, Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others convicted of terror charges, the largest mass execution carried out by the kingdom since 1980. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) The Latest: Denmark turns back 36 people at German border BRUSSELS (AP) The latest news on the influx of asylum seekers and other migrants into Europe. All times local: 2:10 p.m. Danish police say 36 of the 1,366 people they have checked for photo IDs in the past two days at the German border have been refused entry into Denmark. A migrant mother carries her child as they walk from the Macedonian border into Serbia, near the village of Miratovac, Serbia, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Hundreds of migrants continue to arrive daily into Serbia in order to register and continue their journey further north towards Western Europe. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu) The National Police added Wednesday a person suspected of human smuggling had been detained. Two other suspects who had been detained have been released. Danes increased border crossing checks on Monday, a move to make sure migrants headed for Sweden and turned back there don't get stuck in Denmark. That decision came hours after Sweden demanded that all arriving passengers show ID, a way of trying to discourage migrants, many of whom don't carry passports or other forms of ID, from entering Sweden, which received a record 160,000 asylum-seekers in 2015. Sweden also has reported a sharp drop in asylum-seekers since introducing the new measures at midnight Sunday. ___ 1:50 p.m. Sweden's migration minister says that the equivalent of 1,000 classrooms full of children have arrived in the country recently seeking refuge. Justice and Migration Minister Morgan Johannson told reporters in Brussels on Wednesday that 26,000 young migrants, some of them unaccompanied by adults, had come and "that is 1,000 school classes arriving in Sweden in four months." Sweden has noted a sharp drop in migrant arrivals since photo ID checks were introduced. Denmark on Monday tightened checks on its border with Germany, blaming some Swedish measures and broader concerns about security because of migrant flows. Johannson said that 115,000 asylum-seekers have arrived in four months, obliging Sweden to take exceptional border control measures. ___ 12:55 p.m. Germany, Sweden and Denmark are warning that more must be done to stop migrants entering Europe from Turkey but that they hope to ease border restrictions as soon as possible. Senior German Interior Ministry official Ole Schroeder says that "our problem in Europe is that we do not have a functioning system, especially at the Turkey-Greece border." He also said Wednesday that a European Union plan to share refugees arriving in Greece and Italy is not working and warned that when EU responses fail "we will come to measures from the member states." It came after talks between senior migration officials from the three countries in Brussels. The meeting was called after Sweden introduced ID checks on all people traveling to Denmark, which then tightened controls on its border with Germany. Migrants try to keep dry as they walk from the Macedonian border into Serbia, near the village of Miratovac, Serbia, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Hundreds of migrants continue to arrive daily into Serbia in order to register and continue their journey further north towards Western Europe. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu) German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere holds the 2014 migration report prior to a news conference in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. In addition to the report, de Maiziere said that in 2015 nearly 1.1 million people were registered as asylum-seekers in the country , including more than 400,000 persons from Syria. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn) World reacts to N. Korean announcement of hydrogen bomb test Comments from around the world on North Korea's announcement that it conducted its fourth nuclear test, and its first of a hydrogen bomb, on Wednesday: ___ PARK GEUN-HYE, South Korean president: South Korean President Park Geun-hye, center, presides over the National Security Council at the presidential house in Seoul, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. North Korea said it conducted a powerful hydrogen bomb test Wednesday, a defiant and surprising move that, if confirmed, would be a huge jump in Pyongyang's quest to improve its still-limited nuclear arsenal. (Jeon Jin-hwan/Newsis via AP) KOREA OUT "It's not only grave provocation of our national security, but also an act that threatens our lives and future. It's also a direct challenge to world peace and stability." ___ A North Korean television anchor: "The Republic (referring to North Korea), as a responsible nuclear weapon holder, will neither use nuclear weapons first nor transfer (nuclear) related means and technology under any circumstances as already declared unless aggressive, hostile forces infringe upon our autonomy. There can neither be suspension of nuclear development nor nuclear dismantlement unless the U.S. rolls back its vicious hostile policy toward North Korea." ___ MELISSA HANHAM, senior researcher at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute for International Studies in Monterrey, California. "I'm pretty skeptical. ... The seismic data indicates it would be very small for a hydrogen test. "It would be very, very remarkable if they had achieved it already. ... It seems just too soon to have this big technical achievement. But North Korea has always defied expectations." ___ PHILIP HAMMOND, British foreign secretary: "If a nuclear device has been detonated by North Korea, this is a grave breach of U.N. Security Council resolutions and a provocation which I condemn without reservation. "I have discussed this matter today in Beijing with my Chinese counterpart, State Councillor Yang Jiechi, and we have agreed to work with other members of the U.N. Security Council towards a robust international response." ___ SONG CHOL, a resident of Pyongyang, North Korea's capital: "The United States is the aggressor with all kinds of nuclear weapons, waiting to invade our country, so having a hydrogen bomb is the right thing, the legitimate right of a sovereign state, which nobody can complain about. It would be stupid to put down your gun as you are faced by fierce wolves rushing at you." ___ SHINZO ABE, Japanese prime minister: "North Korea's nuclear test this time is a major threat to our nation's safety. This absolutely cannot be tolerated and we strongly condemn this act. ... Going forward, our country, as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, will coordinate with the United States, South Korea, China and Russia to take resolute measures." ___ JOEL WIT, former U.S. State Department official and founder of 38 North, a North Korea-oriented website at the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies: "Every nuclear power essentially moves down the same track as they develop nuclear weapons. And that track is miniaturization, but also increasing the yield of nuclear weapons. That's what the Americans did, that's what the Russians did." Wit said that if North Korea detonated a hydrogen bomb, it would likely be the least advanced form, a "boosted" hybrid weapon rather than a single-stage or two-stage H-bomb. "If the North Koreans could build a single stage or a two-stage, which is unlikely, they'd be much more advanced in terms of their nuclear weapons program they we thought they were." ___ HAZEL SMITH, director of the International Institute of Korean Studies at Britain's University of Central Lancashire. "The North Koreans are not led by diplomatic strategy anymore. They are led by a view that the military is what allows the regime to survive ... You have a group of (ruling) families who don't want to see their power go, who don't want to end up in (the International Criminal Court in) The Hague. "Every nuclear test that they've had has caused massive consternation in China. But the North Koreans have never been susceptible to letting China tell them what to do." ___ JULIE BISHOP, Australian foreign minister: "Today's nuclear test confirms North Korea's status as a rogue state and a continuing threat to international peace and security." ___ HUA CHUNYING, spokeswoman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "The Chinese government firmly opposes this nuclear test by North Korea. We surely will summon North Korean senior officials and the ambassador to lodge our solemn protest." ___ LASSINA ZERBO, executive secretary of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization: "If confirmed as a nuclear test, this act constitutes a breach of the universally accepted norm against nuclear testing; a norm that has been respected by 183 countries since 1996. It is also a grave threat to international peace and security. ... I sincerely hope that this will serve as the final wake-up call to the international community to outlaw all nuclear testing." ___ JOHN DELURY, a professor at Seoul's Yonsei University: North Korea's powerful military and nuclear weapons bureaucracies "are continuously looking for ways to improve their programs," Delury said. "I figure they are constantly asking to test." He said that since "there's not much in play" with North Korea diplomatically with the U.S., South Korea or even China, leader Kim Jong Un "takes a little bit of a blow" with the test while gaining international attention and placating powerful officials in his regime. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks to journalists at his official residence in Tokyo after North Korea said it had conducted a hydrogen bomb test, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. A television anchor read a typically propaganda-heavy statement on state TV that said North Korea had tested a "miniaturized" hydrogen bomb, elevating the country's "nuclear might to the next level" and providing it with a weapon to defend against the United States and its other enemies. (Kyodo News via AP) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT Beauty company looking to help change red carpet chatter NEW YORK (AP) Those in Hollywood looking to broaden the red carpet conversation beyond the inevitable "Who are you wearing?" have a powerful new ally: beauty giant L'Oreal Paris. The company is promoting use of the hashtag "WorthSaying" on Twitter during Sunday's Golden Globe Awards and will break out the best posts for use in digital advertising. Kristen Comings, a company vice president, said Tuesday the idea is to urge women everywhere to expand the red carpet chatter beyond pretty dresses. FILE - In this Jan. 5, 2016, file photo, actress Eva Longoria participates in AOL's BUILD Speaker Series to discuss her new NBC comedy "Telenovela," at AOL Studios in New York. Longoria is among several L'Oreal brand ambassadors participating in a "WorthSaying" promotion on Twitter during the Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 10. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File) "We really wanted to be part of that conversation," she said. "It's really about engaging beyond beauty and fashion to more substantive questions on the red carpet. These are amazing women who should be known for more than just a beautiful face. Many of the actresses become frustrated by those conversations." Brand ambassadors Julianne Moore, Karlie Kloss, Eva Longoria, Freida Pinto and Liya Kebede are among those who plan to participate. L'Oreal has been a broadcast sponsor of the Golden Globes for 13 years. The new hashtag is a play on the company's 40-year-old tagline, "Because You're Worth It." ___ Online: http://www.goldenglobes.com/ The Latest: Iran president says Saudis fan religious strife DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) The latest developments after Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Tehran amid a dispute over Riyadh's execution of an opposition Shiite cleric and attacks on Saudi diplomatic posts in Iran. (All times local). 2:21 a.m. Thursday Iran's president is accusing Saudi Arabia's government of fanning strife between Shiite and Sunni Muslims and creating "an Islamaphobic atmosphere" in world opinion, according to Iran's U.N. Mission. Amel Al-Hajjar, left, and Khadija Falih, both from Iraq, participate in a rally in front of the Saudi Arabian embassy in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, to protest the mass executions in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia executed last Saturday, Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others convicted of terror charges, the largest mass execution carried out by the kingdom since 1980. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) In a press release, Hassan Rouhani accused the Saudis of supporting terrorism and obstructing "the victory of Iraqi and Syrian governments," and heightening tensions in the region. Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran on Sunday after the attacks, sparked by Saudi Arabia's execution of a prominent opposition Shiite cleric over the weekend. ___ 10:30 p.m. Qatar has recalled its ambassador from Iran to protest attacks on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and Consulate in Mashhad, violence stemming from the Saudi execution of an opposition Shiite cleric. The official Qatar News Agency reported the move Wednesday in a brief dispatch. Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran over the attacks on its diplomatic missions and Iran's criticism of the execution, which Riyadh said amounted to meddling in its internal affairs. Saudi allies have followed suit, with Bahrain cutting relations with Iran and the United Arab Emirates downgrading ties. Saudi Arabia and Iran are longtime regional rivals which back opposite sides in the wars in Syria and Yemen. Qatar has had troubled relations with Saudi Arabia in the past, but ties have improved in recent years, and both countries are leading backers of the Syrian rebels fighting to oust President Bashar Assad. ___ 6:40 p.m. The state news agency Petra says Jordan has summoned Iran's ambassador to convey its condemnation of the storming of two of Saudi Arabia's diplomatic missions in Iran. The storming of the missions followed Saudi Arabia's execution last week of a top Shiite cleric who was also an opposition figure. Several Saudi allies have followed the kingdom's lead and scaled back or cut diplomatic ties to Iran. Jordan is a beneficiary of large sums of Saudi aid. It has previously condemned the storming of the missions and stepped up its protest by summoning the Iranian ambassador. Petra on Wednesday quoted the Jordanian Foreign Ministry as saying that the attacks on the diplomatic missions "constitute a flagrant violation of international conventions." ___ 6 p.m. Bahrain says it has broken up a militant Shiite group backed by Iran's Revolutionary Guard and the Lebanese Hezbollah. Bahrain's Interior Ministry announced the arrests Wednesday. It says the group received $20,000 from Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese Shiite militant group. The ministry says the group had links to those behind a 2015 bombing that killed two police officers and planned to carry out other bombings. The tiny, Sunni-ruled island of Bahrain is predominantly Shiite. It has faced low-level unrest since 2011 Arab Spring-inspired protests by Shiites seeking more political rights. It also is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. Bahrain followed the lead of its close ally Saudi Arabia in severing ties to Iran and canceling flights this week in response to protester attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran. The violence was linked to the Saudi execution of an opposition Shiite cleric. ___ 5 p.m. Iranian diplomats have left Saudi Arabia and returned to Tehran after the kingdom severed ties with the Islamic Republic. The state-run Saudi Press Agency reported Wednesday that staff at the Iranian Embassy in Riyadh and the Iranian Consulate in Jiddah had left the country. State media in Iran showed still photographs it said were of the diplomats arriving in Tehran on a Meraj Airlines jet. Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties to Iran over the storming of two diplomatic posts in the country following the kingdom's execution of a top Shiite cleric who was also an opposition figure. Several Saudi allies have followed the kingdom's lead and scaled back or cut diplomatic ties to Iran. Epiphany celebrated in Orthodox Christian, Catholic nations ANKARA, Turkey (AP) Wednesday is Epiphany, a major holiday in much of Orthodox Christianity celebrating the birth and baptism of Jesus. Religious services are held as well as Blessing of Water ceremonies at lakes, rivers and seafronts. But in Russia, Serbia, Ukraine and other Orthodox countries that observe a different religious calendar, it is Christmas Eve. Roman Catholics and Protestants, meanwhile, celebrate the story of the Wise Men who followed a star to Jesus' cradle. Here's a look at celebrations taking place on Wednesday: A man holds up the wooden cross after being the first to retrieve it, during an Epiphany ceremony to bless the water in Mytilene port on the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Similar ceremonies to mark Epiphany Day were held across Greece at the sea, rivers, lakes and dams. An Orthodox priest throws a cross into the water and the swimmers race to retrieve it first. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios) ___ GREECE Ceremonies were held across the country, with divers jumping from piers, bridges and tug boats. School children and members of the country's navy special forces also took part. The main ceremony was held at the country's largest port of Piraeus, near Athens, but left-wing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras attended a smaller ceremony in the Greek capital following a spat with traditionalists in the Orthodox Church who vehemently opposed a recent law sanctioning same sex-civil partnerships. Bishop Serapheim of Piraeus described the law an "insult to human identity" and "psychiatric deviation from healthy sexuality." ___ CYPRUS More than 1,000 Orthodox Christian faithful attended the annual Epiphany Day blessing of the waters in Famagusta in Cyprus' breakaway Turkish Cypriot north. It was the first time the ceremony has taken place since 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup aiming at union with Greece divided the island. In keeping with tradition, Archimandrite Avgoustinos Karras hurled a silver cross into the cold waters of the eastern Mediterranean as about 20 daring swimmers dashed into the sea to retrieve it. The ritual is called the Blessing of the Water and symbolizes Jesus' baptism in River Jordan. Organizer Pavlos Iacovou told The Associated Press that several Turkish Cypriots also attended Wednesday's ceremony. Acting as the backdrop to the ceremony was the Turkish military-controlled suburb of Varosha that has remained a virtual ghost town for 42 years, ensconced in a chain-link fence that keeps everyone out. The ceremony was the latest in a number of recent, faith-oriented acts of rapprochement between the island's majority Orthodox Christian, Greek-speaking and the Muslim, Turkish speaking populations. They aim to underscore that religion doesn't drive a wedge between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. ___ VATICAN Pope Francis says restless hearts these days are seeking sure answers to life's questions but don't find them. Francis has voiced this reflection during Mass in St. Peter's Basilica Wednesday to mark Epiphany, which recalls the Gospel account of the Three Kings, or Magi, who followed a star to find baby Jesus in Bethlehem. The pontiff said: "Like the Magi, countless people in our day have a 'restless heart' which continues to search without finding sure answers." ___ TURKEY Members of Istanbul's tiny Greek Orthodox community, visitors from neighboring Greece and other faithful attended an Epiphany service led by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians in Istanbul, where the Patriarchate is based. A group of faithful leaped into the frigid waters of the Golden Horn inlet to retrieve a wooden cross thrown by Bartholomew. Nicolaos Silos, a 28-year-old visitor from Greece, was the first to reach it. A ceremony to bless the waters was also held in Izmir, Turkey's third-largest city. It was the first "official" Epiphany ceremony there since the end of a Greek-Turkey war nearly a century ago that triggered a population exchange between Greece and Turkey. Although the Greek Consulate in Izmir had organized a ceremony 2006, it was the first time the Turkish government both approved and helped to organize it. "It's a historic day here and we're grateful to the local authorities and to the Patriarchate ... for making this happen," Tina Samoglu, secretary of the Izmir Orthodox Community told Greek state TV. "I feel very proud and I'm filled with emotion." The patriarchate in Istanbul dates from the 1,100-year-old Orthodox Greek Byzantine Empire, which collapsed when the Muslim Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople, today's Istanbul, in 1453. ___ RUSSIA Russian President Vladimir Putin attended midnight Mass in a church in the village of Turginovo, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) northwest of Moscow. Russian news reports said the church was where his parents had been baptized. Putin stood in a black jacket and an open-collar shirt with several solemn-faced children standing around him. The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirlill, led the night Mass at Moscow's sprawling Christ the Savior Cathedral, a service broadcast live on state television. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was among the throng in the cathedral, which was destroyed under Soviet dictator Josef Stalin then reconstructed after the fall of Communist rule. It will also be the first time since 1928 that a Christmas Eve Mass has been held in the world's largest Orthodox basilica, the St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg. The landmark 19th Century cathedral was turned into a museum under the officially atheist Soviet regime; after the USSR's collapse in 1991 it remained as a museum, but the Russian Orthodox church has used it periodically for services. ___ BULGARIA Thousands of young men waded into icy waters in Bulgaria to retrieve crucifixes cast on the waters by priests. By tradition, the person who retrieves it will be healthy and freed from evil spirits all year. After the cross is fished out, the priest takes a bunch of dried basil to sprinkle water over believers. In some villages, men dipped into a local river and danced the horo, a traditional dance. In the mountain village of Kalofer, in central Bulgaria, scores of men in traditional dress waded into the icy Tundzha River carrying national flags. Led by a drummer and several men playing the bagpipes, they danced in the freezing waters, pushing away floating chunks of ice. Some sipped plum brandy and red wine as an antidote to the freezing weather. ___ SPAIN Children across Spain woke up Wednesday to open presents left during a night-time "visit" by the Three Kings of Orient, a tradition similar to that of Santa Claus but celebrated annually on Epiphany. Expectations were raised the previous evening as towns and cities across the country held Epiphany parades or cavalcades symbolizing the coming of the Magi to Bethlehem laden with gifts for the baby Jesus. Thousands of children and parents thronged sidewalks in Madrid and other cities to watch as ornately decorated floats including in some cases men dressed as kings riding camels or horses were accompanied by clowns, jugglers and marching bands. The tradition spread from Spain to many Latin American countries where Epiphany is the day when gifts are exchanged. __ WEST BANK The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of the Holy Land, Theofilos III, arrived in Bethlehem on Wednesday for Orthodox Christmas celebrations. But he received a cool reception. A scout troop that traditionally greets the patriarch didn't show up, and few followers joined him in his traditional procession to the Church of Nativity. Many Palestinians are angry at the patriarch, accusing him of selling land to Israel and to private investors, punishing popular clergymen and being secretive with church funds. ___ UKRAINE Rebels in the east said they were willing to release captives taken during the conflict to mark Christmas. It was unclear however, if Ukrainian authorities would be willing to do a prisoner exchange. The rebels in Donetsk said they wouldn't engage in a release without a similar release by Kiev. But Igor Plotnitsky, leader of rebels in Luhansk, said his forces were prepared for a release without any reciprocal move by Kiev. It was not known how many prisoners each sides are holding or how many might be eligible for the potential release. As of early Thursday, there were no reports that either side had freed any captives. ___ ROMANIA Hundreds of Romanian villagers gathered on the fields near the southern village of Pietrosani, where a priest blessed horses in a traditional Epiphany ritual to ward off diseases and bad luck during the year. Orthodox priests sprinkled holy water on more than a dozen horses, which were decorated with red tassels, ear caps and ankle bands for good luck. The animals are essential to village life, and are used for plowing, carrying wood and transport. Horses, ridden bareback, later thundered across the icy fields in the annual race. Villagers drank plum brandy and mulled wine and ate grilled spicy sausages to celebrate the feast while horses dragged logs to demonstrate their strength. ___ MEXICO Several thousand people gathered in Mexico City's huge Zocalo plaza on Tuesday evening to partake in a gigantic Three Kings Day cake known as a "rosca." The pastry weighed 9.3 metric tons and formed a loop that was 1,440 meters long. Mexico City's local government sponsored the free event, which is held annually, and Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera was on hand to cut the cake. The Three Kings are beloved in Mexico, as in other parts of Latin America, by children who wait for the wise men to bring them gifts on Epiphany eve. ___ UNITED STATES In New Orleans, Carnival season begins on Jan. 6 the "Twelfth Night" after Christmas. The Carnival season is celebrated along the Gulf Coast with parties, balls and parades culminating on Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, a final day of celebration before the solemnity of Ash Wednesday and Lent. Mardi Gras falls on Feb. 9 this year. The countdown to Mardi Gras is marked by a streetcar full of raucous costumed revelers. The group known as the Phunny Phorty Phellows kicks off Carnival season Wednesday night by riding a streetcar through the city along famed St. Charles Avenue. And bakeries across the city have started churning out king cakes an oval-shaped pastry with a plastic doll hidden inside. Whoever finds the doll is dubbed "king" and buys the next cake. ___ PUERTO RICO In the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, a worsening economic crisis has for the first time dampened a popular government-sponsored celebration of Three Kings Day that typically draws thousands of families. The Puerto Rican government, which was criticized in 2011 for giving out laptops to children amid an economic crisis, announced this week that it would greatly scale back this year's celebration and would only hand out a limited number of balls to children. Officials also moved the territory's annual celebration to the central mountain town of Utuado, which agreed to pick up part of the bill because of the central government's dwindling cash flow. In previous years, families formed long lines overnight in the capital of San Juan to receive gifts from the government. ___ CZECH REPUBLIC Epiphany is linked to a major charity event, which some 60,000 to 70,000 volunteers all across the country take to the streets to collect money to help people in need at home and abroad. Last year, they collected about 90 million koruna ($3.6 million). The collection is organized by the Caritas Czech Republic, a charity organization of the Roman Catholic Church. Ten percent is designed for aid abroad. In Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, dozens of polar swimmers braved heavy snowing and freezing temperatures to take part Wednesday in the traditional Epiphany swim in the Vltava River near the famed Charles Bridge. ___ POLAND President Andrzej Duda, the first lady and hundreds of residents walked in a cheerful Epiphany procession in sub-freezing temperatures in downtown Warsaw. The procession was led by Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz, the archbishop of Warsaw, and by colorfully dressed actors in the roles of the Three Magi, riding on a camel, a horse and a paper dragon. It ended with the crowd singing carols in the central Pilsudski Square. Similar processions were held in other cities across the predominantly Catholic Poland, which will be marking 1050 years of Christianity in April. __ EGYPT Egyptian Copts are expected to flock to Cairo's Orthodox Cathedral to attend Christmas services on Wednesday amid tightened security ahead of the 2011 uprising's anniversary. Fears of potential attempts to mark the anniversary of the revolt with protests have been on the rise in recent weeks. Egypt's Orthodox Coptic Christians make up about 10 percent of the country's 90 million people. The Copts have long complained of discrimination and largely supported the military's overthrow of the first freely elected, but divisive Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in 2013. Ever since, Christian gatherings are believed to be at an even greater risk of militant attacks. ___ Derek Gatopoulos in Athens, Greece; Menelaos Hadjicostis in Nicosia, Cyprus; Francis D'Emilio in Rome; Alison Mutler in Bucharest, Romania; Jim Heintz in Moscow; Daniel Estrin in Jerusalem; Harold Heckle in Madrid; Anita Snow in Mexico City; Danica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Karel Janicek in Prague, Czech Republic; Monika Scislowska in Warsaw, Poland; Nour Youssef in Cairo; and Rebecca Santana in New Orleans contributed. ___ A previous version of this story has corrected the surname of the Cypriot organizer to Iacovou, not Lacovou. An Orthodox priest holds a cross as he is accompanied by a guard of honour during an Epiphany ceremony to bless the water in Mytilene port on the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Similar ceremonies to mark Epiphany Day were held across Greece at the sea, rivers, lakes and dams. An Orthodox priest throws a cross into the water and the swimmers race to retrieve it first. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios) Pilgrims jump into the water to retrieve a cross during an Epiphany ceremony to bless the water in Mytilene port on the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Similar ceremonies to mark Epiphany Day were held across Greece at the sea, rivers, lakes and dams. An Orthodox priest throws a cross into the water and the swimmers race to retrieve it first. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios) A swimmer holds an icon after he crossed a fence inside the abandoned coastal city of Famagusta after the epiphany ceremony to bless the sea waters in the Turkish Cypriots breakaway north part of the divided island of Cyprus, Wednesday, Jan 6, 2016. More than 1,000 Orthodox Christian faithful attended the annual Epiphany Day blessing of the waters in Famagusta, the first time the ceremony has taken place since 1974 when the small island nation was cleaved along ethnic lines. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias) Swimmers take part in the traditional Three Kings swim in the Vltava River in Prague, Czech Republic, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. The Charles Bridge is in the background. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) Polar swimmers line up before the traditional Three Kings swim in the Vltava River in Prague, Czech Republic, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. The Charles Bridge is in the background. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) Polar swimmers finish the traditional Three Kings swim in the Vltava River in Prague, Czech Republic, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) Swimmers look out of a window of a boat to take part in the traditional Three Kings swim in the Vltava River in Prague, Czech Republic, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) Nicolaos Solis, 28, from Greece races to be the first to reach a wooden cross which was thrown into the waters by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I during a ceremony to bless the water at the Golden Horn in Istanbul, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. The traditional ceremony marks the Epithany in Istanbul when Bartholomew I or an Orthodox priest throws a simple wooden cross into the water and swimmers race to be the first to retrieve it. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) A man looks over a fence at the abandoned coastal city of Famagusta, Cyprus before the epiphany ceremony to bless the sea waters in the Turkish Cypriot breakaway north part of the divided island, Wednesday, Jan 6, 2016. More than 1,000 Orthodox Christian faithful attended the annual Epiphany Day blessing of the waters in Famagusta, the first time the ceremony has taken place since 1974 when the small island nation was cleaved along ethnic lines. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias) Pope Francis holds the pastoral staff during a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, to mark Epiphany, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. The Epiphany day is a joyous day for Catholics in which they recall the journey of the Three Kings, or Magi, to pay homage to Baby Jesus (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) An Albanian man hands over to the priest the cross he retrieved from the Osum River in the southern city of Berat, Albania thrown there by an Eastern Orthodox priest to celebrate Epiphany day as people believe that the one who retrieves it will be healthy through the year, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Albania is known for its religious coexistence where the Orthodox and Catholic communities live in peace with the majority Muslims. (AP Photo/Hektor Pustina) An Albanian man hands over to the priest the cross he retrieved from the Osum River in the southern city of Berat, Albania thrown there from an Eastern Orthodox priest to celebrate Epiphany day as people believe that the one who retrieves it will be healthy through the year, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Albania known for its religious coexistence where the Orthodox and Catholic communities live in peace with the majority Muslims. (AP Photo/Hektor Pustina) Spain's King Felipe VI and his wife Queen Letizia shake hands welcoming their guests during the annual Pascua Militar Epiphany ceremony at the Royal Palace in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza) Citizens of Warsaw participate at the Epiphany parade in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. The Epiphany day celebrates the visit of the Three Kings to the infant Jesus. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) A woman kisses a candle before joining Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, for an Epiphany ceremony at the Patriarchate in Istanbul, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. The traditional Epiphany ceremony marks the Epithany in Istanbul when Bartholomew I or an Orthodox priest throws a simple wooden cross into the water to bless the water at the Golden Horn and swimmers race to be the first to retrieve it. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) A woman lights a candle before joining Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, for an Epiphany ceremony at the Patriarchate in Istanbul, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. The traditional Epiphany ceremony marks the Epithany in Istanbul when Bartholomew I or an Orthodox priest throws a simple wooden cross into the water to bless the water at the Golden Horn and swimmers race to be the first to retrieve it. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) Citizens of Warsaw watchingthe Epiphany parade in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. The Epiphany day celebrates the visit of the Three Kings to the infant Jesus. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) Citizens of Warsaw watching the Epiphany parade in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. The Epiphany day celebrates the visit of the Three Kings to the infant Jesus. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) A horse tries to remove the blanket that covers it before a traditional Epiphany celebration horse race in Pietrosani, Romania, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. According to the local Epiphany traditions, following a religious service villagers get their horses blessed with Holy water then compete in a race. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) Villagers compete during a traditional Epiphany celebration horse race in Pietrosani, Romania, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. According to the local Epiphany traditions, following a religious service villagers get their horses blessed with Holy water then compete in a race. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) Bosnian Serb men warming themselves near a fire as they prepare to roast a pig, a traditional meal for Orthodox Christmas, in Bosnian town of Pale, near Sarajevo, Bosnia, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Bosnian Serbs, as Orthodox Christians, celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, where they use the Julian calendar instead of the 16th-century Gregorian calendar adopted by Catholics and Protestants and commonly used in secular life around the world. (AP Photo/Amel Emric) Actors dressed in a Santa Claus costumes walk past a kiosk selling T-shirts with a portrait of the Russian President Vladimir Putin during celebrations of the upcoming Orthodox Christmas at a Christmas market in St.Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. The sign on the T-shirt signs 'The most polite man'. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky) The Latest: 10 mobile homes evacuated because of mudslide LOS ANGELES (AP) The latest on El Nino storms (all times local): 6:30 p.m. The threat from mudslides has prompted authorities to evacuate 10 mobile homes in an area northwest of Los Angeles that burned in a summer fire. Authorities investigate a multi-vehicle crash involving a semi-truck in the westbound lane of Foothill 210 Freeway at Sierra Madre Blvd., Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, in Pasadena, Calif. Persistent wet conditions could put some Los Angeles County communities at risk of flash flooding along with mud and debris flows, especially in wildfire burn areas. El Nino storms lined up in the Pacific, promising to drench parts of the West for more than two weeks and increasing fears of mudslides and flash floods in regions stripped bare by wildfires. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Los Angeles County Emergency Program Manager Ken Kondo says some of those removed from homes in Newhall on Wednesday are elderly or disabled. The Red Cross has opened a shelter. No injuries are reported. Hundreds of people were forced to flee the Crescent Valley mobile home park in June when a fire burned more than 400 acres of steep ridges and hillsides. The fire left the area black and barren, and watery mud began flowing into the streets of the park Tuesday. After a pause, the flow began again along with the rain Wednesday. ___ 4:45 p.m. Officials say San Francisco's iconic cable cars are back and running after being shut down for most of the day because of rainy weather. The San Francisco Municipal Railway says riders should expect residual delays as cable cars get back on streets. Buses are picking up passengers along the cable-car routes that are not yet serviced. They say there are also delays on buses and light-rail trains because they are running at reduced speeds. ___ 12:20 p.m. Extensive flooding is occurring in the east end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles. KTTV's helicopter is showing many cars swamped in deep water in the Sun Valley neighborhood Wednesday afternoon as the latest El Nino-powered storm pushes through California. Traffic is also jammed on one side of nearby Interstate 5 because of flooding as well. ___ 12 p.m. Officials say the San Francisco Municipal Railway has shut down all cable cars in the city due to rainy weather caused by a powerful El Nino storm. Muni spokesman Paul Rose says the agency stopped service on the cable car lines Wednesday as a precaution and will restore service when the rain eases. Muni officials are warning riders to expect delays t as buses and light-rail trains run at reduced speeds during the stormy weather. ___ 8:30 a.m. The latest El Nino storm hit at the height of the San Francisco commute, causing car crashes, toppling trees and flooding streets and streams around most of the region. The California Highway Patrol estimated there were nearly two dozen weather-related crashes on Wednesday during the morning drive. The National Weather Service has issued a flash-flood watch for nearly the entire San Francisco Bay Area. The advisory will be in effect until 6 p.m. Wednesday and includes high tides and potentially dangerous waves 15 to 20 feet high. The system is packing colder temperatures, stronger winds and heavier rain than two previous storms as it heads toward the Central Coast and Southern California. ___ 6:30 a.m. The thousand-mile coast of California is covered in warnings, watches and advisories for rain, flooding and high surf as another El Nino storm moves in from the Pacific. The system Wednesday will pack colder temperatures, stronger winds and heavier rainfall than the two previous storms that have battered the state since the weekend. Motorists in mountain areas are warned that blizzard conditions are possible above 4,000 feet including several inches of snow and wind gusts up to 60 mph. Flash flooding and flows of mud and debris are a worry in foothill neighborhoods beneath areas left barren by last year's wildfires. The National Weather Service says 1.42 inches of rain fell Tuesday at Los Angeles International Airport, beating the 1979 record for the date by a tenth of an inch. Rain drops bead on a car window below the Golden Gate Bridge Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, in Sausalito, Calif. El Nino storms lined up in the Pacific, promising to drench parts of the West for more than two weeks and increasing fears of mudslides and flash floods in regions stripped bare by wildfires. Stronger systems are predicted starting Tuesday following light rain a day earlier. At least two more storms are expected to follow on Wednesday and Thursday, possibly bringing as much as 3 inches of rain. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg) Concrete barriers are set to protect homes from flash flooding in Glendora, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. Persistent wet conditions could put some Los Angeles County communities at risk of flash flooding along with mud and debris flows, especially in wildfire burn areas. El Nino storms lined up in the Pacific, promising to drench parts of the West for more than two weeks and increasing fears of mudslides and flash floods in regions stripped bare by wildfires. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) People make their way across a wet street near Union Square Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, in San Francisco. El Nino storms lined up in the Pacific, promising to drench parts of the West for more than two weeks and increasing fears of mudslides and flash floods in regions stripped bare by wildfires. Stronger systems are predicted starting Tuesday following light rain a day earlier. At least two more storms are expected to follow on Wednesday and Thursday, possibly bringing as much as 3 inches of rain. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg) Chris Lene sweeps water out of one of the businesses in the building he owns that was flooded by rain water Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, in Sacramento, Calif. El Nino storms lined up in the Pacific promise to drench parts of the West for more than two weeks and increase fears of mudslides and flash floods in regions stripped bare by wildfires. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) Richard Polich crosses a street in the rain on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, in San Francisco. El Nino storms lined up in the Pacific, promising to drench parts of the West for more than two weeks and increasing fears of mudslides and flash floods in regions stripped bare by wildfires. Stronger systems are predicted starting Tuesday following light rain a day earlier. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) Los Angeles County Flood Control District crew member David Martinez uses an excavator to keep a flood inlet clean in Glendora, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. Persistent wet conditions could put some Los Angeles County communities at risk of flash flooding along with mud and debris flows, especially in wildfire burn areas. El Nino storms lined up in the Pacific, promising to drench parts of the West for more than two weeks and increasing fears of mudslides and flash floods in regions stripped bare by wildfires. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Mike Thawley fills a sandbag Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, in San Anselmo, Calif. El Nino storms lined up in the Pacific, promising to drench parts of the West for more than two weeks and increasing fears of mudslides and flash floods in regions stripped bare by wildfires. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg) A residence garage is sandbagged in Glendora, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. Persistent wet conditions could put some Los Angeles County communities at risk of flash flooding along with mud and debris flows, especially in wildfire burn areas. El Nino storms lined up in the Pacific, promising to drench parts of the West for more than two weeks and increasing fears of mudslides and flash floods in regions stripped bare by wildfires. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Concrete barriers are set against flood debris in Glendora, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. Persistent wet conditions could put some Los Angeles County communities at risk of flash flooding along with mud and debris flows, especially in wildfire burn areas. El Nino storms lined up in the Pacific, promising to drench parts of the West for more than two weeks and increasing fears of mudslides and flash floods in regions stripped bare by wildfires. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Office workers arrive to work in the pouring rain in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. El Nino storms lined up in the Pacific, promising to drench parts of the West for more than two weeks and increasing fears of mudslides and flash floods in regions stripped bare by wildfires. (AP Photo/Nick Ut) A man stands near crashing waves on the Pacifica Pier in Pacifica, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. El Nino storms lined up in the Pacific, promising to drench parts of the West for more than two weeks and increasing fears of mudslides and flash floods in regions stripped bare by wildfires. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) Office workers arrive to work in the pouring rain in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. El Nino storms lined up in the Pacific, promising to drench parts of the West for more than two weeks and increasing fears of mudslides and flash floods in regions stripped bare by wildfires. (AP Photo/Nick Ut) County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works Flood Maintenance Division Construction Superintendent, Stan Brown, left, inspects a flow control inlet as crews clean debris at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains in Azusa, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. Persistent wet conditions could put some Los Angeles County communities at risk of flash flooding along with mud and debris flows, especially in wildfire burn areas. El Nino storms lined up in the Pacific, promising to drench parts of the West for more than two weeks and increasing fears of mudslides and flash floods in regions stripped bare by wildfires. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Traffic crosses the Golden Gate Bridge in the rain Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, in this view from Sausalito, Calif. El Nino storms lined up in the Pacific, promising to drench parts of the West for more than two weeks and increasing fears of mudslides and flash floods in regions stripped bare by wildfires. Stronger systems are predicted starting Tuesday following light rain a day earlier. At least two more storms are expected to follow on Wednesday and Thursday, possibly bringing as much as 3 inches of rain. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg) A car navigates through a flood water as it turns into a parking lot Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, in Sacramento, Calif. El Nino storms lined up in the Pacific promise to drench parts of the West for more than two weeks and increase fears of mudslides and flash floods in regions stripped bare by wildfires. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) Traffic maneuvers around a flooded roadway from high tides and rain Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, in Mill Valley, Calif. El Nino storms lined up in the Pacific, promising to drench parts of the West for more than two weeks and increasing fears of mudslides and flash floods in regions stripped bare by wildfires. Stronger systems are predicted starting Tuesday following light rain a day earlier. At least two more storms are expected to follow on Wednesday and Thursday, possibly bringing as much as 3 inches of rain. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg) Los Angeles County Flood Control District crews inspect a flood inlet in Azusa, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. Persistent wet conditions could put some Los Angeles County communities at risk of flash flooding along with mud and debris flows, especially in wildfire burn areas. El Nino storms lined up in the Pacific, promising to drench parts of the West for more than two weeks and increasing fears of mudslides and flash floods in regions stripped bare by wildfires. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) A resident drives in the rain around concrete barriers protecting homes from flash flooding in Glendora, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. Persistent wet conditions could put some Los Angeles County communities at risk of flash flooding along with mud and debris flows, especially in wildfire burn areas. El Nino storms lined up in the Pacific, promising to drench parts of the West for more than two weeks and increasing fears of mudslides and flash floods in regions stripped bare by wildfires. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Traffic maneuvers around a flooded roadway from high tides and rain Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, in Mill Valley, Calif. El Nino storms lined up in the Pacific, promising to drench parts of the West for more than two weeks and increasing fears of mudslides and flash floods in regions stripped bare by wildfires. Stronger systems are predicted starting Tuesday following light rain a day earlier. At least two more storms are expected to follow on Wednesday and Thursday, possibly bringing as much as 3 inches of rain. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg) A homeless encampment is left abandoned along the Arroyo Seco north of downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. Los Angeles authorities say police are patrolling riverbeds to compel homeless people to leave low-lying areas as a major storm gains strength and rain gets heavier. Steady and sometimes heavy rain in Southern California is shaking loose rocks and causing flooding on some roadways as an El Nino-powered storm moves through the region. (AP Photo/Christopher Weber) Puerto Rico police defends protocol after fatal shooting SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) Puerto Rico's police chief says a policeman accused of fatally shooting three officers at work underwent two psychological exams before his weapon was returned. Jose Caldero says Guarionex Candelario passed both exams before his gun was returned in January 2015. Candelario was charged with first-degree murder in the Dec. 28 shootings and remains in jail on an $11 million bond. He had been disarmed for 10 years while undergoing psychological treatment. Caldero says police followed all protocols in Candelario's case before the shooting in the southern coastal city of Ponce. Albania brothers convicted in plot want sentences thrown out CAMDEN, New Jersey (AP) One of three Albanian-born brothers serving life for plotting to kill U.S. soldiers at Fort Dix, New Jersey, has told a judge he was barred from testifying at his 2008 terrorism trial. Dritan "Tony" Duka says his lawyer thought he would come across as a Muslim extremist so he didn't prepare for him to testify. He says Wednesday that "it shouldn't matter what I believe. It should matter ... whether I'm involved in what the government is charging." Duka is testifying at a post-conviction hearing Wednesday as all three brothers claim they were denied the right to testify. His trial lawyer, Michael Huff, denies the claims. Duka and brothers Eljvir and Shain Duka have lost their appeals. US sees Assad staying in Syria until March 2017 WASHINGTON (AP) The Obama administration's best-case scenario for political transition in Syria does not foresee Bashar Assad stepping down as the country's leader before March 2017, outlasting Barack Obama's presidency by at least two months, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press. An internal timeline prepared for U.S. officials dealing with the Syria crisis sets an unspecified date in March 2017 for Assad to "relinquish" his position as president and for his "inner circle" to depart. That would be more than five years after Obama first called for Assad to leave. The State Department said Wednesday the timeline was prepared late last year as a guide for Secretary of State John Kerry and other U.S. diplomats working on a political transition for Syria. In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian President Bashar Assad, speaks during an interview with the Spanish news agency EFE, in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Dec. 11, 2015. The Obama administrations best-case scenario for political transition in Syria does not foresee Assad stepping down as the countrys leader before March 2017, outlasting Barack Obamas presidency by at least two months, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press. (SANA via AP) Spokesman John Kirby described the document as a "staff-level think piece" that is "preliminary and pre-decisional" and not "an official position." He also said it is "not an accurate projection of plans by the international community to effect a political transition in Syria." However, many of the milestones mentioned in the document comport with the basics of the U.N.-endorsed plan and other officials said they were an accurate reflection of the administration's thinking. One official, who like the others spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private document, said the goal for Assad to leave in March 2017 might slip even further. According to the timeline, Syria would hold elections for a new president and parliament in August 2017 some 19 months from now. In the interim, Syria would be run by a transitional governing body. Countless hurdles lie ahead for implementation of this latest blueprint for ending five years of conflict that has killed more than a quarter-million people, created the worst European refugee crisis since World War II and allowed the Islamic State group to carve out a would-be caliphate across parts of Iraq and Syria. Not the least of those hurdles is the growing rift between Sunni-led Saudi Arabia and Shiite-ruled Iran, which back opposite sides in the Syria conflict and had to be lobbied heavily to agree to meet in Vienna to craft a way forward for the war-torn country. Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shiite cleric and then severed diplomatic relations with Iran this week after its embassy in Tehran was stormed by a mob protesting the death. It is not yet clear what impact those developments might have on the Syria negotiations. If Saudi-Iranian tensions can be overcome, if peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition go ahead later this month as planned and if they are successful, the biggest challenge to the U.S. timeline is still that no one else has yet agreed to its specifics, particularly those related to Assad's departure. Assad has steadfastly refused to step down while his nation's terrorist threat, as he sees it, persists. The timeline offers no explanation for exactly how Assad would leave or what his post-presidential future might hold. And his chief backers, Russia and Iran, have resisted all efforts by outside powers to determine Syria's future leadership, insisting that is a decision for the Syrian people. Russia and Iran may object to the U.S. timeline's call for Assad to leave six months before elections would be held. In addition, the Syrian opposition wants Assad out as soon as possible. The opposition along with U.S. allies like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey could view the American concept as a betrayal. The United States is balancing numerous considerations as it seeks to quell Syria's violence and advance several strategic objectives. Its top priority now is rooting out the Islamic State from its headquarters in northern Syria. Still, Obama and other U.S. officials promised for years to end the Assad family's 45-year-grip on Syria, arguing that a leader who uses barrel bombs and poison gas on his own people has lost legitimacy. Ridding Syria of Assad could also strip Iran of its foothold in the heart of the Arab world and dramatically change the security equation for neighbors such as Israel, Lebanon and Turkey. Frack leases on state lands yield $18M; none from production CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) West Virginia has brought in $18 million by leasing the right to drill for oil and natural gas deep below state wildlife management areas and waterways, including beneath the Ohio River. But as natural gas prices stay low, no companies with the state leases have begun extracting gas, as far as state Department of Commerce officials know. As a result, officials say they have received up-front checks, but no royalties from the unearthing of resources from the deep shale deposits, a process generally known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. The department first put horizontal drilling opportunities out to bid in the fall of 2014 and has since struck leases in the northern counties of Marshall, Tyler and Wetzel. They include parts of wildlife management areas at Conaway Run Lake, The Jug, Underwood, Burches Run Lake and Lewis Wetzel; Fish Creek and Middle Island Creek; and a few miles of the Ohio River. Given the uncertainty about natural gas prices, West Virginia Commerce Secretary Keith Burdette said the state is treating the leases as one-time cash that will bolster the parks system and wildlife programs, hopefully creating more revenue sources through the improvements. Under state and federal requirements, about $5.4 million has to be doled out to state Division of Natural Resources projects, and $12.6 million must go back into wildlife management. Burdette said the state plans to spend a few million dollars to renovate 34 cabins, including adding heat and air conditioning to some cabins that aren't currently year-round rentals. Officials also will add 10 picnic shelters across the park system and upgrade some campground sites with electric hookups, bigger parking areas and water and wastewater system repairs. Burdette said a spray park designed for toddlers is also in the plans, likely at Chief Logan State Park. With the wildlife area money, Burdette said the state wants to fix lingering issues with fishing dams and add recreational offerings at state parks, including handicap-accessible lake docks. "It really is about money," Burdette said. "It's about how we create self-sustainability." The leasing contracts charge an additional 20 percent royalty on what the companies extract, a source of revenue that won't come through for the cash-strapped state until companies decide the market and other variables are right. Representatives from several companies including Statoil USA Onshore Properties, which spent $4.1 million up front for two Ohio River leases said they weren't sure when they would begin drilling under the state lands. The leases prohibit companies from drilling on state property, and many state lands fit in like puzzle pieces with other tracts the companies already have paid for. It's too soon to say if Statoil will drill under state lands this year, said company spokesman Peter Symons. Burdette said the state will yield a better return if prices recover first, anyway. The Latest: Sheriff: Armed group needs to 'pick up and go' BURNS, Ore. (AP) The latest on an armed group that took over federal buildings at an Oregon wildlife refuge (all times local): 5 p.m. Cheers erupted at a community meeting in Oregon when a sheriff said it was time for a small, armed group occupying a national wildlife refuge to "pick up and go home." A man stands guard in a watch tower at sunrise at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Ore., on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. With the takeover entering its fourth day Wednesday, authorities had not removed the group of roughly 20 people from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon's high desert country. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) The group objecting to federal land policy seized buildings at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon's high desert country on Saturday. Authorities have not yet moved to remove the group of roughly two dozen people, some from as far away as Arizona and Michigan. Harney County Sheriff David Ward told hundreds of people gathered at the meeting Wednesday evening that the group needed to leave so local people could get back to their lives. Group leader Ammon Bundy has told reporters they will leave when there's a plan in place to turn over federal lands to locals. The group also objects to a lengthy prison sentence for two local ranchers convicted of arson. ___ 9:25 a.m. The leader of an Oregon Indian tribe whose ancestral property is being occupied by a small, armed group opposed to federal land policy says the activists aren't welcome and need to leave. Burns Paiute Tribal Chair Charlotte Rodrique told reporters Wednesday that the tribe is concerned about damage to cultural artifacts. She says the group is "desecrating one of our sacred sites." The activists seized buildings at the remote Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday. Authorities had not yet moved to oust the group of roughly 20 people. Rodrique said the Paiute people spent winters in the area before settlers, ranchers and trappers arrived. She says the tribe signed a federal treaty in 1868 and expected the government to honor the agreement to protect their interests though the U.S. Senate never approved it. A member of the group occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters warms himself by a fire Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, near Burns, Ore. The small, armed group occupying a remote national wildlife preserve has said repeatedly that local people should control federal lands a sentiment that frustrates critics who say the lands are already managed to help everyone from ranchers to recreationalists. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) Oregon tribe: Armed group 'desecrating' their land BURNS, Ore. (AP) The leader of an American Indian tribe that regards an Oregon nature preserve as sacred issued a rebuke Wednesday to the armed men who are occupying the property, saying they are not welcome at the snowy bird sanctuary and must leave. The Burns Paiute tribe was the latest group to speak out against the men, who have taken several buildings at the preserve to protest policies governing the use of federal land in the West. "The protesters have no right to this land. It belongs to the native people who live here," tribal leader Charlotte Rodrique said. Ammon Bundy, one of the sons of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, arrives for a news conference at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Ore., on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. With the takeover entering its fourth day Wednesday, authorities had not removed the group of roughly 20 people from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon's high desert country. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) She spoke at a news conference at the tribe's cultural center, about a half-hour drive from Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, which is being occupied by some 20 men led by Ammon Bundy, whose father Cliven was at the center of a standoff in Nevada with federal officials in 2014 over use of public lands. Ammon Bundy is demanding that the refuge be handed over to locals. Rodrique said she "had to laugh" at the demand, because she knew Bundy was not talking about giving the land to the tribe. The 13,700-acre Burns Paiute Reservation is north of the remote town of Burns in Oregon sagebrush country. The reservation is separate from the wildlife refuge, but tribal members consider it part of their ancestral land. As with other tribes, the Burns Paiutes' link to the land is marked by a history of conflict with white settlers and the U.S. government. In the late 1800s, they were forced off a sprawling reservation created by an 1872 treaty that was never ratified. Some later returned and purchased property in the Burns area, where about 200 tribal members now live. Bundy's group seized buildings Saturday at the nature preserve in eastern Oregon's high desert country. Authorities have made no attempt to remove them. At a community meeting attended by hundreds of people in Burns on Wednesday evening, cheers erupted when Harney County Sheriff David Ward said it was time for the group at the refuge to "pick up and go home." "We can work through it like adults, peacefully, with a united front," Ward said. The standoff in rural Oregon is a continuation of a long-running dispute over federal policies covering the use of public lands, including grazing. The federal government controls about half of all land in the West. For example, it owns 53 percent of Oregon, 85 percent of Nevada and 66 percent of Utah, according to the Congressional Research Service. The Bundy family is among many people in the West who contend local officials could do a better job of managing public lands than the federal government. "It is our goal to get the logger back to logging, the rancher back to ranching," Ammon Bundy said Tuesday. The argument is rejected by those who say the U.S. government is better equipped to manage public lands for all those who want to make use of them. Among those groups are Native Americans. The Burns Paiute tribe has guaranteed access to the refuge for activities that are important to their culture, including gathering a plant used for making traditional baskets and seeds that are used for making bread. The tribe also hunts and fishes there. Rodrique said the armed occupiers are "desecrating one of our sacred sites" with their presence at refuge. Jarvis Kennedy, a tribal council member, said: "We don't need these guys here. They need to go home and get out of here." Randy Eardley, a Bureau of Land Management spokesman, said Bundy's call for control of the land to be transferred makes no sense. "It is frustrating when I hear the demand that we return the land to the people, because it is in the people's hand the people own it," Eardley said. "Everybody in the United States owns that land. ... We manage it the best we can for its owners, the people, and whether it's for recreating, for grazing, for energy and mineral development." Bundy's group, calling itself Citizens for Constitutional Freedom, says it wants an inquiry into whether the government is forcing ranchers off their land after Dwight Hammond and his son, Steven, reported back to prison Monday. The Hammonds, who have distanced themselves from the group, were convicted of arson three years ago and served no more than a year. A judge later ruled that the terms fell short of minimum sentences requiring them to serve about four more years. ___ Petty reported from Portland, Oregon. Ammon Bundy, one of the sons of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, speaks to reporters during a news conference at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, near Burns, Ore. With the takeover entering its fourth day Wednesday, authorities had not removed the group of roughly 20 people from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon's high desert country. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) Ammon Bundy, one of the sons of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, speaks to reporters during a news conference at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, near Burns, Ore. With the takeover entering its fourth day Wednesday, authorities had not removed the group of roughly 20 people from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon's high desert country. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) Ryan Bundy, one of the sons of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, speaks with a reporters following a news conference at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, near Burns, Ore. With the takeover entering its fourth day Wednesday, authorities had not removed the group of roughly 20 people from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon's high desert country. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) Ryan Bundy, one of the sons of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, speaks with a reporter following a news conference at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, near Burns, Ore. With the takeover entering its fourth day Wednesday, authorities had not removed the group of roughly 20 people from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon's high desert country. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) Burns Paiute tribe chair Charlotte Rodrique addresses reporters during a press conference in response to the armed occupation of the nearby Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Burns, Ore., Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. A leader of the Oregon Indian tribe whose ancestral property is being occupied by an armed group opposed to federal land policy said Wednesday that the group is not welcome and needs to leave. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes) Members of the Burns Paiute tribe watch a press conference held by their leaders in response to the armed occupation of the nearby Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Burns, Ore., Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. A leader of the Oregon Indian tribe whose ancestral property is being occupied by an armed group opposed to federal land policy said Wednesday that the group is not welcome and needs to leave. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes) Members of the Burns Paiute tribe watch a press conference held by their leaders in response to the armed occupation of the nearby Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Burns, Ore., Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. A leader of the Oregon Indian tribe whose ancestral property is being occupied by an armed group opposed to federal land policy said Wednesday that the group is not welcome and needs to leave. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes) Harney County Sheriff David Ward listens to concerns during a community meeting at the Harney County fairgrounds on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, in Burns, Ore. The leader of an American Indian tribe that regards an Oregon nature preserve as sacred issued a rebuke Wednesday to the armed men who are occupying the property, saying they are not welcome at the snowy bird sanctuary and must leave. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) Harney County Sheriff David Ward listens to concerns during a community meeting at the Harney County fairgrounds Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, in Burns, Ore. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) Members of the Burns Paiute tribe watch a press conference held by their leaders in response to the armed occupation of the nearby Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Burns, Ore., Wednesday, January 6, 2016. A leader of the Oregon Indian tribe whose ancestral property is being occupied by an armed group opposed to federal land policy said Wednesday that the group is not welcome and needs to leave. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes) GOP Sen. Cruz says 'bad actors' will get worse under Obama ROCK RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz said Wednesday that 'bad actors' like North Korea will only get worse under the Obama administration. Responding to questions about North Korea's claim that it tested a hydrogen bomb, the Texas senator likened the state of the world under the Obama administration to William Golding's Nobel Prize-winning novel "Lord of the Flies," in which children who try to govern themselves on an uninhabited island eventually turn on one other, with a disastrous end. "For the remainder of President Obama's term, we are essentially in a Hobbesian state of nature, like Lord of the Flies," he said during a campaign stop in Rock Rapids, Iowa. The Hobbesian philosophy says a strong central authority is a necessary basis for governance. FILE - In this Dec. 22, 2015, file photo, Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, campaigns in Nashville, Tenn. Cruz said Jan. 6, that 'bad actors' like North Korea will only get worse under the Obama administration. Responding to questions about North Korea's announcement that it tested a hydrogen bomb, the Texas senator likened the state of the world under the Obama administration to William Goldings Nobel Prize-winning novel "Lord of the Flies," in which children who try to govern themselves on an uninhabited island eventually turn on one other, with a disastrous end. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski, File) "For the remainder of the year, every bad actor is going to get worse," he said. "Every bad actor on earth has taken the measure of the man Barack Obama and determined there are no consequences, there is no price to be paid. So, what North Korea did is just the beginning." Pyongyang's announcement of a successful hydrogen bomb test would mark a major and unanticipated advance for its still-limited nuclear arsenal. The White House said Wednesday that the U.S. government's early analysis of underground activity in North Korea "is not consistent" with that country's claim of having conducted a successful hydrogen bomb test. Chicago-area college professor disputes university accounts CHICAGO (AP) The professor of a Christian college who asserted Christians and Muslims worship the same God said Wednesday that her views are in line with the suburban Chicago college's mission and disputed university accounts of interactions with administrators who've taken steps to fire her. Larycia Hawkins, who's Christian, was placed on leave at Wheaton College in December after posting her views on Facebook. She also wore a headscarf to show solidarity with Muslims. College officials said her views were inconsistent with the college's "doctrinal convictions." On Tuesday, they said she refused to participate in further conversations about theological issues and initiated termination-for-cause proceedings. However, Hawkins said she tried to reconcile with university officials during a news conference Wednesday at a downtown Chicago church where she received backing from religious leaders, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Wheaton College professor Larycia Hawkins pauses during a news conference Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, in Chicago. Hawkins, who's Christian, and posted her views on Facebook and wore a headscarf to show solidarity with Muslims, is disputing the university's account of interactions with administrators who've initiated steps to fire her. Suburban Chicago's Wheaton College initiated the termination-for-cause proceeding against Hawkins on Tuesday, saying she refused to participate in "clarifying conversations" about theological issues. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) Hawkins, a political science professor, said she met with administrators several times after the Facebook posting and provided statements explaining her beliefs which she said don't contradict the college's. Hawkins said she was told further discussions weren't required, but college officials then changed their requirements and said she'd have to participate in two years of ongoing conversations during which time her tenure would be revoked. She said university officials advised her to get an attorney, and the next communication was the notice of termination proceedings. "The rules changing, the goal post keeps moving. And I said, 'I have dignity, I've answered your questions and my statement stands,'" she said Wednesday. She said nothing about her views contradict the college's statement of faith, which all instructors sign. Among other things it affirms belief in "one sovereign God," views on Adam and Eve and the existence of Satan. Students, alumni, professors and clergy members from several faiths spoke Wednesday in support of Hawkins, with Jackson comparing her to Rosa Parks. Hawkins, who has been at the university since 2007, detailed her religious upbringing in Oklahoma as the granddaughter of a pastor. She reinforced her views, saying that she believed Muslims, Christians and Jews were all "people of the book." She also alleged that the university's actions were to "placate platinum donors." "Wheaton College cannot scare me into walking away from the truth that all humans, Muslims, the vulnerable, the oppressed of any ilk, are all my sisters and brothers. And I am called by Jesus to walk with them in their oppression," she said. "Wheaton College cannot intimidate me into cowering in fear of the enemy of the month as defined by real estate moguls, senators from Texas, Christians from this country, bigots and fundamentalists of all stripes." The liberal arts university, which has posted frequent responses to the matter on its website, offered a statement Wednesday afternoon saying that while it "disagrees with some of the facts presented in the press conference, the College admires Dr. Hawkins' commitment to caring for our Muslim neighbors." The university reiterated its stance that at issue was "the theological implications" of Hawkins' statements, along with requested explanations. College officials have said they had had frank conversations with Hawkins as they pursued the possibility of reconciliation but remained at impasse since Hawkins "stated clearly her unwillingness to participate in such further clarifying conversations." The termination process involves a hearing before a faculty committee and a decision by the college's board of trustees. Nearly 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students attend Wheaton College, which is roughly 30 miles from Chicago. __ Follow Sophia Tareen at http://twitter.com/sophiatareen. Wheaton College professor Larycia Hawkins speaks during a news conference Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, in Chicago. Hawkins, who's Christian, and posted her views on Facebook and wore a headscarf to show solidarity with Muslims, is disputing the university's account of interactions with administrators who've initiated steps to fire her. Suburban Chicago's Wheaton College initiated the termination-for-cause proceeding against Hawkins on Tuesday, saying she refused to participate in "clarifying conversations" about theological issues. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) Wheaton College professor Larycia Hawkins speaks during a news conference Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, in Chicago. Hawkins, who's Christian, posted her views on Facebook and wore a headscarf to show solidarity with Muslims is disputing the university's account of interactions with administrators who've initiated steps to fire her. Suburban Chicago's Wheaton College initiated the termination-for-cause proceeding against Hawkins on Tuesday, saying she refused to participate in "clarifying conversations" about theological issues. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) Wheaton College professor Larycia Hawkins is joined by Rev. Jesse Jackson during a news conference Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, in Chicago. Hawkins, who's Christian, and posted her views on Facebook and wore a headscarf to show solidarity with Muslims, is disputing the university's account of interactions with administrators who've initiated steps to fire her. Suburban Chicago's Wheaton College initiated the termination-for-cause proceeding against Hawkins on Tuesday, saying she refused to participate in "clarifying conversations" about theological issues. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) Wheaton College professor Larycia Hawkins smiles during a news conference Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, in Chicago. Hawkins, who's Christian, and posted her views on Facebook and wore a headscarf to show solidarity with Muslims, is disputing the university's account of interactions with administrators who've initiated steps to fire her. Suburban Chicago's Wheaton College initiated the termination-for-cause proceeding against Hawkins on Tuesday, saying she refused to participate in "clarifying conversations" about theological issues. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) Wheaton College professor Larycia Hawkins, left, is hugged by former student Rachel Brooks after a news conference Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, in Chicago. Hawkins, who's Christian, and posted her views on Facebook and wore a headscarf to show solidarity with Muslims, is disputing the university's account of interactions with administrators who've initiated steps to fire her. Suburban Chicago's Wheaton College initiated the termination-for-cause proceeding against Hawkins on Tuesday, saying she refused to participate in "clarifying conversations" about theological issues. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) Cruz-Rubio battle over undecided Iowans intensifies CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are fighting for the favor of many of the same undecided voters across Iowa, where even some of the most attentive Republicans say they can't make up their minds less than four weeks before voting begins. That was so among Iowans who gathered before sunrise to hear Rubio at a town-hall-style meeting in Cedar Rapids. The Florida senator impressed the crowd but few left having decided if he would get their vote. "I haven't settled on one candidate 100 percent," said Mike Grover, a 65-year-old Cedar Rapids man who is among the thousands of "persuadable voters" still up for grabs. Republican Presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas talks to a reporter while standing with supporter Court Oviatt of Logan, Iowa, after a campaign speech at the public library in Onawa, Iowa, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) In small towns from Cherokee to Sioux Center, an overwhelming number of would-be voters said both Cruz and Rubio are in contention for their support. Their policies, personalities and presumed ability to defeat the Democratic nominee in the fall are all under close examination. Donald Trump comes up often as well, as do retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. At 44 and 45, respectively, Rubio and Cruz are the youngest candidates in the 2016 field and the only Hispanics. "I've seen Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz," Connie Peterson, a retired 74-year-old Republican, said Wednesday at a Rubio event in Marshalltown. "In ways they seem similar, and I can't make up my mind there." She added: "It's going to be a hard decision." A day earlier, at a Cruz rally along Iowa's western border, Mondamin real estate agent Lary Clark said he was also torn between the Texas senator, a sharp-tongued combatant in Washington, and the smoother Rubio both conservatives with tea party roots but divergent paths. "I want somebody who's going to be able to win the general election," Clark said. By his calculation, Cruz or Rubio, with their Cuban-American heritage, may be best positioned to capture Latino votes in November. Cruz is working to build on his strong Iowa polling this week with a 28-stop, six day bus tour focused largely on small towns and farm communities. Rubio is making four stops over two days, having spent nine days in the state over the past month, his campaign said. Rubio, who is lagging behind Cruz in the polls, has been more forceful in criticizing Cruz while they've crisscrossed Iowa. Rubio is bluntly challenging Cruz's commitment to national security, while Cruz casts Rubio as an establishment favorite who supports "amnesty" for immigrants in the country illegally. Undecided voters say they need more time to sort through the big pack of contenders. "There's been so many," said Iowa corn farmer Jim Nelson of Cherokee. "We're trying to go through them all. Give them all a chance." People in early voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire are notoriously late deciders and the fact they have a dozen contenders to choose from is making their decision all the more difficult. A Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register poll conducted last month found that only 33 percent of likely Iowa caucus-goers had made up their minds, with two-thirds saying they could still be persuaded by any candidate. That's in line with voters nationwide, according to a Quinnipiac University poll, which found in late December that nearly 6 in 10 Republicans could change their mind before casting their primary vote. Cruz is banking on a win Feb. 1 caucus to generate momentum to sustain him well beyond the following contest in New Hampshire, where he's not expected to do as well. His team is more optimistic about his chances in South Carolina and the bulk of Super Tuesday states voting on March 1, several of which are in the South where his core support among evangelical conservatives is strong. Rubio's path to the nomination is less clear. He's barely in the top-tier of many early state polls, often trailing both Cruz and Trump. The Florida senator's team is betting on a series of strong showings in the early states if not wins that would allow him to stay alive and inherit support from other candidates as they drop out. Karl Palmberg, a 39-year-old farmer from Larchwood, Iowa, came with his wife and two young children to see Cruz on Wednesday morning at a diner in Rock Rapids. But Palmberg said Cruz is his second choice behind Rubio, citing issues like global warming, immigration and the flat tax that are making him lean toward Rubio because he's more to the center on them. Becky Waters and her husband came from nearby Ogden to hear Cruz speak at a Christian bookstore in Boone on Monday. While her husband was on board for Cruz, Becky Waters said she came into the event torn between him and Rubio. But after hearing Cruz, her mind was made up. "That was a powerful speech," she said. "He's the guy." But Nelson, the corn grower, wasn't so sure after a Cruz event in Cherokee. "I'll sleep on it," he said. ___ Bauer reported from Rock Rapids, Iowa. ___ Follow Scott Bauer on Twitter at https://twitter.com/sbauerAP and find more of his work at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/scott-bauer Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. speaks at a town hall at Fisher Community Center in Marshalltown, Iowa, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Republican Presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas speaks during a campaign stop at the public library in Onawa, Iowa, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) 'Devilish' dancers invade Ecuador highlands town PILLARO, Ecuador (AP) The 'devils' invade this picturesque highlands town on New Year's Day and take over the streets for six days, donning fearful masks to dance to the rhythms of local bands. Ecuador's annual 'Diablada' festival fills 12 blocks of this town 60 miles (100 kilometers) south of Quito and ends on Three Kings Day, the Roman Catholic holiday celebrated on Jan. 6 Plenty of liquor is imbibed and local fare consumed while street vendors take advantage of the influx of thousands of tourists to sell paintings of the Virgin Mary. CORRECTS LENGTH OF FESTIVAL FROM EIGHT TO SIX DAYS - A man dressed as a 'devil' takes part in the Diablada festival, in Pillaro, Ecuador, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. 'Devils invade this highlands town just before New Years and take over its streets for six days, donning fearful masks to dance to the rhythms of local bands. The annual festival fills blocks of this Andean town south of Quito and ends on Three Kings Day, the Roman Catholic holiday. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa) 'Diablada' festivals are held in several Andean nations. They mix pre-colonial with Catholic traditions, celebrating the clash of good and evil. One popular explanation for the Pillaro version is that it began as a way for men to anonymously court women. The masks that participants don typically include enormous horns, pointed ears and diabolical smiles. Costumes extend to black capes and long tails. ___ This story has been corrected to say that the festival begins on New Year's Day and lasts 6 days. CORRECTS LENGTH OF FESTIVAL FROM EIGHT TO SIX DAYS - A man dressed as a 'devil' dances during the Diablada festival, in Pillaro, Ecuador, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. 'Devils invade this highlands town just before New Years and take over its streets for six days, donning fearful masks to dance to the rhythms of local bands. The masks that participants don typically include enormous horns, pointed ears and diabolical smiles. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa) CORRECTS LENGTH OF FESTIVAL FROM EIGHT TO SIX DAYS - Two boys watch visitors and residents take part in the Diablada festival, in Pillaro, Ecuador, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. 'Devils invade this highlands town just before New Years and take over its streets for six days, donning fearful masks to dance to the rhythms of local bands. Plenty of liquor is imbibed and local fare consumed and street vendors take advantage of the influx of thousands of tourists to sell their wares. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa) Bailarines de linea, or line dancers, mark the start of their group's procession to downtown Pillaro, Ecuador, Tuesday,Jan.5, 2016, to take part in the Diablada festival. Diabladas are held annually in several Andean nations. They mix pre-colonial with Catholic traditions, celebrating the clash of good and evil. One popular explanation for the Pillaro version is that it began as a way for men to anonymously court women. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa) Ex-Chicago attorney's cases examined after judge's ruling CHICAGO (AP) Chicago's law department is examining more than three dozen open cases that were being handled by a former top city attorney who resigned this week after a federal judge accused him of hiding evidence in a fatal police shooting, a department spokesman said Wednesday. Bill McCaffrey said Jordan Marsh was either the supervisor or lead attorney in 37 police misconduct cases at the time the judge issued his ruling. McCaffrey said the decision to look at the cases was made by the head of the city's law department, Steve Patton, and that there are no plans to examine closed cases that Marsh worked on since joining the department in late 1997. In a 72-page opinion Monday, U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang accused Marsh of hiding evidence and lying about it later in his work representing the city in a civil lawsuit brought by relatives of Darius Pinex, a 27-year-old black man shot and killed by police during a 2011 traffic stop in Chicago. Chang tossed out a jury's findings in April that the shooting was justified and ordered a new trial. FILE - In this Dec. 17, 2015 file photo, Gloria Pinex holds a photo of her son, Darius Pinex, at her home in Chicago. Pinex sued the city after her son was killed by police in 2011 and on Monday, Jan. 4, 2016, a judge accused a city prosecutor of lying, prompting the city's law department to examine dozens of other cases the attorney worked on. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File) The ruling was another blow to the city and Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who along with the Police Department have been trying to regain the trust of residents in the wake of the Laquan McDonald police shooting video. Released in November, the video shows white police officer Jason Van Dyke shooting the 17-year-old McDonald, who was black, 16 times as he walked away from police carrying a 3-inch knife that was later found to be folded. Van Dyke, who faces first-degree murder charges, has pleaded not guilty. While Emanuel has been moving to make dramatic changes to the Police Department and how officers are trained on the use of deadly force, the judge's ruling focuses on the work of an attorney who handled cases in the office that represents the city in police misconduct lawsuits. The judge's ruling also prompted Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner to say on Wednesday he thinks a Justice Department civil rights investigation of the Police Department should be expanded to include the city's law department. The Republican governor also said Emanuel, a Democrat, showed a "failure of leadership" when he said Tuesday that a probe of the department isn't necessary. Emanuel noted it's up to the Justice Department to determine what areas and offices to investigate. "While we don't control or direct what the Department of Justice looks into, the Mayor has been clear that this administration will fully cooperate with whatever investigations they choose to undertake," spokeswoman Lauren Huffman said. She also said the governor should stop "exploiting" Chicago and "start leading to solve the issues challenging the state." Whether the investigation is broadened or not, attorneys who filed police misconduct lawsuits against the city might go back to re-examine those suits to determine if there was any law department misconduct. Steve Greenberg, an attorney in the civil case Chang ruled on, said he would expect attorneys who sued the city in similar cases to take a close look for possible misconduct by the law department that might be grounds to have those cases reopened. Marsh does not have a listed phone number and could not be reached for comment. His attorney did not immediately return a call for comment. ___ Associated Press writer Sara Burnett contributed to this report. Diverse interests split on best way to manage public land BOISE, Idaho (AP) An armed group occupying the headquarters of a national wildlife refuge in Oregon wants the federal government to relinquish about 300 square miles to local control so it can be opened up for ranching, mining, logging and other uses. Birders covet the same land for its many migrating species that use refuge marshland as a key resting place. Anglers, hunters and wildlife watchers also are drawn to the high desert terrain. The competition between the different interests is emblematic of a much larger struggle in the West, playing out in federal courts, state legislatures and Congress. ADDS DETAILS OF SOME VEHICLES SEEN AT THE ENTRANCE - An sign of the National Wildlife Refuge System is seen at an entry of the wildlife refuge, where some vehicles are seen used to block access to the inside of the refuge, about 30 miles southeast of Burns, Ore., Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016. Armed protesters are occupying a building at the national wildlife refuge and asking militia members around the country to join them. The protesters went to Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday following a peaceful rally in support of two Oregon ranchers facing additional prison time for arson. (Les Zaitz/The Oregonian via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT At its core, the dispute comes down to personal values: Recreationists' and environmentalists' views on open spaces clash with traditional uses that have sustained rural communities for generations. ___ WHAT'S AT STAKE? About a million square miles of public land managed by the federal government, mostly in the West, according to the Congressional Research Service. ___ WHAT DO BUSINESS INTERESTS SAY? Many of those who depend on the land for their livelihood argue that wildlife holds more weight than people. They sometimes frame their outlook in patriotic or religious terms and say federal land managers who impose limits are shutting down lumber mills, cutting off cattle grazing, preventing mining and destroying a way of life in the rural West. They say that could be solved by turning public lands over to locals who would be better caretakers than far-off bureaucrats. They do have some protections, including an 1872 mining law that still offers miners low-cost access to federal land. ___ WHAT DO ENVIRONMENTALISTS SAY? Many environmental groups say mining, logging and ranching have run roughshod for decades on public land and left a legacy of pollution for taxpayers to clean up. They say the industries have wiped out old-growth forests and overgrazed landscapes made vulnerable to invasive species. Conservationists accuse federal officials of allowing the practices that have scarred the West and failing to enforce laws. The most widely recognized is the Endangered Species Act, famously used to limit logging in the Pacific Northwest to protect forests that are home to spotted owls and marbled murrelets. ___ WHAT DO OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS SAY? The open spaces of the West have miles of streams to fish, trails to hike, mountains to climb and areas to traverse on snowmobiles. Among recreationists' biggest fears is being shut out. In northern Idaho, residents so far have torpedoed a proposed land swap between a timber company and the U.S. Forest Service over concerns about losing access to part of a national forest. ___ WHAT DOES THE GOVERNMENT SAY? U.S. agencies manage most of the public land and try to balance the different interests, but they frequently become lightning rods with their decisions challenged in court. Employees of the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service tend to have an affinity for open spaces and a belief in public service, said John Freemuth, a Boise State University professor and public lands expert. ___ WHO'S THE HEAVYWEIGHT? Congress. U.S. lawmakers could turn over federal lands to local control, but state efforts so far have failed. A strategy has emerged in recent years in which members of Congress slip land-use amendments into critical budget bills. For example, U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, and U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, attached a so-called rider in 2011 that stripped federal protections for gray wolves in their states. As a result, environmental groups have become increasingly watchful. But their push to weaken the 1872 mining law has failed, as have industry efforts to weaken the Endangered Species Act. ___ IS COMPROMISE POSSIBLE? Yes. After more than a decade of effort, Simpson this summer shepherded through Congress a compromise bill that created a 430-square-mile federal wilderness in some of central Idaho's most pristine country. It limits development in some areas but opens it up in others. It got help passing after President Barack Obama signaled that the area would be designated a national monument if the bill stalled. In another compromise, federal land critics and ranchers supported an order by Interior Secretary Sally Jewell last year that aimed to stop wildfires. Republican Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter, a critic of federal land policy, has praised the order. So have ranchers, who partnered with federal firefighters in a plan to respond quickly to blazes. Sean Anderson, of Idaho, a supporter of the group occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, stands by the front gate Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, near Burns, Ore. With the takeover entering its fourth day Wednesday, authorities had not removed the group of roughly 20 people from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon's high desert country. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) Adnan Januzaj set to return to Man United MANCHESTER, England (AP) Adnan Januzaj is set to return to Manchester United from Borussia Dortmund after failing to get enough games for the German club during a loan spell. Januzaj was cutting short his season-long loan deal, a person familiar with the situation said on Wednesday. The person confirmed British media reports to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been made official. The Belgium winger joined Dortmund on loan on Aug. 31. He has started only one game in the Bundesliga. Q&A: A look at 'affluenza' teen's Mexico strategy FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) A teenage fugitive who's known for using an "affluenza" defense at his trial for causing a deadly drunken car crash has won an injunction to stay in Mexico, but legal experts say any argument that his human rights have been infringed upon likely won't hold up. Ethan Couch, 18, and his mother, Tonya Couch, were taken into custody last week in the Pacific resort city of Puerto Vallarta, where authorities believe they fled in November as Texas prosecutors investigated whether he had violated the terms of his probation. Ethan Couch was driving drunk and speeding near Fort Worth in June 2013 when he crashed into a disabled SUV, killing four people and injuring several others, including passengers in his pickup truck. He pleaded guilty in juvenile court to four counts of intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication assault causing serious bodily injury and was sentenced to 10 years' probation. A vehicle exits the compound of the Agujas immigration detention center, where U.S. fugitive Ethan Couch is being detained in Mexico City, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. The Texas teen known for using an "affluenza" defense in a fatal drunken-driving accident is being held at a Mexico City immigration detention center. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) The Couches fled shortly after a video surfaced in November that appears to show Ethan Couch at a party where people were drinking. Couch is being held at an immigration detention center in Mexico City. His mother, meanwhile, awaits transfer to Texas from Los Angeles, where on Tuesday she waived her right to an extradition hearing. ___ Q: WHY WOULD ETHAN COUCH FLEE TO MEXICO? A: Because human rights are protected in the Mexican constitution, American felons fleeing capital punishment or lengthy prison terms have treated Mexico as a refuge, said Washington, D.C.-based attorney Bruce Zagaris. In 2005, though, the Mexican Supreme Court broke with legal tradition by agreeing to allow the extradition of criminal suspects who face life sentences abroad. Judges have refused extradition requests from the U.S. when the suspect faces cruel and unusual punishment, including the death penalty. Zagaris said it's unlikely that such protections would be offered to Ethan Couch, though. "Because of his money and power, it's hard for Ethan Couch to allege, as you normally would if you were a potential victim of human rights violations, that he's going to be subject to unusual and cruel treatment," he said. It is unclear whether Mexico was the Couches' final destination, or what punishment they anticipated Ethan Couch would receive for violating his probation. ___ Q: WHAT COULD ETHAN COUCH GAIN BY DELAYING HIS DEPORTATION? A: A federal judge could rule that he stays in Mexico on a permanent basis under court protection, but such a judgment is unlikely, legal experts said. While the judge considers his appeal, Couch will remain in the immigration detention center, which "buys time to prepare his defense" in the U.S., said Javier Lopez de Obeso, a San Antonio attorney licensed to practice in Mexico who is not involved with the case. Most likely, Lopez says, Couch will be deported back to Texas. Even if the judge rules in his favor, Mexican authorities are not likely to reject an extradition request from the U.S. Tarrant County District Attorney Sharen Wilson has said she plans to ask a judge to transfer his case to adult court, where Couch could get up to 120 days in an adult jail, followed by 10 years of probation. If he violates probation again, he could face up to 10 years in prison per death, Wilson said. Tarrant County district attorney spokeswoman Samantha Jordan said delaying his return won't affect his probation or prosecutors' plans to request a transfer. "If the motion to transfer is not settled before his return there would be a hearing immediately after he's back to transfer, and he would still owe the balance of time on his probation term," she said. ___ Q: WHAT'S NEXT? A: Ethan Couch won a delay in deportation last week, a ruling that could lead to a drawn-out court process if a Mexican judge decides Couch has grounds to challenge his deportation based on arguments that kicking him out of Mexico would violate his rights. Such cases can take anywhere from two weeks to several months, depending on the priorities of the local courts and the actions of defense attorneys, said Richard Hunter, chief deputy for the U.S. Marshals Service in South Texas. His lawyer in Mexico, Fernando Benitez, said he planned to meet with Couch earlier this week to decide whether to drop the deportation fight, but he has not commented on his legal strategy going forward. A guard closes the gate at the entrance gate of the Agujas immigration detention center, where U.S. fugitive Ethan Couch is being detained, in Iztapalapa, Mexico City, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2016. The Texas teen known for using an "affluenza" defense in a fatal drunken-driving accident is being held at a Mexico City immigration detention center. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) FILE - This Dec. 28, 2015 file photo, released by Mexico's Jalisco state prosecutor's office shows who authorities identify as Ethan Couch, after he was taken into custody in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The Mexican lawyer for the Texas teenager known for using an "affluenza" defense in a fatal drunken-driving accident said Monday, Jan. 4, 2016 that his appeal against deportation could delay his client's return to the United States for weeks, perhaps months - or just a single day. (Mexico's Jalisco state prosecutor's office via AP, File) Los Angeles County prosecutors reject Cosby sex charges LOS ANGELES (AP) Los Angeles County prosecutors declined Wednesday to charge Bill Cosby with sexually abusing two teenagers in 1965 and 2008, citing time limits and a lack of evidence. The decision comes about a week after Cosby, 78, was charged with drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in 2004 inside his home near Philadelphia the first criminal case brought against him out of the torrent of allegations that destroyed his good-guy image as America's Dad. His lawyers have called the charges in that case unjustified and said they expected Cosby to be exonerated. "We are satisfied that the Los Angeles DA's office fully and fairly evaluated all the facts and evidence, and came to the right conclusion in declining to file charges against Mr. Cosby," his attorney, Monique Pressley, said in a statement. FILE - In this Nov. 18, 2013 file photo, actor-comedian Bill Cosby poses for a portrait in New York. Los Angeles County prosecutors have declined to charge Cosby with sexually abusing two teenagers in 1965 and 2008, citing time limits and a lack of evidence. The decision on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, comes about a week after the 78-year-old comedian was charged with drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in 2004 inside his home near Philadelphia. (Photo by Victoria Will/Invision/AP, File) Dozens of women have accused Cosby of sex assaults or attempted molestations in incidents dating back more than four decades. In Los Angeles County, the district attorney's office investigated allegations by a woman who said that in 1965, when she was 17 years old, Cosby took her to a jazz club in Hollywood, bought her alcoholic drinks, and took her to a home in the Hollywood Hills where he forced her to have sex. "Filing the crime of forcible rape is barred by the statute of limitations and as such, any consideration of a criminal filing is prohibited by law," said comments on a DA's charge evaluation worksheet. Charges also were declined in the case of a woman who claimed she attended a party at the Playboy Mansion in the summer of 2008, when she was 18, during which Cosby gave drinks to her and a friend. The woman claimed she felt dizzy and sick and Cosby offered to take her to lie down in a room where she blacked out. The woman said she awoke naked. Authorities investigated after model Chloe Goins met with Los Angeles police detectives in January to detail her allegations. Cosby's attorney at the time released a statement denying the accusation and saying Cosby was not in Los Angeles at the time. Investigators found Cosby wasn't listed as a guest at any 2008 summer events at the mansion and a woman that the alleged victim said was a potential witness denied knowing her or being at the mansion, according to the DA's worksheet. The worksheet also indicated that the statute of limitations had expired to charge Cosby with misdemeanor sexual battery and indecent exposure in the case and there was little or no evidence to back felony sex charges. Goins, who has sued Cosby, was the second woman to meet with Los Angeles police detectives to make accusations against the comedian. Prosecutors earlier rejected filing charges against him based on allegations by Judy Huth, who alleges in a lawsuit that he abused her at the Playboy Mansion in the early 1970s when she was 15. The comedian gave a deposition in the case in October. A judge has also ordered Cosby to be deposed in a defamation case filed by model Janice Dickinson, who accuses Cosby of drugging and raping her in 1982 in Lake Tahoe, California. Trooper in Sandra Bland traffic stop indicted, fired HEMPSTEAD, Texas (AP) A Texas state trooper who arrested Sandra Bland after a contentious traffic stop last summer was fired Wednesday after being charged with perjury for allegedly lying about his confrontation with the black woman who died three days later in jail. Trooper Brian Encinia claimed in an affidavit that Bland was "combative and uncooperative" after he pulled her over and ordered her out of her car. The grand jury identified that affidavit in charging Encinia with perjury, special prosecutor Shawn McDonald said Wednesday night. Hours after the indictment, the Texas Department of Public Safety said it would "begin termination proceedings" against Encinia, who has been on paid desk duty since Bland was found dead in her cell. FILE - In this undated photo provided by the Bland family, Sandra Bland poses for a photo. A grand jury indicted Trooper Brian Encinia on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, with the misdemeanor charge. Encinia has been on desk duty since Bland was found dead in her cell in July. Her death was ruled a suicide. (Courtesy of Bland family via AP, File) Bland's arrest and death which authorities ruled a suicide provoked national outrage and drew the attention of the Black Lives Matter movement. Protesters linked Bland to other black suspects who were killed in confrontations with police or died in police custody, including Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Freddie Gray in Baltimore. Video of the stop shows Encinia drawing his stun gun and telling Bland, "I will light you up!" She can later be heard off-camera screaming that he's about to break her wrists and complaining that he knocked her head into the ground. Encinia's affidavit stated he "removed her from her vehicle to further conduct a safer traffic investigation," but grand jurors "found that statement to be false," said McDonald, one of five special prosecutors appointed to investigate. She was taken to the Waller County jail in Hempstead, about 50 miles northwest of Houston. Three days later, she was found hanging from a jail cell partition with a plastic garbage bag around her neck. The grand jury has already declined to charge any sheriff's officials or jailers in her death. The perjury charge is a misdemeanor that carries a maximum of one year in jail and a $4,000 fine. Encinia was not immediately taken into custody, and an arraignment date has not yet been announced. Encinia could not immediately be reached for comment; a cellphone number for him was no longer working. Bland's sister, Sharon Cooper, told The Associated Press that Encinia's indictment was "bittersweet." Encinia also faces a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Bland's family. "We have always felt from the onset, from our viewing of the dashcam video, is what happened to Sandy was largely impacted by the fatal encounter that she had with Officer Encinia," Cooper said. Cannon Lambert, an attorney for the family, said Encinia should have also been indicted for assault, battery or abuse of his official power. "The public deserves accountability," Lambert said. "If you don't have public accountability, you don't have public trust. I want the public to be able to trust the police." About two dozen protesters attended Wednesday's news conference where the indictment was announced. One protester's sign read, "Legalize black skin." Speaking afterward, one protester, Jinaki Muhammad, called the misdemeanor charge "a slap in the face to the Bland family." Encinia pulled Bland over on July 10 for making an improper lane change near Prairie View A&M University, her alma mater, where she had just interviewed and accepted a job. Dashcam video from Encinia's patrol car shows that the traffic stop quickly became confrontational. The video shows the trooper drawing his stun gun after Bland refuses to get out of her car. Bland eventually steps out of the vehicle, and Encinia orders her to the side of the road. The confrontation continues off-camera but is still audible. Encinia wrote in his affidavit that he had Bland exit the vehicle and handcuffed her after she became combative, and that she swung her elbows at him and kicked him in his right shin. Encinia said he then used force "to subdue Bland to the ground," and she continued to fight back. He arrested her for assault on a public servant. Another of Bland's sisters, Shante Needham, has said Bland called her from jail the day after her arrest, saying she'd been arrested but didn't know why, and that an officer had placed his knee in her back and injured her arm. Her family has said they were working to get money for her bail when they learned of her death. Cooper, her sister, said Wednesday that the family still has unanswered questions about what happened in the days before her death. "Our family's grieving process is at a standstill," she said. ___ Associated Press writer Nomaan Merchant in Dallas contributed to this report. FILE - In this July 10, 2015, file frame taken from dashcam video provided by the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas State Trooper Brian Encinia confronts Sandra Bland after a minor traffic infraction in Waller County,Texas. A grand jury indicted Encinia on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, with the misdemeanor charge. Encinia has been on desk duty since Bland was found dead in her cell in July. Her death was ruled a suicide. (Texas Department of Public Safety via AP, File) About two dozen people demonstrate outside the Waller County Courthouse on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, in Hempstead, Texas. A grand jury has resumed considering the case of Sandra Bland, the black Chicago-area woman who died in a Texas county jail three days after her arrest in a traffic stop last summer. (AP Photo/Michael Graczyk) About two dozen people demonstrate outside the Waller County Courthouse on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, in Hempstead, Texas. A grand jury has resumed considering the case of Sandra Bland, the black Chicago-area woman who died in a Texas county jail three days after her arrest in a traffic stop last summer. (AP Photo/Michael Graczyk) Spike Jonze gives peek at new Viceland channel PASADENA, Calif. (AP) The new Viceland cable channel that launches next month will have series with actress Ellen Page exploring gay and lesbian life around the world, actor Michael K. Williams telling about black market economies and celebrity chef Eddie Huang illustrating stories about politics, culture and food. Filmmaker Spike Jonze, the creative director of Viceland, offered a first peek Wednesday into the results of last year's deal between Vice Media and the A&E Networks. Viceland is taking over the H2 network on Feb. 29. Founded as a punk magazine in Canada in 1994, Vice Media has exploded in influence with a young audience. Vice airs a documentary series on HBO and will be starting a news series on the network later this year, Disney reportedly invested in the company and A&E has given them a channel that's a mix of hard-edged culture and lifestyle series. Hailey Gates, from left, Ellen Page and Ian Daniel appear during the "Viceland" panel at the A+E 2016 Winter TCA on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, in Pasadena, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP) "We're trying to make a channel that's personal, that feels like a group of people trying to understand the world we live in," Jonze said. Although Viceland will acquire some documentaries and movies, the heart of the channel will be unscripted series that are passion projects for individual filmmakers. They have the irreverent, action-packed style familiar to Vice's fans, and tell stories from parts of the world not covered heavily by traditional news organizations. Page's "Gaycation," co-produced and co-hosted by Ian Daniel, will likely have the highest profile. Page attracted attention a few months ago for bringing a film crew and questioning Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz about gay rights while he campaigned at the Iowa state fair. Page and Daniel, who are both gay, meet a masked man in Brazil who proudly talks about killing homosexuals. "I'm hoping to explore what it means to be LGBT all over the world," Page said. Williams' first episode of "Black Market" explores auto theft in Newark, N.J., the city where he grew up and was once arrested for stealing a car. Based on clips screened on Wednesday, "Huang's World," from the author of "Fresh Off the Boat," looks like an edgier version of Anthony Bourdain's "Parts Unknown" on CNN. Actress and model Hailey Gates is also making a travelogue show, using the fashion world as a window into issues like women's rights. Rapper Action Bronson hosts a show, with an unpublishable title, focused on food and music. "Weediquette" looks at the marijuana industry as it becomes legalized in more jurisdictions, "Flophouse" is about communities of young comics across the country and "Noisey" looks at cities through the eyes of musicians like Kendrick Lamar. While most of Viceland's shows are produced internally, Jonze said outside companies are also being used. A sketch comedy show from actor Ben Stiller's production company is in the works, for instance. Being considered a cultural network and not news like the programs Vice makes for HBO takes some of the pressure off Viceland's leaders, Jonze said. "We can be completely subjective," he said. "We don't have to be objective journalists." Boom in streaming sees 50,000 songs played every minute Around 50,000 songs per minute were streamed in the UK in 2015, as music fans swapped CDs and downloads for listening to their favourite bands online. A record 26.8 billion songs were streamed last year, new figures show - a jump of 82% on 2014. Geoff Taylor, head of UK music industry body the BPI, said the surge in streaming was due to the success of services such as Spotify and Apple Music. OMI's single Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix) was the most streamed song of 2015, figures reveal "More people are discovering how wonderful it is to have all the music in the world to listen to, whenever and wherever you want," he added. Almost a quarter of all music consumed in the UK in 2015 was done so through audio streaming, up from one-eighth in 2014. Vinyl also enjoyed a rise in popularity, with sales up 64% to a 21-year high. Downloads of albums fell by 14%, however, while sales of CDs - still the most popular format in the country - dropped by 4%. UK stars such as Adele and Mark Ronson were among those driving the streaming boom. Hello by Adele was played 7.3 million times in the UK during its first week of release, while Ronson's Uptown Funk, released in November 2014, received around 65 million streams. The most streamed track of the year was Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix) by OMI, which had nearly 72 million plays. Total music consumption in the UK increased by around 4% in 2015. This corresponds to a retail value of 1.1 billion. Responding to the findings, BPI boss Geoff Taylor said: "The soaring popularity of music streaming and the burgeoning vinyl revival mean that UK music consumption rose again in 2015. "Yet again it's UK artists who are driving this growth and inspiring the fans - at home and across the planet - with their award-winning song-writing and performances, whether it's global icons such as Adele, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and One Direction, or recent British breakthroughs and newcomers like Jess Glynne, Little Mix and James Bay." Sales of vinyl have risen steadily since 2012, when they dipped to 400,000. The total for 2015 was 2.1 million. The biggest-selling vinyl release in 2015 was Adele's album 25, followed by Amy Winehouse's 2006 album Back to Black and the Stone Roses' self-titled debut album from 1989. Labour leadership accused of dishonesty after 'revenge reshuffle' The latest Labour frontbencher to quit over Jeremy Corbyn's so-called "revenge reshuffle" has accused the party leadership of dishonesty and warned that voters would be dismayed by the changes. Kevan Jones claimed his former boss Maria Eagle, a supporter of Trident, had been moved from the defence brief against her will despite briefings that taking on the shadow culture secretary role was her "dream". The former shadow defence spokesman said there had been "nothing straightforward or honest" about the way the reshuffle had been carried out and claimed Labour was being run in a "very top-down" manner. Kevan Jones said he believed the people around Jeremy Corbyn 'are advising him very badly' Mr Corbyn was hit with three quick-fire resignations from his front bench after he sacked two "disloyal" senior figures and promoted a Trident opponent in a reshuffle that took more than 30 hours. Mr Jones followed Jonathan Reynolds and Stephen Doughty in walking out, citing differences with the Labour leader on key policy issues and the treatment of their colleagues. The North Durham MP told BBC Radio 4's World At One programme: "Jeremy was elected with the strapline 'straight talking, honest politics'. There has been nothing straightforward or honest about what's gone on over the last 48 hours. "Maria, it's now being briefed that this was her dream job and she wanted to do it. That is not the case. She did not want to move. She made that point very clear. "Both Maria and myself were appointed when Jeremy was elected. He knew our views on the nuclear deterrent." Mr Jones said he "personally got on very well" with Mr Corbyn but believed "the people around him are advising him very badly" . "If you agree with the leader, that's fine, if you don't then there is no entering into discussions," he added. The MP, a minister under Gordon Brown, said Tom Watson believed that appointing Emily Thornberry as shadow defence secretary was a mistake - something the deputy leader denied on Twitter. "We have got to be credible on defence in the country and I think appointing Emily is a mistake," Mr Jones said. "So did Tom Watson." He claimed thousands of voters who cared about defence policy would be alienated and warned that Labour faced becoming a "protest party and a talking shop". "The idea that our defence policy is being controlled by a north London part of the party will be looked on in dismay by many people who actually have a deep, passionate care about defence," he added. Cardiff South and Penarth MP Stephen Doughty quit as shadow foreign affairs minister live on television, telling the BBC's Daily Politics programme that he had "looked at his own conscience" and was stepping down after the leader's office told "lies" about the reasons why Europe spokesman Pat McFadden had been dismissed. Stalybridge and Hyde MP Jonathan Reynolds said he was resigning as shadow rail minister because he could not "in good conscience endorse the world view of the Stop the War Coalition" - a group closely linked to Mr Corbyn. Speculation is growing that more frontbenchers could choose to leave in the wake of the shake-up, which also saw Michael Dugher ejected from the culture brief for "incompetence" and "disloyalty". Ms Eagle praised Mr Jones for his " outstanding contribution to supporting and protecting our armed forces" and said it was a "privilege to work" with him. Mr Corbyn stopped short of shifting Hilary Benn from his position as shadow foreign secretary despite their high-profile clash over Syria air strikes. But the leader's allies said they had secured an "agreement" from Mr Benn that there would be no repeat of the air strikes situation - where he spoke in the Commons opposing the leader's position. Mr Benn insisted he had not been gagged by the leadership. He said: "I haven't been muzzled. I'm going to be carrying on doing my job exactly as before, which is speaking for Labour on foreign policy, supporting Jeremy Corbyn and campaigning really hard to get Labour elected at the next general election." Mr Benn said he was "r eally sad to lose" Mr Doughty from the front bench, adding he would "miss his wisdom, insight and comradeship". Defence Secretary Michael Fallon used the chaos to claim that Labour was a threat to national security. He said: "This reshuffle shows that a divided Labour Party is a threat to national security. The Labour Party has a leader who would abolish the armed forces and withdraw from Nato, a shadow chancellor who wanted to disband MI5, and now a shadow defence secretary who would scrap our nuclear deterrent. "North Korea's deeply disturbing claim to have exploded its first hydrogen bomb underlines the importance of taking our national security seriously, not handing it to a Labour Party that would unilaterally disarm Britain." Shadow chancellor John McDonnell dismissed the trio who have quit as part of a "narrow right-wing clique". "We have had a few junior members resign today and of course that's their right but they do all come from a sort of a narrow right-wing clique within the Labour Party based around the organisation Progress, largely," he told BBC Radio 2's Jeremy Vine Show . "I don't think they've really ever accepted Jeremy's mandate. I'm afraid they have to recognise that Jeremy got elected with the largest mandate of any political leader from any political party in our history. "I'm afraid they haven't respected that leadership election result." Labour MP John Woodcock (Barrow and Furness) told BBC News he was "losing hope" that the leadership was able - or even willing - to make sure the party stood a chance of winning the 2020 general election. "The people who are running the Labour Party, I'm afraid, are not doing so in a manner that is likely to put us anywhere near being able to be a credible force at the next election," he said. "Having seen three months of these people in office, I am losing hope that they will actually properly orientate themselves to the job of being a credible force that can command the centre and a broad coalition within the country. "I am no longer convinced that that's what they want to do. "I very much hope that this is a low point in the Labour Party's history that we improve from. I'm afraid I don't have confidence that will be the case. "But we have to try to move on from this." The former Number 10 aide to Gordon Brown said Mr McDonnell's "clique" jibe was "a deeply insulting thing to say to people who have given good service to the Labour Party, who agreed to go and serve in Jeremy's frontbench despite the clear differences they had". It was "pretty disgraceful conduct from the leader of a party that seeks to govern", he said. Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: "I despair at Labour's meltdown. Britain needs a progressive liberal voice that can actually challenge the Conservatives and offer an alternative that understands real people's lives. "Just this week, when a party is needed to challenge the Housing Bill, shine a light on the UK's shady relationship with Saudi Arabia and highlight a worrying consumer credit bubble, Labour are nowhere to be seen. Labour is not that credible alternative. It is split from top to bottom." Ms Thornberry defended her suitability for the defence role and said it was "nonsense" to suggest she had been brought in to help shift the party's stance on Trident. "There is nothing wrong with asking these questions and trying to find a collective solution," she told British Forces Broadcasting Services (BFBS). "I am quite clear what my views are about Trident but I have also made it clear that I want to have a truly open policy review. It would have been great to have Kevan, but we don't." She added: "I have actually quite a lot more experience than people might think I do. "I have a member of my family who is in the armed forces. I have a brother-in-law who is a general. "I was actually made an honorary lieutenant colonel when I was doing court martials when I was a barrister and so I have a certain amount of experience of the military there. "I have a regiment in my constituency. My father was a peacekeeper. He worked with forces all over the world in all sorts of warzones peacekeeping for the United Nations. He was Irish and I have to say he thought more highly of the British troops than he did of any other countries." Labour grandee Lord Mandelson said the reshuffle " takes Labour even further away from any prospect of winning a general election" by focusing on moving to a policy of unilateral disarmament. The party was "too far behind, too far out of touch and too wide of the electoral mainstream to catch up and stand any realistic chance of replacing the Conservatives, however unpopular they will be in four years' time," he wrote in Newsweek. The former cabinet minister - a driving force behind reforms to the party in the 1980s and 1990s and at the heart of New Labour's spin operation - said Mr Corbyn would use "spurious" rule changes to force through the switch. Unlike in the 1980s, trade unions could no longer be relied on as a "stabilising force", he suggested. "All is not lost. Corbyn and his coterie may yet be capsized by the weight of their own internal electoral contradictions. But those who believed originally that their sheer incompetence would be their undoing now have to come to terms with the fact that in taking control of the structures of the party, Corbyn has possession of the title deeds and controls the finances and the staff hiring and firing of the Labour Party. "It may take little short of a miracle, and a lot of courage amongst Labour parliamentarians, to face down Corbyn and his new grassroots followers. There remain many, though, determined to give it a try." Mr Reynolds later tore into s hadow international development secretary Diane Abbott after she wrongly dismissed those who had quit as career politicians who had all been special advisers. Ms Abbott, a close ally of the party leader, told BBC2's Newsnight that Mr Jones was "a great guy who knows an enormous amount about defence and is a big loss". But she added: "If you look at Jonathan Reynolds, if you look at Mr Dugher, if you look at some of these others, what do they have in common? They are all former special advisers. "What you are seeing is people that came up under a certain system - where you did politics at uni, you became a special adviser, you became an MP, you became a minister - who are rightfully upset because Jeremy has brought a whole lot of new energy and new people into politics." A furious Mr Reynolds hit back: "At least Google us before slagging us off. "For the record ... I was a trainee solicitor when elected, having gone to law school as a mature student and single parent," he said. "And I think you're a total sell-out for sending your own kids to private school." Mr Doughty dismissed her attack as "nonsense", pointing out that he worked for more than seven years for international charities including World Vision and Oxfam and campaigns such as Make Poverty History before an 18-month spell as a special adviser at the Department for International Development under the last Labour government. North Korea condemned as doubts voiced over 'H-bomb' test claims Claims by North Korea that it conducted a hydrogen bomb test have been met by worldwide condemnation. The secretive state said it successfully tested a miniaturised hydrogen bomb, a move which would be a significant advancement of its nuclear armoury. It was called a "provocation" by Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, while the Japanese Prime Minister said he "cannot allow this". North Koreans watch a news broadcast on a video screen outside Pyongyang Railway Station (AP) But both the South Korean spy agency and a number of weapons experts cast doubt on whether it was an H-bomb being tested. The magnitude of the earthquake following the explosion was not consistent with what would be expected from such a blast, critics said. North Korean state media said they had developed the "H-bomb of justice" as a response to perceived US aggression. It said: "The (country's) access to H-bomb of justice, standing against the US, the chieftain of aggression...is the legitimate right of a sovereign state for self-defence and a very just step no-one can slander." The test, the state's first since 2013, came as a surprise to many, as no mention of it had been made in leader Kim Jong-un's New Year speech. Experts believe the bomb will largely be used as a means of increasing North Korea's influence on the world stage. The US Geological Survey measured an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.1 - bigger than the three previous bombs in 2013, 2009 and 2006. But the explosive yield is only a fraction of what would be expected during the explosion of a hydrogen bomb, it is claimed. South Korean politician Lee Cheol Woo said he had been briefed by the country's National Intelligence Service and was told even a failed H-bomb detonation would have a higher explosive yield than was registered. Chemical weapons analyst Karl Dewey, of IHS Jane's, suggested it was more likely the blast was caused by a boosted fissure weapon. He said: "Hydrogen bombs use lithium deuteride and it is not known if North Korea has the infrastructure to create such material. "What may be more plausible is the development of what is known as a boosted fission weapon. Simple fission weapons or boosted weapons can be used to set off a thermonuclear secondary, but shouldn't be confused with them." Although the development of an H-bomb would be an enormous acceleration in North Korea's nuclear capabilities, it still lacks the means to launch them long-distance. The state military has yet to perfect the multi-stage ballistic missiles which are required for an intercontinental launch. South Korea led the calls for its rival to be hit with further sanctions by the UN. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said of the bomb test: "We absolutely cannot allow this, and condemn it strongly." The Foreign Secretary tweeted: "If North Korean H-bomb test reports are true, it is a grave breach of UNSC resolutions & a provocation which I condemn without reservation." Mr Hammond will discuss the developments with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts. UN Security Council members were meeting in New York on Wednesday to discuss the North Korean claims. A Downing Street spokeswoman said the UK's "initial assessment" confirmed that Pyongyang had carried out a nuclear test, adding: "As to whether or not this is an H-bomb, we need to look at that more." The spokeswoman added: "This is clearly concerning and would be a breach of UN Security Council resolutions." Klopp training regime not to blame for injury crisis, insists Lallana Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana insists Jurgen Klopp's training regime is not to blame for a spate of hamstring problems which have brought injuries to crisis levels at Anfield. Playmaker Philippe Coutinho and defender Dejan Lovren both succumbed to hamstring issues in the 1-0 Capital One Cup semi-final win at Stoke. Klopp now has a total of 11 first-team players unavailable - including six either with or recovering from hamstring injuries - and the German admits it is likely to force him into the transfer market. He currently only has one fit centre-back in Kolo Toure, who gave his manager a scare with a late bout of cramp at the Britannia Stadium. Adam Lallana, left,, insists Jurgen Klopp's training sessions are not to blame for Liverpool's injury crisis There has been much conjecture about whether the introduction of Klopp's 'gegenpressing' style mid-season after he took over from the sacked Brendan Rodgers has led to the injuries - former Liverpool midfielder Graeme Souness said it was time for the manager to consider modifying training - but Lallana rejected that. "We have had a change of manager this season. When that happens lads look to impress more and give more," said the England international. "But I don't think these injuries have got anything to do with any changes to our training. "We've had so many games recently that we've mainly been doing recovery sessions between games, so it's not as if the training has been really intensive. You can't blame that. "Sometimes you are just unlucky with injuries and we've had a lot of bad luck recently. "I know from my time at Liverpool that we've got a world-class medical team here. We certainly can't point the finger at anyone. "It's a big blow losing Philippe and Dejan, and we just hope they aren't going to be out for long." Liverpool's packed schedule - Friday's FA Cup trip to Exeter will be their fifth match in 14 days - is more likely to have a contributing factor, Lallana reckons. "It's just a physical game," Lallana added. "Look at the amount of games we've had over the Christmas period. It's been a tough run and with the demands on players nowadays there's bound to be injuries. "If you look at teams around the league I bet you'll find the number of injuries has definitely increased. "Not every club is in the semi-finals of this competition (League Cup), playing in the Europa League and about to get going in the FA Cup on Friday night. "But we'll all stick together. I'm sure the lads who are out will be working extra hard to get back fit." Klopp has already pointed out his team are doing more recovery sessions than training because of the fixture congestion and the gradual drain on resources has put additional strain on the remaining fit players. But his biggest concern is in central defence where he is hoping Toure will be fit enough to face Exeter, but Mamadou Sakho, who missed the Stoke tie with a minor knee problem, appears unlikely to return. "The problem is if all the players in this moment had no injuries in pre-season they are still in the race and can cope with this intensity, but they have had little things and had no chance to recover," he said. "We have no break, no chance to recover, but we couldn't wave the white flag. "We can't say we have games against Arsenal and Manchester so we can have another team against Stoke. We have to get on with it and see. "I don't know if any have a chance of being fit. Sakho? I don't think so. Kolo said it's only a cramp, but don't know for him either. Cameron shrugs off floods response attack by taunting Jeremy Corbyn on reshuffle The idea that Jeremy Corbyn would have responded to the Christmas floods faster than the Government when it takes the Labour leader three days to reshuffle his shadow cabinet is laughable, David Cameron has said. The Prime Minister defended his record on flood defences as Mr Corbyn attacked the Government for cancelling a scheme in Leeds and turning down applications to improve protection in York and Cumbria, which have been deluged in recent weeks. Mr Cameron said the Tories had increased spending on flood defences to 2 billion as he taunted the Opposition leader over his drawn-out reshuffle which has prompted two shadow ministers to resign this morning, with more expected to follow. David Cameron defended his record on flood defences Replying to Mr Corbyn's attacks during Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Cameron said: "We are spending more on flood defence schemes and are stacking up a whole series of schemes that we'll spend more on. "But let me make this point to you. "If you are going to spend billions of pounds on renationalising our railways, where are you going to find the money for flood defences? "The idea that this individual would be faster in responding to floods when it takes him three days to carry out a reshuffle is frankly laughable. "Since I walked into the chamber this morning your shadow foreign minister resigned, your shadow defence minister resigned, you couldn't run anything." Mr Corbyn hit back: "It's very strange that when I've asked a question about Leeds flood defence, then on Cumbria flood defence, the Prime Minister still seems unable to answer. "Can you now tell us if there is going to be funding for those schemes?" The Labour leader had highlighted the coalition's cancellation in 2011 of a 190 million protection project on the River Aire in Leeds, where 1,000 homes have been flooded in recent weeks. He said the Government was still only committed to a scaled-down project in the city before claiming the Government turned down in 2014 funding for new schemes in Keswick and Kendal in Cumbria, both of which were flooded in recent weeks. Describing the decisions as a "mistake", Mr Corbyn then told the PM about a couple in York whose home was flooded, causing some Tory MPs to laugh. The Labour leader intervened: "It wasn't very funny for them. "This young couple lost many of their possessions - photos, children's toys, school work, and they've got the foul stench of flood water in their homes as many families have all over this country. "They are asking all of us wholly legitimate questions - why was it that the insufficient pump capacity in the Foss barrier - again, alerted to in 2013 by a Government report - was not dealt with and those pumps were not upgraded, thus people were flooded in York and their possessions and homes severely damaged? "Those people want answers from all of us, and in particular from you." Mr Cameron chided the Labour leader for holidaying in Malta over the Christmas period while stressing that the Government is investing in York's Foss barrier and has introduced a nationwide flood insurance scheme. The PM replied: "I have the greatest sympathy with anyone who has been flooded and we have to do what it takes to get to people and get communities back on their feet. "That is why we have put record sums in more quickly to help communities in Cumbria, in Lancashire and now in Yorkshire, and we'll continue to do that. " Specifically on the question of the Foss pumps - that was about to be tendered for extra investment and that investment will now go ahead because the money is there. "So what I would say to you - we're putting in the money, we're putting it in more quickly, the military got involved more quickly, and to that couple who got flooded we are also doing something that previous governments spoke about but never achieved, which is to have an insurance scheme so that every single household in our country can get insured - Flood Re. "So have lessons been learnt? Yes they have. Are there more lessons to learn? There always are. "But frankly, we don't need a lecture from Malta from you." Mr Corbyn called for a cross-party approach which would back "properly funded" flood protection schemes and upland management to make homes more resilient. The fire and rescue service's duty to deal with floods should also been put into law, he said. "The reality is that flood defence scheme after flood defence scheme has been cancelled, postponed or cut," said Mr Corbyn. "Many more homes have been flooded and too many lessons have been ignored." Replying, Mr Cameron continued to taunt the Labour leader over his reshuffle. The PM said: "The best I can say is, when you've worked out how to co-ordinate your own party then perhaps you can come and have a word with me. "On the issue of a statutory duty, everybody knows what they have to do when floods take place. "That's why there was such a magnificent response from the emergency services, from the fire services, from the emergency rescue services. "They have our backing to do the vital work and yes we'll go on investing in flood defences, we'll increase the money we're spending on flood defences because we've got a strong economy and a strong country that can back the action that's needed." Senior Government sources denied that the scheme to defend Leeds from floods had been cancelled, as Mr Corbyn suggested, saying that it had never been approved. A source said the scheme referred to by the Labour leader was one of a number put forward and it was turned down in favour of another proposal, which is currently being implemented. Asked whether the scheme was rejected for being too expensive, the Downing Street source said: "The decisions you make are on what is the most effective way to use the resources you have got." A senior Labour spokesman said: "Jeremy Corbyn addressed an issue that affects millions of people - floods - and didn't get any serious answers, just a lot of insults and bad jokes. Search continues for missing mother and her 18-month-old son Police searching for a mother who went missing with her 18-month-old son on New Year's Eve have sent messages to her Facebook account as concern for them deepens. Officers have not received a response to their appeals for Ileana Tomoiaga, 29, to get in touch following her disappearance with her son Daniel Sava. She left their home in Furnace Road, Uckfield, East Sussex, at 2.30pm, saying she was going to a nearby Tesco Express to buy a bottle of wine and a phone charger. Ileana Tomoiaga, 29, who went missing on New Year's Eve with her 18-month-old son Daniel Sava But Sussex Police said there is no evidence that she visited the store or any other shops in the town. Relatives reported her missing on New Year's Day. Appealing for help in finding the mother and son, Shannon Marchesani, of the East Sussex Missing Persons team, said: "We are growing concerned about Ileana and Daniel. "We are appealing to Ileana to contact us to let us know she and Daniel are safe. The evidence shows that Ileana left home completely of her own accord and there are still no suspicious circumstances. "However, she did not leave with anything to prepare either of them for even a short stay away, and nothing has been heard since." As the search for Ms Tomoiaga widened to London, friends spoke of their concern for Ms Tomoiaga, describing her as "always smiling" and "a bit reserved". One, Malina Iftimie, told the Brighton Argus newspaper: "I used to nickname her The Princess as she was, and still is, very beautiful. "She was always trying to help, she was always speaking nicely to everyone, behaving nicely, always taking care of people's feelings so as not to upset anyone." Ms Tomoiaga previously lived in Willesden, north-west London, and officers in Sussex are in contact with the Metropolitan Police. Posters are being distributed in the capital to aid the search. Ms Tomoiaga is described as white, 5ft 5in, slim with long red straight hair and pale skin. She was wearing a black leather jacket, black trousers and brown boots. She speaks English, with a Romanian accent. Daniel was last seen wearing a blue jacket and black shoes. Tony Blair denies trying to stop victims getting Libya IRA aid compensation Tony Blair has strongly denied trying to stop victims of IRA bombings using Libyan weapons from receiving compensation. Colonel Muammar Gaddafi gave arms and Semtex explosives to the republican group during the Troubles. Semtex from Libya became the IRA's most devastating threat during the Troubles and caused the loss of many lives. The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee of MPs is considering how UK victims of the late Libyan leader's aid can be compensated. It has invited Mr Blair to give oral evidence. The former prime minister wrote to the committee last month. Former prime minister Tony Blair and Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi pictured together in 2007 Mr Blair wrote: "The attempt to implicate me in deliberately trying to stop IRA victims receiving compensation is utterly without foundation and wrong. "I appreciate the opportunity you have provided me to set the record straight." The committee is exploring options for compensating the bereaved like using the frozen assets of the Gaddafi family. Links between the IRA and Libya date back to 1972 when Gaddafi praised the group. He later provided the IRA with the weaponry to wage an armed conflict which lasted 30 years and claimed many lives. The dictator was ousted from power in 2011 and later killed during an assault on his birthplace. Mr Blair said Libya admitted the extent of its IRA links, from 1992 to 1995. "The issue of compensation for the victims of IRA terrorism made possible by the provision of material by the Gaddafi regime was not an issue raised with me, as far as I am aware. "And of course a statutory compensation scheme for victims of terrorism in Northern Ireland was already in existence, having been set up by a previous government. "The needs of victims were therefore being addressed through the existing structures and mechanisms." He said he understood why victims of IRA terrorism would have wanted their claims raised at the same time as the 2008 compensation settlement of the Lockerbie passenger jet bombing. Mr Blair said for the Americans this was never going to be made part of the settlement since they were focused on their own citizens affected by Lockerbie and a Berlin discotheque bombing and were precluded legally from such an action. "I never tried to get the Americans to exclude the claims of IRA victims. I did not raise this issue with President (George W) Bush. "The email from former Ambassador Vincent Fean to my office evidences no such thing. "It was simply a reflection of government policy at the time." He said he favoured the US having good relations with Libya because it assisted in the fight against terrorism. Mr Blair added he did not raise the issue of IRA victims in any meeting with Mr Bush in 2008 nor any detail about Lockerbie compensation - he was not in government at the time. The former prime minister also recorded his sympathy for the IRA's victims. Emma Watson looking for a name for her feminist book club Emma Watson says she wants to start a feminist book club but is struggling to come up with a name. The British actress, who was appointed UN Women Goodwill Ambassador in July 2014, has turned to her 20.4 million Twitter followers for help. The 25-year-old tweeted: "Hi Team, I want to start a feminist book club but so far have only brainstormed 'Feminist Book Club' and 'Emma Watson Book Club'." Emma Watson is setting up a feminist book club "I am almost certain there is a more inspiring name out there.... Does anyone have any thoughts ?! #Emma'sBookClub" Thousands of people re-tweeted, liked and replied to Watson, who played Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, with suggestions with the hashtag #Emma'sBookClub. Daily Dot deputy morning editor Eric Geller suggested Watson Your Bookshelf. Other suggestions from Twitter users included Sisterhood Of Prose, Femmanist book club and Read For She. As well as many people wanting to join the club, user @americasingwr suggested Watson invite Harry Potter author JK Rowling to join. She replied: "Definitely going to do that". Watson, who has also starred in My Week With Marilyn, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower and The Bling Ring, was appointed by UN Women to advocate its HeForShe campaign promoting gender equality. She made a speech at a HeForShe event in New York in September 2014 where she stated "I'm a feminist" and told the audience "gender equality is your issue too". Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai said she was inspired to call herself a feminist by Watson's stirring words. UN Women said it chose Watson for the role partly because she was already involved in the promotion of girls' education having visited Bangladesh and Zambia as part of her humanitarian efforts. Watson also recently gave her seal of approval - on Twitter - for the decision to cast black actress Noma Dumerzweni as Hermione for the upcoming stage show Harry Potter And The Cursed Child. China to allow mainlanders to make transit stops in Taiwan Jan 5 (Reuters) - China said on Tuesday it would allow transit stops in Taiwan for its citizens travelling from three Chinese cities, allowing people from the mainland to travel on from the island for the first time. The change is another step towards normalising travel arrangements between the two sides which have enjoyed increasingly close business ties over recent years, and follows the launch last week of their first telephone hotline. It comes days before Taiwan goes to the polls for elections likely to put into power a political party that Beijing distrusts. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou met in Singapore at a historic summit in November, the first in 66 years. China and Taiwan have been ruled separately since defeated Chinese Nationalist forces fled to the island in 1949 after losing a civil war to the Communists. Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring the island of 23 million people, which it calls a renegade province, back under its control, particularly if it were to make moves towards formal independence. Up to now, mainland citizens have been allowed to travel to Taiwan but are not allowed to travel on from there to another destination. Airlines from both sides operate between the mainland and Taiwan. China's Taiwan Affairs Office said in a statement on its website that passengers flying from Nanchang, Kunming and Chongqing will be allowed to transit through Taiwan's main international airport before flying on to third destinations. Mainland passengers in transit will not be allowed to leave the airport, it said, adding that the plan would be implemented after preparatory work between the two sides was completed. Taiwan's President Ma had expressed his appreciation of the plan, his office said in a statement, and EVA Airways, Taiwan's second-biggest airline, also welcomed it. "It's a joint effort by governments across the strait. We're happy to see it happening," K. W. Nieh, a senior vice president at the airline, told Reuters. "We hope more cities will be added to really implement it." Saudis signal backing for Syria talks despite row with Iran GENEVA, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia signalled on Tuesday that the breach in its relations with Iran would not affect talks on Syria, another round of which is scheduled in Geneva this month. Riyadh and Tehran, which support opposing sides in the Syrian civil war, have attended previous talks on the conflict but there is concern that the new rift between the arch rivals could set back diplomatic efforts to bring peace to Syria. Speaking after talks in Riyadh with U.N. special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir was quoted as saying by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA): "The recent tensions that impacted the region negatively will not affect ... the operations that the United Nations carries out alongside the international community to achieve a political solution in Geneva soon." Saudi Arabia and some other Sunni Arab countries have broken all ties with Iran after protesters in Tehran stormed the Saudi embassy in protest over Riyadh's execution of a Shi'ite Muslim cleric. Restating the kingdom's position on Syria, Jubeir said Riyadh sought a solution based on the Geneva 1 communique, a 2012 document setting out guidelines for a path to peace including a transitional governing authority, SPA said. He reiterated that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could have no role in the future of his country, SPA said. Syrian opposition leaders told de Mistura that Damascus must take confidence-building steps including a prisoner release and a halt to attacks on civilian areas before they will go to negotiations. The United Nations has set a target date of Jan. 25 for the talks. But Damascus has dismissed a new opposition body formed to oversee negotiations, and the opposition wants to see confidence-building steps from President Bashar al-Assad, a demand that could complicate efforts to start talks. KEEPING UP THE MOMENTUM De Mistura, speaking after he met the Syrian opposition in Riyadh, said there was a clear determination on the Saudi side that current regional tensions would not have a negative impact on the momentum of the talks and on the continuation of the political process in Geneva. De Mistura did not characterise the position of the Syrian opposition at the meeting, but said: "We cannot afford to lose this momentum despite what is going on in the region." The opposition wants the government to lift blockades imposed on rebel-held areas, to release detainees and to stop dropping barrel bombs before they will attend the negotiations, officials said on Tuesday. "The opposition's position is unified," one of them told Reuters, declining to be named because he is not an official spokesman for the opposition body. Britain's Special Representative for Syria on Tuesday urged the Damascus government to lift sieges as a step towards ending the nearly five-year-old conflict. "Starving civilians is an inhuman tactic used by the Assad regime and their allies," Gareth Bayley said in a statement, referring to a months-long blockade in the town of Madaya, near Damascus. "Sieges must be lifted to save civilian lives and to bring Syria closer to peace ... This human tragedy underscores the need for an end to this conflict." Pacific Alliance trade bloc to liberalize trade after Chile approval SANTIAGO, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Chile's Senate approved the last major hurdle so that the Pacific Alliance trade bloc that it shares with members Colombia, Mexico and Peru can reduce tariffs to 0 percent on 92 percent of commerce. "This decision by the Senate is important for the implementation of Chile's commitments under the Pacific Alliance," said Andres Rebolledo, head of the Chilean foreign ministry's economic relations department (Direcon). "There is a lot of room for intraregional trade to grow, but we also know this is a great opportunity to reach out together to the most dynamic regions of the world, such as Asia-Pacific," added Rebolledo. Chile was the last member-nation that needed its Congress to approve the bloc's so-called "additional protocol" to liberalize 92 percent of trade between the four countries. With this approval, the protocol is expected to take effect within the next three months, said Direcon. The Pacific Alliance is one of two large trade blocs in Latin America. Its member nations have moved to reduce trade tariffs between them since forming the bloc in 2011. Japan gov't spokesman:North Korea quake may have been nuclear test TOKYO, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Japan's top government spokesman said on Wednesday that an earthquake in North Korea may have been a nuclear test, based on past experience. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters the government is gathering and analysing information on the incident. He also said the government has convened meetings of a task force on North Korea. An earthquake that appears to have been man-made near a known nuclear testing site in North Korea was detected by several monitoring agencies on Wednesday. Japan says to make firm response to NKorea's nuclear test TOKYO, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday the nation would make a firm response to North Korea's challenge against nuclear non-proliferation, calling its latest nuclear test a threat to Japan's security. Abe, speaking to reporters, said Japan absolutely could not tolerate North Korea's nuclear testing. Iran doesn't want oil price war, may limit output rise - official By Nidhi Verma NEW DELHI, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Iran wants to avoid an oil price war with rival producers and only gradually lift exports once sanctions against it are lifted, a senior official said, in what would be a major shift away from planning to ship as much fuel as soon as possible. Iran, which has some of the world's biggest petroleum reserves, has repeatedly urged fellow members within the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to make room for a supply jump from the Islamic Republic, pledging to ramp up exports as soon as sanctions on its oil industry are lifted under a nuclear deal with world powers. A move to limit export growth would be a major shift in Iran's policies in an environment when most OPEC and non-OPEC producers are fighting for market share despite a growing global oil glut, which has already cut crude prices by two-thirds since 2014, hurting energy firms and oil exporting nations. "We don't want to start a sort of a price war," Mohsen Qamsari, director general for international affairs of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), told Reuters by telephone. "We will be more subtle in our approach and may gradually increase output," Qamsari said. "I have to say that there is no room to push prices down any further, given the level where they are." He did not give any detail on how much Iran would be prepared to moderate a rise in its shipments but said Iran would not offer further discounts to lure customers. Currently, Iran offers 90-day credit, free shipping and some discounts on crude prices to buyers in India. The more cautious words from Iran come a week after relations with its main Middle East rival and top oil exporter Saudi Arabia broke down over the execution of a prominent Shi'ite cleric who was revered in Iran. A more moderate re-entry into markets would suit Saudi Arabia and other Middle East OPEC members who are already locked into an aggressive fight for market share. On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia signalled that the new rift would not affect talks on the Syria civil war. Iran's most senior oil official, oil minister Bijan Zanganeh, said last weekend Iran would not seek to distort the markets but will make sure it regains its market share. Beyond only gradually lifting it exports, Qamsari said Iran wanted to invest into refining capacity to use its crude, but did not give details. BALLOONING OVERSUPPLY Iranian crude oil exports have fallen to around 1 million barrels per day (bpd), down from a peak of almost 3 million bpd in 2011, before western sanctions against Tehran started. Iran previously said it planned to raise oil output by 500,000 bpd post-sanctions, and by another 500,000 bpd shortly after that. Even a gradual increase in its exports would come at a time of a global glut, with producers around the world pumping hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude every day in excess of demand. Oil prices are near 11-year lows below $37 per barrel and some analysts like Goldman Sachs say prices may tumble as low as $20 a barrel as supplies keeps rising. To sell additional barrels but avoid adding to ballooning oversupply, NIOC is looking at buying stakes in existing and new refineries overseas, Qamsari said, without specifying countries or companies. Using its crude in refineries instead of selling it into the market unprocessed would be similar move to other Gulf producers such as Saudi Arabia, although Iran's challenge would be to raise financing as its existing overseas oil sale revenues are frozen as part of the sanctions. Refiners in India, Iran's second biggest oil client after China, owe almost $6 billion to Tehran. Qamsari said Indian refiners including Reliance Industries , which has halted imports of Iranian oil because of the sanctions, were interested in taking higher volumes from NIOC. Indian refiners were interested in buying West Karun grade, a blend of oil from 4-5 reservoirs, he said. Sanctions have crippled Iran's economy and forced it to resort to gasoline imports, and Qamsari said Tehran hoped to halt gasoline imports within a year, post sanctions. UN council plans emergency meeting on reported North Korea nuclear test By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS, Jan 5 (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council is planning to hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss North Korea's reported test of a hydrogen bomb, the U.S. mission to the United Nations said. Speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, several diplomats said the meeting was scheduled to take place at 11 a.m. ET (1600 GMT). The diplomats said the meeting would likely be held behind closed doors. "The United States and Japan have requested emergency Security Council consultations for (Wednesday) morning regarding North Korea's alleged nuclear test," Hagar Chemali, spokeswoman for the U.S. mission, said in a statement. "While we cannot confirm at this time that a test was carried out, we condemn any violation of UNSC (U.N. Security Council) Resolutions and again call on North Korea to abide by its international obligations and commitments," she added. North Korea said it had successfully conducted a test of a miniaturized hydrogen nuclear device on Wednesday morning, marking a significant advance in the isolated state's strike capabilities and ringing alarm bells in Japan and South Korea. "We plan to work with other countries so that a resolution with strong content can be adopted at the U.N. Security Council as swiftly as possible," Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters. It was not immediately clear what action, if any, the 15-nation council was planning to take in response to the North Korean statement that it had conducted a fourth nuclear test. Pyongyang has been under U.N. Security Council sanctions due to its nuclear weapons program since it first tested an atomic device in 2006. Japan protests N.Korea test, to confer with US, S.Korea, Russia TOKYO, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Japan strongly protests North Korea's latest nuclear test and will be in close contact with the governments of the United States, South Korea, China and Russia over the issue, its top government spokesman said on Monday. "This is something we can not accept, we strongly protest this," chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference. North Korea said it had successfully conducted a test of a miniaturised hydrogen nuclear device on Wednesday morning. A year after "Je suis Charlie", a divided France struggles By Ingrid Melander PARIS, Jan 6 (Reuters) - One year on, an anxious, fragmented France is paying tribute to the victims of the killings at Charlie Hebdo magazine, with old divisions made worse by what President Francois Hollande has called "a terrible year". After the Islamist attacks that killed 17 on January 7-9 last year at the satirical weekly and at a Jewish supermarket, the French rallied, marched and lit candles in emotional gatherings celebrated as "the spirit of January 11", the day four million took to the streets. But cracks in that unity soon appeared and, a year later, after an even bloodier assault on Paris by another set of home-grown Islamists in November, politicians are embroiled in a bitter debate over homeland security, and the anti-immigrant National Front (FN) is stronger than ever. The slogan "Je suis Charlie," a defiant cry of solidarity that appeared everywhere immediately after the killings, is little seen a year on. "Events such as the January or November attacks trigger moments of unity, in reaction. But that is not enough to offset deep divisions," said Brice Teinturier, head of the Ipsos polling organisation in France. "The divisions are huge. There are several Frances and they are clashing," he said, describing a France of big cities turned towards the future, a rustbelt France that feels crushed by globalisation, and a France of housing estates that feels forgotten. Regional elections last month highlighted those divisions. In the first round, the National Front came first, doing well in rural and small-town France. In the run-off, voters in big cities helped to keep the Front out of power, exposing another deep split, this time between those who look to the far-right for hope and those who reject it. In a further sign of tension, a Muslim prayer hall was ransacked to cries of "Arabs out" during a protest rally in Corsica after firemen were attacked last month on a housing estate with a large migrant population. DIVISIVE While the "spirit of January" prompted politicians of all sides to paper over differences for a while, the Nov. 13 killings of 130 people across Paris were quickly followed by criticism and divisions. The most divisive issue is the Socialist government's plan to strip dual citizens of their French nationality in terrorism cases, a proposal supported by the National Front and until now opposed by left-wing politicians. Opinion polls show the plan is overwhelmingly backed by voters, but it caused outcry within the ruling Socialist party and its allies. Even Hollande's justice minister and his former prime minister criticised it. Opponents say the plan would further divide a fragmented society by making distinctions among French citizens. Hollande urges critics to rally behind him in the name of national unity. About five percent of French people aged between 18 and 50 hold two passports. That is the case for two-thirds of north Africans who have become French, but only a third of their children. They form the majority of France's Muslim population, the biggest in Europe. "Instead of addressing the real issues to boost cohesion, (the government) pretends they come from abroad and wants to push them abroad," said Dominique Sopo, the head of anti-racism group SOS Racisme. SOS Racisme has received calls from people who for the first time felt discriminated against because of their ethnic background or skin colour, he said. "There is a lot of tension around everything that has to do with religion and secularism," said Nicolas Cadene, a senior official at France's Observatory of Secularism, a government body that promotes secular values. "It's linked to the social, political, economic and identity crisis that France is going through, which leads some to withdraw into their shells, to turn to identity politics." While most French people rallied together after the Charlie Hebdo shootings, that unity started to crack after a few days. Some high school children in poorer suburbs with large immigrant populations rejected the "Je suis Charlie" slogan because they did not want to support a publication that lampoons religion. Social and economic fragmentation was already a major theme in Jacques Chirac's 1995 presidential campaign. His pledge to tackle the "social fracture" that caused economic inequality helped to get him elected. Yet critics say neither he nor subsequent presidents have managed to bridge the gap between France's privileged insiders and its struggling outsiders. It will be a big issue in the 2017 presidential elections. Saudi execution exposes dangerous political and religious divisions: Kemp By John Kemp LONDON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's execution of Shi'ite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr has exposed the dangerous political, religious and socio-economic fault lines which run through the kingdom and the Gulf. News of the execution sparked some unrest among Shi'ite communities in Saudi Arabia's oil-rich Eastern Province and in neighbouring Bahrain as well as in southern Iraq. Iran's supreme leader effectively called for the overthrow of the Saudi monarchy, drawing a furious response from the Saudi government, which accused the Islamic Republic of interfering in the kingdom's internal affairs. Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran, and Saudi Arabia responded by breaking off diplomatic relations and encouraging allied Sunni governments to do the same. Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United Nations told reporters on Monday "we are not natural born enemies of Iran." But restoring diplomatic relations would only be possible if Iran were to "cease and desist from interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, including our own". The rivalry between the two big powers in the Gulf is often simplified to a contest between a conservative Sunni monarchy and a revolutionary Shi'ite republic; the reality is more complicated and worrying. Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province lies at the dangerous intersection of great power rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia, sectarian conflict between Sunni and Shi'ite, social and economic grievances, and the world's largest oil reserves. FAULT LINES Researchers at Columbia University have put together an outstanding collection of maps illustrating the cultural, religious, tribal and linguistic divisions across the Gulf region (http://gulf2000.columbia.edu/maps.shtml). They show Shi'ite majority areas stretching in an arc up through Iran, across southern Iraq and down along the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia into Bahrain, with a further output in the highlands of northern Yemen (http://gulf2000.columbia.edu/images/maps/Mid_East_Religion_lg.png). Iran has taken a special interest in the Shi'ite communities in all these countries; and in some cases the government in Tehran, especially the Revolutionary Guards and other hardline elements, have tried to export their influence and encouraged unrest. But it is also clear that many of these Shi'ite communities have strong local grievances and much of the unrest has local roots rather than simply being stirred up by Iran. Shi'ite communities in Iraq, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have all suffered discrimination and marginalisation at the hands of Sunni-dominated governments and societies over the last century. What adds to the destabilising cocktail is that areas that are home to many Shi'ite communities are also where most of the region's oil and gas fields and remaining reserves are. Southern Shi'ite-dominated Iraq contains far more oil and gas than the Sunni-majority areas in the centre of the country. And in Saudi Arabia, Eastern Province is where almost all the country's oil and gas reserves are to be found (http://gulf2000.columbia.edu/images/maps/Shia_and_Oil_lg.png). Conditions in the Eastern Province remain relatively opaque because access and reporting are controlled by the Saudi government, which also strongly discourages international discussion about political risks affecting the kingdom. The potential for serious unrest is one of those low probability, high consequence risks that are difficult to estimate properly but which should not be ignored. Unrest remains a tail risk rather than a central risk. It is much more likely the Eastern Province will remain peaceful, and much less likely that it will see social upheaval. No one will make money betting on political instability in Saudi Arabia or unrest in the oilfields because the probability in any given year is low. The risk of unrest could be as low as 5 percent or even 1 percent but that is not the same as zero. The same could have been said about the risk of upheaval in Egypt or Tunisia before 2011. The risks are real enough that they are perceived as a serious danger by the Saudi government, which continues to maintain a heavy security presence in the area, and they help explain why the confrontation between Riyadh and Tehran is so bitter and so personal. COMPLEX KINGDOM In most parts of the Middle East, national boundaries do not correspond to religious, cultural, linguistic or tribal divisions, and Saudi Arabia is no exception. The kingdom is an amalgamation of the conservative central region (Najd) with the western coast (Hijaz) and the eastern oases along the Gulf coast (al-Hasa), all of which were separately administered until comparatively recently (http://gulf2000.columbia.edu/images/maps/Islamic_States_1900_lg.png). King Abdulaziz, ruler of the Najd, conquered al-Hasa in 1913 from the disintegrating Ottoman Empire, and added the Hijaz in 1924/25, finally unifying the country in 1932. But there are still major cultural and religious differences between the regions and even within them. Much of the ruling political and religious elite is drawn from the Najd, which is also identified with the austere Wahhabi form of Islam. Hijaz was the home of more liberal interpretations of Islam while the majority of the population in al-Hasa followed Shi'ite forms of Islam. As part of an effort at nation-building, conservative religious views from the Najd have been imposed on other parts of the country. According to the U.S. government's Commission on International Religious Freedom, the modern Saudi state "privileges its own interpretation of Sunni Islam over all other interpretations" and "restricts most forms of public religious expression inconsistent with its particular interpretation of Sunni Islam". One result is a long history of tension between Sunnis, especially those following a strict Wahhabi interpretation, and the Shi'ite communities in al-Hasa, now renamed the Eastern Province. "Authorities continue to repress and discriminate against dissident clerics and members of the Shi'a community" the Commission on International Religious Freedom wrote in its latest annual report. "The Shi'a community also faces discrimination in education, employment, the military, political representation, and the judiciary" the Commission concluded ("International Religious Freedom Report 2015"). The Saudi government denies any discrimination. Recent reports have noted progress towards ending official discrimination, but how much unofficial discrimination remains is unclear because the Saudi government strongly discourages research. As recently as 2012, the Commission found: "There are no Shi'a ministers in the government, only 5 of the 150-member Shura (Consultative Council) are Shi'a Muslims, and there are very few Shi'a Muslim leaders in high-level government positions, particularly in the security agencies." "In predominantly Sunni Muslim areas of the country outside the Eastern Province, Shi'a and Ismaili Muslims face harassment, arrest and detention," it concluded ("International Religious Freedom Report 2012"). VIOLENT PROTESTS Sectarian tensions between Sunnis and Shi'ites have periodically resulted in unrest in the Eastern Province - including two major labour strikes against the Arabian American Oil Company (Aramco) in 1953 and 1956, a full-scale uprising in 1979/80, and demonstrations in 2011. The 1953 and 1956 strikes "were sparked by grievances over low wages, poor working and living conditions, and racism," according to historian Toby Jones of Rutgers University ("Desert Kingdom: How Oil and Water Forged Modern Saudi Arabia", 2010). "From the beginning, Aramco was acutely aware of compatibility issues between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims," the company's former chief executive Frank Jungers wrote in his memoir ("The Caravan Goes On: How Aramco and Saudi Arabia Grew Up Together" 2013). "The Shi'ites were definitely in the minority nationally but made up the majority in the Eastern Province and tended to live in separate areas. The company was careful as a matter of policy not to allow this religious difference to become a factor in the training or evaluation of an employee," Jungers explained. Aramco worked hard to professionalise its labour force, but the fact Jungers mentioned religious differences so prominently underscores the potential for tension. In 1979, protests erupted in Qatif and a number of other Shi'ite areas of the Eastern Province, as well as in neighbouring Bahrain, and became violent following confrontations with the security forces. The unrest, which had a strong sectarian element, came only a few months after the shah was violently overthrown and the Islamic Revolution brought to power Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenei in Iran. The new government in Tehran sought to export its revolutionary ideology and openly encouraged Shi'ite communities in neighbouring Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to revolt against their Sunni rulers. Khomenei's government broadcast its revolutionary message by beaming a powerful radio signal directly into the Eastern Province. "There is little doubt that the Iranian Revolution helped galvanize politics and energize dissent among Shiites in neighbouring countries," according to Jones. "The revolution helped explain both the timing and some of the forces that encouraged Saudis to take to the streets." In 2011, there were again violent protests in the Eastern Province and Bahrain as part of the wider Arab Spring, again mostly involving Shi'ite communities, which were put down by the security services. Indonesia turns to China as ethnic Uighurs join would-be jihadis By Randy Fabi and Agustinus Beo Da Costa JAKARTA, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Indonesian authorities are working with their counterparts in China to stem a flow of ethnic Uighur militants seeking to join Islamist jihadists in the world's most populous Muslim country, Indonesia's counter-terrorism chief said. Saud Usman Nasution's comments come amid mounting concern in Indonesia about possible attacks by sympathisers of the Islamic State group and follows the arrest of 13 men across the island of Java, including a Muslim Uighur with a suicide-bomb vest. The appearance among Indonesian militant networks of Uighurs, who come from the Xinjiang region in far-western China, is likely to add to Beijing's concerns that exiles will return to their homeland as experienced and trained jihadists. China says Islamist militants and separatists operate in energy-rich Xinjiang on the borders of central Asia, where violence has killed hundreds in recent years. Rights groups say much of the unrest can be traced back to frustration at controls over the Uighurs' culture and religion, and that most of those who leave are only fleeing repression not seeking to wage jihad. China denies repressing rights. Nasution, who heads the National Counter-Terrorism Agency, told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday that several Uighurs had responded to a call last year by Santoso, Indonesia's most high-profile backer of Islamic State, to join his band of fighters. Islamic State and human trafficking networks helped them travel via Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia to Santoso's hideout in an equatorial jungle of eastern Indonesia, he said. However, the would-be suicide bomber arrested on Dec. 23 was hiding in a house just outside the capital, Jakarta. "We are cooperating with China and investigating evidence such as ATM cards and cellphones," Nasution said, adding that an Indonesian team went to China to interview members of the man's family, who would not confirm that they were related to him. There was no immediate comment from China's foreign ministry on whether Beijing is collaborating with Indonesia. "As far as China is concerned, these people are running off, some of them taking part in jihad and planning to strike back," said Pan Zhiping, a terrorism expert at the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences. "Of course we must stop them. I believe, in terms of jointly guarding against extremism, it is necessary that we cooperate." Bilveer Singh of the Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore said the direct involvement of Chinese Uighurs in Southeast Asian militancy added "an external dimension to the existing home-grown terrorist threat". "It could also complicate ties with a rising China, which may want to play a bigger counter-terrorism role in the region," Singh said in a Eurasia Review article. 'SERIOUS CONCERN FOR CHINA' Indonesia's security forces have given Santoso, who styles himself as the commander of the Islamic State army in Indonesia, until Jan. 9 to surrender along with his force of about 40 men on the far-flung island of Sulawesi. However, security analysts believe a larger threat is emerging across the populous island of Java as networks of support for Islamic State grow. Indonesia has been largely successful in disrupting domestic militant cells since the bombing of two nightclubs on the resort island of Bali in 2002, and sporadic attacks have been mainly targeted at the police. The government is now worried that the influence of Islamic State, whose fighters hold swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq, could bring a return of jihadi violence and strikes against foreigners and soft targets. Officials believe there are more than 1,000 Islamic State supporters in Indonesia, and say that between 100 and 300 have returned from Syria, though this includes women and children. Nasution said that monitoring of radical groups had revealed plans to launch attacks on Christmas Eve and around the New Year holiday but the situation was now under control. "They cannot attack like in the Middle East or Europe because we anticipate before they attack. We monitor their activities every day," he said. "Their capability has not increased because their personnel is limited, their funding is limited and explosives are limited." Police spokesman Suharsono said the Uighur arrested just outside Jakarta was part of an Islamic State-affiliated group based in the Central Java city of Solo. Officials declined to comment on media reports that two other Uighurs from the same group were on the run, but they did confirm that three Uighurs were with Santoso. Four others were sentenced last year to six years in prison for conspiring with Indonesian militants. Todd Elliott, a Jakarta-based terrorism analyst for Concord Consulting, said many Uighurs will see Indonesia as more accessible than Turkey or Syria and are exploiting entrenched smuggling and human-trafficking networks to travel around the region undetected. Islamic State vows to destroy Saudi prisons after executions RIYADH, Jan 6 (Reuters) - The Islamic State group pledged to destroy Saudi Arabian prisons holding jihadists after Riyadh's execution of 47 people including 43 convicted al Qaeda militants on Saturday. Seeking party control, Britain's opposition leader changes top team By Kylie MacLellan LONDON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Britain's opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has sacked his EU policy chief for disloyalty and moved his pro-nuclear defence spokeswoman to another job in an attempt to tighten control over his rebellious parliamentary party. The party's main culture spokesman also went and the moves triggered some resignations among junior members of Corbyn's team. But foreign policy chief Hilary Benn, whose position had initially appeared in doubt, stayed. Political leaders in Britain often change their teams, but the emphasis on loyalty and adherence to Corbyn's leftist policies underlined Labour's fragility after it suffered an overwhelming election defeat last year to the Conservative Party. Corbyn, a veteran left-wing activist, was elected party leader after the election by tapping into a desire for change among grass-roots party members. But his four-month tenure has deepened divisions between him and several of Labour's leading lawmakers, including with Benn, who publicly opposed Corbyn's position last month by supporting the Conservative government's Syrian bombing campaign. Benn kept his job as Corbyn tried to forge unity with the party's more moderate members, but three junior ministers in Labour's 'shadow cabinet', which mirrors the government, resigned over their differences with the leader. Labour said on Wednesday Emily Thornberry would replace Maria Eagle as defence spokeswoman. Eagle was in favour of renewing Britain's nuclear-armed Trident submarine programme, putting her at odds with Corbyn who has argued that the more than 100 billion-pound ($147 billion)price tag to replace the country's deterrent could be better used. Thornberry has voted against renewing Trident. Europe shadow secretary Pat McFadden said he had been sacked in part because of comments he made in parliament seemingly at odds with statements Corbyn had made on the causes of terrorism. Corbyn, he said, had taken them as a personal attack. He will be replaced by Pat Glass, a pro-Europe former junior education spokeswoman. Culture spokesman Michael Dugher said on Tuesday he had been sacked. DISLOYALTY Corbyn had been under pressure by his allies to take control of Labour, which has struggled to challenge the ruling Conservatives. Labour's finance spokesman, John McDonnell, said Corbyn had questioned some leading lawmakers' loyalty. "There were issues where there has been undermining of his(Corbyn's) leadership and not accepting his mandate from the party members that he received in the election," he told Sky News. McDonnell said Corbyn was trying to "hold everyone together but be very clear about our direction of travel in terms of policy". But Jonathan Reynolds, the party's rail spokesman, said in his resignation letter posted on Facebook: "I understand your need for a greater degree of discipline on the front bench and therefore believe it would be more appropriate to advocate these causes as a backbencher (a rank and file Labour lawmaker)." Foreign Affairs spokesman Stephen Doughty, who quit on live TV, said he agreed with McFadden's views on terrorism and national security and was going as a matter of conscience. Britain's John Lewis' strong Christmas driven by department stores By James Davey LONDON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Britain's John Lewis Partnership maintained its full-year profit guidance thanks to a strong Christmas performance from its department stores which reported robust fashion sales despite a mild start to winter. The department stores helped to offset a more subdued performance from the group's upmarket supermarket chain Waitrose. The John Lewis trading statement also contrasted sharply with one from clothing retailer Next which began the post-Christmas reporting season on Tuesday with a disappointing update. Next blamed Britain's unusually warm weather in November and December for a sharp slowdown in sales growth. The John Lewis Partnership, whose worker co-ownership model has been lauded by Prime Minister David Cameron, has been the star performer of Britain's retail sector for the last six years, helped by a strong online operation and modern stores, many of which are in the more prosperous south east of England. The group said on Wednesday that sales at Britain's largest department store chain increased 6.9 percent year-on-year to 951 million pounds ($1.4 billion) in the six weeks to Jan. 2 and were up 5.1 percent at stores open over a year. All three of its main product areas showed good sales growth, with fashion up 6.1 percent, home rising 5.1 percent and electricals and home technology increasing by 9.6 percent. Marks & Spencer, Britain's biggest clothing retailer, will update on Christmas trading on Thursday, with analysts forecasting another decline in sales. "The difficulty in going second in the (Christmas) results (reporting) is we don't know others yet. But I suspect when the ink is dry our fashion result will look really good against the market," John Lewis Managing Director Andy Street told Reuters. The department stores' overall online sales increased 21.4 percent over the six weeks, representing 40 percent of total sales. Store sales fell 1.2 percent. Waitrose's gross sales, excluding fuel, were 859.8 million pounds, up 1.2 percent compared with last year and down 1.4 percent on a like-for-like basis. Waitrose noted that peak festive trade came particularly late and was more concentrated than usual in the last days before Christmas. Three of Britain's major supermarket groups, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrisons, are due to update on Christmas trade next week. Total John Lewis Partnership sales rose 4.1 percent to 1.81 billion pounds. "This has been a strong Christmas trading period for the Partnership despite the non-food market seeing significant shifts in trade patterns and the grocery market continuing to be challenging," said Chairman Charlie Mayfield. Britain says bookseller abduction would be "breach" in China's rule of Hong Kong By Michael Martina BEIJING, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Any abduction of people from Hong Kong to face charges elsewhere would be an "egregious breach" of Beijing's promises to rule the former British colony, Britain's foreign secretary said on Wednesday, amid suspicion that several booksellers critical of China's leaders have been taken by mainland agents. Lee Bo, 65, a shareholder of Causeway Bay Books and a British passport holder, went missing from Hong Kong last week, though his wife has withdrawn a missing persons report saying he travelled to China voluntarily. Four other associates of the publisher that specializes in selling gossipy political books on China's Communist Party leaders have been unaccounted for since late last year. The disappearances, and China's silence, have stoked fears of mainland Chinese authorities using shadowy tactics that erode the "one-country, two-systems" formula under which Hong Kong has been governed since its 1997 return to China. British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond told reporters at the end of a two-day visit to Beijing that there had been "no progress" on determining the booksellers' whereabouts after raising the case with Chinese and Hong Kong officials. "It would not be acceptable for someone to be spirited out of Hong Kong in order to face charges in a different jurisdiction," Hammond said. Such an action would be an "egregious breach" of the one-country, two-systems policy, Hong Kong's Basic Law, or mini-constitution, and the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, which provided for the handover of power. "It's an essential part of the settlement in Hong Kong that it has its own judicial system and it is solely responsible for trying offences that occur in Hong Kong," Hammond said. There was only speculation about the disappearances and there was a need to "know what has happened and who is responsible for it", he said. Pressed on the issue, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular briefing that China opposes "any foreign country interfering with China's domestic politics, or interfering with Hong Kong affairs". Hong Kong Security Secretary Lai Tung-kwok said the territory was still awaiting a response from Chinese authorities on the fate of the men, and would ask again "if necessary". On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Lee "is first and foremost a Chinese citizen" when asked if China recognises his British passport. He warned against "groundless speculation" but declined to give further details. Klopp not to blame for injury crisis, says Liverpool's Lallana Jan 6 (Reuters) - Liverpool's injury woes have nothing to do with a change in training methods under manager Juergen Klopp, midfielder Adam Lallana has said. Liverpool beat Stoke City 1-0 in their League Cup semi-final first leg on Tuesday night, but the win was marred by hamstring injuries to midfielder Philippe Coutinho and centre-back Dejan Lovren, leaving Klopp with 11 players on the treatment table. Daniel Sturridge, Martin Skrtel, Divock Origi and Jordan Rossiter are also nursing hamstring problems, and critics have sought to blame the manager's high-pressing style and the intensity of his training sessions for the injuries. Lallana, however, sprang to his manager's defence and refused to blame Klopp for the injuries. "Sometimes you are just unlucky with injuries and we've had a lot of bad luck recently," he told the club's website (www.liverpoolfc.com). "I know from my time at Liverpool that we've got a world class medical team here. We certainly can't point the finger at anyone. "We have had a change of manager this season. When that happens lads look to impress more and give more. But I don't think these injuries have got anything to do with any changes to our training." The midfielder pointed instead to the club's crowded fixture list as a more likely cause and said Liverpool's misfortune was part of a wider trend in the Premier League. "We've had so many games recently that we've mainly been doing recovery sessions between games so it's not as if the training has been really intensive. You can't blame that," he said. "Look at the amount of games we've had over the Christmas period. PRESS DIGEST- Canada- Jan 6 Jan 6 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories from selected Canadian newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. THE GLOBE AND MAIL ** North Korea's triumphant claim that it successfully tested a miniaturized hydrogen bomb provoked global anger on Wednesday and calls for harsh new measures against the isolated nuclear power. (http://bit.ly/1PeQu2o) ** Justin Trudeau's government is facing calls to explain to Canadians how Ottawa's $15-billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia is justified under export control rules that impose special restrictions on shipments to countries with poor human-rights records. (http://bit.ly/1PeQu2o) ** There's a new player joining Canada's audio streaming market. iHeartRadio, a U.S.-based rising competitor in online music and live radio, is moving north through a partnership with Bell Media. (http://bit.ly/1Jtzrx2) NATIONAL POST Iraq offers to mediate between Saudi and Iran, fearing for IS campaign By Maher Chmaytelli BAGHDAD, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Iraq dispatched its foreign minister to Tehran on Wednesday with an offer to mediate in an escalating feud between Saudi Arabia and Iran, reflecting Baghdad's fears that new sectarian conflict could unravel its campaign against Islamic State. Sunni Saudi Arabia's execution of Shi'ite dissident Nimr al-Nimr on Saturday has inflamed sectarian anger across the Middle East, infuriating Iran, the region's main Shi'ite Muslim power. After demonstrators sacked the Saudi embassy in Iran, Riyadh and some of its allies cut off diplomatic ties with Tehran. Iraq, where a Shi'ite-led government is urgently trying to reach out to minority Sunnis as it seeks to retake territory controlled by Islamic State militants, is particularly vulnerable to any upsurge in anger between the Muslim sects. Powerful Iran-backed Shi'ite militia called on Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi -- a Shi'ite who has staked his credibility on efforts to reconcile with Sunnis -- to shut a Saudi embassy that reopened only last month after decades of strained ties. Thousands of Shi'ites rallied in central Baghdad on Wednesday chanting slogans against the Saudi ruling family. Abadi sent Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari to Tehran to help defuse the crisis. Speaking with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, Jaafari said the row could have "wide-ranging repercussions". "We have solid relations with the Islamic Republic (Iran) ... and also we have relations with our Arab brothers and therefore we cannot stay silent in this crisis," Jaafari told the joint press conference in Tehran. There was no immediate reaction from Saudi Arabia to the Iraqi mediation offer. In what militia leaders described as only an early taste of the potential for street anger, a few thousand Shi'ite demonstrators rallied in central Baghdad on Wednesday and in smaller numbers in southern Shi'ite cities. "No, no to Al Saud! No, no to the embassy!" chanted the demonstrators who gathered on Tahrir (Liberation) Square in Baghdad, carrying the flags of the three most powerful Iranian-backed militias -- Badr Organisation, Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Kataib Hezbollah. "If our demands are not met we will take escalating measures," said Hajj Jawad al-Tulaibawi, a military spokesman for Asaib who was present at the protest. "We say to Abadi... he who leads needs to have a strong heart and be brave," he told Reuters. "If he can't, he should leave." Abbas al-Tamimi, an Asaib leader at a small protest in the southern city of Basra, said a bigger response to Nimr's death was coming. "The people's patience with the crimes of the Al Saud tyrants has run out," he told Reuters at the Basra protest. Abadi took power in 2014 after Iraq's army crumbled in the face of an onslaught by Islamic State militants, who swept through most of Iraq's Sunni areas, capitalising on resentment to the Shi'ite-led authorities in Baghdad. The prime minister initially relied on Tehran-backed Shi'ite militias to help defend the capital. But more recently he has challenged militia leaders with deep political reforms designed to curb the influence of sectarian political parties. BETWEEN IRAN AND ARAB COUNTRIES The Saudi embassy, which reopened last month, is located out of the protesters' reach in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone. It was closed in 1990 after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, and its reopening came as relations thawed under Abadi, signalling that the two countries would try to cooperate against Islamic State. Saudi Arabia is nominally part of a U.S.-led coalition targeting Islamic State with air strikes. Earlier this week, Iraqi Foreign Minister Jaafari reassured his counterpart in Riyadh that the Saudi embassy in Baghdad was safe and would not meet the same fate as the embassy in Tehran. The Iraqi government is trying to walk a middle line between Iran and the Sunni-ruled Arab countries in order to keep momentum against Islamic State, said Mona Alami, a Beirut-based analyst at the Atlantic Council think-tank. "Abadi needs all the allies he can get," she said. Abadi has declared 2016 the year of "final victory" against Islamic State, the ultra-hardline Sunni militant group that proclaimed a caliphate in 2014 over large sections of Sunni-populated territory in Iraq and Syria. Winning over Iraq's Sunni population from Islamic State has been a key component in Abadi's strategy of framing the war against the militants as a campaign against terrorism rather than a continuation of decade-long Sunni-Shi'ite fighting. His approach scored its first major success in the final days of 2015, when the Iraqi army, backed by U.S-led coalition air strikes and a Sunni tribal force, dislodged the militants from the centre of Ramadi, the capital of the western province of Anbar. Until then, it was the Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias that had led the fight against Islamic State. They were kept from the battlefield in Ramadi to reassure the Sunni population. "Abadi is caught between two fires: the Sunni hardliners and the Shi'ite hardliners," said Mustafa Alani, the United Arab Emirates-based director of security and defence studies at the Gulf Research Center think-tank. Speaking alongside Jaafari, Iran's foreign minister Zarif accused Saudi Arabia of rebuffing Iran's offers to cooperate on "terrorism and extremism". Iranian President Hassan Rouhani accused Riyadh of fuelling regional tensions. Hungary's Orban to meet Polish ruling party chief Kaczynski -source WARSAW, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will meet Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of Poland's ruling Law and Justice party (PiS), on Wednesday, a party source said, in an apparent move to strengthen an emerging eurosceptic axis in central Europe. Kaczynski, whose conservative party swept to power in an election last October, has often praised the Hungarian leader, who has for years defied European Union criticism of his economic policies and his stance on political freedoms. Both Orban and Kaczynski have also taken a hard line on the refugee crisis engulfing Europe, criticising in particular Germany's open-door policy towards the mostly Muslim migrants. "Such a meeting is planned (between the two men)," the PiS source said. Polish media said the meeting - which would be the first since PiS ousted the centrist, strongly pro-EU Civic Platform party last October - might take place in Niedzica Castle, in the south of Poland. The Polish government and foreign ministry declined immediate comment on the matter. Orban has not yet held an official meeting with Poland's Prime Minister Beata Szydlo, but Kaczynski - who holds no formal government post - is widely believed to be in overall charge of the EU's largest eastern member state. Hungary's VS.hu website described Orban's trip as a "private" visit during which he and Kaczynski would discuss Warsaw's legal changes affecting the constitutional court and state media, which have stirred concern in the EU. Kaczynski, twin brother of Poland's late president Lech who died in a plane crash in 2010, has echoed Orban's use of nationalist rhetoric and his claims to have a broad popular mandate to redesign his country's young democracy regardless of EU concerns. Turkey's Erdogan widens call for legal action against pro-Kurdish opposition By Humeyra Pamuk and Melih Aslan ISTANBUL, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday some lawmakers and local mayors from the pro-Kurdish opposition were behaving like members of a terrorist organisation and renewed his call for legal action against them. The predominantly Kurdish southeast has sunk into its worst violence since the 1990s after a two-year ceasefire between Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants, who are fighting for greater autonomy, and the state collapsed last July. Erdogan and the government accuse the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), parliament's third-biggest grouping, of being an extension of the PKK. The HDP says it is opposed to violence and wants a peaceful solution for Turkey's Kurds. "In Turkey there is no Kurdish issue but a terrorism issue. All ethnic minorities have problems of their own and we have always tried to solve these," Erdogan said in a speech to elected neighbourhood administrators. More Kurdish politicians were likely to be prosecuted, he said, urging the authorities to treat them on equal terms as members of the PKK, deemed a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. "I believe parliament and the judiciary are obliged to act against lawmakers who behave like members of the terrorist organisation," he said, although he said he was opposed to closing political parties down. "Titles like lawmaker, mayor or head of a party can't save anyone from being held accountable before the law if they have sided with the terrorist organisation." Clashes have intensified in recent days as a large-scale military campaign entered its fourth week. Residents have complained the operations are indiscriminate and that round-the-clock curfews have left even the sick unable to get to hospital. DOZENS FLEE Turkish tanks on hills around Cizre, a town bordering Iraq which has seen some of the heaviest fighting, pounded targets inside the city on Wednesday as dozens of people including children left with bags and luggage, Reuters TV footage showed. The authorities say the military campaign is targeting PKK militants not civilians, and that it was launched in response to attacks on the security forces. A soldier died from his injuries on Wednesday after coming under attack by militants in the province of Sirnak. A police officer was wounded in a bomb attack elsewhere in the province. Erdogan urged parliament last July to lift the immunity of politicians with suspected links to militants after a prosecutor launched an investigation into HDP co-head Selahattin Demirtas, a call he repeated on Wednesday. "Whatever the law orders for other members of the terrorist organisation, the same mechanisms should be in place for these people. Immunity is an exception to serve the people better, not to be used as a shield for the terrorist organisation." An investigation into Demirtas was launched in late December after he made comments in favour of local Kurdish self-rule, something Ankara has long opposed. Erdogan said a total of 3,100 PKK militants and 200 security personnel were killed in clashes last year. An HDP-linked group said on Wednesday 215 civilians had been killed in fighting since July. No drop in asylum seekers reaching Germany, Berlin says By Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Germany has seen no drop in the number of people arriving and seeking asylum despite EU efforts to confront a migration crisis, the deputy interior minister said on Wednesday, blaming a lack of controls at Europe's borders. More than a million people fleeing the Middle East and Africa arrived in Europe in 2015. Denmark began 2016 by imposing checks on its border this week, prompting the EU to call Germany, Denmark and Sweden to a meeting in Brussels. Germany has been one of the most seriously affected EU member states. Sources in Berlin said on Wednesday the country registered some 1.09 million asylum seekers last year. "We had an average influx of 3,200 refugees per day arriving in Germany, and the numbers are not declining in the last days," Ole Schroeder, the deputy German minister, told a briefing in Brussels. "Our problem at the moment in Europe is that we do not have a functioning border control system, especially at the Greece-Turkey border," Schroeder said. The European Union is counting on Turkey to help reduce the number of migrants entering the bloc following a deal between Brussels and Ankara late last year for Turkey to absorb more people fleeing Syria's civil war. Schroeder was speaking after meeting with EU migration chief Dimitris Avramopoulos and with Danish and Swedish officials to discuss temporary border controls after Denmark implemented spot checks on its border, raising new concerns about the durability of the EU's passport-free Schengen area. Germany, Denmark and Sweden all said that they wanted to safeguard the Schengen zone but that effective controls on Europe's external borders, as well as other agreed measures, were necessary. The European Commission, which has sought to help forge an EU migration policy since the death of hundreds of migrants in the Mediterranean last April, underscored the limited progress so far. Of the 160,000 migrants that EU governments have agreed to relocate from Italy and Greece to other parts of the Union, only 272 people have been moved so far, it said on Wednesday. PREFERENCE FOR GERMANY Three migrant screening centres, known as hotspots, are operational in Italy and Greece now, below the target of 11, although Italy is due to add two more early this year, the Commission said. Pascal Brice, a director with Ofpra, the agency in charge of granting asylum in France, said this explained the slow start to some extent, but that refugees' own destination preferences were also a factor. "The French system is ready but the migrants' appetite for it remains weak," he told Reuters in an interview. Germany is attractive for its positive stance towards refugees as well as the strength of its economy, he said. "You have to remember the relocation mechanism is offered to migrants on a voluntary basis," he said. "For now, most of the migrants choose Germany and also Britain to some extent, which explains the situation we face in Calais," the French port city where thousands of migrants have been camped out in the hope of reaching Britain. Delayed Haiti presidential run-off vote to be held Jan. 24 PORT-AU-PRINCE, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Haiti's delayed presidential run-off election will take place on Jan. 24, President Michel Martelly said on Wednesday, as the Caribbean country struggles to meet a Feb. 7 constitutional deadline to inaugurate a new leader. A record 54 candidates contested the first round on Oct. 25 but an uproar over allegations of fraud prompted election authorities to postpone a run-off scheduled for Dec. 27. "The election will take place on January 24. I met with election authorities and I've received a letter from them confirming that date," Martelly said as he walked to his motorcade in the Petion-Ville suburb of Port-au-Prince. The nation of about 10 million people has struggled to build a stable democracy since the overthrow of the 1957 to 1986 dictatorship of the Duvalier family and ensuing military coups and election fraud. Martelly said his administration was doing all in its power to make sure free, fair and democratic elections are held so that he can transfer power to a new leader in a month. "It is important for us to meet the February 7 constitutional deadline for the transfer of power even though I started my five-year term in May 2011," added Martelly, who has agreed to leave office about four months early. Rouhani shows determination to end embassy attacks in Iran By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin DUBAI, Jan 6 (Reuters) - President Hassan Rouhani asked Iran's judiciary on Wednesday to urgently prosecute the people who attacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran in protest at the kingdom's execution of a prominent Shi'ite cleric. Rouhani's comments appear to show his determination to reduce tension with Iran's Sunni Gulf neighbours and continue his attempts to normalise ties with world powers by speaking out on a practice that has become a challenge for the Islamic Republic's foreign policy. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Sudan and Djibouti broke all ties with Iran this week, the United Arab Emirates downgraded its relations and Kuwait recalled its ambassador after the embassy was stormed. Jordan summoned Iran's ambassador. After reaching a landmark nuclear deal with world powers in July, Rouhani is seeking to end Iran's long isolation with the West. However, the repercussions of the attack could jeopardise that, posing the biggest diplomatic crisis of his government. Members of the U.N. Security Council released a statement on Monday condemning the attack, and another on a consulate in the city of Mashhad, "in the strongest terms". "By punishing the attackers and those who orchestrated this obvious offence, we should put an end once and forever to such damage and insults to Iran's dignity and national security," Rouhani was quoted as saying in a letter published on the state news agency IRNA. While embassies are often a focus of protests worldwide, Iran still celebrates the anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the U.S. embassy in Tehran every year and refers to it as the Second Revolution. Since then, Iranians have attacked several embassies in Tehran, including those of Kuwait in 1987, Saudi Arabia in 1988, Denmark in 2006 and Britain in 2011, most of which have led to a breach in diplomatic relations. PROTEST SELFIES Some of those attacking the Saudi embassy and starting fires took selfies and published them on social media, a clear sign that they thought they were enjoying immunity from jurisdiction in a country that has parallel centres of power. In the letter to the head of judiciary, Rouhani asked Sadeq Larijani, to bring those behind the attacks to justice. "This has been always a paradox in the Islamic Republic," said Hossein Rassam, a former political adviser at the British embassy in Tehran. "While the revolutionary state condones or supports such attacks to capitalise on their revolutionary momentum, the administration dismisses them as it should deal with their diplomatic consequences," he added. In a signal of how Western ties with Iran have thawed, Britain reopened its embassy in Tehran in August. The nuclear deal also prompted a flurry of European visits aimed at positioning for the end of Iran's economic isolation. Iranian police have already announced the arrest of 50 people for the attacks on the Saudi mission. However, in previous cases the rioters have been detained for a few days and released without facing any charges. "In the case of the British embassy we are not aware of any legal action taking place against the aggressors," said Rassam. "Although months later (the Supreme Leader) Ayatollah Khamenei criticised the move, the attackers walked free and nothing happened to them more than a gentle slap on the hand." In Turkey's borderlands, Syrians show refugees' economic potential By Dasha Afanasieva GAZIANTEP, Turkey, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Sitting in the bare office above his factory where thousands of baby rattles and plastic bottles are cranked out every hour, Saad Chouihna believes that if you can make it in Turkey, you can make it anywhere. "The Turkish market is the hardest," said the 28-year-old Syrian from the city of Aleppo, bemoaning the tangled bureaucracy, cut-throat competition and a business culture that depends on long-term relationships. But armed with a knowledge of Turkish and the local culture, Chouihna is finding his way. He has opened a branch of his family's plastics business in the southeastern city of Gaziantep, where the many Syrian restaurants and Arabic signs in some districts bear witness to the proximity of the border and the growing Syrian population. His firm is one of nearly 2,000 set up by Syrians in Turkey in the almost five years since their homeland descended into civil war. A quarter of a million people have been killed since then and millions more displaced, with Turkey now home to 2.2 million Syrians, the world's largest refugee population. "Our business is plastic - that's what we know," Chouihna said. "But the established companies here have the contacts and experience locally so as a new company here it is really hard to get contacts or get contracts from big medical companies, for example. A lot of them don't even come to the phone." But Chouihna, who has a wife and baby daughter, said he saw "no difference between me and a Turkish company" because he employs Turks as well as Syrians and pays his taxes. SOME TURKS CONCERNED In November Ankara promised to help stem the flow of refugees trying to reach Europe in return for $3.2 billion in aid and renewed talks on joining the European Union. Ankara has spent more than $8.5 billion on feeding and housing Syrian refugees since the start of the war, but has yet to introduce a policy to allow them to work legally. Echoing concerns voiced in other countries about the flow of refugees, lower-income Turks fear that Syrians, including the estimated 250,000 now working illegally in Turkey, will undercut them and take their jobs. But data suggests Syrians such as Chouihna are a boost for the Turkish economy. According to TOBB, an umbrella body for local chambers of commerce, more than 1,000 companies were established in Turkey with at least one Syrian partner in the first seven months of 2015, compared with 30 in 2010, before the start of the war. Although there is no estimate yet of the increase in output from these firms, economists say they have boosted trade with Syria in parts of Turkey where instability and violence in border areas have dented trade with neighbours. "There has been a big jump in the numbers of businesses founded by Syrians probably because they are finally realising they are likely to remain in Turkey for many more years," said Esra Ozpinar, a researcher from economic think tank TEPAV. BOOST TO EXPORTS In Gaziantep, new buildings have sprung up beside the city's medieval fortress and old market thanks to modern investments and economic incentives offered by the government which have helped it become an economic hub and the most industrialised city in Turkey's south. Chouihna exports to Egypt, Lebanon, Romania, Tunisia and Yemen and does some trade in Turkey. He also sells his products in Syria, helping Turkey's exports to its neighbour get back close to their pre-war levels. Turkish exports to Syria dipped in 2011 and 2012, but have recovered significantly. In the first 10 months of 2015, Turkey exported $1.3 billion in goods and services there, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute, compared to less than half a billion in 2012. TEPAV research suggests the rising number of Syrian firms in border provinces such as Kilis, Mardin and Hatay has helped the recovery in exports. But their composition has changed, reflecting the needs of a war economy, with food, generators and pick-up trucks eclipsing building materials and cars. Economist Harun Ozturkler of the Centre For Middle Eastern Strategic Studies in Ankara says these businesses could in the long term be crucial to the Turkish economy. "The most important contribution will be their network in the Arab world because the owners of these firms were merchants in Syria," he said. "Finding new markets for Turkey is going to be the most important." But there is animosity in Gaziantep among some businessmen who see firms like Chouihna's as a threat. "We know there are many unregistered firms and they cause unfair competition," said the Chamber's communications chief, Senay Copur. "The advantage is they (Syrian firms) are serving generally their own citizens and create employment opportunities," she said, adding that efforts were under way to bring such companies into the tax system. Chouihna said the authorities turn a blind eye to his Syrian staff since he also employs some Turks, but he would rather they were officially documented. Another Syrian living in Gaziantep, Abu Tareq, said he had found investors for his plan to start a company producing $1 million worth a year of refrigerators for restaurants, food stores and factories. He plans to base his firm in the same industrial district as Chouihna's and intends to hire 14 people, the majority of whom will be Syrian, he said. After working in the same business in Syria, he saw an opportunity in the Turkish market. "There are business options here for Syrians and I realised I will be here for a long time," he said. How the Saudi king benefits from a cleric's execution By Peter Van Buren Jan 6 (Reuters) - Why did Saudi Arabia execute Shi'ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr now? The Saudis have had Nimr in custody since 2012, sentencing him to death in 2014. The cleric has been a vocal critic of Saudi Arabia's ruling royal family for years, going as far as threatening Shi'ite secession in the minority's eastern homeland in 2009. Saturday's execution of Nimr, alongside 46 others, mostly al Qaeda members, sparked a crisis with Iran. Protesters in Tehran set the Saudi embassy on fire, and the Iranian government threatened "divine revenge" against the kingdom. Riyadh severed diplomatic and commercial ties with Tehran, and Saudi allies Bahrain, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates filed diplomatic protests. While there are external factors behind the decision to execute Nimr now, particularly the broader Saudi-Iranian power struggle, those are secondary. The execution was a signal sent by the new king, Salman, to his supporters and adversaries at home. Shi'ite Islam - the minority sect in Saudi Arabia and worldwide, but the majority in Iran - is on the move, most significantly in Iraq. Following the 2003 American invasion, Iraq morphed from a secular regime that waged war against Iran, to the Shi'ite regime now in Baghdad that openly welcomes Iranian influence. Saudi Arabia's steadiest partner, the United States, has become prone to erratic acts, naively bumbling into Iraq in 2003, demanding regime changes here and there, and de facto partnering with the Iranians against Islamic State in Iraq. Oil prices are falling. America is far more energy independent than it was a decade ago. It is slowly moving toward a new diplomatic relationship with Iran, dissolving the glue holding the United States-Saudi relationship together. Many disgruntled Saudis support Islamic State, an organization that has sworn to take down the al-Saud monarchy. These destabilizing elements come as the al-Saud family faces succession issues. The current leader, King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, looks likely to be the final son of the country's founder, Ibn al-Saud, to hold the office. Ibn al-Saud died in 1953. Salman has named a nephew as the crown prince, and his own son as second in line to the throne, which will bring an entirely new generation into power. There have been rumors of growing opposition to Salman, even of a possible coup. The execution of Nimr thus sends multiple signals within the kingdom. The most significant is a get-tough message to all, coupled with an assurance to the Iranians that Salman is firmly in control, and able to further prosecute the open-ended war in Yemen. The execution also appeases the Wahhabists Salman needs in his corner, and gives the government a new excuse to crack down on Shi'ite dissent. Shi'ites are estimated to make up 10-15 percent of Saudi Arabia's population. The threat is real - Nimr is now a martyr with an international profile, and may prove more dangerous dead than alive. Nimr aside, the simultaneous execution of 43 al Qaeda members (three other Shi'ites were also executed) may have been a message to disgruntled Sunni youth returning from jihad that the king will not tolerate support for al Qaeda and Islamic State at home. The Saudi monarchy fears an Islamic revolution from within far more than any external military threat. Nimr's crime was described by the Saudi government using terms normally reserved for jihadist groups like al Qaeda and Islamic State, such as sedition. In a region that pays particular attention to symbolism, executing Nimr as a terrorist is a crystalline example of how the Saudi authorities view a man seen by many Shi'ites inside the kingdom as a freedom fighter of sorts. And in case anyone still did not get the message, the Saudi government added a final insult, refusing to return Nimr's body to his family, burying it instead with the executed al Qaeda members. The burning of the Saudi embassy in Tehran plays into all this, though was unlikely to have been anticipated. But what better way to wag the dog for the war in Yemen then another example of the "out of control" Iranians, and the threat Shi'ites pose. It also doesn't hurt Saudi strategy vis-a-vis the United States to see an embassy attacked, once again, in the heart of Tehran. Local Saudis angered by a 40 percent rise in gas prices, caused by a $107 billion budget deficient, now have an external situation to distract them. Election time is the worst time of the year and if election wars are scheduled in the month of April, you cannot help but recall Eliots musings on the cruellest month. Before the cruelties strike, only yesterday, an earthquake of 6.8 magnitude shook the Northeast, with major tremors felt in Assam and Manipur. All of these incidents seem to me premonitions of a disaster that awaits Assam, which on the political front has turned into a wasteland. Many have debated that the plight of Assam is similar to the other heterogeneous states in the country where the BJP has spread its communal wings. Now, my question is how clean were the others before this saffronisation began? Were the regional parties better at handling issues like ethnic harmony, hunger, vote politics, migration, language, tribes, land and culture? A strange tug of war, this is, nobody knows how many sides are present, who belongs with whom, and how many new sides can emerge. We have every right to blame the BJP for its zero sensitivity towards dealing with Assam, and the Northeast. Last year, we have seen how interference in eating habits (beef ban) and local cultural icons have witnessed outrage in the country. But, the roots of linguistic chauvinism and religious chauvinism go deeper than this, sometimes the two are so intertwined that it is difficult to understand them in isolation. Take for instance, the case of the heroic leader Lachit Borphukan who suddenly appeared in the national media because it fits the BJPs obsession with a nationalist hero. Now, this figure of Lachit (and its silence) has been represented differently in literature, the Buranjis and the arts, his religious affiliation is of least importance! In the Jonaki era (the beginnings of romantic nationalism in Assam), a lot of historical plays meditated around folk figures like Lachit to write their version of nationalism (sub-nationalism). All these years, Lachit was absent from CBSE NCERT History books, infact, the mention of medieval saint Sankardeva (a contemporary of Chaitanya) is also fairly recent. As the Assam Assembly elections draw nearer, once more, this invasion of culture and language has arrived in the political platter. Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi complained that the BJPs national functionaries were mispronouncing Assamese names, including that of Vaishnava saint, Sankardeva. This is not acceptable, he said. It was taken as an insult, a way of linguistic imposition. Thereafter, the entire issue was turned into a political battleground, with Ram Madhav, BJPs national general secretary stating that Gogois remark is intolerant. The intent at hand was a fully justified one. How dare the BJP distort histories and legends which go all the way back to the heritage of the folks? True, they are a mix of truths and several fictional experiences, but imaginary meanings are sometimes, the binding fabric of a society. This fabric is very sensitive, no political party has the right to mess with it, as and when they please. There is another issue at hand the criticism of the Hindi-speaking leaders in BJP takes us back to the fear of Hindi-speaking businessmen, workers in Assam. This fear is a collective one, one trip to the markets in Guwahati run mostly by Hindi-speaking people, and you will have the picture. The anger is justified, the violence is not. I take the example of the pace at which traditional craftspeople lose their income when their designs and clothes are being appropriated to be sold at lower rates by the businessmen. To quote them, it is not ethical. But Gogoi must remember that even Assamese speaking merchants had their own arbitrary ethics to sell. His generalisations wont help much, I think; one of the first progressives of Assamese literature was a Marwari (Jyotiprasad Agarwalla). Perhaps, we need to question this premise of selling itself, be it language, culture or votes. Coming back to my main question, is knowing the pronounciation of a name enough? We must certainly stress on the right pronounciations, ask Gogoi to invest in sectors that allow for the growth of the Assamese language, but will only knowing the name correctly ensure its appropriate usage? Is the philosophy espoused by the saint/hero at the medieval times being passed on unadulterated? Then, why are we so hurt at a mispronunciation? Those who pronounce Sankardeva perfectly (with the velar fricative x) have also taken the freedom to appropriate his teachings, havent they? We can only hope that the inept handling of the Pathankot terror attack is the worst breach of national security and dignity that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP can inflict on the nation. However, the progressive scale of ineptitude that has been on display doesn't give much hope. For too long, it was not clear if all the terrorists had been taken out. Indian Express reported there was a blast even while defence minister Manohar Parrikar arrived at the base. Before that: The finance minister got into the act saying the siege was over; his statement was followed by reports of more gunfire. The home minister put out a tweet announcing the end of the attack and then deleted it. The prime minister was purveying wisdom on yoga and Hinduism. The defence minister was in Goa, meddling in its seaside politics. Maybe the terrorists died laughing? With the BJP, garish spectacle triumphs over quiet diplomacy. In February 1999, Atal Bihari Vajpayee took a bus to Lahore with the famous Bollywood actor Dev Anand in tow and signed the Lahore Declaration. In May that year, India faced the Kargil war. With Modi, the Pathankot terror attack came just a few days after his PR stopover in Pakistan. Meanwhile, the mainstream media appeared clueless, reporting every leak from the multiple agencies in charge, sowing confusion all around.Television news simply passed off everything as breaking news. The more "intrepid", not wanting to dig and delve into the hard story, went after the human angle: interviewing grieving relatives of the soldiers who were killed, calling them "bravehearts" like medieval Scots and "martyrs" like Islamic fundamentalists. The newspapers were no better: they simply bought whatever line the government put out and played up the sentimental angle of sacrifice for the nation. In the event, the social media, some uncompromising publications like The Hindu and The Telegraph and a number of hardnosed commentators nailed the truth. Many questioned the national security adviser's decision to deploy the Defence Security Corps (DSCs) comprising retired soldiers to assist the National Security Guard at Pathankot. There was widespread derision of Mr Modi's preoccupation with yoga and Hindu temples and the now-familiar loose-lipped syndrome of his ministers. Mr Modi and his party have failed every test of serious governance so far. Remember: climate doesn't change, people grow older. Or, Ganesha's elephant head is proof there were plastic surgeons in those ancient days. Or, India can never abuse nature: earth is our mother; moon is our "mama", echoing a popular Bollywood song of the 1950s. This government is also demonstrably incompetent. Never mind Pathankot, even in Parliament, where it commands a majority in the lower house, Mr Modi has been unable to get anything done. Plus, he has suffered significant political defeats in Delhi and Bihar. Now there's virtually no hope the BJP can win a majority in the upper house through 2019. As such, the first-ever majority government since the 1980s finds itself stymied. Mr Modi's belligerence swayed many away from their normal predilections to vote for him in 2014; hence, the majority. Cocky in victory, he denied Leader of Opposition status to Sonia Gandhi, president of the Indian National Congress. As such, his no-holds-barred approach permitted no negotiation and compromise with the opposition, a sine qua non of democracy. In just 18 months, he has shown he is simply not prime ministerial material. Never mind his own obvious shortcomings, including gaffes about the flag in Japan and the national anthem in Russia, his cabinet is a distressingly low on intellect and ethics. The much-admired campaign in 2014 beguiled the electorate: there was dog-whistle rhetoric about Hindutva; a slanderous paid media campaign against a government that delivered a decade of unprecedented prosperity and social welfare; a quixotic promise of a golden age. There's one more thing in play: during the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, Mr Modi, then Gujarat chief minister, showed up outside the Oberoi Hotel to castigate the government as soft and directionless. This was while security forces were still battling the terrorists. In stark contrast, there has been no politicking by the opposition in the matter of Pathankot. An Albemarle County school was among 56 schools and divisions the Virginia Board of Education honored for raising the academic achievement level of economically disadvantaged students. Students performance on Standards of Learning assessments during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years were the basis for the awards, according to a news release. Nine schools were recognized as Title I High Distinguished Schools and 46 as Title I Distinguished Schools. West Point Public Schools were recognized as a whole. Scottsville Elementary School was one of those recognized as a Distinguished School, meaning it met all state and federal accountability requirements for two consecutive years. The school also achieved SOL pass rates at the 60th percentile or higher for reading and math. Following a standoff Tuesday afternoon that lasted more than two hours, police arrested a man suspected of robbing the Union Bank and Trust on the Downtown Mall on Monday. At about 1 p.m. Tuesday, Charlottesville detectives investigating the bank robbery headed to a Sixth Street Southeast home to serve a search warrant. Before officers could conduct a search, police received a call from the home about a domestic disturbance that possibly involved a firearm. Multiple patrol officers and detectives arrived at the home and quickly shut down Sixth Street between Belmont Avenue and Monticello Avenue. Soon after police arrived, four people in the home were able to leave, according to police. The suspect in the bank robbery later identified as Cole Franklin Nordick, 38 stayed in the home alone and refused to come out, police said. When officers made telephone contact with him, he allegedly threatened to harm anyone who entered the home. Police then obtained a warrant for his arrest. Standing in the bitter cold, SWAT teams from both Charlottesville and Albemarle County took up positions around the home and prepared to extract Nordick from the house. Repeated attempts were made both by phone and loudspeaker to get him to surrender. When this was unsuccessful, police shot a significant amount of chemical irritant agents into the home, according to Miriam Dickler, director of communications for the city of Charlottesville. After more than two hours, Nordick came out of the home with his hands in the air, wearing a white T-shirt, dark pants and a University of Virginia baseball hat. He was taken into custody without incident, according to police. The subject came out voluntarily and there were no injuries, Dickler said. Schools in the area were not put on lockdown, but school buses that normally drop students off in the area of Sixth Street were delayed, according to Dickler. The information was relayed to parents and teachers over the course of the incident, she said. On Monday morning, police said a man entered the Union Bank and Trust and demanded money. Police said he was given an unknown amount of money before leaving the bank on foot. Witnesses told police the man had a knife hanging from his belt but did not display it during the robbery. Nordick faces a charge of armed robbery and is being held without bond at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail. LONDON - England - Prepare to lose your jobs, your life insurance and be bombarded by marketers as the government sells your private medical records to whoever wants them. The era of medical privacy is finally over in the UK as all private patients NHS data will be released in a massive data free for all. This means insurance companies, employers and anyone else who wants to know about your ailments can use the data about you to do as they please. Its great, Ive had my life insurance cancelled, my employer fired me and now Ive got tonnes of marketers after me about my illness. Thank you Cameron. Lets have it for doctor patient confidentiality, three cheers, hip hip! a patient who used to have some privacy told Sky news. As for lifes transgressions, people will be punished for their youthful exuberance as future employers will balk at employing those who may have ended up in A&E one time too many, or utilised any form of pharmaceutical help to get by in life. Were simply telling the world about your medical history. There is nothing to fear here when we distribute all of your NHS data. If you have nothing to hide there is no need to worry a government official told the BBC. LOUISIANA - USA - America has to put down their guns at some point in the future. Obama is crying over this matter, and now people are really talking about gun control. Some guy was recorded whilst waiting for a bagel at a coffee shop in downtown Lafayette. When Obama cried on the podium yesterday, I cried too, all those people shooting themselves and each other with guns, like it really hit home. What do Obamas tears mean to you? Do you wanna put the guns down yet? You dont need that Kalashnikov, the horror of the shootings daily in your hood, and the depopulation that is happening around us. Did you know that every minute in the United States, 43 gun murders take place. You could be anywhere, a school, a cinema, a restaurant or in the park, all it takes is someone with a gun shooting you when you least expect it. Its all so horrific. What are you gonna do? So please Americans, we need to do this now, the Second Amendment just needs to be adjusted slightly, and dont you dare even read Infowars as theyre just stoking the fires of gun violence. Is Alex Provocateur Jones part of the system? Damn sure he is, he pays taxes, and his operation is a classic data-mining magnet for unnamed agencies. What better way to find all the kooks by acting like one yourself, Jones is an okay actor, but hes a well paid actor and he uses specific triggers during his rants to up the ante, make you buy his snake oil and comment on his site. If Jones was really revolutionary, they would have shut him down years ago, the proof is in his rise to power and mega bucks. The powers that be know what you are thinking, the cats already out of the bag, sure they got caught snooping after Snowden gave it away, but most people already knew anyway. Uncle Obama really feels for you, didnt you see the tears streaming down his face, he was crying like a lil baby? Maybe there was a sick bag backstage but you didnt see that folks. But seriously, we need to limit guns in America, its really getting ridiculous now. All these mass shootings day in day out, doesnt it get to you? What if it was your kid, or your dad, or your mom? Guns are tools for killing, when a person pulls the trigger deadly bullets fly out at high speed. When a bullet hits its target it makes a mess of things. Could be a leg, a liver or a butt, dang dont wanna get hit in your groin or knee cap, that shit is painful. See when you watch an action movie, those guys are shooting blanks, its not real, in reality when someone gets shot whether they live or die, whatever, you just shot someone, thats not right. Sure youre going to say self defence, you need guns for protection, but if no one had guns but the people in charge, you wouldnt need a gun. Best policy in a fight is calmness, just walk away it aint worth it or call the police. The cops have guns to Protect and Serve, like thats what it says on the badge, and all you have to do is dial 911 and theyll come and protect you from whatever is going on. Next youre going to say guns are a protection of the citizen to tyranny from the state. Well, this can be fixed in one moment, if you cant beat em, join em. Become a Senator or legislator or something to do with a government office, because any person will tell ya, its nigh on impossible to beat the system now. Even if every American had a gun and started shooting right now, the state, the army, the whatever would put a stop to that in less than a week. They have the logistics, the equipment, the bullets, the frickin air force, and make the laws. What have you got? Its all too big to beat, especially when an A10 Warthog opens up a can o whoop ass on you with its Gatling gun. The NSA already knows who to get first, theyd put a stop to any movement within a few days. Some militia boys in Oregon are making a stand right now, and there are militia all across the U.S. but they dont have a chance in hell for two reasons, the first being, they have limited numbers and the second, they are surrounded from all sides including the air. What are they going to do? Absolutely nothing, because the majority of Americans want peace and the Bundy family, of which there are many strands, hold a long standing heritage in the U.S. but the yokel strand we are seeing in Oregon are only one element, as the Bundy name reaches high up into the top echelons of government. Im going to tell yall this once, dont shoot, put down your gun son, because if you dont, somebody gonna get hurt some. What will happen if Americans have guns taken from them? Civil war Nothing much Civil war and toppling of government Government always wins View Results Loading ... Loading ... Archive Reader Comments About DarkeJournal Thanks to your wonderful for sale and garage sale section. I have used both successfully. Keep up the great reporting. From someone who used the unclassifieds: "Thanks to DJ we rented [out] the house!" We understand your site really has the best coverage for our county. Darke Journal is a great website. We kept up with the weather and all the local news on a recent trip. Keep up the GREAT WORK. Keep up the excellent work with the site. Its refreshing to have such a glowing forum for thought and info in the area! I'm a huge fan of Darke Journal - thanks for providing this website/email information for the community. I think we can all agree, this is the best site of its kind for Darke County by far. Your web site has been a great advertising place for our programs ... we always receive lots of calls. Thanks for all you do. Must say I think you have done a really great job with the site. Your web site is such a benefit to the community. ......the journal ROCKS!!!!! Thanks for all your help. Darke Journal is the number one source for Darke County community news. I have truly enjoyed keeping up with the Darke County news, but the constant reporting on conservative causes is totally inappropriate. Darke Journal is sure on top of everything. I really appreciate you running and bumping the garage sale ad over the last few days. My son and I had a really successful sale, and your site was a big help in making that happen (many people told us that they heard about it through DJ). I am a huge fan of your website. It brings more useful information than the newspaper does and even though I am attending college and am away from home, I still check out your website about once a day to keep up on local events. I just love your website. It's better than any newspaper or TV program. Keep up the good work. I like the DJ because it just gives the facts pure and simple. I also like to read what the readers think. You keep up the good work & you will grow! I am so glad that I found this site. It is so nice to have such an upbeat & unbiased Darke County news. I look forward to checking it each day. I just found it this month. Plus, I can feel free to voice my concerns on issues. Great web site! When I turn on my computer in the morning, I check the weather and Darke Journal before anything else. Thank you for the pix & info on this site. It's nice to know what's going on in our great Darke County. You are doing a great service and this is a great media outlet! It just gets better and better! Truly, the 'mix' is what makes it so good for all readers. DJ = nice guy, but should relinquish his website duties. This is a wonderful site! I am so glad there is a place in this community where people can voice their opinion about issues. In the past for many years this community seems to be run by so called political people with others hiding in the brush waiting to inform their leaders of those who disagree with an issue on hand, just so they can point them out and try to ruin their life. Again I am so glad finally, an average Joe can make an Anonymous posted opinion and not fear that they will be pointed at or looked down for stating how they feel. Thank you D. J. Its better than most of the media available in and around Darke County. The web site has had steadily increasing viewership over the last year or two and, at least in my opinion, has become a major player in getting news and commentary to Darke Countians. Your site is not a freaking jungle. Delhis Finance and Home Secretary S N Sahai has come in the firing line of AAP legislator Alka Lamba who is seeking action against him for allegedly trying to weaken the Arvind Kejriwal government. In a letter written to Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Lamba sought action against Sahai for creating hurdles in replacing the proposed rail-driven trams with e-trams or battery bus in the redevelopment project in Chandni Chowk. Action must be taken against officials who are trying to weaken an elected government, wrote Lamba, a member of the Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation, naming Sahai in her letter. She said in an earlier meeting to discuss the redevelopment project that Sahai insisted on keeping the trams which may cost Rs 800 crore and not replacing them with battery buses which may cost Rs 20 crore. The Chandni Chowk legislator alleged Sahai blocked the e-tram project which could have been executed in one year as compared to four years needed for trams. Is the Finance Secretary trying to benefit someone by insisting on a project that needs Rs 800 crore? Does he have any personal interest in the Rs 800 project? she asked. Lamba demanded a thorough probe into Sahais role for questioning the decisions related to e-trams already taken by the Aam Aadmi Party government. The manner in which Sahai opposed the government decision raises suspicion that he may have blocked the e-tram project under a larger conspiracy, she wrote in Hindi. The Aam Aadmi Party MLAs demand for action against Sahai comes around the same time when sources in the Delhi government were hinting at his alleged role in organising the mass leave on December 31 by agitating DANICS officials. An official said the allegations levelled by Lamba against Sahai could just be an excuse to act against Sahai as the real reason seems linked to the mass leave by 200 officials seeking revocation of the suspension of their two colleagues. Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta of BJP slammed Lambas attempt to defame and scare upright officials in the Delhi government and add to the growing alleged distrust between bureaucrats and the Kejriwal government. The BJP leader said he would raise the matter before Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, who controls the postings and service matters related to bureaucrats. A 25-year-old peddler of illegal firearms was apprehended while he came to supply the arms in east Delhis Mayur Vihar on Monday evening. Fifteen pistols and magazines have been recovered from his possession, police said. The culprit has been identified as Vir Pal, a resident of Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh. In continuation with its drive against illegal arms peddling in Delhi NCR and adjoining areas, Delhi Polices Special Cell received an information that Pal will come to Delhi to supply illegal arms to criminals of Delhi NCR area. After further investigation, it was revealed that Pal will arrive in Mayur Vihar on Monday, following which a police team laid a trap in his anticipation. On Monday evening, Pal was spotted on a foot over bridge near the bus stand of Mayur Vihar, phase 1 crossing. The police team swiftly moved and nabbed the culprit. A bag in which he had concealed 15 illegal pistols with magazines was recovered from his possession. Pal, a school drop out used to work as a casual laborer in a dairy and brick kiln. According to police, a person named Pawan from Pals village introduced him in the trade of supply of illegal arms. They used to procure such weapons from Khargone in Madhya Pradesh and supply them in Delhi NCR and parts of Uttar Pradesh. According to police, Pal had earlier also come to Delhi to supply arms to his clients, and earlier he has also been accused in a murder case in his native Aligarh. Further investigation is in progress to find out his associates in Delhi, UP and MP. Police are also interrogating him to find out the people to whom he used to supply the illegal weapons. Easy availability of illicit arms and ammunition in Delhi has always remained a cause of concern. During 2015, 421 illicit firearms, 5111 ammunition and 253 sharp edged weapons were recovered from people. Delhi government on Tuesday restricted the issuing of CNG stickers to just one Indraprasth Gas Limited station after a television sting operation indicated that such stickers are free for all. As per the governments odd-even formula, CNG cars are exempted from the governments drastic car curbs only if they display the government-certified sticker on their windscreen. Until Tuesday, the stickers for CNG car were available at 95 CNG filling stations in Delhi and 19 others in the neighbouring NCR areas. Delhi Transport Minister Gopal Rai said these stickers will now be available only at the CGO complex station on Lodhi Road. The CNG station will remain open throughout the day. Earlier on Tuesday, a sting by India News showed that an Indraprasth Gas Limited (IGL) employee issued CNG sticker to a petrol-fuelled car for Rs 2,800. So far, 3.9 lakh stickers have been sold to CNG vehicles from Delhi and NCR regions, the government said. Currently, Delhi alone has 3.5 lakh CNG cars. These stickers have a special logo that can be detected with the help of an instrument. Rai said the government has asked agencies responsible for implementation of the odd-even rule to conduct random checks. He said FIRs will be registered against those obtaining stickers through illegal means. Meanwhile, the IGL employee Deepak Sen, who was caught on camera issuing an unauthorised sticker at Vivek Vihar CNG station, was slapped with an FIR. He has been booked for criminal breach of trust by public servant. The case was registered at the local Vivek Vihar police station. The government-authorised stickers are issued only after the IGL employees check the vehicle registration certificates which mentions whether it is CNG-fuelled or not. The CNG stickers will be available at the CGO complex station throughout the odd-even trail. Starting from January 1, the Delhi government implemented its 15-day long road rationing experiment. Buoyed by Supreme Court's validation of its odd-even move, the Delhi government on Tuesday said it will approach the Centre on speeding up construction of western and eastern peripheral roads which will divert vehicles not bound for the capital. Transport Minister Gopal Rai said that the government will also coordinate with neighbouring states to work out ways to bring down pollution levels in the city. He said he meet the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and would request him to expedite the peripheral highway project, after the government finishes its drastic road-rationing experiment on January 15. The Supreme Courts ruling today has only made the Delhi governments job easier by paving the way forward,: Rai said at a news conference on Tuesday, thanking the apex court for welcoming its experiment. Earlier in the day, the SC in a major ruling said the ban on 2,000 cc diesel-fumed vehicles will continue in Delhi. The court also banned entry of heavy vehicles from four more entry points National Highway 2 (connecting Delhi to Faridabad), NH 10 (Bahadurgarh), NH 58 (Ghaziabad) and State Highway 57 (Saharanpur). Claiming continued success on Tuesday, the Delhi government said it managed to handle the rush like the day before a feat that was described as passing the litmus test by Rai. According to him, Transport Department apprehended 237 violators till 3 pm for violating the odd-even rule. It includes 93 challans against cars and 144 challans against autorickshaws or taxis for refusal and overcharging. The Transport Department helpline received over 700 complaints. Delhi Traffic Police on Tuesday also issued 303 challans till 3 pm for odd-even violations. Rai told reporters about his visit to Rajiv Chowk Metro station after pictures of crowded platforms stormed Twitter on Monday. The Arvind Kejriwal government had then claimed that it was part of a vile campaign against its odd-even formula. Averaging ridership for last five Mondays, the minister said Delhi Metro Rail Coporation carried almost 6,000 less passengers on January 4.. The Metro carried an estimated 28.19 lakh passengers during the weekday rush on Monday. Delhi Transport Corporation said its strengthened fleet of 7,143 carried 40.6 lakh passengers on Monday against its actual capacity of 65 lakh. Delhi government said at majority of locations, the levels of particulate matter PM 2.5 and PM 10.0 shows a marked decrease when compared with same dates and times in previous years. On an average, PM 2.5 (particulate matter with diameter less than 2.5 microns) levels stood between 200 and 300 units at 13 locations, while seven peripheral areas reported the levels between 300-400 units. Vehicular emission are known source of high PM 2.5 levels in the city. Rai attributed high pollution levels in the Delhis outlying areas such as Sangam Vihar, Ambedkar Nagar, Deoli, Babarpur, Krishna Nagar, Chhatarpur and Jangpura to the entry of trucks in the city. Since 1st January, the DPCC mobile teams have so far recorded ambient air data from 55 locations, and the definitive trend is that air quality is improving in central parts and other areas which are not on the borders of the national capital, a government statement said. Rai said Delhi government will rope in help from neighbouring states to install weigh-in-motion machines to check entry of overloaded trucks in the city. He said the government has already released Rs 653 crore in 2006, as its share of funds for the proposed peripheral highway projects. The other two partners, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, are yet to release the funds. Pollution continued to be on the higher side in the capital, despite the governments odd-even scheme in place. On Tuesday, the levels of both PM10 and PM2.5 showed an upward trend since morning and the average air quality at around 7 pm was very close to the most polluted day recorded last year (December 23). On the website of System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), Particulate Matter (PM) 10 (particles below 10 microns in diameter) and PM 2.5 (below 2.5 microns and capable of entering human lung and blood tissues due to smaller size) were recorded at 422.7 and 278.4 microgram per cubic metre. The figures were close to the ones recorded on the most polluted day of the last year (PM 2.5 295). Experts and the government blamed it on the weather conditions and said that the situation will likely improve later this week. On the first day of the odd-even scheme, the weather conditions were favourable and the pollutants got dispersed. Since Saturday, the situation is less favourable so there is more piling of pollution. But today we have some winds compared to last few days, said Dr R K Jenamani, Head, IGIA MeT. He added that the benefits of the favourable weather conditions, coupled with odd even scheme can be seen by later this week when pollution levels are likely to come down. The wind speed has considerably reduced from five-six kilometres per hour to almost 2-3 km per hour in the past one week. Also, the share of vehicles in overall pollution is less and there are other sources like industries, diesel generators, and open burning of bio mass fuel, besides metrological disturbances, which lead to a deterioration in air quality, said Sumit Sharma, Fellow at TERI. The odd-even scheme is a good step but the small effect it might have on pollution gets mitigated due to meteorological factors and other sources, he said. However, the experts also said that had the odd-even scheme not been in place, the situation might have worsened. If you remove some vehicles from roads, there is some improvement in the immediate breathing zone. Had this scheme not been in place, the level of pollutants might have been higher, said Vivek Chhattopadhyay of Centre for Science and Environment. He also said that the government should monitor data after January 15 also to know the real impact of the experiment. Meanwhile, the government on Tuesday said that the pollution on same days last year was less due to rain and it is comparing the present data with that of 2014. January 3, 4, and 5 last year saw rainfall and thus it would be unfair to compare the this years data with it. But, if we see the pollution levels in 2014 on the same days, we can come to a conclusion that currently PM 2.5 is much lower, said Delhi Pollution Control Committee scientist M P Goerge. The government also said that according to its live sampling the pollutants are showing a definitive declining trend across Delhi due to the odd-even scheme and the impact of reduction in four wheelers on Delhi roads is clearly visible. In 13 of these 20 locations monitored on Tuesday, the PM 2.5 level has been recorded at less than 300, which proves reduction in comparison to previous years at the same time by at least 100 units, the government said in a statement. The apparent success of the AAP governments odd-even plan in the first week seems to have left Opposition parties uneasy and pushed them to attack the Arvind Kejriwal government. While the Delhi Youth Congress burnt effigies of the Chief Minister and Transport Minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday, the BJP plans to complain to Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung on Wednesday that the AAP government is using the car rationing scheme to deflect attention from the rot in the administration. Delhi Youth Congress workers burnt effigies of Kejriwal and Transport Minister Gopal Rai for fooling the people with an odd-even scheme which is yielding no gains. Youth Congress President Amit Malik, who led the protest in east Delhis Babarpur, said the government should roll back the odd-even formula as it has been done in countries that had implemented it earlier and should look at some concrete ideas of Pollution control. The government is fooling people by taking Rs1,500 just for a CNG sticker being given to car owners, he said. The volunteers involved in the odd-even scheme are being given a huge sum of money at the expense of tax-payers while commuters are suffering, said Malik. While the people are suffering, the Chief Minister is praising himself in TV and newspaper ads, which again is a wastage of peoples money, Malik added. BJPs Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta said the Chief Minister is not willing to talk about the anger among the officials and stagnation of work. Kejriwal is only interested in highlighting the odd-even drive at a time when the officials recently went on a leave over suspension of their colleagues, he said. We are going to file a petition with Jung to intervene and save the city from a total standstill in development works and file movement due to officials friction with the elected department heads, said Gupta. The city is suffering due to malfunctioning of the Delhi government, he added further. The Delhi government has refused to revoke the suspension of two Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service (DANICS) officials despite the direction of the Centre holding the suspension invalid, he said. Never before have officials of the Delhi government gone on a protest leave in such numbers as they did on December 31, Gupta said. About 200 Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service (DANICS) went on protest leave on December 31 hitting file movement hard in the Secretariat and casting a shadow on the preparations for the January 1-15 car rationing scheme. Subhash Chandra, special secretary (prisons), and Yashpal Garg, special secretary (prosecution), were suspended by the city government for allegedly refusing to sign on two cabinet notes about hiking the salaries of public prosecutors and prison staff. Gupta also pointed to reports that the AAP government was no plan of action against Home Secretary S N Sahai over the protest by the DANICS officials. Unidentified persons hurled three petrol bombs in the vicinity of the Sri Meenakshi Temple here late last night. Police said there were no casualties in the incident. The bombs were hurled within a span of two hours late last night. However, only one of it exploded. Broken beer bottles were recovered from the site, police said. The incident occurred few hours after the National Investigation Guards (NSG) reviewed security arrangements in the temple. NSG DSP Viswanathan and his team inspected the CCTV arrangements, queue system, and scanning equipments. Police said sufficient protection cover was in place in the temple and its vicinity. Mani, a local resident, said he heard a loud noise in the night and saw people running helter-skelter. Personnel from the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) and Special Investigation Cell (SIC) inspected the area. SIU personnel said it seemed that some miscreants exploded the bombs with an intention to create panic. Initial investigation ruled out the terror angle. Temple officials were requested to restrict usage of mobile phones inside the temple and use jammers, Viswanathan said. Some changes in the security system have been suggested, he said. Bangladesh's Supreme Court today upheld the death sentence of a top leader of fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami for crimes committed by him during the 1971 liberation war against Pakistan, clearing the way for his execution. A four-member bench headed by Chief Justice S K Sinha dismissed an appeal by Motiur Rahman Nizami, chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, who orchestrated the massacre of Bangladesh's best brains in 1971 using his ruthless Al-Badr militia. "The apex court has put the seal on his death penalty handed down previously by the (Bangladesh's) International Crimes Tribunal," senior prosecution lawyer Jiad Al Malum told PTI. A large number of people rallied outside the heavily- guarded court complex to welcome the verdict. The court upheld capital penalty for 73-year-old Nizami in three charges and life imprisonment in two charges. Chief defence counsel Khondker Mahbub Hossain prayed for commuting his death sentence to life imprisonment considering his old age. Nizami is the last remaining top perpetrators of crimes against humanity. Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in October, 2014 sentenced him to death, a verdict which the Supreme Court subsequently upheld. Nizami then sought to get the apex court verdict reviewed by itself in his last ditch effort to evade the gallows. In 1971, Nizami was the chief of Islami Chhatra Sangha, then student wing of Jamaat. He also headed the Al-Badr militia created by the Pakistan army to suppress the Bengali rebellion. The tribunal said Nizami had been involved in "planning and conspiring" mass killings, murders, rapes and looting at different villages in Pabna. Nizami now faces execution unless his case is reviewed by the court or he is granted clemency by the president. Jamaat's secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed, who was also Nizami's top aide in 1971, was executed last year along with Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, a stalwart of the key opposition BNP which is a crucial ally of the fundamentalist party. Bangladesh so far executed four war crimes convicts since the belated trial process of the top Bengali perpetrators of 1971 atrocities started in line with the electoral commitment of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2008. Two others -- former Jamaat chief Ghulam Azam and ex-BNP minister Abdul Alim --- earlier were handed down "imprisonment until death" instead of capital punishment considering their old age. They subsequently died in the prison cells of a specialised state-run hospital. Bangladesh says three million people were killed during the nine-month liberation war against Pakistan in 1971. North Korea's neighbours lined up today to condemn Pyongyang's claimed hydrogen bomb test, saying it posed a grave threat to regional security. Several governments promised a firm response as tensions soared again in northeast Asia, many calling for further action by the United Nations against the hermit nation, which is already subject to heavy international sanctions. "The nuclear test that was carried out by North Korea is a serious threat to the safety of our nation and we absolutely cannot tolerate this," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in Tokyo. "This clearly violates UN Security Council resolutions and is a grave challenge against international efforts for non-proliferation," he said, adding his country would seek to coordinate efforts among UN members to deal with the action. South Korean President Park Geun-Hye called the test a "grave provocation" at an emergency meeting of the Country's National Security Council (NSC) convened immediately after the news broke. "The test is not only a grave provocation to our national security but also a threat to our future... and a strong challenge to international peace and stability," she said, calling for strong sanctions on Pyongyang. In an earlier statement, Seoul said it would "take all necessary measures including additional sanctions by the UN Security Council... so that the North will pay the price for the nuclear test". In Washington, the White House would not confirm the test, but vowed to "respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations". There was no immediate response from China, North Korea's key diplomatic protector, but in a report from Pyongyang, the official Xinhua news service said that the "test apparently runs counter to relevant UN resolutions" and "is set to cause repercussions". Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop said her country "condemns in the strongest possible terms" the test, which "confirms North Korea's status as a rogue state and a continuing threat to international peace and security", adding that Canberra would express its concerns to Pyongyang directly and call for stronger UN sanctions. The test, which came just two days before leader Kim Jong-Un's birthday, was initially detected by international seismology monitors as a 5.1-magnitude tremor next to the North's main Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the northeast of the country. Last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un suggested Pyongyang had already developed a hydrogen bomb. The claim was questioned by international experts and there was continued scepticism over today's test announcement. Combing operations were underway today to sanitise the air base here that was under siege for four days after terrorists struck the forward installation even as the focus shifted to the probe in the terror strike with the NIA chief arriving here for an on-the-spot assessment. Security officials said today that the combing operations may continue for a day or two at the forward base where seven security personnel and six terrorists were killed. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had said yesterday that there "is no suspected terrorist inside right now. (still) I will not give a negative report till the combing operations are over. The combing operations may be over by tomorrow". He had said that the combing operation was for safety purpose as there are live, unexploded bombs besides rest of the ammunition. "Probably, they have brought high quality explosives," he had said. He had stated that the terrorists were carrying AK47s, modified Under Grenade Barrel Launcher, pistols, Swiss and commando knives, 40-50 kg of bullets besides 3-4 dozens of magazine and mortars. Parrikar had also announced that all those seven security personnel killed during the attack will be treated as martyrs that will entitle them to all the benefits available to "battle casualty" like in war-like situation. With the focus shifting on investigation, anti-terror probe agency NIA's chief Sharad Kumar will arrive here in the afternoon for an on-the-spot assessment. Kumar had said yesterday that solving the conspiracy behind the attack was a "very big challenge" but recalled how the agency had in the past established the identity of culprits in many blind cases. "It's a very challenging case and a lot of investigation needs to be done. Therefore, I am not fixing any deadline to the case but we will try to complete the probe soon," Kumar had said. Actor-filmmaker Sunny Deol's forthcoming action film "'Ghayal Once Again", which was to hit the screens on January 15, will now release on Feburary 5. "Big announcement: Save the date, 'Ghayal Once Again' now to be released worldwide on 5th February, 2016 #Ghayalon5Feb @IAMSUNNYDEOL @sakpataudi," read a tweet on the official page of the film. "Ghayal Once Again", also starring Soha Ali Khan, is a sequel to the 1990 action drama film "Ghayal", which won a National Award and also fetched Sunny a Filmfare Best Actor Award. The 1990 film also starred actress Meenakshi Seshadri. In a bid to curb vehicular pollution, the government today decided to implement stricter emission norms of Bharat Stage (BS) VI from April 1, 2020 by skipping BS-V altogether. The decision was taken at an inter-ministerial meeting chaired by Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, which was attended by Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Heavy Industries Minister Anant Geete and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar. "Government has decided to leapfrog from BS-IV to BS-VI directly by April 1, 2020. We have decided to skip BS VI emission norms. It is a bold decision and a commitment to environment," Gadkari told PTI here after the meeting. All the other ministries have assured cooperation to make the implementation successful, he added. At the end of December, Pradhan had stated that India would go straight from Euro-IV complaint petrol and diesel to Euro-VI fuel by 2020. Earlier, a meeting of an inter-ministerial group, including representatives of Ministries of Road Transport and Highways, Petroleum, Heavy Industries and Environment and Forests, was unable to reach a consensus. The road transport and highways ministry was of the view the roll out of BS-V norms must start from 2019 but Petroleum Ministry expressed inability to comply with the deadline. Earlier in November, a draft notification by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoEF), had advanced dates for implementation of BS-V norms to April 1, 2019 and BS-VI norms to April 1, 2021. At present, BS-IV auto fuels are being supplied in whole of northern India covering J&K, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, parts of Rajasthan and western UP. The rest of the country has BS-III grade fuel. Slamming Congress after it termed the Pathankot terror attack as a "grave security lapse", BJP said the security operation at the air base was "most successful" and drew a parallel with the Mumbai attack in which terrorist killed over 164 people despite "intelligence inputs" about its likelihood. Hitting back at the Congress after it questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Pakistan policy, BJP said Modi "conveyed the nation's anger" to his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif when the latter called him up following the attack and reminded it that there was no such response from Pakistan after Mumbai attack. "Modi has sought time-bound and serious action from Pakistan. Sharif assured him of cooperation. There was no response from Pakistan following 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai. The operation in Pathankot was a most successful exercise against a fidayeen strike. "Congress has made a reference to Mumbai attack. So many people were killed then despite intelligence inputs being received about the terror strike. It has no moral right to question the government. Its charges only show its mental bankruptcy," BJP secretary Shrikant Sharma said. In Pathankot, terrorists were confined to an outer ring and could not harm the assets of Air Force, he said. BJP's counter-attack came after Congress fielded former Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde to question the government over the Pathankot operation. Demanding resignations and action against Home and Defence ministers, he alleged the government had no system in place to protect the nation. Taking a dig at Congress, Sharma said those who are "responsible" for the problem of terrorism should not question Modi as he was working overtime to root out the issue. Raking up Congress leader's suggestive reference to RSS following the Mumbai attack and his "Osama ji" remark, the BJP media cell head said the opposition party practised "vote bank politics" over the issue. He also noted that Singh and other Congress leaders had questioned the veracity of Batla House encounter. The Congress government was found "asleep" when it received the intelligence about the Mumbai attack while the BJP dispensation acted "swiftly", Sharma said. He also played down Congress' criticism of the decision to deploy the NSG instead of the Army to flush out terrorists, saying the former draws personnel from Army as well. "Congress has maintained a negative mindset. It is very unfortunate that it has chosen to politice the terror attack," he said. BJP hails the security forces for their valour and wisdom, Sharma added. Seeking to unravel how the brazen Pathankot attack was mounted, the NIA today quizzed an SP rank officer who was allegedly abducted by the terrorists, recreated the scene of his abduction and visited the border village from where the perpetrators were believed to have sneaked into India. A team of NIA, central agency created after 26/11 Mumbai attacks to probe terror-related cases, quizzed Salwinder Singh in Pathankot after he had earlier recorded his statement before the Punjab Police claiming five terrorists had kidnapped him, official sources said. There were some discrepancies in the statement of Singh which were being looked into, the sources said. They said Singh was taken to the places he had visited before he, along with his jeweller friend Rajesh Kumar Verma and cook Madan Gopal, was kidnapped. Singh, who is facing charges of alleged breach of discipline and was transferred recently as Assistant Commandant of 75th battalion of Punjab Armed Police, had claimed that he was returning from a temple at 11 PM when terrorists kidnapped him. The NIA also recorded the statement of caretaker of the shrine who is believed to have told him that Madan Gopal and Verma had come during day time on December 31 only to return in the evening. The caretaker was quoted in some television channels as having said that he was not aware about why Gopal, who happens to be his relative also, had come on two occasions that day. The NIA plans to question Verma and Gopal again as there were some discrepancies in the account of the kidnapping incident that preceded the terror attack at Pathankot air force base given by all the three, sources said. Singh had told Punjab Police in his statement that after he and his co-passengers were kidnapped, he was blindfolded. He claimed that the terrorists were speaking in Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu and Kashmiri. However, he got confused when he was made to listen to Kashmiri language and could not confirm if it was spoken by the terrorists. A separate team of NIA visited Bamiyal village from where the militants are believed to have entered into the Indian territory, they said. The NIA has sought the call details of Singh, his jeweller friend, Gopal besides Ikagar Singh, the taxi driver who was killed by the terrorists. It has also sought the location of mobile towers through which the signals for those calls were routed. The NIA has registered three cases in connection with the terror strike at Pathankot IAF base. The first case pertains to Singh's abduction and the second of killing of the taxi driver. Both the cases were registered at Narot Jaimal Singh Police Station in Pathankot district. The third and the main case, registered at Police Station Division No. 2 Pathankot, relates to the terrorist attack on the Air Force Station. A 20-member team of NIA led by an Inspector General- rank officer has been camping at Pathankot since January 2 to supervise the ongoing investigations. An officer of the rank of Superintendent of Police has been appointed as the Chief Investigating Officer of the case. The NIA registered the case under various sections of Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and Arms Act against unknown persons, official sources said. The Pathankot IAF facility, located near the border with Pakistan, is the base for MiG-21 fighter planes and MI-25 attack helicopters of the Air Force. Days after Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi said police would "shoot or hang" perpetrators of crimes against women on the spot if the law allowed it, a rights group on Wednesday termed the comment "disturbing". "...it is disturbing that the leadership of one of the largest police forces in the world appears to endorse tactics akin to extra-judicial killings that by-pass due process," the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), an international non-governmental organisation, said in a statement here. "Innocence until proven guilty continues to be a cardinal legal principle of our law that clearly demarcates the functions of the police and judiciary," it said. "Nowhere is it the function of the police to judge and punish, but only to bring suspects fairly before the courts. The Delhi Police's own motto 'Shanti, Nyay and Seva' meaning Peace, Justice and Service reminds the force of this duty." Bassi made the comments during the Delhi Police annual press conference on January 4, saying: "If the constitution permits shooting, if it permits hanging on the spot, Delhi Police will not refrain from doing so to people who indulge in heinous crimes against women. But we are committed to human rights." A lawyer's purported advice to Marathi litterateur Shripal Sabnis to go for "morning walks" has raked up a controversy with civil society interpreting it as a threat, as two prominent rationalists were killed when they were on a morning walk. Advocate Sanjiv Punalekar -- who represents right-wing organisation Sanatan Sanstha -- gave the advice to Sabnis in a tweet two days ago. "You should start going for morning walks," said the tweet, which was aired by TV channels prominently. "Yes, I made the tweet. That's because we feel that Sabnis's mind and body are not well, so he needs to go for a morning constitutional daily," Punalekar told IANS. Sabnis, meanwhile, told IANS from his Pune home: "This is a direct threat to my life. I have already conveyed this to police through the lone security personnel assigned to me." Sabnis's reaction assumes significance as two prominent rationalists -- Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare -- were shot when they were on a morning walk by suspected right-wing activists. Unidentifed gunmen killed Dabholkar in August 2013 in Pune, while Pansare was shot in Kolhapur in February 2015. Elaborating, Sabnis, who has been elected president of the four-day 89th All India Marathi Literary Conference starting in Pune from January 15, reiterated that he was "ready for discussions to anything that anybody finds objectionable". "Let them come and talk it over. I am not afraid of such threats. I am ready to take bullets," said Sabnis, who lives with his wife and two children in Maharashtra's academic and cultural capital. "It's time the state government takes this seriously, or I will go the Dabholkar and Pansare way. The government must also initiate suitable action against Punalekar in this matter," Sabnis demanded. The author of 29 books, Sabnis has been facing intimidation since the past few days for his utterances against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with some political activists threatening to "break his limbs" and "kill him". In an interview with IANS on Tuesday, Sabnis admitted that he was well aware of "intolerance" and his family was living in fear since the past one week. Apparel manufacturer major Ramraj Cotton is planning to set up a new unit in Bengaluru, a top executive said on Wednesday. Talking to Deccan Herald, Ramraj Cotton Founder and Chairman K R Nagarajan said, We are scaling up the production of our readymade linen shirts, called Linen Park, from 30,000 pieces per day, to 50,000 pieces. These additional 20,000 pieces will be produced in Bengaluru (near Bommanahalli). Nagarajan was in the City, to inaugurate the first company-owned and -operated (COCO) showroom in Bengaluru, on Sampige Road. Nagarajan explained, We are under negotiation to set up a new unit with an investment of Rs 25 crore. We would source an order of 1,000 shirt pieces per day (through contract manufacturers) in Bengaluru, and now we will set up our own unit. We will begin production within December 2016, which will generate over 1,200 jobs. Ramraj Cotton, which embarked on its journey in 1983, has invested Rs 500 crore till date. The company has a manpower of 5,000 (direct), and over 10,000 (indirect) staff. Moreover, the company has a vision to shift its corporate office to Bengaluru from Tirupur, owing to availability of skilled manpower, and a prevailing market for international garments. Nagarajan said, In Tamil Nadu, we find it difficult to find skilled manpower. Our next generation may come to Bengaluru, and we will make it as our hub. Ramraj Cotton, which ventured into online business three years ago, is catering to the needs of traditional buyers abroad. Nagarajan said, The traditional people who are settled overseas are buying our products online, by logging into www.ramrajcotton.in. We are shipping products to the US, the UK, Australia and Canada with huge orders of Rs 1.5 lakh per day. Even online, people still prefer dhotis and readymade shirts. The company has a good distribution network in Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Malyasia and Sri Lanka. Production facilities Tirupur-based Ramraj Cotton has facilities in Erode with combined production capacity of three lakh metres dhotis per day, and the company aims to scale it up to five lakh metres per day. In Madurai, 30,000 pieces of readymade white shirts are made, and at Tirupur, a hosiery unit, where two lakh pieces of inner garments, and 25,000 t-shirts are made. The company plans to reach a capacity of five lakh baniyans per day, within two years. Recently, the company launched new products for children called little star dhotis (1-15 years), and GenX velcro brand (15-25 years). Surprisingly, for Ramraj Cotton, Kerala tops the market share with 30-35 per cent, followed by Tamil Nadu (25-30 per cent) and Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh with equal share of 20 per cent. The company has two franchisee outlets in Ballari and Mysuru. It aims to set up 100 franchisee stores within two years. Ramraj Cotton has 55 showrooms in Tamil Nadu, and has presence across India in 6,500 multi-brand outlets (MBO). The company makes over 2,500 varieties of dhotis. The dhoti business accounts for 60 per cent of the turnover, while the rest is contributed by readymade shirts, undergarments and others. Cottons caught on Ramraj Cotton plans to set up own unit in Bengaluru To invest Rs 25 crore in the new linen shirt facility Says the city is a good market, with skilled manpower as well Opens its first company-owned and -operated store in the city The past few days have underscored Indias extreme vulnerability to terrorist attacks. Even as security forces were battling a major terrorist attack on the Indian Air Force base at Pathankot, the Indian consulate at Mazar-e-Sharif in Afghanistan came under fire from heavily-armed terrorists. An attack was thwarted thanks to the alacrity of Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel guarding the consulate and the robust and swift support they received from the Afghan Special Forces. The abor-tive attack is of serious concern. The terrorists were well armed; they used rocket-propelled grenades. The Indian embassy and its consulates are among the most tightly protected in Afghanistan as they have been repeatedly attacked by the Taliban and terrorist groups closely aligned to Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). That the terrorists were able to get close enough to the Mazar-e-Sharif consulate they were firing from a building nearby points to serious gaps in the security grid. Delhi and Kabul need to review the measures in place to guard our missions, especially since attacks on Indias missions, assets and personnel in Afghanistan are expected to rise in the coming months. During his recent visit to Kabul, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Afghan parliament, which India funded and built. It drew global attention to Indias role in supporting Afghanistans democratic transition and reconstruction. It won India international applause. More importantly, during his visit, Modi handed over a few attack helicopters to Afghanistan, signaling an expansion in Indias hitherto small military role in the strife-torn country. This is likely to have raised the hackles of those opposed to Indias friendship with Kabul. They will strike at Indian assets in Afghanistan. The attack on the Mazar-e-Sharif consulate is not the first time an Indian mission has come under fire in Afghanistan. It was preceded by attacks on the consulate in Kabul and missions in Jalalabad and Herat. India has rightly not allowed these repeated provocations to weaken its commitment to stay the course in Afghanistan.In the first year of his presidency, Afghan President Ashraf Ghanis diplomacy prioritised Pakistan over India. With his outreach to Pakistan hugely unpopular among the Afghan people and power elite and his effort to involve Islamabad in the peace process running aground, the Afghan president is reportedly looking to India to shore up his countrys capacity to take on the Taliban. The supply of four attack helicopters will not boost Afghanistans military capacity in a substan-tial way. However, it is a gesture that signals Indias support to Afghanistan however high the risk and costs. River Cauvery has a lot of stories to tell. There is no dearth of legends regarding this river, considered sacred. The Cauvery is considered the River Ganga of the South. This active and moving force is coming alive at a gallery in Mysuru. The exclusive gallery to depict the history, grandeur, bio-diversity of the basin and socio-economic significance all along the course of the Cauvery is going to be a reality in about six months. The State government has extended a budgetary support of Rs 3.5 crore for putting up this unique gallery at the Mysuru exhibition grounds. It will be spread over 8,500 sq ft. On Wednesday, Tourism Minister R V Deshpande and National Academy of Sciences India (NASI), a Government of India enterprise, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) regarding the establishment of the gallery. It was the Karnataka Knowledge Commission which had recommended to the government to establish the Cauvery river gallery. Dr Kasturirangan, chairman of the Knowledge Commission, was present at the MoU signing event. The gallery will have audio-visual clippings, exhibits on the rivers course, tourism activities, fairs and festivals associated with it, threats to the river, conservation and restoration efforts, the research being carried out, besides an interactive virtual tour. Deshpande said that the gallery would give further boost to tourism in Mysuru. Kasturirangan said the galleries of River Ganga in Allahabad and Brahmaputra in Guwahati had become prime tourist destinations. The Cauvery river gallery would be on the lines of these galleries. A park would come up near Madiwala lake in Bengaluru, he said. NASI president Manju Sharma said the Academy, along with the National Council of Science Museum (NCSM), would maintain the gallery for three years. Later, the State government would take its responsibility. The Ganga and Brahmaputra river galleries have also been established by NCSM and NASI. The project details have been hosted on the website of the Knowledge Commission (Karnataka Jnana Ayoga). Maoists have shot dead a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader in Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh. The slain TDP leader, identified as Sagina Venkataramana, was abducted from his home in Jerrila village of GK Veedhi mandal in Visakhapatnam district on Tuesday. While Venkataramana was killed as a mark of protest against the ruling party allowing bauxite ore mining in the tribal areas of the district, another tribalSivayyaof Sariyapalli of Manchangiputta mandal was killed on Tuesday after being suspected as a police informer. The body of Venkataramana, 36, was recovered by the police after the killers tipped off the local tribals on Wednesday morning. His house was also burnt by the extremists. Venkataramana was a former sarpanch and market-yard chairman. Security was heightened for the leaders of the ruling party in the tribal mandals of the district following the incident. The Maoists have warned the TDP government through hand-written wall posters that they will continue to punish those who have been supporting mining activity in the tribal areas of Araku and Paderu. In June last year, the Maoists had abducted three TDP leaders. It was only after an assurance by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu that he would not act against the tribals wishes that the Maoists had released all the three leaders unharmed. However, by July, the TDP government decided to allow bauxite mining in the Eastern Ghats forest areas in Visakhapatnam district irking the Opposition and civil rights organisations. The TDP government permitted bauxite mining in over 3,000 acres in Narsipatnam forest division of the north coastal region. Vishakhapatnam-based Human Rights Forum (HRF) felt Opposition parties like the Congress and YSRCP have no moral right to talk about exploitation of the natural wealth in the Visakhapatnam Agency region accusing them of doing the same when in power and hand over the bauxite to private players. It alleged that Naidu had as the chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2000 tried to hand over bauxite mining to a Dubai-based private company, hence accusing the TDP as the original culprit. The HRF also alleged the controversial GO 97 (issued on November 5, 2015) by the AP government, was not shown to the Tribal Advisory Council (TAC). It argued that the TAC ratification is mandatory under the 5th Schedule of the Constitution. Meanwhile, the AP government cancelled mining rights of Laterite ore in villages of Sarugudu panchayat in Natavaram mandal. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has reportedly taken strong exception to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadavs visit to Taj Mahal in Agra with armed security guards on Tuesday and asked for a report from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which looks after security of the monument, in this regard. According to the sources here, the ASI has asked the CISF to explain under what circumstances were the guards, who accompanied Akhilesh, allowed into the monument with arms, when there were strict instructions that arms could not be taken inside. Sources said entering the monument with arms was also violation of the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court in this regard. According to the sources here, Uttar Pradesh officials had also exchanged memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the non-resident Indians (NRI) from the state inside the Taj during the chief ministers visit. Sources said such an exchange was under the ambit of business activity and the same had been banned inside the premises. The family of the 35-year-old hotel manager from Bengaluru, who was killed in Kolkata on Monday, claim that he died in police firing. This is contrary to the post-mortem report that states that he died after his speeding car rammed into a wall. According to the police, Ajay Singh was in the front seat when the vehicle rammed into a wall. Both Ajay and his driver, Rajkumar Singh, were inebriated and were trying to avoid the police check-post. The police on duty were chasing the vehicle when it hit the wall near a factory on Jessore Road in Kolkata. The car crashed between the ninth and the 12th gate of the factory at Dumdum in the citys northern fringes late on Monday night. Rajkumar surrendered before the police after he was dragged out of the damaged car and admitted to being inebriated. He is related to Ajay. Police said only blank shots were fired to bring the vehicle to a halt. However, Singhs family members are not convinced. The deceaseds sister-in-law, Rinku Singh, told reporters that some eyewitnesses admitted to seeing blood on the seats and a cartridge on the backseat. Now the police are trying to cover up the incident by saying Ajay died in a car crash. The police have also tampered the post-mortem report, she added. Ajay, who hailed from Muzaffarpur in Bihar, worked as a manager in the vehicles department of a luxury hotel in Bengaluru. He was visiting his in-laws in Kolkata. Two days after the massive 6.8 earthquake that shook eastern India, Bangladesh and northern Myanmar, people are back to business in the worst-hit Manipur. However, there is something missing in the state capital Imphal. The busiest landmark of the city the world famous mothers market is deserted. Two of the three sheds of the Ima Keithel (mother market) were badly damaged by the quake. The 5,000-odd women vendors who sold an array of items there are now anxious about their future. Two of our sheds are damaged. This building cannot be used now. We have over 4000 licensed vendors. Apart from 1,500 illegal vendors who sell items at footpath. This is Asias largest all women market and an iconic landmark. About 2,000 vendors have lost their livelihood. We went and met Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh and he assured help, but he did not bother to visit us. He did not send team in the last two days. If this attitude continues will we launch agitations, said 68-year-old R K Radhesana Devi who is the Vice-President of Khwairamband Nupi Keithel Samgat Sagat Lup, the apex body of the vendors. Radhesana has been running her indigenous wear vending from this market for the past 25 years. Like others, she pays a monthly rent of Rs 90 and is allocated a 33 sqft space. Even in average weeks where there is low customers she makes about Rs 3000 a week. My husband is a retired senior government official. My children are earning. So I have less to worry. But this market provides living to hundreds of families who are poor and needy. It was the only means of earning through dignity for many widows of conflicts, orphans and mothers who have lost their children in the decades of conflicts, Radhesana added. The market dates back before the British Raj. About five years back, the new concrete sheds were built with central funding. Now what remain are broken walls, titled pillars and bend railings. Women come to not buy and sell in Ima market, but is a social meeting place. Even women from very well off families have space here. It has also been a melting pot of ethnicities given the fact that in Manipur there is ethnic distrust otherwise. It is a tourist attraction as well and second to none in the world, explained senior journalist Sanzu Bachaspatimayum. A few women from this market shocked the world with their naked protests against extra judicial killings in 2004 in front of the historic Kangla Fort. Heads started rolling in the Antagarh bypoll fixing controversy with the Chhattisgarh Congress unit on Wednesday expelling party MLA Amit Jogi and demanding ouster of his father and former chief minister Ajit Jogi. Seeking to take a high moral ground, Congress cited the action against Jogi junior and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi sack State Chief Minister Raman Singh at whose behest the Congress candidate was offered monetary allurement to withdraw from the 2014 bypoll. At a meeting in Raipur, the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee expelled Amit Jogi for a period of six years. It also adopted a resolution demanding ouster of Ajit Jogi from the party. Since the former chief minister is a member of the Congress Working Committee, any disciplinary action against him has to be taken by the party president. In Delhi, chief AICC spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala asked the Prime Minister to display his zero tolerance towards corruption. The Congress party has taken action against one of its leaders. Will Modiji now show the courage of his conviction by seeking Raman Singhs resignation or sacking him, Surjewala asked. A delegation of Chhattisgarh Congress, led by chief Bhupesh Baghel is expected to meet party president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday and submit its report on the bypoll fixing controversy involving the Jogis, Raman Singhs son-in-law Puneet Gupta, the then Congress candidate Manturam Pawar and former Jogi loyalists Firdous Siddiqui and Ameen Memon. The leaked tape, which has conversations suggesting money changed hands to make Pawar withdraw at the last minute to facilitate the BJP nominee's victory, had triggered a huge political storm in Chhattisgarh with Baghel serving a show cause notice to Amit Jogi last month seeking his reply within seven days. Amit had denied the allegations levelled against him. The Congress had demanded an investigation by a sitting Supreme Court judge or a SC-monitored Special Investigation Team to probe the entire issue. Interestingly, neither the Centre nor the state government had ordered any probe into the matter. After the controversy broke out last week, the Election Commission had sought a factual report from the Chhattisgarh Chief Secretary North Koreas Hydrogen Bomb test on Wednesday has also rattled India, which has already been concerned over the reclusive communist countrys clandestine nuclear and missile cooperation with Pakistan. India conveyed its deep concern over North Koreas claim that it tested a thermonuclear weapon, which is also known as Hydrogen Bomb or H-Bomb. It is a matter of deep concern that DPRK (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea or North Korea) has again acted in violation of its international commitments in this regard, Vikas Swarup, official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, stated in New Delhi, just a few hours after Pyongyang claimed that it had tested the H-bomb. We call upon DPRK to refrain from such actions which adversely impact on peace and stability in the region. New Delhi said that it was assessing available information, including claims (by North Korea) that it was a thermonuclear test. If what North Korea claimed comes out to be true, it will imply that Pyongyang has advanced nuclear technology and can produce weapons, which are energised by fusion of hydrogen isotopes, unlike atomic bombs, which rely on fission of uranium or plutonium. Officials told Deccan Herald here that if Pyongyang really had the advanced technology to produce thermonuclear weapons, it was a matter of grave concern for India, given the history of North Koreas secret nuclear cooperation with Pakistan. Our concerns about proliferation links between North East Asia and our neighbourhood are well known, Swarup stated in New Delhi, underscoring Indias concerns over North Koreas nuke ties with Pakistan. New Delhi suspects that the now-revealed Pyongyang-Islamabad secret defence cooperation, which in mid-1990s led to supply of Rodong Missiles and technology to Pakistan, is still continuing. Abdul Qadeer Khan, the founder of Pakistans nuclear programme, was in 2003 found to have traded the know-how and technology with Iran, Libya and North Korea. Khan in 2011 made public documents in support of his claim that North Korea had bribed senior officials of the Pakistani Army and got them allow him to share nuclear technology and certain equipment with the pariah nation. Indias Pokhran-II nuke tests on May 11 and 13, 1998, had included a test on a 45 Kiloton thermonuclear device, which is known as a Hydrogen Bomb in common parlance. Late president A P J Abdul Kalam, who as the director-general of the Defence Research and Development Organisation played the lead role in the Pokhran-II, had in 2009 told a news agency that the 1998 test had been successful and the design-yield of the thermonuclear device had been obtained. Speculation has been rife over Pakistans efforts for further advancing its nuclear technology, including its pursuit for a H-bomb to match the thermonuclear capability of India. Six days into the nursery admissions process, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday cancelled the management quota and 62 other arbitrary criteria set by private schools for nursery admissions. The only reservation in schools now will be for poor students. The chief minister warned that the government may consider taking over institutions that fail to fall in line and stop the scandal under the garb of management quota. Just weeks ago, the Kejriwal government had said that private schools were free to set their own admission criteria. But this announcement overturns that decision. Seventy-five per cent admissions in the private schools will be under open category. Other than EWS (Economically Weaker Section) category, there will be no other quota, Kejriwal told reporters. Populist politics Officials of some private schools said the tinkering with criteria in the middle of the process is sure to spark chaos and litigation, delaying the whole admission process. They called the announcement an outcome of populist politics. Apart from the management quota, the government has struck down conventionally accepted admission criteria like siblings, alumni, girl child and school-specific criteria, Kejriwal said while announcing the drastic decision taken by his Cabinet. The mafia had captured the education system and made it a business. The government will not tolerate this, he said. Kejriwal said the decision to scrap the arbitrary criteria was taken to bring more transparency in the admission process in private schools that were misusing the management quota. All schools will need to reserve 25 per cent seats for the EWS. The decision came in the midst of the admission process for nursery classes in over 2,500 private schools in the Capital. In the first week of December, the Delhi government allowed schools to devise their own criteria and upload them on their websites. The freedom given to schools was in line with the Delhi High Courts direction to the Delhi government not to take away the schools autonomy and avoid micro-managing the admission process. While suggesting a 100-point admission criteria, the Ashok Ganguly Committee in its 2007 report had suggested points for neighbourhood, siblings, girl child and disability, among others. The Ganguly panel set up by Delhi High Court had left 15 points for the schools to decide themselves for admission under categories like children of craftsmen, transferred defence, paramilitary and police personnel and of other transferable government employees. The schools claimed the management quota was part of the committees report. Kejriwal justified the Cabinets decision and said he would tell the court that the management quota is the biggest scandal and should be stopped. A matter related to nursery admissions is likely to come up in the high court later this month. Bollywood actor Aamir Khan will no more be promoting India as an attractive tourist destination as McCann, the global advertisement agency, has not renewed his contract. It came amid perception that the actors long association with the Atithi Devo Bhava campaign was purged as he recently joined the countrywide debate over intolerance recently. As a result, the actor also does not remain the brand ambassador of the Government of India for promotion of Indian tourism products abroad. Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma confirmed the news after day-long speculations in media over whether Aamir was part of the Incredible India campaign of the government or not. Our contract was with the McCann Worldwide agency for Atithi Devo Bhava campaign. The agency had hired Aamir for the job. Now the contract with the agency is over, the minister told media, as pressure to clean the air on the issue increased by the evening. He also sought to dispel notions about the role of his ministry in removing the actor from the campaign. He said:The ministry has not hired Aamir Khan. It was the agency which has hired him. Since the contract with the agency is no more, automatically the arrangement with the actor no longer exists." When asked specifically if Aamir was still the tourism ministry's brand ambassador, the minister categorically said: "Definitely not". Earlier in the day, the ministry came out with a carefully drafted vague statement saying there was no change in the stand of the ministry in this matter, The ministry further clarifies that at present it has a contractual agreement with creative agency McCann Worldwide to produce social awareness campaign and the said campaign featured Aamir Khan, it also said, apparently to draw its hands off from the issue. McCann, however, remained tight-lipped on the issue, even as the speculation were rife here on media and netizens were posting pro and against comments on Aamirs expulsion from the India tourism campaign. I have forwarded your request to our leadership n India, McCanns Chief Communications Officer Jeremy C. Miller told Deccan Herald, responding to a mail seeking clarification from the company. Even as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah seems to be inclined to have former Karnataka State Human Rights Commission Chairman Justice S R Nayak as the new Lokayukta, his appointment may not be a smooth affair. While social activists apprehend conflict of interest if Justice Nayak is selected, legal experts are of the view that a former SHRC chairperson cant hold the office of the anti-graft ombudsman. Samaja Parivartana Samudaya chief S R Hiremath said that Justice Nayaks site (number 859/C) at Judicial Layout, off Ballari Road in the city, is a civic amenities (CA) site. Documents show that Subray Rama Nayak (S R Nayak) has got an allotment of site measuring 6,175.5 sq ft by paying Rs 3.7 lakh. The registration had taken place on November 8, 2002. As seen from the document, the market value at the time of the registration in 2002 was Rs 13.59 lakh. Moreover, the site is among the 404 CA sites as stated by the BDA. It has stated this in the case filed against the Karnataka State Judicial Employees House Building Co-operative Society by the Judicial Employees Residents and Site Holders Association. However, the judgment in the case is reserved, Hiremath said. According to activists, Justice Nayak had bought the site after a division bench of the Karnataka High Court made an observation that judges of the High Court and the Supreme Court becoming members of a employees house building society is beyond imagination. The activists say the allotment of site to Justice Nayak is in violation of BDA allotment rules and bye-laws of the society. Activist Ganesh Kaundinya, who has been unearthing illegalities in House Building Co-operative Societies, says that in a recent judgment, Karnataka High Court had ordered that the irregularities in Shantinagar House Building Co-operative Society will be looked into by the Lokayukta. A petition was filed before the High Court seeking probe into the irregularities in allotment of sites in Shantinagar House Building Co-operative Society. The writ petition was dismissed recently with an observation that the illegalities in allotment of sites in this society is being enquired into by the Lokayukta and that the Lokayukta will only decide on the complaint. If Justice Nayak is appointed the Lokayukta, then he has to decide on the case of irregularities in allotment of sites in a particular house building co-operative society, when the site allotted to him in another is being seen as illegal, Kaundinya said. Former Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde said, In my opinion, a person is not eligible for any post under the government, including that of Lokayukta, after ceasing to hold office as State Human Rights Commission chairperson or its member. Though Lokayukta is appointed by the Governor, it is still an appointment of the State government. Petition against Nayak pending in SC Justice Nayak demitted office as SHRC chairman in 2012 after a five-year tenure. He was appointed Chairman of State Law Commission by the present government in June 2014. A special leave petition challenging Justice Nayaks appointment as the chairman of the Law Commission is before the Supreme Court. The petition has quoted sub-section 3 of Section 24 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, which reads, On ceasing to hold office, the chairperson or a member shall be ineligible for further employment under the government of the State or under the Government of India. The Karnataka High Court had dismissed the writ petition. Even as the Karnataka State Higher Education Council has been calling for a uniform evaluation system across all universities and colleges in the State, different grading systems in higher education institutions are affecting students job prospects, especially when it comes to recruitment to government service. A recent call for applications for the posts of assistant engineers through direct recruitment in the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board has brought the issue to fore. Applications were invited to fill 100 posts of assistant engineers in the board in December 2015. Since it is direct recruitment, there will be no entrance test and candidates will be selected based on the order of merit, decided by the percentage of marks scored by them in degree courses. While candidates who have studied in autonomous or private universities stand to gain from it, those who have completed engineering courses from Visvesvaraya Technological University, Bangalore University or other universities in the State are at a loss. Here is why: Several autonomous colleges and private universities reserve 50 per cent marks for internal assessment, where students are likely to gain an easy score as opposed to their counterparts in other universities where the internal assessment is only for 30 per cent marks. Further, when Grade or CGPA is converted to percentage, the reflected percentage is higher than what one could score in a regular university. Bangalore University Vice Chancellor Prof B Thimme Gowda, explained, Our valuation is also strict. Hence, the marks scored by students here would differ from those in autonomous colleges. The higher education council has asked all colleges to fall in with 30:70 ratio of internal assessment to the theory exam and it is high time that institutions adopted this practice, he opined. Applicants have complained that students from autonomous colleges stand to gain at least eight per cent more marks when their grades are converted to percentage. They have been demanding all the government officials concerned, in vain, to change this system. Also, this is not the first instance. In February 2015, a similar problem cropped up with respect to recruitment in the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department. The anomaly was obvious. Out of the 207 posts called for, 174 who were selected were from autonomous colleges. Only 33 successful candidates were from VTU and others. There are more than 150 colleges under the VTU and there are around 16 autonomous colleges. You do the math, an applicant said. Based on several representations made by applicants to various government officials concerned, VTU Vice Chancellor H Maheshappa has also written to the chief minister. He urged the government department to hold an entrance test to ensure that all candidates were selected based on equal grounds. The VTU, too, has now shifted to the grade system. However, those who have graduated in the recent years will still have to fight for the job opportunity. China views Indias newest satellite tracking station in Vietnam as an attempt by it to stir up trouble in the disputed South China Sea. Chinas state-run Global Times on Wednesday quoted a researcher in a social science institution stating that New Delhis move to set up the satellite tracking station at Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam clearly indicated its attempt to complicate the regional dispute. Deccan Herald in its November 22, 2015 edition had reported that India had set up a state-of-the-art Data Reception and Tracking and Telemetry Station at Ho Chi Minh City. The satellite monitoring station in Ho Chi Minh City, once activated and linked up with another existing facility at Biak in Indonesia, is likely to give India a strategic edge in and around South China Sea region. It apparently raised hackles in China. In a report titled Countries outside region play up test flights in South China Sea, the Global Times quoted Gu Xiaosong, an expert on Southeast Asian studies at the Guangxi Academy of Social Sciences in Nanning. India has no territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea. It wants to stir up trouble in the region to serve its own ends, which is to counterbalance China's influence, Gu was quoted by Global Times. New Delhi spent about $23 million to set up the new facility in Ho Chi Minh City. The facility will primarily help the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) to track satellites launched from India and receive data from them. It will, however, also be an important strategic asset for India in and around South China Sea, which has been at the centre of an escalating conflict between China and its maritime neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines and Taiwan. India of late raised its pitch on South China Sea arguing in favour of freedom of navigation and over-flight, almost echoing strong positions taken by US and Japan. New Delhi is of the view that South China Sea dispute must be solved through dialogue and in a peaceful manner in accordance in accordance with principles of international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea). A 25-year-old employee of a call centre died after the motorcycle he was riding pillion on crashed into the side wall of Devarabeesanahalli flyover on Tuesday morning, the police said. Sharath Kumar, a native of Kerala, was riding pillion on the motorcycle of his colleague, Raj Kumar. The duo was returning from work. Kumar, who was said to be speeding, lost control over the two-wheeler and crashed it into the flyovers side wall around 7.30 am. Both of them hit their head against the wall. The public, who noticed the accident, rushed them to a nearby hospital. Sharath was, however, declared brought dead while Raj is said to be critical. The police said they had checked the footage of CCTV cameras installed at the exit gate of the call centre and it was clear that Kumar wasnt wearing a helmet when he rode back from office. A 15-year-old girl, her mother and grandfather, were hacked to death by miscreants at Bheemagowdana Doddi village under Harohalli police limits in Ramanagar district on Wednesday. According to the police, the deceased are Shobha (name changed), her mother Gowramma (42) and grandfather Mare Gowda (70). Police said the incident might have taken place in the early hours of Wednesday. The miscreants gained entry into the house of the victims and hacked Shobha and Gowramma to death with a machete. When Mare Gowda tried to escape, he was chased and hacked to death. His body was found 150 metres from the house. Later in the morning, a resident spotted Gowdas body, bearing several injuries, lying in a pool of blood. He alerted the villagers, who rushed to the spot and also found the bodies of Shobha and Gowramma. The police was informed, who shifted the bodies for post-mortem. Reason unknown A senior police officer said, The three were repeatedly hit with a machete. The bodies bore injuries on the face, head, neck and limbs. Investigations will look into the cause for the murder, whether it is property or family dispute. Efforts are on to nab the culprits. It is difficult to say if the girl was sexually assaulted. Without the post-mortem report, it is difficult to arrive at a conclusion, he added. Gowramma had lost her husband a few years ago and was staying with her parents. Mare Gowdas wife had gone to her relatives place when the incident took place, the police said. A case has been registered at the Harohalli police station. Former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa expressed happiness after getting relief in the land denotification case and said that his goal is to bring the BJP to power in the State. Yeddyurappa said he was happy that the High Court quashed all 15 FIRs filed against him in connection with denotification of land in and around Bengaluru. The only goal now is to bring the BJP back to power in Karnataka, he added. He said people had made baseless allegations against him and he did not violate any norms. All chief ministers have denotified lands in the past, he said. He said that he is not eyeing a berth in the Union Cabinet. When questioned on the State BJP president post, he said it is left to the party leaders to take a call in this regard. About the recently concluded MLC elections, he said that it was quite natural for voters to back the ruling party. But the pro-Congress wave is not eternal. Money power seems to have played a major role in the victory of Congress in the Shivamogga constituency. But this is not a healthy trend, he said. Prez may be urged to give new Padma Vibhushan medal for display The chances of recovering the Padma Vibhushan medal conferred on poet laureate Kuvempu, which had been stolen, seem bleak. So, the Rastrakavi Kuvempu Pratishthana, Kuppalli, is now chalking out plans to obtain a replica of the medal from the President of India. The medal had been taken away from the attic of the house-turned-memorial of the poet at Kuppalli in Thirthahalli taluk on the night of November 23 last year. Revanasiddappa, the prime accused who was arrested, told police during interrogation that he might have lost the medal in the forest while fleeing from the memorial after stealing it. The police had conducted a search operation for the medal using metal detectors in the forest, but in vain. The Pratishthana has sought information on the procedure to obtain the replica, from the office-bearers of the Delhi Karnataka Sangha. Pratishthana secretary Kadidal Prakash has communicated with Sangha secretary C M Nagaraj over the issue. The Pratishthana plans to write to the President for the medal replica. Prez can give replica Speaking to Deccan Herald, Prakash said, We dont know whether the President can give a replica of the medal in case of loss or theft. So, we have asked the Delhi Karnataka Sangha to provide us information on this after consulting the Presidents office. We will take a suitable step based on their response. If we fail to get the replica, we have decided to ask skilled artists to design a medal resembling the Padma Vibhushan, to be displayed in the memorial. Two medals presented by the University of Mysore to Kuvempu had also been stolen. Police had nabbed three persons in connection with the case. Industry captains on Wednesday suggested the State government to take immediate measures to improve infrastructure, especially in the energy sector, in order to make the State an attractive destination for investments. Participating in an interactive meeting with the representatives of industries organised by the department of Industry and Commerce ahead of Invest Karnataka 2016, President Bosch Group in India Stephen Berns said erratic power supply has posed a challenge for the smooth functioning of industries. Measures should be taken to ensure effective supply of power so that industries can have normal working condition, he added. Improvement has to happen in the procedures for according clearances for setting up industries. The government should introduce effective, single-window system and ensure ease-of-doing business. Steps should be taken to improve public transport and infrastructure projects such as Namma Metro a time-bound manner, he suggested. Chairman of Manipal Global Education Services T V Mohandas Pai said the government should take immediate steps to solve the problem of power shortage. Power cuts have been the problem for the last three decades. The problem can be solved by allowing private investments in the energy sector on the lines of Gujarat government. Instead of spending a huge sum on power subsidy, the government should use it for improving human resources, he added. Chairman and Managing Director of TVS Motors Venu Srinivasan suggested that the government should work towards providing high-speed road and rail connectivity. Mysuru should be connected with Bengaluru with high-speed rail and road networks. People should be able to reach Mysuru from Bengaluru in one hour...The city of Hubballi-Dharwad should be connected to Bengaluru (by high-speed rail), he added. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah assured that steps are being taken to improve the power situation. The power shortage you are seeing is a temporary phase. We are working towards ensuring energy security for the State and plan to add 22 Giga Watts of all forms of power by 2022, he stated. Minister for Industries and Commerce R V Deshpande admitted that infrastructure has not kept pace with the development of the State. The government is concerned about the situation and we are working overnight to deal with it. The chief minister has been holding consultation with all stakeholders on finding ways to solve the problem, he added. Deshpande listed out steps taken by the government to improve infrastructure in Bengaluru. He assured the representatives of various industry bodies that he was ready to clear their expansion projects across the table. Many of the Cabinet ministers and senior officers of the government attended the meeting organised as part of the preparations for Invest Karnataka 2016 scheduled to be held on February 3 and 4 at Palace grounds in Bengaluru. The compensation for land required for the third phase of Upper Krishna project will be paid as per the newly enacted Land Acquisition Act, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said. Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday, the chief minister said that the State government had been formulating guidelines for acquiring land and rehabilitating the project displaced persons. He urged the prime minister to call a meeting of the chief ministers of Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra to break the logjam over Kalasa-Banduri project. The chief minister said that the Union government had not released any money to Karnataka for taking up drought relief work and the BJP leaders had been making false claims in this regards. North Korea said on Wednesday that it had carried out a successful miniaturised hydrogen bomb test, claiming a significant advance in its strike capability and setting off alarm bells in Japan and South Korea. The test, which came just two days before North Korean leader Kim Jong-Uns birthday, was initially detected as a 5.1-magnitude tremor at the main Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the north-east of the country. The weapons yield was initially estimated at between 6 and 9 kilotonnes, similar to the Norths last nuclear test in 2013. The first US hydrogen bomb test in 1952 had a yield of 10 megatons. The republics first hydrogen bomb test has been successfully performed at 10:00 am (1:30 GMT), North Korean state television announced. The television showed Kims signed orderdated December 15to go ahead with the test, with a handwritten exhortation to begin 2016 with the thrilling sound of the first hydrogen bomb explosion. Let the world look up to the strong, self-reliant nuclear-armed state, the handwritten note read. The announcement triggered swift international condemnation, including from China and Russia, North Koreas two main allies, but also scepticism, with experts suggesting the apparent yield was far too low for a thermonuclear device. South Korean president Park Geun-Hye condemned what she described as a grave provocation. No countries were given advance warning of a nuclear test, South Koreas intelligence service said. In previous such tests, Pyongyang had notified China, Russia and the US beforehand, they said. Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said: North Koreas nuclear test is a serious threat to our nations security and we absolutely cannot tolerate it. A hydrogen, or thermonuclear, bomb uses fusion in a chain reaction that results in a far more powerful explosion than the fission blast generated by uranium or plutonium. The seismic data thats been received indicates that the explosion is probably significantly below what one would expect from an H-bomb test, said Australian nuclear policy specialist Crispin Rovere. Aiming to curb vehicular pollution, the Centre on Wednesday decided to implement the stricter Bharat Stage (BS) VI norms from April 1, 2020, by altogether skipping BS-V. The decision to leapfrog to BS-VI was taken at an inter-ministerial meeting chaired by Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, which was attended by Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Heavy Industries Minister Anant Geete and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar. This means, oil companies in India have to supply petrol and diesel compliant with BS-VI, equivalent to Euro-VI norms followed globally. Indian refiners will need to make investments to the tune of Rs 30,000 crore for upgrading technology to supply cleaner fuels. At present, BS-IV ( similar to Euro-IV) fuel is being supplied in Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, parts of Rajasthan and western Uttar Pradesh. By April 1, 2017, the entire country is scheduled to come under BS-IV norms. BS-IV fuels contain 50 parts per million (ppm) sulphur, while BS-V and BS-VI grade fuel is more cleaner as it will have 10 ppm sulphur. The government has decided to leapfrog from BS-IV to BS-VI directly by April 1, 2020. We have decided to skip BS-V stage. It is a bold decision and a commitment to the environment, Gadkari told reporters after the meeting. Gadkari also said he would appeal to automobile manufacturers to cooperate in the larger interest of the country. Automobile industry body Siam, which has been opposing the move to jump directly to BS-VI, said it would comment only after seeing the notification. The decision came at a time when air pollution, especially in the national capital, has become a major issue. In a statement, the ministry said it would soon issue a notification to move to BS-VI, while withdrawing its earlier notification in November to advance dates for implementation of BS-V norms to April 1, 2019, and BS-VI norms to April 1, 2021. The Central drug regulator has asked the states to take action against companies selling medicine online as it violates the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. You are requested to put a strict vigil on online sale of medicine and take action against those indulging in online violation of Drugs and Cosmetics Act and rules in the interest of public health, Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) asked the state drug authorities last week. The DCGI took the action after receiving several representations against e-pharmacies that appear to be gaining popularity. The existing law does not distinguish between sale of medicines in a store and over the internet as long as the rules are followed. However, experts and pharmacists pointed out in the online business there was barely any way to check if rules are followed properly or not. At present, producers are allowed to sell drugs only to licensed dealers, registered doctors and hospitals. Retailers are licensed only if they have adequately equipped premises for storage of temperature-sensitive medicines and have qualified on-site pharmacists to dispense drugs against prescriptions by registered medical practitioners and advise patients about the dosage. There is no provision in the law to deliver drugs to customers by mail or courier. Selling prescription drugs by persons other than pharmacists is a criminal offence that can land the offender in prison for six months as per the Pharmacy Act. It is obvious that many rules governing sale of drugs were being violated by the portals, said C M Gulhati, a former consultant with the World Health Organisation and a drug industry insider. The Drugs Consultative Committee under the DCGI formed a panel under Maharashtra FDA chairperson Harshdeep Kamble to examine the online pharmacy business. Security agencies on Wednesday evening cordoned off vast stretches of sugarcane fields near the Tibri cantonment in Punjabs Gurdaspur district, about 35-km from terror-hit Pathankot. The move came following inputs about suspicious movement of some persons, suspected to be terrorists, carrying weapons and in combat fatigue. The police and security agencies sprung into action immediately to avoid a repeat of the Pathankot-like strike. The search operation in the fields was underway. It was said some farmers noticed the suspicious movement in the fields. They claimed the suspects, at least two in number, were armed and in military fatigue. They reportedly went into hiding when challenged by the farmers. The unidentified men were wearing black glasses, civilian sources said. The police deployed their personnel quickly and began an aggressive manhunt as soon as the alarm was raised. Authorities were concerned over the development as the Punjab Polices intelligence had alerted ahead of the Pathankot attack that 15 terrorists might have entered the state from Pakistan in the last week of December. Meanwhile, even as the combing operation is yet to be called off, there are leads that the militants from Pakistan entered through the Bamiyal sector in Punjab. Sources said the investigating agencies managed to trace the terrorists footprints with the marking of a popular shoe brand in Pakistan. The BSF, however, according to sources, is yet to pinpoint any breach on the Punjab border, which throws up the possibility of an alternative route or even a tunnel from across the border which the militants took to enter Punjab. The preparedness of the slain terrorists also came to the fore after the military operation concluded on Tuesday. From energy drinks, chocolates, dry fruits, biscuits and carbohydrate-rich food, the militants were equipped with all. The bodies of some terrorists were also booby-trapped with heavy explosives to inflict mass casualties even after their deaths. Their arsenal carried made in Pakistan marks. The focus of the probe by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) on the role of Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh who claimed to have been abducted and later freed by the terrorists a day before they stormed the airbase. The NIA team detained the SP and reconstructed the entire scene of the crime on Wednesday. The NIA is finding the version of the SP unreliable to an extent even as the SP on Wednesday said it was his timely information to the police that had altered security agencies. Eight finalists receive grants to spur economic development in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region. The UAF Kuskokwim Campus Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center and Best in the West partners are pleased to announce the winners of the tenth annual small business competition for 2018. The Best in the West small business competition aims to help new small-business owners in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region gain knowledge about starting and operating small businesses and compete for funds to develop their small business idea. Applicants must attend small business development workshops through the cultural center and develop business plans, market analysis and a budget. Awards range from $3,000 to $5,000. The Best in the West small business competition started in 2009. Since the programs inception, more than $250,000 has been awarded to small businesses in western Alaska. Of the 64 winners in the last ten years only 14 are not in business currently. The 2019 application start date is December 1, 2018. Participating in this program takes dedication and it has successfully created thriving businesses in the YK Delta, said Reyne Athanas, program director from the Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center and UAF, Kuskokwim Campus. Eighty percent of the businesses weve funded are still in business today. This years winners are: Lucus Salzbrun Rural Service Solutions, $4,000 Tracy Wilbanks The Windy Willow Salon, $4,000 Azara Mohammadi Healthy History Media, $3,000 Krystle Penaflor Fireweed Craft Company, $4,000 Conor Burke Conor Burke Productions, $3,000 Christine Stone Traditional Craft Workshops, $3,000 Louise Russell Jones Family Apiary, $5,000 About Best in the West Bethel Community Services Foundation is the Best in the West project fiscal sponsor and provides the back-end services for the project (receipts for donors, fund administration, etc.). Reyne Athanas at YPCC/UAF Kuskokwim Campus is the project director. Funding partners include UAF Kuskokwim Campus, Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center, Donlin Gold, Coastal Village Regional Fund, Bethel Community Services Foundation, Bethel Native Council, Calista, First National Bank, GCI, Kuskoskwim Art Guild, ConocoPhillips, BP Alaska, Wells Fargo, and Bethel Chamber of Commerce. Share this: Tweet Email By Jed Kim 30 December 2015 (KPCC) Malnourished and dying California sea lion pups are likely to be seen again in high numbers on California beaches this winter and spring. Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have been monitoring sea lion rookeries on the Channel Islands and have found the lowest weights in pups in 41 years of recorded history. Were preparing for higher than normal numbers, because the information thats coming from the islands, from the scientists, are saying that the pups are the smallest that theyve really ever been, said Justin Viezbicke, stranding coordinator for the National Marine Fisheries Service in California. Since January 2013, starving California sea lion pups have been washing up on beaches at alarmingly high numbers. The cause is believed to be a wide swath of abnormally warm water that has depressed the number of sardines in typical hunting areas. Sardines are important food sources for nursing mothers. Viezbicke said strandings on the mainland could be high, because many pups are continuing to survive in the rookeries. When they leave, theyre not able to forage successfully and end up washing ashore on mainland beaches. Those strandings could begin occurring in late December and early January. If thats similar to what we were having last year, where the pups are good enough to get off the island but not overall healthy enough to last within the system that theyve got because of their situation, then were anticipating seeing higher than normal strandings again this year, Viezbicke said. The blob of warm water that has extended for thousands of miles into the Pacific Ocean from the West Coast has cooled in recent months . That would normally be a good sign for returning sardines. However, Nate Mantua, a research scientist with NOAA Fisheries, said the strong El Nino is likely to warm up the water near the coast again. Its expected to have stronger and stronger influences on ocean currents and weather patterns off the West coast that are likely to keep it really warm for the next few months, Mantua said. That means that the marine food webs are still going to be disrupted near shore and really around those rookeries. [] Despite the multiple consecutive seasons of strain on young California sea lions and the subsequent low survivorship, scientists said the overall population remains healthy at around 300,000 individuals. At this time, the health of that population remains really good and really strong and much better than it was just a few decades ago, Mantua said. Viezbicke said scientists will continue monitoring the population in coming years. If it keeps happening, there will be concerns, but with a robust population of 300,000 animals, the reality is that its not a population concern at this point, but its something that were definitely keeping an eye on, Viezbicke said. [ more ] Starving sea lion pups likely to begin washing up on beaches soon By Azure Gilman 6 January 2016 (Al Jazeera) They are brought in with all sorts of problems: lockjaw, poisoning, cancer, and even bullet wounds from fishermen. But most among the record number of seals and sea lions washing up on Californias shores and being brought to a regional rescue center are starving. Unprecedented warm waters off the Pacific coast over the past two years have led fish that marine mammals feed on to move to colder waters making it difficult for seals and sea lions to nourish themselves, let alone feed their pups. With the current El Nino weather event expected to continue bringing warm water over the rest of the winter, this slow-motion catastrophe is likely to continue. The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, just outside San Francisco, rescues 600 to 800 seals and sea lions a year on average from the 600 miles of California coastline it covers, from north of San Francisco to just above Santa Barbara County in the south. But in 2015, the center was brought a record 1,799 animals including California sea lions, Guadalupe fur seals and northern fur seals. The 106 northern fur seals it rescued more than tripled its previous record. And the Marine Mammal Center sees only a fraction of strandings statewide. The California Marine Mammal Stranding Network, a network of independent groups overseen by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), keeps track of stranding events for both live and dead animals, including seals and sea lions, across California. In 2015, they counted more than 4,200 California sea lions, 90 Guadalupe fur seals, and 70 northern fur seals. The centers staff began to realize something was different early in the year. Their network of volunteers and workers began bringing in distressed sea lion pups last January rather than, as usual, in summer. And the pups brought in for rescue were unlike anything the veterinarians had ever seen. They were basically just skin and bones, said Dr. Shawn Johnson, director of veterinary science at the center. Their liver, their pancreas, their intestines were basically shut down. And they were eating themselves from the inside to stay alive by the time we saw them. [] Though 2015 was a record year, the warming of parts of the Pacific Ocean and the resulting deleterious effects on seals and sea lions began before the onset of the current El Nino effect. An area of warm ocean water many scientists call the blob began forming off the U.S. West Coast in 2013. A second area of warm water unofficially referred to in come circles as El Blobo has formed off Mexico, said Toby Garfield, director of the environmental research division at NOAA. In these two patches of warm water we were getting surface temperatures that were up to three to four degrees centigrade warmer than normal, Garfield said. A lot of the forage fish that the sea lions and fur seals were going after migrated outside of their regular areas. The warm water also likely contributed to the largest toxic algae bloom ever recorded. Pseudo-nitzschia, a type of algae that produces domoic acid, was both more plentiful and produced domoic acid with a higher toxicity, according to Garfield. When this algae makes its way up the food chain, domoic acid can cause seizures and other brain problems, mostly in sea lions. Sea lions with domoic acid poisoning have only about a 30 percent survival rate at the Marine Mammal Center. [more] Seoul, Korea January 6, 2016 -- Chips&Media Inc. a leading video codec IP provider announced today it has completed the development of ultra small size HEVC/H.265 codec IP, WAVE420L and started to license it to customers. Chips&Media Inc. had ever released the worlds first HEVC/H.265 codec IP, WAVE420 in 2014 and licensed it for over ten multimedia chipset companies so far. However, some customers has kept requesting smaller size HEVC/H.265 codec with good encoder quality for various kinds of applications such as IoT, wearables, IP cameras, mobile and other low end products. So the 2nd generation HEVC/H.265 codec IP, WAVE420L perfectly matches this kind of market requirements. HEVC/H.265 gets more and more popular in the multimedia market, which drives SoC companies to design more cost effective SoCs. This new super tiny size HEVC/H.265 codec, WAVE420L is based on the 1st generation HEVC/H.265 codec IP, WAVE420 - the best UHD class HEVC/H.265 codec IP product, inheriting lossless frame buffer compression technology to save bandwidth. However, the new WAVE420L focuses on differentiation not only with tremendously reduced IP size compared to WAVE420, achievement of low bandwidth and high energy efficiency, but also with adoption of 3D Noise Reduction function to provide the best encoder quality. It particularly is designed to fit into broader low-cost target applications such as wearable devices, low cost IP cam/sportcam, automotive SoCs supporting from Full HD to Ultra HD video. With this WAVE420L release, HEVC/H.265 which was adopted mainly in high-end SoCs is expected to be more widely used in mid/low-end multimedia SoCs and to help expand the potential HEVC/H.265 market. Considering that die size is the most critical issue in the market, this small size HEVC/H.265 makes it ideal for SoC companies to replace old H.264 with new HEVC/H.265 with more ease. Chips&Media said that the prospect of cost-effective HEVC/H.265 IP is very positive given that there are currently many SoC vendors interested in WAVE420L upon its release and several customers from surveillance, mobile, and IoT have already finished their evaluation and are about to adopt this new small size HEVC/H.265 codec IP. Starting with WAVE420L, Chips&Media Inc. will continue to introduce a few more new video IPs that meet customers needs in 2016, and high class performance WAVE5 series will be the next one soon. About Chips&Media Chips&Media is a leading video IP provider based in Seoul, Korea(Republic of). Its advanced ultra-low power and high performance video technology has been chosen by more than 70 top-tiers based in US, Europe, Korea, Taiwan, China and Japan and has proven in silicon reaching 360 millions of units. For more information, please visit the companys web site at www.chipsnmedia.com Africa has plenty of room for growth, but many African markets will need to liberalise before this growth can be realised. Eckart Zollner of Jasco gives us his outlook for 2016 Which developing or emerging markets (regions / countries) do you cover? New Telco SA provides services predominantly in Southern African countries such as South Africa, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Lesotho, Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenya . We work in close collaboration with the Frankfurt office that provides service across Europe, Russia, Balkan countries and the US East coast. Our company is unique in that we are able to cover a single service portfolio in multiple locations across the globe from a single source. What are your main hardware and/or services focus areas? We assist any service provider in their international expansion. This means providing infrastructure and carrier neutral hosting locations for network operator points of presence as a service (HW leasing model) as well as engineering, remote hands service, capacity backhaul and last mile access around the point of presence on foreign territory. Our local knowledge and presence allows us to leverage savings by working most tax efficiently and provide optimal interconnect. What are the top market and customer trends that will drive change in your area during 2016, and why? We predict that the Growth of Mobility and Smartphone penetration (due to the cost reduction of the devices) and subsequent growth in Internet access and consumption will require network operators to look increasingly to growing regional footprint in foreign territories. As the frequency of the new technology introduction increases, operators will be forced to work more cost effectively and will be driven more and more into infrastructure sharing and infrastructure outsourcing models. What are the solutions that will make the greatest impact in your area during 2016, and why? The sometimes abundant availability of terrestrial and undersea fibre cables allows our clients to expand their network reach and launch new broadband services. The growing market adoption and utilisation of innovative solutions such as Video on demand, Cloud services and the Internet of things drives the need for a stable infrastructure. What changes need to be made to speed up developments and what can hold them back? Africa requires greater liberalisation, speedier deregulation and privatisation of our ICT markets. State-owned monopolies and delays in government deregulation programmes will hold back market development. It is important to realise that the size of a deregulated ICT market is a multi-fold of the size of a regulated monopolistic environment. Organic growth in a regulated environment is slow, whilst growth through competition and innovation in an open market environment will reach exponential expansion when compared to its monopolised neighbour. Which technologies do you think will be most important in emerging markets in 2016? Lowcost smartphones - Internet penetration and usage in Africa is still very low. The availability and greater penetration of Low cost smartphones will drive Internet access and mobile data usage, bringing more people into the digital economy. It will give governments the ability to offer solutions such as e-government, eHealth and e-education. Furthermore small and medium businesses will now have access to markets and access to information that is vital for business growth and business survival. This in turn will provide the required platform for the uplifting of the economy in emerging markets. Eckart Zollner is the VP of Business Development at Jasco. Orascom has revealed that it has essentially lost control of its North Korean operation, Koryolink. The Egyptian operator rolled out North Koreas sole mobile network in 2008 as a joint venture with the state-owned Korea Post and Telecommunications Corporation (KPTC). Orascom owns 75% of Koryolink, which has 3 million subscribers. The Korean operator posted a profit of $270 million before tax and depreciation in 2014, and is valued at around $832 million. However, Koryolink has been a source of problems for Orascom the Egyptian operator had a hard time repatriating profits in 2014 due to international sanctions as well as domestic currency restrictions. In a November stock market filing, Orascom has now revealed that it has written off the unit. Orascom CEO Naguib Sawiris has confirmed that the operator is trying to negotiate a solution, which could consist of a merger with state-owned carrier Byol. However, the resulting entity would not be controlled by Orascom, meaning that the Egyptian firm has already effectively ceded control of Koryolink. The Association Act, according to #Otro18 Limitations on association rights are considered, with a view to a possible power shift in 2018. When days ago lawyer Julio Ferrer Tamayo presented the document "Limitations on the right of association in Cuba," the #Otro18 campaign took a major leap forward. Devised to promote a handover of power in the peoples hands, following President Raul Castro's announcement that 2018 would be the last year of his administration, the #Otro18 campaign promotes democratic reform of the Electoral Law and the Association Act designed to avert potential attempts to reimpose Castroist authoritarianism. It is possible to rewrite the current legislation without this resulting in an improvement of the scant opportunities for citizen participation. And it is hard to believe that the power structure that has deprived Cubans of the exercise of their sovereignty will produce a responsible system capable of sensible solutions. And yet, the fact remains that the countdown seems to no longer to be measured in years or months, with the pressure for political change seeming to have taken on the urgency of hours and seconds. The reform measures endorsed by the octogenarian elite have only managed to spur citizens to emigrate, a trend that undermines, above all, the nation and its future, but which for now is mostly felt in the equally deleterious demobilization of civil society and the residual institutionalism prevailing in Cuba. Julio Ferrer, an attorney at the Cubalex legal information center, who just served a six-month prison sentence for institutional contempt, which garnered him a position among the opposition's leading lawyers, and who is now awaiting a Supreme Court decision confirming or rejecting a new decision against him, was the author of the proposed amendment to the Law of Associations. Julio Ferrer's presentation was accompanied by an analysis of the Associations Law offered by Amado Calixto Gammalame, a specialist with the Cuban Legal Association. The document "Limitations on the right of association in Cuba" states that "the perception of the right of association totally shifted in the 20th century, coming to constitute an essential aspect of the rule of law." The author points out that Article 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights enshrines the right to peaceful assembly, and that, similarly, so do the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights, the American Convention on Human Rights, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights. Julio Ferrer's disquisition on the extensive presence of the right of association in the world's premier Human Rights documents serves as a preamble to the contents of the main body of the document, consisting of descriptions of Law 54 and the 1985 Associations Law and its regulations, and Resolution 53 of 1986, along with a detailed description of the attempt to legally register, years ago, the Cuban Legal Association, in which the author played a prominent role. The paper concludes with a numbered series of conclusions and recommendations. The right of association is recognized by the existing constitution, but the article containing it, No. 54 in our Constitution, is imprecise and restricts the right of association to "manual laborers or intellectuals, peasants, women, students and other working people ... " The author recognizes that this deficiency does not appear in Law 54 or the Associations Law, which "is more precise and comprehensive in its wording than the constitutional text, clearly establishing that this right is acknowledged for all Cuban citizens." Among the main legal limitations the lawyer identifies as affecting the right of association in Cuba is the requirement that any association, in order to be duly constituted, requires at least 30 members. Another shortcoming is the prerogative granted by the association act to government bodies to function as those certifying, before the Justice Ministry, membership in the associations one seeks to establish. Finally, there is the authority granted the latter Ministry to authorize or deny the constitution of a given association. The most serious limitation imposed by the Associations Law is that appearing in Article 8, whose section E clearly declares that no association will be legalized when "there exists another with objectives similar or identical to the objectives or denomination one is seeking to constitute." This provision requires of registered organizations a ubiquity and scope incompatible with the very nature of an association. It also requires, in practice, anyone interested in creating an association to join those already existing whenever that which one intends to establish, in the Justice Ministry's view, overlaps with another that is already registered. All these obstacles were appropriately employed by the legal institutions when in 2009 the Cuban Legal Association proceeded, in total accordance with the law, to request that they be enrolled in the registry of associations. In his description of the process, which spanned from 2009 to 2013, Julio Ferrer exposes the arbitrary actions of Ministry of Justice officials and other agencies responsible for ensuring compliance with the law in our country. The list extends from the violations committed by Miriam Martha Garcia Marino, director of the Association Registry, to Minister of Justice Maria Esther Reus Gonzalez. In addition to them were the procedures not compliant with the law of the Provincial Court of Havana and the Popular Supreme Court, before which the lawyers appeared on numerous occasions. As Julio Ferrer has explained, the arguments wielded by the state entities attached to the Ministry of Justice, awkwardly and straying from the law, were that the functions of the Cuban Legal Association were already covered by the National Union of Jurists of Cuba and the National Organization of Collective Legal Firms, which, if true, would preclude the Cuban Legal Association's registration. The arbitrariness of this procedure is evident given that none of these organizations is actually an association, and that Popular Court of Havana and the Popular Supreme Court failed to provide any response to the Cuban Legal Association's request for clarification of this point. This silence, in legal language, according to the lawyer, reveals nothing less than citizens' legal desertion. The Cuban Legal Association's attempt to register itself and the role played by the Ministry of Justice - in violation of all the regulations and procedures established by the law, to reject the registration requested - are vividly illustrative of the status of the rule of law in our country. Familiar with the practice of the legal profession, the Cuban Legal Association exhausted the procedures established by the law to secure its registration, and the Ministry of Justice exhausted every possible way to violate the law, though formally existing to ensure compliance with the law and its enforcement. The situation demonstrated the existence of para-state mechanisms, and the subordination of existing institutions to them. Castroism, as an illegal system of government, is perfectly portrayed in the document "Limitations on the right to association in Cuba." In recommendations at the end of the document, Julio Ferrer indicates the need to modify "the Associations Law, or the formulation of a new law in which the unnecessary restrictions in the current one are removed, which violate the human right to the freedom of association, as they are not grounded in the interest of national security or public order." The attorney, who was an exceptional witness to the violations committed by state agencies to prevent the legal recognition of the Cuban Legal Association, concluded that in Cuba "the rule of law does not prevail, as state authorities stand as the foremost violators of legality, in this enjoying total impunity, infringing upon, among other things, the freedom of association, legally recognized as a right of all citizens." AMD demonstrated their upcoming Polaris GPU architecture at CES 2016. The new 14nm FinFET architecture promises quite a few enhancements over the previous generation including HDR monitor support, improved power-efficiency, 4th generation Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture, support for HDMI 2.0a and DisplayPort 1.3, and 4K H.265 encode and decode capabilities. While AMD hasnt released much information about the new architecture, lets take a look at what all we know about the new 14nm FinFet Polaris Architecture. Whats great about the 14nm FinFET Architecture? While we arent going to school you as to how MOSFETs work but functionally its very simple. In a transistor the most basic digital circuit flow of current from the Source to Drain is controlled by the Gate. So better control of the Gate leads to better performance. This is as simple as we can put it. Traditional transistors have been Planar i.e. you have multiple planar (flat) substrates with the topmost substrate being the Gate. As things existed in currently available silicon architecture, there was just one plane that was common between the Gate and Source-Drain in Planar transistors. In FinFETs, the Gate wraps around the Source-Drain so there are two planes in contact with the Gate. This small tweak is a big deal because it allows for a more finer control over the current flow. Thats essentially the manufacturing process that AMDs implemented for the first time. Its called a FinFET because the Gate looks like a fin protruding through the top. So how exactly is this new technology beneficial? Follow this chain of causation - since the FinFET design allows for twice as much Gate control vs Planar transistors, the current flow can be more accurately controlled. This results in less leakage current. So you can have a higher current level when the transistor is switched on and also consume much lower current during its off state. Essentially, youre saving a lot of power by reducing leakage current. This brings down the heat generated by the GPU die and subsequently allows for low-TDP GPUs to be designed. TL;DR - Polaris will be a lot more power efficient. To put things into perspective. Lets take a look at Intels Broadwell architecture. The Desktop variants of Broadwell that had similar characteristics to their predecessor Haswell equivalents were rated for 19 W lesser. Example - The Haswell Core i7 4770 (3.4 GHz) was rated at 84 W and the Broadwell Core i7 5775C (3.3 GHz) was rated at 65 W. The socketed Broadwell has been since then touted as a hidden gem because the performance difference between the two was tremendous. However, dont expect similar performance increment from Polaris GPUs. It could be much greater or slightly lesser, only time will tell the first wave of GPUs are expected by mid-2016. Dammit! What does all of this mean? The obvious outcome of this new technology as with every other shrink in manufacturing process is that youll see more low-power laptops featuring a discrete GPU. And not just the thin low-power ones, even the beefy monstrosities that are Gaming Laptops will end up being a lot more thinner since heat sink assemblies will be much smaller owing to the reduced TDP. And the same will be seen in Small Form Factor (Mini PCs) machines as well. Not to mention desktop graphics cards which will have fewer power connectors as theyll give more performance per watt. This will allow for a higher adoption of mid-range and high-end graphics cards in price conscious markets like India. 4th generation Graphics Core Next (GCN) ahoy! So key among the improvements that the 4th generation of Graphics Core Next (GCN) will feature involve the following: Primitive Discard Accelerator Polaris will support DirectX12 features like Conservative Rasterisation which would be used for occlusion detection, rendering curves and achieving transparency. Hardware Scheduler Improved handling of time / tick and executing whichever scheduling algorithm is in place. Instructions Pre-Fetch Instruction buffers have been increased. So more instructions can be scheduled in the pipeline or larger instruction sets can be pipelined before heading back to the nearest cache. Improved Shader Efficiency More texels / pixel fillrate / clock cycle. Translates to greater FPS towards the end of the GPU processing cycle. Memory Compression Data will be compressed before being sent via any transport bus. This allows for better bandwidth utilisation especially since High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) stacks opt for few high-bandwidth buses instead of more low-bandwidth buses. Next Generation Display Engine So what kind of ports are we looking at with the Polaris. HDMI 2.0a This minor update to the HDMI 2.0 standard adds support for High Dynamic Range (HDR) content. HDR isnt just a software add-on, though. While your old HDMI 2.0 cables will continue to work just fine with the new standard, you will require HDR supported monitors/TVs and source (graphics card / media box / streaming dongle, etc) devices. So if your new display supports HDR then prepare to be dazzled by a wider colour range and brighter whites in full 4K glory. DP 1.3 DP 1.3 has been out since the end of 2014 but has now made its way onto graphics cards. This increases bandwidth from 21.6 Gbps on the DP 1.2 standard to 32.4 Gbps. Next Generation Multimedia So what kind of new encode / decode capabilities is Polaris capable of? H.265 main10 decode up to 4K H.265 is the next big video compression standard that will surpass the current H.264 standard or as it is more commonly known AVC / MP4. H.265 offer twice the data compression ratio than H.264 without hampering video quality. Anything that promises a 100% higher compression ratio comes with a signification compute overhead and that means more graphics horsepower is needed. And each compression standard has multiple compression profiles with varying levels of quality between them. The Main10 profile allows for a colour depth between 8-bit and 10-bit. This is the higher end of the spectrum. Add to this the fact that H.265 can handle 8K content and youre looking at a lot of data that needs to be compressed on the fly. But were limited to 4K with the Polaris architecture. 4K H.265 encode at 60 FPS This is just an extension of the above feature. AMDs Fiji architecture has support for H.265 too, except it is limited to 8-bit colour depth and Polaris takes it a step further. So how does all of this affect my gaming experience? The most exciting thing that has everyone jumping up and down in joy happens to be the significant performance / watt improvement. AMD demonstrated their Polaris Engineering Sample with one of the most popular AAA titles out now Star Wars: Battlefront. More specifically, they ran an X-Wing sequence with V-sync on. So while this did limit the FPS to 60, it highlights the power consumed to hit that threshold. AMDs Polaris GPU consumed 86 watts while the NVIDIA GTX 950 consumed 140 watts. So Polaris consumes about 40% less power to do the same work. It is worth noting that EAs Star Wars: Battlefront does not use NVIDIA Gameworks. These figures were released by AMD and the benchmark was done on a rig consisting of: CPU - Intel Core i7 4790K Motherboard - ASUS H97I-PLUS RAM - 16 GB (4x 4 GB) DDR4-2600 MHz OS - Windows 10 64-bit Storage - 120 GB SSD Settings - Medium Preset Resolution - 1080p V-Sync - ON GPU - AMD Polaris Sample vs NVIDIA GTX 950 Drivers - AMD 10.16 Beta, NVIDIA 359.06. Game - Star Wars: Battlefront What do we think? Everything that we saw today was based off one of the early engineering samples. However, AMD has a history of not releasing information to the public before working out all the kinks in the design. So its a little difficult to opine if these performance figures will be what the final products will ship out with. And then again, weve been hearing rumours of AMDs next gen GPUs and CPUs having already been taped out. So the most logical conclusion is that when Polaris GPUs will hit the market later this year, it will either be the same or better. Going by the last two GPU series that were launched by AMD, i.e. the Rx 300 and Rx 200 series, there were a lot of rebadged GPUs. This is a common strategy followed by the competition as well. So the entire line-up can be expected to have a mix and match of current and previous generation of GPUs with GDDR5 and HMB memory. Lower SKUs are likely to be rebadged Rx 300 or Rx 200 series GPUs with GDDR5 memory. Mid-range SKUs will likely comprise of old rebadges, a few Fiji GPUs with HBM and two or more Polaris GPUs (one with GDDR5 and the other with HBM). The FinFET process has matured quite well and there have been plenty of flagship launches since early 2015. This includes Intels Core M family (Core M 5Y10 / 5Y10a / 5Y70), Samsungs 14nm Exynos on the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge and Apples 14nm and 16nm A9. Its likely that AMD will be going with TSMC for Polaris as well so there shouldnt be any untoward production bottlenecks. Though we do believe that the initial batch will be limited so expect a minor price surge within weeks of launch. AMD didnt release any information about the number of Stream Processors that the Polaris Engineering Sample had. But it will be fun to see a Polaris GPU with 4096 Stream Processors go head to head with the NVIDIA TITAN X. The fact that Polaris has DisplayPort 1.3 could indicate that we might end up seeing 8K content. Thatll redefine overkill. We cant wait to get our hands on a review sample. Stay tuned for more on this. The Hoverbutler comes with a display, which streams videos and makes expressions, and can also be attached with arms. Intel and Segway have announced a new hoverbot called Hoverbutler, at the ongoing CES 2016. Unlike hoverboards that transport the user from one place to another, this new hoverbot can transform into an actual robot. The rideable robot comes with a display that can make expressions and stream videos. Thats not all the cute little guy can also be fitted with arms to perform tasks, like opening doors. When this was done during the demo, the robot said, are those my arms? Awesome! It uses Intels RealSense technology to keep track of the world around it, and the company says that it will be open-platform, starting second half of the year. Segway may be planning to make the Hoverbutler commercially available, and the developer kit for the same will also be available in the second half of the year. The Hoverbutler isnt the only robot that consumers may get to buy this year. Sharps RoBoHon may be available for purchase in 2016 as well. For those who do not know, Sharp unveiled the tiny smartphone/robot in October last year. It is powered by a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 SoC, with a small, 2-inch QVGA screen located on its back. The phone runs on Android OS, and is 3G and LTE enabled. There is also a camera located between the the robots eyes along with a pico projector located on its forehead. In addition, RoBoHon can read out text messages and answer calls via speakerphone. If you prefer robots to be larger and meaner, then the upcoming robot battle between the US and Japan may tickle your fancy. Last year, Americas Megabots challenged Japans Suidobashi to battle their respective robots the Mk.II and the Kuratas. Both teams have given each other a year to prepare the robots for battle. However, the American team realised that its needs to upgrade its robot, in order to be more competitive. The company launched a Kickstarter campaign last year, and has managed to reach its minimum target. Hence, the upgraded version of the Mk.II is expected to be faster, and more powerful. It seems like 2016 may just turn out to be the year of the robot. Source: The Verge Lenovo announced multiple devices at CES 2016 one phone, two tablets, 14 laptops, multiple desktops, AIOs and accessories. Lenovo, the Chinese tech giant, showcased a lot of new PC-related products at CES 2016, ranging from mice, to full-fledged gaming PCs. The company introduced new versions for some of its laptops. There was a new range of PC and laptop accessories, along with a couple of tablets and a push on gaming in 2016. We also saw a couple of devices co-branded with Razer, announced at the event, and one phone launch as well. Here is a quick roundup of all the products that Lenovo has unveiled across multiple categories. Smartphone Lenovo Vibe S1 lite Lenovo announced just one phone at CES this year the Vibe S1 Lite. The 5-inch smartphone is powered by a MediaTek MT6753 SoC, and comes with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. The IPS-panel display has a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels, and the phone boasts of a 13MP rear camera. There is an 8MP rear camera at the front, as well. Tablets Lenovo X1 Tablet There were two new tablets announced at CES 2016. The X1 Tablet, a powerful modular tablet, will be offered later this year with many additional accessories such as Thinkpad-style keyboard, Wigig dock, earphones and a new productivity module. The Lenovo X1 Tablet MIIX 700 Business Edition The MIIX 700 is a new tablet from Lenovo, which is designed more like the Microsoft Surface tablet. However, beyond the appearances, it is quite different. Powered by a 2nd gen. Intel Core m7 processor, the tablet features a 12-inch display and will come with Windows 10. Laptops Lenovo announced a number of new laptops at CES 2016, essentially covering every price category. The Thinkpad brand showcased nine laptops. While the Thinkpad X1 Carbon was updated to the newest Intel processor, the other eight laptops were additions to the current range of laptops that Lenovo has on offer. Lenovo announced the following new ThinkPad laptops ThinkPad X1 Yoga, ThinkPad E560 with 3D Camera, ThinkPad T460s, ThinkPad T460/T560, ThinkPad T460p, ThinkPad 13, ThinkPad X260, and ThinkPad L460/560. The Ideapad series also got two new laptops, namely the ideapad 710S and the ideapad 700. There is one Yoga laptop as well, the Yoga 900S. ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gaming ideacentre Y900 RE (Razer Edition) If you remember the Ideacentre Y900 Lenovo launched earlier at IFA 2015, you will be able to see the similarities here. The new Razer edition of the Ideacentre offers a similar design, and a slightly altered spec sheet. ideapad Y900 After launching the Y700 last year, Lenovo has come up with the Y900. It is actually the most powerful gaming PC that Lenovo makes, and is the second laptop in the market to offer a mechanical keyboard after the MSI GT80 Titan. The 17.3-inch laptop is powered by a 6th gen. Intel Core i7K processor, and will come with upto 8GB of NVIDIA GTX 980M graphics, 64GB DDR4 RAM, upto 512GB SSD PCIe RAID0, upto 1TB HDD SATA 3. Lenovo even claims 5 hours of battery life on this beast. Lenovo Y27g Curved Gaming Monitor Lenovo launched its first curved gaming display. This is a 27-inch VA backlit panel, offering 1080p resolution and a response time of 8ms. Lenovo has employed Nvidias G-Sync technology on the monitor, and it touches a refresh rate of 144Hz. Lenovo also announced a Razer edition of the same monitor, namely the Lenovo Y27g RE Curved Gaming Monitor. Besides these, Lenovo also announced the Lenovo Y Gaming Stereo Headset, Lenovo Y Gaming Armored Backpack, and the Lenovo Y Gaming Optical Mouse. Desktops Lenovo unveiled three new desktops at CES ThinkCentre X1, ThinkCentre Tiny-in-One II and the Ideacentre 610S. While the ThinkCentre X1 is a powerful AIO, the ThinkCentre Tiny-in-One II is a new modular AIO. One can add ThinkCentre Tiny desktops, Chromeboxes or Thin Clients to create a complete system. ideacentre 610S The Ideacentre 610S is a new approach to a PC. It is a small PC with a built-in projector, so it essentially doesn't require a display. The small and cute-looking PC boasts of a powerful 6th gen. Intel Core i7 processor, Nvidia GTX 750Ti graphics, 16GB of RAM, and upto 2TB of storage. Accessories Besides the big and powerful laptops and PCs, Lenovo also announced a bunch of new accessories to go with them. Here is a list of the accessories launched: Lenovo LINK 32GB ThinkVision X24 Pro with WiGi ThinkPad Stack YOGA Mouse ThinkVision X1 The reports from China also claim that Apple may make wireless equivalents of its earphones which it might bundle with the iPhone 7 The Apple iPhone 7 may not come with a 3.5mm audio jack according to new reports from China. Supply chain sources have told Chinese website Anzhou that the company had removed the 3.5mm port on the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. It also says that Apple may make wireless equivalents of its EarPod earphones. Another Chinese website called Feng, notes that the lightning headphones will be the wired alternative. It says that Apple expects most people to move to wireless if they bundle wireless earphones with the iPhone 7. Back in November, Japanese blog, Macotakara had also reported that Apple was planning on ditching the 3.5mm audio jack from its upcoming phone. Leaving its users no other option but to get a wireless headphone or a headphone with a lighting cable. Users may have to rely on lightning-to-3.5mm converters in order to use their regular headphones. Companies like Philips and Audeze have already launched headphones that come with a lightning cable instead of a standard 3.5mm audio jack. The removal of the audio jack may not be the only drastic design change made by the company. Analyst Gene Munster had earlier speculated that Apple may choose the remove the Home button from the iPhone 7. The company may choose to use the 3D Touch technology in place of the home button. The extra space could be then be used to make the screen bigger, or the phone itself smaller. Munster also said the Apple could place the TouchID fingerprint sensor on the side like the one found on the Sony Xperia Z5 and Z5 Premium. In addition, it is speculated that the iPhone 7 would come with a flexible OLED display. Adding fuel to this rumor is a report by Bloomberg which says that the company has opened a new facility in Taiwan where it is working on OLED and micro-LED display technology. Sources: Anzhou, Feng One of AIM-listed APC Technology Groups subsidiaries has won four major LED lighting contracts worth over 1.15m. Minimise Energy was awarded a contract by Imtech Inviron to supply and install energy efficient LED lighting at 18 London Fire Brigade fire stations. Its part of the first phase of the Brigade's energy efficiency upgrade under the Mayor of London's RE:FIT framework, which is designed to reduce carbon emissions in Greater London. The new lighting will lead to a combined energy saving across all 18 sites of an estimated 385,982kWh. It has also been contracted by Royal Mail Group to supply and install LED lighting solutions at five new sites, following work completed for it in 2015. The company also won a substantial new contract from Cofely Energy Services to supply and install LED lighting at a major London university, including three of its largest buildings. This project also comes under the Mayor of London's RE:FIT framework. Finally, Minimise Energy won a contract to replace outdated lighting at five key Eastbourne Borough Council buildings including Eastbourne Town Hall, and work has already begun. The company said the projects will be delivered in the first three months of 2016. APC Technology Group chief executive Richard Hodgson said: It is particularly pleasing that these orders are in our refocused and restructured LED business and follow on from those announced in our Water and Distribution divisions before the Christmas break. He said it's also very encouraging that the new contracts comprise of both new and existing customer relationships. We have built an impressive pipeline across a wide customer base and our enhanced processes and procedures will help to ensure the profitability of these contracts for shareholders. Oncology drug specialist Midatech Pharma said growth last year was more than it expected and revealed a recent acceleration of its brain cancer programmes through its selection for a paediatric compassionate use programme in the UK. Midatech's proprietary treatment has been chosen by Bristol Royal Infirmary oncologists to be used in a rare paediatric brain tumour programme, which brings forward the in-human trials of the company's cancer products very significantly. If successful, Midatech said the Bristol programme could result in a fast-tracked product to market, where there is currently an unmet medical need. On 2015's performance, the company, which floated on AIM just over a year ago, said its first full calendar year on the market would produce revenue "slightly ahead of expectations", thanks in part to the recent acquisitions of DARA BioSciences and Zuplenz, which have provided the group's US commercial arm with four marketed oncology products. Chief executive Jim Phillips said that following the brace of acquisitions and other licensing and supply agreements, 2015 saw the company achieve the strategic objectives set out at the time of the IPO, "accelerating the Company towards sustainable profitability". "Our internal pipeline also continues to develop well, providing various long-term opportunities." "With an established commercial operation in the US, we expect to deliver strong revenue growth in 2016 at the higher end of current market expectations as we reinforce our position as an oncology-focussed specialty pharmaceutical company." House broker Panmure Gordon nudged its full year estimates to a loss before tax of 10.6m on sales of 1.3m and for 2016 losses of 13.4m on 9.1m revenues. "We consider this as a strong validation of Midatech's platform and, if successful, could result in a fast-tracked product to market where there is currently an unmet clinical need. In light of the confident trading update, the accelerated in-human application of the company's technology in oncology and the, in our view, unjustified current share-price levels, we regard Midatech as a compelling investment." Shares in Midatech were up 13% to 200p by mid afternoon on Wednesday. Staff and investors were celebrating at China Nonferrous Gold this week, after the company's efforts in central Asia finally bore fruit. The AIM-listed mineral exploration and mining company announced on Wednesday that the first gold ingots were poured at its wholly owned Pakrut gold project in Tajikistan. Company chairman Wu Xiang described the pour as a "significant milestone in the project's history". "I am delighted to report that the company has poured its first gold at Pakrut, as this is ... reward for the hard efforts of the workforce who have done such a great job at bringing Pakrut to fruition", Xiang said. China Nonferrous Gold had commissioned its processing plant and commenced trial production in October. It was working with China Nonferrous Hongtoushan Fushun Mining Group on the processing and smelting process. The company had been in active development at Pakrut since 2004. BAE Systems has started the day up after RBC Capital Markets upgraded it from outperform to top pick, and raising the target price from 570p to 630p. The investment bank said in a note on Wednesday that it thinks the tide has turned for US defence spending. We think investors continue to underestimate the fact that this is BAE's largest end market (~40% of sales), and that its portfolio is well placed to benefit in both shorter cycle (eg USN maintenance) and later cycle (eg F-35, AMPV, ACV) areas of US DoD spending. It also believed that investors were overly concerned about the defence spending outlook for Saudi Arabia. The recently issued KoSA 2016 budget details a number of spending cuts in other areas, but not in defence, which saw actual spending in 2015 come in ahead of forecast. Indications from across the defense industry are that Saudi is continuing to procure defense equipment, shorter cycle areas such as munitions. RBC Capital Markets said with Eurofighter production cut from this year, there is now no risk of a production gap and investors can focus on growth prospects in other areas including cyber security. Shares in BAE Systems were up 10p (2.02%) to 504p at 0932 GMT. European stocks fell in early trade following another batch of disappointing data from China and amid rising geopolitical tensions. At 0905 GMT, the benchmark Stoxx Europe 600 index was down 1.1%, while Frances CAC 40 and Germanys DAX were both 1.2% weaker. Caxin's service PMI dropped to a 17-month low of 50.2 in December from 51.2 the previous month, but still above the 50 that separates contraction from expansion. Meanwhile, the composite index printed at 49.4 in December compared with 50.5 in November, moving into contraction. Asian markets ended lower, with the exception of China, where the Shanghai Composite rallied amid reports that Beijing had spent billions buying shares following huge losses in the two previous sessions. News that the Chinese Caixin services PMI came in much lower than expected overnight has stirred fears that in addition to the already struggling manufacturing sector, services are also starting to be in trouble which would certainly not only deepen China's economic woes but also put the likelihood of a sustained economic rebound several months back, said Markus Huber, senior analyst at Peregrine & Black. Sentiment was also dented by news that the People's Bank of China set a weaker midpoint for the yuan, adding to concerns about the health of the worlds second-largest economy. Claims from North Korea that it has successfully tested a miniaturised hydrogen nuclear device also weighed on the mood. As geopolitical tensions mounted, defence stocks gained, with London-listed BAE Systems and Frances Thales both in the black. Elsewhere, ARM Holdings, whose chips are used in Apple devices, was under the cosh following reports the US tech giant is expected to cut production of the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus by around 30% in the January-March quarter as a result of mounting inventories. Dialog Semiconductor, which derives a large part of its revenues from Apple, was also firmly in the red. In terms of sectors, basic resources and energy-related shares were the worst performers. The Stoxx 600 basic resources index fell 2.4% amid growing worries about China, on which the sector is highly dependent. Meanwhile, the sub-index for oil and gas slid 1.2% as oil prices declined, with West Texas Intermediate down 1.5% at $35.45 a barrel and Brent crude 4.3% weaker at $35.62, trading near 11-year lows. With so much going on, Markits final Eurozone services purchasing managers index for December came and went with little fuss, showing a reading of 54.2 versus expectations of 53.9. Still to come on the macroeconomic calendar, Eurozone PPI is at 1000 GMT. In the US, investors will have a raft of figures to sink their teeth into. The ADP employment report is at 1315 GMT, while trade balance data is at 1330 GMT. Industrial new orders, ISM non-manufacturing and durable goods orders are all due at 1500 GMT. Save my User ID and Password Some subscribers prefer to save their log-in information so they do not have to enter their User ID and Password each time they visit the site. To activate this function, check the 'Save my User ID and Password' box in the log-in section. This will save the password on the computer you're using to access the site. Note: If you choose to use the log-out feature, you will lose your saved information. This means you will be required to log-in the next time you visit our site. Surgeon general on mental health: 'Are we taking care of our kids?' Environmental Science Associates Avila Environmental Science Associates promoted Terri (Vitar) Avila to community development practice leader. She takes over from Brian Boxer, who was recently named Northern California regional director. Avila has over 30 years of experience in environmental consulting and natural resource planning. She managed the Candlestick Point-Hunters Point Shipyard Phase II EIR, which won the American Planning Association National Achievement Award for Hard Won Victories. ESA is a West Coast-based environmental planning and design firm. Hart Crowser Dunn Tummala Marsters In its Honolulu office, Hart Crowser hired Janice Marsters, Ph.D., as principal and office manager, Vijayalakshmi Tummala as an associate environmental engineer and Jessica Dunn as a project environmental scientist. Marsters has over 20 years of consulting experience in Hawaii and the Pacific, specializing in stormwater, program management, environmental investigation, cleanup, planning and permitting. Tummala has over 12 years of experience in water resources engineering, stormwater management, environmental compliance and civil engineering. She will support National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System projects. Dunn has six years of experience in watershed management. She will support stormwater, environmental, natural resource and GIS projects. Hart Crowser is an engineering, science and consulting firm headquartered in Seattle. Assistant Secretary for Policy Rajesh D. Nayak Rajesh D. Nayak is the Assistant Secretary for Policy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy (OASP) at the United States Department of Labor. Raj previously served in a range of senior roles at the Department during the Obama-Biden Administration, including as the Secretarys Deputy Chief of Staff, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, and Senior Counsel to the Solicitor. Outside of government, Raj has worked in nonprofit organizations both as an attorney and a senior leader, as a Fellow at the Labor & Worklife Program at Harvard Law School, and a consultant. He earned an undergraduate degree in public policy from the University of Chicago and a law degree from Yale. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Patrick Oakford Patrick Oakford is the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy (OASP). Patrick has spent his career working in government and the nonprofit sector advancing policies to improve labor protections and economic outcomes of low- and middle-income families. He previously worked at the U.S. Department of Labor under Secretary Perez as a Policy Advisor in the Office of the Chief Economist. He also worked in New York state government as a Senior Policy Advisor. Patrick previously held research positions at the Center for American Progress and with the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality, among other organizations. His research has been covered by broadcast, radio and print media, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, PBS NewsHour, and NPR, among others. Patrick received a B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University and an M.Sc. in Migration Studies from the University of Oxford. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Laura Dawkins Laura Dawkins is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy (OASP). Prior to this, she served as Director of OASPs Office of Regulatory and Programmatic Policy and as Director of the Policy and Integrity Division of DOL's Office of Foreign Labor Certification. Before joining DOL, Ms. Dawkins held various positions at the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security where she developed and managed humanitarian and family-based immigration programs, and served as the Chief Regulatory Coordinator for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. She received her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin and J.D. from the George Washington University Law School. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Evaluation Alexander Hertel-Fernandez Alexander Hertel-Fernandez is Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Evaluation in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy (OASP). Alexander is on leave from Columbia University, where he is an associate professor of public affairs. His teaching and research has focused on labor relations and the workplace, the policymaking process, and U.S. political economy. Alexander also co-founded the Columbia Labor Lab, an interdisciplinary team of social scientists studying worker voice and collective action. His recent academic and policy research has focused on workers' knowledge of rights and access to workplace information, civic engagement in the workplace, and worker organization and collective action in the COVID-19 crisis. He is the author or co-author of three books in addition to scholarly articles, and the recipient of fellowships and grants from the National Science Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, the Russell Sage Foundation, and the Washington Center for Equitable Growth. Alexander received his BA in political science from Northwestern University and MA and PhD in government and social policy from Harvard University. Chief of Staff Cassandra Robertson Cassandra Robertson is the Chief of Staff to the Assistant Secretary of Policy. She was previously the Policy Director of the New Practice Lab at New America, where her work focused on policy implementation at the state and local level. Prior to this, she was a Fellow at the Cornell Population Center, where she researched inequality and economic mobility. She also served as a Fellow in the Office of Senator Cory Booker and as a Fellow with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Planning and Evaluation at the Department of Health and Human Services. Her writing has been published in both peer-reviewed and popular outlets, including the New York Times, The New Republic, and The American Prospect. She holds a PhD in Sociology from Harvard University. Director, Office Regulatory and Programmatic Policy Albert Herrera Albert (Al) Herrera is the Director of the Office of Regulatory and Programmatic Policy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy (OASP). Prior to this, Al served as the Acting Senior Advisor to the OASP Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and as the Deputy Administrator and Acting Administrator of DOLs Office of Foreign Labor Certification. Before joining DOL, Al held various leadership positions in the U.S. Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and Office of Management and Budget managing national security, anti-fraud, immigration, regulatory, and budgetary matters throughout the United States. During his career, Al has been recognized by the Departments of State, Labor, Homeland Security, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for his leadership and service to the public. Al has Bachelor of Arts degrees in Criminal Justice and Psychology from New Mexico State University and is a graduate of the Office of Personnel Managements Federal Executive Institute Leadership Program and has served as a White House Fellow in the OMBs Office of Federal Financial Management. Chief Evaluation Officer Christina Yancey, Ph.D. Christina Yancey, Ph.D., is the Chief Evaluation Officer for the U.S. Department of Labor. As the Chief Evaluation Officer, she is responsible for coordinating the Department's evaluation agenda and working with all agencies to design and implement evaluations. Dr. Yancey has over 15 years of experience in overseeing and conducting research on employment and other social policies and programs, and in working with policy makers and practitioners to build and apply evidence. Prior to joining DOL in 2014, Dr. Yancey served in the Department of Justices Office of Justice Programs, coordinating performance management and strategic planning activities for the agency. In the years prior to federal service, Dr. Yancey developed, coordinated, and directed field-based evaluations of social programs, primarily for the state of Maryland. She holds a Ph.D. from the School of Public Affairs at American University and a Master of Arts in Criminology from the University of Maryland, College Park. Chief Data Officer Scott Gibbons Scott Gibbons has served as the Chief Data Officer since March 2019. In that role, he provides oversight and leadership for the U.S. Department of Labors (DOL) efforts to develop, maintain, share and utilize data to best support DOLs mission. He leads the Data Board, which serves as the Departments data governance body, and oversees the development and establishment of coordinated Department-wide positions on data governance, strategy, quality and the management of data as a strategic asset. Prior to this, Gibbons has worked in various analytical and statistical capacities for the Department of Labor for more than 20 years. He most recently served as Program Manager for Data Analytics for the Chief Evaluation Office at DOL. In this capacity, he led projects assessing and improving data quality and raising the capacity of staff to use data to inform program administration. Prior to that, he was a Supervisory Statistician with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Employment and Training Administration. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Maryland and has a master's degree in biology from American University. Director, Office of Compliance Initiatives S. Marisela Douglass S. Marisela Douglass serves as Director, Office of Compliance Initiatives, at the U.S. Department of Labor. As Director, she provides leadership and support to the Department's enforcement agencies, advancing the expansion and development of innovative approaches to compliance assistance and enforcement. Douglass career includes more than 15 years in public service. She previously served as Chief, Office of Program Policy Evaluation, at the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). She also worked as an audit manager at the U.S. Department of Labors Office of Inspector General where she led audits of MSHA, the Employment and Training Administration, and the Bureau of International Labor Affairs. Prior to her career at the U.S. Department of Labor, Douglass worked as a consultant at Deloitte and in quality assurance at the American Red Cross. Douglass holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Rutgers College where she was a Henry Rutgers Scholar and has a Master of Public Administration from Cornell University. Director, Good Jobs Initiative and Policy Advisor to the Secretary Katelyn Walker Mooney Katelyn Walker Mooney is the Director of the Department of Labors Good Jobs Initiative and serves as an Advisor to Secretary Walsh. In this role she coordinates work done since the beginning of this administrationand often for decades beforeunder one umbrella to provide critical information to workers, employers, and government agencies as they work to improve job quality. She recently served as the Associate General Counsel for the Committee on Education and Labor in the U.S. House of Representatives. There, she managed the legislative process; counseled Representatives and staff on labor policy, legislation, and law; and conducted oversight investigations. Before that, she clerked for the Honorable Melanie M. Shaw Geter in the Maryland Court of Special Appeals and the Honorable Tiffany H. Anderson in the Circuit Court for Prince Georges County. As a law student, she worked for Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge, the AFL-CIO, and the SEIU. Katelyn is an alumna of the George Washington University Law School and Dartmouth College. Senior Policy Advisor and Deputy Director, Good Jobs Initiative Teresa Acuna Teresa Acuna serves as senior policy advisor with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy and Deputy Director of the Good Jobs Initiative. Previously, Teresa worked as Associate Director for Democratic Governance at the Ash Center, a multi-disciplinary think tank leading real-world change at Harvard Kennedy School. For over ten years, Teresa held various political, legislative, and programmatic leadership roles in the U.S. House of Representatives and California State Legislature. She led teams in addressing economic inequality, exploring the future of work, and creating democratic governance innovations through an intersectional lens. Teresa holds a masters degree in public administration from Harvard Kennedy School, where she was the Roy and Lila Ash Fellow and Sheila C. Johnson Leadership Fellow. She is a proud daughter of immigrants and raised in a union home. Policy Advisor Diana Boesch Diana Boesch is a Policy Advisor in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy. Previously, Diana was a Policy Analyst at the Center for American Progress on the Womens Initiative, where she focused on womens economic security and work-family policies. Before her work at CAP, Diana spent time at the National Partnership for Women & Families; the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault; the Center on Women, Gender, and Public Policy at the University of Minnesota; and FSG, a mission-driven consulting firm. Diana received her masters degree in public policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota and her undergraduate degree from Whitman College. Policy Advisor, Good Jobs Initiative Rukku Singla Rukku Singla is a Policy Advisor for the Good Jobs Initiative, in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy. Previously, Rukku was the head of policy for Douglas Emhoff, Second Gentleman of the United States. Before that, she was the Special Assistant to Chair Catherine E. Lhamon at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Prior to joining the Commission, Rukku served as Associate Counsel for Presidential Personnel at the Obama White House and was an Associate Attorney at Jenner & Block LLP. Rukku clerked for the Hon. Andre Davis of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the Hon. James G. Carr of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. She earned her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and her B.A. from The Ohio State University. Defining Employment First Employment First is a national systems-change framework centered on the premise that all individuals, including those individuals with the most significant disabilities, are capable of full participation in Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE) and community life. Under this approach, publicly-financed systems are urged to align policies, regulatory guidance, and reimbursement structures to commit to CIE as the priority option with respect to the use of publicly-financed day and employment services for youth and adults with significant disabilities. Many states have formally committed to the Employment First framework through official executive proclamation or formal legislative action. Employment First Community of Practice The Employment First Community of Practice (CoP) Webinar Series is structured to augment the technical assistance areas of primary focus in Employment First systems change (Capacity Building, Provider Transformation, School-to-Work Transition, Employer Engagement, and Policy/Funding Alignment). CoP participants benefit from national subject matter experts (SMEs) presenting information and resources to support Employment First efforts. CoP webinars take place on the second Wednesday of each month. Join the CoP List Serve The CoP list serve currently has over 2,700 subscribers. Subscribers have access to federal disability employment and policy briefs and announcements. Subscribers also receive Save the Date announcements for upcoming CoP webinars. Click here to join. CoP Webinar Learning Center ODEP has hosted over 100 CoP webinars since 2012. The CoP Learning Center consists of selected webinars that could be particularly helpful to provider organizations and state and local government move toward an Employment First approach. The webinars have been organized into six topic areas and will be updated periodically. Employment First State Leadership Mentoring Program ODEP began the Employment First State Leadership Mentoring Program (EFSLMP) in 2012 in response to states request for assistance on how to support individuals with significant disabilities in CIE. Over the seven years it was active, ODEP has supported 24 states in their strategic efforts to increase CIE for individuals with disabilities, including for those with significant disabilities. EFSLMP provided the impetus for selected states to pursue systems change to fully implement the Employment First approach to facilitate policy reform, funding alignment, service coordination, and capacity building across state government agencies and external stakeholders vital to promoting CIE options for individuals with significant disabilities. The Evolution of EFSLMP EFSLMP laid the foundations for existing ODEP initiatives, such as the National Expansion of Employment Opportunities Network (NEON) and the Advancing State Policy Integration for Recovery and Employment (ASPIRE) initiatives. EFSLMP Resources As the nation's largest employer, the federal government must model effective employment policies and practices that advance America's ideal of equal opportunity for all. Tools and Resources Federal Agency Employment Strategies: A Framework for Disability Inclusion [PDF] A guide that outlines promising and emerging employment strategies and practices for recruiting, hiring, advancing, and retaining qualified individuals with disabilities in federal agencies. Report on the Employment of Individuals with Disabilities in the Federal Executive Branch Provides data on the representation of people with disabilities in the Federal workforce as a result of Executive Order 13548 published September 2016. Building an Inclusive Workforce [PDF] A Four-Step Reference Guide to Recruiting, Hiring, & Retaining Employees with Disabilities. EARN's Mental Health Toolkit: Resources for Fostering a Mentally Healthy Workplace This toolkit from the Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) provides background, tools and resources that can help employers learn more about mental health issues and cultivate a welcoming and supportive work environment for employees who may be facing mental health issues. It also presents an easy-to-follow framework for fostering a mental health-friendly workplace, all built around the "4 A's": Awareness, Accommodations, Assistance and Access. Palm Card This card illustrates the "4 A's" from the Employer Assistance and Resource Network's Mental Health Toolkit ODEP Mental Health Topic Page Information and resources on mental health in the workplace. Service and Emotional Support Animals in the Workplace: What Federal Employers Should Know This fact sheet provides federal employers with the key information they need to know about how to include and support employees with disabilities who use service and emotional support animals in the workplace. A Guide to Planning Accessible Meetings, Events & Conferences This guide offers practical guidance from a host of meeting planning professionals and subject-matter experts. Rule Implementing Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act [PDF]: Section 501 requires federal agencies to establish an affirmative action program for the hiring, placement, and advancement of individuals with disabilities. This rule clarifies the obligations that Section 501 places on federal agencies as employers. The Federal Government as a Model Employer of People with Disabilities [PDF]: This research-to-practice brief discusses how the federal government has worked to become a model employer of people with disabilities using impactful employment practices that can be replicated in any workplace. The Workplace Mentoring Playbook [PDF]: This guide discusses workplace mentoring as a strategy to increase the retention, job performance, and career advancement of employees in all types of workplaces, including the federal workforce. Special Hiring Authorities Schedule A Hiring Authority Hiring authority that allows federal agencies to hire people with certain targeted disabilities non-competitively. The ABCs of Schedule A Fact sheets from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that provide information on using the Schedule A hiring authority for a variety of audiences. Schedule A Hiring Fact Sheet for Youth [PDF] Fact sheet explaining the Schedule A hiring authority to youth with disabilities who are seeking employment in the federal government. Special Hiring Authorities for Veterans Information about special hiring authorities federal agencies can use to hire veterans, including disabled veterans. Tips for Applicants with Disabilities Applying for Federal Jobs Comprehensive information for people with disabilities on applying for federal jobs. Best Practices Federal Agency Employment Strategies: A Framework for Disability Inclusion [PDF] A guide that outlines promising and emerging employment strategies and practices for recruiting, hiring, retaining and advancing qualified individuals with disabilities in federal agencies. Federal Exchange on Employment and Disability (FEED) An interagency working group focused on information sharing, best practices, and collaborative partnerships designed to make the federal government a model employer of people with disabilities. Membership is open to federal employees at any level whose job duties involve inclusion of people with disabilities, including recruitment, hiring, retention, and advancement. Summary of Promising and Emerging Practices for Enhancing the Employment of Individuals with Disabilities Included in Plans Submitted by Federal Agencies under Executive Order 13548 [PDF] Identifies promising and emerging practices for advancing the recruitment, hiring, and retention of individuals with disabilities identified in 10 selected agency plans submitted under Executive Order 13548. The report helps agencies learn about practices that can enable the federal government to achieve the goal of becoming a model employer of individuals with disabilities. Federal Agency Promising and Emerging Practices Facilitating Self-Identification of Disability [PDF] The primary method used by federal agencies to count employees with disabilities is self-identification. It's important for federal agencies to develop and implement comprehensive strategies for facilitating self-identification of disability. This guide outlines effective policies, practices, and procedures for doing this. Useful Links Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Federal Employment of People with Disabilities Website Provides information about federal disability hiring programs, reasonable accommodations in the federal workplaces, related laws and executive orders, and other resources. Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP) The federal government's centrally funded accommodation program. Provides assistive technology and services free of charge to federal agencies. Job Accommodation Network (JAN) ODEP-funded service that provides free, expert, and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and other disability employment issues. Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) A program that connects federal employers nationwide with highly motivated college students and recent graduates with disabilities who are seeking summer internships or permanent employment. Emergency Preparedness Guidance for federal agencies on ensuring their emergency preparedness plans consider the needs of employees and visitors with disabilities. Financial education and asset development are critical to improving the economic self-sufficiency of all workers and may be especially important for people with disabilities. Learning how to stretch wages further, invest wisely, avoid debt, and plan for retirement is essential to avoiding the poverty level income connected with most disability benefit programs, such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). Several work and tax incentives exist to reduce disability- and work-related costs, such as medical expenses or reasonable job accommodations. Some work incentives can even be used to provide capital for people with disabilities interested in starting their own business. The following resources provide more information about financial education, asset development, and work and tax incentives: Secure Your Financial Future: A Toolkit for Individuals with Disabilities The Securing Your Financial Future Toolkit was developed by ODEP and the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA). The toolkit guides people with disabilities to strive for or maintain employment and achieve financial stability. Organized around five stages of the employment lifecycle, the toolkit provides tools and resources addressing common financial concerns during each stage. So, whether you are preparing for a job, starting a job, maintaining a job, changing or losing a job, or even planning for retirement, this toolkit has resources for you. Financial Well-Being for Individuals with Disabilities During the Pandemic and Beyond - In this webinar, Nancy Boutot, Manager of Financial Empowerment at National Disability Institute, Andy Arias, Policy Advisor at ODEP, and Edward Mitchell, ABLE National Resource Center BIPOC Ambassador, introduce attendees to the new online Financial Toolkit through an engaging dialogue drawing from both professional and personal experience. Achieving A Better Life Experience (ABLE) ABLE National Resource Center (ANRC) A collaborative that brings together the investment, support, and resources of some of the country's largest and most influential national disability organizations in an effort to accelerate the design and availability of ABLE accounts to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities and their families. ABLE accounts are tax-advantaged savings and investment accounts for individuals with disabilities, that have been a game changer for many people with disabilities who want to work and save for the future, without concerns about asset limits. The individual with the disability is the ABLE account owner. The account owner, family, friends, an employer or the account owners Special Needs Trust (SNT) may contribute funds into the account. ABLE account owners both those who receive and those who do not receive public benefits may save for qualified disability expenses related to transportation, health care, housing, education, retirement and more. The ABLE Act and Employment: Strategies for Maximizing the Effectiveness of the ABLE Act as a Tool for Financial Stability and Employment Outcomes of People with Disabilities (PDF) This brief discusses how provisions of the ABLE Act of 2014 can be combined with federal benefit services and other federal programs and initiatives to further competitive integrated employment for people with disabilities. ODEP and other DOL agency resources ODEP Collaborative Activities with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) CFPB Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) (PDF) On August 26, 2013, ODEP and the CFPB signed this agreement to work together to strengthen the financial capability of youth and adults with disabilities by expanding access to a wider range of financial education resources, asset-building strategies, and consumer protection information through high-impact public policy initiatives and dissemination of effective practices. The MOA advances the creation, exchange, translation, and use of knowledge that impacts employment and economic advancement of individuals with disabilities, as well as the exchange of other information and services for which cooperation may be mutually beneficial. ODEP & CFPB Release Joint Communication, Promoting Pathways to Economic Stability for Workers with Disabilities (PDF) On August 7, 2014, ODEP and the CFPB issued a joint communication to the American public that discusses their respective commitment to promoting the financial capability of Americans with disabilities, and also describes their collaborative activities in this area. The memorandum also provides information on available federal financial capability resources and assistance that workers with disabilities can use to promote their financial security and economic advancement. Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) DOL agency that works to ensure the security of retirement, health, and other workplace related benefits of workers and their families. As part of this, EBSA helps educate and assist individuals covered by private retirement, health, and other benefit plans about their rights and responsibilities. Other resources Today, a confluence of factors is prompting America to change the way it thinks about age and work. The economic downturn, shifting perceptions of retirement, increased workplace flexibility, and the aging of the "baby boom" generation are all contributing to people working longer. Many of these capable, experienced mature workers develop disabilities as they age, or existing disabilities may become more significant. To retain the talents of these valuable, skilled workers, employers can implement a variety of workplace practices, many of which benefit all workers and make good business sense. The following resources provide more information about the topic of older workers: Reports from ODEP's NTAR Leadership Center National Technical Assistance and Research Center to Promote Leadership for Increasing the Employment and Economic Independence of Adults with Disabilities (NTAR Leadership Center) issued these reports that examine the disability implications of an aging workforce. Community College Briefs Postsecondary education is increasingly important for older job seekers' reemployment. Yet, they may face potential challenges in accessing and completing education and training due to their greater likelihood of having acquired age-related disabilities. The following three briefs provide new research data and findings on older students and dislocated workers researched by the NTAR Leadership Center. Existing data, such as that from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, does not track the numbers of dislocated workers enrolled at community colleges; and nearly three-quarters of community colleges reported very few students with disabilities enrolled (less than three percent of their student population). Moreover, among older students, unidentified disabilities are not documented, which provides challenges for community colleges to document their statistics on older students with disabilities. Community College Practices that Serve Older Dislocated Workers (PDF) This brief highlights strategies and findings at five community colleges serving high numbers of dislocated workers and examines how those practices meet the needs of older workers, some of whom may be aging with or into disabilities. How Are Community Colleges Serving the Needs of Older Students with Disabilities? (PDF) To examine the issues related to older students with disabilities, this brief documents the research conducted to learn how collegesin particular, community collegescan better support the education and training needs of these students. Working for Adults: State Policies and Community College Practices to Better Serve Adult Learners at Community Colleges During the Great Recession and Beyond (PDF) This report synthesizes knowledge about how community colleges serve adults. The first section provides background and context on adults at community colleges, while the second section details the methodology used in this research. Other sections describe the findings on the enrollment of adults at community colleges, recent initiatives that have sought to support adults at community colleges, the state policy and college practices related to adults' enrollment, and research on student outcomes and the implications for what is known about state policy and college practice. The final section highlights recommendations for policymakers and practitioners interested in serving adults at community colleges, including those with disabilities. ODEP and other DOL agency resources Other resources Overview The federal minimum wage provisions are contained in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009. Many states also have minimum wage laws. Some state laws provide greater employee protections; employers must comply with both. The FLSA does not provide wage payment collection procedures for an employees usual or promised wages or commissions in excess of those required by the FLSA. However, some states do have laws under which such claims (sometimes including fringe benefits) may be filed. History General Guidance Fact Sheets E-tools Posters Interpretive Guidance Applicable Laws and Regulations (Revised July 2009) (PDF) This fact sheet provides general information concerning the application of the FLSA to deductions from employees' wages for uniforms and other facilities. Characteristics The FLSA does not allow uniforms, or other items which are considered to be primarily for the benefit or convenience of the employer, to be included as wages. Thus, an employer may not take credit for such items in meeting his/her obligations toward paying the minimum wage or overtime. Requirements Uniforms: The FLSA does not require that employees wear uniforms. However, if the wearing of a uniform is required by some other law, the nature of a business, or by an employer, the cost and maintenance of the uniform is considered to be a business expense of the employer. If the employer requires the employee to bear the cost, it may not reduce the employee's wage below the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009. Nor may that cost cut into overtime compensation required by the Act. For example, if an employee who is subject to the statutory minimum wage of $7.25 per hour (effective July 24, 2009) is paid an hourly wage of $7.25, the employer may not make any deduction from the employee's wages for the cost of the uniform nor may the employer require the employee to purchase the uniform on his/her own. However, if the employee were paid $7.75 per hour and worked 30 hours in the workweek, the maximum amount the employer could legally deduct from the employee's wages would be $15.00 ($.50 X 30 hours). The employer may prorate deductions for the cost of the uniform over a period of paydays provided the prorated deductions do not reduce the employee's wages below the required minimum wage or overtime compensation in any workweek. Other Items: Employers at times require employees to pay or reimburse the employer for other items. The cost of any items which are considered primarily for the benefit or convenience of the employer would have the same restrictions as apply to reimbursement for uniforms. In other words, no deduction may be made from an employee's wages which would reduce the employee's earnings below the required minimum wage or overtime compensation. Some examples of items which would be considered to be for the benefit or convenience of the employer are tools used in the employee's work, damages to the employer's property by the employee or any other individuals, financial losses due to clients/customers not paying bills, and theft of the employer's property by the employee or other individuals. Employees may not be required to pay for any of the cost of such items if, by so doing, their wages would be reduced below the required minimum wage or overtime compensation. This is true even if an economic loss suffered by the employer is due to the employee's negligence. Employers may not avoid FLSA minimum wage and overtime requirements by having the employee reimburse the employer in cash for the cost of such items in lieu of deducting the cost from the employee's wages. Typical Problems (1) A minimum wage employee working as a cashier is illegally required to reimburse the employer for a cash drawer shortage. (2) An employer improperly requires tipped employees to pay for customers who walk out without paying their bills or for incorrectly totaled bills. (3) An employer furnishes elaborate uniforms to employees and makes them responsible for having the uniforms cleaned. (4) An employee driving the employer's vehicle causes a wreck, and the employer holds the employee responsible for the repairs, thereby reducing the employee's wages below the minimum wage. (5) A security guard is required to purchase a gun for the job, and the cost causes him/her to not earn the minimum wage. (6) The cost of an employer-required physical examination cuts into an employee's minimum wage or overtime. Where to Obtain Additional Information For additional information, visit our Wage and Hour Division Website: http://www.wagehour.dol.gov and/or call our toll-free information and helpline, available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in your time zone, 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243). This publication is for general information and is not to be considered in the same light as official statements of position contained in the regulations. Quick Links Essential Workers Essential Protections Resources for essential workers who are keeping our country moving forward during the COVID-19 pandemic. Essential Workers, Essential Protections - Restaurant Industry (YouTube) An overview of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) How to File a Complaint We have offices throughout the country with trained professionals to help you. Misclassification of Employees as Independent Contractors Workers Owed Wages If you think you may be owed back wages collected by WHD, you can search our database of workers for whom we have money waiting to be claimed. Worker Resources A library of resources WHD offers to ensure that workers understand their rights under these laws and that they receive the wages and the protections to which they are entitled. Resources in Other Languages Find help in 20 languages. Timesheet Mobile App This app helps track regular work hours, break time, and overtime hours. IRB Infrastructure Developers has bagged a Rs10,050-crore order to construct the Zozila pass tunnel in Jammu & Kashmir. The scope of the project includes constructing approaches on NH-1 (Srinagar Sonmarg- Gumr-i Road) on a design, build, finance, operate and transfer (annuity) basis. The company has received a letter of award from the ministry of road transport and highways for the construction, operation and maintenance of Zozila pass Tunnel in Jammu ands Kashmir, the longest tunnel in South-East Asia, the company said in a statement issued to exchanges said. The project involves construction of a tunnel spanning a length of 14.08 km - the longest in South-East Asia. Besides, it involves construction of 10.8 km of approach roads with three vertical ventillation shafts. The estimated cost of thye project is Rs10.050 crore and the concession period is 23 years, including construction period of seven years. The company will receive semi-annual (twice a year) annuity of Rs981 crore from the ministry of road transport and highways after completion of the project. The project has strategic and socio-economic importance for the people of Jammu and Kashmir and Leh-Ladakh as the National Highway NH-1 remains cut off during winter season due to heavy snowfall in and around Zoila Pass. The project, when completed, would give all weather connectivity between Jammu and Kashmir and Leh-Lakadah and hence assumes national importance. This would also be the biggest highway project, in terms of project cost. "It is the biggest national highway project awarded in India in terms of project cost with a tunnel length spanning 14.08 km and costing of Rs 10,050 crore," company's chairman and managing director Virendra Mhaiskar said. The scope of the project includes constructing approaches on NH-1 (Srinagar Sonmarg- Gumr-i Road) on design, build, finance, operate and transfer (annuity) basis. "This project has a strategic and socio-economic importance as it will provide much needed all weather connectivity between J&K and Leh-Ladakh, which remains cut off during winter due to heavy snowfall and hence assumes national importance," Mhaiskar said. The project also involves construction of 10.8 km approach road with three vertical ventilation shafts, snow gallery of 700 meters and avalanche protection measures. The construction of the tunnel is scheduled to be completed in seven years and the concession period is 22 years. Assuming a 75-25 debt equity, the project will net an internal rate of return of about 16 per cent. With this order, IRB expands its base to the ninth state. The company's order book now stands at Rs16,430 crore. One year after Charlie Hebdo, France still scared It is one year since two gunmen, brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi, burst into the Paris offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and opened fire. (See: Manhunt on as terror attack in Paris leaves at least 12 dead). Two days later, in a separate but linked attack, Amedy Coulibaly, killed four hostages at a Jewish supermarket in Paris. The attacks, which left 17 people dead, excluding the three gunmen, sent shockwaves around the world, spawning the #jesuischarlie solidarity hashtag and prompting hundreds of thousands to attend marches in France and even abroad honouring the victims. But what has been the impact of these attacks over the last year? Here is a look at five key things that have changed in France since 7 January 2015. Civil liberties restricted: Charlie Hebdo, like 9/11 in the USA and 7/7 in the UK, was the trigger for restrictions on civil liberties in France, said Philippe Marliere, an expert on French and European politics at University College London. ''When those exceptional things happen it's so easy for any government to propose these new laws and they never fail to do so and they get support, support from both sides,'' Professor Marliere told Euronews. ''Given the emotion, people cannot see beyond a kind of response that involves curbing people's liberties in general, instead of focussing more on police power to chase up and spy on potential terrorists. Very little was said in the French media about the shortcomings and failures of French intelligence.'' France introduced a new intelligence laws in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo attacks, which came into force in July. Amnesty International claimed the new legislation was ''wildly out of proportion''. Then, following the 13 November attacks, a three-month state of emergency was introduced, granting France's security forces the power to place suspects under house arrest and conduct warrantless searches. Access Now, a freedom of expression campaign group, said ''more surveillance was not necessarily better surveillance''. It said in an open letter after the Charlie Hebdo attacks, ''French officials have admitted they had prior intelligence, which suggests that neither did inadequate surveillance contribute to these horrific attacks, nor would heightened surveillance have prevented them.'' Matthew Moran, a senior lecturer on international security at King's College London, told Euronews that France's new laws would have 'profound implications' for civil liberties. ''They are policies that one would more usually expect to see come from more right-wing political groupings and this is an indication of the cumulative effect of the attacks in 2015 on the political landscape in France,'' said Dr Moran. ''President Hollande is now competing with Nicolas Sarkozy on Sarkozy's natural battleground security and the broader shift to the right is playing into the hands of the Front National.'' A move to the right: France has shifted to the right politically in 2015 and the Charlie Hebdo attacks are partly to blame, it's been claimed. Far-right party Front National made big gains in the first round of regional elections in December, finishing ahead in two regions, one of them the socialist stronghold of Nord-Pas-de-Calais. While FN slipped back after the second round partly due to tactical manoeuvring by its political rivals it still gained a record number of votes, at least 6.6-million. The results have boosted FN leader Marine Le Pen ahead of her bid to run for president in 2017. Prof Marliere said while the January attacks created a climate of 'fear and suspicion' they were only part of the reason for the electorate's move to the right. He cited the government's economic performance and unemployment levels as other factors. He added, ''The explanation is economic but it's all very confused because it's part of an evolving and uncertain environment in which you have fear for your physical and fear for your personal integrity due to terrorist attacks and the rise of racism. Why do you have a rise in racism? Because of fear of terrorism and the scapegoating of one population: Muslims. If you put all that together you get that very toxic cocktail. And that's where we are.'' Dr Moran said the Charlie Hebdo attack had given fresh fuel to the far-right claim that Islam is incompatible with the French Republic. He added, ''This is an insidious and xenophobic rhetoric that often draws a blanket equation between terrorism and Islam. This discourse is not new but the shocking nature of the attacks meant that it perhaps resonated with a wider audience than in the past.'' Increasing racism: Islamophobic acts 'skyrocketed' in the aftermath of the January attacks in Paris, according to the Collective Against Islamophobia in France. It claims there were 120 anti-Muslim incidents in just three weeks in France, which has one of the biggest Muslim populations in Europe (4.7 million or 7.5 per cent of the population in 2010). The French Council of the Muslim Faith said there were 222 Islamophobic cases in the first quarter of 2015, compared with just 37 over the same period in 2014, a surge of more than 500 percent. But, in a sign of the racial divisions and tensions that the attacks sparked, there were also a hike in anti-Semitic attacks. The Protection Service for the Jewish Community said there were 508 incidents from January to May 2015, compared with 276 the year previously. Yet it's not just racist attacks that have manifested themselves since January there is also a more insidious racism in France's institutions, according to Prof Marliere. He said, ''There's no multiculturalism in France in the sense of policy and this is another blind alley for French politicians and the media. The fact they cannot understand, they cannot accept, cultural and religious pluralism, notably when it comes to Islam. ''When we talk about racism of course there's racism. But this last point explains better why and how racism expresses itself. ''Of course there are silly people who make outright racist remarks, but they are condemned and there are anti-racist laws in France. But there's another type of racism that I think is more insidious and cannot easily be condemned and sometimes people don't even see it as being racist. ''It starts with the view of equality, everyone should look, speak and live according to certain standards. Anyone breaking away from that model is not a good citizen. And I think we're getting there and it's very worrying.'' Dr Moran said, ''There is a divide in French society that sees these young people usually linked to the African countries that form such a big part of France's colonial past marginalized at the limits of the Republic. They are legitimate members of French society but not accepted as such. Feeling that they have no real stake in society, they ground their identity elsewhere, in extreme cases embracing a radical form of Islam that is far removed from the faith of the majority of French Muslims.'' French society scarred: While French people were shocked and horrified over the January attacks and sympathetic to its victims, they recovered from its psychological damage, according to Prof Marliere. ''With Charlie Hebdo it was certain people targeted,'' he said. ''It couldn't happen to anyone it was the cartoonists who mocked the Prophet and it was Jews. The large majority of France, 65 million people, had nothing to do with it.'' But that changed on Friday, 13 November he added, when gunmen and suicide bombers killed people randomly, including Muslims. ''That makes a big difference I think,'' he said. ''People think about that, now. They think, really, that could have been me. It could be me in the future. ''I think we're getting closer to what happened in Britain in 2005 or in the US in 2001, the random killing of people just to harm and to terrorise the population in general, so I think the scars are there now, people feel very concerned.'' Will these scars heal?: ''It will depend on the quality of the response. Can people in command in politics, government, the media speak to ordinary people? We haven't got that quality yet, but it could come. ''You need a figure, in politics, to appease. I don't think that's what Hollande and Valls are giving. You need someone who can reassure, protect. There is indeed a terrorist threat but there is also a need to appease people to give them strength and not constantly remind them that 'there is a threat and we need more regressive policies' because all that participates in creating a climate in which people are more and more afraid and scared and that of course is conducive to further racism and illiberal measures.'' Press freedom in a 'terrible situation':Charlie Hebdo is still going and will print a million copies of its anniversary edition this week. But the magazine's financial director, Eric Portheault, says the remaining staff feel unsupported. He told AFP, ''We feel terribly alone. We hoped that others would do satire too. No one wants to join us in this fight because it's dangerous. You can die doing it.'' The attack has also had a chilling effect on other media, according to Michael Moynihan, columnist for the Daily Beast. He said, ''Where are we now? Nobody will show the cartoons and we have 12 people massacred in January and remember a month later some half-literate psychopath tried to shoot at a free speech event in Denmark, they tried to kill Lars Vilks, who did a little cartoon of a dog with Muhammad's head on it. Two people died. ''I hate to be so pessimistic and everyone lies about it and says we're trying to respect people but we are scared. Ten months after Paris and ten years after Denmark we're in a terrible situation.'' Just a little bit more. Ive been saying that a lot lately, particularly when asked if I would like more of something delicious. Im borrowing the well-known phrase attributed to John D. Rockefeller, of course. In his case, he was answering the question How much money is enough? As for me, Im more titillated by a perfectly grilled lamb chop than by a big wad of cash. Its probably why Im feeling like a fattened Christmas turkey these days. For weeks now, since Thanksgiving really, I have entered the altered state otherwise known as holiday excess. Aided in large part by holiday parties and a three-week visit by my Italian parents, who are accustomed to sitting down daily to two scrumptious meals complete with generous glasses of red wine and something sweet for dessert, I have been testing my stomachs ability to stretch and flex beyond its accustomed limits. I cant even say Ive been engaging in mindless eating, as everything I have been putting in my mouth has been a deliberate act and worthy of conscious thought and appreciation. All it has taken, if I am to be perfectly honest, is a little encouragement. Would I like another Campari soda, I am asked. Yes! Have I ever tried the delights of a walnut pistachio cake? No, but theres no time like the present. How come Im not eating more of that delicious roasted leg of lamb? I didnt realize I was holding back, but sure Ill have another slice. Eating has practically become a pastime at this point. Years ago I would have felt guilty about my gluttony. I would have fretted over my newly purchased tight jeans and my ability to shrink into them. I would have eaten boiled broccoli before attending a party just so I would eat less. Worst of all, I would have reluctantly feigned satiation as others eagerly dug into their second slice of rich Chocolate Salami. Perhaps sadly for my husband, those days are gone. Now, I wear stretchy tights with cute mid-thigh long tunics, I attend parties on an empty stomach, and I never pass up a second slice of a decadent dessert unless I just have absolutely no room left in my tummy. Consequently, I risk gravity driving my heft deep into Mother Earth if I linger on my lawn for too long. I have only myself to blame, for I am but a helpless hedonist lost in a sea of holiday goodies. My parents visit has brought an additional element of voracity to this already filling tale because they did not arrive alone. Opening up their suitcase was tantamount to prying open a time capsule and revisiting every single traditional Christmas treat of my Italian youth. Out came a panettone, the sweetened dome-shaped bread loaf brimming with raisins and candied fruit. Here was a pandoro, the soft and airy eight-pointed star-shaped cake that is served with generous amounts of powdered sugar. Make way for the slab of torrone, a confection made with honey, sugar, egg whites, and toasted almonds. And leave a little room for the panforte, the Italian equivalent of fruitcake. My oh my. And lets not even mention the endless array of chocolate bars. My oh my, indeed. I felt like the proverbial kid in a candy store. And Ive been acting as such. Somehow, I sense an abundance of protein shake-replacement meals and a consistent exercise routine in my immediate future. Perhaps even as early as next year. In the meantime, would anyone care for a chocolate crackle cookie? ------------- Frittata with Butternut Squash & Potatoes Rich and filling, this frittata goes a long way towards creating unbelievably tasty sustenance for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. I like to serve it with some good crusty bread and broccoli. Makes 6 servings. 12 small waxy potatoes (about 1 pounds), washed and quartered 1 cup chicken or vegetarian broth 2 tablespoons olive oil 1, 2-pound butternut squash, skin and innards removed and cut into -inch cubes 8 large eggs 1 cup (about 3 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Place the potatoes and broth in an oven-friendly saute or cast iron pan. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, turning the potatoes often until the stock is completely absorbed and the potatoes are tender. Set aside to cool. As the potatoes cook, add the oil and butternut squash cubes to a large, 12-inch frying pan. Cook uncovered over medium heat for 15-20 minutes, turning frequently, until the cubes are soft and lightly browned. Set aside to cool. Preheat the oven to 400 F, and add the cooked butternut squash to the cast iron pan containing the potatoes. Beat the eggs with salt, pepper and half the Parmigiano in a medium-sized bowl. Pour over the vegetables in the cast iron pan. Place in the oven and lower the temperature to 375 F. Bake for 25 minutes, until the eggs look cooked and solid. Remove from oven, turn on the broiler and adjust the oven shelf to immediately below the broiler. Sprinkle the remaining Parmigiano on top of the frittata and run the cast iron skillet under the broiler until the top is bronzed. Allow pan to cool before slicing into wedges or squares. ------------- Chocolate Salami This delicious chocolate confection has become one of my familys Christmas traditions. It offers the velvety decadence of good quality chocolate and the satisfying crunch of a cookie. Plus, it has a very fun and dramatic appearance, which adds a little oomph to the end of any meal. Makes 10-12 servings. 24 butter cookies, broken 12 ounces semisweet chocolate 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened cup Marsala wine (coffee may be substituted) 2 egg yolks cup slivered almonds, toasted 1 cup of powdered sugar With a rolling pin, gently crush the cookies in a plastic freezer bag. Place the chocolate in a double boiler along with 2 tablespoons of butter and the optional Marsala and cook, stirring occasionally, until melted. (Alternatively, you can use a medium-sized bowl over a small pan.) Remove the bowl from the heat and allow the chocolate to cool down for a few minutes before adding the yolks. Mix well and then add the remaining butter, a few tablespoons at a time. Add the crushed cookies to the chocolate mixture and stir well. Add the almond slivers and stir well once again. Place the bowl in the refrigerator to harden for 1 hour. Place the powdered sugar into a shallow pan and set aside until ready to serve. Transfer the chocolate/cookie mixture onto slightly-oiled waxed paper. Shape it into a sausage, tapering the ends so that it looks like a salami. Wrap in clear food wrap and freeze for 5 hours. When ready to serve, gently and carefully roll the salami in the cookie/ground almond mixture until it is evenly coated. Transfer to a cutting board and allow it to thaw for 1 hour before slicing and serving. Serena Cosmo is a writer, food educator and blogger. You can find her on www.rusticplate.com and on Facebook at Rustic Plate. A native of the Piedmont region of Northwest Italy, she lives in Auburn with her husband, two daughters, a dog, a cat, two goldfish, three fresh water snails, and 27 wooden cooking spoons. Home Two wheelers Hero Electric Offers 100 E-Bikes For Free Rides In Delhi oi-Ajinkya Hero Electric is trying to prove people that their e-bikes can be used for commuting within city limits. Delhi Government has implemented an odd/even vehicle rule to curb pollution. State officials believe that more people could opt for electric vehicles in the country soon. The Indian two-wheeler manufacturer is offering its e-bikes to people for free commutes. Hero Electric has deployed over 100 e-bikes in Delhi for effortless transportation. Commuters will also experience cleaner and non-polluting means of travel. 'Free and Clean Ride' is the name of the new initiative from Hero Electric in Delhi. Present at the flag off from Delhi Secretariat was Satyendra Kumar Jain, Minister of Health and Industry, Delhi. Also, present at the event was Sohinder Gill, CEO Hero Electric. The e-bikes will be deployed at various locations and roughly five bikes will be available at a single spot. Hero Electric will be offering free rides from most Metro stations in Delhi. E-bikes will be available only between 8 AM to 12 PM and 4 PM to 8 PM. Riders will be designated for each e-bike and will adorn a uniform as well. Based on initial response Hero Electric could increase its fleet to serve more individuals. Currently, Free and Clean Ride initiative will be tested from January 1 to 15, 2016 in Delhi. Foods of fall: Sweet potatoes There are many great foods that we enjoy in the fall. Apples, leafy greens, and of course, one of my favorites, sweet potatoes. Best known... Planning for Santas visit Here at the Early County Museum, weve jotted down our wish list for Santa, and we all wished for the same thing snow! We... A visit to Lake Kolomoki Ranger Lauren Bryant couldnt help but notice young Khalil's casting skills while making rounds Saturday morning. When visiting from Atlanta his grandparents say this is... Fall weather brings unwanted guests We welcome the cooler temperatures of fall, but the unwanted house guests that often appear are not so welcomed. Insects including roaches and other types... Gov. Rick Snyder declared a state of emergency for Flint and Genesee County Tuesday as a result of the contaminated drinking water crisis, on the same day the U.S. Attorneys Office confirmed it is investigating the contamination of Flints drinking water supply. Snyders office issued a news release late Tuesday saying the governor made the declaration due to the ongoing health and safety issues caused by lead in the city of Flints drinking water. and activated the state Emergency Operations Center. [] By declaring a state of emergency, Snyder has made available all state resources in cooperation with local response and recovery operations, the news release said. The declaration authorizes the emergency management and homeland security division of the Michigan State Police to coordinate state efforts. The health and welfare of Flint residents is a top priority and were committed to a coordinated approach with resources from state agencies to address all aspects of this situation, Snyder said in the release. Working in full partnership with the Flint Water Advisory Task Force, all levels of government and water quality experts, we will find both short-term and long-term solutions to ensure the health and safety of Flint residents. The emergency declaration also sets the stage for possible federal aid. Under the law, the governor can ask the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to conduct a damage assessment that would be used as a basis for determining eligibility for federal aid. If state and local resources are unable to cope with the emergency, the Governor may request federal assistance, Snyder spokesman Dave Murray said. We will continue to look for all avenues for potential assistance for Flint as part of our collaborative efforts to protect the health and welfare of children and all residents. Apple CEO Tim Cook brought the encryption battle between the high-tech industry and the nations law enforcement authorities to prime time TV Sunday in an interview on the CBS news program 60 Minutes. During the interview, Charlie Rose asked Cook about the need for law enforcement agencies to access data that has been encrypted on Apple phones. Theres all kinds of sensitive information on smartphones today, Cook noted. You should have the ability to protect it. The only way we know how to do that is to encrypt it. Apple will comply with any warrants served on it by law enforcement authorities as its required to do by law, Cook said, but in the case of encrypted communication, we dont have it to give. Going Dark That snag is whats frustrating law enforcement authorities. Unfortunately, the law hasnt kept pace with technology, and this disconnect has created a significant public safety problem, FBI Director James B. Comey said last year in an address at the Brookings Institute. We call it Going Dark, and what it means is this: Those charged with protecting our people arent always able to access the evidence we need to prosecute crime and prevent terrorism, even with lawful authority, he explained. We have the legal authority to intercept and access communications and information pursuant to court order, but we often lack the technical ability to do so, Comey added. Framing the encryption issue as one of either privacy or security is oversimplifying the issue, Cook told Rose. Were America, he said. We should have both. Banning Locks A proposal to protect our security by weakening our security is going in the wrong direction, said Cindy Cohn, exective director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. If the government were to suggest that no one put locks on their doors because if we were a terrorist it would be harder to get into our house, we would think that was a bad idea, she told TechNewsWorld. This is pretty much the digital equivalent of that, Cohn maintained. Binary Issue Although Director Comey has said in several public forums that a compromise is possible on the encryption issue, others are less sanguine about that prospect. I dont know what compromise means in this context, Cohn said. If compromise means compromising the security of your encryption, then thats not a compromise. There is no compromise in sight, said Berin Szoka, president of TechFreedom. This is really a binary issue. Are you going to allow end-to-end encyption by the operating system makers or not? he asked. Once you say no, Szoka told TechNewsWorld, you start down this road without stopping the really smart bad guys from continuing to use encryption on their devices. Resource Allocation If government law enforcement agencies are looking for an encryption compromise, maybe they should look outside the tech sector for it, suggested Yorgen Edholm, CEO of Accellion. Encryption can always be broken by people who have supercomputers the government has more supercomputers than anyone else, he told TechNewsWorld. So the government has the resources to decrypt anything. Its just that those resources have to be made available to local law enforcement, said Edholm. That compromise wouldnt make it easier to for the bad guys to get into my privacy just because the government wants to have the computer equivalent of a wiretap, he added. The Greed Card If the U.S. high-tech industry were forced to use weaker encryption, it could affect business abroad. Edward Snowdens revelations about U.S. government agencies vacuuming data on the Internet already has cost domestic companies millions in overseas business. Despite potential losses, high-tech companies should change their business model when it comes to encryption, FBI Director Comey recently told a U.S. Senate panel. Also, encryption isnt just a technical feature its a marketing pitch, he noted in his Brookingsspeech. What hes trying to do is distract from the fact that hes trying to ban a technology that secures Americans communications every day, sais TechFreedoms Szoka.Hes trying to reframe the issue as one of corporate greed, which is asinine. Chinese President Xi Jinping recently told an international delegation of cybersecurity and technology experts that governments must be allowed to exercise sovereign rights and decision making over Internet use within their own countries. Speaking earlier this month at the second annual World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, China, the president effectively called for a revised order in Internet governance. One nation should not be empowered to call all the shots, requiring less-advanced countries to abide by its rules, he maintained. The principle of sovereign equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations is one of the basic norms of contemporary international relations, Xi told attendees at the conference. It covers all aspects of state-to-state relations, which also include cyberspace. A Growing Internet Power China is beginning to flex its muscle as a powerful player in the global Internet discussion, as the country is considered the worlds biggest growth market in Internet commerce and has the single largest population of people on earth, with more than 1.3 billion. We should respect the right of individual countries to independently choose their own path of cyber development and model of cyber regulation and participate in international cyberspace governance on an equal footing Xi said, according to text released by the Xinhua news agency. Xi was communicating what China considers its right as a sovereign nation to exercise control over commerce and communications coming into and out of that country, said cybersecurity expert William Hagestad, who attended the conference. Xis mandate, which stems from a Politburo-approved national security law approved this summer, is more about ensuring the national security, stability and sovereignty of communist Chinas Internet, Hagestad told TechNewsWorld. However, the speech could be laying the groundwork for a more repressive regime that will monitor and regulate the Internet even more closely. It sounds like this is the first step towards creating a censored environment, at the very least, tech analyst Jeff Kagan told TechNewsWorld. Open Markets, Closed Expression While they do support a market freedom agenda and seem to be applying that to the Internet, the government still cracks down on freedom of expression of their citizens, said Carolina Rossini, vice president international relations at Public Knowledge. During the World Conference on International Telecommunications in 2012, for example, China, Russia and other countries tried to redefine the Net as a series of state-controlled and supervised networks, she told TechNewsWorld. In negotiations on the future of the knowledge society, which took place during the World Summit on the Information Society at the United Nations earlier this month, China attempted to water down human rights language, Rossini noted. So I do not feel this message [from Xi] represents any change or support of human rights. It actually expresses the hard reality that users face in China every day, and also a lack of willingness of China to accept the Internet as core public good for societal growth. Amnesty International put out a statement prior to the start of the Internet conference in China, urging technology companies to reject the governments policies on Internet use. The human rights organization called China one of the most repressive regimes in the world when it came to free speech and open use of the Internet. China recently tried to get technology companies to sign a pledge that would guarantee the storage of data within China, along with a promise not to harm Chinas national security, the group noted. Tech companies must not turn a blind eye to such repression, said Roseann Rife, East Asia research director at Amnesty International, or give credence to any notion of Internet sovereignty that is an attack on the rights to freedom of expression or privacy. A Brazilian judge on Thursday lifted the ban a different judge had imposed on WhatsApp hours earlier, according to reports. It did not seem reasonable to affect millions of users to penalize Facebook, WhatsApps owner, for failing to cooperate with judicial rulings, the judge reportedly said, suggesting that the imposition of a larger fine would have been more appropriate. The ruling reversed the decision of a judge in Sao Paulo, Brazil, who on Wednesday had ordered the 48-hour suspension of WhatsApp services starting at midnight. The suspension was meant to penalize Facebook for ignoring two previous judicial rulings to turn over information in a criminal investigation. Facebook had refused to supply the data despite having been hit with a fine. The temporary suspension of services spurred about 1.5 million Brazilians to sign up for WhatsApp rival Telegram Messenger, sparked outbursts in the Brazilian Congress, and inspired the sardonic #In these 48 hours I will, according to reports. Were disappointed that a judge would punish more than 100 million people across Brazil, since we were unable to turn over information we didnt have, a WhatsApp spokesperson said in a statement provided to the E-Commerce Times by spokesperson Matt Steinfeld. I am stunned that our efforts to protect peoples data would result in such an extreme decision . We hope the Brazilian courts quickly reverse course, wrote Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The Brazilian government wants to clamp down on the Internet and social media, according to media reports. Some of the countrys telcos are similarly inclined, for their own reasons, but theyre opposed by the Brazilian telecommunications authority and at least one other telco, as well as by ordinary Brazilians, who reportedly pay through the nose for wireless services. Leading Up to the Ban The controversy that resulted in the ban stemmed from the case of a drug trafficker linked to the PCC, one of Sao Paulos most dangerous criminal gangs, who allegedly used WhatsApp in the commission of crimes. Judge Sandra Regina Nostre Marques reportedly ordered the 48-hour shutdown of WhatsApp because of Facebooks refusal to share data on the drug trafficker. The ban affected not only Brazilians, but also users in nearby Chile and Argentina. Failure to Comply Facebook could not provide the information the court demanded, because WhatsApps uses a store-and-forward model, which means messages are deleted from its servers once they have been delivered. Those messages cant be retrieved from the servers, which essentially function as routers. WhatsApp chats are backed up automatically and saved daily in the users phone memory storage. Users also can back up chats to online storage. Political Maneuvering? Vivo, Brazils leading wireless operator has always been calling for heavy-handed regulation against WhatsApp because it considers WhatsApp and other over-the-top services are getting a free ride, said Ronald Gruia, director of emerging telecoms at Frost & Sullivan. The companys stance lines up with the position of the government, which wants more regulation for its own political interest, Gruia told the E-Commerce Times. Its approval rating is about 10 percent, and its increasingly faced with scrutiny over various scandals, and a lot of the mobilization thats been happening against it has occurred over social media, which it cant control, he said. TV and radio it can control. Anatel, Brazils equivalent of the United States Federal Communications Commission, says operators around the world are dealing with messaging apps, so Brazilian carriers must deal with it, Gruia continued. Oi, Brazils third or fourth largest telco, takes the same position as Anatel, he noted. On the other hand, the ban on WhatsApp could have been merely an attempt by the judge to gain publicity, because the judge probably knew the ruling would be struck down, Gruia commented. Voc No Passar! Given the climate of terrorism and the widespread unrest in the world, other governments, including the U.S. government, are taking the same position as Brazils, suggested Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group. Its a shortcut to evidence, and one thing thats true of pretty much everyone in any industry is that we all like shortcuts, he told the E-Commerce Times. However, Brazils social media might remain free for a while yet. There wont necessarily be a clampdown, just more heavy-handed censorship, Gruia said. Its a non-starter, and the government has bigger fish to fry. Germany on Tuesday announced that Googles YouTube, Facebook and Twitter have agreed to its demands to remove hate speech appearing on their networks within 24 hours after a removal request has been made. That follows a sharp increase in anti-foreigner statements on the Internet in Germany as refugees from the Middle East stream into the country.More than a million refugees reportedly have entered Germany this year. The measures include best practice mechanisms that FSM, a nonprofit association dedicated to the protection of minors, and its members, including Google, have developed. They will not impede freedom of speech, and all legitimate expressions of opinion, even if theyre objectionable, are protected, according to the agreement. All measures to address hate speech must take human rights into account. What the Agreement Entails By mid-2016, Google, Facebook and Twitter will have to provide user-friendly mechanisms for the submission of removal requests. They will enforce their terms and conditions by reviewing specific reports of hateful content and incitement to violence under both their community guidelines, and German law, particularly Section 130 of the German criminal code. When a removal request is received, dedicated teams at the companies have to review it. Most content must be reviewed within 24 hours and removed, if necessary. The companies will be given access to German-speaking experts, if required, and they must have legal specialists on tap to provide any required legal analysis. They must take appropriate action against users and content that violates locally applicable laws including, where warranted, removing the illegal content and suspending user accounts. The companies must maintain and implement robust and transparent terms and conditions regarding how they address content that promotes hatred or incites violence, and encourage reporting and flagging at scale. Setting a Precedent While we understand companies compliance with the law, this sets a bad precedent in that it likely implements systems that could be used by other governments with less noble intentions, said Jillian York, director for international freedom of expression at theElectronic Frontier Foundation. Such a ruling would not be acceptable in the United States, where hate speech is not illegal, she told TechNewsWorld. Indeed, speech that could be considered hate speech such as ananti-Muslim statementDonald Trump made earlier this month that was still available on YouTube at publication time is disseminated widely in the U.S., under the aegis of freedom of expression. The Companies Reactions Theres no place for content such as hate speech, incitement or glorification of violence on Facebook, company spokesperson Tina Kulow said. We urge people to use our reporting tools if they find content that they believe violates our standards so we can investigate and take swift action, she told TechNewsWorld. Facebooks Hate Speech Saga Theres nothing new in the agreement with Germany, Kulow said. Many people already use our reporting tools to report hate speech, and we already do complete the review of the vast majority of these reports within 24 hours. However, Facebook reportedly hasdeclined to remove Trumps anti-Muslim video from his Facebook page, on the grounds that its part of the political discourse, although it has begun deleting some posts expressing support for Trumps stance. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg publicly expressedsupport for Muslims last week. German authorities have been after Facebook for months to clamp down on hate speech. In September, German Chancellor Angela Merkel reportedlypressed Zuckerberg on the issue at a meeting at the United Nations. Further, prosecutors in Hamburg have begun investigating Martin Ott, the head of Facebooks German operations, over the companys failure to delete posts with hateful content, Der Spiegel reported. To be really, really clear on the allegations mentioning Martin, there is no investigation, Kulow asserted. Facebook is not commenting on the status of a possible investigation, she said, but we can say that the allegations lack merit and there has been no violation of German law by Facebook or its employees. Before the Internet, messages were spread by television and newspaper ads and highway billboards. Today that is done through social media. Virtually everyone knows about it, and many people use it. Does it make any sense that a U.S. government agency could violate any laws for using social media to carry out its mission? Doesnt make sense to me. However, last month, the U.S.Government Accountability Office ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency violated federal law and took part in covert propaganda by using social media to solicit support for an Obama administration rule aimed at protecting streams and surface waters. Having followed theEPA for many years, I have always thought that the point of the agency is to help protect the environment for future generations. Using social media to help protect the nations streams and surface waters seems to make a lot of sense, particularly since the EPAs website states that its mission is to protect health and the environment. Free Speech and Social Media Over the years, many people have filed lawsuits involving libel, slander and even revenge porn related to anonymous social media postings. Since under the U.S. Constitution, the First Amendment gives everyone the right to free speech, the principles should apply to social media. However, when these types of cases were first filed in the 1990s, they routinely failed, maybe because judges didnt understand or lawyers were not good at explaining their claims, or both. Then around 2000, U.S. courts accepted what was called cybersmear as a legitimate legal claim. However, if there was a grain of truth to a statement in question, it was not considered cybersmear. For example, if a posting stated that an EPA commissioner was incompetent, which is an opinion, that posting would be considered free speech under the First Amendment. However, a posting stating that the commissioner is a convicted felon, if untrue, would be not be protected free speech. The standard also is different for a public figure than for a private citizen. In 1964, the Supreme Court decided in New York Times v. Sullivan that slander or libel directed at a public figure is entitled to less protection than a nonpublic figure. Based on the Sullivan standard, the EPA is open to criticism, but whether is violating a federal law is altogether different. EPA Doesnt Back Down Last month, EPA spokesperson Liz Purchia posted a blog on the EPA website defending the agencys use of the GSA-approved Thunderclap social media platform to get the word out about our historic Clean Water Rule a law to better protect the streams and wetlands that are the foundation of our nations water resources. The page on Thunderclap included the EPA logo and byline with this message: Clean Water is important to me. I support EPAs efforts to protect it for my health, my family, and my community, she said. The EPA Thunderclap page was linked to an EPA website with information about the rule. We shared this page with all of our stakeholders no matter what sector, geographic location, or perspective with the goal of catalyzing our public engagement process, and getting people excited about the importance of clean water, Purchia said. Apparently the EPA is not backing down. Senate Inquiry The GAO is the investigative arm of the Congress, which is currently controlled by the Republican Party. This inquiry began last year when the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee requested that the GAO review the EPAs use of social media, and in particular Thunderclap. During the inquiry, Sen. James M. Inhofe of Oklahoma, the committee chairman, requested that the GAO expand its inquiry to examine whether EPAs activities constituted prohibited covert propaganda or publicity. Other senators requested more information. The GAOs finding confirms what I have long suspected, that EPA will go to extreme lengths and even violate the law to promote its activist environmental agenda, Inhofe said after the GAO submitted its 26-page report last month. The Senate committee took note of other highlights of the GAO report about the EPA. We conclude that EPAs use of Thunderclap constitutes covert propaganda, in violation of the publicity or propaganda prohibition, the report says. We conclude that EPA violated the anti-lobbying provisions contained in appropriations acts for FY 2015 when it obligated and expended funds in connection with establishing the hyperlinks to the webpages of environmental action groups, it maintains. Because EPA obligated and expended appropriated funds in violation of specific prohibitions, we also conclude that EPA violated the Antideficiency Act, 31 U.S.C. 1341(a)(1)(A), as the agencys appropriations were not available for these prohibited purposes, the report says. Next Steps Congress seems to have made this more political than legal in nature, which means there likely will be a political resolution rather than a lawsuit between the GAO and the EPA. Regardless of how the issue is resolved, the legal issues presented are interesting and could result in more scrutiny of other U.S. agencies and their use of social media, giving other agencies free rein over social media use, or something in between. 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Charlie Hebdo is commemorating a year since the shooting at its headquarters triggered more violence carried out by perpetrators in the name of Islam. And the latest front cover of the satirical magazine is taking flak from Christian and Muslim believers. The publishers put a million magazine copies on newsstands in France Jan. 6 with a cover featuring a bearded Kalashnikov-bearing blood-stained religious figure accompanied by the text: "One year on: the assassin is still out there." The bearded figure represents God, Riss the edtior of Charlie Hebdo told CNN. As the special anniversary issue of Charlie Hebdo hit the stands, its publication marked a year of carnage which started on the morning of Jan. 7, reported Ireland's Independent newspaper. Then, to the horror of the watching world, Islamist terrorists calmly murdered 12 people in Paris for the crime of offending their religion before moving on to a kosher deli to murder a further five people for the crime of being Jewish. The Vatican daily newspaper Osservatore Romano commented Charlie Hebdo's treatment of religion "is not new," while noting that religious figures have repeatedly condemned violence in the name of God. "Behind the deceptive flag of uncompromising secularism, the weekly is forgetting once more what religious leaders of every faith unceasingly repeat to reject violence in the name of religion -- using God to justify hatred is a genuine blasphemy, as Pope Francis has said several times," said the Vatican paper. "In Charlie Hebdo's choice, there is the sad paradox of a world which is more and more sensitive about being politically correct, almost to the point of ridicule, yet does not wish to acknowledge or to respect believers' faith in God, regardless of the religion." The special edition of Charlie Hebdo marks one year since brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi burst into magazine's offices in Paris embarking on their killing spree. The attack on Jan.7, 2015 was claimed by al-Qaida's branch in the Arabian Peninsula and followed a 2011 firebombing of the Charlie Hebdo offices forcing it to seek new premises. Police protection was needed for the staff from the date it published cartoons ridiculing the prophet Muhammad in 2006. Pope Francis condemned killing in God's name after the attack but said religion should not be insulted. "To kill in the name of God is an absurdity," Francis told reporters on the papal plane on an Asian tour. The latest Charlie Hebdo cover is one of many efforts to commemorate the 17 people killed over three days of shootings. French President Francois Hollande unveiled plaques with the names of victims at various locations in the city. The plaque outside the offices of Charlie Hebdo lists 12 names, one for each of the staffers killed there. Hollande also participated in ceremonies for a policeman who was killed in pursuit of the attackers and for four shoppers killed at a Jewish market, Time magazine reported. The brazenness of the attack, much of it captured on camera, ensured that an ominous start to the New Year. "As we now know, it was only the first assault in a wave of attacks in the last 12 months," commented Ian O'Doherty in the Irish Independent. It, "included the slaughter of tourists in Tunisia, a downed Russian passenger jet in Egypt, the San Bernardino mass shootings and, of course, what is now known simply as the 'Bataclan massacre', when Paris was once more targeted in an operation which left more than 130 innocent gig-goers and Friday night revelers dead." Abdallah Zakri of France's Observatory against Islamophobia denounced the Jan. 6 Charlie Hebdo cover as: "Violent and very insulting towards religion." "Of course, it's not violent in the least, especially when placed in the context of a magazine which had most of its staff murdered. "That, by any rational definition, is violence - on the other hand, a cartoon is simply a cartoon, no matter how much it may infuriate you," wrote O'Doherty. But American commentator Bill Donohue, was scathing of Charly Hebdo's cover one year after the massacre. "The publisher of Charlie Hebdo, Stephane Charbonnier, was among the 12 people killed in Paris on Jan. 7 last year. The New York Times described him as a 'staunch left-wing activist, raised in a family of communists.' He was also an unrelenting bigot," wrote Donohue, a conservative Catholic. "Charb, as he was known, did not deserve to be shot, but attempts to lionize him are grossly misplaced. Make no mistake about it, he was no martyr - he was a narcissist who deliberately taunted people of faith in a vile fashion," Donohue writes in Newsmax. "Eight of the staffers were killed in the massacre, Now Charb's successor, Laurent 'Riss' Sourisseau, is capitalizing on the killings by publishing an anniversary issue," he says. Congress managed to finish the hard work of writing and passing the Every Student Succeeds Act, but the U.S. Department of Educations task of regulating to carry out the new law is just beginning. The Obama administration has just a year left in office. But in that time, it can help set the course for implementation of the newest edition of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The law will go fully into effect in the 2017-18 school year, well after the acting U.S. secretary of education, John King, and his team have departed. ESSAs regulatory process may be particularly tricky. The law seeks to strike a delicate balance between handing power over to the states and reining in the Education Department, on the one hand, while also ensuring there some guardrails are in place to help struggling schools and traditionally overlooked groups of students. And plenty of weedybut importantprovisions in ESSA may be explored or clarified through the regulatory process, such as just at what point states must flag schools where traditionally underperforming subgroups of students are struggling. Its unclear at this point how far the department can or will go in filling in the blanks for states. The law includes new curbs on the education secretarys authority, and it could take some time before it becomes clear how those provisions are going to play out politicallyand maybe even legally. King, who took over his new duties late last month, said that the department still has plenty of leverage, and that equity will be a key focus going forward. This new law preserves the federal levers to withhold funds from states or put them on high-risk [status]. And our Justice Department will be leaning in to make sure folks honor their obligation to promote equity, King said in a short speech addressed to the NAACP and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Restrictions on Authority But Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., the chairman of his chambers education committee and a lead architect of ESSA, said there are specific prohibitions on the departments authority. Whats more, he said, Congress will be watching to ensure that regulation and implementation are proceeding as intended. He and his Democratic counterpart, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, are planning for at least three major oversight hearings on implementation over the next year. The Education Department is wasting no time in getting started on the regulatory process. In late December, it outlined some steps for transitioning to the new law from the previous version of the ESEA, the widely criticized No Child Left Behind Act, as well as from the Obama administrations NCLB waivers. The new law already makes it clear that regulations for three areasstandards, assessments, and supplement not supplant rules (which govern how federal aid can or cant replace state and local funds)need to go through negotiated rulemaking, which calls for education advocates and the department to get in a room and try to hash out an agreement. If that process fails, which it often does, ESSA allows Congress to review the regulations in those three areas before they take effect. That unusual requirement is designed to further restrict the federal role, a Senate GOP aide said. The Education Department is asking for ideas and input on assessments and the supplement-not-supplant rules, as well as Title I, the part of the law that deals with accountability more generally. Importantly, accountability doesnt have to go through negotiated rulemaking; the process can be more streamlined. More broadly, the department is seeking input from state schools chiefs, teachers unions, the civil rights community, and others. Two public meetings, one in Washington and one in Los Angeles, will be held this month for educators and others to express their views. Advocates Weigh In Noelle Ellerson, the associate director of policy and advocacy for AASA, the School Administrators Association, which enthusiastically supported ESSA, said she sees a theme in the new law that she hopes will be carried through the regulatory process. One of the framing principles of ESSA was to rein in the regulating authority of the Education Department, Ellerson said. It seems pretty shortsighted that a department would try to regulate to the max on everything they can. Just because they can doesnt they mean they should. But Liz King, the director of education policy for the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, which gave ESSA a measured endorsement, has a different take. I think the text is pretty clear that there are limitations on the limitations, King said. And the prohibitions were crafted with care to ensure a continued federal role in looking out for equity, she added. The secretary, she said, retains a reasonable authority to regulate and enforce the law. ... The straitjacket people are looking for doesnt really exist. Waivers on Way Out ESSA also makes it clear that waivers from the No Child Left Behind law will be null and void on Aug. 1. So the Obama administration is focusing the last few months of waiver implementation on the pieces that most closely resemble where states will go under ESSAschool improvement, and standards and assessmentswhile stepping back on federal enforcement in a big way on teacher evaluation through student outcomes, which wont be required under the new law. But states that had issues with school improvement or standards still must get the department information it has requested. And ESSA is clear that states must keep focused on fixing foundering schools and those with big achievement gaps during this transition time. Select the Times' Boys and Girls Athletes of the Week for Oct. 10-16 Ely, Cambridgeshire is best known for its majestic cathedral dubbed the 'Ship of the Fens' because it dominates the flat landscape. The city, which is the second smallest in England, is about 14 miles north-northeast of Cambridge and about 80 miles by road from London. 17:55, 17 OCT 2022 Before the children were born Paul and I had some wonderful holidays abroad including trips to Australia, Florida, Egypt and Rome. I loved most of them for different reasons, I wasnt hugely taken with Florida but thats because everything was geared up towards driving; such as drive thru banks, chemists, coffee shops and we were unable to even go to a local restaurant without driving as there were no paths or street lights. For us then a holiday was about exploring the surroundings, taking in the culture, walking around and seeing as many places as we could and then of course eating the local foods so Florida just didnt tick the correct boxes for us (we had gone with Pauls parents and brothers). We went to Australia to visit Pauls cousin and spent 3 weeks travelling between Sydney and Brisbane, it was an amazing holiday. This holiday was more of a driving around holiday but we did get to visit many places and see so many sites while there. It is a place we are desperate to take the children to visit but due to the long flight and the costs during the school holidays its not on the agenda for many many years sadly. Egypt was our honeymoon destination. A fantastic place with so much history attached, we spent our 2 weeks relaxing by the pool in our all inclusive hotel for part of the time, exploring Sharm el Sheik and then traveling to Luxor and Cairo for the rest of the holiday. We saw the temples, Pyramids and even had dinner with the Bedwin in the dessert and rode on camels. It was a holiday to remember but not really a place I am keen to revisit with the children. Rome on the other hand is a place I am desperate to take the children, or at least Italy. I know they would have an amazing time. We walked everywhere while there, visiting all the sites and staying just opposite the Trevi fountain. It was only a weeks stay and we would love to return and of course the food was just amazing! Our favourite Pizzeria in Rome made me remember our holiday to Rome and I started to show the children our photos from our holiday and talk to them about the places we visited while there. When Expedia got in touch recently to ask if I would like to join in with their World on a Plate Challenge I was happy to get involved. The #expediaworldonaplate challenge is to create foods from a chosen country of course looking at the package holidays to Italy made me remember our holiday to Rome and I started to show the children our photos from our holiday and talk to them about the places we visited while there. We eat homemade pizzas all the time as I prefer them to the store ones and the children can then choose their own toppings and Bolognese and carbonara are favourites of ours so I tried to create something they hadnt tried before. I went with my favourite of Tomato and Mozzarella for a starter, Harry devoured this and Emmy ate a little, but I was pleased she tried. This is very easy to make but so tasty. Ingredients: Buffalo Tomatoes Mozzarella ball Fresh Basil Balsamic vinegar Slice the Tomatoes and Mozzarella up and layer onto a plate, add the Basil and drizzle with Balsamic vinegar. A very basic starter but one I could eat daily. I followed this with Italian Stuffed Chicken Breasts served with on a bed of Linguine. Ingredients: 4 x skinless & boneless Chicken breasts 200g tub of full-fat soft cheese 3 Tbsp of Sundried Tomatoes, chopped 1 clove of Garlic, chopped 1 tsp of Mixed Herbs 2/3 Large Ripe Tomatoes, sliced Salt & Pepper to season Olive Oil Linguine cook as per packet instructions Cooking Method: Pre-heat the oven to 220C Add the Linguine to a pan of boiling water as per packet instructions (drain once cooked) Chop the Sundried, crush the clove of Garlic and mixed together with the soft Cheese Slice the Chicken breasts along the side and stuff with the mixed filling Add the sliced Tomatoes overlapped onto the top of the Chicken breasts Season to taste and sprinkle with the mixed herbs and Olive Oil I then wrapped these in kitchen foil and baked for 20 minutes next time however I would just lay onto a baking tray and roast in the over without covering. Serve the Linguine onto plates first to make a bed and then add the Chicken breasts onto. Drizzle with a little Olive Oil if you wish and serve. This dish was very filling and everyone enjoyed. You could also serve this with a fresh green tossed salad and Potato & Rosemary Focaccia bread (which is next on my must cook list as it looks delicious). I followed our main meal with a recipe I found on Food Wishes Blog for a Tiramisu Chocolate Mouse which I made in advance and ate once the chicken were in bed, well make with Rum and Espresso there was no way the children were trying this one. It was so delicious that I completely forgot to take a picture of it, but if you pop over to Food Wishes using the above link you will see just how scrumptious it looks and it tastes just as awesome. This is a collaborative post Another swiss hating rant... Before I get stuck in to my rant Im from England, I am far from perfect and so is my country and if I could of back to my country I would.. So decided to vent off some steam here, oh and before its pointed out yes my spelling, grammar and punctuation is horrific. brief introduction to my situation and why I feel like I do. I'm 31 met a swiss girl in England 8 years ago and moved over to start a new life with her. Had the big swiss alps wedding started working for a carpentry company had our daughter things were looking good. After a year here my back went and I found out I had 3 herniated disk had an operation made things worse. Lost my job and spent the next year and a half in bed. As soon as I was out of work I started to see the change in swiss attitude toward me Very unsympathetic and slightly racist "if your not working what are u doing in switzerland" and the swiss view on foreign invalids became clear! So I managed to kick the morphine and spent the next 3 years being the house man raising my daughter while my wife worked. My daughter started nursery I became depressed as it was clear no one would employ a 40% iv invalid ex roofer and carpenter. Decided to move from schiers in grabunden to Bern city in hope to find work. So after another two years searching for any slight possibility of a carear and a future the stress became to much and I separated from my wife moving up the road so I could be close to my daughter. Went into mega depression drinking a bottle of whiskey every day for about a year the decided it I'm going home to the UK spent a month there and couldn't stand to be away from my daughter so moved back with debt hanging over me no one would give me an apartment and with no friends I spent 2 months on the street homeless. Then in September last year I gave up [deleted] Finally decided I'll try again to live off the penuts the social give me found a tiny one bed flat as far in the mountains as I could as it was clear no one would give me a chance of work in the city. So now iv given up completely doctors got me on tamesta for anxiety and some depression pills. So I sit with my head in the sand completely alone the only highlight of my miserable existance is my daughter visiting every 2 weeks. I have given my blood sweat and tears to stay in this country but my only option after it all is to go home but I just can bring my self to leave my daughter.. So that out the way these are some of the reasons I can't stand this place and the people I hate that I spent 1000fr on high German when my co workers redfused to speak it with me then had to learn grabunden dialect swiss then had to learn Bern dialect. I hate that all the many back specialists I met were so un interested and so very clearly racist. I hate how the swiss have there circles of friends that are impenetrable by outsiders. I hate how money and being on time for everything is so important nto these people. I hate how people find it impossible to smile. I hate how the social system I'm forced to live on expect me to live on peanuts. I hate so many more things but I'm not sure it will help to list them all. generally i just hate how this country has absolutely no heart and no soul and is so extremely racist. I used to be the most indestructible positive happy person but I'm all out of fight and switzerland has won... Anyway that will do I think! Got it of my chest. Anyone who feels the same about this country and feels alone pm me maybe we can chat and find some positivity to share! Last edited by glowjupiter; 06.01.2016 at 18:01 . Reason: Do not post this kind of information on EF. Quote: neddy Wool delivery from Ice Yarns is extremely quick to Switzerland Quote: Blueangel Yes, yes yes!!!! It strikes me that you're a good combination of private and sociable, and still like to get 'lost' in a big city. Back in the 80's, there used to be a Patons wool shop in every town and city in the U.K. In Zurich, you will still find an abundance of wool and craft shops, and plenty of local knitting circle groups that meet once or twice a week. If you make even the slightest attempt to speak to a Swiss person (when they're not busy working), I've found that they will happily correct your pronounciation and it strikes me that you will appreciate their naturally reserved nature. It can feel like that at times, but there's always a bargain to be had if you put the effort in and it becomes a (happy) challenge. It took me 7 weeks to find menthol cigarette filters as there's only one shop in the entire city that sells them. I'm still searching for anti-bacterial Dettol kitchen cleaner and HP sauce. In the U.K., I rarely went to secondhand and charity shops, but the Brockis in Zurich are a completely different kettle of fish and I've spent quite a bit in them. Bahnhoffstrasse is Zurich's Oxford Street and there's some great shopping to be had...but then you turn a corner and find a myriad of beautiful back streets and squares that remind you you're in Switzerland. A week after we arrived, I upset my other half by saying Zurich is like Manchester on Lake Windermere Obviously, it's not, but imagine walking down Oxford Street and finding a much larger version of Lake Windermere at the bottom of the street. It's definitely not London because the transport system is far superior It's more Chelsea than Soho...unless you wander down certain sections of Langstrasse at night On the whole, Zurich is more charming and manageable than London. do you knit or crochet ?thanks for the information. How do you find good bargain or things you are difficult to find? is there any swiss site or app that are helpful for that? Last edited by glowjupiter; 06.01.2016 at 16:38 . Reason: Merging successive posts. Please use multiquote (to the right of Quote) Re: How did you end up here? I'll have to start right back in the depths of time. As a child I grew up in Newcastle right on the Banks of the Tyne. When I stood on the coalhouse roof I could see the whole sweep of the river as it curved towards the Tyne Bridge. I could also see a large tract of allotments which went down from just beyond our back lane down to the river shore. The nearest of these allotments was occupied by a Mr Iseli, from Bern who had married an English girl. I'd have to go and buy a lettuce or a cabbage from him with a penny clutched in my hand. Mr. Iseli told me all about Switzerland, I listened avidly and his descriptions always stayed with me, for me, then, my second home was already CH. Once I started collecting stamps (as did most boys then) I concentrated on Helvetia. After the war we moved immediately to London and I, a regular library goer, devoured everything about the Alps, pot holing, mountain climbing and especially swiss railways. My first sight of a Swiss mountain was on a train journey from London to Riccione in 1958. I was thrilled. (We paid 32 for two weeks full pension and had two weeks of pure sunshine). In 1958 I went dancing with a friend on leave from military mervice in Malaya, we chose the Lyceum ballroom in the Strand because it had two bands on a turntable on the stage. There I saw the most vivacious girl I'd ever seen and we spent 50 happy years together. She was from Thurgau and was in London to learn English. That's why I'm here. NB: I read a lot, knew the history of the Matterhorn and the first time it was climbed. The main Swiss guide was called Taugwalder. When I started working in Zurich there was a man by the same name. I mentioned that the Matterhorn had been climbed by a Taugwalder, he said, 'yes' he knew that. it was his great (maybe great, great grandfather!. (I'm not sure now.) He owned land in Zermatt and sold it to developers, then lived in luxury for the rest of his life. Re: How did you end up here? Was living in Montreal and had a dream job. Got offered a position with an international organization in Geneva. I was hesitant to accept it, my husband was not to keen either (was worried he wouldn't be able to practice etc). We decided to accept it (a) because of our daughter and the benefits she would get from an European exposure and (b) because my best-friend lives here and growing up together we made plans never to part. Position turned out to be a disaster, but in the end it gave me the opportunity to start my own business here. Hubby managed to open his practice within 6 months after arriving here and still happy (3 years after). Daughter - not so good, huge culture shock, troubled aged etc - will leave soon to study in the UK and we hope she'll be OK in the end. Do I regret the move? No, but still missing a lot of friends and things in Canada. Do I want to retire here? Probably not. (this may be a good topic for another thread.)... Great topic indeed. Being on this forum for a while, one gets to imagine stories behind the people. It's nice to get the chance to compare it with reality. Re: Fox News Reacts to Obama's Gun Control Speech Quote: Yeah, cos all that gun crime in Chicago is committed by people who buy their guns at gunshops. Illegally owned firearms used to commit crime on young black/Hispanic males (not a problem) Legally owned firearms used to commit crime on white children (a problem) Maybe the US should round up all black/Hispanic men and put them in jail? (Although based on recent statistics it looks like they're trying to do that already). In a closed system - no guns = no gun crime. But the system isn't closed, and they are Americans - and they're not that great at being told what to do - they get all excited, jump up and down, declare you an "enemy of democracy and/or god" and run about the place act like they're part of the Bangles defensive line (I was going for Cowboys but realized their record at Gridiron this year was woeful). For me though - my absolute favourite is their "right to bear/bare arms" - which was all well and good when the government was sent from good old Great Britain and was held in place by 36 men call Geoffrey in beautiful red uniforms. If an American (and his pet Eagle) and 9 of his closest relatives all jump in a pick up from Alabama/Nebraska - head for the capital with their 12-bores - they'd not get further than the state border before a Sheriff, State Police Officer, FBI Agent introduced them to the muzzles of more automatic rifles than is entirely necessary, a rubber gloved hand and an extensive cavity search. When I was a lad America was the promised land - it was so much better than a wet Tuesday in Stoke on Trent - and no amount of mushy peas and chips could make up for that. 30 years later - I'd take the mushy peas and chips any day of the week. Perhaps we should split gun crime into distinct groups:Illegally owned firearms used to commit crime on young black/Hispanic males (not a problem)Legally owned firearms used to commit crime on white children (a problem)Maybe the US should round up all black/Hispanic men and put them in jail?(Although based on recent statistics it looks like they're trying to do that already).In a closed system - no guns = no gun crime. But the system isn't closed, and they are Americans - and they're not that great at being told what to do - they get all excited, jump up and down, declare you an "enemy of democracy and/or god" and run about the place act like they're part of the Bangles defensive line (I was going for Cowboys but realized their record at Gridiron this year was woeful).For me though - my absolute favourite is their "right to bear/bare arms" - which was all well and good when the government was sent from good old Great Britain and was held in place by 36 men call Geoffrey in beautiful red uniforms. If an American (and his pet Eagle) and 9 of his closest relatives all jump in a pick up from Alabama/Nebraska - head for the capital with their 12-bores - they'd not get further than the state border before a Sheriff, State Police Officer, FBI Agent introduced them to the muzzles of more automatic rifles than is entirely necessary, a rubber gloved hand and an extensive cavity search.When I was a lad America was the promised land - it was so much better than a wet Tuesday in Stoke on Trent - and no amount of mushy peas and chips could make up for that.30 years later - I'd take the mushy peas and chips any day of the week. __________________ "Don't believe everything you read on the internet" Abraham Lincoln Re: Arab gang assaults in Germany Quote: Loz1983 And the reaction from the Mayor of Cologne? Women should have a "code of conduct" to prevent further assault. See the hashtag #einearmlaenge to see how well this has gone down. Are German politicians deliberately this out of touch? There, I will spell out the (for me) obvious: Sexual assault is more common than you think. It's not some Arabian cultural issue, but happens easily as often on the most German occasions imaginable, from the Oktoberfest all the way to the Cologne Carnival. It usually has to do with young men as well as women drinking too much... and that's what happened here. What is new is the sheer number and aggressiveness of last weeks events. And the other worrying thing is that the sexual assaults were clearly used as distraction to steal wallets and phones. Not all the 90 cases can be explained with it, but more than half. That's just a disgusting approach, even for criminals. On a much smaller scale has this apparently been a known issue in the local clubbing scene. A guy starts to dance very closely to a girl and touches her. She is so irritated that she won't recognize a second one stealing her stuff - that's what the major was referring to with her "arms length" comment. This major was stabbed in the throat (!) by a right winged extremist two months ago and knows more about assaults than any of us here.There, I will spell out the (for me) obvious: Sexual assault is more common than you think. It's not some Arabian cultural issue, but happens easily as often on the most German occasions imaginable, from the Oktoberfest all the way to the Cologne Carnival. It usually has to do with young men as well as women drinking too much... and that's what happened here. What is new is the sheer number and aggressiveness of last weeks events. And the other worrying thing is that the sexual assaults were clearly used as distraction to steal wallets and phones. Not all the 90 cases can be explained with it, but more than half. That's just a disgusting approach, even for criminals.On a much smaller scale has this apparently been a known issue in the local clubbing scene. A guy starts to dance very closely to a girl and touches her. She is so irritated that she won't recognize a second one stealing her stuff - that's what the major was referring to with her "arms length" comment. It's time for Doctor Who and Sherlock to cross paths, but it won't quite be in the way fans were hoping for. 'Doctor Who' Season 10: Search For Companion Is 'Massive', A Major Shake-Up Planned? Peter Capaldi's Twelve and Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock Holmes will probably never share the screen, but that doesn't mean the Doctor will never bump into Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's consulting detective. In fact, they already have. Based on the 1994 novel New Adventures by Andy Lane, Big Finish has released "All-Consuming Fire." Sylvester McCoy returns as the Seventh Doctor while Nicholas Briggs, the voice of the Daleks, takes on the role of Sherlock. 'Doctor Who' Season 10: Cynical Twelve To Return? Time Lord 'Put Through The Mill' When the Vatican's Library of St. John the Beheaded is robbed, Holmes and Watson are on the case. Little do they know a certain Time Lord is also in town. While Seven will initially be one of Sherlock's prime suspects--he can be rather suspicious, after all--the trio will soon find themselves thrown together in a fight to save the world. "Holmes and his loyal friend Watson soon realize this suspect is also their greatest hope: war is brewing and an Old God is rising, to save humanity they need The Doctor as much as he needs them," Big Finish teased. Listen to the trailer here! Dear Reader, To continue reading, become a subscriber. Explore our attractive subscription offers. Click here Small farmers' participation in global value chains is of prime importance for inclusive agricultural development in developing countries like India. However, the issue of inclusiveness of modern arrangements like contract farming and the determinants of participation in such arrangements is understudied in such contexts. This paper examines the issue of small farmers' participation in contract farming arrangements in Punjab, where farming is dominated by medium and relatively large farms. Based on a sample of contract and non-contract farmers, this paper examines the relationship between the farmers' resourcefulness and contract farming participation, selectivity bias, and its impact on farm income. It finds that the contract and the non-contract farmers differ in terms of education, agricultural machinery ownership, and owned and operational landholdings. Small farmers are not, by and large, part of contract farming practice in the studied crops and the selectivity bias exists in contract farming; however, it does not have any significant impact on farm income. Small farmers' participation can be improved through better institutional mechanisms, including group contracts and incentives for contracting agencies to work with small farmers. Rapidly increasing urbanisation in India has brought much needed focus on the urban development policies in India. The Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission was the first programme to provide substantial funds for urban local bodies to improve their infrastructure and bring in better governance systems. This article tries to look at the mission from a new public management perspective. The performance of ULBs in project implementation shows delinking from the reforms agenda of the mission. The efficiency enhancement goal of the mission has not been achieved completely and uniformly across the ULBs, states and sectors. With the new government planning to invest Rs 7,060 crore in 100 smart cities across the country, the learnings from JNNURM can be instrumental in contributing towards a successful new programme. Dear Reader, To continue reading, become a subscriber. Explore our attractive subscription offers. Click here Trellix security researchers have revealed a major vulnerability in the Python tarfile library that could be exploited in software supply chain attacks. The researchers believe it could be used again... The prevalence of Wi-Fi has been accelerating for two decades, but in the last two years, it's surged even further as so many people were forced to work from home. That trend led to many strengthening... Aspirational professional women would benefit from a better understanding of how to build, maintain and use their social capital to succeed in reaching the top Aspirational professional women would benefit from a better understanding of how to build, maintain and use their social capital to succeed in reaching the top. This is one of the findings of a study by postgraduate student Natasha Abajian, supervised by Dr Ruth Sealy, at City University London presented today, Wednesday 6 January 2016, at the British Psychological Society's Division of Occupational Psychology annual conference in Nottingham. Natasha Abajian said: "Access to social networks typically differs for men and for women. Usually women have less access to networks typically associated with career progression. These networks or 'who you know and who knows you' are responsible for a large percentage of career progression so limited access could be a barrier to women's opportunities." The researcher interviewed 12 women employed as a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or Managing Director (MD) in the communications industry to explore their perceptions of social capital and how much they believed it was instrumental in helping their careers. The interviews were recorded and analysed. The results showed that the women perceived their social capital to have contributed to their appointments. However, the findings of this study also revealed a difference in how the participants perceived their ability to build, maintain and use social capital and how they perceived women in general to do so. All of the participants reported that women generally lacked the ability, knowledge or opportunity to accrue or use their social capital in the context of senior-level promotion. Natasha Abajian said "It's interesting to examine the perspectives of women who have broken through the glass ceiling. However, I believe this phrase, by depicting a single obstacle at a high level, fails to account for the subtle inequalities that arise throughout a career journey. "The continual use of this metaphor may encourage women to behave in a stereotypical gendered way rather than challenging the status quo. The participants in this study acted in a non-stereotypical manner and they succeeded in being appointed MD/CEO. Women who want to progress to the highest levels need to be aware of the value of social capital and know how to use this to their advantage." ### TORONTO, January 5, 2016 - Researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) have identified 428 distinct disease conditions that co-occur in people with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), in the most comprehensive review of its kind. The results were published today in The Lancet. "We've systematically identified numerous disease conditions co-occurring with FASD, which underscores the fact that it isn't safe to drink any amount or type of alcohol at any stage of pregnancy, despite the conflicting messages the public may hear," says Dr. Lana Popova, Senior Scientist in Social and Epidemiological Research at CAMH, and lead author on the paper. "Alcohol can affect any organ or system in the developing fetus." FASD is a broad term describing the range of disabilities that can occur in individuals as a result of alcohol exposure before birth. The severity and symptoms vary, based on how much and when alcohol was consumed, as well as other factors in the mother's life such as stress levels, nutrition and environmental influences. The effects are also influenced by genetic factors and the body's ability to break down alcohol, in both the mother and fetus. Different Canadian surveys suggest that between six and 14 per cent of women drink during pregnancy. The 428 co-occurring conditions were identified from 127 studies included in The Lancet review. These disease conditions, coded in the International Classification of Disease (ICD-10), affected nearly every system of the body, including the central nervous system (brain), vision, hearing, cardiac, circulation, digestion, and musculoskeletal and respiratory systems, among others. While some of these disorders are known to be caused by alcohol exposure - such as developmental and cognitive problems, and certain facial anomalies - for others, the association with FASD does not necessarily represent a cause-and-effect link. Problems range from communications disorders to hearing loss However, many disorders occurred more often among those with FASD than the general population. Based on 33 studies representing 1,728 individuals with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), the most severe form of FASD, the researchers were able to conduct a series of meta-analyses to establish the frequency with which 183 disease conditions occurred. More than 90 per cent of those with FAS had co-occurring problems with conduct. About eight in 10 had communications disorders, related to either understanding or expressing language. Seven in 10 had developmental/cognitive disorders, and more than half had problems with attention and hyperactivity. Because most studies were from the U.S., the frequency of certain co-occurring conditions was compared with the general U.S. population. Among people with FAS, the frequency of hearing loss was estimated to be up to 129 times higher than the general U.S. population, and blindness and low vision were 31 and 71 times higher, respectively. "Some of these other co-occurring problems may lead people to seek professional help," says Dr. Popova. "The issue is that the underlying cause of the problem, alcohol exposure before birth, may be overlooked by the clinician and not addressed." The benefits of screening and diagnosis Improving the screening and diagnosis of FASD has numerous benefits. Earlier access to programs or resources may prevent or reduce secondary outcomes that can occur among those with FASD, such as problems with relationships, schooling, employment, mental health and addictions, or with the law. "We can prevent these issues at many stages," says Dr. Popova. "Eliminating alcohol consumption during pregnancy or reducing it among alcohol-dependent women is extremely important. Newborns should be screened for prenatal alcohol exposure, especially among populations at high risk. And alerting clinicians to these co-occurring conditions should trigger questions about prenatal alcohol exposure." "It is important that the public receive a consistent and clear message - if you want to have a healthy child, stay away from alcohol when you're planning a pregnancy and throughout your whole pregnancy," she says. It's estimated that FASD costs $1.8 billion annually in Canada, due largely to productivity losses, corrections and health care costs, among others. In addition to this review, Dr. Popova has been part of an expert group of leading FASD researchers and clinicians working with the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services on its new FASD strategy. Her team is also undertaking a study to determine how common FASD is in Canada, as well as in other countries in Eastern and Central Europe and Africa. ### This research was supported by the Public Health Agency of Canada. The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital and a world leading research centre in this field. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to help transform the lives of people affected by mental illness and addiction. CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre. For more information, please visit camh.ca or follow @CAMHnews and @CAMHResearch on Twitter. Media Contact: Kate Richards Media Relations Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) (416) 595-6015 media@camh.ca Berkeley, CA -- A new study estimates that $2.2 billion in benefits came from reduced greenhouse gas emissions and $5.2 billion from reductions in other air pollution for state renewable portfolio standard (RPS) policies operating in 2013. The report also shows national water withdrawals and consumption were reduced by 830 billion gallons and 27 billion gallons in 2013, respectively. The report, entitled A Retrospective Analysis of the Benefits and Impacts of U.S. Renewable Portfolio Standards, was conducted by researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and evaluates the benefits and other impacts of RPS policies. RPS policies require utilities or other electricity providers to meet a minimum portion of their load with eligible forms of renewable electricity. They currently exist in 29 U.S. states plus Washington, D.C., and have been a driver for renewable electricity generation in the United States over the past decade. Many states are currently considering whether to extend, eliminate, or otherwise revise existing RPS policies. "This work is intended to inform these ongoing discussions by helping states evaluate RPS programs," said Berkeley Lab's Ryan Wiser, one of the report authors. The study takes care to describe its methods and highlights uncertainties in its findings. For example, benefits from greenhouse gas reductions were estimated to range from $0.7 to $6.3 billion, reflecting differences in underlying estimates of damages caused by climate change. Similarly, air pollution reduction benefits--which arise primarily from avoided premature mortality--were estimated to range from $2.6 to $9.9 billion in 2013, reflecting differences in underlying epidemiological literature, among other factors. "Our goal was to estimate the magnitude of RPS benefits and impacts at a national-level, using established methodologies, while recognizing that individual states can perform their own, more-detailed assessments," adds NREL's Jenny Heeter, another of the report's authors. In addition to evaluating environmental benefits, the study also assessed other impacts. Specifically, the research estimates that RPS policies supported 200,000 renewable energy-related jobs in 2013, saved consumers up to $1.2 billion from reduced wholesale electricity prices and another $1.3 to $3.7 billion from reduced natural gas prices. Consumer savings from reduced electricity and natural gas prices occur because renewable electricity displaces other electricity generation with higher operating costs, much of which is fueled by natural gas. The study is careful to describe these as impacts rather than benefits as they represent resource transfers from some stakeholders to others, rather than net societal benefits on state, national, or global scales. This work was a follow-up and complement to an earlier study by the two labs that focused on the costs of state RPS programs to-date and that noted the need for a full understanding of the potential benefits, impacts, and costs of RPS programs. To that end, this most recent study provides a point of comparison for estimates of RPS program costs. Based on the results of this national study, benefits from reduced greenhouse gas emissions equate to 0.7 to 6.4 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of renewable energy, while benefits from reduced emissions of criteria air pollutants amount to 2.6 to 10.1 cents per kWh. Consumer savings from wholesale electricity market and natural gas price reductions represent another 0 to 1.2 cents per kWh and 1.3 to 3.7 cents per kWh, respectively. Although the study takes a national view--evaluating all state RPS programs as a whole--many of the associated benefits and impacts were highly regional. For example, the economic benefits from air pollution reductions are associated mostly with reduced sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from coal-fired power plants and are concentrated primarily in the Mid-Atlantic, Great Lakes, Northeast, and Texas. Reductions in water withdrawal and consumption were largest in California and Texas respectively--both states that regularly experience droughts--while renewable energy jobs from RPS projects were concentrated mostly in California, where large amounts of utility-scale photovoltaic generation was being built in 2013. Having now examined both the costs and benefits of state RPS programs historically, the researchers are planning a follow-up effort for the coming year to evaluate the costs and benefits of RPS programs prospectively, considering scheduled increases to each state's requirements as well as potential policy revisions. ### A webinar summarizing the results of this most recent study will be held January 13, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific (1:00 p.m. Eastern). Register for the webinar here. https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/s/registrations/new?cid=m8d64jk6qkfj Additional information and research on state RPS policies are available at rps.lbl.gov. This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy's Strategic Programs Office within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory addresses the world's most urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab's scientific expertise has been recognized with 13 Nobel prizes. The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. For more, visit http://www.lbl.gov. DOE's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov. BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Scientists at Indiana University have created a highly efficient biomaterial that catalyzes the formation of hydrogen -- one half of the "holy grail" of splitting H2O to make hydrogen and oxygen for fueling cheap and efficient cars that run on water. A modified enzyme that gains strength from being protected within the protein shell -- or "capsid" -- of a bacterial virus, this new material is 150 times more efficient than the unaltered form of the enzyme. The process of creating the material was recently reported in "Self-assembling biomolecular catalysts for hydrogen production" in the journal Nature Chemistry. "Essentially, we've taken a virus's ability to self-assemble myriad genetic building blocks and incorporated a very fragile and sensitive enzyme with the remarkable property of taking in protons and spitting out hydrogen gas," said Trevor Douglas, the Earl Blough Professor of Chemistry in the IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Chemistry, who led the study. "The end result is a virus-like particle that behaves the same as a highly sophisticated material that catalyzes the production of hydrogen." Other IU scientists who contributed to the research were Megan C. Thielges, an assistant professor of chemistry; Ethan J. Edwards, a Ph.D. student; and Paul C. Jordan, a postdoctoral researcher at Alios BioPharma, who was an IU Ph.D. student at the time of the study. The genetic material used to create the enzyme, hydrogenase, is produced by two genes from the common bacteria Escherichia coli, inserted inside the protective capsid using methods previously developed by these IU scientists. The genes, hyaA and hyaB, are two genes in E. coli that encode key subunits of the hydrogenase enzyme. The capsid comes from the bacterial virus known as bacteriophage P22. The resulting biomaterial, called "P22-Hyd," is not only more efficient than the unaltered enzyme but also is produced through a simple fermentation process at room temperature. The material is potentially far less expensive and more environmentally friendly to produce than other materials currently used to create fuel cells. The costly and rare metal platinum, for example, is commonly used to catalyze hydrogen as fuel in products such as high-end concept cars. "This material is comparable to platinum, except it's truly renewable," Douglas said. "You don't need to mine it; you can create it at room temperature on a massive scale using fermentation technology; it's biodegradable. It's a very green process to make a very high-end sustainable material." In addition, P22-Hyd both breaks the chemical bonds of water to create hydrogen and also works in reverse to recombine hydrogen and oxygen to generate power. "The reaction runs both ways -- it can be used either as a hydrogen production catalyst or as a fuel cell catalyst," Douglas said. The form of hydrogenase is one of three occurring in nature: di-iron (FeFe)-, iron-only (Fe-only)- and nitrogen-iron (NiFe)-hydrogenase. The third form was selected for the new material due to its ability to easily integrate into biomaterials and tolerate exposure to oxygen. NiFe-hydrogenase also gains significantly greater resistance upon encapsulation to breakdown from chemicals in the environment, and it retains the ability to catalyze at room temperature. Unaltered NiFe-hydrogenase, by contrast, is highly susceptible to destruction from chemicals in the environment and breaks down at temperatures above room temperature -- both of which make the unprotected enzyme a poor choice for use in manufacturing and commercial products such as cars. These sensitivities are "some of the key reasons enzymes haven't previously lived up to their promise in technology," Douglas said. Another is their difficulty to produce. "No one's ever had a way to create a large enough amount of this hydrogenase despite its incredible potential for biofuel production. But now we've got a method to stabilize and produce high quantities of the material -- and enormous increases in efficiency," he said. The development is highly significant according to Seung-Wuk Lee, professor of bioengineering at the University of California-Berkeley, who was not a part of the study. "Douglas' group has been leading protein- or virus-based nanomaterial development for the last two decades. This is a new pioneering work to produce green and clean fuels to tackle the real-world energy problem that we face today and make an immediate impact in our life in the near future," said Lee, whose work has been cited in a U.S. Congressional report on the use of viruses in manufacturing. Beyond the new study, Douglas and his colleagues continue to craft P22-Hyd into an ideal ingredient for hydrogen power by investigating ways to activate a catalytic reaction with sunlight, as opposed to introducing elections using laboratory methods. "Incorporating this material into a solar-powered system is the next step," Douglas said. ### This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy. A research group led by Professor SHIRASE Keiichi of the Kobe University Graduate School of Engineering has developed a prototype machine tool that can manufacture metal components and operates like a 3D printer. The prototype was exhibited at Emo Milano 2015, one of the three largest international machine tool trade shows. This development could speed up the manufacture of custom-made products such as dental implants and artificial bones, potentially shortening production times and reducing costs. The machine tool prototype is a product of Kobe University's ongoing research into intelligent machine tools. This is one of three Kobe University projects in the category of "Innovative design and manufacturing technologies" selected for the Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP), a project headed by the Japanese Cabinet Office's Council for Science, Technology and Innovation. In June 2015 Kobe University used funding from this program to establish the 3D Smart Manufacturing Center, which will be used to pursue interdisciplinary research and business-academia collaborations. Currently most machine tools for metal cutting follow instructions from a program that is manually prepared in advance. However, in addition to the huge amount of labor required to create each program, this method has potential issues, as the machines cannot make adjustments to the machining process or respond to unforeseen problems. Metal components can also be shaped using metal 3D printers, but this too has disadvantages: the metal powder used as a raw material is extremely expensive, and the surface of the finished component is poor quality. The prototype created by Professor Shirase's team marks a shift from providing machine tools with instructions to entrusting machine tools with the machining operation - a world first. If you prepare a 3D model and a material model of the component, the machine tool itself will determine the optimum machining process using a database of machining information and cutting conditions. This development could potentially pave the way for intelligent manufacturing systems, reduced costs, and faster production times. ### New Rochelle, NY, January 6, 2016--The first large, controlled study of health disparities between clinically diagnosed transgender and non-transgender patients--based on the medical records of more than 5,000 patients treated in the Veterans Health Administration--showed that transgender veterans had a significantly greater prevalence of numerous psychiatric and medical conditions. The specific disorders examined and the implications of the study findings are discussed in detail in an article published in LGBT Health, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free to download on the LGBT Health website until February 6, 2016. In "Mental Health and Medical Health Disparities in 5135 Transgender Veterans Receiving Healthcare in the Veterans Health Administration: A Case-Control Study"), George Brown, MD, Mountain Home Veterans Affairs Medical Center and East Tennessee State University (Johnson City, TN), and Kenneth Jones, PhD, Veterans Health Administration (Washington, DC), describe the identification of these health disparities as a first step toward transgender health equity. Follow-up studies are needed to understand the factors that underlie the disparities and to develop and evaluate strategies to intervene and reduce or eliminate them. In the current study, transgender veterans were significantly more likely to suffer from all ten of the mental health conditions examined, including depression, suicide thoughts or intentions, serious mental illness, and post-traumatic stress disorder. They also had a much higher prevalence of 16 of 17 medical diagnoses studied, with HIV infection accounting for the largest disparity. "Employing more robust methods, this study confirms previous reports of transgender health disparities but finds that these disparities are more global than previously appreciated," says LGBT Health Editor-in-Chief William Byne, MD, PhD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY. "The global disparities compared to matched non-transgender veterans have important policy and practice implications that extend beyond the Veterans Health Administration." ### About the Journal LGBT Health, published bimonthly online with Open Access options and in print, brings together the LGBT research, health care, and advocacy communities to address current challenges and improve the health, well-being, and clinical outcomes of LGBT persons. Spanning a broad array of disciplines, the Journal publishes peer-reviewed original research, review articles, clinical reports, case studies, legal and policy perspectives, and much more. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the LGBT Health website. About the Publisher Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative medical and biomedical peer-reviewed journals, including Transgender Health, AIDS Patient Care and STDs, AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses, Journal of Women's Health, and Population Health Management. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's more than 80 journals, newsmagazines, and books is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website. Mercury pollution is a global problem with local consequences: Emissions from coal-fired power plants and other sources travel around the world through the atmosphere, eventually settling in oceans and waterways, where the pollutant gradually accumulates in fish. Consumption of mercury-contaminated seafood leads to increased risk for cardiovascular disease and cognitive impairments. In the past several years, a global treaty and a domestic policy have been put in place to curb mercury emissions. But how will such policies directly benefit the U.S.? In a new study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, MIT researchers report that global action on reducing mercury emissions will lead to twice the economic benefits for the U.S., compared with domestic action, by 2050. However, those in the U.S. who consume locally caught freshwater fish, rather than seafood from the global market, will benefit more from domestic rather than international mercury regulations. The researchers calculated the projected U.S. economic benefits from the Minamata Convention on Mercury, a global treaty adopted in 2013 to reduce mercury emissions worldwide, compared with the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), a national regulation set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reduce mercury pollution from the country's coal-fired power plants. Overall, while both policies are projected to lead to roughly the same amount of reductions in mercury deposited on U.S. soil compared to a no-policy case, Americans' consumption of mercury by 2050 are estimated to be 91 percent lower under the global treaty, compared to 32 percent under U.S. policy alone. The researchers say these numbers reflect the U.S. commercial fish market, 90 percent of which is sourced from Pacific and Atlantic Ocean basins -- regions that are heavily influenced by emissions from non-U.S. sources, including China. From their projections of reduced mercury consumption, the researchers estimated health impacts to the U.S. population under both policies, then translated these impacts into economic benefits. They characterized these in two ways: projected lifetime benefits from an individual's reduced exposure to mercury, including willingness to pay for lowering the risk of a fatal heart attack, cost savings from avoided medical care, and increased earnings; and economy-wide benefits, or the associated productivity gains of a national labor force with improved IQ and fewer heart attacks, as a result of reduced exposure to mercury. Based on these calculations, the team estimated that by 2050, emissions reductions under the Minamata Convention on Mercury would lead to $339 billion in lifetime benefits and $104 billion in economy-wide benefits in the U.S., compared to $147 billion and $43 billion, respectively, from MATS. The global treaty, then, should lead to more than twice the benefits projected from the domestic policy. "Historically it's been hard to quantify benefits for global treaties," says Noelle Selin, the Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Career Development Associate Professor in MIT's Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences. "Would we be able to see a U.S. benefit, given you're spreading reductions and benefits around the world? And we were." Tracing the policy-to-impacts pathway Determining how regulatory policies will ultimately lead to health and economic benefits is a complex and convoluted problem. To trace the pathway from policy to impacts, Selin and co-author Amanda Giang, a graduate student in MIT's Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, began with estimates of mercury reductions set by both the Minamata Convention and MATS. The team then used an atmospheric transport model to trace where emissions would settle over time, based on the reductions proposed by each policy scenario. From regional depositions of mercury, they then estimated the resulting mercury concentrations in fish and mapped these concentrations to seafood sources throughout the world. Next, the team correlated seafood sources to fish consumption in the U.S., and calculated changes in human exposure to mercury through time. They used epidemiological models to estimate how changes in mercury exposure affect incidence of health impacts, such as heart attacks and IQ deficits. From there, Selin and Giang used economic valuation methods to translate heath impacts into economic benefits -- namely, lifetime and economy-wide benefits to the U.S. Understanding the drivers While the researchers were able to come up with benefits in the billions for both the global and domestic policies, they acknowledge that these numbers come with a significant amount of uncertainty, which they also explored. "We're trying to understand different drivers in the variability of these numbers," Giang says. "There's a lot of uncertainty in this system, and we want to understand what shifts these numbers up and down." For example, scientists are unsure how far different forms of mercury will travel through the atmosphere, as well as how long it will take for mercury to accumulate in fish. In their analysis, Giang found that, even taking into account most of these uncertainties, the economic benefits from the global treaty outweighed those from the domestic policy, except when it came to one key uncertainty: where people's seafood originates. "We do find that in our scenario where everyone is eating local fish, the benefits of domestic policy are going to be larger than the Minamata convention," Giang says. "Our study points to the importance of domestic policy in terms of protecting vulnerable populations such as subsistence fishers or other communities that do rely on U.S. freshwater fish." "There are a ton of uncertainties here, but we know that mercury is a dangerous pollutant," Selin adds. "When you put in a policy, how do you think about its ultimate environmental and human effects? We think this method is really a way to try and move that forward." ### This research was funded, in part, by the National Science Foundation. Additional background ARCHIVE: Better estimates of worldwide mercury pollution ARCHIVE: Will the new global mercury treaty be effective? Eta Carinae, the most luminous and massive stellar system within 10,000 light-years, is best known for an enormous eruption seen in the mid-19th century that hurled at least 10 times the sun's mass into space. This expanding veil of gas and dust, which still shrouds Eta Carinae, makes it the only object of its kind known in our galaxy. Now a study using archival data from NASA's Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes has found five objects with similar properties in other galaxies for the first time. "The most massive stars are always rare, but they have tremendous impact on the chemical and physical evolution of their host galaxy," said lead scientist Rubab Khan, a postdoctoral researcher at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. These stars produce and distribute large amounts of the chemical elements vital to life and eventually explode as supernovae. Located about 7,500 light-years away in the southern constellation of Carina, Eta Carinae outshines our sun by 5 million times. The binary system consists of two massive stars in a tight 5.5-year orbit. Astronomers estimate that the more massive star has about 90 times the sun's mass, while the smaller companion may exceed 30 solar masses. As one of the nearest laboratories for studying high-mass stars, Eta Carinae has been a unique astronomical touchstone since its eruption in the 1840s. To understand why the eruption occurred and how it relates to the evolution of massive stars, astronomers needed additional examples. Catching rare stars during the short-lived aftermath of a major outburst approaches needle-and-haystack levels of difficulty, and nothing matching Eta Carinae had been found prior to Khan's study. "We knew others were out there," said co-investigator Krzysztof Stanek, a professor of astronomy at Ohio State University in Columbus. "It was really a matter of figuring out what to look for and of being persistent." Working with Scott Adams and Christopher Kochanek at Ohio State and George Sonneborn at Goddard, Khan developed a kind of optical and infrared fingerprint for identifying possible Eta Carinae twins, or "Eta twins" for short. Dust forms in gas ejected by a massive star. This dust dims the star's ultraviolet and visible light, but it absorbs and reradiates this energy as heat at longer mid-infrared wavelengths. "With Spitzer we see a steady increase in brightness starting at around 3 microns and peaking between 8 and 24 microns," explained Khan. "By comparing this emission to the dimming we see in Hubble's optical images, we could determine how much dust was present and compare it to the amount we see around Eta Carinae." An initial survey of seven galaxies from 2012 to 2014 didn't turn up any Eta twins, underscoring their rarity. It did, however, identify a class of less massive and less luminous stars of scientific interest, demonstrating the search was sensitive enough to find Eta Carinae-like stars had they been present. In a follow-on survey in 2015, the team found two candidate Eta twins in the galaxy M83, located 15 million light-years away, and one each in NGC 6946, M101 and M51, located between 18 and 26 million light-years away. These five objects mimic the optical and infrared properties of Eta Carinae, indicating that each very likely contains a high mass star buried in five to 10 solar masses of gas and dust. Further study will let astronomers more precisely determine their physical properties. The findings were published in the Dec. 20 edition of The Astrophysical Journal Letters. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, set to launch in late 2018, carries an instrument ideally suited for further study of these stars. The Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) has 10 times the angular resolution of instruments aboard Spitzer and is most sensitive at the wavelengths where Eta twins shine brightest. "Combined with Webb's larger primary mirror, MIRI will enable astronomers to better study these rare stellar laboratories and to find additional sources in this fascinating phase of stellar evolution," said Sonneborn, NASA's project scientist for Webb telescope operations. It will take Webb observations to confirm the Eta twins as true relatives of Eta Carinae. ### The Spitzer Space Telescope is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The Spitzer Science Center at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena conducts science operations. The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy in Washington, D.C. For more information about Spitzer, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/spitzer For more information about Hubble, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/hubble HOUSTON -- (Jan. 6, 2016) -- The molecules that impart strength to paper, bamboo and wood-frame buildings -- lignin and cellulose -- have long stymied biofuels researchers by locking away more than half of a plant's energy-yielding sugar. In a study that could point the way to biofuels processes of the future, scientists from Rice University, the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Joint BioEnergy Institute at Emeryville, Calif., have discovered how two bacterial enzymes work as a team to break apart lignin. "Ultimately, we would like to use enzymatic fermentation -- the same process that brewers and winemakers have used for centuries -- to convert all the sugar from plants into ethanol and other fuels," said Rice's George Phillips, co-author of the study in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. "The big target is cellulose, which is the primary ingredient in wood, grass stems and corn stalks. Cellulose is basically sugar, but it is tightly packed in a crystalline compound that is practically indigestible. There are some fungi and bacteria that have developed enzymes to cut it apart, but it's a very slow process, which is why it can take years for dead trees to decompose." Lignin, another major component of plant fibers that accounts for up to one-third of the carbon in biomass, compounds the problem for any microorganism that wants to eat cellulose or any scientist who wishes to turn it into biofuel. Lignin has a gluelike consistency, and it coats and protects cellulose. "The cellulose is tough, but organisms can't even get to it until they chew through the lignin," said Phillips, Rice's Ralph and Dorothy Looney Professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology and professor of chemistry. For industry, breaking down lignin has often proved an even tougher challenge than cellulose. As a result, the biofuels and paper industries mostly treat lignin as a waste product to be removed, isolated and discarded. Study co-author Timothy Donohue, professor of bacteriology at UW-Madison and director of the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, said, "If we can convert lignin from an undesirable byproduct into a starting material for advanced biofuels and other lucrative chemicals, we would dramatically change the economics of tomorrow's biorefineries." The center is one of three funded by the Department of Energy to make transformational breakthroughs in cellulosic biofuels technology. With an eye toward using techniques that nature has evolved to break down lignin, a team of researchers led by Donohue and Phillips began by studying bacterial enzymes that cleave specific chemical bonds inside lignin. The original goal was to design a single new enzyme that could do the job of several found in nature. But that turned out to be an impossible task, in part because lignin molecules are irregular. They're made of hundreds of components that twist either to the left or the right, but the pattern of twists doesn't repeat, and an enzyme that's tailored to break a left-handed bond won't cleave a right-handed one. "Making a single enzyme would be like trying to make a glove that's designed for your left hand fit on your right hand," said Kate Helmich, co-lead author of the study and a recent Ph.D. graduate of UW-Madison's Biochemistry Department. "Our two hands are different configurations of the same fingers, and lignin is like a chain of many different hands. Degrading that entire chain would require an enzyme, or glove, that can attach to both the left and the right hands within it." The researchers found that Sphingobium bacteria use two enzymes, known as LigE and LigF, to attack lignin as a team. "The key finding is that we now understand how the left-hand and the right-hand versions are broken," Phillips said. "It's not through a single super enzyme but through teamwork where you've got one for the left and one for right. "It wasn't clear how the bacteria did it until Donohue and his team made both the left-handed and right-handed compounds, and then assayed them with purified enzymes. Those experiments proved that one works on left and one works on right." Helmich and Phillips used X-ray crystallography to analyze the structure of the enzymes and show how each performed its specialized task. Phillips, who moved to Rice from UW-Madison in 2013, said the research suggests that biofuels processors will need a cocktail of specialized enzymes to break lignin into fermentable components. "Now we know that such a cocktail would need to include something like LigE and LigF to get both hands of the lignin broken open," he said. ### Additional co-authors include co-lead Daniel Gall, Craig Bingman, Daniel Noguera and John Ralph, all of Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center and of UW-Madison; Jose Henrique Pereira and Ryan McAndrew, both of the Joint BioEnergy Institute and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Richard Heins, Kai Deng, Keefe Holland, Blake Simmons and Kenneth Sale, all of the Joint BioEnergy Institute and Sandia National Laboratories; and Paul Adams of the Joint BioEnergy Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley. This work was supported by the Department of Energy, the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, the Joint BioEnergy Institute, the National Institutes of Health, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the Michigan Technology Tri-Corridor, the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of General Medical and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. High-resolution IMAGES are available for download at: http://news.rice.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/1221_LIGNIN-helmich-lg.jpg CAPTION: Kate Helmich CREDIT:GLBRC/UW-Madison http://news.rice.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/1221_LIGNIN-phillips-lg.jpg CAPTION: George Phillips with a 3-D model of an enzyme (blue/green) that cuts cellulose fibers (orange/gray). CREDIT: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University http://news.rice.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/1221_LIGNIN-enz-lg.jpg CAPTION: Computer animations showing the lignin binding sites for LigF (top) and LigE (bottom). CREDIT: K. Hemlich/GLBRC A copy of the JBC paper is available at: http://www.jbc.org/content/early/2015/12/04/jbc.M115.694307.abstract The DOI of the paper is: 10.1074/jbc.M115.694307 More information about the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center is at: http://www.glbrc.org. Why is it so difficult to make cellulosic ethanol? https://www.glbrc.org/sites/default/files/Why is it so difficult to make cellulosic ethanol%3F.pdf This release can be found online at news.rice.edu. Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,910 undergraduates and 2,809 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for best quality of life and for lots of race/class interaction by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. To read 'What they're saying about Rice,' go to http://tinyurl.com/AboutRiceUniversity. SILVER SPRING, Md. - The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) today announced the initiation of a Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a prime-boost Ebola vaccine regimen in both healthy and HIV-infected study volunteers. This study includes two vaccine candidates, Ad26.ZEBOV from Crucell Holland B.V., one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, and MVA-BN-Filo from Bavarian Nordic, which will be given sequentially as a "prime boost" regimen. Seventy-five volunteers will receive a prime dose with MVA-BN-Filo followed by a boost with Ad26.ZEBOV at the WRAIR Clinical Trials Center in Silver Spring, Md. Early next year, WRAIR-affiliated sites in Africa will also begin evaluating this regimen, as well as a vaccination schedule beginning with Ad26.ZEBOV and then boosted with MVA-BN-Filo. Researchers will assess the safety and tolerability of the vaccine schedules and characterize the immune response, which should help them better understand these different regimens. Janssen and other development partners have generated preliminary data from a small group of healthy subjects demonstrating that both regimens were safe and immunogenic. The study will strengthen safety and immunogenicity evidence of the regimens in healthy subjects and extend the population studied in Phase 1 to include volunteers up to and including 70 years of age and volunteers with stably suppressed HIV-infection. "It is critical that we know these vaccines are safe and immunogenic in the communities where they will be used in Africa," said Lt. Col. Julie Ake, an infectious disease physician, U.S. Military HIV Research Program (MHRP) Principal Deputy and protocol chair for the international study. The study includes HIV-infected volunteers because they represent some of those who might benefit from a preventive Ebola vaccine in Africa. "It's an important consideration given that both of these viruses can be present in the same communities," said Col. Nelson Michael, MHRP Director. This clinical trial is a collaboration between WRAIR and Crucell Holland B.V., one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, with funding from the Joint Vaccines Acquisition Program at the Department of Defense's Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense. Initially conducted at WRAIR in Silver Spring, Md., the study will expand to six sites in Africa in early 2016. Approximately 575 volunteers will participate in total. It will be conducted at clinical research sites affiliated with WRAIR's Military HIV Research Program in Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique. This is the second Ebola vaccine clinical trial conducted at WRAIR, and will be the fourth Ebola vaccine study conducted in Africa by the Institute and MHRP. "Infectious diseases such as Ebola pose a significant threat to the U.S. Military and the global community," said Col. Stephen Thomas, WRAIR's Deputy Commander of Operations. "WRAIR has extensive expertise in infectious diseases and an international research network in countries where diseases are endemic, giving us an ideal platform to conduct these types of studies." ### About the candidate Ebola vaccines Ad26.ZEBOV is a monovalent vaccine expressing the full length Ebola virus (EBOV) Mayinga glycoprotein (GP). MVA-BN-Filo is a multivalent vaccine expressing the EBOV GP, Sudan virus (SUDV) GP, Marburg virus (MARV) GP, and the Tai Forest virus nucleoprotein. Janssen's investigational Ebola vaccine regimen was discovered in a collaborative research program with the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This program received direct funding and preclinical services from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of NIH, under Contract Numbers HHSN272200800056C, and HHSN272201000006I and HHSN272201200003I, respectively. In January 2015, the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) awarded a consortia of leading global research institutions and non-government organizations working in conjunction with the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies grants totaling more than 100 million from the Ebola+ programme to support the development, manufacturing and deployment of the vaccine regimen. In September 2015, Crucell Holland B.V., one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, was awarded $28.5 million from The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to help accelerate the development of its investigational Ebola prime-boost vaccine regimen. About the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, and established in 1893, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) is the oldest, largest, and most diverse military research institute of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command and Department of Defense. With extensive research units in Africa, Asia and the Caucasus Region, WRAIR is comprised of two Centers of Excellence, the Center for Infectious Disease Research and the Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience. Our skin is covered in millions of bacteria and most of them help keep us healthy. However, for patients with lymphoma, it may be a rather different story, as new research from the University of Copenhagen shows that toxins in the staphylococcus bacteria help cancer cells gain control over healthy cells. The Danish Cancer Society's Break Cancer Collection contributed DKK 3 million (US$0.5 million) to the research project. Bacteria infections are more common in patients with skin lymphoma as their skin is more fragile, due to their illness. And as the illness progresses, the infections become more frequent. However, new research from the University of Copenhagen reveal that the infections may even benefit the cancer cells, because the toxins in certain staphylococcus bacteria make healthy cells produce substances that in fact advance their growth. "We have gained important insight into the processes that activate cancer cells and make them grow. Patients' frequent bacteria infections might not be a mere side effect of the disease - on the contrary, toxins in the bacteria actually 'benefit' cancer cells. Our next step is examining whether combating infections can slow down the growth of cancer cells and thus stop the disease," says Professor Niels Oedum from the University of Copenhagen, who, in collaboration with PhD student Andreas Willerslev-Olsen, is behind these new results that have have just been published in one of the world's leading haematology journals Blood. The fight between cancer cells and the immune defence mechanism The most common type of skin lymphoma is caused by the fact that specific immune cells - CD4-T-lymphocyttes - turn into cancer cells. They behave unnaturally and turn parasitic on the rest of the immune system. In addition to using healthy cells to do their work for them, cancer cells also slowly destroy the skin's immune defence mechanism. The new discoveries show that bacteria toxins in some patients enable cancer cells to send off signals that obstruct and change the immune defence mechanism, which would otherwise fight the cancer cells. What was believed to be an overly active immune defence mechanism could in other words turn out to be a malignant infection brought on by bacteria, which only worsens the disease. Skin lymphoma is a rare type of cancer. Annually, approx. 50 people in Denmark are diagnosed with the disease, which is often confused with eczema or other benign skin diseases, which is why it sometimes takes years to reach the proper diagnosis. In most patients, the disease will stay inactive for years, while in others, it will suddenly erupt and turn into an aggressive and life threatening cancer. So far, researchers have no knowledge of what causes skin lymphoma or why it suddenly becomes very aggressive in some patients. It is a continual fight between growing cancer cells and an immune defence mechanism that tries to contain the disease by obstructing and killing the cancer cells. Scientist at the University of Copenhagen and Skejby Hospital will continue their work on how bacteria might affect the balance between the immune defence mechanism and the disease. In the long term, their aim is to understand how bacteria and their toxins can worsen cancer - knowledge that may also be used to develop new targeted treatments. As only some of the bacteria produce toxins, it is important to also increase knowledge about and develop methods to locate exactly those patients who may benefit form treatment with antibiotics. ### URBANA, Ill. - An intricate system of basins, channels, and levees called the Headwaters Diversion carries water from the eastern Missouri Ozark Plateau to the Mississippi River south of Cape Girardeau. The system protects 1.2 million acres of agricultural lands in southeast Missouri from both overflow from the Mississippi River during flooding events and from Ozark Plateau runoff. Historical and more recent extensive rainfall and subsequent flooding prompted University of Illinois researcher Ken Olson to look more closely at where the excess or diverted water goes. "There is a need for additional floodwater storage in the confluence area of the greater Ohio-Mississippi Rivers," says Olson. "A regional effort on both sides of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers is needed to strategically identify floodplain areas that could provide temporary water storage and policy incentives for landowners of low-lying lands to profitably invest in crops and income alternatives." Olson and his colleagues are studying the levees, diversions, and floodways, which for the past 200 years have allowed land conversion from wetlands to agriculture. "It has substantively altered the hydrologic cycle of the region," he says. "The Little River levee and Little River Drainage District Headwaters Diversion channel built in the 1910s successfully permitted the drainage of the 1.2 million acres Big Swamp in southeast Missouri. However, it also had the unintended consequence of increasing the peak flow of Mississippi River water south of Cape Girardeau through the Thebes gap and south to Helena, Arkansas, a distance of approximately 360 river miles. "When the Ozark uplands and Francois Mountains experience above-average rainfall for extended periods of time, the additional runoff transported by the diversion channel increases the chances of Mississippi River levee breaches south of Commerce, Missouri, and adds to the peak river height at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers." Olson says the increase in Mississippi River peak flow placed additional river pressure on levees and led to increased flooding, especially during the floods of 1927, 1937, 2011, and 2015-2016. "The Kentucky, Illinois, and Missouri farmers' and land owners' response to the additional volume and height of the Mississippi River from the diversion channel valley and the prevention of the Mississippi River floodwaters from flowing into the ancient Mississippi River valley and Big Swamp was to build floodwalls and levees," Olson says. After the 1915 flood, Cape Girardeau built a floodwall to protect the city. Likewise, after the Great Flood of 1927, Cairo built a floodwall, strengthened levees, and created the Birds Point-New Madrid floodway. Missouri farmers built the Commerce Farmer levee that failed in 2011. Kentucky farmers built the Hickman levee--strengthened later by USACE--and did not fail. "Illinois farmers built the Fayville-Len Small levee that breached in 1993 and 2011," Olson says. "It breached a third time on Jan. 2, 2016, when the Thebes river gage reached a record 47.7 feet -14.7 feet above flood stage. As of Jan. 5, the farmland, homes, and roads were still under floodwaters." Olson says climate scientists predict a continued pattern of extreme rainfall events in the upper Mississippi River region. "This suggests that unexpected above average rainfall events in the Ohio and Mississippi River basins will continue to increase the frequency of extreme flooding events on these Great Rivers." ### "Missouri Ozark Plateau Headwaters Diversion engineering feat" was written by Kenneth R. Olson, Lois Wright Morton, and David Speidel. It is published in the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. Olson is a researcher in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois. The full text of the paper is available at http://www.jswconline.org/content/71/1/13A.full.pdf+html. Funding was provided by the North-Central Regional Project No. NCERA-3 Soil Survey, the University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences, Iowa State University, and the National Great River Research and Education Center. Monitoring chicken flock behaviour could help combat leading cause of food poisoning A new technique that monitors the movement of chickens can be used to predict which flocks are at risk of becoming infected with Campylobacter - the most common bacterial source of food poisoning in humans in the UK. Research by scientists at Oxford University has found that by using a camera system to analyse the 'optical flow' of chickens, at-risk flocks can be detected when the birds are only seven to 10 days old - much earlier than is usually possible with conventional on-farm sampling methods. Despite efforts to improve biosecurity, Campylobacter - which can reach humans through raw or undercooked chicken - has so far been persistently difficult to eliminate from the food chain. This new early warning system has the potential to transform the way Campylobacter is controlled, benefiting producers, consumers and the birds themselves. The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Dr Frances Colles from Oxford University's Department of Zoology, lead author of the study, said: 'Humans consume nearly 60 billion chickens a year - more than any other animal. At the same time, there is a worldwide epidemic of human gastroenteric disease caused by Campylobacter. It is estimated that up to four-fifths of this disease originates from contaminated chicken meat. 'Despite intensive efforts to improve on-farm biosecurity practice over the past decade, more than 70% of EU broiler [meat] chicken flocks remained Campylobacter-positive at slaughter during 2008, and the incidence of human disease continues unabated. This suggests that environmental contamination of growing broilers may not be the only cause of high rates of Campylobacter infection in chickens and that key points for intervention - for example, in breeder flocks, hatcheries, or management in the first week of chick life - remain unrecognised.' The Oxford team tested the hypothesis that flocks colonised with Campylobacter might be distinguishable by their behaviour, following suggestions that infection could have an impact on chickens' welfare. Professor Marian Dawkins, Professor of Animal Behaviour at Oxford and corresponding author on the paper, said: 'We used a novel and non-invasive way of monitoring the behaviour of chickens throughout their lives that involved analysing the optical flow patterns from cameras inside broiler houses. 'Optical flow works by detecting the patterns formed by changes in brightness in moving images, both temporally and spatially. It is computationally simple and does not require tagging or marking individual animals, making it ideal for long-term continuous monitoring of large groups of similar animals such as egg-laying hens and broiler chickens, where optical flow is predictive of key welfare measures such as mortality rate.' To test the hypothesis that optical flow analysis might also be able to detect when flocks become infected with Campylobacter, the researchers collected data for 31 commercial broiler flocks. They also collected faecal samples from those same flocks and tested them for the presence of Campylobacter at different ages (21 days, 28 days and 35 days) using standard laboratory methods. This gave a direct comparison between optical flow and testing from faecal samples. Campylobacter-positive flocks showed lower mean optical flow (less average movement) and higher kurtosis (less uniform movement) than flocks without the bacteria - as early as the first 10 days of life. Additionally, this link was independent of external temperature. Professor Dawkins said: 'Our results provide statistical evidence of a link between broiler chicken flock behaviour and Campylobacter status. It is not certain whether the changes in optical flow are a direct effect of Campylobacter, or whether a general reduction in the birds' overall health predisposes them to Campylobacter colonisation at a later date. However, the findings are compatible with the growing evidence that Campylobacter may be detrimental to chickens' health, rather than simply being harmless gut bacteria. 'Use of this optical flow information has the potential to make a major impact on the management of commercial chicken flocks, for the benefit of producers, consumers and the birds themselves. Farm managers able to access such information in real time would have early warning of which of their flocks were most at risk of health and welfare problems, enabling them to intervene before these became serious and helping them to produce higher quality, healthier food with better welfare.' The researchers are working with Isis Innovation, Oxford University's technology transfer company, to ascertain how to make maximum impact from this technique. ### PHILADELPHIA - Each year approximately 1 in 1,000 pregnant women will experience peripartum cardiomyopathy, an uncommon form of often severe heart failure that occurs in the final month of pregnancy or up to five months following delivery. But the cause of peripartum cardiomyopathy has been largely unknown - until now. Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania analyzed the genetic variants that have been associated with another form of inherited cardiomyopathy, and determined that peripartum cardiomyopathy is often the result of a genetic mutation. The findings of this study are detailed in this week's New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers analyzed 43 genes in 172 women who experienced peripartum cardiomyopathy, and found that 15 percent of the group had genetic mutations, usually in their TTN gene, which encodes the instructions for making the Titin protein. This protein--named after the Greek gods, Titans--is the largest protein in the body and directly affects the heart's ability to contract and relax. Of the women analyzed, 26 were identified to have mutations on the TTN gene, an effect that is significantly higher than any other reported finding for the cause of peripartum cardiomyopathy. "Until now, we had very little insight into the cause of peripartum cardiomyopathy," said the study's senior author, Zoltan Arany, MD, PhD, an associate professor of Cardiovascular Medicine. "There had been theories that it was linked to a viral infection, or paternal genes attacking the mother's circulatory system, or just the stresses of pregnancy. However, this research shows that a mutation in the TTN gene is the cause of a significant number of peripartum cardiomyopathies, even in women without a family history of the disease." This sizable percentage indicates that peripartum cardiomyopathy is caused by genetic mutations. The same mutations are also present in many who experienced dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the heart's ability to pump blood is decreased when the main pumping chamber becomes weak and enlarged. This is similar to peripartum cardiomyopathy but most often occurs in older patients. However, the two diseases are not the same. For example, a woman with the genetic mutation for dilated cardiomyopathy will not always experience peripartum cardiomyopathy, and women with the peripartum cardiomyopathy mutation will not always experience dilated cardiomyopathy later in life. How the same mutations can lead to different conditions in different people remains an unanswered question. Arany added, "these findings will certainly inform future peripartum cardiomyopathy research, with possible implications on genetic testing and preventive care. Though, more research is unquestionably needed. We're continuing to follow these women and we're gathering data for hundreds of others around the world, with the goal of identifying the cause of peripartum cardiomyopathy in the remaining 85 percent of women with this condition, and ultimately using what we learn to improve the care of these women and their newborns." ### Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania(founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $5.3 billion enterprise. The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top five medical schools in the United States for the past 17 years, according to U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $409 million awarded in the 2014 fiscal year. The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center -- which are recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report -- Chester County Hospital; Lancaster General Health; Penn Wissahickon Hospice; and Pennsylvania Hospital -- the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional affiliated inpatient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region include Chestnut Hill Hospital and Good Shepherd Penn Partners, a partnership between Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network and Penn Medicine. Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2014, Penn Medicine provided $771 million to benefit our community. (San Antonio, Jan. 6, 2016) -- A team of researchers led by Eric Schlegel, Vaughn Family Endowed Professor in Physics at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), has discovered a powerful galactic blast produced by a giant black hole about 26 million light years from Earth. The black hole is the nearest supermassive black hole to Earth that is currently undergoing such violent outbursts. Schlegel's team used NASA's Earth-orbiting Chandra X-ray Observatory to find the black hole blast in the famous Messier 51 system of galaxies. The system contains a large spiral galaxy, NGC 5194, colliding with a smaller companion galaxy, NGC 5195. "Just as powerful storms here on Earth impact their environments, so too do the ones we see out in space," Schlegel said. "This black hole is blasting hot gas and particles into its surroundings that must play an important role in the evolution of the galaxy." Schlegel and his colleagues detected two X-ray emission arcs close to the center of NGC 5195, where the supermassive black hole is located. "We think these arcs represent artifacts from two enormous gusts when the black hole expelled material outward into the galaxy," said co-author Christine Jones, astrophysicist and lecturer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). "We think this activity has had a big effect on the galactic landscape." Just beyond the outer arc, the researchers detected a slender region of hydrogen gas emission, suggesting that X-ray emitting gas displaced the hydrogen gas from the center of the galaxy. Moreover, the properties of the gas around the arcs suggest that the outer arc has swept up enough material to trigger the formation of new stars. This type of phenomenon, where a black hole affects its host galaxy, is called "feedback." "We think that feedback keeps galaxies from becoming too large," said co-author Marie Machacek, astrophysicist at CfA. "But at the same time, it can be responsible for how some stars form, showing that black holes can be creative, not just destructive." The astronomers believe the black hole's outbursts may have been triggered by the interaction of NGC 5195 with its larger companion, NGC 5194, causing gas to be funneled toward the black hole. The team estimates that it took about one to three million years for the inner arc to reach its current position, and three to six million years for the outer arc. "The black hole's behavior may be a local example of events that commonly took place when the universe was much younger. That makes this observation potentially very important," Schlegel said. The researchers presented their findings today at the 227th meeting of the American Astronomical Society meeting in Kissimmee, Fla. They have also described their work in a paper submitted to The Astrophysical Journal. ### NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the Chandra program for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, controls Chandra's science and flight operations. UTSA physics alumna Laura Vega '14 contributed to the research. She is currently a graduate student in the Fisk-Vanderbilt University physics program. A study recently published in the American Journal of Managed Care found that more than half of primary care providers reported that they made what they considered unnecessary referrals to a specialist because patients requested it. Many physicians said they yielded to patient requests for brand-name drug prescriptions when cheaper generics were available. This study was conducted by Sapna Kaul, assistant professor of health economics in The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston department of preventive medicine and community health, in collaboration with researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Thirty percent of U.S. health care expenses each year are thought to be unnecessary. Physicians are increasingly expected to consider the costs of their treatment plans on the health care system when making medical decisions. However, little is known about how physicians balance cost-saving expectations in the face of patient requests. Specialty referral rates have more than doubled in the last decade, raising questions about what is driving this pattern. Recent research shows that almost half of physicians report at least one patient request per week for what a doctor considers an unnecessary test or procedure. In this study, researchers used data from a nationally representative survey of 840 primary care physicians in family practice, internal medicine and pediatrics. In response to patient requests, 52 percent of the surveyed physicians reported making what they considered unnecessary referrals for a specialist and 39 percent prescribed brand-name drugs despite generic alternatives. Family physicians and internal medicine physicians were more likely than pediatricians to prescribe brand-name drugs and make unnecessary referrals. Other factors of giving into to patient demands included interactions with drug/device representatives, more years of clinical experience, seeing fewer underinsured patients and medical practices with only one or two physicians. "Unnecessary medical practices may cause unneeded emotional and financial stress for patients and their loved ones," said Kaul. "Both physician and patient-level strategies are required to limit wastage of medical resources. Efforts to reduce unnecessary practices could include educating physicians about the benefits that result from avoidance of over/under use of medical services and implementing incentives to create a system of value seeking patients." ### Other authors include Anne Kirchhoff from the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah; Nancy Morden from The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy; Christine Vogeli from Massachusetts General Hospital and Eric Campbell from both Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. LONDON, January 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Former CEO, Steve Robertson, appointed Executive Chairman and CEO, Strategic Partnerships Truphone, [http://www.truphone.com/uk ] the world's first global mobile network, today announced the appointment of Ralph Steffens as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), while former CEO, Steve Robertson has been appointed as Executive Chairman and CEO of Strategic Partnerships. Steffens has nearly 20 years' experience in the industry. Steffens' last assignment was with Indian telecommunications company, Reliance Jio Infocom as 'President and Chief Operating Officer' based in Mumbai, India. (Logo: enlace ) (Photo: enlace ) Steffens, now based in London, will work with Steve Robertson and the rest of the management team at Truphone, leading the strategic direction of the company and further growing its international reach and improving the service offering to its customers. Steffens has held senior positions at some of the world's leading telecoms companies, including NBN Co Limited, BT, Colt Telecom and most recently, Reliance Jio Infocom, heading up operations in various regions including Europe, India and Australia. Ralph Steffens, CEO of Truphone, said: "It is a privilege to be appointed as CEO of Truphone, a company with an industry-changing service offering based on its unique global mobile footprint. Under Steve's leadership, Truphone has developed and expanded its offering, extending both its geographical and market reach. I am looking forward to the challenge of continuing the company's strategy and helping it meet its huge growth potential." Steve Robertson, Executive Chairman and CEO, Strategic Partnerships at Truphone said: "We are delighted to welcome on board Ralph, whose experience of the telecoms industry, which spans nearly two decades, can help us take Truphone to the next level, cementing our position as the first truly global mobile network. His knowledge and experience of working in many countries across Europe and Asia-Pacific will prove invaluable to the company. I am also excited about focussing my attention on our partnership business, enabling me to develop relations with our existing and prospective partners." About Truphone Truphone is the world's first global mobile network, using unique technology and patented innovations to create a seamless global plane. Truphone provides its customers with a single device (SIM) with multiple international numbers, with plans offering extensive, in-bundle packages of minutes, text and data across 66 countries, as well as connected coverage in over 200 countries. Truphone's unique network proactively monitors network performance, delivering a consistent international mobile experience. Thousands of customers including FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 companies, as well as eight of the world's ten largest banks enjoy Truphone's innovative, tailored services and 24/7 global, multi-language support. Headquartered in London, Truphone has 10 offices across 4 continents and continues to expand globally. To learn more, visit http://www.truphone.com Photo: enlace enlace CONTACT: Media Contacts, Cognito Europe, Paul Bowhay / Samuel Barber, +44(0)20 7426 9400, Truphone@cognitomedia.com Homage to the Beloved Lord of Refuge. We can never repay your kindness. Merging into the Expanse of Wisdom you will continue to benefit countless beings... "Limit yourself to just a few activities and undertake them with all diligence." Kyabji Chadral Sangye Dorje He began this project in the 1960,s with little more than an old wooden canoe, a few bucket loads of fish and a couple of helpers. Today the work is carried on primarily by his wife, Sangyum Karmala and various sponsors and volunteers. It is now a large operation involving many helpers, a number of boats and many truckloads of fish which are purchased from the fish farms in and around Kolkata and then released with prayers and auspicious mantras into the milky green waters of the great 'Mother Ganga'. During the 1990,s I used to wonder about the little black pouch that Rinpoche always wore around his waist. He guarded this pouch very carefully as it was stuffed full of various denominations of Indian and Nepali rupee notes which devotees had offered for the purchase and release of fish. He was thoroughly scrupulous about the offerings which came in. Each was assigned to its own purse which denoted a particular cause, but somehow the funds for the 'fish release' were always very abundant and the little black pouch was fairly bursting at its seams. However, this had not always been the case. When Rinpoche first began this project, he was only newly arrived in India as a refugee from Tibet and extremely poor. In those days he was establishing the very first Buddhist Meditation Three Year Retreat Center in Sub Continent and as they could not afford to hire many workers, he rolled up his sleeves and took up a shovel, carrying and laboring on the repair work site with everyone else. Funds for the Fish Release were very scarce. One time the monastery caretaker walked into Rinpoche's room with tears in his eyes. He had just discovered that Rinpoche had sold a lovely piece of precious brocade, one of very few items that they had managed to bring with them from Tibet. With these funds he had bought a dial up phone so that he could call Kolkata to order fish and keep tabs on progress for the annual end of year release! The caretaker was in a state of utter misery a good deal of the time during those years of scarcity. He was always wondering how on earth they would all be able to eat and carry on the general business of very simple living, but Rinpoche was never concerned and always waved him away with words of solace, telling him that all would be well. I know that Rinpoche would have given the clothes off his own back in order to keep on releasing fish into the Ganges. In fact he ordered Lolu, the caretaker, to sell some of his scant personal possessions in order to do just this, on more than one occasion. I used to watch Rinpoche's handpicked group leave from Salbari Gompa every year for this great event, with tears in my eyes, wondering if I would ever have enough merit to be allowed to go with them and help. They all stayed at the house of a Marwari Hindu who had taken a 'shine' to Rinpoche's 'project' and Rinpoche, ever mindful and sensitive of others, was always careful never to take more people with him than was absolutely necessary for the task at hand. He did this so as not to over step or impose on the kindness of a generous donor. One year, however, I decided to take matters into my own hands. At the time, I was living in a small retreat hut in the forests of the Darjeeling hills and had come to know that Rinpoche had arrived at his Salbari Temple. He had journeyed from Nepal and was already on his way to Kolkata. I did not want to ask for permission and risk being sent back to my hut, so I just packed a few things, went down the hill and caught the night train. After arriving in the wee hours of the following morning and finding myself a suitable lodging, I made my way to the place where I knew the release would be taking place. I was able to arrive at the banks of the Ganges just as they were all preparing to begin work that day. It was naughty of me to go without his permission, but I never once regretted my decision and Rinpoche never said anything to reproach me nor showed any sign of displeasure at my unasked for appearance. Within an hour I was chugging out onto the river on a funky old wooden tugboat together with one of the Lamas. The two of us had loaded our boat with the help of a band of Indian workers, with large, waist high buckets filled to the brim with fish. Four other boats, each with two helpers to unload the buckets came and went in a constant procession as we began to release the truck loads of fish that were been bought down to the river. It was hard work in the unforgiving sun, but we barely looked up to notice it. Throughout most of the day, Rinpoche sat quietly on the banks and watched us come and go. There was such a special atmosphere, like a rain of blessings enfolding the whole procedure and although we labored for hours without any breaks, none of us faltered or felt tired. Many times I found myself with tears in my eyes and quite involuntarily, mantras and prayers flowed from our lips as we lifted bucket after bucket-load of fish and poured them in droves into the waters. The moment of their release was so exhilarating. It was a joy to watch them flicker away like sparkling darts as the rays of the sun's light flashed for a moment off their silvery fins. As it turned out, the year I went was one of the last that Rinpoche, already well into his nineties at the time, could attend in person and his wife, Sangyum Kamala and others have come forward now to carry on the work. Just think of how relevant and how meaningful this work, which had such humble beginnings, has now become. This is not just a symbolic act that shows remarkable foresight and conveys a powerful message; this is a living demonstration of something much deeper, which has profound implications. The fish in our seas are being caught indiscriminately and in droves and who is giving anything back? Can we take and take without end? ***** Before concluding, I want to add a brief mention of something that happened to a young newly-wed couple who were about to embark on their honey moon on the Andaman Islands. This story is a remarkable tale that reveals the intricate and subtle underlying threads between the motivation and the activities of those who live, work and exist in this world only to benefit others. On the day of their departure, the young, newly-weds were walking through the Kathmandu airport, when they noticed an elderly Lama sitting to one side with his family and entourage. It was Chadral Rinpoche, about to set off for Kolkata to undertake the annual fish release. As the husbands family members were all long time devotees of Rinpoche, he immediately went over to receive the Lamas blessing. During this encounter Rinpoche made some comments which the young man was not able to fully understand at the time. He had asked Rinpoche to bless them on their trip and this Rinpoche had graciously done. However, he had also said something to them that they had both found very unexpected and disturbing. He had said something major was about to happen and that much life would be lost as a result. As a political conflict was raging in Nepal at that time, the couple attributed his words to this. Rinpoche had told them that he was going to Kolkata to buy and bless fish which had been raised in fish farms. He had told them that he would release the fish into the Ganges and that he was praying that by doing this, he could save a few lives. The couple offered a donation towards the buying of the fish and he thanked them and then added that it would be offered in their name, but not only for their long life, but for the benefit and long life of all beings. It was mid-December in the year of 2004. Exactly two weeks later there was a huge 9.1 earthquake near Indonesia. The massive quake released a gigantic tsunami that devastated a vast swathe of south-east Asia and took with it some quarter of a million lives. It happened just off the coast of Aceh, not far from the Andaman Islands where the couple was still holidaying at that time. The newly-weds lives were spared but their known world thereafter was completely shaken and they could never forget the timely words or the powerful blessing of the Lama." What is canyoneering? The 30 feet jump. Canyoneering in Badian Cebu 2015 Canyoneering in Kawasan falls vs. Badian Canyoneering vs. Canyoneering in Alegria Downstream Cebu Canyoneering Upstream vs. Downstream Canyoneering in Cebu Upstream Canyoneering Kawasan falls Canyoneering Adventure and Osmena Peak What to wear? Wear Long Sleeves Im not saying wear a sweatshirt, a polo with long sleeves, if you have a rashguard with long sleeves, then do use that! Because before you reach Kawasan falls, youll need to go through to a jungle like area and some leaves are itchy not sure whats that about. Shorts are fine I did wear my Maui and Sons (yes, for boys) shorts, I love their shorts and I didnt have any problem with it in terms of being flexible (because you have to be able to do anything with what you wear) just make sure youre comfortable and can move around well. Remember, you have to climb rocks, go up and down, and all. So make sure youll be able to move well. But I wont advice for you to wear really short, shorts. Strapped Sandals (active gears) I really dont know what its called. But its like the Sandugo sandals with a strap for activities like this, or their shoes is totally fine. Dont bring your rubber shoes, it may just get damaged, they have aqua shoes and rubber shoes, so you dont really need a foot gear. I wont advice to wear the aqua shoes though, thats the one I wear. It hurts a lot. Its okay on the waters, but it hurts on the way to the last falls and walk. Its a rocky trail, slippery, I think the rubber shoes will do the best job for this. The Cebu Canyoning Accident and Death Canyoneering Cebu Tour Package and Rates Air-conditioned Transportation Local Guide Canyoning fees Aqua shoes and Helmets PFD (Personal Flotation Device) Lunch Do you appreciate what this blog do? Want to send help for this blog? Your every cents goes a long way DONATE TO EXOTIC PHILIPPINES! I totally forgot when exactly did I have the canyoneering here in Cebu , but Im pretty sure it was on the month of November before the 16th of 2015 because I was supposed to fly out and go to El Nido few days later to give you guys another insight. But due to the APEC event, my plans was APECted (get it? APECtedaffected) and the year end travel is a total fail.But luckily, few days before that your Cebu travel blog was challenged to be one of the first to try their Cebu canyoneering tour package, which is specifically in Badian area, but also part of Alegria not really familiar with that area, sorry! But its still in Cebu, that Im totally sure!What does canyoneering mean? Canyoning or canyoneering is actually going through the canyons through different techniques like jumping, crawling, walking, climbing, swimming, and all. Anything to just get you through, so yes. Its very challenging and scary thing to do, because in this trail, youll not jump off to a 5 feet edge but up to 40ft (if you want) or 30ft (if you also like) and 20ft (whether you like it or not you must jump on this!).I hate to give you another series of photos again just to show you the experience and Ive been trying to get the guts to start the vlog, and I was able to record the whole canyoneering experience so, why just not use the video right?It took me a while to post this post because of this video, I really want to give you what it will be really like to do this because it was very hard for me because Im obviously fat. Overweight. And the experience is very extreme, so you might think about on doing this.So heres a 10 minutes and 10 seconds video of the challenge by my client, it can be too long for you but at least you get the idea, right?Were all talking about the same thing here. Its just because you may start from Kawasan falls (upstream canyoneering) or start in Matutinao (downstream canyoneering) which is in Badian, or maybe also part of Alegria since we did sign the log book in Alegria tourism office.So yeah, theyre all in the same place, the same trail (probably) but a different type of level of difficulty.Next thing I need to discuss with you is about the upstream and downstream. What we did in the video is the downstream canyoneering, meaning we follow the stream of the water which goes to the Kawasan Falls and thats why Kawasan falls is surely included in this experience.The upstream is harder than the downstream and thats why downstream is more advisable for people who are more fit or more up for a greater challenge, totally not for me.Id highly advice that you try the downstream first before deciding to take the upstream. We did meet some people along the way that will do the upstream challenge, and were like almost near the Kawasan Falls, and theyre like tired already.Some may say, lets do this after Osmena peak , do an Osmena Peak traverse to Kawasan Falls My first questions is, are you going to hike from Osmena peak to Kawasan? Because that would be really crazy to do the canyoneering after that. After this 4-5 experience, were all knocked out in the car. I really want to sleep but I felt like Im going to be sick, and I was looking forward to drop by at the milk store that the girls said is yummy.Next is the canyoneering outfit!I did actually do my research for this since this is my first time, and I dont have any idea on what to wear. The staff from the travel agency though did tell me what to wear but its different to hear it from the people who did actually do it.So I asked around and heres what they said, and this is what Ill share to you.Okay, I have to be honest someone did die doing this experience. Actually, he was a guide. When this experience was all over here in Cebu, a great hit, I really want to do this. I just want to have the courage and those friends to be with me to do this no fun on doing this alone, you cant laugh at anyone whos scared to jump. Am I too cruel?But then I hear this news that someone died, and I checked a known forum here in Cebu and people said that the weather was bad that day (I believe it was rainy season that time, and its no good to do the Cebu canyoneering on those season since its a falls, and water may be too strong or too much). And this guy, really forced it to do this experience, saying its okay, hes experienced, and all but Im not saying its that but thats what people did say about what happened.So please, if its not good to do it, if people say not to do it on that day, then dont. Dont book your experience too in rainy season.The travel agency that gave the challenge is, theyre a known travel agency here in Cebu. There were 4 of us in that tour, but we were with other group, a family but then we do have a different car, so its totally okay.They have different rates per person depending on how many you are in a group. So the more the merrier, the cheaper it will be. But as a Cebu blogger , I got the free rate of course.So, for the Cebu canyoneering experience, here are their rates and tour package inclusions:4 persons (again the more the cheaper, the merrier)11 Hours (4-5 hours Canyoneering, 3-4 hours round trip)6:00 AM5:00 PMIf any of you are interested, you may contact and book your Canyoneering experience in Badian Cebu through:www.CebuTripTours.comE-mail: cebutriptours@gmail.com SALEM, Ohio If livestock producers havent looked into the recent requirements of the Veterinary Feed Directive, they should probably start now. Beginning in January 2017, producers who regularly use medicated feed for performance enhancement will be limited. The biggest change is youre not going to be able to go to your feed store and pick up (these medicated feeds). Youre going to have to work with a vet, said Craig Zimmerly, DVM, County Road Veterinary Services, Apple Creek, Ohio. That means small herds that dont have a traditional veterinary-patient relationship are going to have to get one. Most producers will probably be OK and be able to do what they normally do to protect their breeding herds, said John Grimes, Ohio State University Extension beef coordinator, Piketon Research Center. What is it? The Veterinary Feed Directive, or VFD, was originally enacted under the existing Animal Drug Availability Act of 1996. It labeled certain drugs as Veterinary Feed Directive Drugs, which are antibiotics that are also used to treat human illnesses. The VFD is enforced by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and only applies to feed grade antibiotics medicines administered to animals in or on feed and will ultimately rule out its use in growth promotion and feed efficiency. The FDAs main concern is improper or overuse of these drugs may be contributing to antibiotic resistant bacteria, making it more difficult to treat human illnesses. To regulate usage, producers will be required to receive a VFD similar to a prescription from a veterinarian to use VFD labeled drugs. January 2017 A list of VFD antibiotics will be expanded to include many commonly used livestock medicines beginning Jan. 1, 2017. Medicines deemed important for human medicine and used by both humans and animals will require a written VFD from a veterinarian in order to be used on livestock for treatment, control, or prevention of illness only. We can still use them for treatment and prevention of disease, just not performance, said Grimes. Antibiotics used exclusively in animals to treat illness and promote growth will not be affected by the VFD label. These drugs include: Ionophores, Polypeptides, Carbadox, Bambermycin and Pleuromutilin. Find a vet One of the keys to preparing for this change is to have a Veterinary Client Patient Relationship (VCPR), explained Chase Crawford, D.V.M., director of the Antimicrobial Resistance Initiative, Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges whether it is a new thing or making it a more formalized nature than it used to be. In order to issue a VFD, the veterinarian has a responsibility to be familiar with the operation and care and management of the livestock. The veterinarian also assumes a responsibility to make sure the producer understands the treatment dosage and usage requirements and provides any necessary follow up or care. If someone calls (me) and says, I want a bottle of this (drug) and it has been two to three years since I have been out to their farm, I am somewhat responsible if they dont use it as directed, said Zimmerly. Having that working relationship with a vet makes it easier for a producer to reach out when they have questions about medications or animal care, explained Zimmerly. Dont wait until the next December to start forming that relationship with a vet, said Grimes. When you have your next appointment with the vet, start asking questions. VFD requirements In order for a veterinarian to issue a VFD, they must be licensed to practice veterinary medicine and operate in compliance with state-defined VCPR requirements. The VFD (paper or electronic) must contain producer information i.e. name, location, animals being treated, etc. and the name of the VFD drug issued. A copy of the VFD should be provided to the producer and the feed distributor, and a copy should be kept on record for two years. The producer may only feed animals based on the VFD label requirements and may not continue to feed the animal with feed after the expiration date listed. The producer must also maintain all VFD records for two years. A feed distributor may provide VFD feed only if the VFD contains all required information and complies with VFD terms. The distributor is required to provide a one-time notice to the FDA if it plans to distribute VFD feeds and an acknowledgement that it will only sell VFD feeds to producers with valid VFD orders. Feed distributors must also maintain VFD records for two years. Thinking outside the box We are going to be limited. We are not going to have the crutch of every antibiotic to deal with disease that we have had, said Grimes. We are going to have to start thinking outside of the box instead of saying it stinks that we dont have this antibiotic anymore, said Zimmerly. Maybe we dont really need it. Zimmerly suggests looking into the environment in which the animals live. A disease like foot rot might be solved by taking better care in making sure the area in which the animal lives is clean and dry. We are going to have to do a better job on the basics; better management practices to prevent diseases, said Grimes. Taking into consideration barn ventilation and sanitation practices to prevent animal illnesses is one way. We need to think about prevention instead of rescue, he added. Judicious use Veterinarians hope to receive more clarification on what producers can and cant do in the coming months as this directive unfolds over the next year. Its kind of a gray area and not a lot of people really know about it yet. A lot more education needs to be done, Zimmerly said. Sometimes, in agriculture, we get caught in saying we are shouldering all the blame. We get in trouble because animals require a larger volume of antibiotics, said Grimes. We need to look at how we can make this a win-win. Judicious use of antibiotics is something that we as producers need to strive for, said Zimmerly. For more information on the VFD visit the Food and Drug Administration website. Shropshire A Full-Time position is available for an assistant herdsperson on a family dairy farm in mid Shropshire. We have a 250 dairy herd rearing own replacements together with a b... CLA President Ross Murray looks forward to 2016 in a newly released statement explaining businesses in rural areas must be given tools to succeed. As we enter a new year we must start by ensuring we have a proper understanding of the scale and importance of rural business to our national economy. There are more than 600,000 rural businesses employing 2.8 million people in England and Wales. Our main priority for 2016 is to ensure that Government, Ministers and others recognise that these farming and other rural businesses are modern, diverse and innovative. All sectors of the economy are present in our rural communities and these businesses will play a critical role in meeting the challenge of growth, job creation and increased productivity in the months and years ahead. To achieve this Ministers must ensure that the needs of rural businesses are fully considered as new policy is developed. It is also vitally important that Government at all levels is considering the needs of rural communities when deciding where to invest in critical infrastructure, from broadband to road and rail. Throughout 2016 the CLA will be bringing decision makers and rural businesses together through a range of events around the country throughout the year. CLA lobbying has been successful in 2015 and we have influenced many of the decisions that will benefit the countryside because of it. The Prime Ministers announcement in November of a Universal Service Obligation of 10 Mbps by the end of this parliament was a particularly importan milestone in a ten year CLA campaign. This commitment serves only to increase our determination to make sure Government and industry stick to this promise and ensure that a fast and reliable connection becomes a reality for every rural home and business. 2016 will be a critical year for farming as we continue to struggle with a perfect storm of poor prices across a range of agricultural commodities and a volatile global marketplace not helped by the strength of sterling. A strong farming sector will always be the necessary foundation of a strong rural economy. The immediate priority is to ensure that farmers receive their basic support payments as soon as possible. The Rural Payments Agency must deliver on its commitment to have paid the vast majority by the end of January and endeavour to pay everyone as early in the new year as possible. We will also be looking to the long term with the publication of the 25 year strategy for food and farming early next year. It will be followed by an equally important 25 year strategy for the environment. The CLA is playing a full part in the development of both. It is vital that these strategies provide farmers with the reassurance that they will continue to receive support from Government. This is vital not only to ensure that the industry is resilient in difficult times, but also to ensure we fulfil our potential to lead the world in the quality of our produce and our land management practice. As the world sets about delivering on the Climate Change commitments made in Paris, the two 25 year strategies must acknowledge the vital role that landowners play in the adaption and mitigation of climate change. Many CLA members are dealing right now with the effects of extreme weather and flooding and we are committed to playing a full and constructive part in ongoing discussions about the future of land use to manage this particular challenge. Landowners have always taken a long term view on what actions and investments are needed to ensure we hand on land to the next generation in a better state that we inherited it. This challenge is important now as it has ever been. A look back at wins for rural businesses over 2015 Permitted Development Rights - New planning guidance from DCLG, developed as a direct result of sustained pressure from the CLA, was published to make it clearer when it is possible to change the use of former agricultural buildings into residential properties, which in turn will help to deliver beneficial economic growth and much needed new homes in rural areas. Broadband USO Prime Minister David Cameron announced thataccess to fast broadband is to be put on similar footing as other basic services, giving everyone a legal right to request a 10 Mbps connection by 2020. Fly-tipping vehicle seizure - The Control of Waste (Dealing with Seized Property) Regulations 2015 came into force in England and Wales on 6 April 2015, broadening the range of offences for which a vehicle can be seized; removing the need for a warrant to be obtained before seizure; and setting out the circumstances under which the enforcement authority may sell or destroy seized property. Fly-grazing - In early 2015, the CLA worked closely with a coalition of rural organisations and animal welfare charities to drive the Private Members Bill through Parliament which would give landowners greater powers to deal with horses left illegally on their land. The new Control of Horses Act came into force in England in May. Dual use - Following continued pressure from the CLA, Farming Minister George Eustice announced that dual use - where a landowner receives a payment for an environmental management scheme and another receives a support payment under the common agricultural policy on the same parcel of land at the same time - would continue under Countryside Stewardship. Compulsory purchase A Government response to a consultation on Compulsory Purchase reform confirmed thatLocal Authorities and infrastructure companies may have to pay penal rates of interest if they fail to settle claims for advance compensation in a timely manner a big win in the CLAs campaign for reform of the Compulsory Purchase system. Five projects were selected to receive funding By Diego Flammini, Farms.com In an effort to support and improve its agricultural industry and the farmers who provide the crops and livestock, five farms in Massachusetts will split $400,000 in grants to be used towards improving infrastructure. State legislators believe the grants will support different sectors in Massachusetts because they will put more people to work. These agricultural investments help create jobs and make Massachusetts farms more competitive in the national and global marketplace, said Governor Charlie Baker. Our administration is committed to supporting Massachusetts vibrant agriculture industry, which provides fresh, healthy food for the Commonwealths residents. The grants will be distributed among five farms in Adams, Hatfield, Westborough, Sunderland and Westport counties. Each farm, under the states Agricultural Preservation Restriction Program, is permanently protected from development. With agriculture being an ever-changing landscape with the introduction of new technology and practices, the investments could help farmers be on the cutting edge of agricultural infrastructure. Reinvesting in these farms has enabled these businesses to keep up with the changing dynamics of modern agriculture and demands of todays consumers, said Department of Agriculture Commissioner John Lebeaux. Rob Russell, owner of Westport Rivers Winery, one of the farms scheduled to receive a share of the funding, said the investment will support the winerys production for years to come. We will be using these funds to contribute to the construction of our own grapevine grafting facility, he said. This facility will give us the luxury of a consistent supply of quality replacement vines, surely a great help mastering our next 30 years. A report by Farm Credit East in 2012 provided stats about Massachusetts agriculture, including: "I am from WA, and we were told we could get numbers without too much of a headache - so we decided to go with Fremantle. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission Tuesday, UK-based Ensco plc said its customer Petrobras has cancelled the contract for a drillship because of alleged payments to Petrobras employees. The allegations relate to the drillship DS-5 that Ensco acquired when it bought Pride International Inc. in 2011. Petrobras is Brazils state-owned oil and gas giant. Its under investigation in Brazil, Switzerland, and the United States for a massive bribery and kickback scandal. The alleged irregularities purportedly involved a former third-party marketing consultant of Pride to provide services in connection with the DS-5 drilling services contract, Ensco said Tuesday. Esco said it has conducted regular compliance reviews related to its business with Petrobras, including a special review by independent counsel in June 2015. To date, the Company has found no evidence that Pride, the Company or any current or former employees were aware of or involved in any wrongdoing, Ensco said Tuesday. Petrobras told Ensco the DS-5 drilling services contract is void as of January 4. Ensco said, Without specifying any supporting facts or conduct, Petrobras notice alleges that Pride had knowledge that the shipbuilder of DS-5 made improper payments to the former third-party marketing consultant who then shared the improper payments with former employees of Petrobras and that Pride may have assisted in or facilitated these improper payments. Ensco said it hasnt been contacted by Brazil authorities. It denied the allegations: Contrary to Petrobras assertion, the Company has found no evidence that any current or former employee of Pride or Ensco was involved in any wrongdoing, had knowledge of any wrongdoing, or authorized the former third-party marketing consultant to engage in any wrongdoing on behalf of Pride or Ensco with respect to the shipbuilding contract for DS-5. Ensco said it intends to assert its legal rights under the drilling services contract. In 2010, Houston-based Pride International and a French subsidiary were charged with FCPA-related offenses for bribing government officials in Venezuela, India, and Mexico. The bribes were paid to extend drilling contracts for three oil rigs operating offshore in Venezuela, to secure a favorable decision in a customs dispute for a rig imported into India, and to avoid customs duties and penalties for a rig operating in Mexico. Pride International entered into a three-year deferred prosecution agreement with the DOJ in November 2010. The French subsidiary, Pride Forasol, paid a $32.6 million criminal penalty. Pride International also agreed to disgorge $23.5 million to the SEC. The settlement was part of the historic seven-party enforcement action growing out of a U.S. investigation of Swiss logistics firm Panalpina. Ensco plc completed its $7.3 billion acquisition of Pride in May 2011. It agreed to be bound by the terms of Prides deferred prosecution agreement. In late 2012, the DOJ ended Prides DPA a year early to reward the company for its enhanced compliance efforts. Ensco trades on the NYSE under the symbol ESV. _____ Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog. He can be contacted here. We already talked about some of the biggest compliance and enforcement stories from the year just ended. Here are five more. Four of these stories show how compliance failures can instantly damage even the worlds best-known brands, that size and power cant always protect a company or individual, and that in todays interlocked global economy, graft scandals can spread like a virus. One of the stories, on the other hand, shows that company leaders can achieve good outcomes even when bad deeds abound. Heres what happened: VW screwed up big time. It rigged U.S. (and probably other) car emission tests by installing software designed to cheat. The company has set aside more than $7.23 billion to cover costs of repairing the cars and other efforts to win back the trust of our customers. More than 500,000 diesel cars in the U.S. were affected by the cheating and more than 10 million world wide. The DOJ filed a civil complaint this week that accused VW of four violations of the Clean Air Act. Penalties could reach $46 billion, according to Bloomberg. The scandal proves that no company can afford to live without Compliance 2.0, Mike Scher said. Independent compliance officers with direct reporting lines to the board are a no-brainer. VimpelCom got ready for a top ten FCPA enforcement action. The Amsterdam-based telecoms firm said in November it has reserved $900 million for a possible settlement with U.S. and Dutch authorities. VimpelCom is under investigation for business in Uzbekistan and dealings with an offshore company linked to Gulnara Karimova, the eldest daughter of the Uzbek president. In August, the DOJ asked authorities in several European countries to freeze about $1 billion in assets tied to Karimova and alleged bribes from VimpelCom, MTS of Russia, and TeliaSonera of Sweden. Norways government controls a majority share of VimpelCom. Chinas anti-graft purge toppled the biggest tiger yet. Zhou Yongkang, the former domestic security czar and a member of the powerful Politburo Standing Committee, was jailed for life for graft and leaking state secrets. Zhou once also controlled state oil giant China National Petroleum Corporation. Hes the highest-ranking official to fall since President Xi Jinpings anti-corruption campaign began in 2012. Guest contributor Jerry Yang reported that in 2015 more than 20 China state officials above provincial/ministerial level were investigated for corruption. The total number of PML officials charged has now exceeded 120 since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012. The Petrobras graft scandal spread from Brazil to the U.S. and Europe. In March, the Swiss attorney general froze $400 million in 300 Swiss bank accounts allegedly tied to corruption at the Brazil state oil company. Italian oil and gas services firm Saipem confirmed that Milan prosecutors are investigating alleged corruption tied to a 2011 contract with Petrobras. Houston-based Vantage Drilling Company said in an SEC filing in August that an agent it used in Brazil has entered into a plea arrangement with the Brazilian authorities in connection with the agents role in obtaining bribes on behalf of former Petrobras executives. Norways Sevan Marine said in October it more likely than not made improper payments to win business with Petrobras. In December, a former Allen & Overy partner in Amsterdam, Sietze Hepkema, was among a dozen people Brazil prosecutors charged in a new phase of their Petrobras investigation. Hepkema left Allen & Overy LLP in late 2011 and joined Netherlands-based SBM Offshore as chief governance and compliance officer. In November 2014, SBM Offshore paid Dutch authorities $240 million to settle allegations that it bribed government officials in Brazil, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea. Rupert Murdochs 21st Century Fox Inc. and News Corp survived the UK hacking and bribery scandal. UK prosecutors did the heavy lifting in the case, winning convictions against eight defendants. Andy Coulson, a former editor of News Corps now-shuttered News of the World, spent five months in prison. To Rupert Murdochs credit, his response to the scandal was fast, open, and decisive. News Corp and 21st Century Fox both issuers and U.S. domestic concerns for the FCPA spent a combined $551 million in settlements and legal fees through June. The companies said in February the DOJ declined to prosecute them. And after a jury in London acquitted News Corp UK head Rebekah Brooks, UK prosecutors decided not to prosecute the companies. ____ Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog. He can be contacted here. There was a desperate lack of Tom Hiddleston on the big screen last year, but now the British actor is set to return with new film High-Rise. High-Rise is a movie that I have been looking forward to for some time and a brand new teaser poster for the movie has been unveiled. High-Rise is the latest offering from filmmaker Ben Wheatley and will mark the first time that Hiddleston has teamed up with the director. Wheatley has brought us films such as Sightseers and Kill List in recent years and this is his first film since A Field In England back in 2013. Hiddleston is set to take on the central role of Dr. Robert Laing in High-Rise, and is joined by an all-star cast as Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans, Elisabeth Moss, James Purefoy, and Keely Hawes are just some of the great names that are on board. 1975. Two miles west of London, Dr. Robert Laing moves into his new apartment seeking soulless anonymity, only to find that the building's residents have no intention of leaving him alone. Resigned to the complex social dynamics unfolding around him, Laing bites the bullet and becomes neighbourly. As he struggles to establish his position, Laing's good manners and sanity disintegrate along with the building. The lights go out and the lifts fail but the party goes on. People are the problem. Booze is the currency. Sex is the panacea. Only much later, as he sits on his balcony eating the architect's dog, does Dr. Robert Laing finally feel at home... High-Rise is just one of the projects that we will see Hiddleston star in this year as I Saw The Light and TV series The Night Manager are also on the horizon. High-Rise is released 18th March. by Helen Earnshaw for www.femalefirst.co.uk find me on and follow me on 2015 was another good year for actress Natalie Dormer with success on both the big and the small screen. That success looks set to continue into 2016 as she is set to lead new horror film The Forest. The Forest This is one of the first lead film roles of Dormer's career and the first time that we have seen her tackle the horror genre. The Forest will also mark the feature film directorial debut for Jason Zada, as he makes the leap from shorts into features for the very first time. There's still a few weeks to go until The Forest hits the big screen, but we have some terrific new images for you to take a look at: Dormer is set to take on the central role of Sara Price and is joined on the cast list by Taylor Kinney, Eoin Macken, Stephanie Vogt, and Yukiyoshi Ozawa. Set in the legendary Aokigahara Forest, The Forest tells the story of Sara (Dormer), who travels from the United States to Japan in search of her twin sister Jess, who has mysteriously disappeared. Despite warnings not to leave the path, Sara enters the forest determined to discover the truth about her sister's fate... The Forest is released 26th February. by Helen Earnshaw for www.femalefirst.co.uk find me on and follow me on If you have ever wished that you never have to wash your jeans, then your wish has just come true. A start up called Odo Denim claims to have developed the worlds first self-cleaning fabric which repels stains and doesnt allow bacteria to accumulate, which means you dont have to wash your jeans.Pakistani-origin Salman Chaudry who founded Odo Denim, understood that the two main reasons why people sent their jeans to the wash were simply because of stains and sweat. But water scarcity in places like California, coupled with high costs of laundry, meant that people were urgently looking for a solution. If you have ever wished that you never have to wash your jeans, then your wish has just come true. A start up called Odo Denim claims to have# He figured out that if he could eliminate sweat and stains from jeans then people wouldnt need to wash them anymore.Salman uncovered through his research that the fabric which was most similar to the one he had envisioned a NASA space suit.He drew inspiration from space suits that need not be washed because silver makes that possible. So he decided to use silver in the jeans he wanted to make. After all, 200 years ago, people used to put silver in water to make it antibacterial, explains Salman.He stresses that explains humans basically have no smell and that odour is formed from the bacteria that feed off the sweat. When there is no bacteria, there is no smell.Were weaving silver right inside the fabric, its permanent. Its not a layer or coating on top, its a part of the fabric itself. Even if you wash it a hundred times the silver wont go away. Itll last for the life of the garment.As for its stain repellant features, Salman says the team managed to crack that by playing around with the surface area of the fabric. In normal denim, the surface area is so wide that liquid just penetrates through.What the start up did differently was to integrate nanoparticles, significantly lessening the surface area so that liquid just slides off. Its survived some heavy-duty tests as well.A pair is currently available for $95 (Rs 6,300), with early Kickstarter backers set to receive their jeans by the middle of next year. Each will have approximately 10 to 15 grams of silver embedded in them. No, they wont sparkle.According to videos posted on Odos Kickstarter page which has blown past the companys original goal of $10,000 nine times over with three weeks left to fundraise on the site the jeans really do repel liquids, including such notorious stain culprits as red wine, ketchup and coffee. Odo also claims the jeans do not start to stink even after being worn for a year or more. (SH) Fibre2Fashion News Desk - India The arrival of cotton at ginneries in Pakistan by January 1, 2016, is down 33.5 per cent year-on-year, according to the fortnightly report on cotton arrivals, prepared by the Pakistan Cotton Ginners' Association (PCGA), in joint cooperation with All Pakistan textile Mills Association (APTMA) and the Karachi Cotton Association (KCA). As on January 1, 2016, ginneries in Pakistan received 9.279 million bales of cotton, compared to arrival of 13.958 million bales during the corresponding period of last season, according to the data. In Punjab province, the total cotton arrivals decreased by 44.75 per cent year-on-year to 5.574 million bales, according to the data. In Sindh province, cotton arrivals dropped 4.23 per cent to 3.704 million bales as on January 1 during the ongoing cotton season 2015-16. The arrival of cotton at ginneries in Pakistan by January 1, 2016, is down 33.5 per cent year-on-year, according to the fortnightly report on cotton # Of the total arrival of 9.279 million bales, 8.996 million bales were pressed by ginners, of which 7.626 million bales were sold, leaving an unsold stock of 1.369 million bales with the ginners, as on January 1. The textile mills in Pakistan consumed 7.271 million bales, while another 344,426 bales of cotton were sold to exporters, according to the data. The Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) has not procured any bale of cotton so far this season. As of January 1, a total of 280 ginning factories were operational in Punjab compared to 700 ginneries that were operational during the same time last season. Similarly, 136 ginning units were operational in the Sindh region, compared to 156 operating units during the corresponding period last year. Last month, the Cotton Crop Assessment Committee (CCAC) revised downward the cotton crop estimate for the ongoing season to 10.85 million bales for the current season against the initial estimates of 15.49 million bales. In 2014-15 cotton season, Pakistan's cotton output increased by 11.03 per cent to 14.871 million bales, compared to the previous season's production of 13.488 million bales. (RKS) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India The Free Trade Agreement between Pakistan and Sri Lanka came up for discussion on Tuesday during the visit of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to the island nation. During his meeting with sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, the two sides discussed the issues related to the implementation of the FTA and agreed to include Services and Investments chapters in the bilateral trade agreement."This would enable our companies to form joint ventures for export to third countries," Sri Lankan and Pakistani newspapers quoted Sharif as saying. Sharif, who is on a three-day visit, noted that Sri Lanka enjoys exceptional position of being the first country with which Pakistan entered into a Free Trade Agreement (FTA)."The present volume of trade (approx. $325 million) does not reflect true potential. We have agreed to re-invigorate our efforts to realize the goal of achieving $1 billion bilateral trade target at the earliest. I re-iterated Pakistan's offer to setup Cement and Sugar Plants in Sri Lanka, on mutually agreed terms, for the long term benefit of Sri Lankan economy. We have also conveyed our readiness to welcome Sri Lankan investment in Pakistan. We have also expressed satisfaction on the work of Pakistan-Sri Lanka Joint Economic Commission in promoting bilateral trade," he said.Pakistan and Sri Lanka also signed eight agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoU). The agreements for cooperation in fields of health, education, trade, technology, tourism, gems and jewelry were signed during delegation-level talks between the two countries.Among the MoUs signed was one between Pakistan Sri Lanka Business Council of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Pakistan and Sri Lanka Pakistan Business Council of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.Nawaz Sharif and his Sri Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickremesinghe launched the 'Pakistan Single Country Exhibition 2016' aimed at tapping the business potential of two countries.Addressing a gathering of Pakistani and Sri Lankan businessmen, Sharif invited the Sri Lankan businessmen to invest in different sectors in Pakistan.Sharif said the `Pakistan Single Country Exhibition' would provide a useful platform to further enhance the excellent commercial and bilateral relations between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.He termed it a timely opportunity for Sri Lankan businessmen to benefit from what he called the vibrant and progressive economy of Pakistan. Wickremesinghe said that while Pakistan and Sri Lankan enjoyed strong political relationship, the economic relationship needed to be strengthened. (SH) Fibre2Fashion News Desk - India Tianye Jacquard Textile , a manufacturer of jacquard knitted fabrics in China will promote their functional range of anti-allergy, fresh and hygienic fabrics at Heimtextil at their Stand No. 10.0 D 80A.The company will showcase its range of mattress and pillow protector fabrics, mattress ticking fabrics and toppers made with Amicor fibres, a press release from Thai Acrylics stated. Tianye Jacquard Textile, a manufacturer of jacquard knitted fabrics in China will promote their functional range of anti-allergy, fresh and hygienic# After a successful launch in the Chinese Market, Tianye Jacquard plans to target and promote their collection in the European market this year, the company said in the press release.Arleen Tian, director of Tianye Jacquard said, There has always been a consumer demand for functional, healthcare fabrics in Europe and Heimtextil would be a perfect launch-pad for our new series to penetrate the European bedding market.Our new fabric collection has been engineered with the innovative yarn made from Amicor fibres intimately blended with micro-denier anti-pilling fiber Pilbloc and Modal, he added.Our range focuses on the complete bedding range from mattress, pillow and mattress protector fabrics to provide a healthy and hygienic environment for the full family, Tian informed.Biswajit Chaudhuri, chief marketing officer explained, The new fabric collection with Amicor and Pilbloc blends, provide the dual function of hygiene and comfort.Amicor fibres anti-microbial performance prevent the growth of dust mites in mattress, bedding and makes these anti-allergic and also prevents bacterial and fungal growth imparting anti-odour property, he too added.Additionally, Pilbloc micro-denier anti-pilling fibre will provide new look to fabric for the lifetime of the bedding, while the super-fine micro-cross-section imparts quick-dry and super-soft property to fabrics, Chaudhri stated.According to Thai Acrylics, coupled with Modal, the fabric feels even softer than cotton for an ultimate feeling of comfort.The collection is commercially available in various fabric designs and in range of 220-450 GSMs to suit different bedding application.Amicor fibre is certified by Allergy UK Foundations Seal of Approval, Oeko Tex Class 1 Standard 100 and also REACH SVHC.Both Amicor and Pilbloc fibres are the top performance fibre brands manufactured by Thai Acrylic Fibre Co. Ltd., a part of the $42 billion Aditya Birla Group. (AR) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India The US Army has recently contracted with Utah State University to begin creating synthetic spider silk.The University has announced that it has been awarded a $1 million Department of Defense Small Business Innovation Research contract to team with a Salt Lake City company - Technology Holdings LLC to provide spider silk for the U.S. Army.The contract, which is managed by the Army Research Office, will call for Utah State and Technology Holding LLC to provide the Army with multiple lengths of fiber made from synthetic spider silk while testing and analyzing the manufacturing process.Dr. Randy Lewis, Utah Science Technology and Research professor of biology at Utah State University is in charge of the programme.Lewis said spider silk is one of the strongest, yet most elastic materials known to man and has almost infinite applications ... in the defense industry.(But) the challenge has always been developing ways in which to produce synthetic spider silk in quantities sufficient enough for mass manufacturing, Lewis said in a press release.Lewis uses transgenic goats, E.coli bacteria, transgenic alfalfa and silk worms to produce the spider silk proteins that are used to create spider silk. In February, USU opened a facility geared toward producing the material in commercial quantities.Lewis said momentum at the facility, which is called the USU Synthetic Bioproducts Center, precipitated the Army contract.(The center) has been making great strides in developing processes and technologies to more efficiently produce and process synthetic spider silk, he said.Lewis has researched the potential use of spider silk in several areas, including ligament and tendon repair, advanced coating, high-tech clothing, parachutes, bioadhesives, time release coatings and airbags.The silk that most people are interested in is called dragline. It makes the framework of the web and the radii. It has the tensile strength about the same as Kevlar, one of the strongest man-made materials, Lewis said. But Kevlar doesn't stretch at all. The dragline itself will stretch 20-30 per cent. As a result, it absorbs much more energy than Kevlar. In particular, the funding we have gotten from the army for the next two years is to try to develop, in essence, a material that will replace nylon, Lewis said. The major reason for that is they're looking for something that won't melt when it gets hot. Nylon melts when it reaches high temperatures, often causing burn injuries on soldiers, even when an explosion does not directly impact the soldier, Lewis said. Spider silk, however, breaks down and becomes charred when it gets hot. Uniforms made of silk would not melt onto the skin of soldiers in those circumstances. (SH) The US Army has recently contracted with Utah State University to begin creating synthetic spider silk.The University has announced that it has been# Fibre2Fashion News Desk - India The New Year 2016, saw Bollywood celebs partying with their loved ones such as family, friends and lovers. Numerous pictures were posted on social media by the celebrities having the time of their life and welcomed the new year. In the midst of all the hullabaloo, Bollywood hotties such as Bipasha Basu, Sonakshi Sinha, Sonam Kapoor and Anita Hassanandani were seen relaxing and enjoying their time on the sun kissed beaches abroad. Yes, the New Year 2016, saw the ladies of Bollywood enjoying their time with their lovers and friends, while showcasing their hot bodies in a bikini, chilling and killing their time on the beautiful beaches. Bipasha Basu Bipasha Basu, was seen holidaying in Maldives along with the love of her life, Karan Singh Grover. The actress, sported a pink bikini and posted many pictures on her Instagram account. Bipasha's bikini pics were so hot, that it started trending on Google during the New Year. Sonakshi Sinha Sonakshi Sinha, is no doubt the selfie queen of Bollywood and the actress posted a bikini selfie on Instagram for the New Year. Sonakshi, is seen in a black bikini with cool sunglasses, and is relaxing by the pool. The sun is shining in the picture and so is Sonakshi Sinha. Sonam Kapoor Sonam Kapoor, spent her New Years on the exotic beaches of Maldives along with her best buddies. Almost all her New Year pictures are on the sun kissed beaches enjoying every moment with friends. Sonam, is seen in a black bikini and other stunning beach outfits as well. Anita Hassanandani Anita Hassanandani, made your jaws drop as she posted her bikini picture while partying. The petite actress, is seen soaking in the sun and by the pool for a perfect selfie. Click on the slides below to check out these 10 hot bikini pics of Bipasha Basu, Sonakshi Sinha, Sonam Kapoor and Anita Hassanandani. Priyanka Chopra Praising Aishwarya's beauty, Priyanka Chopra once said, ''God must have taken a vacation to make Aishwarya Rai. We mortals were made in a day.'' (In Pic-Shweta, Sandeep and Aishwarya) Prahlad Kakkar On Aish Prahlad Kakkar once said in an interview," I recall the initial days of Aishwarya Rai's career when she came for an audition. Simply dressed in a kurta and jeans she stood amongst many girls. But once the camera rolled she let her hair loose and man... that woman was magic!'' Shahrukh Khan Talks About Aish SRK talks about Aish, ''I feel very proud of the fact that when you go to London, France, Germany, the only two Indian names people recognise are Aishwarya Rai and Amitabh Bachchan.'' Rekha "She looks unbelievable in the promos of Umrao Jaan. She doesn't need to go to Hollywood to prove herself. She's our own. Why Bride & Prejudice? Who are these people from outside trying to tap Ash's potential? She's our treasure. It's time we acknowledge her,'' said Rekha. Bipasha Basu Praising Aish, Bipasha had said, "In Bollywood, I like Kajol, Manisha Koirala and Tabu. Also Aishwarya Rai, who I feel, is a complete actress, just like old-time actresses." Aishwarya While in college, Aishwarya did few modelling assignments. She was crowned Miss World 1994, after which she began receiving offers to act in the films. Aish's Debut Film Aishwarya Rai Bachchan made her acting debut with the 1997 Tamil film Iruvar. Her first Hindi film Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya with Bobby Deol was also released in the same year. Aish's Hollywood Films Aishwarya Rai Bachchan also did many Hollywood movies, like Pink Panther 2, Bride And Prejudice and The Mistress of Spices. (In Pic-Aishwarya Rai Bachchan At Pink Panther 2's Screening) Aish's Choker Bali Aishwarya Rai Bachchan garnered critical appreciation for portraying Rabindranath Tagore's heroine, Binodini, in the Bengali film Chokher Bali (2003). (In Pic-Aish on the sets of Chokher Bali) Aishwarya's Biggest Hits Dhoom 2 (2006), the historical romance film Jodhaa Akbar (2008), and the science fiction film Enthiran (2010) are some of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's biggest hits. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan After the success of Chokher Bali, Aish returned to mainstream Hindi film with Rajkumar Santoshi's Khakee (2004), an action thriller featuring Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgan and Tusshar Kapoor. Aishwarya's Charity Work Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is actively involved with several charity organisations and campaigns. She is the Goodwill Ambassador for the Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS). Guzaarish After doing Guzaarish in 2010, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan took a break from Bollywood because of her pregnancy. She was blessed with a baby girl on November 16th, 2011. Aaradhya Aishwarya Rai Bachchan named her little girl Aaradhya Bachchan. Aaradhya is one of the most loved star kids. (In Pic-Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's old modelling picture) Comeback In 2015, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan made a comeback with Sanjay Gupta's Jazbaa. The movie got positive reviews from the critics and performed well at the box office. (In Pic-Aish with Shweta) Deepika Padukone is one of the most successful actresses of Bollywood today. We all know that she dated Ranbir Kapoor in the past but very few know Nihar Pandya was her first boyfriend when she came to Mumbai. And in a recent interview, Nihar revealed that he is still in touch with Deepika. When Indian Express asked Nihar Pandya, ''Are you still in touch with Deepika? How would you define your equation with her today?'' Nihar said, ''Yes, we are very much in touch. It's nowhere close to the way it has been portrayed so far with reports suggesting that both of us are waiting to run each other down or anything.'' Click Below To See Some Old Candid Pictures Of Nihar and Deepika Nihar-Deepika Did You Know Himesh Reshammiya's music video I Love You Sayonee featured Nihar Pandya while Aap Kaa Surroor had Deepika Padukone? Bollywood Journey Deepika Padukone became an overnight star when her debut film Om Shanti Om released with Shahrukh Khan, while Nihar was seen in a brief role in the Salman Khan starrer Marigold. Nihar Pandya According to reports, Nihar Pandya was Deepika Padukone's first boyfriend in Mumbai. Nihar helped Deepika a lot during her struggling days. Nihar's Girlfriends Rumour has it that, Deepika Padukone left Nihar Pandya for Ranbir Kapoor. After dating Deepika, Nihar was in a relationship with Gauhar Khan. Nihar Praises Deepika Nihar praised Deepika and said, ''She got a chance and she is doing phenomenally well and improving with every film that she is doing which is great. On my front, it has taken long, rather long. But I have been told that a hopeless optimist is the right way to be.'' Nihar Pandya further added, ''It's all very much on a friendly note. But these days when you say friends people feel there is something more to it and we should check with the other person as well. Unfortunately with these relationships that I have been tagged, there is a wrong notion among people that I am wanting to be with an actress. That is not how we had planned it. And I would like to undo that, this year. I would now like my actions to speak louder than words.'' Sorry Shahrukh! Sonakshi Thinks This Actor Will Win All The Awards This Time When asked, ''It's Deepika's birthday today. Anything that you would like to say?'' He said, ''Like every year, I wish her a very happy birthday. May she keep delivering bigger hits with every passing year.'' According to reports, when Deepika Padukone had first arrived in Mumbai from her hometown Bangalore, Nihar Pandya's family had taken care of her. Deepika had met Nihar in an acting school. Priyanka Chopra has some special plans for the year 2016. This year, the diva wants to concentrate on supporting education of girls. Talking about her passion, Priyanka Chopra told Bollywood Life,"I have been involved with UNICEF for 10 years, I have been their goodwill ambassador for seven. For me education is very important and I have been an advocate of it for years. Education not just formally but the ability for girls to be able to have ammunition to stand on their own feet, whether it is learning how to sow or cook, small things where girl can have financial independence.'' Priyanka Chopra further added, ''My mother taught me that since I was a child, if you have financial independence then no matter where you go you will always have courage and confidence that you don't depend on anyone else." HOTNESS ALERT: 15 Most Beautiful Pictures Of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan ''In our country girls don't go to school because parents are afraid to send them, thats also education. Talking about issues and not hiding, we need to teach our society to treat men and women if not equally then at least with respect. Women have been second class citizens for a very long time in the whole world, its time for people to give women their due for their merit. So thats been something very close to me and I will continue to work on it.'' Fahadh Faasil and Anwar Rasheed, the actor-director duo's much-awaited project Maniyarayile Jinnu has been shelved. The team hasn't revealed the reason behind the shelve but confirmed that Anwar will direct Fahadh in another project soon. Maniyarayile Jinnu was a highly anticipated project, as it was expected to bring back Nazriya Nazim to the silver screen. But now, it is almost confirmed that Nazriya has no plans to make a comeback in the near future. Anwar Rasheed has earlier associated with Fahadh Faasil, in his production debut Bangalore Days. He has directed Fahadh in his critically acclaimed segment Amy, of the highly appreciated anthology movie 5 Sundarikal. The director has been staying away from his direction career since the last few years, to concentrate on his production career. His second production venture Premam emerged as the second highest ever grosser of Malayalam Cinema. Fahadh Faasil, on the other hand, is going through a low phase in his career, with no successful film in past two years. The Anwar Rasheed project is expected to be a saving grace in the talented actor's career, and bring him back to the success track. Olympus Capital Asia is to invest US$30 million in microfinance operator CreditAccess Asia, as regulators across the region look to channel funds to small businesses and tighten the screws on loan sharks, the private equity firm said on Tuesday. Founded in 2006, CreditAccess Asia wants to expand its retail lending operations and aims to double its client base to over three million customers over the next two years. Paolo Brichetti, chief executive officer of CreditAccess Asia, told FinanceAsia that the firm is profitable and eyeing new markets. We are reinvesting our profits to grow our businesses in the current markets -- India, Philippines and Indonesia -- and in new markets like Vietnam, he said. Olympus Capitals investment follows a decision by Indias central bank in September to license ten financial institutions to set up small banks to provide microfinance to its citizens. The new licence holders in India are expanding and competing for capital, which has depressed valuations for investment in microfinance. There is a fair number of microfinance companies in India that have recently been granted new licenses to convert to small finance banks; they will require additional domestic capital to meet regulatory requirements and that is likely to moderate valuations to a certain degree, Daniel Mintz, managing director of Olympus Capital Asia, told FinanceAsia in a phone call from New York. Across the region valuations for startups by non-traditional lenders using new technologies, dubbed fintech, are cooling off as investors become increasingly concerned about slowing growth. However, fundamentally technology remains key to microfinance. Technology is incredibly important in microfinance because you are dealing with so many small transactions," Mintz said. "Great systems really help with functions such as credit scoring, record keeping and helping your collection people efficiently reach clients. For Olympus Capital, investing in CreditAccess means it is backing a regulated player with fewer political risks, given the clamp downs seen across the region in recent years, from Japan to India. As an organized and regulated player you are replacing curb-side lending youre marching very much in step with government policy and extending credit to sectors that are under banked, Mintz said. Over half of the worlds unbanked population resides in Asia, according to the World Bank. India and Southeast Asia, where CreditAccess Asia operates, have a combined population of about two billion people and more than 200 million households. CreditAccess Asia raised 40 million euros in 2014 and has said it plans to IPO in 2017, according to its website. Small is beautiful Microfinance is a highly underpenetrated and potentially profitable business with high barriers to entry. Loan spreads are high and delinquencies are usually low. The collection efficiency for most microfinance institutions in India is greater than 99%. That makes a high return on equity possible. 20% is achievable, said Morgan Stanley analysts in a research note. The industry generally deals in small-ticket loans of between $35 and $250 to low-income segments such as farmers and corner shops. The financiers need extensive networks to go into villages and ensure repayment. It is a manpower-intensive business, involving doorstep delivery, cash disbursements, and cash collections. Loans are typically low-ticket and short-tenor, so the loan book-to-employee ratio is low compared with most other lending businesses. CreditAccess Asia employs some 5,400 people across more than 450 branches. Scale and solid auditing systems are therefore imperative to keeping a lid on operating costs. Loans are generally unsecured and hence write-offs can be almost 100% in the event of poor underwriting. This is not a sexy, big-ticket business. You have to grind it out and have really good systems and a lot of employees, Mintz said. Big commercial banks have generally eschewed microfinance given the cumbersome and costly nature of dealing with small-ticket loans. However, Mintz noted that if a company can identify profitable patterns of repayment in certain segments of society then the yield can be much higher than with big loans to big corporations. Groups of women that co-sign with each other and use the money for small craft enterprises have incredibly low default rates, he said, by way of example. Amsterdam-headquartered CreditAccess Asia is already profitable with more than 1.3 million clients and a loans portfolio that more than doubled last year to 240 million ($258.9 million) and is expected to grow by another 50%-plus in the current fiscal year to March 31, CreditAccess Asias Brichetti told FinanceAsia. These businesses can be very profitable, Mintz said. Olympus Capital Asia will have a seat on the companys board. BOK Financial Corp. is looking to grow its wealth management business in Texas. The regional financial services company on Tuesday announced that it is acquiring Weaver Wealth Management, an RIA owned by Texas-based accounting firm, Weaver and Tidwell. In addition to expanding the company's wealth management reach in Texas, the acquisition is expected to increase BOK's assets under management by about $340 million. It will also gain "an experienced team with a solid client base of executives and families receiving investment management and wealth management services," BOK said. As part of the deal, Weaver Wealth Management will become part of BOK's subsidiary, the Milestone Group, which focuses on providing investment management and financial planning services to ultrahigh-net-worth customers. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. "The addition of Weaver Wealth Management will allow BOK Financial to further serve our clients' financial needs in one of the most attractive growth markets we serve," Scott Grauer, BOK's executive vice president of wealth management, said in a statement. David Sego, managing director for Weaver Wealth Management, will maintain his leadership role and report directly to Eric Koeplin, president of the Milestone Group. Existing Weaver Wealth Management clients will continue to be served by their same team of advisors and support personnel, the company said. "Paramount in our decision were the outstanding reputations of BOK Financial and the Milestone Group, as well as their commitment to delivering the highest level of service to our clients," John Mackel, managing partners and CEO of Weaver and Tidwell, said in a statement. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2016, pending regulatory approval. Read More: Like BICs Facebook page here. Follow BIC on Twitter at @BIConline. Join BICs LinkedIn Group here. FINRA added one more bank rep to the roll of miscreants it expelled from the industry in 2015. On New Year's Eve, the regulator barred former J.P. Morgan Chase rep William Roldan for allegedly stealing more than $26,000 from four bank customers. FINRA claims he defrauded the customers by making unauthorized ATM withdrawals from their bank accounts between July and November of 2015. Roldan worked for J.P. Morgan Chase Bank in Hackensack, N.J., from March 2010 to November 2015, when he was dismissed for the alleged wrongdoing, according to his BrokerCheck report. During that time, he also worked for Chase Investment Services and later J.P. Morgan Securities. In his settlement, Roldan neither admitted nor denied the charges but consented to an entry of FINRA's findings. He could not be reached for comment. Mike Fusco, a spokesperson for Chase Wealth Management, declined to comment on Roldan's expulsion. Roldan joins at least 12 other J.P. Morgan reps who were barred from the industry last year for alleged misconduct ranging from check-kiting schemes to outright theft. One of the more dramatic banishments involved Richard Ohrn, a broker who faked his disappearance at sea to escape a FINRA complaint alleging that he had stolen more than $15,000 from two elderly customers. Ohrn had sued J.P. Morgan Chase for $2 million, charging his former employer with what he claimed was essentially a smear campaign. Ohrn was barred in April. Read More: Like BICs Facebook page here. Follow BIC on Twitter at @BIConline. Join BICs LinkedIn Group here. BASEL (dpa-AFX) - Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) announced that its subsidiary, Qualcomm Life, Inc., and Novartis are expanding their global connected therapy management collaboration. Novartis will leverage Qualcomm Life's connectivity solutions to power its next-generation connected Breezhaler, the inhaler for its Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) portfolio. Qualcomm Life is developing the reference design for the small, low-power, disposable module to connect the next generation Breezhaler, which is part of Novartis' leading portfolio of COPD treatments comprised of Onbrez, Seebri and Ultibro, with Ultibro leading the category in the LABA/ LAMA therapy class. The module is designed to seamlessly connect with Qualcomm Life's 2net Platform, and can detect and report inhaler usage, as well as the duration of the patient's inhalation which indicates quality of the inhalation. under this collaboration, Novartis aims to be the first company with a completely integrated, connected delivery device that will provide a simple experience for patients, eliminate the need to assemble the device themselves, and enable them to more easily manage their chronic disease. With near-real time data capture from the patient and the connected device, Novartis aims to improve medication adherence and ultimately health outcomes for COPD patients. Novartis plans to launch the new connected Breezhaler in 2019 following manufacturing, testing and regulatory approvals. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Australian dollar weakened against the other major currencies in the Asian session on Wednesday. The Australian dollar fell to more than a 3-month low of 84.18 against the yen, nearly a 3-week low of 0.7109 against the U.S. dollar and a 2-day low of 1.5148 against the euro, from yesterday's closing quotes of 85.23, 0.7159 and 1.5005, respectively. Against the Canadian dollar, the aussie edged down to 0.9967 from yesterday's closing value of 1.0016. If the aussie extends its downtrend, it is likely to find support around 83.00 against the yen, 0.70 against the greenback, 1.55 against the euro and 0.98 against the loonie. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Regulatory News: Transgene S.A. (Paris:TNG) today announced the initiation of a multinational, randomized Phase 3 open label study with the oncolytic immunotherapy, Pexa-Vec, in patients with advanced liver cancer, also known as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This trial is being led by Transgene's partner, SillaJen, Inc. The trial is evaluating the use of Pexa-Vec to treat HCC patients who are eligible for treatment with sorafenib (Nexavar), the only approved drug for advanced HCC. The study, named the PHOCUS trial, is designed to enroll 600 patients who have not received prior systemic treatment for their cancer. Patients will be randomized 1:1 to one of two treatment groups: one which will receive Pexa-Vec followed by sorafenib and one which will receive sorafenib alone. The study will be conducted at approximately 140 sites worldwide, including in North America, Asia, Australia and Europe. SillaJen reached agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) for this global Phase 3 clinical trial. The primary endpoint of the study will be overall survival. Secondary objectives will include safety, as well as assessments for tumor responses between the two groups as measured by the following endpoints: time to progression, progression-free survival, overall response rate and disease control rate. To learn more about the trial, please visit www.clinicaltrials.gov or www.pexavectrials.com. "The initiation of the Phase 3 trial with Pexa-Vec in patients with advanced liver cancer is an important step forward in the development of this oncolytic immunotherapy," said Philippe Archinard, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Transgene. "The recent marketing approval of the first oncolytic immunotherapy has paved the way for this promising class of cancer treatments. We look forward to exploring Pexa-Vec's potential utility in treating advanced liver cancer, as well as other cancer types." "We are pleased to be initiating this multinational Phase 3 trial for Pexa-Vec an oncolytic immunotherapy which demonstrated antitumor activity in Phase 2 clinical trials for liver cancer," stated Eun Sang Moon, Chief Executive Officer of SillaJen. "Our primary focus at this time is to execute a well-run, successful clinical trial, and we believe that the SPA that we have in place with the FDA will allow us and our global partners a clear path to approval for Pexa-Vec." "We are still desperately in need of additional treatment options for advanced liver cancer. Cancer immunotherapy holds much promise, and I'm greatly looking forward to having the opportunity to evaluate Pexa-Vec in patients with advanced liver cancer," stated Ghassan Abou-Alfa, M.D., medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and lead investigator on the Phase 3 trial. About Pexa-Vec Pexa-Vec (pexastimogene devacirepvec) is an oncolytic immunotherapy armed with a GM-CSF gene that promotes an anti-tumor immune response. Pexa-Vec is designed to selectively target and destroy cancer cells through three different mechanisms of action: the lysis (breakdown) of cancer cells through viral replication, the reduction of the blood supply to tumors through vascular disruption, and the stimulation of the body's immune response against cancer cells. The lead indication for Pexa-Vec is hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, liver cancer); trials in other cancer types are underway or planned. According to recent statistics (GLOBOCAN 2012), there were over 780,000 new cases of liver cancer worldwide in 2012 and over 745,000 deaths due to this disease. In Europe, there were estimated to be over 63,000 new cases and over 62,000 deaths from liver cancer. In the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society, over 35,000 new cases of liver cancer were expected to be diagnosed in 2015 and 24,000 deaths projected from the disease. Hepatocellular carcinoma is estimated to account for over 80% of all liver cancer. Currently there are few treatment options for advanced HCC patients, with only one drug, sorafenib, approved for the treatment of HCC. With a low five-year survival rate, especially for patients diagnosed at later stages of disease, and limited available therapies, new treatments are urgently needed. SillaJen, Inc. has partnered with Transgene and Lee's Pharmaceutical to develop and commercialize Pexa-Vec in major markets outside of the United States. Transgene has exclusive rights to develop and commercialize Pexa-Vec for the treatment of solid tumors in Europe, while Lee's Pharmaceutical retains exclusive development and commercial rights in Hong Kong and The People's Republic of China. About SillaJen, Transgene's Partner for Pexa-Vec SillaJen, Inc. is a private, South Korean based biotechnology company headquartered in Busan South Korea, with satellite offices in Seoul, South Korea and San Francisco, CA. The company is focused on the development and commercialization of oncolytic immunotherapy products using the SOLVETM platform, including its lead product Pexa-Vec, which is currently in Phase 3 trials for the treatment of advanced primary liver cancer. Additional information about SillaJen is available at www.sillajen.com. About Transgene Transgene S.A. (Euronext: TNG), part of Institut Merieux, is a publicly traded French biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing targeted immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Transgene's programs utilize viral vector technology with the goal of indirectly or directly killing infected or cancerous cells. The Company's two lead clinical-stage programs are: TG4010 for non-small cell lung cancer and Pexa-Vec for liver cancer. The Company has several other programs in clinical and pre-clinical development. Transgene is based in Strasbourg, France, and has additional operations in Lyon, as well as satellite offices in China and the U.S. Additional information about Transgene is available at www.transgene.fr. Disclaimer This press release contains forward-looking statements about the future development of Pexa-Vec. Although the Company believes its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. The occurrence of any of these risks could have a significant negative outcome for the Company's activities, perspectives, financial situation, results and development. The Company's ability to commercialize its products depends on but is not limited to the following factors: positive pre-clinical data may not be predictive of human clinical results, the success of clinical studies, the ability to obtain financing and/or partnerships for product development and commercialization, and marketing approval by government regulatory authorities. For a discussion of risks and uncertainties which could cause the Company's actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, please refer to the Risk Factors ("Facteurs de Risque") section of the Document de Reference, which is available on the AMF website (http://www.amf-france.org) or on Transgene's website (www.transgene.fr Nexavar is a registered trademark of Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Societe anonyme au capital de 88.155.914,18 R.C. Strasbourg B 317 540 581 400 Boulevard Gonthier d'Andernach 67400 Illkirch-Graffenstaden (France) Tel : 33-03 88 27 91 00 Fax : +33-03 88 27 91 11 View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160105006264/en/ Contacts: Transgene: Elisabetta Castelli, +33 (0)3 88 27 91 21 Director IR or Laurie Doyle, +1 (339) 832 0752 Director IR US Corporate Communications or investorrelations@transgene.fr or Media contacts: MC Services Raimund Gabriel, +49 89 210 228 30 raimund.gabriel@mc-services.eu or Shaun Brown, +44 207 148 5998 shaun.brown@mc-services.eu For immediate release 6 January 2016 Serabi Gold Plc ('Serabi' or the 'Company') Initial partial draw down of US$5 million convertible loan facility Serabi Gold plc (AIM:SRB, TSX:SBI), the Brazilian focused gold mining and development company, announces that further to the news release issued on 31 December 2015, the Company has made an initial draw down of US$2 million of the interim unsecured short term working capital convertible loan facility of US$5 million ('the Loan') that has been provided by Fratelli Investments Limited ('Fratelli Investments'), the Company's major shareholder. Interest on the Loan is chargeable at the rate of 12% per annum. The first US$2 million of the Loan is convertible at the election of Fratelli Investments into new Serabi Ordinary Shares at an exercise price of 3.6 pence per new Serabi Ordinary Share at any time. The remaining amount of the Loan, if drawdown, may be repaid by the Company at its option at any time on or before 30 June 2016. Thereafter, Fratelli Investments will have the right to convert all or part of the remaining amount of the Loan into new Serabi Ordinary Shares at an exercise price of 3.6 pence per new Serabi Ordinary Share at any time. Unless otherwise repaid or converted the Loan is for a period expiring on 31 January 2017. Enquiries: Serabi Gold plc Michael Hodgson Tel: +44 (0)20 7246 6830 Chief Executive Mobile: +44 (0)7799 473621 Clive Line Tel: +44 (0)20 7246 6830 Finance Director Mobile: +44 (0)7710 151692 Email: contact@serabigold.com Website: www.serabigold.com Beaumont Cornish Limited Nominated Adviser Roland Cornish Tel: +44 (0)20 7628 3396 Michael Cornish Tel: +44 (0)20 7628 3396 Peel Hunt LLP UK Broker Matthew Armitt Tel: +44 (0)20 7418 9000 Ross Allister Tel: +44 (0)20 7418 9000 Blytheweigh Public Relations Tim Blythe Tel: +44 (0)20 7138 3204 Camilla Horsfall Tel: +44 (0)20 7138 3224 Copies of this release are available from the Company's website at www.serabigold.com. Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange, nor any other securities regulatory authority, has approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release. Qualified Persons Statement The scientific and technical information contained within this announcement has been reviewed and approved by Michael Hodgson, CEO of the Company. Mr Hodgson is an Economic Geologist by training with over 25 years' experience in the mining industry. He holds a BSc (Hons) Geology, University of London, a MSc Mining Geology, University of Leicester and is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining and a Chartered Engineer of the Engineering Council of UK, recognizing him as both a Qualified Person for the purposes of Canadian National Instrument 43-101 and by the AIM Guidance Note on Mining and Oil & Gas Companies dated June 2009. Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements, other than of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements regarding the estimation of mineral resources, exploration results, potential mineralization, potential mineral resources and mineral reserves) are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identifiable by the use of words such as 'anticipate', 'believe', 'plan', may', 'could', 'would', 'might' or 'will', 'estimates', 'expect', 'intend', 'budget', 'scheduled', 'forecasts' and similar expressions or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, without limitation, failure to establish estimated mineral resources, the possibility that future exploration results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, the price of gold or copper and other risks identified in the Company's most recent annual information form filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities on SEDAR.com. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement. ENDS This announcement is distributed by GlobeNewswire on behalf of GlobeNewswire clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that: (i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and other applicable laws; and (ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein. Source: Serabi Gold plc via GlobeNewswire [HUG#1976843] B4T0YL7R3 Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Vast Resources plc / Ticker: VAST / Index: AIM / Sector: Mining 06 January 2016 Unless otherwise stated, all capitalised terms in this announcement are as defined in the Company's announcement released on 4 January 2015. Vast Resources plc ('Vast' or the 'Company') Issue of up to 0.5 million of Equity Vast Resources plc, the AIM listed mining company with operations in Zimbabwe and Romania, is pleased to announce that, further to the announcement of 4 January 2016, certain directors, senior executives or consultants of the Company (the 'Managers') entered into a subscription agreement on 5 January 2016 according to which they will subscribe for new ordinary shares of 0.1p each in the Company ('Ordinary Shares'), at a price of 0.8 pence per share, in order to raise 0.5 million (the 'Managers' Subscription Shares') and associated warrants (together the 'Additional Financing'). The Additional Financing is provided at the same Subscription Price and on the same warrant terms as Tranche 1 of the Financing announced on 4 January 2016 with Crede Capital. Pursuant to the Additional Financing, 62,500,000 new Ordinary Shares were issued by the Company on 5 January 2016 at an issue price of 0.8 pence per new Ordinary Share being the closing bid price per Ordinary Share on the trading day immediately prior to the Investment Date of the Financing. The Company also announces that it has issued 62,500,000 warrants to acquire Ordinary Shares in the Company exercisable at 1.04 pence each at any time until 3 January 2021 to the Managers. Following the issue of Managers' Subscription Shares, the holdings of the Managers participating in the Additional Financing will be as follows: +----------------------+-------------------+------------------+----------------+ | |Shareholding prior |Number of |Percentage | |Manager |to the Additional |Subscription |holding | | |Financing |Shares |following issue | | | | |of Tranche 1 | +----------------------+-------------------+------------------+----------------+ |Sapi River Investments| | | | |Limited | 196,811,885| 20,833,375| 11.59| |(associated with Will | | | | |Battershill)(1) | | | | +----------------------+-------------------+------------------+----------------+ |Fermain Limited | | | | |(associated with Roy | 13,803,200| 5,208,313| 1.01| |Pitchford)(2) | | | | +----------------------+-------------------+------------------+----------------+ |Roy Tucker | 26,398,717| 5,208,312| 1.68| +----------------------+-------------------+------------------+----------------+ |Graham Briggs | 0| 4,166,625| 0.22| +----------------------+-------------------+------------------+----------------+ |WES Capital (Pte) | | | | |Limited (associated | 0| 20,833,375| 1.11| |with Pierre | | | | |Joubert)(3) | | | | +----------------------+-------------------+------------------+----------------+ |Other senior employees| N/A| 6,250,000| N/A| +----------------------+-------------------+------------------+----------------+ (1 )Sapi River Investments Limited is a company owned by a trust associated with William Battershill, director, but where he has no beneficial or controlling interest. Its current shareholding of 196,811,885 shares (11.87 per cent.) is therefore not included within William Battershill's shareholding. (2 )Fermain Limited is a company owned by a trust associated with Roy Pitchford, director, but where he has no beneficial or controlling interest. Its current shareholding of 13,803,200 shares (0.84 per cent.) is therefore not included in Roy Pitchford's shareholding. (3 )WES Capital (Pte) Ltd is a company owned by a trust of which Pierre Joubert, Chief Financial Officer, is a beneficiary. Application has been made to the London Stock Exchange plc for the 62,500,000 Managers' Subscription Shares to be admitted to trading on the AIM market with admission expected to occur on 11 January 2016 ('Admission'). The issued Managers' Subscription Shares will rank pari passu in all respects with the existing Ordinary Shares. Following Admission, the issued ordinary share capital of Vast will consist of 1,877,345,366 Ordinary Shares. There are no Ordinary Shares held in Treasury, therefore the total number of voting rights in the Company, following the issue of the 62,500,000 Managers' Subscription Shares and the Subscription Shares pursuant to Tranche 1 of the Financing, is 1,877,345,366. Related Party Transaction The Additional Financing is defined as a Related Party Transaction under the AIM Rules for Companies. Accordingly, the Company's independent director for the purpose of considering the Additional Financing, being Eric Diack, considers, having consulted with the Company's nominated adviser, Strand Hanson Limited, that the terms of the Additional Financing are fair and reasonable insofar as the Company's shareholders are concerned. General Meeting As referred to in the Company's announcement of 4 January 2016, the Company will shortly seek to convene a General Meeting. At this General Meeting the Company will seek specific authority to issue such new Ordinary Shares as will be necessary to satisfy the warrants issued under the Additional Financing. Timing of the General Meeting and full details of the resolutions to be put to shareholders will be provided in a Notice of General Meeting (and associated Proxy Form) to be included in a circular to be sent to shareholders by 18 January 2016 (as referred to in the Company's announcement of 4 January 2016) and which will be made available on the Company's website at www.vastresourcesplc.com. For further information visit www.vastresourcesplc.com or please contact: Vast Resources plc +44 (0) 1622 816918 Roy Tucker (Finance Director) +44 (0) 7920 189012 +40 (0) 372 988 988 (O) Roy Pitchford (Chief Executive Officer) +40 (0) 741 111 900 (M) +44 (0) 7793 909985 Strand Hanson Limited - Financial & www.strandhanson.co.uk Nominated Adviser +44 (0) 20 7409 3494 James Spinney James Bellman Daniel Stewart and Company plc - Joint www.danielstewart.co.uk Broker +44 (0) 20 7776 6550 Martin Lampshire David Coffman Dowgate Capital Stockbrokers Ltd - Joint www.dowgatecapitalstockbrokers.co.uk Broker +44 (0)1293 517744 Jason Robertson Neil Badger St Brides Partners Ltd www.stbridespartners.co.uk Charlotte Heap +44 (0) 20 7236 1177 Hugo de Salis This announcement is distributed by GlobeNewswire on behalf of GlobeNewswire clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that: (i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and other applicable laws; and (ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein. Source: Vast Resources plc via GlobeNewswire [HUG#1976859] A0J3GBB142P69R22 Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de BUCHAREST (dpa-AFX) - Romania's producer prices decreased at a stable pace in November, figures from the National Institute of Statistics showed Wednesday. The producer price index fell 2.6 percent year-over-year in November, the same rate of decline as in the previous month. Prices have been falling since October last year. Domestic market producer prices slid 2.3 percent in November from a year ago and prices in the foreign market went down by 3.1 percent. Among the major industrial groups, energy prices plunged 8.4 percent annually in November and prices for intermediate goods dipped by 2.7 percent. At the same time, consumable goods industry registered an increase of 1.9 percent. On a monthly basis, producer prices edged down 0.1 percent in November, following a 0.2 percent drop in October. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. TAUNTON, England, January 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- It's been a busy year as far as hair is concerned, with many different styles and colours gracing our presence. At Combers, I see all sorts of elements coming back into fashion, from the most boring plain Jane to the wackiest, most out-there 'dos. One of the most interesting trends to make headlines over the past 52 weeks is the brand new shade of bronde. Dubbed as being not entirely blonde or brunette but somewhere in between, the colour began amongst some of the biggest stars of the Hollywood postcode before making its way across the pond. Sarah Jessica Parker, Taylor Swift, Jessica Alba and Cara Delevingne are all among those sporting this unique hair trend, with their soft caramel and honey tones streaked with darker flashes catching the attention of hair stylists everywhere, but created by Hollywood's hair colourists using Redken colour and the premium Olaplex colour treatment. Natural colour and shine Although various media have clouted this trend as being mainly an 'it girl' tendency, more and more of our guests are taking the leap and experimenting with the bronde ambition. The shade generally looks at its best when you incorporate your natural base colour, but add soft streams of golden blonde, honey and caramel tones. This gives the body of the hair more movement, shine and definition and with the North American non-ammonia hair colour, Redken, you can be assured of a four-dimensional translucent natural shine. Bronde can look fantastic on any skin tone, as long as the shade is adjusted to suit the individual. If you have golden or dark skin, a rich honey colour will look most flattering, whereas fairer skin suits a more neutral shade. Low maintenance Our colour experts are always looking match the correct colour shade and application method to suit skin tones and meet guests expected maintenance commitment. Once you incorporate your natural shade, the bronde ambition should be fairly low maintenance. Our colourists space the highlights out at the root area, gradually getting brighter towards the end of the hair and therefore regrowth should be kept to a fairly minimal notice. Again, your natural colour plays a huge part in the visibility of what we refer to as 'roots'... Our colourists advise each individual differently on how we should work the toning. Any haircut can suit this style; whether it be a short, choppy bob or long waves with long layers, it can be pulled off and finished successfully. Natural blondes and brunettes are rejoicing everywhere over this natural, wearable look that encourages a blend of two, mixed tones. If we are taking Redken's Hollywood bronde with us into the New Year, with the cold weather becoming ever more apparent it's more vital that we are taking care of our hair. Nobody likes the frizzy look so take time out once a week to treat your tresses. A deep conditioning mask from Puerology the bespoke colour brand that even vegans will love, will help to replenish moisture which tends to get depleted from things like central heating and the bitter, winter air. Quick and easy to apply, using this simple mask after the shampoo and condition process can make worlds of difference. Using a protection spray like Pureology's 21, so called because of the 21 benefits when used and left in before styling, one of which is the protection of hair dryer and heated tongs and split ends, which nobody wants to be rocking in party season. As a stylist, I can't stress how crucial it is to have your locks regularly trimmed. The overall condition will improve if you take a light dusting from the ends every six to eight weeks. Bob for 2016...did it ever go out? Moving into 2016, the bob is coming back, but with a difference. Never before has this style been worn with such shine and volume as it will be this coming January. The bob allows us to be daring and stand out, which is what we all want for a new year and a fresh start. It's a time to make changes for the better and going for the new bob cut is certainly one of the favoured approaches, as opposed to trying to grow your hair for the 50th time and getting nowhere with it. We often give up and get frustrated, whilst carrying on willing our length to increase without properly taking care of the condition. Well now's the time to stop. Just stop. The new era bob will solve all of these problems and still incorporate a chic, stylish look. The shorter trend will allow you to work with bolder, alternative colours. Your shade will speak for your character, so choose something that makes a daring statement. Sweep the fringe sideways with a few choppy layers and you'll be laughing- make an entrance into the New Year by saying look at me. Look at my hair. If you feel like you've been holding back with your hair over the past 12 months, there's no time more perfect than the present to bite the bullet and grasp that style you've always wanted. If your hair is right, everything else will fall into place. It's a happy New Year and a happy new hair 'do from all at Combers. For advice contact Simon at Combers on +44(0)1823-334331, info@combers.co.ukor visit http://www.combers.co.uk, or join us on http://www.facebook/combershairsalon or twitter @combershair Innovative blockchain applications, cognitive computing and biometric security systems are among the raft of innovations from 15 financial technology (fintech) entrepreneurs selected to participate in Accenture's 2016 FinTech Innovation Lab London. The London Lab, launched by Accenture (NYSE:ACN) in 2012 and now in its fourth year, is a collaboration between Accenture and 16 leading financial institutions. The 12-week mentoring program helps fintech entrepreneurs accelerate product development while giving the participating banks exposure to the technologies they need to stay ahead. Accenture will return to Canary Wharf's Level39 to host the FinTech Innovation Lab for the fourth consecutive year. Level39 continues to be a leading hub for fintech innovation, providing access to a curated fintech ecosystem and proximity to many of the participating financial institutions. The 15 selected startups will be partnered with senior-level bank executives who will help them fine-tune and develop their technologies and business strategies. Six of these startups will ultimately be selected to present at an Investor Day in April 2016 in front of venture capitalists and senior financial-industry executives. Those taking part in this year's program are: AimBrain, Albert, AlgoDynamix, Clausematch, Contego, Crowdaura, Cutover, PassFort, PayKey, Quotip, SBDA Group, Talent Rank, Undo, Voleo, and ZeroDB. Their innovations include blockchain technology for securities issuance, cognitive computing and real-time risk detection. "The disruption of financial services by FinTech entrepreneurs continues at speed" said Richard Lumb, group chief executive of Financial Services at Accenture. "We're incredibly excited about working with this year's entrepreneurs to make banking better, cheaper and faster. They offer some exciting innovations and have demonstrated exceptional creativity in what has been a record breaking year for applications from more than 30 countries, confirming that London is very much the centre of Europe's thriving FinTech community." Support for the program is industry-wide, with the senior teams involved drawn from the world's most recognizable financial institutions, including Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Barclays, Citi, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Intesa Sanpaolo, JPMorgan, Lloyds Banking Group, Morgan Stanley, Nationwide, RBS, Santander, Societe Generale and UBS. Stuart Gulliver, group chief executive of HSBC Holdings plc, said: "HSBC is already working with firms from last year's programme and we are pleased to be supporting the Innovation Lab again. Matching our experience with the creativity of the selected entrepreneurs is a proven way of developing technologies that bring real benefits to customers." "Adopting disruptive technology is a priority for the banking sector and collaborating with startups through initiatives such as the Fintech Innovation Labs is an important part of this process for Deutsche Bank. Better and faster platforms can drive productivity and enhance the customer experience," commented Kim Hammonds, chief operating officer and chief information officer, Deutsche Bank. The 2016 FinTech Innovation Lab London participants are: AimBrain - which is developing a new mobile-focused biometric authentication platform that can be used with any mobile browser or data-sensitive application. By using behavioural, facial and voice biometrics, AimBrain enables banks and payment processors to know if their users really are who they say they are. - which is developing a new mobile-focused biometric authentication platform that can be used with any mobile browser or data-sensitive application. By using behavioural, facial and voice biometrics, AimBrain enables banks and payment processors to know if their users really are who they say they are. Albert - is an incredibly simple mobile platform that helps self-employed combine bookkeeping (invoices, expenses, payments) with financial planning (bank info, cash flow forecasting). - is an incredibly simple mobile platform that helps self-employed combine bookkeeping (invoices, expenses, payments) with financial planning (bank info, cash flow forecasting). AlgoDynamix - an innovative portfolio risk analytics company focusing on financially disruptive events. It provides fund managers, wealth managers, investment banks and trading houses with insights and anticipates price movements days in advance of the event. - an innovative portfolio risk analytics company focusing on financially disruptive events. It provides fund managers, wealth managers, investment banks and trading houses with insights and anticipates price movements days in advance of the event. ClauseMatch - whose collaborative document platform integrates with internal systems and helps to streamline documentation workflows by providing real time editing, approvals and tracking capabilities. - whose collaborative document platform integrates with internal systems and helps to streamline documentation workflows by providing real time editing, approvals and tracking capabilities. Contego - which offers real-time identity and risk checks on both companies and individuals in the increasingly compliance driven financial services sector, helps businesses to stay safe from fraud, identity theft and compliance failures - which offers real-time identity and risk checks on both companies and individuals in the increasingly compliance driven financial services sector, helps businesses to stay safe from fraud, identity theft and compliance failures Crowdaura - uses blockchain technology and a crowdfunding interface to provide a turnkey platform solution for marketing, issuing, trading, settlement and administrating decentralised financial securities. This reduces costs and increases the security and transparency for securities lifecycle management. - uses blockchain technology and a crowdfunding interface to provide a turnkey platform solution for marketing, issuing, trading, settlement and administrating decentralised financial securities. This reduces costs and increases the security and transparency for securities lifecycle management. Cutover - reduces the risk and cost associated with live enterprise events such as IT system upgrades and business continuity events. It does this by replacing the excel-ware, emails and telephone calls that are typically used to coordinate activities in these critical periods. Cutover enables activity orchestration, provides real time visualisation of status during the event and captures an audit trail for review and learning after the event. - reduces the risk and cost associated with live enterprise events such as IT system upgrades and business continuity events. It does this by replacing the excel-ware, emails and telephone calls that are typically used to coordinate activities in these critical periods. Cutover enables activity orchestration, provides real time visualisation of status during the event and captures an audit trail for review and learning after the event. PassFort - who has developed the first Compliance As A Service (CAAS) web application designed to improve the way regulated businesses collect, store and manage their customer compliance information at the point of onboarding. The technology delivers an automated and scalable back office system for financial services, online gambling, real estate and professional services firms, enabling processes that traditionally take weeks to be completed in a day. - who has developed the first Compliance As A Service (CAAS) web application designed to improve the way regulated businesses collect, store and manage their customer compliance information at the point of onboarding. The technology delivers an automated and scalable back office system for financial services, online gambling, real estate and professional services firms, enabling processes that traditionally take weeks to be completed in a day. PayKey - is the world's first payment keyboard. PayKey's technology puts banks where their customers are, on all social networks including Facebook's Messenger, Whatsapp, Twitter etc. With PayKey, customers enjoy the security of the trusted banks within their favourite applications, making everyday banking easier and more efficient than ever before. - is the world's first payment keyboard. PayKey's technology puts banks where their customers are, on all social networks including Facebook's Messenger, Whatsapp, Twitter etc. With PayKey, customers enjoy the security of the trusted banks within their favourite applications, making everyday banking easier and more efficient than ever before. Quotip - offers a management tool for structured financial products that provides wealth managers with services in three key areas: product idea generation, request for quote and audit/life-cycle management. Quotip's machine-learning-based algorithm, sell-side independency and full coverage of the value-chain help reducing product complexity whilst increasing workflow efficiency and adhering to upcoming regulatory frameworks. - offers a management tool for structured financial products that provides wealth managers with services in three key areas: product idea generation, request for quote and audit/life-cycle management. Quotip's machine-learning-based algorithm, sell-side independency and full coverage of the value-chain help reducing product complexity whilst increasing workflow efficiency and adhering to upcoming regulatory frameworks. SBDA Group - delivers machine learning that allows banks to offer a personalised and automated financial advice service to its customers. This helps banks to scale personalised financial support and services using the power of artificial intelligence. - delivers machine learning that allows banks to offer a personalised and automated financial advice service to its customers. This helps banks to scale personalised financial support and services using the power of artificial intelligence. Talent Rank - enables prospective candidates to exhibit their skills, interests and potential. The platform trains and tests fundamental competencies and uncovers talent that could otherwise be overlooked. Talent Rank is used to augment screening processes, provide skill-based learning and development and increase workforce diversity. - enables prospective candidates to exhibit their skills, interests and potential. The platform trains and tests fundamental competencies and uncovers talent that could otherwise be overlooked. Talent Rank is used to augment screening processes, provide skill-based learning and development and increase workforce diversity. Undo - offers specialised tools to improve software quality, robustness and security, by allowing coders to see exactly what a program has done. Two key products are UndoDB and Live Recorder. UndoDB is a debugger that allows developers to run code backwards as well as forwards, helping to rapidly identify bugs. Live Recorder allows developers to create an exact copy of a specific issue as it occurred in production or in test environments, for subsequent offline replay and analytics. - offers specialised tools to improve software quality, robustness and security, by allowing coders to see exactly what a program has done. Two key products are UndoDB and Live Recorder. UndoDB is a debugger that allows developers to run code backwards as well as forwards, helping to rapidly identify bugs. Live Recorder allows developers to create an exact copy of a specific issue as it occurred in production or in test environments, for subsequent offline replay and analytics. Voleo - allows users to start a smart investment club via a mobile app where they can pool knowledge and funds and vote on trading decisions within their groups. Users can also follow others outside their own group, based on metrics like actual fund performance or individual decision performance, to help with their portfolios. - allows users to start a smart investment club via a mobile app where they can pool knowledge and funds and vote on trading decisions within their groups. Users can also follow others outside their own group, based on metrics like actual fund performance or individual decision performance, to help with their portfolios. ZeroDB - provides an end-to-end encrypted database protocol that helps companies to use cloud services without sacrificing control, security, or privacy. Users can run queries over encrypted databases without exposing any decrypted data to the server. The FinTech Innovation Lab London is modelled on a similar program that was co-founded by Accenture and the Partnership Fund for New York City, the US$115 million investment arm of the Partnership for New York City. Accenture launched two other Labs in 2014: the FinTech Innovation Lab Asia-Pacific in Hong Kong and the FinTech Innovation Lab Dublin in Ireland. Globally, the Labs' alumni companies have raised more than US$260 million in venture financing after participating in the program. Four participants from the New York FinTech Innovation Lab have been acquired, two in 2015 alone, including Standard Treasury and BillGuard. The 21 companies that have passed through the London program have signed more than 50 contracts to do business with banks and on average have increased revenues by 170 percent since participating in the Lab. About Accenture Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions underpinned by the world's largest delivery network Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With approximately 373,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160106005259/en/ Contacts: Accenture Francois Luu, 1 33 660 538 428 francois.luu@accenture.com or Petra Shuttlewood, 44 7788 305373 petra.shuttlewood@accenture.com BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - At 3:45 am ET Wednesday, Markit Economics is due to release its services PMI figures for Italy. PMI reports for France and Germany are due at 3:50 am ET and 3:55 am ET, respectively. The services PMI for the Eurozone is due at 4:00 am ET. Ahead of the reports, the euro showed mixed trading against its major rivals. While the euro fell against the U.S. dollar, the yen and the Swiss franc, it rose against the pound. As of 3:40 am ET, the euro was trading at 0.7334 against the pound, 1.0833 against the Swiss franc, 1.0731 against the U.S. dollar and 127.18 against the yen. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. BRUSSELS, January 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The European Campaign for Animal Rights (ECFAR) today called on Romania to act to ban fur farming within its borders. ECFAR is increasingly concerned that Romania is seen as an easy destination by companies facing fur-farming bans in their own countries. Speaking in Brussels today, ECFAR director Jennifer Hamerman said: "While we are all so pleased that the hard-fought battle to ban fur farming in the Netherlands is finally won and fur farming will be banned there, sadly this just means that the torture gets transferred to other countries. "There are 153 fur farms in Romania and we note that these include farms run by Dutch companies avoiding the ban in their own country. Perhaps newer countries to the EU feel they need to accept such practices, but it is difficult to comprehend why Romania --with its highly educated workforce, great capacity for high tech innovation, natural resources and advantageous geographical location -- wants to suffer s a reputation as a destination for a practice rejected as cruel by Croatia, the UK and Austria." ECFAR believes the farming of mink, wild and solitary by nature, in small and dirty cages where they pace and self-harm is cruel. The killing methods of gassing to death in boxes or anal electrocution are also completely unacceptable. Ms Hamerman added: "Fur farming is an industry that inflicts extreme cruelty, both in the way it forces animals to live and the methods used to kill. There are countless natural and synthetic alternatives for the clothing industry to use. We have no need or excuse for this industry. Let Romania take a stand in banning fur farms." http://www.europeananimalrights.org AMSTERDAM, January 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Fontem Ventures, owner of market leading e-cigarette brand blu, today announces that it has reached a settlement agreement with Electronic Cigarettes International Group, Ltd., that resolves ongoing litigation in the USA. The settlement ends another of eight patent infringement cases originally brought by Fontem Ventures and Fontem Holdings 1 in March 2014 in the United States District Court for the Central District of California in relation to e-vapour technology. Under the terms of the settlement, Fontem Ventures has granted Electronic Cigarettes International Group, Ltd., a non-exclusive royalty-bearing global licence under the patents asserted in the litigation and certain other e-vapour technology related patents. The remaining settlement terms are confidential. About Fontem Ventures Fontem Ventures is the owner of blu, a leading e-cigarette brand in the United States and the United Kingdom. Headquartered in the Netherlands, and present on two continents, Fontem Ventures is an innovative consumer goods company, founded in 2012, committed to developing a portfolio of products that meet consumer needs, including the highest quality electronic vaping products. About Electronic Cigarettes International Group, Ltd., Electronic Cigarettes International Group (ECIG) is dedicated to providing a compelling alternative to traditional cigarettes for the more than one billion current smokers around the world. ECIG offers consumers a full product portfolio that incorporates product quality and the latest technology. The company's website is http://www.ecig.co INDIANAPOLIS, IN and TUCSON, AZ--(Marketwired - January 06, 2016) - Inphonite, LLC, a leading provider of SaaS messaging solutions, today announced the official and immediate release of the iSALUS/InphoniteVoice Bridge Interface, offering iSALUS customers an even more seamless experience when choosing to sign up for Appointment Reminders. This bridge will allow iSALUS customers the ability to have real time appointment updates including confirmations, cancels or those requiring rescheduling. "iSALUS Healthcare is thrilled to be partnering with Inphonite. Their Head of Development, David Tosi, took on our project with enthusiasm and completed it, including testing, in about a week's time. The whole team has been incredibly easy to work with and this new Bridge is already a welcome feature allowing a better experience for all of our customers by providing both iSALUS and Inphonite with faster data sharing." Michael Hall, CEO of iSALUS Healthcare. "We are always able to pull data, and this Bridge allows us to push it back as well, which further updates the iSALUS EHR in more of a real-time manner. We could not be happier with our Partnership with iSALUS Healthcare," added Christine Tosi, President of Inphonite, LLC. "They have been a delight to work with and we are glad they approached us about making appointmentmessaging even easier for their customers. Anything we can do down that avenue is clearly a win-win." Christine Tosi, President of Inphonite. To learn more about how your practice can increase revenue by improving patient attendance rates, visit: http://www.isalushealthcare.com/pricing/additional-services/appointment-reminders. About iSALUS Healthcare's EHR Solution - OfficeEMR' iSALUS Healthcare's free, cloud-based Electronic Health Records (EHR) and Practice Management software is Drummond Certified for Stage 2 Meaningful Use. It's robust enough to satisfy the needs of practices replacing their old EHRs, yet intuitively designed to help practices with no EHR experience achieve a successful implementation. OfficeEMR' allows busy providers and staff the freedom to practice medicine their way. Say goodbye to rigid, inflexible, complicated systems, and bring the joy back to your practice. About the InphoniteVoice Platform InphoniteVoice is a powerful messaging platform that can be utilized for appointment reminders, recalls, emergency notifications, holiday greetings and more. It can integrate with virtually any database to automate personalized messages, sending them via phone, text, email or postcard. InphoniteVoice also offers custom, detailed reporting capability of patient messaging, responses, and attempts. About iSALUS Healthcare Founded in 2000, our mission is to provide our Clients an affordable, fully-unified Electronic Health Records (EHR) and Practice Management solution through our EHR cloud software solution. Headquartered in Indianapolis, iSALUS provides industry-leading EHR, Practice Management and Medical Billing solutions to thousands of physicians, hospitals and healthcare systems nationwide, accessed throughout the world, processing more than a half billion dollars in medical claims each year. For more information, please visit www.isalushealthcare.com or call 888-737-8091. About Inphonite, LLC Inphonite, LLC develops and markets professional, automated messaging systems that improve the profitability and productivity of a wide range of organizations. Inphonite, LLC has over twenty years of experience in PC-based communication solutions, and integration to more than 400 software systems. Sending millions of messages for businesses around the world per day, Inphonite is the solution provider of choice for healthcare organizations, businesses, educational institutions, and government agencies. For more information on Inphonite, LLC, and its products, visit the company Web site: www.inphonite.com or call: 800-350-7693. Inphonite and InphoniteVoice are trademarks of Inphonite, LLC. iSALUS, Healthcare and OfficeEMR are trademarks of iSALUS, LLC. Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2015/11/19/11G072907/Images/PR_iPhone2-bcfcb0a371939aef9a3134b54f26929d.jpg www.isalushealthcare.com Renae Rossow 513.600.3124 www.Inphonite.com Kenzie Andree 800.350.7693 DUBLIN, January 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/z9j3bq/philippines) has announced the addition of the"Philippines Logistics Market Outlook to 2019 - Growth Driven by Express Delivery, 3PL and E-commerce Logistics Services"report to their offering. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130307/600769) The report titled 'Philippines Logistics Market Outlook to 2019 - Growth Driven by Express Delivery, 3PL and E-commerce Logistics Services' provides a comprehensive analysis on the various aspects of the market such as market size of logistics, express delivery, freight forwarding, third party logistics, e-commerce logistics, Balikbayan boxes, warehousing and value added services. The report also covers the major express logistics players in both international and domestic markets along with their share in the revenue. The Philippines has been one of the fastest growing economies in the ASEAN regions during the past five years. With an improvement in economy which has been facilitated by an increase in trade, the country plans to achieve more than 6% GDP growth rate in the coming years. Variables such as service industry, manufacturing sector, exports and imports along with foreign direct investments and personal disposable income have impacted the logistics market in the Philippines. The growth of gross domestic product from PHP 8,206.1 billion in 2009 to PHP 12,642.7 billion has acted as a strong indication of the growth of Filipino economy. Logistics has formed a crucial part of the Filipino economy with a contribution of around 10% to the GDP in the year 2014. In order to support the rapidly growing logistics sector, the infrastructural expansion in the country has showcased steady progress during the review period of 2009 to 2014. The domestic express delivery market has been the upcoming segment in the Philippines logistics market. Express delivery which comprises of services for documents, mails, parcels and couriers at a premium price for faster delivery times has gained significant popularity amongst the Filipino population. Companies such as LBC Express, PHL Post, 2GO and Air 21 have been few of the prominent names in the domestic express delivery market. The domestic express market has witnessed a number of collaborations of domestic companies with international entities. The competition amongst the players has been majorly limited due to the presence of major player who have dominated the industry due to the development of high brand value and a sense of security amongst the Filipinos. Key Topics Covered in the Report: - The market size of the Philippines logistics, domestic express delivery, international express delivery, freight forwarding, warehousing and value added services, third party logistics, e-commerce logistics and cargo handling market. - The market size of the Balikbayan box market. - Market segmentation of the logistics market on the basis of domestic and international market and B2B and B2C customers. - Market segmentation of the express delivery market on the basis of road and air express, international and domestic express. - Market segmentation of the freight forwarding market on the basis of road, sea and air freight. - Trends and Development in the Philippines express delivery and logistics market. - Competitive landscape, service offerings, pricing analysis and market share of major players in the Philippines express delivery market. - Gateway analysis, quality analysis and IT systems in the Philippines express delivery market. - Government regulations and entry barriers in the Philippines logistics market. - Future outlook and projections of the Philippines logistics industry - express delivery, freight forwarding, warehousing and value added services, Balikbayan box market and e-commerce logistics market. Companies Mentioned - 2GO Express - Airfreight 2100 - DHL - FedEx - JRS Express - Kintetsu World Express - LBC Express - Nippon Express - PHL Post - TNT Express For more information visithttp://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/z9j3bq/philippines About Research and Markets: Research and Markets is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Media Contact: Laura Wood +353-1-481-1716 press@researchandmarkets.net DUBLIN, January 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/9fd7j6/controlledrelease) has announced the addition of the"Controlled-Release Fertilizers Market by Type, Crop Type & Region - Global Trends and Forecast to 2020"report to their offering. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130307/600769) The market for controlled-release fertilizers is projected to reach USD 3,196.5 Million by 2020, with rising opportunities in emerging region such as Asia-Pacific. In 2014, the North American region was the largest market for controlled-release fertilizers. In terms of value, the market in the Asia-Pacific region is projected to grow at the highest CAGR of 7.7% from 2015 to 2020. The segmentation of the controlled-release fertilizers market is based on the types of controlled-release fertilizers. The study considers condensation products of urea, coated & encapsulated fertilizers, N-stabilizers and others in this research report. The market is further segmented on the basis of crop type which includes cereals & oilseeds, turf & ornamentals, fruits & vegetables and others. The market is driven by factors such as high efficiency in crop production, ease of application, reduced application cost, environment-friendly properties drives the controlled-release fertilizers market. The Asia-Pacific market is projected to have the highest CAGR. Growth in population and the increasing demand for food products/materials and shortage of arable land in countries in Asia-Pacific region has resulted in the growth of the controlled-release fertilizers market in the Asia-Pacific. In terms of value, the market in North America dominated the controlled-release fertilizers market with a market share of 39.7% The key players in this market are Yara International ASA (Norway), Agrium, Inc. (Canada), Israel Chemicals Ltd. (Israel), The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (Ohio) and Kingenta Ecological Engineering Group Co. Ltd. (China). The controlled-release fertilizers market is an emerging market with key market players taking strategic decisions of new product developments, expansions, acquisitions, and investments to develop their position in the controlled-release fertilizers market. Other players such as Socided Quimica Y Minera S.A. (chile), Haifa Chemicals Limited (Israel), Compo GmbH Co. KG (Germany), Aglukon Spezialduenger GmbH & Co. KG (Germany) and Tessenderlo Group (Germany)are also expanding their presence in the market. Key Topics Covered: 1 Introduction 2 Research Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Premium Insights 5 Market Overview 6 Industry Trends 7 Controlled-Release Fertilizers Market, By Type 8 Controlled-Release Fertilizers Market, By Crop Type 9 Controlled-Release Fertilizers Market, By Region 10 Competitive Landscape 11 Company Profiles (Company At A Glance, Recent Financials, Products & Services, Strategies & Insights, & Recent Developments) - Aglukon Spezialduenger Gmbh & Co. Kg - Agrium Inc. - Compo Gmbh Co. Kg - Haifa Chemicals Limited - Israel Chemicals Limited - Kingenta Ecological Engineering Group Co. Ltd - Sociedad Quimica Y Minera S.A. - Tessenderlo Group - The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company - Yara International Asa For more information visithttp://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/9fd7j6/controlledrelease About Research and Markets: Research and Markets is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Media Contact: Laura Wood +353-1-481-1716 press@researchandmarkets.net Fujitsu Limited Public and Investor Relations Division Inquiries: www.fujitsu.com/global/news/contacts/ GE Japan Corporate Communications Sumito Koike Phone: +81-3-5544-3847 E-mail: Sumito.koike@ge.com TOKYO, Jan 6, 2016 - (JCN Newswire) - GE International Inc. and Fujitsu Limited today announced an agreement to bring GE's industry-leading Geographic Information System (GIS), Smallworld, to market in Japan. The Smallworld GIS will be coupled with Fujitsu's systems integration, maintenance, and operations services, to offer utility customers the premier GIS software solution in Japan.GE's Smallworld GIS is a packaged software solution which has played a key role in the construction, operation, maintenance, and management of critical network assets in more than 1,300 companies world-wide. GE's comprehensive suite of integrated tools enable customers to lower the cost of asset ownership, simplify critical network infrastructures and deliver the flexibility required to meet the dynamic network requirements of utility customers in the electricity, gas, water, and telecommunications sectors."We believe the combined offering of GE's Smallworld and Fujitsu's systems integration, maintenance, and operations services will meet market demand for more comprehensive asset management solutions," said Youichi Ishida, Deputy Head of Government & Public Utilities Business Unit, Public Sector & Regional Sales Group, Fujitsu Limited.Smallworld provides a powerful, consistent architecture at the heart of many applications, such as those used for planning electric, gas and water distribution systems, designing telecommunications networks and evaluating strategic market opportunities. The software integrates with other products that require spatial information, including systems for customer relationship management, market analysis, and network and work management."GE has deep domain expertise helping utility customers around the world get the most out of their network assets," said Hideo Nemoto, senior sales manager, GE's Grid Solutions. "Utilizing Fujitsu's sales and support network in Japan, as well as its Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems-building capabilities, is the ideal way to serve our utility customers and meet the growing need for advanced asset management solutions in Japan.Smallworld Features- Packaged software solutions with asset-management applications optimized for various industries.This eliminates the need for customers to independently develop dedicated applications and enables significant reductions in the time and cost required to deploy and operate network systems.- High performance for large-scale systems.Smallworld builds models of all infrastructure types as predefined objects and recognizes the operational status of the infrastructure and its mutually connected relationships. These models are seamlessly mapped using Google Maps and other maps services database which reduces the time necessary to incorporate map data. This integration means that processing speed is not diminished even when analyzing systems with large numbers of managed assets. Data can be visualized from a unified database in a number of formats, including map, kilo-post display, and schematic diagram, according to customer needs.- Scalability through connections with external databases and peripheral systems.Smallworld connects to various external databases and data files and uses them as one large virtual database. Customers can easily connect to existing systems without excessive labor or costs.See Appendix (239 KB/A4, 1 page)http://www.fujitsu.com/global/Images/20160106-01a.pdfFor more information about GE's Smallworld please visit:http://www.gegridsolutions.com/geospatial/catalog/smallworld_core.htmAbout GE's Grid SolutionsGE's Grid Solutions, a GE and Alstom joint venture, equips 90% of the power utilities worldwide to bring power from the point of generation to end power consumers. With over 200 years combined experience in providing advanced energy solutions, our products and services enable more resilient, efficient and reliable power systems. For more information, please see www.GEgridsolutions.com.All company or product names mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Information provided in this press release is accurate at time of publication and is subject to change without advance notice.About Fujitsu LtdFujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company, offering a full range of technology products, solutions, and services. Approximately 159,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.8 trillion yen (US$40 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com.Source: Fujitsu LtdContact:Copyright 2016 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. PUNE, India, January 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The report "Synthetic Lubricants Market - by Type (PAO, Esters, Group III, PAG), by Application (Engine Oil, Metalworking Fluids, and Industrial) and by Regions (Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World) - Global Trends & Forecasts to 2020", published by MarketsandMarkets, The Synthetic Lubricants Market is projected to reach USD 36.0 Billion by 2020, at a CAGR of 2.5% between 2015 and 2020. The market is driven by the growing automotive industries and industrialization in the Asia-Pacific region. Browse 90 market Tables and 59 Figures spread through 145 Pages and in-depth TOC on"Composite Decking & Railing Market" http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/synthetic-lubricant-market-141429702.html Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report. The synthetic lubricants' market is estimated to be worth USD 31.0 Billion in 2014 and is projected to reach USD 36.0 Billion by 2020, at a CAGR of 2.5% between 2015 and 2020. The increasing demand of automobiles in emerging economies such as China, India, and Indonesia is fueling the growth of the synthetic lubricants market in the region. Another major factor contributing to the growth of synthetic lubricants is increased consumer awareness coupled with stringent government regulations. PAO to account for the major share of synthetic lubricants market till 2020 The synthetic lubricants' market is segmented by types, namely, PAO, Esters, Group III (Hydro Cracking), and PAG. PAO holds the major market share in global synthetic lubricants market. The factors driving the PAO synthetic lubricants market are its physical and chemical properties such as low volatility, high viscosity index, lower pour point, and better oxidative/ thermal stability. Growing automotive industries and industrialization to drive the engine oil application segment The engine oil application segment is leading the synthetic lubricants market. This is owed to the rapid growth of the automotive industry in the Asia-Pacific region. The increasing demand of automobiles can be attributed to the increasing disposable income of people and industrial growth in this region. This growth in the automotive industry ultimately contributes to the growth of PAG-based lubricants in the Asia-Pacific region. Asia-Pacific to be the fastest-growing market during forecast period The synthetic lubricants market is broadly segmented into four regions, namely, Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World. Europe is the largest market for synthetic lubricants, followed by North America. Asia-Pacific is projected to be the fastest-growing market during the forecast period. Growing industrialization, backed by OEM technical demand in the region, has offered enormous opportunity for the use of synthetic lubricants in the Asia-Pacific region. Currently, the global synthetic lubricants market is dominated by various market players such as ExxonMobil Corporation (U.S.), Royal Dutch Shell Plc. (Netherlands), Fuchs Petrolub SE (Germany), Total S.A. (France), Chevron Corporation (U.S.), Lubrizol Corporation (U.S.), Idemitsu Kosan Co. Ltd (Japan), Pennzoil (U.S.), The Dow Chemical Company (U.S.), Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Malaysia), and others. For Further Inquiries: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=141429702 The research study is aimed at identifying emerging trends and opportunities in the global synthetic lubricants market along with a detailed classification of the market, in terms of revenue and volume. It provides a comprehensive competitive landscape and identifies the key players in the global market. The research study also includes a detailed segmentation of the global synthetic lubricants market on the basis of application, type, and geography. Browse Related Reports: Lubricants Market by Type (Mineral Oil Lubricants, Synthetic Lubricants, Bio-based Lubricants, and Greases), by Application (Transportation, and Industrial Machinery & Equipment) - Global Trends & Forecasts to 2019 http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/lubricants-market-182046896.html Lubricant Additives Market by Function Type (Dispersants, VII, Detergents, Antiwear, Antioxidants, Corrosion inhibitors, Emulsifiers & Others) and Application (Automotive & Industrial Lubricants) - Global Trends & Forecast to 2019 http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/lubricant-additives-market-172993846.html About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets is world's No. 2 firm in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. M&M's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical infographics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers. We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository. Contact: Mr.Rohan Markets and Markets UNIT no 802, Tower no. 7, SEZ Magarpatta city, Hadapsar Pune, Maharashtra 411013, India Tel: +1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Visit MarketsandMarkets Blog @http://www.marketsandmarketsblog.com/market-reports/chemical Connect with us on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsandmarkets DKG CAPITAL PLC ("DKG" or the "Company") UNAUDITED INTERIM FINANCIAL INFORMATION FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2015 CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER'S STATEMENT I am pleased to present the Company's Interim Results for the period to 30th September 2015. The Company was admitted to the ISDX Growth Market on 16th September 2015 as an investment vehicle focused on businesses which provide luxury services aimed at high net worth clients in the Asia Pacific region. It was announced on 14th December 2015 that DKG had entered into an agreement to acquire 30% of Ronix Resource Co. Limited, a Hong Kong incorporated company which offers concierge VIP services covering the travel, leisure and business sectors. This transaction was originally expected to complete by 6 January 2016 but completion is now expected before the end of January 2016. We are delighted that DKG was successfully admitted to ISDX and to have announced our first acquisition. We look forward to creating value for our shareholders in the future. STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME Period ended 30 September 2015 Other income 8 Administrative expenses (62,585) Operating result (62,577) Finance income/(expense) - Result Before Taxation (62,577) Income tax - Total comprehensive Profit/(loss) for the period (62,577) STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION 30 September 2015 ASSETS Current Assets Cash and cash equivalents 579,548 Total Assets 579,548 EQUITY AND LIABILITIES Current Liabilities Amount due to a director 22,125 Total Liabilities 22,125 Equity Attributable to owners Share capital 525,000 Share premium 95,000 Accumulated losses (62,577) 557,423 Total Equity and Liabilities 579,548 STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS The Statement of Cash Flows of the Company is as follows: Period ended 30 September 2015 Cash flows from operating activities (40,452) Cash flows from investment activities - Cash flows from financing activities 620,000 Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalent 579,548 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period - Cash and cash equivalents at end of period 579,548 The financial information for the period ended 30 September 2015 has not been reviewed by the Company's auditor The Directors of the issuer are responsible for the content of this announcement. For further information, please contact: Mr. Nick Lyth DKG Capital PLC Tel: + 44 (0) 7769 906686 Email: info@dkgcapital.co.uk Corporate Advisor David Coffman / Daphne Zhang Daniel Stewart & Company Tel: +44 (0) 207 776 6596 The company's premium LED drivers decrease size, increase LED life, reduce carbon footprint and significantly improve returns MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, Jan. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on its recent analysis of the power converter market, Frost & Sullivan recognises Nordic Power Converters (NPC) with the 2015 European Frost & Sullivan Award for Early Stage Investment Opportunity. Light-emitting diodes (LED) are known to have high longevity and to be very small size. However, the power converters powering the LEDs (LED drivers) have significantly lower longevity than LEDs and have a size out of proportion to the LEDs. NPC's disruptive technology addresses this with LED drivers that are up to five times smaller and last two to five times longer than currently available models. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151223/318063LOGO NPC's LED drivers are set to redefine the market standard for size and longevity enabling LED brands to offer users significantly better LED products than was possible before, thus substantially improving value for end-users. The enhanced longevity and reliability of LED drivers translates into lower cost of maintenance and repair, and in turn, higher return on investments for users. The smaller form factor translates into new design possibilities. Further, NPC's LED drivers bring several additional benefits to the table, including higher dimming efficiency and faster transient response. "NPC's LED drivers open up a whole new vista of design options for LED products," said Frost & Sullivan Senior Consultant Vinod Cartic. "For instance, the thin profile and slim dimensions of NPC's drivers facilitate the development of next-generation flat screen televisions." The company's consistent and pioneering performance can be attributed to the number of individual achievers and institutional investors that support its business model. In its first round of funding, NPC received more than $2 million from a venture capitalist and a string of 10 prominent business angels. Beyond funding, NPC has secured access to important intellectual property rights from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) through a technology transfer agreement. It also has several patents filed as well as in the pipeline waiting for approval. This strong technology and intellectual property gives the firm an undisputed competitive advantage in the power converter market. "In contrast to competitors that have been targeting the global market at one go, NPC plans to achieve significant brand recognition in a given market before making its entry into another region," noted Cartic. "While NPC's geographic focus has, initially, centred on the well-established markets in Europe and the United States, it is looking to diversify into the more price-sensitive Asian region." With bold expansion strategies, product differentiation capabilities and its commitment to ensuring customer satisfaction in a premium segment, the organisation's strong footing in the power converter market comes as no surprise. Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has demonstrated strength of intellectual property, industry experience, a successful track record and proven product differentiation capabilities. It has a strong funding history, expansion strategies, and has grown significantly and positioned itself strategically in the market. Frost & Sullivan's Best Practices Awards recognise companies in a variety of regional and global markets for outstanding achievement in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research. About Nordic Power Converters Nordic Power Converters has developed a power converter that is five times smaller and lighter and has two to five times longer lifetime than current power converters. This technology breakthrough is known as Very High Frequency Switch Mode Power Supplies (VHF SMPS). LED lighting products are powered by electrical power converters (LED drivers), but traditional power converters often cause LED products to fail long before the expected lifetime. Further, traditional power converters are bulky and prevent novel designs of LED products. Nordic Power Converters' technology will set a new market standard for high quality, long-lived and reliable LED drivers and additional applications, leaving a greener footprint. Nordic Power Converters sells LED drivers to agile LED fixture manufacturer that produce quality LED luminaires in significant numbers. The team works closely with its business partners to supply high-end LED drivers with optimal specifications for the needs of their end-users. Contact: Mickey Madsen CEO and co-founder M: +45 5050 6000 E: mickey@nopoc.com About Frost & Sullivan Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Is your organisation prepared for the next profound wave of industry convergence, disruptive technologies, increasing competitive intensity, Mega Trends, breakthrough best practices, changing customer dynamics and emerging economies? Contact us: Start the discussion. Contact: Chiara Carella Corporate Communications - Europe P: +44 (0) 20 7343 8314 M: +44 (0) 753 3017689 E: chiara.carella@frost.com Signing Marks the Company's 24th Agreement for FulFill Technology that Provides Significant Cost Savings in Reduced Fiber Consumption by Increasing PCC Filler Usage ---------- NEW YORK, January 6, 2016-Minerals Technologies Inc., (NYSE: MTX) announced today that it has signed a commercial agreement with a prestigious European papermaker to provide Fulfill E-325 high-filler technology at the paper company's mill in Europe. This is the second agreement for the deployment of the FulFill technology at this paper mill. Minerals Technologies now has 24 agreements with paper mills that have adopted the Fulfill technology that the company introduced in late 2010. The company has nine agreements with paper companies in Asia; eight in North America; six in Europe; and one in South America. "We are delighted that this highly respected European papermaker has signed a second agreement to use our technology, which will allow them to produce high quality paper at lower cost," said Joseph C. Muscari, chairman and chief executive officer. These agreements confirm the commercial progress of the Fulfill brand, a portfolio of high-filler technologies that offers papermakers a variety of efficient, flexible solutions that decreases dependency on natural fiber and reduces costs. The Fulfill E-325 series allows papermakers to increase loading levels of precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) by three to five points, which replaces higher cost pulp, and increases PCC usage between 20 to 30 percent. "We are engaged with approximately 20 other paper mills to introduce our FulFill technology, as well as our breakthrough NewYield Integrated Process Technology that converts a papermaking waste stream into a useable filler," said Rand Mendez, senior vice president & managing director, Paper PCC. "Through continued innovation, MTI is advancing our leadership in technology that can reduce costs and improve quality for the worldwide paper industry." PCC is a specialty pigment for filling and coating high-quality paper. By substituting Minerals Technologies' PCC for more expensive wood fiber, customers are able to produce brighter, higher quality paper at lower cost. In 1986, Minerals Technologies originated the satellite concept for making and delivering PCC on-site at paper mills and the concept was a major factor in revolutionizing papermaking in North America. Today, the company has 60 satellite plants in operation or under construction around the world and continues to lead the industry with consistent quality and technical innovation. Minerals Technologies Inc. is a resource- and technology-based growth company that develops, produces and markets worldwide a broad range of specialty mineral, mineral-based and synthetic mineral products and related systems and services. The company recorded sales of $1.725 billion in 2014. ---------- For further information about Minerals Technologies Inc. look on the internet at http://www.mineralstech.com/ ---------- Contact: Rick B. Honey 212 878-1831 This announcement is distributed by NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions on behalf of NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions clients. The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein. Source: Minerals Technologies Inc via Globenewswire HUG#1976868 WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Apricus Biosciences, Inc. (APRI) reviewed its 2015 corporate progress and highlighted its plans for 2016. In 2015, the company Initiated and completed enrollment in its fispemifene Phase 2b clinical trial for the treatment of symptomatic male secondary hypogonadism. Vitaros monthly sales in Europe tracked on a 111,000 monthly unit run rate, which is expected to grow in both existing markets and new markets with additional launches throughout 2016 by the company's commercialization partners. Also in 2015, Apricus Biosciences completed and reported top-line data on the Phase 2a clinical trial of RayVa for Raynaud's phenomenon secondary to scleroderma, licensed the U.S. development and commercialization rights for Vitaros from Allergan plc, and expanded Vitaros partnerships to include parts of Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. Looking ahead to 2016, Apricus said it will continue to leverage Vitaros as a cash-generating asset through royalty and milestone payments as well as expanding the product's market reach. The company expects to obtain European approval for one or more variations to the approved Vitaros product with the goal of enhancing the profile of Vitaros. The company also expects to re-submit the New Drug Application for Vitaros' approval in the U.S. in the second half of 2016, complete the Phase 2b clinical trial and report top-line data for fispemifene in symptomatic secondary hypogonadism in the first quarter 2016, and initiate a Phase 2b at-home dosing clinical trial with RayVa in the second half of 2016. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de NEW YORK, January 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Persistence Market Research (PMR), in a recent report, "Global Market Study on Hemodynamic Monitoring System: Growing Demand for Critical Congenital Heart Disease Screening to Drive the Market by 2021", projected thehemodynamic monitoring systems marketto expand at a healthy CAGR of 6.5% during the forecast period. The report offered trends driving the market and delivered analysis and insights on the potential of the hemodynamic monitoring systems market in specific regions. In terms of revenue, the hemodynamic monitoring systems market was valued at US$ 328.7 Mn in 2014 and is projected to reach US$ 508.4 Mn by 2021. Factors driving market growth include government and private sector initiatives to reduce healthcare costs, rising prevalence of lifestyle diseases, growing the geriatric patient population, increasing the incidence of respiratory disorders and growing demand for the screening of critical congenital heart disease (CCHD). Request Free Sample Report:http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/4396 In terms of region, North America dominated the hemodynamic monitoring systems market with over 30% share in terms of value in 2014 but is expected to lose its market share to APAC by 2021. Europe accounted for over 20% of the total hemodynamic monitoring systems market share in 2014 and will maintain its dominance through 2021. Among the regions, APAC is projected to register the highest CAGR over 2015-2021 due to low-cost product offerings by manufacturers in the region. As of 2014, APAC was the third-highest contributor to the overall hemodynamic monitoring systems market, accounting for over 18% market share. By the end of 2021, it is projected to gain 330 BPS. On the basis of device type, the market has been segmented into pulse contour, oesophageal Doppler, volume clamp, hemodynamic monitoring sensors and pulmonary artery catheters. The pulmonary artery catheters segment had a dominant share in the global hemodynamic monitoring systems market in 2014, while the volume clamp segment accounted for over 20% share. Request Table of Content:http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/4396 Global hemodynamic monitoring systems market is further segmented on the basis of end use into hospitals, clinics, ambulatory surgery centres, home care settings and independent catheterisation laboratories. Revenue contribution of the hospitals segment was over 40% in 2014 and is projected to increase to over 42% by 2021, registering a significant CAGR of 7.3%. Home care settings segment is anticipated to record highest CAGR during the forecast period as hemodynamic monitoring systems are being adopted increasingly in home care settings. By application type, the hemodynamic monitoring systems market is segmented into invasive hemodynamic monitoring, noninvasive hemodynamic monitoring and minimally invasive hemodynamic monitoring segments. Among the three segments, minimally invasive hemodynamic monitoring segment is expected to register the highest CAGR of 8.0% over 2015-2021. The invasive hemodynamic monitoring segment accounted for over 30% market share in 2014 but is projected to lose its share to the other two segments by the end of the forecast period. Browse the fullGlobal Market Study on Hemodynamic Monitoring System: report athttp://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/hemodynamic-monitoring-system-market.asp Key players in the global hemodynamic monitoring systems market include Edwards Lifesciences Corporation, ICU Medical, Inc., Teleflex Incorporated, LiDCO Group Plc and PULSION Medical Systems SE. Global players focus on research and development initiatives for introducing innovative products to attain sustainable advantages over their competitors. In addition, they also focus on expanding their regional presence through mergers and acquisitions. In developed regions, hemodynamic monitoring systems manufacturers prefer selling their products directly to the consumer. By contrast, most vendors in countries such as China have tie-ups with suppliers to enhance their customer reach. Globally, medical equipment manufacturers in China account for over 50% market share for exporting noninvasive devices. Browse Medical Devices Market Research Reports:http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/category/medical-devices.asp About Us: Persistence Market Research (PMR) is an innovative provider of market research reports and consulting services. The three PMR pillars of strength that have helped us win clients for years are: Quality Research, Quick Research, and In-depth Research. Contact Persistence Market Research, 305 Broadway, 7th Floor New York City, NY 10007 United States USA - Canada Toll-Free: 800-961-0353 Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com Blog: http://pmrblog.com/ Web: http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com AMSTERDAM (dpa-AFX) - After successful exploration runs in 2013 and 2015 the Dutch polar cruise company Oceanwide Expeditions has announced two new expeditions to the Ross Sea in 2017. The ice-strengthened vessel Ortelius will be accommodated with helicopters for the two Antarctica cruises, sailing from the South American continent to the Antarctic Peninsula, crossing the Polar Circle, further west to Peter I Island, sailing in the Bellingshausen sea along the ice-edge of deep Antarctica into the Ross Sea. The voyage continues to the uninhabited sub-Antarctic Campbell Island and ends after 32 days in New Zealand. The second cruise offers the same itinerary, but in reverse. The Ross Sea region of Antarctica has always presented a dream but also a challenge to visit to explorers. The Ross Ice Shelf prevents a full seasonal operation and distances are enormous. Apart from the extremes, landing sites are still difficult to reach. With the advantages of the Ortelius in combination with the use of helicopters, our travelers are having some great opportunities exploring Antarctica's most fascinating sites, says Oceanwide Expeditions CEO Michel van Gessel. British Polar explorer Sir James Clark Ross discovered the Ross Sea region in 1841. It took another 60 years before the true race to the South Pole began when the British Royal Geographic Society sent Robert Falcon Scott on his voyage in 1901, followed by many other voyages. Very few expeditions have ever ventured this far south to the Ross Sea. Oceanwide Expeditions tries to land passengers in such areas as the rarely visited volcanic Peter I Island, the huts of the British explorers Ernest Shackleton and Robert Falcon Scott on Ross Island, McMurdo Station, the Dry Valleys - where the conditions are the closest you get to the conditions on Mars - and Campbell Island, home to the Southern Royal Albatrosses. The voyage contains one of the last wildernesses on earth, hardly affected and visited by humans. Passengers will experience the largest ice-formations in Antarctica and will encounter an astonishing diversity of life despite its incredibly harsh conditions. The Ross Sea is home to minke whales, orcas, weddell and crabeater seals, adelie and emperor penguins, petrels and skuas. Oceanwide Expeditions is offering everybody the chance to win a free cruise passage on their ship the Ortelius with a Ross Sea contest they are currently running. Since 1996 Oceanwide Expeditions has offered small- group polar expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctica. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Crude oil futures plunged near the lowest in eleven years Wednesday morning, as Saudi Arabia slashed prices for European customers in a bid to hurt Iran. The Saudis are desperate to retain market share as Iranian oil comes online following years of heavy sanctions. The move comes against the backdrop of rising tensions between the two OPEC nations. Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran after the Saudi embassy in Tehran was stormed by Shiites angry over the execution of a cleric. US WTI crude oil was down $1.12, or 3 percent, to 34.86 a barrel. Concerns about demand from China has also hit crude oil prices. There was little reaction to news that U.S. crude inventories fell by 5.6 million barrels, according to the American Petroleum Institute. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. KINGS MOUNTAIN, NC -- (Marketwired) -- 01/06/16 -- T5 Data Centers (www.t5datacenters.com), innovators in providing state-of-the-art, customizable and highly reliable computing support environments, has broken ground on a new build-to-suit data center at its Kings Mountain, North Carolina, campus. Construction of the new enterprise-grade data center follows an exhaustive national search led by Kristina Metzger, Data Center Specialist at CBRE Data Center Solutions on behalf of an unnamed Fortune 50 company. T5 Data Centers won the competitive bid for this build-to-suit contract after meeting and exceeding the stringent specifications outlined in a comprehensive Basis of Design and RFP. "Following a highly competitive process, T5 was ultimately selected as the right solution based on their extensive expertise in build-to-suit enterprise data centers, the company's ability to meet and exceed a rigorous set of requirements, and because T5@Kings Mountain proved to be an ideal location," said Kristina Metzger of CBRE. Ultimately T5 Data Centers will achieve several Uptime Institute Certifications including: Tier III Certification of Design Documents, Tier III Certification of Constructed Facility, and Tier III Gold Certification of Operational Sustainability. In addition to T5's design and engineering team having responsibility for the facility's construction, T5 Facilities Management (T5FM) will be responsible for on-site building operations management and systems support. "This new contract is a real testament to the discerning customer's recognition of T5's expertise and excellence in building and operating true enterprise quality data center environments. We brought a solution to the table that included design and construction expertise, a proven data center location, and best-in-class facilities management capabilities," said Aaron Wangenheim, Chief Operating Officer for T5 Data Centers. T5 has been designing and building customized data centers from the ground up for 20 years. The company recently completed a similar project for a tenant at its T5@Portland campus. T5 Data Centers maintains seven data center campuses strategically situated across the country. T5's Kings Mountain campus has the added advantage of being located in North Carolina, since the state recently passed the North Carolina Competes Act, which includes tax incentives for data center operations, including power and equipment. For more information about T5's data center services, visit www.t5datacenters.com. About T5 Data Centers T5 Data Centers (T5) is a leading national data center owner and operator, committed to delivering customizable, scalable data centers that provide an "always on" computing environment to power mission critical business applications. T5 Data Centers provides enterprise colocation data center services to organizations across North America using proven, best-in-class technology and techniques to design and develop facilities that deliver the lowest possible total cost of operations for its clients. T5 currently has business-critical data center facilities in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Dallas, Portland and Charlotte with new projects announced in New York, and Colorado. All of T5's data center projects are purpose-built facilities featuring robust design, redundant and reliable power and telecommunications, and have 24-hour staff to support mission-critical computing applications. For more information, visit www.t5datacenters.com. Contact: Aaron Wangenheim T5 Data Centers (415) 292-7700 aaron@t5datacenters.com TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 01/06/16 -- Nutritional High International Inc. (the "Company" or "Nutritional High") (CSE: EAT)(OTCQB: SPLIF) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an equity purchase agreement ("EPA") with Kodiak Capital Group LLC ("Kodiak"), pursuant to which Kodiak has agreed to purchase up to USD $1 million of Nutritional High's common shares ("Common Shares"). Pursuant to the terms of the EPA, the Company may, at its sole discretion and at any time prior to December 31, 2016 ("Commitment Period"), require Kodiak to purchase any amount of Common Shares of the Company in tranches up to USD $1 million, from treasury. The purchase price of the Common Shares shall be the greater of (1) CAD $0.05, and (2) a 25% discount to the market price of the Common Shares during the five trading days immediately preceding the Company's draw down. The Company has a right and not an obligation to draw down the funds at its sole discretion, which provides it with the flexibility to reduce dilution and only draw on funds as it deems necessary. The EPA applies only to Common Shares and does not require any issuance of warrants or other convertible securities, nor does it require a pledge of any security or payment of commitment fees. The EPA is conditional on (1) Nutritional High filing an F-1 Registration Statement with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission on or before January 31, 2016, and (2) the registration statement being deemed or declared effective. David Posner, CEO of Nutritional High commented, "Kodiak has emerged as a leading source of capital for the marijuana industry, and we're pleased that they have agreed to a straight equity purchase of our Common Shares without the restrictions and security they usually require when making investments. We believe this financing provides Nutritional High with a strategic benefit and demonstrates Kodiak's confidence in our plans to build leading edibles facilities in Colorado and elsewhere in the USA." Jim Fitzpatrick at Kodiak Capital commented, "Nutritional High has a first-rate management team and an attractive business plan. Kodiak is impressed with Nutritional High's progress to-date and believe the team is well suited to bring quality products to market. We look forward to strengthening our relationship with Nutritional High as a long term institutional capital partner." Nutritional High Engages Transcend for Investor Relations Services The Company is pleased to announce that it has engaged Transcend Capital Inc. ("Transcend") to provide investor relations services to the Company. The Company will pay to Transcend a monthly fee of $6,666.67 for a period of six months. Prior to its engagement, Transcend acquired Common Shares of the Company in the secondary market. Transcend is a Vancouver-based, full-service investor relations firm that assists micro, small and mid-cap public companies with market awareness campaigns and helps them gain valued industry exposure through an extensive network of retail and institutional clients. About Nutritional High International Inc. Nutritional High is focused on developing, manufacturing and distributing products and nationally-recognized brands in the hemp and marijuana-infused products industry, including edibles and oil extracts for medical and adult recreational use. The Company works exclusively through licensed facilities in jurisdictions where such activity is permitted and regulated by state law. Nutritional High is also working to acquire licenses and operating businesses related to marijuana-infused products elsewhere in the United States. About Kodiak Capital Group LLC Kodiak is an institutional investor headquartered in Newport Beach, CA. Kodiak makes private investments in public and private entities utilizing proprietary equity and debt instruments. These investments provide long-term strategic capital offering companies certainty, flexibility and consistency. Kodiak's investments are in a wide range of industries emphasizing alternative energy, consumer products, life sciences, natural resources and social media technology. For more information, visit www.kodiakfunds.com. For updates on the edibles industry and highlights of the Company's press releases and other media coverage, please follow Nutritional High on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google+. NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR OTC MARKETS GROUP INC, NOR ITS REGULATIONS SERVICES PROVIDER HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. This news release may contain forward-looking statements and information based on current expectations. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Such statements include submission of the relevant documentation within the required timeframe and to the satisfaction of the relevant regulators, completing the acquisition of the applicable real estate and raising sufficient financing to complete the Company's business strategy. There is no certainty that any of these events will occur. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will prove to be correct. We assume no responsibility to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Company's securities have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or applicable state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold to, or for the account or benefit of, persons in the United States or "U.S. Persons", as such term is defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act, absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in the United States or any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. Additionally, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained herein. All forward-looking information herein is qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement, and the Company disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking information or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments, except as required by law. Contacts: Transcend Capital Inc. Etienne Moshevich Investor Relations 604-681-0084 et@transcendcapitalinc.com Nutritional High International Inc. David Posner CEO 647-985-6727 dposner@nutritionalhigh.com TEMPE, AZ -- (Marketwired) -- 01/06/16 --American Green, Inc. (OTC PINK: ERBB) today announced that American Green's CEO, Jonathan Miller, will be answering shareholder questions on Tuesday, January 12, 2016 "In Q4/2015, we began a new direction at American Green. Shareholders have questions and my goal is to answer them in several ways. The conference call on the 12th at 1pm (MST) is one way that will recur," said Jonathan Miller, American Green's Chief Executive Officer. "Additionally, major events will be released to the press and video updates will be posted to the American Green website," Miller continued. "It's important that shareholders understand the direction we are taking and the reasoning behind these actions. Investment decisions require solid understanding of the company's goals, its operating results, and the marketplace for our company's products. We are making plans to deliver this information frequently and accurately," said Miller. "In a nutshell, we are investing in assets with our partners, improving those assets and deriving income from the assets. The strategy is to attain a solid revenue stream, while positioning ourselves to directly access the marijuana market in the future," Miller stated. "There are several outstanding situations from previous operations and we are working on a variety of solutions where necessary. The road to American Green's success hasn't been a straight line and can't be at this time in the marijuana industry. It is extremely important for us, as a company, to digest legislative changes "on the fly" and adapt to the new rules in the shortest possible time frame. "I'm sure there will be questions about our operations during the past year, and it is my goal to answer those on Tuesday January 12th at 1pm Arizona time -- that's 3pm Eastern. The call in number is 641-715-3580, Access Code: 672-528." Please send your questions in advance to ceocall@americangreen.com. Be sure to visit the company's website at www.americangreen.com and sign up for the company's EMAIL ALERTS to stay current on news. Shareholders and interest holders may also stay current with American Green Updates by going to the American Green website at www.americangreen.com, or by going directly to http://americangreen.com/contact-us to sign up for email alerts. NOTES ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Except for any historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including those described in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission reports and filings. Certain statements contained in this release that are not historical facts constitute forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and are intended to be covered by the safe harbors created by that Act. Reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements because they involve unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as estimates, anticipates, projects, plans, expects, intends, believes, should and similar expressions and by the context in which they are used. Such statements are based upon current expectations of the Company and speak only as of the date made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which they are made. About American Green, Corp. American Green, Corp., became, in 2009, one of the first publicly traded technology companies in the cannabis industry, Now, with over 50,000 individual shareholders, more than any other company in the cannabis sector, American Green's mission is to lead the cannabis industry. Leveraging our team of professionals in cultivation, manufacturing, extraction, wholesale, retail, and community outreach, we strive to develop sustainable initiatives, while increasing shareholder value, and company profit. Contact: American Green, Inc. Investor Relations 1221 W Warner Rd, Suite 103 Tempe, AZ 85284 480-443-1600 X555 VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/06/16 -- On Thursday, January 7, the Fraser Institute will release a new study examining whether high income Canadians are gaining at the expense of low income Canadians. Income Mobility, The Rich and Poor in Canada, written by Herbert Grubel, professor emeritus of economics at Simon Fraser University and Fraser Institute senior fellow, spotlights the concepts of income inequality and income mobility - the fact that people's incomes change over time. A news release with additional information will be issued via Marketwired on January 7 at 5:30 a.m. (Eastern). Follow the Fraser Institute on Twitter / Like us on Facebook The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for Canadians, their families and future generations by studying, measuring and broadly communicating the effects of government policies, entrepreneurship and choice on their well-being. To protect the Institute's independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit www.fraserinstitute.org Contacts: MEDIA CONTACTS: Herbert Grubel Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute Professor of Economics (Emeritus), Simon Fraser University 604-980-7922 hgrubel@gmail.com For further information, contact: Aanand Radia Media Relations Specialist, Fraser Institute (416) 363-6575 ext. 238 aanand.radia@fraserinstitute.org PYONGYANG (dpa-AFX) - The United States has vowed to respond appropriately to North Korea's provocations after the reclusive nation claimed to have successfully tested its first hydrogen bomb. 'We will continue to protect and defend our allies in the region, including the Republic of Korea, and will respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations,' State Department Spokesman John Kirby said in a statement issued shortly after Pyongyang announced the shocking news Wednesday. At the same time, the US Government said it cannot confirm the claim of North Korea. 'While we cannot confirm these claims at this time, we condemn any violation of UN Security Council Resolutions and again call on North Korea to abide by its international obligations and commitments,' Kirby said. The revelation by North Korea's state-run television in a nationwide broadcast sounded like a raucous victory call. The anchor read out a statement that said the Korean Republic had tested a miniaturized hydrogen bomb at 10 am local time, elevating its nuclear might to the next level and providing it with a weapon to defend against the U.S. and its other enemies. The belligerent nation has embarked on an ambitious nuclear program for some time now to counter the threat, which it sees, is posed by the Western nation, primarily the U.S. The nuclear test comes just two days ahead of North Korean Supreme leader Kim Jong-un's 33rd birthday. The global community reacted strongly against what is seen as a severe threat to the prospects of global peace. NATO said the nuclear weapons test announced by North Korea undermines regional and international security, and is in clear breach of UN Security Council resolutions. A statement by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg condemned the continued development by North Korea of nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs and its inflammatory and threatening rhetoric. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the DPRK's nuclear test, if confirmed, is in clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions and is deeply regrettable. IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano has strongly urged the North to implement fully all relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the IAEA. 'The IAEA remains ready to contribute to the peaceful resolution of the DPRK nuclear issue by resuming its nuclear verification activities once a political agreement is reached among countries concerned,' he said in a statement. The U.N. Security Council is set to meet later in the day to discuss the development. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de LAS VEGAS, NV -- (Marketwired) -- 01/06/16 --Roost, an innovator in smart home technology, today announced a new partnership with ADT (NYSE: ADT), a leading provider of security and automation solutions for homes and businesses, with its participation in ADT Canopy, the company's new Security-as-a-Service solution. New and existing Roost Smart Battery owners will now have the option to be secured through ADT Canopy, which provides 24/7 professional monitoring and live support to aid in nearly any emergency -- from intrusions or fires, to unsafe situations outside of the home. In addition to receiving direct alert notifications when your smoke alarm triggers, Roost and ADT will offer the ability to have your Roost-enabled smoke and CO alarms monitored by ADT, helping improve home safety and peace-of-mind. A simple option from the Roost mobile app (available for both iOS and Android smartphones) enables a quick sign-up with ADT Canopy and will be available for a low monthly fee with no fixed contracts. With the Roost - ADT Canopy option, there is no need to worry when you are on vacation or away from home. ADT will respond to an alarm with both telephone verification to the home owner as well as contact emergency services, if needed. ADT Canopy is the latest Smart Security innovation to not only secure and connect the modern home or business, but also the connected, on-the-go consumer. The ADT Canopy for Roost option will be available this spring in the U.S. "Roost is excited to partner with ADT and to have the unique Roost Smart Battery part of the stellar ADT Canopy solution," said Roel Peeters, Roost CEO and co-founder. "As the smart home continues to evolve, ADT Canopy offers consumers an enhanced and affordable way to monitor their home, while the Roost Smart battery is the ideal solution for consumers to increase their sense of home safety and security." "ADT is pleased to partner with Roost for the launch of our ADT Canopy solution," said ADT Chief Innovation Officer Arthur Orduna. "With consumers always on-the-go it is critical that they have access to innovative home security and safety products that can monitor and help to protect their homes and possessions. The Roost Smart Battery is exactly the type of innovative product that helps to solve a real-word problem and is a perfect complement to ADT Canopy." The Roost Smart Battery addresses the frightening realities of fire damage and loss by helping improve the safety of family and home in a simple, yet affordable way. Designed in a familiar 9V form factor and with its unique retrofit design, the patented Roost Smart Battery is easy to install in less than five minutes. About Roost Roost is a technology company headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA. Roost has developed a unique, patented connected platform that delivers the ultimate in installation simplicity and the most affordable way for consumers to enter the smart home space. Roost's initial hardware solution, the Roost Smart Battery for smoke alarms, addresses a disruptive retrofit opportunity to transform any existing smoke alarm that uses a 9V battery into a smart smoke alarm. For more information, please visit www.getroost.com. Media Contact: Michael Ingalls Natron Communications for Roost +1 (917) 494-4909 Email Contact VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/06/16 -- The 2016 Cantech Investment Conference, which will take place on Tuesday January 26, 2016 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, is pleased to announce the participation of Plus8 Global Ventures Ltd. ParcelPal has launched its social media campaign over Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, targeting Vancouver cyclists, drivers, and walkers seeking part-time or full-time employment picking up and delivering parcels to individuals and businesses. The overall results have been exceptional, over 300 local applicants have signed up via the website www.parcelpal.com. President and CEO of Plus8 Global Ventures Ltd. Jason Moreau states, "ParcelPal offers customers a quick and affordable method of moving packages throughout the Lower Mainland while providing individuals with employment with competitive compensation. This is a win-win for both the courier and local businesses. The initial results of our social media campaign have been extremely positive. At our current growth rate we are expecting to retain over 400 applicants by the end of the month. Our roll out plan for Vancouver is on budget and schedule." The current list of applicants hoping to engage in the beta program range from seniors, college students, people in-between jobs and professional couriers all looking to get in on the competitive compensation rates ParcelPal offers. The initial stages of the December beta program were overall successful and the company is looking forward to implementing further robust features into the application. The team has conducted several delivery routes which were all successful. CEO Jason Moreau was very pleased with the initial beta testing results stating that "the product is nearly ready to go-live to the market, we just need small aesthetic and functionality changes to make the system more robust. We are looking forward to offering our services in the current quarter of 2016." The Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") or any other securities regulatory authority has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release that has been prepared by management. (CSE: PGT) Shares issued: 23,684,850 Contact: Jason Moreau, President, Plus8 Global Ventures, Ltd. - 604-401-8700 Web: www.parcelpal.com - www.plus8globalventures.com ABOUT THE CANTECH INVESTMENT CONFERENCE Now entering its third year, The Cantech Investment Conference is where Canada's next great technology companies meet the investment community. The conference, brought to you by Cantech Letter and Cambridge House International, attracts public market investors, VCs, angel investors and media to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for a one-day exhibit and presentation. Past speakers include Chris Hadfield, Sir Terry Matthews, and Dragons' Den star Michael Wekerle. This year's conference takes place January 26. For more information on the conference please visit the following link CambridgeHouse.com. About Cambridge House International Inc. Founded in 1995 Cambridge House International Inc. has grown to be the world leader in producing investment conferences held throughout North America. Cambridge House Conferences bring industries together for impactful two-day events where attendance includes novice to expert retail, accredited and institutional investors. The conferences are a monumental place for networking, education and investment discovery. Forward Looking Information This news release contains forward looking statements relating to the Proposed Transaction, the Financing, the future potential of ParcelPal and the issuance of common shares to settle certain of the Company's outstanding debts. Forward looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "intends", "anticipates", "expects", "plans" and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release are forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, the risk that the Proposed Transaction will not be completed due to, among other things, failure to execute definitive documentation, failure to complete satisfactory due diligence, failure to receive the approval of the CSE and failure to find suitable investors for the Financing and the risk that ParcelPal will not be successful due to, among other things, general risks relating to the mobile application industry, failure of ParcelPal to gain market acceptance and potential challenges to the intellectual property utilized in ParcelPal. In addition, the issuance of common shares to settle certain of the Company's outstanding debts remains subject to the approval of the CSE. There can be no assurance that any forward looking statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company cannot guarantee that any forward looking statement will materialize and the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will only update or revise publicly any of the included forward looking statements as expressly required by Canadian securities laws. Contacts: Exhibitor Contact: Cambridge House International Inc. Rebecca Badowich 1-877-363-3356 / 604-398-5350 rebecca@cambridgehouse.com www.cambridgehouse.com Media Contact: Cambridge House International Inc. Danielle Fleck 1-877-363-3356 / 604-398-5356 karen@cambridgehouse.com www.cambridgehouse.com VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/06/16 -- Imperial Metals Corporation (the "Company") (TSX: III) reports that Huckleberry Mines Ltd. ("HML") has suspended pit operations at the Huckleberry mine, affecting approximately 100 of its 260 employees. HML will retain the balance of its work force to continue milling stockpiled ore. While HML has made significant efforts to reduce operating costs at the Huckleberry mine, the realized savings have not been sufficient to offset declining copper prices. HML will continue to work with employees and other stakeholders to manage through this difficult period. Huckleberry had an excellent operating record in 2015 with no loss time accidents. In December, Huckleberry received a reclamation award and a commendation for its work with the local First Nations from the Government of British Columbia. About Imperial Imperial is an exploration, mine development and operating company based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Company, through its subsidiaries, owns the Mount Polley copper/gold mine in British Columbia, the Sterling gold mine in Nevada and the Red Chris copper/gold mine in northern British Columbia. Imperial holds a 50% interest in Huckleberry Mines Ltd. and a 50% interest in the Ruddock Creek lead/zinc property, both in British Columbia. Forward-Looking Information and Risks Notice Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect Company management's expectations or beliefs regarding future events and include, but are not limited to, specific statements regarding Huckleberry Mine's ongoing milling of stockpiled ore, and its intent to continue working with employees and other stakeholders to manage through this difficult period, and in general, statements with respect to the estimation of mineral reserves and mineral resources, the conversion of mineral resources to mineral reserves, the realization of mineral reserve estimates, the timing and amount of estimated future production, costs of production, capital expenditures, and success of mining operations. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "outlook", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative of these terms or comparable terminology. In this document certain forward-looking statements are identified by words including "guidance", "expectations", "targeted", "plan", "planned", "estimated", "calls for" and "expected". By their very nature forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, risks detailed from time to time in the Company's interim and annual financial statements and management's discussion and analysis of those statements, all of which are filed and available for review on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward looking statements. Contacts: Imperial Metals Corporation Brian Kynoch President 604.669.8959 Imperial Metals Corporation Andre Deepwell Chief Financial Officer 604.488.2666 Imperial Metals Corporation Gordon Keevil Vice President Corporate Development 604.488.2677 Imperial Metals Corporation Sabine Goetz Shareholder Communications 604.488.2657 investor@imperialmetals.com TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 01/06/16 -- African Gold Group, Inc. (TSX VENTURE: AGG) ("AGG" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a transaction with respect to the sale of AGG Ghana Limited (AGG Ghana), the Company's 100% owned Ghanaian subsidiary. All of the Company's assets in Ghana are held in AGG Ghana. The sale of the subsidiary achieves the Company's stated aim of monetizing inherent value from its non-core assets and provides non-dilutive funding, including for the final completion of the full Feasibility Study at AGG's Kobada Gold Project in Mali, expected this month. Moving forward, the Company's sole focus will be putting Kobada into production. Divestment of AGG Ghana Limited AGG has entered into a sale and purchase agreement with Star Goldfields Limited (SGF), a private Ghanaian company. SGF has agreed to purchase the shares in AGG Ghana for a total cash consideration of US$1,200,000. The sale of AGG Ghana includes all of the Company's Ghanaian assets, including the 456 square kilometre Asankrangwa Tenements plus the separate Nyankumasi concession. SGF has paid AGG US$200,000 as a non-refundable deposit on the transaction, which commits the parties to the completion of a share purchase agreement, subject to customary conditions, including regulatory approvals. On execution of the definitive share purchase agreement, SGF will pay a remaining US$1,000,000 as consideration for 100% of the share capital of AGG Ghana Limited. It is anticipated that the share purchase agreement will be completed within 60 days of this announcement. On Behalf of the Board of Directors: Declan Franzmann, President and CEO About African Gold Group African Gold Group is a Canadian exploration and development company with its focus on West Africa. African Gold Group is focused on the development of the Kobada Gold Project in Mali, a low capital and operating cost gold project with potential to produce more than 50,000 ounces of gold per annum. For more information regarding African Gold Group visit our website at www.africangoldgroup.com. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes certain "Forward-Looking Statements." All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein, including without limitation, statements regarding future plans and objectives of African Gold Group; and statements regarding the ability to develop and achieve production at Kobada are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from African Gold Group's expectations have been disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in African Gold Group's documents filed from time-to-time with the TSX Venture Exchange and other regulatory authorities. African Gold Group disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward looking statements whether resulting from new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Contacts: African Gold Group, Inc. Declan Franzmann Chief Executive Officer +61 438 758 960 declan@mail.africangoldgroup.com www.africangoldgroup.com Business VPN keeps consultants connected in 100+ offices in 24 countries Includes Business Together as a Service for UCC in the cloud Specialist recruitment consultancy Brunel International has extended collaboration throughout the company with global network services and unified communications from Orange Business Services. This 5-year contract renewal builds on the strong partnership between the two companies. Orange Business Services has deployed a global wide area network (WAN) based on Business VPN for Brunel. Connecting 109 branch offices in 24 countries, the network provides Brunel with flexible, secure connectivity and quality performance. Support and management is delivered by local specialists and supported by a strong global team. In addition, the contract includes Business Together as a Service a cloud-based unified communications and collaboration (UCC) solution. With this solution, employees are able to access unified messaging, all from the Orange cloud. It allows them to access collaboration tools and work effectively with their colleagues and partners wherever they are from their computer, tablet, smartphone or PDA. Orange named a leader in the UCC market IDC MarketScape named Orange Business Services last month as a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide UCaaS Service Provider 2015 Vendor Assessment (doc US40612315, December 2015). Among the strengths cited is the ability to handle the global needs of multinational companies, with Orange UCC services available in more than 80 countries in Europe, Asia Pacific, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa. "Facilitating an effective, flexible and secure environment for Brunel employees worldwide means not taking any unnecessary risks with our connectivity. We chose Orange Business Services to help us standardize our business processes and to provide continuity and manageability of our infrastructure," says Stefan de Boer, Manager Global IT at Brunel. "Multinational corporations such as Brunel need to ensure that their consultants can work anywhere and at any time. To this end, Brunel chose a fully managed solution for their dynamic environment from Orange Business Services. The winning factor in choosing Orange was our pragmatic, business-focused approach to solving their connectivity challenge. Orange Business Services provides a stable, worldwide solution that Brunel can rely on," said Anne-Sophie Lotgering, senior vice president for Europe, Russia and CIS, Orange Business Services. About Brunel International Brunel International N.V. is an international service provider specialising in the flexible deployment of knowledge and capacity in the fields of Engineering, Oil Gas, Aerospace, Automotive, ICT, Finance, Legal and Insurance Banking. Services are provided in the form of Project Management, Staffing and Consultancy. Incorporated in 1975, Brunel has since become a global company with over 13,000 employees and annual revenue of EUR 1.4 billion (2014). The company is listed at Euronext Amsterdam N.V. For more information on Brunel International N.V. visit our website www.brunelinternational.net. About Orange Business Services Orange Business Services, the Orange branch dedicated to B2B services, is not only a telecom operator, but also an IT solutions integrator and applications developer in France and around the world. Its 20,000 employees support companies in all areas of their digital transformation: mobile and collaborative workspaces; IT/cloud infrastructure; fixed and mobile connectivity; private and hybrid networks; applications for Internet of Things, 360 customer experience and Big Data analytics; and cybersecurity thanks to dedicated experts and infrastructure to protect information systems. More than 3,000 multinational organizations and 2 million SOHOs, enterprises and local authorities in France rely on Orange Business Services as their trusted partner. Learn more at www.orange-business.comor follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and our blogs. Orange is one of the world's leading telecommunications operators with annual sales of 39 billion euros in 2014 and has 157,000 employees worldwide at 30 September 2015. Orange is listed on the NYSE Euronext Paris (symbol ORA) and on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol ORAN). Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trademarks of Orange or Orange Brand Services Limited. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160106005990/en/ Contacts: Press contacts: Orange Business Services Elizabeth Mayeri, +1 212 251 2086 elizabeth.mayeri@orange.com Researchers From Monsanto And Novozymes See Progress In U.S. Field Tests, Plan To Launch Corn Inoculant In 2017 The BioAg Alliance, Novozymes' and Monsanto's collaboration to improve crop harvests through naturally-occurring microbes, today announced results from its 2015 field trial program. Those results included a corn inoculant product, which increased yields by an average of 4 bushels per acre in U.S. field tests. The product is based on a fungus found in soil and researchers from the two companies have found a way to coat the microbes on corn seeds without harming the microbes' performance or longevity. The Alliance plans to launch the new solution in the United States in 2017. "The BioAg Alliance is focused on identifying ways that soil microbial solutions can deliver improved harvests from existing land," said Brad Griffith, Vice President of Global Microbials for Monsanto. "This work is critically important to farmers as they work to meet demands and preserve their soil system. This breakthrough collaboration is unlocking new insights into soil microbial candidates to benefit farmers and our work with this corn seed inoculant is a great example of the results of our combined research." World's largest microbe research program Microbial-based solutions are derived from various microbes such as bacteria and fungi. The BioAg Alliance markets two types of microbial products: Inoculant products, which help plants with nutrient uptake, and biocontrol products, which help protect plants against pests and diseases. The products can be applied to seeds before planting, applied to growing crops or applied to soil in-furrow. The companies said that they can be used by farmers that grow broad acre crops such as corn and soy, and on fruits and vegetables. Microbial products can increase crop yields and can complement or replace agricultural chemicals and fertilizers. The BioAg Alliance is currently running the world's largest microbial research program to develop the next generation of these products. In 2015, the Alliance tested more than 2,000 microbial strains across 500,000 field trial plots in more than 50 locations in the United States. The companies said results from its U.S. field trial program showed its top new microbes increased corn yields by an average of 4-5 bushels per acre and soy yields by an average of 1.5 bushels per acre. The BioAg Alliance expects to continue testing thousands of strains across a broad range of environments in extensive U.S. field trials in 2016. "I believe we will witness a microbial revolution in agriculture", said Thomas Schafer, Vice President of BioAg research at Novozymes. "The world needs to produce more crops from our arable land while using fewer resources. The more we learn about microbes and their symbiotic relationships with plants, the more we realize how key they are to this challenge." Today, The BioAg Alliance's products are used on around 65 million acres, but Monsanto and Novozymes envision that their products will be used on 250-500 million acres globally by 2025. The agricultural market for microbials is estimated at $1.8 billion, while the market for traditional fertilizers and pesticides totals $240 billion. The 2015 field trial results were announced as part of Monsanto's annual pipeline update. For more information, go to www.monsanto.com/pipeline. Additional Information: What is a field trial? Agricultural field trials are conducted to compare the yields of different varieties of crops or crop inputs under realistic conditions or in the actual situations for which they are intended. These trials are an important part in the development of products for use in agriculture as they provide information that helps assess the performance of the new product. Field trials can involve several phases including field testing, which include screening and selection of a small number of plants. Small-scale trials typically yield results that can be used for further screening and selection of plants for testing in larger field trials. What is an inoculant? Inoculants are microbes, such as bacteria or fungi, which provide a beneficial effect when added to soil or plants. Inoculants can enhance availability and uptake of nutrients, for example by fixing nitrogen from the air or by breaking down inorganic soil phosphates so these nutrients become available to plants. About The BioAg Alliance First announced in December 2013, the BioAg Alliance is unique in the industry, bringing together Novozymes' BioAg operations and capabilities within microbial discovery, development and production with Monsanto's microbial discovery, advanced biology, field testing and commercial capabilities. The result is a comprehensive discovery, development and commercial collaboration to help farmers globally meet the challenge of producing more with less in a sustainable way for the benefit of agriculture, consumers, the environment and society at large. About Monsanto Monsanto is committed to bringing a broad range of solutions to help nourish our growing world. We produce seeds for fruits, vegetables and key crops such as corn, soybeans, and cotton that help farmers have better harvests while using water and other important resources more efficiently. We work to find sustainable solutions for soil health, help farmers use data to improve farming practices and conserve natural resources, and provide crop protection products to minimize damage from pests and disease. Through programs and partnerships, we collaborate with farmers, researchers, nonprofit organizations, universities and others to help tackle some of the world's biggest challenges. To learn more about Monsanto, our commitments and our more than 20,000 dedicated employees, please visit: discover.monsanto.com and monsanto.com. Follow our business on Twitter at twitter.com/MonsantoCo, on the company blog, Beyond the Rows at monsantoblog.com or subscribe to our News Release RSS Feed. About Novozymes Novozymes is the world leader in biological solutions. Together with customers, partners and the global community, we improve industrial performance while preserving the planet's resources and helping build better lives. As the world's largest provider of enzyme and microbial technologies, our bioinnovation enables higher agricultural yields, low-temperature washing, energy-efficient production, renewable fuel and many other benefits that we rely on today and in the future. We call it Rethink Tomorrow. www.novozymes.com View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160106005940/en/ Contacts: Monsanto Lee Quarles, 314-694-6397 or Novozymes Johan Melchior, +45 3077 0690 CLEVELAND, OH -- (Marketwired) -- 01/06/16 -- Surgical Theater, a leader in the field of advanced 3D Virtual Reality Imaging and Surgical Navigation and Guidance software, heightens their strategic advantage in the use of Virtual Reality in the medical imaging and navigation marketplace with the launch of the Surgical Theater medical Virtual Reality Division (mVR). Surgical Theater mVR Division will be led by Alon Zuckerman, a veteran executive in the field of advanced flight simulation and Virtual reality in aviation, who will serve in the role of President, mVR Division. Alon will set the strategic direction and leadership of the Virtual Reality growth for Surgical Theater. The Surgical Theater mVR technology provides for a groundbreaking experience, allowing surgeons to reconstruct and fuse CT, MRI and other images into 3D Virtual Reality models, utilizing the Surgical Navigation Advanced Platform (SNAP) to perform a realistic "fly through" of his/her patient-model, to obtain a precise and intuitive situational awareness of the surgery site based on a 360 Virtual Reality model. The 360 3D guidance model is used to determine the surgery strategy, the safest and most efficient pathway to treat complex pathologies such as the removal of cerebral tumors and treat vascular abnormalities. "The launch of the Surgical Theater medical Virtual Reality Division is a significant milestone in our strategy to make our cutting edge VR technology available to our existing and future customers worldwide. I am excited to lead ST mVR Division and believe that this division will be the world leader in virtual reality imaging systems for surgeons," said Alon Zuckerman. Surgical Theater's Virtual Reality and Image Guidance extends into the operating room. Coupled with intra-operative navigation systems, Surgical Theater's platforms provide dynamic visualization capabilities in real time, allowing surgeons to perform a real-time "fly-through" of the surgical pathway, establish multiple views, and rotate and interact with the navigation image. Additionally, the software suite allows HIPAA-compliant peer-to-peer consultation in patients' cases. "I am proud to be able to have completed recent hires of highly ranked executives to lead the mission of Surgical Theater. Alon Zuckerman brings substantial experience in business development, operations and leading development teams of high-tech complex systems. Alon has perfected his skills in the industries of high-tech, aerospace, virtual reality and simulation while leading business strategies, which resulted in significant growth and penetration of new markets," said Moty Avisar, CEO & Co-Founder. "After the implementation of our 3D VR technology in the operating rooms, our most recent and immediate application implemented is the patient education platform. Surgeons are making an effort to explain the pathology and treatment plan to educate patients and the patients' family. There is no better way to educate the patient than to put on a VR headset and "walk through the patient's anatomy," stepping into the body and touring the treatment plan. The user is immersed in the anatomical structures in which they are surrounded; the user can literally stand between arteries and the brain tissue. Users can tour multiple-fused data sets, walk into the space between the nerves and pathology, grasp the surgeons' plans regarding the approach and the margins to preserve surrounding eloquent functional structures, and so on. Besides patient and surgeons, the immersive VR application is very beneficial for relevant for medical staff, and medical students who can also benefit from the 360 experience provided by our Virtual Reality solution," said Moty Avisar. Surgical Theater mVR technology uses multiple NVIDIA GPUs and NVIDIA SLI technology to create the "fly through" experience in viewing the patient's anatomy. This technology is being developed in collaboration with UCLA. "Our extensive partnership with medical centers and high-tech industrial partners in California, such as NVIDIA and UCLA, has led us to establish the home of the new medical Virtual Reality Division (mVR) technology in Los Angeles. The proximity to our partners will accelerate and deepen the collaboration and will accelerate the adoption of our VR technology to other centers who have started to utilize it, such as NYU, Mount Sinai NYC, Case Medical Center, Carlo Besta Neurological Institute in Milan, and other leading neurosurgery institutions," said Moty Avisar. "Surgical Theater's Virtual Reality based surgery guidance tools are already revolutionizing the way that neurosurgeons use medical imaging for surgery. My partner and mentor, Cher Wang, CEO of HTC, says that 'Virtual reality will forever transform the way we experience the world around us and will enrich every aspect of our lives.' Surgical Theater is committed to assure that this revolution will not skip the medical arena. As a matter of fact, there are some aspects of VR in which medical devices ought to be on the front end of this revolution," concludes Moty Avisar. About Surgical Theater, LLC Surgical Theater is a privately held, leading Virtual Reality and Image Guidance software company for healthcare, and its software applications are providing a comprehensive solution that is transforming the way surgeons consult with patients, plan complex surgical procedures, and use medical imaging to navigate during surgery and post-operative review with their peers. Surgical Theater's unique and highly innovative products allow "Surgeons and imaging to connect." Surgeons have used Surgical Theater technology in over 1,000 cranial cases nationwide to help patients with tumors and cerebrovascular disorders. Surgical Theater devices are FDA cleared and also obtained CE Mark in September this year. Recently, Surgical Theater has also entered into an agreement with the world's largest medical technology company to provide advanced 3D Virtual Reality based image guidance alongside with a traditional surgery navigation solution. To date, 3D Virtual Reality, Surgical Guidance and Navigation has been installed in leading research and teaching hospitals across the United States including; University Hospitals Case Medical Center, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, The Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, The Mount Sinai Hospital, Mayo Clinic, NYU Langone Medical Center, and others. www.SurgicalTheater.net For more information, contact: Carleen Bobrowski cbobrowski@surgicaltheater.net (216) 452-2177 CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. dollar drifted higher against its major rivals in European deals on Thursday, as the U.S. private sector employment increased more than expected in December, in the latest sign that U.S. labor market gathered momentum despite indications of slowdown around the world. Data from the payroll processor ADP showed that private sector employment jumped by 257,000 jobs in December after climbing by a revised 211,000 jobs in November. Economists had expected employment to increase by about 190,000 jobs compared to the addition of 217,000 jobs originally reported for the previous month. In another sign of strengthening economy, data from the Commerce Department showed that the U.S. trade deficit narrowed in November. The trade deficit shrank to $42.4 billion in November from a revised $44.6 billion in October. Economists had expected the deficit to widen to $44.4 billion in November. Markets await the Federal Reserve minutes of the December 15-16 meeting later in the day, for further insights into the bank's plan for future rate hikes. At its December meeting, the Fed raised its federal funds rate by 0.25 - 0.50 percent. Friday's jobs data is forecast to show that the US economy added 200,000 jobs in December. Unemployment rate is expected to remain at a seven-year low of 5 percent. The currency was higher on Tuesday, as worries over global growth spurred demand for safe-haven assets. It added 0.26 percent against the pound, 0.73 percent against the euro and 0.67 percent against the franc for the day. The greenback showed mixed performance in Asian trading. While the greenback rose against the franc and the pound, it held steady against the euro. Against the yen, it declined. Bouncing off from an early nearly 3-month low of 118.25 against the yen, the greenback rose back to 118.59. The next possible resistance for the greenback-yen pair is seen around the 119.5 zone. Survey from Nikkei showed that Japan's services sector remained in expansion in December with a PMI score of 51.5. That's down marginally from 51.6 in November, although it remains well above the boom-or-bust line of 50 that separates expansion from contraction. The greenback that ended Tuesday's trading at 1.0085 against the Swiss franc edged up to 1.0119. The greenback is seen finding resistance around the 1.025 region. Extending early rally, the greenback spiked up to 1.4600 against the pound, a level not seen since April 13, 2015. At yesterday's close, the pair was worth 1.4673. Continuation of the greenback's uptrend is likely to find resistance around the 1.45 area. Survey data from Markit and Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply showed that the British service sector growth stabilized at a solid pace in December supported by sharp rise in new business. The Purchasing Managers' Index fell slightly to 55.5 in December from 55.9 in November. Nonetheless, it remained above the long-run survey trend of 55.2. The greenback climbed to 1.0714 against the euro, following a low of 1.0773 hit at 8:15 pm ET. The greenback ended Tuesday's trading at 1.0747 per euro. If the greenback extends rise, 1.05 is possibly seen as its next resistance level. Final data from Markit showed that Eurozone private sector activity expanded at a faster than initially estimated pace in December. The composite output index rose to 54.3 in December from 54.2 in November. It was above the flash score of 54. The greenback rallied to 1.4108 against the Canadian dollar for the first time since August 2003. On the upside, the greenback may locate resistance around the 1.425 region. At yesterday's close, the pair was worth 1.3996. The greenback firmed to near a 2-month high of 0.7055 against the aussie, compared to 0.7158 hit late New York Tuesday. The greenback is poised to target resistance around the 0.69 mark. The greenback held steady against the NZ dollar, trading at 0.6637, after approaching a 4-week high of 0.6626 in European deals. The pair was worth 0.6702 when it ended Tuesday's deals. The U.S. factory orders data for November, Markit's U.S. service sector PMI report for December, the Institute for Supply Management's U.S. non-manufacturing PMI for December and U.S. crude oil inventories data are slated for release shortly. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de SHANGHAI, Jan.6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --Shanghai Aerospace Automobile Electromechanical Co., Ltd. ("HT-SAAE" or "the company") has set a new record in the industry. Tested and certified by TUV Rheinland, an authoritative, international certification body, the peak output power (Pmax) of HT-SAAE's independently developed "Milky Way" N-type PERT solar module (based on 60 pieces of 156mm*156mm) reached up to 345.7Wp. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151231/318569 Based on this latest technologicalachievement, HT-SAAEis maintaining itsindustry-leadingstatus in the field of N-type PERT mono-crystalline silicon. This recognition demonstrates that the company has obtained another historical technical breakthrough in the field of N-type PERT high-efficiency solar modules. The "Milky Way" solar module was made of many independently developed N-Type high efficiency cells. HT-SAAE's bifacial power productionmodule technology can achieve higher output power, significantlyreduce the levelized cost of electricity and shorten the investment payback period. This module will not only rewrite the silicon module output powerrecord book,but it will also be launched as HT-SAAE'sfeatured product andbewidely promoted in many marketplaces all over the world. Clients and media from all over the world have been showing great interest in the "Milky Way" module ever since its debut in early 2015. In addition toearninggreat reviewsfrom clients, HT-SAAE also won the "2015 PR Newswire Best Overseas Communications Award" for its successful marketing communications and planning for this product. It is clear that the development and roll-out ofthis product has earned the company outstanding achievements in technology, quality, marketing planning and communications. Dr. Zhang Zhongwei, CTO of HT-SAAE, points out that, "HT-SAAE will continue to be dedicated to the research and development of N-type PERT technology, further improvement of the development process, and willcontinuously bring out improved products to adapt the fast-changing market. HT-SAAE will also be devoted to sustainable reduction of the levelized cost of electricity for end users." In 2016, HT-SAAE will deliver even more prominent "Milky Way" products, and it believes that those new products' performance will also be highly anticipated. SAN RAMON, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/06/16 -- The True Life Companies (TTLC) is engaged in actively targeting land development opportunities for purchase and then readying those parcels for sale to homebuilders. That forward-thinking strategy has allowed TTLC to positively impact a competitive homebuilding market. "We are actually fueling the homebuilding industry by anticipating the needs of its future. This has allowed TTLC to grow at an incredible pace and we're already seeing our hard work come to fruition in the Bay Area," said Scott Clark, Founder and CEO of The True Life Companies. Among those successes is the Mahuron property, a four-acre parcel of land, centrally located in the King and Dobbin Transit Village area, that TTLC successfully entitled for 109 attached homes. The land, acquired in July 2014, was subsequently sold to Pulte Homes in November 2015 after securing approvals for a Tentative Map and Planned Development Permit. "Mahuron is a great example of seeing the potential in an area undergoing a significant transformation and the TTLC team working to entitle the right project to meet today's market demands. That's the kind of vision that ranks TTLC as an innovator in the land development industry and why I was excited to join the company," said Kelly C. Beardslee, The True Life Companies' new Managing Director for the Bay Area. Beardslee joined TTLC in November and is a Bay Area native with extensive commercial and residential experience over his 20 year career. Leveraging his background at Cushman & Wakefield, Shorenstein Company and KB Home, as well as nearly 10 years as a Partner at boutique investment company Seaview Ventures, LLC, Beardslee will lead TTLC's highly experienced Bay Area team to execute on the company's aggressive growth strategy. In addition to Mahuron, TTLC also enjoyed the success of the adjacent Dobbin Drive project. Acquired in February 2014, these two parcels consisting of nearly six acres were revitalized, eventually yielding 131 attached homes through a highly effective entitlement process. The property was sold to Pulte Homes in May of 2015 after just 14 months. "Land acquisition and entitlements can be very complicated, but TTLC has perfected and streamlined the process. This is what we do. We analyze land parcels not only for an optimum use of space, but for the betterment of society and modern life," Scott Clark added. "We have done all the upfront due diligence. All a developer has to do is come in and build." As a major supplier of lots and land to America's top homebuilders, TTLC has projects in various stages of entitlement throughout the United States. Over the past five years, TTLC has rapidly expanded to keep up with this demand by opening regional offices in San Ramon, CA; Sacramento, CA; Phoenix, AZ; Denver, CO; Newport Beach, CA; Kona, HI; and Austin, TX. For more information regarding TTLC's residential land or recreational master-plan portfolio, visit www.TheTrueLifeCompanies.com. Contact: Fran Bangert Kovach Marketing 714-335-9646 Email Contact This report predicts that the global commercial aerospace interior market is to grow at a CAGR of 4.0% between 2015 to 2020. The major growth drivers of this market are increasing deliveries of aircraft, replace and renovation of the aircraft interior and the increasing demand for the customized Interior. Customized interior helps airlines to differentiate from the competitors on the basis of interiors that act as a touch point of customer's service, helping to distinguish one brand from another. For market expansion, the report suggests innovation and new product development, where the unique feature of aerospace interior can be capitalized. The report further suggests the development of partnerships with customers to create win-win situations and the development of performance-driven solutions for end users. Emerging trends, which have a direct impact on the dynamics of the industry, include the increasing use of lightweight aerospace interior products/components, and increase in per-person space allocation. Panasonic Avionics Corporation, Zodiac Aerospace, Thales Group, B/E Aerospace, and Diehl are among the major suppliers of aerospace interior. Some companies are opting for M&A as a strategic initiative for driving growth. Questions Answered: Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. NEW YORK, Jan. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --DDB Group Worldwide (NYSE: OMC) has appointed Joji Jacob, Group Executive Creative Director, DDB Group Singapore as Head of DDB Asia's Creative Council. In addition to his creative remit covering Singapore, Hong Kong, China and Korea, Joji will also take care of India working closely with Sonal Dabral, Chief Creative Officer of DDB Mudra. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160106/319676 "DDB is one of the first advertising networks in the world to form a creative council. We are upbeat about our drive to do the best sort of work for our clients in Asia and the world, the sort of work that would win both Cannes Lions and Effies," said Amir Kassaei, Chief Creative Officer of DDB Worldwide. "We have seen a rise in creative work coming out of Asia in the last few years. It is an incredibly key region for our worldwide, and local clients. Joji is one of our most powerfully creative thinkers. He is an innovator and an inspiring leader. I know he will do great things in this role and win both respect, and accolades for the DDB network," added Kassaei. Spearheading DDB Asia's creative agenda, Joji will re-launch Asia's Creative Council with afocus on key clients and the agency. The DDB Asia Creative Council will approach a programme,Awards for Creativity and Effectiveness (ACE), with a three-pronged strategy. Firstly, ACE will nurture and boost award-winning creativity atinternational and local creative shows. Secondly, it will focus oncreative effectiveness, to lead and showcase DDB Asia's success for its clients. Finally, ACE will spearheadinnovative work for key clients through DDB's Fit for Excellence programme. "It is a privilege to assist Amir and David with DDB's Creative Council in Asia. It is my task now to help our offices in the region play as one for the benefit of our clients and our people. And of course, I look forward to working even more closely with Sonal Dabral, Tim Cheng, Clifford Ng and Jong-Sang Yoo," said Jacob. The appointment takes immediate effect. DDB Group Asia (DDB and Tribal Worldwide) is united behind our founder, Bill Bernbach's belief, that creativity is the most powerful force in business. DDB Group Asia Pacificiscohesive collaboration of global businesses,including DDB (advertising), Tribal Worldwide (digital),Interbrand (brand consultancy), DDB Remedy (healthcare and medical), Mango PR (PR and experiential) and Tracey Locke (shopper marketing). Comprising of 33 offices in 14 countries DDB Group Asia Pacific is part of the DDB Worldwide communications network and Omnicom Group. MEDIA CONTACT: Kate Neill Director of Regional Communications, DDB Group Asia Pacific Kate.neill@asiapac.ddb.com Mobile: +852-9834-9674 Angela Tan Director of Marketing, DDB Group Asia T: +65-66714495 E: angela.tan@sg.ddb.com To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ddb-group-worldwide-appoints-joji-jacob-to-drive-creative-and-effectiveness-awards-across-ddb-asia-300200252.html PALO ALTO, California, Jan. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Eiger BioPharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the initiation of enrollment and first patient dosed in LOWR HDV - 4 (LOnafarnib With Ritonavir in Hepatitis Delta Virus - 4) at the Hannover Medical School in Hannover, Germany. LOWR HDV - 4 is an open label, dose titration study designed to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of lonafarnib combined with ritonavir for a total of 24 weeks in fifteen patients with chronic hepatitis delta. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151108/285009LOGO "We are very pleased to participate in our first Phase 2 study involving lonafarnib in hepatitis delta-infected patients," said Heiner Wedemeyer, MD, Principal Investigator, Research Group Leader in the Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology at Hannover Medical School and founding member of the Hepatitis Delta International Network (HDIN). "We are committed to advancing research and to identifying effective therapeutic options for patients infected with HDV, the most aggressive form of chronic viral hepatitis." "Dr. Wedemeyer is a long-time advisor to Eiger BioPharmaceuticals and we are proud to involve Hannover Medical School in our development of lonafarnib for HDV," said Eduardo Martins, MD, DPhil, Senior Vice President of Liver and Infectious Diseases Drug Development at Eiger BioPharmaceuticals. "LOWR HDV - 4 is designed to help elucidate the potential benefits of dose titration as well as the antiviral potential of lonafarnib in combination with ritonavir in a longer duration study." About Sarasar (lonafarnib) Lonafarnib is a well-characterized, late-stage, orally active inhibitor of farnesyl transferase, an enzyme involved in modification of proteins through a process called prenylation. HDV uses this host cell process inside liver cells to complete a key step in its life cycle. Lonafarnib inhibits the prenylation step of HDV replication inside liver cells and blocks the virus life cycle at the stage of assembly. Since prenylation is carried out by a host enzyme, this compound may present a higher barrier to development of viral resistance mutations. Lonafarnib has been dosed in over 50 HDV-infected patients across international academic centers and is in Phase 2 development for HDV. Lonafarnib has been granted Orphan Drug Designation by the US FDA and European Medicines Agency (EMA), and Fast Track Designation by US FDA. Lonafarnib is not approved for any indication, and is licensed from Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. (known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada). About Hepatitis Delta Virus (HDV) Hepatitis Delta (or Hepatitis D) is caused by infection with HDV and is considered to be one of the most severe forms of viral hepatitis in humans. Hepatitis D occurs only as a co-infection in individuals harboring Hepatitis B Virus (HBV). Hepatitis D leads to more severe liver disease than HBV alone and is associated with accelerated liver fibrosis, liver cancer, and liver failure. Hepatitis D is a disease with a significant impact on global health, which may affect up to approximately 15 million people worldwide. The prevalence of HDV varies among different parts of the world. Globally, HDV infection is reported to be present in approximately 5-6% of chronic Hepatitis B carriers. The prevalence of HDV in patients infected with chronic HBV is even higher in certain regions, including certain parts of Mongolia, China, Russia, Central Asia, Pakistan, Turkey, Africa, and South America, with an HDV prevalence as high as 60% being reported in HBV-infected patients in Mongolia and Pakistan. About Eiger Eiger is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to bringing to market novel products for the treatment of Orphan diseases. The company has built a diverse portfolio of well-characterized product candidates with the potential to address diseases for which the unmet medical need is high, the biology for treatment is clear, and for which an effective therapy is urgently needed. Safe Harbor Statements Additional Information about the Proposed Merger between Celladon Corporation and Eiger BioPharmaceuticals, Inc. and Where to Find It In connection with the proposed merger between Celladon Corporation and Eiger BioPharmaceuticals, Inc., Celladon has filed a registration statement on Form S-4 with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, including a proxy statement/prospectus/information statement, but the registration statement has not yet become effective. The proxy statement/prospectus/information statement and any other relevant documents filed by Celladon with the SEC may be obtained free of charge at the SEC web site at www.sec.gov. In addition, investors and security holders may obtain free copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Celladon by directing a written request to: Celladon Corporation, 12707 High Bluff Dr #200, San Diego, CA 92130, Attention: Investor Relations. Investors and security holders are urged to read the proxy statement/prospectus/information statement and the other relevant materials before making any voting or investment decision with respect to the proposed merger. This communication shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offering of securities in connection with the proposed merger shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Celladon and its directors and executive officers and Eiger and its directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the stockholders of Celladon in connection with the proposed transaction. Information regarding the special interests of these directors and executive officers in the merger is included in the proxy statement/prospectus/information statement referred to above. Additional information regarding the directors and executive officers of Celladon is also included in Celladon Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December31, 2014 and the proxy statement for Celladon's 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. These documents are available free of charge at the SEC web site (www.sec.gov) and from Investor Relations at Celladon at the address described above. Investors: Jim Shaffer, Eiger Bio, Inc., 919-345-4256, jshaffer@eigerbio.com LOS ANGELES, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/06/16 -- Levine Leichtman Capital Partners ("LLCP") announced today that it has completed the sale of Mander Portman Woodward Limited ("MPW" or the "Company") to Kaplan International ("Kaplan"). MPW, headquartered in London, England, is a leading provider of high quality private education for students in their crucial transition from secondary school into UK universities. As a platform that offers courses to over 1,000 students each year at its London, Cambridge and Birmingham campuses, MPW is one of the most well-known and regarded brands in the UK education market. The Company provides educational offerings to both domestic and international students who plan to continue their education at prominent universities in the UK. Within each program, MPW has a long history of providing a premium educational experience and industry-leading educational outcomes. Lauren Leichtman, CEO of LLCP, said, "Our investment in MPW has been extremely successful for LLCP, our partners and the Company's management team. MPW's growth has significantly exceeded our original expectations from when we made our investment in the Company three and a half years ago. MPW has a bright future ahead and we wish the management team and Kaplan continued future success." Nigel Stout, Chief Executive Officer of MPW, commented, "LLCP has been a tremendous partner by supporting our growth and key strategic initiatives. Their guidance and execution were truly invaluable to the MPW management team. We will sincerely miss working with the LLCP team but we are excited to enter our next phase of growth with Kaplan." DC Advisory served as financial advisor and Weil, Gotshal & Manges served as legal advisor to MPW in connection with the sale. About Levine Leichtman Capital Partners LLCP is a Los Angeles, California based private investment firm that has managed approximately $7.0 billion of institutional capital since its inception. LLCP invests in middle market companies located in the United States and Europe. LLCP is currently making new investments through Levine Leichtman Capital Partners V, L.P., Levine Leichtman Capital Partners SBIC Fund, L.P., Levine Leichtman Capital Partners Private Capital Solutions, L.P., Levine Leichtman Capital Partners Europe, L.P. and LLCP Co-Investment Fund, L.P. LLCP has offices in Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, Chicago, London and The Hague. For further information, please see http://www.llcp.com. David Wolmer 310-275-5335 BEVERLY HILLS, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/06/16 -- Teles Properties, a powerhouse luxury residential real estate firm recognized for three consecutive years by the prestigious Inc. 500|5000 list as one of the fastest growing private companies in the country, is pleased to announce the January 2016 grand opening of its new office in Laguna Niguel. The office will serve as home base for several existing high producing south county agent teams as well as new agents and teams who are joining Teles in the coming weeks. Led by an impeccable team of real estate professionals, Teles expands its footprint into the thriving luxury markets of South Orange County, which include prestigious locales such as Monarch Beach, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point and San Clemente. "These are exciting times for us at Teles and we are delighted to bring our unique brand into this highly desirable region of Southern California," says Teles Properties co-president, Peter Hernandez. "We anticipate the new location will meet the organic demand for our presence there, and provide a seamless continuum to the high caliber of services we have been providing to clients since 2007." With offices strategically located in California's most prestigious markets, from the highlands of Carmel to the island of Coronado, Teles has become an industry disruptor, consistently ranking #1 in highest sales price to list price ratio, highest per agent productivity, and lowest number of days on the market -- all of which have resulted in explosive growth, from one office and 12 agents producing $20 million in sales in 2007 to 19 offices and 400+ agents generating $2.5+ billion in sales today. "With the addition of our new location in Laguna Niguel, Teles is strategically poised to gain a significant market share in a region that has experienced tremendous growth over the last several years," says Teles co-president, Sharran Srivatsaa. "South Orange County is home to some of the state's most exquisite beaches and vibrant towns and we couldn't be more pleased to bring to this area the outstanding level of client services and industry expertise for which Teles agents and brokers are renowned." The spacious new 3,500 sq. ft. Laguna Niguel office is located at 28202 Cabot Road, Suite 510. For more information, please visit www.telesproperties.com or contact Taylor Byers at 949.733.8679 ext. 113 or taylor@beyondfifteen.com. ABOUT TELES PROPERTIES: Teles Properties is a luxury real estate firm in California, ranked and recognized for three consecutive years by the prestigious Inc. 500|5000 list of the fastest growing private companies in America. Headquartered in Beverly Hills with strategic offices in California's most prestigious markets from Carmel to Coronado -- the brand brings together the state's most elite and successful agents and provides them with an unparalleled technology platform to simplify and elevate every aspect of a real estate transaction. In addition to its profound local market expertise, Teles' global division links international investors to properties in the U.S. and around the globe. For more information, go to www.telesproperties.com. Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2945754 Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2945757 Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2945759 Contact: Taylor Byers 949.733.8679 ext. 113 taylor@beyondfifteen.com Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The Swiss stock market ended Wednesday's session to the downside. The market got off to a weak start and declined further in the afternoon. Despite yesterday's attempt at stabilization, the SMI has lost about 200 points since the start of 2016. Global markets were under pressure due to various geopolitical concerns. Disappointing service sector data from China raised further concerns over the health of its economy. China's central bank also set the central parity rate for yuan at 6.5314 per dollar, compared to Tuesday's reference rate of 6.5169. North Korea claims that it has successfully tested its first hydrogen bomb and tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia continue to flare. The Swiss Market Index decreased 1.01 percent Wednesday and finished at 8,613.42. The SMI hit an intraday low of 8,560 points. The Swiss Leader Index declined 1.10 percent and the Swiss Performance Index lost 1.04 percent. The biggest decliner today was Transocean. Crude oil prices dropped after Saudi Arabia slashed prices for European customers in a bid to hurt Iran. Cyclical stocks were also under pressure Wednesday. Clariant dropped 3.1 percent, while Kuehne + Nagel weakened by 2.1 percent. SGS fell 2.1 percent and Adecco lost 1.6 percent. Concerns over the Chinese economy weighed on shares of the luxury goods companies. Swatch surrendered 1.5 percent and Richemont decreased 1.9 percent. Actelion weakened by 1.7 percent. The stock was up sharply yesterday after the pharmaceutical company held a conference call to discuss its newly approved in the US drug Uptravi. The index heavyweights all finished in the red Wednesday. Roche declined 1.2 percent and Novartis fell 0.6 percent. Shares of Nestle also finished lower by 1.0 percent. The insurance stocks were also under pressure. Swiss Life dipped 0.2 percent and Zurich Insurance lost 0.3 percent. Baloise fell 0.3 percent and Swiss Re weakened by 0.4 percent. Galenica advanced 0.3 percent on speculation that it will replace Transocean in the Swiss Market Index soon. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de SAN DIEGO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/06/16 -- Mitchell, a leading provider of technology, connectivity and information solutions to the Property & Casualty (P&C) claims and Collision Repair industries, today announced that it has acquired the assets of Jordan Reses, an industry-leading provider of pharmacy benefit management (PBM) services to the automobile casualty and workers compensation markets. This builds on Mitchell's full end-to-end pharmacy solution offered to insurers, third party administrators, self-insured entities, and state funds. With over 30 years of prescription management experience, Jordan Reses provides significant and measurable cost savings while providing patients with exceptional personalized service and the convenience of a national retail pharmacy network. With a longstanding history of providing valuable PBM services to a broad range of customers in both the workers compensation and auto industries, Mitchell is excited to continue the legacy of service to these customers. "At Mitchell we are always looking for ways to deliver more value to our clients and to continue to expand our presence within the industry. The acquisition of the Jordan Reses business helps us to do just that," said Alex Sun, President and CEO of Mitchell. "Together, Mitchell and Jordan Reses will provide customers an even better customer experience, leveraging Jordan Reses longstanding commitment to delivering valuable pharmacy solutions and Mitchell's expertise in technology and integrated casualty network solutions." "Both Mitchell and Jordan Reses are committed to providing our customers with exceptional solutions that alleviate their pharmacy claims management challenges," said Rick Sitnick, CEO of Jordan Reses. "Given the growing challenge that pharmacy costs present to claims cost management, we believe that together we can maximize benefits and improve the outcomes for our customers." In early 2015, Mitchell acquired the assets of Cogent Works, the leading provider of revenue cycle management services to pharmacies offered under the brands AutoRx and CompToday, and pharmacy benefit management services now offered under the brand ScriptAdvisor to payers in the automobile and workers compensation markets. Jordan Reses will be merged with Mitchell's pharmacy solutions division. About Mitchell Mitchell International, Inc. is uniquely positioned to simplify, enhance and accelerate claims handling processes across the P&C industry through deep workflow solutions that include unparalleled access to data, advanced analytics and decision support tools. Our expert workflow and adjusting solutions advance the claims management process by enabling automotive physical damage, bodily injury and workers' compensation clients to process claims more accurately, consistently, and cost-effectively. Mitchell International's solutions provide an expert level of decision support and connectivity within the claims organization and with industry partners to achieve optimal outcomes. Mitchell's comprehensive solution portfolio and robust SaaS infrastructure enables tens of millions of electronic transactions to be processed each month for over 300 insurance companies, including the majority of the top 25 insurance carriers, and over 30,000 collision repair facilities. With an expanding global footprint, Mitchell products are currently utilized in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Mitchell is headquartered in San Diego, California, and has 2,000 employees. For more information, please visit www.mitchell.com. Contact: Jennifer Forman Sr. Director, Marketing 858-368-7794 jennifer.forman@mitchell.com or Amanda Windsor / Adrianne Buchta LEWIS PR 619-677-2700 mitchell@teamlewis.com BINGHAMTON, NY--(Marketwired - January 06, 2016) - Dr. Saeed Bajwa, a valued neurosurgeon practicing at the Southern New York NeuroSurgical Group, has announced his recent certification for Endoscopic Surgery of the Spine, which he earned through completing the necessary continuing education program at American Spine, a Maryland-based multispecialty team of doctors. Dr. Bajwa was driven to earn this certificate and distinction due to his patient-centered approach to medicine and his compassion for people with medical issues that cause them significant pain, distress, or decreased quality of life. The primary components of the endoscopic surgery's new techniques seek to provide minimally invasive procedures, including lumbar and thoracic spine operations for sufferers of back pain. Through this accreditation, Dr. Saeed Bajwa will be able to more effectively identify issues and deliver treatment plans or surgical options to those suffering from back pain due to injury or disorders. American Spine has continued to offer a wealth of spine-related procedures to help people who suffer various medical conditions, including pinched nerves, spinal arthritis, herniated discs, torn discs, and spinal stenosis. The primary goal of the group -- and the training and accreditations it provides -- is to develop methods and treatment, which collectively yields compassionate care for all patients. Their approach focuses on delivering multidisciplinary therapeutic methods directly to address the pain that individuals suffer. Their techniques, from medical treatments to exercise programs to surgeries, all align to yield the intentions of relieving pain and helping people regain an improved quality of life. This type of objective attracted the attention of Dr. Saeed Bajwa and prompted him to earn his certification in Endoscopic and Minimally Invasive Operations of the Lumbar and Thoracic Spine through the innovative organization. For patient-centered medical professionals such as Dr. Saeed Bajwa, attaining additional qualifications is an important component of the overall approach towards refining talents and ability. Since his certification on August 21, 2015, Dr. Bajwa has already utilized the technique and performed numerous successful endoscopic surgeries. This immediate usage reflects his consistent capacity as a surgeon as well as his commitment to identifying and pursuing the best treatment options possible for his patients. His approach to continued learning and service reflects the passion and dedication to individuals and their well-being that has earned him repetitive distinctions throughout his esteemed medical career. Dr. Saeed Bajwa, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a CyberKnife trained surgeon specializing in neurological surgery of the brain and spine. His focus rests on delivering a variety of procedures using some of the most advanced practices available in medicine today. His extensive training and medical background has helped him to develop an intimate knowledge of this precise and delicate area of expertise. Additional training, such as his recent certification for Endoscopic Surgery of the Spine from American Spine, has only further advanced his proficiency for improved patient care. Part of Dr. Saeed's professional focus also includes work within the community across many different avenues. He serves on the boards of dozens of local service organizations, which focus on serving people who may require neurological treatment. He has, also, taken his service to Pakistan to provide volunteer work for a variety of educational and medical initiatives. Dr. Saeed Bajwa -- Expert Brain and Spine Neurosurgeon: http://drsaeedbajwanews.com Dr. Saeed Bajwa -- Speaks at Meeting of International Neurosurgeons in Dubai: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/dr-saeed-bajwa-speaks-meeting-191210971.html Dr. Saeed Bajwa -- Certified to Use MAZOR Robotics for Spinal Surgery: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/dr-saeed-bajwa-certified-mazor-175034304.html Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/1/6/11G077726/Images/Dr._Saeed_Bajwa_--_Receives_Certification_for_Endo-22b257c1f32192fcbd9dbee9de34fbff.jpg Embedded Video Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssbvCl_Yfi0 PR Agency Contact: ICMediaDirect.com TEL: 1.800.595.0821 www.ICMediaDirect.com WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - January 06, 2016) - Jeff Ifrah and Michelle Cohen, two prominent lawyers from Washington DC's acclaimed law firm Ifrah Law, will be speaking at the Winter conference of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS). Together, they were invited to Florida for the January event, where they will discuss the legal issues among online Skill-Based Games and Fantasy Sports. The National Council of Legislators from Gaming States hosts bi-annual conferences that include a select group of expert practitioners from the industry to present trends and information to legislators from all over the country. It is the only organization of state lawmakers that meets regularly to discuss topics regarding Internet gaming. Having become a highly contentious issue in recent years, the NCLGS holds a vital role as a proactive participant in educating legislators of the effects and potential problems and solutions that arise through the multi-billion-dollar industry. The programs are designed to include balanced panel presentations that offer opposing views, as a means to be a leading source in non-partisan data on issues of gaming legislation and regulation. This will be Michelle Cohen's third time speaking, and Jeff Ifrah's second time. The conference will be held January 8-10 2016 in Orlando, Florida, and will discuss various topics including tourism and gaming, online lottery initiatives, and the economic impact of online gaming. Ifrah Law is a Chambers-ranked law firm in Washington DC that focuses on iGaming, E-Commerce, Government Contracting, and Healthcare. Established by Jeff Ifrah in 2009, the firm offers hands-on support to create authentic relationships with each of its clients. It has placed a specific focus on Internet-based businesses and offers services dedicated to help Millennials and those marketing to Millennials in the age of online Marketing and Social Media. Jeff Ifrah and Michelle Cohen are frequent presenters and writers on such topics as iGaming, eSports, digital marketing and advertising, and sweepstakes, contests and lotteries. Jeff co-wrote "Federal Sentencing for Business Crimes." Ifrah Law represents clients in federal and state litigation, including defending clients in actions brought by the Justice Department, the Federal Trade Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Jeff Ifrah Law - Hands-on Counsel, Gloves-off Litigation: http://www.jeffifrahlaw.com Jeff Ifrah Named Local Litigation Star for Washington D.C. by Benchmark Litigation: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/jeff-ifrah-named-local-litigation-star-for-washington-dc-by-benchmark-litigation-2015-03-07 Alain Jeff Ifrah - Avvo.com: http://www.avvo.com/attorneys/20006-dc-alain-ifrah-919252.html Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/1/6/11G077723/Images/Jeff_Ifrah_and_Michelle_Cohen_To_Speak_At_National-45895a6cbf67b297a588749d562e8ba0.jpg Embedded Video Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NulnyhvjT_M PR Agency Contact: ICMediaDirect.com TEL: 1.800.595.0821 www.ICMediaDirect.com WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Following North Korea's claim that it has successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., blamed President Barack Obama's foreign policy for allowing an escalation of the communist nation's nuclear weapons program. Rubio, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, noted he's been warning about the danger of Obama's policy toward North Korea and other rogue nations on the campaign trail for months. 'I have been warning throughout this campaign that North Korea is run by a lunatic who has been expanding his nuclear arsenal while President Obama has stood idly by,' Rubio said in a statement Tuesday night. He added, 'If this test is confirmed, it will be just the latest example of the failed Obama-Clinton foreign policy.' Rubio claimed America's enemies are taking advantage of Obama's weakness and said the country needs new leadership that will stand up to people like North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. During his bid for the GOP presidential nomination, Rubio has repeatedly called for a more aggressive U.S. foreign policy. Other Republican candidates also attacked the Obama administration over North Korea's alleged hydrogen bomb test. The candidates took the opportunity to slam Obama as well as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. In a post on Twitter, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said the alleged test shows the 'danger of continuing feckless Obama/Clinton foreign policy.' (Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore) Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 01/06/16 -- Prime Minister's Office The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today made public the Guide for Parliamentary Secretaries, which is designed to provide them with key information about their role within Canada's system of responsible parliamentary government. The guide outlines the rules and policies that relate to their work as parliamentary secretaries, including their activities pertaining to House of Commons business and their department-related duties as assigned by their minister. The guide builds on the general principles and direction provided in Open and Accountable Government, which sets out expectations for the conduct of ministers and describes their roles and responsibilities within government. Quote "We are focused on modernizing government to make sure that it is open and responsive to the needs of Canadians. Being open with Canadians is one of our top priorities because we believe transparency is a vital element of effective governance." - Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada Quick Facts - This guide is being published publicly for the first time. - The Guide for Parliamentary Secretaries has traditionally been issued to new parliamentary secretaries, their ministers, and deputy ministers. While the topics covered in this version are similar to past versions, updates have been made to reflect changes to rules, regulations and priorities. - Work has already begun to make the Government of Canada more open and transparent by making ministerial mandate letters available to the public and releasing Open and Accountable Government. Other commitments that will be acted upon include making government information more accessible, making it easier for Canadians to access their own personal information, embracing open data, and disclosing parliamentary expenses. Related Product - Guide for Parliamentary Secretaries Associated Links - News release: Prime Minister of Canada makes ministerial mandate letters public - News release: Prime Minister releases guide for ministers - Open and Accountable Government This document is also available at http://pm.gc.ca Contacts: PMO Media Relations: 613-957-5555 WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson announced another run for the White House as a Libertarian Party candidate on Wednesday. Johnson, who was the Libertarian presidential candidate in 2012, launched his campaign during an interview with Neil Cavuto on Fox Business. 'I do believe that crony capitalism is alive and well,' Johnson said. 'It's Democrats and Republicans that contribute to that. I'd like to be that choice that is not going to succumb to that.' Johnson described himself as fiscally conservative and socially liberal and argued he could attract votes from both Democrats and Republicans. 'On my deathbed, I'm hoping that I look back and believe that I was the voice of reason in all this, regardless of how many votes I end up garnering,' he said. The self-made millionaire received just under 1 percent of the national popular vote in 2012, although that still reflected the best showing by a Libertarian candidate. Johnson has reportedly stepped down as president and CEO of Cannabis Sativa, Inc., a marijuana marketing and distribution company, to launch his latest presidential bid. In an October blog post hinting at a run for president, Johnson suggested libertarian-leaning Sen. Rand Paul's, R-Ken., run for the Republican nomination is not compelling because of a vague mix of positions. Johnson ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012 before dropping out of the race to pursue the Libertarian nomination. (Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore) Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - January 06, 2016) - Judicial Watch today announced its opposition to an effort by the Obama administration to recognize a new race-based "tribe" of Native Hawaiians. The government watchdog details how the Obama Interior Department's proposed regulation would be contrary to laws against racial discrimination and would be an unconstitutional end-run around Congress, which has repeatedly rejected legislation granting tribal status to Native Hawaiians. Last month, Judicial Watch persuaded the U.S. Supreme Court to issue an injunction to stop the counting of ballots in a race-based election that sought to seat delegates to a planned constitutional convention, which would then prepare the "governance documents" for a separate Native Hawaiian entity that the Obama administration could grant "government-to-government" recognition. Judicial Watch attorneys argued that its clients would be denied the right to vote either because of their race or their political views, in direct violation of the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Supreme Court issued the injunction despite the Obama administration's legal support for the Hawaiian election, which would have been limited to those with at least "one drop of blood" of Native Hawaiian ancestry. Judicial Watch, citing last month's extraordinary Supreme Court intervention, warned that "the process described in the Department's regulations is racially discriminatory and would violate the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendment rights of Hawaiian citizens." The proposed regulation would provide for governing documents created and ratified by the Native Hawaiian community, and expressly forbids the inclusion of votes cast by "persons who were not Native Hawaiians." Indeed, the ancestry requirement set forth in the proposed regulations is virtually identical to ancestry requirements that have twice been enjoined by the Supreme Court in the context of elections -- most recently, just a few weeks ago. Judicial Watch urged the Obama Interior Department to stand down: "We urge you and the administration not to insert yourselves into a political movement that would deprive citizens of the right to vote -- and ultimately divide them -- on the basis of race. The Department's recognition of the results of such an election would not only condone, but institutionalize, racial discrimination. It would not only be unlawful, it would be unconscionable for the Department of the Interior to use this election -- or any process that similarly denies citizens the right to vote because of their lack of a particular bloodline -- to advance an administrative agenda." The Obama administration's plan also subverts the will of Congress, as federal recognition of tribes is granted only through "a process set forth in congressional statute, not by unilateral executive action ... Without proper statutory authorization by Congress, a regulatory scheme promulgated by an executive agency to grant tribal status to Native Hawaiians would violate fundamental separation-of-powers principles." In fact, Congress repeatedly rejected attempts by Hawaii's former Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI) to pass legislation (the Akaka Bill) to grant tribal status to Native Hawaiians: "Despite [the proposed regulations'] many references to a "special political and trust relationship" between the United States and Native Hawaiians, the fact remains that the federal government has never recognized Native Hawaiians as a sovereign entity like other Indian tribes. If it had, there would have been no need for the Akaka Bill. The Department's claim that Congress has "already" recognized Native Hawaiians as a tribe defies both fact and reason. If that is the case, one must wonder: what exactly was the point of the Akaka Bill? And why did members of Congress spend political energy for more than a decade trying to pass it? If Congress has "already exercised [its] plenary power to recognize Native Hawaiians," as the Department contends, then why did Congress decline to pass the Akaka Bill, not once, but repeatedly? The Department's proposal is based on a fiction and ignores the obvious: Native Hawaiians have not been granted federal tribal status because Congress does not support the effort to do so. The Department's proposed rule is a transparent attempt to implement the failed Akaka Bill through executive action. Without statutory authorization, it would be unlawful to promulgate this regulation." Judicial Watch warns that the Obama administration's plan to recognize a tribe in Hawaii "would condone the division of Hawaiian citizens based on their race, and set a 'dangerous precedent' for further race-based divisions by other groups in other states." "The Obama administration's latest attempted bureaucratic action to create a new tribe of Native Hawaiians is racist, unconstitutionally steals power from Congress, and could tear the country apart," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "Of course, one of the insuperable obstacles to 'recognizing' a Native Hawaiian entity is that Hawaii had a truly multicultural and modern society beforeit ever became a United States territory or state. The Obama administration's latest executive action would illegally help a radical secessionist movement in Hawaii that is engaged a dangerous game of racial division." Contact: Jill Farrell 202-646-5188 SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/06/16 -- Bitfinder, the creators of Awair, the first complete smart air-quality monitoring device, has announced today the general availability of the device on Amazon Launchpad, as well as on their website. Stemming from their successful pre-order campaign, Bitfinder has partnered with Amazon to have Awair available in the Launchpad program, aimed to showcase cutting-edge products from new and upcoming startups. They have also started selling at B8ta, in Palo Alto, CA, which is their first brick and mortar retail appearance. "Since launching Awair at the Code conference in May, we've seen tremendous demand for the Awair product from health conscious consumers, both new moms and tech lovers, who see the need for our product in their homes, offices, schools and hotels," said Ronald Ro, co-founder and CEO of Bitfinder. "We will use their funds to both support current demand in manufacturing and to grow the footprint of the product through new distribution channels and increased marketing." Bitfinder is exhibiting at The International Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, in Booth #81433, at the Sands Expo, Hall G. Ronald Ro and team will be demoing Awair live and will have units available for purchase. Awair was also selected to showcase at the O'Reilly Design Conference from January 20-22, 2016 in San Francisco. The Awair Smart Air Quality Monitor brings comfort and promotes a healthy lifestyle by using a host of sensors to keep track of indoor air quality, measuring the temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, toxic chemicals, and dust. Awair's TrueSense technology uses dedicated monitoring and complex analytics to achieve greater accuracy and control. The Awair app provides quick recommendations, based on its readings, to help consumers develop healthy habits. Awair also learns a person's lifestyle routines and preferences and, through a content partnership with the world renowned Mayo Clinic, provides relevant articles, Q&A's, videos and personalized tips to help them control their environment. Awair uses both the app and LED display to communicate with users and has an optional clock feature as well. From the competitive perspective, Awair is the only device with the most accurate sensing capability by using separate sensors for each component versus other devices merely predicting conditions by using only couple of sensors. Since founding, the company has raised total of $2.2 million in seed funding from various investors including R/GA Ventures, Kakao Ventures and Global Brain, as well as number of prominent and successful angel investors, in the Bay Area, New York and Asia. For more information about Awair, go to http://www.getawair.com. About Bitfinder Headquartered in Palo Alto with offices in Seoul, Korea, Bitfinder was founded in 2013 by Ronald Ro, CEO and Kevin Cho, CTO. The team of software engineers, data scientists, industrial and visual designers combine a range of consumer product and technology development experience from IDEO, Boeing, Samsung, and Cisco, among others. Bitfinder is privately funded, and in the development of Awair the company partnered with Misfit, R/GA, and Techstars. For more information visit www.getawair.com. Contact: Lisa Langsdorf Email Contact (347) 645-0484 Express EDC achieves E2C Standard NEWTOWN, Pennsylvania, Jan. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --Bioclinica, Inc., a specialty clinical trials technology and services provider, today announced the demonstration of its Electronic Data Capture (EDC) system, Express, to map information from the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Continuity of Care Document (CCD) to CDASH Clinical Research Forms (CRFs). The real-world demonstration of using select data on the 17-section CCD to pre-populate case report forms comes as welcome news to the research community seeking to streamline design and data collection. Logo- http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130403/PH87647LOGO "The ability to easily read and pull in data from the EHR documents to Express EDC in the CDASH standard format is particularly appealing to organizations dealing with great volumes of data," said Bioclinica Senior Vice President of Product Development and Technology Andrew Masters. This allows research sites to upload files without having to enter the data in two different systems. "Automation replaces manual transcription, thereby eliminating errors and redundant work, which can add up to big savings." Clinical Data Acquisition Standards Harmonization (CDASH) is a standard used to collect patient-based clinical research data. The collected data can be easily transcribed to the CDISC Study Data Tabulation Model (SDTM) standard required for FDA submissions. Bioclinica was a member of the CDISC E2C team formed in May 2015, tasked with mapping demographics and vital signs, adverse events, concomitant medications, and medical history from the EHR CCD to CDASH CRFs. The pilot tested the use of the CCD as one way to obtain a source document from the EHR. The results from the E2C standard demonstration were publically unveiled during the CDISC International Interchange 2015 held in Chicago last November. "We are delighted to make E2C a reality for our sponsors and CRO partners," said Bioclinica Director of Clinical Solutions Jennifer Price, who led the Bioclinica demonstration. The E2C solution will become available in an upcoming release of Express. "We are ready to apply this to any clinical trial scenario. With forward-thinking sponsors already asking about site training we anticipate wide adoption of the Bioclinica E2C solution." The initiative aligns with the FDA Guidance for Industry: Electronic Source Data in Clinical Investigations, issued in September 2013. Find out more about Bioclinica and its support of standards in clinical trials on the Trial Blazers blog at http://www.bioclinica.com/blog, and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bioclinica. About Bioclinica Bioclinica is a specialty services provider that utilizes expertise and technology to create clarity in the clinical trial process. Bioclinica is organized by three business segments to deliver focused service supporting multifaceted technologies. The Medical Imaging and Biomarkers segment provides medical imaging and cardiac safety services and includes a molecular marker laboratory. The eHealth Solutions segment comprises an eClinical technology platform and professional services along with safety and regulatory solutions. Under the Global Clinical Research segment, Bioclinica offers a network of research sites, patient recruitment-retention services, and a post-approval research division. The Company serves more than 400 pharmaceutical, biotechnology and device organizations - including all of the top 20 - through a network of offices in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Learn more at www.bioclinica.com. RONKONKOMA, NY -- (Marketwired) -- 01/06/16 -- ExcelAire today announced that it began private jet charter service to Cuba, with direct flights from 19 U.S. cities. ExcelAire, one of the nation's leading private jet charter firms, completed its first trip to Cuba, from JFK to Havana, on December 21. For travel to Cuba, ExcelAire has obtained FAA authorizations, and can fly direct to Havana from one of the 19 U.S. government-designated portal airports in the U.S. "ExcelAire is one of the few private jet charter firms with the necessary certifications and authorizations, and we have already successfully completed our first trip to Cuba," said Greg Brinkman, President, ExcelAire. "As Cuba becomes a more popular destination, we provide travelers with a fleet of luxurious private jets -- from the G450 to the Embraer Legacy -- along with the highest levels of customer service and expertise to make each trip a success." For travelers to Cuba, U.S. citizens are required to comply with U.S. government restrictions that require each visitor to receive a visa/license. ExcelAire is now accepting requests for private jet travel to Cuba, starting immediately by calling 631-737-0477 or visiting www.excelaire.com. About ExcelAire A Hawthorne Global Aviation Services company, ExcelAire is one of the nation's leading private jet charter firms, specializing in worldwide jet charters, aircraft management, maintenance and sales. The company maintains office and hangar space at Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP), with aircraft based throughout the Northeast and Midwest available for worldwide charter. Further information about the ExcelAire fleet, including photos and individual aircraft specifications, is available at www.excelaire.com, or by calling 631-737-0477. About Hawthorne Global Aviation Services Hawthorne Global Aviation Services is a premier provider of general aviation services, including first class FBO services, tailored charter solutions, turnkey aircraft management and FAA approved aircraft maintenance. Hawthorne operates four premier Fixed Based Operators (FBOs) located at: MacArthur Airport in Islip, NY (KISP); Cobb County International Airport in Atlanta, GA (KRYY); Chicago Executive Airport in Chicago, IL (KPWK); and Chippewa Valley Regional Airport in Eau Claire, WI (KEAU). For more information, please visit www.hawthorne.aero. For more information, contact: Lisa Hendrickson LCH Communications 516-767-8390 Email Contact TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 01/06/16 -- Strathbridge Asset Management Inc. (TSX: CDD.UN)(TSX: GPF.UN)(TSX: UTE.UN)(TSX: LVU.UN) announces monthly distributions payable on January 29, 2016 to unitholders of record on January 15, 2016, ex-dividend date of January 13, 2016 for the following funds: Fund Name Ticker Amount Per Unit ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Core Canadian Dividend Trust CDD.UN $0.03093 Gold Participation and Income Fund GPF.UN $0.02058 Canadian Utilities & Telecom Income Fund UTE.UN $0.05991 Low Volatility U.S. Equity Income Fund LVU.UN $0.04968 For further information, please contact Investor Relations at 416.681.3966, toll free at 1.800.725.7172 or visit www.strathbridge.com. Contacts: Strathbridge Asset Management Inc. Aaron Ho Vice-President, Finance Strathbridge Asset Management Inc. 121 King Street West, Suite 2600 Toronto, Ontario, M5H 3T9 416.681.3966; 1.800.725.7172 info@strathbridge.com www.strathbridge.com TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 01/06/16 -- Denison Mines Corp. ("Denison" or the "Company") (TSX: DML)(NYSE MKT: DNN) is pleased to announce that preparations for its 2016 uranium exploration programs in the Athabasca Basin have commenced and that exploration drilling is scheduled to begin on January 12, 2016. In addition, the Company outlines the highlights of its 2016 financial plan - which includes Canadian exploration and evaluation expenditures of approximately $13.0 million (CAD$16.9 million) and revenue from McClean Lake operations and uranium sales of $5.4 million (CAD$7.1 million). "With the significant increase in toll milling revenue expected from McClean Lake this year, we are pleased to announce that Denison's 2016 financial plan is funded, and will allow the Company to focus on increasing its resource base in the Athabasca Basin and advancing the Wheeler River project," commented Denison's President and CEO, David Cates. "We are looking forward to the results from the Preliminary Economic Assessment in progress for Wheeler, and the opportunity to continue to explore the property this winter - particularly in the vicinity of the Gryphon deposit and at other priority targets on the property." The Company's financial plan for 2016 is based on a USD$ to CAD$ foreign exchange rate of 1 to 1.30. All amounts are stated in US dollars unless otherwise noted. Wheeler River Property The Wheeler River property is host to the high-grade Phoenix and Gryphon uranium deposits. The Phoenix deposit is estimated to include indicated resources of 70.2M lbs U3O8 at a grade of 19.1% U3O8, and is the highest grade undeveloped deposit in the world. The Gryphon deposit is hosted in basement rock, approximately 3 kilometres to the northwest of Phoenix, and is estimated to contain inferred resources of 43M lbs U3O8 at a grade of 2.3% U3O8. Wheeler River is a joint venture between Denison (60% and operator), Cameco Corp. ("Cameco") (30%), and JCU (Canada) Exploration Company Limited (10%). Exploration activities at Wheeler River during 2016 are expected to focus on numerous unconformity and basement targets in the vicinity of the Gryphon deposit. Recent exploration results have continued to return mineralization in the area surrounding the Gryphon deposit and along the K-North trend, which hosts the Gryphon deposit. The results in this area continue to suggest the potential for the discovery of additional zones of significant uranium mineralization. The K-North trend includes approximately 6 kilometres of prospective strike, primarily to the south of the Gryphon deposit. In addition, 2016 drilling may test other priority target areas on the property, including the Q Central and O Zone target areas. Taken together, 47,000 metres of exploration drilling is planned at Wheeler River between the winter and summer drill programs, along with geophysical surveys at a total cost of CAD$10.0 million (Denison's share, CAD$6.0 million). Evaluation activities planned for Wheeler River in 2016 include the completion of a Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA"), studying the economic potential of co-developing the Gryphon and Phoenix deposits, which is expected to be completed during the first half of 2016. Subject to a positive outcome from the PEA, the Company has developed a plan to initiate work on a Prefeasibility Study ("PFS"), with an approximate budget for 2016 of CAD$2.6 million (Denison's share, CAD$1.6 million). High Priority & Other Properties Exploration activities in 2016, outside of Wheeler River, will be focused on Denison's high-priority exploration targets located on the Murphy Lake (68.8% Denison), Crawford Lake (100% Denison) and Waterbury Lake (61.55% Denison) properties, and are planned to include ground geophysical surveying and drilling to follow-up on positive results from 2015. At Murphy Lake, a winter drill program of approximately 10 holes (3,400 metres) is planned to follow-up on the discovery of a new zone of uranium mineralization highlighted by drill hole MP-15-03, which intersected 0.25% U3O8 over 6.0 metres (at a depth of 270.0 to 276.0 metres) at the sub-Athabasca unconformity. The Murphy Lake property is located approximately 30 kilometres from Denison's 22.5% owned McClean Lake mill and is contiguous with the northwest boundary of the Company's Waterbury Lake property. Drilling programs for Waterbury Lake and Crawford Lake in 2016 are planned to involve 2,500 metres and 4,400 metres respectively. In addition, geochemical surveying, ground geophysical surveying and drilling (approximately 8,000 metres) are expected to be carried out on other Denison-operated properties where exploration is warranted. Drill programs are also planned in 2016 for Denison's non-operated joint venture projects, including Mann Lake (30% Denison, 2,000 metres), Wolly (22.5% Denison, 5,000 metres) and McClean Lake (22.5% Denison, 2,500 metres). The Mann Lake project is operated by Cameco, and the Wolly and McClean Lake projects are operated by AREVA Resources Canada Inc. ("ARC") Taken together, Denison expects to operate and/or participate in a total of 15 exploration programs (including 13 drilling programs totaling approximately 75,000 metres), of which Wheeler River will continue to be the primary focus. The total budget for these programs, inclusive of the evaluation work planned for Wheeler River to follow up on a positive PEA, is estimated to be CAD$24.6 million (Denison's share, CAD$16.9 million). Development / Operations The McClean Lake mill is operated by ARC and is currently licensed for annual production of 13 million pounds U3O8. The expansion of the mill, from 13 million to up to 24 million pounds of annual U3O8 production capacity, will continue during 2016 and remains fully funded by the Cigar Lake Joint Venture. Concurrent with the ongoing mill expansion, ARC plans to submit an application to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission ("CNSC") to increase the mill's licensed annual production limit to 24 million pounds U3O8. Provided regulatory approvals are secured to increase the annual license limit, the McClean Lake mill is expected to produce 16 million pounds U3O8 during 2016. Production is expected to be 100% from Cigar Lake ore during the year. Denison's share of revenue from toll milling of the Cigar Lake ore and the sale of approximately 25,000 pounds U3O8, currently held by Denison in inventory, is estimated to be $5.4 million (CAD$7.1 million). In 2016, Denison's share of operating and capital expenditures at McClean Lake and Midwest are estimated to be $1.6 million (CAD$2.1 million). Operating expenditures include $797,000 (CAD$1.04 million) in respect of Denison's share of the planned 2016 budget for the Surface Access Borehole Resource Extraction ("SABRE") program. The SABRE program is operated by ARC, as part of the McClean Lake joint venture, and has a total budget for 2016 of up to CAD$4.6 million. The 2016 SABRE program is expected to study the economic and technical potential associated with further design and process improvements targeted at increasing the rate of mine production. Reclamation expenditures at Elliot Lake are estimated to be $665,000 (CAD$864,000). International In December 2015, Denison announced the completion of the sale of its interests in Mongolia to Uranium Industry a.s. ("Uranium Industry") of the Czech Republic and the receipt of initial proceeds of $1.25 million. Under the terms of the agreement with Uranium Industry, Denison may be entitled to additional payments of up to $12 million - of which up to $10 million becomes payable within 60 days of the issuance of certain mining licences. The applications for the applicable mining licences were submitted to the Mongolian authorities in December 2015. In Africa, Denison continues to maintain its interests in Zambia, Mali and Namibia in preparation for a potential spin-out or disposal transaction when market conditions permit. Activities currently planned for 2016 in Africa are designed to keep the Company's interests in good standing and continue community programs. The 2016 budget for Africa is expected to be between $750,000 and $1.3 million. Environmental Services & Other Denison Environmental Services ("DES") provides post-closure mine care and maintenance services to a variety of customers and also manages Denison's ongoing environmental obligations related to its past producing operations at Elliot Lake. In 2016, revenue from operations at DES is budgeted to be $7.2 million (CAD$9.4 million) and operating and overhead expenses are forecast to be $6.1 million (CAD$7.9 million). Capital expenditures at DES are projected to be $230,000 (CAD$300,000). Denison is the manager of Uranium Participation Corporation ("UPC") and receives management fees and commissions pursuant to a Management Services Agreement ("MSA"). The MSA was entered into on April 1, 2013 for a term of 3 years ending on March 31, 2016. UPC is a public company which invests in uranium on behalf of its shareholders. In 2016, management fees earned from UPC are budgeted at $1.7 million (CAD$2.2 million). The budget is based on the successful extension or renewal of the MSA on substantially the same terms as the existing MSA. Corporate administration expenses are forecast to be $3.85 million (CAD$5.0 million) in 2016 and include all head office wages, benefits, office costs, public company expenses, legal, audit and investor relations expenses. Other miscellaneous costs are estimated to be $400,000 (CAD$520,000). Corporate Update On January 1, 2016, Denison appointed Mr. Dale Verran to the position of Vice President, Exploration. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Verran served as Denison's Technical Director, Exploration. Mr. Verran is a geologist with 18 years of international mineral exploration experience. He began his career with Gold Fields and subsequently joined the Mineral Services Group where he served in a variety of mineral exploration roles including Technical Director for Remote Exploration Services. Mr. Verran is based in Denison's Saskatoon office and holds a Bachelor of Science in Geology from the University of Cape Town, and a Master of Science in Exploration Geology from Rhodes University. Qualified Person The disclosure of a scientific or technical nature contained in this news release was prepared by Mr. Dale Verran, MSc, Pr.Sci.Nat., Denison's Vice President, Exploration, who is a Qualified Person in accordance with the requirements of National Instrument 43-101. For a description of the quality assurance program and quality control measures applied by Denison, please see Denison's Annual Information Form dated March 5, 2015 filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. About Denison Denison is a uranium exploration and development company with interests focused in the Athabasca Basin region of northern Saskatchewan. Including its 60% owned Wheeler River project, which hosts the high grade Phoenix and Gryphon uranium deposits, Denison's exploration portfolio consists of numerous projects covering over 390,000 hectares in the eastern Athabasca Basin. Denison's interests in Saskatchewan also include a 22.5% ownership interest in the McClean Lake joint venture, which includes several uranium deposits and the McClean Lake uranium mill, which is currently processing ore from the Cigar Lake mine under a toll milling agreement, plus a 25.17% interest in the Midwest deposit and a 61.55% interest in the J Zone deposit on the Waterbury Lake property. Both the Midwest and J Zone deposits are located within 20 kilometres of the McClean Lake mill. Internationally, Denison owns 100% of the Mutanga project in Zambia, 100% of the uranium/copper/silver Falea project in Mali, and a 90% interest in the Dome project in Namibia. Denison is also engaged in mine decommissioning and environmental services through its Denison Environmental Services division and is the manager of Uranium Participation Corporation, a publicly-traded company which invests in uranium oxide and uranium hexafluoride. Forward-Looking Statements Certain information contained in this press release constitutes "forward-looking information", within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and similar Canadian legislation concerning the business, operations and financial performance and condition of Denison. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur", "be achieved" or "has the potential to". In particular, this press release contains forward-looking information pertaining to the following: exploration (including drilling) and evaluation activities; total expected cost of such activities and Denison's share of same; completion of the PEA; CNSC's approval to increase the annual production limit of U3O8 at the McLean Lake mill as well as the collective bargaining process with unionized employees at the McClean Lake mill, and their respective impact on the 2016 production plan and Denison's share of revenue from the Cigar Lake toll milling arrangement; Denison's share of operating and capital expenditures; acceptance by Mongolian authorities of application for applicable mining licenses, and receipt and amount of contingent payments in a timely manner; Denison's ability to complete a spin-out or disposal transaction of its African interests; DES' expected revenue from operations, and its forecast expenses and expenditures; and renewal of the MSA with UPC and forecast revenue and expenses associated with providing services under MSA. Forward looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made, and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Denison to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Denison believes that the expectations reflected in this forward-looking information are reasonable but there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and may differ materially from those anticipated in this forward looking information. For a discussion in respect of risks and other factors that could influence forward-looking events, please refer to the "Risk Factors" in Denison's Annual Information Form dated March 5, 2015 available under its profile at www.sedar.com and in its Form 40-F available at www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. These factors are not, and should not be construed as being, exhaustive. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Denison does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information after the date of this press release to conform such information to actual results or to changes in its expectations except as otherwise required by applicable legislation. Cautionary Note to United States Investors Concerning Estimates of Measured, Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources: This press release may use the terms "measured", "indicated" and "inferred" mineral resources. United States investors are advised that while such terms are recognized and required by Canadian regulations, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission does not recognize them. "Inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or other economic studies. United States investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of measured or indicated mineral resources will ever be converted into mineral reserves. United States investors are also cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource exists, or is economically or legally mineable. Contacts: Denison Mines Corp. David Cates President and Chief Executive Officer (416) 979-1991 ext. 362 Denison Mines Corp. Sophia Shane Investor Relations (604) 689-7842 www.denisonmines.com Follow Denison on Twitter: @DenisonMinesCo CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/06/16 -- TransAlta Renewables Inc. ("TransAlta Renewables" or the "Company") (TSX: RNW) announced the closing today of its investment in TransAlta Corporation's ("TransAlta") Sarnia Cogeneration Plant, Le Nordais wind farm and Ragged Chute hydro facility (the "Portfolio") for a combined value of $540 million (the "Transaction"). The Portfolio consists of approximately 611 MW of highly contracted power generation assets located in Ontario and Quebec. The Transaction was originally announced on November 23, 2015. The shareholders of the Company (other than TransAlta and its related parties) approved the Transaction at a Special Meeting of Shareholders (the "Meeting") held on January 6, 2016 in Calgary, Alberta. The Company's investment consists of the acquisition of securities which track the net distributable profits of the generating facilities. "This Transaction represents another step in the growth of the Company through the acquisition of stable cash flows that further support a growing dividend and provide incremental value to our shareholders," said Brett Gellner, President of TransAlta Renewables. "We will continue to look for opportunities to grow the Company in 2016 but will remain disciplined in terms of returns and risk profile." In conjunction with the closing of the Transaction, the Board of Directors of the Company declared a dividend increase of 5% (an annualized dividend increase of $0.04 per common share) effective February 29, 2016 to holders of record at the close of business on February 1, 2016, resulting in cash dividends of $0.07333 per common share payable on February 29, 2016. Pursuant to the Transaction, the Company completed the issuance of an aggregate of 17,692,750 subscription receipts ("Subscription Receipts") at a price of $9.75 per Subscription Receipt for gross proceeds to TransAlta Renewables of approximately $172.5 million (the "Offering") which were used to finance a portion of the Transaction. With the closing of the Transaction, each holder of Subscription Receipts will receive, without payment of additional consideration or further action, one common share of the Company (a "Common Share") for each Subscription Receipt held. The holders of Subscription Receipts, immediately prior to the time of conversion into Common Shares, will also receive a payment of $0.07 per Subscription Receipt payable in cash, less any applicable withholding taxes (the "Dividend Equivalent Payment"), representing the dividend that was declared and payable to shareholders of record at the close of business on January 4, 2016. The Dividend Equivalent Payment will be paid on January 29, 2016. Holders of Subscription Receipts are not required to take any action in order to receive their Common Shares and the Dividend Equivalent Payment. The Company expects that trading in the Subscription Receipts on the Toronto Stock Exchange will be halted prior to the commencement of trading on January 7, 2016, will remain halted for the duration of the trading session and will be de-listed after the market closes. In addition to cash proceeds of $172.5 million paid to TransAlta, TransAlta Renewables also issued 15.6 million Common Shares of TransAlta Renewables and $215 million in convertible unsecured subordinated debentures to TransAlta as consideration pursuant to the Transaction. Following close of the Transaction, TransAlta owns approximately 134.0 million Common Shares and approximately 26.1 million Class B Shares of TransAlta Renewables, representing approximately 64% of the outstanding voting shares of TransAlta Renewables. All currency is expressed in Canadian dollars except where otherwise noted. Related Content: November 23, 2015- TransAlta Renewables agrees to invest $540 million in three Canadian projects owned by TransAlta and announces dividend increase of approximately 5% Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding the business and anticipated financial performance of TransAlta Renewables. All forward-looking statements are based on the Company's beliefs and assumptions based on information available at the time the assumptions were made, management's experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, and other factors deemed appropriate in the circumstances. These statements are not guarantees of the Company's future performance and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward looking statements. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking statements pertaining to, among other things: expectations regarding the Transaction (as defined herein), including the effect, results and perceived benefits of the Transaction; expectations and plans for future growth; the conversion of the Subscription Receipts into Common Shares of the Company; the dividend increase and the payment of such dividends; the payment of the Dividend Equivalent Payment and the timing thereof and the timing associated with delisting the Subscription Receipts on the Toronto Stock Exchange. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties including risks associated with economic and competitive conditions. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect the Company's expectations only as of the date of this news release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. About TransAlta Renewables Inc. TransAlta Renewables owns 16 wind and 12 hydroelectric power generation facilities, and holds economic interests in TransAlta's Sarnia Cogeneration Plant, Le Nordais Wind Farm, Ragged Chute Hydro Facility, Wyoming Wind Farm and Australian Assets, having an aggregate installed generating capacity of 2,467 MW, in which it holds a net ownership interest of 2,291 MW. TransAlta Renewables' economic interest in the Australian Assets consist of 425 MW of power generation from six operating assets, which are operational and contracted under long-term contracts, and the 150 MW South Hedland project that is currently under construction, as well as the recently commissioned 270 km gas pipeline. TransAlta Renewables' power generating capacity is among the largest of any publicly-traded renewable independent power producer ("IPP") in Canada, with more wind power generating capacity than any other Canadian publicly-traded IPP. TransAlta Renewables' strategy is focused on the efficient operation of its portfolio of assets and expanding its asset base through the acquisition of high-quality contracted renewable and natural gas power generation facilities and other infrastructure assets. Our objectives are to (i) create stable, consistent returns for investors through the ownership of contracted renewable and, potentially, natural gas power generation and other infrastructure assets that provide stable cash flow through long-term contracts with creditworthy counterparties, including TransAlta Corporation; (ii) pursue and capitalize on strategic growth opportunities in the renewable and, natural gas power generation and other infrastructure sectors; and (iii) pay out a portion of cash available for distribution to the shareholders of the Company on a monthly basis. Contacts: Investor inquiries: TransAlta Renewables Inc. Jaeson Jaman Manager, Investor Relations 1-800-387-3598 in Canada and U.S. investor_relations@transalta.com Media inquiries: TransAlta Renewables Inc. Stacey Hatcher Manager, Communications Toll-free media number: 1-855-255-9184 ta_media_relations@transalta.com Petra Pharma Corporation, a New York City-based developer of small molecule inhibitors for the treatment of cancer and metabolic diseases, raised $48 million in Series A funding. Backers included AbbVie, Alexandria Venture Investments, ARCH Venture Partners, Eli Lilly and Company, Harris & Harris Group, Inc., Innovate NY Fund, Johnson & Johnson Innovation JJDC, Inc., The Partnership Fund for New York City, Pfizer Venture Investments, Watson Fund and WuXi PharmaTech. Co-founded by Lewis Cantley, Ph.D., and Nathanael Gray, Ph.D., Petra Pharma develops therapies for cancer and metabolic diseases. The company has entered into a multiyear research alliance with Weill Cornell Medicine to further examine and elucidate certain biological pathways related to the targets being researched in Dr. Cantleys lab. The companys office and lab headquarters will be located within Accelerator Corporations facilities at the Alexandria Center for Life Science, New York Citys life science park. FinSMEs 06/01/2015 The trailer of Abhishek Kapoors eagerly-awaited Fitoor is out, and its one helluva pretty picture. With Katrina Kaif as the beauteous Firdaus, and Aditya Roy Kapur's intense expressions, Fitoor has piqued our interest. Then, there is Tabu playing her mother, a role earmarked for Rekha. Tabu stepping into Kashmir territory once again so soon after Vishal Bhardwajs Haider, and that too for the role of the protagonists mother (who looks like her sibling) doesnt quite add up. With all this female beauty up there in the trailer can the female gaze be ignored? Not at all. The trailer has a well-positioned shot of a bare-bodied Aditya Roy Kapur right at the start. Ladies, go feast your eyes. But does Aditya look Kashmiri? Did he look Lucknowi in Daawat-e-Ishq? Theres a disturbing lack of rhythm in his screen presence, which makes way for a physical and emotional awkwardness that worked when he played a short-tempered alcoholic in Aashiqui 2. Here, reciting Urdu couplets in sighing splendor just doesnt seem his cup of tea, or noon chai. Fitoor uses the Valleys snow-capped splendor to contour the passionate liaison between Kaif and Kapoor. Its all very easy on the eyes. But the minute Katrina utters her first word in the trailer, the romantic facade crumbles to the dust. How can we have a Kashmiri girl speaking Urdu with a British accent? Its like Dickens' Estella from Great Expectations speaking with a Kashmiri accent. More disturbing than Fidaus thickly-accented Urdu is the trailers attempts to bring in the complex and sensitive politics of Kashmir into the plot. There is an emotionally surcharged scene in the trailer where Katrina is being escorted down the stairs by Rahul Bhat (the actor from Ugly, more in-command of the situation in one shot than Aditya Roy Kapur in the entire trailer). Roy Kapur stands on top shouting down to Katrina, Doodh manga toh kheer denge, Kashmir manga to cheer denge. (If you ask for milk, Ill give milk pudding. But if you ask for Kashmir, Ill destroy you). Not knowing the context of this patriotic outburst, one wonders if it is morally right, not to mention politically correct, for Indian filmmakers to use militancy in the Valley as a backdrop to their storytelling. Does Abhishek Kapoor even understand the complexity of the politics in Kashmir? If not, is he justified in throwing in lines about Kashmir and kheer just to enhance the drama? Fitoor is supposed to be the Bollywood adaptation of Charles Dickens Great Expectations. It doesnt look anything like Dickens from the trailer, but its not really Abhishek Kapoors fault. The journey from Chetan Bhagat to Charles Dickens is a long one. By Dinesh Unnikrishnan and Kishor Kadam Managing large chunks of subsidy payments is always a nightmare to finance ministers as they sit down to formulate the budget documents. Subsidies punch a hole in government balance sheets. Thats precisely the reason why the 19-month-old Narendra Modi government has been hurrying to channel subsidies directly to the beneficiary bank accounts hoping to plug the leakages in the public distribution system (PDS) and, thus, lessen the subsidy burden on the exchequer. The efforts seem to be progressing. The whole subsidy rationalisation exercise began in January 2015, when the government brought the LPG subsidy under the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) route, a plan originally kicked off by the Congress-led UPA government in January 2013. It later followed up by encouraging the well-off to give up their subsidies and, later, denying subsidies to those with taxable income above Rs 10 lakh a year. After piloting DBT in segments such as MNREGA, food and various scholarships, the government now wants to do the same with kerosene beginning April this year. At Rs 2.6 lakh crore, total subsidy burden of the government is estimated to have constituted 16 percent of the total government expenditure in fiscal year 2015. The government hopes to bring down this to Rs 2.43 lakh crore or 13.73 percent of the expenditure. India spends major subsidies on food, fuel and fertilizers. Firstpost takes a look at how the NDA-government is approaching the whole subsidy burden across segments. Fuel subsidy The government saved Rs 15,000 crore in fiscal year 2015 through the LPG subsidy rollout through DBT channels. This gain is likely to continue in the current fiscal as well. That apart, on account of the lower crude prices, yet another Rs 30,000 crore can be saved both on LPG and kerosene subsidy payments. As for kerosene, until now, the government used to transfer the full amount of kerosene subsidies in bulk to state governments, who, in turn, distribute this to the beneficiaries. But, large-scale diversion of subsidies spoiled the efficiency of this channel. The National Sample Survey 2011-12 indicated that the total consumption of kerosene in the country, including both open market and PDS, stood at 71.30 lakh kilolitres. Despite Kerosene consumption coming down over years, 86.85 lakh kilolitres of subsidised PDS kerosene was allocated to the states in fiscal year 2015-16, higher than the total household kerosene demand in the country. "Thus, there is evidence that some part of the kerosene allocation is diverted for non-eligible purposes," said a statement from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas issued on January 1. But, with the government readying for DBT rollout beginning April, one must assume that it has got hold of the actual beneficiary base. The beneficiaries will now have to pay the market price of Rs 43 per L, while they receive the subsidy amount of Rs 31 per L directly in their account. In the fiscal year 2015, the total subsidy burden on the government on kerosene alone stood at about Rs 25,000 crore. There is no actual estimate of the amount of subsidy that can be saved on kerosene post the full DBT rollout but a rough calculation based on the difference of kerosene demand (as cited by the NSS) and the final allocation for fiscal year 2016, shows that the government can save around Rs 4,820 crore. This is indeed a substantial saving. Food subsidy On food subsidy, another major item on the expenditure side, the total savings on account of DBT would be in the range of Rs 30,000 crore to Rs 50,000 crore if indeed the government manages to shift the whole subsidy through direct beneficiary channels. The work on this has already begun with the DBT on food subsidy already experimented successfully in some of the Union territories. If the current plan is any indication, the full food subsidy rollout will begin early next fiscal year. Rating agency Crisil estimates the government could cut its subsidy expenditure on account of DBT by about 20 percent or Rs 25,000 crore, ensuring better targeting and lower pilferage. By doing this, the government will generate fresh cash transfers of Rs 5,800 per year for a family of 5. Although this figure appears small, it is actually higher than the total annual expenditure of the poorest 5 percent of the rural households in the country and more than half of the annual expenditure of the poorest 10 percent households. In that sense, the cash flow indeed offer a relief to them. According to 2014-15 economic survey, the governments food subsidy bill shot up in the past few years. The unpaid subsidies are typically rolled over to subsequent years adding burden of the exchequer. According to the governments fiscal year 2016 budget estimates, the total outgo on account of food subsidies is around Rs 1.2 lakh crore. If one accounts for the unpaid arrears of last year (about Rs 60,000 crore), the resultant burden is even higher. Fertlizer subsidy Arguably the most politically sensitive subsidy item, urea is heavily sought by Indian farmers for cultivation. Going by the governments budget estimates, total fertiliser subsidy payments by the government in the fiscal year 2016 would be about Rs 72,969 crore. Of this, urea constitutes about Rs 50,500 crore. As Firstpost noted in an earlier article, this is where the government should act next on subsidy rationalisation after fuel. The urea subsidy burden is huge. The urea subsidy burden has increased in India from around Rs 18,500 crore in 2005-06 to Rs 73,000 crore in 2015-16. Currently, about 75 percent of the total cost of production is subsidised. Besides the savings gained through DBT, the government has made notable progress in the distribution of LED bulbs at subsidised rate. Since January, 2014, the government has distributed 4.41 crore LED lamps at discounted prices to market rates, hoping that the usage of these bulbs will result in the power savings. The prices of these bulbs have come down substantially since the launch of the scheme to an average Rs 77 in June, 2015 from Rs 310 from January, 2014. A back of the envelop calculation shows that the whole exercise saved about Rs 2,200 crore to power producers in the past one year, in terms of energy efficiency. Tackling subsidy theft The bigger hurdle for the government, as mentioned earlier, is ensuring that subsidy doesnt reach the wrong targets. The DBT can plug a substantial chunk of leakages in the distribution system, but the task for the government is to ensure that subsidies reach the intended beneficiaries and not go to undeserving hands. This can be achieved by seeding bank accounts with Aadhhar. Till now, some 19 crore bank accounts have been opened under Prime Ministers flagship financial inclusion programme, Jan Dhan Yojna and about 95 crore Aadhaar cards have been issued. The Aadhaar-bank account linkage should be used to include those who are hitherto excluded from the PDS. According to a paper by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, leakages from the PDS have been steadily rising from 24 per cent of all grain distributed by the Food Corporation of India in 1999-2000 to a little under 47 per cent (or 26 million tonnes) in 2011-12. Rationalising subsidies is critical to improve the health of the economy on two fronts it puts more money in the hands of people to spend and help the government control its balance sheet. As is evident from the calculations above, if DBT is implemented across all these sectors, the total estimated annual savings for the government can be up to a whopping Rs 70,000 crore. As Crisil pointed out, the Modi governments challenge is to switch unnecessary subsidy expenditures to productive use. True, global rating agencies are particular on fiscal deficit numbers. But, the government should make a case to prove that the quality of spending is even more critical. In a bid to transform India to a country of job creators from job seekers, Prime minister Narendra Modi is planning to make his big startup push on 16 January. According to a PTI report, the government will on that day hold a day-long session on start-ups in which around 2,000 new age ventures, 40 CEOs, and venture capitalists would participate. "The Prime Minister will unveil the action plan of the Startup India. About 40 leading CEOs, venture capitalist, angel investors from Silicon Valley will come down," DIPP Secretary Amitabh Kant has been quoted as saying in the report. Here are the key details about the Startup India programme, which will be inaugurated by finance minister Arun Jaitley at 'Vigyan Bhawan' in New Delhi: Getting inputs According to the PTI report, about 40 leading business leaders, venture capitalists and around 2,000 start-ups would offer key inputs to the action plan to be launched by the PM. In the run-up to the event, the commerce and industry ministry is also meeting the India Inc to discuss various issues related to the manufacturing sector and improving ease of doing business on January 7. At the meeting to be chaired by minister Nirmala Sitharaman, senior government officials will on Make in India, Start-Up India and Ease of Doing business, an official has told the PTI. The event DIPP is organising the event along with Invest India and Start-up ecosystem players iSpirt, YourStory, NASSCOM, SheThePeople.tv and Kairos Society and youth wings of FICCI and CII. It is a non-stop day-long global workshop on start-up entrepreneurship. It will highlight initiatives and schemes being undertaken by the government to address various aspects relating to developing a conducive start-up ecosystem in the country, Kant has said. There will be panel discussions on topics such as 'Unleashing Entrepreneurship and Innovation: What do Indian Startups Need to Grow and Prosper'; 'Celebrating Women: Stories of Innovative Women Entrepreneurs', 'How digitisation will change India's future'; 'Making Indian Healthcare Leapfrog' and 'Financial inclusion is within reach'. The panel discussion on 'Show Me the Money: How do we Capitalize Entrepreneurship?' shall be chaired by Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha. A virtual exhibition is also being organised as part of the event to showcase some of the unique and innovative work done by Start-ups in the country. The event will be telecast live in IITs, IIMs, NITs, IIITs and Central Universities and to youth groups in over 350 districts of India. Silicon Valley biggies to take part According to Kant, the event will feature interactive talks with global leaders such as Founder and CEO of SoftBank Masayoshi Son; Founder of WeWork Adam Nuemann and Uber Founder Travis Kalanick. Google will be conducting an innovative session titled 'Laucnhpad Accelerator' which will involve live pitches being made by early state start-ups to potential investors. The entrepreneur who is able to get into the 'Launchpad Accelerator' will get $50,000 from Google as equity funding. Nikesh Arora, President & Chief Operating Officer, SoftBank, shall be interacting with participants on aspects relating to Start-up funding. Q&A with govt officials A question and answer session titled 'Face-to-face with Policy makers' is also being organised. In this Secretaries of key departments will answer questions on how the government will be creating an enabling ecosystem for start-ups. This is aimed at reinforcing the commitment of the government towards creating an ecosystem that is conducive for growth of start-ups, says Kant. The panel shall comprise of Secretaries from departments including Revenue, Human Resources and Development, Corporate Affairs and Financial Services, Economic Affairs besides representatives from Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI). The action plan and its challenges According to Kant, the action plan to be unveiled by the PM would help the sector penetrate tier-2 and tier-3 cities in sectors such as manufacturing and healthcare. However, experts are keenly awaiting to see whether there will be any concrete action from the government to address the challenges startups face on the ground. Care Ratings in a recent report listed two important problem areas that the government's Startup India programme needs to address urgently. The first is the ease of doing business. "The ease of doing business must be relaxed with simple online forms being made available for registration of these units and granting approvals in a time bound manner. This will cut down the time taken to commence operations as well as reduce the human-interface making the system more efficient," it said. The second one is funding. Here the agency has sought for FDI with an upper limit. It has also highlilghted the need for the government to play a role at all levels - central, state and district/municipal layers. "This has to be through a system of incentives and subsidies," it has said. In short, as the hype around the Startup India programme builds up, the pertinent question is will the government make any announcements to address these issues. As of now, it is a wait and watch. With PTI SEOUL/WASHINGTON North Korea said it successfully tested a miniaturised hydrogen nuclear bomb on Wednesday, but atomic weapons experts and U.S. government agencies cast doubt on the isolated nation's ability to make such an advance in its arsenal. The test, the fourth time that North Korea has exploded anuclear device, unnerved South Korea and Japan and drewworld criticism, including from China and Russia, Pyongyang's two main allies. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned NorthKorea's action, calling it "profoundly destabilizing forregional security," while U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said it"looks like a provocation". North Korea has been under U.N. Security Council sanctions since it first tested an atomic device in 2006 and could faceadditional measures. The Security Council was holding an emergency meeting to weigh what steps it could take. The explosion caused an earthquake that was measured by the United States Geological Survey. The nuclear test was ordered by leader Kim Jong Un and successfully conducted at 10 a.m. local time (0130 GMT), North Korea's official KCNA news agency said. "Let the world look up to the strong, self-reliantnuclear-armed state," Kim wrote in what North Korean state TVdisplayed as a handwritten note. U.S. government experts do not believe the device was a hydrogen bomb, U.S. government sources said. It likely will take several days to determine more precisely what kind of nuclear device Pyongyang set off as a variety of sensors, including "sniffer planes," collect evidence. South Korean intelligence officials and several analystsalso questioned whether Wednesday's explosion was a test of afull-fledged hydrogen device, pointing to the fact that it wasroughly as powerful as North Korea's last atomic test in 2013. Stocks across the world fell for a fifth consecutive day as the North Korea tension added to a growing list of geopolitical worries and China fuelled fears about its economy by allowing the yuan to weaken further. No countries were given advance warning of a nuclear test,South Korea's intelligence service said, according to lawmakersbriefed by intelligence officials. In previous such tests, Pyongyang had notified China, Russiaand the United States beforehand, they said. U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES While a fourth nuclear test had long been expected, theclaim that it was a hydrogen device, much more powerful than anatomic bomb, came as a surprise, as did the timing. It made North Korea a topic on the U.S. presidential campaign with the first state nominating contests weeks away. The vote is in November. Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton condemned the test as a "provocative and dangerous act" that the United States should meet with sanctions and strengthened missile defenses. "North Korea must have no doubt that we will take whatever steps are necessary to defend ourselves and our treaty allies, South Korea and Japan," she said in a statement. Republican candidate Donald Trump said the onus was on China to solve what he called the North Korean "problem", and if it did not, the United States "should make trade very difficult forChina." North Korea has long coveted diplomatic recognition fromWashington, but sees its nuclear deterrent as crucial toensuring the survival of its third-generation dictatorship. While the Kim government boasts of its military might to project strength globally, it also plays up the need to defend itself from external threats as a way to maintain control domestically. The North's state news agency said Pyongyang would act as a responsible nuclear state and vowed not to use its nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty was infringed. Michael Madden, an expert on North Korea's secretive leadership, said, "With Iran being off the table, the North Koreans have placed themselves at the top of the foreign policy agenda as far as nation-states who present a threat to the U.S." DOUBTS RAISED The device had a yield of about 6 kilotonnes, according tothe office of a South Korean lawmaker on the parliamentaryintelligence committee - roughly the same size as the North'slast test, which was equivalent to 6-7 kilotonnes of TNT. "Given the scale, it is hard to believe this is a realhydrogen bomb," said Yang Uk, a senior research fellow at theKorea Defence and Security Forum. Joe Cirincione, a nuclear expert who is president ofPloughshares Fund, a global security organisation, said NorthKorea may have mixed a hydrogen isotope in a normal atomicfission bomb. "Because it is, in fact, hydrogen, they could claim it is ahydrogen bomb," he said. "But it is not a true fusion bombcapable of the massive multi-megaton yields these bombsproduce". The USGS reported a 5.1 magnitude quake that South Korea said was 49 km (30 miles) from the Punggye-ri site where the North has conducted nuclear tests in the past. The test may mark an advance of North Korea'snuclear technology. The claim of miniaturising, which wouldallow the device to be adapted as a weapon and placed on amissile, would pose a new threat to the United States and itsregional allies, Japan and South Korea. The North's previous miniaturisation claims have not beenindependently verified. Many experts also doubt whether theNorth possesses missile technology capable of reliablydelivering a warhead to the continental United States. South Korea said it would take all possible measures,including possible U. N. sanctions, to ensure Pyongyangpaid the price. "The government must now work closely with the internationalcommunity to ensure that North Korea pays the commensurate pricefor the latest nuclear test," President Park Geun-hye said in astatement. "We must respond decisively through measures such asstrong international sanctions." Conventional atomic bombs split atoms from heavier elements such as uranium or plutonium. They occur in one stage. The process is called fission. Hydrogen bombs have a second stage after fission. This fusion stage releases much more energy. (Additional reporting by Meeyoung Cho, Ju-min Park, James Pearson, Se; Young Lee, Christine Kim, Jee Heun Kahng, Jack Kim in Seoul,; Louis Charbonneau at the United Nations, Ayesha Rascoe and in; Washington, Megha Rajagopalan in Beijing and Takashi Umekawa in; Tokyo; Writing by Tony Munroe and Alistair Bell; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan, Mike Collett-White and Howard Goller) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Maneka Gandhi on Tuesday took to social media through the Ministry of Women and Child Development's Facebook page encouraging users to send their questions. Over the next two hours, she answered many of the pertinent ones. I'm here for the next 2 hours to take your questions. So ask away-Maneka Sanjay Gandhi. Posted by Ministry of Women & Child Development on Tuesday, January 5, 2016 Throughout the session, Maneka Gandhi was informative and also firm in her responses, refusing to entertain trolls but also dropping pearls of witty wisdom. When asked if there could be a provision made for women writing civil service exams to be given centres in their towns, since they have children, Gandhi said, "Why not ask the fathers to look after the children while you go for the exam? After all that is the meaning of family." Another commentator asked about lack of transparency and corruption and what is the government doing for enabling access programmes meant for them. Gandhi said that the government cannot do everything, "we can use the social media, we can make films and run ads on radio and TV. But, at the end of the day, instead of considering government as apart from yourself, if you and people like you start spreading the programmes of each ministry among people who cannot access computers and cellphones, you will do India a great service." As of Wednesday, Maneka's Ask Me Anything (AMA) had received 891 comments/questions. At Firstpost, we have curated a few of the important questions and responses. (Questions have been edited for clarity.) Q. Please tell us about the empowerment of women politicians at grassroot level, with the ministry focusing to train two lakh women politicians at zilla parishad level. How will their training be done and by when do we expect the programme to begin? (Tania Ameer) This is the first programme of its kind. I have always felt that the Panchayati Raj empowered women to the extent of making two lakh of them pradhans of villages. And yet these women never went beyond that. One of the mian reasons is that, after they become pradhans, they don't know what to do so they abrogate their responsibilities and power and hand it over to their husbands or male elders. As a result, they never move up the political ladder. No MLAs, no MPs come from this pool. So NCW (National Commission for Women) has been asked to train these two lakh pradhans in several things: how to administer, access money, look after the building of infrastructure, etc. Q. You have recently made an awareness campaign about sexual harassment at workplace but I want to ask you how transparent the system is. If it happens at a government organisation and a Class 1 officer is involved, all system and ICC stop working. (Dharaa Patel) Every government and private organisation with 10 workers has to have a harassment committee. Has your organisation got one. If not please complain at min-wcd@nic.in and we will take it up. I have had a handbook made which explains what is to be done by the committee.This is available on the website wcd.nic.in . Print it out and give it to all the women who are working in some company or government department Q. There have been huge budget cuts for schemes which fund govt centers and short stay homes for widows in India. Does the WCD ministry plan to take up this issue and address it? Details of Budget cuts. (Tania Ameer) The budget has been restored. In fact we are giving a lot more money to institutions and for the first time a massive exercise to check on each institution has started. We will also be building the largest widows' home in Mathura. Q. Has there been any forward movement from the home ministry on your proposal to register names of sexual offenders including the juvenile? (Sreeparna C. Mukhuty) I have asked the home ministry to make a national register of sexual offenders. I have not heard back from them as yet. But, if our success rate of getting what we ask for still holds, this will probably be done. Q. What will be done to ensure timely justice for women in the cases of crime against women which are pending in different courts? Isn't it possible to fasten the pace of legal proceedings? (Ujjwal Pathak) Let me ask the law minister on what can be done. The problem is that every fast track court for a specific minority or problem quickly becomes swamped and then becomes as slow as any other court. Hopefully when the one stop centres come up all over, the police, the doctors and the lawyers provided will make cases that go through easily as all the evidence will be recorded properly. Q. I have a suggestion for women empowerment. I hope you would make it a part of flagship programme for the cause. Rani Laxmi Bai was a role model with self integrity. It was she who refused to abolish her state for the British. She fought until death. Why don't we start self-defence training for Indian women in her honour to give them more power? Mere financial integrity will not pave the cause so far. (Abhishek Khatri) I think it is an excellent idea to make it compulsory to start self-defence training for women in all schools. I will ask the HRD minister if she can put it in. Q. Any plans for women for entrepreneurship and self employment? Is the Ministry considering any specific program to empower, train and enable entrepreneurship? Women make for a major workforce in our country. (Sushma Morthania) I have a bank called Rashtriya Mahila Kosh. We give money to women to start enterprises at 6 percent (interest). We also give the same money to self help groups. I have a programme called STEP to train 200 women at a time to earn money. I am also starting something called Women of India in which we help market any product made by any woman anywhere in India - in collaboration with eBay. Any more suggestions are welcome as this is the right way to go. Q. What is your stand on misuse of IPC Section 498A (Dowry law)? I am asking you this question because innocent elderly parents and female relatives of the husband are also victims of the misuse of this law. (Chandrakant Mane) While it is true that a minuscule number of women are misusing this law, it is the only protection that women have and it would be a shame to make every woman defenceless. Every law is misused . That's why we have courts and judges. Q. Why can't the government take any hard steps about stopping violence against women? What's the next step for women safety? (Monster Nil) The government has taken both hard and soft steps: the Juvenile Justice Bill brings more criminals into the ambit of the police. In two months, each cellphone will have a panic button - both new and old machines. There are 10 one stop centres for women affected by violence so far and my aim is to have 660. Seven states and all the UTs have made 33 percent women reservations in the police which is something I asked for from Day 1 in my ministry. We are now putting one Special Mahila Police Volunteer in each village whose job it will be to report any crime against women - sometimes even before it has happened. Go to my Twitter handle @ministrywcd and see all the other initiatives. Q. What's your strategy or plan to fight malnutrition through the micro-nutrient initiatives? Most programmes fighting hunger and malnutrition are still neglected (Mahesh RV) Very important question. This is the year that we start a mission to tackle it. I am working on food changes, delivery changes, training of anganvadis and real time monitoring. Q. When will our country become the safest place for women? (Pappu Gupta) It depends on the education we get in schools and at home. While I cannot do much about the home education except make laws, we have started something called gender champions in every school. These are annual prizes that will be given in each class to the young boy who does the most to look after, value and champion the cause of his female counterparts. Gender equality is important to instill in schools. Q. In the last budget, the union government drastically reduced allocation in the ICDS scheme, I keep reading about the poor state of affairs in various anganwadis due to lack of funds and irregularity in dispersal of budgetary allocation. You have been vocal about this issue. Will your ministry be giving any formal deputation to the finance ministry to give sizable grant in the 2016 budget? Madam, anganwadi centers are poor man's creche. Many parents in village leave their wards in these centers, before leaving for work. Many centers work out of community-held properties or rented premises which are in a poor shape. Madam let me know, if there is any provision under 'Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana' to build permanent structures for anganwadi centers. If yes, then has your ministry made any guidelines regarding children-friendly facilities in such center? I want to know if there is any 'assessment team' or 'team of experts/counselors' in the district or state level who assist or monitor anganwadi workers on a periodic basis and asses their performance. (Sudeep Kumar Dey) I am making 50,000 more anganvadi centres this year and integrating their building with MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act). We are also starting a strong creche scheme. Yes, it is important to have a team of people to assess the centres. The CWCs (Child Welfare Committees) should be asked. We are making something new called the Women's Welfare Committees and maybe we can ask them as well Q. What is your ministry's concrete step taken till now to eradicate child labour mercilessly prevailing in India? Kindly start a nation-wide movement or plan or campaign to stop this inhuman practice. There are many kids out there forced to beg on streets, tortured in cottage industries, etc. (Vishwesh Srinivasan) There is a bill coming up in the labour ministry. But this is an issue that needs to be looked at comprehensively. Maybe the children are working after school, or for their parents.... then what ? We need to see that children are not trafficked, exploited or made to work instead of school. There is an ugly underbelly to the odd-even traffic thinning in Delhi that is not getting much attention. The rich are dumping their drivers. In a city where nearly everyone with a car has a driver (they are literally accessories) and memsahibs get comically transported in toy cars sitting imperially at the back. These cars are often driven by young men surrendering hope and ambition for a dreary job because at least some money is coming in. Now even that is in jeopardy. I am talking to three young men whose employers have cut their monthly wages by 50 percent. Even though it is only a trial period. If the division comes to stay they will be perennially paid by day. Says 25-year-old Rahul, "Sir told me 'Beta, you dont drive on odd days, we have only one car. Why should I pay you for 30 days? If you dont want to work we will find someone else.'" He has been with them for over a year but that counts for nothing. On this warm winter Wednesday in Delhi a clutch of drivers sit hunkered under a tree waiting for the call from the boss in this South Delhi so-called upscale colony. With an average salary of Rs 15,000 they are heatedly discussing the slash in salaries. I join them as a guest of Rahuls. They all seem cut from the same cookie cutter, jeans, sandals, a muffler and an ill-fitting sweater. And all under 30 years. The heat goes out of the debate because they have no ideas. One of them says he has overheard his employer discussing a link up with a neighbour so that they share one drivers salary and sack the other. It is just a question of choosing one for the sacrifice. In our system, talking about domestics within their earshot is par for the course. I ask them why they cannot complain or form a union. They look at me witheringly as if I come from another planet. Complain to whom? About what? They are getting 15 days work. So why would the boss pay for 30? Amazingly a few of the drivers actually understand the cruel logic of it. Says Ravi, a slightly older version of the stereotype. We wont die of pollution, well die of poverty. The others laugh dryly. Asokan, slightly older than the rest, sneers and lights up a cigarette to display his independence and disdain for me, in his eyes one of that thoughtless sahib log 'tribe'. But their plight underscores an aspect largely ignored. They are running scared. Once private drivers get shafted how long will it be before companies and corporations begin retrenching their chauffeurs. Schools their bus drivers. The very rich dropping their three drivers to two. Delivery vans reducing their fleets. It all impacts. At a rough estimate there about 300,000 drivers in the city with the majority in the South Delhi province. Add to that less profit for petrol stations and car washes with there being less cars and culling of staff numbers will occur. Mechanics will also suffer as there is 50 percent less wear and tear on vehicles. The tyre industry will witness a slow down as will spare parts. Perhaps the goal is worth that risk of losing jobs but really, you cannot suddenly pay your driver half a salary, that is just not done. A huge lesson that has emerged from the chaotic responses to the attack in Pathankot over the past few days is that India has not developed the right mechanisms to face the terror tactics that constitute contemporary warfare. That the response was botched is more than obvious. The attackers roamed around Punjab in a hijacked vehicle for more than 15 hours, even though information of the carjack was given to authorities; indeed, it was an officers car. Yet, the attackers were able to invade one of the most important military installations what is arguably one of Indias three most militarily-significant nodes and perhaps its most vital quick-response node for any putative attack against Pakistan. Much has been written and said about particular flaws and inadequacies in the responses of the police, the air force, the army, the National Security Guard, the national security advisor et al. Little of it will be worthwhile when it comes to the crunch, unless analysts start assessing what kind of mechanisms and forces are required, and how these can be effectively established. So far, there has clearly been no effort. What happened in and around Pathankot in the first few days of this new year is depressingly similar to what happened in the last few days of 1999 in Amritsar, when IC-814 briefly stopped there en route to Dubai and finally Kandahar. Apparently, no lessons were learnt from that entire hijack. The situation swung between no decision-making and too many decision-makers. A good place to start would be to acknowledge that none of these forces is really adequate to deal with the emergent patterns of attack. The problem with top-notch training is that it can only be given to very few. So, adequately-trained personnel just cannot be available wherever and whenever terrorists attack. On the other hand, terrorisms greatest advantage is surprise. Perpetrators, or their handlers, choose their targets and timing at will. They can also switch plans very quickly. The other great advantage of a terrorist is disguise. It is almost impossible to make out who might turn out to be a terrorist. The Pathankot attackers used all these advantages to great advantage. After what happened at Parliament House on 13 December, 2001, and the security measures that have been put in place since, the fact that the vehicle managed to enter the Pathankot air force station unchallenged is nothing short of criminal negligence. This is particularly so in light of the fact that the authorities in Pathankot were informed that a senior police officers car with a revolving blue light on its roof had been taken over by possible terrorists. Clearly, those charged with ensuring security are so busy bending the rules to suit their little egos that they learn no lessons. Armies and air forces are trained to move in strength, with logistical support. This necessarily slows down responses. The challenge is compounded by the attackers willingness to die. They not only break in at great speed, they do not need to secure their exit routes or running out of bullets or other supplies. The Rashtriya Rifles was established about a quarter-century ago. It was given a huge fillip in 1994, when a large number of new battalions were established for Kashmir. General BC Joshi, one of the finest chiefs the Indian Army has had, apparently envisaged it as a counter-insurngey force that would function under the home ministry. Instead, it has become a wing of the army, stuck with the armys ways and methods and appears to have become a Kashmir-specific force. Its approach is area domination. That means that it seeks to ensure that the area under each unit of the counter-insurgency grid is `sanitized of militants. This is inadequate for the sort of highly mobile, even more highly motivated, and willing to die militants coordinated from far away that are emerging. There is an impressive-looking fence and other technological tools to prevent infiltration into Kashmir. So, they now come into Punjab or the area around Jammu. There is a counter-insurgency grid in the Valley. So, they launch daring operations in Gurdaspur, Pathankot of Udhampur. Islamic State has demonstrated that such tactics and strategies are extremely effective over even wider regions. They do not even need the operational command centres that the Pakistan Army has in places like Rawalpindi. This sort of war-by-other-means is going to become more common. A deep hard look at the entire machinery, methods and modes of war that developed from the late 19th Century is required quickly. One of the most important challenges is training. Those who died during combing operations when they thought the terrorists had already all been killed were clearly unfamiliar with some of the patterns adopted by militants in Kashmir over the past decade or so. They sometimes try to booby-trap their bodies to kill those who come to dispose of the bodies and debris after the firefight. Not only do officers and other ranks of all kinds of security forces need to be given orientation and methodological training, even others such as security and other staff at hotels, educational institutions and other potential targets of terrorism must be given at least some introductory training. That would only be the starting point of a concerted and purposeful response to the new patterns of warfare for make no mistake, it is warfare. In a damning charge, scientist Venkatraman Ramakrishnan has slammed the ongoing Indian Science Congress, being held in Mysuru, and called it a 'circus'. The Indian-born Nobel laureate had earlier condemned the Science Congress and said that politics and religious ideologies shouldn't be mixed with science. Speaking to reporters, Ramakrishnan said, "I attended one day (of an earlier Congress) and very little science was discussed. It was a circus. I find that it's an organisation where very little science is discussed. I will never attend a science congress again in my life." Speaking at the Panjab University in Chandigarh on Tuesday, Ramakrishnan said that despite crucial scientific achievements, a large number of Indians are still superstitious, which results in poor decision making. Mentioning the launch of Mangalyaan, Ramakrishnan said that he was surprised to know that the launched day was fixed on Tuesday because it was an auspicious day. "If I was holding that post, I would not have gone anywhere 24 hours before the launch." He also mentioned a claim made by a participant during the 2015 Indian Science Congress about planes having been invented by a sage in the Vedic era. Speaking to The Times of India, Ramakrishnan said, "The idea that Indians had airplanes 2,000 years ago sounds almost essentially impossible to me. I don't believe it. The point is that if that technology was produced in a method so described that anybody could replicate it, then it becomes science." In December 2015, Ramakrishnan, speaking at the fourth in the series of Centenary Lectures of the University of Mysore, had said that India needs to put an end to its superstitions and be more rational as a society. "It is not an accident that modern scientific methods developed in western Europe and as a result it propelled industrial revolution and modern medicine, and these countries, including the US, which adapted similar values, advanced dramatically in the last 200 years. But other societies were stuck where they were because they did not incorporate scientific beliefs," The Hindu quoted the Nobel laureate as saying. Can you get Dawood Ibrahim? National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval is learnt to have asked a meeting of top sleuths a few months ago. How those in the meeting responded to that question is not important, but, for the record, some mulled over it as a challenge thrown at them, while others silently scoffed at it. What is important is that it was asked at all by Indias National Security Advisor. It suggests that Ajit Doval, who has earned his spurs as one of the country's most accomplished spooks, is perhaps caught in a time warp. As someone who is credited with providing sharp and specific intelligence that led to the success of Operation Black Thunder, the most efficient exercise ever conducted on Indian soil to flush out terrorists (from the Golden Temple in May, 1988), and Doval earned a reputation for being a peerless field operative as an undercover asset in Pakistan in the early nineties. And as most field operatives go, he was known for his flamboyance as recorded in at least two well-known attempts he directed to neutralise Dawood Ibrahim in Pakistan. Both the attempts, the first in the late nineties with the help of gangster Babloo Srivastava and the second in 2006 with the help of Chhota Rajan, failed. But they only added to his aura and swagger. But those were the days of his life in the Intelligence Bureau (IB), through which establishment he rose, eventually heading it as Director. Neutralising Dawood or bringing him to before the courts in India was a national security priority, given the context of those times and Dawoods hand in the worst terror attack on India, in 1993. So, Can you get Dawood Ibrahim?' would have been a perfectly legitimate question to ask as the Director of IB. But coming from the National Security Advisor in 2015, when the realities of global terror and its implications for India have completely changed, suggests a fixation with Dawood that the National Security Advisor of India can ill-afford. This irrelevance of the Dawood Ibrahim question was brought into the limelight over the last few days when terrorists infiltrated into India and played havoc inside one of the country's forward bases, operated by the Indian Air Force in Pathankot. The fact that this latest incursion came just a few months after the first big one in more than a decade in Punjab only highlights the fact that Indias national security concerns have snowballed to a level that makes Dawood Ibrahim a bit player in the current context. Terrorists have been finding yawning holes in the Indias border security like its a walk in the park it quite literally was in the case of the Pathankot attack. We now know that the terrorists went undetected for ten hours after they crossed the border. Whats even more scary is that they spent another 12 hours hiding behind bushes in within the airbase even as the entire security apparatus of the country was aware of the breach but couldnt locate them until the terrorists chose to launch their attack in the wee hours of Saturday, 2 January. There are multiple aspects to security of our international borders, of course. But the manner in which the six (hopefully this number wont be revised again) heavily armed terrorists sneaked into the airbase, roamed around freely, is a telling commentary not only on the failure to secure our borders but of complicity of locals. There are reports that all along the international borders, the equipment deployed to detect intrusions is faulty and ineffectual. Given the history of intrusions in this sector, the issue merited serious intervention from the Border Security Force (BSF) headquarters in Delhi but it was given the go by. Nothing has been done to stamp out the thriving smuggling rackets that become easy conduits and support cross-border terror organisations. Those aware of the security scenario on international borders see a sinister pattern in neglecting border security. It has more to do with economics than anything else, they point out. Take for instance, the cattle-smuggling economy along the Indo-Bangladesh border. It is estimated at over Rs 50,000 crore. There have been instances when officials and staff of the BSF have been involved in this massive illegal trade. A former BSF DG once pointed out to me that it was physically impossible to prevent members of the BSF from falling for such a huge economic inducements. Along the same border runs an organised trade of counterfeit Indian currency. Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiries have found out that there are identified gangs in India and Bangladesh supported by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) that conduct the business without fear. They throw bundles of notes in polythene bags across the border which are picked up on the Indian side, confided a CBI official investigating the case. The BSF personnel who are tasked to man the border are either ill-equipped to deal with the menace or look the other way in order to line their own pockets. More often than not, these gangs are patronised by regional political heavyweights of West Bengal. In spite of Prime Minister Narendra Modis efforts to raise the level of bilateral relations with Bangladesh and infuse mutual trust by ceding large territories to Bangladesh in the exchange of enclaves, the international border remains porous. Cattle smuggling continues unabated, rendering this part as the most vulnerable for infiltration by terrorists and smugglers. Similarly the porosity of the international border along Nepal and the north eastern states is well known. But Indias eastern borders are not fenced, unlike the border with Pakistan. Still it has become a haven for narcotics smugglers; they have turned hundreds of thousands of young men and women in Punjab, especially in its rural areas, into drug addicts. On both sides, east and west, it is a well-known fact that narcotics and terrorism are intertwined. The Modi government has come up short on renewed efforts to seal these borders. Punjab has had a turbulent past and is prone to insurgency with a combination of factors stoking the fires. It is not far-fetched to assume that a generation of youth thriving on drugs and easy money can be induced to join terrorist networks. The intelligence branch of the BSF (known as G branch) has come across credible inputs that confirm Pakistans design to revive insurgency in Punjab. The infiltration through Punjab and the attacks on the Pathankot airbase and the police station of Dinapur a few months earlier, form a sinister trend. Ironically, despite availability of all these inputs and Dovals own formidable experience of handling Punjab terrorism, there is little attempt on the ground to meet the challenge. Now consider the north eastern states, Indias most turbulent geographical region since Independence. More recently the government conjured up a peace pact with Issac-Muivah group which turned out to be eyewash. Home Minister Rajnath Singh was learnt to have been restrained by his officers from endorsing the pact in Parliament. This pact, conducted with much fanfare in the Prime Ministers residence, remains an enigma even for its executioners. Nothing demonstrated the bankruptcy on the national security front more that the governments chest-thumping on carrying out a daring and bold operation against Naga insurgents on Myanmars soil in the wake of the killing of Indian security personnel by Naga (Khaplang) rebels. Right from the word go, the tall claims around the operation became suspect and never gained credibility. The hollow bravado (that India would now pursue its enemies across borders) is not lost on anybody, not even on the insurgents and the Myanmar army Junta which are still acting in tandem. Similarly on the Pakistan front, the governments moves seem guided more by optics than substance. For instance the open exultation of the Indian side after the omission of Jammu & Kashmir from the joint statement in Ufa was an approach afflicted with a strategy-myopia of the kind that has rarely been witnessed in the many decades of the two countries' tumultuous relations. This compromised the position of the civilian government in Pakistan leading to its quick reversal. It is clear that in the Modi regime Ajit Kumar Doval has emerged as a powerful figure, redefining the priorities of national security. All heads of the central police organisations (CPOs) report to him directly instead of the Home Minister, whose role has been substantially marginalised. Doval also lords over the agencies that analyse intelligence inputs and convert them into actionable intelligence. He is undoubtedly one of the most powerful NSAs India has ever had. Those who worked with him describe him as an outstanding, if typically flamboyant, operations man. As we grapple with the mess we have in Pathankot, the one question that will be asked of the security establishment is this: Is the National Security Advisor missing the woods for the trees? Indias national security reality dictates that operational enthusiasm and focus dont overshadow the need for a wholesome national security doctrine or strategic vision. Is Ajit Doval getting too embroiled in operations, which forms only a part of his strategic role as NSA? New Delhi: BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Wednesday claimed that work on the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya would start before the end of 2016 and an action plan for that would be unveiled at a conference in New Delhi on 9 January. He, however, made it clear that the temple would not come up through a movement but only after the court verdict, which he hoped would come by August-September and with the mutual consent of Muslim and Hindu communities. "We expect the construction work on the Ram temple at Ayodhya to start within the next two-three months and certainly before the end of this year. We will wait for a court verdict and the temple would not come up through any 'andolan' (movement)," he told reporters at the VHP office in New Delhi. Asked if the decision was linked to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in early 2017, he said, "Rama should not be linked with elections. Rama is a matter of faith for Hindus and construction of the temple at Ayodhya is a commitment of every Hindu." He said if the issue comes up later, it will then be linked to the next Lok Sabha polls. Swamy claimed that efforts are being made at resolving the issue amicably between Hindus and Muslims so that the temple and the masjid come up on both sides of the Saryu river in Ayodhya. The issue will be discussed at the two-day national conference in Delhi University on "Shree Ram Janambhoomi temple -The emerging scenario" which would see the coming together of 300 scholars, academics and archaeologists who would discuss legal and other aspects of the Ram Temple. Among the speakers at the conference include legal experts, archaeologists and experts, besides historians and Swamy himself. It will be organised under the aegis of Arundhati Vashisht Anusandhan Peeth. "An action plan will be presented at the conference and government urged to move the court and become a party in the case," he said, adding, "If government supports us, we will start the construction work on the temple within two-three months". Talking about the case, he said, "it is in such a stage that the verdict is likely to come out by August or September this year." Swamy when asked about the controversy over the conference at Delhi varsity campus, said it is not a Delhi University sponsored event but an event for which a hall has been rented out and the same is being held on a weekend. He also rubbished charges by Congress and Left that it was aimed at vitiating the campus atmosphere among students there. "We will hold consultations with the Muslim community and help try to resolve the issue amicably," he said, adding that the the Narasimha Rao government had in 1994 told the constitution bench of Supreme court that it will allow a temple to be rebuilt if it is proved that the site belongs to a temple. The conference will discuss the history, archaeological evidence and the legal issues relating to the Ayodhya temple. PTI Sherlock Holmes would have called it the curious case of Pathankot. He would have found the conduct of the police intriguing, noticed disturbing similarities between the attack on Dinanagar and the strike on the air base at Pathankot and said: Watson, there is something really rotten in the state of Punjab. First, of course, is the incident involving Punjab SP Salwinder Singh, who was first abducted and then released by the purported terrorists. The SP, according to reports and his own statement, was stopped by armed militants, gagged, blindfolded and later released. The SP claims he was moving around unarmed well past midnight because he was on a pilgrimage. But, why did the terrorists let such a high-profile target go unhurt? Why did they risk their entire mission by giving him the opportunity to raise an alarm? Only a detailed investigation can reveal if the SP was actually out on pilgrimage or on some other personal mission; and whether his survival was just happenstance or there was a reason behind the unexpected display of mercy by terrorists. Experts have already pointed out at the inability of the Punjab police to track the militants after Salwinder Singh reported the carjacking. One explanation for the delay is that the cops did not believe the SP. Really? Have things become so rotten in Punjab that even a SP warning of an imminent terror strike is not taken seriously? Notice also the attempt to downplay the kidnapping of an SP not a constable or a junior officer and keeping the matter hush-hush for almost 12 hours. Is there any other state in India where an SP would be ridiculed for reporting his own abduction by terrorists from Pakistan? The Pathankot attack was almost identical to the terror strike in Dinanagar in July 2015. Before entering the mainland, these militants too had spent some time hiding in the border villages, a clear indication that they were hosted by sleeper cells on the Indian side. In that incident too, terrorists had hijacked a white Maruti and later stormed a police station, killing nine persons. Would the Punjab government not have been alarmed by the hijacking after the Dinanagar incident, especially when an SP was raising the alarm? When terrorists had struck in Dinanagar, eyebrows were raised when the Punjab police refused to let the army intervene and took on the militants in spite of lack of adequate counter-insurgency training and weapons. Back then the Punjab police decision was attributed to bravado. But now questions have started surfacing. A former Punjab DGP I spoke to had a volley of unanswered questions: "Why was the identity of the terrorists never revealed? Who were they, where had they come from? Why wasn't the case handed over to the National Investigation Agency? Why did the Punjab government insist getting the case probe by its own agencies? Is it just coincidence that all the militants were killed and nobody tried to capture even one of them alive? It seems there was an attempt to hide something," he said. All these questions about Dinanagar and Pathankot seem to have a common link: the flourishing drug trade between Pakistan and Punjab. And some of the answers may be found in the modus operandi of the drug dealers. When a consignment of drugs leaves Pakistan for Punjab, it usually takes two routes. In areas where there are barbed wires on the border, smugglers stuff them into PVC pipes and push them across into India, where couriers pick them up for transporting them to the main land. Though most of the Punjab border is guarded by barbed wires, the riverine belt of around 100km is unguarded. To push drugs through this region, drained by Ravi and Beas and lined with dense forests, smugglers use boats and couriers. This riverine belt is mostly to the west of Gurdaspur and Pathankot, and in some areas of Ferozepur, making them most vulnerable. Transporting drugs to the border from Pakistan is not a problem since the ISI and many other agencies are involved in the trade. But, once the drug consignment reaches Punjab, the involvement of a huge network of people at every level becomes necessary. In the border areas of Punjab, it is stored in safe houses for some time -- called a cooling off period -- and then relayed from point to point through an intricate network of middlemen and peddlers, who charge the dealers on the basis of the risk and distance involved. According to sources, many politicians and police officials have been compromised by the drug dealers. In 2007, the state intelligence had compiled a four-page list of politicians, bureaucrats and cops who were part of the drug cartels. It had names of politicians of all parties and officers and cops at every level. But, somehow the list went missing. Opposition parties have regularly alleged that members of the Badal family are shielding drug dealers. In 2014, Bikram Majithia, brother-in-law of deputy CM Sukhbir Badal, was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the sale and supply of synthetic drugs in the state. In March 2015, he was accused of receiving the drug money by arrested synthetic druglord Jagjit Singh Chahal. Chahal, in a written statement to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), has claimed that he had made a payment of Rs 35 lakh to Majithia between 2007 and 2012. According to reports, Chahal had also said he had supplied pseudoephedrine (a chemical used to make drugs) to Satpreet Singh Satta and Parminder Singh Pindi, who are close to Majithia. So, there is widespread apprehension that dealers have infiltrated the Punjab government and are calling the shots. And this network was in likelihood abetting the safe transit of terrorists from Pakistan to Gurdaspur. In return they got a huge consignment of drugs. If the Centre has to ensure that Punjab doesn't get attacked again, it will have to find answers to the disturbing questions about the Pathankot and Dinanagar incidents. Only a thorough probe into the conduct of the state police, laxity of the Punjab government and the influence and extent of drug mafia will guarantee safety of our border. As Sherlock would have said, begin from the top. A couple of papers being presented at the Indian Science Congress in Mysore is generating heat for all the wrong reasons. On 5 January, IAS officer Rajeev Sharma, an Additional Commissioner-level officer in Kanpur, held a symposium on 'Blowing of Shankh an Indigenous Tradition for Fitness and Wellness'. The other is Akhilesh K Pandeys lecture on Lord Shiva as an environmentalist on 6 January. Pandey is the Chairman of Madhya Pradesh Private University Regulatory Commission. As usual, these have all the makings of the type of ugly controversy that was generated at last years science congress in Mumbai, where an entire session was devoted to Ancient Sciences through Sanskrit. An editorial in a national newspaper thundered, If the Indian Science Congress had long lost its eminence as a forum where results of serious science being done in the country are presented and discussed in most sessions, the inclusion of Ancient Sciences through Sanskrit has only lowered its standing further. Thus, last years congress was painted as a farce, and worse, a farce propagated by the BJP government at the centre. No doubt, the so-called intellectual front will quickly come together to term this years congress another farce. Given that this years congress was inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi himself, it is reasonable to predict that he will be asked for an explanation. Fortunately, parliament is not on session or this would be just cause for disruption. Actually, the editorial is wrong. The Indian Science Congress has not lowered its standing. If that was the case, it would have been avoided by the scientific elite, including several Nobel Prize winners and one really eminent Fields Medal winner, Indian-origin mathematician Manjul Bhargava. But they have turned up. It was also wrong, as the governments opponents did, to suggest that the science congress was appropriated by the Hindu right to promote agenda. The science in the ancient Indian texts, especially dealing ayurveda, yoga, and mathematics, has always attracted international attention. Sometimes, overseas scientists have latched on to other curiosities. At the 1988 International Astronautics Congress, held in Bangalore, an Italian astrophysicist presented a paper on the knowledge of flight among the ancient Indians. The paper postulated that, going by Hindu religious texts, ancient Indians had an advanced knowledge of aerodynamics and propulsion. Whether they actually flew could be disputed, but there was little doubt that they knew a lot of things that was discovered by western science only over the last 100 years. The hall at Bangalores Hotel Ashok, where the 1988 Astronautics Congress was being held, was packed with scientists, including Nobel Prize winners, and astronauts. I reported it for the Indian Express and it was duly carried in all editions, many even according Page 1 status to the story. In 1988, Rajiv Gandhi was prime minister of India, the Congress was in power. So, no one accused the organizers of the conference of trying to saffronize space science. Newspapers did not write editorials saying that the standards of the congress had been lowered. It doesnt take great intelligence to see that any opposition to the two papers being presented at the Mysore congress is purely political. If the Congress was in power, these interesting papers would probably end up as boxed items on page 3 of our newspapers. But, with the BJP in power, everything acquires a new sinister dimension. Judging by the reports appearing in some dailies and news portals, this is just another attempt to promote Hinduism by the state. Which is rubbish. To understand why, take a deeper look at the two papers being presented. First, the symposium on Shiva as an environmentalist. The title is somewhat misleading. What Akhilesh K Pandey, the author, is saying here is that the way in which Shiva is described and perceived shows that ancient Indians were very aware of ecology and sustainability. The paper details how Shiva is pictured. For instance, the number of beads on his rudraksha necklace signifies the number of elements. Similarly, other symbols associated with him signify many other things, some of which having environmental significance. The takeaway here is that the description of Shiva in the ancient texts shows that Indians who wrote the texts understood the need for conservation. But Pandeys main crime seems to be that he is a civil servant from BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh. In the eyes of Modis critics, this makes his bona fides very suspect. Second, is Rajeev Sharmas contention that blowing a conch can actually improve your health. Its strange that this is even being questioned as any pulmonologist will tell you that this is indeed the truth. Its also true that there are health benefits from blowing balloons or playing wind and brass instruments. Patients who have undergone bypass surgery will tell you that their closest friend, post-surgery, is a toy comprising three tubes and three coloured balls that they need to blow into many times a day to improve lung capacity. But, since the shank is connected to Hindu rituals, some people feel that its name should not to be mentioned with science in the same sentence. This attitude is worse than politics, this is bottom feeding. If anyone has a problem with this, they must attend the session and ask Sharma if there are alternative things that they can blow! The problem with the criticism that the Indian science congress has been attracting over the past two years is that most of it is not coming from scientists. Its fueled mainly by non-scientists and a hyperactive media, which sees controversy in every page of our ancient texts. There is a lot of science in old Indian scriptures and digging it out need not always be pseudoscience. Scientists recognise bad science when they see it, if they are not interested they wont attend. They dont need the help of armchair intellectuals and the media to show them the way. Even before the combing operations officially ended at the Pathankot air base following a three-long day gun battle with Pakistan-based terrorists, dramatic scenes unfolded outside the defence installation on Wednesday evening when a suspicious man carrying a bag tried to jump over the barricade in an attempt to enter the compound. Panic gripped the entire area as gun-totting Garud commandos rushed towards the man and pinned him down awaiting for more forces to arrive. In no time, live images beamed all over with a huge media contingent already present there covering the air base attack. Personnel of the Punjab Police, National Security Guards and Army commandos arrived soon enough as the Garuds forced the man to lie on the ground and surrounded him aiming their guns on him from a point blank range. Traffic on the highway that connects Jammu to Pathankot was also stopped immediately as the the crowd of curious onlookers kept on increasing. However, after conducting a search, it was found that he did not pose any threat, Times Now reported. Subsequently, police sources told CNN-IBN that the man could be mentally unstable. When the man was questioned by police personnel, he could not give coherent answers, the channel said. Given the mood near the air base, the crowd that witnessed the whole action right in front of their eyes filled the air with patriotic slogans of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and with slogans praising the security forces. A similar scare was witnessed on Tuesday after an explosion was heard at the air base ahead of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's scheduled interaction with the media there. However, sources later said that it was a controlled explosion and that it was part of the combing operations. Seven security personnel were killed after terrorists stormed the air base on 2 January in Pathankot. With inputs from PTI Barely three months after the lynching of a man in Dadri led to the issue of tensions between religious communities hitting the headlines, West Bengal is now seeing communal tension. On 3 January, a police station in the state's Malda district was set on fire after a large Muslim protest rally turned violent. Following the clashes, ten persons have been arrested, and a local BJP leader has also been detained on Wednesday, Times Now has reported. According to a Firstpost article, the inspector-in-charge of Kaliachak police station in Malda, Subhabrata Ghosh, and other officers were wounded when protesters drove them out and set the building on fire. Two persons were said to have sustained bullet injuries. Many important documents were burnt to ashes and 40 vehicles were also allegedly burnt by the mob. The incident has taken place four months before assembly elections are scheduled to be held in West Bengal. The ten persons who were arrested were produced before a local court in Malda on Tuesday and were remanded to police custody, as reported in The Indian Express. However, Idara-e-Shariya, which organised the rally after which the police station was burned, claimed that 'anti-social' elements torched the building, according to The Indian Express report. The protest was held to condemn remarks by an Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamlesh Tiwari, in which he allegedly made insulting comments about Prophet Mohammed, an India Today report said. An eyewitness said that midway during the protest, a section of the crowd broke away from the rally and attacked the police, according to a report in The Hindu. After the violence, police have put in restrictions on people assembling by invoking section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure. Two days after the incident, the Kalichak town wore a deserted look and residents stayed indoors and businesses remained shut, according to a report in India Today. On Wednesday, a BJP delegation led by Shamik Bhattacharya, its lone MLA in West Bengal Assembly, was not allowed to visit Kaliachak village, about 30 km from here, which had witnessed violence on Sunday. A 25-member delegation led by Bhattacharya was detained by the police nd taken to the local police station. But they were released in about ten minutes. The delegation was requested by the police not to visit the village in view of the law and order situation. Later, Bhattacharya told reporters that they wanted to visit the village to know about the exact reason of the Sunday's incident but was not allowed to go. With inputs from PTI Dr APJ Abdul Kalam as President for a second term? Well, why not? He is apolitical, he commands respect across the board, is non-controversial and brings dignity to the high office. He is an inspiration for the young and the perfect brand ambassador for the country outside. The missile mans first term between 2002 and 2007 was exemplary. The only problem is he himself has not yet decided whether to go for another term. Meanwhile, the political grapevine is abuzz with his possible candidature. The BJP has said that it is not averse to Abdul Kalam but it would make up its mind only if the Trinamool Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the Nationalist Congress Party back him. Thats a tall order. It is understood that the BJP does not have the numbers to elect its own nominee but getting the other three parties to support its candidate is not going to be a cakewalk. If the Congress decides to nominate Pranab Mukherjee, since its first choice Vice President Hamid Ansari may not find enough support to sail through, the Trinamool will be forced to back him. The party would not like to displease its electorate in West Bengal by rejecting Mukherjee -- after all, it is a status symbol for the state. Remember how political parties in Maharashtra, including the Shiv Sena, a staunch rival of the Congress in the state, had thrown their weight behind President Pratibha Patil? Pranab has enough goodwill and personal rapport with leaders to get win over the Samajwadi Party and the NCP. But before going into the story, heres a disclaimer. The issue of the next President of India is mostly in the area of speculation right now. While parleys are on, no party has yet come out in the open about its choice. Since neither the Congress nor the BJP and neither the UPA nor the NDA is in a position to elect its candidate a lot of political negotiations and trade-offs are expected in the coming weeks. In the end there might be a consensus candidate. The Congress-led UPA is not expected to push the matter too hard since it has to keep its allies and potential allies on its side -- there are still two more years to go for the general elections and many crucial bills to be passed. If the Trinamool, SP and NCP propose an acceptable joint candidate, the Congress could go with them. The BJP has already rejected the possible candidature of Mukherjee and Ansari, saying the former is a Congressman and the latter a man without stature to be the top executive. It is not likely to support any other candidate backed by the Congress. In that case if the three parties jointly propose the name of Abdul Kalam, then he would most probably go unopposed. This is how things should ideally work out. Kalam should be consensus candidate, not one over whom a larger serious political battle is being fought. If that is not possible then he should say a firm 'no' to the offer of a second term. It does not behove him to be a pawn in political games. The political parties should also be respectful to his stature before dragging him into the presidential debate. All the parties, meanwhile, have started hectic negotiations. Yesterday, Congress leader AK Antony met DMK leader M Karunanidhi. It is also trying to rope in both the BSP and the SP in its support. Some of the parties, including the Left, are not averse to Pranabs candidature. But as the chief crisis manager and trouble shooter of the Congress, he is too crucial a person to be wasted in a position that is of no use to the party. From all indications, Kalam looks the right choice. However, he should make up his mind first. Despite the fact that the BJP won the state assembly polls for Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand held in 2014 and was able to form a coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir in alliance with PDP because of its numbers in J&K state polls, Amit Shah did not really have what one might call a successful year as BJP national president. Amit Shah came under a lot of criticism for his style of functioning after the party received the massive drubbing in the Bihar and Delhi state assemblies. However, Shah is most likely to be re-elected as BJP president later in January, according to Zee News. And everyone is not happy with this decision. An article in Business Standard said that RSS is against the re-election of Shah as BJP president as it believes that the party and government chief should not belong to the same state. "However, that it has taken nearly 14 months for the RSS to reach this conclusion (Amit Shah was appointed BJP president in July 2014) suggests that the reason for a discussion on his replacement lies elsewhere," said the report. However, since Prime Minister Narendra Modi is quite adamant on renewing Shah's tenure as the BJP chief, RSS does not want to displease him. "How to break this deadlock would be the central theme of the discussion when the top Sangh leaders meet at Jalgaon," an article in Scroll said. But we have enough indications that despite the disastrous performances in the Delhi and Bihar assembly elections and widespread criticism of Amit Shahs style of functioning, Modi is determined to get him re-elected as the BJP president, the report quoted an RSS leader as saying. A defeat in high-stakes Bihar poll triggered first real open challenge to party chief Amit Shah as veteran L K Advani, who has headed the organisation on more occasions than any other leader, was joined by three other seniors in bringing Shah's leadership style into question. Shah's hands-on, quick and assertive manners are seen as a departure from the practices of previous party bosses who believed in collective approach and sought consensus even if it delayed the decision-making. A party leader said that the BJP chief had spent more time in his office or travelling states in building the organisation in a year than some of his predecessors did in their entire tenure. Amit Shah also got involved in a fairly large amount of controversies in the last year. Perhaps his biggest mistake which continues to haunt the party to this date was when in February last year, Shah made a huge blunder while answering a question on Modi's claims to bring back black money to the country. "Modijis statement was a jumla that was given during the Lok Sabha polls. Everybody knows that this black money doesnt go to accounts of people," Shah had said. Another one of Shah's most controversial statements was when in October, he had said that fire crackers will burst in Pakistan if his party loses Bihar assembly elections. "Do you want the return of Jungle Raj-2? If by any mistake BJP loses, victory and defeat may be in Bihar but fire crackers will go off in Pakistan. Do you want crackers being burst in Pakistan?" he had said at an election rally in Raxaul. Just after the Bihar rout, Shah had yet again kicked up a row after he had said that Jana Sangh leader Nanaji Deshmukh had set an example in politics by retiring at the age of 60. Because of such widespread criticism, even though Shah will retain his position as BJP national president, the saffron party will also be revamped after the re-election. According to the Zee News report, some new faces will be inducted into the party while some of the leaders who have not been performing well will be sacked. The Business Standard report also said that the party has planned breakfast meetings of ministers with BJP workers for better co-ordination between the party and the government. Now, there are a string of state elections coming up - Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha. And even if Amit Shah is back as BJP president, 2016 is probably going to be a challenging year for him. With inputs from agencies New Delhi: AAP MLA Alka Lamba on Tuesday alleged that Home and Finance Secretary SN Sahai was working to "weaken the elected government" of the national capital. In a letter to Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, Lamba said that Sahai was unhappy with Delhi government's decision to scrap Rs 800 crore project under Shahjanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC). "In a meeting of SRDC held on September 23, 2015, whose members are Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, PWD Minister Satyendar Jain, Finance and Home Secretary SN Sahai and SMDC's MD Faiz Hasmi, were present. The meeting lasted for around one hour following which the Deputy CM and PWD Minister left and directed to continue with the meeting. "The moment meeting commenced, SN Sahai started questioning the decisions of government and convince others to do the same. He was upset over Delhi government reversing the decision of scrapping Rs 800 crore projects," Lamba claimed. Despite repeated attempts, Sahai was not available for comment. Incidentally, last week the Delhi government and DANICS were at loggerheads over suspension of two officials, following which the DANICS officers association had taken a decision to go on one-day mass casual leave as a mark of protest. The AGMUT-cadre IAS officers association too extended support to the DANICS officers association. Lamba, who is a Parliamentary Secretary to the Delhi government, further stated in her letter that she had said that the tram project in the Old Delhi would cost Rs 800 crore and take 3 to 4 years whereas starting an electric tram service would incur only Rs 20 crore and take only 6 months to a year to implement. "Since this (the option of electric tram) would cost less time and money, all members gave their consent. But Sahai said that he is Finance Secretary and it is only he who will decide whether to spent Rs 800 crore or Rs 20 crore. "I was surprised. How could an officer of the Delhi government talk like about his own government," Lamba alleged in the letter. PTI Pyongyangs widely-reported hydrogen bomb test on Wednesday has unsurprisingly drawn flak from across the world. The response from the media in neighbouring South Korea was a combination of concern, denunciation, skepticism and ridicule. Heres a sample: Most Korean dailies including The Korea Times led with President Park Geun-hyes statement, which referred to the test as a serious challenge. "The government will seek to get the North to face UN sanctions and firm counteraction from allied nations, including the United States, she threatened and added, If provoked, the South will firmly retaliate against the North's provocations. The newspaper also tapped into the sentiment of common South Koreans, who slammed North Korea and slightly less expectedly, also criticised Seoul and its National Intelligence Service (NIS) for their failure to anticipate the tests. The report quoted a variety of internet users, including one who said, The North pours almost its entire national budget into the weapons development program while its people are starving to death in the streets Another user was quoted as saying, What did the NIS do? How are we supposed to sit quiet and feel safe, when we can't be sure of the possibility of a bomb going off at any given moment? But were there any warning signs? As it turns out, there were. The Chosun Ilbo had carried a report two days before the test in which it cited a 2 December, 2015 analytical piece by 38 North, a website under the purview of the US-Korea Institute at the John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. According to 38 North, satellite imagery strongly indicated that Pyongyang was in the process of excavating a new tunnel for nuclear testing at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site. This indicates that there may be more tests in the pipeline. A Korea Herald report carried a broader critique of Seouls entire policy on Pyongyang. Seoul has not been active enough to tackle the nuclear issue so far, Korea Herald quoted Park Won-gon, security expert at Handong Global University, as saying, adding, Seoul has long called for Pyongyangs sincerity. But the North cannot be a country from which we can anticipate sincerity. Reminding its readers that North Korea had in the past conducted nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013, the newspaper warned that it must now be viewed very differently. Park was quoted in another report as saying that the country must be seen as a de facto nuclear power given its stockpiles and capabilities although the international community does not recognise it as such. Despite this cautious stand, most newspapers questioned the authenticity of Pyongyangs claims. Citing the fact that a hydrogen bomb would have created a greater impact than the one caused by Wednesdays test, The Korea Times cited a report submitted to the National Assemblys Intelligence Committee by the NIS that stated, The energy released during the North's last nuclear test in 2013 was 7,900 tons of TNT. Today's test was only 6,000 tons If their claim was true, released energy from the test would be at least dozens of kilotons." Meanwhile, Korea Herald also referred to the same report, and quoted intelligence officials who said that it was difficult to tell for sure whether or not it was an H-bomb. They are quoted as saying though that while this may not have been the real deal, its a step in that direction: A boosted fission bomb to be precise which is also called a 1.5-generation nuclear bomb as opposed to the hydrogen bomb which is a second-generation bomb. Some reports in the South Korean media are looking into the future, specifically, the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland from 20 to 23 January. The Hankyoreh points out that this is the first time a North Korean official will be attending the forum in 18 years. A desperate need for foreign investment has Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong all set to make the trip to Davos. However, the report cautions that Pyongyangs focus on nuclear weapons is likely to act as a major deterrent to any foreign investors. The Chosun Ilbo, in the meantime, took a more oblique view of this development. Apparently, North Koreas supreme leader Kim Jong-uns schooling in Switzerland between the early 1990s and 2000 led to him acquiring a certain taste for Swiss-made luxury goods, including the Movado watches reportedly sported by Kim and his wife Ri Sol-ju. The report concludes that Kim also seems to have tried to persuade dairy producers to make Emmental-style cheese, but experiments failed and he now has to import the genuine article. Just what everyone needs on a day when North Korea reportedly tested an H-bomb: Imported cheese. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today stepped in to allay fears of different chief ministers on the country's federal fabric concerning the composition of National Counter-Terrorism Centre. "I have, however, noted your concerns about the manner in which the NCTC will function and am asking the Home Minister to address them suitably, in consultation with you and other Chief Ministers," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wrote in his letter to seven chief ministers. Countering the allegation that the NCTC will infuse the Centre with ruthless power over states, he said, "In forming the NCTC, it is not the government's intent in any way to affect the basic features of the Constitutional provisions and allocation of powers between the States and the Union." Singh also explained the rationale behind putting the NCTC under IB in his letter. "The primary purpose of the NCTC is to coordinate counter-terrorism efforts throughout the country, as the IB has been doing so far. It is for this reason that the NCTC has been located within the IB and not as a separate organisation," the prime minister wrote. Singh also focussed on the fact that the NCTC was constituted on the basis of a suggestion given by a Group of Ministers in 2001. It may be mentioned that the National Democratic Alliance government under the leadership of prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was in power during the period. "As you may be aware, the idea of such a centre has been under consideration by Government since the Group of Ministers report of 2001 suggested a Joint Task Force on Intelligence and the report was accepted by the Government of the day. It was also suggested by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission that a National Centre for Counter Terrorism be established," he said. The prime minister wrote to seven chief ministers of Tripura, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Gujarat, West Bengal, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Earlier, the PMO had tweeted out the gist of the letter. It was quite a show stopper. You had to stop doing all the important things one catches up on while watching news on television folding clothes, writing text messages, downloading movies on to the laptop, etc. etc. when you suddenly caught the most powerful man in the world brushing away tears rolling down his cheeks. You couldnt miss them. The cameras were trained firmly on them and the light glistened brightly on them, his cheeks were wet indeed. The words that preceded them gave you no inkling something so big was about to happen. Barack Obama was supposed to announce stricter gun control in the new year so it was no surprise he was outlining some measures to that effect at a town hall meeting of families who had lost their near and dear ones in Americas depressingly frequent acts of non-terrorist gun violence. More than half way through the speech, the US President said, Every time I think the about those kids, it gets me mad. And thats when his eyes welled up. Predictably enough, social media has been flooded by those who believe he was sincere and was genuinely overcome by emotion and by diehard Obama haters and gun lobbyists who think it was sheer play acting and wholly bunkum. Maybe it was, maybe not. But I prefer to believe it was truly a moving moment and not just for those in America. To begin with, it was nice to see a grown man cry openly and not feel the urge to brush it off as something in my eye or the lights were too bright or some such patently lame excuse just to avoid appearing weak or like a woman. Of course in this day and age of metrosexual men, the male of the species showing his softer side is no great crime but its still not that common either. That is why the boys dont cry ad, broadcast on our television channels shortly after the ghastly Nirbhaya incident in Delhi, was so talked about. By tracing the roots of all sorts of violence against women to this adage that is dinned into the heads of every male practically from the day he is born the ad made a great plea for letting boys (and men) cry their heart out. So a world leader bubbling in public is salutary indeed. Let all get the message: evolved men are not ashamed of shedding tears in public. Even better when the weeping male is a politician to boot. We are so inured to politicians who dont care, who are in it for all they can get out of it that we have lost all faith in politicians as human beings. Wouldnt it be great if politicians felt compelled to demonstrate that they really cared about whatever they were trying to sell to the voters with a dose of real emotions? And it wont all be play acting. Not all politicians can be such great actors that they would be able to fool all the people all the time with their histrionics (or they would have been in Bollywood instead). People would soon be able to make out whos faking it and whos not. This is all the more important when it comes to women politicians, and we have a fair sprinkling of them in our midst. Women in public life feel even more compelled to show that they are not swayed by emotions, that they are not saps in short. Maybe it began with Indira Gandhi, who used to say, As a prime minister, I am not a woman. I am a human being. Ignoring her gender was her way of becoming the only one to wear pants in her cabinet. Whether it is Jayalalitha or Mayawati or Mamata Banerjee, the emotion our women politicians do not find embarrassing to display is anger, often venomous anger, but tears, never ever. Mamata Banerjee would rush to the homes of almost every victim of rape or other acts of violence when the Left was in power in West Bengal, she would vent her spleen at the then ruling dispensation in no uncertain terms but tearing up was just not an option. Once, enraged by the machinations of her fellow party men when she was still in the Congress, she threatened to commit suicide in public with a black shawl she had wrapped around her, but even then there were no tears of rage wetting her cheeks. Maybe its time we had some lachrymose politicians amongst us, if not for any other reason than to add some variety to our forever steaming television debates. Pathankot: We were blindfolded, our hands tied behind our backs and the terrorists numbering four-five threatened to kill us if we tried to look up, Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh, whose vehicle was forcibly taken away by the heavily-armed militants, said today. Armed with AK 47 rifles, the terrorists initially had no clue that he was a police officer. It was only when his gunman called him and the terrorists picked up his mobile that they realised the person they had caught was a senior officer, Salwinder said. After they were blindfolded, the terrorists took two of his three mobiles and fled with his vehicle. The hooter in his vehicle also made it clear to the terrorist that the vehicle belonged to a police officer. They came back to kill me but by then I had freed my hands and moved from the spot, he said. Asked why he was in civilian clothes and did not have his gunman with him, Salwinder said he was returning after offering prayers at the Pir Baba and that was the reason he chose not to take the police escort. Light band karo, ordered one of the terrorist while another asked us to kneel down. If you look up we will shoot you on the spot, Salwinder recounted and added that the terrorists spoke in Urdu, Punjabi and also Hindi. Since it was dark we could not make out the exact number of terrorists but it looked like about four to five, he said. Salwinder said the terrorists had stopped his vehicle when he along with his jeweller friend Rajesh Verma and cook Madan Gopal were returning after paying obeisance at Narot Jaimal Singh in the wee hours of Friday. They were carrying AK 47 and GPS, he said, adding, We were dumped along with my cook, he said. When they came to know that I was a SP then they told Rajesh that you have deceived us and you will have to face consequences, Salwinder said. Rajesh was attacked by the militants who later dumped him. He is recuperating at a hospital. Soon after the SPs abduction, the terrorists had attacked the air base. Security forces had yesterday killed two more Pakistani terrorists inside the Pathankot air base with the government saying that six attackers had thus been neutralised. However, it was not clear whether all the intruders who attacked the base have been eliminated. PTI By Seema Guha North Koreas maverick leader, the youthful Kim Jong-un has sent the world into a tailspin by conducting a successful nuclear test. Todays underground test is much more sophisticated than the last one in 2013 and is said to be a Hydrogen bomb. But at the moment it is too early to confirm Pyongyongs claims of a H-bomb, which if true has much more potential to destroy than an atomic device. But one thing is clear, that this particular test is not a rudimentary one like the ones before. Kim Jong-un, the authoritarian leader of one of the worlds most isolated and secretive regimes is aiming at consolidating his domestic popularity by unleashing an unprecedented nationalist fervor at a time when North Koreans have little cause to celebrate. Kim Jong-un came out with a triumphant statement after the test. "Let's begin the year of 2016 -- a glorious and victorious year when the historic seventh conference of the Workers' Party of Korea will be held -- with a thrilling sound of the first hydrogen bomb explosion, so that the whole world will look up to our socialist, nuclear-armed republic of Juche and the great Workers' Party of Korea!" North Korean calculation Former Indian ambassador to Seoul, ambassador Skand Dayal, who had watched developments in North Korea from a vantage point, said he was not surprised by the test as the leadership is committed to safeguard its interest by developing nuclear weapons. "They believe that nuclear weapons are an insurance against punitive action by the US and its allies. They have seen what has happened to unfriendly regimes like Saddam Hussain in Iraq, Muammar Gaddafi in Libya and believe that the West will hesitate before attacking a nuclear armed nation. Todays test is just another step in that direction," said Dayal. He also pointed to North Koreas attempts to develop the inter-continental ballistic missile to hit the American mainland. "These efforts have been on for quite sometime, nothing unusual." Reports of North Korea testing these missiles in December are also coming in. "North Koreas actions have to be understood in the context of their own calculations," he explained. UNSC Emergency meet can achieve little The North Korean test has led to anxiety across the world. The UNSC will have an emergency meeting late Wednesday to take stock of the situation. But there is little leverage that the world has on North Korea. The nation has been under sanctions for several decades. It has a closed state run economy and very little international exposure. Its only friends are China and Pakistan. Unless China decides on sanctions, which it will not, fresh sanctions will have little affect on the regime. Instead the revival of six nation talks are more likely. British foreign secretary Philip Hammond, currently on a visit to China has hinted at an early resumption of dialogue. China will offer to facilitate revival of dialogue. "No one expects China to agree to harsh measures against North Korea. Condemning Pyongyang is one thing, but it is expected to bat for its friend in the UNSC," said Rakesh Sood, a former diplomat and an expert on nuclear issues. China, has criticised the test. It is a major embarrassment for Beijing, now in the big league and wanting to act the responsible world power not to have been able to stop North Korea. China had been advising Pyongyang not to go ahead with its nuclear ambitions. However it does not seem to have made much of a difference. Despite this Beijing is not likely to abandon Pyongyang. South Korea called it a "grave provocation". Tokyo sees the test as a "major threat" to its security. Japans cabinet secretary has called for a meeting to review the situation. Such provocation by North Korea will help Japans nationalist Prime Minister Shino Abe accelerate the pace of making Japan a normal power. He has already amended clauses of Japans Constitution to make its defence forces give up the nations pacifist policy which had been in place since its defeat in World War II. The move which did not have all around support among Japanese citizens. Now with North Koreas test, more and more Japanese may come round to Abes views. What is more, those pushing for a nuclear armed Japan may not use the North Korean threat to push their agenda for going nuclear. India-North Korea India dubbed the test a "matter of grave concern" and said that North Korea has acted "in violation of its international commitments in this regard." New Delhis relations with Pyongyang can at best be termed as lukewarm. It remains engaged and sends out humanitarian aid in times of crisis. North Koreas Foreign Minster Ri Su Yong was in India last August on a rare visit. He met with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and called on Vice President Hamid Ansari. Indias ties with North Korea can best be described as lukewarm, which is why the visit raised a few eyebrows. Swaraj raised Indias security concerns with the visitor. ends Pakistan is a firm friend of the North Korean regime. In the past it received missile technology from Pyongyang. In exchange, Pakistani scientist AQ Khan passed on the designs of centrifugal rings for nuclear plants. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Iranian diplomats have left Saudi Arabia after the kingdom severed all ties with Tehran following attacks on its mission in the Islamic republic, Saudi state media said on Wednesday. The staff of the Iranian embassy in Riyadh and those of the consulate in Jeddah left "on board a private Iranian plane," state news agency SPA reported. Iran's official state broadcaster IRIB said the diplomats have arrived in Tehran, showing pictures of their plane after it landed at Tehrans Mehrabad Airport. It said the plane carried 54 Iranian diplomats and their families, who were welcomed by one of Irans deputy foreign ministers. Saudi diplomats in Iran returned to the kingdom on Tuesday, Saudi media reported. Riyadh severed diplomatic ties and air links with Tehran after angry crowds set fire to its embassy in the Iranian capital and its consulate in Mashhad. The weekend protests were in response to Riyadh's execution of leading Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, a driving force behind Shiite protests in 2011. The Iranian ambassador to Saudi Arabia Hossein Sadeghi was quoted on state television as saying that anger at Nimr's execution was natural but the response was not. "Although protest is a civil right, an assault on an embassy and infringing commitments can damage the image of the Islamic republic," he said. "This move was unacceptable and wrong and we should learn a lesson so that, while preserving the right to protest, such an act should not happen," he added. AFP Seoul: North Korea announced on Wednesday that it had successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb test, a development that, if confirmed, would marking a stunning step forward in its nuclear development. "The republic's first hydrogen bomb test has been successfully performed at 10 am on 6 January, 2016, based on the strategic determination of the Workers' Party," a state television news reader announced. "With the perfect success of our historic H-bomb, we have joined the rank of advanced nuclear states," the announcer said, adding that the test was of a "miniaturised" device. The surprise test was personally ordered by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and came just two days before his birthday. Only last month, during remarks made during an inspection tour, Kim had suggested Pyongyang had already developed a hydrogen bomb although the claim was greeted with scepticism by international experts. A hydrogen, or thermonuclear device, uses fusion in a chain reaction that results in a far more powerful explosion. "The latest test, completely based on our technology and our manpower, confirmed that our newly-developed technological resources are accurate and scientifically demonstrated the impact of our miniaturised H-bomb," the TV announcer said. The announcement will leave the international community scrambling to verify the accuracy of the North's claims. Most experts had assumed Pyongyang was years from developing a thermonuclear bomb, while assessments were divided on how far it had gone in mastering the technology to miniaturise a device that could fit on a ballistic missile. While vowing to stick by a no-first use policy, Wednesday's statement said Pyongyang would continue to pursue an advanced nuclear strike capability. "As long as the vicious anti-North policy of the US persists, we will never stop development of our nuclear programme," it said Suspicions over a possible nuclear test Pyongyang's fourth were first raised by seismologists who said they had detected a 5.1 magnitude tremor next to its main atomic test site in the northeast of the country. The website of the China Earthquake Network Centre described the seismic activity as a "suspected explosion", while the Japanese government said there was a strong possibility that "this might be a nuclear test". The US Geological Survey said the epicentre of the quake detected at 10 am Pyongyang time (0130 GMT) was in the northeast of the country, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) northwest of Kilju city, placing it right next to the Punggye-ri nuclear test site. Any confirmation of the test will trigger widespread international condemnation of North Korea, which has already conducted three nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013 -- all at Punggye-ri. It would certainly result in a tightening of international sanctions imposed after the North's previous nuclear and ballistic missile tests. In Seoul, the presidential Blue House called an emergency meeting of the National Security Council, as officials scrambled to confirm the precise nature of the tremor. Researchers at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University said last month that recent satellite images showed North Korea was excavating a new tunnel at Punggye-ri. "While there are no indications that a nuclear test is imminent, the new tunnel adds to North Korea's ability to conduct additional detonations over the coming years if it chooses to do so," they said at the time. A nuclear test is as a major slap in the face to the North's chief ally China and extinguish any chance of a resumption of six-country talks on North Korea's nuclear programme that Beijing has been pushing for. After its last nuclear test in 2013, the North restarted a plutonium reactor that it had shut down at its Yongbyon complex in 2007 under an aid-for-disarmament accord. The Yongbyon reactor is capable of producing six kilograms (13 pounds) of plutonium a year enough for one nuclear bomb Pyongyang is currently believed to have enough plutonium for as many as six bombs, after using part of its stock for at least two of its three atomic tests to date. It is still unclear whether the 2013 test used plutonium or uranium as its fissile material. A basic uranium bomb is no more potent than a basic plutonium one, but the uranium enrichment path holds various advantages for the North, which has substantial deposits of uranium ore. Uranium enrichment carries a far smaller footprint than plutonium and can be carried out using centrifuge cascades in relatively small buildings that give off no heat. With inputs from AFP What's not to love about a vigilante politician? Closer home, Arvind Kejriwal is one. In Karachi, Alamgir, a senior politician in the Opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (Pakistan Movement for Justice) in an "apolitical" campaign stenciled Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah on the streets of Pakistan urging him to fix the city's neglected problems. Syed Qaim Ali Shah Alamgir Khan refers to the chief minister as a "sleeping beauty" in his Facebook posts. " Ideas are Bulletproof "I have launched a campaign against the Sleeping Beauties in KARACHI. I will try to highlight every single problematic thing faced by Aam Aadmi of Karachi. And definitely i alone cant make it. I urge all young Karachites to join me in this cause Posted by Alamgir Khan on Saturday, January 2, 2016 Focused on the problems of the average man or woman in Karachi the Aam Aadmi, Alamgir has taken it upon himself to get the chief minister to act on his words. The politician is quoted in The Dawn as saying, "this is an innovative way of drawing the chief minister's attention, and is not being done out of disrespect to the chief minister," and that he did not consider his acts as unethical. Alamgir officially launched a Facebook page, 'Fix It' as a non-political platform to address the local issues faced by Aam Aadmi of Pakistan. Berlin: Police sealed off German Chancellor Angela Merkel's office to check a suspicious package as ministers gathered for a cabinet meeting in the building early on Wednesday. Ministers carried on with their regular meeting after police cordoned off area around the Chancellery in central Berlin, a Reuters witness said. Four plastic yellow postal crates were left outside the entrance, the witness added. "We are investigating a suspicious package," a spokesman for Germany's Federal Police told Reuters. Officers were waiting for specialists to inspect the package, he added. In 2010, police intercepted a packaged containing explosives sent from Greece to Merkel's office in Berlin. Europe has entered 2016 under a state of heightened alert, seven weeks after Islamist militants killed 130 people in shootings and suicide blasts across Paris. The incident follows a security scare over New Year after police received a tip that militants from Iraq and Syria were planning attacks in Munich. Reuters WASHINGTON Republican U.S. presidential candidates on Wednesday faulted President Barack Obama's "feckless" and "failed" foreign policy for letting North Korea bolster its nuclear arms capabilities, while also blaming Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. The Republicans, who often criticise Obama's handling of foreign affairs including Syria's civil war, the rise of Islamic State and the agreement to curb Iran's nuclear program, made their comments after North Korea said it tested a miniaturised hydrogen nuclear device on Wednesday. The United States expressed doubts about North Korea's claim. Clinton, who served as Obama's secretary of state from 2009 to 2013, condemned North Korea's move as a "dangerous and provocative act" and said the United States should respond with more sanctions and stronger missile defences. She also defended her performance as Obama's top diplomat. "As secretary, I championed the United States' pivot to the Asia Pacific - including shifting additional military assets to the theatre - in part to confront threats like North Korea and to support our allies," Clinton said in a statement. "I worked to get not just our allies but also Russia and China on board for the strongest sanctions yet." Businessman Donald Trump, leading the race for the Republican nomination in November's election, urged China to rein in its ally North Korea or face trade repercussions. "China should solve that problem," Trump said on Fox News. "And if they don't solve the problem, we should make trade very difficult for China. ... North Korea is totally under their control. Without China, they wouldn't eat," added Trump, who called North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a madman. Jeb Bush, whose brother George W. Bush was president when North Korea conducted its first nuclear test in 2006, said on Twitter: "North Korean nuke test shows danger of continuing feckless Obama/Clinton foreign policy." North Korea has carried out three nuclear tests since. Texas Senator Ted Cruz blamed North Korea's test on the "folly" of failed policies by Obama and Clinton. Cruz said as president he would "rip to shreds" the international agreement on Iran's nuclear program and predicted if Clinton is elected in November Iran would detonate a nuclear weapon, "sadly not as a test," over a city like Tel Aviv, New York or Los Angeles. North Korea's test was "the latest example of the failed Obama-Clinton foreign policy," Florida Senator Marco Rubio said. "I have been warning throughout this campaign that North Korea is run by a lunatic who has been expanding his nuclear arsenal while President Obama has stood idly by." "The Obama administration has been asleep at the switch on North Korea, and that inaction has allowed serious and destabilising actions like this to occur," Ohio Governor John Kasich added. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul advocated drawing on China's influence with North Korea and possibly increasing sanctions on the isolated communist state. "There are no easy solutions," Paul told CNN. "You want me to magically wave a wand and all of a sudden their nuclear weapons are gone?" Clinton's closest Democratic challenger, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, said the first U.S. step should be to "lean on" China to push North Korea to start adhering to international agreements. (Additional reporting by Steve Holland, Michelle Conlin, Susan Heavey and Alana Wise; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Will Dunham) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Guess what, Starbucks Lovers? A new year brings a new coffee concoction for us who runs on coffee everyday! Starting Tuesday, January 5, Starbucks will be adding their newest creation - the "Latte Macchiato" to their menu in selected stores in the US, Canada and some parts of Latin America, available all year round. Yet, no one seems to get exactly what that is. People speculate that the giant coffee chain is running out of names to call their coffee and decided to combine two names from the menu. But according to Starbucks, there are only two ingredients needed to make their newest caffeine infused offering-espresso and milk. Starbucks describes it as: "Steamed whole milk that is perfectly aerated and free-poured creating dense foam reminiscent of meringue. The beverage is then marked by slowly-poured full espresso shots, creating a signature espresso dot." How exactly does this drink differ from our usual Latte and Caramel Macchiato? Macchiato is espresso topped by milk foam, while Latte has steamed milk, and topped with milk foam. In attempts to make it clearer, Starbucks released an infographic in an attempt to clarify the differences between its various espresso. Elyse Wanshel from the Huffington Post has interviewed a Starbucks barista, who was "very patient" in explaining their newest drink. "Essentially, it's an upside-down latte," she (the barista) said. She reiterated that when you pour two shots of espresso into a cup and top it with steamed milk and foam, you are making a Latte. If you did it in reverse-meaning milk foam, steamed milk and espresso on top, that's Starbucks' latest coffee 'invention'. Making the latest Latte Macchiato means letting the steamed milk sit for a while, so that it can turn into a creamier texture, "reminiscent of meringue". After a few minutes, two shots of espresso were added slowly, ending the drink with a cute little brown dot on top. Wanshel illustrates the Latte Macchiato as a drink with very distinct layers-"Due to the milk having a moment to aerate, the drink is a tad thicker. When the espresso is poured into the milk, the bulk of the espresso sits in the middle of the cup. the top layer is pure foam, the middle is pure espresso and the bottom layer is coffee-flavored foam created by some espresso in the middle trickling to the bottom of the cup", she wrote. GIVN bottled water offers a buy one, give one tactic to potentially increase its sales. Liz Skalia, business development VP at the maker of the bottled water, GIVN Goods, said many people would like to be remembered when they make their purchase. So, instead of thinking about oneself, they chose to think about others. Skalia said it was found 9 out of 10 customers prefer to patronize cause goods. 95% reorder rate was given for GIVN since it launched its campaign, according to Food Navigator USA. Likewise, its distribution grew over time since its launch in June 2015, thanks to its "buy one, give one" campaign. Just six months in the market, GIVN already has partnerships with three distributors. The water is already being sold in 50 stores in the Midwest. Readers should learn how to preserve bottle water at its finest. According to The Water Project: "Bottled water is one of many luxuries we afford ourselves in the developed world. We could have chosen fancy cars, the latest iGadget, 52" 3D TVs, or any other excessive use of the resources we have. But given the nature of our work, we recognized that bottled water is an obvious and symbolic choice." Many others are into the buy one give one campaign. Take Valeria Budinich, for example, according to The New Yorker. She said: "That sounds like a better model. It's much easier to make happen at scale, and, my God, the need cannot be more basic." According to WFMY News 2, Target was also into the same buying campaign, as well. Laysha Ward, a Target community relations president said: "We're really excited that families can feel good about shopping at Target." A Target senior vice president of brand and category marketing, Rick Gomez, said: "Our guests should shop with confidence. Target has phenomenal merchandise and we're excited that the Buy One Give One program will inspire guests to share throughout the year." The highly fuel-efficient 787 Dreamliner is enormously popular with airlines, but it has still been a huge money-pit for Boeing (BA 0.92%) over the past decade due to massive cost overruns. This has led to Boeing booking Dreamliner sales at very low profit margins. As low-margin Dreamliner revenue has become a larger percentage of the company total, it has weighed on Boeing's overall margins. Fortunately, Dreamliner profitability could improve radically later this year, as Boeing may be ready to raise the 787's program accounting block at some point in 2016. Understanding Dreamliner profitability The cost of building 787s has exceeded revenue by about $30 billion since production began, and cumulative losses are expected to peak around $33 billion this year. Boeing's "program accounting" system hides these losses from plain view. Under program accounting, for each aircraft family, Boeing estimates the average cost and profit margin for each plane over an "accounting block": a set of planes that the company expects to produce. Typically, production costs fall steeply over the first handful of deliveries and then continue to decline as processes become more efficient. Program accounting smooths overall profitability by offsetting the big losses incurred during the first few years of production with the profits expected later. Boeing initially set the 787 accounting block at 1,100 units when it began deliveries in 2011. It increased the accounting block to 1,300 in late 2013. Essentially, this means that after 787 production becomes cash positive later this year, Boeing expects to recoup the $33 billion in deferred costs over the rest of the 1,300 unit 787 accounting block. That will be roughly 850 planes. Thus, Boeing expects an average cash profit of nearly $40 million on the last 850 Dreamliners in the accounting block. And since production costs will be declining steadily, the last few hundred could be even more profitable, bringing in perhaps $50 million each. Larger accounting block means more profit The upshot of this is that extending the program accounting block adds highly profitable sales from later in the production run. Another 200 Dreamliner sales producing average cash profits of $50 million would increase total program earnings by $10 billion, all else equal. Given the way that program accounting works, these profits would be spread across the entire remaining accounting block. This means that it would have an immediate positive impact on the profit margin reported for each Dreamliner sale. In a best-case scenario, that could increase the profit margin on Boeing's 787 deliveries by 6-7 percentage points. A more likely scenario is that some of the expected future profits would be needed to cover higher-than-expected costs incurred up until now. (Many analysts think that Boeing's current accounting model for the 787 program is too aggressive.) Even that latter scenario would have the benefit of dispelling fears that Boeing will need to take a "reach-forward loss" to write down deferred production costs. Time to raise the accounting block again? To extend the accounting block, Boeing first needs to be reasonably confident that it will sell the additional airplanes. It also needs to be able to estimate revenue and costs for the additional airplanes in the accounting block in order to calculate a profit margin. Boeing is likely to produce far more than 1,300 787s over the life of the program. The company estimates total demand for small widebodies at 4,770 units between 2015 and 2034. The Dreamliner will be Boeing's main weapon in that segment for most (if not all) of that period, and Boeing expects to maintain more than 50% market share. Even incorporating some conservatism into that forecast, Boeing is likely to sell at least 2,000 Dreamliners before the last one rolls off the line. The company already had 1,142 firm orders as of the end of November, and the biggest impediment to sales in recent years has been that the 787 is virtually sold out until 2020. On the expense side, Boeing has significantly reduced costs on the 787-8 in the two-plus years since the last accounting block increase. The larger 787-9 also had a smooth entry into service and production costs for that model are falling, too. Thus, the company should be able to estimate costs well beyond the first 1,300 units by now. The biggest question mark is probably revenue -- i.e. how much Boeing will be able to charge for the Dreamliners it will build seven or eight years from now. Still, Boeing added at least 71 net firm orders to its 787 backlog in 2015 after capturing 41 net firm orders in 2014. If Boeing can continue selling 787s at a steady pace in 2016, it should gain more confidence in pricing for the 2022-2023 period that a program accounting quantity increase would cover. That would give it a green light to raise the accounting block, perhaps to 1,500 units. It's virtually inevitable that Boeing will raise the 787 accounting block again sooner or later. If it's not during 2016, it will almost certainly be during 2017. Whenever the increase occurs, it could drive a step-change in Boeing's profitability -- and investor sentiment. It takes a huge effort to feed the world, and much of the agricultural community relies on companies like Monsanto (MON) to come up with innovative ways to boost crop yields and make their business operations more profitable. Yet recently, lower crop prices have challenged ag producers, and coming into Wednesday's fiscal first-quarter report, Monsanto investors were bracing for a quarterly loss from the maker of seeds, fertilizers, and other ag products. Monsanto's bottom line wasn't as bad as expected, but troubling trends have some investors concerned about the stock's future. Let's take a closer look at how Monsanto did last quarter, and what it sees ahead for the ag community going forward. A mixed bag for Monsanto Monsanto's fiscal first-quarter results gave investors only part of what they had hoped to see. On the sales front, Monsanto suffered a worse-than-expected 23% decline in revenue, to $2.22 billion, far lower than the $2.39 billion consensus forecast among investors. Extensive expenses related to the company's restructuring also hit Monsanto's bottom line, with a net loss of $253 million. The company's $0.11-per-share adjusted net loss was only about half the red ink that investors had expected to see. With one single exception, Monsanto's sales declines came from across the company's segments. The seeds and genomics business suffered a 14% sales drop, to $1.40 billion. A nearly 20% hit to corn-seed sales had the biggest downward impact on the segment. Only soybean sales managed to post an increase, climbing 10% from year-ago levels, while the cotton and vegetable seed divisions both experienced falling sales. Pre-tax operating results swung to a loss of $333 million, with the bulk of that coming from restructuring charges. Meanwhile, in the agricultural productivity segment, Monsanto's sales fell by more than a third, to $820 million, and pre-tax profit took an 85% hit to just $59 million. Monsanto's executive team emphasized the opportunities that the company has. "In a challenging agriculture environment," CEO Hugh Grant said, "We remain in a position of strength ... that positions us to be a leading partner in an industry that will continue to change." Chief Technology Officer Robb Fraley shared his CEO's optimism, noting that, "this is an exciting time in agriculture and within our company as we continue to expand the breadth and pace of innovation." What's ahead for Monsanto? Despite its long-term opportunities, Monsanto could face tough times in the immediate future. The company said that it now expects its full-year adjusted earnings to come in toward the low-end of its previous guidance range of between $5.10 and $5.60 per share, citing the currency devaluation in Argentina as one contributing factor among many affecting the global economy, generally, and the ag industry, in particular. Nevertheless, Monsanto sees a recovery ahead. Gross profit growth of 5% to 7% for the seeds and genomics business should come largely from greater use of new corn-hybrid products, adoption of its Intacta RR2 Pro soybean product, and expected new licensing opportunities that, in total, should add about $275 million to the company's take. Monsanto also expects a rise of 10% to 35% in gross profits for its agricultural productivity business, rising to $900 million to $1.1 billion as it aims to keep selling its products at premium prices compared to similar generic items. The elephant in the room for Monsanto is what impact the anticipated merger between rivals DuPont (DD) and Dow Chemical (DOW) will have on its business. The two companies expect to complete their combination, but then break themselves up into three separate entities, one of which will focus specifically on agriculture. With both Dow and DuPont having seed and crop protection businesses, combining the two has both companies excited about the potential for synergies and greater market share. That will make the combined Dow-DuPont entity a bigger force against Monsanto, and force it, once again, to consider strategic combinations of its own. Monsanto shares didn't react strongly to the news, initially falling in pre-market trade immediately after the announcement, but then recovering to the unchanged level in the opening minutes of the regular trading session. Given the challenges in agriculture right now, Monsanto will have to prove its resiliency in adapting to changing conditions throughout 2016 and beyond. This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices. In the various healing traditions around the world, certain herbs are deemed longevity-enhancers by virtue of their numerous health benefits. This year I have four longevity herbs to watch and use, based on established and new science and breakthroughs over the past 2015 year. Schizandra has been used extensively in Traditional Chinese Medicine for over 2,000 years. Schizandra is the berry of a climbing vine native to northeast China and parts of Russia. It is now also cultivated in the northeastern U.S. The berry is known as an adaptogen, and aids in energy, stamina, endurance. It is considered a valuable sex tonic, and demonstrates liver-protective properties. New science published in 2015 showed that schizandra possesses anti-HIV properties, and may inhibit the replication of the virus. This does not mean that the berry and its preparations are HIV cures, but they may prove valuable in helping to control the disease. Schizandra also now has been shown to help combatting inflammatory bowel disease. We have seen this same activity with elderberry and some other berries, and now schizandra. This anti-inflammatory activity is likely due to the deep red pigments in the berry. Additional 2015 science showed that schizandra provides valuable protection to the kidneys, helps to inhibit some human lung cancers, and acts against chlamydia bacteria, an STD. In the cosmetic world, additional science shows benefits for skin revitalization. Some of this is due to antioxidant protection, and some to the skin-renewing properties of the berry. Schizandra is available mostly as a nutritional supplement. Cranberry, the original North American berry, is primarily known as a condiment at Thanksgiving. But cranberry is also a potent aid in fighting UTIs urinary tract infections. New 2015 research on cranberry concentrated on improved urinary tract health among men and women, reduced UTIs, and reduced nighttime urination. For reasons that are not entirely understood, cranberry is of special value to the urinary tract. Much of this is due to the ability of the berry to prevent harmful bacteria from sticking to walls of the urinary tract. The capacity of cranberry to reduce UTIs was affirmed in various studies this past year. Its use for reducing frequency of nighttime urination is due to its ability to promote more thorough urination. Further recent research shows additional protective properties of nutrients in cranberry against inflammation and oxidation, as well as enhanced protection against ovarian, esophageal and prostate cancers. Cranberry is clearly showing itself to be one of the great superberries. Cranberry is available as a whole berry, in various sauces and preparations, as a juice, and as a nutritional supplement. Cordyceps is a precious fungus typically harvested in the wild in the mountains of Asia, that has been employed medicinally for close to 3.000 years. Traditionally, it has been employed for its benefits to the heart and respiration, for its energy-boosting effects, and for anti-aging purposes. In human cardiovascular studies, use of cordyceps lowered serum triglycerides and cholesterol overall, and increased beneficial HDL levels. Cordyceps enhances nutritional blood supply to the organs and extremities, specifically increasing blood supply to the brain and defending the heart against stress. The herb boosts respiration and the bodys use of oxygen, and helps to improve cases of chronic asthma and bronchitis. Cordyceps also possesses antioxidants which delay cellular destruction, and demonstrates anti-inflammatory activity. As if that werent enough, cordyceps further helps to protect the liver and kidneys against damage. Analysis of cordyceps reveals natural substances, including cordycepin and adenosine, which boost immunity, increase stamina, and improve recovery from fatigue. Results of various studies show that cordyceps does in fact enhance performance. Perhaps the biggest new breakthrough with cordyceps is that it can be successfully cultured in laboratories. This not only eliminates problems with contamination, but also enables producers to significantly concentrate the active principles of this remarkable health aid. Cordyceps is available as a nutritional supplement. Jiaogulan is a longevity tea employed for 3000 years in Asia. You may likely be unfamiliar with this herb, but that will change as its star rises in the West. The tea is indigenous to the southern areas of China, southeast Asia and Japan. The leaf is used as a longevity tea and is rich in compounds of a type found in ginseng. Jiaogulan leaf is packed with powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents as well.Research shows numerous benefits from Jiaogulan. Regular use of the tea helps to lower cholesterol, control high blood pressure, and strengthen immune function. Last year was a good year for jiaogulan research. Various studies found that the leaf possesses anti-prostate cancer activity. Research also supported the herbs already well-known benefits for stress reduction. Investigation into the anti-cancer properties of jiaogulan showed new activity against colorectal, lung and liver cancers. Additional research found new protection against DNA damage. Jiaogulan is available as both a tea and a nutritional supplement. Stay healthy! A Minnesota mother who gave birth to conjoined twins in August, knowing that one likely wouldnt survive, has had her visiting hours reinstated at the hospital where the surviving twin is being treated, FOX31 Denver reported. Amber McCollough will be allowed to spend four hours per day with her daughter, Hannah, who survived the separation surgery. Childrens Hospital Colorado allegedly had barred McCollough from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit after restricting her visiting hours six weeks prior, the website reported. The hospital would not confirm the decision reversal to FOX31 Denver, citing the privacy of the patient and family in compliance with HIPAA privacy regulations. This shouldnt happen to anyone. This is a complete abuse of power, and my daughter is sitting in a hospital room paying for it because she cant have [her] mom there, McCullough told FOX31 Denver. McCullough is raising money to move her daughter, now 4 months old, to Boston Childrens Hospital after her visiting access was restricted in November to three hours per day. She claims the hospital banned her from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit after she told a nurse of her plans. McCulloughs attorney, James Avery, called the restriction an act of retaliation because it came a day after McCullough filed a complaint regarding her daughters care with the state health department. McCullough claimed the hospital waited too long to perform emergency surgery Nov. 17 after her an incision in her daughters neck ruptured, FOX 31 Denver reported. Its retaliation over the transfer, McCullough told FOX 31 Denver of the visitation restriction. Theyve made it very clear that theyre not happy about the prospect of transfer. According to a post on McCulloughs GoFundMe page, she is planning to go ahead with the hospital transfer and has secured the necessary funds. Women in Oregon no longer need a doctor's prescription to get birth control pills, according to a new state law. Instead, they can fill out a health questionnaire and receive oral contraceptives from a licensed pharmacist. The law removes barriers to birth control typically, women get a prescription during an annual checkup, which costs both time and money, said Dr. Jill Rabin, co-chief in the division of ambulatory care, Women's Health Programs at Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, New York. But it's still important for women to visit the doctor annually for preventative care, she said. [7 Surprising Facts About the Pill] "In other words, we don't have to hold women hostage for their birth control we don't have to make it contingent on the annual visit," Rabin told Live Science. However, the new law does put "the onus on the patient to come in for the annual visit rather than saying, 'We're not going to give you the pill unless you come in for [an] annual visit,'" she said. Oregon's law, which went into effect on Jan. 1, allows pharmacists to prescribe oral contraceptives to women 18 years or older. However, minors still need a doctor's prescription, according to KEZI, an ABC station in Oregon. Pharmacists in the state are required to attend training so they can learn how to prescribe birth control and match patients with the best options based on the answers to the patient's health questionnaire, KEZI reported. Moreover, Oregon requires insurers to cover the cost of a 12-month supply of birth control pills at once, according to OregonLive.com. This could help women with family planning, as women who receive a one-year supply of oral contraceptives have lower rates of unintended pregnancies and abortions compared with women who receive a supply for just one to three months, a 2011 study in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology found. However, doctors are concerned that women may begin skipping their annual doctor's visit and the other health benefits that come with it if they can get birth control at the pharmacy, Rabin said. For instance, doctors recommend that women ages 21 to 65 get a Pap test to screen for cervical cancer every three years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If women undergo both a human papillomavirus (HPV) test and a Pap smear at once a combination known as co-testing and have normal results, they can be tested every five years, the CDC says. "This [new law] does not obviate the need to come into your doctor," Rabin said. "You need to establish a relationship with a gynecologist you trust, and you also need to come in for urgent visits." A minority of women have complications, such as blood clots, after taking birth control. But the risk of getting a blood clot from oral contraception is less than it is for getting a blood clot during pregnancy or right after pregnancy, according to a 2012 report from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). "No drug or intervention is completely without risk of harm," that 2012 report said. "For example, common nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin, have documented adverse effects, including gastrointestinal bleeding. Overall, the consensus is that oral contraceptive use is safe." So far, Oregon is the only state in the U.S. that has implemented the law. California passed a similar law but has yet to implement it, and state senators in Colorado and Washington have introduced versions of the law in their state legislatures, according to WKRN-TV, a Nashville ABC station. However, the new law still leaves a barrier for women in need of contraception, ACOG said in a statement released today (Jan. 4). "Pharmacist prescribing laws are not the same thing as over-the-counter access," ACOG said. "Requiring a pharmacist to prescribe and dispense oral contraceptives only replaces one barrier a physicians prescription with another. This is not going to allow us to reach women who remained underserved by the current prescribing requirements." Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A partially blind Texas man met his perfect match recently when he connected with Bear, a miniature Australian shepherd puppy who was born with only one eye. MTV News reported that Jordan Trent, 32, ended up adopting Bear, whom he renamed Shiner. Shiner was the last puppy left in his litter, and no one else wanted him. When my kids saw him they told me he was blind in one eye, just like I was, Trent told Fox 5 Atlanta. We have to get him, Trent recalled his children saying. Trent and Shiners meeting began making headlines after his sister Kendra posted about it on Reddit. Jordan has had a really good sense of humor about it the whole time, Kendra told Fox5Atlanta.comHe made jokes about himself to make everyone else feel comfortable. The news station reported that Shiner is fitting in with the Trent family perfectly. The family has even made him an Instagram account that has racked up more than 6,000 followers. A photo of Trent and Shiner also has gone viral on Imgur, where it has received more than 2.7 million views. When child protective services receives a report of neglect of a child with a disability, even when the report is unsubstantiated, that child is more likely than others to experience maltreatment later, according to a new study. Children with disabilities are more likely to be referred to child protective services (CPS) than children without disabilities, the researchers say. "What we found was that the high-risk cohort of children with disabilities experienced future maltreatment sooner and more often than other children," said lead author Dr. Caroline J. Kistin of the pediatrics department at Boston Medical Center. "This is a high risk population that we can identify in a fairly straightforward way so we can provide additional support," she added. The researchers analyzed data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System on more than 489,000 children from 33 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia who had first-time unsubstantiated referrals for neglect in 2008. While the vast majority did not have disabilities, nearly 12,600 of the children did have conditions included in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, like autism, deafness or blindness. By 2012, 45 percent of children with disabilities had been referred again to CPS, compared to 36 percent of those without disabilities. Sixteen percent of those with disabilities had experienced substantiated maltreatment and seven percent had been placed in foster care. Maltreatment and foster care were both more common for kids with disabilities, the authors reported in JAMA. There might have been more reports of maltreatment among kids with disabilities because these kids interact more with healthcare providers and specialists who are mandated reporters, but in any case this seems to be a vulnerable population, the authors wrote. "One issue is that kids with disabilities are at increased risk for being abused or neglected and at increased risk of being identified as abused or neglected," said Howard Dubowitz, head of the Division of Child Protection and director of the Center for Families at The University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. "We need to be really mindful that these often are particularly vulnerable kids that need extra care," Dubowitz, who was not part of the new research, told Reuters Health by phone. Some states now approach CPS investigations focusing on what families need, rather than finding someone at fault, which is a better conceptual approach, he said. "There clearly are many parents with kids who have disabilities who do a fabulous job," Dubowitz said. Children commonly had multiple disabilities, including physical, behavioral and learning issues, that made it hard to tell which types of disabilities were the biggest risk factors, Kistin told Reuters Health by phone. "Given limited funds this might be a high yield population," she said. Most reports to CPS are of neglect and are unsubstantiated, meaning there's not enough legal evidence to prove maltreatment, she said. "Instead of expecting CPS to expand services, I think we need to really look at other ways that other institutions can partner with CPS," which would include notifying pediatricians and schools of an unsubstantiated report of neglect, Kistin said. "As a pediatrician if there's a report from the school system, I might not know," she said. "If we could recognize the fact that (just because it's unsubstantiated) doesn't mean that there's no risk going forward, we would see this not as the end of the referral but as opportunity for more help." Melissa Klein was checking her bank accounts just a few weeks before Christmas when her face turned ashen. The money was gone every single penny. Oregons Bureau of Labor and Industries had confiscated all the cash in Mrs. Kleins checking account and savings account as well as a special account set aside for their church tithe. Click here to receive Todds American Dispatch a must-read for Conservatives! Yes, friends the state of Oregon stole money meant for our Lord. Mrs. Klein and her husband, Aaron, are devout evangelical Christians who own a mom-and-pop bakery Sweet Cakes By Melissa. In July, they were ordered to pay more than $135,000 in damages to a lesbian couple after they refused to bake their wedding cake. The Kleins objected because of their religious beliefs. The judgment was awarded to the lesbians for emotional suffering. Just a few weeks before Christmas, Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian wiped out the Klein familys bank accounts taking nearly $7,000. Faced with a state-mandated 9 percent interest penalty, the Kleins opted to pay the disputed amount in full turning over a $136,927.07 check to the government. That money, which was not in their bank account, was acquired through donations the family. It was the price the Kleins had to pay for following the teachings of Jesus Christ. It was like my breath was taken away, Mrs. Klein told me in a telephone conversation. I panicked. Everything was gone. And, as I said before, Commissioner Avakian even seized money set aside for You Know Who. We had three accounts, she told me. I have one account thats labeled, Gods money our tithing. They just took it. Attorney Tyler Smith, who represents the Kleins, tells me his clients still plan on fighting the states decision even if it means going to the Supreme Court. The least expensive option to stay in compliance with the law was to pay the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries funds that will be kept in a separate account until they prevail in their court appeal, Smith told me in a prepared statement. He said the couple had asked the state to hold off on collection attempts but that request was denied. Aaron and Melissa will continue to work to ensure that every American has the First Amendment right to express their faith-based beliefs, and to conduct their daily affairs according to their conscience, Smith said. Their trouble started in 2013 when Laurel and Rachel Bowman-Cryer asked the Christian bakers to prepare their wedding cake. When Mr. Klein explained that they would not be able to prepare the cake, the women filed an anti-discrimination complaint with the state of Oregon. The state later determined that gay rights trump religious liberty ruling that the Kleins had violated the lesbians civil rights by discriminating based on sexual orientation. Oregon has a law on the books that protects the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people in employment, housing and public accommodations. It also prohibits private businesses from discriminating against potential customers, the newspaper noted. The Kleins were also slapped with a gag order banning them from speaking publicly about their refusal to participate in or bake wedding cakes for same-sex marriages, The Oregonian reported. They were ordered to cease and desist from publishing, circulating, issuing or displaying, or causing to be published, circulated, issued or displayed, any communication, notice, advertisement or sign of any kind to the effect that any of the accommodations, advantages, facilities, services or privileges of a place of public accommodation will be refused, withheld from or denied to, or that any discrimination will be made against, any person on account of sexual orientation. Within Oregons public accommodations law is the basic principle of human decency that every person, regardless of their sexual orientation, has the freedom to fully participate in society, the ruling states. The ability to enter public places, to shop and dine, to move about unfettered by bigotry. On a side note here I predicted that once gay marriage was legalized, LGBTQIA supporters would attempt to silence all dissent. After the controversy, the Kleins had no choice but to shut down their retail store and move their business to their home. Avakian has publicly stated his intentions to target Christian business owners who do not comply with the states way of thinking. Heres what he told The Oregonian about Sweet Cakes By Melissa in 2013: The goal is never to shut down a business. The goal is to rehabilitate. Ive never met Brad Avakian but he sounds like a pretty ruthless individual a person who is using his office to bully and intimidate Christians. Be warned, friends. In Oregon, gay rights trump religious liberty. There's a question that still remains to be answered as the 2015 invisible primary the pre-primary debates, television ads, polling and talk show appearances comes to an end. It is, "Will the Republicans lose the 2016 presidential election if they nominate Donald Trump as their candidate?" The question has been bandied about since last summer, but as Trump's lead (35 percent or more in many recent polls) continues to increase with less than four weeks to go to the Iowa caucuses and then another week to the New Hampshire primary, it has spread beyond the halls of the Republican National Committee. It is now the 800-pound gorilla in the room of political analysts and the party faithful. For many Republicans outside the Washington area, Trumps candidacy has been a breath of fresh air in an atmosphere of suffocating campaign double-talk, political correctness and the business-as-usual approach of the political class in the nations capital. Trump's rise to cruising-level popularity has shown those of us who thought we'd seen it all that we hadnt. He has caught the slipstream of voter dissatisfaction and ridden it successfully, with attention-grabbing direct talk to the public and deft manipulation of the hottest of hot-button issues and the national media. Like an Olympic runner who gets off to a quick start and then stretches his lead, Trump has spent most of his time just grinding ahead and never looking back. He hasnt suffered fools (or attacks) gladly. Hes been locked and loaded with his classic lightning-bolt, counter-punching style, using personal invective rather than policy disagreements on whomever he sees as his opposition. Its not endearing, but its effective ... for now. For most of 2015, Trump adopted a take no prisoners attitude, using the media against all who would ridicule him and leaving his detractors wounded on the battlefield. This is the just the first step in his overall strategy of divide and conquer, but how long can he can ride this wave? Republican insiders still believe the time will come when the flammable mix of anger toward Washington and xenophobic fear that's giving Trump his numbers will dissipate. But angry and fearful voter support could last long enough to give Trump several early primary victories. And if he runs the table and gets the Republicans' nod, he will face an important choice: Should he stay true to his current battle plan of confrontation and controversial statements, or should he adopt a more policy-oriented campaign that might ingratiate him with minorities, women and young voters? Given that few candidates can or should actually remake themselves, its doubtful that Trump can change his spots, and this could result in the loss of several states' electoral votes. In our recent book, "Breaking Republican," S.J. Helgesen and I wrote that the Republican candidate will need to win all the states the party won in 2012 plus one or two more to hit the magic 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency. Absent a vice presidential nominee who could improve Trumps chances of winning a couple of purple or blue states, one of the must-win states will be Virginia, with 13 electoral votes. But Trumps candidacy has the potential to rewrite that scenario somewhat. It is well known that some Republicans, anticipating a Trump loss in the general election and even a loss of control of the Senate, are wringing their hands before the first primary votes are counted. On the other hand, Trump, with his Make America Great Again theme, has the potential to win states in the Midwest like Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio (make the industrial states great again). This would mean getting support from more blue-collar and white working-class voters, not just suburban, college-educated, white-collar voters. These angriest voters have been attracted to Trump largely for his unique leadership style yes, I said style, not policy and this is what makes this election year totally different, one that no Romney or McCain would understand. The key for Trump would be to convince GOP insiders with polling data that he can rebrand the party image (remember as a businessman, he is a master at branding) with a permanent alliance of the angrier Midwestern states with the more ideological Southern states. If that is Trumps version of making America great again, then 270 electoral votes will be there. Obviously, given the importance of this election, we must keep our finger on the pulse of the Republican Party's leaders and watch where they're heading. But more importantly, we must closely monitor voter sentiment in a few key states: Virginia and now Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio. We should also carefully weigh the damage that could be done if the party insiders stay with the old GOP brand, and if some abandon the nominee. Republicans shouldn't put themselves in that position. Now is not the time to be conflicted. Now is the time to realign the Republican party with key Midwest states, and Trump may have the answer. In just a few weeks, the 2016 primaries may also have the answer. It seems to be the question Democratic Party figureheads dont want to answer: Whats the difference between a Democrat and a socialist? Hillary Clinton, in an otherwise friendly interview on MSNBC, struggled to answer that question Tuesday when asked by host Chris Matthews. At first, the Democratic presidential front-runner seemed to suggest the question should be directed at her rival in the race, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist. You see, Im asking you, Matthews countered. Clinton simply replied, Im not one. Beyond that, she declined to explain the differences between the two. I can tell you what I am, I am a progressive Democrat who likes to get things done, Clinton said. And who believes that were better off in this country when were trying to solve problems together. Getting people to work together. There will always be strong feelings and I respect that, from, you know, the far right, the far left, libertarians, whoever it might be, we need to get people working together. The awkward exchange was reminiscent of an interview the same host had in July with Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who also struggled to explain the Democrat-socialist distinction. Clinton and Schultz reluctance to answer the question could reflect a reluctance to rile the millions of Democrats supporting Sanders socialist-tinged campaign. Matthews spoke to this undercurrent in the interview Tuesday, saying he understands Clinton wants to keep the left and center-left united. Despite conservative charges of socialism against the Obama administration, there are still significant differences between the policies espoused by the Democratic Party and the massive welfare programs enacted in social democracies in places like Scandinavia. But Clintons interview nevertheless fueled allegations that the distinctions are narrowing. It is obvious Secretary Clinton didnt want to get into the differences between a Democrat and a socialist, and the reason is simple: there arent any, Jeff Bechdel, spokesman for the conservative America Rising PAC, said in a statement. Army Gen. Joseph Votel, the leader of U.S. special operations forces who has played a big role in the fight against ISIS, will be named by President Obama as the next commander of U.S. Central Command, multiple officials told Fox News. The Florida-based command is responsible for the Middle East and Afghanistan. U.S. Special Operations Command leader Votel, if confirmed by the Senate, would replace Gen. Lloyd Austin -- a general who made headlines last fall for his candid Capitol Hill testimony admitting only "four or five" U.S. military-trained Syrian rebels remained "in the fight" against the Islamic State. Obama's appointment of Votel as the next CENTCOM commander is noteworthy because of his background in special operations, the U.S. military's elite unit used extensively by the administration to combat ISIS in coordination with U.S. airpower. Votel has led all U.S. special operations forces since 2014. The Wall Street Journal first reported that Votel was in line for the job. Defense Secretary Ash Carter will be heading to different military commands in the U.S. next week, part of the administration's effort to speak more about the war against ISIS. Carter will visit Fort Campbell, home to the Army's 101st Airborne Division, as well as the U.S. Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, tasked with flying U.S. special operations forces into and out of harms way. Carter then plans to travel to Florida late next week for a press conference announcing Votel as the next CENTCOM commander. U.S. Special Operations Command and U.S. Central Command are both located in Tampa. Carter will also visit U.S. Southern Command in Miami before returning to Washington at the end of the week. If North Korea is confirmed to have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, as the country's Stalinist dictatorship claimed Wednesday, it would signify that Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program is far more advanced than most analysts have imagined, a veteran North Korea watcher told Fox News late Wednesday. "If in fact it was a hydrogen test, this means the North Koreans are advancing their nuclear weaponization program at a faster and more efficient (and deadly) pace than most analysts have predicted in the past," Dr. Bruce Bechtol wrote in an email. "Thus, yes, it changes things," Bechtol added. "It increases the possibilities regarding the threat that North Korea can pose to South Korea, the region, and the U.S." Bechtol, who has authored five books on North Korea, including the recent "North Korea and Regional Security in the Kim Jong-Un Era", also warned that Wednesday's test would likely be followed by a long-range ballistic missile test. "We have seen nuclear tests conducted within a very short time frame either before or after long-range ballistic missiles tests, three times now since 2006," he wrote. However, Bechtol also noted that several key questions about the test remain unanswered, including whether the device tested was in fact a hydrogen bomb, as well as how strong the device turned out to be. The North's statement said the hydrogen bomb it tested was "miniaturized", but gave no further details. Another question posed by Bechtol was whether Iranian officials were present at Wednesday's test, as they were at the previous test in February 2013. The answer, he wrote, "would have obvious ramifications" for last summer's nuclear agreement between Tehran and various world powers. The test comes amid failed diplomatic efforts to persuade the North to give up its nuclear ambitions. Six-nation negotiations on dismantling North Korea's nuclear program in exchange for aid were last held in late 2008 and fell apart in early 2009, when North Korea was led by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's father, Kim Jong Il, who died in late 2011. North Korea, analysts say, needs nuclear tests for practical military reasons. Such tests advance its aims to build nuclear-tipped missiles that can be used as deterrents against its enemies -- and especially against the United States, which Pyongyang has long pushed to withdraw its troops from the region and to sign a peace treaty formally ending the Korean War. Some analysts say the North hasn't likely achieved the technology needed to manufacture a miniaturized warhead that could fit on a long-range missile capable of hitting the U.S. But there is a growing debate on just how far the North has advanced in its secretive nuclear and missile programs. Writing in December, after Kim Jong Un bragged of H-bomb capabilities, nuclear expert Jeffrey Lewis noted that building such a bomb "would seem to be a bit of a stretch for the North Koreans." "Thermonuclear weapons are tricky; making one work requires a bit of test experience," he wrote on the North Korea-focused 38 North website. But, he added, "The North has now had a nuclear weapons program for more than 20 years. This program has yielded three nuclear tests. North Korean nuclear scientists have access to their counterparts in Pakistan, possibly Iran and maybe a few other places. We should not expect that they will test the same fission device over and over again." Fox News Channel's James Rosen and The Associated Press contributed to this report. The Pentagon on Wednesday announced that two Guantanamo Bay inmates with Al Qaeda ties are being sent to Ghana, the first in a wave of 17 detainees expected to be transferred from the prison camp. Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby will be transferred from Guantanamo to the custody of the government of Ghana. Bin Atef is an admitted member of the Taliban and fought for Usama bin Laden, while Al-Dhuby trained with Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. The two inmates are the first of a group of 17 detainees expected to be transferred out of Guantanamo Bay that includes multiple bad guys and Al Qaeda followers, a source who has reviewed the list told Fox News. With the announcement of the transfer, 105 detainees remain there. Both detainees spent close to 14 years at Guantanamo The Pentagon had earlier determined that bin Atef was a high risk to the U.S. and to American interests, while Al-Dhuby posed a medium risk. The foreign ministry for the West African nation said in a statement Wednesday the two "have been cleared of any involvement in any terrorist activities" but are unable to return to Yemen. The ministry added that they will be able to leave the country after two years. While the identities of all those scheduled for transfer are closely held, the source who spoke with Fox News said it includes multiple bad guys not taxi drivers and cooks. This is a reference to the administrations transfer of Ibrahim al Qosi to Sudan in 2012. Despite entering a re-integration program, the one-time cook for Usama bin Laden has now fled to Yemen, where he is among the leadership of Al Qaeda in Yemen. That transfer is now said to be a source of considerable heartburn for the Obama administration. As for those on the docket for immediate transfer, the source told Fox News the administration will not identify the detainees until they are relocated in their new home countries -- because knowing who they are in advance would create further roadblocks and increase the controversy. Multiple countries have agreed to take the men, in small groups, and the source said some of the countries were so-called first timers -- a reference to the fact those countries had not taken Guantanamo detainees in the past. Ghana's foreign ministry said that all those being allowed into the country will have their activities monitored. "We are aware of the need to protect the security and safety of our own residents and are taking all the necessary steps to make sure that is done," it said. Ghana's foreign ministry said it is taking these actions in recognition of its responsibility as a member of the international community. Fox News Catherine Herridge, Jon Decker and The Associated Press contributed to this report. **Want FOX News First in your inbox every day? Sign up here.** Buzz Cut: Trump goes birther on Cruz Cruz pleads for unity Christie out with new ad, new hires Hillary says shes not a socialist Thumbs up TRUMP GOES BIRTHER ON CRUZ Donald Trump had some legal advice for Ted Cruz this morning. In a phone call to Fox & Friends, Trump said that his rival should get a legal ruling on his eligibility for the presidency and take care of it in a preemptive fashion before it becomes a problem. Trumps warning is that Cruz, who was born to an American mother living in Alberta, Canada in 1970, could land Republicans in a legal battle if they choose him as a nominee. And while Cruz would surely face a legal test, few have been concerned about it. Trump is changing that. Trumps concern trolling of Cruz is the next inevitable escalation of the conflict between the two men. It flared when audio recorded at a Cruz fundraising event revealed the Texan speaking ill of Trumps chances to be the Republican nominee. Cruz managed to appease Trump and stave off attacks, but now we are 26 days away from Iowa, and Cruzs lead in the first nominating contest looks durable. Truce over. The question is how damaging this will be for Cruz. Never forget how important Trumps birtherism vis-a-vis President Obama was to his emergence as a Republican contender. We didnt know it then, but it was the first Trumptation and the model for all of his subsequent media melees. A said 43 percent of Republicans, and more than half of Trumps supporters, believe Obama is a Muslim despite his repeated professions of Christian faith. Obama birtherism would seem to be a vanishing breed. Just 18 percent of Republicans in a September poll said they believed the president was born somewhere other than the United States. But at the high-water mark for the movement, for which Trump became the chief spokesman, another poll found that 37 percent of Republicans thought Obama was lying about being Hawaiian. So there is danger here for Cruz. While his nativity is not in doubt, there are plenty who believe that to be a natural born citizen by the standard set in the Constitution one must be not only born inside the boundaries of the United States, but also to parents who were citizens. Think back to the uproar over Trumps plan to repeal birthright citizenship. This stuff has real potency inside some sects of the GOP. We dont know how many of Cruzs supporters are unaware of his Canadian-ness. It is clear, however, that Trumps goal is to do to Cruz what he did to Ben Carson. We know Cruz will be a much tougher target, but this fight is just beginning. The real beneficiary stands to be Marco Rubio. While Rubio, the establishment frontrunner, has been fending off constant hits from New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and Jeb Bushs moribund campaign, Cruz has mostly been getting off easily. If the Trump-Cruz fight is on and is this ugly it will help Rubio catch his breath and perhaps gain some ground on Cruz. Cruz pleads for unity - DMR: Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who is making uncompromising principles the cornerstone of his presidential candidacy, asked Iowa conservatives Tuesday not to battle each other at upcoming precinct caucuses, warning it could lead to the Republican Partys loss of the White House next year. The stage for the silly season is over. Washington wants us splintered. They want us fighting among ourselves. That is how the Washington candidate comes right up the middle with 23%, steals the nomination and then loses the general election, Cruz told about 125 people at a campaign stop at the Onawa Public Library near the Iowa-Nebraska border. Christie out with new ad, new hires - As a direct response to an attack ad from a pro-Rubio PAC, Chris Christies out with a new ad in New Hampshire calling out intraparty fighting. Christie says any fighting between Republicans will result in a victory for Hillary Clinton. Christie also announced new additions to his team, a sign he is preparing for a longer fight than initially expected. Oppo-shoppo - Daily Beast links Marco Rubio and David Rivera to an in-state tuition proposal the two co-sponsored during their time in the Tallahassee statehouse in 2003. But the bill did not make it through, and no such legislation was adopted until 2014. WITH YOUR SECOND CUP OF COFFEE Christians today celebrate Epiphany, when Magi Middle Eastern seers find the baby Jesus after following the Star of Bethlehem as a prophecy foretold. But what about their famous gifts? History: Both frankincensealso known as olibanumand myrrh have been traded in the Middle East and North Africa for upwards of 5,000 years. It is believed that the Babylonians and Assyrians burned them during religious ceremonies. The ancient Egyptians bought entire boatloads of the resins from the Phoenicians, using them in incense, insect repellent, perfume and salves for wounds and sores; they were also key ingredients in the embalming process. Myrrh oil served as a rejuvenating facial treatment, while frankincense was charred and ground into a power to make the heavy kohl eyeliner Egyptian women famously wore. Sacks of frankincense and potted saplings of myrrh-producing trees appear in murals decorating the walls of a temple dedicated to Queen Hatshepsut, who ruled Egypt for roughly two decades until her death around 480 B.C. Got a TIP from the RIGHT or the LEFT? Email FoxNewsFirst@FOXNEWS.COM POLL CHECK Real Clear Politics Averages Republican Nomination Trump 35 percent; Cruz 19.5 percent; Rubio 11.5 percent; Carson 8.8 percent General Election: Clinton vs. Trump Clinton +4.8 points Generic Congressional Vote: Republicans +0.5 HILLARY SAYS SHES NOT A SOCIALIST WashEx: Uh, youd have to ask I am not one, Clinton said after MSNBCs Chris Matthews asked her whether or not she identified as a socialist during an interview on Hardball. As Clinton fumbled question, Matthews even gave the candidate an out by saying, Id say you're a pretty typical Democratbut is that a question you want to answer or would you rather not? I can tell you what I am, Clinton said. Im a progressive Democrat Made time for Dem donors - Newly released Clinton emails illustrate how the care and feeding of wealthy supporters of her campaigns and family foundation were a priority for Hillary Clinton despite her hectic schedule as the nations top diplomat. Politico reports: While handling diplomatic issues, she took time to meet with billionaire George Soros, now one of her presidential campaign's top donors. She gave briefings to mega-donor and Hollywood director Steven Spielberg, sent birthday wishes to billionaire Haim Saban, and lunched with supporter and philanthropist Jill Iscol. [Hillary Clintons handling of Benghazi] feeds of course this whole question about her trustworthiness, which has been a liability for her for some time. What we dont know is whether this issue will assert itself further as we get, you know, closer to the voting later this year. Brit Hume on The Kelly File Watch here. Hillary: I know right where the Oval Office is - WSJ: Ask voters why they prefer Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary, and many will tell you that she is the most electable candidate. Mrs. Clinton rarely makes that argument herself. But she did just that Tuesday, at the very end of the last event of a two-day, six-city Iowa campaign tourMrs. Clinton addressed her opponent directly at an earlier event on Tuesday in Sioux City, Iowa. A young man noted that many young voters are drawn to Mr. Sanders. He asked her how she would contrast herself to the Vermont senator. I have a long record and I have been on the forefront of change for decades, she saidShe finished with a nod to her long experience. And I will get into that White House. I dont need a tour. I know right where the Oval Office is. THUMBS UP Maxim: Do you love emojis and sex? Coincidence? I think not. According to a new survey by Match.com, frequent emoji use suggests constant sexual thoughts, which makes sense to everyone who loves the eggplant or peach emoji. The survey, which polled 5,675 singles, showed that 40% of people who think about sex multiple times a day drown their texts in emojis and use them in every text, while those who only think about sex once a day are less generous with their emoji use and only throw one in every now and then. Basically, the hornier you are, the more emojis you use. So, if someone texts you an emoji, it probably means theyre thinking about sex. Maybe. AND NOW A WORD FROM CHARLES I think this [President Obamas executive action on guns] is a trivial change, this isnt going to make any difference. Thats what makes all of this so absurd, it is an assault on the Constitution, on the separation of powers, on Congress, and to do what? To do something significant you could understand. This is a minor expansion of the definition of engaged in business. Charles Krauthammer on Special Report with Bret Baier Chris Stirewalt is digital politics editor for Fox News. Want FOX News First in your inbox every day? Sign up here. The remains of a ship dating back to the Revolutionary War have been found at a site of a new hotel under construction in Virginia. Local archaeologists in Alexandria are now scrambling to identify the story behind the 250-year-old sailing ship. The area once was in the Potomac River before it was backfilled two centuries ago to expand Alexandria's waterfront. Related: Wreck of Civil War ship commandeered by slave believed found off SC coast "A remarkable archaeological dream basically, Francine Bromberg, who has been the archaeologist in Alexandria for a quarter century, told Fox 5. "We know that this ship was put in place sometime between 1775 and 1798. But who owned it? What did it carry? Who sailed on it? For now, that remains a mystery. Related: Ancient shipwreck discovered near Aeolian Islands John Mullen, the principal archeologist for Thunderbird Archeology, the firm responsible for monitor the construction for any historic finds, told The Washington Post that the ship probably was built to carry heavy cargo or was used by the military. It may also have provided the foundation to fill in the cove at Port Lumley, one of the locations where deep-water channels of the Potomac advance to the shoreline. The ships partial hull currently under a blue tarmac at the hotel construction site has become a popular draw among local residents. The find comes just months after construction workers discovered a 1755 foundation from a warehouse which is believed to be the citys first public building, according to The Washington Post. Related: Incredible 'ghost fleet' site could become national marine sanctuary As soon as the fences were opened up to let people get a peek at the old ship, big crowds showed up. "I think it's great, said one person. It's like a great window into the past. "It makes you wonder what else is hidden and underneath our ground here, said another resident. What is next for this 18th century ship? A 21st century water tank will be used to stabilize the wood. That will also give experts like Bromberg more time to solve the mystery of Alexandria's newest piece of history. There is a little historical irony going on here. There is a big debate in Alexandria over the waterfront and it even cost the last mayor his reelection. Some development opponents are not happy about this hotel, but this discovery might not have been found without the hotels construction. In fact, the ship might not have been buried here at all if Alexandrias founders had not decided to develop this waterfront 200 years ago. Top New York officials demanded Sunday that the federal government share classified watch-list information on suspected terrorists so the state can block such people from buying guns legally. Sen. Charles Schumer and Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that keeping the information secret creates a dangerous "terror gap." "This loophole does nothing more than help radical people kill innocent Americans, and it must be closed," said Cuomo. "The fact that reform continues to languish illustrates the stranglehold the NRA has over Washington, and it's time for our elected leaders to show the political courage to vote for the safety of the American people." The two Democrats held a news conference at a lower Manhattan spot with a view of a powerful national symbol: the Statue of Liberty. Schumer has spearheaded an effort in Congress for passage of the "Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2015," which would give the U.S. Department of Justice authority to prevent a suspected terrorist from buying such materials. But the measure failed in the U.S. Senate last week. "We will continue to push again and again at the national level to put into practice this common sense provision that would do so much to protect the American public, but until we do, today's push with Gov. Cuomo will add momentum to this larger effort," said Schumer. The senator said a faster solution to the "federal paralysis" would be for the Department of Justice to help establish a protocol for states to access the lists. "At least let the states use the information to defend themselves," Cuomo added. The Department of Justice and National Rifle Association did not immediately respond to calls for comment. The federal government does not currently share classified background information about suspects on its terror and no-fly watch lists with states. Schumer and Cuomo said such information would keep suspected terrorists from passing a gun background check and legally obtaining a firearm now allowed under federal law. Last week, in response to the Dec. 2 San Bernardino massacre where 14 people were killed, Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy proposed to use an executive order to ban gun sales to those on federal no-fly lists. But any such measure must be approved by Congress. The couple that officials said was responsible for the attack was not on any security list. And they apparently purchased their weapons legally. Schumer and Cuomo also said that social media posts should be included in tracking possible terrorists. Tashfeen Malik, the California woman who staged the attack in San Bernardino with her husband, had written hate-filled Facebook comments well before the attack but they went unnoticed by security officials. A Pennsylvania police chief plans to release new information about a woman's embalmed head found in the woods more than a year ago. The head was found on Dec. 12, 2014 in Economy, about 15 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. Authorities have worked to identify the woman. They performed a burial service for the head Saturday at Beaver Cemetery. Economy Police Chief Michael O'Brien plans a news conference Monday morning to release additional information about the investigation. He would not say beforehand whether authorities have determined the identity of the remains or how the head wound up in the woods. O'Brien has said investigators don't believe the woman was local. They've created a bust of the head and distributed pictures in hopes someone will recognize the woman. A Marine stationed in Arizona was arrested Tuesday in the fatal shooting early on New Year's Day of a North Texas college student, authorities said. The U.S. Marine Corps said in a statement that Cpl. Eric Johnson, 20, was taken into custody at the north gate of the Marine Corps air station in Yuma, Arizona. Police in Denton, Texas, said he was arrested on a murder warrant in the death of 20-year-old Sara Mutschlechner. Mutschlechner, a student at the University of North Texas in Denton, 40 miles northwest of Dallas, was fatally shot in the head after an exchange of words between people in the vehicle she was driving and a group of five or six men in a sport utility vehicle, according to police. "Apparently it was an amicable conversation to begin with that quickly went downhill and some derogatory statements were made toward the female occupants of that vehicle," said Officer Shane Kizer, a Denton police spokesman. Mutschlechner was the designated driver after going to a New Year's Eve party that at least two people in the SUV had also attended, according to police. Kizer has said police aren't aware of any interaction between the groups at the party, which had about 60 people there. The arrest affidavit says occupants of Mutschlechner's vehicle said they'd stayed at the party for about 45 minutes. The arrest warrant for Johnson said the two male occupants of Mutschlechner's vehicle told police that the SUV's occupants said they wanted to have sex with the two women in the vehicle. The affidavit says that when one of the men in Mutschlechner's vehicle responded that he didn't appreciate the comments, the driver, later identified as Johnson, displayed a handgun and indicated he would shoot. Shots were fired as the vehicles crossed through an intersection. Kizer has said that after Mutschlechner was struck by a bullet, her vehicle hit another vehicle and crashed into an electrical pole. Johnson "was seen with a handgun in the vehicle right before the shots were fired," Kizer said. He said the other people in the SUV are considered "persons of interest and witnesses." Thomas Smith, a U.S. Marshals Service official in Yuma, did not know whether Johnson had an attorney who could comment on his behalf. Authorities also do not yet know when Johnson might be returned to Texas. The Marine Corps said Johnson is assigned to the Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron-1. Capt. Justin Smith, a spokesman for the Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command in California, said Johnson joined the Marines in August 2013. He said Johnson is an administrative specialist and has never been deployed. According to the arrest affidavit, Johnson was associated with an address in Fort Worth. Kizer has said Mutschlechner was from Martindale, about 40 miles south of Austin. Ammon Bundy said Wednesday the time had not yet come for his group of armed protesters to leave a remote Oregon wildlife refuge. He did signal, however, that the occupation, which began Saturday night, may be nearing an end. Bundy said he and his fellow activists had collected evidence and information that would exonerate Steven and Dwight Hammond, father-son ranchers who were sentenced to five years in prison for burning federal land. There is a time to go home and we recognize that, Bundy said. We dont feel like its that time yet. We need to make sure the Hammonds are out of prison or are on their way, there are teeth in land transfers and those who committed crimes are exposed as well. He added: Enough is enough when theres actual action thats happening and when things are actually transpiring. The Hammonds were convicted of maliciously destroying U.S. property for a 2001 fire and also when they set an August 2006 back burn, that is, a fire set in order to stop the progress of an approaching fire. The Hammonds allegedly believed the approaching fire had been caused by a lightning strike. But Bundy said he had new information provided by multiple eyewitnesses who saw two Bureau of Land Management agents light the approaching fire with a drip torch on the south and north ends of the Hammonds property. There is information that is coming in by the hour about more and more instances of corruption, Bundy said. Authorities have largely given Bundy and his group plenty of space during the standoff. Though the group is armed, Bundy stressed that the takeover of the empty property had been done peacefully and without violence. That comes as little comfort, however, to a leader of the Oregon Indian tribe whose ancestral property is being occupied by Bundys crew. Charlotte Rodrique told reporters that the group is not welcome and needs to leave. "The protesters have no right to this land. It belongs to the native people who live here," Rodrique said. She added the tribe is concerned cultural artifacts could be damaged and accused the group of "desecrating one of our sacred sites." "Armed protesters don't belong here," she said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Police found a 2-year-old boy with a serious gunshot wound Wednesday at a home where his father held him hostage during an 18-hour standoff in a neighborhood in Atlanta's northeast suburbs, police said. The father and child were each found with a gunshot wound when authorities entered the master bedroom of the home after hearing gunfire about 4:40 p.m. Wednesday, Gwinnett County police Cpl. Michele Pihera said. Pihera said the father shot himself when officers entered. Pihera said the boy was taken to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and his father was transported to Gwinnett Medical Center. Both were in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, Pihera said. Names of the suspect and the victim have not been released. Cpl. Deon Washington said the standoff began about 10 p.m. Tuesday when someone called police to report that a man threatened to shoot everyone at the home and then take his own life. A female and "several other people" were allowed to leave the home, but the toddler remained inside with the suspect, police said in the late-morning update. A SWAT team sealed off the neighborhood where the "barricaded gunman" was inside the home in a Buford subdivision, about 35 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta. Wednesday was the first day of a new semester in the county's schools after the holidays but school buses were not allowed into the neighborhood, which was on lockdown, school system spokeswoman Sloan Roach said. "Our schools are aware and will work with those families," Roach said shortly before 8 a.m. "We obviously don't have any idea when our buses will be allowed in." Roach said she didn't know how many students were being affected by the lockdown, but they attend three schools in the area: Mill Creek High School; Jones Middle School; and Ivy Creek Elementary School. The standoff came one day after police in nearby DeKalb County said a man with a knife held 11 children and his girlfriend inside a motel room for five hours before stabbing himself in the neck Tuesday morning. The man was critically injured No one else was hurt. A professor at a Chicago-area Christian college said Wednesday that administrators were wrong in taking steps to fire her after she asserted that Christians and Muslims worship the same God. Larycia Hawkins told reporters she met with Wheaton College administrators several times and provided statements explaining her beliefs, which she believes are line up with the college's mission. She said she was initially told further discussion wasn't needed but college officials then changed requirements, saying her tenure would be revoked while she would have to participate in two years of conversations. Hawkins spoke Wednesday surrounded by religious leaders, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Wheaton College said it placed Hawkins on administrative leave in December because of theological statements "that seem inconsistent with Wheaton College's doctrinal convictions, which she voluntarily agreed to support and uphold when she entered into an employment agreement with the college." Hawkins began to wear a hijab to show solidarity with Muslims, whom she felt were being persecuted in the wake of the San Bernardino shooting and the terror attacks in Paris. She told reporters last month her actions were motivated by a desire to live out my faith. I stand in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people of the book, she posted on Facebook. And as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God. The school insists that is not why she was placed on leave. The college said it has had frank conversations with Hawkins on doctrinal issues as it pursued the possibility of reconciliation with her but that "Hawkins has stated clearly her unwillingness to participate in such further clarifying conversations." The Chicago Tribune reported that Hawkins had been asked to affirm the colleges statement of faith four times since she started teaching at Wheaton College nine years go. Hawkins and the school have butted heads over a paper relating the Bible and race relations in America, a photo taken of her inside a home at a party on the same day as Chicagos Pride Parade and suggesting the college's curriculum should include sensitive vocabulary for talks concerning sexuality, according to the paper. Hawkins now faces a hearing with the colleges Faculty Personnel Committee, according to the Tribune. The panel is made up of nine tenured faculty members. After hearing from both sides, the panel will make a recommendation on Hawkins' continued employement to Wheaton College President Philip Ryken. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Click for more from The Chicago Tribune. An Oregon sheriff said Tuesday that steps are being taken to end the occupation of a national wildlife refuge building by armed protesters. Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward told the Oregonian things are being done that are not visible to the public. Ward said he hopes to reassure the public that authorities arent sitting back while the group controls the building. Ward told the paper that his main focus is to stem any potential threat of violence between the community and the militiamen. "It takes only one unstable person to show up with a skewed belief window to create something that can't be taken back," Ward added. Government buildings and area schools were closed this week as a precaution. Ward said the closures will give authorities more time to assess the situation in Burns. Schools are slated to re-open next Monday. The armed group took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregons high desert country Saturday. The group hopes to influence the Bureau of Land Management to give government-controlled lands back to the locals. Rumors of arrest warrants for five group members including Ammon Bundy have circulated, but the Harney County Joint Information Center said in a statement it had no information on arrests or arrest warrants and that authorities were still working on a peaceful resolution. Bundy said they would take a defensive position anticipating a possible raid. Late Tuesday, the group moved a large plow vehicle to block the refuge's driveway. Bundy told reporters Tuesday the group would leave when there was a plan in place to turn over federal lands to locals a common refrain in a decades-long fight over public lands in the West. "It is our goal to get the logger back to logging, the rancher back to ranching," said the son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who was involved in a high-profile 2014 standoff with the government over grazing rights. The younger Bundy's anti-government group is critical of federal land stewardship. But environmentalists and others say U.S. officials should keep control for the broadest possible benefit to business, recreation and the environment. Randy Eardley, a BLM spokesman, said the groups call for land ownership transfer didnt make sense because the people already own the land. "It is frustrating when I hear the demand that we return the land to the people, because it is in the people's hand the people own it," Eardley said. "Everybody in the United States owns that land. ... We manage it the best we can for its owners, the people, and whether it's for recreating, for grazing, for energy and mineral development." The federal government controls about half of all land in the West, which would make the wholesale transfer of ownership extremely difficult and expensive. For example, it owns 53 percent of Oregon, 85 percent of Nevada and 66 percent of Utah, according to the Congressional Research Service. Taking over federal public lands in Idaho could cost the state $111 million a year, according to a University of Idaho study. Bundy said the group felt it had the support of the local community. But Ward has told the group to go home, and many locals don't want them around, fearing they may bring trouble. A community meeting was scheduled for Wednesday. Ward said in a statement the meeting was to "talk about [residents'] security concerns and the disruptions that the behavior of the militants on the refuge are causing for our people." The group, which calls itself Citizens for Constitutional Freedom, has also said it wants an inquiry into whether the government is forcing ranchers off their land after Dwight Hammond and his son, Steven, reported back to prison Monday. The Hammonds, who have distanced themselves from the group, were convicted of arson three years ago and served no more than a year. A judge later ruled the terms fell short of minimum sentences that require them to serve about four more years. The takeover comes amid a dispute that dates back decades in the West. In the 1970s, Nevada and other states pushed for local control in what was known as the Sagebrush Rebellion. Supporters wanted more land for cattle grazing, mining and timber harvesting. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Click for more from The Oregonian. Army officials are trying to figure out how a civilian managed to live for several months at Fort Bragg, eating and bunking with special forces operators despite not being a member of the military. The unidentified man, who a source told FoxNews.com is mentally ill, was found out last month, and has been questioned. The source said the man told the real soldiers he lived among that he was a demolition specialist and exempt from the daily activities they took part in. "This is a very unique and interesting situation," Thomas McCollum, the garrison public affairs officer for the North Carolina base told Military.com. The man was taken into custody Dec. 16, according to a statement from the 3rd Special Forces Group. Im not sure what made this man think he could stay, but you just cant go on base without some set of orders." Chris Grollnek, former Marine and domestic terrorism expert "The Fort Bragg Provost Marshal was immediately contacted and the individual was detained by the military police. The situation is under investigation," read the statement. Capt. Douglas Ray, a representative for the 3rd Special Forces Group, said that the investigation was ongoing and declined to elaborate on how long the man had been in the barracks and why no questions were raised by his presence. The Fayetteville Observer reported at the time that a 3rd SFG spokesman confirmed that the civilian had a fake Common Access Card and had been found living in temporary barracks. The unidentified man allegedly got away with the ruse for months by claiming he was attending a top-secret school on the base. The source told FoxNews.com he was finally snagged after he attempted to purchase items at one of the stores on the base and was unable to provide proper military ID. Its stolen valor at its worst and help for mental illness at best, the source said. I dont think they [Fort Bragg officials] want to bring any more attention to this incident, the person added, referring to how the man was released without any charges. They dont want a copycat. According to Chris Grollnek, a former Marine and CEO of Safe2Safest, a domestic terrorism and active shooter prevention company, its relatively easy to enter Fort Bragg, especially from its main access point on a stretch of highway. But its harder to linger on the base without the proper identification. Im not sure what made this man think he could stay, he told FoxNews.com. But you just cant go on base without some set of orders. So that begs the question, did he have some sort of forged orders? If so, thats a federal offense. The American family will need to don its helmet and shield and stand its ground as a new year kicks off. Worries about terrorism on U.S. soil are taking center stage in American life, with concerns about the economy lurking right behind them. Moms and dads are struggling to keep homes afloat homes filled with young kids, millennials and, increasingly, elderly parents. Parents must also act as watchdogs against an increasingly crass culture that provides fewer supports for a healthy childhood, but instead stresses those who seeks to live out traditional values among a more secular and celebrity-crazed culture. Sixteen years into this new century, the American family will be most impacted by three distinct factors: the fear of terrorism, the impact of the economy, and the quickly morphing family structure itself. One: Terrorism Good Reason to Be Fearful Since the San Bernardino, California, and Paris attacks, Americans name terrorism as the top issue facing the United States, trumping even the economy. In November, just 3 percent of Americans reported terrorism as the greatest problem facing this country. But in December, terrorism had jumped up to No. 1 for 16 percent of Americans, according to Gallup polling last month. There is good reason to be fearful, especially with strikes happening here on U.S. soil, Michael Kugelman, senior associate for South and Southeast Asia at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, told LifeZette. Seventy-one percent of respondents said the shootings and random acts of violence of 2015 are now a permanent part of American life, according to a December NBC/Wall Street Journal poll. It is really very important to remember we are very fortunate to be here in the U.S., where these attacks happen relatively infrequently compared to other areas of the world, as frightening as they are, said Kugelman. When you consider places like Iraq, Syria, Pakistan we are so much safer than these regions. We have a much greater chance of being hit by a car than we do of being the victim of a terror attack. Statistics, though, are often superseded by fear in the collective American consciousness. For most of 2015, the countrys mood, and thus the presidential election, was defined by anger and the unevenness of the economic recovery, Democratic pollster Fred Yang told NBCs Meet the Press. Now that has abruptly changed to fear. We tend to forget, with the current emphasis on ISIS, but al Qaeda, particularly al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula, is probably an even more dangerous group, said Kugelman. Fear of the unknown which act of terrorism will happen next, and where will influence our choices in a variety of ways, from electing new leaders to making purchasing decisions in the marketplace. Two: The Economy Promises Have Gone Unfulfilled The Obama administration may declare an economic recovery, but how much better are families really feeling about their wallets and their prospects in the new year? In 2015, seven years after the recession of 2008, 45 percent of Americans surveyed think the U.S. economy is only fair and less than a third think of the economy as good, or excellent, according to a December Pew Research poll. Additionally, a disturbing 68 percent of Americans earning $30,000 or less felt their prospects were dim. They told Pew Research their familys income is falling behind the cost of living. A number of Americans arent just broke. Many are homeless. In recent years, homelessness in New York City has reached the highest levels since the Great Depression in the 1930s, according to the citys Coalition of the Homeless. A pressing issue for too many families? Food. Distressingly, in the first quarter of 2015, 15.8 percent of Americans indicated they had struggled to afford food for their families according to Gallup. And despite a recovery, some 22 percent of American children lived below the federal poverty line in 2013, up from 18 percent in 2008, according to a new report by the Baltimore-based philanthropy, the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Dig behind the data, and there are real children who are consistently hungry. Food stamp usage is rising nationwide, reported Food World News in November. The figures are becoming unprecedented and they speak volumes (about) President Obamas food policy. In 2016, the average American family will continue to struggle to pay for a decent way of life. Three: Family Structure Is That You in There, American Family? The family model of mom, dad, and kids who are high-school age and younger is increasingly becoming a rare sight. Today, the roofs over average American families likely shelter some combination of parents, kids, millennials and seniors. Gallup found there are also about 390,000 married same-sex couples in the country, and many other domestic partner households raising children together. These situations beg the question: How will this new family model that consistently misses one traditional presence affect future generations? Same-sex marriage and parenting withholds either a mother or father from a child while telling him or her that it doesnt matter, wrote Heather Barwick in The Federalist. Barwick was raised by two female partners in a committed relationship, but felt the loss of a father figure. Traditional roles have gone from changing, to changed. Mothers are working, and more fathers are participating in childcare. Seven percent of U.S. fathers with children in their households do not work outside the home, according to a 2015 Pew research report. Thats approximately 2 million dads at home full time. Many marriages are still ending in divorce. Though there were slightly fewer divorces and annulments in 2015, there were still 813,862, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many couples are having children without marrying first. Forty percent of all American children are now born outside of marriage, and those adult relationships tend to dissolve, Mitch Pearlstein, founder of the Center of the American Experiment and author of Broken Bonds: What Family Fragmentation Means for Americas Future, told LifeZette. How can these kids, with all the factors they deal with in everyday life, hope to compete with kids from stable households? Many kids or young adults are beginning adulthood and contemplating their options from the comforts of home. In 2016, millennials those ages 18 to 34 will relax in the nest of their mom and dad. Today, there are more millennials living at home than there were during the depths of the Great Recession, according to a 2015 Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. This affects not only parents but the nations housing market recovery and construction industry, too, as well as ancillary purchases that accompany new homes such as electricity, cable, and home furnishings. But mom and dad might well have a millennial in one bedroom and a senior parent in the next. Pew Research reported that most adult Americans say that one of their family members is caring for an aging parent. And the Bureau of Labor Statistics says there are 40.4 million unpaid caregivers of adults ages 65 and older another factor that greatly affects consumer choices and spending power. This trend will only increase as our population grows older. The Administration on Aging says that people 65 years or older numbered 44.7 million in 2013, the latest year for which data is available. They represented 14.1 percent of the U.S. population, about 1 in every 7 Americans. By 2060, there will be about 98 million older people, more than twice the number in 2013. People 65 and older represented 14.1 percent of the population in the year 2013, but are expected to grow to be 21.7 percent of the population by 2040. This translates into an increasing, and unprecedented, need for aging services and caregivers. We are still good at looking out for one another: 17 percent of adults age 65 and older are caring for another aging adult, with 33 percent of those being a friend or neighbor. What will this mean for families that have to increasingly spend more of their time and resources caring for others? As I found consistently from other experts I talked to in writing Broken Bonds, were still a successful nation but not as successful, said author Pearlstein. More from LifeZette.com: When Gifted Kids Get Stuck in the Back of Class Out with the Booze and Sugar in 2016 (for Real) Pastor Prays Down Gunman Anti-Family Propoganda Tool: Worms in Love President Nicolas Maduro has closed the last remaining bridge connecting Venezuela with Colombia as he extends a monthlong crackdown on smuggling along the border that is fueling tensions between the two neighbors. Maduro said late Tuesday that a state of emergency had been broadened to encompass 10 more municipalities on Venezuela*s western edge, including a few in the state of Apure, the third state to face such restrictions. While Maduro didn't specifically say he was closing any border crossings, authorities in Colombia said Wednesday that Venezuelan security forces had set up a barricade preventing cars from crossing the Jose Antonio Paez bridge that connects the provincial capital of Arauca with the plains of Apure. It was the fifth bridge closed by Venezuela in recent weeks, though dozens of trails and two fluvial crossings still connect the two countries along a border that is about five times longer than the one dividing France and Germany. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos reacted angrily Wednesday to Maduro's latest move. "I'll repeat it again: Expanding border closures isn't the way to bring about a solution to the problems affecting our border," Santos said. Colombia's government has protested the treatment of some 1,500 of its nationals deported under the crackdown. An additional 16,000 of the more than 5 million Colombians living in Venezuela have returned voluntarily, saying they fear reprisals. While Maduro and Santos have both called for direct dialogue to reduce tensions, an attempt by South American neighbors to mediate a solution has so far failed to bring the two leaders together. next Image 1 of 3 prev next Image 2 of 3 prev Image 3 of 3 Cities and towns across Haiti are plastered with colorful campaign ads, leaving voters struggling to differentiate a swarm of candidates who grin from posters, banners and billboards slapped on nearly everything that doesn't move and a few that do. Practically every public office is up for grabs in this year's unprecedented three-round balloting that is picking the next president, two-thirds of the Senate, the entire 119-member Chamber of Deputies and all local offices. Even by Haiti's rough-and-tumble standards, the parade of office-seekers and unpredictability of the elections is dizzying for many. "There are so many candidates it's impossible to focus on it all and see if a few might actually have good ideas. Right now, this whole thing really gives me a headache," secretary Germithe Merzilus said with an exasperated sigh as a group of partisans walked by in matching T-shirts touting a campaign. This troubled, poor Caribbean nation has at times been described as nearly ungovernable, yet a lot of people are lining up to try. The first round of Haiti's presidential vote on Oct. 25 features no less than 54 candidates a fractured field that makes the 19 contenders in the election five years ago look almost reasonable. They are seeking to succeed President Michel Martelly, who is barred by the constitution from serving a consecutive term. The apparent front-runner is Jude Celestin, a former state construction chief who was the government-backed presidential candidate in 2010. Disputed preliminary results then showed Celestin edging out Martelly for a spot in the runoff ballot, but under international pressure Haiti's electoral authorities reviewed the count and eliminated him from the race. Other major candidates include an ex-senator who has been Martelly's most vocal critic, a Port-au-Prince lawyer and public notary, a former police chief, and the leader of the political movement founded by former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a once dominant but increasingly divided party that was barred from the last election. Spoiler candidates could include an influential sitting senator and a businessman who has made a Haitian fortune building a chain of "borlettes," gaudily painted outlets that play on New York State Lottery numbers. With so many candidates, no one is likely to get more than 50 percent of the vote Oct. 25, meaning the two leading vote getters will face each other in a runoff Dec. 27. The jam-packed presidential field is just a small share of the horde of Haitian politicians holding rallies to whip up enthusiasm, sometimes with traditional bands of drums, horns and leather tambourines. Because elections were postponed amid political gridlock during Martelly's nearly five-year tenure, this month's first-round presidential contest is taking place on the same day as legislative runoff elections arising from a messy vote in August that featured more than 1,500 candidates and nearly 130 parties. Officials will also hold re-do elections in 25 districts where violence, ballot stuffing and voter intimidation plagued voting two months ago. The almost certain presidential runoff Dec. 27 will also see more legislative contests as well as voting for all local offices. Vijonet Demero, secretary-general of Haiti's frequently criticized Provisional Electoral Council, predicts the Oct. 25 voting will be far better organized than the initial parliamentary round two months ago, the results of which were only recently issued. "We have learned from the mistakes of August 9th and we've been busy making all the necessary administrative changes," Demero said at the well-guarded headquarters of the council overseeing the $69 million election process, with more than $30 million provided by the U.S. A major change, he said, will be greatly limiting the number of political party representatives allowed to observe at polling stations in a bid to avoid voter intimidation. Political analyst Fritz Dorvilier, a sociologist at the State University of Haiti, is skeptical. Dorvilier says the council has displayed "incompetent management" from the start and gives some observers the impression it has a hidden agenda, a frequent charge against Haitian electoral officials. Last week, one of the council's nine members abruptly resigned, citing a lack of conviction in the process. Haitian balloting is never easy and in some districts election day is more like a convulsion. Democracy is still relatively new in Haiti, which for most of its history has endured coups and civilian and military dictatorships. The country only saw its first freely elected leader with Aristide in 1990, and he was ousted by a military coup just eight months later and was driven from his second term by a rebellion. The past decade has been relatively stable politically, with two presidents chosen by election. However, ballot stuffing, violence and fraud allegations continue. In a recent report, the World Bank said violent incidents in Haiti are "clustered around political events such as elections and transitions" and stability remains fragile. Many analysts have serious concerns about disorder during the upcoming presidential vote, which is expected to have a far higher voter turnout than the 18 percent seen for the August parliamentary voting. "In Haiti, foreboding is a permanent state of mind when it comes to elections," said Mark Schneider of the International Crisis Group in Washington. Still, Schneider and other analysts say these elections are critical for Haiti to advance as it continues an uneven recovery from the 2010 earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas. Haiti remains a very poor country and voters have no shortage of worries. The cost of living keeps going up while decent jobs remain scarce. The majority of Haitians live without electricity or sanitation and more than 6 million out of 10.4 million inhabitants have incomes under the national poverty line of $2.44 a day. The candidates all say their main focus is bringing opportunities to more citizens, but Haitian politicians have been saying that for a long time. "I want to see Haiti get better faster," Merzilus, the secretary, said while standing next to a sheet-metal fence plastered with posters for a half dozen candidates. "If the next president can deliver that, I think everyone will support them." ___ David McFadden on Twitter: http://twitter.com/dmcfadd A Venezuelan opposition leader who had been living in self-imposed exile was arrested Thursday after returning to the socialist South American country. Former Gov. Manuel Rosales flew into Venezuela after six years as a fugitive from corruption charges. Intelligence police met him at the airport and took him into custody. He was expected to appear in a Caracas court later in the day. Before his arrest, Rosales vowed to continue fighting the country's 16-year-old socialist administration and urged Venezuelans to vote in Dec. 6 legislative elections. Authorities warned him days earlier that he would be detained if he came back. Rosales, 63, was governor of the western state of Zulia, where he returned Thursday. He ran for president in 2006 and lost to Hugo Chavez. He fled the country in 2009, going to Peru and then Panama after prosecutors accused him of stealing public money. He has said the charges are false and politically motivated. Polls say the opposition is on track to win the Dec. 6 elections, potentially dealing the first decisive ballot box defeat to the socialist party in 16 years. "Like many in the opposition, Rosales is looking at the polls and the dire state of the country, and thinks 2016 will see the government fall," said Dimitris Pantoulas, a Caracas-based political analyst. "He's coming back now because he wants to be here for that." Supporters and other opposition leaders rallied near the airport Thursday. Venezuela's main opposition groups immediately began denouncing Rosales' arrest as arbitrary and called it further evidence of a broken justice system. Last month, Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for his role in leading anti-government protests in 2014. Human rights groups say Lopez is just one of dozens of political prisoners the government has detained for speaking out. Rosales' wife, Evelyn Trejo de Rosales, is mayor of Maracaibo, the largest city in Zulia. She told a crowd of supporters that the best way they could show their solidarity would be to vote in December. "Today Manuel sacrificed his freedom for you, and it was not in vain," she said. "We will set him free again." North Korean leader Kim Jong Un claimed his scientists have developed a hydrogen bomb, state media reported Thursday, in a boast immediately met with skepticism by experts. Kim said his family "turned the DPRK into a powerful nuclear weapons state ready to detonate a self-reliant A-bomb and H-bomb to reliably defend its sovereignty and the dignity of the nation", the official KCNA news agency reported, according to Sky News. The claim was made while Kim was visiting the Phyongchon Revolutionary Site, a museum dedicated to his grandfather Kim Il Sung. It came hours before the U.N. Security Council was scheduled to meet to address the dire situation in North Korea. Hydrogen bombs, also known as thermonuclear bombs, can unleash a far more powerful blast than an atomic bomb, but South Koreas intelligence agency said there is no evidence that North Korea has the technology to make one. "I think it's unlikely that they have an H-bomb at the moment, but I don't expect them to keep testing basic devices indefinitely either," Jeffrey Lewis, from the California-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies, told Sky News. North Korea claimed five years ago that it had successfully developed fusion technology needed to make a hydrogen bomb. The reclusive country claims it has already tested three atomic bombs and has successfully miniaturized a nuclear warhead to mount on a ballistic missile. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power, who is the president of the U.N. Security Council, will chair a meeting Thursday afternoon in hopes of sending an unequivocal message to the totalitarian regime in Pyongyang that it must end its systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations. The Security Council meeting is only the second time the dire human rights situation in the hermit country has been discussed in the council, as Russia and China have resisted attempts to exert pressure on their ally North Korea. In the damning 2014 U.N. Commission of Inquiry report, which Fox News reported on, the situation in the rogue nation was described as without parallel in the contemporary world. The report documented deliberate starvation, torture, executions, rape, forced labor, infanticide and other horrors the likes of which evoked memories of the Nazi concentration camps. As many as 120,000 men, women and children are said to be held in North Korean prison camps. The U.N. report prompted the General Assembly to pass a resolution calling on the Security Council to hold Pyongyang accountable and to consider a referral of the human rights abuse to the International Criminal Court. Fox News Jonathan Wachtel contributed to this report. The wife of a Shiite leader says soldiers have killed at least 12 people in an ongoing siege of an Islamic movement accused of trying to kill Nigeria's army chief. Zeenah Ibrahim says dozens of people are wounded in an attack by soldiers that began late Saturday at her home in the northern Nigerian town of Zaria. Army spokesman Col. Sani Usman says hundreds of Shiites were carrying "dangerous weapons" Saturday afternoon and some fired on the convoy of Gen. Tukur Buratai in "a deliberate attempt to assassinate" him. Ibrahim says soldiers later surrounded her home in a "pre-planned attack to assassinate the sheikh," Ibraheem Zakzaky. His movement two weeks ago suffered a suicide bombing claimed by Boko Haram extremists that killed 22 people. Zakzaky preaches peaceful reform in Nigeria. Saudi Arabia said Tuesday that 34 nations have agreed to form a new "Islamic military alliance" to fight terrorism with a joint operations center based in the kingdom's capital, Riyadh. The announcement, published by the state-run Saudi Press Agency, said the alliance will be Saudi-led and is being established because terrorism "should be fought by all means and collaboration should be made to eliminate it." As the news of the new coalition emerged, it was not immediately clear what kind of military setup it would have and what its rules of engagement would involve. The Saudi statement said Islam forbids "corruption and destruction in the world" and that terrorism constitutes "a serious violation of human dignity and rights, especially the right to life and the right to security." The new counterterrorism coalition includes nations with large and established armies such as Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt as well as war-torn countries with embattled militaries such as Libya and Yemen. African nations that have suffered militant attacks such as Mali, Chad, Somalia and Nigeria are also members. Saudi Arabia's regional rival, Shiite Iran, is not part of the coalition. The two support opposite sides of in the wars raging in Syria and Yemen. Saudi Arabia is currently leading a military intervention in Yemen against Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, and is part of the U.S.-led coalition bombing the Sunni extremist Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. Turkey, the only country in the alliance that is also a NATO member, welcomed the new coalition. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called it the "best response to those who are trying to associate terror and Islam." "We believe that this effort by Muslim countries is a step in the right direction," Davutoglu said. At a rare news conference, Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman said the new Islamic military coalition will develop mechanisms for working with other countries and international bodies to support counterterrorism efforts. He said their efforts would not be limited to only countering the Islamic State group. "Currently, every Muslim country is fighting terrorism individually ... so coordinating efforts is very important," he said. He said the joint operations center will be established in Riyadh to "coordinate and support military operations to fight terrorism" across the Muslim world. Smaller member-states included in the coalition are the archipelago of the Maldives and the Gulf Arab island-nation of Bahrain, which is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. Other Gulf Arab countries such as Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are also in the coalition, though notably absent from the list is Oman, a neighbor of Saudi Arabia. In recent years, Oman has maintained a neutral role and has emerged as a mediator in regional conflicts, serving as a conduit from the Gulf Arabs to Iran. Iraq and Syria, whose forces are battling to regain territory taken by the Islamic State group and whose governments are allied with Iran, are not in the coalition. A Jordanian government spokesman confirmed that the Hashemite kingdom is part of the coalition. Spokesman Mohammed Momani would not comment specifically on the alliance but said that "Jordan is always ready and actively participates in any effort to fight terrorism." A Lebanese official confirmed to The Associated Press that his nation was also part of the 34-nation coalition. Tiny Lebanon has seen frequent spillovers from Syria's civil war next door, as well as sectarian clashes and militant attacks. "Lebanon is fighting a daily war against terrorism ... Lebanon cannot but be part of the alliance that is combating terrorism," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give official statements. Asked how Lebanon plans to contribute to the alliance, he said that "these are details that we haven't gotten into yet." Benin, while it does not have a majority Muslim population, is another member of this new counterterrorism coalition. All the group's members are also part of the larger Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which is headquartered in Saudi Arabia. New images of what is being called a "jihadi technical college" in the ISIS terror group's de facto capital shows that the group is capable of producing key components for advanced weaponry, including surface-to-air missiles. Footage of the weapons lab in Raqqa, Syria was obtained by Sky News and shows that ISIS scientists have managed to produce a homemade thermal battery for use in surface-to-air missile systems. That had previously been thought impossible for terror groups without any military infrastructure to accomplish. The footage shows that ISIS can recommission thousands of missiles prevously thought unusable and target passenger and military aircraft. Sky News reports that terror groups had previously been able to build the weapons, but storing them and maintaining the thermal battery was difficult to do. "What this video shows is that ISIS are leagues ahead of their terrorist predecessors," Chris Hunter, a former bomb technician with the United Kingdom Special Forces, told Sky News. "Their advanced knowledge of weapons engineering, coupled with their seemingly limitless ability to reverse engineer and recondition weapons (which until now intelligence agencies had considered obsolete and beyond repair) kept me awake all night." Sky also reported that the ISIS "research and development" team has produced remote control cars to act as mobile bombs, complete with "drivers" mannequins with self-regulating thermostats that produce the heat signature of humans, allowing the car bombs to evade sophisticated scanning machines that protect military and government buildings in the West. The Sky report was based on eight hours of unedited training video that was seized by the Free Syria Army when it captured an ISIS trainer making his way toward Europe via Turkey. An ISIS defector in Turkey told Sky News that a top secret training program was known about in Raqqa, his home town. He confirmed the program was designed to carry out attacks in Europe and further afield. "If [attacks were] meant internally. they could send someone to set an explosive device or wire a car as they are able to do this [openly]," the defector said. "But doing such a program and documenting it was meant to target a large number of people and in more than one location." Click for more from Sky News. Iraq on Wednesday offered to act as a mediator to ease tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran that escalated after the kingdom's execution of a Shiite cleric and attacks on two of Saudi diplomatic posts in the Islamic Republic. Some Sunni Arab nations have followed the Saudis' lead and severed or downgraded ties with Iran, while others have offered words of caution aimed at calming the situation. The offer by Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, made during a news conference in the Iranian capital, included the diplomat referring to the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr as a "crime," a description that raised questions as to whether Saudi officials would even consider such an offer. The kingdom and its allies say that al-Nimr was executed after being tried and sentenced to death under Saudi law. Al-Jaafari's comments show the balancing act that Iraq finds itself in amid the enflamed regional politics. It is relying on Iranian help and powerful Shiite militias to battle the extremist Islamic State group while trying to repair its own ties to oil-rich Saudi Arabia, which last week sent an ambassador to Baghdad for the first time in 25 years. Speaking alongside Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, al-Jaafari said Iraq's place in the heart of the Middle East allows it to play a role in trying to "alleviate tensions." "This responsibility has been given to us and we have been active from the early moments to lessen tensions to prevent a disaster from happening that could affect the entire region," he said. Russia also has offered itself as a potential mediator, though it's unclear whether Saudi or Iranian officials have responded to the proposal. Zarif, meanwhile, blamed Saudi Arabia for exacerbating the situation. "We have treated these actions with magnanimity and nobleness but unfortunately our neighbor, Saudi Arabia, did not respond to it properly," he said. "The process of provoking tension must be stopped." The diplomatic standoff between Iran and Saudi Arabia began Saturday, when the kingdom executed Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others convicted of terror charges the largest mass execution it has carried out since 1980. In Iran, protesters responded by attacking the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad. Late Sunday, Saudi Arabia announced it was severing relations with Iran because of the assaults. In the time since, a host of Saudi allies have cut or reduced their ties to Iran. On Wednesday, Oman broke its silence and called the diplomatic post attacks "unacceptable," while leaving its ties to the Islamic Republic untouched. The sultanate has been a long-time mediator between Iran and the rest of the world and helped jumpstart negotiations for the Islamic Republic's recent nuclear deal with global powers. In eastern Saudi Arabia, where al-Nimr agitated for greater political rights for Shiites in the Sunni-ruled kingdom, three days of mourning over his death were to end Wednesday night. Mohammed al-Nimr, the sheikh's brother, said people planned to hold a funeral Thursday for the cleric, though Saudi authorities already buried his corpses in an undisclosed cemetery. Asked about the diplomatic post attacks, al-Nimr said it was "not acceptable." "We still believe that violence is not the right approach," he said. "About my brother, we were hoping to end it in a political way rather than in blood." A 40-ton marble statue of Jesus arose for the New Year in the religiously embattled nation of Nigeria, thanks to a wealthy businessman who hopes the Prince of Peaces message can triumph over sectarian strife. The 30-foot-high likeness of Christ towers above the St. Aloysius Catholic Church in the mainly Christian village of Abajah, some 300 miles south of Lagos in Nigeria's state of Imo. The country is split roughly 50-50 between Christians and Muslims, and has been plagued by violence from the radical Islamist terror group Boko Haram, which operates in the north. "We think religions can exist side by side," Obinna Onuoha, an oil and gas magnate who attended Harvard Business School and underwrote the statue, told ChristianHeadlines.com. "We hope that people can live in harmony." "We think religions can exist side by side." Obinna Onuoha, Nigerian tycoon Dubbed "Jesus de Greatest," the statue was begun in 2013 by a Chinese company commissioned to carve it out of white marble. Barefoot with outstretched arms, the massive statue is the largest Jesus monument on the continent. Onuoha believes it will draw pilgrims from throughout Africa. Onuoha, who also built the church, claims the idea of a statue came to him in a dream nearly 20 years ago. The statue was unveiled on New Years Day, with an estimated 1,000 people in attendance. The Nigerian monument is dwarfed by the famous Christ the Redeemer statue of Jesus that stands atop Corcovado mountain overlooking Rio de Janeiro. That statue, bult in the 1920s and constructed of reinforced concrete and soapstone, is 98 feet tall and weighs 600 tons. An even larger statue of Jesus was built in Poland in 2010. That statue, known as Pomnik Chrystusa Krola, or Monument of Christ the King, stands 108 feet tall and bears a massive gold crown. The tallest known Jesus statue in the U.S. is the 52-foot-high Lux Mundi, or Light of the World," structure at Solid Rock Church, a nondenominational church near Monroe, Ohio. Built of steel and polymer and completed in 2012, it replaced a previous statue of Jesus that was struck by lightning and destroyed in 2010. The world reacted with outrage and skepticism Wednesday after North Korea claimed that it had successfully tested a "miniaturized" hydrogen bomb. The announcement, which could not immediately be confirmed by outside sources, was made by a state television anchor who read a typically propaganda-heavy statement calling the test a "perfect success" that elevated the country's "nuclear might to the next level" and provided it with a weapon to defend itself against the United States and other enemies. The United Nations Security Council quickly announced an emergency meeting scheduled for Wednesday morning. However, Andrei Lankov, a North Korea expert based in Seoul, South Korea, told Fox News he was "seriously skeptical" that Pyongyang had tested a hydrogen bomb. According to Lankov, North Korea would have needed to divert a large amount of scarce funds to construct such a device, saying it would have been "mission overkill." "I believe it did not have the 'signature' of a Hydrogen bomb," said Lankov, who added that he had "absolutely no doubt" the blast was an atomic test, the fourth carried out since 2006 in definance of international and United Nations sanctions. The reports fueled bipartisan calls on Capitol Hill for tightened sanctions and more pressure on North Korea. North Koreas nuclear detonation claims are a grave provocation and threat to international peace and security, and must be met with firm action and a clear effort to halt Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., said in a statement. I urge my colleagues to swiftly pass my legislation to tighten sanctions since its obvious the sanctions we have in place are all-too-often ignored and North Korea continues to get away with bad behavior. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, R-Calif., said the answer to North Koreas threats is more pressure, not less. South Korean lawmaker Lee Cheol Woo told the Associated Press that the country's National Intelligence Service had expressed in a private briefing that they believed North Korea had tested an atomic bomb, not a hydrogen bomb. According to Lee, intelligence officials said that an estimated explosive yield of six kilotons and a magnitude-4.8 earthquake were detected Wednesday, a smaller blast than the estimated explosive yield of 7.9 kilotons and magnitude-4.9 quake that were reported after a February 2013 nuclear test by North Korea, and only a fraction of a typical successful hydrogen bomb test's explosive yield of hundreds of kilotons. Lee says the agency told him that even a failed hydrogen bomb detonation typically yields tens of kilotons. The United Kingdom also reacted with outrage. "If a nuclear device has been detonated by North Korea, this is a grave breach of UN Security Council resolutions and a provocation which I condemn without reservation," British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said in a statement. "It underlines the very real threat that North Korea represents to regional and international security." It could take weeks before the true nature of the test is confirmed by outside experts if they are able to do so at all. North Korea goes to great lengths to conceal its tests by conducting them underground and tightly sealing off tunnels or any other vents though which radioactive residue and blast-related noble gases could escape into the atmosphere. The U.S. Air Force has aircraft designed to detect the evidence of a nuclear test, and such aircraft could be deployed from a U.S. base on the Japanese island of Okinawa to search for clues. Japanese media said Tokyo has also mobilized its own reconnaissance aircraft for sorties over the Sea of Japan to try to collect atmospheric data. The doubts didn't stop jubilation and pride in Pyongyang, where crowds dressed in thick winter coats gathered outside a large video screen near a train station to cheer and take video and photos on their mobile phones as the statement was delivered. In Washington, State Department spokesman John Kirby warned "we condemn any violation of U.N. Security Council Resolutions and again call on North Korea to abide by its international obligations and commitments", later adding "we have consistently made clear that we will not accept [North Korea] as a nuclear state." In Seoul and elsewhere there was high-level worry. South Korean President Park Geun-hye ordered her military to bolster its combined defense posture with U.S. forces and called the test a "grave provocation" and "an act that threatens our lives and future." Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, "We absolutely cannot allow this." "This is indeed a wakeup call," Lassina Zerbo, the head of the Vienna-based U.N. Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization, which has a worldwide network of monitoring stations to detect nuclear testing, told AP by phone. "I am convinced it will have repercussions on North Korea and international peace and stability." Washington and nuclear experts have been skeptical about past North Korean claims about H-bombs, which are much more powerful and much more difficult to make, than atomic bombs. A confirmed test would further worsen already abysmal relations between Pyongyang and its neighbors and lead to a strong push for tougher sanctions on North Korea at the United Nations. Whatever the type of the test, North Korea's fourth nuclear explosion will likely push Pyongyang's scientists and engineers closer to their goal of building a bomb small enough to place on a missile that can reach the U.S. mainland. A successful H-bomb test would be a big new step for the North. Fusion is the main principle behind the hydrogen bomb, which can be hundreds of times more powerful than atomic bombs that use fission. In a hydrogen bomb, radiation from a nuclear fission explosion sets off a fusion reaction responsible for a powerful blast and radioactivity. Some analysts say the North hasn't likely achieved the technology needed to manufacture a miniaturized warhead that could fit on a long-range missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland. But there is a growing debate on just how far the North has advanced in its secretive nuclear and missile programs. Last month, Kim Jong Un said his country was "ready to detonate a self-reliant A-bomb and H-bomb to reliably defend its sovereignty and the dignity of the nation". The comments were met with skepticism by North Korea watchers, who said it was unlikely that Pyongyang possesed the technology to develop such a weapon. But nuclear expert Jeffrey Lewis wrote on the North Korea-focused 38 North website, "The North has now had a nuclear weapons program for more than 20 years. This program has yielded three nuclear tests. North Korean nuclear scientists have access to their counterparts in Pakistan, possibly Iran and maybe a few other places. We should not expect that they will test the same fission device over and over again." North Korea's previous nuclear test was in early 2013, and Kim Jong Un did not mention nuclear weapons in his annual New Year's speech. Some outside analysts speculated Kim was worried about deteriorating ties with China, the North's last major ally, which has shown greater frustration at provocations and a possible willingness to allow stronger U.N. sanctions. Fox News Channel's James Rosen and Greg Palkot and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Soon after the ground shook around its nuclear testing facility, North Korea trumpeted its first hydrogen bomb test -- a powerful, self-proclaimed "H-bomb of justice" that would mark a major and unanticipated advance for its still-limited nuclear arsenal. Pyongyang's announcement Wednesday was met with widespread skepticism, but whatever the North detonated in its fourth nuclear test, another round of tough international sanctions looms for the defiant, impoverished country. Data curated by FindTheData The White House says the U.S. government's early analysis of underground activity "is not consistent" with a successful hydrogen bomb test. Spokesman Josh Earnest also says nothing has happened to change the U.S. government's assessment of North Korea's technical or military capabilities. He says the U.S. government is still doing the work that's needed to learn more about the nuclear test North Korea claims to have conducted successfully on Wednesday. The test likely pushed Pyongyang's scientists and engineers closer to their goal of building a warhead small enough to place on a missile that can reach the U.S. mainland. But South Korea's spy agency thought the estimated explosive yield from the explosion was much smaller than what even a failed H-bomb detonation would produce. The test was met with a burst of jubilation and pride in Pyongyang. A North Korean television anchor, reading a typically propaganda-heavy statement, said a test of a "miniaturized" hydrogen bomb had been a "perfect success" that elevated the country's "nuclear might to the next level." A large crowd celebrated in front of Pyongyang's main train station as the announcement was read on a big video screen, with people taking videos or photos of the screen on their mobile phones and applauding and cheering. North Korea's state media stood firm in saying the test was a self-defense measure against a potential U.S. attack. "The (country's) access to H-bomb of justice, standing against the U.S., the chieftain of aggression ..., is the legitimate right of a sovereign state for self-defense and a very just step no one can slander." In Seoul and elsewhere there was high-level worry. South Korean President Park Geun-hye ordered her military to bolster its combined defense posture with U.S. forces. She called the test a "grave provocation" and "an act that threatens our lives and future." Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, "We absolutely cannot allow this." Washington and nuclear experts have been skeptical about past North Korean claims about H-bombs, which are much more powerful and much more difficult to make than atomic bombs. A confirmed test would further worsen already abysmal relations between Pyongyang and its neighbors and lead to a strong push for tougher sanctions on North Korea at the United Nations. The Security Council quickly announced an emergency meeting. A successful H-bomb test would be a big advance. Fusion is the main principle behind the hydrogen bomb, which can be hundreds of times more powerful than atomic bombs that use fission. In a hydrogen bomb, radiation from a nuclear fission explosion sets off a fusion reaction responsible for a powerful blast and radioactivity. A South Korean lawmaker said the country's spy agency told him in a private briefing that Pyongyang may not have conducted an H-bomb test given the relatively small size of the seismic wave reported. An estimated explosive yield of 6.0 kilotons and a quake with a magnitude of 4.8 (the U.S. reported 5.1) were detected, lawmaker Lee Cheol Woo said the National Intelligence Service told him. That's smaller than the estimated explosive yield of 7.9 kilotons and 4.9-magnitude quake reported after the 2013 nuclear test, he said, and only a fraction of the hundreds of kilotons that a successful H-bomb test's explosion would usually yield. Even a failed H-bomb detonation typically yields tens of kilotons, the NIS told Lee, who sits on the parliament's intelligence committee. A miniaturized H-bomb can trigger a weak quake, but only the U.S. and Russia have such H-bombs, Lee cited the NIS as saying. "I'm pretty skeptical," said Melissa Hanham, senior researcher at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute for International Studies in Monterey, California. "The seismic data indicates it would be very small for a hydrogen test. "It seems just too soon to have this big technical achievement," she said. "But North Korea has always defied expectations." While also noting the quake was likely too small for an H-bomb test, Jaiki Lee, a professor of nuclear engineering at Seoul's Hanyang University, said the North could have experimented with a "boosted" hybrid bomb that uses some nuclear fusion fuel along with more conventional uranium or plutonium fuel. Joel Wit, founder of the North Korea-focused 38 North website, said a boosted bomb "is the most likely option," while adding that he isn't surprised that North Korea has shifted focus to hydrogen weaponry. "Every nuclear power essentially moves down the same track as they develop nuclear weapons," he said. "And that track is miniaturization, but also increasing the yield of nuclear weapons. That's what the Americans did; that's what the Russians did." In Pyongyang the announcement was greeted with an expected rush of nationalistic pride, and some bewilderment. Kim Sok Chol, 32, told The Associated Press that he doesn't know much about H-bombs, but added that "Since we have it the U.S. will not attack us." University student Ri Sol Yong, 22, said, "If we didn't have powerful nuclear weapons, we would already have been turned into the slaves of the U.S." It could take weeks before the true nature of the test is confirmed by outside experts -- if they are able to do so at all. U.S. Air Force aircraft designed to detect the evidence of a nuclear test, such as radioactive particulate matter and blast-related noble gases, could be deployed from a U.S. base on the Japanese island of Okinawa. Japanese media said Tokyo mobilized its own reconnaissance aircraft for sorties over the Sea of Japan to try to collect atmospheric data. But North Korea goes to great lengths to conceal its tests by conducting them underground and tightly sealing off tunnels or other vents through which radioactive bomb residue could escape. Ferenc Dalnoki-Veress, a physicist, scientist-in-residence and professor at the James Martin Center, said it may not be possible for the monitors to ever determine if Wednesday's explosion was caused by a hydrogen bomb. "For that, you might need to have the particulates," he said. "But maybe we'll be lucky." The test was unexpected in part because North Korea's last nuclear test was nearly three years ago and Kim Jong Un did not mention nuclear weapons in his annual New Year's speech. Some outside analysts had speculated Kim was worried about deteriorating ties with China, the North's last major ally, which has shown greater frustration at provocations and a possible willingness to allow stronger U.N. sanctions. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters that Beijing "firmly opposes" Pyongyang's purported test and is monitoring the environment on its border with North Korea near the test site. Just how big a threat North Korea's nuclear program poses is a mystery. North Korea is thought to have a handful of rudimentary nuclear bombs and has spent decades trying to perfect a multistage, long-range missile to eventually carry smaller versions of those bombs. Some analysts say the North hasn't likely achieved the technology needed to manufacture a miniaturized warhead that could fit on a long-range missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland. But the debate is growing on just how far the North has advanced. North Korea needs fresh nuclear tests for practical military and political reasons. To build a credible nuclear program, the North must explode new devices -- and more advanced ones -- so its scientists can continually improve their designs and technology. Nuclear-tipped missiles could then be used as deterrents, and diplomatic bargaining chips, against its enemies -- and especially against the United States, which Pyongyang has long pushed to withdraw its troops from the region and to sign a peace treaty formally ending the Korean War. "This is indeed a wakeup call," Lassina Zerbo, the head of the Vienna-based U.N. Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization, which has a worldwide network of monitoring stations to detect nuclear testing, told AP by phone. "I am convinced it will have repercussions on North Korea and international peace and stability." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Below are statements from world leaders, international observers and ordinary people reacting to North Korea's claim Wednesday that it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. State Department spokesman John Kirby: "While we cannot confirm these claims at this time, we condemn any violation of U.N. Security Council Resolutions and again call on North Korea to abide by its international obligations and commitments ... We will continue to protect and defend our allies in the region, including the Republic of Korea, and will respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations." Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio: "I have been warning throughout this campaign that North Korea is run by a lunatic who has been expanding his nuclear arsenal while President Obama has stood idly by. If this test is confirmed, it will be just the latest example of the failed Obama-Clinton foreign policy." U.N. Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization Executive Secretary Lassina Zerbo: "This is indeed a wakeup call. I am convinced it will have repercussions on North Korea and international peace and stability." Dr. Bruce Bechtol, North Korea expert: "If in fact it was a hydrogen test, this means the North Koreans are advancing their nuclear weaponization program at a faster and more efficient (and deadly) pace than most analysts have predicted in the past." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying: "China firmly opposes this nuclear bomb test by North Korea. North Korea should stop taking any actions which would worsen the situation on the Korean Peninsula." Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe: "We absolutely cannot allow this, and condemn it strongly." South Korea President Park Geun-hye: "It's not only [a] grave provocation of our national security, but also an act that threatens our lives and future. It's also a direct challenge to world peace and stability." International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukiya Amano: "[North Korea]s nuclear test, if confirmed, is in clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and is deeply regrettable. I strongly urge [North Korea] to implement fully all relevant resolutions of the U.N. Security Council and the IAEA." French President Francois Hollande: "France condemns this unacceptable violation of Security Council resolutions and calls for a strong reaction from the international community." North Korean university student Ri Sol Yong: "Thanks to the fact that our country is a nuclear weapons state, I can study at the university without any worries. If we didn't have powerful nuclear weapons, we would already have been turned into the slaves of the U.S." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Tropical Smoothie Cafe To Open First Locations In California Leading Fast Casual Cafe Brings Better-for-you Food and Smoothies to Southern California in Mid-January January 05, 2016 // Franchising.com // ATLANTA - Tropical Smoothie Cafe, the leading fast casual cafe concept known for its better-for-you food and smoothies with a tropical twist, announced today it will open its first restaurant in Lake Forest, Calif., in mid-January. This is part of the brand's aggressive franchise development plans for the state, which includes future locations in Rancho Cucamonga, Foothill Ranch, Irvine, Mission Viejo, Ladera Ranch, Fountain Valley, Orange and Rancho Santa Margarita. Over the next five years, the food and smoothie franchise will open nearly two dozen cafes throughout Southern California. "Opening our first cafes in California is a significant milestone for our 19-year-old brand," said Mike Rotondo, CEO of Tropical Smoothie Cafe. "We're thrilled to be working with several franchisees who are committed to bringing Tropical Smoothie Cafe to California and are dedicated to helping us grow. Tropical Smoothie Cafe is a perfect fit for the Californian lifestyle and we're confident these communities will embrace our brand and all that we have to offer. We look forward to continuing our franchise growth throughout the state over the next several years." Franchisee RanaKaran "R.K." Sidhu is leading the expansion plans in Orange County with the first cafe in Lake Forest located at 23841 El Toro Road, Suite C - E127. The cafe's grand opening event will be held on Jan. 29 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and will offer guests the opportunity to enjoy a complimentary smoothie by participating in the 'Smoothie Selfie' offer. When guests arrive, they will be encouraged to share a 'selfie' of themselves with a smoothie on their favorite social media network and in exchange they will receive a free smoothie. The cafes in California will feature Tropical Smoothie Cafe's new menu, featuring toasted wraps and flatbreads, bowls, salads, house-made sides, all-day breakfast, a kids menu and, of course, the brand's delicious smoothies. Guests can select from a menu of Superfood Smoothies that feature ingredients such as spinach, kale, acai, pomegranate, ginger and avocado; Supercharged Smoothies like the Chia Banana Boost and Muscle Blaster; and many more. Additionally, Tropical Smoothie Cafe offers a wide variety of supplements like probiotics and whey protein, as well as fresh add-ins like granola, whole grain oats and ginger. Sidhu recently had become a franchise owner with Tropical Smoothie Cafe. Following medical school, he decided to follow his passion for real estate development and hospitality by joining his family's business developing Hilton and Marriott properties across three states. Last year, Sidhu signed agreements to open 10 Tropical Smoothie Cafe locations in Orange County, as well as 10 in the Greater San Diego area. In February, Sidhu will open his second cafe in Foothill Ranch, followed by a third in Irvine. "My decision to franchise with Tropical Smoothie Cafe was due in part to my family's 20 years of experience in the industry and also to my lifestyle at the time. I had neglected my health and gained a lot of weight. When my friend introduced me to Tropical Smoothie Cafe, I immediately became an avid fan. With the help of Tropical Smoothie Cafe and regular exercise, the weight began to come off. Within a year, I had lost almost 95 pounds and began to see life in a new light," Sidhu said. "After talking to corporate about franchising opportunities, I spent time looking at the competition in Southern California and talking to customers. I quickly realized no one offered anything close to the variety and quality of Tropical Smoothie Cafe." This year, the food and smoothie franchise plans to exceed 575 restaurants nationwide and sign 200 franchise agreements. The brand currently has franchise opportunities across the U.S. in markets such as Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C., among others. By 2018, Tropical Smoothie Cafe plans to have 800 stores open across the U.S. Tropical Smoothie Cafe is looking to add qualified franchisees to its growing brand. Candidates should have business experience; $100,000 in liquid assets and a minimum net worth of $300,000; and an initial investment of between $165,940 and $414,685. The healthy fast food franchise currently boasts an average unit volume (AUV) of more than $578,000 - the highest in the company's 18-year history - with the top 50 percent reporting an AUV of $734,000. For more information about opening your own Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchise, please visit www.tropicalsmoothiefranchise.com. About Tropical Smoothie Cafe Founded in 1997, Tropical Smoothie Cafe is a fast-casual restaurant concept inspiring healthy lifestyles across the country, with over 465 locations nationwide. With snack and meal options for any time of day, Tropical Smoothie Cafe serves smoothies, salads, tacos, wraps, sandwiches, and flatbreads. The rapidly growing franchise has received numerous accolades including being ranked on Entrepreneur's 2015 Franchise 500, 2015 Fast Casual Top 100 Movers and Shakers, Franchise Times' Top 200+ and Nation's Restaurant News' 2015 Top 200. Tropical Smoothie Cafe is seeking qualified franchisees to expand throughout the United States in markets such as Southern California, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C. SOURCE Tropical Smoothie Cafe Media Contacts: Jessi Nunez Fish Consulting jnunez@fish-consulting.com (954) 893-9150 ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. Announces Participation in the ICR Conference 2016 ST. LOUIS - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Jan. 6, 2016 - Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) today announced that the company will be presenting at the ICR Conference 2016 held at The Grand Lakes Orlando in Orlando, Florida on Wednesday, January 13, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. Sharon Price John, Chief Executive Officer and Chief President Bear, and Voin Todorovic, Chief Financial Officer, will host the presentation. The audio portion of the presentation will be webcast live at http://IR.buildabear.com and remain available for ninety days. About Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. Founded in St. Louis in 1997, Build-A-Bear, a global brand kids love and parents trust, seeks to add a little more heart to life. Build-A-Bear has approximately 400 stores worldwide where guests can create customizable furry friends, including company-owned stores in the United States, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom, and franchise stores in Africa, Asia, Australia, Mexico and the Middle East. The company was named to the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For list for the seventh year in a row in 2015. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) posted a total revenue of $392.4 million in fiscal 2014. For more information visit the Investor Relations section of buildabear.com. SOURCE Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. Contact: Voin Todorovic Build-A-Bear Workshop 314-423-8000 x5221 ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Cruise Planners' Top 10 Travel Trends for 2016 Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative, explores the trends that will impact travel in 2016. CORAL SPRINGS, FLA. (PRWEB) January 06, 2016 - Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative, reveals the top 10 travel trends that will continue to drive leisure travel into 2016. Cruise Planners is the nations largest network of home-based travel professionals and is already seeing double digit growth for 2016 sales, so is a good authority on whats hot for travel in 2016. Travel is back in a big way, and 2016 is already off to a strong start - and I am glad travel agents are playing a huge role in that growth, said Michelle Fee, CEO and co-founder of Cruise Planners, the home-based travel franchise network. Also, consumers are booking further out. We are already seeing more bookings for 2016 and into the next few years. Below are the top travel trends for 2016, according to Cruise Planners. More Inventory: There are more cruise ships than ever before on the rivers and oceans, so the competition is heating up. Each cruise line is responding differently from exploring exotic itineraries to offering more value for clients and from building huge mega ships to introducing new, intimate river cruise ships - there truly is something for everyone. Overall, cruise lines are working hard to market to new-to-cruise travelers to experience their products and new ships are being built and announced often - so there will be even more cruise products to experience. Selling Early: Cruise lines are filling ships further out. From the business perspective, this means they are not doing deep discounts for last-minute cruises, but rather incentivizing travelers to book ahead with richer deals for a longer lead time. Travel Agents Offer Best Value: Since there are so many cruise ship products with each one having its own personality, its best to work with a travel agent who knows what products are available and can help pair a traveler with the best cruise ship to meet their needs. Also, a travel agent has access to the best deals and value possible, doesnt cost the client any additional money and is a constant client advocate throughout the booking and travel process - its a true win/win. Younger Demographics are Traveling: Millennials are traveling more and more and travel and cruise companies are taking notice. For example, river cruise lines are expanding to seasonally focus on families/multi-generational guests with triple occupancy cabins. One example of this is how AmaWaterways partnered with Disney to attract families and is marketing to a broader and younger range of travelers. Merging Technology with Travel: Travel is technology - from using mobile travel apps to wristband room key access and travelers demanding advanced WiFi connections to robotic bartenders and even using live GoPro video content to help promote travel to consumers; technology and travel are forever fused. Luxury Expansions: With the evolution of Crystal Cruises luxury portfolio expanding into the luxury river cruise market, yachting, and air market, high-end travelers will expect more well-rounded inclusions from their vacations. Additional Offerings: Today, there are more all-inclusive sailings, more experiences and cultural excursions for clients. Finding the right adventure or excursion is the best way to create travel memories. Impact of Cuba: Travel to Cuba is being explored and it comes with international impacts. Many American travelers are interested in seeing it. Some want to go before it gets too Americanized while others are waiting until it has more offerings in line with American tourists. Social Impact Travel: More and more travelers are looking for a culturally immersive experience - from helping a local charity to meeting local artisans and children - travelers are looking to give back in a big way. Brands such as Fathom are offering an opportunity for travelers to visit a destination and give back. Themed Travel: There are more themed trips and cruises such as wine makers tours, beer cruises, Christmas markets, golf themed trips, music focused vacations, and more than ever before giving travel agents the opportunity to create their own groups and themed events. Everyone travels, so there are plenty of opportunities for our travel agents to shine and provide the best service for their clients. Fee said. Our travel agents are the best in the industry, and we encourage travelers to use a professional to do all the planning, negotiate the best deals and get the best vacation experience possible. Cruise Planners is the nations largest network of home-based travel professionals and is optimistic about 2016 travel and business growth. Cruise Planners has grown its business model focusing on training people with a passion for travel on how to become travel professionals. The franchise business has more than 1,400 travel agents and has expanded its sales mix to include more land-based travel while continuing to grow within the cruise segment. Those interested in investing in a Cruise Planners franchise should visit http://www.cruiseplannersfranchise.com. About Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative, is the nations largest home-based travel agent franchise network in the travel industry. Cruise Planners operates a network of more than 1,400 franchise owners who independently book amazing vacation and travel experiences for their clients. The Florida-based Home Office Team positions franchise owners for success by providing innovative marketing, booking and lead-generating tools, as well as professional development and hands-on training with the industrys top executives. The company continues to be lauded and has been named the No.1 Cruise Tour/Travel Agency by Entrepreneur magazine for 13 consecutive years. Cruise Planners was recently featured in Entrepreneur as one of the top 30 franchise innovators in technology, has been consistently named as one of the Top Women-Owned Businesses by the South Florida Business Journal, is listed on the Inc. 5000 list as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America and was recognized as one of the Top Workplaces by The Sun Sentinel. Headquartered in Coral Springs, Fla. with more than 22 years of experience, Cruise Planners has achieved top producer status with every major cruise line. Accolades include numerous Magellan Awards from Travel Weekly for the past seven years, American Express Travel Representative Excellence Award for 11 consecutive years (2004 2014), American Express Agency of the Year (2010), Royal Caribbean International Presidents Award for Overall Achievement (2012 and 2014), Royal Caribbean International Home-Based Partner of the Year (2007-2013), Norwegian Cruise Line Franchise Agency of the Year (2011-2015), Celebrity Cruises Field Sales Account of the Year (2015), Celebrity Cruises Home-Based Account of the Year (2013-2014) and Celebrity Cruises Southeast Region Travel Agent Partner of the Year (2010), American Express Vacations Best of the Best Globe Award (2008-2015), Globus Family of Brands Premier Agency Partner (2009-2014), Platinum Member of the 500 Club for Sales Excellence (2014), Platinum Circle Member with Viking River Cruises (2009-2012), Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection Top Producer (2008-2014) and Regent Seven Seas Cruises Top Producer. Cruise Planners is one of the Top 50 franchises for Veterans according to GI magazine, the Top Franchise Brand for Veterans according to Franchise Business Review, has been named one of the Top 25 franchises for African-Americans by Black Enterprise magazine and is a member of the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association. For more information, visit http://www.cruiseplanners.com. Stay in Touch: Media can stay up-to-date with Cruise Planners by visiting our media room, following us on Twitter @Cruisitude or on Facebook. For additional information or to make reservations, vacationers should locate a travel advisor near them. For those interested in becoming a franchise owner, please visit the Cruise Planners franchise website. SOURCE Cruise Planners Contact: Caitlin Murphy Cruise Planners +1 (954) 344-8060 Ext: 117 ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Innovation and Growth Characterize CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. as Game-Changers in the Travel Industry in 2015 New technology, training, marketing and support tools lead home-based travel franchise to year of growth. January 06, 2016 // Franchising.com // FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. - Innovation and growth defined 2015 for CruiseOne and Cruises Inc., which are the home-based division of World Travel Holdings, the world's largest cruise agency and award-winning leisure travel company. CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. experienced double-digit sales growth year over year in 2015. While cruise continued to be the core business, the continuous growth in land inspired the company to make a bold move. The announcement of Dream Vacations, a new home-based travel franchise brand, was the biggest news of 2015 and made a profound impact in the travel industry. With four months until the launch on April 4, 2016, already approximately 35 percent of CruiseOne franchisees have committed to operate under this new brand that speaks to all vacation experiences, including cruise. 2015 is going to be tough to beat, but with the launch of the Dream Vacations brand coupled with our dynamic Headquarters team creating innovative new technology, marketing and training programs, I am confident that our CruiseOne / Dream Vacations and Cruises Inc. brands will all experience tremendous growth, said Debbie Fiorino, senior vice president of CruiseOne / Dream Vacations and Cruises Inc. Because their success is our only business, we make every decision with the best interests of our franchisees and agents in mind. In 2015 we laid down a strong foundation that will lead to continued success in 2016. In addition to receiving prestigious accolades such as being recognized as a Top Private Company by South Florida Business Journal and Florida Trend, as well as a Top Workplace by Workplace Dynamics and Sun Sentinel, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. experienced record-breaking growth and introduced numerous programs and resources making it easier than ever for franchisees and agents to operate their work-at-home business. Technology Modernization was the theme of technology in 2015. Existing resources such as the networks intranet and reservation system both received a facelift, while a brand new Group Registration Tool revolutionized the way CruiseOne franchisees could grow and market their group business. A game-changer in the industry, the CruiseOne Group Registration tool empowers franchisees to create and customize professional group event websites that showcase amenity options, making it easier than ever to market groups, simplify the booking process, expand outreach and close deals. Since launching, more than 1,100 group registration websites have been created and more than 2,800 registrations received. The launch of a new, mobile-friendly Business Center intranet, modeled after social media, transformed the way franchisees/agents and Headquarters connect with each other. Unlike any other reservation system in the industry, the enhanced My Cruise Control Shopping Path now enables franchisees/agents to quote multiple sailings and categories, as well as provide even more information on the sailings, to their clients all in one email. Whats more, the emails are customizable and have a professional look and feel. Marketing A reinvigorated marketing program with creative promotions funded by parent company World Travel Holdings sparked excitement among franchisees and agents, contributing to increased sales and many record-breaking days both on an individual level and corporate level. CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. rebranded the traditional Onboard Credit (OBC) as Mystery Money and gave franchisees and agents supporting materials so they could promote it and create buzz. This two-week promotion resulted in an overall sales increase of 56 percent, and on January 26, 2015, CruiseOne/Cruises Inc. experienced its best ever, record-breaking day in sales and bookings. For the first time ever, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. launched an award-winning integrated marketing campaign which leveraged current events and combined video marketing, public relations, social media and philanthropy. The #DoYouWantToBuildASandcastle campaign resulted in a sales increase of 31 percent year over year during this two-week promotion in February 2015. In addition to these two successful promotions, CruiseOne made it easier than ever for franchisees to inexpensively and efficiently send direct mail pieces to their customers with the Savvy Sorter program, and launched a free automated social media program making it easier for CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. agents to create professional-looking, authorized business Facebook pages. Training An engaged home-based travel agent network is a successful one, so the CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. training team focused on offering increased engagement opportunities in 2015 beyond its annual award-winning weeklong National Conference and five two-day regional trainings held throughout U.S. Franchisees and agents value the opportunity to network with each other in-person and have an open dialogue with the Headquarters team. Launched in 2015, MeetUps are informal meetings held at coffee shops, diners or other community venues where members of the Executive Team met with a small group of local franchisees and agents. The team met with 150 franchisees/agents at MeetUps held around the country. We believe that our franchisees and independent agents are our customers and we value their input, noted Fiorino. We use these engagement opportunities to keep a pulse on the network and take action based on their feedback on what is important to them. Philanthropy Giving back is a keystone of World Travel Holdings and its brands and for the past five years Make-A-Wish has been the companys signature charity. In 2015, agents, franchise owners and the corporate Headquarters team donated approximately $90,000, or the equivalent of nine wishes, to Make-A-Wish. Fundraising activities included Zumba@Sea Dance for Wishes and the silent auction during the annual National Conference, as well as corporate teambuilding events such as the annual Gift Basket Fundraiser and first-ever Pie in the Face contest. Network Growth In 2015 CruiseOne reached a franchise industry milestone opening its 1,000th location and both CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. grew by 10 percent this year. While growth is important, we understand that it must be done in moderation and we pride ourselves on always maintaining a support staff ratio of 10:1, which is higher than many competitors in the industry, said Fiorino. As a result of the personalized support we provide, our annual franchisee satisfaction survey revealed our highest scores ever, and a leading retention rate of 94 percent. CruiseOne / Dream Vacations and Cruises Inc. are committed to being Rich in Diversity and empowers all owners, franchisees, agents and employees to reach their highest potential by leveraging their broad range of talent, experiences, personalities, viewpoints and ideas to generate business growth. The companies are looking for individuals who are passionate about travel, helping others and are eager to go into business for themselves, but not by themselves. For more information on joining these award-winning agencies, please visit CruiseOneFranchise.com to learn more about owning a CruiseOne / Dream Vacations travel franchise, and visit SellCruises.com to learn more about the Cruises Inc. business opportunity. About World Travel Holdings World Travel Holdings is the world's leading cruise agency and award-winning leisure travel company with a portfolio of more than 35 diverse brands. In addition to owning some of the largest brands distributing cruises, villas, hotels, resort vacations and luxury travel services, World Travel Holdings has a vast portfolio of licensed private label partnerships comprised of top leisure travel providers, almost every U.S. airline, leading hotel brands and prominent corporations. The company also operates a top-rated travel agency franchise and the country's original host agency. Its global presence includes operating multiple owned and private label cruise and vacation brands in the United Kingdom. World Travel Holdings has offices in Long Island, NY, Wilmington, Mass., Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando, Fla., Virginia Beach, Va., and Chorley, United Kingdom. For more information, visit WorldTravelHoldings.com. About CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. are part of World Travel Holdings, the worlds largest cruise retailer. CruiseOne is a franchise opportunity, and Cruises Inc. is an independent business opportunity; both business models provide a work from home opportunity to those interested in becoming a part of the exciting travel industry. With a mission of delivering a remarkable experience, both companies offer their customers the lowest possible pricing on vacations. For more information on CruiseOne, visit cruiseonefranchise.com. Like CruiseOne on Facebook at facebook.com/CruiseOneFranchise, and follow us on Twitter at @CruiseOneBiz. For more information on Cruises Inc., visit sellcruises.com and like us on Facebook at facebook.com/SellCruises. SOURCE CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. Media Contact: Rachel Shapiro Public Relations Specialist CruiseOne RShapiro@wth.com 954/958-3664 ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Benefited by Arnold McAlister's Deli Opening CHARLOTTE, NC - (Marketwired - January 05, 2016) - McAlister's Deli, a leading fast casual restaurant, opened a location in Arnold, MO on Friday, December 4th, 2015. The new location is owned and operated by the Charlotte-based franchise group, Southern Deli (SD) Holdings. The Arnold location's grand opening week benefitted the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. SD Holdings also gave away gift cards to the first 50 customers during the first day of the Grand Opening and to customers at random throughout the rest of the week. "Our grand opening was a success not only because we're finally a part of the Arnold community, but because we were able to contribute to a very worthy cause," said SD Holdings CEO, Yaron Goldman. "We're thankful for the amazing support we experienced during the grand opening and we're confident that the local residents will continue to enjoy our great menu and unique casual dining experience." McAlister's Deli stems from humble beginnings, known for its American Regional favorites served with a side of genuine hospitality. Opening its first store in a converted gas station in Oxford, Mississippi, McAlister's Deli has grown into one of the nation's top dining franchises. Staying true to its roots, the new Arnold location serves all of the normal menu favorites, including sandwiches, spuds, soups, salads, desserts and of course, McAlister's Deli Famous Sweet Tea. They will also offer a full catering menu. The Arnold, MO location marks the 9th McAlister's Deli location in St. Louis and SD Holdings' 10th overall location in Missouri. About McAlister's Founded in 1989, McAlister's Deli is a fast casual restaurant chain known for its sandwiches, spuds, soups, salads, desserts and McAlister's Famous Sweet Tea. In addition to dine-in and take-out service, McAlister's also offers catering with a selection of sandwich trays, box lunches, desserts, a hot spud bar and more. With numerous industry accolades, the McAlister's brand has 337 restaurants in 24 states. The company is headquartered in Alpharetta, Ga. For more information, visit www.mcalistersdeli.com. About Southern Deli Holdings, LLC Southern Deli (SD) Holdings is headquartered in Matthews, N.C. and owns and operates 59 McAlister's Deli locations in seven states: Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Wyoming. SD Holdings is the second largest McAlister's Deli franchise group with offices in Fort Collins, CO., and Matthews, NC. For more information, visit www.SDHoldingsLLC.com. SOURCE McAlister's Contact: Haley McGahey (T) 704-496-7900 ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus MaidPro Houston North Kicks Off 2016 With Grand Opening MaidPro celebrates the new year with a new location! (PRWEB) January 06, 2016 - MaidPro Houston North is now open for business and ready to make homes shine! Franchise owner Dontai Johnson is excited to offer premium housecleaning services to his neighbors in the Houston area. Here at MaidPro, we make sure that our cleaners are ready to provide the consistently high level of service we expect for our clients. We run background checks on all our service providers before they complete MaidPro University, our unique training program, he says. Johnson is particularly eager to introduce Houston residents to MaidPros innovative and community-based approach to business. MaidPro has provided me with the support to grow a sustainable business and to be a productive member of my local community, says Johnson. He is proud to stand behind MaidPros 49-Point Checklist and looks forward to helping Houston-area families and professionals spend less time cleaning. MaidPros 49-Point Checklist details everything that will be cleaned in a clients home, with a specific focus on kitchens, bathrooms, floors, and dusting. Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly and one-time services are available, as are move-in and move-out cleanings. To get a complimentary estimate for housecleaning services from MaidPro Houston North, please call (832) 408-7437 or visit http://www.maidpro.com/houston-north. About MaidPro MaidPro is a Boston-based franchisor of house cleaning services with over 170 offices in 33 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. The company, which began franchising in 1997, takes pride in its strong owner community, cutting-edge technology and creative marketing. It has been honored with the Franchise Business Reviews Four-Star Rating and Franchise 50 awards every year from 2006 to 2014 for owner satisfaction. MaidPro was named one of the Top 50 Franchises for Minorities by USA Todays Franchising Today. MaidPro is also a proud member of the International Franchise Association and the New England Franchise Association. The company can be found online at http://www.maidprofranchise.com. SOURCE MaidPro Contact: Yael Mazor-Garfinkle MaidPro +1 (617) 778-6229 ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Minuteman Press in Duluth Sponsors Georgia Swarm Professional Lacrosse Team 3-year sponsorship agreement makes Minuteman Press preferred printer for Georgia Swarm. January 06, 2016 // Franchising.com // DULUTH, Ga. - The Minuteman Press franchise in Duluth, Georgia has reached a 3-year sponsorship agreement with the Georgia Swarm professional Lacrosse team. The agreement makes Minuteman Press the preferred printer for the Georgia Swarm and includes tickets, banners, signage, promotional products, pocket schedules, and more. Minuteman Press is also sponsoring the Swarms home opener this Saturday, January 9, 2016 vs. the Toronto Rock at 7:05 pm at the Infinite Energy Center. We are proud to be the preferred printer for the Georgia Swarm, said Bruno Taillefer, Minuteman Press owner. He added, We are looking forward to working together to help promote the team to the community, increase their awareness, and grow their fan-base. The Swarm recently relocated from Minnesota, and Taillefer met the teams co-owner and president Andy Arlotta at a press conference. I pride myself on networking, and I am happy that I was not only able to meet Andy and welcome the Swarm with open arms, but also help introduce him to other key members of the community. Bruno Taillefer is an exemplary franchise owner and a valuable part of the Minuteman Press system, said Keith Cawley, Minuteman Press regional vice president. His partnership with the Georgia Swarm is exciting and their partnership with Minuteman Press in Duluth is a perfect fit, he added. For more information on Bruno Taillefers Minuteman Press franchise in Duluth, GA, call him at 770-476-0922 or visit their website [http://duluth-ga.minutemanpress.com]. About Minuteman Press Serving the business community for over 40 years, Minuteman Press customer service driven business model provides digital print, design and promotional products and services to businesses from concept review through to completion. Today we are much more than just print; we can provide anything you can put a name, image or logo on! Our new slogan We Design, Print & Promote YOU! indicates the wide variety of products and services we offer that go beyond printing. For more information, visit www.minutemanpress.com. Minuteman Press International is a number one rated business service franchise that offers world class training and unparalleled ongoing local support. Minuteman Press opened in 1973 and began franchising in 1975. Today, there are more than 925 locations worldwide including the U.S., Australia, Canada, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Minuteman Press aims to grow to more than 1,000 franchises within the next three years. Prior experience is not necessary to own and operate a successful Minuteman Press franchise. Learn more about Minuteman Press franchise opportunities at www.minutemanpressfranchise.com. Connect with Minuteman Press Like Us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MinutemanPressFranchise Follow Us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/MinutemanIntl Join Us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/minuteman-press SOURCE Minuteman Press Contacts: Al Sanders Minuteman Press Franchise Opportunities 1-800-645-3006 asanders@mpihq.com Chris Biscuiti Media Inquiries cbiscuiti@mpihq.com ### Add to Request List Added Request Information Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus The Pie Hole Is Expanding To Southeast LA To Bring You Happiness One Slice At A Time" January 06, 2016 // Franchising.com // Los Angeles, CA - The Pie Hole, the Los Angeles, California-based modern American pie and organic coffee concept, has closed a three unit franchise deal for Los Angeles County, California. Named to CondeNast Travelers Best Pies in America list, The Pie Hole features sweet and savory, made-from-scratch pies and an exclusive line of The Pie Hole organic coffees in a fast casual, local gathering space format. The Pie Hole has two corporately owned locations in Los Angeles and Pasadena, and another LA location to open in Hollywood early 2016. The Pie Hole has partnered with Fransmart, the development company responsible for the explosive growth of brands like Five Guys and The Halal Guys, to expand through a franchise program. The new franchisee, Hussein Ghacham, who worked with Fransmarts Vice President of Sales Al Rowe and Director of Development Jolly Khabrani, has signed up to open three locations in Southeast LA County. Hussein has a solid track record of success in the apparel industry including multi-unit retail store ownership, wholesale, development, national and international trade shows, import and export. He is focused on Downey for his first location and is hoping to open it in the next 6 months. We only partner with people who share the same passion for pie and coffee as we do and we found that in Hussein. We are all thrilled to bring The Pie Hole to Southeast LA in the New Year. Sean Brennan & Matty Heffner-Founders. The Pie Hole will give you happiness anytime of the day says Hussein. Delicious pie and amazing coffee is a great combination that would never go out of style. SOURCE The Pie Hole Contact: Casey Thorp Digital Marketing & PR Coordinator casey@fransmart.com Phone: 571.234.5465 ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus The Tacotime Crisp Meat Burrito Now Offered For A Special Price For A Limited Time Only January 06, 2016 // Franchising.com // SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. TacoTime (www.TacoTime.com) is offering the delicious Crisp Meat Burrito for $1.99 beginning December 30, for a limited time only, through March 1, 2016. Our Crisp Meat Burrito is one of the most popular items on our menu, said Julie Hoefling, director of marketing for TacoTime. During the busy holiday season people are often spending a lot of money on gifts and special occasions, so we wanted to ease holiday spending by offering a special value price on a TacoTime favorite. The Crisp Meat Burrito recipe was created over 40 years ago and is a brand staple as a signature menu item. Each Crisp Meat Burrito is rolled by hand daily in every TacoTime kitchen. The home-style flour tortilla is rolled with delicious seasoned beef and creamy jalapeno cheese sauce and then cooked to crispy perfection. About TacoTime Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., TacoTime has been an industry leader in quality quick-service Mexican food for over 50 years. Founded in 1960, TacoTime has grown to nearly 400 franchised restaurants across the U.S. and Canada. In 2003, TacoTime became part of Kahala Brands, one of the fastest growing franchising companies in the world with a portfolio of 18 quick-service restaurant brands. About Kahala Brands Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Kahala Brands is one of the fastest growing franchising companies in the world with a portfolio of 18 quick-service restaurant brands including: Cold Stone Creamery, Pinkberry, Maui Wowi Hawaiian, Blimpie, Planet Smoothie, Tasti D-Lite, TacoTime, Samurai Sams Teriyaki Grill, The Great Steak, NrGize Lifestyle Cafe, Surf City Squeeze, Johnnies New York Pizzeria, Cereality, Kahala Coffee Traders, Frullati Cafe & Bakery, Rollerz, Ranch One and Americas Taco Shop. For more information about TacoTime, visit www.TacoTime.com. For more information about Kahala Brands, visit www.KahalaBrands.com. SOURCE TacoTime Contact: Jessica Benedick TacoTime 480.362.4837 jbenedick@kahalamgmt.com ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus The president struck a combative tone as he came out with plans for expanded background checks and other modest measures that have drawn consternation from gun rights groups, which Obama accused of making Congress their hostage. Palpable, too, was Obama's extreme frustration at having made such little progress on gun control since the slaughter of 20 first-graders in Connecticut confronted the nation more than three years ago. "First-graders," Obama said woefully, resting his chin on his hand and wiping away tears as he recalled the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School. "Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad." Obama's 10-point plan to keep guns from those who shouldn't have them marked a concession by the president: He'll leave office without securing the new gun control laws he's repeatedly and desperately implored Congress to pass. Although Obama, acting alone, can take action around the margins, only Congress can enact more sweeping changes that gun control advocates say are the only way to truly stem a scourge of mass shootings. "It won't happen overnight," Obama said. "It won't happen during this Congress. It won't happen during my presidency." But, he added optimistically, "a lot of things don't happen overnight." The centerpiece of Obama's plan is an attempt to narrow the loophole that exempts gun sales from background checks if the seller isn't a federal registered dealer. With new federal "guidance," the administration is clarifying that even those who sell just a few weapons at gun shows, flea markets or online can be deemed dealers and required to conduct checks on prospective buyers. Whether that step can make a significant dent in unregulated gun sales is an open question, and one not easily answered. Millions of guns are sold annually in informal settings outside of gun shops, including many through private sales arranged online. But the Obama administration acknowledged it couldn't quantify how many gun sales would be newly subjected to background checks, nor how many currently unregistered gun sellers would have to obtain a license. Easily reversible by a future president, the government's guidance to gun sellers lacks the legal oomph of a new law, such as the one Obama and likeminded lawmakers tried but failed to pass in 2013. The Justice Department said online the guidance "has no regulatory effect and is not intended to create or confer any rights, privileges, or benefits in any matter, case, or proceeding." What's more, none of the steps would have probably prevented any of the recent mass shootings that Obama invoked in the East Room: Aurora, Oak Creek, Charleston, Newtown, to name some. But Obama defiantly rejected that critique, dismissing it as the tired trope of gun lobbyists who question "why bother trying?" "I reject that thinking," Obama said. "We maybe can't save everybody, but we could save some." Hoping to give the issue a human face, the White House assembled a cross-section of Americans affected by searing recent gun tragedies, including former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Mark Barden, whose son was shot to death at Sandy Hook Elementary School, introduced the president with a declaration that "we are better than this." Obama readily conceded the executive steps will be challenged in court, a prediction quickly echoed by Republicans. Chuck James, a former federal prosecutor who practices firearms law at the firm Williams Mullen, said opponents are likely to challenge Obama's authority to define what it means to be "engaged in the business" of selling guns beyond what's laid out in the law. The White House asserted confidence Obama was acting legally, and said Justice Department and White House lawyers had worked diligently to ensure the steps were watertight. Other new steps include 230 new examiners the FBI will hire to process background checks, aiming to prevent delays that enabled the accused gunman in Charleston, South Carolina, to get a gun when the government took too long. Obama is also asking the government to research smart gun technology to reduce accidental shootings and asking Congress for $500 million to improve mental health care. Other provisions aim to better track lost or stolen guns and prevent trusts or corporations from buying dangerous weapons without background checks. Obama's announcement carved a predictably partisan fault line through the presidential campaign. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, both competing for the nomination from Obama's party, pledged to build on his actions if elected. The Republican field formed a chorus of voices vowing to annul the whole package, with Marco Rubio claiming "Obama is obsessed with undermining the Second Amendment." "Rather than focus on criminals and terrorists, he goes after the most law-abiding of citizens," said House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican. "His words and actions amount to a form of intimidation that undermines liberty." The National Rifle Association, the largest gun group, panned Obama's plan and said it was "ripe for abuse," although the group didn't specify what steps, if any, it will take to oppose or try to block it. Robert Allen Bob Hodge died Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016. Robert Hodge, son of Willard and Vera Bryan Hodge of Lawrence, Kan., attended Kansas State Teachers College, now Emporia State University, receiving his BSE in 1951 and his MS in 1960. Mr. Hodge was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1951. After basic training in Fort Riley, Kan., he was stationed in Frederick, Md., and Pine Bluff, Ark., as a research assistant in bacteriology. He served two years. He married Lois Redmond, daughter of Leo and Iva Jones Redmond of Emporia, Kan., in Fredericksburg on May 23, 1952. She was also a graduate of the Kansas State Teachers College. Beginning in 1953, Mr. Hodge taught science in Fishersville for two years, attended the University of Virginia in Charlottesville for a year, then moved to Fredericksburg in 1956, where he remained for the next 36 years. He taught biology for 14 years at James Monroe High School and was recognized by the National Association of Biology Teachers as an outstanding biology teacher in the eastern eight state region in the 1963-1964 year. For the next 17 years he taught biology and also classes for the nursing program at Germanna Community College as an Assistant Professor until his retirement in 1987. In Fredericksburg, Mr. Hodge was presented plaques and certificates by The Historic Foundation of Fredericksburg Inc., the General Hugh Mercer Chapter of the Sons of American Revolution, the City of Fredericksburg, Mary Washington College Center for Historic Preservation, and other organizations for indexing old newspapers, researching and publishing historical articles and for serving as speaker to various groups. In his spare time, Mr. Hodge participated in fossil digs in Wyoming, Colorado, Nevada, Montana, Australia, Africa and England. Some of these digs were sponsored by Earthwatch, an organization that encourages people to volunteer at archaeological digs. After moving to Emporia, Kan., in 1992, Mr. Hodge was recognized for his contributions to the Kansas State Historical Society, the Lyon County Historical Society, the Friends of the Emporia Public Library, the Flint Hills Genealogical Society, the Kansas Council of Genealogical Societies, and the Emporia State University Alumni Association for his work in indexing old newspapers in Emporia and surrounding towns and as a speaker to various groups. He was also a member of the Historical Society of Greenwood County and on the board of directors of the Greenwood County Historical Museum for many years. Mr. Hodge is survived by his wife, Lois; and three sons and their wives, Perry and Jane Hodge of Wichita, Kan., Vernon and Terry Hodge of Woodford, and Allen and Kim Hodge of Fredericksburg; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. His body was contributed to the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City. There will be no funeral. Memorial contributions may be sent to the Emporia State University Scholarship fund. The Sinai Peninsula. Paris. Mali. San Bernardino. We keep trying to find our way out of this recurring nightmare of terrorist attacks. The United Nations unanimously adopted a resolution to use all necessary measures to combat the Islamic State. Security services remain on the highest alert worldwide. For New Years, Brussels canceled its festivities, Moscow shut down Red Square, and thousands of soldiers and police officers patrolled New York, Paris and London. But protecting every soft target in the world around the clock is impossible. We know more attacks will come. The scale of the problem is far larger than most of us want to acknowledge. Even if the Islamic State is dealt a devastating defeat, it is just the current chapter in a line of modern concepts of jihad-ism since Irans 1979 revolution. Three broad trends indicate that the fight to overcome this strain of violence will be a long one. First is the large number of young men (and in some cases, women) vulnerable to recruitment by such millenarian-type organizations. The Muslim world is replete with uneducated young people for whom religion is their lifes organizing principle and a substitute for education or opportunity. They fight for goals that defy rational explanation and in the service of a perverted interpretation of religious ideology, which, by its very nature, is closed to any reasoning. Illiteracy in Afghanistan is greater than 60 percent; in Syria, the education system has collapsed as a result of the conflict there and hundreds of thousands of children have no schools. The same is true in parts of Iraq. Even where there remains a semblance of an education system, such as in Pakistan, the populace is fed anti-Western diatribes originating from religious or state authorities. With each passing year of war, shuttered schools and collapsed governance manufacture a new class of these susceptible youngsters. Uneducated 13- to 15-year-olds are the perfect recruiting pool for the Islamic State. They are easily brainwashed, obedient and unlikely to be swayed by reason or outside influences. For deeply alienated immigrant youths living in Western societies, the Islamic State and its ideology offer a sense of belonging, identity and acceptance facilitated by social media. A second worrying development is signs of escalating competition between terrorist groups attempting to demonstrate their own prowess. The Islamic State has eclipsed al-Qaida; its November attacks in Paris were an attempt to hijack the world stage before the Group of 20 summita horrific televised propaganda campaign to lure new recruits. Coming just a week later, the Mali attack that left 20 hostages dead appeared to be al-Qaidas response through its Maghreb affiliate. Belittling the Paris carnage, al-Qaida boasted afterward that it knew how to conduct terrorist attacks in a less indiscriminate manner with fewer Muslim casualties. The prospect of a competition for which group effectively kills more infidels would sow more fear to domestic politics of the U.S. and countries in Europe. Third, decisively vanquishing jihadist groups has proved to be impossible. This is because the fight is not against a nation, but a religion-based and deeply rooted ideology. Defeated in one location, adherents regroup and resurface. The Islamic State has managed to put together a state-like apparatus in Syria, which makes it vulnerable to a determined military ground assault. That wouldnt, however, halt the ideological contagion. The Islamic State is the offspring of al-Qaida in Iraq, which the U.S. had successfully put out of business. If the Islamic State were to be destroyed, its remnants would metastasize into something else just as deadly. This will be the longest war in modern times. Since 2001, the U.S. has been in a state of permanent war with the likes of the Taliban, al-Qaida, the Islamic State and their offspring, such as the Shabab and Boko Haram. As these groups split, merge and mutate, Washington will be drawn into fights wherever they spread: Yemen, Libya, Nigeria, Somalia, the Sinai Peninsula and more. American special forces contingents already have been sent to Syria and Cameroon. Expanded security measures will not be sufficient; we need to target the source of the ideology. Specifically, Saudi Arabias policy of supporting schools, mosques and groups that spread the religious dogma at the core of this extremist belief system has to endas does direct funding to terrorist groups by wealthy Saudi individuals. The West, and the U.S. in particular, has been too accepting of these practices for decades. Saudi Arabia also needs to change its cultural narrative, which demonizes the other, whether that is the Shiite Muslims or all non-Muslims. Uprooting radical ideologies is difficult, but possible. Indonesia, the worlds most populous Muslim-majority nation, has experienced horrific terrorist attacks, most memorably in 2002 in Bali. Today, the country is consciously focused on spreading respect for minority rights. Nongovernmental organizations following in the footsteps of the late former President Abdurrahman Wahid are actively countering extremist groups, some funded by Saudis. The countrys largest religious organization, the 50 million-member Nahdlatul Ulama, is campaigning for a mental revolution and promoting the archipelagos tolerant brand of Islam as a counter-identity to fundamentalism worldwide. The Islamic States heinous attacks might finally be the thing that pushes other Muslim-majority countries to realize they cant remain bystanders in the fight against extremist ideology. And we will need their help if this longest war isnt to become an eternal one. Henri J. Barkey is the director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center. He wrote this for the Los Angeles Times. In her childhood home outside Manila, her father studied via U.S. correspondence courses to become an electronics technician. Using that knowledge, he bought and placed jukeboxes in local restaurants, maintaining the machines and reaping the coins patrons plunked in to hear 1950s dinner tunes on 45-rpm records. We were brought up from those jukeboxes, said Santos, 72. Thats how my parents financed our educations, through jukeboxes. They worked so hard. A half-century later, shes a research tech supervisor in the Fred Hutch lab of Dr. Brenda Sandmaier, using radioactive isotopes to develop conditioning regimens with minimal toxicity to extend the benefit of stem cell transplants to more patients. That branch of medicine, pioneered at Fred Hutch, has progressed in parts under the nose of Santos. For perspective, when Sandmaier became her boss in 1991, Santos already had logged nearly two decades at the center. Strength, determination, conviction I wouldnt be able to do the science without her there. Really, its her precision, her accuracy, said Sandmaier, a transplantation physician-scientist at the Hutch and the University of Washington. I feel like I have a national treasure. And she always says: Thank you for giving me a job. Shes so sweet, but she has this strength and determination and great personal conviction, Sandmaier added. People think shes so quiet. But somebody once said to her: Oh, youre so submissive. This was [under] a boss previous to me. [Erlinda] said, Heck, I tell people what I think and what I do, you just dont see it. Shes totally a wonderful person. Perhaps her two largest life decisions came by suggestion. Santos pursued science in the Philippines on the advice of an aunt who noted her math skills. For a short time, she also worked as a schoolteacher. She came to America in 1972 on the recommendation of a fellow teacher who told her U.S. companies were hiring scores of professionals from overseas. Another teacher she knew already had migrated to Tacoma, Washington, where she had relatives, so Santos took the same route. Once there, more friends suggested she join them in a Seattle job hunt. At the University of Washington, she applied as a lab aide, telling them: No matter what job, Ill just take it. As her application was reviewed, she worked for about five months as a seamstress at a coat factory and for about six months as a Seattle schoolteacher, creating questions for math and science tests. I was putting away the textbooks for the summer and then the University of Washington called. And thats how I started this job, Santos said. It was 1973. Her first tasks, including autoclaving, came in labs overseen by Dr. Rainer Storb then a colleague of Dr. E. Donnall Thomas, the father of bone marrow transplantation and, eventually, recipient of the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine. In 1975, Santos helped move the teams labs to the original, brand-new Fred Hutch campus on First Hill. Then, in 1998, she moved the lab to the current location on Lake Union. You cant think of anybody better Shes a very precise technician. I mean, you cant think of anybody better, said Storb, head of Fred Hutchs Transplantation Biology Program since 1980. Shes been quite a find, I have to say. Whatever hunch I had was right on the mark. One of her early scientific victories under Storb involved rebutting a then-hot phenomenon called serum-blocking factors, thought to play a role in everything from treating cancers to boosting transplantation tolerance. Through a series of 1970s studies in animal models and human patients, Storbs team could not confirm the factors worked as promised a thesis that had been trumpeted by some of their Fred Hutch colleagues. As a result, we published a series of papers basically saying these findings by these prominent people were incorrect. And that created a lot of tension within the Hutch because these people were one floor above us, Storb said. Erlinda was heavily involved in these studies, which required an enormous amount of precision. You know, when you want to disprove something, you have to be really, absolutely, utterly sure that you are correct because you are ruining somebody elses reputation. Santoss latest work has involved investigating the use of a molecule called a monoclonal antibody coupled to a potent radioactive isotope, astatine-211. So, instead of giving [some cancer patients] total-body irradiation, we use astatine-211 bound to the monoclonal antibodies to target the cancer cells. That will eliminate the cancer itself, Santos said. Im really glad that I am able to contribute to the day when, finally, cancer will be cured, hopefully. Im really proud of that and to be part of it. But cancer is something Santos herself faced in 2009, when she was diagnosed with a form of breast cancer. It was Sandmaier who urged her to seek a second opinion at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, the treatment arm of Fred Hutch. Santos soon underwent a mastectomy. Santos also asked Sandmaier to accompany her to the SCCA appointment by explaining: I dont want to worry my family. Inside Santos home in Seattles Beacon Hill neighborhood not far from her first lab job sits a symbol of those enduring family ties: a piano. When her parents were in Seattle with her some years ago, they initially bought an organ. Her dad played by ear. They later exchanged the organ for a piano. She took lessons until her parents returned to the Philippines. Two years ago, Santos found a new piano teacher who lives five houses down. He helped polish her skills on the keys and, together, they composed 11 songs, including the titles My Valentine and Song of My Heart. Another piece is called Loves Broken Promise. They filed the songs with the U.S. Copyright Office, receiving a copyright number in 2014. I started by just playing notes then I hear the melody then I think of a title and then words, Santos said. I am not taking lessons anymore. I try to find time to play some of the pieces. But all of that music her piano creations and the Perry Como tunes accompanying her crocheting wraps around her life like a gorgeous chorus, carrying Santos back to Manila, to her parents and to the jukeboxes. Bill Briggs is a former Fred Hutch News Service staff writer. Follow him at @writerdude. Previously, he was a contributing writer for NBCNews.com and TODAY.com, covering breaking news, health and the military. Prior, he was a staff writer for The Denver Post, part of the newspaper's team that earned the Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the Columbine High School massacre. He has authored two books, including "The Third Miracle: an Ordinary Man, a medical Mystery, and a Trial of Faith." Ceramic Tile Market 2018 China Forecasts Research Report China Ceramic Tile Industry Report, 2015-2018 studies market size, capacity, output, import and export, competitive landscape, product definition, classification, development process and major policies -- After thirty years of rapid development, China's economy has entered a new normal state, in which real estate investment and development slows down, construction area declines and the demand for decoration falls. As a result, the architectural ceramics industry witnesses a lower growth rate. In 2015, the full-year revenue of the industry will reach RMB447 billion, a year-on-year increase of 4.9%. China architectural ceramics industry has been booming nationwide through decades of development and several rounds of industrial transfer. There are now 1,452 ceramics enterprises and 3,621 production lines (including 181 Spanish tile production lines) in China except Beijing, Tianjin, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, with the daily ceramic tile capacity of 45.036 million square meters, according to statistics of China Building Ceramics & Sanitaryware Association. In terms of competition pattern, China building ceramics industry features a low market concentration rate. The top ten manufacturers have total annual capacity of 676 million square meters, only occupying 4.12% of the whole industry. With the implementation of new environmental protection laws, some of backward capacity will be phased out; meanwhile, the slow development of China's economy and real estate industry will lead to the fiercer market competition in the architectural ceramics industry, and mergers and acquisitions will be the mainstream of the industry. Purchase a copy of this report @ http://www.chinamarketresearchreports.com/contacts/purchase.php?name=115287 As for manufacturers: China's largest architectural ceramics enterprise NewPearl Group is made up of Guangdong NewPearl Ceramics Group, Guangdong Summit Ceramics Group and Jiangxi NewPearl Ceramics Group, with the ceramic tile capacity of more than 200 million square meters. The second-ranked New Zhongyuan has nine production bases located in Foshan, Gao'an and other places, with the capacity of 100 million square meters. The third-ranked Nabel has set up its five production bases in Hangzhou, Jiujiang and Deqing, with the investment of more than USD 425 million and the capacity of over 78 million square meters. Currently, Wonderful has the capacity of 58 million square meters. It plans to invest RMB3 billion in a project with the capacity of 40 million square meters in Chongqing. Once the project is completed in 2018, Wonderful's capacity will hit 100 million square meters and rank among top three. China Ceramic Tile Industry Report, 2015-2018 studies the following: Overview of China ceramic tile industry, including product definition, classification, development process and major policies. Analysis of factors about China ceramic tile industry, such as real estate development and decoration industries. Overview of China ceramic tile industry, embracing market size, capacity, output, import and export, competitive landscape, etc. Profile, financial condition, flagship products, capacity / output, R & D, distribution of production bases, technical characteristics and so on of 14 ceramic tile companies, namely Dong Peng, Wonderful, New Zhongyuan, NewPearl, Nabel, Eagle Ceramics, China Ceramics, Hongyu, Oceano, Bode, Monalisa, Shanghai Everjoy (formerly Cimic), Champion and Huida Sanitary Ware. Complete report of 95 pages is available at http://www.chinamarketresearchreports.com/115287.html Table of Contents 1. Introduction of Ceramic Tile 1.1 Definition & Classification 1.2 Development History 1.3 Standards & Policies 2. China Ceramic Tile-related Industries 2.1 Residence 2.2 Home Decoration 2.3 Other Market Drivers 2.3.1 Urbanization 2.3.2 Per Capita Disposable Income 3. China Ceramic Tile Market 3.1 Market Scale 3.2 Capacity 3.3 Output 3.4 Competition Pattern 3.5 Import & Export 3.6 Forecast 4 Regional Markets 4.1 Market Structure 4.2 Output by Province 4.2.1 Guangdong 4.2.2 Jiangxi 4.2.3 Fujian 4.2.4 Liaoning 4.2.5 Shandong 4.2.6 Henan 4.2.7 Guangxi 4.2.8 Hubei 4.2.9 Sichuan 4.2.10 Hebei 5. Key Players in China 5.1 Dong Peng 5.2 Marco Polo (Wonderful Ceramics Group) 5.3 Hongyu 5.4 NewPearl (Guanzhu, Summit) 5.5 New Zhongyuan 5.6 Oceano 5.7 Nabel 5.8 Bode 5.9 Eagle Ceramics 5.10 Monalisa 5.11 Shanghai Everjoy (Formerly Cimic) 5.12 China Ceramics 5.13 Champion 5.14 Huida Sanitary Ware For more information about us, please visit http://www.chinamarketresearchreports.com/ Contact Info: Name: Ritesh Tiwari Organization: China Market Research Reports Address: UNIT no 802, Tower no. 7, SEZ Magarpatta city, Hadapsar Pune, Maharashtra 411013, India Phone: +1888 391 54 41 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/ceramic-tile-market-2018-china-forecasts-research-report/100407 Release ID: 100407 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Orlando Landscaping Company Launches New Brick Paver Information Site Agaly Landscape and Design, a full service Orlando Florida landscaping service announces the launch of a new website designed to provide information to homeowners and businesses in the use of designer brick pavers. This will be the second such site of the Orlando Landscaper. -- Orlando based Agaly Landscape & Design today announced the launch of a brand-new website to function as an informational portal that features educational resources on subjects such as paver design, paver pricing, and how pavers and landscaping influence building values, along with tree reduction, tree cutting and stump grinding, and numerous other useful ideas that can save commercial and household customers money in the Orlando Florida Area. The launch of the new information website is happening as Agaly's Landscaping Design is set to celebrate over 2 decades of professional landscaping services in the Orlando Florida area and is a continuation of the company's efforts to expand it's internet presence. Advancement of the site and all the added features for the PaversOrlando.com website are already underway and brand-new awareness guides from professionals are already being added acknowledging chances for using brick pavers in the design and landscape of one's house or company, concepts for walkways, driveways, decks along with how to deal with dangerous tree, when to employ a tree removal expert, and cutting and pruning details. Allan Agaly of Agaly Landscape & Design stated, "The goal is to educate the Orlando community on the company's expert paver service, stroll method, retainer wall, tree upkeep, removal, trimming, and full landscaping services. The brand-new website informative and expert article areas exist to assist everybody. The success of the last website launch LandscapingOrlando.com was so well gotten Agaly's wishes to continue with in the exact same vein just with more specific services.". About Agaly Landscape & Design - Agaly Landscape & Design is a family owned and run landscaping business providing services to Orlando Florida and the surrounding location. The company concentrates on property landscaping, industrial landsacping, hardscaping, brick paving, retainer walls pruning, tree services, and full landscape creating. Agaly's years of experience and professionally certified landscapers ensure that the highest quality landscape and relevant services are supplied. For more details, please check out AgalyLandscape.com . For more information about us, please visit http://agalylandscape.com/ Contact Info: Name: Allan Agaly Organization: A Galy Landscape & Design Address: 2591 W. Washington St. Orlando, FL 32805 Phone: (407) 408-0373 Release ID: 100538 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cooperative Plumbers Orlando Marketing Company Announces Expansion To Operations Orlando based plumbing marketing company Cooperative Plumbing announces an expansion to the company's operation to cover a wider area of central Florida. The use of a marketing website for many plumbing companies has shown an increase of business for several Orlando plumbing contractors. -- The Cooperative Plumbers Network, a plumbing technician marketing service assisting plumbing and A/C professionals enhance their online direct exposure, announced that their analysts have found that the reason why private business achieved the greatest levels of earnings in a years in 2015, was because of the execution of web marketing techniques. Recent data launched by PlumbHVAC validates the growth within design, the biggest sector of the service company industry, which includes Plumbing and Roofing. William and Frederick Waters, co-founders of Orlandoplumbing.org, are striving to show company owners and plumbing technicians that buying web marketing is the smartest thing they can do to grow earnings: "The variation in profitability is obvious at a closer look when comparing the success of cooling, plumbing and heating companies that are easily discovered online, to the success of those that are not," said The Smiths. Due to the fact that of that growing variety of online searches, web marketing plays a large consider the enhancing success of U.S. private business. For each plumbing business or any business that depends upon consumers to survive, having an online presence is just as vital. William Waters adds, "Companies have to be seen where their potential customers are looking and that is online. Companies that have actually not adopted a web marketing technique have struggled, while many that have implemented those tactics have grown." The Cooperative Plumbers Network, works specifically with only one customer per city area. They defend that the power of web marketing is even higher when concentrated on a city, targeting a local audience. Utilizing a variety of marketing tools such as SEO, web marketing and handling social media, they are able to ensure their customers have superior rankings at the top of a search results page, driving them to a company website where they can virtually call for the service. Leo Reyes, the owner of The Naples Plumbing Services at PlumbersNaplesFl.net, mentioned: "The Naples plumbing company finished 2015 with the greatest level of profitability because the company has been on the web so long." With 31 years of experience, Reyes says: "Till the company implemented a proactive Online marketing technique, it was next to impossible to get in front of prospects at the exact moment the customers were looking for the type of service provided by the business. Now that The Cooperative Plumbers Network assisted our company to build a solid online existence, calls come in nearly every day.". Michael Meyerson of Plumbers Of Fort Worth Berkeys.com/ Fort-Worth-Plumbing agrees with fellow businesses stating" that the increased web presence in the search results has resulted in a big increase in phone calls for the Fort Worth service area plumbing company.". About Cooperative Plumbers Network. The Cooperative Plumbers Network specializes in helping plumbing and HEATING AND COOLING contractors enhance their direct exposure and grow their customer base by utilizing online marketing strategies, such as search engine optimization, map optimization, social media management, and numerous online lead generation tools. Co-founders William and Frederick Waters are committed To Internet Marketing for Plumbing, and Roofing professionals throughout the nation. The public can visit CooperativePlumbers.com for more information. For more information about us, please visit http://cooperativeplumbers.com/ Contact Info: Name: Frederick Waters Organization: Emergency Plumber Services Address: 4936 S. Orange Ave. Unit B Orlando, FL 32806 Phone: (407) 369-2097 Release ID: 100540 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Caramanna, Friedberg LLP has recently hired two new associate lawyers. Caramanna, Friedberg LLP is a leading criminal defence law firm located in Toronto, Ontario. This firm has recently hired two new associate lawyers. -- Press Release Toronto, Ontario January 5, 2015 Caramanna, Friedberg LLP has recently hired two new associate lawyers. They are: 1. Brendon Gould B.B.A., M.B.A., J.D. Brendan Gould obtained his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Alberta in 2014, and was called to the bar in Ontario in 2015. Prior to attending law school, Brendan completed his Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Business Administration at Wilfrid Laurier University. Brendan always demonstrated a keen interest in criminal law during his studies. Throughout his time at law school Brendan volunteered at a low income legal clinic, Student Legal Services, where he began developing his advocacy skills and trial experience. He was able to secure acquittals at the conclusion of contested trials, and many other positive outcomes for his clients. Towards the end of law school, he supervised a group of students and assisted them with serving their clients. Brendan completed his articles of clerkship with a prominent criminal defence firm in Toronto. After his call to the bar he opened his own practice, before ultimately joining Caramanna Friedberg as an associate. Brendan has experience conducting trials and dealing with matters in both the Ontario Court of Justice and the Superior Court of Justice. Brendan has also assisted senior counsel with a number of extremely serious matters, including several high profile murders. Brendan is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada and the Criminal Lawyers Association. 2. Jason Au B.A. (Hons), J.D. Jason Au obtained his Juris Doctorate degree from Queen's University Faculty of Law in 2014 and was called to the Bar in Ontario in 2015. Prior to attending law school, Jason completed his Bachelor of Arts (Honours) at York University. He majored in Law and Society. Jason completed his articles with a prominent criminal defence firm in Toronto where he also worked as an associate before joining Caramanna Friedberg LLP. Jason has experience dealing with matters in both the Ontario Court of Justice and the Superior Court of Justice. Jason has assisted senior counsel with various matters including but not limited to: gun/drug possession; operation over 80/while impaired; and prostitution related charges. While attending Queen's Faculty of Law, Jason was a student member of the Correctional Law Project, a Legal Aid clinic that assists federal inmates with National Parole Board hearings, institutional disciplinary court hearings and appeals. While attending Queen's Faculty of Law, Jason was also a volunteer, summer student caseworker and group leader for Queen's Legal Aid. He received the Dan Soberman Award, Robinson-Ryan Award and Queen's Legal Aid Staff award for his file work and commitment at Queen's Legal Aid. Jason is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Criminal Lawyers' Association and the Toronto Lawyers' Association. For more information about us, please visit http://www.cflaw.ca/ Contact Info: Name: Matthew Friedberg Organization: Caramanna, Friedberg LLP Address: 700 Bay Street, Suite 405 (Box 144), Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 1Z6 Phone: 416.924.5969 Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKGWTa862vE Source: http://marketersmedia.com/caramanna-friedberg-llp-has-recently-hired-two-new-associate-lawyers/100486 Release ID: 100486 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Family Christian Bookstore chooses Amish Fairy Tales as Book of the Month Global Grafx Press's Family Christian Bookstore chooses Rachel Stoltzfus's Amish Fairy Tales Collection as their January 2016 Book of the Month. This collection is Books 1-4 of her bestselling Amish Fairy Tales series. Readers will enjoy reading this beautiful and engaging boxed set collection. -- Amish book lovers searching for one of the best Christian books series can purchase the Amish Fairy Tales Collection by Rachel Stoltzfus as Global Grafx Press's Family Christian Bookstore January 2016 Book of the Month. This is a collection of Books 1-4 of the bestselling Amish Fairy Tales Series series. Rachel Stoltzfus' Amish Fairy Tales Collection begins with Amish teen Ella who must find the strength to fight for her future with her love, Samuel, in the face of treachery, violence, and a shocking tragedy that threatens everything she's ever wanted. In Amish Sleeping Beauty, when orphaned teen Zelda's beloved aunt is stricken by a mysterious illness, Zelda must find a way to save her family while facing the possibility that she is cursed. Lastly, in Amish Snow White, when Amish teen, Gerta is reunited with her beloved sisters, readers will ask if she have the strength to step out from her uncle's shadow and forge her own path before it's too late. Readers can learn more about the Amish Fairy Tales 4-Book Boxed Set Collection here: http://familychristianbookstore.net/index.php/2016... Amish author, Rachel Stoltzfus strives in her fiction to present a fair and honest representation of a love that is both romantic and sweet. Christian readers will find this book whimsical, absorbing, and ultimately charming. Readers have raved about Rachel Stoltzfus's Amish Fairy Tales Collection. About the Amish Fairy Tales 4-Book Boxed Set Collection, Amazon reader, Macy Jackson, says: "I loved this series. It was nice to have the option to get all the books at once so you can read them one after the other!" Another Amazon.com reader, Myrtle Davidson raves, "The author kept you on your toes waiting to see what would happen next. I loved this series. Romance, mystery and everyday life." And a third reader, Charlotte Berkner, says this about her experience of the book, "I really enjoyed reading the four stories. Look forward to reading more of Rachel Stoltzfus. I would recommend her work." Readers can learn more about Amish Fairy Tales Collection here: http://familychristianbookstore.net/index.php/2016... The Amish Fairy Tales Collection is being offered $5.99 in eBook format on Kindle, Nook, iBooks, Kobo, Page Foundry and 24Symbols and for $19.99 through CreateSpace and Amazon.com. About Global Grafx Press: Global Grafx Press was founded in 1997. This Christian book distributor is known for publishing great Western romance novels and Amish authors as well as Western Historical fiction. They are committed to helping Christian readers find the best, clean Christian books online and hope that their readers enjoy browsing their Christian Bookstore. Those interested in learning more about Global Grafx Press can do so at http://familychristianbookstore.net. For more information about us, please visit http://familychristianbookstore.net Contact Info: Name: Book Maven Organization: Global Grafx Press Address: 823 Old Westtown Road, Suite B1 Phone: 267-530-1611 Release ID: 100546 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Best Windows Hosting Providers for 2016 Published by TheHosting.review TheHosting.review today published a list of the best Windows hosting providers for 2016 based on user reviews and the performance testing of 100+ web hosts in the whole year of 2015. -- The web hosting review site TheHosting.review today released the award of best Windows hosting providers for 2016. The winners are Arvixe, WinHost and DiscountASP.NET, three companies that have been dedicated to Windows hosting for over 7 years. According to TheHosting.review, the winners are selected based on the statistics collected from the editors' experiences, performance testing, and user reviews in 2015. The recommendation list will be updated regularly to make sure that only the best web hosts are listed. Arvixe, WinHost and DiscountASP.NET gain the award for multiple reasons. o They offer affordable Windows hosting packages. Hosting one website costs no more than $5/mo. o They offer the latest technologies, including Windows Server 2012, MSSQL 2014/2012 database, ASP.NET 4.5, ASP.NET MVC 5, AJAX, and Silverlight. o They utilize an easy-to-use web hosting control panel and support 1-click installation of multiple applications. o They offer over 99.9% uptime and 24x7 technical support. Arvixe, the best Windows hosting provider, provides a variety of hosting products for all types of users, such as shared hosting, VPS and dedicated servers. New customers can buy a shared Windows hosting plan at $3.5/mo by using the coupon code BWH360. The regular price starts at $5/mo. Besides, Arvixe provides all users with a free domain and $200 marketing credits. WinHost has been focusing on Windows hosting only since its inception in 2009. The company offers three plans at low prices starting at $3.95/mo. Each plan comes with Full Trust app support and WebSitePanel control panel. DiscountASP.NET provides developer-friendly Windows hosting at a price of $5/mo. The web host keeps pace with the latest developments of the industry. To meet different users' needs, it offers a number of add-on options, such as additional disk storage, additional bandwidth, cloud backup, and SSL certificates. "The award winners are carefully selected based on our strict criteria of pricing, value, performance, security and support. It is hard to find a web host meeting all the standards, but fortunately, Arvixe, WinHost and DiscountASP.NET are good enough. Their affordable prices and rich features make them good choices for both beginners and developers," said Susan, an editor of TheHosting.review. All of the three Windows hosting providers offer a refund guarantee to guarantee the performance and user experience of their services. o Arvixe allows customers to ask for a full refund for any hosting account actively terminated within the first 60 days of service delivery. o WinHost and DiscountASP.NET guarantee 30-day full refund, which ensures a trial period for first-time customers. "The refund guarantee is also a sign of the provider's confidence in its service quality. Although the web hosts we recommend promise refunds, we have seen few customers who take advantage of the policy. Their customer satisfaction rates are all higher than 90% in our investigation. That's the top reason why they win the competition," added Susan. For more information about us, please visit https://thehosting.review/best-windows-hosting/ Contact Info: Name: Eunge Organization: Eunge Media and Technology Group Ltd Source: http://marketersmedia.com/best-windows-hosting-providers-for-2016-published-by-thehosting-review/100559 Release ID: 100559 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) RecommendedExperts.biz Announces Nominations For The Week Of December 21st, 2015 RecommendedExperts.com a website that promotes local experts worldwide who have been recommended or reviewed by their clients, is pleased to announce the selected top professionals for December, 2015 -- >> RE recognizes Business Accounting Systems as a top accounting firm in New Jersey, USA after the following statement by one of their clients... "One of the best things about BAS is the "flat fee concept." Knowing the annual payroll, accounting and tax preparation fee in advance allows us to control our cash flow. BAS offers unlimited accounting and tax advice, better planning and most of all...no surprise additional bills." James & Patty Woodworth, Action wheels Inc, Wenonah, NJ. For more information email... scott@bas-pc.com RE recognizes Craig Keller Professional Corporation as a top accounting firm in Ontario, Canada after the following statement by one of their clients... "Craig Keller has been an asset to me as an excellent accountant with expertise on minimizing my tax burden. As I am an Entrepreneur with several small businesses he has been able to holistically approach my needs. I recommend Craig to you as the accountant for your needs." Richard Colebeck, I.T. Security Analyst, specializing in Microsoft Infrastructure. For more information email... craig@craigkeller.com RE recognizes Great Elm as a top bookkeeping firm in Shepton Mallet, UK after the following statement by one of their clients... "I don't know what I would do without Frank and Great Elm. He makes sure that my records are accurate and I don't have to worry about filing my VAT returns and Self-Assessment. He is there at the end of a telephone whenever I need help." Di Pardoe Training and ConsultancyOwnerDi Pardoe Training and Consultancy. For more information email... frank@great-elm.co.uk RE recognizes Quest Consulting Services as a top accounting firm in Victoria, Australia after the following statement by one of their clients... "In all honesty, from the problems we had encountered prior to Quest coming on board, it was a Herculean effort to get us back on track. The program that was put in place took time and effort to execute, but I couldnt be happier with the result." Greg Eurell Thoroughbred Training, Cranbourne. For more information email... gpeddle@questconsulting.com.au RE recognizes Steven James Accountants as a top accounting firm in Brisbane, Australia after the following statement by one of their clients... "I have always appreciated Steven James Accountants' openness, transparency, honesty and professionalism, when helping me achieve the best outcome for our business. Business strategy is always presented both clearly, and precisely, allowing us to achieve effective results in all areas of our field." Garth Small, Managing Director, Flushco PTY Ltd. For more information email... steven@sjaccountants.com.au RE recognizes Your Bottom Line as a top accounting firm in Ontario, Canada after the following statement by one of their clients... "I worked with other accountants for years and I was satisfied but after working with Mike, I realized how much planning goes into proper tax preparation." For more information email... mike@yourbottomline.ws RE recognizes TEN as a top accounting firm in London, UK after the following statement by one of their clients... "Malcolm and the team at TEN have a great understanding of our business and know what advice we need and when. Malcolm keeps us updated and informed at all times, and more importantly, nags us to do things when we need to get them done and has the patience of a Saint when we are late! No higher praise for an accountant could I give." Sharon Hedinburgh Account Manager, FCO Services. For more information email... malcolm@tenaccountants.co.uk RE recognizes abacus 59 as a top accounting firm in Romford, UK after the following statement by one of their clients... "abacus 59 Ltd is a highly professional service and great value for money. Clients are treated with respect and are generally cared about. It is wonderful to have such a professional service with a bit of warmth and human understanding. I have no hesitation in recommending this service highly." Joe Taylor, Owner, Taylors Vans. For more information email... bode.olaniyan@abacusnetwork.co.uk RE recognizes North City Accounting as a top accounting firm in Woodville, Australia after the following statement by one of their clients... "It is my absolute pleasure to recommend Leslie Clarke from North City Accounting as a business accountant. Leslie always makes time for any question we may have in relation to our business & personal tax matters. He is thorough, reliable & extremely competent, which is what you would hope for in your accountant. HIGHLY recommended. Superior SERVICE. No problem to big or too small." Moore's Grip Floors, Perth, Western Australia For more information email... leslie@northcitygrp.com.au RE recognizes Jeffrey Etzin as a top accountant in New Jersey, USA after the following statement by one of his clients... "Jeff is more than just a CPA. He provides a full range of services to small and medium sized businesses. He has not only become our trusted accountant, but has also become a trusted business consultant." PETER TILEM, Esq., Tilem & Associates PC For more information email... etzingroup@aol.com For more information about us, please visit http://recommendedexperts.biz Contact Info: Name: Grant Eagle Organization: RecommendedExperts.biz Address: Cannes, South of France Source: http://marketersmedia.com/recommendedexperts-biz-announces-nominations-for-the-week-of-december-21st-2015/100614 Release ID: 100614 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) The Top 3 Best Blog Hosting in 2016 Announced by TheHosting.review The best 3 blog web hosting providers in 2016 are announced by TheHosting.review. The result is coming from the verified customer reviews, the feedbacks from the professional hosting reviewers and the real-world monitoring that starts since the previous year for their page loading speed and uptime. -- TheHosting.review is one of the leading hosting review sites. Today, this site announces the top 3 best blog hosting providers in the year of 2016 after comparing dozens of top-notch web hosts for the aspects of hosting charges, features, technical support, page loading speed, customer satisfaction and hosting uptime. To come out the objective result, their reviewers and editors have done the following tasks since the middle of the previous year. o Start the online monitoring to test the uptime and hosting speed achieved by them. o Review their feature lists to figure out whether they offer the rich-featured plans. o Collect the feedbacks from hundreds of real customers to analyze their satisfaction rate. o Try their hosting solutions personally to check the efficiency of their technical support. According to the final result, JustHost is the top option among all the candidates. As tested, this web host succeeds in achieving a 99.99% uptime for the sample website, only coming with one downtime that lasts for no more than 10 minutes. Besides, the hosted site only requires 336 ms to respond each server request, resulting in a fast page loading speed that is around 3 seconds. In addition, as compared with other candidates, JustHost offers the most cost-effective hosting plans with rich features and cheap hosting charges. With this special promotional link, their blog hosting service can be purchased starting at $2.5/mo only, along with the 69% discount. The second winner is InMotion Hosting. This is the fastest blog hosting provider among the reviewed candidates. As tested, they achieve a fast server response speed that is around 230 ms, along with the 100% website uptime. Additionally, InMotion Hosting offers the premium technical support that can be asked 24/7 via the hotline, ticket system, email and live chat. The reviewers of TheHosting.review have tested their support service, and give a positive feedback. InMotion Hosting also releases a promotional link, cutting their hosting charges down to $3.49/mo effectively. The last recommendation is Arvixe. With the newly-released coupon code BWH360, the hosting price is down to $2.8/mo only. Also, as compared with other two award winners, Arvixe is rich-featured, offering all the necessary hosting features and a lot of free extras. For more information about us, please visit https://thehosting.review/best-blog-web-hosting/ Contact Info: Name: Eunge Email: founder@eunge.com Organization: Eunge Media and Technology Group Ltd Source: http://marketersmedia.com/the-top-3-best-blog-hosting-in-2016-announced-by-thehosting-review/100590 Release ID: 100590 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Old Mutual International, part of Old Mutual Wealth, has launched an international life assurance bond that is linked to a discretionary fund management service. The European Wealth Bond, which uses investment knowledge from Old Mutual-owned Quilter Cheviot, aims to provide a tailored solution for clients wanting to access to more choice of assets through a discretionary fund manager (DFM). It is available for clients who want a DFM to run the investment portfolio, which is linked to the bond. According to Old Mutual, the offering gives customers access to a broader range of investment options than is usually permitted within a generic international portfolio bond in the UK, such as direct equities. The international arm of Old Mutual hopes the European Wealth Bond will strengthen its high net worth offering in the UK. As well as Quilter Cheviot, Steven Levin, chief executive of investment platforms at Old Mutual Wealth, will make other DFMs available through the bond to ensure advisers have choice. Mr Levin said the firm is seeing strong demand from international advisers who want tailored solutions for their high net worth clients, adding the bond launch is a key step towards delivering enhanced value for clients. This is a great example of how Old Mutual International is working together with Quilter Cheviot to deliver compelling solutions to advisers and clients. Scott Gallacher, chartered financial planner at Leicester-based Rowley Turton Wealth Management, said by linking to the DFM, Old Mutual might be trying to get round the UK personalised portfolio bond (PPB) rules. I am somewhat sceptical of the need for this service, because even if it works and does not fall foul of the PPB rules, the client cant have a direct influence in the specific underlying holdings - more of a general guidance. In which case this is little better than the client selecting a collective investment that invests in the clients preferred sector. Mr Gallacher said, if the new offering is not an attempt to get round the PPB rules and the DFM only invests in permitted assets, then he is even less convinced about the need for this new product. One concern, he said, is it might be difficult to remove the chosen DFM, which means clients might have to encash the bond and reinvest elsewhere in order to switch DFMs, which would incur an unwanted tax event. He also pointed out that the use of an offshore bond can result in an unwanted double taxation of UK dividends, because unless they are a non-taxpayer when they withdraw dividends from the bond, then they pay tax again on the dividend. In 2013, Axa launched an offshore DFM bond called the Dublin-domiciled Delegation bond. katherine.denham@ft.com JPMorgan Asset Managements (JPMAM) head of UK funds field sales Mike Parsons is leaving the company after nine years, with his replacement to be announced in due course. A spokesperson confirmed Mr Parsons, who joined JPMAM in January 2007, was leaving the company, but declined to comment further, citing company policy. Mr Parsons previously spent almost seven years at Schroders and five years at Fidelity. Article continues after advert Nationwide will cut rates on its 95 per cent loan-to-value mortgages by up to 0.4 per cent from today (6 January). Rates for the two-year 95 per cent LTV product are cut by 0.35 per cent to 3.89 per cent, with a 999 fee, and 4.29 per cent with no fee. Three-year 95 per cent LTV fixed rates are reduced by 0.4 per cent to 4.39 per cent, with a 999 fee, and 4.69 per cent with no fee, while five-year fixed rates are down by 0.3 per cent to 4.69 per cent, with a 999 fee, and 4.89 per cent with no fee. Henry Jordan, Nationwides head of mortgages, explained first-time buyers will also continue to qualify for a 500 cashback, irrespective of which product they choose. Existing mortgage customers can get a 0.1 per cent discount on new customer rates. Last month, mortgage insurer Genworth claimed that the amount of 95 per cent LTV mortgage products available was at a post-recession high, after a surge of product launches over recent months. It calculated that the number of 95 per cent LTV deals rose by 84 per cent year-on-year to 260 in November. According to the Moneyfacts Mortgage LTV Tracker, this is the largest amount of 95 per cent LTV deals available since the recession. Adviser view David Wilson, managing director of Newcastle-based NE Money, said: I use Nationwide a fair bit and in the main they are a decent lender. Of the two-year products the better one is the 3.89 per cent mortgage but if it comes with a fee it depends on the client. It is about trying to get first-time buyers and these products are great for them. As we enter 2016, one of the major obstacles standing in the way of growth in the financial advice sector is a sheer lack of the raw material financial advisers themselves. Despite recent statistics showing welcome growth with adviser numbers up by just over 1,000 in the past year from 21,496 to 22,557 after years of decline the overall number of advisers remains woefully inadequate to meet future demand. There is already a shortage of paraplanners, with recruitment agencies crying out for qualified paraplanning professionals, many of whom are finding their salaries soaring as a result. Financial planners, wealth managers and well-qualified financial advisers are also in demand. Comparisons with recent growth in other professions is not good. According to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the number of practising solicitors rose from 115,487 in 2009 to 136,940 in November 2015. The number of accountants working across the various accountancy bodies stands at more than 327,000 in the UK and Republic of Ireland (2014 figure). The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales had 114,468 members in 2009. In 2013 it had 120,513. According to the Architects Registration Board there are now over 34,500 registered architects, and the term architect is protected in law. The term financial planner is still not protected by law in the UK. Across the professions, despite the impact of the 2008 financial crisis, the picture is one of growth, and many have seen strong increases in numbers in recent years as consumers and businesses have sought professional advice from well-qualified and regulated people. The same cannot be said at least not yet for UK financial advisers. Indeed the dismal current number, hovering just over 20,000, is undoubtedly one of the single biggest barriers to future expansion. There are some green shoots. Numbers are up a bit; firms are employing more apprentices; there is a greater focus on graduate recruitment; paraplanners are being taken on; and so on, but the changes are glacially slow compared with other professions which are powering ahead. Financial advice is being left behind. Some will say the issues are down to the cottage industry nature of the financial adviser sector, but many solicitors also work in this way, in relatively small firms, and it has not held them back. It is a lame excuse. One factor which may have helped other professions such as the legal profession has been their ability to add new services. Many have prospered on rapid growth in claims and accident litigation handling. I know some have expanded into estate agency, and divorce work has been a major boost for many firms. They have also grasped the opportunity to advertise. If you pick up your local newspaper I doubt you will miss the advertisements for local legal firms. This was unknown 20 years ago. Financial advisers, on the other hand, have gone backwards. Seen any adverts for financial advisers lately? I doubt it. I am old enough to remember the days of Camifa (the Campaign for Independent Financial Advice) advertising on TV back in the 1980s. It seems like a different world. In the coming year, the EU has major reforms approaching implementation, stemming from the frenetic activity that followed the financial crisis. In the longer term, the pace and scale of EU-driven reforms will reduce the number of new initiatives has been cut every year for the past five years. But 2016 will be a busy year for EU regulators. It will be likewise for UK regulators. Investigation and enforcement activity will focus increasingly on individuals as well as firms. The development of rules and reforms will need to keep pace both with the EUs agenda and domestic priorities. The departure of Martin Wheatley from the FCA has been viewed by some as the end of the shoot first, ask later ethos. But investigations and enforcement in 2016 will have a broader scope beyond the banking sector. The drive for individual accountability is a recurring theme. Although present in the current APER regime, greater emphasis has been added following the extension of the senior managers regime (SMR) across all financial services sectors. The implementation deadline for banks, building societies, credit unions and PRA-regulated investment firms is 7 March 2016. The government has set an ambitious deadline of 2018 for the remainder of firms. The focus on individual accountability is part of a trend of shaking up culture and ethics, systems and controls. Product governance will remain an area of focus at both EU and UK level. Strong measures are being introduced by the FCA and PRA to provide channels for whistleblowers to raise issues, whether internally or to the regulators these new rules take effect in 2016. The regulators priority is to clean up the financial services sector. Major EU reforms are looming. Following the introduction of Solvency II on 1 January, this year will see the introduction of the Market Abuse Directive (MAD II), packaged retail investment and insurance-based investment products (PRIIPs) and Ucits V, and the clearing obligations of the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR) will kick in. A likely delay for the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II) will see implementation shunted back to 2018 with the Insurance Distribution Directive. These will remain the focus for firms and domestic regulators in 2016. In terms of broader commercial impacts flowing from the changes, we expect to see increased merger and acquisition activity in the insurance sector driven by Solvency II. Ring-fencing will be a priority for banks. Strategic planning is well advanced but many operational changes will need to be implemented. The overlapping issues of Big Data, outsourcing to the cloud and cyber risks, will become increasingly important issues for the regulators. This emphasis echoes the work done at European level by the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) to encourage uptake of new technology by the financial services sector. Linked with this, the finalised text of the EUs General Data Protection Regulation is expected imminently. Farmers across England will finally be allowed to maintain their own ditches under government plans to improve flood defences. Defra secretary Liz Truss will make the announcement in a keynote speech to delegates at the Oxford Farming Conference on Wednesday (6 January). More than 1m acres of prime farmland will be better protected by 2021 through the governments investment in flood defences, she will say. See also: Pilot scheme allows landowners to dredge watercourses Subject to parliamentary approval, we will also allow farmers across the country to maintain their own ditches up to 1.5km long from April, so they can clear debris and manage the land. This follows the successful pilots we started two years ago. Farmers are currently unable to remove debris such as silt from ditches without permission. The ban is backed by some conservationists, who say it encourages wildlife. But farmers have complained that it prevents them from taking simple actions to reduce flooding. Defra will also soon announce proposals to give more powers to internal drainage boards and other groups to maintain their local watercourses, Ms Truss will say. Despite recent cuts, Defra will invest 12% more capital this parliament to improve flood defences, upgrade its animal and plant disease response and modernise the department, she will claim. The government will also give local communities more control over their environment, including permission for farmers who know their land best to maintain ditches on their property. Reshaping Defra will help Britain be a global leader in farming, Ms Truss will say. We are making efficiency savings of 15% at the same time as putting more money into capital funding a 12%t increase to 2.7bn over the next five years. That means we can invest in technology and digital systems, growing our exports, world-leading science, protection against animal and plant disease and of course flood defences. In the past the department and its agencies have been accused of operating in silos looking just at flood protection, just farming or just the environment. This is going to change. And we have been criticised for taking too much decision-making out of local hands. While it is right that we manage major national risks, it does not mean we should seek to micro-manage everything. Flood-hit farms are expected to make insurance claims for more than 40m of damage, although with many of their losses uninsurable, the true cost of this winters storms on Britains farms will be much higher. Rural insurer NFU Mutual, which insures 75% of UK farmers and thousands of rural homes and businesses, has issued the estimate for claims centred on northern England, Scotland and north Wales. About two-thirds of the claims relate to farms and rural businesses and the remainder to damage to homes and cars. Most claims relate to flooding damage to buildings and their contents. See also: Extra 40m flood defence cash branded a sticking plaster Matthew Scott, chief claims manager at NFU Mutual, said: Based on what we are hearing from our network of offices across the UK, the flooding in many parts of Scotland, northern England and north-west Wales could be the worst for several years. Meanwhile, NFU Scotland has called on the Scottish government and Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) to examine new measures to build resilience against extreme weather events into the sector. NFU Scotland vice-president Andrew McCornick said: For many farmers and crofters across Scotland, the weather in 2015 meant it was a year they would wish to forget. But 2016 has brought no end to the misery. The battering the country has taken in recent days, hit by storm after storm, has left thousands of acres under water, while those fields that have escaped the flooding are sodden. Valuable topsoil has been stripped from fields, debris dumped on land, fences, buildings and farm houses damaged and livestock lost. We are using our regional network to more accurately assess the scale of the damage, but in these difficult times, our members can be reassured that we are there to help and our regional managers, local offices and group secretaries will do what they can to assist. NFU Scotland has urged the Scottish government to consider making funds available to rebuild any damaged flood defences and help reinstate flooded land back into production, mirroring the Flooding Recovery Fund established by Defra in England and Wales. Longer term, ongoing political commitment to finding solutions will be needed if we are to not only recover from the immediate problems, but build long-term resilience into our farming systems to endure such weather events. gamershell.com expired on 08/21/2022 and is pending renewal or deletion. Backorder Domain Beginning New Years Day, its no longer legal to smoke electronic cigarettes or other nicotine delivery devices in or near workplaces, restaurants and bars. The Oregon Indoor Clean Air Act expansion went into effect Friday throughout the state, and the Linn County Public Health Department is available to help businesses comply with the new law. The ban includes e-cigarettes, vaping pens and e-hookahs. Smoking cigarettes, pipes and cigars in or near workplaces has been banned statewide for years, according to Joscelyn Stangel, health educator with the Linn County Public Health Department. The new law specifically targets e-cigarettes, which use an electronic element to vaporize liquids that contain varying amounts of nicotine. Vaping liquids are composed of vegetable glycerine or propylene glycol, nicotine and flavoring. Stangel said Linn County Public Health wants to help individuals and businesses understand the new rules and to direct persons who want to quit smoking to places where they can get assistance, adding that Public Health staff has contacted area chambers of commerce to provide education and contact information about the new law. Were providing them with a one-page information sheet and there will be a mailing that goes out through the Environmental Health Department, Stangel said. Under the expanded Clean Air Act, businesses: Cannot allow nicotine delivery devices within 10 feet of entrances, exits, accessibility ramps that lead to or from an entrance or exit, windows that open, or air-intake vents at any indoor workplace or public place. Must post no smoking within 10 feet signs at all building entrances and exits. The signs can be ordered through the Oregon Tobacco Education Clearinghouse. Must label all tables or outdoor seating or dining areas within 10 feet of entrance as nonsmoking. Must remove all ashtrays and other receptacles for smoking debris from outdoor locations within 10 feet of entrances. An exception is that health care facilities can allow inhalant delivery systems on site for the purpose of administering medical marijuana. Stangel said preliminary testing has identified chemicals known to cause cancer and birth defects in secondhand e-cigarette vapor. About 27 percent of 11th-grade students in Linn County reported they smoke tobacco products, and of those, 76 percent use flavored vaping products, Stangel said. Its how kids are getting addicted to nicotine. In Oregon, e-cigarette use among high school students has increased by 150 percent from 2011 to 2013, going from 1.8 percent to 5.2 percent. Nationwide, e-cigarette use by high school students increased from 4.5 percent to 13.4 percent, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kacey Urrutia, tobacco prevention coordinator for Linn County Public Health, said seven in 10 tobacco retailers in Linn County advertise tobacco outside of their buildings. One in two retailers displayed tobacco ads at the eye level of a child, 3 feet high or less, and one in three displayed tobacco near toys and candy. She noted that in 2012, the tobacco industry spent $112 million promoting tobacco products in Oregon. Pay attention to the weight of the wine when considering matches for this light dish, as well as looking for a bit of sweetness to balance the chili sauce heat. THE FOOD Chicken stir-fry with cashews Makes 4 servings In a bowl, combine cup chicken broth, cup hoisin sauce, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 teaspoons Sriracha and 1 teaspoon sugar; add 1 pound chicken, cut into 1-inch pieces. Marinate, 30 minutes. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a wok over high heat. Drain chicken, reserving marinade. Stir-fry chicken until browned and cooked through. Remove from wok. Stir-fry 1 sweet onion, sliced, 3 minutes. Add 3 cloves garlic, minced, and 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger; stir-fry, 2 minutes. Add 8 ounces snow peas, cup cashews, reserved marinade and chicken. Simmer until snow peas are tender. Serve over rice. Source: Recipe by Lisa Schumacher THE WINES By sommelier Ryan Arnold, divisional wine director for Lettuce Entertain You restaurants, as told to Michael Austin: 2013 Weingut Von Winning Riesling, Pfalz, Germany: This delicious riesling has aromas of peach, lemon, even fried herbs. It also has just a touch of sweetness, which will help mitigate the moderate heat from the Sriracha. Rieslings from high-quality producers like Von Winning have small amounts of residual sugar, and deceiving texture, often masked by high acidity. The hoisin sauce will add a subtle umami character that this wine will also complement beautifully. NV Bereche et Fils Champagne, France: Champagne typically pairs well with everything. As with riesling, it can have weight and texture without being cloying, thanks to high acidity. This wine is composed of all three grapes in Champagne pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier and allows the variety of ingredients in the dish, especially the vegetables, to really shine. To get the full effect, throw out the flutes and drink from a white wine glass to better enjoy the aromatics. 2013 Weingut Stadt KremsGruner Veltliner, Kremstal, Austria: From this winery, founded in 1452, comes this amazing wine, always ready as a secret weapon for more difficult pairings. This veltliner is unoaked as most commonly are and presents aromas of lime, lemon and white pepper, with some herbal undertones. Veltliners tend to have medium weight and texture, and are never high on sweetness. They also play well with al dente vegetables, like the snow peas. The 17th annual Willamette Valley Engineers Week Banquet is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 22, at the CH2M Hill Alumni Center on the Oregon State University campus. Organized by the Society of Women Engineers, the banquet provides a venue for members of the Willamette Valley engineering community to come together and celebrate the many accomplishments of engineers. This years Engineers Week theme is Engineers Make a World of Difference." The keynote speaker will Dr. Alice M. Agogino, the Roscoe and Elizabeth Hughes professor of mechanical engineering at the University of California-Berkeley and director of the BEST Lab. The evening begins at 5 p.m. with a networking hour which includes a no-host bar. Dinner begins at 6 p.m. and is followed by the keynote address. The society will present awards to high school scholarship and middle school essay contest winners at the conclusion of the event. Tickets are $38, with a choice of a chicken or vegetarian entree. Visit http://tinyurl.com/swe2016 to register online or to print a registration form. Registration closes Monday, Feb. 2. The society also is seeking sponsors to purchase tickets for local engineering and pre-engineering students and high school robotics students. Observed Feb. 21-27, Engineers Week celebrates the positive contributions engineers make to society and is a catalyst for outreach across the country to kids and adults alike. Engineers Week is part of many corporate and government cultures and is celebrated on every U.S. engineering college campus. The Oregon State University Extension Service has decided to delay its efforts to put a proposed Benton County service district before the voters. Backed by a volunteer group called Citizens for Benton County Extension, OSU Extension Service regional administrator Derek Godwin has spent the last several months lining up support for a countywide taxing district to generate additional revenue for the statewide organizations Benton County branch. Godwin and company recently completed the process of securing resolutions from the countys five incorporated communities stating their willingness to be included in the district. At Tuesdays meeting of the Benton County Board of Commissioners, Godwin was expected to ask the board to start the process of forwarding the proposal to the May 17 ballot. Instead, he asked the commissioners to take the plan off the table for now. Godwin told the board that every group hes spoken to has endorsed the idea of a local taxing district to support the Extension Service, but some have expressed reservations about the timing of the request, which could bump up against efforts to renew local option levies for the Corvallis School District and other local entities. He also worried that there might not be enough time left to complete the process of approving the measure for the May ballot which would require two public hearings before the Feb. 26 qualifying deadline and persuading area residents to vote for it. Its causing us to pause and, to be honest with you, to consider whether this is the best time to move forward with this, he told the board. All three commissioners expressed support for the idea of a service district but said they wouldnt argue with Godwins reasoning and decided not to schedule public hearings to place the proposal on the ballot. We will continue to discuss this topic, Commission Chairwoman Annabelle Jaramillo said. At the appropriate time we can bring this back as a proposal. As proposed, the service district would have placed an additional 8 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation on Benton County real estate. If voters passed the measure, the owner of a $300,000 home would have paid an extra $24 a year in property taxes. The measure would have raised more than $600,000 a year. The money raised by the measure would have been a partial replacement for funding provided by Benton County, which is currently contributing about $396,000 a year to the Extension Service and has committed to maintaining some level of funding even if a service district is approved. County funding represents roughly 20 percent of the Extension Services overall budget, with the rest coming from the state and federal governments, supplemented by grant funding and volunteer service. But state and federal support for the Extension Service has been dropping steadily for years, and similar service districts have already been passed by voters in 24 of Oregons 36 counties. After the meeting, Godwin said he wasnt yet sure when he would try again to have the measure placed on the ballot. He wants to make sure the campaign doesnt conflict with other money measures, and he wants to give the service district the best possible chance to pass. We want this to succeed, he said. At the same time, Godwin noted, a local service district would provide some much-needed financial stability for the Benton County Extension Service, which provides a host of services from leading 4-H youth programs to providing technical assistance for farmers. This whole effort is about the future, he said. How do we become sustainable? In other action Tuesday, the Board of Commissioners elected new officers for 2016. Jaramillo took over as chair from Jay Dixon, and Anne Schuster is now the vice chair. They will hold the same positions throughout the year for each of the countys seven service districts. Now that the rails and ties have been removed from the abandoned Bailey Branch rail line, the city of Monroe is considering some new uses for part of the railroad right of way but first it has to get Benton County to go along with the plan. The former branch line has been defunct since 2007, when the Portland & Western Railroad halted freight service south of Corvallis. Benton County purchased an 18-mile stretch of Bailey Branch right of way in 2013 for $486,000 to preserve the property for railbanking, meaning the land would be made available for railroad use in the future if a new operator comes forward and lays new track. The southernmost tip of the Bailey Branch right of way is inside the Monroe city limits, encompassing about 2.7 acres on the west side of Highway 99W, which serves as the main thoroughfare through the community of 600 people. At two meetings last year, the Monroe City Council voted unanimously to ask the county to hand over title of that chunk of property to the city, and Mayor Frank Thayer repeated that request last month in a letter to the Benton County Board of Commissioners. Monroes plans for the property include using part of it for a walking and biking path for local residents and making the rest available for commercial development. The idea of a rails to trails conversion of the Bailey Branch has been hugely controversial north of Monroe, where farmers along the route argue it would create safety concerns and lead to conflicts with agricultural operations, but no one seems to be raising the same sorts of objections inside the city. And City Administrator Jim Minard said more commercial development is needed in town to support anticipated residential growth, adding that the city has already received strong expressions of interest from a developer who wants to build a Dollar General retail store on part of the property. We are interested in all the right of way inside the Monroe city limits, Minard said. The City Council ought to be deciding what the highest and best use of that land is. But Benton County Counsel Vance Croney said state law prohibits the county from simply signing over the property to Monroe to use however it sees fit. We can sell it to another government entity for fair market value, and there are no restrictions, he said. If we want to give it to another government body, that transfer carries with it the statutory requirement that for 20 years it be used for a public purpose. Croney said the county would also insist that the property remain available for a future railroad no matter how it is used in the meantime. In his December letter, Thayer indicated Monroe would respect the railbanking restriction and would consider paying for the property if the county Board of Commissioners believes compensation is needed. Based on the countys purchase price for the right of way, Thayer wrote, a figure in the vicinity of $5,000 per acre would be in the range of reasonable. The commissioners discussed the matter at a work session on Tuesday morning, but the issue isnt settled yet. Dennis Aloia, the countys chief operating officer, said he would start the process of having the property appraised and would check in with local economic development officials to get their take on the matter. Minard said Monroe officials would watch those proceedings with interest. If we can get some commercial development for (the property), that would be good, he said. Well wait for the county to get back to us. The first-graders made impressed oohs as they were told the books they could take home for free included entries from the Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey. A few girls gasped audibly a second later when Barbara Parks Junie B. Jones books were added to the list of their potential choices. When it came time for them to pick their books they rushed to the tables loaded with books while chattering excitedly. Some were serious about the task, carefully scrutinizing titles and comparing options, while others picked more quickly: One girl excitedly yelled Look, sharks! before grabbing a pair of books about the aquatic predators. The moment came during the annual book exchange at Wilson Elementary School, which took place Tuesday morning. Eric Beasley, the schools principal, said the exchange gives each student the chance to keep two new or gently used books, which fits into the schools larger goal of promoting reading. As an elementary (school) were always focusing on the foundations that will help students later and reading is obviously a part of that, he said. Some of our kids dont have a print-rich environment at home; they dont have access to books, he said. If you want kids to be reading they need to have books. Beasley said about half of the schools students are on free and reduced-price lunches, which is often used as a measure of whether a student is in a low income family by educators. The books given to students included some donated by students, and many others purchased by the school for about $5,000. Some of the money came from funds donated by the schools parent-teacher association, but most of it came from the school's Title I funds. The event was originally planned for Dec. 18, but delayed because of a school closure that day because of flooding. Mondays school closure for freezing rain pushed the event back for a second time to Tuesday. Although the book exchange has been around for at least six years, this year it has become tied to a new school-wide challenge: have students read more than 1 million minutes over the course of the school year. As of Tuesday morning, the 370 or so students at the school had read more than 492,000 minutes. Beasley said teachers and school officials have had students keeping track of time they spend reading or being read to since the end of September, and they hope to reach the goal before the end of the school year. Students turn in sheets to their teachers with their recorded reading amounts each day of the week and the school has volunteers enter the reading amounts into a spreadsheet, so they can track how individual students are doing. By accounting for every kid, I can see which kids are not reading at home and encourage them to join in, Beasley said. The school offers students prizes, such as getting to a choose a short book to be read aloud in their class, for reaching individual goals, and class prizes such as a bonus recess with bubble wands. And the school has top secret prizes for the whole school, locked in a treasure chest to which students earn the combination to by collectively surpassing the 1 million minute mark. These are things we can kind of rally around as a school, said Beasley. Dylan Yde, a 7-year-old first-grader at the school, picked out a Captain Underpants book at the event. Librarians from the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library also delivered to him his own library card; parents could sign their kids up for the cards before the exchange. Im pretty excited to be picking out books, he said. And the youngster said he likes reading. Its like going to a different place youve never been and learning, he said. In the light of the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County, its worth focusing on three statements that would appear to be obvious but might well get confused in days to come: First, the militants who took over the headquarters of the refuge on Saturday are not heroes, not by any stretch of the imagination. Their actions are illegal. Second, considering the remoteness of the refuge, there does not appear to be any need for law enforcement officers to force any kind of quick resolution. It strikes us as probable that some of the estimated two dozen militants involved in the occupation would welcome a chance to become martyrs for the cause in some sort of overheated showdown. There's no need to offer them that opportunity. But one additional note: There is some validity to one of the ideas that is driving this, the idea that the federal government has not done the job it promised it would do to manage the millions and millions of acres in the West that are under federal control. Dont misunderstand us: We dont believe that, in any way, justifies the actions of the militants in occupying the refuge a facility that belongs to all of us but now is off-limits. But when this occupation ends (peacefully, we pray, and with no damage to the headquarters or the refuge), questions will remain about how the federal government has managed its land. Thats nothing new, of course: These concerns have been raging in the West since the days of the Sagebrush Rebellion of the 1970s and 1980s and for much of the century before that, as the federal government found itself the owner of big chunks of the region. The federal government, of course, still owns big chunks of the West, including more than 53 percent of Oregon. (Only three other states Nevada, Alaska and Utah have a higher percentage of federal ownership.) Given that influence, tensions about the best use of that land were and are inevitable. Just ask the communities around the West that used to rely on money from timber harvests on federal forests and how that money slowed to a trickle after new policies sharply curtailed the harvest. That drama still is playing out on main streets that used to be bustling. The drama at the Malheur refuge has more to do with grazing rights on federal lands; ranchers long have relied on the federal permits, which were relatively inexpensive and easy to get. But increased regulation and scrutiny of those permits led to ranchers complaining about federal overreach, and helped inspire the first wave of the Sagebrush Rebellion. Despite what the militants say, the standoff at the refuge will not end with the federal government electing to give states control of its array of lands. In fact, states do not have the resources to properly manage those lands. But lets hope for this: A peaceful end to the standoff. And lets also hope that the federal government finds ways to properly manage its lands our lands for the many uses that they can support. Whoa; hold on; back up a minute. What's all this "ist" business? First off, the liberals found a handsome, well-spoken, appealing, unaccomplished, inexperienced African-American to run for president of the United States on the Democratic ticket. They followed this up with "if you don't vote Barack Obama president, you're a 'racist'." Now look at what we have: a past short-term New York senator, and brief secretary of state, who left both offices with little or no accomplishment, who wants to be the Democratic nominee for president. Whoops! I almost forgot; she's also the pants-suited wife of former popular President Bill Clinton. Yep, the Demos have started out their "ist" listings: "if you don't vote for Hillary, you are a "sexist!" And, for the record, the liberals are going after a GOPer running for the Republican ticket, claiming that he's an "antagonist!" To tell the truth, right now Donald Trump is more of a "protagonist" for the conservatives. OK, you liberals, give it your best shot with the "ists." I'm sure I'll get a few, so go for it. Chuck Wenstrom Corvallis (Dec. 28) This years kindergartners wont be changing buildings next fall when they begin the first grade thanks to the Philomath School Boards narrow adoption of a policy designed to relieve overcrowding at the elementary school. Schools superintendent Melissa Goff proposed two options for board members to consider, recommending a plan to move first-graders from Philomath Elementary to Clemens Primary School. There is literally no more room at PES, Goff told the board. We need to find a solution that makes sense for kids while we address that issue as well. Such solutions that Goff said make sense include early intervention for students beginning school behind academically, the opportunity to provide functional academics and life skills support in kindergarten and the expansion of student support services in areas that include counseling, special education and language skills. Given the design of Clemens Primary School, the long-term advantages to investing in a strong start for our students, the existing community partnerships located at Clemens and the desire to minimally disrupt staff, it is the recommendation to the board that we alter the current grade configurations at Clemens Primary to a PK-1 site and Philomath Elementary to a 2-5 site, Goff wrote in her report to the board. The move allows partnerships to continue at CPS, which includes Strengthening Rural Families and Linn-Benton Community College. Weve been fully prepared for the potential of moving, said first-grade teacher Susan Hobbs, adding that administrators had done a great job of keeping teachers in the loop. I definitely agree that PES is filled to capacity and CPS is underutilized at the moment. Goffs report to the board also listed disadvantages with her recommended option, including some teachers who would need to split time between the two buildings, parking lot congestion with parents dropping off and picking up children and potential negative impacts to support services in grades 2-5. Goffs second option proposed to change Clemens from a primary to upper elementary school (grades 4-5), which she mentioned was an idea shes heard more than once. However, the potential disadvantages were too great based on her research. The board adopted Goffs recommended option on a 3-2 vote with Tom Klipfel and Shelly Morris voting nay. Klipfel voiced his fear about approving something without knowing specific details about impact on the school districts budget. I think having an early childhood center has always made sense. Thats exactly why this building was built primarily because of capacity elsewhere. We didnt expand the elementary, we built a new building so we could have that primary education, so I think thats all good, Klipfel said. But I do think it will have a budgetary impact. So I think we fully need to understand that. Is it $20,000 a year or is it $100,000 a year? Klipfel said current numbers indicate that the board could be cutting another $200,000 from its budget next year, which only elevates his concerns over the actual cost of the move. Goff said there would be costs attached to the move but stressed the importance of the overcrowding issue. We have to do something; this board has to take some action on Philomath Elementary School, Goff said. I feel very strongly about that. Children and adults are going to have to move at the end of the day. I dont see a future where thats not what we need to do. There will be an expense for that move to happen, regardless of age levels. Board member Jim Kildea said he realizes there will be some costs associated with the action but he doesnt believe they would be significant. Im not going to approve something when I dont know what the fiscal implications are, Klipfel said. Im fine giving tentative approval that we move down that path; you run some numbers and come back to us because I just dont think in our fiscal situation, we can be making decisions without knowing the financial picture. When board member Rick Wells asked a question about sharing services and associated costs, the discussion veered into the area of special education. Goff provided details but ultimately said there would be costs with special education services across the entire system regardless of whether or not a move occurs. Board member Don Cruise, who along with Kildea and Wells voted in favor of the proposal, said the timeline is a very important factor to consider. I think we need to make the decision as soon as we can, Cruise said. I dont want to drag it out because people have to plan. Klipfel proposed proceeding forward with moving the first grade with a final endorsement to follow in January. However, Kildea stuck with his original motion to simply move forward with the proposal. I guess I think about the budgetary thing as an emergency brake, Kildea said. I know Melissa gets the issue on fiscal considerations and concerns and whatnot. Klipfel responded, Im not going to endorse a proposal if I dont know what its going to cost. Im just not going to do it and thats fine, we can take a vote. With the 3-2 approval, the districts next step is to establish an early learning leadership team to plan for the evolution of the primary school while addressing potential challenges associated with the move. In other news from the Dec. 17 meeting: Philomath Middle School teacher Mike Panico led a presentation for the school board about the HERO Challenge, an anti-bullying program. PHS students Kallie Hagel and Christopher McMorran gave student government reports. Klipfel gave an update on the school districts development of a vision for improving graduate rates, an effort that has included interaction with service clubs and other community members and future activities. Clemens Primary School principal Cindy Golston gave a presentation on the current status of early learning services in Philomath schools and other organizations. Kildea gave an update on the K-12 Curriculum Committee, which has been in place nearly one year, and brought up questions about its intent moving forward. Conversation evolved into the board needing to make progress on the semester vs. trimester debate, but that it not be part of the committees future focus. The decision was made to work on the committees vision and bring back a charter recommendation at a future meeting. The board approved a plan to lease three new vehicles at a cost of $8,052 to replace three old owned vehicles that last year cost the district $15,731. The three old vehicles will be sold. The board approved language to clarify the definition of elementary and secondary students in relation to bus transportation terminology in board policy per the recommendation of the Oregon Department of Education. The Philomath Fire & Rescue board of directors last Tuesday released the name of seven finalists in contention to become the districts next fire chief. Tom Phelps announced his retirement last year, but has stayed aboard to help through the transition. The field of finalists features three from Oregon along with candidates from Colorado, Florida, Texas and Arizona. Matthew Benedict currently serves as an assistant chief with the Pendleton Fire Department and chief of the Helix Volunteer Fire Department. He holds an associates degree in fire science and has a paramedic certification. Robert Harvey, currently a fire service consultant, was a previous chief with the Black Forest Fire Protection District and Leadville/Lake County Fire and Rescue, both in Colorado. He is also a retired captain from the Colorado Springs Fire Department and holds an associates degree in fire protection technology. Jonas Macskassy, from Titusville, Florida, has extensive military and Department of Defense fire service experience. He holds an associates degree in emergency services, a bachelors degree in business administration and a masters degree in fire science administration. Thomas Miller, most recently chief at North Hays County Emergency Services District No. 6 in Texas, holds an associates degree in fire science and a bachelors degree in vocational education. Mark Sachara retired from the Flagstaff (Arizona) Fire Department and is currently chief with the Ponderosa Fire District, also in Arizona. He holds an associates degree in fire science and a bachelors degree in forestry. Gary Woodson has chief experiences in Missouri and Oregon, most recently with the Pendleton Fire Department. He holds a bachelors degree in business administration and is a certified paramedic. David Wolting, previous fire chief at Goshen and Pleasant Hill fire departments, holds an associates degree in business administration. Philomath Fire & Rescue will host a community Meet and Greet as part of the recruitment process at 7 p.m. Thursday from 6:30-8 p.m. at the College United Methodist Church. The fire chief candidates will give short presentations. Light refreshments will be provided. Here are some of our picks for notable events happening this week around the mid-valley: VISUAL ART "Artist's Favorites" Reception Gallery Calapooia, 222 W. First Ave., Albany, will host 18 member artists to display their favorite piece during a reception at 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8. The work will include glass, poetry, jewelry, photography, watercolor, oil painting and more. Featured artists will also be in attendance to discuss their work. Wine, beer and snacks will be served. The reception is free and open to the public. For more information, see gallerycalapooia.com or call 541-971-5701. POETRY Poetics Corvallis Poetics kicks off 2016 with an evening of open mic poetry at Interzone Coffee, 1563 N.W. Monroe Ave., Corvallis, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8. The feature poet and musical guest will be Dusty Santamaria. The Portland-based songwriter, poet, and painter is described as having elements of Americana, folk, anti-folk, and blues in his performances. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, see https://www.facebook.com/events/1634134036850346. SCIENCE PUB "Face to Face and Heart to Heart: The Psychology of Disability and Communication" Science Pub returns to Old World Deli, 341 S.W. Second St., Corvallis, at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11, for a discussion on diversity and disability, led by assistant professor Kathleen Bogart of the Oregon State University School of Psychological Science. Born with facial paralysis, a condition known as Moebius Syndrome, Bogart learned as a child how to compensate in order to communicate. She will describe her research on the twists and turns of interpersonal communication as seen through the eyes of people with disabilities. Sponsors of Science Pub include OSUs Terra magazine, the Downtown Corvallis Association and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. The presentation is free and open to the public. For more information, see http://oregonstate.edu/terra/science-pub-corvallis. Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021. In Gambia,Govt Order Male Civil Servants To Cut Their Hair And Females To Cover Their Head bohlah at 6-01-2016 06:50 AM (6 years ago) (m) On December 11, Gambian President Yahya Jammeh announced the country would be an Islamic republic. On December 11, Gambian President Yahya Jammeh announced the country would be an Islamic republic. Less than a month after declaring Gambia an Islamic republic its government has issued a decree ordering female civil servants to cover their hair while at work. No reasons were given for the introduction of the new rule, which was announced in a memo that was leaked to local opposition newspapers. The memo, published by Freedom, stated 'all female staff' within government departments were no longer allowed to expose their hair during working hours, effective from December 31. It went on to urge female staff 'to use a head tie and neatly wrap their hair'. 'All heads of departments and agencies are urgently advised to implement this directive and bring it to the attention of their female staff,' the memo concluded. This announcement obviously changes nothing about Gambia's laws or its constitutional status as a secular state. For more scintillating and juicy stories, follow the official Naijapals accounts On Twitter - https://twitter.com/Naijapals and Facebook - www.facebook.com/naijapals Less than a month after declaring Gambia an Islamic republic its government has issued a decree ordering female civil servants to cover their hair while at work.No reasons were given for the introduction of the new rule, which was announced in a memo that was leaked to local opposition newspapers. The memo, published by Freedom, stated 'all female staff' within government departments were no longer allowed to expose their hair during working hours, effective from December 31.It went on to urge female staff 'to use a head tie and neatly wrap their hair'. 'All heads of departments and agencies are urgently advised to implement this directive and bring it to the attention of their female staff,' the memo concluded. This announcement obviously changes nothing about Gambia's laws or its constitutional status as a secular state. Post Reply I have been reporting on latest news from Nigeria for almost 10 years now. I report on every possible news area I come across, but always ensure my reports are compiled with dignity and fact to uphold my personal values and duty as a journalist Posted: at 6-01-2016 06:50 AM (6 years ago) | Addicted Hero DAMILARE100 at 6-01-2016 06:54 AM (6 years ago) (m) Islam is a religion of Peace so they always say. Posted: at 6-01-2016 06:54 AM (6 years ago) | Gistmaniac Islam is a religion of Peace so they always say. Reply kp45 at 6-01-2016 07:58 AM (6 years ago) (m) Hmmmm things are now coming up. Posted: at 6-01-2016 07:58 AM (6 years ago) | Hero Hmmmm things are now coming up. Reply Wazubia at 6-01-2016 08:54 AM (6 years ago) (m) Dictatorship government at work, islamic country that has nothing,. Only tourism is means of income to the country. If he scares people away with his islamic personal ideology and create confusion now his eyes will clear. Posted: at 6-01-2016 08:54 AM (6 years ago) | Gistmaniac Dictatorship government at work, islamic country that has nothing,. Only tourism is means of income to the country. If he scares people away with his islamic personal ideology and create confusion now his eyes will clear. Reply moralemike07 at 6-01-2016 09:16 AM (6 years ago) (m) Yes na. Workers must look cute. Posted: at 6-01-2016 09:16 AM (6 years ago) | Gistmaniac Yes na. Workers must look cute. Reply saviourekpe at 6-01-2016 09:28 AM (6 years ago) (m) This is Satanic and barbaric, this is a direct infringement on the freedom of worship and it is condemnable. It is a gradual way of Islamising Gambia. Posted: at 6-01-2016 09:28 AM (6 years ago) | Upcoming This is Satanic and barbaric, this is a direct infringement on the freedom of worship and it is condemnable. It is a gradual way of Islamising Gambia. Reply winace at 6-01-2016 09:49 AM (6 years ago) (f) Dis is injustice. Dis man is a dictator. He is looking fit trouble. B4 u know it rebel from d minority Christians will rise up against it. Watch out Posted: at 6-01-2016 09:49 AM (6 years ago) | Addicted Hero Dis is injustice. Dis man is a dictator. He is looking fit trouble. B4 u know it rebel from d minority Christians will rise up against it. Watch out Reply gogoman at 6-01-2016 10:38 AM (6 years ago) (m) GOOD FOR THEM, FOLLOW THE LAW Posted: at 6-01-2016 10:38 AM (6 years ago) | Addicted Hero GOOD FOR THEM, FOLLOW THE LAW Reply okatee at 6-01-2016 02:29 PM (6 years ago) (m) NAWA OOO, ABEG MAK DEM TRY IMPEACH AM. D MAN OWN DON DEY TOO MUCH. Posted: at 6-01-2016 02:29 PM (6 years ago) | Gistmaniac NAWA OOO, ABEG MAK DEM TRY IMPEACH AM. D MAN OWN DON DEY TOO MUCH. Reply yemoma at 6-01-2016 10:19 PM (6 years ago) (m) How can u order people to cut their hair to your standards. Anyways it's an Islamic state. Now the tourism in your country will suffer. Posted: at 6-01-2016 10:19 PM (6 years ago) | Upcoming How can u order people to cut their hair to your standards. Anyways it's an Islamic state. Now the tourism in your country will suffer. Reply Novic at 7-01-2016 01:45 AM (6 years ago) (m) that was great one, i knw they we surely enjoy this soon Posted: at 7-01-2016 01:45 AM (6 years ago) | Hero that was great one, i knw they we surely enjoy this soon Reply DAMILARE100 at 7-01-2016 08:32 AM (6 years ago) (m) Yeye de smell Posted: at 7-01-2016 08:32 AM (6 years ago) | Gistmaniac Yeye de smell Reply Mopera at 10-01-2016 10:26 PM (6 years ago) (m) Dictatorship government at work, islamic country that has nothing,. Only tourism is means of income to the country. If he scares people away with his islamic personal ideology and create confusion now his eyes will clear. Posted: at 10-01-2016 10:26 PM (6 years ago) | Gistmaniac Dictatorship government at work,islamic country that has nothing,.Only tourism is means of incometo the country. If he scares peopleaway with his islamic personalideology and create confusion now his eyes will clear. Reply Mopera at 10-01-2016 10:27 PM (6 years ago) (m) Dictatorship government at work, islamic country that has nothing,. Only tourism is means of income to the country. If he scares people away with his islamic personal ideology and create confusion now his eyes will clear. Posted: at 10-01-2016 10:27 PM (6 years ago) | Gistmaniac Dictatorship government at work,islamic country that has nothing,.Only tourism is means of incometo the country. If he scares peopleaway with his islamic personalideology and create confusion now his eyes will clear. Reply Oworen25 at 12-01-2016 09:11 AM (6 years ago) (m) Oboy see law in the biggest level, for my country the government no get that kind mouth Posted: at 12-01-2016 09:11 AM (6 years ago) | Hero Oboy see law in the biggest level, for my country the government no get that kind mouth Reply AmazingMarie at 14-01-2016 08:43 PM (6 years ago) (f) why the meaning of this directive? even if he person is not a Muslim woman she should cover her hair mtchewwww Posted: at 14-01-2016 08:43 PM (6 years ago) | Hero why the meaning of this directive? even if he person is not a Muslim woman she should cover her hair mtchewwww Reply Oworen25 at 26-01-2016 03:47 AM (6 years ago) (m) islamic country that has nothing,. Only tourism is means of income to the country. If he scares people away with his islamic personal ideology and create confusion now his eyes will clear. Posted: at 26-01-2016 03:47 AM (6 years ago) | Hero islamic country that has nothing,. Only tourism is means of income to the country. If he scares people away with his islamic personal ideology and create confusion now his eyes will clear. Reply Samsung Announces Two Super-light Notebook 9 Series Laptops: A Big Threat to MacBooks News oi -Akansha Srivastava CES is a global consumer electronics and consumer technology trade show that takes place every January in Las Vegas, Nevada. And South Korean tech manufacturer, Samsung makes sure to make the best use of the platform. Apart from unveiling their next-gen SUHD TV lineup, Microsoft Surface Pro 4 competitor hybrid tablet, new smartwatch variant and more, the company also unveiled two new additions to its Samsung Notebook 9 series for 2016 - a 15-inch and 13.3-inch laptops - which Samsung Electronics claims is extremely portable and lightweight. HTC and Under Armour announce UA HealthBox: A sleek and costly fitness-tracking starter kit Below are some of the highlighted features of the notebook series: Ultra-light: Samsung Notebook 9 series offers ultra-portability, with the world lightest 13.3-inch Notebook 9 weighing less than 1 kilogram, offering ultimate ease and convenience when on-the-go. Vivid and Bright Display: The full-HD display provides superior brightness with a wide angle and low-reflective screen for a comfortable viewing experience from a variety of positions. Extended Battery Life: The 15-inch Notebook 9 provides battery life for up to 12 hours, and the Quick Charging feature enables users to fully charge in just 20 minutes. The 13.3-inch Notebook 9 offers up to 10 hours of battery life on one charge. Enhanced Security: The new security feature Security CAM allows users to take and send photos through an equipped camera to a pre-registered email in case of theft. The Pattern Log-in, Secret Screen, and Record Block features help users protect private files and information. Seamless Productivity: Samsung Link 2.0 and SideSync 4.0 let users access shareable content more easily and efficiently. Also, the UL (Underwriters Laboratories) certified ergonomic keyboard provides enhanced comfort and accuracy. As per the company's press release, the New Samsung Notebook 9 series will be available in two colors, Iron Silver and Modern Pink, in select markets starting in early 2016. 10 Best Budget Smartphones of 2015 Samsung Notebook 9 13.3-inch Key Specifications Windows 8 Pro (64-bit) Intel Core i7-3517U Processor 13.3" 1080p PLS screen 4GB 256GB Solid State Drive Intel HD Graphics 4000 Up to 10.5 hours of battery life 802.11ac 2x2 Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1 Silver or Pink colors 1.85lb (840g) for the 13-inch Samsung Notebook 9 15-inch Key Specifications 15-inch 1080p PLS screens Sixth-gen Intel Core i5 or i7 processors Intel HD 520 graphics 4GB or 8GB of memory 128GB or 256GB of storage Up to 10.5 hours of battery life 802.11ac 2x2 Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1 Silver or Pink colors 2.84lb (1.29kg) for the 15-inch Best Mobiles in India Nubia To Expand Its Smartphone Market Globally, E-Commerce Site Coming Soon News oi -VijayKumar Nubia, a Chinese smartphone maker, is preparing an aggressive smartphone push into more emerging countries in 2016 as it looks to extend its global influence. The company is aiming to extend its pool of international customers through online and offline channels. Nubia is now focusing on rapid global expansion. Most recently, Suning Rundong, a commercial corporation in China announced its strategic investment into Nubia. Acquiring 33.33 percent in Nubia's shares, will provide a wealth of resources for the future development of the company. Nubia, currently has operations in China, North America, South America, Northern Europe, Russia, Southeast Asia and India. In 2016, the firm plans to extend its brand presence and has its sights set for Latin American countries, Mexico and Argentina, key European markets including the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Spain as well as Malaysia and Thailand in South East Asia. SEE ALSO: Haier Introduces Its First Ultraportable Laptops And A 12.2-Inch Tablet "With at least eight new countries on the horizon, we will continue to build strong local partnerships to maximize our global efficiency. Although Nubia entered the market three years ago, the amount of success gathered in such a short time has already set up a number of highly competitive benchmarks in the industry. Inspiring loyalty among customers, our novel technologies have not only elevated the user experience but has made positive impacts to everyday life. 2016 will be a very exciting year for Nubia. We look forward to launching more never before seen technologies in our highly anticipated smartphone models soon" said Felix Fu, Senior Vice President of Nubia Technology Co., Ltd and Co-founder of the Nubia brand. Nubia now announced the launch of its global website, providing interactive product information and giving customers a real feel of the innovative features smartphones have to offer, including its wide range of built-in photography applications. The site, www.nubia.com, is now available in Chinese, English and Spanish. Other languages will also be offered in the near future. In the coming months, besides uneveiling its new flagship smartphones, the company will launch its official online store. Customers in Europe will soon be able to purchase Nubia devices directly online. The e-commerce platform will continue to launch in other markets shortly after. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications LinkedIn names Akshay Kothari as India Country Manager News oi -GizBot Bureau Professional networking platform LinkedIn today appointed Akshay Kothari as Country Manager for India, with immediate effect. India has one of the largest userbase for LinkedIn, which has more than 400 million members globally. Kothari replaces Nishant Rao, who quit the company in October last year to join cloud-based customer support software firm Freshdesk as its Chief Operating Officer. SEE ALSO: CES 2016: Asus Launches Eeebook E402 and Eeebook E205SA Notebooks, Starting at Rs. 16,990 Kothari will report to Olivier Legrand, LinkedIns Managing Director for the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, and join the company's APAC senior management team, LinkedIn said in a statement. He joined LinkedIn in 2013 when Pulse, the company he co-founded and was CEO for almost 3 years, was acquired by LinkedIn. Since then, based out of LinkedIn's global headquarters in Mountain View, California, he has led several major product and content initiatives, including Pulse. Kothari also played an important role in boosting the number of members publishing on LinkedIn from 1,000 to nearly 2 million in the last two years. "This new role also brings me back 'full-circle' to India, a high-growth market where there are opportunities abound to create even more value for our members and clients. Ultimately, my dream for LinkedIn is to play an even more significant role in helping to transform professionals and businesses in India, and showcase their success to the rest of the world," Kothari said. SEE ALSO: CES 2016: 10 Cool Gadgets That Will Steal The Show India has the second largest base of LinkedIn members globally, after the US. Over the past six years, the member base in India saw a ten-fold increase (which translates to a compound annual growth rate of 46 per cent) to more than 33 million. "India continues to be a strategic market for LinkedIn. While we have come a long way over the past six years in the country, we still have a long runway of opportunities," Legrand said. Source PTI Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Pushkar-Gayathris Vikram Vedha showcases that a film can be made in any language or for any audience, can be told with the premise & outcome without deviating and keeping the narrative tight. Military Strikes Hit ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release SOUTHWEST ASIA, January 5, 2016 U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today. Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports. Strike in Syria Fighter aircraft conducted a strike near Ayn Isa, destroying three ISIL fighting positions. Strikes in Iraq Coalition military forces using rocket artillery and fighter aircraft conducted 19 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government: -- Near Ramadi, two strikes denied ISIL access to terrain. -- Near Haditha, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units, wounded two ISIL fighters, and destroyed an ISIL mortar position, three ISIL fighting positions, four ISIL vehicles and two ISIL heavy machine guns. -- Near Kisik, four strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit, suppressed an ISIL mortar position, and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, six ISIL bunkers, two ISIL-used culverts, an ISIL assembly area and an ISIL weapons cache. -- Near Mosul, six strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit, suppressed three separate ISIL mortar positions and destroyed 10 ISIL fighting positions, two ISIL mortar positions, five ISIL assembly areas and an ISIL heavy machine gun. -- Near Sinjar, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed 11 ISIL assembly areas, three ISIL weapon caches, an ISIL command-and-control node, nine ISIL fighting positions and two ISIL mortar positions. -- Near Sultan Abdallah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions. Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is a strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Part of Operation Inherent Resolve The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct operations. Coalition nations conducting strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations conducting strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Africom Campaign Plan Targets Terror Groups By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity STUTTGART, Germany, January 5, 2016 In the face of growing threats from the African continent, U.S. Africa Command has spelled out its theater campaign plan, officials said here yesterday. The plan is built upon the foundation of the strategy promulgated last year by Africom commander Army Gen. David M. Rodriguez, officials speaking on background told reporters traveling with Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Yesterday, the chairman visited Africom's headquarters at Kelly Barracks here. Five-Year Plan Officials said Africom's campaign blueprint is a five-year plan with five lines of effort. The first is neutralizing the terror group al-Shabab in Somalia, officials said, and transitioning the effort to the African Union Mission in Somalia, known as AMISOM. The second line of effort centers around the failed state of Libya, officials said, adding that the effort focuses on containing the instability in the country. Officials said the third line of effort is to contain Boko Haram in West Africa. Fourth, officials said, Africom will focus on disrupting illicit activity in the Gulf of Guinea and in Central Africa. Fifth, the command looks to build African partners' peacekeeping and disaster assistance capabilities, officials said. This is a large job for a small command, an Africom official said. "The only permanent location we have is Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti," he said. "Everything else is a very light footprint." The command does have cooperative security and contingency locations across the continent, officials said, noting these are essentially "cold bases" that would only be used in the event of an emergency. In West Africa, Dakar, Senegal, is one of the cooperative security locations and U.S. forces used it during the Ebola crisis last year, officials said. Officials said the bases also allow the command to protect American lives and property in the high-risk, high-threat posts. There are 15 of those posts in Africa, officials said. Assisting Somalia The theater campaign plan starts with neutralizing al-Shabab, officials said. U.S. forces have helped to train, equip and supply AMISOM forces that have played a central role in bringing stability to Somalia, officials said. "Al-Shabab has been pushed out of most of the major population centers and is only a power in the Juba River Valley," an official said. However, the official added, al-Shabab "is not a spent force" and it remains a threat -- particularly in terms of targeted attacks against neighboring AMISOM contributors. Africom continues to monitor the al-Shabab threats to Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda in particular, officials said. "The emerging issue we've seen in al-Shabab over the past six months is the movement at the lower levels of individuals toward [the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]," an official said. "Pro-ISIL sentiment is increasing in Somalia and we've seen some efforts by al-Shabab leaders to strike down these efforts. Al-Shabab leaders remain firmly allied to al-Qaida." ISIL 'Brand' Makes Gains Officials said this is an indication of the power of the ISIL "brand" in the extremist world. ISIL, especially after its success in Iraq and Syria, is viewed by extremists as a winning team, while al-Qaida is viewed as having waning operational capabilities. Al-Shabab has been manhandled by the AMISOM troops and the mid-level and lower extremists see ISIL as its savior, officials said. Core-ISIL has not accepted the al-Shabab splinters as members of the caliphate, officials said. "From our viewpoint, ISIL probably has very strict criteria for what groups they want to let into the fold," the official said. "[They] want to make sure the groups coming in can sustain themselves, that they have a plan and have an ability to move." The Islamic State affiliates in Libya and Boko Haram in Nigeria have been connected with the extremists in Syria and Iraq for a number of years, the officials said. Boko Haram "officially" joined the terror network last year, officials said. "Since then, what we've seen is an enhancement of Boko Haram's propaganda and messaging efforts," an official said. "That has been the most apparent result of the ISIL-Boko Haram ties. Their videos are more professional and tighter. They speak like an ISIL affiliate." But there has not been a significant shift of resources, people or even tactics, techniques and procedures to Boko Haram, officials said. The Nigerian-based terror group "is a self-sustaining entity," an official said. "We would expect that enhanced affiliation in the Horn of Africa would probably follow the same path," the official said. "We would see improved propaganda and messaging, but not a shift of resources." ISIL Gets Battered Terrorists in East Africa need material and resources from ISIL, but they are not going to get it, officials said. Core ISIL is hurting itself -- the Islamic State has lost Beiji and Ramadi in Iraq, it is under assault from the Kurdish peshmerga and the Syrian anti-ISIL coalition is making progress, officials said. The coalition oil campaign is also having an effect on ISIL's source of wealth, officials said. Strengthening the AMISOM force and its capabilities will also serve to strengthen the Somalian government, officials said. Containing Boko Haram is another factor, officials said, noting that Africom is working with local partners -- including Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger -- to contain the terror group. French and British officials are also working with local allies and the command, the officials said. Challenge in Libya Libya is a challenge, officials said, noting "increasing bifurcation between moderates and hardliners." The weak central government allows the space for ISIL to build a safe haven that acts as a nexus for terrorist operations in northern Libya, officials said. This has quickly become more than a simple problem within Libya, as the group has launched attacks in neighboring Tunisia, officials said. Africom has also seen some foreign fighters going into ISIL in Libya, officials said. Africom is looking to contain ISIL in Libya and degrade it, said officials, who estimate there are roughly 3,500 ISIL terrorists in Libya. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Eucom Commander Seeks New Approach to Russia By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity STUTTGART, Germany, January 5, 2016 For two decades, the United States "hugged the bear" in Europe, but that has to change, the commander of U.S. European Command said. Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, who also serves as NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe, has advocated for more U.S. forces in Europe to counter growing Russian capabilities and capacity. He spoke to reporters traveling with Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. With the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the United States and its allies saw an opportunity to try to make Russia a partner. But a strategy document signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin last week names the United States and the expansion of the NATO alliance as threats to his country. Breedlove said the policy document merely codified Russian actions for several years. A 'Revanchist Russia' "What I would offer is that if you look at Russia's actions all the way back to '08 in Georgia, in Nagorno-Karabakh, in Crimea, in the Donbass, and now down in Syria we see what most call a revanchist Russia that has put force back on the table as an instrument of national power to meet their objectives," the general said. This means there has to be changes in the way U.S. military forces operate in Europe, he added, noting that for 20 years, U.S. military decisions were guided by the effort to make Russia a partner. "Across that time we have changed our force structure, we have changed our [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] allocations, we've changed our analytical allocations, [and] we've downsized the forces in all the media here in Europe," he said. Now, Breedlove said, U.S. military officials look at Russian capabilities and capacity and have to adjust. More U.S. Capability in Europe Breedlove has advocated more U.S. service members and more capabilities in Europe, and that is beginning to happen. A fourth destroyer has arrived in Spain, for example, and the Army is rotating a brigade-sized unit to Europe, he said. But it is more than simply building up numbers, he added. For 13 years, he said, Eucom was focused on training other nations to join the counterinsurgency fight in Afghanistan. "We are really good at counterinsurgency targeting," Breedlove said. "It's been a long time since we've done an air campaign the size of Iraq 1 or Iraq 2, or even in the opening days of Afghanistan. We need to get back to those high-end skills to ensure we have the depth of bench for that fight. "As Afghanistan drew down, we were prescient," he continued. "We decided that we needed to train to high-end Article 5 capabilities. That was our plan, even before Crimea." Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty states that an attack on one NATO ally will be considered an attack on all allies. Redeveloping High-End Capability Russia's actions validate the decision, the general said. "Now every soldier, sailor, airman or Marine that comes to European Command will be focused on redeveloping that high-end kinetic fighting capability," he added. All exercises and training will stress these capabilities, the general said, and Eucom also will exercise at division and corps level in the future. Breedlove said he cannot tell what Putin intends to do with the military he has re-equipped and retrained. "Many people ask me, 'What is Putin thinking?' or 'What do you think he's thinking?'" he said. "I'm not sure what he's thinking, but I can look at what he's doing and derive from that what we should be thinking about on our side." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Whether to set up ADIZ over South China Sea or not will be based on full assessment of security situation: FM People's Daily Online By Yuan Can (People's Daily Online) 10:35, January 05, 2016 China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and their adjacent waters and China's test flight to the newly built airport on Yongshu Jiao falls totally within China's sovereignty, said a Foreign Ministry spokesperson Monday. At a regular Foreign Ministry press conference on Jan. 4, 2016, Hua Chunying, a Foreign Ministry Spokesperson was asked whether China plans to declare an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) over parts of the South China Sea. In response to this question, Hua said that as for whether or not China will set up an air defense identification zone, the decision will be made based on a full assessment of the security situation and China's needs. 'We believe that the overall situation in the South China Sea is stable,' Hua said Hua said that China stands ready to make joint efforts with all relevant parties to safeguard peace and stability of the South China Sea. Meanwhile, China hopes that relevant countries would not flex military muscles by sending aircraft and vessels. Instead, they should take concrete actions to uphold peace and stability of the South China Sea together with China. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran supports peace, stability in Afghanistan: Rouhani Iran Press TV Tue Jan 5, 2016 6:51PM Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the Islamic Republic supports peace and stability in Afghanistan. "The Islamic [Republic of] Iran favors a secure, stable and united Afghanistan," Rouhani told the visiting chief executive of Afghanistan, Abdullah Abdullah, in Tehran on Tuesday. Rouhani gave a positive assessment of the formation of national unity government in Afghanistan, saying it proves the "maturity" of Afghan political leaders who have paved the way for "unity and consensus among all ethnic Afghan groups." The Iranian president noted that security is the key requirement for Afghanistan and the entire region and expressed hope that unity in the country would result in further development of the war-wracked country. He said that Iran's policy is based on strengthening Tehran-Kabul ties. "Iran welcomes the expansion of cooperation with Afghanistan particularly in the economic, cultural and environmental sectors," said Rouhani. He also said that the production and smuggling of narcotics pose a challenge whose tackling requires regional cooperation. For his part, Abdullah heaped praise on the Islamic Republic for its all-embracing support for his country, saying the Iranian government and nation have always stood by the Afghan nation. The Afghan chief executive expressed hope that the proper conditions would come about soon to facilitate the return of Afghan refugees living in Iran. Roadmap for Iran-Afghanistan ties: Zarif In a meeting with Abdullah earlier on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stressed the importance of drawing up a roadmap for bilateral cooperation in different fields including transit of goods, trade, security and legal issues. He commended the Afghan government's efforts to establish security and peace in the country within the framework of dialog among all ethnic Afghan groups. Zarif and Abdullah also discussed the latest regional and international developments and ways to improve constructive cooperation in fighting terrorism and extremism. Heading a high-ranking delegation, Abdullah arrived in Tehran on Monday for an official three-day visit. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkish military kills 14 PKK militants in southeast Iran Press TV Tue Jan 5, 2016 5:4PM Turkish security forces have killed at least 14 members of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group in the country's Kurdish-majority southeast. The army announced the death toll on Tuesday as its operation against the Kurdish militants has entered its third week. The PKK militants were killed in the district of Sur in the province of Diyarbakir, as well as in the towns of Cizre and Silopi on Monday. Heavy curfews have been imposed on these areas since last month. According to the Turkish military, nearly 300 militants have been killed since December 14, 2015, when the anti-terrorism operations by Turkish armed forces intensified. Since late July 2015, Turkey's southeastern regions have witnessed a spike in violence amid heavy confrontations between army forces and the PKK, an outlawed group that have been fighting for an autonomous Kurdish region inside Turkey since 1980s. On July 20, a bomb attack in the southern Kurdish-majority town of Suruc claimed more than 30 lives. The Turkish government blamed it on the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group. After the bombing, the PKK, accusing the government of supporting Daesh, engaged in a series of supposed reprisal attacks against Turkish police and security forces, in turn prompting the Turkish military operations. Ankara's military has also been involved in an offensive against positions of the Kurdish group in neighboring Iraq. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has recently said that the operations in southeast would continue unabated, adding that more than 3,000 PKK members have been killed in 2015 in the unprecedented fighting. Critics of the operation, including the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), say all those killed in the crackdown are not militants, updating a list of names showing that civilians have also been among the victims. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Daesh commander killed in southern Yemen Iran Press TV Tue Jan 5, 2016 1:43PM A commander of the Takfiri Daesh terrorists has been killed in clashes with fighters of Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement and military units amid the ongoing Saudi military aggression against the Yemenis. Yemen's al-Masirah news website Tuesday identified the Daesh chief as Hassan Hamoud Uqlan, a known field commander of the terrorists in the Tha'bat district of Ta'izz Province. Over the past weeks, Houthis and popular fighters have achieved victories in Ta'izz against forces loyal to the fugitive former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, who control some regions in southern Yemen. The pro-Hadi militants, which include an array of terror groups active in various parts of the country, also enjoy Saudi Arabia's air cover. On Tuesday, one Saudi soldier was killed in a retaliatory attack by Yemeni forces targeting an area near the al-Tawwal border crossing in the Saudi province of Jizan. Yemeni forces also targeted Jabal al-Dukhan region in Jizan with rockets, destroying a Saudi military vehicle and inflicting losses on the Saudi forces in the area. The regime in Riyadh began its campaign against Yemen on March 26, 2015. More than 7,500 people have been killed and over 14,000 others injured since the airstrikes began. According to the Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television, six people were killed and three others injured in Saudi airstrikes on Washha district in the northwestern Yemeni province of Hajjah. Saudi warplanes targeted residential buildings in the northwestern Yemeni province of Sa'ada on Tuesday. Two women and a child were killed. Similar airstrikes also hit various districts in the capital, Sana'a, a district in Ma'rib Province and a camp in Ibb Province. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. Soldier Killed In Afghan Firefight; U.S., Afghan Troops Wounded January 05, 2016 by Mike Eckel WASHINGTON -- The United States says one of its soldiers has been killed and two others wounded when a joint U.S.-Afghan mission in Afghanistan's troubled Helmand Province came under attack. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said on January 5 that U.S. special operations troops were near the city of Marja when the incident happened. Taliban gains in Helmand in recent weeks have alarmed the United States and its allies, which fear that the weak Afghan government is unable to fend off an increasing number of offensives. Cook said two medical evacuation helicopters came under fire while trying to land. He said one left the area without landing, while the other was damaged when one of its rotors hit a wall. An unknown number of Afghan troops also were wounded in the fight, which Cook said was still ongoing late on January 5 and continued to involve U.S. forces. "It is safe to say that Afghanistan is a dangerous place," Cook said. 'My understanding is that there may still be Americans on the ground in this immediate situation engaging with the enemy in support of Afghan forces,' he said. 'This is a fluid situation.' About 12,000 U.S. and other troops are deployed in Afghanistan as part of NATO's Resolute Support mission. Helmand, a sprawling province that stretches from the Pakistani border into central Afghanistan, has long been a stronghold of the Taliban and has seen fierce fighting in recent weeks. Several dozen British special operations troops last month joined U.S. troops in Helmand after the town of Sangin appeared in danger of being overrun by Taliban forces. In September, Taliban fighters seized the northern city of Kunduz -- the largest city to date -- and held it for about three days before Afghan forces, backed by U.S. air strikes, regained control. A December 15 Defense Department report, prepared for Congress, warned that Afghanistan's security situation had deteriorated sharply in 2015. Earlier, President Barack Obama announced a halt to the withdrawal of U.S. forces, with 9,800 troops to remain in place through most of 2016 then dropping to 5,500 by early 2017. Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-us- special-operations-attack/27469121.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tensions Swell as China Lands Civilian Plane on Islands in S China Sea Sputnik News 16:52 05.01.2016(updated 19:27 05.01.2016) Chinese foreign ministry officials confirmed on Saturday that a test flight by a civilian plane landed on one of the islands in the South China Sea, the first time Beijing has used a runway in the area. The landing was not a surprise, as China has been building runways on the artificial islands for over a year. China's first landing of a plane on one of its new island runways in the South China Sea shows Beijing's facilities in the disputed region are being finished on schedule and military conflicts will certainly follow, foreign officials and analysts said, Reuters reported. Following China's plane landing, Vietnam launched a formal diplomatic protest, while Philippines Foreign Ministry spokesman Charles Jose said Manila planned to do the same. Both have claims to the area that intersect with China. Similarly, Senator John McCain on Monday blasted Obama administration for lack of action in South China Sea. He said the President Barack Obama's administration was "either unable to manage the complexities of interagency national security decision making or simply too risk averse to do what is necessary to safeguard the rules-based order in the Asia-Pacific." In October, the Pentagon began conducting patrols within 12 nautical miles of the man-made islands. The runway which is located at the Fiery Cross Reef is 3,000 meters long and is one of three China was building on artificial islands constructed from seven reefs and atolls in the Spratlys archipelago. Regarding the test flight the foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said it was intended to check whether the runway met civilian aviation standards and fell "completely within China's sovereignty." Talking about McCain's remarks on Tuesday, she said: "We hope the US can take an objective and fair attitude, and not make statements that confuse the situation and are harmful to regional peace and stability," she said. Chinese officials have repeatedly said that the new islands would be mostly for civilian use, such as coast guard activity and fishing research. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Poland to Strengthen Defense Capability on Eastern Border in 2016 Sputnik News 05:37 05.01.2016 Poland is planning to create new units of territorial defense on the eastern border in 2016 and to transfer the acting brigades there with an aim to become one of the largest NATO armies, the country's defense minister said. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Poland has been a member of NATO since 1997. '[Poland is planning] to create three additional units of the territorial defense on our eastern border, along with a simultaneous shift in the direction of the acting armed forces. We do not want the servicemen to be concentrated on the western border, as it was in 1989,' Antoni Macierewicz told the Polska Zbrojna magazine on Monday. Macierewicz also supported the idea of significantly increasing the number of Polish armed forces, from the current 80,000 servicemen to some 150,000. Speaking about Warsaw's possible involvement in the anti-terrorist operation in Syria, the minister said Warsaw would support France, which is actively engaged in the anti-terrorism struggle amid the November 13 Paris attacks, if Paris supports Poland ' for example, on the issue of NATO troops deployment on the territory of Poland.' NATO has been increasing its presence in Eastern Europe since Crimea's reunification with Russia in March 2014, as the West refused to recognize a legitimate referendum and blamed Moscow for violating Ukraine's territorial integrity. Russia has denied the allegations and has repeatedly stated that the bloc's increased activities near its borders undermine regional and international stability. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Remarks by Special Presidential Envoy to the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL Brett McGurk Before the Daily Press Briefing Special Briefing Brett McGurk Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition To Counter ISIL, Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL Washington, DC January 5, 2016 MR KIRBY: Good afternoon, everybody. I have a special guest here to start the briefing today. In just a couple minutes, the Special Presidential Envoy to the Coalition to Counter ISIL Brett McGurk, someone you know you all know very, very well, is going to come up here and take the podium. He's going to give you an update on the counter-ISIL campaign for a few minutes, and then he'll be able to stick around as well to take a few questions, just a few. I'll be moderating those questions, so please look to me and I'll be calling on you. We won't have time to take too many, but we'll take a few, and then I'll get back up here and we'll do the rest of the daily briefing after Mr. McGurk leaves. With that, Brett. MR MCGURK: Thanks, John. So thanks for seeing me today. I thought what I would do I was here a couple months ago or so, or six weeks ago, and gave an overview of kind of what we're trying to do, about eight or nine different points of pressure, and how what we call lines of effort kind of come together and what we do throughout the government to try to put pressure on ISIL. And what I thought I'd do is just give an update on where we are kind of as we look around the periphery of this phony self-proclaimed caliphate, and then finish a little bit with Ramadi and kind of the significant events that happened over the over the holiday. This, of course, as I briefed in detail last time, this is ISIL core Iraq, Syria. That does not lessen the importance of the networks. We think of ISIL in terms of the core, the networks, and then the affiliates, their eight affiliates. And we're constantly trying to pressure all of these things at once, but you really have to focus on the core. I think as the President said, focused on the heart, which we're doing. So I would just start I'll go around the horn kind of clockwise. It's in no particular order, but I think that's the easiest way to do it. The number one on the map and first, what this map indicates, and this is only in November so it's it would have been changed since then. But the green on the map represents territory that ISIL has lost over the last year to 18 months or so. In Iraq, it's about 40 percent of its territory. So you can see the kind of shrinkage, and that's going to, we think, increase over the coming months. It's already increased, actually, quite significantly just since this map was put out in November. The dark red represents areas that they have gained over the last 18 months, and so there are some areas of concern that we look at on the map, which we're focused on with our partners and in the coalition effort. But let me start at the number one. This is the 98-kilometer strip of border with Turkey that we talk about quite a bit. If you see to the east of the Euphrates all that green, we've taken away that entire border from ISIL. They controlled the entire thing about a little over a year ago. If I was here around the time of Kobani, there's just a little teeny, teeny dot of green about five square blocks in the town of Kobani. Since then, obviously, a dramatically changed situation, and it's going to continue to change dramatically against ISIL's interests over the coming months. On one, that 98-kilometer strip of border, it's not only what we're doing across the border in Syria, but most significantly and most significantly in this building, the diplomacy with Turkey and focused on the Turks and really closing up that 98-kilometer border. And since we were at the G20 with President Obama had a very good meeting with President Erdogan about this very issue we have seen the Turks take some significant steps in terms of setting up defensive perimeters, more patrols. Much harder for ISIL to get resources into this very critical area. We're continuing that engagement now. I think the Chairman Dunford, General Dunford is in Turkey this week. The Vice President will be heading out to Turkey later this month, and we have teams of experts, particularly from DHS, who are heading out to Turkey to talk about this very critical stretch of border. Because you take ISIL away from that border, it is a truly self-contained entity and a very different problem. So that's a true kind of interagency effort. There's a military side. What we're doing that little splotch of dark red, we call that the Mari line. I talked about that last time. We think we've checked the western advance of ISIL and beginning to push a little bit to the east. I also mentioned last time how the Russian air campaign has made that a little more complicated, and that's something that we're continuing to deal with. But we are still, as my DOD colleagues can speak to, still flying in that area, still doing strikes almost every single day, and pressuring ISIL in that critical area. Number two is kind of east of the Euphrates, a very different situation, but it's also the core ISIL core of its phony caliphate in Raqqa, its self-proclaimed capital. And what we're going to be doing over the coming weeks and months is just squeezing them and constricting them in this area and really isolating the core of Raqqa. Again, it's not only a military effort, though that gets most of the attention and rightfully so, but it's a dramatic fusion of all the information we bring across the government. So I think my colleague, Amos Hochstein, was here to brief you a couple weeks ago to talk about a lot of what we're doing here. The number two on that map is over at Al-Hal, and that has moved a lot more green since this map was put out. And that's a coalition of Syrian Kurds and Arabs that have made pretty dramatic gains against ISIL in that area, taking about 500 square miles from them. And that was organized simultaneously and a lot of diplomatic kind of really shoe leather diplomacy from this building to work with the Iraqi Kurds and the Peshmerga and the Syrian Kurds to get this whole thing synchronized, and that all kicked off late last fall through the winter. Simultaneous operations on the Syrian side of the border at Al-Hal, moving a little bit more south, and then the Peshmerga retaking Shaddadi to cut that entire road from Raqqa to Mosul. Similar, before I go to Iraq, operations that happened just over the over December cutting off you can't see it in this map, but if you go, like, right here is all green now taking the primary supply corridor of ISIL from this area here into Raqqa. The Tishreen dam is now no longer in their hands, so they have to go all the way around. It's one just one effort of how we're going to continue to isolate and constrict in Raqqa. As we do that, and as I think I mentioned last time, and our friends in the intelligence community and also in this building constantly looking to see how they adapt. As they come under pressure, they do stupid things. We're able to see who they are and then our military colleagues are able to, with quite devastating effect, strike them in their heart in Raqqa. And the high-value targets we continue to strike in Raqqa. Just the day before Christmas, we killed an individual who you know was directly linked to the Paris attacks. So that's all going to continue and that's a fused effort across the interagency from here, DOD, our intelligence community, Treasury, across the board. Before I leave Syria, the last point that and Deir al-Zor and that Euphrates Valley that's kind of the heart of their economic infrastructure, and again, I think Amos spoke in some detail with this about you, but we know more about ISIL's economy now than we ever did before, and we're putting all of that information to very good effect. So I think you'll see over the coming weeks and months more news coming out on that area. If I just go into Iraq very quickly around the horn, there's Sinjar, which is number four. Sinjar, of course, is where a lot of this burst onto the public consciousness with Mount Sinjar and the Yezidis. That's the heart of that area and our Peshmerga friends were able to retake Sinjar last month. So Sinjar is now a real humanitarian kind of coalition effort to try to get the resources in place to restore, reconstruct, and get people back into their homes in Sinjar. That is a huge, huge challenge, because one thing that ISIL does when they take over these areas, they booby-trap houses, they booby-trap public infrastructure, and before they leave they either make the area almost impossible to re-inhabit or they blow up buildings as they're leaving. So Sinjar is now an enormous challenge. We'll be meeting as a coalition in early February I don't think this is but Secretary Kerry meeting with kind of key coalition members to talk about what we have to do now over the next three to four months, bringing the coalition together and the resources for the humanitarian and the stabilization challenges. So more to follow on that. Mosul, which is just north of the number five Mosul people ask, "When is Mosul going to begin?" Mosul has kind of already started, but you've got to think of it of a rolling kind of campaign to isolate and squeeze, learn more about the information about what's happening there, but also a very heavy diplomatic-political effort to get the Iraqi Government in Baghdad working with the Kurdish Peshmerga and the Kurdish Regional Government to kind of work together to figure out how to do Mosul, because Mosul is very complicated. There's Shia, Sunni, Arab, Kurd; kind of everybody is there together, and we want to make sure everything is synchronized and working together, and that has now really started. We have a joint operations command center set up in Makhmur, and our diplomats and our ambassador in Baghdad is constantly shuttling between Baghdad and Erbil, and we've had very good cooperation with President Barzani in Erbil and with Prime Minister Abadi about planning Mosul. When I was in Iraq last week, one of my critical meetings was with the new governor of Nineveh province, so we have a new governor in Nineveh province who's very actively engaged about planning and coordinating how to constrict and isolate Mosul. So more to follow on that, but it's really focused on isolating, constricting, getting this kind of coherence and cohesiveness together. And I think that you'll see that come together again over the coming months. Going south in Tikrit, Tikrit now is kind of where everything comes together. We've learned an awful lot of lessons about Tikrit. ISIL, when they moved into Tikrit in the summer of 2014, totally depopulated the city. They committed mass atrocities, killing thousands of people, putting it up on YouTube. The retaking of Tikrit was incredibly challenging, just given some of the forces that were involved. And when it was eventually retaken, again, it was a situation where the population was almost entirely gone, the city was almost destroyed, and we had to work closely with the Iraqi Government and with the United Nations and with the local leaders in Salahuddin province. And what we did a very active 24/7 effort over a number of months, based out of Baghdad our embassy and also folks here at the State Department, to put together the plan about how we can begin to bring the population back to Tikrit. It looked like a very daunting task at the time, the kind of thing that looks impossible to do. But if you look at it now, according to the UN statistics, about 90 percent of the population has come back to Tikrit. Tikrit University, which was a headquarters of ISIL not too long ago, is reopening, and it's reopening thanks to funds donated by the coalition; about 16,000 students returning to the University of Tikrit, something that would have been unimaginable not too long ago. We've learned a lot of lessons of Tikrit about how to do stabilization, about how to work with the central government in Baghdad and the local authorities to get people back safely. And those are lessons we're now building on. So I'll finish just on Ramadi. Ramadi's significant because it was really the first significant test for the Iraqi Security Forces that we have helped reorganize and retrain as a coalition. When Ramadi fell in May, it was a real kind of shock to the Iraqis. Ramadi had been under threat when ISIL first moved into Ramadi on January 1, 2014 six months before Mosul, to kind of put this in perspective. It had been contested, constant fighting. And after a massive car bomb wave, when the forces left, it was something that was a real shock. Prime Minister Abadi immediately engaged with us, engaged with the coalition, and said I'm going to put together a plan to retake Ramadi as soon as we can. We met at the White House within about 36 hours with President Obama and we said we're going to look to see what we do and we're going to help the Iraqis try to retake Ramadi. Again, at the time, it looked like quite a daunting challenge. If you go back to that time and you look at the sequence of decisions that were made, the President made a critical decision on the recommendation of the Secretary of Defense and the chairman to deploy U.S. Special Forces to Taqaddum Air Base, not far from Ramadi, and they got out there very, very soon. And this is right between Fallujah and Ramadi, a really heroic mission those guys took on to advise and assist the Iraqi Security Forces, to reorganize, to think about what are they going to need, and then to begin to plan a counterattack on Ramadi. And I mean, those guys, you just can't speak enough about what they were able to do in terms of the influence they have and the capabilities that they can bring to bear. Every single time now against ISIL that we have advised and assisted an Iraqi operation, or any operation against ISIL, ISIL has not only been defeated, they've been just totally routed. So we kind of have the combination of what works, and Ramadi was the most difficult test for this. I think Colonel Warren in Baghdad said it's the most difficult thing the Iraqis have done on their own as a military force really since 2003. That's true. And it was a real, so far and there's some ways to go but it's a success and it's a point that even when the Iraqis are taking casualties they've taken over 1,000 casualties in this counterattack they have continued to advance, they've continued to fight, and they've continued to liberate their territory. Commensurate with the counterattack was a very active effort learning and building on the lessons of Tikrit to work with the Iraqi Government and to work with the local officials in Anbar province, with the tribes, with the governor to mobilize local forces, to hold areas, and to put together the stabilization plan. So shortly after Ramadi fell, we met in Paris with Secretary Kerry and the main ministers of the coalition, with Prime Minister Abadi. And I have to admit, it was a kind of a dark cloud moment because Ramadi had just fallen. And Abadi told the ministers of the coalition, "I want your help. I need to retake Ramadi. Here's how we're going to do it, but we need help. We need resources." And the coalition really responded. I put out a letter for New Year's kind of to the coalition, which we put up just kind of listing about the number of coalition partners that stepped up at that critical moment, not only with military support but also with stabilization and reconstruction support. And so what Abadi did at that critical time was delegated an awful lot of authority to the local leadership of Anbar province. We now have authorization for 10,000 tribal fighters in Anbar province. There is authorization for 24,000 police in Anbar province. The new Iraqi budget in 2016 has 20,000 new positions for the Iraqi army, which are very important. We think many of those will come from Anbar province as these areas are liberated. So as the clearing went into Ramadi, we worked at the same time and in parallel with the stabilization and the hold and the resources to bring people back to their homes. Now, because Ramadi was fought over for almost two years, you can imagine that most of the city has been quite devastated in the fighting. Booby-trapped houses, I think the number of IEDs just since this is just a statistic to give you an indication since the 28th of December, so about a week ago, 2,316 IEDs were deactivated by a single IED unit that we helped advise and assist out of Habbaniyah base, which is near Taqaddum. So that just gives you a sense of what has to be done here and how difficult this is, and the skills and the expertise that it takes to actually clear these areas. But the fact that we have a central government in Baghdad delegating authority to the leaders of Anbar province, we have a coalition supporting this effort, we've learned a lot of lessons from Tikrit and so we feel that a lot of the pieces are in place to begin to move to the stabilization phase, however recognizing just how difficult this is going to be. As ISIL is defeated in areas, we see what they do. They come with waves of car bomb attacks and try to restore kind of some of their luster in the headlines. But unlike the days and I've been doing this a long time where they would come with 10 car bombs and then they would come with an infantry assault to retake territory, hold it, that's not really happening anymore. They're coming with a bunch of car bombs, many of which we're now stopping because of the military capabilities that our partners in DOD have provided to the Iraqis. But they're not then coming with the assault force. It's just it's not the kind of it's a much it's a degraded organization compared to what we've seen before. That said, there's a ways there's still a ways to go. So I just wanted to give you an update on because I went last time about this simultaneous pressure campaign and what we're working to do, and I think the result to that I mean, we check it every single day but I'd like to come check in with you every couple months just to talk about different areas and what we're seeing, some things that are going well and then some things that, obviously, there will be setbacks along the way. None of this is going to be linear. But overall, that's what we're trying to do. Ramadi was a key test. It'll remain a key test. I think it's still a big place. The entire city is not entirely cleared. The IED statistic I mentioned just gives you some indication of what we still need to do. And after Ramadi, there will be a number of follow-on steps because this thing is far from over. I was in the region last month in UAE and Jordan and Iraq talking about the kind of next steps in the campaign and what we need to do. And I think we have some coherence and some commonality of vision, but it'll remain a very challenging and very difficult fight. So with that, I think I'll turn it over for any questions. MR KIRBY: We'll start with you, Matt. QUESTION: Thanks. I'm just curious if you have seen or are concerned about any complications from the Saudi-Iran flare-up causing any sectarian tensions; if you see any complications to the synchronization, as you called it, of the effort in Iraq. MR MCGURK: Yeah, Matt, no thanks. It's a great question, and so far, we have not seen any impact on the overall ISIL campaign. As you know, I mean, Secretary Kerry here was on the phone almost all day yesterday. We are encouraging a de-escalation because anytime you have regional polarization, regional escalation, it obviously can cause difficulties and it opens up seams for extremists on all sides to take advantage of the situation. So there were reports yesterday of a couple mosques that were targeted. The governor of Iraq immediately responded to that. So I would say so far, we have not seen that type of impact on the overall campaign, but obviously, it's something that we're concerned about and that's why the Secretary's been spending so much of his time on it. MR KIRBY: Arshad. QUESTION: Are Saudi aircraft taking part in strikes against ISIL targets? MR MCGURK: I'd have to refer to DOD. I know the last time the Saudis took an airstrike against ISIL in Syria as you know, they've been heavily engaged in Yemen, but some of our other partners, the Jordanians and others, have been continue to strike ISIL targets in Syria. QUESTION: Are you aware of one recently? MR MCGURK: A Saudi strike against ISIL in Syria? QUESTION: In Syria. MR MCGURK: As I said, I think the Saudi they have their capabilities, their bandwidth is pretty stretched with Yemen. So I can't say when the last time they took a strike in Syria, but of all our partners, you have to look at how they're contributing in different ways. And the Jordanians, for example, just I think just took a number of airstrikes just last week. MR KIRBY: Jim. QUESTION: Sorry, the who? MR MCGURK: The Jordanians. QUESTION: Oh, the Jordanians. MR KIRBY: Jim. QUESTION: Brett, thanks very much. Looking at that map, when you look particularly at the Syrian border, it looks like you've cut off to really a small chokepoint the controlled area, just as you were saying. I wonder, has that translated into stopping effectively stopping the flow of fighters across that border? And are you seeing cooperation from the Turks, which I know has been ambivalent, as it's been described to me at times? Is that in much better shape, as it looks on the map? Because physically, it looks like you made that progress. I'm just curious if it translated to stopping that. And then I just have a quick follow-up, if you don't mind. MR MCGURK: So Jim, I think as I mentioned in my opening, definitely seeing progress along that border on the Turkish side, and definitely seeing a willingness and readiness for the Turks to engage with us in terms of advice on what needs to be done. They have moved resources there. And I think this has been covered in the press, but they've moved resources there. It's much harder to get from the Turkish side of the border into Syria from that strip, all of which is very positive. So now this month we're following up with them on a number of things not only what's happening on their side of the border, but also what we want to do together on the Syrian side of the border. And that's why the chairman is there this week. That's why the Vice President will be in town. And that's why we have a number of the Vice President going to Turkey, and a number of our kind of border security experts at the working level going to Turkey. So I would just say yes, the cooperation's been good. Our information it's much harder to get for an ISIL fighter to get from Turkey into Syria now than it was some months ago. When you look at the data on this, those who kind of count this, there's often a lag in terms of the when they can take a number and what's happening today. All I can say is our sense and our indication is that the network overall is substantially degraded. We know that ISIL in its public statements has called on foreign fighters, "maybe, hey, don't go into Syria; maybe go to Libya," which is another indication that Syria is now not as hospitable an environment as they might have as it might have been in the past. So I think the trend line overall is moving in the right direction, but it's something we got to stay at every single day. Because as I've said before to you, this is a challenge like we've never seen before. The world has never seen something like this, upwards of 35,000 now foreign fighters from 100 countries all around the world supercharged by social media and Twitter and everything. It's something we've never seen before. So as we try to when we think of the core, we want to make sure that if a foreign fighter gets into Syria or Iraq they can't get out, and we try to make sure that they can't get in. At the same time, we're working globally with all of these partners which is why we have a 65-member coalition on the criminal justice side, on the intelligence sharing side, just to try to make it harder for these guys to move around. But again, as we saw in Paris and elsewhere, that we have work to do. QUESTION: Just a -- MR MCGURK: And our partners have work to do. QUESTION: A brief follow on the 10,000 tribal fighters you mentioned in Anbar. Is Prime Minister Abadi playing nice with them, so to speak? Or is he the concerns expressed about his deference to Iran and therefore reluctance to play nicely with the Sunnis are you seeing that abating? MR MCGURK: He's fully supported the tribal mobilization in Anbar province. When Secretary Carter was there a couple weeks ago, this was one of their key conversations. In fact, he upped the cap from 8,000 to 10,000, and that just comes into the kind of I think it's about 10,000 tribal fighters, 24,000 local police from Anbar. So you're talking an awful lot of people. So if a young Anbari wants to get in the fight, there are plenty of avenues to do that. And our two platforms one at Taqaddum Air Base and one at Al Asad, where we have been since this campaign really started, out in western the western Euphrates Valley. We've been working closely with three tribes there in Haditha and these areas in which if you looked at I mean, if you looked at this map over time, you'd have a little bit of green in Haditha. And that has expanded. And had we not gone to Al Asad Air Base when this campaign kicked off in September of 2014, had we not engaged with those tribes at the time that we did, I think that entire area would've been gone. But by engaging with them, by giving them capabilities and they have gotten the full support of the Iraqi Government we were able to not only hold off these number of ISIL advances back in those days, but they're now not only holding the line, but beginning to conduct their own operations. So the tide out there and it's like the wild west out there; I've been out there a few times has shifted. But to answer your question, in terms of Prime Minister Abadi, he's given full support to this program we have in Anbar. MR KIRBY: We're just going to take two more. Justin. QUESTION: Thanks. So if the negotiating parties are demonstrating that they can't work together to find a political solution in Syria, as we're seeing with Iran and Saudi Arabia, does that require you or are you working on a strategy that doesn't include a political solution in Syria? Is there a way to defeat ISIS without that? MR MCGURK: I think what I mean, our special envoy in Syria is in Saudi Arabia now, working with a lot of the opposition groups to set the stage for these negotiations that have to take place, we hope later on this month. But I think even the Saudis recognize you have to have some sort of a political process to de-escalate the overall conflict. So I let the Saudis speak for themselves, but, I mean, what I've heard is they've said that nothing here should really stop the process that was launched in Vienna. And that's something that's not that's a real consensus of the international community now, enshrined in a UN Security Council resolution. No question this is extremely difficult. That's something that we've said from day one. But you have to bring all the external actors to a table, and then the internal actors to a table. So we've gotten all the external actors together really for the first time since the civil war started, and now we're working to bring the internal actors together to a table later this month. So a lot of folks here in this building are working on that every day, and that remains the plan as enshrined in the Security Council resolution. MR KIRBY: Said, I'm going to give you the last one today. QUESTION: Thank you very much. Yes, sir, I'm a bit confused on the figure that you gave the numbers, the vacancies in the Iraqi army the 26,000 or something like this that it can absorb. Will these be special units like the Awakening Council, or are they will they be part of the Iraqi army? And will they coordinate with militias like al-Hashd al-Shaabi and so on? MR MCGURK: So the 20,000 numbers in the new Iraqi budget, they opened up space for 20,000 new positions, and that's important because we want to bring more folks into the army. So again, if you are if you're from a town in the Euphrates Valley in Anbar province and you're 20 years old and you want to join to protect your community, we want to make sure that some of the deficiencies of the prior model, where it was a little bit more ad hoc, such as in the Awakening that it's embedded and enshrined in the state structures. So if you want to risk your life to defend your community from Daesh and others, you'll be taken care of by the state. So there are three vehicles now to do that. There's the tribal mobilization program, and that is all enshrined in the Iraqi legal structure and the budget to make sure that people get paid something you work on every single day. There's the police, and there's a cap for 24,000 police in Anbar province, which is what it was before the crisis. And then there's now 20,000 new positions for the army in this new budget. We have the training facilities; we're training. It's going up almost about we're at about 18,000 now that we've trained. But it's a whole host it's the army, it's the CTS in terms of our training. But just to be very clear on the numbers I'm talking about, focus on Anbar: 10,000 tribal fighters in Anbar, 24,000 police. And then there are the new number of recruits in the Iraqi army of 20,000. Now, the Iraqis have asked us to help them with this in terms of where the folks go, what units and things, and that's something that we're working with them all the time in terms of how to structure their overall security architecture, but that will take some time. But in terms of defeating ISIL, you need the force to go in and do the clearing, and I think we've have had some success with that now. You need the force to do the holding, and that's the police and these tribal forces. And then you need the long-term, sustainable architecture, because we're learning a lot of the lessons from the past year. And the long-term, sustainable architecture is to make sure you have a more federal-based structure which is interwoven in the Iraqi constitution, in which the central government is delegating authority to the provinces, to the local leaders, so the people who are risking their lives to take protect their community are taken care of by the state. And that's the bargain that this new Iraqi Government has offered. And so far, if you look at Tikrit, if you look at what we're starting to see in Anbar, you can see how that can come together. QUESTION: How concerned are you, though, that these sectarian tensions in the region not just between Saudi Arabia and Iran, but now all the Sunnis are going to bleed over into Iraq and the Shia and the Sunnis are not going to be able to work together, and Abadi will maybe hesitate to reach out to the Sunnis in deference to Iran? MR MCGURK: So let me say answer it two ways: On the one hand, as someone who works this every day, very concerned whenever you see this kind of potential for a real polarization, because it enables extremists on both sides to take advantage of the situation, which is extremely dangerous and plays into the hands of groups like ISIL. So that's something, of course, that we're concerned about because our objective here is to support moderates on both sides of this kind of sectarian divide. So that's one, and that's why we're working very hard to try to de-escalate things. On the other hand, try not to get into a too simplistic box of Sunni and Shia, because there's so many divisions within the two communities. I'm talking a lot here about Anbar province. It's about 100 percent Sunni but it's there are Salafi, there are secularists, there's Baathists, there's tribal divisions, there's like everything. There's so there are a whole array of different viewpoints. Among the Shia, you have in Iraq a great deal, a majority of the Shia see their marja as Grand Ayatollah Sistani, who has a totally different vision than the supreme leader in Tehran. Sistani believes in the separation of the state and the community and a more quietest tradition than Khamenei, and it's a totally different viewpoint. So trying to kind of not get into the box of all the Sunni and all the Shia because it's just not really accurate and not how this thing goes. What we worry about when things get too polarized is that extremists on both sides try to take advantage of the situation. So no doubt in the immediate wake of something like this, I think you'll see more provocations from some of the extremists on both sides, and that's something that we try to tamp down. And a good example was in when there were reports yesterday that some mosques were attacked in Hilla, some Sunni mosques were attacked in Hilla, the Iraqi Government responded immediately. So I would just say concerning yes, there's all sorts of things that concern us every single day. Whenever you see something like this for potential polarization, it's concerning. At the same time, we try to not put things into too simplistic a black and white box because that's not the reality. It's just so many divisions within each community, and trying to strengthen the cohesiveness of the moderates on both sides is something that we try to do every day. But I will not underestimate just how difficult it is, as you know, Elise. QUESTION: Thank you. MR KIRBY: Thanks, everybody. QUESTION: Do have an updated version of that map? And if you do, can we get a copy? And if you don't, can we get a copy of this one? QUESTION: Yeah, that would be great. In a JPEG or something like that? MR MCGURK: I'll defer to these guys. MR KIRBY: Yeah, we'll get you a copy. We will. QUESTION: Thank you. MR KIRBY: Thanks, everybody. QUESTION: Thank you. MR KIRBY: Thank you. MR MCGURK: Thanks. MR KIRBY: Thank you, Brett. Appreciate that. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ban calls on Israel and Lebanon to maintain cessation of hostilities following attacks 5 January 2016 United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned yesterday's attack against two Israel Defense Forces vehicles in the general area of the Sheba'a Farms south of the Blue Line, which was claimed by Hizbollah. "The Secretary-General expresses his concern at the retaliatory strikes by the Israel Defense Forces across the Blue Line in southern Lebanon, in the area of operations of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)," said a statement issued today by his spokesperson in New York. The so-called 'Blue Line,' or Line of Withdrawal, was established in the year 2000 to confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon in conformity with a Security Council resolution. Meanwhile, UNIFIL and the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Sigrid Kaag, have taken immediate steps through contacts with the parties to help restore calm in the area. In a statement issued yesterday, they urged both sides to exercise utmost restraint to prevent any escalation. "UNIFIL is investigating the circumstances of the incident in cooperation with the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Israel Defense Forces," added the statement, noting that Mr. Ban calls on all parties to maintain the cessation of hostilities and to ensure full respect for Security Council resolution 1701, which imposed a ceasefire and the Israeli-Hizbollah war of 2006. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Taliban Captures IS Bases in Afghanistan by Ayaz Gul January 05, 2016 Fierce clashes have reportedly erupted between Taliban and Islamic State (IS) fighters in eastern Afghanistan, leaving dozens of people dead on both sides. Afghan police reported Tuesday the fighting in the remote Batikot and Chaparhar districts of Nangarhar province, which borders Pakistan, began after hundreds of Taliban insurgents mounted a big attack on IS bases earlier this week. The Taliban offensive is said to have captured the two districts but attempts to dislodge the rival group from the nearby Nazyan district, which is considered the IS stronghold in Afghanistan, could not succeed. Separately, the provincial governor's office told media that security forces ambushed and killed at least 15 IS fighters near the conflict zone late on Monday. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed to VOA that clashes have taken place and claimed Taliban fighters ousted IS militants from the two districts. Mujahid did not give further details. The Taliban apparently considers IS a threat to its ongoing violence campaign against the NATO-backed Afghan government. The Islamist insurgency initiated attacks against IS militants from southern Zabul and western Farah provinces in November and succeeded in dislodging them from the area, a development acknowledged by local Afghan officials. IS, which controls large areas in Syria and Iraq, has recently established bases in parts of Nangarhar before attempting to extend influence to other parts of the war-ravaged country. Afghan authorities insist most of the IS fighters are Pakistani nationals hailing from areas such as Orakzai, Khyber and Bajaur, three of the seven semiautonomous tribal districts of Pakistan lining the border with Afghanistan. IS has recently launched its propaganda FM radio station from an unknown location in Nangarhar to encourage Afghan youth to join the group. Afghan authorities recently claimed to have jammed the broadcast but residents and local media say the transmission is continuing uninterrupted, encouraging the public to join the IS fight against the Kabul government, its NATO allies and the Taliban. Meanwhile, local media in Pakistan has also quoted officials as confirming the Taliban assault on IS militants in the Afghan border areas, saying the hostilities killed more than 150 militants, mostly Islamic State supporters and commanders. Pakistan has been conducting counterterrorism army operations on its side of the volatile border and officials have acknowledged some insurgents have fled to Afghanistan. Pakistani authorities have also stepped up a crackdown on suspected IS hideouts in major cities, rounding up dozens of militants linked to the Middle Eastern terror group. Rana Sanaullah, law minister of the country's populous Punjab province, revealed on Monday as many as 100 suspected extremists have left Pakistan for Syria to take part in the conflict there. The revelation contradicted repeated claims by the federal authorities that IS has "no organized presence in Pakistan." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Top US General in Turkey for Talks on IS by Dorian Jones January 05, 2016 The Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford, is visiting Turkey as regional tensions rise. Ankara is an ally in the US-led war against Islamic State group, but Dunford's visit comes as Turkey is alarmed over recent gains by Syrian Kurds. The war against Islamic State is expected to top the agenda during Dunford's visit. Turkey, which borders Iraq and Syria, is viewed by Washington as key to the battle against the jihadist group. But political columnist Semih Idiz of Turkey's Cumhuriyet newspaper says Dunford is aware cooperation has not been easy with the fellow NATO member. 'There have been difficulties in the past, and there are continuing difficulties: the fact the Americans have allied themselves with Kurdish elements in Syria, that Turkey is not agreement with,' said Idiz. 'But there is far more cooperation at the moment than might have been the case a year or two ago.' The U.S. military is providing air support to the YPG, the militia of the Syrian Kurdish group, which has been one of the most successful ground forces battling IS. But Ankara accuses the PYD of being linked to the Kurdish rebel group the PKK, which Turkish forces are currently fighting. Turkey has said it will not allow Syrian Kurdish forces to take control of any more territory along its border. But those warnings have been ignored, with Syrian Kurds making further gains last week. Sinan Ulgen of the Carnegie Institute in Brussels says Dunford will be pressured by his Turkish counterparts. 'Turkey expects the United States to deliver on its promise that it will, as best as it can do, limit these territorial ambitions of the PYD,' said Ulgen. 'That was part of the July deal with the U.S.' Under that deal, which took months of intense U.S. lobbying, Ankara agreed to open up its airbases to forces of the U.S.-led anti-IS coalition. But analyst Ulgen warns those efforts could now be at risk. 'If Washington remains insensitive to Turkey's concern then this can create quite a significant crisis at least in terms of trust,' said Ulgen. 'Fundamentally its going to be about Turkey becoming less cooperative on the fight against IS, at least in areas where the US is more willing, or is putting a priority.' Adding to Ankara's concerns is that with Russian forces present in Syria, Turkey has all but ruled out the possibility of a military intervention against Syrian Kurdish forces. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Yemen War Taking Big Toll on Civilians by Lisa Schlein January 05, 2016 New United Nations figures reveal the terrible toll the ongoing conflict in Yemen is taking on civilians. The U.N. human rights office reports more than 8,100 civilians were killed or wounded between March 26 and the end of last year, the vast majority from airstrikes by Saudi-led coalition forces. Since Saudi Arabia began its bombing campaign against Houthi rebels at the end of March, the U.N. says 2,795 civilian men, women, and children have been killed and 5,324 wounded. The figures do not reveal the full extent of the tragic toll of this war, as they do not include fighters among the estimated number of dead and injured. The U.N.-mediated peace talks on Yemen in mid-December in Geneva apparently were unable to stop the carnage. Indeed, the figures show the number of civilians killed in December by Saudi airstrikes was more than twice that in November. U.N. human rights spokesman Rupert Colville notes the cease-fire agreed to by the warring parties before the start of the talks was broken within minutes. He says airstrikes have continued into the New Year, with around 11 strikes taking place in the capital, Sana'a, this week and continuing into Tuesday. "We have not yet been able to confirm whether or not these latest strikes have resulted in more civilian casualties, although initial reports indicate several private and public civilian buildings have been hit since Sunday, some of them located in densely populated areas of Sana'a,' said Colville. Colville says the U.N. also has received alarming information on the alleged use of cluster bombs by coalition forces in Hajjah Governorate, with reports of several people having been maimed after stepping on unexploded sub-munitions. He says the humanitarian situation for people in Taiz, the scene of violent clashes for more than eight months is particularly dire. He says rebel Houthi forces, who control entry points into the city, are limiting food and other essential relief from entering. The U.N. refugee agency reports about 2.5 million people are internally displaced and 167,000 have fled Yemen to surrounding countries. Despite the chaotic situation, UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards tells VOA thousands of people continue to make the perilous journey across the Gulf of Aden or Red Sea into Yemen. "About 70,000 people from the Horn of Africa arrived in Yemen last year after the violence broke out even with this desperate situation there,' said Edwards. 'So, it is a sort of mixed situation." Edwards says those arriving in Yemen are caught in an extremely alarming situation. He says aid workers have very little access to them and have great difficulty in delivering critical aid to them. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Burundi Peace Talks Postponed by VOA News January 05, 2016 Peace talks between Burundi's government and opposition groups have been postponed, with no word on when they may resume. The talks, which opened in Uganda late last month, were set to continue Wednesday in Arusha, Tanzania. But a senior official in Burundi's foreign affairs ministry, Joseph Bangurambona, said Tuesday the government will not participate due to the inclusion of those who he said are 'supporting violence.' Also, a leading opposition coalition, CNARED, said they have not received an invitation to the talks. Jean Minani, leader of the Frodebu political party and a member of the coalition, accused the government of stalling. 'It is not about President Nkurunziza to choose with who has to negotiate,' said Minani. 'They don't want to negotiate because they know, they are the causes of all the problems of Burundi.' Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is attempting to mediate an end to Burundi's political crisis, triggered by President Pierre Nkurunziza's announcement last April that he would seek a third term. Since then, clashes between police and protesters and series of attacks in the capital, Bujumbura, have killed more than 400 people. Tension has run especially high since the African Union said last month it may deploy up to 5,000 peacekeepers in Burundi to stop the violence. The government has said the troops will be attacked if they attempt to come without permission. President Nkurunziza was re-elected last July in a poll boycotted by the opposition. His critics say he violated two-term limits in the constitution and the Arusha agreement that ended Burundi's civil war. The president said his first term didn't count against the limit because he was elected by parliament instead of a popular vote. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Trooper Killed in Afghanistan by Carla Babb January 05, 2016 One U.S. service member was killed and two others were wounded Tuesday during fighting in Afghanistan's Helmand province, where Taliban fighters recently have expanded their operations. U.S. defense officials said American special forces units were involved in the operation near the city of Marja, a scene of intense fighting in recent weeks. Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook told reporters Tuesday the U.S. troops 'came under fire while conducting a train, advise and assist mission with their Afghan special operations counterparts.' A helicopter was sent to evacuate the wounded, but was unable to take off from Marja when a rotor struck a wall compound, a senior defense official told VOA Tuesday on the condition of anonymity. He added that the helicopter is still in Marja trying to evacuate the wounded. Another official, U.S. Colonel Michael Lawhorn, told VOA the helicopter 'was not shot down.' Intense mortar fire prevented a second U.S. military medevac helicopter from landing, according to a senior defense official. Marja is one of several parts of Helmand under control of the Taliban. Taliban insurgents have put pressure on the province in southern Afghanistan's poppy-growing region for months. Ten of Helmand's 14 districts either have fallen to the Taliban or have an uncertain status in the midst of fighting between the Afghan government's security forces and Taliban fighters. The insurgents' advances have prompted commanders of NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan to deploy American and British military advisers last month to help Afghan forces better coordinate their efforts to re-take lost territory in Helmand, Afghanistan's largest province. 'The support we're providing to the Afghan security forces is not only necessary, but it's improving their capability, improving their resiliency,' Cook said. According to U.N. data from October, the Taliban insurgency has spread across Afghanistan more than at any other point since 2001. Cook would not concede that Afghan security forces are losing ground. The U.S. soldier killed Tuesday was not identified. 'We are deeply saddened by this loss,' Brigadier General Wilson A. Shoffner, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said. VOA's Ayaz Gul contributed to this report NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Military Strikes Target ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release SOUTHWEST ASIA, January 6, 2016 U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today. Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports. Strikes in Syria -- Near Raqqah, fighter aircraft conducted one strike on an ISIL headquarters building. Strikes in Iraq Attack, bomber, fighter, ground attack, remotely piloted aircraft and rocket artillery conducted 19 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government: -- Near Huwayjah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL heavy machine gun. -- Near Haditha, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed four ISIL vehicles, an ISIL vehicle bomb, an ISIL heavy machine gun and an ISIL fighting position and wounded six ISIL fighters. -- Near Kisik, five strikes destroyed two ISIL bunkers, nine ISIL fighting positions, 11 ISIL assembly areas, and suppressed a separate ISIL fighting position and an ISIL machine gun position. -- Near Mosul, one strike destroyed an ISIL rocket cache. -- Near Ramadi, eight strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL staging areas, three ISIL buildings, an ISIL front-end loader, six ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL anti-air artillery piece, an ISIL rocket propelled grenade system, an ISIL recoilless rifle, three ISIL vehicles, and four ISIL heavy machine guns. The strikes also damaged an ISIL tactical vehicle and denied ISIL access to terrain and wounded three ISIL fighters. -- Near Sinjar, one strike suppressed an ISIL mortar position. -- Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike destroyed eight ISIL fighting positions. -- Near Tal Afar, one strike destroyed four ISIL fighting positions and damaged an ISIL bunker. Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Part of Operation Inherent Resolve The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said. Coalition nations conducting strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations conducting strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Sri Lanka's torture machine continues in peacetime By Jared Ferrie PHNOM PENH, 6 January 2016 (IRIN) - Sri Lanka's new government has been lauded for efforts at reconciliation after a devastating civil war. Yet, civilians are still being abducted, tortured and sexually abused by security forces, according to a report published today. The abuses carry echoes of the not-so-distant past. War erupted in the early 1980s in the island nation when the Tamil Tigers began fighting for an independent homeland for the ethnic Tamil minority, which had suffered discrimination under the Sinhalese majority. The conflict finally ended in May 2009 with the defeat of the Tamil Tigers, but by then more than 100,000 people had been killed, mostly civilians. Thousands more civilians disappeared during the war in a practice that became known as "white vanning", because of the choice of vehicle used by the security agents. Sri Lanka's government resisted international pressure to investigate crimes committed during the war. But the political dynamic changed a year ago when President Maithripala Sirisena took power after a closely fought election. His government has initiated programmes aimed at reconciliation, and even promised a truth commission. The new report by the International Truth and Justice Project is based on testimonies from 20 victims who were abducted during the past year under Sirisena's tenure. It raises questions about how sincere the government is about reconciliation, and about how much control it has over security forces. "Sadly Sri Lanka's notorious 'white vans' are still operating; it's very much business as usual," said ITJP's executive director Yasmin Sooka in a statement. Sooka is a former member of truth commissions in South Africa and Sierra Leone, and was a legal adviser the United Nations secretary general on accountability in Sri Lanka after the war. The identities of most members of the ITJP are kept secret to allow them to work, but they include prosecutors and researchers who have worked with international war crimes tribunals. The ITJP is administered by the Foundation for Human Rights, which was set up by the South African government under the leadership of former president Nelson Mandela. Here are some key points included in the report: All victims were Tamil and many had come home from other countries or came out of hiding in Sri Lanka, because they felt secure after the change in government. The most recent abduction was last month. Researchers interviewed 15 men and five women in four countries. In addition to other corroborating evidence of torture, several victims had fresh wounds and two were still bleeding at the time of the interviews. Torture occurred in well-equipped rooms and included being hung upside-down and beaten, being branded with metal rods, and asphyxiated using a plastic bag soaked with petrol or chili. Both male and female victims were raped repeatedly. The perpetrators were members of the police and military intelligence, and some were senior officers. The torture took place in army bases in the former war zone, at Terrorism Investigation Division headquarters in the capital, Colombo, and in secret facilities throughout the country. The abductions were pre-planned operations and the torturers had information about many of the victims' political activities, including participation in peaceful protests or elections. Several victims were accused of attempting to start up the Tamil Tigers group again. All but one victim paid security forces for their release and escape from the country. The bribes ranged from $2,500 to $7,000 for release from detention and $17,000 to $35,000 to then be smuggled out of the country. The report concludes that there is a well-organised 'machine' within the security forces that practices torture and extortion in order to terrorise and oppress Tamils. It urges the government to stop denying the extent of the problem and to take action immediately to halt the abuses and hold perpetrators accountable. jf/ Theme (s): Conflict, Human Rights, Copyright IRIN 2016 This material comes to you via IRIN, the humanitarian news and analysis service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations or its Member States. IRIN is a project of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address USS Charlotte Visits Sasebo During Indo-Asia-Pacific Deployment Navy News Service Story Number: NNS160106-01 Release Date: 1/6/2016 9:50:00 AM By Lt. Justin Rogers, USS Charlotte Public Affairs SASEBO, Japan (NNS) -- The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Charlotte (SSN 766) arrived at Fleet Activities Sasebo, Jan. 5, for a port visit as part of its Indo-Asia-Pacific deployment. Charlotte is on a six-month deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. Charlotte will conduct important missions to strengthen theater security with strong partners throughout the region. 'My team is very excited to have the opportunity to visit Sasebo, experience Japan's culture and fantastic people and contribute to strengthening our partnership with the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force,' said Cmdr. Andrew T. Miller, Charlotte's commanding officer. 'For me personally, it has always been a highlight of my past deployments to visit Sasebo and receive the warm hospitality of the people of Japan.' With a crew of approximately 150, all of Charlotte's Sailors were eager and excited to visit Japan. Most crew members had never visited Sasebo and wished to make the most out of their visit. 'Japanese food is my favorite cuisine,' said Electronics Technician 2nd Class Alexander DeGrado. 'I can't wait to enjoy it.' Charlotte's crew has worked incredibly hard and maintained an unprecedented level of poise and focus to safely arrive for some rest and relaxation. 'This crew of professional submariners is by far the hardest working and resilient team I've had the honor of serving with,' said Master Chief Electrician's Mate James W. Grant, Charlotte's chief of the boat. 'The ship's ability to participate in forward-deployed operations has come as a direct result of the crew's ability to come together as a highly skilled team, [and] conquer some of the most challenging material and scheduling issues ever experienced on a submarine.' Measuring more than 360 feet long and displacing more than 6,900 tons when submerged, Charlotte is one of the most advanced fast-attack submarines in the world. This submarine is capable of supporting a multitude of missions, including anti-submarine Warfare, anti-surface warfare, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) warfare, and strike and mine warfare. Charlotte was christened Oct. 3, 1992, at Newport News Shipbuilding, by Mary McCormack, the ship's sponsor. Charlotte was commissioned Sept. 16, 1994, in Norfolk, and arrived at its current homeport, of Pearl Harbor Nov. 17, 1995. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Serbian PM: Relations With Kosovo Must Be Normalized January 06, 2016 by RFE/RL Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic says Belgrade must resolve the disputes between Kosovo and Serbia, but not due to pressure from the European Union. Vucic told RFE/RL's Balkan Service in an exclusive interview that relations between Belgrade and Pristina must be normalized 'because that is our life...we have to live next to each other.' 'If [we cannot act] as best friends, [we must act] as someone who knows we must live and work together successfully in order for all of us to be successful,' he said. He said Serbia was preparing for 'difficult talks' scheduled to open in Brussels on January 27 and that neighborly relations were in the interests of both ethnic Serbs and ethnic Albanians living in Kosovo. Pristina declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and has since been recognized by 111 countries. Belgrade has rejected the statehood proclamation and continues to refer to Kosovo as 'Kosovo and Metohija,' its official name when it was an autonomous Serbian republic. An EU-brokered agreement in 2013 would allow ethnic Serbs in Kosovo to have their own police force and courts, but the agreement has not been ratified by either of the countries' parliaments. Vucic, 45, is head of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and was approved as prime minister in 2014. The SNS is in a fragile ruling coalition with the Socialist Party of Serbia. He said normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo will be the 'hardest thing to achieve' but will leave both sides simultaneously 'displeased' and 'deep downcontent.' Vucic said he 'despises' those who take populist positions on the Kosovo issue to appeal to Serbian nationalists and that he had told ethnic Serbs in Kosovo about difficult policies that Belgrade has adopted. He added that while he had 'lived through the booing, attacks, and political disappointments,' he believes everything his government has done was in Serbia's best interests and that 'we will continue our dialogue with the [Kosovar] Albanians.' Economic Interests A Priority Vucic summarized his goals in the upcoming negotiations in Brussels as establishing security and safety in Kosovo, guaranteeing 'economic progress,' and resolving all existing problems between the Serbian and Kosovar governments. He suggested the talks between Kosovar and Serbian officials, to be moderated by the EU, could take months to reach 'some new agreement' and that the whole normalization process could take three or four years. The EU says a full normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina is necessary before Serbia can join the bloc. Vucic told RFE/RL that he wanted to open a new topic at the Brussels talks that would result in 'a faster flow of people, goods, and capital' between Kosovo and Serbia. 'I do not want us to have blockades, confirmations, papers [that] we issue at the administrative line, as we call it, or the border, as Albanians are calling it,' he said. Vucic said Serbia's flagship airline, Air Serbia, needed ethnic Albanian passengers to fly from Belgrade in order for the carrier to establish its first regional transatlantic flight to New York City, noting that 'even Greece does not offer a transatlantic flight.' He added that Air Serbia hopes to tap into the large 'colony of Albanians in New York' and that the two countries must 'harmonize our economic interests.' Ties To Russia Vucic rejected charges that Serbia is constantly trying to balance relations between Russia and the West. He said that while Belgrade had 'traditionally good' relations with Moscow and always seeks to improve them, accession to the EU is a top priority and strategic goal of the Serbian government. Vucic suggested Serbia was not concerned about continuing to receive its natural gas from a pipeline that goes through Ukraine and would like the EU to explain to Belgrade the negative and positive reasons for either realizing or rejecting the Nord Stream and South Steam pipelines from Russia that bypass Ukraine. The South Stream, which would have passed through Serbia and led to sizable financial profits for Belgrade, was canceled by Russia in 2014 after EU officials made it clear it would not gain the bloc's approval. Germany -- which exerts great influence within the EU -- favors the completion of the Nord Stream project, which is currently a topic of heated debate in Brussels. Written by Pete Baumgartner based on translations by Nedim Dervisbegovic and Deana Kjuka Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/serbia-vucic-must- normalize-kosovo-relations/27472450.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kadyrov's Collective Punishment, Public Shamings Anger Chechens January 06, 2016 by Claire Bigg Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov is under fire for publicly humiliating his detractors and meting out collective punishment against their relatives, and he's not taking the criticism well. Kadyrov's penchant for publicly shaming people who dare challenge him or the man who put him in power, Russian President Vladimir Putin, is not new. But a series of particularly vicious incidents, compounded by threats of retribution against the families of Chechens abroad who have protested against Kadyrov's actions, have caused outrage among both Chechens and human rights advocates. Chechen emigres in Oslo, Norway, held a rally on January 2 to protest Kadyrov's ruthless methods and to defend Ayshat Inayeva, a social worker who was publicly upbraided by the Chechen leader after accusing him of overseeing endemic corruption in the republic in Russia's North Caucasus. Inayeva, who had complained about being forced by her boss to cough up an extra 3,000 rubles ($42) from her paycheck every month after paying off her utility bills, was reprimanded by Kadyrov in a face-to-face meeting several days later on state-run television. Her husband, other high-ranking officials, her boss, and the television anchor also took part in the dressing down. Visibly mortified, Inayeva took back everything she had said. 'A Brother Answers For His Brother' 'Moscow has no other solution than to harshly punish and coerce people,' says Akhmed Gisayev, a Chechen human rights activist who organized the Oslo rally. 'Russian authorities are on their last leg in Chechnya. No one has the right to criticize them or Putin's henchman, Kadyrov.' According to Gisayev, about 150 people attended the Oslo protest, some of them holding placards with slogans such as 'Stop Putin's terror in Chechnya.' A similar rally took place in Vienna on December 24 during which demonstrators denounced the reprisals against people who have criticized Kadyrov and his government. Kadyrov has reacted angrily to the Vienna rally. In remarks broadcast on regional television in Chechnya on December 30, he pledged to track down the families of Chechens who attended the protest and pressure them into silencing their relatives in Austria. 'Our custom is that a brother answers for his brother,' Kadyrov said. 'I gave instructions to find out whether they have brothers and fathers, which clan they belong to, where they were born, and who they are.' He vowed to use 'every available resource' to ensure that families in Chechnya 'sorted things out' with their kin abroad. 'If they don't make any decisions, we will demand that they do,' he warned. Gisayev says collective punishment has long been enforced in Chechnya first by Russian forces against civilians, during the two separatist wars the region has endured since the 1991 Soviet collapse, and now by Kadyrov against fellow Chechens who defy him. Gisayev fled to Norway after his colleague from the Memorial Human Rights Center, Natalya Estemirova, was abducted and killed in 2009. He says his family in Chechnya has since been under intense pressure from the authorities. 'My brother, my father, and my mother all received visits,' Gisayev says. 'They were asked why I left, why I was making statements, why they weren't telling me to stop. This happened to all my colleagues from Memorial and the Committee Against Torture,' another rights group. Sins Of The Youth Relatives of suspected militants have also been subjected to collective punishment under Kadyrov, a former rebel whom Putin has relied on for nearly a decade to keep a lid on the restive region and suppress separatism. After an assault in Grozny that the authorities said left 14 police officers, 10 militants, and a civilian dead in December 2014, Kadyrov pledged to destroy the homes of those believed to have taken part in the attack. On Instagram, he also said their relatives 'will be swiftly expelled from Chechnya with no right to return.' Kadyrov's statement immediately sparked an outcry from human rights advocates, who said it violated the Russian Constitution and Russia's international obligations. Activists said at least eight homes were torched or razed following Kadyrov's threat, four of which they said did not belong to gunmen whose bodies were among those identified after the fighting. Amid the uproar, Putin warned that nobody had the right to "engage in extrajudicial reprisals," but he also said that Kadyrov's "emotional" response to the attack was "understandable." Kadyrov has faced no apparent consequences, and activists say he continues to flout the Russian Constitution with impunity. According to Gisayev, many Chechens are scandalized by the public shaming of Inayeva, which he describes as a deep insult to Chechen tradition. 'People are fed up with what is taking place in Chechnya,' he says. 'Violence is exerted on women and on the elderly. Elderly people are traditionally treated with huge respect in Caucasus nations.' 'Putin Is My Father, My Grandfather, And My Tsar' Several Kadyrov critics have posted video clips online denouncing the onslaught against Inayeva and Adam Dikayev, another citizen who was humiliated for criticizing the Chechen leader. 'A Chechen woman appealed to you through WhatsApp and shared her distress,' Akhmed Alikhadzhiyev, a Chechen activist in Ukraine, told Kadyrov in a video appeal. 'Instead of listening to her, you dragged her on television and started shaming her in front of the whole world, you encroached on her husband's honor.' In an Instagram posting last month, Dikayev had poured scorn on a recent video shared by Kadyrov in which he can be seen working out in a Putin T-shirt. 'These events go back 15 years. Not 150, not 300, but 15!' he wrote, apparently referring to the period in which Putin has been in power. 'And the tsar runs on the treadmill with the song 'My best friend is President Putin.'' Shortly after Dikayev's post, which has since been deleted, a video was posted on Instagram showing him walking on a treadmill with no pants on -- a particularly stinging humiliation in Chechnya. Dikayev said that he had been wrong to criticize the government and that he had learned his lesson. 'From now on,' he says in the video, 'Putin is my father, my grandfather, and my tsar.' The clip drew the ire of many Chechens including Apti Batalov, a former aide to Chechnya's late separatist president, Aslan Maskhadov. 'Taking the trousers off a young Chechen man because he said Putin is a pederast is such a disgrace,' Batalov, who lives in London, said in a video published on YouTube. 'What can be more disgraceful than that?' 'You've turned this people into slaves,' he told Kadyrov. 'You're drinking the blood of this people, you and these beasts that surround you. Why are you torturing these people? You won't be forgiven, all this won't be forgotten.' A Chechen activist now living in France, Isa Akhyadov, has also denounced the onslaught against Inayeva in an angry posting on WhatsApp that has been widely shared in Chechnya. Retaliation was quick. Just days later, his brother and another relative in Chechnya appeared on local television flanked by several officials, where they denounced his opposition activities and publicly disowned him. Gisayev, however, insists that Inayeva and Dikayev can consider themselves lucky. 'The cases of Ayshat Inayeva and Adam Dikayev ended with the best outcome that I've seen so far for people who dared criticize the authorities,' he said. 'Yes, they were publicly humiliated and subjected to huge pressure, but they stayed alive.' Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-chechnya-kadyrov- collective-punishment-shamings/27472027.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Update: air strikes in Iraq and Syria 6 January 2016 British forces have continued to conduct air operations in the fight against Daesh Latest update Daesh terrorists have suffered further losses following intensive Royal Air Force strikes as part of the coalition's air campaign over Iraq and Syria. On Monday 4 January, a pair of RAF Typhoon FGR4s operated over northern Iraq and used Paveway IV precision guided bombs to attack eight terrorist mortar and rocket positions. Meanwhile, Tornado GR4s provided close air support to the Iraqi army as they continue their operations to eliminate the remaining terrorist fighters in and around Ramadi. When an Iraqi unit came under rocket-propelled grenade and mortar fire from several Daesh-held buildings, the GR4s conducted a very accurate attack on all four buildings using Paveway IVs. The Tornados were tasked to deal with a group of terrorists who were preparing for a counter-attack. Despite this being a difficult target for most weapons, the GR4s were able to score a direct hit with a Brimstone missile. An RAF Reaper was also patrolling over Ramadi it provided surveillance support for three air strikes by coalition fast jets, and also conducted two attacks using its own weapons, employing a GBU-12 laser guided bomb against a Daesh machine-gun team, and destroyed two terrorist trucks with a single Hellfire missile. On Monday evening, a Tornado patrol, supported as ever by a Voyager air refuelling tanker, used a Paveway IV to strike a Daesh-held building near Mosul. On Tuesday 5 January, RAF Typhoon patrols over Ramadi continued, they used Paveways to destroy two terrorist machine-gun positions, as well as an anti-aircraft gun that had opened fire on an Iraqi Air Force helicopter. Near Haditha, Reapers provided close air support to Iraqi security forces as Daesh attempted to mount an attack on them Hellfire missiles and a GBU-12 were used against two armed pick-up trucks, two machine-gun teams and groups of terrorist fighters. In the area around Mosul, Tornado GR4s hit two Daesh rocket teams. Previous air strikes 2 December: Following the vote in the House of Commons last night, Royal Air Force Tornado GR4 aircraft flew their first offensive operation against Daesh terrorist targets inside Syria. The mainstay of Daesh's financial income is derived from exploitation of a number of oilfields that they hold. These are overwhelmingly located in Daesh's heartlands in eastern Syria. Several of these oilfields have already been effectively targeted by other coalition partners; RAF aircraft and precision weaponry are well suited to attacking, with low collateral risk, this type of target. Overnight, RAF Tornado GR4s, supported by a Voyager air refuelling tanker and a Reaper, and operating in conjunction with other coalition aircraft, employed Paveway IV guided bombs to conduct strikes against six targets within the extensive oilfield at Omar, 35 miles inside Syria's eastern border with Iraq. The Omar oilfield is one of the largest and most important to Daesh's financial operations, and represents over 10% of their potential income from oil. Carefully selected elements of the oilfield infrastructure were targeted, ensuring the strikes will have a significant impact on Daesh's ability to extract the oil to fund their terrorism. Coalition air operations have already degraded Daesh's front-line military capabilities and have assisted the Iraqi ground forces in liberating some 30% of the territory that the terrorists initially seized in that country during the summer of 2014. By extending RAF offensive operations into Syria, our aircraft are now able to help dismantle the means by which Daesh plan, direct and sustain their campaign of terror. Before our aircrew conducted their attacks, as is normal they used the aircraft's advanced sensors to confirm that no civilians were in the proximity of the targets, who might be placed at risk. Our initial analysis of the operation indicates that the strikes were successful. 3/4 December: Tornado GR4s from RAF Akrotiri conducted missions over Syria and Iraq. Two GR4s flew an armed reconnaissance patrol over eastern Syria, gathering intelligence on terrorist activity. A second pair of GR4s patrolled over western Iraq, where they provided close air support to Iraqi forces engaged in combat with Daesh in and around Ramadi. A terrorist sniper team opened fire from a compound on Iraqi troops, but was silenced by a direct hit from a Paveway IV guided bomb. The RAF Tornado and Reaper aircraft that have been conducting air strikes against Daesh have now been reinforced by a detachment of Typhoon fighters, which carry the same Paveway IV precision guided bombs as the Tornados. The deployment of the Typhoons plus an extra two Tornados offers a significant increase in strike capacity to both the RAF component and the wider coalition air campaign. 4 December: Tornado GR4s and Typhoon FGR4s, based at RAF Akrotiri, conducted a further series of strikes on targets in the very large Daesh-controlled oilfield at Omar in eastern Syria. As with the attacks on 3 December which immediately followed the Parliamentary decision to extend offensive air operations to Syrian airspace, the Tornados and Typhoons used Paveway IV guided bombs to hit wellheads, thus cutting off the terrorists' oil revenue at the very source. Eight attacks were carried out, and early reports suggest that they were successful. Our aircraft then remained on patrol to collect intelligence on possible terrorist positions and be ready to strike any further targets that might be identified in eastern Syria or western Iraq. The Typhoons and the Tornados received vital support from an RAF Voyager air refuelling tanker during their missions. At the same time, an RAF Reaper provided close air support to Kurdish security forces in north-west Iraq as they continue to drive back Daesh after defeating the terrorists at Sinjar. A Daesh truck-bomb was identified south of Sinjar, and the Reaper's crew were able to destroy it by means of a direct hit from a Hellfire missile. 6 December: RAF Tornado GR4s carried out a further UK mission against additional wellheads in the extensive and sprawling Omar oil field. They joined other coalition aircraft in a carefully coordinated strike against the oil infrastructure upon which Daesh relies for much of their revenue to fund their barbaric activities. The GR4s conducted successful attacks using Paveway IV guided bombs. The Tornados then joined Typhoon FGR4s, also flying from RAF Akrotiri, in conducting armed reconnaissance to investigate possible further terrorist targets. 7 December: A pair of Tornado GR4s provided close air support to offensive operations by Iraqi forces in western Ramadi. A Daesh mortar position was identified and successfully engaged with a Brimstone missile. Over northern Iraq, a Reaper was meanwhile supporting Kurdish troops, and it used a Hellfire missile to destroy a terrorist vehicle. 8 December: West of Qayyara, Tornados conducted two Brimstone attacks on Daesh terrorists. That evening, a further pair of Tornados assisted Iraqi soldiers north-east of Bayji; the GR4s used Paveway IVs to destroy three Daesh positions which were directing heavy machine-gun and mortar fire at the Iraqis. 9 December: A pair of Tornados provided close air support to Kurdish soldiers fighting Daesh in northern Iraq, and used a Paveway IV guided bomb to destroy a terrorist position, including a mortar team, centred on a building near Kisik. A Reaper maintained overwatch for the Kurds into the night, and having assisted other coalition aircraft in a successful strike on a heavy machine-gun position, its crew conducted successful Hellfire missile attacks of their own against three Daesh vehicles south of Sinjar, despite the trucks being parked under cover. 10 December: Two Typhoons, working in close cooperation with another coalition aircraft, carried out Paveway IV bomb attacks on a terrorist-held building and a bunker in northern Iraq. A Tornado patrol was meanwhile operating in conjunction with a Reaper south-west of Sinjar; the Tornados destroyed another Daesh building and a mortar position with Paveways, whilst the Reaper followed up with a successful Hellfire attack on a terrorist location. The Reaper stayed on patrol to support the Kurdish forces, and when they came under fire from a sniper, eliminated the threat with a direct hit from a GBU-12 guided bomb. Before returning to base, the Reaper destroyed a Daesh vehicle with a Hellfire. 11 December: While RAF Tornado, Typhoon and Reaper patrols have covered large swathes of Daesh-held territory in both Iraq and Syria, a particular focus for their recent air strikes has been in northern Iraq, where the Kurdish security forces continue to consolidate their significant victory over the terrorists at Sinjar in November. Two Typhoon FGR4s from RAF Akrotiri provided close air support to Kurdish peshmerga operating near Mosul. Our aircraft used a Paveway IV guided bomb to destroy a heavy machine-gun position that was firing on the peshmerga, then employed two more Paveway IVs against a group of Daesh extremists as they attacked the Kurdish troops. Further west, south of Sinjar, a Reaper similarly supported Kurdish forces, and its crew conducted a successful attack with a GBU-12 guided bomb on a sniper team which had opened fire from a building. A large secondary explosion resulted from the strike, which indicates that the building probably also contained a large stockpile of ammunition or explosives. The Reaper subsequently delivered a second successful attack, striking a group of terrorists with a Hellfire missile as they set up rocket launchers. That night, Typhoons returned to patrol over the Mosul region, and attacked a Daesh mortar position with a Paveway IV. 13 December: Operations in and around both Mosul and Sinjar continued. Typhoons employed a Paveway IV in a successful attack on ten terrorists as they manned a rocket launcher position, whilst Tornado GR4s used Paveways to strike both a mortar firing point and another rocket launcher team. 14 December: A Paveway IV attack by Typhoons destroyed a sniper position near Sinjar, while nearby, Tornados silenced a pair of heavy machine-guns that were firing on the Kurdish forces, the Kurds reporting that both weapons hit their targets with great accuracy despite difficult weather conditions. 15 December: Two Tornado GR4s patrolled over eastern Syria and northern Iraq and conducted a successful attack with a Paveway IV laser and GPS guided bomb to destroy a terrorist mortar position near Sinjar. Further south, two Typhoon FGR4s supported the Iraqi army in its operations around Ramadi, and struck a Daesh encampment with two Paveway IVs. A second pair of Tornados flew another mission over northern Iraq and destroyed an enemy mortar with a Paveway. 16 December: RAF Tornados assisted the Iraqi troops battling Daesh on the outskirts of Ramadi, and used Paveway IVs to destroy heavy machine-gun positions, a sniper team and a group of terrorist fighters. In northern Iraq, all three RAF aircraft deployed to fight Daesh Tornados, Typhoons and Reaper were in action, providing close air support to the Kurdish peshmerga. Our aircraft delivered numerous precision attacks on terrorist targets, to the north and west of Mosul using a mixture of Brimstone, Hellfire, Paveway IV and GBU-12 missiles and bombs. In total, these RAF strikes successfully destroyed four heavy machine-gun positions, two terrorist teams armed with rockets, three Daesh vehicles, one of which was a large truck-bomb, and six groups of terrorists. Additionally, the two Reapers were able to use their advanced reconnaissance sensors to assist twelve successful attacks by other coalition aircraft. Typhoons also conducted tactical reconnaissance and another Tornado mission returned to Ramadi, where they destroyed a heavy machine-gun position and two terrorist-held buildings. Thursday 17 December: A Tornado patrol south of Sinjar was able to destroy three vehicles with Brimstone missiles and in western Iraq, Typhoons working closely with an Iraqi unit dropped a pair of Paveway Ivs on a string of improvised explosive devices blocking the road. Another Tornado mission in northern Iraq attacked a large group of terrorists preparing to attack a Kurdish position. 18 December: Typhoons and Tornados operated over the Sinjar and Mosul areas, suppressing Daesh mortar positions with two Paveway attacks, while over Ramadi, Tornado GR4s supported the Iraqi forces again and struck three terrorist positions with Paveway IVs. 20 December: Two Tornado GR4s patrolled over northern Iraq and conducted a successful attack with a Paveway IV guided bomb on a large group of Daesh terrorists, loading supplies into a truck. A second pair of GR4s flew a reconnaissance mission over Ramadi, where they provided surveillance assistance to an attack by other coalition aircraft. The GR4s were then diverted north to the area around Bayji, where Iraqi ground forces were in close combat with Daesh extremists. Despite the close proximity of the Iraqi troops, the Tornados were able to conduct two sucessful precision attacks with Paveway IVs on the terrorists, who had been directing rocket and small arms fire at the Iraqis. 21 December: Typhoon FGR4s and an RAF Reaper operated around the Mosul area. The Typhoons used a Paveway IV bomb to destroy a Daesh vehicle, while the Reaper provided targeting support to a coalition air strike that destroyed a terrorist mortar position before delivering two attacks with its own Hellfire missiles which destroyed a supply vehicle and a Daesh-held building. 22 December: With Iraqi troops conducting ground assaults on Daesh positions in Ramadi, two pairs of RAF Tornados and a Reaper, provided the Iraqis with continuous close air support alongside other coalition aircraft. When the Daesh fighters fired rocket-propelled grenades and small arms at Iraqi soldiers tending to wounded personnel, the Tornados intervened with a very accurate Paveway strike. The Reaper, meanwhile, assisted other coalition aircraft in an attack that destroyed an anti-aircraft gun. A third pair of Tornados were over northern Iraq, supporting the Kurdish peshmerga, and conducted two successful Paveway IV attacks that destroyed a Daesh-held building and an observation post. 23 December: A Typhoon patrol to the east of Mosul conducted a total of six successful attacks with eight Paveway IV precision guided bombs, which destroyed four terrorist-held buildings and a tunnel, including ammunitions stores, several heavy machine-guns, and a sniper position. Further south, two flights of Tornado GR4s were contributing to the coalition air effort which supported the Iraqi army's offensive into the centre of Ramadi. The Tornados conducted six attacks, again with Paveway IVs, and although on every occasion Iraqi forces were in very close proximity to the terrorist targets, careful planning and the accuracy of the weapons allowed all six attacks to be a success. The Tornados' targets included three terrorist teams armed with rocket-propelled grenades, a sniper position, a Daesh group in close combat with Iraqi troops, and a large group of at least 17 terrorists, who suffered a direct hit. That night, a further pair of Tornados patrolled over Mosul, and destroyed two Daesh-held buildings with Paveways. 24 December: Typhoons operated near Mosul, where they destroyed another Daesh building with a Paveway, whilst over Ramadi, two pairs of Tornados again provided close air support to the Iraqi troops. The GR4s worked closely with other coalition aircraft to deliver two successful Paveway attacks on groups of terrorist fighters. 25 December: Tornados maintained close air support over Ramadi. Once again working closely with other coalition aircraft, they used Paveway IVs against two terrorist teams, an anti-aircraft gun, and a massed Daesh group who were assembling for an attempted counter-attack on the successful Iraqi advance. Meanwhile, over Syria, an RAF Reaper struck a Daesh checkpoint south of Raqqa with a Hellfire missile. 26 December: A Reaper patrolled over northern Iraq, where it destroyed a terrorist vehicle with a Hellfire, then supported a coalition air strike on a Daesh tunnel entrance. 27 December: RAF operations focused largely on northern Iraq, with Typhoons using Paveway bombs to engage an armoured vehicle and mortar teams in the area of Tal Afar and Kisik. South-west of Mosul, a Tornado flight destroyed two terrorist-occupied buildings with Paveway IVs, then attacked a group of extremists in the open. A second Typhoon patrol over the northern region assisted Kurdish peshmerga in close combat with Daesh, striking two terrorist groups with Paveway IVs. 28 December: A Typhoon FGR4 flight conducted a simultaneous attack with Paveway IV bombs on two buildings north-east of Mosul, occupied by a group of terrorist fighters. Both buildings were demolished, along with the terrorists' vehicle. The Typhoons then used Paveways to destroy two mechanical excavators being used by Daesh to construct defensive positions. A second Typhoon mission was later flown over northern Iraq, and it delivered a successful Paveway IV strike on a team of terrorists who were preparing to fire rockets at Kurdish positions. The following day, Typhoons and Tornado GR4s operated over Ramadi, as the Iraqi forces closed in on remaining pockets of Daesh extremists. The Typhoons bombed two machine-gun positions, while the Tornados conducted three attacks on a further two machine-gun nests and a strongpoint. Despite bad weather meaning that these attacks had to be carried out through thick cloud and with Iraqi soldiers in close proximity to the targets, careful planning by the aircrew and the precision guidance systems of the Paveway IV bombs allowed all the attacks to be successful without risk to friendly forces. Later on Tuesday evening, a Typhoon flying near Mosul was directed against a tunnel, where a large group of terrorists had been spotted massing inside. A direct hit was scored with a Paveway on the tunnel. On Wednesday 30 December, two Tornado GR4s provided close air support over Ramadi, where they bombed two machine-gun positions engaged in close combat with Iraqi troops, and assisted another coalition aircraft in a strike on a Daesh team armed with rocket-propelled grenades. Near Sinjar, Typhoons assisted the peshmerga with an attack on a terrorist rocket launcher team. Typhoons and Tornados continued to patrol the Sinjar area on the last day of the year, using Paveways against a heavy machine-gun position and a Daesh group firing on Kurdish troops. On Friday 1 January, an RAF Reaper supported coalition air strikes in Ramadi, and on 2 January, another Reaper used a Hellfire missile to destroy a mortar position near Fallujah. Sunday 3 January proved a busy day for RAF aircraft: Typhoons delivered four successful attacks in Ramadi against terrorist positions, including a mortar team. A second Typhoon mission over Ramadi conducted no less than six attacks, accounting for five machine-guns and a sniper position. Near Haditha, Tornados destroyed a truck-bomb, while a Reaper used Hellfires against two armed pick-up trucks and a group of terrorist fighters. Over northern Iraq, two more flights of Tornado GR4s successfully attacked a total of two mortar and four machine-gun positions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Cyberattack On Ukrainian Power Grid Looks To Some Like An Apocalyptic First January 05, 2016 by Frud Bezhan For years, experts have warned with mounting concern that critical infrastructure virtually anywhere in the world is vulnerable to cyberattack. Malicious code sent remotely could shut down or otherwise wreak havoc at airports, hospitals, skyscrapers -- anywhere that relies on computers to steer traffic, deliver life-saving technology, or carry out any number of vital functions. Now, cybersecurity specialists say that doomsday scenario has arrived. They are pinning a blackout in a swath of war-torn Ukraine last month that darkened hundreds of thousands of homes on code that they say directly shut down at least three regional utilities. ESET, a Bratislava-based security software firm, called the interruption the first power outage proven to have been caused by a cyberattack. ESET, which studied samples of the malicious code that infected at least three power authorities in neighboring Ukraine, said the malware caused the blackout. U.S.-based computer security firms Trend Micro and iSight Partners have confirmed ESET's findings. 'Dangerous Scenario' Robert Lipovsky, senior malware researcher at ESET, said the incident in Ukraine was 'unprecedented' and called it a 'dangerous scenario.' 'The alarming aspect of this attack was that the infection vector that the malware was getting in was phishing' -- a reference to the practice of gathering sensitive information like passwords or other confidential data, often to cause harm -- 'mail with a malicious attachment, which is quite a trivial way to get in,' Lipovsk says. 'It's alarming that it was so easy.' Ukraine power company Prykarpattyaoblenergo reported the power outage on December 23 that left about half of the homes in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, in western Ukraine, without electricity. Similar malware was also found in the networks of at least two other utilities in Ukraine. All three blackouts occurred around the same time. Prykarpattyaoblenergo said part of the area it serves had been left without energy due to 'interference' in the work of the system. Lipovsky said multiple Ukrainian power authorities were infected by BlackEnergy, a malware toolkit discovered in 2007 that has been repeatedly updated to include new destructive functions, including the ability to render infected computers unbootable (so they cannot be started up). He said the attackers used BlackEnergy to access utility networks and then planted a related component of malware, KillDisk, on targeted systems. KillDisk can delete or overwrite data files. KillDisk destroys critical parts of a computer hard drive and also appears to have functions that sabotage industrial control systems. Whodunnit? Until now, experts in cybersecurity and law enforcement say BlackEnergy has mainly been used to spy on news organizations, power companies, and other industrial groups. A Moscow-backed group, Sandworm, is suspected of using it for targeted attacks. Lipovsky says the latest BlackEnergy also includes a covertly planted tool -- referred to among experts as a 'backdoored secure shell utility' -- that gives attackers permanent access to infected computers. The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) has blamed Russia for the outages, and the Energy Ministry in Kyiv has set up a commission to investigate the incidents. Russia invaded Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 before annexing it and has continued to supply troops, weapons, and other support for armed pro-Moscow separatists in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, Kyiv and NATO allege. In the face of seemingly overwhelming evidence, Russian officials continue to deny they are involved. Cybersecurity experts consider Russia one of the world's most advanced cyberpowers, along with the United States, China, Israel, France, and Britain. Russia complains that it has itself become a target, saying Russian security services detected a sharp rise in cyberattacks after the Ukraine crisis worsened and ties with the West deteriorated. But Lipovsky said it was difficult to point fingers at anybody because clues in the coding of the malware can easily be forged. Fears Of More Attacks 'It's a dangerous precedent,' said Edward Lucas, senior editor at The Economist weekly and senior vice president at the Center for European Policy Analysis, a think tank in Warsaw and Washington. Lucas, whose latest book, Cyberphobia, heaps questions on popular notions of digital security, added that because attribution is difficult in cybersecurity, the Ukraine cyberattack could even be carried out by 'someone using the tension between Russia and Ukraine to test some malware.' The Ukraine incident has raised fears that it could provide a precedent, prompting other countries to use similar tactics. 'If there is a determined attacker trained to get in and they have the sufficient resources and time and money to put the effort in, then they can' carry out similar cyberattacks, said Lipovsky. He said there were only so many companies or governments capable of leading the fight against cyberattacks. 'People need to put a lot of effort into mitigating these risks so they aren't hacked into in the future,' he said. The cyberattacks came before Ukrainian police blamed saboteurs for blowing up an electricity pylon on December 31, thus shutting down the delivery route for electricity to at least one-quarter of Crimea's residents. The sabotaging of four other pylons in late November cut off power and prompted a state of emergency, prompting mutual finger-pointing by both Russian and Ukrainian authorities. Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/ukraine-blackout-cyberattack- power-grid-apocalyptic-first/27469154.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address North Korea Piling Up Its Arms 'Because of US Nuclear Threat' Sputnik News 20:55 05.01.2016 The annual US military exercises are held not only to train the country's armed forces, but to be able to deploy them at any time, the North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun wrote. The nuclear threat from the United States is the main reason for the rapid build-up of North Korea's nuclear weapons, the newspaper reported. In order to stabilize the situation on the Korean peninsula, Washington should abandon its military provocations, the article said. 'The Korean nation has been subject to indescribable suffering and pain for a long period of time and the relations between the DPRK and the United States deteriorated only because of the US large-scale aggressive military exercises targeting the DPRK,' the article said. The publication stressed that the US annual military exercises 'cooled the desire of the Koreans to reunite and constitute an obstacle to the improvement of relations between North and South.' North Korea itself 'has made serious efforts'in order to reduce tensions and create a climate of peace on the Korean peninsula, the article said. Washington has repeatedly carried out joint military exercises with South Korea. In response, Pyongyang sharply criticized the US activities, warning of the possibility to use its latest weapons, if the US does not give up its provocative steps. According to the newspaper, the US military exercises have been carried out not only for training purposes, but also in order to be able to deploy armed forces at any time. 'US military exercises directed against the DPRK should be stopped immediately, without any preconditions, in order to prevent war on the Korean Peninsula and ensure the world peace. This is the only way to create a peaceful climate in the region,' the article said. The Korean peninsula has been technically in a state of war since the military conflict between the two countries in 1950-1953 ended with the signing of an armistice, not a peace treaty. Relations between North Korea and South Korea further deteriorated in 2010 after the South Korean corvette 'Cheonan' was allegedly sunk by a North Korean torpedo. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address North Korea Claims Successful Hydrogen Bomb Test January 06, 2016 by RFE/RL North Korea announced it had conducted its first successful test of a miniaturized hydrogen bomb after several nations detected a moderate earthquake near a known nuclear testing site on January 6. If confirmed, the test would mark North Korea's fourth nuclear test defying United Nations sanctions and would represent a major step forward to developing nuclear weapons. Pyongyang's announcement came after a 5.1-magnitude quake was detected close to its nuclear test site at Punggye-ri, indicating a test may have been conducted. The move sparked strong condemnations around the world. The UN Security Council, South Korea, and Japan all called emergency meetings to respond to the test, which Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe 'strongly condemned' and called 'a threat to our country's security [that] is totally intolerable.' Japan and South Korea vowed to work through the UN to penalize North Korea, while the White House said it will take 'appropriate' action in response to North Korea's 'provocations.' South Korea's Defense Ministry also said it is bolstering security and monitoring of North Korea. Lassina Zerbo, head of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, called the test 'a grave threat to international peace and security.' In Washington, White House National Security spokesman Ned Price said: 'While we cannot confirm these claims at this time, we condemn any violation of UN Security Council resolutions.' 'We will not accept North Korea as a nuclear state,' he said in a statement. NATO called on North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons and ballistic-missile programs in a 'complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner' and engage in 'credible and authentic talks on denuclearization.' China's Foreign Ministry said Beijing did not have advance knowledge of North Korea's test, adding that it firmly opposes Pyongyang's action. Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China -- a key ally of North Korea -- would work with the international community on the decentralization of the Korean peninsula. In Russia, a spokesman for President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was 'extremely concerned' by the claimed test and that Putin had told scientists to look into it. France called for a 'strong reaction from the international community,' while Germany said it would summon North Korea's ambassador. Speaking in Beijing, Britain's Foreign Minister Philip Hammond said the test was 'a grave breach of UN Security Council resolutions and a provocation.' North Korea, which has long pushed for warheads that can be mounted on a missile capable of reaching the mainland United States, said it will not give up its nuclear program as long as the United States maintains 'its stance of aggression.' The rogue regime claimed it will act as a responsible nuclear state and not use the weapons unless its sovereignty is infringed, nor will it transfer its nuclear capabilities to other parties. The test came just two days before North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's birthday. Kim hinted last month that Pyongyang had already developed a hydrogen -- or thermonuclear -- bomb -- a claim greeted with skepticism by experts at the time. Some experts still cast doubt on North Korea's latest claim, saying the detected seismic activity suggests a less powerful device. The AFP news agency quoted Crispin Rovere, a nuclear policy and arms control specialist, as saying the 5.1-magnitude tremor detected at the test site was too small to support Pyongyang's claim. 'The seismic data that's been received indicates that the explosion is probably significantly below what one would expect from an H-bomb test,' the Australia-based expert said on January 6. Chinese broadcaster CCTV quoted a Chinese military expert as saying data so far 'cannot support' the claims of a hydrogen bomb test and that further analysis was required. North Korea has carried out three previous nuclear tests -- in 2006, 2009, and 2013 -- which led to a series of UN sanctions against Pyongyang. With reporting by AP, Reuters, AFP, TASS, dpa, and the BBC Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/north-korea- hydrogen-bomb-test/27470162.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN Condemns N. Korean Nuclear Test, Promises New Sanctions by Brian Padden, Ken Bredemeier January 06, 2016 The U.N. Security Council said Wednesday that it was working to craft new sanctions against North Korea after its latest nuclear test, while the United States and other world powers voiced skepticism about Pyongyang's claim that the underground blast was a successful test of a hydrogen bomb. After an emergency session, the Security Council said North Korea's actions posed "a clear threat to international peace and security."The council said the nuclear test was "a clear violation"of previous council resolutions aimed at blocking North Korean leader Kim Jong Un from developing nuclear weapons. In Washington, the White House sharply criticized North Korea, while also saying that initial U.S. analysis of the blast was "not consistent"with North Korea's boast that it now has hydrogen bomb technology. Such technology would signify a significant boost in the reclusive state's nuclear expertise and power. National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement that the U.S. had consistently made clear it would not accept a nuclear North Korea. "We will continue to protect and defend our allies in the region, including the Republic of Korea, and will respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations,"Price said. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, "This act is profoundly destabilizing for regional security and seriously undermines international nonproliferation efforts. I condemn it unequivocally." Earlier Wednesday, North Korean state television declared, "We've now become a nuclear state that also holds a hydrogen bomb."The statement called the test a matter of self-defense to protect the country's sovereignty, and it made several critical references to the United States. The U.S. Geological Survey reported a 5.1-magnitude earthquake near Punggye-ri, where North Korea conducted three previous nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013. North Korea's Kim said last month that his country possessed a hydrogen bomb. That was widely discounted as an unsubstantiated claim, and Wednesday's test drew the same reaction, since there were indications that it might have been less powerful than Pyongyang's bomb test in 2013. Rand Corporation nuclear analyst Bruce Bennett told VOA he doubted it was a hydrogen bomb being tested. Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said the explosion less than 100 kilometers from the Chinese border was a "clear violation"of Security Council resolutions and "deeply regrettable." International condemnation NATO, China and Russia also quickly condemned the test. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said the test "undermines regional and international security."Moscow described the test as a "flagrant violation of international law,"but its U.N. ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, later called for a "proportionate response." After North Korea's third nuclear test in 2013, the U.N. Security Council passed resolutions banning Pyongyang from conducting further nuclear and offensive weapons tests and imposed harsh economic sanctions against the Kim Jong Un regime. North Korea analyst Shin In-kyun with the Korea Defense Network said Wednesday's nuclear blast was more powerful than its past nuclear tests. Based on the seismic activity generated, he estimated the bomb produced 40 kilotons of power, significantly more than the atomic bomb that hit Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II. The Hiroshima atomic bomb produced 16 kilotons, so North Korea's nuclear test could have been 2.5 times more powerful than Hiroshima. Shin said. But South Korean intelligence officials and other nuclear experts said the size of the blast was much smaller, making them seriously doubt the test involved a hydrogen bomb. Two South Korean lawmakers said the bomb's yield was about six kilotons. In its televised announcement, North Korea justified its need for nuclear capability to defend itself against U.S.-led efforts to isolate and pressure the Kim Jong Un regime through economic sanctions and military containment. The H-bomb test we conducted is a self-defensive measure to thoroughly protect our nation's autonomy and our people's right to live and to reliably secure regional peace and safety on the Korean peninsula against accumulating nuclear threats and the intimidation of the enemy group led by the United States, the KCNA announcer said. While North Korea promised not to share its nuclear technology, the announcer said Pyongyang planned to continue to develop its nuclear technology until the sky falls. South Korean, Japanese condemnation South Korean President Park Geun-Hye condemned what she called North Korea's nuclear provocation and promised to work with the other regional players and the international community to develop a punitive response. Under close cooperation with the international society, our government needs to make North Korea pay a price for the nuclear test,"she said. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also condemned North Korea and promised a firm response that would include pressing for harsher U.N. sanctions. "North Korea's nuclear test is a serious threat to our nation's security and absolutely cannot be tolerated. We strongly denounce it,"Abe said. The Korea Defense Network's Shin In-kyun said he also expected Washington to actively advocate imposing the strongest possible sanctions against the Kim Jong Un regime. "The United States has been put in a situation in which it should impose more powerful military and economic sanctions against North Korea than the countries such as Iraq, Syria and the Republic of South Africa, which tried to develop nuclear power but failed in the past," he said. Impact on China North Korea's nuclear test announcement puts China, its key regional ally and economic supporter, in a difficult position. Beijing supported U.N. sanctions after Pyongyang's third nuclear test in 2013, but it has also been pressing for a resumption of regional "six-party talks" with Washington, Seoul, Tokyo, Beijing and Moscow to halt the North's nuclear program in exchange for economic assistance and security guarantees. In October, North Korea indicated its intention to conduct a fourth nuclear test during the 70th anniversary of the founding of its Workers' Party. When that did not happen, South Korea credited China for acting as a moderating influence, but other analysts speculated that Pyongyang was just not technically prepared at that time. No reason was given as to why the test was conducted this week, but January 8 is Kim Jong Un's birthday. Youmi Kim in Seoul and Margaret Besheer at the United Nations contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Germany to Deploy 4 Tornado Reconnaissance Jets in Turkey on Tuesday Sputnik News 13:16 05.01.2016 Berlin is due to deploy four additional Tornado surveillance aircraft starting from Tuesday as part of an anti-terror operation in Syria. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The reconnaissance jets are set to head for NATO's Incirlik airbase in Turkey from German military airfields. Berlin sent two Tornado aircraft to Turkey in mid-December, following parliament's approval for a military campaign against Daesh jihadist group in Syria on December 4. The aircrafts are due to receive orders from the airbase in Al Udeid, Qatar, which coordinates the air forces of the US-led coalition against Daesh, according to the German government. Germany's year-long campaign includes up to 1,200 troops, six Tornado surveillance aircraft, refueling aircraft and a Bremen-class Augsburg frigate to support a French aircraft carrier in the eastern Mediterranean. For 2016, Germany's planned costs for the anti-IS operation in Syria stand at around 134 million euros (some $146 million). Daesh is outlawed in many countries, including Russia and the United States. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address India: 6 Airbase Attackers Dead, Security Operation Ongoing by Anjana Pasricha January 05, 2016 India's defense minister said Tuesday a total of six militants have been killed after an attack on an airbase in northern India, and that the multi-day effort to secure the site was ongoing. The gunmen who began their attack on the strategic base in Pathankot town near the Pakistani border on Saturday killed seven security personnel.Indian officials say they will continue sweeping the area for any potential remaining militants until they are sure it is secure. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's office said he spoke by phone Tuesday with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and told him Pakistan is working on leads and information provided by India to help investigate the attack. Sharif said whenever there is a serious effort toward peace, terrorists try to derail the process and that the two leaders agreed a cooperative relationship is the most appropriate response. Militant alliance claims responsibility An alliance of of more than a dozen militant groups called the United Jihad Council, based in Pakistani Kashmir, has claimed responsibility for the attack.The group, which is fighting to end Indian rule in Kashmir, said it wanted to show India that no military installation was out of the reach of militants and India should allow Kashmiris to decide their political future. The claim of responsibility came in a statement issued to a Srinagar-based news agency. Reports in India have suggested that the Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammad group carried out the attack. Officials stressed that all the installations at the base, which houses fighter jets and assault helicopters, are safe. "I would like to assure everybody that all these air assets have been secured and are safe, there has been no damage to anyone of them," Brigadier Anupinder Belvi told reporters. Although officials are trying to stress that damage at the airbase was minimized, questions are being raised over how the gunmen managed to enter the military facility despite intelligence alerts about a possible terror attack. "There are serious holes in the entire security structure", says Sukh Deo Muni at New Delhi's Institute of Defense Studies and Analyses. "How should this happen after all the alerts that were given?" Even as operations were continuing, India witnessed a second militant attack when four unidentified gunmen tried to storm its consulate in the Afghan town of Mazar-e-Sharif. Investigating attacks Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi held a meeting Monday to review both the attacks, which took place about a week after he visited Lahore in an effort to boost a flagging peace process with the rival nation. Questions are now being raised in New Delhi on how the government will react and whether the attacks will impact talks scheduled to be held between the foreign secretaries of the two countries in Islamabad later this month. Pakistan on Monday again condemned the airbase attack in India and said it is 'working on the leads provided by' New Delhi to help investigate the deadly assault in line with Islamabad's commitment to effectively counter and eradicate terrorism. A foreign ministry statement said that 'living in the same region and with a common history, the two countries should remain committed to a sustained dialogue process.'It added that the challenge of terrorism calls for strengthening our resolve to cooperative approach. Analyst S.D. Muni said there is pressure from both within the ruling party, opposition parties and civil society to cancel the bilateral dialogue, but New Delhi's options are limited. "I don't think government has many better options, because canceling the talks again puts the whole thing into square one. What do you? If you don't talk, this is where you come to a dead end of diplomacy," says Muni. Ayaz Gul contributed to this report from Islamabad, Chris Hannas contributed from Washington. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran opens 2nd underground missile site to cameras Iran Press TV Tue Jan 5, 2016 3:32PM Iran's parliament (Majlis) speaker, Ali Larijani, has officially visited the second underground missile facility of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) packed with precision-guided long-range Emad missiles. The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) aired on Tuesday exclusive footage of the deep underground tunnel filled with numerous Emad ballistic missiles. IRGC's first underground missile facility was unveiled on October 14, 2015. Iran successfully test-fired the surface-to-surface missile, which has been completely designed and manufactured by experts of Iran's Aerospace Industries Organization affiliated with the Iranian Ministry of Defense, on October 11. Speaking after his visit to the underground site, Larijani hailed the missile capabilities of the IRGC. Larijani said the IRGC has succeeded in making significant scientific and technological breakthroughs. He added that the IRGC military power is intimidating the enemy. The top Iranian parliamentarian emphasized that the IRGC's power is a major deterrent conducive to peace and security in the country and across the region. On July 20, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2231, which bars Iran from developing missiles "designed to carry nuclear warheads." Iranian officials say none of the country's missiles, including ballistic ones, have been "designed to carry nuclear warheads," and thus their production and test are not in contravention of Resolution 2231. The Islamic Republic has repeatedly said that its military might poses no threat to other countries, reiterating that its defense doctrine is merely based on deterrence. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Severing Saudi-Iranian Ties to Harm Riyadh, Not Tehran - Iranian Ministry Sputnik News 19:59 05.01.2016 Saudi Arabia's decision to cut off economic relations with Iran would have a negative impact on the kingdom, not on Tehran, Iranian Deputy Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Mojtaba Khosrotaj told Sputnik on Tuesday. TEHRAN (Sputnik) A diplomatic row erupted late Sunday after Riyadh severed its ties with Tehran over attacks on its diplomatic missions in Iran, triggered by the execution of a prominent Shiite cleric by the Sunni-ruled kingdom. "Iran will not be affected by the severance of economic relations with Saudi Arabia, but they themselves will feel an impact from this decision," Khosrotaj said. According to the deputy minister, the volume of Iranian export to Riyadh in the first half of 2015 stood at $132 million, while the import accounted for only $40 million. Iran mainly exports food to Saudi Arabia and imports oil products, Khosrotaj said, adding that while the petrochemical products can be "easily replaced by supplies from other markets," Saudi Arabia would lack goods on its market. On Saturday, Saudi Arabia executed 47 individuals after convicting them of terrorism charges, including prominent Shiite preacher Nimr al-Nimr, despite the cleric's reputation for peaceful opposition to the nation's Sunni-dominated government. Tehran, as well as many other regional and international powers and watchdogs, has condemned the move. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraqi troops recapture town in western Ramadi Iran Press TV Tue Jan 5, 2016 3:26PM Iraqi counter-terrorism forces have taken back a town in western Ramadi, the capital of the province of Anbar, inflicting losses on the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group. In a statement released on Tuesday, the media group covering the Iraqi battle against militants said Parvana was liberated in an operation which also left tens of Daesh elements dead, Iraq's al-Qadir TV reported. The report further added that the Iraqi security forces, backed by tribesmen, managed to thwart a Daesh attack on the Parvana-al-Khasfa road, destroying at least 50 armored vehicles. Located some 90 kilometers (55 miles) from the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad, Ramadi became a flashpoint after the Iraqi military started the campaign to liberate the strategic city a few months ago. The Iraqi army announced that they were in full control of Ramadi on December 28, 2015. Portions of the city, however, remain to be cleansed of terrorists. Iraqi Defense Ministry officials have said it will take more time for the clean-up to be accomplished. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi toured Ramadi following its liberation. He said the recapture of the strategic city would pave the way for Iraq's long-anticipated offensive into the city of Mosul, the capital of Nineveh Province, which has been under the control of Daesh since the summer of 2014. Meanwhile, Iraqi Air Force destroyed a Daesh oil convoy in the south of the northern Nineveh Province, al-Sumaria television news network quoted a military source as saying on Tuesday. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a warplane bombed a Daesh convoy 'transferring oil from al-Qiyara refinery, 85km south of Nineveh.' The airstrike 'destroyed the convoy and killed 15 Daesh terrorists,' according to the source. The northern and western parts of Iraq have been plagued by gruesome violence ever since Daesh mounted an offensive in the country in June 2014. The militants have been committing vicious crimes against all ethnic and religious communities in Iraq, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds and Christians. The Iraqi army together with volunteer fighters has been engaged in operations to liberate militant-controlled regions. They have managed to liberate some key towns and villages from the grips of Daesh, including Tikrit and Baiji in Salahuddin Province. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 25 Iraqi fighters killed repelling Daesh attack in Anbar Iran Press TV Tue Jan 5, 2016 3:21PM At least 25 fighters with the Iraqi government have lost their lives while trying to thwart a three-day offensive by Daesh Takfiri militants in the province of Anbar. 'We have given 25 martyrs in 72 hours,' Sheikh Abdallah Atallah, a tribal commander, said from the western region of Haditha, which is a strategic area that houses an important dam, Iraq's second largest after the Mosul dam. The commander described the offensive as the biggest by the militants so far, launched from three directions. The death toll was also confirmed by mayor of Haditha, Mabrouk Hamid, who said, "We have more than 20 martyrs and more than 50 wounded. They are from the army, CTS (the counter-terrorism service), the police and the tribal fighters." Hamid added that the offensive started on Sunday and the area was targeted by "more than 40 vehicles, all armored and some explosives-laden." He said the cars were destroyed. The attack came after the Takfiris lost control of the provincial capital of Ramadi a week ago. Ramadi became a flash point after the Iraqi military started the campaign to liberate the strategic city a few months ago. The Iraqi army announced they were in full control of Ramadi on December 28. Portions of the city, however, remain to be cleansed of terrorists. Iraqi Defense Ministry officials have said it will take more time for the clean-up to be accomplished. The city is located about 90 kilometers (55 miles) from the capital, Baghdad. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said the recapture of the strategic city would pave the way for Iraq's long-anticipated offensive into the main city of Mosul, the capital of Nineveh Province in the north, which has been under the control of Daesh since the summer of 2014. Abadi believes 2016 would be the last year for Daesh in Iraq. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN envoy for Iraq condemns attacks on mosques in Babylon Province 5 January 2016 The most senior UN official in Iraq has condemned attacks which took place against three Sunni mosques in Babylon Province on Sunday evening, as well as other acts of violence. "These attacks are an attempt to stoke sectarian tensions in Iraq and the region," the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq, Mr. Jan Kubis, said in a statement. 'Those behind the attacks attempt to exploit the current regional circumstances and weaken the unity of Iraq and its people. They serve ultimately the interests of the terrorist ISIL," he added. Mr. Kubis recalled the recent appeal of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon for calm and restraint in reaction to the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr last Saturday by Saudi Arabian authorities. Mr. Ban also appealed to all regional leaders to work to avoid the exacerbation of sectarian tensions, voicing deep dismay over the recent executions by Saudi Arabia of 47 people, including the Sheikh. "I urge all Iraqis, all Iraqi political forces and representatives and the media to demonstrate their commitment to the unity and solidarity of Iraq and its people and to show restraint including in their statements," the UN envoy further added, calling on the Iraqi authorities and the Security Forces to prevent and counter attempts to incite violence and divisions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Libya Oil Company 'Cries For Help' as Daesh Attacks Its Second Oil Tank Sputnik News 18:31 05.01.2016 Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) in a statement on Tuesday called on "all faithful and honorable people" of Libya for help after Daesh militants reportedly attacked a second oil tank at its premises. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Daesh militants have intensified attacks on Libya's oil facilities over the past two days. On Monday, an oil tank in Ras Lanuf port was set on fire and on Tuesday, another tank was attacked and set ablaze in the Es Sidra terminal. "National Oil Corporation urges all faithful and honorable people of this homeland to hurry to rescue what is left from the capabilities before it is too late. Your country is calling for you before what is left from your future and your children's future is destroyed," the statement said. According to the NOC, military clashes that have been taking place in the Oil Crescent Area since early Monday led to the oil installations being exposed to destruction, and to a "strong possibility of consequent loss of lives and assets." Libya has been in turmoil since early 2011, after Arab Spring protests led to the overthrow of the country's long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi. Currently there are two rival governments in Libya: the internationally-recognized Council of Deputies based in Tobruk and the Tripoli-based General National Congress. Daesh jihadist militant group, outlawed in many countries including Russia, also operates in the conflict-torn country. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Daesh Terrorists Attack Libyan Oil Port for Second Day Sputnik News 15:31 05.01.2016(updated 15:33 05.01.2016) Daesh terrorists fired at the Libyan oil port of Es Sider again on Tuesday setting ablaze an oil storage tank in the port, Reuters reported. The terrorists were now some 40 kilometers from the port, which they fired at on Monday killing several guards and wounding dozens more, the agency wrote, quoting a representative of Ibrahim al-Jathran's Petrol Facilities Guard, a federalist armed faction, which protects Es Sider. The port, which remains under the control of Libya's internationally recognized government, has been closed for over a year as a result of the latest Libyan civil war between secular and Islamist factions. Daesh has seized some territory around the central coastal town of Sirte, but has not been able to gain control of oil facilities. Daesh terrorists have gained ground in Libya as a result of the civil war, which began after the NATO-assisted ousting of long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi. The group previously attacked the same installation in October, clashing with forces protecting the terminal at one of its gates. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Battle for Libya Oil Installations in 2nd Day by Edward Yeranian January 05, 2016 Libyan TV is reporting that fighting resumed Tuesday around the oil exporting port of Sidra, between fighters claiming loyalty to the Islamic State (IS) group and Libya's petroleum infrastructure force. Seven people were reported killed and 25 others wounded during battles Monday. A fire raged at a petroleum storage tank in Sidra Tuesday, struck by a missile reportedly fired by IS militants west of the town. Another oil storage tank was set ablaze in nearby Ras Lanuf Monday after IS attacked forces protecting the facility. Mohammed al Harari, a spokesman for the Libyan National Oil Company in Tripoli, told Libya li Kul Ahrar TV that fighting was preventing firefighters from quelling the flames. He said that fire and smoke continue to pour from a 500,000 barrel crude oil storage tank in Sidra, and a pipeline between tanks. He adds that fire crews with the Waha Oil Company, which operates the port, have been unable to tackle the fires due to ongoing clashes. Militants claiming allegiance to the IS group attacked Ras Lanuf Monday with rockets and multiple suicide car bombs, killing at least seven oil company security guards. IS fighters later reportedly withdrew to the nearby town of Ben Javad. Libya's "oil triangle" near the eastern capital of Benghazi is the country's most valuable economic asset. Competing militias control vast swathes of territory, and are beyond the control of the two rival governments vying for dominance. Hilal Khashan, who teaches political science at the American University of Beirut, said that gaining control of Libya's oil facilities could give the IS major clout over the rest of the country. 'Libyans know that whoever controls the country's oil can control Libya. [But I don't] think that ISIS has a chance of controlling the country's resources because sentiment in either the east or west is averse to ISIS," Khashan said, using another acronym for the Islamist extremist group. "The real threat is al-Qaida,' he added. Khashan argues that Libyans "will side with al-Qaida against ISIS and in due time they will turn against al-Qaida." He also stressed that Libyans "for the most part are not militant Islamists.' Libya's oil production has reportedly fallen to less than a quarter of the 1.6 million barrels per day it averaged before the start of the 2011 revolt against the country's late strongarm leader Moammar Gadhafi. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address New MiG-29 Jets to be Deployed to Russian Airbase in Armenia Sputnik News 17:07 05.01.2016(updated 18:45 05.01.2016) After being fully repaired, MiG-29 fourth generation jet fighters will be deployed to the Russian airbase in Erebuni to protect Armenian airspace. A group of MiG-29 multirole jet fighters will be deployed to the Russian airbase Erebuni in Armenia in the second half of 2016, the press office of the Russian Southern Military District reported. MiG-29 jets which will be deployed to the airbase after being fully repaired have been used to protect Armenia's airspace within the joint air defense systems of the CIS. They have also been involved in regular training flights in accordance with the combat readiness program. 'In the second half of 2016, a new unit of MiG-29 fourth-generation multirole jets as well as a Mi-8 transport helicopter will be deployed to the Erebuni airbase, in Armenia,' according to the report. The military underscored that after the New Year holiday season preparations will start at the airfield for the new aircraft, including building storage housing modules. In November 1998, Russia deployed the first MiG-29 jets to the Erebuni airbase. In July 2001, an air force unit was formed from the aircraft deployed to the base. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia's Missile Forces Will Get New Combat Management System in 2016 Sputnik News 12:01 05.01.2016(updated 13:33 05.01.2016) According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the country's Strategic Missile Forces will supply command centers with a new integrated automated battle management system. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Russia's Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) will receive a new c of the fifth generation in 2016, a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said Tuesday. 'Beginning from 2016, Russia's Strategic Missile Forces will proceed with supplying modernized SMF command centers and advanced strategic missile systems, which are under development, with integrated ASBU units,' Dmitry Andreev said. He added that the battle management system used in Yars mobile ground missile systems significantly enhances the performance of the missile system due to advanced communications equipment and modern telecommunication technologies. Russia is planning to modernize up to 70 percent of its military hardware by 2020. The total modernization program cost is estimated to reach about 20 trillion rubles (some $274 billion at current exchange rates). Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Newest S-400 System Deployed to Protect Skies Over Moscow Sputnik News 10:49 05.01.2016 A new S-400 Triumf air defense system entered service with the unit of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the Moscow Region. The system was delivered after test firing was completed at the Kapustin Yar range. The command of the Russian Aerospace Forces deployed to the Moscow Region received a new S-400 air defense regiment unit, the press office of the Russian Defense Ministry reported. 'A new S-400 Triumf system entered service with an air defense unit of the Russian Aerospace Forces outside Moscow, after tests were completed at the Kapustin Yar range in the Astrakhan Region,' the ministry said. During the tests, over 10 missile targets were successfully hit. They imitated low-altitude, ballistic and operational-tactic aerial targets at all altitudes and speeds. After the system is put on combat duty the Russian Aerospace Forces will have four units equipped with the newest air defenses. They will protect the airspace over Moscow and the central industrial area. The S-400 system is designed to hit a wide range of targets, including jamming aircraft, radar reconnaissance aircraft, strategic and tactical aircraft as well as ballistic missiles and hypersonic aerial vehicles. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address New Russian Strategy Document Calls NATO a 'Threat' by Danila Galperovich January 05, 2016 On December 31, President Vladimir Putin signed off on a new national security strategy for Russia that unequivocally identifies NATO as a threat. The new strategy, observers say, reflects the recent deterioration in relations between Russia and the West, following Moscow's annexation of Crimea and support for separatists in eastern Ukraine, as well as its more recent military intervention in Syria. The 40-page document is generally harsh in tone, focusing on what it characterizes as Russia's isolation in the current international system. In addition, it gives clear priority to state interests over personal interests. It emphasizes the need to guarantee 'the inviolability of the constitutional order, the sovereignty, independence, government and territorial integrity of the Russian Federation.' US, both opponent and partner The strategy document takes a two sided approach to the United States. On the one hand, it says that Russia's 'independent' foreign and domestic policy has 'provoked opposition from the United States and its allies, which are seeking to maintain their dominance in world affairs.' It condemns the United States for continuing to deploy anti-missile defenses, accuses it of supporting an 'anti-constitutional coup' in Ukraine and even claims that 'a network of U.S. military-biological laboratories' is being expanded on the territory of states neighboring Russia. On the other hand, the document goes on to say that Russia is interested in building a full partnership with the United States. It notes the need to further develop arms control and confidence building measures related to nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The new strategy also calls for expanded cooperation' in fighting terrorism and resolving regional conflicts. The call to partnership is almost at the end of the document. 'Threat' from NATO Taking aim at the Western military alliance, the new Russian national security strategy describes a 'buildup' of power on the part of NATO, 'imparting to it global functions undertaken in violation of the norms of international law, the intensification of military activities of the bloc countries, the further expansion of the alliance, the approach of its military infrastructure up to Russia's borders.' Russia says all of this is a threat to its national security. Writing in The National Interest Thomas Fedyszyn, a professor of national security affairs at the Naval War College, says that the document fails to note that NATO decided to bolster its rapid reaction force 'in direct response to Russian revanchism [a foreign policy aimed at the regaining of lost territories] in Crimea and Ukraine, several months after the aggressions occurred.' Fedyszyn, who served as U.S. Naval Attache to Russia and two tours of duty at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, also notes that NATO troops in Poland and the Baltic states are 'rotational,' not permanently-stationed forces, and that their numbers 'are dwarfed by Russian counterparts across the border.' 'Defensive-aggressive' Alexander Konovalov, president of the Moscow-based Institute for Strategic Assessments, noted in an interview with VOA that the new strategy document reflects Russia's international isolation since it no longer seeks to connect with either former Soviet countries or those in central Asia. 'In the previous strategy, the priority in foreign policy and security policy was given clearly, directly in the text, to cooperation with the CSTO [the Collective Security Treaty Organization, which includes, Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan], with some Asian countries - the SCO [the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which includes China, Russia and four Central Asian countries] was mentioned. This time I found no mention of the priority of cooperation with CSTO member states, the widely publicized turn to the East.' Alexander Golts, a Moscow-based independent military expert, said the new national security strategy is more 'defensive-aggressive' than its predecessors. 'The ideology of the document is that Russia is ringed by enemies; Russia is resisting Western countries, which don't like that it is conducting an independent and autonomous foreign policy,' he told VOA. 'It explicitly states that if Russia cannot achieve its goals using diplomatic and political means, it may resort to military means.' Still, Golts said he is sure that the document approved by Putin is not a practical guide for the Russian governmental bodies responsible for national security. 'It is necessary to understand that such documents in Russia are purely bureaucratic,' he said. 'A meticulous researcher could find signs here of conflicting points of view between different bureaucratic clans. But you have to understand that this 'strategy' does not represent the thinking of Russia's leaders: it is what Russia's leaders want to convey to the world about their views, so that the world thinks this is how they are thinking.' NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Concerns grow over Saudi-Iranian rising tensions People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 08:52, January 05, 2016 TEHRAN, Jan. 4 -- Many countries including world powers on Monday expressed concern over rising tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran as well as unrest in the Middle East. Controversy in the wake of the execution of a prominent Shiite cleric by Saudi Arabia was followed by attacks against Saudi Arabia's embassy in Tehran, leading the Kingdom and some of its regional allies to sever ties with Iran. Saudi Arabia executed Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr along with 46 others over terrorism charges Saturday, sparking protests in Shiite-dominated Iran during which angry mobs stormed and set fire to Saudi Arabia's Embassy in Tehran and its Consulate in the city of Mashhad. Saudi Arabia announced its dissolution of diplomatic ties with Iran Sunday, requesting all Iranian diplomats depart the country within 48 hours. Following Saudi's announcement, three Sunni Muslim countries joined the Arab kingdom Monday in severing or downgrading their diplomatic ties with Iran. Bahrain and Sudan announced they will cut diplomatic relations with Iran Monday, declaring that Tehran interferes in the Arab states' affairs. In addition, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) decided to downgrade its diplomatic relations with Iran Monday and reduce the number of Iranian diplomats in the country. Over and above, Saudi Foreign Minister, Adel al-Jubeir, announced Monday that Saudi Arabia will cease air traffic with Iran, placing a ban on its citizens from travelling there, reported Al Arabiya local news. He also said that severing relations covers commercial ties, whereas Iranian pilgrims are always welcome in Saudi Arabia. Escalated tensions between two key players in the troubled Middle East's political affairs, sparked concerns from various parts of the world. The European Union (EU) Monday urged concerned parties to act responsibly towards recent events between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the cause of a current strained diplomatic situation between the two countries. 'We expect all regional powers to act responsibly toward this volatile situation,' EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini's spokesperson, Catherine Ray, briefed a press conference. Ray informed reporters the EU would continue to closely monitor the situation between Iran and Saudi Arabia, adding that dialogue was ongoing on all levels with its partners. Mogherini contacted her Iranian and Saudi counterparts Sunday, advocating for effort from both sides to avoid further escalation of tensions. The German government also called on Saudi Arabia and Iran Monday to recommence dialogue despite recent souring of diplomatic relations between both countries. 'We support both countries using all possible avenues to improve their relations,' said German government spokesman Steffen Seibert. Seibert stressed that an amicable relationship between the two countries is fundamentally important in resolving the crises in Syria and Yemen, as well as regional stability. Moreover, France called on both Saudi Arabia and Iran to moderate the escalation of the diplomatic row between the two Middle Eastern powers, a government official said. Stephane Le Foll, France's government spokesman, said 'France anticipates a de-escalation of tensions' between Riyadh and Tehran. 'France entreats both sides to curtail tensions. We must be observant of Saudi and Iranian relations,' Le Foll said. China voiced concern Monday over the dispute between Iran and Saudi Arabia, calling on both countries to practice self-restraint. 'China is paying close attention to the developing situation, and is concerned over escalating regional conflict resulting from the dispute,' said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying at a press briefing. 'We hope all concerned parties can boost anti-terrorism dialogue and cooperation. We also hope the security and dignity of diplomats and missions can be ensured,' Hua said. She called on both sides to control themselves, show restraint and properly resolve disputes through dialogue and consultations in order to maintain regional peace and stability. In response to the calls, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Hossein Jaber Ansari, said Monday that Iran is not interested in causing tensions with Saudi Arabia. 'The Islamic republic has no interest in tension and conflict neither in its domestic nor international policies, and has no intent in having tense relations with Saudi Arabia,' Jaber Ansari said in his weekly press conference. Jaber Ansari said the Islamic republic respects international conventions and protects diplomats and diplomatic missions. He added that with respect to the attacks on the Saudi mission in Iran, Iranian police and judiciary have done their best to control the situation and officially deal with the perpetrators. However, 'Although everything was under control and there was no threat against Saudi diplomats in Iran, the Saudi government decided to sever ties,' he said. Tehran's Prosecutor General, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, said Sunday that police forces arrested 40 protestors who raided the Saudi embassy in Tehran Saturday, and that the judiciary issued orders to identify and arrest all others involved in the raid. The Iranian spokesman said Saudi Arabia's current rhetoric versus Iran and its alleged support of regional extremist groups will only serve to further isolate Riyadh. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address In Saudi Arabia, senior UN officials discuss regional tensions and needs 5 January 2016 Two senior United Nations officials arrived in Saudi Arabia today to discuss the effects of regional tensions on the Syrian crisis as well as ways to ensure stability and security for neighbouring countries. Speaking at the daily press briefing in New York, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters that the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, met today in Riyadh with Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir, Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, and the High Negotiation Commission of the Revolutionary Forces and the Syrian Opposition. "Mr. de Mistura said after his meeting that there is a clear determination on the Saudi side that the current regional tensions will not have any negative impact on the Vienna momentum and on the continuation of the political process that the UN, together with the International Syria Support Group [ISSG], intend to start in Geneva soon," noted Mr. Dujarric. Mr. de Mistura also reportedly stressed the importance of not losing "this momentum, despite what is going on in the region." Since the end of October, the ISSG comprised of the Arab League, the European Union, the UN, and 17 countries has been negotiating a solution to end the five-year conflict. Similarly, the Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Sigrid Kaag, arrived in Riyadh today and met with senior officials, including the Foreign Minister and the Deputy Foreign Minister. "This is part of her ongoing consultations with regional stakeholders to discuss Lebanon's stability and security as well as efforts to support Lebanon's critical humanitarian and developmental needs," explained Mr. Dujarric. Meanwhile, the Security Council has condemned in the strongest terms the attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's embassy in Tehran and its Consulate General in Mashhad, which it said "resulted in intrusions into the diplomatic and consular premises, causing serious damage." In a statement , the members of the Security Council recalled the fundamental principle of the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises, and the obligations on host Governments "to take all appropriate steps to protect diplomatic and consular premises against any intrusion or damage, and to prevent any disturbance of the peace of these missions or impairment of their dignity." In this context, the Council called on Iranian authorities to protect diplomatic and consular property and personnel, and to fully respect their international obligations in this regard. The Council also called on all parties to maintain dialogue and take steps to reduce tensions in the region. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US: Saudis Were Warned of Consequences of Cleric's Death by VOA News January 05, 2016 The Obama administration had warned Saudi Arabian officials about the potential consequences of executing the Shi'ite cleric whose death has roiled the Mideast and set off worldwide protests, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Monday. 'There have been direct concerns raised by U.S. officials to Saudi officials about the potential damaging consequences of following through on the execution -- on mass executions, in particular, the execution of' Nimr al-Nimr, Earnest said during a Monday news briefing. 'This is a concern that we raised with the Saudis in advance, and unfortunately, the concerns that we expressed to the Saudis have precipitated the kinds of consequences that we were concerned about,' he said. U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby echoed the White House comments, saying, 'We are particularly concerned that the execution of (al-Nimr) risks exacerbating sectarian tensions at a time when they urgently need to be reduced.' Worldwide reaction Shi'ite communities have reacted furiously to the execution of al-Nimr, a prominent critic of Saudi Arabia's ruling royal family and who was a key leader of Shi'ite protests in eastern Saudi Arabia in 2011. He was convicted in 2014 of sedition and other charges, and was one of 47 people executed in Saudi Arabia Saturday. Following the news, protesters set fire to the Saudi embassy in Tehran, and the Sunni kingdom cut diplomatic relations with Iran, its Shi'ite regional rival. Earnest also expressed concern Monday about the Iranians' failure to protect the Saudi diplomatic facility. At least 40 protesters were arrested in the attacks, which Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called 'totally unjustifiable.' But he also denounced al-Nimr's execution. Over the past two days, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has spoken with Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, and with Saudi Arabia's deputy crown prince and defense minister, Mohammed bin Salman, and with Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir in an attempt to defuse the escalating tensions. Kerry also planned a round of calls to the foreign ministers of all the Sunni-led states in the Gulf region. The rift comes at a fragile time in the region and the White House has urged the regional rivals to not let the dispute derail efforts to end Syria's 5-year-old civil war. 'Hopefully, they will continue to engage,' Earnest said. 'It is so clearly in the interests of both countries to advance a political solution to the situation inside of Syria.' The administration doesn't want to see the latest dispute affect progress made against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq, and efforts to end conflicts in Syria and Yemen. But Kirby said, "Ultimately, these are issues that these countries have to work out for themselves. ... So while we continue to make all efforts to facilitate dialogue, the emphasis is on local leadership to work through their differences and find the best path forward through this tension. 'If you're asking if we're trying to be a mediator in all this, the answer is no,' he added. Alex Vatenka of the Middle East Institute said the United States cannot do much to resolve the dispute. He told VOA's Deewa Service he believes that 'one party will accuse the U.S. of siding if it says anything about the other.' NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Analysts: Iran-Saudi Crisis Compounds Regional Wars by Heather Murdock January 05, 2016 Drinking tea on his traditional Yemeni low sofa, Sultan Zaied, a 41-year-old accountant in the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, says the diplomatic battle between Saudi Arabia and Iran has already intensified tensions in Yemen, and the crisis is still growing. "They are attacking everything," he said, referring to the Saudi-led coalition air assaults on the Houthis, believed to be supported by Iran. "This is proof that the attempts at negotiations are failing." As countries and militias line up behind regional giants Iran and Saudi Arabia, analysts say the diplomatic crisis is already having an impact across the region. If it continues, they add, Middle East wars including the fight against Islamic State militants are more likely to expand than to be resolved peacefully. "This diplomatic crisis has diminished the prospects for peace in Syria and the same can be said about Yemen," says Gulf State Analytics founder Giorgio Cafiero, speaking by phone from Oman. Islamic State militants have the most to gain from the crisis, which is spreading the chaos the group thrives on and dividing the region, he adds. Kuwait is the latest Sunni-dominated country to withdraw its ambassador from Iran, following Bahrain, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates, which have all either cut ties or downgraded their relationships with Iran following an international dispute over the execution of Shi'ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. After the execution, the Saudi embassy in Tehran was attacked and Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties. Roots of dispute The regional rift is far deeper than the current dispute, according to Mark Fitzpatrick, executive director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in the United States. "Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have all been pretty much in sync with Saudi Arabia concerning the perceived threat from Iran," he says, adding that the "threat that has been exacerbated by the nuclear deal." If the nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers is implemented, Tehran is expected to be relieved of sanctions, greatly expanding its economic power and ability to fund militias in the region, like Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. But it is not just an economic rivalry, says Fitzpatrick. "This conflict has become more of a Sunni-Shia split and also the ages-long dispute between Persia and the Arab states,' he explains. 'It's part of history and it's part of the worsening of the relations in the region." Additionally, both countries are using the dispute as a power play in domestic politics, says Max Abrahms, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and political science professor at Northeastern University. "The Saudi and Iranian governments are mirroring each other," he explains, "by directing their rhetoric against the other country in order to shore up support for the hardliners at a time when both governments are accused of going soft for different reasons." Long-term impact Regional wars in Syria, Yemen and Libya are less likely to be solved through peace talks if the major players in the region and on the battlefields cannot negotiate, according to Cafiero of Gulf State Analytics. An outright war between the powers may be unlikely, adds Cafiero, but both Saudi Arabia and Iran may increase their involvement in Syria and Yemen, often seen as a fight between two regional giants. "It's far more likely we will see the two sides wage proxy wars more aggressively," he says. The sectarian nature of the dispute regardless of its causes could deepen divisions in the region, adds Abrahms of Northeastern University. Angry rhetoric is already fueling the current wars and Shi'ite groups have long vowed revenge in the event of al-Nimr's execution. Shi'ites across the region have already expressed anger and none of this bodes well for the coming year, according to Abrahms. "To a large extent the conflicts in the Middle East are an outgrowth of this sectarian discord," says Abrahms. "And the fact that there is now this fallout at the very beginning of 2016 between the Saudis and the Iranians, that bodes very badly for the rest of the region." Almigdad Mojalli contributed to this report from Sana'a. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran Calls Saudi Execution of Cleric a 'Crime' by Ken Bredemeier January 05, 2016 Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday that Saudi Arabia cannot 'hide its crime' of executing a Shi'ite cleric critical of the Riyadh kingdom by severing its diplomatic ties with Tehran. Riyadh executed the cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, last weekend and then cut its diplomatic links with Tehran after demonstrators stormed Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran in protest of the killing, smashing furniture at the Tehran embassy and torching it. 'One does not respond to criticism by cutting off heads,' Rouhani said of al-Nimr's role in 2011 Shi'ite protests against Saudi Arabia's ruling royal family. The Iranian government said the diplomatic split with Saudi Arabia 'will have no impact on Iran's national development,' contending that 'it is Saudi Arabia that will suffer.' Tehran's latest reaction to al-Nimr's execution came as Kuwait joined other Saudi allies in taking diplomatic action against Iran. The state-run KUNA news agency said Tuesday Kuwait recalled its ambassador to Tehran and reiterated its support for all measures Saudi Arabia takes to maintain its security. The move follows decisions by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Sudan to cut diplomatic ties with Iran, while the United Arab Emirates downgraded its relations with the country. All four nations are members of the Arab League, which is due to hold a special meeting Sunday to discuss the Saudi-Iran developments. The United Nations Security Council issued a statement Monday condemning the attack on the Saudi embassy. It called on Iran to respect its international obligations to protect diplomatic property and urged all parties to 'maintain dialogue and take steps to reduce tensions in the region.' In a letter earlier Monday to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, as well as to the presidents of the U.N. Security Council and the General Assembly, Saudi Arabia's U.N. Ambassador Abdallah al-Mouallimi strongly condemned the invasion of its Tehran embassy and damage to its consulate in the Iranian city of Mashhad. He said Riyadh is "appalled" at the failure of Iranian authorities to prevent the attacks. Under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, host countries are required to take necessary steps to protect diplomatic and consular premises and staff. In his own letter to the U.N. chief, Iranian envoy Gholamali Khoshroo acknowledged that "around 8,000" protesters staged a peaceful demonstration that got "out of control," despite "extensive efforts" by police. He said more than 40 protesters were arrested and an investigation to find other perpetrators is under way. Regional consequences Secretary-General Ban expressed concern at the escalation in tensions between the two regional powers, urging them to avoid actions that could exacerbate the situation bilaterally and in the region as a whole. He added that the announcement of a break in Saudi diplomatic relations with Tehran is "deeply worrying." "This escalation is likely to have regional consequences in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and beyond," said George Washington University international affairs professor Edmund Ghareeb. He warned it could hurt efforts to push the fledgling peace process forward in Syria. The U.N. hopes to hold the first round of intra-Syrian talks on January 25. "This escalation is likely to complicate the efforts of the United Nations, Russia and the United States to bring the parties together," Ghareeb added. Britain's U.N. ambassador Matthew Rycroft told reporters London is concerned the dispute 'could escalate and could derail the Syria talks; it could derail the Yemen talks; it could potentially become a much bigger problem.' He said he hopes the Security Council will do its part to manage the "tension and to seek de-escalation." The secretary-general spoke Sunday with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and on Monday with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir in a bid to calm the situation. The U.N. said Ban expressed his condemnation to Zarif of the attack at the Saudi embassy in Tehran and urged the foreign minister to take the necessary measures to protect diplomatic facilities in the country. He also reiterated his deep dismay at the execution of Sheikh Nimr and 46 other prisoners. Death penalty In his call with the Saudi foreign minister, the U.N. said the secretary-general "reiterated his views on capital punishment and his disappointment over the execution of Sheikh al-Nimr, whose case he had raised with the Saudi authorities on several occasions." Ban has previously said the death penalty "has no place in the 21st century," and has urged a worldwide moratorium on its use. In a statement Saturday about the mass executions, Ban expressed concern that they were carried out "following trials that raised serious concerns over the nature of the charges and the fairness of the process." Saudi Arabia rejected that criticism, saying in a statement from its U.N. mission that all of those convicted had fair and public trials and the right to appeal. "He was very much misinformed," the Saudi ambassador told reporters about the secretary-general. "The allegations that the trial and the procedures were somehow tainted is simply misinformed," he added. The U.N. Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, arrived in Riyadh Monday to meet with officials. He said this is a "very worrisome development" and he will assess the implications of it on the Syria peace process. He will visit Tehran later this week. The U.N.'s Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, also is due in the region Wednesday to try to secure a new cease-fire after the Saudis ended a shaky one put in place on December 15 that coincided with peace talks in Geneva. Both sides repeatedly violated that truce. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Militant commander killed in Syria airstrikes Iran Press TV Tue Jan 5, 2016 2:47PM Syrian fighter jets have bombed Takfiri terrorists' positions in a strategic city in the southwestern Dara'a Province, killing a commander and a group of militants. The Syrian airstrikes on Tuesday hit positions of terrorists from the so-called 'Islamic Muthanna Movement' in Sheikh Maskin city in Dara'a, killing a commander and a number of other militants, the Arabic-language al-Alam news channel said. The news comes as Arab media said fierce clashes erupted between the Syrian army troops and the foreign-backed Takfiri militants in the provinces of Dara'a, Homs and Damascus. Al-Alam news channel said a group of Daesh terrorists were killed and injured in clashes with the Syrian army in the vicinity of Sha'er Mountain in the eastern countryside of Homs. Separately, the Lebanese al-Ahed news website said that the Syrian army troops engaged in battles with the Takfiris in Tal Kurdi area close to Douma city in Eastern Ghouta in the Damascus countryside. A group of militants were also killed and injured in clashes with the army near al-Marj area in Eastern Ghouta. Meanwhile, the army, backed by the popular National Defense Forces, managed to thwart a Daesh attack on al-Mabouga village, over 55km east of Hama city, early on Tuesday. 'The army, backed by artillery units, clashed with Daesh terrorists' who attacked al-Mabouga village early on Tuesday, a military source told Syria's official news agency, SANA. The clashes left many terrorists dead and destroyed the militants' vehicles while the rest of the militants fled leaving their weapons and ammunition behind. Meanwhile, terrorists with the al-Qaeda linked al-Nusra Front engaged in fierce internecine clashes with militants of al-Musayfirah town in the eastern countryside of Dara'a, al-Ahed news website said. The clashes reportedly erupted after al-Musayfirah militants captured an al-Nusra commander in the town. The battles left a number of militants dead and injured on both sides. Infighting among the wide assortment of militant groups in Syria over territory and position, among other reasons, has left many of them dead and injured. Syrian forces have been battling militants, particularly Daesh terrorists, on different fronts throughout Syria since March 2011, when the foreign-sponsored militancy, which has claimed over 250,000 lives, plagued the Arab country. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address OPCW confirms Syria govt.'s claim on sarin gas Iran Press TV Tue Jan 5, 2016 7:49AM The international chemical weapons watchdog says it has found traces of the sarin gas which the Syrian government says has been used by militants. The announcement follows an investigation carried out by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) at the request of Damascus. The results published in a monthly report on Syria said the mission had found indications that some people in the country had been exposed to chemical weapons. "In one instance, analysis of some blood samples indicates that individuals were at some point exposed to sarin (a deadly type of gas used in chemical weapons) or a sarin-like substance," said Ahmet Uzumcu, the head of the OPCW. Uzumcu, however, said further investigation would be necessary to determine when or under what circumstances such exposure might have occurred. The Syrian government has said the militants have deployed chemical weapons in 11 instances. Damascus surrendered its stockpiles of chemical weapons to a joint mission led by the UN and the OPCW following an attack outside the Syrian capital two years ago. The country continues to stay alert to chemical attacks which the government blames on foreign-backed militants, wreaking havoc since 2011. Last month, the country's official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that government troops had seized chemical attack equipment from a militant field hospital in the western port city of Latakia. The equipment discovered at the facility in the city's northern suburbs was of the type required to operate chemical weapons, SANA said. It cited a field commander as saying that the nature of the equipment suggested militants had been planning to carry out chemical or biological attacks and blame the government. Also last month, Ahmed al-Gaddafi al-Qahsi, former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi's cousin, said the chemical weapons used in Ghouta some two years ago had been stolen from Libya and later smuggled into Syria via Turkey by militants. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saudis Deny Rift With Iran Will Hurt UN's Syrian Peace Effort January 05, 2016 by RFE/RL Saudi Arabia has dismissed concerns that its severance of ties with Iran will harm efforts to negotiate peace in Syria even as its actions have opened up a new sectarian rift among opposing sides in the war. A top Syrian opposition group urged all Arab countries on January 4 to follow the Saudi example and end diplomatic ties with Iran, while four Saudi allies -- Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Sudan -- all moved to cut off or downgrade their ties with Tehran. Kuwait said on January 5 that it had recalled its ambassador to Iran while Sudan's state media reported Khartoum has given Iranian diplomats two weeks to leave the country. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, the United States, and Britain all voiced concern on January 4 that the Saudi-Iran split has laid bare and could worsen a sectarian divide that has simmered beneath the Syrian conflict and the broader Middle East for decades -- setting back efforts at peace. Iran's regime, led by Shi'ite Islamic clerics, backs the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while the Sunni monarchs who hold power in Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf states back many of the rebel groups fighting the government. Together, the two regional powers and their allies, along with the United States, Russia, and other world powers, have been seeking to arrange a peace process for Syria that has foundered in the past because of such stark differences. 'From our side, it should have no effect because we will continue to work very hard to support the peace efforts in Syria and Yemen,' Saudi Ambassador to the United Nations Abdallah al-Mouallimi said on January 4. Saudi Arabia 'will attend the next Syria talks and we are not going to boycott them because of Iran,' he said, even as he took a swipe at Iran's role in the peace negotiations. 'The Iranians even before the break of diplomatic relations have not been very supportive, not very positive in these peace efforts,' Mouallimi said. 'They have been taking provocative and negative positions...and I don't think the break in relations is going to dissuade them from such behavior.' He spoke as the UN dispatched Syrian envoy Staffan de Mistura to Tehran and Riyadh to try to ensure the conflict does not derail negotiations scheduled for January 25, while the UN Security Council debated a statement addressing the Saudi-Iranian tensions. UN Secretary-General Ban spoke by phone with the Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers to urge them to 'avoid any actions that could further exacerbate the situation,' Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. 'A breakdown of relations between Riyadh and Tehran could have very serious consequences for the region,' Dujarric said. The UN Security Council late on January 4 issued a statement urging the two sides to 'maintain dialogue and take steps to reduce tensions' while condemning the sacking and burning of Saudi Arabia's embassy in Tehran by demonstrators on January 2. But Ban took Iran's side on the kingdom's execution of 47 men over the weekend, including a prominent Shi'ite cleric, which prompted an outpouring of rage among Shi'a throughout the Muslim world. Ban said he was 'deeply dismayed' by the executions, prompting a curt response from the Saudi's UN mission, which insisted that those executed had been 'criminals' who had 'fair and just trials without any consideration to their intellectual, racial, or sectarian affiliation.' Shi'ite Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a fiery critic of the Saudi authorities, was sentenced to death in 2014 on charges of causing sectarian strife and disobeying the ruler. His trial was condemned as unfair by human rights groups and his supporters say he had only called for peaceful protests. Like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the Gulf Emirates are dealing with restive Shi'ite minorities, and both accused Iran of interfering with their internal affairs as the reason for curbing diplomatic relations on January 4. Sudan said it was acting in 'solidarity' with Riyadh. The Turkey-based Syrian National Coalition, a top Syrian opposition group, also declared its support for Riyadh and criticized what it said was Iran's support for militias in Syria and Iraq. Also rallying behind Riyadh was the Arab League, which has scheduled talks on January 10 on the split with Tehran. White House spokesman Josh Earnest urged the two sides to calm down and said the United States had raised concerns with Riyadh about executing the Shi'ite cleric for fear it would provoke a backlash in the Shi'ite world like the one that came to pass. Now, the United States is concerned that the flare-up between Iran and Saudi Arabia will derail the Syrian peace effort spearheaded by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, he said. 'It was very difficult to get everybody around the table. It certainly is going to be even more difficult to get everybody back around the table if you have the Saudis and the Iranians trading public barbs and public expressions of antagonism,' Earnest said. With reporting by Reuters, dpa, AP, and AFP Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/ saudi-arabia-denies-rift-with-iran-will-hurt- un-syrian-peace-negtotiations/27468051.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian Army Resists Daesh Attack in Hama After Intense Clashes Sputnik News 21:03 05.01.2016(updated 22:10 05.01.2016) The Syrian Army and National Defense Forces (NDF) resisted an attack by Daesh in a rural area in the Eastern part of Hama province following an intense fight. "The Syrian army troops and their allies thwarted the ISIL attempt to infiltrate into the defense lines of the government forces in al-Mab'ujah village in Salamiyah district," Fars News Agency reported the army as saying. The army further said that Syrian army artillery units heavily bombed the militants' strongholds near the villages of al-Qahira, Tal Wasit, al-Mansoura and al-Ziyarah and the regions of al-Dellak and al-Sathiyat across Hama province, resulting in a major death toll for the terrorists. Syrian army troops attacked the terrorist groups' defense lines in Suran, killing and wounding tens of terrorists. The terrorist groups' military automobiles and equipment were also demolished in the attack, an army source told FNA. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian Army Drives Daesh Away From Strategic Air Base Near Aleppo Sputnik News 09:24 05.01.2016(updated 12:15 05.01.2016) The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) launched a major offensive to destroy Daesh strongholds in the villages surrounding the Kweiris (Kuweires) military airbase in the province of Aleppo, the Fars news agency reported. The SAA is said to have freed the village of Nejjarah, killing scores of militants and destroying military hardware in the operation. Damascus-led forces then launched rocket and artillery attacks against rebels in other villages located in the vicinity of the base. The Syrian Army, assisted by Russian warplanes, lifted the months-long siege of the Kuweires military airbase in a major offensive in November 2015. In addition, Damascus-led forces are credited with destroying Daesh command headquarters and killing scores of militants in the village of Tal Hatabat, located to the east of the provincial capital. They also targeted an ammunition depot in the Matar al-Nairab region and militant supply routes in the town of Khanasser. The SAA carried out operations in al-Lairmoun, Jami'at al-Zahra and the village of al-Mansoura, located to the west of Aleppo. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Analysts: Anti-IS Coalition Strikes in Syria Yielding Results by Jamie Dettmer January 05, 2016 An Islamic State judge is among the latest top jihadists to be killed in targeted coalition airstrikes that are seen as beginning to take a toll on the leadership ranks of the terrorist army. U.S. officials vow 2016 will see many more strikes aimed at degrading the militant group's command and control structure and especially of its mid-level battlefield leadership. U.S. commando raids designed to throw the group's leadership off balance are also more likely. The targeted airstrikes appear to be alarming the group that is if the latest IS propaganda video is anything to go by, analysts say. A gruesome ten-minute execution-style video released at the weekend, featuring five men from the city of Raqqa "confessing" under duress to having helped pinpoint locations and foreign jihadist fighters for bombing runs, suggests that airstrikes are figuring prominently in the minds of IS propagandists. None of the men from Raqqa all were filmed being shot dead at point-blank range admitted in their forced confessions to having spied for any particular country, although the British-accented IS narrator says on the video they were working for British intelligence. That allegation is dismissed by British authorities. And media activists with Raqqa is being slaughtered silently say the men were linked with their anti-IS network, which documents IS atrocities in the Syrian province. Afzal Ashraf, an analyst with the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank, says it is "doubtful that the men were members of a British spy cell." Frequent airstrikes Whatever the truth about the murdered men, coalition airstrikes targeting IS leaders and battlefield commanders and modeled have become more frequent in recent weeks. Last week, a Pentagon spokesman said 10 Islamic State leaders had been killed since early December, including individuals linked to the planning of the November terror attacks in Paris that left 130 dead. Colonel Steve Warren, a spokesman for the U.S.-led military campaign against Islamic State, told reporters that the leadership deaths were affecting IS on the battlefield. He attributed several successes of anti-IS fighters on the ground in recent weeks, including the retaking of the Iraqi city of Ramadi, to "the fact that the organization is losing its leadership." The latest targeted strike came Saturday on the Iraqi town of Tel Afar an attack that killed Sharia Court judge Hisham Hussein Shakhbalar al-Afri and well as the IS security chief in the town, Taha Muhammad Nur Qazzan, according to Iraqi security sources. They say a missile launched from a drone struck a convoy carrying the judge, killing him and Tel Afar's security chief along with their 11 guards. Other top figures from the group killed recently include Abdul Qader Hakim, who was slain in the Iraqi city of Mosul on December 24 and, in Syria on the same day, Charaffe al Mouadan. U.S. and European officials say both men were linked to the Paris attacks and were helping to plan other terrorist assaults in Europe. Western governments appear keen to strike back quickly at IS planners responsible for the killing of their citizens, if for no other reason than to reassure their own publics. Last November, British IS militant Mohammed Emwazi, who was dubbed by the press as "Jihadi John" and who appeared in several beheading videos, was believed to have been killed in a British drone strike in Syria. In August a British drone strike killed Reyaad Khan, a 21-year-old from Cardiff in Wales. In the same month, Junaid Hussain, a 21-year-old hacker-turned-jihadist from Birmingham in Britain, who ran an IS information and recruitment arm from Syria, was killed in a U.S. drone strike near Raqqa. Granular intelligence Targeted airstrikes require so-called granular intelligence, collected from phone-call intercepts and the monitoring of emails and text messages, information supplied from the ground either from drone and satellite surveillance, and human intelligence offered by spotters and spies. "It's not as easy as looking at an iPhone video of a convoy and then immediately striking," General Martin Dempsey, who stepped down in September as the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, once cautioned a Senate panel. With targeted strikes mounting, IS appears ever more concerned about spies helping to direct the bombing runs or spotting possible jihadists to strike. In the IS propaganda video released Sunday, one of the detained men, Obay Mohammed Abdul Ghani, a 26-year-old, claimed under duress that he was asked to film the tags of a specific car to pinpoint its location so it could be bombed. In his forced confession, he said he was asked also for a map of the Islamic court building in Raqqa so that it could be bombed - and told to secure the computer IP address for an Australian member of IS so his location could be pinpointed. In another forced confession a detainee says he was sent photographs of British IS fighters and asked to pinpoint their locations so they could be attacked. IS appears to have become increasingly concerned about its vulnerability to airstrikes in Syria. In Raqqa the group has evacuated landmark buildings or thinned out the number of fighters occupying them,and more IS members are showing signs of being security conscious by wearing ski masks. Also, more fighters are being housed among the civilian population, according to anti-IS activists. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Jordan cracks (down) under refugee pressure By Bethan Staton AMMAN, 6 January 2016 (IRIN) - The Sudanese asylum seekers and refugees had been protesting for more than a month when the police came to deport them late December. Hundreds were camped outside the Amman offices of the UN's refugee agency, UNHCR, driven to desperate measures by poverty and hopelessness in Jordan, where life for many has been on hold for years. They'd demanded more support, and resettlement to a country where they could build a life for themselves. "We can't carry on like this," Hatem, a protestor whose name has been changed to protect his safety, told IRIN. But instead of relief, around 600 Sudanese were returned to Khartoum. International agencies agree they're not safe in Sudan, where ongoing violence has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands and displaced millions. But the danger refugees face in Khartoum did not deter the government from sending them back. "We didn't expect what happened," Hatem said, continuing, despite the deportations, to state his respect for the Jordanian government. At the beginning of what's already set to be a tough year, the forcible return is a grim indicator of the growing insecurity refugees in Jordan face. With the neighbouring war in Syria entering its sixth year, some 630,000 Syrian refugees are now registered in the kingdom. But they're just the largest and most high-profile group among almost 700,000 refugees and asylum seekers from more than 40 different nations. A larger crisis The protest that prompted the deportation was symptomatic of Jordan's larger refugee crisis. Many of those camped outside the UNHCR offices said they were unable to pay rent and couldn't afford food: they had, they simply said, nowhere else to go. "How long can refugees continue, just on the basic assistance we're providing?" Aoife McDonnell, spokeswoman for UNHCR in Amman, told IRIN. Most refugees in Jordan, including Syrians, don't have permits to work legally. Access to employment, she added, will continue to be an issue as the years they spend in the country stretch onward. "Their savings are gone. The money's gone. The media lost interest for quite some time," she said. "Various populations feel they're being forgotten about." Thanks to limited funding, UNHCR aid offers very limited relief. A minority of refugees mostly vulnerable families, such as those headed by women receive monetary support of a few hundred Jordanian dinar (300 JOD is $423) each month. Others are eligible for emergency funding and receive winter aid for heating and essentials, and some groups receive food vouchers and non-monetary support including housing. Beyond that, many refugees are largely left to support themselves chiefly with illegal, precarious and low-paid work. The chance of escape through legal resettlement to a better life is low: only 2.9 percent of Jordan's Sudanese population which numbered just 3,500 before the deportation have been resettled to a third country. For Syrians, the rate is even lower, at 2.3 percent. "The difficulty is how can we and it's not just the Sudanese but the whole population of concern how can we continue to give hope to these people," McDonnell said. For the Sudanese community and those working with them, the Jordanian government's move came as a shock. A mass deportation of this scale is unprecedented in Jordan. It's in flagrant violation of the international legal principle of non-refoulement, which states that people of concern must not be returned to a place where persecution threatens their life or freedom, and it took place under the nose of the very agency meant to protect refugees. "At no stage was deportation [thought to be] on the cards," McDonnell told IRIN. Several sources reported to IRIN that high-level international advocacy efforts tried and failed to put a stop to the government action. "It was a peaceful protest. It does not warrant a deportation," McDonnell added. Crackdown? Many of the humanitarian and human rights workers IRIN spoke to believe that the deportation was a warning from Jordan. Unrest, the repatriation seems to suggest, will be not be tolerated by the government. Refugees who protest to better their circumstances cannot assume their rights will be respected, nor that the international community can do anything to protect them. "It has reverberations within the wider refugee community to know that Jordan is capable of this, that they can do it and they can get away with it," Adam Coogle, a researcher for Human Rights Watch in Jordan, said. "[The deportation also means] that Jordan's donor countries are either powerless to stop it, or decided not to push back on behalf of vulnerable refugees." A senior source at an NGO that works closely with Sudanese refugees, agreed. "Despite these deportations being completely beyond the pale, it is not that surprising that the government responded sternly," he said. "The government is very concerned about losing control of the refugee situation in the country." Representatives of the Jordanian government did not respond to IRIN's requests for comment. At the time of the deportation, Jordanian government spokesman Mohamed Momani told journalists that the Sudanese deportees were in the country illegally because they had entered the country on medical visas. It's a claim that was dismissed by the UNHCR and Human Rights Watch. The vast majority of protesters, they said, were registered as asylum seekers or refugees, and the way individuals enter a country or flee where they're in danger does not delegitimise a claim to asylum. In the Sudanese community, the effects of the deportation are already being felt. Sudanese refugees have historically been relatively well-organised when it comes to community support and activism. But now the fear of a crackdown means many are too afraid to even go outside, or try to find the work they need to survive every day. Protesting, when they know it could mean deportation, now feels impossible. "We don't know how to change it," Hatem told IRIN. "If some of us protest, then we'll be deported. We're puzzled [about] what to do. We want to find safety and tranquility here, but some of us are even afraid to go to the UNHCR now." Wider implications For Syrians living in Jordan, this fear is more familiar. Their country's close proximity to Jordan, and the ease with which the government can invoke security justifications, means deportation has been a real threat for some time. Forcible returns to Syria have also been documented by human rights watchdogs. 'The sort of chilling effect that you could be deported has been felt by the Syrians since the beginning, maybe, of 2013," Coogle explained. "Because they know, they all know someone who got taken and maybe sent back. The Syrians all know that you better not do a damn thing." What does this mean for the future of providing for refugees? Among development and human rights professionals, there's a concern that the deportation is indicative of a serious shrinking of humanitarian space. If 2016 is a year that sees other concerns whether that be security, politics, fear of unrest or simply pressure on resources override refugees' basic rights for protection and aid, it will mean further, deepened hardship for those seeking a safe haven in Jordan. And with 12,000 Syrian refugees Tuesday confirmed to be stranded at the border with Jordan officials had previously said the number was an exaggeration access to refuge in Jordan looks to be under even greater threat. Aid agencies report that the humanitarian situation at the border is becoming increasingly grave: freezing temperatures and snow falling in the region are adding to the poor sanitation and malnutrition that were already threatening the lives of those who are trapped. But Momani said security concerns prevent the authorities letting refugees enter in large numbers. "No matter how much support is provided, people aren't going to go home," UNHCR's McDonnell said. "And as the international community, the focus has to be to find political solutions, and countries cannot continue to absorb more and more people who, as time goes on, become more vulnerable." The underlying issue is the number of unresolved conflicts in the region, McDonnell added. "It wasn't safe for these people to go home. It certainly wasn't safe for them to be forcibly returned." bs/as/ag Theme (s): Refugees/IDPs, Copyright IRIN 2016 This material comes to you via IRIN, the humanitarian news and analysis service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations or its Member States. IRIN is a project of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President pleased at Beijing's plan to open cross-strait transit ROC Central News Agency 2016/01/05 21:42:56 Taipei, Jan. 5 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou () on Tuesday expressed his appreciation of a decision by China to allow its nationals to transit through Taiwan on overseas trips. Ma believes the development has again demonstrated Beijing's sincerity in honoring the consensus reached during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping () in Singapore last November, according to Presidential Office spokesman Charles Chen (). Ma said the peaceful and prosperous status quo across the Taiwan Strait has not come by easily and he hopes his successor will carefully maintain and cherish it, Chen said. On Tuesday, China's Taiwan Affairs Office announced that Chinese nationals flying from the Chinese cities of Nanchang, Kunming and Chongqing will be allowed to transit through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport before flying on to third destinations. It is the third legacy of the Ma-Xi meeting, after the launch of a telephone hotline system connecting the heads of cross-strait affairs on each side of the strait and an increase in the number of technical vocational students from China allowed to study in Taiwan. Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) deputy chief Lin Chu-chia () said the latest announcement by China has further demonstrated the fruits of the Ma-Xi meeting and also represents Beijing's goodwill. If the plan is implemented smoothly in the three Chinese cities, the MAC will negotiate with the mainland on the possibility of expanding it to all other Chinese cities, Lin said. Also Tuesday, Taiwan's two biggest air carriers, China Airlines (CAL) and EVA Airways, both said they welcomed the development. CAL said allowing Chinese nationals to transit through Taiwan is expected to increase its passenger volume on the European, U.S., Australia and New Zealand routes. At present, CAL operates three flights per week between Taoyuan and Nanchang, two flights per week between Kaohsiung and Nanchang and two flights per week between Kaohsiung and Chongqing, the company said. It will become more convenient for people from both sides of the strait to travel to North America and Southeast Asia in the future, it said. EVA, meanwhile, said it will increase flights between the three Chinese cities and Taoyuan and hopes that the policy will be expanded to other cities so that more passengers can transit through Taiwan's biggest airport. (By Hsieh Chia-chen, Yin Chun-chieh, Chen Wei-ting and Y.F. Low) ENDITEM/CS NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Taiwan decides on approach to talks with Japan on comfort women ROC Central News Agency 2016/01/05 23:11:57 Taipei, Jan. 5 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and several government agencies on Tuesday devised an approach to planned negotiations with Japan on the issue of 'comfort women,' females who were forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army in occupied territories during World War II. After a two-hour meeting, a working group that comprised officials from several relevant government agencies and a women's rights group agreed that Taiwan will ask Japan to issue a formal apology to Taiwanese comfort women, offer compensation to the surviving women, and restore their reputation, the foreign ministry said. The decision followed Foreign Minister David Lin's () comments last week that Japan is willing to negotiate with Taiwan on the comfort women issue, and that talks will start in January in Tokyo. Tuesday's planning meeting was convened by Deputy Foreign Minister Bruce Linghu () and attended by members of the Association of East Asian Relations under the Foreign Ministry, officials from the ministries of culture, health and welfare and education, and representatives of the Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation, which has been dedicated for more than 20 years to helping Taiwanese comfort women. The meeting was held a day ahead of schedule after Japan indicated that it did not intend to resolve the comfort women issue with other countries the same way it did with South Korea. Presidential Office spokesman Charles Chen () reiterated Tuesday that Japan should offer a formal apology and compensation to Taiwanese comfort women. President Ma Ying-jeou () has given a directive to Taiwan's representative office in Tokyo to step up communication with Japan and seek the same treatment for Taiwanese victims that Japan offered to South Koreans, Chen added. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister David Lin said that Taiwan and Japan have communicated each other on the issue through diplomatic channels. On Monday, Vice Foreign Minister Linhu met Japan's representative to Taiwan Mikio Mumata, while Taiwan's representative to Japan Shen Ssu-tsun () held talks with senior officials of the Interchange Association of Japan in Tokyo, the minister revealed, adding that the Japanese side said that they will take a flexible manner in dealing with this issue. In recent talks in Seoul with South Korea, Japan agreed to apologize to that country's 'comfort women' and donate around 1 billion Japanese yen to a foundation set up by the South Korean government for the victims. But on Monday, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga indicated on Japanese TV that his government does not intend to resolve the 'comfort women' issue with other countries and regions in the same way that it did with South Korea. At a press conference Tuesday, Suga said Japan has so far faced the 'comfort women' dispute with other countries in an honest manner. When asked about Taiwan's demand for a formal apology over the issue, Suga declined to divulge the details of the planned negotiations with Taipei. In response, Chang Jen-joe (), secretary-general of the Association of East Asian Relations, said Tuesday in Taipei that the Foreign Ministry will continue to communicate with Japan on the issue. Kang Shu-hua (), executive director of the Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation, which assists Taiwanese comfort women, told CNA that it does not think the Japanese government sincerely wants to resolve the matter. The most important thing is for Japan to apologize and try to restore the reputation of the women, Kang said, adding that monetary compensation comes second. The term 'comfort women' euphemistically describes women from around East Asia who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II. According to the foundation, the women included 2,000 Taiwanese, 58 of whom later came forward to seek compensation and a formal apology from Japan. Only four of them are still alive, the foundation said. Despite the foundation's annual protests and repeated calls for an apology and compensation for Taiwanese comfort women, Japan has never given a positive response. With the assistance of the foundation, a group of Taiwanese comfort women have unsuccessfully filed several lawsuits in Tokyo against the Japanese government since 1999. (By Tang Pei-chun and Elaine Hou) ENDITEM/pc NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkish cleric to stand trial over Erdogan graft scandal Iran Press TV Tue Jan 5, 2016 2:12PM A US-based outspoken opponent of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to go on trial along with dozens of former police officers for exposing a corruption scandal surrounding the country's leader three years ago. Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999, will be tried in absentia at Istanbul's main courthouse on Wednesday. Gulen is charged with 'attempting to bring down the government' and 'running a terrorist group', his lawyer Nurullah Albayrak said. Erdogan has accused the cleric and his followers of plotting to overthrow the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) after prosecutors seen as sympathetic to Gulen launched a graft probe against the Turkish leader's inner circle in 2013, leading to the resignation of the ministers of economy, interior and urbanization. Gulen is also accused of giving orders to allies in Turkey's police force to launch the investigation. However, his lawyer said that the evidence included in the 1,453-page-long indictment did not support the claims against the cleric. 'There is no evidence that this was a terrorist organization. The charges are based on assumptions and on simple declarations and these are not enough,' Albayrak said, The only proof is a phone conversation between Gulen and a police officer the day the scandal broke, but "there is no indication that he is giving orders to anyone," he added. Prosecutors are seeking an aggravated life term - the highest penalty possible in Turkey - for Gulen as well as two ex-police chiefs. The other 66 suspects involved in the case also face jail terms from seven years to 330 years. Over the past months, the Turkish government has intensified its crackdown on the supporters of Gulen and carried out raids on pro-Gulen media. Since the summer of 2014, approximately 1,800 people have been arrested as part of a crackdown against the followers of Gulen, while some 280 of them being still in jail pending trial, according to the state-run Anatolia news agency. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Soldiers Said Involved In Downing Of MH17 Airliner January 05, 2016 by RFE/RL Dutch prosecutors are investigating a claim by a citizen-journalist group that at least 20 Russian soldiers were involved in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014. The Britain-based Bellingcat group said it had identified up to 100 Russian soldiers who may have knowledge of the movements of the Buk missile launcher that destroyed the Boeing 777 on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 on board. In an interview with the Dutch TV channel NOS on January 3, Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins said his organization believed at least 20 soldiers in an air-defense unit based in Kursk 'probably' either fired the missile or know who fired it. The sources for the group's findings include the soldiers' social-media accounts, photos posted online, and army data about personnel deployment that was available online. 'We have the names and photos of the soldiers in the June convoy who traveled with the MH17 Buk, their commanders, their commanders' commanders, etc,' Higgins told the London Telegraph. He added that the group's redacted 123-page report on the matter will be released shortly. Bellingcat specializes in trawling through data on social media and other online sources. It has been investigating the crash since it occurred. It reported in 2014 that a Buk mobile launcher was spotted on July 17 in an area controlled by pro-Russian separatists and said that the missile launcher came from a military convoy from Russia's 53rd Antiaircraft Brigade -- a unit based in Kursk but sent on maneuvers near the Ukrainian border. Dutch prosecutors in charge of the official investigations of the MH17 crash said on January 4 that they were investigating the claims that Russians were involved. 'We received the report just after Christmas,' Wim de Bruin, a spokesman for the Dutch prosecutor's office, told AFP. 'We will seriously study it and determine whether it can be used for the criminal inquiry,' he said. A criminal investigation by the prosecutors' office is expected to name suspects in the case later this year. An air-accident investigation by the Dutch Safety Board released in October concluded that the Boeing 777 was destroyed by a Buk antiaircraft missile fired from a position inside separatist territory. Russia has denied sending troops or weapons into eastern Ukraine at any time since the war broke out in 2014, and has blamed Kyiv for the shootdown. The Donetsk People's Republic, the Russian-backed group that controls the area, insists it never had access to BUK missiles and has dismissed evidence showing a BUK launcher operating in the area when the jet was shot down. With reporting by AFP and the London Telegraph Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/russian- soldiers-said-involved-in-downing-mh17-malaysian- airliner-dutch-investigation/27468043.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address H-Bomb Test - 06 January 2016 On 06 January 2016, North Korea announced that it had conducted a successful test of a Hydrogen bomb. No reason was given as to why the test was conducted this week but January 8 does mark North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's birthday. The test was reported to have been conducted at 10:00 AM local time, on Wednesday, Juche 105 (2016). KCNA reported that the order to conduct the test was issued by Kim Jong Un on 15 December 2015 and signed on 03 January 2016. Prior to official North Korean confirmation, an earthquake described as being of an 'artificial nature' was detected in the general vicinity of the town of Kilchu. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake was of 5.1 magnitude with the epicenter located in Pekam county, in Yangkang province, in the same area as the Punggye-ri site where prior North Korean nuclear tests had previously taken place. According to the statement released by the North Korean government, "this test is a measure for self-defence the DPRK has taken to firmly protect the sovereignty of the country and the vital right of the nation from the ever-growing nuclear threat and blackmail by the U.S.-led hostile forces and to reliably safeguard the peace on the Korean Peninsula and regional security." In its televised announcement, the announcer said Pyongyang planned to continue to develop its nuclear technology until the sky falls. After North Koreas third nuclear test in 2013, the United Nations Security Council passed resolutions banning Pyongyang from conducting further nuclear and offensive weapons tests and imposed harsh economic sanctions against the Kim Jong Un regime. South Korean President Park chaired an emergency meeting of the National Security Council soon after the North's claim of a hydrogen bomb test and the South Korean government released a statement on the situation in a matter of hours after the North confirmed its attempt. President Park Geun-hye said North Korea's claim of a fourth nuclear test would be a direct challenge to South Korea's national security, threatening the survival of its citizens. She said the latest provocation had the potential to shake up the security landscape in Northeast Asia and stressed the North must pay for its nuclear ambition and actions that go against international peace and stability. Seoul condemned Pyongyang and said a nuclear test would violate UN Security Council resolutions. It said it is seeking further sanctions to denuclearize Pyongyang in cooperation with the international community. North Korea's closest ally China showed firm opposition in a daily briefing at itsforeign ministry, denying any prior knowledge of the alleged experiment. "China will firmly promote the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and insist on solving the Peninsula nuclear issue within Six-Party Talks framework." United States National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement that the U.S. has consistently made clear it will not accept a nuclear North Korea. "We will continue to protect and defend our allies in the region, including the Republic of Korea, and will respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations," Price said. British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, who was in a two-day visit to China's capital Beijing, said that if the test reports are true, it is quote "a breach of UN resolutions and a provocation he condemns without reservation." He also told reporters that both the U.K. and China oppose the test and want to see resumption of UN six party talks for the North's denuclearization. "There can always be more done to strengthen them and tighten the way sanctions are applied and I would urge all of our partners to ensure that they are applied as constantly and effectively as possible." The European Union, Japan and South Korea have agreed to coordinate a joint response to North Korea, within the framework of the United Nations after Pyongyang made allegations of carrying out a hydrogen bomb test, the European Union External Action service said. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini held a telephone conversation with her South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Yun Byung-se and Fumio Kishida, respectively. The sides "discussed the way ahead, beginning this afternoon with an urgent session of the UN Security Council. They agreed on the need for a strong, coordinated and united reaction by the international community, including in the UN and in the G7, which Japan is currently chairing," the statement read. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also slammed the North's claims, declaring it a "serious threat" to his country and a "grave challenge`" to international nuclear non-proliferation efforts. "Japan will take a firm response, including at the UN Security Council, in cooperation with the United States, South Korea, China and Russia, on this." France and Australia have also joined global condemnation of the alleged nuclear testing, while Russia's foreign ministry was more cautious with its statement. It called on "all interested sides to preserve maximum restraint and to not take actions that could rouse the uncontrolled growth of tensions in Northeast Asia." "This act is profoundly destabilizing for regional security and seriously undermines international non-proliferation efforts," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said of the North Korean test. "I condemn it unequivocally." Yukiya Amano, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, called the test a "clear violation" of the UN sanctions and said it is "deeply regrettable." An atomic bomb involves fission reaction, in which a neutron collides with an atom's nucleus, splitting it into two nuclei and releasing nuclear energy. Also called an A-bomb. Nuclear reactors use fission to produce electricity. The US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945 to bring an end to World War Two. A hydrogen bomb involves fusion reaction, in which nuclei collide to form a new nucleus. Also called a thermonuclear bomb, H-bomb, or two stage bomb, a hydrogen bomb is triggered by a small A-bomb. The sun and stars are powered by the fusion process. Fusion reactions allow for massive explosive yields potentially thousands of times more powerful than an atomic bomb. South Korea's defense ministry said it is unlikely that North Korea conducted a full-scale hydrogen bomb test, as an H-bomb is one-hundred to one-thousand times stronger than an atomic bomb, and added that it's hard to believe Pyongyang has obtained the technology. Military officials added that only a few countries including the U.S. and Russia have tested hydrogen bombs While Pyongyang may well be overstating the extent of its nuclear capabilities, an H-bomb-armed North Korea is far from an outlandish proposition, say some experts. Policy analysts seem pretty convinced that we are entering the age of the North Korean H-bomb, said David Galbreath, professor of international security at Bath University and an expert on arms control. Even if this was not a successful hydrogen bomb test it is something that is going to happen sooner or later, unless there is some kind of Iran-style nuclear agreement, which seems extremely unlikely. That North Korea may have carried out a successful H-bomb test does not come as a surprise, Dr Matthew Cottee, research associate for non-proliferation and nuclear policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, agreed. This is something we have been talking about for a while in relation to North Korea an H-bomb test was only a question of when, not if. It is generally believed that the design and production of hydrogen bombs is difficult, and beyond the reach of some nuclear weapons states, such as North Korea. This is the "Ignorant Peon" view of North Korea. In "Dr. Strangelove," Air Force Gen. Buck Turgidson disparages the Soviets as "a bunch of ignorant peons" who are unable to "understand a machine like some of our boys." There is a tendency to disparage the North Koreans (as well as Pakistanis, Iranians and Indians) as ignorant peons whose weapons skills are consistently derided as "primitive." This belief is probably incorrect. North Korea's first two tests were low yield affairs, widely derided as failures, because it did not replicate the multi-kiloton yield of America's first nuclear test. It did, however, coincide with the sub-kiloton tests of the fission trigger for a hydrogen bomb. The "ignorant peon'" school tells us that North Korea's "primitive" atomic bombs are too big to put on missiles. But possibly North Korea's hydrogen bombs are easily fitted on missiles. Two-stage fusion weapons are probably within the reach of "even the smallest nuclear power", as Doctro Strangelove would phrase it. There are three elements that are needed to build a hydrogen bomb: The basic design elements of the hydrogen bomb have been a matter of public record for several decades. This desing confounded Edward Teller for the better part of a decade, and Soviet designers needed several years to cover the same ground, but for the past several decades the basic ideas have been well known. The ingredients of a hydrogen bomb are largely those of an atomic bomb, along with a few other items - Tritium, special plastics, and so forth - that would come fairly readily to hand in a nuclear weapons state. Computing power is the element that brings together the design and the materials, to simulate the accuracy with which theory has been reduced to practice. Today's home computers are roughly a million times more powerful than the computers used by the United States to produce the first hydrogen bomb. In all probability, at least one test of a low yield trigger would be needed just to make sure nothing had been overlooked. Israel seems to have conducted once such test in 1979, as did Pakistan in 1998. India conducted multiple low yield tests in 1989, and North Korea has conducted at least two low yield tests. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Nuclear Weapons Testing North Korea says it may test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean after Donald Trump threatened to destroy the country, whose leader responded by promising to make a "mentally deranged" Trump pay dearly for his threats. Speaking in New York City on 22 September 2017, Ri Yong-ho, North Korea's foreign minister, said his country could consider a hydrogen bomb test on an unprecedented scale on the Pacific Ocean, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported. Pyongyang may consider conducting its second hydrogen bomb test, in the Pacific Ocean, the North Korean foreign minister told the media, commenting on Kim Jong-uns latest response to Donald Trump. "It could be the most powerful detonation of an H-bomb in the Pacific," Ri said, as quoted by South Korean agency Yonhap. In a rare statement directly attributed to the North's leader, Kim Jong-un has said Trump is "unfit to hold the prerogative of supreme command of a country". It is unusual for the North Korean leader to issue such a statement in his own name. "Now that Trump has insulted me and my country in front of the eyes of the world, we will consider with seriousness exercising of a corresponding, highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history," Kim said. South Korea said a magnitude 3.0 earthquake was detected in North Korea on 23 September 2017, near the area where Pyongyang recently conducted a nuclear test. South Koreas meteorological agency said it was analyzing the tremor, saying the initial assessment was it was a natural earthquake. The earthquake was detected in an area around Kilju, in the northeastern Hamgyong Province, and about 20 kilometers southeast of where the North conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3, South Koreas weather agency said. The September 3 test registered as a 6.3 magnitude quake. All of North Korea's previous six nuclear tests registered as earthquakes of magnitude 4.3 or above. However, Chinas official Xinhua News Agency said earlier that Chinas seismic service detected a magnitude 3.4 quake in North Korea and saw the likely cause as an explosion. There was no immediate reaction from China's Foreign Ministry. South Korean and American intelligence authorities detected signs of massive excavation at North Koreas nuclear test site. A South Korean source reported on 12 May 2017 that North Korea was excavating tunnel 4 at its Punggye-ri nuclear test site in North Hamgyong Province, mobilizing a number of coal mine vehicles. The source said that it was unlikely the North would carry out a nuclear test when excavation work was under way nearby, meaning an expected nuclear test would likely be delayed. There was speculation that growing pressure from the U.S. and China might have encouraged the North to postpone a planned test. China recently beefed up its pressure against Pyongyang by threatening to slash its oil supplies to the North. South Korea and the US closely monitored the Norths movement on the assumption that the tunnels at the Punggye-ri site are ready and that the North can conduct a nuclear test any time. KCNA reported 09 September 2016 that the Nuclear Weapons Institute of the DPRK made public the following statement: "Scientists and technicians of the DPRK carried out a nuclear explosion test for the judgment of the power of a nuclear warhead newly studied and manufactured by them at the northern nuclear test ground under the plan of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) for building strategic nuclear force.... The standardization of the nuclear warhead will enable the DPRK to produce at will and as many as it wants a variety of smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear warheads of higher strike powe..." An earthquake of a magnitude of around five on the Richter scale had been detected from the North Korean nuclear test site. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre(EMSC) said Friday that it detected the tremor at 9 a.m., South Korea time, from Punggye-ri located in Kilju County, North Hamgyong Province. The Korea Meteorological Administration(KMA) said that the tremor occurred at 9:30 a.m., calling it an artificially-created quake. The U.S. Geological Survey(USGS) concurred to the KMA assessment, saying that the tremor originates from within one-kilometer below ground. The ROK government said 18 July 2016 that North Korea appeared to be ready to carry out a nuclear test at any time. Unification Ministry Spokesman Jeong Joon-hee revealed the stance during a regular news briefing, adding that the government is closely monitoring movements in the North and maintaining an all-out readiness posture based on close cooperation with the United States. Regarding any substantial developments related to the Norths preparations for a nuclear test, Jeong said he has no particular information. Japans Kyodo News quoted government sources in Seoul and Tokyo as saying that it is possible that Pyongyang will conduct a fifth nuclear test as early as July 2016, citing high levels of activity being observed over the past week at the Norths Punggye-ri nuclear test site. Since its fourth nuclear test in January 2016, the DPRK regime had been observed preparing for another nuclear test, but the speculation over the fifth nuclear test has been rising since the Seoul-Washington alliances decision to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense in South Korea. Two days after the THAAD deployment decision was made, Pyongyang threatened to launch physical action against South Korea and the US. Pyongyang threatened to conduct a new form of nuclear test. North Korea made it very clear, we will carry out a new form of nuclear test. But I recommend you to wait and see what it is," North Korea's deputy UN ambassador, Ri Tong Il, said on 04 April 2014. Balloons were used by the United States as test platforms at the NTS. Balloon shots were somewhat cleaner than tower shots because there was no steel structure to vaporize and contribute to the fallout cloud. Tests to determine the feasibility of balloons as captive detonation platforms were conducted in 1955 in New Mexico. The first use of a balloon was "Lassen," a 0.5-kiloton test on June 5, 1957. DeBACA was a balloon burst fired October 26, 1958. TRINITY, the First Nuclear Test ever conducted, was a 19 kiloton tower shot exploded July 16, 1945 in New Mexico. Test towers were built to heights of up to 700 feet. Structural strengths depended on conditions of the test. They towers contained as little metal as possible, partly for economy, but primarily to reduce the quantity of vaporized material contributing to radioactive clouds. Operation Plumbob in 1957 was the sixth in a series of continental tests conducted by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) to test laboratory design of weapons. The AEC and other government agencies also gathered nuclear effects data for military and civilian purposes, including creation of effective countermeasures. It was, in 1957, the largest series attempted in Nevada with 30 shots from early April to early October. Testing in Nevada could be accomplished more expeditiously and cheaply than possible in the Pacific, but was also useful in developing the next round of full-scale testing at the Eniwetok Proving Ground. A number of operational advancements were made on Plumbob in new techniques for firing the test devices to minimize fallout hazard. Three basic test methods were tried: Higher towers for given yields Underground detonation Balloon-suspended devices These methods were superior to air-drop testing by allowing for more diagnostic data, while easing the fallout problem and speeding up firing schedules. The balloon series, including the Hood Event, was used for positioning test devices at higher altitudes and made its debut in Plumbob. The technique also eliminated steel tower contamination from vaporized metal that occurred during tower shots. In all, 13 devices were detonated at elevations ranging from 500 to 1,500 feet. In the Hood Event in the Plumbbob Operation a nuclear device was detonated from a balloon tethered at 1,500 feet. This was the biggest atmospheric test ever conducted at the Nevada Test Site. The most difficult step in balloon operations was the transfer of the weapon cab to the balloon and was accomplished only when surface winds did not exceed 15 knots, predicted on basis of wind persistence. These surface winds, known as balloon weather, accounted for only seven days delay. Unfavorable fallout predictions resulted in 9 days of delay on balloon shots, whereas 55 days delay were encountered on tower shots. Once the weapon cab was connected in series with the main balloon cable, the three guide cables connected to power winches at some distance from ground zero were attached to the cab. After arming of the device in the cab, full control of the balloon was taken over at the control point. At the control panel, the operator visually monitored raising and positioning of the balloon on two television screens, the pictures being relayed by a microwave link. Both pictures displayed horizontal orientation. During Plumbob, balloon accuracy averaged two feet within the required position. According to an analysis by Satoshi Morimoto of Takushoku University, " ... carrying out nuclear tests inside North Korea would be an extremely sticky action. That is because this kind of nuclear testing could only be carried out underground. There is absolutely no way they could do in the air or above ground. Even with underground nuclear testing, you normally need a fifty to sixty kilometer square of desert for a nuclear test. In the U.S., this would be something like the Nevada desert. Unless you have the kind they have in India or Pakistan, you cannot do it. The reason for this is that the underground water system gets damaged. North Korea has a very abundant flow of underground water, and if you carry out an underground nuclear test in this kind of place, radioactive materials would get into the water supply for the whole of the Korean peninsula, and also flow out into the Sea of Japan. As a consequence, if there were any underground nuclear testing in the Korean peninsula, it would not be just the ecological system, but also the topography of the land that would be damaged. So, will they indeed carry out tests? I think they might somehow manage to borrow the Pakistani desert, or else carry out tests in another country. Still, this being North Korea, one can never know. If they did do that sort of nuclear test, then the U.S. would run out of patience." On 11 February 2013, the US Geological Survey reported a 4.9-magnitude earthquake in North Korea, raising fears that Pyongyang had gone ahead with its threat to conduct a third nuclear test. North Korea confirmed it had conducted a nuclear test on 12 February 2013. A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of the DPRK said in an answer given to the question raised by KCNA on 17 October 2003 that "Recently some people of the international community argued whether the DPRK possesses a nuclear deterrent force or not in an attempt to sound out its inmost thought. The DPRK, however, does not care about this. When an appropriate time comes, the DPRK will take a measure to open its nuclear deterrent to the public as a physical force and then there will be no need to have any more argument." [source] During the January 2004 visit of the American delegation, DPRK Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Gye Gwan stated: "If you go back to the United States and say that the North already has nuclear weapons, this may cause the U.S. to act against us." At a later meeting, he returned to this concern by stating, "We are concerned that the U.S. Government will use what you conclude [as a pretext] to attack us. The U.S. might claim that this visit proves that the DPRK has crossed a red line when it restarted the reactor. Can we be sure that the U.S. will refrain from action if it declares that we have gone beyond its red line - such as finishing of the reprocessing and the change in the purpose of the reprocessing [from peaceful safety-related reasons to making weapons]?" [Hecker testimony] In a May 2004 interview with Selig Harrison, DPRK vice-foreign minister Kim Gye-gwan said "... the bomb dropped by the US at Nagasaki was made after four months of preparation. It's now a half century later, and we have more up-to-date technologies, so you can come to your own conclusions on this matter." DPRK foreign minister Paik Nam-soon said: "I don't think mere devices and the possession of nuclear material constitute a genuine deterrent. When we say deterrent, we mean a capability that can deter an attack." Adn Gen. Ri Chan-bok, spokesman for the Korean People's Army said "When we can't develop without a test, we'll test. ... Even without a test, we can develop, complete and manufacture nuclear weapons." ["Inside North Korea: leaders open to ending nuclear crisis," Selig Harrison, Financial Times (London, England) May 4, 2004 Tuesday] During the third round of the six-party talks held in Beijing 22-26 June 2004, the chief North Korean delegate mentioned that some elements in North Korea would like to carry out a nuclear test. A senior US official close to the negotiations clarified reports that North Korea had "threatened" to conduct a nuclear test if the negotiations failed. The official said The US official said he would not characterize the remark as a threat. On 03 October 2006, DPRK Foreign Ministry clarified the DPRK stand on new measure to bolster war deterrent. The DPRK Foreign Ministry declared that " ... the field of scientific research of the DPRK will in the future conduct a nuclear test under the condition where safety is firmly guaranteed.... The DPRK officially announced that it manufactured up-to-date nuclear weapons after going through transparent legitimate processes to cope with the U.S. escalated threat of a nuclear war and sanctions and pressure. The already declared possession of nuclear weapons presupposes the nuclear test." [KCNA] North Korea gave no date for a prospective nuclear test, but has said it is necessary to counter perceived U.S. hostility. South Korea's Ministry of National Defense raised the possibility of a fourth North Korean nuclear test. Briefing lawmakers of the ruling Saenuri Party on 22 November 2013 on North Korea's recent nuclear activities, Vice Defense Minister Baek Seung-joo said that Pyongyang is ready to conduct a fourth test at the southern underground tunnel at its main test site in Punggye-ri, Hamgyeongbuk-do Province, located in the northern part of the country. Baek however said there are no signs of an imminent test. According to Baek, the western tunnel of the test site, where the reclusive regime carried out its third nuclear test in February, is now under construction. Seoul's defense ministry also reportedly projected, that if Pyongyang continues operations at its Yongbyon nuclear reactor at the current pace, it will acquire six-kilograms of plutonium by the end of next year, which is enough to make one nuclear bomb. South Korean military officials also reportedly believe that North Korea's capabilities to miniaturize nuclear weapons have improved significantly over the past seven years ever since its first nuclear test in 2006. Although the South Korean government says another test doesn't appear imminent, some experts say it may come sooner than expected, perhaps at the end of this year, or early next year. A Test in Pakistan? In the autumn of 1998 a report leaked from Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory indicated that air samples acquired from the Kharan Desert test by US intelligence aircraft contained traces of plutonium. Pakistan, at the time of the tests, had not had time to develop a warhead from the minimal quantities of plutonium generated by the research reactor at PINSTECH. The most plausible explanation was that North Korea had participated in a joint test of an atomic weapon. It is noteworthy that the second small test at Wazir Khan Khosa, in the Kharan Desert was at such a great distance from the first larger test at Ras Koh, over 80 miles. In contrast, India conducted multiple tests in close proximity. This creates the appearance that there were aspects of the Wazir Khan Khosa test that needed to be hidden from the staff that was conducting the Ras Koh test. It is also of note that Pakistan publicized the Ras Koh test by releasing a video/film of that test, but did not release any publicity concerning the Wazir Khan Khosa test. Test Preparations On 12 September 2004 The New York Times reported on a "series of actions by North Korea that some experts believe could indicate the country is preparing to conduct its first test explosion of a nuclear weapon ... Some analysts in agencies that were the most cautious about the Iraq findings have cautioned that they do not believe the activity detected in North Korea in the past three weeks is necessarily the harbinger of a test. ... One official with access to the intelligence called it "a series of indicators of increased activity that we believe would be associated with a test," saying that the "likelihood" of a North Korean test had risen significantly in just the past four weeks. The activities included the movement of materials around several suspected test sites, including one near a location where intelligence agencies reported last year that conventional explosives were being tested that could compress a plutonium core and set off a nuclear explosion. But officials have not seen the classic indicators of preparations at a test site, in which cables are laid to measure an explosion in a deep test pit." By October 2006 US intelligence officials had detected what they are describing as unusual activity at potential North Korean nuclear test sites, although they had not been able to determine the precise nature of the activity. North Korea can conduct a nuclear test with little or no advance notice based on imagery observations alone. According to 38 North, a US-based North Korea monitoring site Pyongyang appeared to have altered its test preparation practices in order to make them more difficult to detect, as demonstrated by its fourth nuclear test on 06 January 2016. The site said previous images suggest the reclusive state may have already finished digging several underground tunnels at its main nuclear test site in Punggye-ri, which would allow them to conduct another test "with little or no warning." The United States assessed that North Korea was preparing its Punggye-ri nuclear test site and could be ready to conduct a test there as early as May 2022. "Instead of accepting invitations to dialogue, the Kim regime appears to be preparing a tactical nuclear warhead test. The timing will depend most on when the underground tunnels and modified device technology are ready," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. "A seventh nuclear test would be the first since September 2017 and raise tensions on the Korean Peninsula, increasing dangers of miscalculation and miscommunication between the Kim regime and the incoming Yoon administration." US President Joe Biden is to visit South Korea and meet with him on May 21. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address SAN DIEGO, CALIF., Jan. 6, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WomanCare Global (WCG) is pleased to announce the launch of the Whisper Woman's Condom in Malawi with partner Population Services International (PSI) as part of the USAID-funded project Expanding Effective Contraceptive Options (EECO). The goal of EECO is to support the introduction of new woman-initiated technologies and approaches to meet the needs of women and girls throughout their reproductive health life cycle. Representatives from USAID, the Malawian Ministry of Health, PSI, and WCG celebrated the launch along with partner NGOs, leading health practitioners and representatives from retail outlets that carry the product. "Whisper is the first product introduced under EECO," said Temple Cooley, Deputy Director of EECO. "The Woman's Condom has the potential to positively impact the lives of women and men in Malawi by allowing them greater freedom and choice in their reproductive decisions." The Woman's Condom is a new type of female condom designed by the international health organization PATH. The condom is made of a softer, thinner material and possesses unique design features such as a small rounded cap to ease insertion and four small foam dots that replace the inner ring found in other female condoms. WomanCare Global has launched an intensive medical detailing platform to enhance provider education and distribution of the product in Malawi. Project partner PSI will educate the broader public through a comprehensive communications campaign, including mass media, an SMS hotline service and a network of community-level Whisper brand promoters. "WCG is thrilled to be involved with a woman-initiated and hormone-free product that offers dual protection against unintended pregnancy and STIs such as HIV," said Dr. Kelly Culwell, Chief Medical Officer, of WCG. "We are happy to work with partners like PSI to improve access to reproductive options for women globally." About WomanCare Global WomanCare Global is a global non-profit healthcare company founded in 2009, whose mission is to provide reproductive health solutions for women and girls around the world. Leveraging medical, social and commercial expertise, WCG has built a sustainable value chain that enables the reliable delivery of high-quality products and point of care services, resulting in more informed providers and more family planning options for women and girls. WCG's hybrid model redirects financial surplus achieved from sales in developed countries to under-served markets thereby eliminating economic and geographic barriers and increasing impact. About PSI PSI is a global non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health of people in the developing world by focusing on serious challenges like HIV/AIDS, malaria, contaminated water and threats to maternal and child health. PSI operates in more than 65 countries and employees nearly 9,000 local experts to help them achieve their mission. SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Jan. 6, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stefanini a $1B global provider of IT outsourcing, applications management & consulting, and strategic staffing services has been listed as one of Michigan's largest Information Technology companies in the 2016 Crain's Detroit Business Book of Lists. The list gathers data on businesses in Metro Detroit and across Michigan, and is a reference and business resource. Stefanini was ranked as the 15th largest IT company in Michigan. "We are proud to be listed in the 2016 Crain's Detroit Business Book of Lists." said Antonio Moreira, Stefanini's CEO for North America and Asia Pacific. "Our goal is to contribute to the strength of the Detroit area, where Stefanini established its North America headquarters." The company has been present in the Detroit area for more than 25 years and employs more than 450 people in their Southfield office. The data contained in the 2016 Crain's Detroit Business Book of Lists is primarily provided by companies and organizations that respond to Crain's surveys. Information also was collected from sources such as public documents, news services, and other published reports. About Stefanini Stefanini is a global IT outsourcing services company with locations in 35 countries across the Americas, Europe, Australia, and Asia. Since 1987, Stefanini has been providing onshore, nearshore and offshore IT services, including application development services, IT infrastructure outsourcing (help desk support and desktop services), systems integration, consulting, and strategic staffing to Fortune 1000 enterprises around the world. Clients benefit from Stefanini's financial stability, sustained year-over-year growth, and zero net debt. The corporate global headquarters is located in Sao Paulo, Brazil with European headquarters in Brussels and North American headquarters in metropolitan Detroit. Further information is available at the company's website, www.stefanini.com. Editorial Contacts Carla Ferber Carla.ferber@stefanini.com Vanessa Morais Vanessa.morais@stefanini.com +1 248 263.8612 A photo accompanying this release is available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=38355 To the editor: In response to, Is mining ban an illegal taking? (Dec. 8, page A6), the author may have in the back of his mind a U.S. Supreme Court Case Kelo v. City of New London (Connecticut) in 2005. The ruling supported the City of New London in the taking of private property for the benefit of another private individual, a developer, because it benefited the community through economic growth. The decision against uranium mining in Pittsylvania County has little to do with condemning private property for the benefit of another individual (or corporation). Coles Hill has not been condemned or taken. A specific use has been denied for reasons of public health and potential negative economic impact on the region. There are those who believe that safeguards are in place effective enough to properly police uranium mining. Thats open to considerable debate. The National Regulatory Commission last revised its regulations in 1994, with only periodic updates. The revisions were based primarily on recommendations of the International Commission for Radiological Protection, which in turn dates to 1977; not exactly recent. In December 2011, the National Academy of Sciences issued its report (which prohibited the academy staff from giving any direct professional opinion). The report concluded that there are steep hurdles to be surmounted before mining and/or processing could be established . At the request of the Roanoke River Basin Association, a report was submitted July 22, 2013, on the subject of government oversight. The report, presented by Paul Robinson, research director of the Southwest Research and Information Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, concluded that the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy failed to provide effective oversight where it came to its capability of protecting the public interest. Its doubtful any state government has the required capability. In two published statements made by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Uranium Mining Waste, Aug. 30, 2012, and Dec. 4, 2012) there has been a history of repeated spillage from mines, tailings and holding ponds in New Mexico and Arizona. Even more alarming is the fact that there are literally hundreds of abandoned mines, which have not been cleaned up, in Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Wyoming. It should be of major concern that these states are arid as compared to Virginia, a state that experiences torrential rains on a regular basis. This fact alone should give one pause with respect to the breaching of holding ponds and tailings. In a statement made by the Virginia Farm Bureau, We are not talking about something like a petroleum spill or something that can be cleaned up in a day or even a couple of years Were talking about something that could take decades or centuries to clean up that could have devastating effects We have been told how effective mining operations are in Canada. This is not necessarily true. There have been containment failures at both mining and milling sites. These sites, though in remote and lightly populated regions, were severe enough to require intervention by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. Despite CNSC inspections, it admits complete failure as a surveillance authority for the safety of uranium mill tailings dams. (CNSC letter dated Aug. 14, 2014). As for Virginia Uranium Inc. at Coles Hill, the current ownership is not quite clear. Two mining firms, Virginia Energy Resources (Chaired by Walter Coles Sr.) and Sprott, Inc. (a multifaceted Canadian firm with precious metal mining interests and connections to Zijin, a large state-owned Chinese mining group), own 49.8 percent. Walter Coles Jr. states that the largest individual shareholder is Lukas Lundin of Vancouver, Canada, who chairs seven Canadian mining companies. Lundin presided over the merger between Denison Mines Corp. (one of his companies) and Fission Uranium Corporation. Lundin will chair the combined entity. Peter Koven reported in Mining, July 6, 2015, that it is expected Cameco will seek to purchase the new company under Lundin. Given Camecos active interest in seeking the good will of our Virginia legislators, this would seem a logical next step in acquiring an operating interest in Virginia Uranium Inc. I leave it to you as to whether any of this is in the best interests of Virginia. JEFFREY R. CARSON Danville VANCOUVER, Jan. 6, 2016 /CNW/ - Rye Patch Gold Corp. (TSX.V: RPM; OTCQX: RPMGF; FWB: 5TN) (the "Company" or "Rye Patch") announces completion of drilling and assay results for its 100% owned Gold Ridge project located along the Oreana trend in Pershing County, Nevada. The drill program focused along a 2.2 kilometre, north-south oriented structural zone associated with a fold and thrust system. The style of mineralization appears similar to and along strike with the Florida Canyon mine located 16 kilometres to the north. The folded sediments host gold and silver mineralization along the axial plane of the anticline and within low-angle structural zones (thrust faults). The drill program tested the limbs and axial zone of the anticline with 18 of the 24 drillholes intersecting significant mineralization. A total of 2,420 metres (7,940 feet) was completed in this drill campaign. The mineralization is open to the north and south with a follow-up drill program planned as part of the larger Plan of Operations permit that is in progress. Highlights: GR-027 tested the west side in the southern portion of the anticline and cut 1.16 g/t AuEq. over 42.7m including 3.28 g/t AuEq over 7.6m; GR-032 tested the west limb in the northern portion of the anticline and intercepted 0.91 g/t AuEq over 18.3m with the drillhole ending in mineralization; 75% of the drillholes encountered significant gold and silver mineralization; Two target areas are showing good potential and continuity along the zone; and Structural style, alteration, and precious metal content look similar to the nearby Florida Canyon mine. Two target areas are showing good potential and continuity along the zone. The northern target has a strike length of 800 metres and is characterized by outcrops of jasperoid breccia with fragments of quartz vein and jasperoid in an iron rich matrix. The amount of quartz-vein fragments has a relationship with higher gold and silver grades than breccia with jasperoid fragments only. Sedimentary rocks consisting of limestone and black mudstone are inter-bedded and folded in to a large anticline overlying a major thrust fault. The west limb is over steepened with the hinge zone exposed at the surface and providing the structural preparation to host gold and silver. At North target, mapping shows a repetition of the mineralized zone. Drillholes GR-045, GR-046 and GR-047 targeted a jasperoid zone beneath the outcropping mineralization. Multiple mineralized intervals were intercepted in two drillholes and indicates upside potential for multiple, stacked zones of gold and silver. The South target area is approximately 1.5 kilometres south of the North area and has a surface exposure of 500 metres, where four drillholes intersected significant gold and silver mineralization. Drillhole GR-027 cut 42.7 metres grading 1.16 g/t AuEq starting at shallow depths. Limited drilling has been completed on the South target area; however, the zone is open to the south and north along the axial plane of the anticline. Geologically, the mineralized intervals encountered are within the oxide zone. However, no metallurgical test work has been completed yet. Table 1 summarizes the result of the Gold Ridge fall 2015 drill program. Table 1: Gold Ridge Project - 2015 Drilling Results (cut off 0.2 g/t Au) Drillhole Remarks Au g/t Ag g/t AuEq g/t Drill hole interval (m) From (m) To (m) TD (m) GR-026 South Target 0.45 3.6 0.51 12.2 12.2 24.4 61.0 GR-027 South Target 0.92 14.6 1.16 42.7 9.1 51.8 61.0 Including 2.58 42.1 3.28 7.6 15.2 22.9 GR-028 South Target 0.38 8.8 0.53 42.7 25.9 68.6 106.7 GR-029 South Target 0.52 4.2 0.59 15.2 12.2 27.4 76.2 GR-030 North Target 0.29 1.7 0.32 3.0 21.3 24.4 128.0 GR-030 North Target 0.33 4.3 0.40 7.6 41.1 48.8 GR-031 North Target 0.21 3.4 0.27 10.7 9.1 19.8 91.4 GR-031 North Target 0.21 4.0 0.28 18.29 24.38 42.67 GR-031 North Target 0.54 7.5 0.67 16.8 53.3 70.1 GR-032 North Target 0.25 2.3 0.29 4.6 41.1 45.7 121.9 GR-032 North Target 0.62 17.3 0.91 18.3 53.3 71.6 GR-032 North Target 0.30 3.1 0.35 35.1 86.9 121.9 GR-033 North Target 0.45 12.1 0.65 3.0 54.9 57.9 170.7 GR-033 North Target 0.20 3.2 0.25 6.1 80.8 86.9 GR-034 North Target 0.37 8.2 0.51 16.8 64.0 80.8 153.9 GR-034 North Target 0.44 8.7 0.59 12.2 86.9 99.1 GR-034 North Target 0.25 1.6 0.28 4.6 112.8 117.3 GR-035 North Target 0.33 2.8 0.38 12.2 71.6 83.8 99.1 GR-036 North Target NSA 61.0 GR-037 North Target 0.24 4.4 0.31 3.0 33.5 36.6 91.4 GR-038 North Target NSA 76.2 GR-039 North Target NSA 61.0 GR-040 North Target 0.38 4.5 0.46 3.0 56.4 59.4 99.1 GR-041 North Target NSA 71.6 GR-042 North Target 0.21 3.8 0.27 3.0 129.5 132.6 167.6 GR-043 North Target NSA 102.1 GR-044 North Target 0.28 0.4 0.29 3.0 27.4 30.5 91.4 GR-045 North Target 0.35 6.4 0.46 27.4 27.4 54.9 91.4 GR-045 North Target 0.47 9.3 0.63 7.6 61.0 68.6 GR-046 North Target NSA 106.7 GR-047 North Target 1.09 6.1 1.19 4.6 29.0 33.5 91.4 GR-047 North Target 0.24 7 0.36 16.8 50.3 67.1 GR-047 North Target 0.65 6.2 0.75 13.7 77.7 91.4 GR-048 North Target 0.28 17.7 0.58 3.0 96.0 99.1 147.8 GR-049 North Target 0.66 13.2 0.88 6.1 74.7 80.8 91.4 AuEq = Au + Ag/60 Drillhole interval is not true thickness William Howald, the Company's President and CEO stated, "The 2015 drilling program extends the mineralization drilled in 2014 at the North target along strike and at depth. Management believes that Gold Ridge property has significant potential for a bulk-tonnage, low-grade gold and silver deposit. The two established targets are located less than 2 km west of the Lincoln Hill resource area, and the 2015 assay results establish the Gold Ridge project as a valuable asset and a prospective source of additional gold and silver for our Lincoln Hill resource project. While additional drilling and work are required to establish resources at the Gold Ridge deposit, these results are very encouraging." Rye Patch US maintains a strict quality control program at all of its projects. All reverse circulation drill samples are submitted to American Assay with prep-blanks, assay blanks, and gold and silver standards. Rye Patch US inserts approximately one quality control or quality assurance sample for every ten samples submitted to the assay laboratory. The reverse circulation character samples are logged and photographed on site. American Assay collects the drill samples and transports them to their preparation and analytical facility located in Reno, Nevada. Gold analyses are conducted on 1-assay ton prepped samples with gold determined using industry standard fire assay methods with an ICP finish. Gold values above 10 g/t gold (over limits) are confirmed using fire assay with a gravimetric finish. Silver is analyzed using a two-acid digestion and an ICP finish. Silver values are re-analyzed with a four-acid digestion and ICP finish on all samples with gold values greater than a 0.2 g/t gold assay result. Silver values over 100 g/t silver are re-analyzed using volumetric dissolution. Mr. William Howald, AIPG Certified Professional Geologist #11041, Rye Patch Gold's CEO and President, is a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101. He has reviewed and approved the contents of this news release. About Rye Patch Gold Corp. Rye Patch Gold Corp. is a Tier 1, well-funded junior mining company led by a seasoned management team that has participated in major discoveries totaling over 100-million ounces of gold. The team is engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of quality resource-based gold and silver projects along the emerging Oreana trend and the prolific Cortez trend. Benefitting from its strong financial position, the Company's strategy is to balance development and exploration risk, creating value by: Advancing the Lincoln Hill project toward production; Pursuing a world class discovery - Garden Gate and Patty - contiguous to and on strike with Barrick's Goldrush deposit; and Seeking new project opportunities and accretive transactions. The Company's cash and cash flowing royalty allow for progress without dilution to shareholders. For more information about the Company, please visit our website at www.ryepatchgold.com. On behalf of the Board of Directors 'William Howald' William C. (Bill) Howald, CEO & President This news release contains forward-looking statements, which address future events and conditions, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties. The Company's actual results, programs and financial position could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of numerous factors, some of which may be beyond the Company's control. These factors include: the availability of funds; the financial position of Rye Patch; the timing and content of work programs; the results of exploration activities and development of mineral properties; the interpretation of drilling results and other geological data; the reliability of calculation of mineral resources (and, in respect of the Coeur Rochester mine 3.4% NSR, the reliability of calculation of Coeur's mineral resources and reserves); the reliability of calculation of precious metal recoveries; the receipt and security of mineral property titles; project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses; fluctuations in metal prices; currency fluctuations; and general market and industry conditions. Forward-looking statements are based on the expectations and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. The assumptions used in the preparation of such statements, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE Rye Patch Gold Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCwire) - enCore Energy Corp. (TSX-V: EU) (enCore or the Company) is pleased to announce that it has concluded its comprehensive asset purchase agreement (the Agreement) with Energy Fuels Inc. and its subsidiaries ("Energy Fuels"), (NYSE MKT:UUUU)(TSX:EFR) whereby enCore has the right to mill uranium ores at the White Mesa Uranium Mill in Blanding Utah as outlined in the Toll Milling agreement. Several uranium projects have also been conveyed to enCore including a 100% interest in the Marquez and Nose Rock projects in New Mexico, the Moonshine Springs project in Arizona, and four (4) projects in the White Canyon District of Utah. The Company has made a cash payment of USD$179,960 and issued 14.25 million of the Companys Class A common shares to Energy Fuels. Energy Fuels is now the Companys largest shareholder holding 19.9% of the issued shares. The two companies have granted mutual access to proprietary data files concerning each of their respective properties. Completion of the transaction has been approved by the TSX Venture Exchange. Toll Milling Agreement The Toll Milling provision of the Agreement allows the Company to process conventional uranium ore from the acquired projects at Energy Fuels White Mesa Mill in Blanding, Utah, subject to the payment of toll milling fees and customary terms and conditions. The Agreement is for an initial period of two years with renewal provisions and contains industry-standard provisions. The Toll Milling provision is an important asset for the Company. By securing the right to mill ore at the White Mesa Mill, the Company has eliminated the need for capital expenditure financing and the onerous cost in dollars and time required to permit a new facility for conventional ore processing in the United States. For detailed property information please see enCore Energy Corp. News Release dated November 30th, 2015. Options Grant The Company also announces it has granted 950,000 incentive stock options to Directors, employees, and consultants at an exercise price of $0.05 per share expiring five years from the date of grant. The stock options are subject to the terms of the Companys stock option plan. About enCore Energy Corp. enCore Energy Corp. has a 100% interest, with no holding costs, on 115,000+ acres (46,400 ha) of private mineral rights in New Mexico, including the Crownpoint and Hosta Butte uranium deposits. These deposits contain an Indicated mineral resource of 26.6 MM pounds of U 3 O 8 at an average grade of 0.105% eU 3 O 8 and an Inferred mineral resource of 6.1 MM pounds of U 3 O 8 at an average grade of 0.110% eU 3 O 8 (1). A portion of these resources are under NRC license. The Company also holds certain processing rights at the White Mesa Uranium Mill of Energy Fuels in Blanding, Utah. Dr. Douglas H. Underhill, CPG, a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and Chief Geologist for the Company, has reviewed, verified and approved disclosure of the technical information contained in this news release. For additional information: enCore Energy Corp. Dennis Stover, Chief Executive Officer or William M. Sheriff, Chairman (972) 333-2214 info@encoreenergycorp.com www.encoreenergycorp.com Technical Report, titled, Crownpoint and Hosta Butte Uranium Project Mineral Resource Technical Report, McKinley County, New Mexico, USA, Mineral Resource Technical Report - National Instrument 43-101, dated May 14, 2012, and authored by Douglas L. Beahm, PEng, PGeo. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release includes certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws including the anticipated completion of the transaction and acquisition of the Marquez, Nose Rock and other properties, and the potential advancement thereof. Forward-looking statements are statements that relate to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", and "intend", statements that an action or event "may", "might", "could", "should", or "will" be taken or occur, or other similar expressions. Estimates of mineral resources and reserves are also forward looking statements because they constitute projections regarding the amount of minerals that may be encountered in the future. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation; statements about the terms and completion of the transaction are forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the respective companies undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. To view this press release as a PDF file, click onto the following link:public://news_release_pdf/enCoreJan62016.pdfSource: enCore Energy Corp. (TSX Venture:EU) Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2016 Filing Services Canada Inc. After a year of turmoil created by the loss of one mini-MPV nameplate, crumbling sales of two others, and a shutdown at the Ontario plant which builds Canadas dominant people carrier, full-size minivan volume was very healthy at the end of 2015, rising in four consecutive months. In both November and December, sales of the Dodge Grand Caravan-led minivan segment jumped 20% in Canada. Canada Vehicle Sales Rankings By Model 2015 Year End The Grand Caravans 9% year-over-year decline played a large role in the Canadian minivan markets decline in 2015, nevertheless. But the FCA twins, Dodges Grand Caravan and the Chrysler Town & Country, combined to control 62% of the overall MPV sector in 2015, down slightly from 64% in 2014. Chrysler will display an all-new Town & Country at this months North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, across the river from the Windsor plant where FCA will build that new Town & Country and the current generation, value-priced Grand Caravan. Click Chart To Expand The Grand Caravans lingering presence serves to make life even more difficult for the languishing Kia Rondo and Mazda 5. GM Canada already gave up on the segment the Chevrolet Orlando is dead. The Mazda 5 is discontinued in America; the Kia Rondo is long gone from our neighbours market. Kia Canada sold only 86 Rondos in December 2015, the lowest monthly Rondo sales total since the transition period of March 2013. 2015 is by far the worst sales year for the Rondo in its nine-year history. Mazdas 2523 5 sales in 2015 is barely more than one-fifth the total achieved by the 5 in 2008 and lower even than the total achieved by the 5 in its abbreviated sales year of 2005. You can click any model name in the tables below to find historical monthly and yearly Canadian auto sales data. You can also select a make and model at GCBCs Sales Stats page. This table is now sortable, so you can rank minivans any which way you like. Suggestions on how GCBC should break down segments can be passed on through the Contact page. Click Column Headers To Sort January 2016 November 2015 December 2014 Commercial Van Sales In Canada December 2015 & Year End The Making of Goodfellow History has been hard on Neville Chamberlain. As Prime Minister of Great Britain from May 1937 until May 1940, he had the hope of doing something to improve the conditions of life for the poorer people. Indeed, he won passage of legislation limiting working hours for women and children. He secured the holidays with pay act. He mended relations with Ireland. And then he left for Munich where, in his hands, appeasement became a dirty word. That was unfortunate. He travelled to Munich in September 1938 to meet with the leaders of Germany, Italy, and France and settle the Sudeten question. Adolf Hitler, the leader of Germany, alleged the ethnic Germans living in Czechoslovakia were being mistreated, threatening war on their behalf. For Chamberlain, the issue was not so much the Sudeten Germans or the Czechs as it was the 17 million people who perished in the First World War 20 years earlier. He, like most Europeans, wished never to confront that kind of carnage again. Plus, he was told, the British Army was not ready for war. It needed time. So he signed the agreement giving the Sudetenland to Hitler and called it peace for our time. It wasnt. Six months later, Hitler invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia. Six months after that, he invaded Poland. World War II had begun. That appeasement could whet an appetite rather than sate it was the lesson most people drew from Munich. Back in Washington, President Franklin Roosevelt drew another. He had not attended the conference in Munich. He had not been invited to attend. For Roosevelt, that spoke volumes. If I had possessed 10,000 planes, he lamented afterwards, I could have gone to Munich and saved the Czechs. Air power for Roosevelt, that was key, in diplomacy as in war. Airplanes were the war implements that would have an influence on Hitlers activities, chief of the Army Air Corps, General Hap Arnold, recalled Roosevelt telling him. At a private White House meeting in November 1938 Roosevelt elaborated on his views. When I write foreign countries I must have something to back up my words, he said. Had we had this summer 5,000 planes and the capacity immediately to produce 10,000 per year, Hitler would not have dared to take the stand he did. Two months after the private White House meeting, Roosevelt went to Congress and aired his views, requesting 6,000 planes. He settled for half that number from a jittery but still isolationist Congress. But then came the German attack on Poland in September 1939, the attacks on Norway, Denmark, and the Low Countries the following spring, and finally the overrunning of France in May 1940. All you have to do is ask for it, Sen Henry Cabot Lodge told Arnold at the time. Arnold asked for a 54-group force, to include 11,000 aircraft and the pilots to fly them. For the Army Air Corps, pilot production had never been a particular strength. The high point, reached in the late 1930s, was 246 new pilots in a single year. To ramp up production after Munich, the Air Corps contracted with nine civilian schools to deliver primary instruction, the first of three stages of pilot training. Unfortunately, basic pilot training, the second stage, was still confined mainly to Randolph Field in San Antonio, while advanced training took place only at nearby Kelly and Brooks Fields. To flesh out the new 54-group force, that was not going to cut it. In the minimum, the production of new pilots would have to reach 7,000 per year. As a first step in that direction, the Air Corps Training Center (the forerunner of todays Air Education and Training Command) commissioned a site board in May 1940 to identify locations for four new flying training facilities. The first of these, a bombardier school, would take over Ellington Field near Houston. The second, a new basic school, would be set up at the municipal airport in Montgomery, Alabama. For the third, another municipal airport, this time in Stockton, California, would host construction of an advanced flying school. Finally, a second advanced school would be established at a site somewhere in west- or south-central Texas. SHARE This undated photo provided by Orchard Books/Scholastic shows the cover of "No Fair! No Fair! And Other Jolly Poems of Childhood," by Calvin Trillin, with pictures by Roz Chast. The book is based upon Trillin's childhood experiences and his time with his children and grandchildren, and also will feature Chast's "signature whimsical illustrations," the publisher told The Associated Press on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. "No Fair! No Fair!" is scheduled for release in October. (Roz Chast/Orchard Books/Scholastic via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT By The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) With some help from Roz Chast, Calvin Trillin is aiming his next jokes at a younger audience. The 80-year-old author, journalist and humorist has a deal with Scholastic for "No Fair! No Fair! And Other Jolly Poems of Childhood," based upon Trillin's childhood experiences and his time with his children and grandchildren. The book also will feature Chast's "signature whimsical illustrations," the publisher told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "No Fair! No Fair!" is scheduled for October. "When I acquired enough grandchildren to describe myself as 'a grandfather who writes on the side,' it was inevitable that I'd turn my hand to writing verse for children thus 'No Fair! No Fair!'" Trillin said in a statement released through Scholastic. Trillin and Chast, author of the acclaimed graphic memoir "Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?," are longtime contributors to The New Yorker. Trillin's books include the memoirs "About Alice" and "Family Man" and the novel "Tepper Isn't Going Out." SHARE Scott and Diane Montgomerie moved out of their home on Clearview Drive two years after they moved in because the foundation started cracking due to expansive soils. Now the couple is waiting for the city to see if the house is structurally OK and has a civil case pending. Scott and Diane Montgomerie moved out of their $327,000 home on Clearview Drive two years after they moved in because the foundation started cracking because of expansive soils. The couple has a civil case pending over the issue. The Montgomeries have spent more than $600,000 on repairs and suing those they said built it with an inadequate foundation. Scott Montgomerie said the wood floor in the living room separated in July 2008. After pulling up the pieces, they discovered cracks in the foundation. By Kiah Collier Scott and Diane Montgomerie moved to San Angelo from Albuquerque in October 2007 to be closer to their daughter and grandchildren. The couple purchased a brand new home in the Southland Hills neighborhood and spent thousands of dollars adding a new patio, improving landscaping and installing plantation-style shutters. But within a month of moving in, the doors in the $327,000 house started to jam and cracks began appearing in the walls. Now, they can't live in the house and their only recourse is the courts. The Montgomeries eventually discovered their home had been built on expansive soil, a clay-based dirt that swells when it absorbs water and shrinks when it dries. In the process, the soil changes volume so much that structures built on its surface can be subject to foundation cracking if they are not specially designed to withstand the movement. In San Angelo, this type of soil exists in pockets around the city. One area extends from Lake Nasworthy to north of Loop 306 and into the Bluffs neighborhood. In the house the Montgomeries bought, the foundation shifted enough to break the sewer lines to the house, leaving the couple without water to the kitchen, laundry room and master bathroom. Theirs might be the most dramatic case of expansive soil damage in San Angelo, but it is not the only one. Scott Montgomerie said the builder of the house "Made one attempt to come in and patch the walls and rehang a couple of doors and frames, but they broke within a month." In July 2008, he said, the wood floor in the living room separated. After pulling up the pieces, they discovered cracks in the foundation. "It was about July of ?08 before we knew there was a serious, serious problem," he said. After the Texas Residential Construction Commission declared the foundation to be structurally failed and recommended the couple take legal action, the Montgomeries decided the house was unsafe to live in and moved out. The commission consists of an engineer, architect or inspector and citizens appointed by the governor. To date, the Montgomeries say they have spent more than $600,000 of their retirement savings not only on the house but also on suing the people they claim knowingly built it with a foundation inadequate for the lot's soil type. The Montgomerie's builder, Jim Mitchell, said he had no comment. After some research, Scott Montgomerie said he found the report on a September 2004 hydrological study the city had done on water drainage problems in the Southland Hills neighborhood. It examined the reasons why water oozed up out of the ground, and other drainage problems ? and focused particular attention on the lot where the Montgomerie's house was eventually built. E-mails obtained by the Standard-Times show that the developers of the Southland Hills neighborhood, Scott Allison and Lancy Lacy, had obtained a copy of the hydrgeological study from the city. Both developers did not return phone calls requesting requesting comment. "No one disclosed all these water problems to us when we purchased the home," Montgomerie said. "When I found out about it, I almost came unglued." After working with San Angelo City Council member John David Fields for the past year, the Montgomeries went public with their story for the first time at a council meeting earlier this month. Fields visited the Montgomerie's house and described the damage as "very shocking." "For a house that was approximately two years old, it was just uninhabitable," he said. * * * The city council instructed staff to draft up a policy that would help prevent occurrences like the damage evident in the Montgomeries' home, but coincidentally the permit and inspection department was already in the process of changing city policy to account for an amendment to the State Engineering Practice Act, which requires the foundations of residential houses built on expansive soil to be approved by a state certified engineer. Specially engineered foundations usually involve deeper vertical piers that go past the expansive soil to provide additional stability for the foundation. The catch is that they cost several thousand more dollars than normal foundations, an additional cost that is usually passed onto the buyer or avoided entirely. The new law stipulates a $1,000 fine for builders who neglect the requirement; before the amendment was passed, residential builders were exempt from the requirement. A state government news release detailing the act cites a statistic from The American Society of Civil Engineers, which says expansive soils nationwide "are responsible for more home damage every year than floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes combined." To make sure the law is being followed, city policy will require developers to show proof of a soil survey by filling out a form. City building official Al Torres said the building code already requires specially engineered foundations for residential homes built on expansive soil, but the new policy will require proof of soil testing rather than leaving it up to the builders to police themselves. The policy will ultimately offer greater protections for new homeowners, Torres said. "It will ensure that on all new property that the soil has been tested and if there is an issue that they will have to address it," Torres said. "It's already required in the code book, we just hadn't required proof before now." The issuance of occupation and building permits will depend on whether the builder has complied with the foundation requirements. The policy and form will be presented to the San Angelo City Council either at this Tuesday's meeting or at the first meeting in May, Torres said. Torres said requiring the developer rather than the builder to pay for the soil survey will have less impact on house prices because the developer will spread the cost out to the builders rather than builders passing the cost off directly to home buyers. * * * The Homeowners of Texas, a homeowners advocacy group that lobbied for the amendment, says it is a step in the right direction but that it doesn't go far enough. "That isn't even a slap on the hand for homebuilders, if they can save $3,000 on a foundation by not doing it right," said Wayne Caswell, a spokesman for the group. "We need to have criminal penalties in this state. We need to have licensing and the ability to take away their license and practice their trade." Lou McCreary, an attorney and general counsel for the group, said the policy San Angelo is enacting doesn't go far enough either. He points to a local policy passed recently in Hutto in response to extensive foundational issues that requires all concrete foundations more than a few hundred square feet in size to be approved by a state certified engineer. "It's not beefy enough, so it's not self executing," McCreary said of San Angelo's proposed policy. "So the city of San Angelo in my opinion needs to make it clear that any house with a concrete slab has to be approved by a structural engineer. It's to make somebody responsible." McCreary said builders in Texas sometimes avoid requirements to maximize profits. "The real problem is, builders do not have to be licensed in Texas," he said. "Many of them are just totally ignorant of soil conditions and then the big out-of-state companies that come in don't care because they're looking for the cheapest product they can produce. You put all that together and it's kind of like the perfect storm for the consumer." And having an adequate foundation is only part of the battle. Expansive soil also creates problems with water drainage and absorption. The owners of a row of brand new homes along Hunters Glen Road built at the base of the upper bluffs in the Bluffs neighborhood are experiencing some of the same problems the Montgomeries experienced ? cracking walls and driveways, jammed doors and fieldstone siding coming loose. But the yards of almost every one of the houses, each purchased for about $185,000, also turn into mini-swamps when it rains. The problem is exacerbated by their locations because they catch runoff from the upper bluffs. The builder of the houses is Danny Aguero, who also happens to be president of the San Angelo Homebuilders Association. He said the foundations for the houses he built along Hunters Glen Road are specially engineered for that type of soil, but declined to answer any other questions for this story because he wanted to meet in person and see the questions and his responses in writing, could not meet before deadline because of scheduling constraints. "When we get rain, we get lakes in our backyards because there weren't any drains put there," said Thomas Green, who moved into one of the houses a little more than a year ago. Green, who said his neighbors have it worse than he does, said Aguero didn't consistently respond to calls about the problems early on, so he hasn't tried calling recently. He said he has dug a drainage ditch and planted grass in an effort to prevent soil in his front yard from washing out into the street when it rains. "I think his first response to this was that it wasn't his problem," Green said of Aguero. One family, who declined to be named because they said they reached an agreement with Aguero about installing a French drain, has had to dig a trench behind their backyard fence that is about a half-foot deep to keep water from pouring into their backyard. Charles Japhet, an attorney in San Antonio who has represented both homeowners and builders in cases involving structural issues, said a homeowner's success in a lawsuit often comes down to using standards established by the National Association of Homebuilders to determine whether damage to the foundation makes the structure uninhabitable. Japhet said that most builders use engineered foundations when they should, but some don't. "When you get into a foundation issue, it's an issue of whether it's a cosmetic issue or a true habilitation issue. That's the real issue, is if it's the movement of the house that's going to cause danger to the inhabitants." But Japhet said there is often a fine line, because foundations are meant to move. "They're designed to move and a lot of times you'll have a situation where there's more water on one side of the building or another, and it's not necessarily a failure when the house moves and it's designed the way it's supposed to work," Japhet said. And when the warranty runs out and the issue proves to be purely cosmetic, homeowners don't have a lot of legal clout, Japhet said. Of course, the Montgomeries and the Homeowners of Texas will tell you that homeowners don't have sufficient legal clout in either situation. Scott Montgomerie is hesitant to talk about the details of the couple's still-pending civil case, but said he wanted to tell his story publicly to serve as an example so others can avoid a similar fate. "You cannot allow people to lose their fortunes. You just can't. It's just wrong when it's so simple to fix," he said. SHARE 33.9 of every 1,000 births in U.S. is twins By Karen Kaplan They say good things come in pairs, and that's increasingly true for American babies, new government data show. The U.S. twinning rate hit a record last year, with 33.9 out of every 1,000 births involving twins. That increase from the 2013 rate of 33.7 per 1,000 births isn't big enough to be statistically significant, but it did qualify as "a new high for the nation," according to a report from the National Center for Health Statistics. Among all of those twins, 78,788 were born to white women, 23,546 were born to black women and 22,051 were born to Latinas. While the twinning rate set a record in 2014, the total number of twin births was merely the fifth highest on record. Altogether, 135,336 twins were born in the U.S. last year. That's 2.3 percent higher than in 2013, but 2.6 percent lower than the all-time high of 138,961 twin births, set in 2007. That year, the twinning rate was 32.2 per 1,000 births. The rise in twin births can be traced to twin trends: American women are waiting longer to have babies, and those who use in vitro fertilization are being more conservative with their treatments. The average age of first-time moms continued to rise in 2014, setting a U.S. record at 26.4 years. Overall, the birthrate for women in their teens and early 20s fell last year, while the birthrate for women ages 25 to 44 rose. Although fertility declines as women get older, they are more likely to have fraternal twins. Scientists believe that as the ovaries run low on eggs, the body responds by releasing higher levels of a follicle-stimulating hormone. That, in turn, makes the release of multiple eggs more likely. If two or more are of good quality, fraternal twins (or triplets, or even higher order multiples) can be the result. (Identical twins, on the other hand, occur when a single fertilized egg splits into two. There is no link between a mother's age and her odds of conceiving identical twins.) Meanwhile, as in vitro fertilization has become more successful, doctors have been encouraging women to transfer fewer embryos to their wombs. The Society for Assisted Reproduction Technology advises many patients with a good prognosis for a successful pregnancy to transfer no more than two embryos at a time. (Only women who are 38 or older should even consider transferring more than two embryos if they are just getting started with IVF, the society says.) As a result, the birthrate for twins is up 79 percent since 1980, while the birthrate for triplets and higher-order multiples has declined 41 percent since peaking in 1998, according to the report. In 2014, 113.5 out of every 100,000 births involved higher-order multiples, the lowest it's been in 20 years. Altogether, 4,526 babies were born as triplets, quadruplets or higher-order multiples in 2014. That's the lowest figure since 1993, the report said. With complete data from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Marianas Islands, the National Center for Health Statistics counted a total of 3,988,076 babies born in the country in 2014. That's a 1 percent increase from 2013. Overall, the nation's fertility rate was 62.9 births per 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44. That's up slightly from 62.5 births per 1,000 women of childbearing age in 2013. Births to white, black and Latina women all rose by 1 percent, according to the report. They jumped 6 percent for Asian-American women and fell 2 percent for Native American women. The birthrate for teens ages 15 to 19 dropped 9 percent between 2013 and 2014, with 24.2 births per 1,000 women in this age group. Women ages 20 to 24 also saw their birthrate decline 2 percent, to 79 births per 1,000 women in 2014. Both of those were record lows, according to the report. The birthrate for 25- to 29-year-olds was essentially flat, rising from 105.5 to 105.8 births per 1,000 women in this age group. However, the birthrate rose 3 percent for women in their 30s in 2014, it was 100.8 per 1,000 women ages 30 to 34 and 51 per 1,000 women ages 35 to 39. Women in their early 40s registered a slight increase in 2014, with 10.6 births per 1,000 women ages 40 to 44. The birthrate for women past their 45th birthday was unchanged. SHARE Immune system cells not reconstituted By Bradley J. Fikes Blood stem cell transplants may not fully reconstitute blood cells in the immune system, according to a study using humanized mice. If the study led by Stanford University scientists is confirmed in human transplant patients, it means they could be more vulnerable to common infections such as the flu, the study found. At issue is a subset of B cells called B-1a. Like all other immune cells, these are currently believed to be restored by blood stem cell and bone marrow transplants, which transfer blood-forming or hematopoietic stem cells found in bone marrow. The study says the progenitors of B-1a cells do not appear to be found in HSCs. Moreover, it says, these cells may remain stably located in peripheral tissues, and not normally circulate in the blood at all. The study, published in the Dec. 24 issue of Stem Cell Reports, says the finding adds to evidence that hematopoietic stem cells from bone marrow do not contain the full spectrum of cells required to make immune cells. Eliver Eid Bou Ghosn was the study's first author; the senior author was Leonore A. Herzenberg. A 2012 study published in PNAS concluded that B-1a cells are not produced from HSCs taken from bone marrow. The new study performed a similar experiment using fetal human liver, where HSCs are believed to exist before entering the bone marrow. The most important are known as long-term or LT HSCs, which persist for life, providing a perpetually fresh source of new blood cells. Two experts who reviewed the study gave it a mixed assessment, stressing that the humanized mouse model is subject to error in replicating the human immune system. Blood formation is a complex process, involving many cell types that develop from more primitive stem cell states to more developed ones, and finally to fully adult cells. Their relationship to each other is still being debated. However, the transplant procedure's usefulness is not in doubt. It has been successfully used for decades to restore the immune systems of patients with blood cancers, whose therapy destroyed their original immune systems. The procedure has been changed over the years. It once consisted of transplanting whole bone marrow, before the specific stem cells involved in blood formation were identified. In recent years, it has become more common to filter blood from a donor to remove circulating hematopoietic stem cells. The purified stem cells are then infused into the recipient's bloodstream, where they migrate to the bone marrow and begin making blood cells. It is this newer process that the researchers say fails to regenerate the B-1a cells. If the cells aren't normally present in circulating blood, their lack would be a logical consequence of transplant procedures using circulating blood. In the new study, researchers tested female mice given a human immune system. These mice were lethally irradiated to destroy their immune system, then given injections of fetal HSCs taken from the fetal human liver. As with HSCs from adult bone marrow, the fetal liver HSCs failed to produce B1a-like cells, although they did regenerate many other immune cells. "These findings provide further evidence that B-1a emerge as a separate B-cell lineage that develops independently of LT-HSCs," the study stated. "Consistent with these findings, we show that fetal liver LT-HSCs also fail to reconstitute a key component of the B-1a repertoire (i.e., VH11), which produce anti-phospholipid antibodies known to promote housekeeping activities and prevent autoimmunity." Since previous work has shown that grafts of whole fetal liver tissue can regenerate the B-1a cells, the new study concluded that these cells come from progenitor cells in the fetal liver that are not hematopoietic stem cells. These cells may reside in peripheral tissues, not actually circulating in the blood, the authors suggested. If that is true, then one important component of what are considered blood cells mainly act in specific locales. "Furthermore, from a medical standpoint, we call into question current human regenerative therapies in which HSC transplantation is used to restore immunity in immune-compromised individuals, and consider the probable shortcomings of an immune system that lacks the B-1a cell subset," the study stated. The study makes several unwarranted assumptions, said Daniel Salomon, medical program director of the Scripps Center for Organ and Cell Transplantation at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. Concluding that hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients are immune-deficient in B-1a cells is "a very big leap and not justified at this time for many reasons," Salomon said by email. "Mice are not humans. Human B-1a cells are actually poorly characterized and may be very different than their mouse versions. The authors lethally irradiated their mice but this is never done for human patients. Thus, there is no reason to assume that B-1a cells located in peripheral immune compartments like the gut are killed by the drugs optimized for depletion of the bone marrow necessary for human transplants. "Finally, it is critical to note that most human bone marrow transplant patients after successful recovery are not falling left and right from the supposed immune deficiencies predicted by the authors," Salomon stated. Dr. Rafael Bejar, a blood cancer physician/researcher at the University of California, San Diego, gave a more positive assessment, calling the study "fairly compelling." But like Salomon, he cautioned that the mouse model could be an inaccurate reflection of human blood formation. "In this study, the authors cleanly show that these cells they are calling LT-HSCs do not reconstitute B1a lymphocytes in the time frames they examine. And, they look for them a long time after transplantation," Bejar said by email. Playing the "devil's advocate role," Bejar said it could simply be possible that production of the B1a cells from HSC is very inefficient, but eventually generates long-lived progenitor cells. "Their interpretation also doesn't rule out the possibility that a more primitive cell than the LT-HSC can't give rise to the LT-HSC and the B1a precursors," Bejar said. "Maybe this more primitive cell is only present in fetal development. In any case, the consequences would be similar. That is, reconstitution with an LT-HSC might fail to generate all of the hematopoietic repertoire needed for a completely healthy immune system." SHARE Krystal Martinez By Jennifer Rios San Angelo police identified the driver who led them on a pursuit that ended in a rollover Thursday night as Krystal Martinez. Early this morning, Martinez was booked into the Tom Green County Jail on charges including evading arrest with a previous conviction, evading arrest in a vehicle, possession of a controlled substance, possession of a dangerous drug and failure to identify herself. Officers said Martinez, 22, was driving a Ford Expedition when she failed to yield right of way while pulling from a parking lot near Sherwood Way and Avenue N, nearly causing a collision. Police stopped the vehicle on College Hills and spoke to the female driver. Police spokesman Lt. David Howard said the woman told the officer she was on her way to a birthday party and had forgotten her driver's license. She gave the officer a false name and date of birth, Howard said, and while the officer was verifying that information she sped off. The Expedition led the officer's car on a pursuit along Sherwood, reaching speeds of up to 70 and 80 mph at times. She lost control of the vehicle east of North Van Buren and south of Edmund Boulevard, Howard said, causing it to crash. He said officers caught up to the woman after she started to run away. Inside the vehicle, authorities found a substance suspected to be marijuana on the floorboard, Howard said. Inside the SUV they found a pouch with an ID card bearing the name Krystal Martinez as well as two baggies one with a powdery brown substance and the other with a white substance. A container of prescription medication, that police said did not belong to her, also was seized, Howard said. Howard said the contents of one baggie field-tested positive for heroin and another for methamphetamine. Each contained less than one gram. Martinez was not injured in the crash. Kimberley Meyer/Standard-Times The Galilee Community Development Corp. and the city's Family Services department partnered to construct new homes in the Blackshear neighborhood. Galilee is part of a local coalition seeking to provide more affordable housing. SHARE New homes created to help with affordable housing difficulties By Casey Jones And Kenneth L. Stewart President George W. Bush authorized the National Housing Trust Fund in 2008. The law established a permanent federal fund under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act to provide states with funds that local communities can match to invest in increased supply or preservation of rental housing for extremely low-income families. Creating public-private partnerships to generate investments in construction of decent housing with rental costs that are affordable for the lowest-income Americans has garnered significant bipartisan support over the years. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is responsible for administering the NHTF at the national level. Texas and other states receive funding based on population and need. States then distribute the funds to local communities that apply and are willing to meet matching dollar requirements. As a matter of principle, most local landlords and tenants, as well as San Angelo residents of all political persuasion, generally agree that households should have access to adequate, safe and affordable housing. Yet many renters in the city find that getting and keeping an affordable apartment is a vexing experience. A basic standard for determining whether rents are "affordable" is the 30 percent rule. By this rule an apartment is considered to be affordable when housing costs (the amount of rent plus necessary utilities and services paid by the tenant) do not exceed 30 percent of the household's income. As costs exceed the 30 percent level by increasing amounts, the less affordable an apartment is for the people residing there. A full one-quarter of all San Angelo renter households spend more than 50 percent of their income on housing costs, according to the most recent data from Census Bureau's American Community Survey for 2011. The same data indicates that slightly less than half the renters in San Angelo have housing costs that are affordable by the standard of the 30 percent rule. More than 14,000 renter households make up some 41 percent of the 35,258 occupied households in San Angelo, according to census estimates. The estimated median rent is approximately $702 per month. For this median amount to be "affordable," a household would have to earn at least $13.50 per hour, or $28,080 per year. Some 47 percent of the city's renter households have incomes below this level. A person working at minimum wage ($7.25 per hour) will have to work 74 hours per week to have enough to afford housing priced at the median rent level. The fact is that only about 7 percent of occupied rental units in the city would allow extremely low-income minimum wage level households to achieve an affordable housing cost, and a smaller number (about 3 percent) of unoccupied units at any given time are in the price range of these tenants. Local rent costs and a small number of adequate units at affordable levels have presented significant impediments to housing for the lowest-income households of San Angelo for years in the past. Obstacles may be aggravated in the months and years ahead by oncoming demand for rental housing spurred by developments in the energy sector. In some ways, these obstacles facing the lowest-income local households are surprising. After all, San Angelo is generally known for its affordability and low cost-of-living. The Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University currently estimates that the average price of homes sold in San Angelo during this year will come in at approximately $141,300. The corresponding estimate for Texas overall is $205,800. Thus the best available data show that San Angelo homebuyers pay an average of $64,500 less than other Texans. Even as home prices fluctuate up and down over time, this "discount" for buying a home in San Angelo has averaged more than $63,000 during the years since 2000. The outstanding progress of San Angelo's affordable housing coalition is another reason why the impediments to low-income rentals jump out as a surprise. The city's community development departments have accomplished amazing improvements over recent years by partnering with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Helping Hands and West Texas Organizing Strategies. Together, the coalition has produced about 100 affordable housing units for low- to moderate-income homebuyers since 2006. Adding more than 680 housing renovation projects, residents have worked with the coalition to revitalize neighborhoods and virtually eliminate blighted areas within the city. One of the nonprofit members of the affordable housing coalition, Galilee Community Development Corp., has completed construction of 17 new affordable homes and has three additional ones near completion. This year, GCDC also is playing a lead role in a unique project to help alleviate San Angelo's surprisingly small number of decent and affordable rental options for low- to moderate-income families and households. The project is building NoAH Estates to bring 36 new single-family homes into the rental market for low or moderate income renters. Private investors ? not public funds ? are financing this project located in the city's Blackshear neighborhood. The investors benefit from tax incentives under the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program, another one of those bipartisan-supported national initiatives. A more hidden element of San Angelo's challenging rental picture for the lowest-income residents is that tenants and landlords at this level have few options when problems develop between them. The routine issues that most tenants and landlords above the lowest income levels experience from time-to-time usually require little more than some firm and clear communication to resolve. Ultimately, renters with sufficient income resources are able to obtain safe and affordable housing alternatives when services are unsuitable or unsatisfactory for their needs. Likewise, the majority of the city's landlords maintain quality rental properties that readily attract needed occupants. It is difficult for those who experience the routine issues and inconveniences of renting to comprehend the dogged and humiliating nature of disputes that sometimes develop between the city's lowest-income renters and their landlords where options are limited. Landlords stressed to collect rent from troubled households with few means may gravitate toward unpleasant options leading to reduction or neglect of quality service and expensive, chaotic eviction notices. Tenants shuddering to meet necessities may lash out from the sense of being trapped and violated. The reputation of all landlords gets tarnished by only a few disputes that encourage the stereotype of slumlords forcing tenants to live in degraded conditions and face heartless evictions. The image of all tenants, in turn, gets soiled when any renter chronically fails to pay up or needlessly damages rental property and unleashes dehumanizing stereotypes of the irresponsible and undeserving poor. ASU's Community Development Initiatives is partnering with the city of San Angelo as well as with landlords, Realtors and other key local housing stakeholders to help alleviate disputes involving the community's lowest-income tenants. The San Angelo Rental Housing Mediation Services is a pilot project that takes a two-pronged approach. First, as the project title implies, SARHMS has a process to help mediate disputes. Recognizing that few tenants and landlords will voluntarily seek mutual agreements to resolve their issues, the SARHMS mediation process tries nevertheless to expand options. It does so by offering the city's lowest-income renters ? and, if willing, their landlords ? an opportunity to have complaints documented and reviewed by a knowledgeable panel that will recommend pathways to remedy the issues. Additionally, SARHMS provides public education and information as an approach to preventing problems between low-income tenants and landlords. The project is organizing a series of public forums where interested landlords, tenants and citizens can hear local legal experts, building code regulators and leading property owners and managers discuss a variety of housing issues involving the rights and responsibilities of tenants and landlords under fair housing laws and ordinances. SARHMS also is accumulating a series of handbooks and handouts to help inform individuals about housing barriers that affect the poor, different types of affordable housing, tips for contacting property owners and other useful materials for identifying and solving rental housing issues affecting low-income tenants and their landlords. Casey Jones and Kenneth L. Stewart are directors of Community Development Initiatives at the ASU Center for Community Wellness, Engagement, and Development. Contact them at casey.jones@angelo.edu or kstewart@angelo.edu. Learn more Call the San Angelo Rental Housing Mediation Services at 325-486-6420. Visit SARHMS at http://www.angelo.edu/faculty/ljones/SARHMS/. Download the Guide to Affordable Housing in San Angelo (in English or Spanish). Contact Galilee Community Development Corporation about NoAH Estates at 325-655-6624 or email noahestates@ores.com. Visit GCDC at http://galileecdc.org/. After more than a decade as Florida's chief insurance regulator, Kevin McCarty resigned Tuesday, nearly a year after he overcame a failed effort by Gov. Rick Scott to get rid of him.McCarty invited reporters from theand two other news outlets to his office to break the news of his departure, which is effective May 2."Sometimes it's good to leave on top," McCarty said.He noted that the property insurance market has stabilized and said he'll leave on his own, not under pressure from Scott.But in a private meeting with Scott in October, McCarty had made clear his plans to look for another job, he said Tuesday. By staying in the job until May, just before the start of the hurricane season, McCarty said he'll be able to review all insurance legislation out of the 2016 session that opens next week and make recommendations to Scott.McCarty did not disclose his future plans. He is considered a leading candidate to be the next chief executive of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), where he once served as president."I certainly would like to be in a position on the national stage or on an international stage where I have spent a good part of my career," he said.McCarty, 56, is the state official who decides how much money homeowners in Florida pay for their property insurance. Over the past decade, he has repeatedly borne the brunt of criticism for increased rates charged to Floridians, and for controversies involving the powerful insurance industry."This job is not for the faint of heart," McCarty said. "A lot of people have taken their shots at me over the years."By far the biggest shot came 20 years ago in a harrowing ordeal in which Bankers Insurance Co. of St. Petersburg secretly tapped his telephone, followed him and investigated his personal life after what it said were unfavorable regulatory dealings with the state. McCarty won $2.55 million in an out-of-court lawsuit settlement in 2000.He disclosed for the first time Tuesday that he used some of that settlement money to buy his mother an oceanfront condo in Sarasota which, he noted, is in a high-risk coastal zone, vulnerable to storms.At least twice he survived calls for his ouster from legislators in both parties who criticized his handling of industry rate increases.In 2003, McCarty became Florida's first appointed insurance commissioner, after voters approved changing the position from an elected Cabinet-level post. McCarty served three governors and helped steer the state through a series of devastating hurricanes, ending with Wilma in 2005, while also seeking to protect consumers, many of them elderly, from unscrupulous peddlers of insurance products.McCarty shrewdly navigated the capital's perilous politics for an extraordinarily long time, but was seen as vulnerable after Scott took the oath as governor for a second time one year ago this week.Weeks after Scott engineered the removal of Gerald Bailey as the state's top law enforcement official, an action the governor later said he mishandled, Scott called for a new insurance commissioner, without a critique of McCarty's record.Scott's office already had a replacement in mind: Ron Henderson, a state insurance official in Louisiana who was being pushed by Fred Karlinsky, a Tallahassee lobbyist for insurance interests and a Scott supporter.But consumer groups rallied to McCarty's side, and in the furor following Bailey's ouster, which included public criticism of Scott by Cabinet members and a lawsuit by media outlets, another controversial personnel move by Scott became politically impossible.McCarty earns $134,000 a year in his dual role as insurance commissioner and director of the state Office of Insurance Regulation. His successor must win the support of both Scott and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater in a vote by the governor and Cabinet.The next scheduled Cabinet meeting is Jan. 21."Kevin McCarty has long served the people of Florida with the utmost integrity," Atwater said Tuesday. "Throughout his years of service, he's propelled and ushered in reforms across multiple facets of the industry, including workers' compensation, medical malpractice, health, and auto. He helped navigate consumers and the industry through the hardships and tumultuous effects of natural disaster."McCarty is the last surviving high-level appointee who has served continuously since Jeb Bush was governor. Bush left office in 2007."What our office did was provide a steady hand in providing a path forward that didn't go too far in any direction," McCarty said Tuesday.He predicted that a sharp increase in water damage claims in South Florida, a trend clouded by allegations of fraud, will be a persistent problem. Partly as a result of those claims, McCarty's office approved rate increases for state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp. that take effect Feb. 1.A persistent critic of the federal Affordable Care Act, McCarty said it has expanded the number of people who have health insurance, but with high deductible costs for prescription drugs.McCarty's departure will leave vacant one of state government's the most challenging jobs because of the political volatility surrounding the cost and availability of insurance in a state that is highly vulnerable to catastrophic hurricanes and ever-present insurance fraud."It's been a state of fraudsters and hucksters," McCarty told the Insurance Journal in a recent podcast interview.McCarty said a top deputy, Belinda Miller, is highly qualified to succeed him, but that the decision rests with Scott and the Cabinet, which oversees OIR in its role as the Financial Services Commission. He said Scott and Cabinet members would likely conduct a national search.McCarty's resignation follows the departure of another state agency head Scott wanted out, Marshall Stranburg at the Department of Revenue. Scott last year also sought to replace chief banking regulator Drew Breakspear, who recently underwent a successful Cabinet review of his job performance. Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday announced a shakeup atop the state's Employment Department, replacing the agency's director just days after a state audit raised concerns about security lapses and tax troubles involving the department's aging computer systems.Kay Erickson, the state's budget manager, will serve as the department's acting boss while Brown's office looks for a permanent hire. Erickson, whose appointment "is effective immediately," replaces Lisa Nisenfeld."Kay Erickson brings the experience of a key leader in the Department of Administrative Services and the perspective of a long-time state government veteran," Brown said in a statement. "Everyday, the Employment Department connects workers with the jobs that help their families and communities thrive. As our state grows and the needs of Oregonians evolve, Kay will help ensure the department stays focused on this essential service."The agency was beset with questions about its computer systems -- including concerns the it wasted as much as $20 million -- before Nisenfeld won the job in 2013 and presided over a massive reorganization.The most recent audit by the Oregon Secretary of State's Office, released in late December, said it found some of the same security problems it identified in audits in 2003 and 2012. In November, the department said its computer system had been hacked and that it had only learned about the breach through a tipster.The new audit also said staffers stopped using a computer report that kept officials from noticing tax overpayments worth $850,000 in 2014 and potential underpayments approaching $3 million.Since she was appointed governor in February, Brown has replaced several agency directors, either through dismissals or resignations, including the heads of the state's economic development, human services, administrative services and revenue departments. make their way around Iowa ahead of next months key caucuses, one of the ways theyve sought to distinguish themselves is by showing disdain for Planned Parenthood. After a brief period of respectful silence following the shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic in November, several GOP candidates vowed to defund the womens health and abortion provider, to strip it of its nonprofit status or, in the case of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, to prosecute it. They are echoing Republicans in much of the country. Planned Parenthood has already been defunded in a half-dozen states. But theres one place where the groups funding remains secure: Iowa itself.GOP Gov. Terry Branstad might like to challenge Planned Parenthood, but he lacks the authority to cancel the groups Medicaid contracts unilaterally. And that wont change in 2016, because of the narrow Democratic majority in the Iowa Senate, and most of all because of Mike Gronstal, the Senate majority leader. Gronstal has already warned Republicans theyre setting themselves up for a very long session if they go after Planned Parenthood. Hes definitely been an impediment -- its an understatement -- on the life issue, says Jenifer Bowen, executive director of Iowa Right to Life. Its incredibly frustrating to have the House and the governorship and be rendered helpless because of one person.Its not just abortion. Over his long career as Senate leader, Gronstal has stopped the Republicans countless times when they wanted to win on a hot-button issue. In 2009, after the state Supreme Court made Iowa the third state to allow same-sex couples to get married, Gronstal blocked all GOP efforts to overturn the decision and ban the practice. When it comes to curtailing collective bargaining rights for public employees, Iowa Republicans know its hardly worth taking the time to draft a bill, due to Gronstals certain opposition. Hes become like another de facto governor of Iowa, where hes got complete control of the agenda, says Steve Scheffler, president of the conservative Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition.That may be an overstatement, but no one doubts Gronstals ability to leverage power. He manages to keep his two-seat majority in the Senate together on nearly all major issues, giving Democrats a unified voice in a state otherwise dominated by Republicans.Gronstal has served as leader of the Senate Democrats for nearly 20 years, about half that time in the majority. Its fair to say that he rules the Senate with an iron fist. His complete control of the calendar, more than anything else, is what allows him to throttle Republican proposals when he chooses to do so. Without Mike, we are Wisconsin, says Andy McGuire, the state Democratic chair, alluding to the raft of conservative initiatives enacted in that neighboring state by a GOP legislature and governor.But while Gronstal can be intransigent on certain social and labor issues, hes a dealmaker by nature. He respects the fact that Iowans have a longstanding habit of voting for divided governments, and much of the time hes willing to give Republicans what they need to claim at least partial victory. While we clearly have profound differences on some of the substantive issues, says Kraig Paulsen, who stepped down as GOP House speaker last year, we both conducted our business in a straightforward fashion and found a way to get things done.For all his success keeping his majority together as a strategist, recruiter and fundraiser, the 65-year-old Gronstal adheres to the old-fashioned sense that voters dont elect politicians to continue electioneering once in office. For the most part, he and the Republicans have stuck to the tradition of trying to work on policy first, before retreating to their respective partisan corners when compromise cant be reached. In large part thats been a necessity, since political control has been divided between the parties in all but four years out of the last 30. But its also a reflection of the way Gronstal likes to do business. Ive got to give him credit for being somebody whos fair and reasonable to negotiate with, the governor says. He can be a strong partisan, but he can be pragmatic and recognize the need to work things out.Republicans took the state House and governorship back in 2010, as they were piling up victories in most of the country. They fell short in the Iowa Senate, however, with Democrats holding on to a 26-to-24 majority. That same balance has held for five years now. In Iowa, senators serve staggered four-year terms, meaning half the Senate seats are up every two years. Republicans have challenged Gronstals majority and challenged him personally in his Council Bluffs district, but theyve fallen short every time. The majority leader is known for driving all over the state for fundraisers, and hell proudly show you the calluses on his knuckles from knocking on thousands of doors. The guys a slick, talented political operative, says Scheffler, the conservative activist.but he betrays nothing of a patrician air. Quite the opposite. His combination of pale skin, glasses and a toothy grin lend him a slight resemblance to the horror novelist Stephen King. Hes locally famous for being a cheapskate when it comes to crummy cars and unkempt clothes. Gronstal trained as a social worker, and cut off his hippie hair just in time to run for the state House back in 1982. After a single term, he made his move over to the Senate.As a young legislator, Gronstal distinguished himself as a policy nerd, someone ready to nose all around the tall stacks of the library at the capitol, learning history, codes and procedure. That detail work has since paid for itself many times over. There is no one under the golden dome that knows process and the rules of the Senate better than Mike Gronstal, says Brad Zaun, a Republican state senator. I am in awe at how he keeps his caucus together, because he cannot lose one vote.Colleagues like to talk about Gronstals memory, his ability to recall long-ago budget packages down to the third decimal point, and his sense of how policy debates have played out over time. Anytime that Mike talks, says Danny Homan, the president of the Iowa chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union, he has an extreme grasp of what has transpired in this state in previous years.Democrats had full control of the legislature and governorship for a couple of years prior to 2010, and Gronstal had a good time, working on smoking bans, collective bargaining and LGBT protections. But for most of his lengthy tenure he has had to reckon with Branstad, a popular Republican figure who last month became the longest-serving governor in the nations history. The two have managed to consummate some big deals along the way. In 2013, Iowa agreed to an expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, something that seemed surprising given a Republican governor and GOP-controlled House. Gronstal figured he could get the Republicans to go along with the expansion if he gave them something else they really wanted: a reduction of property tax rates, which had been a nagging issue for 35 years. It took a while -- the GOP backed away from a deal in 2012, in the vain hope that they might win back the majority that year -- but in the end both sides achieved something important to them.If Gronstal sees that his Republican interlocutors are stuck, hell offer suggestions for specific proposals they can take back to sell to their own caucus. If a Republican wants something thats meaningful to him and doesnt disturb Democratic principles, Gronstal is fine with letting an opponent take the win. Youve got to understand what it is they need, Gronstal says. You back people into a corner and theyve got no place to go, and theyll fight. Show them a way out and they might be helpful to you. In other words, for all the fits he can give the GOP on certain issues, Gronstal is a throwback when it comes to legislative empathy. But handshake dealmaking may not fly in Des Moines in 2016. For one thing, revenues are already coming in about $125 million below expectations, making budget negotiations more difficult. For another, Gronstal will be working with a new Republican speaker. He had developed a real rapport with Paulsen. Although Gronstal worked on the Medicaid package with the new speaker, Linda Upmeyer, it remains to be seen how well theyll connect, given her new role. A new speaker will make the session slightly more difficult, says Brent Siegrist, a former GOP House Speaker who hails from Gronstals hometown of Council Bluffs. It takes time to build a level of trust.During last years budget negotiations, Gronstal painstakingly put together a deal that had something in it for everyone -- House Republicans, the governor and Gronstals own caucus. The numbers appeared to work for all sides, or so it seemed when Gronstal talked with the governors people. In the end, however, after legislators went home, Branstad vetoed millions for K-12 schools, universities and mental health facilities. Democrats were livid. Even some Republican legislators complained, although not enough to make up the two-thirds majority needed to call a new session and attempt an override. He kind of canceled some of the goodwill I try and create, Gronstal says. I dont know where that leads. It will certainly make the Senate Democrats less interested in helping the governor get some of his priorities, if none of ours get considered.In the wake of Branstads veto, House Republicans will struggle this year to convince Gronstal that if he comes to terms with them, they can get the governor to go along. He felt he was sitting down with people of good faith, says Matt McCoy, the Senates assistant Democratic leader. I suspect hell be looking into the whites of Terry Branstads eyes, and hell be pushing harder to make sure the governors on board before he pronounces a deal done.for Gronstals work ethic and intelligence, Republicans cant help resenting his stature as the single biggest obstacle blocking them from enacting the agenda theyd prefer. After two decades having to cope with him, they want the additional seats to get him out of there. I have a lot of respect for Mike -- I really like him, says Zaun, the GOP state senator. But then, in the next breath, he adds, God, he really makes me mad sometimes.Iowas Republican governor knows his life would be a lot easier if his party just had two more votes in the Senate. Branstad is hopeful that it will happen this fall. Half a dozen Senate Democrats who are up for re-election in November represent districts with a Republican edge in voter registration. In Iowa as elsewhere, Democrats are running out of favorable territory. A couple of decades ago, half the partys senators were from rural areas. Now there are only two Senate Democrats left from the mostly sparsely populated counties west of Interstate 35. Gronstal is one of them.Republicans have had high early season hopes more than once in recent years. But Gronstal and his majority have remained standing. It hasnt seemed to matter if one of his members bowed out due to serious health problems or to a gubernatorial appointment to a state job. Somehow Gronstal has kept his majority intact. Few neutral observers are willing to predict at this early stage that he will lose it in 2016.Gronstal, who can only dream of winning a big majority in his own district, is up for re-election himself this year. Republicans will target him once again, but they may not have much luck. The local business community has discovered the virtues of having a top leader representing the area. One prime example is the way Gronstal helped tweak the states rules on economic incentives to help lure Google to Council Bluffs. The giant tech company has invested $2.5 billion in a data center facility and sponsors free Wi-Fi downtown. Theyll come after him again and hell be tough to beat, says Siegrist, who lives about a mile from Gronstal. Theres a lot of respect for him around town.Between elections, Gronstal is able to keep his narrow majority together because other Democrats trust hell lead them where they need to go. He doesnt twist arms. He tries to appeal to senators sense that theyre part of something larger than themselves. They might want to vote with the Republicans on a given issue, but he routinely manages to convince them that it would be a bad move for the party as a whole, and for their own political values.Gronstal likes to invoke Joshua Chamberlain, the Civil War general who held the line at Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg. Chamberlain convinced more than 100 deserters to take up arms again because they had the rare chance to fight a war rooted not in power or land, but the principle that all men are created equal. During the long stretch of more mundane days that make up the legislative calendar, Gronstal tries to remind his colleagues that they each entered politics for values they believed in. Whatever the task is at hand, he presents it as one step in the long process of promoting those values.Ive never threatened anybody, Gronstal says. If you cant really persuade them, maybe you ought to rethink what youre doing. Gov. Nathan Deal retreated on Monday from an order he signed weeks ago that tried to halt the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Georgia, relenting after the state's top lawyer concluded he had no legal power to stop them from coming.The reversal comes five days after Attorney General Sam Olens issued a formal opinion that undercut Deal's position and opened a divide between two of the state's top Republicans. It also cleared the way for new arrivals from Syria to receive public assistance benefits.The withdrawal, detailed only in a one-sentence order, is a jarring turnabout for the governor. Deal had carved out one of the nation's more aggressive stances against the White House's plans to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees to the U.S. over the next year.He ordered state employees not to process any paperwork involving refugees from the war-torn nation, and he demanded that the White House share more details about the resettlement process. When faced with the threat of a lawsuit from the Obama administration, Deal vowed to defend the policy in court."When they don't tell you who they are sending, they don't tell you where they are sending them, and they don't tell you where they are, it's more difficult for the state to be prepared," Deal said in a December interview. "They expect the states to simply close their eyes and pretend there's no problem. I'm not satisfied with that."The Olens opinion, though, concluded that a legal battle would have been hopeless. He wrote that he's not aware of any law or agreement that would allow Georgia to bar refugees from particular countries "no matter how well-intended or justified the desire to carve out such refugees might be.""Accordingly, it is my official opinion that both federal law and the state's agreement to act as the state refugee resettlement coordinator prevent the state from denying federally funded benefits to Syrian refugees lawfully admitted into the United States," he wrote.Democrats and refugee advocates painted Deal's order as political pandering since the moment he signed it in November, joining more than two dozen other Republican governors who raised concerns about Syrian refugees in the wake of the deadly terror attacks in Paris.And legal scholars said the move was purely symbolic, noting that the state was powerless to block Syrian refugees because the federal government has the final say over immigration policy.As if to underscore their point, a family of three arrived in metro Atlanta from Syria shortly after Deal signed the order. State officials approved their application for food stamps and Medicaid benefits late Monday after weeks of limbo, said Joshua Sieweke of the Atlanta office of World Relief."I'm thankful we have finally gotten to this point," he said. "What I am most thankful for is this clears the way for the family's welcome to be complete."State health officials sent a memo to employees shortly after Deal's order Monday instructing them to "resume processing applications for benefit assistance to Syrian refugees."Since the fighting in Syria began in 2011, 69 Syrian refugees have resettled in Georgia -- including 60 who relocated to the state last year. They are escaping a 4-year-old civil war in Syria that has killed more than 250,000 people and displaced an additional 12 million.Scrutiny of the program escalated after the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks that killed 130 people. Deal and other governors said they had little confidence that the U.S. could screen out would-be terrorists from Syria, the terror group's stronghold.State Department officials, meanwhile, point to a rigorous vetting process for refugees that often takes two years. And Obama plans to host a summit at next year's United Nations General Assembly to encourage countries to do more to help the Syrian refugees and others displaced by war.The governor's critics mocked his opposition to the resettlement program in the first place. Michael Smith of the Democratic Party of Georgia called the order "a bombastic partisan stunt full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."The mayor of Clarkston, a main refugee resettlement site, said he was glad Deal cast aside the "political rhetoric.""I look forward to a more inclusive conversation with the governor on policy solutions to keep the homeland safe from attack," said Ted Terry, the DeKalb County city's mayor. "We must better coordinate with city, county, state and federal law enforcement chiefs toward a 21st century community policing model." What does federal law say now? How did we get here? What can cities and counties do to regulate guns? What impact does executive action have? President Barack Obama's blueprint to address gun violence touches every major aspect in the gun control debate: background checks, mental health issues and flaws in the federal system that tracks who can buy a gun.But his gun control measures aren't as weighty as the proposals he's tried to persuade Congress to pass in recent years.Much of Obama's executive action playbook relies on simply improving existing regulations and clarifying rules already enforced by federal agencies. And some of his initiatives could fall flat if budget writers in Congress refuse to allocate money for improved mental health services and additional federal agents who police gun ownership.Here's a look at how background checks are currently done, why Obama is using executive powers and whether local communities can be roused to tackle gun control.Only federally licensed firearms dealers _ generally retail stores, manufacturers, pawnshops and others who make a living selling guns _ are required to perform background checks on every sale. Private sales, which make up nearly 40 percent of all gun sales, are exempt from background checks under federal law.Such an exemption has led to use of the phrase "gun show loophole," a term that gun control advocates sometimes use to point out gaps in federal gun law.But a patchwork of state laws governs the issue too. For example, states such as California and New York require universal background checks for every gun sale, including gun shows and private sales. Other states, like North Carolina, require buyers to undergo background checks to obtain handguns or concealed carry permits.Obama's proposal seeks to clarify how the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives enforces background check requirements. Anyone "engaged in the business" of selling a gun, according to White House officials this week, will need a federal firearms license and will be required to do background checks on buyers.The ATF, under Obama's announcement, may consider a person to be a gun dealer even if he or she is selling firearms only online or at gun shows. Previously, those individuals may have been considered private sellers exempt from background checks.Faced with congressional stalemates over various proposals and powerhouse lobbying by the National Rifle Association, Obama and fellow Democrats have had little success in recent years on gun control.Despite popular opinion polls showing the majority of Americans favor universal background checks, Congress has not passed such legislation, even in the days and weeks immediately following deadly, high-profile mass shootings. In 2013, shortly after the massacre at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., a universal background-check bill _ written by a Republican senator and a Democratic senator _ to address Internet gun sales and the so-called gun show loophole failed.Some critics say universal background checks won't prevent criminals from obtaining guns through illegal means or prevent people who can buy guns legally from using them later to kill. On the other hand, proponents point to statistics from states that have loosened background-check laws and later experienced an uptick in gun homicides, higher than the national increase.Members of Congress have split over restoring federal funding for government agencies to study gun violence. Democrats have tried unsuccessfully multiple times and ways _ including as recently as last month, during delicate budget-deal negotiations _ to allow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to research gun death rates and causes. Republican leaders balk at the idea, contending gun violence isn't a disease.Congress also has not renewed a previous federal ban on assault weapons, though Democrats have introduced such legislation several times since the ban expired in 2004. The latest bill aimed at stopping assault-weapon manufacturing and making it harder to buy assault weapons already available was introduced last month in the U.S. House of Representatives.Given the steep challenges Obama faces with a Republican-controlled Congress, he's now addressing the issue through executive actions and looking to rally local officials around his cause.Obama's push to gain more traction around the country on gun control will likely meet legal challenges if local officials try to pass city or county gun laws.Most states have laws prohibiting local jurisdictions from passing any gun control regulations that would be more restrictive than state law, according to the National Rifle Association and the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence _ two key advocacy groups that generally are on opposite sides of the debate over gun control.States that give local elected officials little flexibility for policies restricting guns include Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and Washington.In California, cities and counties are allowed to regulate some areas involving guns. But localities are generally prohibited from passing laws that would undermine California's strict gun purchasing and licensing requirements.The president's recently proposed gun control and safety measures may have only modest effects _ as did his last major round of gun executive orders, in 2013.Although some of Obama's 2013 executive measures may have been useful _ including improving data collection _ they were "pretty small-bore items that show the limitation of what a president can do with executive action on any given subject," said Robert Spitzer, a political scientist at State University of New York-Cortland who has written extensively on gun control.A president's power, Spitzer said, is limited, compared with what Congress could achieve through legislative action.Although requiring more gun sellers to obtain federal licenses will increase the number of buyers who undergo background checks, the "actual consequence is likely going to be fairly small," Spitzer said.And some of Obama's measures may still require congressional approval, including his request for money to hire 200 new agents and investigators for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and $500 million to increase access to mental health services.Already, the president is hitting stumbling blocks related to his 2013 orders. Then, he urged Congress to confirm a permanent leader for the ATF, saying lawmakers needed "to help, rather than hinder, law enforcement as it does its job."The Senate confirmed acting director B. Todd Jones several months later, but Jones left the agency last March and it is again without a permanent director. Gov. Scott Walker, in keeping with past practice, won't pardon Steven Avery or his nephew for a 2005 homicide that has received widespread attention after a new documentary raised questions about the case.Walker spokeswoman Laurel Patrick said Tuesday that Walker has not seen the 10-part documentary, "Making a Murderer," which was released last month on Netflix, and emphasized that the events in the film took place before Walker took office."Early in his administration, Governor Walker made the decision not to issue pardons," Patrick said. "Those who feel they have been wrongly convicted can seek to have their convictions overturned by a higher court."The Avery documentary has generated renewed interest in the case. A change.org petition asking President Barack Obama and Walker to pardon Steven Avery has received more than 270,000 supporters as of Tuesday afternoon. The case was tried in state, not federal, court so Obama doesn't have the power to grant a pardon.Walker's policy against pardons has been well-documented. It included refusing to pardon Eric Pizer, an Iraq War veteran who couldn't become a police officer because of a felony conviction for punching someone in a bar fight a decade earlier.The documentary chronicles the investigation and trial in the murder of 25-year-old photographer Teresa Halbach, whose charred remains and vehicle were found on Avery's property in November 2005. Avery's nephew Brendan Dassey was also convicted of homicide, sexual assault and mutilation of a corpse in the case, which drew nationwide interest because Avery was previously exonerated with DNA evidence after spending 18 years in prison for a 1985 sexual assault.The film includes exclusive access to Avery's family and focuses on his defense attorneys' contention that the members of the Manitowoc Sheriff's Office ignored other possible suspects and planted evidence to ensure a conviction. At the time, Avery was suing Manitowoc County for $36 million for his wrongful conviction.Those who dispute the framing defense, including former Calumet County District Attorney Ken Kratz, who prosecuted the case to avoid a possible conflict of interest, emphasize Avery's DNA was found in Halbach's vehicle, her DNA was found on a bullet that investigators matched to Avery's gun and that Avery had asked specifically for Halbach to be sent over to photograph a vehicle for Auto Trader Magazine.Avery's appeals have been rejected all the way up to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.Dassey, who did not testify against Avery, was convicted based on statements he made to police during hours of interrogation that he later recanted when he took the stand in his own trial. His case is being appealed in federal court.State Rep. Andre Jacque, R-De Pere, who represents the Mishicot area where Avery's salvage yard is located, said he hasn't watched the documentary and doesn't know if he will. He said he's received a handful of emails about the film, but all of them have been from people outside of his district."I wouldn't say I've received any sort of outcry from my constituents that anything was wrongly decided," Jacque said. He added that many Wisconsinites already know about the Steven Avery case and the documentary brought it to a wider audience.Having followed the Avery and Dassey cases in 2007, "it seemed as if the burden of proof was met" in both convictions, Jacque said.In response to the film's central allegations of police planting evidence in the Avery case, Jacque said "it's unfair to cast aspersions simply by saying somebody might have" done that. For optimal browsing, we recommend Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers. 1. Govtech Matures 2. Open Data Expands 3. Collaborative Finance 4. Regional Service Growth In 2015 the financial transparency startup OpenGov set a trajectory that designated it a company to watch in the government-technology marketplace. It took home $25 million in a Series B funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz and added dozens of new governments to its platform, including the entire state of Ohio. Total government clients now number well above 500. For 2016, Co-founder and CEO Zac Bookman reached out toto share his predictions on trends to expect in the space in 2016. Among his estimations, he envisions open data and transparency becoming norms with deeper collaboration between governments as a direct result. Here are his four predictions:GovTech will become even more important: From health care to e-commerce, innovation has transformed the private sector with new technologies refashioning antiquated processes and business models. Governments have been swept up in the wave, and that wave will grow. Technologists and entrepreneurs will revolutionize, or at least improve, all forms of government service and operation. Technologists have already started reimagining urban planning (mySidewalk), municipal debt investing ( Neighborly ), capital equipment sharing ( Munirent ), and open data ( Ontodia and ThinkData). These companies will grow in 2016 and new companies will emerge to tackle new problems, making change in this industry feel downright normal.Intelligence applications will derive value from public data: Governments have published data online for years, but in 2016 they will release more data sets at little cost through open source solutions like CKAN and DKAN, powered by declining data storage costs from Amazon and IBM. Plummeting costs per dataset will incentivize governments to share increasing amounts of data and place a premium on applications that can glean insights from that data. These applications will form enterprise solutions that enable governments to leverage their data internally across departments and between governments, then share the data with the public.Agency budgeting will become collaborative: Stories describing how government budgets reflect political priorities are becoming more commonplace. The budget process drives organizations and involves loads of stakeholders. But governments craft budgets largely in spreadsheets. Sharing complex spreadsheets is cumbersome, and benchmarking against other governments is nearly impossible. In 2016, the clerical work required in the budgeting process will be as easy as posting a status to Facebook. With modern cloud-based technology, the budget process will be streamlined and governments will save hundreds or thousands of hours -- time that can add value in research, benchmarking, and strategic planning. And, it will eliminate unnecessary information barriers within and between governments, empowering budget teams to engage staff, learn from other organizations, and then inform citizens and get their input.State and local governments will grow more important: Washington, D.C., dominates the news, but services from city halls and state capitals touch citizens lives far more than federal services. These include clean water, power grids, police services, fire and emergency response, and K-12 and university education. In September 2015, the Obama administration unveiled a $160 million initiative to fuel innovation in areas as diverse as traffic congestion, climate preparedness and energy efficiency. This initiative, combined with private-sector efforts, will increase the attention on and importance of local governments at the forefront of public-sector innovation. These governments will also gain new powers given that, for example, Congress devolved significant control and oversight of K-12 education to state and local governments in the recent Every Student Succeeds Act GreatAndhra.com powered by India Brains Infotech, LLC, its owners, associates and employees are not responsible for any errors, omissions or representations on any of our pages or on any links on any of our pages.We do not endorse in anyway any advertisers on our web pages, links to personal pages, official pages, or commercial pages.We have no control of the content of external information. Please verify the veracity of all information on your own before undertaking any reliance.The linked sites are not under our control and we are not responsible for the contents of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site, or any changes or updates to such sites. 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However, GreatAndhra.com takes no responsibility for and will not be liable for the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond its control.If you have any questions or concerns about a published article, please send us email at [email protected] . We will review your request and article will be removed immediatly. In the presence of visiting dignitaries from Changhe and the companys majority shareholder BAIC Group, a new prototype engine was fired-up for the first time at a ceremony held at Ricardos Shoreham Technical Centre, UK. The new 3-cylinder 1.0 litre turbocharged gasoline direct injection (TGDI) engine prototype is the culmination of 11 months of work by Ricardo engineers at the companys facilities in Shanghai, the Czech Republic, Germany and the UK, as well as a team of Changhe resident engineers who have been based at Shoreham. Ricardo and Changhe engineers have worked together to design and develop this family of engines with extremely competitive power, torque and fuel consumption values. We were particularly pleased to be able to host the senior visitors from BAIC and Changhe at the first fire event, which took place less than a year from the project start and within days of the final crucial componentthe cylinder blockbeing delivered. Ricardo Asia president Gary Tan Production is currently scheduled for the spring of next year. Forty Green River students were part of a group of 295 students from Wyoming to make up the Wyoming All-State Marching Band. The Wyoming All-State Marching Band made its appearance in the 127th Pasadena Rose Parade. The New Year's Day parade had more than 40 floats and about 20 bands, including Wyoming's marching band. Jerrid Washburn, Green River High School band director, said 40 students from GRHS joined high school students from across the state to make up a total of 295 students in the band. Washburn is not new to this marching band. He helped direct the band for five years, which included two Rose Parades, a trip to Hawaii and a trip to Scotland. This year, he was happy to act as a guest and help out only when needed. According to the website http://www.wasmb.org, students representing 32 different communities and 27 high schools joined together to make up the marching band. "Students in the All-State Marching Band are selected by director recommendations," Washburn said. In preparation for the Rose Parade, the band hosted its two big band practices this summer; one in Powell and one in Cheyenne, GRHS sophomore and clarinet player, Cassie Newcomb said. Washburn said this summer was a little bit different than previous years as far as practices go. "When the Rose Parade says that you're in, you do what you can to make sure you're there," Washburn said. Since the band members are literally spread out all over the state, the first thing the group did when they arrived in California after an 18-hour trip was practice. At first, the group was a little off on the music, but then they synchronized. "It's neat to watch," Washburn said. Newcomb said it was up to those attending the Rose Parade to memorize all of their music, including "Magnificent Seven," "Ghost Riders" and "Blazing Saddles." She said it was also up to the students to practice marching and stay in shape for the 5-6 mile parade route. Newcomb was proud to say she marched in a 2 1/2 hour parade, which is something not many people can say. The trip did have a few snags. Washburn said Green River was the meeting point for all seven buses going to California. One of the buses was late, which put the whole group behind schedule. They wound up arriving five hours late in California. Newcomb said because they were late, they had to practice in the hotel parking lot in the dark. Washburn said it was all a learning experience for the kids. They learned that even though there maybe a schedule in place, things come up and sometimes a schedule cannot be kept. He said the students also learned how a big, diverse group can come together in a minimal amount of time to put on a great performance. The Rose Parade was not the only event the band performed in. They also performed in a band fest and marched at Disneyland. While in California, band members had a chance to have fun in Disneyland, Universal Studios, the Hollywood Walk of Fame and they went to the beach. Washburn said for some it was the first time they had ever seen the ocean. He said this trip is something the students will remember. "For some of them, it's first-time experiences," Washburn said. "I was really proud of the students, mine specifically." He said all of the 40 students in the marching band are in at least one other activity, group or they have a job. Achievers Natalie Hicks of Greensboro is one of 21 East Carolina University students who have interned at small nonprofits and local government agencies as part of the Public Service Fellows program. Hicks, a rehabilitation services graduate, provided in-hospital and outpatient treatment facilities in physical therapy at Granville Medical Center in Oxford. The initiative is a pilot program operating at Eastern Carolina, Appalachian State and UNC-Pembroke. Funded by a $100,000 grant from the State Employees Credit Union Foundation, it is aimed at boosting the manpower available to organizations that deliver critical community services. ECU received $100,000 in April and created 20 fellowships. Eight students interned over the summer and 13 offered their services during the fall semester. Each student who participated earned a $4,500 scholarship. Their 300 hours of service provided hands-on experience in addition to helping meet the needs of the local agencies. *** High Point University doctoral student Stephanie Lowe Austin gave the keynote speech at the annual Positive Behavior Intervention and Support awards ceremony Nov. 17 at Koury Convention Center in Greensboro. In her speech, Our Kids, Our Hope, Our Future, Austin, a student in the HPU School of Educations Educational Leadership program, focused on the importance of building relationships in schools in order for students to succeed. Austin is an exceptional childrens program specialist for Asheboro City Schools. *** High Point University physics students Alan Vasquez and Eugene Filik discovered pulsations in a star during a research trip to the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile over fall break. The students made the discovery of the pulsating white dwarf using software Vasquez created during HPUs inaugural Summer Research Program in the Sciences this past summer and one of the observatorys advanced telescopes, available to HPU through its membership in the SMARTS Consortium. The students accompanied Brad Barlow, assistant professor of astrophysics, on the trip, which was made possible in part by funding from HPUs Student Government Association. *** Brown Summit Middle School is one of 10 middle schools across the state that will compete in North Carolinas Middle School Mock Trial Competition. The school won the Region 5 competition during the Justice Iredell Middle School Mock Trial Tournament, competing against 57 other middle schools. Mock trial competitions allow students to sharpen their critical thinking and public speaking skills while acting as attorneys and witnesses in fictional criminal cases. Four Guilford County schools participated in the competition: Brown Summit, The Academy at Lincoln, Welborn Academy and Northwest Middle. In the Chatham Courthouse, Emma Carson and Andrea Aleese of Northwest Guilford Middle were named Best Witness and Northwest Guilford Middle students Mary Alex Beverly, Madeline Seganish and Kelly Shouse were named Best Attorney. In the Rockingham Courthouse, Best Witnesses included Aleida Rojas of Welborn Middle School and Susan Miller, Hannah Swanton and Jeremiah Meyer, all of Brown Summit Middle. Best Attorneys were Kaelyn Sandifer and David Shapiro of Brown Summit Middle School and Rochin Bakthisaran and Alexia Ingram of The Academy at Lincoln. Brown Summit will join the winners of the seven other regions, and two wild card schools, at the state competition on Jan. 9 in Durham. Activities During the recent holiday season, High Point University helped more than 22,000 lives while contributing $37,000 in Christmas gifts. Some activities included: The Nido R. Qubein School of Communication bought gifts for seven families from the Hattie Lee Burgess home, a safe haven for domestic violence victims. These gifts included footballs, bikes, remote control planes, Teddy bears, basketballs, gift cards and household necessities. HPU students donated more than 250 pounds of food to the Out of the Garden project to nourish people in the community. HPUs Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity hosted a Christmas party for more than 100 children in the Boys & Girls Club at West End Ministries. HPUs Impact Club, a Christian service organization, hosted Impact Christmas for members of the community at the Carl Chavis YMCA on Dec. 5. HPU students sold Christmas gifts to more than 60 members of the community at a discounted price so parents had the opportunity to pick out gifts for their children. Announcements High Point Regional hospital is accepting applications through Jan. 29 for its teen volunteer program, PATH (Promoting the Advancement of Teens in Health care). The program offers an opportunity for students to partner with staff throughout the health system and experience a work environment. The number of openings for the PATH program is limited. Only 75 students will be accepted, including students from the previous summer. All teens must be at least 14 by June 1 and entering ninth-grade. To apply, visit www.HighPointRegional.com. For information, call (336) 878-6888. *** Greensboro Days Upper School will present the musical, 13, at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 28 and 30 and at 2 p.m. Jan. 30 and 31 in the Linda Sloan Theatre on the campus of Greensboro Day School. Cast includes: Meg Bennett, Jacob Breeden, Emily Brown, Mary Brown, David Chung, Emily Dean, Davis Dunham, Scarlett Ge, Penny Hazlett, Michael Jacobson, Jake Keeley, Phillip McCall, Connor McGinley, Desmond McIntyre, Caroline Moore, Hayley Rafkin, Gray Rucker, Babalwa Tetyana, Laura Tutterow, Julia Weingold, Morgan Winstead and Patrick Zhao. Tickets will be available at greensboroday.org/tickets beginning Jan. 18 and at the door. Scholarships High Point University freshman William Conner, an interior design major from Plainville, Mass., is the recipient of the Bill and Bonnie Peterson Endowed Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to students in the School of Art and Design who are visual merchandising or interior design majors pursuing a career in home furnishings. LOS ANGELES The hillside above the California home of Wayne Socha had held firm against thunderstorms over the past three decades. But after a wildfire two years ago stripped away vegetation and loosened soil, he feared the strong El Nino storms pounding the state could bring it all down. So the 61-year-old corporate auditor grabbed a sledgehammer and waded through the muck in his Monrovia backyard to knock a hole in a cement wall and let a mud flow skirt this house and run into a street. "It looked like Niagara Falls," Socha said. "It was quickly building up behind the house and I knew it could come right inside." Socha is among uncounted Californians trying to protect their property after the first El Nino storms descended on California this week and brought wet, windy weather to an area stretching all the way to the Gulf Coast. Those storms dumped nearly 3 inches of rain Tuesday on Southern California, turning Socha's terraced backyard into a raging torrent of mud and debris. He kept his sledgehammer and shovels close on Wednesday as the winter's most powerful El Nino storm pushed into the state. Driving rain inundated the San Francisco Bay Area during the morning commute, causing nearly two dozen crashes, toppling trees and flooding streets and streams. Officials shut down the city's iconic cable cars and buses were used to serve riders. The system pushed south toward Los Angeles, stirring high waves in the ocean and causing extensive flooding in the San Fernando Valley that swamped cars in deep water. It packed colder temperatures, stronger winds and heavier rainfall than the previous storms that have lined up since the weekend and brought much-needed rain to the drought-stricken state. In all, the current storm was expected to dump as much as 3 more inches of rain in coastal and valley areas and up to 4 inches at higher elevations, National Weather Service meteorologist Curt Kaplan said. Another less-powerful El Nino storm was right behind and expected to hit land Thursday. Los Angeles authorities spent days getting homeless people from low-lying areas along the Los Angeles River and other waterways prone to flooding. Shuttles were available to shelters that had room for as many as 6,000 beds, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said. "We're not going to charge them with things," Garcetti said. "But we will use the force of law there is law on the books that they can't be there." Motorists in mountain areas were warned that blizzard conditions with wind gusts reaching 60 mph were possible above 4,000 feet. At the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains, Monrovia officials dispatched crews with sandbags to help protect Socha's neighborhood from landslides. That eased his mind somewhat, but he said he and his wife were vigilantly watching forecasts of several more inches of rain. "We're amateur meteorologists now," he said. The National Weather Service said a record 1.42 inches of rain fell Tuesday at Los Angeles International Airport as a previous storm passed through the region. San Diego Fire-Rescue crews responded to 75 calls in three hours Tuesday. Most dealt with cars in flooded intersections, including instances in which a woman and her dog were pulled to safety and a family of four was rescued from their vehicle as waters swiftly rose. Northern Arizona residents woke up to a winter wonderland on Wednesday and forecasters warned of a lot more snow in the coming days. Several major roadways closed temporarily because of a rock slide, crashes and slippery conditions. Despite the potential for flooding and mudslides, the wet weather in California was welcome news for a state suffering from a severe drought. But officials warned residents against abandoning conservation efforts and reverting to wasteful water-use habits. California's water deficit is so deep after four years of drought that a steady parade of storms will be needed for years to come, said Mike Anderson, climatologist for the state Department of Water Resources. The current El Nino system a natural warming of the central Pacific Ocean that interacts with the atmosphere and changes weather worldwide has tied a system in 1997-1998 as the strongest on record. RALEIGH Democrats and Republicans disagree about a lot of things. The Connect NC bond plan isnt one of those things. Republicans and Democrats shared the stage Tuesday as the states leaders formally kicked off the campaign for the bond package that goes to North Carolina voters in less than 10 weeks. If voters approve the measure March 15, the $2 billion in bonds will pay for construction at all 17 UNC campuses and at all 58 of the states community colleges. Theres also money for state parks, National Guard and public safety facilities, agriculture labs and upgrades to water and sewer systems. The Greensboro and Winston-Salem area stands to gain about $360 million worth of projects. The two largest are a new nursing and science building at UNC-Greensboro ($105 million) and a new engineering building at N.C. A&T ($90 million). There is no one (in North Carolina) not impacted by this bond, said Jim Rose, a regional president of Yadkin Bank in Raleigh and a co-chairman of the Connect NC Committee that organized Tuesdays kickoff. In an hour-long event at N.C. States Hunt Library, supporters repeatedly pointed to the same themes. The bond is long overdue: The last statewide bond issue was in 2000, when voters approved $3.1 billion for universities and community colleges. Since then, the state has grown by 2 million people Rose compared it to the entire population of Nebraska moving to North Carolina and became the nations ninth-largest state. North Carolina is in the big time now, said Republican Gov. Pat McCrory, the bond campaigns honorary chairman. We need to prepare for the future. The bond is fiscally responsible: Supporters said the state wont have to raise taxes to repay the bonds. The bond projects will help create jobs: The UNC projects will improve facilities that educate students for the fast-growing fields of science, engineering, health and nursing. State parks are part of a $21 billion tourism industry The bond has bipartisan support: McCrory first proposed the bond, and Republican leaders in the House and Senate massaged the list of projects and the overall amount. The bond bill passed the legislature with votes from both parties. The leaders of the Connect NC Committee include members of both parties. The committee hired two political strategy firms one Democratic and one Republican to drum up support. Attorney General Roy Cooper, whos expected to be the top Democratic challenger to McCrory in November, attended Tuesdays kickoff event but did not speak. He told The Associated Press that he supports the bonds. One Democrat who did speak was former Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton, who lost the governors race to McCrory in 2012. (The bond) was done for all the right reasons, said Dalton, now president of Isothermal Community College in Rutherford County. This is not a partisan issue, as has been said. It is a North Carolina issue. It is about keeping North Carolina strong. Left largely unsaid Tuesday was whether the bond issue will pass muster with voters. So far, the bond has no organized opposition. On Tuesday, the committee made public a survey it commissioned in November. The poll, by Republican firm Public Opinion Strategies, found that 60 percent of likely primary voters would support the bond. Support ran higher among Democrats (71 percent say theyd vote for it) than Republicans (45 percent). Only six percent are undecided. The poll has a margin of error of 4.4 percent. If we are the leaders that we profess to be said Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue, a Raleigh Democrat and a bond committee co-chairman, we should be able to convince the other 9.9 million North Carolinians that this is an effort that everyone has to be involved in. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact John Newsom at (336) 373-7312 and follow @JohnNewsomNR on Twitter. ARCHDALE Local gun sellers and law enforcement officials dont think the presidential executive orders announced Tuesday will affect gun violence much, although some applauded the increased focus on mental health issues. Citing continuing concerns about mass shootings, President Barack Obama on Tuesday afternoon announced a series of executive orders aimed at reducing gun violence. Obama, acknowledging that his orders wont stop all gun violence, said he bypassed Congress because legislators have failed to act. The executive orders caused confusion, local shop operators said. With dozens of customers wondering what the orders meant to them, the phone wouldnt stop ringing at Archdale Arms and Archery, 10831 N. Main St., in Archdale, according to clerk Don Efird. Its on fire, he said of the phone line. A key portion of the executive order attempts to close so-called loopholes in gun sales at gun shows or flea markets and online, where gun sellers oftentimes arent registered as licensed dealers, Obama said. The orders are intended to improve existing regulation clarifying who is required to be federally licensed to do business online and at gun shows forcing them to conduct background checks on potential buyers. The orders also would set aside $500 million for more federal funding for mental illness treatment and add more than 230 workers to help process background checks. But a high percentage of the vendors at gun shows already are federally licensed dealers, Efird said. The Archdale business regularly attends shows, he said. At the gun show, if there were 100 tables, less than 10 would not have the federal license, he said. He questioned data Obama offered that said a large number of sales at gun shows are done privately. Forty percent of guns sold at gun shows are sold by regular people? he said. The datas not there to support what theyre doing. The Obama administration conceded that it couldnt really say how many unregistered gun sellers would get licenses or how many gun sales would require the background checks. An additional difficulty, critics of the Obama plan say, is that states have varying laws regarding gun purchases. A few states, including California, Oregon, Washington and New York require that all transfers of firearms must be done through a dealer. North Carolina requires firearms buyers to undergo background checks to obtain handguns or concealed handgun carry permits. Gibsonville Police Chief Ron Parrish said he hadnt had a chance Tuesday night to look deeply into the presidents actions. The only thing Ive heard so far that makes any sense is to increase funding for mental illness, he said. I think, if we can treat mental illness rather than taking a law-abiding citizens firearm, that makes more sense. The effort moves the White House back to an issue Obama has decried often. He wiped tears from his eyes as he discussed the deaths of 20 first-graders killed in 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. Adam Lanza, 20, shot and killed 20 children and six adults on Dec. 14, 2012. Prior to driving to the school, he had killed his mother at their home. He later killed himself. Obamas plan drew support from Democrats and derision from Republicans and the National Rifle Association, which has pledged to fight the measures. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, both seeking the Democratic nomination for president, praised the action. In a tweet, Clinton thanked Obama for taking a crucial step forward on gun violence. She added, Our next president has to build on that promise. U.S. Rep. Alma Adams of Greensboro (D-12th District) sent a statement applauding the effort to increase gun safety. Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio said Obama is obsessed with undermining the Second Amendment. The NRA, the nations biggest gun lobby, accused Obama of engaging in political exploitation without raising specific objections. We will not allow law-abiding gun owners to be harassed or intimidated for engaging in lawful, constitutionally-protected activity, the organization said in a statement. If the Obama plan had been in place in the past, the changes probably wouldnt have prevented the Sandy Hook shooting or others that have received national attention, critics say. I havent heard anything proposed that would have prevented any of these incidents from happening, Parrish said. We need to zero in on mental health. And defining mental illness can be a challenge, said Craig Combow, a gunsmith at the Archdale business. I understand and appreciate that their goal is to keep firearms out of the hands of people with mental illness, he said. But it is a mistake, Combow said, to extend access to information about medical history so a sheriffs deputy or FBI agent can decide whether a person can buy a gun if they have been treated at any point in their life for anxiety, depression, fear or anger. They wouldnt be qualified to make that determination, he said. Parrish argued that people in the business of selling firearms need information about a potential gunbuyers mental health. I dont know any legitimate federal firearms dealer who would knowingly sell a firearm to anyone with a mental condition, he said. I think were losing perspective on what were trying to accomplish any loss of life is tragic. Greenwich High School guidance counselors next College Kick Off meeting, focused on the college application process for 11th-graders, is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday in the schools auditorium. Based on the feedback from our students and parents, GHS does a great job guiding students through the college application process, said Greenwich High Headmaster Chris Winters. The first step of the journey is the College Kick Off meeting. These events are well attended and provide parents and students with key information. The town is in the process of surveying business owners in the central commercial district about parking issues and business uses. Town Planner Katie DeLuca hopes to use data collected over the next two weeks, plus that gathered in other business districts last summer, to update zoning regulations for local businesses particularly when it comes to parking. If theres too much parking demand downtown, it could push parking into a residential area and thats not desirable, DeLuca said. But if theres not enough demand, then you tinker with marketing forces, and create vacancies, thats not positive either. Parking has long been an issue in Greenwich business districts, including the central district along Greenwich Avenue and its side streets. Some business owners on Tuesday said they welcome the study, especially if it changes antiquated regulations that can prevent small businesses from coming to town. The (current) regulations, when it comes to parking and certain usages, are a deterrent for businesses coming into Greenwich while surrounding cities may welcome them with open arms, said Alyssa Keleshian Bonomo, an owner of numerous Greenwich properties. She said ma and pop stores often cant open in town because of the time and money required based on Planning and Zoning regulations. James Ritman, executive vice president and managing director at the real estate firm Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, said he has seen New York-based companies turn away from branching out into Greenwich because of its zoning regulations. When you have groups coming out of New York that look to relocate, they can put a lot more people on the same square footage in Manhattan than they can in Greenwich based on parking density requirements, said Ritman. The standard office requirement in Greenwich is about three parking spaces per thousand square feet of office space. Comparatively, said Ritman, leases in Manhattan will sometimes have 50 to 75 people for a 10,000-square-foot office space. The Planning and Zoning Commission has requested funding to implement an overhaul study using the data being gathered now to help clarify for businesses what use the town considers them to be, where they can put a given use and what the parking regulations are for that use. Right now, the answer to those three questions What am I? Where can I go? And what is my parking requirement? is only answered for six specific uses: retail, supermarket, personal services, hotels, restaurants and health clubs, said DeLuca. So if youre not one of those things, you may not know how youre defined, where you can go and what your parking requirement is and that causes an enormous amount of confusion. Last summer, the commission hired two graduate school interns to gather data about businesses in other districts in Greenwich, including the uses and parking practices of each business. This January those students, Adam Pisarkiewicz of SUNY at Buffalo and Stephen Meno of Tufts University, will resume gathering data for the commission, this time in downtown Greenwich. The surveys, said DeLuca, revealed that there arent enough parking spaces for the required number per business. I also think the survey will remind the downtown community that there are municipal lots to park in. There are places for employees to go, and maybe that will encourage them to not park in front of their stores, said Keleshian Bonomo. She said employees of both local and chain stores frequently park in front of businesses, which deters customers. Both Ritman and Keleshian Bonomo lauded DeLuca and the commissions efforts to revamp and refine its policies. This is a very big step. The findings will be very important. I think people know there are parking issues in town, that's not a secret, but it shows the town cares and is interested in trying to create a more business-friendly environment," said Ritman. This is for the residents of our town, said Keleshian Bonomo. We all need to get behind it and support it in order to make Greenwich a place to live, to shop, to dine and to contribute to. SFoster-Frau@scni.com; @SilviaElenaFF President Barack Obama was right and within his limited powers in the basic actions he announced Tuesday to reduce gun violence in this country. We have waited year after year for Congress to act, but it would not and could not summon the courage to do so. If the slaughter of 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012, could not give the majority of Congress the will for reform, then we do not know what ever could. Mass shootings keep happening including in a church, a community college and a regional health center in just the last year. Among the several worthwhile actions that Obama will take, at least three should be indisputable: The licensing of gun dealers and conducting of background checks on the buyers no matter where guns are sold. Those who sell firearms in stores are licensed, and background checks required, so it closes a loophole to extend the license and checks to gun shows and internet sales. No ones rights are taken away. The hiring of 230 additional FBI staff to process background checks 24/7. Now if a check does not clear within 72 hours, it is automatically approved, which is how the shooter at the Baptist church in Charleston obtained a weapon. Quicker background checks take away no ones rights. The additional investment of $500 million to increase access to mental health care. A portion of this will go to the states, likely through Medicaid, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy told journalists in a conference call shortly after attending the White House announcement Tuesday. Broader mental health care takes away no ones rights. Criticism of the presidents actions was swift, shallow and obligatory. He overstepped executive bounds, they said. Not so; all of the measures are within directing departments, such as Defense, Homeland Security and Justice, under his purview. He infringed on Second Amendment rights, they said. Not so; the measures build on requirements already in place. It does no good, for presidential candidates or anyone, to frame the issue as a polarizing Second Amendment rights versus gun control. The long overdue action is about common sense gun safety. Congress will have to make choices on how to fund these measures, whether by raising taxes or cutting elsewhere, but we have to accommodate what is important for the common good. Connecticut already has some of the toughest laws in the country, but that cannot and does not stop illegal guns from entering the state Malloy Tuesday actually called I-95 a gun corridor. All 50 states, instead of just a handful, need stricter laws. Connecticut, which has been a leader on gun safety legislation, was well represented at the White House press conference Tuesday; besides Malloy several family members of those killed at Sandy Hook, leaders of the grassroots Sandy Hook Promise and Newtown Action Alliance attended. The states two senators and Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty, whose district includes Newtown, all strong proponents of action, met the day before with the president. These were fine moments, small victories, for those who have worked passionately since Sandy Hook to affect change. Obamas new measures are good and necessary, but not enough. The next president would have the power to overturn them. Congress still needs to listen to the majority of the American people, instead of the powerful gun lobbies, and enact lasting legislation to make the country safer. Every Maple dish must undergo a 50-step stress test. Photo: Courtesy of Maple On any given weekday afternoon, New Yorks reception desk looks more like a conveyor belt for delivery bags from Maple. As soon as someone grabs one of the orders meticulously IDed and adorned with cloth handles, like luxurious presents it doesnt take long before a new delivery person drops off additional orders. The service is, of course, wildly popular in many offices (and homes) in the parts of lower Manhattan that are in its delivery zone. But with the news that Maple will now expand its reach to midtown perhaps the biggest lunch market in the city the company is poised to become the citys preeminent food-delivery option, thanks to a business model thats predicated on the idea of simplicity, and the companys ability to oversee every single part of the delivery experience, from start to finish. Co-founders Caleb Merkl and Akshay Navle launched Maple in April, with the help of one important backer: Momofukus David Chang, who says he signed on because no ones ever taken the time to really do delivery food well. And the clearest reason for Maples rapid success is that the food tastes really good: New Yorks Underground Gourmet called the vegetable-heavy options perfectly cooked and deftly constructed words you rarely, if ever, hear when talking about delivery. And unlike delivery apps that connect customers with restaurants, Maple can take full credit for this: Everything is prepped in a commissary kitchen in Brooklyn, and then in a network of neighborhood delivery-kitchen hubs. Meals are conceived and packaged to withstand a commute which customers can track in real time and they often arrive in 30 minutes or fewer. Lunch costs $12, dinner is $15, and tax and gratuity are included, so theres no guilt over tipping, even if you live on a sixth-floor walk-up and its pouring rain. Actually, Maples delivery staffers are full-time employees who are paid $14 per hour, with health care. One of the biggest problems is most of the mechanisms of food delivery are on the back of existing restaurants, and theres just huge variation, Merkl explains. Some restaurants do it very well, some restaurants do delivery as an afterthought How do you get a balanced meal made with high-quality ingredients? How do you get that at a reasonable price? And how do you get that in a reliable and consistent way? Technology is obviously something that has changed so many industries in fundamental ways. Food is one of the industries that technology is just now starting to affect. While the customer experience is simple and straightforward, Maples team still has plenty of behind-the-scenes work, which Chang likens to any other food establishment. What people dont understand is that this is a real restaurant, the chef says. The front of the house is just the logistics and the technology. I hate to use the word breathtaking, but thats what it is. After executive chef Soa Davies, a Le Bernardin veteran, conceives each dish, it undergoes a 50-step stress-testing process to ensure that it travels well. An in-house team then professionally photographs it, and Maple staffers carefully analyze which day to put it on the menu. The menu mix is a really difficult thing to nail, Merkl says. The reality is the mix that will perform well on a Monday is very different from the mix that will perform well on a Friday. People enter the week wanting to make smart decisions, so we offer a much healthier skew. Nutritional information will soon become available, and Maple is planning on launching a blog to spotlight where it consciously sources its ingredients. This push for transparency is smart, especially at a time when 10 percent of the top restaurants on competitor GrubHub Seamless are so-called ghosts, with business names that dont even match the foods actual point of origin. What the service lacks at the moment is the huge variety that some people might be accustomed to: Instead of a vast catalogue of restaurants, each with its own full delivery menu, Maple offers five different dishes a day, all intended to be simple, balanced, and vaguely seasonal like a meal you could cook at home, if only you had the time. Thats by design, Chang says. You get bogged down by having all of the options available. For a long time, Id just order Chinese food from one specific Szechuan place, and then, all of a sudden, in the past four years, there are four Szechuan places. It would take me over an hour to decide on what to order. He adds, Thats when you really get deep into delivery and its a giant waste of time. Its so damn stupid when you can just order one meal thats good. Each dinner option has a protein and three sides, and during lunch there are salads, sandwiches, and, of course, grain bowls. (Plus: a free sugar cookie made by Christina Tosi, which is the kind of perk everyone appreciates.) Recent options include soy-ginger steamed hake with Napa cabbage, sesame mushrooms, and Korean-chili broccoli; Moroccan chicken with a beet-and-chickpea salad, lemon couscous, and cumin-roasted carrots; a wild albacore tuna Nicoise salad; and a turkey-and-Swiss Reuben. We want people to look at our meals and feel like they are simple, but very well-done, Merkl says. That was an option that we felt was difficult to find in the delivery world a high-quality piece of chicken breast thats cooked in a way youd find in a restaurant. Or, as Chang puts it, I love it because my doctor says I need more salads, and I dont want to make the same fucking salad every day. It helps that the food tends to arrive fully intact no leaks or errant globs of sauce in its attractive, compostable packaging that keeps everything looking more or less like the pro shot users see on the site. (The team also chose compostable sugarcane packaging because it responds best to heat, so food actually arrives warm.) We knew we were going to be losing plating, which is something that you dont necessarily think about when youre in a restaurant, but its actually a really big component of how you perceive the meal, Merkl says. Even still, the company recognizes its current limitations. Right now there are 40 people working at Maple HQ, and most of the companys growth is coming from the culinary and delivery sides. As the company slowly expands its delivery areas, the goal is to serve all of Manhattan. On a grander scale, Merkl envisions this model as one that could work in pretty much every city. But theres no set timeline in place, and there are still many kinks to be worked out: Maple has trouble predicting demand and often sells out of dishes. Like any good start-up, though, the customer service is excellent. After inquiring about a recent order that took over 30 minutes to arrive, a real human emailed to apologize, twice. When the missing food a hake entree did arrive, it was indeed perfectly cooked. Apple officially announced the App Store generated $1.1 billion in sales during the 2015 holiday season. In fact, the company calls it the "biggest ever" milestone for the App Store for the two-week period ending January 3, 2016. Christmas and New Year's have both set single-day records with more than $144 million sales. In total, Apple has paid out close to $40 billion to developers since the App Store launched eight years ago. The App Store had a holiday season for the record books. We are excited that our customers downloaded and enjoyed so many incredible apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV, spending over $20 billion on the App Store last year alone, said Philip Schiller, Apples senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. We're grateful to all the developers who have created the most innovative and exciting apps in the world for our customers. We can't wait for what's to come in 2016. The company also shared another interesting statistic: it has now created 1.9 million jobs in the US alone. 1.4 million of them are related to the community of app creators, software engineers and entrepreneurs building iOS apps. Previously, the company said it was responsible for 1.2 million jobs in Europe and 1.4 million jobs in China. For 2015, Apple App Store sales topped $20 billion. Apple keeps 30% of the App Store revenue, meaning the company made $6 billion for 2015 after paying developers. Source These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales. Samsung has announced that its mobile payments service Samsung Pay, which is currently only available in the US and South Korea, will soon be expanded to several other countries, including Australia, Singapore, and Brazil. The announcement was made at the company's CES conference. While three other countries - the UK, Spain, and China - were also mentioned, expansion to these markets has already been announced by the South Korean company. In China, the service will be launched in cooperation with the country's bank card organization China UnionPay, Samsung recently revealed. While China, Spain, and the UK could see Samsung Pay launching in Q1 this year, there's no information on exactly when it will be available in Australia, Singapore, and Brazil. Via Haiti - Elections : A recount of the PVs could lead to a reclassification of candidates Me Gedeon Jean, Secretary of the Independent Electoral Commission of Evaluation who refused to sign the report of the commission justified his decision in a letter. "[...] During the work of the commission, there was a perfect collaboration between commissioners who want to save the country from a deep post-election crisis, although their views are divergent. Furthermore, collaboration between the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), the Tabulation Centre and the commission was correct. But in some cases it was necessary to clarify the mandate of the commission, independently, consists at the end of Article 1 of the Decree of 22 December 2015 establishing that committee, to take the necessary steps to assess the election process [...]. Which has often slowed the work of technicians. The 15% PVs studied indicate, according to the report's conclusion , that there has been 'irregularities often assimilated to the massive fraud.' I think we need at least a recount of all PVs while taking account of fraud cases in order to guarantee the right of citizens to vote (one person, one vote). This aspect, in my opinion, is fundamental and essential to ensure the self-determination people right (on the political, economic and social plan). The report note among others: the responsibility of the CEP, which ultimately must ensure legal compliance of results before publication (Article 171-1 of the electoral decree); serious inconsistencies between the decisions of the BCEN and the decisions of the CEP; the opacity of the CTV (no recruitment process of auditors lawyers that validate the minutes and manual or training modules for them, operation procedure from tabulatio ncentre are unknown...); the management of the elections was, in many operations depending on its skills, dismissed. The recommendations made could, if taken into account by the protagonists of the crisis, including the President of the Republic, saving the country from the 'UNKNOWN'. Moreover, the report concludes that 'it requires a closer examination at the technical level of the responsibility of the electoral machine' with respect to irregularities assimilated to the massive fraud. However, as a human rights defender, I consider that given the magnitude of the findings of the commission, I can not sign the report. Indeed, we need a thorough evaluation process, including in particular a recount of the PVs, which could lead to a reclassification of candidates. This in order to guarantee the right to vote of citizens [...]" See also : https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-16246-icihaiti-elections-there-is-no-evidence-of-massive-fraud-dixit-mario-dupuy.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16245-haiti-elections-what-found-the-commission-at-ctv.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16244-haiti-elections-a-lack-of-preparation-not-an-electoral-fraud.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16231-haiti-elections-the-recommendations-of-the-commission-of-electoral-evaluation.html HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Electoral Zapping... Final results published in Le Moniteur The President Michel Martelly published in the special issue # 1 of the 171st year of the official journal Le Moniteur the final results of the legislatives elections of 25 October 2015. See the document https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/elections2015/25octobre/definitifs-25-octobre.pdf Call for a historic compromise Sauveur Pierre Etienne, presidential candidate of the party Struggling People's Organization (OPL), call for a historic compromise to deepen this issue. According to him these are all the PVs that must be analyzed, and also examine the ballots. He also suggested a reshuffling of the CEP that is discredited. The truth of the polls Jacceus Joseph, representative of the human rights sector to the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) calls for the establishment of the truth of the polls. According to him, the rest of the electoral process will be in a dead end without the evaluation of elections on 9 August and 25 October 2015. "Haitians should not allow foreigners to undermine the country's sovereignty," he said. A thorough investigation is necessary Edouard Paultre, of the Haitian Council of Non State Actors (CONHANE) advocates a thorough investigation to achieve a "cleansing" of the electoral process, which is essential to get the country out of the crisis, according to him, and for the realization of the second round of presidential elections, it is necessary to have a political agreement. Transition government Sauveur Pierre Etienne, suggested the formation of a council of three members composed of the presidents of the Senate of the Republic, the Supreme Court and the Prime Minister to lead the country after February 7, if no president is elected yet. Pitit Dessalines wants an independent commission of inquiry Volcy Assad, of the political platform Pitit Dessalines said that following the revelations made by technicians of the commission, it is necessary that there is an independent commission of inquiry to shed light on what happened on August 9 and October 25. HL/ HaitiLibre Coming in stores on January 22 is Jim Gash's brand new book Divine Collision An African Boy, An American Lawyer, And Their Remarkable Battle For Freedom. Los Angeles lawyer and law professor, Jim Gash, in his new book tells the amazing true story of how, after a series of God-orchestrated events, he finds himself in the heart of Africa defending a courageous Ugandan boy. The boy had been languishing in prison and wrongfully accused of two separate murders. Ultimately, their unlikely friendship and unrelenting persistence reforms Uganda's criminal justice system, leaving a lasting impact on hundreds of thousands of lives and unearthing a friendship that supersedes circumstance, culture and the walls we often hide behind. Jim Gash lives in Malibu, California and is a Professor of Law and Director of Pepperdine's Global Justice Program. He serves as Specialist Advisor to the Ugandan High Court and assists the Ugandan government in a variety of capacities on projects relating to improving Uganda's judicial process. In March of 2013, Professor Gash became the first American ever to argue a case in the Ugandan Court of Appeals. In recognition of his ongoing work in Uganda, he received the 2013 Warren Christopher Award, which is presented to California's International Lawyer of the Year. Here are what critics are saying about the book: "Divine Collision is a captivating book! Jesus calls us to visit the prisoner, proclaim justice for the oppressed, and set the captive free. Too often we've forgotten that He really meant it. Jim Gash didn't forget, and his book reminds us this is Jesus' call for us too." -Richard Stearns, President of World Vision U.S.and author of The Hole in Our Gospel "Divine Collision weaves together a compelling narrative of Jim's passion to protect children forgotten within the web of the Ugandan justice system and his desire to obey the Biblical command to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly. Jim's story inspires all of us to "remember the poor" and to serve "the lease of these."- Ken Starr, President, Baylor University "Over the last several years I have had the great privilege of witnessing Jim's passion for Ugandan people and his willingness to lay down his own life for others. Divine Collision will remind you once again how one small gesture of love can make a monumental impact on a person for eternity." -Katie Davis, Author of the New York Times Bestseller "With great courage and conviction, Jim Gash provides an extraordinary glimpse into the power of obedience, prayer, and hope in transforming not only one life-or even one community-but an entire justice system. Divine Collision speaks to what is at the heart of our Christian calling: "Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow" (Isaiah 1:17)." - Gary A. Haugen, President and CEO of International Justice Missionand author of The Locust Effect Tags : jim gash jim gash new book jim gash divine collision jim gash news By Jessica Isaacs | [email protected] A magical world of creative and enlightening programs awaits you in 2016 at the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum. Bring the whole family out to learn something new and ring in the New Year at one or all of these fun and affordable BRAHM events. We have something for everybody and a wide range of events, said BRAHM Education and Outreach Director Leila Weinstein. Theyre a great way to learn something and to meet other people. Come with your friends or make some new ones. The museum is located at 159 Chestnut St. in downtown Blowing Rock. Visit blowingrockmuseum.org or call 828-295-9099 for more information. BRAHM is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Regular admission is free for members, $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and active military, $4 for students and children, free for ages 4 and under and $5 per person for groups of 10 or more. Whether youre looking for childrens activities, museum tours, special guests, film screenings, musical performances or more, BRAHMs got you covered this January. Read below for more dates, times and more information on upcoming programs. Jan. 19: Coffee with the Curator, 11 a.m. Exhibition and Collections Director Dianna Loughlin will guide you on this exclusive tour through the museums permanent collection, selections from which have been recently displayed. Dianna is very knowledgeable about the exhibits and the tour is free with your entry to the museum. Theres complimentary coffee and its a really nice way for people to come together, Weinstein said. Youre learning something, but youre also socializing and getting to see the museum from a different angle. The tour will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the museums exhibits, including artwork by North Carolina native Elliott Dangerfield. We have some fabulous pieces by Elliott Dangerfield, who was a North Carolina-born artist who spent a lot of time in Blowing Rock. Theres a large local connection for him, and his work is just really, really beautiful, said Weinstein. The local connection really appeals to people. Before we had these wed always have people asking about the Dangerfield paintings, so I think people will be really excited about it. Jan. 21: Birds of the High Country with Curtis Smalling, 11 a.m. This edition of the monthly Scholars and Scones BRAHM events brings in Curtis Smalling, Audubon NCs director of land bird conservation. In this late breakfast series, we invite local scholars from the community or from colleges and universities to come talk to us about their current research or projects they might be working on, Weinstein said. We try to keep it affordable, so its a $5 suggested donation. We will have complimentary coffee from the Hatchet Coffee Company here in Boone and we will have locally baked breakfast goods. Smalling, a graduate of ASU, will discuss the fascinating practice of local bird watching in North Carolinas High Country. Jan. 24: Mini Matinees: Wonders and Woodwinds, 2 p.m. Made possible by performers from ASUS Hayes School of Music, this childrens program will intertwine fairy tales, fables and classical music. These afternoon programs will introduce kids to the performing arts. Im really excited about them, and we have a large variety, said Weinstein. I remember doing that sort of thing when I was little, and it sort of opened up this whole magical world to me. This months program will be available at just $8 for the whole family for museum members and $10 per family for nonmembers. The setting will be so intimate that kids are sort of learning the etiquette of sitting and watching a performance, but there will also be a Q-and-A so they can learn about what goes into some of these performances I think thats also really valuable, Weinstein said. Its art forms theyre not exposed to every day in the modern world. Mini Matinees are sure to be one of your childrens favorite BRAHM events. Jan. 29: Cork and Canvas/WinterFest, 5:30-7:30 p.m. While youre in town for Blowing Rocks annual WinterFest, BRAHM events will include an evening of wine and painting in a relaxed atmosphere facilitated by a trained instructor. Wassily Kandinskys 1909 Winter Landscape is slated for the program. Join the fun at $30 for members and $40 for nonmembers. Jan. 30: Arctic Art by BrrrAHM!/WinterFest, 1-2:30 p.m. Celebrate winter by making arctic art at the museum during this free program while youre enjoying WinterFest in Blowing Rock. Ongoing BRAHM events: Tuesdays: Afternoon Art Club, 3:30-4 p.m. Children ages 6-10 can join the museum for creative art-making BRAHM events. This program is free for members and will cost $5 for nonmembers. Thursdays: Doodlebug Club, 1-2 p.m. and 3:30-4:30 p.m. These fun, educational BRAHM events is designed for preschool-age children accompanied by adults and will be free for members or $5 for nonmembers. Thursdays: Be Our Guest, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Enjoy free admission to BRAHM. Donations are encouraged. Past events: Jan. 4, 11: WinterFest Parade Puppet Workshops for Kids, 3:30 p.m. What could be cooler for aspiring young artists than showing off their work to a crowd of excited spectators? This two-day workshop for kids will offer the chance to use their hands and their imagination to create large-scale papier-mache puppets that they can then animate during the Blowing Rock WinterFest Snowflake Parade on Jan. 30. Children will work with artist Julie DelRosso to choose characters from a folk tale and bring them to life through their artwork. This is a really neat experience for them. They get to make their own art and then parade it down Main Street, Weinstein said. Its a neat way for kids to show their art to other people and feel proud of it. Space is limited for this childrens workshop, so call 828-295-9099 to register your kids. Participation will cost $10 for BRAHM members and $15 for nonmembers. Workshop BRAHM events will take place from 3:30-5 p.m. on Jan. 4 and 11. Children can meet back at the museum at 2:45 p.m. to join the lineup for the Snowflake Parade, which will begin at 3 p.m. on Jan. 30. Jan. 5: Movies at the Museum: Sunny Side of Life (1985), 6 p.m. This new film series offers guests an experience thats both entertaining and educational. Watch history unfold during the screening of these interesting documentary films and dive into each subject with scholars and professionals in a Q-and-A session following each months movie. In January, BRAHM will feature Sunny Side of Life, which was directed by Scott Faulkner, Anthony Slone and Jack Wright. The story digs into the spread of old-time Appalachian mountain music from the American south into other parts of the world as the Carter family carried it in the 1920s and 30s. People will get to see films they may not otherwise see in the public. We have also facilitated a Q-and-A discussion period afterwards, and I think its really fun for people to have the chance to discuss film topics in an intellectual way, said Weinstein. Often we will get somebody who was involved in making the film or who might have particular knowledge about the topic. Audiences can get really engaged with the program. Music historian Dr. Gary Boye, a music librarian and professor at Appalachian State University, will lead the discussion that will follow the screening. I think this will appeal to people who are interested in the music of the region, and it should be a fun, easy-to-watch film its very accessible, said Weinstein. The music of our region is sort of a mixture of Scotch Irish and English influences, but its just as much African American influence and Native American influence. Thats the music that sprang up in the mountains and eventually paved the way for country music. Its uniquely American. The Jan. 5 screening will begin at 6 p.m. and is being funded by BRAHMs Appalachian Culture and Heritage Education Fund. Join the event at $5 for members and students and $7 for nonmembers. In February, this series will feature Doug Prays Art & Copy with the films executive producer, Mary Warlick. Jan. 15: Winter Old-Time Dance, 7:30 p.m. The Laurel Creek String Band will play some great old-time music and the dances will be called, so no experience is necessary for participation. Share this: Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Pocket Updated 6.00pm: LG has announced its entire 2016 lineup of new OLED TVs at the companys CES press conference, and some of the information we originally reported were inaccurate. There are four ranges and eight OLED models in total: Signature G6: Flagship model; flat-screen rather than curved; 65-inch OLED65G6 and 77-inch OLED77G6; 2.57mm Picture-on-Glass design; detachable soundbar stand. Flagship model; flat-screen rather than curved; 65-inch OLED65G6 and 77-inch OLED77G6; 2.57mm Picture-on-Glass design; detachable soundbar stand. E6: Flat-panel with 2.57mm Picture-on-Glass design; 55in OLED55E6 and 65in OLED65E6. Flat-panel with 2.57mm Picture-on-Glass design; 55in OLED55E6 and 65in OLED65E6. C6: The only curved OLEDs from LG this year; 55 OLED55C6 and 65 OLED65C6. The only curved OLEDs from LG this year; 55 OLED55C6 and 65 OLED65C6. B6: Flat screen; 55-inch OLED55B6 and 65-inch OLED65B6; no 3D capability. The big news is that all these LG OLED TVs will support Dolby Vision HDR (high dynamic range) format in addition to HDR10. Other specifications include 10-bit panel, 10-bit processing, 99% DCI-P3 gamut coverage, and WebOS 3.0 Smart TV platform. Immediately following the UHD Alliances long-awaited announcement of its Ultra HD Premium certification criteria, LG Electronics (LGE) has also swiftly announced that all its 2016 OLED TV models will meet the required specifications to deliver a superior ultra high-definition and HDR (high dynamic range) experience for home consumers. In a press release, the South Korean manufacturer has listed four new OLED TVs which have received UHDAs Premium Certification, namely the LG 55E6, 65E6, 65G6 and 77G6. Contrary to our report yesterday (which was gleaned from product codes in the WiFi certification database), it appears that there will be 55in and flat OLED TVs from LG this year after all, with the character E in the model number denoting flat-screen versions. Happy days! Indeed, searching the companys own WebOS open-source database returned at least the following model numbers: OLED55E6Y, OLED55E6V, OLED55E6T, OLED55E6P, OLED55E6K, OLED55E6D OLED65E6Y, OLED65E6V, OLED65E6T, OLED65E6P, OLED65E6K, OLED65E6D So LGs new flat-panel OLEDs will come in screen sizes of 55 and 65 inches, with the last letter in the model number indicating the region in which itll be sold. For example, OLED55E6V and OLED65E6V are the FLOLED televisions that will go on sale in the UK and Europe. The award of Ultra HD Premium certification from UHD Alliance (UHDA) means that LGs flat 55E6/ 65E6 and curved 65G6/ 77G6 OLED TVs are all capable of reaching a peak luminance of at least 540 nits, and a DCI-P3 gamut coverage of more than 90%. While we never found the brightness and colours on last years OLED displays from LG and Panasonic to be lacking, any improvement in these areas especially when it comes to HDR presentation is always welcome. The LG OLED55E6, OLED65E6, OLED65G6 and OLED77G6 will be showcased at LGEs booth at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2016 in Las Vegas this week. We will be speaking to LG representatives on the showfloor to find out more details (price, release dates, etc.) about these exciting products. He reminds that Sweden's earlier decision to step up its border control efforts has already had a notable impact on the flow of asylum seekers into Finland. The decisions by Denmark and Sweden to launch identity checks at their borders will probably have an impact on the number of asylum seekers arriving in Finland, estimates Esko Repo, the head of asylum affairs at the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri). Sweden launched tighter border controls and clarified the preconditions for entry already in November. If [the preconditions] were not satisfied, the arrivals were required to apply for asylum or leave the country, he states in an interview with Uusi Suomi. This, he adds, has had a definite effect on the number of people arriving in Finland because practically all of the asylum applications filed since last summer were received on the northern border with Sweden. The number of daily applicants peaked at more than 600 in the autumn, but in December we had days with no more than 10 or 20 applicants. The difference is considerable, Repo highlights. Paivi Nerg, a permanent secretary at the Ministry of the Interior, acknowledges similarly that the impact of the measures taken earlier in Sweden have had a notable impact on the number of asylum seekers entering Finland. The impact on Finland has really been quite considerable, she tells Uusi Suomi. Repo describes the route from Sweden to Finland via Tornio as an arterial road for asylum seekers. He considers it likely that the route will become less heavily trafficked if the possibly Finland-bound asylum seekers are stopped already at the borders of Denmark and Sweden. Nerg contrastively estimates that the identity checks will only have a marginal effect on the flow of asylum seekers into Finland. The numbers entering Finland are already so low, she points out. Repo doubts that gaining entry without identity documents is any easier through, for example, Russia. I doubt people without passports whose sole intention is to travel here are allowed in at the borders of Russia, he says. The number of asylum seekers arriving in Finland may consequently fall short of the levels of last year, he estimates. If we examine data from the turn of the year, the number of asylum seekers varied between 15 and 35 per day. It's easy to calculate that if you have a steady daily flow of 10 applicants for one year, you will end up with a total of 3,600 which was how many arrived in 2014. If you have a steady daily flow of 20 instead, you'll end up with roughly 7,000 over the course of one year. He reminds, however, that it is difficult to predict how the situation will change over the next 12 months. Drawing any far-reaching conclusions about asylum affairs is generally difficult based on a short time period. The recent decisions will surely have an impact similar to that of stepping up border controls, but only time will tell how the situation develops and if Finland is the destination whether [migrants] will look for other routes [into the country], Repo explains. Sweden launched identity checks at its borders in response to the high number of asylum seekers arriving in the country on 4 January. Denmark announced shortly afterwards that it will introduce similar checks at its border with Germany. Aleksi Teivainen HT Photo: Bjorn Lindgren Lehtikuva/AFP Source: Uusi Suomi Street patrolling grants no kind of additional rights or authority to interfere in the activities of other people, Seppo Kolehmainen, the National Police Commissioner, emphasises in a press release. The National Police Board has commented on the recent proliferation of civilian street patrols in Finland by reminding that there are no legal obstacles to forming a street patrol because every citizen is entitled, under the constitution, to the freedom of movement. Voluntary community work should be supported. It is great that citizens are interested in their local security issues and want to improve the comfort and safety of their living environments, Kolehmainen states. The National Police Board reminds that the most important duty of civilian patrols is to observe and, to some extent, help alleviate rising tensions in certain neighbourhoods. It also reminds that such patrols are only allowed to support the efforts of law-enforcement authorities to uphold public safety upon a specific request to do so. A variety of vigilante patrols have recently been formed in several parts of the country. Soldiers of Odin, a vigilante patrol based in Joensuu, describes itself as a patriotic organisation fighting for white Finland. A member of a vigilante patrol in Asikkala, a small municipality in Southern Finland, said in an interview with YLE that the objective of the patrol is to guarantee the safety of local residents. A new reception centre opened its doors to asylum seekers in Asikkala in mid-December. The Finnish Resistance Movement has also reported about its street patrolling activities during the course of the autumn. Aleksi Teivainen HT Photo: Panu Pohjola / Lehtikuva Source: Uusi Suomi The Government will throw more than 100m at homes, businesses and farms devastated by flooding in a desperate attempt to avoid a general election backlash. But the long-awaited response to the ongoing weather crisis offers little in the way of solutions to prevent devastation from happening again. The government plan came under fierce attack last night after it emerged that a task force is to be set up to try to coordinate the large number of agencies involved in management of the river Shannon. As communities continue to reel from the effects of Storms Desmond and Frank, it emerged that the centrepiece of the Coal-ition's plan is the establishment of a task force involving various bodies and state agencies. Ironically, the Office of Public Works (OPW) - the statutory body responsible for flood protection - has been asked to spend the next two weeks devising the powers to be given to the task force. Meanwhile, the establishment of a long-term flood forecasting system, which will involve 15 extra staff between Met Eireann and the OPW, was announced following a series of meetings in Government Buildings. But the system will not be in place for at least two years, meaning communities will continue to be at risk. Hardship While the Coalition's response will involve cash payments for farmers whose land has been destroyed, there is no detail as to how this hardship scheme will operate. And there is little comfort for families affected by the floods whose homes do not have insurance. In response to their predicament, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has pledged to meet representatives of the insurance industry in Government Buildings on Tuesday. Other measures agreed by the Cabinet include: A new scheme whereby the State will replace damaged fodder at the market rate. An additional 10m for local authorities as part of their clean-up efforts. Extending the 5m business grant scheme to sports and community organisations whose facilities have been affect- ed by the floods. Two pilot schemes in Crossmolina and Graiguenamanagh for flood protection measures such as flood gates. It emerged last night that the bill incurred in terms of damage to the country's roads is nearing 60m. Overall, the cost to the State of the recent storms is in the region of 100m. The plan, which the Government says has more than a dozen components, was criticised by the Opposition. Fianna Fail environment spokesman Barry Cowen described the new task force as a "talking shop". "I don't take from the efforts being made from everybody concerned, but the problem is they are inadequately resourced and this plan is flawed," the Laois-Offaly TD told the Herald. "It is strong on promise but weak on delivery." Speaking on RTE's Six One News, Environment Minister Alan Kelly said: "The National Emergency Coordination Group has sat full-time since December 3 and sat before that as well. "It is the greatest response we have ever seen to an emergency that is unprecedented given the level of water we have seen." Meanwhile, the European Commission has hit out at claims that EU environmental rules are to blame for the flood crisis. In an unusual move, the commission released a statement in which it insisted it is not standing in the way of the authorities if they wish to dredge rivers. Former Clerys workers have repeated their pleas to the Government for tougher company laws to protect workers being made redundant. Caroline Murphy (49), an administrator in Clerys for 30 years, said an RTE television documentary about the iconic store's abrupt closure in June screened on Monday made her "very emotional". "What happened to us could still happen again in another company. The Government needs to change the law to prevent this problem happening again," she said Her husband, Anthony (59), also lost his job in the closure after 42 years of service. Meeting The SIPTU union restated its support last night for the demands of the Justice for the Clerys Workers campaign. The campaign calls for a meeting between Natrium, the store's new owners, and representatives of its former employees - as well as a change to company law - to ensure other workers do not have to endure a similar situation. SIPTU organiser Ethel Buckley said: "The manner in which Clerys was shut down, with its new owners paying no regard to a loyal workforce and leaving the costs of their redundancies with the State, marks this episode out as one of the most shameful in recent decades." SIPTU activist and former Clerys worker, Gerry Markey, said new owners Natrium "immediately moved to liquidate the store's operating company without discussions with the employees, including over 130 members of SIPTU, and without making plans for the payment of their outstanding wages or redundancy entitlements." "We are calling on the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton to adopt a law proposed by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions that would ensure that such a situation could not happen again." A spokesman for the minister said: "Significant changes have been made to the law in this area through the Companies Act 2014, and many of these provisions have yet to be tested in the courts. "As the Ministers have stated throughout this process, the prudent course of action therefore is to await further information about the progress of the liquidation in the Clerys case before assessing, along with the Company Law Review Group, what changes - if any - need to be made to company law." Two concert-goers had to be arrested following a row at Croke Park during an Ed Sheeran gig, a court heard. Stock picture Two concert-goers had to be arrested following a row at Croke Park during an Ed Sheeran gig, a court heard. The pair were restrained by gardai following an altercation in a stand. Raymond Byrne (24), of Constitution Hill, Dublin 7, pleaded guilty to causing a breach of the peace in the incident. Stephen Deane (30), of St Mary's Avenue, Dorset Street, denied the charge but failed to appear in court. Judge Patrick Clyne convicted and fined Deane 250 in his absence. He dismissed the case against Byrne after he apologised at Dublin District Court. Gda Ciaran Kavanagh said he was on duty at the Hogan Stand at 10pm last July 24 and saw security restraining a man during a public order incident. Abusive Gda Kavanagh arrested Byrne. Deane then became aggressive and had to be escorted outside. Deane continued to be verbally abusive to the gardai and was also arrested. There had been a previous altercation and Byrne "reacted quite badly" when gardai arrived, his solicitor said. "He could have made things a lot easier for himself," he added. The ticket had cost 65. "Sheeran is on the wireless every day," the judge remarked. "He's even singing as Gaeilge now." Insp John O'Sullivan told Judge Patrick Durcan at Killaloe District Court yesterday that Limerick man and car enthusiast Martin McNamara (25) has a total of 321 previous convictions, the majority of them related to road traffic offences. Stock picture A judge told a driver and garage worker with 31 previous convictions for driving without insurance that he should contact the Guinness Book of Records to have his 'achievement' recognised. Insp John O'Sullivan told Judge Patrick Durcan at Killaloe District Court yesterday that Limerick man and car enthusiast Martin McNamara (25) has a total of 321 previous convictions, the majority of them related to road traffic offences. In reply, Judge Durcan said 321 was easily the highest number of previous convictions he had encountered in his time as a judge. Insp O'Sullivan said the 321 total includes 31 previous convictions for driving without insurance. Judge Durcan yesterday jailed McNamara (25), of Castle- rock Mews, Castleconnell, Co Limerick, for 10 months after he pleaded guilty to driving without insurance and driving while disqualified at Ogonnelloe in east Clare last April 2. Judge Durcan also banned him from driving for eight years. McNamara's solicitor, Shiofra Hassett, said her client's previous convictions "are nearly all for road traffic offences and, judge, you have heard the high number of previous convictions for no insurance". First Judge Durcan said: "It may well be that when I have made my order, Mr McNamara should make time to write to the editor of the Guinness Book of Records and it may very well be that the record for previous convictions for no insurance could be recorded for him." Judge Durcan said that the 31 previous convictions for no insurance "is probably a national record. I have never heard of anything near it". Insp O'Sullivan agreed it was a first. The judge jailed McNamara for five months for driving without insurance and five months for driving while disqualified, with the sentences to run consecutively. Ms Hassett said McNamara works at a Limerick garage, Auto Clinic, on work experience, and his employer has taken a great deal of interest in him, driving him to and from work every day. She said McNamara accepts that he should not have been driving on the day in question "and won't be driving for the foreseeable future, if ever again". Ms Hassett said her client had brought it to the garda's attention that he was disqualified from driving on the day. She said he left school at the age of 13 and is in receipt of disability payments due to a learning difficulty. "Mr McNamara has always been interested in cars," she said. Judge Durcan fixed recognisance in the event of an appeal. Ojars Lukevicss is also accused of assaulting a garda A man has been accused of pointing a pellet gun at children in his housing estate and threatening them. Gardai found Ojars Lukevicss (37) holding the air pistol after it was reported that children were being threatened by a man with "what appeared to be a handgun", a court heard. Judge David McHugh adjourned the case to give the accused time to decide how he intends to plead. Mr Lukevicss, of Abbeyvale Crescent, The Oaks, Lucan, is charged with possession of a GSR Sigarms stainless steel pellet gun with intent to threaten and intimidate members of the public. He is also charged with being drunk and causing a breach of the peace in the same incident near his home last October 4. Blanchardstown District Court was told that gardai were called at 5.30pm by members of the public who said they saw a man shouting threats at children and adults and pointing what appeared to be a handgun at them. Officers arrived and saw the pellet gun in the accused's hand, it was alleged. Separately, Mr Lukevicss is charged with assault causing harm to Gda Shane Fox at Ronanstown Garda Station last July 13. Karate It was alleged that Gda Fox was bringing a doctor to examine Mr Lukevicss in custody when the defendant struck the officer with a "karate-style kick" to the abdomen. This also connected with Gda Fox's right hand, fracturing his index finger. The garda is still off work and receiving treatment for his injury. Judge McHugh accepted jurisdiction to deal with all charges in the district court. A young man has been sent for trial charged with handling a stolen car worth around 15,000. Stock Picture A young man has been sent for trial charged with handling a stolen car worth around 15,000. Karl Burke (27) had a book of evidence served on him at Blanchardstown District Court. He is accused of handling a stolen silver Ford Mondeo at The Park, Carrickmines Shopping Centre. He is further charged with using a false vehicle registration certificate at the same location. The offences are alleged to have happened on October 30, 2014. A state solicitor told Judge David McHugh that the book of evidence was ready and the DPP was consenting to Mr Burke being returned for trial to the next sittings of Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Amended The charge was amended to state that the value of the car was approximate. Judge McHugh gave the accused the formal warning that he must provide details of any alibi he intends to rely on in his trial to the prosecution within 14 days. He ordered disclosure to the defence of the video of Mr Burke's garda interview. The accused, with an address at Oatfield Lawn, Clondalkin, has not yet indicated how he intends to plead to the charges. Judge McHugh remanded him on bail under existing terms, to appear in the circuit court on a date later this month. The chief suspect for the brutal Halloween murder of a 21-year-old man was hospitalised after he was given a severe beating in the early hours of New Year's Day. The youth, who has close links to gangster 'Fat' Freddie Thompson, is the only suspect for the stabbing of Lorcan O'Reilly in the Oliver Bond flats complex. Sources have revealed that a number of youths attacked the 15-year-old in Dublin's south inner city shortly after 4am last Friday and the teenager suffered a number of serious kicks and punches to the head. He was brought to St James's Hospital where he was treated for a number of hours before being discharged. Lucky "The teenager is lucky that his injuries are not an awful lot worse. This incident has led to an increase in tensions in the south inner city," a source said. It is understood that some of those who were involved in the attack knew the murder victim and "there was an element of revenge about what happened". After being savagely attacked, it has emerged that the teen is now being taken care of by relatives overseas. Despite his tender age, the murder suspect was previously known to gardai and he was barely even a teenager when he was involved in a horrific gang attack in the Grafton Street area in which a man was badly beaten up. However, the juvenile has now suffered the same fate and this has led to fears that criminals connected to 'Fat' Freddie's faction may now retaliate for it. Last week, the Herald revealed that up to 16 people including a number of women and juveniles were questioned for withholding information about the murder of Lorcan. He was stabbed to death at the Oliver Bond Street flats complex in Dublin at 2.45am on November 1 when he tried to break up a fight. A chief suspect quickly emerged and he presented himself for questioning at Kevin Street Garda Station along with his two grandmothers a number of days after the stab attack. However, officers declined to take a statement from the teenager as they intend to collect more evidence. The INMO's executive council sanctioned the first day of strike action, involving two-hour rolling stoppages, for Thursday, January 14 - with subsequent days of action following later Emergency department (ED) nurses plan to strike next week after rejecting proposals brokered by the Workplace Relations Commission to resolve the overcrowding issue. Members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) rejected the proposals by a margin of 58pc to 42pc. These were aimed at tackling staffing and patient safety issues in these departments. Beaumont and Tallaght hospitals in Dublin will now be included in the first day of rolling strike action. The INMO's executive council sanctioned the first day of strike action, involving two-hour rolling stoppages, for Thursday, January 14 - with subsequent days of action following later. Confidence INMO General Secretary Liam Doran said it was quite clear that, in rejecting these proposals, its members - who work in 26 EDs nationwide - were stating that they had no confidence in senior management, at local level, to implement the proposed measures on a continuous basis. "It was also obvious that members believe that there is a complete lack of awareness within senior management as to the compromising of patient care and safe nursing practice occurring on a daily basis - from the continuous presence of trolleys and overcrowding generally," he said. "We will now consult with our ED representatives and strike committees on Thursday and prepare for the first day of strike action in seven hospitals, now scheduled for Thursday, January 14. "Our campaign for a safer environment - for patients and staff - in the country's emergency departments will continue until our members are satisfied the necessary measures will be applied on a 24/7 basis." Separately, Beaumont Hospital has asked the public and GPs to avoid visits to its ED where possible. A statement from the hospital said that the ED is experiencing an unusually high level of patients presenting, combined with a higher than normal admission rate from EDs in the period since December 28. Monday saw the highest daily number of attendances to the department in the past 18 months - almost double the average daily attendance rate. The hospital said that all available inpatient beds are open, though six of these are closed because of nursing staff shortages. "Beaumont Hospital is engaged in an active recruitment campaign," it added. The HSE said last night that it remains hopeful that further discussions and clarifications over the next number of days, regarding the implementation of the escalation policy at local level, may help to resolve matters and prevent industrial action. Ceremony held for new baseball stadium, games months off A ceremony was held for a multi-use sports facility in Hagerstown on Tuesday, but the first pitch is still months away. On December 12, the representatives of 195 countries adopted a historic agreement designed to meet the challenge of global climate change at COP21, the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, in Paris. Propelled by the urgency of the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, participants reached a consensus on a post-2020 framework to replace the Kyoto Protocol. The consequences of global warming are not limited to glacial retreat and loss of biodiversity, but include an increased likelihood of extreme weather events, which may impact agricultural production and provoke food supply crisis. The vulnerable will be the most severely affected, with the impact on children being particularly serious. Unicef has warned that the number of children directly affected by climate change-related disasters could reach 200 million in the coming decade. At the Paris conference, leaders of Pacific island nations issued impassioned calls for action to meet the existential threat they face in the form of rising sea levels. In the end, a long-term global goal of limiting the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels was concluded. Since the greenhouse gas reduction targets adopted in the Paris agreement are not legally binding, the path to significant cuts may be difficult. But I am convinced that shared concern and empathetic openness to the suffering of others holds the key to building genuine international cooperation focused on the common interest of humanity. Analysis shows that the targets for greenhouse gas emission cuts established under the Kyoto Protocol have already been surpassed. All stakeholders must now come together to combat global warming. The civil society can contribute in not only combating global warming, but also in creating a sustainable global society. At COP21, December 3 was designated Young and Future Generations Day. Ahmad Alhendawi, the UN secretary-generals envoy on youth, pointed out that a majority of recent climate change rallies around the world were organised by young people. Last year, the UN adopted a Global Action Programme on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). One of the priority areas it identified was empowering and mobilising youth, and expanding their engagement with ESD. I believe that empowerment of the youth is indispensable to our efforts to reverse or even halt global warming, an effort that has begun and will continue far into the future. Daisaku Ikeda is president of the Soka Gakkai International Buddhist association The views expressed are personal North Koreas claim of having successfully tested a thermonuclear device, if true, could have serious implications for the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and the balance of power in the Korean Peninsula. This claim comes barely weeks after the countrys leader Kim Jong-Un stated his country is developing the capability for a thermonuclear device, or hydrogen bomb, as it is popularly called. While a 5.1 seismic event from near the countrys nuclear testing site was reported by international seismic stations, there is no clarity as yet on whether the test was indeed a thermonuclear one and, if so, a successful one. North Korea is unlikely to have mastered the technological capability to make highly sophisticated thermonuclear weapons, and therefore the device tested on Tuesday may well be a boosted fission weapon, more sophisticated than an atomic (or fission) bomb but not as powerful as a hydrogen bomb. Read | Japan sends planes to collect radioactive matter from N-Koreas H-bomb The country has been on the nuclear path for some time now. Having declared its plans in 2003, it tested its nuclear weapons in 2006, 2009 and finally in 2013. Moreover, the country has been conducting submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) tests, a weapon system that when perfected could add great value to North Koreas nuclear delivery capability while, of course, increasing the insecurity of its neighbours. Regional balance of power North Koreas nuclear ambitions have undeniable consequences for the stable balance of power in the Korean peninsula and beyond. For one, this will make Japan and South Korea deeply insecure, especially at a point in time when a rising China is perceived as a challenge by them, and the US ability to be the security provider for its allies in the region is in serious doubt. Secondly, with the breakdown of the six-party talks with Pyongyang, both the US and China have lost their traction within North Korea. Finally, the only country with some influence in Pyongyang is Russia, with whom the West has no meeting of minds on a variety of geopolitical issues, particularly after the conflict over Ukraine. It also shows that China, the rising superpower, does not enjoy much political and strategic influence in its own backyard. North Koreas nuclear tests, whether or not their thermonuclear claims are valid, pose serious challenges to the global non-proliferation regime even as this order is under immense stress, particularly after the failure of the NPT Review Conference last year. Read | No clue about ally North Koreas nuclear blast: China Moreover, if Pyongyang continues to develop more sophisticated, and miniaturised, nuclear weapons and advanced delivery mechanisms, it could potentially force South Korea and Japan to follow similar paths. This also calls into question the efficiency of the global non-proliferation regime to prevent the further spread of nuclear weapons and technology. Recall how Pakistan, when the AQ Khan nuclear black market was flourishing, had given nuclear technology and weapon designs to North Korea. Failure of nuclear diplomacy While the Obama administration was able to successfully defuse the Iranian nuclear impasse, it has summarily failed to address the North Korean nuclear challenge. The so-called six-party talks, as part of which China, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the US negotiated with North Korea to terminate its nuclear weapons programme, collapsed in 2009 after six years of fruitless efforts to contain Pyongyangs nuclear ambitions. For the talks to begin again, the Obama administration and the West would need to re-engage not only North Korea but also Russia. By testing its nuclear devices, Pyongyang has not really violated any treaties: It had withdrawn from the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 2003, and had never signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). However, given the potential implications that the recent North Korean test have for the global non-proliferation regime, the international community needs to immediately re-engage Pyongyang. Happymon Jacob is associate professor of disarmament studies at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi Read | North Korean nuclear test condemned as intolerable provocation A tyre of an Air India plane from New Delhi to Bhopal burst during the landing at the Raja Bhoj airport on Wednesday morning. All 95 passengers aboard the plane are safe. According to airport sources, the glitch occurred at the time of landing at about 7.30 am. The pilot, however, managed to control the aircraft and brought it to a stop. The aircraft, which was scheduled to return to Delhi at 8 am, was delayed as engineers began work to replace the damaged tyre. Sources at the airport said that a spare wheel arrived from Delhi by another Delhi-Bhopal AI 833 flight on Wednesday afternoon. The passengers who were to take the onward flight to Delhi were taken to a local hotel for breakfast by the airline. They were later accommodated on another plane, the AI 834 in the afternoon. The plane, after repairs, finally took off from Bhopal airport at about 6 pm. The residents of Jabalpur will soon have a green commuting option, with the civic authorities set to introduce electric rickshaws to reduce vehicular pollution and address the shortage of public transport in the city. The Jabalpur City Transport Services Limited (JCTSL) a special purpose vehicle formed jointly by the municipal corporation and the development authority to deal with public transport issues is also facilitating loans to the poor and the unemployed to purchase e-rickshaws under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission. JCTSL officials say e-rickshaws can be a better alternative to the vehicles burning fossil fuels. This will not only cut down pollution but also help many unemployed people earn a livelihood, an official said. JCTSL chief executive officer Sachin Vishwakarma told HT, The applicants falling in the below poverty line category will get easy finance for the e-rickshaw under the government scheme. For the above poverty line applicants, we are in process of pursuing the bank for finance. More than 100 people have already sought financial aid (`1.25 lakh each) from the JCTSL in the past five days. The last date of sending an application in this regard is January 15. I heard from a relative about the e-rickshaw. It needs less maintenance than the traditional auto rickshaw, so I have applied for it, says Jitendra Jat, a labourer. Similarly, Khemchand Rai, a small-time vendor on the bus stand, has applied for financial assistance to purchase the environment-friendly rickshaw. I want to give up the current work as I dont have a permanent place to sell articles, Rai says. Currently, the JCTSL runs 119 buses, including 44-seater 50 buses and 28-seater 69 mini buses, in the city under the public private partnership mode through three private bus operators. E-rickshaw runs on battery and once charged it covers a distance of 70-80 kilometres depending on road conditions. It can carry five persons at a time and has a top speed of 25 kmph. Its battery can be charged from the solar panel mounted on its roof, or through electricity. DETAILS The Jabalpur City Transport Services Limited (JCTSL) is a special purpose vehicle formed jointly by the municipal corporation and the development authority to deal with public transport issues The JCTSL is facilitating loans to the poor and the unemployed to purchase e-rickshaws under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission The last date of sending an application in this regard is January 15 More than 100 people have already sought financial aid (Rs 1.25 lakh each) from the JCTSL in the past five days E-rickshaw runs on battery and once charged it covers a distance of 70-80 kilometers depending on road conditions It can carry five persons at a time and has a top speed of 25 kmph SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar is hopeful that the new Shyam Benegal-headed committee will bring positive changes in the controversy-ridden the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The board has been at the centre of flak for some time now, owing to its decision from cutting scenes in films like NH 10 and Dum Laga Ke Haisha to shortening a kiss in the latest James Bond flick Spectre. The 41-year-old star, who is next be seen in Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Wazir feels a rating system should be adopted while certifying a film. Everything is work in progress. A new committee has been set up, headed by Mr Shyam Benegal. I would hope some result will come of it that benefits artists. In my personal opinion, there needs to be a rating system. We are stuck with the U, U/A and A system, which do not allow that much sensibility. You cant tell a person above a certain age that you are immature to watch a kiss. We dont need to be babysit, Farhan said in an interview here. Read: Bollywood hails move to revamp censor board Read: Wazir irks disability rights group, filmmakers apologise There were reports that a Wazir scene between Farhan and Aditi Rao Hyadri was chopped off by the board. The Rock On! star denied the rumours but expressed his disappointment with the inconsistency in the CBFCs working. There has not been consistency in the way the censor board has behaved in the past that can tell you what will be removed. Every single time the people in the committee that come to watch your film, they are not the same people. Different members come, hence they have different sensibilities and aesthetics. You cant have a written rule and this is with every art form because context is everything. Snipping has to be done away, he said. Read: Wazir script took five years to complete, says Vidhu Vinod Chopra Director Bejoy Nambiar, who is gearing up for his Amitabh Bachchan-Farhan Akhtar-starrer Wazir, has apologised for hurting sentiments, if any after Disability rights activist Javed Abidi condemned his remarks on limiting Amitabhs persona in a wheelchair. Disabled Rights Group (DRG) on Tuesday demanded an apology for Nambiars disparaging statement wherein he spoke about Amitabhs portrayal as a paralysed chess grandmaster. Read: Disability Rights Group unhappy with Wazir directors views Nambiar had said: Right from the beginning, we knew that the protagonist had to be on a wheelchair. Casting Mr. Bachchan, who has got such a strong persona, and limiting him in a wheelchair, was a big task for us to get used to. This spelt trouble for Nambiar when DRG on Tuesday issued a statement that his comments are disparaging and extremely condescending towards people with disabilities, and highlights complete lack of knowledge, extremely archaic and derogatory perspectives that he has on disability. Farhan Akhtar and Aditi Rao will be seen together in Wazir. (Facebook) The team of Wazir -- Nambiar, as well as the films co-writers Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Abhijat Joshi -- has apologised, but also clarified that no malice was ever intended. Nambiar said, I have no clue (about the issue)...thats the character hes (Amitabh is) playing... what is so wrong in what Im saying? Read: Wazir script took 5 years to complete, says Vidhu Vinod Chopra Joshi said, Absolutely nothing offensive was meant, that can be assured. Theres not one percent malice towards anyone, while Chopra said: How can he have malice? Our character is that (paralysed). Amitabh Bachchan is playing that. We dont mean malice. Chopra, who is also a producer of the movie, said they apologise if somebodys sentiments are hurt. Watch Wazir trailer Meanwhile, reacting to Nambiars comments, Amitabh Bachchan said at an event, I do not think it was limiting... It was exciting to be doing a role that I had not done before... The approach to the character was dictated by the director. John Abraham will also be seen in Wazir. (YouTube grab) DRGs convenor Javed Abidi, a wheelchair user for over 30 years, had said that he was extremely shocked to read Nambiars statement, which reflected a regressive image of a person with disability in his mind. He expressed hope that no matter what, from now onwards and upto the release of the film and beyond, in all the publicity and promotion of the movie, acute care must be taken that this kind of derogatory language is not used ever again. Wazir, which also stars Aditi Rao Hydari and John Abraham, is revenge saga and a thriller. It is scheduled to hit theatres on Friday. Time has stopped for HMT Watches, finally. The brand, which is claimed to be a pioneer in horological industry in India since 1961, and its products for decades are known for its accurate time keeping and trouble-free performance that lasts a life time, will now stop manufacturing. With an aim to close ailing public sector undertakings, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved closure of HMTs three unviable units HMT Watches, HMT Chinar Watches and HMT Bearings. The government has also given approval for offering attractive severance packages at 2007 pay scales in order to mitigate hardships faced by employees of the three units. A government statement said the movable and immovable assets of the units will be disposed of as per the policy. With a cash assistance of Rs 427.48 crore, the three loss-making subsidiaries of HMT Ltd will attain closure after separation of about a thousand employees through attractive VRS /VSS, and settlement of their dues,it said. Senior management at HMT refused to comment on the development. A recent media report had said that HMT Watches Ranibagh unit in Uttaranchal will open to manufacture its last batch of 5,500 watches worth Rs 1.5 crore, which will likely be completed by the end of 2014-15. In 1961, HMT was the first company India to manufacture watches in India along with technical collaboration from Citizen Watch Co of Japan. Its first batch of watches was released by then Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru. The Cabinet had earlier given in-principle approval for shutting down five PSUs under the heavy industries ministry, including the three units of HMT, Tungabhadra Steel and Hindustan Cables. A fresh PIL challenging the AAP governments odd-even scheme will be heard on Wednesday by the Delhi high court along with several other petitions that have been filed on the issue. The Delhi governments temporary initiative to check alarming air pollution has come under fire from the day it was announced and the latest petition too has sought the quashing of the administrations December 28, 2015, notification bringing the scheme into force for 15 days from January 1. A bench comprised of of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath listed the petition for hearing along with the other PILs filed against the scheme. Some of the PILs have challenged the entire scheme as being arbitrary or ill-conceived, while others are against certain portions of it, like the exemptions given to women drivers and two-wheelers. There are some PILs seeking inclusion of certain categories like lawyers in the list of exempted persons and some which have questioned whether the government has the power to modify vehicular movement in the national capital. The vehicles exempted from odd-even scheme include those of the president, vice president, prime minister, Chief Justice of India, Union ministers, governors and chief ministers of states and Union Territories except that of Delhi. Women drivers, CNG-certified vehicles, VIPs, two -wheelers, ambulances, defence vehicles and embassy vehicles are also exempt from the restrictions. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had said while announcing the scheme that he and his cavalcade will not avail the exemption offered to the VIPs. The latest petition by Delhi resident B Badrinath claims that the city governments scheme violates his fundamental rights--equality, freedom of movement and right to practise any profession or occupation--guaranteed under the Constitution. Badrinath has questioned the reason for allowing commercial vehicles running on petrol and diesel as well as two-wheelers to run everyday regardless of their registration number when private vehicles were only allowed to run on city roads only on alternate days based on their odd and even number plates. The PIL has alleged that the public transport system in place was insufficient to handle the huge volume of people who would not be using their personal vehicles as per the scheme. The high court had on December 30, 2015, while hearing a with a PIL against the exemption granted to women and two-wheelers asked the Delhi government to clarify the reason behind it. The petition filed by Karuna Chhatwal has contended that two wheelers emit pollutants and account for almost 60% of air pollution while cars constitute a part of the remaining air pollution. She has said in her plea that the scheme was introduced to control air pollution and exempting women drivers will defeat the very objective. A Delhi police constable, posted with the anti-terrorist unit special cell, was killed when his assault AK-47 rifle accidentally went off during a raid in outer Delhis Rohini, police said. The fatal mishap occurred around 6 am on Wednesday when the constable, along with his team, raided a building in a congested residential colony in Rohini Sector 21 near Begampur. Constable Anand Khatri, a resident of Najafgarh in Southwest Delhi, was part of the raiding party that went into the building to apprehend the suspect. The team nabbed Ashok alias Sonu Pandit from a first floor flat, Alok Kumar, joint commissioner of police (special cell) told Hindustan Times. While the constable was coming down (from the building) using a wall, he lost his balance and the AK-47 gun that was already cocked, accidentally went off. A bullet pierced his chin and made the exit from the head. He was rushed to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival, Kumar said. An autopsy will be conducted in the afternoon, after which Khatris body will be handed over to his family. Senior special cell officers were shocked with the loss of the constable who had been posted in the unit just two months ago. The team had managed to successfully apprehend Pandit who is an active member of the notorious Ravinder Bholu gang. Wanted in several cases of extortion, contract killing and other serious crimes, a cash reward of Rs 20, 000 had been announced as bounty for his arrest by police commissioner BS Bassi. The Supreme Court sought to complement Delhis ongoing odd-even scheme with a raft of orders and suggestions aimed at enhancing the capitals existing transportation networks, as well as placing restrictions on diesel vehicles with an engine capacity of 2000cc and above on Tuesday. The SC suggested that the Delhi Metropolitan Railway Corporation (DMRC) provide special seats for those who eschewed travelling in luxury vehicles in favour of using the Metro during the odd-even rule trial, which is scheduled to end on January 15. Further suggestions included asking the DMRC to increase the frequency of its services by reducing waiting times for trains, as well as seeking a report from the Centre on why the DDA had not yet handed over land to the AAP government for use of the citys bus fleet. The SC mooted the idea of having weigh bridges to restrict the entry of overladen trucks as well as banning heavy commercial vehicles from using the NH-10, NH-2, NH-58 and state highway-57, which connects Ghaziabad to Baghpat. Diesel vehicle restrictions By far the biggest changes made by the Supreme Court during its Tuesday session were its orders on diesel vehicles; not only were all government agencies and departments ordered to phase out their existing diesel cars, but those purchasing cars with smaller engines than 2000cc would have to pay a one-time environment cess fee. All taxis in the Delhi-NCR region were also ordered to convert to CNG by March 31. The Delhi government was asked by the SC to issue no objection certificate to owners who sought to sell their vehicles outside of Delhi, provided that they were at least 10 years old in the case of diesel engines, and 15 for petrol vehicles. The National Green Tribunal and earlier prevented the government from issues NOCs for the sale of these vehicles. The plea of car manufacturers to lift the restriction on 2000cc and above capacity engines will be taken up on January 20. The Delhi high court asked the Aam Aadmi Party government on Wednesday why it cant restrict its traffic rationing scheme to this week, saying inconvenience was being caused to commuters. A division bench of Chief Justice of the Delhi HC G Rohini and justice Jayant Nath asked the government to submit empirical data collected on level of air pollution during the first half of the 15-day trial period of the even-odd scheme. Why dont you confine it to one week? Why do you need to have it for 15 days? the bench asked and said there is no sufficient public transport to support the scheme. For 15 days from January 1, private cars are being allowed on the citys roads every other day to try to reduce pollutant levels, which regularly hit 10 times the World Health Organizations safe limits. Cars with odd-numbered licence plates have been directed to ply on odd-numbered dates, and those with even-numbered plates on the other days. The Delhi governments standing counsel Rahul Mehra said the decision was taken to decrease the air pollution level in the capital. We are doing it for the people of the city and for the future generation. One out of three children born here said respiratory problems, Mehra said, adding that initial data showed a drop in the air pollution level. In a status report submitted to the court, the AAP government defended its decision to exempt two-wheelers from the scheme. In case of two-wheelers, pooling would have been a limited option and it was expected that around 60-70% of the population would have to resort to public transport. The present available public transport infrastructure is not sufficient to cater to such a huge demand, the report said. It said the reduction in the number of four-wheelers helps decrease the congestion on roads, which has a positive effect on vehicular pollution control. The Delhi governments temporary initiative to check alarming air pollution has come under fire from the day it was announced and the latest petition too has sought the quashing of the administrations December 28, 2015, notification bringing the scheme into force for 15 days from January 1. Read: Odd-even: SC suggests Delhi Metro reserve premium seats for the rich The HC was hearing a bunch of petitions filed by 12 different parties against the even-odd formula. It, however, declined to interfere with it till Friday, the next date of hearing. Some of the PILs have challenged the entire scheme as being arbitrary or ill-conceived, while others are against certain portions of it, like the exemptions given to women drivers and two-wheelers. The latest petition by Delhi resident B Badrinath claims that the city governments scheme violates his fundamental rights--equality, freedom of movement and right to practise any profession or occupation--guaranteed under the Constitution. There are some PILs seeking inclusion of certain categories like lawyers in the list of exempted persons and some which have questioned whether the government has the power to modify vehicular movement in the national capital. The vehicles exempted from odd-even scheme include those of the president, vice president, prime minister, Chief Justice of India, Union ministers, governors and chief ministers of states and Union Territories except that of Delhi. Women drivers, CNG-certified vehicles, VIPs, two -wheelers, ambulances, defence vehicles and embassy vehicles are also exempt from the restrictions. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had said while announcing the scheme that he and his cavalcade will not avail the exemption offered to the VIPs. Read: Delhi odd-even: Six cars with fake number plates caught in four days Badrinath has questioned the reason for allowing commercial vehicles running on petrol and diesel as well as two-wheelers to run everyday regardless of their registration number when private vehicles were only allowed to run on city roads only on alternate days based on their odd and even number plates. The PIL has alleged that the public transport system in place was insufficient to handle the huge volume of people who would not be using their personal vehicles as per the scheme. Hundreds of traffic police and volunteers have taken to the streets to enforce the scheme, including dozens of children wearing smog masks and holding banners urging drivers to comply. Most drivers appeared to be sticking to the rules, with Delhis usually clogged roads flowing relatively freely. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Chaos hit nursery admissions underway in Delhi with the government on Wednesday ordering schools to scrap the 20% management quota and allotment of points on the basis of discriminatory criteria such as food habits and professions of parents. Calling it an attack on their autonomy, several schools threatened to go to court against the order, a move that could delay admissions. Parents could also be in for fresh trouble since schools will have to readjust their points and release a set of new criteria. An earlier decision by the government to fix upper age limits for entry-level classes has already been challenged in the Delhi high court by a two-year-old child and a fresh round of litigation now seems inevitable. There will be no management quota for nursery admission. Management quota is the biggest scam in India. It is just a way to loot money, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said at a press conference, ordering all private recognised unaided schools to do away with the quota that allows institutions to allot 20% of their seats at their discretion. The government also released a list of 62 criteria it considered discriminatory, ordering these be scrapped. Kejriwal said schools that flouted the order would be de-recognised or taken over by the government. But he also said the order did not take away the schools freedom to set their own criteria. Read | No points for neighbourhood criterion at some schools This is how it may work: While the crackdown on discriminatory criteria theoretically does away with the 5% staff quota most schools offer employees children, they can still allot points in this category by another name. And, since the government order does not govern minority schools (both linguistic and religious), some discriminatory criteria such as food habits and points for talented parents will remain. This leaves just the 25% quota for economically weak students. The remaining 75% seats will have to be opened to the general category. Kejri scraps management, other quotas in pvt schools (HT file photo) For close to a decade now, chaos has dogged nursery admissions in Delhi with one government order or the other being challenged in court. In December 2013, the lieutenant governor issued nursery guidelines scrapping management quota, provoking a court battle that raged till the end of March 2014 whereas admissions were to start in February already delayed beyond the usual January date. After a high court order that year, schools were allowed to frame their own criteria. Read | Over 9,000 poor kids apply online for nursery admission School associations called the Kejriwal governments latest order contempt of court. When the L-Gs guidelines were challenged by school associations, a single bench passed an order giving schools the autonomy to frame their own criteria. This order was then challenged by the directorate of education in a division bench. The matter is still pending in court, so why the need to pass this order. We will soon put this matter before the court, said SK Bhattacharya, president, Action Committee Unaided Private School. The government rejected the charge. Schools can set their own criteria but they cannot be discriminatory We wont say how many points to allot for what criterion but the criteria have to be just. We are issuing a new order. Let people challenge it in court if they want, said Kejriwal. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Delhi government has ordered private unaided schools in the city to remove the management quota and other discriminatory criteria for nursery admission. Leaving the 25% quota for the economically weaker section/disadvantaged groups (EWS/DG) category, there can be no other quota for admission. The remaining 75% seats will have to remain open for the general category. Staff will be able to get a large number of points in the points system for the admission of their wards. Currently, schools offer a quota of 5% to staff members children. There will be no management quota for nursery admission. Management quota is the biggest scam in India. It is just a way to loot money, said Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal at a press conference. All schools allot 20% of the seats for management quota. The schools had this time allotted points for parents food habits, their background such as giving points to ward of the defense, civil servants and also for talented parents who have done well in arts and literature. Kejriwal said these criteria cannot be used at all for nursery admission. The government will also release 62 illustrative criteria that are considered discriminatory. Read more: No points for neighbourhood criterion at some schools Schools can set their own criteria but it cannot be discriminatory. Schools who flout can be derecognized or taken over by government. Schools are free to set the points system but it cant be discriminatory. We wont say how many points to allot for which criterion but the criteria have to be just, said Kejriwal. Earlier last week, the Directorate of Education (DoE) had issued a circular on the same asking schools to remove the discriminatory criteria, as it goes against the right to equality enshrined in the Constitution. Kejri scraps management, other quotas in pvt schools (HT file) The schools will now have to adjust the points and release a set of new criteria. The process of distributing forms for nursery admissions began on January 1 and will end on January 22. The first list of selected candidates will be displayed on February 15. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Cut off an Olive Ridley turtles shell, lobotomize it and ask the endangered reptile to survive because the world needs this noble species not to die. Thats the state of PhD or research scholars in our current education system, according to a video by The Media Collective, a group protesting against the University Grants Commissions (UGC) decision to discontinue the non-NET fellowship, a financial assistance provided to students of central universities. Or, is the system a bit like Salman Khans driverless car? Called the OccupyUGC movement, the protest by students of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia and Ambedkar University for the past two months went unnoticed until Delhi Police recently unleashed sticks and water cannons on protesters marching towards Parliament. Among the marchers was Meetesh, the videos 28-year-old metaphorical character representing scholars doing research at JNU with a cut-price stipend of Rs 8,000 that underscores the governments education subsidy. Meetesh from Bihar is carrying out research in civic governance in Magadh dynasty a valuable study but not commercially viable eats at Ganga Dhaba on the JNU campus and spends most of his time in the library. He is surviving on the Rs 8,000 stipend he gets from the university. One day, Meetesh wakes up to find the government has stopped this stipend, the video says. Following outrage over the police crackdown, the HRD ministry stepped in and asked the UGC to stop the rollback. But a sticking point remained as it formed a review committee so that only meritorious students dubbed full cream layer in the video get the stipend. The video explains how the education system is undergoing a major shift towards commoditization rather than remaining a fundamental right. Education has become a commodity for sale while its quality and value is decided by trade negotiators, according to the OccupyUGC movement. The Media Collective tries to demystify the jargon World Trade Organization (WTO) and General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) that got the protesters little response during the strike. It says the national eligibility test is only an exam that students who want to teach can take and the stipend cut means 35,000 students are left at sea because they have not passed the NET. The non-NET fellowship is provided to students doing research in central universities across the country. PhD students are provided assistance for four years while those doing MPhil get it for 18 months. The Media Collective says higher education will soon become unaffordable because the government will have to provide a level playing field to private players after it opened the sector for foreign brands. That means cuts in subsidy to state-run universities. This in turn means students will have to pay for everything and reel under crippling debts a situation common in the US. Fear and tension were rising since the current government slashed its higher education outlay in the 2015-16 budget. Twins share the same genes, and when one gets cancer, the other faces a higher risk of getting sick too, suggests a study conducted on 200,000 people. But just because one twin falls ill does not mean that the other is certain to get the same cancer, or any cancer at all, according the report in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). In fact, the amount of increased risk of cancer was just 14% higher in identical pairs in which one twin was diagnosed with cancer. Identical twins develop from the same egg and share the exact same genetic material. Among fraternal twins, which develop from two eggs and are as genetically similar as typical biological siblings, the risk of cancer in a twin whose co-twin was infected was five percent higher. The twins in the study hailed from Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway -- all countries that maintain detailed health registries -- and were followed between 1943 and 2010. When researchers looked at the group as a whole, they found that about one in three individuals developed cancer (32%). Read: Meet the California twins with different birth years Therefore, the risk of cancer in an identical twin whose twin was diagnosed was calculated to be 46%. In fraternal twins it amounted to a 37% risk of developing cancer if a co-twin was diagnosed. The exact same cancer was diagnosed in 38% of identical twins and 26% of fraternal pairs. The cancers that were most likely to be shared among twins were skin melanoma (58%), prostate (57%), non melanoma skin (43%), ovary (39%), kidney (38%), breast (31%), uterine cancer (27%). Read: Commercial surrogacy: The half mothers of Anand Because of this studys size and long follow-up, we can now see key genetic effects for many cancers, said Jacob Hjelmborg, from the University of Southern Denmark and co-lead author of the study. Researchers said the findings may help patients and doctors understand more about the hereditary risks of cancer, a disease that kills eight million people around the world each year. Fifty Shades of Grey actor Dakota Johnson has slammed Hollywood, demanding why her mother Melanie Griffith and grandmother Tippi Hedren arent being offered roles. Johnson, who is promoting her new film Black Mass, said she worries about her future in Hollywood at the age of 26, reported Guardian online. But she suggested matters were much worse for Working Girl star Griffith, 58, and Hitchcock muse Hedren, 85. Read: Dakota Johnson says she went blank post Fifty Shades of Grey Why isnt my mother in the movies? Shes an extraordinary actress, asked Johnson. Why isnt my grandmother in the movies? This industry is brutal. No matter how tough you are, sometimes theres the feeling of not being wanted. Its absurd and cut-throat. Whenever I have downtime, Im unsure that I will ever work again. I dont know what it is, but its a definite thing that happens to me, she said. Watch Johnsons grandmother Tippi Hedren in this iconic scene from Hitchcocks The Birds Johnson said she remains proud of her work in Fifty Shades of Grey, the erotic romance that was panned by critics. Read: Dakota Johnson has a row with mother over Fifty Shades of Grey Im proud of Fifty Shades of Grey. I dont need to distance myself from that. The more work I do, the more the general public sees the different things I can do. Do I think it opened doors? Yeah. More people know my name. Follow @htshowbiz for more Hollywood star Will Smith is upset about the fate of his character Steve Hiller in the upcoming Independence Day sequel and is fully prepared to let the tears flow when he watches the movie. The Men in Black star was unable to reprise his role in Independence Day: Resurgence and said he was saddened when he learned Colonel Steven Hillers fate in the trailer, which suggests he died while testing a new alien hybrid fighter. Read: First Independence Day: Resurgence trailer is a throwback to the 90s I was working on Suicide Squad during that time. (Independence Day director) Roland (Emmerich) and I had talked about it. Read: Donald Trump may force me to run for President: Will Smith The trailer looks really cool. Im going to be sitting around with tears in my eyes when that one comes out... It was terrible when I found out my character died, he said. This guys dies. Follow @htshowbiz for more Counter-terror ops to protect Indias largest operational airbase near Pakistan spilled over three days and raised several questions about how prepared we really are in such instances. Since the pre-dawn attack on Saturday, National Security Commandos (NSG) commandos, police and the army attempted to corner and flush out the militants, two of who seemingly held the last line of offence for over 36 hours. Hindustan Times spoke to security experts to find out the key learning from the incident. More men on the border In Jammu and Kashmir, a BSF company (about 100 men) guards an average frontage of 2.75km. In Punjab it covers 5.6km, underlining an urgent need of more men and equipment on international border. Strengthen intelligence Garner more real-time actionable inputs, especially from human sources. Also need better-trained officers to glean such intelligence more effectively. Bust the narcotics route Thriving cross-border drug smuggling network is suspected to be providing an extensive logistics support to terror outfits based in Pakistan. High-value systems As militants in the region are increasingly targeting defence bases, special plans and sophisticated force are required to ensure fool-proof security. Better training Terrorists are known to improvise. Every counter-terror operation is a new learning curve. Training designs need to be constantly upgraded. Correct information Declaring the operations success even before it got over was a public embarrassment. A unified command centre for media briefing is needed. A clear structure For operations involving multiple security agencies like the NSG, army and police, a clear command and control structure can check any gaps in coordination at an operation level. Bridging the gap Experts pointed out huge gaps in vigilance, planning, coordination and counter-terrorism force application during the operations. Bolster air surveillance Air surveillance on Punjab and Jammu borders is currently done more on a special basis. A routine arrangement can act as a better scanner and plug the loopholes. Security audit A thorough security audit, in a time-bound manner, at all vulnerable military installations would work to address lacunae in the existing security architecture. (HT spoke to former army chief General Ved Prakash Malik, strategic affairs experts Air Vice Marshal Kapil Kak (retd), former NSG chief Jayanto Narayan Choudhury, Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (retd) and some serving Punjab Police officers) Sopore, a town in the north Kashmir, remained shut on Wednesday to commemorate the killing of nearly 50 civilians and destruction of more than 500 shops by the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel 23 years ago. Locals said almost all shops and institutions remained closed, and streets remained deserted. Special prayers were offered in mosques and graveyards. According to reports, On January 6, 1993, a BSF jawan was killed by unidentified militants at Sopores main market. In retaliation, a group of BSF personnel opened fire indiscriminately. According to eye-witness accounts recorded at that time, the personnel sprinkled kerosene and gun powder on shops and houses and set them on fire. Massacres like the Sopore one continue to haunt Kashmiris because there has been no closure. No one has been punished and the case has been hanging since 23 years. If a young Kashmiri child reads about it today, he will be provoked, said a Srinagar-based senior journalist Sheikh Mushtaq. The Valley was hit after the incident, said observerss. The case was handed over to the CBI, who sought a closure on the investigations in December 2013. In June 2014, the massacre victims filed a protest petition against the closure report filed by the CBI but nothing has come out of it as yet. 23 years after the Sopore massacre, the legal proceedings stand suspended as there exists no will to provide justice, despite evidences indicting BSF, said a statement issued by the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS). Local news agency CNS reported that Syed Salahuddin, chief of the militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, has paid tribute to the victims of Sopore massacre. The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) called the Sopore incident as the blackest chapter in Kashmir history that can never be erased in the annals of history. First, Indian troopers kill innocent civilians and then culprits are shielded and given clean chit, said a statement by the leaders. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Bollywood star Aamir Khan, who recently courted controversy with remarks on intolerance in the country, will no longer be the face of the Incredible India campaigns to promote tourism as his contract has expired, the government said on Wednesday. While making the announcement, the tourism ministry also rejected media speculation that the actor was stripped of his role over comments he made last year about how he and his wife had considered moving out of India because a sense of insecurity and fear had seeped deep within society. Our contract was with the McCann Worldwide agency for Atithi Devo Bhava campaign. The agency had hired Aamir for the job. Now the contract with the agency is over. Ministry has not hired Aamir, said tourism minister Mahesh Sharma. Since the contract with the agency is no more, automatically the arrangement with the actor no longer exists. The controversy erupted after Amit Malviya, who handles the IT, website and social media management cell for the BJP, tweeted, Aamir Khan removed as brand ambassador of Incredible #India. Khans comments on intolerance had drawn sharp reactions from the BJP as well as some members of Bollywood and had snowballed into a huge row on social media. The actor, who has featured in a number of commercials issued in public interest by the government, had later clarified that neither he nor his wife Kiran had any intention of leaving the country and were proud Indians, but added that he stood by his remarks. Read | Wife suggested leaving India: Aamir joins intolerance debate Non-renewal of Incredibile India brand ambassador contract of Aamir Khan reflects the petty mindset, parochial approach and intemperate attitude of Modi government, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala alleged. Dissent and difference of opinion have become anathema to the Modi regime, be it of artists, thinkers, writers, scientists or political activists. The Bollywood star has been sucked into a swirling debate over growing intolerance in the country with opposition parties accusing tacit approval by the ruling BJP was behind a spike in communal violence, such as the mob lynching of a Muslim man in UP and the killing of two Dalit children in Haryana. Sharma said the contract for Rs 2.96 crore with McCann Worldwide agency was now over and according to ministry officials, fresh tenders will be floated to devise any new campaign, if required. We at McCann had a contractual agreement with the ministry of tourism for a social awareness campaign, Atithi Devo Bhava. Mr Aamir Khan had graciously lent his support for the same. We have delivered the campaign to the ministry, said Prasoon Joshi, chairman, McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific. (With PTI inputs) Passengers aboard an Air India flight from New Delhi to Bhopal had a narrow escape when a tyre of the plane burst during landing at the Raja Bhoj airport in Bhopal on Wednesday morning. All 95 passengers who were on the plane are safe. According to airport sources, passengers felt a massive bump at the time of landing at about 7.30 AM on Wednesday. The pilot, however, managed to control the aircraft and brought it to a halt. When the aircraft stopped after taxiing, it was found that a tyre had burst at the time of landing. The aircraft was scheduled to return to Delhi at 8 AM but has been delayed. Engineers are working on the aircraft and it is expected to continue its return journey sometime in the afternoon. The passengers who were to take the onward flight to Delhi were taken to a local hotel for breakfast by the airline. The Congress on Wednesday expelled Chhattisgarh MLA Amit Jogi for six years over his alleged role in fixing a by-election that led to a BJP win, a move aimed at plugging deep fault lines within the party in the tribal state. The partys top state panel recommended that the legislators father and former chief minister Ajit Jogi also be suspended, about a week after leaked audio clips suggested the two leaders tried to broker a deal for the BJP so the Congress candidate would withdraw from the fray. Im hurt. The decision to expel me without proving the allegations against me is biased and unfair, Amit Jogi said. After making the announcement, the opposition party dared the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sack chief minister Raman Singh whose son-in-law Puneet Gupta is also purportedly heard in the tapes. Congress Party has taken action against one of its leaders. Will Modiji now show the courage of his conviction by seeking Raman Singhs resignation or sacking him? Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said. Sources at the Congress headquarters in Delhi said the partys disciplinary committee, headed by former defence minister AK Antony, will review the recommendations about the former CM. But Ajit Jogi is likely to be expelled. If his son is expelled over some allegations, then the same yardstick should also apply to Jogi, said a senior Congress leader. Last year, Congress candidate Manturam Pawar had abruptly pulled out of the contest at the Antagarh assembly seat a day before the final date of withdrawal of names. The election was won by the BJP. Pawar was expelled from the Congress and he joined the BJP in March. The tapes sparked a huge political storm in Chhattisgarh with state Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel serving a show-cause notice to Amit Jogi last month, while the Jogis and CM Raman Singh have denied any involvement. The Election Commission too had asked the state chief secretary to urgently set up an inquiry and submit a report by January 7, hours after the audio clips surfaced on December 30. The controversy comes more than a decade after the Congress suspended Ajit Jogi from the party when the BJP released an audiotape that suggested he tried to buy BJP MLAs to form a new government. Home minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday cleared a plan to introduce 33% quota for women in central police forces, a move that could nudge the states to set aside posts for women in their police forces too. The quota rule, however, will only apply to fresh recruitment. In March last year, the Centre had announced 33% quota for recruiting women into the Delhi Police at all ranks up to sub inspector. Tuesdays decision, however, will only apply to the constabulary in the police forces. To begin with, the 33% quota would apply in the lead counter-insurgency force, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which is responsible for protecting key installations in the country. In the three border-guarding forces Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) the quota for women initially is expected to be about 14-15%. Women account for just a little over 2% of the five central police forces, ranging from more than 4.8% in the CISF to less than 1.5% in the BSF. Between them, the five police forces have about 8.3 lakh personnel in the country. The proportion of women is marginally higher in the state police forces that have about 1.05 lakh women, making up for 6.1% of the force. A home ministry announcement said the decision to induct more women into the central police forces was taken on the recommendation of the parliamentary committee on empowerment of women. The home ministry had last year decided to recruit women for about 14% of the 62,400 central police posts over the next few years. The government in Jammu and Kashmir is struggling to keep the media abreast of its day-to-day activities after Google blocked its mails for sending messages to bulk recipients. For the past more than a month, the information department has not been able to mail press releases to majority of the journalists after the departments gmail accounts, used to send bulk mails, were blocked by the American technological giant. An official of the department said two gmail accounts of the department were blocked in November, 2015. They blocked us for sending bulk mails to bulk recipients. For them, it is an unlawful activity, added the official. Director general information and public relations Zaffar Ahmad Bhat confirmed the development to Hindustan Times. We were very liberal in sending emails to all the journalists. But, gmail blocked our accounts. We even offered them to pay but nothing has come out till date, said Bhat. They are very suspicious about our bulk messages, not realising that we are a government organisation, he said. On an average, the department used to send five mails daily to as many as 1,500 editors, reporters and photojournalists. Each mail was send to 500 recipients at a time, with around a dozen pictures attached with each mail. We have now created new accounts but we are not able to send mails to bulk recipients. Most of them are not getting delivered, he said. The official said that now they have reduced the number of recipients to 300. Rather than sending it to everybody, we have decided to send releases to one email account of each news organisation. Mostly the mails are directed to editors and senior staff. We cant send a mail to more than 30 accounts at a time, he said. The process has become very cumbersome, he added. The department is now uploading press releases on its websites to cater to the growing calls of journalists for the daily information flow. The government has also approached the National Institute of Electronic and Information Technology (NIELIT) for a solution. We want to have a system in place where there are no limitations. We would love to reach out to as many people as possible and hope that problems will be solved within a fortnight, added Bhat. The Centre will enforce the more stringent Bharat Stage VI fuel emission norms for vehicles from April 1, 2020, advancing the deadline by a year as part of ongoing efforts to curb pollution. The decision comes after India agreed to an ambitious Paris agreement aimed at reducing global carbon emissions and at the time when air pollution in most Indian cities, especially in central and northern India, have reached alarming levels. The decision, taken at an inter-ministerial meeting on Wednesday, comes in the midst of a radical road rationing scheme introduced in Delhi which allows vehicles with odd and even last numbers to ply on alternate days. The deadline for implementing Bharat Stage VI was earlier planned as a two-stage shift from the current BS IVBS V by 2019 and BS VI in two years after that, but with Wednesdays decision, BS V will be skipped altogether. It would also mean that the less efficient BS IV standard will continue for an extra year. Wednesdays meeting, chaired by road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari, was also attended by oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan, heavy industries minister Anant Geete and environment minister Prakash Javadekar. We have decided to skip BS VI emission norms. It is a bold and historic decision and a commitment to (the) environment, Gadkari said after the meeting. All the other ministries have assured cooperation, he said. Read | Do your cars emit oxygen? SC ban on high capacity diesel cars to stay Environmentalists welcomed the decision, saying it will help in reducing emissions and will give a push to cleaner fuel and vehicle technologies. It was a long-awaited decision and has come at the right time to tell people that the government is concerned about ill effects of rising pollution, said Anumita Roy Chaudhary of the Centre for Science and Environment. European and Indian stand emission norms are on par, but while Europe has already implemented Euro VI, most of India is still covered by BS III norms. A previous meeting of an inter-ministerial group, including representatives of ministries of road transport and highways, petroleum, heavy industries and environment and forests, was unable to reach a consensus with the petroleum ministry expressing inability to meet a 2019 deadline for BS V. Automakers have said in the past that they would not be able to ensure all vehicles conform to BS VI before 2013. It remains to be seen how they respond to Wednesdays decision. It is estimated that petroleum refiners would need to invest Rs 28,000-30,000 crore to upgrade to BS VI. Carmakers would also need to invest in the region of Rs 50,000 per unit to switch from BS IV to BS VI. Since October 2010, BS IV auto fuels are being supplied in the whole of northern India, covering J&K, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, parts of Rajasthan and western UP. The rest of the country gets BS III grade fuel. Read NGT asks Volkswagen not to sell cars with cheat device A history of Delhis air pollution: Can road rationing even the odds? Panic gripped Punjabs Gurdaspur town on Wednesday evening when residents of villages on the outskirts reported seeing two men in military fatigues acting suspiciously near an army cantonment. Police cordoned off the area and enforced a blackout in all villages within a five-kilometre radius as the spot is a short distance away from the Pathankot air force base where six terrorists and seven Indian soldiers were killed in a days-long encounter that ended on Monday. The local administration made announcements through loudspeakers at two gurdwaras about the presence of suspected Pakistani terrorists, with authorities saying they could target the Tibri military station. The military facility has a large number of army establishments from various regiments as well as their families. It reportedly also has a large cache of arms, ammunition and explosives apart from tanks, cannons and military vehicles. Witnesses said the two men were wearing dark sunglasses, were heavily armed and when confronted they hid in a nearby sugarcane field. Gurdaspur deputy commissioner Abhinav Trikha, SSP Gurpreet Singh Toor and senior army officers rushed to the area to oversee a joint search. The local villagers informed us about two suspicious men in army fatigues close to the army cantonment area, Toor told AFP. We have since launched a search operation along with the army in that area. We havent yet come up with anything but the search is still on. Officials also said army formations have been put on alert following reports that five terrorists have sneaked into the border area of Gurdaspur and Pathankot. Calling homeopathy and astrology useless and harmful practices, Nobel laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan came down heavily on the two, saying real science is far more interesting than bogus fields. Pointing out that India is the only country where a constitution asks for promoting scientific temper, the chemistry scientist said India needs a more rational outlook on such practices. Explaining that astrology evolved from the human tendency to look for patterns, generalise and believe, Ramakrishnan said, There is no scientific basis for how movement of planets and stars can influence our fate. There is no reason for time of birth to influence events years later. The predictions made are either obvious or shown to be random. Once beliefs take root, they are hard to eradicate, he commented, adding, A culture based on superstitions will do worse than one based on scientific knowledge and rational thoughts. Contrary to the general notion that homeopathy originated in India, the scientist also clarified that it was a practice started by a German. They (homoeopaths) take arsenic compounds and dilute it to such an extent that just a molecule is left. It will not make any effect on you. Your tap water has more arsenic. No one in chemistry believes in homoeopathy. It works because of placebo effect. Ramakrishna was however appreciative of modern day astrology considering the more specific scientific advancements made. Alchemy is based on beliefs but accumulated huge amount of data about properties of substances and led to modern chemistry. Astrology was struck in past but modern astronomy has made huge exciting discoveries like the black hole, pulsars etc. The onus ultimately lies on humans, for science to be accurate. Scientists are humans. We have egos, superstitions etc. What is required is to test our ideas by experiments which protect us from false beliefs. To elaborate, he cited the cold fusion theory. Initially claimed by Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons, the much-hyped theory was later proved to be unfounded. In 2011, it was claimed from CERN experiments that neutrinos travel faster than light. Later, it came out that it was a measurement error, Ramakrishnan said and added that sometimes scientists propose ideas well outside their area of expertise and make mistakes. So did planes really exist in ancient India, as claimed at the Indian Science Congress in Mumbai last year? It was surprising for me that Indian science academies did not condemn it. Science has to be based on data. You have to show that you did it and others should be able to verify it. It is impossible that India had plane technology 2000 years ago. Science in India has nevertheless become more exact over time. In the last century alone, life expectancy has doubled. It is because medicine has become scientific and evidence based. There is better understanding of physiology and biochemistry and many diseases have been eradicated. Ramakrishnan, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2009, was speaking at the Panjab University at Chandigarh to deliver the Har Gobind Khorana lecture on On Nobodys Word: Evidence and Modern Science. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Amid heightened anti-India sentiments in Nepal because of a border blockade, unidentified persons threw a petrol bomb at the office of GMR Energy, an Indian conglomerate, on Tuesday evening. The attack came days after India asked Nepal to inquire into similar incidents at GMRs hydropower project and ensure security for Indian companies based in the Himalayan nation. Senior police official Pratap Singh Thapa told the media that a window at the office, located in Lalitpur near Kathmandu, was broken in the attack. No one sustained injuries. GMR Energy is part of a consortium that is building the 900-MW Upper Karnali hydropower project. The project, costing nearly $1.5 billion, is the single largest foreign investment in Nepal. This is not the first time the group has been targeted. A similar attack took place at GMRs project site in Surkhet district last month, and in September last year, a group of youths tried to vandalise the office. Officials alleged these attacks are orchestrated by the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist, a breakaway Maoist faction, which has been targeting Indian establishments in Nepal for years. Other hydropower projects such as the 250-MW Upper Marsyangdi, 750-MW West Seti and 402-MW Arun III, in which Indian firms have large stakes, have been targeted in the past for being against Nepals interests. There has been no major damage yet due to the attacks. It seems the outfit wants political mileage from such incidents, said DK Singh, assistant vice president of GMR Energy. The string of attacks on Indian entities has New Delhi worried. The Indian embassy in Kathmandu recently sent a letter to Nepals foreign ministry to inquire into the incidents and provide adequate security. Officials working in the office narrowly escaped and the incident has created a sense of panic amongst them, said the letter mentioning the attack at GMR Energys project site in Surkhet. Indian firms account for more than half the foreign investments in Nepal and the embassy said such attacks could dampen the confidence of Indian investors. Nepal is facing a severe shortage of essential goods and fuel because of a blockade of key points along the border with India by Madhesis (the residents of the Terai plains bordering India), who are protesting against the countrys new constitution. Despite New Delhis repeated denials about any involvement in the blockade, many in Nepal blame India for the current state of affairs. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Jammu and Kashmirs chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who has been in the intensive care unit (ICU) at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, has shown no improvement in the last 13 days. Doctors treating the 79-year-old say his condition is critical. His lung infection is not subsiding despite having been put on strong antibiotics. He has a history of chronic pulmonary obstructive disease, a progressive lung disease, which is not helping his case either. He needed respiratory support to breathe, said a senior doctor at AIIMS. Sayeed is on oxygen therapy which requires him to be sedated. We have put a tube down his throat that provides oxygen directly to his lungs, and for which he needs to be sedated as one cant insert a tube in a conscious persons throat without causing discomfort, said the doctor. Other vital parameters such has blood pressure, heart rate etc., however, are stable though Sayeed had to be given a blood transfusion last week due to a low blood count. He is responding to commands, opens his eyes, which is a positive sign. He is not in coma, said the doctor. In a statement, AIIMS said that Sayeed is being closely monitored by a multi speciality team of doctors. His condition requires close monitoring and our specialists are doing that round the clock, said AIIMS spokesperson Dr Amit Gupta. Sayeed was flown in from Srinagar in a state aircraft, on the morning of December 24 after he complained of some uneasiness and fever. The team of experts monitoring Sayeeds condition include Dr Rita Sood (Professor of Medicine), Prof Mohammad Ashraf Ganaie (Endocrinologist), Dr Tulika Seth (Hematology) and Prof. PN Dogra (Urology), among others. A sudden rush of senior ministers and officials to Delhi on Tuesday fuelled speculations about a possible change of guard. Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti , who is attending to her father at the hospital, is likely to be made the next chief minister (CM). Sources were quoted as saying that a decision to make Mehbooba Mufti the next CM is likely despite her reluctance, to avoid a virtually head-less government. The sources said a crucial meeting between Mehbooba and Nayeem Akhtar on it is likely to take place very soon. Mehbooba is an MP and is not a member of either of the Houses. A section of the BJP leadership expressed reservations about Mehbooba, but is expected to go by whatever the party high command decides. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A grenade was hurled at a CRPF camp in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday evening, but no causality or damage occured. The grenade, a spokesperson said, was thrown towards the gate of the camp of 40 Battalion of the CRPF at Mominabad. The attackers came on a SUV, most probably a Tata Sumo, from Pahalgam side and the vehicle went towards Anantnag after throwing the explosive, said Ashish Kumar Jha, PRO of the CPRF, Kashmir. The area has been cordoned off, he said, adding that further investigation was on. A 45-year-old tribal villager, Paklu Birhor, and his companions forage a forest in the Jonha valley, barely 40km from the Jharkhand capital, every day at the crack of dawn for wild edible roots and herbs. On a lucky day, they return home with game rabbit, monkey, boar or birds. They count themselves fortunate if they stumble upon the carcass of a wild or domestic animal. These are staple food for 52-odd families living at a settlement in the Jonha hills. They belong to a small community called particularly vulnerable tribal group or PVTG in bureaucratic jargon but simply known as Birhor, the prefix to the name of their village or tola. Sarkar humre kar ration pani bandh koir diya, toh yahi khaye hai (Government has stopped our ration supply. Hence, we eat roots and dead animals), says Paklu, digging with a rusted sickle. He looks 20 years older than he is, skinny and eyes drooping from the shots of mahua he had in the morning. Mahua, the local brew, is a curse as well as blessing for these illiterate and impoverished forest-dwellers who depend solely on knowledge and skills passed down by their ancestors to survive. Basic social security schemes, mainly food and special pension, have either not reached them or had been discontinued. Alcoholism is rampant. Paklu has his mahua (alcoholic beverage) fix to forage and scavenge for food. The sick and feeble gulps down copious quantities of the heady drink to forget hunger and tame their appetite, locals say. At Birhor Tola, HT came across a heart-rending and sickening sight of at least five families peeling the skin of a buffalo long dead and stinking. The skin will fetch them a few hundred rupees, enough for a community feast, while the meat will sustain them for at least a week. The stale flesh is a spawning ground for diseases. Thats least of their concern. This wasnt the case till some months ago. Trouble began when the Jharkhand government with all good intention rolled out schemes under the national food security act in October 2015 for more than 20 million beneficiaries, including endangered groups such as Birhors, Birajias, Baigas and Souriya Pahariyas. The old ration cards were cancelled; fresh ones issued or have been in the process being distributed. At Birhor Tola, barring Meghanth Birhor, none have received the new ration card, thereby depriving them of the 35kg of free rice each family earlier used to get every month. The new scheme also entitles them to 35kg of rice a month. But they cant get it without the new card. I got rice through this card till September last year. They say this is of no use now, says 55-year-old Dukhiya Birhor. Women in the village make ropes while the men search for food in the forest. I earn Rs 15 to Rs 20 a week, which helps me buy a kg of rice, says septuagenarian widow Rupani Birhorin. Ranchi deputy commissioner Manoj Kumar wonders how the Birhors failed to get their new ration cards. We have extended the date of enrolment to January 31. A team will soon travel to the colony to help them. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A man has been arrested in Kerala for making an insulting Facebook post about National Security Guard commando Lieutenant Colonel EK Niranjan, who was martyred in the counter-offensive against terrorists at the Pathankot air base on Sunday. A police official, attached to the Chevayur Police station, said Anwar Sadiq, 24, was arrested on Tuesday from his home in Malappuram district. He had created a Facebook profile with a fake name and claimed he was a journalist with the Madhyamam Daily. Following a complaint from the Daily and revelation that there was nobody of that name employed with them, police probed and arrested this person, said the official requesting anonymity. The official said the arrested man has been charged under Sec 124 (A) of the Indian Penal Code as his comments are of an anti-national nature. He will be produced before a court. He has said that he did not know that it was a crime. In the Facebook post, Sadiq, under a fake profile, had posted insulting remarks about the martyr and it evoked a heated discussion on social media. Following the complaint from the Daily, the police arrested him. A circular issued by the Chandrababu Naidu government asking all school students and teachers in Andhra Pradesh to contribute Rs 10 each towards building the new capital Amaravati is drawing flak from the opposition parties, teacher unions and child rights activists. No wrong in seeking donations from the public, especially when the government claims to be financially weak. But this initiative is insincere on part of Naidu as he is splurging hundreds of crores of rupees on his offices, residences in Hyderabad and Vijayawada, using special flights to travel. He also spent Rs 100 crore for Amaravati foundation ceremony, said Ambati Rambabu, YSRCP central executive member and spokesperson. Child rights activists and teachers unions are also finding fault with the order. This is a violation of right to education act, said Anuradha Rao, president of Andhra Pradesh Balala Hakkula Sangham. The teacher unions are also opposed to this collection. There are many kids in our school for whom paying even Rs 10 is a difficulty, said a government school teacher in Kurnool district. The Hyderabad High Court too is said to have disapproved the order. Reviewing our petition on Wednesday, the high court expressed anger over the government circular and questioned its validity, said Ponnavolu Sudhakar Reddy, YSRCP legal cell president. Naidu has been calling Amaravati a peoples capital and has been seeking generous contributions from the public. He launched an initiative My Capital, My Amaravati, My Brick under which people can buy a brick online for Rs 10 and the proceeds of which would be added to the fund for building Amravati. This will bring a sense of ownership (among people), Naidu had said. Some Rs 6 crore have been generated till now. On Monday, the state through a notice from the commissioner of school education asked for the Rs 10 contribution Since this contribution is not voluntary, the government is expected to raise about Rs 7.5 crore through this scheme, which it calls MOST URGENT on the document, a copy of which is with HT. The notice reads, The collected amount should reach the school education commissioner by January 10. A botanist who was to present a paper pitching Lord Shiva as the worlds greatest environmentalist failed to turn up at the 103rd Indian Science Congress on Wednesday with the event expected to court controversies after the previous edition threw up claims that aircraft existed in ancient India. The selection of Dr Akhilesh Pandeys paper for the environmental sciences segment triggered a massive controversy on social media with many accusing the organisers as well as the hosts at the University of Mysore of promoting a non-scientific subject in pursuit of a larger political agenda. My absence had nothing to do with the controversy. I injured my leg and thats why I couldnt come, said Pandey who is a PhD in botany and has several awards and citations to his name. So what if my paper has nothing to do with science. What is science? Todays fiction is tomorrows science. Fiction is the mother of invention. He argued that one of the objectives of his paper is to promote environmental conservation. All the things in science we are talking about today are all in the Vedas and the Puranas. If somebody doesnt believe me, they have to validate their position scientifically, he told HT over the phone from Bhopal. Dont we all worship Shiva? Why then cant we follow his path? Whether it is environmental conservation or anything else, society cant be governed by rules alone. We need religion to show us the way. The controversy comes against the backdrop of a similar row last year, when a paper presented at the Congress held in Mumbai drew sharp reactions from the scientific community after it claimed an ancient Indian sage had given detailed guidelines for making an aircraft, long before Wright brothers. The president of the environmental sciences segment, Dr Gangadhar Mishra, earlier strongly defended his choice of Dr Pandeys paper. Nobody can ask me why I selected this paper. We received 380 applications and selection is my prerogative, he said, adding that he was solely responsible for the pick. Asked if this was the one of the best among the paper proposals received from across the country, he said, Absolutely. He also said that he hadnt gone through all the proposals and had sought help of his peers from across the country to arrive at the final shortlist. Accusing the media of making a mountain out of a molehill, Mishra said, Whether there is science or not in the paper can be challenged when the speaker presents it. The two-page abstract of Dr Pandeys paper starts with the claim that Shiva was the worlds greatest environmentalist, but does not provide much information to support the assertion. Instead, it goes to great lengths to explain things such as why the Hindu god is depicted with water spouting from his hair or why he sits on a tiger skin mat. The vice-chancellor of the university, KS Rangappa, distanced himself from the controversy and said that the institution only provided logistical support. I had absolutely no role in the selection of papers in the environmental science segment, he said. The border security infrastructure in Punjab is likely to be overhauled in the aftermath of the Pathankot terror strike, the second infiltration by Pakistan-based terrorists in the state within last five months, sources told HT. Border Security Force (BSF) chief DK Pathak reached Gurdaspur on Tuesday to assess the situation. Punjab shares 560-km long border with Pakistan. The preliminary assessment is that the border fence has become weak at some places. There is less than adequate deployment of troops at some points on the Indo-Pak border, especially at the riverine area which is more prone to infiltration and where regular fencing is not possible. Besides, there is problem of wild boars in some of the bordering districts in Punjab. Wild boars keep digging below the fence, making small passages which also weaken the structure, said a senior government official, requesting anonymity. There is a concrete base below the fence at most places and the BSF would be asked to ensure the same at all places in order to strengthen it, added the official. It is suspected that six terrorists entered India on the intervening night of December 30 and 31, somewhere in the Gurdaspur district along the Ujjh river, carrying out multiple attacks. Before that, on July 27, three suicide attackers had also entered the country, taking an almost similar route to attack a bus and police building in Dinanagar. The BSF has been asked to give details of areas from where the terrorists may have entered India. There were few issues that we have noticed and immediate steps are being taken to address them in order to strengthen the security at border, said a BSF official, requesting anonymity. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A Jet Airways flight carrying around 270 passengers from Mumbai to Bangkok on Tuesday was diverted to Yangon after the cabin pressure fell mid-air. The incident sparked off some panic on board as oxygen masks dropped down from the overhead cabins above every passengers seat. According to the aviation safety regulators preliminary report, the aircraft experienced turbulence while cruising at 35,000 feet, approximately 470 nautical miles away from the Thai capital city. The cockpit crew descended to 31,000 feet soon after the fall in pressure but a subsequent technical mid-air glitch made the flight risky, said a senior air safety official with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Following prescribed safety protocols, the flight made further descent and landed in Yangon, the official added. A Jet Airways spokesperson confirmed the incident. Jet Airways flight 9W 070 from Mumbai to Bangkok was diverted to Yangon on January 5, 2016 due to technical reasons. The aircraft landed safely at 1410 hrs local time in Yangon. All guests were transferred to the airport terminal where they were served refreshments and looked after, said the spokesperson. A relief flight from Delhi to Yangon was commissioned, allowing passengers to complete their journey to Bangkok. The airline however had to cancel its flight from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City owing to the diversion but instead made alternate travel arrangements for those travelling on that route. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Heads are likely to roll for serious lapses leading to the terrorist attack on the Pathankot air base, senior officials said on Wednesday, as calls for fixing responsibility grew shriller across the security establishment and political spectrum. Seven security personnel including an officer of the elite National Security Guards (NSG) were killed in the siege of the airbase, one of the biggest and most strategic defence installations in the country. At least six terrorists, who had managed to infiltrate the highly-guarded airbase, were also killed in the incident. It would be premature to fix accountability but there are several indications that people entrusted with specific tasks did not measure up. The role of officials from the BSF, the state police and the IAF will be minutely examined, a top official said. Read | Revenge for Afzal: Messages in blood link Mazar-e-Sharif to Pathankot No agency would be allowed to sidestep blame and firm action would be taken after a thorough investigation into the circumstances leading to the attack, the official added. Questions have already been raised about the role of the BSF after the terrorists exploited gaps in Indo-Pak border security to sneak into Punjab before infiltrating the high security base. The terrorists also roamed freely for more than 20 hours without being detected by the state police, the officials said, and pointed out that security personnel at the airbase, already on a high alert, also could not prevent the attackers from infiltrating into the installation. If we have to prevent future attacks, heads have to roll. Organisations cant shrug off blame and give themselves a clean chit, the government officer said. As several unanswered questions continue to baffle the security establishment, experts also demanded swift action against those responsible for the lapses. Its quite obvious we failed to draw lessons from the 26/11 terror strike and other recent attacks. And thats why we keep suffering casualties. Accountability has to be fixed at the earliest to prevent security lapses, said General Deepak Kapoor (retd), who was the army chief when the Mumbai attacks took place. Read | Questions raised over special forces not being deployed in Pathankot He said the fighter bases perimeter security should have been made fool-proof as soon as hard intelligence about a possible strike was received. Several IAF officials HT spoke to said the air force could not be expected to secure the perimeter of huge bases Pathankots measures 25 km. The IAF can only guard its vital assets in such a scenario. We should not jump to any conclusions till all questions are answered. Remember no vital assets were lost, said a former IAF chief, requesting anonymity. Experts also flagged concerns about no lessons being learnt after last years Dinanagar attack. Former army vice-chief lieutenant general Philip Campose said, The security establishment should have come up with some solutions after the Dinanagar strike. That attack changed the dynamics entirely as it was the first strike outside Jammu and Kashmir. But its clear no methodology of response was worked out. Read | Pathankot attack: NIA to bring Gurdaspur SP to Delhi for questioning Four days after Pakistani terrorists attacked the high-security Pathankot fighter base, questions are being raised within the security establishment over deploying National Security Guard (NSG) troopers to combat the crisis instead of bringing in elements of the armys Special Forces (SF) stationed closer to the border town. Top security officials said the NSG was an elite force but the testing scenario could have been better handled by making the army the lead agency for counter-terrorism crisis management. Two battle-hardened commando units 4 Para (SF) and 9 Para (SF) are stationed in Jammu and Kashmir, while another 1 Para (SF) is based in Himachal Pradesh. The Special Forces are cut out for such tasks and the army should have been the lead agency for handling the operation. There wasnt a hostage situation that required bringing in the NSG, said a senior officer, who did not wish to be named given the sensitivity of the matter. The armys 29 infantry division is headquartered in Pathankot and the formations there account for more than 40,000 troops. The question on everyones mind is who was in charge, said strategic affairs expert Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (retd). Another sign of the situation being misread was the initial requisition for only two army columns (80 soldiers) though subsequently more than 300 troops were involved in the operation. The final assault was made by the army using its infantry combat vehicles armed with 30 mm cannons. There were huge gaps in counter-terrorism force application and too many organisations were involved in the operation, said strategic affairs expert Air Vice Marshal Kapil Kak (retd). Kak questioned if the security establishment had drawn any lessons from similar attacks on Pakistani military establishments. The Pathankot strike has raised serious questions about perimeter security of vital military installations and the role of the Defence Security Corps an organisation that consists of retired army jawans. Read More: Pathankot attack: Investigators probe curious case of abducted SP Messages in blood link Mazar-e-Sharif to Pathankot Fix governance gaps to avoid Pathankot-like security challenges A Ranchi couple claimed Rs 10 lakh as compensation, stating that they were bitten by rodents in the AC first class compartment of a Kolkata-bound train. Senior citizens PC Sinha and his wife Alka were travelling in the Kriya Yoga Express (Hatia-Howrah Express) from Ranchi to Howrah on December 30 last year when around midnight, the man was allegedly bitten by rats. It is shameful that at a time when the Prime Minister is talking of Swachch Bharat, the Indian railways cant even get rid of rats from the highest class of compartments, Sinha said in a letter to the general manager of south eastern railways. Hindustan Times has a copy of the letter written on December 31, 2015. A retired chief engineer in Bokaro Steel Limited, Sinha claimed that he had suffered a 3mm bite and was at the risk of contracting diseases as he was a diabetic. There were four passengers in the compartment, and three were bitten I have never seen such big rats in my life, he said, adding he had to take rabies vaccines after reaching Kolkata. When the train halted at the Santraganchi railway station, about 30-minutes from Howrah, the couple lodged a complaint with the grievance redressal cell and asked for the compensation. The government is dreaming of bullet trains while they cant even keep the existing trains clean The compartment was a mess, with rat droppings everywhere, said Alka, a school principal in Ranchi. A south eastern railways official said the complaint would be conveyed to the Ranchi division and necessary steps would be taken. I have not got the information yet, but we will do the needful, said Deepak Kumar, Ranchi divisional railway manager. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said that some elements want to sabotage Indo-Pak peace talks through terror acts but they will not succeed in their nefarious designs. Some elements want to sabotage the talks process between the two neighbouring countries through such terror acts but they would not succeed in their nefarious designs, he said. Asif said Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, in a telephonic contact, have agreed that a cordial relationship was the most appropriate response to the terrorists, Radio Pakistan reported on Wednesday. He said Indian leadership has not levelled any allegation on Pakistan regarding the Pathankot airbase terror attack. To a question, he said that Pakistan itself was a victim of terrorism and fighting a successful war against the menace. Heavily-armed terrorists last week attempted to storm the air force base in Pathankot. The attackers were believed to have infiltrated from Pakistan and there was speculation that they may belong to Jaish-e-Mohammad, headed by Maulana Masood Azhar of the Kandahar hijack. A US university, whose Indian students were deported recently, has blamed Air India and some of the students for confusion on the issue. I want to share with everyone my strong belief that these difficulties arose solely because of the actions of Air India, president of the Northwestern Polytechnic University (NPU) Peter Hsieh said in an email to its students. At this time, we do not know why Air India has undertaken these actions to cause irreparable harm to our university and tarnish its reputation and incite great distress in our students and their families... we can only speculate as to Air Indias motives and assume Air Indias recent actions are related to their precarious financial position, he said. Hsieh alleged that Air India is preventing students from boarding the plane because of the fear of financial burden in case students are deported from the US. The statement has also been posted on the universitys website. There was, however, no immediate comment from Air India. Hsieh said the university continues to witness a large number of students successfully arriving and entering the United States. Although it is still early, as our incoming students for Spring semester 2016 begin reporting to the university today, we continue to witness a large number of students successfully arriving and entering the US. We have met with quite a few who have shared their experiences, he said. We have been informed that many, but not all, are going through secondary inspection. As long as students have proper documentation and are able to answer questions, they are being allowed into the US. They also report that this is not limited to NPU or F-1 students, but also to other foreign travellers on H-1 visa and the like, Hsieh said. He also blamed the deported students who exaggerated the situation. We also believe that the false allegations were further exaggerated by certain returning students. Rather than informing their parents that they did poorly in their interviews, some simply pointed the blame at NPU as being blacklisted and conveniently referencing news reports as support, he said. Thousands of Dalit people have come together across Madhya Pradesh to become part of a group called the Megh Sena to fight against rising instances of caste violence and discrimination in the state. Officials said 10,000 Dalit persons have joined the state chapter of the Megh Sena this month to fight against upper caste oppressors legally and socially, and work for the uplift of the community through providing education in a state that has seen 4,151 cases of crime against scheduled castes in 2014. The Megh Senas state chapter was launched on January 3, over nine years after it was conceived by the Rashtriya Sarv Meghvansh Mahasabha (India) in Jaipur to work for the welfare of Dalit communities. Till now, we have formed the Sena in some parts of Nimar region, including Neemuch , Rajgarh, Ratlam and Shajapur districts but in next one year every district of Madhya Pradesh will have our Megh Sena unit, said Gopal Denwal , president of the Rashtriya Sarv Meghvansh Mahasabha. Workers have united under the slogan Apna Danda, Apni Topi and Apna Jhanda to counter any cases of caste atrocities or discrimination. If any Dalit atrocity takes in place in any village of MP, we are informed within hours and we inform the local police and administration about the incident. Ours local representative reaches the spot along with others and then provides help legally and socially to the family. If the matter is grave they live with the family till the situation gets normal, he said. Every member of the Sena was called as commando and the respective heads as commandant in a district. We also orgainsed a road show just like Path Sanchalan, to show our unity and power in many parts of Rajasthan and now we will do it in MP, he added. The Sena has already attracted over 100,000 people across India, including Madhya Pradesh, Harayana, Rajasthan, Punjab and Gujarat. The aim is to help community members who face atrocity through law and police, said Babu Lal Thawalia, Ujjain resident and president of the Madhya Pradesh chapter of the Megh Sena. The Sena also has other wings such as the Mahila Wing, Youth Wing, Abhav Abhiyog Wing, Students Wing, Media Wing and Panch Patidar Wing. Each Sena member processes a directory of all senior police and administrative officers of the state. The MP health department is likely to receive the forensic report on the botched Barwani eye surgery case this week. At least 60 patients who had undergone a cataract surgery in an eye camp in Barwani in November last year had lost vision in one eye after the operation. The administration had sent samples of the eye wash, instruments, gloves and other medicines used in the surgeries for analysis to a Kolkata laboratory to ascertain the reason behind the fungal infection that lead to loss of eyesight among the patients. Principal secretary (health), Gauri Singh, said, The test reports will reach us by Saturday. She said there was a delay in receiving the laboratory test reports as the lab had a busy year ending schedule. The samples were sent for lab tests soon after the news broke that more than 20 people were suffering from infection leading to blindness. The number rose to 60 within a weeks time after which an inquiry was set up by the Union health ministry. A two-member committee from National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB) had earlier indicated that the eye wash manufactured by Beryl diagnostics was the source of infection. It had also cited poor hygiene in the operation theatre as one of the several reasons behind the infection. Nineteen drugs rated as substandard by the state health department were also banned in the state. Senior opthalmologist Dr RS Palod was suspended along with the staff in this matter. Though no action has been taken on the purchasing committee, which had selected the drug so far, it might face action if the drugs are found substandard. The report is extremely crucial as it will clear the air about the person(s) responsible in this case. Also it will be used to predict the future of the diagnostic company from where the drugs were procured, said Dr Sharad Pandit, joint director of health, Indore. OUT OF SIGHT At least 60 patients who had undergone a cataract surgery in an eye camp in Barwani in November last year had lost vision in one eye after the operation. A two-member committee from National Programme for Control of Blindness had earlier indicated that the eye wash manufactured by Beryl diagnostics was the source of infection. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON There will no longer be a 9.15-metre-wide road cutting across three residential buildings at Pali Hill in Bandra; the proposed road has been deleted from the citys draft development plan (DP) 2034, which the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has revised and released as phase 2. The revision follows a road survey and specifies whether proposed roads are to be deleted from or retained in the draft. Citizens were up in arms against proposed roads that would have cut across their buildings and religious structures, and Pali Hill residents led a protest against the plan. Following this, most of the proposed roads at Pali Hill now stand deleted or re-aligned. Similarly, a 9.15-meter-wide road proposed at Mt Mary Convent School in Bandra has also been deleted from the revised draft, which was submitted in the group leaders meeting at the BMC late on Tuesday. Read: Mumbai development plan: High-rises as pendants for Queens Necklace? The ward-wise draft will be made available on the BMCs website on January 7. Citizens can write to the BMC with their observations on the survey by January 31. A senior BMC civic official said, We will also be uploading the format that citizens should follow to send their observations. Properties that received an intimation of disapproval (IOD) before February 25, 2015 and have a proposed road in the revised draft have also been asked to notify the civic body before January, 31. The BMC will also upload a ward-wise corrected designation survey, or phase 1 with rectifications, to its website. Citizens can email ee.dpr.mcgm.rd.survey.2015@gmail.com with the subject line DP Road Survey 2015 or write to Chief Engineer (Development Plan), 5th floor, New Building, BMC headquarters, Mahapalika Marg, Fort, Mumbai 400001. In the revised draft, BMC has also highlighted the number of trees or mangroves that will be affected by the proposed roads. For instance, though there was staunch opposition to a proposed road near St Annes School, which would affect 15 trees, it has been retained albeit re-aligned in the revision. On Wednesday, the BMC also issued a clarification on phase 1 of its revised plan, saying there the report has been misinterpreted. In the note, the BMC continued to maintain that the designations were based on the sanctioned development plan (SDP), 1991. Therefore, no reservations are proposed but only erroneous designations are corrected, the clarification read. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Bombay high court has said no person has a fundamental right to trade in liquor, while upholding the state governments policy decision to ban manufacturing of milder rum and instead permit only stronger forms of the alcoholic drink. A division bench dismissed a petition filed by Hindustan Distilleries, challenging the August 2006 decision of the government to not permit rum of 50 Under Proof (UP) strength and allow production of rum of 25 UP strength, which is a stronger version of the drink. UP or Under Proof is a measure of ethanol contained in an alcoholic beverage. Hindustan Distilleries had challenged the 2006 amendment to the Maharashtra Distillation of Spirit and Manufacture of Potable Liquor Rules which prohibited the manufacture of Rum of 50 UP, a milder version. It contended that the Constitution of India requires the government to implement the policy of prohibition of liquor, but since the government was allowing production of stronger alcoholic beverages and prohibiting manufacturing of its milder forms, the action amounted to violation of the constitutional mandate. The government submitted that the revenue generated from India Manufactured Foreign Liquor of 50 UP was meager, as compared to earnings from sale of 25 UP variants. Noting that the reasons cited by the government were relevant, the division bench turned down the challenge. The bench noted that the court has held that there is no fundamental right in a citizen to carry on trade in liquor. A little-known virus spread by mosquitoes is causing one of the most alarming health crises to hit Brazil in decades: thousands of cases of brain damage, in which babies are born with unusually small heads. Many pregnant women across Brazil are in a panic. The Brazilian government, under withering criticism for not acting sooner, is urging them to take every precaution to avoid mosquito bites. One official has even suggested that women living in areas where mosquitoes are especially prevalent postpone having children. Solange Ferreira bathes her son Jose Wesley in a bucket at their house in Poco Fundo, Pernambuco state, Brazil. Ferreira says her son enjoys being in the water, she places him in the bucket several times a day to calm him. (AP) Here is all you need to know about the virus: What is Zika virus? Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that causes fever. The virus is named after the Zika forest in Uganda, where it was identified in rhesus monkeys during a yellow fever outbreak in 1947. Why is it in the news? Brazilian health authorities in November linked Zika to a surge in babies born with microcephaly, a birth defect that seriously limits a childs mental and physical abilities. Brazilian officials have registered at least 2,782 cases this year, compared with just 147 in 2014 and 167 the year before. At least 40 of the infants have recently died, and some Brazilian researchers warn that cases could multiply in the months ahead. Those babies who survive may face impaired intellectual development for the rest of their lives. How does it spread? The bite of an infected Aedes mosquito which is also known to carry yellow fever, dengue and chikungunya viruses. An infected mother can pass on the virus to her newborn child. Through blood transfusion and sexual contact. Till now there is only one case of the virus spreading through sexual contact. Dejailson Arruda holds his daughter Luiza at their house in Santa Cruz do Capibaribe, Pernambuco state, Brazil. (AP) What are the symptoms? Between three and 12 days after being bitten by a mosquito carrying the virus, three out of four people come down with symptoms including mild fever, rash, conjunctivitis, headaches and joint pain. How to cure it? There is no vaccine or medicine to prevent or treat it, and travellers to Latin America are advised to protect themselves by avoiding mosquito bites. Geographic distribution Outbreaks of Zika have occurred in areas of Africa, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and the Americas. In December 2015, Puerto Rico reported its first confirmed Zika virus case. Luiza has her head measured by a neurologist at the Mestre Vitalino Hospital in Caruaru, Pernambuco state, Brazil. (AP) Should India be worried? Because the Aedes species mosquitoes that spread Zika virus are found throughout the world, it is likely that outbreaks will spread to new countries, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says on its Zika webpage. The total number of dengue cases in India in 2014 stood at 40,197. In 2015 September, New Delhi faced a worst dengue outbreak with more than 10,000 people getting affected and resulting in the death of more than 30 victims. Thus, the virus could spread in India locally if an affected person travels from Brazil to India. Read More | Puerto Rico reports first case of Zika virus, spread by mosquitoes Read More | Brazil fears rare birth defects linked to mosquito-borne Zika virus Source: CDC (With agency inputs) The Indian Army had averted a hostage situation from developing during the Pathankot terrorist attack when it rescued six air force personnel on January 3. The terrorists had split into two groups, with one group having 4 and the other 2 members. One of the terrorists of the second group entered an other ranks (ORs) accommodation. It was a two-storeyed building. The army moved into action and found the air force personnel were on the first floor. The army managed to evacuate them one by one either through windows or by ropes. There were six personnel who were rescued, Western Command army commander Lt Gen KJ Singh told reporters at a press conference in the Chandimandir cantonment near Chandigarh. He said that building was an old structure and was made of steel and heavy concrete. It had steel doors. It was almost like a bunker, he said. The explosives had to be used to destroy the building. When the building was destroyed, it took time to sanitise it, he said. Why NSG was deployed Asked why the National Security Guard (NSG) was deployed when the army was based next door, he replied, The NSG, Army, Garuda Commandoes of the air force and air force personnel were involved in the action. The decision to deploy NSG was taken at the top level which included the service chiefs. They (NSG) were deployed because strategic assets were involved. There could be a hostage situation as 11,000 people are living inside the base. Usually, air base becomes out of action in such situations, but here it remained fully functional. The air force was able to carry out surveillance sorties, he clarified. I saw an excellent synergy between the forces. IG of NSG was my General Officer Commanding in 26 division. DIG of NSG was also in the Army before his deputation. The Western Command had deployed 9 columns of soldiers with 7 inside, which included SF unit, and 2 outside. There was a platoon of Infantry Fighting Vehicles, a bomb disposal squad, 9 mine protected vehicles, air evacuation unit and also the hospital was made ready to deal with emergency. There was a military hospital just right outside the air base and there was no death after a casualty reached hospital. At present, Western Command has deployed two mine protected vehicles, two columns of soldiers, one bomb disposal squad and one dog squad. Why operation took so much time? It is a huge area and difficult terrain. The buildings are laid out in sequential manner. The sanitisation takes place building wise. The families are located there, we have to be conscious, he said and pointed out that the terrorists remained dormant for some time and again started firing. You may count the extent of operation on stop watch basis. The actual engagement was of just 10 hours and not of 95 hours as is claimed in media. There used to be times when there was no firing and then terrorists would start again. He clarified that the Armys role was not limited. DSCs and Garuda commandoes made the first contact with the terrorists where Jagdish Chand snatched gun from the terrorist and killed him. Then second contact was made with the SF personnel and an army column. An integrated fie base was used and then NSG came. Then a combined fire base was made at the end. Infantry Carrier Vehicles were used and then finally NSG neutralized the one group (4) of terrorists. The Army had recovered a pamphlet of Jaish-E-Mohammed (JEM), radio sets, AK 47s and anti tank grenades from terrorists. Two bodies of terrorists are completely burnt but no decision on other 4 bodies had been taken. One of the bodies had a grenade with its pin pit, it could explode, he said. When the Army received intelligence input Lt Gen KJ Singh claimed that on January 1 afternoon they had received a serious alert that 6-8 terrorists had infiltrated and Pathankot air base was their target. He said that the information had been received both from the central agencies and also the Punjab Police. Based on information a large number of preemptive actions were taken. A red alert was sounded. The Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs) were placed. Security of strategic installations was beefed up, said Lt Gen Singh and added that mine protected vehicles and other resources were procured even from the Northern Command. But the army entered Pathankot air force station only after terrorists entered the base, he clarified. On allegation against Punjab Police for providing information late on terrorists, he said the inquiry was going on and he would not comment on it. He also did not answer the question on from where terrorists entered the Indian border. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was looking into all aspects, he said. Local Support cannot be rule out On the question of local help to terrorists, Lt Gen Sinfh said, Localised support cannot be ruled out. NIA is looking into that aspect. Easy access to images of vital installations, including the Halwara airbase, on the internet has raised questions about their safety. The terrorists who attacked the Pathankot airbase are suspected to have used online maps to get a clear idea of their target. Detailed pictures of the Halwara air force station, located about 35km from here, are available on the internet. Satellite images show 10 fighter jets parked inside the airbase, besides the runway and internal roads. The route leading to the technical area, where the aircraft are stationed, are also visible. A closer scrutiny of the images also provides detailed information of bunkers, hangars and other infrastructure inside the airbase. Intelligence sources said a report of these images being available on the internet had been sent to the Union ministry of defence a few months ago. Colonel K Christopher (retd), who was stationed in Pathankot in 1997, said the government could not do much to remove these images from the internet. The images can be used by terrorists to find ways of entering these high-security areas, he added. The ammunition depot at Baddowal and other cantonment areas in the city can also be seen in Google satellite images. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will bring Punjab police officer Salwinder Singh to Delhi in a day or two for thorough questioning over the Pathankot airbase attack, a senior home ministry official said on Wednesday. The NIA decision came on a day the elite investigating agencys chief Sharad Kumar visited Pathankot to oversee the investigations into the four-day siege of the strategic air base. The decision to bring in the Gurdaspur superintendent of police was indicative of the fact that the investigating agency was not fully convinced about his claim of being abducted by a group of armed men and having his vehicle snatched. The NIA questioned Salwinder Singh along with his jeweller friend Rajesh Verma and helper Madan Gopal for hours in Pathankot in connection with the attack. The NIA is verifying each and every aspect of what he is telling interrogators. He has been taken to key spots like where he was abducted and dropped, said a senior home ministry official requesting anonymity. On December 31, Singh and his companions claimed that they were overpowered by terrorists and the vehicle they were travelling in was hijacked by them. The superintendent, in his complaint to the police, said one of the terrorists drove the vehicle after hijacking it. Though NIA officials remained tight-lipped about the accuracy of Singhs statement, sources said that a few gaps have come to light, necessitating his questioning in Delhi. It is being suspected that the weapons used by the terrorists may have come separately in a drug consignment and later handed over to the attackers. The NIA is also probing this aspect. Sources said that during the day, an NIA team questioned Singh inside the Sadar police station and searched the XUV which was allegedly snatched by the terrorists. The NIA also have questioned the SPs friend Rajesh Verma. Terrorists may have crossed the border through Bamial village as people found footmarks which were later ascertained to be from Pakistani footwear brand Epcot, sources said. At least one of the six terrorists killed in Pathankot was wearing the same brand of shoes. NIA chief Sharad Kumar will also visit Bamial on Thursday. Defence minister Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday briefed the Union cabinet about the terror strike. (With inputs from HTC Chandigarh) Read: Pathankot attack: NIA probe curious case of abducted Gurdaspur SP SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Punjab Police are now revisiting a 2014 case where an Indian Air Force (IAF) employee posted at the Pathankot air force station was arrested on charges of passing on vital information pertaining to the strategic facility to a woman from Pakistan who had honey-trapped him. The case was registered against Sunil Bhaati, 26, a resident of Jodhpur, on August 30, 2014. Subsequently, Bhaati was dismissed by the IAF. The Pathankot police, however, have failed to file a challan in a local court against Bhaati, who managed to get bail from the court in January last year. The FIR against Bhaati, (a copy of which is with HT) states that he had been enrolled into the IAF in 2008 and was posted at Pathankot in 2010. He was allegedly honey-trapped by a woman who had registered herself on a social networking site Orkut as Meena Raina. Bhaati was posted in Vadodara at that time. The woman befriended him and started gathering information about his work. Later, when Bhaati moved to Pathankot, he allegedly started giving information to her through Facebook. The FIR adds that the woman started transferring money to him in his various bank accounts for the information he was sharing. She asked him about the number of persons posted in the station, their ranks, location of aircrafts etc. From 2010 to 2013, around Rs 3 lakh, including foreign currency, were transferred in his accounts. A cyber squad of the airbase put him under surveillance and discovered his emails sent to the woman. After issuing him a show-cause notice on August 14. 2014, Bhaati was dismissed from service on August 27, 2014. An FIR was registered against him three days later. The police probe into the case is going on at a sluggish pace. Since the case was registered under various sections of the Official Secrets Act and the Unlawful Activities Act, permission to file a challan in the court was to be taken from the Union home ministry. We got that permission but another approval was needed from the state home department for which we sent the file to the home department in October 2015. We havent received any reply from them, since then, says investigating officer in the case Harpreet Singh. Despite the delay in filing the challan, the government did not file a request for extension in time period for filing the challan. As a result, Bhaati was bailed out in January 2015 by default, says Ajay Dadwal, Bhaatis counsel. The government filed an appeal against the bail order but it was rejected by the district and sessions judge Pathankot in July 2015. Two days ago, Punjab policemen had come to us to gather information about Bhaatis whereabouts and know who furnished his bail bonds. We told police that one of his uncles was working at the Chandigarh air force station, adds Dadwal. Indian-born Nobel laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan dismissed as baseless last years claims at the Indian Science Congress that India had aviation technology centuries ago, aside from terming homeopathy and astrology as useless and harmful practices. It was surprising for me that Indian science academies did not condemn it. Science has to be based on data. You have to show that you did it and others should be able to verify it. It is impossible that India had plane technology 2,000 years ago. The biologist who is the current president of the Royal Society, UKs national academy of sciences, was delivering the Har Gobind Khorana lecture on On Nobodys Word: Evidence and Modern Science at the Panjab University, and said the only exact science is experimentation. Scientists are humans. We have egos, superstitions etc. What is required is to test our ideas by experiments which protect us from false beliefs. To elaborate, he cited the cold fusion theory. Hypothesized by Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons in 1989, the theory was later proved inaccurate. In 2011, it was claimed from CERN experiments that neutrinos travel faster than light. Later, it came out that it was a measurement error, he said and added that sometimes scientists propose ideas well outside their area of expertise and make mistakes. Ramakrishnan, better known as Venki among his scientific peers, is the first Indian-origin president of the Royal Society in its 350 years. Training his guns on two fields of science largely popular in India, Ramakrishnan also came down heavily on the homeopathy and astrology, saying real science is far more interesting than bogus fields. Pointing out that India is the only country where a constitution asks for promoting scientific temper, he said India needs a more rational outlook on such sciences. Explaining that astrology evolved from the human tendency to look for patterns, generalize and believe, Ramakrishnan said, There is no scientific basis for how movement of planets and stars can influence our fate. There is no reason for time of birth to influence events years later. The predictions made are either obvious or shown to be random. Once beliefs take root, they are hard to eradicate, he commented, adding, A culture based on superstitions will do worse than one based on scientific knowledge and rational thoughts. Contrary to the general notion that homeopathy originated in India, the biologist clarified that it was a practice started by a German. They (homoeopaths) take arsenic compounds and dilute it to such an extent that just a molecule is left. It will not make any effect on you. Your tap water has more arsenic. No one in chemistry believes in homoeopathy. It works because of placebo effect. Ramakrishna was however appreciative of modern day astrology considering the more specific scientific advancements made. Alchemy is based on beliefs but accumulated huge amount of data about properties of substances led to modern chemistry. Astrology was stuck in the past but modern astronomy has made huge exciting discoveries like the black hole, pulsars etc. Ramakrishnan was awarded the Nobel prize for chemistry in 2009 along with Thomas A Steitz and Ada E Yonath for their research in ribosomes, the protein producing molecules in living cells. He was born to well known scientists Dr CV Ramakrishnan and R Rajalakshmi in the temple town of Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu. After his graduation, he moved to the US for his post doctoral studies. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Sikh community in Pakistani Punjab is split over the sale of gurudwara land to build houses. On Tuesday, a group of Sikhs from Nankana Sahib demanded the resignation of Siddiqul Farooq, chairman of the evacuee trust property board, of illegally selling canal land of Gurdwara Janam Asthan for a housing scheme, The Nation newspaper reported on Wednesday. After staging a protest near the Punjab assembly, dozens of Sikhs gathered outside the Lahore high court to express solidarity with Mastan Singh, the Sikh leader who faces trial for anti-state activities. A high court division bench on Tuesday accepted the bail petition of Mastan Singh, a former president of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC). In his petition, Mastan Singh accused Sham Singh, the incumbent president of the committee, of having a false case registered against him. Siddiqul Farooq and Sham Singh joined hands with the land mafia and illegally sold canal land belonged to Gurdwara Janam Asthan, Nankana Sahib, for a housing scheme, his counsel Anwar Zahid told the court. But Sham Singhs counsel Tariq Bashir Awan argued that the investigation of the case had been transferred to the anti-terrorism department. A law officer urged the court not to accept Mastan Singhs bail plea, saying there were serious allegations of terrorism against him. But after hearing both sides, a bench headed by justice Mazhar Iqbal Sidhu accepted the bail request. The judge said the prosecution would not benefit by keeping the accused in jail. Sikhs are a minority in Pakistan. The sacked Panj Pyaras (five beloved ones of the guru) have called upon the Sikh community to check interference by political parties or groups in the control and management of Sikh shrines. It is our firm opinion that we must free our gurdwaras from political parties, they said in a statement released to the media here on Wednesday. The Panj Pyaras, however, did not specify whether these gurdwaras included those managed by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which is controlled by the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). The statement was signed by Satnam Singh Khanda, Satnam Singh, Tirlok Singh and Mangal Singh - the four who had been sacked from service by the SGPC last week. The fifth signature was that of Bhai Major Singh, who retired from service on December 31. The statement said a Sarbat Khalsa (congregation of Sikhs) should be called to decide on the broad framework or rules under which the Akal Takht should function. The congregation must also frame rules under which the jathedars of the five Takhts can be appointed or dismissed from service, the statement added, without referring to the SGPC executives role in this regard. In the statement, the Panj Pyaras made it clear that the congregation must comprise devoted Gur Sikhs (baptised) representing the community settled across the globe. The five had earlier held Akal Takht jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh guilty of having violated the maryada (code of conduct) of the Takht when he pardoned Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a blasphemy case. They had called for the social boycott of Giani Gurbachan Singh and the jathedars of Takht Keshgarh Sahib and Takht Damdama Sahib. No politics involved In the statement, the Panj Pyaras made it clear that they were neither associated with any political party or group nor taking any decision under political influence. They described themselves as humble servants of the Panth. We will welcome positive opinions or advice that is offered to us on issues concerning the Panth. We are even open to opinions or suggestions that may come from those who do not agree with our line of thought, they added. In a tragic incident, one pilgrim was killed while seven sustained serious injuries after their tourist bus hit by another bus and overturned on National Highway (NH)-1 in Phillaur on Wednesday evening, when they were returning to Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. The deceased has been identified as Sheela Devi, a resident of Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh while the injured have been identified as Chandar Pal, Bola Raj, Manju, Suman Singh, Shanti Singh, Sheila Singh and Chaniya Yadav. As per the information, 56 pilgrims came here on a ten days religious trip and were returning back to Ghaziabad, when their bus overturned in Phillaur. Eye witnesses claimed that the tourist bus driver didnt looked back while taking turn from a diversion, when speeding PRTC bus hit the bus from backside. The impact of the collision was so strong that bus overturned to the other side of road resulting into death of one pilgrim and injuring seven. Getting information about the incident, police team from Phillaur Police Station rushed to the spot for an investigation and bring injured persons to the Civil Hospital Phillaur for their treatment. Cops said that three of the serious pilgrims were referred to Ludhiana based hospital. Meanwhile, the police were investigating the case till filing of the story. The draft of Punjab Public Library and Information Services Bill 2011 is yet to be implemented. Around 21 states including neighbouring state Haryana, have implemented the Library Act in their respective states, but Punjab is far behind and waiting for its implementation. Punjab was to implement it in 1993, but in vain. In 2011, education minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan again raised the issue. The draft, which was once accepted by Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, has adequate system regarding libraries, including terminology, establishment, state centre library, town and rural library system, rules and regulations. A delegation of Punjabi Sahitya Academy also met education minister Daljit Singh Cheema under the leadership of academy president Sukhdev Singh Sirsa on Tuesday. Sukhdev Singh Sirsa said, We discussed four issues, including the Library Act. The education minister assured us and has asked education secretary to pursue the matter. Punjabi University library science department Professor Jagtar Singh said, I was the member of the drafting committee and chief minister Parkash Singh Badal accepted the draft. But now the bill is gathering dust in DPI (colleges). Madras had passed the bill in 1948 and even Haryana passed the bill in 1989. Gurbhajan Gill, member of the draft committee, said, Rhe Library Act was a part of my election manifesto when I won Punjabi Sahitya Academy elections in 2010. We approached education minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan and he played major role regarding the bill. Now, the bill is need of the hour which should be implemented as soon as possible. Gursharan Kaur Walia, executive director, language department, Patiala, said, We have made the draft and now, the DPI (college) will follow the matter. In April 2014, Punjab and Haryana high court had expressed confidence that the state government would form its opinion on enacting the Punjab Public Library and Information Services Bill after the elections are over. Jaswant Singh, retired professor and NRI and Harish Moudgil, retired teacher from government school, had filed Public interest litigation (PIL). They desired HCs direction reading the library bill. Jaswant Singh on telephonic conversation with HT said, Indian states have passed Public Library Legislation and are providing library services to residents in their states. Haryana is one of the 21 states. If the Shabad Parkash Punjab Public Library and information services bill is enacted in 2016 by the Punjab assembly and signed by the government, it might be some relief to Punjabis. Una legislator (MLA) Satpal Singh Satti, 51, was unanimously elected president of the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) here on Wednesday for the third time in a row. Union health minister JP Nadda, who hails from the state, was also present at the election meeting. Satti, a third-time MLA from Una, will now become the longest serving party chief in the history of the party. The partys central high command had already given its approval for Satpal Singh Satti, though a number of leaders, owing allegiance to former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, former Union minister Shanta Kumar and Union health minister Jagat Parkash Nadda, were reported to be in the race. The name of Satti was proposed by former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, three MPs and 20 legislators. Satti, known for his plain-speaking, took over from Khimi Ram in February 2012, after he was inducted as a minister in the then Dhumal government and remained the president for over one year before getting a full three-year term. The partys central observer Ganeshi Lal, head of the partys disciplinary committee, also announced four names for the partys national council. They included former minister Sarveen Chaudhary, vice-president Ajya Rana, Kutlegar legistaor Virender Kanwar and Kasuali legislator DR Rajiv Sehjal Satti expressed his gratitude to senior leaders Prem Kumar Dhumal and Union minister Jagat Prakash Nadda, who had specially flown from Delhi. While most of the partys senior leaders and former ministers were present at the elections, Shanta Kumar was conspicuous by his absence. However, his supporters at the party headquarters - Deep Kamal - were present. Satti spelt out his priorities and said, I have worked hard so far and will have now have to work harder this time to strengthen the party ahead of the assembly elections. My main goal is to oust the Congress and in that task, I will involve every party worker and leader, said Satti Dhumal congratulated Satti for his election for the third time. I believe that in the dynamic leadership of Satpal Singh Satti, the state BJP unit will achieve new heights, Dhumal said, addressing party workers. He also hailed Sattis tenure during which the party won all the four Lok Sabha seats in the 2014 general election. Nadda said the BJP would not only increase its base under Sattis leadership, but also win the state assembly polls due in 2017. BJP will not only win 2017 assembly election but also work to maintain it forever, he added. Satpal Singh Satti, who has done MA, MPhil in Political Science, remained state secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) from 1988 to 91; national secretary, ABVP, from 1991 to 93; general secretary, BJP, Una; president, state Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM); member, executive committee, of the state unit of the BJP. He was first elected to the state legislative assembly in 2003; re-elected in 2007 and 2012. He remained member of the public accounts committee and tbhe rural planning committee from January 2008 to July 2009; chief parliamentary secretary (attached with CM for MPP & Power and Youth Services and Sports) from July 2009 to March 2012. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Mumbai is big. It stands out for its extraordinary colonial architecture and heritage, hard working people, Bollywood glamour, noted gangsters, fisherfolk and crorepatis. Theres just too much for travellers to stop and take in as they marvel at the magnetic aura of this masterpiece. But if you think there is nothing beyond this must-visit for tourists like you and us, you are so wrong. Read: Mumbai named most expensive city for travellers, yet again Just sample some of these quick getaways from the City of Dreams. 1 Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary At Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary you can see birds like Rufous Treepie, White Wagtail, Ashy Drongo, Yellow-Eyed Babbler (www.bnhs.org) Situated north of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary forms a corridor for animals between SGNP and the Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary. This trail is lined with dense mixed deciduous forests. During this season, one can see birds like Rufous Treepie, White Wagtail, Ashy Drongo, Yellow-Eyed Babbler, Crested Serpent Eagle, Brown-Headed Barbet, Shikra, Verditer Flycatcher and many more. Date: January 10 Contact: www.bnhs.org 2 Takmak Fort (www.liveawayfromlife.com) Located close to Virar, Takmak Fort is surrounded by dense forests. It was built in the 12th century to keep a watch on the business activities that took place in Mahim. Date: January 10 Contact: www.liveawayfromlife.com 3 Neral If you want to be educated on types of fish, this is your go-to place. (www.bluebulb.in) Learn various types of fishing methods such as rod fishing and village-style fishing, and also know more about the different types of fish, their habits, and how you can find them. Date: All days of the week Contact: www.bluebulb.in Read: The top five luxury villas near Mumbai to host your very own all-nighter Follow @htlifeandstyle for more. Two Madhesi protesters were injured in a clash with a group of Indian traders at the Birgang-Raxaul border point on Wednesday morning. Police officials said the incident occurred when Madhesi protesters blocking the border bridge connecting India and Nepal prevented traders from Raxaul in India from bringing goods into Nepal. Madhesi parties have been blocking the border point, which accounts for nearly 70% of bilateral trade, since September last year to push their demand for changes in Nepals new constitution. Nearly 400 of the 800 Britons who travelled to Syria since the start of the conflict there have returned, while the passports of 24 people intending to travel for terrorism-related activity have been removed, home secretary Theresa May has said. Refusing to comment on the latest Islamic State video or on individuals it features, May told parliament on Tuesday that it was a barbaric and appalling video in which the group sought to intimidate and spread hateful propaganda, but in doing so they only expose their own depravity and the emptiness of their proposition. May told the House of Commons: Since the start of the conflict in Syria, more than 800 people from the UK who are of national security concern are thought to have travelled to the region, and we believe that around half of those have returned. Those who have travelled include young women and families. Detailing legislative and executive action in view of the IS threat, May said in 2014, she had removed 24 passports from people intending to travel for terrorism-related activity. Since April last year, she said, exit checks were in place for all international commercial scheduled air, sea and rail services using Britain. The UK has joined the European watch-list system so-called SIS II meaning we are now alerted when any individual is stopped at a border checkpoint or by police anywhere in Europe and is checked against the system, she said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Bangladeshs Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the death sentence given to Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami for crimes against humanity during the nations war of liberation against Pakistan in 1971. In October 2014, a special tribunal sentenced Nizami after he was convicted of multiple charges for his role as a top organiser of a militia that aided the Pakistani military in committing genocide and other serious crimes. The Supreme Courts appellate division, comprising four judges led by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, announced its verdict after Nizami appealed against the previous sentence, removing the last legal hurdle to his execution. If Nizami does not seek and get presidential clemency, he will be hanged. Responding to the verdict, the Jamaat-e-Islami announced a day-long general strike across the country for Thursday. Law minister Anisul Huq said Nizamis execution will take place very soon unless he seeks a review of Wednesdays judgment. Nizami will also be able to request the court for a final review of the verdict but it is unlikely there will be any change of the decision. The prosecution expressed satisfaction but defence counsel said Nizami was deprived of justice. The top court upheld the capital punishment in three charges and commuted the death sentence in one and life imprisonment in two. It also commuted two other life imprisonment penalties. The special tribunal, which had sentenced Nizami to death on four charges, had said in its verdict that death would be the only fitting punishment for the terrible crimes he had committed. Nizami had acted as top commander of al-Badr, the militia that killed dozens of teachers, journalists and others after kidnapping them from their homes just before Pakistan surrendered on December 16, 1971. He was also chief of the Islami Chhatra Sangha, the Jamaat-e-Islamis student wing, in 1971. After Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina set up the special tribunal in 2010 to deal with war crimes, four war criminals, three Jamaat-e-Islami leaders and a Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader have been hanged. Observers said Hasinas determination to act against such suspects could change the political landscape. In 1971, Pakistani soldiers and local collaborators killed tens of thousands of people, raped some 200,000 women and forced about 10 million to take shelter in refugee camps across the border in India, which helped freedom fighters take up arms against the well-trained military of the erstwhile West Pakistan. Tributes have been paid to Punjab-born Culdipp Singh Bhatti, the first Sikh lord mayor of the east Midlands city of Leicester, who died on New Year Day aged 80 after a prolonged struggle with cancer. Arriving in Britain in 1959, Bhatti represented the Rushey Mead ward on Leicester City Council from 1983 until he stepped down before last years election. He rose to become the deputy council leader and the citys first Sikh lord mayor in 1995. Senior Labour MP from Leicester East, Keith Vaz, said: I first met Culdipp Bhatti 30 years ago on the first day I arrived in Leicester. He was a man of integrity, honour and dedication to his family and to the people of Rushey Mead and his beloved city of Leicester. He added: A councillor for over three decades, he was a history-maker, breaking the glass ceiling when he was first elected. We shall miss him terribly and quite simply we will never see his like again. City mayor Peter Soulsby told the media: I was very sorry to hear of Culdipps death. When I first met him we were both teachers and on the council. He served this city in so many ways with such passion and loyalty. He carried out his term as lord mayor with absolute distinction. Bhattis father-in-law was the late Captain Chajja Singh Kler, who fought in the British Indian army. Vaz paid tributes to Bhupinder Bhatti, the former lady mayoress, who he said had been Bhattis tower of strength both in politics and for the family. Bhatti campaigned for a commemorative statue in Leicester for British, Sikh, Muslim and Hindu soldiers who fought in the British Indian army. The memorial was installed and unveiled near Victoria Park in Leicester in 2011. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON China on Wednesday condemned North Korea for carrying out its first hydrogen bomb explosion, saying it had no clue that its close ally had plans to test its fourth nuclear device within 10 years. China is North Koreas official ally and chief economic aid-giver, but relations are said to have been strained over Pyongyangs nuclear policy. Beijing is also the sponsor of the stalled six-party talks process that includes South Korea, the US, Russia and Japan and is aimed at defusing the situation in the Korean Peninsula. China is steadfast in its position that the Korean Peninsula should be denuclearised and nuclear proliferation should be prevented to maintain peace and stability in Northeast Asia, foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing. Till late evening, there was no official confirmation that Beijing had summoned the North Korean ambassador to express its displeasure though Hua had earlier said the diplomat would be called in. China knew nothing about the test before North Korea made an announcement, Hua said when asked if Beijing had been informed ahead of time. Beijing will launch its solemn representations to the diplomat over the nuclear test, the fourth since 2006. We strongly urge the DPRK (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea) to honour its commitment to denuclearisation, and to cease any action that may deteriorate the situation, Hua said. A statement from the foreign ministry said peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia meet the common interests of all concerned. Hua added that Chinas environmental protection ministry was evaluating the impact of the test. It was analysing the radiation data collected along the border and will take all necessary measures to protect Chinese peoples lives and property safety, Hua was quoted as saying by official news agency Xinhua. The radiation level is normal so far, she said. Asked if China was able to confirm it was a hydrogen bomb, Hua said, ...experts are stepping up analyses. A Xinhua edit said: Turning Northeast Asia into a keg of powder benefits none in the neighbourhood, even the DPRK itself, which has pledged to promote economic development. On the other hand, the DPRKs defiance was deeply rooted in its strong sense of insecurity after years of hostility with the US, whose pivot to Asia appears much like a show of muscles, Feng Tang, one of Chinas most provocative authors, has been pulled out of a delegation of writers slated to participate in a New Delhi book fair next week because of the backlash over his translation of Rabindranath Tagores poems that was deemed vulgar and racy. The translation of Stray Birds, a collection of poems by the Nobel laureate, was published early last year but the controversy erupted last month. One author described it as a cultural terrorist attack and the translation was pulled off the shelves by the publisher on December 28. It would be unsafe for me in New Delhi, is what my publisher told me in as many words, Feng told Hindustan Times in Beijing on Wednesday. He was among nine Chinese authors set to take part in the book fair, and was to speak on Tagores contribution to Chinese literature at Jawaharlal Nehru University on January 9. Clearly, the publisher didnt want any trouble, Feng said. It was at Berkley in 2014 that Feng took 100 days, and about a bottle of red wine daily, to translate Stray Birds from English to Chinese. Translating Tagore was the 44-year-olds idea of slowing down to catch his breath after 80-hour weeks of strategising investments for a Hong Kong-based company. Feng is also a gynaecologist, trained at the prestigious Peking University Medical College. Feng is not unfamiliar to controversy but was not prepared for the sharp criticism that came his way for the translation. They picked on three lines from the collection of 326 poems. Three lines! One translated line came under particular focus: Feng translated Tagores original line The world puts off its mask of vastness to its lover into Chinese as The world unzipped his pants in front of his lover. The author of six novels, collections of essays and short stories and a book of poems defended his work with disarming sincerity. Translation is always a distortion. Language is a misleading thing, made by humans. I tried to get the essence of what Tagore wanted to say and then I can only use my own language system. In it, unzipping my pants is normal. I am sorry, I am a doctor. In front of your lover, you show her every single secret; that is the essence, give her the whole of yourself, Feng said. But such explanations have not worked even with the Chinese, especially fans of Stray Birds who have for long deemed it a work of elegance and wisdom. The book is also part of the high school curriculum. The controversy was followed closely on Sina Weibo, the Twitter-like social media platform, and the story was viewed more than four million times. The debate might have left Feng a little dazed but certainly not confused. I did not break any rules of translation. But I must make it clear that I did not have any malicious purpose when I translated Tagore. I only had respect for him. I respect him fully. It was my effort to try and bring the two cultures a little bit together. Britains Prime Minister David Cameron used a question on the 400th death anniversary of William Shakespeare in the House of Commons on Wednesday to mock Labour leader Jeremy Corbyns efforts to carry out what is called a revenge reshuffle in his shadow cabinet. The reshuffle was supposed to weed out shadow ministers who did not agree with Corbyns hard-left views, but it ended up sparking at least two resignations (Stephen Doughty and Jonathan Reynolds), with more expected. Replying to Stratford-upon-Avons Tory MP Nadeem Zahawi, who sought to highlight the 400th anniversary and invite people from across the world to Shakespeares birthplace, Cameron used the Bards words to much hilarity during Prime Ministers Question Time. He said: I find that Shakespeare provides language for every moment. There was a moment when it looked like this reshuffle could go into its Twelfth Night. It was a revenge reshuffle, so it was going to be As You Like It. I think we can conclude that it has turned into something of a Comedy of Errors; perhaps Much Ado About Nothing. There will be those who worry: Loves Labour Lost, he said. Shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn, who had opposite views to Corbyn on Britain launching air strikes in Syria, was spared the axe, but only after he agreed not to publicly oppose the Labour leader in future. Some Labour MPs reacted angrily to Pat McFaddens sacking as Europe spokesperson for issues about loyalty. The only other changes in the shadow cabinet are anti-Trident MP Emily Thornberry replacing shadow defence secretary Maria Eagle, who moves to culture to replace the sacked Michael Dugher. As observers questioned the need for a reshuffle in the shadow cabinet within a year of Corbyn taking over as Labour leader, others feared he may do more harm than Ed Miliband, under whose leadership the party fared poorly in the 2015 elections. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The jihadist Islamic State group conceded losing control of the city of Derna in eastern Libya and promised to "avenge" its fighters in a video posted on Twitter. The 10-minute video posted late on Saturday by the "media office of the province of Barqa" in Libya confirmed the loss of Derna after clashes. The coastal city near the border with Egypt has often been described as the bastion of IS supporters in the north African country since its fighters first entered Derna in November 2014. It has seen fierce fighting in recent weeks between the jihadist group and members of the Mujahedeen Council of Derna. Its gunmen ousted IS from many areas of the city controlled for more than a year by armed groups including Ansar al-Sharia, which is close to al-Qaeda. In the video recording, a man in military uniform promises to avenge the IS members who died in the fighting. Senior middle east analyst Michael Nayebi-Oskoui at US-based global intelligence firm Stratfor said the loss of Derna does not greatly change IS's effectiveness in Libya. "IS being kicked out of Derna does not dramatically alter the capabilities or effectiveness of the IS in Libya, as the group has faced and will continue to face stiff opposition from local competitors," he said. "IS remains constrained in its ability to retaliate for any potential loss in Derna." "That said, attacks (including suicide attacks) against security checkpoints in and around Sirte, Benghazi and Tripoli are all possible," Nayebi-Oskoui added. After the fall of dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi's regime in 2011, Libya now has two parliaments and two governments vying for power, one based in Tripoli and one in Tobruk in the east. Only the latter is recognised by the international community. IS, which already controls large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, has exploited the chaos in Libya, notably taking control of the city of Sirte, just 450 kilometres (280 miles) east of Tripoli, in June. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday condemned a hydrogen bomb test conducted by North Korea, saying the test was a significant threat. Japan has held its national security council meeting immediately after a 5.1-magnitude quake was detected around 10.30 a.m. (local time) in the northeastern part of North Korea, Xinhua reported. North Koreas official media said the country has successfully conducted its first hydrogen bomb test. Pyongyang had conducted three nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013. The hydrogen bomb test is a significant threat to Japans national security and is unacceptable, Abe said, adding Japan will consider sanctions against North Korea as its nuclear test violates UN Security Councils relevant resolutions. Japan lifted part of its own sanctions against North Korea since the two countries reached an agreement that Pyongyang agreed to re-investigate the whereabouts of Japanese nationals it allegedly abducted four decades ago. Abe also said Japan will work with the US, South Korea, China and Russia to cope with the issue. Meanwhile, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida will hold talks with the US Ambassador Caroline Kennedy over the nuclear test. German police gave an all-clear after investigating a package at Chancellor Angela Merkels office in central Berlin on Wednesday. The experts found nothing suspicious, a spokesperson for Germanys Federal Police said. Earlier in the day, Merkels office was sealed off due to the package. A Reuters eyewitness said there were four plastic yellow postal crates in the cordoned off area. The ministers had earlier carried on with their regular meeting after police cordoned off an area around the Chancellery. The incident comes hours after Merkel slammed the disgusting sex attacks on women by a huge gang of men in the city of Cologne on New Years Eve. In 2010, police intercepted a packaged containing explosives sent from Greece to Merkels office in Berlin. Europe has entered 2016 under a state of heightened alert, seven weeks after Islamist militants killed 130 people in shootings and suicide blasts across Paris. The incident follows a security scare over New Year after police received a tip that militants from Iraq and Syria were planning attacks in Munich. North Korea said on Wednesday it had carried out a successful hydrogen bomb test -- its fourth nuclear blast -- unnerving the region with its latest bout of sabre rattling. Here are five questions about North Koreas nuclear programme and its impact on regional diplomacy and security: Q: Can North Koreas claim be believed? A. Experts broadly agree that the country probably carried out some kind of nuclear explosion but are sceptical over the hydrogen assertion. The first clue that something happened came with reports of a 5.1 magnitude earthquake near the Norths nuclear test facility. North Korean state television later announced that it was a hydrogen bomb test. But Australian nuclear policy and arms control specialist Crispin Rovere said that the seismic data thats been received indicates that the explosion is probably significantly below what one would expect from an H-bomb test. So initially it seems to be that theyve successfully conducted a nuclear test but unsuccessfully completed the second-stage hydrogen explosion. Moreover, a hydrogen bomb is a much more powerful atomic weapon and it can devastate whole cities in one explosion. Hiroshima and Nagasaki both were atomic bombs and till date Hydrogen bombs have never been used in war. Read more: North Korea claims it has successfully conducted a hydrogen bomb test Q. What does the new test mean in terms of North Koreas nuclear development? A. Despite doubts over the claim it was a hydrogen bomb, it still demonstrates the countrys commitment to carrying on with its nuclear programme. It comes after three previous nuclear explosions between 2006 and 2013 and a boast last year the regime had developed a hydrogen bomb. Read More: Japan terms N Koreas H-bomb test as unacceptable, significant threat to national security North Korea is continuing with their test programme without regard to what the world thinks, Christopher Hill, former US chief negotiator to the six-party talks aimed at the Norths denuclearisation, told the BBC. We have a big problem regardless of how large the explosion was today, Hill said. Q. What does the test mean for international relations and diplomacy in Northeast Asia? A. Most of all, it will mark a new low point in relations between North Korea and neighbouring China, which has been the countrys main diplomatic supporter for decades. Beijings patience has run increasingly thin as it strongly opposes Pyongyangs nuclear development and sees it as a factor for instability on the Korean peninsula, where it has strong trade relations with North Korean rival South Korea. Read more: North Korea claims it has successfully conducted a hydrogen bomb test North Korea said it had successfully conducted a test of a miniaturized hydrogen nuclear device on Wednesday morning. The announcement on North Korean state TV followed detection of a 5.1 magnitude earthquake near its known nuclear test site earlier on Wednesday. The republics first hydrogen bomb test has been successfully performed at 10:00 am on January 6, 2016, based on the strategic determination of the Workers Party, a state television news reader said. Read more: Japan terms N Koreas H-bomb test as unacceptable, significant threat to national security The surprise announcement complicates already difficult efforts to curb the countrys push for a working nuclear arsenal. A hydrogen, or thermonuclear device, uses fusion in a chain reaction that results in a far more powerful explosion than the fission blast generated by uranium or plutonium alone. Headline -- Watch | N Korea announces first hydrogen bomb test The fourth test was carried out after an artificial earthquake was detected near the countrys main nuclear testing site on Wednesday morning. Speculation that the regime in Pyongyang had conducted a surprise nuclear test rose after seismologists from South Korea, China and other countries said they were confident the earthquakehad been caused by an explosion. Read More: White House vows appropriate response to N. Korea provocations Beijing will face increased pressure both domestically and internationally to punish and rein in Kim Jong-Un and to ultimately force Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons, said Yanmei Xie, International Crisis Groups Senior Analyst of Northeast Asia based in Beijing. But there is likely to be a repeat of the worn playbook of denunciation, tightening of sanctions, and calling for resurrection of the six party talks. Relations with South Korea are also likely to suffer, with attempts to improve dialogue and reduce tensions along their heavily fortified border to come under renewed pressure. Japan, a target of previous North Korean threats, is likely to increase its guard. Q. Why now? A. Kim, who has carried out numerous purges of senior officials since coming to power after the death of his father Kim Jong-Il in December 2011, is believed to constantly need to solidify his power base and demonstrate achievements even greater than those of his father and grandfather, North Koreas founder Kim Il-Sung. The announcement also comes just two days before his January 8 birthday and also in advance of an expected congress of North Koreas ruling Workers Party -- the first such gathering in 35 years. The purpose of this is firstly to display to the world that it has acquired a new technology as to the nuclear weapons programme, said Toshimitsu Shigemura, a professor at Waseda University in Tokyo and an expert on North Korea. Secondly, with the (claimed) development of hydrogen nuclear weapons, Kim Jong-Un now has a great achievement that even Kim Il-Sung or Kim Jong-Il could not realise. Q. Whats next? A. Past North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile tests have been followed by condemnatory United Nations Security Council resolutions and additional sanctions. Diplomats said that the UN Security Council is to hold an emergency meeting on North Korea on Wednesday. This clearly violates UN Security Council resolutions and is a grave challenge against international efforts for non-proliferation, said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The head of an international body set up to monitor a planned ban on nuclear testing condemned North Koreas fourth nuclear test on Wednesday and called it a wake-up call for the international community. North Korea said it had successfully conducted a test of a miniaturised hydrogen nuclear device, which would mark a significant advance in the isolated states technological capability. This act constitutes a breach of the universally accepted norm against nuclear testing, Lassina Zerbo, head of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO). Read more: White House cant confirm N-Koreas claim; UNSC to meet on nuclear test It is also a grave threat to international peace and security. Wednesdays detonation was North Koreas fourth nuclear test, and second since young leader Kim Jong Un came into power in 2011. The isolated country last tested a nuclear device in 2013. More than 160 countries have ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) since 1996. India and Pakistan have also conducted nuclear tests since then and are among eight countries including the United States and China preventing the treaty coming into force. I sincerely hope that this will serve as the final wake-up call to the international community to outlaw all nuclear testing by bringing the CTBT into force, Zerbo said. Ending speculation about Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Olis first foreign trip, deputy prime minister Kamal Thapa said on Wednesday that his first visit would be to India. Thapa said preparations are underway for the visit, expected to take place in the first half of February. The Prime Minister will visit both India and China soon and based on preparations for both visits, I can say his first official foreign trip will start with India, he told a news conference. Keeping Nepals close ties with India in mind, prime ministers usually make New Delhi their first port of call after assuming office. Recently there were reports that Oli, perceived to be closer to Beijing than New Delhi, would first visit the northern neighbour to snub India for an ongoing blockade of the India-Nepal border. The blockade by Madhesi parties, who are pushing for changes in Nepals new constitution, has severely curtailed the supply of goods and fuel. New Delhi has denied any role in the blockade, but many in Nepal, including Oli, have blamed India. During a phone conversation last week, Oli told his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi he is not anti-India and blamed reports in certain sections of the media for that perceived image. Thapa said that during Olis visit, there will be efforts to strengthen bilateral ties and secure the $2 billion that New Delhi has promised Kathmandu for earthquake reconstruction and infrastructure. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON North Korea on Wednesday announced it had successfully conducted a test of a miniaturised hydrogen nuclear device. The announcement was made on North Korean state TV and followed the detection of a 5.1 magnitude earthquake near its known nuclear test site earlier in the day. The surprise announcement complicates already difficult efforts to curb the countrys push for a working nuclear arsenal. A hydrogen, or thermonuclear device, uses fusion in a chain reaction that results in a far more powerful explosion than the fission blast generated by uranium or plutonium alone. Any confirmation of the test will trigger widespread international condemnation of North Korea, which has already conducted three nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013 -- all at Punggye-ri. It would certainly result in a tightening of international sanctions imposed after the Norths previous nuclear and ballistic missile tests. Twitter users had mixed feelings about the test. Weve put together the best ones for you. Read on... a Donald Trump presidency alongside a nuclear-armed North Korea is the scariest most apocalyptic scenario imaginable porter robinson (@porterrobinson) January 6, 2016 BREAKING: north korea has officially entered the 1950's. soon they will invent color television and send a man to the moon cassandra (@cass_jens) January 6, 2016 North Korea leader admits, "They're very, very tingly." pic.twitter.com/5PIFOshinT Tony Hughes (@TheProtestBoard) January 6, 2016 Add North Korea to your 2016 fear list. Anonymous (@Anon_reports) January 6, 2016 North Korea really went full #NewYearNewMe and dropped a nuclear bomb without telling anybody. Philip Lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) January 6, 2016 In my dream world, North Korea and Islamic State fight each other and leave the rest of the world alone. Madhavan Narayanan (@madversity) January 6, 2016 Netflix is banned in North Korea, which is probably why they're not being very chilled at the moment. Cori Gonzalez-Macuer (@corigm) January 6, 2016 What's worse?1. North Korea just tested a hydrogen bomb.2. Twitter will allow 10,000 character tweets. Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) January 6, 2016 Im just trying to go to bed and catch 8 hours of quality sleep and North Korea is out here testing hydrogen bombs. Time and place, man. Chris Kroeger (@Kroeger) January 6, 2016 north korea is not here to make friends Aparna Nancherla (@aparnapkin) January 6, 2016 Today a hydrogen bomb, tomorrow adding a 5th haircut to the approved citizen styles list. Sky is the limit now, North Korea! Charles (@MrLXC) January 6, 2016 You know what else North Korea is testing? My patience. Sorry for the outburst, but I feel it's warranted. Chris Scott (@iamchrisscott) January 6, 2016 North Korea is trending, but they'll never know ?? Tyler Dinucci (@nuccbko) January 6, 2016 News / Africa by Staff Reporter A woman from Mangaung in South Africa allegedly grabbed a boy and locked him inside a refrigerator after he saw a kak thrown outside the shop and went to pick it.Daily Sun reported that the boy (8) was passing a local bottle-store on Saturday when he saw kak thrown outside it. He chuckled to himself, not knowing it would anger one of the women working at the booze shop.She grabbed the boy and threw him inside an unplugged chest freezer!Now the boy's furious dad has vowed to press charges against the woman from Freedom Square kasi, Mangaung.The father (38) said he nearly lost his son. He said: "I got a call informing me that my son had been locked in the fridge at the bottle-store. When I arrived he was already out but terrified.Daily Sun tried to get the woman's comment but a man who claimed to be the owner refused.Police spokeswoman Sergeant Ikobeng Hlubi has advised the family to open a case. North Koreas claim Wednesday that it had carried out a successful hydrogen bomb test drew swift condemnation from friends and foes alike, with China saying it firmly opposes its neighbours actions as others blast it as an intolerable provocation that must be punished. Several governments promised a firm response as tensions soared again in northeast Asia, with many calling for further action by the United Nations against the hermit nation, which is already subject to heavy international sanctions. READ: North Korea claims it has successfully conducted a hydrogen bomb test China, North Koreas most important diplomatic partner, took a more nuanced stance than others, saying it firmly opposes the test and would summon Pyongyangs ambassador for solemn representations, but adding that dialogue was the only practical way to resolve the relevant issue. Beijing is Pyongyangs key provider of aid and trade but relations have become more strained in recent years, in part because of North Koreas persistence with its nuclear programme in the face of international condemnation. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has yet to visit Beijing since coming to power following the death of his father four years ago. We strongly urge the DPRK side to remain committed to its denuclearisation commitment, and stop taking any actions that would make the situation worse, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular briefing, using the Norths official name. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that China "firmly opposes" Pyongyang's purported hydrogen bomb test and is monitoring the environment along its border with the North near the test site. (AP Photo) South Korean President Park Geun-Hye described the test as a grave provocation at an emergency meeting of the Countrys National Security Council (NSC) convened immediately after the news broke. The test is not only a grave provocation to our national security but also a threat to our future... and a strong challenge to international peace and stability, she said, calling for strong sanctions on Pyongyang. In an earlier statement, Seoul said it would take all necessary measures including additional sanctions by the UN Security Council... so that the North will pay the price for the nuclear test. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slammed the test as a serious threat to the safety of our nation. This clearly violates UN Security Council resolutions and is a grave challenge against international efforts for non-proliferation, he said in Tokyo, adding his country would seek to coordinate efforts among UN members to deal with the action. In Washington, the White House would not confirm the test, but vowed to respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations. Rogue state Fellow UN Security Council permanent members France and Britain joined in the chorus of condemnation. Speaking in Beijing, Britains foreign secretary Philip Hammond said the test was a grave breach of UN Security Council resolutions and a provocation. Paris labelled the move an unacceptable violation of UN resolutions and called for a strong reaction from the international community. READ: N-Koreas nuclear test threatens international peace, security: CTBTO Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop said her country condemns in the strongest possible terms the test, which confirms North Koreas status as a rogue state and a continuing threat to international peace and security, adding that Canberra would express its concerns to Pyongyang directly and call for stronger UN sanctions. The test, which came just two days before leader Kim Jong-Uns birthday, was initially detected by international seismology monitors as a 5.1-magnitude tremor next to the Norths main Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the northeast of the country. Last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un suggested Pyongyang had already developed a hydrogen bomb. READ: The five weirdest facts about North Korea and its leader The claim was questioned by international experts and there was continued scepticism over Wednesdays test announcement. Whether an H-bomb or not, it was North Koreas fourth nuclear test and marked a striking act of defiance in the face of warnings that Pyongyang would pay a steep price if it continued pursuing its atomic weapons programme. The three previous tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013 triggered waves of UN sanctions. Their failure to prevent a fourth detonation will see calls for more drastic Security Council action this time around. One member of the US armed forces was killed and two others were wounded on Tuesday in southern Afghanistans Helmand province, the site of fierce fighting between Taliban insurgents and American-backed Afghan government forces, the U.S. military said. The U.S. troops came under fire in the town of Marjah while accompanying Afghan special operations forces, and a U.S. helicopter was damaged in the incident, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said. Afghan troops also were injured in the fighting, Cook added. American special operations troops were part of the mission accompanying Afghan forces, a U.S. defense official said. U.S. special operators are ... allowed to engage and train, advise and assist their special operations counterparts, Cook said. Theyve been in Helmand province providing this kind of support in the past. Two U.S. HH-60 Pave Hawk medical evacuation helicopters were sent to provide assistance, Cook said. One was waved off after taking fire and returned to its base, while the second landed safely but struck a wall, damaged its rotor blades, and remained on the ground, Cook added. The American killed in the incident became the first U.S. military death of 2016 in Afghanistan. The incident underscored the continuing danger faced by American troops who have been fighting in Afghanistan since 2001. My understanding is that there may still be Americans on the ground in this immediate situation engaging with the enemy in support of Afghan forces, Cook said. This is a fluid situation. For more than six months, Helmand has been the scene of battles between insurgents and security forces that have complained of being abandoned by the U.S.-backed Afghan government. The deputy governor of the volatile southern province said in December that Helmand could fall to the Taliban after months of heavy fighting. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has been updated by U.S. commanders in Kabul on the situation via videoconference, Cook said. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said President Barack Obama had been briefed on the incident. Obama last year slowed the pace of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, announcing he would maintain a force of 9,800 through most of 2016. The security situation in Afghanistan has worsened. A Pentagon report last month stated Taliban forces were able to stage more attacks and inflict more casualties on Afghan forces in 2015 compared to 2014. We believe were on the right course, Cook said. We remain confident in the future of the Afghan government and the Afghan security forces. The Pathankot attack was the result of Pakistans military-intelligence complex being rattled by Prime Minister Narendra Modis Af-Pak diplomacy of December 2015, though there is no evidence of state support for the assault, according to experts in London. Shaun Gregory, director of the Durham Global Security Institute, told Hindustan Times that groups such as the United Jihad Council and factions within them (such as Harkat-ul Ansar) do act independently and would wish to undermine any Indo-Pak rapprochement which they see as sidelining the Kashmir struggle. We cant say therefore, in my view, that the army (or) ISI somehow ordered the Pathankot attack to torpedo the Modi-Nawaz rapprochement. After all political relations are still strained and no such attacks took place after other Modi-Nawaz meetings, including Nawaz Sharifs attendance at the inauguration, or the SCO sidelines meeting in July 2015, he said. The attacks on Pathankot airbase and the Indian consulate in the Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif were expected and could not have been a surprise to the Indian security establishment, according to Rahul Roy-Chaudhury of the International Institute for Strategic Studies and Harsh Pant, a professor in the Department of Defence Studies, Kings College London. Pant said: Modis proactive Af-Pak diplomacy in December 2015 clearly ended up rattling those elements within the Pakistani military-intelligence complex which have a stake in perpetuating Indo-Pakistan hostility. So the attacks in Pathankot and in Afghanistan are merely symptomatic of this enduring Indo-Pak conundrum and were to be expected. According to Pant, the Indian government, for all the criticism it is facing for the Pathankot attack, has clearly changed the dynamics of the India-Pakistan relationship over the past year. On the one hand, the border attacks by Pakistan are receiving a disproportionate response and on the other, the diplomatic juggernaut of Modi has ensured that there is spotlight on the Pakistani militarys role in sponsoring terror. The problem is structural for India as it lacks credible military options to impose costs on Pakistan, he said. Those calling for ceasing talks or for immediate action dont have a clue about what a sound strategy entails. Indian engagement with the Pakistani civilian and security establishment is essential, Roy-Choudhury said. But we need less of a see-saw in relations that weve seen in the past few weeks from heightened firing across the Line of Control and international border to the PMs surprise Christmas visit to Lahore and more of a balanced and institutionalised policy towards Pakistan which both the Indian as well as the Pakistani governments are aware of, he added. Iran warned Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to stop working against it as their diplomatic crisis intensified despite efforts to defuse a row that has raised fears of greater regional instability. As diplomats arrived home after being told to leave Saudi Arabia, Shia-dominated Iran fired the latest verbal salvo in a dispute that has seen Riyadh and some Sunni Arab allies cut diplomatic ties with Tehran. At a press conference in the capital, foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Riyadh must end prolonged efforts to confront Iran. Citing longstanding differences that became a full-blown split after Saudi Arabia executed Shia cleric and activist Nimr al-Nimr, Zarif said the Sunni-ruled kingdom had sought systematically to inflict damage. For the past two-and-a-half years, Saudi Arabia has opposed Irans diplomacy, he said at the press conference with Iraqi foreign minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari. Saudi Arabia has moved against our efforts and, unfortunately, they opposed the nuclear agreement, Zarif said, also accusing Riyadh of taking measures against the Iranian people through its efforts to keep oil prices low. This trend of creating tension must stop. We need to stand united... and stop those who are adding fuel to the fire, he added. The spike in tensions comes after Iran last year secured a historic nuclear deal with world powers led by the United States, causing major concern in longtime US ally Riyadh. That deal, when finally implemented, will end sanctions on Irans oil and gas industry that could see the Islamic republic challenge Saudi Arabias role as the Middle Easts dominant energy and economic power. Saudi cuts oil price Oil prices have fallen by more than 60 percent since mid-2014 as OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia refuses to lower production in a bid to push competitors out of the market, hurting the income of other producers, including Iran. On Tuesday, Riyadh cut the February price of its export oil to Europe in another move to win market share. Nimrs death sparked demonstrations in many countries including Iran, where protesters stormed and set fire to the Saudi embassy in Tehran as well as the kingdoms consulate in second city Mashhad. Protesters chant anti-Saudi slogans as they hold posters of Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr and wave Shia militias flags and Iraqi flags to protest the execution of al-Nimr in Tahrir Square in Baghdad, Iraq on Wednesday. (AP) Riyadh cut ties with Tehran in response and was joined by some of its Sunni Arab allies including Bahrain and Sudan. The United Arab Emirates also downgraded relations with Iran and Kuwait recalled its ambassador. Staff at Irans embassy in Riyadh and its consulate in Jeddah flew home on Wednesday, Saudi state news agency SPA reported. Irans state broadcaster IRIB said a plane carrying 54 Iranian diplomats and their families had landed at Tehrans Mehrabad Airport. The dispute has raised fears of an increase in sectarian tensions in the Middle East that could derail efforts to resolve pressing issues including the wars in Syria and Yemen. The United Nations and Western governments have expressed deep concern, urging both sides to reduce tensions. US Secretary of State John Kerry has made repeated calls to both Iranian and Saudi leaders. He is urging calm. He is stressing the need for dialogue and engagement, and thirdly, reminding that, again, theres lots of work to be done in the region, State Department spokesperson John Kirby said on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia and Iran are on opposing sides in some of the Middle Easts worst conflicts. In Syria, Iran is supporting the government of President Bashar al-Assad against rebel groups, some backed by Saudi Arabia. And in Yemen, Riyadh is leading a military intervention against Iran-backed Shia rebels who have seized control of large parts of the country. Iran-linked terror cell Within hours of the embassy attack, Irans President Hassan Rouhani called the violence totally unjustified but accused Saudi Arabia on Tuesday of focusing attention on the incident to cover its crime of executing Nimr. Zarif reiterated that the embassys ransacking had no official blessing. All Iranian officials condemn it, he said. Jaafari, who was to also hold talks with Rouhani, said Iraq was seeking a potential diplomatic role to help resolve the crisis and echoed the concerns about sectarianism. Sheikh Hassan al-Saffar, a top Shiite cleric from Qatif, center, stands with family members of Shia Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and other Shia notables, as they receive condolences on the second day of mourning for him at a mosque in the village of al-Awamiya, eastern Saudi Arabia. (AP) I have spoken to the foreign ministers of some of the Arab countries to reduce the consequences of this issue and prevent enemies from dragging the region into a war that can have no winners, Jaafari said. Shia-majority Iraq has close ties with Tehran. In a further sign of tensions, Sunni-ruled but Shia-majority Bahrain said it had dismantled an Iran-linked terror cell that was planning attacks in the kingdom. The cell was allegedly linked to Irans Revolutionary Guards and Lebanons Tehran-backed Hezbollah militia and planning a series of dangerous bombings on the tiny Gulf kingdom, the interior ministry said. Nimr, one of 47 men executed on Saturday, was a driving force behind 2011 anti-government protests in Saudi Arabias Eastern Province. He was arrested in 2012 after calling for two governorates to be separated from the kingdom. Riyadh has said the executions were an internal security matter, and among those put to death were many Al-Qaeda-linked militants convicted of attacks in the kingdom. In his first reaction to the controversy, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan refused on Wednesday to condemn the executions, saying it was an internal legal matter of the kingdom. The United Nations Security Council is planning to meet on Wednesday morning to discuss North Koreas latest reported nuclear test, council diplomats said. Speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity late on Tuesday, the diplomats said the meeting would probably take place at 11 a.m. ET (1600 GMT). One diplomat said the meeting would likely be held behind closed doors. It was not immediately clear what action, if any, the 15-nation council was planning to take. Read more: North Korea claims it has successfully conducted a hydrogen bomb test White House vows appropriate response to N. Korea provocations Meanwhile, the White House said late on Tuesday that it could not confirm North Koreas claims that it had successfully conducted a test of a miniaturised hydrogen nuclear device, but it will continue to monitor the situation. While we cannot confirm these claims at this time, we condemn any violation of UNSC Resolutions and again call on North Korea to abide by its international obligations and commitments, said White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price in a statement. Price said the United States will continue to protect and defend our allies in the region, and will respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations. Pastor Larry Wright disarmed a man who had entered his church in Fayetteville, N.C., with a semiautomatic rifle, talking him down using the word of God before he managed to fire a single round. The incident occurred at around 11:30 p.m. as the pastor was delivering a New Year's Eve sermon to his congregation about gun violence, when a man entered the Heal The Land Outreach Ministries' sanctuary with a rifle in one hand and an ammo clip in the other, according to Canada Journal. Recounting the incident, Wright said he was the first to notice the man and initially discounted him thinking the gun wasn't real. "I'm the first person to see him and when I saw him, I thought it was a dummy gun, but then I saw the bullet clip in his hand and the bullets were shining," he said, according to CNN. Other members of the congregation eventually took notice of him as well and feared that he would open fire similar to what happened in Charleston, S.C. However, instead of mirroring that fear, Wright stepped down from the podium to speak with him. "I asked him 'can I help you?'" Wright told CBS' North Carolina affiliate WRAL-TV. "[The gunman's] next words were 'can you pray for me?' When he said that, then I knew everything was going to be all right." A deacon and three others hugged the man, and invited him to stay for the remainder of the service. That was he revealed that he was an army vet with PTSD and said his wife was diagnosed with a debilitating disease but lacks the money to get either condition treated. He then apologized, saying he had intended to do "something bad," but the Lord spoke to him. Police, who were notified about the weapon-toting stranger before the situation was clarified, were lying in wait outside the church and arrested him after the service. He wasn't charged with any crimes and was taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center as a voluntary commitment. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. While a Beijing Capital Airlines flight was on its way from Changsha in Hunan province to Sanya in Hainan in China, a female passenger made an attempt to open the plane's emergency exit door while the plane was mid-flight, according to the Daily Mail. After crew members intervened, the woman reportedly threatened to kill herself, leading to a scuffle between her and the crew. After the fight broke out, two other passengers are said to have taken the woman's side and tried to take control of the door. After being subdued by the flight staff, all three people were arrested once the plane landed in Sanya. Despite the alarming nature of the event, Chinese flyers have attempted to open emergency doors on planes 12 times in the last four months, according to Skift, although in these situations the planes were taxiing or at a standstill. The culprit in one of these cases was put on trial in what marked the first time in the country that someone stood trial for such an action. The Chinese government is currently working with major airlines to enforce restrictive measures on those who are "blacklisted" by China's National Tourism Administration after numerous incidents of strange or dangerous behavior by Chinese tourists made their way into the public eye. Despite the prominence of Chinese tourists being the focal point in stories regarding bad airplane behavior, some believe that it is a multinational issue that stretches far beyond being simply a Chinese problem, according to the South China Morning Post. Some are even calling for the flying blacklist policy, which currently only takes place in China, to be adapted in other countries and airlines around the world. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. After spending five weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit of a Texas hospital, Stephanie and Brad Harris' identical triplets are finally home. The three baby girls, who have been named Addison, Savannah and Kinsley, were born on Dec. 1 via cesarean 10 weeks before their due date, according to People. Their birth weights were between three and three-and-a-half pounds each. The Harris couple first thought they were having twins, but a follow up visit to the doctor showed that Stephanie was actually carrying three babies. "I was shocked and still trying to get over learning we were having twins when we got news of triplets," said the mom, according to NBC News. Now cleared and released by the hospital after their birth, the triplets' parents are relieved but overwhelmed. "We are prepared," said dad, Brad, via CBS News. "I'm just way outnumbered now." "We got ankle bracelets, and we're going to color coordinate them," Stephanie said. "Hopefully, we don't get them mixed up." The Memorial Hermann Southeast Hospital in Houston where the babies were born noted that the chance of having identical triplets happens in 1 in 60,000 pregnancies to 1 in 2 million pregnancies, according to the NBC report. Last year, four other sets of identical triplets were born in the United States, including a set of boys who were born in New York in September, according to New York Daily News. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. German authorities are investigating after numerous women were sexually assaulted and mugged during New Year's Eve festivities in the Cologne city center, according to CNN. Cologne police told CNN that least a quarter of the 90 criminal incidents reported were sexual assaults, including at least one rape, with the perpetrators described as gangs of Arab or North African men. Around 1,000 men were involved in the attacks, which took place at the city's central railway station, with women also being targeted in Hamburg, according to the BBC. A volunteer police officer was one of the women targeted. Wolfgang Albers, who is the city police chief, described the attacks as "a completely new dimension of crime," according to the BBC. Cologne's mayor, Henriette Reker, organized an emergency meeting on Tuesday in order to prevent the city from turning into a "lawless zone," according to the Guardian. Police were unaware of the attacks despite their frequency because of the large crowd that New Year's Eve celebrations attract in the city center, according to the BBC. The attacks occurred after the men broke into groups while police attempted to prevent fireworks being thrown into the crowd, according to Reuters. There are concerns that similar oversights could happen next month in the city's annual carnival celebrations, when the city is shut down with alcohol-ridden street parades and parties, according to Reuters. German Chancellor Angela Merkel responded to the attacks in a statement from her office, stating that the authorities should find the attackers as "quickly and comprehensively as possible and to punish them without regard to their origin or background," according to the Guardian. German Justice Minister Heiko Maas tweeted that "we won't tolerate these abhorrent assaults on women," but stated that the crimes were not linked to migrants and refugees and that "all are equal before the law," according to the BBC. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Netflix's latest documentary, "Making a Murderer," sparked outrage from viewers who binge-watched the 10-episode series over the holidays, as previously reported by HNGN. Now "armchair detectives" are convinced that the documentary's protagonist, Steven Avery, and his nephew, Brendan Dassey, were wrongfully convicted of the 2005 rape and murder of photographer Teresa Halbach. But the prosecutor in Avery's case, former Calumet County District Attorney Ken Kratz, has come forward and revealed that the filmmakers, Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos, left out crucial facts from the trial in their documentary, and the evidence that was omitted was part of what incriminated Avery 11 years ago. "Making a Murderer" told Avery's story, which began in 1985 when he was accused of raping a woman in his hometown in Manitowoc County in Wisconsin. Avery was found guilty of the crime and served 18 years in prison until DNA evidence exonerated him, according to IMDB. Shortly after his release - and right as he was in the middle of a $36 million lawsuit against Manitowoc County for his incarceration - Avery found himself facing life in prison on rape and murder charges in Halbach's death. Avery has maintained his innocence and suggested Manitowoc County officers framed him for Halbach's murder, but Kratz revealed that there are two key pieces of evidence that led to Avery's conviction in an interview with The New York Times. DNA evidence was traced back to Avery after his sweat was found under the hood of Halbach's car, which was found on Avery's family-owned auto salvage lot days after she was reported missing, Kratz told The New York Times. Kratz also said that the bullet found in Avery's garage, which had Halbach's DNA on it, was also traced back to the gun that Avery kept over his bed. "Steven Avery committed this murder and this mutilation, and Steven Avery is exactly where he needs to be," he told the Times. "And I don't have any qualms about that, nor do I lose any sleep over that." @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. News / Africa by Staff Reporter THE Kanyama Local Court has ordered a polygamist to pay K5,000 as compensation for divorce after his first wife sued him for dissolution of marriage.Bridget Mwanza told justices Daniel Phiri, Abraham Phiri and Sara Nyendwa that her husband Simon Banda, who sent her back to her family for counselling, has never bothered to bring her back to the matrimonial home.Mwanza, 27, of Makeni Villa told the court that she eloped with Banda, 31, of John Laing in 2013, but after living together for a while, he asked her to go back to her family for counselling."When we got married in 2013 he sent me back to my parents, saying I needed traditional counselling but he never came to see me. After a while, he started following me until I fell pregnant," she said.Mwanza also said when she told her husband she was pregnant, he demanded that she aborts because he had a lot of financial problems.She said Banda, who promised to take her back to their matrimonial home, has never fulfilled his promise.But Banda told the court that despite having another wife who is also pregnant, he does not want to divorce Mwanza.Passing judgment, Justice Sara Nyendwa granted divorce. A business publishing company in Malvern, Pa., was ordered by a court on Dec. 16, 2015, to pay $1.75 million in back wages and liquidated damages to nearly 6,000 employees. These employees were not paid for the time they spent taking short breaks (such as to use the restrooms). The Department of Labor filed a suit in 2012 challenging this practice of the company. The company involved is Progressive Business Publications. The company had a policy of not paying for the short breaks that it's employees took during their working hours. Instead, the company had a policy of allowing employees to take breaks any time, and for any length of time. However, these break times would be unpaid. As a result, even employees earning minimum wage had their wage proportionately reduced by the amount of time spent taking short breaks. So, the actual wage earned by employees on the minimum wage ended up being less than the minimum of $7.25 an hour, according to USA Today. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania issued the order on Dec. 16, 2105. The order covers employees that worked at the company between July 2009 and July 2013. The order covers employees that worked in 14 separate offices across Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Progressive and the Department of Labor have to submit to the court, by Thursday, a plan for how they are going to make these court-ordered payments out to the employees, according to the New York Daily News. The specific legal violation on the basis of which the Department of Labor filed a law suit in 2012 against Progressive was that the break policy of the company ended up making the employees earn less than their minimum wage. The Department of Labor has issued a press release in this matter. "The Fair Labor Standards Act does not require lunch or coffee breaks. However, when employers do offer short breaks (usually lasting about five to 20 minutes), the law considers the breaks compensable work hours that must be included in the sum of hours for the work week and considered in determining overtime," according to the press release issued by the Department of Labor. Progressive Systems is now appealing this decision and believes it has valid legal grounds to file an appeal. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. North Korean state television announced Wednesday the country "successfully" conducted it's first hydrogen bomb test. "The republic's first hydrogen bomb test has been successfully performed at 10 a.m. on Jan. 6, 2016, based on the strategic determination of the Workers' Party," the broadcaster said in a surprise announcement, according to DW. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said a 5.1 magnitute earthquake was detected close to the nuclear test site, according to CNN. The epicenter was located some 30 miles from Kilju city, close to the notorious Punggye-ri nuclear site. . The alleged thermonuclear bomb test was North Korea's fourth nuclear test. The secretive communist state conducted three previous nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013. South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who called an emergency meeting of the National Security Council, termed North's alleged thermonuclear device test a "grave provocation" against national security. "South Korea in cooperation with the international community must make North Korea pay a price that corresponds to it carrying out its nuclear test," she said in the meeting, according to Korea Times. "This nuclear test is Pyongyang's fourth, and considering the state is claiming it is its first hydrogen bomb test, it may shake Northeast Asia's security landscape and fundamentally change the nature of North Korea's nuclear issue," the president said. The United States also condemned the test saying that it will not accept any violation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. "We will continue to protect and defend our allies in the region, including the Republic of Korea, and will respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations," National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said, according to VOA News. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Over 100 GOP lawmakers are petitioning for a University of Missouri's professor's dismissal from her job after she was documented while blocking a student journalist during a racial discrimination protest on campus. The Missouri lawmakers, who sent signed letters to the heads of the University of Missouri System, consist of 18 state senators and 99 members of the House. Mass media assistant professor Melissa Click was recorded on camera as she sought for help in trying to make student reporter named Mark Schierbecker leave public premises. "Who wants to help me get this reporter out of here?" Click said in the video, according to CNN. "I need some muscle over here." The charge against Click states that the professor "failed to meet the obligations she has to her supervisors, fellow professors, University students, and the taxpayers of Missouri," when she decided to make the student reporter leave the protest. Missouri Lawmakers are calling for the resignation of MU Professor Melissa Click, have sent a letter to MU admins. pic.twitter.com/IumcFXW4t2 Mark Kim (@MarkJKim_) January 4, 2016 "The fact that, as a professor teaching in the communication department and school of journalism, she displayed such a complete disregard for the First Amendment rights of reporters should be enough to question her competency and aptitude for her job," the letter stated, according to USA Today. "It should be evident that these actions are inappropriate, illegal and unacceptable for a faculty member of the University of Missouri." Another student was involved when protesters tried to prevent him from taking photos of the protest, The Washington Post reported. The incident that occurred on Nov. 9 last year was due to a heightened racial issue on the campus and the recent resignation of school President Tim Wolfe, according to Fox News. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL or Daesh) might be using chemical weapons in Syria, a senior Russian official claimed Tuesday. Mikhail Ulyanov, who heads the Russian Foreign Ministry's department for non-proliferation and arms control of mass destruction, claimed that there was a high probability of chemical weapon use by ISIS and other extremists groups in Syria. "Several times we have noted facts of the probable use of chemical weapons by IS militants and in a broader sense by Islamic radicals, beginning with the attack in (the Syrian city) of Khan al-Assal in March 2013 against government forces," Ulyanov told RIA Novosti, according to Sputnik News. He also demanded an investigation into Turkey's involvement in shipment of toxic sarin gas to Syria. The Russian diplomat's remarks came after the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the U.N.'s chemical weapon monitoring agency, found evidence of sarin gas used by radicals in Syria. "In one instance, analysis of some blood samples indicates that individuals were at some point exposed to sarin or a sarin like-substance," OPCW chief Ahmet Uzumcu said in the organization's monthly report, according to RT. The U.N. body also declared in its monthly report on Monday that a U.S. company has completed the disposal of the Syrian chemical weapon arsenal. Seventy-five cylinders of hydrogen fluoride were destroyed by the firm at its Texas facility. "This process closes an important chapter in the elimination of Syria's chemical weapon programme as we continue efforts to clarify Syria's declaration and address ongoing use of toxic chemicals as weapons in that country," Uzumcu said, according to CNN. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Two Brooklyn lawmakers are condemning an image published by the National Rifle Association that shows photos of them with a few bullets beside them. This development comes after Sen. Roxanne Persaud and Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon, two Democratic gun control advocates, introduced a bill to control ammunition sales last month, reported the Associated Press. The introduced bill would limit the amount of ammunition gun owners could purchase within a 90-day period. Now, they would be restricted to buying ammo that amounts to as much as twice the capacity of their weapons before they reach a "sales cap." Sounding off on one of the most ridiculous anti-gun schemes introduced in some time: https://t.co/nDt77l6OuQ pic.twitter.com/JI86OQ5HI0 Americas1stFreedom (@NRAA1F) January 4, 2016 In response, the NRA published an editorial in its online newsletter, America's 1st Freedom, where it opposed the measure and featured the picture in question. The newsletter details some of the flaws with the legislation, such as the fact that it limits the amount of practice a gun owner can participate in or that the bill does nothing to address crime, and only impacts law abiding citizens. The two lawmakers "simply don't care about" gun owners and the amount of ammunition they reasonably need, journal editor Mark Chestnut wrote. "In truth, such legislation should simply be laughed off and quickly forgotten," he added. "Unfortunately, the anti-gun climate in New York requires that we all take it seriously. New York gun owners should make sure their representatives know how strongly they oppose this ridiculous assault on their rights." The picture was criticized by Persaud and Simon, who said the NRA is trying to intimidate them by posting the picture but just comes off as irresponsible in doing so. "I think it is irresponsible in the times that we are living in to place a target around someone," Persaud said, according to the New York Daily News. "By placing someone's picture with bullets next to them, you are playing on the fears of people." Persaud added that the picture has "the potential to cause harm" because a gun supporter upset about the proposal may react violently after seeing the imagery. Simon agreed with the sentiment adding, "They are clearly trying to be intimidating and it is not working." This photo is reminiscent of one posted on Facebook in 2010 by Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) that listed several Democrats who voted for the Affordable Care Act and their districts in rifle crosshairs. In early 2011, Palin drew ire for that same photo after a mentally ill gunman in Tuscon, Ariz. killed six people and seriously wounded Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), one of the representatives who appeared in the photo. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Donald Trump is raising questions about the birthplace of Republican presidential rival Ted Cruz, a move that many thought that the real estate mogul reserved for President Barack Obama. The Republican front-runner said that the situation could be "a big problem" for Cruz and the party. "Republicans are going to have to ask themselves the question: Do we want a candidate who could be tied up in court for two years? Thatd be a big problem," Trump told The Washington Post, referring to the Texas senator. "Itd be a very precarious one for Republicans because hed be running and the courts may take a long time to make a decision. You dont want to be running and have that kind of thing over your head." "Id hate to see something like that get in his way," he added. "But a lot of people are talking about it and I know that even some states are looking at it very strongly, the fact that he was born in Canada and he has had a double passport." Cruz, who was born in Calgary, Alberta, said that he is eligible for the White House because of his mother's status as an American citizen, USA Today reported. He has also released his birth certificate and renounced his Canadian citizenship. Cruz responded on Twitter Tuesday night with a video clip from the show "Happy Days," suggesting Trump had "jumped the shark." My response to @realDonaldTrump calling into question my natural-born citizenship? https://t.co/gWfAHznlCY Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) January 5, 2016 While Cruz and Trump have been amicable toward one another for most the campaign season thus far, there have been signs of that relationship fading in recent weeks, beginning with released audio from a private fundraising event in which Cruz questioned Trump's "judgement," The New York Times reported. Trump called into question Cruz's evangelical Christian roots into question in December, saying, "Just remember this youve got to remember, in all fairness, to the best of my knowledge, not too many evangelicals come out of Cuba, okay? Just remember that . . . just remember," according to The Washington Times. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a notice of its concerns to developers in Seattle that a newly proposed skyscraper would be too tall, thus posing a hazard to passing aircraft from nearby airports and hospitals. The skyscraper, proposed by Miami-based Crescent Heights, would stand 1,117 feet above ground level, making it the largest building on the West Coast, surpassing both the Bank Tower in Los Angeles and the Columbia Center in Seattle, according to MyNorthwest. The building, known as 4/C, would be a mixed-use office and residential tower, including two levels of retail shopping and four levels of above-grade parking, as well as 350 hotel rooms. However, the building is located too close to Seattle's airports and the headquarters of aircraft manufacturer Boeing, thus representing a "presumed hazard" to air traffic, the FAA warns. "The structure as described exceeds obstruction standards and/or would have an adverse physical or electromagnetic interference effect upon navigable airspace or air navigation facilities," the notice reads in part, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal. The problems don't end there, however. The FAA also warns that the presence of the cranes required for construction could disrupt the operations of helicopters going to and from the nearby Harborview Medical Center. "While the Harborview Medical Center may be able to accept the loss of their helicopter special instrument approach for a few months, a requirement for the crane to render the approach unusable for a longer period of time may be unacceptably detrimental to the hospital, and could further limit the height of the building if the crane would be required to be on site for an extended period of time," the notice states. The FAA does note, however, that there is a way for the building to be approved for construction, reported CNN. If the building's proposed height is cut more than half to 499 feet, then "it would not exceed obstruction standards and a favorable determination could subsequently be issued." FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer said that nothing has been set it stone and discussions are still ongoing. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Seventeen people were killed and 30 others injured Tuesday after a man set a bus on fire in China's northern region of Ningxia over what authorities have deemed a "financial dispute." The man entered the bus with two buckets of gasoline and ignited them with a lighter before jumping out a window on the bus driver's side to avoid the impending blaze, according to ABC News. Several moments later, at around 7 a.m., the fire broke out, engulfing the bus in front of a furniture store, trapping many of the passengers inside. Firefighters quickly arrived on the scene to put out the blaze, but not before 17 people inside were burned alive. Officials initially reported that 14 people died in the blaze but increased the death toll to 17 after a second search of the bus yielded the discovery of three more victims, according to the BBC. In the meantime, police launched a manhunt for the suspect, later identified as 33-year-old Ma Yongping, eventually capturing him after a four-hour standoff at a construction site in Yinchuan, the capital of the Ningxia region. Authorities report that Ma threatened to kill himself during the confrontation. Bus fires are not uncommon in China, which are generally blamed on safety standards, people with personal vendettas or the mentally unstable, according to The Guardian. In 2013, a bus fire that killed 47 people in the coastal city of Xiamen was blamed on a suicidal man. Last year, a 35-year-old man was executed for a 2014 bus fire in Hangzhou that injured 33 people. A court determined that the culprit, Bao Laixu, started the fire because he wanted revenge against society and to commit suicide following a tuberculosis relapse. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker declared that he would not issue a pardon for Steven Avery, the man in the case dramatized in Netflix's "Making a Murderer," despite the existence of two online petitions that have already surpassed the required amount of signatures needed to be addressed. Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey are serving life sentences for the 2005 murder of 25-year-old Teresa Halbach, a photographer whose charred remains and vehicle were found outside his home in Manitowoc County, Wis., according to the Wisconsin State Journal. Avery and his supporters claim he was framed by local authorities to silence him after he was wrongfully convicted of sexual assault. The 10-episode documentary covers the timeline leading up to the "questionable" circumstances of his most recent conviction. Two years after DNA evidence exonerated him in 2003, he pursued a $36 million dollar lawsuit against those behind his conviction, however, just as he was making progress on that front, he was arrested for Halbach's murder and convicted in 2007. To add insult to injury, due to the murder allegations and the fact that a jury likely wouldn't hand over $36 million to a murder suspect, Avery was forced to settle the lawsuit for $400,000, which meant that he would dismiss all claims of wrongdoing against the county. That sum was used to pay for his defense in the murder trial. Walker's spokeswoman Laurel Patrick said that the former Republican presidential candidate would not issue a pardon, citing the fact that he made it clear soon after taking office that he wouldn't issue any pardons during his term, adding that he hasn't seen the documentary. "These events took place before Governor Walker took office. Governor Walker has not watched this documentary," press secretary Laurel Patrick said in an email Tuesday, according to the Huffington Post. "As you may know, early in his administration, Governor Walker made the decision not to issue pardons." A Whitehouse.gov petition was created in an attempt to have President Barack Obama pardon both Avery and Dassey. It has 116,232 signatures, well above the 100,000 signatures needed by Jan. 19 before it can be addressed by the administration. However, the president in has no authority to issue pardons in state cases, thus making Walker the only official who would be able to issue a pardon. A Change.org petition was also created which has 312,679 signatures, surpassing the 300,000 needed before it can be addressed. Despite that, Patrick made it clear that Walker will have nothing to do with it. "Those who feel they have been wrongly convicted can seek to have their convictions overturned by a higher court," she added. Her suggestion comes four years after a state appeals court denied Avery's last request for a new trial. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Scientists from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, have discovered a nursery of narwhals, some of the world's most elusive whales, by examining aerial photographs, according to New Scientist. These single-tusked whales that originate in the Arctic have been called the "unicorns of the sea" by many and are considered to be "near-threatened." Despite this status, conservation efforts are difficult due to the fact that estimating their numbers is very hard due to their elusive nature they spend 80 percent of their time underwater and, for more than half the year, they reside in deep, offshore waters during Arctic winters. The current spotting of narwhals stems from their summer move to coastal inlets, where they give birth and, in turn, give scientists a chance to spot and count them. Using 2013 aerial photographs taken by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), scientist Bertrand Charry and his team counted approximately 35,000 narwhals in the Admiralty Inlet, although to his surprise, less than 0.05 percent were newborns. Conversely, of the 10,000 narwhals they counted in Eclipse Sound, approximately 5 percent of the group were newborns, suggesting the Eclipse Sound may be an important calving and nursery habitat for the species. Despite this importance, Eclipse Sound is located on the shipping route of a recent Baffinland iron-ore mine, which could have negative effects on the nursery. This could be a problem because, like all whales, "narwhals are a sound-centered species," said Valeria Vergara, who researches marine mammals at Vancouver Aquarium. "Mothers and calves are a critical sector of the population, and shipping noise could affect the ability of mothers to hear their calves." In addition to human actions, the narwhals face increased predator activity in the Arctic due to the melting of ice blockades, causing an expansion of killer whales into the Hudson Bay and making narwhals easier prey, according to Science News. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. News / International by Gareth Porter Seymour Hersh's recent revelations about an effort by the US military leadership in 2013 to bolster the Syrian army against jihadist forces in Syria shed important new light on the internal bureaucratic politics surrounding regime change in US Middle East policy.Hersh's account makes it clear that the Obama administration's policy of regime change in both Libya and Syria provoked pushback from the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). That account and another report on a similar episode in 2011 suggest that the US military has a range of means by which it can oppose administration policies that it regards as unacceptable. But it also shows that the military leadership failed to alter the course of US policy, and raises the question whether it was willing to use all the means available to stop the funnelling of arms to al-Nusra Front and other extremist groups in Syria.Hersh details a JCS initiative in the summer of 2013 to share intelligence on Islamic State and al-Qaeda organisations with other German, Russian and Israeli militaries, in the belief that the information would find its way to the Syrian army. Hersh reports that the military leadership did not inform the White House and the State Department about the "military to military" intelligence sharing on the jihadist forces in Syria, reflecting the hardball bureaucratic politics practiced within the national security institutions.The 2013 initiative, approved by JCS chairman General Martin Dempsey was not the first active effort by the US military to mitigate Obama administration regime change policies. In 2011, the JCS had been strongly opposed to the effort to depose the Muammar Gaddafi regime in Libya, a regime-change effort led by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.When the Obama administration began its effort to overthrow Gad-dafi, it did not call publicly for regime change and instead asserted that it was merely seeking to avert mass killings that administration officials had suggested might approach genocidal levels. But the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), which had been given the lead role in assessing the situation in Libya, found no evidence to support such fears and concluded that it was based on nothing more than "speculative arguments".The JCS warned that overthrowing the Gaddafi regime would serve no US security interest, but would instead open the way for forces aligned with al-Qaeda to take over the country. After the Obama administration went ahead with a NATO air assault against the Gaddafi regime the US military sought to head off the destruction of the entire Libyan government.General Carter Ham, the commander of AFRICOM, the US regional command for Africa, gave the State Department a proposal for a ceasefire to which Gaddafi had agreed. It would have resulted in Gaddafi's resignation but retain the Libyan military's capacity to hold off jihadist forces and rescind the sanctions against Gad-dafi's family.But the State Department refused any negotiation with Gaddafi on the proposal. Immediately after hearing that Gaddafi had been captured by rebel forces and killed, Clinton famously joked in a television interview, "We came, we saw, he died" and laughed.By then the administration was already embarked on yet another regime change policy in Syria. Although Clinton led the public advocacy of the policy, then CIA director David Petraeus, who had taken over the agency in early September 2011, was a major ally. He immediately began working on a major covert operation to arm rebel forces in Syria.The CIA operation used ostensibly independent companies in Libya to ship arms from Libyan government warehouses to Syria and southern Turkey. These were then distributed in consultation with the United States through networks run by Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The plan went into operation within days of Gaddafi's death on October 20, 2011, just before NATO officially ended its operation at the end of that month, as the DIA later reported to the JCS.But the result of the operation was to accelerate the dominance of al-Qaeda and their Islamist allies. The Turks, Qataris and Saudis were funnelling arms to al-Qaeda's Syrian franchise, al-Nusra Front, or other closely related extremist groups. That should not have surprised the Obama administration. The same thing had happened in Libya in spring 2011 after the Obama administration had endorsed a Qatari plan to send arms to Libyan rebels. The White House had quickly learned that the Qataris had sent the arms to the most extremist elements in the Libyan opposition.The original Petraeus covert operation ended with the torching of the US consulate in Benghazi in September 2012 in which Ambassador Christopher Stevens was killed. It was superseded by a new programme under which Qatar and Saudi Arabia financed the transfer of weapons from other sources that were supposed to be distributed in cooperation with CIA officials at a base in southern Turkey.But "thousands of tonnes of weapons" were still going to groups fighting alongside the jihadists or who actually joined them as Vice President Joe Biden revealed in 2014.By spring 2013, al-Nusra Front and its Islamic extremist allies were already in control of wide areas in the north and in the Damascus suburbs. The Islamic State had separated from al-Nusra Front and established its own territory south of the Turkish border. The secular armed opposition had ceased to exist as a significant force. The "Free Syrian Army", the nominal command of those forces, was actually a fiction within Syria, as was reported by specialists on the Syrian conflict. But despite the absence of a real "moderate opposition", the Obama administration continued to support the flood of arms to the forces fighting to overthrow Assad.In mid-2013, as Hersh recounts, the DIA issued an intelligence assessment warning that the administration's regime change policy might well result in a repeat of what was already happening in Libya: chaos and jihadist domination. The JCS also pulled off a clever manoeuvre to ensure that the jihadists and their allies were getting only obsolete weapons. A JCS representative convinced the CIA to obtain much cheaper arms from Turkish stocks controlled by officials sympathetic to the CIA's viewpoint on Syria.But the JCS failed to alter the administration's policy of continuing to support the flow of arms into Syria. Did the military leadership really use all of its leverage to oppose the policy?In 2013, some officials on the US National Security Council staff pushed for a relatively modest form of pressure on Qatar to get it to back off its continued supply of arms to extremists, including al-Nusra Front, by pulling out a US fighter squadron from the US air base at al-Udeid in Qatar. But as the Wall Street Journal reported earlier this year, the Pentagon, obviously reflecting the JCS position, vetoed the proposal, arguing that the forward headquarters of the Central Command at the airbase was "vital" to US operations in the Middle East.The political implications of the episode are clear: bureaucratic self-interest trumped the military's conviction that US security is being endangered. No matter how strongly the JCS may have felt about the recklessness of administration policy, they were not prepared to sacrifice their access to military bases in Qatar, Saudi Arabia or Turkey to pressure their Middle Eastern allies. Argentina's new conservative president Maurico Macri declared this weekend that his government will continue to assert the country's sovereignty claims over the Falkland Islands, an archipelago in the South Atlantic over which Britain maintains ownership. "Argentina renews its firm commitment to peacefully settling its differences, to international law and multilateralism," President Macri's foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday, according to The Guardian. The statement went on to invite Britain to reopen the debate over the territory, in order to "resume as soon as possible negotiations aimed at settling fairly and definitively, the sovereignty dispute over the Malvinas (Falklands) islands, South Georgia, South Sandwich islands and surrounding territorial seas." Jan. 3 marked the 183rd anniversary of British occupation of the Falklands. The region is around 300 miles from the coast of Argentina, Time Magazine notes, and in 1982 the two nations fought a short-lived war over the archipelago, during which 649 Argentinian soldiers and 255 British were killed. Ownership of the territory continues to be a point of diplomatic tension between the two countries. Argentina claims that it inherited the territory from Spain when it achieved independence, while Britain maintains that the UK has traditionally ruled the islands, according to Agence France-Presse. In Prime Minister David Cameron's Christmas message to the Falklands, he said that he hoped President Macri's new government would "allow us to move towards a more mature relationship," reports the Latin Correspondent. The British government has stated that ultimately the Islanders have the right to self-determination, as the Guardian has explained. A referendum was held on the islands in March 2013, in which the landslide majority of the Falklands population - 99.8 percent - opted to remain an overseas territory under the domain of the UK, explains the Latin Correspondent. However, the referendum has not been recognized by the Argentinian government. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Canadian filmmaker Matthiew Klinck was found dead a few feet from his home in the village of Selena in the western part of Belize on Monday evening, according to CBC News. Local police Supt. Andrew Ramirez said that Klinck had been stabbed 14 times in the lower neck and upper back, while his home "appeared ransacked." He had not been seen since Saturday afternoon and his body "was in its initial stage of decomposing", Ramirez said. The Aylmer-born Quebecer had been working and living in Belize since 2011. His production company, Make-Belize Films, had produced a number of movies and a soap opera that aired on Belize television, according to The Montreal Gazette. Mayor Daniel Guerrero, of nearby San Pedro, said the 37-year-old Klinck was well known in the area because he shot his soap opera in San Pedro using local actors. "As many knew him, he was very enthusiastic about Belize's Film Industry and hoped that one day Belize be recognized internationally for its film talent," said Guerrero. It's a puzzling crime scene, according to authorities, as the house was left open and appeared to have been searched. However, the property caretaker said nothing seemed stolen, including his expensive cameras and filmmaking equipment, according to 7 News Belize. "We will try our utmost best to find out who did this heinous act upon Mr. Klinck and to bring proper closure and make sure justice prevails," Ramirez said. "We want to know if he has any enemies around the community." His mother Louise Dallaire, who resides in Gatineau, told Radio-Canada that she and other family members are flying to Belize on Thursday, according to CBC News. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. About Nisha A foodie who is passionate about healthy-ish living and mindful eating. You'll find a little bit of everything here... healthy-ish Indian food, vegetarian food, and lots of recipe makeovers. I use mostly organic real ingredients and incorporate seasonal produce in my cooking. I believe food is medicine. Come join me on this soul-searching journey as I share my love for good food, and I hope somewhere along the line, I inspire you to eat better. The rapidly growing number of devices that are connected to the Internet means that an ever-increasing part of a hotels working environment can communicate valuable, actionable information back to the management. Making use of this information to improve service quality and the guest experience is a fantastic opportunity, writes Greg Abbott of DataArt. About DataArt DataArt is a global software engineering firm that takes a uniquely human approach to solving problems. With over 20 years of experience, teams of highly-trained engineers around the world, and deep industry sector knowledge, we deliver high-value, high-quality solutions that our clients depend on, and lifetime partnerships they believe in. www.dataart.com @dataart A flight attendant at the Airport Holiday Inn was suffering an allergy attack. She couldn't fly because of the congestion, and her airline required a doctor's exam and note. This is a common request which I fulfill regularly, but I couldn't fulfill hers because she was American. When a British Air, Virgin-Atlantic, Emirate, Singapore, or Cathay-Pacific crew member falls ill, the local supervisor calls a national housecall service that, in Los Angeles, calls me, and the airline pays. US airlines never do this. Their employees are on their own, and American insurers are deeply suspicious of housecalls. I occasionally make a charity visit to an American flight attendant too sick to leave the room but not sick enough for the paramedics. Mostly I refer them to an urgent care clinic. Mike Oppenheim There are countless website solutions out there these days, you could go the SaaS route and pay a monthly subscription for your website, or you can hire an agency to make a website for your hotel, both have their pros and cons. There are some hoteliers, however, who want to make, host, and publish their own websites by hand. And for them, there is no argument--the best tool to use is Wordpress. Wordpress is a content management system for experts and novices alike. Publishing your own website with Wordpress gives you absolute control over its technology and content. It also makes you responsible for its security and performance. You'll have greater freedom, and you'll be able to get the exact look and function that you want. But you'll also have to spend time updating plugins, improving website load speed, and updating your website over time as new technology appears. Before you begin, you must understand that you're getting yourself into a fun and rewarding project that will take up some of your time. With this 7-step guide, I will show you how to make a basic but fully functional hotel website with Wordpress. If you don't want to get your hands dirty, then I suggest purchasing a website subscription. But, if you like to fiddle with things and learn as you go, keep reading. Step One: Choose a Host A website hosting provider is a company that lends you a computer (or a "cloud" of connected computers) where your website is installed. You need to choose a hosting provider before you begin. This is the home of your website. The host is responsible for keeping your website online 24/7, so it is important to choose a reliable host. There are many options out there. For Wordpress, there are two that I recommend: Bluehost Bluehost is an affordable web host with great customer service. They give you a server (which is the computer where your website will live), and you can do nearly anything you want with it. Their 24/7 customer service is excellent, and has helped me out of many jams in the past. Bluehost is what I use for my websites. WP Engine WP Engine has marketed itself as the host of choice for Wordpress users for years. However, in my personal experience, they have mediocre customer service. They also have many rules in place that prevent you from using the plugins and themes you want. These rules are in place to protect your server, so they say, but I find them burdensome. Both are good options, but I prefer Bluehost for the lower price point and the greater freedom. Step Two: Purchase a Domain Name A domain name is the web address where your website will be found. For example, www.cloudbeds.com is the domain name of Cloudbeds. If you already have a website, then you already have a domain name. You can use it, or purchase a new one. You can purchase a new domain name through your hosting provider, which is likely also a registrar. Use these SEO guidelines when choosing a new domain name for your hotel's website: Choose a .com top-level domain name. These domains are more trusted by Google and guests. Avoid novelty top-level domain names like .hotel or .travel. These are new, and are less trusted by Google and guests. Make your domain name short. Google trusts shorter domain names more than longer ones. Do not use hyphens or numbers. Google prefers no punctuation in domain names. Domains with hyphens or numbers look sketchy. Use keywords related to your business. If possible, snag a domain name related to your hotel's location and target audience. You can include a landmark or region. Use your hotel brand. If you can't use keywords, then simply use your hotel's name. Both Google and guests think branded domains are more trustworthy. Step Three: Install Wordpress Regardless of the host you choose, installing Wordpress is easy. Wordpress is basically the engine used to run your website. Once Wordpress is installed, you can build your website on top of it. You can do this yourself. I recorded a short 10-minute guide which you can watch here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWxlFXSHSDM Or, if you don't want to do it yourself, call your hosting provider. They will gladly do it for you. Step Four: Log In to Your Dashboard After you install Wordpress, your host will give you a username and password for your new website. They will also give you a URL where you can log in. If you don't have these things, call your web host. They will help you find them or reset them. Once you log in, you will appear at your website's dashboard. There is much you can do here, and it is easy to get overwhelmed. Let's start by installing your theme. In the left-hand sidebar, hover over "Appearance" and click "Themes". Step Five: Install Your Theme A theme gives your website its look and feel. There are many great themes you can choose for your hotel website--and most are free! When choosing a theme, bear in mind the following: It should be responsive. Responsive design makes your website optimized for any mobile device. These include tablets, and including devices that have yet to be invented. Be sure to check how your theme looks and works on a mobile device after installing it. Choose a modern design. Less professional themes will look overly ornate, have complex fonts, or have clunky user interfaces. Choose a theme created in a variant of "flat" design. Flat design is a term used to describe design that uses only a few colors and simple user interface elements. It does not complicate things with rounded edges, drop shadows, highlights, and other complex design features. Flat design focuses on clean, crisp, and clear user interfaces and typography that improve website usability and conversions. It should have a blog. The point of a hotel website is to improve your direct reservations, and one of the best ways to do that is with blog content marketing. Make sure you have a theme that has different layouts for your conversion pages (such as your homepage, photos page, and rooms page) and your blog. It should make good use of photos. Guests decide whether or not they like your property the moment your first image loads. Make sure you stun them with beautiful photography across your website. You should not only use a theme that has a photo gallery, but it should also use your beautiful hotel photos on every page of the website--especially the homepage. To find a theme, go to Appearance > Themes. Then, click the "Add Theme" button at the top of the page. This brings you to Wordpress' theme gallery. Use the search field to search for hotel or bed and breakfast inspired themes. You can also purchase themes from 3rd-party developers online. Be careful when shopping for themes online. Many "free" themes you can find on Google come with malware or built-in "backdoors". Only download your Wordpress themes from trusted marketplaces. These include themeforest.net, the Mojo Marketplace, Templatic, and Wordpress.org itself. Step Six: Install a Booking Engine This is the most important step in building your website. The point of your website is to increase direct bookings, and you can't do that without a booking engine. Install a hotel booking engine plugin like WP Mybookings by Cloudbeds. Plugins give your website extra functionality that does not come native with Wordpress. WP Mybookings lets you take bookings right from your Wordpress website. It also connects to your channel manager and property management system. Whichever booking engine Wordpress plugin you choose, make sure that the booking engine is mobile responsive and commission-free. Step Seven: Install Other Plugins Plugins give your website added functionality. The following are some free plugins I recommend for every hotel website. From your dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New and use the search box to search for and install these plugins: Yoast Wordpress SEO - This plugin gives you the ability to fine-tune many SEO fields. It also produces media sitemaps and helps keep your permalinks clean. iThemes Security - This is my favorite free security plugin. It can backup your database, update web scripts, and lock down some of the back-end sections of your website from preying eyes.Jetpack - This plugin, made by the makers of Wordpress, includes some nice new features. These include a comment section for your blog, a network for making your photos load more quickly, free web statistics, and a mobile theme for non-responsive websites. EWWW Image Optimizer - This free plugin makes your images load more quickly.Unveil Lazy Load - This plugin reduces the load time of your website by only loading images when your guests scroll down to them. W3 Total Cache - This plugin has many options that make your website load faster. If you use this plugin, search for guides on how to set it up. It is banned by some website hosting providers, like WP Engine, because it consumes many computer resources. However, in my opinion, it is the best free caching plugin for Wordpress. It is a complex, but useful, plugin. Digg Digg - This free plugin gives your website some nice social sharing features. Flare - This free plugin looks better than Digg Digg in my opinion and has many nice features, but it is no longer supported. Choose this or Digg Digg (not both). Wordpress is an excellent, mostly free solution for hosting and crafting your own website. The process is time-consuming and can be complicated, especially for hoteliers who have never built websites before. However, if you can do it, creating your own Wordpress website gives you complete control over your hotel brand and how the public sees it. It is an excellent option for hoteliers who want to put in the extra effort to polish their hotel brand's web presence. Do you have any questions about Wordpress? Post them in the comments below and I will do my best to answer them. About Cloudbeds Cloudbeds provides the platform that powers hospitality, driving streamlined operations, increasing reservations and revenue, and enabling memorable guest experiences for lodging businesses of all sizes and types across the globe. The award-winning Cloudbeds Hospitality Platform seamlessly combines solutions for front desk, revenue, distribution, guest acquisition and guest engagement in a single unified system, enhanced by a marketplace of third-party integrations. Cloudbeds was named No. 1 PMS and No. 1 Hotel Management System by Hotel Tech Report in 2022 and recognized by Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 in 2021. For more information, visit www.cloudbeds.com. Alex Gaggioli Marketing Manager Cloudbeds News / National by Staff reporter NEWLY-FORMED opposition party Renewal Democrats of Zimbabwe (RDZ) has suffered a major blow after two of its top members in Mashonaland East Province resigned last week, citing dictatorship by their party leader Elton Mangoma.Pre-congress national deputy organiser, Jimmy Jalifi and youth president, Saizi Vilela said they quit after failing to reach common ground on various issues with other party leaders.Mangoma confirmed the pair's resignations yesterday."I am quite aware of that, the truth is that they were suspended by the party for spreading gossip about the party. Both guys expected to grab positions at the congress, but lost in the elections. Jalifi wanted to be the organising secretary, while Vilela wanted to be youth president, but they lost. They were bitter about the loss," he said.The RDZ was formed last year after Mangoma and other top party officials broke ranks with Tendai Biti's People's Democratic Party. Both Mangoma and Biti severed ties with opposition MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai in 2013.In his resignation letter dated December 29, 2015, Jalifi accused Mangoma and other top leaders of deviating from the opposition party's founding principles."I wish to tender my immediate resignation from the party following a series of irregular practices that undermine the very reasons for which we purport to have left both Biti and Tsvangirai," he said."It appears to me that the president [Mangoma] is bent on awarding himself sweeping powers to arbitrarily and single-handedly determine the direction of the party. This is contrary to the founding values, which we espoused at the formation of this party."The deviation from and violation of these founding values and principles continues and is, in fact, on the increase. I had hoped that we would work together as a team guided by the principles of democratic leadership and respecting the constitutional positions and the roles and responsibilities conferred upon them. I am sorry I cannot continue to be part of this gravy train."Vilela in his resignation letter wrote: "I would like to tender my resignation and cease to be an RDZ member with effect from today. Gossip and fornication have become the order of the day. The level of maturity, even from the leadership; it's like the president is a Sunday school teacher, the leadership is too childish" The first weekend in the capital celebrating the Thin White Duke launches into action on Saturday - and ahead of all the action, we speak to Bowie collaborator and guitarist Gerry Leonard The first Dublin Bowie Festival takes place this coming weekend, with The Grand Social becoming a mecca for all fans of the enigmatic artist. Attractions will include Record and Memorabilia Markets, screenings of concerts and documentaries, live music, DJ sets and even the chance to strut your stuff on Bowieoke. The centrepiece of the weekend, though, will be the visit of Gerry Leonard, who played guitar with the man himself as well as serving as musical director on the Reality tour. He performs with ace tribute band Rebel Rebel on the Saturday night (tickets 12), while the Sunday sees him take to the stage under his Spooky Ghost moniker. Ahead of all those fun and games, our man Colm O'Hare caught up with the Dubliner, now based in New York, who discusses musical ventures with and without The Thin White Duke. REBEL REBEL WITH A CAUSE Top session guitarist and Bowie collaborator, Gerry Leonard will be the special guest of Bowie tribute act, Rebel Rebel who headline the eagerly-awaited Dublin Bowie Festival taking place in Dublins Grand Social over the weekend of January 9 10. Leonard, who hails from Clontarf in north Dublin, was guitarist and musical director on the Reality tour Bowies last ever world trek that too place during 2003. He says the invitation to appear at the Bowie event in his home town came out of the blue I guess my name just came up, he says on the phone from his home in Woodstock in upstate New York. Theyve been doing this tribute thing for the last couple of years and they contacted me and asked if Id like to become involved. I said, sure because it seemed like a nice thing do to. It was such a special time for me in Dublin when we did the Reality tour in The Point with David and its always nice to celebrate his work anytime the opportunity arises. Im doing a guest talk at BIMM when Im home too which should be interesting. Leonard, who has recently been touring and recording with Suzanne Vega, will be bringing his own ongoing side project Spooky Ghost to the same venue on the night after his Rebel Rebel appearance Its not the primary thing I do these days but I like to keep it alive and Ill be doing my third record soon. Its a little terrifying for me because I have to lay my cards on the table and say OK this is what Ive got this is what it is. I like to do everything live in a spontaneous way. Youre always trying to push the boundaries a little bit. Technology wise it was difficult to do certain stuff in the past but its easier now. I have a box about the size of two packs of cigarettes, whereas on the Bowie tour I had a six-bay rack, which did pretty much the same thing. Advertisement Given Bowies vast back catalogue he says it has yet to be decided which songs he will perform on. They sent me an extensive set-list and theres a whole bunch of songs on it that I really love. But Ill probably pick a few that are more appropriate for me and for them. There are so many great songs in the Bowie canon and hes had great guitar players over the years too. That was one of the great things about doing the Reality tour - taking the songs apart and trying to figure out, say, the Robert Fripp part or the Mick Ronson part or whatever. The music was written to be played, in a loud rock and roll band and theres nothing more fun for me. But Rebel Rebel will be doing all the heavy lifting on the night Coincidently or not, Bowies brand new album, Blackstar is also due for release this weekend. Leonard played a key role on the Brixton born legends last album, The Next Day - presumably he worked on this highly-anticipated new one? Well actually, Im not involved in this one which is a bittersweet thing for me, he says. David came to me and we had a conversation where he said he wanted to try something new and that he wasnt going to call me this time around but he said for me not to worry. And thats totally fine with me. I knew he wanted to turn things on its head and I like it when artists take a risk. Asked whether he thinks he might be called up at some point in the future for any live duties, should Bowie take to the road again, Leonard is more philosophical. Its the question everyone asks and I only have my own instincts to go on - I dont have any other information. My instincts are that David doesnt see doing anything live as something that interests him right now. The idea of getting out there and touring with a greatest hits show just wouldnt interest him. There would have to be a real vision for him to do something. Hes been doing these videos, which I think is much more creative for him. Its a dubious honour being on what is possibly the last ever Bowie tour but it's something I'll never forget. Rebel Rebel with special guest Gerry Leonard appear at the Grand Social Dublin on Saturday January 9. Spooky Ghost appear at the same venue on Sunday 10. Run The Jewels man speaks about race, Bernie Sanders, his children fighting, RTJ3 and the fact that white people will pay $50 for a haircut, while Foals blast out 'Mountain At My Gates' Michael Render, better known by his hip-hop stage name Killer Mike, and English indie rock darlings Foals, both appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Killer Mike appeared on the talk-show as a speaking guest, while Foals performed their storming track, entitled 'Mountain at My Gates', taken from their 2015 album What Went Down. All throughout the seemingly endless amount of police shootings involving young black males over the past few years, Killer Mike has constantly been a reasoned, concerned, and insightful political justice activist. The Atlanta rapper spoke to Colbert about responding to the escalating violence in America with the Martin Luther King message of a non-violent response. He firmly believes that electing Bernie Sanders as the President of the United States, will bring the country closer to resolving the underlining race issues that have plagued America since its inception. Killer Mike also talked about having to attend his children's parent-teacher meetings. Apparently, his daughters like to fight, and it's hard to be a perturbed parent, when you're referred to as 'Killer'. He also joked that wearing sweatpants was pretty formal for him and because he'd recently lost some weight, he was worried about his trousers falling down. Now that would have been a eyeful... Advertisement Watch Killer Mike's full interview, and Foals' performance, below. A game-by-game recap of Houston High Schools football season: WEEK 1 vs. HOLLISTER Failing to convert a fourth-and-inches at the goal line proved costly in Houstons 26-22 season-opening loss to Hollister. The Tigers had more total yards and five more first downs but it did not add up to a victory. Senior Ty Wilkins had 15 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown to lead the HHS ground attack. Fullback Stetson Welch added 66 yards and a pair of scores. WEEK 2 at ST. JAMES St. James scored 18 unanswered points in the second half and pulled away for a 36-18 victory. The game was tied 6-6, 12-12 and 18-18 before HHS turned the ball over on the 13-yard line with a chance to make it 24-all. Senior Scott Logan, who had a 59-yard touchdown run, led Houston with 11 carries for 113 yards. Wilkins added 102 rushing yards, 74 receiving yards and two touchdowns. WEEK 3 at SALEM Houston had trouble finishing drives in a 52-19 loss to Salem. The Tigers made four trips into the red zone without points and another time were stopped on the Salem 30-yard line. Scott Logan had 75 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown to lead the HHS ground game. Quarterback Nathan Poynter added a career-best 59 rushing yards. WEEK 4 vs. CABOOL Cabool was the first team to slow Houstons offense in a 20-7 victory. After averaging 355 yards through three games, the Tigers had 64 at the half and finished 104 yards under their average. HHS finally got going in the second half behind a new-look formation. But the Tigers only converted one of their four trips inside the red zone into points as they couldnt erase the deficit. WEEK 5 vs. THAYER Five Houston turnovers, including an interception just 55 seconds into the game on the Tigers first possession, led to Thayers 41-20 victory. Scott Logan led Houston with 74 rushing yards. Senior Malachi Sawyer added 49 and Wilkins had 38 rushing and another 45 receiving. All three had fourth-quarter rushing touchdowns for the Tigers. WEEK 6 at AVA Houston was held to a season-low 167 yards of total offense and kept out of the end zone until the fourth quarter for the second straight week in a 40-6 loss at Ava. Matt Knarr had two carries for 55 yards to lead the HHS offense. Stetson Welch, who returned after missing one game due to an illness, added 36 yards. WEEK 7 vs. WILLOW SPRINGS It was an exciting start for both teams as they combined for four touchdowns in the opening 5 minutes, 20 seconds before the Bears pulled away for a 34-26 victory. The Tigers rejuvenated their offense by moving leading rusher Scott Logan from wing back to quarterback. He rushed for 88 yards and a touchdown and also threw a pair of touchdown passes. WEEK 8 at MTN. GROVE The Tigers defense was a menace to the state-ranked Panthers in a 30-14 loss. Houston recovered six fumbles and led for the first 14 minutes following an early safety. HHS had seven tackles for losses. Senior Kolby Walker led the defensive charge with a season-best 19 tackles. WEEK 9 vs. LIBERTY Houston was successful slowing Libertys running game. But the Tigers had little luck against Eagles passing attack as they cruised to a 55-6 win. Poynter was 8-of-23 passing for 104 yards. He had a 61-yard touchdown pass to Wilkins in the first quarter. It was the final home game for seniors Wilkins, Walker, Sawyer, Scott Logan and Matthew Vasseur. WEEK 10 at LIBERTY Defending district champion Liberty flexed its championship muscle by scoring eight times in the opening 19 minutes and cruising past the Tigers 61-7 in the first round of Class 2 District 3. Wilkins had 12 carries for 73 yards and a touchdown in his final game for the Tigers. Knarr added 51 yards on the ground. Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS! OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. Close Forgot Your Password? Enter in your email address and we will send it to you. Send Email Doug Conant, a former president and CEO of Campbell Soup, had a winning recipe for success. To win in the marketplace, you must first win in the workplace, he said. Today, if you ask small business owners what makes their organization a true contender, many will answer that its their entrepreneurial spirit. When starting a business, owners pride themselves on their entrepreneurial culture using innovation, persistence and ingenuity to break down barriers and excel. As companies grow, however, its important for business owners to be proactive and focus on keeping that special entrepreneurial culture alive. As a leader of 389,000 co-employees who work for thousands of TotalSouce client companies, Ive had the opportunity to see a whole host of company cultures. Through that lens, Ive learned that leadership and culture will ultimately define whether or not an organization will be successful. This is why it is so critical to pay close attention to your companys culture and treat it with the same level of importance as your bottom line. Creating and nurturing a successful entrepreneurial culture can be especially difficult for a small business because the average owner likely got into business to do something he loves, or with the aspiration to be an entrepreneur. This person, however, may not have the HR expertise or know-how to drive an engaging and successful company culture as th... When Naseer Muhammad Ali was 10 weeks old, he was flagged at an airport as a security risk and patted down, seemingly because the Canadian baby's name was on a no-fly list. According to his mother Khudija Vawda-Ali, who lives in Toronto, officials in Jamaica stopped just short of checking the boy's diaper. Advertisement They didnt open his diaper, but they checked all around it to make sure we didnt conceal anything in there, which was pretty scary and pretty strange at the same time," Vawda-Ali told Global News. "It's a bit humiliating. Primarily we worry that this is only going to get worse for him as he gets older." The Ali family is just the latest to come forward with stories of their kids being stopped at airports, all because the children's names are somehow on Canadian security watch lists. But tracing such lists, compiled by airlines including Air Canada as well as the federal government, is difficult because officials are tight-lipped about any details. Advertisement Public Safety Canada, which oversees the federal no-fly file known as the Passenger Protection Program, acknowledges that people with similar names to those actually on the list may face delays at airports. Newborn also flagged to security Zamir Khan says his 21-month-old son, Sebastian, was first flagged when he was six weeks old. The family had to wait while airport officials verified the baby wasn't the actual threat, he told CBC News. "It's a bit humiliating. Primarily we worry that this is only going to get worse for him as he gets older," Khan said. The parents came forward after an Ontario man tweeted about his similar experience at Toronto's Pearson International Airport on New Year's Eve. Sulemaan Ahmed of Markham was travelling to Massachusetts for NHL's Winter Classic last week with his six-year-old son when they were delayed. The boy named Syed Adam Ahmed was on Air Canada's "Deemed-High-Risk," or DHP, list. Advertisement Sulemaan tweeted a photo of Air Canada's computer screen with the information. @AirCanada Why is our (Canadian born) 6 year old on DHP no fly list? He must clear security each time. He is 6. :) pic.twitter.com/WPZJIeWL4S Sulemaan Ahmed (@sulemaan) December 31, 2015 "Why is our (Canadian born) 6 year old on DHP no fly list? He must clear security each time. He is 6," he wrote. Liberals promise to review issue The practice of checking children, and others with similar names to those flagged as security concerns is being questioned by family members and politicians alike. Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said he would be "reviewing the specifics" of Adam's case. He added that Liberals have promised to review no-fly lists, and introduce legislation that "better balances collective security with rights and freedoms." Advertisement An Air Canada agent told Sulemaan Ahmed, of Markham, Ont. that his six-year-old son's name is on the airline's "deemed high profile" no-fly list. (Courtesy of Sulemaan Ahmed) Adam's aunt, Shireen Ahmed, whose 15-year-old son has also faced questioning at airports, expressed concern to the Toronto Star about how this will affect the children. How do you explain to a 6-year-old? What do you tell them? Oh, Im sorry youre Muslim; Im sorry youre brown?" Also on HuffPost B.C. pot activist Dana Larsen has sent a thoughtful gift to every member of the federal Liberal caucus: a copy of his new book and a gram of weed. The founder of marijuana advocacy organization Sensible B.C. knows that what he's done is illegal, but he insists he did it with a purpose. "[The Liberals are] going to be legalizing [marijuana] soon and I think if we're going to be looking forward to how we will legalize it, it's good to look back and see how it was made illegal," he told The Vancouver Sun. Advertisement Larsen started sending the weed before Christmas, along with copies of his graphic novel Cannabis in Canada The Illustrated History. The novel charts the history of marijuana in the Great White North since 1606. Larsen claims to have worked on the book for two decades, and says he sent copies to the Liberals because he wants them to know more about the substance they committed to legalizing in the Throne Speech in December. At least one Liberal MP wasn't impressed with the delivery. Vancouver Centre MP Hedy Fry told the Sun she was concerned that children could have accessed the mailing. She added that the delivery didn't follow the rules around shipping marijuana, either. Advertisement The cover of Larsen's book. But Larsen is undeterred this year, he plans on sending more weed to Canadian politicians, worth anywhere between $12 and $15 per gram. "I don't think any Liberal MP is going to call the police, and if they do I don't think the police are going to come after me for a gram of pot," he told The Province on Tuesday. As for whether Larsen thinks any MPs will smoke the weed? "You never know." In 2014, Larsen sent a strain of pot called Purple Kush to B.C. Premier Christy Clark in an effort to ease tensions between her, the president of the B.C. Teachers' Federation, and the education minister during the teachers' strike. Advertisement "I thought if [Clark] could get together with [them] and their negotiating teams to share a joint, it would help break down some barriers and give the BCTF negotiations a fresh start," he said in a news release at the time. Follow Us On Instagram Also on HuffPost: News / National by Staff reporter GOVERNMENT has, under its revised frameworks, procedures and guidelines for implementing the Indigenisation Act, broadened its definition of natural resources to include air, grass, birds and swamps, a move that local analysts yesterday described as "ridiculous".Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa announced the new framework on Monday at a Press conference he jointly addressed with Indigenisation minister Patrick Zhuwao and Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor John Mangudya.Renowned economist John Robertson yesterday said: "This exposes government to ridicule by inviting such criticism. It also shows shallow thinking on their part because one would not understand what they are trying to say when they include air and birds."Robertson said the document was done by people who lacked business understanding and expertise and should not even be in the offices they hold."It shows that it was drafted by people who should not have done the job and lack any expertise or knowledge on how business operates," he said.In his 2016 National Budget, Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa said a number of policies to mobilise Diaspora remittances as an important source of liquidity in the economy have been instituted.Chinamasa said the new framework will now give emphasis to reserved sectors, which would now be 100% controlled by locals.No new foreign investors, except with Cabinet approval, will be allowed into invest in the fuel retail business, advertising, tobacco grading and packaging, milk processing, grain milling and artisanal mining of all minerals except diamonds.Robertson said the fuel retail business was a high cost area and required heavy capital injection and expertise."The moment government opened fuel import licences to local players, we have seen most of them close shop, the same scenario we saw in the banking sector, where local banks folded. Government should leave areas of business to those with the capital and expertise, so that we can begin to create employment," he said.Opposition MDC-T spokesperson, Obert Gutu said the new frameworks "exposed the drafters' shallow minds"."Of course, that betrays the professional incompetence of whoever drafted those regulations. Legal drafting is an art. It has to be concise and precise."It shouldn't leave room for vagueness, absurdity and ambiguity. Obviously, that particular portion of the regulations has to be promptly amended in order to make it rational and sensible. How can one possibly indigenise a commodity such as air?" queried Gutu? Can the Maritimes ever catch a break? A new, long-delayed mine is opening in Nova Scotias Cape Breton region, but the U.S.-based company running it is holding a job fair this week in Grande Cache, Alta., three time zones away. Kameron Coal plans to employ some 120 people when it opens the Donkin coal mine, some 30 km from Sydney, N.S., later this year. Advertisement The small Cape Breton community of Donkin, N.S., is shown on Monday, Dec. 13, 2004. (Canadian Press photo) But some locals are questioning why the economically struggling region has been passed over for a province that until recently was doing much better. "There [are] experienced miners right here right on our own doorstep, resident Al Baxter told the CBC. According to Cape Breton regional Coun. Kevin Saccary, Kameron Coal went to Alberta to look for experienced coal miners. Grande Cache Coal shut down this past Christmas Eve, tossing some 200 people out of work. And some of them were Cape Breton residents who had moved to Alberta for work. Advertisement All the same, Saccary says the coal mine should be looking to hire locally as well. Realizing their priority is qualified individuals, I believe we have all kinds here in Cape Breton, Saccary told CTV News. I certainly dont think it should take much effort for the company to have a job fair here. Jobs That Trended Upwards Most, 2015 See Gallery A Coal Mine In 2015? Aside from hiring practices, there are those who question the wisdom of opening a coal mine at a time when many nations and Canadian provinces are moving towards a lower-carbon economy. Ontario has already phased out coal from its energy mix, and both Nova Scotia and Alberta have plans to gradually phase out their coal-fired power plants, though not for a number of years. Alberta wants to put an end to coal power by 2030, while Nova Scotia says coal will likely play a role in the province's electricity system until at least 2042. Workers repair the road leading to the Donkin coal mine in Donkin, N.S., on Monday Dec. 13, 2004. The site was abandoned in the mid-1980's and the tunnels were flooded, but Kameron Coal is currently reviving the project. (Canadian Press photo) Advertisement It all points to a dying industry, said Catherine Abreu, energy coordinator for the Ecology Action Centre in Halifax. "As the demand declines and the availability remains the same, the economics behind coal will continue to become worse and they're already pretty bad," said Abreu, adding that 26 coal mining companies declared bankruptcy in the U.S. in recent years. "It doesn't, in my mind, make for very good long-term planning for a province like Nova Scotia to think about opening a coal mine." The Donkin mine was originally dug by the Cape Breton Development Corporation in the 1980s, the CBC reports, but the project was cancelled when coal prices fell. The property changed hands numerous times before Kameron bought it. With a hand-sculpted dragon over its fireplace, a tunnel to the bath house (yes, the bath house) and mural-covered ceilings this $7.5-million estate is unlike anything you've ever seen before. The Parkland County home located just west of Edmonton, is designed by owner developer Donald McCargar. He said it was his intention to build something with a lasting legacy. Advertisement "I've always worked as a builder, a carpenter. I get bored of building boxes," McCargar told CBC News. This 13,300 sq. ft. house is certainly more than just a box. The five-bedroom, six-bathroom house boasts herringbone marble tile inlays and a Turkish walkway. And its intricate ceiling murals and dragon sculpture were hand-built on site by Iranian artist Roxana Rastegar, according to the Edmonton Sun. To top that off, its six-car garage features a car wash. There's a sauna and wet bar, too. Also, nothing is a better fit for Edmonton's weather like travelling through a tunnel rather than venturing outside. Advertisement I dont think youd find another one like this in Edmonton," McCargar told CTV news. He's probably right. Click through to see more photos from inside the house: $7.5 Million Parkland County Home See Gallery Also on HuffPost: Prince George is now a proud preschooler. On Wednesday, Kensington Palace released two new photos of the toddler on his first day of nursery school, and they couldnt be cuter! Prince George arrives for his first day at nursery in Norfolk earlier today pic.twitter.com/w4BPGNE1H0 Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) January 6, 2016 The photos were taken by the Princes mother, Catherine (a.k.a. Kate Middleton), in the schools playground. Advertisement The Duke and Duchess have released 2 photos to mark Prince George's first day at Westacre Montessori School nursery pic.twitter.com/a5ScewaRJ4 Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) January 6, 2016 Kensington Palace announced last month that the two-year-old will attend Westacre Montessori School Nursery in Norfolk. The school is conveniently located on a private road near the Duke and Duchess of Cambridges home, Anmer Hall. They looked at a few schools and they thought it was the best place for George, a source told People. They felt in terms of education, the feeling, the teachers and the location the whole thing made it the ideal fit for him. Based on these latest photos, it looks like Prince George had a successful first day. According to The Telegraph, the tot will be attending Montessori school on a part-time basis. Advertisement ALSO ON HUFFPOST: Dont kush it. Rob Ford wants people to know he doesnt take guff from those who crack jokes about what he does or doesnt puff. On Wednesday, CityNews Toronto asked the former Toronto mayor if hes aware about the existence of a marijuana strain named Rob Ford Kush. Advertisement Ford ducked on a straight answer, instead calling into question the news outlets authority to report current events and affairs. Sure how about Hey @CityNews did you know that 'City' and 'News' are 2 separate words? or how's it feel to have 1/4 the followers of @CP24? Rob Ford (@TorontoRobFord) January 6, 2016 The semantic slash-and-burn technique is a part of an apparent Twitter renaissance for Ford who also marked the start of 2016 with new veneers. Ford seems to be taking a page from Toronto councillor Norm Kellys book on public engagement. He continued to answer miscellaneous questions ranging from who he would like to see play him in a film adaptation about his life to reiterating his intention to run for Toronto mayor, again. Advertisement @jaybaka82 Why not me? I've already made my debut in #Toronah Rob Ford (@TorontoRobFord) January 6, 2016 .@AbTheLeafFan I'll be on the ballot running for Mayor in 2018 Rob Ford (@TorontoRobFord) January 6, 2016 To those skeptical if Ford was really the one writing the tweets behind his account, he offered a photo of him posing with Wednesdays issue of the National Post. Ford gained international notoriety with the moniker, Torontos crack-smoking mayor. He is currently undergoing a new round of chemotherapy at Torontos Mount Sinai Hospital. The Etobicoke councillor is expected to be discharged next week, his spokesperson told CP24. Advertisement In November, Ford revealed two new tumours had formed on his bladder. He was diagnosed with liposarcoma, a rare form of cancer, in 2014. Also on HuffPost "Never get high on your own supply" takes on new meaning with a new brand of weed named after Toronto politician Rob Ford. A medical marijuana shop in Toronto's Kensington Market The Canadian Compassion Dispensary has started selling "Rob Ford Kush" for $10 dollars a gram. Advertisement An employee told the Toronto Sun that the new product has several medicinal effects and is actually quite smooth. When you smoke (Rob Ford Kush), you never cough, he added. Ford, who has been undergoing chemotherapy to reduce two tumours on his bladder, admitted in 2013 to smoking marijuana. Oh, yeah, Ford said when asked if hed ever tried marijuana. I wont deny that. Ive smoked a lot of it. Advertisement Also on HuffPost News / National by Staff reporter A FIRED former member of the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), Peter Kurauwone Dube, has vowed to challenge his dismissal from work and eviction from his police camp residence after his initial application was removed from the High Court roll on a technicality late last month.Dube had sued President Robert Mugabe, Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri and Home Affairs minister Ignatius Chombo for contempt of court.In an application filed on September 28, 2015, Dube accused the trio of defying a 2010 High Court order compelling the ZRP to reinstate him pending the finalisation of his appeal against unlawful dismissal.On March 25, 2010, High Court judge, Justice Nicholas Ndou granted Dube an order under case number HC 1673/09, compelling the then Public Service Commission to reinstate him.Chihuri applied for rescission of judgment and Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Lawrence Kamocha granted the rescission application on February 16, 2011.Dube said the rescission application was granted erroneously under case number HC 78/11 before condonation under case number HC 77/11 and Chihuri was not in good standing to file the application, since the first respondent in the matter was Mugabe, not him.Following the rescission of judgment of case number HC 1673/09 through HC 78/11, Dube filed an application challenging the ruling by Justice Kamocha.The matter was set down before Justice Martin Makonese on December 17, 2015, who declined to hear the matter, saying he was not able to reverse the order granted by another judge.Dube said following removal of the case from the roll on December 21, 2015, he was evicted from his police camp residence."Next week I want to make my submissions on why I am challenging the order granted to the commissioner. He (Chihuri) is not qualified to apply in this case because he is not cited as the first respondent. He is not constitutionally in control of the commissioned officers, only the President is in control, and his application for rescission of judgment was defective," he said.Dube said only Mugabe or the Attorney-General should have made the application.He accused the respondents of misleading the court into believing that the condonation order was granted under case number 77/11 and that they had served him with the chamber application for rescission of judgment in accordance with the law when they did not. A high-profile Ontario New Democrat has publicly called for federal NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair to resign. Cheri DiNovo, a member of provincial Parliament for the riding of Parkdale-High Park, told The Toronto Star's Thomas Walkom that Mulcair is "tainted" from a disastrous federal campaign and "has to go." Advertisement DiNovo told The Star that while Mulcair is not entirely to blame for the loss, the party abandoned its principles under his leadership by moving to the centre to try to win power. She pointed to Mulcair's "balanced budget nonsense" as an example. The Huffington Post Canada has reached out to Mulcair for his reaction. A representative for DiNovo said she is out of the country and unavailable. Ontario NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo, right, is calling for federal NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair, left, to step down. (Photo: The Canadian Press) Advertisement While not well-known outside of Ontario, DiNovo is popular in Canada's biggest city where the federal NDP was shut out last October and several incumbents were ousted by Liberals. Peggy Nash, who represented DiNovo's riding federally, was defeated, as were former Toronto MPs Craig Scott, Andrew Cash, and Matthew Kellway. Ex-MP and one-time Toronto mayoral candidate Olivia Chow also lost. Mulcair courted Toronto voters during the campaign by releasing a mini-platform targeting the city and repeatedly calling Toronto the "most important city" in Canada. A day after the federal election, DiNovo rose in the Ontario legislature to pay tribute to Nash and laud her as a mentor. Nash ran against Mulcair for the NDP leadership in 2012. Change of heart DiNovo, first elected in 2006 and recently voted "Toronto's Best MPP" by NOW Magazine, told The Star last month that while her federal cousins had some "soul-searching" to do, changing "the face at the top" wouldn't cure what ails them. That all appears to have changed. Mulcair has vowed to lead his party into the 2019 election against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals and whoever is elected the new Conservative boss. But first, he must face a leadership review at his party's convention in Edmonton this April. Advertisement According to the NDP constitution, if more than 50 per cent of ballots call for a leadership election, one must be held within a year. Political convention, however, suggests leaders need much more than that to quell calls for a leadership challenge. Mulcair's 'magic number' In November 2015, Mulcair appeared on SiriusXM's "Everything Is Political," where host Evan Solomon asked him what magic number he needed. "Is it 70 per cent, 80 per cent to stay?" Solomon asked. Mulcair ducked the question, saying that the party membership has always been there for him. "I expect them to be there in April when we get together in Edmonton," he said. Solomon wrote in Maclean's magazine that some anonymous NDP MPs and officials are calling for a change at the top, and one source said Mulcair should resign if he does not receive at least 75 per cent of the vote. Some defeated NDP incumbents have also told The Huffington Post Canada's Althia Raj they place much of the blame for the election results on Mulcair. NDP MP: Mulcair deserves to lead party into 2019 But senior NDP MP Nathan Cullen told HuffPost last month that Mulcair should lead his party into the next election. Advertisement Cullen, who also ran against Mulcair for NDP leader, lauded him as an "incredibly intelligent, incredibly principled voice that bridges the French and English divide." He said Mulcair did very well during the campaign. NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair holds a news conference with Nathan Cullen. (Photo: Fred Chartrand/CP) "It's very much a mistake to throw the baby out with the bathwater, and it also isn't in our party's tradition necessarily," Cullen said. "We tend to stick with people, especially people that we respect. And there is a great deal of respect for Tom within the party." Though the NDP was considered the front-runner at the start of the campaign in August, the party saw its seat count drop to 44 from 95 after the votes were counted in October. Since then, Mulcair has pledged to lead a so-called "progressive opposition" that will hold the Trudeau government to account. Advertisement Also on HuffPost A nine-year-old California boy is dead after he was mauled by his sister's three pit bulls. Tyler Trammell-Huston was found unresponsive Sunday by his half-sister, who had left him alone for three hours while she went to work, according to Fox40. The tragedy happened in the community of Linda, Calif. Alexandria Griffin-Heady told the outlet she never thought her three dogs would attack him. "He loved them, he laid in the bed with them. He played with them. He wanted one of their puppies," she said. Advertisement "I failed him, whether it's my fault, my dogs' fault, whoever's fault. I wanted to protect him, and I wanted to give him an amazing life." Alexandria Griffin-Heady told Fox40 she "failed" her brother who was mauled to death by her dogs. Trammell-Huston's uncle Donald Thorpe told CBS Sacramento that the boy had moved in and out of foster homes after his mother died of a drug overdose, and that Griffin-Heady had been allowed to keep Tyler for weekend visits. She eventually wanted to adopt him. But he said he doesn't think that the 24-year-old was mature enough. The boy's aunt also said she thought that his sister's living conditions and dogs made it inappropriate for him to live with her. Advertisement She was trying to rescue him from the system, Laura Badeker told the Sacramento Bee. But I told everyone on the team that was supposed to be protecting Tyler that Ali was not prepared to take care of him on any level. They were warned, over and over again." But I told everyone on the team that was supposed to be protecting Tyler that Ali was not prepared to take care of him on any level. They were warned, over and over again." Investigators will decide by the end of this week whether or not to lay charges, according to the Associated Press. Griffin-Heady's lawyer told the Sacramento Bee that it was basically an accident, and that charges wouldn't make sense. The dogs, which are now in an animal shelter, will be put down if they are found to be dangerous animals, according to Yuba County Undersheriff Jerry Read. Advertisement Also on HuffPost Ryan McVay via Getty Images Young office worker sitting at desk, papers flying behind, side view I'd heard it time and time again: that Toronto is an anxious city. Sometimes ad verbatim, sometimes implied by the person who wished to remain stalwart in its cold presence. This city does that to you: hardens you up, or at the very least, causes you to adopt a sort of warpaint in the workplace. We're always expected to be "on," refreshing our inboxes, sending "Let's catch up" messages via LinkedIn, attending networking events or planning our own. We often work late into the night, even when we don't have to: hitting deadlines, chasing awards, implementing much-needed workflow and approval processes, trying to win new business, course-correcting our direct reports' (or bosses', or clients') FUBARs. Advertisement We're conditioned to act like we don't need sleep or weekends, only fleeting validation for that campaign that just hit market and a swig from the company whiskey bottle. I had never much subscribed to the notion of Toronto's permeating anxiety, however, until I returned from a much-needed trip to the beach over this past holiday break. As the plane touched down and I checked my email for the first time in six nights, I was hit with a cascade of all the feelings I'd left behind. It could have been the sheer volume of Cuban beer and questionable ceviche that I had consumed in the previous week, but I thought I was going to puke. My whole career mandate has been based on grit, resilience and the steadfast notion that I could hustle my way into and out of any situation I wanted. Shit, a few years ago I was writing music reviews and today I'm working with blue-chip brands to create integrated campaigns. No formal training other than an irrelevant BA. Just positioning and due diligence. I was Young Jeezy crossed with Braveheart crossed with that ad guy from TV (I refuse to make a Mad Men reference), I thought. That all changed at the end of 2014. I left a great job working client-side at a telco (they do exist, trust me), to assume what I could have described then as my dream role at a hot software startup. Three months in, I was subject to a department reshuffle, a resourcing audit and was subsequently put out on my ass. Company growing pains, I was told; I shouldn't take it personally. And I didn't. I still speak very highly of the company and the people I worked with there. Advertisement That event, however, set off a chain of diminishing returns, the likes of which I hadn't seen since I was trying to carve out a name for myself as a journalist. Despite my career being at an all-time high, pragmatically speaking, I couldn't get a bite off of anyone. I reworked my resume, my book, my outfit and got nothing. I sought counsel from my peers, applied the insights and got nothing. Eventually, I broadened my scope to more junior roles and have been experiencing limited success in the form of a couple short freelance contracts. Only now are things on the upswing. Still, my situation is far from sustainable. As I sit here, waiting for the phone to ring -- and it will ring, eventually -- I'm reflecting on how cut-throat this industry is, and how easy it is to be disqualified from the running for a project or role for which you or I are likely a great fit. "We continue to synthesize what we love to do with what we're paid to do, in the hopes that one day it won't really feel like work at all." I'm also thinking about how good we've gotten at not letting that faze us. Off the top of my head, some of the feedback I've received over this past year's job hunt includes: Advertisement - Portfolio not robust enough - Personality not bold enough to write copy [for a tax brand] - Not enough integrated campaign experience - Not enough digital experience - Too much digital experience - Too much content strategy experience - Not enough content strategy experience - Not enough print experience - Not enough experience writing blog posts - Too senior - Too junior - Too much freelance/contract work - Not enough dotted-line managerial experience - Not enough direct-report managerial experience - Can't code - Culture fit - Culture fit - Culture fit? - No experience working as a financial professional - No experience writing academic journal entries - Should've gone to ad school While some of these critiques are warranted (and others outright bizarre), that's a lot of criticism for anyone to carry around, and many of us deal with some version of this feedback day-to-day, year-over-year. I'm not even getting into the trial-by-fire that is client approval or chain-of-command once you actually LAND a gig. Working in marketing or advertising can be a tough career. The hours are long, the pay is usually only decent when it's coming in, the office landscape can be lawless and you're expected to play Will Munny in Unforgiven. But it can also be a pursuit of passion, which I believe is the reason many of us are where we are. And I think that's something that's applicable to any calling. We continue to synthesize what we love to do with what we're paid to do, in the hopes that one day it won't really feel like work at all. Until that day comes, I propose we cut ourselves some slack. We may not be carving peoples' brains out of their heads, but we work hard jobs. In addition to our respective skill sets, we're effectively paid to take a pounding in terms of client demands, steep competition, spec work, unpaid hours and imbalanced emotional ROI. Those losses and critiques we think we slough off are probably collecting somewhere, ready to smash us in the gut like so many pounds of raw fish cured in citrus juices, just as it did to me. Advertisement I'll save you the prescriptive banter of how to deal with workplace stresses, because a) you've probably developed your own coping mechanisms, b) that topic is readily searchable and c) I'll never write another damn listicle unless it's 150 per cent necessary, but I will try to instill a bit of parting wisdom. Work is tough and life might suck. It might continue to suck for a while, but not forever. You're doing a great job with whatever it is you're working on -- whether it's a huge pitch or mustering the determination to send out another volley of applications. Right now, there are many, many people going through the same shit as you, albeit different flavours of shit. If you suspect you might know someone who's in danger of cracking, reach out to them and commiserate. Chances are, they too need an opportunity to take off their warpaint. MORE ON HUFFPOST: Nino H. Photography via Getty Images Monument to multiculturalism - Union station In pluralistic democracies like Canada, there is rarely agreement around the definition of Canadian identity. In part this is because there are several ways to express Canadian identity. Being Canadian can mean different things to different people. Therefore, it is probably more fitting to talk about Canadian cultures and identities in the plural. As such, it's perfectly normal for there to be continued conversation about "who we are" as a people(s). Some observers insist upon the importance of defining "us" in some singular way so that newcomers know precisely into what they're being asked to integrate. Of course the process of adapting to a country so diverse as Canada makes this idea impractical. Advertisement Although the debate about who we are dates backs a few centuries, we need to go back to 1971 to comprehend the contemporary basis for this discussion. In that year, the government of Canada introduced the official multiculturalism policy. Canada was then described by Prime Minister Trudeau (Pierre-Elliot) as "multicultural within a bilingual framework" (the policy establishing English and French as our two official languages was adopted two years prior). The PM declared that Canada could have official languages but not official cultures. Although the term multiculturalism has remained broadly popular, its application has been the object of ongoing controversy. At the center of the debate is the issue of whether identities are in inevitably in conflict. That, for example, individuals must choose between their ethnic attachments and their Canadian identity. This view is rejected by the Government of Canada's as its vision of multiculturalism states that "...all citizens can keep their identities, can take pride in their ancestry, and have a sense of belonging. Acceptance gives Canadians a feeling of security and self-confidence, making them more open to, and accepting of, diverse cultures...with no pressure to assimilate and give up their culture, immigrants freely choose their new citizenship because they want to be Canadians." Several critics of multiculturalism will describe such views as naive. They see identities in zero sum terms; the more attached to country of origin or ethnic community, the less invested you will be in the "Canadian experience." Supporters of multiculturalism counter that multiple identities are inevitable and their acceptance strengthens rather than weakens attachment to Canada. Advertisement Over the past few decades there have been several efforts to provide some empirical basis for whether acknowledging multiple identities supports or detracts from our sense of belonging to the country. Analysts' preferred method for measuring identity often depends upon what stand they take in debates about multiculturalism. Multicultural supporters prefer weighing identities on a scale by asking about the level of attachment or belonging to various expressions of identity (i.e. are you very attached, somewhat attached, not very attached or not attached at all to to Canada, your province, your religion, your ethnic group, etc.). For their part, certain detractors like to structure survey questions that force respondents to choose between identities by asking that they be ranked in order of importance (i.e. which of the following is most important: your nation, province, ethnic and/or religious group). By that logic, if Jews and Muslims put their religion before their country in such a survey, they presumably offer evidence of the failure of multiculturalism even if they indicate a strong sense of attachment to Canada. Recently released data from the 2013 General Social Survey of Statistics Canada deals a rather serious blow to the critics of multiculturalism (http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/141223/dq141223b-eng.htm). Of those Canadians reporting a very strong sense of belonging to "people with same ethnic/cultural background" approximately eight in ten report a strong sense of belonging to Canada compared with just over five in ten of those reporting a weak sense of belonging to "people with same ethnic/cultural background" reporting a strong sense of belonging. It's worth noting those immigrants and the Canadian born population surveyed report similar levels of belonging to Canada while possessing a very strong sense of belonging to "people with the same ethnic/cultural background" With relatively limited data to back their view, critics of multiculturalism point to unacceptable acts committed by individuals identifying with specific groups as proof positive that Canadian multiculturalism is a serious problem. Too often the criticism is reduced to so-called evidence that is little more than some combination of generalizations, stereotypes, anecdotes, and assumptions. The net outcome is to undercut an otherwise legitimate debate about the role of governments in support of identities. CP Ujjal Dosanjh wants to empower me to speak out. To quote Vancouver journalist Ian Young, forgive me if I don't kow-tow in gratitude. Dosanjh, a former cabinet minister and B.C. premier, published a lengthy screed on his personal blog this weekend. Titled "The silencing of the white men of the West!," it bemoaned the diminishing place of white men in the national conversation. White men are living under "fear of rebuke from the enforcers of fear," Dosanjh theorized, adding that the country is lacking an "honest debate about the state of equality, race, culture and the place and space for religion and other languages in Canada." Advertisement The piece was shared widely after it was picked up by The National Post and The Huffington Post. But to be frank, even the most aggrieved white men shouldn't thank Dosanjh for a slapdash piece that was wrong from top to bottom. Syrian refugees His first example was Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and her assertion that we "can't [allow] security to mask racism" when it comes to the Syrian refugee issue. Dosanjh assumed she was trying to silence honest debate. But Wynne's remarks more likely emerged from frustration with vague concerns about "security" that have a slim basis in facts. Canadians have oft used "security" as a counter to the plan to welcome 25,000 refugees fleeing the Syrian civil war. It's a concern that was fuelled, in part, by the Paris attacks. Advertisement Dosanjh also raised the issue of Chinese signage in the Vancouver suburb of Richmond, where I live. He claimed that the city council failed to show leadership as signs with Chinese writing -- and with little or no English on them -- proliferated in the city. This issue has persisted since 2014, when a retiring councillor raised concern about seeing a real estate sign with no English on it in her neighbourhood. There has since been a campaign for a bylaw requiring English on all city signs -- and it's fed a broader, and sometimes ugly, debate about how much English should be present in a predominantly Chinese community. Rather than failing to lead, the city has tackled the issue at length. It obtained a legal opinion informing them that any bylaw requiring English on signs could violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Advertisement So instead, it passed a motion directing staff to encourage businesses to display English on their signs, and even posted a full-time job to make it happen. Surely Dosanjh, a lawyer, isn't suggesting that the city show leadership by violating the Charter? Foreign ownership Dosanjh's views on foreign ownership of Vancouver real estate is curious, because his evidence for the silencing of white men here is ongoing and widely discussed research by a Chinese man. Last year, Vancouver urban planner Andy Yan released a study that tried to pinpoint ownership data for some of Vancouver's most expensive areas. It was an attempt to provide research that governments have steadfastly refused to do across the country. The study examined buyers' names and found that 66 per cent of them had non-Anglicized Chinese names, suggesting they were recent arrivals, and that the money to buy property had come from outside Canada. As far as I can tell, a robust debate about Vancouver's future is happening here, with contributions from white and non-white people alike. Yan's work did draw concerns about prejudice from Vancouver's mayor ("this can't be about race," he said). But it also led to robust commentary. Vancouver MLA David Eby used Yan's study to support his argument that the province wasn't doing enough to monitor what could be a major factor in Vancouver's rising home prices. As far as I can tell, a robust debate about Vancouver's future is happening here, with contributions from white and non-white people alike. Where Ujjal is coming from Dosanjh has been a part of my life since I was a child. He was my MLA when I lived in East Vancouver, and he was my premier, and later a federal cabinet minister. He is broadly concerned that people aren't speaking up about important issues for fear of being branded a racist. And it's not hard to see where he's coming from. Advertisement Before entering politics, Dosanjh developed a reputation as an outspoken lawyer known for calling out extremism within the Sikh community. His advocacy resulted in him being horribly beaten with a lead pipe in the parking lot of his law office in 1985. A member of the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF), a banned terrorist group, was later charged with the crime. In 2007, he criticized the presence of ISYF logos at a Vaisakhi parade in Surrey. It was a touchy story for journalists who drew accusations of racism simply for reporting on it. Dosanjh's opinions around extremism have been controversial. But they have had strong foundation, and last year, they led to a courage award. Advertisement But that's more than can be said of his feelings about white men and their place in a debate about Canada's future. His thesis simply doesn't hold up -- and it ignores the valuable contributions being made by non-white commentators. New voices Take the Chinese sign issue, for example. One of the most prominent spokespeople on it has been Alexa Loo, a member of Richmond council -- and a woman of mixed Chinese heritage. She told CBC News that Chinese-only signs were "ridiculous," and offered insight as to why English wasn't appearing. These are insights that a white man couldn't possibly offer and be taken seriously. It's the same thing with the issue of foreign ownership. Chinese perspectives offer insight into trends that could be hurting affordability. In other words, an honest debate is being had about the Canada we want to be ... and more people than just white men are advancing that conversation. Advertisement White people have long enjoyed a strong platform to influence Canada. They still do, if the country's roster of newspaper commentators is any indication. "Say: She is Allah, She is One, She is Eternal She begets not nor is She begotten And there is none equal unto Her." -The Holy Quran: Surah Ikhlas (Absoluteness), 112 The above verse defines the Omnipotence of God in Islam. Emphasizing, as per its title the concept of Absoluteness, the verse lays the framework for "Tawhid" or the Oneness of Allah. It is that Oneness that gives Allah power. It is that Oneness that connects us as a single humanity. It is that Oneness that serves as a reminder that -- before God -- every individual is simply a speck in a vast and humbling universe. Advertisement It puts the enormity of our problems into perspective. It makes us check our ego at the door. It serves as a reminder that we humans are not that different from one another, having all originated from One God, who resides inside each of us, while remaining in existence far beyond our wildest imagination. Traditionally acknowledged by all Islamic schools of thought as being beyond gender, Allah is regarded as encompassing both masculine and feminine characteristics. Nonetheless, in contradiction of this concept, the vast majority of Muslims now refer to Allah by the masculine pronoun of "He" without reservation and in the Quran the pronoun "She" is never mentioned. Surah Ikhlas is no different. By altering tradition -- and amending the translation from the (now) traditional "He" to "She" -- does the collective consciousness of the Ummah shift? Advertisement Do we authentically reclaim The Divine Feminine inside Allah that was acknowledged 1400 years ago? Do we eliminate the neo-patriarchal paradigm that infects the Islam of our "modern" era? In practice, today calling Allah "She" is considered a subversive and radical act, leaving the most privileged adherents of our faith gasping for breath and madly in search of a patriarchal leg to stand on. I witnessed the phenomenon unfold for the first time at an interfaith gathering on Feminism and Faith. After I suggested we Muslims may refer to Allah as "She" I heard a frightened, young Muslim man yell, "No!" - interrupting my talk. It was not a surprise. Before I had begun, he had questioned my legitimacy in speaking at all. Why not? I am a woman and we are normally silenced in patriarchal religious systems most often by the questioning of our credentials, which are only available to men in the first place. Now he said -- "We must not change the words of the Holy Book! You are changing the Arabic. Do you even know Arabic sister?!" I smiled. An elderly woman, a Christian, defended me, "if she wants to call Aaa-llah 'She' -- you let her and keep quiet!" Advertisement He turned to the other Arab-speaking Muslim in the room, a young PhD student who, unbeknownst to him, had acted as volunteer imam to lead one of our inclusive, lgbtq-affirming, mixed gender prayers. "Z. -- you know Arabic -- tell her." The young female imam turned around to face him. Her white hijab encapsulated every strand of her long wavy hair and she said, "I know Arabic and she can call Allah 'She'". Outnumbered by female dissenters, he retreated. We were not at the traditional mosque but at a party space in a pub in downtown Ottawa. An older man spoke up. "Well in Hinduism there are many goddesses. Everyone knows they are female. And they scare the crap out of everyone equally. This is not a problem." Everyone laughed. While the young Muslim man that day was correct when he said that the Quran exclusively contains the pronoun "He" in referring to Allah, it is also held by some Islamic scholars that this was not the case originally. Advertisement Fortunately, what the Quran has not lost in HIStory is the key to an all-gendered Allah, which lies in Her/His 99 names. These names, in the original Arabic, vary by gender. Most significant in this regard is Allah as Al Dhaat, or The Essence. The Essence composes Allah. And The Essence is Feminine. And this is not a new notion. In fact, it was the great 12th century Islamic philosopher, Ibn al- 'Arabi, who said, "I sometimes employ the feminine pronoun in addressing Allah, keeping in view The Essence, Al Dhaat." Also important are the two most highly prominent names of the 99 names of Allah. They are Al Rahman and Al Raheem and they refer to God as The Merciful and The Compassionate. They are mentioned often -- at the start of virtually each Surah or chapter of the Quran. They are also recited at the commencement of every daily prayer. Advertisement Where, when, and the frequency at which they arise shows evidence of the preamble we must follow in interpreting the scripture and perhaps the qualities we must remember when we think of God. The qualities -- Mercy and Compassion -- form the lens from which the rest of the scripture must be read and our intentions must be formed. They are the conscience of the Quran and inhabit the mosques that reside in all of our hearts. And the repeated remembrance that Allah is The Merciful and The Compassionate leaves us to self-reflect as an Ummah on the most critical question of our era: Does The Merciful and The Compassionate, Allah, actually order the prescriptions for humanity that the cruel clerics of our day now demand? Groundbreaking is that Al Rahman and Al Raheem directly emanate from The Divine Feminine. Why? Because, it is from the root of these words, Al Rahman and Al Raheem, that we discover a direct correlation to The Divine Feminine specifically from the word, "rhm" which means the "womb." The connection correlates what is uniquely feminine -- the womb -- to The Divine Feminine. It follows that the conscience of the Quran, Mercy and Compassion, illustrate Allah as The Divine Mother. The imagery is profound considering that returning to the womb is humanity's most common dream. It is from inside Allah The Goddess -- Al-Dhaat, Al Rahman, Al Raheem -- that The Patriarchal Allah of the clerics (who supposedly demand blood atonement and war) are relegated to myth. Advertisement Allah, The Divine Mother, bears the universe and all of humanity. Her most profound role reminds us of Her ultimate safety and unconditional, infinite love. After all, no Muslim forgets the sanctity that embodies the verse of the Quran we turn to traditionally during trials and tribulation: "from Allah we come, to Allah we return." What do we need more in our era? From Her we come. To Her we return. Inshallah. Remember in Big Yellow Taxi, when the legendary Joni Mitchell sang, "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot"? If not, you may recall Counting Crows crooning the same sentiment years later in a not-particularly-inspired cover version. (Ugh.) Anyhow, the song is about tearing down nice things to put up crappy things. Such occurrences take place every day here in Canada, prompting us to shrug our shoulders and mutter something to effect of, "Well, that's progress, I guess." Advertisement But here's the intriguing part: progress doesn't always have to be destructive. A while back, when I lived in downtown Toronto, a curious thing happened. Curious because it was literally the opposite of what Mama Joni referenced in her iconic folk ditty. There was an ugly old parking lot at the bottom of my street. And one day, the city decided to level half that lot and convert it into a parkette. Trees, grass, shrubbery -- even a drinking fountain for the neighbourhood's dogs. They named it Norman Jewison Park, after the iconic film director and producer. It was -- and still is -- pretty darn beautiful. And unexpected too, given that major cities rarely -- if ever -- convert valuable downtown real estate into things that don't generate revenue. (Hence why roughly 80,000,000 condo buildings have sprung up in Toronto over the past decade.) I now live in Los Angeles, where a couple of years ago I moved into a building that backed onto a similar-sized park. Pretty sweet deal for a nature-loving urbanite like myself. Unfortunately, the park was boarded up a few months ago. You know, because of 'progress.' I envisioned all sorts of monstrosities that would eventually take its place. A strip mall. A neighbouring rental structure. Or yep, even a dreaded parking lot. Advertisement When the dust eventually cleared and the bulldozers sputtered along their merry way, the 'progress' revealed itself. A new, better park. Much better, actually: benches, plants, paths, fresh grass, and outdoor exercise equipment for the community. All a mere block away from one of the most famous corners in the world, where the TCL Chinese Theater meets the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A valuable real estate area? You betcha. And yet a local park somehow got upgraded to local park 2.0. Let's do some math. In New York City -- which boasts some of the costliest real estate on the planet -- the average price per square foot of property comes in around $1455. There are 27,878,400 square feet in a square mile, and NYC's historic Central Park clocks in at 1.317 square miles. Which by my calculations places the park's value at $55,611,971,130. You know, give or take. That's a buttload of cash to be sure. But here's the thing: Central Park will never be plowed over for condos and parking lots and assorted Walmarts. Why? Because decades ago, long before climate change, air pollution, and overpopulation were tent pole issues, New York rustled up an unprecedented amount of foresight by choosing to legally protect it. Kind of impressive, no? moodboard via Getty Images Teacher Explaining Something to Students In 2004, Ontario's Ministry of Education conducted research into common needs across its 72 school boards. Based on this needs assessment and the results from a pilot program, in 2011 the Ministry awarded a $4 million contract for a province-wide Learning Management System (LMS). In 2016, the Ministry will award another multi-million dollar contract, based on needs identified more than a decade ago. Here's a list of things that didn't exist in 2004: Barack Obama's presidency or Justin Trudeau's political career; Justin Bieber's rise, fall, and attempted comeback; the iPhone, Facebook, or Uber. The needs identified in 2004 have likewise changed in the past decade. Two major needs that were identified across Ontario's 72 school boards were the unequal access to e-learning, and duplication of effort. A provincially licensed LMS was the most cost-effective way to meet these needs in 2004. But today's reality is different and an LMS is no longer the right solution. Advertisement Old school thinking in a new edtech market Access to e-learning solutions is less pressing today than ever. More schools, teachers, and students have access to the internet: 96 per cent of Ontario schools report having internet access in classrooms in 2014 (up from 12% in 2005), and close to 60 per cent of students have access on their own devices. Education technology has investor interest, with 2015 US investment alone at $1.85 billion USD. More than ever, there is choice in the market. Every product segment of education technology is exploding with well-funded competition, and many of them offer free solutions for teachers. There are even free, lightweight options like Google Apps for Education and Microsoft's Office 365 suite that provide most of an LMSs functionality, raising more questions about the need for a province-wide solution. In this nascent market, backing in a one-size-fits-all solution rather than letting teachers and school boards make the best choices kills competition and stifles innovation. Advertisement Satisfaction not guaranteed A second argument for investing in a provincial LMS is reducing duplicated effort and spending across school boards. Results from the last time the province awarded a $4 million LMS contract in 2011 suggest that this hasn't actually happened. Teachers across the province routinely complain about how difficult-to-use Desire2Learn (the existing LMS) can be, and are constantly looking for lightweight apps to replace specific functions (I should admit that my company, Edusight, has been a beneficiary of this trend). In fact, most districts actually pay for LMS solutions in addition to D2L because their needs aren't being met. An LMS is supposed to be a single, blanket solution that can do everything from calendars to forums and communication tools to quizzes -- a miracle solution. Unfortunately for LMSes, much better individual tools exist for each of these functions. Google Apps for Education or Office 365 (one of which most school boards have adopted) both provide more robust calendar functionality. Mobile communication tools like Remind (used by 1 in 3 K-12 schools in the US and growing fast in Canada) have rendered the need for old school posts on LMS forums obsolete. Quiz and polling apps like Socrative provide students and teachers with instant feedback and insights in the classroom. Best of all, switching across all these different apps is a workflow teachers, students, and parents are now used to -- it's how we use our phones for everything else in our daily lives. The jury is still out on whether LMSs are effective. A 2014 study shows that administrators think their faculties are far more satisfied with LMSs than they actually are (85 per cent expected satisfaction rating vs. 60-65 per cent actual satisfaction rating). A quick look online and you'll find no shortage of vocal dissatisfaction with every LMS provider under the sun, from teachers, students, and even administrators. Advertisement Let's end one-size-fits-all thinking in education So let's recap. Ontario is about to spend $4 million on a one-size-fits-all solution for problems identified in 2004; on a solution that has tons of free and cheap alternatives in the market, doesn't really reduce costs or duplication, and is arguably ineffective for teachers. Instead, let's allow school boards to make their own choices in the market. The needs of students and teachers in Thunder Bay differ from those in Oakville -- we should allow each of those boards to choose the solutions that best fit their needs from a very active market. That $4 million could be better spent increasing funding at the board level, whether that's to buy an LMS or to solve more pressing infrastructure challenges like getting 100 per cent internet access in schools. Ontario has an ambitious and progressive vision for education, one that shifts the focus away from grades and standardized tests to more holistic assessment of student learning. Achieving this kind of bold education reform takes courage and long-term thinking. Let's leave behind old world approaches that favour cost-cutting and efficiency over innovation. Let's incentivize new solutions that can move us forward towards achieving this vision for education in Ontario. News / National by Stephen Jakes A array of assumptions have been made that the current serious drought rocking Zimbabwe is due to first lady Grace Mugabe's tarried verbal attacks to the people, un appeased spirits of the Gukurahundi and 2008 violence victims and Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko's boot licking of President Robert Mugabe in the issue of Gukurahundi atrocities.MDC-T senior official Job Sikhala said rains are refusing to come and there is despair everywhere."God seems to be angry. Unprecedented hunger seems to be staring right into our faces. It's now January approaching mid month," . No drop at all. Many theories are being thrown around. The main one which everyone is whispering is about Itai Dzamara 's abduction and his subsequent non traceable fate. Others are pointing fingures to Grace Mugabe's sojourn throughout the country where she is throwing obscenities to anyone suspected of being his enemy," he said."Others talk about the blood that has been spilled against innocent civilians during Gukurahundi that Mphoko's boot licking utterances has angered the spirit of the dead who have not been appeased."He said others pinpoint to the blood of those who were killed in June 2008."Many allege that the country is cursed through the leadership that does not fear God. Industries have collapsed. No one has a job to dream of. Those at work can not be paid. Government can not pay it's own workers. Everyone is confronted with multifarious problems. Everyone is angry. Those trying to express their disdain are attacked and left for dead. Everything is collapsing around us. How should we deal with this mountain of problems," he said. A shadow minister once sacked by Ed Miliband for "mocking" a St George Cross flag was made Shadow Defence secretary on Tuesday, part of the ongoing Labour reshuffle that has already claimed the cabinet positions of Pat McFadden and Michael Dugher. Emily Thornberry outside Portcullis House, London Islington MP Emily Thornberry replaces Maria Eagle on defence brief, a move that solidifies Jeremy Corbyn's anti-Trident position within his own cabinet. Thornberry is not an advocate for the renewal of Britain's nuclear deterrence, unlike her predecessor. Advertisement Eagle has been moved to culture secretary. Hillary Benn, who was rumoured to be facing the sack, has remained as shadow foreign secretary. After more than 30 hours of bitter infighting, Labour sources also revealed Europe spokesman Pat McFadden would leave the shadow cabinet, replaced by Pat Glass. McFadden was axed for criticising Corbyn's response to the Paris terror attacks. Thornberry gained notoriety in 2014 after she was accused of "utter contempt" for the working class by tweeting a mocking picture of a St George Cross flag on a Rochester home, just hours before polls closes in the Rochester and Strood by-election. Advertisement Miliband was reportedly "angrier than he has ever been" over the tweet, sacking the Islington MP after a series of conversations. Labours new Shadow Cabinet: Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn MP Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Party Chair and Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office Tom Watson MP Shadow First Secretary of State, Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Angela Eagle MP Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer John McDonnell MP Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Seema Malhotra MP Shadow Home Secretary Andy Burnham MP Shadow Foreign Secretary Hilary Benn MP Opposition Chief Whip Rosie Winterton MP Shadow Secretary of State for Health Heidi Alexander MP Shadow Secretary of State for Education Lucy Powell MP Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Owen Smith MP Shadow Secretary of State for Defence Emily Thornberry MP Shadow Lord Chancellor, Shadow Secretary of State for Justice Lord Falconer of Thoroton Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, ShadowMinister for the Constitutional Convention Jon Trickett MP Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Lisa Nandy MP Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Chris Bryant MP Shadow Secretary of State for Transport Lilian Greenwood MP Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Vernon Coaker MP Shadow Secretary of State for International Development Diane Abbott MP Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland Ian Murray MP Shadow Secretary of State for Wales Nia Griffith MP Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Kerry McCarthy MP Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities Kate Green MP Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Maria Eagle MP Shadow Minister for Young People and Voter Registration Gloria De Piero MP Shadow Minister for Mental Health Luciana Berger MP Shadow Leader of the House of Lords Baroness Smith of Basildon Lords Chief Whip Lord Bassam of Brighton Shadow Attorney General Catherine McKinnell MP Shadow Minister without Portfolio Jonathan Ashworth MP Shadow Minister for Housing and Planning File photo dated 17/10/2015 of demonstrators listen to speeches in Waterloo Place during the 'Let's Save the NHS' rally and protest march by junior doctors in London. Anthony Devlin/PA Wire Figures showing more than a third of prospective medicine students have been put off the subject due to the government's treatment of junior doctors have been hailed a "disaster" for the NHS. According to a poll from student discussion forum the Student Room, 37% say they will no longer study medicine thanks to the ongoing battle between health secretary Jeremy Hunt and doctors union the British Medical Association (BMA) over working conditions. Advertisement Dr Aaron Borbora, deputy chair of the BMA Junior Doctors' Committee, said the figures could be disastrous if young people are deterred from pursuing a career in medicine. "These figures reveal a worrying trend and should serve as a serious wake-up call to government," he said. "We need to ensure that the vital contribution junior doctors make is reflected through a fair and safe contract. Medicine is a difficult but also incredibly rewarding career. "It would be a disaster for the NHS if the next generation of doctors, having seen how junior doctors are currently being treated, are deterred from entering the profession." Advertisement Hunt wants to decrease the number of hours during the working week which are classed as "unsociable" by 25%, meaning doctors will receive lower pay for working outside their traditional "normal" hours of nine to five. Medics are likely to find themselves working more weekends, which, under the new contract, will no longer mean extra pay. As a result, many junior doctors are planning to strike. On a discussion thread on the Student Room platform, one youth said the recent treatment of junior doctors had put them off the profession. Writing under the name "Professor Oak", they said: "It would definitely put me off. Sounds so tough to be a junior doctor. There are easier options to get paid more if you're getting great grades unfortunately." Advertisement A woman holds a placard during the 'Let's Save the NHS' rally and protest march by junior doctors in London However another insisted they were still determined to pursue a career in medicine. "My GP said that current junior doctors have it way better than he did when he graduated years back," user kdizzle97 wrote. "I guess with this in mind, I'd still want to do it." Students who are already at university studying medicine recently spoke out against Hunt's proposals, saying they would affect the welfare of doctors, which should be a priority. Massimo, a third year medic at Oxford University said: "Jeremy Hunt is trying to push for a seven day NHS, but he's forgetting the fact that doctors work seven days a week, 24 hours a day." Second year student Akila added: "We're going to be overtired and overworked. We have patients' lives in our hands and it's a lot more dangerous." Advertisement Jack Wallington, community director of the Student Room, which questioned the 1,543 students, said: With so many students put off of studying medicine, it signals a huge setback for the future NHS and will be of great concern to the wider public. "The message being sent to our youth today is why bother" with medicine, as over a third of our brightest students now look to other, better compensated careers, reducing our pool of talent within healthcare significantly. "[The public's] quality of healthcare looks set to reduce right at the time we face our greatest healthcare challenge in the history of the UK: an enormously top-heavy ageing population." An investigation by the BBC recently found large numbers of GP surgeries in England have stopped taking on new patients as they are at "breaking point", thanks to being unable to fill staff vacancies. Dr Chaand Nagpul, chairman of the BMA's GP committee, said practices were struggling to recruit new doctors. Advertisement "GP services are reaching breaking point as they struggle to cope with rising patient demand, falling resources and a shortage of GPs." Wallington added: "[The Student Room's] latest data signals an alarming warning of an impending skills shortage in medicine, and places further questions over the future of the NHS." In a statement addressing the strikes, Hunt said: "Our absolute priority is patient safety and making sure that the NHS delivers high-quality care seven days a week and we know that's what doctors want too, so it is extremely disappointing that the BMA have chosen to take industrial action which helps no one. "We had made good progress in talks, resolving 15 of the 16 issues put forward by the union everything apart from weekend pay. "We have now asked Acas to reconvene talks in the hope the BMA will return to sensible negotiations." Advertisement A Department of Health spokesperson said: Medicine remains an attractive option for prospective students. Our contract offer to the BMA will mean a basic pay rise, safer hours and working arrangements and better training. A picture released from the country's news agency KCNA claimed to show the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un "signing" an order for hydrogen bomb test. North Korea said on Wednesday morning it had conducted a "successful hydrogen bomb test." The announcement, made on North Korean state TV, comes two days before the leader's birthday. Advertisement But a South Korean spy agency has said that it believes North Korea may have tested a less powerful A-bomb, not an H-bomb. A picture released by state media shows dictator Kim Jong-un signing the order for the 'hydrogen bomb' test Earlier, South Korean officials said they had recorded an artificial earthquake," the epicenter close to a site previously used by the North Koreans for nuclear testing. The blast registered a 5.1 magnitude. Advertisement The government in Seoul reacted by calling an emergency meeting, according to local news agencies. An official from South Korea's weather agency said the tremor originated 30 miles north of Kilju, the home of the country's nuclear test site. All three of Pyongyangs previous atomic detonations were tested in that region. The hermetic state's last nuclear test was in 2013, with the regime's stated aim of creating a warhead small enough to place on a missile capable of reaching the North American continent. North Korea is currently under US and UN sanctions for its nuclear weapons programme. The country boasts a few crude nuclear weapons, however if confirmed this fourth test could mark another step forward for the regime's fledgling nuclear programme. Speaking to The Washington Post, former US diplomat and North Korea specialist Joel Wit said: If this was the fourth North Korean nuclear test, its exact purpose whether to develop smaller nuclear warheads for missiles or higher-yield bombs remains unclear. Advertisement A North Korean woman speaks about the 'hydrogen bomb test' during a broadcast aired on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. "What is clear is that North Korea is moving forward with its nuclear weapons program and that the United States, China and the international community need to come up with more effective ways to deal with this growing threat, he added. A Japan government spokesman said there was a "possibility" there had been a nuclear test. The country's Chief Cabinet Secretary said its Government Meteorological Agency had observed the earthquake, and had been "collecting information to see that there is the possibility of a nuclear test based on the past cases." The white wedding dress may dominate bridal style in the Western world, but that doesn't mean it's the status quo everywhere. These stunning gowns from across Asia will dramatically change the way you think brides should dress, thanks to this new video from BuzzFeed. Advertisement Pastel colours are the most common for Thai wedding dresses. Green is a popular choice for those of Islamic faith (due to its associations with paradise), and in Vietnam red is thought to bring good luck to the couple. Indian dresses are traditionally midriff bearing styles, and in Korea outfits are often custom made so no two brides dress exactly alike. Watch the fascinating video above to get some serious wedding inspiration. Children had to be rescued from a school bus submerged in flood water after the driver allegedly ignored a road closure sign. North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue shared the photo below on Twitter after helping 26 children off the bus near Newton-on-Ouse, North Yorkshire, just after 8am on Tuesday 5 January. Advertisement We have been called to video the route this driver took through the road closed signs! pic.twitter.com/SdarHwxaKq NYPFCIU (@NYPFCIU) January 5, 2016 The children had been travelling to Easingwold School, when the bus became stuck. Lots of them phoned the emergency services from the bus and some smashed a window before the firefighters arrived. One of the pupils on the bus, Grace Abbott, 15, told The York Press: "We felt the bus tilt and that's when water started gushing through the bus. "Everyone ran across to the other side of the bus to stop us capsizing and tipping over." None of the children were injured in the incident. Headteacher Phil Benaiges told the BBC: "A number of students were brought into school but most went home with their parents to get warm and dry. Advertisement "Some were upset and all were cold and wet." North Yorkshire County Council said the bus driver drove past a road closure sign and the incident will be fully investigated. The bus operator, Stephenson's of Easingwold, apologised and said it was carrying out a detailed investigation. A written statement from the company to the York Press stated: "We express our sincere apologies to the children who were on the service this morning as well as to their families for this unfortunate incident. A new video of so-called Islamic State's "jihadi university" shows technicians for the group testing driverless car bombs and modifying surface-to-air missiles, in footage which has left British weapons experts shocked at the terror group's capability. The report by Sky News reveals the IS can potentially recommission thousands of missiles that Western governments assumed had become redundant through old age. Advertisement Weapons experts are said to have been left shocked by the capabilities of scientists from a "jihadi university" in Raqqa, Syria, IS' de facto capital. The organisation, also known as Isis, Isil or Daesh, is apparently able to produce fully-working remote controlled cars to act as mobile bombs. A still from the footage of the driverless car Footage obtained by Sky shows IS is able to produce home-made thermal batteries for surface-to-air missiles, something that had been considered virtually impossible for terror groups working without a military infrastructure. Advertisement To bypass sophisticated scanning machines that protect Western military and government buildings, the cars are fitted with drivers, mannequins with self-regulating thermostats to produce human heat signatures. The Free Syrian Army (FSA) passed on the footage of more than eight hours of unedited training videos after taking it from an IS trainer who was captured as he headed through Turkey towards Europe. A missile The material has been described as an intelligence "gold mine" by a British military adviser. Major Chris Hunter, a former bomb technician in the special forces, told Sky News he was shocked at some of the developments revealed in the videos. He said: "I think this is one of the most significant intelligence finds in terms of Daesh (IS). What we've seen with their typical propaganda videos is they're very, very high quality. Advertisement "They're designed, they're produced to inspire people and prospectively touch the nerves of anybody who is viewing them; they're done in a very specific way. "With this training footage, it's very clearly purely designed to pass on information - to pass on the progress in the research and development areas - and it gives us a very good insight into where they are now, what they're aspiring to do and crucially the diversity of the types of threats we might face. "So I would say it's an intel gold mine." In one of the videos a man speaking Russian walks through a store containing explosive materials including improvised missiles and TNT, the Press Association reports. An IS defector further told the broadcaster that a top secret training programme was known about in his home town of Raqqa. He added that the programme was designed for attacks in Europe and further afield. Advertisement A jihadi college training foreign fighters to fight in other countries, while developing missiles to continue the war in Syria, was suspected but never seen. It is believed this is the first evidence of the existence of such a training facility, and that groups of trainees from a range of countries including Syria, Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, Tunisia, Egypt and Pakistan were given terror training courses using science labs and facilities based around the former Equestrian Centre in Raqqa. Responding to the report, a Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "Daesh will use all measures at their disposal to cause harm, and Britain will never be cowed by such terrorists. John Shearer/Invision/AP Kate Hudson, left, and Lupita Nyong'o arrive at the 72nd annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2015, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP) In recent years various anti-sexism campaigns have encouraged journalists to ask female actors about their work not just their clothing - as they would male actors. Filmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom's #AskHerMore and Amy Poehler's #AskSmartGirls picked up some serious steam on social media last year. Advertisement Now, L'Oreal Paris is keeping the discussion alive by launching its #WorthSaying campaign in line with the Golden Globes on Sunday. "The #WorthSaying campaign is rooted in the brand's iconic tagline, 'Because You're Worth It,' and the belief that all women have something worthy to say," Karen Fondu, president of L'Oreal Paris told AdWeek. "We recognise the importance to fuel the powerful words of women everywhere so their conversations reach, affect and inspire as many other women as possible." Advertisement A campaign image due to appear in the Hollywood Reporter L'Oreal Paris' celebrity brand ambassadors Julianne Moore, Freida Pinto and Eva Longoria will be promoting the campaign on their social media channels on Sunday night. An online video and TV ad campaign are also due to be released. According to Fondu the hashtag is intended to go "beyond beauty" by encouraging women on and off the red carpet to share something they truly believe is worth saying. She admitted the concept may not seem like an obvious choice for a brand whose business primarily focusses on aesthetics, but she believes feminism and beauty can co-exist harmoniously. She said: "We believe the two can live synergistically together because we know that when women feel their best, they can achieve anything." Campaigns to end red carpet sexism have been popular with famous faces in the past with Reese Witherspoon, Patricia Arquette and Julianne Moore previously showing their support for the #AskHerMore campaign. Advertisement Let's hope that by 2017 we no longer need these hashtags in the first place. The Mayor of Cologne is facing criticism after saying women should adopt a "code of conduct" to prevent future sexual assaults in the city. Henriette Reker made a speech on Tuesday after around 1,000 men took over an area in an "organised" mass attack on New Years Eve. About 90 women made complaints to police, many relating to sexual assault and one woman said she was raped. Advertisement In her first public appearance since the incident, Reker instructed women on how they could protect themselves. The proposed code of conduct included telling women to stay in groups, not be separated, always try and keep their distance and always stay an arms length away from strangers. Theres always the possibility of keeping a certain distance of more than an arms length that is to say to make sure yourself you dont look to be too close to people who are not known to you, and to whom you dont have a trusting relationship," she said. She also advised women to not be in a celebratory mood. Social media users across the world slammed Reker's remarks, with some branding her comments as "victim blaming". Her comments saw the hashtag #einarmlaenge (an arms length) trend in Germany, while in the UK, the founder of the Women's Equality Party spoke out about the issue: Cologne's female mayor: women must "maintain arm's length distance to strangers". Everything about this depresses https://t.co/8qkrawHnmj Catherine Mayer (@catherine_mayer) January 5, 2016 Whilst other Twitter users followed suit: Mayor of #cologne already victim blaming. If the German govt had any guts they'd deport the lot tomorrow https://t.co/dun3DESp6F Lee Laborczfalvi (@laborcz) January 5, 2016 How about a code of conduct for the men? "1. Don't assault women. 2. See point 1." https://t.co/gXsbtHhGIq fleetstreetfox (@fleetstreetfox) January 6, 2016 Advertisement Any feminist who doesn't condemn this has zero credibility #Colognepic.twitter.com/3lS6Rgp9Br Alexis In NH (@AlexisinNH) January 6, 2016 Unbelievable. Cologne Mayor reacts to migrant mass sexual assault by giving guidance to young German women on proper dress & behaviour A Libertarian Rebel (@A_Liberty_Rebel) January 5, 2016 The Guardian reported that the mayor had reacted with surprise to the initial question and her struggle for an answer could have demonstrated that she was caught off guard. Meanwhile a British woman who was visiting Cologne, and involved in the attacks, described the scenes. She told the BBC: "They were trying to hug us, kiss us. One man stole my friend's bag. "Another tried to get us into his 'private taxi'. I've been in scary and even life-threatening situations and I've never experienced anything like that." Advertisement Police across the city are still searching for the perpetrators of the attack. The men involved in the attack were described as drunk and aggressive and largely of Arab or North African appearance, by police. City police chief Wolfgang Albers described the incident as a completely new dimension of crime. Nigel Farage's recollection of the moment he feared assassination has been disputed by French mechanics, whom the Ukip leader suggested confirmed his car had been "sabotaged". Farage had originally told how his vehicle careered off a motorway in France, and that several wheel nuts were found to be loose upon inspection afterwards. He described how he was forced to stop after losing control, fleeing the car and darting over a barrier to avoid oncoming traffic. Advertisement Farage alleged in the Mail on Sunday that mechanics told him they had never seen the bolts on all four of the car's wheels come loose in such a way before, and were "absolutely certain of foul play". Nigel Farage made no formal report after the motorway incident The paper quoted him as saying: "The French police looked at it and said that sometimes nuts on one wheel can come a bit loose - but not on all four. "The French police and mechanics looked at it but I have made no formal complaint. The mechanics were absolutely certain of [foul play] but I have decided to take no further action." Advertisement He told the paper he had received death threats in the past but, when asked who he thought might be responsible, said: "I haven't got a clue. Quite frankly, the way my life's been over the past two and a half years, nothing surprises me." But the mechanics who say they fixed Farage's car and the prosecutor who would have headed any investigation into the incident, were quoted today saying that they never told the MEP they suspected the car had been deliberately tampered with. Story continues below Nigel Farage memorabilia See gallery Speaking to French newspaper Liberation, Philip Marquis, owner of the garage that fixed Farage's Volvo, said it wasn't until they reached his garage that they noticed the nuts were loose. While Marquis admitted he had "never seen anything like it", the man asserted that the nuts had probably just been wrongly screwed on after another repair, ruling out any suggestion of foul play. The reason he was adamant Farage was not told about any sabotage attempt was because neither he nor any other garage worker spoke English, saying: "We had to talk in sign language." Advertisement Farage claimed he had not asked police to pursue any investigations because he didn't want to "make anything of it". But the Dunkirk prosecutor who would have led any such inquiry rebutted the claims, telling Liberation: "If they had noticed a sabotage, they would have had to open an investigation." Under law in France, the prosecutor would have been compelled to open an investigation even if Farage did not ask for one. Responding to the new claims on Wednesday, Ukip's frontman reiterated a previous statement in which he said he had "no desire for this story [of his road incident] to come out". Advertisement "I never mentioned any mechanic. As far as I'm concerned, this is a dead story," he said. The news comes after LBC host James O'Brien floated another innocent suggestion that could explain why Farage's car's wheels fell off. News / National by Stephen Jakes A private security company jointly owned by Zimbabwe Defence Forces and a consortium of retired high ranking military officers reportedly embarked on an employment termination spree in its Chiadzwa Operations.More than 20 private security guards were laid off in the month of September alone due to low business.The security company, in its letters of dismissals the company said "Due to reduction of posts by client, be advised that your current employment contract has been terminated."The Client referred to by Masimba Security is Jinan Mine, a Chinese diamond mining firm which is involved in the Mining of diamonds in the Chiadzwa area.These security guards whose contracts were terminated had served company for periods ranging above two and three years on fixed term contracts that had been continuously renewed without any work stoppages or changes to the nature of work.Zimbabwe Security Guards Union (ZISEGU), Eastern Region office confirmed that and has since written to the Group Human Resources advising on a positional approach to have the terminations being done in hook line and sinker with the Law.The Union Officer confirms that he had taken the matter to the Designated Agent (D/A) for the National Employment Council for the Security Industry (NECSI) Manicaland for Conciliation.The security company is also accused of failing to comply with the Labour Act Chapter 28:01 generally, on the issues of Vacation leave entrenched in the echelons Security Industry Collective Bargaining Agreement (Statutory Instrument 76 of 2012) under section 21.The employees are alleging underpayment for overtime worked and the union has since started instituting claims for compensation as well as members' money deducted for the purchasing of the company's fridge and the amounts deducted for uniforms which are supposed to be provided for free of charge in terms of the legislation section 28 (1) Statutory Instrument 76 of 12 (CBA) as read with Private Investigations and Security Guards (General) Regulations Statutory Instrument 156 of 2007 are to be invoked in support of its members rights.The workers are also claiming their unpaid housing and transport allowances for their entire tenure, a provision which has been agreed and deeply embedded in the CBA.The matter awaits a set down date for Conciliation proceedings before the NEC Designated Agent. File picture Bloomberg via Getty Images A student claiming to be behind the massacre threat that left 1,000 students too scared to attend a school in Blackpool has apologised for their actions. Using the name The Real John Smith, the poster confessed on the website of local newspaper Blackpool Gazette to having wasted time, money, and panicked people for no reason". Advertisement The poster refers to the anonymous threats made on Facebook last week, which said youll see bullets, bodies, and blood at Montgomery High School in Blackpool, where the poster claimed they were bullied. The threats left students so scared that only 260 of the schools 1,375 pupils turned up on Monday, the day the proposed attacker was going to commit the massacre. Montgomery High School in Bispham A spokesman for Lancashire Police said at the time: There is nothing to suggest these messages pose a credible threat. Advertisement Nonetheless, on Monday, policemen surrounded the school. I only wanted to scare the bullies, and make the teachers wake up. I did NOT want attention, I did NOT want news coverage. This whole thing was a gigantic mistake and Im incredibly sorry for my actions, said the anonymous poster. The bullies have honestly made me consider suicide in the past, but Im hanging on for now. I really feel like this could push me over the edge if I have to do police interviews and get plastered over the news as a terrorist and potentially get arrested, they continued. The online poster pleaded with readers to consider this from a 15 year olds point of view thats getting bullied. Im so sorry, and I really wish people will forgive me for my actions...theres no need to worry about me or Monty, ended the anonymous statement. Parents of 61 children appeared before magistrates courts for allegedly failing to ensure their children regularly attended school. The parents were called to appear before magistrates in Ipswich and Lowestof on Tuesday 5 January, following a clampdown on truancy by Suffolk County Council. A council spokesperson told the East Anglian Daily Times: "Ensuring children attend school during term-time is imperative in raising educational attainment and one of the priorities of our Raising the Bar scheme." Advertisement Suffolk County Council's Raising the Bar scheme aims to improve levels of educational attainment for pupils in the county by working with parents and schools. The spokesperson continued: "School headteachers are taking a rigorous approach and making use of Fixed Penalty Notices where other interventions have not worked to get children into schools. "We are working in partnership with schools to support them in both increasing school attendance and in raising the attainment for all children in Suffolk." Advertisement Last October David Cameron announced tougher sanctions for parents of children who repeatedly skip school. The Prime Minister unveiled a new policy that will see parents having their benefits docked if they refuse to pay fines. Cameron said: "We are determined to tackle the harm truancy does to a childs chances in life. There is nothing responsible about allowing your child to go without an education. "So for parents who let their child play truant and refuse to pay truancy penalties, we will deduct it from their child benefit." Advertisement Parents who take children out of school without permission can be issued with a 60 fine per child, rising to 120 if it is not paid within 21 days. If the fine is not paid after 28 days it will be claimed through reductions in child benefit. Those who fail to pay can face prosecution. ALSO ON HUFFPOST: No one would be surprised to hear that there is a load of old rubbish at the bottom of a canal, but when one Paris waterway was drained, there were some remarkable finds. The Canal Saint-Martin, in the citys 10th arrondissement, is being cleaned out for the first time since 2001. Advertisement At the last cleaning, 40 tons of waste - mud, sludge and trash - was removed and treated. According to the Mail, the last time the canal was drained, it revealed items including gold coins, a WW1 shell and even a car. While the past decade-and-a-half hasnt yielded quite such exciting finds, the draining has revealed a veritable treasure trove of items, wheelie bins, bicycles and even mopeds Debris Emerges From Drained Paris Canal See gallery Advertisement The Canal Saint-Martin runs through one of Paris trendiest areas, where locals pay as much as 10,000 (7,300) per square metre for properties overlooking the water, according to the Telegraph. The canal was completed in 1825, 23 years after its construction began on the orders of Napoleon Bonaparte, who wanted to reinforce the city's supply of drinking water. David Cameron has received disappointing reviews after deploying William Shakespeare-based puns to embarrass Jeremy Corbyn over his protracted revenge reshuffle. The Prime Minister used his weekly grilling from MPs to make repeated Bard-themed dad jokes at the Labour leaders expense. Advertisement David Cameron has suddenly into William Shakespeare #PMQspic.twitter.com/yGsoDyx2R5 Tahira Mirza (@tahiramirza1) January 6, 2016 The process of installing a new team began on Monday and was finalised in the early hours of Wednesday morning, but has since prompted three shadow ministers and counting to quit the front-bench - underlining the Labour Partys civil war. Mr Cameron appeared incredibly pleased with himself whenever he had the chance to turn questions from Mr Corbyn - principally on flooding - to his local difficulties. He even felt confident enough to cite the most well-known works of Britains greatest ever writer to hammer home the point when asked about celebrations to mark the 400th anniversary of his death at Prime Minister's Questions. Advertisement David Cameron offered his unique comedy stylings But while the Tory benches cheered, many watching despaired. "It is a very good moment, the 400th anniversary of the death of Shakespeare, for us to celebrate everything he's given to our language and to our culture and, indeed, to the world, the Prime Minister began. I find that Shakespeare provides language for every moment. Just consider what we're thinking about at the moment. There was a moment when it looked like this reshuffle could go into its Twelfth Night. Yes. It was a revenge reshuffle, so it was going to be As You Like It. I think we can conclude it's turned into something of a Comedy of Errors. Perhaps Much Ado about Nothing? There will be those that worry: Love's Labours Lost. It was the second time in as many days the PM tried to appear culturally aware, making a reference to the latest Star Wars movie to be make a similar point yesterday. Can I apologise for interrupting what is the longest reshuffle in history?, he said when responding to questions on - naturally - thrashing out a new deal with Brussels. Advertisement "You could have watched the entire run of Star Wars during this reshuffle and we've yet to find out who's been seduced to the dark side. Theres no sign of a rebel alliance emerging. The notices are in, and theyre far from glowing. "Does the prime minister agree with me that we should unite to celebrate Shakespeare?". This is why normal people don't watch PMQs. Jess Brammar (@jessbrammar) January 6, 2016 PM goes Bard-tastic on Labour reshuffle. ...much ado about not very funny shakespeare gags... poor Will ... he waited 400 years for this.... ann treneman (@anntreneman) January 6, 2016 Cameron's Shakespeare gags have me considering signing up to @PeoplesMomentum Alex Wickham (@WikiGuido) January 6, 2016 Advertisement Quick someone call the RSPCA. Cameron just flogged to death every Shakespeare/Lab reshuffle reference ever known to man. Paul Waugh (@paulwaugh) January 6, 2016 Though it wasnt all bad. Teenage schoolchildren (14-16) writing in classroom Nancy Honey via Getty Images New data showing young, white, working class men are more than 50% less likely to attend university than women from the same socio-economic background has been slammed as a "tragic waste". Women aged 18 are 35% more likely to enter higher education than men the same age, the highest difference ever recorded, according to figures published by UCAS. Advertisement However, these differences widened when it came to students from disadvantaged backgrounds. In disadvantaged areas, men were 52% less likely to attend university than their female counterparts. Male students who received free school meals were 51% less likely to attend university than females who received the same. Data released by the Department of Education (DfE) last year showed less than 0.5% of state school students on free school meals gained a place at Oxbridge in 2013/14, and only 5% of those students gained a place at a Russell Group University. Dr Lee Elliot Major, chief executive of the Sutton Trust, a foundation dedicated to improving social mobility through education, told HuffPost UK: The poor academic performance of disadvantaged boys, especially those from white working class backgrounds, is a tragic waste of talent with a significant economic cost. Advertisement If we are to make sure that every pupil, regardless of their gender, ethnicity or background, is able to reach their full potential, we need to redouble our efforts to close these attainment gaps." He continued: Not only should every child have access to great teaching and the chance to go to great schools, but students who are at particular risk of falling behind should be given additional encouragement and support." The exact destination of these disadvantaged students is unclear. The Department of Education release information about the destination of school leavers by ethnicity, socio-economic background and gender, but they do not release data on specifics, for example white working class males. The DfE's most recent statistics do show in 2013/14, 29% of students on free school meals attending a state school did not enter any further education or employment, although there is no indication in the data as to where they continued after finishing school. The governments Higher Education Green Paper, released in November 2015, identified substantial gaps in the progression of white males from disadvantaged backgrounds to higher education, promising to continue to work with DfE to explore how we can further raise aspirations and attitudes in particular for white males from disadvantaged backgrounds. Advertisement Mary Curnock Cook, UCAS Chief Executive, however, feels substantial action needs to be taken earlier. Girls are doing better throughout primary secondary and higher education than boys; poor, white boys are the most disadvantaged group in entry to higher education and the gap is getting bigger. Curnock Cook continued: The focus on white working class boys in the Higher Education Green Paper as part of the wider aim to widen university participation from all under-represented groups is a really important signal of change. But no amount of outreach by universities will work if boys are still too far behind when they come out of secondary education, she added. Her comments come after The Sutton Trust released a report last year showing that only 29% of white working class boys living in poorer areas continued education after the age of 16. Advertisement Sadiq Khan Frank Augstein/AP A top estate agent is using cocktail parties in the Far East to sell off London housing, according to an investigation by Labours mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan. The Tooting MP said it was shocking that overseas buyers were sweeping up homes in London while locals were facing being forced out of their own city. Advertisement The investigation revealed no fewer than 40 events, including cocktail parties, were held in Hong Kong and Singapore by UK property agent JLL in 2015. The revelations come just hours after the Tories voted down an amendment to the Housing and Planning Bill which would have given local residents first claim on a share of new build homes. Mr Khan, who tabled the defeated amendment, said: Its deeply disappointing that once again, the Tories have failed to stand up for Londoners and voted against my plans to give Londoners first priority on new homes. The Housing Bill will be a disaster for London, will the sell-off of affordable homes and families forced out of their own city. Advertisement "I'm fortunate to live near my family around the corner from the council estate where we grew up. But it's much harder for young Londoners today. "The new figures on overseas marketing reveals the shocking scale of London homes being sold to overseas investors, rather than to the Londoners who desperately need them. The most popular venue for the events was Hong Kong's five-star Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Visitors to a series of three-day events in the hotel's Tian & Di rooms were invited to view developments from all corners of London from the 788-apartment Renaissance in Lewisham, to the 191-apartment Silver Works in Barnet, and the 297-apartment Maine Tower in Tower Hamlets. A spokesperson for JLL said: We are fully supportive of the Mayoral Concordat - New homes for Londoners signed by the all the major London House builders which ensures an opportunity for London purchasers to buy before, or at least at the same time as international buyers. The London mayoral candidates must be clear that off-plan purchasers are vital to underpin construction activity, employment and crucially affordable homes. New supply is the only long-term solution to Londons housing crisis and all policy efforts must be towards ensuring Londoners see the homes built that they need. Advertisement Other measures voted down by the Government last night included plans to make discounts on starter homes permanent. Labours Shadow Housing and Planning Minister John Healey attacked the Tories for pushing on with the debate until 3am. He said: The Tories have made a mockery of Parliamentary scrutiny by railroading 50 new pages of important housing legislation through the Commons in the early hours of this morning. They also rejected Labours amendments to help first time buyers by giving local people priority for homes built in their areas, and to make the discount on starter homes permanent. Labour will continue to lead the fight against the bad Bill every step of the way through Parliament. Advertisement A source at the Department of Communities and Local Government hit back at the criticism, and said: Starter Homes, which will be sold to first-time buyers under 40 at a 20 per cent discount, are a Conservative party proposal put into our manifesto and opposed throughout by the Labour Party. Labours amendments would reduce a new homeowners ability to move as their needs change. One of Stephanie Daviss former soap co-stars has made a rather scathing remark about her on Twitter, following her arrival in the Celebrity Big Brother house. READ MORE: Hollyoaks actor James Sutton was suitably unimpressed to learn that Stephanie was among the 16 celebrities shacked up in the CBB house, making it perfectly clear that he would not be tuning in to support her. Advertisement James Sutton In fact, he said hed rather boil his own head than watch, as reported by Digital Spy. Ouch. James initially wrote on Tuesday night that he was signing off for the evening, as his Twitter timeline was full of of Big Brother shite. Taking his comments a step further, when one fan asked why he wasnt supporting his old mucker, Stephanie, he offered the blunt reply that hed rather boil his own head, in a tweet that has since been deleted. Advertisement Stephanie Davis arrives at the 'CBB' house Stephanie and James were co-stars on Hollyoaks for three years, after he returned to the role of John-Paul McQueen in 2012. However, she was axed from the soap last summer, with a media furore ensuing, after reports suggested she was given the boot for turning up to work drunk. Although at the time her representative confirmed that her departure was alcohol-related, Stephanie recently insisted this was not the case. Ahead of her CBB entrance, she said: There was once or twice where I went in after a night out, but I was never drunk. I went through a really tough time for a few years ago where I did rely on alcohol a bit, but that was when I was unhappy in a relationship. When everything happened with Hollyoaks it felt like another big blow, because the press didnt know Id been having such a tough time previously my friends and family know the truth. Advertisement At the time of her soap exit, James appeared to throw shade at her, when he tweeted a screengrab, showing he was listening to the song 'Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead!'. Celebrity Big Brother airs nightly on Channel 5. Embargoed to 0001 on Friday November 20File photo dated 27/9/15 of Labour party deputy leader Tom Watson, as a critical report by MPs said that he should write to the widow of Lord Brittan to apologise following his role in the pursuit of sex abuse allegations against the peer. Jonathan Brady/PA Wire Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson has denied describing the appointment of Emily Thornberry as shadow defence secretary as a "mistake". On Wednesday, Jeremy Corbyn replaced Maria Eagle with Thornberry as part of his shadow cabinet reshuffle. Shadow defence minister Kevan Jones responded by quitting his frontbench role with an attack on Corbyn. Advertisement He said Watson had concerns about promoting Islington South MP Thornberry as she was from the same part of North London as Corbyn. "We have got to be credible on defence in the country and I think appointing Emily is a mistake," Jones said. "So did Tom Watson." Jones also said he believes Thornberry "knows nothing about defence" and was only given the position as she agrees with Corbyn on getting rid of Britain's nuclear weapons system. However a spokesperson for Watson denied the claim. "Tom had private conversations with Kevan during which he urged him to stay on the front bench," the spokesperson said. "Tom is an old friend of Kevan and regards him as one of the country's leading defence experts. The conversation was private and it will remain so but he did not describe Emily's appointment as a mistake and wishes her well in the job." Advertisement Jones had told BBC Radio 4's World At One programme: "Jeremy was elected with the strapline 'straight talking, honest politics'. There has been nothing straightforward or honest about what's gone on over the last 48 hours. "Maria, it's now being briefed that this was her dream job and she wanted to do it. That is not the case. She did not want to move. She made that point very clear. "Both Maria and myself were appointed when Jeremy was elected. He knew our views on the nuclear deterrent." Jones said he "personally got on very well" with Corbyn but believed "the people around him are advising him very badly". You may have noticed people taking their Christmas decorations down in a panic today, since today, also known as 'Epiphany' is traditionally the official last day of the Christmas period - but what exactly is it? The sixth day of January (Twelfth Night or the 12th day of Christmas) has significance for two different reasons to Christians, depending on their particular beliefs. While Roman Catholic and Protestant Christianity focuses on the story of the Magi or wise men visiting the newborn baby Jesus, Eastern Christians, like the Greek Orthodox, celebrate the baptism of Jesus on Epiphany and consider the day to be more important than Christmas. Advertisement For some, Epiphany celebrates the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus While 6 January is generally accepted as Epiphany, when celebrations actually takes place varies around the world. Celebrations of Epiphany vary around the world. In Spanish-speaking countries, a Rosca de Reyes or Kings bread is eaten, sometimes with a figurine of the baby Jesus hidden inside. In Spain and some other European countries, El Dia de los Tres Reyes or Three Kings Day is observed with parades, and children leave shoes out to receive gifts from the Magi. In Poland, celebrations include blessing a piece of chalk and mark their doors with the year and the letters K+M+B, which are based on Latin and signify May Christ bless this house. People wait to distribute slices of traditional Rosca de Reyes in Mexico City Bulgaria's chilly Epiphany celebrations Bulgaria hold a somewhat less enjoyable tradition involving a priest throwing a wooden cross into the chilly sea which competitors dive in to try to retrieve. Advertisement In some countries it is considered bad luck to leave Christmas decorations up past Epiphany - so get that tinsel down. 2015 will probably be seen as the year when the terms 'EU' and 'crisis' became inextricably linked. Yet 2016 may prove more challenging still. Chronic instability persists on Europe's frontiers and both the turmoil in the eurozone and the chaos engendered by the arrival of waves of migrants and refugees look set to recur. Moreover, for the first time in its history, the Union faces the prospect of a member state voting to quit its ranks. The victory of Britain's Conservative party in the May 2016 General Election means the country will hold a referendum on its EU membership by the end of 2017. A British exit could seriously weaken the EU, strengthening Eurosceptic forces elsewhere and potentially encouraging others to attempt the kind of blackmail that David Cameron is currently pioneering. Many factors will determine the outcome of the British poll, including the ability of the Union to effectively deal with the crises confronting it. Certainly, some of the key determinants are purely domestic. The effectiveness of the Leave and Remain camps will be pivotal in determining the outcome. Of particular importance is the identity of the leader who eventually emerges to lead the latter. Experimental research has suggested that the leaders of the respective camps can have a decisive impact on voting intentions. Whilst David Cameron will lead the Remainers, no strong leader has as yet emerged as his opponent. Advertisement Other aspects of the campaign, however, will hinge on factors outside the United Kingdom. First, the timing of the vote itself will hinge on whether, and when, David Cameron achieves his much vaunted renegotiation of the terms of British membership of the EU. This, of course, will depend on other heads of state and government having both the desire and the necessary bandwidth to focus on finding a solution to the British problem. Cameron's plans for the December 2015 summit were ripped to shreds by the Paris terrorist attacks and their aftermath. Events can scupper the best laid plans. When it comes to the referendum itself, the British public's perceptions will be crucially shaped by events elsewhere in Europe. Central to the campaign is the issue of risk. Both sides are attempting to portray their own preferred outcome as safer than the alternative. The Remain camp, has emphasised the uncertainties and potential costs associated with British exit - they are already being labelled 'Project Fear' by their opponents. For the Leavers, in contrast, the objective is to make continued membership appear as the riskier alternative. And it is here that the ongoing crises afflicting the EU - and the prospects for these in 2016 - feed into the narrative, in at least two crucial respects. First, recent research has revealed a close correlation between attitudes to Brexit and attitudes towards immigration, particularly since the 2003 enlargement of the EU. The same research has also pointed out that the public has been sensitive to changes in migration from the rest of the EU in terms of its impact on perceptions of EU membership. Advertisement On the one hand, this points to the importance of Mr Cameron securing some sort of deal that appears to address the issue of intra-EU migration. Frankly, it is hard to see what he can achieve on this score via his renegotiation. Britain has already opted out of the EU's visa free travel area - Schengen - and the quota system for distributing those refugees who have arrived in Europe. Given that EU law prohibits discrimination against workers from another member state on the grounds of nationality, his options are highly limited. The Leave campaign, moreover, have proven relatively successful to date in muddying the waters of the migration debate. In particular, they have set about conflating the issue of intra-EU migration with fears about the refugee crisis currently assailing the Union. Early indications are that scenes such as those witnessed on Greek beaches last summer may reinforce the arguments of those claiming membership carries severe risks Problematically for the Remainers, the migrant crisis promises, if anything, to become more severe in the year to come. Buried on page 48 of the European Commission's November economic report was an estimate (hedged, it must be said, with numerous caveats) that a further 3 million migrants would arrive during 2016 (some 850,000 arrived in the EU via the Mediterranean in 2015). Add to this a renewed fear of the threat posed to Europe by terrorism, and the potential for the Leave camp to exploit fears of immigrants and refugees becomes clear. 2015 witnessed three serious terrorist attacks in Europe - in January and November in Paris, and in February in Copenhagen - whilst the rapid intervention of bystanders was all that prevented another atrocity on a high speed train in August. Again, research suggests that there is a potential link between terrorism and electoral outcomes. Second, there is the state of the eurozone economy. Leavers have long made play of the dangers of Britain being 'shackled to the corpse' of the eurozone. The Commission forecasts growth for the eurozone in 2016. Yet all is not necessarily rosy. Economists predict a recession in Greece in 2016 - the European Commission is expecting a contraction of 1.3%. And major elements of the reforms agreed as part of the 2015 bailout (notably a doubling of income tax on famers and massive changes to the pensions system) are still to be implemented, raising the prospect of still more problems connected to the agreement. Brexiteers will jump on any evidence of the British economy outperforming the eurozone as further evidence of the merits of exit. And another row over a Greek bailout would be grist to the mill. Advertisement The prime minister has initiated a process over which he does not enjoy full control. Events within the EU, and indeed outside its borders, will play a significant part in shaping public perceptions of the costs and benefits of membership. Pro-Brexit campaigners will latch on to any evidence of further crisis afflicting the Union and portray them as proof that membership increases the risks to the UK. Should they be successful, of course, 2015 will no longer be seen as the EU's crisis year. News / National by Stephen Jakes The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights Communications Officer Kumbirai Mafunda has indicated that three Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (RTUZ) leaders and a 26 year-old female activist, who were brutally assaulted by Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers during an anti-government protest, on Tuesday 05 January 2016 began receiving medical treatment after their release from police custody.RTUZ leaders Obert Masaraure, Robson Chere and Pride Mukono sought treatment at a local medical facility after they were released late on Monday 04 January 2016 after their lawyer Gift Mtisi of Musendekwa Mtisi Legal Practitioners and a member of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights demanded that they be taken to hospital for treatment.Mafunda said Masaraure, Chere and Mukono who were charged with participating in an unlawful demonstration were arrested and detained at Harare Central Police Station after ZRP officers broke up an anti-government protest held in the capital on Monday 04 January 2016 over the government's failure and delay to remunerate civil servants and in solidarity with striking nurses and doctors at some State-run hospitals.The RTUZ leaders sustained injuries over their bodies including on knees and wrists after they were severely assaulted by the truncheon wielding police officers."Rutendo Kawadza, an activist affiliated to the Zimbabwe Activists Association, joint organisers of the protest march was on Tuesday 05 January 2016 certain to spent her second night in hospital after she suffered a fractured knee bone, when ZRP officers pounced on her near Parliament Building when they suppressed the unionists and activists' protest march," said Mafunda."Masaraure and Mukono's arrest is the second one inside one week after they were first arrested and detained on Monday 28 December 2015 for contravening Section 176 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform Act) Chapter 9:23 and Section 89 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform Act) Chapter 9:23 respectively."The ZLHR official said Prosecutors claimed that Masaraure and Mukono assaulted a police officer, Constable Kapfunde Mandivenga and one Perkins Govere at Kuwadzana 2 Shopping Centre in Harare, a charge which they denied."In his defence, Mukono protested that he was actually a victim after some police officers teamed up with a suspected thief to assault him after he lost his mobile phone handset. The police officers stripped Mukono and dipped him in mud water. However, Mukono managed to initiate charges against the police officer who assaulted him and the law enforcement agent has since appeared in court and his trial is scheduled to commence on Thursday 14 January 2016," stated Mafunda Picture the scene, ladies. It's late, you're at a main train station, on your way home. You notice a large group of men nearby, they're jeering at you, shouting unpleasant things. You're scared, you have no idea what they might do to you: they may just continue to shout, one may put a hand up your skirt, another could rape you whilst another mugs you - who knows? One thing's for sure, there's very little you can do about it. Multiply this by around 100 and you'll have some idea of what happened on New Year's Eve across Germany. In a series of mass attacks believed to be coordinated, 1,000 or so men sexually assaulted women. The majority of incidents happened outside the main station in Cologne, but attacks of a similar nature are now being recorded in Hamburg and elsewhere. Advertisement So far 90 women have reported incidents to police, including one woman who was raped. But bearing in mind the shocking percentage of sexual assault victims who feel unable to come forward, the reality is there could be many more women. In fact, comments made by the Mayor of Cologne in the wake of the attacks have assured that it wasn't just some 90 women who became victims of sexual violence that night - but all women. By choosing to focus on women's behaviour rather than that of the perpetrators, Mayor Henriette Reker has been accused of victim-blaming. Reker suggested women adopt a "Code Of Conduct" to prevent further attacks. Her recommendations include maintaining an arm's length distance from strangers, sticking to one's own groups, and, in the event of a sexual assault, asking bystanders for help or to be witnesses, and to make the incident known to police. Advertisement More than 1,000 men launch a coordinated attack and the answer - from a woman, no less - is to make women responsible. How about we turn the tables, just once, and focus on the perpetrators? Imagine telling men to keep women "at arm's length" to reduce chances of rape. It just wouldn't happen, would it? Because God forbid we pass judgement on men and tell them to change their behaviour. We've already had thousands of years of telling women what to do, so why not just continue the bullshit? It's worked thus far... oh wait. Others have better ideas: How about a code of conduct for the men? "1. Don't assault women. 2. See point 1." https://t.co/gXsbtHhGIq fleetstreetfox (@fleetstreetfox) January 6, 2016 I'm not trying to make this into a gender war. I know that not all men commit sexual assaults but all women will be sexually harassed, assaulted, raped or intimidated by men at some point in their lifetime. Advertisement The reason I asked women to picture the scene at the beginning of this blog is because all women will be able to recall a situation where they have felt exactly this way. We were all those women on NYE in Cologne, it could have been any of us. But making women's experience into one homogenised lump isn't going to help anyone. We need to listen to and respect each experience, rather than dismissing them as one or focusing on the wrong aspect. The clue for who is responsible for sexual assault and rape is in the act itself. Hell, it's even in the grammar: to rape vs to be raped, to sexually assault vs to be sexually assaulted. Victims of sexual assault are victims, end of story. And to say otherwise in private or, worst of all, in a position of power to a possible audience of millions, like the Mayor did, is as dangerous and complicit as the act itself. It's no wonder why so many women are put off coming forward and it's no wonder these attacks keep happening. Advertisement Let's just remember that not one arrest has been made so far, meaning that 1,000 or so men are still at large. They've attacked and intimidated women once, they will most certainly do it again. It really wasn't the best of starts. For a frantic half hour, I thought I'd potentially got Dame Tessa Jowell and the Shadow Minister for Europe Pat McFadden teargassed, or even worse, irreversibly affected the opinions of top political figures. I couldn't get hold of them on the phone as I waited near the new Banksy under the motorway bridge, couldn't get through the police blockade, and thought it was quite likely they'd decided it was just too dangerous and had turned round to head back to the UK. It didn't take long after meeting them to realise it would all be ok. Tessa and her daughter were feisty and tough, dressed for a day of mud and hard work. The Calais 'Jungle' refugee camp is now home to around 7,000 people from countries including Syria, Eritrea, Sudan and Iraq. At Jungle Books, the camp's library, two remarkable long-term volunteers had overnight arranged a meeting with several key community leaders. Advertisement We gathered in the newly built women and children's classroom and library, behind the original Jungle Books. Despite our best efforts at inclusivity, we've learnt that the women will always slink away once men turn up, so building a special space for them seemed best. And there, in among the damp plywood, camping chairs and muddy boots, we sat and listened. Hamoude was studying law at university in Aleppo when his young life changed forever. A day out with friends ended in witnessing their execution on their knees in front of him. He escaped the same fate simply because his name isn't Kurdish. Pat McFadden met Haji, an interpreter and guide who worked for the British forces in Kirkuk in northern Iraq. Haji was shot in the leg while undertaking his duties. And then left behind. Recognised and identified, he had to flee for his life with no assistance and is now living in a tent 20 miles from the country for which he risked his life. Safdar, from Afghanistan, reiterated something we try to emphasise to all people of influence who visit the Jungle. A focus on humanitarian needs in the camp has been unavoidable; these 7,000 people are being kept alive by a mostly amateur volunteer effort from the UK. But whenever individuals in positions of more power express interest, the concern is that by further concentrating on the humanitarian side, we risk creating a situation that is sustainable rather than resolved. The phrase you'll hear more than any other from the refugees is NO JUNGLE. This is not, as is still misunderstood by some visitors, a rejection of the name 'the Jungle' (the name was chosen and perpetuated by the refugees themselves, as a protest to the conditions in which they are expected to live). It is, rather, an expression of their desire to be anywhere but here, for the Jungle and the situation to end. Advertisement Jowell questioned how many camp residents are fleeing direct persecution and how many could be termed economic migrants. The other long-term volunteers and I all looked at each other and paused. The truth is, after months of being here, not a single one of us has met even one person migrating for economic reasons. We are not naive, but we have built up relationships with these people. I have sat with these people around fires, late at night, barriers broken down, and they have cried, revealed their scars from torture, shown me videos on their phones of friends being hung, of the bodies of their families. Tessa Jowell was visibly shocked. In one of the most memorable moments of the day, she sat back in her seat and described the myth of economic migrants rather than refugees as an "insidious lie" that is being perpetuated through the media and believed by the public. The fact is, not only are these people genuine refugees, but they have no idea about the benefits system in the UK. Ask them, subtly, and you quickly find out that they neither know nor care about what they might be 'entitled' to in Britain. Their reasons for heading to Britain specifically, as opposed to other European countries? Almost all of them speak at least some English, almost all of them have close family members in the UK, and perhaps most shocking of all, many of them have previously lived and worked in Britain for years. Some of my friends in camp sound more British than I do. Advertisement One of the most alarming aspects of the Calais Jungle is the unaccompanied children. It is difficult to comprehend in 21st century Europe, but there are minors who have lost all their family living with siblings or unrelated refugees. We met a group of boys along with Liz Clegg, who runs the women and children's centre (just another tent) on site and is without any doubt the most essential volunteer of all. I watched as Liz, who sleeps on the floor of the tent at night, passionately explained the issues, breaking off frequently to maintain calm among the lads who were exhausted. They'd been up all night. Yes, the unaccompanied children try for the trains too; why wouldn't they? There is no way of stopping them and it is seen as the only hope. Liz described having to wait each day to see if they turn up safely. She detailed how the police spray CS gas directly into the faces and mouths of the boys. How the gendarmes sometimes take away their shoes, simply to make the walk of several hours back to the Jungle that much harder. A longer-term solution is becoming more and more imperative. We've been lucky with the weather so far; no cold snaps, very little frost. If that changes later in winter, there seems little doubt that we'll start to see conditions-related deaths. So while we wait and push for politicians and influencers to take action, in the meantime the humanitarian effort continues. It is little more than self-organised amateur volunteers, mostly from Britain, who have been keeping these thousands alive so far. I took Pat, Tessa and Jess to the warehouse hub to see some of this volunteer effort. French charity L'Auberge des Migrants and British group Help Refugees work together from here to build shelters, cook food for thousands and send out daily distributions of tents, blankets and sleeping bags. The guests got stuck in right away, making up welcome packs for new arrivals to the camp. I asked if they thought that the government as a whole is aware that thousands of members of the British public are and have been travelling over to Calais, sometimes weekly, to help out. This is in addition to the many that have simply left their homes and even careers behind to live here temporarily. It is heart-warming aspects like these, and the mountains of donations in the warehouse, that contrast starkly with the deprivation and hardship of the Jungle and the on-going police brutality. Advertisement Jowell made an impromptu and emotional speech to the volunteers and remarked on this juxtaposition of suffering and hope. "It has been an amazing day, seeing just a little of what happens here. Thank you for giving the most valuable thing of all, your time." The debate about the upcoming EU referendum has mostly been framed as a debate about migration, national sovereignty, and security. Eurosceptic Conservatives have argued against the loss of power parliament has suffered, whilst UKIP has argued that British borders are porous for as long as the UK remains in the EU. However, paying attention to prominent British left wing intellectuals reveals a similar theme - the desire to leave based on a range of left-wing arguments. I will sketch out the views of three respected thinkers here - Tariq Ali, Tony Benn, and Owen Jones - revealing strong left-wing opposition to the EU. After noting that he "hadn't been thinking of voting in the EU referendum," Tariq Ali wrote that he had finally decided to vote to leave. What prompted this decision, judging from his essay in the London Review of Books, was the capitulation of the Greek nation, which had "voted overwhelmingly to give up its sovereignty and become a semi-colonial appendage of the EU" - a capitulation which "means more suffering, but... has also led to questions being asked more widely about the EU, its structures and its policies." EU policy, Ali argues, has been to bail out the rich whilst "crushing the political alternative that Syriza represented." German and French banks received help from their governments, the richest in Europe, and Greece was stripped of its national assets and forced to beg for scraps, all the while being forced to punish its own population with savage spending cuts. The EU "has turned out to be a pretty dysfunctional family" at the end of the day. Advertisement Opposition to the EU on the left, on purely principled grounds, was always strongly argued by Tony Benn, who opposed joining and continuing membership of the common market. Benn's vehement opposition was based on the authoritarian structure of the EU. As opposed to some who see the EU as a progressive force, Benn noted to the House of Commons in 1991 that he has never taken the view that "a good king is better than a bad parliament." Surrendering democracy to the EU would mean a complete reversal of the achievements made by the Suffragettes: "all your struggles to get control of the ballot box were a waste of time. We shall be run in future by a few white persons, as in 1832." This argument is not "about sovereignty. It is a democratic argument." In Benn's view, then, even if the EU were more progressive than the UK, it would not matter for strictly principled reasons: democracy is too important. Recently, in The Guardian, Owen Jones has argued for a British exit, or "Lexit," as he calls it. Again, as with Ali and Benn, it is over concerns with the EU's treatment of Greece and its thoroughly undemocratic structures that Jones argues in favour of withdrawal. "The destruction of Greece's national sovereignty was achieved by economic strangulation," drawing the same thread of thought between himself and Ali - Greece has been destroyed; its democracy is in ruins. What is interesting about Jones' article is that he notes that a British exit "may be seen as a betrayal of solidarity with the left in the EU." The left is often proud to be internationalist, supporting integration and standing in solidarity with those in need - in this case, the vast majority of southern Europe. Jones notes, correctly I think, that solidarity in this case requires the UK to step outside of the EU. If Germany believes that it is "causing the break-up of the EU, it will strengthen the hand of those opposing the status quo." That is, the threat of a UK exit brought about because of German behavior may give strength to anti-austerity parties in Europe. As it currently stands, however, without withdrawal "Germany has little incentive to change tack." Advertisement In any case, this is an argument based on tactics: what can we do that will help? Ignoring the issue - pretending that the EU is some progressive force - will do nothing to strengthen anti-austerity parties in Europe. If the question is asked, then the left must provide an answer. Twitter trolling. One of the most debated issues of the past year, the problem was brought huge publicity by the infamous case of online threats of rape/death/ general vileness directed towards feminist activist and journalist Caroline Criado Perez for having the audacity to campaign for a woman to appear on the 10 note. And it seems the social site is seeking to clamp down on this gross abuse. I recently came across a policy from the network for paid content and posts regarding 'Hate Content, Sensitive Topics, and Violence.' And, at a glance, it looks pretty sound. Prohibited are: "Hate speech or advocacy against an individual, organization or protected group based on race, ethnicity, national origin, color, religion, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status or other protected status. Violence or threats of violence against people or animals." Advertisement Given the alarming rate at which misogynistic/ racist/ homo and transphobic bile spills from the twisted fingers and out of the accounts of some people, this is a brilliant policy. Any brand/ person who wants to promote such stuff cannot. Good. But there's another clause - one that I'm not quite so thrilled about. Also deemed unacceptable is: "Inflammatory content which is likely to evoke a strong negative reaction or cause harm." Hmmmm. A "strong negative reaction." How far does this extend? I might not be best pleased if someone informs that they find my political opinions to be the stuff of utter fuckwittery, or if PETA tells me that not being vegan is abhorrent, but, to bring everyone's favourite French Enlightenment philosopher into the mix, as Voltaire believed: "I may not like what you say, but I will defend your right to say it." Getting in a pickle because other people don't agree with us - and, shock horror - perhaps think our ideas are bollocks, is something the super sensitive cohort we call 'Millennial' have adopted as our specialist subject. Advertisement 'American Psycho' author Bret Easton Ellis' recent Vanity Fairfeature, the provocatively titled 'Generation Wuss,' stirred a serious sense of recognition in this nineties baby. In it, his summarises his frustrations with the post-1980 born lot. The list includes: "...their over-sensitivity, their insistence that they are right despite the overwhelming proof that suggests they are not, their lack of placing things within context, the overreacting, the passive-aggressive positivity, and, of course, all of this exacerbated by the meds they've been fed since childhood by over-protective "helicopter" parents mapping their every move." Reading, that, I can't help but bitterly resign myself to a series of nods. Take the recent example of blatant harassment from some members of Goldsmith Islamic Society to Iranian human rights activist, Maryam Namazie, who campaigns against theocratic law such as Sharia. When delivering a talk on radical Islam ('Apostasy, blasphemy and free expression in the age of Isis', to be specific) she has been shown, on film, being heckled by a number of students. Speaking to the The Telegraph on the incident, she said: "They shut my projector, shouted over me, threw themselves on the floor. They created a climate of fear and intimidation. I spoke as loud as I could." This simply does not work. We need to be able to hear views that we hate, find hurtful or are even appalled by. If we begin to be personally attacked and intimidated, or threatened with physical and sexual violence, then that turns into a crime, and should be dealt with, harshly, by the police and law. But thoughts and ideas are not nasty promises of attack, neither verbal of corporeal. And demanding that they should be silenced is not only counter to our fantastic tradition of free speech - it runs contrary to the status of universities as homes of curiosity, intellect and, yes, debate. So whether it's a bizarre chap on Twitter merrily proclaiming that women belong in the kitchen, a prominent academic who wants to ban faith schools, or just a random person with questionable views on trans people, so long as they're not making threats or behaving violently, natch, I really hope we can try to shut them down with our words, reason and logic. Not by calling for their banishment from every which platform - virtual or not. Advertisement A new propaganda video was recently released by ISIS, addressing the UK specifically in its depraved, chilling rhetoric. Among other things, the video spoke of 'waging jihad,' 'breaking borders,' and 'ruling by the sharia.' Though they may have chosen 'Islamic State' as their name, both history and scripture testify to the fact that the acts of ISIS constitute the complete antithesis of Islamic teaching. That being said, some important questions remain unanswered. Does a true Islamic State exist in the world today? And fundamentally, what features would one possess? The answers, though concealed beneath layers of modern day radicalised youths screaming calls for war and extremist clerics inciting hatred, are nevertheless easy to find. The Qur'an, while not specifying a specific form of government, lays down clear and consistent guidelines on the principles that an Islamic State should uphold: Let not a people's enmity incite you to act otherwise than with justice. Be always just, that is nearer to righteousness. And fear Allah. Surely, Allah is aware of what you do.[5:9] Religion is not mentioned at all in this verse. In order for a State to enact absolute justice upon its subjects as the Qur'an commands, it requires values of pluralism, religious tolerance, and secularism - with a complete separation between religion and politics. In this way each citizen, regardless of race, colour or faith, would be able to adhere to their own belief system as they pleased. To compel a non-Muslim to follow Islamic law would constitute a clear breach of justice, thus violating the principles of Islam itself. In 626AD, the Prophet Muhammad, at that time the ruler of Medina, gave a letter to the Christian monks of St Catherine's monastery - a document which is still preserved to this day. His words serve as further evidence of the true teachings of Islam, in their pure and uncorrupted form. 'Christians are my citizens,' he writes. 'No compulsion is to be on them..., no one is to destroy a house of their religion... The Muslims are to fight for them.' At the bottom of the document the Prophet ordered that no Muslim, from that day until the end of the world, should disobey those commandments. This is a true Islamic State. A State in which its Muslim citizens are prepared not only to live in peace with those of other faiths, but be willing to fight and die to safeguard their rights. A State in which a matchless spirit of peace is forged on the precepts of complete justice. A State in which there exists unity in diversity, in which there is light and compassion instead of darkness and hatred. With the Prime Minister likely to get a final deal on his EU renegotiation at the EU Council on 18/19 February, it made perfect sense for him to put an end to speculation over whether ministers would be subject to collective responsibility or not. The Prime Minister made a wise decision to allow ministers to campaign for either side on the EU Referendum, just as Wilson did in 1975. It didn't lead to huge splits - the issue was debated and resolved, and the Labour Government carried on for another four years. The Conservative Party is Eurosceptic by nature. As a Party that values freedom and independence so highly, it is little wonder that two thirds of its members want to leave the unelected, undemocratic and bureaucratic EU. Advertisement And, just as Party members are sceptical of the emerging EU superstate, so too are many ministers. Mr Cameron was sensible and enlightened to allow his ministers the freedom to campaign on whichever side they desire. It took courage and sound political nous. His decision is in the best interests of the Conservative Party as he has saved the need for principled Eurosceptic ministers to have to resign in order to campaign to leave, which would cause difficulties to both the Government and Party. His decision is also in the best interest of democratic politics more generally. The last thing an already cynical public want to see are the most senior politicians forced to back something they simply do not believe in, on such a massive issue of principle, just in the name of collective responsibility. There is a big enough democratic deficit and distrust of politicians as there is. Slavish, unquestioning Europhiles like Tim Farron take the view that all Government ministers must agree on everything in a North Korean-type fashion, and seems very proud of the fact "the Liberal Democrats are the only Party united in the case to Remain". Advertisement It may be worth pointing out to Mr Farron that it is relatively simple to achieve unity in a Party of eight MPs and one MEP. The Conservative Party has 330 MPs and 19 MEPs so it is a much broader church. It has been more than 40 years since the British public have had a say on Britain's membership of the EU and attempts by the likes of Mr Farron who do not seek any change whatsoever in our current relationship with the EU - and are more Euronationalist even than Labour - are keen to stifle debate on this crucial issue. Europhiles on the Left seem to think their job is to represent the EU to the British people not the British people to the EU. This week, the Prime Minister has rightly given the opportunity to senior Conservatives to follow their conviction and conscience. This year is crucial in determining the future of the UK. Yesterday's announcement is an acknowledgement of the seriousness of the decision that the British public will make. This is the biggest issue of our political generation, and we need a factual, friendly and unfettered debate. I believe Britain will thrive outside of the EU, be more global and less regional, and be freer, happier and more prosperous out. I look forward to a number of senior ministers joining the Vote Leave campaign next month. Advertisement Mai Stephens, who has died aged 91, brought glamour to the act of Ireland's most famous lion tamer, her husband, the self-styled 'Captain' Bill Stephens. Her most dangerous stunt was bending over a rack of sharp knives while a lion leapt over her. Because of her dark hair and exotic beauty, Stephens liked to claim his wife came from "the East" - although she came from no further east than East Wall Road, a few streets from where he grew up in the Dublin suburb of Fairview. Advertisement She was born Margaret Carton on November 5 1924 and brought up by her grandmother. She met Bill Stephens while they were both in their teens and they married in October 1942. At the time, Bill was working as a welder by day and playing drums in Billy Carter's swing band at night. When a big top pitched up beside the Arcadia ballroom where he was playing, he and Mai decided to run away with the circus. Initially, Bill played in the circus band, but soon acquired a lion cub called Sultan from a performer who was leaving the show. With no previous experience, he trained the animal as if it were a dog and went on to develop a unique act that mixed lions with Alsatians. Mai, meanwhile, walked around the ring draped with snakes. Advertisement Stephens modelled himself on Clyde Beatty, the whip-cracking big cat tamer of America's Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, who was familiar to Irish audiences through movie serials such as The Lost Jungle. Clad in safari-style costumes, the Stephenses travelled Ireland with John Duffy's Circus in an act called Jungle Capers. Their stunts included Stephens feeding a lion from his own mouth and a lion leaping through a hoop above Mai's head. The highlight was a 'bouncing lions' routine, performed in a small wagon pushed into the big top by a tractor. Circus historian Michael Ingoldsby saw the act when he was 10-years-old and describes it as "The most thrilling act I've ever seen in the circus. The lions did a wall of death. They ran around the sides of the wagon, and it was rocking from side to side. People were breathless, because you didn't know if the wagon was going to turn over. You couldn't tell if Stephens was chasing the lions or the lions were chasing him, and the remarkable thing was, on cue at the end, they just stopped dead." When the circus was off the road for the winter, the Stephenses returned to Fairview and kept the lions in a rented shed behind a high street garage on Merville Avenue. On November 11 1951, a lioness called Sleika escaped onto the streets of Dublin, pounced on an apprentice mechanic called Andy Massey and seriously wounded Stephens as he tried to recapture her. Advertisement The incident made headlines around the world and led to the couple playing a Christmas season with Chipperfield's Circus in Dublin. But they also came under financial pressure when Massey sued. Stephens dreamed of making the big time in America and to increase the appearance of danger in his act went against all advice to buy a particularly ferocious male lion from Dublin Zoo. On January 27 1953, he and Mai were visited at the winter quarters of Fossett's Circus by a talent scout from the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus - the famed Greatest Show on Earth. Stephens was so keen to impress that he wore a new suit in the lion cage. His male lion failed to recognise his scent in the unfamiliar clothes and mauled him to death in front of his wife. After her husband's death, Mai returned to Fairview and took a job as an usherette at the Bohemian cinema. The following year, she met her second husband, Joe Tracy, who worked for the seed and grain merchants Dardis & Dunne. They married in 1959 and lived in a corporation house at 1 East Wall Road, the street where she grew up. Throughout her second marriage, Mai seldom mentioned her previous life in the circus. Her two children only knew that she was sentimentally attached to a small toy circus set. When a circus came to town, she would park outside and listen to the music but never ventured into the big top. Advertisement After a stroke in 2011, Mai was left partially paralysed and unable to speak. She moved into the Marymount Care Centre in Westmanstown, County Dublin. It was there that she was tracked down by filmmaker Joe Lee for a brief but moving final scene in his documentary, Fortune's Wheel - The Life and Legacy of the Fairview Lion Tamer. Currently touring selected venues, the doc was named Best Irish Film at the Dublin Film Festival. Mai Tracy was born November 5 1924 and died November 27, 2015. She is survived by her husband Joe, son Martin and daughter Caroline. Boris Johnson wrote that Britain should look at Denmark's example of not allowing foreigners to buy houses. In 1985, I was the UK's representative in the EU's negotiations on the excitingly titled Capital Movement's Directive and I had to come to London and explain that I'd conceded this point because of the German invasion of 1864 when the Schleswig-Holstein problem wasn't properly resolved. Since I'm a half-Dane, my colleagues obviously suspected skulduggery - but the truth was the Danes just could not risk seeing all their summer houses on the west coast being bought by Germans. Thirty years on, Britain is one of the most popular destinations for migrants across the world. They're not coming for the food or the weather, but because English is the most common foreign language learned by schoolchildren across the globe. Advertisement In general, this openness serves us well. But it does have downsides and we should assess them honestly. One of the downsides is the impact on London property prices - which have, according to UBS, reached dangerous bubble dimensions again. By and large this is not the result of EU citizens buying property, but the major fund flows are from Russia and China. Savills say Russians spend an average of 6.3m. The most expensive property ever sold in the UK - 1, Hyde Park - was bought by a Ukrainian. London is now the global money-laundering centre for the drug trade, according to Roberto Saviano. Alexander Lebedev - the Russian born owner of the Independent newspapers and Evening Standard, believes London based banks have helped to hide over $6 trillion in corruption payments and criminal proceeds. Donald Toon - the director of economic crime at the National Crime Agency - has said: Advertisement "I believe the London property market has been skewed by laundered money. Prices are being artificially driven up by overseas criminals who want to sequester their assets here in the UK." It is quite wrong that, as a consequence, British people are being priced out of their own capital. These properties are not being bought as homes and anyone who drives through the centre of our capital at night knows from the darkness that once lively streets and squares are now dead. Peter Rees, the former City of London planning officer, also points out that homogenised international architecture is out of scale and damaging the London skyline. This should be a wake-up call to policymakers. Policies are put in place to improve wellbeing, not as a matter of dogma. When they cease to deliver we should change them. So most of us have now seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens. One thing it has certainly awoken is a deluge of blogs addressing its merits or otherwise. Forgive me for joining the party. In the film, and the avalanche of commentary it has inspired, there is fresh discussion about what exactly the 'force' is. Since the first instalment of the series 39 years ago, it has been presented as a cosmic energy that gifted individuals can tap into, harnessing it to fulfil equally heroic or villainous deeds. Advertisement The new film tells us that it flows through all living things - which gives me fresh hope for what I might achieve if I put my mind to it next time I'm stuck in call-waiting or halfway down the Bakerloo line. Whenever the force is mentioned in the new film, one of John Williams' iconic themes from the original trilogy stirs in the underscore, making one almost feel that the force is nostalgia, a yearning for the past - that it's possibly the young you calling to your present day self, reminding you what you once had in you, a dormant spirit ready for reawakening. Either that, or the force is the music itself. Seldom in this film when you hear talk of the force is the accompanying orchestra silent. At these moments, music always has much to say. For all the new film's wonders, where would Star Wars be without Williams' famous soundtrack? From its opening blaze of trumpets and the most Olympic triangle playing you've ever heard to its soaring melodies complementing the nobler characters onscreen, the music has an astonishing immediacy, able to reach inside you and punch emotional buttons faster than the narrative can alone. Advertisement I confess I cried several times watching the new movie: only afterwards I reflected that each time it was when Williams' entreating 'force' theme emerged. Music is used in this film, and many others of course, as a kind of emotional shorthand, instantly allying our feelings with those of the protagonists without need for lengthy expositional dialogue. In a very good profile for The New Yorker, Alex Ross notes that back in 1977, it was John Williams who - almost singlehandedly with the Star Wars score - brought orchestral music back to Hollywood's biggest movies, where it has stayed to this day. Whatever challenge the orchestral sector (in which I work) faces, it's clear that more and more orchestras are finding currency providing music for major films and computer games alike. That such billion dollar industries are calling on us in this way powerfully contends those who question the relevance of orchestras today. Clearly we've got something that no other form of music can provide. What force is that? How did orchestral music finds its way into films in the first place? Of course, film was initially silent, and live musicians - pianists at first, then increasingly bigger bands - were assigned to add colour that voices couldn't. (They were also useful in concealing the noisy drone of the first projectors.) Then came the talkies, into whose pre-recorded soundtracks symphonic orchestras could be more readily integrated. The rise of the Third Reich propelled a host of Europe's most promising classical composers to flee to America. Into the arms of Hollywood they ran. Advertisement Among them were the Austrians Max Steiner and Erich Wolfgang Korngold whose respective scores for King Kong in 1933 and A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1934 lit the touchpaper on how thematically sophisticated orchestral music could powerfully complement film's visual magnetism. Korngold especially paved the way for Williams: without getting too bogged in technical terms, their music abounds with optimistically leaping perfect fourths and fifths, gilded with tireless xylophones and, in the gentler moments, velvety swathes of celesta and harp. Alex Ross notes that Williams' music is a great primer for how to listen to orchestral music generally: his distinct, recurring character motifs train the ear for classical music's penchant for thematic development. Indeed, it was a cassette tape of Williams' original Star Wars, E.T. and Close Encounters scores that awoke my own appetite for orchestras as a boy, luring my curiosity to other orchestral composers. To this end, I would put his Force Awakens score - which artfully fuses exquisitely textured themes for characters old and new in the saga - on the national schools' music curriculum. It opens a door that kids will not hesitate to enter. Watching the new Star Wars film, I was struck, beyond the music, how much like a symphony it is: a prospect hinted at the very outset propels us on a quest, luring us through many different moods and emotions, towards a climactic final reckoning. (It's notable how in the spectacular final scene, the characters are speechless: the music says everything they are feeling.) Advertisement In the programme notes I have written for my own orchestra and others over the years, keen to convey why our music yet speaks to the world today, I have often find myself articulating that before there was cinema, there was orchestral music. Before cinema, nothing - not even literature - told stories with quite the same pace and propulsive wallop as orchestral works. There are classical works that take us on explicit journeys: Strauss' Alpine Symphony takes us up and down a vast mountain; Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade teleports us to the exotic Orient for a breathless adventure. But all classical music transports us somewhere; most of it just leaves you to devise the scenery and protagonists in your head as the music unfolds. It struck me lately that concertos are in fact the original action thrillers, their virtuoso soloists the heroes whose pursuits (most of the time) lead us to a happy ending. Given that cinema and orchestras are evidently such natural bedfellows, might we yet lure some of the millions of people who have loved Star Wars to the concert hall? Even the most seasoned political pundits were left flummoxed by some 2015's most significant political developments. From a surprise Conservative majority in May to a landslide win for the far-left in the Labour Leadership election, last year was full of surprises. This week ICG publishes our latest Political Preview here; a comprehensive overview of the political and policy landscape of 2016. The year following a General Election can be comparatively quiet as the Government embarks on their ambitious legislative agenda and the Opposition consider how to reconnect with the electorate, but this one looks likely to pack just as many punches. Here's why: 1) Brexit could be on the cards... Britain's membership of the European Union is set to be the defining issue of 2016. We could be making transitions towards 'Brexit' by the end of the year. With David Cameron's renegotiation deal likely to be finalised at the EU Council Summit on 18-19 February, the referendum is increasingly likely to take place in June. The Prime Minister will be keen to send voters to the polls before the 'mid-term blues' set in, but the summer could also see a resurgence of the refugee crisis, which would be damaging for the "remain" campaign. Advertisement The outcome of the referendum looks too close to call at the moment, with a large section of the public remaining undecided. Voters in Scotland in particular will be tempted by a leave vote as offering a second independence referendum. Arguments about jobs and economic growth may cut through in London and the South, but the outcome will be decided by voters in the Midlands and North, many of whom were tempted by Ukip in 2015. Europhiles will be hoping that risk-aversion will nudge the swing vote towards the status quo. 2) Cameron could be gone by the end of the year... If Downing Street decides that the rules of collective responsibility apply to the EU referendum, 2016 could see a number of ministers resigning in order to campaign for Britain to leave. With several Eurosceptic cabinet ministers hinting at voting 'out', including Iain Duncan-Smith, Michael Gove and Theresa May, the issue has the potential to expose painful splits at the top of the Conservative Party. More significantly, a win for the 'out' camp would undoubtedly signal the end of David Cameron's premiership. We could have a new Prime Minister by the end of the Autumn party conferences; decided not by the wider electorate but by, at most, 200,000 members of the Conservative Party. 3) The devolved nations are up for grabs... On Thursday 5th May, voters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will cast their votes for members of the devolved administrations. With new powers being handed by Westminster to Holyrood, Stormont House and the Senedd, the devolved elections are of increasing importance. Talks between Nicola Sturgeon and David Cameron over new powers and future funding for Scotland should be resolved early this year, with Holyrood likely to gain full control of income tax bands and rates by 2018. Advertisement The SNP is on course for another landslide win, but Labour's performance will be a key test not only of its new Scottish Leader, Kezia Dugdale, but also of Jeremy Corbyn's reputation and the reception to his anti-austerity message north of the border. Labour will be fighting hard to keep control of Wales, too, with threats from Plaid Cymru, Ukip and the Conservatives. 4) Local elections could decide Corbyn's future prospects... 'Super Thursday' will also see local elections take place across England, including four high-profile mayoral contests in London, Manchester, Bristol and Salford. Zac Goldsmith and Sadiq Khan are neck-and-neck in the London polls, and Jeremy Corbyn has identified the independently-held Bristol mayoralty (a city in which he commanded significant support among Labour members during the leadership election) as a key target. The local and devolved elections will be a crucial test for Mr Corbyn. If Khan triumphs in London and Labour makes gains across the country, Labour MPs may begin to feel more optimistic about their Leader's chance of delivering electoral success in 2020. But if the Party suffers heavy losses or falls to third place behind the Conservatives in Scotland, there will be growing calls for him to step down. 5) And across the Atlantic, the future of the 'special relationship' could see a major change... News / Regional by Staff reporter A WOMAN believed to be Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa's sister is reportedly staying at a council house in Kwekwe without paying rentals, raising the ire of the local authority, which has requested an audit of its properties.But the councillors have clashed with the city's management, which has reportedly refused to release the list of non-movable properties owned by the local authority and the names of the occupants, arguing this was classified information.According to latest council minutes, housing committee chairperson, Morris Chinwada told fellow councillors that management declined to produce the list, claiming the document was "confidential and carried classified information".The committee requested the list following reports that some of the houses had been occupied by non-council employees, who were not paying any rentals to the local authority."We have received tip-offs that some of the houses are being occupied by relatives of top Zanu-PF politicians, who are not even paying rentals to council and on the back of a directive by the Ministry of Local Government that council should cede title to its tenants, we have requested for the list, which was only shown to us in a flash to the extent that we could not note the details," Chinwada said.Director of housing and community services, Newton Dete told a December 10, 2015 committee meeting that he could not release the list into the hands of the councillors because it was classified."Dete informed the meeting that the list could be provided, but it should be noted that this is classified information for security reasons, hence he requested to circulate the list subject to its withdrawal after members had gone through it," read minutes of the meeting.Some of the properties include house number 22A along First Avenue at Globe and Phoenix currently occupied by the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans' Association.The ex-combatants, according to the report, at one time owed council $18 765 in rentals.Mnangagwa's sister, only identified as D Mwale, has also taken occupation of a council house at 5 Leopold Takawira Street and has not been paying rentals.Mwale, according to the 2009 council property list released to the audit committee, had an outstanding bill of $2 000.Acting town clerk, Lucia Mnkandla said the list had since been withdrawn by council as a number of changes had been made to it, although she did not disclose the nature of the alterations.Councillor Aaron Gwalazimba, however, insisted that the list, which was circulated to councillors, was similar to the one produced in 2009, when he was audit chairman.He said the only change that he saw was on 24 Leopold Takawira, which in 2009 was occupied by Morris Mutema, who, at that time, had left the employ of the local authority."The difference is that he still stays at the house, but he is now the internal audit manager and in 2009 he was not employed by us. Everything else is the same, but maybe now we are owed much more in unpaid rentals," Gwalazimba said. I am not a wine snob but enjoy drinking nice reds, and love learning more about what I'm drinking. There is no better way than visiting a vineyard and staying among the vines to really learn about wine. I've visited Switzerland, Bulgaria, Spain and more and have gathered my top picks of vineyards you must visit (and so must I)! Image Credit: Judith Lewis 1. The Edoardo Miroglio winery is located in the Thracian valley in the village of Elenovo in Bulgaria. It sits proudly upon a hill surrounded by vineyards. It is possibly one of the most beautiful places I have been with vineyards stretching out as far as the eye can see. On a distant hilltop are the remains of a temple to Dionysus, a tribute to the areas historical wine association. Be sure to try the sparkling pinot noir. The cost is extremely reasonable coming from the UK, and I am absolutely in love and cannot wait to somehow arrange a return visit with husband. Advertisement Image Credit: Grande Roche Hotel 2. Bosman Estate Winery and Grande Roche Hotel in South Africa. The Bosman restaurant serves wines from the vineyard and you can order a private tasting of the wines grown outside your room. The Manor House dates back to 1717 so it's literally staying in history as you look out over hectare after hectare of vineyards. You can visit nearby DV Artisan Chocolate on the "Spice Route" where you can enjoy their Wine & Chocolate Journey. Image Credit: Vines of Mendoza 3. Vines of Mendoza in Argentina. Am I allowed to be swayed by two rather handsome men? No? Well, perhaps the stunning scenery and gorgeous mountains, as well as beautiful vineyards would sway anyone. Positioned within this grand terrain is a resort and spa where visitors can relax or eat in their amazing restaurant, tour around the area or even buy a piece of the vineyard. With this resort being named to numerous hot and top lists, it sounds and looks amazing. Advertisement Image Credit: Zahringer 4. The Zahringer winery, a small family run vineyard that has been going since 1844 and champions biodynamic methods of production. Located in the heart of the Rhine Valley in Baden, the vineyard is positioned with a stunning view of the Black Forest. The Zahringer winery produces a wide range of excellent quality wines. There are a number of local accommodation sites in Heitersheim where the vineyard is located, and get some black forest gateau while in the Black Forest of course! Image Credit: Quinta da Pacheca 5. I've never visited Portugal but I'd absolutely love to and if I do, The Quinta da Pacheca is on my list. It is one of the best known properties of the Douro, and was the first to bottle wine with their own brand in April 1738. From guided tours, to wine tasting, from the wine courses, to enjoying lunch and dinner on site, anything is possible here and I can't wait to try it myself. Advertisement Image Credit: Herault Tourisme 6. Domaine Saint-Hilaire in the beautiful Languedoc region is tucked away in a picturesque corner by Montagnac, equidistant between Beziers & Montpellier. It is home to one of the Languedoc's most unusual cult wines - The Lost Boys 2007 (a pure Merlot that got 'lost' in barrel for 7 years before being bottled). The 180-acre vineyard has been around since the 1800s and they run tours & tastings. The vineyard has an award-winning luxury B&B accommodation on site. Image Credit: Jabajak 7. Wales has wine? Well, as husband is Welsh I simply have to visit Jabajak which is a family-run vineyard situated in the heart of West Wales on the edge of the Bluestone mountain range. The vineyard, which produced its first harvest last year after eight years of careful preparation, also offers five-star accommodation on site overlooking the grounds. Image Credit: Schmid Wetli 8. One of the wineries I visited, and the first place I tasted grape alcohol (um, don't) was SCHMID WETLI which is nestled against one of the numerous south facing slopes of Berneck. No on-site accommodation but lovely vineyard and worth investigating Switzerland and Swiss wines from here to Geneva. Advertisement Image Credit: Judith Lewis 9. As an Ontario girl I think I'm obliged to recommend Stratus vineyards. Close by to Niagara-on-the-lake and so there's masses of accommodation nearby, it is a cheap taxi ride from there to Stratus which is, in my opinion, Ontario's leading winery for their quality and blending. An absolute must-visit! Image Credit: Vivanco Winery 10. My favourite vineyard and winery from my Rioja trip was Vivanco Winery is located in Briones. They have a test vineyard you can visit and taste grapes from (in October obviously), a museum and the winery where you can to tours and tastings. Well worth finding local accommodation for. This year, I am thrilled to step into my new role as president of Unicef UK, the world's leading children's organisation. It's a real privilege to follow in the footsteps of Lord Paddy Ashdown who has been in the position for the last six years. As we welcome in the New Year and reflect on another Christmas filled with family, friends, food and presents, it's easy to forget about those who are less fortunate than us. This year, in my new role for Unicef UK, children across the world who face violence, disease, hunger and the chaos of war are at the front of my mind. As a mother, it's utterly heart breaking to think about how many children face these issues and I am determined to help do something about it. I'm so proud to become the president of Unicef UK, which works tirelessly to ensure more of the world's children are fed, vaccinated, educated and protected than any other organisation. Advertisement It's hard not to think of the children of Syria and how much hardship they face. Over six and a half million children in Syria and across the region are in urgent need of aid. Inside Syria the picture is bleak. Up to a million children are trapped by fighting inside the country, cut off from lifesaving supplies. In countries like Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq, more than one and a half million child refugees are struggling to cope in terrible conditions. The personal stories of these children should not be forgotten, I recently heard about sisters Marwa and Aya who were forced to flee Syria when their town was shelled and their school was hit by a bomb. Marwa, 13, says: "Life in Syria before the war was serene. Life was absolutely perfect and we feared nothing at all." Advertisement "I loved school but then it was hit by a rocket and burnt down. Things have changed dramatically since then, there was no school and no lessons and bombs started falling near where we lived. My mother was very protective of us because our father had died and there was no one else. "My brother told my mother that she must flee Syria and take us all to Jordan for safety." Marwa and Aya are back at school thanks to Unicef supported classes in Za'atari refugee camp. Marwa says: "We didn't know how long the war would last. I kept crying and telling my mother I wanted to go home. But I felt much better once I went back school and my sister and I started attending lessons again. School is really important to me and I enjoy it a lot." Advertisement "I don't like missing school because I don't want my lack of education to affect my future. When I grow up I would like to become a lawyer so I can defend my country and help all those who have suffered injustice." As I settle into my new role, I look forward to working on projects that will help shine a light on children like Marwa and Aya and the danger they face. It's almost impossible to fathom the scale of what happened in Cologne on New Year's Eve. Details are emerging slowly about what appears to be coordinated sexual attacks and muggings in the city centre by a group of around 1000 men, with similar incidents on a smaller scale reported in other German cities. Cologne is a fantastic city. I know this because I lived there as a university student from 1998 to 1999. Historically very liberal, with a reputation as Germany's 'gay capital', Cologne has been a melting pot of cultures for decades. What happened on the night of 31st December has shaken the city, and indeed Germany, to its very core. While the facts surrounding the incident remain only partially established, the picture that has emerged from police and witness statement so far suggests the following; that a large group of around 1000 drunk, aggressive men 'of Arab or North African appearance' descended upon the area around Cologne Cathedral. Over the course of a lengthy rampage, it is reported that at least one woman was raped, many more groped, including a volunteer police officer, and several others mugged. Other reports suggest fireworks being used as weapons and scenes of chaos with women and girls openly crying in distress and the police struggling to control a scene of utter lawlessness. Advertisement Of course, it is difficult to avoid viewing the incident through the lens of events of the last year. Germany has welcomed around one million refugees and asylum seekers in recent months, a staggering number by anyone's standards. Confident in its ability to successfully absorb this mammoth addition to its population, Germany has emerged as the destination of choice for hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war, persecution and poverty in countries such as Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. Heartwarming scenes of Germans greeting new arrivals at rail stations the length and breadth of the country were beamed across the globe. Germany, it seemed, was a bastion of humanitarianism. With this increased immigration came the almost inevitable rise in popularity of groups such as Pegida. Suddenly, images were broadcast of large protests attended not just by the usual testosterone-fuelled skinheads but also by your everyday German man, woman and child. At the heart of their concerns, they claimed, was a very realistic prospect that Germany would be irreversibly changed, socially and culturally, by such intense movements of people. That Germany would be transformed was uncontested. The degree to which this transformation would be positive for the country was - and still is - a subject of much debate. It's important to make some points very clear. First, it goes without saying that organised attacks on women are not confined to non-white men. It should also be pointed out that there will undoubtedly have been victims of a whole range of backgrounds. To seek to portray this as 'dark-skinned perpetrators and white victims' is as disingenuous as it is dangerous. However, it is equally as counterproductive to evade some of the crucial conversations that must be had in the aftermath of such savagery. There has been no definite link established between the recent influx of people from the Middle East and Africa, despite early reports of 'asylum seekers' having been apprehended, complete with identification papers. If such a connection is confirmed, then Germany, and Europe as a whole, will need to urgently reconsider and revise its strategy for integrating those of different cultures into a 21st-Century Europe. Questions must also be asked regarding police competence. How can it be that a modern police force finds itself completely overwhelmed on a night where security should have been painstakingly planned and implemented to protect the throngs on the city's streets? Advertisement It is regrettable in the extreme that Cologne's mayor, Henriette Reker, has responded to the unprecedented attacks by urging women to abide by a 'code of conduct'. The suggestion that female residents ensure that they stand 'an arm's length away from strangers' is ludicrously offensive. It patently places the onus on women and girls to 'avoid' being attacked, rather than on men to behave like decent human beings in control of their own conduct. It also effectively discourages women and girls from attending large-scale events such as Cologne's annual carnival with the implicit admission that the police are unable to guarantee their safety. General security advice given to those participating in organised public events is appropriate. Asking women to physically isolate themselves effectively absolves their male counterparts of their moral responsibility to keep their hands to themselves. Of course, there is an understandable fear that these abominable attacks will fan the flames of the xenophobia already simmering in a great many German communities. Yet, the response from Germany's authorities is a crucial factor in this. The highly organised nature of these assaults could potentially warrant charges of terrorism against the perpetrators. If a link is established between Germany's open-door policy during the crisis of the last twelve months and what took place on New Year's Eve, it is in no way racist or xenophobic to objectively evaluate the government's success in integrating the new additions to their population. All other governmental decisions are held up to scrutiny and the relevant ministers made accountable when something goes awry. Immigration policy should be no different. [Warning - some people may find the image below distressing] Imagine bodies washing up on the beach in town popular with British tourists. Imagine corpses becoming a regular feature, in a resort which people usually visit to relax and enjoy themselves. Imagine men, women, and children in lines on the sand. No-one knows who they are, but they are becoming a common sight, close by to where holidaymakers eat, drink and swim. It's like something from a horror movie, but it's happening. Not in Brighton or anywhere else in the UK, but other popular holiday resorts visited by Brits. The latest was Ayvalik in Turkey. Advertisement Nine bodies, including children, washed up on a beach in Ayvalik on Tuesday. Seven more appeared on the shore of a beach 30 miles away, after a total of 36 people died when two boats packed with migrants sank. Ayvalik is a small, beautiful coastal town, known for its seafood restaurants and olive oil production - and now bodies. Harvard University runs a Turkish Summer school there every year. Some papers called the bodies at Ayvalik "a stark reminder of the depth of Europe's migrant crisis". Advertisement We shouldn't need a 'reminder' that dead humans are being tossed ashore in this humanitarian disaster, but we do. The reality is that the crisis is so huge, so unbearable, and in some ways so alien, that it's difficult to keep at the forefront of your mind. Ayvalik is on the same side of Turkey as Bodrum, the place where the toddler Alan Kurdi was found drowned last September. For me, the area he was found is full of happy memories. I've visited Bodrum often as a sort of second home. The contrast between my idyllic visits there - floating in the very waves that are killing desperate people - and the heartbreaking sights on so many of Turkey's beaches, is hard to process. Alan Kurdi wasn't a one-off: many people died in this horrific way before him, many have since, and many are still to die. The International Organisation for Migration estimates that 3,771 migrants died trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe last year - the deadliest 12 months on record for people crossing the Mediterranean. Advertisement This grim nightmare, something we couldn't have imagined a few years ago, is becoming ordinary. This is happening so often that Wikipedia's list of 'Migrant vessel incidents on the Mediterranean Sea' tragedies is divided into "Prior to 2015" and "2015" - with twice as many on the second list. The number of deaths in 2015 is more than a third of the number estimated to have been killed altogether by the Islamic State, which has has executed more than 10,000 people since it came into being. Many who drown are trying to escape such a fate, or death or persecution by other groups in Syria and Iraq, or other abuses in Africa. Instead, they die at the hands of smugglers who offer them a dangerous chance to reach Europe, creating what Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat called "nothing less than genocide". But now, after the furore around the Alan Kurdi pictures, media coverage of the crisis has lessened as its become normalised, and if we're honest, we'd all rather look at a nice postcard of a seaside than some dead bodies. But don't look away. History is happening - bad, dark, abominable history that will be written about in years to come. Don't let it be something you're only aware of then. Advertisement Last year the world woke up to the tragedy that is happening, thanks to the picture of Kurdi (despite years of civil war and millions of refugees already having been forced to flee). If 2015 was the year we came to understand, let's not let this year be the one when we forget. On our late season holiday to Corfu we hired a little car and set about exploring this beautiful island. For one of our days out we planned to head up to the summit of Mount Pantokrator, which is the highest mountain in Corfu. Our journey up the mountain was quite adventurous. We had only hired a very small car and at times it had difficulty gripping the road and getting up the hills, where the road was a bit damp from the overnight rain. But that all added to the adventure. We drive through some extremely remote villages with beautiful Corfiot buildings and saw a lot of cats. The Corfiots love cats and we were amazed how many we saw on our days out round the island. Advertisement The views as we were climbing the mountain were breath-taking. I kept stopping the car and hopping out to take photos. We were looking down from the high points and up from the lower road, as we were amazed how the mountain disappeared into the low laying cloud. It was truly awesome. When we arrived at the top of the mountain, it was very cloudy. The overnight rain clouds hadn't burnt off yet and so the visibility was quite poor, it was very damp and quite windy. Advertisement We decided to explore what was on top of the mountain. The first place we came past was a little cafe, we decided not to stop for a cup of tea, but this would have been lovely if it had been a clearer day. We then walked into the grounds of the monastery. The Pantokrator monastery is on the same site as the older Angevin monastery, which was built in the 1300s and completely destroyed in the early 16th century. The new monastery has been rebuild via donations from the people of the surrounding villages. It's really quite a stunning building and not what you would expect to find on the top of a mountain. The ground of the monastery is strangely full of lots of cats. I wondered to myself, how did the cats get there? The nearest village is probably a couple of hours walk away. Who feeds them? The cats are clearly used to visitors and were enjoying the attention. Many posing for photos. Also at the top of the Mountain you can enjoy beautiful views across most of the island, the neighbouring island of Paxos and also nearby Albania. On a clear day, it is said that you can see Italy too. As I mentioned it was quite cloudy when we first arrived and there was low laying cloud in most of our photos. It burned off whilst we were up there, which transformed our time at the top of the mountain from a cold, damp affair to one where we were getting quite hot and a little sun-kissed from the sun. There's also a little gift shop selling a variety of Corfiot souvenirs and also a number of church-related items. There's also a telecommunication station opposite the monastery, which you can walk right through and enjoy the views from that side of the mountain. Advertisement I would highly recommend a visit to Mount Pantokrator if you are visiting Corfu. As I mentioned, we hired a car and drove up the mountain. From what I can see, you could drive to Old Perithia and then enjoy a two hour hike up the mountain, although I have read that some of the routes aren't very well maintained. If you started from the bottom, some people suggest it is a seven hour hike up. Whatever you decide, best come prepared, as the roads are challenging and there can be a long distance between one town and the next. 2 December 2015 was the day that my fourteen-year-old daughter tells me her childhood ended. She became an adult when her classmate died, and she and her peer group, were thrust suddenly and unwillingly, into a world that teenagers should never normally inhabit. A world of funerals, of grief and of loss. A world in which discussion of memorials replaced exam worries, where hugs and tears replaced teenage spats and where the kids were the ones who were the bereaved. Her classmate, Dylan Samuels, was 15 and wasn't meant to die so young. Of course he wasn't - kids are not meant to die. But in this case, although Dylan suffered with cystic fibrosis, no one expected him to succumb at such a tender age - least of all his classmates at a school in Manchester. Why should they have? Dylan had been a fit and active boy who was even signed up with Manchester United's youth team when he was younger. Apart from having to take tablets with his school lunches, no one but his close friends knew much about his condition at all until two years ago when his health began to deteriorate. Even then, with a lung transplant in the offing at Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, he faced a brighter future and his friends were looking forward to kicking a ball again with him at school. Advertisement Sadly that was not to be and a major stroke following his transplant left him fighting for his life. He fought for nine weeks and his classmates assumed, with childish optimism and innocence, that he would win the fight and soon be back in the classroom with a few scars but the same big smile. When he died, there was shock, bewilderment and anger. How could such a vibrant young man be no more? What did he do to deserve that? Why couldn't the doctors save him? What kind of world do we live in that such a thing could happen? The kids struggled with these questions and many more. They also grappled with more pressing concerns; how to grieve for the boy who will never grow up with them. We all rely on schemas, or 'protypical behaviours' that guide us in our daily lives; these are the behavioural patterns that tell us how to behave in various scenarios. When something totally unexpected happens, something rare and unprecedented, there is no scheme we can apply about how to behave, no previous experience to draw on. Without clear guidance, we look to others as a clue to guide our own actions. When a child dies, there is bewilderment, not only with the loss, but in how to behave in this unprecedented situation. The kids look to their parents and teachers for guidance, but they too are encountering a novel event whilst coping with their own distress. There are concentric circles of grief too when a child dies, and within them, different patterns of response. Those closest to the tragedy, such as close friends, have clearer expectations as to how to behave, in terms of outpouring of grief, funeral attendance etc. The next circle, classmates and acquaintances, may also be clear about how their grief is expected to be manifested. But then things get blurred; how should those kids, from different school years, who hardly knew the deceased, act? How entitled are they to their grief when they barely knew him? And what of those who didn't know the child at all - are they too entitled to grieve? Advertisement All the kids in Dylan's school were entitled to mourn him - even those who never knew him. They were grieving over a life cut short, a potential that was never fully achieved. They were heart-broken for his brave family and the new life they must carve for themselves. They were grieving for a boy who would be forever young. When a classmate dies, life for those who are left, goes on. Exams still need to be taken, school concerts performed, festivals celebrated. But for the peers of the deceased, things will never be quite the same. They will have grown up a little, as my daughter perceptively noted. They will have shown strength and courage that they never knew they had. They will have comforted and helped each other through the depths of despair that teenagers should never normally experience. They will be forever bonded by their grief, united by a common thread and joined by unique bond. They will never forget Dylan. Dylan will have a place in their hearts and minds as they undertake each rite of passage in life's journey. They will remember him when they see his empty desk and locker and when they sit their GCSEs and their A Levels. When they celebrate their triumphs and successes they will remember the boy who should have shared them. When they go to University or college, get jobs and perhaps start their own families, they will remember the boy who won't be doing the same. And, if they have their own children, when those kids reach the age of 14 and 15, no doubt they will tell them about Dylan. But their memories of Dylan will also help them develop into caring, thoughtful, responsible people. Kids who have suffered such a loss, develop resilience, strength of character, and community-mindedness as they move from the egocentrism of normal teen-hood into the broader perspective of life that they have gained. Many will invest their energies into developing Dylan's legacy, of raising funds for cystic fibrosis or other good causes and of generally helping others. These kids who mourn now will be outstanding adults of tomorrow who will do amazing things not just because their classmate died, but because he lived. In recent times, there has been an increasing trend of employees slowly moving away from the traditional confides of the office and being given more flexibility and choice over their working environment. Employees sought on their availability to work in a particular region, with specific contracted working hours, in a costly office environment is no longer the only option available to employers. Working from home, flexi-working hours, and increased holiday time are becoming commonplace within innovative companies. This has been seen everywhere from cost conscious start-ups to international organisations such as Virgin who recently publicised a new increased holiday policy for their staff. Such options sound incredibly appealing for employees, in particular. Office working can prove unnecessarily challenging of the work-life balance of staff. With pressures and expectations to work longer hours, have reduced lunch breaks, limit when holiday can be taken as well as the added pressure of additional delegation of tasks from other members of the team, it can be difficult for employees to be productive, not to mention content in their work. With the Virtual Assistant market growing rapidly, and more companies offering work from home options, the benefits of virtual working are now being widely recognised. From the employee's perspective, there is an opportunity to cut down their own costs with the rising expense of travel to commute and daily expenses such as lunch and coffees. It also provides the opportunity to learn a wealth of skills by taking on a wider variety of tasks, to live anywhere in the country, and to be able to work for exciting companies producing work in a comfortable environment, without the anxieties and politics of the office. Home workers can vary the amount of work they are willing to take on, often working for a handful of companies and rarely ever within the traditional 9-5. Stay-at-home parents are able to juggle earning money and looking after children while cutting costs on childcare and not being fully reliant on their partners income, if they have one, which can be a huge strain in today's financial climate. Virtual workers have more flexibility to schedule exercise during the day, and less temptation to buy unhealthy fast foods which can be a repercussion of stress or boredom as they are not normally available in the home. Advertisement For employers, virtual workers provide huge monetary benefits for their budgets and the productivity benefits from the increased quality of work they receive. Small start-ups can cut down on office space costs and hire efficient and experienced workers for fewer hours to achieve the work they need. Although this seems to be a disadvantage to the virtual assistant, the culture of working for more companies is increasing, building on skills and learning from other professionals which creates an enriching experience. Providing the option for their employees to work from home enables companies to keep their trusted, experienced and valued employees even if they relocate, allowing for a company location to be flexible and adaptable. With the cost of living, renting, and buying property in London rising rapidly, employees are able to leave the pressures and anxieties of London living and move to the greener and cheaper areas of the country while keeping their jobs and still feeling valued by their companies. It is estimated that home workers make up a substantial 13.9% of the UK workforce with around 4.2 million workers taking advantage of this as an option in the first 3 months of 2014. It goes without saying that employers place a huge amount of trust in their home workers, allowing them freedom to achieve without a boss or supervisor there to 'keep an eye on them' and there is, of course, a huge amount of discipline involved. The social aspect of the office is taken away by home working, which means that some virtual workers never physically meet with their teams or employers. However, home workers do see increased productivity. This is because of quieter environments with less distractions, statistically less sick days, and employees working longer hours as a result of there being no need for them to commute. Advertisement After a crowded dinghy hit rocks off the coast of Greece's Agathonisi island on New Years Day, a two-year old boy became the first known refugee casualty of 2016. While the young boy's nationality was not confirmed in media reports, such a tragic event reflects the impact that the Syrian conflict and associated refugee crisis have had on millions of children. With the outbreak of the conflict now approaching its fifth anniversary, refugees of all ages face an increasingly uncertain future caught in the worst humanitarian crisis since the Second World War. Following the Government's announcement in September to accept 20,000 Syrian refugees directly from the Middle East, it was decided that the crisis, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable, would be a key priority for the International Development Committee in our first report of the Parliament. There are currently over four million registered refugees in neighbouring countries (in addition to those who are unregistered) and these countries are struggling to cope with meeting the basic needs of many refugees. We heard that the best option for the majority of refugees is to stay in the region close to their homes, yet it is also true that, in certain cases, resettlement to a country like the UK is an appropriate solution. In such cases, it is important that refugees are prioritised based on their vulnerability. Advertisement In Lebanon and Jordan in particular, the ability to deliver basic services such as healthcare and education for both local communities and the refugees they host has come under extreme pressure. Indeed, the situation is becoming increasingly strained as support from certain international donors has consistently come up short. The World Food Programme (WFP), the UN food assistance agency, has been forced to cut its food support to certain groups of Syrian refugees due to lack of funding. This has had a worrying impact on poverty among the refugee population, particularly with regard to children who in certain cases have been pushed into child labour and forced early marriage. The situation for those trapped in Syria itself is even more harrowing. Some 13.5million people in Syria are in need of humanitarian assistance, with many of these being in areas where access to humanitarian agencies is extremely limited and the ability of the Department for International Development (DFID) and its partners to offer even basic help to those who need it is restricted. All refugees are likely to be vulnerable to some degree, yet we found that some groups within the refugee population face heightened risks and are less 'visible' than others. Christians and refugees from other religious minorities and refugees from LGBT communities often avoid camps through fear of persecution. We heard that for refugees with disabilities, their conditions are often underreported meaning they might not be prioritised for resettlement in a way that their vulnerability warrants. While these factors were of grave concern to us, it was the situation faced by millions of Syrian children that was perhaps the most shocking emerging from our inquiry. Around 7.6million Syrian children (within and outside the country) need humanitarian assistance, close to 80% of Syria's child population. Child labour, early forced marriage, exposure to disease, risk of sexual violence - these are all risks that threaten the immediate well-being of Syria's children. Yet it is not just the immediate impact through risk of death, injury, abuse and/or psychological trauma that appalled us, but equally the potential lifelong effects through the lack of education. As of March 2015, approximately 752,000 school-age Syria refugees were not participating in either formal or informal education. As George Graham of Save the Children mentioned in oral evidence, "there are children who have not been in school for nearly five years, and that has just destroyed a generation. Five years is too long." We are pleased with the Government's commitment to helping these children through the No Lost Generation Initiative (NLGI), though clearly there is much more to be done. Advertisement The situation is undoubtedly desperate for many children that remain in the Middle East, yet it can often be worse for those who have travelled to Europe to seek safety, particularly those who are unaccompanied. The dangerous crossings of the Mediterranean often do not spell the end of danger, as we heard that a significant proportion of unaccompanied child refugees (around 31% in Italy in 2014) subsequently disappear. We are seriously concerned as evidence suggests that many of those that have disappeared may have been the victims of people traffickers who force them into prostitution, child labour or the drugs trade. These children are clearly some of the most vulnerable refugees this crisis has created and deserve the opportunity to be resettled. This lies behind our decision to urge a quick decision on the Save the Children proposal to accept 3,000 unaccompanied child refugees from Europe in addition to the 20,000. We would warmly welcome the Government's acceptance of this proposal. Last term was Christmas fair season and for many school parents associations it's the biggest fundraiser of the year. All hands were needed on deck to pull together and lay on a magical day for the kids - Santa's grotto, games stalls, festive food and drink - all needing a ton of volunteers to make it happen. Yep, sure it would be a lot easier if loads of parents pitched in to help. But let's face it - PTAs don't always have the best rep, and some parents would rather run a mile barefoot in the snow than flip burgers for 3 hours at the Christmas fair. As part of my job working with PTAs, I regularly speak with committee members all over the country, and although many have an uphill struggle getting parents to help out - we did manage to make them laugh out loud with a few choice gifs. Advertisement "Excellent. And all true!" was the reaction from one PTA Chair. Take a look and see whether you recognise any of these reactions - whether you received them, or dished them out yourself! 1. The One Who Runs and Hides from https://giphy.com/gifs/goofy-demo-camouflage-V1NxC1YoNEHBe 2. The One Who Feels Incapable from https://giphy.com/gifs/friends-awkward-alone-R9COWiWvCWMRW 3. The One Who Is Too Busy from https://giphy.com/gifs/life-catgifs-w0CPP48tkM6Ag 4. The One Who Rolls their Eyes from https://giphy.com/gifs/reaction-mrw-follow-5daVsq6hkeiY0 5. The One Who Just Assumes You're Joking from https://giphy.com/gifs/nbaontnt-shaq-inside-the-nba-on-tnt-3oEduK49WldTho4SDS 6. The One Who Refuses Cheerfully from https://giphy.com/gifs/laugh-laughter-hahahano-l41lTMe938llNkbAc 7. The One Who is Unrepentant from https://giphy.com/gifs/friends-tv-phoebe-ALd5afHotakNi 8. The One Who IS *Always* Sorry from https://giphy.com/gifs/sorry-apologize-fight-club-ZNqJL5wJSssOk 9. The One That Just Doesn't Care from https://giphy.com/gifs/boy-dont-care-russell-brand-D5c5Pi7BasGis 10. Nope... really no interest whatsoever from https://giphy.com/gifs/i-dont-care-give-a-shit-PYEGoZXABBMuk 11. The One Who is Oblivious (or feigns ignorance!) fromhttps://giphy.com/gifs/star-wars-1x65Yj512fquc 12. The One Who Can't Possibly Cope from https://giphy.com/gifs/alcohol-stressed-drinking-4Vgf5j6sQctG0 13. The One Who Scares You from https://giphy.com/gifs/seinfeld-nationals-curb-OkhAprORXLuAU 14. The One Who's Just Been Waiting to be Asked! from https://giphy.com/gifs/kim-kardashian-excited-crazy-vjG4gXZAbWRFu 15. ...and Jumps Right In... from https://giphy.com/gifs/lollapalooza-costume-wonder-woman-wonderwoman-l41lYsUuW12XLrcWc 16. .. But Doesn't Like the Way Stuff Gets Done... from https://giphy.com/gifs/friends-monica-geller-best-ever-ampPhLyxXQtHO 17. ...So Takes Over... from https://giphy.com/gifs/reaction-sigourney-weaver-psychrophiles-pBHPKsE5lq4p2 18. ...And is Outraged When Challenged... from https://giphy.com/gifs/shocked-surprise-LJPfWhMCs9Rks 19. ...And Quits! from http://wifflegif.com/gifs/303997-im-tryin-to-source-my-lindy-for-ts-gif 20. The One Who is Too Darn Scared to Say No from https://giphy.com/gifs/snl-reaction-G1TBeaRgypHfq 21. The One Whose Face Says It All from https://giphy.com/gifs/weird-creepy-awkward-DdSyXnrkVwyty 22. Then Accepts Their Fate Quietly from https://giphy.com/gifs/GKQ16p1lhHmfK 23. Or Maybe Looks for Another Way Out! from https://giphy.com/gifs/reaction-russian-roulette-fokaptLvSWs6I Hope that gave you an end of year giggle! Happy New Year everyone :) This post first appeared on the PTAsocial blog Alec Soth is one of America's most celebrated contemporary photographers and this new exhibition at the Science Museum is his first major UK show. It's a rare opportunity to see a survey of Alec's career to date as it brings together work from four of his most celebrated projects, focused on the United States, that, together, show many sides of a country and a population looking to find their place in a world of constant challenges. Advertisement The display opens with Sleeping by the Mississippi (2004), a romantic collection of photos of individuals and locations that evolved from a series of road trips Alec took along the 2000 mile course of this iconic river. There's no particular driving narrative to this collection of photos. There's the minister's wife clutching her treasured photograph of angel (more an unusual cloud formation to the likes of you and me), the woman in New Orleans displaying the cross that has been pressed into her forehead as part of an Ash Wednesday ceremony, and the shots of Johnny Cash's boyhood home in Arkansas. But you sense a collective identity in these photos of the Midwest. There's nothing particularly wild or exotic about this landscape - it is a reflection of real life. Advertisement Niagara (2006) sees a more explicit exploration of the reality gap in the American Dream. Here, shots of happy brides and the stunning waterfalls of this famous location are contrasted with its run-down motels and handwritten notes from the broken-hearted. The romantic idyll contrasted with reality. A personal favourite in this collection was Cadillac Motel, 2005, of one track of footprints in deep snow that lead to the door of Room No.17. No second pair of prints, no track of steps leaving the room. Who knows what is going on behind that door? Broken Manual (2010) is the darkest of the four projects on show. Here, Alec set himself the task of getting a glimpse into the lives of some of the men who lead almost hermit-style lives in the forests and mountains across the United States. The project began with Alec researching Eric Robert Rudolph, the bomber behind a string of attacks on abortion clinics and the Atlanta Olympics in the 1990s. But the project expanded to record the reclusive lives of many of those who had chosen to withdraw from civil society, such as radicals, monks and hermits. Advertisement As you look at these photos of these loners, men who live so separate from society, you sense sympathy from Alec. Does he feel kinship with them? Does he identify with their desire to be isolated and alone? This is a very introspective and intense collection of work - portraits in the American wilderness juxtaposed with intriguing shots of their habitat, such as a solitary glitterball hanging from a branch in a dense forest. The exhibition closes with the first UK showing of Alec's highly-acclaimed latest project, Songbook (2014). This body of work sees Alec emerge from the isolation of Broken Manual and embrace a project that took him across seven states, capturing images from a myriad of communal gatherings, including dances, festivals and meetings. The photography is all black and white and, in contrast to his previous project, Songbook looks at our need to be part of a community, to be part of something bigger and more meaningful than just ourselves. Advertisement There's dancing, parties, beauty pageants and cheerleaders. Yet it's the anxiety that we may be failing in this that comes across most - a standout image being one taken at Facebook in Menlo Park, California of a solitary man crossing a vast, deserted cement park. A picture that speaks more than 1000 Likes. This show covers a huge scope of work that cuts to the heart of who we are and what we're looking for - and comes back with more questions than answers. Impressive, wonderful and quite beautiful. Science Museum, London to March 28, 2016 The exhibition will then travel to: National Media Museum, Bradford, from 22 April to 26 June 2016 Finnish Museum of Photography, Helsinki from 17 August to 30 October 2016 FotoMuseum Antwerp, Belgium from 17 February to 4 June 2017 Image Credits: 1. Adelyn, Ash Wednesday, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2000, from Sleeping by the Mississippi Alec Soth 2. Melissa, 2005, from Niagara Alec Soth.jpg 3. Alec Soth exhibition Kate Elliott, courtesy Science Museum.JPG News / Regional by Staff Reporter TOP MDC-T official and Mabvuku legislator James Maridadi was arrested in the early hours of the morning at Beitbridge border post around 4am today.His crime was for shooting videos of customs officials and other travellers visiting the country through the border.Maridadi was also accused of entering through the border post without a passport or a valid travel document.According to the Chronicle, Maridadi went to the border post in the company of a relative, Natasha Jonga (24) who wanted to import a Toyota Fortuner, 2005 model which was bought from Singapore."They arrived at the border around 1am and went through all the processes to facilitate the clearance of the vehicle under the returning residents' facility. The woman, Natasha Jonga was a student at the Free State University in South Africa" said the official.During the processing of the documents, Natasha was requested to provide an affidavit from her parents to confirm here residence in the country as per the requirements of the Customs and Excise Act since she doesn't own any property in the country.The official said Maridadi then became emotional threatening the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) officials who were attending to them with unspecified action saying he had got assurance from his associates at the parastatal's head office in Harare."He then started shooting videos of customs officers and other travellers within the border post and was arrested by alert security personnel who took him to the main police station" said the official. Facebook A terminally ill Pakistani student who fought the Australian government to allow his family to be by his side has passed away in Melbourne. Hassan Asif, 25, moved to the Victorian capital from Pakistan in 2014 on a student visa before being diagnosed with terminal cancer in April, according to the ABC. Advertisement Asif appealed to the Immigration Department to let his mother and brother make the journey to Australia to be by his side in his final days, but the application was initially denied. Sad news: the young Pakistani man, Hasan Asif, whose family was at the centre of visa row, has died from cancer. Shalailah Medhora (@shalailah) January 6, 2016 A cancer-stricken Pakistani student who pleaded to see his mother & brother has died in a Melbourne hospital: https://t.co/m0yxIJeNjH#9News Nine News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) January 6, 2016 After a groundswell of criticism, the decision was later overturned by the Australian High Commission and his family arrived on December 29 on visitor visas. Advertisement On Wednesday, Melbourne City Mission confirmed Asif had died with his brother and mother close by. "Rameez Asif advised that his brother Hassan died at a Melbourne hospice this morning," Melbourne City Mission spokesman Brett Long said. "Both Rameez and his mother were with Hassan when he passed, and had been a constant and loving presence by his side since arriving in Australia from Pakistan." Hassan's brother Rameez said he grateful for the chance to be with Hassan in his final days. "It was like a dream come true to be with Hassan," Rameez said. "We literally lost hope when our visas got rejected but we still made it to Australia. I have no words to describe how happy we were to be with Hassan. My brother got the best possible care." A funeral is scheduled for Thursday at Preston mosque. Steve Israel will retire after 16 years in Congress to write a second novel, spend more time with his family, and lie awake at night while staring at the ceiling and trying to find the inner peace lost to him after whipping against the Syrian refugee bill. President Obamas emotional press conference and executive action on gun control recalled Theodore Roosevelts favorite saying, walk softly, carry a big stick and weep at politically opportune moments. And Mitt Romneys son, Josh Romney, might run for governor in Utah, baffling analysts unaccustomed to the presence of a well-groomed son of dynastic privilege in politics. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Tuesday, January 5th, 2016: OBAMA COMING FOR YER GUNS - Sam Stein: "In the first working week of his last calendar year in office, President Barack Obama defied Congress and pursued long-stalled gun control methods through executive action. Obama gave a speech on his proposals at the White House on Tuesday, where he was joined by former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), who was shot in the head along with 18 others at a supermarket in Tucson five years ago this week. The president was introduced by Mark Barden, the father of one of the 20 children killed in the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Tearing up during his remarks, Obama emphasized America is 'the only advanced country on Earth that sees this kind of mass violence erupt with this kind of frequency.' The series of proposals, which the administration first unveiled on Monday, are designed to shore up holes in the federal background check system for gun purchases, devote millions of additional dollars to mental health services, and kick-start so-called smart gun technology." [HuffPost] Advertisement Actual Ted Cruz email blast (via @7im). @jwpetersNYT: Someone asks Rubio in Ft. Dodge how we can keep Sharia Law out of this country. Rubio brushes him off. "Guys, that's not going to happen." GOP'S HANDS TIED ON EXECUTIVE ACTIONS - However there's nothing stopping the party from taking millions of photos of its members holding guns. Lauren French: "[F]or all the [GOP's] criticism there's little chance this GOP-controlled Congress can block the president's latest gun control moves. A key problem: After congressional leaders cleared the decks ahead of the 2016 elections, there are no must-pass bills looming that Republicans could use as vehicles to force Democrats to undo Obama's actions. Furthermore, Senate Democrats would likely block any movement in the upper chamber on individual bills. And any stand-alone legislation that managed to pass the House and Senate would surely be vetoed by Obama Unlike previous years, the government is funded for the full year, and there are no major debt deadlines or agency reauthorizations that could have been used as a bargaining chip. The Federal Aviation Administration will need to be reauthorized in the spring, but a six-month funding bill for that agency passed Congress with almost no debate, and lawmakers will be loath to meddle with the FAA or risk being blamed for flight problems." [Politico] God is good: Politiwhoops is coming back. STEVE ISRAEL RETIRING FROM HOUSE - David Schwartz: "Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington) wont seek re-election to a ninth term in November in order to spend more time writing his second book, he said in a surprise announcement Tuesday. The Democrat, who has held the seat since 2000, said in a statement, 'It is time for me to pursue new passions and develop new interests, mainly spend more time writing my second novel.'.. Democrats outnumber Republicans by 41,000 in the district and Israel has easily won re-election since winning the open seat in 2000, when Republican Rep. Rick Lazio ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate. Still, the Cook Political Report lists the district as a toss-up." [Newsday] DELANEY DOWNER - A week after apologizing for high lead levels in Flint city water, today Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) declared a state of emergency for the surrounding county. "The health and welfare of Flint residents is a top priority and were committed to a coordinated approach with resources from state agencies to address all aspects of this situation," Snyder said in a release. Still no word on when the water will not contain dangerous levels of lead, which causes a host of health problems, including permanent brain damage in children. Advertisement Does somebody keep forwarding you this newsletter? Get your own copy. It's free! Sign up here. Send tips/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to huffposthill@huffingtonpost.com. Follow us on Twitter - @HuffPostHill INDEPENDENT GROUPS NOT SPENDING MONEY AGAINST TRUMP - Coming up with oblique names for anti-Trump groups will be a lot of fun ("Americans For A Quieter Future," "Tasteful Rhetoric Network"). Sam Stein and Paul Blumenthal: "From April 2015 through Jan. 4, 2016, independent groups spent roughly $99.3 million dollars on ads for the 2016 presidential campaign. Of that total, just $1.71 million was spent to attack or negatively portray Republican front-runner Donald Trump, according to a Huffington Post analysis of the campaign finance data. The relative pittance of resources placed behind anti-Trump ads so far is remarkable considering the real estate tycoon's persistent lead atop the Republican primary polls, and the near-universal belief outside his universe of supporters that he'd be a horrific candidate for the Republican Party and a dangerous president. With just weeks to go before voting begins, the numbers illustrate just how ill-prepared fellow candidates were for Trump's rise and staying power, and how cautious they have been in trying to bring him down." [HuffPost] It's cute that we still pretend the Trump campaign cares about "the truth," or "reality."" "A top aide to GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump acknowledged Tuesday that someone made a 'mistake' in showing images from Morocco while depicting the 'southern border' in a campaign ad. During an appearance on CNN's 'New Day,' Trump special counsel Michael Cohen argued that there is little difference between the Moroccan border shown in the ad and the actual U.S.-Mexico border. 'What's the difference? In all reality, the point is that they're coming through. Yeah, I'm gonna have a conversation with whoever made the mistake, there's no doubt about that,' Cohen said." [The Hill's Jesse Byrnes] Advertisement South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley will deliver the GOP response to President Obama's final State of the Union. MD-SEN: EDWARDS TRAILING VAN HOLLEN IN FUNDRAISING - Big setback for one-third of the Jerk Caucus (fellow members Russ Feingold and Alan Grayson will really have to come up big next quarter). Rachel Weiner: "By the end of September, Van Hollen, whose congressional district is based in Montgomery County, had $4.1 million in the bank. Edwards, who represents Prince Georges and part of Anne Arundel, had $368,500. The next round of financial disclosures are due Jan. 31. Van Hollen has spent nearly $1 million since October on television advertising in Baltimore, where he and Edwards are not well known. But with less than four months to go until the April 26 primary, Edwards has not aired a single commercial. Campaign finance records suggest she is struggling to pay staff salaries and come up with money for other basics in her quest to succeed retiring Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D)." [WaPo] ROMNEY CONSIDERING RUN - Romneys are people, too, my friend. Lisa Riley Rouche: "At least one potential candidate for governor in 2020 apparently isn't going to be deterred by Rep. Jason Chaffetz's declaration that he "would take a serious, serious look" at the race. Josh Romney, the son of former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, said Monday that 'running for governor in 2020 is definitely something I am strongly considering. What others do will not affect my decision-making process.' Romney said he's 'been consistently asked by others to consider running for political office,' and when the time is right, he will decide 'based on what the right thing to do is and the positive ideas and solutions I could offer for the future of Utah.'" [Deseret News] BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR - Here's a rabbit falling in love. SOCIAL SECURITY HAVING BEST WEEK IN WASHINGTON - Daniel Marans: "Progressives are hailing a New York Times editorial endorsing the expansion of Social Security benefits as an influential blessing to a position that, until recently, was relegated largely to liberal think tanks and activists. The editorial from the paper of record marks a coup for progressive advocacy groups, economists and lawmakers, including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who have steadily advanced the once-marginal pro-expansion stance into the mainstream. 'Hurray for the Times! I just wish The Washington Post were as enlightened,' said Nancy Altman, founding co-director of Social Security Works, a nonprofit that convenes a coalition of groups fighting for benefits expansion." [HuffPost] Advertisement COMFORT FOOD - Static electricity ain't no joke. - The be-all, end-all of "Netflix and Chill." - Months are terrible. TWITTERAMA @crushingbort: Deporting toddlers to their deaths at the same time you're issuing new gun control measures to protect kids...now that's Reasonably Centrist @elisefoley: Only 308 days until the election. Only 308 days until the election. Only 308 days until the election. Only 308 days until the election. @dogsdoingthings: Dogs confusing the American Dream with the socioeconomic conditions that led to the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents. "It has felt like a never ending nightmare," said survivor Sydney Stanford. "I have been in survival mode for 5 years. It is finally over ... justice IS possible." The United States is a democratic state, and Iran is governed by a political dictatorship. But, this general observation is subject to some exceptions. On the one hand, the American political system is gradually being transformed into an oligarchy. On the other hand, Iran's dictatorship is unlike those in, for example, Saudi Arabia that has had limited elections for city councils for only a few years, and its woman citizens are not even allowed to drive. Nationwide elections are held regularly in Iran for the President, the Majles [parliament], the Assembly of Experts [a Constitutional body that appoints the Supreme leader and can theoretically fire him], and city councils. Unlike in such dictatorships as Saudi Arabia in which no dissident voice is heard, there has always been a power struggle in Iran ever since the Islamic Republic's inception in 1979. The deep struggle within the ruling elite is over the scarce resources of wealth, power, and social standing and respect. In a separate recent article I explained why the upcoming elections for the Assembly of Experts on February 26 are highly important. In the present article I would like to discuss the elections for the Majles, to be also held on February 26, and its relation with the United States. There are at several reasons why the Majles elections are also very important. Advertisement One. The Majles has 290 members. Two. A large number but 12,123 candidates have registered to run in its elections; that is, 42 candidates for each Majles seat. Three. Twelve percent of the candidates are women, a 4 percent increase over the elections of four years ago. Some of the political and social groups have declared that half of the elected Majles deputies should be women, but the conservatives are strongly opposed to it. In major cities people usually vote to lists of candidates presented by various groups, implying that in such cities the lists of the reformists and moderates should be equally divided between male and female candidates. Four. Of the 290 deputies, 5 seats have been set aside for the religious minorities. Jews and Zoroastrians elect one representative each; Assyrians elect one, and Armenians vote for two candidates of their own. 21 candidates of the religious minorities plan to run in the elections, 2 of whom are women. The Baha'is are not recognized as a religious minority and, thus, do not have their own representatives. Five. Vetting the candidates by the Guardian Council, a Constitutional body that has the authority to disqualify candidates from running, has always been the most important issue in the run-up to the elections. Six clerics of the Council are appointed by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, and they are all extreme conservatives. The clerics claim that the candidates must demonstrate that they are qualified to run. To reduce chaos and arguments, the Majles passed a law according to which the Council must ask four governmental organs - the ministry of intelligence, the office of the nation's chief prosecutor, the national organization for civil registration [operating as part of the ministry of interior], and the police - about the candidates and their background. Despite this, the Council has its own national organization with offices in every city and town and, in addition to the four aforementioned organizations it uses its own local staff to investigate the candidates. Advertisement Six. The clerics play extensive roles in Iran's national affairs. Despite this, the number of clerics elected to the Majles has been decreasing significantly. 164 clerics were elected to the first Majles right after the Revolution, but the number in the current 9th Majles is only 27. The clerics have been forced to compete with non-clerical candidates, and the fact that their numbers in the Majles have been decreasing indicates that the majority of the Iranian people have changed their views regarding the clerics. Seven. Two important pillars of any elections are people participation and competition between the candidates. The latter is linked to the number of candidates representing different views and positions regarding important issues. In the U.S. elections the competition has always been mainly between Democrats and Republicans, and the rate of people's voting has been decreasing. 48.4 percent of the American people voted in the Congressional elections of 1966; only 36.3 percent voted in 2014. According to the official statistics by Iran's ministry of interior, the rates of people's voting in the 9 Majles elections since the 1979 Revolution have been, respectively, 52, 64.4, 59.7, 58, 71.1, 67, 51.15, 51, and 64.2 percent. The last elections for the Majles were very important because they were held 2 years after the disputed presidential elections of 2009 in which 85 percent of the people voted, and the hardliners cracked down harshly on the Green Movement. The opposition boycotted the elections, but the Iranian regime was trying to show that a high percentage of the people still voted. The hardliners could achieve high rate of voting by limiting the number of eligible voters, and by increasing the number of voting stations. The elections were held on 21 February 2012. Then minister of interior Mostafa Mohammad Najjar declared on February 22 that, "So far, 26,472,760 votes have been counted." He emphasized that it was not the final tally, and that vote counting was continuing. He estimated that 64.2 percent of the eligible voters had voted. In its final report, the ministry of interior stated that 29.5 million people had voted, but that 29 million votes had been counted (the rest were not considered null for various reasons). Advertisement Less than two weeks before the elections Najjar had said that there were 48,288,799 eligible voters, which means 61 percent of the people had voted, not 64.2 percent. According to the 2011 census Iran's population was 75,149, 669, of whom 18,842,019 were 18 or older and eligible to vote. Thus, in fact, 55.8 percent of the eligible voters had cast their votes. On 21 March 2011, Khamenei repeated Najjar's lie and claimed that 64.2 percent of the eligible voters had voted in those Majles elections, adding, "That over 64 percent of the people voted is highly important. The average percentage of the eligible voters casting their votes in the U.S. congressional elections is 35 percent. Over the past decade the average rate of electoral participation in the United States has never reached 40 percent." Eight. Undoubtedly, a larger number of candidates will be declared unqualified by the Guardian Council. If 3,500 candidates are allowed to run, it would represent 12 candidates for each seat. But, will the conservatives have enough candidates to make the elections completely competitive? Nine. The number of eligible voters for the upcoming elections is 56,200,000. The percentage of voting among the eligible voters will depend on whether the elections are competitive; whether the security and intelligence forces intervene in the elections, and how terrified people are that, if they do not vote, Iran will be the next Syria. Advertisement On December 31, Ayatollah Ali Movahedi-Kermani, a Tehran Friday prayer Imam and a member of the Assembly of experts said, "We must elect a Majles that would not stand up against the Supreme Leader, because whatever we have is due to our obedience to the Imam [Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini] and the Supreme Leader." Sayyed Reza Taghavi, a Khamenei appointee who is the head of the national council that runs the Friday prayers has been highly active and has organized the prayers' Imams against the Reformists and moderates. The goal of the IRGC and the conservative clerics is to have a Majles totally obedient to Khamenei and his "imperial court." Ten. Since the nuclear agreement between Iran and P5+1 was signed last July, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and their lobbies in the U.S., as well as the Republicans have tried to create a situation whereby Congress can take advantage of many opportunities to prevent lifting of the U.S. economic sanctions against Iran, and to do this they use such excuses as Iran's tests of its missiles, its alleged support of terrorism, and violation of human rights. Proposing new sanctions against Iran is another way of preventing the nuclear agreement from implementation. Advertisement Eleven. To escape war and Sanctions, Iran has no way other than becoming a democratic state and improving the state of human rights. If the Guardian Council rejects a large number of candidates for the Majles elections, the next Majles will be a conservative and anti-U.S. one, and that will create the right environment for Congress and the next U.S. president for taking action against Iran. Instead of rejecting the election candidates by accusing them of being agents of the U.S., Britain, and Israel, the Islamic Republic must release all the political prisoners. Iran needs a Majles that can establish contacts with U.S. Congress. An Israeli right-wing activist walks past security forces outside the Lod District Court in the central Israeli city of Lod, on January 3, 2016, during a protest against the trial of two Israeli men charged for taking part in a firebomb attack last year that led to the deaths of a Palestinian couple and their toddler. Amiram Ben-Uliel, 21, from the northern settlement of Shilo in the occupied West Bank, was charged with three counts of murder and one of attempted murder, arson and conspiracy to commit a hate crime, said the Israeli court indictment. A 17-year-old, who remained unnamed under a gag order, was charged with being an accessory to committing a racially motivated murder. AFP PHOTO / GIL COHEN MAGEN / AFP / GIL COHEN MAGEN (Photo credit should read GIL COHEN MAGEN/AFP/Getty Images) The arrest of a Jewish settler, who has been charged with burning to death three Palestinians, including an 18-month-old infant in the West Bank village of Duma in July 2014, is tremendously disturbing in many ways. First and foremost of course is the confirmation of the long-held assumption that this heinous crime was committed by an Israeli. Amiram Ben-Uliel, aged 21, has confessed to the attack and apparently re-enacted it for investigators, according to Israeli media. Advertisement Another Israeli youth, who has not been named because he is a minor, helped plan the arson attack but did not carry it out and has been charged as an accessory. The attack shows that there is an element within the settler movement that is willing to use violence against Palestinians -- and possibly also against Israelis. It shows that the threats issued daily against Israeli officials from President Rivlin down and against anyone whose beliefs anger the extreme right should be taken very seriously. This attack shocked the world. A firebomb was tossed through the window of the home of Sa'ad and Raham Dawabsheh. The blaze, which spread quickly through the house, killed 18-month-old Ali Dawabsheh immediately. The parents died several weeks later in the hospital. Another child, four-year-old Ahmed, was the only member of the family to survive, though he too was horribly burned. We cannot view this attack as an isolated act of violence by deranged individuals unrepresentative of their community. As we saw recently in the shocking video of Orthodox youths at a Jerusalem wedding in early December, who were filmed dancing with guns and knives and stabbing a photo of Ali Dawabsheh, hatred of Palestinians is deeply ingrained in the settler movement and among a disturbingly wide swathe of Israeli society. The continuous stream of "Price Tag" vandalism by settlers is part of the same mindset. There have been literally hundreds of such attacks in recent years including the torching of churches and mosques, the uprooting of olive groves and the daubing of offensive graffiti on Palestinians property. As Chaim Levinson wrote recently in Haaretz: The wedding video was a good illustration of the levels of extremism and hatred of Arabs among the extreme right. The participants in the wedding are good friends of the detainees in the affair, and it's probable that had the detainees not been under arrest at the time they would also have been participating. Even the right-wing newspaper "Israel Hayom, 'which is financed by billionaire Sheldon Adelson, acknowledged a serious problem in Israeli society. "Despite the testimony and confessions, despite the wedding film -- these terror operatives are still getting significant support from wide elements of the public," wrote the newspaper's Yoav Limor. A second very disturbing aspect of the case is that the Shin Bet security service allegedly used extreme physical measures to extract confessions from Ben-Uliel and his accomplice. Haaretz reported that Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein: ...personally approved the torture of the Jewish suspects" after being briefed by police officers that the investigation into the arson attack was not progressing. The Justice Ministry declined to deny this report, saying only that "the decisions regarding the interrogations were made by the head of the Shin Bet, in terms of his authority, with the oversight and accompaniment of the most senior officials in the Justice Ministry, headed by the attorney general. Of course, such extreme measures are often used against Palestinians and few in Israel, with the honorable exceptions apart of some human and civil rights organizations, make much of a fuss. Said human rights lawyer Michael Sfard: When the Israeli human rights community was fiercely fighting to criminalize torture, as international law demands, the right would not join. I can only hope the Israeli right will now join initiatives to outlaw any type of torture and degrading and inhumane treatment. The use of torture violates a 1984 United Nations convention signed by 158 nations including Israel. An absolute ban on torture and other acts of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment has become accepted as a bedrock principle of international law and an essential human right. As we have seen in the United States, information gathered through torture is often tainted -- as well as being legally inadmissible. Torture is morally degrading to the torturer as well as the victim. The unfortunate consequence of Israel's alleged use of torture, if it is confirmed in this case, is that the trial of these perpetrators will be dominated by whether their confessions are admissible and not by the crime itself. We are likely to see alleged murderers depicted as victims -- which will only deepen the rift in Israeli society and make it more difficult to root out such horrible violence and hatred from its midst. I walk into a corporate office every day a white-washed version of myself. I compartmentalize, isolating the humbling and embarrassing pieces of my life. My career in human resources offers the perfect cloak of anonymity. A job where I focus on others and solving problems suits me; I am passionate about having answers. My creative and analytical nature has designated me as a "high performer." I walk the halls in my beloved Calvin Klein dresses, having earned trust and respect, but little is known about me. As the mother of three beautiful children living in "America's Finest City" (San Diego), I awake to sunshine and 70 degree weather almost daily. However charmed my world may seem, my personal life is dominated by chaos. My oldest child and only son is a heroin addict. My three children (Photo: Allyson Aabram) I wish it were a tale of incremental stressors but my indoctrination to addiction was as outrageous as an '80s action movie. Over the last three years, my family has been ravaged. I couch surfed with my daughters for eight weeks until we could move 30 miles away from our home that had been compromised by a drug dealer who left his gun behind. Despite great medical insurance I've lived juggling the expenses of rehab, sober living and the prescription opiate blocker Suboxone. Calls from random phone numbers cause panic. An unknown number on my cell on a Saturday night after enjoying sushi with friends relayed he had overdosed. Advertisement Months later, a nondescript number informed me he was an inmate an Arizona jail. Police sirens make my mind race. I learned that addicts who overdose are charged with possession as their body is considered a vessel. A few days before Christmas, I stood in a line of families sending presents so I could overnight a car title as collateral to bail my son out of jail. I walk on a tightrope of avoiding enabling my son's addiction and alleviating the guilt of watching him suffer. I feared his drug-addicted friends, kids I had known since Little League, in the backyard while my 8-year-old daughter slept upstairs in her room. I kicked him out on his 20th birthday because he showed up high on heroin at a local restaurant where he had kept us waiting 90 minutes. While he was homeless, I would bring him beef jerky, almonds and water so I could relax enough to fall asleep. The toughest part of all is to do nothing. I learned that in order to expedite the addict climbing back to normalcy, I must let life happen without interference and without fixing. Me and my son (Photo: Allyson Aabram) Despite the tumultuousness, I have maintained a perfect facade. When co-workers ask about my former three-sport athlete son, I say he is finding himself rather than explain he has been to five rehabs in three years. I spent four hours a night for four months writing a 100-page screenplay. Although I recognized it was cathartic, I was motivated by creating an authentic representation of being the mother of an addict. Once the script was complete, I felt empowered. This was my opportunity to be transparent. Advertisement When I began pitching Yoga and a Cigarette, I hedged, only telling the B storyline. It was horrifying to realize I was still so deeply ashamed. I created a character to represent my life but then was afraid of questions or judgment on the raw topic. I realized I liked and needed the facade; it kept me perfect, safe and separate from the ugliness. I would like to come clean. If we are all honest, then many of us are slaves to image. Women especially are vulnerable to wanting to be perfect, but our whitewashed images prevent us from being connected and supported. I am a grieving mother who is ready to admit I am without answers. Every day, I wish and pray this chapter of our life will pass. But I cannot control when the page turns. I can at least put the secrecy behind me. My hope is that I may inspire someone to share a secret and experience some relief from living authentically. I believe our power cannot be usurped by things outside of our control. However, shame can immobilizes us when we hold it close. _______________________ I know, I know, I should probably be writing something like, "10 Best Places to Travel to in 2016," but in all honesty, I'm not ready to say goodbye to 2015. It might be because in 2015, I cut ties with anything holding me back, said f*ck it, worked my ass off, and traveled to 10 countries in just one year. But counting countries was not what my goal was. My goal was to to figure out what makes me happy, and push myself to conquer challenges I would have never expected myself to even think about attempting. Advertisement In 2015 I changed my own life, and it was largely because I started traveling. This isn't an article about me bragging about the things I accomplished, it's me showing you real life proof that travel can change your whole world. So check out these 15 firsts I experienced this past year from traveling, and go purchase that plane ticket! After traveling one full revolution to three continents solo in 2014, I vowed that the only thing I wanted to be writing about was travel. I applied for countless jobs, gigs, and opportunities on pretty much any freelance website there is, and finally, I got hired to write my first paid travel article for GeoChic Magazine in February of 2015. 2. I Got Sent on My First Article Assignment GeoChic Magazine thankfully liked my first two articles about places I had already been, and while discussing a pitch for another article, they mentioned they would be doing their next editorial on Cuba. Excitedly, I replied back that I could give several recommendations since my family is Cuban and mentioned how happy I was that the embargo finally lifted. GeoChic Magazine replied back with an offer to send me to Cuba for two weeks, all expenses paid, to write a double-editorial. My whole life I was told I'd never be able to go to Cuba where my family is from. When the embargo was lifted, visas were still hard to get, but I just barely qualified for a "family visit visa" since I still have second cousins living there. On April 1st 2015, I was one of the first U.S. Citizens to legally get a visa to go to Cuba. Advertisement Since we hadn't been allowed to travel to Cuba before 2015, I was never able to meet my family members that still live in the town of Santiago de Las Vegas, where my grandparents grew up. When the embargo lifted and I could finally go to Cuba, I not only followed my grandmother's hidden written journal of her life growing up in that very town, but met family who had only ever seen me in photos. Curiosity got the best of me when I asked a pilot friend what exactly he did when he flew to the Bahamas every week. He offered to take me on a tour of his life as a private pilot, where MUCH to my surprise, he put me in the co-pilot seat and taught me the controls. We flew to 8 Bahamas islands in 24 hours. I went to Iceland on a whim in July of 2015 by myself, with no plans other than to see as many waterfalls as possible. Since I couldn't afford the expensive tours, I rented a car for the first time, and drove myself in four different directions, seeing everything a tour offered, plus secret locations given to me by locals. Advertisement I had always wanted to go to the Grand Canyon, but always considered it to be "too far". In September I had travel plans fall through, and decided to finally bite the bullet and road trip myself to Arizona and Utah. Half way through I went to rent a board from Lake Powell Paddleboards, thinking I'd just go out for the day, but when the owner suggested paddling my camping gear across the lake to the deserted Antelope Island to camp on it, I suddenly grew a pair of titanium balls, and followed through. My mom used to be a flight attendant in her 20s, she's traveled the world, and still loves to do so. When I fell in love with travel, she was my number one supporter, and still is my main encouragement for my crazy ideas to this day. I've always wanted to take her traveling to show my gratitude and appreciation, and in November of 2015 I was able to take her with me Puerto Rico, where she got to see the town she used to live in when she worked for the airlines, as well as the bioluminescent bays. She even hiked to not one but TWO waterfalls with me! As an aspiring travel writer, I kept submitting to major publications for months, when suddenly, on the day I left for Iceland in July 2015, I got an email from The Huffington Post, inviting me to join their blogger community. My first article was called "Why You're Never Really Alone When You Travel Solo", and it did Ok, but it was the next article that also got me invited to write for Matador Network. While in Iceland, I experienced several judgmental slurs and stares from other tourists because I was traveling by myself. I got so upset and irritated that the way I looked made people stereotype me as someone "looking for a man", that I had a few glasses of wine, and wrote how I really felt about the stigmas of being a solo female traveler. It was called, "Yes, I'm Pretty, and I'm Traveling Alone", and it went viral as I was flying home to Florida to see my grandfather for the last time on August 2nd 2015. Taking a huge risk, and knowingly writing something that I knew I'd get a lot of heat for ended up being a huge catalyst for my career as a travel blogger, and to this day I will never stop fighting to show it's not just acceptable, but awesome for a woman to travel on her own. Advertisement After causing quite a stir around the world with my ballsy Huffington Post article, I was interviewed on Inside Edition on what it's like to be a solo female traveler. I even got to go hiking and jump off a cliff with the camera crew! One thing that traveling solo taught me in 2015 is that anything is possible, and it's never too late to do something I've always dreamed of. So in November, I teamed up with Safari Surf School in Nosara, Costa Rica, and learned how to surf during a week of lessons. I stood up on my first try, and graduated to a short board in just two days. I'm not quite at the level where they're sending me on free trips yet, but GoPro did reach out to me because they liked my photos on Instagram. They invited me to join the GoPro family, and sent me an awesome welcome kit of the latest Hero 4, then featured my photo on their Instagram account which received over 200k likes. For me, it's hard to realize that my work is actually getting recognized sometimes. I don't make a lot of money, yet I remain optimistic, and stay focused on my writing in the hopes of one day being a successful travel blogger. In November of 2015 I was named one of the Top Travel Bloggers of 2015 on a list that was published in The Huffington Post, Matador Network, and MSN. Advertisement Before I started traveling, I was heavily focused on having a relationship. It made me date the wrong people for the wrong reasons, but traveling made me realize that I have time, and that I don't have to settle. I still haven't found the perfect guy to travel the world with, but I'm not worried about it, because just like traveling, I know it's going to happen. 16. I Moved Mountains Well...technically I was the one moving, but for the first time in 2015, I climbed mountains both physically and metaphorically. Metaphorically, I did the impossible. I turned a passion that many have into a career that even more want. I became a full time travel blogger, something that's not easy to do, and very rare to succeed at. WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE FILM JOY The original screenplay for the movie Joy was written by Annie Mumolo, who co-wrote Bridesmaids with Kristen Wiig. Mumolo spent at least a year working on her script, meeting with, and researching the life story of, Miracle Mop creator Joy Mangano. According to The Hollywood Reporter, executives at Fox 2000 felt Mumolo's script needed more character development. The project was offered to David O. Russell, the Academy Award nominated director and writer of films like American Hustle and Silver Linings Playbook. Russell agreed to direct, but not before doing a complete rewrite of the script. So complete, in fact, the studio thought he deserved the sole writing credit on the film. But the Writers Guild disagreed, splitting the final credit to read "Story by Annie Mumolo and David O. Russell, Screenplay by David O. Russell." Russell has said that his Joy is a composite of several female entrepreneurs, and her last name is never uttered in the film. But it's an incredible stretch to claim a movie centering on a woman named Joy who invents a self-wringing mop she sells on QVC is about anyone other than Joy Mangano. Advertisement According to a 2001 New York Times article, the real Mangano, a divorced Long Island mother of three, went into significant debt developing her mop, but never stopped believing in it. In 1992, she talked QVC into taking 1000 mops, but the network's on-air talent failed to move many units. Mangano insisted QVC let her try selling them on the air; when she finally got her shot, she sold 18,000 in twenty minutes. By 2001, including other products she'd developed, Mangano's total retail sales added up to $200 million. So it's a great story: Joy took a risk, faced some obstacles, never gave up, and eventually succeeded. For a movie, however, it seems somewhat thin. Dramatic license would need to be taken. Additional obstacles would have to be created. What obstacles does Russell invent for Joy (Jennifer Lawrence) to overcome? First he gives her a crazy family. Then he has her create problems for herself by doing incredibly stupid things and making incredibly poor decisions. Russell's Joy takes actions no halfway intelligent person would take, let alone a brilliant inventor and businesswoman. Advertisement Here are some of the absurd things Russell's Joy does, as well as the complete legal and business gobbledygook Russell employs: After being told that an existing patent is similar to her mop, Joy never asks to see it herself. Instead she agrees to pay a "protection" royalty to the patent holder's representative. Nor does she suggest applying for her own patent, and letting the U.S. Patent Office decide if there's a conflict. Joy agrees to have her mop's parts manufactured 3000 miles away in a California plant that just so happens to be owned by that same representative. Joy apparently never has a contract with that manufacturer, because he keeps billing her unfairly and raising his prices. Yet she never thinks to find a new supplier. After demonstrating her mop for the head of QVC (Bradley Cooper), he asks her to make 50,000 of them by next week. Though it's never been tested, Joy agrees to take a second mortgage on her house and borrow $100,000 to fulfill the order. Advertisement Once Joy starts pitching the mop on TV, sales skyrocket. But the parts manufacturer raises his prices again, meaning Joy loses money on every mop she sells. Joy's father (Robert De Niro) sends his daughter Peggy (Joy's half-sister) to California to make nice with the manufacturer. How Peggy can agree to terms for Joy or sign a business check is never explained. In California, Joy is arrested while trying to get her molds back. De Niro's new patent attorney tells Joy that because royalties were paid to the patent holder, all Joy's parts and molds are now under that patent, so she's out of luck. This is complete nonsense -- paying a royalty doesn't give the patent holder rights to your product; it merely compensates the patent holder for your use of the patent. De Niro tells Joy to declare bankruptcy, and that she'll have to move out of her house immediately. Though Joy's corporation shields her from personal liability, she signs the papers. But that's a good thing, because now, wiped out, Joy finally decides to stay up late to read a pile of legal documents. Inspired, she cuts her hair (for some reason), then goes to Texas to confront the patent holder representative/manufacturing company owner. Joy tells him she called the actual patent holder in Hong Kong, discovering he'd never received any of her royalty payments from the Texan. Further, Joy finally looked at the Hong Kong patent, and what do you know, it's nothing like her mop. Joy demands the man refund twice her royalty payments, plus interest, and agree he has no rights to her product. In other words, Russell's Joy finally does what anyone with a smidgen of sense would have done at the very beginning. And in so doing, she instantly solves all of her problems. Oh but wait, she demanded interest from the Texan -- that proves what a sharp businesswoman she is! Advertisement *** In 2015, we saw strong, coherent, true-life, true-character films like The Big Short, Black Mass, Bridge of Spies, Concussion, The Danish Girl, Legend, The Revenant, Spotlight, Straight Outta Compton, Steve Jobs, Trumbo, and Woman in Gold. Those screenwriters were able to take dramatic license without portraying real people as fantasy characters operating in fantasy worlds, yet still tell interesting, entertaining stories. A man watches a television screen showing a news broadcast on North Korea's nuclear test at Seoul Station in Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2015. North Korea said it successfully tested its first hydrogen bomb, the fourth time it has detonated a nuclear device and a move that reignites tensions with neighbors including China after months of calm. Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images On January 6, North Korea claimed it carried out a successful test of its first hydrogen bomb. While the nature and details surrounding the test are still unconfirmed, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization -- which has monitoring stations positioned around the world to detect underground seismic activity -- announced that it detected a seismic event similar to North Korea's test in 2013. The North Korea nuclear test would be their fourth in just a few years, and regardless of whether or not it was successful, whether it was a hydrogen bomb or not, their announcement today reminded the world about its nuclear weapons. Advertisement The test comes at a time where the world has seen escalating tensions between nuclear-armed states, fueled by hostile rhetoric and expensive modernization programs. In 2015, Russian state media "accidentally" publicized plans for a new nuclear torpedo, armed with a hydrogen bomb that, if used against a city, would cause unprecedented radioactive fallout that could last for decades. While it's not clear if these plans are real or intentionally antagonistic propaganda, Russian "nuclear-saber rattling" during the conflict in Ukraine highlights that nuclear weapons are still considered a concrete military option. And it's not just North Korea and Russia boosting their nuclear weapons arsenals today. China, France, the United States, and the United Kingdom -- are also developing or deploying new nuclear weapon systems or have announced their intention to do so. The U.S. alone plans to invest nearly one trillion dollars over the next few decades on its nuclear arsenal modernization plan. China's strategy might entail an increase in the number of warheads it possesses. And this all comes against a backdrop of deteriorating relations between some of these countries. Image: The CTBTO briefs governments in Vienna about seismic detections this morning. A return to a nuclear standoff today would be a devastating development for international peace and security. Numerous accidents, near misses and security breaches throughout the Cold War have shown us how close to a nuclear catastrophe we have been. Today the risk of a nuclear detonation is on the rise and national security experts predict an increased risk of nuclear war. Advertisement If this happened today, it wouldn't be two blocks of states challenging each other in a deadly arms race, but also the "new kids on the nuclear block" such as India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea. Proliferation might escalate further and cause additional instability and conflict in already volatile regions. Nuclear weapons inflict indiscriminate and inhumane harm on humans and produce disastrous environmental impacts. Any detonation -- either by intent or accident -- would cause unacceptable humanitarian consequences, and no humanitarian relief agency could provide any meaningful assistance in the aftermath. Despite this knowledge, the nine nuclear-armed states and the 28 members of the US nuclear umbrella, believe that nuclear weapons are acceptable means of warfare and defense. The continued argument that nuclear weapons are essential to their security will only encourage other states to follow suit. It is therefore urgent that states that are concerned about humanitarian law and humanitarian values act upon these beliefs and prohibit the most destructive and inhume weapon of them all. This must be done before a new arms race throws the world into duck and cover exercises all over again. We have banned biological and chemical weapons, landmines and cluster munitions because of their inhumane impacts, but the biggest bomb of them all is yet not prohibited. Advertisement Next month, new nuclear weapon talks will start in Geneva, Switzerland to develop legal measures against nuclear weapons. 121 states have endorsed the "Humanitarian Pledge", which recognize that no explicit prohibition of nuclear weapons exists and commits to fill such legal gap. The international community must use these talks in Geneva to develop a new legally binding instrument that prohibits nuclear weapons. University California Los Angeles students stage a protest rally in a show of solidarity with protesters at the University of Missouri, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015 in Los Angeles. Thousands of students across the U.S. took part in demonstrations at university campuses Thursday to show solidarity with protesters at the University of Missouri, and to shine a light on what they say are racial problems at their own schools. (AP Photo/Nick Ut) According to recent and widespread media coverage, the college bubble is bigger than ever. Colleges, claim the media, have been churning out a generation of graduates with worthless degrees. Worse, students are coddled, privileged, wholly lacking in resilience, and driving their campuses off the cliff of political correctness. What are we supposed to do about this crisis? I suggest we reframe the alarmists' claims. These pundits rarely set foot on college campuses. They critique colleges and students from afar or by using singular anecdotes to justify broad conclusions. I visit more than a hundred colleges each year, and here's what the pundits don't get: Students are so sensitive, and this is one of their best qualities. Advertisement This tail end of the Millennial generation venturing through their college years has emerged as social justice champions, so much so that "Sensitives" might be a more accurate term than "Millennials" to describe them. What a marvelous quality to possess, to be champions for social justice. If administrators are perplexed by this, and media commentators are vexed by it, consider that American society was transformed by youth culture in the 1960s. Student protests bookended by Berkeley in 1964 and Jackson State in 1970 marked the power and investiture of the student social justice movement. Today's champions of social justice on college campuses are a cyclical revisitation of that era, and will likewise leave their own indelible mark on our society. "...Here's what the pundits don't get: Students are so sensitive, and this is one of their best qualities." We may not agree with their every aim and tactic, but this segment of the Millennial generation has a voice, is dedicated to causes they believe in, and is motivated to reshape the world in their image. I'd rather this than cynicism, pessimism or apathy. If right now they want to eradicate every vestige of slavery and fire every dean who is slow to enact a meaningful diversity plan, we need to understand that their methods will mature with time, as will their expectations and demands. Advertisement Eventual maturation may be little consolation when facing the myriad of issues that came to a head in 2015 and will likely reemerge and expand in 2016 with the impending return of students to campuses. Thus, educators should be returning with the goal of helping students to better grasp the ways in which the subjects and impacts of their protests are both complex and rife with varying shades of grey. To take but a few examples from 2015: Woodrow Wilson segregated government agencies during his presidency, but appointed the first Jew to the Supreme Court. How should Princeton reckon with that mixed legacy as it reviews the names of its schools, buildings and other campus memorials to Wilson? "Masters" have led Ivy League colleges for decades, and the term is not related to slavery in its origin, but what heed should we pay to how the term is perceived today? Should the effect overrule the intent? Several Ivy League universities are now moving away from use of the term despite its benign roots. Some colleges were founded by, run by and named for men who were racists, misogynists, anti-Semites, and haters of one kind or another. Maybe their biases were consistent with attitudes of that era, but not with attitudes today. So, should we view their legacy through the glazed lens of history or the sharp clarity of today? We can't rename everything, but campuses can proactively engage a process that acknowledges that past, and attempt to reconcile the ugliness of history with the winds of change. Waiting until students demand that process is likely to be seen as too little, too late. And, how do we convey to students that an administrator who is slow to respond to one key issue is often busy making priorities out of others, and should not necessarily be fired or forced to resign? Is a career the sum of its accomplishments or its omissions, or somewhere in between? Advertisement We should also acknowledge that race is not the only issue embraced by social justice champions. The same stain of social justice reaches sex discrimination, too. College administrators can't broadly redefine campus sex offenses the way some students in this generation are asking then to, but we can applaud their demand for sexual respect to amount to more than mere slogans. It's very much like when #BlackLivesMatter is a hashtag, but not a cultural norm. Social justice champions won't be fooled if all they are offered is window dressing or empty promises intended only to end their sit-ins and rallies. Sensitivity has also manifest itself politically where, on some campuses, victims of sexual violence have asked faculty members to consider adding trigger warnings to class syllabi. Most faculty oppose such warnings, arguing that discomfort is part of the learning process, or that exposure desensitizes the trauma response. Listening to students, I don't hear that they want to avoid triggers so much as have a heads-up that they are coming. Would a short statement on a course catalog or syllabus really damage academic freedom if it helped students to more effectively acquire the course pedagogy? What if it just prevented a neurobiological setback for an earnest student? Wouldn't that be of value as well? Faculty should not think that classroom exposure to triggers is equivalent in any way to the clinical modality of exposure therapy, and those who oppose trigger warnings on principle simply don't understand how trauma actually effects the brain. I'm not demanding warnings on every syllabus, but there is a resolution that exists between mandating warnings and outright refusals to warn, if we have the will to find it. Or, consider how sensitivities come into play when students and colleagues demand the head of a faculty harasser whose offense isn't termination-level? Will the harasser be drummed out anyway, as was the case recently at Berkeley? If so, is it time to acclimate to a new normal? Do faculty members have free speech rights to be sexist, misogynist and/or smarmy? When does a microaggression become macro? This can and should be debated on each campus in turn, and it will be catalyzed by the activist voices of social justice champions. Our role as educators is to facilitate a forum for these ideas, and to offer a reasonably safe environment for students to hone their messaging and calibrate their sensitivities. For each list of demands students present, we should see opportunities to make colleges better places. Telling this generation of students, "slow down" and "change takes time" does not resonate, so we need to shift our approach. Advertisement Why wait for the disruption that results from a protest if a campus climate committee or inclusion task force can get out ahead of turmoil? Higher education has been slow to respond to the phenomenon of the social justice champion as a generational shift, perhaps seeing in later Millennials a contrast with the values and traits of the first Millennials to attend college, but I see an evolution, instead. "Higher education has been slow to respond to the phenomenon of the social justice champion as a generational shift ... but I see an evolution, instead." It's possible to be resilient and still want a safe space. Perhaps the rub is in how we use the term "safe." It's possible for the privileged to experience disempowerment and exclusion. It's possible to acknowledge a new politics of language that avoids gratuitous exclusion and marginalization without the thought-policing that has come to characterize old-school political correctness. It's possible to validate pedagogical concerns about re-traumatization without threatening academic freedom or labeling everything with trigger warnings. It's possible to usher in a new era of sensitive and inclusive dialogue that is not hyper-sensitive. It's possible to improve the campus sensitivity to microaggressions without making them punishable offenses. If you look carefully at many of the anecdotes the pundits use to impugn higher education, they're often pointing fingers at the wrong targets. Intolerance for course content is more common in parents than students. Lessons on micro-aggressions originate mostly with administrators, not students. Policies on offensive speech are crafted by diversity and inclusion personnel. So, are the campus leaders reflecting the desires of students, or attempting to shape them? Should it be entirely one or the other? The pundits forget that our job as educators is to meet the needs of this generation, not to change their fundamental orientation and worldview to match ours. Advertisement Since we can't change their worldview, bemoaning and demeaning it won't help. We can't really stop the protests and surely we can't contain social media, so I suggest we move toward the protestors, not away from them. With social media as an unprecedented multiplier and amplifier, today's social justice champions may be as effective or more effective than their hippie progenitors. I, for one, am glad for that. Opinion / Columnist The "Rhodes Must Fall" campaign has now reached Britain where a statue of Cecil John Rhodes at Oxford's Oriel College is likely to be removed from its pedestal and thrown into either some dark storeroom as was the case with that which was formerly at Cape Town University, or placed in the city's historical museum.The campaign is a development that is against what we may reasonably call a ghost of colonialism in that there is virtually no colony in the world today.Be that as it may, the campaign is bent on removing from our sight any objects or signs that honour one of Britain's greatest imperialists, Cecil John Rhodes.That man was so much an admirer of British imperialism, nay, of British social, cultural and political perceived superiority that his life's passion was to turn the entire world into a British territory.He made that emphatically clear in his will. He effectively burst onto South Africa's political scene in about 1881, but loomed large over Africa north of the Limpopo River and South of Tanzania, DRC and determined that region's political direction from 1888 until he breathed his last in June 1902.Rhodes seized what we call Zimbabwe today by subterfuge and armed violence in the early 1890s, ruthlessly killing the natives of the country, grabbling their land, livestock and burning their villages in order to establish British social, political economic and cultural dominance over the area.The country was later named Southern Rhodesia (Southern "because" it is South of the Zambezi River) in his honour. We are by and large acquainted with Rhodes's deeds (crimes and otherwise) in this country, as well as with the large number of people who were killed in wars caused by Rhodes.What is of much interest to us today is whether or not we should obliterate Rhodes' monuments from our midst or regard them as part of our national heritage in the same way we do with some buildings, railway stations and even trees and some rocks.There is certainly no wisdom in destroying that which represents or reflects the past on the ground that those monuments, buildings or whatever else represents or reflects some sad or tragic period of our past.The past is an important national heritage however it was, tragic or glorious. To destroy monuments that stand for the past is to try and live a very big lie! Rhodes's statue was erected by those who admired his imperialist dreams, those who we later defeated and replaced in office. We also should put up statues of our own heroes side by side with those of the villains we defeated.Would it be a wise decision for the people of Tanzania for example to destroy Bagamoyo simply because that place and its name reflect how cruelly slaves were treated by their Arabic captors?Of course not! It would actually be an example of foolishness in that it would deprive posterity of historical evidence of how a section of the human race was at some period most inhuman towards another section because of sheer avarice.Similarly, Egyptians would be utterly stupid to destroy the pyramids or burn the mummies of the pharaohs entombed therein just because they (the pyramids) were built by hundreds of thousands of slaves.There is no wisdom in destroying the means by which one has been persecuted or in obliterating one's persecutor's footprints.In Zimbabwe's case, it was folly to remove Rhodes's statues from our streets. We should have instead left them where they were but erected those of Joshua Nkomo, for example, and put them up facing the south as opposed to those of Rhodes which were facing northwards.His statues were facing north because his colonisation programme was from the "Cape to Cairo", whereas our liberation (decolonisation) struggle was, in effect, from Cairo (Egypt in 1953) to the Cape. We foolishly removed a monument of the man who caused as much colonial suffering, and in its place put that of a liberator (in Bulawayo at least) and in that manner we will cause posterity to ask: "From whom did he liberate the country?"Removal of Rhodes's monuments from wherever in Zimbabwe and South Africa was caused by overwhelming, short-sighted emotion at the expense of visionary wisdom and sound rationale.The prevailing thread in this argument is that it is not wisdom to remove or destroy historical monuments from the sight of the public as a way to heal historical injustices. Such injustices can be healed by either materially compensating the victims and by introducing social and cultural reconciliation policies.In Zimbabwe, the best way to deal with the Cecil John Rhodes era is for the state to claim reparations from the Rhodes estate. Rhodes plundered this country ruthlessly. Immediately after the 1893 defeat of King Lobengula, his British South Africa Company (BSAC) seized more than a quarter of a million cattle from black communities countrywide on the pretext that they belonged to the vanquished Ndebele monarch.Quantification of what the nation can claim should not be impossible since some BSAC financial records are extant, and his estate is functional in South Africa and the United Kingdom.Some of the proceeds of the estate can be used for the construction of either a high school or a hospital in each of the country's 10 provinces.Rhodes was very unfair to Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) in that whereas the country bore his name and his mortal remains, he bequeathed well-nigh nothing to it in monetary terms.It is a historical fact that Rhodes formed the BSAC to occupy and colonise the region that lies north of the Limpopo River. He spent a fortune to realise that dream and once achieved, he willed that should he die, he should be buried on the Malindandzimu locality of the Matobo Hills.Below that huge scenic boulder stretches a vast piece of fertile land that he seized and later called his own. A memorial primary school was constructed on a portion of it for white children.It is called Rhodes Estate Preparatory School (REPS). He had some property in the Inyanga region as well. However, the author of this article is not aware of anything tangible that Rhodes left for this country's black people.Speaking as a guest of honour at an Afrikaner Bond congress at Kimberly on March 30, 1891, Rhodes said, among many things: "I've obtained enormous subscriptions in order to found a teaching University in the Cape Colony. I saw at Bloemfontein the other day the immense feeling of friendship that all the members had for the Grey Institutes where they had been educated I said to myself if we could get a teaching university founded in the Cape Colony, taking people from Bloemfontein, Pretoria, and Natal, let me even say they'll go back to Mashonaland tied to one another by the strongest feelings that can be created."Rhodes was talking about founding what was later called the University of Cape Town, initially an all white institution. Not once in his life did he ever propose the founding of a school for black people.When the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (now University of Zimbabwe) was constructed in the mid-1950s, some thought that the Rhodes estate would donate heavily since the university college was in the same country as where the mortal remains of Rhodes are interred, but that was not to be.The author of this opinion article is certainly open to correction in case the estate was secretly financially or otherwise involved in the founding of that institution.As far as the author is aware, Rhodes rather grudgingly left the responsibility of educating the black community to the Christian missionaries.In South Africa, Fort Hare University College was founded by a black intellectual, Dr John Tengo Jabawu, a highly educated black leader who founded a weekly newspaper, Imvo Zabantsundu, that circulated mainly in the Eastern Cape Colony. Some social commentators who lived in Rhodes' time observed that he was not at all interested in supporting African education because he believed that "a native in a classroom was a step away from a native demanding white jobs, the vote or a say in the running of the country."However he encouraged missionaries to train black men to become agriculturists, carpenters, bricklayers, shoemakers, dressmakers, cooks, preachers, medical orderlies, hygienists and stable grooms. He had no respect for black women.Most of his millions he bequeathed to Britain and some to South Africa. Zimbabwe has surely, a legally sound basis to claim a respectable amount from his estate, a much more worthwhile thing to do than to initiate or participate in meaningless, hateinspired personal campaigns against a diehard British imperialist who died 113 years ago.Incidentally, it is very interesting that a week or two ago the Japanese government agreed to pay the South Korean administration $3 million as compensation for a number of South Korean women who were used as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II.World War II ended 70 years ago. Some of those women are still alive, and will actually be given, if they have not yet, the money in cash.In Zimbabwe's case, there is no chance that any of the people who were robbed of their cattle by the BSAC could still be living as the crime was committed some 122 years ago.However, the country is still very much there and so is the fabulously rich estate of Cecil John Rhodes, an Englishman who actually believed that the English people were destined to rule the whole world.Saul Gwakuba Ndlovu is a retired, Bulawayo-based journalist. He can be contacted on cell 0734 328 136 or through email. sgwakuba@gmail.com Justice Scalia & Bryan Garner Book Talk and Signing "There are those who contend that it does not benefit African-Americans to get them into the University of Texas, where they do not do well, as opposed to having them go to a less advanced school... a slower-track school, where they do well." This now-famous quote, by Justice Antonin Scalia, has spurred many reactions, including the #Staymadabby attached to tweets of African American students happily doing well at top schools. As professors at top Public Universities, we would like to add another wrinkle to the discussion -- and to highlight the multifaceted danger of thinking like Scalia's. Advertisement We both have noticed that many of our minority students end up applying to our more competitive colleges because of strangely random circumstances. They were discouraged from applying by family members and guidance counselors, or never met with a guidance counselor at all. They somehow applied anyway, but a number of their qualified friends and neighbors did not. For this reason many minority students who would have been qualified never make it to the gates of four-year institutions because they were not given access to the information they needed, or because they were not sure they would "belong" there. The discussion of race and college in the popular press and on social media largely concerns the fear that underqualified minority students take the "rightful place" of qualified non-minority students: the worry that minority students are "overmatching" and attending schools beyond their ability. The idea that a rightful place exists and is possible to discern is a nice idea, that everyone is considered and that the worthy are chosen. But what if not everyone puts themselves into consideration in the first place? What if there is an unspoken but dangerous bias to this idea of a "right place?" Had Scalia conferred with leading thinkers in education policy, he might have known that the more pressing problem facing minority students at present is not overmatching, but undermatching. Minority students often exempt themselves from consideration before they even get the chance to succeed by applying to fewer and less-selective colleges than they are academically qualified to attend. A 2015 study in the top economics journal showed that even when minority students would be automatically admitted (as in Texas' system that offers admission to the University of Texas to students in the top 10% of their high school graduating class) they are less likely than white students to apply and attend top colleges. In the long-term, undermatching leads to poorer college completion rates, lower starting salaries, and often, higher debt levels than students would have experienced had they attended a better-matching school. Advertisement A recent summit on the issue included Kenyon College President Sean Decatur, who received a diversity scholarship when he went to college. He explained that we have to start paying attention to "the big piece of the undermatching story -- that many students have the potential to succeed on our campuses [but] are sometimes either worried about making that first step themselves or are discouraged from doing so." In order to really achieve equity in higher education we have to figure out how to fix this problem. It would help to eradicate assumptions that a top college education is somehow more obviously the birthright of white students versus minority students. Scalia's quote perpetuates this blindness, whether he himself believes what he said or was just stating it rhetorically. Close-up of Holy Quran on American flag. The idea that all Muslims should be blocked from entering the U.S. plays well with people who think adherents to Islam are relatively recent arrivals on the American scene. Yet Muslims have been in this country from its inception. Far from being a foreign element, Muslims have been here throughout American history and indeed longer than some Christian religions. Followers of Islam were present in the U.S. when it was founded. They were represented in the slave population during the colonial period and in the early U.S. Most enslaved Africans who were forcibly brought to the Americas came through ports in West Africa, in a broad swath from modern-day Senegal down to Angola. The captives themselves came from many locations, as numerous people were kidnapped, taken as prisoners of war or purchased in a vast expanse of the African interior. Especially in the northern slaving ports, the transatlantic slave trade scooped up people who adhered to the Islamic faith. Islam had spread into Senegal and Sierra Leone from North Africa; in addition, many more Muslims traveled into the region as traders. Their presence in the regions most affected by the transatlantic slave trade meant they too were captured and enslaved, and scholar Sylviane A. Diouf collected much evidence demonstrating that they had indeed been part of the enslaved population throughout the colonial period and beyond, in her prize-winning 1999 book, Servants of Allah: African Muslims Enslaved in the Americas. One of the best examples she unearthed involved an illiterate slave master who relied on his Muslim slave to keep the books for his plantation. (Muslims, because they learned to read their holy book, the Qur'an, enjoyed high rates of literacy.) Advertisement Slave owners may not have been aware that they owned Islamic slaves, however. Much of the evidence found by Diouf and other scholars involved inadvertent references, such as to individuals praying at set times of day or using certain naming practices. The enslaved faced challenges in keeping up their religious practices. The practice of praying briefly five times daily confronted many obstacles, ranging from inability to control their own movement when laboring for another on a slave plantation, to knowing the time of day and the direction of Mecca. But evidence suggests that they preserved against great odds and tried to lead a devout life. Slave owners tended to ignore the religious practices of their chattel. They wanted to deny their humanity, which discouraged them from showing any interest in their culture or beliefs. They assumed all Africans adhered to some less familiar religion (not Christianity, Judaism or Islam--which were all well-known to Europeans and Euro-Americans at this time) or even to no religion at all. Denying their religion, then as now, arose from efforts to deny their humanity. In fact the enslaved population included Catholic Christians, Muslims, and adherents of traditional West African religions. The slave population--just like the free population--was religiously diverse from the first. Man in a putting money in his pocket. Isolated over white In its most recent report, "Policing for Profit," the Institute for Justice ("IJ") details exactly how we have turned Lady Justice into a cash cow by allowing law enforcement and prosecutors to snatch "...hundreds of millions in cash, cars, homes and other property - regardless of the owner's guilt or innocence." While forfeiture is hardly a new proceeding, its use has clearly become overuse in the last 30 years if the IJ's numbers are any indication. Annual deposits from forfeiture reached $4.5 billion, 4,667 percent increase in 2014, a 4667 percent increase from 1986. Advertisement Civil forfeiture accounts for 87% of all government seizure, according to the IJ's analysis which is a much more disturbing reality than the amount of money and property taken from people. If criminal forfeiture accounts for only 13% of all government seizure of property, then, by law, almost 90% of forfeiture proceeds come from situations where citizens may have done nothing wrong. Through civil forfeiture schemes in the states and the federal government, we've legalized plunder. The way we have legalized it, the report details, is by using evidentiary standards employed in courtrooms to determine how much evidence is needed to keep someone's property. Since only suspicion of whether the property was somehow gained from or involved in a crime allows it to be taken - which is bad enough - the standard for the government's keeping the property should be higher. Although often it's not. As the IJ's report details, state by state, only two states - Nebraska and North Carolina - require proof beyond a reasonable doubt in order to keep seized property, meaning the person who owns the property must be found guilty of the crime for which it was seized in order for the state to keep the goods. Forty-six states use some form of the "clear and convincing" or "preponderance of the evidence" standards which means that the owner need not be found guilty of a crime for the property to be seized. New Hampshire has an interesting and worthless protection: no property may be kept by the state if the person is found not guilty in a criminal proceeding. While it may seem fair, since so many of civil forfeiture victims are never even charged, this rule provides no safeguarding against arbitrary forfeiture; you can receive a verdict, a factual finding of 'not guilty' when you've been charged and tried. Advertisement Sadly and shockingly, two states, Massachusetts and North Dakota, both use the "probable cause" standard of evidence in order to determine if the state can retain seized property. That means innocence is as likely as guilt, yet the state still gets to keep the property. The only chance that a citizen has to keep what is rightfully his is to wage a lengthy and expensive legal battle against the government. And, if all of this wasn't bad enough, the IJ's report exposes another level of perfidy in our forfeiture laws: equitable sharing. Reminiscent of organized crime structures, a program of 'equitable sharing' allows local and state agencies to kick up some of their proceeds to the federal government with the hopes that they will, in the end, get a share in the collective forfeiture pie. Except even the feds can't share like they're supposed to do. Last month, the New York Times reported that the Department of Justice has placed the sharing program on hold because Congress took $1.2 billion dollars from the asset forfeiture program to cover budget shortfalls. It's worse than taxation without representation; it's taxation without any process, never mind due process, at all. At first blush, it may seem like civil forfeiture is different than the usual methods of justice: targeting poor people who have nothing and placing them in jail. As hard as state and federal governments may try, you can't take nothing from nothing so indigent populations are impervious to forfeiture schemes. For these programs to exist, civil forfeiture statutes must necessarily target people with some assets. However, the cost of the legal duels with the government bankrupt victims who dare to stand up to the government. In the end, everyone is poor except the government. Advertisement The biggest revelation of the Institute for Justice's "Policing for Profit" report is that our justice system is no longer about public safety and stopping people who break the law. The United States has allowed justice to careen so out of control that it's now grabbing up the innocent, not even convicting them, and bankrupting them for the sake of government revenue. The United States Supreme Court in Washington D C USA The 1970s saw a changed Supreme Court. The Warren Court had dismantled legal segregation, announced a right to counsel in all criminal cases, given us the Miranda warnings and the Mapp rule on searches and seizures, forever changed the political map with the "one man, one vote" decision, almost done away with defamation in political cases, invented a right to sexual privacy, and much more. But then it became the Burger Court. Republican presidents, making good on campaign rhetoric, had replaced Black with Powell, Fortas with Blackmun, Douglas with Stevens, Harlan with Rehnquist. Though it may not have changed direction, the Court certainly changed speed. Rehnquist indeed was inclined to dismantle the Brennan-Warren legacy, but the other more or less conservative judges -- White, Stewart, Powell, and (in those days) Blackmun and Stevens -- were cautious, pragmatic. Advertisement The results showed. The Court erected landmarks of our constitutional law, what might be called the 70s settlement. Alphabetically, the 1970s saw Abood on forced unionism; Bakke, which has hung on as the case to beat on affirmative action; Buckley, which established the ground rules on campaign finance regulation; Roe (as reaffirmed in Casey) on abortion -- and I have only got to C. There were Furman and Gregg on the death penalty and so on down the alphabet to voting rights. All these cases shared a common characteristic: they did not quite make sense. By Abood a reluctant worker had to pay her full union dues and only then could demand to get back that part which the union used for political activity -- how realistic was that? Bakke put quotas, explicit racial preferences, and racial balancing ("discrimination for its own sake") out of bounds and yet it allowed taking race into account in college admissions, but only as part of an individualized, "holistic" appraisal in aid of such diversity as would contribute to the classroom experience of all students -- a formula that admissions committees across the country grew adept at manipulating to achieve some modicum of racial balance after all. In Buckley the Court allowed legislatures to impose rather strict limits on how much money one could give candidates and their campaigns (contributions). But it saw an impermissible violation of free speech in laws that regulated how much could be spent on speech favoring a candidate or a cause (expenditures). This was a metaphysical distinction supposedly made plausible by the availability of public financing of elections (which the Court celebrated), requirements of full, prompt disclosure of the source of all campaign-related speech, and the further requirement that these unlimited expenditures be independent of and uncoordinated with the candidates, lest they count as contributions after all. And on abortion, Roe (as later refined by Casey) sought to accommodate the state's permissible interest in what it called "future life" with a woman's right to choose by making that latter interest predominant -- but only after the fetus's viability. Prior to fetal viability, it allowed for regulations that did not impose "undue burdens" on the right to choose, an instance of being 100 percent for principle 80 percent of the time. Advertisement So each item in this settlement is marked by compromise, doctrinal incoherence and instability. And yet by and large they have served us quite well. Public institutions of all sorts are inhibited from instituting an out-and-out racial spoils system. Political campaigns, in what Rochefoucauld called the homage that vice pays to virtue, used to show some restraint in how they raised money. Governments can affirm their interest in life by not paying for the abortions of which they disapprove and may even propagandize against them -- up to a point. All-in-all, we have a pretty decent system, but there are purists left and right who would dismantle it. Because it is imperfect and jury-rigged, it is vulnerable to their jibes. These days it is the right that seems to hold the cards (or votes) on the Supreme Court. A case now before the Court may very well turn unions into powerless voluntary associations. The Chief Justice seems minded to prohibit any consideration of race by public institutions, following his slogan (for which he lacked Justice Kennedy's vote) that, "The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race." As for the Buckley system, the Court has already gone a long way toward dismantling that settlement. In 2014 a bare majority of the Court declared a long-standing and important limit on campaign contributions unconstitutional. And in 2011 in Arizona Free Enterprise Club v. Bennett the same majority declared unconstitutional the only way that states and the federal government might make public financing of elections at all attractive to candidates. Elsewhere, the Republican Congress inserted a provision in the recent omnibus funding bill barring the SEC from mandating full disclosure of corporate political contributions. Finally, cases from Texas before the Court this term will show whether states will be allowed effectively to drive abortion providers out of business in the guise of regulating them. Advertisement In the end we might have a body of constitutional law easier to understand and predict, but harder to live with. As Albany put it in Lear: "striving to better, oft we mar what's well." The final fall semester of my master's degree cumulated in a once-in-a-lifetime experience in Paris: presenting at SolutionsCOP21 as a climate innovator and participating in COP21 as an observer with the University of Maryland delegation. I was fortunate to witness climate change history in Paris at COP21, including the official adoption of the final agreement by 195 nations. Though I was not privy to the meetings and discussions that would ultimately shape the Paris agreement, having observer status had its benefits. Being able to interact with climate and environmental experts from the public and private sector, NGOs and civil society, country negotiators and delegates, COP21 was an immersive and inspirational experience. 1. My journey to Paris Through a global Climathon competition, I was sent to Paris to pitch a solution to food waste in a climate innovation showcase at SolutionsCOP21. Over 900 participants in 20 cities from six continents competed. It was motivating to hear of other cities' innovative solutions to address their specific challenges. Each city representative pitched their solution in front of an audience of city, business, and climate leaders, and as it turned out, I came in third place globally! I felt fortunate to represent Washington, D.C. on a global platform, especially an issue so relevant today - food security was even mentioned in the Paris agreement. I was also granted a rare opportunity to observe COP21 through my graduate program, after a semester-long course studying climate negotiations. Advertisement 2. A quick resolution for the Paris Agreement After a week of tracking agenda issues and reading drafts of the text leading up to the final adopted agreement, we were sitting in the party overflow room of the closing plenary. Delayed by two hours, you could hear people beginning to wonder: what was taking so long? Turns out in the early hours of the morning (after a couple of all-nighters), some words were left in the text in error - most notably, the shall v. should distinction, a deal-breaker for the U.S. However, President Laurent Fabius quickly brought attention to the floor, the gavel came down, and after a moment of astonishment, cheers erupted on the floor. Emotions were high as participants celebrated years of work that were reflected in the Paris agreement. 3. Everyone showed up in Paris I was chatting with a country negotiator, who claimed that only 200 or so people knew what was really going on with the negotiations, yet 40,000 people were in Paris. Everyone had shown up to stake a claim at COP21 by hosting side events, both official and unofficial, organizing rallies, all to bring attention to an issue and to participate in some way, big or small. Getting an insider's perspective on some of the issues heavily debated was eye-opening. And in a later conversation with a United Nations expert, I learned that every country had compromised on an issue in order to reach an agreement. 4. Climate negotiations: marked by political unity It was interesting to see climate negotiations play out on an international scale, and yet COP21 felt very much like a conference. Here, countries deployed negotiation tactics and formed coalitions to advance their interests. COP21 was truly an international political process. Because of the political momentum and desire from all sectors to have an agreement emerge from COP21, together with the political unity after the terrorist attacks, it was clear to me from the beginning that there would be an agreement adopted. It seemed too that no one country wanted to be blamed for the Paris talks failing. Advertisement model of the second temple ... Within the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), there are numerous prophetic books that are named after Israelite and Judean men who were prophets: from Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel to Amos, Hosea, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zechariah. However, there are no prophetic books of the Hebrew Bible that are named after women. None. To be sure, there are two books of the Hebrew Bible that are named after women, Ruth and Esther (in the Ketuvim of the Hebrew Bible). But these two women are not referred to in Holy Writ as prophets. But there is more to this story than is apparent from the Bible's table of contents: there were women prophets. The standard term for a male "prophet" in the Hebrew Bible is navi (Hebrew: nby'). It is used more than one-hundred and fifty times. The semantic domain for the Hebrew words for "prophet," "prophecy," and "prophesy" revolves around English words such "proclaim," "call out," "called," "inform," "announce," "announcement." Significantly, there is a term in the Hebrew Bible for a female "prophet," from the same Hebrew root as the word for a male "prophet." It is neviah (Hebrew: nby'h), and it is accurately rendered into English as "prophet," or better yet, "prophetess." In Hebrew, feminine nouns are normally marked for gender. That is the case with the word neviah. Thus, the only real difference between the Hebrew words navi and neviah is that the latter is marked for gender (the -ah at the end of the Hebrew word is the feminine marker). Significantly, the word prophetess (neviah) is used of several women in the Bible, some named, some not. But the word is used nonetheless. Advertisement Isaiah the son of Amoz is often considered to be among the greatest of the prophets of the Hebrew Bible. According to the superscription of the book, he was active (as a prophetic figure) in Jerusalem during the reigns of the Judean kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (Isa 1:1). Isaiah's prophetic call (Isa 6) occurred in the Jerusalem Temple "in the year that King Uzziah died" (ca. 742 BCE). Isaiah seems to have been particularly concerned about major religio-politico events of his day, including 'the Syro-Ephraimite War' of Rezin of Syria and Pekah of Israel (735-732 BCE) against Judean King Ahaz (Isa 7; cf. 2 Kgs 16) and the Neo-Assyrian King Sennacherib's siege of Judah (701 BCE) during the reign of Judean King Hezekiah (Isa 36-37; 2 Kgs 18-19). We are also told about the emissaries of the Babylonian King Merodach-Baladan (Akkadian: Marduk-apla-iddina) who were sent to King Hezekiah at the time of his (Hezekiah's) recovery from a serious illness (Isa 39). In addition, the book of Isaiah refers to Isaiah's sons named Shaar-Yashuv (Isa 7:3) and Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (Isa 8:1-3). Thus, we know a fair amount about Isaiah, from the names of the kings during whose reigns he prophesied, to the name of his father and the names of two of his sons. We do not know, however, the name of his wife. But we do know that she was a prophetess, a neviah (Isa 8:3) She receives woefully little Schrift in the Bible, but a prophetess she was! And she was not alone. The year was 622 BCE. 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.' Josiah reigned in Ancient Judah. Josiah's grandfather (Manasseh) had reigned in Judah for fifty-five years (r. 687-642 BCE). According to the writers of biblical books of Kings, Manasseh was wicked and "he did evil in the eyes of the LORD, the abominations of the nations which the LORD had driven out from Israel. He built again the high-places which his father Hezekiah had destroyed. And he erected altars for Ba'al, and he made an Asherah, just as King Ahab of Israel had done" (2 Kgs 21:2-3). Josiah's father (Amon) reigned just two years (642-640 BCE), and was then assassinated (2 Kgs 21:23). Josiah came to the throne at the age of eight (in 640 BCE), and according to the books of Kings and Chronicles, he was a great religious reformer, "doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD" (2 Kgs 22:2; 2 Chr 34:2). There may be some differences in Kings and Chronicles regarding the timing of Josiah's reforms (as has often been contended), but the books of Kings and Chronicles are unequivocal in declaring that Hilkiah the High Priest found a copy of "the Book of the Law" during the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign (i.e., 622 BCE). And particularly striking is the fact that both Kings and Chronicles are also unequivocal in stating that King Josiah commanded that this "Book of the Law" be brought to Huldah the Prophetess (2 Kgs 22:13-14; 2 Chr 34:21-22), a neviah. Advertisement The details of the narrative-setting are remarkable and deserve reiteration. After finding "the Book of the Law" in the Jerusalem Temple, Hilkiah the High Priest gave it to Shaphan the Scribe, and Shaphan read the book to King Josiah. Then King Josiah commanded his entire entourage of high officials to take "the Book of the Law" to Huldah for interpretation. And the king's high officials, consisting of the High Priest Hilkiah, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan the Scribe, and Asaiah the Eved Ha-Melek (a Hebrew term for a very high official) did as the king has ordered. At that point, Huldah the Prophetess confirmed King Josiah's worst fears: God would soon bring disaster upon Judah for its religious apostasies, the worship of Ba'al and Asherah, and all the Host of Heaven. Huldah also declared that Josiah himself would not live to see this disaster, but rather he would die in peace (2 Kgs 22:14-20; cf. 23:1-27). Josiah had a fairly long reign (ca. 31 years), although he died in a battle against Pharaoh Neco II near the city of Megiddo (2 Kgs 23:29). Most impressive from my perspective, however, is the fact that Huldah the Prophetess was considered so gifted a Yahwistic prophetess that the highest officials of the entire Kingdom of Judah (all of whom were male) were commanded to bring "the Book of the Law" from the Jerusalem Temple to her for interpretation. And interpret it the Prophetess Huldah did! Finally, it should also be emphasized that the term "prophetess" is used of additional figures in the Hebrew Bible: Miriam the sister of Moses (Exod 15:20), Deborah the warrior and judge (Judges 4:4), and Nehemiah's nemesis Noadiah (Neh 6:14). In short, although most of the prophets of the Hebrew Bible were men, five women are referred to as prophets as well: Isaiah's wife, Huldah, Noadiah, Miriam, and Deborah. Noteworthy also is the fact that the term "prophet" (Greek: profetis, a feminine noun meaning "prophetess") and the verb "prophesy" (Greek: profeteuo) are used of women in the New Testament. According to the book of Acts, for example, Philip "the Deacon" (Acts 6) "had four unmarried daughters who could prophesy" (Acts 21:9). Similarly, in a letter of the Paul, he presupposes that women were capable of prophesying (1 Cor 11:5). True, Paul states that women must not prophesy with their heads "uncovered," but the fact remains that Paul considered it perfectly acceptable for women to prophesy. Moreover, in one of the most touching of all the New Testament narratives, Joseph and Mary are said to have brought Jesus to the Jerusalem Temple to be named and circumcised, and it was there that they met the Prophetess Anna (Luke 2:36). Advertisement In short, both the Hebrew Bible and the Greek New Testament refer to women prophets. Certainly, there have long been, and will long be, debates about the precise nature of the terms "prophesy," "prophecy," "prophet," and "prophetess" in the Bible and the ancient Near East (e.g., in ancient Mesopotamian and Egypt texts, as well as epigraphic texts from the ancient Levant). Moreover, there have long been, and will long be, debates about the historicity of the narratives about prophetic figures in the Bible and the ancient Near East. That is fine. Let all those debates continue. But about the fact that certain biblical texts presuppose that there were women prophets, there can be no debate. There were women prophets in ancient Israel and in Early Christianity. And the term that is used in Hebrew and in Greek for women prophets is the same as the term used for men prophets, with the only difference being the marker of gender that is a linguistic component of these ancient languages. That's impressive and important. Surrounded by policemen, a Muslim cleric addresses a crowd during a demonstration to protest the execution of Saudi Shiite Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, shown in the poster in background, in front of the Saudi embassy in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016. Saudi Arabia announced the execution of al-Nimr on Saturday along with 46 others. Al-Nimr was a central figure in protests by Saudi Arabia's Shiite minority until his arrest in 2012, and his execution drew condemnation from Shiites across the region. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) The recent flare-up between Saudi Arabia and Iran not only exposes the ongoing Sunni-Shiite conflict throughout the Middle East for what it really is -- a proxy war between the two countries -- but it also makes the prospects of stability in the region increasingly remote. Furthermore, it puts the West in the delicate position of maintaining a balancing act between two regional powers that are increasingly bitter foes. The latest clash began with Saudi Arabia's mass execution last week of 47 Saudis. Most of those executed were identified as having ties to Al Qaeda, but one who wasn't was Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a leading activist for the Shiite minority in the country. In response to al-Nimr's execution, Iranian demonstrators torched the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, thereby providing the Saudis with a rationale to cut off diplomatic relations with Iran. And that's how it ended -- if indeed that is the end. Advertisement To understand the significance of these events, it's important to recognize that the conflict between the Sunni-majority Saudis and the Shiite-majority Iranians is not about theology. It's a battle for supremacy between the two most powerful countries in the region, and, as a result, it's worth looking at the shifting dynamics between them. George W. Bush greets Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz in 2008 in Washington. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds) For decades, the U.S. had built up Saudi Arabia and Iran as the "twin pillars" of its policy to secure the Persian Gulf. But that ended when Ayatollah Khomeini's Islamic Revolution toppled the pro-West Shah of Iran in 1979. From then on, the U.S. relied strictly on Saudi Arabia for support in regional security matters. America bought hundreds of billions of dollars of oil at reasonable prices and the Saudis returned the favor by purchasing hundreds of billions of dollars of weapons from the United States. But the calculus behind the U.S.-Saudi relationship changed dramatically with the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action between Iran, the P5+1 and the European Union last July. Iran agreed to roll back its nuclear program, in return for which economic sanctions began to be lifted. Iranian assets were unfrozen. Much to the Saudis' dismay, Iran was allowed to reemerge on the world stage. In response to the threat of an ascendant Iran, a newly aggressive Saudi Arabia began striking out repeatedly at Iranian surrogates throughout the Middle East and elsewhere. In Syria, they attacked the forces of President Bashar al-Assad, who is backed by Iran. They struck out at Shia Houthis in Yemen, and supported attacks on Iranian surrogates in Bahrain, Nigeria and Lebanon. None of this went terribly well for the Saudis -- especially the disastrous war in Yemen. Advertisement A man holds a projectile fragment after a Saudi-led airstrike against Iran-allied Shiite rebels in Yemen's capital in April. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed, File) When it came to efforts to resolve these conflicts via diplomacy, the Saudis also found they faced the same problem. In the past, they had succeeded in excluding Iran from regional talks in Geneva. But, as Trita Parsi, the president of the National Iranian American Council, pointed out recently, when talks resumed in Vienna last fall, President Obama made a personal phone call to King Salman to force the Saudis to sit down with Iran. In the end, both countries participated, but the talks dissolved into heated disputes. Having Saudi Arabia as our leading Arab ally has long carried with it contradictions that America likes to keep quiet. The U.S. has armed and protected a brutal theocratic monarchy that is the guardian of Wahhabi Islam, the fundamentalist Sunni sect that provides a fertile breeding ground for terrorists urging a violent jihad against the West. Ultimately, it carries responsibility not just for the attacks of 9/11, but also for the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, the 1998 attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole, the attacks on London and Madrid, as well as massive attacks in Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Turkey, Pakistan, India, Paris and more. None of that has changed. In the current conflict in Syria, the Saudis openly back the "Army of Conquest," which includes the Al Qaeda-linked group Jabhat al-Nusra. Fighters from a coalition of forces, including the Nusra Front, celebrate after capturing the Syrian city of Idlib in May 2015. (OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP/Getty Images) Meanwhile, Iran, to some extent, has fallen into the Saudi trap. As Iranian President Hassan Rouhani put it, setting fire to the Iranian embassy in Tehran was "totally unjustifiable." Worse, it gave the Saudis a rationale to up the ante by cutting off relations with Iran. For its part, the Obama administration seems to have recognized that Iran must have a seat at the table if there is to be any resolution to the Middle East conflict. Getting the Saudis to agree to that, however, is a far more difficult matter. The House of Saud has become increasingly fragile. The price of oil has plummeted from $140 a barrel to below $35, putting them in a precarious financial state. The Saudis are beset by Shiite dissidents in their oil-rich eastern provinces and Sunni extremists throughout the kingdom. In view of the dismal outcome of the "Arab Spring," however, pressuring the Saudis carries with it grave risks. Yes, the House of Saud bears enormous responsibility for fueling terrorist jihad all over the world. But without a pro-West government in place, the prospect of jihadis taking over Saudi Arabia vast oil reserves would be a catastrophe. By escalating the conflict with Iran, the House of Saud is playing a very dangerous game indeed. Earlier on WorldPost: For more travel inspiration, follow Steele Luxury Travel on Instagram: STEELETRAVEL If you blinked, you may have missed it: Back in September 2015, there was travel buzz in the travel biz that the famously fast Concorde may take to the skies after being grounded in 2003. The story, first reported in the Telegraph, out of the UK, noted that a group of well-monied enthusiasts, the self-proclaimed "Club Concorde," raised a whopping 120 million ($186 million) to get one of the supersonic jets back in the air. And that, it seems, was that. The story poofed into the air -- unlike the planes, which remain firmly on the ground. So what (has) happened? Here's some of the backstory. While the Concorde was one of the safest vehicles in the sky, a reputation-killing crash in Paris of Concorde 4590 in 2000 killed everyone on board and 4 people on the ground. It was later determined that debris on the Charles de Gaulle runway left from another plane had flung up into the Concorde fuselage and caused the perfect example of Murphy's Law of Worst-Case Scenarios, precipitating one of the most deadly, and widely-reported, crashes of year. With the air travel slump that followed 9/11 in the following year, the Concorde, a joint venture between British Aircraft Corporation and France's Aerospatiale, could not generate enough revenue to stay in the sky. The remaining planes were decommissioned and became stately curiosities at the world's airflight museums. Advertisement In a brief on the Club Concorde website, president Paul James stated, "The main obstacle to any Concorde project to date has been 'Where's the money?'; a question we heard ad nauseam, until we found an investor. Now that money is no longer the problem, it's over to those who can help us make it happen." That is an oblique reference to regulators and the minefield surrounding trying to get a mothballed airplane back into commercial service (it is not impossible, but talk about an uphill climb). While Club Concorde publicly stated it wants to get a Concorde in the air by 2019, the fact remains is that all of the Concordes are aging museum pieces. While they have been maintained as exhibitions, it has been years since a qualified flight inspector gave them even a cursory go-over for flight. There are legitimate concerns about the structural integrity of the planes that remain, the one on display at Le Bourget airport in particular (the one Club Concorde wants to purchase). And let's be honest: there is no lead-time that government bureaucracy cannot swallow whole. All sorts of things have been held up for years due to safety concerns before they (if they) ever get to the market. Even if the Concorde does fly, 2019 might be a wildly optimistic date. Advertisement There is also the question of economic viability. Even if Club Concorde succeeds, they still have to fuel the plane, maintain it, house it, insure it, hire a crew, and have all the other tedious background business deals that make our world go 'round be finalized. And now for the real kicker: Do enough people even want the Concorde back, outside of a few fans, for the idea to fly? For their part, former operators Air France and British Air have shown no interest in a Concorde project, and once upon a time were almost freakishly committed that no one else should be, either. Even if venture capital is secured, future profitability is real a question for any business endeavour. The Concorde was always synonymous with elite travel, but with the advent of the A380 and Dreamliner, passengers are clearly favoring conventional luxury over, and I am sorry to say it, novelty -- however upper class or speedy it may be. Additionally, and even in its heyday, the Concorde had limitations and it all has to do with physics. First off, its aerodynamic sleekness meant it was never a particularly roomy plane, and passengers today uniformly cry for space to move about. Secondly, once a vehicle goes faster than the speed of sound, it creates a sonic boom powerful to break windows, to say nothing of eardrums. Consequently, the jet could only fly over vast, empty expanses of water. This is fine for transatlantic flights, but once over land, the Concorde has to slow down to conventional speeds. That defeats the whole purpose of a supersonic jet. Nerds the world over, including at NASA, are actively working on trying to lessen the booms, but such are an inevitable fact of anything going that fast in the atmosphere. All of this is not to say that Club Concorde is not on to something. For all its ear-splitting downsides, no one is discounting supersonic travel. Indeed, France's Airbus filed patents for an aircraft capable of hitting four times the speed of sound last August. That velocity would whisk passengers from from Heathrow to JFK in an hour as opposed to the the subsonic five. Club Concorde's James seems to be aware of that, and keeps his aims modest. After restoration, the plane would be used at air shows, special events and, most importantly, private charter, he said. A modern twist on keeping the Concorde "in the family," perhaps. Advertisement Alas, after generating a lot of initial chatter, Club Concorde has been mute on any progress made, and on the Get Concorde Flying Again Facebook page, even die-hard fans are skeptical, dismissing the whole affair as romantic fluff. To be fair, even on a fast-track, nothing major would happen in just two months time. Every year, the National University of Singapore sends students in their junior year abroad to work as interns with small startups in major hubs such as Silicon Valley, Beijing, and Tel Aviv. After completing a year with the startup, they return to Singapore to finish their studies and eventually start their own business. And why would Singapore choose small startups as a place of education? If you're looking to fuel an economy with innovation, there's no better place to learn. Startups aspire toward innovation, and do so through a work culture that encourages active participation from all employees in achieving that goal. The startups that the National University of Singapore look for range in size from 10 - 20. At that size, it's common for all employees to "wear many hats." They might be working on software development while also participating in sales and marketing strategy. As a result, every employee gets a sense of the company from top to bottom. This model develops a sense of ownership and responsibility. As a result, employees are thinking about the direction of the company. Startups ask you to have a voice and give you the space to confidently speak your opinion about this direction. Because who knows where the next big idea will come from? Advertisement For the students of the National University of Singapore, the program creates a class of entrepreneurs who are ready to create a thriving economy of innovation in their home country. It's not just Singapore that has a lot to learn from startups, however. A traditional corporation could gain a lot if it started incorporating the insights of startup culture into its daily operations. The National University of Singapore developed this program because it realized that its education system was not developing an entrepreneurial mentality. It demanded rigor and discipline, but not creativity. While there is nothing wrong with rigor and discipline, there is a danger to any corporation that lacks creativity. In today's market, disruption is a common occurrence. New innovations push out old vendors, old products, and old ideas. The key is to be the disruptor, not the disrupted. But this is easier said than done -- especially if you don't encourage innovation within your workplace. It may be difficult for a corporation to develop this spirit the same way startups do. In a larger corporation, employees often wear one very narrow hat. The best you might be able to do is help them know how all the different departments fit together. A little easier is giving them a voice. Rather than restrict major decisions to a few higher-ups behind closed doors, make sure to include employees from all levels in the discussion. While executive decision may still fall on a select few, their decision can be informed by a more comprehensive understanding of the business. Advertisement There are, however, unique ways for larger corporations to encourage creativity and innovation. At Google, employees are encouraged to take time out of their day (and their traditional role in the company) to focus on pet projects. This is how such a staple of Google's services as Gmail came into being. Your employees know your company best -- why not let them take a crack at envisioning new directions based on their experiences? Salesforce is another example of a company that actively promotes innovation. In fact, they've been recognized by Forbes as the Most Innovative Company for the past several years. In addition to constantly asking their users for feedback, Salesforce has also setup hackathons within the corporation, where developers and other employees work to design the new innovation that could bring salesforce down. Rather than let another company push them out, Salesforce is actively looking to be their own biggest rival. These are just a few examples of how you can jump-start your own entrepreneurial culture within your company. The best part about startup culture is that they are constantly innovating -- this includes innovating how we innovate. Maybe your company will lead the way not only in your industry but in best practices for creating a thriving creative work culture. And why would Singapore choose small startups as a place of education? If you're looking to fuel an economy with innovation, there's no better place to learn. Startups aspire toward innovation, and do so through a work culture that encourages active participation from all employees in achieving that goal. The startups that the National University of Singapore look for range in size from 10 - 20. At that size, it's common for all employees to "wear many hats." They might be working on software development while also participating in sales and marketing strategy. As a result, every employee gets a sense of the company from top to bottom. This model develops a sense of ownership and responsibility. As a result, employees are thinking about the direction of the company. Startups ask you to have a voice and give you the space to confidently speak your opinion about this direction. Because who knows where the next big idea will come from? Advertisement For the students of the National University of Singapore, the program creates a class of entrepreneurs who are ready to create a thriving economy of innovation in their home country. It's not just Singapore that has a lot to learn from startups, however. A traditional corporation could gain a lot if it started incorporating the insights of startup culture into its daily operations. The National University of Singapore developed this program because it realized that its education system was not developing an entrepreneurial mentality. It demanded rigor and discipline, but not creativity. While there is nothing wrong with rigor and discipline, there is a danger to any corporation that lacks creativity. In today's market, disruption is a common occurrence. New innovations push out old vendors, old products, and old ideas. The key is to be the disruptor, not the disrupted. But this is easier said than done -- especially if you don't encourage innovation within your workplace. It may be difficult for a corporation to develop this spirit the same way startups do. In a larger corporation, employees often wear one very narrow hat. The best you might be able to do is help them know how all the different departments fit together. A little easier is giving them a voice. Rather than restrict major decisions to a few higher-ups behind closed doors, make sure to include employees from all levels in the discussion. While executive decision may still fall on a select few, their decision can be informed by a more comprehensive understanding of the business. There are, however, unique ways for larger corporations to encourage creativity and innovation. At Google, employees are encouraged to take time out of their day (and their traditional role in the company) to focus on pet projects. This is how such a staple of Google's services as Gmail came into being. Your employees know your company best -- why not let them take a crack at envisioning new directions based on their experiences? Advertisement Salesforce is another example of a company that actively promotes innovation. In fact, they've been recognized by Forbes as the Most Innovative Company for the past several years. In addition to constantly asking their users for feedback, Salesforce has also setup hackathons within the corporation, where developers and other employees work to design the new innovation that could bring salesforce down. Rather than let another company push them out, Salesforce is actively looking to be their own biggest rival. Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical "Hamilton" has been the talk of the town ever since the tale of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton opened on Broadway this summer. With music drawing on rap, hip-hop, R&B, as well as Broadway pop, the soundtrack was named the No. 2 album of the year by Billboard and has topped the rap album charts since its release. With Hamilton's true-to-history story line, people are hungry to learn more about Alexander Hamilton after listening to the music or seeing the show. Alexander Hamilton's birthday is January 11, and now's the perfect time to re-discover the "ten dollar Founding Father without a father." Continue reading for more places to visit and celebrate Alexander Hamilton's legacy. Lin Manuel-Miranda and cast in "Hamilton An American Musical" Copyright Hamilton Broadway The Hamilton House - Charlestown, Nevis "Young, scrappy, and hungry..." Alexander Hamilton's birthplace is located on the Caribbean island of Nevis in the West Indies. Born as the illegitimate son of a Scottish immigrant father and a British West Indies mother on January 11, 1755 (or 1757 it's unclear). The site now serves as the Museum of Nevis History, and maintains a small exhibit related to Alexander Hamilton. Probably not a destination unto itself, but certainly worth an excursion from a cruise ship or if you're looking for an excuse to visit the Caribbean in January. Alexander Hamilton birthplace, now the Museum of Nevis History, Charlestown, Nevis, photo by Daniel Farrell, Wikimedia Commons Advertisement Schuyler Mansion - Albany, New York "Who is always by your side..." At the Schuyler Mansion in Albany, visitors can picture the Winter's Ball and wedding of Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler in 1780. Phillip Schuyler served as Revolutionary War General, U.S. Senator, and raised 8 children in the mansion including "The Schuyler Sisters," Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy mentioned in the musical. Built 1761-65, Schuyler Mansion in Albany, NY was the first Georgian Mansion in the Albany area. The family lived in the home from the 1760s to 1804, when Philip Schuyler died. Photo courtesy New York State Office of Parks Yorktown Battlefield - Yorktown, Virginia "Outgunned! Outmanned! Outnumbered! Outplanned!" George Washington reluctantly gave his right hand man Alexander Hamilton command in the last major battle of the American Revolution. On October 19, 1781 British General Cornwallis surrendered to General Washington thus ending the war. The site is now part of the Colonial National Historical Park, and visitors can stroll the streets, buildings, and battlefield where "the world turned upside down." 6 pounder cannon on top of British defensive earthworks at Yorktown Battlefield. Photo by Andrew Litterist, courtesy National Park Service Advertisement Library of Congress - Washington DC "How do you write like you're running out of time?" Alexander Hamilton joined forces with James Madison and John Jay to write The Federalist Papers, a series of 85 articles and essays promoting the ratification of the United States Constitution. The Federalist Papers are located in the U.S. Library of Congress, and considered one of the most important sources for interpreting and understanding the original intent of the Constitution. The Library of Congress is free and open to the public, with one-hour walking tours available of the historic Thomas Jefferson building to learn about its symbolic art and architecture. Library of Congress, main reading room, photo by Carol M Highsmith, courtesy Library of Congress Treasury Building - Washington D.C. "Centralizing national credit, and making American credit competitive..." At the U.S. Treasury Building is a statue of Alexander Hamilton appointed the first Secretary of the Treasury by President George Washington. Tours of the Main Treasury Building, located at Fifteenth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, in Washington, D.C. are available by advance reservation through Congressional offices. Statue of Alexander Hamilton at the U.S. Treasury Building, photo by Karen Nutini, Wikimedia Commons Hamilton Grange - New York City, New York "It's Quiet Uptown" Lin-Manuel Miranda drew inspiration at Hamilton's upper-Manhattan home the Hamilton Grange located in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood of Harlem. Construction of the Alexander Hamilton estate began during The Election of 1800, but was not completed until after his death in 1804. To celebrate his birthday on January 9th, families can take in the history of Grange with a National Park Service ranger, and hear more about the murder trial in which Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr co-defended Levi Weeks, the brother of the builder of the Grange. Hamilton Grange, Alexander Hamilton's country estate in Harlem, image courtesy National Park Service Dueling Grounds - Weehawken, New Jersey "I was too young and blind to see... the world was wide enough for both Hamilton and me." July 11, 1804 Aaron Burr, sitting vice president, shot and killed Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton Park is located next to a monument that reads, "somewhere below this site, on a wooded ledge twenty feet above the Hudson River, lay the dueling grounds. The most famous duel in American. Hamilton fell, mortally wounded, and died the next day in New York City. Tragically, Hamilton's son Philip had also met his death here in a duel in 1801." Hamilton Park offers great views of the New York City skyline across the river. Duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. After the painting by J. Mund Hamilton Burial Site - New York City, New York "Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?" Alexander Hamilton's grave is located at the Trinity Church cemetery in lower Manhattan, fittingly near Wall St. To commemorate Alexander Hamilton's birthday on January 11th, there will be a wreath-laying ceremony and blessing at Alexander Hamilton's grave at Trinity Church with the participation of the U.S. Coast Guard Color Guard from Sector New York. Then, inside the church, Dr. Stephen Knott, author of Alexander Hamilton and the Persistence of Myth, will speak about his latest book co-authored with Tony Williams, Washington and Hamilton: The Alliance That Forged America. Advertisement Alexander Hamilton grave, photo by J.M. Luijt, Wikimedia Commons Finally, to learn even more about Hamilton's story, visit the Alexander Hamilton Room at the Museum of American Finance or visit the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society to discover even more events in Nevis, New York, and New Jersey to honor this fiery and brilliant Founding Father. Opinion / Columnist When it comes to reforms and elections there are four basic scenarios the Zimbabwean people must be aware of. These can be present in the form of questions and answers:a) Is it possible to have free, fair and credible elections without implementing any of the 2008 GPA democratic reforms?Answer: it is impossible to hold free and fair elections without implement the democratic reform.For anyone to ask this question it shows they have never appreciated what the GPA was about and so it is worthwhile explaining this before going any further. There are eight key points one has to understand about the Global Political Agreement (GPA):1) Mugabe claimed electoral victory in Zimbabwe's July 2008 presidential run-off but because of the wanton violence none of the outside elections observers including SADC and AU endorse the result as free, fair and credible. This created a serious legitimacy problem for Mugabe.2) Following months of negotiations it was finally agreed, in the GPA, that the three main political parties Zanu PF led by Robert Mugabe, MDC-T led by Tsvangirai and MDC-M led by Mutambara would form a Government of Nation Unity (GNU). SADC was to be the guarantor of the agreement whose punishment would be to withdrawal legitimacy if any of the parties in the GNU failed to honour the terms of the GPA.3) The GPA stipulated that the GNU would implement a raft of democratic reforms include security sector, media, judiciary reforms, and to draft a new democratic constitution which would be submitted to the people of Zimbabwe for approval in a referendum. These were agreed were the minimum requirements for free, fair and credible elections and thus prevent the repeat of the vote rigging and wanton violence of previous elections.4) The GNU was supposed to last for 18 months but lasted for 60 months instead; enough time for the GNU to have carried out its set tasks.5) Sadly not even one democratic reform was implemented at the end of the GNU. This task was for Tsvangirai and his MDC friends to do and Mugabe bribed them into doing nothing much to the disappointment of SADC and everyone else who wanted to see democratic change in the country.6) The new constitution was weak and feeble since it was designed to accommodate the undemocratic practices which were still in place since no democratic reforms had been implemented.7) The people were not paying attention to what was happening and so they failed to apply the necessary pressure to force the implementation of the reforms. As for the new constitution they believe MDC lies that it would deliver free and fair elections without even reading it for themselves.8) Mugabe went on to blatantly rig the July 2013 elections to mark the end of the GPA, SADC washed its hands of Zimbabwe.So the fuller answer to the question can there be free, fair and credible elections with no reforms implemented; the answer is as long as Mugabe and Zanu PF retain total and undemocratic control of the Police, Media, Judiciary, ZEC, etc. they will continued to use violence and dirty tricks to rig the vote.B) Will implementing Tsvangirai's proposed electoral laws, MDC-T's National Electoral Reform Agenda (NERA), be enough to deliver free, fair and credible elections!Answer: No NERA seeks to align existing laws to the new constitution which, as stated in 6) above, is itself a weak constitution and thus inadequate for free and fair.c) If the next elections are held in the present one-party dictatorship conditions, is there any chance of getting the new regime to implement all the GPA reforms so that future elections are free, fair and credible.Answer: No chance! Whoever wins the next elections would want the dictatorial powers to consolidate their own political power.Dictatorial powers are to politics what corruption is to the economy. We have failed to eradicate corruption because whilst everyone denounces it whilst they still seeking power, once in power it would be in their power to deal with corruption but also to benefit from it most people always end up doing the latter. All those contesting the next elections appreciate Mugabe's dictatorial powers and they would all want those powers for themselves.d) Is there any hope, any hope at all, of forcing the implementation of the GPA reform so the next elections are free, fair and credible.Answer: Yes there is. Mugabe has failed to rig economic recovery and the worsening economic meltdown is unsustainable; unemployment is already at 90% plus, millions are living in serious abject poverty the type that is killing its victims, most cities and towns have no clean running water, etc. The situation is getting worse and not better.Whether Mugabe likes it or not; the only way out of this mess political reform and regime change. The people will have to be fast off the mark and demand the full implementation of the GPA reforms because people like Tsvangirai, Mujuru, Mnangagwa, etc. eyeing the presidential post will not want any reforms because they know they will not compete if the dictatorship was replaced by a democratic one, not with their rotten past record! Take a memo to the lions. And cc the elephants. Don't resent that guy with the gun pointed at you. In the long run, he's your best pal. This may not provide much consolation to the late Cecil the Lion, but the host of Carter's W.A.R., a popular show on The Outdoor Channel, explained to TV writers in Pasadena Tuesday that big-game hunting is the best thing that can happen to many big game species. "The statistics will show," Ivan Carter said, "that in areas with well-managed sustainable hunting, the wildlife proliferates. The wildlife populations go through the roof." Carter (center above), who describes himself as a hunter, a conservationist and a wildlife investigator, spends much of the show, which airs Mondays at 9 p.m., traveling through Africa examining wildlife issues at the community level. Advertisement In one episode, he is asked by a village to kill a hippopotamus that reportedly has been attacking people. He's not particularly looking to shoot a hippo, he says, but he's concerned that if he doesn't isolate and eliminate the perp, the villagers will kill all the local hippos. His problem: He finds a wetland where hippos gather and, frankly, they all look alike. Lots of water. Lots of hippo eyes just above the surface. None of them makes an aggressive move. That's the kind of thing he does in his wildlife investigating, and that's the kind of real-life concern he uncovers. But he said he also spends a lot of time linking all these local matters together into the larger picture of wildlife conservation and survival in a world where humans are claiming an increasing amount of the territory once available to other species. Advertisement Purely on the most practical level, he said, hunting has two irreplaceable benefits. First, it helps keep populations at manageable levels. Second, the money paid by hunters to kill big game is a major source of funding for conservation programs, including anti-poaching campaigns. "I'm not asking you to hunt," Carter told TV writers. "I'm not asking you to believe in hunting. What I'm asking you to do is to understand the business model whereby if enough people come onto the front line and pay enough money, the survival of the species becomes the major and the most overwhelming effect of what actually happens." It's a familiar discussion, echoed with variations in American communities that fear they may have too many deer or black bears roaming through suburban subdivisions. But Jim Liberatore, president and CEO of The Outdoor Channel, thinks the discussion lately has become imbalanced, thanks in part to coverage of dramas like Cecil the Lion. "There is an untold story in this country," said Liberatore, "and that's why I think this is important. From a westerner perspective, everyone says, 'Oh, my gosh. This is horrible. They're killing endangered animals.' That's not what's happening." Advertisement "Hunters and poachers are two different animals. When hunters are on the scene, poaching goes down. And that's why the hunting story is a conservation story." "If I'm a poacher," says Carter, "I'm going to go into an area irrespective of age, sex, species and I'm just going to kill as much as I possibly can to get as much money as I can. "If I'm a hunter, I'm going to go in there with a tag and a predetermined patch of land which has got a predetermined quota of what a healthy off-take would be and I'm going to go in there with the intention of a very specific species, a very specific sex and probably even a very specific animal. I'm going to take that all in way that's as humane as possible, in a way that's very sustainable to be future generations." Carter acknowledged that many species, like white rhinos, face a survival crisis. Poachers have killed much of the population because, in the case of rhinos, there's an enormous market for powdered rhino horn -- which is believed to have near-magical powers in some cultures despite all scientific evidence to the contrary. The only solution there, he argued, is "education, education, education" -- convincing consumers that there's no value in the product. Or, with elephants, "making people in China believe that the most important thing is not to have an ivory carving on your mantelpiece." Advertisement The Obama administration must see Turkey under the reign of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for what it is, not how it used to be, or how Washington wishes it were. It is time for steely-eyed realism about Erdogan. Following are the facts: Erdogan is authoritarian. He recently praised "Hitler's Germany," mentioning Hitler in the context of his own tenure. Erdogan blocks independent media. Presently, 34 journalists are in jail for various charges including "insulting the President." According to Journalists without Borders, Turkey ranks 149 out of 180 countries on press freedom. Advertisement Erdogan attacks freedom of expression.Peaceful demonstrators protesting the destruction of Gezi Park were attacked with truncheons, tear gas, and water cannon in 2013. Police brutality sparked protests in 60 cities, which were violently suppressed. Erdogan targets Turkish citizens.In October, Erdogan re-started a civil war with the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) in a cynical ploy to gain support from nationalist voters. Erdogan promised to "cleanse" Turkey of militants. Since October, 260 civilians have been killed. A curfew has been declared in municipalities across Turkey's Southeast. Cizre has been destroyed. Erdogan undermines the rule of law.Erdogan dismisses calls for decentralization and enhancing local government, in accordance with Council of Europe standards, as a Trojan horse for Kurdish separatism. He flaunts the rule of law and makes a mockery of the balance of powers. To Erdogan, constitutional reform is really about establishing a de-jure executive presidency. Erdogan supported ISIS. The National Intelligence Agency provided weapons, money and logistical support to jihadis, transiting to Syria. Wounded ISIS fighters receive free medical care in Turkish hospitals. Though Turkey now proclaims its opposition to ISIS, the infrastructure for supporting Islamic terrorism is still in place. Advertisement Erdogan exports Islamism. Turkey's foreign policy in the Balkans promotes a neo-Ottoman agenda, aimed at expanding its influence in former territories of the Ottoman Empire. Turkey exports Islamism under the guise of cultural cooperation, building mosques and financing Islamic unions and institutions in the Western Balkans. Erdogan undermines NATO.He refused access to Incirlik Air Force Base, a NATO facility, to attack ISIS in Syria and Iraq for almost a year. When he cut a deal to allow use of Incirlik, Erdogan intensified attacks against Kurds, even those living in Turkey, under the guise of counter-terrorism. Erdogan targets US allies fighting ISIS.He ordered air strikes against Syrian Kurds who have established a buffer zone along the Turkish-Syrian border. Syrian Kurds are America's best and most effective ally fighting ISIS in Syria. Corruption is widespread.Three ministers faced allegations of fraud and were forced to resign in 2013. Erdogan's family members are allegedly involved in corrupt dealings, including profiting from ISIS oil smuggled out of Syria, and contravening sanctions against Iran. The Obama administration turns a blind eye to Erdogan's travesties. It has been a long time since Turkey was the indispensable eastern flank of NATO bordering the Soviet Union. The world has changed, and so has Turkey. Under Erdogan's hegemonic rule, Turkey no longer holds Western values nor does it serve US interests. Advertisement The Obama administration must review and modify its approach to Turkey. Washington's deplorable silence makes it complicit in Erdogan's crimes. In 1984 Brian De Palma co-wrote and directed Body Double, an erotic, voyeuristic thriller that's best remembered for one gruesome scene in which a young woman (Deborah Shelton) gets drilled to death in her Hollywood Hills home. The movie sparked outrage from critics, especially women, who dubbed the flick "Dressed to Drill" after De Palma's earlier work Dressed to Kill. It's a terrifying piece of filmmaking, in an otherwise rather tame movie, because the murder scene is set up slowly, the audience also fearing for Shelton's life as the unsuspecting woman wanders around her house in a slinky nightdress while one man is running down the street to save her and another is preparing the electric drill that will bring about her demise. Watch it again and you'll see something unexpected; namely, very little except suggestion. De Palma, like Alfred Hitchcock before him, understood that, in horror, the unseen is often far more frightening than the real thing. Advertisement The creators behind American Horror Story: Hotel should go back and do their homework. Scratch that: They should be given an F and expelled from Scary School. Openly gay Ryan Murphy and openly straight Brad Falchuk, the masterminds behind Nip/Tuck, Glee, and this year's Scream Queens, along with all five seasons of AHS, have, with Hotel, created the worst piece of schlock shock since someone decided a remake of Black Christmas made sense. There are so many problems with Hotel it's hard to know where to begin (the absurd backstory plots, the waste of talent, Gaga), but the most glaring offense is the soft-core gay porn violence that's creepy for all the wrong reasons. By the time episode two hit, we witnessed a man in the hotel get fucked to death by a mummy-type creature with a spear dildo. The actor was a hunk, naturally, and before he took death up the a**, the camera gave us a shot of his naked butt, sexy and taut. As he gets pounded, we see the action through a mirror, looking like pretty much any hardcore bondage scene, minus the murder. It wasn't scary, it wasn't suspenseful, it wasn't erotic: It was like watching the two creators get off on death and fucking, as intensely as cable television will allow. These days that means pretty much everything you see on the big screen. They didn't stop there. Almost each episode since has featured sexy men getting murdered, most of whom are shown naked (usually from behind, sometimes bent over), with no build-up or suspense or, you know, horror. The preferred form of murder? Throats slit, repeatedly, over and over, too many to count on most episodes, always with blood-spurting, Monty Python-style, so technically proficient it looks as if the creators purchased a state-of-the-art neck-blood-squirt machine and got carried away like two little boys in Willy Wonka's Killing Factory. Advertisement Murphy and Falchuk have a penchant for casting openly gay actors and gay icons (Yay!) and among this season's male eye candy are out actors Cheyenne Jackson and Matt Bomer, neither of whom can seem to keep their clothes on, and straight hottie Finn Wittrock, also fabric-deprived. They also gave us, once again, the wonderful out actor Denis O'Hare, who shines as Liz Taylor, the transgender bartender/sage at the Hotel Cortez. But even her plot was ruined when the writers threw in an After School Special about the difference between "gay" and "transgender." She's the latter. With writing that comes across like Sesame Street for horror fans, O'Hare explains to Kathy Bates, who must be kicking herself for taking on such a silly role, that he simply knew at a young age he wanted to be a she. Great, until the next time we see her and she's in love with a man. Every year the AHS writing gets even more unhinged, so it's no real surprise that they switch plotlines like the actors switch roles, but that kind of disregard to detail is an affront to writers, not to mention a blow to anyone trying to understand what being transgender means. Never fear (literally) because the two go off to brutally murder some residents right after the lecture scene ends. Hotel's script mantra is "When in doubt, kill." (On a side note, Jackson's character starts off as gay, and later, bisexual.) On paper, the idea of turning the tables on sexy gay women getting murdered makes perfect sense. But Hotel lacks even the basic tenants of suspense: build-up, eerie score, the unseen presence, the lingering camera like a person watching. Instead, Hotel is like someone threw up every horror movie ever made and started filming the mess. In addition to camera angles gone amuck, the series gives us vampires, dead serial killers, living serial killers, ghosts who torture for fun, monster babies, blood-sucking schoolchildren and a setting that mimics The Shining on Ecstasy. The more gruesome torture scenes, proffered up by Even Peters as the Dead Resident of the Hotel, are practically snuff films, more likely to induce nausea than anything else. It doesn't help that Peters' role this year is an embarrassing take on Orson Welles, or someone from that era, and he's too young and baby-faced to pull it off. Wes Bentley, as the detective, mumbles almost incoherently through most of his violence- and sex-laden scenes, and Chloe Sevigny has such a stupid role as the caring-wife-turned-vampire-Mom that, if you'd never seen her act before, you'd think she was the worst actor alive then dead. Advertisement Then there's Lady Gaga, who's not a terrible actor, just an uninteresting one. She pretty much has one emotion, fatigued boredom, a fatal mistake because she's the character who pulls everything together. Gaga's Countess is irresistible to virtually every other character on the show, gay, straight, male, female, dead, alive, and it doesn't work. She has neither the acting chops nor the conventional beauty for it to succeed. By the time Angela Bassett shows up as another obsessed, jilted lover, you're rolling your eyes at the absurdity, only stopping long enough to wonder "Why didn't they give her the part?" This would have been the role Jessica Lange knocked out of the park, and she gets the most kudos this year for having the good sense to sit it out. As the need for renewable energy becomes more pressing, some of the fiercest duels in the West are now being fought over where to put power lines, wind turbines, solar farms and other needed energy development projects. There is so much at stake in the beautiful landscapes of a place like Colorado that we must be careful to strike the right balance in siting these types of infrastructure. Thankfully, advocates for conservation and a commonsense approach to development now have a whole new range of tools to use in finding the best places for clean energy projects - tools they can access from their laptops and smartphones. Smarter energy siting is the goal. That means more efficient projects that don't waste money while preserving iconic landscapes that birds and other wildlife call home. Advertisement Take the case of the greater sage-grouse, a native of the American West. Its numbers are shrinking as development chews into its habitat and breaks up the landscapes it needs to survive. It's what we call an indicator species because what's good for the grouse is good for 350 other species that share the same landscape. Individual advocates, conservation groups including the National Audubon Society, government agencies, landowners and industry together came up with plans to protect the places most vital to the sagebrush ecosystem. Those plans include protecting critical areas from future infrastructure development. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently said that these plans were robust enough to keep the greater sage-grouse off the endangered species list. It sounds like a pretty simple idea: putting energy infrastructure in the places that cause the least amount of disruption to wildlife and habitat. But it took a massive amount of coordination across 11 states known for their fierce Western independence. Another big decision was reached this fall: a final resolution to a years-long battle over the location of a huge new transmission line that would have cut through the heart of Colorado's San Luis Valley. Advertisement The original plans had the power lines cutting a huge swath through one of our nation's most pristine landscapes. Hundreds of landowners objected to the plan, including the 2013 winner of the Audubon Medal, Louis Bacon, who advocated that the proposed energy transmission lines be rebuilt along an existing utility corridor, rather than through pristine landscapes and damaging critical wildlife habitat. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approved that approach this fall. After the utility companies dropped their plans to bisect the San Luis Valley in 2012, Bacon moved to protect the property forever by placing nearly 170,000 acres in the nearby Sangre de Cristo Mountains under permanent conservation easement. Invigorated by the work to protect the San Luis Valley, Bacon partnered with Audubon to create the Moore Charitable Foundation Energy Siting Resource Center, which gives individual advocates and local conservation groups tools and resources they need to make their voices heard and effect change. That's the point, after all: Each of us has the potential to speak up and make a difference. To help save the greater sage-grouse, for example, local Audubon chapters and partners responded to the BLM's draft protection plans in all 11 Western states by advocating for maximum protections for the birds and the places they live. In California, advocates affiliated with Audubon helped secure improvements to a California solar facility that will power Apple's headquarters. These improvements will benefit the golden eagle and other birds. Conservationists are working on other energy siting projects from Florida to Idaho and California to Long Island Sound. And beyond energy siting, they are tackling other pressing needs like Colorado River flows and other environmental concerns. Well over 100 years ago, when women in Boston and other cities started banding together to end the slaughter of birds for the fashion industry, their work led to the creation of the National Audubon Society. Today the tools of advocacy have changed, and so have some of the challenges, but here's what hasn't changed: When we stand up for our convictions and find like-minded people to join our cause, we can make the world a better place for people and birds. I invite readers to join us at www.audubon.org. The Republican ex-congressman who now works as the chief lobbyist for the troubled for-profit college industry has ushered in the new year with an email asking for-profit college owners to finance a legal brief aimed at limiting the legal risk of companies in fraud cases. The amount that Steve Gunderson, CEO of the industry trade group APSCU, says he needs to pay for the single, short brief he proposes to file with the U.S. Supreme Court? $80,000. The email, obtained by Republic Report, opens with a hearty "Happy New Year!" greeting but then gets down to business, with Gunderson describing what's at stake in a case the Supreme Court will consider this term, Universal Health Services v. United States ex rel. Escobar: Basically, whether a company can be held liable for fraud under the federal False Claims Act whenever it submits a bill to the government while in violation of a legal condition for receiving payment. For-profit colleges have reason to fear a bad result in this case: The industry has been receiving more than $30 billion a year in taxpayer funding to enroll students, and many of the big industry players are under investigation by law enforcement or already have paid fines to settle False Claims Act cases or other claims that they have deceived students and taxpayers. In the face of an adverse ruling, Gunderson warns, big for-profit colleges that violate the law could face "crippling liability." Advertisement So Gunderson wants to file a friend-of-the-court (amicus) brief urging the Court to make it harder for government agencies and individuals who allege fraud to obtain damages from companies like those in his industry. Thus, on the very same day -- January 4 -- that Gunderson sent a public letter to the new Acting U.S. Secretary of Education, John King, offering "new beginnings.... My hope is that together we can begin an era of constructive collaboration," he was plotting, through his private email to for-profit college owners, an effort to try to undermine the ability of the Department of Education to recover taxpayer funds in cases where for-profit colleges engage in violations of law. Amicus briefs in Supreme Court cases -- which urge the Justices to back one of the parties to the dispute -- are subject to a 9000-word limit and generally run 20 to 30 pages of a small (6" x 9") booklet. Gunderson does not say what law firm he wants to hire -- he calls them "the law firm handling this case." In separate litigation, including a case in which APSCU has been trying to strike down the Obama administration's "gainful employment" rule, which aims to hold career training programs accountable for leaving students with insurmountable debt, APSCU's lawyer is Douglas Cox of the ultra-expensive firm Gibson Dunn. Cox boasts on the firm website that he "played a principal role in the firm's successful representation of the prevailing candidate before the Supreme Court of the United States in Bush v. Palm Beach County Canvassing Board and Bush v. Gore, stemming from the 2000 presidential election." Advertisement An $80,000 price tag for a single short legal paper is a bit unsettling, especially given that us taxpayers would basically be paying for it, because many big for-profit colleges get 80 to 90 percent of their revenue from federal financial aid. But what's not surprising is that Gunderson is seeking to pass the hat to finance this brief; he writes in the email that he is "reaching out to every member of the sector -- member and non-member of APSCU." APSCU's take-no-prisoners approach, aided by outside lobbyists like former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, to fighting against Obama's accountability rules has been a spectacular failure, his industry has now been exposed in public for its shameless abuses of students, enrollments and stock prices have plummeted, and industry giants have collapsed or are on the brink. The big, wealthy for-profit college chains that pushed APSCU into its hyper-aggressive stance have recently fled the group. Industry titans EDMC, ITT Tech, DeVry, Kaplan, Career Education Corp., and Bridgepoint are now all gone from APSCU, along with their annual dues. (Disgraced Corinthian Colleges was also an APSCU member, but it collapsed amid multiple fraud investigations; industry leader University of Phoenix has stayed outside of ASPCU.) With major budget cuts required by the loss of dues, high-priced APSCU staffers like former Bush Administration education official Sally Stroup have left. That leaves few senior staff besides Gunderson, who has been pulling in $470,000 annually, and Michael Dakduk, formerly the head of Student Veterans of America, an organization that righted itself and started defending the interest of student vets again after Dakduk jumped ship to join APSCU. Gunderson's email instructs potential donors for the legal brief to contact Dakduk. Advertisement Gunderson warns that unless APSCU raises the $80,000, "we will not be able to file the brief." So I guess we'll be able to see whether he raises the $80,000. This article also appears on Republic Report. UPDATE 01-31-16: APSCU did a file a brief in the case, signed by Douglas Cox. And it appears that at least a couple of rich non-APSCU members responded to Gunderson's pitch. Parties filing briefs in the Supreme Court must disclose whether any outside party contributed money to preparing the brief. APSCU tells the Court: DeVry Education Group Inc. and Bridgepoint Education, Inc. have each made monetary contributions intended to fund the preparation and submission of this brief because each is a former member of amicus with first-hand experience defending against the implied certification theory of liability in the higher education context, and therefore each has significant interest in the questions presented. Bernie Sanders head of the political pack Donald Trump may win the television ratings, but Bernie Sanders is winning the polls. In a stunning December 22 national poll, Sanders beat Trump by 13 points - 51 per cent to 38 per cent, a landslide. This is no fluke: Sanders has won 12 out of 17 national polls in the last few weeks, including four by significant margins of between 9 points and 13. He even outvotes Hillary who also beats Trump. And yet, many think Sanders has no shot at the Democratic nomination, much less the White House. They think he's too left, too old, too unknown. But everyone should think again. Trump is paving the way for Sanders to win and so is the rising dissatisfaction among voters toward traditional politics. Subtext to this is that polls show that a majority of Americans agree on major issues, such as abortion to capital punishment and gun controls, with Europeans and Canadians. And yet nothing changes. Americans are disgusted with the political system, growing income disparity, financial corruption in Congress and the partisan media circus. Advertisement This is why they like "anti candidates" like Sanders and Trump. Both are outsiders beyond the reach of lobbyists, donors and special interests. But Trump helps Sanders by singlehandedly carpet-bombing his Republican Party and leaders. He also helps Sanders by attacking the Clintons who have more baggage than LaGuardia Airport. For example, after Hillary criticized Trump for anti-female comments, his response was, "if they're going to play that card", what about Bill Clinton's "abuse of women" as a serial philanderer and seducer of Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern. (This, I would guess, will force a recalibration of Bill's role in "helping" Hillary on the campaign trail going forward.) Advertisement Further, he added, Hillary was "the worst Secretary of State in the history of this country." Trump also, like Sanders, blasts away at the system itself. "We have massive corruption, massive incompetence, vets are treated like third class citizens," says Trump, adding that 60 percent of the political media are "dishonest, terrible people". In fact, Trump is destroying the Republican Party brand to the point where its biggest donor, oil tycoon and Tea Partier Charles Koch, has just announced he won't support any of the Republican primary hopefuls. This is a reversal from April when Koch said he was deciding soon which of several to support. "I have no plans to support anybody in the primary now," he told USA Today last week. "If they start saying things we think are beneficial overall and will change the trajectory of the country, then that would be good, but we have to believe also they'll follow through on it, and by and large, candidates don't do that." Trump gets the television ratings because he's the Don Rickles of Politics, a big mouth with a steady and amusing stream of insults. He drove Texas Governor Rick Perry off the podium with put-downs such as "Rick Perry put glasses on so people would think he's smart," he said. "There should be an IQ test before getting onto the debate stage." Advertisement Then he pulled off a two-for-one punch with his "but Rick Perry is smarter than Lindsay Graham." He described Jeb Bush as "weak and ineffective" and said "we've had it with the Bushes". He said Ted Cruz acts like a "maniac" with people and Marco Rubio is not a leader because he "couldn't answer a question whether Iraq was good or bad." He even attacked the icon of the Republican Party, John McCain. "I supported him [McCain] but he lost and I don't like losers," he said. "He's on television all the time. He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured, okay?" (Footnote to this is that Donald Trump, who claims he's in splendid health, was not drafted during the Vietnam War for unknown reasons, according to one report.) But he's great at verbal warfare and his take-no-prisoners mentality is obliterating the field. Even if he drops out of sight, his insults will provide enough content to make a series of juicy commercials for the Democrats. So The Donald wins ratings and Sanders quietly wins minds. Unlike Trump, Sanders has experience, ideas and plausible prescriptions. He does not insult and would level the taxation playing field for all. He voted against the Kuwait and Iraq invasions, but in favor of Afghanistan's as well as the intervention to stop ethnic cleansing in the Balkans. Advertisement Conventional wisdom is that Trump and Hillary will get nominations, but the numbers currently show that Sanders is the main contender. The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID), in collaboration with the Catholic Bishops's Conference of India and Religions for Peace, held the Vatican's fifth Buddhist-Christian Colloquium February 12-13, 2015 at Bodh Gaya, India. Bodh Gaya is the site of the Buddha's enlightenment and was chosen for a dialogue since it has temples and monasteries from many different types of Buddhists. The theme was "Buddhists and Christians Together Fostering Fraternity" and the goal was to build a foundation for interreligious peacebuilding. Sixty leaders of both religions from eight countries took part in discussing the following topics: "We belong to One Human Family," "From a Culture of Diversity to a Culture of Solidarity," "Fraternity, a Prerequisite for Overcoming Social Evils," "Fraternity wipes away Tears," and "Together Fostering Fraternity: The Way Forward." This is an example of how the pope's new "dialogue of fraternity" seeks a higher level of relational engagement in order to address social ills. Participants agreed that it is not religion per say that causes conflict, but individuals who exploit religion for personal, commercial and political gains. They agreed to return home and pursue the following in the spirit of fraternity: Advertisement Strengthen interfaith connections in communities, neighbourhoods, educational institutions, and places of worship Build programs of interreligious awareness and peacebuilding for children, youth, and families in educational institutions and workplaces Forget and forgive the past negative history of conflict and violence and move forward to build peace-loving people in solidarity Train younger generations in formation houses to overcome prejudice, study other religions, and build solidarity Build interreligious fraternity (brotherhood/sisterhood) to support and revitalize family life in order to make society prosper. A few months later, a "Buddhist-Catholic Dialogue on Suffering, Liberation, and Fraternity" was held in Rome sponsored by the Bishops's Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue (BCEIA) of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in collaboration with the PCID. This sixth Vatican dialogue was convened from June 23 to 27, 2015 and included forty-five Buddhist and Catholic leaders and social activists from the regions of New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The United States was chosen for this encounter since it also has a large number of Buddhists from different Buddhist traditions. Presentations from the first day of the dialogue developed the theme: "Relational Suffering and its Causes." "Relational suffering" means the suffering that comes about within relations between persons and with other living beings. The second day was divided between addressing the ways in which Buddhism and Christianity seek to liberate persons from relational suffering, and the ways that both traditions seek to alleviate suffering between persons and all living beings. The latter topic was timely since Pope Francis had just published his encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si'. The third day was devoted to a discussion of the pope's new "dialogue of fraternity." In its 1984 document, "The Attitude of the Church towards the Followers of other Religions," the PCID defined four kinds of dialogue: dialogue of life, dialogue of action, dialogue of theological exchange, and dialogue of religious experience. Under Pope John Paul II, the dialogue of theological exchange for mutual understanding and respect was emphasized. This brought scholars together to explore similarities and differences. Advertisement Pope Benedict XVI added emphasis on being a Pilgrim Church journeying toward "the fullness of Truth" in friendship with "fellow pilgrims" of other religions. Now, Pope Francis is expanding the dialogue further by emphasizing the need to develop a sense of "fraternity" as a foundation for the dialogue of action that addresses the social ills of our world. True solidarity in such action must be based on fraternity in its original sense of "brotherhood/sisterhood." The papers presented on this third day discussed two topics: the notion of "Fraternity among Human Beings" in Christianity and Buddhism, and "Building a Fraternal World" together. The final day of the dialogue was devoted to exploring social issues in the United States that the participants felt need to be addressed today, and how Buddhist-Catholic collaborations of fraternal interreligious social action could be advanced in the United States. The participants had a private audience with Pope Francis who encouraged them to "plant seeds of peace" in their cities. In their Joint Statement, the participants agreed to return to the US and explore together the following kinds of joint interreligious social action initiatives: Addressing global climate change on the local level Creating outreach programs for youth Collaborating in prison/jail ministries and restorative justice matters Developing resources for the homeless such as affordable housing Educating and providing resources to address the issue of immigration Collaborating to create projects with local Catholic parishes and Buddhist communities to address neighborhood social issues Developing social outreach programs for value education to families The full proceedings of the Rome dialogue can be found on the October 2015 issue of Claritas: Journal of Dialogue and Culture, an online open-access journal found at: www.claritas-online.org The five groups have been meeting since the June dialogue. Three examples of early social action collaborations include the following: Advertisement We're starting to understand that things are coming to an end, yet in many more ways, we feel that we're on the brink of a new beginning. Without a doubt, we're in the middle of a crisis like never before. Our saving grace lies in acknowledging the totality of what is happening. We must admit that these developments are affecting us all in the same negative manner. But the dark era is coming to an end. Many people believe that this is the beginning of a golden period anticipated for thousands of years. The human race has finally matured, exactly like teenagers going through the turbulent years of confusion and unrest while trying to grasp the truth of who they are. We've reached our peak of growth, and now we're moving up the scale of evolution that's equipped with a superior level of experience and incredible complexity. The real world, as it exists now, will soon become just a distant memory of a time of confusion and pain. We stand on the edge of an incredible transformation that will lead us into the light of our full potential. Be prepared to let go of everything you think you've known in order to live a new life. Be ready for the most extraordinary adventure to rediscover truth, beyond what we can imagine. Leave behind your misconceptions, open your heart and mind, and reprogram your beliefs in order to create a new future. The following 16 predictions will start to take effect in 2016 and onward: 1: Earthquakes. Earthquakes will increase in strength and frequency once more this year. This is the Earth's way of releasing pent-up energy because of the strain it's endured. The earthquakes will happen mainly in Europe, Japan, and Indonesia. A series of very strong earthquakes will strike between Japan and the Himalayas. The Eastern portion of Europe will also tremble under several earthquakes this year, and there may be one in Morocco. Advertisement 2: War and peace. Russia will continue to attack Ukraine but will sign a collaboration agreement with China. North and South Korea will join forces this year. 3: Weather will be extreme. We will experience extremely heavy winters and extremely hot summers. Global warming is being made evident by extremes in weather patterns: when it will be cold, it will be brutally cold. And when it will be hot, it will be scorching. This will hold true across the globe. 4: We will become more robotic. Robots will take the place of more human workers. We already see this happening, but it will occur more frequently in the coming years. Technology will explode on every level: the way televisions, phones, and cars work will change. The focus will be on more energy-efficient technological gadgets that interact intelligently with their owners. Advertisement 5: People will protest. I see hundreds of thousands of people in the street at the same time in cities throughout the world. There will be a global event which will ask people to step out of their homes and march through the streets. The number of people simultaneously gathered outside all over the globe will be unprecedented. There will also be a critical meeting of leaders worldwide to address pending issues like climate change, the economy, and terrorism--elements that affect us all. 6: A new system of money. There will be changes in the monetary system, particularly a new system of money including new bills and coins. In the future, there will be only one global monetary system, as Europe has done with the Euro. We'll find new ways to be reimbursed for our labor, pay for goods, and so on. We will come to the realization that paper money needs to be replaced with a more efficient alternative, so we'll develop electronic currency. In addition, the countless banks that exist today will converge into one single bank that spans across the globe. 7: More female leaders. A country in South America will welcome a new female president. Other parts of our world will also experience a surge in female leadership. We will begin to see increasing numbers of women as national leaders as the feminine force brings unity and harmony between the energies of the two sexes. 8: Intervention in police violence. Recently there has been increased attention to police violence. The system of law enforcement has proven to fail time and time again. This year will bring many more protests against police violence and under this pressure, police departments will enforce new techniques to keep officers under check, such as body cameras. 9: Trouble in the White House. I don't see Trump in the final phases of the elections--something might happen to him. The final race will be between Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton. Who wins from there is our free will. But whoever does become our next president will have a very tough time. A woman was destined to become head of the White House for a long time. In the end, however, this is our decision. Elections are manmade and decided by people, so free will overrides fate here. Advertisement 10: We will defeat Isis. Isis will continue their tactics of intimidation here and there, but their intensity will diminish towards the end of 2016. The terrorist attacks will continue in Europe around Paris, Rome, London, and Berlin, the large old-world cities. This is the year in which leaders of our world will collectively declare war on Isis. Countries will join forces to find a solution to terrorism. One of the leaders of Isis will be caught and this will reveal the headquarters of the terrorism group, leading to its destruction. 11: A slow economy. The economy, unfortunately, isn't moving in the right direction just yet. This is a year of economic stagnancy and we will witness more European countries collapse economically. In the US, there will be big fluctuations in the economy. Silver and gold will continue to go up. Gas prices will go up again. Our economic issues are much deeper than we can imagine. Acting as separate nations, we cannot hope to fix the problem. Almost every place in the world is experiencing difficulties. We've been approaching the matter ethnocentrically, but our approach needs to shift to a global one. Only by developing one international financial system will the economy become whole, steady, and healed. In the farther future, money will no longer be the root of all evil. 12: We will heal through nature. We may not haven't discovered the elixir of life yet, but more cures have been invented than we can imagine. We do have a cure for cancer and many other illnesses, but we're not allowed access to them yet. It might not happen this year, but we will benefit from effective vaccines against cancer. There will be advancements in the medical field at the level of cellular behavior. We will be able to heal illnesses by dealing with them at their source: cells that malfunction. People are moving towards healing themselves rather than having a pill or machine heal them. We're educating ourselves on natural cures and applying them to live longer, healthier lives. More people will steer away from traditional medical methods--which are often invasive and harsh on the body--and instead will cure their own bodies, minds, and spirits. 13: The monarchy will end. This is the last generation that the monarchy will survive. Prince William is introducing tremendous change and an overall modernization of the British royal system. He will be last king of the British monarchy. Something may also happen to Queen Elizabeth this year. Humanity will unite in terms of leadership; the long-ruling systems of monarchy, papacy, presidency, dictatorship, and so on, won't survive in the near future. Advertisement 14: We will evolve. Human DNA will increase in complexity, thereby expanding our mental capacity and the level of our perception. Our life spans will increase due to several factors, including our DNA transforming. Carbon 12, the very basis of the human body, will transmute into carbon 7. This change in our genetic makeup will amplify multidimensional thought and lead to higher levels of understanding. 15: We will live longer and better. Brilliant new discoveries in the medical field will be aimed at reversing the aging process. As a result, we'll enjoy healthier, more fulfilling, more peaceful lives in harmony with nature and each other. We'll no longer depend on so many drugs, and we won't suffer physically or experience as much much fear. 16: There will be chaos. The world may go through a state of chaos, which is necessary for progress, but this won't last for very long. In particular, we will witness intense, natural commotions in our universe: there will be increased cosmic radiation, more earthquakes, volcanic eruptions scattered around the globe, and a spike in solar activity. The activity of Schumann resonances (the electromagnetic waves in the atmosphere) will peak, making it seem as if physical time is moving faster than it really is. More and more floods will inundate various parts of the planet, and global temperature will fluctuate wildly, resulting in a decrease in the population of sea creatures and fauna. I know it's difficult to imagine a world like this given our present situation, but we're evolving our thinking and finally letting go of old limitations. Look into the future and see us together. Start celebrating, and forget about the negative predictions, which are simply memories of an era that's soon to be history. To your best year yet, Dr. Carmen Harra To learn more about The Karma Queens' Guide to Relationships, click here. To visit Dr. Carmen Harra's website, click here. To connect with Dr. Carmen Harra on Facebook, click here. Today, I want to take you on a trip from Palm Springs to Montecito, with a stop in West Hollywood. Yes, I know, it's been raining cats and dogs. But nothing will rain on our parade if we take art as our guide. Last time I visited Palm Springs Art Museum -- two years ago -- they had an excellent exhibition of early works by "Richard Diebenkorn: The Berkeley Years, 1953-1966." I returned there a week ago to see another exhibition equally full of surprises, "A Passionate Eye: The Weiner Family Collection." There are roughly 60 sculptures and paintings by major 20th century artists, including multiple sculptures by Pablo Picasso, Henry Moore, Marino Marini, and Jacques Lipchitz, as well as individual knockouts by Amedeo Modigliani, Isamu Noguchi, Aristide Maillol, and Giacomo Manzu. According to the museum press release, "The Weiner Family Collection, with its singular emphasis on great sculpture, is one of the most important collections of modern art ever assembled in the Southwest." For more than four decades, museum visitors could see parts of this collection either as gifts to the museum or as long-term loans. As a result, this collection has become a fundamental part of Palm Springs Art Museum's identity. This exhibition, along with its scholarly catalog and video, introduces visitors to Ted Weiner, "a self-made oil magnate who discovered modern art midway through life and, with very little formal education, became a highly knowledgeable collector." Advertisement This past Sunday, I dropped by MOCA Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood to see the exhibition by influential Venezuelan artist, Magdalena Fernandez. My esteemed colleague Hunter Drohojowska-Philp, in her report a few weeks ago, gave an excellent review of this exhibition. Sunday was its last day, and I was happy to have caught Fernandez's six highly theatrical videos. But my favorite was a site-specific light installation in the staircase, a rather challenging and difficult space to work with. Hat's off to the artist and to the exhibition's curator, Alma Ruiz, for a job well done. Reporting all these years on the art and culture in Southern California, I was not expecting to discover the existence of an art museum in Montecito that I'd never heard of before. But here we go. I got an email a couple of days ago about Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art regarding its upcoming exhibition, "Barbizon, Realism, and Impressionism in France," which consists of two-dozen paintings by such Masters as Eugene Boudin and Berthe Morisot, Gustave Courbet, Theodore Rousseau, and Henry Matisse, among others. Take a look on our website at a few of these paintings, and I bet you will salivate as much as I am in anticipation of this exhibition, which opens on January 14th. To learn about Edward's Fine Art of Art Collecting Classes, please visit his website. You can also read The New York Times article about his classes here, or an Artillery Magazine article about Edward and his classes here. Advertisement ___________ I recently read excerpts from a website authored by a person who mocks those who are religious or spiritual. The writer repeated the familiar condemnation of religion: it causes war, it's the opiate of the masses, there isn't some all-powerful giant sitting on a cloud causing calamity or salvation, and only the uneducated believe in a higher power. Apparently, the writer thinks he's wiser than billions of people throughout the centuries who have worshiped and believed in God, a Higher Power, or various deities. I've read several versions of the agnostic and atheist philosophies, and I'd like to offer a personal perspective. I'm a college graduate, and I've traveled to 32 countries around the world. I've watched a numerology service at a Chinese Sanctuary in Hong Kong. I've toured the massive, inspiring Alhambra Palace in Grenada, Spain which was rebuilt in 1333 for Islamic leaders. I wept in silence at the Dachau Concentration Camp outside Munich, Germany and offered prayers for the Jewish people. I've walked into the tombs in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt and learned about the hieroglyphics that depicted their various gods. I walked to a Hindu Temple on a hill overlooking Kathmandu, Nepal and spun the prayer wheels. I observed devoted worshipers offering fresh fruit to the Jade Buddha at a temple in Thailand. I hiked with a group of women across the Haleakala Crater in Maui, Hawaii and honored the Goddess Pele. I listened to Zulu guides chant around a campfire while on safari in South Africa. I stood in a two-hour Latin Mass in the Duomo in Florence, Italy and felt the Spirit of God wash over me. Through these travels, I've learned to respect the spiritual beliefs of other cultures and to solidify my own. I know, without a doubt, my redeemer lives. Advertisement Music can be proof of a higher power. As a child, I sang in the church choir and loved singing the expanded "Gloria" portion in the song "Angels We Have Heard on High." That experience began my lifelong love affair with music. In college, I sang in a concert choir that toured Europe. We performed in cathedrals in six countries, and our last concert was in the ornate American Cathedral in Paris, France. The acoustics amplified the harmonious sound, and at the end of the final song every choir member was in tears. I'll never forget that profound spiritual experience. I believe "The Messiah" is the greatest piece of music ever written. In 1741, George Handel wrote by hand the 259-page masterpiece in only 24 days. It's recorded that he was crying while writing the final "Hallelujah Chorus" and said, "I saw heaven open and saw the very face of God." How else could he have accomplished such an enormous and lasting gift to the world without being filled and inspired by the Holy Spirit? As my mother lay dying, I played her favorite spiritual songs from Tennessee Ernie Ford. She had been unresponsive in a coma for several days, but as I held her hand I felt a slight reaction when Ford sang "Peace in the Valley." I believe the movement wasn't an involuntary reaction but a spiritual release from a tired but faithful soul. She died several hours later. I don't endorse any one religion, but I strongly believe there is a higher power called God, and humans have a need for spirituality. God doesn't cause war and hatred; people do. The God I worship teaches us to love one another, forgive each other, and show mercy and kindness to those less fortunate. People in organized religions and cults have distorted the message to their own corrupt rules, foolish agenda, and evil purposes. Advertisement I'm skeptical when I read that "God saved the child from a horrible accident," or "God cured the woman's cancer." Does this mean God didn't care about those who died in accidents or suffered from terminal diseases? God is not a fairy godmother dispensing magical surprises. My God's magnificent omnipotence surpasses our mortal, earthly concept of humanity and gender, and I believe God is not limited to "Our Father" because God is everything - male, female, and spirit. Opinion / Columnist DEFINITION OF TERMS CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY Information professionals are now embracing digitization techniques in the management of information. Just recently the Director of the National Archives of Zimbabwe appeared on ZTV announcing that the National Archives of Zimbabwe is in the process of digitizing its archives. Due to archival digitization advantages such as wider accessibility, preservation purposes, office space serving digital libraries and archives are becoming popular nowadays. In this paper, the author is going to identify challenges faced by African archivists in digitizing indigenous knowledge.The author will define the words the terms indigenous knowledge and digitization first. Greaves [1996] as quoted in Chisita[2011:4] defines indigenous knowledge as 'something more than matter of fact-information. Rather it is invested with a sacred quality and systematic quality, supplying the foundation on which the members of a traditional community sense their commutes, personal identity, and ancestral anchorage' Mugabe [ibid] defines indigenous knowledge as knowledge that is held and made use of by people who regard themselves indigenous to a particular place.' On the other hand Lee S.D.[2001:3] defines digitization as "the conversion of an analogue signal or code into a digital signal or code.' He also said digitization means the conversion of any analogue material into electronic storage, including sound and video.There are legal challenges which can be faced by African archivists in documenting indigenous knowledge such as issues to do with intellectual property rights. Eke [2011] says information professionals need to take precautions on the issue to do with copyrights before digitizing any piece of information. Kuny is quoted as saying: "if libraries do begin to systematically collect digital information on a large scale, the provision of effective access could be questionable. In fact, copyright could end preventing libraries from providing open access to the digital information they collect. Questions of copyright must be managed so that digital information can be created and distributed throughout "digital libraries" in a manner that is equitable for both information producers and information customers. Copyright could become an insurmountable barrier to the development of digital collections." To avoid the copyright problems there is need for archivists to agree with copyright owners that may mean paying continuous subscriptions and royalties to authors. Since Africa is a developing continent archivists may fail to get funding to pay copyright fees and royalties hampering the digitization of indigenous knowledge.Borgholf et al [2010] talks of challenges related to what he call the rendition system. He defines the rendition system as the hardware, system software and the presentation software. He says the hardware consists of the CPU, memory and bus connection-also some required and desired addenda like graphics card and monitor, secondary storage devices etcetera. The system software consisting of the operating system and the driver programs together constitutes a layer of programs that allow human users to concentrates on the so-called "logical" attributes of the computer and to abstract from the less relevant, physical attributes of the hardware. Preservation software consists of text editors, painting software, web browsers etcetera.Borgholf et al [2010] says there is pressure to upgrade the rendition system quit often. The presentation programs and all other components of these systems have to be replaced regularly by new ones: all the time new and better' devices and variants are being developed. In order to use them new software components are needed. That increases the challenges of digitization of African indigenous knowledge because challenges in one component of the rendition system cause changes in the other components. Since African institutions are poorly funded they may fail to upgrade the rendition system often which may endanger the accessibility of the digitized indigenous knowledge.African archivists may face a selection dilemma. There is a lot of documentation on indigenous knowledge needing digitization and archivists may find it difficult to choose the best document to digitize Borgholf et al [2010].Libraries and archives need precise criteria on what is to be considered valuable and, therefore, should be conserved. Because of the wealth of available materials and because of the high costs involved African archivists may face difficulty in choosing the best documents to digitize.Exorbitant costs maybe also another challenge faced by African archivists as they digitize indigenous knowledge. Costs may range from the ICTs and expert personnel. It may be expensive to buy computers, scanners and electricity costs needed to run the computers. As explained above copyright costs must be put into consideration. All the above are costs to put into consideration which African institution may fail to sustain.Sigauke D.T & Nengomasha Dr [2011] said, for example, the National Archives of Zimbabwe has a depreciated staff establishment which needs further staff development and exposure to modern digitization technologies. They also said the NAZ lacks a digitization policy which hinders the digitization of the indigenous knowledge. The above problems observed by Sigauke D.T & Nengomasha Dr[2011] may be uniform throughout all African information institutions, that is, lack sufficient and skilled personnel capable of running the digitization programs.Eke H.N.[2011] says developing countries may have limited bandwidth an important requirement for a digitization program. Poor connectivity has always affected the rate at which files are uploaded. It was noted [Eke H.N.2011] that poor connectivity has been a big challenge for accessing and downloading information especially large files and then become a challenge for African archivists in digitizing indigenous knowledge.The other challenge faced by African archivists in digitizing indigenous knowledge is the difficulty in digitizing some materials and the strenuous work of editing of works digitized. Most academic staff supplies their bio data and scholarly publications on a CD. At times the CD_ROM drive of computers used for scanning is faulty. Some cases have occurred where the drives could not open, nor read the CDs provided. As a result, a section was created for dumping of such CDs and they were tagged problematic documents.' The scanning also requires considerable editing to conform to the standard set for such materials. The information professionals involved in appending digital signatures on the scanned documents must have to edit the work by first checking the spellings, looking out for bookmarks to ensure it is properly done. The laborious work can be problematic to the digitization of African indigenous knowledge.The author had cited the legal aspect of the digitization of the indigenous knowledge, copyright protection, costs and lack of funding by African government for digitization projects, poor policing by African information institutions, material selection challenges, poor training in digitization and under-staffing as some of the challenges faced by African archivists in the digitization of indigenous knowledge.However,the author wishes good luck to the Director of the National Archives of Zimbabwe in his project of digitizing the National Heritage.EKE H.N, 2011, Digitizing Resources for University of Nigeria: Process and Challenges, Webology,8[1]Article 85.Available at: http://www.webology.org/2011/v8n1/a85.htmlSIGAUKE & NENGOMASHA DR,2011,Challenges and Prospects Facing the Digitization of Historical Records for their Preservation Within the National Archives of Zimbabwe ,University of Witwaterand 2nd International Conference on African Digital Libraries and Archives [ICADLA],SOUTH AFRICABORGHOLF U.M.et al, 2010, Long-Term Preservation of Digital Documents Principles and Practices, Springer, UKLee S.D, 2001, Digital Imaging A practical Handbook, Library Association, London,UKCHISITA C.T., 2011, Indigenous Knowledge Systems, ZOU, Harare, ZIMBABWELesk .M, 2005,Understanding Digital Libraries, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, an Francisco, USAEtiwel Mutero is records management consultant,an archivist and President of a non-profit organization named Records & Archives Management Society of Zimbawe, he holds a Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in Records and Archives Management. For Records management bookings and consultancy you can contact him on +263773614293,+263970466 etiwelm02@gmail.com Since 1997, Charles Koch (above) and his brother David have given more than $79 million to groups that distort climate science and malign renewable energy. In the run-up to the perennial debate in Congress over whether to extend a tax credit for the wind industry, The New York Times ran a provocatively headlined -- and misleading -- op-ed column denouncing it as corporate welfare. "Giving Billions to the Rich" was a broadside against Congress' end-of-the-year tax extenders package, which renews temporary corporate tax breaks, and it singled out the wind production tax credit as one of the most egregious. The November 23 column was written by Marc Short and Andy Koenig, both from an organization called Freedom Partners. They pointed out that the package the U.S. Senate was considering at the time would revive a tax credit for new wind energy facilities during their first 10 years of operation, which would cost the U.S. Treasury an estimated $10.5 billion over the next decade. Congress had let the tax break expire at the end of 2014. Advertisement "The supporters of this 23-year-old credit initially argued that it was necessary to kick-start a nascent industry," they wrote. "Yet Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and others say wind power is cost-competitive with other energy sources. So why are taxpayers still forced to subsidize it?" Besides the fact that a tax credit does not force taxpayers to "subsidize," i.e. give money to, the wind industry, Short and Koenig shrewdly confined their argument to temporary tax breaks. By doing so, they were able to avoid mentioning the fact that the wind industry's more-established competitors -- particularly fossil fuels, the primary cause of climate change -- enjoy permanent tax breaks and subsidies that are significantly larger. The oil and gas industry, for example, has been receiving an average of $4.86 billion in annual tax breaks and subsidies in today's dollars since 1918, according to an analysis by DBL Investors, a venture capital firm. On top of that, Congress exempted natural gas developers from key provisions of at least seven major environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act. That amounts to a substantial subsidy, too, by passing along any cleanup bill to taxpayers. Renewable energy technologies, by contrast, averaged only $370 million a year in tax breaks between 1994 and 2009, according to DBL. The 2009 stimulus package did provide $21 billion for wind, solar and other renewables, but that support barely began to balance the scales that have tilted toward oil and gas for nearly 100 years and coal for more than two centuries. Advertisement The Koch Brothers' Bank So who are Marc Short and Andy Koenig? The Times identified them only as "the president and senior policy adviser, respectively, at Freedom Partners, which advocates for free-market policies." What the Times neglected to explain is that Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce (its full name) is a major pass-through funding arm of billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch -- owners of the coal, oil and gas conglomerate Koch Industries -- and Short and Koenig's Times op-ed is just a small part of a Koch brothers-financed campaign targeting wind and other renewable energy technologies. Founded in November 2011, Freedom Partners functions as the Kochs' de facto bank, disbursing contributions from wealthy conservatives to a network of nonprofit "free-market" groups whose goals include rolling back public health, environmental and workplace protections. Unlike a foundation or a political action committee (PAC), Freedom Partners is classified as a trade association, enabling it to raise money without disclosing the names of its donor members, although the amounts and recipients of its grants are public. In June 2014, the organization expanded its arsenal by launching a Super PAC, Freedom Partners Action Fund, which can raise unlimited sums of money and run ads advocating for or against candidates, but it has to divulge its donors. Freedom Partners Action Fund, whose top donors include the Koch brothers and hedge fund mogul Robert Mercer, raised $29 million and spent $24 million during the 2014 election cycle in support of Republican candidates. But that's chump change compared to Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce's war chest. Between 2012 and 2014, it raised $418 million from its more than 200 anonymous members and distributed more than $387 million of it to dozens of organizations. Much of that money paid for television attack ads, but a chunk of it went to climate science denier groups, including the American Energy Alliance, Americans for Prosperity, Americans for Tax Reform, Heritage Action for America (the Heritage Foundation's political arm), and the 60 Plus Association. Those groups -- along with Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation grantees Competitive Enterprise Institute and Frontiers of Freedom -- were signatories on a July 27 letter to House members urging them to support a bill that would kill the wind production tax credit (PTC). The letter claimed the proposed legislation "protects Americans from the large costs of an out-of-control subsidy." Since the PTC was created, the letter went on to disingenuously assert, "taxpayers have sent billions of dollars to large multinational corporations in the wind industry." The bill referenced in the letter, "The PTC Elimination Act," was sponsored by Mike Pompeo of Wichita, Kansas -- home of Koch Industries -- and Kenny Marchant of Texas. Pompeo is Congress' top recipient of Koch campaign money, and ever since he took office in 2011 he has been introducing bills to scuttle the tax credit because, as he says, the wind industry should "compete on its own." As of November 17, the bill had 53 co-sponsors. Forty-six of them, including Marchant, received contributions from Koch Industries over the last five years. Of course, no one would expect the Times to explain all of that, but the paper should have at least mentioned Freedom Partners' Koch connection. Beyond that, the paper also should have fact-checked its debatable description of the organization. Freedom Partners and other Koch-funded groups all claim to promote "free-market" policies, but they don't complain about the massive subsidies fossil fuel companies receive. For the Koch network, the wind production tax credit is a "wasteful handout," but eliminating tax breaks and subsidies for the oil and gas industry, as Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform once put it, would constitute "a massive tax hike on a vital sector of American industry." That hardly qualifies as a consistent free-market position. The Times' Opaque Transparency Policy Coincidentally, a debate over how the Times identifies op-ed contributors was sparked four years ago by a column attacking the wind industry. In June 2011, the newspaper ran a column by Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow Robert Bryce that made a case for natural gas by misstating facts about renewables, and the Times failed to mention in Bryce's bio that Manhattan Institute funders ExxonMobil and the Kochs are in the natural gas business. A few months later, the Checks and Balances Project, a government and industry watchdog group, sent a letter to the Times criticizing the paper for failing to report op-ed writers' funding sources, citing Bryce's column as a prime example. Signed by more than 50 journalists and educators, the letter called on the paper to "set the nation's standard by disclosing financial conflicts of interest that their op-ed contributors may have at the time the piece is published." The paper's public editor at the time, Arthur S. Brisbane, responded in a column titled "The Times Gives Them Space, but Who Pays Them?" "[T]he issue of authorial transparency is an important one," Brisbane wrote, "albeit one that isn't always simple." He then turned to Editorial Page Editor Andrew Rosenthal to explain the complexities. Op-ed writers have to sign an agreement that states: "You agree to disclose to the Times any financial interest you may have in the subject matter of the article," Rosenthal said. Besides that, "story editors ask each writer if there is any real or perceived material or financial interest we should know about." Finally, Rosenthal said, author bios are written for "clarity, transparency and brevity." Brisbane recommended that the Times do more. "So, while I recognize that the Times has limited space in print to provide more disclosure, I believe it should do more to help readers learn about outside op-ed contributors," he wrote. "In print, besides noting prominent past achievements, author [bios] should include the writer's current paid role.... On NYTimes.com, the Times should include links to [an author's] organizational ties so readers can investigate, if they wish. Finally, it would be useful if the Times required contributors to provide a document listing all current paid positions, and publish a link to the document." Did the Times take Brisbane's advice? Apparently not. Wind Wins This Round, But More Transparency Needed Fortunately, the Koch campaign to break wind was foiled this time around by some last-minute horse trading on Capitol Hill. End-of-year negotiations over the omnibus government spending bill extended the wind production tax credit through 2019 in exchange for lifting the 40-year-old federal ban on oil exports. That's good news for the wind industry. According to the American Wind Energy Association, the production tax credit has helped quadruple wind-powered electricity since 2008, from 16,700 megawatts to more than 70,000 MW at the end of last year, enough to power more than 19 million homes. The tax break also has helped drive down the cost of wind power by 66 percent over the last six years, and Iowa, South Dakota and Kansas -- Mike Pompeo's state -- now get more than 20 percent of their electricity from wind. Nine other states get more than 10 percent of their electricity from wind, and a recent Department of Energy report concluded that the United States should be able to generate 20 percent of its electricity from wind by 2030. The omnibus deal was also good news for Koch Industries, because lifting the ban on oil exports likely will boost its business. After all, it owns 4,000 miles of pipelines as well as refineries in Minnesota and Texas that, according to the company, together can process more than 600,000 barrels of crude oil a day. The bad news is that, even after the debate prompted by an anti-wind op-ed back in 2011, The New York Times continues to provide a platform for special interest mouthpieces and fails to disclose their benefactors. To be sure, the Times is hardly alone. But it's especially puzzling when it comes to the Times, whose editorial board routinely rails against "the scourge of dark money" in the U.S. political system and calls for greater transparency. If you know about the protest going on in Oregon currently, then consider yourself among a lucky few. Most people I strike up a conversation with have no idea what the "Oregon standoff" even means. News stations such as NBC News (see link below) and CNN are only now seriously covering the protest during its third day after internet accusations of unfair, and frankly racist, journalism. Let's consider the situation. Armed protesters are currently occupying a federal building, Malheur Wildlife Refuge, in Oregon in protest of the federal government convicting two ranchers, Dwight Hammond, Jr and his son Steve, of domestic terrorism for arson of federal owned land (see links at bottom). I do believe these men have every right to protest their government's actions according to the first Amendment...but the way they are doing it is important to consider, as it is not "peaceably," which the first Amendment makes crucial. Over 150 men (according to Esquire up to 300 men) carrying semiautomatic weapons is not a "peaceful" protest. And the news stations giving this story very little attention can be considered as having a racist agenda; consider the press coverage during the Ferguson shooting, or Baltimore riots. Advertisement The shooting of unarmed Michael Brown received nationwide coverage that prompted protests in the area for weeks. The story of over 150 gun-toting Caucasian men occupying a federal building...offers very little press. Which begs the question, why is the press much more concerned with the protests of the African American community than the Caucasian community in America? The Baltimore riots were heavily covered by CNN, Time, USA Today, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Huffington Post...the list goes on and on. There are few news stations giving serious coverage to over 150 Caucasian men protesting with weapons. Most news stations, such as ABC News, describe the protest as a "peaceful protest." If this group of American armed men were any other race beside Caucasian, the news would not call it "peaceful." And let's be honest here...if you are carrying a weapon in a protest, how is that peaceful? The threat is implied. It seems to me that these Oregon protesters could take a lesson from Henry Thoreau, Gandhi, or even Martin Luther King, Jr. Henry Thoreau inspired Martin Luther King, Jr as well as Gandhi with his movement of civil disobedience: "If the alternative is to keep all just men in prison, or give up war and slavery, the State will not hesitate which to choose." Civil disobedience done right does not require semiautomatic weapons. Martin Luther King Jr's "sit-ins" and Gandhi's marches against British rule have one thing in common: no weapons were held by any protester. If weapons were held by the protesters, I highly doubt peace would have lasted. The fact that the press lacks coverage of the protest of multiple armed Caucasian men, but will widely cover, and by doing so increase attention of, the protests over the controversial deaths of two African American men, speaks volumes of racist intent in the media. It speaks volumes of how African Americans are perceived as violent in American culture if gun wielding Caucasian men are considered "peaceful protesters." If there were over 150 gun carrying African Americans protesting in Oregon, news stations would definitely call that domestic terrorism, or worse. It is fair for these ranchers to civilly protest federal laws...but the lack of press coverage and the fact that most people consider these men "peaceful" has me wondering what is considered violent, and what is considered peaceful in America, and maybe changing our culture of racism and violence should start to become bigger priorities. Sources: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/wtf-is-happening-in-the-oregon-militia-standoff-explained-20160103 Advertisement http://abcnews.go.com/US/fbi-monitoring-situation-oregon-national-wildlife-refuge/story?id=36075007 http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a40914/oregon-bundy-militia/ http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fbi-seeks-peaceful-end-armed-standoff-oregon-federal-building-n489606 http://usuncut.com/news/oregon-militia-standoff-double-standards/ My mother, a German refugee, used to say, derisively quoting Josef Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda chief, who quoted his boss. The problem in the never-ending presidential campaign is that words matter, and candidate Donald Trump has had an impact on Republicans, and sometimes even the Obama administration, when it comes to refugees and migrants. The nativist repetition about the evils of Islamic foreigners and Hispanic migrants resonates. First in 2011 came the so-called "birther" lie that President Obama was born in Kenya, after Trump had a chat with Obama's grandmother (sic), and therefore ineligible as commander-in-chief. No intelligent person believes he faked his birth certificate, but polls show at least 20 percent of the Republicans say the president did just that. (Even the usually silent Melania Trump chimed in: "It is not only Donald who wants to see it...It's the American people."). Advertisement In 2015, we have a generalization of Mexicans as rapists, Muslims cheering by the hundreds during the 9/11 disaster, just to name a few falsehoods that Trump is spreading. Trump's front-runner status and its influence on other Republican candidates seem to grow. Texas Senator Ted Cruz and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush believe Syrian Christians should be admitted in preference to Muslims. A Wall Street Journal/NBC poll released in December finds most GOP primary voters oppose Trump's plan to keep Muslims out of the country -- but 38 percent support it. The usually articulate Florida Senator Marco Rubio was the architect of legislation that would have overhauled the immigration system and given 11 million undocumented immigrants a chance to become citizens. Now he is vague on his proposal and emphasizes border security and the need to begin deportations. To be fair, Trump was rebuked by Bush and Ohio Governor John Kasich (and most frequently by South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham) for proposing a database to keep track of Muslims in the United States. Advertisement Obama on deportations: Not to seem soft on migrants, the Obama administration, despite the president's frequent defense of immigrants, is expelling undocumented people at nine times the rate of 20 years ago, outpacing any previous administration, the Economist wrote in February 2014. The expulsions continued into 2015. "Border patrol agents no longer just patrol the border; they scour the country for illegals to eject. The deportation machine costs more than all other areas of federal criminal law-enforcement combined," the Economist said. The Hispanic community has noticed. Republican candidate and Republican congressmen (and some Democrats) voted for a "pause" in Obama's plan to bring in 15,000 Syrians over a lengthy period of time after the kind of slow vetting process rarely even seen for a cabinet nominee. At the United Nations, Trump is rarely mentioned by name. Jordanian Prince Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has been criticizing European governments, especially Hungary and the Czech Republic ,for blocking immigrants. Even in liberal Sweden Africans and Jews are facing discrimination, he said. Human rights, anyone? In a small gathering of correspondents at the UN in New York, this reporter asked him about the GOP. In an unusually blunt statement, he said Trump was "grossly irresponsible" and played into the hands of Islamic militants by proposing a ban on Muslims entering the United States. "Clearly while there's no love lost for those who perpetrate the violence and the killings of civilians, it's a double tragedy when the innocent have to suffer," Zeid said. "It's grossly irresponsible, given what the aim of the extremists is, to play into their hands at the expense of those who themselves -- the vast majority of ordinary Muslims -- would be viewed as eligible targets by these extremist groups," he said. Advertisement "At the very least, you expect that people running for public office will know enough of historical experience and the suffering of those who are going to fall in the crossfire if this escalation in rhetoric and passion eclipses calm and rational thinking about this," Zeid said. "You cannot retract the words you said. People don't forget after elections. What was previously unacceptable becomes acceptable." As a first generation American I worry: First come the African-Americans (voting restrictions in many GOP-led states). Then come the Hispanics (no proper immigration reform, name calling). Then come the Muslims (considered a threat regardless of background). American citizens who have been victims of foreign state-organized terrorism will receive substantial compensation now with the funds coming from a surprising source, BNP Paribas, one of the largest banks in France and Europe. It is the bank that paid a record $9 billion in fines in 2014 for violating U.S. foreign sanctions laws. This is good news for many Americans who have waited too long to be compensated. At the same time, I hope that everyone in France becomes aware of the fact that the cash being used for compensation is coming from BNP Paribas, which for years worked with such major state sponsors of terrorism as the governments of Iran and Sudan. The majority of Americans to now be paid for their suffering were the victims of the Iranians. There is justice here. Justice for the victims. And justice that a bank that engaged in massive money laundering on behalf of rotten regimes and repeatedly violated U.S. laws should be the source of bringing some joy to the victims here in America of those regimes. Advertisement The decision to compensate the victims was taken in the midst of the U.S. Congress's recent deliberations to complete the vast $1.2 trillion 2016 omnibus appropriations bill, which President Obama signed into law on December 18, 2015. There are a few short lines on pages 1876 and 1877 of the legislation as it emerged from the U.S. House of Representatives that bring great joy to some brave Americans. The beneficiaries include the victims, their families and estates, who were held captive for 444 days in 1979/80 at the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran. There were 53 Americans who were held in Iran back in 1979 when the Shah of Persia was ousted and Ayatollah Khomeini seized power and depicted the U.S. as "the Great Satan." Other victims now likely to receive compensation include the relatives of Americans killed in the bombings of U.S. embassies in East Africa and in Lebanon. A special $3.8 billion restitution fund The new legislation states that $3.8 billion of funds from fines paid last year by BNP Paribas will be set aside for a special fund for terror victim restitution. U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said: "These Americans were held captive by Iranians for 444 days over three decades ago. It's past time they were compensated for their captivity and suffering." Advertisement With regard to the Tehran victims, The New York Times reported that, "The law authorizes payments of up to $10,000 per day of captivity for each of the 53 hostages, 37 of whom are still alive. Fifty-two hostages were released on Jan. 20, 1981; a 53rd hostage had been released earlier because of illness. Spouses and children are authorized to receive a lump payment of as much as $600,000." Finding an appropriate source of funds for restitution to U.S. victims of state-sponsored terrorism has been difficult, but the $9 billion fine imposed by U.S. authorities in a settlement with BNP Paribas in late June 2014 has proven to be ideal. Especially so when it is considered that the record-level fine resulted from U.S. investigations that showed that over many years the French bank had violated U.S. trade sanctions on Sudan, Iran and Cuba. All three countries have horrendous human rights records and, for example, Sudan's President Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity and war crimes. His government was a long-standing major client of BNP Paribas's office in Geneva, Switzerland. Cash would be deposited there and the bank then found ways to convert it into U.S. dollars and place these in U.S. investments in violation of U.S. law. Indeed, in an albeit circuitous route, it is Cuban, Sudanese and Iranian cash that is now being used for compensation to U.S. victims of foreign terrorism. The story of Isaac and Ishmael is difficult to read. The account follows two half-brothers born to the same father and different mothers. As the story played out, one was adored and one was banished. One was considered the heir of their common father; one was disinherited. When Abram and Sarai proved unable to conceive, Sarai gave her husband her slave, Hagar, as a wife. To Abram and Sarai, Ishmael was born. Later, in response to a divine encounter, Abram and Sarai changed their names to Abraham and Sarah. God promised that, in their old age, they would have a child. Sarah laughed at the motion, but she and Abraham did indeed have a son--Isaac. Sarah became fearful that Ishmael would inherit part of what she believed should come to Isaac. She had Hagar and her son Ishmael cast out in favor of her son. Isaac became the ancestor of Judaism and, through Judaism, Christianity; Ishmael the ancestor of Islam. Advertisement The strained relationship that existed thousands of years ago is not too far removed from the tensions that survive today in too many places. The modern descendants of Abraham's children often cooperate and nurture and support one another. But all too often, the fear, dislike, and tension that existed between the two wives and two sons of Abraham prevail between their descendants today. The story of seeing family members as the threatening other to be feared and cast out becomes a familiar narrative today. We continue to experience this today. We are fearful of the other and that fear can become a source of friction between the members of the three Abrahamic faiths. To many people's surprise, the Qur'an accepts both Moses and Jesus as major prophets, and Islam shares with Judaism and Christianity the understanding of a monolithic god. We Christians believe that we worship the same God as the Jews, but when it comes to Muslims, we often become skeptical and reject the idea. The Christian reaction to this idea can become extreme. For example, a tenured professor at Wheaton College, Dr. Larycia Hawkins is under administrative leave for her statement that we "worship the same God" meaning Christianity and Islam. But this should not even have happened. Our Christian faith teaches there are diverse ways to express our faith in God through our beliefs and actions. One just needs to read Paul's letters to the churches in Corinth and Galatia. From these letters, it is evident that early Christians practiced and believed in disparate ways. But that is only natural as God creates an amazingly diverse human family and we each observe the world in unique lenses that are shaped by our experiences and contexts. Advertisement Just look at your neighbor sitting in the pews on a Sunday morning. It is unlikely that each and every one of these churchgoers will understand God in the exact same way. That should give us some understanding of the tensions between Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. We cannot be guided by the same fear and jealousy that led Sarah to have Abraham cast out Ishmael in favor of her son Isaac. We should grow to learn to love and embrace each other as Isaac's sons, Esau and Jacob, did when they were finally reunited after years of estrangement. Theodore Roosevelt once told Congress that "contributions by corporations to any political committee or for any political purpose should be forbidden by law." If you understand why Roosevelt was concerned with corporate influence in American politics, then you'll see why Clinton is the modern-day Republican, while Bernie Sanders is the closest thing to Teddy Roosevelt in 2016. Also, when comparing both TR and FDR to Clinton and Sanders, you'll see that Vermont's Senator has far more similarities with earlier presidents who tackled the "malefactors of great wealth." In 2016, only Bernie Sanders wants to address the structural issues leading to the financial crisis, while POLITICO once referred to Hillary Clinton as Wall Street Republicans' dark secret. Advertisement I explain why Clinton and Trump would make similar presidents, especially in terms of addressing America's structural dilemmas, in the following YouTube segment. Only Bernie Sanders wants to reinstate Glass-Steagall in 2016. Hillary Clinton is against reinstating the Depression-era law separating commercial banks from risky Wall Street trading. Clinton believes since it's repeal in 1999 didn't cause the 2008 collapse, then reinstating a version of Glass-Stegall during the next presidency won't help in preventing future Wall Street crashes. Others, however, disagree with the former Secretary of State on a future without Glass-Stegall separating greedy Wall Street traders and your savings. According to The New York Times, investment manager Barry Ritholtz argued that "the repeal of GlassSteagall may not have caused the crisis --but its repeal was a factor that made it much worse" by enabling the 2000s credit bubble to grow larger than it would have, thus making banks riskier and susceptible to collapse. Advertisement Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz stated in 2008 that "I had opposed repeal of Glass-Steagall" precisely because "commercial banks are not supposed to be high-risk ventures." In a 2008 Vanity Fair article titled Capitalist Fools, Stiglitz explains the effects of repealing Glass-Steagall: I had opposed repeal of Glass-Steagall. The most important consequence of the repeal of Glass-Steagall was indirect--it lay in the way repeal changed an entire culture. Commercial banks are not supposed to be high-risk ventures; they are supposed to manage other people's money very conservatively. It is with this understanding that the government agrees to pick up the tab should they fail... When repeal of Glass-Steagall brought investment and commercial banks together, the investment-bank culture came out on top. Like Stiglitz, others agree that reinstating Glass-Steagall is essential to reforming Wall Street. World renowned economist Nouriel Roubini, the man who predicted the 2008 financial crisis while others were caught off-guard, believes "some variant of the Glass-Steagall Act should be reintroduced." You'll hear the usual logical fallacies from certain Clinton supporters saying Glass-Steagall didn't cause the 2008 crash, therefore it doesn't need reinstatement. With this logic, wearing a seatbelt isn't necessary since not buckling-up doesn't cause car crashes. Whether or not Bill Clinton's repeal of Glass-Steagall caused the 2008 crash isn't relevant. Advertisement It's a fact that Stiglitz, Roubini, other esteemed economists and even Wall Street traders, believe it would have either mitigated the damage, or helped minimize the worst aspects of the $22 trillion debacle. Most importantly, stating that Glass-Steagall didn't cause the collapse, therefore doesn't need reinstatement, ignores why Stiglitz, Roubini, and others feel a renewed Glass-Steagall might help prevent or mitigate future Wall Street crashes. In addition, only Bernie Sanders wants to break up "Too Big to Fail" banks. Clinton, of course, does not want to break up any banks; at least not until the next collapse. Like the Glass-Steagall argument, you'll hear the same type of logical fallacies from establishment Democrats and Republicans stating that breaking up the largest financial institutions is too drastic, therefore won't help prevent future Wall Street crashes. The only problem with this mentality is that even Alan Greenspan disagrees, as stated in 2009 New York Times article titled Greenspan Calls to Break Up Banks 'Too Big to Fail': Alan Greenspan, the former Federal Reserve chairman, said Thursday that banking regulators should consider breaking up large financial institutions considered "too big to fail." "If they're too big to fail, they're too big," Mr. Greenspan said. "In 1911 we broke up Standard Oil -- so what happened? The individual parts became more valuable than the whole. Maybe that's what we need to do." No, Clinton and Trump wouldn't dare dismantle "Too Big to Fail" banks in 2016. The underlying notion bolstering the economic plans of both Clinton and Trump (even though Clinton's is better than Trump's) is that it's better to wait until things get worse, than address structural issues before the next collapse forces us to do so. As for why Bernie Sanders is fearless in tackling the structural issues regarding Wall Street reform, while Clinton and Trump won't address these topics, let's look at the money trail. Another progressive not named Bernie Sanders wants to break up banks and reinstate Glass-Steagall, and I wrote an article about her titled Elizabeth Warren, Not Hillary Clinton, Should Be the Next President of the United States. As for an interesting encounter between Warren and Hillary Clinton, the Massachusetts Senator explains Clinton's evolution on bankruptcy laws in a Bill Moyers.com piece titled Flashback: Elizabeth Warren Tells a Story About Hillary Clinton, Wall Street and Lobbying: ELIZABETH WARREN: As Senator Clinton, the pressures are very different. It's a well-financed industry. You know a lot of people don't realize that the industry that gave the most money to Washington over the past few years was not the oil industry, was not pharmaceuticals. It was consumer credit products. Those are the people. The credit card companies have been giving money, and they have influence. BILL MOYERS: And Mrs. Clinton was one of them as senator. ELIZABETH WARREN: She has taken money from the groups, and more to the point, she worries about them as a constituency. To watch the video of Warren explaining how she helped educate Clinton on bankruptcy laws, just visit the Bill Moyers article. Advertisement Like Warren correctly states, Clinton indeed "worries about them as a constituency." From 1999-2016, Hillary Clinton accumulated $406,232,569 in campaign donations. Clinton's two largest campaign donors during her career in politics have been Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. Of her top five campaign contributors, in addition to Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, fourth and fifth on the list are JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley. Lehman Brothers is twelfth on the list, lower on the Totem pole than Time Warner, the media giant resting as Clinton's seventh largest campaign contributor. Thirteenth on the list is 21st Century Fox, a subsidiary of News Corp and part of Ruport Murdoch's media empire. In contrast, Bernie Sanders has raised close to $21 million. During his career, four of his top five donors have been the Teamsters Union, National Education Association, United Auto Workers, and United Food & Commercial Workers Union. Bernie Sanders hasn't benefited from Wall Street donations. As for a breakdown of Clinton's PAC contributions, 51% of donations have come from business. As for the industry segments that have donated to Clinton in her career, Law Firms, Security &Investments, Real Estate and Business Services made up four of the top five industries. Then of course, there are two major prison lobbyists who've donated to her latest presidential campaign. Finally, a POLITICO piece titled Why Wall Street Loves Hillary explains why, Wall Street loves Hillary: Advertisement While the finance industry does genuinely hate Warren, the big bankers love Clinton, and by and large they badly want her to be president. As [former president of UBS' investment bank] says, "There's no question, when and if she decides to run, that she's going to have an incredible support foundation from Wall Street." In 2016, Wall Street "badly wants" Clinton to be president, and most observers who link campaign contributions to future decisions as president will agree with this assessment. Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is breathing fire on the campaign trail these days, including his most recent campaign speech that advocated the breakup of too-big-to fail banks. "We will no longer tolerate an economy and a political system that has been rigged by Wall Street to benefit the wealthiest Americans in this country at the expense of everyone else," Sanders said. So why does Senator Bernie Sanders love Denmark, and has been mentioning it and the other Scandinavian countries as ideal models for a developed country, one he would like the U.S. to emulate? "In Denmark, social policy in areas like health care, child care, education and protecting the unemployed are part of a "solidarity system" that makes sure that almost no one falls into economic despair," he said in a 2015 Huffington Post article. "Danes pay very high taxes, but in return enjoy a quality of life that many Americans would find hard to believe." Advertisement A recent Center For Economic Policy and Research report highlighted the differences between Nordic countries and the United States. The differences are mainly because of their superior social safety nets. For instance, the U.S. has the lowest average longevity at 78.8 years, vs. Denmark's 80 years, while citizens of Iceland and Sweden live 82 years. Do their colder climates have something to do with it? No, more likely is the fact that they have to work fewer hours for almost the same income, with better health, educational and retirement outcomes. It's well-known that U.S. health care costs are double that of all other developed countries, as are infant mortality rates, while homicide rates are more than double of any other developed country. We know, for instance, there are more than 32,000 gun deaths per year in the U.S., with the majority due to suicides -- which also tells us the mental toll that comes with an inadequate social safety net that doesn't support its citizens. So it should be no surprise the U.S. has the highest income inequality in the developed world, before and after taxes and transfers. That is to say, western capitalist-oriented economies generate profits that go to the major wealth holders, so fiscal policies need to re-balance this result. And that is what the Nordic countries in particular, do so well. "Countries with greater levels of market income inequality are more proactive at reducing inequality through their tax and spending systems," says the CEPR. Then why is there opposition in our Congress, particularly, to U.S. citizens having the same benefits as other developed countries, when we are supposed to be the richest country in the world? It's the successful opposition to higher taxes by the wealthiest among US. The wealthiest have succeeded in reducing their taxes and tax rates since President Reagan, the first ultra-conservative Republican president. Advertisement Revolution, people protest against government, man fighting for rights, silhouettes of hands up in the sky, threat of war When scores of ranchers donning cowboy hats and rifles began their occupation of a remote outpost in Oregon last Saturday, it was by no means the first time in American history that a group of armed men and women had staged a dramatic occupation out West and made demands of the federal government. The men who recently barricaded themselves in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge -- a federal building near Burns, Oregon -- are there, they say, because they must take a stand against the numerous "atrocities," committed against them by the federal government. The rancher's primary concern? That the government has been stealing land that is rightfully theirs. Advertisement And, nearly 43 years ago, almost to the month, there was another major occupation against federal land theft out West. In this case over 200 American Indian activists, Oglala Lakota as well as members of the American Indian Movement (AIM), took over Wounded Knee, South Dakota in February, 1973. Their occupation would last 71 days. This is where similarities between the two most newsworthy protests against the federal government end. Nevertheless, fleshing out the differences between these two events -- differences not just in what led to them, but also in how the media, politicians, and even law enforcement, responded to each -- is useful. As we continue to find ourselves inundated with news coverage of Ammon and Ryan Bundy and their band of Oregon rebels, we could use some perspective and a closer, comparative, look at Wounded Knee gives us just that. Indeed any examination of that 1973 uprising illustrates very clearly not only that the occupation still unfolding in Oregon will not be ended easily, but also that its very raison d'etre is, at best, ironic. *** Back in 1973 there were many Oglala Lakota living on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Reservation near the Nebraska border. These men and women were, and had been, deeply angry at the federal government thanks to countless injustices -- legal, physical, and spiritual-- they had experienced at its hands. The many outrages these Indians had endured, acts now well-corroborated by historians, legal theorists, and countless agencies and organizations, weren't new to the Lakota, but in 1973, on the heels of a most heady era of civil rights activism, they seemed ripe for remedy. And the town of Wounded Knee--the hallowed site a U.S. government massacre of more than 200 Lakota men, women, and children in 1890, seemed the perfect place now to demand justice from the Feds. Advertisement The Lakota had tried to be heard in other ways. One of their most pressing recent concerns had been the way in which their tribal chairman, Richard Wilson, was selling tribal lands off to ranchers for a pittance, as well as to leasing areas of the Pine Ridge Reservation to private companies, rather than improving conditions for Pine Ridge's residents. Wilson was a good friend to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in Washington, and Lakota elders and youth alike not only distrusted him--believing him to be a corrupt tool of the BIA--but they greatly feared him as well. Wilson had its own private militia called the Guardians of the Oglala Nation (known by all as the GOONs) that he called on whenever he wanted to silence his enemies. Enemies were anyone who criticized his decisions such as those related to his land deals. And so the Lakota had tried to deal with Wilson, and with the suffering they were experiencing on the Reservation, through the system. Notably, by February of 1973 they had filed over 150 civil rights complaints, but had received little satisfaction. It was in that context that the Oglala Sioux Civil Rights Organization (OSCRO) at Pine Ridge decided to invite activists from the American Indian Movement (AIM) to meet them in Wounded Knee as a sign of solidarity and to discuss strategy. When the members AIM arrived at Wounded Knee, scores of U.S. Marshals were already on the scene and, according to AIM "within hours police had set up roadblocks, cordoned off the area and began arresting people leaving town." Soon surrounded by federal law enforcement, OSCRO and AIM decided to take a stand--to occupy Wounded Knee until their demands for better treatment by the federal government were met. They were armed and ready to stay until their demands were met. One of the most important of these was that U.S. officials agree finally to abide by the terms of a treaty that they themselves had negotiated -- the Sioux Treaty of 1868. Today the men occupying the wildlife refuge in Oregon are also armed and are also ready to stay until their demands are met. They too insist that the U.S. government has trampled on their rights. Ammon Bundy not only claims that ranchers like him are persecuted by the federal government --for example in the criminal justice system -- but also that the Feds have literally stolen from them. And like the Oglala Lakota, the members of his group, Bundy says, simply want to "reclaim their resources." These men, however, have nothing in common with those who occupied Wounded Knee. For starters, Ammon Bundy's group has no evidence of being persecuted by the federal government. Unlike the Oglala Lakota who were indeed routinely criminalized both on and off the reservation, white ranchers have rarely ended up institutionalized, contained, or imprisoned. Yes, two of Bundy's group have recently been ordered to Federal prison (because, according to the Department of Justice they had set a fire that raged out of control on public land in order to cover up illegal poaching). And yes, Ammon's Bundy's father, Cliven Bundy, has also run afoul of the Feds -- ending up in his own protracted standoff with them. In this case, as well, though, the issue wasn't the federal government proactively criminalizing one of America's white ranchers. Bundy had refused to pay grazing fees for his cattle--cattle that had been feeding on public lands for 20 years. A court had demanded that he remove his cattle from federal lands back in 1998, but he chose to ignore that order. Advertisement Equally important, when ranchers holed up in Burns, Oregon today try to justify their protest by claiming that the federal government has been stealing their land, they have little history to support them and, worse, they have waded into a deeply problematic, indeed deeply ironic, territory. These ranchers have seriously misunderstood American history--their own and that of the federal government's. The only reason why white ranchers have any land to run their cattle on today -- whether it is land that they hold a deed to, or land that they are now defending against federal seizure under imminent domain, or public land that they currently use to feed their livestock -- was stolen from the American Indians. Even the land they now occupy in Burns, Oregon was stolen -in this case from the Burns Paiute tribe. And so, one might actually argue that any land owned by any white rancher today is in his possession thanks to, not in spite of, the long arm of the federal government. If these ranchers knew American history, they would know that it was the feds removal of Indian tribes, and its policies that gave countless acres of land to whites, such as the Homestead Act, that made whites ranchers in the first place. Interestingly, however, even though the standoff in Oregon today has little historical justification, it has not netted anywhere near the same public or governmental hostility that the standoff at Wounded Knee did back in 1973. Advertisement And politicians have also been remarkably open at least to the principles espoused by Oregon's recent rebels. To be sure most elected officials would prefer to steer clear of any discussion of their occupation--especially GOP politicians whom many have just assumed the rebels would support in any general election--but some have been quite sympathetic. While Senator Marc Rubio made clear that protestors should not break the law, he also stated that he firmly agreed ""that there is too much federal control over land, especially out in the western part of the United States. There are states, for example, like Nevada that are dominated by the federal government in terms of landholding." Those occupying Wounded Knee, however, were considered by America's elected officials to be nothing more than "'terrorists' and 'hoodlums,'" who stood for little that was legitimate. Indeed, according to then-South Dakota governor Richard Kneip, a Democrat, AIM activists were simply about "'creating a climate of fear, hatred, and reprisals.'" Nixon administration officials fully agreed, referring to AIM activists as "incendiary extremists," and as Indians who "in a perverse way, want a massacre." That the stand-off today in Burns, Oregon is seen in very different terms than had been Wounded Knee, even with recent national hysteria about gun-violence and terrorism, is clear not only in how the media and politicians have responded to this dramatic event, but also in how federal law enforcement has. Although there has been virtually no military and very little law enforcement presence in Oregon since Saturday--indeed the plan so far has just been to "monitor the situation," and simply to ask the protestors to leave--from the moment that they began assembling at Wounded Knee, Indian civil rights activists were outnumbered by heavily armed law enforcement personnel from United States Marshals Service, the FBI, the ATF, and other state and local agencies. According to Wounded Knee scholar John Sayer, "The equipment maintained by the military while in use during the siege included fifteen armored personnel carriers, clothing, rifles, grenade launchers, flares, and 133,000 rounds of ammunition, for a total cost, including the use of maintenance personnel from the National Guard of five states and pilot and planes for aerial photographs, of over half a million dollars." Advertisement But while teasing out the differences between these protests--their very different historical origins as well as the very different way in which they have been received and responded to--gives us much food for thought, it tells us little about how this latest occupation will end or what its legacy will be. Remarkably, the protest at Wounded Knee did not end in a bloodbath as it well might have--particularly given the massacre that had taken place at Attica just a few years earlier when overzealous law enforcement officers ended a protest there. Two protesters were shot by law enforcement at Wounded Knee, and one federal agent was also direly wounded, but it could have been much worse. The White House was definitely considering retaking Wounded Knee with force. Ultimately, however, both AIM and the federal authorities reached an agreement to disarm and to end the standoff. To get AIM to surrender the federal government had agreed to conduct a thorough investigation into the demands and grievances that had been articulated in their protest. Although this did not happen--instead, hundreds of American Indians were indicted in Federal Court, many of others were charged in state and tribal court, for their role in the occupation--the protest at Wounded Knee nevertheless left a powerful legacy. But the lesson that Americans should have taken from that powerful gathering of the Oglala Lakota and AIM back in 1973 -- that the land most Americans live on land today was in fact stolen from the Indians to their great detriment, and to the great advantage of non-Indians (particularly to ranchers in states like Nevada or Oregon), is being obscured by the recent occupation in Burns, Oregon. Advertisement And, because the men holding the wildlife refuge haven't been stolen from, and thus are not due reparations, there is little that the federal government can give them to end this standoff. After soldiers fulfill their acts of duty, what happens next? Do they go on vacation? Do they have time to heal and decompress? Not usually. In today's age, military personnel are thrown right back into their lives. When does the healing come? When do they get to process everything that happened oversees? Since 2001, over 2.5 million veterans have returned home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but many of them have never transitioned from their experiences. A recent report from the Department of Veteran Affairs states that over 20% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. In 2012, after returning home from three combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, Warrior Hike founder Sean Gobin hiked all 2,185 miles of the Appalachian Trail. Recognizing the therapeutic effects of long distance hiking, Sean created the "Walk Off The War" Program which is designed to support veterans transitioning from their military service by thru-hiking America's National Scenic Trails. Also, Warrior Hike assists veterans with future employment opportunities offered by the numerous supporters of the "Walk Off The War" Program For vets who cant hike because of injuries they offer a paddle down the Mississippi River. Whether it's hiking or paddling, these veterans are on their way to recovery. To learn more about Warrior Hike, check out their website and Facebook page. LOS ANGELES, CA Industry newcomer Elsa Jean rang in the Near Year by celebrating appearing in three new clips released on New Year's Day. Blacked.coms "Preppy Girl Threesome Gets Three BBCs," her second scene with the studio, dropped with Elsa smack dab in the middle of a six person orgy, as part of her sorority initiation that includes Rachel James, Sydney Cole, Isiah Maxwell, Jason Brown, and Flash Brown. GirlsWay.com had Jean paired up with Karlee Grey in a scene called "Playing Hooky," while TeenFidelity.com unveiled its latest video with Jean and Ryan Madison. Elsa Jean has been hard at work to prove her AVN Fan Voting Hottest Newcomer nomination is justified. Fans can continue to vote for her every 24 hours. On January 11, fans can see Elsa Jean on the cover of Stepdad Seduction from Evil Angel, and on January 19, she appears in Zero Tolerance's Kittens and Cougars 10 with co-star Cherie DeVille. 1. Appreciating one of the lesser known Canary Islands Along with El Hierro and La Gomera, La Palma enjoys a privileged location West of Tenerife, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria the main touristic spots in the Canary Islands, Spain. But fear not, that only means you will be able to have a more genuine experience and still, uncover deserted beaches, stunning volcanoes and out of this world landscapes without the crowds. 2. Getting pampered without breaking the bank No matter which currency you travel with, La Palma prices are some of the most affordable ones I've seen in some time. Think of a 'barraquito' -- special caffeinated drink that includes several layers of goodness: condensed milk, liquor, expresso coffee, milk, lemon zest and ground cinnamon -- from 0.6 and a complete daily menu in a local restaurant from 6 and you will not want to leave. 3. Awesome weather conditions all year round Being part of the Canary Islands archipelago, temperatures suffer little to none variations from Summer to Winter, what makes it ideal to escape the rough European winters. Advertisement There are chances of witnessing the infamous 'Panza de Burro' -- big cloud formed mainly in the Eastern part of La Palma -- as well as some showers every now and then. But these are none but part of the balanced ecosystem that keeps the island as lush and green as it should always be. Just remember to pack a light rain jacket and a fleece and you'll be good to go! 4. Getting into the island mood And immediately being contagious with the outrageous joy La Palma inhabitants decided to stick with for good. There is no way around it. These guys know how to welcome, make you feel home, treat, invite and make sure you will have a hell of a time in their particular paradise. 5. Putting your body strengths to a test In case you are looking for some good old exercise, in La Palma you will find a range of outdoorsy exciting activities to keep you fit and wanting for more. The hilly terrain, filled with high mountains and deep valleys, is excellent for mountain biking, hiking, running, trekking, climbing, paragliding, diving and exploring the surroundings without the assisted help of an engine. Finally, should you really want to attempt something extraordinary, have a look to the Transvulcania race and mark the next edition in your calendar. Epic doesn't even start making it justice. Advertisement 6. Awakening your senses Perhaps I have been induced to a ultra sensorial experience when visiting La Palma. Enhanced flavors, smells, textures, sounds and ultimately, eye candy wherever you looked at. But something tells me that this happens to everyone visiting the island if they are really willing to take in all it has to offer. When distractions are silenced, after you ditch shopping, turn off your cellphone, skip bar rounds, avoid crowds and everything in between, then is when you can start feeling all there is to feel there. Up to you! 7. Taking star gazing to a complete new level Apart from the fact that La Palma hosts one of the biggest observatories in the world, The 'Gran Tecan', the clear skies, altitude and low light pollution make it for something unique: the chance of rediscover what is above of us and how insignificant and minuscule we are. A post shared by A World to Travel (@aworldtotravel) on Apr 16, 2015 at 1:14am PDT 8. Showing off your photography skills Because this. And this. And this. The list could go on. In fact, I published an article about 69 photos that will make you want to visit La Palma that you should check as well. Endless camera opportunities wherever you head within the almost 800 square km of the island that will make your pictures look good no matter what. Advertisement 9. Rediscovering the art of being amazed every 10 minutes It all starts when you cross the 'time tunnel' in between Brena Alta and El Paso. A slight change of altitude, a huge change in the weather conditions and landscape. From dense fog to a sea of clouds, from thick forests to vast volcanic plains. But soon you realize that this is only the rule. Every turn you make, around every corner, a new eye-catching scenery awaits. And they are all different and diverse, in a full color palette that ranges from the neon green moss to the most absolute black of the volcanic sand, the white of the sea foam, the deep orange of the colors waterfall, the light blue of the sky, the pink of the flowers covering the eroded lava fields in the distance. Every color is represented and they all have its chance to shine. 10. Ultimately, just enjoying the silence Because you are a smart individual that appreciates the beauty when it is layered in front of you, you will be also able to enjoy the quietness of the island. A post shared by A World to Travel (@aworldtotravel) on Apr 13, 2015 at 10:17am PDT Say hi from me! Quick facts to make your La Palma experience unforgettable. When to visit La Palma All year round. Easy Where to stay in La Palma Try Hotel Las Olas, Los Cancajos. I spent there 4 nights and barely used its facilities (awesome pool anyone?) but that only means I was having a blast everywhere else around the island. Still, when the night came, I had the chance of unwind and get a proper sleep there so it might work for you as well! Advertisement What to eat in La Palma Another article could be written with more info about the restaurants I had the chance of visiting, but for now, here're my top eats: Anything avocado, barraquito, papas con mojo palmero, fresh catches of the day, lamb and malvasia wine! How to get to La Palma Vueling and Iberia Express fly from different locations in Spain. Canary Fly might be worth a look as well, specially if you are looking to combine more Canary Island destinations at once. This post was originally published on Inma's travel blog and republished here with permission. ------ About the author: After studying, working and volunteering her way around the world, Inma started A World to Travel to share her experiences around the world, absolute passion for festivals, the great outdoors and all things travel. What is TPP? 600 corporations (see complete list here) secretly lobbied Congress for several years to propose that transnational CEOs should have the ability to openly subvert the sovereignty of citizens from 12+ nations. These companies have used bribery and criminal activity, which violates our U.S. Constitutional rights and U.S. Supreme Courts, to pressure politicians into selling out their respective constituents into a system that dissolves sovereignty and allows 12+ countries to be ruled by private, offshore ISDS (Investor State Dispute Settlement) courts. See Senator Elizabeth Warren explain this in more detail here. Basically, any offshore company can seek to change our laws by waging a lawsuit in offshore courts, where corporations are "judge and jury." In TPP's ISDS courts, citizens have no representation--and random unelected CEOs act like a "nation state" to sue nations into changing local or national laws--or forcibly demand compensation (extortion money), in the form of rigged lawsuit settlements. Any law that stands in the way of a company's profits such as, health safety laws, workers rights, women's rights, food safety, gay rights, animal rights, min. wages, unions, civil rights, nuclear power plant regulations, etc. can be "challenged" in this non-democratically elected international court. Corporations probably will "win" their cases because they control all aspects of ISDS courts. If a company "wins" its case against a country then local or national laws must be changed. Even if it means drinking water can now be poisoned with toxic substances, food safety goes unregulated, minimum wages are slashed or terminated, unions are busted, women are deemed second class citizens, etc. the corporations will decide. If a random offshore CEO (particularly a CEO from a country where women have few rights or workers are expected to accept sweatshop wages) wants to change one of our laws--that CEO can go to the offshore ISDS court and have his way. (Learn more here If for some odd reason this request is denied the CEO who is complaining to his buddies wins a "settlement." This settlement is simply an arbitrary amount of money that the person fantasizes is owed to him for "projected lost future profits" and this number can be in the millions to billions. From there a country is forced to take on this debt and pass it onto citizens, via taxes and severe austerity. In fact, entire countries can be forced to liquidate all their assets to pay these manufactured debts that can potentially bankrupt a country if enough large lawsuits pile up against a nation. They are behaving like a mafia, where citizens must pay them for keeping what citizens should have always had for free... their Constitutional rights. Americans, you are about to be taxed for your own laws and sovereign rights if we don't stop TPP. Many people are calling TPP a "global coup" and there is a good reason for that. TPP is a "docking agreement." What that means is that for as long as dirty politicians accept bribes, they can sell off their countries and citizens into TPP. Eventually, the CEOs will solicit the politicians of all countries to turing their backs on their own citizens and selling them into the ISDS courts, which function like global dictatorships on paper. WE CANNOT ALLOW THIS. The propaganda surrounding TPP is thick. Even the fact TPP is called a "trade" deal is misleading. TPP may as well be called "an elephant in a pink tutu"...because this "deal" has about as much to do with an elephant as it does with "trade." In other words, the term "trade deal" is a misnomer. Trade implies a somewhat equal exchange of goods and services, between parties. Unfortunately, TPP is not a deal between countries, exchanging goods. It is a deal between rich, offshore businessmen using our rights, safety, health, labor, and sovereignty as bargaining chips in their closed, private, risky gambling game. Obama says "TPP will create jobs"...really? How? Where? What will these jobs look like? TPP plans to do away with tariffs, which give products and services generated by sweatshop labor the market advantage. So if new jobs are created, they will be in countries where union leaders are not existent or even violently threatened but definitely not here in the U.S. There may be a few middle-management, "slave-driver" jobs to crack the whip over third world factories and workers. U.S. jobs will go under, because they can't compete with a new global norm to market products made from slave labor by workers with no benefits or rights in countries with no environmental regulations. People will lose jobs or suffer in permanent poverty globally to benefit a few corporations. ISDS courts mean CEOs like Phil Knight will dictate our new work conditions and salaries. Do we really want people like this to veto our worker's rights or charge us to protect ourselves with the laws that should always be rightfully ours,in the first place? TPP's ISDS COURTS ARE A RACKET! Congress may vote on TPP, in early 2016. Congress first voted on "fast track," last Spring, to amend the voting process for fake trade deals, so that they could take their bribes and quietly sell us into slavery. Under "fast track" legislation, TPP only needs a simple majority to pass (instead of the usual voting process that demands 2/3 of the House and Senate vote to pass it.) With fewer people required for TPP to pass, there are fewer people for the TPP Insiders to bribe to sell us out. This is extremely dangerous! Under "fast track," TPP will be an "up or down" vote with little to no discussion on the Congressional floor, no amendments are permitted, and no filibustering. Once it passes, we are pretty much stuck with it. It is up to the people who are educated about TPP to stop this fake trade deal and save our country and global community. Few people know what TPP is, because the TPP Insiders have added (previously-failed legislation) SOPA to the 5,500+ pages of text. Read about SOPA here. it gives media companies the ability to turn our free internet, into a pay-per-view internet. The corporate media have been cut in on the TPP scam...this is why there has been little and/or misleading reporting about TPP on mainstream media. Television networks and major newpapers stand to make a huge financial killing if TPP passes. as they are indirect investors. So we can't rely on major media companies to inform the public or expect the public to have the skill set of the ACLU and Wikileaks to sift through 5,500+ pages of TPP text and understand its implications and consequences. Also, for years the TPP text was deemed secret. Even Congress was ordered to go to a basement to read it, they could not take notes or bring in legal counsel to comprehend its legal writings. If Congress members took notes, they were confiscated by armed guards. It is through years of grassroots organizing that activists and lawyers exposed this bizarre, undemocratic practice and compelled the text to be released. Even so it may have parts redacted by our President for years if not forever. There is no way the general public can begin to understand this complicated very serious threat to our economic and physical safety unless we educate ourselves and each other. The time to act is now! Please gather as many people as you can go to your colleges, local unions, activists, veterans, military, small businesses, churches, main streets and post flyers all around town. Take the time to explain TPP and what it proposes to friends, and also on your social networks, Twitter and Facebook. This is not a "conservative" or "liberal" issue this is a sovereignty issue. This is not about "the threat of China". China plans to join TPP and stands to gain from the increased shift toward sweatshop labor that is written into the TPP text. TPP is not about "creating jobs", it will encourage sweatshop labor jobs abroad. TPP is not about "trade"--it is about fooling a public into thinking it is about trade while our legal rights are sold off by our government to new unelected, offshore leaders. This is not speculative. We know these things because it is written into the recently released TPP text, despite what is redacted. Talk about sore losers. The Canadian pipeline company TransCanada announced this afternoon that it is suing Obama Administration over its decision to reject the Keystone XL pipeline. The lawsuit won't do anything to help get the pipeline built, it's too late for that. The only purpose is for TransCanada to get compensated for the billions of dollars it wasted on this boondoggle in the first place. It's a greedy and pathetic move, but I guess that's what we've come to expect from the fossil fuel industry. TransCanada is bringing their lawsuit under NAFTA, otherwise known as the North American Free Trade Agreement. More specifically, they're using a complex and opaque process known as the investor-state dispute system, which allows corporations to bring lawsuits against countries that they feel are unfairly blocking the free flow of trade. TransCanada's accusation is that the Obama Administration rejected Keystone XL for purely symbolic reasons, rather than its impact on the climate, and therefore the company has been discriminated against. Advertisement The accusation would normally be absurd (you can't build an 800,000 barrel a day pipeline that would carry the dirtiest fuel on the planet without having a climate impact), except for the fact that during the State Department's review process for the pipeline they hired an industry contractor that botched the job and made some roundabout arguments that because tar sands development was "inevitable" therefore the pipeline didn't matter. Nearly all other independent analysts disagreed, as did the Environmental Protection Agency, and ultimately the White House. But the process created enough confusion that TransCanada may now actually have a case. TransCanada's lawsuit is another important reminder of how terrible trade agreements like NAFTA can be for our environment, and the ability of local and national governments to keep fossil fuels in the ground. The timing is particularly ironic. At this very moment, the Obama Administration is pressuring Congress and other nations to sign off on a new NAFTA-like agreement, the Trans Pacific Partnership, which would give corporations even more power to bring forward cases like TransCanada's. What would this mean in practice? Things like: if your province wanted to ban fracking, an oil company could file a lawsuit against you to say that you're unfairly blocking them from getting at the natural gas under your land. Or that if a country decided that it wanted to keep its oil in the soil rather than pollute the atmosphere, Exxon or Chevron could sue because they feel like they have the right to drill, baby, drill. sen. hillary clinton speaks at ... Santa has returned to the North Pole, the Hanukkah gelt has all been eaten, and Auld Lang Syne has been sung. As our eggnog-fueled hangovers lift, Democrats across the country prepare to make an important decision in the coming weeks that will directly affect whether or not the White House remains firmly blue for the next four years. For LGBT voters, this decision couldn't be any more important. Selecting the right nominee who will not only defend the progress of the last eight years but can win the general election and carry our movement forward is critical for our community. Here are five reasons why I believe that Hillary Clinton is the right person to be our nominee and next president. Advertisement Supreme Court & Marriage Equality While campaigning for his wife in New Hampshire this week, former President Bill Clinton reminded voters that the next president could nominate as many as three Supreme Court justices. This reality should scare the pants off of all the legally wed gay and lesbian couples across our land. Let's face it, we've only had true marriage equality for six months and that was by a 5-4 Supreme Court decision. There is no reason for us to assume that this issue cannot swing back to the court in the coming years. If a Republican wins the presidency in November, we could be looking at a reversed ruling that would take decades to undo. Hillary Clinton firmly supports marriage equality. Please spare me the whole Defense of Marriage argument from the 1990s. There's hardly a person that has not evolved on this issue. Heck, my own mother wasn't even for gay marriage until recently. Times change and people grow. Besides, marriage equality is not the only issue affecting our community that the Supreme Court could address. We need Hillary Clinton as our nominee because as president she will appoint justices that will protect and expand LGBT rights. Equality Act It's hard to believe, but gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender people can lose their jobs just for being who they are in many states. Not only that, they can be denied an apartment or public housing simply for being born LGBT. Hillary Clinton supports the Equality Act, a bill before Congress that would ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The GOP candidates for president do not support this bill. In fact, many Republicans oppose all efforts to protect LGBT Americans. We need Hillary as our nominee because as president she will stand up for our right to work and live free from discrimination. Military Service It was just a few short years ago that LGBT people could not serve openly in the military. While some GOP candidates for president are advocating a return to Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Hillary Clinton wants to upgrade the service records of LGBT veterans who were dismissed for their sexual orientation and to make sure transgender people can serve openly in the military. We need Hillary Clinton as our nominee because as president she will ensure members of our community don't have to go back into the shadows while serving to protect our homeland. Advertisement Gender, Gender, Gender The fact that Hillary Clinton couldn't have even voted, nevertheless ran to become president one hundred years ago is a testament to that fact that equality in our country continues to expand. We all know by now that two people of different genders can legally make different salaries while doing the exact same job. However, we may not all know that people who are transgender in the United States often struggle just to even find employment or that transgender people are very often the victims of brutal hate crimes. Hillary Clinton supports ending discrimination against transgender people and supports working with law enforcement to ensure that the transgender community is better protected and better able to fully participate in society without fear. We need Hillary Clinton as our nominee because as president she will make sure that transgender Americans can live the same safe and fulfilling lives as everyone else. "Middle Eastern tyrant brutalizes his people and causes them to flee for their lives." This has become a common trope in news stories in recent years, and feels particularly acute right now. According to the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees, there are nearly 4.5 million refugees from the Syrian civil war and interwoven regional conflicts. Some in Europe and the United States are dithering, uncertain of what to do. Others are actively stoking the fires of xenophobia, and speaking out against the refugees. A notable few are fulfilling their ethical obligations to welcome those who so desperately need a place of refuge. Still fewer among us can hear the voices of refugees themselves. This owes to linguistic differences, logistical challenges, and the nature of the news media, to be sure. But it also underscores how difficult it is for us to truly hear people who have suffered so greatly. Advertisement How can we comprehend what it's like to have a cluster bomb go off in your neighborhood? How can we possibly understand what it is like to be caught between ISIS on one side and the forces of a merciless dictator on the other? Even if words could express these terrible realities, our minds could not sort through them or make sense of them. We protect ourselves from the pain of refugees by allowing their suffering to remain incomprehensible to us. It is as though they are not speaking at all. The challenge of hearing the plight of the refugee has been around since the time of the Torah. We often presume that Moses and the Israelites were simply refugees following the exodus from Egypt. But Moses had been a refugee before. He first flees Pharaoh's wrath (in Exodus 2) after killing an unusually brutal Egyptian taskmaster. Pharaoh "seeks to slay Moses" - but Moses escapes to safety in the relative wilderness of Midian. Moses finds himself - and God - during this time in Midian. It proves to be a turning point for Moses. Yet his early trauma as a refugee may explain his enduring concern that neither the Israelites nor Pharaoh can even hear him, much less heed his words. In this week's Torah portion, God commands Moses to escalate his conflict with Pharaoh and demand the freedom of the Israelites. Evoking the covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God describes hearing the pain of the Israelites, suffering as slaves in Egypt, and feeling called to respond. We, too, must not overlook the sacred nature of hearing and responding to the plight of those suffering. Advertisement Moses himself fears being unheard. Much is made of the particular words that Moses uses to convey his self-doubt as a rising leader of the Israelites and bearer of God's message. In Exodus 6:12, Moses expresses his fears aloud to God: The Israelites would not listen to me; how then should Pharaoh heed me, a man of impeded speech! (JPS Translation). How can Moses possibly lead if he is not even heard? Commentators make much of the Hebrew words used here, arel s'fatayim--literally, one who does not have circumcised lips. Some ascribe a physical speech impediment to Moses, while others delve into the metaphorical nature of this phrase. I wonder if that pairing of words pertains less directly to Moses' actual speaking abilities - made manifest time and time again throughout the Torah - and more to his fear of being unheard or ignored. In part one of this Q&A, Leroy Moore, Jr., founder of the Krip-Hop movement, which produces hip-hop mix tapes featuring disabled hip-hop artists from around the world, discussed how minority special education students have become the new supply for prisons. As an activist and one of the founders of the National Black Disability Coalition, he's been part of the discussion for some time. In the second half of this Q&A, Leroy discusses the possible solutions, including training additional black men to teach in the classrooms, as well as better training of teachers to recognize behavioral problems associated with certain disabilities. Leroy Moore, Jr.'s new book Q: You already discussed the problems of students with special needs being funneled into prisons at an alarming rate. Let's talk about the solutions. Do you see any immediate solutions? Leroy: The prison-to-pipeline problem won't be solved overnight, but there are strategies parents, schools, advocacy groups and government authorities are trying to implement to protect students living with disabilities. One of the most direct ways students with disabilities are funneled into the prison system is the asymmetrical use of law enforcement to enforce discipline policies. Too often, teachers and school administrators are willing to call the police to respond to behavioral issues that they should be trained to respond to without the use of law enforcement. Parents can protect their children in part by specifying in their child's Individualized Education Program (IEP) that the police have no contact with their child. The IEP is a mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). It's a legal document that puts in writing the student's needs and it's also used to measure progress. The parents also need to specify that they don't want their child interviewed by the police, or the school's police liaison officer without a parent being present. Advertisement Leroy Moore, Jr. [Editor's note: There are 26,407 public secondary schools and 10,693 private secondary schools in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Education. After the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012, schools have been adding more armed police, according to a report from Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy at Dartmouth College. Zero tolerance, which has been part of the school discipline discussion since the 1990s, was originally used as an approach in drug enforcement. The zero-tolerance policy in education created consequences often punitive in nature. Q: How could additional teachers' training help? Leroy: At the school and district level, measures can be taken to remove police officers from schools and increase the presence of specialists and counselors. Teachers and administrators can also be more effectively trained to identify and deescalate behaviors without the use of force or law enforcement. This training should be reinforced with policy that directly outlines responses to certain behaviors and implements clear steps that must be taken before law enforcement can be called in. Training and policy shifts should be implemented at the state and national levels, as well. Q: Any examples of this training? Leroy: There are a growing number of examples of schools faced with learning and discipline problems breaking out of the current zero-tolerance mold and taking a more creative approach. Sometimes you have to start from scratch, and we're seeing people that have been through a horrible system and come back to create a school that works with discipline and hope. The Ascend Charter High School, in Brooklyn, New York, is a good example. The school requires students to take responsibility for their actions and there are daily sessions to build relationships with faculty. The school aims to defuse problems before they escalate by having the teachers talk about the consequences of one's actions, rather than making suspension the first line of defense in dealing with discipline problems. Advertisement Ascend's founding Director Melissa Jarvis-Cedeno with students. Q: But say a student who has behavioral disabilities and is acting out in class, such as having angry outbursts. Do schools realistically wait for a parent and not call the police? Leroy: Yes, in most cases. Absolutely. Law enforcement should be the last recourse. Angry outbursts are often part of growing up. Teachers and administrators should be trained and prepared to handle these kinds of typical behaviors without calling in law enforcement, in general. When it comes to students living with disabilities specifically, typical childhood behavior is often translated into something more dangerous than it actually is. The same can be said for students of color. A white student without a disability is less likely to have the police called on them for displaying typical teenage anger, for example, than a student of color or a student living with a disability, for the exact same behavior. Students having angry outbursts aren't an epidemic in the school system. Of course, there will always be isolated incidents. The current systemic problem is the use of that excuse to pull students with disabilities out of the classrooms and put them behind bars. Students living with disabilities may need a more specialized deescalation approach than students from the general population. This approach doesn't require the use of law enforcement. Part of the problem and solution is training teachers to recognize the start of a behavioral change. They have to be trained about the triggers and what to look for. This also calls for the student, as best he or she can, along with the parents, to discuss the telltale signs that can trigger anger, agitation and other forms of acting out. For instance, the non-profit, Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights, is a good resource for teachers and parents. It provides a list of questions to ask schools, such as whether the IEP includes a clause that the child should have a safe place to calm down. Other clauses or questions to ask the school should also include: Are there specific instructions in the IEP that spells out how teachers can calm down a student; are school-liaison police aware of a student's disability and how behavioral changes can manifest? Schools, parents and teachers need to include in the IEP detailed examples of a child's behavior that would prompt a call to the police. Leroy Moore, Jr. Q: Are policy rules created at the state, federal or local school level? Leroy: There has to be consistent rules and we need to understand the rules on the local, state and federal levels. Gioioa von Disterlo, Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, and a long-term community advocate, and I both agree that one of the difficulties with policies is that they are formed at the district level. As a result, children often lack protection depending on which school or district implements a policy. It also means that many districts and schools may be enforcing policies at the local levels that directly conflict with state and federal law. Because of this localized approach, there is a lack of consistency nationwide when it comes to supporting and protecting students with disabilities. So identifying the exact policies that students are being [screwed] under and then challenging those in court is important. So there needs to be consistent rules and then we need to understand the rules on the local, state and federal level. Q: You mention in our previous interview that zero-tolerance policies are driving a lot of special needs students into the prison pipeline. How are states resolving this issue? Leroy: Currently, most of the resistance to zero-tolerance policies is at the local level. For example, the Los Angeles Unified School District is working to reduce overly harsh discipline and eliminate zero-tolerance policies by referring students to counseling and administrative discipline rather than being sent to juvenile court. This may involve students involved in non-serious altercations, accused of petty thefts and minor vandalism. Other states, such as Florida, students have been arrested for bringing a plastic butter knife to school and throwing an eraser. Legislation has since been passed prohibiting schools from calling the police for nonviolent misdemeanors. Others states are also looking at their laws and changing them, but it's up to the school districts, which create and enforce their zero-tolerance policies, to change their stance on zero-tolerance. Texas also passed a bill that allows officials to consider "mitigating factors" before they punish students. Texas used to have a very harsh zero-tolerance policy. For instance, violations of the code of conduct could end up in a student being expelled or suspended. Race, of course, is associated with greater likelihood of being suspended or expelled, as well as students with special needs. Q: Some critics say that instituting "restorative justice policies" in the Los Angeles Unified School District has had some adverse side effects. Can you elaborate? Leroy: The adverse side effects that are being referred to in LAUSD have less to do with the actual policy and more to do with the implementation of the policy. The main complaints involve a lack of funding, resources and training. Policy can't just be dictated. It has to be supported. While partial implementation has already produced effects that benefit students in the district, the frustration with lack of funding and training threatens these protections. Ultimately, in order for the programs to work, they have to be fully funded and supported. Again, these policies are left to the discretion of the districts. Protections from the school-to-prison pipeline need to be consistently enforced at the state and federal levels. Implementation of these protections on a school-by-school basis cannot produce the systemic change needed to abolish the pipeline nationwide. Q: Does zero-tolerance conflict with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act? Leroy: Yes. Ultimately the goal would be to say that zero-tolerance laws conflict with IDEA. Period. There are numerous examples of the conflict. A 2000 national summit on zero tolerance cited many examples of the conflict. In 1997, the IDEA was amended to assure that children with disabilities would not be punished for behavior that is characteristic of the child's disability. In many instances, however, school officials are ignoring federal law. And parents and students are often unaware of their rights, making it difficult to push back and push for change. Advertisement Q: Critics, including you, say IDEA is not fully funded by the federal government, making it difficult to fully enforce high educational standards. Can you elaborate? Leroy: Part of the problem with any civil rights legislation is that there are always opponents and ways to get around the law. The rise of Jim Crow laws in response to the end of slavery provides a strong example of that process. IDEA is one policy that can provide some protections, but can't in and of itself end discrimination against people living with disabilities. So part of the problem is that IDEA does not provide all of the protections needed. This doesn't mean that the protections that are provided should be removed, but it does mean that additional protections need to be fought for at the federal level. It also means that IDEA and any other protective policies need to be fully funded and supported in order to function properly. Look, since the law was passed 40 years ago, the federal government has failed to provide even half of the funding to help schools with special needs requirements. Books are outdated; there's a lack of supplies and teaching material and the costs are shifted to states and local districts. So special needs students receive only the materials and services districts can afford - not necessarily what they need or what the law dictates they are eligible for. It's also important to talk about how special education really isn't a solution in the first place. That it's always been a place to send people to [screw] them out of the school system, the job market and society in general. According to Dr. G.S. Potter, it's a form of social and economic segregation that has always been tied to incarceration. So yes, fully funding and implementing IDEA is good. But we also need to reassess whether or not IDEA is a good idea in the first place, in part or whole, needs to be discussed. And this discussion needs to be led by people from the disabled community that are looking for solutions that are better that IDEA, not solutions that just seek to dissolve what little protections we have at the federal level. Q: Can you discuss the civil rights issue in the special needs classroom? Leroy: Civil rights issues deal with unfair discrimination on the basis of characteristics such as race, class and disability. Filtering students with disabilities into the prison pipeline and otherwise using school policies to discriminate against them is a violation of basic civil rights. At the federal level, legislation such as the Civil Rights Acts and IDEA provide limited protections, but they are not enough to secure equal treatment in schools specifically, or in society in general. While local schools and districts are fighting to secure these rights more fully, more needs to be done at the state and federal level to ensure that rights are secured throughout the system, not just school by school. Advertisement States must look to systematically address the role of racism and discrimination in solving chronic inequities in the special needs system. I'm not the only one saying this. There are many others, including Jane Dunhamn, the founder of the National Black Disability Coalition (NBDC), and the parent of a successful daughter with cerebral palsy. Today NBDC is working on getting Black Disability Studies into colleges and universities, as well as its National Campaign for Minority Disability Legislation. She argues that addressing these inequities would require "reinventing and disrupting policy and practice." She also says that mainstream disability-rights organizations and government agencies must actively work on these issues. The disability community must have a meaningful conversation about race, racism and discrimination. Dunhamn's policy work has had a major effect on Black and poor people with disabilities. Due to a wide array of disability issues that are unique to poor people and people of color it is important to establish legislation, which require state agencies serving underrepresented disability communities to compile data and report to the stakeholders. Jane and this campaign needs your support and the NBDC is seeking individuals who are interested in initiating a minority disability bill in their state. Q: What about having more people of color in classrooms? Leroy: Back in 1995, I did a study on three Bay area college campuses on the status of special education majors and found many troubling things. Textbooks were outdated and were written mostly by white, non-disabled people. Now, it's more than 20 years latter and little progress has been made. Besides needing more women of color to teach, we need additional black men in the classrooms teaching. Currently, black men make up less than two percent of our teachers. [Editor's note: According to statistics from National Center for Education, nearly 82 percent of public school teachers in school year 2011-12 were white.] Advertisement From the film, "Where Is Hope," co-produced by Leroy Moore, Jr. The U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is heading some initiatives to help recruit black men into teaching. For instance, the government is working with TEACH.org, a public-private initiative, to assist in finding skilled candidates. There are other programs happening around the country as well, including one at Southern University at New Orleans. The Honore Center for Undergraduate Achievement gives full scholarships to young African American men who show promise. The program teaches these young men to become teachers. The program believes these men who grew up in challenging circumstances will likely be better able to help students given their similar backgrounds. So despite the lack of progress being made over the decades, reports on training more black male students to become teachers, gives me hope that we are trying to find solutions. Ultimately, training more students of color who are disabled themselves, would be the most ideal solution. [Editor's note: For more information on similar programs see this Hechinger Report.] Before he was selected in WWII's first draft for 18-year-olds, Detroit's Lawrence Dupuis didn't know the value of being color-blind. "They would take me up in the aircraft and I could detect where the landscape had been disturbed and camouflage was laid down." His cartooning skills were even put to use, although someone else would have to color the wall-sized illustration below: "This drawing was painted on the stage of the Great Dunmow Airport Building that was to be used as an all-purpose room by the 8th Air Force who were to take over the field. They sent over a sergeant to check the work which he would color later. I don't remember how I got involved but I do remember spending my nights after supper -- for a month!" "I got called down to the chief's one day and he informed me that I was to go to London to be a part of a special unit. Turned out to be a color-blind group. We reviewed aerial photos, turned out later to be the coast of Normandy. The assignment lasted almost a month." Advertisement Great Dunmow, England. We were drafting an airfield -- one of the cement landing fields. (Dupuis is third from left.) Dupuis graduated from Detroit Western High School in 1942 and was drafted the following February after just one semester at Lawrence Technological Institute (housed beside Ford's Model T assembly plant in Highland Park). Lawrence Dupuis of Detroit "Over the next eight months, I trained in eight locations -- from Fort Custer, Michigan, twice in Missouri, Virginia, Maine then New Jersey before sailing for Scotland on the Queen Elizabeth. The US was in such a hurry to get troops abroad that we never completed training in any of those stops." In England, Dupuis was a replacement and assigned to the 818th Engineer Aviation Battalion -- an old army outfit "bugles and all" who had been overseas a year already building concrete airstrips for the 8th Air Force. "The field was bombed frequently so I was trained twice in anti-aircraft schools." Advertisement "Then off to Normandy -- Utah Beach." Dupuis' illustrated map of his division's journey. One historian notes, "As an "engineer aviation battalion," Dupuis' unit's job was to support the Army Air Force (the USAF as an independent service didn't exist until after the war), primarily by building airfields as the ground forces advanced, which is borne out by the reference in the bottom right of the map to building the first US airfield in Germany near the end of the European war. These airfields would be for squadrons supporting the ground forces, rather than for squadrons involved with the strategic bombing of the Third Reich." "From the map, much of the path of the unit's advance after leaving Normandy -- i.e. south-southeast down to Le Mans and the Loire valley, eventually east towards Verdun and Nancy -- suggests it was following in the path of Patton's Third Army (rather than the neighboring US formation, the 1st Army, which was to Patton's immediate north). It eventually goes north towards Bastogne, indicative of participation in the Battle of the Bulge as Patton's forces turned north to help stem the German advance , and then to Liege, and Aachen, indicative of a new mission to support the air units behind the US armies to the north (1st or 9th), rather than Patton's. The unit crosses the Rhine at Remagen, gets almost as far east as Leipzig, in what would be the eventual Russian occupation zone and, ultimately, East Germany, before being pulled back and going to Munich in the south and eventually Vienna. Though a large number left by train for Bangor, Maine to transfer to the glider engineers, when we arrived there were no openings, so we took a train to New Jersey to head to England. We did get a ride in this tow-plane! The historian adds, "Like the other major participants in the war, the U.S. struggled with its mobilization of manpower for the military vs. that for industry. And there were significant issues even within the military. The Army tended to send its most intelligent recruits to the more technical and specialist disciplines, such as the engineers and the Army Air Force, at the expense of the infantry. As a result, the effectiveness of the US Army in combat suffered, because, among other things, the ability to demonstrate initiative correlates with intelligence. Late in the conflict the War Department had to comb-out personnel from the supporting disciplines to augment the depleted ranks of the infantry." Advertisement It was a true honor to share such an amazing chronicle of WWII through the images from Lawrence Dupuis. Below are just a few of the pages of his amazing historical album. Special thanks to his daughter Patty who interviewed her father as they went through these images. General Eisenhower's pre-D-Day message to the troops. We did two maneuver practice runs prior to Normandy. The beginnings of airfields somewhere. We typically had less than a week to get the field up and running. I have great respect for the airmen and the job they did during the war. This is how we made blueprints. We had to put that screen in the sun to make a print, so while it was in the sun, we had a few minutes to mess around and relax. Note the canisters of film in foreground. The press photographer was embedded in my unit; he and I became friends, so that is how I got so many pictures of myself! The photographer would print out an extra copy of anything that he thought I might want. The Ludendorf Bridge, also know as "The Bridge at Remagen" which was captured intact and allowed the Allies to cross the Rhine. Additional pontoons were added to augment the capacity for the heavy load. The Germans eventually collapsed the bridge, killing 19 Army corpsmen. But with so many pontoon bridges up by that point, the loss of the Ludendorff Bridge was negligible. Dupuis is particularly proud when looking at this photo Advertisement Two men of the 818th receiving ribbons for their action in the Bulge. Washington D.C. with my sister and Mom. Headquarters for the Engineers' section. A crater from a V1 rocket that landed 100 yards from us. Most likely in England This guy on my right was 42 year old draftee--a great guy! Coming home: The 818th boarding the Costa Rica in Marseille--November, 1945. I love this picture--just after the war, when all of his local Detroit buddy's met up at a neighborhood bar, Pete Hengy's (on Vernor near Springwells). From left: Don Scharf, Eugene Cotter (silver star recipient), Cal Hoffman and me, Lawrence Dupuis. After the war, Dupuis attended Lincoln Chiropractic College in Indianapolis on the GI Bill. He reunited often with his fellow veterans who were recognized for their valor. French Legion of Honor presented by Brigitte Dagot of Honorary Consul of France for North and Central Florida. Thank you, Mr. Dupuis, for your service to our country and for sharing these priceless images. In late October, the United States decided to withhold $5 million, or 15 percent of its annual anti-narcotics funding to the Mexican government, over human rights abuses such as disappearances, extrajudicial killings and torture. It was a great step towards moral responsibility, but much more is needed. The decision came within the context of a long history of U.S. support for governments in the region responsible for gross human rights violations. It also came amidst growing calls for accountability in how the U.S. supports and funds border enforcement efforts in Mexico and Central America, and evidence that these policies are violating migrants' rights to seek asylum and other forms of international protection. The history of U.S. foreign policy in Central America, especially the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, is a bloody one. It includes U.S. support during the Guatemalan civil war from 1960 to 1996 for security forces responsible for the vast majority of over 200,000 deaths, and the genocide against the Mayan indigenous population. From 1980 to 1992, the U.S. supported similar atrocities when it funded the Salvadoran government responsible for killing over 75,000 people and committing torture and mass rape. As recently as 2009 through today, the Obama administration has continued to fund Honduras, despite a '09 military coup that overthrew a democratically elected President and installed a government rife with corruption and repression. At the very least, this violence has contributed to the factors that force people to flee the Northern Triangle, including the increase of child migrants who arrived in the U.S. during the summer of 2014. In response to this increase, the Obama administration escalated its support, through training and funding, for border enforcement by Mexico. There's growing evidence that Mexico is violating the rights of migrants and preventing children from seeking asylum and other forms of protection. Mexico is increasingly detaining and deporting children, in violation of its domestic law and obligations under international human rights law. The U.S. is actively supporting these policies. Like the U.S. and the majority of countries in the world, Mexico's laws provide migrants the affirmative right to request asylum. However, Mexico is falling well short of this obligation, causing concern among the United Nations, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Mexico's human rights ombudsman, and civil society groups. The Obama administration is effectively passing off to Mexico the decision whether to treat migrants compassionately or to treat them with abusive border enforcement tactics, detention, and deportation. And by doing so, the administration is encouraging policies that undermine domestic and international protections, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The administration is also providing border enforcement training and funding to Honduras and Guatemala, despite evidence that those countries are also detaining migrants who are fleeing for their lives and have claims for international protection. U.S. support for harmful border enforcement policies in Mexico and Central America violates the values of accountability and human rights, including the rights of children. One of these children is Alex, who the American Friends Service Committee represented. He fled Honduras after the Mara Salvatrucha gang attempted to kill him, in addition to years of his stepfather's physical and sexual abuse against him. Alex's story is, sadly, not unique. According to a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees study of over 400 children who arrived in the U.S. from the Northern Triangle and Mexico, close to 70 percent of those children were forced to flee after suffering attacks by organized crime or abuse at home because there is no protection in their home countries. A day after he survived the attempt on his life, Alex escaped and traveled through Guatemala and Mexico until he arrived in the U.S., where Border Patrol officers detained him in a frigid holding cell long criticized by advocates, in violation of federal standards for detaining children. Once he was released and reunited with his mother, he successfully applied for asylum. Alex, like nearly 60 percent of the children surveyed by the High Commissioner for Refugees, had a potential claim for international protection when he arrived in the U.S. Despite his harrowing journey, Alex was fortunate because he was ultimately able to seek asylum. A growing number of children like Alex are being detained and deported by Mexico and Central American countries in violation of their right to seek asylum and other forms of protection. But this right should be upheld throughout the region, and the U.S. should not support policies that undermine it. The U.S. has a moral responsibility to stop funding and training governments that fail to respect human rights, including the right to apply for asylum, and instead address the driving factors of migration. It should also protect the safety of asylum seekers and other migrants by expanding relief programs such as Temporary Protected Status and the Central American Minors Refugee/Parole Program, and by expanding its use of executive authority. The Obama administration has the opportunity to introduce accountability and human rights into its policies relating to Mexico and Central America. It should take full advantage. 2015 was a big year for wellness travel as hard-working folks realized getting burnt-out was not on their bucket list. It's no longer trendy to brag about not using your vacation days and in some cases companies are mandating employees take time off. With more and more wellness travel opportunities out there, this year maximize your days off and return home not only refreshed and relaxed, but with better well-being. In need of some suggestions? Check out three hot travel spots where you can add wellness to your vacation. Japan -- The average American spends 87% of their time indoors, which contributes to our high stress levels, lack of vitamin D and depression. In Japan, scientists found this to be a serious problem among their culture too and in 1982 coined the term Shinrin-yoku or as you may have heard it: Forest Bathing. In the past three decades Shinrin-yoku has been studied and confirmed as an effective treatment for both physiological and spiritual rejuvenation. The art of forest bathing requires you to leave your smart phones at home and fully engage all your senses in nature in a mindful way. Smell the trees, hear the crunch of leaves underfoot or sit and watch as the animals come out to play. Anywhere from a few hours to a few days will have positive effects on your health and well-being. Sixty-seven percent of Japan is covered in forests and with trails devoted to Shinrin-yoku, going direct to the source has never been so fun. Advertisement Colombia -- If you binged watched Narcos this summer you may have noticed the series takes place in the '70s and '80s. Twenty plus years later, Colombia is flourishing and the tourism industry is just ramping up. While the country continues to struggle to overcome its negative PR image, now is the time to soak up the sun on the Caribbean coast, trek through the parks to discover ancient ruins or hook up with an NGO that focuses on sustainability before the world rediscovers this gem. From local vegan dishes in one of Cartagena's fanciest restaurants to the country's first adults only wellness resort, this South American country wants you to consider it's mountains, beaches and forests as your new wellness destination. One of my favorite experiential wellness tours can be found with Experiencia Cafetera, a small team who is bridging the gap between responsible commerce and tourism. Spend some time with them on the coffee farms to learn about the cultural significance of the industry, sustainable production and the fair trade practices they advocate for. You'll leave with a better understanding of what it takes to wake you up in the morning. MUNICH, GERMANY - AUGUST 29: Migrants from Syria with non-alcoholic drinks sit under a mural that reads: 'Say No To Racism. 1 Love' at a summer fest for migrants seeking asylum in Germany and locals at the Bayernkaserne asylum shelter on August 29, 2015 in Munich, Germany. The Bayernkaserne is a former military barracks currently home to approximately 1,000 foreign migrants. Germany is expecting to receive 800,000 asylum-seeking migrants this year and is struggling to cope with the record number. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images) Christmas marks many people's favorite time of year. Students pack their bags and leave campus to celebrate the holiday at home with family. If you didn't grow up in a big city, it's inevitable that you'll meet up with half your former schoolmates at the local pub after Christmas dinner. That's where I ended up -- with a group of friends, drinking beer, observing people we knew in high-school, and laughing at the cliches they fulfilled. Advertisement Sitting close by were some people who had spent a few months in India or Australia, where they quickly became worldly and enlightened. Now they returned to Germany in Goa-pants and dreadlocks, as self-proclaimed experts on the countries they'd visited. And in another part of the bar, a group of do-gooders who spent $3,000 to do volunteer work in Ghana, and came back with hundreds of selfies with sweet African kids and babies. "Racism begins with micro-aggressions, which I experience on a daily basis." Or people like me: you may have escaped the peacefulness of your homey small town, and met new people in a big city with a similar passion for social issues and feminism. You may be hit by how much you've changed while your small town has hardly been touched by time. On one hand, this may have the effect of soothing constancy, but on the other hand, it can lead to heated debates. Like the debates that unfolded in a packed small-town bar this Christmas. Advertisement For some a reason, I started discussing the new Harry Potter performance with a friend, specifically the fact that a black actress has been cast to play Hermione, much to my delight. My friend seemed less euphoric. He thought this step was risky for a huge franchise like Harry Potter. Many fans were already disappointed by the casting choice and claimed they wouldn't go to the play. This is the classic capitalist argument, which Walter Benjamin posited in his essay on the reproducibility of artwork years ago. Like him, I see a huge potential for liberation in film and theater -- but only if there is adequate representation; as Benjamin would put it: the right for everyone to be filmed. "I receive compliments on how beautiful my skin tone is -- because it's not too dark. These are not compliments, this is racism." Those who like to go to the movies know that Hollywood cinema (and even television or theater) do not enjoy diverse representation. For instance, Hermione's skin color was never mentioned in the novels written by J.K. Rowling. The only description of Hermione is that she has curly hair, big teeth, and is very clever. Nevertheless, a lot of fans are upset by the casting of actress Noma Dumezweni. Advertisement My friend argued that this was a matter of consistency; people expect to see a white Hermione. I partially agreed with him, but also added that race is a factor here, and that consistency plays a role only because whiteness is considered to be the norm. This argument struck him, a white man, as provocative. He said that I constantly post such statements on Facebook -- coming from a black perspective -- which sound like I have something against white people. A classic retort when you take up the issue of race with a person of color. Of course, as a black woman in Germany I try to question the status quo, and to show that racism does not begin when someone who calls me "Negro" on the street, nor does it begin with the burning of refugee shelters. "The simple question, Where are you from? is not simple, it's loaded." It's clear that such behavior is unacceptable and racist, but many people don't realize that racism begins much earlier. Racism begins with micro-aggressions, which I experience on a daily basis. Without asking permission, strangers touch my afro and seem surprised when I don't welcome the behavior. I receive compliments on how beautiful my skin tone is, because it's not too dark. Advertisement These are not compliments, this is a form of racism. The simple question, "Where are you from?" is not simple, it's loaded. Because in nine out of 10 cases, when I respond that I'm from Dusseldorf, they reply "Yes, but where are you really from?" When I say "near Munich," people are still not satisfied. I know they usually have no ill-intent and are just trying to show interest, but regardless, their probing implies my skin has too much melanin for someone from Munich. What I was getting at in my discussion with my friend was that it is of absolute importance to question the views of the majority. And that has nothing to do with hatred of every single white person on this planet. Nevertheless, that is how my responses may come across. I am told that when I constantly address the theme of race, I only give race more weight in society. But our society is still a long way away from the utopian color blindness that many people claim already exists. Yes, race is a constructed category and it would be great to be rid of it, but that doesn't mean that this constructed category is not massively integrated in our lives, leading to an unfair distribution of power. Because that's also what racism is: an unbalanced, uneven power structure which benefits some and causes others to suffer. Advertisement And yes, this relates to the fact that there are hardly any people of color in major, prominent roles. Media has a huge impact on us and, by and large, it fails to create a satisfactory representation of the real world -- the world it creates consists only of white heterosexual men. I wish that my lived experience as a black woman in Germany would be taken seriously. I wish that people would, at least, read my Facebook posts on racism at universities, our colonial heritage, and intersectional feminism, before they judge the pieces as expressions of hatred towards white people. LOS ANGELESThe 2016 Phoenix Forum will return to the Tempe Mission Palms in Tempe, Ariz., March 31 through April 3 and Pimps Promo will be there capturing all the action. For the fourth consecutive year, Mobius Payments will sponsor the photos on PimpsPromo.com. Mobius Payments CEO, Mia H. stated, I have always enjoyed Lloyds (aka baddog) shooting style and how PimpsPromo.com always ranks on page one of Google with phrases associated with The Phoenix Forum. Mobius Payments has been a longtime sponsor of The Phoenix Forum and sponsoring these photos guarantees that we will be remembered long after the show ends and people return home. This also ensures that people that did not get to attend the event see our name as the photos are displayed around webmaster forums and social media platforms. Pimps Promo does more than just take photos and put them online, Pimps Promo President Lloyd baddog Brown explained. I take advantage of the SEO advantage photos can bring and meld it with enough keyword rich text to make sure Google cannot miss me. Brown added, For the last 12 plus years, it has worked like a charm. Sponsorship opportunities for the upcoming Internext and AVN shows in Las Vegas are also available. To reserve your sponsorship or if you have any questions, email baddog [email protected] In October 2013, the Stanford GSB Dean of Admissions welcomed our MBA class to California as the place of the new Renaissance. He argued that centuries ago the De Medici family supported an incredible period of cultural progress in Italy; today, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and academics are supporting another cultural revolution destined to leave an indelible mark in history. While as a proud Italian, I challenge the comparison to the Renaissance, I cannot dispute that we live in a moment of incredible change, and a lot of this change is driven in the land of California. As I reflect on how this change has impacted me, I thought to share five basic myths of entrepreneurship that I discovered at business school. Myth 1: Entrepreneurship is just about founding/joining a start up I traditionally associated entrepreneurship only with founding or potentially joining a startup company. Indeed many successful entrepreneurs found their own companies. However, I have found out that some people can be very entrepreneurial by acquiring an existing business and scaling it. This is what Jim Ellis and Kevin Taweel did by acquiring a small company. Today, their company, Asurion, is a private company with 14,000 employees. Similarly, many people may be very entrepreneurial in established companies. For example, before becoming the CEO of American Express, Kenneth Chenault built a successful standalone business within the company selling luggage sets, generating $500M in sales for the company. Advertisement An entrepreneur is primarily characterized by his willingness to challenge the status quo and innovate. And this trait is not limited to starting up a company or joining a startup, but extends to both acquiring companies and working in large corporations. Myth 2: You need to have an idea before deciding to be an entrepreneur I have had the opportunity to meet various entrepreneurs at business school and I was impressed by the range of their approaches to starting companies. Some entrepreneurs leverage their previous expertise to come up with superior products. For example, Randy Hetrick, who worked in the US military, launched TRX, a very successful physical training tool now available in major retailers. Others, like Alain Chuard and Victoria Ransom, started a few companies before identifying the potential for Wildfire, which was eventually sold to Google for $350M. Similarly, I met other cofounders who, while at business school, decided to start a company without any specific idea. While they made the decision to start a business, they were not sure on what to build. They decided to meet every week to discuss ideas and to agree on a set of criteria (e.g., geography, industry) to limit their options. Eventually, they all agreed on an idea, persisted through challenges and that idea turned in a very successful company in the telecom industry. There is no single right way to start a company. The strength of the team and the determination to overcome obstacles as they arise is what makes successful start-ups. Advertisement Myth 3: Organizational culture is not a priority early on In order to grow, it is critical for startups to attract high quality human capital. It is not surprising that some founders interviewed each one of their first 600 employees. In the face of operational challenges, organizational culture is easy to de-prioritize in order to focus on short-term performance, especially in resource constrained startups. However, I learned from discussions with many entrepreneurs the importance of creating a strong organizational culture in order to succeed. For example, I spoke to one of the earliest employees of a large tech company. As he tried to expand the business abroad, his company's culture played a critical role in attracting the best talent. By taking a long time to hire few people with the right cultural fit, he insured the preservation of company's culture and attraction of fitting talent. Organizational culture is an additional requirement of resource-deprived start-ups, but it is not an easy characteristic to neglect in order to succeed. Myth 4: If I found a company, I need to be the CEO Being the CEO of their own company is certainly something entrepreneurs aspire to. However, what often happens is that even the most successful founders are asked / decide to leave the CEO position for some time, and then return. This is what happened to Steve Jobs at Apple and Larry Page at Google. In other cases, entrepreneurs may not come back to the business. For example, Rob Kalin, founder of Etsy (one of the largest marketplaces for crafted goods) left the CEO position in 2011. Or Andy Mason, founder of Groupon, left Groupon and recently launched his new start up Detour. The skills needed to start a company are different than the skills needed to scale it up. If the start-up is successful, being a CEO is not an assumed founder role. Advertisement Myth 5: Any money is good money A key consideration for starting a business is amount and type of financing required. There are various ways to finance a company. At the ends of the spectrum there are two options: bootstrapping and seeking money before starting. Which option you choose depends on availability of funds; and it also depends on how much upside the entrepreneur wants to keep if venture capitalists are willing to invest. By bootstrapping, successful entrepreneurs are able to keep the high returns rather than sharing with venture capitalists; however, they also bear the risk of losing their capital. In addition, the examples from entrepreneurs I met not only showed that there are various ways to raise financing, but also helped me understand that there is more than just raising money in the financing process. For example, when raising money from an investor, a founder is not only raising money. He or she is establishing a relationship with the investor. Second, founders need to balance raising too much money and too little. Taking too much money at the beginning would lead to a dilution of the company, while taking too little money would lead to other issues if the company had insufficient cash to operate. Availability of funds to launch a startup is very important, but not every dollar is the same. Where it comes from, bootstrap or VC, and from whom is also very worthwhile to consider. In summary, entrepreneurs are people who have the willingness to challenge the status quo and innovate, whether they work in a small or large company. Entrepreneurs do not need to have the 'right' idea, they can be intentional about finding an idea. When it comes to their organizations, culture is a critical resource that is often forgotten in resource deprived business settings; however, culture can be the key differentiator for attracting the right talent. Finally, getting the right type of money (financing type) and investors is not a trivial question. Some dollars are worth more than others, especially those that come from experienced and trustworthy investors. Leonardo Da Vinci once said 'Art is never finished, only abandoned'. Similarly, businesses are never complete, they are always evolving. Artists and entrepreneurs have a lot of opportunities ahead. Advertisement What you need to know before planning that bucket-list trip to Southern Africa's Botswana and Zimbabwe. For in-depth reviews of Seba Camp in the Okavango Delta, Botswana and Linkwasha Camp in Zimbabwe, consult GetawayMavens.com. 1. A photo safari in the Okavango Delta/Botswana and Hwange National Park/Zimbabwe is not for control freaks, but it does measure up to the hype. If your TV is always tuned to Animal Planet and The Discovery Channel, this trip is nirvana. Just understand that there will be delays and mix-ups and no guarantee that you will see all of the Big Five (especially rhinos, which are becoming more and more rare). 2. Know the difference between Botswana's and Zimbabwe's Safari Guides and Camps. Wilderness Safaris - one of the oldest and most professional premier Safari Camp concerns in Southern Africa - runs several levels of camps (rustic "Adventure" camps, upscale "Classic" Camps, and over-the-top luxury "Premier" Camps) in both countries, and to get the most out of a trip, you'll want to experience it all. Guides in Botswana don't carry guns, so walking safaris there are rare. But you can get out of your Land Rover and walk in Zimbabwe, where guides sport rifles and must go through rigorous training and certification to lead guests on the ground. Advertisement 3. There are lots of bugs. If you're the type who balks when insects jump onto your plate, you might want to rethink your plans. Guides will stop a Land Rover to allow a Dung Beetle right of way, and Praying Mantises and other big flying bugs could make an appearance at the dinner table. 4. Mosquitoes, which emerge at dusk and dawn, may carry malaria. So, if you go on a photo safari in Botswana and/or Zimbabwe, you'll need appropriate vaccinations, DEET, and anti-malarial pills - a small price to pay for the incredible stories and pictures you'll be taking home. And don't forget to cover up. 5. A photo safari is not an "active" trip. These types of excursions center around early morning and late afternoon game drives, when you'll be sitting in a vehicle, ostensibly watching nature's drama unfold, for over 8 hours a day. Mid-day is "siesta" time, when you'll eat, rest, read and socialize, but not hike anywhere. Remember, you're in the middle of wild animal studded parkland - so no roaming (unless on a sanctioned walking safari) allowed. 6. Though pundits declare May-October (dry season) as prime animal viewing time, there's a huge advantage to going late November through early January (the rainy season): babies. All the animals, from giraffes to zebras to monkeys and wildebeest have given birth, and their ungainly offspring wobble and nurse as you snap away. It's a wonderful time to come. Advertisement 7. You are in the wild, where predators are hungry. This may seem like a "duh" point, but you'd be surprised how many people assume those big kitties are just there for the up-close-and-personal photo op. You'll be on game drives in open Land Rovers, which most animals see as "one big unit" not worthy of chase. But, "break the profile" - stand up, lean out, talk loudly - and you can become that lion's next satisfying meal. 8. Speaking of meals, most upscale safari camps (e.g. Seba Camp in Okavango Delta Botswana and Linkwasha Camp in Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe) serve some of the best food on the continent. And you won't go hungry. Breakfast, game drive snack, brunch, High Tea, Sundowner snacks and dinner are served each day every day - with lovely regional wines. Not exactly roughing it. 9. You'll likely travel on Bush Planes. Most remote Safari Camps can be accessed only by small four, eight or 12-seater propeller planes. Pilots are adept at finding the smoothest altitude (most fly between 3,000-6,000 feet above the ground) and avoiding storm cells, but there's no avoiding the "bumps" from thermals. Just enjoy the roller coaster and gape in awe at the scenery below. The hotel restaurant shouldn't always be a last resort. In some cases--like these--it deserves to be first choice. Hotel restaurants can get snubbed but oftentimes, they totally shouldn't be. That would be a horrible mistake and would mean skipping out on an experience like Gordon Ramsey's restaurant at InterContinental Bordeaux. Sometimes traveling means going downstairs. This post originally appeared on Map Happy. Hotels can often do so much more than restaurants than can be done in other circumstances: They have the resources to recruit the best chefs (sommeliers, too!) and then give them ample room to be creative for a dazzling display of gastronomy. Advertisement These are several hotel restaurants that make me want to book a ticket and a table all at the same time since I haven't had a chance to experience it all. I figure I can worry about the wallet later. Al Mahara at the Burj Al Arab Floor to ceiling windows? Try floor-to-ceiling aquarium. Though looks subterranean it actually is located on the ground floor on one of the most luxurious hotels in the world, the Burj Al Arab in Dubai. Apropos for a place set amid aquariums, seafood is the specialty. Not a terrible idea to start at the top of Burj Al Arab--at the observation deck--and work my way down to dinner at Al Mahara. Aqua at The Ritz-Carlton, Wolfsburg , a Zen space, and the hotel's setting are striking in Wolfsberg, Germany,and I can only think to best describe it all as industrial-luxe. (When it's a Ritz-Carlton across from an auto plant, that's a term that'll get conjured up, I suppose.) Chef de Cuisine Sven Elverfeld is behind the restaurant, which yes, has three Michelin stars, and he delivers plates that look almost too perfect to eat. But that's not the point. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London For anyone that has the notion that British cuisine doesn't have much to offer on the world stage, point them to . Blumenthal, of course, is best known for The Fat Duck, a three-star Michelin restaurant located in Berkshire, England. The chef traces British history with his menu, dating items to their origin, like "Savoury Porridge (c.1660)." The setting is nothing antiquated, though; it's sleek but inviting. Epicure at Le Bristol Hotel Because some like it haute. If I'm going to go that route when visiting Paris (and where else better to?) I might as well go all out or go home. And I've pinpointed Epicure, with its three Michelin stars and chef Eric Frechon at the helm, as the place to do it. Frechon is able to give a slight spin on the most ordinary of dishes: stuffed macaroni with artichokes, black truffle, duck foie gras and Parmesan cheese. It just can't be bad. El Motel at the Hotel Emporda If I could have redirected my friends to Dali's Catalonian hometown of Figueres for a few hours. looks beautiful but not at all presumptuous, and while the website leaves pretty much everything to the imagination, they offer a seasonal, rotating menu of modern European and Spanish dishes, with a tasting menu that apparently can be had for about 40 (with an extra 10 for wine pairings). Nobu Las Vegas at Caesars Palace I've never been to Nobu, a name synonymous for best sushi ever on this side of the world, and at this point I want to have my first Nobu experience in a place where glam . That has to be Caesars Palace Las Vegas. And for a full immersion experience there's a situated right within Caesars Palace, too. Siete Fuegos at the Vines Resort & Spa If you've seen the Netflix-original series "Chef's Table" then its hard to forget the nature-loving and free-loving chef behind this place: Argentine Francis Mallmann. (I couldn't not include Argentina!) Advertisement Mendoza is one of Mallmann's places in the world and Siete Fuegos at the Vines Resort & Spa location is his latest venture. It involves lots of rustic, delicious food (and lots of meat, of course) cooked slowly over crackling, open fires right nearby. This is the Maillard technique in its full glory. Wolfgang Puck at Hotel Bel Air A golden chef who got his restaurateur start in the Golden State: it's a perfect marriage. The celebrity chef might be big but when at the Hotel Bel Air in Los Angeles opened after the hotel's renovation in 2011, it seems he's shown he's deserving of all that fame. The dishes, which fall under "California cuisine" with Mediterranean influences, looks so fresh, and the setting so stylish yet comfortable. Seems apropros. Lung King Heen at Four Seasons Hong Kong Hong Kong is hotel-centric as it gets when it comes to fine dining. (The Peninsula Hong Kong is most well known for its coveted afternoon tea.) was the first Cantonese restaurant in the world to be awarded three Michelin stars in 2009. But if Cantonese isn't what you're feeling, French restaurant and fellow Michelin-starred restaurant Caprice is located in the same building. Karina Martinez-Carter is an editor-at-large at Map Happy. She is a freelance writer and editor who has contributed to Road Warrior Voices of USA TODAY Travel, BBC Travel, BBC Capital, Thrillist and more. Workers unload fish into baskets for sale at the Talay Thai fish and seafood wholesale market in Mahachai, Samut Sakhon province, Thailand, on Thursday, April 23, 2015. The European Union threatened to ban imports of seafood from Thailand because of concerns about unlawful fishing, a step that would hit trade of more than 600 million euros ($641 million) a year. Photographer: Dario Pignatelli/Bloomberg via Getty Images Calls are growing louder for a U.S. ban on Thai seafood imports amid shocking reports of slave labor used in the industry. But the United States is unlikely to take any major action against Thailand right now. Outcry against Thailand's seafood industry has been growing after a number of reports of brutality against workers in that industry. Reports written by several international media outlets have uncovered debt bondage, brutal human rights abuses and modern slavery in Thailand's seafood industry. The abuses happen both on ships at sea and in seafood processing factories. Advertisement In response to these reports, Democrat Congressman Emanuel Cleaver recently wrote a letter to the U.S Food and Drug Administration and the U.S Department of Labor and called on the groups to take "administrative actions available" to punish American companies linked to slave labor. U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, also the chairman of the House subcommittee on human rights, earlier this month echoed those sentiments. But in a follow up call Borderless News Online made to the lawmaker's spokesperson, the spokesman said there was no bill at this time. The spokesperson said the issue will likely be picked up in the next human rights subcommittee hearing. Indeed, an all-out U.S. ban against Thai seafood is unlikely. Such a ban it would certainly hurt Thailand, the world's largest seafood exporter, but would also hurt U.S. seafood importers, as the United States comprises 40 percent of Thailand's shrimp exports. Washington knows that, and is unlikely to take any drastic measures. For their part, major U.S. retailers are not concerned about an all-out U.S. boycott of seafood from Thailand, and some say that third-party monitoring of the industry is likely to improve. But that may be easier said than done. Factories using slave labor that I have investigated know all the loopholes to avoid getting caught. Workers in factories that employ slave labor have told me factory audits are often announced ahead of time, giving floor managers ample time to sweep abuses under the carpet before auditors arrive. Advertisement Monitoring ships for human trafficking is even harder, especially since many are out to sea and far from any law enforcement. Human trafficking survivors have told me they've spent months at sea working as slaves without any interference from law enforcement or independent monitors. Moreover, abuses in Thailand's seafood industry have been known to the United States for some time. The U.S. State Department's Trafficking in Persons report has for the last several years highlighted abuses in the Southeast Asian nation's seafood industry. But despite those reports, the United States has taken no substantial action. The abuses are horrid. One survivor told me he witnessed the murder of a shipmate, who was shot in the chest and thrown overboard trying to escape slave labor conditions. The killing was a warning to others who might try to escape. One woman in her 20s told me she had been held against her will and forced to work in a shrimp processing plant, after being duped into working for the company that forced her to work long hours for no pay. She was given such little food that she began passing out, and she knew that if she did not escape she might not survive. She scaled a wall and escaped the factory after being held there for six months. Some survivors I have interviewed have been psychologically impacted by the horrible experience of being sold into slavery. Tonton, a Burmese man in his 20s I interviewed in the Thai border town of Mae Sot, just across the river from Myanmar, told me he had trouble forgetting the experience. Advertisement Many exploited and enslaved workers in Thailand's seafood industry come from neighboring Burma, in an effort to escape the dire poverty and economic hopelessness of their home country. Many are duped by "brokers" they trusted to take them across the border to jobs in Thailand, only to sell them to fishing boats and seafood processing factories. Many end up in debt bondage and must work for free to pay off the money owed to those who transported them a new job. Despite these abuses, an all-out ban of Thai seafood remains unlikely. Moreover, such a ban could well hurt a lot of low-wage workers employed by honest Thai companies. Experts on the ground tell me that a holistic approach is needed. Many auditors who evaluate seafood processing factories are trained to ask a very limited set of questions, such as whether workers are currently being abused. They do not ask, for example, whether the recruiter who got them the job is threatening them or their family for not handing over a chunk of the worker's wages, which many recruiters have been known to do. Auditors often focus on the factory grounds only, and workers are often afraid to tell them the truth. But those with on-the-ground experience on how the human trafficking industry works said auditors should speak to members of the local migrant workers' community, outside the factory grounds, when possible. They should visit where workers are housed, gain intel about the trends and which factories are known to be abusive, and piece together a story about factories of concern. Without changing the way audits happen, U.S., European and Asian companies sourcing seafood from Thailand will continue to run the risk of having slave labor on their supply chains. When we last checked the finances of the biggest Illinois political committees two months ago, Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Republicans he supports appeared poised to enjoy a huge fundraising advantage over their Democratic counterparts in 2016 Illinois General Assembly races. Rauner's own candidate committee, Citizens for Rauner, had $19.6 million on hand and Turnaround Illinois, an independent expenditure committee he controls and which is dedicated to helping Republican candidates, had $2.6 million. Among the Top 10 biggest political committees statewide, they held the No. 1 and No. 4 positions, respectively. Democratic Majority, a fund controlled by House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, made the list at No. 10 with $1.5 million while Senate President John Cullerton's Senate Democratic Victory Fund was No. 7 with $1.7 million. Advertisement These figures are important because Illinois campaign finance law, while limiting amounts that individuals can donate in each election, allows candidates and political parties wide latitude in sharing their wealth among each other. Rauner's donation of $10 million to his own campaign fund on New Year's Eve 2014 was a signal of his commitment to follow his own election victory with help for Republicans seeking seats in the Democrat-controlled Legislature. As 2015 came to a close, though, Madigan made a fundraising surge that, while not coming close to Rauner's $19.6 million, showed that the financial race leading up to November had just begun. In December, four political committees chaired by Madigan -- Democratic Majority, Democratic Party of Illinois, Friends of Michael J. Madigan and 13th Ward Democratic Org -- raised $3.4 million. Together, their funds now total $9.1 million. Advertisement Madigan does not have the vast personal fortune that Rauner has accessed freely to bolster his fund (Rauner put $38 million of his own money into his election campaign), but his control of four political committees allows him to seek multiple contributions from the same donors in the March primary and November general elections. Rauner's most frequent targets in his Turnaround Agenda -- unions and trial lawyers -- have been especially active in supporting Madigan's committees. The Chicago Tribune reported that "(m)ore than 68 percent of the political money that moved to Madigan in 2015 came from organized labor, trial lawyers and law firms." Elizabeth Strout's new novel, My Name is Lucy Barton, returns to the mother-daughter turf of her debut, Amy and Isabelle, published a decade and a half ago. Is it a stunning exploration of a tormented mother-daughter relationship? Well, yes it is. Is the quality of the writing amazing? Well, yes. Simple and straightforward and incredibly moving, as we've come to expect from Strout. Should you step away from the computer and rush out to your favorite independent bookstore to get a copy? I'm sorry to tell you it doesn't come out until next week. Advertisement After reading a pre-publication copy of Lucy Barton, I did some poking around, and discovered that Strout was in her 40s when she published that first novel--the kind of story I love. She collected a law degree on the way to becoming a writer, which, having one myself, warmed me to her even more (although admittedly a bit sad that she lacked the good sense to go to University of Michigan Law). She started submitting stories at age 16, and published her first story ten years later, in 1982. I'm just going to pause here, and let that sink in: a Pulitzer Prize winner submitting stories for ten years before one was accepted for publication. Her first novel was published in 2000 which, if you do the math, is 18 years after the publication of her first story, and 28 after she'd begun to submit her work--never mind when she'd begun to write. And she says in an HBO interview of her Pulitzer Prize-winning Olive Kitteridge that she wrote one of the stories included in the collection 15 or 16 years before the book came out. Advertisement "Juggling the needs that came with raising a family and her teaching schedule, she found a few hours each day to work on her writing," her website notes. A few hours every day. If you're a writer leaning too heavily on the excuse of no time to do it, you may be excused now to go find your few hours today. If you're a writer who gave up on submitting after a few rejections, or even a whole lot of rejections, you too may be excused. Happy New Year! Is My Name is Lucy Barton my favorite Elizabeth Strout novel ever? Well, I'm not sure. I'm rereading Amy and Isabelle, and I'll let you know the answer after I've finished. (For those of you who are shouting, "Olive Kitteridge!", I'll confess I often find the first book I read by an author edges out others, because after I've read one that I love, I know what to expect.) The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, better known by its acronym IUPAC, has announced that four new elements 113, 115, 117 and 118 will receive their permanent seats at the Periodic Table, thereby completing the heretofore incomplete seventh row. Things have sure changed since Dmitri Mendeleev and his contemporaries developed the Periodic Table with only a mere handful of 60 elements. Of course, those elements had names. These four new elements, on the other hand, have temporary placeholder names: "Baby Boy" 113 is named "Ununtrium," pronounced "un-un-trium" for its atomic number 113. "Ununpentium" is likewise the temporary name for 115, 117 is "Ununseptium," and element 118, well, you get the picture (HINT: it has an "oct-" in its name). Before the other elements welcome them in with a slap on the back and a slew of "what took you so long?" queries, let's understand how the scientific process goes from no element to new element to named element. First off, these four elements were synthesized in large particle accelerators, which means that they were made by smashing and fusing smaller atoms together. Scientists don't actually "see" these new elements, but extrapolate their fleeting existence from their decay products. These elements are so "superheavy," that they decay within thousandths of a second after they are formed into smaller, more stable elements. But before a particle physicist can run half-naked through the streets yelling "Eureka!" at his or her monumental discovery, the scientific machine has to kick in high gear, because an element's existence must be confirmed by two other laboratories before being recognized and placed on the Periodic Table. This process gives us a tangible glimpse into the nature of scientific discovery. Advertisement Most significantly, science is much more a process that results in a body of knowledge, rather than the body of knowledge itself, though the size of many science textbooks may attest to the contrary. Scientific knowledge, rather, is acquired through consistent and incremental observation and testing. "Eureka!" moments are far and few between, arrived at, if ever, by decades of tedious and persistent tinkering. Further, as scientific hypotheses are by their very nature falsifiable, it is hubris to think that what we know now to be true will forever remain so. Rather, scientific knowledge as evidenced in the changing face of the Periodic Table is fluid and is unfolding before our very own eyes. Second, much different than in the days of Mendeleev when scientists worked alone and came to certain conclusions in parallel, twenty-first-century science is necessarily from the very get-go a collaborative endeavor. After all, not everyone has a particle accelerator in the backyard. Case in point, these four new elements emerge at the apex of an international collaboration among Russia, the United States and Japan. And then there's the business of science. Now that these four elements have earned their keep, they need permanent names. Naming rights go to the discoverer and his funders under certain guidelines -- new elements can be named only after a "mythological concept, a mineral, a place or country, a property or a scientist." But given the new collaborative paradigm, there may be many backroom battles and bruised egos before the new names emerge. "To scientists," The Guardian quoted former Riken president and Nobel laureate Ryoji Noyori as saying, "this [discovery] is of greater value than an Olympic gold." Perhaps because "Nobel" gold is at stake. Or perhaps far more, because science has done what science does best -- ventured out a femtometer further into the final frontier of the unknown. Advertisement AARP recently released its "Livability Index" -- a statistical take on which U.S. cities promote the good-life for the silver-haired. The Index does a good job of providing metrics on a slew of important factors -- walkability, public transportation, affordable housing, healthcare, and more. But these social services and quality of life considerations effectively downplay the centrality of jobs as a goal for all seniors who want and need one. Yes, the Livability Index itself does have a reference in a section called "Opportunity" where the livability community is described as one to "improve [seniors'] well-being, from jobs to education." This builds on AARP's "Best Employers International" program, which highlights model practices that lead to jobs and economic opportunity for older citizens. And, then there is their employment assistance through AARP Foundation's Back to Work at 50+. But, is a veiled reference to jobs enough in the Livability Index? Or, do we need to rethink and reimagine what it means to age in our 21st century? There are two critical points to note: first, as we age in this new century, more and more of us want to work, as has been well-documented by multiple surveys, for example from Aegon, the Dutch based global insurance company. Advertisement Second, as we couple the reality of our longevity with low birth rates, the result is an aging society -- which will lead 20th century retirement standards to be fiscally unsustainable. This is as true around the globe as it is here in America, where the livelihoods of all people of all ages hinge upon "seniors" being active, productive members of working society. So as one imagines livability for today's older Americans, opportunities for work must be at the core. Moreover, by emphasizing jobs and economic contribution, we actually enhance our ability to provide the public services that are so treasured by the AARP Index, such as healthcare and transportation. When 77 million potential taxpayers are taken out of the economic equation, there simply is not enough money to fund the stuff that makes our cities "livable." A city will only be livable in the 21st century if older adults are at the heart of economic activity, as well as social and community life. BlackRock recently explained this shift in their White Paper on how "Longevity Changes Everything." Take New York City, where earlier this week the AARP Livability Index was launched. New York -- which is part of the World Health Organization's Age-Friendly Cities program -- comes in at number five on the Index. It scores well on city-wide services such as transportation (83), neighborhood (81), housing (68), and health (61). But in a 21st century urban environment, designed to promote successful aging, these metrics aren't enough. Economic opportunity for older adults, and the consequent economic resiliency of the entire community is at the foundation of livability. Advertisement To lend weight to the Index and his own political play, even the Mayor showed up to the launch of the Livability Index, where he pushed his Affordable Housing proposal. This proposal, intended not least for seniors, begs the question of where the Mayor thinks this money will come from. In a city where less and less of the population are within the bounds of traditional "working age," the numbers don't work. As Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer said at the session, about 30% of her constituents are over 60, and that number is growing. Therefore, it is essential that we think about working, retirement, and the tax base differently. Here are three ideas for New York City and all the other aging metropolises around the globe: First, New York's City Council should pass a resolution making it the first city on the planet to call for the end of any retirement age. This is not suggesting a new law or regulation, but through the power of political persuasion and moral force to announce that the 20th century idea of retirement is incompatible with 21st century life. This bold move would have the power of leadership and the virtue of economic contribution. Second, work with the state government to reduce the tax burden on any employer who retains their employees as they age into their 60s, 70s and beyond. Further, provide tax credits for the education and training of older workers, as well as hiring older workers who can do the jobs required. Third, create a silver entrepreneurship investment fund for small business start-ups by those in the 55+ demographic. If New York were to add these kind of economic incentives to their current livability roster, it would not only be age-friendly, but it would drive an economic boom that would provide the tax base for compassionate services across the city. There would be capital to do more for those in need, and provide the leverage for those who only need a system in which they can prosper. Advertisement Earlier on Huff/Post50: WASHINGTON D.C., Jan. 5, 2016-- U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a press conference at White House in Washington D.C., capital of the United States, Jan. 5, 2016. Obama Tuesday unveiled a handful of executive measures on gun control, including expanding background checks, calling for 'a sense of urgency' about gun violence. (Xinhua/Bao Dandan via Getty Images) A bipartisan consensus in America is now putting President Barack Obama's signature Paris Climate Accord into action. We have House Speaker Paul Ryan and the President working in lockstep to direct the country into a clean energy future. The latest piece of legislation lifting the longstanding ban on oil exports set the stage. By removing the export ban, a domestic glut of oil is now beginning to be released into overseas markets. As a result, the price of gasoline within our own county will come down as supply decreases to meet overseas demand. It is why Mr. Ryan speaks of how - 'We can keep our prices low by having more control over the marketplace.' Advertisement This global play of American produced oil, inclusive of the export of our existing glut and the resultant lowering of domestic supply and consumer costs, make the torpedoing of the Keystone project patriotic in retrospect. It will also benefit some of the largest corporate gasoline users in our country: Federal Express, UPS, and Walmart - some of the largest employers in our nation. The lowered cost of oil within the U.S. will begin to move renewable energy toward price parity with gasoline in the United States. This fact is why the passage of clean energy credits within the bill is so important. The Solar Industry is the biggest to benefit. The bill will extend these credits over the next five years. By some estimates, this ramping up of solar credits will catalyze $133 billion of investments by the year 2020. These investments will largely, in practice, benefit the coasts, the Sunbelt and to an extent the Great Lakes Region where the lion-share of solar projects happen. Another key factor driving up the competitiveness of clean energy is the early retirement of coal-driven plants. One of the main impediments to a clean energy economy coming online has been the legacy of coal fired plants. These plants have sat well within their natural lifecycle, not due to retire often for decades. A significant impact of the Paris Accord is to accelerate that natural lifespan. As a result, markets are already taking the cue, leading to the early retirement of plants and thus the curtailing of another natural competitor to clean energy. One of the great accomplishments of the Obama-Ryan tax law is the particular way it transforms United States energy policy and moves the Obama Climate Accord largely into domestic law. Advertisement It is, for one, a landmark Omnibus Bill, the most important one since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Unlike most of the federal legislation that we have seen since then which is narrow in scope and thus benefits a circumscribed set of interests in the country, an omnibus bill brings together diverse interests into one bill, so that the citizens and the economies of most regions benefit. Again, with reference to the Recovery Act, that legislation - despite the overwhelming 24/7 news cycle obsession with shovel ready infrastructure projects and other direct outlays of capital - was mainly a tax bill. TOPSHOT - An Afghan policeman inspects a building used by insurgents to launch an attack on the Indian consulate, in Mazar-i-Sharif on January 5, 2016. A 25-hour gun and bomb siege near the Indian consulate in the Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif ended late January 4, after all the attackers were killed, officials said. AFP PHOTO / Farshad Usyan / AFP / FARSHAD USYAN (Photo credit should read FARSHAD USYAN/AFP/Getty Images) For the people of Pakistan's restive Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, the year 2015 ended just like the past one had: on a bloody note. On Dec. 29, a bomb explosion targeting a government office killed at least 26 in Mardan, some 30 miles northwest of the provincial capital Peshawar. The breakaway Jamaat-ul-Ahrar faction of the jihadist terror group Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan has claimed responsibility for the attack. Separately, the TTP bragged about the attacks it carried out in 2015 in a year-end report, along with charts and infographics posted to its website. Regardless of which faction of the Pakistani Taliban claimed what attacks, it is clear that for Pakistan's Pashtun heartland the war against jihadist terror is not over by any means. Pakistan's army Zarb-e-Azb operation, now into its 19th month, does, however, seem to have disrupted the TTP's command and control structure and its ability to launch cohesive attacks inside Pakistan at large. Advertisement The TTP and its splinter groups might not have been able to hit a high-profile government or military target throughout the past year, but they certainly focused on the soft civilian targets, especially the beleaguered Shia sect, indicating that its cadres remain intact and lethal. Along with the bombing campaign, the low intensity but systemic targeted killings of the Shias and those belonging to the secular political outfits such as the Awami National Party, continued relentlessly. The Pakistani army has boasted of eliminating 3,400 terrorists -- a curiously precise number -- during its Zarb-e-Azb campaign. There is no independent confirmation of these figures, however, as the media is not allowed into the area of the operation, raising a flag about not just the bloated numbers of the terrorists eliminated but the whereabouts of those who might have escaped before and during the military operation. One is hard-pressed to find a single eyewitness account, even from the journalists who were taken on military-escorted tours of areas such as North Waziristan, where the thrust of the operation has been, confirming the rather tall claims by the Pakistani military's Inter-Services Public Relations. For the people of Pakistan's restive Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, the year 2015 ended just like the past one had: on a bloody note. The upsurge in the jihadist violence in Afghanistan and transient fall of the provincial capital Kunduz, and the attacks on the U.S. troops in Helmand and on the Indian consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif just as the TTP activities ebbed in Pakistan raises a concern that some, if not most, of these jihadists have been off-loaded onto the east of the Durand Line as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said at the Heart of Asia Conference on Afghanistan's future, which he jointly hosted with Pakistan, in Islamabad last month. Contrary to the Pakistani leadership framing the Wilayah Khurasan wing of the self-proclaimed Islamic State as an exclusively Afghan phenomenon, there have been reports that many TTP leaders and cadres from Pakistan have joined this ISIS affiliate, which is now operating in the region straddling the Durand Line. The rebranding of the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban as ISIS indicates that while this jihadist franchise is of Middle Eastern origin, it is recruiting locally and allows considerable operational autonomy to such affiliates. More importantly, the jihadist milieu in which such recruitment takes place still seems preserved, the operations a la Zarb-e-Azb notwithstanding. There is evidence that Pakistanis from the country's Punjab heartland are also joining ISIS ranks. Advertisement The anti-Soviet mujahideen of the 1980s morphing into Taliban and Al Qaeda in the 1990s and now mutating into the virulent ISIS becomes possible when there is a continued demand for their lethal product. Pakistan's consistent use of jihadism as a tool of statecraft and foreign policy over the past four decades has created a jihadist ecosystem which would require much more than tactical measures like the military operations it has undertaken so far. It remains to be seen whether Pakistan is willing to divest itself of its Afghan Taliban proteges and, if so, to what extent. It remains to be seen whether Pakistan is willing to divest itself of its Afghan Taliban proteges and, if so, to what extent. Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed at the Heart of Asia summit to resume the peace process, leading to negotiations with the Afghan Taliban. While the U.S. and Chinese representatives were also present at the last round of talks with the Taliban, when the news of Mullah Omar's death disrupted the exercise, the process is being formally dubbed quadrilateral this time around. International guarantees like U.S. and China do add a layer of accountability and transparency, but it is neither unprecedented in Pak-Afghan relations nor foolproof, unless the two world powers opt to make their presence felt meaningfully. The U.S. and the erstwhile Soviet Union were the formal guarantors of the 1988 Geneva Accords between Pakistan and Afghanistan, but were neither able nor willing to enforce the non-interference obligation enshrined in article II of that agreement. Going into the peace talks, Pakistan continues to provide sanctuary to the current emir or leader of the Afghan Taliban, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, as it did to his predecessor Mullah Omar and the mujahideen leadership before him. Mansoor was reportedly injured in a gunfight with a rival last month in the Kuchlak suburb of the Pakistani city Quetta, suggesting that despite all the fanfare to the contrary, Pakistan still harbors the most vicious of the Taliban elements. It is no surprise then that the Pakistan army chief General Raheel Sharif was not only acting virtually as the foreign minister of the Afghan Taliban but was rightly seen as their emissary by many Afghan political leaders when he arrived in Kabul recently to hash out the details of the starting of the negotiations. On the other hand, a senior Afghan government official told me that they are optimistic about resuming the peace process and that Pakistan for the first time has "recognized [the] centrality of the Afghan elected government and constitution" and is able to "differentiate between the reconcilable and irreconcilable ones [Taliban]" and to act against those against peace by "all available means." And therein lies the rub: scaling back from harboring the Taliban leadership near a provincial capital to actually acting against the ones unwilling to come to the negotiations table would require a considerably larger Pakistani effort than currently meets the eye. The general Afghan expectation is that there has to be a pronouncement of cease-fire by the Taliban and no new assaults come Nowruz, the Persian New Year, which sadly has marked the start of the Taliban offensives for the past decade and a half. The Afghan red line, and deadline, thus is an end to the Taliban hostilities before Mar. 21. Pakistan's wager, however, still seems to be that the Taliban would gain enough ground militarily, such as in Helmand, for them to be presented as a fait accompli to Kabul. Pakistani security collect evidence at bomb site in Mardan. A MAJEED/AFP/Getty Images. Ashraf Ghani's government has bet on Pakistan two years in a row now; it would have almost no political wiggle room at home if Pakistan reneges on its pledges yet again. The ex-spokesperson for the former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Aimal Faizi, told me that "the problem is certainly not with engaging Pakistan. As two neighbors, Kabul and Islamabad should be engaged in inter-states relations and affairs. But the problem is the lack of clarity in President Ghani's stance towards Pakistan and the confusing signals he is giving to the people of Afghanistan. For a decade, the core problem in relations between Afghanistan and the U.S. was Washington's lack of clarity towards Pakistan. Now President Ghani has seemingly joined the U.S. in this regard." The lack of clarity in the U.S. stance that the former Afghan official is alluding to is that the U.S. has not done enough to prevent Pakistan from continuing to harbor the Taliban and the Haqqani network, which attacks and kills not just Afghans but American and NATO troops as well. The U.S. certainly has a bigger role to play in the upcoming quadrilateral talks than it is willing to acknowledge. It can continue to look the other way while the assorted jihadists infiltrate from Pakistan into Afghanistan, or it can put its foot down and curtail if not end a hostile neighbor continuing to fuel the pyres in Afghanistan. China has economic stakes in Afghanistan but much bigger ones in Pakistan -- and a security alignment with that country. With Pakistan having obliged China by consistently acting against the China-oriented Uighur terrorist groups, the security question is not necessarily part of the equation for China, leaving the heavy lifting to the U.S. in the quadrilateral talks. Is the U.S. willing to undertake the responsibility for holding Pakistan's feet to a diplomatic and, in worst case scenario, a sanctions fire? The answer is, at present, no. In an election year the U.S. is unlikely to change tack, and President Barack Obama will quite likely bequeath the Afghan imbroglio to his successor. What Mr. Obama could do is to remove the caps on troops strength as his top commander in Afghanistan General John Campbell is expected to request. Advertisement The U.S. can continue to look the other way while the assorted jihadists infiltrate from Pakistan into Afghanistan, or it can put its foot down and curtail if not end a hostile neighbor continuing to fuel the pyres in Afghanistan. More importantly, the U.S. has to stop pointing to a calendar for its withdrawal dates. The Taliban and their backers love nothing more than waiting the U.S. and its allies out in Afghanistan. President Ashraf Ghani and his team, however, have the responsibility of making their case in Washington. Let's face it, the Afghans have no military or militant leverage over Pakistan, and even if they did, it would be a patently horrible idea to exercise it. With the specter of ISIS rising, the last thing a U.S. president would want to do is replicate in Afghanistan the mistakes committed in Iraq. Afghan leadership should not feel coy about having allies like India that are willing to build the parliament in Kabul and support the democratic process. Pakistan is unlikely to change its negative perception of the Indian support to Afghanistan no matter what Kabul does to assuage that as it is anchored in Islamabad's perennial desire to seek parity with India. Pakistan's army may have been willing to let the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit his counterpart in Lahore, but it has remained stubbornly averse to dismantling the India-oriented Pakistani jihadists, whom it seems to consider as force-multiplying assets against the larger eastern neighbor. The terrorist assault on the Indian air base in Pathankot this past Friday indicates that the jihadist groups still retain both the will and capability to hit India without sanction from the Pakistani state. It may be too early to say who authorized the Pathankot attack, but it clearly benefits those who risk going out of business if the peace process between India and Pakistan, jumpstarted by Modi's visit to Nawaz Sharif's ranch, goes through. Pakistan is the only country that the anti-India terrorist groups have historically operated out of, and it would be hard for the Indians not to point a finger of blame in that direction. Keeping the attack focused and its intensity rather low, unlike the 2008 Mumbai massacre, serves two purposes: it throws a spanner in the peace process and does not provoke India into a retaliatory strike, which it had pledged, and perhaps prepared for, since the Mumbai attack. Advertisement Indian army personnel leap from the rear of a truck at an air force base in Pathankot during an operation to 'sanitize' the base following an attack. NARINDER NANU/AFP/Getty Images. It appears that Pakistan may already be cognizant of the fallout from Pathankot and going into damage control mode. The umbrella group of Kashmiri jihadist groups, United Jihad Council, which is led by Pakistan-based Syed Salahuddin, has claimed responsibility for the Pathankot attack, shielding Pakistan to an extent. The attackers of the Indian consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif reportedly left a note, quite curiously in Urdu script, on a wall calling their action a revenge attack for India hanging a Kashmiri terrorist, Afzal Guru, in 2013. Two Indian consulates have been attacked in Afghanistan since Guru's hanging, but no one claimed it as retribution for his hanging. The Indian ambassador to Afghanistan, His Excellency Mr. Amar Sinha, told me that the wall-chalking "was red herring to divert attention from the real culprits as one saw in the case of Pathankot." The Indian media and analysts hold the Pakistan-based jihadist group Jaish-e-Mohammed responsible for the attack, while the Pakistanis are responding by saying that actions of individuals or even non-state groups do not amount to state-sponsored terrorism. The problem is that groups like JeM and Lashkar-e-Taiba have remained under the Pakistan army's wing for so long that the plausible deniability being invoked in that country seems abysmally farcical. The JeM leader Masood Azhar has been operating out of Bhawalpur, Pakistan to as far as Muzaffarabad in the Pakistan-held Kashmir, without any fear of prosecution or arrest throughout General Raheel Sharif's stint despite the latter's declaration that he'd vanquish terrorism in the year 2016. Chances are slim to none that Pakistan's powerful military will allow normalization of relations with India, for it perceives such normalization as a recipe for forgetting the Kashmir problem, which to it is the core issue and "the unfinished agenda of Partition." Whether or not Kashmir is a core issue to Pakistanis at large, it certainly is the army's trope to justify its existence and appropriation of the lion's share of country's resources. Advertisement The onus is on Pakistan to prove that it is part of the solution in Afghanistan, not the cause of the problem there -- and not a constant pain in the India side. While pledging peace with India, the Pakistani political leadership cannot do much without the blessings of the country's powerful army. There is a possibility that under the international, especially the U.S., pressure, some form of legal proceedings could be initiated against Syed Salahuddin and/or Maulana Masood Azhar, but I don't hold my breath for any convictions or extradition. After all, the LeT's Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi has been in and out of prison in Pakistan since allegedly masterminding the 2008 Mumbai massacre. The U.S.-based scholar Arif Jamal notes in his book on the LeT that Lakhvi even sired a son while in prison. In contrast, Aqeel alias Dr. Usman who attacked the Pakistani GHQ was hanged and his hanging video leaked by, likely Pakistani authorities, while Lakhvi has been afforded a never-ending due process. This time around the Pakistani civilian leadership is pledging to cooperate with India and act on the leads provided by them to apprehend the Indian air base attackers. Whether a Pathankot attacker or planner is tried and punished by a Pakistani court in a timely manner would be the test of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's capacity to deliver the Indo-Pak peace. Sharif's intentions for peace have never been moot, but his ability to deliver on the pledges is sketchy at best. The onus is on Pakistan to prove that it is part of the solution in Afghanistan, not the cause of the problem there -- and not a constant pain in the India side. But in South Asia there is many a slip betwixt cup and the lip. It remains to be seen whether Pakistan will correct its course, or continue to back those who attack the Afghan parliament and Indian military and civilian installations. Advertisement Also on WorldPost: As a proud, responsible gun owner, I paid close attention to the president's speech outlining his executive actions on guns and studied the written proposal put forth by the White House carefully, and I can't NOT support them. I realize this may not make me popular with some gun owners, and I realize there is deep distrust of President Obama and his use of executive action. Simply put, I've always believed in being a responsible ambassador for the Second Amendment, a right that I hold dear; and, thus, I believe responsible gun owners MUST be the loudest voices for universal background checks and addressing the mental health crisis we face in this country, which form the crux of the president's proposals. My views on this issue have been strongly influenced by my work with students in the wake of school shootings over the years. I would challenge anyone, especially fellow gun owners, to spend time with these survivors. They all have the same, haunted look in their eyes, one that frequently keeps me up at night. I would challenge anyone to listen to their stories, experience their pain and then go back the next year and the next, and see how profoundly they are affected and then do it all over again for the next school -- you'll feel the same way I do. Universal background checks should be a no-brainer. Guns should not change hands without a background check. I cannot give my car to my children without filing a form with the DMV, and no one complains about that burden, nor do they suggest it's a veiled attempt to de-car America. Ronald Reagan, a conservative hero, wrote poignantly in 1991 that if background checks and waiting periods impacted gun deaths by as little as 10 to 15 percent, it should be the law of the land. In enacting universal background checks, Congress must fund improvements to the system and make it easy for a law abiding gun owner to transfer a gun to another law abiding citizen. It's also critically important that those who believe their Second Amendment right is wrongly infringed to have their day in Court and have a Judge review any administrative determination prohibiting them from owning a gun. Advertisement I also believe background checks should be streamlined for law-abiding citizens. A universal and robust background check process would show that responsible gun ownership is possible. Surveys show most Americans support responsible, law-abiding citizens purchasing a gun. I have always believed that expanding access to mental health services is a national imperative. Too often, quality mental health care is a privilege of rich Americans who can pay cash, and for too long we've done nothing. It's time to do something -- we must ensure broad access to mental health services and collectively work to erase the stigma that people with mental illness face daily. We also have to get past the meaningless rhetoric. Eliminating gun-free zones -- like schools and some government buildings -- is an impractical solution to our mass shooting crisis. (I believe the best defense is a trained, sworn, armed school resource officer in every school -- whatever the cost. Our children's safety is priceless.) Ultimately proposals like this distract from the real issue at hand: It's dangerous allowing people to acquire guns without a background check. Advertisement We can solve this problem in a way that protects society and the right to bear arms. It will require crossing the aisle and compromising. It will require both sides sitting down and agreeing we all want the same thing -- for our children and loved ones to be safe. We all agree criminals and the mentally ill should not own guns. Somehow, we have become a society where 20 elementary school kids getting slaughtered is the cost of doing business. That's not okay with me as a human being, much less a responsible gun owner. We must find a way to discuss difficult issues like this and solve our common problems. Currently, we have a "Fox vs. MSNBC" paradigm in this country in which we scorn compromise and unity. Every night, when I go to sleep, I worry what (horrible tragedy) will wake us up as Americans -- not Democrats or Republicans, Americans. We can do better. If you look at all the ads, the rhetoric, it's all about how divisive we can be, how strong a line in the sand we can draw to have our way. We cannot be this divisive when the safety of our greatest treasures are at stake -- our children. Today I'm pleading with my fellow gun owners to join with me being a part of the solution. This is common sense, and, ultimately, the best way to advance and protect the Second Amendment right we hold dear. Blue sea and white sand beach with beach chairs and parasol at Samed island, Thailand - holiday and vocation concepts When I was a young girl, I decided that I would get married in the Triangle Church, which was actually entitled, St. Albans Congregational Church, in St. Albans, Queens. I was not a member of this church nor was my family but I just thought it was so beautiful that someday, I would have my wedding there. I have always been big on deciding what I want to happen, seeing it in my minds eye and then manifesting it through repeating my desires and visualizing. It sounds hokey but I later put this into action through vision boards and I find it amazing that this process truly works. I also decided that I wanted to honeymoon in the Poconos. When I reflect back on the latter choice, it makes me smile because my dreams were not solidified in terms of international travel. I had been to Canada and Aruba but my travel ideas were still small. Advertisement When it was time for me to marry, after meeting my wonderful husband while we were both students at Yale University, soon after we graduated, I fulfilled my dream of having a beautiful wedding in the Triangle Church. As we planned for the wedding, I shared with my best friend at the time, the Poconos honeymoon idea. She laughed and said, "You can't honeymoon in the Poconos. You should go to the Caribbean. You don't have to go far. What about the Bahamas? That will be so romantic." That definitely seemed like a great idea so I shared it with my then fiance and he loved it. The plan was on. We chose Nassau, as it was a popular spot, and once again I was dreaming of crystal blue water, white sand beaches and the joy of traveling internationally. Our wedding was beautiful, followed by a lovely reception, which included all of our family and friends, a champagne fountain and other libations, delicious food, a lovely cake and gifts galore. I was now Mrs. Rose, a married woman, and off to my honeymoon with a young man whom I loved with all my heart. We arrived at the airport, with luggage in hand and excitement beyond my imagination, ready to check in and board our plane (there was no TSA then). However, upon proceeding to check in for our flight, we were advised that the rules had changed ten days earlier. We needed a passport, birth certificate or baptismal record, or another form of ID, none of which we had on us. This situation was unbelievable! We called our travel agent (yes, they were very active then -- no online bookings) and he panicked advising that he had forgotten about this change and said he'd re-book us to fly out the next day. Immediately, I began to cry, comforted by my husband and we left the airport. I called my mother and my best friend Valerie, who tried to console me. Valerie rushed to my mother's house and they had all of our wedding gifts on display on my mother's dining room table, for us to open, when I arrived in an effort to try and bring back some joy. My mother had my birth certificate ready for me. Advertisement My husband's hometown was in Connecticut, in a small city called Norwich. We would have to drive there (It would take us 2.5 hours). When he called his parents, they told him they could not find his birth certificate in their house. They would have to go to their church (they were Catholic) to get his baptismal certificate. We headed there with earnest. I was a bit calmer because all seemed resolved and my husband assured me that our honeymoon would be just as wonderful, a day later. We arrived at his parent's home and he went to the church with his mother. To make a long story short, they came back about an hour later and Jeff's mother was in tears. My husband had a look of shock on his face. It turns out that there was some confusion in locating his baptismal certificate at the church when the priest couldn't find it. Jeff's mother then recalled that the reason was because the priest should look under a different last name. My husband was surprised and confused and then it happened. They found it and he learned that the man who had raised him for his entire life, was not his natural father. He was his adopted father! This indeed was a shocker and the details of this entire story will be revealed soon, through a video series in progress, but you can imagine the shock that my husband and I were in. Now, not only was our honeymoon delayed by a day but, my husband had to come to terms with the fact that the father who had loved him and raised him, was not his natural father and that everyone in his immediate and extended family knew and never told him out of love for him. His adopted father had been so good to him that my husband never had a hint that he wasn't his natural born son. So, we went on our honeymoon to the Bahamas, my second and my husband's first international journey, now in a state of quasi-shock and madly in love. It was a wonderful honeymoon! We stayed at the Nassau Beach Hotel, which was lovely. We carried a basket with us, that was given to us as a wedding present by one of my husband's many, aunts. In it was a bottle of Dom Perignon (liquids were allowed to be carried on the plane at that time), two crystal champagne glasses, a beautiful and tasteful negligee and a lovely card. We enjoyed every drop of the champagne, in the Bahamas on our first night, and forgot about what we would have to face when we returned home, as I knew that my husband would want to find his real father at some point, which he ultimately did. It turns out that his real father was the first Black President of a college in the Northeast (that's another story, altogether) and they have remained in contact with each other until this day. He's a very nice person and we have all enjoyed getting to know him and his wife over many years. So once again, another international journey for this naturalista led to an intriguing story that made the experience exceptionally interesting. We remember the Bahamas so fondly because of all it meant to us--the beginning of our life together and a new discovery that would change our lives forever. While in the Bahamas, we went to the straw market, ate delicious food, swam in the crystal blue waters and enjoyed every moment of our beautiful honeymoon in a place that I recommend as a "must do." We returned to the Bahamas for our 17th wedding anniversary and stayed at a nearby hotel and we visited the Nassau Beach Hotel which was still as lovely as it was the first time. Recently, we celebrated our 30th anniversary in Paris in November. We made it home just before the tragedy that occurred in Paris on November 13, 2015. But that's another story to be shared in an upcoming post. Stay tuned for that! Below are some tips on how you can begin your travel journey, if you have not already, which I hope you will find useful. Tips will follow throughout this travel series, with more detail each time. Travel Tips: 1.Create a Vision Board Visualize where you would like to travel in the world. Speak this desire to everyone you know, whenever the opportunity arises. Create a vision board which includes a picture of you standing in the place where you want to go. Look at it often. Write on the vision board, "I am happy and grateful that I am now happily in... (the Bahamas as an example). Then believe it and achieve it! 2.Pack your suitcase Once you decide on the destination that you want to travel, research the weather, pick a date and pack your suitcase with the basic items of clothing that you will need for the trip. Once you pack your suitcase, then your mind knows that you are going and you are on your way to manifestation. Always pack lightly when you actually travel, particularly now, with TSA in place. If you can bring your suitcase as a carryon, that is always better to avoid lost luggage. Advertisement 3.Prepare to Travel Under TSA Guidelines First, update yourself on the TSA guidelines as they do change. The basics that I suggest is, naturalistas, where your hair in a simple do. Your hair may be subject to a pat down, which is totally frustrating but it can happen. Where shoes that are simple to take off, avoid wearing a belt and basically -- just keep it simple. 4.Leave a Copy of your Passport behind with Family/Loved Ones It's always a good idea to make a copy of your passport and leave it behind with family along with your itinerary (address and telephone number of where you will be staying and any other important details), just in case. 5.Change Currency Before you go or Outside of the Airport/Your Hotel Often times, currency exchange rates are higher at the airport or at your hotel. If possible, acquire your international currency through your bank or at a currency exchange location outside of your hotel once you arrive at your destination. There should be many currency exchange locations, in the country you are visiting, which post the daily rate, which enables you to choose the best possible rate. Monday and Tuesday New York's two tabloids, The Daily News and The Post, each reported on the order signed by Judge Edward Korman, reducing former Colombo Family captain Greg Scarpa Jr's. 40 year sentence by 10 years. Korman's action effectively vindicated Scarpa Jr. who helped the FBI in 2005 to uncover a cache of high explosives buried in a crawl space beneath the Herington Kansas home of convicted Oklahoma City bomber Terry Nichols, a spot Bureau investigators missed during a search of the premises ten years earlier. But the News and Post pieces didn't even hint at the extraordinary level of cooperation from the son of Greg Scarpa Sr., the murderous Colombo Family capo chronicled in my latest book "Deal With The Devil." Advertisement In fact, Junior first risked his life in 1996 in a sting of World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Yousef, which, if properly acted upon by the FBI, could have led to the capture of Yousef's uncle Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) and derailed the 9/11 "planes as missiles" plot. I first told that story in my 2004 HarperCollins investigative book "Cover Up" and offered additional details in a 2009 piece for PLAYBOY magazine titled, "The Chilling Effect." As I reported back then, the Feds, led by former Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, later characterized Junior's eleven month sting of Yousef in a Manhattan federal jail as a "hoax" and a "scam," despite dozens of FBI 302 memos documenting the intelligence initiative. In fact, one of the 302's contained intel that KSM was then hiding out in Doha, Qatar. Once the Bureau identified his presence there, the FBI's elite Hostage Rescue Team was dispatched to the Qatari capital for the takedown. Advertisement But they were told to cool their heels in a hotel while the Qataris "put the handcuffs on" KSM. Then, a day later, when the agents finally went to a safe house where KSM had been hiding, he had already fled to the Czech Republic, using the alias Mustafa al Nasir. JUDGE REFUSES TO BELIEVE SCARPA JR. COOPERATED Despite the quality of Junior's intel, which the Feds clearly took seriously, Judge Reena Raggi -- herself a former AUSA -- seemed to buy the "scam" story during Greg Jr.'s 1998 trial for racketeering and drug sales. At his sentencing, though not specifically finding that he'd engaged in a hoax, she nonetheless hit him with a 482 month (40 year) sentence. That despite the fact that the younger Scarpa had never been convicted of a single murder and his own father who had "stopped counting" after 50 homicides, got a virtual wrist slap sentence of 10 years from Jack B. Weinstein another judge in the same judicial district. Over the years successive judges refused to grant Junior any "downward release" time until Korman became aware of his role in the OK City sting. Advertisement That happened in 2005 in the month's prior to the 10th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. As detailed in "Triple Cross," the third book in my HarperCollins 9/11 trilogy Scarpa Jr. found himself in an cell adjacent to Nichols, convicted (with Timothy McVeigh) in the 1995 bombing of The Murrah Federal Building which claimed 168 lives; including 19 infants and children. Concocting the kind of plot you'd see in a film thriller and undeterred by the losing hand the Feds had already dealt him, Greg Jr. mounted a second sting; this time learning from Nichols that the FBI had missed those explosives. Now, on the upcoming 10th anniversary of the bombing, Nichols told Scarpa Jr. he was concerned that "others unknown" involved in the plot, might find them and use them. This is a link to that story -- one that proved so embarrassing that Fitzgerald himself mounted a 20 month campaign to kill the hardcover edition of "Triple Cross" and keep the paperback from publication. He was unsuccessful, the First Amendment prevailed and the trade paper edition was published in 2009 followed by a HuffPost in which I challenged Fitzgerald to "put up or shut up;" either bring suit or apologize for his baseless claims. Advertisement He did neither. But in 2012 after Scarpa Jr. had been moved from the Supermax to a prison in the midwest, I was able to conduct a series of interviews with him for "Deal With The Devil," which yielded... AN ASTONISHING DETAIL IN THE NICHOLS STING During those interview sessions the younger Scarpa told me something that had never before been made public: that he had learned the details of the explosives' location with such precision because the sinks in his cell and Nichol's cell at the Supermax had been installed back to back. Demonstrating the same uncanny ingenuity he'd employed in the Yousef sting, Junior figured out that if he and the OK City bomber used toilet rolls to "blow out" the water from the U-shaped traps beneath each sink, "We could talk to each other like we were on cell phones." WRITING TO JUDGE KORMAN ON GREG JR.'S BEHALF In 2012, ten years after Greg Jr. had first filed a habeas corpus motion for "downward release," I sent this letter to Judge Korman. It was lodged as an exhibit in Greg Jr's federal case file on November 20th. In the letter I described the 1996 Yousef sting in detail; noting that Scarpa Jr.'s material "not only confirmed the presence of an active al Qaeda cell in New York City but warned of a plot by al Qaeda to hijack planes to free the blind Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman convicted in the Landmarks plot in 1995. Advertisement "That same threat was considered such actionable intelligence that it turned up in the infamous Crawford Texas PDB (Presidential Daily Briefing) to President George W. Bush in early August 2001, just weeks before the 9/11 attacks." THE A.P. CONFIRMS EXPLOSIVES FIND Regarding the Nichols sting I sent the judge a pair of articles from the Associated Press, the first piece was by former Washington A.P. Bureau Chief John Solomon, whom I'd contacted after the efforts by investigator Angel Clemente were spurned by the Feds. The campaign by Ms. Clemente along with her associate, the late Dr. Stephen Dresch, then caught the attention of Congressmen Dana Rhorabacher (R-CA) and William Delahunt (D-MA). The pressure they brought caused the Bureau to take the Scarpa/Nichols intel seriously and the explosive were located precisely where Junior had said they'd be; a fact reported in a second A.P. story on April 14th, 2005 by reporter Mark Sherman. In my letter to Judge Korman I went on to write: "As a veteran journalist covering organized crime, it is absolutely unprecedented in my experience, to find a "made" member of an LCN family who was so willing to risk his own life vs. terrorists in not just one instance, but two. Advertisement "Further, many of the crimes that Junior was convicted of in 1998 were executed on his father's orders at a time when his father was operating as a virtual agent provocateur for the FBI. "So while the "authorization" defense may have been spurned by Judge Reena Raggi at Junior's trial in 1998, In Triple Cross I reveal compelling new evidence proving that John Napoli, the DOJ's principal source for the "hoax" story - patently denied that he told the FBI that the "Scarpa materials" were a fabrication. "Thus, I believe Scarpa Jr. deserves serious consideration for his 2255 motion. If you can examine this evidence your Honor you could help close one of the darkest chapters in the history of the FBI and the Justice Department - the period described by the late Judge Gustin Reichbach in his dismissal of murder charges vs. ex SSA Lin DeVecchio in 2007 as "a deal with the devil." TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR GREG JR. But in his 10 year reduction of that four decade sentence, Junior, now 64, still won't be eligible for parole until 2025 when he'll be 84 and as Judge Korman admitted in his order, "Scarpa is suffering from Stage IV nasopharyngeal squamous cell cancer for which he has had multiple surgeries and has undergone chemotherapy and radiation treatments." Noting that "The relative five year survival rate for a person with this type of cancer is thirty-eight percent," it's unlikely that despite the sentence reduction Greg Jr. will ever see the light of day outside prison. Advertisement That result is particularly troubling since Judge Korman declared in his order that the Assistant U.S. Attorney who, for years, fought Jr.'s release under Rule 35(b) relied on "faulty and inaccurate information provided by the FBI to deny Scarpa sentencing relief based on his substantial assistance." Further, it comes on the heels of my months long investigation into the apparent failure of Tampa federal Judge Susan Bucklew to find ex-Gambino associate and multiple murderer John Alite in violation of her five-year order of "Supervised Release" despite prima facie evidence he'd repeatedly violated the order. The evidence, sent to Judge Bucklew September 8th, prompted an investigation by the Newark branch of The U.S. Probation Office, but their findings and any action by Judge Bucklew to enforce her own order remain matters of secrecy which the Feds refuse to disclose. DISPARITY IN THE TREATMENT OF COOPERATORS That double standard in the way "cooperating" former Mafia members and associates are treated is underscored in Judge Korman's order when he writes: "Significantly, the U.S. Attorney for The Eastern District repeatedly, in the ordinary course, accepts cooperation -- and credits cooperation -- from defendants who are guilty of the most serious criminal conduct and who have lied in the course of cooperation." Advertisement At the end of his order Judge Korman also acknowledges that "the prison facility at which Scarpa is incarcerated advises that Scarpa has been an extraordinarily model prisoner." Thus, one wonders, given his own recognition of Scarpa Jr.'s "substantial assistance" and the death sentence from cancer he's facing, why Judge Korman couldn't have seen his way to knock another 10 years off that 40 year sentence, making Greg Scarpa Jr. eligible for parole immediately? Regarding Junior, the judge notes that "assuming he lives that long, he will have served the maximum sentence for his conviction for RICO conspiracy to commit murder -- the most serious offense for which he was sentenced." But John Alite has been driving around New York and New Jersey in a convertible after pleading guilty to far more violent crimes and his testimony at John A. "Junior" Gotti's fourth trial was so lacking in credibility that the jury deadlocked after refusing to believe him. THE SINS OF THE FATHER Therefore I suspect that's there's more at work here than the simple administration of justice. Greg Scarpa Sr. only served 30 days in jail during a 40 year career of murder, mayhem, drug dealing and racketeering -- thanks to his status as a Top Echelon Criminal Informant. Advertisement His hyper-violent behavior along with the duplicity of the FBI in keeping him on the street is documented in The Introduction to "Deal With The Devil," which was excerpted by salon.com If you read it you'll see that the story of Greg, "the Mad Hatter" Scarpa Senior makes the Whitey Bulger scandal in Boston seem like a Disney movie in comparison. The Feds protected him and years later they were embarrassed by the disclosure. By now you may be sensing that if there's one thing the Justice Department hates, it's being embarrassed. So while the Book of Exodus declares that it is a "jealous God" who "visits the iniquities of the father upon his son," it's clear to me that Junior, who risked his life not once, but twice to protect this country, has now become a victim of the DOJ's wrath. As to the guilt he feels, this is what Greg Jr. told me in one of our final interviews: "My father ruined my life and the lives of my brothers and sisters. He put a mark on my name that I'll have to live with forever. He was "the Grim Reaper," but he was still my father. Would I follow him again? Never. Would I break the law for him? Absolutely not. Do I pray each day for the people he killed and the bodies he had buried? You bet. He got to renounce this life at his sentencing, and I renounced it a long time ago. I carry around a huge amount of remorse." Advertisement "You've got 10 minutes," said the President of Mission Blue. She guided me to Dr. Earle (known as "Her Deepness" at the New York Times), who smiled at me as I sat down. "I'll make this quick," I said, opening my notebook. "You were the rapporteur for the 2012 People's Summit at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, or Rio+20, where you had a major role in promoting ocean conservation. So my question is, why isn't ocean conservation on the agenda for COP21?" Advertisement The Doctor grinned. "I'm not the right person to ask, because I'm asking the same question. It's baffling," she said. "At the conference, the headline was, 'What is the future we want?' That's still the question. We have the answers, but we're a little slow at putting those answers to work." Le Petit Palais, site of the Earth to Paris summit, December 7, 2015. (Photo Credit: Pierce Nahigyan) If you're a fan of the ocean, and a semi-decent reporter, you do your best to wipe the stars out of your eyes when Sylvia Earle looks your way. The woman possesses an uncanny aura, as if all that time spent under the ocean has altered her chemical structure. She speaks like the ocean, soft and sure, and yet the words are as trenchant as the tides. I was fortunate enough to speak to her this past month at the Earth to Paris summit held in conjunction with the Paris Climate Talks, or COP21. Humans v. Elephants "We know what to do," said Dr. Earle. "We must find alternatives to the burning of fossil fuel. Fossil fuels have gotten us to the point where we have transportation that is unprecedented, we have food that is unprecedented, we have communications that are unprecedented. But the greatest gift that we have from these assets is the knowledge that we have to change." Advertisement Dr. Sylvia Earle has been working in the ocean longer than just about anybody, and she has the resume to prove it. The former Chief Scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Dr. Earle is the founder of the Sylvia Earle Alliance, Mission Blue, the Chair of the Advisory Council of the Harte Institute, leader of the NGS Sustainable Seas Expeditions and is a National Geographic Society Explorer in Residence. In addition to her PhD from Duke University, she holds 27 honorary degrees and has authored more than 200 scientific, technical and popular publications, including 13 books. She's led 100 expeditions and logged more than 7,000 hours underwater. Where the ocean is concerned, the lady knows whereof she speaks. Pierce Nahigyan with Dr. Sylvia Earle at the Earth to Paris summit, Dec. 7, 2015. (Photo Credit: Ariane Sims) To Earle, the problem facing the planet is not merely that of climate change, but the lack of accountability to human actions in general. Pollution, the destruction of ecosystems, the loss of biodiversity, and the ignorance that perpetuates this chaos, is not a sustainable business model for the human race. Not if it wants to survive. "Throughout all of human history, we have taken, taken, taken, from the natural world," said Dr. Earle. "All creatures, however large or small, do this as a way of making a living. Humans, though, have gone way beyond what elephants have done to the planet or what birds or what any fish in the sea is capable of doing." Ignoring the Oceans Before our time was up, I asked Dr. Earle if ocean acidification and ocean warming receive less attention than deforestation because their symptoms are not as visible to the naked eye. Advertisement "Part of the problem is that what the ocean delivers to us is not as celebrated," she said. "You can't see oxygen being generated by trees, carbon dioxide being taken up by trees, but we get that. We're beginning to understand the importance of forests. But the ocean has its forests, too. They just happen to be very small. They're very small in size but they're very large in numbers." Half of the coral reefs are still in pretty good shape around the world, she said, though the other half is dead or dying. Meanwhile, deep-sea mining is on the horizon "to essentially clear-cut the deep ocean," she warned. Drs. Sylvia Earle (left) and Jane Goodall (center) speaking at Earth to Paris. (Photo Credit: Nicole Landers) The Good News "With our technological capacity, we are literally destroying the very systems that keep us alive," said Earle. "The good news is, for the first time in all of our history, children are growing up in a world where we know what we're doing to the planet." In her discussion with Jane Goodall earlier that morning, Dr. Earle concluded by telling the audience that we all have the power to do something. As a parting question, I asked Her Deepness how people can exercise that power on a personal level. "Look in the mirror," she said to me. "What is your power? You're using it right now. You're communicating, you're taking what you can do as a magnifying voice for things you care about. Well, everyone can do some of that. We have new ways of every voice being heard." Advertisement For years we have been told that corn ethanol was a "bridge" to more advanced biofuels that would be better for the environment. Similarly, we were sold the bill of goods claiming that natural gas would provide a "bridge" to a clean renewable energy future. But the bridges turned out not to be bridges, and after billions of wasted dollars untold destruction and distraction, it is time to redirect our efforts towards a different kind of bridge building. The Corn Bridge In 2007 the "Energy Independence and Security Act" was passed, mandating up to 36 billion gallons of biofuel consumption in the USA. The mandate demanded that, between 2009 and 2022, a gradual increase in biofuel consumption, up to 36 billion gallons, including varying proportions from "conventional" corn ethanol, "cellulosic", "advanced" and "biomass based diesel" fuels. Over time each category was to increase such that, by 2022 ultimately, 21 of the total 36 billion gallons would consist of biofuels made from "non food" biomass. As corn prices skyrocketed in response to the ethanol mandate, the impacts of vast new demand for corn fuel ricocheted through the global commodity markets. Riots ensued when people could no longer afford to eat. Water resources like the crucial Oglalla aquifer dwindled under pressure. A massive uptick in fertilizer and agrichemical use for corn production washed into rivers and streams, ultimately expanding coastal dead zones and further tipping the nitrogen balance out of whack, driving monarch butterflies and countless other species to the brink. Conservation Reserve Program lands were plowed under to make way for corn. But don't worry, we were told by government policymakers and industry, this is just a bridge. Soon we will have new cellulosic and advanced fuels made from "non food" biomass and all those problems will magically dissappear. Poof! Advertisement Absurdly, when the 2007 mandate was passed, we had never even produced advanced biofuels commercially before. Since then, we still haven't managed significant commercial production. Certainly not enough to fulfill the mandate. One after another, advanced biofuel companies, like Kior, for example, or Range Fuels, for another, have proclaimed success, gobbled up massive amounts of subsidies and then filed for bankruptcy. Meanwhile there is a dawning realization that producing massive quantities of biomass - be it for food or any other purpose - takes a huge toll on our lands, climate and human rights. The EPA, charged with the unenviable task of implementing the biofuel mandate, has responded by expanding corn ethanol's overall contribution and diminishing the contribution of cellulosic fuels. This past year, in a bizarre endgame under pressure from an oil industry rightfully flummoxed by the legal requirement to mix nonexistent fuels into their brew, EPA found a way out. They miraculously created a 10-fold increase in the amount of cellulosic fuel available, simply by changing the definition to include "renewable compressed or liquified gas". Unfortunately, most of that is derived from landfills, which must be maintained (a market for perpetuating waste) and operated specifically to generate methane, (which leaks, along with a number of other toxic gases). From January to June of 2015, EPA reported 971,527 gallons of cellulosic fuel and 48,458,197 gallons of landfill gas fuel. The end of the corn "bridge" appears now to be headed straight into the landfill muck. The Gas Bridge At the same time as the corn bridge fiasco has unfolded, another fairytale bridge has been under construction. Natural gas, we were told, would serve as a "bridge" to cleaner, non fossil, renewable energy. Behind the veil of that rhetoric, fracking expanded dramatically and pipelines and infrastructure for natgas consumption were constructed. Then people living in the frack zones started to get sick, found their drinking water taps exploding into flames, and started to fight back furiously. Studies revealed the toxic mess that fracking has meanwhile created, and the astonishing amount of leakage from wells and infrastructure that has, it turns out, been sending a deluge of methane into our dangerously ailing atmosphere. Case in point is the current news from California, where a gas storage well at the Porter Ranch just outside L.A. is being referred to as "a global disaster" and "the worst environmental disaster since the BP oil spill." So far 2200 families have been displaced and as many as 5000 families have filed for help as they struggle with the health impacts of exposure to the gas. The leak has thus far spewed an estimated 73,000 metric tons of methane into the atmosphere, and continues unabated. The piece of pipe that is leaking has been located and efforts are underway to seal it, but apparently doing so could take months. Meanwhile, methane, among the most potent of greenhouse gases, continues to flow. Advertisement The gas leaking in California is coming from a storage well that is fed by a network of old and leaky pipelines. In fact we are learning that there are some 400 such underground gas storage facilities around the U.S., and they are essentially exempted from federal regulation. Many are old, leaky and could erupt into similar disasters. Meanwhile, the fracking boom in Oklahoma has left areas of that state so astonishingly pock marked with drilling sites and wastewater injection wells that the earth is groaning and shifting with earthquakes. Concerns are mounting that the quakes are a "threat to national security" as they could disrupt one of the largest crude oil storage facilities in the country - yet another potentially monumental ecological disaster waiting to happen, and ultimately related to fracking, and the "bridge" fuel. Such "accidents" are on track to contribute more greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere than any Paris climate agreement, with its' "intended nationally determined contributions" can or likely ever will address. Especially troubling is that the IPCC determined that the global warming potential of methane (natural gas) is actually 40 percent higher (over a 100 year period) than previously assumed. The natural gas "bridge" appears to be leading us over a cliff, with fugitive emissions and mounting disasters. In Vermont, where I live, we like our bridges solid, preferably covered, aesthetically pleasing, and clearly leading from one side of the creek to the other. We banned fracking in our state after witnessing the impacts on neighboring New York and Pennsylvania. But since then, a battle has been raging against a proposed natural gas pipeline owned by Gaz Metro and its subsidiary, Vermont Gas. The pipeline would carry fracked gas across the state. It was initially planned to extend an existing line further down state, and then a branch would pass under Lake Champlain and connect to the Ticonderoga paper mill in New York State. When first proposed and approved, the project costs were estimated to be in the neighborhood of 86 million. Later it was announced that it would in reality cost quite a lot more, more like 122 million. Then in 2014 the costs were even further upgraded to 154 million. Overall an 80% increase in costs. The state is left to determine just how much of those cost overruns would be acceptable, and whether or not ratepayers, or the company, should foot the bill in the long run. The regulatory process in Vermont requires that the project meet some criteria as a "public good", which is hotly contested, to say the least, with ongoing spirited protests and rallies organized by a broad alliance of groups including Rising Tide Vermont, Just Power, 350Vermont, Vermont Public Interest Group, Toxics Action Center and others. Some families living along the pathway of the proposed pipeline are resisting with feisty determination, unwilling to host potentially dangerous fracked gas pipes in their yards, farms and fields. Just in the past week protesters entirely disrupted an eminent domain pre-hearing by singing. A December 17th letter delivered to the governor and key decision makers was signed by more than 160 Vermont businesses and leaders including Bill McKibben, Ben and Jerry's, and a host of others. Signatures are now being collected for an even broader solidarity letter. Vermonters interrupted their Governor, Peter Shumlin when he spoke on a panel at the Paris climate negotiations, calling on him to demonstrate his true colors as a champion of the climate by withdrawing his support for more fossil fuel infrastructure. In sum: opposition to the tracked gas pipeline plan in Vermont is broad and strong! Advertisement The Vermont pipeline battle is not occurring in isolation. Like the high profile battle against the Keystone XL pipeline, each piece of the pipeline is but part of a connected network designed by the oil and gas industry to fulfill their desire to carry oil/gas/coal from source of extraction to market, including transport to ports for export (so we can profit from enabling others to build their own bridges to nowhere). The Vermont pipeline is ultimately aimed to provide access to cheap gracked gas from the Marcellus Shale and other Eastern U.S. plays. Neighboring Quebec also is a player, with growing demand and expanding LNG export capacity. Pipelines are now being proposed and opposed throughout New England. People are teaming up, trading stories and skill sharing, supporting each other and building solidarity and momentum. As 2015 comes to a close and the applause dies down and dust settles in the wake of the Paris climate negotiations, it's a good time for a reality check. All of the negotiated agreements in the world will be meaningless if we continue to play make believe, ignore common sense and cater to moneyed interests. Fossil fuel infrastructure, be it for gas, oil or coal, is an absolutely suicidal long term investment. So is investing in expanding industrial corn production, cutting down forests to burn for electricity, or turning our landfills into methane farms, while also trying to feed an expanding population and prevent further biodiversity collapse. It is time to put an end to building costly misguided bridges to nowhere. If we are going to invest in bridge building, let's make sure we know where they are coming from, and where we want them to lead to. With all we are facing, from rapidly escalating weather extremes to proliferating wars and conflict displacing millions from their homes and homelands, to collapsing oceans and ecosystem support systems, to communities stressed by poverty and inequality and in disarray under a police state, perhaps the bridges we really need most to invest in span from neighbor to neighbor, community to community, Black to white, Christian to Muslim and nation to nation. Advertisement In a landmark development, President Obama has used his executive authority to expand gun-related background checks. The executive orders aim at closing the existing loopholes in the federal law which allows even convicted felons to buy dangerous ammunition from sellers who do not require criminal background checks. Given how polarized the entire issue of gun control has become, the reaction to his decision has ranged from jubilation from the gun control advocates to allegations of usurpation of fundamental freedom by the gun right lobby. Some have also criticized Obama for overstepping authority and indulging in what could be called "Presidential overreach." Allegations of "disrespecting" the constitution of USA as well as the mandate of the elected house of representatives, are also being levied by leading Republican politicians including Presidential candidates like Ted Cruz, Trump, Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush. Advertisement Was such a step essential? Shouldn't Obama have avoided an executive action to implement such measures? Frankly, Obama had no choice because the entire gun control issue has been completely hijacked by the gun rights lobby which has been able to prevent even minor legislation at the federal level, despite the fact that a majority of the population has always supported greater gun control, particularly stronger background checks. Immediately after the Sandy Hook massacre, the proposal to expand background checks had support of over 90% and yet the proposal got defeated in the Democratic-controlled senate. The gun lobby has been effective for three major reasons. First, institutional structure of the U.S. is conducive to strengthening groups like the National Rifle Association (NRA). The U.S. has a presidential system in which legislative and executive authorities are separate. Compared to the parliamentary system, the presidential system is less efficient and has several veto points. This slows down the legislative process and often changes are just incremental in nature. Moreover, the party discipline is also relatively weaker in such systems which allow powerful interest groups to influence individual legislators who can actually go against their own party. In 2013, 15 Democratic members voted against the proposal to ban assault weapons and five voted against proposal to expand background checks. Even in 1994, when President Clinton was able to push through a ten-year ban on assault weapons, the margin of victory was extremely slim (216-214) in the House of Representatives despite the fact that at that time Democrats were in a comfortable majority. At that time also, several Democratic members violated party discipline and voted against the bill. For any gun control legislation to pass, even if it is of a minor effect, Democrats have to be in control of all three branches of the government and in a very comfortable majority, something which in recent times has not been the case. Advertisement Second, the NRA is very well organized compared to its rival group. Its budget as well as membership dwarfs that of Brady Campaign, its major rival interest group. Moreover, a majority of NRA members are "single-issue" voters. This gives the NRA a huge advantage and allows it to influence individual senators and house representatives. In fact, President Obama is fully cognizant of this and that is why after the Oregon mass shooting he made the following plea: "You have to make sure that anybody who you are voting for is on the right side of this issue. And if they're not, even if they're great on other stuff, for a couple of election cycles you've got to vote against them, and let them know precisely why you're voting against them. And you just have to, for a while, be a single-issue voter because that's what is happening on the other side." Third, the NRA has always been able to deflect the issue, frame it to their advantage and also come up with a very effective counter narrative. For example, its proposal for expansion of background checks in 2013, was by no stretch of imagination an attempt to curtail right to bear arms. It was merely aiming to prevent some kind of people (felons to be precise) from purchasing arms. In fact, if rightly viewed, it would have actually protected the gun rights of genuine law-abiding gun enthusiasts by preventing misuse of their passion by the criminal elements. Yet, the NRA was able to frame it as a "threat" to the Second Amendment and civil rights. It was able to convince a small but determined set of gun owners that proposal for background checks was the first step towards ultimate confiscation of guns. Likewise, in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook massacre, the NRA was able to come up with an effective narrative to counter public sentiment against the easy availability of guns. Its head Wayne LaPierre, came up with a slogan: "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." This ended up diluting the impact of the Sandy Hook massacre and allowed the NRA to blame mass killings on lack of guns rather than abundance of guns! The public opinion consequently also became slightly less supportive of gun control, allowing the matter to fade away from policy domain at the federal level. Advertisement Given the above facts, President Obama really had no choice but to act the way he has acted. His decision to use executive authority is the outcome of years of frustration at the inability of Congress to do anything. He had expressed his frustration a number of times, pointing that the U.S. is perhaps the only developed country to have such a high level of gun violence. In countries like Canada, UK and Australia, gun control improved after mass shootings and in USA over the years, Congress has not been able to do anything. It should be remembered that the U.S. president is directly elected and is also a representative of the population. In certain circumstances, he has the responsibility to act ( provided constitution allows it) in larger interest of the country and its people, because he also has the mandate. He was spot on when he said, "the gun lobby may be holding Congress hostage right now, but they cannot hold America hostage." "Go to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms as I did just a few months ago. Ask them the following question: When you go to the most violent sections of the city of Chicago -- where the most gun incidents and crimes are taking place and you gather the crime guns and check out where they came from -- what do you find? Forty percent of the crime guns in the deadliest sections of Chicago come from gun shows in northwestern Indiana," Durbin said. "Why? There's no background check. They sell these guns in volumes and they sell ammunition. These gangsters fill up the trunks of their car, drive across the state line into the city of Chicago and you know what happens next. They are sold to anyone who can put the money up for the purchase and then they turn into deadly weapons." At Tao on Monday night, at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards, Julianne Moore said she has known Kristin Stewart since the Twilight actress was 12, which would explain their close connection in last year's Still Alice. In an awkward acceptance speech, Stewart found the Best Supporting Actress honor unexpected, given the movie Clouds of Sils Maria came out a year ago, but acknowledged that her work with Olivier Assayas was important to her because he was one of those directors able to "pull it out of me," even though she is a global star of popcorn movies. While no one would argue with the award-worthy quality of Stewart's work in this film, the choice to honor her this year may not translate to an Oscar nomination, the elephant in the room this week as academy voters assess the contenders. The NYFCC is known for its good taste in films, whether or not their choices coincide with other awards. The critics gave Carol their Best Picture, honoring too the movie's director Todd Haynes, cinematographer Ed Lachman, and screenwriter Phyllis Nagy. Among other nice touches, the critics gave Son of Saul, a movie many consider a lock in the foreign film category, the award for Best First Feature to Laszlo Nemes, allowing the beautiful and urgent Timbuktu, about the consequences of a repressive regime takeover in Mali, their Best Foreign-Language Film Award. Moreover, they gave Best Actor to Michael Keaton, throwing weight behind a single actor in the very tight, superb Spotlight ensemble. Advertisement Most special of all was the award given posthumously to William Becker who died in September, and his company Janus Films, with Jim Jarmusch presenting. Having brought the work of Bergman, Bresson, Kurosawa and Ozu to the attention of the American audiences from the mid-1960s to the present, Janus films continues to rescue forgotten masterpieces, revitalizing them for new audiences. Just last year, under the auspices of their Criterion Collection, they put out a new edition of Burroughs: The Movie, a documentary of the artist from 1981. Filmmaker Howard Brookner was an early victim of AIDS, and the print was thought lost. Jarmusch had worked on the film, and as he reminded me, his wife filmmaker Sara Driver was instrumental in recovering it. The couple was among many film insiders on hand for this special night. Today, Republicans in Congress plan to make history. Not for growing the economy or helping the middle class -- but for sending a bill to President Obama that will defund women's health care and hurt millions of Americans. Defunding Planned Parenthood has been a Republican rallying cry for years. But with both the House and Senate passing the budget reconciliation bill, it will be the first time they send legislation to President Obama's desk that denies lifesaving health options for millions of women. This is all a part of their dangerous effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which would take health coverage away from 22 million Americans after 2017 and cause economic hardship for millions of families already struggling to get ahead. Advertisement As a statement of principle, defunding Planned Parenthood and dismantling the Affordable Care Act is a crass ideological pitch to the most extreme wing of the Tea Party. As a legislative "accomplishment," it is an embarrassing and destructive precedent that will mark another low point of this Republican Congress. Here are the facts: Planned Parenthood is one of the most critical providers of healthcare in this country. Approximately one in five American women has relied on a Planned Parenthood center for care at some point in their lives. It provides communities throughout the nation with quality, affordable health services for both women and men. In my home state of Maryland alone, Planned Parenthood performs about 40,000 STI tests, 4,400 breast health exams, and 4,500 HIV tests every year, and 1,800 men are seen for reproductive health visits. People who are already struggling to make ends meet would be disproportionately harmed if Planned Parenthood lost their federal funding. Republicans are ignoring these important facts while attempting to invent their own. They are conducting a taxpayer-funded witch hunt -- the 'Select Committee to Attack Women's Health' -- despite what three different House Committees have already proved: there is no evidence to substantiate claims of illegal activity by Planned Parenthood. And despite Republican fear-mongering, Planned Parenthood is already prohibited from using federal funds for abortions in accordance with the Hyde amendment. President Obama will ensure this bill fails to become law with his veto pen. But Republicans will succeed in letting the country know that the ideological whims of the extreme right are more important than the health and well-being of millions of Americans -- a twisted definition of success that speaks volumes about the priorities of this Republican Congress. Alleged Filipino "comfort women" or sex slaves display placards during a rally at the Japanese Embassy in Manila, Philippines on Tuesday March 6, 2007. Nearly two dozen elderly Filipino women called Japan's prime minister "a liar" on Tuesday after he said there was no evidence that women were forced into front-line brothels by Japanese troops during World War II. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) Japan and South Korea reached a historic agreement last month on "comfort women" -- the women and girls enslaved by Japan's Imperial Army during World War II. In doing so, the two countries made a strong statement that diplomacy can be a positive-sum game. Now, two of America's closest allies have a chance to deepen their own ties -- but this fragile deal will need nurturing in the months ahead. For too long, the dispute over Japan's wartime sexual abuse has been clouded by euphemism, bad history and missed opportunities. Just this April, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe drew justified fire for dodging the issue in his address to a joint session of Congress. He was right to acknowledge then that "armed conflicts have always made women suffer the most," but former comfort women, like Yong Soo Lee, who attended as Rep. Mike Honda's (D-Calif.) guest, deserved more. Advertisement Americans understand that this issue is challenging, and Japan's military isn't the only one with a sordid history on sexual assault. Our own continues to confront the horror of rape and abuse in its ranks; as I wrote in The Los Angeles Times in 2008, women in uniform were more likely to be assaulted by their fellow service members than killed by enemy fire in Iraq. And as an astonishing recent Washington Post investigation found, some of the men who victimized them still occupy senior leadership roles in the military offices dedicated to preventing sexual assault. This issue will never be closed if school textbooks and official memorials continue to misrepresent the truth. Japan deserves credit for taking this step toward accountability. Now 46 known survivors -- out of an estimated 20,000 or more original victims -- have a formal apology from Abe, as well as a share of $8.3 million in state reparations. But the agreement still has its share of critics in both countries. One poll published last week found that a majority of Koreans aren't satisfied with the deal. Japan has an unfortunate habit of walking back its apologies. Ever since the 1993 Kono Statement, in which the chief cabinet secretary acknowledged that the Japanese army had coerced women into its brothels, the country's conservatives have been taking potshots at the historical consensus. As a result, Korea's citizens have an understandably hard time believing that Japan is committed to reconciliation. For the new agreement to stick, we need continued engagement. Japan must do more to counter false histories. As a 2007 resolution that I backed in the House of Representatives made clear, this issue will never be closed if school textbooks and official memorials continue to misrepresent the truth. Too often, Abe's government has ignored or enabled the spread of dangerous narratives about the country's past -- narratives that continue to drive tension today. He must back efforts to continue educating his constituents on the facts. Advertisement Estelita Basbano Dy, 84, of the Philippines reacts as she speaks at the 12th Asian Solidarity Conference for the Issue of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, at Japan's House of Representatives in Tokyo on June 2, 2014. (KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images) South Korea, for its part, also has more work to do pitching its citizens on the agreement. The country's impressive president, Park Geun-hye, deserves credit for handling a sensitive issue with care. But as U.S. President Barack Obama has seen again and again in foreign policy, a smart strategy isn't enough -- you also need to communicate it. On this front, more can clearly be done to engage critics of the deal, especially former comfort women, whose perspective will be at the heart of any lasting resolution. If this deal is worth making, it also should be worth selling. And for citizens in both countries, the benefits of engagement are clear. Getting this contentious issue off the books could open up new avenues for cooperation for the region's most free, dynamic and democratic nations. Greater intelligence sharing, reportedly under consideration now, would be an appropriate icebreaker, especially given shared threats like China's ambitions and North Korea's nukes. Trade may gain new momentum too -- momentum that the White House would welcome, given the Trans-Pacific Partnership's chilly reception on Capitol Hill. More can clearly be done to engage critics of the deal, especially former comfort women, whose perspective will be at the heart of any lasting resolution. As a friend and partner to both countries, the administration is in a unique position to pitch the gains from friendship and partnership. And the strategic stakes are clear: facing both significant threats and enormous opportunities, Japan and Korea should seize this chance at a stronger bond. Advertisement Because as my Congressional classmate Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and a leader on this issue, says, "It's much harder to get tomorrow right if we get yesterday wrong." Jane Harman is President and CEO of the Wilson Center. During nine terms in Congress, she served six years on the Armed Services Committee and was a vocal critic of military sexual assault. The views expressed here are solely hers. There were plenty of ups and downs in the fight against child labor this year. With an estimated 168 million children still trapped in exploitative labor, including 85 million doing hazardous work, we have an ambitious agenda ahead of us in 2016. Here are 10 highs and lows from 2015: 1. The U.S. Department of Labor's international child labor programs avoided the ax of conservative appropriators in the Congressional budget package released on December 17. During the battle, the child labor advocacy community argued that the International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB) plays a vital role in the fight against child labor, which has seen a reduction of nearly 80 million children over the last 15 years. ILAB documents the prevalence of child labor on a country-by-country basis, and then uses that information to fund about $60 million in remediation programs each year. In the end, appropriators shaved off $5 million but kept these valuable programs intact. 2. In June, India's government provisionally approved a huge loophole in a 2012 ban on child work under the age of 14. Unfortunately, it allows children under that age to work in "family enterprises," which will make child labor laws harder to enforce. Last year's Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi noted that millions of Indian children said to be working in family businesses are actually sold into bonded labor and other forms of slavery. A New York Times editorial weighed in on the proposed policy in June, and the advocacy community continued to fight against the proposal as the year drew to a close. Advertisement 3. The battle against child labor in U.S. tobacco continued to gather strength in 2015. Altria Group, parent to three tobacco companies, implemented a new policy (announced in late 2014) that prohibits its growers from hiring children under 16. Implementing and monitoring such a policy presents challenges, and it's difficult to gauge yet how well that policy is working, but it's good to see a step forward and an acknowledgement that children and teens should not be harvesting this hazardous crop. The members of the Child Labor Coalition, which my organization coordinates, continue to press for a total ban on workers under 18. We organized a House and Senate briefing on child labor in tobacco this year. Legislation in the House, HR 1848, with 19 co-sponsors, and a companion bill in the Senate, S.974, with seven co-sponsors, would both ban child labor in tobacco. More than 40,000 individuals signed an AVAAZ.org petition asking President Obama and Secretary of Labor Perez to ban child labor in the crop. 4. Child Labor in hazardous gold mining received focused attention in 2015. In April, ILAB, the CLC, and Human Rights Watch (HRW) convened a stakeholder meeting to improve child labor interventions in small-scale gold mining communities. In May, a government report from Burkina Faso revealed that nearly 20,000 children were working in small-scale gold mines--part of an upsurge over the last few years. In June, HRW released Precious Metal, Cheap Labor: Child Labor and Corporate Responsibility in Ghana's Artisanal Gold Mines, documenting the use of child labor in Ghana's unlicensed mines and the use of highly toxic mercury by children. HRW asked refiners to take immediate steps to eliminate gold from their supply chains. In September, HRW released a report on child labor in small-scale gold mining in the Philippines, exploring the dangerous work of underwater compressor divers. PBS NewsHour won an Emmy for its coverage of this most-dangerous form of child labor. Advertisement 5. In July, Tulane University researchers estimated that 2.12 million child laborers were still working in cocoa production in Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana during the 2014-2014 harvest. The study, commissioned by ILAB, found a 59 percent increase in the number of children in cocoa production since the last survey in 2008/2009--despite a decade-and-half-long multi-stakeholder initiative to reduce child labor in cocoa led by the West African countries and the major chocolate companies. Researchers found a 46 percent increase in hazardous work by children on the cocoa plantations. 6. News out of Panama in 2015 showed an almost 50 percent reduction in child labor over two years. The census by the Panamanian government reported a drop from 50,410 children in child labor (about seven percent of childhood population) to 26,710. Advocates express hope that the country could be largely child labor-free in the next few years. 7. In May, South Sudan ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, followed by Somalia in October, leaving the United States as the only UN Nation not to ratify the international child rights treaty. HRW's Jo Becker shares her views on what it means for the United States to be in a "Club of One." 8. In September, the Department of Labor's ILAB launched the Sweat and Toil app, putting more than 1,000 pages of country-by-country research on child labor and forced labor in the palm of consumers' hands. We've never had such easy access to supply chain info, nor been able to track individual countries' progress in removing child labor and slavery. An android version of the app will be available shortly. 9. Mega retailer Target announced a partnership with CLC member GoodWeave to sell child-labor-free certified rugs. We rarely see major corporations making that type of commitment to join the fight against child labor, and we applaud this partnership, which will help reduce the number of children who are chained to the loom. Advertisement This Post originally appeared on the blog ScreenCraft. ScreenCraft is dedicated to helping screenwriters and filmmakers succeed through educational events, screenwriting competitions and the annual ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship program, connecting screenwriters with agents, managers and Hollywood producers. Follow ScreenCraft on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Whats the difference between a feature film script and a television script? Film vs. Television With film, youre generally telling a story that is contained within the time frame of ninety minutes to two hours plus. Such a story usually follows a basic three-act structure -- or a variation of it (i.e. Memento) -- where we see a character thrust into a conflict, struggle through it, and then eventually succumb to it or work their way out of it. Theres immediate closure, unless youre writing for a major studio franchise that can leave some story elements open to sequels. With television, youre creating a world with a cast of characters that will hopefully continue on for upwards of 10-24 episodes (give or take) for multiple seasons, thus the main story will not be resolved by the end of each teleplay or television script. You have the options of hour long dramas or serials, hour long procedurals, half hour sitcoms, and in some cases, either limited series (American Horror Story) or miniseries. While each episode may showcase a certain story that is resolved by the end, the characters, their main stories, and their arcs continue on throughout each season. Advertisement In short, a television series is an ever-evolving medium for the story and characters while a film stands alone on its own with complete closure by the end. Format Theres little difference between the format of writing a feature screenplay and writing a teleplay. The scene description, dialogue, character headings, and location headings are pretty much the same. This of course can change per show, per production company, per studio, and per network, but overall, the format itself is interchangeable. The real difference between feature writing and television writing is how the story is structured and how that structure is presented aesthetically through the format. The Structure of a Television Series Script With an hour long television series episode, you write a Teaser scene, followed by Act One, Act Two, Act Three, Act Four, and sometimes Act Five, depending upon the show. If you need a visual cue, just watch an hour long show like Greys Anatomy, or whatever else, and pay keen attention to the commercial breaks. They are usually broken up in those above acts. Advertisement Teaser First youll have a TEASER heading centered and then start to write. This TEASER will usually be a short opening, maybe one location. Sometimes more. The page number can be upwards of 5 pages, although its best as a newcomer to stay around 2-3 pages. If youre writing a pilot script, the teaser is an introduction to the characters and to the world. It will also tease the conflict in the story. For shows like Lost, Breaking Bad, Greys Anatomy, The Walking Dead, or any other hour long episode, youll often see the character either in peril by the end of it, or the conflict of the story will be teased. Act One After the TEASER, youll then start a new page with the ACT ONE heading. This is where you introduce the current story at hand. Youve teased the peril, struggle, conflict, or situation that the episode will tackle, but now youre getting things really started by setting the stage as far as where the characters are and what is leading up to the point of the next act where they will be confronted by the situation at hand. The end of the first act also offers a chance to leave a solid first cliffhanger or hook as well, which is what you really want to do at the end of each act. Keep in mind that whenever you start a new act, you ALWAYS open on a new page. So if your TEASER or ACT ONE ends halfway through a page, you tab ahead to the next page, leaving that white space, and then insert the heading at the top. Its often helpful and customary -- but not always necessary -- to include END OF ACT ONE (or whatever applies) before you tab ahead for the next act. This helps the reader further distinguish where the break is. Advertisement Act Two This is where the characters are dealing with the conflict full swing. Theyre struggling with it. Theyre figuring out how to get through it. Much like the beginning of the second act of a feature film script, the characters often still have some hope or chance. By the end of this act, the audience feels like the characters may figure things out -- until, that is, another hook is introduced that flips that hope or chance on its head, forcing the characters to face the fact that they may not succeed. Act Three This is where the characters are at their lowest point and the bad guys or conflict is winning. Where the second act gave the audience hope that theyd figure it out, all too often the third act is where that hope was proven to be false. By the end hook of this act, audiences will want to tune in to see how the characters will prevail despite such odds against them. Act Four This is where the characters, against all odds, begin to prevail again. They start to triumph and win. Theyve likely learned from their missteps in the first and second act and now theyre applying that to the conflict at hand. Act Five This is the closure. Some shows actually end with the fourth act while others end the fourth act with a significant cliffhanger or hook and then use the fifth act to close things up with a finale of sorts. Page Breakdowns for Each Act While theres no exact formula to follow, there are some basic guidelines that will help you steer each act. Generally speaking, hour long episode scripts can be anywhere from 45-63 pages, although a majority of the time you want to stick with 50-55 pages. The basic sense of it is that one page equals one minute, and with a sixty minute show, you obviously need to account for commercial breaks. Thus if you go above 60 pages, youre already over an hour. So use that as a gauge. Its not an exact science by any means, but as a novice television writer, its a good place to start. Advertisement With five act television scripts, you generally want to keep each act between 9-12 pages, give or take a page. The old benchmark was 15 pages per act for four act television scripts, but with additional commercial time these days -- not to mention more story -- it can now often break down differently. Here are the page breakdowns for some of the best pilot scripts of now iconic television series: The Greys Anatomy pilot: Teaser 3 pages Act One 11 pages Act Two 11.5 pages Act Three 8 pages Act Four 9 pages Act Five 8 pages The Breaking Bad pilot: Teaser 3 pages Act One 14 pages Act Two 13.5 pages Act Three 11.5 pages Act Four 14 pages There will surely be differences throughout each and every show, but Greys Anatomy is one of the better examples of a tight pilot script, which is what novice screenwriters want to shoot for. Youll also notice that some pilot scripts like the the 70 page The Sopranos, the 55 page Mad Men, and the 61 page Game of Thrones dont have act breakdowns at all. In the case of The Sopranos and Games of Thrones, both written for HBO, there are obviously no commercial breaks, which may be a factor. Thats not to say that those scripts dont accomplish the same type of structure explained above -- minus the aesthetics of act breaks. In the case of the Mad Men pilot, it was written on spec by the writer to use as a sample to attain assignments on other shows. It was eventually rejected by HBO, Showtime and others, but was embraced by AMC, a basic cable network. The Lost pilot script is unique because it was written as a 97 page pilot script. Essentially debuting as a feature length pilot. It does have act breaks, but due to the feature length script, the page number for those breaks is different. Sitcoms Take all that youve learned above and adapt it to a half hour situation comedy series. Because sitcoms are usually just half hour episodes, the structure and page counts are obviously condensed. Four to Five acts becomes a more simple two -- the standard beginning, middle, and end. Although in this case, the beginning is the TEASER. TEASERS are either referred to as such or writers use the more contemporary COLD OPEN. In the end, theyre the same and are thus portrayed in the same manner. The page counts for sitcoms vary. From established writers and showrunners, a half hour sitcom script can be as long as 44 pages. Keep in mind that sitcoms are more often than not dialogue heavy, which would account for the increased page counts. For novice writers, its best to shoot for 22-25 pages to get you under that thirty minute gauge. Here are the page breakdowns for some of the best pilot scripts of now iconic sitcoms: Cold Open 1.5 pages First Act 19 pages Second Act 20 pages Cold Open 2.5 pages First Act 18 pages Second Act 13.5 pages In sitcoms, youll also see the use of the TAG. This is a bookend scene, usually after the episodes story has played out. This is where one last gag or character moment is offered. Overall, thats all you need to know from a structuring and formatting perspective, in order to write a television script. Tools to Use The best tools you can utilize to learn about and write great television scripts are: Screenwriting Software Whether it be Final Draft or one of the other equivalents, the software will do most of the work for you, from a formatting standpoint. Whether it be Final Draft or one of the other equivalents, the software will do most of the work for you, from a formatting standpoint. Reading Television Scripts Find a series that is close to what you are writing, find the pilot script for it, and emulate it as much as possible. Perhaps the best place to go is Script City because it offers you a library of pilot and episode scripts for many, many shows. Find a series that is close to what you are writing, find the pilot script for it, and emulate it as much as possible. Perhaps the best place to go is Script City because it offers you a library of pilot and episode scripts for many, many shows. Binge Watch TV Series With all of the streaming available now, the best possible resource is watching episodes. For network and cable shows, youll see where the act breaks are as far as where they would normally cut to commercial. For premium channel shows (HBO, Showtime, etc.), youll have to simply time code it -- one minute equals one page -- and pay attention to the various changes in the story. Things to Remember You have to ask yourself what kind of show youd like to create and where you see that type of show debuting. You cant write a violent, edgy, and sexual explicit pilot and expect any of the major networks to pick it up. Youd have to go to either basic cable or premium channels. And if youre including harsh language and nudity, you need to know which of those channels will allow that. Basic cable shows can say shit a certain number of times and can show bare buttocks and side views of breasts, but thats it. Anything more, as far as F-bombs and full frontal nudity, youll have to market the pilots to premium channels and production companies that are making such shows. Beyond that, make sure to still embrace the Less is More mantra, dont include camera angles or scene numbers (the above examples were taken from shooting scripts), and above all else, give the powers that be a hybrid of something theyve seen and something theyve never seen. What Are Your Chances of Becoming a Television Writer? Despite its growth in the last decade, television is still a difficult medium to break into. There are only a certain number of channels and time slots -- beyond other platforms like Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu -- and the powers that be dont take on spec pilots that often, unless they are delivered by proven film or television industry names. Advertisement Thats not to say that you cant sell a spec pilot, but more often than not, it is moreso utilized as a sample to break into the television industry. And that industry is perhaps more of a fraternity or sorority than the film industry. You often need to work your way up the ladder and into a writing room as an assistant, waiting for your opportunity to shine. And yes, chances are youll need to live in Los Angeles or New York where the shows are shooting because no series has a single writer at one time, like youll see in features. They have a writers room full of talented and seasoned (pun intended) writers. So be sure to write some amazing pilots to get noticed and be ready to make the move if you dont live there already. In the end, its best to be a hot writer in both television and film platforms. Writing feature screenplays can lead to key assignments that can lead to proven hits. When you have a proven hit film with your name on it, its much easier to pitch pilots to the powers that be. And you can always utilize ScreenCrafts Pilot Launch Contest to break through those walls as well. These are just the basic and simple fundamentals of writing television scripts. You can easily read much more about juggling A, B, and C stories within an episode, writing television series bibles, and what not. However, when it comes down to it, its really about the script at hand. Play the field under these general guidelines and expectations, but utilize the characters, worlds, and stories to really push the envelope and show the powers that be -- and hopefully one day an audience -- places, people, and situations that theyve never seen on television or beyond. Advertisement The television medium is currently in an amazing golden age where storytelling has never been stronger. What can you do to be a part of that and help this golden age continue on? Pope Francis arrives to hold his weekly general audience, in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2015. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) "Following Francis" is a monthly blog on the latest happenings of Pope Francis. It is prepared exclusively for The WorldPost by Sebastien Maillard, Vatican correspondent for La Croix, Rome. ROME -- Predicting what issues Pope Francis will be taking up in the new year is hazardous. He is called the "pope of surprises" for good reason: he sets his agenda personally. He always seems to keep his cards close to his chest, not allowing his spokesperson and even some of his closest collaborators to see what he is up to. Advertisement Pope Francis also believes in long term processes rather than in immediate results. This is helped by the fact that a pope, by definition, does not have to face elections, fulfill a mandate or accomplish a set term. In that sense, 2016 may well be just another year in a pontificate that will soon be entering its fourth year. Nevertheless, the first part of 2016 already looks packed. Francis seems to be pursuing reforms of the Vatican's management and organization. In his December address to present his Christmas greetings to the Curia, Francis showed strong determination in furthering reforms. Furthermore, he seems to want to address the "diseases and even scandals" he said he has witnessed over the past year within the church's governing body. The pope was implicitly referring to the "Vatileaks II" affair -- leaked confidential Vatican documents on internal mismanagements that Francis has been trying to resolve. The scandal has led to a trial, due to reopen in February, with some of the highest ranking cardinals called to witness. Italian journalists Emiliano Fittipaldi (R-2) and Gianluigi Nuzzi (L-2), authors of books on Vatican scandals. (Riccardo De Luca/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) Decentralization? But this judicial process should not prevent the reform of the Curia to further unfold. The "C9," Francis' council of nine advisory cardinals, will hold five other meetings throughout the year. The next one, in early February, will partly be dedicated to reflecting on a "healthy decentralization" of the Catholic Church, as requested by Francis in one of his most important speeches on this issue last year. A seminar of experts, which will address how to build a more "listening church," as Francis expressed in that same speech, will also be held at the Vatican in February. Restructuring of the Roman Curia itself also remains on the agenda. Some Vatican departments might merge -- the ones related to charity and church-led peace initiatives, for example. The ones covering the laity and family-related issues are also expected to merge. Pope Francis, flanked by bishop Marcello Semeraro, a member of the pope's advisory council. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Document on Families But the most hoped-for reform this year regarding the family is not in institutional engineering. It is in a document that Francis should release before Easter, perhaps earlier. This "exhortation," as it is officially called in Catholic terminology, follows the two world assemblies of bishops ("synods") on this highly sensitive issue held in Rome in October 2014 and October 2015. Who knows what surprise Francis will make in this text, which the bishops asked him to deliver? The most controversial issue that the pope will be addressing is allowing divorced, remarried couples to return to the Eucharist. Francis has prevented himself until now to be entirely explicit on this much-debated question. But he keeps repeating that all sins -- which should include the sin of divorcing -- can be forgiven. Advertisement His homilies over the Christmas season have focused on forgiveness. "Forgiveness is the essence of the love which can understand mistakes and mend them," he stated during a mass dedicated to families on Dec. 27 at St. Peter's. On Christmas night, he depicted "a world which all too often is merciless to the sinner and lenient to the sin." This surely gives observers insight into the way Francis wants his church to address families of all walks of life. At the same time, he must remain sure that his changes will not provoke divisions within his own organization. This stands as the biggest challenge of his pontificate: engaging deep reforms without creating a new schism. Pope Francis kisses a young girl in St. Peter's Square. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) 10,000 'Doors of Mercy' To prevent this, Francis has done something special. The reform of the church government and the reform of the church's attitude towards contemporary families are to be conducted during the Jubilee of Mercy, a holy year that officially started on Dec. 8. For the first time in the centuries-long history of jubilees, this one stands out as the most decentralized one. The so-called Holy Door, which all jubilee pilgrims traditionally cross, is not just in Rome. There are some 10,000 such doors opened throughout all the cathedrals and sanctuaries of the world. These are called "Doors of Mercy" -- they are meant to be open and welcoming to all, whatever hardships they encounter. These doors represent the attitude Francis wants his church to have. Even though the turnout in Rome for the jubilee in December was low, he hopes this holy year, which will last until Nov. 20, will generate a "revolution of tenderness," according to one of his favorite expressions -- an impetus for a more caring and open church worldwide. Pope Francis at St. Mary Major, where he opened a "Holy Door" on Jan. 1, 2016 in Rome. (FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images) Canonization of Mother Teresa This attitude will be put forward through the canonization of Mother Teresa, which is now expected to happen on Sept. 4. The celebration of the sainthood of the "mother of Calcutta," who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, should attract hundreds of thousands of people to the Vatican and become the highlight event of the jubilee. Advertisement Let's not forget World Youth Day. Francis has also focused this event on mercy. Organized in Krakow, Poland, at the end of July, it will be the Argentinian pope's first visit to the land of his late predecessor, John Paul II. What about Bergoglio's own native land? No visit to Argentina has been announced yet; Francis' travel plans for 2016 remain a mystery. According to the official agenda of his public audiences in Rome, he's scheduled to be away for part of May and June, which suggests some journeys overseas. Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II wave to well-wishers in Calcutta in 1986. (STR/AFP/Getty Images) The Mexican Border With the U.S. The one trip that's bound to happen is his week-long journey through Mexico in mid February. Francis will be meeting indigenous communities in Chiapas and then travel up north, like a migrant, to the border city of Ciudad Juarez. His purpose there is to support change in what has been regarded as a lawless gangland. Whether in Mexico, in Rome or elsewhere, the security of the pope will remain a concern in 2016. The Vatican knows he is a target for Islamic State terrorists. Francis often describes these time of ours as "a third world war which is being fought piecemeal." But that does not prevent him from traveling everywhere without any bulletproof cars, showing trust towards the people he visits -- who of course hope he will not face any bad surprises. A migrant worker from El Salvador mops up the dining hall in a migrant shelter run by Dominican friars in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) More From Following Francis: Earlier on WorldPost: When Carrie Fisher appeared on screen in The Force Awakens, all the hairs on my arms stood up. I smiled. Then I winced. Who was this actor who looked like she could hardly move her own lips? I winced with the resigned understanding that no one truly is exempt from Hollywood's bullshit beauty ideals. I winced knowing that it would only be a matter of time before people started tearing her down based on her looks. I grew up with Princess Leia-era Carrie Fisher and loved her most when she was proverbially spitting in Vadar's face, blasting her way through Storm Troopers, giving Jabba the Hut the business end of his disgusting shackles (in a bikini nonetheless), and leading the resistance to victory zooming around on Endor. She was a princess in title only; she hardly fit with Disneyfied stereotypical princesses of the 70s and 80s who danced around looking pretty waiting for their prince to swoop in at the rescue. Leia was always badass. I was lucky to be too young to pick up on the body politics of Carrie Fisher in that harem get-up and how hard it probably was for her as a young actor working at the height of transparent industry sexism and misogyny where your body is your capital. Enter NY Post columnist Kyle Smith in 2015 who wrote, "No one would know the name Carrie Fisher if it weren't for her ability to leverage her looks," which are now, according to Smith and others, not representative of what movies want us to believe are desirable and ideal. More recently, conservative critic Bill O'Reilly remarked to guest Jesse Watters: Advertisement O'REILLY: But it comes out worse for our friend Carrie Fisher, Princess Leia, because she doesn't look like Princess Leia. WATTERS: That's not nice. O'REILLY: No, I don't know what she really looks like, but -- you know -- they're heavily made up, these actors. I was less disturbed by Smith's lengthy take-down of Fisher, her looks, her talents and career, than I was of O'Reilly's statements. To me, they showcase the frighteningly blase attitude we have in dismantling women's bodies. Why should we be outraged at the media for simply absorbing and broadcasting our casual body shaming for the world to see? The ways in which we talk about girls and women's bodies in our everyday matter every bit, if not more, as the way they get talked about by critics, columnists, and cultural pundits. As a teen and young woman, I was often around men and women who made off-handed comments about "fatties" or girls who "could use a little work." How about these phrases that were sprinkled throughout conversation from your mother, your aunt, your grandmother: "She really let herself go;" "Maybe if she tried a little harder;" "Skinny bitch;" "Someone hit every branch on their fall out of the ugly tree." And we all know darker, crueler, cruder, and more violent body-hate speech that we have encountered. The attitudes of ordinary people, the frequency with which these kinds of statements show up in regular conversation, completely play a role in how powerful people in the media shape perceptions of women. Every time we call out another woman's "thunder thighs" with disgust while praising another for her "Michelle Obama arms" grants cultural permission to treat every body--man, woman, trans--as fair game for scrutiny, judgment, evaluation, and ultimately for categorization as "good/desirable or bad/devalued." Advertisement Women in Meru county examine a Menstrual cup. Photo Credit: Wikimedia commons. This article has been co-authored with Ms Gina Din, Founder and CEO of the Gina Din Group. The onset of menstruation is a landmark event in the life of a young woman. Yet many complications and challenges accompany such an event. One in 10 adolescent girls miss school and eventually drop out due to menstruation-related issues. 2016 marks the start of the new Sustainable Development Goal's target 6.2 and provides reason for optimism, recognizing as it does the need to provide "adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all" with "special attention to the needs of women and girls". Figures from Kenya's Ministry of Education show that a girl in primary school loses 18 learning weeks out of 108 weeks in a year during her menses. Within 4 years of high school the same girl losses 156 learning days equivalent to almost 24 weeks of learning. Advertisement Overall, studies estimate that 61 per cent of girls miss school annually due to lack of menstruation hygiene facilities in their primary schools, and approximately 3.5 million learning days are lost every month due to menstruation. The beneficial link between female education and lifetime health has never been in doubt; a better-educated girl takes better control of her life. She has healthier and fewer children. Moreover educated women participate in the labour market and eventually lift households out of poverty, with these benefits transmitting across generations. Conversely, low education, poor health and nutrition have a magnified impact on the next generation, as malnourished girls become mothers at higher risk of maternal mortality, and of bearing low birth-weight babies. One of the reasons the benefits to society of educated girls are not accruing is because communities have been slow in removing manacles such as the inaccessibility of sanitary protection, the social taboos related to menstruation, and the culture of silence that surrounds menstruation, especially in schools. Advertisement Lack of access to sanitary protection and towels disempowers girls, as they have to stay at home to avoid staining their clothes with blood in public. The cost of sanitary ware and towels is beyond the reach of many young women and girls, with most ending up missing school altogether during their menses. The government of Kenya is allocating resources towards providing sanitary towels in schools. While the allocation to the Ministry of Education to purchase the towels in 2011 was Sh. 340 million, the current financial year's allocation is Sh. 400 million. The government must act upon the 2013 resolution by the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) urging partner states to waive taxes on sanitary pads so as to increase their availability and affordability for young girls. Poverty underpins many girls' lack of access to disposable sanitary towels. These cost between 65 and 120 Kenyan Shillings (US$0.79-$1.45) and are unaffordable to families earning the average Kenyan daily income of just above US$1 per day. A tax break would greatly help. We must see this as a violation of basic human rights when girls stay away from school because they fear the shame attributed to their menstruation or because they don't have the means to maintain a healthy hygiene. Girls must no longer continue using old rags, towels, paper from their school books or even dirt or leaves to manage their bleeding. Advertisement For a phenomenon that societies know will repeat itself unfailingly every month, the prevarication in developing concrete responses is very disappointing. While adolescence is the time when girls should begin transiting into adults and shift from dependency to interdependency within their society, almost two out of three know nothing about menstruation until they start their menses, usually a traumatic experience. As we celebrate a new year, the best gift we can give our girls is an action-plan backed resolution in 2016 that this will no longer be their lot. Sanitary pads or menstrual cups must be priced reasonably. Besides the obvious reproductive tract-related risks those methods present, these humiliating measures also mean that girls are unable to go about their daily lives. The situation for these girls becomes even worse when they are faced with poor sanitary facilities which prevents them from keeping good hygiene. School-based sexual education programmes need to teach adolescent girls and boys about puberty and menstrual hygiene. These can be linked to other age-appropriate instruction about the risks of early marriage and preventing pregnancy, coupled with other life-skill-building exercises, to help them negotiate healthy adolescence. Advertisement Acclaimed chocolate expert and author Clay Gordon and I spent a good chunk of last week emailing each other about the burst of news that craft chocolate makers Rick and Michael Mast had been deceiving the public about their chocolate-making practices and the sources of their beans. We're both nearly at the point of saturation (Peak Mast Brothers) BUT thought it would be beneficial for the chocolate-eating public to get a little more insight into the challenges the industry faces. It was never about the beards. The Mast Brothers were in the right place at the right time with the right product and the right image. Clay made this observation back in 2012; they captured the cultural zeitgeist perfectly, guiding and riding the wave they expertly caught. But change any one aspect of that picture and the Bros may have had less success. Take away Williamsburg, the flannel and, yes, the beards they claim were grown on a bet about the amount of chocolate they sold. What you have is chocolate built upon the work of others, heralded by journalists and cool hunters hungry to rave about a hot new thing - some of whom are now indulging in gleeful schadenfreude about the takedown. There are many reasons to be disappointed in the Mast Brothers. They were willfully dishonest about which, if any, of their chocolates were bean-to-bar (as chronicled in exquisite detail by Scott Craig in his four-part series). This is an affront to any chocolate maker dedicated to the painstaking process of sourcing beans from various origins, paying for shipping (a much greater expense for smaller makers who do not have economies of scale) and then working through the laborious process of transforming the seeds of the cacao pod into chocolate. Advertisement It takes about 400 beans, or approximately 11 pods, to make 1 pound of chocolate. The seeds we call beans are roasted, cracked to release the cocoa nib, and then shelled (winnowed) to remove the papery husk. Next, the nibs are ground into a paste known as cocoa liquor, which can be directly processed into chocolate or pressed to separate the fat (cocoa butter) from the non-fat solids. The resulting "presscake" is processed into cocoa powder which can later be recombined with cocoa butter to make chocolate or with vegetable oils, like palm oil, rendering a much lower-quality product (that cannot be called chocolate in the U.S.). The cocoa bean contains between 47 and 54 percent fat - a stable fat with a long shelf life, one that's solid at room temperature but starts to melt in our mouths or under our touch. Its stability means it's coveted not only in chocolate but also as an ingredient in medical and beauty products. The butter can have a mild to very present cocoa flavor, depending on the way it's processed, and is the only part of the bean used to make "white" chocolate. Butter separated out from the powder is often added back during the chocolate-making process because fat - glorious fat - makes the chocolate creamier and, as the carrier of cocoa's aroma compounds, more flavorful. (Interestingly, some craft chocolate makers do not add any cocoa butter to their recipes, thinking that added butter detracts from the "true nature" of the cocoa bean.) The resulting mass (with any added ingredients - sugar and, perhaps, vanilla) is now the texture of coarse mud. As it's refined, the size of the cocoa and sugar particles get progressively smaller. Conching (most often a separate step from refining) improves texture and tames harshness by evaporating off unwanted volatiles and fostering chemical reactions that can create delicate aromas and flavors. Advertisement A chocolate with particles over 30 microns will register on our tongues as gritty. Through refining, a cocoa liquor that starts out with particles in the 100 to 150 micron range is, ideally, reduced down to between 18 and 22, resulting in a smooth texture. That sensation influences the entire experience of flavor. "The whole process of making chocolate is to break down particle size and expose flavor," explains Trinidadian chocolate maker Matthew Escalante. "Every step of processing changes the possibilities." The next step is tempering: forcing the fat crystals in the cocoa butter to line up in a specific shape through a controlled combination of heating and cooling. This increases the chocolate's sheen and intensifies its snap. Tempering is tricky; if the chocolate isn't tempered properly, it has a greater chance of getting fat bloom, the whitish coating or splotches caused by cocoa butter separating out of the chocolate. After tempering comes the sublime moment when the tempered liquid chocolate is poured into molds, cooled and - finally - packaged for consumption. You can see why chocolate makers would be frustrated by anyone melting down pre-made couverture chocolate and claiming they'd had a hand in the entire process. This work is arduous. Through unclear labeling, Mast Brothers allowed consumers to assume all bars were made from beans they had sourced. They were not; they fudged the truth. In essence, the required foundation had already been laid for them, the path already paved, and the market proven; chocolate could pretty much be made by anyone. But chocolate is a product almost everyone loves, but few actually know anything about when it comes to sourcing or production. A product with none of the universally accepted sensory evaluation criteria that has been long established in wine and coffee. Advertisement Was it done out of wondrous fascination for the purity of what they made in the cloistered atmosphere of the apartment where they first started experimenting? Or was it with an awareness of a unique market opportunity? Probably a combination of the two: right place; right time; right product - with no established local competition; and right image - where the Masts really set themselves apart. The beards were distinctive; they solidified the Iowa-farmboy-cum-Amish/Hipster personae that the brand gelled around. The tattoos didn't hurt, nor did the puzzling (at least for Iowa farm boys) nautical references. And then there was the wrapping on the chocolate. The paper gave a tangible aura of quality, gravitas, even value to the chocolate - a characteristic that their early attempts at chocolate making did not possess. (And, many would argue, the product still lacks.) There was and is something about opening up the wrapper of a Mast Brothers chocolate bar that lends credence to what's inside, that says, "Take notice of me. I am important!" Was the packaging any better (or more authentic?) than what Shawn Askinosie was doing at the time? Shawn was putting pictures of actual farmers on his labels, naming people and identifying the real communities from which his cacao was sourced, and closing the wrappers with threads from the jute bags in which the beans had been transported from origin to Missouri. His wrappers were (and are) physical artifacts - a tangible bridge between the farmer, the end product and the consumer. We may never understand how and why the Masts thought it necessary to start gilding the lily - or perhaps, more appropriately, the paper - but at some point they did. The most cursory examination of the chronology shows that the equipment and methods needed to make craft chocolate from the bean had been created well before the brothers started experimenting in their apartment. Advertisement Did they invent the bean cracker they used? Nope. The barley mill for home beer makers they purchased from Crankandstein was modified at the request of John Nanci. Using a hair dryer to winnow? Also John Nanci. Using a Champion juicer as a pre-grinder? John Nanci again. Using Santhas as grinders? Guess who. The CPS winnower they bought? Not John Nanci, but the Masts had no hand in its design. The winnower they claim to have built? A modified Brooklyn Cacao Vortex Winnower. In short, almost every claim they have made about their roles in equipment innovation and processes of craft chocolate making are, to put it politely, embellishments. Or, to put it plainly, misappropriation. They were creating a myth and they spun it of whole cloth because, for one reason or another, no one called them out on it publicly. There was no little boy pointing out that the emperor was not wearing any clothes. Chocolate makers were whispering this to themselves, but not one journalist turned the whispers to shouts until March 2015. As a result, the unknowing and unsuspecting public continued to grow mesmerized by gossamer tales woven of sheer fabrication, regardless of what their own intuition or taste buds told them. Mast Brothers were the "it boys." Surely if the New York Times and renowned chefs, such as Thomas Keller, thought so, it must be true. Our own sensory experience - at least the one that culminated in our own mouths - could not be trusted. Simran (a relative newcomer to the world of chocolate who cared less about expert opinion than she perhaps should have) explored this in May of 2015, when she started to tease apart taste in her book Bread, Wine, Chocolate: The Slow Loss of Foods We Love: "Cacao from Papua New Guinea is often dried on beds heated by diesel or wood, both of which can impart hammy or oily tastes to the beans because fats absorb odor. These are defects, the kinds of things most chocolate makers, particularly those concerned about flavor, don't want because they mask aromas inherent in the beans. Yet one maker - who has gotten a lot of media attention and puts its chocolate in the most beautiful of wrappers - has decided to turn this defect into an attribute, repackaging the off-flavor as a novelty by highlighting the smokiness of the bar. Many craft makers who work closely with farmers on improving drying techniques and eradicating those off-flavors question if this is something we should celebrate - if, by buying into the smoke, it's making it harder for producers who are trying to improve the taste of their beans. This is a question only we, the eaters, can answer, but it's important to recognize we're vulnerable to external influences, including hype and packaging." A 2008 study by neuroscientist Hilke Plassmann and her colleagues reaffirms our vulnerability: We tend to enjoy identical products more when they're priced higher or highlight positive "expectations of ... pleasantness." This doesn't just happen in our mouths and noses but also in our brains. This isn't to say we shouldn't try a wide range of chocolates, but if we're going to expend time and money and take in calories, we should know what our investment is supporting. We should try to understand where the flavors come from - and what good farming and processing practices taste like in order to understand why we love what we love. We understand people wanted to believe the story that two brothers, toiling away in their Brooklyn apartment, had discovered something new and pure, something that never before existed. It's part of why many were so willing to overlook and excuse the discrepancies and write them off to youthful frat boy hijinks, an aberration long in their ancient past. The Masts now claim they were open about melting Valrhona as part of their early experimental years, before moving into their first workshop. Once they settled into their brick-walled storefront on North 3rd Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, their refrain became, "Trust us, 100% bean-to-bar." Trust us ... now. If a company positions itself as an "authentic" "bean-to-bar" chocolate maker obsessed with integrity, purity and every little detail (from how the cocoa is sourced right through to the wrapping), then any bar produced that strayed from that storyline should have been clearly identified. That is very different from being "open" about re-melting only if and when asked. The vast majority of people who purchased products in the early days were not knowledgeable enough about production to make those inquiries. They accepted the statements made about the product at face value - statements that were not honestly represented on the labels of at least some of the products. Advertisement To rebuild trust with chocolate makers and consumers, the brothers need to document their trips to origin. They claim they source directly from the best farms in the world, yet the names of specific farms and details on varietals are conspicuously absent from their wallpapered labels, their website or any other source that can be found. Yes, Venezuela is an origin, but if you were sourcing Chuao, or an Ocumare, or Cuyagua, Carenero, Sur del Lago, or a Guasare why wouldn't that be featured prominently? Peru does produce some terrific cocoa, but if the Masts were using some of the best - say Cacao Gran Blanco from Piura or Maranon - why isn't that information prominently featured? Craft chocolate makers mention specific origin and varietals whenever they can because it's what sets them apart and helps consumers ascertain value. Where are the proud photos of the bearded brothers at origin, working with "their" farmers? Or, as they proudly proclaim, sailing said beans from origin? It's economically unsustainable to sail a small cargo of beans from Papua New Guinea, Madagascar or even the Dominican Republic on a regular basis to Brooklyn. What is also out of the economic reach of most makers is what Rick Mast boasted about when claiming they once paid ten times the market price for beans. If they actually paid that price at the farm gate, we would be truly impressed. But if a significant portion of that cost is tied up in transportation and other costs, then it's far less impressive. So, why do we care? We are not makers. We have no professional axe to grind. Our motivation is simply to clear up misconceptions: The Masts dished it out, and most of us gobbled it up. But through their assertions, Mast Brothers make it much harder for chocolate makers who do actual good works to flourish. And it makes it harder for us to do the work we want to do in supporting quality chocolate and makers with integrity. Advertisement Too much #mastsplaining. Take Shawn Askinosie. He profit shares with his farmers. He has created self-sustaining school lunch programs in communities from which he buys cocoa. Or Gianluca Franzoni of Domori, who works with the Franceschi family to preserve endangered strains of cacao in Venezuela. Volker Lehmann's work with cacao silvestre in Bolivia and Maranon in Peru. Ingemann in Nicaragua. Graig Sams, Gregor Hargrove and company well before anyone else had their eyes directed toward Belize. Or the efforts of the Cocoa Research Centre in Trinidad, CATIE in Costa Rica or the hundreds of other conservationists and farmers working to conserve the very best varieties of cacao. The Mast Brothers consciously and deliberately set themselves apart from the rest of the craft chocolate community. When asked by journalist Megan Giller about critics, Rick Mast glibly replied, "We are a dangerous company because we are outsiders to the chocolate industry, never leaning on industry norms." Given the meticulousness that has gone into crafting every other aspect of the brand, it's hard not to conclude that the adoption of this position is just another aspect of the brand. As self-proclaimed dangerous outsiders, the company justifies operating under a different set of principles - and different measures of accountability - than other craft chocolate makers. Rather than replying to the press storm with openness and transparency, they have responded by turning inward and closing their doors tighter shut. Their response reinforces that what the Bros may be remembered for is their branding - the beards and the paper - not their chocolate. Clay Gordon is the author of IACP-finalist Discover Chocolate: The Ultimate Guide to Buying, Tasting, and Enjoying Fine Chocolate and the creator and moderator of The Chocolate Life, an online community dedicated to all things cocoa and chocolate with members in over 160 countries. Simran Sethi is the author of Bread, Wine, Chocolate: The Slow Loss of Foods We Love - a book about the rich history - and uncertain future - of what we eat. Sethi is also a former visiting scholar at Trinidad's Cocoa Research Centre housing the largest collection of cacao in the world. Advertisement As the president declared his Executive Orders for gun control, I was drawn to the woman immediately behind him to the left: Lucia McBath, the mother of a son, Jordan, who was violently killed at age 17 from gun violence in Jacksonville, Florida. Not only do I know her, I know her tears and pain, and other mothers and fathers who cry and mourn when sharing their stories with me of their children being taken far too prematurely by random acts of violence caused by guns. When I stand with the president on this issue, as I do every single day, I stand with Lucia too. Since President Obama became president, there has been a shooting or mass killings throughout the USA almost every month: innocent community members watching their favorite movie in a theater; school children and their teachers, excited in their elementary classrooms; celebrators at a holiday party in San Bernadino; a Congresswoman serving her community; and church members in prayer service. Someone had to do something - we could not simply ignore this cancer eating away at the very fabric of our nation. If legislators stood by and continued to watch it happen and argue or, worse, put their allegiance to the NRA ahead of their allegiance to the flag, then, yes, the president had to go to the next step: all within his bounds, all within the trust we put in a Commander-in-Chief we count on to help protect our children. Not only do I know Lucia, or Lucy as we call her, but Jackie and other mothers who've lost one, two or more children. I just sent my two sons back to college and graduate school - so many families do not have that opportunity. Community leaders, faith leaders, residents, must all partner with the president. I attended an interfaith breakfast this morning in NYC, hosted by Mayor DiBlasio and First Lady Shirlane McCray, who has focused this past year on mental health outreach, one of the key points of the president's message. We have to get help for those who need it, and keep guns out of the hands of those who are mentally ill. The other points that stood out to me of the many outlined were strengthening requirements around background checks and enforcing registration of those who sell guns with a federal registry. If these three steps alone begin a reverse domino effect, and have people standing up rather than diving and laying down for cover, then we are ahead of the curve. Two years ago, Georgetown University students Evan Sterrett, Jimmy Ramirez and Carolyn Lehman made a short film called Sleep When You're Dead, seeking to highlight Georgetown's unhealthy sleep culture. The film begins with University President John J. DeGioia's voice, taken from a promotional video, speaking to the "Georgetown Expereince." Advertisement "Here at Georgetown, we expect a certain kind of faculty member and student to be here committing their lives to the very best you can do in a university. This is a place where you may be able to do your very best work and become your very best self," he says, describing an air of specialness lingering over Georgetown's hilltop campus. President DeGioia is not wrong. Georgetown is special. The opportunities students are afforded are endless. The experiences they have are valuable and rare. But as anyone who has ever had anything valuable and rare should know, such qualities come at a price. At Georgetown, that price is sleep. At Georgetown, as at other universities, a student is busy from the moment he wakes up until the moment he finds himself back asleep. With the average student balancing five full academic courses, a part-time job or internship, regular exercise, and some form of social life, it's no wonder time for sleep can be difficult to find. Unfortunately, we can't stop here because, you see, I've left a very important part of Georgetown life off the list. This is the part of student life that I choose to refer to as the "Extracurricular Epidemic." Georgetown students' involvement in clubs and organizations is unlike anything you've seen before. Every student is a part of at least one organization; most students are a part of many. The university's website officially recognizes over 200 co-curricular cultural, academic, social and political organizations. A handful more exist on campus that go unrecognized by the university, such as H*yas for Choice and Greek organizations, usually on the basis that they do not line up with the university's Catholic heritage. Advertisement What's so wrong with students getting involved? Nothing, when done in moderation. Clubs and organizations are an excellent way for students to build up resumes, explore interests, and meet new people. There is, however, a problem when students stop defining themselves and their peers by "who they are," but rather by "what they do." At Georgetown, some clubs have open membership and anyone who wants to join can join; most do not. Most clubs at Georgetown choose members based on a combination of essays, applications and interviews. It's a dirty little secret that many clubs at Georgetown have a lower acceptance rate than the school itself. Upon acceptance to these selective groups come many rewards. With the university having only a very small Greek community, these clubs hold many students' keys to friendship and social interaction. They also provide opportunities for students to network, develop professional skills, and beef up their resumes. But when social worth is defined by what a student does outside of the classroom, there is incentive to overcommit. The positive returns these clubs offer start to decline when a student holds a time-intensive role in five, six, seven clubs. Add these roles to the five full academic courses, part-time jobs or internships, regular exercise, and social lives students already maintain and you can begin to see why Georgetown's sleep culture has reached an all-time health low. To get to the source of our sleep problems, I surveyed 50 Georgetown undergraduate students. When asked, "Do you believe Georgetown students as a whole believe sleep is important?" more than 75% said no. When asked how many hours they believed the average Georgetown student received each night and how many hours they themselves received, answers consistently ranged between 5 and 7 hours, coming in shy of the National Sleep Foundation's recommended 7-9 hours for adults between the ages of 18 and 25. When asked to describe Georgetown's sleep culture as healthy or unhealthy, all but one student described it as unhealthy. One student wrote, Advertisement "Georgetown students are so hell-bent on getting good grades and being over involved in about eight different clubs that getting a good amount of sleep is often very far back on their priority list. The schools seems to encourage a "healthy" sleep regimen but the stress culture perpetuated by its students and the workload given by its faculty makes this nearly impossible." Another student added that Georgetown's sleep culture is so unhealthy that "most people who take their sleep schedules seriously are ridiculed." But this is just that--a culture, one that students must and generally do buy into. As a result, sleep is considered a luxury rather than a necessity and students compete for who can do the most on the least sleep. When asked, "What prevents you from getting 7-9 hours of sleep each night?" one student answered: "Sometimes it feels as though you can't or shouldn't go to sleep while others you know are still up and doing work because it feels like you are slacking or like others are judging that you do less work than they do." Georgetown students know there is a sleep-deficit phenomenon on our campus. Every single student I surveyed acknowledged it. So what improvements can be made? How can Georgetown spark its own #SleepRevolution? Advertisement Well, we can start by encouraging students to value quality above quantity. The student who is the leader of five clubs, maintains a 3.9 GPA, volunteers on weekends, and sleeps less than 30 hours a week is not the only person who graduates. He is not the only person who gets a job. He is not the only person who succeeds. At a certain-point, his sleep deprivation curtails his success. You know who else does graduate, does get a job, and does succeed? The student who is involved in one or two organizations in a meaningful way, who gives as much priority to his health as his schoolwork, and who understands that success is not a competition. Georgetown's Director of Health Education Services Carol Day adds, "We are trying to encourage a campus climate of sleep adequacy by sharing the facts about sleep with students in a variety of ways and urging them to prioritize self-care by not taking on so many things to do that demands on their time exceed the time students have to give. The advice that we give students is to prioritize sleep in lieu of many other things so that overall well-being can be optimized and memories from studying can be solidified." 1. We're all poor and powerless - When Muslims line up for prayer, no one is able to distinguish between Sunni and Shia based on their dress or knowledge. All of the masses of people have taken our religious information from leaders and scholars who may or may not have been correct. Islamic history is rich with both violent fracturing and civilized disagreement. However Muslims must not allow political or religious leaders to dictate how we treat one another in everyday practical situations after we have such a rich history of mistakes to learn from. As a Sunni majority in America, we're in a country that has accepted those of us who've come here from other places, should we then discriminate against others? If so, we'll be doing the exact same thing to Shia Muslims, that we complain Americans do to mainstream Sunnis; marginalizing them and not giving them a chance to "Be." 2. We worship one and the same God - All three Abrahamic faiths, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, worship the same one true Lord although we each use different Names for Him according to our languages. However you would think from the behavior of some Sunnis toward Shia that the Shia pray to a carton of eggs or a box of cereal. They don't. They pray to the one true God. Advertisement The prophet Muhammad said: Whoever sincerely says that 'None deserves to be worshipped except God' will enter paradise. (Sahih Al Jaami) He said that if this testimony of faith was put on a scale and all of creation was placed on the other side, the testimony of faith would weigh heavier on the scale than everything in existence. If that's the case, then the details will be sorted out by God and everything after this testimony is up for debate. 3. We follow Muhammad - As Muslims, both Sunni and Shia, we take prophet Muhammad as the final inheritor of God's message to all of mankind. God says: Muhammad is not the father of any one of you but he is the Messenger of God and last of the prophets. And Allah knows all things. (Quran 33:40) After this statement in the Quran, the hadith narrations which have been collected as the sayings of the prophet, are a controversial lot. Of course Sunnis think our sources are better and of course Shias think our sources are tainted. So what. Hadith did not drop down from the sky through revelation like Quran, they are simply words passed down from man to man. Mistakes are bound to be mixed within them. It's not worth our unity to fight over them. 4. No one else knows the difference - When a hate crime is committed against a Muslim, perpetrators don't stop and ask, "Wait, are you Sunni or Shia? Because we only burn down Shia Mosques." 5. The companions disagreed among themselves - When the prophet Muhammad went to the heavens during the trip known as Mi'raaj, Abu Dharr, his trusted companion later said after Muhammad's death: The prophet saw his Lord on the Mi'raaj. (Sahih Muslim) Aisha, the widow of Muhammad heard about this and remarked: Whoever says the prophet saw his lord has invented a lie against God. (Ahmed's Musnad) This was a serious issue. Likewise, the very founding of the four schools of jurisprudence within Islam, is based on a fundamental disagreement that says I believe I'm right with the possibility that I'm wrong and I believe you're wrong with the possibility that you're right. 6. Abu Bakr and Ali were just men - During the Treaty of Hudaybiyah when Suhail ibn Amr who was not Muslim, refused to refer to Muhammad as the messenger of God during the writing of his name for the contract, the prophet didn't mind. He didn't make a big deal about this although he was certainly the messenger of God. Therefore whether Abu Bakr or Ali should have been the head of state after his death is a political difference that shouldn't interfere with our contemporary condition in such a way that it stifles any constructive progress not just for individuals but for an entire region of the earth! Advertisement In conclusion, opinions and discrimination are luxuries for those who have comfort. However if you found yourself powerless, naked, covered in dirt, hungry, wet and cold and a human being came to your aid with a crumb of bread, or a bowl of soup, or a cup of water, or a dry shirt, the last thing you would ask them about before you partook in their charity is their religious affiliation. Ask any woman who is over 40 if they have had to reinvent themselves and my guess is over half of them will say "yes." We leave our childhood homes and naively believe we will follow a certain path and eventually get to where we want to go. The longer we live the more we realize where we want to be at the age of 20 is not necessarily where we want to be at 30 or 40. An ancient Greek Philosopher named Heraclitus once said that, "The only thing constant is change." Even if we wanted to freeze our lives at a certain moment in time, we can't. Sometimes changes are forced on us by circumstances beyond our control and other times we go searching for something that we believe will lead us to something better or at least different. If we have the courage to try new things, the determination to stick with them and a firm belief in ourselves, there is nothing that can stop us. Amen? Advertisement The problem for some of us is that as we get older life beats us down and tells us (especially after we are 40) that we aren't pretty enough, smart enough, young enough to make changes in our lives. As we say in the south, that's just bull poop. Susan Sarandon said, "I look forward to being older, when what you look like becomes less and less an issue and what you are is the point." I agree with her, don't you? Make 2016 the year you put your big girl panties on and step over whatever kind of pile of bull poop is standing in your way. I don't know what's holding you back from reinventing yourself, or even if something is holding you back, all I can do is share my story with you and tell you how one single event changed my life and helped me find the path I'm on now. My Dream I became a nana for the first time in 2005 and in 2008 I started blogging. I named my blog NanaHood because it was the second half of the motherhood journey. I worked hard at making NanaHood grow and it did, a little. I knew if I wanted to take it to the next level I needed help. I wanted to go to a writing conference but I wasn't a mommy blogger and most of the conferences were geared towards younger women. I dreamed of a conference where women writers and bloggers my age came together and shared knowledge, ideas and dreams. When I Stepped Over The Pile In Front of Me A few years ago I made myself go to a conference. I sent in my money January 1st as part of my New Year's Resolutions and made plans to go. I drove by myself. Stayed at a hotel by myself and attended every session. I came home knowing I should have gone long before I did and vowing to help create a conference for women my age. Advertisement Through a combination of good luck and persistence I connected with some other women who shared my vision and last year we hosted the first ever BAM Conference (Bloggers at Midlife). It was a tremendous amount of work and there were moments of doubt and worry but we didn't give up. The conference was in Nashville this past March and even an unexpected snow storm couldn't keep us down. The conference not only inspired me to be a better writer and improve my blog professionally, I came home encouraged by other women my age who are facing many of the same challenges as I am. Never-Never Land If you are unhappy with what you are or where you are, you don't have to stay there. If you have always dreamed of going to college, go! If you have always wanted to take a cruise but talked yourself out of it, make a deposit that's non-refundable. If you are a writer or blogger, come to BAM or find another conference to go to. Find other women your age who will inspire you with what they have accomplished so far on their journeys and with their dreams of what the future holds. You see, just like we are never to old to reinvent ourselves or make a difference, we are never, never too old to dream. For more information about BAM -- http://bloggersatmidlife.com/ Earlier on Huff/Post50: Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, speaks during an event in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S., on Monday, Jan. 4, 2016. Clintons campaign is attempting to preempt rival Bernie Sanderss big Wall Street policy speech by suggesting that the Vermont senators plans wouldnt do nearly as much as hers to prevent a future financial crisis. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images Ruth Marcus is a respected journalist, who has achieved an extremely privileged position in a male-dominated industry. More power to her! I'd be the last person to say she didn't work hard to get where she is. Good on her. But I am troubled by her recent over-the-top screed attacking former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, which sends an appalling message to women: Ladies, if you have a messy personal life, stay the hell off the public stage! Be forever shamed by your total humiliation! A respectable woman whose husband cheats on her must leave him -- indeed, leaving him is the only way for her to regain her respectability, after an acceptable period of being ashamed of him, and ashamed of herself for ever having been with him. Darn that Hillary Clinton, she is not acting respectable! How dare she go out in public with that man!? How dare she run for U.S. Senate, serve with distinction, then go on to reshape the U.S. State Department as Secretary of State -- all without leaving that no-good husband of hers. She was a shamed woman! How. Dare. She. Advertisement Ruth Marcus has been on the receiving end of media attention for her column, from this on MSNBC to this in the New York Times. Now, I know that columnists are often deliberately provocative, and I don't expect to agree with everything that even a favorite opinion writer publishes. But I have a particularly personal reaction to this column. Reading Marcus, I can be reminded what a loser I am. My life has been messy with many personal failures. My first husband beat the crap out of me. That was humiliating. I knew it was something that did not happen to respectable young women. I was extremely fortunate, however, as with the help and support of my parents I regained respectability by leaving my batterer. My mother and father breathed a sigh of relief and hoped I would stay on the right path. I went to law school, got good jobs and performed well. But my life kept being messy. I married again, not once but twice. Not respectable. My mother was bitterly disappointed. Ms. Marcus reminds me of her. When my third marriage was breaking up, a friend of mine told me she believed marriage failures were always the woman's fault. I laughed, but stopped when she said she was serious. This individual truly considered herself a friend, and so did I. I still do. I just don't share her archaic view of women's place in the world. Ruth Marcus's narrow conception of what wives must and must not do is outdated in the same way. Advertisement All of which brings me round to why I admire Hillary Clinton as a woman, and why I am supporting her to be the next president of the United States. For most women, whose lives have not been perfect, Sec. Clinton's career path -- which has been marked by persistence and resilience in the face of extraordinary barriers -- is cause for celebration and inspiration. When she ran for president in 2008, she was subjected to vicious forms of misogyny, but she didn't let that chase her out of the public square. As a result, today, other women know that they don't have to be chased out either. The good news is that the vast majority of women aren't interested in second-guessing Sec. Clinton's decisions about her marriage. To paraphrase Sen. Bernie Sanders, the public has no interest in that ancient history. Most people consider former President Bill Clinton to be more than the personal actions he regrets and has apologized for. As adults living in the 21st century, we are able to agree or disagree with him on policy without clutching our pearls and fantasizing about some dress. What women voters do care about is whether our next president will enact policies we need more than ever -- a higher minimum wage, an expanded Social Security system, paid family leave, racial justice initiatives that include girls and women of color, access to safe, legal abortion care and birth control, and recognition of civil and human rights of LGBTQIA people. I don't agree with Sec. Clinton on everything, but I do know that she listens and responds to people who disagree with her. And I especially admire her strength in the face of the hate and nasty attacks that come at her from all angles. As we watch the presidential debates unfold, one could be excused for thinking that there was an imminent threat of an Islamic takeover of the United States. According to NPR, at a New Hampshire rally, Donald Trump followed up his proposed ban on all Muslims entering the country with the comment that "there's something going on" with Muslims and "their culture." Another Republican hopeful, the retired neurosurgeon, Ben Carson told NBC: "I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation. I absolutely would not agree with that." Advertisement And it is not just the Republicans. While Hilary Clinton has rightly criticized Trump's alarming Islmophobic comments, she herself has the dubious distinction of being one of the chief architects of the "war on terror" -- which institutionalized Islamophobia at policy and programmatic levels. Clinton's personal record similarly does not bear too much scrutiny. As candidate for U.S. Senate seat in New York in 2000, she returned all campaign donation checks from Muslim organizations, totaling $50,000. Moreover, one of Clinton's vocal allies, the retired General Wesley Clark, has recently called for "disloyal" and "radicalized" Americans to be put in internment camps similar to those which held Japanese-Americans during World War II. Several progressive organizations called for Clinton to disassociate her campaign from such dangerous remarks "at a time when American Muslims are facing a surge in violent hate crimes." That response is yet to come. Meanwhile, CNN reports that 2015 has been one of "the most intensely anti-Muslim periods in American history." According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), American mosques and Islamic centers have been the victims of vandalism, harassment and anti-Muslim bigotry at least 63 times this year, the highest number since the Muslim civil rights group started tracking such things in 2009 and a threefold increase over the last year alone. But if the mainstream politicians of all shades are unified in their anxiety over this apparently homogenous social group of "the Muslims," terrorist outfits like ISIL also appeal to a similarly imagined homogenous group of "Muslims" for their own political ends. Advertisement After the devastating attacks in Beirut and Paris, British investigative journalist, Nafeez Ahmed, wrote a deeply intuitive piece about ISIS. Daesh's goal, Ahmed rightly argued, was not simply to use spectacular violence to create widespread panic and terror, but to craft a fundamentally new political project: that of drawing "the western world into an apocalyptic civilizational Armageddon with 'Islam.'" While it seems that both Donald Trump and ISIS agree that there is this preexisting unified group of people called "the Muslims," I would like to spend some time in this column talking about the immense diversity and heterogeneity of Islam and Muslims. How there never was any unitary "thing" called "Islam" in global history, and one can only talk about Islam in its historic specificity. We can talk about, say the Sunni clerics in Ottoman Turkey in the 15th. century, or Sunni women in the Maldives in the 16th. century, or converted Sufi peasants in Bengal in the 17th and eighteenth centuries. But we must also talk about how they all saw themselves as "Muslim" but could not be more different from each other. In reformatting the smooth narrative about homogenous Muslims as one of bumpy, uneven variegation, I want to retrieve from our global forgetting the story of Islam as a rich palimpsest: how Islam integrated, modified and rewrote local histories and in doing so modified and rewrote itself. Ibn Battuta and his Dar-Al Islam: Singular or Plural? Between 1325 and 1354, in a world without the steam engine or air travel, the North African Muslim scholar Ibn Battuta traveled by land and sea from his place of birth, Morocco, all the way to China and back. By the time he was done, he had visited an equivalent of 44 modern nations and travelled a distance of 73,000 miles. It has been Ibn Battuta's fate to be referred to by Western writers as the "Marco Polo of the East" even though Battuta had traveled much further than the Venetian and to far more places. But, as scholars have pointed out, where Battuta differed most from Marco Polo was in the fact that the Italian was a stranger to the lands he visited, while Ibn Battuta traveled through a "single cultural universe", that of Dar al-Islam, or the lands where Muslims were a majority, or was ruled by a Muslim king. Advertisement So everywhere Battuta went as a Muslim scholar he was received into a familiar world of Muslim merchants, scholars and Princes with whom he could converse in Arabic on issues ranging from theology and jurisprudence to politics and science. In some ways then Dar al-Islam was a singular world of Islam or Muslim-ness. But it is critical to remember that Dar al-Islam, in Battuta's time, comprised a geographical area from the Atlantic coast of West Africa to China and South East Asia. This is not counting countries where Muslims were an important minority such as Spain and certain parts of tropical Africa. It is thus quite impossible that such a range of humanity, peopled by so many histories, languages and pasts would be 'homogenous.' For our times, then, it is important to recapture the 'culture shocks' the Muslim Ibn Battuta encountered in Muslim lands, which testified to the deep veins of cultural plurality in the wider Islamic world of Dar al-Islam. Anti-Monarchical Islam The question of plural traditions within Islam vexed our cosmopolitan Sunni scholar Ibn Battuta quite a bit. Despite his Sunni moorings, Batuta was very attracted to Sufism, a mystical tradition within Islam. Throughout his travels, he made it a point to visit Sufi shrines wherever possible, such as the famous overnight journey he made to the village of Umm 'Ubaida to visit the tomb of the founder of Sufism, Shaikh Ahmad ibn al-Rifa'i. Advertisement Sufi mystics were known for their disregard of secular rulers, irrespective of the ruler's religion. Sufi divines considered any association with Kings and Sultans to interfere with ones primary commitment to god. It is no wonder then Sufis would not be great favorites with Kings and Sultans, and when he came to India his dabbling in Sufism got Ibn Battuta into trouble. Ibn Battuta served as a judge in Delhi under the rule of Sultan Muhammad Bin Tughluq (1325-51). As a ruler, Muhammad Tughlug was known for his eccentricity, quixotic projects and contradictions. When he learnt that a famous Sufi mystic in his kingdom had refused to acknowledge him as the supreme ruler, he had the Sufi Shaikh arrested, his beard plucked out one at a time, and finally executed! Ibn Battuta happened to be close friends with this same mystic. The Sultan had Battuta arrested and kept under close surveillance for several weeks. Sharing the same Sunni faith with the ruler provided no immunity. The Sultan was, despite all his public claims to the contrary, a sovereign first and a Muslim second. Gender in Dar al-Islam Ibn Battuta had been on hajj and had travelled through the vital centers of Islamic learning and civilization, such as Mecca and Medina. In other words, he was trained in Islam-of-the-Center, if we can call it that, rather than the Islam found on the margins of Dar al-Islam. Advertisement So imagine his surprise when he came to the beautiful tropical islands of the Maldives and found pious Muslim women, acting in ways that he found shocking as a Muslim: The women of these islands do not cover their heads, nor does their queen and they comb their hair and gather it together in one direction. Most of them wear only a waist-wrapper, which covers them from their waist to the lowest part, but the remainder of their body remains uncovered. Thus they walk about in the bazaars and elsewhere. When I was appointed qazi there, I strove to put an end to this practice and commanded the women to wear clothes; but could not get it done. (From The Rihla of Ibn Battuta translation and commentary Oriental Institute, Baroda, India 1976). To be perfectly honest, Battuta's 'shock' was perhaps more ahistorical then he would himself acknowledge as a scholar. The history of Islam, contrary to some current stereotypes, is teeming with stories of powerful women. Wealthy women in the Ottoman Empire were known for their role in the urban economy as landowners. Women of the royal harim, such as Hurrem Sultan, shaped the politics of the court and Empire, even though it was her husband who earned from history the title of Suleiman "the Magnificent". Similarly, the history of women from the urban poor and the peasantry contradict a picture of subservient and sequestered Muslim women. Historian of women and gender in the Arab world, Judith Tucker, has long drawn our attention to working women in the Islamic world: Advertisement In Ottoman Cairo, women monopolized the sale of milk and pancakes, worked as attendants in the public baths, and performed as musicians and dancers at both male and female parties. Lower-class women also provided services to the upper-class women of the harims...as entertainers, peddlers, cosmologists, midwives, they linked the hairm to the commerce, know-how, and gossip of the urban thoroughfare. The well-documented presence of these poorer women in the Islamic court, where they often presented their own grievances against husbands, neighbors, and business partners, testifies to their presence in public space as well as their knowledge of...the public institution of the court. (Tucker 1993, "Gender and Islamic History"). Islam, alive in the European Orientalist imagination, as a culture of belly dancers and lascivious Sultans, was in reality, not quite a story of "men who rule and women who submit." So let us go back to the note of despair in Battuta as he is unable to get the Muslim women of the island to submit to his Islamic 'command.' On the one hand Battuta's exasperation speaks of one kind of Islam --that of texts. An Islam that trained many theologians, scholars and jurists through centuries in madrasas and maqtabs. This was the Islam that Battuta studied and that acted as his abstract prototype. But Islam did not stay confined to the Madrasa or the royal court. It travelled on dhows across the Indian Ocean, was carried on camel back across the Sahara and through both poetry and the sword across Asia. Advertisement Thus besides a Textual Islam, we can also talk about a Lived Islam where scholar and saint, ruler and ruled, merchant and artisan embedded Islam into their own specific historic context and the result was often an enmeshed cultural tapestry where Sharia law was changed to suit imperial needs (as in the case of the Ottomans), or previously existing gender norms were allowed to happily coexist (as in the case of the Maldives). For a religious tradition such as Islam with its peripatetic scholars, adventurous merchants, and expansionist military generals, it was always the relationship between the two Islams --the Textual and the Lived--that determined the shape of a particular region's history. Many Americans are understandably upset at the lack of response from local and federal law enforcement agencies to the seizure of government buildings at the wildlife preserve in Oregon. "Why," they ask, "should a small group of self-styled "militia" who are at best criminals and at worst domestic terrorists be allowed to break the law with apparent impunity?" Careful consideration of the situation, however, indicates that the authorities have been wise to tread lightly. These men can and should be brought to justice, but that can be done without an armed confrontation leading to a bloodbath. Time is on the side of the government. Anyone who argues for more forceful measures in Oregon would do well to consider past incidents. In 1992 U.S. Marshals and FBI agents provoked a violent confrontation trying to arrest Randy Weaver at his home in Ruby Ridge, Idaho. Weaver was suspected of anti-government activities but charged with a weapons violation. When he failed to appear at a hearing (perhaps because of a misunderstanding over the date), the court issued a bench warrant for his arrest. During the initial confrontation on August 21, U.S. Marshals shot and killed Weaver's 14-year-old son. A U.S. Marshal also died in the shootout. The following day an FBI sniper killed Weaver's wife. By all accounts, the operation was ill-conceived and badly conducted. Advertisement Despite this failure, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) agents got embroiled in yet another confrontation the following year. Acting on information that the Branch Dravidian cult was stockpiling weapons at its compound in Waco, Texas, ATF agents tried to serve a search warrant at the compound on February 28, 1993. Six cult members and four ATF agents were killed in the initial shootout, and 76 more Branch Dravidians died in fires allegedly set by Koresh when FBI agents assaulted the buildings on April 19. ATF did have probable cause to conduct a search, but once again the operation was poorly conceived and badly executed. Far from deterring anti-government activity, these two incidents encouraged it. Both the number of extremist groups and their membership increased over the following years. By 1995, according the Anti-Defamation League, "militia" groups had formed in most states. The Branch Dravidian siege motivated Timothy McVeigh to bomb the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. He carried out the deadly attack on the second anniversary of the Waco incident, killing, 163 people, including several children in a daycare center. Local, state and federal law enforcement agencies could easily turf out the estimated 15 armed men occupying buildings at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge, but probably not without killing some of them and perhaps suffering casualties themselves. The dead would certainly become martyrs inspiring more extremists to take up arms against the government. Considerable evidence suggests that the group is hoping to provoke just such a violent confrontation. The authorities are wisely refusing to oblige them. Instead they are keeping well, back, securing the area and monitoring the situation. Occupying empty buildings in the bitter cold 30 miles from the nearest town, the armed extremists have resorted to holding news conferences. These gatherings give them a national audience, but they also highlight the absurdity of the group's demands. The "militiamen" insist that the wildlife refuge and all federal land be returned to "the people," not the 320 million Americans to whom it rightfully belongs or to the Native Americans who originally owned it, just the handful of ranchers who want to exploit it for personal gain. The longer this standoff continues the more marginal and ridiculous this group will look. Eventually the media circus will end and the gunmen will get bored and try to leave. Then they can be arrested. In the meantime, making them look silly is the best strategy. The year 2015 saw the rise of #BlackLivesMatter and #BlackGirlsMatter, both movements helmed by powerful, fearless Black women. In 2016 I'm starting #BlackPerspectivesMatter. Twice this year (but too many times in my career) my perspective as a Black woman was dismissed in favor of a portrait seen through the filter of the White gaze. Regrettably, I have exited Classic Stage Company's MOTHER COURAGE as a result. When Black bodies are on the stage, Black perspectives must be reflected. This is not simply a matter of "artistic interpretation." Race and sex play too pivotal a role in determining who holds the power to shape representation. Advertisement CSC's severely truncated version eliminated Mother Courage's (and her children's) backstory, the use of her cart, and much of Brecht's war, leaving a woman whose motivations and character were tentative, at best. Mother Courage is the KING LEAR in the classical cannon of female dramatic roles; how could I walk away from what should have been one of the greatest roles in my career? I couldn't, until all my research, arguing and pleading for my character's full realization fell on deaf ears. And then I had to. Brecht's drama follows a woman who supports herself and her children by selling goods to warring armies from a cart she drags through battle zones. Along the way, all three of her children are killed in the war. Mother Courage is the epitome of every poor, undocumented, battered, trafficked and immigrant woman hustling to provide for her family however she must. But at final tech rehearsal, I was told that this "Mother Courage" was "a delusional woman" trying to do the impossible. No longer an icon of feminine tenacity and strength, nor was she a fearless, capable Black female. Why must the Black Mother Courage be delusional? The #CSCMotherCourage poster shows my face plastered on an image of the African Continent, the Democratic Republic of the Congo highlighted. What an opportunity to connect Brecht's anti-World War II play to the war in modern day Congo, Africa's first World War: my art meeting my activism. The chance to highlight the Chaplain's line, "If you want to sup with the devil you need a long spoon," as analogous to America's participation in the War in the Congo through our appetites for electronic devices which require the resources of Coltan, a natural resource raped and pillaged along with the bodies of Black women and children. A Congolese flag is the only vestige of the Congo in this play. For me, the cultural misappropriation is unconscionable. Why must Africa, why must blackness itself, be generalized, reduced to a decorative motif? Advertisement This spring, I performed in RASHEEDA SPEAKING, a play purportedly about a Black woman's struggles working in a White medical office. But for the joy of performing nightly with Dianne Wiest, Patricia Connolly and Darren Goldstein, and the talk-backs I orchestrated with Michael Eric Dyson, Dr. Kimberly Crenshaw, Professor James Peterson and others, it was a soul-murdering experience. It is debilitating, explaining to non-Black people that their conceptions of Black people are not only inaccurate but dehumanizing. Since RASHEEDA SPEAKING aired on PBS, people still call out "Rasheeda!" to praise my work, innocently forgetting (as each such acknowledgement reminds me) that "Rasheeda" was explained, in Jaclyn's climactic monologue, as the new word for "Nigger." So who is speaking? Mother Courage was not the star of this production. My subordinate position was shown most clearly when I attempted to perform an action flowing directly from the text: snatching a fur coat off an armed soldier's back. The actor playing the soldier would not "let" me do that. He exclaimed, "...I'd have to kill her!..." I fired back, "Brecht wrote it to illustrate that she is a 'Hyena of the War'" and at the performance, I snatched that fur coat. The play continued, but after that night, I was forbidden, by the director, from ever doing that again. Mother Courage reprimanded into submission to patriarchy? Brecht did not write a delusional woman. He wrote a woman who seizes power at every turn, who forces her way through Hell, continuing in spite of every opposing force. My Mother Courage was left speechless, powerless, history-less and even cart-less. Why must images of Black women be held hostage in cages of White and/or patriarchal consciousness? Many artists of color benefit from having "honorary White" status bestowed upon us for our work. This allows us to work alongside the best in the business and to be treated as equals. It is a struggle to partake of this status while straining to maintain integrity and authenticity to our own culture. Yet this status is often stripped when we are asked to portray our own people. Advertisement I am grateful to Olympia Dukakis, who has played Mother Courage seven times, for attending an early preview and giving me the permission to put my ferocity back into the role. However, my Mother Courage was neutered, leaving the real, unbridled Mother Courage wasting away inside me. In this New Year I wish for White theater creatives humility to recognize that their perspectives alone are insufficient when portraying Black women and all "others"; that their misconceptions skew the presentations. I believe this actually harms real Black people in the world. As we enter 2016, the collective White creative community has a responsibility to bring as many "others" into the room as possible, onstage and offstage, before, during and after decisions are made. Only then will the beauty of global humanity be heard, seen, and appreciated, so the truth wipes away misconceptions and misappropriations that, in turn, engender fear that foments violence around the globe. Moderate right-wing forces have gained traction in the last two months in countries known recently for embracing "national popular projects." Business-friendly politicians have ridden anger over economic decline, corruption scandals, and a general weariness with a decade of left-center rule to key victories in several prominent countries. Despite this new energy, several institutional challenges and overreaches threaten to cut short conservatives' honeymoon period. In Brazil, a political crisis driven by President Dilma Rousseff's historically low approval ratings and a corruption probe into a bipartisan embezzlement scandal has allowed conservatives to move forward with impeachment proceedings over Rousseff's budget accounting. Advertisement Despite the right's rosy rhetoric,critical observers might see conservative promises as two-faced. Despite previously criticizing unilateral executive actions, Macri has resorted to sweeping executive decrees that undo a bipartisan media regulation law limiting the size of multimedia conglomerates. The Argentine Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the law in 2013. The same court had months before struck down Kirchner's previous proposals to turn judicial positions into elected offices. Macri also angered some in his own coalition last month by using recess appointment powers to bypass the Senate's confirmation of two judicial nominees to the Supreme Court. The Venezuelan opposition has rightly raised concerns surrounding government intimidation of judges , regulation of opposition media, and the jailing of opposition leaders. But it has still failed to reckon with how its own blatant efforts at overthrowing firebrand populist Hugo Chavez in a 2002 military coup might have contributed to the longevity of chavista rule. Some international observers and supporters of the government allege the coup had the tacit support of some in the media establishment and the US Government. Chavez often used the failed attempt to explain his mistrust for traditional institutions and his push to solidify his party in power. Today's right can also look to less extreme examples of conservative shortcomings. The center-right administration of Sebastian Pinera, which came to power in 2010 in Chile on an anti-corruption platform, suffered from student protests and business corruption scandals that quickly returned Pinera's predecessor, Michelle Bachelet, to power. To be fair, similar problems have plagued Bachelet's most recent term. Advertisement The head of Brazil's lower Chamber of Deputies, Eduardo Cunha, diverting from his own ethics battle over the transparency of his foreign bank accounts failed to follow due process in guiding the impeachment process. Brazil's Supreme Court last month upheld several government complaints of irregularity. One such violation was a reliance on secret ballots to elect the impeachment committee that draws up formal articles. Impeachment proponents had also hoped to bypass the government-friendly Senate's article ratification procedures and proceed directly to trial, which would temporarily remove the President from office. Even moving for impeachment carries a risk of backlash. To the north, former US Speaker Newt Gingrich's 1998 efforts to impeach former President Bill Clinton only strengthened the president. Gingrich moved to impeach Clinton over perjury regarding sexual improprieties while he himself was having an affair. A year before, the Republican controlled House voted to reprimand Gingrich for lying during an ethics investigation regarding his use of non-profit money for personal projects. The impeachment effort bolstered Clinton's approval ratings and the President's party gained seats in a mid-term election, an unprecedented feat for an incumbent party. By Sarah Lynch and Jishai Evers North Korea announced on Wednesday that it conducted a hydrogen bomb test, hailing it "a complete success." If confirmed, the test, which ignited a firestorm of reaction from nations worldwide, would violate UN Security Council agreements and mark a significant advancement for the country's nuclear capabilities. It would mark the fourth time North Korea has allegedly conducted a nuclear test, but the first time it has tested a hydrogen bomb -- even more dangerous and destructive than the atomic bomb, which the country claimed it tested several times over the past decade. Read More: These Instagram Pictures Came Out Of North Korea Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slammed the latest test as a threat to Japan. South Korea called it a "grave provocation'" and promised a tough response. It has said it is keeping a watchful eye on its northerly neighbor, while boosting security and mobilizing troops near the border. Australia, China and France condemned the alleged test, according to the Associated Press, joining the chorus of criticism. Advertisement Some are questioning the ability of North Korea to possess a hydrogen bomb and carry out such a test, which was announced not long after a 5.1- magnitude seismic event occurred not far from the country's nuclear testing site in the country's northeast. "North Korea appears to have had a difficult time mastering even the basics of a fission weapon," Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the RAND Corporation, told CNN. "This suggests that unless North Korea has had help from outside experts, it is unlikely that it has really achieved a hydrogen/fusion bomb since its last nuclear test, just short of three years ago." What comes to your mind when Hitler and the Nazis are mentioned? Killings, injustice, discrimination, atrocity and craziness, right? Does it occur to you that Hitler was Christian and that therefore, his crimes should be attributed to Christianity? No! And that's how it should be. What about the Israeli settlers who have attacked Palestinians 349 times just since October 1, including the infamous case in which18-month-old Ali Dawabsheh was burned to death. His parents and older brother, Ahmad, who was 4 at the time, sustained critical burns over much of their bodies; the father died after a week, and the mother after five weeks. Should we blame Judaism and all Jews for this? Of course not. These Zionist settlers employ religion to justify their actions, but don't a religion make. Advertisement However, what comes to mind when ISIS is mentioned? In conversations and in the media today, their acts of terrorism are automatically linked to Islam and Muslims. But why? Why should the entire population of Muslims be blamed for the acts of fewer than 0.1 percent? Why should terrorism be attributed to us as a general characteristic, when we ourselves condemn it? Why should we apologize for crimes we haven't done and don't approve of? When wearing a hijab becomes an act of courage... All of these questions, fueled with frustration and sorrow, go through the mind of every single Muslim these days. They float through the mind of Muslim girls who choose to wear a headscarf in a Western country, then leave their house praying they won't be verbally or physically abused because their wardrobe yells "Muslim!" In some cases, these girls--including friends of mine--feel forced to take their hijabs off after receiving threats and assaults. Yet, the religion I follow orders me to do good, and never harm someone who has never harmed us. A religion that tells us that smiling in the face of your enemy is a good deed, a religion that orders us to give to the needy and to fast so that we can empathize with the poor. Never has the Quran or the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) told us to kill the innocent and bomb civilians. In fact, the rules of war in Islam forbid the killing of innocents, children, women, the elderly, and the sick and unable. In fact, even cutting down trees during war is frowned upon in Islam! Our Prophet tells us, "Accustom yourselves to do good if people do good, and to not do wrong even if they commit evil." Advertisement Throughout history, many movements have cited religion to justify their actions to those ignorant of the true teachings. The Christian Crusades are just one other notable example. No form of terrorism should be supported--whether it be practiced by ISIS, the Egyptian military against its opponents, Israeli settlers and soldiers, or American drones. Witness what has occurred in beautiful Syria, transformed into a battlefield by Assad, America, Iran, Russia, ISIS, France and others. The mostly peaceful revolution of the people that began in 2011 has turned into a vicious free-for-all, driven in part by religion or fear of a religion. As a result, ordinary Syrians either are dying or fleeing refugees, only to be held accountable for the crimes of a movement that drove them out! Still, amidst the fear and hatred are many bright spots, heartwarming stories that restore faith in humankind and cause hope to sprout anew. There's the story of a woman who bought a Muslim man coffee at a Starbucks to apologize for Trump's bigotry, and of an atheist woman in Atlanta who left a friendly note near a masjid (place of worship) with $20, assuring that she believes Muslims are part of the country like anyone else. And then there is a friend of mine from Lebanon, now studying in the United States, who posted this story: Due to everything that has been happening, I was advised to wear a hat instead of my hijab while traveling to Boston. However, because I wanted to feel comfortable, I went to the airport with my scarf on my head. It is because I wanted to feel complete and not empty that I went covered. It is because I wanted to travel in one piece, as a whole, not broken, that I traveled as my regular me. When I arrived, one of the security guards welcomed me with a smile and helped me print my baggage tags. Another one weighed my bag, asked me cheerfully where I was from and said how much he would love to visit Lebanon sometime. Another security guard complimented me on my scarf as he checked my passport and boarding pass and said he loved the design and it was good to see something different. Once I was inside the main terminal, waiting for my boarding time, I realized I was a little bit hungry and it would be good to get a sandwich. I walked and walked and the restaurants were still pretty far away so I decided to turn back and go to the gate again since I had only 10 minutes left. That is when an old guy sitting in a small cart offered to give me a ride to the restaurant. All of that was in addition to the regular smiles and thank you's I got from my fellow passengers. My point: Be you; smile to the person in front of you and ask God for the good people to be placed in your way. We have so many good people in this world. After the holidays, as people are complaining about having eaten too much, or lamenting their indigestion by popping antacids, they probably aren't giving too much thought to where our modern understanding of how the digestive system works came from. What they probably don't know is that the father of modern gastric physiology or gastroenterology, Dr. William Beaumont, achieved such status through both odd and dubious ethical means. In fact, the case of Dr. William Beaumont and his patient-turned-guinea-pig Alexis St. Martin is perhaps one of the strangest cases in the annals of medical history. The story begins in 1822, when Alexis St. Martin, a twenty-year-old fur trapper was attending a festive gathering of other fur trappers, known as a rendezvous, at the trading post on Mackinac Island, Michigan. One of his fellow fur trappers had imbibed a bit too much, and accidently fired a musket, shooting St. Martin at close range. The musket ball (some say it was a load of buckshot) tore through the skin and ribs a couple of inches below the left nipple and dropped the young man to the ground. Hygiene and medical knowledge being what they were at the time the other trappers at the rendezvous assumed St. Martin would die shortly of infection or blood loss, and so they carried the injured man to the nearby army post where a young physician named Dr. William Beaumont was stationed. Dr. Beaumont was asked to simply keep the young St. Martin comfortable until he succumbed to his wound. Advertisement Dr. Beaumont took St. Martin into his care, and as one did in 1822 to keep a patient comfortable, bled him with leeches and gave him an enema. But a curious thing happened as Dr. Beaumont sat waiting for Alexis St. Martin to die... he didn't. Not only did Alexis St. Martin not die, but Dr. Beaumont observed a strange phenomena occur before his eyes, in that everything that he fed St. Martin seemed to emerge from the hole below his nipple. After two and a half weeks, St. Martin began having regular bowel movements again and his eating habits returned to normal. What didn't change was that the hole in his ribs stayed open and connected directly to his stomach. St. Martin had formed a gastric fistula, where his digestive tract was now open to the outside. This strange developed awoke the mad scientist in the doctor, who realized that he, Dr. William Beaumont, could study the mechanism of digestion in the human body by tying little bits of food to a string and dipping them into the hole in Alexis St. Martin's thorax. But how does one convince another human being that they should agree to be a guinea pig and allow carrots tied on a piece of twine, like bait on a fishing rod, to be lowered into their body? Dr. Beaumont asked St. Martin if he wanted to stay on as his manservant and do chores around the field hospital. It is possible that St. Martin was not keen on the idea of returning to the wilds of the Great North Woods with an extra hole leading directly to his stomach. What is also possible -- and the likely story according to historical accounts -- is that Dr. Beaumont convinced the barely literate St. Martin to sign a contract saying he would stay on as his servant. Whatever the case may be, Alexis St. Martin stayed with Dr. Beaumont acting as his experimental test subject for another eleven years. Advertisement By 1833, Dr. Beaumont was able to publish the first great works on digestive physiology entitled, "Experiments and Observations on the Gastric Juice and the Physiology of Digestion". The doctor relocated to St. Louis, Missouri and Alexis St. Martin moved or possible fled to Quebec, Canada. Until the doctor's death, twenty years later in 1853, he tried to get Alexis St. Martin to come back to him to continue the experiments, but it was to no avail. Actually, in a macabre twist, when St. Martin died, his family allowed his body to decompose before burial just to ensure that another mad scientist wouldn't try to resurrect him for further research. A newspaper clipping found in the Las Vegas Gazette of Las Vegas, New Mexico (a town made famous by Billy the Kid) on August 14th, 1879 reads: Alexis St. Martin, whose open stomach furnished Dr. Beaumont an opportunity for studying directly the process of gastric digestion, is still living in St. Thomas, Canada. He is described as hale and hearty at the age of 87, though the orifice in the stomach is still open. It will be remembered that the wound was the result of a charge of buckshot accidentally received, laying open the stomach so that food could be injected and removed at will by the attending physician, whose observations were of such great value to medical science. It is now fifty-seven years since the accident occurred. St. Martin died just shy of his 88th birthday in 1880. His life and the work of Dr. Beaumont are a strange story just waiting to be turned into a screenplay. A doctor at a remote frozen outpost used the oddly healed gunshot wound of a fur trapper to investigate the mysteries of the human digestive system and a lifelong relationship and clash of personalities ensued. Perhaps the next time you pop an antacid you will remember the tale of Alexis St. Martin and Dr. William Beaumont, who became the accidental father of gastroenterology. Television remains under a strict monopoly of the Communist Party to sustain a biased editorial line does not represent the national complexity. Sometimes I wish I lived in the country they show on television. This hopeful nation of rose-colored dreams presented by the official press. A place of props and slogans, where factory production exceeds goals and employees are declared "workplace heroes." In this Cuba, bouncing off the antennas to reach our small screens, there is no room for sickness, pain, frustration or impatience. The official Cuban press has tried to approach the country's reality in recent years. Several young faces appear on TV programs to report on administrative negligence, poor services, or consumer complaints about bureaucratic paperwork. But even still, state journalism continues to be a long way from objectivity and respect for the truth. Advertisement Television, radio and newspapers are maintained under strict monopoly of the Communist Party, and not only because they are ideologically subordinated, but also because they are financed from the state coffers - money that belongs to all Cubans - money that they use to sustain a biased editorial line that does not reflect the national complexity. The topics covered by the journalists of this partisan press represent the interests of an ideology and a group in power, not of the entire country. They never dare, for example, in their reporting, to question the authorities, nor the current political system, nor the organs of State Security nor the activities of the police, among other taboo subjects. However, where the official press most betrays the precepts of balance and impartial information is in the testimonies they broadcast, in the voices they give space to and the opinions they express. By the grace of journalistic censorship, access to the microphone is granted only to those who agree with the government and applaud the actions of its leaders. They never interview someone with a difference of opinion, or someone who believes the country should take other political or economic paths. Unanimity continues to fill the front pages and the news broadcasts, although for a long time now loud dissent has been heard on buses, in stores, in the hallways of institutions and even in classrooms. Advertisement At the beginning of this year an avalanche of reports filled the television broadcasts. The protagonists were young people who claimed to live "in the best of all possible worlds," smiling with confidence in their future and not even dreaming of emigration. Not included among the opinions were those from anyone in the process of leaving Cuba, or feeling frustrated by their professional prospects, or submerging themselves in illegalities to survive. In the almost 70,000 hours of annual television broadcasts not a single self-employed person complains about their high taxes. Parents who fear the growing violence in Cuban streets are never encountered in the Cuban media, and women beaten by their husbands don't appear demanding legal measures to protect them from the abuse. The teachers whose pay doesn't allow them to live a decent life find no echo of their demands in the media, nor do dissidents appear to demand respect for their opinions. An inmate denouncing bad prison conditions has no chance to appear before the cameras, nor do the patients who have been victims of medical ethics violations or bad treatment in the Public Health System. Shoshanna Gruss Since the 1998 debut of her contemporary fashion collection, Shoshanna has been the go to girl for coveteurs of lovely and sophisticated day to evening wear. Shoshanna Gruss is the designer and founder of her eponymous fashion company. The designing lady finds her creative inspiration in women. "The woman who wears my designs in celebratory of her body and life. She wants to feel good and confident in her clothes, not having the dress over shadow who she is, but having it compliment who she wants to present to the world. A mother, and daughter, a business woman, all of it!" she says. Her signature style is the enchanting use of color and pretty prints in playful and modern designs. A Shoshanna design is distinguished by feminine figure flattering styles. Her 80 piece collection for Spring 2016 features delightful sheaths in delicious colors made of silk, lace, jacquard and chiffon for day to night. For resort and play she has crafted boho chic patterns, paisley and eyelets in a delightful mix and match of off the shoulder, halter dresses or tops and shorts. " I'm inspired by woman who accept themselves, and celebrate the best part of who they are. I don't like that some woman feel they need to fit into a certain mold to be beautiful and successful. We need to embrace all women and find the beauty in them ", shares Shoshanna. Celebrated beauties who savor her designs include Mindy Kaling, Taylor Swift, Reese Witherspoon, Emmy Rossum, Eva Longoria, Lupita Nyong'o, Rosario Dawson, Carly Rae Jepsen, Anna Kendrick, Molly Sims and Debra Messing. The petite brunette beauty is in demand as fashion ambassador, style director, design collaborations and personal appearances for quality brands like Judith Ripka, Club Monaco, Club Monaco, Charlotte Ronson, QVC, S'well and Elisa Solomon. Shoshanna is the youngest style director for Elizabeth Arden. Style-maker Shoshanna looks sensational in her own bikini designs on beaches around the world. The Shoshanna swimwear line is a top seller for the lingerie-inspired sizing. In 2005, the mother of three launched Shoshanna Baby Girl offering mommy & my styles as an extension to her popular swimwear collection. Shoshanna and family "The Shoshanna brand has always grown organically, I hope to continue move in the direction we have, and address the needs of our devoted clients. Evening is a new category for us, that we are seeing rabid growth in, and I see the brand going deeper into that category" offers the entrepreneurial designer . For Spring 2016 Shoshanna Midnight incorporates elegant simple lines in silk and lace designs in dramatic solid colors. The collection is sold at luxury stores and boutiques around the world including Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Lord & Taylor, Shopbop and Anthropologie STR via Getty Images E.K. Sivaranjam (C), father of slain National Security Guard Bomb Disposal Squad personnel, thirty-four-year-old lieutenant colonel Niranjan Kumar, who died while defusing a grenade at the scene of a terror attack in Pathankot, consoles his daughter-in-law, K.G. Radhika (2L) on the arrival of Kumar's mortal remains at his residence in Bangalore on January 4, 2016. Indian troops backed by helicopters searched an air force base January 4, after a weekend of fierce fighting with suspected Islamic insurgents in which seven soldiers and at least four attackers were killed. AFP PHOTO / AFP / STR (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images) PALAKKAD -- People bid an emotional farewell to Lieutenant Colonel E K Niranjan, who was killed while defusing a grenade during the terror attack at the Pathankot IAF base, as he was today laid to rest with full military honours at his ancestral home near Palakkad. The body of the 32-year-old bomb expert with the National Security Guard was buried on the premises of his paternal home at Elambulassery here, amidst chanting of 'Hare Rama Hare krishna' mantras. Advertisement He was accorded full military honours, including gun salute as Army personnel sounded the bugle. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala represented the state government at the funeral ceremony. Niranjan's father E K Sivarajan and his other relatives were among those present at the programme. Earlier in the day, the body was kept at the KUP School where hundreds of people, including school children, lined up to pay their homage. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and his cabinet colleagues K Babu and A P Anil Kumar visited the house and paid homage late last night. Advertisement Yesterday, after the mortal remains were brought from Bengaluru in a helicopter, it was taken to the ancestral village in a flower-decked army truck. People lined up in many places on both sides of the road to have a glimpse of the brave-heart and threw flowers as a mark of respect. Emotional scenes were witnessed when the body reached Elambulassery with locals thronging the roads and throwing flowers on the cortege and raising patriotic slogans in many places. Niranjan was commissioned in the Engineers Regiment of the Army in 2004. Niranjan, head of the elite bomb squad of the NSG, was killed while defusing an IED at Pathankot IAF base, yesterday. He was among seven security personnel killed in the terrorist attack there. Advertisement He is survived by his wife and an 18-month-old daughter. Contact HuffPost India Also see on HuffPost: PTI SAMBA -- Mortal remains of Lance Naik Mool Raj were today consigned to flames with full military honours at his native village in the district. Mool Raj was such a man who always wanted to be in the thick of action, the family said. Mool Raj, father of two had fallen to the bullets of terrorists in Pathankot, just a day after he returned to join his duties after celebrating the New Year with his family which consists his aged mother, wife and two college going children. Advertisement Before returning to his duties in Pathankot, he took a promise from his children that one day they would make him feel proud. Also Read: These Are The Soldiers Who Laid Down Their Lives In Pathankot "Instead he made us proud! Though the lacuna that his absence has created in our life will never be fulfilled, but we are proud to have a father like him", said Asish Kumar son of Mool Raj. Mool Raj, who had joined the Defence Security Corps (DSC) after his retirement from the army 13 years ago, was one amongst the seven brave martyrs who laid down their lives while fighting the terrorists who attacked the Air Force base in Pathankot. Thousands of people from various parts of Jammu region including the State Minister for Industries, Chander Prakash Ganga, senior Congress leader and former minister Manjeet Singh, senior Army, Police and Air Force officers, today bid their final adieu to the brave son of the soil. Advertisement "He was home to celebrate the New Year with his family and returned to join his duties in Pathankot on 1 January, who knew this would be his last visit," Pawan Kumar, younger brother of the slain soldier said. Amidst moist eyes the body of the fallen warrior was confined to fire with full military honours. "You laid down your life for the nation...we are proud of you papa", Pooja Devi his daughter, a college student, cried as she gave a shoulder to the body of her father. "I am proud of you dad and want that every child should get a brave father like you," she said. The martyrdom of their father has not shattered their resolve to do big in life as the brother and sister duo want to emulate the footsteps of their father and serve the motherland. "Our father always wanted us to do something big in life, we will follow his footsteps and join the army and serve the motherland as our father did in his life and his death", Ashish said. Gayatri Devi, the widow of the fallen warrior, says that she has been lucky to have married a man who never backed away from his duties and served his motherland till his last breath. Advertisement "Earlier he belonged to us, but now he belongs to the entire nation. I am proud of him that he laid down his life to save the lives of 1.25 billion people of this nation," she said. Contact HuffPost India Also see on HuffPost: NARINDER NANU via Getty Images Indian police personnel stand alert near the airforce base in Pathankot on January 5, 2016. Umbrella group of Pakistani proxy jihadist outfits fighting in Indian-controlled Kashmir, the United Jihad Council, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement issued to the media on January 4, after a weekend of fierce fighting with insurgents left seven soldiers dead. AFP PHOTO/ NARINDER NANU / AFP / NARINDER NANU (Photo credit should read NARINDER NANU/AFP/Getty Images) One of the many issues that have raised eyebrows post the Pathankot attack is the episode involving a Punjab Police SP. Gurdaspur police superintendent Salwinder Singh claims he was abducted by a group of militants who tried storming the Air Force base in the city two days later. The attack sparked a gun-battle when continued for over 48 hours, killing seven Indian security personnel and injuring 22. Questions have been raised regarding the alleged abduction of Singh. The police officer, who is slated to take over as the assistant commander of the 75th Battalion of the Punjab Armed Police, claims that he was abducted by the terrorists. The militants, who came in army fatigues, had also used Singh's blue beaconed car to reach the airbase. Advertisement The Telegraph reports: "Salwinder could not be contacted but police sources said he had been let off because the terrorists did not realise he was a police officer as he was in plainclothes. But it is still not clear why even a civilian would be released by a terrorist squad on its way to attack a high-security installation. The police sources explained the absence of the gunman by saying that Salwinder was returning from a shrine and it was normal practice for state policemen to pay obeisance at places of worship after a transfer or a promotion." Singh also said that the reason why he was not carrying arms was because he was visiting the shrine. "The minute I saw them I realised that they were terrorists," Singh told Reuters. Had gone to a religious place, thus did not take my gun or PSO along: Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh #PathankotAttackpic.twitter.com/dPgD2L6aUW CNN-IBN News (@ibnlive) January 5, 2016 According to a report in NDTV, Singh had gone to a nearby temple to pray along with his cook and a friend. Advertisement On their way back, their car was intercepted by a group of 'four-five' armed terrorists. Singh couldn't say for sure how many, firing speculation that there is something missing in his story. He added that the militants were carrying AK-47s and threatened to shoot them. "If I had a gun, maybe I would have fought against them, become martyred...There were four, five people with arms, how could I have done anything?" he told NDTV. He also described 'how he and two other people in the car with him were pushed down and told that they would be shot if they spoke up'. They were driven to a densely forested area by the terrorists and then dumped there. Salwinder, after freeing himself, contacted a senior Gurdaspur police officer, who then informed his Pathankot counterpart. Pathankot's RK Bakshi alerted the district, and yet the militants got in. Singh's complaint was treated as an armed robbery -- showcasing one in a series of lapses on part of the security before the actual attack on 2 January. It is being reported that Singh has changed his version of the story several times and even then there are some glaring inconsistencies in his account. Advertisement According to a report in The Indian Express, mobile phone tower records indicate that the militants made calls from Singh's phone from inside the air base by mid-afternoon on 1 January, some 12 hours before the government said it had detected them through aerial surveillance. Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh, the initial target of #Pathankot attackers, tells about his abduction and release https://t.co/ClLosyWKK0 India Today (@IndiaToday) January 4, 2016 Four days since the attack, an operation is still underway to fully secure the Pathankot air base after the pre-dawn swoop by suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists on 2 January. Also Read: These Are The Soldiers Who Laid Down Their Lives Fighting Militants In Pathankot Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also On HuffPost: Hindustan Times via Getty Images NEW DELHI, INDIA - JANUARY 1: Long queue seen as people using public transport at Rajiv Chowk Metro Station as the Odd and Even System has prevailed, on January 1, 2016 in New Delhi, India. The odd-even scheme that allows odd and even-numbered private vehicles to ply on city roads on alternate days aims at reducing air pollution levels. All diesel and petrol cars, irrespective of where they are coming from, will have to follow the rules. If a car is coming from out of Delhi and is breaking the odd-even rule, a fine will be levied. The government has deployed hundreds of volunteers and 3000 buses to help traffic police. To clean the Capital's toxic air, only odd-numbered private cars will be allowed on the road on odd dates and even-numbered on even days. Violators face a fine of Rs. 2,000. (Photo by Sanchit Khanna/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) A majority of the noise against Delhi government's odd-even plan to reduce pollution in the city, were from daily commuters who don't take public transport at all. Delhiites, who are either conditioned or irreversibly used to travelling in public cars, found the prospect of taking public transport disturbing to say the least. This resulted in a lot of carping and protests against the alleged curtailing of civil rights by the government. However, with the backing that they were getting, the Delhi government went ahead with the odd-even plan, which seems to have worked smoothly till now. But that didn't change the fact that some people were still greatly inconvenienced at having to take public transport, especially metros. And it is in common knowledge that it may not be easy to get a seat and have a completely comfortable ride on a metro at peak traffic hours. If you are used to travelling in the comfort of your own car, a metro ride may well be the definition of a nightmare. But the 'rich' who are not used to travelling in metros, have found themselves a great advocate of their cause. Guess who it is? The Supreme Court. Advertisement The Supreme Court has now suggested that the rich commuters should be allowed to get a 'dignified' travel experience, if they are willing to pay for it. While hearing the appeal of big car manufacturers against a diesel-vehicle registration freeze, the court said that the government could consider getting provisions for premium seats in metros for premium rates. "Mr Kumar, car owners who are coming (to the Delhi Metro), they must get some space to sit," Chief Justice T.S. Thakur told solicitor-general Ranjit Kumar. "Like, let us say, some of the clients of Mr (Abhishek) Singhvi travel in big cars like Mercedes, Toyota, etc... But when such people are using the Metro, why can't you make suitable arrangements for more space?", Thakur added. The conversation, notes The Telegraph, escalated from a light hearted suggestion to serious advice quickly. Thakur went on to say, "You can have premium fares for such persons. Maybe you can increase the fare fivefold for such passengers. For instance, if the fare is Rs 20, make it Rs 100 for such passengers for a dignified place to sit." Advertisement Hindustan Times reports: "To make metro travel comfortable for the common man, the bench advised the corporation to increase frequency of the trains. On senior advocate Harish Salves suggestion, the bench said the waiting time between two trains should be brought down from 3 to 1.5 minutes." Contact HuffPost India Also see on HuffPost: Hindustan Times via Getty Images PATHANKOT, INDIA - JANUARY 5: Commandos stand guard at Air Base during combing operations at Pathankot Air Base on Day 4 of terrorist attack on January 5, 2016 in Pathankot, India. Addressing the media after a visit to the forward base that was under siege from Saturday morning, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said the terrorists were neutralised in an operation that was over in 38 hours but combing operations are still on and may continue for a day or two. (Photo by Sameer Sehgal/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) PATHANKOT -- Combing operations were underway on Wednesday to sanitise the air base here that was under siege for four days after terrorists struck the forward installation even as the focus shifted to the probe in the terror strike with the NIA chief arriving here for an on-the-spot assessment Security officials said on Wednesday that the combing operations may continue for a day or two at the forward base where seven security personnel and six terrorists were killed Advertisement Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had said on Tuesday that there "is no suspected terrorist inside right now. (still) I will not give a negative report till the combing operations are over. The combing operations may be over by tomorrow" He had said that the combing operation was for safety purpose as there are live, unexploded bombs besides rest of the ammunition "Probably, they have brought high quality explosives," he had said He had stated that the terrorists were carrying AK47s, modified Under Grenade Barrel Launcher, pistols, Swiss and commando knives, 40-50 kg of bullets besides 3-4 dozens of magazine and mortars Parrikar had also announced that all those seven security personnel killed during the attack will be treated as martyrs that will entitle them to all the benefits available to "battle casualty" like in war-like situation Advertisement With the focus shifting on investigation, anti-terror probe agency NIA's chief Sharad Kumar will arrive here in the afternoon for an on-the-spot assessment Kumar had said on Tuesday that solving the conspiracy behind the attack was a "very big challenge" but recalled how the agency had in the past established the identity of culprits in many blind cases "It's a very challenging case and a lot of investigation needs to be done. Therefore, I am not fixing any deadline to the case but we will try to complete the probe soon," Kumar had said. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also see on HuffPost: Hindustan Times via Getty Images PATHANKOT, INDIA - JANUARY 4: Indian Army personnel on Army truck enter Pathankot Air Force Base during a terror strike on January 4, 2015 in Pathankot, India. Seven soldiers and at least five attackers were killed in two day long gun-battle with suspected Islamic insurgents at the Pathankot Air Base in the northern state of Punjab near the border with Pakistan. Pakistan-based United Jehad Council (UJC), an umbrella organisation of about a dozen militant outfits, today claimed responsibility for the deadly attack. (Photo by Sameer Sehgal/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) NEW DELHI -- The NIA yesterday said there is "little doubt" that the terrorists who attacked the IAF base at Pathankot were from Pakistan and it will be seeking voice sample of the mother of one of the gunmen who had spoken to her hours before the strike. The anti-terror probe agency's chief Sharad Kumar said help of Pakistan will be sought in solving the Pathankot terror attack case in which seven security personnel were killed. Six terrorists were eliminated during the encounter with the security forces. Advertisement Kumar, who will be flying today to the IAF base at Pathankot for an on-the-spot assessment, said the NIA will be seeking voice sample of the woman whose son was part of the terror group. The gunman is reported to have told his mother that he is going on a suicide mission and that he will be a martyr. Asked about the nationality of the terrorists involved in Pathankot attack, Kumar said there is "little doubt" that the attackers were from Pakistan, adding "whatever evidence that is available in front of us till now is based on intercepted telephone calls between the terrorists and their handlers and family members across the border". Commando stand guard at Airbase during combing operations at Pathankot Airbase He, however, refrained from naming the terror group responsible for the attack, saying "Let us work first. We will be able to establish everything once we have some evidence to support our claims. The case has to be proved before the court of law and therefore I will refrain from making statements on speculation." Advertisement The terrorists were believed to owe allegiance to Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed(JeM). Kumar said the probe was at an initial stage and refused to confirm if Pakistan's external spy agency ISI had a role to play in the incident. "I can't say whether ISI is involved or not. Let us see what happens after our probe is completed," he said. The NIA Chief also said the agency would try to identify the slain terrorists and may seek Pakistan's help in getting the voice samples of those from across the border whose voices figured in intercepted conversations. Punjab Police Jawans conducting a search operation at village Manwal during a terror strike at Pathankot Air Force Base "We will ask them (Pakistan) to give us the voice samples once we identify these people," he said. The terrorists had made several calls from the local mobile phone of a jeweller Rajesh Verma to places in Pakistan including Bahawalpur where they spoke to their handlers as well as family members, official sources said. Advertisement The NIA chief said Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) team was already assisting the 20-member agency team that is camping in Pathankot after the news of terror strike broke in the morning of 2 January. "We will also collect the DNA samples from all the dead bodies of the terrorists which may come in handy in future," he said. NIA had on Monday registered three cases in connection with the brazen terror strike, including the murder of a taxi driver by suspected terrorists, kidnapping of a Superintendent of Police rank officer and attack on the IAF base on the intervening night of 1 and 2 January. Kumar said solving the conspiracy behind the attack is a "very big challenge" but recalled how the agency had in the past established the identity of culprits in many blind cases. "It's a very challenging case and a lot of investigation needs to be done. Therefore, I am not fixing any deadline to the case but we will try to complete the probe soon," Kumar said. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also see on HuffPost: Hindustan Times via Getty Images MUMBAI, INDIA - DECEMBER 21: Indian Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt interacts with media after he was granted a month-long parole, the Bollywood actor was released from Pune's Yerwada Jail earlier on December 21, 2013 in Mumbai, India. Dutt, undergoing remainder of his five-year jail term for possessing illegal firearms, part of a cache of weapons meant to be used during the 1993 blasts, was granted parole on December 6. (Photo by Satish Bate/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) MUMBAI -- Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, convicted in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case and currently lodged in Pune's high-security Yerawada Central Prison, will walk out of jail on 27 February after the Maharashtra government cleared a proposal for remission of his sentence. Dutt is being given remission as per the jail manual after clearance from the Home department, a senior official said. Advertisement Minister for State (Home) Ranjit Patil signed the file allowing Dutt's release, without penalising him for reporting late from his furlough in January 2015. Dutt was sentenced to five-year imprisonment after he was convicted for possessing an illegal weapon, part of the cache meant to be used during the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts in which 257 people were killed. The 56-year-old actor was jailed in 1996 and spent 18 months behind bars before walking out on bail. In 2013, the Supreme Court sentenced him to five years in prison for the crime. Dutt is now completing the remaining prison term of 42 months. After he was sent to Yerawada jail in May 2013, Dutt had been out on parole twice and an equal number of times on furlough. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also see on HuffPost: ASSOCIATED PRESS Indian fishermen look at the Bay of Bengal as they walk at Mypadu beach in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh some 675 kilometers (421 miles) from Hyderabad, India, Monday, Nov.8, 2010. Two southern Indian states, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, had Sunday declared alerts and evacuated thousands of people fearing a severe cyclone. India's Meteorological Department Monday said the cyclone weakened into a deep depression. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A) CHENNAI -- Eight Tamil Nadu fishermen, who were arrested for allegedly crossing the international maritime border, were released by Sri Lanka following an order by a court in Mullatheevu. According to reports, the arrests were made on Monday after their boat collided with the boat of Lankan fishermen, which sank in the mid sea as a result of the impact. Advertisement The Lankan fishermen then cornered the fishermen from Akkarapettai in Nagapattinam district and dragged the fishing boat to Sri Lanka with ropes. The Tamil fishermen were handed over to the Lankan Navy, along with the boat. This incident has created lot of tension in the fishermen hamlets of Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu. Tamil fishermen are urging the government to secure the release of fellow fishermen and more than 62 fishing boats detained by Lanka. Earlier, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalaithaa had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take up the matter of freeing 84 Tamil fishermen languishing in Lankan jail. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also see on HuffPost: Screenshot from TimesNow As punches started landing slowly but steadily on the government at the Centre for having spectacularly botched up the Pathankot operations, a Trinamool Congress MP decided to up the ante by lobbing a distasteful allegation at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Idris Ali said the prime minister had links with the terrorists and he was involved in the Pathankot attacks that took the lives of seven Indian security personnel. "I feel PM Modi has links with terrorists which is why Pathankot attack took place. Why did the attack happen right after his visit to Pakistan? This is my personal opinion," he said. Advertisement He didn't just stop there. Speaking to the media, he even threatened to cut the limbs off CPI(M) leader Gautam Deb if he threatened Mamata Banerjee. He also dared the CBI to arrest Banerjee, following which he promised, Bengal will be on fire. TMC spokesperson Derek O' Brien immediately distanced the party from the comments and said that they have written to him, asking for an explanation. He also added that people can 'expect action' against Ali. However, it remains to be seen what kind of action the party really ends up taking against Ali. Anyone familiar with the political trajectory of TMC in West Bengal is aware of the role Idris Ali played in winning minority votes for Banerjee. Like all other national and regional parties who have a minorities affairs leader - mostly considered a link to the Muslims, Ali, had been the key to Banerjee's Muslim votes. In fact, in 2012, Ali was a part of the group of Islamists who protested against the launch of writer Taslima Nasrin's book in the state-sponsored Kolkata Book Fair. In fact, they threatened the organisers to the extent they cancelled the book launch due to fear of violence. Though the official reason given by the organisers was the unavailability of a hall inside the fair grounds, the reason was fairly obvious. Advertisement The Times of India had reported, "Immediately after the release, a group of activists belonging to the All India Minority Forum, marched to the spot and started protesting against the release. A heated altercation happened between the publishers of the book and the demonstrators." "Nasrin has written against Islam repeatedly. She is doing this at the insistence of the US. She will not be allowed here. We are upset that her publisher has ceremoniously organised release of her book. Such ceremony has been deliberately organised to insult our community," Abdul Aziz, member of the forum was quoted as saying. Among the leaders who blocked the release of a book in a book fair was Ali. Banerjee, who had come to power a year before, wasn't heard saying a word in protest against Ali's rowdy behaviour. Curiously enough, when Nasrin was deported from Kolkata under the CPM government, following violence over her book 'Dwikhandito', Banerjee was one of the loudest voices of criticism against the former government. Later, when she came to power, she showed no signs of getting Nasrin back in Kolkata or taking on the likes of Ali. Chances are Banerjee will not risk irking Ali directly, especially since the Assembly polls are due in April this year in West Bengal. Ali has had considerable sway on Muslim votes in the past, and the incident could be buried with the token chiding in the form of a letter. In the past too, as long as Banerjee's own party leaders were rallying against the Opposition, the state's chief minister had not paid much attention to issues of linguistic propriety. In 2014, when Trinamool MP Tapas Pal threatened the opposition with rape, Banerjee irritatedly asked if people wanted her to kill him for the remarks. Clearly, a threat of sexual violence was not worth expelling one of her party leaders. There's little chance that she will be greatly inconvenienced by Ali launching vacuous allegations against her sworn political rival Modi. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also see on HuffPost: Boo at the Zoo is back Boo at the Zoo will take place from 2-5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29, throughout the grounds of the zoo, and is free to the public. Why All The Blogs Have Gone To Shit [Op-Ed] In his recent op-ed, Josh Messer discusses blogs' increasing lack of integrity in the music industry as brought about by "checkbook journalism" and why it negatively impacts all those involved. ________________________________________ Guest Post by Josh Messer on PressPlay On Monday night, DJ, producer, and DJ Mags new Editor-At-Large Dani Deahl shared this text message, which a musician friend of hers received from a blogger. To clarify this situation if you dont fully grasp: a blog writer is asking a recording artist for payment in exchange for posting a written review to their outlet. This is called payola, a common form of music-related bribery thats as old as radio itself, but something thats grown to exist in myriad forms. In the comment section of her Facebook post, Dani posted a link to The Society of Professional Journalists, who have a specific term for payola in our specific realm: checkbook journalism. They strongly admonish any professional writer who engages in it. Checkbook journalism undermines journalistic independence and integrity and threatens the accuracy of the information that is purchased, SPJ holds in their official position paper on the topic. Its current most-popular form falls short of false advertising, but not by much. The problem with payola is that when a party that stands to benefit from supposedly impartial coverage, is then forced to purchase said coverage, the credibility of both the purchaser and the source providing this coverage is completely nullified. The introduction of monetary incentive into journalistic process inherently diminishes the incentive to prioritize offering high-quality, or even just satisfactory coverage period. Even when fair and impartially administered salaries are paid to writers by employer publications (as they honestly deserve), this still creates an incentive for writers to create content that benefits the interests of these publications. This goes double for those whose salaries are rooted from ad revenue, at which point the interests of those advertisers also comes into play. Non-profit journalism describes many music blogs as we know them, in that writers receive no profit from neither the publishing site nor the artist; PressPlay operates in this manner. Both of these scenarios, however, presume that writers do not accept under-the-table payment in addition to assuming either of these roles a topic that was itself a pervasive issue in 2015, when Hype Machine removed several handfuls of notable blogs over mass payola allegations. (edit: Facebook commenters have noted that Discobelle and some other sites may have been removed in error. Discobelle and several other blogs initially implicated in this scheme had indexes reinstated by Hype Machine. Others, such as Dancing Astronaut, remain removed from indexing but dispute claims of payola.). Meanwhile, ask any handful of PR providers or unsigned producers in the music industry and you will assuredly hear of a noticeable and accelerating decline amongst electronic music press on a universal scale. I contributed to the Complex Media-owned music blog Do Androids Dance at the time of its cancellation in January. The writing staff knew that we were among a dwindling number of writers at major outlets that didnt tolerate payola in any form. Complex abruptly cut our funding (which supported several writers as part-time jobs) seemingly at our zenith, and there was a consensus among the staff of if its this bad for us, just imagine how bad it is for everyone else. Complex graciously migrated all of DADs posts to their own site, but their dropping of the brand was otherwise unceremonious. Nearly a year on and we werent wrong. Almost any music that isnt being pushed by a dedicated publicist or manager is nearly guaranteed to go undiscovered by just about everyone. Not only is it now considered suicide to upload uncleared remixed material to Soundcloud, but dont even ask about uploading something without an arranged blog premiere unless youve got follower counts in the five figures. Payola thrives where hard work presents itself as too inconvenient. It thrives when conventional means no longer yield reasonable results, and they havent for a while. Discovering music on the internet has finally reached a saturation point where if someone hasnt told you to listen to it whether its a subscription streaming service, a DJ, a blogger, a publicist, or a friend you are utterly unlikely to ever know it exists. It speaks volumes when this statement remains true for even our foremost music curators. It deafens when you consider the truth that an increasing number of these curators are being paid off secretly by the artists themselves to attain that traction. Personal agency in finding our own music has been systematically removed, usually because someone is benefitting monetarily by removing it. Payola (in the form of checkbook journalism) simply involves cutting in journalists on this list of undisclosed beneficiaries. Im happy to say Ive never accepted any pay to write about a track on a blog. I do receive pay to conduct a bunch of promotion-related services via my start-up PR and management company, The Subvert Agency, but all cases of this are clearly delineated as such. Youll also never see a post on PressPlay or any other site about a Subvert-affiliated artist thats authored by me thats also payola. Sometimes bloggers will plagiarize my written copy (from my mailers and pitches) and Im hardly surprised because these are usually the same people that encourage this scam. By the way, when people benefit from a dishonest scheme, that is a scam. Checkbook journalism, by its definition, is a scam. Theres not much escaping the truth that a huge amount of supposed music journalism is also a scam, one that few navigate without being ensnared, even if only tangentially. When someone benefits by running content that only runs because of money, everyone involved loses. This goes for writers, artists, and readers. PR groups, when operated properly, work to mitigate this situation by having a paid intermediary whose job it is to navigate these waters and eke out legitimate placements that are not obtained by under-the-table deals, people again benefit from sharing and discovering great music without hidden strings attached. When an artist has well-intentioned PR or management representation, its easy to find out about and shows investment in improving their brand. It is by-design transparently visible to the general public, if they choose to find it. This is not to say that corruption is devoid from the publicity or management businesses, or that PR groups dont sometimes engage in payola themselves, but that a well-functioning network of publicists, managers, and journalists who each hold their ethical ground when their profession dictates is what fuels a healthy music press. Admittedly, this doesnt even touch the subject of a large sect of semi-professional musicians, for whom a majority of PR or management services are unaffordable or simply inviable. This fundamental degradation of any sense of ethics is why our press is broken right now. Transparency no longer has a great an incentive as checkbook journalism, and thats why music blogs are dying. Straight up. Short-term, payola sounds like a sweet gig for the beneficiaries, but SPJ also warns that this is bad economics: without the trust of a readership (and any advertising revenue their clicks bring), consistent money-flow runs dry in a hurry. At a minimum, news outlets that pay for an interview owe their audience full disclosure of that payment. The disclosure should be made clearly, prominently and consistently every time the outlet utilizes its exclusive coverage. That allows readers or viewers to assess the credibility of that purchased information, SPJ holds in their position. Sources like the EDM Network have long offered slingshot placements that guarantee high volumes of listeners and interactions, but are increasingly transparent in how they offer these paid services due in large part to demand and vocalization of their practices by other outlets. There are still dozens more outlets that have been implicated in pay-for-placement schemes who have taken little to no action in addressing claims against them, and were made lesser music fans for tolerating such inaction. The ugliest version of the truth is that we let this happen to ourselves. Theres also the fact that there is simply too much music for bloggers to cover all of it. Its total cacophony out here and acting like its still 2009 doesnt change that. Lets not even get started on the topics of other areas of the music industry crumbling from within And just dont ask about how many freelance jobs the average writer has to string together to make a living doing this shit. If the general population wanted a network of blogs and bonafide journalistic outlets to be the arbiters of taking back personal agency in finding new music, theyd say so. They would have said so. Some are absolutely saying so, but many of us most of us are not. People have turned their cheek en masse at every major payola scheme for the last 25 years and its finally caught up to us. While I dont waste a moment feeling sorry for anyone, that is a real goddamn shame. I remain optimistic that the tide turns in the year ahead, but weve got a ton of work to do to get our press back. This is assuredly foolish of me. Quick, everyone grab a shovel. Josh Messer is North American Managing Editor of PressPlay. Follow him on Twitter: @djrbtr. Illustration provided by Sydney Jones. Follow her on Twitter: @sydneyjones. Special thanks to Dani Deahl. Follow her on Twitter: @danideahl. Share on: Despite trends like physician integration and the decrease of general practitioners in the US, healthcare remains a growing industry. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the industry will yield 2.3 million new jobs between 2008 and 2018.As such, insurance agents and brokers shouldnt restrict their medical malpractice marketing to traditional care centers. A growing array of new business classes operating under the healthcare umbrella provides ample opportunity for enterprising independents, says Brad Rosgen, Healthcare Practice Leader for Burns & Wilcox.A lot of agents that specialized in small practice doctors will need to find different ways of keeping their doors open, Rosgen says. That means expanding to things they may not have worked on in the past, including home healthcare or outpatient services.Home healthcare is indeed a rising enterpriseone that is expected to grow 40% over the next decade as baby boomers age and prefer services within the comfort of their own home. However, agents should be sensitive to some of the challenges within this industry.Rosgen notes that due to loose underwriting guidelines, some carriers have withdrawn from the market, feeling rates were too low to support potential loss. Advising clients on this type of account means shopping around and providing the kind of value-added services that other accounts may not require.Hospice is another potential growth market. Particularly inviting to agents looking to get their feet wet in the medical malpractice market, hospice offers low risks and less underwriting complication.Its not something a lot of people think to go after, Rosgen says. Its a fantastic business to write from a risk standpoint and carriers typically provide rates that are aggressive, but fair.Other growing enterprises of note include telemedicine, anesthesiology, nursing homes and assisted living. Investing in any one of these will pay off for medical malpractice brokers as the healthcare industry continues to grow and specialize.[Medical professional liability] is definitely an area of growth. Competitive as it is, it is still a high growth industry and will continue to be as the population grows, Rosgen says. If youre not already, its definitely an area to get into if you want to keep pace with the general rate of the economy and have something new or fun to talk about every time you visit a client. Superintendent James Montepare submitted his letter of retirement on Tuesday. He has worked in the public schools for 41 years. The new School Committee with student representative Amanda Michaels, left (in pink) Karen Bond, Mark Moulton, John Hockridge, Mayor Richard Alcombright, Tara Jacobs, Nicholas Fahey and Heather Boulger (center). MASC Field Director Patricia Correira lays out the timeline for hiring a new superintendent. Montepare speaks with his assistant, Ellen Sutherland. PreviousNext Montepare Retires in April; North Adams Searching for New Superintendent NORTH ADAMS, Mass. Superintendent of Schools James Montepare will retire at the end of March after more than 40 years in the school district and a dozen as superintendent. School officials are planning an aggressive search for his replacement with hopes to have someone starting July 1. "It's a great place to work," Montepare told the School Committee at Tuesday's meeting. "I've loved every single moment. It's really hard to leave but sometimes it's time." He later said that the completion of Colegrove Park Elementary School had influenced his timing. "I wanted to make sure it was done," he said. Mayor Richard Alcombright described his departure as a bittersweet moment. "At some level, we expected it and at some level, we never wanted to see it come," he said. School Committee Mark Moulton noted the effective retirement date of April 1. "It's not an April Fool's joke is it?" he asked, adding "there's no one in this district that loved this district more than you do. ... I do appreciate what you do." Montepare began as a special education teacher in North Adams in March 1975. He became coordinator of pupil services in 1979 and administrator of special education in 1996, a post he continued to fill after being named assistant superintendent in 1998. He was named superintendent in 2003 following the resignation of then Superintendent of Joseph Rogge. His assistant, Ellen Sutherland, read from his first evaluation in 1976: "This young man by nature and by attitude seems suited for the work he performs, he is an excellent teacher, plans well and who shows affection and concern for the students under his care." "You couldn't find a better fellow and a better administrator," said the mayor. "It's a bittersweet moment to accept your letter and move forward." Moving forward begins immediately with the committee's adoption of a search plan presented by Patricia Correira, field director with the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. School Committee John Hockridge abstained because of his position a MASC board member. The committee more reluctantly accepted Montepare's letter of retirement. Alcombright said an interim superintendent, possibly Montepare if he was willing, would fill the post from April on. North Adams Superintendent Search Timeline City Councilor Kate Merrigan opens the first meeting of the Public Arts Commission. North Adams Arts Commission Learning Responsibilities NORTH ADAMS, Mass. The newly established Public Arts Commission is feeling out its role as advocate and arbiter for public art displays. The commission held its first meeting recently to review its establishing language and consider its next steps. Erica Manville was elected as chairman, Julia Dixon as vice chairman and Cynthia Quinones as secretary. The other commissioners are William Blackmer, Nancy Ziter, Eric Kerns and Gail Sellers. The commission was created by the City Council at the request of Mayor Richard Alcombright, who had found himself making decisions on public art displays. "While I've certainly in the last 10 years found a new appreciation for art and culture ... I really don't know a lot about this stuff," he told the commission at its first meeting on Dec. 21. "I really felt pigeonholed and tried to make good decisions. ... "I wanted to put it in front of people who can really make informed decisions." City Councilor Kate Merrigan, who chaired the Government Committee that shepherded the commission to fruition, opened the meeting and led the commissioners through each section of the ordinance to familiarize them with it. The commission will oversee exterior displays placed on city owned property not assigned to another entity and that can be seen by the public. It will have no purview over art at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, for example, because that property is under control of the museum even though it is owned by the city. It also leaves out state-owned property and private property. There had been questions about whether concerts would be considered, but General Government had determined those already required licensing by other government entities. "We're talking about permanent, or semi-permanent installations," said Merrigan. "They were sort of the model I was thinking for this first meeting," she said, pointing to its call for artists that the city could use as a starting point. Erica Manvile, right, was elected as chairman and Julia Dixon as vice chairman of the commission. Ziter disagreed, saying the commission had to get the basics established first, such as doing an inventory of art, reviewing current contracts and developing an application. "I think we need to back up ... we're not even at that point to call for artists," she said. "This commission is not at that point to go out and get artists. I think eventually we'll get to that point and give grants to have artists ... Right now we have absolutely nothing we've established ... I think we have to organize ourselves as a commission to get those things in place." The discussion turned to setting short-term and long-term goals to address the issues brought up. And to set meetings for Tuesday nights with the assumption that the first meetings may be longer to establish these initial benchmarks. Kerns also thought the commission should come up with a public statement that's clear about its purpose. "I think we need a public statement that is not this ordinance ... that thing reads like we're the art police and I don't think that's what we want to be we want to be an advocacy board. "Think about how we're going to present ourselves in a way that's going to show we're here to support this." SVMC Endocrinologist Named to Best Doctors in America List BENNINGTON, Vt. Dr. David M. Gorson, an endocrinologist and member of the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center medical staff, has once again been named as one of the Best Doctors in America for 2015 - 2016. Gorson also received the same recognition 2009 - 2012. The Best Doctors in America List is assembled by Best Doctors. It is audited and certified by Gallup, and national results accrue from polling of more than 40,000 physicians. Physicians, polled confidentially, answer questions related to their referral preferences. Best Doctors, Inc. evaluates the results, and verifies additional detailed inclusion criteria in order for a physician to be included on the list. Only the top 5 percent of doctors in their respective specialties are listed. 'Could Impact Pakistan's Visit to India For ODI WC': PCB Issues Statement After Jay Shah's Remark on Asia Cup T20 World Cup 2022 Preview: Dangerous Afghanistan Hope to Spring a Surprise or Two T20 World Cup: KL Rahul Plays in Very Authentic Way And is Correct Enough to Rack up the Runs - Kevin Pietersen 'It is Cheating': Ravi Shastri Puts Blame on Non-striker For Backing up And Getting Run Out We work towards an equitable, gender-just, self-reliant and sustainable fisheries, particularly in the small-scale, artisanal sector We work towards an equitable, gender-just, self-reliant and sustainable fisheries, particularly in the small-scale, artisanal sector We work towards an equitable, gender-just, self-reliant and sustainable fisheries, particularly in the small-scale, artisanal sector We work towards an equitable, gender-just, self-reliant and sustainable fisheries, particularly in the small-scale, artisanal sector Why It's Scary If North Korea Has An H-Bomb Trending News: What Is An H-Bomb And Does North Korea Really Have One? Why Is This Important? Because if North Korea has a hydrogen bomb then we should all be pretty scared. Long Story Short North Korea claims it has successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, but observers believe that the massive explosion may have just been a test involving a uranium or plutonium device. Long Story North Korea insists that it has successfully tested a hydrogen bomb underground, but the international community has called those claims into question. An earthquake of around 5.1 on the Richter Scale hit North Korea last night near the Punggye-ri nuclear test site and tremors were felt in several Chinese cities. The quakes were followed by an announcement on North Korean state TV that: The republics first hydrogen bomb test has been successfully performed at 10 a.m. on January 6, 2016. If thats true then North Korea now poses a substantially greater threat to the US and the rest of the world than before. North Korea has atomic weapons, which were used against Japan in World War II and use fission, or splitting atoms, to create explosions. But they are yet to prove they have hydrogen bombs, which are more destructive still as they use fusion, merging atoms, to release huge amounts of energy. Fortunately, however, it seems that Kim Jong-un may have been bending the truth. Experts suggest that North Koreas fourth nuclear test since 2006 didnt create a large enough explosion for a hydrogen bomb and may have been a uranium or plutonium device instead. It is widely believed that North Korea isnt capable of constructing a nuclear weapon small enough to fit on a missile. Data curated by FindTheData Rand Corporation analyst Bruce Bennett told the BBC: The bang they should have gotten would have been 10 times greater than what theyre claiming. So Kim Jong-un is either lying, saying they did a hydrogen test when they didnt, they just used a little bit more efficient fission weapon or the hydrogen part of the test really didnt work very well. Nonetheless whatever North Korea did use was stronger than previous tests and clearly powerful enough to cause some serious damage, and the latest inflammatory actions will again raise fears of World War III. Own The Conversation Ask The Big Question: How dangerous is North Korea and how much is bluster? Disrupt Your Feed: Its very bad news if North Korea has an H-bomb, but fortunately Kim Jong-un isnt exactly the most trustworthy of sources. Time to send in Team America: World Police? Drop This Fact: The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization International Data Centre in Vienna has showed that this explosion was very similar to North Koreas 2013 nuclear test, which was not a hydrogen bomb. GO-Biz Hosting Two Free Webinars for Businesses Interested in Applying for $75 Million in California Competes Tax Credits Sacramento, California - The Governors Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) announced it is hosting two free webinars in January for businesses interested in applying for the California Competes Tax Credit (CCTC). GO-Biz is now accepting applications for $75 million in tax credits during the current application period which closes on January 25. Businesses of all sizes are encouraged to apply for tax credits which are available to companies that are expanding and adding jobs in the state. The online application is available at www.calcompetes.ca.gov. Webinars Thursday, January 7, 2016 Details and Registration Tuesday, January 19, 2016 Details and Registration Since 2014, GO-Biz has awarded $223 million to 330 companies projected to create over 42,000 jobs and $9.6 billion in investments In 2015, GO-Biz hosted 68 workshops and five webinars across the state. If you have any questions regarding the CCTC program or application process, please call (916) 322-4051 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . About the California Governors Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) GO-Biz serves as Californias single point of contact for economic development and job creation efforts. GO-Biz offers a range of services to business owners including: attraction, retention and expansion services, site selection, permit streamlining, clearing of regulatory hurdles, small business assistance, international trade development, assistance with state government, and much more. For more information visit: www.business.ca.gov. Less Jitter, More Bits: New Material for Detecting Photons Captures More Quantum Information Washington, DC - Detecting individual particles of light just got a bit more preciseby 74 picoseconds to be exactthanks to advances in materials by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researchers and their colleagues in fabricating superconducting nanowires. Although 74 picoseconds may not sound like mucha picosecond is a trillionth of a secondit is a big deal in the quantum world, where light particles, or photons, can carry valuable information. In this case it means that much less jitter, or uncertainty in the arrival time of a photon. Less jitter means that photons can be spaced more closely together but still be correctly detected. This enables communications at a higher bit rate, with more information transmitted in the same period. Every little bit helps when trying to receive faint signals reliably. It helped, for example, in NISTs recent quantum teleportation record and difficult tests of physics theories. In such experiments, researchers want to decode as much information as possible from the quantum properties of billions of photons, or determine if entangled photons have properties that are linked beforeor only afterbeing measured. NIST has made many advances in photon detector designs. In the latest work, described in Optics Express, NIST researchers used an electron beam to pattern nanowires into a thin film made of a heat-tolerant ceramic superconductor, molybdenum silicide. The tiny boost in energy that occurs when a single photon hits is enough to make the nanowires briefly lose their superconducting capability and become normal conductors, signaling the event. Nanowire detectors are superfast, counting tens of millions of photons per second, and generating few dark (or false) counts. Originally they were inefficientmeaning they missed photons they should have countedbut NIST has been fine-tuning their properties, first by boosting efficiency and now reducing jitter. The new design improves on NISTs 2011 tungsten-silicon alloy material because it can operate at higher (though still cryogenic) temperatures and at a higher electrical current. The higher temperature simplifies refrigeration; the higher current cuts jitter in half, from about 150 picoseconds to 76 picoseconds. NIST researchers enhanced the detectors light absorption and efficiency by embedding the chip in a cavity made of gold mirrors and layers of other unreactive materials. Researchers demonstrated detector efficiencies of 87 percent at wavelengths that are useful in telecommunications. This was almost as efficient as tungsten-silicon devices (93 percent) but with significantly lower jitter. The molybdenum-silicide material adds to NISTs contributions in the competitive international field of quantum information science. Development of next-generation sensors offering high precision is a NIST priority. NIST single-photon detectors are used in a variety of experiments around the world. The detectors were made in NIST Boulders microfabrication facility. Researchers from the University of Geneva in Switzerland and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology also contributed to the work. Article: V. B. Verma, B. Korzh, F. Bussieres, R. D. Horansky, S. D. Dyer, A. E. Lita, I. Vayshenker, F. Marsili, M. D. Shaw, H. Zbinden, R. P. Mirin, and S. W. Nam. High-efficiency superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors fabricated from MoSi thin-films. Optics Express. Vol. 23, Issue 26, 2015. pp. 33792-33801. DOI: 10.1364/OE.23.033792 By Christopher Mohr, Contributing Writer Share IntraNext recently announced that its iGuard security application would use patented data masking technology developed by Western Union (News - Alert). This application will allow customers to provide sensitive personal information over their phones to a computerized system without contact center agents seeing or hearing it. Englewood, Colorado-based IntraNext Systems develops telephony solutions and provides consultation services in the call center industry. Its iGuard solution allows customers to provide personally identifiable information (PII) during a phone call by either speaking or entering the information in from the phones keypad. When taking credit card payments over the phone, agents will still be able to verify if a transaction was successful, even though the credit card number is concealed from them. Quality management recording can be disabled while the customer provides PII. It works with Avaya (News - Alert) and Cisco phone systems and the leading quality management, payment and virtual desktop solutions. Although it did not happen during a phone call, a recent incident involving a Starbucks customer in Lakewood, California illustrates that you cannot always trust the people you provide your credit card information to. In this particular case, the customer made a purchase using a credit card, but the barista assisting her allegedly copied the information down after claiming she needed to replace receipt tape in the register. The customer discovered a fraudulent transaction of more than $200 a few days later and traced it back to the barista, who admitted to the theft in a video. According to data compiled by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC (News - Alert)), identity theft was the leading complaint category for 2014, with over 330,000 complaints. Credit card fraud was the second-leading category of PII misuse, accounting for 17.4 percent of all complaints handled by the agency. Fortunately, there are solutions like IntraNexts iGuard, which are win-win for all parties involved in a transaction. Customers can be confident that their sensitive information is less likely to fall into the wrong hands while call centers using iGuard know that they are using a solution that complies with HIPAA and PCI (News - Alert) standards, and are therefore less likely to face lawsuits over identity theft from one of their employees. Edited by Kyle Piscioniere Seating of the Venezuelan National Assembly Washington, DC - The United States congratulates the people of Venezuela on the installation of their new, democratically-elected National Assembly. This is an important and necessary step towards fulfilling the will of Venezuelan voters as reflected in last months elections. The National Assembly can serve an important function in advancing and promoting a national dialogue focused on addressing the social and economic challenges facing the Venezuelan people. We call on all parties to respect the independence, authority, and constitutional prerogatives of the National Assembly. We remain concerned by the controversy surrounding the seating of some elected representatives and call for a resolution of this dispute in manner that is transparent and reflects the preferences of the Venezuelan voters. In recognition of the installation of the National Assembly, and to facilitate dialogue, we again call for the release of all those imprisoned for their political beliefs and activities. Watch: This Man Made a Lift For His Dog, The Reason Will Melt Your Heart Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the IndyArts email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} I wasn't expecting the slapping-down that I received about six years ago, while doing yoga teacher training at a north London studio. I had asked the tutor, a revered man in late middle age with a long beard and a costume of flowing white robes, what I thought was an innocent question. "Why," I enquired, "does it seem that Yogi Bhajan (the founder of a modern style of Kundalini yoga, which he popularised in California in the 1970s) is idolised as if he were a god? I thought we weren't supposed to idolise other humans." The tutor lost it. How dare I criticise Kundalini, its practice and, most of all, his dear, departed friend and mentor? To give you some context, one of the set meditations in this type of yoga is to stare at a photograph of the aforementioned Yogi Bhajan for up to four hours. It seemed to me, inexperienced as I was, that his followers were...well, worshipping him. More surprising at the time, was the way my question so angered the tutor (it turns out that the guru, Yogi Bhajan, was a controversial teacher who had faced allegations of physical, sexual and psychological abuse). Now, however, I've done yoga for long enough to work out that most teachers don't exist on a plane of calm, cool collectedness, and can be persuaded towards a pint or three, even on a weeknight. They are rarely (with some inspiring exceptions) examples of genuine #cleanliving. You might see sugar and substance-free models of goodness, who are light of ego and blessed with compassion for all things on Instagram, but in the flesh they tend to be just like you and me. Which is the inspiration for an original online comedy series, Namaste, Bitches. Summer Chastant is an American former yoga teacher who began to feel that all wasn't quite right with the holier-than-thou image presented by many in her field. So last year she launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a web series about "the underbelly of the yoga world". That series came out late last year. Set in Los Angeles, the six short episodes introduce us to the world of west-coast yoga, where teachers are hired on merits such as the size of their Instagram following. 'Namaste, Bitches' is created by and stars Summer Chastant, left The lead character Sabine is played by Chastant, who also wrote and is executive producer of the series, which she now hopes will make it onto TV. Sabine smokes, sleeps with a student, loves getting high and is, shall we say, in touch with her anger (sample quote, yelled at high volume in the street: "Lying, corporate yoga slut!"), but yearns for more honesty among her fellow teachers. "Namaste", by the way, is a Hindu greeting often used at the beginning and end of yoga classes. It means many things, but can be translated as "the divine light in me acknowledges the divine light in you", or "I honour the spirit in you that is also in me". It means much more than "hello". Chastant isn't trying to stick two fingers up at yoga, although perhaps former colleagues might recognise themselves as "the slutty bitch from the studio" or the "yoga freaks" Sabine needs a break from: she loved teaching and still practises every day. But she is asking teachers and studios to lighten up a little, and to be more authentic instead of setting unobtainable models for students. "This is a humorous representation of my observations of the industry, and although based loosely on my personal experience, I've taken creative liberties to exaggerate characters and situations for comedic effect," she says. "As a teacher, you have the opportunity to orchestrate an experience for every class, and to connect with everyone in the room on a very positive level. I struggled with the idea that, as my business grew, I needed to fuel it in ways that didn't seem authentic to what I was representing or what the practice was about such as using social media and constantly trying to recruit students." Most of the teachers and studios I approach don't want to comment on Namaste, Bitches. I guess they don't get the joke. Cheryl MacDonald, the founder of yoga franchise YogaBellies, is made of stronger and smarter stuff. "Any yoga teacher who thinks they are morally superior is not really getting what yoga is all about," she says. "No human being is 100 per cent perfect. We're all on the same path at different stages, and being a yoga teacher doesn't make you a better person; it just means you're at a certain stage in your journey." Most yoga teachers and studios dont get the joke, says Chastant She finds Namaste, Bitches "hilarious". "If you can't laugh at yourself, then what's the point?" she asks. "It is obviously a parody with lots of exaggeration but, yes, I have seen all of these characters in the community at one point or another." Of course, we do want to be inspired by our teachers. Would you really be more accepting of a yoga teacher who smells of gin and chicken shops, just because they're not hiding their habits? (Sabine is nothing if not honest: "I need a drink. I've got one more class to do and then I can get wasted".) But there's a happy medium between authenticity and oversharing, and the reason that Sabine is so funny, in additional to the swearing, squirm-inducing characters and faux-spiritual skewering, is that she never quite grasps this. CONFESSIONS OF A LONDON-BASED YOGA TEACHER I've taught while hung over. But most of my 'sins' are outside the classroom. Even coming to yoga was a bit of an alternative choice, and I think it often attracts those who don't necessarily hold morals in too high regard but want to find their own truth, experiment and perhaps question what is dictated as right or wrong. By doing so, we can learn about ourselves much more than we can by being told about it. So part of being a teacher is to help students to be who they are. I love doing all sorts of what might be considered immoral things, because they are part of being human. And part of being me. I don't feel I have to tell students about all of this, because it is important to be inspiring but also honest. I teach yoga, breathing, alignment and so on, but compassion and right choices, just like flexibility, are a by-product of the practice as a whole. Anyway, I'm horrible to my boyfriend when I'm tired. I shout at the cat. And I enjoy giving him a bath every now and then. I do not practise every day. I sometimes resent teaching for taking away the secret enjoyment of my own yoga. I'm self-conscious and increasingly egotistical. I don't really like the yoga scene, because it is not edgy enough." Namaste, Bitches Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Netflix true crime documentary Making a Murderer has proved to be a huge hit, with fans worldwide calling for the exoneration of Steven Avery, who was convicted for the murder of Teresa Halbach. The series has turned most fans into wannabe detectives, pouring over the evidence shown across the eight-episode series, looking for legal loopholes and gaps in the evidence against Avery. But before you give up the day job, buy a beige trench coat and take up investigative work, you can fill the Making a Murderer shaped hole with some of these other true crime documentaries. 1. Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hill (plus the sequels Revelations and Purgatory) Recommended Read more Only man who can pardon Steven Avery says he will not intervene These three documentary films, created by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, follow the story of Damien Echols, Jesse Misskelley and Jason Baldwin, three teenagers from West Memphis, Arkansas who were accused of murdering three 8-year-old boys, who were found dead and tied up in a ditch. The documentaries follow the trial of the three boys, and the families of the murdered boys as they seek justice. The three teenagers claim their innocence and cite that theyre being picked on for the crime of being outcasts in the neighbourhood. They are eventually convicted of the crimes, and the final film in the series follows their attempts to clear their names. The West Memphis 3 were convicted for murders they claim they didn't commit If you watched, or have watched, the Paradise Lost series, West of Memphis is worth adding to the pile. Again, it follows the trials of Echols, Misskelley and Baldwin, however this documentary looks at another possible suspect in the murders that was previously overlooked. The film was produced by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, who was a strong supporter in helping Damien Echols seek his release from death row, and directed by Amy J. Berg. 3. The Staircase This miniseries follows the defence team of Michael Peterson, who was accused of murdering his wife after she was found dead at the bottom of a staircase in their family home in 2001. During the case, it was discovered that another woman from Petersons past was also found dead at the bottom of the staircase, throwing doubt onto his protests of innocence. Making A Murderer- Where are they now? Oscar-winning Jean-Xavier de Lestrade wrote and directed the film, which focuses as much as the effect of the trial on Petersons family as it does on the trial. Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up 4. The Thin Blue Line Directed by Errol Morris, The Thin Blue Line delves into the case of Randall Dale Adams, who was convicted for shooting a police officer after the car he was travelling in was pulled over late at night. The film reviews the case, using interviews from key figures and re-enactments of the night of the crime. It looks at what happens when a case comes down to one persons word against the other, as Adams was accused by someone who was in the car with him at the time of the murder. 5. Serial Not a film, but this podcast took the Internet by storm last year. The first series, hosted by This American Life producer Sarah Koenig, followed the murder of Hae Min Lee in 1999. Adnan Syed, her ex-boyfriend, was promptly arrested after her murder. After his first trial ended in mistrial, he was sentenced to life in prison following his second, despite his innocent plea. The series was downloaded more than 68million times and the podcast has led to Syed being able to appeal his conviction. Season 2 has just started. Adnan Syed, the focus of Serial season 1 Timeline: Steven Avery's convictions Show all 5 1 /5 Timeline: Steven Avery's convictions Timeline: Steven Avery's convictions 1985: Steven Avery is falsely convicted of raping a Penny Beernsten She was jogging along the shore of Lake Michigan when she was threatened with a knife and attacked. Ms Beernsten identified Avery as her rapist from a line-up that did not include the actual attacker. AFP/Getty Images Timeline: Steven Avery's convictions 2003: Conviction overturned Avery's 32-year prison sentence was overturned after DNA testing by the Wisconsin Innocence Project proved his innocence and found a hair from Gregory Allen. He was convicted of the rape and Avery was released. Timeline: Steven Avery's convictions 2004: Avery files federal lawsuit against Manitowoc County police A Wisconsin Department of Justice investigation found police had committed no criminal offences or ethics violations, sparking a lawsuit from Avery seeking $36 million compensation. Timeline: Steven Avery's convictions 2005: Avery is arrested for Teresa Halbach's murder His Avery Auto Salvage business was the freelance photographer's last appointment of 31 October. She was reported missing four days later and police later found her car, bones, teeth and belongings at the site. Avery pleaded not guilty but was sentenced to life in prison in 2007. Timeline: Steven Avery's convictions 201: Netflix releases Making a Murderer The 10-episode documentary came after Avery's conviction was upheld in a 2011 appeal. The HBO series investigates Robert Durst, an American real estate heir, accused of murdering his wife Kathie, writer Susan Berman and neighbour Morris Black. Durst approached the films director Andrew Jarecki and offered himself up for interview, clips of which are used as part of the documentary. Mr Jarecki had previously directed All Good Things, which was inspired by Dursts biography. The film stars Ryan Gosling as David Marks, a character loosely based on Durst. Serial suspect: the property heir who was charged with first-degree murder, Robert Durst (Reuters) 7. The Central Park Five Trisha Meili was violently attacked and raped, leaving her in a coma for 12 days, as she jogged through Central Park in April 1989. Five teenage males were arrested, tried and jailed for assault, rape and attempted murder all five were later acquitted. Four of the males arrested were black; one was Hispanic. Sarah Burns, one of the directors of the documentary, was inspired to make the film after writing her undergraduate thesis on racism in media coverage. The Central Park Five covers the case from the background to interviews and the conviction of the five boys. 8. Cropsey This 2009 documentary looks into the urban legend of Cropsey, a New York boogeyman, whose name was used to frighten children in the area. However, the documentarians soon reveal that the real urban legend in the area. The film looks into the disappearance of several children from the Staten Island area and Andre Rand, a convicted child kidnapper, who had also worked at a nearby school for disabled children, which was closed after the discovery of widespread abuse within. Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} If you're a film fan in any way, chances are January is a time for excitement not sadness. Not only are the majority of those award contenders you've been hearing about for months on end finally released, but Hollywood comes together to discuss them all. Well, The Hollywood Reporter has gone one better; assembling six of the biggest directors working today Danny Boyle, Tom Hooper, David O. Russell, Alejandro G. Inarritu, Ridley Scott and Quentin Tarantino this roundtable is a must for any film enthusiast. Clocking in at over an hour long, we've plucked out the greatest facts, anecdotes and discoveries from the interview. Wallace and Gromit inspired Three Kings Specifically The Wrong Trousers. When Boyle mentions the Aardman animation's climactic action sequence, David O. Russell has this to say: "I used that when I made Three Kings; the rhythm of it, the way [Nick Park] cut it. When I thought about the chase sequence in Three Kings, I wanted to have that propulsive quality... I watched it many times." Ridley Scott has an incredible Stanley Kubrick story "I'd finished Blade Runner and it was a disaster. By then, I'd talked to Stanley a few times so I called him and said, 'Listen, I know you shot the hell out of...' wherever it was '...for The Shining I know you have four and a half months of helicopter stuff; can I have some of the stuff because it will suit me fine?' The next day I have 17 hours of footage. So the end of Blade Runner is Stanley Kubrick's footage." Tarantino confirms what he plans to do after film number ten "I want to stop at a certain point. I want to write novels and I want to write theatre. What I'd like to do is a theatrical adaptation of The Hateful Eight because I actually like the idea of other actors having the chance to play my characters. I'm working my way into that time period where I write novels, film pieces, film books, story novels and in particular writing and directing theatre." Inarritu's main Revenant nightmare were the horses Turns out the horses proved as big a headache as the weather on the set of The Revenant. Inarritu recalls, "I remember that Clint Eastwood last year said 'Oh, you're doing a film with horses? I was offered one of those last year and I didn't take it. I'm sorry for you.' I had never shot a horse in my life I [ended up] literally having nightmares about how to shoot a horse." Danny Boyle's favourite film memory is a 28 Days Later... deleted scene "We shot a scene in 28 Days Later... that we never used where they were driving around in a taxi cab through post-apocalyptic zombified Britain and they sung "Hotel Yorba", The White Stripes song. We never used it in the movie but I've always wanted to do a musical. Ridley Scott has seen Muriel's Wedding six times Upon being asked what film they'd each select to put in a time capsule for preservation, the Alien and Blade Runner director silences everyone with "Muriel's Wedding. I've seen it six times; it's fantastic." (Tarantino picks the climax of Police Story 3) ...and is even more of a seasoned pro than we thought Upon being asked what his toughest challenge was on The Martian: "None. It was very straightforward." Upon being asked if he has any regrets: "Not one. Nothing. I kind of like what I've done actually." Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Coen Brothers' new film Hail, Caesar! will receive its UK premiere at the Glasgow Film Festival. The screwball comedy will open the festival on 17 February, having received its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival on 11 Feb. Joel and Ethan Coen's film turns its gaze back to the closing days of Hollywood's Golden Age, as an ex-private detective, turned Hollywood "fixer" (Josh Brolin), is tasked with ensuring the return of missing star Baird Whitlock (George Clooney), kidnapped off the set of a Roman epic by a mysterious group named The Future. The movie also stars Scarlett Johansson, Josh Brolin, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, and Channing Tatum. Closing the festival is Charlie Kaufman's critically exalted animation Anomalisa; having already won the Grand Special Jury Prize 2015 at the Venice Film Festival, it's a frontrunner for the Academy Awards' Best Animation category. Both mark an incredible grab for the Scottish film festival, a relative newbie on the scene with only 12 years under its belt. "We like to open the festival with something special to build audience excitement for the fortnight of films to come, and Hail, Caesar! is as big and beautiful a film as you can get", remarked Festival Co-Director, Allison Gardner. "We are absolutely delighted to be screening the Coens wonderful, all-star salute to Old Hollywood, and especially privileged to be hosting the films UK premiere. A rollicking good time to be had by everyone!" The Glasgow Film Festival runs from 17-28 February. Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The chances are, if youre one of the many millions who has gone to see The Force Awakens, youve been tempted to revisit the other six Star Wars films. It appears hundreds of fans are going back and analysing the predecessors, and - as you may suspect - the prequel trilogy is not being looked upon fondly. One of the many nuances that has recently come to peoples attention is the seriously sloppy editing in those three films. A GIF currently doing the rounds on social media, of a scene from Revenge of the Sith in which Senator/Emperor Palpatine is explaining to pre-Darth Anakin about the power of the Dark Side, highlights the faults in the film. anakin_morph Watching it within the context of the entire film, barely anything is noticeable. However, when the clip is secluded (as seen above), you can see Anakins face change as George Lucas morphs two entirely different clips of the Jedi together. Here's the whole scene below (the edit coming in at 1.24). In another notable example, this time within Attack of the Clones, you can see a floating pear somehow slip into Padmes mouth, like shes a lizard using her tongue to take in the fruit (at the 38-second mark). Within Making Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace you can see Lucass morphing skills in action as he tells the editor what he wants (starting 45.40). In the clip, the director wants to make Captain Panaka and Obi-Wan Kenobi sit down at different times. To do so, they blend two clips, in what Ben Burtt - the films co-editor - calls cyber editing. Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Show all 35 1 /35 Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere He loves to change the actors performances, you know, Kurt says with disdain. We've gotten into that, over the last two weeks, a habit of not taking anything for granted. If we can split one actor from one take and put him, re-sync him with everyone else. Were doing lots of that. Its fantastic you can do that but its opening up a whole world of, you know, it just multiplies the number of decisions you can make in a cut. Normally you can reject whole shots because just one thing is wrong, but now you can just keep the good things in that shot and throw away the bad. This practice has become very common place in modern day films, with new software able to morph shots much easier than when Lucas originally did it. Disney has produced this video, showing just how easy it is to make unsynchronised (and terribly acted) shots morph together. In other Star Wars news, a fan theory - related to the above Palpatine/Anakin scene - has shown how the soundtrack to The Force Awakens could prove who Supreme Leader Snoke really is. Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Disney is treading on sacred ground by making a Han Solo spin-off film. The loveable rogue, played by Harrison Ford in the movies thus far, is a fan favourite - possibly the most popular character in the series - and messing with his back story could seriously anger die-hard Star Wars fans. Luckily, Lawrence Kasdan, writer of The Force Awakens, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi as well as Raiders of the Lost Ark, is on board the project as both writer and producer. In a Q&A about Episode VII after a screening for the Directors Guild of America, alongside JJ Abrams, Kasdan explained just why he is so excited to be working on the Anthology film. (Hint: its because he loves Han Solo more than anyone else.) Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Show all 35 1 /35 Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens world premiere I wasnt sure I wanted to be involved, and I was a little relieved when they said Michael Arndt had been hired to write Episode VII, because whoever writes that episodeI dont know what you do with it. But they said, Here are these other stories wed like to do, and the one that caught my attention was a young Han Solo, because thats my favourite character. Speaking about the story, the writer said the film wont be an origins story for the character as Solos persona changes all the time, and going back to the beginning would be telling the story of a completely different person. It will not be, 'Heres where he was born and this is how he was raised.' I think what it will be is what was he like 10 years earliermaybe a little earlier, youll get a glimpse. But Kurosawa once said the heroes are the ones that are still changing and the villains are locked and petrified into what they are, and Harrison embodies in Force Awakens someone who is still not settled on who he is. Previously, when Star Wars has attempted to do origin stories for characters, theyve turned out pretty badly. Just watch the prequels, i.e. Darth Vaders origin story. Harrison Ford is expected to play an older Han Solo (Peter Mayhew/Twitter) In other Star Wars news, the film is breaking box-office records all over the world, while The Force Awakens tie-in monopoly set has caused outrage for not featuring Rey. Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A lot of people are extremely excitement for the upcoming DC film Suicide Squad, almost more so than they are towards Batman v Superman. Its no surprise really: along with mixing up the superhero formula by focussing on the villains, there is an all-star cast including Will Smith, Jared Leto and Margot Robbie, the latter of which has recently spoken about her role as Harley Quinn. "Harley is creepy, violent, crazy - all of the things that I aspire to be, the 25-year-old actress joked with Cineplex. No. Its the fun of living vicariously through someone who is doing things that I would never do in real life. Robbie also spoke about her favourite actor to work with and, not surprisingly, it wasnt Leto, who apparently isolated himself from the rest of the cast while filming. First look at Suicide Squad Show all 18 1 /18 First look at Suicide Squad First look at Suicide Squad Suicide Squad: First Look Warner Bros First look at Suicide Squad Suicide Squad: First Look Warner Bros First look at Suicide Squad Suicide Squad: First Look Warner Bros First look at Suicide Squad Suicide Squad: First Look Warner Bros First look at Suicide Squad Suicide Squad: First Look Warner Bros First look at Suicide Squad Suicide Squad: First Look Warner Bros First look at Suicide Squad Suicide Squad: First Look Warner Bros First look at Suicide Squad Suicide Squad: First Look Warner Bros First look at Suicide Squad Suicide Squad: First Look Warner Bros First look at Suicide Squad Suicide Squad: First Look Warner Bros First look at Suicide Squad Suicide Squad: First Look Warner Bros First look at Suicide Squad Suicide Squad: First Look Warner Bros First look at Suicide Squad Suicide Squad: First Look Warner Bros First look at Suicide Squad Jared-Leto-Suicide.jpg Jared Leto in Warner Bros' Suicide Squad Warner Bros / YouTube First look at Suicide Squad Suicide Squad: First Look Warner Bros First look at Suicide Squad Suicide Squad: First Look Warner Bros First look at Suicide Squad Suicide Squad: First Look Warner Bros First look at Suicide Squad Suicide Squad: First Look 'Dress up time!': Cara Delevingne as Harley Quinn on Instagram Instead, it was Focus co-star Will Smith: I enjoyed working with Will so, so much that I was overjoyed when I heard that we would be working together again. I actually texted him when I heard he was in negotiations to be in Suicide Squad and kept peer-pressuring him, Youd better be taking this movie! He obviously signed on for his own reasons, but I was so incredibly happy that we got to do Round Two. Hes awesome on set and awesome off set. Hes just a really, really good person. Previously, Smith detailed how his character Deadshot, was engaged in a ragged love triangle with both Robbies Quinn and Letos Joker. Suicide Squad - Comic-Con Trailer Suicide Squad will hit cinemas in August 2016. Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Everyone loves a bit of shared universe trivia when it comes to an auteurs movies, and apparently The Hateful Eight contains such a secret. In addition to the fictitious Red Apple cigarettes that have featured in several Tarantino films, The Hateful Eight apparently also features a character related to one from elsewhere in Tarantinos oeuvre. I dont want to say it point blank boom!, but if youre a fan of my work and are familiar with it you could be a bit of a detective, he told Digital Spy. I will say that there is one character amongst the eight that is related to one of my other characters in one of my other films. I cant explain the relation because that would tip my hat a little bit too much, he continued, teasing: The only other clue I can giveis that the actor was originally cast as that character in the other film but they werent able to do it due to a scheduling conflict. *Spoiler below* Like all good detectives, we headed to Wikipedia for answers. Django Unchained is the obvious candidate for the movie in Tarantinos riddle (part of a Western trilogy he's working on), unless his characters are capable of time travel. It seems that Kurt Russell (John The Hangman Ruth in The Hateful Eight) was at one point attached to play Ace Woody, a character who would eventually be merged to form Billy Crash. We can therefore fairly safely assume that it is the bounty hunter and slave death match trainer who are related. Interestingly, Billy Crash was played by Walton Goggins, who also appears in the new movie. The Hateful Eight opens in a few UK cinemas (for bizarre reasons) on 8 January. Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the IndyArts email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Jekyll & Hyde has been axed by ITV after only one series after hundreds of viewers complained about high levels of violence before the watershed. Charlie Higsons drama controversially aired in the 6.30pm slot, attracting an average of 2.6 million viewers each episode by the end of its first run. Jekyll & Hyde concluded on 27 December after its final three episodes aired in a single week due to ITVs rescheduling. Higson confirmed the news on Tuesday evening, writing on his Twitter that it was a sad day but a grand adventure while it lasted. He added that he had been writing for a second series but will not be moving onto other things. Jekyll & Hyde, starring Tom Bateman, Natalie Gumede and Richard E Grant drew more than 800 complaints about unsuitable bloody scenes when it began broadcasting last October. One episode featuring a gun fight was cancelled following the Paris terror attacks. Ofcom is investigating the complaints and a ruling is reportedly expected early this year. Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the IndyArts email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Cashing in on the gargantuan success of Netflix's latest documentary series, Making a Murderer, Seth Meyers opened his return to Late Night with a parody of everyone's latest binge-watch. Entitled "Making a Talk Show Host", the video includes takes on the series' distinctive use of subtitled phone conversations cut over meaningful, brooding shots; all accompanied by that ominous twinge of the cello. And, yes, those wonderful Wisconsin accents. A dialect very similar to the Minnesotan one made famous, and endlessly parodied, by the Coen Brothers' Fargo. Acting as a cold open to Meyers' popular talk show, the clip sees an NBC staff member collect calling the host so he can beg, "You gotta come back. They don't got no more reruns." Meyers responds in those same Wisconsin tones to complain, "I've only been out two weeks. Two weeks I've been gone." Eventually convinced, the sketch acts as a perfect return from the show's holiday break. Considering the runaway success of Netflix's show, this is likely only the first of a whole string of parodies about to unleash themselves onto the world. Certainly expect Saturday Night Live to take on the series when it returns to screens 16 January, with Star Wars: The Force Awakens star Adam Driver as host. Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the IndyArts email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Political correctness must not sanitise comedy and inhibit controversial material, Tracey Ullman has warned, ahead of the performers return to the BBC. Ullman, who enjoyed Emmy-winning success after launching a new career in Los Angeles, stars in a new BBC1 sketch show, her first home-grown series in almost three decades. Ive done really big, bold things in my career, she said at a Bafta screening of Tracey Ullmans Show. I saw Eddie Murphy play a white woman in the 80s and I said I wanted to be a black woman on my (US) show. Everyone was like oh, we cant do that! And we did it and it was great and it worked. Recommended Read more Tracey Ullman returns to BBC with new show I wanted to be a Chinese donut shop owner and a cabbie of indeterminate Middle-Eastern background. If you start questioning yourself with this PC stuff it can be really sanitising and repress you. I think with the right script and energy and its funny then lets do it. It has to be real. You have to be bold and you do have to take on stuff and not be inhibited. Ms Ullmans US characters included Sheneesha, an African-American airport security guard and a Mrs Noh Nang Ning, which prompted complaints from some Asian-American viewers. Comedians say the most controversial things Show all 11 1 /11 Comedians say the most controversial things Comedians say the most controversial things Frankie Boyle on Katie Price 'I have a theory that Jordan married a cage fighter cause she needed someone strong enough to stop Harvey from f***ing her. Getty Image Comedians say the most controversial things Dapper Laughs on sexual harassment Remember, its only sexual harassment if shes more attractive then [sic] you. Comedians say the most controversial things Jimmy Carr on Reeva Steenkampf death 'I blame her. If she hadnt been in that disabled toilet none of this would have happened.' Getty Comedians say the most controversial things Frankie Boyle on Rebecca Adlington I worry that Rebecca Adlington will have an unfair advantage in the swimming by possessing a dolphin's face. Comedians say the most controversial things Dapper Laughs tells audience members she's 'gagging for a rape' She's gagging for a rape. We'll have a chat afterwards.... Poor girl, do you want to come backstage after, yeah? Bring two of your mates, youll need them. Comedians say the most controversial things Jim Jefferies on why he could never be gay 'I can never be gay because I can never f*** another man...because I can never f*** something that I respect.' Getty Images Comedians say the most controversial things Reginald D Hunter uses N-word several times at football gala The Professional Footballers' Association later asked the comedian to pay back his fee PA Comedians say the most controversial things Russell Brand booed at GQ awards for Nazi joke And the Nazis did have flaws, but, you know, they did look f**king fantastic, lets face it, while they were killing people on the basis of their religion and sexuality. Getty Images Comedians say the most controversial things Frankie Boyle on Barack Obama When Barack Obama was giving his speech after being elected as president, he had to do it behind three inch thick bullet-proof glass. I thought that was a bit harsh just because hes black doesnt mean hes going to shoot anyone' Rex Features Comedians say the most controversial things Anthony Jeselnik on Boston marathon bombing There are some lines that just shouldnt be crossed today. Especially the finish line. Getty Images Comedians say the most controversial things Frankie Boyle on Camilla Parker Bowles 'Does anyone think that Camilla is what Princess Diana would look like if she survived the crash'. Ullman, 56, impersonates Angela Merkel in her BBC show, imagining the German Chancellor as a vain gossip, obsessed with her image and jealous of Nicola Sturgeon. She also presents Dame Judi Dench as a shoplifting kleptomaniac and mocks the Duchess of Cornwalls obsession with country pursuits. But Ms Ullman said her portrayals were affectionate and her writing team said they pulled back from characterisations they considered too cruel. Asked why she was returning to UK screens, Ullman said: I hadnt been given a job in so long. I met Charlotte Moore (BBC1 Controller) and Myfanwy Moore (Executive Producer) and I realised there were some girls in charge at the BBC. Thirty years ago it was a lot of men who talked about The Goons. Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up Ullman enjoyed Emmy-winning success after launching a new career in LA (Getty) (Getty Images) The show has a political edge, with sketches about library closures imposed by Tory cuts and an illegal immigrant who hitches a ride to suburbia from Calais. It will run after the new, extended Ten OClock News on Monday nights, in competition with Newsnight. Ms Ullman said she received special permission from the very top at the BBC not to pixelate a pair of prosthetic nipples for a sketch in which she plays a feminist MP, who pledged to remain topless throughout her term. A Bafta lifetime achievement award winner, who made her breakthrough in the early 80s with the sketch show Three Of A Kind, Ms Ullman said the biggest change during her career was the breakthrough of female comics. Comedy in the early 80s was Benny Hill and girls getting their bottoms pinched. Then French & Saunders revolutionised everything. Now Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are opening movies but weve still got to do more. She added: Most of my (new series) characters are older women and you just dont see older women on mainstream TV. I had lots of fantastic actresses who came to help me. Ms Ullman expects viewers to watch the sketches on-demand rather than make a date with her shows late 10.45pm time slot. I dont think you have appointment to view TV any more. Very few people mark a programme out in the Radio Times and just watch it. People watch on catch-up. The comedians warnings over the detrimental impact of political correctness on comedy followed a complaint from Barry Humphries that the BBC's puritanism prevented him making a joke about Jeremy Corbyn. There's a fear of treading on people's toes and I don't like it, he told Radio Times. Tracey Ullmans Show, BBC1, Monday January 11, 10.45pm Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the IndyArts email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} If you take The Great British Bake-Off's five-minute educational slot, add in some historical role play and extend it over an hour, you end up with something resembling Victorian Bakers. For BBC2 viewers who haven't learned enough about loaves from Paul Hollywood's Bread or Lorraine Pascale's Baking Made Easy, the new series serves up a wholesome slice of Victorian social history as four modern-day bakers are transported back to 1837. Sales of sliced bread fell by 100m last year as increasing numbers of us bake our own sourdough or buy flaxseed focaccia from local farmers' markets. Or at least fantasise about doing both and then have to make do with stale Ryvita soldiers and a boiled egg. Victorian Bakers feeds into the idyllic dream of ditching our technology-dominated lives for a simple existence in the countryside. Even the reconstructed kitchen seemed to have a Farrow & Ball duck-egg-blue door. The contestants were faultlessly genuine and passionate about the historical experiment. But as much though I enjoyed Barnsley baker John growing mutton chop sideburns to look the part, the show was all a bit too chuffing earnest about bread. Like when a waiter explains every food process that has gone into your meal. Or a family friend bores you over the dinner table about real ale. The programme succeeded in making history come to life in an interesting, hands-on way, although it lacked drama. It may have had some squabbles about getting the oven to start, but it couldn't compete with the nail-biting tension of Bake-Off. It was in every way the perfect BBC2 factual programme: full of substance, educational and accessible for all. But Victorian Bakers was too much of a cookie cut-out to be a real indulgence. A bad Mel and Sue joke would have gone down a treat. Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the IndyArts email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} If January has already had you uttering the dreaded D word detox then stop now because you might as well replace it with a different D, namely "Don't bother". Yes, according to the experts on the new series of Trust Me, I'm a Doctor, your antioxidant-boosting smoothie is a waste of money. And as for those protein shakes you've been scoffing post-workout? Pointless. Michael Mosley and co used the opening episode of series four to dish out the kind of advice us sceptics dream about. After conducting a series of experiments, the team concluded that "supplementing" your body is a waste of time and cash as surprise, surprise your body is pretty good at regulating itself. Led by Dr Chris van Tulleken, a group of volunteers agreed to undertake an eight-week exercise regime, supplemented by a daily protein shake only half of them received a placebo. Eight weeks later everyone's muscle mass had increased, but there was no difference between those taking the protein shake and those taking the placebo. As Dr Van Tulleken explained, once your body starts to detect excess protein ie the shake it finds a way to get rid of it, usually as energy, fat or urine. And results in an antioxidant smoothie experiment were similar because the body already produces all the antioxidants it needs, if it detects any more it simply slows down production. Health news in pictures Show all 40 1 /40 Health news in pictures Health news in pictures Coronavirus outbreak The coronavirus Covid-19 has hit the UK leading to the deaths of two people so far and prompting warnings from the Department of Health AFP via Getty Health news in pictures Thousands of emergency patients told to take taxi to hospital Thousands of 999 patients in England are being told to get a taxi to hospital, figures have showed. The number of patients outside London who were refused an ambulance rose by 83 per cent in the past year as demand for services grows Getty Health news in pictures Vape related deaths spike A vaping-related lung disease has claimed the lives of 11 people in the US in recent weeks. The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has more than 100 officials investigating the cause of the mystery illness, and has warned citizens against smoking e-cigarette products until more is known, particularly if modified or bought off the street Getty Health news in pictures Baldness cure looks to be a step closer Researchers in the US claim to have overcome one of the major hurdles to cultivating human follicles from stem cells. The new system allows cells to grow in a structured tuft and emerge from the skin Sanford Burnham Preybs Health news in pictures Two hours a week spent in nature can improve health A study in the journal Scientific Reports suggests that a dose of nature of just two hours a week is associated with better health and psychological wellbeing Shutterstock Health news in pictures Air pollution linked to fertility issues in women Exposure to air from traffic-clogged streets could leave women with fewer years to have children, a study has found. Italian researchers found women living in the most polluted areas were three times more likely to show signs they were running low on eggs than those who lived in cleaner surroundings, potentially triggering an earlier menopause Getty/iStock Health news in pictures Junk food ads could be banned before watershed Junk food adverts on TV and online could be banned before 9pm as part of Government plans to fight the "epidemic" of childhood obesity. Plans for the new watershed have been put out for public consultation in a bid to combat the growing crisis, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said PA Health news in pictures Breeding with neanderthals helped humans fight diseases On migrating from Africa around 70,000 years ago, humans bumped into the neanderthals of Eurasia. While humans were weak to the diseases of the new lands, breeding with the resident neanderthals made for a better equipped immune system PA Health news in pictures Cancer breath test to be trialled in Britain The breath biopsy device is designed to detect cancer hallmarks in molecules exhaled by patients Getty Health news in pictures Average 10 year old has consumed the recommended amount of sugar for an adult By their 10th birthdy, children have on average already eaten more sugar than the recommended amount for an 18 year old. The average 10 year old consumes the equivalent to 13 sugar cubes a day, 8 more than is recommended PA Health news in pictures Child health experts advise switching off screens an hour before bed While there is not enough evidence of harm to recommend UK-wide limits on screen use, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have advised that children should avoid screens for an hour before bed time to avoid disrupting their sleep Getty Health news in pictures Daily aspirin is unnecessary for older people in good health, study finds A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that many elderly people are taking daily aspirin to little or no avail Getty Health news in pictures Vaping could lead to cancer, US study finds A study by the University of Minnesota's Masonic Cancer Centre has found that the carcinogenic chemicals formaldehyde, acrolein, and methylglyoxal are present in the saliva of E-cigarette users Reuters Health news in pictures More children are obese and diabetic There has been a 41% increase in children with type 2 diabetes since 2014, the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit has found. Obesity is a leading cause Reuters Health news in pictures Most child antidepressants are ineffective and can lead to suicidal thoughts The majority of antidepressants are ineffective and may be unsafe, for children and teenager with major depression, experts have warned. In what is the most comprehensive comparison of 14 commonly prescribed antidepressant drugs to date, researchers found that only one brand was more effective at relieving symptoms of depression than a placebo. Another popular drug, venlafaxine, was shown increase the risk users engaging in suicidal thoughts and attempts at suicide Getty Health news in pictures Gay, lesbian and bisexual adults at higher risk of heart disease, study claims Researchers at the Baptist Health South Florida Clinic in Miami focused on seven areas of controllable heart health and found these minority groups were particularly likely to be smokers and to have poorly controlled blood sugar iStock Health news in pictures Breakfast cereals targeted at children contain 'steadily high' sugar levels since 1992 despite producer claims A major pressure group has issued a fresh warning about perilously high amounts of sugar in breakfast cereals, specifically those designed for children, and has said that levels have barely been cut at all in the last two and a half decades Getty Health news in pictures Potholes are making us fat, NHS watchdog warns New guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the body which determines what treatment the NHS should fund, said lax road repairs and car-dominated streets were contributing to the obesity epidemic by preventing members of the public from keeping active PA Health news in pictures New menopause drugs offer women relief from 'debilitating' hot flushes A new class of treatments for women going through the menopause is able to reduce numbers of debilitating hot flushes by as much as three quarters in a matter of days, a trial has found. The drug used in the trial belongs to a group known as NKB antagonists (blockers), which were developed as a treatment for schizophrenia but have been sitting on a shelf unused, according to Professor Waljit Dhillo, a professor of endocrinology and metabolism REX Health news in pictures Doctors should prescribe more antidepressants for people with mental health problems, study finds Research from Oxford University found that more than one million extra people suffering from mental health problems would benefit from being prescribed drugs and criticised ideological reasons doctors use to avoid doing so. Getty Health news in pictures Student dies of flu after NHS advice to stay at home and avoid A&E The family of a teenager who died from flu has urged people not to delay going to A&E if they are worried about their symptoms. Melissa Whiteley, an 18-year-old engineering student from Hanford in Stoke-on-Trent, fell ill at Christmas and died in hospital a month later. Just Giving Health news in pictures Government to review thousands of harmful vaginal mesh implants The Government has pledged to review tens of thousands of cases where women have been given harmful vaginal mesh implants. Getty Health news in pictures Jeremy Hunt announces 'zero suicides ambition' for the NHS The NHS will be asked to go further to prevent the deaths of patients in its care as part of a zero suicide ambition being launched today Getty Health news in pictures Human trials start with cancer treatment that primes immune system to kill off tumours Human trials have begun with a new cancer therapy that can prime the immune system to eradicate tumours. The treatment, that works similarly to a vaccine, is a combination of two existing drugs, of which tiny amounts are injected into the solid bulk of a tumour. Nephron Health news in pictures Babies' health suffers from being born near fracking sites, finds major study Mothers living within a kilometre of a fracking site were 25 per cent more likely to have a child born at low birth weight, which increase their chances of asthma, ADHD and other issues Getty Health news in pictures NHS reviewing thousands of cervical cancer smear tests after women wrongly given all-clear Thousands of cervical cancer screening results are under review after failings at a laboratory meant some women were incorrectly given the all-clear. A number of women have already been told to contact their doctors following the identification of procedural issues in the service provided by Pathology First Laboratory. Rex Health news in pictures Potential key to halting breast cancer's spread discovered by scientists Most breast cancer patients do not die from their initial tumour, but from secondary malignant growths (metastases), where cancer cells are able to enter the blood and survive to invade new sites. Asparagine, a molecule named after asparagus where it was first identified in high quantities, has now been shown to be an essential ingredient for tumour cells to gain these migratory properties. Getty Health news in pictures NHS nursing vacancies at record high with more than 34,000 roles advertised A record number of nursing and midwifery positions are currently being advertised by the NHS, with more than 34,000 positions currently vacant, according to the latest data. Demand for nurses was 19 per cent higher between July and September 2017 than the same period two years ago. REX Health news in pictures Cannabis extract could provide new class of treatment for psychosis CBD has a broadly opposite effect to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active component in cannabis and the substance that causes paranoia and anxiety. Getty Health news in pictures Over 75,000 sign petition calling for Richard Branson's Virgin Care to hand settlement money back to NHS Mr Bransons company sued the NHS last year after it lost out on an 82m contract to provide childrens health services across Surrey, citing concerns over serious flaws in the way the contract was awarded PA Health news in pictures More than 700 fewer nurses training in England in first year after NHS bursary scrapped The numbers of people accepted to study nursing in England fell 3 per cent in 2017, while the numbers accepted in Wales and Scotland, where the bursaries were kept, increased 8.4 per cent and 8 per cent respectively Getty Health news in pictures Landmark study links Tory austerity to 120,000 deaths The paper found that there were 45,000 more deaths in the first four years of Tory-led efficiencies than would have been expected if funding had stayed at pre-election levels. On this trajectory that could rise to nearly 200,000 excess deaths by the end of 2020, even with the extra funding that has been earmarked for public sector services this year. Reuters Health news in pictures Long commutes carry health risks Hours of commuting may be mind-numbingly dull, but new research shows that it might also be having an adverse effect on both your health and performance at work. Longer commutes also appear to have a significant impact on mental wellbeing, with those commuting longer 33 per cent more likely to suffer from depression Shutterstock Health news in pictures You cannot be fit and fat It is not possible to be overweight and healthy, a major new study has concluded. The study of 3.5 million Britons found that even metabolically healthy obese people are still at a higher risk of heart disease or a stroke than those with a normal weight range Getty Health news in pictures Sleep deprivation When you feel particularly exhausted, it can definitely feel like you are also lacking in brain capacity. Now, a new study has suggested this could be because chronic sleep deprivation can actually cause the brain to eat itself Shutterstock Health news in pictures Exercise classes offering 45 minute naps launch David Lloyd Gyms have launched a new health and fitness class which is essentially a bunch of people taking a nap for 45 minutes. The fitness group was spurred to launch the napercise class after research revealed 86 per cent of parents said they were fatigued. The class is therefore predominantly aimed at parents but you actually do not have to have children to take part Getty Health news in pictures 'Fundamental right to health' to be axed after Brexit, lawyers warn Tobacco and alcohol companies could win more easily in court cases such as the recent battle over plain cigarette packaging if the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is abandoned, a barrister and public health professor have said Getty Health news in pictures 'Thousands dying' due to fear over non-existent statin side-effects A major new study into the side effects of the cholesterol-lowering medicine suggests common symptoms such as muscle pain and weakness are not caused by the drugs themselves Getty Health news in pictures Babies born to fathers aged under 25 have higher risk of autism New research has found that babies born to fathers under the age of 25 or over 51 are at higher risk of developing autism and other social disorders. The study, conducted by the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai, found that these children are actually more advanced than their peers as infants, but then fall behind by the time they hit their teenage years Getty Health news in pictures Cycling to work could halve risk of cancer and heart disease Commuters who swap their car or bus pass for a bike could cut their risk of developing heart disease and cancer by almost half, new research suggests but campaigners have warned there is still an urgent need to improve road conditions for cyclists. Cycling to work is linked to a lower risk of developing cancer by 45 per cent and cardiovascular disease by 46 per cent, according to a study of a quarter of a million people. Walking to work also brought health benefits, the University of Glasgow researchers found, but not to the same degree as cycling. Getty This was, in many ways, extremely lazy television. Some of the volunteers were so lacklustre they didn't deserve the airtime. Even Mosley's over-the-top cheering couldn't raise a smile. And footage of "simple household exercises" including violently swinging a laundry basket around, lunging while vacuuming and squatting while brushing your teeth was just bonkers. It looked like some hideous shopping channel advert for household aids. But to be fair, it did work. The results proved that everyone was getting stronger despite some of the exercises being conducted while sat on the sofa. Ditching the detox? Improving fitness from the comfort of your living room? This was too good to be true I thought as I snuggled deeper into the sofa next they'll be suggesting fat is good for us. And then one guy actually did. Professor Fredrik Karpe was adamant that, provided you don't carry fat in your stomach and you don't have any metabolic problems, losing weight is a waste of time. In fact, he insisted that bums and thighs were actually a "safe" place to store fat and that big hips were "beneficial". It was at that point I started to think that maybe some of his advice should be taken with a pinch of salt. Or perhaps that should be sugar. Muscles of a different kind were being flexed on BBC4 in Lucy Worsley's new series, Empire of the Tsars: Romanov Russia. Much of the episode focused on ruthless ruler Peter the Great. This was an interesting trip down history lane but a slightly oddly shot one. There was so much footage of Worsley it was unnerving. Often filmed from a distance, through a window or in a mirror, she spent about half the programme pretending not to know the camera was on her. It was, however, always on her and kept closing in on her over-red lips and terrible (also over-red) dress sense. It was distracting and drew away from the incredible Russian backdrop. But her passion for the subject matter was utterly charming, unlike Peter himself who had his own son sentenced to death for treason. He also died of gangrene in 1725. Perhaps he could have done with an antioxidant supplement after all. Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Independent Climate email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The embattled chairman of the Environment Agency has attracted scorn for claiming he felt at home in Barbados, as he sought to explain why he sanctioned a statement suggesting he was in the UK over Christmas. In his first public comments since the controversy over his whereabouts, Sir Philip Dilley who had in fact been on holiday on the Caribbean island failed to apologise for the misleading statement about his location. Nor was he sorry for being out of the country while the North of England suffered hugely debilitating floods. Recommended Read more Children rescued in North Yorkshire after school bus caught in flood Instead, he accounted for the claim that he was at home with his family over Christmas by saying that Barbados felt like it fitted this description because it is where his wife is from. I do have two homes. My wife is from the Caribbean. When Im there, I dont feel Im away I feel Im at home, he said. I do keep in regular contact, I work from there, he told the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee. Sir Philip, who took the 100,000-a-year, three-days-a-week role in 2014, appeared to distance himself from the controversial statement at the same time as taking responsibility for it. Sir Philip Dilley in front of the Environment Committee (PA) However, he spoke of his regret that the resulting furore had diverted attention from the floods. One of my biggest regrets is that the focus on me has detracted from what really matters that was indeed unfortunate. That expression [press statement] that was put out. Lots of things are written for me and sent to me for approval. I saw it, I approved it, it was my problem, he said. Cameron fails to answer Corbyn questions on floods Sir James Bevan, the Environment Agencys chief executive, also told the committee that he regretted the misleading press release. With hindsight, he said, the statement should have been clearer before adding that his focus had been on dealing with the floods rather than drafting statements for the press. Recommended Read more How a town in Yorkshire worked with nature to avoid the floods During the committee hearing, Sir Philip also refused to rule out returning to the family home in Barbados next Christmas, saying: I dont have any plans yet and I will see but I just said I learnt some lessons. He sought to play down the importance of his role in helping Britain battle the floods, arguing that his job is not so much of a day-to-day position as to get the board working as a team and to hold the executives to account. He added: I know none of my actions detracted from the performance of the agency. Nonetheless, Sir Philip admitted it would have been better to return to Britain earlier than he did on 30 December. In hindsight it would have been much better if I had come back as soon as I could which is one or two days earlier, he said. Land on the Somerset Levels, near Burrowbridge, was still flooded on Wednesday, with more rain forecast (PA) Sir Philips decision to spend Christmas at his holiday home, outside Bridgetown in Barbados, contrasted with his words prior to taking up the job. He told The Independent he had learned from the mistakes of his predecessor, Lord Smith, who was lambasted for taking so long to get to Somerset during that years floods. And asked by The Independent in December 2014 about the need for a prompt visit to flood scenes, Sir Philip said: Frankly, whether Chris Smith is there in his wellingtons, or Im there in my wellingtons, isnt really going to make much difference [but] I chair the board of the agency and I agree there is a sort of figurehead position that is crucial for perception. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Hacktivist group Anonymous has launched a cyberattack on the Thai police force, in retaliation for what they see as the false convictions of two men for the murders of British backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller on the island of Koh Tao. One branch of the leaderless hacking group claimed to have taken down 15 official Thai police websites, replacing the pages with messages criticising the recent death sentences given to Burmese migrant workers Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo for the travellers' murders. Some of the websites have gone back to normal at the time of writing, but at least one, belonging to a police force in the south of the country, still showed only Anonymous's trademark Guy Fawkes mask and the message: "Failed Law. We want justice! #BoycottThailand" Recommended Read more Burmese anger builds following Thai beach murders case This message purported to come from the 'Blink Hacker Group', and contained a scrolling message saying: "Greetz Myanmar Black Hats" - 'Black Hats' referring to black hat hackers, who violate computer security systems for malicious reasons or personal gain. The hackers also released email addresses belonging to several Thai police forces, and asked other Anonymous members to target them. Anonymous is a completely leaderless movement, so any hacking group can use their name or calling cards without needing any kind of 'official' approval. A Thai police force's website was taken down and replaced with this message The fact that the hack was claimed by 'Myanmar Black Hats' suggests that the Anonymous group could be trying to retaliate againt the convictions of their countrymen. Anonymous also posted a 35-minute video on Facebook claiming responsibility for the cyberattacks, in which a cloaked figure wearing a Guy Fawkes mask alleged the two men had been made into "scapegoats" by the police, who wanted a speedy end to the case in order to protect Thailand's tourist industry. Lin and Phyo were arrested shortly after the murders and were sentenced to death on Christmas Eve last year. The two Burmese men, who worked in bars on the island where the backpackers were killed, originally confessed to the crimes but later took back their statements, claiming their confessions had been obtained under torture. Human rights groups have spoken out against the conviction of the men, with Amnesty International saying it was "deeply concerned" that the men had been sentenced to death on the basis of evidence allegedly gained through torture. The convictions have also been widely decried in Burma, with hundreds protesting against the decision outside the Thai embassy in Yangon and at border crossings elsewhere in the country. Thai police, however, have denied any accusations of wrongdoing, and the family of 24-year-old David Miller said they were satisfied that justice had been delivered after the two men had been sentenced. The defence team now plans to appeal the death sentence, and could potentially take the case to Thailand's supreme court if their first appeal is unsuccessful. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Britains new spying laws could kill people, the ex-technical director of the NSA has warned. Pursuing a strategy of allowing spies to look in on everything that everyone says costs lives, and has cost lives in Britain because it inundates analysts with too much data, Bill Binney has warned UK MPs who are scrutinising the Investigatory Powers Bill. The bill, also known as the Snoopers' Charter, is set to be passed by parliament early this year and will bring with it huge and unprecedented spying powers for UK intelligence agencies and the government. But it has been criticised by privacy campaigners and technology companies who argue that it will put lives in danger. It is 99 per cent useless, Mr Binney said in a letter sent to MPs. Who wants to know everyone who has ever looked at Google or the BBC? We have known for decades that that swamps analysts. He said that strategy had led directly to mistakes that allowed the attacks on 9/11 to go ahead. The US had collected information from the terrorists involved in the attacks, but had not been able to check them because of resources, he claimed. Britain should not go further down this road and risk making the same mistakes as my country did, or they will end up perpetuating loss of life, Mr Binney urged parliament. He described as absolute horses**t the claims by government lawyers that it wouldnt be possible to sift through data before it was collected. Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty Government lawyers have said that there is so much information flowing through communications systems that it wouldnt be possible to monitor it all. But Mr Binney said that those claims were made by someone who does not understand the technology, and that the Investigatory Powers Tribunal the watchdog that is supposed to keep checks on UK spies was misled. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A livestream of a puddle of water in Newcastle was set up by a marketing company, but the firm claims that it was set up purely for staff's own amusement. The now famous puddle has seen tens of thousands of people flocking to the Periscope livestreaming app to see people attempt to negotiate a big puddle that stands between a path and the road. The stream was set up by staff at Newcastle-based marketing company Drummond Central, which describes itself as a "strategic marketing, creative and digital agency". But the company says that no products or services will be promoted through the feed, and that it was set up only for fun. Recommended Read more Live feed of Newcastle puddle viewed by tens of thousands of people Asked about worries that the famous puddle was really just a marketing stunt, staff said: Not at all. Not in the slightest. The idea behind the puddle began because it has kept raining through December and into January and people haven't been able to cross it, staff at the company said. People in the office have been unable to stop watching people try and cross the puddle and decided to share that experience with the world, they claimed. It hasn't stopped raining in December, said Beth Hazon, managing director at Drummond Central. That walkway is a place where people walk to do the school run, and it's also on the Metro system. The puddle has been there for the past four weeks or so. On a daily basis we've watched the variety of ways that they've tried to pass it. Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty Our copywriter Steve Wilkes had an idea this morning that we should stream it on Periscope for our own amusement. And God bless the internet the rest is history. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} One of Copenhagen's most-visited tourist attractions is the world-famous Little Mermaid statue, a bronze figure of a nude woman based on the fairytale by renowed Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. However, the 102-year-old mermaid has fallen foul of Facebook's strict rules against nudity, after Danish politican Mette Gjerskov had one of her posts removed from the site because it contained a small image of the statue. The post, which linked to a blog post she had written for Danish broadcaster TV2, was banned shortly after being published, in a move Gjerskov called "totally ludicrous" in an interview with Ekstra Bladet. Recommended Read more Campaign forces social networks to confront nudity policies In Facebook's guidelines, it says the social network removes photographs displaying genitals or "focusing in on fully exposed buttocks," claiming it restricts nudity because "some audiences within [Facebook's] global community may be sensitive to this type of content." However, it explicitly says they allow photos of "paintings, sculptures and other art that depict nude figures" - but the Little Mermaid statue must have been too much. Da Danmark valgte at blive middelmadig, mistede vi indflydelse og magt. Lngere er den ikke. Klogeager og debattrer er... Posted by Mette Gjerskov on Saturday, 2 January 2016 Writing on her page after the post was removed, Gjerskov said: "More than a little comical. The Little Mermaid is simply too undressed for Facebook. I can't post my blog because TV2 has chosen the picture of the mermaid." She added: "I didn't see it coming that our national treasure would be categorised in line with child pornography and other such abominations." Fortunately for Gjerskov and Denmark's national monuments, Facebook quickly noticed the error and reinstated the post. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} As I write this shortly after 11am, my watch tells me I have completed 3,580 steps so far today, covering 2.79km on foot. I've walked up 17 floors and my heart is beating 61 times a minute. Meanwhile my phone has automatically recognised, via my Fitbit device, my cycle ride to work. And it tells me that I slept well last night seven hours and 11 minutes, with only 27 restless minutes. A lot of people are bothering themselves with this kind of data this week. Fitness trackers are not new, but there are signs that demand is tipping devices already embraced by fitness and data fiends firmly into the mainstream. And as exercise sceptics start to track themselves, big business and the insurance industry are waking up to the potential value strapped to our wrists. In the two days after Christmas, the Fitbit app for the iPhone, which pairs with the company's watches, hit the top of Apple's US download chart, and the top 10 in the UK. A lot of people, including my wife, had found Fitbits under their Christmas trees, and are now resolving to hit the standard daily recommended target on most devices of 10,000 steps. Health news in pictures Show all 40 1 /40 Health news in pictures Health news in pictures Coronavirus outbreak The coronavirus Covid-19 has hit the UK leading to the deaths of two people so far and prompting warnings from the Department of Health AFP via Getty Health news in pictures Thousands of emergency patients told to take taxi to hospital Thousands of 999 patients in England are being told to get a taxi to hospital, figures have showed. The number of patients outside London who were refused an ambulance rose by 83 per cent in the past year as demand for services grows Getty Health news in pictures Vape related deaths spike A vaping-related lung disease has claimed the lives of 11 people in the US in recent weeks. The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has more than 100 officials investigating the cause of the mystery illness, and has warned citizens against smoking e-cigarette products until more is known, particularly if modified or bought off the street Getty Health news in pictures Baldness cure looks to be a step closer Researchers in the US claim to have overcome one of the major hurdles to cultivating human follicles from stem cells. The new system allows cells to grow in a structured tuft and emerge from the skin Sanford Burnham Preybs Health news in pictures Two hours a week spent in nature can improve health A study in the journal Scientific Reports suggests that a dose of nature of just two hours a week is associated with better health and psychological wellbeing Shutterstock Health news in pictures Air pollution linked to fertility issues in women Exposure to air from traffic-clogged streets could leave women with fewer years to have children, a study has found. Italian researchers found women living in the most polluted areas were three times more likely to show signs they were running low on eggs than those who lived in cleaner surroundings, potentially triggering an earlier menopause Getty/iStock Health news in pictures Junk food ads could be banned before watershed Junk food adverts on TV and online could be banned before 9pm as part of Government plans to fight the "epidemic" of childhood obesity. Plans for the new watershed have been put out for public consultation in a bid to combat the growing crisis, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said PA Health news in pictures Breeding with neanderthals helped humans fight diseases On migrating from Africa around 70,000 years ago, humans bumped into the neanderthals of Eurasia. While humans were weak to the diseases of the new lands, breeding with the resident neanderthals made for a better equipped immune system PA Health news in pictures Cancer breath test to be trialled in Britain The breath biopsy device is designed to detect cancer hallmarks in molecules exhaled by patients Getty Health news in pictures Average 10 year old has consumed the recommended amount of sugar for an adult By their 10th birthdy, children have on average already eaten more sugar than the recommended amount for an 18 year old. The average 10 year old consumes the equivalent to 13 sugar cubes a day, 8 more than is recommended PA Health news in pictures Child health experts advise switching off screens an hour before bed While there is not enough evidence of harm to recommend UK-wide limits on screen use, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have advised that children should avoid screens for an hour before bed time to avoid disrupting their sleep Getty Health news in pictures Daily aspirin is unnecessary for older people in good health, study finds A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that many elderly people are taking daily aspirin to little or no avail Getty Health news in pictures Vaping could lead to cancer, US study finds A study by the University of Minnesota's Masonic Cancer Centre has found that the carcinogenic chemicals formaldehyde, acrolein, and methylglyoxal are present in the saliva of E-cigarette users Reuters Health news in pictures More children are obese and diabetic There has been a 41% increase in children with type 2 diabetes since 2014, the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit has found. Obesity is a leading cause Reuters Health news in pictures Most child antidepressants are ineffective and can lead to suicidal thoughts The majority of antidepressants are ineffective and may be unsafe, for children and teenager with major depression, experts have warned. In what is the most comprehensive comparison of 14 commonly prescribed antidepressant drugs to date, researchers found that only one brand was more effective at relieving symptoms of depression than a placebo. Another popular drug, venlafaxine, was shown increase the risk users engaging in suicidal thoughts and attempts at suicide Getty Health news in pictures Gay, lesbian and bisexual adults at higher risk of heart disease, study claims Researchers at the Baptist Health South Florida Clinic in Miami focused on seven areas of controllable heart health and found these minority groups were particularly likely to be smokers and to have poorly controlled blood sugar iStock Health news in pictures Breakfast cereals targeted at children contain 'steadily high' sugar levels since 1992 despite producer claims A major pressure group has issued a fresh warning about perilously high amounts of sugar in breakfast cereals, specifically those designed for children, and has said that levels have barely been cut at all in the last two and a half decades Getty Health news in pictures Potholes are making us fat, NHS watchdog warns New guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the body which determines what treatment the NHS should fund, said lax road repairs and car-dominated streets were contributing to the obesity epidemic by preventing members of the public from keeping active PA Health news in pictures New menopause drugs offer women relief from 'debilitating' hot flushes A new class of treatments for women going through the menopause is able to reduce numbers of debilitating hot flushes by as much as three quarters in a matter of days, a trial has found. The drug used in the trial belongs to a group known as NKB antagonists (blockers), which were developed as a treatment for schizophrenia but have been sitting on a shelf unused, according to Professor Waljit Dhillo, a professor of endocrinology and metabolism REX Health news in pictures Doctors should prescribe more antidepressants for people with mental health problems, study finds Research from Oxford University found that more than one million extra people suffering from mental health problems would benefit from being prescribed drugs and criticised ideological reasons doctors use to avoid doing so. Getty Health news in pictures Student dies of flu after NHS advice to stay at home and avoid A&E The family of a teenager who died from flu has urged people not to delay going to A&E if they are worried about their symptoms. Melissa Whiteley, an 18-year-old engineering student from Hanford in Stoke-on-Trent, fell ill at Christmas and died in hospital a month later. Just Giving Health news in pictures Government to review thousands of harmful vaginal mesh implants The Government has pledged to review tens of thousands of cases where women have been given harmful vaginal mesh implants. Getty Health news in pictures Jeremy Hunt announces 'zero suicides ambition' for the NHS The NHS will be asked to go further to prevent the deaths of patients in its care as part of a zero suicide ambition being launched today Getty Health news in pictures Human trials start with cancer treatment that primes immune system to kill off tumours Human trials have begun with a new cancer therapy that can prime the immune system to eradicate tumours. The treatment, that works similarly to a vaccine, is a combination of two existing drugs, of which tiny amounts are injected into the solid bulk of a tumour. Nephron Health news in pictures Babies' health suffers from being born near fracking sites, finds major study Mothers living within a kilometre of a fracking site were 25 per cent more likely to have a child born at low birth weight, which increase their chances of asthma, ADHD and other issues Getty Health news in pictures NHS reviewing thousands of cervical cancer smear tests after women wrongly given all-clear Thousands of cervical cancer screening results are under review after failings at a laboratory meant some women were incorrectly given the all-clear. A number of women have already been told to contact their doctors following the identification of procedural issues in the service provided by Pathology First Laboratory. Rex Health news in pictures Potential key to halting breast cancer's spread discovered by scientists Most breast cancer patients do not die from their initial tumour, but from secondary malignant growths (metastases), where cancer cells are able to enter the blood and survive to invade new sites. Asparagine, a molecule named after asparagus where it was first identified in high quantities, has now been shown to be an essential ingredient for tumour cells to gain these migratory properties. Getty Health news in pictures NHS nursing vacancies at record high with more than 34,000 roles advertised A record number of nursing and midwifery positions are currently being advertised by the NHS, with more than 34,000 positions currently vacant, according to the latest data. Demand for nurses was 19 per cent higher between July and September 2017 than the same period two years ago. REX Health news in pictures Cannabis extract could provide new class of treatment for psychosis CBD has a broadly opposite effect to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active component in cannabis and the substance that causes paranoia and anxiety. Getty Health news in pictures Over 75,000 sign petition calling for Richard Branson's Virgin Care to hand settlement money back to NHS Mr Bransons company sued the NHS last year after it lost out on an 82m contract to provide childrens health services across Surrey, citing concerns over serious flaws in the way the contract was awarded PA Health news in pictures More than 700 fewer nurses training in England in first year after NHS bursary scrapped The numbers of people accepted to study nursing in England fell 3 per cent in 2017, while the numbers accepted in Wales and Scotland, where the bursaries were kept, increased 8.4 per cent and 8 per cent respectively Getty Health news in pictures Landmark study links Tory austerity to 120,000 deaths The paper found that there were 45,000 more deaths in the first four years of Tory-led efficiencies than would have been expected if funding had stayed at pre-election levels. On this trajectory that could rise to nearly 200,000 excess deaths by the end of 2020, even with the extra funding that has been earmarked for public sector services this year. Reuters Health news in pictures Long commutes carry health risks Hours of commuting may be mind-numbingly dull, but new research shows that it might also be having an adverse effect on both your health and performance at work. Longer commutes also appear to have a significant impact on mental wellbeing, with those commuting longer 33 per cent more likely to suffer from depression Shutterstock Health news in pictures You cannot be fit and fat It is not possible to be overweight and healthy, a major new study has concluded. The study of 3.5 million Britons found that even metabolically healthy obese people are still at a higher risk of heart disease or a stroke than those with a normal weight range Getty Health news in pictures Sleep deprivation When you feel particularly exhausted, it can definitely feel like you are also lacking in brain capacity. Now, a new study has suggested this could be because chronic sleep deprivation can actually cause the brain to eat itself Shutterstock Health news in pictures Exercise classes offering 45 minute naps launch David Lloyd Gyms have launched a new health and fitness class which is essentially a bunch of people taking a nap for 45 minutes. The fitness group was spurred to launch the napercise class after research revealed 86 per cent of parents said they were fatigued. The class is therefore predominantly aimed at parents but you actually do not have to have children to take part Getty Health news in pictures 'Fundamental right to health' to be axed after Brexit, lawyers warn Tobacco and alcohol companies could win more easily in court cases such as the recent battle over plain cigarette packaging if the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is abandoned, a barrister and public health professor have said Getty Health news in pictures 'Thousands dying' due to fear over non-existent statin side-effects A major new study into the side effects of the cholesterol-lowering medicine suggests common symptoms such as muscle pain and weakness are not caused by the drugs themselves Getty Health news in pictures Babies born to fathers aged under 25 have higher risk of autism New research has found that babies born to fathers under the age of 25 or over 51 are at higher risk of developing autism and other social disorders. The study, conducted by the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai, found that these children are actually more advanced than their peers as infants, but then fall behind by the time they hit their teenage years Getty Health news in pictures Cycling to work could halve risk of cancer and heart disease Commuters who swap their car or bus pass for a bike could cut their risk of developing heart disease and cancer by almost half, new research suggests but campaigners have warned there is still an urgent need to improve road conditions for cyclists. Cycling to work is linked to a lower risk of developing cancer by 45 per cent and cardiovascular disease by 46 per cent, according to a study of a quarter of a million people. Walking to work also brought health benefits, the University of Glasgow researchers found, but not to the same degree as cycling. Getty At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, tech companies are racing to launch yet smarter devices. On Tuesday, Fitbit announced its new Blaze device, which looks a tiny bit like an Apple Watch. Rival firms Mio, Misfit and Under Armour have also announced bands, while tech giants Microsoft, Samsung and Garmin continue to stride into the market. Fitbit's new smart bra will contain heart and motion sensors for women who don't want a cluttered wrist. But it's the familiar real estate above the hand that tech companies want as they increasingly try to appeal beyond the fitness market.They're targeting people like my wife, Jess. She isn't that techy or sporty, but after I started wearing a Fitbit a few months ago, she asked for one for Christmas. She wanted the motivation to do more. So far, Jess has worn her Charge HR device almost constantly, and has felt compelled to find ways to fit more walking into her life. She paces about while on the phone, but has also been caught swinging her hand while sitting on the sofa to fool her watch into adding more steps. (These things, which use sensors to determine steps, are not that smart I recently hit my 10,000 step target while lifting a pint of beer to my mouth.) Even the leader of the free world uses a fitness device to track his health (Getty) (Getty Images) I was equally attached to my watch, and was walking more, but I started to wear it less as the novelty of the data and virtual achievement badges wore off. Retention is a challenge in fitness tracking, which makes Barack Obama a model wearer. Last week, a Fitbit Surge (the model I have) was visible on his wrist during an online interview he gave to the comedian Jerry Seinfeld. He got his watch almost a year ago. That's dedication. It may be that Obama's life insurance policy, if a president can get such a thing, requires him to wear it. Either that or and this is even less likely he's doing it for the Starbucks vouchers. Because innovators out there are using and fueling the fitness tracker trend by offering incentives to keep us wearing them in return for our data and trade. James Hughes is an active 33-year-old who has no interest in fitness data. When his first child arrived last March, he got some life insurance. A broker recommended Vitality Health, one of Britain's largest health and life insurance providers. Policyholders who wear fitness trackers can link their device apps to their accounts and swap steps for discounts on gym memberships, running shoes, bikes and their insurance premiums. The more they step, the more they gain or save. Hughes has worn a Fitbug Orb since March and easily earns the maximum 40 Vitality step points available each week. Accumulated points can lift a member from the starting "bronze" status up to platinum. Each level comes with bigger rewards, also including free coffee, cinema tickets and flight discounts. The scheme's partners, which include Starbucks and Virgin Active, gain access to motivated customers, while companies who offer health insurance know that their employees are incentivised to be healthy, and less likely to take sick leave. Vitality, meanwhile, can offer more competitive premiums while also reducing the likelihood of payouts. Hughes, who works in property and lives with his wife Nancy in Cambridge, isn't bothered about free Starbucks. He just wears his Fitbug to keep his premium affordable. "If I keep going, I'll get gold status before March when my policy gets renewed, which will mean my premium won't increase," he says. Nick Read, Vitality's commercial director, won't say how many of the firm's almost 900,000 customers take part in the rewards scheme. But, he says, "we've certainly seen an explosion in wearable tech in the past year... and a 150 per cent increase in people getting their maximum exercise points every month". The sweat set: the Fitbit has become ubiquitous Those without insurance policies can also gain rewards via Bounts, a scheme that leapt out of an Oxford University startup lab in 2013. It also equates steps to points and, like Vitality's system, offers rewards for other things including gym visits. Users can also link their Sainsbury's online shopping accounts. "The lower the amount of sugar in your shop, the more points you get," says Bounts founder John Stuart. Bounts also enjoyed a Christmas rush. Stuart now has almost three million members, with a target of eight million by the end of this year. He expects a lot of that growth to be corporate, as firms sign up employees to help them hit their social responsibility targets. "We also have a 15-year-old who was overweight and verging on depression," he says. "Her parents got her Bounts and a Fitbit and she's happier and has lost a stone in weight." Nobody has to wear a tracker, but there are inevitable concerns about the Orwellian overtones of electronic tags that influence our behaviour and share data with corporations or insurance companies. "A lot of my colleagues said it was a bit Big Brother, but I've never seen it that way," James Hughes says. "It's just a pedometer, it doesn't know my location or anything else." Other devices, including mine, do monitor more, but Vitality and Bounts say they have strict rules for data, which is anonymous when it is shared with third parties. A global survey by Accenture this time last year suggested that 8 per cent of us use fitness trackers. That figure will be significantly higher now, particularly in the US and UK, but it's clear there is huge potential for growth. Rewards notwithstanding, there is also huge potential for these devices to end up in desk drawers, counting hours but no steps. I could go either way. But right now it's 4pm and I'm not even up to 5,000 steps, so I'd better get on. Click here for eBay voucher codes Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Government and the British Medical Association have clashed over next week's planned strike action by junior doctors. The Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has claimed an agreement was close, but that the BMA had walked out after less than an hour of renewed talks on Monday. Dr Mark Porter, chair of the BMA Council, says that the union had fully considered the new contract offer, and accused negotiators of not taking the concerns of junior doctors seriously. With talks between expected to continue up to and, if necessary, after next Tuesdays strike, we look at where the two parties differ on the key issues: Safe working hours What the Government says: Jeremy Hunt has insisted he does not want doctors working longer hours as its in no ones interest. On Monday, the Government offered new safeguards, including a guardian in every NHS trust to monitor hours. The proposal is that those hospitals that consistently breached the absolute maximum 72-hour week for a junior doctor would face a fine, which would be reported to the guardian, who would allocate it to improve doctor training, education or working conditions within the hospital. Junior doctors would also not be allowed to work more than four nights in a row a new cap. What the BMA says: Negotiators are understood to consider the new working hours safeguards to be watered-down versions of what was discussed in talks. The BMA does not think they go far enough. The new financial penalties system is designed to replace an existing one, in which hospitals are forced to pay junior doctors significantly more if they are worked beyond their contracted hours. The BMA believes this is the only system with the teeth to protect against a return to the 100-hour week. Verdict: The new proposed system should be welcomed by the BMA as a serious attempt to engage with the issue, which has hitherto been largely ignored. However, the new measures risk being ineffective because the financial penalty ultimately ends up staying within the NHS trust. There is a possibility that hospitals would begin budgeting for breaches of junior doctor working hours knowing that the money would end up covering their training and education costs. Out-of-hours pay What the Government says: Ministers plan to cut out-of-hours pay by reclassifying the hours that count as antisocial and qualify for extra pay. The measures are central to the Governments plan to deliver more weekend hospital services the so-called seven-day NHS pledge in its manifesto. The current contract means we have three times less medical cover on weekends because hospitals cant afford to roster enough people, Mr Hunt said yesterday. That is what we want to change. To soften the blow of out-of-hours pay cuts, the Government has offered an 11 per cent basic pay rise. Mr Hunt has pledged that therefore 99 per cent of doctors will see their pay protected or increase at least until 2019. What the BMA says: The doctors union insists the NHS keep the current definition of unsocial hours any time outside 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday. Fundamentally, the BMA says it wants an offer that fairly rewards junior doctors for the work they do so far, it and the vast majority of junior doctors do not think they have one. The BMA warns this could have a devastating effect on morale and drive many doctors out of the NHS. Dr Mark Porter, chair of the BMA Council, said: An 11 per cent pay increase doesnt compensate when you take away a 31 per cent average payment for working the unsocial hours. Anybody can do the maths on that. Verdict: The Government wants more services available at weekends a manifesto pledge it is determined not to break. The BMA does not object to more weekend services. But to deliver them Mr Hunt wants to cut weekend work payments, rather than pay more to recruit extra doctors or to maintain top-up pay. Junior doctors who feel pushed to the limit by the demands of their job will not accept this, and increasingly see their dispute as a battle to protect the funding and standards of the NHS. Given the two intractable positions, it is unlikely the deadlock will be broken, until more money is on the table. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Female virginity, were increasingly told, is a psychological rather than a physical condition. Its not something that can be lost or taken. Yet while not every woman has a hymen, and its rarely some tough barrier, the concept of technical virginity still focuses on whether there has been vaginal penetration by a penis. And surgical reconstructions are still performed, for example in Iran, to create a membrane that can tear or even produce some red dye. Looking back through European history, was the hymen always the definitive mark of virginity? A 14th-century writer, commenting on a book called On the Secrets of Women, named the hymen the guardian of virginity. This picked up an early Christian idea that virginity was spiritual as well as physical. Virginity was something more than a hymen and it was possible to be a virgin in the soul even if not in the body. By the 16th and 17th centuries, doubts about the hymen were widespread. In The Midwives Book (1671), the midwife Jane Sharp wrote on just one page both that bleeding is an undoubted token of virginity and that the sign of bleeding perhaps is not so generally sure. As for the hymen, she wrote that some think it is not found in all maids. No change there, then. Virginity as a disease But one thing was very different when early modern writers thought about virginity. They believed in a particular disease which only virgins could have. First described in the 16th century, what was called the disease of virgins had a range of usefully vague symptoms: feeling faint, breathlessness, odd eating habits. All of these were attributed to blood which hadnt managed to leave the body. Surprise, surprise: while bloodletting could help, the best cure was having sex. Sex would open up the body and move the retained blood around. Its interesting that the idea of a disease worked for those who believed in the hymen as a barrier, and for those who didnt. The latter thought that the problem was a different sort of closure, that of little internal mouths that allowed blood from all over the body to get into the womb in the first place. Love and sex news: in pictures Show all 31 1 /31 Love and sex news: in pictures Love and sex news: in pictures What makes a perfect penis? Scientists have now answered one of these great unknowns. According to a new study, general cosmetic appearance is the most important penile aspect when it comes to what women value down there. This is swiftly followed by the appearance of pubic hair, penile skin, and girth. Length comes in at number six, with the look of the scrotum trailing closely behind. The least important facet of the phallus, say the scientists, is the position and shape of meatus, the vertical slit at the opening of the urethra. Getty Love and sex news: in pictures Half of divorcees had doubts on their wedding day Over half of divorcees considered abandoning their husband or wife-to-be at the altar on their wedding day, a new study has revealed. On top of likely worrying about wedding favours and making sure guests behave on their big day, 49 per cent of divorcees admitted they were unsure before the ceremony that their marriage would last. Some 15 per cent of divorcees polled said they were so wracked with doubt that they felt physically sick in the run up to their wedding. Joe Raedle/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures Students who marry after studying the same subject Picking a university subject is already difficult enough for young people. But heres an extra piece of data to weigh on your decision: you may be picking a life partner as well. Dan Kopf of the blog, Priceonomics, analysed US Census data and found that the percentage of Americans who marry someone within their own major is actually fairly high. About half of Americans are married, according to the 2012 American Community Survey (part of the Census). And about 28 per cent of married couples over the age of 22 both graduated from college. (The survey didnt recognise same-sex marriages for the 2012 data, but it will for 2013 onwards, says Kopf). Sean Gallup/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures How much sex we have (and how much we'd like) As a nation, we dont have as much sex as we would like, a survey has (somewhat unsurprisingly) confirmed. In a poll of 1523 people by YouGov, 64 per cent of Britons said they would wish to have sex at least a few times a month. The same sample said that only 38 per cent had sex at least a few times a month. In addition, 10 per cent said they wished to have sex every day, a goal which only 1 per cent admitted reaching. Rex Love and sex news: in pictures The new female condom Picture an internal condom. The chances are youre thinking of something which resembles a carrier bag. However, this could all be about to change with the new VA w.o.w. Condom Feminine. Not only is it a wireless, Bluetooth enabled, vibrating interactive device, which comes available in the shape of a heart, but the manufacturers think youll love it more than not using a condom at all. Love and sex news: in pictures One in five Brits admit to having had an affair One in five British adults admits they have had an affair, according to a new poll. 20 per cent of male respondents and 19 per cent of female respondents admitted to having had an affair in a new poll of 1660 respondents by YouGov. Orlando /Three Lions/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures The UK's favourite sex position Casting aside the myth that Brits are a prudish bunch, a new survey has revealed that doggy style is the nations favourite sex position. As many as a quarter of UK adults surveyed said doggy style was their favourite way to indulge with a partner. Missionary, which is sometimes scoffed at the most boring position, was favoured by a fifth of the 1,000 people surveyed by high street sex shop Ann Summers, seeing it come in as third under "woman on top". Caiaimage/REX Love and sex news: in pictures Who's most likely to cheat? Men and women who are economically dependent on their spouses are more likely to cheat, a new study has revealed. Researchers have found that men who are solely financially dependent are more like to cheat than women, at 15 per cent and 5 per cent respectively. Men who are rely on their wives may cheat because they are undergoing a masculinity threat by not being the primary breadwinner as is culturally expected, said study author Christin L. Munsch, a UConn assistant professor of sociology. Eye Candy/REX Love and sex news: in pictures Jailed for loud sex noises A woman who breached a court order barring her from causing nuisance by making "loud sex noises" was sent to jail. Gemma Wale, of Small Heath, Birmingham, was given a two-week prison sentence after a civil court judge concluded that she had breached the order by "screaming and shouting whilst having sex" at a "level of noise" which annoyed a neighbour. Rex Features Love and sex news: in pictures Photo of wedding guest proposing to girlfriend in front of bride and groom goes viral When the staggering amount time, money, and effort that goes into to planning a wedding is considered, it seems pretty obvious that all guests have is to do is turn up with some gifts, and not upstage the couple. But this fact seems to have escaped one man, whose grinning face has gone viral after he decided to propose to his girlfriend in front of the bride and grooms top table. The photo, which has been viewed over 1.4 million times on Reddit, shows a boyfriend perched on one knee in front of his crying girlfriend. Joe Raedle/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures Sexual fantasies The results of a sex survey are busting the myth that Britons are sexually repressed, by revealing how the majority of women have lived out their sexual fantasies. As many as 81 per cent of women and 77 per cent of men have shared and acted out fantasies with a partner with having sex in public topping the list of turn-ons. The study also laid bare the influence of TV and film on our desires, with three-quarters of couples saying they had inspired them. Meanwhile, a further three quarters of women and over half of men have played out a fantasy theyd found in a book. LEO RAMIREZ/AFP/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures The world's sexiest nationalities Irish men are the worlds sexiest, according to a survey of thousands of jet-setting women. In a poll of 66,000 of single American women who use MissTravel.com, as many as 8,000 said that Irish men are the sexiest. Around half of the females who took said they were turned on by Irish men said their accent influenced their choice, according to the Irish Times. ANDREW COWIE/AFP/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures More sex = happiness? Couples were asked to double the amount of sex they had each week over a three month period by researchers at the Carnegie Mellon University, who compared them to couples who had their normal amount of sex. Their findings, published in the Journal of Economic Behavior, went against advice given by the average self-help book having more sex doesnt automatically make a person happier. Instead, couples who were instructed to have more sex reported a decrease in happiness levels. Mood Board/Rex Love and sex news: in pictures Most sexually satisfied countries It is often considered the most amorous nation on the planet, but France doesn't even feature in a new list of the most sexually satisfied countries. According to a Durex global survey of 26,000 people, aged 16 and older, across 26 countries, only 44 per cent of people are fully satisfied with their sex lives. In the wake of these results, AlterNet has compiled a list of the 12 most sexually satisfied countries, with Switzerland, Spain and Italy topping the list. INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures Sex o'clock They say women are from Venus and men are from Mars but a new sex survey suggests that members of the opposite sex seem to operate in different time zones too. While women like to get steamy between 11:21pm on average, men are more likely to be turned on at the rather inconvenient time of 7:54am. These times fall into the broader timeslots of 11pm and 2am for women, and 6am and 9am for men. PIERRE ANDRIEU/AFP/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures More sex = more money People who have more sex are likely to earn more, new research claims. The research, partly conducted from the responses of 7,500 people, found employees who have sex two or three times a week earn 4.5 per cent more than colleagues who do not. Rex Love and sex news: in pictures The effects of watching porn Contrary to suggestion that porn desensitises viewers to sex, a study has found that it doesn't "negatively impact sexual functioning" and in fact boosts couples' sexual attraction to one another. In research published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, scientists at the University of California tested the effects of visual sexual stimuli on men in relationships, finding that it "is unlikely to negatively impact sexual functioning, given that responses actually were stronger in those who viewed more VSS." Rex Love and sex news: in pictures 'I have herpes' A woman diagnosed with herpes at the age of 20 has written an emotional essay about living with the common condition to fight the stigma surrounding it. Ella Dawson, now 22, said she had never had unprotected sex and thought she wasn't the sort of person STDs happened to when the symptoms first appeared during her time at university in the US. She wrote that the diagnosis initially felt like a punishment for her values and relationships and worried her that telling boyfriends would ruin her love life. Ella Dawson Love and sex news: in pictures More sleep, better sex A new study could have a simple answer to enhancing your sex life just get a good nights sleep (if you are a woman at least). A study conducted by a team at the University of Michigan Sleep and Circadian Research Laboratory found women who get an extra hour of sleep at night reported higher levels of sexual desire and were more likely to have sex with their partners. Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures Swipe right A woman has detailed her experiences of a week of always swiping right on Tinder. By opening the floodgates, as Ms Caster describes it, she receives scores of messages from different men and not all are terrible. Love and sex news: in pictures The most adulterous town in the UK Ever wondered what the neighbours are up to? Well if you live in Beeston, Nottinghamshire, then the answer is probably... having an affair. The bustling East Midlands town has been granted the dubious honour of being the UK's top spot for infidelity with a total of 941 affairs reportedly taking place right now. According to The Official Infidelity Index 2015, which was released this week, 2.54 per cent of the towns population are currently seeing someone they shouldn't. REX FEATURES Love and sex news: in pictures Average penis size revealed Scientists have measured more than 15,000 mens penises in an effort to find out what size is normal. Researchers at Kings College London and a London NHS trust said they hoped the review would help address the concern that some men have about their penis size and aid people suffering from anxiety and distress. They revealed that the average flaccid penis is 3.6ins (9.16cm) long, or 5.2ins (13.24cm) when stretched, and 3.7ins (9.31cm) in circumference. Erect penises are 5.1ins (13.12cm) long on average and 4.5ins (11.66cm) in girth. Rex Love and sex news: in pictures One true love Men fall in love more times in their life than women, according to a new survey. 2,000 adults were asked about relationships, and discovered that more than half of men say they've loved more than one person their lifetime. For women, it's markedly fewer, with only 45 per cent saying they've had multiple loves. Love and sex news: in pictures Dating site for 'beautiful people only' A self-proclaimed elite dating website has removed around 3,000 members because they were "letting themselves go". BeautifulPeople.com describes itself as the largest internet dating community exclusively for the beautiful and puts peoples photographs to a members vote to decide if they are allowed in. But administrators have now shown that the rigorous 48-hour selection period is not a permanent pass by taking thousands of profiles down, mainly because of weight gain and graceless ageing. Love and sex news: in pictures Sex is a 'miracle cure' Regular exercise including sex, walking and dancing are miracle cures staring us in the face and could dramatically cut our risk of cancer, dementia, heart disease and diabetes, leading doctors have said. In a new review of existing evidence which reveals the full extent of benefits that can be accrued from exercise, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges said the improvement in health and savings to the NHS could be incalculable. Susannah Ireland Love and sex news: in pictures Pornhub searches by age of user Pornhubs prolific Insights blog fires out many reports of sociological interest, none more so than its latest on age, which lays bare different age groups' sexual proclivities. Looking at the most popular searches among 18-24s, there are several familial terms including 'step mom', 'milf', 'mom' and 'step sister', a trend that seems to die out somewhat in users' 30s. By 65, 'massage' becomes the top term, while 'granny' perhaps unsurprisingly also hits the top ten. PlaceIt/Just Another IKEA Catalog Love and sex news: in pictures Mature sex Research into the sexual lives of more than 7,000 men and women between the ages of 50 and 90 in England reveals that half of men and almost a third of women aged 70 and over were still sexually active, with around a third of these sexually active older people having sexual intercourse twice a month or more. Around two-thirds of men and over half of women thought good sexual relations were essential to the maintenance of a long-term relationship or being sexually active was physically and psychologically beneficial to older people. Getty Creative Love and sex news: in pictures The secret to an eighty year marriage Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that 42 per cent of marriages in England and Wales end in divorce, and the average British marriage which ends in divorce lasts 11 years and six months. Helen and Maurice Kaye, now aged 101 and 102, have been married for 80 years, and say the secret is: I think its important to have patience and tolerance. You're two entirely different people who suddenly live together, which can't be easy. But if you love each other, you get over the difficulties. Love and sex news: in pictures Valentine's Day porn Pornhub saw a (slight) drop in traffic on Valentine's Day as people focused on pleasuring their partners rather than themselves. Everywhere, it is, except for London. Overall UK traffic dipped 3 per cent across the UK, with Plymouth and Oxford seeing the biggest drops of 11 per cent and 10 per cent respectively. In fact every major city spent less time watching porn bar London, the Pornhub audience for which grew by 2 per cent. Getty Love and sex news: in pictures 1 in 10 men paying for sex A tenth of British men have admitted to paying for sex, according to a new study. Professionals aged 25 to 34 who binge drink and take drugs were found to be the most likely to have used the services of prostitutes, based on findings from a study of 6,108 men. Around 11 per cent of subjects, in the study published in the Sexually Transmitted Infections journal, have ever paid for sex in their lifetime and four per cent admitted to doing so in the last five years. Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures Questions that determine if you're in love The existence of love and its nature is something that has troubled philosophers for centuries, but a pair of scientists believe they have a set of questions that yield "clear empirical evidence" of it, or at least whether your relationship will end in divorce. They are: 'How happy are you in your marriage relative to how happy you would be if you weren't in the marriage?' and 'How do you think your spouse answered that question?' Columbia If you had the disease of virgins your skin colour was thought to be a very unattractive hue, often greenish, or very pale which didnt do anything for your chances of getting married. This is one possible reason why the condition was also called green sickness. Or perhaps it was so named because it affected those who were green in the sense of sexual inexperience. While physicians issued dire warnings of the consequences of not marrying as soon as your periods started, by the 18th century ordinary people told jokes about the disease of virgins. In the 1705 ballad Enfield Common a sufferer is cured by a lusty gallant who manages to ease her, and fully please her. He explains: "Then with her leave there, a dose I gave her, She straight confesd her Sickness I did nick it." When virginity hymen or not was a disease, sex (preferably marital) was the only lasting solution. Some women were thought to have a recurrence if they didnt have children. A few writers thought that even particularly effeminate men could succumb to the disease. But for most the experience of sexual intercourse did the job. Or, to look at it another way, if this set of common symptoms appeared in a girl of marriageable age, the only diagnosis possible was the disease of virgins. Helen King, Professor of Classical Studies, The Open University This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The smoke from the Middle Eastern firestorm ignited by Saudi Arabias execution of a prominent Shia cleric has served to obscure the Kingdoms economic crisis. On Wednesday, the US Secretary of State John Kerry launched a frenetic round of telephone diplomacy to attempt to persuade leaders in Saudi Arabia and Iran to step back from edge. But in the medium term, it might well be the economic crisis that matters more. The collapse of the global oil price since the summer of 2014 has destroyed the Kingdoms public finances hardly surprising given it relies on oil sales for 90 per cent of state revenues. The Kingdoms budget deficit for 2015 ballooned to 15 per cent of its GDP. The IMF estimated last year that Saudi Arabia needs a global oil price of around $106 (72) a barrel to balance existing levels of expenditure with revenues. On Wednesday the price dipped below $35 a barrel and shows no signs of recovering with a glut of Iranian supply expected this year after the sanction-lifting deal between Tehran and Western powers. To cover its deficit, the Kingdom has been selling its stock of foreign exchange. Reserves worth $746bn in August 2014 have now fallen to $646bn. The IMF predicted last year that it would run out of foreign exchange reserves in just five years. The Kingdom has finally taken corrective action. Last year it issued debt for first time and in December it unveiled an austerity budget. But austerity is a relative concept; Saudi citizens pay no income tax. Petrol and energy are dirt cheap, thanks to state subsidies. The Saudi governments savings were dominated by cuts in planned building projects. Many argue high welfare spending is needed to keep a lid on tribal dissent. Saudi also has a potential generational powder keg to worry about. Youth unemployment is high, with almost a third of 15 to 24-year-olds out of work. And with almost half of Saudis 31 million population under 24, the potential for unrest if living standards are squeezed is obvious. 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Show all 10 1 /10 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In October 2014, three lawyers, Dr Abdulrahman al-Subaihi, Bander al-Nogaithan and Abdulrahman al-Rumaih , were sentenced to up to eight years in prison for using Twitter to criticize the Ministry of Justice. AFP/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2015, Yemens Sunni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was forced into exile after a Shia-led insurgency. A Saudi Arabia-led coalition has responded with air strikes in order to reinstate Mr Hadi. It has since been accused of committing war crimes in the country. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Women who supported the Women2Drive campaign, launched in 2011 to challenge the ban on women driving vehicles, faced harassment and intimidation by the authorities. The government warned that women drivers would face arrest. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Members of the Kingdoms Shia minority, most of whom live in the oil-rich Eastern Province, continue to face discrimination that limits their access to government services and employment. Activists have received death sentences or long prison terms for their alleged participation in protests in 2011 and 2012. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses All public gatherings are prohibited under an order issued by the Interior Ministry in 2011. Those defy the ban face arrest, prosecution and imprisonment on charges such as inciting people against the authorities. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2014, the Interior Ministry stated that authorities had deported over 370,000 foreign migrants and that 18,000 others were in detention. Thousands of workers were returned to Somalia and other states where they were at risk of human rights abuses, with large numbers also returned to Yemen, in order to open more jobs to Saudi Arabians. Many migrants reported that prior to their deportation they had been packed into overcrowded makeshift detention facilities where they received little food and water and were abused by guards. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses The Saudi Arabian authorities continue to deny access to independent human rights organisations like Amnesty International, and they have been known to take punitive action, including through the courts, against activists and family members of victims who contact Amnesty. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1000 lashes and 10 years in prison for using his liberal blog to criticise Saudi Arabias clerics. He has already received 50 lashes, which have reportedly left him in poor health. Carsten Koall/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Dawood al-Marhoon was arrested aged 17 for participating in an anti-government protest. After refusing to spy on his fellow protestors, he was tortured and forced to sign a blank document that would later contain his confession. At Dawoods trial, the prosecution requested death by crucifixion while refusing him a lawyer. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Ali Mohammed al-Nimr was arrested in 2012 aged either 16 or 17 for participating in protests during the Arab spring. His sentence includes beheading and crucifixion. The international community has spoken out against the punishment and has called on Saudi Arabia to stop. He is the nephew of a prominent government dissident. Getty Amid the cuts, defence spending been protected. It has been growing strongly ever since the 2011 Arab uprisings as Saudi anxiety over rising Iranian influence in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen has grown. The currency is the most exposed financial pressure point. Some warn that the Saudi riyals three-decade-old peg with the US dollar will come under unbearable pressure if it continues to lose foreign exchange reserves at the current rate. Other oil producers such as Azerbaijan and Russia have had to abandon their pegs since the oil price collapse. Traders have been selling the Saudi currency short in expectation of a rupture. There are doubts over economic strategy too, with rumours of a government rift over the long-standing policy of maintaining the Kingdoms oil production to keep the oil price low and to push high-cost American shale oil producers out of business. The policy is unpopular with Sunni allies in Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and the UAE. There is uncertainty about who is calling the shots and where things are going. The veteran head of the oil ministry, Ali Al-Naimi, is due to retire. He is a technocrat, not a Saudi royal family member. But there is chatter that he could be succeeded by Abdulaziz bin Salman, one of King Salmans sons whose brother, Mohamed bin Salman, 30, is already seen as the real power in the Kingdom. You might see oil markets getting worried that ruling family politics could start to impinge on oil decisions, argues Jane Kinninmont of the Chatham House think tank. What is it that keeps their relations with the US on such a harmonious basis? Its the perception that they are responsible players in the international oil market that theyre not going to go back to the 1970s and use oil as a weapon. Losing US support would be an economic catastrophe one that could consume the House of Saud. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Sainsburys has made an audacious takeover approach for the company behind Argos and Homebase, it has emerged, proposing a deal that would make the supermarket one of the biggest retailers on the high street. But the offer described by analysts as desperate and baffling was rejected in November, with Home Retail Group saying that it undervalued the business and its long-term prospects. The news sent shares in Home Retail up 41 per cent, or 40.6p, to 139.3p but Sainsburys investors were unimpressed, with its shares falling 5 per cent, or 13.2p, to 242.1p. The approach initially came just weeks after Home Retail issued a shock profit warning, calling Black Friday too unpredictable to provide accurate guidance to investors. The company is due to update the stock market next week on its Christmas trading. The news also follows months of speculation that private equity groups had been quietly looking into a potential takeover of either Homebase or Argos, as shares in the group have been at three-year lows. The failed bid came to light after two months as shares in the takeover target started soaring on Tuesday morning a matter that is likely to be investigated by the Financial Conduct Authority to ensure there was no insider dealing. It is understood that the Takeover Panel approached Home Retail following the share price rise to remind the company of its obligation to inform the stock market of any price-sensitive information. Sainsburys did not rule out another bid for Home Retail and now has until 2 February, under Takeover Panel rules, either to make a firm offer or walk away. A truck arrives at the Argos Distribution Centre in Burton-upon-Trent, central England (AFP) A source close to Sainsburys said that its chief executive Mike Coupe had been eyeing up Home Retail Group for a Retail Group for a number of years. Its bosses had made a plea to Home Retail that a takeover would be in everyones best interests and create a food and non-food retailer of choice for customers, building on the strong heritages of both businesses, whose brands are renowned for trust, quality, value and customer service. The cash-and-shares deal would also have brought Homebase back to Sainsburys; it sold the DIY chain 15 years ago. Sainsburys had said too that a 10 store trial, in which Argos filled up empty space in some of the supermarkets largest stores, had been successful and would benefit further from a takeover. However, analysts were sceptical and warned that Sainsburys would struggle with a non-food retailer faced by the might of Amazon. Tony Shiret, a retail analyst at Haitong Securities, was particularly scathing. He said the move comes both as a shock and a reminder of the weakness of UK food retailers and the desperation embedded in their strategic thinking. Why else would anyone countenance adding Amazon to their list of major competitors and take on 850 low-margin Argos retail outlets, and 250 or so Homebase units that they thought would be a good idea to get rid of in 2000? Michael Stewart at Panmure Gordon also questioned the bid and suggested Sainsburys would struggle to persuade Argos customers to buy their groceries from the group. He said: Would the typical Argos consumer purchase their groceries from Sainsburys? Probably not... This feels like a desperate attempt on Sainsburys behalf to grow its existing customer base and improve sale densities. Clive Black, a retail analyst at Shore Capital, added: Congratulations to Sainsburys for providing us with the surprise of the year to date. And Bruno Monteyne, retail analyst at Bernstein, said: The rationale baffles us. One big loser was the hedge fund veteran Crispin Odey, who had a 2.18 per cent short position in Home Retail.He had bet that Argos would have a bad Christmas, but as shares soared, he was nursing a 7m paper loss. As much as 8.5 per cent of its shares are being borrowed by short-sellers betting on their decline, making it one of the most shorted companies. Other investors with short positions in Home Retail include Immersion Capital, which has borrowed 1.48 per cent of the stock. Sainsburys would also have been expected to have sought approval from its largest shareholder the Qatari investment fund before making any approach to Home Retail, which is now worth almost 1.2bn. Bankers at UBS and Morgan Stanley are advising Sainsburys while Merrill Lynch is advising Home Retail. Alistair Davies, a retail analyst at Investec, said the company has a potential value of around 1.45bn, suggesting that Sainsburys bid would need to be much higher. Sign up for a full digest of all the best opinions of the week in our Voices Dispatches email Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Voices Dispatches email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Nurseries have a duty to report concerns over radicalisation of pupils and their parents to prevent more children losing their free will to terrorists, the chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association has said. Purnima Tanuku said staff at nurseries were in a position to recognise sudden changes in behaviour which could be a sign of child abuse which includes radicalisation. Equally important under the Prevent Duty [legislation] is spotting the signs of radicalisation in the adults around a young child. Nursery practitioners are in a unique position to do this they have a closer relationship with parents than schools do and due to tight ratios, know the child intimately. She said the key to preventing radicalisation was teaching children tolerant values in their formative years. Ms Tanuku made her comments after a young boy, with what appears to be a British accent, was seen in a video published by Islamist group Isis. In the footage the boy, who is believed to be called Isa Dare and under the age of five, said: We are going to kill the kaffir (non-believers) over there. Ms Tanuku said: The country has shuddered at images of a young child being exploited by terrorists. Our hearts turn cold hearing the child speak words that he or she doesnt even understand." Children, she said, believed what their parents told them whether it was right or wrong. "This is why it is crucial that pre-school children are given a positive experience of a life of freedom where peoples views, customs and religions are respected and differences are celebrated." The boy in the video is believed to be the child of Grace Dare, from London, who goes by the first name of Khadijah. She converted to Islam and left for Syria in 2012. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, who grew up in poverty in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, was by the time of his death a hero among young Shia Muslims, both men and women, who demonstrated in their thousands after his execution by the kingdom's authorities on 2 January. Born in Al-Awamiyah, in the Al-Qatif region of Saudi Arabia, al-Nimr, who had the title of sheikh, and the rank of ayatollah, stirred hearts and minds by calling on his followers to resist police bullets with the roar of the word. A charismatic preacher, he told them nevertheless that the art of good hearing and listening was often more important than declamation. His petition of honour and dignity, asking for freedom of belief for the Shia, who are considered heretics in Saudi Arabia, with its strict Wahhabi version of Sunni Islam, was composed in 2007 and handed to the local governor. Al-Nimr's 2007 petition was considered by his supporters to be a brave and honest model, and an approach to be followed in demanding rights. As well as religious freedom, he sought liberty for Shias in the justice system and in education, including schools for girls, as well as the establishment of local government committees, and access for Shias to selection for higher status jobs. He knew, it was added, that the Saudi government would not take these demands seriously and practically. However, he proposed them in the context of a gradual political project so he would establish proof against this tyrannical regime in the subsequent steps of his political activity. He had already been briefly arrested by Saudi authorities in 2004 and 2006. In 2009, he delivered a speech which took the Saudi authorities' irritation with him to a new level, accusing the religious police of targeting the Shia community after Shia pilgrims clashed with police and security forces at Al-Baqi cemetery in Medina. When, two years later, four Shias were shot dead during protests in Eastern Province in November 2011, al-Nimr called for the release of all those who had been detained, as well as for all prisoners of conscience, both Shia and Sunni, to be freed. In 2012, by which point the Saudi authorities had become seriously concerned about his influence across the kingdom, as well as his sway in neighbouring Bahrain, a video was posted on social media in which al-Nimr was seen celebrating the death, in June that year, of the Saudi interior minister Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz al-Saud. His message, Let the worms eat him, reached millions and further enraged the Saudi Arabian authorities. A critic of the ruling Sunni families both of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, al-Nimr had, in 2009, called for the secession from Saudi Arabia of the Qatif and Al-Ahsa governorates of Eastern Province, where Shias are in the majority, to be united with Shia-majority Bahrain. He also warned the Saudi royal family that if bloodshed was not stopped, they risked being overthrown. His was arrested after a car chase in 2012 and lost blood after being shot several times in the thigh. His brother, Mohammed al-Nimr, who was himself arrested immediately afterwards, told shocked followers that al-Nimr was this time accused of sedition, specifically foreign meddling, disobeying the rulers, and taking up arms against the security forces. Sympathy for al-Nimr grew when it became known that his wife, Muna Jabir al-Shariyavi, had died, after his arrest, in a hospital in New York. In prison, he began a hunger strike, and was thought to have been tortured. An appeal against his death sentence failed, and he was one of 47 killed on the same day across Saudi Arabia, sparking worldwide protests. The human rights group Amnesty International said: The death sentence against Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr is part of a campaign by the authorities in Saudi Arabia to crush all dissent. After his death, Iranian authorities compared the Saudi rulers' act in executing him to the atrocities of Isis. He is also mourned by the Yemeni insurgent Houthi movement, and in his home province an eight-year-old boy was among people injured as security forces reacted to protests after the execution. The Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr also protested his death. Nimr Baqir al-Nimr was born in 1959 in the village of Al-Awamiyah in the Al-Qatif region of Saudi Arabia. After elementary schooling he left in 1979 to study at a seminary in Tehran, Iran, and then in Syria. His schools are listed as Mohammed Hussaini Shirazi, and Mohammed Taqi al-Modarresi. He is said to have become close to Iran's ruling establishment. He returned to Saudi Arabia in 1994, and gathered an enthusiastic and youthful following for his sermons as imam in Al-Awamiyah. The Saudi authorities detained him for the first time in 2003, for leading public prayers in the village. Ayatollah Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, Shia Muslim cleric: born Al-Awamiyah, Qatif, Saudi Arabia 1959; married Muna Jabir al-Shariyavi (died 2012); died 2 January 2016. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Ever feel like you need a guide to British culture? Well, Stephen Fry provides a quick insight in this new advert for Heathrow Airport. Mr Fry says you only need to know these four tips. 1. 91% of all verbal exchanges in the United Kingdom concern the weather. Hes not wrong there. 2. We Brits love a queue nevertheless if the queue should start to move particularly slowly then it may become necessary to turn to your companion and display your displeasure in the strongest possible terms. Mr Fry proceeds to tut, and apologises for doing so. 3. If a plate or glass smashes, it is customary to let burst a wahey! 4. The after you rule. Where one insists to allow the person behind you in the queue to go first. Stephen Fry teams up with Heathrow to welcome you to the United Kingdom Mr Fry leaves the audience with one golden rule: Make yourself at home. Sign up for a full digest of all the best opinions of the week in our Voices Dispatches email Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Voices Dispatches email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The causes of the distinctive and seemingly random colouring of the black and white cat has long remained a mystery. But new scientific research has suggested that their unique fur patterns are determined before they are born by a faulty gene. A cats two-tone or piebald fur colour forms when their pigment cells fail to follow genetic instructions as they are developing in the womb, according to the results of a study published yesterday. In recent years, some unfortunate felines have had their photos shared on social media and named Hitler cats or kitlers because of the markings under their nose which resemble the German dictators moustache. Recommended Read more Pics of cats posted to confuse terrorists after Brussels lockdown plea As well as solving a mystery which has long puzzled cat owners, it is hoped that the research could enhance human understanding of serious medical conditions such as holes in the heart, which are also caused by problems with cell movements in the womb. Researchers at the Universities of Bath and Edinburgh, who carried out the research on mice, said the results showed that piebald patterns were caused by a faulty version of a gene called kit, which reduces the rates at which pigment cells multiply. If there are too few cells to populate the whole of the cats skin, the result is white patches. Cat stuck up palm tree The scientists said their research debunked earlier theories that the odd colouring of two-tone cats was the result of slow-moving pigment cells. They have developed a mathematical model to track cells during early development which could now be used for further research into other conditions. Recommended Read more Why cats are terrified of cucumbers It was always imagined that there would be a signal that would tell [the pigment cells] where to go, but they just move at random, said Professor Ian Jackson, of the University of Edinburgh. Its like diffusion if you put a drop of milk in a cup of coffee that milk spreads through the whole cup of coffee. Eventually the cells spread through the skin. Cats which are largely black but have white faces and chests are sometimes described as tuxedo cats, with one notable example being Chelsea Clintons pet Socks, which lived in the White House from 1993 to 2001. Science news in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Science news in pictures Science news in pictures Pluto has 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen Pluto has a 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen that is doing strange things to its surface, Nasa has found. The mysterious core seems to be the cause of features on its surface that have fascinated scientists since they were spotted by Nasa's New Horizons mission. "Before New Horizons, everyone thought Pluto was going to be a netball - completely flat, almost no diversity," said Tanguy Bertrand, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author on the new study. "But it's completely different. It has a lot of different landscapes and we are trying to understand what's going on there." Getty Science news in pictures Over 400 species discovered this year by Natural History Museum The ancient invertabrate worm-like species rhenopyrgus viviani (pictured) is one of over 400 species previously unknown to science that were discovered by experts at the Natural History Museum this year PA Science news in pictures Jackdaws can identify 'dangerous' humans Jackdaws can identify dangerous humans from listening to each others warning calls, scientists say. The highly social birds will also remember that person if they come near their nests again, according to researchers from the University of Exeter. In the study, a person unknown to the wild jackdaws approached their nest. At the same time scientists played a recording of a warning call (threatening) or contact calls (non-threatening). The next time jackdaws saw this same person, the birds that had previously heard the warning call were defensive and returned to their nests more than twice as quickly on average. Getty Science news in pictures Turtle embryos influence sex by shaking The sex of the turtle is determined by the temperatures at which they are incubated. Warm temperatures favour females. But by wiggling around the egg, embryos can find the Goldilocks Zone which means they are able to shield themselves against extreme thermal conditions and produce a balanced sex ratio, according to the new study published in Current Biology journal Ye et al/Current Biology Science news in pictures Elephant poaching rates drop in Africa African elephant poaching rates have dropped by 60 per cent in six years, an international study has found. It is thought the decline could be associated with the ivory trade ban introduced in China in 2017. Reuters Science news in pictures Ancient four-legged whale discovered in Peru Scientists have identified a four-legged creature with webbed feet to be an ancestor of the whale. Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planets oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago A. Gennari Science news in pictures Animal with transient anus discovered A scientist has stumbled upon a creature with a transient anus that appears only when it is needed, before vanishing completely. Dr Sidney Tamm of the Marine Biological Laboratory could not initially find any trace of an anus on the species. However, as the animal gets full, a pore opens up to dispose of waste Steven G Johnson Science news in pictures Giant bee spotted Feared extinct, the Wallace's Giant bee has been spotted for the first time in nearly 40 years. An international team of conservationists spotted the bee, that is four times the size of a typical honeybee, on an expedition to a group of Indonesian Islands Clay Bolt Science news in pictures New mammal species found inside crocodile Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The bones belonged to two large rodent species and a small shrew-like animal New Mexico Museum of Natural History Science news in pictures Fabric that changes according to temperature created Scientists at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that adapts to heat, expanding to allow more heat to escape the body when warm and compacting to retain more heat when cold Faye Levine, University of Maryland Science news in pictures Baby mice tears could be used in pest control A study from the University of Tokyo has found that the tears of baby mice cause female mice to be less interested in the sexual advances of males Getty Science news in pictures Final warning to limit "climate catastrophe" The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report which projects the impact of a rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius and warns against a higher increase Getty Science news in pictures Nobel prize for evolution chemists The nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to three chemists working with evolution. Frances Smith is being awarded the prize for her work on directing the evolution of enzymes, while Gregory Winter and George Smith take the prize for their work on phage display of peptides and antibodies Getty/AFP Science news in pictures Nobel prize for laser physicists The nobel prize for physics has been awarded to three physicists working with lasers. Arthur Ashkin (L) was awarded for his "optical tweezers" which use lasers to grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells. Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou were jointly awarded the prize for developing chirped-pulse amplification of lasers Reuters/AP Science news in pictures Discovery of a new species of dinosaur The Ledumahadi Mafube roamed around 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Recently discovered by a team of international scientists, it was the largest land animal of its time, weighing 12 tons and standing at 13 feet. In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means "a giant thunderclap at dawn" Viktor Radermacher / SWNS Science news in pictures Birth of a planet Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever. This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star. ESO/A. Muller et al Science news in pictures New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the interstitium. These compartments are found beneath the skin, as well as lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles, and join together to form a network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins Getty Science news in pictures Previously unknown society lived in Amazon rainforest before Europeans arrived, say archaeologists Working in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, a team led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter unearthed hundreds of villages hidden in the depths of the rainforest. These excavations included evidence of fortifications and mysterious earthworks called geoglyphs Jose Iriarte Science news in pictures One in 10 people have traces of cocaine or heroin on fingerprints, study finds More than one in 10 people were found to have traces of class A drugs on their fingers by scientists developing a new fingerprint-based drug test. Using sensitive analysis of the chemical composition of sweat, researchers were able to tell the difference between those who had been directly exposed to heroin and cocaine, and those who had encountered it indirectly. Getty Science news in pictures Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter's great red spot The storm bigger than the Earth, has been swhirling for 350 years. The image's colours have been enhanced after it was sent back to Earth. Pictures by: Tom Momary The researchers findings were published in the journal Nature Communications. Sign up for a full digest of all the best opinions of the week in our Voices Dispatches email Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Voices Dispatches email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A disturbing new gene that can make normal bacteria resistant to the strongest antibiotics has been detected in Canada, it had been revealed. The gene, MCR-1, is notable because it produces a chemical that makes bacteria resistant to colistin, a powerful antibiotic that has fallen out of favour due to its dangerous side effects, but one that is still used as a last-ditch medicine when all other remedies have failed. If the newly-discovered gene were to make bacteria invincible to colistin, the sickest patients could find themselves in even more trouble. As the Toronto Star reports, MCR-1 was first reported in British medical journal The Lancet in November last year, after Chinese scientists discovered a number of samples of the E-coli bacteria containing the MCR-1 gene on meat and hospital patients. The noted that the gene likely originated in farm animals, due to the large amounts of antibiotics given to livestock in order to stop illness. As the Star notes, MCR-1 has also been detected in bacteria samples gathered across the world, in Asia, Africa and even the UK. Now, it has appeared in Canada, once in a patient in Ottowa and two in samples of ground beef sold in Ontario. Science news in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Science news in pictures Science news in pictures Pluto has 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen Pluto has a 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen that is doing strange things to its surface, Nasa has found. The mysterious core seems to be the cause of features on its surface that have fascinated scientists since they were spotted by Nasa's New Horizons mission. "Before New Horizons, everyone thought Pluto was going to be a netball - completely flat, almost no diversity," said Tanguy Bertrand, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author on the new study. "But it's completely different. It has a lot of different landscapes and we are trying to understand what's going on there." Getty Science news in pictures Over 400 species discovered this year by Natural History Museum The ancient invertabrate worm-like species rhenopyrgus viviani (pictured) is one of over 400 species previously unknown to science that were discovered by experts at the Natural History Museum this year PA Science news in pictures Jackdaws can identify 'dangerous' humans Jackdaws can identify dangerous humans from listening to each others warning calls, scientists say. The highly social birds will also remember that person if they come near their nests again, according to researchers from the University of Exeter. In the study, a person unknown to the wild jackdaws approached their nest. At the same time scientists played a recording of a warning call (threatening) or contact calls (non-threatening). The next time jackdaws saw this same person, the birds that had previously heard the warning call were defensive and returned to their nests more than twice as quickly on average. Getty Science news in pictures Turtle embryos influence sex by shaking The sex of the turtle is determined by the temperatures at which they are incubated. Warm temperatures favour females. But by wiggling around the egg, embryos can find the Goldilocks Zone which means they are able to shield themselves against extreme thermal conditions and produce a balanced sex ratio, according to the new study published in Current Biology journal Ye et al/Current Biology Science news in pictures Elephant poaching rates drop in Africa African elephant poaching rates have dropped by 60 per cent in six years, an international study has found. It is thought the decline could be associated with the ivory trade ban introduced in China in 2017. Reuters Science news in pictures Ancient four-legged whale discovered in Peru Scientists have identified a four-legged creature with webbed feet to be an ancestor of the whale. Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planets oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago A. Gennari Science news in pictures Animal with transient anus discovered A scientist has stumbled upon a creature with a transient anus that appears only when it is needed, before vanishing completely. Dr Sidney Tamm of the Marine Biological Laboratory could not initially find any trace of an anus on the species. However, as the animal gets full, a pore opens up to dispose of waste Steven G Johnson Science news in pictures Giant bee spotted Feared extinct, the Wallace's Giant bee has been spotted for the first time in nearly 40 years. An international team of conservationists spotted the bee, that is four times the size of a typical honeybee, on an expedition to a group of Indonesian Islands Clay Bolt Science news in pictures New mammal species found inside crocodile Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The bones belonged to two large rodent species and a small shrew-like animal New Mexico Museum of Natural History Science news in pictures Fabric that changes according to temperature created Scientists at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that adapts to heat, expanding to allow more heat to escape the body when warm and compacting to retain more heat when cold Faye Levine, University of Maryland Science news in pictures Baby mice tears could be used in pest control A study from the University of Tokyo has found that the tears of baby mice cause female mice to be less interested in the sexual advances of males Getty Science news in pictures Final warning to limit "climate catastrophe" The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report which projects the impact of a rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius and warns against a higher increase Getty Science news in pictures Nobel prize for evolution chemists The nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to three chemists working with evolution. Frances Smith is being awarded the prize for her work on directing the evolution of enzymes, while Gregory Winter and George Smith take the prize for their work on phage display of peptides and antibodies Getty/AFP Science news in pictures Nobel prize for laser physicists The nobel prize for physics has been awarded to three physicists working with lasers. Arthur Ashkin (L) was awarded for his "optical tweezers" which use lasers to grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells. Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou were jointly awarded the prize for developing chirped-pulse amplification of lasers Reuters/AP Science news in pictures Discovery of a new species of dinosaur The Ledumahadi Mafube roamed around 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Recently discovered by a team of international scientists, it was the largest land animal of its time, weighing 12 tons and standing at 13 feet. In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means "a giant thunderclap at dawn" Viktor Radermacher / SWNS Science news in pictures Birth of a planet Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever. This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star. ESO/A. Muller et al Science news in pictures New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the interstitium. These compartments are found beneath the skin, as well as lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles, and join together to form a network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins Getty Science news in pictures Previously unknown society lived in Amazon rainforest before Europeans arrived, say archaeologists Working in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, a team led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter unearthed hundreds of villages hidden in the depths of the rainforest. These excavations included evidence of fortifications and mysterious earthworks called geoglyphs Jose Iriarte Science news in pictures One in 10 people have traces of cocaine or heroin on fingerprints, study finds More than one in 10 people were found to have traces of class A drugs on their fingers by scientists developing a new fingerprint-based drug test. Using sensitive analysis of the chemical composition of sweat, researchers were able to tell the difference between those who had been directly exposed to heroin and cocaine, and those who had encountered it indirectly. Getty Science news in pictures Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter's great red spot The storm bigger than the Earth, has been swhirling for 350 years. The image's colours have been enhanced after it was sent back to Earth. Pictures by: Tom Momary MCR-1 is unusual because it is found on a piece of free-floating DNA called a plasmid, rather than being tethered within a chromosome. This means it can easily be 'swapped' between bacteria, allowing them to resist the effects of antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem - through their increasing use (and misuse) in humans and farm animals, bacteria have begun evolving. Those freak bacteria who manage to avoid being killed by antibiotics go on to reproduce and spread - creating new strains that current medicines simply don't work on. Colistin is so effective precisely because it isn't widely used - bacteria haven't been exposed to it that much, meaning none have evolved to become resistant to it. In order to keep this potency, doctors will not prescribe it apart from in the worst cases, but soon colistin could become uselss against some bacteria as well. Timothy Walsh, a Cardiff University scientists who co-wrote the initial Lancet paper, said the Chinese government is taking MCR-1 seriously and expects them to crack down on the widespread use of huge amounts of colistin used on Chinese farms, which has been exacerbating the problem. However, other microbiologists would like to see a total worldwide ban on antibiotics use on animals that are also used on humans, in order to counter the effects of growing resistance. Fortunately, no deaths caused by MCR-1 have been reported, but fears grow that the gene could become more widespread, possibly infecting bacteria that is already drug-resistant, creating a bug that we would be incapable of killing with current medicines. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Its only been three days since Britain went back to work for the new year, but commuters are already expressing their frustration at railway delays. Customers were reportedly delayed by up to an hour today on their journey in to work, after travel ground to a halt at London Bridge. In a statement posted to their website, National Rail said that the delay was due to a broken down train between London Liverpool Street and Enfield Town/ Cheshunt. Shortly after, they also tweeted that trains to and from London Waterloo were being delayed due to a signalling problem. On Monday, it was revealed that railway fares are up to six times as expensive for Britons as they are for people elsewhere in Europe. London remains the most expensive city in which to travel in the world. In the UK, the average worker spends 13 per cent of their monthly wages on rail fare, compared to 2 per cent for a similar journey in Italy, 3 per cent in Spain and 4 per cent in Germany. On the same day, protests were held at more than 60 UK train stations to highlight the rising fares. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Green leader Natalie Bennett joined campaigners at Kings Cross. Commuters took to Twitter this morning to vent their anger at the delays, with one observing: We send people to space yet we cant get a train from outside of London into London Bridge. The Independent has contacted National Rail for comment. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} 26 schoolchildren had to be rescued in North Yorkshire when their school bus became stuck in flood water after the driver allegedly ignored a road closure sign. The pupils, from Easingwold School, were saved by North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue after their bus got stuck in deep floodwaters near Newton-on-Ouse on Tuesday morning. The County Council said that the incident occurred when the bus driver went through a road closure sign, and added they would be investigating the case. The bus operator, Stephenson's of Easingwold, also said it would investigate the incident, and offered their "sincere apologies" to their children and their families. Surprisingly, some of the children were brought into school after being rescued, but most went home to get warm and dry, according to headteacher Phil Benaiges. Fortunately, no children were injured in the accident, but North Yorkshire police said they would investigate how the bus became stuck in the floodwaters. The worst of the floods in the north of England may have passed, but river levels remain high, with 15 roads remaining closed across North Yorkshire. Following the incident, the Fire and Rescue Service stressed the importance of obeying road signs and not attempting to drive through deep water while the floods are still severe. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Executives at the worlds biggest asbestos factory spied on journalists and environmental campaigners who exposed the killer dusts dangers and then launched a covert campaign to accuse them of being communists, it can be revealed. Secret industry documents seen by The Independent reveal that the executives at Rochdale-based asbestos giant Turner and Newall monitored people they considered to be subversive and kept a dossier on their activities at the height of the debate about the minerals safety in the 1980s. They also enlisted the help of disgraced Rochdale MP Cyril Smith in a clandestine but ultimately unsuccessful bid to discredit the makers of an award-winning documentary that told how asbestos workers were dying from cancer. Leading campaigners are now calling for a full-scale inquiry into what they describe as decades of espionage against campaign groups in the UK. The revelations also raise further concerns about Smiths links to the asbestos industry after it emerged some years ago that executives at Turner and Newall wrote the speech he made about asbestos safety in Parliament. Craig Bennett, the chief executive of Friends of the Earth, which it has emerged was listed in the Turner and Newall files, said the latest revelations are shocking. Asbestos: The slow clean-up 1898 Factory inspectors express concern about the evil effects of asbestos dust. Factory inspectors express concern about the evil effects of asbestos dust. 1911 The first cases of asbestos deaths in factories are confirmed and recommendations made for improved ventilation. The first cases of asbestos deaths in factories are confirmed and recommendations made for improved ventilation. 1924 The death of a textile worker in Rochdale is the first published case of asbestosis. The firm pays no compensation to the bereaved family. The death of a textile worker in Rochdale is the first published case of asbestosis. The firm pays no compensation to the bereaved family. 1931 Asbestos industry regulations introduced. Home Office survey finds widespread asbestos disease in the UK. Asbestos industry regulations introduced. Home Office survey finds widespread asbestos disease in the UK. 1967 The asbestos register is established. Safety limits are proposed the following year. The asbestos register is established. Safety limits are proposed the following year. 1972 The first personal injury claim succeeds. The first personal injury claim succeeds. 1983 Asbestos licensing regulations are introduced. Asbestos licensing regulations are introduced. 1985 Regulations introduce a ban on crocidolite (blue) asbestos and amosite (brown) asbestos. Regulations introduce a ban on crocidolite (blue) asbestos and amosite (brown) asbestos. 1987 Control of asbestos at work regulations introduced to protect workers from fibre exposure. Control of asbestos at work regulations introduced to protect workers from fibre exposure. 1992 Laws are amended to ban rarer forms of amphibole asbestos. Later followed by a ban on chrysotile asbestos. Laws are amended to ban rarer forms of amphibole asbestos. Later followed by a ban on chrysotile asbestos. 1995 A report shows that asbestos deaths are increasing at an alarming rate. A quarter are away from asbestos manufacturing industries. A report shows that asbestos deaths are increasing at an alarming rate. A quarter are away from asbestos manufacturing industries. 1996 A report claims asbestos protection is vastly inferior to the claims stated by its manufacturers. A report claims asbestos protection is vastly inferior to the claims stated by its manufacturers. 1999 Asbestos regulations introduce a final, comprehensive ban on asbestos. Asbestos regulations introduce a final, comprehensive ban on asbestos. 2002 New regulations mean businesses have to start identifying and managing asbestos in their properties. New regulations mean businesses have to start identifying and managing asbestos in their properties. 2006 Previous regulations are brought together in the new Control of Asbestos Regulations. It is clear that as long as people have campaigned for a better world, corrupt sections of the elite have tried to undermine their activities and misrepresent their arguments. It is very clear now that there has been spying on organisations such as Friends of the Earth over many decades by government and commercial forces, he said. It is shocking that business leaders who realised they were losing the argument on a vital issue like as asbestos resorted to these methods. There needs to be an inquiry into how public authorities and companies spent money investigating peaceful organisations campaigning for the public good in a democracy. A letter dated 11 January 1983 in the Turner and Newall archives reveals that executives had sent a staff member to an asbestos campaign meeting posing as a member of the public, who then sent back a three-page report detailing everything that was said. The executives also revealed they had ordered a very confidential report to be made on researchers involved in a Yorkshire TV documentary, Alice: A Fight for Life, which told the story of 47-year-old former asbestos worker Alice Jefferson, who was dying from malignant pleural mesothelioma. The film, directed by award-winning film maker John Willis, explicitly linked asbestos to cancer and attacked the Governments perceived complacency in limiting the manufacture of asbestos in Britain. At the time of the film, asbestos as a health hazard was not widely known to the public, and mesothelioma, the cancer caused by asbestos, was even less wellknown. The Government and leading doctors told people that asbestos was a vital industry and that its manufacture was safe. Turner and Newalls tried to discredit the film by producing a secret report on the researchers, local asbestos campaigners and industrial injury solicitors listing their addresses, places they had visited, alleged connections and supposed political affiliations. The report made claims that the researchers were communists dangerous allegations at the time and claimed they would deny this if challenged. It also claimed the researchers used the Friends of the Earth headquarters in London as their offices. The spies claimed one woman was known for her left wing views but was not a member of any subversive organisation. A solicitor was described as a Communist Party member, but was said to be most anxious that this fact is not made known. It also named a number of Labour MPs linked to environmental groups including the Socialist Environment and Resources Association.In a paragraph on Friends of the Earth, it said evidence showed what length those groups can go in their efforts in attempting to bring down a company. The documents, discovered in the archives of the now defunct company by Rochdale asbestos campaigner Jason Addy, also show how Turner and Newall executives reached out to Smith for help in a calculated smear campaign. In a letter marked urgent and sent from the firms Rochdale factory to MPs office at the House of Commons, they made arrangements to meet him ahead of a select committee hearing where Yorkshire TV directors were due to give evidence and attached a number of questions they deemed suitable as thought starters for the committee. At the hearing, the television directors were forced to defend suggestions that researchers on the programme had communist sympathies allegations they had never previously heard. The executives later wrote to Smith thanking him for his help and guidance on the day of the hearing and added: I doubt if we will ever succeed in ridding ourselves of the Yorkshire TV ogre. They also suggested a list of points which they felt it would be useful to submit to the committee. The files show that copies of newspaper cuttings headlined Communist allegation over asbestos firm were later circulated among joyful executives at the company. But their joy was short-lived. The outcry following the shocking film forced the Government to act and recommendations for lower dust levels in factories were implemented. Smith had earlier announced that he believed Turner and Newall should sue Yorkshire TV for the lies in the programme and said he was totally and absolutely satisfied that there was not the slightest health risk. He said he had instructed his bankers to buy some shares in the company. Smith, who died in 2010, responded to claims in 2008 that he had helped cover up the dangers of asbestos as absolute rubbish amid calls for him to be stripped of his knighthood. James Cutler, who along with Peter Moore was one of the researchers on the film, told The Independent: We were certainly not Communists. I was never a member of any political party. We never even visited the Friends of the Earths offices. We were journalists doing our jobs. Turner and Newall put together a lot of rubbish information and used it to brief MPs, but if you have to deny something in the House of Commons under oath, it puts a seed of doubt in peoples minds and thats what they tried to do. It was underhand and pathetic. I never had a feeling that we were being followed, but we did feel when we went to Rochdale that it was a company town. If you were talking to a widow in one street, people in another street would know what you were doing. Our motto while making the film was to leave no stone unturned and thats what we did. Ultimately, the firm stopped using asbestos. Mr Addy, the Rochdale-based campaigner and PhD researcher who uncovered the spying dossier as part of 12 years of research into the firms toxic legacy, said: There now needs to be a full investigation into Turner and Newalls role in undermining the democratic process and its links with Cyril Smith. Instead of defending dying workers and their families, he went on the offensive to defend asbestos. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The third in line to the British throne has taken a big step up the educational ladder. Kensington Palace said that Prince George started nursery school Wednesday, a milestone for the young future king. Prince William and his wife Kate marked the occasion by releasing two photographs of two-and-a-half-year-old George outside the school building. Kate took the photos showing George in a blue jacket with a backpack. The royal couple had earlier announced he would be attending Westacre Montessori School in Norfolk, 110 miles (180 kilometers) north of London. The school has said he will receive the same treatment as other pupils. The future king is following in the footsteps of his father William and uncle Prince Harry who were also taught at a Montessori nursery at Mrs Mynors School in west London. Diana, Princess of Wales had first-hand experience of the Montessori teaching method as she worked for a period at the Young England Kindergarten in Pimlico, central London, which used the system. George's first day at nursery was a far cry from his father's experience of starting his schooling. Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George Show all 27 1 /27 Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George 10-everythingyoueverwanted-.jpg PA Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George Auntie-Pippa-GETTY.jpg Getty Images Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George Breastfeeding-REX.jpg Rex Features Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George royal-baby-1_1.jpg AP Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George pg-28-try-harder-PD-getty.jpg Getty Images Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George 14-eton-gt.jpg Getty images Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George french-tourists-afpgt.jpg AFP/Getty Images Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George 620880.bin Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George Hideous-baby-REX.jpg Rex Features Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George royal-baby-30.jpg AP Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George royal-baby-6.jpg AP Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George web-baby-13-ap.jpg AP Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George royal-baby-2.jpg AP Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George royal-baby-AP.jpg AP Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George Nanny.jpg Rex Features Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George obstetrics.jpg RexFeatures Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George 5572123.jpg Jason Lowe Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George royal-baby-33.jpg Reuters Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George royal-baby-wave.jpg AP Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George 103.jpg Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George Christening-REX.jpg Rex Features Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George 'arry-rex.jpg Rex Features Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George BP1xMmdCIAAx4dq.jpg Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George 392396.bin PHOTOLIBRARY.COM Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George xylophone.jpg Getty Images Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George yoyo.jpg Getty Images Royal baby A-Z: Everything you ever wanted to know about Prince George tired-rex.jpg Rex Features William was also joined by his parents the Prince and Princess of Wales as he walked into the nursery, but there were reportedly more than 100 reporters and photographers witnessing the moment. George's nursery is in a converted chapel on a private road in East Walton, near King's Lynn, and there was likely to have been only other parents and their children nearby. By contrast Kate went to a nursery in the Jordanian capital Amman where her family were living at the time. Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge with their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, in a photograph taken late October at Kensington Palace The nursery in Norfolk reportedly charges 5.50 an hour and has been rated as good after an Ofsted inspection in June, the same grade it received following the last inspection in 2008. The report said: "Children are interested and motivated to participate in activities. Staff have a secure knowledge of how children learn and develop. Children make good progress given their starting points and capabilities." But it said the nursery was not yet rated as outstanding because: "Staff do not always seize opportunities to promote children's learning and deeper thinking skills to the highest level. "Strategies to build on and develop the good teaching practice further are not yet fully established." PA Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Britain will take lessons in combating flooding from the Dutch after a formal agreement is to be signed by the two nations to share expertise. The Dutch infrastructure agency, Rijkswaterstaat, will sign the cooperation agreement with the Environment Agency (EA) later this year. In contrast to land management in the UK which has been criticised for protecting farmland above towns downstream the Dutch are running a project to give rivers more space to flood safely at 30 locations throughout the country. The scheme, called Room for the River, is relocating 200 families, including 50 farmers, and implementing new flooding safety calculations. The EA said it has provided advice on flood forecasting and warnings system whilst gaining insight on the Dutch approach to planning and coastal risk. In the Netherlands, old measures planning for water levels every 1,250 years, are being discarded, with 8bn (5.8bn) spent to reinforce 1,100km of dikes in a new flood protection programme. Cameron fails to answer Corbyn questions on floods Dutch experts stress that different land layout and water threats mean their measures cannot simply be copied in the UK. But after offering help and equipment in 2013/2014, Dutch-British collaboration will be formalised this year in a memorandum of understanding. A spokeswoman for the EA said: There is a long history of the two governments sharing knowledge and best practice on flood and coastal risk management. There are significant differences in geography, economics and legislation that inform each countrys approach. Recommended Read more How a town in Yorkshire worked with nature to avoid the floods Roughly half of the Netherlands is less than a metre above sea level and 17 per cent is reclaimed from the sea, but in the past 60 years, not a single person has been killed in floods in the country. At the end of 2013 just like recently the UK was hit by extreme rainfall, which led Rijkswaterstaat to provide assistance, explained Joris Schouten, a spokesman for the agency. Since it has become clear that there are other issues where we can learn from each other in addition to water safety, the Rijkswaterstaat and the Environment Agency are preparing to collaborate on more fronts. Richard Jorissen, managing director of the Dutch Flood Protection Programme, said: Its hard to transfer our network to the UK and British situation but Im very positive about international cooperation and collaboration. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} David Cameron is to embark on an intense round of last-minute shuttle diplomacy in a final attempt to secure support for his controversial migration reforms from other European capitals. With just six weeks to go before Mr Camerons renegotiation demands are formally discussed at a meeting of European Council in Brussels, the Prime Minister has cleared chunks of his diary for a series of visits to other EU leaders. Tomorrow the Prime Minister will be in Germany for meetings with Angela Merkel and other senior German politicians in Christian Democratic Union before flying on to Budapest for talks with his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban. It is more than ten years since a British Prime Minister visited the country. Senior Government sources said Mr Cameron would hold further talks in European capitals around the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, which starts on 20 January, and had put aside time for more visits in the run-up to the Council meeting on 18 February. George Osborne and Philip Hammond will also be dispatched around Europe to drum up support for the British proposals, which are currently being worked on in Brussels. In the past seven months, Mr Cameron has already visited 17 European capitals on top of meetings in Downing Street and Brussels the most by any British Prime Minister in recent history. The strategy behind the trips, which have received little publicity in Britain, is to send a statement to other European leaders and more importantly their voters that the UK values their views and is not taking their support for granted. Many of the countries visited, such as Slovenia, Slovakia Romania and Austria have not received an official visit from a serving British Prime Minister in decades. And the Prime Minister has been prepared to woo domestic public opinion in an attempt to build goodwill. In Bulgaria he took part in a photo opportunity with his counterpart Boyko Borissov, standing alongside a controversial 20-mile border fence that the Government has erected along its border with Turkey. He he has written an article for Bild, the German equivalent of The Sun, making the case that his planned reforms will benefit their readers as much as the British. We want to deal with the loss of democratic consent for the EU by shifting power from Brussels to the Bundestag, he writes. And we want to stop people taking out from a welfare system without contributing to it first. Because like Germany, Britain believes in the principle of free movement of workers. But that should not mean the current freedom to claim all benefits from day one. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Shadow minister Stephen Doughty has resigned from Jeremy Corbyn's frontbench live on TV. The shadow foreign minister said he was quitting because of the way the Labour leader had sacked his colleague Pat McFadden as shadow Europe minister and had looked at his own conscience and decided to step down. It follows two other resignations from shadow ministers in response to Mr Corbyn's reshuffle. Kevan Jones resigned as a shadow defence minister, saying he could no longer serve in the Shadow Cabinet after Mr Corbyn replaced pro-Trident Maria Eagle with anti-Trident Emily Thornberry as Shadow Defence Secretary. Jonathan Reynolds was the first shadow minister to resign this morning. He quit as shadow railways minister because he could no longer support the leadership after Mr McFadden was sacked for criticising the leader's reaction to the Paris attacks. Mr McFadden said Mr Corbyn had told him his "disloyalty" included a comment in Parliament where he condemned people who viewed terrorist acts as "always being a response or a reaction to what we in the West do". In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Show all 11 1 /11 In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Jonathan Reynolds,Shadow Railways Minister: RESIGNED He resigned as shadow railways minister in protest at the reasons for sacking Pat McFadden In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Kevan Jones, Shadow Defence Minister: RESIGNED He resigned as a shadow defence minister who strongly supports renewal of Trident. Has spoken out against Jeremy Corbyns leadership before and was also the centre of a row with Ken Livingstone after he said Jones might need some psychiatric help (Jones has previously spoken about his struggle with depression) In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Stephen Doughty, Shadow Foreign Minister: RESIGNED He quit as a shadow foreign minister in protest at the sacking of his colleague Pat McFadden as shadow Europe minister. He said he had looked at his own conscience and decided to step down In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Pat McFadden, Shadow Europe Minister: SACKED He was sacked as shadow Europe minister for "disloyalty" to leader Jeremy Corbyn In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Pat Glass, Shadow Europe Minister: SAFE Former junior shadow education minister Pat Glass replaced Pat McFadden as shadow Europe minister In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Emily Thornberry, Shadow Defence Secretary: SAFE She was promoted to shadow defence secretary. She is anti-Trident and therefore more in tune with Corbyns stance and replaces Maria Eagle, who was pro-Trident Getty In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Emma Lewell-Buck, Shadow Minister for Devolution and Local Government: SAFE Emma Lewell-Buck was promoted to shadow minister for devolution and local government In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Michael Dugher, Shadow Culture Secretary: SACKED Outspoken critic of Jeremy Corbyns leadership, has been sacked as shadow culture secretary for his "incompetence and disloyalty" In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Hilary Benn, Shadow Foreign Secretary: SAFE Hilary Benn remains as shadow foreign secretary, but Corbyns team has insisted his role now comes with new conditions that he must agree with Corbyn over foreign policy. Benn insists there are no new conditions attached to his job and insisted: "I haven't been muzzled. I'm going to be carrying on doing my job exactly as before In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Maria Eagle, Shadow Culture Secretary: SAFE Maria Eagle, moved from shadow defence to shadow culture secretary as part of Corbyns move to make his defence team match his anti-Trident views In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Andy Burnham, Shadow Home Secretary: SAFE Reports linked him to foreign secretary brief, but Corbyn appears to have backed down on sacking Hilary Benn. He does not see eye-to-eye with Corbyn on home affairs such as the Snoopers charter, but removing your shadow home secretary so soon after starting would have been a dangerous move by Corbyn Mr Jones later accused Mr Corbyn of opening up a north-south divide in his Shadow Cabinet by sacking northern MPs while promoting London-based MPs, such as Ms Thornberry, whose constituency borders Mr Corbyn's. "The idea that our defence policy is being controlled by the north London part will be looked on with dismay by large parts of the country," Mr Jones said. He also accused the Labour leadership of "turning the party into a protest party and a talking shop". "I'm sorry but I'm not in politics for that - I'm here to make changes," Mr Jones added. Mr Corbyn avoided a spate of Shadow Cabinet resignations, however, after he saved Shadow Foreign Secretary Hilary Benn from the sack. Reports suggested that up to 10 Shadow Cabinet ministers would have quit in protest had Mr Benn been removed. But Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said Mr Corbyn will now have ultimate say on Labour's foreign policy and Mr Benn will have to talk from the back benches if he disagrees with the leader in future. But speaking to reporters outside his home this morning, Mr Benn denied there were new conditions attached to his job as Shadow Foreign Secretary. "I haven't been muzzled," Mr Benn said. "I'm going to be carrying on doing my job exactly as before, which is speaking for Labour on foreign policy, supporting Jeremy Corbyn and campaigning really hard to get Labour elected at the next general election." Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Three MPs who resigned from the Labour front bench have been dismissed by the shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell, as being drawn from a narrow right-wing clique as the turmoil at the top of the party intensified. They walked out in protest over Jeremy Corbyns shadow cabinet reshuffle, in which a Blairite was sacked and a Trident supporter sidelined, and accused him of widening the partys north-south divide. Mr Corbyn also faced controversy over the appointment of Emily Thornberry as his new shadow Defence Secretary after it emerged she accepted donations from a law firm facing disciplinary action over its role in an inquiry into allegations of murder and torture by British soldiers. Despite taking 35 hours to complete, Mr Corbyns reshuffle proved more limited than had been expected. Hilary Benn, who had been widely tipped for the sack as shadow Foreign Secretary, held on to his job, although the Blairite Pat McFadden was dismissed as shadow Europe minister. Ms Thornberry, who shares Mr Corbyns opposition to renewing the Trident nuclear deterrent, replaced Maria Eagle, who takes the opposite view. Ms Eagle was shifted sideways to succeed Michael Dugher, who was fired as shadow Culture Secretary. The moves provoked three resignations by Labour frontbenchers Kevan Jones, Jonathan Reynolds and Stephen Doughty. The three who jumped Jonathan Reynolds Shadow minister for railways and the first to resign, in support of sacked Europe spokesman Pat McFadden. He said he could not endorse the world view of the Stop the War Coalition, which Jeremy Corbyn chaired. Shadow minister for railways and the first to resign, in support of sacked Europe spokesman Pat McFadden. He said he could not endorse the world view of the Stop the War Coalition, which Jeremy Corbyn chaired. Kevan Jones The shadow defence minister who earlier clashed with Corbyn ally Ken Livingstone said he would make the case for replacing Trident from the backbenches. I believe it is the right policy for the country to maintain a minimum credible nuclear deterrent, he wrote in his resignation letter. The shadow defence minister who earlier clashed with Corbyn ally Ken Livingstone said he would make the case for replacing Trident from the backbenches. I believe it is the right policy for the country to maintain a minimum credible nuclear deterrent, he wrote in his resignation letter. Stephen Doughty Resigning live on the BBC, the shadow Foreign Office minister said he was dismayed that two of our most able and experienced colleagues have been sacked for speaking out. Quitting as a shadow defence minister, Kevan Jones claimed that Ms Eagle had been moved against her will despite briefings that her new role was her dream. He said there had been nothing straightforward or honest in the conduct of the reshuffle and claimed Labour was being run in a very top-down manner. Mr Jones added that people would look on in dismay at the decision by Mr Corbyn to install Ms Thornberry, his Islington constituency neighbour, as shadow Defence Secretary. Our defence policy is being controlled by a north London party of the party, he said. Mr Reynolds, who stood down as shadow rail minister, said: I think there is a danger that we might become too Londoncentric thats a regular complaint from Labour Party members in my area not just limited to Jeremys administration. But clearly the front bench is geographically a little bit unbalanced now. Former shadow rail minister, Jonathan Reynolds (Getty Images) Mr Doughty quit as shadow Foreign Office minister live on television, telling the BBC he had looked at his own conscience and was stepping down after the leaders office told lies about the reasons why Mr McFadden had lost his job. Mr McDonnell said the trio were linked to the New Labour pressure group, Progress. He said: They come from a narrow right-wing clique within the Labour Party, based around the organisation Progress. Mr McDonnell told Channel 4 News: Theres a group within the Labour Party who have a right-wing conservative agenda. Within Progress itself, there are some who are quite hard right, and I think theyve never accepted Jeremys leadership. But he added that Labour was a broad church and there was room within the party for those views to be debated. An ally of Mr Corbyn accused centrist MPs of conducting a deliberate and co-ordinated effort to undermine the leadership by lying about the reasons for Mr McFaddens sacking. McFadden on sacking He said Mr McFadden and his allies, including the three shadow ministers who resigned in protest at his sacking, had distorted what Mr Corbyn told him on the telephone and had toured the airwaves to repeat their lies. Ms Thornberrys promotion came just over a year after she stood down from Ed Milibands frontbench over a snobby picture she took of a house bedecked with England flags. In the Commons, Mr Cameron said she had serious questions to answer over her links to the legal firm Leigh Day. She received a 14,500 donation from the firm between September 2013 and March 2014 to pay for a legal research assistant for her office when she was shadow Attorney General. Cameron mocks Corbyn It has been referred to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal over allegations it destroyed a document at the centre of the 31m Al-Sweady inquiry, which eventually found that claims of murder and torture by British soldiers were completely baseless. Ms Thornberry said: Leigh Day is an outstanding firm of solicitors. I have no idea what has happened or what these allegations are. I understand they are currently before a solicitors tribunal But it had nothing to do with any of the outstanding youngsters who gave their time to help us out here. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Jeremy Corbyn has been accused of opening up a north-south divide in the Labour party by neglecting northern MPs in his Shadow Cabinet and promoting London-based MPs. Two shadow ministers who resigned in protest at the Labour leader's decision to sack Pat McFadden and Michael Dugher said there was a danger that the frontbench was becoming "too London centric". Kevan Jones, who quit as a shadow defence minister, said voters will "look on in dismay" at the decision by Mr Corbyn to install his north London constituency neighbour Emily Thornberry as Shadow Defence Secretary. "Our defence policy is being controlled by a north London party of the party," he told the BBC. Mr Corbyn sacked Mr McFadden, a Scotsman who represents Wolverhampton South East, and Mr Dugher, a South Yorkshireman who represents Barnsley East. Mr Reynolds, MP for the Greater Manchester constituency of Stalybridge and Hyde, said: I think there is a danger that we might become too London centric thats a regular complaint from Labour party members in my area - not just limited to Jeremys administration, I can say thats a regular complaint that comes up. But clearly the frontbench is geographically a little bit unbalanced now I would say in the Shadow Cabinet and its something we need to watch out for. I very much agree with the Howard Wilson school of building a Shadow Cabinet or a Cabinet you need to make sure youre balancing not just politics but gender, geography, to make sure youre getting that balanced so the nation looks at Labour and says these people understand my life and they are the right people for me; I want them to be the government for the country. In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Show all 11 1 /11 In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Jonathan Reynolds,Shadow Railways Minister: RESIGNED He resigned as shadow railways minister in protest at the reasons for sacking Pat McFadden In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Kevan Jones, Shadow Defence Minister: RESIGNED He resigned as a shadow defence minister who strongly supports renewal of Trident. Has spoken out against Jeremy Corbyns leadership before and was also the centre of a row with Ken Livingstone after he said Jones might need some psychiatric help (Jones has previously spoken about his struggle with depression) In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Stephen Doughty, Shadow Foreign Minister: RESIGNED He quit as a shadow foreign minister in protest at the sacking of his colleague Pat McFadden as shadow Europe minister. He said he had looked at his own conscience and decided to step down In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Pat McFadden, Shadow Europe Minister: SACKED He was sacked as shadow Europe minister for "disloyalty" to leader Jeremy Corbyn In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Pat Glass, Shadow Europe Minister: SAFE Former junior shadow education minister Pat Glass replaced Pat McFadden as shadow Europe minister In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Emily Thornberry, Shadow Defence Secretary: SAFE She was promoted to shadow defence secretary. She is anti-Trident and therefore more in tune with Corbyns stance and replaces Maria Eagle, who was pro-Trident Getty In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Emma Lewell-Buck, Shadow Minister for Devolution and Local Government: SAFE Emma Lewell-Buck was promoted to shadow minister for devolution and local government In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Michael Dugher, Shadow Culture Secretary: SACKED Outspoken critic of Jeremy Corbyns leadership, has been sacked as shadow culture secretary for his "incompetence and disloyalty" In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Hilary Benn, Shadow Foreign Secretary: SAFE Hilary Benn remains as shadow foreign secretary, but Corbyns team has insisted his role now comes with new conditions that he must agree with Corbyn over foreign policy. Benn insists there are no new conditions attached to his job and insisted: "I haven't been muzzled. I'm going to be carrying on doing my job exactly as before In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Maria Eagle, Shadow Culture Secretary: SAFE Maria Eagle, moved from shadow defence to shadow culture secretary as part of Corbyns move to make his defence team match his anti-Trident views In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Andy Burnham, Shadow Home Secretary: SAFE Reports linked him to foreign secretary brief, but Corbyn appears to have backed down on sacking Hilary Benn. He does not see eye-to-eye with Corbyn on home affairs such as the Snoopers charter, but removing your shadow home secretary so soon after starting would have been a dangerous move by Corbyn Mr Corbyn was also accused of neglecting working class Labour MPs with the sacking of Mr Dugher and Mr McFadden. Responding to the news that Mr Dugher had been sacked, Labour MP Graham Jones took to Twitter to complain that "traditional working class Labour is dying". Meanwhile the Labour leader also came under fire for his appointment of Guardian journalist Seumas Milne as his director of strategy and communications. Ian Austin branded him an "absolute disgrace" and described the reshuffle as "an absolute shambles". He said Mr Milne's approach to managing the media was "extraordinary". Ive been involved in reshuffles the last 20 years, this is the worst handled and most botched reshuffle Ive ever seen, the Dudley MP told BBC News. [In] the weeks before you had people in the leaders office, Im told by journalists, Seumas Milne, telling us that Hilary Benn was going to be sacked, that Michael Dugher was going to be sacked, a whole long list of people, not for questions of competence or loyalty but because they voted a different way on a free vote. I wouldnt have appointed somebody with his views and his background to a senior position in the Labour party in the first place but I think his behaviour over the last few weeks has been an absolute disgrace." Fellow Labour MP John Mann also criticised Mr Milne: A spokesperson for Mr Corbyn however said: Seumas Milne is doing his job in the normal way, as is everyone else. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A Labour minister has resigned from the partys front bench in the wake of a reshuffle by Jeremy Corbyn. Jonathan Reynolds, who served as the shadow minister for railways, said he wanted to participate in a debate about the future of the Labour party from its backbenches. He also criticised the decision to sack former shadow Europe minister Pat McFadden over comments regarding terrorism. Mr McFadden says he was told he was removed from his position for comments he made about Isis in Parliament. The comments were interpreted at the time as a part of a coordinated attack on Jeremy Corbyn and his association with the Stop The War group by Labour MPs from the right of the party. Mr Reynolds, who wrote to Mr Corbyn this morning, is the first person to voluntarily step down after the protracted reshuffle. In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Show all 11 1 /11 In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Jonathan Reynolds,Shadow Railways Minister: RESIGNED He resigned as shadow railways minister in protest at the reasons for sacking Pat McFadden In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Kevan Jones, Shadow Defence Minister: RESIGNED He resigned as a shadow defence minister who strongly supports renewal of Trident. Has spoken out against Jeremy Corbyns leadership before and was also the centre of a row with Ken Livingstone after he said Jones might need some psychiatric help (Jones has previously spoken about his struggle with depression) In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Stephen Doughty, Shadow Foreign Minister: RESIGNED He quit as a shadow foreign minister in protest at the sacking of his colleague Pat McFadden as shadow Europe minister. He said he had looked at his own conscience and decided to step down In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Pat McFadden, Shadow Europe Minister: SACKED He was sacked as shadow Europe minister for "disloyalty" to leader Jeremy Corbyn In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Pat Glass, Shadow Europe Minister: SAFE Former junior shadow education minister Pat Glass replaced Pat McFadden as shadow Europe minister In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Emily Thornberry, Shadow Defence Secretary: SAFE She was promoted to shadow defence secretary. She is anti-Trident and therefore more in tune with Corbyns stance and replaces Maria Eagle, who was pro-Trident Getty In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Emma Lewell-Buck, Shadow Minister for Devolution and Local Government: SAFE Emma Lewell-Buck was promoted to shadow minister for devolution and local government In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Michael Dugher, Shadow Culture Secretary: SACKED Outspoken critic of Jeremy Corbyns leadership, has been sacked as shadow culture secretary for his "incompetence and disloyalty" In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Hilary Benn, Shadow Foreign Secretary: SAFE Hilary Benn remains as shadow foreign secretary, but Corbyns team has insisted his role now comes with new conditions that he must agree with Corbyn over foreign policy. Benn insists there are no new conditions attached to his job and insisted: "I haven't been muzzled. I'm going to be carrying on doing my job exactly as before In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Maria Eagle, Shadow Culture Secretary: SAFE Maria Eagle, moved from shadow defence to shadow culture secretary as part of Corbyns move to make his defence team match his anti-Trident views In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Andy Burnham, Shadow Home Secretary: SAFE Reports linked him to foreign secretary brief, but Corbyn appears to have backed down on sacking Hilary Benn. He does not see eye-to-eye with Corbyn on home affairs such as the Snoopers charter, but removing your shadow home secretary so soon after starting would have been a dangerous move by Corbyn Although I was personally against the proposal to extend airstrikes into Syria, I cannot in good conscience endorse the world view of Stop the War Coalition, who I believe to be fundamentally wrong in their assessment and understanding of the threats the UK faces, he wrote in a letter to Mr Corbyn. Jonathan Reynolds The security and well-being of my constituents must always be my first consideration. And I therefore believe my colleague Pat McFadden was right to condemn those who would to any degree absolve Isis for their actions following the atrocities in Paris. The reshuffle saw Mr McFadden sacked, alongside Michael Dugher, the former shadow culture secretary. Both were accused of disloyalty. Shadow defence secretary Maria Eagle was moved to Mr Dughers vacant shadow culture secretary brief. She was replaced by Emily Thornberry. It had previously been reported that Anglea Eagle and Hilary Benn were set to be sacked by Mr Corbyn, but this did not ultimately happen. Shadow chancellor John McDonnell told reporters after the reshuffle was concluded that there was never any question that Mr Benn would have been sacked. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Labours fragile unity is under intense strain as the partys deputy leader, Tom Watson, leads a backlash against the sacking of a prominent shadow minister by Jeremy Corbyn. On a day of confusion, bordering on farce, as the Labour leader agonised over his promised reshuffle, the only confirmed casualty was Michael Dugher, who was sacked as shadow Culture Secretary. Within minutes of announcing he had been fired, Mr Dugher received statements of support from Mr Watson, eight other members of the Shadow Cabinet and a succession of Labour backbenchers. Mr Corbyn has been urged by senior advisers to get a firmer grip on his front bench following public splits over bombing Isis in Syria and renewing the Trident nuclear deterrent. He spent much of the day in meetings discussing the composition of his frontbench team. But he appeared to be struggling to settle on a replacement for Maria Eagle, who is expected to be removed as shadow Defence Secretary, holding up the announcement of his new line-up. The delays also left a question-mark over Hilary Benns survival as shadow Foreign Secretary although he was still widely expected to remain in the post. According to one report, Mr Corbyn was demanding that Mr Benn remain loyal in public and only air his reservations about policy in private. To the frustration of many Labour MPs, just one firm decision had emerged more than 24 hours after he began discussing his reshuffle. Mr Dugher announced his removal this morning, later updating his Twitter profile to mock his leaders promise to lead a new kind of politics. He wrote: Sacked by Jeremy Corbyn for too much straight talking, honest politics. His dismissal prompted a wave of support from former shadow cabinet colleagues, including Mr Watson who said: Michael Dugher is a rare politician a talented working-class MP who hasnt lost his strong Yorkshire roots. Jeremy Corbyn's relationship with right-wing media Politicians with his ability and commitment can make a difference in any role. Labours loss in the Shadow Cabinet will be compensated by Michaels free thought on the back benches. Other senior figures who bemoaned his departure included Andy Burnham, the shadow Home Secretary, Lucy Powell, the shadow Education Secretary, and Vernon Coaker, the shadow Northern Ireland Secretary. Mr Burnham, whose leadership campaign was run by Mr Dugher, said: Michael is Labour to the core and I have no doubt he will continue to serve the best interests of our party in whatever way he can. We face a big challenge in winning back the trust of our traditional supporters in the North and Midlands, and Michael is one of the authentic voices who can do that. One shadow cabinet source said their response was genuine and spontaneous, but denied there was some sort of organised coup. A Corbyn loyalist Cat Smith, shadow minister for women and equalities, said it was right for the leader to appoint people he trusted to senior posts. If he doesnt want people in his Shadow Cabinet who spend more time attacking the Labour Party leadership than the Tory benches opposite us, then he is perfectly within his rights to do that, she said. Mr Corbyn began the reshuffle meetings on Monday afternoon and had been expected to finalise his appointments by Tuesday lunchtime when the Shadow Cabinet was due to hold its weekly meeting. But that session was cancelled with little sign of progress and the Labour leader broke off to respond to a Commons statement by David Cameron on the European Union. He then paused his deliberations to return to the House to listen to a statement on the New Year flooding and attend a protest meeting over the Governments housing plans. Mr Benn sat alongside him for the EU statement suggesting he was not about to lose his job and spoke from the front bench in a later statement on Saudi Arabia. However, it is still to be confirmed that Mr Benn has retained the post. Recommended Read more Jeremy Corbyn sacks Shadow Culture Secretary Michael Dugher Ms Eagle met the Labour leader on Monday night, refusing to comment after the encounter, amid suggestions that Mr Corbyn wanted to replace her with an opponent of Trident. It was claimed that Lisa Nandy, the shadow Energy Secretary, had been sounded out for the role. But Ms Nandy later said she had not been offered the job. In the Commons, Mr Cameron ridiculed the Labour leader for conducting the longest reshuffle in history. Referring to Maria Eagle and her twin sister, Angela, the shadow Business Secretary, he said: Never mind how many Eagles we end up with, I think you have all worked out youve got an albatross at the head of your party. Mr Dugher told Sky News: Good, hard-working, decent, loyal members of the Shadow Cabinet have had their reputations trashed in the newspapers because people in the employment of Jeremy have been giving those stories to the newspapers that all these people were going to be fired in some kind of revenge reshuffle. Hopefully, touch wood, before we get to day three of what will be the longest reshuffle in history, we havent had those mass sackings. I hope he can keep the party together and united and we can get on with our day job, which is getting rid of these Tories. People like Hilary and Maria are held in huge respect, not just in the Shadow Cabinet and the Parliamentary Labour Party but in the country as well. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Jeremy Corbyn has sacked two senior figures for "disloyalty" and installed a Trident opponent in the key shadow defence brief as he sought to get a grip on his top team. After more than 30 hours of apparently bitter reshuffle wrangling, the Labour leader stopped short of dismissing shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn. But he added Europe spokesman Pat McFadden to the casualty list alongside shadow culture secretary Michael Dugher. Maria Eagle is being shifted from shadow defence secretary to replace Mr Dugher, having been seen as blocking Mr Corbyn's desire to oppose renewal of the UK's nuclear deterrent. Her berth is taken by Emily Thornberry, who is in line with the leader on Trident. Installing Mrs Thornberry as defence secretary was seen as crucial with a key Commons vote on renewing Trident due soon. Mr Corbyn could otherwise have again found himself at loggerheads with the shadow minister supposed to be presenting the party's position in Parliament. A source said Ms Eagle - who had clashed with former London mayor Ken Livingstone over a defence policy review they were jointly overseeing - had been keen to take on the culture brief. Mr McFadden's sacking follows that of Michael Dugher, who was removed from his position as shadow Culture Secretary. The MP for Barnsley East, who ran Andy Burnham's failed leadership campaign, claimed he had been sacked after speaking up for colleagues who had been "trashed" by members of the Labour leader's team. "I decided to speak out a number of days ago because what we've seen in recent weeks is a number of good hardworking loyal members of the shadow Cabinet being systematically trashed, in terms of their reputations, in their newspapers by people in the employment of Jeremy Corbyn, he told the BBC. McFadden, the MP for Wolverhampton, had admitted that he wasnt sure if hed keep his own job in any reshuffle. Warning that using the Syria vote for a revenge reshuffle would be a risk and a danger for Mr Corbyn himself, he told BBC Radio 4s Westminster Hour that shadow Foreign Secretary Hilary Benn had expressed his own opinion during a free vote on Syria. "If it's about political disagreement, I think you have to pause here - especially if it's about the Syria vote that took place last month because this was on a one-line whip, it was not on a three-line whip, he said. "If you look at Jeremy Corbyn's own record, his whole career is based on disagreeing with party leaders so I think there is a danger for him in this, in carrying out a reshuffle as a sort of punishment for shadow ministers whove disagreed with him, he added. He also insisted Mr Benn and shadow defence minister Maria Eagle had no questions about their competence to be shadow ministers. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Conservative government has licenced 5.6bn in sales of arms, fighter jets and other military hardware to Saudi Arabia since David Cameron came to power, campaigners have claimed. New research by the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) states that in the nearly six years since Mr Camerons election in May 2010, the UK has sold weapons to 24 of the 27 states included on its own list of countries of humanitarian concern. The deals come alongside over 2bn in sales to other countries accused of abusing of human rights. Of the countries on the list, only North Korea, Iran and Cuba have not benefited from government-issued arms licences. All of the other 24 have been licenced to make deals with British companies, from Saudi Arabias ongoing purchase of 72 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft (which will be worth a total of 4.5bn upon completion) right down to Eritreas solitary 8,600 purchase of body armour. Overall, these deals are worth 6.2bn. 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Show all 10 1 /10 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In October 2014, three lawyers, Dr Abdulrahman al-Subaihi, Bander al-Nogaithan and Abdulrahman al-Rumaih , were sentenced to up to eight years in prison for using Twitter to criticize the Ministry of Justice. AFP/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2015, Yemens Sunni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was forced into exile after a Shia-led insurgency. A Saudi Arabia-led coalition has responded with air strikes in order to reinstate Mr Hadi. It has since been accused of committing war crimes in the country. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Women who supported the Women2Drive campaign, launched in 2011 to challenge the ban on women driving vehicles, faced harassment and intimidation by the authorities. The government warned that women drivers would face arrest. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Members of the Kingdoms Shia minority, most of whom live in the oil-rich Eastern Province, continue to face discrimination that limits their access to government services and employment. Activists have received death sentences or long prison terms for their alleged participation in protests in 2011 and 2012. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses All public gatherings are prohibited under an order issued by the Interior Ministry in 2011. Those defy the ban face arrest, prosecution and imprisonment on charges such as inciting people against the authorities. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2014, the Interior Ministry stated that authorities had deported over 370,000 foreign migrants and that 18,000 others were in detention. Thousands of workers were returned to Somalia and other states where they were at risk of human rights abuses, with large numbers also returned to Yemen, in order to open more jobs to Saudi Arabians. Many migrants reported that prior to their deportation they had been packed into overcrowded makeshift detention facilities where they received little food and water and were abused by guards. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses The Saudi Arabian authorities continue to deny access to independent human rights organisations like Amnesty International, and they have been known to take punitive action, including through the courts, against activists and family members of victims who contact Amnesty. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1000 lashes and 10 years in prison for using his liberal blog to criticise Saudi Arabias clerics. He has already received 50 lashes, which have reportedly left him in poor health. Carsten Koall/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Dawood al-Marhoon was arrested aged 17 for participating in an anti-government protest. After refusing to spy on his fellow protestors, he was tortured and forced to sign a blank document that would later contain his confession. At Dawoods trial, the prosecution requested death by crucifixion while refusing him a lawyer. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Ali Mohammed al-Nimr was arrested in 2012 aged either 16 or 17 for participating in protests during the Arab spring. His sentence includes beheading and crucifixion. The international community has spoken out against the punishment and has called on Saudi Arabia to stop. He is the nephew of a prominent government dissident. Getty Aside from the purchase of the Typhoon jets, major deals between Saudi Arabia and British companies include a 1.6bn agreement for Hawk fighter jets and bulk sales of machine guns, bombs and tear gas. In fact, Saudi Arabia have access to twice as many British-made warplanes as the RAF does, while bombs originally stockpiled by Britain's Armed Forces are being sent to Saudi Arabia for use in their bombing campaign against Houthi insurgents in Yemen. A UN investigation into Saudi war crimes in the Gulfs poorest nation was blocked by the Saudis themselves. It has been claimed that the Saudis' appointment on to the UNs human rights council may have been secured thanks to a secret voting deal forged with the UK. Other major beneficiaries who feature on the Governments list of countries of concern are China, Pakistan and Afghanistan, sealing deals worth 131m, 117m and 49m respectively. A number of other British arms-trading partners with controversial rights records do not make it onto the official list of concern. Oman, has been licenced to pump 948m into British arms companies since Cameron came to power. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have entered into deals worth 338m and 37m respectively. The overriding message is that human rights are playing second fiddle to company profits, said CAAT spokesperson Andrew Smith. The income of BAE is being put over the rights of people being executed and tortured. Its completely inconsistent to condemn these regimes while signing off on billion-pound arms deals. Reaction to Saudi killings Two-thirds of UK arms exports go to the Middle East, and thats unlikely to change. We know that Saudi Arabia is arming a number of groups in and around Syria, but weve no idea what weapons are being sent there. Once a weapon enters a war zone theres no such thing as arms control. CAAT also states that the seeds for many of these deals were sown by the Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. We would argue that its more an institutional issue than a party political one, he said. Recommended Read more Saudi Arabia omitted from UK death penalty strategy For example, the Al-Yammah arms deal was a long-term series of sales between UK businesses and Saudi Arabia, masterminded by then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1985 and continuing up to 2006. Primary contractors BAE Systems made 43bn from the deal in 20 years, which at its peak was paid for by the delivery of up to 600,000 barrels of crude oil to the UK daily. BAE admitted to false accounting and misleading statements with regards to the lucrative contract. The original negotiations for the multi-billion Eurofighter deal were overseen by Tony Blair's Government and though exact figures are not available, CAAT estimates that Gordon Browns government licenced a further 2bn of sales. Mr Smith added: Watching these events unfolding then they can feel distant and you can feel quite powerless, but there are things which we can change. The Government and local authorities up and down the country are profiting directly from the bombing of Yemen. Challenging them to divest from Saudi Arabia and to stop signing these deals is something people can do directly. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The female mayor assassinated within 24 hours of being elected on an anti-corruption campaign was killed by a group paid $29,000, it has been reported. Gisela Raquel Mota Ocampo, the first woman elected as Mayor of Temixco in Morelos, Mexico, assumed office on New Years Day. According to Mexican newspaper Reforma, the group was paid $29,000, although it is unclear if that was collectively or individually. Police were called to the 33-year-old's apartment, where she had been beaten and shot in the head. Officers embarked upon a car chase with the suspected killers, which left two of them dead, while "three others - which included a minor, a 32-year-old woman, and an 18-year-old man - were captured alive, reported The Intercept. The mayor was also thought to be just one person on a list of at least half-dozen found in the teams car. The state prosecutors office reported police found loads of ammunition, a 9mm pistol, an Uzi submachine gun, bulletproof vests and balaclavas, inside the suspects vehicle. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty The governor or Morelos, Graco Ramirez, said the detained suspects had said the group known as Los Rojos were behind the plot of the mayors assassin, according to The Intercept. The news site also reported: "In a radio interview, Mr Ramirez indicated Motas assassination might have been linked to a national government effort to replace municipal authorities with a single, unified state command. Following the murder, he ordered the State Security Commission to assume control of police in 15 municipalities, including the capital. Ms Ocampo was hoping to take on organised gun crime during her role as mayo. The area of Temixco, 60 miles south of Mexico City, has been plagued by political corruption and US-bound drug trafficking. She is now part of a list of public officials - including almost 100 mayors according to the Association of Local Mexican Authorities - who have been killed since the war on drugs intensified in Mexico. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A 55-year-old armed anti-government militia man protesting at a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon has holed himself up under a blue tarpaulin sheet on live TV, saying he did "not intend to spend any time in a concrete cell". Lavoy Finicum spoke to a presenter from news channel MSNBC while standing or sitting guard outside the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Princeton, Oregon. Armed protesters took over the facility on Monday, accusing government officials of unfairly punishing ranchers who refuse to sell their land. Mr Finicum was reportedly armed with a rifle under his blanket, and had apparently been sitting under the plastic sheet until the interview began. He told MSNBC he believes there was a federal warrant out for his arrest in relation to the takeover, although he could not verify the accuracy of his claim. He said: If that is the case, I do not want the FBI running around in the dark, kicking in doors and looking for me, ok? I want them to know exactly where Im at [sic]. I have no intention of spending any of my days in a concrete box, he added. Lavoy Finicum, 55, retreats under his tarp while protesting at a refuge in Oregon (MSNBC) The interviewer goes on to ask what he plans to do if federal agents arrive at the scene to arrest him, point a gun at you and try to put cuffs on you. Mr Finicum, whose rifle butt can be seen sticking out from under the blanket, said: Well, dont point a gun at me. You dont point a gun at somebody unless youre going to shoot them. Thats the first thing your thought is [sic], dont point guns at people. The interviewer then asks Mr Finicum if he would be "better dead than in a cell", to which he replies: "Absolutely. Would you like to be in a cell?" In a separate video posted on Gawker, Mr Finicum is seen pulling the blue tarpaulin sheet over his head to cover his whole body. It is unclear how long the takeover will continue for, but one protester, Ammon Bundy, told CNN they are prepared to stay for as long as necessary. Mr Bundy, 40, said the protesters were using the refuge as a place for people to come and assist in helping the people of Harney County claim back their lands and resources. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} On reflection, it all seemed a bit too strange to be true. One was an unarmed young black woman who refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus in Alabama, an action that helped provide momentum to the movement that eventually ended formal racial segregation in the US. The other is the white son of an infamous right-wing rancher who thinks he should not have to pay taxes, whose armed militia have seized a government compound, angered the local people they claimed to be supporting, and have sparked disquiet across the country. So when someone claiming to be Ammon Bundy, one of the three Bundy brothers who have seized the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Oregon, tweeted that he should be seen in the same light as the civil rights icon Rosa Parks, people took note. We are doing the same thing as Rosa Parks did, said Mr Bundy. Rosa Parks seated toward the front of the bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1956. (Underwood Archives/Getty Images) We are standing up against bad laws which dehumanise us and destroy our freedom. Indeed, the reaction was so strident and vociferous that the name Rosa Parks trended on twitter. Now it transpired that Mr Bundy did not say that, because he is not on twitter. The website, Factually, drew attention to a tweet by MSNBC reporter Tony Dokoupil, who has been reporting from Burns and who said the tweet about Parks had not come from the ranchers son. People, Ammon Bundy is not operating a twitter account, he wrote. I stood with him last night as tweets supposedly from him went out. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} If the armed wing-nuts occupying an isolated federal facility in a remote corner of rural Oregon hoped to establish a rallying point for fellow far-right "patriots", they picked an odd location. The Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is 30 miles through featureless, snow-covered fields from Burns, a small farming town of fewer than 3,000 people. It's another 200 from Boise, Idaho, the nearest medium-sized city. It's about as close as you can get to the middle of nowhere on paved roads. In warmer months, the refuge, which is home to 58 mammal species and more than 300 types of bird, attracts twitchers, fishers, hikers and hunters. But in the depths of winter, the landscape is bleak and monochrome. Last weekend, this group of committed anti-government activists seized the deserted cluster of 19 small buildings that comprise the refuge's headquarters, manned on weekdays by employees of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. So far, the occupiers have failed to paint an alluring picture for prospective recruits. On Monday, reporters were given a tour of parts of the compound, including a gym which the group had turned into a dorm-cum-pantry to store their tinned soup and other sparse provisions. The climate is as inhospitable as the geography. "It's freezing!" complained protester Blaine Cooper, as he blew hot air into his cupped hands. "Why couldn't this happen in Hawaii?" World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Some positives: the refuge buildings include a visitor centre with a small gift shop. The site also features an observation tower, which faintly resembles a guard post at an army fort thus allowing those of the activists who aren't military veterans to pretend they're fighting a war. In fact, these impassioned folks really have inserted themselves into a long-running conflict, between ranchers and the federal government over the ownership and regulation of land in the Western US. Across the West from Arizona to Montana, ranchers have complained for decades about what they see as an aggressive expansion of protected federal lands. The occupation of the Malheur refuge headquarters began with a protest in support of two such men from nearby Burns: the Hammonds, whose property abuts the federally managed wilderness, and whose antagonistic relationship with the government culminated in a 2012 conviction for arson. Dwight Hammond, 73, and his son Steven, 46, said they had set fires in 2001 and 2006 to protect their ranch from wildfires and invasive plants. But both fires spread over the property line, with one conflagration accidentally engulfing some 140 acres of government land. A judge ruled in October that the father and son's original 12-month sentences did not satisfy the federal minimum of five years for the crime, and sent them back to prison. Last Saturday, several hundred demonstrators marched through the town in solidarity with the Hammonds. Afterwards, a breakaway group of a dozen or so out-of-towners set off to seize the deserted refuge HQ. They are led by 40-year-old Ammon Bundy, the son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, whose own long-standing land feud with the feds is, if anything, even more histrionic. Lie of the land: Ammon Bundy, second from left (AFP/Getty Images) (Getty Images) The Hammonds were quick to distance themselves from the more radical protesters, releasing a statement through their lawyer, saying: "Neither Ammon Bundy nor anyone within his group/organisation speak for the Hammond family." On Monday, as planned, they turned themselves in to authorities in California, where they will serve out their sentences. They have said they intend to plead for clemency in their case from the President, Barack Obama. The bad blood between the Bundys and the government goes back to 1989, when federal land adjacent to Cliven Bundy's ranch was closed to grazing cattle to protect the endangered desert tortoise. Bundy was fined for continuing to graze there, racking up a reported $1.2m (820,000) in unpaid penalties. In 2014, agents from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rounded up hundreds of his cattle, but were eventually obliged to release them after an armed stand-off with protesters. At the time, the Bundys received support from Republican politicians including the presidential hopefuls Ted Cruz and Rand Paul. The government owns vast swathes of the West, including half of Oregon and 85 per cent of Nevada. Some of that land is national parks and wildlife refuges such as the Malheur refuge, which was established in 1908 since when, Ammon Bundy claims, it has displaced around 100 ranches. Farmers were allowed to graze cattle on public lands for free in the early 20th century, but over time, rampant overgrazing threatened to devastate many Western rangelands. The 1934 Taylor Grazing Act introduced a permit system for ranchers to graze their animals on public land in return for modest fees. A decade later, the government established the BLM to manage its property, mostly in the West. The agency now oversees more than 260 million acres. The arrangement appeared to satisfy everyone until the 1970s, when the so-called Sagebrush Rebellion movement saw rural anti-government groups arguing that their constitutional rights were being infringed upon by a greedy, land-hungry BLM. In fact, the agency, which takes in around $12m per year in grazing fees, spends almost $80m annually on land-maintenance programmes effectively subsidising the ranchers who use that land. (Side note: Ammon Bundy himself has benefited from federal munificence. The Mother Jones website reported this week that the man accusing the US government of "tyranny" held his nose for long enough to accept a $530,000 federal small-business loan to fund his truck-maintenance business in 2010.) An occupier at the Malheur refuge (Reuters) The more recent antipathy felt by ranchers towards the BLM stems from the agency's overdue attempts to enforce federal land regulations, after many years of turning a blind eye to ranchers' bending the rules. Any reasonable opposition to government overreach has been overshadowed, however, by the revolutionary rhetoric of right-wing radicals like Ammon Bundy, who has described his group's occupation of the refuge HQ as "the point of the spear" for an insurrection. Bundy and his followers say the government's ownership of the Malheur refuge and lands like it is unconstitutional, insisting that it should instead be managed by local authorities on behalf of "the people" or, at least, people like them. A sign posted by the group at the entrance to the occupied facility reads: "BLM: Another Intrusive Tyranical [sic] Goverment [sic] Entity Doing What They Do Best Abusing Power & Oppressing the Backbone of America." A couple of days after their occupation began, Bundy announced that his protest group would henceforth be known as "Citizens for Constitutional Freedom". He also said they intended to remain at their remote redoubt "for years" and to make it "a base place for patriots from all over the country". To demonstrate their patriotism, members of the group drape American flags over things and brandish their pocket copies of the US Constitution. Bundy said that they would be "freeing these lands up Getting ranchers back to ranching, getting loggers back to logging, getting miners back to mining where they can do it under the protection of the people." But any ranchers, loggers or miners tempted to up sticks to north-eastern Oregon should be aware that the refuge is mostly occupied by a lake, contains approximately zero trees, and has no mineral, coal or gas deposits to speak of. So far, the gift shop revolutionaries remain a ragtag bunch of no more than 25 ranchers, veterans and assorted anti-government cranks and conspiracy theorists. Among them is one Jon Ritzheimer, a known anti-Muslim agitator who once posted a YouTube clip of himself shooting a Koran, and who runs a website selling "F**k Islam" T-shirts. Another protester, who identified himself to The Independent only as "Fluffy Unicorn", said he had served three tours overseas as a US Marine. Cooper, who took part in the Bundy ranch stand-off in 2014 and had travelled from Arizona to join the protest, wore combat fatigues with a sleeve patch describing the Second Amendment (the part of the Constitution that enshrines the right to own assault rifles) as "America's Original Homeland Security". The 36-year-old said his parents owned a 120-acre horse farm in Missouri. "I'm fighting for them, too, because maybe some day the BLM will come and try to steal their land." The group said local ranchers had offered them supplies and moral support since the occupation began, but some in Burns have erected signs asking them politely to sod off. Speaking to Oregon Public Broadcasting, Dwight Hammond's wife, Susan, said she "didn't really know the purpose" of the protest. Long-time Burns resident Butch Delange, 68, endorses the group's aims but not its tactics: "What they're doing needs to be done, but they're doing it the wrong way," he says. Dr Larry Rosenthal, the director of the Centre for Right-Wing Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, says the protesters represent "a version of far-right extremism in the USA that is tied to the land". He continues: "There is a notion in the far-right world that the control of land by the federal government is illegitimate, and that the land somehow belongs to 'the people'. That meets up ideologically with the far-right militias, which also do not recognise the federal government." Radical right-wingers were drawn to Oregon and Idaho, the heartland of the militia movement, in the 1980s when the Aryan Nations leader, Richard Butler, urged his followers to turn Idaho into an all-white state. More recently, in 2012, a group calling itself The Citadel revealed plans to build a separatist, medieval-style walled community in the Potato State's sparsely populated north-west, where every resident aged 13 or over would be obliged to carry an assault rifle. It was in northern Idaho, too, that a 1992 stand-off between federal agents and radical backwoodsman Randy Weaver at his cabin on Ruby Ridge ended with the deaths of Weaver's wife and son, and a Deputy US Marshal. That, along with the fatal FBI siege of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, the following year, spurred the growth of anti-government militias and inspired Timothy McVeigh to bomb the federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995, killing 168 people. "White supremacists and other anti-government movements came to think of the north-west as a place that was still controlled by white people," explains Heidi Beirich, of the Southern Poverty Law Centre (SPLC), an expert on right-wing extremist groups. "They came up with an idea for a northern 'homeland' where they could move to and find fertile ground for their extremist ideas." The number of militia groups in the US exploded after Obama's election in 2008, peaking at 334 in 2011, according to the SPLC, which tracks such groups and counted 276 nationwide last year. Yet other far-right outfits are unimpressed with Ammon Bundy and the "Citizens for Constitutional Freedom". This week, Mike Vanderboegh, the founder of the gun-loving right-wing group The Three Percenters, called the occupiers at the Malheur refuge "sociopaths and idiots". Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the Oath Keepers anti-government militia, said the protest in Oregon was "an armed stand-off manufactured by potheads". Even the Bundy patriarch preferred to distance himself from his offspring's actions. Cliven Bundy told Oregon Public Broadcasting that Ammon and another of his sons, Ryan, felt obliged to intervene on behalf of the Hammonds. "That's not exactly what I thought should happen," he said. A militiaman carries a knife at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (Reuters) "Things are going a little sideways for the Bundys," Beirich says. "The Hammonds didn't support them. The locals don't support them. Other parts of the movement have denounced them. The political class has denounced them, including far-right candidates like Ted Cruz. This can only end in embarrassment, arrest or God forbid violence It's absurd." Some have called the occupiers domestic terrorists. Others have criticised the authorities for not moving decisively to end the protest, allowing Bundy and co to flout the law in the media spotlight. But law-enforcement agencies surely want to avoid a repeat of Ruby Ridge, Waco or even the Bundy ranch and have probably calculated that it's better to let the occupiers run out of soup and enthusiasm than to lay siege to some draughty buildings in the back of beyond. Earlier this week, the men at the Malheur refuge sounded almost disappointed by the utter lack of any law-enforcement response. "There is a long-standing notion on the very far right that there's going to come a moment when all the patriots will rise up and there will be some kind of revolutionary taking-back of the country," Dr Rosenthal says. "My guess is the people who have taken over the building in Oregon harbour that fantasy." Given the sub-zero temperatures, the limited facilities and the sheer remoteness of the federal buildings where Bundy and his followers decided to make their stand, this seems rather unlikely to be that moment. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court Roy Moore has ordered state judges to ignore same-sex marriage laws and said they should not issue any gay marriage licenses. Mr Moore, who has a history of voicing his anti-gay marriage views, issued a so-called administrative order on Wednesday which attempts to contradict the nation-wide law that legalized gay marriage on 3 March 2015. Alabama probate judges have a ministerial duty not to issue any marriage license contrary to [the Sanctity of Marriage Amendment or the Marriage Protection Act]. Nothing in the United States Constitution alters or overrides this duty. The four-page order said that confusion and uncertainty exist among local judges who were either operating by so-called Alabama state laws which ban same-sex marriage or adhering to the case of Obergefell v Hodges, which legalized gay marriage last year. Many probate judges are issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in accordance with Obergefell; others are issuing marriage licenses only to couples of the opposite gender or have ceased issuing all marriage licenses. This disparity affects the administration of justice in this State, the order read. Mr Moore pointed to states such as Nebraska and Kansas, where the federal ruling has been challenged in court. He added that he is authorised and empowered to take affirmative action and order that until further decision is taken by the Alabama Supreme Court, the Alabama Sanctity of Marriage Amendment and the Alabama Marriage Protection Act remain in force. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A giant golden statue of Chairman Mao has been built in the remote Chinese countryside. The building of the huge sitting image of Mao Zedong, the late communist revolutionary and founding father of the People's Republic of China, was mostly funded by local businessmen, who poured 3 million yuan (313,000) into the project. Local farmers and villagers also made contributions towards the monument's construction. The statue, which is around 37 metres high, is situated in a rural area of Tongxu county in Henan Province - the epicentre of a famine which killed tens of millions in the late 1950s, partly as a result of Mao's policies. The smiling statue has faced criticism online, with some branding it a waste of money and pointing out the potential insensitivity of its location. However, Mao is still revered as a hero by many Chinese citizens, including President Xi Jingping, who has previously praised the late dictator as a "great figure." China's extraordinary 'nail houses' Show all 8 1 /8 China's extraordinary 'nail houses' China's extraordinary 'nail houses' Nail houses in China A general view shows the demolition of a 'nail house', the last house in the area, at a construction site in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. The owners of the house had filed but lost a lawsuit against the developer of the land to seek more compensation before agreeing to the demolition of their home. The land will be used for a high-rise apartment project. Chinese media have since seized on disputes between developers and owners of so-called 'nail houses', whose owners have stuck to their ground and resisted demolition, holding up development projects in the world's fastest-growing major economy China's extraordinary 'nail houses' Nail houses in China A half-demolished apartment building standing in the middle of a newly-built road thanks to a Chinese couple that refused to move in Wenling, in eastern China's Zhejiang province. Luo Baogen, 67, and his 65-year-old wife have waged a four-year battle to receive more than the 41,300 USD compensation offered by the local government of Daxi, a Chinese newspaper said. The phenomenon is called a 'nail house' in China, as such buildings stick out and are difficult to remove, like a stubborn nail China's extraordinary 'nail houses' Nail houses in China A 'nail house', the last building in the area, sits in the middle of a road under construction in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. According to local media, the owner of the house didn't reach an agreement with the local authority about compensation of the demolition China's extraordinary 'nail houses' Nail houses in China A three-storey 'nail house', the last building in the area, with a Chinese national flag on its rooftop is seen in the middle of a newly-built road in Luoyang, Henan province. According to local media, the house owner did not agree with government's compensation plan for relocation and refused to move out China's extraordinary 'nail houses' Nail houses in China A six-floor villa is viewed on the construction site in the central business district of Shenzhen. Choi Chu Cheung, the owner of the villa, and his wife Zhang Lian-hao, refused to accept the compensation offered by the developer who plans to build a financial centre on the site. The couple are demanding that the developer compensate them with property similar in size or raise the offer from 6,500 yuan ($840) to 18,000 yuan ($2,327) per square metre China's extraordinary 'nail houses' Nail houses in China A 'nail house', the last house in this area, stands in the centre of a construction site which will be developed as a new apartment zone in Chongqing Municipality. The owners of the house insist in seeking more compensation before agreeing to the demolition of their home, local media reported China's extraordinary 'nail houses' Nail houses in China A view of where 75-year-old Yao Baohua's house (C) still stands in the rubble of a vast development site in the city of Changzhou in China's eastern Jiangsu province. The Yao home is the last one standing in the rubble of a vast development site in Changzhou, a Chinese 'nail house', the moniker earned for both their physical appearance and their owners' stubborn resistance China's extraordinary 'nail houses' Nail houses in China Chinese authorities carry sticks as they stand guard while workers demolish houses which are claimed illegal by the local government in Wuhan, central China's Hubei province. Land seizures have been a problem for years in China, and have given rise to the term 'nail house' to describe a holdout tenant or occupant, likening them to a nail refusing to be hammered down, and violent resistance has been reported in numerous cases as ordinary people take matters into their own hands to resist eviction they deem unfair Recent images of the statue show it is still under construction, but once it is finished, the concrete and steel structure will show Mao sitting in a similarly large chair. Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Independent Climate email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} An endangered bluefin tuna has sold for almost 80,000 to a sushi restaurant - in what was apparently a "low price" bid for the best fish. The 200kg creature caught off the coast of Japan was the first to auction at Tokyo's Tsukiji fish and seafood market, the biggest and most well-known of its kind in the world. Buyer Kiyoshi Kimura, who is president of the Sushi Zanmai restaurant chain, told the Japan Times he was "surprised to win at such a low price." "But it's the best quality," he said. "I'm satisifed with buying the best one - it has a good shape and great fat." The four million yen purchase was relatively low for the fish market, where in previous years a top specimen has sold for approximately 155 million yen, or 887,260. A small piece of "otoro", the fatty underbelly of a bluefin tuna, can cost several thousand yen or about 13 in high-end restaurants. Yet numbers of bluefin tuna have dropped catastrophically across oceans, with more than a 96 per cent decline in the northern Pacific Ocean alone, according to the Pew Environment Group. And more than nine out of 10 of the species caught two years ago were too young to have produced. The Japanese eat about 80 per cent of all bluefin tuna caught worldwide, with stocks of all three of the bluefin species - the Pacific, Southern and Atlantic - having fallen over the past 15 years amid overfishing. Responding to a proposed ban on tuna fishing in 2010, Japan refused on the grounds that preserving the species would "threaten the country's culture." The "lower" price of the recent auction was because of a lack of other bidders and seemingly more tuna off the north coast of Japan this year, according to the Japan Times. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} North Korea claims it has successfully tested an H-bomb of justice that could be loaded on to a missile, spreading shockwaves around the world. The countrys state news agency KCNA said Kim Jong-un ordered the test at 10am local time on Wednesday (1.30am GMT) as part of the all-out charge to bring earlier the final victory of the revolutionary cause of Juche (North Korean ideology). The claim could not be immediately verified but the United States Geological Survey reported a 5.1 magnitude quake that South Korea said was 30 miles from the Punggye-ri site where its neighbour has conducted nuclear experiments in the past. Japan Meteorological Agency's earthquake and tsunami observations division director Yohei Hasegawa points at a graph of ground motion waveform data observed in Japan (Reuters) Although the miniaturised bomb would be North Koreas fourth nuclear test, it could be its first hydrogen weapon marking a significant advance in its technology and attack capabilities. A Government statement released by KCNA hailed it as a world startling event that marked a higher stage of the DPRK's development of nuclear force. It was confirmed that the H-bomb test conducted in a safe and perfect manner had no adverse impact on the ecological environment, the statement continued. The DPRK is a genuine peace-loving state which has made all efforts to protect peace on the Korean Peninsula and security in the region from the US vicious nuclear war scenario. The DPRK, a responsible nuclear weapons state, will neither be the first to use nuclear weapons nor transfer relevant means and technology under any circumstances as already declared as long as the hostile forces for aggression do not encroach upon its sovereignty. The UN Security Council is planning to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the reported experiment, which has provoked alarm in the region and around the world. China, one of Pyongyangs few historic allies, said it did not have advance knowledge of the weapon and said it firmly opposed the action and would work towards denuclearisation with the international community. The Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond, was in Beijing today on a two-day visit and said he and his Chinese counterpart had agreed to work with the UN Security Council on a robust international response. If a nuclear device has been detonated by North Korea, this is a grave breach of UN Security Council resolutions and a provocation which I condemn without reservation, he added. It underlines the very real threat that North Korea represents to regional and international security. We will be working with other UN Security Council members to ensure the international community responds urgently and decisively to this latest activity. Screens in Seoul show the earthquake near North Korea's nuclear facility (AP) Mr Hammond was due to discuss developments on Wednesday with Japanese and South Korean ministers before travelling to Tokyo later this week. Kim appeared to claim his country had developed a hydrogen bomb, also known as a thermonuclear device, last month but the US and outside experts were sceptical. The claim of miniaturising, which would allow the device to be adapted as a weapon and placed on a missile, would pose a new threat. Pyongyang has been under UN Security Council sanctions due to its nuclear weapons program since it first tested an atomic device in 2006. North Koreas statement hit out at sanctions, calling the US a gang of cruel robbers imposing political isolation, economic blockade and military pressure. Which countries have nuclear weapons? Show all 14 1 /14 Which countries have nuclear weapons? Which countries have nuclear weapons? USA Have nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? Russia Have nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? UK Have nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? France Have nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? China Have nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? India Say they have nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? Pakistan Say they have nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? North Korea Say they have nuclear weapons EPA/Rodong Sinmun Which countries have nuclear weapons? Israel Believed to have nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? Belgium Nations hosting nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? Germany Nations hosting nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? Italy Nations hosting nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? Netherlands Nations hosting nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? Turkey Nations hosting nuclear weapons Getty Claiming that the Korean Peninsula and surrounding region was turning into the worlds biggest hotspot for a potential nuclear war, it dubbed human rights a racket and dismissed international opposition as based only on its alternative social system. South Korea said it would take all possible measures, including possibly seeking further sanctions, to ensure North Koreas nuclear development was stopped. Our government strongly condemns North Korea ignoring repeated warnings from us and the international community and pushing ahead with the fourth nuclear test, which clearly violated the UN resolutions, Cho Tae-yong, a senior security official at the South Korean presidential office said. The White House said it could not confirm North Korea's claims, but added the US would respond appropriately to provocations and defend its allies, while the Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, said the test was a threat to national security. Britain and China were among the countries supporting the resumption of the six-party talks aiming to find a peaceful solution over North Koreas nuclear weapons programmes, including South and North Korea, the US, China, Japan and Russia. But hopes looked slim as Pyongyang claimed genuine peace and security cannot be achieved through humiliating solicitation or compromise at the negotiating table. Nothing is more foolish than dropping a hunting gun before herds of ferocious wolves, the statement added. There can neither be suspended nuclear development nor nuclear dismantlement on the part of the DPRK unless the US has rolled back its vicious hostile policy. Additional reporting by Reuters Statistics show that there has been a mark improvement in the GCE General and a drop in the GCE Technical. Also, there has been an improve... For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} North Korea claims to have carried out its first successful test of a hydrogen bomb. Here are the latest updates: Please allow a moment for the liveblog to load If confirmed, the test would mark a significant advance in the isolated state's strike capabilities and raising alarm bells in Japan and South Korea. The UN Security Council is planning to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the reported test, the US mission to the United Nations said. The test, the fourth time North Korea has exploded a nuclear device, was ordered by young leader Kim Jong-Un, state media said. Which countries have nuclear weapons? Show all 14 1 /14 Which countries have nuclear weapons? Which countries have nuclear weapons? USA Have nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? Russia Have nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? UK Have nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? France Have nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? China Have nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? India Say they have nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? Pakistan Say they have nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? North Korea Say they have nuclear weapons EPA/Rodong Sinmun Which countries have nuclear weapons? Israel Believed to have nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? Belgium Nations hosting nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? Germany Nations hosting nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? Italy Nations hosting nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? Netherlands Nations hosting nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? Turkey Nations hosting nuclear weapons Getty The first H-bomb test was successfully conducted at 10:00 (0130 GMT) on Wednesday, North Korea's official KCNA news agency said. The claim of miniaturising, which would allow the device to be adapted as a weapon and placed on a missile, would pose a new threat to the United States and its regional allies, Japan and South Korea. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The nuclear testing facility where North Korea claims to have detonated its first hydrogen bomb has been receiving some enthusiastic online reviews. The Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Facility seems surprisingly easy to find on Google Maps, in Nuclear Test Road, North Hamyong. Due to the scarcity of photographs of the secretive site, an internet user has helpfully illustrated it with a photo of Mordor, the hellish land controlled by the Dark Lord Sauron in The Lord of the Rings. Reviews of the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site were mixed. (Google Maps) More than 60 people have reviewed the facility on Google, giving it an average of 3.2 stars out of five. Of all the barren, post-nuclear, wastelands I have visited this was by far the best, enthused one anonymous reviewer. Of course Los Alamos is the classic, but nowhere else do you feel the warmth of the radioactive decay take you in its soft embrace quite as vividly as in the Hamgyong Nuclear Test Facility. However, be warned, reservations are required, as Hamgyong, is very exclusiveif you're visiting the nearby Hamgyong Concentration Camp, the Nuclear Test Facility is a must! But another comment complained about some banging going on outside, while several visitors remarked about a strange taste in their water in the fake reviews. James OShea said the atmosphere was a let-down, adding: However it is family owned, having been passed down a couple of generations, which is good reason to support them. Which countries have nuclear weapons? Show all 14 1 /14 Which countries have nuclear weapons? Which countries have nuclear weapons? USA Have nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? Russia Have nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? UK Have nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? France Have nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? China Have nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? India Say they have nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? Pakistan Say they have nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? North Korea Say they have nuclear weapons EPA/Rodong Sinmun Which countries have nuclear weapons? Israel Believed to have nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? Belgium Nations hosting nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? Germany Nations hosting nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? Italy Nations hosting nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? Netherlands Nations hosting nuclear weapons Getty Which countries have nuclear weapons? Turkey Nations hosting nuclear weapons Getty But others found a bright side to the nuclear research, with Rodney Clark writing: There is something kind of magical about this place, the whole earth just seems to glow. It will blow you away, Matthew Crowley joked, and others imagined testing their own devices. Tested my Coke-Mentos rocket there. People cheered at me after the test. 11/10 Would come here again, said an anonymous user. Internet users have been posting tongue-in-cheek comments on the nuclear facility for the past two years, with additions spiking each time a new test is carried out. Kim Jong-un approved the latest test on Wednesday, sparking global condemnation for what the United Nations called a profoundly destabilising provocation in violation of international law. N. Korea tests hydrogen bomb While North Korean state media said the device was a miniaturised H-bomb, several analysts claimed the seismic wave recorded was too small to have come from such a weapon. The US Geological Survey measured an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.1 when the device was detonated underneath the mountains of Punggye-ri. The tremor was the same strength as a test in 2013 but slightly larger than those in 2009 and 2006. 38 North, a website run by the US-Korea Institute at the Johns Hopkins University in Washington, reported that new tunnels were being excavated for testing last month. The new tunnel adds to North Koreas ability to conduct additional detonations at Punggye-ri over the coming years if it chooses to do so, an analyst said. Additional reporting by agencies For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} However secretive and isolated, the regime in North Korea has always craved global attention. With its claim to have detonated a hydrogen bomb, it has achieved that and underlined yet again the virtual impossibility of the US or anyone else halting its nuclear programme. Whether or not the device was what North Korea claimed it to be, the implications of the test are universally bad: for regional security in East Asia, for nuclear non-proliferation, for an Obama administration under fire for foreign policy weakness, and even for China, the one power with real influence in Pyongyang. Recommended Read more White House expresses doubt over North Korean hydrogen bomb claims The assumption of Korea-watchers used to be that the programme was a bargaining chip to secure the regimes goal of a peace treaty with the US to seal its global legitimacy even if Washington insists there can be no such deal without the North abandoning its nuclear ambitions. But this calculus has changed since Kim Jong-un succeeded his father, Kim Jong-il, in 2011. The son is plainly determined to turn North Korea into a fully fledged nuclear power. Whatever the exact type of Wednesdays test the Norths fourth since 2006 Pyongyang is reckoned to have enough plutonium for a dozen nuclear bombs. And what can the rest of the world do about it? If precedent is anything to go by, very little. Since the North violated the 1994 framework agreement with Washington the first serious effort to halt its nuclear weapons programme nothing has worked. North Korea has rejected Iran-style nuclear negotiations. Six-party talks, involving the US, Japan, China, Russia and the two Koreas, have come and gone. Sanctions likewise have failed to bend the Norths will. More UN sanctions are being talked of now, but there is scant chance they will succeed, against a regime historically indifferent to the sufferings of its people, and when the North Korean economy is showing signs of improvement. Military action by the US is unthinkable. Which leaves China, whose economic support is vital for Kims regime. Beijings reaction to news of the test was unusually sharply worded, expressing resolute opposition and threatening to lodge a formal protest with the North. And certainly this latest defiance is bad news for Beijing. It is not only a direct rebuff to its attempts to woo its traditional ally by sending a top official to attend a military parade in Pyongyang in October and heaping praise on Kim. The move could also heighten regional tensions, prompting the US, Japan and South Korea to bolster their forces in the western Pacific, just when China is seeking to impose its dominance. But, as in past crises, China will probably stop short of severe punishment. Beijing does not want instability and least of all a reunified pro-Western Korea on its border. A nuclear North Korea is preferable to a North Korea that is falling apart. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Photos of apocalyptic explosions and huge mushroom clouds being shared online following North Koreas claim to have tested a hydrogen bomb actually show experiments carried out by other countries, it has emerged. State media has not released any images of the test itself, which is believed to have taken place in an underground facility, but said it was carried out in a safe and perfect manner. That assessment contrasted with images being published by news outlets and shared on social media showing what appeared to be a huge blast in the open. People watch a news report on North Korea's first hydrogen bomb test at a railway station in Seoul on January 6, 2016. (AFP/Getty Images) One newspaper claimed this image showed the detonation of the thermonuclear weapon being broadcast on North Korean television, but it in fact shows a stock image used to illustrate the story in neighbouring South Korea. The AFP news agency reported that the blasts shown on television were from earlier nuclear tests carried out by other nations. People gathered around television screens at a railway station in Seoul to watch the report as their government vowed to penalise its neighbour and defend itself and the UN Security Council called an emergency meeting. People watch a news report on North Korea's first hydrogen bomb test at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea, on January 6, 2016. (AFP/Getty Images) Some experts have cast doubt on North Koreas claim to have developed a miniaturised hydrogen bomb, saying the seismic wave recorded was too small for such a weapon and may have been from a less powerful atomic bomb. The US Geological Survey registered a 5.1 magnitude tremor near the Punggye-ri nuclear test site at around shortly after 10am local time, when North Korea said the bomb was detonated. A statement released by the government-controlled KCNA news agency gave little detail about the test itself, only saying it scientifically verified the power of the smaller H-bomb and had no adverse impact on the ecological environment. N. Korea tests hydrogen bomb Condemning the test, Chinas Foreign Ministry said officials were monitoring air quality near the border but had found nothing abnormal so far, indicating that possible fallout from the reported test could have been contained. The European Union was among the international bodies calling for North Korea to engage with the Six-Party talks working towards denuclearisation. Federica Mogherini, the EUs high representative for security, condemned the reported test as illegal and dangerous behaviour in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions. Additional reporting by agencies For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The White House has expressed doubt over whether North Korea has actually successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. According to reports, an initial analysis of the available data was "is not consistent" with North Korea's claims that they had deployed a hydrogen bomb for the first time, they said. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said nothing had happened to change the USA's assessment of North Korea's technical or military capabilities, and added the government is still working to learn more about the claimed test. Experts have echoed the White House's doubts, claiming that the explosion from the bomb was not large enough to have truly been created by a hydrogen bomb. This White House announcement came after the United Nations (UN) Security Council said it "strongly condemns" the claimed test. The council added it would immediately pursue sanctions against the country. Elbio Rosselli Frieri, the head of the Security Council, said Council members had "previously expressed their determination to take further significant measures in the event of another DPRK (North Korea) nuclear test." "In line with this commitment and the gravity of this violation, the members of the Security Council will begin to work immediately on such measures in a new Security Council resolution," he said. In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test Show all 15 1 /15 In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test A lab employee from the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety's regional office in Gangneung, east of Seoul, checks for radioactive traces in the air, in Gangneung, soon after North Korea announced it successfully conducted a hydrogen bomb test. The office in Gangneung is the closest one to the site of the North's claimed test. Officials said it will take three to four days to analyze air samples in detail for any traces of radioactivity, the Yonhap news agency reported EPA In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un signing a document of a hydrogen bomb test in Pyongyang In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test People watch a TV news program showing North Korea's special announcement at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea AP In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test Getty Images In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test Getty Images In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test South Korean people watch TV news at Seoul station EPA In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test Japan's meteorological agency officer Yohei Hasegawa displays a chart showing seismic activity, after a North Korean nuclear test, at the agency in Tokyo Getty Images In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test Ko Yun-Hwa, administrator of Korea Meteorological Administration, briefs reporters showing seismic waves from the site of North Korea's hydrogen bomb test, at his office in Seoul Getty Images In pictures: North Korea hydrogen bomb test North Korea's border county of Kaepoong is seen from a South Korean observation post in Paju near the Demilitarized zone dividing the two Koreas as North Korea announced it had successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb test Getty Images This announcement came after an emergency meeting of the Council, which was called following the declaration from North Korea that it had tested a hydrogen bomb at a testing site in the north of the country for the first time. The veracity of the claim could not be immediately verified, but American and Japanese scientists both recorded seismic waves that were likely to have been caused by an explosion at the time of the claimed test. A statement from North Korea's state news agency KCNA hailed the test as a "world startling event" that marked a "higher stage of the DPRK's development of nuclear force." Despite the Security Council's announcement, the delegate for Russia, a permanent member of the Council, said it would be going "too far" to day that Russia supports more sanctions against North Korea. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Russia, one of North Korea's few allies, has yet to see a draft of a resolution that the Council says it will begin working on immediately. However, Volodymyr Yelchenko, UN ambassador for Ukraine, which is currently a temporary member of the Council, said no member nation spoke out against imposing further sanctions on North Korea during the meeting, which was held behind closed doors. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The possibility of the North Korean regime collapsing poses a bigger threat to global security than the countrys burgeoning nuclear capabilities, an expert has claimed. Speaking to The Independent, the head of Chatham Houses Asia Programme, Dr John Nilsson-Wright, said that despite Pyongyangs ceaseless sabre-rattling and the possible testing of a hydrogen bomb early this morning, Kim Jong-uns regime actually remains largely rational and predictable. The real threat to global security would emerge if Kim suddenly died or lost his grip on power Dr Nilsson-Wright added, explaining that such a scenario could create a massive regional power vacuum and is likely to lead to the countrys vast nuclear stockpile vanishing into the black market. There are other ways in which nuclear material could be a threat, especially with the possibility of it proliferating on the international market, he said. The very possibility of regime collapse opens the door to nuclear and ballistic material getting into the wrong hands, he added. This is as much of an issue of whether the North would willingly, with malice aforethought, contemplate using nuclear weapons against other nations, he went on to say. North Koreans watch a news broadcast on a video screen outside Pyongyang Railway Station in Pyongyang, North Korea, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. (AP) Explaining what could happen if the North Korean regime collapsed, Dr Nilsson-Wright said: We can imagine quite a number of scenarios. A struggle on the part of the military to assert authority and competing generals trying to present themselves as power brokers to the outside world. There isnt really any tradition in North Korea of non-Kim rule, so anybody that doesnt have that power base, that Kim DNA, would probably find it very difficult to manage the country. I imagine if the regime were to collapse youd see swift efforts by the Chinese to intervene, he added. How the United States and South Korea would respond to the Chinese intervention but we hope that behind the scenes there is active collaboration between Seoul and Beijing to talk about possible scenarios but we dont have concrete evidence to back up that notion, he went on to say. North Koreans watch a news broadcast on a video screen outside Pyongyang Railway Station in Pyongyang, North Korea, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. (AP) Dr Nilsson-Wright did suggest the West was right to be worried about North Korea, however, saying: Any evidence that the North is further developing its nuclear capabilities is a source of great alarm. Given that North Korea is an authoritarian regime, has considerable stockpiles of ever-expanding nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, vast conventional forces and is led by a man who seems to enjoy provoking [the West] and relishes his authoritarian style of leadership and is happy to engage in this type of brinkmanship, then I think we ought to be very concerned. But he explained that just because North Korea is openly hostile to the West, it doesnt necessarily mean its demise is something we should look forward to. I do think it is fundamentally a regime that is inherently rational, not unpredictable and, as we see in this incident and in previous cases, is happy to test the resolve of the international community, In some ways its better the devil we know, with the fact [Kims] in control and has a strongly centralised authority possibly providing some degree of reassurance, Dr Nilsson-Wright said. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A hoverboard caused a fire that destroyed a family home in Melbourne, after being plugged in for 10 minutes. Ash Ibraheim bought his daughters hoverboards, which ignited when they were left to charge in the family home. The blaze burned so quickly that Mr Ibraheim said he was unable to put it out. The father-of-four said he had made sure the hoverboards he bought met Australian standards. "We heard there were a lot of imported versions that weren't complying, so we wanted to make sure we got the right thing," he told ABC. All family members and their pets were safely evacuated but the house was severely damaged. Acting deputy chief officer Robert Purcell from Metropolitan Fire Brigade told the BBC there was total devastation to the interior of the house. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. 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Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty A fire investigator, Rod East, said the hoverboards battery had exploded. The insides have been spewed out, he told The Guardian. The actual device would have caught fire and its caught on to the bed and spread through the rest of the house. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The offices of German Chancellor Angela Merkel have been sealed off after security officials found a suspicious package. An image from the scene showed four yellow postal crates abandoned in heavy snow outside the chancellory in Berlin, with police sealing off the area while they assess the situation. "We are investigating a suspicious package," a German police spokesman told Reuters, without elaborating on whether they planned to carry out a controlled explosion. The German DPA news agency reported that the discovery had occured in the course of routine checks conducted on incoming parcel deliveries. Federal police spokesman Thorsten Peters said the main entrance to the chancellery will remain sealed while authorities check the crates. The chancellery itself wasn't evacuated and Merkel is due to lead a regular Cabinet meeting in the building later this morning. The news comes amid ongoing threats of an Islamic State-inspired attack in a major German city. On New Year's Eve police evacuated two train stations in the southern city of Munich after recieving intelligence suggesting up to seven suicide bombers were about to carry out a "serious imminent" attack. Panic spread across the city, which was packed with millions of New Year's revellers, in the hours following the evacuation, although the stations reopened the following morning without any incident taking place. German police maintain that the threat has not passed, however, and are understood to believe that any active terror cell could have moved on to another city in recent days. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A father of a victim of a failed French terror attack has spoken out about his "disappointment" that his daughter has been forgotten on the Legion of Honours list, where many other victims have been awarded the posthumous title. Aurelie Chatelain, 32, was shot dead in April in a foiled terror attack. A heavily armed gunman was caught reportedly on his way to carry out shootings at several churches across Paris. Ms Chatelain, a fitness instructor and mother to five-year-old daughter Juliette, was found dead in the passenger seat of her car in Villejuif, southern Paris, in what is believed to be an attempt to steal her car as part of the attack. Recommended Read more Nurseries told to report radicalisation signs in children and parents She was not among other terror victims who were awarded the Legion of Honour, Frances highest honour, in the New Years ceremony. The victims father, Jean-Luc Chatelain, spoke on Europe 1 radio on Tuesday, voicing his "disappointment". I am disappointed with the French justice system. And not just because she didnt get the award, but also because it had been asked for by the mayor and many others since April, he told the radio station. In pictures: Paris attacks Show all 25 1 /25 In pictures: Paris attacks In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks French police with protective shields walk in line near the Bataclan concert hall Reuters In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Rescuers evacuate an injured person on Boulevard des Filles du Calvaire AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks French Vigipirate troops mobilize next to Place de la Bastille AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks French soldiers mobilize near to the Place de la Bastille AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Wounded people are evacuated outside the scene of a hostage situation at the Bataclan theatre EPA In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks People react as they gather to watch the scene near the Bataclan concert hall Reuters In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks French police secure the area outside a cafe near the Bataclan concert hall Reuters In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Rescuers workers evacuate victims near the Bataclan concert hall AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks French Prime Minister Manuel Valls and French President Francois Hollande attending an emergency meeting at the Interior Ministry AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Spectators invade the pitch of the Stade de France after explosions were heard outside AP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks A man lies on the ground as French police check his identity near the Bataclan concert hall Reuters In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Police officers man a position close to the Bataclan theatre AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Wounded people are evacuated from the Stade de France in Paris EPA In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Two men evacuate the Place de la Republique square in Paris as a police officer looks on AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Football fans are evacuated from the Stade de France stadium In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks An armed police officer Dan Gabriel In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks The Stade de France is evacuated after reports of an explosion In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks A member of the French fire brigade aids an injured individual near the Bataclan concert hall In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Wounded people are evacuated from the Stade de France in Paris In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Police are seen outside a cafe in 10th arrondissement of the French capital Paris, In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Rescuers assist an injured man on Boulevard des Filles du Calvaire, close to the Bataclan concert hall AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks The scene at a restaurant in 10th arrondissement In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks The Bataclan theatre - where around 100 people are thought be held hostage In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks The Stade de France as it was evacuated In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Forensic experts inspect the site of an attack outside the Stade de France stadium in Saint-Denis AFP Mr Chatelain added that he hoped it was an oversight, and said he didnt want to have to write a letter to the French president, Francoise Hollande, reported the The Local. I hope the president will react before it gets to the stage of me writing to him, he said. 15-year-old Muslim schoolgirl has message for people who blamed her little sister for the Paris attacks Ms Chatelain, from Caudry, northern France, reportedly had three bullet shots to the head and had just finished a Pilates class when she was killed. She had posted on Facebook how happy she was to be in Paris for a Pilates training course, just hours before she died, according to The Local. The attacker was reported to be a 24-year old IT student, and had a car full of weapons, including four Kalashnikov style automatic weapons and bullet proof vests and he admitted to planning and attempting to carry out a terror attack, according to The Guardian. Included in the Legion of Honours list were all of the victims in the January terror attack on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdos headquarters in the capital, along with the three men who prevented a terror attack on the Thalys train in August. The Legion of Honours was established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, and more than 600 people were decorated with the award in the most recent ceremony. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Lassana Bathily was one of the few good news stories to emerge from the three-day terrorist rampage which began with the attack on Charlie Hebdo a year ago. The young Malian shopworker helped to hide Jewish hostages at a kosher supermarket and then escaped to brief police before their successful assault on the lone gunman who had captured the store in eastern Paris. Recommended Read more Charlie Hebdo reveals cover of special anniversary edition But his heroic behaviour never a word he used himself has since been questioned by some witnesses and mocked by hard-right commentators in France. Mr Bathily, 25, was mysteriously omitted from a long list of terror attack heroes and victims who were awarded the Legion dhonneur last week. Now, in a book published on Wednesday, Je ne suis pas un heros (I am not a hero), Mr Bathily is seeking to put the record straight. No, he did not do anything special on 9 January 2015, two days after the Charlie Hebdo murders. Yes, he did help to hide a dozen shoppers in an underground cold store. Yes, he did escape in a goods lift and gave police a detailed map of the building and the locations of the gunman, Amedy Coulibaly, and the hostages. In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Show all 39 1 /39 In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Pencils, representing the freedom of expression, placed in tribute in Nantes Reuters In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack France's Jason Lamy Chappuis soars through the air over a message that reads "Je suis Charlie" Getty In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Solidarity in Nice AP In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Turkish citizens organised a vigil in front of the French consulate in Istanbul AFP In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Graffiti decorates a London wall in solidarity with the victims of the attack in Paris AFP In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A tribute of flowers and candles outside the French Embassy in Prague, Czech Republic AP In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Messages of sympathy near the Charlie Hebdo office in Paris AFP In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Workers install a poster reading 'Je suis Charlie' (I am Charlie) on the Palais des Festivals facade in Cannes In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A woman looks at floral tributes left outside the Charlie Hebdo magazine offices in Paris In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A woman places flowers near the offices of French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Journalists of international press agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) hold signs reading "Je suis Charlie" (I am Charlie) at their headquarters in Paris as they observe a minute of silence for the victims of an attack by armed gunmen on the offices of French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris which left at least 12 dead and many others injured In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Pens and pencils are placed in the form of a peace sign over the names of late French cartoonists Cabu, Tignous, Wolinski and late Charlie Hebdo editor Charb on the Place de la Republique (Republic Square) in Paris In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Australia mourns victims of the Paris massacre at Federation Square in Melbourne In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Indian artist Sudarsan Pattnaik is pictured with his sand sculpture, in tribute of those who lost their lives in the attack by gunmen on French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in Paris that killed 12 people, at Golden Sea Beach in Puri, some 65 kilometers from Bhubaneswar In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A man holds a placard that reads "I am Charlie" as members of the European Parliament and citizens gather during a minute of silence for victims of the shooting at the Paris offices of weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo, in front of the EU Parliament in Brussels In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A painting of the 'Marianne', the national symbol of the French Republic is placed between candles to commemorate the victims killed in an attack at the Paris offices of the weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo, in front of the French Embassy in Berlin In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Pencils and flowers of condolance are placed at the French embassy at Pariser Platz in Berlin In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Mourners hold signs depicting victim's eyes during a rally in support of Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical weekly newspaper that fell victim to an terrorist attack, at Union Square in New York In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People hold up placards reading 'I am Charlie' during a gathering in Nice Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A man lights candles set near the portrait of three of the four cartoonists killed, in Paris Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A man holds the French national flag tied a black ribbon as he and others gather in Lyon to pay their respects Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Parisians gather to pay respect for the victims of a terror attack against 'Charlie Hebdo' Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People gather in front of the 'Club de la presse' in Montpellier, to show their solidarity for the victims of the attack by unknown gunmen on the offices of the satirical weekly, 'Charlie Hebdo' Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A drawing depicting cartoonist Jean Cabut, left, Charlie Hebdo editor Stephane Charbonnier, center, and cartoonist Georges Wolinski, is placed outside the French Embassy in Berlin, Germany. The message reads 'Victims of their success, R.I.P.' AP In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A woman lays a candle during a gathering at the Place de la Republique in Paris Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People take part in a vigil in Trafalgar Square, London, following the deadly terror attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris PA In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People light candles forming the name Charlie during a gathering in Strasbourg, eastern France Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People stand stand in Marseille, southern France, next to a portrait of French cartoonist Georges Wolinksi, killed during an attack by unknown gunmen on the offices of the satirical weekly, 'Charlie Hebdo' Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People hold placards reading in French 'I am Charlie' during a gathering at the Place de la Republique in Paris Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A man holds a placard reading 'With all our heart with Charlie Hebdo, Freedom of the press: Our freedom' during a gathering in Marseille, southern France Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack The French and European union flags fly at half-mast at the French Embassy in Washington, DC Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People gather at the Place Royale in Nantes to show their solidarity for the victims of the attack in Paris Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Flowers, candles and a sign reading 'I am Charlie' are placed against a wall during a demonstration in Paris AP In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Journalism students hold a banner reading in French: 'Journalism students : Solidarity' as they raise pens during a gathering at the Place de la Republique in Paris Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People gather for a rally in solidarity with the killed Charlie Hebdo employees, in Geneva, Switzerland EPA In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A man holds a placard reading: 'Freedom of the press is priceless, fundamentalism, of any kind, will not pass' as others hold up placards reading in French, 'I am Charlie' during a gathering at the Place de la Republique in Paris Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Journalists raise their press cards as others hold up pens during a gathering at the Place de la Republique, following the terrorist attack on the offices of the satirical weekly, 'Charlie Hebdo' Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People hold candles at a rally in support of the victims of Wednesday's terrorist attack, at the Place de la Republique in Paris Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People gather in front of the city hall of Rennes, western France, following the attack in Paris Getty Images Attempts to downplay his role anger and sadden me, he says in his book. They amount to racism, pure and simple. Much maybe too much was made of his story at the time, he points out, because he was a Muslim who helped to save Jews. Now some people say that I was just an alibi for liberal consciences. France needed a black hero and a Muslim hero. Could I not just be an ordinary person who acted like a human being, and not first and foremost a black man and a Muslim? Mr Lassana movingly describes the media and political whirlwind which engulfed a supermarket shelf-stacker and migrant from a desert village in Mali a year ago this week. He was pursued by the worlds press; telephoned by President Francois Hollande; given fast-track French citizenship; and invited to three lecture tours of the United States. Lassana proud to become French citizen Of course, there were wonderful moments, he writes. But also very difficult ones. I was not prepared for anything like that to be applauded in Paris, Bamako, Washington, New York. I began to ask myself, Do I deserve all this? One organisation that declined to honour Mr Bathily was his employer the Hyper Cacher supermarket chain. They offered him his old portering and shelf-stacking job back. I felt insulted, he writes. For them I was just a little immigrant labourer and doomed to remain so. I did not share their miserable opinion of me. Instead, Mr Bathily took up a post with the Paris town hall, helping to stage youth and sporting events. He is also training as a teacher. He has started a charitable association, helping young people in poor multiracial districts of France, and develops his home village, Samba Dramane, at the end of an eight-mile dirt track in Mali. Contrary to many reports, Mr Bathily was not an illegal immigrant at the time of the attacks but had temporary French work and residence permits. His book ends with an emotional appeal to other African migrants not to risk their lives for the mirage of prosperity in Europe. I want to tell them that life can be poor in Africa but it can be equally miserable (for illegal migrants) in Europe, he writes. One great mystery remains. The new year French honours list included posthumous Legions dhonneur for all the 12 Charlie Hebdo and 4 Hyper Cacher victims, and gave Frances highest civilian honour to many people who responded to the January and November terror attacks. There was even an award for a police dog killed in a raid, but there was nothing for Mr Bathily. Neither the government nor Mr Bathily would comment. Its inexplicable, Thiaba Bruni, spokeswoman of the French council of black associations told The Independent. We were twice promised by the Elysee Palace that Mr Bathily would be on the next honours list. Then nothing. No explanation. We can only assume that it is some form of racism. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The widow of the one of the Charlie Hebdo attackers has revealed that nothing in their very close marriage suggested that he was about to commit an act of terrorism. In a message relayed by her lawyer, Soumya Kouachi, 30, the widow of Said, the elder of the two Kouachi brothers, said she felt enormous bitterness towards her late husband. He abandoned me and our [three-year-old] child and his crime was quite simply actrocious, she added. Said Kouachi, 34, and his brother Cherif, 32, murdered 12 people in an attack on the Paris offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo a year ago today. They were killed two days later as police stormed their hideout in a print works at Dammartin-en-Goele, north of the capital. Ms Kouachi, who not spoken publicly about the atrocity before was arrested for questioning after the attacks but released without charge. In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Show all 39 1 /39 In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Pencils, representing the freedom of expression, placed in tribute in Nantes Reuters In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack France's Jason Lamy Chappuis soars through the air over a message that reads "Je suis Charlie" Getty In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Solidarity in Nice AP In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Turkish citizens organised a vigil in front of the French consulate in Istanbul AFP In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Graffiti decorates a London wall in solidarity with the victims of the attack in Paris AFP In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A tribute of flowers and candles outside the French Embassy in Prague, Czech Republic AP In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Messages of sympathy near the Charlie Hebdo office in Paris AFP In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Workers install a poster reading 'Je suis Charlie' (I am Charlie) on the Palais des Festivals facade in Cannes In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A woman looks at floral tributes left outside the Charlie Hebdo magazine offices in Paris In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A woman places flowers near the offices of French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Journalists of international press agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) hold signs reading "Je suis Charlie" (I am Charlie) at their headquarters in Paris as they observe a minute of silence for the victims of an attack by armed gunmen on the offices of French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris which left at least 12 dead and many others injured In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Pens and pencils are placed in the form of a peace sign over the names of late French cartoonists Cabu, Tignous, Wolinski and late Charlie Hebdo editor Charb on the Place de la Republique (Republic Square) in Paris In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Australia mourns victims of the Paris massacre at Federation Square in Melbourne In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Indian artist Sudarsan Pattnaik is pictured with his sand sculpture, in tribute of those who lost their lives in the attack by gunmen on French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in Paris that killed 12 people, at Golden Sea Beach in Puri, some 65 kilometers from Bhubaneswar In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A man holds a placard that reads "I am Charlie" as members of the European Parliament and citizens gather during a minute of silence for victims of the shooting at the Paris offices of weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo, in front of the EU Parliament in Brussels In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A painting of the 'Marianne', the national symbol of the French Republic is placed between candles to commemorate the victims killed in an attack at the Paris offices of the weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo, in front of the French Embassy in Berlin In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Pencils and flowers of condolance are placed at the French embassy at Pariser Platz in Berlin In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Mourners hold signs depicting victim's eyes during a rally in support of Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical weekly newspaper that fell victim to an terrorist attack, at Union Square in New York In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People hold up placards reading 'I am Charlie' during a gathering in Nice Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A man lights candles set near the portrait of three of the four cartoonists killed, in Paris Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A man holds the French national flag tied a black ribbon as he and others gather in Lyon to pay their respects Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Parisians gather to pay respect for the victims of a terror attack against 'Charlie Hebdo' Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People gather in front of the 'Club de la presse' in Montpellier, to show their solidarity for the victims of the attack by unknown gunmen on the offices of the satirical weekly, 'Charlie Hebdo' Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A drawing depicting cartoonist Jean Cabut, left, Charlie Hebdo editor Stephane Charbonnier, center, and cartoonist Georges Wolinski, is placed outside the French Embassy in Berlin, Germany. The message reads 'Victims of their success, R.I.P.' AP In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A woman lays a candle during a gathering at the Place de la Republique in Paris Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People take part in a vigil in Trafalgar Square, London, following the deadly terror attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris PA In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People light candles forming the name Charlie during a gathering in Strasbourg, eastern France Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People stand stand in Marseille, southern France, next to a portrait of French cartoonist Georges Wolinksi, killed during an attack by unknown gunmen on the offices of the satirical weekly, 'Charlie Hebdo' Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People hold placards reading in French 'I am Charlie' during a gathering at the Place de la Republique in Paris Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A man holds a placard reading 'With all our heart with Charlie Hebdo, Freedom of the press: Our freedom' during a gathering in Marseille, southern France Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack The French and European union flags fly at half-mast at the French Embassy in Washington, DC Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People gather at the Place Royale in Nantes to show their solidarity for the victims of the attack in Paris Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Flowers, candles and a sign reading 'I am Charlie' are placed against a wall during a demonstration in Paris AP In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Journalism students hold a banner reading in French: 'Journalism students : Solidarity' as they raise pens during a gathering at the Place de la Republique in Paris Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People gather for a rally in solidarity with the killed Charlie Hebdo employees, in Geneva, Switzerland EPA In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A man holds a placard reading: 'Freedom of the press is priceless, fundamentalism, of any kind, will not pass' as others hold up placards reading in French, 'I am Charlie' during a gathering at the Place de la Republique in Paris Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Journalists raise their press cards as others hold up pens during a gathering at the Place de la Republique, following the terrorist attack on the offices of the satirical weekly, 'Charlie Hebdo' Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People hold candles at a rally in support of the victims of Wednesday's terrorist attack, at the Place de la Republique in Paris Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People gather in front of the city hall of Rennes, western France, following the attack in Paris Getty Images In comments passed to French media by her lawyer, Antoine Flasaquier, she said she had tried to recall signs that her husband intended to commit an act of terrorism but could remember none. She added that he was quiet man who never preached radical Islam and never mentioned Isiss jihadist campaign in Syria. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Police are investigating whether a string of sexual assaults and thefts during New Year celebrations in Cologne is linked to a criminal network in the nearby city of Dusseldorf. The assaults last week have prompted outrage in Germany and triggered a fresh debate about immigration, after police originally said the perpetrators appeared to be of Arab or North African origin. Police said that about 1,000 men had gathered outside Cologne railway station and that smaller groups had surrounded individual women, harassed them and stolen their belongings. Thomas de Maiziere, the Interior Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia state, where Cologne and Dusseldorf are located, said police had identified three suspects but had not yet arrested anyone. About 90 people filed criminal complaints. At least one woman said she was raped. Police said some of the assaults in Cologne appeared similar to incidents that have been reported over the past two years in Dusseldorf, where men have groped women to distract them before stealing their belongings. The two cities are 40 kilometres apart. Authorities have made plain that the nationality and residency status of the Cologne suspects is still unknown, but the incident has nonetheless fuelled anti-immigration sentiment. The anti-Muslim group Pegida has announced a rally outside Cologne station for Saturday night. Germany registered nearly 1.1 million people as asylum-seekers last year, according to Interior Ministry figures released on Wednesday. Mr de Maiziere urged caution, saying: You cannot draw a general suspicion against refugees from the indications that they were perhaps people who looked North African. AP For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Officials in Germany have sought to dampen speculation that the suspected perpetrators of sexual assaults and robberies against dozens of women during New Years celebrations were refugees. Police have not yet made any arrests after 90 criminal complaints were filed in the city of Cologne, including one allegation of rape. It is believed that around 1,000 men, who split into gangs, were involved in the attacks at the citys train station. The men who targeted the women appeared to be of Arab or North African origin according to police a description which has led some people to criticise German Chancellor Angela Merkel for welcoming one million refugees into the country last year. But officials have warned against such speculation. Colognes mayor, Henriette Reker, told reporters: Its completely improper to link a group that appeared to come from North Africa with the refugees." Her comments were echoed by Wolfgang Albers, Colognes police chief, who said it was absolutely inadmissible to speculate that the perpetrators were refugees. We dont currently have any suspects, so we dont know who the perpetrators were. All we know is that the police at the scene perceived that it was mostly young men aged 18 to 35 from the Arab or North African region. The Chancellors office said Ms Merkel had expressed her outrage about these despicable assaults and sexual attacks and called for the perpetrators to be found as quickly and comprehensively as possible and to punish them without regard to their origin or background. Refugees settle in Germany Show all 12 1 /12 Refugees settle in Germany Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat, a refugee from Syria, plays with his daughter Ranim, who is nearly 3, in the one room they and Mohamed's wife Laloosh call home at an asylum-seekers' shelter in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The Zayats arrived approximately two months ago after trekking through Turkey, Greece and the Balkans and are now waiting for local authorities to process their asylum application, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany A refugee child Amnat Musayeva points to a star with her photo and name that decorates the door to her classroom as teacher Martina Fischer looks on at the local kindergarten Amnat and her siblings attend on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The children live with their family at an asylum-seekers' shelter in nearby Vossberg village and are waiting for local authorities to process their asylum applications. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Kurdish Syrian asylum-applicant Mohamed Ali Hussein (R), 19, and fellow applicant Autur, from Latvia, load benches onto a truckbed while performing community service, for which they receive a small allowance, in Wilhelmsaue village on October 9, 2015 near Letschin, Germany. Mohamed and Autur live at an asylum-applicants' shelter in nearby Vossberg village. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Ali Hussein ((L), 19, and his cousin Sinjar Hussein, 34, sweep leaves at a cemetery in Gieshof village, for which they receive a small allowance, near Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat, a refugee from Syria, looks among donated clothing in the basement of the asylum-seekers' shelter that is home to Mohamed, his wife Laloosh and their daughter Ranim as residents' laundry dries behind in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The Zayats arrived approximately two months ago after trekking through Turkey, Greece and the Balkans and are now waiting for local authorities to process their asylum application, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Asya Sugaipova (L), Mohza Mukayeva and Khadra Zhukova prepare food in the communal kitchen at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is their home in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Efrah Abdullahi Ahmed looks down from the communal kitchen window at her daughter Sumaya, 10, who had just returned from school, at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is their home in Vossberg Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Asylum-applicants, including Syrians Mohamed Ali Hussein (C-R, in black jacket) and Fadi Almasalmeh (C), return from grocery shopping with other refugees to the asylum-applicants' shelter that is their home in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat (2nd from L), a refugee from Syria, smokes a cigarette after shopping for groceries with his daughter Ranim, who is nearly 3, and fellow-Syrian refugees Mohamed Ali Hussein (C) and Fadi Almasalmeh (L) at a local supermarket on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. All of them live at an asylum-seekers' shelter in nearby Vossberg village and are waiting for local authorities to process their asylum applications, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Kurdish Syrian refugees Leila, 9, carries her sister Avin, 1, in the backyard at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is home to them and their family in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Somali refugees and husband and wife Said Ahmed Gure (R) and Ayaan Gure pose with their infant son Muzammili, who was born in Germany, in the room they share at an asylum-seekers' shelter in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity, and are waiting for authorities to process their application for asylum 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany German Chancellor Angela Merkel pauses for a selfie with a refugee after she visited the AWO Refugium Askanierring shelter for refugees in Berlin Getty Images Although no arrests have been made, the incident has led some people to criticise the Chancellors tolerance towards refugees. Christopher Freiherr von Mengersen, head of the nationalist Pro-NRW movement, told The New York Times: It is time to send a signal. We locals can no longer put up with everything that is being routinely swept under the rug based on a false sense of tolerance. Frauke Petry, leader of the nationalist party Alternative for Germany, which has called for a clampdown of the number of asylum-seekers entering the country, said: Is this the cosmopolitan and [colourful] Germany that Merkel wished for? On Tuesday night, around 300 people gathered to protest near the site of the assaults in front of Cologne Cathedral. One woman held a sign with the words: Mrs Merkel, where are you? What do you say? This is scary. Police have urged witnesses to come forward with any information they may have. Additional reporting by agencies For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The German city of Cologne has been branded a no-go zone for women by the 18-year-old victim of sex attack carried out by up to 30 men. The young woman, who was identified only by the name Michelle, told Germanys N-TV news network that the attackers surrounded her and a group of 11 female friends during last weeks New Years Eve celebrations, repeatedly groped them and then stole their belongings. Police have not yet made any arrests after 90 criminal complaints were filed, including one allegation of rape. It is believed that around 1,000 men, who split into gangs, were involved in the attacks at the citys train station. Women protest against sexism in Cologne following the rash of sex attacks on New Year's Eve (Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters) Describing her harrowing ordeal, Michelle was quoted by MailOnline as saying: At around 11pm we were at the main train station and wanted to travel on to see the fireworks and that was when we first noticed all these men standing around. We managed to go into the cathedral and wanted to go past the Museum Ludwig to join everyone and watch the fireworks by the river, but suddenly we were surrounded by a group of between 20 and 30 men, she reportedly added. Henriette Reker, who was stabbed in October, says women need to take measures to prevent being assaulted (Reuters) Michelle told N-TV that her terrified friends linked arms for safety, but their attackers were full of anger and tried pulling them off in separate directions. When that failed the men began groping the young women and stealing items from their pockets, including mobile phones. Undeterred by the assault, the young women continued with their evening but later ran into a different group of men firing fireworks at one another near Cologne station. In the crush to get on to the platform Michelle lost her friends and subsequently realised shed missed her last train. Alone, she then had to make her way back through the crowd of men before walking the three miles home. The city's mayor Henriette Rekeryor provoked outrage and accusations of victim-blaming for her comments suggesting women need to be 'better prepared' for such incidents.She offered suggestions on how women should behave to avoid similar attacks, including remaining 'within your own group, and asking bystanders to intervene or to help as a witness'. Police sent 143 local officers and 70 federal officers into the area in a large-scale operation to clear the area. (YouTube, Report24) It is believed that at least 118 German women have come forward to report being sexually assaulted on New Years Eve alone. Incidents were recorded in Hamburg and Stuttgart as well as Cologne. Victims were largely women in their teens or early 20s with many eyewitnesses alleging the sex attackers were of Middle Eastern or North African appearance. This has fuelled tensions in Germany where many locals blame the assaults on the large number of refugees and migrants to have arrived in the country over the past 12 months. Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Show all 19 1 /19 Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Afghanistan Recommendation: I urge the Government of Afghanistan to adopt legislative reforms to ensure that sexual violence offences are not conflated with adultery or morality crimes and to establish infrastructure for the delivery of protection, health and le gal services to survivors. I call on the Ministry of the Interior to accelerate efforts to integrate women into the Afghan National Police, thereby enhancing its outreach and its capacity to address sexual and gender-based violence Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Central African Republic Recommendation: I urge the authorities of the Central African Republic to ensure that efforts to restore security and the rule of law take into account the prevention of sexual violence and that monitoring of the ceasefire and peace agreement explicitly reflects this consideration, in line with the joint communique of the Government and the United Nations on the prevention of and response to conflict-related sexual violence signed in December 2012. I further encourage the authorities to make the rapid response unit to combat sexual violence operational and to establish a special criminal court Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Colombia Recommendation: I commend the Government of Colombia for the progress made to date and its collaboration with the United Nations, including through the visit of my Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict in March 2015. I encourage the authorities to implement Law 1719 and continue to prosecute cases of sexual violence committed during the conflict to ensure that survivors receive justice and receive reparations. Conflict-related sexual violence should continue to be addressed in the Havana peace talks, as well as in the resulting accords and transitional justice mechanisms. Particular attention should be paid to groups that face additional barriers to justice such as ethnic minorities, women in rural areas, children, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex individuals and women abused within the ranks of armed groups. I encourage the Government to scale up its protection measures and share its good practices with other conflict-affected countries Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Congo Recommendation: I urge the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to ensure full implementation of the armed forces action plan against sexual violence, to systematically bring perpetrators to justice and to deliver reparations to victims, including payment of outstanding compensation awards. I call on donors and the United Nations system to support the Government in its efforts and to pay increased attention to neglected areas, including unregulated mining regions Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Iraq Recommendation: I commend the Government of Iraq for its national action plan for the implementation of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) and urge its swift implementation, including by training its security forces to ensur e respect for womens rights. Programmes to support the social reintegration of women and girls released from captivity by ISIL are urgently needed, as is community-based medical and psychological care. The capacity of the United Nations system should be enhanced through the deployment of Womens Protection Advisers or equivalent specialists Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Libya Recommendation: I urge the national authorities in Libya to implement Decree No. 119 and Resolution 904 of 2014 to ensure redress for all victims, including those affected by the current conflict, through the establishment of multisectoral services and the adoption of legislation to categorically prohibit sexual violence Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Mali Recommendation: I urge the Government of Mali, with support from United Nations Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict, to develop a comprehensive national strategy to combat sexual and gender-based violence and to ensure the safety of humanitarian workers so that services can reach remote areas. I further call on all parties to ensure that conflict-related sexual violence is addressed in the inter-Malian dialogue and that perpetrators of sexual violence do not benefit from amnesty or early release Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Myanmar Recommendation: I urge the Government of Myanmar to continue with its reform agenda and, in the process, take practical and timely actions to protect and support survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and to ensure that security personnel accused of such crimes are prosecuted. Sexual violence should be an element in all ceasefire and peace negotiations, excluded from the scope of amnesty provisions and addressed in transitional justice processes. It is critical that women be able to participate consistently in and influence these processes Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Somalia Recommendation: I reiterate my call to the Federal Government of Somalia to implement the commitments made under the joint communique of 7 May 2013 and its national action plan to combat sexual violence in conflict, including specific plans for the army and the police. I encourage the adoption of a sexual offences bill as a matter of priority Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life South Sudan Recommendation: I urge the parties to the conflict in South Sudan to adopt action plans to implement the commitments made under their respective communiques. I call upon the Government of South Sudan to address the negative impact of customary law on womens rights and to reflect international human rights standards in national law. I also encourage the African Union to make public and act upon the report of its Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Sudan (Darfur) Recommendation: I call upon the Government of the Sudan to grant the United Nations and its humanitarian partners unfettered access for monitoring and the provision of assistance to people in need in Darfur. Given that there has been grave concern over sexual violence in Darfur for more than a decade, I encourage the Government to engage with my Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict to develop a framework of cooperation to address the issue comprehensively Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Syria Recommendation: I acknowledge the Governments invitation to my Special Representative to visit the Syrian Arab Republic and call upon the authorities, in the context of such a visit, to agree on specific measures to prevent sexual violence, including by members of the security forces. I condemn the use of sexual violence by ISIL and all other parties listed in the annex to the present report and call on them to cease such violations immediately and allow unfettered access for the delivery of humanitarian assistance Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Yemen Recommendation: I urge the authorities in Yemen to undertake legislative reform as a basis for addressing impunity for sexual violence, ensuring the provision of services for survivors and aligning the minimum legal age of marriage with international standards. I further call on the authorities to engage with local community and faithbased leaders to address sexual and gender-based violence and discriminatory social norms Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Bosnia and Herzegovina Recommendation: I urge the relevant authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to harmonize legislation and policies so that the rights of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence to reparations are consistently recognized and to allocate a specific budget for this purpose. I further call upon the authorities to protect and support survivors participating in judicial proceedings through, inter alia, referrals to free legal aid, psychosocial and health services, as well as economic empowerment programmes Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Ivory Coast Recommendation: I urge the Government of Cote dIvoire to ensure the effective implementation of its national strategy to combat gender-based violence and the action plan for FRCI, and call on the international community to support these efforts. It is critical to accelerate disarmament, demobilization and reintegration and strengthen law enforcement to ensure that ex-combatants who have been reintegrated into the transport sector do not pose a risk to women and girls who are reliant on those services. The Government and the international community must provide monitoring and awareness-raising to mitigate the possibility of a recurrence of sexual violence in the context of the presidential elections to be held in October 2015 Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Liberia Recommendation: I call on the Government of Liberia to continue its critical efforts to combat sexual and gender-based violence including through the United Nations-Government of Liberia Joint Programme, and in the context of recovery from the Ebola virus epidemic Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Nepal Recommendation: I encourage the Government to ensure that survivors of conflict-related sexual violence are recognized under the law as conflict victims, which will enable them to access services, judicial remedies and reparations. I further call on all parties involved in the transitional justice process to ensure that the rights and needs o f survivors of sexual violence are addressed in institutional reforms and that these crimes are excluded from amnesties and statutes of limitations Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Sri Lanka Recommendation: I call upon the newly elected Government of Sri Lanka to investigate allegations of sexual violence, including against national armed and security forces, and to provide multisectoral services for survivors, including reparations and economic empowerment programmes for women at risk, including war widows and female heads of household Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Nigeria Recommendation: I encourage the Government to implement its national action plan on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) to ensure that womens protection concerns are mainstreamed throughout its security operations. I also call upon the authorities to guarantee security in and around internally displaced persons camps and to extend medical and psychosocial services to high-risk areas Protesters took to the streets of Cologne last night, angrily blaming Chancellor Angela Merkel for the sexual assaults by agreeing to allow more than one million asylum seekers into the country in 2015 alone. One female demonstrator was seen holding a sign reading: Mrs Merkel, what are you doing? This is scary. Cologne's police chief has admitted failing to acess the gravity of the situation in the city but said speculation that the attackers were refugees is "absolutely inadmissable". Officers are understood to be hunting for up to 1,000 men who may have taken part in the New Year's Eve assaults. Ms Reker also told reporters: Its completely improper to link a group that appeared to come from North Africa with the refugees." For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Natascha Kampusch, the woman who spent eight years locked in a cellar in Austria after being kidnapped, has featured in a newly released single. The 27-year-old is heard singing an accompaniment on her debut single 'ForGet' and is apparently interested in a singing career, according to the Local. Her lyrics include "your life is like a roller coaster, your life is like purgatory and you'll never be a hero." The song, which is in English, is reportedly a charity single dedicated to helping "highly sensitive people" (HSP). Ms Kampusch was kidnapped in 1998 and kept in a secret cellar by Wolfgang Priklopil. She was held captive for more than eight years until she escaped in 2006. Priklopil, having found that the police were after him, killed himself by jumping in front of a train. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty She has written an autobiography - later made into a film called 3,096 Days - and currently lives in Vienna. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Police are blocking aid to one of Frances largest refugee camps, prompting a desperate appeal for help amid rapidly deteriorating conditions. At least 24 hours of constant heavy rain have devastated the camp at Grande-Synthe near Dunkirk, and volunteers say local officers are refusing to allow them access to the camp with supplies to rebuild it. Following a by-law put in place by the Dunkirk authorities at the end of December, the only aid allowed into the camp is food and clothing carried by hand. Even before the recent storms, conditions at Grande-Synthe were described as far worse than those in the infamous Calais Jungle. Two videos shot in the aftermath of the storm by volunteer Rowan Farrell show the impact of the rains on the camp. Mud and debris swamp the pathways and tents lie collapsed in filthy water. Even after four months in Calais, I was very shocked by what I saw in Dunkirk yesterday, Mr Farrell said. Another vid from Dunkirk, Grand Synth camp. Path leading up to a central open area that was once a football field. Posted by Rowan Farrell on Monday, 4 January 2016 Out of an estimated 3,000 residents in the camp, 200 have already been forced out of their tents, and more are expected to collapse within the next fortnight. At the start of the New Year, the French government pledged to spend 1.1million building a new camp near Dunkirk, where they plan to relocate the inhabitants of Grande-Synthe. However, it will be several weeks at least before the new camp is ready to receive any refugees, and the current residents of Grande-Synthe alone will fill it almost to capacity. Refugee crisis - in pictures Show all 27 1 /27 Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugee crisis - in pictures A child looks through the fence at the Moria detention camp for migrants and refugees at the island of Lesbos on May 24, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Ahmad Zarour, 32, from Syria, reacts after his rescue by MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station) while attempting to reach the Greek island of Agathonisi, Dodecanese, southeastern Agean Sea Refugee crisis - in pictures Syrian migrants holding life vests gather onto a pebble beach in the Yesil liman district of Canakkale, northwestern Turkey, after being stopped by Turkish police in their attempt to reach the Greek island of Lesbos on 29 January 2016. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees flash the 'V for victory' sign during a demonstration as they block the Greek-Macedonian border Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants have been braving sub zero temperatures as they cross the border from Macedonia into Serbia. Refugee crisis - in pictures A sinking boat is seen behind a Turkish gendarme off the coast of Canakkale's Bademli district on January 30, 2016. At least 33 migrants drowned on January 30 when their boat sank in the Aegean Sea while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A general view of a shelter for migrants inside a hangar of the former Tempelhof airport in Berlin, Germany Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees protest behind a fence against restrictions limiting passage at the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Since last week, Macedonia has restricted passage to northern Europe to only Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans who are considered war refugees. All other nationalities are deemed economic migrants and told to turn back. Macedonia has finished building a fence on its frontier with Greece becoming the latest country in Europe to build a border barrier aimed at checking the flow of refugees Refugee crisis - in pictures A father and his child wait after being caught by Turkish gendarme on 27 January 2016 at Canakkale's Kucukkuyu district Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants make hand signals as they arrive into the southern Spanish port of Malaga on 27 January, 2016 after an inflatable boat carrying 55 Africans, seven of them women and six chidren, was rescued by the Spanish coast guard off the Spanish coast. Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee holds two children as dozens arrive on an overcrowded boat on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures A child, covered by emergency blankets, reacts as she arrives, with other refugees and migrants, on the Greek island of Lesbos, At least five migrants including three children, died after four boats sank between Turkey and Greece, as rescue workers searched the sea for dozens more, the Greek coastguard said Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants wait under outside the Moria registration camp on the Lesbos. Over 400,000 people have landed on Greek islands from neighbouring Turkey since the beginning of the year Refugee crisis - in pictures The bodies of Christian refugees are buried separately from Muslim refugees at the Agios Panteleimonas cemetery in Mytilene, Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures Macedonian police officers control a crowd of refugees as they prepare to enter a camp after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee tries to force the entry to a camp as Macedonian police officers control a crowd after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees are seen aboard a Turkish fishing boat as they arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing a part of the Aegean Sea from the Turkish coast to Lesbos Reuters Refugee crisis - in pictures An elderly woman sings a lullaby to baby on a beach after arriving with other refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A man collapses as refugees make land from an overloaded rubber dinghy after crossing the Aegean see from Turkey, at the island of Lesbos EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures A girl reacts as refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees make a show of hands as they queue after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures People help a wheelchair user board a train with others, heading towards Serbia, at the transit camp for refugees near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija AP Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees board a train, after crossing the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Macedonia is a key transit country in the Balkans migration route into the EU, with thousands of asylum seekers - many of them from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia - entering the country every day Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures An aerial picture shows the "New Jungle" refugee camp where some 3,500 people live while they attempt to enter Britain, near the port of Calais, northern France Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A Syrian girl reacts as she helped by a volunteer upon her arrival from Turkey on the Greek island of Lesbos, after having crossed the Aegean Sea EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Beds ready for use for migrants and refugees are prepared at a processing center on January 27, 2016 in Passau, Germany. The flow of migrants arriving in Passau has dropped to between 500 and 1,000 per day, down significantly from last November, when in the same region up to 6,000 migrants were arriving daily. Phoenix Clough is one of just eight long-term volunteers currently based at Grande-Synthe and said authorities refusal to allow in of tents, wood, tarpaulins and even sleeping bags and blankets was making an bad situation much worse. She said: The Gendarmerie [a branch of Frances armed forces which carry out police duties] and the mayors office are preventing anything from entering into the camp. One Friday evening, we were told that we couldnt come into the camp with any vehicles without a pass. That meant there was no food taken in all weekend. The Grande-Synthe camp (Rowan Farrell) Then the police told us that the few passes we have are fake because theyre photocopied, even though they were issued and photocopied by the mayors office. Theyre saying that they dont want the camp to grow, but it doesnt change the fact that its at least a month before the new camp opens. We are in the depths of winter now. Theres worse weather coming and there is no contingency plan and no structure in place. She said volunteers believed the new camp was far too small to keep up with demand. Theres contingency for approximately 300 people more to arrive, and in their mind thats enough space for new arrivals. There will be two communal spaces and thats it: what about distribution centres, kitchens, womens and childrens centres? And what about the immediate needs of these people? Charities Medecins Sans Frontieres and Medecins du Monde maintain a part-time presence in the camp. But volunteers working at the camp say the large NGOs are waiting for the new government-sponsored camp to open, and are unable to cope with the immediate problems faced by the refugees in Grande-Synthe. Even though there are two well-respected long-term groups here, nobodys even in charge of medical care in the camp, Ms Clough said. France's refugee camps receive no help from the government Theyre as powerless as we are. We need a proper infrastructure and we need one now. Imagine an earthquake or a flood in Haiti and the whole world rushes there to help: thats whats happening here and now in France, and no one is doing anything. British subculture and festival circuit people who are stepping up to help, because nobody else is. The only professional medical support available at the camp over the 48 hours following the storm was provided by Hands International, who have begun the process of administering vaccines to all the inhabitants. They reported that 96 out of 100 initial recipients of the flu vaccine were suffering from scabies, and that many of the refugees they treated were also coughing up blood. The Grande-Synthe camp (Rowan Farrell) At the moment, there is one toilet for every 150 refugees at Grande-Synthe, and just eight taps concentrated in one wash-station serving the whole camp - or one tap per every 400 inhabitants. Even in the most extreme conditions, experts advise a maximum of no more than 20 people per toilet. Volunteers on the ground in Dunkirk have released a statement detailing the most urgent needs of the refugees at the camp. The document also contains contact details for anyone who feels they can help meet any of these needs. As well as demanding an end to restrictions on the delivery of aid and construction materials, they are pleading for more aid, volunteers, resources and donations. Stocks are already running dangerously low at the main distribution centre in Calais, where they are running out of shoes and blankets. There were only 15 volunteers working at the centre last weekend, down from a high of 200. There is an urgent need for a warehouse to open near Dunkirk, as otherwise the volunteers will have to turn away bulk donations or watch them be dumped in muddy fields. There is one available, Ms Clough said, but they want 50,000 euros before theyll open it, and the first thing well have to do is buy a generator to run the roller shutter doors. The volunteers also highlight the need for direct financial donations, more long-term volunteers, increased medical cover, an industrial washing and drying service in the local area, child welfare specialists and individuals with legal and human rights training. And we desperately need someone to run PR and admin, Ms Clough adds. Were just so absolutely swamped. And were the only thing coming between these people and death. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A Syrian refugee reportedly allowed smugglers to rape his wife as payment for his family being trafficked to Europe. The husband, who had run out of money, allegedly volunteered his wife for payment and apparently started participating in the daily rapes. The unidentified woman, a mother-of-four, now lives in Berlin and has placed a restraining order on her husband, according to the New York Times. The woman remains in fear of being killed by her estranged husband or another relative for bringing "dishonour" to the family. Speaking to the New York Times, Susanne Hohne, the lead psychotherapist at a centre in West Berlin that treats traumatized female migrants said the woman displays all the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, including flashbacks, insomnia and trouble concentrating. "One moment she will seem perfectly healthy, the next she is in her chair opposite you dodging bullets in Damascus or reliving her abuse in Bulgaria," she said. Ms Hohne also claims that almost all of the 44 women in her care have experienced sexual violence. Refugees settle in Germany Show all 12 1 /12 Refugees settle in Germany Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat, a refugee from Syria, plays with his daughter Ranim, who is nearly 3, in the one room they and Mohamed's wife Laloosh call home at an asylum-seekers' shelter in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The Zayats arrived approximately two months ago after trekking through Turkey, Greece and the Balkans and are now waiting for local authorities to process their asylum application, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany A refugee child Amnat Musayeva points to a star with her photo and name that decorates the door to her classroom as teacher Martina Fischer looks on at the local kindergarten Amnat and her siblings attend on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The children live with their family at an asylum-seekers' shelter in nearby Vossberg village and are waiting for local authorities to process their asylum applications. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Kurdish Syrian asylum-applicant Mohamed Ali Hussein (R), 19, and fellow applicant Autur, from Latvia, load benches onto a truckbed while performing community service, for which they receive a small allowance, in Wilhelmsaue village on October 9, 2015 near Letschin, Germany. Mohamed and Autur live at an asylum-applicants' shelter in nearby Vossberg village. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Ali Hussein ((L), 19, and his cousin Sinjar Hussein, 34, sweep leaves at a cemetery in Gieshof village, for which they receive a small allowance, near Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat, a refugee from Syria, looks among donated clothing in the basement of the asylum-seekers' shelter that is home to Mohamed, his wife Laloosh and their daughter Ranim as residents' laundry dries behind in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The Zayats arrived approximately two months ago after trekking through Turkey, Greece and the Balkans and are now waiting for local authorities to process their asylum application, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Asya Sugaipova (L), Mohza Mukayeva and Khadra Zhukova prepare food in the communal kitchen at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is their home in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Efrah Abdullahi Ahmed looks down from the communal kitchen window at her daughter Sumaya, 10, who had just returned from school, at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is their home in Vossberg Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Asylum-applicants, including Syrians Mohamed Ali Hussein (C-R, in black jacket) and Fadi Almasalmeh (C), return from grocery shopping with other refugees to the asylum-applicants' shelter that is their home in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat (2nd from L), a refugee from Syria, smokes a cigarette after shopping for groceries with his daughter Ranim, who is nearly 3, and fellow-Syrian refugees Mohamed Ali Hussein (C) and Fadi Almasalmeh (L) at a local supermarket on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. All of them live at an asylum-seekers' shelter in nearby Vossberg village and are waiting for local authorities to process their asylum applications, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Kurdish Syrian refugees Leila, 9, carries her sister Avin, 1, in the backyard at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is home to them and their family in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Somali refugees and husband and wife Said Ahmed Gure (R) and Ayaan Gure pose with their infant son Muzammili, who was born in Germany, in the room they share at an asylum-seekers' shelter in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity, and are waiting for authorities to process their application for asylum 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany German Chancellor Angela Merkel pauses for a selfie with a refugee after she visited the AWO Refugium Askanierring shelter for refugees in Berlin Getty Images The incident is one of thousands unreported cases of sexual assaults on migrant women as they travel to Europe. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Two men have been arrested and charged in southern France with raping a teenager and videoing the assault on Snapchat. French society was shocked when a video emerged on French social media of two men apparently raping a groggy woman who appeared to be drunk or sedated, earlier this week. The attackers faces were hidden behind emoji stickers through the incident. French police launched an investigation, tasking a specialist team in Paris with the case. Lawyer Francoise Nogues says that two men, aged 18 and 22, were charged yesterday with aggravated gang rape of an 18-year-old girl and with diffusion of pornographic images. Prosecutor Achille Kiriakides said that the girl knew both men and that police would seek to ascertain whether the sexual contact was completely and freely accepted. With additional reporting by AP For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The front cover of the Charlie Hebdo edition marking a year since it was attacked by terrorists has been criticised by the Vatican - because it offends all faiths. The cover has an illustration appearing to depict God as a terrorist carrying a gun. The headline of the magazine, due to be released on Wednesday, reads: One year one: The murderer is still out there. On 7 January 2015, gunmen Cherif and Said Kouachi killed 12 people at the satirical magazines office in Paris. Four people were also killed at a Jewish supermarket and a policewoman was shot in the Montrouge area. The latest edition of the magazine blames the acts of violence that took place in France in 2015 on Islamic fundamentalists, organised religion, the government and intelligence failures. AFP reported that the Vaticans daily newspaper, Osservatore Romano, said the magazine was forgetting that religious leaders from every faith repeatedly rejected violence in the name of religion behind the deceptive flag of uncompromising secularism. In Charlie Hebdos choice, there is the sad paradox of a world which is more and more sensitive about being politically correct, almost to the point of ridicule, yet does not wish to acknowledge or to respect believers faith in God, regardless of the religion, the newspapers commentary said. In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Show all 39 1 /39 In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Pencils, representing the freedom of expression, placed in tribute in Nantes Reuters In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack France's Jason Lamy Chappuis soars through the air over a message that reads "Je suis Charlie" Getty In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Solidarity in Nice AP In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Turkish citizens organised a vigil in front of the French consulate in Istanbul AFP In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Graffiti decorates a London wall in solidarity with the victims of the attack in Paris AFP In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A tribute of flowers and candles outside the French Embassy in Prague, Czech Republic AP In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Messages of sympathy near the Charlie Hebdo office in Paris AFP In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Workers install a poster reading 'Je suis Charlie' (I am Charlie) on the Palais des Festivals facade in Cannes In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A woman looks at floral tributes left outside the Charlie Hebdo magazine offices in Paris In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A woman places flowers near the offices of French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Journalists of international press agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) hold signs reading "Je suis Charlie" (I am Charlie) at their headquarters in Paris as they observe a minute of silence for the victims of an attack by armed gunmen on the offices of French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris which left at least 12 dead and many others injured In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Pens and pencils are placed in the form of a peace sign over the names of late French cartoonists Cabu, Tignous, Wolinski and late Charlie Hebdo editor Charb on the Place de la Republique (Republic Square) in Paris In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Australia mourns victims of the Paris massacre at Federation Square in Melbourne In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Indian artist Sudarsan Pattnaik is pictured with his sand sculpture, in tribute of those who lost their lives in the attack by gunmen on French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in Paris that killed 12 people, at Golden Sea Beach in Puri, some 65 kilometers from Bhubaneswar In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A man holds a placard that reads "I am Charlie" as members of the European Parliament and citizens gather during a minute of silence for victims of the shooting at the Paris offices of weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo, in front of the EU Parliament in Brussels In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A painting of the 'Marianne', the national symbol of the French Republic is placed between candles to commemorate the victims killed in an attack at the Paris offices of the weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo, in front of the French Embassy in Berlin In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Pencils and flowers of condolance are placed at the French embassy at Pariser Platz in Berlin In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Mourners hold signs depicting victim's eyes during a rally in support of Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical weekly newspaper that fell victim to an terrorist attack, at Union Square in New York In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People hold up placards reading 'I am Charlie' during a gathering in Nice Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A man lights candles set near the portrait of three of the four cartoonists killed, in Paris Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A man holds the French national flag tied a black ribbon as he and others gather in Lyon to pay their respects Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Parisians gather to pay respect for the victims of a terror attack against 'Charlie Hebdo' Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People gather in front of the 'Club de la presse' in Montpellier, to show their solidarity for the victims of the attack by unknown gunmen on the offices of the satirical weekly, 'Charlie Hebdo' Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A drawing depicting cartoonist Jean Cabut, left, Charlie Hebdo editor Stephane Charbonnier, center, and cartoonist Georges Wolinski, is placed outside the French Embassy in Berlin, Germany. The message reads 'Victims of their success, R.I.P.' AP In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A woman lays a candle during a gathering at the Place de la Republique in Paris Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People take part in a vigil in Trafalgar Square, London, following the deadly terror attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris PA In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People light candles forming the name Charlie during a gathering in Strasbourg, eastern France Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People stand stand in Marseille, southern France, next to a portrait of French cartoonist Georges Wolinksi, killed during an attack by unknown gunmen on the offices of the satirical weekly, 'Charlie Hebdo' Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People hold placards reading in French 'I am Charlie' during a gathering at the Place de la Republique in Paris Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A man holds a placard reading 'With all our heart with Charlie Hebdo, Freedom of the press: Our freedom' during a gathering in Marseille, southern France Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack The French and European union flags fly at half-mast at the French Embassy in Washington, DC Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People gather at the Place Royale in Nantes to show their solidarity for the victims of the attack in Paris Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Flowers, candles and a sign reading 'I am Charlie' are placed against a wall during a demonstration in Paris AP In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Journalism students hold a banner reading in French: 'Journalism students : Solidarity' as they raise pens during a gathering at the Place de la Republique in Paris Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People gather for a rally in solidarity with the killed Charlie Hebdo employees, in Geneva, Switzerland EPA In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack A man holds a placard reading: 'Freedom of the press is priceless, fundamentalism, of any kind, will not pass' as others hold up placards reading in French, 'I am Charlie' during a gathering at the Place de la Republique in Paris Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Journalists raise their press cards as others hold up pens during a gathering at the Place de la Republique, following the terrorist attack on the offices of the satirical weekly, 'Charlie Hebdo' Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People hold candles at a rally in support of the victims of Wednesday's terrorist attack, at the Place de la Republique in Paris Getty Images In pictures: Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack Reaction to Charlie Hebdo attack People gather in front of the city hall of Rennes, western France, following the attack in Paris Getty Images Following the attacks last January, Pope Francis said to kill in the name of God is an absurdity but warned against insulting other peoples faiths. On Tuesday, French President Francois Hollande commemorated the victims of the attack. A plaque was unveiled near the Charlie Hebdo headquarters, which read: To the memory of victims of the terrorist attack against freedom of expression. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A cars dashcam footage has captured the moment that a woman engulfed her car in flames after using a lighter to light her way in a dark petrol station. The video shows a woman filling up her car with petrol on a dark and snowy evening in Surgut, Russia. As the tank begins to fill, she seems to be unable to tell whether the tank is entirely full and so takes a closer look. After struggling to see the petrol line, the woman apparently decides to use her cigarette lighter to peer into the tank and get a better look. Astonishingly, she doesnt have any reservations about bringing the naked flame directly towards the petrol. The footage begins as the woman fills up her petrol tank at the Russian forecourt (Youtube) The woman is seen taking out a lighter and sparking up a flame, before peering into the car's petrol tank with it (Youtube) The car promptly erupts in flames. The woman, who has not been identified, initially attempts to contain the fire, however, it soon licks up from the nozzle to the car roof. The footage was captured on the dashcam of a car stationed at a pump behind the woman. The driver pulls away and leaves the scene as soon as the flames erupt. The footage shows the woman recoiling in shock as the petrol ignites (Youtube) Flames soon lick up the car's exterior and spread (Youtube) The Siberian Times reports that the woman is understood to have not been injured and that staff at the petrol station forecourt are thought to have worked to quickly extinguish the flames. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A Greek airline has apologised to the Palestine Liberation Organisation for removing two Palestinians from a flight after a group of Israeli Jewish passengers refused to fly with terrorists on board. The Aegean Airlines flight 928 from Athens to Tel Aviv was stuck on the tarmac for almost two hours on Sunday night as several Jewish passengers stood up in protest and demanded that two Palestinian passengers were removed. They alleged that the two Israeli Arab passengers could be terrorists and demanded to search their luggage even after they had left the aircraft - a request which was refused by stewards. The airline offered the two passengers a free hotel for the night and the opportunity to fly out the next day - which they both accepted as they no longer felt comfortable to fly. In an open letter to the Secretary General of the PLO, Dr Saeb Erekat, the airlines CEO Dimitris Gerogiannis said he [rejected] any possibility of discrimination which he said was in complete opposition to the principles of the airline. He said: We would like to emphasize that our crew did try for more than an hour and thirty minutes to resolve the situation. Unfortunately by the time that all the security had been rechecked, yes there was unwarranted and indeed unfair continued reaction by a large group of passengers but also the two affected passengers did not feel comfortable to fly. Satellite tracking by the Flight Aware website showed the plane was delayed by almost two hours in Athens (Flight Aware) It was mostly out of concern for the two passengers' comfort and safety during this flight, after all that had transpired, that we suggested they might stay at our expense overnight and indeed board another flight the next day. Mr Gerogiannis said both passengers had Israeli documentation so there was no potential of discrimination from the crew. He stressed that the airline regretted the whole event which was quite unprecedented in our experience. The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Show all 10 1 /10 The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Medics evacuate a wounded man from the scene of an attack in Jerusalem. A Palestinian rammed a vehicle into a bus stop then got out and started stabbing people before he was shot dead AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Israeli ZAKA emergency response members carry the body of an Israeli at the scene of a shooting attack in Jerusalem. A pair of Palestinian men boarded a bus in Jerusalem and began shooting and stabbing passengers, while another assailant rammed a car into a bus station before stabbing bystanders, in near-simultaneous attacks that escalated a month long wave of violence AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Getty Images The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinians throw molotov cocktail during clashes with Israeli troops near Ramallah, West Bank. Recent days have seen a series of stabbing attacks in Israel and the West Bank that have wounded several Israelis AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Women cry during the funeral of Palestinian teenager Ahmad Sharaka, 13, who was shot dead by Israeli forces during clashes at a checkpoint near Ramallah, at the family house in the Palestinian West Bank refugee camp of Jalazoun, Ramallah AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies A wounded Palestinian boy and his father hold hands at a hospital after their house was brought down by an Israeli air strike in Gaza Reuters The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinians look on after a protester is shot by Israelis soldiers during clashes at the Howara checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus EPA The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies A lawyer wearing his official robes kicks a tear gas canister back toward Israeli soldiers during a demonstration by scores of Palestinian lawyers called for by the Palestinian Bar Association in solidarity with protesters at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, near Ramallah, West Bank AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Undercover Israeli soldiers detain a Palestinian in Ramallah Reuters The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinian youth burn tyres during clashes with Israeli soldiers close to the Jewish settlement of Bet El, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after Israel barred Palestinians from Jerusalem's Old City as tensions mounted following attacks that killed two Israelis and wounded a child We respect the rights of all passengers to travel without any effects of potential racial profiling, he added. He said he has contacted the PLO representative in Greece to arrange a meeting and to give his assurances in person. The Independent was unable to reach the PLO for comment but in a statement on its website, Dr Erekat said: "We are outraged by how two Palestinians were treated with discrimination and prejudice at the hands of the Aegean cabin crew prior to the departure of last Sunday's flight from Athens to Tel Aviv. "The Greek security affirmed that the plane was secure, but confirmed reports said the crew succumbed to pressure from Israeli passengers who stood up and did not allow the flight to depart without the removal of the two Palestinian passengers. "We condemn this unjust and disgraceful decision. We call upon the Greek government to take strong action against this racist act, including compensation for the two Palestinian passengers." For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Jihadists fighting for Isis in northern Iraq have murdered a four-year-old boy with explosives just a week after executing his father, it has been claimed. Speaking to the Iraqi news network Al Sumaria, Jabar el-Maamour - a spokesman and senior official in the anti-Isis, state-sponsored Popular Mobilisation rebel group said he was revealing details of the murder in which the boy had the explosives strapped to his body as a way of condemning Isis supporters and fundraisers. According to el-Maamour, the boys death came a week after his father was murdered having being found guilty of a December attack on an Isis checkpoint that killed two jihadis. Al-Shirqat, which lies off the main road between Tikrit and Mosul, is considered one of Isis major strongholds in northern Iraq. Its strategic position on the edge of the Nineveh plain has made it a key target for anti-Isis forces who hope to eventually push the terror group out of the oil-rich city of Mosul, which acts as the militants de facto nerve centre in Iraq. The news comes as new details emerge outlining the extent to which Isis scientists and weapons experts have developed sophisticated new weaponry capable of shooting down passenger jets. In an exclusive Sky News report, Isis militants were seen at a jihadi university in the terror groups de facto capital city Raqqa, building remote-controlled vehicles and other advanced weaponry that could be used in terror attacks. Newly emerged footage shows militants at the group's Syrian base in Raqqa creating a homemade thermal battery, for use in decommissioned military surface-to-air missiles. In pictures: The rise of Isis Show all 74 1 /74 In pictures: The rise of Isis In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters of the Islamic State wave the group's flag from a damaged display of a government fighter jet following the battle for the Tabqa air base, in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters from Islamic State group sit on their tank during a parade in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters from the Islamic State group pray at the Tabqa air base after capturing it from the Syrian government in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters from extremist Islamic State group parade in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis kidnapping A video uploaded to social networks shows men in underwear being marched barefoot along a desert road before being allegedly executed by Isis Getty Images In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis kidnapping Haruna Yukawa after his capture by Isis In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis kidnapping Khalinda Sharaf Ajour, a Yazidi, says two of her daughters were captured by Isis militants Washington Post In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Spokesperson for Isis Vice News via Youtube In pictures: The rise of Isis A pro-Isis leaflet A pro-Isis leaflet handed out on Oxford Street In London Ghaffar Hussain In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Isis Jihadists burn their passports In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis controls Syrian Aid A man collecting aid administered by Isis in Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis controls Syrian Aid A woman collecting aid administered by Isis in Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis controls Syrian Aid Local civilians queue for aid administered by Isis. Since it declared a caliphate the group has increasingly been delivering services such as healthcare, and distributing aid and free fuel In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces detain men suspected of being militants of the Isis group in Diyala province In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Mourners carry the coffin of a Shi'ite volunteer from the brigades of peace, who joined the Iraqi army and was killed during clashes with militants of the Isis group in Samarra, during his funeral in Najaf In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi Shiite Turkmen family fleeing the violence in the Iraqi city of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, arrives at a refugee camp on the outskirts of Arbil, in Iraq's Kurdistan region In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi A photograph made from a video by the jihadist affiliated group Furqan Media via their twitter account allegedly showing Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi delivering a sermon during Friday prayers at a mosque in Mosul. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared an Islamist caliphate in the territory under the group's control in Iraq and Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq Shiite's Al-Qubba Husseiniya mosque explodes in Mosul In pictures: The rise of Isis Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq Smoke and debris go up in the air as Shiite's Al-Qubba Husseiniya mosque explodes in Mosul. Images posted online show that Islamic extremists have destroyed at least 10 ancient shrines and Shiite mosques in territory - the city of Mosul and the town of Tal Afar - they have seized in northern Iraq in recent weeks In pictures: The rise of Isis Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq A bulldozer destroys Sunni's Ahmed al-Rifai shrine and tomb in Mahlabiya district outside of Tal Afar In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces celebrate after clashes with followers of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi, in front of his home in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi at his home after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis A vehicle burns in front of a home of a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi woman holds her exhausted son as over 1000 Iraqis who have fled fighting in and around the city of Mosul and Tal Afar wait at a Kurdish checkpoint in the hopes of entering a temporary displacement camp in Khazair In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees Displaced Iraqi women hold pots as they queue to receive food during the first day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, at an encampment for displaced Iraqis who fled from Mosul and other towns, in the Khazer area outside Irbil, north Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria A militant Islamist fighter waving a flag, cheers as he takes part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa. The fighters held the parade to celebrate their declaration of an Islamic "caliphate" after the group captured territory in neighbouring Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters wave flags as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province Reuters In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters travel in a vehicle as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Fighters from the Isis group during a parade with a missile in Raqqa, Syria. Militants from an al-Qaida splinter group held a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria, displaying U.S.-made Humvees, heavy machine guns, and missiles captured from the Iraqi army for the first time since taking over large parts of the Iraq-Syria border In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters during a parade in Raqqa, Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Fighters from the Isis group during a parade in Raqqa, Syria. Militants from the splinter group held a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria, displaying U.S.-made Humvees, heavy machine guns, and missiles captured from the Iraqi army for the first time since taking over large parts of the Iraq-Syria border In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters hold a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters during a parade in Raqqa, Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria A member loyal to the Isis waves an Isis flag in Raqqa In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi anti-government gunmen from Sunni tribes in the western Anbar province march during a protest in Ramadi, west of Baghdad. The United Nations warned that Iraq is at a "crossroads" and appealed for restraint, as a bloody four-day wave of violence killed 195 people. The violence is the deadliest so far linked to demonstrations that broke out in Sunni areas of the Shiite-majority country more than four months ago, raising fears of a return to all-out sectarian conflict In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces hold up a flag of the Isis group they captured during an operation to regain control of Dallah Abbas north of Baqouba, the capital of Iraq's Diyala province, 35 miles (60 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Iraq Isis fighters parade in the northern city of Mosul In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Volunteers, who have joined the Iraqi army to fight against the predominantly Sunni militants from the radical Isis group, demonstrate their skills during a graduation ceremony after completing their field training in Najaf In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Kurdish Peshmerga troops fire a cannon during clashes with militants of the Isis group in Jalawla, Diyala province In pictures: The rise of Isis Lieutenant General Qassem Atta speaks during a press conference Iraqi Prime Minister's security spokesman, Lieutenant General Qassem Atta speaks during a press conference about the latest military development in Iraq, in the capital Baghdad. Iraqi forces pressed a campaign to retake militant-held Tikrit, clashing with jihadist-led Sunni militants nearby and pounding positions inside the city with air strikes in their biggest counter-offensive so far In pictures: The rise of Isis A police station building destroyed by Isis fighters An exterior view of a police station building destroyed by gunmen in Mosul city, northern Iraq. Iraq's new parliament is expected to convene to start the process of setting up a new government, despite deepening political rifts and an ongoing Islamist-led insurgency. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani issued a decree inviting the new House of Representatives to meet and form a new government In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Iraq Smoke billows from an area controlled by the Isis between the Iraqi towns of Naojul and Tuz Khurmatu, both located north of the capital Baghdad, as Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces take part in an operation to repel the Sunni militants In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An elderly Iraqi woman is helped into a temporary displacement camp for Iraqis caught-up in the fighting in and around the city of Mosul in Khazair In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi Christian woman fleeing the violence in the village of Qaraqush, about 30 kms east of the northern province of Nineveh, cries upon her arrival at a community center in the Kurdish city of Arbil in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi woman, who fled with her family from the northern city of Mosul, prays with a copy of the Quran AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Iraq The body of an Isis militant killed during clashes with Iraqi security forces on the outskirts of the city of Samarra Reuters In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi civilians inspect the damage at a market after an air strike by the Iraqi army in central Mosul EPA In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Members of the Al-Abbas brigades, who volunteered to protect the Shiite Muslim holy sites in Karbala against Sunni militants fighting the Baghdad government, parade in the streets of the city AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Shia tribesmen gather in Baghdad to take up arms against Sunni insurgents marching on the capital. Thousands have volunteered to bolster defences AFP/Getty In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis A van carrying volunteers joining Iraqi security forces against Jihadist militants. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced the Iraqi government would arm and equip civilians who volunteered to fight AFP/Getty In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters of the Isis group parade in a commandeered Iraqi security forces armored vehicle down a main road at the northern city of Mosul In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq An Islamist fighter, identified as Abu Muthanna al-Yemeni from Britain (R), speaks in this still image taken undated video shot at an unknown location and uploaded to a social media website. Five Islamist fighters identified as Australian and British nationals have called on Muslims to join the wars in Syria and Iraq, in the new video released by the Isis In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Al-Qaida inspired militants stand with captured Iraqi Army Humvee at a checkpoint belonging to Iraqi Army outside Beiji refinery some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Baghdad. The fighting at Beiji comes as Iraq has asked the U.S. for airstrikes targeting the militants from the Isis group. While U.S. President Barack Obama has not fully ruled out the possibility of launching airstrikes, such action is not imminent in part because intelligence agencies have been unable to identify clear targets on the ground, officials said In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants attacked Iraq's main oil refinein Baiji as they pressed an offensive that has seen them capture swathes of territory, a manager and a refinery employee said In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants from the Isis group parading with their weapons in the northern city of Baiji in the in Salaheddin province In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq A smoke rises after an attack by Isis militants on the country's largest oil refinery in Beiji, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of the capital, Baghdad. Iraqi security forces battled insurgents targeting the country's main oil refinery and said they regained partial control of a city near the Syrian border, trying to blunt an offensive by Sunni militants who diplomats fear may have also seized some 100 foreign workers In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group stand next to captured vehicles left behind by Iraqi security forces at an unknown location in the Salaheddin province. For militant groups, the fight over public perception can be even more important than actual combat, turning military losses into propaganda victories and battlefield successes into powerful tools to build support for the cause In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq An injured fighter (C) from the Isis group after a battle with Iraqi soldiers at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters from the Isis aiming at advancing Iraqi troops at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters from the Isis group taking position at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters from the Isis group inspecting vehicles of the Iraqi army after they were seized at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq One Iraqi captive, a corporal, is reluctant to say the slogan, and has to be shouted at repeatedly before he obeys Sky News In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Iraqi captives held by the extremists Sky News In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Iraqi captives held by the extremists Sky News In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group force captured Iraqi security forces members to the transport In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group transporting dozens of captured Iraqi security forces members to an unknown location in the Salaheddin province ahead of executing them In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq A major offensive spearheaded by Isis but also involving supporters of executed dictator Saddam Hussein has overrun all of one province and chunks of three others In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group executing dozens of captured Iraqi security forces members at an unknown location in the Salaheddin province In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Isis militants taking position at a Iraqi border post on the Syrian-Iraqi border between the Iraqi Nineveh province and the Syrian town of Al-Hasakah In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Isis rebels show their flag after seizing an army post AFP/Getty Images In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Isis militants waving an Islamist flag after the seizure of an Iraqi army checkpoint in Salahuddin Getty Images In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Demonstrators chant slogans as they carry al-Qaida flags in front of the provincial government headquarters in Mosul, 225 miles (360 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad. In the week since it captured Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul, a Muslim extremist group has tried to win over residents and has stopped short of widely enforcing its strict brand of Islamic law, residents say. Churches remain unharmed and street cleaners are back at work Experts say terror groups have had access to such weapons for decades - but storing them and creating the thermal battery vital to the missile's function is very difficult without advanced knowledge. Kim Sengupta, the Independents defence correspondent, said the development was especially significant. After the US and UK entered Afghanistan in 2001, there were fears that Stinger missiles given by the Americans to the Afghan Mujaheddin to shoot down Russian aircraft may be used by the Taliban against the Western forces" he said. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Isis scientists and weapons experts have developed sophisticated new weaponry capable of shooting down passenger jets, it has been revealed. Newly emerged footage shows militants at the group's Syrian base in Raqqa creating a homemade thermal battery, for use in decommissioned military surface-to-air missiles. Experts say terror groups have had access to such weapons for decades - but storing them and creating the thermal battery vital to the missile's function is very difficult without advanced knowledge. Kim Sengupta, the Independents defence correspondent, said the development was especially significant. After the US and UK entered Afghanistan in 2001, there were fears that Stinger missiles given by the Americans to the Afghan Mujaheddin to shoot down Russian aircraft may be used by the Taliban against the Western forces" he said. That never came to pass because the missiles batteries had a limited shelf life and the Taliban were not able to find a way around that. If Isis has developed a process that enables them to replace these batteries, that will obviously be of major concern. It is now feared that with access to this kind of battery, Isis could potentially be capable of recommissioning thousands of disused missiles. Timeline: The emergence of Isis Show all 40 1 /40 Timeline: The emergence of Isis Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2000 Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (pictured here) forms an al-Qaeda splinter group in Iraq, al-Qaeda in Iraq. Its brutality from the beginning alienates Iraqis and many al-Qaeda leaders. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2006 Al-Zarqawi is killed in a U.S. strike. Al-Zarqawis successor, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, announces the creation of the Islamic State in Iraq (ISI). Reuters Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2009 Still al-Qaeda-linked ISI claims responsibility for suicide bombings that killed 155 in Baghdad, as well as attacks in August and October killing 240, as President Obama announces troop withdrawal from Iraq in March. Getty Images Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2010 Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi becomes head of ISI, at lowest ebb of Islamist militancy in Iraq, which sees last U.S. combat brigade depart. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2012 In Syria, protests (pictured here starting in Daree) have morphed into what president Assad labelled a real war with emergence of a coalition of forces opposed to Assads regime. Syria group Jabhat al-Nusra are among rebel groups who refuse to join, denouncing it as a conspiracy. Bombings targeting Shia areas, killing more than 500 people, spark fears of new sectarian conflict. Sunni Muslims stage protests across country against what they see as increasingly marginalisation by Shia-led government. AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2013 Al-Baghdadi renames ISI as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or Isis, as the group absorbs Syrian al-Nusra, gaining a foothold in Syria. In response, al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri (Bin Ladens successor) concerned about Isis expansion orders that Isis be dissolved and ISI operations should be confined to Iraq. This order is rejected by al-Baghdadi. AFP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - January Isis fighters capture the Iraqi cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, giving them base to launch slew of attacks further south. AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - June Isis declares itself the Caliphate, calling itself Islamic State (IS). The group captures Mosul, Iraqs second largest city; Tal Afar, just 93 miles from Syrian border; and the central Iraqi city of Tikrit. These advances sent shockwaves around the world. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - June Around the same time Isis releases a video calling for western Muslims to join the Caliphate and fight, prompting new evaluations of extremists groups social media understanding. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - June Isis take Baiji oil fields in Iraq - giving them access to huge amounts of possible revenue. EPA Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - August James Foley is executed by the group as concerns grow for second American prisoner, fellow reporter Steven Sotloff. AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - August Obama authorises U.S. airstrikes in Iraq, helping to stall Isis along with action by Kurdish forces following the deaths of hundreds of Yazidi people on Mount Sinjar. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - September Isis release video showing Steven Sotloffs murder prompting Western speculation his executioner is same man who killed Mr Foley. EPA Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - September Obama tells us that America will hunt down terrorists who threaten our country EPA Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - September Isis release a video appearing to show David Haines, who was captured by militants in Syria in 2013, wearing an orange jumpsuit and kneeling in the desert while he reads a pre-prepared script. It later shows what appears to be the aid worker's body. Rex Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - September Peshmerga fighters scrabble to hold positions in the Diyala province (a gateway to Baghdad) as Isis fighters continue to advance on Iraqi capital. AFP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - October Aid worker Alan Henning is killed. Self-imposed media blackout refuses to show images of him in final moments, instead focuses upon humanitarian care. AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - October Isis raise their flag in Kobani, which had been strongly defended by Kurdish troops. The victory goes against hopeful western analysis Isis had overextended itself, while alienating much of the Muslim population through the murder of Henning. Victory causes fresh waves of Kurdish refugees arriving in Turkey. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - November American hostage, who embarced values of Islam, Peter Kassig and 14 Syrian soldiers are shown meeting the same fate as other captives. But intelligence agencies will be poring over the apparently significant discrepancies between this and previous films. Seramedig.org.uk Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - February Isis has released a video revealing the murder by burning to death of a Jordanian pilot held by the group since the end of December 2014. Reuters Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - February Isis militants have released videos which appear to show the beheading of Japanese hostages Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - February American aid worker, Kayla Mueller was the last American hostage known to be held by Isis. She died, according to her captors, in an airstrike by the Jordanian air force on the city of Raqqa in Syria, though US authorities disputed this. AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - February Isis militants have posted a gruesome video online in which they force 21 Egyptian Coptic Christian hostages to kneel on a beach in Libya before beheading them. Egypt vowed to avenge the beheading and launched air strikes on Isis positions. AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - February The British Isis militant suspected of appearing in videos showing the beheading of Western hostages has been named in reports as Mohammed Emwazi from London. Rex Features Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - March Isis triple suicide attack has killed more than 100 worshippers and hundreds of others were injured after the group members targeted two mosques in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - April Iraqi forces have claimed victory over Isis in battle for Tikrit and raised the flag in the city. EPA/STR Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - April Isis has claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan that killed at least 35 people queuing to collect their wages and injured 100 more. EPA Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - April Isis media arm released a 29-minute video purporting to show militants executing Ethiopian Christians captives. The footage bore the extremist groups al-Furqan media logo and showed the destruction of churches and desecration of religious symbols. A masked fighter made a statement threatening Christians who did not convert to Islam or pay a special tax. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of Isis has been "incapacitated" by a spinal injuries sustained in a US air strike in Iraq. He is being treated in a hideout by two doctors from Isis stronghold of Mosul who are said to be "strong ideological supporters of the group". Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May Isis has also claimed responsibility for killing 300 of Yazidi captives, including women, children and elderly people in Iraq AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May Isis attack on Prophet Mohamed cartoon contest in Texas was its first action on US soil. Two gunmen were shot and killed after launching the attack at the exhibition. Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi have been named as the attackers at the Curtis Culwell Centre arena in Garland. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May Isiss deputy leader, Abu Alaa Afri, a former physics teacher who was thought to have taken charge of the deadly terrorist group, has been killed in a US-led coalition airstrike. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May US special forces have killed a senior Isis leader named as Abu Sayyaf in an operation aiming to capture him and his wife in Syria. Getty Images Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May Iran-backed militias are sent to Ramadi by the Iraqi government to fight Isis militants who completed their capture of the city. Government soldiers and civilians were reportedly massacred by extremists as they took control and the army fled. Charred bodies were left littering the city streets as troops clung on to trucks speeding away from the city. Ramadi is the latest government stronghold to fall to the so-called Islamic State, despite air strikes by a US-led international coalition aiming to stop its advance in Iraq and Syria. AFP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May Isis rounded up civilians trapped in Palmyra and forced them to watch 20 people being executed in the historic citys ancient amphitheatre. The Unesco World Heritage site was overrun by militants, threatening the future of 2,000 year-old monuments and ruins. Thousands of Palmyras residents fled but many are still living within the city walls, while the UN human rights office in Geneva said it had received reports of Syrian government forces preventing people from leaving until they retreated from the city. Getty Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May A group of Isis-affiliated fighters have captured a key airport in central Libya. The militants took control of the al-Qardabiya airbase in Sirte after a local militia tasked with defending the facility withdrew from their positions. Affiliates of Isis, already control large parts of Sirte, the birthplace of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and a former stronghold of his supporters. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - June The US Air Force has destroyed an Isis stronghold after an extremist let slip their location on social media. According the Air Force Times, General Herbert "Hawk" Carlisle, commander of Air Combat Command, said that Airmen at Hulburt Field, Florida, used images shared by jihadists to track the location of their headquarters before destroying it in an airstrike. Reuters Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - June Kurdish forces captured a key military base in a significant victory in Raqqa as well as town of Tell Abyad. YPG fighters, backed by US-led airstrikes and other rebels, consolidated their gains, when they seized the key town on the Syria-Turkey border. They are now just 30 miles to the north of Raqqa and have cut off a major supply route deep inside Isis-held territory. Ahmet Silk/Getty Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - June Isis has released gruesome footage claiming to show the murder of more than a dozen men by drowning, decapitation and using a rocket-propelled grenade as it seeks to boost morale among its fanatical supporters. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - June Isis has begun carrying out its threat to destroy structures in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, blowing up at least two monuments at the Unesco-protected site as Syrian government troops made advances on the Islamists positions. AFP The missiles shown in the footage obtained by Sky News are said to be 99 per cent accurate once they have locked on to their targets. Concerns that Isis could use abandoned or outdated western military equipment were raised in 2014, after it was reported that Isis had captured vehicles, firearms and even missiles from the US-armed Iraqi army during their advances in Iraq. Other footage, which Sky News says was passed to them by Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters who took it from a captured Isis trainer in Turkey, apparently also shows the testing of a full-sized remote-controlled car. It goes on to show the militants with mannequins fitted with systems that produce a human heat signature - allowing the cars to slip through sophisticated security scanning machines and launch bomb attacks on high-profile targets. The hours of collected footage also includes training videos designed to instruct jihadis how to launch these kinds of attacks in their own countries. Major Chris Hunter, a former British Army bomb disposal technician and now counter-explosives expert said the footage was "one of the most significant intelligence finds" in terms of Isis. "What we've seen with their typical propaganda videos is they're very, very high quality. They're designed, they're produced to inspire people and prospectively touch the nerves of anybody who is viewing them, they're done a very specific way," he said. "With this training footage it's very clearly purely designed to pass on information - to pass on the progress in the research and development areas - and it gives us a very good insight into where they are now, what they're aspiring to do and crucially the diversity of the types of threats we might face." Sky News said it had alerted the security services about the footage. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Air strikes led by Saudi Arabia have hit a care centre for blind people, residents have said. Three people are believed to have been wounded at the Noor Centre for the Blind on Tuesday, according to Saba news agency. The capital's Chamber of Commerce and Industry was also hit in the strikes, although no casualties were reported. The strikes were targeted at Houthi forces, an ally of Iran, in Yemen's capital Sanaa, the port city of Hodaida and the city of Taiz. A patient at the centre for blind people expressed his shock at being struck. Speaking to the International Business Times, Abdullah Ahmed Banyan said: People with disabilities are being struck in their residence. Around 1:30am, two missiles hit the live-in quarters of a home for the blind." "Can you imagine they are striking the blind? What is this criminality? Why? Is it the blind that are fighting the war? On 2 January, Saudi Arabia announced that a cease fire, which began on 15 December following United-Nations backed peace talks, had ended. It came on the same day the kingdom executed a Shiite cleric convicted of terrorism, which has seen tension grow between Saudi Arabia and Iran. In March, the Saudi-led coalition entered the conflict in Yemen in an effort to stem Iran's influence in the region. Human Rights Watch has condemned the strikes, some of which they believe "amount to war crimes". Belkis Wille, the groups Yemen researcher, told The Independent that 36 strikes, launched since March, violated the laws of war. In none of these cases have we seen that the Saudi-led coalition has launched any form of investigation nor taken any measures to compensate the victims or their families. "We have seen the coalition bombing and hitting dozens of civilian objects including homes, hospitals and schools, killing hundreds of civilians. So far, the war has killed 2795 civilians, according to the UN. Of the fatalities, around 60 per cent are the result of air strikes. Additional reporting by Reuters For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} With the Ucas deadline for the academic year 2016/17 just nine days away now, those who have not yet submitted their application - and are looking for some inspiration as to where to head to - might want to divert their attention to the latest research into the cheapest countries in the world to be a student. According to travel money company FAIRFX, Norway has emerged as being the most affordable nation in the world to with an average annual cost of just 2,188 - based on average annual tuition fees and living costs - in relation to the top 200 universities in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings. Russia has come second - with a yearly amount of 4,450 - followed by Luxembourg where students will require an average annual amount of 4,739 to get by. With increased tuition fees in the UK - and some universities charging up to 9,000 a year in fees - FAIRFX said studying abroad is becoming a much more attractive option as students look to take advantage of lower fees, cheaper living costs, quality of education, as well as favourable exchange rates. Recommended Read more The 10 most popular university choices for freshers in 2016 revealed The new research has shown the total annual average tuition fees, combined with living costs, in Norway are almost ten times less than that of the UK where students would need an average yearly amount of 21,000. On the whole, the UK was found to be one of the most expensive places to go to university and, out of a list of 28 countries that have a top 200 THE university, ranked in 24th position, behind only the US, Singapore, South Korea and Australia. The top 10 universities in the world Show all 10 1 /10 The top 10 universities in the world The top 10 universities in the world 1. California Institute of Technology The top 10 universities in the world 2. University of Oxford The top 10 universities in the world 3. Stanford University The top 10 universities in the world 4. University of Cambridge The top 10 universities in the world 5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology The top 10 universities in the world 6. Harvard University The top 10 universities in the world 7. Princeton University The top 10 universities in the world 8. Imperial College London The top 10 universities in the world 9. ETH Zurich Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich The top 10 universities in the world 10. University of Chicago In comparison, studying for a year in China or France would cost three times less - in the region of 7,000 - while Brazil (outside of the top 200) would cost just over 8,000 and New Zealand (172 in the top 200) just over 13,000. The companys research is similar to that which it conducted in October 2015. However, its latest findings have now been updated to include every country in the THE rankings, which feature 800 universities in 66 countries. FAIRFX currency expert Darren Kilner described how higher tuition fees are making students consider their options when it comes to choosing a university. He said: A three-year course in the UK will cost a student around 63,000 in tuition fees and living costs - three times the amount of a deposit on a new house*. Highlighting how investment costs are so high, he said it comes as no surprise that students are looking at cheaper ways of securing their university education, and added how studying abroad is becoming a much more attractive option. He said: Not only can UK students take advantage of lower tuition fees, but the cost of living can also be much lower so there is a definite financial incentive along with the opportunity to experience a new country and culture. It could become a real alternative to taking a gap year. The 20 hardest universities to get into With the Ucas deadline fast-approaching, UK students have some big decisions to make. FAIRFX has also analysed currency trends over the last two years to create a list of which countries now offer more value for money for studying abroad. Topping the study abroad list is New Zealand which is 3,284 cheaper (20 per cent less) than it was two years ago, followed by Japan (2,747 or 16 per cent cheaper), Sweden (1,778 or 19 per cent less), and Russia (1,535 or 26 per cent cheaper). At the bottom of the list are Euro countries at 16 per cent higher, including Germany and Italy which are 1,085 and 1,518 more expensive respectively. *Based on a ten per cent deposit on a 200,000 house Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A passenger on board a British Airways flight from London to Dubai shouted that he had a bomb and told everyone they were going to die it has been claimed. The threat occurred five hours into the international flight, according to a radio DJ whose daughter was on the flight. Former Virgin Radio DJ Steve Penk tweeted that his daughter, Natalie, told him the man began screaming that everyone was going to die. According to Mr Penk it took five crew members from BA105 and a large passenger to restrain him. The man reportedly making the threats was then handcuffed to a seat and covered in a blanket. A British Airways spokesperson told the Independent that the matter has now been passed onto Dubai police and that the aircraft landed normally. She said: Our customers and crews deserve to enjoy their flights, and not to suffer any form of abuse. This sort of behaviour will absolutely not be tolerated, and the appropriate action will always be taken. The Independent has asked Dubai police for comment. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} So blinkered is the Republican Party on the topic of gun control that it blocked a law last month that would have prevented US citizens on the federal terrorism watchlist from purchasing weapons. This, according to the party, would have encroached on the Second Amendment, which permits Americans to bear arms. It is deeds like this that make the words of Paul Ryan, the Republican Speaker, ring rather hollow, when he criticises President Barack Obama for using executive powers in an attempt to stem gun violence, instead of lead[ing] the fight against radical Islamic terror.The GOP, as Mr Ryan overlooks, has explicitly backed the right of terrorist suspects to buy as many submachine guns as they please. No wonder Mr Obama gave up in 2013 on attempting to persuade the Republican-controlled Congress to consider gun control measures in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre. The reforms he proposes to push through via the power of his office are sane, if limited. Recommended Read more Barack Obama weeps as he announces new gun regulations Lives will be saved by forcing small gun sellers to conduct background checks, and centralising more data on the mental health and criminal status of prospective gun buyers. Liberated from the need to seek re-election, Mr Obama has flexed his muscles through the use of executive orders in his second term. The characterisation of the 44th President as weak can be brushed aside: he will leave as strong a legacy in many areas as could reasonably be hoped for. On gun control, though, the best chances of progress lie in state reforms. A powerful lobbying group backed by Michael Bloomberg has shifted from the idea that gun control is a losing issue in local elections. Acting where Congress failed to, Connecticuts Democratic Governor has banned anyone on the terrorism watchlist from buying a gun. The NRA will retain its stranglehold over US politics for years, but it has at last some serious opposition. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} In todays Prime Ministers Questions, David Cameron was invited by Conservative MP for Stratford-upon-Avon Nadhim Zahawi to celebrate the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeares death. Seemingly delighted to seize the moment to wax lyrical about the UKs most famous playwright, Cameron paid a moving tribute to some of the worlds greatest works of literature by firing off a series of cringe worthy puns taking a swing at the leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn. So much for the Swan of Avon: Cameron himself has proved a worthy successor to Shakespeare, dazzling us with his dextrous wordplay upon the parliamentary stage. Or not. All credit to Corbyn for having the decency not to respond with a joke about Camerons alleged dealings with Hamlet. Still, Camerons back-benchers loved it, cheering and bellowing their appreciation. Of course, this is not the first time Shakespeare has been used for political point-scoring. Mr Zahawi is to be credited for once again representing his Stratford constituents by using Shakespeares words: in November 2014 he mocked MP Emily Thornberry with a speech from Richard II when she tweeted a photo of a house in Rochester covered in England flags. He said the image made him feel valiant about his country: this blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England! Of course, had Mr Zahawi bothered to finish the quote, he might not have wanted to use it. John of Gaunt uses the speech to bemoan the fate of the nation and the ruler who oversees its demise, and its worth reading on: 'That England, that was wont to conquer others, Hath made a shameful conquest of itself. This England has been leased out. Our nuclear power stations have been sold off to China. Our NHS is facing a death by a thousand cuts and privatised to within an inch of its life. Our universities are now run for profit, saddling thousands of students with life-changing debt simply for wanting the right to an education. The irony of Cameron trying to celebrate the life and work of Shakespeare is all too sad when those who want to study him at university must fork out nine thousand pounds per year. But its okay: if you cant afford to go into Higher Education you can always go to a public library and Oh, wait, you probably cant. If Cameron likes Shakespeare as much as he says he does, perhaps he could learn from him. In 2015, Britain is a nation whose poorest people rely on food banks, but Camerons cuts to welfare might as well be Coriolanus reponse to the starving of Rome: hang em! The Sisters Uncut activists campaign with the slogan: They cut, we bleed. A line which recalls Shylocks If you cut us, do we not bleed? because government cuts disproportionately affect women. You may not be a magician called Prospero, Prime Minister, but you have the power and the responsibility to protect this country and run it for people, not profit. You see its great to celebrate Shakespeare, its just a shame that you havent bothered to actually read him. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Slowly but surely, Jeremy Corbyn remakes Labour in his own image. True, his first shadow cabinet reshuffle was a long-running farce. His aides were foolish to raise great expectations of wide-ranging changes and slow to kill claims of a revenge reshuffle of those who rebelled over UK air strikes on Syria. His advisers are learner drivers who must learn on the job at breakneck speed. They now know rule one of politics: better to under-promise and over-deliver than the other way round. To make it an open secret that Corbyn wanted to move Hilary Benn, and then keep him in place as shadow Foreign Secretary smacks of weakness. All leaders hope that shaking up their frontbench team will demonstrate strength but it doesnt always work out like that. Corbynites claim Benn has been reined in, but he insists he has not been muzzled hardly a great victory. Of course, in the eyes of some, Corbyn was damned if he did and damned if he didnt. He usually is, not least by right-wing newspapers. His reshuffle was either going to be a Stalinist purge or a damp squib. With Benn still in situ, it will be seen as the latter. And after yesterdays resignations by three junior frontbenchers angry at the sacking of the Blairite Pat McFadden as Europe spokesman, the reshuffle will doubtless be dubbed a disastrous own goal. The changes to the Shadow Cabinet were more limited than desired by some Corbyn advisers; they wanted to see the back of Dame Rosie Winterton, who retains the pivotal role of Chief Whip. Yet Corbyn did achieve one important objective. By ousting Maria Eagle, a supporter of Trident, from the defence brief, he removed an obstacle to his goal of ending Labours support for Britains nuclear weapons. That would take Labour back to its unilateralist stance at the 1983 general election (when it won 28 per cent of the vote). Corbyn is lining up his ducks. He plans an online ballot of Labour members on whether to support the renewal of Trident. A review, headed jointly by his ally Ken Livingstone and Emily Thornberry, the new shadow Defence Secretary and a Trident opponent, looks certain to recommend a change of policy to the party conference in autumn. It might look rather academic since the Commons will probably have voted to renew Trident by then. But it would still matter at the 2020 general election, when the Conservatives will seek to portray Labour as weak on national security. Benn and several shadow cabinet allies support Trident. But, if Labours policy changes, they will not be given free rein by Corbyn to oppose him publicly from the frontbench. In other words, they would have to resign, or would be sacked. So, at one level, the Labour leaders hand has been strengthened. Although the reshuffle spilled more bad blood, there are conflicting currents among Labour backbenchers. Only 20 of 232 Labour MPs voted for Corbyn to be leader. So it has been assumed that, were he challenged for the leadership, he would struggle for the nominations of 51 MPs and MEPs needed to get on the ballot. Hence his plan to change the rules to ensure a sitting leader has an automatic right to stand. But now some critics accept he would secure 51 nominations, since a growing number of MPs acknowledge his mandate from party members and think he may lead Labour into the 2020 election. Others fear deselection by their constituency parties if they did not support him. We wouldnt be able to keep him off the ballot, one former shadow cabinet member admits. Despite that, opponents have not given up hope of forcing Corbyn out before 2020. He may get his no nukes policy, but his critics inside the Shadow Cabinet have a nuclear weapon of their own the threat of mass resignations. They deployed it this week to keep Benn in his job. They also used it in November to secure a free vote on air strikes in Syria again, against the initial wishes of Team Corbyn. Like David Camerons move to give cabinet ministers free rein on Europe, the Labour reshuffle is a sticking-plaster solution that resolves very little. If the sacking of the outspoken Michael Dugher and McFadden was meant to restore discipline, then it has failed. The most significant act of Labours farce was the public support for Dugher from nine shadow cabinet members notably Tom Watson, the deputy leader, whom Corbyn cannot sack because he, too, was elected by Labour members and supporters. This was open defiance at the very moment Corbyn was trying to restore loyalty and unity. It was a reminder that the war between Labours two tribes will continue. At some point, the critics may decide to press their nuclear button and resign en masse. It could happen if backbench opponents mount a coup following poor results this May in elections for the London Mayor, local authorities, the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly. It is only a question of when, not if, said one Corbyn critic. In his four months as leader, Corbyn has been unlucky that foreign and national security issues have been so dominant. The 250,000 members and supporters who voted for him were surely more attracted by his anti-austerity message and promise of a new politics than his views on Trident or foreign affairs. It is a source of huge frustration to Corbynites that Labour has been unable to make headway on the economy, on which it would have been much easier to unite the party. But leadership requires decisive action when events happen and to date Corbyn has been leaden-footed. Labour has looked preoccupied with its internal machinations, making it harder to land blows on the Government on the economy, Europe and the floods on which Labours message about vital public investment should have been heard much louder. Before Christmas, Corbyn allies spoke of hitting the ground running in 2016. Instead, Labour has limped into the new year. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} David Camerons decision to allow his ministers a free vote in the forthcoming EU referendum is good party management, but bad statesmanship. The Conservative Party has been split over Europe for as long as anyone can remember. It was this issue that set off the sequence of events that brought down Margaret Thatcher. When John Major made his memorable comment about bastards in his cabinet, he was referring to those who had opposed him over Europe. In leadership contests during its years in opposition, the Conservative Party repeatedly rejected Ken Clarke, who would have been a more popular leader with the public than either William Hague or Iain Duncan Smith, because he was too pro-EU for Conservative tastes. And having committed himself to holding a referendum, Mr Cameron could not form a cabinet which he was able to rely on to unite behind him in recommending continued EU membership no matter what he brings back from his negotiations with other member states. If he were to insist on ordering ministers to toe the line as he said he would last year there would be resignations. We do not know how many, but it would take only a few to open up a fault line through every level of the party. In the circumstances, a free vote was Mr Camerons best means of keeping his party more or less united, but it is no way to run a country. The Prime Minister says that he believes the UKs future should be in a reformed EU, but he is in danger of being the politician who presided over an irreversible rift between the UK and the European mainland, possibly followed by the break-up of the UK. He is consequently placing a very large burden on the reforms he says he is negotiating with EU member states, which have all the appearance of being no more than symbolic gestures contrived for the benefit of public opinion in the UK. Mr Cameron has weakened his own position by letting it be known that he will leave Downing Street soon after the referendum, whatever the outcome. This means that the thoughts of the more ambitious cabinet members will be on the leadership contest that will follow. Even if the country votes to stay in the EU, as hopefully it will, a majority of paid-up Conservative Party members may vote against, making it likely that the next Conservative leader will be someone from that side of the argument. That thought might be enough to tempt Theresa May or Boris Johnson to add their considerable weight to the Out campaign. And in the middle ranks, ministers hoping for preferment in the post-Cameron government will not see any reason to worry about offending Mr Cameron, but will have a very good reason to want to be seen standing alongside his likely successor, perhaps drawing yet more experienced recruits to the Out campaign. What leading Conservatives do during the referendum would matter less if there were a credible opposition leader to give political weight to an In campaign. In Scotland there is, but Scotland contains less than a tenth of the UK population. South of the border, there is only the shattered remains of the Liberal Democrat party, and a Labour Party whose leader, Jeremy Corbyn, is from the old anti-EU hard left. On an issue as important as this, the Prime Ministers first priority should not be the health of his own party, but the interests of the country. Unfortunately, Mr Cameron has decided to gamble on the future of the UK just to keep a veneer of unity among the Conservatives. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The name Nimr al-Nimr may not have meant a lot to people in the UK, but his execution and the diplomatic fallout between Saudi Arabia and Iran has been hard to ignore. Al-Nimr was one of 47 people killed by the Saudi authorities as part of a mass execution designed to project strength, inflame tensions and send a clear signal to the world that there will be no change in the Kingdom in 2016. The response from Saudis international allies has been meek to say the least. The USA 'raised concerns' and nothing more, similarly the European Union warned of 'dangerous consequences' but expressed little condemnation of the executions themselves. With 47 beheaded and the breakdown of the ceasefire in Yemen, which Saudi has been bombing since March last year, now is not a time for voicing half-hearted concerns. Its time to hit them where it hurts: their wallets. The first country to talk about altering the way it does business with the Saudis was Germany. Yesterday Sigmar Gabriel, the Economy Minister, said that Germany will review its arms sales to the Kingdom. This followed the decision of German intelligence services to go on record in accusing the Saudi authorities of 'destabilising' the Arab World' last month. In contrast, when David Cameron finally broke his silence it was only to underline his opposition to the death penalty rather than to criticise the Saudi government itself. Nothing was said of the 5.6 billion worth of arms that the UK has licensed to Saudi Arabia since he took office. Nor did he mention the recent allegations of war crimes or the scores of UK fighter jets and bombs that have been so central to the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen. Of course the issue goes beyond David Cameron. UK governments of all colours have built a uniquely close military relationship with the Saudis. The last time the UK considered its relationship was in 2004, when the Serious Fraud office began looking into corruption relating to arms sales to the regime. The investigation threatened to unearth a litany of embarrassing details, but, after a concerted lobbying effort, including interventions by Tony Blair and the Attorney General, it was dropped. This pattern of trading political favours and arms deals has only continued. Over recent months it has been alleged that the UK lobbied behind the scenes to secure Saudi Arabia's painfully ironic election to the UN Human Rights Council. Furthermore, the Independent has revealed that Saudi was the only major death penalty state to be omitted from the UK's anti death penalty strategy. If governments such as the UK really believe that human rights are universal then they must use their influence to oppose brutality and oppression wherever it takes place, whether its carried out by violent death cults like ISIS or autocracies like Saudi Arabia. If Germany's review results in any meaningful change then it will set an important precedent and apply much needed pressure on the wider international community to act. Last year the Swedish Foreign Minister tore up its memorandum of understanding with Saudi, citing the barbaric treatment of blogger Raif Badawi, who was sentenced to 1000 lashes and ten years in prison, as her reason for doing so. Unfortunately her words were short lived and the arms sales resumed only a few months later. Ultimately it is the Saudi authorities that are to blame for the mass executions and the other appalling abuses it carries out, but they are aided, fuelled and facilitated by countries such as the UK. The current policy of selective silence only legitimises the oppression taking place. It empowers the regime and sends a sign to those on the coalface of oppression that their human rights are negotiable and that their lives are of less concern than arms company profits. Andrew Smith is a spokesperson for Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The banks are no longer in the doghouse or, at least, not so far as the government is concerned. Never mind that their manipulation of financial markets against the interests of their customers is still fresh in the mind and that the courts are handing down prison sentences for those found guilty. Forget all that stuff about high-street banks mis-selling financial products to their customers, you and me in other words, for which they have had to set aside a colossal 26bn to meet claims. It is, apparently, time to move on. Of course, there has been no announcement as such. This is a case where you look at the facts and draw your conclusions. For me, the final proof came with this weeks announcement by one of the Citys two regulators, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), that it was abandoning its plan to inquire into the culture of banks. Compare this withdrawal with what this same regulator said less than a year ago about the importance of culture. Our Risk Outlook 2014/15 noted how important embedding cultural change would be to regaining the trust of consumers, as well as achieving our objectives. This remains true for the coming year and the foreseeable future We continue to address conduct issues arising from failures in firm culture and are committed to ensuring this momentum is not lost. Now this commitment has gone. How did this come about? The most plausible starting point is April 2015. With just a few weeks to go before the General Election, the giant bank HSBC announced that it had ordered a review into whether it should move its headquarters out of Britain, thus damaging Londons reputation as a global hub for finance and investment. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, cannot have liked the sound of this. Threatening to move domicile is frequently used by large international companies as a way of bringing pressure to bear on national governments. Just seven weeks later in a Mansion House speech in June, Mr Osborne made plain his discomfort. He said he wanted Britain to be the best place for European and global bank HQs, adding: Its in our national interest to be so. At the same time, the door to the doghouse was to be left open: Our financial services industry in Britain has, in recent years, been seen as part of the problem now it must become part of the solution Now we can raise our ambition and ensure we have the best, and most competitive, financial services in the world. Except that the Chancellor himself doesnt have the key in his own pocket. It is the FCA which opens or closes the door. And under its tough chief executive, Martin Wheatley, the prospect of the lock being turned seemed remote. So Mr Wheatley would have to go. Thus seven weeks later, 17 July, Mr Wheatley was sacked. Mr Osborne said different leadership was needed to take the regulator forwards. Britain needs a tough, strong financial conduct regulator. The government believes that different leadership is required to build on those foundations and take the organisation to the next stage of its development, he said. In proceeding thus, the Chancellor had had a stroke of luck. For under Mr Wheatleys leadership, the FCA had committed a serious error some months earlier. It had deliberately leaked a story to the Daily Telegraph stating that the regulator was planning an inquiry into 30 million pensions and savings policies sold from the 1970s to 2000 with a focus on high fees and bad service. Within seconds of the stock markets opening, shares in insurance companies crashed as shareholders took fright at the likely damage to their investments. The regulator took 15 hours to respond, in a reaction deemed seriously inadequate in an independent report. Mr Osborne immediately declared himself profoundly concerned and described the events as damaging both to the FCA as an institution and to the UKs reputation for regulatory stability and competence. From then onwards Mr Wheatley was at the mercy of the Chancellor. Meanwhile, Mr Osborne had opened another door to bankers the door to his own office. Since the General Election, he has privately met with representatives of the banks five times. This compares with no meetings in the same period of 2014. And as the bank chiefs walked into his office, they will have known that they had a lot going for them despite their poor treatment of customers and brushes with the law. They would be speaking to a Chancellor who, reassuringly, believes in deregulation, who is comfortable with a minimum state and who wants to keep down levels of income tax. They would know, too, that the government couldnt be complacent about the Citys future. For there are constant threats from Brussels as well as competition from financial centres in the East. So here I try to put myself into the bankers shoes and I imagine they say to Osborne something like this: Look, we both really want the same thing. You want to keep the City as the worlds pre-eminent financial centre. And we want to feel comfortable doing business here. That means, to be frank, lighter regulation and lower taxes. So we can do a deal, surely? The Chancellor seems to have listened and the FCA seems to have caught the drift. So at the same time that it called off its inquiry into bank culture, it also announced that it would be taking no formal action against HSBC following indications that the banks Swiss unit had been giving customers a helping hand with their tax liabilities. So the door to the doghouse swings on its hinges. The bankers are no longer there and will not be returning any time soon. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} After one of the most protracted reshuffles in recent years, the new shadow cabinet has finally been announced. Michael Dugher was first to be sacked from his position as shadow culture secretary and, more than 12 hours later, Europe spokesman Pat McFadden went the same way. Emily Thornberry, who opposes the Trident nuclear deterrent alongside Corbyn, has been brought into the fold as the new shadow defence secretary, replacing the pro-Trident Maria Eagle, who has been demoted to shadow culture secretary. Even after taking more than 30 hours to reach his decisions, Corbyn faced an immediate backlash. Kevan Jones, the shadow minister for the armed forces, has already resigned , citing his support for Trident. Another two front benchers Stephen Doughty and Jonathan Reynolds have also quit in protest over McFaddens sacking. The key element of the reshuffle is not who has been sacked, though. Its who hasnt been. And the name on everyones lips is Hilary Benn. Out of options The tricky situation in which Corbyn found himself was somewhat inevitable. He is surrounded by a Parliamentary Labour Party that largely doesnt support him or his policies, yet he received a massive mandate from those voting in the Labour Party leadership contest. Corbyn needs to create a strong, cohesive, loyal shadow cabinet to fight his corner and sell his policies to the party and the public at large. However, this is directly at odds with his personal history. As a left-wing MP in a centrist party during the Blair and Brown years, Corbyn became a rebel, repeatedly voting against his party leader and the partys accepted policies. When he became leader, Corbyn said he wanted a new kind of politics. He wanted to be inclusive and allow members of his cabinet to express their opinions and discuss issues freely. Unfortunately, the management of a major political party in the UK does not suit factionalism. Voters and supporters of any political party require unity of purpose and policy. Rebellion signals troublesome infighting and often leads to electoral disaster. The recent debate on airstrikes in Syria brought this into sharp focus. Corbyn spoke passionately of his opposition to war but only a little later, Benn, shadow foreign secretary, stood up from the same bench to give the speech of his life in support of the attacks. The question for Corbyn was what to do about the obvious dissent in his ranks. The answer was somewhat clearer in terms of Maria Eagle. Her support for Britains nuclear deterrent immediately put her at odds with Corbyn and his supporters. It was only a matter of time before that made her job untenable. But her removal, while fairly straight forward in party management terms, has raised huge questions over the credibility of the front bench, particularly with reports of North Korea detonating a nuclear weapon overnight. The timing could not be worse for Corbyn and the suggestion from his shadow chancellor that opponents somehow temporarily move to the backbenches to express criticism of the leaders is, at best naive, and at worst, completely ludicrous. That logic certainly hasnt been applied to Benn. He has become such an important and influential figure within the Labour Party that Corbyn faced a difficult reality. Did he want a strong shadow cabinet colleague who would, on occasion, feel able to speak out against the views of his leader and perhaps the wider shadow cabinet or did he want such a big beast roaming the backbenches, taking potshots at the leadership at will? Corbyn appears to have concluded that keeping Benn in post was the lesser of the two evils. Press reports overnight indicate that Benns survival may have been linked to a deal not to speak out against the leader, but this seems a little unlikely. Benns speech during the Syrian airstrikes debate was delivered knowing the views of his leader and the trouble which his dissent could bring. He did it anyway and his profile profited enormously. Why would he stifle his conscience and remove his own freedom of speech in order to become a puppet shadow foreign secretary now? Corbyn has attempted to secure his position by strengthening his shadow cabinet and drawing in those who are ideologically similar to him. This may be problematic as it appears that the shadow cabinet is becoming increasingly separated from the wider Parliamentary Labour Party, which might lead to disaster in the future. Damage is already being done if opinion polls on the party and the leader are to be believed. The rhetoric of a new type of politics seems to now only partially apply. Corbyn expects Labour MPs to do as he says, not as he has previously done. Hilary Benn remains a key party figure, but how long can he continue when his views on foreign policy are so at odds with those of his leader? Surely that will depend on his support within the party. He could easily begin to fade and any loss of support would make him vulnerable. More likely, Benn will continue to be a thorn in Corbyns side, as his supporters, of whom there are many, wonder whether he wouldnt make a better leader. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} By burning wood pellets instead of coal Drax power station has turned green, according to your report Green energy: How one power plant chips away at the UKs carbon footprint (5 January). We would strongly disagree. The pellets for Drax are coming from the forests of south-east America where pellet exports have dramatically increased in recent years. The European Commission has this week opened an investigation to assess whether UK government plans to support the conversion of part of the Drax plant to operate on biomass are in line with EU state aid rules. Wood pellets from the US are not made of only low-grade waste wood or residues that serve no other use. A majority of the pellets are made of whole, hardwood trees, harvested by vast clear cuts. A study by the American Forest & Paper Association confirmed that 76 per cent of the feedstocks used to produce pellets is pulpwood that could also be used for paper, packaging or wood panels. The forests of the south-eastern US are the most biodiverse in North America. They protect water resources and provide storm protection. Left standing, they are a defence against climate change they remove and store vast amounts of carbon. When harvested for energy, this carbon is released into the atmosphere, and while carbon is taken up in the growing process, the emission savings estimated by Drax ignore the impacts on the carbon storages of forests. If plants such as Drax are allowed to get away with burning trees in place of coal in the name of reducing carbon emissions, all the progress made towards achieving a low-carbon energy future will be significantly undermined. Even worse, it will accelerate carbon emissions, while fast-tracking the destruction of forests across the globe. Forests should generally not be looked to as a primary fuel source for generating electricity. Instead we should value them for their life-supporting climate, water, storm protection and biodiversity benefits and use the amount of wood that can be harvested sustainably in the most efficient way possible. Jeremy Wates Secretary General European Environment Bureau, Brussels Doctors must avoid pay trap Adrian Whittakers well-argued defence of the decision to strike by junior doctors (letter, 6 January) made me think of a similar episode during my training as a hospital doctor in the 1970s. One of the main differences was that we believed that the British Medical Association was our professional organisation, rather than our trade union, and would act in the best interests of the profession. Of course, we had the usual ill-founded criticisms of our proposed strike action by the politicians, with weasel words about being disappointed and accusing us of putting patients at risk, as though they had no responsibility in the matter. Sadly, for many of us, the opportunity to reform working practices only resulted in the BMA negotiating more pay. I hope that my profession does not make the same mistake again. Angus McPherson Findon, West Sussex Your sub-editors do a disservice to Jane Merricks thoughtful article on the junior doctor crisis (6 January) when they headline it on the front page: A waitress by night, a junior doctor by day. This will only add to confusion in the minds of the public about this dispute, as the article refers to a medical student, not a doctor, who was moonlighting as a waitress. Junior doctors are not students but highly qualified doctors who in many cases are in their middle 30s or older, have several postgraduate qualifications and are in effect working as independent practitioners within the hospital; most are settled with families and mortgages and have a right to expect fair compensation for their very difficult work-life balance. Dr Joanna Raeburn London SE21 To the list of workers in the NHS backing the junior doctors stance (letter, 6 January), you can add the name of at least one patient: mine. And I cant be alone. Eddie Dougall Walsham le Willows, Suffolk Both Jeremy Hunt and the junior doctors are publicly funded. Who is of more use and benefit to the NHS and thus represents value for taxpayers money? S Lawton Kirtlington, Oxfordshire Europes borders under pressure The EU refugee crisis is a growing concern; with the intensity exacerbated by the conflicts in Syria and Iraq, unrest in Africa and instability in Libya, refugee migration exceeded 1 million in 2015. Migration is burgeoning under the conflict, so is it really a surprise that EU countries are now seeking control over their own borders within the Schengen Zone (The end of Schengen?, 5 January)? I acknowledge the discomfort that exists as a byproduct of this decision, however it is a small price to pay for the security of ones own country. Aaron Trzcinski London SW6 The European dream began as a western European club with free movement of people from the major western European member states. And like any manageable operation it worked well. It all started to go wrong when the ex-communist eastern European countries with lower living standards became members. Not only did millions of poorly paid workers see gold in the west but it extended Europes borders to the volatile Balkans, Russian states and Asia, covering a vast area impossible to control, enabling millions of non-Europeans to try their luck. We are now seeing the result of this insanity, as every poor and persecuted person in Africa and Asia believes they have a right to seek a better life in the richer and more liberal western European societies. And Angela Merkel has given millions all the encouragement they need to head west. Peter Fieldman Paris Fewer schools open to boys Girls who attend single-sex schools are at a disadvantage, according to Richard Cairns, headmaster of Brighton College, reported by Richard Garner (5 January). Predictably Caroline Jordan, president of the Girls Schools Association, does not agree. For the past 13 years I have had a chance to gain my own perspective, having advised independent school parents on senior school options first in London, then in Sussex and most recently in Norwich, where I am head of a leading independent prep school. During that time, I have visited countless senior schools. Few have been for boys only, with the vast majority being either co-ed or all-girl. I have seen excellent examples of both and, in the belief that different schools suit different children, rejoice in the diversity the independent sector offers pupils. Except that the choice is definitely more diverse if you are a girl. It can be much harder for boys to find a good place. So many fantastic options are simply not open to them. I have thought on a number of occasions visiting all-girls schools how much many of the boys I teach would enjoy and benefit from what they have to offer. Just as many former boys schools have welcomed girls, while still maintaining their distinctiveness, I would like to see more all-girls schools welcoming boys. Nicholas Bevington Headmaster Town Close School, Norwich Among the effects of attending a single-sex girls school, not cited in Richard Garners article, were for me: an inability to treat boys as friends rather than boyfriends; a horror of socialising with groups of females; and suddenly discovering, in a mixed group at college, a whole different way of understanding many aspects of English literature. Aline Turner Falmouth, Cornwall Growing power of backbench MPs While Jeremy Corbyns decision to allow Labour MPs a free vote on Syria and David Camerons decision to let Tory MPs do the same on the EU are invariably viewed differently by a largely right-of-centre media, they both reflect an age when the power and influence of backbench and dissident MPs is growing at the expense of leaders. That surely is no bad thing in general for parliamentary democracy. One might even see it as the legacy of Corbyns backbench revolts in the 1980s and 1990s. Keith Flett London N17 Odd attitude to lottery odds It has always interested me that people seem to be convinced that they are in with a chance of a huge win in the lottery despite the enormous odds (letter, 6 January). If, however, the same odds were given against contracting a dreadful illness, they would feel completely safe. Ann Smith Southport Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Was it an H-bomb or a mere atom bomb? The details of North Koreas New Year gift to the world, an underground nuclear test, are important. An H-bomb would add range to the hermit kingdoms belligerence, with the ultimate dream being a nuclear missile that could reach America itself. A terrifying prospect. And yet to North Koreas most important friend an admittedly sparse field it hardly seems to matter. To Beijing the fact of these nuclear antics is sufficient reason for anger. Above all, it threatens Chinas economic renaissance, already looking more fragile, by damaging relations with the US and putting investors off the whole region; and the Chinese resent their citizens being exposed to radiation. China would love North Korea to behave responsibly but has surprisingly little leverage and relations are worsening. One of the more bizarre recent incidents was the cancellation of a Beijing concert by the North Korean pop group Moranbong, a Kim Jong-un inspired version of the Spice Girls. There was a spat about the lack of senior Chinese officials scheduled to attend the gig, and Beijing objected to a lyric about America being an ambitious wolf (mild by North Korean standards). Mr Kims girl band promptly left the country, a rude gesture. China, though, is unwilling to sink Mr Kim, even if it could, because a united Korea might entail US troops on its border; it also frets about Russia replacing it in Mr Kims affections. Yet, in his New Year message Mr Kim made doveish noises about South Korea, and was publicly moved by the death, in an apparent car accident, of North Koreas principal negotiator with Seoul. At times, especially under President Clintons sunshine policy of detente, the North has been friendlier; but a missile lobbed towards its capitalist neighbours was never far behind. The worlds last Stalinist state shows no sign of changing its strange, dangerous ways. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A teary-eyed Barack Obama addressed the American people yesterday to announce that he was using his executive order to introduce stricter background checks for potential gun owners, without the approval of Congress. Twitter and the media reacted in praise for the President, who is taking timely action given the recent armed militancy in Oregon, as well as a persistent spate of gun crime throughout his presidency, including the tragic massacre at Sandy Hook elementary school in 2012. Undeniably American gun sales are out of control. Obama's movement is a small step towards making life safer for Americans. However his statements and his tears must be viewed with cynicism if we consider his foreign policy agenda since coming to power in 2008. Although Obama somehow managed to win the Nobel Peace Prize back in 2009, he is no benevolent advocate of world peace. Barack Obama might be clamping down on arms sales at home but he is certainly not doing much about arms sales abroad. In fact the Obama administration has been embarrassingly caught selling arms to Mexico in operation "Fast and Furious" in which tens of thousands of arms were sold to people with links to Mexican drug cartels. This, an action clearly running counter to Obama's anti-gun tears, is barely the tip of the iceberg. Like the UK, the US is a major exporter of arms. In fact, from 2010 to 2014 the US was the world's top exporter of arms with a 31 per cent share of global arms exports. Recommended Read more How one social media post about a custard cream changed my life Obama's administration, like those before it, has been selling guns to some of the world's most despotic and corrupt regimes. Despite Saudi Arabia coming under fire for executing 47 people last week, Obama's administration approved the sale of $1.29 billion in bombs to Saudi Arabia back in November. Of course, the prospect of ending these arms deal is not even considered. Nor is the fact that whilst the US are fixated on combating Isis, it has been reported by the New York Times (among others) that many of the arms utilised by Isis are flowing in from the US, via the arming of rebel forces. Obama is not so quick to shed a tear for all the children who have died at the hands of America's troops, or even at the hands of American-made weapons, when they are not on his own soil. Obama tears up during speech This is not to mention that while Obama has been seen by some as a peaceful leader, he has escalated America's drone wars, with 90 per cent of those killed by drone strikes "not the intended targets", including many civilians. Going even further to maximise casualties, the controversial "double tap" has become commonplace during his Presidency according to activist groups, meaning that those attempting to tend to victims of drone strikes have then themselves been killed by a second round of bombing. Obama is a hypocrite. His tears cannot be taken as anything other than a grand publicity stunt to justify a political agenda at home. These tears are contradicted by his lust for war overseas and his government's insistence of selling arms on a mass scale. And this isn't just the case under Obama; it started before him and it'll continue long after him. America is built on a military industrial complex. America does have a gun control problem and the 32,000 Americans who lose their lives each year because of gun violence should be mourned. But so should those who lose their lives at the hands of American arms, whether they're used by American troops, or by Mexican cartels, Isis or Saudi despots who benefit from America's arms dealings. Obama's tears can be deemed as nothing short of disingenuous, representing a gross double standard whereby he mourns deaths at homes but facilitates them abroad. Because Barack Obama is no pacifist; he never has been. He is simply a savvy politician. Amit Singh is the editor of Consented - you can follow him on Twitter @Consenteduk Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} It must have been his spell as a sub-editor on The Independent that gave Roland Hughes his keen news sense, and his eye for a story. Mr Hughes, now a senior journalist at the BBC, is the man responsible for turning the photograph of a street scene in Manchester on New Years Eve into a global viral sensation. The picture was taken by freelance photographer Joel Goodman, and was one of many images of a Mancunian new year in an online gallery created by the Manchester Evening News. The alert Mr Hughes spotted the artistic merit of this particular shot, and tweeted that it looked like a beautiful painting. He was, he says, inundated with responses on Twitter, as people compared it with works by Caravaggio, Hogarth and Lowry. Thus far, the original post by Mr Hughes, who has barely 4,000 followers, has been retweeted 30,000 times, and newspapers around the world have written learned deconstructions of the photograph, explaining that its composition fits the golden ratio, a mathematical proportion which artists and architects such as Dali and Le Corbusier found to be aesthetically pleasing. Forgetting the aesthetics for a minute, what about the content? Its hard to know exactly where to look, but it seems pretty clear that its the immediate aftermath of an alcohol-fuelled discussion. One man is lying in the middle of the street, apparently having been knocked to the ground. Even though his position has been compared with that of the God-like figure in Michelangelos Creation of Adam, his outstretched hand is performing a less divine function. He is clutching at a bottle of beer, and seems not to have spilled a drop on his journey from the vertical to the horizontal. The man, now identified as 47-year-old Mike Deveney, says he cant remember a thing about the incident. Meanwhile, two policemen appear to be grappling with another man, and presumably not because he was lying on double yellow lines. A woman in a red dress and furry coat stands by and remonstrates, while a group of young people on the street corner survey the scene with a mixture of interest and insouciance. It is, without doubt, an (ahem) arresting image of life after midnight in modern Britain, and like any important work of art, it exposes a wider truth about life. There is nothing to place this scene, and given that in the background we can see branches of Superdry and Greggs, it neatly defines the homogeneity of British high street. Moreover, it has no particular relevance to Manchester: this picture could have been taken in any big city or town in Britain at precisely the same time on New Years Eve, or indeed any Saturday night. I dont want to come over all Daily Mail on this, but for those of us who are not regularly exposed to the rituals of urban drinking culture (the pre-lash, the lash, and the after-party), the levels of consumption, with the inevitable effects on our streets the fighting and the vomiting, for example can be quite shocking. In that way, Joel Goodmans photograph, splendidly spotted and curated by Roland Hughes, is not simply a wonderfully composed image. It is an essay on the way we live now. Anti-terrorist officers have revealed a lethal haul of dissident republican weapons including r ockets, Semtex explosives, mortars, AK47s and a sniper rifle. Warning of the increasing terrorism threat on both sides of the border, gardai displayed a beer keg bomb discovered during searches at Kilcurry, Co Louth in May 2014. Expand Expand Previous Next Close Detective Garda Shay O'Donnell holds an Ak-47 as samples of weapons seized during investigations into dissident republican activity in 2014 and 2015 go on display at Garda headquarters in Dublin. Brian Lawless/PA Wire Detective Sergeant Tom Carey holds an improvised rocket in a display of samples of weapons seized during investigations into dissident republican activity / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Detective Garda Shay O'Donnell holds an Ak-47 as samples of weapons seized during investigations into dissident republican activity in 2014 and 2015 go on display at Garda headquarters in Dublin. Brian Lawless/PA Wire Some of the most shocking discoveries included sophisticated, home-made rockets, about four feet long, which could have been self-propelled by an electronic firing mechanism and carry explosive warheads. In 2015, 31 people were arrested on suspicion of dissident republican activity and 22 have appeared before the Special Criminal Court charged with terrorism related offences. The lethal haul was recovered in a series of operations over the past two years when about 30 pieces of weaponry and 1,000 rounds of ammunitions were taken off the streets. It also included a Sten machine gun, bullets for rifles and materials for bomb detonators including a phone trigger circuit, cords and timer power units. Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Samples of weapons seized during investigations into dissident republican activity in 2014 and 2015 on display at Garda headquarters in Dublin. Brian Lawless/PA Wire Samples of weapons seized during investigations into dissident republican activity in 2014 and 2015 on display at Garda headquarters in Dublin. Brian Lawless/PA Wire Samples of weapons seized during investigations into dissident republican activity in 2014 and 2015 on display at Garda headquarters in Dublin. Brian Lawless/PA Wire / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Samples of weapons seized during investigations into dissident republican activity in 2014 and 2015 on display at Garda headquarters in Dublin. Brian Lawless/PA Wire Gardai said the seizures and arrests were made all over the country including in Cork, Limerick, Mayo, Waterford, Kildare and Louth. Assistant Commissioner John O'Mahony said: "I can say with confidence that our interventions and arrests have, without doubt, saved lives. "I don't say this lightly and I think the array of items on display demonstrates a lethal capability." Gardai stressed the weaponry on display was on only a sample of what is available to dissidents in Ireland. The Assistant Commissioner added: "Our success in disrupting this dissident republican activity is demonstrative of our commitment and capability in this area. "One of the strategic goals of An Garda Siochana is to maintain national security and we will continue to direct our resources in areas which disrupt the activities of these individuals and help keep the people of this island safe." And he also warned detective units would be on the look out for dissidents attempting to use the 1916 centenary to launch attacks. NAMA and the Central Bank are to co-fund the development of a commercial property statistical system to provide a comprehensive database on what's going on in the sector. The initiative will be developed and maintained by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), but won't be up and running until 2018. It will include prices and give a database of sales and lease transactions. A NAMA spokesman said the agency has long recognised that there has existed a deficit of information on the Irish commercial property market. "NAMA was in favour of the introduction of the residential property price register and is co-funding the CPSS as it will support the improved functioning of the commercial property market. "It is relevant to NAMA's ongoing work and its benefits will extend beyond NAMA," he said. The agency said the system will incorporate the existing commercial lease register, currently produced by the Property Services Regulatory Authority (PSRA). "Details on the operation of the new system will be a matter for the Central Statistics Office (CSO)," the spokesman added. The level of funding to be provided has not been disclosed. The agency yesterday published its end of year review for 2015 and said it had generated 9.1bn in cash during the year, with 8.5bn in loan and assets sales. During the course of the year 5.5bn in senior debt was repaid. It also claimed that more than 2,300 new homes had been funded by it up to the end of 2015. And it claimed that all ghost housing estates in the State will be resolved by the end of this year. The agency said that with 5.5bn in senior debt redeemed during the year, 22.1bn has been repaid so far. "NAMA's strong financial position at 31 December 2015, including a closing cash position of 3.4bn, means that it remains on course to meet the cumulative 80pc (24bn ) senior debt redemption target set for the end of 2016 and the target of redeeming all senior debt (30.2bn) by 2018. The agency said 9.1bn in cash was generated in 2015, which included 8.5bn from the proceeds of asset and loan disposals. Total cash generated since 2010 has reached 32.7bn, with 27.2 billion arising from asset and loan disposals. And it claimed it had achieved its end-2015 target of delivering 2,000 houses and apartments for social housing. A 3M state-of-the-art cubing plant to target the growing dairy feed market is set to begin production at Liffey Mills headquarters in Roscrea. Pat Ryan, managing director of feed merchants Liffey Mills, explained the company first began working on the idea in 2012 with the end of milk quotas in sight. "We saw growth potential with farmers moving into dairying in a market that has been stagnant for 30-years," he explained. Strong growth of up to 30pc was recorded in milk in 2015. Mr Ryan said previously dairy cows were being fed with quotas in mind but now farmers were aiming to enhance output and solids. He said they previously had nuts made for their dairy cutomers by an outside contractor. "We are making ourselves relevant to the customers and we are cutting out a margin," he said. The plant has the capability of producing 16t of nuts an hour from ingredients such as barley and proteins. Mr Ryan said all were welcome as they launch the new feed range on Wednesday, January 13 at 8pm in Racket Hall Hotel, Roscrea, Co Tipperary, with grassland research expert Dr Michael O'Donovan from Teagasc among the speakers. Mediate with Steve Pearl My knowledge of employment law, neutrality, and natural tenacity allow me to resolve cases effectively. Contact Haward Cho at Haward@ADRServices.org or (213) 683-1600 to calendar a mediation. Some 500 students from more than 100 schools across Ireland will gather at Lisgarvan House in Ballon, Co Carlow on March 12 next for the Holmestead All Ireland Schools' Hunter Trials. The event is to be sponsored by Holmestead Saddlery and Wriggle, the leading mobile learning specialist for schools in Ireland. Just before Christmas Irish international show jumper Bertram Allen took time out of his busy schedule to launch the competition which will be hosted for the first time by Colaiste Bhride in Carnew. School principal Linda Dunne was delighted that the young rider could attend this special launch. "To have achieved so much in one so young is an inspiring and wonderful triumph," she said. "We have watched his swift progress with interest and we are very grateful for Bertram to take time out of his busy international schedule to launch this important competition. We look forward to seeing more young hopefuls follow his footsteps and go on to compete at national and international levels." The school, which next year will celebrate its 80th anniversary, has a strong equestrian tradition as befits its largely rural community. In recent years the school's equestrian teams have competed in Hickstead in the UK, and have won multiple titles in the inter-schools show jumping here at home. The All-Ireland Schools' Hunter Trials was conceived in the early 1980s, with the first event being hosted by CBS New Ross. The competition stayed in the New Ross area for the next 10 years, with Laurel Hill Limerick travelling some distance and winning on three separate occasions. By 1986 a national association was established (NAST). The event soon became national and over the next 29 years was hosted by schools in Kilkenny, Tipperary, Westmeath, Limerick, Waterford, Wexford, Carlow, Dublin and Laois. Entry details for the 2016 renewal can be obtained from cbcarnew.ie and equestrianinterschools.com. Bertram Allen with school principal Linda Dunne and students from Colaiste Bhride at the launch of the Schools Hunter Trials There has been an outbreak of Bird flu in south western France. More than 64 farms have suffered outbreaks of a highly pathogenic bird flu in south-western regions of France. The French Ministry of Agriculture reported the strain is H5N1. The total number of confirmed cases of the virus has increased to 64, with 13 in the Dordogne region. A survey of 25 successful auctions held in the counties of Connacht along with the Ulster counties of Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan in 2015 shows a decrease of 2.11pc in the volume of land sold and a decrease of 11pc in the amount of money generated compared to 2014. A total of 1,342ac changed hands generating a total of 8.773m resulting in a per acre average of 6,537. Roscommon auctioneer, John Earley thinks these results reflect what was happening on the ground. "While the volume of sales increased and while the year started well the strength went out of the market in the middle of the year," he said. "Nevertheless there is a lot of demand for land but the prices are not there," he said. "Only for the UK buyers I'd have a very quiet time in land sales." Tuam auctioneer Martin Tyrell says that confidence is returning to the market and he is seeing decent prices paid in private treaty sales. "If the land is good and located in a good farming area then you'll get the money," he said. "In recent months I have got prices ranging from 6,500 to 10,000/ac for good farming land in this area," he said. The land market in Connacht-Ulster lags behind the rest of the country with the average per acre price trailing almost 35pc behind the national average. The 1,342ac of land sold at auction in 2015 generated 8.7m, a figure well down on the 9.8m generated in 2014. The average price of 6,537/ac is also well back on the 7,195 of the previous year. One property in the region broke the 1m mark in 2015. The farm in question was a dispersed holding at Cloonfad in Co Roscommon that sold in lots under the gavel of Gerry Coffey netting a total of 1,040,000 or 6,887/ac. The next highest price was paid for an 80ac residential grass farm with a period residence at Feaghmore, Eyrecourt in Co Galway that sold under the hammer of DNG's Ger O'Toole for 990,000. The largest holding to sell at auction in the region was a 263ac portion of the famous Markree Estate at Collooney in Sligo. The holding netted 762,000 or 2,897/ac under the hammer of Robert Ganly in a sale jointly handled with John Murphy of Tubbercurry. A 120ac farm at Rooskey and Strokestown in Co Roscommon was sold in lots by Paul Lafferty and Tom Cox for 430,000 or 3,583/ac. The dearest per acre price was paid for a 15.2ac parcel of ground at Derryhiney, Portumna, Co Galway that netted 192,000, or12,631/ac. Also among the better prices in the region was the amount paid for a 20ac grass farm with a derelict house at Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan. The holding sold at an auction conducted by Raymond Smith and made 240,000 or 12,000/ac. Another good land sale saw a 37.6ac parcel of grass at Killoughey, Raphoe in Co Donegal make 392,000 or 10,425/ac when it sold to a local farmer at an auction conducted by Henry Kee. Looking ahead to 2016 John Earley expects more and more investors to take advantage of the investment opportunity offered by land, especially given the tax breaks for long term letting coupled with the incentives for tenants to improve the land they are renting. "Buying land for rent is now really attractive for someone who wants a real return on their money and an improvement in their asset," the Roscommon auctioneer said. "You can get a tax free return of around 4pc on your money. And under the new letting conditions and incentives you will get your property back after a long term lease in better condition than when you first let it." Even the most sceptical among us must by now be convinced that our climate is changing. We might argue over the causes but the effects are dramatic. This was clearly evident in recent weeks as people struggled to save both their homes and businesses in the face of rising floods. Watching the news on TV each evening, I could not help wondering how it is that the Dutch seem to manage rather well despite centuries of battling with flood waters. It is over a decade since I last visited Holland as part of a group who wished to learn more about how the Dutch manage their woodland and remarkably, despite being such a low lying country, they have the same percentage of tree cover as we do. All of the woods in Holland are grown on a continuous cover basis and one well established site we visited was a striking example of how to grow good ash among other broadleaves with a mix of conifers scattered here and there throughout. It was a fine wood and very productive with many of the ash butts being exported to Ireland for hurley manufacture. What was most remarkable however was the fact that the forest floor was five metres below sea level. On questioning the forester in charge, he told me that if they stopped pumping, the area would be immediately flooded. How on earth do they do it? Centuries ago the Dutch people built huge dykes and began to reclaim land from the sea. They used windmills to drive pumps and gradually they won the battle, eventually creating thousands of hectares of farmland where formerly there was nothing but tidal saline floodplains. We have much to learn from them, not least the manner in which they now use wind power to help create the electricity to power the massive pumps that keep so much of their land above water. Flying in over the coastline on that visit, it was fascinating to see so many wind farms and it was only later I realised their importance to the Dutch economy. Driving throughout Ireland these days all I see are large notices at various locations protesting at the many proposed wind farm developments. This inevitably makes me wonder why we have such a negative attitude to sustainable development. Or is it just another example of our NIMBY (not in my backyard) behavior, for it seems that protesting against almost any change has become a national sport here. Nonsense Back in the 1970s we had endless protests and placard waving against afforestation and now we have the same nonsense cropping up occasionally when it is proposed to fell the same trees in a proper manner. But then the Irish are not alone when it comes to silly and selfish behavior, where the greater good of the nation comes second to the whims of a few local residents. In his marvelous book, The Shepherd's Life, James Rebanks despairs at the behavior of the new residents to the Lake District in Cumbria where he farms. He wonders how the old farmhouses ever got built given the level of protest hurled at the farming community by the newly arrived homeowners who even object to the noise of sheep bleating on the fells. Even more ridiculous is the following news item from the US about objections to a solar farm. "Members of the community in Woodland, North Carolina expressed their fear and distrust of solar panels before a vote on whether the land in question should be rezoned to allow a company to build a solar farm off US Highway 258. "One local man said that businesses would stop going to Woodland, the community would suffer as a result and the panels would suck up all the energy from the sun," according to a report in the local paper. "'You're killing your town,' he said. 'All the young people are going to move out.'" "One lady, a retired science teacher, expressed concerns that plants in the vicinity of the panels would not photosynthesize which would prevent the plants from growing. She also questioned the high number of cancer deaths in the area, saying no one could tell her that solar panels didn't cause cancer". Solar farms must be the cleanest and safest low-impact form of electricity generation available but apparently some people actually believe the rubbish quoted above. I wonder what the Dutch would make of them. Reducing teat dipping, antibiotic use, and hot washes are just some of the drastic measures being suggested to farmers ahead of another year of low milk prices. Cutting costs to cope with falling incomes is one of the big topics for discussion at the Irish Grassland Association's (IGA) dairy conference in Limerick this week. While spring calving farmers escaped the worst of the price falls last year because their peak had passed when prices really started to plummet, the opposite appears to be the case in 2016. Grasstec's Noel Gowan will outline a series of measures to cut costs by at least 15pc this year, with increased grass measurement and management key. Despite the well publicised benefits of maximising grass utilisation, it is estimated that less than 1,000 farmers measure their grass on a weekly basis. "This will also help reduce machinery or contractor bills because it should reduce the need for pre- mowing and topping," says Mr Gowan. The dairy advisor will also highlight a number of ways that farmers can save when shelling out on routine inputs. For example, he points to electricity, minerals and dairy chemicals as areas where a large price variation warrants shopping around. He recommends joining a buying group, along with switching to straights instead of formulated rations. "This will knock another 35-40/t off costs, and feeding this supplement at lower levels so that it supplements rather than displaces grass intake will help minimise spend", says Mr Gowan. He also questions if farmers should still be using fertility drugs as herd fertility improves, the merits of teat dip when cows are at grass full-time, and using both antibiotics and a teat-seal at drying off. "Use once-off late lactation milk recording to establish SCC levels in each cow and make your decision for each cow based on this," he says. He also advises farmers with closed herds to consider reducing their vaccination programme. He also believes that there is room for cost cutting in relation to the AI straws that are chosen, and switching to generic products rather than using big veterinary brands. Lime application On fertiliser, he advises farmers to use urea instead of CAN, and use nitrogen top-dressing strategically rather than at blanket rates. He also suggests postponing lime applications unless levels are too low, and laying off on maintenance jobs either in the yard or out in the field (reseeding, hedge-cutting or weed spraying) until prices improve. Farmers should also negotiate switching from per acre rates with their contractor, especially if their facilities have improved. Mr Gowan also noted the scope for savings by shopping around on electricity providers, as well as trying to use more night-rate electricity that was half the price of day-time units. He believes that if milk quality is sufficient that reducing the number of hot washes is also possible. Other suggestions include reducing stock numbers, sharing staff with other farms, selling off machinery, postponing non-essential maintenance jobs, and taking more routine jobs such as fencing, hoof-care, and AI back in-house. For more information, see www.iga.ie IGA conference will focus on how to survive with low milk prices Northern Ireland meat giant Dunbia has boosted its profits by more than 40pc, with turnover shooting up to 826m (1,124m) for the year. The latest results for the Dungannon-headquartered firm come after it was revealed last month that the meat company could be sold as it dipped its toe in the water for buyers. A teaser document has been prepared, due to be sent out to businesses who may have an interest in snapping it up. Pre-tax profits at the beef, lamb and pork processor rose to more than 6.5m (8.8m), in the year to March 29, 2015. That's up from 4.6m (6.2m) a year earlier, and an increase of around 8pc. Dunbia's turnover also increased from 769m (1,046m) to 826m (1,124m). It says it's now focusing on "product development and volume growth" in order to expand its business. The company, which has around a dozen sites across the UK and Ireland, was established almost 40 years ago by brothers Jim and Jack Dobson, who still manage day-to-day operations. In the strategic report included in its latest accounts, Dunbia said the "financial position of the group at the end of the of the financial period was considered to be satisfactory". It said its future strategy "will continue to be that of product development and volume growth". "While the group and the industry as a whole have battled with fluctuating livestock prices, the group has been able to work closely with customers in retaining gross profit margin, and will continue to do so." No one from Dunbia was available for comment on the results. Staff numbers across the firm's businesses increased by more than 350, to 3,605 up to March. That led to overall staff costs increasing to almost 74m (100m) for the financial year. Turnover Last year, Dunbia edged close to a 769m turnover for the year ending March 2014. That was up more than 40m (54m) on the previous. But pre-tax profits for the company fell during the course of 2014, dropping by almost 3m (4m) to 4.6m (6.2m). Dunbia supplies meat, including beef, lamb and pork, to a range of customers throughout the UK and further afield. Some of its big contracts include supermarket giants Sainbury's and Asda. It sources livestock from more than 22,000 producers across the UK and Ireland. And while it remains one of Northern Ireland's "most successful red meat companies" it still deals with "fine margins", along with much of the food processing industry here", according to economist John Simpson. Mr Simpson said it is likely to attract interest from meat firms in the UK, and outside.It's not clear whether Dunbia would sell its entire business, or let go some of its dozen sites across the UK and Ireland. Earlier this year, Northern Ireland poultry giant Moy Park was sold to Brazilian food group JBS SA in a deal worth almost 1bn (1.36bn). It also follows the move by Larry Goodman's ABP Group to enter a partnership with Northern Ireland's Linden Foods to run the Slaney Foods business in Ireland. The Slaney business accounts for 6pc of the cattle kill, while the operation Irish Country Meats delivers around 40pc of the sheep kill. ABP processes 22pc of the beef kill and, if it is approved by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, that will increase to 28pc. Farmers paid an average of just over 10,000/ac for land bought at auction last year, with the slump in dairy incomes hitting sales in the southern counties. Overall land prices were virtually unchanged in 2015 compared to the previous year despite a massive increase in the area of ground sold. The average price paid for farmland over the past 12 months was 10,152/ac. This was up just 0.2pc on the 2014 average of 10,135/ac. Last year's slump in dairy returns had a major impact on the market in Munster, where the average sale price for farmland fell by 25pc to 9,057/ac. However, auctioneers say they are getting prices of up to 15,000/ac in private treaty sales for land in Cork. The comprehensive survey by the Farming Independent of 200 published sales found that 10,791ac of ground sold under the hammer and netted 110m. In contrast, the area sold in 2014 was 7,679ac, and the revenue generated stood at 78m. Expensive South Leinster continues to be the most expensive region in which to buy land. In the counties of Kildare, Laois, Carlow, Kilkenny, Wicklow and Wexford the average price paid last year was 12,083/ac, up 8.4pc on the 2014. This is almost double the average for Connacht/Ulster and over 19pc ahead of the national figure. Land sales in the area increased by 44pc, with over 47m spent in the auction rooms, an increase of 57pc on the amount spent the previous year. The strongest performing region last year was North Leinster. The area of land sold at auction there soubled compared to 2014, while the revenue generated increased by 110pc. The average price increased by a modest 6.4pc, rising from 9,493/ac to 10,098/ac. In contrast, the land market in Munster was significantly slower, as falling incomes saw dairy farmers slam the brakes on expansion. A fall in milk incomes and a greater uptake of long-term land leasing rather than purchase was reflected in a massive 2,281/ac drop in the average sale price in the southern province. The average price dropped by a whopping 25pc from 11,338/ac in 2014 to 9,057/ac in 2015. The total amount spent on land in the province decreased by over 6pc to 21m. The IFA is moving into election mode as the entire executive board has agreed to a full-scale vote for all positions pending a change in the rules amid mounting pressure. The six-man board said it had agreed to allow a full round of fresh elections for all the national officer positions alongside the presidential election in the "best interests of the association". A proposal will be put on the table at today's national council meeting to revert to two terms of two-years. This would mean the current board - including deputy president Tim O'Leary, Munster regional chair James McCarthy, South Leinster chair James Murphy, Ulster/North Leinster chair Bert Stewart and Connacht chair Tom Turley- could put themselves forward for a second term. The position held by Jer Bergin of national treasurer is generally decided at the AGM. The board's decision to go forward for elections comes after increased pressure in recent days with a number of county boards passing various motions calling for the entire board to go. Richard Connell, chair of Cork West, said a county meeting on Saturday had demanded a full round of elections. "There was a big call that the full board should step down and get a new mandate," he said. It is expected that a protest due to be staged outside the association's headquarters in Dublin will not go ahead. In addition, the 53-member national council will be asked to vote on changes to rules for the date of the presidential election to allow the council to vote on the best time to stage the contest. To date, seven candidates have sought nominations for the presidency. However, with each person required to get the nomination of six county chairs it means just four can enter the race. Henry Burns, the chair of IFA livestock committee, said he was "confident" he would be in the race and added he had support from all over the country. Carlow IFA chair, Derek Deane, who lead the charge for more information on the salary of the general secretary, also sounded a confident note. Former Macra president, Joe Healy, has secured all the nominations required. "I've had a good show of support from the north-west of the country but also quite a lot from throughout the other counties," said Mr Healy, who compiles the Farming Independent's Ringside marts column. IFA rural development chair Flor McCarthy said he had secured a number of nominations. IFA poultry chair Nigel Reneghan noted that the soon-to-be vacated position of deputy president provided new election openings for candidates. The current deputy president Tim O'Leary and North Tipperary chair Tim Cullinan have also been canvassing ahead of tomorrow's deadline. Our Focus By the end of this century many of the worlds islands and coast lines will have changed or disappeared altogether, placing the lives of millions of people at risk. These are people that live and depend on the ocean for their livelihood. Whilst changes in sea level have occurred over the long geological history of the planet, recent global observations indicate that rising sea-levels will dramatically transform many Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Arctic Communities, Island Nations and Coastal States. One of our missions is to bring together countries, scientists, policy-makers, the civil society, the media and other stakeholders to share know-how; provide a platform for public-private partnerships and mainstream sea-level rise adaptation within country-level institutions. A dairy and beef genetics company is hoping to cash in on the number of Irish people working in New Zealand to raise awareness of Ireland's high EBI bulls. Dovea Genetics has made Irish-bred bulls standing at AI in Ireland commercially available to dairy farmers on both the North and South islands of New Zealand. So far semen from five bulls have been exported in the first consignment, including semen from Gaddagh Cuddy Reeks (GZY) and Aghawadda Arthur (AGH), explained Dovea's export sales manager Conor Ryan. Mr Ryan said they expected demand to grow within two to three years up to 100,000 doses, with more than four million cows in New Zealand. "They are looking for similar bulls - those with short gestation, easy calving and with good milk solids," he said. "They operate a similar grass-based system to here." Mr Ryan said the move was a clear indication of the improvements in the EBI system in Ireland. He said the number of Irish people now working on large-scale dairy farms down under would also an advantage to Dovea as they would be familiar with the breeding and the EBI system. Profile Mr Ryan said that many of those gone abroad would be familiar with Gaddagh Cuddy Reeks (GZY) which topped the the ICBF Active Bull List in 2014. "That'll give him some profile in New Zealand," he said, with a group from AI firms in China due to visit Dovea this month. The company, which currently exports to 20 countries, believes the growth will lie in New Zealand, Australia, East Africa and South America. "We've sent a good volume to Chile every year for the last 12 years. We'll be targetting Columbia and Brazil over the next 12 to 18 months. "We feel our cows would fit in well," he said. "They are paid on solids so any bulls we have producing good solids will attract attention," added Mr Ryan. The executive council of the embattled Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) has agreed to full-blown elections, with farmers asked to go to the polls to select a new president by the end of April. The farm body was thrown into crisis in recent weeks as farmers around the country were outraged after it emerged former general secretary Pat Smith's pay package was worth almost 1m over two years. New rules were passed at yesterday's meeting of the executive council at IFA headquarters in Dublin's Bluebell to allow a full set of mid-term elections to take place for all key positions. As pressure mounted, the executive board - including key positions such as IFA deputy president and the four regional chairmen - had agreed to all positions being put to a mid-term vote by grassroots' members if a rule change could be agreed upon to let them run again in the elections. The meeting proved a lengthy affair as county executives in Donegal, Waterford and Louth argued against the bid by the executive board to be allowed to go forward for re-election to their positions. Deadline However, under the rule change agreed in principle, key positions such as the deputy president and the four regional chairs will be reduced from a four-year term to two periods of two years. It will be open to any members to run and will see the executive board step aside. They can then stand for re-election. Now, if they are elected again they will serve out the remaining two-year term. It will take 28 days for a rule change to come into effect. It is expected farmers will be asked to vote in the first two weeks in April. The race to be the next president of the IFA has been heating up, with the countdown under way to the deadline to lodge nominations in IFA headquarters by close of business today. There are still five candidates with their hats in the ring. However, with each candidate required to secure the nomination of their own county and the backing of five other IFA county chairs, only four will be able to get the required backing. Galway's Joe Healy and IFA livestock chair Henry Burns have secured the nominations, while deputy president Tim O'Leary, IFA Carlow chair Derek Deane and IFA rural development chair Flor McCarthy are still in the chase for the final nominations. Tipperary's Tim Cullinan has pulled out, while Monaghan poultry farmer Nigel Renaghan confirmed he now had his eyes set on the deputy post. The closing date for the nominations for deputy president and the four regional chairs will be early February. Farmers have voiced their anger at meetings throughout the country over the pay controversy that saw both Mr Smith and former president Eddie Downey step down from their posts. Mr Smith resigned after it emerged his remuneration amounted to almost 1m over two years, with a package of 535,000 in 2013. Mr Downey has stated he had approval, and did not act on his own, when reaching a controversial 2m severance agreement with Mr Smith as he left the organisation. Mr Smith has launched a High Court action against the IFA, as the farm body warned it will contest any payout. The Contenders The race to become IFA president has been whittled down to a handful of candidates Henry Burns is a beef, sheep and tillage farmer from Mountmellick, Co Laois. He is well liked and known by farmers due to his role as chairman of one of the IFA's most prominent committees, livestock. He was very hands-on in protests outside the country's beef factories over prices last year, and fought to maintain the pickets longer but was reined in by the top brass. He is seen as the one to beat. Joe Healy is a dairy and sheep farmer in Athenry, Co Galway. He'll be seen as the new face on the scene, having only held a minor county role in recent years. However, his roles as chair of the Department of Agriculture's commonage committee and as a 'Farming Independent' columnist ensure his name will be familiar. He will also have a strong network from his days as Macra president, but it is the fact that he is from Connacht that may be his strongest feature among discontented grassroots. Derek Deane is the dark horse in this race. The Carlow IFA chairman runs a beef and tillage farm, and it was his demands for more transparency in the IFA that led to this election. But Carlow's small voter base may count against him later. Tim O'Leary is the articulate IFA deputy president. The Cork dairy man was first to declare his candidacy for president, but must convince voters that he wasn't part of the former regime. Flor McCarthy is the IFA's rural development chairman. The Kerry drystock farmer is an veteran campaigner and is hard-wired into the IFA national structure. Dr Michael Woods seemed a most unlikely Agriculture Minister when a very pressurised Charlie Haughey appointed him to the post in November 1991. Haughey had just sacked three Ministers as he fended off yet another heave, so Woods's appointment looked like an afterthought. But these things are not always what they seem. True, Woods was a native of Bray and represented the extremely urban Dublin North-East. But he did have farming credentials with degrees in agricultural science up to PhD level. (Round Leinster House he was called the "tomato doctor" because of his PhD specialism.) He was also one of the most studious people ever to enter Dail Eireann. While other ministers in Brussels might sample a gourmet meal, Dr Woods was in his hotel room surrounded by CAP documents. More usually, the appointment of Agriculture Minister is clearly evident from way out. It is always an important appointment - even for a Taoiseach with minimal interest in matters agricultural. Every seasoned political leader knows the Government need to keep the rural lobby, if not happy, then at least reasonably contented. They know rural communities have a much higher voter turnout, that the farm unions pack a punch. Simon Coveney, then aged 38, was one of Fine Gael's young Turks when he was appointed on March 9, 2011. The need for an experienced person who knew Irish farming in practice and academically, helped the Cork South Central TD overcome being on the wrong side in the botched June 2010 leadership heave against Enda Kenny. Assuming that Kenny can make it back to Government Buildings - a big assumption just yet - Coveney, who is tipped as a potential future Taoiseach, would undoubtedly like to broaden his canvass. A heavy-duty economic ministry would help his CV - but that may be grounds enough for Kenny to keep Coveney in Agriculture. So, don't rule out Simon Coveney being kept "down on the farm." Otherwise, Fine Gael has a large number of people who could make a strong case. A dark horse could be Kildare South TD, Martin Heydon, a farmer from Colbinstown, south of Kilcullen, who is a former student at Kildalton Agricultural College in Kilkenny. He has quietly impressed as an organised and disciplined operator during his first Dail term. Other Fine Gael deputies may feel their case is even stronger. These include Wicklow's Andrew Doyle; Carlow's Pat Deering; and Cork East's Tom Barry. All have identified closely with their farmer colleagues and enhanced their understanding of the business through good work on the Dail agriculture committee. Few farmers ever vote Labour - though mind you many's the rural Labour candidate got farmer votes on a personal basis. Still, agriculture is at best a long-shot for James Connolly's party and would require an extraordinary and unforeseen train of events. But if you want to speculate on Labour, have a look at Michael McNamara - assuming he can overcome a huge constituency battle in Clare. He is off a farm in Scariff and is no stranger to marts and fairs. Willie Penrose from Westmeath could also stake a claim. Back closer to the real world, if Fianna Fail could get their act together to lead a coalition they would not be short of likely agriculture ministers. We are headed into a very unpredictable election in which some kind of rainbow, or mosaic-like, interparty coalition, could yet emerge as it did back in 1948. In Fianna Fail there is the redoubtable Eamon O Cuiv, aka "Dev Og". Eamon de Valera's grandson has burnished his rural credentials over five decades of activism in Galway West, much of it closely linked to farming and rural development. O Cuiv is a very seasoned politician with junior and senior ministerial experience. But his heart beats to the west and the small farmer, and his biggest task would be to convince mainstream Irish farming and agribusiness that he was not against them. 'Multi-talented' Willie O'Dea is most identified with urban Limerick but this multi-talented politician is from a farm in Kilteely and never lost touch with the sector. Brendan Smith from Cavan is vastly experienced and has the additional benefit of having held the post in the recent past. And don't rule out Michael Moynihan from Cork North-West, who is also a farmer. Perhaps worse than Labour, and O Cuiv, the prospect of a Sinn Fein agriculture minister would scare mainstream Irish farming and agribusiness. Veteran ex-IRA prisoner Martin Ferris is off a small farm near Fenit, Co Kerry, and could be in the frame. Others, such as Senator Trevor O Clothartaigh of Galway West would rate a mention. The earlier reference to 1948 brings us neatly to the prospect of an Independent being appointed to Agriculture House. James Dillon, then an Independent deputy, was named as Agriculture Minister in that so-called Interparty Government and performed with style and panache. The urbane Shane Ross is an unlikely Agriculture Minister. But some colleagues in his Independent Alliance could at least look the part. Michael Fitzmaurice from Galway-Roscommon is a farmer - though as with some others already mentioned - he would need to reassure big farming interests that he was not against them. It's still early days and the "shadow campaign" or "phoney war" is still playing out. But already it is clear that, whoever wins or loses, there will be utterly no shortage of pretenders for the job of Minister for Agriculture. The average price for farmland continues to hover around 10,000/ac. It has remained at this level for a number of years despite all the volatility in markets and in prices. A survey of 200 auctions held in the past year shows the average price paid for an acre of farmland in 2015 was 10,152. This represents a 0.2pc increase on what was paid in 2014 and is not too far behind the 10,492/ac paid in 2013. Confirming what many commentators are saying, land remains a steady, solid and safe place for money. However, it is not impervious to the slings and arrows of fortune as the performance of the market in Munster illustrated. Average land prices in the province fell by a massive 2,281/ac on the back of troubles in the dairy industry. While nationally the price of land is steady, there is quite a disparity between the regions. Land in the southeast averaged 12,083/ac, nearly double the 6,537/ac average paid in the west or the northwest. Meanwhile, as mentioned previously, land in the dairy counties of Munster has taken a sharp dip with a decline of 25pc on the price achieved in 2014. This past year saw the Munster average hit 9,057/ac, a far cry from the 11,338 paid in 2014. Limerick based Tom Crosse of GVM is not surprised at the softening of prices in Munster while other auctioneers such as John Stokes of Clonmel and Clonakilty based John Hodnett say the auction figures do not reflect the broader story in Munster where prices of 10,000/ac to 15,000/ac are being paid in private treaty sales. The story of the land market in North Leinster is the story of remarkable recovery. The amount of land sold under the hammer in the counties of Dublin, Meath, Westmeath, Louth, Longford and Offaly nearly doubled on 2014 and the amount of money paid at auction increased by 110pc. The last 12 months saw the average price for an acre of land in the region reverse a 6.37pc loss in 2014 to finish at 10,098/ac. South Leinster, taking in the counties of Kildare, Laois, Carlow, Kilkenny, Wicklow and Wexford, saw the most remarkable increase in price, with 8.4pc being added to last year's average making the region the most expensive place to buy land. Indeed, some of the highest prices per acre in the country were paid here when developers made a return to the Wexford land market paying over 42,000/ac for property near Wexford town and 41,000/ac for land near Gorey. Again this year South Leinster had the greatest number of successful auctions and with 79 successful transactions had three times the number recorded in Connacht/Ulster and more than double the number in Munster. The highest price paid for land was a 75,500/ac sum paid for 9ac of development land at Dunshaughlin and 58,125/ac paid for 16ac in the same area. The highest price paid for a property was paid in Kildare when John Magnier's Coolmore Stud paid 4.75m or 21,300/ac for Ravensdale House on 223ac near Maynooth. Three farms that broke the 3m barrier include Claremont Farm at Milltownpass, Co Westmeath, a 383ac residential farm that made 3.5m under the gavel of Paul Murtagh. It was bought by Tony O'Callaghan of Tally-Ho stud who is married to a sister of John Magnier of Coolmore. One of the later auctions of the year saw Robert Ganly sell a 318ac residential farm at Aghaboe and Ballacolla in Laois for 3,145,000 where the major portion was bought by dairy farmers from Kilkenny. Another notable transaction saw John Dawson of Tullow sell a 177.7ac tillage farm at Gowran in Kilkenny to its current tenant for 3.025m. Two farms sold for figures in excess of 2m including a 382ac residential holding at Carbury, Co Kildare that sold for 2.65m under the gavel of Raymond Potterton when it was bought by the Comer brothers, the Galway-born property tycoons. A 258ac grass farm at Ballymackey near Nenagh, Co Tipperary also broke to 2m barrier being was sold by auctioneer Denis Bergin and making 2.205m. In the next price bracket a total of 14 farms sold for between 1m and 2m in 2015. The largest farm to come on the market was Little Budds farm, a 408ac lakeside holding on Lough Ennell at Dysart, Co Westmeath. It sold for 1.95m. Schemes to encourage afforestation have led to the establishment of 26,000 private forest plantations in Ireland since 1980. The majority of these plantations are owned by farmers, making farmers the new foresters. The decision to plant agricultural land with trees can be a difficult one for many farmers and most will only ever be tempted to plant marginal land. Agroforestry is changing that practice in many countries and it is beginning to gain overdue attention here. Agroforestry essentially consists of combining forestry and productive grassland on the same tract of land. Described by the UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation as having the potential to "curb greenhouse gas emissions and soil degradation, as well as improve ecosystem services such as water retention", it is potentially a very attractive option for many Irish farmers. Ireland has the highest proportion of land under grass in the EU at 48pc, and the second lowest amount of woodland cover at 11pc. In order to mitigate climate change Ireland needs to plant more trees. Agroforestry allows farmers to maintain grass or arable crops but to also plant trees. Specific measures were introduced in the 2014-2020 Forestry Programme to target farmers directly and encourage them to plant more trees. The agroforestry measure allows a total grant of 4,450/ha for the duration of five years. This is significantly shorter than other measures that average 15 years, and thus far has gained a lukewarm reaction from farmers. Benefits of Agroforestry Eugene Curran, a forestry inspector with the department, says agroforestry offers a variety of benefits for Irish farmers. "In west Cork, there are some good agroforestry silvopastoral systems, providing the land owner with access to the grass despite having trees in the same field. Trees are planted in rows allowing plots to be grazed, and farmers can cut silage and hay in between the rows of trees. "This flexibility will suit many farmers. Any management system that can provide land owners with a renewable energy source, offset carbon emissions from other farming practices, reduce nutrient input and runoff, stabilise drainage, enhance animal welfare, increase biodiversity, improve animal nutrition, enhance the landscape and in some cases increase productivity by 50pc is well worth a second look" he said. Agroforestry and organics Professor Jim McAdam of Queens University Belfast has led the way on agroforestry research in Ireland since he began his trial plots 26 years ago in Loughgall, Co Antrim. The results of these trials prove the environmental benefits of agroforestry as well as documenting the economic benefits. Agroforestry looks like a natural fit for organic farmers, but the uptake on agroforestry remains low. For those participating in the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS), the DAFM Organic Unit has confirmed that payment under both schemes on the same land parcels is not permitted. In addition, farmers who may be negotiating numerous schemes like the OFS and GLAS are not keen to take on another scheme due to paperwork and simple logistics. However, as the agroforestry measure is a new scheme, once farmers become familiar with the concept, it could become a favoured choice with many farmers, organic and conventional. Demonstration plots Liam Beechinor has a demonstration agroforestry plot near Dunmanway, Co Cork. It was planted in April 2012 and is a mixture of oak and ash trees. The trees are planted at 5x5 metre spacing. To date Liam is very happy with the plot's progress. In the first year of growth he took two cuts of silage off the ground and then grazed it with sheep later. As a farmer Liam likes the idea of being involved in forestry and by planting an agroforestry plot on his farm it made the "decision to plant good land with trees much easier as you know you can still work the land. "I definitely spend a lot more time in this area now that the trees are here, you find yourself coming to check on the progress and growth of the trees which is interesting. I think that this is a great way to incentivise farmers to plant trees," said Liam. Richard Auler, a longterm organic farmer with IOFGA, based in Cahir, Co Tipperary is just starting to experiment with agroforestry. Richard always planted trees on the farm and in 2011 he put in a new plantation, 85pc of which is oak and the remainder mixed species. His agroforestry plot was put in place last year. It is 4.2ha and is mainly apples, various walnuts, sweet chestnuts, hazelnuts and willow. The area is fenced for rabbits and the trees are planted in 10m wide rows to allow for grazing sheep and silage cutting. "This part of the farm was always difficult to work with as there are low electric lines so I hope that the agroforestry plot will suit this area and remain extremely productive which is one of the great benefits of developing agroforestry on the farm," said Richard. Grace Maher is development officer with the IOFGA, www.iofga.org Cattle being loaded at Dublin Port for export to Britain Records of live cattle exports, as well as those of hides and meat, to Britain and the continent date from the medieval and early modern periods. Indeed, such was the level of livestock exports to England in the 17th century that the Cattle Acts of 1663 prohibited the trade. Facing possible ruin, the Irish responded to this move by exporting salted beef instead. Last week, I had a dream. First up, the IFA gets its new president. It's not Tim O'Leary, Derek Deane, Henry Burns, Tim Cullinan, Nigel Renaghan, Flor McCarthy or even Joe Healy of this parish; but rather Michael O'Leary who steps aside from Ryanair. I know the outspoken one's name always gets trotted out anytime any organisation or even the country needs a shot of redemption but surely this would be right up his alley? He has the requisite drive and natural abrasive manner, a proven track record in turning around a floundering behemoth and has no previous dealings with Bluebell. And, yes, he is a farmer; Angus cattle and thoroughbred horses do count. Maybe he could dip into the corporate world when it comes to picking out a new general secretary, although he may be tempted to snap them up for himself. Among O'Leary's first tasks will be successes in exporting Irish agricultural products, beef into the US, milk to Asia and fresh air to China. On the issue of emissions, O'Leary may be on trickier ground (don't mention the planes) as he'll be hearing plenty on the contribution of Irish agriculture to climate change. Fortunately, there is good news on that front as scientists come up with a device to capture the substance produced when ruminants fart, a gas-tight version of horse nappies. I bet you think I'm now going to suggest they could do something similar for the front end. Not at all, that would just be plain silly. Sure, they would all just suffocate. But, never fear, ICBF is here. On top of having work lined up for the next five years with the beef genomics scheme, they discover that its possible to breed animals with very different characteristics. So farmers can selectively avoid animals which belch AND are resistant to TB, the scourge of Irish agriculture for over 50 years. Unfortunately for vets, the eradication of TB cuts off a major source of income, TB testing. But now that farming is finally generating a decent income, they get to move away from fire brigade work towards the health prevention work they hoped to be doing when they left vet college. Another issue not unconnected to climate change is the ongoing winter flooding along the Shannon. Even in my dream I wasn't able to come up with a solution that might satisfy all parties involved. However, even one of the first babes of the New Year would know that its very hard to see meaningful progress being made until management of the river is taken on by a single agency. New work also comes up with bobby calves. Rather than being seen as a waste-product of the ever-expanding dairy sector, they become the pet of choice among the chattering classes. So the cattle are happier too! Flyovers With all this extra money in the air, it means a solution is found to one of the trickiest issues around, the construction of greenways. So on lands being farmed commercially or where there are other deep-seated problems, flyovers are erected. Everybody is happy. Farmers who don't want greenways avoid having their land split, tourists flock in and are delighted with the views so there is a boom in agri-tourism. Elsewhere, the notorious Conor McGregor takes a break from cage fighting and teams up with heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury to set up a flying vigilante team, which drastically reduces rural crime. On the back of these successes, IFA members who have been gutted by recent financial revelations, return to the organisation, which is restored as a powerful voice negotiating on behalf of farmers. Cuckoo. For a moment, I think I am hearing a corncrake. Cuckoo, Cuckoo. Then I realise its my alarm clock. The dream ends. But, perhaps in defiance of the signs, my hope for the future endures. I wish everyone a safe and joyous 2016. The ceiling on payouts on pedigree stock bulls lost due to a TB outbreak should be increased to 'realistic' levels, farm body the ICSA urged. A number of concerns were raised at a recent meeting to discuss the Department of Agriculture's proposed changes to the TB compensation scheme. Under the new measures, in the case of a depopulation of a herd due to an outbreak the payments on individual animals would be increased from 2,800 to 3,000 and the ceiling for payment on a pedigree stock bull from 3,500 to 3,800. "We've pushed for that to be increased up to 5,000, especially with the introduction of the Beef Data and Genomics Programme," said general secretary of the ICSA, Eddie Punch. He pointed out at the last Charolais sale before Christmas the average price for a pedigree bull paid was 4,900. "There might only be 20 or 30 bulls in the year to go down with TB, however, it is a lot of money if the bull does go down," said Mr Punch. "It should only be paid out in cases where the bull genuinely cost that type of money but 3,500 is unrealistic." The ICMSA also wrote to Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney expressing concerns over the move to reduce the EBI top-up multiplier for dairy cows from 1.35 to 0.23. It also raised major concerns over moves to offer different income supplement rates for periods when impacted herds are dried off. The ICMSA pointed out such reductions for the winter months would badly impact those whose herds may have not been dried off early and also liquid milk producers. The farm body pointed out the move hadn't taken into account those operating in the high cost winter market. The international arm of the DAA, which operates Dublin and Cork airports, is poised to sign a major deal to manage a new terminal at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia. It's a significant win for the DAA, which is understood to be still locked in contract negotiations. Yesterday, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), Faisal Al-Sugair, confirmed at a press conference in Riyadh that DAA International has been selected to run the new terminal 5 at the airport, according to news agencies. A spokesman for the DAA said he could not comment on the reports. However, it's believed the contract for the management of the terminal should be signed soon. King Khalid International Airport handled 22.3m passengers in 2015, making it just slightly smaller in volume terms compared to Dublin Airport. The figure was 6.8pc higher than in 2014. The total passenger numbers are almost evenly split between international and domestic traffic, with 11.7 million domestic passengers and 10.6 million international passengers. The new terminal 5 will handle domestic traffic only, and have a capacity of 12 million passengers a year. Dublin's Terminal 2 can handle up to 15 million a year. The new Riyadh terminal is costing an estimated $400m (372m) and is being jointly constructed by Turkey's TAV Construction and Al Arrab Contracting. The project includes the 100,000 sq m passenger terminal and a 90,000 sq m carpark. Once the terminal opens in coming months, passenger traffic from the airport's terminal 3 will transfer to it. Terminal 3 and 4 at the airport will then be redeveloped in a $2.9bn project. Saudi Arabia's GACA is also drafting a shortlist of international operators for a concession to run the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. But the DAA International contract win comes with unfortunate timing. Saudi Arabia has been roundly criticised for executing 47 people last Saturday, including the beheading of prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. That enraged Iran, and Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with its neighbour on Sunday. Colm O'Gorman, the executive director of Amnesty International Ireland, said that the Saudi authorities continue to violate the human rights of the country's people. He said that an EU action plan on human rights demands that all member states promote human rights in all areas of external action "particularly in trade and investment". There are plans to eventually privatise Riyadh's King Khalid Airport. Faisal Al-Sugair said yesterday that foreign companies will eventually be permitted to invest in Saudi Arabia's airports without the need for a local partner. The DAA's international arm had its first full year of operations in 2014. It was established by the semi-state to provide a range of airport management, operational and advisory services. Among its units is a training academy, which provides services to other airport and aviation clients. The DAA contract win in Saudi Arabia comes on the heels of a major contract win for its Aer Rianta International division. It won a 10-year contract last month to operate duty free operations across a number of key retail categories at a new terminal being built at Abu Dhabi's airport. The contract begins in 2017. There are Argos and Homebase stores across the island of Ireland UK based supermarket Sainsbury's has confirmed it made an approach for Argos owner Home Retail Group, which has been rejected. Sainsbury's said it is considering its position, adding that there can be no certainty that it will make a formal offer for the business, which also owns DIY chain Homebase. But it said: "The board of Sainsbury's believes the combination of Sainsbury's and Home Retail Group is an attractive proposition for the customers and shareholders of both companies, establishing a platform for long-term value creation." Sainsbury's did not disclose the details of its approach, but Home Retail Group has a stock market valuation of just over 1bn. The supermarket said it first made its approach for Home Retail Group in November. A successful bid by Sainsbury's for Home Retail Group would greatly extend its reach in Northern Ireland - and bring it into the Republic of Ireland for the first time. Sainsbury's currently has 13 of its own stores in Northern Ireland, while there are Argos and Homebase stores across the island of Ireland. It added that over the last year it has worked in partnership with Home Retail Group testing a number of Argos concessions in Sainsbury's stores. Sainsbury's said a combination of the two stores will create a strong food and non-food retailer with strong heritages. It added that the benefits of a tie-up would include profitable sales growth, create a wider financial services business and would generate savings by cross-selling each firm's products and services across the wider group's stores. (PA). Plans by businessman John Reynolds to open a bar and music venue near Dublin's Grafton Street have been blasted by Dublin City councillor Mannix Flynn. Mr Flynn has appealed a decision by the council to grant permission to An Bord Pleanala, citing noise and other concerns. Mr Reynolds - a nephew of the late, former Taoiseach Albert Reynolds - is best known as the founder of the Pod nightclub in Dublin, which closed in 2012, and founder of the Electric Picnic. Mr Reynolds is now planning to convert a premises on Dublin's Clarendon Street to a bar, restaurant and music venue. The premises, which is owned by a consortium of investors, was previously the home of a venue called the Da Club. But Mr Flynn is unimpressed with Mr Reynolds' plans. He has already told Dublin City Council that the plans should be rejected, because, he claims, it will add to a high level of noise already endured by local residents. "It is submitted that there are already a significant number of bars and restaurants located in the vicinity and that the insertion of another non-retail use will further diminish this important retail precinct," Mr Flynn said. Here are the main business stories from this morning's papers Irish Independent * Ministers Michael Noonan and Brendan Howlin have credited part of the country's economic recovery to their good working and personal relationship. As they unveiled what Mr Howlin described as "truly remarkable" tax figures for 2015, the two ministers in the Department of Finance and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform made a political pitch - praising each other for their five years working in partnership. The State collected 3.3bn more than expected in tax last year, leading to expectations of a balanced Budget in 2017 - a year earlier than predicted. * NAMA and the Central Bank are to co-fund the development of a commercial property statistical system to provide a comprehensive database on what's going on in the sector. The initiative will be developed and maintained by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), but won't be up and running until 2018. It will include prices and give a database of sales and lease transactions. * Ryanair, Paddy Power Betfair, and hotel group Dalata are among the top stock picks for 2016 at Davy Stockbrokers. It said that CRH and Independent News & Media (INM) are also among its favourites for the year. Davy said that it believes European equity markets should deliver returns in line with the current 8pc earnings growth forecast for the region. The Irish Times * Budgetary gains made over the last year will pave the way for early state capital investment by the next government. Last year's budget showed an enormous change in fortunes with a deficit of just 62m, down significantly on 2014's deficit of 8.2bn. Exchequer returns for 2015 displayed the significant gains through a big rise in tax receipts as well as one-off returns from AIB and Permanent TSB. * Enterprise Ireland is considering revising its target for the end of this year. The state body had previously set out to create 40,000 jobs between 2014 and 2016. However the body's chief executive, Julie Sinnamon, has said that the board is in the process of revising this year's annual target of 14,300 jobs based on strong economic recovery. Ms Sinnamon said that every single sector in the country is growing jobs as well as each region across the country. * Dunnes Stores has streamlined its corporate structure by centralising its previously different owners through a single company. A report in The Irish Times says that the move could make it easier for Dunnes to separate its business along geographic lines in future if the family behind it were ever to sell. Last month the firm merged at least 16 different parts of its corporate structure into a single entity, Dunnes Stores Ireland (DSIC). DSIC had been previously tipped as an important part of the business but had never held all 115 stores. Irish Examiner * Dublin-headquartered DIY firm, Grafton Group, has completed its fifth acquisition in 12 months. The company acquired London-based timber company, T Brewer, in what is seen as a bolt-on deal that adds to its 100m spent on investments over the last year. The deal follows on from Grafton's 94m acquisition of Dutch company, Isero, in October. * M&J Gleeson, the Tipperary drinks group, announced a return to profit in 2014 after revenues in the firm grew to 234m. In 2013, M&J Gleeson, was bought over by C&C Group, the company that makes Bulmers, for 12.4m. Annual pre-tax profits at M&J at the end of February 2014 were 3.26m. * Cork's Custom House is set to be put on the market after The Port of Cork continues to relocate its operations to Ringsaskiddy. The guide price for the property is believed to be set in the region of 6m however, with the demand of its surrounding docklands area, it is likely to go for more. According to a report in the Examiner, sources say that the eventual price the property could go for could be in the region of 10m. Two petitions calling for the release of two US prisoners, whose stories are charted in Netflix documentary Making a Murderer, have gathered more than 500,000 signatures. A petition on the White House website has drawn 108,922 signatures while another on Change.Org has gathered 304,224. They were created shortly after the launch of the hugely successful 13-part series on Netflix on December 18. Making a Murderer charts the case of Steven Avery, a Wisconsin man who was wrongly imprisoned in 1985 for the sexual assault of a local woman. **WARNING: Spoilers** DNA evidence proved his innocence and his conviction was overturned, resulting in his release in 2003. Expand Close Brendan Dassey stands trial for the murder of Teresa Halbach / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Brendan Dassey stands trial for the murder of Teresa Halbach However, two years later, after Avery filed a $36m lawsuit against Manitowoc County for his wrongful conviction, Avery was charged with the murder or a freelance photographer. Teresa Halbach had an appointment at the Avery family business and was last seen at the premises. Avery claims he was framed for Halbach's murder. His 16-year-old nephew Brendan Dassey was also implicated in the photographer's death and both were convicted of the crime. The White House petition claims that "the justice system embarrassingly failed both men, completely ruining their entire lives." It also claims that Manitowoc County police used "improper methods" during the course of their investigation which resulted in the conviction of the two men in March 2007. Video of the Day The Change.org petition calls on President Obama to pardon the two men. Manitowoc County police have denied claims of wrongdoing with former district attorney Ken Kratz telling a local news station that "80 to 90 per cent" of the physical evidence that allegedly ties Avery to Halbach's murder was not revealed in the documentary. The show's creators Laura Ricciari and Moira Demos deny his claim that he was not given the chance to respond to the documentary's allegations. The move comes as 46 patients were waiting on trolleys and chairs yesterday morning in the hospital. THE overcrowding problem at one of the country's busiest emergency departments continued today despite the request by management for people not to attend unless absolutely necessary. By lunchtime today one patient at Beaumont Hospital had been waiting for 62 hours and in the public waiting area people were being told it would be 7pm before they would see a consultant. In the triage area trolleys were formed into rows with no curtains between them after all the cubicles filled up. Many more patients were lined up in chairs. Staff were obviously busy yet carrying out their work in a professional manner. Beaumont Hospital say that it dealt with its highest number of patients in 18 months yesterday, and has appealed to GPs not to send patients to the hospital unless absolutely necessary. There were 49 people on trolleys in the hospital yesterday according to 'trolly watch' on the Irish Nurses and Midwives website. Nationwide there were 558 patients on trolleys in hospitals across the country. Approximately 50,000 people present at the emergency department each year, and hospital staff say this is inflated by both the high number of people living in the catchment area and the inclement weather. A statement from the hospital said: The Emergency Department is experiencing an unusually high level of patients presenting combined with a higher than normal admission rate in the period since 28 December onwards. In line with the age profile of the area served by the hospital where one in three residents are aged over 65 and living alone, Beaumont is also seeing a high volume of older people attending Emergency Department. "This includes a growing number of patients presenting with respiratory and influenza symptoms. The hospital is also asking patients to avoid coming to the department if possible and to access private clinics where possible. Beaumont Hospital have introduced a number of measures to manage the situation including cancelling non urgent admissions and surgeries in order to free up additional beds. A decision on whether to proceed with a trial against five workers charged with assault at a care facility will be made tomorrow. It follows serious concerns raised by defence counsel about missing and deleted files in the recordings provided to the State by RTE. During the trial of five workers charged with assault at the Aras Attracta care facility, in Swinford, Co Mayo, it emerged that six files recorded by RTE's undercover camera were deleted while six more failed to transfer onto the drive later presented to gardai. After hearing applications from all five defence counsel for the cases to be dismissed, Judge Mary Devins said she wanted time to consider all aspects before the court. She will also consider a request from State prosecutor Patrick Reynolds to allow the RTE hard drive at the centre of the case to be examined by Garda IT experts. Earlier, Judge Devins said the decision to prosecute was based on "incomplete evidence". She made the comments at Castlebar District Court after it emerged there was a discrepancy between the master tape held by RTE and the one furnished to the State. In cross-examination, Paul Maguire, head of the Investigations Unit at RTE, said he couldn't explain the discrepancy but he insisted that none of these files had been deleted nor suppressed. "I can guarantee you no files were suppressed. We have nothing to hide," he added. He corrected defence counsel Eoin Garavan, who stated the files missing from the hard drive handed by RTE to gardai had been deleted. "They were not deleted," he said, to which Mr Garavan replied: "Well, (they were) not made available to the defence and the prosecution." Judge Devins reminded the court that the prosecution was taken by the DPP, not RTE, based on evidence "totally garnered" by RTE. However, she said it was now clear that was "incomplete evidence". Defence counsel for each accused called for dismissal on the grounds that it was unsafe to proceed given concerns about the footage. Mr Reynolds said there was clear evidence against the defendants caught on CCTV and this was not affected by the missing files. He said the defence had attempted to put RTE on trial. Five people are facing charges of assault at Bungalow Three, Aras Attracta, Swinford, Co Mayo - Pat McLoughlin (56), Lalibela, Mayfield, Claremorris, Co Mayo; Christina Delaney (35), Seefinn, Lissatava, Hollymount, Co Mayo; Anna Ywunong Botsimbo (34), Low Park Avenue, Charlestown, Co Mayo; Joan Walsh (42), Carrowilkeen, Curry, Co Sligo; and Kathleen King (56), Knockshanvally Straide, Foxford in Co Mayo. They all face a single charge of assault alleged to have taken place on dates in November 2014. Each denies the charge. The man prosecuting the widow and father-in-law of Jason Corbett has said it could be early 2017 before the case comes to trial in the US. Gary Frank, the district attorney for Davidson County in North Carolina, said that on average it takes a year for a case in state to go from the stage where defendants are charged to a trial beginning. Mr Frank said he hoped it could proceed sooner than that, but it was not something he could control. "It all depends on how fast we can complete discovery and when the defendant has prepared their defence and are ready for trial," he said. Mr Frank also explained that Molly Martens Corbett and her father Thomas Martens would not have to stay in jail while they wait for the trial to begin. "In North Carolina, all cases get bail unless they are a capital murder case, which this is not," he said. Both defendants have been charged with second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter. He said second-degree murder is defined as intentional killing with malice but without premeditation and deliberation. Voluntary manslaughter is a lesser homicide offence, he said, where a death could have occurred due to gross negligence or "imperfect self-defence". Both charges will be put to the jury and they can decide to accept or reject either of them or, in the event of an aquittal, reject both. The prosecutor said he was satisfied that sufficient evidence had been gathered in the aftermath of Mr Corbett's death to warrant a trial. Under the process used in the state, evidence was put before a grand jury behind closed doors for them to decide whether there was "probable cause" - a level of reasonable belief - that a crime had taken place. "I would never have put my name on the indictments unless I thought there was sufficient evidence to submit for them [the grand jury] to decide if there was probable cause," said Mr Frank. "That was the standard of proof that they had to consider. "Of course, now the standard of proof shifts to beyond a reasonable doubt." Although the grand jury decided last month that both defendants should go forward for trial, the decision was not made public until earlier this week. With all the focus on CAO, it is important not to forget about the upcoming deadline for UCAS, the centralised organisation that looks after applications to universities and third level institutions in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Its responsibilities are very similar to that of the CAO, although the application process is very different. While the first deadline for UCAS passed on October 15, for the majority of courses the deadline is January 15 at 6pm. The exceptions to the January 15 deadline are applications to veterinary, medicine, and dentistry; Oxford and Cambridge applications, which closed in October; and art courses, which close in March. At this stage, students who are applying for UCAS should have their applications as complete as possible if not already sent. It is important to remember that, unlike the CAO system, when applying through UCAS, institutions will judge applicants based on more than just exam results. The application involves students completing a personal statement, providing an academic reference and information about any work experience. UCAS will send the completed application to each institution for their consideration as soon as they receive it, so it is beneficial to apply as early as possible. All UCAS applications are made online through ucas.com. Students should first use this website to search for courses and institutions in which they may be interested. Secondly, applicants should contact the institution to enquire about Irish Leaving Cert. entry requirements, fees and any other requirements, such as aptitude testing. Students may apply for up to five courses in a normal UCAS application. Personal statements (see below) should explain why the college should choose the applicant for the course. While including any work experience or extra-curricular activities is very important, applicants must also give an idea of their academic interests and work style. The reference should be from someone who can comment on the student's academic style and suitability for the course, often a subject teacher in a relevant subject. There is lots of information and advice on how to write references and personal statements at ucas.com As with all college applications, students should make sure they familiarise themselves with the course content and application process. 5 January 2016 YAB Dato Sri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak Prime Minister of Malaysia c/o Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister Office of the Prime Minister of Malaysia Main Block, Perdana Putra Building Federal Government Administrative Centre 62502 Putrajaya Malaysia YAB Dato Sri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, The National Security Council Bill 2015 The Malaysian Bar, the Advocates Association of Sarawak and the Sabah Law Association are seriously concerned with the National Security Council Bill 2015 (the Bill) that was passed by the Dewan Rakyat on 1 December 2015 and the Dewan Negara on 22 December 2015. 2. It is worrying that this far-reaching piece of legislation has been hastily dealt with by Parliament despite widespread concerns expressed by various parties. The Governments refusal to engage meaningfully with critics of the Bill and to properly respond to the mounting criticism of it are regrettable. 3. Further, we are disconcerted that the Government has failed to fully explain the reasons for the Bill. There have been some references to the Lahad Datu incident and the creation of Eastern Sabah Security Command. However, these references are questionable because firstly, the Lahad Datu incident took place more than two years ago. Thus, there was no reason for the sudden rush for this Bill in the past month. Secondly, Article 150 of the Federal Constitution provides for the proclamation of an emergency, which would provide sufficient powers to address any future incidents of territorial incursion, like that of Lahad Datu. 4. We wish to briefly highlight some of our serious concerns on the Bill, as follows: (a) There is an absence of any reference to relevant provisions of the Federal Constitution such as Article 149 (Legislation against subversion, organized violence, and acts and crimes prejudicial to the public) or Article 150 (Emergency Powers) of the Federal Constitution in the preamble to the Bill despite the wide powers on matters concerning national security and, further, the provisions for the exercise of emergency-like powers; (b) The Bill creates a new statutory entity called the National Security Council (NSC). It is clear that the NSC is markedly different in its composition, scope of function and responsibilities from the existing administrative body also known as the National Security Council. There has been no explanation as to why the NSC has been established as a statutory body by the Bill and clothed with the wide powers under the Bill; (c) The NSC is to be the Governments central authority for considering matters concerning national security (see Clause 3). Thus, this suggests that NSC will have executive power on national security matters and will have the final say on this critical matter; (d) The NSCs scope of authority on matters concerning national security is unduly broad, as national security is not defined in the Bill. The NSC would be able to treat almost any matter as one of national security for the purposes of the Bill. There are no checks and balances to this seemingly unbridled executive power in the hands of the NSC; (e) The functions of the NSC include to perform any other functions relating to national security for the proper implementation of this Act (see Clause 4(d)). The NSC will also have the power to control and issue directives to any ministry, department, office, agency, authority, commission, committee, board or council of the Federal Government, or of any of the State Governments, established under any written law or otherwise on operations or matters concerning national security (see Clauses 2 and 5). Thus, a whole host of instrumentalities of the Federal Government or State Governments which could include Bank Negara Malaysia, Securities Commission and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission would be made subservient to the NSC. The independence of these entities could be irreversibly compromised or undermined. Further, the authority of State Governments can be overridden; (f) It is of critical importance to note that the extensive powers of the NSC over instrumentalities of the Federal Government or State Governments (in Clause 5) is exercisable without a declaration of a security area (in Clause 18). This appears to be an unprecedented conferment of executive powers on a statutory body by Parliament, and these enormous powers are available to the NSC even where the conditions for the declaration of a security area (as stated in Clause 18) are not met. In short, the NSCs powers under Clause 5 are akin to emergency powers, but exercisable without a declaration of emergency under Article 150 by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong; (g) The Bill enables the NSC to command the armed forces (see Clause 5 and 19), thus violating Article 41 of the Federal Constitution, which states that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is the supreme commander of the armed forces of the Federation. The Bill further infringes Article 137(1) of the Federal Constitution, which states that it is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong who shall be responsible for the command, discipline and administration of, and all other matters relating to, the armed forces. In addition, Section 168(3) of the Armed Forces Act 1972 states that no power vested in the Yang di-Pertuan Agong may be affected by any written law; (h) The composition of the NSC is troubling, as all the members are appointed by the Prime Minister, and the NSC will therefore not be an independent body. The Director General of the NSC is also to be appointed by the Prime Minister (see Clause 15). In contrast, the equivalent NSC in France i.e. the Council of Defense and National Security includes the head of state (i.e. the President) in its composition, which provides a measure of check and balance; (i) It is further troubling that the NSC is empowered to demand that all government entities shall transmit national security-related information or intelligence to it immediately, making the NSC the sole intelligence coordinating agency of the country (see Clause 17); (j) The NSC is empowered to advise the Prime Minister to declare any area in Malaysia as a security area if the NSC is of the view that the security in that area is seriously disturbed or threatened by any person, matter or thing which causes or is likely to cause serious harm to the people, or serious harm to the territories, economy, national key infrastructure of Malaysia or any other interest in Malaysia, and requires immediate national response (see Clause 18(1)). This provision gives the NSC a broad discretion, predicated on wide and vague grounds, to advise that an area be declared as a security area. Thus, Clause 18(1) undoubtedly allows for the exercise of emergency powers that only the Yang di-Pertuan Agong may exercise under Article 150, and is therefore a provision that is unconstitutional; (k) The declaration by the Prime Minister in Clause 18(1) is for an initial period of six months and may be renewed by the Prime Minister from time to time for such period, not exceeding six months at a time (see Clauses 18(3) and 18(4)). Thus, the Prime Minister may extend the period of the declaration for an unlimited number of times, and therefore for an indeterminate duration of years. There is provision for the declaration to be laid before Parliament but this is in the nature of notification to Parliament and not for the purposes of debate and ex post facto sanction by Parliament (see Clause 18(6)); (l) Upon a declaration of an area as a security area, the NSC would have wide-ranging executive powers. It may issue executive orders that would include the deployment of security forces (such as the police and the armed forces) in the security area (see Clause 19(2)), and may appoint a Director of Operations who is answerable only to the NSC (see Clause 20). The Bill does not provide for the qualifications of the Director of Operations, who is to have enormous and unrestricted powers, such as the power to remove any person from the security area, impose curfew, and control movement of persons or vehicles (see Clauses 22(2), 23 and 24); (m) As regards the deployed security forces, they may, without warrant, arrest any person found committing, alleged to have committed or reasonably suspected of having committed any offence under any written laws in the security area. The security forces also have powers to stop and search individuals; enter and search any premises; and take possession of any land, building or movable property (such as cars) in a security area (see Clauses 25 to 30). All constitutional guarantees and fundamental rights of citizens in respect of arrest, search and seizure of property can be ignored or suspended for infringing any written laws in the security area. This is a grave violation of the Federal Constitution; (n) The Bill allows for the creation of a security area where the military may be deployed by the NSC for the purpose of an internal security operation other than armed conflict. Here, the Bill places the command of the military under a civil agency, which is unusual. Further, the law of armed conflict dictates that unless the threat is a real threat and not a perceived threat, and that it is an act of war between nations, the threat falls within the jurisdiction of the police or any other government agencies, and not under the military; (o) The Bill also appears to violate the Rules of Engagement (Rules of Confirmation) of the military, by allowing for any member of the security forces to use reasonable and necessary force (see Clause 34); and (p) Finally, there is power to dispense with inquests in respect of members of the security forces and persons killed within the security area, as long as a Magistrate is satisfied that the person has been killed in the security area as a result of operations undertaken by the [s]ecurity [f]orces for the purpose of enforcing any written laws (see Clause 35). Written laws are not defined, and could well include laws in respect of minor offences. Thus, this provision permits security forces to use disproportionate force that could result in the loss of lives, with impunity; 5. We consider the Bill to be a serious threat to our system of constitutional government. It is apparent that the Bill vests and concentrates enormous executive and emergency powers in the NSC and the Prime Minister. This upsets the delicate separation of powers in the Constitution between the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary on the one hand, and the constitutional monarchy on the other hand. 6. It would appear that the powers are in effect emergency powers, but without the need for a proclamation of an emergency under Article 150. This usurps the powers vested in the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, and effectively resurrects the powers granted to the Government under the Emergency Ordinances, which were repealed by Parliament in 2011. 7. We are aware of the constant refrain that new powers, such as found in the Bill, are necessary to combat the threat of terrorism. However, we would remind the Government that it has more than enough laws giving it powers to address security concerns. The Bill extends those powers even further, allowing the Government to restrict movement, abandon civil liberties, and administer areas centrally and directly, bypassing state and local government. It avoids public scrutiny and proper accountability, and promotes unfettered discretion and an environment of impunity. 8. The Malaysian Bar, the Advocates Association of Sarawak and the Sabah Law Association urge the Government to seriously reconsider the Bill and not bring it into force, and to engage with all concerned parties on the proper role and function of the NSC. There are fundamental concerns and consequences associated with the NSC Bill that require careful discussion by, and input from all stakeholders involved. The Government should take a step back to properly address these concerns for the sake of the nation. Thank you. Yours sincerely, Steven Thiru President Malaysian Bar Leonard Shim President Advocates Association of Sarawak Brenndon Soh President Sabah Law Association Many students do not take Irish for the Leaving Cert for a variety of reasons. This may be because they have completed a significant amount of their education outside of Ireland or as a result of a certain learning difficulty. However, as Irish is considered a core subject, it is a requirement for entry to a number of third Level institutions. These include all NUI colleges i.e University College Dublin (UCD), University College Cork (UCC) , NUI Galway, Maynooth University and the Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI). Trinity College Dublin and the University of Limerick require students to pass English and another language, which can cause problems for students who do not take Irish or modern European language at Leaving Cert level. It is possible for students who do not take Irish to be exempt from these requirements in certain circumstances. For NUI colleges (UCD, UCC, Maynooth University, NUI Galway, RCSI) a student who has not studied Irish or a modern European language (if they have a specific learning difficulty) in school, may apply to be exempt from these requirements. Students must apply for these exemptions by printing and completing the relevant forms from nui.ie/college and return them to the NUI offices in Merrion Square, Dublin. In the case of Trinity - where applicants are required to pass English and another language for entry - students not taking Irish or any other language, as a result of a learning difficulty, may apply to the admissions office at Trinity to be exempt from this requirement. Forms are available from tcd.ie. University of Limerick has a similar requirement for English and another language, and students can apply for an exemption in writing to the college. Applicants will find more information on the admissions section of the college website. Dublin City University and the institutes of technology require entrants to present with maths and English or Irish, therefore there is no need to apply for exemptions from these colleges. Students who wish to apply for exemptions should contact the admissions office of the relevant college for further information. When applicants begin to work on their CAO it can certainly feel like a very overwhelming task. Researching and choosing third level courses should involve deep consideration of what students enjoy and what excites them. If an applicant selects courses based on passion and aptitude, they will not be disappointed. Too often students focus on points, believing that they should not "waste" points, but this causes unnecessary stress and is not a good basis for selecting the most appropriate course. Points can change year-on-year and it is impossible to know for certain what the cut off points for a particular course will be in August 2016. Therefore, students should complete their CAO in order of preference, based on what they feel they would enjoy. In recent years, there has been a trend to common entry courses in, say, science and engineering. The benefit of these is that students can do a broad programme for a year or two and then specialise. All applicants should also carefully consider what options are available to them at Level 7 and Level 6 even if their preference is to complete a Level 8 course. The preference list for Level 7 and Level 6 courses is completely separate to the preference list for Level 8 courses. This means that applicants can list these courses without jeopardising their Level 8 options. An applicant may then receive two offers in August, one from their Level 8 list and one from their Level 7/6 list. The majority of Level 7 and Level 6 courses include the option of 'add-on' years. This allows students to enter a particular area of study, which will have lower entry requirements and lower points than if they entered at Level 8 but achieve a Level 8 in that field in the same amount of time. Courses with 'add-on' years options are clearly identified in the qualification column of the CAO handbook. There is a lot of focus on science. technology engineering and maths (STEM) careers and there is certainly much demand for graduates with such skills, and a lot of pressure on school-leavers to pursue study in these disciplines. However, there is no need for applicants to feel they must force themselves into purely technical or solely creative courses. Employers, including technology giants such as Google, are consistently reporting that they need graduates who have ability, skills and knowledge in both areas. Whether an applicant sees themselves as more science or arts/humanities orientated, some of the most exciting offerings at present allow students to crossover between disciplines. Applicants who are set on an arts degree might consider one that has some offering in computer science or digital media and applicants focused on engineering might seek out courses that will develop their creativity and design skills. Whatever applicants choose, they should make sure it is something that they feel excited about. This way they are most likely to succeed and find a career which also excites them. This year sees much greater flexibility in subject choice at Maynooth University. The Trinity Feasibility study, now in its third year, is part of a commitment from Trinity College Dublin to investigate ways of assessing potential talent without focusing exclusively on CAO points. The initiative allows an alternative access route to three courses, History, Law and Ancient and Medieval History and Culture. There are 10 places in History (TR003), ten places in Law (TR004), and five places in Ancient and Medieval History and Culture (TR028) filled using this route. If applicants wish to be considered they should list the courses they are interested in on the CAO. Once they have done this, a box will appear asking them if they wish to be considered. Applicants have until February 1 to indicate their interest and until March 1 to complete the supplementary information form. Applicants will be assessed on how they did in the Leaving Cert compared with others in their school (known as Relative Performance Ranking, or RPR), Leaving Cert results and personal and contextual data. They will also be required to write a short piece on why they would like to study in this area as well as an essay on a topic of their choice. There has also been a trend towards five-year degree options, which include a master's qualification. These programmes are becoming the norm in their respective sectors, such as pharmacy and engineering. One positive aspect of taking such a degree is that students are likely to save on the overall cost of a masters as they will be required to pay postgraduate level fees for one year rather than the more common two. However, students have no option but to complete a master's and will find their degree is of less value if they leave after fours years. Aoife Walsh, a guidance counsellor at Malahide Community School, Co Dublin , writes a Going to College column in the Irish Independent Education page every Wednesday. On completing his Leaving Cert at Maynooth Post Primary School, Co Kildare, Travis Davidson took some time off to travel, but found himself dreaming of a career as a stockbroker. Last year, Travis, who is now 24, decided to apply to Maynooth University as a mature student, and was offered his first choice, a BA in Finance with a minor in Business. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Travis grew up in Maynooth, but he attended open days at a number of colleges before making his CAO choice. "I knew the course I wanted to do, but I was trying to keep my options open, so I did a lot of research to see which college would give me the experience that was right for me," he said. Travis spoke to guidance counsellors and former students to get a sense of what the courses were like at various colleges. Now halfway through his first year, Travis is confident he made the right choice. "I'm really happy with my course. I worried that it would be too difficult but the lecturers are good, they're very understanding and they give you a full insight into every topic." He was also pleased to find that mature students are made to feel as much a part of the community as everyone else. "I would definitely encourage anyone else who is thinking of going back to college as a mature student to do it. Don't feel scared. I know a lot of people think the age difference is a massive thing, but it's actually not. "There are hundreds of clubs and societies here, there's even a trampoline society. It makes you feel so welcome. I never felt alone." Students considering their CAO options may also be concerned about how they might finance their third level study. The most common support for students is the maintenance grant awarded by the centralised agency, SUSI, and the main criterion for eligibility is family income. About 40pc of college students are in receipt of the grant. While it is still too early to apply for 2016, applicants and their parents may find it helpful to fill in the 'eligibility reckoner' on susi.ie. This allows potential applicants to enter personal information about their nationality, income, educational history, etc and gives an indication of whether or not they are likely to qualify. The closing date for applications for the grant is August 1. It is important any student who decides to apply for a grant does so as early as possible to avoid any possible delays in payments. Applicants will be assessed on gross income from all sources for the period January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015. They will be assessed as either a 'dependant' or 'independent' Applicant. A 'dependant' applicant is assessed on the income of the parents or legal guardian while an 'independent' applicant is assessed on their own income and that of their spouse/civil partner or cohabitant. The income threshold which is applied to a household will differ depending on factors such as the number of children in the household, the number of those children currently attending college and type of courses the applicant intends to pursue, i.e. PLC or undergraduate degree. Depending on income, the grant awarded may vary from 100pc maintenance and 100pc student contribution to no maintenance and 50pc student contribution. Last year the income thresholds varied from 22,703 to 64,285 (more than eight children with at least one attending third level). If an applicant decides to apply for a grant they should do so on grantsonline.ie or susi.ie when the application process opens in spring/early summer. It is useful to read the application form guide on susi.ie. Applicants will need to have their PPS number and, as they will be asked questions in relation to income and benefits, it may be helpful to have a parent present when completing the form. Applicants can 'save' their progress and return later if they come across a question they cannot answer. Once the online application is complete. susi.ie will notify applicants of any documentation they will be required to submit. Supplying the correct information and relevant documentation on time is essential. Once submitted applications can be tracked online. Post-Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses are very popular and with good reason: they can equip students to enter the workplace and also give students, who are unsure of their subject area, the opportunity to try out a course before committing to degree programme. There are excellent opportunities to use PLC courses to gain entry to universities and institutes of technology. Opportunities for progression are available in nearly all areas of study. Some of the most popular include pre-engineering, pre-nursing, pre-science and computers but there are many more: 457 CAO course accept any PLC qualification for entry in 2016. This year, a number of PLC colleges have opened their application process earlier than ever with some accepting applications since December. While most students are very focused on the CAO, they should also be considering making some PLC applications if they have not already done so. The application process is simple and students apply to each college they are interested in directly. Application forms are generally short and straightforward. It costs nothing to apply, but it is important to apply early as places on the most popular courses fill up quickly. Once the application has been received the college will invite applicants for interview. Minimum academic qualifications for these courses are normally five Leaving Cert passes, with some courses requiring specific subjects such as maths. PLC courses will also accept students with Leaving Cert Applied qualifications. However, as entry is competitive, students should always try and present the best results they can. There are many benefits to taking PLC or QQI Level 5 courses, as they are also known. Students interested in applying to a PLC course as a possible route to higher education, should, as a first step, check with the university or institute of technology as to which PLC course they accept for entry to the particular CAO course and whether there are certain subject requirements. Many colleges print this information in their prospectus. The qualifax.ie website outlines which PLC colleges offer these courses. It is better to search by course code in the PLC section of qualifax.ie rather than by name of the course. A PLC course normally involves completion of eight modules over one year. Students will then fill out the CAO for the following year and have their application considered based on their PLC results rather than the Leaving Cert. This can be helpful for students who excel in a certain area but may not achieve the CAO points from other subjects to study that area in higher education. Some PLC courses offer advanced entry into third level. For example, the Level 5 course in renewable energy and sustainable construction at Colaiste Dhulaigh, Raheny on Dublin's northside, allows graduates to progress to second year of DIT Building Energy Services Level 7 Degree (DT005). Junior Cycle students are facing the prospect of a two-tier exam system as schools reopen without any resolution of the row over reforms. And the union blocking the changes, the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) is now at the centre of an embarrassing internal dispute. The first of new-style assessments for pupils is due to be rolled out in May - but, while one in three schools is ready, teachers elsewhere are still not co-operating. Meanwhile in the ASTI, about 20 staff - that is, most of its employees - are taking the union to the Workplace Relations Commission over an industrial relations matter. The staff, members of Siptu and the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), are unhappy that union leadership has not defended them against criticisms made in the media and on websites by a small cohort of ASTI members. An ASTI spokesperson declined to comment on the matter. It is not the first time that strains have emerged within the ASTI. At the union's 2014 conference, then general secretary Pat King, who retired recently, condemned death threats to him posted on a Facebook page run by a group calling itself ASTI Fightback. The group denied knowledge of a death threat and said any personalised attacks would be removed. But last September, the union demanded the group desist from using the ASTI name in its literature - and condemned comments made online and in print which it said undermined the integrity of staff. More than a decade ago, the Labour Court told the union "to get its house in order", declaring that its head office staff were working within an environment of fear, where threats were common. The latest internal difficulties come as the ASTI continues its stand-off with Education Minister Jan O'Sullivan (below) over the Junior Cert. Despite ongoing ASTI resistance, Ms O'Sullivan decided to press ahead with the reform process in the hope that agreement would be reached with the 18,000-member union - but no progress has been made. Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) members accepted the changes and are being trained in how to equip students with modern-day skills. The first of the new assessments for current second years is due in English this May. The teachers undergoing training work in about 250 of around 730 second-level schools - those in the education and training board sector, where the TUI represents teachers. A key aim of the reforms is to end the reliance on a set of terminal exams at the end of three years in junior cycle - which encourages rote learning - and replace it with a dual approach to assessment. Under the new system, students would also have two classroom-based assessments - one in second year and one in third year - such as oral presentations and projects. The idea is to develop a range of important skills, such as oral communications and a spirit of inquiry, while a broader assessment model will provide a more rounded picture of a student's abilities. It means some pupils will be exposed to the most modern teaching and assessment methods, while others will not. ASTI is the sole union representing members in about half of second-level schools. There are more than 90 community and comprehensive schools where both unions are represented. A decision will be taken soon on whether TUI members in those schools should also be invited to train. The country's two new political parties are struggling to build up election war chests to run their campaigns over the coming weeks. The Social Democrats' Roisin Shortall and Renua Ireland's Lucinda Creighton both say raising funds has become a time-consuming obstacle to any electoral success. Ms Shortall told the Irish Independent that the Social Democrats had raised "not very much", indicating it was more than 10,000. "When you think about any commercial company that is selling a brand, they spend tens of millions on promoting that. We're trying to do it on a very low budget and basically door by door," she said. The Dublin North West TD added: "We are constrained only by the lack of funding and staff. That is a real issue." At the time of her party's foundation, Ms Creighton said she wanted to raise 1m to help fund Renua's activities. She now says that was "in an ideal world". "Fundraising is going well. It's a huge challenge obviously because we don't get State funding. We've had to rely on loans from people, including myself, to fund the party." Health Minister Leo Varadkar said efforts were being made to ease overcrowding by reducing admission of patients from waiting lists The numbers on trolleys across the country rose yesterday to almost 500 with emergency departments suffering serious overcrowding. Some 95 of the 463 patients on trolleys were distributed across wards in a bid to ease congestion. The worst hit was Beaumont Hospital in Dublin where 48 were on trolleys. A spokeswoman for the hospital said Monday had the highest daily number of attendances at the department in the past 18 months, almost double the average rate. "In line with the age profile of the area served by the hospital, where one in three residents are aged over 65 and living alone, Beaumont is also seeing a high volume of older people attending the emergency department," she said. "This includes a growing number of patients presenting with respiratory and influenza symptoms." Tallaght Hospital emergency consultant Dr James Gray said more of the 463 patients on trolleys in emergency departments should have been moved to wards. Other hospitals that suffered overcrowding included St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda and the Mater Hospital in the capital. Health Minister Leo Varadkar, who visited six hospital emergency departments on Monday, said efforts were being made to ease overcrowding by reducing admission of patients from waiting lists and monitoring discharges in order to keep as many beds free as possible. The advice to people is to contact their GP. If possible, GPs are asked not to send patients to emergency rooms unless absolutely necessary. The level of violence against human rights defenders across the world has reached "new heights", with at least 157 activists killed last year. Extreme forms of violence are also being used more frequently, and in more countries, according to a new report. There is also a call for the Irish authorities to speak out. And judicial harassment has become "normalised" in many parts of the world, according to human rights body Front Line Defenders. In its latest annual report, the organisation reveals 157 activists were killed or died in detention in 25 countries, during the first 11 months of 2015. More than half of these murders - a total of 88 - took place in Latin America. Colombia alone accounted for 54 killings. Outside the Americas, one of the starkest figures was the targeted killings of 31 activists in the Philippines. Overall, 45pc of the killings were linked to defence of environmental, land, and indigenous peoples' rights. Mary Lawlor, the organisation's Executive Director, said the most worrying issue for the organisation remains "extreme violence". She accused sections of the international community of paying lip service to the problem. Words must be supported with practical solutions, she said. She also stressed Ireland must adopt an "automatic policy" of publicly condemning such killings. "The EU is quite happy to raise the situation in Burundi or Belarus, but when it comes to Ethiopia, China, Mexico, or Azerbaijan, it's a different story," she said. "Ireland and the EU must be as strong, speaking up for human rights defenders in countries where they have political and strategic interests." Former Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson gives his condolences to Liam Clarke's widow Cathy. Photo: Alan Lewis/Photopress Mourners at the funeral service for journalist Liam Clarke have heard how he was more than just "a master with words". The 'Belfast Telegraph' Political Editor had been suffering from a rare form of stomach cancer but continued to work right up until his peaceful death, on December 27. Yesterday, friends and family - including wife Kathryn and children Adam, Daniel and Alice - gathered at Roselawn Crematorium near Belfast to pay their last respects. The father, husband, political journalist and Zen Buddhist was described by those who knew him as both fearless and fair. He made his name by breaking scores of major stories, including revealing the vast wealth of south Armagh smuggler and senior republican Thomas 'Slab' Murphy, only recently convicted of tax evasion. Born in Drogheda, his interest in politics came early. While a pupil at Omagh Academy, he and another pupil took the day off school to protest at the killing of civilians on Bloody Sunday. Among the hundreds of mourners were First Minister Peter Robinson, Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt, Lady Sylvia Hermon MP, and Labour shadow Northern Ireland secretary Vernon Coaker MP. In his eulogy, Rev Earl Storey said: "Liam Clarke was a master with words. Yet his life and work speak more eloquently than any words even he could write. He was an enormously talented and decent human being." Paul Moran finally lost the fight against flood waters at his parents-in-laws cottage in Kinvara, Co Galway. Photos: Andrew Downes Pat Moran was among the most recent flood victims to lose the battle against rising waters. And he warns that other homeowners are just one pump malfunction away from being swamped. Mr Moran lost his battle with the elements in the early hours of yesterday morning as the five-foot barrier surrounding his parents-in-law's cottage in Kinvara was breached when his pump broke down. Mr Moran says the townland of Cahermore, between Kinvara and Labane - where President Michael D Higgins visited on Monday - has been hit by a deluge of flooding far worse than was experienced in 2009. "The flooding hasn't subsided at all, not down this end," he said. "Where we are, beside where they dug the channel to the sea - the hope was that work would take away all the water but the sheer volume is too much. The water levels are stable inland, but we are the last point of where that drop will happen." The family's 150-year-old thatched cottage was engulfed by the flood water early yesterday morning, when his only water pump broke down. Mr Moran, a local firefighter, says he knew he was fighting a losing battle. "There can be no mistake about it, the water levels will be here for weeks to come. I'd be amazed if we are clear by the start of February, based on what happened back in 2009." While Mr Moran was full of praise for the emergency response of locals and staff from the Office of Public Works, who have helped with the pumping of water, he feels that once the upcoming election is over, the political will from the Government to help out might disappear. "I feel what's been done now is too little, too late. The work that has been done since January 1 as an emergency measure has been unbelievable, but no one seems to want to take ownership of it now. Come March or April the political will might not be there." The European Commission has hit out at claims that EU environmental rules are to blame for Ireland's flood crisis. In an unusual move, the Commission released a statement in which it insists it is not standing in the way of the authorities if they wish to dredge rivers. A number of TDs, including Government ministers, have called for rivers such as the Shannon and Suir to be dredged in order to prevent further flooding. Planning and Housing Minister Paudie Coffey criticised "excessive red tape and bureaucracy" which he says is preventing landowners from protecting their homes. Opposition TDs have also blamed EU rules as being part of the problem. But a spokeswoman for the Commission rejected the criticism. "Any suggestion that EU environmental rules are somehow to blame for the recent severe flooding in Ireland is completely without foundation," the spokeswoman said. "EU law does not ban dredging." The statement emphasised that the Irish Government does not need to notify the European Commission about plans to dredge rivers as there is no such obligation in EU legislation. "Dredging is not always the solution for flooding. It may help to sort out a local problem but it may also transport the problem downstream, sometimes from rural to urban areas." The Government will throw more than 100m at homes, businesses and farms devastated by the recent flooding in a desperate attempt to avoid a General Election backlash. But the long-awaited response to the ongoing weather crisis offers little in the way of solutions to prevent flooding devastation from happening again. The Government plan came under strong attack last night, after it emerged that a "talking shop" is to be set-up to try to coordinate the huge number of agencies involved in the River Shannon. As communities continue to reel from the effects of Storms Desmond, Eva and Frank, it was revealed the centre piece of the Coalition's strategy is the establishment of a new taskforce involving various different bodies and State agencies. Ironically, the Office of Public Works (OPW) - the statutory body responsible for flood protection - has been asked to spend the next two weeks devising the powers to be given to the task force. Fianna Fail last night described the taskforce as a "talking shop" and said it fell far short of the type of body required to protect flood hotspots into the future. A spokesman for Taoiseach Enda Kenny rejected the claim outright. "A do-nothing thing it will not be," the spokesman said. The taskforce itself is made of a range of agencies, including the ESB, Bord na Mona, Inland Fisheries and local authorities with responsibility for the Shannon catchment area. Meanwhile, the establishment of a long-term flood forecasting system, which will involve 15 extra staff between Met Eireann and the OPW, was announced following a series of meetings in Government Buildings. But the system will not be in place for potentially over two years - meaning communities will continue to be at risk. The Coalition finally responded with a pledge of cash payments to assist badly-hit farmers in particular. There will also be a scheme whereby destroyed fodder is purchased at the market rate, in what will come as a relief to the agriculture industry. However, like much of the plan announced, the package for farmers was lacking detail, and there is little comfort for families affected by the floods whose homes do not have insurance. In response to their dilemma, Mr Kenny has pledged to meet representatives of the insurance industry in Government Buildings next Tuesday. His spokesman insisted that the meeting was more than just a PR exercise, but he refused to say whether the Government would come to the table with a series of demands. "There won't be a framework of threats," the spokesman added. A separate meeting will also take place next week between Environment Minister Alan Kelly and the EU Environment Commissioner to discuss issues such as dredging of rivers and other flood defence measures. The other elements of the Coalition's plan include: An extra 10m for local authorities as part of their clean-up efforts; Extending the 5m business grant scheme to sports and community organisations; Two pilot schemes in Crossmolina and Graiguenamanagh for flood protection measures such as flood gates; Include farms under the 10m Humanitarian Aid scheme; And so-called 'community resilience' aimed at towns and villages that have been affected. It emerged last night that the bill incurred in terms of damage to the country's roads is nearing 60m. Overall, the cost to the State of the recent storms is in the region of 100m, government sources say. Mr Kelly said the potential for further funding would be assessed. "The National Co-ordination committee has sat full time since December 3 and sat before that as well. It is the greatest response we have ever seen to an emergency that is unprecedented given the level of water we have seen," he told RTE News. But Fianna Fail TD Barry Cowen described the plan as "flawed". "It is strong on promise but weak on delivery," he told the Irish Independent. Taoiseach Enda Kenny has strongly rejected criticism of the new taskforce being set up to deal with flooding along the River Shannon. The body, which will bring together all of the agencies involved in managing the river, has been described by Opposition parities as a "talking shop". Read More But speaking in the Netherlands today, Mr Kenny said: "I reject the assertion that the Shannon Management Group is nothing more than a charade and a photographic session. "It is taking the estuary of the Shannon, the entire Shannon base and managing it through a range of opportunities and responsibilities that many of the agencies have and what you need is an effective working strategy that will allow for major or minor works to be carried out over the period of this year, next year and the year after and for many years to come." As part of the response to the devastating floods of recent weeks the Coalition has asked the Office of Public Works (OPW) - the statutory body responsible for flood protection - has been asked to spend the next two weeks devising the powers to be given to the task force. Read More Mr Kenny defended his handling of the crisis but admitted that more still needs to be done to deal with the fallout of storms Desmond, Eva and Frank. Asked if the response has been enough, he said: "It is not enough and we will continue to do more and when we have an assessment from the local authorities in respect of roads and bridges we will respond appropriately, provide that money to the local authority but have them then point out to their communities that timescale and the works they intend to carry out for the monies from the governmennt to which we will respond." Read More He said long-term forecasting was a must and the 18m already made available to local authorities for the clean-up operation would be increased as the need arises. "The Minister for Transport pointed out quite righty that he cannot give a figure of damage done by water to roads and roads structures unit the water subside but the Government will respond to that and we will respond in a way that people will understand they are not being left behind here. He added: "I would hope the weather will improve. Obviously I dont have any control over that." Levels of physical fitness, drunkenness and attitude are among the triggers that cabin crew assess within the first four seconds of greeting a passenger. Theres a lot more happening behind that seemingly benevolent smile and standard welcome greeting given by cabin crew to passengers as they board a flight. Creating the impression that they are warm, approachable and competent is only one element of the greeting, according to Gaea Peregrinor, an American who has been an air hostess for 25 years. I'm evaluating you very closely," Ms Peregrinor revealed on Quora, an online Q&A forum. She explained that she memorises the faces of any passengers who seem to be physically strong and could be of help in the event of an attack on board. If a situation looks like it could develop, I'll privately and discreetly ask one of these people if they would be willing to help us if necessary. Help might involve subduing or restraining an unruly passenger. We hope it never happens, but we will prepare just in case it does, she said. Expand Close Airplane cabin crew. Photo: Deposit / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Airplane cabin crew. Photo: Deposit Equally, cabin crew make note of any passengers with any injuries, disabilities or deficiencies that would disqualify them from sitting in an exit row, as they would need to be able to lift a heavy hatch or door, while passengers who arent fluent in English might not be able to follow any commands or read the instructions on how to open the exit doors during an emergency, she added. Fliers who appear intoxicated are unwelcome on board as the potential for future problems is too great, while those with a hateful and nasty attitude toward the crew need to be addressed before departure. Its rare but it has happened, she added. I've had passengers board who look pasty and pale, deathly ill. We removed them; nobody wants their flu germs! she added. Read More But passengers who are also airline employees are considered an invaluable resource, particularly those with a knowledge of in-flight procedures. They've been trained in what to do in an emergency, whether medical, mechanical, etc. They know how to handle the situations as well as I, and are trained to become an instant team member, fitting right in immediately if needed, she said. One such passenger was vital during the 1989 United Flight 232 crash landing in Sioux City, Iowa, a disaster that should have killed everyone on plane but didnt with the help of another pilot on the flight whose assistance in the cockpit helped save so many lives she recalled. Expand Close Portrait of female flight attendant / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Portrait of female flight attendant Consider that air travel is fraught with inherent danger, made more so by the political and religious climate of the world today, one must be constantly alert and aware of one's situation. So when I greet people, you better believe that I'm always very aware of each passenger who steps through the door of the aircraft. "The whole idea is to prevent problems from getting airborne, and be prepared for them if they do develop in flight," she added. Other alerts on air hostesses radar include passengers who attempt to smuggle pets or bottles of alcohol in their purses, handbags and briefcases. Booze is allowed as long as it stays capped. You just can't drink your own liquor on the plane, she added. While greeting passengers as they board a plane might require a lot of concentration, the thoughts of flight attendants while saying goodbye are less urgent. As for thanking people as they leave, I'm probably thinking about getting out of my uniform and relaxing in the layover hotel, or at home! Or, I may be trying to figure out if I have enough time to grab a sandwich on my way to the next flight. Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] Most colleges have a mature students union where students can meet others returning to education for support and social events. For every student considering beginning third level next autumn the idea of making the transition is both exciting and a little intimidating. For those returning to education as mature students, the whole process of application, entry, and the changes and challenges this will mean for their personal lives can seem overwhelming. If you have already made the decision to make a mature application to the CAO than congratulations you have already take a huge step. If you are still considering taking this step rest assured that every potential applicant is experiencing the same doubts and worries. All third level institutions welcome mature applicants and value the diversity and wealth of knowledge they bring to the classroom. In addition there are a wide range of supports available to ease the transition and cater for the specific needs of mature students once they enter the system. Most colleges have a mature students union where students can meet others returning to education for support and social events. Some offer refresher courses in areas such as maths where mature students may find they are out of practice or have gaps in their knowledge, or special orientation days. In addition to this there will be a full time mature student officer in most institutions who are more than happy to assist student with any issue they may have whether it be academic, social, personal or financial. The CAO defines a mature student as anyone who is over 23 years of age on January 1 2016 and most colleges concur. Some have their own age limits and more information is available on cao.ie/mature. Mature applicants should carefully read page 7 of the CAO handbook which clearly explains the mature student applicant process. Any applicant who may be considering applying to the CAO as a mature student must take the February 1 deadline extremely seriously. Many institutions require mature applicant to have placed their chosen courses on the CAO no later than February 1 even if these courses are not restricted entry. This is because institutions require mature students to attend an interview or participate in some testing. It is possible to apply for some courses after this deadline but applicants may find their options reduced. Next applicants should contact the institutions they are considering to ensure that they understand all elements that will be required for application. For example some colleges will require applicants to apply through CAO and Direct application. Mature applicants may also be required to complete extra information on the CAO form. Mature applicants may be requested to send documents to the CAO, which should be done within seven days of their application. Applicants should write their CAO number on the front of each document. It is prudent to request a certificate of postage when sending documents and applicate can include a stamped address postcard or envelopment to receive a confirmation that the documents have been received. The CAO will return this to you as confirmation that the documents have arrived. Mature applicants may also apply for a SUSI grant which may provide financial support for those entering third level. This is a means tested grant base on income during 2015. Finance options may be available depending on personal circumstances before returning to education, which include the Back to Education Allowance, and VTOS allowances. Although making the decision to return to education is intimidating more and more adults are taking this opportunity later in life. There are currently more mature students than ever before in fulltime third level course than ever before. Premium Ian O'Doherty Opinion For once, the UN is right were standing on the edge of a deadly nuclear precipice For those of us of a certain age, the last few months have felt as if we have somehow time-warped back to the 1980s. Stranger Things, which is set in that decade, has been the biggest show on TV. Kate Bush thanks, incidentally, to Stranger Things is now regularly played on the radio and she has reached number one in 2022 with the re-release of her 1985 hit, Running Up That Hill. The Persian Gulf has become a strategic tinderbox. Saudi Arabia's drastic decision to behead the Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr marks a point of no return in the bitter Sunni-Shia conflict engulfing the region. It is a dangerous escalation in the Kingdom's struggle with Iran for regional hegemony. Iran's Revolutionary Guard has vowed swift and harsh revenge, promising to bring down the Saudi dynasty in short order to avenge this "medieval act of savagery". Brent crude jumped to a three-week high of $38.91 (36) a barrel as traders began to price in the first flickers of political risk. Roughly a fifth of global oil supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz, where tankers would in extremis have to run the gauntlet past Iranian warships. Helima Croft, from RBC Capital Markets, said investors have yet to wake up to the full danger. "If we'd had scenes five years ago of the Saudi embassy in flames in Tehran there would have been a big move in the price, but right now there is so much over-supply and people just seem to think this is all noise. They have yet to get their heads around what can go wrong," she said. The risk for the Saudis is that the execution of Sheikh Nimr for what is essentially peaceful political protest ignites a long-simmering revolt by an aggrieved Shia minority, who make up 15pc of the population and are sitting on top of the giant Saudi oil fields in the Eastern Province. There were violent protests in the Sheikh's home town of Qatif on Monday, with at least one protester shot dead by police. Ali al-Ahmed, director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs in Washington, said Qatif is the nerve-centre of the Saudi petroleum industry, the so-called "Grand Central Station" where 12 pipelines come close together to supply the huge oil terminals at Ras Tanura and Dharan. These pipelines are close to major roads and towns, making them hard to police against "hit and run" attacks. Most of Saudi Arabia's 10.3 million barrels a day (b/d) of output passes through the Shia heartland, now seething with fury. While global crude stocks are at record levels, there is no spare capacity outside Saudi Arabia. A disruption lasting more than a few days could cause oil prices to spike violently - possibly to $200 (186) or more - triggering a worldwide economic crisis. Mr al-Ahmed said the mass executions have set in motion a fateful chain of events that nobody can now control. "It will likely trigger a bloody civil war that won't end until the Saudi monarchy ceases to exist. "This cycle of violence will not spare anyone or anything, including the coveted oil installations," he said. Bahrain and Sudan have already followed Saudi Arabia's move to cut off diplomatic relations with Iran, and the United Arab Emirates has recalled its ambassador. The lines of cleavage are painfully clear in a Middle East already convulsed by four wars, and sliding closer to all-out conflagration. Iran and Saudi Arabia severed ties from 1989 to 1992 but that was another era, when the US was at the height of its power, and willing to use it after the huge military build-up of the Reagan administration. There was then no civil war in Syria or Yemen. The Kingdom is more vulnerable today as it bites the bullet on austerity, slashing subsidies in an assault on the cradle-to-grave welfare net. Crumbling oil revenues have forced it to scrap the social contract that has kept a lid on dissent for decades. While the Saudi regime tried to muddy the waters by beheading Sheikh Nimr along with Sunni al-Qa'ida terrorists, his offence was "inciting sectarian strife". Internal US Wikileaks cables show that the US embassy never regarded him as a terrorist. He emerged as the spiritual leader of the Arab Spring protests in 2011, and although he taunted the royal family in hot language, he always advocated non-violent resistance. The US and the EU told Riyadh repeatedly that his execution would be a grave error: the Shia world warned it would be an act of war. The decision to go ahead anyway bears the hallmarks of Mohammad bin Salman, the headstrong 30-year-old deputy crown prince, who has amassed all power in the Kingdom and listens to nobody. The Saudis have a formidable security apparatus, with a force of 30,000 guarding the oil infrastructure. But there is a high risk of infiltration by terrorist groups of various stripes. One suicide bomber caught in a pipeline attack in 2006 turned out to be a close relative of the head of the Wahhabi religious police. Quite apart from the Shia question, an estimated 6,000 Saudis have been recruited by al-Qa'ida. At least 3,000 have fought with Isil, which views the Saudi royal family as "apostate usurpers" and is waging its own terrorist war against the dynasty. An al-Qaeda cell arrested in 2007 was plotting to hijack civilian airliners and crash them into to the oil facilities at Ras Tanura. Iran tends to operate through proxies. It relied on the Saudi Shia Hezbollah to kill 19 American air force personnel in the Khobar Towers bombing in 1996. Intelligence experts say Iran is likely to pursue a strategy of attrition, bleeding the Saudis in Yemen, where they are badly over-extended in a bloody stalemate that is costing an alleged $200m (186.5m) a day and risks becoming the Kingdom's "Vietnam War". Iran has already supplied Yemen's Shia-orientated Houthi rebels with Scud missiles. Houthi forces have been making increasingly bold forays into Saudi Arabia's southwest borderlands, another area of Shia loyalties that risks splintering off. The Iranians certainly have the technical means to inflict massive damage on Saudi infrastructure. The cybersecurity firm Cylance Corp alleged in a report that Iran's cyber warriors have hacked into the email systems of the US Navy, and into critical computer systems in Britain, France and Germany. A serious attack on Saudi Arabia would be a dangerous gambit for Iran, spelling the certain end to its rapprochement with the West and to its hopes for an end to sanctions. Yet it cannot be ruled out. There are powerful factions within the Iranian Revolutionary Guard that would welcome any chance to sabotage the nuclear deal. Saudi Arabia has just given them the perfect pretext. ( Daily Telegraph, London) We want to buy our first home. We want to get married. We want to have a career. The problem is, many of us can't right now and our choices are slipping away because we can't afford to make them. Career, property, wedding, babies - my mum had them all by time she was my age. I still live like a student - so what happened? It's the economy, stupid. A new UK study has shown young people are suffering the worst economic prospects for generations. A CSO report last autumn paints a horribly similar picture. The figures show that the youngest households have 10 times less wealth than the oldest households. Households where the reference person is under 35 make up 20.1pc of the sample. These households have a 3.5pc share of net wealth. Households where the reference person is 65 and over make up 20.1pc of the sample. These households have a 32.5pc share of net wealth. Even as the economy improves, years of economic malaise have left us unemployed, underemployed or just lower on the career ladder than we had hoped to be at this age. The unemployment rate for younger workers has generally been higher than for older workers throughout the recession and small recovery, and those who are working have likely started off lower on the ladder - and making less money - than they might in a better economy. The youth unemployment rate in Ireland averaged 18.48pc from 1983 until 2015, reaching an all-time high of 31.1pc in June 2012. It still stands at 19.8pc. An analysis from the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) painted a picture of the social situation of young people aged from 18 to 29 across the EU, and found 42pc of young people in Ireland were living with their parents. So it looks like we're wedged between mum and dad on the sofa rather than getting married. The average age of grooms in 2014 was 35, while the average for brides was 33, up from 32.8 in 2013. HSE statistics show that the average age of an Irish woman having a first child now stands at 32.1 years. In 2005, the average first-time buyer in Ireland was about 29, but according to Real Estate Alliance (REA), this figure is up to 35 and still rising. The new income requirements of 3.5 times salary, combined with increased deposits introduced by the Central Bank last year, price most of us out of the housing market. Still countless surveys suggest the traditional life signposts are what we all generally aspire to. What's changed is that basic goals such as getting married, having a secure job and owning a home have drifted further out of our reach. We are forced to rely on the bank of mum and dad but people then say we are mollycoddled, pampered brats who should learn to stand on our own two feet. The reality is that we're the generation straddled with zero-hour contracts, unemployment and the prospect of spiralling house prices. January is resolution time, but what kind of resolutions can I make when the milestones of a wedding and buying a first home are out of financial reach for yet another year? There's certainly much less stigma attached to cohabiting without getting married now than there was 30 years ago, but it's the financial cost of the 'Big Day' that's putting me off. Ever since my college protest days I've often despaired at the apathy of my generation. There are so many angry people, but underneath there is an undercurrent of hopelessness, the feeling that there is nothing that you can do to change a system in which affordable housing and a decent-paying job is a distant dream for so many. But there are so many stories that deserve to be told, and politicians need to hear them. Perhaps if we garner enough support they might even deign to meet with us, to look us in the face and maybe even listen. It's time to put young people on the priority list. And yes, we do vote. Maybe preferences for these kinds of life milestones will eventually change, too, as new norms evolve out of economic necessity. But in the meantime, don't malign us for "rejecting" milestones that are quite simply out of our reach. Politicians - if they get to stick around long enough - know there are always risks with any programme of action; but they are nothing like the costs that accrue from comfortable inaction. As the longest-serving TD in the Dail, Taoiseach Enda Kenny knows that more is expected from a leader than a talent for getting into - and holding onto - office. One month into what has become a national emergency since the flood waters first rose before Christmas, there were urgent calls for a single Shannon authority to be set up. This is because dealing with the competing needs of Waterways Ireland, the OPW, the ESB, Bord na Mona, Inland Fisheries Ireland, local authorities, and the Office of Public Works, is simply too cumbersome. But yesterday, Mr Kenny baulked at this. A single authority was not an option: It would take time, it would require legislative change, it would have to go to the EU, Government sources claimed. It's been said that a Government that wants to do something will find a way; one that doesn't, will find an excuse. And so Simon Harris has proposed that yet another taskforce will be charged with implementing flood protection plans. There's also a pledge of a further 10m, and Mr Kenny will meet with the insurance industry. Given the scale of the devastation, these responses are shameful. Throwing paltry money - that will be washed away by the next downpour - at the problem is a travesty. What people desperately needed to hear was what would be done to stop the floods. National planning and infrastructure strategies need to be reviewed and engineering programmes costing billions may have to be put in place. A "simply looking into it" approach won't cut it. The people of the affected areas whose homes and businesses have been wiped out deserve more. Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney added further insult to the injury be revealing that two plans would be published - next summer - to deal with flooding in the River Shannon catchment area. Two hundred years ago, Benjamin Franklin noted: "In rivers and bad governments, the lightest things swim at the top." The waters of Parteen Weir may move at 470 cubic metres per second, but it has taken the Government four weeks to produce a comparative drop in the ocean. Two-tier Junior Cert system not acceptable It's back to school today and tomorrow for pupils and teachers alike, as the Christmas holidays draw to a close. This will be the year when the Junior Cert is modernised - for some students, anyway. The reform of the Junior Cycle is proceeding in one-in-three schools, with new approaches to teaching and learning to equip students with modern-day skills. The first of the new-style assessments in English for current second years is due to take place in May. Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) members are trained up in the new assessment methods, but members of the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) are still resisting the changes. The two-tier system is not acceptable, as it is vital our pupils benefit from the changes envisaged in the broader assessment model to provide a more rounded picture of a student's abilities in the exams system. I watched the documentary on the closure of Clerys on RTE on Monday. To see the pain and upset of the workers, who had spent several decades working there and building up goodwill for the department store, was terribly sad. Of course, time does not wait for anyone and any business does not have the right to survive. But it seemed so very unfair that the shutters could have been pulled down and that the staff were thrown out so unceremoniously. You could see that they were traumatised by their experience. No laws were broken; just the hearts and spirits of the workers. But it seems compassion and humanity are scarce commodities in the marketplace and the decency and charm which the store once epitomised have vanished along with Dublin's 'rare ould times'. People are not commodities that can be either left on the shelf or thrown in a skip. The treatment of the staff at Clerys would make you wonder. T G Gavin Killiney, Co Dublin Enough talk on floods - let's act My aunt's home was flooded in Cumbria, England, on December 6 as a result of Storm Desmond. Damage was assessed by the insurance company and they were relocated to another house. The clean-up was well under way just three days later. The town was also flooded back in 2009 and flood defences were built in 2010 (unfortunately, these were breached, but they prevented the flooding from being worse). So why is it in Ireland no one who can make a decision or take action is seen until after they have enjoyed their Christmas dinner in their warm and dry houses? Then, the only 'help' is for committees to be set up to determine what might be done. Four weeks and another three storms later and still there is only talk and very little action. Six years on since the last major flood (2009) and still they are only talking about flood defences. How many storms and floods are required before someone realises that there has been enough talking and decide it's time to act? Christine Harris Galway Kenny's remarks insensitive I have never written to a newspaper, but I felt I had to put pen to paper to express my horror on hearing the comment made by Taoiseach Enda Kenny while visiting the people of flood-hit areas of our country recently. Rather than saying some words of comfort for the unfortunate homeowners, who were standing knee deep in floods, Mr Kenny suggested that people might move to higher ground. I feel Mr Kenny owes these people an apology for his insensitive comment. Eilis Ni Neill Newbridge, Co Kildare Relax ban on bedsits I would like to inform Alan Kelly, our Environment Minister, that the most likely outcome of rent certainty is that when a tenant's entitlement to the four-year security of tenure expires, the tenant will not have his agreement renewed. Why would he? The landlord will then issue notice of eviction and re-let the accommodation at the market rates. This will mean that on average, one-quarter of all tenants can expect a notice to leave every year, adding to the present chronic situation. Would it spoil some vast eternal plan if the present ban on the non-compliant bedsits - those without bathrooms en-suite, for example - were to be relaxed until supply issues have been dealt with? John McGuire Address with editor Case for 'parking by phone' The economic case for 'parking by phone' is compelling. The system is in widespread use elsewhere in Europe, indeed we have a similar system in Northern Ireland. As always, however, there is the issue of how to make the system user-friendly for visitors. There is a heavy reliance on tourism in Ireland, and a little joined-up thinking would repay itself both in additional income and improved customer relations. Since there is also the question of road tolls to consider, perhaps a single registration of a credit card linked to a vehicle registration number might be worth considering? It would certainly make my life a great deal easier. Gareth James Greyabbey, Co Down Let's put taxes into 'river banks' It would appear that our Government, instead of rushing to shore up the "pillar banks" with our taxes would have achieved better results by spending our money propping up the river banks. None of the bankers and speculators have had to suffer like the small people who are losing their homes and businesses. Brian Gillen Dublin 16 Saudi Arabia a 'superpower'? During the Cold War, the term "satellite state" was employed as one of derision in reference to those eastern European states that were under Moscow's thumb. Personally, it had never occurred to me that such a scenario could prevail these days, least of all in the Middle East, where the various royal families/hereditary dictatorships seem to vie with each other almost as much as they do with so many of their own people. In recent days, however, Saudi Arabia has unmasked itself as being more than the tyrannical country it is, setting a definite tone for 2016 in doing so. By apparently strong-arming its own, newly unveiled satellite states in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (so far) into backing it in its row with Iran, it has shown itself to be not just a domestic bully, but a regional and potentially global one. Once, we called them 'superpowers'. Killian Foley-Walsh Kilkenny Niall Breslin (Bressie) who completed the Dublin's first Ironman 70.3 triathlon in Phoenix Park today, with 2,500 athletes taking part with girlfriend Roz Purcell after the race Bressie has denied rumours he split with model girlfriend Roz Purcell. One of Ireland's hottest couples spent Christmas apart with Roz (25) jetting off to Thailand and Bressie staying at home in Mullingar, prompting speculation about their relationship status. But The Voice of Ireland judge (35) was quick to quash any suggestion of a break-up with his other half of three years, saying he simply doesn't enjoy spending the festive season abroad. "My mother would have killed me if I had gone away for Christmas and I'm much more frightened of my mother than I am of Roz," he told the Irish Sun. Expand Close Model Roz Purcell and boyfriend Bressie on New Year's Eve. Picture: Roz Purcell/Instagram / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Model Roz Purcell and boyfriend Bressie on New Year's Eve. Picture: Roz Purcell/Instagram "Anyway I went away for Christmas one year and hated it. Never again." While the former Miss Universe Ireland set social media slight with a string of sexy selfies during her Thai holiday with sister Rachel, Bressie wasn't resting on his laurels at home in Westmeath as he prepared for the return of the RTE One show and spent time with fellow Mullingar man Niall Horan. Cathriona White with Jim Carrey in a Tipperary GAA jersey that she got him Actor Jim Carrey will make his first appearance since the death of Cathriona White this Sunday. The 52-year-old star will present at the Golden Globes this weekend, his first red carpet since the Irish makeup artist took her own life in September. Carrey has avoided the spotlight for the last three months as he grieves for the Tipperary native, whom he dated on and off since 2013. According to Hollywood Foreign Press Association, he is among the list of presenters. Expand Close Jim Carrey and Cathriona White Pic: Jim Carrey/Twitter / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jim Carrey and Cathriona White Pic: Jim Carrey/Twitter Following her funeral in her native Cappawhite in October, Carrey tweeted an image of the two them kissing with the message "Love cannot be lost" and has avoided social media since. Read More The actor joined her family and friends in the Tipperary village, where she was buried beside her late father Pat. Cathriona, a 30-year-old make-up artist, was found dead in a house in Sherman Oaks, California, on September 28. Carrey, who was in an on-off relationship with Cathriona in recent years, described her death as like being "hit with a lightning bolt". At the time of her death, the Dumb and Dumber actor released a statement saying: "I am shocked and deeply saddened by the passing of my sweet Cathriona. "She was a truly kind and delicate Irish flower, too sensitive for this soil, to whom loving and being loved was all that sparkled. My heart goes out to her family and friends and to everyone who loved and cared about her. We have all been hit with a lightning bolt." US President Barack Obama sheds a tear while delivering a statement on steps to reduce gun violence at the White House in Washington yesterday. Photo: Reutersduring President Barack Obama outlined a plan to tighten up America's gun laws yesterday by extending background checks to those buying weapons over the internet and at gun shows. He said he would use his executive powers, bypassing the Republican-led Congress. As he spoke about the deaths of 26 people, including 20 children, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut in 2012, Mr Obama began to cry. He said: "Each time I think about those kids, it makes me mad. And, by the way, it happens on the streets of Chicago every day." He added: "The gun lobby may be holding Congress hostage but they can't hold America hostage. We can't accept this carnage in our communities. We are the only country on Earth that sees this kind of mass violence erupt with such frequency. We start thinking this is normal." Under his plan, the so-called "gun show loophole" would be closed. Private dealers would be considered to be "in the business" of selling guns if they accept credit card transactions, rent a table at a show, or have business cards. They would then be required to obtain licences and carry out background checks on buyers in the same way that licensed dealers do. The FBI will hire 230 extra staff to process round-the-clock background checks. "This is not a plot to take away everybody's guns," said the president. "You pass a background check, you purchase a firearm." Mr Obama also announced action on "straw purchases" in which weapons are bought through intermediaries. Republicans accused him of launching a "war on the Constitution" and may try to block the move in the courts. Paul Ryan, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, said Mr Obama was "undermining liberty" and the Second Amendment, which guarantees the right to bear arms. He said: "We all are pained by the recent atrocities in our country but no change the president is reportedly considering would have prevented them." Mr Obama has made 16 public statements following mass shootings during his presidency. His new measures were unveiled in front of a White House audience that included victims. He was introduced by Mark Barden, whose son died at Sandy Hook. Mr Barden said: "As a nation, we have to do better." Mr Obama's proposals are a watered-down version of those blocked in Congress following Sandy Hook. Significant sections of the US electorate are gun owners and Republican presidential candidates immediately rounded on him. Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner, said: "Pretty soon you won't be able to get guns." Marco Rubio said: "He (Mr Obama) is obsessed with gun control. On my first day in office behind that desk, don't worry, those orders are gone." Hillary Clinton, the Democratic frontrunner, said she supported Mr Obama and would go further, adding: "We've got to act but I don't think that's enough." There are thought to be more than 300 million guns in circulation in the United States and more than 30,000 people die from gun injuries each year. ( Daily Telegraph, London) Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] The bicoloured patterning of piebald cats such as Sybil, the Downing Street cat, are determined in the womb, a new study has found Cats with black and white patches have their distinctive colouring determined in the womb, research suggests. The study found the two-tone fur colour, known as piebald, forms when pigment cells fail to follow instructions during early development. Scientists hope the research will enhance understanding of medical conditions such as holes in the heart, which are also caused by problems with cell movements in the womb. Piebald patches, also apparent in some horses, occurs when pigment cells move and multiply randomly as an embryo grows, without complex cell-to-cell communication sending them in one direction. As there are not enough pigment cells to cover the whole of the skin, the animal gets a white belly, the study said. The University of Edinburgh's Dr Richard Mort said: ''We already know cells move through the developing skin to create pigment. We have discovered that they move and multiply at random which is not what was expected. "Using a mathematical model we were then able to show that this simple process could explain piebald patterns.'' This mathematical model could now be used for further research tracking different cells during early development. Researchers at the Universities of Bath and Edinburgh carried out the research on mice and believe it debunks earlier theories that the odd colouring is the result of slow-moving pigment cells. The University of Bath's Dr Christian Yates said: "Piebald patterns can be caused by a faulty version of a gene called kit. What we have found is counter-intuitive. "Previously it was thought that the defective kit gene slowed cells down, but instead we've shown that it actually reduces the rate at which they multiply. "There are too few pigment cells to populate the whole of the skin and so the animal gets a white belly. "In addition to kit, there are many other genes that can create piebald patterns, the mathematical model can explain piebald patterns regardless of the genes involved.'' The findings were published in the journal Nature Communications. For years the mid-century modern home at 1718 Minnekahda Road home sat inconspicuously among the larger nearby Riverview residences, despite being the only home in Tennessee designed by noted architect Richard Neutra.Its demise was evidently little noticed as well. Early last fall, the home was razed after being sold by the daughter of Dr. Philip and Jean Livingston, who had built the structure in the mid-1950s.George Bock III, who bought the home with his wife, Jamy, last July from Ann Livingston Raines, for $609,000, said he was very aware of the homes significance and connection to the architect.However, its condition had deteriorated to where it was hard to restore, he said.It was beyond totaled, he said. It was actually a liability. If the homeless people had known about it, they would have been living in it. It was in disrepair and was un-repairable.Mr. Bock who owns Bock Construction Inc. and is the son of the late former Baylor School teacher George Doc Bock added that he would have restored it if he could. In fact, because of its connection to the late Mr. Neutra, he believes he could have sold a restored home for four times its value at the time he bought it and then built another home somewhere else without hardly denting into his profit. But the homes condition prevented that.The homes razing actually came after some behind-the-scenes preservation efforts as meticulous as Mr. Neutras original plans for the home. UTC art and architecture professor Dr. Gavin Townsend, a devoted historic preservationist, said he and Dion Neutra, the son and former partner of the late Mr. Neutra, had worked -- with the encouragement of Ms. Raines -- to find a buyer or try to see if it could be restored.Dion and I tried to find a contractor who understood how to restore a period house, Dr. Townsend said. But the only ones who looked at the property could only think about how to bring the building up to current code, a financial impossibility. One contractor insisted on the need to replace all the original windows in the house, though only one was actually broken.Dr. Townsend added that at one point the younger Mr. Neutra thought he had a buyer who could rent the house while it could be placed into some sort of conservancy, but that deal fell through.Other problems also developed. I just don't think the money was there to do enough restoration to make it worthwhile to keep the house intact -- at least to any buyer other than a Neutra devotee, Dr. Townsend said.The offer by the Bocks who plan to build a mountain lodge-style home with more contemporary lines on the lot -- was better than the others Ms. Raines received, Dr. Townsend said. She had still hoped it could be restored and was disappointed when it was torn down, he added.Mr. Bock said he and some architects and friends took out some of the mid-century furniture and furnishings in the home before its demolition.Dr. Townsend, in turn, was earlier able to preserve at least the homes memory in more detail with the support of Ms. Raines, who moved out in 2013. He documented in detail the layout of the home, catalogued some historic information and old photographs, and wrote a detailed paper on the home for the annual conference of the Southeast Society of Architectural Historians in October 2014.The 4-bedroom home had such features as numerous glass windows, a mostly flat roof, custom cabinetry, a long desk in the master bedroom, a planter in the dining room, and unique cabinets for music and television.It also had a nice view of the nearby Tennessee River before the area became overgrown in later years.Mr. Neutra (pronounced NOY-tra) had visited the Chattanooga site and had asked the family including sons Dean and Richard as well as daughter Ann -- for detailed information about what they wanted in their home.As an example, the residence also had a dark room for Dr. Livingstons hobby of photography. Dr. Livingston, who grew up in Columbus, Ga., and practiced internal medicine and cardiology in Chattanooga, had lived in the home until suffering a tragic fall from the upper deck of the residence in January 2002 at the age of 96.Mr. Neutra, a native of Austria who died in 1970, was considered one of the premier architects who designed buildings in the mid-century modern style. He graced the cover of Time magazine in 1949.Most of his structures are located in California and out West. Dr. Townsend said only three homes designed by him were built in the Southeast, and that makes the inability to save the Riverview home extra hard to take.This loss to the history of American architecture is huge, he said.Jcshearer2@comcast.net At least 21 migrants have drowned off Turkey after their boats overturned in rough waters in two separate incidents as they tried to reach the Greek island of Lesbos, authorities said. Nine bodies washed up on a beach in the resort town of Ayvalik early yesterday morning, prompting authorities to dispatch coast guard boats and gendarmerie officials to search the area by sea and by land for possible survivors. By late morning, the death toll reached 14, the coast guard said, adding that seven other migrants were either rescued or found alive. Hours later, the private Dogan news agency reported that seven other bodies had washed up on shore at Dikili, a resort about 40km south of Ayvalik, the victims of a second migrant tragedy. The dead included women and children, the agency said. Around 850,000 migrants and refugees crossed into Greece last year, paying smuggling gangs to ferry them over from Turkey in frail boats. Hundreds have lost their lives during the crossings. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) estimates that 3,771 migrants overall have died while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe last year. The final number for 2015, released yesterday, was up from the 3,692 figure the agency released before Christmas. The IOM said last year was the deadliest on record for migrants crossing the Mediterranean, with the number of deaths rising from 3,279 in 2014. The IOM said a large majority of the deaths last year were still on the central Mediterranean route, mainly involving people crossing from Libya - 2,892, or 77pc. However, there were 805 deaths in the eastern Mediterranean, as that route became more popular. Top officials from Denmark, Sweden and Germany, meanwhile, were scheduled to hold talks in Brussels today amid concern about new border control measures aimed at stopping migrants entering northern Europe, EU officials said. Sweden introduced ID checks on all people travelling to Denmark, and Denmark tightened border controls on its border with Germany on Monday for at least 10 days, citing concerns about public security because of migrant movements and border measures taken by other EU member states. Danish officials said 18 people without proper ID were refused entry from Germany in the first 12 hours of the increased border crossing checks. Three people were also arrested, suspected of human smuggling. In Turkey, Namik Kemal Nazli, the local administrator for Ayvalik, told the state-run Anadolu Agency that the victims of the first incident are believed to be from Iraq, Algeria and Syria. There was no information on the nationalities of those drowned in the second incident. British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn ejected another senior figure from his top team late last night with Europe spokesman Pat McFadden losing his job for "disloyalty". The leader's reshuffle claimed its second victim after more than 30 hours of apparently bitter internal battling over the shape of the shadow cabinet. Earlier, Michael Dugher announced he had been sacked from the culture brief, with uncertainty still surrounding the fates of shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn and shadow defence secretary Maria Eagle. Mr Corbyn is facing a backlash yesterday over his so-called revenge reshuffle after a wave of senior figures spoke out. Michael Dugher announced he had been "sacked" from the post of shadow culture secretary as part of the Labour leader's shake-up of the shadow Cabinet. But Mr Corbyn's decision to remove the Barnsley East MP, a close ally of former prime minister Gordon Brown, resulted in MPs expressing their dismay at the move. Labour deputy leader Tom Watson led the praise for the ousted frontbencher. He said: "Michael Dugher is a rare politician - a talented working-class MP who hasn't lost his strong Yorkshire roots. Politicians with his ability and commitment can make a difference in any role. Labour's loss in the shadow cabinet will be compensated by Michael's free thought on the backbenches." Gloria De Piero, shadow minister for young people, said: "In over 20 years of friendship with Michael, I have witnessed his tireless commitment and determination to campaign for a Labour government and I know that will continue from the back benches. But it's always sad to lose someone from an ordinary background from the shadow cabinet." Luciana Berger, shadow minister for mental health, tweeted: "Sorry @MichaelDugher leaving the shadow cabinet. One of @UKLabour's best campaigners who's worked hard to widen access to the arts and sport." Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Vernon Coaker wrote: "Really sorry to see @MichaelDugher leave Shad Cab. He will be missed! He will be just as ferocious attacking the Tories from the b/benches." Fellow Barnsley MP Dan Jarvis, who is widely tipped as a future party leader, wrote: "Sad to see this. @MichaelDugher is a highly effective and authentic voice for working people and a great champion for #Labour." Jon Ashworth, shadow minister without portfolio, said: "I've been mates with @MichaelDugher since I was 16. Sorry to hear this news. I know he will continue to campaign hard for the party he loves." Graham Jones, an MP in Lancashire, tweeted: "With the sacking of Dugher, traditional working-class Labour is dying." But Bassetlaw MP John Mann tweeted: "All this guff about @MichaelDugher. He's a mate of mine. But Corbyn won. It's politics." Mr Dugher voted in favour of UK military action in Syria in last month's free vote in the House of Commons. He had warned Mr Corbyn he would end up with a "politburo of seven" at the top of the party if he attempted to use a reshuffle to surround himself with allies from the Labour left. Protesters hold up a placard that reads Against Sexism - Against Racism at Cologne railway station Police in Germany are investigating an alarming series of sexual assaults on women trying to celebrate the New Year by large groups of men "of Arab or North African appearance". Authorities in the city of Cologne held a crisis meeting after police described a group of some 1,000 men who took over the area around the main station on New Year's Eve. Women were robbed, groped, and had their underwear torn from their bodies, while couples had fireworks thrown at them. Police have received 90 criminal complaints, around a quarter of them for sexual assault, including one case of rape. Police in Hamburg say there was a series of similar incidents in the city's Reeperbahn red-light area. Witnesses described groups of five to 15 men of who "hunted" women in the streets. In Cologne, the attacks took place around the main station, opposite the cathedral, a traditional gathering spot to see in the New Year. A 27-year-old witness named only as Anne told 'Spiegel' magazine's she was shocked by the crowds when she arrived at the station with her boyfriend. "The whole place was full and almost only with men," she said. "Only a few frightened women, who were being stared at." Soon after, she said, she "felt the first hand on my behind". The men began firing fireworks directly into the crowd. "I saw people jump and run, because a rocket had been fired at their legs," she said. "Shortly after midnight, the first women came to us," an unnamed police officer told the local 'Express' newspaper. "Crying and in shock, they described how they had been severely sexually harassed. We went to look for women in the crowd. I picked one up from the ground. She was screaming and crying. Her underwear had been torn from her body." Although those behind the incidents have not been identified, they have been widely linked with the large influx of asylum-seekers to Germany. One MP from Angela Merkel's party called for the numbers of refugees in the country to be reduced in the light of the attacks. "It can't go on like this," Steffen Bilger wrote on Twitter. "Urgently needed: reduction of influx, secure borders, intensifying of deportations and meaningful justice. #Cologne." There were allegations of a police "cover-up" on social media after it took five days for the scale of the incidents to emerge, with some claiming the authorities wanted to hide the ethnicity of the perpetrators to avoid social tensions. An unidentified male witness told WDR television he and his girlfriend had been surrounded in Cologne by "drunk and aggressive" men who threatened them and groped her. "The crimes were committed by a group of people who from appearance were largely from the North African or Arab world," Wolfgang Albers, the Cologne police chief, said. There have been suggestions that those behind the attacks may have been organised criminals using sexual assaults to distract their victims while they were robbed. Some three-quarters of the criminal complaints filed in Cologne were for robbery. "We know this sort of behaviour as a pickpocketing trick," a police spokesman in Hamburg said. "But this phenomenon is unusual." ( Daily Telegraph London) Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] The school bus swept off the road by floodwater near Newton-on-Ouse, north of York in England More than 20 schoolchildren have been rescued after their bus became stranded and began to fill with water when the driver went through a "road closed" sign. Firefighters were called by some of the 26 youngsters on the service heading for Easingwold School, in North Yorkshire, when it became stranded near the village of Newton-on-Ouse, just north of York, England, a council has confirmed. The passengers posted pictures of the rising water levels inside the vehicle as others smashed a window at the back of the bus. Grace Abbott (15) told the 'York Press': "We felt the bus tilt and that's when water started gushing through the bus. Everyone ran across to the other side of the bus to stop us capsizing and tipping over. He was shouting down the phone to the bus company so I thought we had to phone the fire brigade because there was no way we were getting out of there on our own." Grace told the paper many of the younger children were crying and a girl who tried to smash the window cut her hand. Fire crews from across North Yorkshire responded to the call and a swift water rescue team was also deployed. The children were all taken off the stricken vehicle by firefighters and put on another bus. North Yorkshire County Council said the bus driver went through a road closure sign, as the route taken by the bus, between Tollerton and Newton-on-Ouse, has been closed by the highways authority since the heavy rains and flooding after Christmas. "We put road closure signs out during flooding for a very good reason - to keep people safe," said County Councillor Don Mackenzie, North Yorkshire's Executive Member for Highways. "Roads all over the county have been affected by flood waters and some remain so. We would urge drivers to comply for the sake of their own safety and not drive through closure signs when there is flooding. It is not possible to tell how deep the water is on flooded roads and drivers can quickly find themselves in trouble". "We will be working with the management staff at (bus company) Stephenson's to ensure that the incident is fully investigated and appropriate action is taken." Many migrants are trying to make their way to Europe A Syrian refugee reportedly allowed smugglers to rape his wife as payment for his family being trafficked to Europe. The husband, who had run out of money, allegedly volunteered his wife for payment and apparently started participating in the daily rapes. The unidentified woman, a mother-of-four, now lives in Berlin and has placed a restraining order on her husband, according to the New York Times. The woman remains in fear of being killed by her estranged husband or another relative for bringing "dishonour" to the family. Speaking to the New York Times, Susanne Hohne, the lead psychotherapist at a centre in West Berlin that treats traumatized female migrants said the woman displays all the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, including flashbacks, insomnia and trouble concentrating. "One moment she will seem perfectly healthy, the next she is in her chair opposite you dodging bullets in Damascus or reliving her abuse in Bulgaria," she said. Ms Hohne also claims that almost all of the 44 women in her care have experienced sexual violence. The incident is one of thousands unreported cases of sexual assaults on migrant women as they travel to Europe. An Iranian woman holds up a poster showing Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent opposition Saudi Shiite cleric who was executed last week by Saudi Arabia, during a protest against his death in Tehran, Iran Iran's president has said that Saudi Arabia cannot "cover up" its crime of executing a leading Shiite cleric by severing diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic. President Hassan Rouhani's comments came as Kuwait announced it had recalled its ambassador to Iran over attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in the Islamic Republic. The execution last weekend of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a Shiite cleric and opposition figure in Saudi Arabia, has heightened the Saudi-Iran regional rivalry, threatening to derail already shaky peace efforts over the wars in Syria and Yemen. A statement posted on his official website said Mr Rouhani discussed the current diplomatic dispute with visiting Danish foreign minister Kristian Jensen. "The Saudi government has taken a strange action and cut off its diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran to cover its crimes of beheading a religious leader in its country," Mr Rouhani said. "Undoubtedly, such actions can't cover up that big crime." In Washington, as the cold war between Iran and Saudi Arabia heats up, the Obama administration is trying to straddle the fence and not take sides, but its actions tell a different story - they all seem to favour Tehran. Following the Saudi government's announcement that it had executed 47 prisoners including al-Nimr, the US State Department did two things. First, it issued a statement expressing concern that Riyadh's actions were "exacerbating sectarian tensions." Then Secretary of State John Kerry called Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, urging him to try to de-escalate the crisis. A spokesmen for the White House insisted that the US was not taking a side, and that Kerry was set to call Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir. But US and Arab diplomats say that America's Gulf allies, who feel most threatened by Iran, see things very differently. Meanwhile, Iran's vice president, Mohammad Bagher Nobakht, said the country's intelligence services were investigating the diplomatic mission attacks and that police officers who failed to take action to stop the assaults would be prosecuted. Iranian police say at least 50 people already have been arrested over the attack. The diplomatic stand-off between Iran and the kingdom began on Saturday, when Saudi Arabia executed Mr al-Nimr and 46 others convicted of terror charges - the largest mass execution carried out by the kingdom since 1980. Mr al-Nimr, a central figure in the Arab Spring-inspired protests by Saudi Arabia's Shiite minority, was executed after being convicted of sedition and of other crimes, though he long denied advocating violence. News of his execution has sparked Shiite protests from Bahrain to Pakistan. In Iran, protesters responded by attacking the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad. Late on Sunday, Saudi Arabia announced it was severing relations with Iran because of the assaults, giving Iranian diplomatic personnel 48 hours to leave. Sudan and the tiny island kingdom of Bahrain said on Monday they would sever ties with Iran. The United Arab Emirates announced it would downgrade ties to Tehran to the level of the charge d'affaires, while other nations issued statements criticising Iran. Yesterday, Kuwait announced the recalling of its ambassador in a statement carried on the state-run Kuwait News Agency. However, Kuwait did not say it would sever its ties to Iran. Meanwhile, hundreds of Shiite protesters marched in Sitra, south of Bahrain's capital, Manama, over Mr al-Nimr's execution. Iran expressed "regret" over the attacks on the diplomatic missions in a letter to the United Nations on Monday and vowed to arrest those responsible. In the letter, obtained by the Associated Press, Iran's UN envoy Gholamali Khoshroo said more than 40 protesters have been arrested and that authorities are searching for other suspects. Saudi Arabia executed Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others convicted of terror charges, the largest mass execution carried out by the kingdom since 1980 (AP) Iraq has offered to act as a mediator to ease tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran that escalated after the kingdom's execution of a Shiite cleric and attacks on two of Saudi diplomatic posts in the Islamic Republic. Some Sunni Arab nations have followed the Saudis' lead and severed or downgraded ties with Iran, while others have offered words of caution aimed at calming the situation. The offer by Iraqi foreign minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, made during a news conference in the Iranian capital, included the diplomat referring to the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr as a "crime", a description that raised questions as to whether Saudi officials would even consider such an offer. The kingdom and its allies say that Mr al-Nimr was executed after being tried and sentenced to death under Saudi law. Mr al-Jaafari's comments show the balancing act that Iraq finds itself in amid the inflamed regional politics. It is relying on Iranian help and powerful Shiite militias to battle the extremist Islamic State group while trying to repair its own ties to oil-rich Saudi Arabia, which last week sent an ambassador to Baghdad for the first time in 25 years. Speaking alongside Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Mr al-Jaafari said Iraq's place in the heart of the Middle East allows it to play a role in trying to "alleviate tensions." "This responsibility has been given to us and we have been active from the early moments to lessen tensions to prevent a disaster from happening that could affect the entire region," he said. Russia also has offered itself as a potential mediator, although it is unclear whether Saudi or Iranian officials have responded to the proposal. Mr Zarif, meanwhile, blamed Saudi Arabia for exacerbating the situation. "We have treated these actions with magnanimity and nobleness but unfortunately our neighbour, Saudi Arabia, did not respond to it properly," he said. "The process of provoking tension must be stopped." The diplomatic stand-off between Iran and Saudi Arabia began Saturday, when the kingdom executed Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others convicted of terror charges - the largest mass execution it has carried out since 1980. In Iran, protesters responded by attacking the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad. Late on Sunday, Saudi Arabia announced it was severing relations with Iran because of the assaults. In the time since, a host of Saudi allies have cut or reduced their ties to Iran. On Wednesday, Oman broke its silence and called the diplomatic post attacks "unacceptable", while leaving its ties to the Islamic Republic untouched. The sultanate has been a long-time mediator between Iran and the rest of the world and helped jump-start negotiations for the Islamic Republic's recent nuclear deal with global powers. In eastern Saudi Arabia, where Mr al-Nimr agitated for greater political rights for Shiites in the Sunni-ruled kingdom, three days of mourning over his death were to end on Wednesday night. Mohammed al-Nimr, the sheikh's brother, said people planned to hold a funeral on Thursday for the cleric, although Saudi authorities already buried his corpses in an undisclosed cemetery. Asked about the diplomatic post attacks, Mr al-Nimr said it was "not acceptable". "We still believe that violence is not the right approach," he said. "About my brother, we were hoping to end it in a political way rather than in blood." UnifiEd, a public education advocacy organization, is calling for the Hamilton County Department of Education to immediately comply with state law mandating an adequate bullying and harassment policy in public schools and an independent investigation into all HCDE policies and procedures related to bullying, said officials. "We believe that clear action steps need to be taken to address these issues across our school system, said Elizabeth Crews, executive director of UnifiEd. The issue is not merely focused on Ooltewah High School but is indicative of a larger problem within the school system. UnifiEd called for the Hamilton County School Board and the school system to establish an anonymous reporting line that will allow reports to be filed without the fear of retribution. It is past time for this communication link to be established and hopefully our school officials will take immediate action, Said Ms. Crews. Last year, after months of community input and engagement, UnifiEd released their Pact for Public Education outlining four community priorities for public schools. One of the community priorities was a call for increased transparency and accountability from the school system. UnifiEd believes bullying, harassment, and discrimination is a system-wide issue that needs to be immediately addressed to prevent issues similar to the recent alleged crimes committed against a student at Ooltewah High School, said officials. The UnifiEd Student Voice Team, led by high school student organizers, has worked with over 100 students from 16 different schools in Hamilton County to create policy change within public schools. In December, the Student Voice Team identified bullying and harassment as one of the most pressing issues facing students today. An analysis by UnifiEds Student Voice Team suggests that the current Hamilton County Department of Education policy 6.304 regarding Student Discrimination/Harassment/Hazing and Bullying/Intimidation does not comply with state law. Tennessee Code Annotated Section 49-6-4503 requires that every school district adopt a policy prohibiting harassment, intimidation, bullying or cyberbullying. The statute details 13 specific elements that are required to be a part of every such school district policy. The Student Voice Teams review of HCDEs policy suggests that five of the 13 required provisions are missing or inadequate: A procedure for anonymous reporting A statement of the consequences and appropriate remedial action for a person who engages in reprisal or retaliation against a person who reports an act of harassment, intimidation, bullying or cyber bullying A description of the type of behavior expected from each student A procedure for discouraging and reporting conduct aimed at defining a student in a sexual manner or conduct impugning the character of a student based on allegations of sexual promiscuity A statement of the manner in which a school district shall respond after an act of harassment, intimidation, bullying or cyber-bullying is reported, investigated and confirmed Akia Lewis, a student organizer at UnifiEd, says, UnifiEds Student Voice Team has been working since last year to bring attention to the pressing issue of bullying and discrimination in schools. We know this is not an issue in one school or student group. We are dedicated and focused on making policy changes that will benefit all students in Hamilton County. Nick Wilkins, also a student organizer at UnifiEd, said, I believe having the option to report an incident anonymously is essential to ensuring the safety of all students. The School Board needs to work with students to create a centralized method of reporting that empowers us to be honest about whats going on in our schools and provide support for victims. While school administrators cannot base disciplinary action on anonymous reports, they are a useful in tracking and responding to problems associated with harassment, intimidation, and bullying, said officials. Based on data required to be reported to the State Department of Education, the number of reports of bullying in Hamilton County schools increased from 345 in 2012-2013 to 412 in 2013-2014 a 19.4 percent increase in one year. Reported bullying in Tennessee increased statewide by only 6.5 percent. The number of substantiated reports where after an investigation, school officials confirmed that bullying occurred increased in Hamilton County from 255 to 362, a 42 percent increase. If our school system and our school board cannot ensure a safe learning environment for every student in their care, we are failing our kids at the most fundamental level, said Ms. Crews. UnifiEd is calling for the School Board to comply with state law and asking HCDE to launch an independent investigation of all policies and procedures related to bullying. They recommend the anti-bullying policy be developed in consultation with parents and guardians, school employees, volunteers, students, administrators and community representatives as mandated by state law. UnifiEds Student Voice Team is currently working with students across the county to create a policy draft they believe will best serve students and address the issue of increased bullying and harassment in public schools. By Frances Parrish of the Independent Mail This story has been corrected from its original version to provide the accurate work title of Marybeth Evans. Beverly Childs, executive director of the Anderson County Museum, took a trip to southern Italy in October, and now she is helping bring a slice of Italy to Anderson through the International Festival. Childs, a festival committee member, remembers walking through doors of Catholic churches in Italy and seeing the exquisite stonework and mosaics. But not many people who aren't Catholic know the connection between those Italian churches and Anderson County. Through the museum, Childs is making that connection from exhibits outlining the Italian influence on Anderson County through the Franciscan Order, a group following the teachings of St. Francis of Assisi, Italy. Franciscan friars lead the two Catholic churches in Anderson. The museum exhibit will open Jan. 22. "I think it's important for others to know about different cultures and connect history of Anderson to another culture," Childs said. Childs recalls the vibrant colors and people she saw on her trip to Italy, and between the food and the music, she believes Anderson will capture some of the culture. Musically, the Italian culture is rich, but it is also known for its food, cars, books and films. Anderson-area universities, libraries, art organizations and businesses plan to explore all things Italian through the International Festival. "It gives you a chance to look into stuff you don't know and stuff you do know," said Marybeth Evans, a festival committee member community services coordinator for the Anderson County Library. This year, the festival's reach has grown to include Pendleton, and the Belton Area Museum is offering trips to Bob Jones University in Greenville to look at the university's collection of Renaissance art. On average, the festival draws about 5,000 people a year, with 30 to 40 percent of the crowd from out of town. "The festival is introducing the community to a new and different culture, which expands thoughts and views of each other," Evans said. In the past, Anderson has traveled to Japan, France, West Africa and Ireland through the festival. But it all started in Russia. The International Festival started in 2006 as the brainchild of Alex Spainhour of the Greater Anderson Musical Arts Consortium while he worked to put together a musical performance featuring a Russian conductor. Spainhour asked other organizations to help put on a festival to celebrate the occasion and make a bigger production around the one concert. "It wasn't meant to be ongoing, but it did," Evans said. "So many groups got involved and it was too much to have it every year, so they decided to host the festival every two years." From the Russian-themed event, the festival grew. "Everybody started realizing it was enriching for the community," said Dana Gencarelli, executive director of GAMAC. After the Russian festival came a Celtic celebration because Anderson has a lot of Scotch-Irish heritage, and the festival committee worked to focus on nations that had influences in Anderson County. Along with the Fransican Order influence, the Upstate has many Italian-influenced restaurants and businesses. "Our mission is to always provide a festival of diverse activities that foster a deeper understanding of culture in our community," Gencarelli said. Follow Frances Parrish on Twitter @frances_AIM The Anderson International Festival will begin Jan. 8 in Anderson. Visit andersoninternationalfestival.com for a full schedule of events. Lawmakers at an impasse, conference committee to revisit abortion bans The Senate refused to back down and accept the House's near total abortion bill Tuesday. Instead, they chose to go forward with a conference committee. Government Set to Launch Start-Up India, Stand-Up Initiative The Prime Minister in his monthly radio broadcast said that The Start-Up India, Stand-Up India mission will commence on January 16. The government is now in the process of finalizing a clear-cut plan for the Start-Up India mission. An inter-ministerial panel will be set up to evaluate proposals from entrepreneurs regarding their qualification for incentives and the merit of their ideas. Headed by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), the inter-ministerial body will meet fortnightly and will include the secretaries of the departments of information technology and biotechnology, among others. The objective is to cut down on regulations required to start a business, facilitate faster permits, expand financing options and provide tax breaks. The Start-Up India mission, first announced during the August 15 Independence Day address of the PM, has so far sought to provide subsidy of US$6.04 billion (Rs 40,000 crore) through various direct benefit transfer schemes. It has been frequently highlighted in the recent past as the government believes it will generate mass employment and boost income levels that will further facilitate economic growth. Government reforms set to increase FDI Inflows in 2016 India expects foreign direct investment (FDI) to register a 40-45 percent increase in 2016. According to the latest available figures for 2015, FDI inflows into India amounted to US$26.51 billion at an increase of 18 percent from January to September 2015. In 2014 India received FDI worth US$28.78 billion, and in 2013 it was US$22 billion. Top sectors that attracted FDI in 2015 include services, computer hardware and software, telecom, automobile and trading. To improve the investment climate, the government streamlined FDI structures in 2015. It introduced a composite foreign investment cap (clubbing all categories of overseas investments), hiked the investment cap across several sectors, relaxed e-commerce norms for foreign companies that have manufacturing bases in India, and opened up new sectors such as banking, palm, coffee and rubber plantations for FDI. Sourcing rules for single brand retailers were made easier, but the 51 percent ownership limits of FDI in the multi-brand retail sector remained. FDI reforms are crucial to the governments plans, as India requires US$1 trillion worth of investments during the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-2013 to 2016-2017) for infrastructural growth and development (ports, airports and highways). Firms Construct Production Facilities in a Boost to Make In India Campaign In a boost to the governments Make in India campaign, several companies have started manufacturing their products in the country. Most recently, mobile phone manufacturer, Vivo Mobile India, commenced manufacturing smartphones in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh state. All smartphones will be manufactured at the new facility and will cater to the domestic market. Another example is U.S. based Amway, which opened its first manufacturing facility in India. The plant is located in Dindigul district in Tamil Nadu state. Amways other non-US plants are located in China and Vietnam. The firms India operation will make India-specific products, while state of the art R&D laboratory is also being explored at the manufacturing facility. The government has stated that since the launch of the Make in India campaign, FDI has increased by about 35 percent. Several companies including Foxconn, Zenith, Ikea and Wanda group are investing in the country. The government will also host a Make in India Week from 13-18 February and expects around 1,000 companies from 60 countries to participate. About Us Asia Briefing Ltd. is a subsidiary of Dezan Shira & Associates. Dezan Shira is a specialist foreign direct investment practice, providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to multinationals investing in China, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam, Singapore and the rest of ASEAN. For further information, please email india@dezshira.com or visit www.dezshira.com. Stay up to date with the latest business and investment trends in Asia by subscribing to our complimentary update service featuring news, commentary and regulatory insight. Managing Your Accounting and Bookkeeping in India In this issue of India Briefing Magazine, we spotlight three issues that financial management teams for India should monitor. Firstly, we examine the new Indian Accounting Standards (Ind-AS) system, which is expected to be a boon for foreign companies in India. We then highlight common filing dates for most companies with operations in India, and lastly examine procedures and regulations for remitting profits from India. Taking Advantage of Indias FDI Reforms In this edition of India Briefing Magazine, we explore important amendments to Indias foreign investment policy and outline various options for business establishment, including the creation of wholly owned subsidiaries in sectors that permit 100 percent foreign direct investment. We additionally explore several taxes that apply to wholly owned subsidiary companies, and provide an outlook for what investors can expect to see in India this year. An Introduction to Doing Business in India 2015 (Second Edition) Doing Business in India 2015 is designed to introduce the fundamentals of investing in India. As such, this comprehensive guide is ideal not only for businesses looking to enter the Indian market, but also for companies who already have a presence here and want to keep up-to-date with the most recent and relevant policy changes. We discuss a range of pertinent issues for foreign businesses, including Indias most recent FDI caps and restrictions, the key taxes applicable to foreign companies, how to conduct a successful audit, and the procedures for obtaining an employment visa. The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has been apprised of the protocol signed earlier between India and Czech Republic in the field of heavy industry, especially in industrial cooperation and facilities construction.The Protocol includes the intent for modernization of the existing facilities in India by the Czech companies, including modernization of three plants of Heavy Engineering Corporation, a Central Public Sector Enterprises under the Department of Heavy Industries at Ranchi, set up with Czech support in the early 1960's.The aim of the Protocol is to promote bilateral cooperation between the subjects of both States of the Parties in the field of heavy industry on the principle of mutual convenience and benefit, in accordance with the laws valid on the territories of the states of the Parties and their obligations resulting from other international agreements. a 100% subsidiary company of Kuwait based The Kuwaiti Danish Dairy Company (KDD), today forayed into the Punjab market with the launch of its highly successful fruit juice and nectar line KDD HARVEST. A household name in Middle East for over five decades, the brand is known for its pure wholesome goodness across its product range. KDD HARVEST fruit juice and nectar line encapsulates high quality, rich in fruit content, great taste and trust it offers to its consumers.At the press conference held in Chandigarh today, the company unveiled the brand which is all set to be rolled out to the consumers of Punjab starting today. The product line announced comes in an enviable range of 3 distinct categories Rich, Perfect and Supreme in 11 fruit variants.On the occasion of entering the Punjab market withI would like to share that today, we at KDD India feel extremely proud and honoured to launch our KDD HARVEST brand in Punjab. A state known as Granary of India with such rich cultural heritage and unique flavours embedded in the roots, we are definitive of fact that our true to life juice brand KDD HARVEST will hit the right chords with the consumers here. For us, the most important aspect of enriching our consumers with honest product offerings is what truly matters. We will ensure that people in Punjab will whole heartedly accept our product offerings and welcome us with open arms. We have redefined our brand statement for the Punjab region which is Dil Khush Kar Le, we will and have always strived to give our consumers the most unique fruit experience with our products.We are delighted to introduce KDD HARVEST Juices in Punjab after successfully foraying into the South, West and Delhi NCR regions. We are extremely positive about the response we hope to receive from our target consumers in Punjab. I am confident that the consumers will enjoy our whole new range of juices with our USP being rich, true to life flavours and multiple categories. I am sure the consumers here are ready to experiment and try new and unique flavours, and our juices will surely be loved by all. We plan to expand our sales rapidly in the region with exciting offers for our dealers and retailers as well.currently has 11 fruit variants sold under 3 distinct categories Rich, Perfect and Supreme. For those who want to have the closest experience of having an actual fruit comes in the RICH range in Mango, Guava, Pink Guava, and Pomegranate. The PERFECT range is for those who want more fruit and more taste available in Apple, Orange, Mixed Fruit, Litchi, Pineapple and Cranberry.is its unique variant comes under SUPREME range and has come to be the most appreciated variant across all existing markets. Made with only 100% natural Alphonsos, KDD HARVEST Supreme Alphonso is nothing like what the consumers would have tasted before.Consumers across the board have conferred KDD HARVEST as the God of Juices, because of the uniqueness, freshness and the ultimate experience that the brand offers in every aspect of its product offerings.In a short span of time, KDD HARVEST has become one of the top 3 brands in the North, West and South Indian fruit juice and nectar market. To the Indian consumers, KDD HARVEST has become synonymous with quality.Available in 11 fruit variants, KDD HARVEST is priced at Rs 105/- and Rs 115 /- for 1 litre and Rs 22/- and Rs 25/- for 200 ml. KDD HARVEST juices will be available across Punjab at the big, medium and smaller retail stores. In the first phase, the products will be available in these cities and towns: Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula. In the coming months, the brand will be available at other cities as well.KDD HARVEST has permanent shelf-space across large scale retail chains like Big Bazaar, METRO, MORE (ABRL), Star Bazaar, Hypercity, Walmart, Carrefour, etc. and also in another 40,000 major retail outlets. Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India in association with Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) is organizing INDIA PHARMA 2016 & INDIA MEDICAL EXPO 2016 at the Bangalore International Exhibition & Convention Centre (BIEC), Bangalore from 7-9 January, 2016. The objective of the twin events is to promote India as a quality manufacturing hub in the Pharmaceuticals & Medical Electronics and Device sector. Ananth Kumar, Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India will be inaugurating the program on 7th January, 2016 in presence of Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, Minister of State for Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India, R.V Deshpande, Minister of Industries, Govt. of Karnataka, Dr. Sharan Prakash Rudrappa Patil, Minister for Medical Education, Govt. of Karnataka, and U. T. Khader, Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of Karnataka. The state of Karnataka will be participating at the Event as a Host State Partner. India Pharma & India Medical Expo 2016 will have exhibitors from the Pharma Formulation, Bulk Drugs, Machinery and Technology, Medical Electronics, Medical Devices and Surgical Instruments. The event will provide a unique platform to Industry to meet the prospective partners and connect with the desired business stakeholders. The latest products and services from the above mentioned sectors will be showcased during the 3 day exhibition. Concurrent activities like the CEOs Forum, Buyer & Seller Meet, Structured B2B meetings and the International Conference will also be organized to provide an excellent platform to the participants to promote their products and services and enter into potential business tie-ups. EEPC & Pharmexcil with the support from Ministry of Commerce will host buyers from Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Vietnam, Nepal, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Tunisia, Indonesia, Malavi, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Cambodia, Ukraine, Kyrgyz Republic, Iraq and Tanzania. The highlights of the event will be as follows: Mega Inauguration of the Event on 7th January, 2016 in presence of Ministers from Govt. of India & Govt. of Karnataka, Leading CEOs of the Sector and Industry Stalwarts Participation of over 200 companies in the exhibition DIPP Pavilion Showcasing Make in India Campaign Department of Science & Technology INNOVATORS PAVILION DeitY pavilion along with participation from CDAC & SAMEER showcasing the latest technological developments in the Medical Device & Electronics sector Karnataka UdyogMitra participating as Host State Karnataka Drug & Pharmaceuticals Manufacturers Pavilion Over 50 CEOs attended the CEOs Forum Reverse Buyer Seller meet by EEPC & Pharmexcil Over 100 Hosted Buyers are attending from over 25 Countries Start Up Pavilion with 6 Start-Up units Over 3000 Registered Online Business Visitors Entities seeking to enhance their manufacturing facilities are likely to receive aid from the government, since the latter is in plans to set up a Rs 500-crore pharma technology upgradation fund for facilitation of more cost-effective loans for such entities, says an PTI report.The move is being planned in the backdrop of a proposal which is already being worked on by Department of Pharmaceuticals, for setting up a venture capital fund, so as to provide cheaper loans to small and marginal firms thereby fueling their plans to set up new units, the report said.Pharmaceuticals sector, which is in need of revitalization and a price cut-down on medicines, is likely to witness these changes soon given that both the proposals are being actively considered, as reported by PTI."Following the Make in India theme we want to boost our domestic output in the pharma sector. It is felt that there is a need to provide loans or subsidies to the companies for upgrading their technologies as per global standards," a senior official told PTI.Besides putting efforts to set up parks for pharma products and medical device parks, government is mulling over rolling out a scheme to provide financial assistance in the form of soft loans or interest subsidies to select manufacturing facilities. Additionally, raising the amount of Jan Aushadi stores all over the country to 3,000 outlets, is also contemplated by the NDA government, as mentioned in the report. A former Erlanger Hospital nurse has been charged with dressing as a nurse, going into a patient room, and stealing medication. Candace Shantal Simpson, 33, of Chickamauga, Ga., was charged with theft of property, burglary and impersonation of a licensed professional. In the incident last Oct. 23, police said Ms. Simpson came to Erlanger in a nurse's uniform and portrayed herself as a working nurse. She entered a room where pain medications were being administered to a patient. A family member of the patient who was in the room said the "nurse" went directly to the pain pump, withdrew a syringe from her nurse's uniform shirt pocket, and withdrew medication from a tube that was administering medicine to the patient. She said the "nurse" then got another syringe from another pocket and injected an unknown substance into the medication dispenser for the patient. The family member thought this was strange and asked the "nurse" what she was doing. She said she was "topping off" the medication. The family member then sought to alert Erlanger personnel, causing the "nurse" to scramble for an exit. She was recognized by employees who knew her from her previous employment and that "she had been released on similar action in the past." The family member picked Ms. Simpson from a photo lineup. The December 23, 2015 Warning Letter issued to Pankaj Patel, CMD, Cadila Healthcare, raised many questions regarding loose control and data deletion. The US drug regulator expressed its concern over destroying CGMP records of Zyfine facility near Ahmedabad, Gujarat.The FDA investigation of Zydus Cadilas Zyfine facility during December 1-6, 2014 had found several plastic bags filled with paperwork and other scrapped items in the scrap yard. One item was a torn notebook of deficiencies recorded during review of your batch manufacturing records. For example, page 22 included a comment on batch (b)(4) not mentioned any deviations of lower yield. Our review of the batch record (b)(4) found that the yield reported was (b)(4)% (range: (b)(4)%), but the batch record did not indicate a deviation, said the FDA warning letter.However, the company responded that these were personal notebooks intended only for meeting and other discussion notes.Countering the response of the company, the FDA said, Your response did not explain why your production personnel used unofficial paper for documenting CGMP relevant data. Your response also did not explain whether the lower-yield event was investigated. Your batch records should include complete information related to the manufacture of each batch, including notation of any deviation, its evaluation, and investigation.Your response is also inadequate in that the investigation you performed in response to FDAs inspection was primarily limited to the discarded CGMP records cited in the Form FDA-483. Your investigation did not include a comprehensive review of all records in the waste area or a thorough review of your firms practice of destroying CGMP records, noted the warning letter.Moreover, the FDA found that the firm failed to adequately control the use of computerized systems in the quality control laboratory. Our inspection team found that the laboratory manager had the ability to delete data from the Karl Fischer Tiamo software. During our limited review of your Karl Fischer data, we found that one file had been deleted. However, because the audit trail function for the Karl Fischer Tiamo software was not activated, and because eight different analysts share a single username and password, you were unable to demonstrate who performed each operation on this instrument system. You do not have a record of the acquisition of all data, nor do you have records of changes to or modifications of such data, pointed out FDA. chosen by Dubai World Central (DWC) to build first& most advanced MRO at Dubais Al Maktoum International Airport has signed a MOU withto help set up the first and most advanced engine MRO facility to cater to the burgeoning demand of Engine Maintenance, repair &overhauling Services in the Gulf region.AIESL has vast aviation and engine experience which we will deploy to provide Haveus Aerotech India with all necessary support in terms of provision of skilled manpower and quality certification related to the facility.As per the MOU, Air India Engineering Services Limited (AIESL) a subsidiary of Air India will provide a vast pool of well qualified & experienced engineers, skilled manpower and technical personnel and technical know-how to HaveusAerotech India in building &to operate MRO facility at Dubai.AIESL shall provide the required support to Haveus Aerotech India in procuring 145 certifications/ regulatory approvalsto establish an engine MRO at Dubai.The MOU between the companies facilitates AIESL to provide manpower in any of the present and future endeavours of Haveus Group companies.Haveus Aerotech can use the AIESL facilities/toolkits and manpower for engine overhaul of CFM56/CF6 serie/ any other engine or any APU in India till Haveus Aerotech facility is operational in Dubai.AIESL will work in unison with Haveus Aerotech and will provide any surplus/in-house work generated to Haveus Aerotech.Haveus Aerotech will support AIESL in arranging spare parts for the overhaul of engines for the business given by HAA and as per the requirement of AIESL from time to time.Talking on the significance of MOU,, saidThis significant development of the MOU signed between Haveus Aerotech India and AIESL will help AIESL to gain inroads into the World Aviation Market. The MOU will be beneficial for the two companies witnessing the massive expansion in aviation field. He feels that a new revolution in the field of skilled manpower by India is coming wherein Air Indias Air India Engineering Services Limited can meet the huge demand of skilled people worldwide.Haveus Aerotech India,to be awarded the contract to build & operate the first and most advanced engine MRO facility in whole of the Gulf region at Dubais Al Maktoum International Airport - worlds largest &ultra modern International airport.Executive Chairman, Dubai Aviation City Corporation, the parent company of Dubai Southsigned an exclusive contract with Mr.Anshul Bhargava, managing director of Haveus Aerotech India to build and operate eco-friendly and ultramodern CFM56-7B/5B MRO facility in the whole of Gulf region at Dubais Al Maktoum International Airport - worlds largest &ultra modern International airport in order to make Dubai World Central - Al Maktoum International Airport the biggest aviation hub in the world.Haveus Aerotechs ultra modern, technologically advanced MRO facility in Dubai involves an investment of overwill be spread over 9000 square meter areawill cater to the burgeoning demand of Aircraft, Far East, Asian and the adjoining regions. said Mr. Anshul Bhargava, managing director of Haveus Aerotech India.The MRO facility will be able to service 100 Engines in a year. Haveus Aerotech India will also be responsible to coordinate project buildup, marketing, training, purchase, providing of technical services, man power sourcing and securing of requisite certifications besides whole lot of other day to day activities involved too efficiently run the MRO with the battery of most experienced aviation professionals. added Mr. Bhargava.The new MRO will usher in a new aviation technology in Dubai with worlds largest airport Al Makhtoum witnessing massive aviation activities. It will enable great opportunities for skilled manpower and containing the huge foreign exchange due to all the maintenance is being done abroad. Summit Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo India of Re-Imagining FMCG in India ,D Shivakumar aptly summarised the present scenario of FMCG sector in India saying,The FMCG industry has always been bedrock of talent to all other industries. It is one of the largest sectors in India and is a largely a Make-in-India industry. FMCG has to be re-imagined for a future world, owing to the varied changes and opportunities seen in this sector. " For FMCG sector, which is the fourth largest in economy with market size of US$13.1 billion year 2015 has been a mixed bag. It was a roller coaster ride right from Union Budget to impending implementation of GST Bill for consumer goods sector. There were cloudy days involving the Maggi ban, increase on tax of tobacco and heavy rains affecting rural market. However, the sector is estimated to be among the key factors in reviving India. Despite of lackadaisical economic growth and weak performance in the past two years, outlook remains positive for Indias consumer goods industry in the new year. Nielsen, a leading global information and measurement company, predicts Indias FMCG industry to grow from $37 billion in 2013 to $49 billion in 2016. Digital communication, e-commerce and premium products are foreseen as key drivers for growth. Its future depends on how they evolve around this sections. By 2020, around 150 million consumers are expected to be digitally influenced in FMCG and these digital consumers alone would spend ~ 40 USD Bn on FMCG categories, elucidated a report by Boston Consulting Group. Budget woes Right from the time the Union Budget 2015 was presented in the Parliament, FMCG sector had a fair share of its peak and crests. .25% hike on excise duty of cigarettes for length not exceeding 65mm and by 15% for cigarettes of other lengths was announced. Similar increases were proposed on cigars, cheroots and cigarillos. Also, changes were made in the compounded levy scheme applicable to pan masala, gutkha and certain other tobacco products. This did not augur well for major tobacco producers like VST Industries, Godfrey Phillips, and ITC. In a glimmer of hope however, FM Arun Jaitley, vowed to implement Goods and Service Tax bill (GST bill) by April 2016, which would provide a respite to the industry plaguing from several taxation structures. Nestle Tragedy! Perhaps the biggest controversy for the year came from major food maker Nestle, which reported its first quaterly losses in India due to Maggi ban. India is among the largest consumer of Maggi noodles across all Nestle operations in the world, with a topline at 8-9%. The ban was enforced on the accusation that Maggi contained excess levels of lead and mono-sodium glutamate (MSG). After much hue and cry and dozens of law cases the company had to eventually withdraw Maggi noodles of worth Rs. 210 crore from the market. Distress compounded for Nestle, as during April-June quarter, the company reported loss of Rs 64.4 crore, while recalling Maggi worth Rs. 320 crore. Later, apex court of consumer issued a notice to Nestle to cough up Rs. 640 crore, for unfair trade practices, false labeling and misleading advertisements of Maggi noodles. Though the Swiss-based food manufacturer remain convinced on Maggi being safe, authorities in India sent samples of it to several food test labs. After facing tough objections from Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), apex court has finally allowed it to be brought back on shelves. Now that everyones favourite snack is back, Nestle seeks double digit growth for their brand by increasing its consumption capacity, and new marketing stragies like partnership with Snapdeal GST merriment or dismay! India Inc is waiting with bated breath for GST to be implemented. However, things might not turn out to be As per a Religare Capital Market report, at a GST rate of 18% on food items, edible oils, biscuits, chocolate, cocoa and baked items, FMCG companies will take a hit as indirect tax incidence will go up. Carbonated drinks may take a larger hit at 40% proposed GST. However, clarity on GST bill is yet unclear. The panel is suggesting taxation in three categories where some essential goods will be taxed at a lower rate of 12%, demerit goods such as luxury cars, aerated beverages, pan masala and tobacco products at a higher rate of 40%; and all remaining goods at a standard rate of 17-18%. If these changes are brought into practice, it could be downside for tobacco players in India, as cigarettes sales account for 17% of the top 100 FMCG sales, and just below the personal care category. ITC alone holds 60% volume market share and 70% by value of all filter cigarettes in India. So, unlike other sector, GST is not playing Santa to the FMCG. Weak Monsoon, Low rural consumption: Major FMCG players are stressed on rural consumption for the next two-three quarters. For the two successive year, there has been shortfall in rains which has impacted incomes and adversely affecting sales across product categories. In the past four quarters, rural growth of household items right from toothpastes to detergent and biscuits to beverages has been contracting to single digit growth of 5-6% compared to 11-12% of last year. Dabur, the worlds largest Ayurvedic medicine & related products manufacturer in a report stated, there has been a decline in net disposable income of rural households specially in drought-affected areas. The fall is led by poor monsoons, unchanged NREGA scheme and low lower-than-normal increase in minimum support price. For the September 2015 quarter, Coca-Cola reported 4% growth in its volume, which the beverage maker attributed to lower farm income. All the sun shines here! Year 2015, belonged to debt free companies in FMCG market. HUL has stunned the market with its volume growth, with its soap segment among the top 10 list. Despite of new entries of various products, the company maintained to dominate competitors with its four brands Lifeboy, LUX, Dove and Pears in the personal care category. The domestic major also acquired Indulekha and Vayodha from Mosons Group for Rs 330 crore so as to strengthen its ayurvedic section and also tapping its personal care segments. Companies like Dabur, HUL, Marico and Britannia has started targeting weaker states to strengthen their market value. In a year, Dabur Red, the ayurvedic toothpaste brand of Dabur has overtaken Colgate-Dental cream in states like Odisha and Bihar, doubling its shares. In September ended quarter 2015, Dabur witnessed 8% yoy increase in its revenue, led by its consumer care business which was up by 10% yoy. Britannia Industries consolidated profit from operations witnessed 56% increase in Q2 and 70% rise for the six months at Rs. 298 crores & Rs. 559 crores respectively. The industry has lined up capex of around Rs. 500 crore and plans significant investment for the next two-three years. Maricos key products Coconut Parachute have continued to perform, with growth of 10% maintaining its fundamentals strong. During September ended quarter, the company witnessed consolidated net profit of Rs. 150.72 crore, up by 27% against Rs. 118.26 crore for the same period in the previous year. Government Initiatives: To pacify the consumer sentiment, Government has allowed 100 percent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the electronics hardware-manufacturing sector through the automatic route. It has also permitted 51% FDI in multi-brand retail and 100 per cent in single-brand retail in order to attract foreign investment for the sector. Policies such as National Electronics Mission and digitisation of television and setting up of Electronic Hardware Technology Parks (EHTPs) is expected to boost the growth of this sector. What Future Holds? The consumer electronic segment is forecast to rise to US$ 400 billion by 2020. By 2016, the production is expected to reach around US$ 104 billion. In India, urban market consists of 65 percent share of total revenues in the sector. Demand for non-essential products such as LED TVs, laptops, split ACs and, beauty and wellness products are expected to be driven in urban markets. In the coming years, rural market will see increase in demand of durables like refrigerators as well as consumer electronic goods as the government plans to invest significantly in rural electrification. By 2025, India is expected to become fifth largest consumer durables market in the world. It remains to be seen how India will cope to that challenge, starting 2016. The scrip opened at Rs. 410 and has touched a high and low of Rs. 482 and Rs. 410 respectively. So far 205541(NSE+BSE) shares were traded on the counter. The current market cap of the company is Rs. 366.12 crore. The BSE group 'B' stock of face value Rs. 10 has touched a 52 week high of Rs. 503 on 16-Jul-2015 and a 52 week low of Rs. 221.4 on 17-Mar-2015. Last one week high and low of the scrip stood at Rs. 421 and Rs. 395.1 respectively. The promoters holding in the company stood at 47.45 % while Institutions and Non-Institutions held 3.34 % and 49.22 % respectively. The stock is currently trading below its 50 DMA. Premier Explosives Ltd has signed, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Israel Aerospace Industries Limited for exploring potential business opportunities.Premier Explosives Ltd is currently trading at Rs. 465.1, up by Rs. 51.8 or 12.53% from its previous closing of Rs. 413.3 on the BSE. Oil prices jumped on the first trading day of 2016 as Middle East tension outweighed a selloff in financial markets around the world. Oil markets remain oversupplied and depressed, but geopolitical flashpoints have a historical tendency to disrupt market trends. Over the weekend, Saudi Arabia carried out a mass execution of 47 prisoners, including a prominent Shiite cleric Nemer al-Nemer. The executions prompted condemnations from around the world, but in Iran protestors threw Molotov cocktails at Saudi Arabia's embassy, setting fire to the building. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Saudi Arabia would face "divine retribution" for executing the Shiite cleric. In response, Saudi Arabia cut off diplomatic ties with Iran, and kicked out its diplomats. Saudi allies in the Persian Gulf also downgraded diplomatic relations with Iran. The conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia has simmered for months, with the wars in Yemen and Syria playing out as proxy fights between the two rivals. Now the conflict has erupted into a more direct standoff. The execution of al-Nemer "risks to be really explosive in the broader region" a senior Western diplomat told The Wall Street Journal. The U.S. government, which has sought to lower the temperature between the two countries in 2015 and bring Saudi Arabia on board with the nuclear agreement it brokered with Iran, called on both sides to take "affirmative steps to calm tensions" following this weekend's events. Oil prices briefly jumped on Monday The significant price increase came even as global financial markets saw turmoil on the first trading day of the New Year. U.S. stock indices plunged 2 percent on January 4, following negative economic news coming out of China. New data showed that China's factory activity slowed in December, sending the Shanghai Composite down by 7 percent. Trading came to a halt to prevent a further selloff. The episode conjured up bad memories of the summer of 2015, when China suffered several weeks of a stock market meltdown. The economic fissures have not healed in the meantime, and the factory data from December points to ongoing sluggishness in China. The slowing economy could force a further depreciation of the yuan, which in turn will depress China's oil demand. This stands out as a bearish black swan for crude markets in the coming months. In fact, global economic forces, along with oil supply and demand fundamentals, are much more important than the tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Unless the conflict escalates in a significant way, the supply overhang will continue to be much more influential on the price of oil than the war of words between Tehran and Riyadh. After spiking early on January 4, crude fell back by the afternoon as the markets digested the bearish news from China. Moreover, the Saudi-Iran conflict could merely play out in the oil markets. OPEC was already unlikely to agree to a common strategy that would see production cuts, but now everyone can essentially rule out any cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Both countries may try to ramp up production (Iran plans on doing that anyway when sanctions are lifted) and discount their oil in an effort to claw away market share from each other. Meanwhile, the first shipment of U.S. oil left American shores this week. ConocoPhillips and NuStar Energy were the first to export oil from the Eagle Ford. The large oil-trader Vitol Group purchased the shipment. Oil exports from the U.S. In other words, global economic weakness and the glut in oil supplies will continue to weigh on crude. At this point, only tension in the Middle East is providing a bit of a lift to oil markets, but even that won't be enough to push up prices in any lasting way. Article Source: http://oilprice.com/Energy/ Oil-Prices/Saudi-Iran-Dispute- Wont-Cause-Lasting-Oil-Price- Rally.html By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com , with WTI up more than 3 percent and Brent up more than 4 percent in early trading hours. Both benchmarks spiked above $38 per barrel. That is a long way from the $100 per barrel routinely seen in years past when Middle East tension spooked oil markets, but prices were up from the 11-year lows seen in December.won't come in large volumes since WTI and Brent are trading at parity. But the capacity to export will put some downward pressure on the internationally-oriented Brent benchmark. The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given its ex-post facto approvalfor signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which was signed in November, 2015 between Airports Authority of India (On behalf of Government of India) and Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (On behalf of Government of Singapore) in Civil Aviation during Prime Ministers visit to Singapore.The objective of this MoU is to establish mutual cooperation in the field of civil aviation, which will cover, to begin with, the airports of Jaipur and Ahmedabad. This cooperation will be extended to other airports with mutual consent.The salient features of the MoU include collaboration in Civil Aviation Sector in the areas of (a) Master-planning and design (b) Traffic development (c) Commercial development (d) Service quality improvement (e) Training and development (f) Cargo handling and Management (g) Maintenance, repair and overhaul (h) Operation and management and (i) any other areas with mutual consent.Government of Singapore owns one of the best managed airports in the world, which has consistently maintained its ranking for last many years.A need was felt that in order to ensure high standards of service at Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports, Airport Authority of India (AAI) may enter into operation and maintenance (O&M) contracts, either with or without the responsibility of maximization of non-aeronautical revenue in the terminal building (excluding land on city side and air side). The city side and airside will continue to be managed directly by AAI.Globally, limited O&M contract models are prevalent for the entire airport operations. AAI has no previous experience in awarding O&M contract model of terminal buildings to other entities. In order to implement the decision, it was necessary to ensure that a suitable entity be engaged for undertaking the O&M contract at Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports. Dolce & Gabbana exclusively debuted its Abaya collection on Style.com/Arabia on Sunday. The range consists of hijabs and abayas in neutral colors made from sheer and lightweight fabrics, such as georgette and satin weave charmeuse. A few pieces feature lush lace trims or prints from the Italian fashion labels spring 2016 collection, including lemons, daisies and polka dots. Catering to the Muslim market has also been of interest to luxury brands and retailers in recent years, particularly for Ramadan. Designers like Tommy Hilfiger and DKNY launched dedicated capsule collections; Monique Lhuillier created a line of caftans exclusively for Moda Operandi; and Net-a-Porter created a shopping campaign titled The Ramadan Edit for the Islamic holy month. Lower-priced retailers have followed suit, too: H&M hired Mariah Idrissi as its first hijab-wearing model this past fall, and, according to theGuardian, Uniqlo tapped British designer Hana Tajima to create a range of hijabs, blouses and dresses, which were sold on the retailers website and in Singapore stores last July. A 2014-2015 report by Thomson Reuters found spending for Muslim clothing and footwear has been steadily increasing over the years and will reach $484 billion by 2019, which means designers and retailers looking to provide for this demand will only continue to grow. This article originally appeared on Fashionista India's national capital has the distinction of being one of the most polluted cities in the world. With its high population the amount of garbage and pollution the city generates is staggering to say the least. And though the recent steps to curb air pollution are only the first step, there's still a long way to go. 1. A plane passes over apartments under construction near Noida Expressway. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) as well as the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) have been actively slapping fines and preemptive measures to check dust materials that enter the atmosphere due to hectic construction activities by builders. 2. Onlookers watch as unicyclists educate participants during a Raahagiri event in Connaught Place on a Sunday. The event that takes place across multiple locations across NCR is aimed at promoting exercise activities while banning cars and motor vehicles off the streets during the gatherings. 3. A child plays with scale models of a DTC bus and an auto rickshaw. The Delhi Government has appealed to citizens to avoid using public transportation and instead carpool during the 15-day odd and even formula effective 1st Jan 2016 in anticipation of huge number of office goers switching to public transport to commute. 4. Electric battery operated auto rickshaws ply on the main Metro corridor in Sector 16, Noida. The Delhi High Court had placed a temporary ban on these vehicles due to lack of regulation guidelines and declared e-rickshaws to be hazards for other traffic and citizens. 5. Vehicles during rush hour in the evening on the main ITO crossing in front of Delhi Police Headquarters. The Delhi Traffic Police is slapping a fine of Rs. 2,000 on a commuter caught flouting the 15-day odd-even traffic plan but are not impounding cars as declared by them. 6. Navy personnel rehearse on Rajpath for the Republic Day parade early morning amid haze with India Gate visible in the backdrop. 7. Horses and other animals used in commercial activities rest under a flyover near the banks of the Yamuna River on a winter morning. Recently elected Health Minister in the Bihar Govt., Lalu Yadav's son, Tej Pratap Yadav, was recently seen riding a horse to commute in the streets of Patna, another heavily polluted city. "There is so much pollution and traffic jams because of so may vehicles...it's better to ride a horse." he said. 8. Remains of an idol and other waste is seen at a Yamuna river bank where devotees frequently conduct religious ceremonies. 9. A Delhi Metro train crosses on a bridge over the Yamuna River with the Pragati Thermal Power Plant visible to the right in a thick blanket of smog. The Delhi Govt. has plans to close heavily polluting power plants and wants to re-purpose some of them into solar power plants. 10. Commuters at a bus stop take cover as a dust storm hits the city. A recent study has revealed that every third child has reduced lung function due to air pollution in Delhi. 11. A traffic policeman wearing a face mask looks on at the heavily congested ITO traffic signal. 12. A child scavenging for coins and leftovers on the banks of the most polluted river in India, the Yamuna, in New Delhi. nytimes Ator Sanjay Dutt is set to walk out of jail on February 27 after the Maharashtra government remitted his sentence in the Mumbai serial blasts case. The incarcerated Bollywood actor, whose five-year sentence for his involvement in the 1993 blasts was confirmed by the Supreme Court in March 2013, will be freed next month. The sources indicated that barring last-minute glitches, Sanjay would be released after completing the remaining 42-month period of his sentence. Dutt was acquitted of terror charges under the TADA, but found guilty of possessing illegal arms, acquired ostensibly to protect his family during the communal conflagration that engulfed Mumbai after the demolition of the Babri Mosque on December 6, 1992. Following the apex court orders, his bail was cancelled and he was ordered to surrender within four weeks, which he complied with on May 16, 2013 and was lodged in Arthur Road Central Jail.A week later, he was shifted to the Yeravada Central Jail, Pune, where he has been lodged since then and has earned the reputation of being a well-behaved inmate. Of the five-year sentence, the actor had already served 18 months as an undertrial and was required to undergo another 42 months, which is now on the verge of completing. In between serving time, Dutt was granted either parole or furlough on various grounds, attracting a lot of criticism from various quarters, while some prominent personalities demanded his release from jail. pixgood The much loved movie of 2015, Fast & furious 7 has topped the list of 2015 movies with most mistakes! With 41 errors spotted by eager fans, the action flick is being followed by Jurassic World with 33 mistakes, and The Martian with 21 mistakes in the annual list. For instance, at Han's funeral in the movie, Jason Statham is watching the team in a Maserati with tinted windows. But later, during the chase that follows the Maserati is shown twice with clear windows. Similarly, the hospital scene at the start says London. However, the sign outside the hospital says Birmingham, and when Shaw is shown at the hospital it is again in London. New James Bond film "Spectre" and "Mad Max: Fury Road" round out the top five with 16 and 15 mistakes, respectively, and Terminator Genisys, Ant-Man, Fifty Shades of Grey, Minions and Avengers: Age of Ultron complete the top 10. Meanwhile check out these 11 other films of 2015 which were full of goof ups! 1. Tanu Weds Manu Returns indicine When Tanu and his ex-love is sitting at a restaurant and he reveals that Mr.Sharma is involved else where, the coke bottle keeps on changing from half full to empty then back to half full. When Datto tries to kidnap Pappi's crush Komal, Datto, Pappi and Komal together reach outside the house and sit in the Auto prior to Manu. Where as in the previous shot he is seen overtaking the three of them and should reach outside before them. Simple common sense! 2. Talvar movieinfo The film's story is based in the year 2008. But soon after the murder, a Fluidic Verna car is seen in a scene. This car was launched in 2011! Also, in another scene, a Honda City is seen driving behind the police jeep. The latest version of Honda City was launched in 2014. Ah! The little details! 3. Byomkesh Bakshi koimoi When Dr. Guha returns and Byomkesh meets him on the roof of the building, there's a blackout in Kolkata as the Japanese were bombing the city. But behind Bymokesh, a light bulb can been seen, which is switched on. Oops! Also, a gus is shown reading a 1946 issue of 'Inside Detective' magazine. While the film is set between 1942-1943. 4. Bajrangi Bhaijaan indicine Well, this one had quite a lot of them, from banned Youtube in Pakistan shown as working perfectly fine in the film, to Narowal district touted as a hill station in the film, while in reality it's a plain terrain in Punjab region of Pakistan! When Munni is in Pakistan, her family is watching the match between Pakistan and India Asia Cup 2014. When Munni is lost in India and while residing at Pavan's home and again the same match is being telecast live! 5. PK koimoi There are actually a ton of goof ups in this one. Some of them include PK slashing himself with chain blades during a Moharram festival religious practice. Later when he removes his shirt in front of Tapasvi he is shown with no marks on his back! In the entry scene, Jaggu locks her bike. But when she's being chased by the security guards later, Sarfaraz immediately is seen riding her bike. Where did he get the key from? 6. Jurassic World eonline Kids in the movie start the jeep with the small battery of an ATV, which cannot produce enough power to crank a Jeep engine. And any gasoline in the tank would have long become unusable in 20 years. 7. Fifty Shades Of Grey eonline Ana uses a PC when she is shown answering Grey's e-mails. But in the movie, Grey actually gifts her a MAC! The Audi R8 used to drop Ana is black in one scene, but turns to metal grey when it's shown to have arrived at the destination. In the movie, Grey sells Ana's VW Bug car. But in reality it could not have been sold without her knowledge. It would require the title or release of interest, either would need to be signed by her. 8. Everest weekendnotes In different scenes of the movie, the characters are shown warming their hands with their breath. But in reality, this is not possible, because the humidity of the breath will make the hands wet, and all the more colder. Also, when the characters reach the death zone in the film, they should have been out of breath. But instead they speak long sentences without any problem or shortage of breath. 9. Baahubali sulekha When Baahubali is born, Katappa is a young man around 30 years. When he reaches teenage, Katappa should be around 50. And when grows up, Katappa should be roughly 70 years old. But throughout the film he's between 30-60 years old. Also, during the war sequence, Sivagami and her husband are able to see each and everything happening in the war ground sitting at one place! Tamannah's character is shown to have fallen asleep with one hand inside the river! Also, Shivadu tattoes her hand from inside the river. Waterproof ink perhaps, but in that era? 10. Baby youtube Akshay's character in the movie hires a taxi in Kathmandu whose plate is red in color. Taxis in Kathmandu have black and white plate. On reaching the airport, when Kher and Dagubatti get out from their vehicle, near the top right of screen says Abu Dhabi while the story itself is happening in Saudi Arabia. 11. Badlapur digitalspy When Varun Dhawan is talking to Vinay Pathak in his house, the wine stains on the wall, from the previous scene automatically vanish! In the initial scenes of the film, the robbers escape in Yami Gautam's Honda SUV. Now, because the film in set in 2001, that's not possible as at that time Honda SUV wasn't available in India. The Brazilian conservation group Fundacao Biodiversitas, with support from American Bird Conservancy, has secured a tract of vital Atlantic Forest habitat for the Stresemanns Bristlefront, listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, and other rare species like the Banded Cotinga. The acquisition adds 766 acres to the 1,586-acre Mata do Passarinho Reserve, bringing the total protected area to 2,352 acres. This expansion represents a major step toward the preservation of the many species that rely on this unique and threatened forest region.Because of deforestation, the reserve is like an oasis in a desert, said Glaucia Drummond, executive director of Fundacao Biodiversitas.Expanding the protected area represents one of the most promising and effective ways to save the Stresemanns Bristlefront from extinction and to preserve the areas rich biological heritage, she said.Biodiversitas created the reserve in 2007 with ABC support. The reserve sits at the southernmost point of a rare forest complexone of the last patches of Atlantic Forest in northern Minas Gerais and southern Bahia statesthat shelters numerous endangered species. The newly protected area includes large areas of primary forest as well as former cattle-grazing areas that, untouched for more than a decade, have become robust secondary forests.The Mata do Passarinho Reserve, an Alliance for Zero Extinction site, represents the last known home of the Stresemann's Bristlefront. With a population of fewer than 15 known individuals, the ground-nesting bird is one of the most endangered species on the planet.With this acquisition, the Mato do Passarinho Reserve now protects all the forest known to be occupied by the Stresemanns Bristlefront, said Daniel Lebbin, ABCs vice president for International Programs. Additional expeditions are needed to confirm if any other bristlefronts may still persist in additional forest fragments nearby.Mata do Passarinho is Portuguese for Songbird Forest. Many other endangered bird species shelter in the reserve, including the Banded Cotinga, Brown-backed Parrotlet, Red-browed Parrot, Hook-billed Hermit, and Bahia Tyrannulet. Rare mammalsincluding the maned three-toed sloth and the yellow-breasted capuchin monkey, which is listed as Critically Endangered by IUCNwill also benefit from the expansion of the protected area.The Atlantic Forest stretches along the Brazilian coastline from the state of Rio Grande do Norte south to Rio Grande do Sul, and reaches inland as far as Paraguay in the south. With intense human development in the region, the forest has been reduced to about eight percent of its original extent. In some places it has disappeared almost completely. The expansion of the Mata do Passarinho Reserve helps guarantee the survival of this rare and threatened ecosystem and the many species that rely on it.As well as harboring many rare and endemic species, the Atlantic Forest helps ensure clean water and air and other essential environmental services for the areas human population. We want the reserve to be a source of pride for local communities and for public managers as well as being an opportunity to generate income for these people and municipalities, Ms.Drummond said. The challenge now is to raise awareness among neighboring landowners about local production practices and help them understand the importance of maintaining and restoring native forest.In addition to helping secure the latest Mata do Passarinho expansion, ABC has assisted the reserve with guard housing, reforestation programs, and a Stresemann's Bristlefront monitoring program, said Bennett Hennessey, ABCs Brazil Program coordinator. ABC and the reserve have also established a conservation program that includes supplementing the bristlefronts food supply and providing artificial burrows for the ground-nesting birds."This acquisition was made possible through the generous contributions of David and Patricia Davidson, David Harrison, George and Cathy Ledec, Michael Reid, the Jacaranda Foundation, Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, Robert W. Wilson Charitable Trust, and IUCN National Committee of The Netherlands (IUCN NL). The project is also supported by the Global Environment Facility, the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, the Hildegard and Hans Schaefer Foundation, and the United Nations Environment Program," officials said. How can a handful of militants hold off the Indian army and the National Security Guard for 85 hours? Thats a question that has India puzzled. The Pathankot air base raid is being compared to the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, both in their lethalness and in Indias shoddy response to the militant onslaught. Heres why, according to experts, our Pathankot defense operation was largely a failure. Lack of coordination AP Defence experts have deprecated the "lack of coordination" in the handling of the terror strike at Pathankot air base and questioned the multiplicity of agencies involved in the operation that continued for the third day on Monday. They batted for better coordination between Indian Air Force and the Army in guarding air bases in case of exigencies like the one at Pathankot in Punjab. "There is a lack of coordination. We have multiple agencies the NSG, Punjab Police, Garud Commandos of air force and the army involved in the operation. Voicing a similar opinion, Lt Gen. (retd) Raj Kadyan said there should have been a "single point command" for dealing with the operation and the government has erred in following the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), which gives army the charge of handling such a situation. We didn't dispatch the army quickly AP "The army is well-equipped to handle such cases and this should have happened from day one, when the attack took place," said former army chief General VP Malik, who added that it was easier to fix accountability that way. "The entire operation could have been handled better and the army should have been called in much before as the cantonment is next to the base," he added. While 50,000 army troops were already situated in Pathankot during the strike, Indias first response was the movement of 150 NSG commandos to the site. Only 50-60 army men were dispatched as backup, even though the NSG wasnt trained in the terrain, and the army was. This is what reportedly killed NSG Lieutenant-Colonel Niranjan Kumar - he probably wasnt familiar with the Pakistani militant tactic of rigging a militants body with grenades Army was complacent AP Malik felt that the security forces were "complacent" in the initial stages of the operation, when attackers were killed on the first day, but noted that after sustaining the casualties, they would have become "cautious". Lt Gen. (retd) HS Panag, former GOC-in-C, Northern Command, said that army infantry should have been deployed just when there was a security alert in order to protect the air base. He also suggested that glaring lacunae existed in forces like Defence Security Corps (DSC), which is the first line of defence for guarding air bases. We ignored the home Ministrys alert about a terror attack 5 days ago pti Punjab Police were reportedly aware of a possible terror attack around New Year's eve following an intelligence alert from the home ministry, raising questions on their preparedness. Additional director general of police, law and order, Hardeep Dhillon prepared an intelligence note which mentions: "Please refer to this office mail dated December 27 about the alert issued by the intelligence wing of Punjab that LeT is planning to carry out a spectacular attack in India possibly around New Year celebrations. The attack may be carried out by nearly 15 well trained terrorists, who may have already entered India. Targets include National level political personalities, government establishments, Parliament, Army headquarters, and key installations. In view of above, personal attention be paid towards bus stands, hotels, railway stations. The BBC reported that National Security Advisor Ajit Doval had access to this information. And we already know Pakistan attacks the moment there is even mention of Indo-Pak peace talks AP Pakistan is not new to sabotaging peace talks - militant attacked an Indian village in Kashmir even as Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayees talks in Pakistan were ongoing. This is what Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh also pointed out: "It is a clear attempt by rogue elements in Pakistan to subvert and sabotage the peace process between the two countries (India and Pakistan) which must not be allowed at any cost". "I hope it is not the repeat of what happened after the Lahore bus journey", the Amritsar MP said, while pointing out that the attack has taken place only a few days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lahore visit. We could have easily anticipated such a strike, and prepared accordingly. Science Congress promised not to allow throwback to Hindu mythological claptrap in this edition but a paper titled 'Lord Shiva as a great environmentalist in the world' was presented today. newhdwallpapers Lord Shiva is the most powerful God among the trinity who "has given a strong message of sustainability of the environment long ago", vouches a paper presented at the 103rd Indian Science Congress on Wednesday. "This shows ancient Indians were very much aware about ecology and sustainability," concludes the paper titled Lord Shiva as a great environmentalist in the world and written by Akhilesh K Pandey, chairman of MP Private University Regulatory Commission, Bhopal. This year, despite claims by the Science Congress authorities that such papers will not be allowed to be presented, this paper on Shiva is a part of "invited" lectures. Twitter The two-page abstract of the paper, says, "Environmental degradation is largely a modern concern, but religious practitioners demand guidance about what to do, that is grounded in ancient scriptural precedent. The world is witnessing environmental upheaval. There seems to be total disconnect with the nature, which gets manifested in the form of climate change, global warming and natural disasters." This is only an extract; the full presentation today could be the clincher that will convince the world. It holds forth: "Hinduism is an ancient and highly complex religion because it is practised in so many varied ways by such a large population. It's nearly impossible to give it one precise description. However, one thing is common in all Hindu mythology, that is, philosophy of conservation of environment. They realised well in advanced the importance of clean and healthy environment." Indian Express The paper is part of a symposium on the assessment and mitigation of air quality in major cities of India in terms of organic and inorganic pollutants, where environmental management is a sub-topic. Last year, a paper titled 'Ancient Indian Aviation technology', which was presented at the 102nd Indian Science Congress at Mumbai University, had generated a lot of controversy. The paper had said that according to ancient Sanskrit text, the science of building and flying a plane was recorded by Maharishi Bharadwaj, centuries before the Wright Brothers Orville and Wilbur. The abstract on Shiva further says that the lord is almost always shown as wearing a necklace having 108 heads, made with seeds of the rudraksha tree and the beads represent the elements used in the creation of the world. "The rudraksha necklace points to the rudra aspect of the lord, which is also his other name. The word rudra means strict or uncompromising and aksha means eye. It illustrates the fact that Shiva is firm about his cosmic laws and strictly maintains law and order in the universe. Thus we can say that ancient Indians were very much aware about ecology and sustainability. It helps in solving specific environmental problems and the modern principles of sustainability were adopted at that time. Unfortunately, we have forgotten those golden principles laid down by them. Therefore, the objectives of the article are to create awareness about the conservation of environment without causing harm to others." The author says that river Ganga is the most sacred river for 'pious Hindus' and that according to a legend, river Ganga has its source in Shiva and flows from his matted hair, which is symbolically represented by depicting Ganga as a jet of water sprinkling out of his head and falling on the ground. "Legend has it that the lord allowed an outlet to the great river to traverse the earth and bring purifying water to human beings. Hence, Shiva is often referred to as 'Gangadhara' or bearer of river Ganga. The river also denotes fertility, one of the creative aspects of the rudra. It further indicates that Shiva is not only the lord of destruction, but also the bestower of knowledge, purity and peace on the devotees," it states. The author says that the lord sitting on tiger skin indicates that he has conquered lust. It elaborates saying that Shiva is the source of the creative energy that remains in "potential form during the dissolution state of the universe" and that he activates this energy using his "own divine will" to project the universe in endless cycles. The paper also describes the meaning of his eyes and how in the Hindu epic 'Mahabharata' Shiva is depicted as a three-eyed God. "When the lord opens his eyes, a new cycle of creation begins and when he closes them, it signifies the destruction of the universe for creation of the next cycle. The half open eye signifies that creation is going through an eternal cyclic process, with no beginning and no end," it says. A Delhi court has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for raping and impregnating his 13-year-old daughter. worldbulletin/ Representative Image The 40-year-old from south Delhi will serve two consecutive life sentences along with five and seven years each for outraging the modesty of a woman and criminal intimidation. A fine of Rs 13 lakhs has also been slapped on him, which should be given to the victim as compensation. The accused is the father of the victim and has taken advantage of the tender age of the child who could not protect herself and the heinous crime made her pregnant, resulting in the birth of a child. Now there are two victims, the judge observed while delivering the sentence. Indian Express/ Representative Image According to the data of the National Crime Records Bureau, out of 37,413 rape cases registered in 2014 in India, 674 involved family members. Delhi topped the list with 140 cases where the offenders were grandfathers, fathers, brothers or sons. netaji.org When the principal secretary to PM, Nripendra Misra, handed over 33 Netaji-related files to the Director General of the National Archives, we were happy that Prime Minister Narendra Modi meant business. It was not just a promise that the PM made - he showed that the promise would be kept. In a press release issued on the day the files were sent to the archives, the PMO reiterated that all files in its custody will be eventually declassified. This was indeed a huge step when contrasted with the attitude of the previous ten years of the UPA Government, whose Congress spokespersons did not shy away from claiming in TV studios that they supported declassification, after frustrating our efforts for nearly a decade. Quite understandably, this announcement has given rise to high expectations among many. Some have gone to the extent of asserting that the release of the files will help re-writing history, apart from resolving Indias longest running mystery on the disappearance of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. It is one thing to be happy about the process of declassification initiated by the PM, but it is another thing to build unrealistic expectations, which might have to do a rough landing soon. It is, therefore, critical to not lose the element of reality in this wave of enthusiasm. The question that almost everyone is asking is what to expect on January 23, 2016? Since we at Mission Netaji have been driving this declassification campaign through the last, nearly, one decade, we can answer with a fair bit of confidence -- dont expect too much. This is of course an informed guess, and we might be proven wrong if Mr Modi chooses to spring a surprise on all of us, especially in view of the fact that the PMO has not released the list of files sent across to the National Archives. psytreasure.com Let us have a look at the files held by the PMO classified and unclassified. The story gets a little confusing here, but it is important to understand the details. Anuj Dhar and SreejithPanickar of Mission Netaji had asked the PMO in 2006 and again in 2014 to provide a list of the files under its custody. In 2008 (yes, it took more than a year to get only the list of files from the PMO, and this after strong intervention by the Central Information Commission). The PMO told us that there were 31 classified files and 11 unclassified files; the numbers changed in 2015 to 41 classified files and 17 unclassified files. Among these 41 files, 5 are so secret that even their subject cannot be disclosed at present. That leaves us with information on 36 classified files. 27 classified files are common to both lists. This should mean that 4 files listed in 2008 as classified are not classified anymore. This should also mean that 9 new files have been generated since 2008, which are classified. However, a look at the number and description of the files makes it clear that out of these 9 files, 7 were generated before the PMOs response to us in 2008. Yet, these were not included either in the list of classified files or in the list of unclassified files. In other words, the information provided to Mission Netaji under the direction of the CIC was incomplete, an offence under the RTI Act. Moreover, there are PMO files mentioned in the report of the Justice Mukherjee Commission of Inquiry (JMCI) which do not figure in any of these lists. Where have they gone? It is possible that they are now treated as unclassified. It will be clear once we have the list of these 17 unclassified files, which we have asked for. This begs the question whether an independent agency such as the CIC should be approached to audit the files in PMO to prepare a definitive trustworthy list which can clear all confusion. Now let us look at the information that is likely to be released in the public domain on the 23rd January. The 5 files the subject matter of which cannot be divulged by the PMO are surely out of the question. 3 more files out of the remaining 36 are not being released now these are most likely the files on Widow and daughter of Shri Subhash Chandra Bose which the PMO has refused to provide to Mission Netaji twice in the past few years. That brings us to the 33 files which, in all likelihood, are the ones transferred to the archives. Of these 14 relate to the formation and working of the 3 inquiries Shah Nawaz Committee (1956), Khosla Commission (1970-74) and JMCI (1999-2006). 2 files relate to communications between Samar Guhaand the Government of India on the issue; 1 file each on communication between Forward Bloc leaders and the Government in 2006, construction of INA memorial, conferment of Bharat Ratna, transfer of ashes from Japan to India, acquisition of Janaki Nath Bhavan by the Odisha Government, properties of the INA in the far east, and papers regarding Funeral of widow of Netaji (7 files). Only 10 files carry the subject of Netaji and his disappearance. 3 each of these files are of 1970s, 1980s and 1990s vintage, while one was generated in 2006, and most were seen by Justice Mukherjee during his investigation. The public release of 33 files on the 23rd is therefore unlikely to change anything substantially as far Netajis life or disappearance is concerned. But it is a good start, and should be seen as such. It is an initiative with the limited objective of removing the veil of secrecy from Government files related to Netaji. It is not an effort to resolve the mystery of his disappearance. A 37-metre-tall sculpture is being built amidst the rural suburb of Tongxu county in China, showing a smiling Mao Zedong sitting proud on a large pedestal. The communist revolutionary, a favourite of thousands of Chinese citizens, was the founding father of the People's Republic of China. According to The Independent, the structure that costs nearly 313,000 (3 million Yuan or Rs 30,559,981) has entirely been funded by local entrepreneurs, village dwellers and farmers. Reuters The statue is seated in the middle of the Henan Province of China, the exact spot where the famine of 1950s wiped clean a major chunk of the population, for which many still blame Mao and his policies. This is why the project is facing severe criticism online, with people calling the lavish undertaking a wastage of money and an insensitivity of the choice of location. The dictator, however, is a hero to many, with the Chinese President calling him a "great figure". Once the sculpture reaches its completion, the world will look up to a smiling Mao, sitting tall on a large chair, practically touching the skies. Nothing excites Harry Potter fans more than the desire of owning an invisibility cloak. Well, if all goes well, we may just get one. The brainy folks at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and the Russian Academy of Sciences have posited a new metamaterial - a two-dimensional matter made of silver elements - that refracts light in an 'unusual' way and can lead to the making of real-life cloaks of invisibility. As reported by DNA India, the high-performing metamaterial will see light being used in an "unusual" way. A scientific definition says that "when light is incident on the surface of such a material the refracted light is on the same side of the normal to the surface as the incident light." UC Berkeley In simpler words, the metamaterial will copy a surrounding reflection so well that the wearer of the cloak will instantly find himself stepping into the shoes of Harry Potter. This is how the wonders of light will come to pass. For now, complete invisibility is not on the cards. But with scientists (or should we call them Potterheads) working hard towards making this a possibility, we can rest assured of a world where one can disappear at will. Giphy And have a tangible reason to really believe when we finally get to say: Mischief Managed! Isis has executed what is believed to be the first female citizen journalist for reporting inside its territory, Syrian media has reported. The execution of Ruqia Hassan marks the fifth journalist who reported on Isis to be killed since October, according to Syrian journalism organisation, Syria Direct. theindependent Ms Hassan, who also went by the pseudonym Nisan Ibrahim on social media, was a independent reporter. Her death was confirmed by Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS), a group exposing human rights abuses from within Syria. Abu Mohammed, founder of RBSS, tweeted on Saturday that Ms Hassan's last words were: "I'm in Raqqa and I received death threats, and when Isis [arrests] me and kills me it's ok because they will cut my head and I have dignity its better than I live in humiliation with Isis [sic]" 1-the last words from Nissan Ibrahim Syrian activist who got executed by #ISIS was " im in Raqqa and I received pic.twitter.com/LNUHad0aYm Abu Mohammed (@Raqqa_sl1) January 2, 2016 In one of her final posts on Facebook, she mocks Isis, also known as Islamic State, for banning Wi-Fi hotspots in the city of Raqqa. Her post, as translated by Syria Direct, read: "Go ahead and cut off our internet, our messenger pigeons won't complain." The exact date of Ms Hassan's execution is unknown, but her usually-active presence on social media stopped abruptly on July 21, 2015. #Raqqa 2-"Death threats and when #ISIS will Arrest me and kill me its ok Because they will cut my head and i have Dignity its better than" Abu Mohammed (@Raqqa_sl1) January 2, 2016 Arab news channel Al-Aan TV reported Isis informed Ms Hassan's family of her execution just three days ago, on charges of "espionage". An independent journalist who was formerly with RBSS, Furat al-Wafaa, told Syria Direct that Ms Hassan frequently participated in "all of the revolution's protests". He is quoted as saying: "Ruqia continuously challenged IS and often reported on air strikes on Raqqa as they happened. "IS always wants to keep the sword hovering over the people's necks," he said, when asked what Isis seeks to achieve by executing journalists accused of working with foreign media. He added: "They want their fighters and supporters to know that the Islamic State is capable of taking revenge against those who speak against them." In December, Isis executed RBSS activist Naji Jerf, whose last work 'Islamic State in Aleppo' was a documentary exposing human rights violations committed in the city. Shortly after skipping bail and slipping out of Britain to travel to Syria 15 months ago, Siddhartha Dhar published an e-book comparing the Caliphate declared by Isis to a "plush holiday resort". Across 46 pages, the British jihadist eulogised about attractions from the quality of its coffee to the diversity of its inhabitants. twitter The online brochure, published last May, was dismissed as a risible, rose-tinted attempt at propaganda to attract new recruits to the terror group. But what went less noticed was the final paragraph written by the father-of-four from east London who had become a familiar figure in fringe Islamic circles prior to fleeing Britain in 2014. The 32-year-old wrote: "When we descend on the streets of London, Paris and Washington the taste will be far bitterer, because not only will we spill your blood, but we will also demolish your statues, erase your history and, most painfully, convert your children who will then go on to champion our name and curse their forefathers." It was a glimpse of the more poisonous views held by Dhar, a British-Indian Muslim convert who now goes by the nom de guerre of Abu Rumaysah and has found himself as a key suspect in the efforts to identify the masked gunman who threatens Britain and taunts David Cameron as an "imbecile" in an execution video released by Isis on Sunday afternoon. As intelligence officers on both sides of the Atlantic deployed the latest techniques and voice recognition software in their efforts to unmask the English-accented Isis talisman filmed apparently executing one of five alleged British spies, it was widely suggested that the terror group's new figurehead is a former bouncy castle salesman from Walthamstow well known to police and the security services. Dhar, who was raised as a Hindu, disappeared from Britain in November 2014 following his arrest along with eight others on suspicion of encouraging terrorism and support of the banned Islamist group, Al Muhajiroun. The convert had been interviewed on several television networks, including the BBC and America's CBS, as a representative of militant Islam and a frequent presence at protests headed by the controversial preacher Anjem Choudary. When he was released on bail with orders to surrender his passport, Dhar simply boarded a bus to Paris with his then pregnant wife and young children en route to Syria. Once in Isis territory he posted a number of social media messages taunting police and MI5. One tweet read: "What a shoddy security system Britain must have to allow me to breeze through Europe to the Islamic State." Mr Cameron dismissed the Isis video, which appeared to unveil a new spokesman emulating the style and appearance of Mohammed Emwazi or so-called "Jihadi John", as "desperate stuff". Speaking on a visit to east London, the Prime Minister said: "This is an organisation that's losing territory, it's losing ground, it's... increasingly losing anybody's sympathy, and this again shows what an appalling organisation we're up against." Several of those who had met and interviewed Dhar prior to his disappearance said there were considerable similarities in tone of voice and appearance between him and the man in the video now inevitably dubbed the "new Jihadi John". Emwazi was killed in an American drone strike in November after being filmed beheading at least six Isis hostages. In previous postings and videos from Syria, Dhar has issued a detailed defence of Emwazi, saying the executioner was "justified in his position", and also stating that he could not "see an end" to the murder of hostages or captives. One source familiar with Dhar told The Independent: "There is no doubt in my mind that it is him. From his eyes and the shape of his face to the way he pronounces certain words, it can only be him. The seeds of extremism were within him but it is no less shocking if this is what he has become." The sister of the jihadi said she did not believe the masked executioner was her brother but vowed to "kill him myself" if he was indeed shown to be the killer. Konika Dhar, from Edmonton, north London, said she had had no contact with her brother in more than a year, adding: "If it is him, bloody hell am I shocked? I am going to kill him myself. He is going to come back and I'm going to kill him if he has done this." The Briton, who posted a picture of himself cradling his newborn son while brandishing an AK-47 soon after arriving in Syria, is believed to have converted from Hinduism to Islam around a decade ago and been involved with several organisations, including Al Muhajiroun before it was banned in 2010. The group's meetings were also attended by Michael Adebolajo, one of the men convicted of the murder of soldier Lee Rigby and who is also thought to have known Dhar. The grandfather of a small boy whose daughter disappeared to Syria in 2012 said that he believed his six-year-old grandson, Isa, also appears in the new execution video. Henry Dare, the father of Grace "Khadijah" Dare, told the Daily Telegraph, that he recognised the child recorded saying jihadists will kill "unbelievers". His daughter, who is claimed to have also known Adebolajo through a south-east London mosque, has previously posted on social media that she wanted to be the first British woman to kill an Isis hostage. Scotland Yard have declined to comment on the progress of its efforts to confirm the identity of the new Isis executioner, saying only that counter-terrorism officers were assessing the video's contents. But experts questioned whether the ten-minute film, which included the purported confessions of five Arabic-speaking men to having been spies for British intelligence, could be interpreted as a sign of the terror group's weakness. Raffaeolo Pantucci, of the Royal United Services Institute think tank, said: "I think if anything the video shows an organisation that remains fairly confident of its abilities. The release on a Sunday was clearly timed to ensure it directed the news cycle. This is the first official Isis response to Britain's involvement in air strikes on Syria - the group is setting out its agenda for the year." In what is seen as deliberate provocation which could derail the fragile situation between the two Koreas, Pyongyang has successfully tested a Hydrogen bomb. The incident was first reported by South Korea, China and Japan as a 5.1 magnitude man made earthquake. The proximity of the epicentre of the quake and a nuclear testing facility of North Korea had raised speculations of a nuclear test. AFP Hours later North Korea officially announced that it had successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb test, marking a stunning step forward in its nuclear development. "The republic's first hydrogen bomb test has been successfully performed at 10:00 am on January 6, 2016, based on the strategic determination of the Workers' Party," a state television news reader announced. "With the perfect success of our historic H-bomb, we have joined the rank of advanced nuclear states," the announcer said, adding that the test was of a "miniaturised" device. The surprise test was personally ordered by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and came just two days before his birthday. Only last month, during remarks made during an inspection tour, Kim had suggested Pyongyang had already developed a hydrogen bomb - although the claim was greeted with scepticism by international experts. AP A hydrogen, or thermonuclear device, uses fusion in a chain reaction that results in a far more powerful explosion. "The latest test, completely based on our technology and our manpower, confirmed that our newly-developed technological resources are accurate and scientifically demonstrated the impact of our miniaturised H-bomb," the TV announcer said. The announcement will leave the international community scrambling to verify the accuracy of the North's claims. The United States slammed North Korea's "provocations" and vowed to respond appropriately while stressing it could not confirm the hermit state's claims that it had carried out a hydrogen bomb test. Most experts had assumed Pyongyang was years from developing a thermonuclear bomb, while assessments were divided on how far it had gone in mastering the technology to miniaturise a device that could fit on a ballistic missile. AFP While vowing to stick by a no-first use policy, Wednesday's statement said Pyongyang would continue to pursue an advanced nuclear strike capability. "As long as the vicious anti-North policy of the US persists, we will never stop development of our nuclear programme," it said. Follow us on b day spl 21 facts that you may not know about a r rahman Music legend A R Rahman is undoubtedly one of India's most renowned icons Born on on 6 January 1967, Rahman has been able to achieve what very music composers have achived in their entire lifetime. Lately, he has become the face of Indian music through out the world. Even in the film industry, he is the only music composer who rules both Bollywood and south Indian music scenes. Married to Saira Banu, the couple has three children, Khatija, Rahima, and Ameen. In an career spanning over 25 years,Rahman has not only mesmerised the world with his exceptional music but also won hearts with his grounded nature. As Rahman turns 48 today we bring to you 21 lesser known fact about the maverick 1) Rahman was earlier, Dilip Kumar, he later embraced Sufi Islam after coming in connection with Qadri Saheb, a sufi mystic . 2) Rahman had admitted in an interview that he never liked his name Dilip Kumar'. It was a Hindu astrologer who gave Rehman his Muslim name. 3) Rahman's father--R. K. Shekhar, was a film-score composer and conductor for Tamil and Malayalam films. Rahman has said that his father had a little picture of Lata Mangeshkar on his wall, he composed music after looking at Latajee everyday. 4) As a kid, he was seen in Doordarshan's Wonder Balloon where he got popular for being the kid who could play 4 keyboards at once. 5) AR Rahman's debut track for Roja was listed among TIME's "10 Best Soundtracks" of all time, in 2005. 6) In 2009, Time magazine added him in its list of World's Most Influential People ! 8) In 2009, Rahman's soundtrack for Laagan was ranked at No. 45 on Amazon.com's "The 100 Greatest World Music Albums of All Time" list. 9) Airtel's signature tune, composed by Rahman, is the world's most downloaded mobile music with over 150 million downloads. 10) A street in Markham, Ontario, Canada, has been named in his honour in November 2013. 11) The French TV commercial for Volvic starring Zinedine Zidane in 2000 featured a sample from Rahman's theme song for the movie Bombay . 12) He is also the first Asian to have won 2 Oscars in the same year! 13) Apart from Slumdog Millionaire, Rahman has provided great scores for other Hollywood movies such as 127 Hours and Lord Of War. 14) Rehman's Chaiya Chaiya has been used in Denzel Washington starrer Inside man. 16) He has won 2 academy awards, 2 Grammy awards, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe,4 national awards, 15 Filmfare awards and 14 Filmfare awards south, as of 2014. In fact, out of a total of 138 award nominations, he has won 117! 17) Rahman wanted to become a computer engineer as electronic gadgets and technology fascinated him but soon he realized that his true potential lies in music. 18) A.R Rahman was a keyboard player and was part of a band with his childhood friends Sivamani, John Anthony, Suresh Peters, Raja and JoJo. The group made a rock group in Chennai named Nemesis Avenue. 19) Rahman has worked with the likes of Mick Jagger, Dave Stewart and Joss stone as part of Superheavy. 20) Rahman and his son, Ameen share the same birth date, that is 6th January! 21) With record sales of more than 200 million albums worldwide, A R Rahman has composed the soundtracks for over 100 Indian films Latest Bollywood News The Museum of Flight will be holding its grand re-opening at its new hangar in Rome, Ga. on March 26. The museum moved from Hixson, Tn. to the Richard B. Russell Field Airport which is centrally located in the A(Atlanta)B(Birmingham)C(Chattanooga) triangle. "We will be offering Huey and Cobra rides, doing a Torque vs. Thrust Demo in which our museums 1978 anniversary edition Chevrolet Corvette will race an aircraft, museum tours and much more." For more information, call 423-228-2359. Follow us on big b changes profile picture to indian flag after pathankot attacks Kolkata: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan changed the profile pictures of his social media into National flag to pay tribute to the soldiers killed in Pathankot terror attack. Bachchan, 73, said he did the same because when Paris attack happened, the French changed their display picture to their National flag. Quoting a fan's post, he wrote, "An FB follower wrote a most pertinent matter: 'When Paris attack happened the French changed their DP to their national flag.' I HAVE DONE TOO TODAY after our attack!!" The "Piku" star, who is currently shooting for an upcoming film in Kolkata, said the "disturbed World affairs" have affected him a lot. "The pain of killings and death of our brave heart soldiers, of the destruction by nature from the morning earthquake in the North Eastern region of our land, close by to where we are now. "The disturbed World affairs, the weeping and the distress of the families of those lost forever, the anger and outrage, the raised voices and concerns of the common us, the anguish of what we live in and what we shall leave behind for ours DISTRESSING, DESOLATE AND DISMAL. Why ??!!!," he tweeted. Latest Bollywood News Follow us on music composer shravan critical after car accident New Delhi: Music director Shravan Singh Rathore, better known as one half of the famous duo, Nadeem Shravan, met with a serious accident at Behror on Delhi-Jaipur National highway early morning on Wednesday. He was on his way to Delhi from Jaipur. The accident happened after he attempted to save a cow that appeared before his vehicle amid dense fog. Shravan has reportedly sustained serious injuries; he was rushed to Behror's Kailsh hospital where he is being treated in ICU. Latest Bollywood News Follow us on sonakshi sinha wants to work hard filmfare s best actress award Mumbai: Actress Sonakshi Sinha, who won the Filmfare Award for best debutant in 2011 for the Salman Khan-starrer film "Dabangg", says she has to work hard to win the Black Lady in the best actress category. In her five-year career so far, Sonakshi has worked with superstars like Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan and given hits like "Son of Sardar", "Rowdy Rathore", "Dabangg 2", "Lootera", and "Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty", among others. The actress was present at the 61st Filmfare Awards press meet here on Monday. On being asked when her dream of winning the best actress Filmfare Award will get fulfilled, she said: "I think I have to work really really hard for that. I got a chance once (nominated for 'Lootera' in 2014) but did not get the award. ...I have to do lot of good work. And, when they will realise that I am worthy enough, I am sure they will give it to me," she added. The 61st Filmfare Award will take place on January 15. Meanwhile, Sonakshi is now waiting for the release of "Akira" and "Force 2". Latest Bollywood News Follow us on amitabh bachchan was insecure of shatrughan sinha reveals biography New Delhi: There was a time in Bollywood when the enmity between Shatrughan Sinha and Amitabh Bachchan, always stayed in news. The two who were stars in their own sense did not want to see eye to eye with each other. With time, both have become influential personalities of India, their equation hasn't improved. Though, it has probably been decades since their fight, the past is back to stir new controversies, courtesy Shatrughan Sinha's biography Anything But Khamosh' penned by noted senior film journalist Bharathi S Pradhan. As Pradhan had mentioned during one of the interviews to a leading daily, Shatughan allowed him to write whatever he wanted. With this, Pradhan claims to have written the most honest biography. Few excerpts of the book have been released by the publication house Om Books International on their Facebook page and it is bound to bring back the controversial days which surrounded Amitabh and Shatrughan. In the book, Shatrughan has revealed what actually went wrong between the two, especially when they started off being buddies. The problem was the applause I was getting for my performances. Amitabh could see the response I was getting. That's why he didn't want me in some of his films, read an excerpt. Another excerpt from the book, sights that actresses like Zeenat Aman and Rekha also contributed to the rift. Maybe they didn't like something about me and they said something to Amitabh Bachchan, or maybe they said things about me because I knew a lot about them. To strengthen their position, they would be by Amitabh's side. During Kaala Patthar, a heroine who was known to be very friendly with him, would visit him. She would come during Dostana also but not once would he bring her out and introduce her to any of us. In showbiz, everybody knew who was visiting whom. The media would immediately know if Reena was in my make-up room. Such things can never be hidden in our world. Things turned ugly for both the stars while they were filming Kala Pathar and Sinha's interview which has been quoted in the biography is a testimony of that. A paragraph from the book reads, On the sets of Kaala Patthar, the chair next to Amitabh would not be offered to me, nor would his umbrella be ever trained to cover any of us. We'd be heading from the location towards the same hotel but he'd sit in his car and never say, Let's go together'. I found it all very strange and wondered why this was happening because I never had any complaints against him. Shatrughan Sinha's infamous fight with Big B I Kala Pathar has also made it to the book. Mentioning the fight and Shatrughan's take on it, the book reads, But along with the fight master Shetty who is no more, it was changed, to Amitabh Bachchan beating the hell out of me, beating me constantly till Shashi Kapoor separated us. On this point I had to put my foot down and protest that this was not that had been narrated to me. Well, with so many revelations, the book is sure to stir new conversations in the industry. The book is all set to release on 6th January, 2016 in presence of BJP's senior leader L.K. Advani in Delhi. Latest Bollywood News Follow us on wazir movie review when a thriller becomes chess pe charcha Rating: **(2/5) Helmed by talented director Bejoy Nambiar and written by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Abhijat Joshi, Wazir', which features Farhan Akhtar and Amitabh Bachchan in pivotal roles, was expected to be a perfect opener for 2016. However, expectations seem to be an often misused word in our times. Wazir traces the story of a guilt-ridden ATS officer Danish Ali (Farhan Akhtar) who holds himself responsible for the death of his daughter. Danish finds a friend and philosophical guide in wheel-chair bound Omkarnath Dhar (Amitabh) who has himself gone through the trauma of loss of his loved ones. Omkarnath believes welfare minister Izaad Qureshi (Manav Kaul) killed his daughter and wants to channel Danish's anguish to avenge his own daughter's death. When asked whether he has any proof, an overconfident Omkarnath replies, Saboot uski aankhon me hai. Danish believes him and sets on a journey to seek the truth. The plot may lead you to believe that the film lacks the gravity it promises. But, there is more to the film than it looks from the surface. The central character is a brooding rook even with his flaws is righteous. Then there is a desperate pawn who has nothing to lose. A dead princess suffices the need for a queen and then there is a dangerous bishop, Wazir, who gets the film named after him. Despite the intrigue that the film manages to develop to a certain extent, Wazir fails because it makes desperate attempts to look deceptive but never gets outsmarting enough. The twists are quite bland and could easily be guessed. Omkarnath and Danish have loads of Chess pe Charcha' in the film where they draw parallels between chess and real life with dialogues revolving around baazi (challenge), ghoda (horse), haathi (elephant), and, of course, the wazir (rook) Even with its predictability, the film manages to gather momentum in the beginning only to lose it to a sluggish second half as if testing the patience of the audience. Farhan gives a measured performance as the guild-ridden officer seeking redemption in avenging the death of his friend's daughter. However, his character lacks vigour or perhaps the script did not do justice to his talent. Though the sunshine of the film is the wheel-chair bound Amitabh who shows how one can evoke the strongest of emotions without moving the body. His mannerisms, spontaneity and homilies are the only things that manage to keep the film alive. Watch the trailer Here Latest Bollywood News Follow us on delhi govt scraps management other quotas in private schools New Delhi: In a far-reaching reform initiative, Delhi government today scrapped management and all other quotas except for the Economically Weaker Sections in private schools for nursery admissions, putting 75 per cent of total seats in the open. It also warned that institutions flouting the order would be taken over by the education department. After a Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said management quota has been the breeding ground for biggest scandal in the education sector in the country, asserting that his government will not be a mute spectator to it. He said the government has decided to scrap 62 arbitrary and discriminatory criteria listed by the schools on their websites for admissions. The criteria abolished by the government ranged fromfirst born child to parents education to parents' achievement. The government made it clear that there cannot be any screening of the children or their parents. Kejriwal said the cabinet has taken a decision to scrap the quotas and 75 per cent of the total seats except 25 per cent for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS), will be up for grabs by all admission seekers. Certain criteria put out by the schools were very shocking and in violation of Article 14 of the Constitution relating to equality before law, he said. The decision by the government came in the midst of the admission process for nursery classes in over 2,500 private schools in the capital. What is management quota? Under it, you get admission if someone is recommended by a chief minister, education minister, judge, police commissioner, SHOs or by an income tax official. Either it is recommendations or seats are sold. Management quota is the biggest scandal in the country which the Delhi government is scrapping. 75 per cent admissions in the private schools will be under open category. Other than EWS category, there will be no other quota, Kejriwal told a press conference. Warning schools of stringent action in case of violations, he said his government will use all available options against erring institutions, including takeover. If they do not budge, they can be derecognised or government can take them over, he said, adding the mafia had captured the education system and made it a business. The government will not tolerate this.Following the Cabinet decision, Directorate of Education issued an order directing all the private unaided recognised schools to develop and adopt criteria for admissions for the 75 per cent Open seats to entry level classes for session 2016-17 which shall be clear, well defined, equitable, non-discriminatory, unambiguous and transparent. All these criteria and their points were to be uploaded on the departmental website. Latest India News Follow us on indian black hats hacks pakistani websites to pay tribute to pathankot martyr lt col niranjan New Delhi: A group of Indian hackers known as 'Indian Black Hats' in Kerala hacked and vandalized seven Pakistani websites including that of Pakistani Bar Council. Reportedly IBH said that they have dedicated this hacking to the 18-month old daughter of late Lt Col Niranjan of the National Security Guards (NSG). A member of IBH group told, '' this is not cyber war but sending a message'' and they also assured that none of the content of Pakistani website was deleted but they've only uploaded the picture of the late soldier's daughter. "A Big Salute from team IBH To the families of brave soldiers who lost their life in Pathankot Attack!! A Small Tribute to those Brave Soldiers who laid their Precious Life for our Country and our People, We forgive... We forget... Don't Expect Anything from us... (Sic)," they wrote. Lt Col Niranjan was an officer of the elite National Security Guard (NSG), who was killed in Pathankot on Sunday while trying to defuse an explosive from a terrorist's body at the IAF base. Latest India News Follow us on indian science congress is a circus nobel laureate v ramakrishnan New Delhi: India-born Nobel laureate, Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, has refused to attend the Indian Science Congress ever in future and termed it a 'circus'. According to a Times of India report, Venkatraman is of the view that since a very little science is discussed at the event, it is unworthy to attend it. Venkatraman, who in 2009 shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Thomas A Steitz and Ada Yonath, said that he had attended ode day of the previous Congress and found it 'worthless'. " I attended one day (of an earlier Congress) and very little science was discussed. It was a circus. I find that it's an organization where very little science is discussed. I will never attend a science congress again in my life," he was quoted as saying in the report. Last year, Venkatraman had objected to politics and religious ideologies being mixed with science. He also recounted a claim made at the 2015 Congress in Mumbai about planes having been invented by a sage in the Vedic era. Refusing to buy the argument, Venkatraman said, "The idea that Indians had airplanes 2,000 years ago sounds almost essentially impossible to me. I don't believe it. The point is that if that technology was produced in a method so described that anybody could replicate it, then it becomes science." Venkatraman is an Indian-born American and British structural biologist. He was born in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu in 1952. He is the current president of the Royal Society, having held the position since November 2015. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurates five-day 103rd Indian Science Congress (ISC) in Mysore. The theme of the ISC this year is 'Science and Technology for Indigenous Development in India. 100 eminent scientists and 400 senior scientists will deliver 30 plenary talks on subjects like nano science, space science, technology and applications, diabetes, evolution: the frontiers, atomic energy, safe water and sanitation, diseases and drug development, public-private partnership for the swachh bharat mission initiative. Latest India News Follow us on pathankot attackers made dry runs at pakistani air base reports New Delhi: In a revelation that may confirm the active role of ISI and Pak Army in the fidayeen attack at Indian Air Force base in Pathankot, intelligence reports have claimed that Jehadi terrorists had conducted mocks drills at an airbase in Pakistan. The terrorists received the extensive training session at one of the Pakistani airbases included several dry runs of breaching the security perimeter: a lesson the terrorists put to lethal use when they managed to enter the Pathankot base, The Times of India quoted highly placed intelligence sources. During the telephonic conversation, Modi strongly emphasized the need for Pakistan to take firm and immediate action against the organizations and individuals responsible for and linked to the Pathankot terrorist attack, the PMO said in a statement. Sources said when Modi asked his Pakistani counterpart to swiftly deliver on his promise of co-operation, he meant prompt action against the seven jehadi terrorists belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammad. The PM told Shaif about the evidence NSA Ajit Doval has shared with his Pakistani counterpart Naseer Khan Janjua about the "Gang of 7" which includes JeM founder Maulana Masood Azhar and his younger brother Mufti Abdur Rauf Asghar, TOI quoted sources as saying. The specific details came amid speculation that Indian security forces may have captured alive at least one of the fidayeen raider or penetrated local collaborators of Jaish. However, there was no official confirmation. Security officials suspect the gunmen all six of whom were killed belonged to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed, the group that staged a 2001 attack on the Indian parliament which brought the two countries to the brink of war. If Pak army's collaboration gets confirmed , it is likely to severely impact the prospects of a fresh effort at normalization of ties. Latest India News Follow us on inspiring story of pathankot braveheart lt col niranjan New Delhi: Lieutenant Colonel Niranjan, an officer of the elite National Security Guard (NSG), who was killed in Pathankot on Sunday while trying to defuse an explosive from a terrorist's body at the IAF base and leaving an inspiring story for people behind him. Here are some inspirational facts about Lt Col Niranjan which will definitely motivate to the youngsters to become like him: 1. Lt Col Niranjan joined the Indian army by cracking Combined Defence Services Exam (CDSE) which is conducted by UPSC. This is one of the toughest exams conducted in India. 2. Being a head of the elite bomb squad of the NSG, he led his team from front to diffuse the explosive in Pathankot terror attack. 3. He was recently posted in New Delhi as a commando and was promoted to Lt. Colonel. 4. In 2004, he was commissioned in the Engineers Regiment of the Army where his role was to mop up a procedure on the encounter spot. 5. A villager, familiar to Lt Col Niranjan's family, told, ''we all know that there is a young army man in our village. But, we didn't know that he was a Lt Col who worked with the elite NSG''. 6. His elder sister Bhagya Lakshmi said her brother was like 'Arjuna' who fought in his Karmabhoomi (Battle ground). 7. Bhagya Lakshmi also told ''we lost our mother when Niranjan was only 4 years in age and he has faced many challenges in his personal life. The country should remember him as a man who did struggle for his life but not only as an army man'' 8. E K Sivarajan, father of Lt Col Niranjan Kumar, told "I called him (Niranjan) up at around 5 pm. I was taking my evening walk and wanted to get some information from him. When I called, he said he was engaged in an operation. He said he would call me back," he said. 9. Sivarajan told, '' About two years ago, when he came on leave for his wedding, he told me that he was getting into the NSG and was very excited about it'' 10. Niranjan opted for short service commission and when he asked why not air force or navy, he said he was in love with the olive green. Latest India News Senator Bob Corker voiced his concerns after reports were released of a hydrogen bomb test by North Korea. "Reports of a North Korean nuclear weapon test late yesterday are troubling enough in isolation, but if confirmed, this news is especially disturbing when put in context with events of the last several years. If found to be yet another test, yesterdays event serves as a sober reminder that ignoring this threat and hoping it will go away does not constitute a policy. The past several decades of U.S. policy toward North Korea has been an abject failure, and the United Statestogether with our allies and others in the regionmust take a more assertive role in addressing North Koreas provocation. Our committee has held a number of hearings on North Korea, and I remain committed to working with Senators Gardner, Menendez, Cardin and others to bring further pressure to bear on the brutal regime in Pyongyang. In October, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held hearings on North Koreas nuclear program at both the full committee and subcommittee level. At the time, Senator Corker cited the failure of U.S. attempts to denuclearize the Korean peninsula and improve circumstances for the North Korean people and urged the administration to take more action to address the issue. During that hearing, Corker also blamed China for not using its influence over North Korea to alter the Kim regimes behavior, including Beijings refusal to support a United Nations resolution condemning Pyongyangs deplorable human rights record. Following Octobers full committee hearing, Sen. Corker requested a separate briefing from the administration on North Koreas nuclear program and our contingency plan for containing the proliferation risk. That closed briefing took place in November. For archived footage and full testimony from the full committee hearing, click here. Follow us on women to constitute 33 pc of constables in paramilitary forces New Delhi: The Central government has approved 33 per cent reservation for women in paramilitary CRPF and CISF and 15 per cent in the border guarding forces BSF, SSB and ITBP at constable-level positions. According to the data available with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), women comprise only 2.04 per cent of the paramilitary forces. Forces like the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Assam Rifles together constitute a 9.8 lakh-strong force. Of these, only 19,575 are women. "With a view to enhance representation of women in Central Armed Police Forces, Home Minister Rajnath Singh has approved 33 per cent posts at constable level for being filled up by women," a Home Ministry statement said yesterday. The 33 per cent reservation in constable level posts in CRPF and CISF and 14-15 per cent posts in border guarding forces of BSF, SSB and ITBP will start immediately. This reservation would be horizontal, it said. The move came following the recommendation of the Committee on Empowerment of Women in its sixth report which had suggested urgent need to provide due representation to women in paramilitary forces. The CRPF, considered to be world's largest paramilitary force mostly deployed in law and order duties and the anti-Naxal operations, has just around 6,300 women in its rank. "However, on March 20, 2015, Government of India has approved reservation of 33 per cent for women horizontally and in each category (SC, ST, OBC and others) in direct recruitment in non-gazetted posts from constable to sub- inspector in the police forces of all Union Territories, including Delhi Police," the Committee observed. Last year, 33% positions in the Delhi Police were reserved for women and six other Union Territories also passed this proposal. With PTI Inputs Latest India News Follow us on blast near indian consulate in jalalabad afghanistan afghan media Jalalabad: Close on the heels of the attack on the Indian diplomatic Mission in Mazar-i-Sharif, a blast has now been heard near the Indian consulate in the Jalalabad district of Afghanistan, Afghan media reported. While there are no details currently available regarding the extent of damage or possible casualties, subsequent attacks on or near Indian missions are becoming a cause of concern. The blast in Jalalabad occurred at a distance of 400 metres from the Indian consulate in Jalalabad at about 11.30 am in the Jalalabad city centre vicinity, which also houses the Pakistani consulate. The Indian consulate, however, is not believed to have been the target, news agencies quoted sources as saying. The Jalalabad blast comes barely hours after reports of an end to a 25-hour gun battle between security forces and terrorists near the Indian consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif. The encounter ended with security forces neutralising all the attackers who made an unsuccessful attempt to storm the Indian Mission building. Afghan government spokesman Shir Jan Durrani said that three armed assailants had been killed after they mounted an attack on the diplomatic mission from a nearby building late Sunday. The fighting left one policeman dead and 11 others wounded. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack in northern Afghanistan, the latest in a series of assaults on Indian installations in the country. (With agency inputs) Latest World News Follow us on gun battle near indian mission in mazar i sharif ends all terrorists killed Kabul/New Delhi: A 25-hour gun battle between security forces and terrorists near the Indian consulate in Afghanistan city of Mazar-i-Sharif came to end late Monday night with the killing of all the attackers who attempted to storm the Mission building. Provincial police chief Sayed Kamal Sadat said that the clearance operation is over and all the terrorists have all been killed. Government spokesman Shir Jan Durrani said three armed assailants had been killed after they mounted an attack on the diplomatic mission from a nearby building late Sunday. Durrani added that the fighting left one policeman dead and 11 others wounded. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack in northern Afghanistan, the latest in a series of assaults on Indian installations in the country. Some reports said one of the attackers was captured alive but there was no confirmation about it. A group of terrorists had attacked the Consulate at around 9.15 pm on Sunday with an aim of storming the building but their plan was thwarted by the security forces. Earlier, official sources said special combat units of the Afghan National Police had recovered three bodies from outside the Indian consulate. Subsequently, some more terrorists were holed up in a five-storey building about 100 metres across the road from the Indian Consulate and security forces had launched a daunting onslaught to neutralise them. Afghan Prez briefs PM Modi on Indian consulate attack Yesterday evening, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi who told him that India will always stand with the people of Afghanistan notwithstanding the terror attack on the Consulate. Ghani briefed Modi about the incident and Modi expressed deep appreciation for the exemplary bravery and courage shown by the Afghan National Security Forces in thwarting the terrorist attack and ensuring security and safety of the Indian Consulate and personnel. Officials said the Consulate came under attack at around 9.15 pm on Sunday night with at least two militants trying to storm. ITBP guards deployed on the sentry post foiled their attempt by raining heavy fire on them. They said at least seven Rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) rounds were fired in the direction of the Consulate but all missed it. Officials added that while there has been no damage to the five-storeyed and pink-coloured Consulate building A strong contingent of over four-dozen ITBP commandos has been securing this facility from 2008 apart from three other missions in the country and the main Embassy in the capital, Kabul. The security of these sensitive facilities were recently heightened after the ITBP deployed over 35 commandos at Indian missions in Kabul, Jalalabad, Herat, Kandhar and Mazar-i-Sharif. With Agency Inputs Latest World News Follow us on nikki haley to respond to obama s state of the union address Washington: Indian-American South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley would deliver the opposition Republican party's response to US President Barack Obama's last State of the Union address next week, Congressional leaders have said. Obama is scheduled to deliver his last annual State of the Union address to a joint session of the US Congress on January 12. Incidentally, GOP's response to Obama's first State of the Union address was also by an Indian-American Bobby Jindal, the Louisiana Governor whose second term ends on January 11. In a move that has the potential of propelling 43-year-old Haley to the national scene and make her a formidable vice presidential candidate, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell yesterday announced that she will deliver the Republican address to the nation following the State of the Union on January 12. Nikki Haley has led an economic turnaround and set a bold agenda for her state, getting things done and becoming one of the most popular governors in America. In a year when the country is crying out for a positive vision and alternative to the status quo, Governor Haley is the exact right choice to deliver the Republican Address to the Nation, Ryan said. Nikki Haley is a proven leader and committed reformer who believes deeply in the promise of the country we all share. Not only has Governor Haley fought to bring opportunity and prosperity to the people of her state, but she's also demonstrated how bringing people together can bring real results, Senator McConnell said. Governor Haley knows the American Dream and wants to see every American share in it, and we're pleased that she will be delivering this year's Republican Address, McConnell said. Haley said she is honoured to be asked by party leadership to deliver the Republican address to the nation. This is a time of great challenges for our country, but also of great opportunities. I intend to speak about both, Haley said. Haley, the 116th Governor of South Carolina, is the first female and the first minority governor in the state's history and currently the youngest governor in the country. She was re-elected to a second term in November last year. She is also only the second Indian-American Governor after Bobby Jindal. In a statement, the Republican Party said Haley has delivered results to the people of South Carolina. Under Haley's leadership, South Carolina's jobless rate hit record lows, the state announced more than 73,000 jobs in 45 of 46 counties, more than 25,000 South Carolinians moved from welfare to work, and the state made its largest infrastructure investment in a generation without raising taxes, the Republican party's statement said. She brought together leaders of both political parties, educators and the business community to pass landmark education reforms. She has also increased transparency and accountability in state government and delivered tax relief for small businesses, pension reform and Medicaid reform, it said. Born in Bamberg, the daughter of Indian immigrants, Haley's first job was keeping the books for her family's clothing store at the age of 13. She went on to graduate from Clemson University with a BS degree in accounting. Haley and her husband Michael, a Captain in the Army National Guard and combat veteran who was deployed to Afghanistan's Helmand Province, attend Mt Horeb United Methodist Church in South Carolina. According to the American laws, the President shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient. Latest World News Follow us on obama tightens gun rules requires more background checks Washington: President Barack Obama moved Monday to expand background checks to cover more firearms sold at gun shows, online and anywhere else, aiming to curb a scourge of gun violence despite unyielding opposition to new laws in Congress. Obama's plan to broaden background checks forms the centerpiece of a broader package of gun control measures the president plans to take on his own in his final year in office. Although Obama can't unilaterally change gun laws, the president is hoping that beefing up enforcement of existing laws can prevent at least some gun deaths in a country rife with them. "This is not going to solve every violent crime in this country," Obama said. Still, he added, "It will potentially save lives and spare families the pain of these extraordinary losses." Under current law, only federally licensed gun dealers must conduct background checks on buyers, but many who sell guns at flea markets, on websites or in other informal settings don't register as dealers. Gun control advocates say that loophole is exploited to skirt the background check requirement. Now, the Justice Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will issue updated guidance that says the government should deem anyone "in the business" of selling guns to be a dealer, regardless of where he or she sells the guns. To that end, the government will consider other factors, including how many guns a person sells and how frequently, and whether those guns are sold for a profit. The executive actions on gun control fall far short of what Obama and likeminded lawmakers attempted to accomplish with legislation in 2013, after a massacre at a Connecticut elementary school that shook the nation's conscience. Even still, the more modest measures were sure to spark legal challenges from those who oppose any new impediments to buying guns. "We're very comfortable that the president can legally take these actions now," said Attorney General Loretta Lynch. Obama's announcement was hailed by gun control advocates and Democratic lawmakers, who praised the president for refusing to cow to the National Rifle Association and similar groups. Dan Gross of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence said Obama was making history with "bold and meaningful action" that would make all Americans safer. But even before the steps were unveiled, Republicans launched a pre-emptive campaign to try to thwart them. "The president is at minimum subverting the legislative branch, and potentially overturning its will," said House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis. Far from mandating background checks for all gun sales, the new guidance still exempts collectors and gun hobbyists, and the exact definition of who must register as a dealer and conduct background checks remains exceedingly vague. The administration did not issue a number for how many guns someone must sell to be considered a dealer, instead saying it planned to remind people that courts have deemed people to be dealers in some cases even if they only sell a handful of guns. And the background check provision rests in the murky realm of agency guidelines, which have less force than full-fledged federal regulations and can easily be rescinded. Many of the Republican presidential candidates running to succeed Obama have vowed to rip up his new gun restrictions upon taking office. In an attempt to prevent gun purchases from falling through the cracks, the FBI will hire 230 more examiners to process background checks, the White House said, an increase of about 50 percent. Many of the roughly 63,000 background check requests each day are processed within seconds. But if the system kicks back a request for further review, the government only has three days before federal law says the buyer can return and buy the gun without being cleared. That weak spot in the system came under scrutiny last summer when the FBI revealed that Dylann Roof, the accused gunman in the Charleston, S.C., church massacre, was improperly allowed to buy a gun because incomplete record-keeping and miscommunication among authorities delayed processing of his background check beyond the three-day limit. The White House also said it planned to ask Congress for $500 million to improve mental health care, and Obama issued a memorandum directing federal agencies to conduct or sponsor research into smart gun technology that reduces the risk of accidental gun discharges. The Obama administration also plans to complete a rule, already in the works, to close another loophole that allows trusts or corporations to purchase sawed-off shotguns, machine guns and similar weapons without background checks. Obama planned to announce the new measures at an event at the White House on Tuesday as he continued a weeklong push to promote the gun effort and push back on its critics. He met at the White House on Monday with Democratic lawmakers who have supported stricter gun control, and planned to take his argument to prime time Thursday with a televised town hall discussion. The initiative also promised to be prominent in Obama's final State of the Union address next week. Whether the new steps will effectively prevent future gun deaths remained unclear. Philip Cook, a Duke University professor who researches gun violence and policy, said surveys of prisoners don't show gun shows to be a major direct source of weapons used in violent crime. The attorney general, asked how many dealers would be newly forced to register, declined to give a number. "It's just impossible to predict," Lynch said. Latest World News Follow us on pakistan incomplete without kashmir claims president mamnoon hussain Islamabad: Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain has said that his country will continue to support the Kashmiris and their right to self-determination. "The support for the right of self- determination for Kashmiri people is the basic principle of Pakistan's foreign policy and the country has raised the voice in support of Kashmiris on every political and diplomatic forum and it would continue playing this role in future as well," he said yesterday. He further called on India to stop human rights violations in Kashmir. He also claimed that the words of Pakistan founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the word 'K' in Pakistan denotes Kashmir and the country is incomplete without Kashmir. Meanwhile, condemning the terror attack at an IAF base in Pathankot, he said that 'Pakistan is against all forms of terrorism'. "Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations including the incident at Pathankot," he said. The Pathankot terror attack began on Saturday last with six terrorists sneaking into the Air Base, leading to an encounter in which seven securitymen, including a Lt Colonel, were killed. Six terrorists were eliminated during the encounter with the security forces. The terrorists were believed to owe allegiance to Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). With PTI Inputs Latest World News Follow us on pathankot mazar e sharif attacks reminder of terror threat top american lawmaker Washington: The terrorist attacks on the IAF base in Pathankot and the Indian Consulate in Afghanistan's Mazar-e-Sharif city are stark reminder of the challenges posed by terrorism in the region, an top American lawmaker has said. "I strongly condemn the terrorist attacks on India's Pathankot military base as well as on the Indian Consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan," Congressman Brad Sherman, 61, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said yesterday. There is speculation that these attacks might be in reaction to positive outcomes from Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi's recent visits (to) Afghanistan and Pakistan," he said. Sherman strongly encouraged the governments in the region to make every effort to find the terrorists who carried out these attacks and bring them to justice. "These attacks are a stark reminder of the ongoing danger terrorism poses throughout much of the world. The United States should continue to assist these governments and ensure they can combat this scourge," Sherman added. An intense 25-hour gun-battle between security forces and terrorists outside the Indian Consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif came to end last night with the killing of all the attackers who attempted to storm the Mission building. Heavily-armed Pakistani terrorists on Saturday attempted to storm the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot. The attackers were believed to have infiltrated from Pakistan and there was speculation that they may belong to Jaish-e-Mohammad headed by Maulana Masood Azhar of the Kandahar hijack episode. Latest World News Follow us on some elements want to sabotage talks with india pak defence minister Islamabad: Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has said that "some elements" want to "sabotage" the Indo-Pak peace talks through terror acts but they will not succeed in their nefarious designs. "Some elements want to sabotage the talks process between the two neighbouring countries through such terror acts but they would not succeed in their nefarious designs," he said. Asif said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in a telephonic contact have agreed that a cordial relationship was the most appropriate response to the terrorists, Radio Pakistan reported today. He said Indian leadership has not levelled any allegation on Pakistan regarding the Pathankot airbase terror attack. To a question, he said that Pakistan itself was a victim of terrorism and fighting a successful war against the menace. Heavily-armed terrorists last week attempted to storm the Air Force base in Pathankot. The attackers were believed to have infiltrated from Pakistan and there was speculation that they may belong to Jaish-e-Mohammad headed by Maulana Masood Azhar of the Kandahar hijack episode. Latest World News Follow us on us asks pakistan to take action against pathankot attackers Washington: US has strongly condemned the terrorist attack on the Indian Air Force (IAF) base in Punjab's Pathankot and asked Pakistan to take actions against its perpetrators. We extend our condolences to all the victims and their families, State Department Spokesman John Kirby said, adding that the Pakistani government has spoken very powerfully and 'it's certainly our expectation that they'll treat this exactly the way they've said they would'. Pakistan yesterday extended deepest condolences to the government and people of India on the unfortunate terrorist incident and said that Islamabad was working on the 'leads' provided by New Delhi on the terror attack on the IAF base. Describing terrorism as a shared challenge in South Asia, the US also asked all countries in the region to work together to disrupt and dismantle terrorist networks and bring justice to the perpetrators of the Pathankot terrorist attack. We urge all the countries in the region to work together to disrupt and dismantle terrorist networks and to bring justice to the perpetrators of this particular attack. I would note that the government of Pakistan, also publicly and privately condemned this recent attack on the Indian air base. We have been clear with the highest levels of the government of Pakistan that it must continue to target all militant groups, Kirby said. He said the US has for a long time talked about the continued safe haven issues there in between Afghanistan and Pakistan and certainly between India and Pakistan. We're mindful that there remain some safe havens that we obviously want to see cleared out. And we continue to engage with the government of Pakistan to that end. And again, I would point you back to what the government of Pakistan itself has said and acknowledged that it's not going to discriminate among terrorist groups and it will continue to take the fight, Kirby said. With Agency Inputs Latest World News Follow us on security lapses led to pathankot terror attack parrikar Pathankot: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today admitted that "security lapses" led to the terrorist attack on the IAF base here that left seven security personnel and six terrorists dead. Manohar Parrikar made this admission after visiting the IAF base at Pathankot. "Combing operations are still going on but "this is only for safety purposes" and that no more terrorists were believed hidden in the huge complex," Parrikar said Some gaps led to security lapses, leading to the pre-dawn terror attack on Saturday, the minister said. He did not elaborate. "What is worrying is how they (terrorists) entered the base," he added. Parrikar visited the Pathankot Indian Air Force base in Punjab on Tuesday along with the chiefs of the army and air force. The head of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is probing the audacious terrorist strike, also visited the base separately. "Combing operations are (still) going on," Parrikar said. "This is only for safety purposes." He said the body of one of the terrorists still had a suicide vest, with a grenade sticking out. "I am very, very clear that they (our officers) should not take any risk," he said, recalling how a National Security Guard (NSG) officer lost his life earlier while trying to reportedly shift a similar body. Parrikar admitted that the entire operation "is a very difficult" one. "It is tedious. This has been done without compromising any assets... Not just the strategic assets but even a building." He said barring one building where the terrorists took shelter, no other building was even damaged because the security personnel managed to corner the raiders in a corner of the sprawling base. He said the terrorists had AK-47 rifles, pistols, Swiss knives, commando knives besides 40-50 kg of bullets. They also had improvised mortars. "They had high quality explosives." The minister said the NIA had started investigation into the attack. He said it would find out "who sent them". "They have got initial leads, where they have come from, how they have come." (With IANS inputs) Airnet Group Inc. has became a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner for Cloud Platform Solutions, the highest accreditation that an independent technical provider can achieve. The certification adds Airnet to the providers promoted by Microsoft to provide Azure Cloud services. Gold Certified Partners are Microsoft's most highly accredited independent technical providers and offer a range of cloud services and support. Airnet joins the one percent of Microsoft Partners in the world who have acquired a Gold Certified status. For more information call Airnet Group Inc. at 664-7678 x3 or visit www.airnetgroup.com. Follow us on karnataka hc quashes all firs against bs yeddyurappa in land denotification Bengaluru: In a relief to former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday quashed 15 FIRs filed against the senior BJP leader for alleged illegal denotification of lands based on a CAG report. "All the FIRs against Yeddyurappa stand quashed," Justice Rathnakala said in her order. The order comes as yet another breather for Yeddyurappa, close on the heels of the High Court recently quashing former Governor H R Bhardwaj's sanction for prosecuting him when he was Chief Minister and also the Lokayukta court striking down four FIRs against him for alleged illegal land denotification. The FIRs were registered following a complaint filed by one Jayakumar Hiremath based on CAG report in 2012 on denotification of land by government and allotment of sites by Bangalore Development Authority. The complaint was filed with the Lokayukta by Hiremath in 2014. During the hearing, Yeddyurappa's counsel C V Nagesh had submitted that the Lokayukta police, who are investigating the illegal land notification cases against Yeddyurappa, does not enjoy the authority to file FIRs just on the basis of CAG report, which is the property of the legislature. "The Lokayukta police does not have any right to register FIRs based on CAG report because it is the property of the legislature," Nagesh had contended. Moreover, the legislature also had not discussed the CAG report implicating Yeddyurappa for allegedly notifying certain lands and not arrived at any decision whether to investigate the allegations or not, Nagesh had submitted. "The legislature has not taken up the matter for discussion and as a result haven't even arrived at any decision to initiate investigation into the allegations made by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). On this ground, the Lokayukta police cannot register FIRs," he had submitted. Further, Nagesh had said that as per Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act, the mere issuing of order to denotify land is not an act of offence, and moreover, the Yeddyurappa government had withdrawn the order later. Also, the laws say that a competent authority, including a person of stature of a minister or a Chief Minister is the competent authority to issue land denotification orders, Nagesh had argued. Karnataka government had approached the Supreme Court in the matter, to which the apex court had asked the High Court to 'expeditiously' decide pleas relating to registration of FIRs. Follow us on manohar parrikar meets kin of soldiers killed in pathankot attack Pathankot: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today visited the family of two of the seven soldiers who were killed in th Pakistani terrorist attack at the air base here as he announced that they would be entitled to all benefits available to "battle casualty". Parrikar met the families of Fateh Singh and Kulwant Singh of the Defence Security Corps (DSC), based in Gurdaspur. Earlier in the day, Parrikar announced that all the seven security personnel killed during the attack will be treated as martyrs that will entitle them to all benefits available to "battle casualty" like in war-like situation. Defence sources said that this means that the kin of the personnel will get the maximum benefits which will include enhanced ex-gratia, pension, tax benefits, central grant among others. Seven security personnel - five of DSC, an NSG commando and one of Garud - were killed in the attack on IAF base in Pathankot while six terrorists were eliminated in a four-day long operation. Combing operations are still on and may continue for a day or two. Follow us on pathankot attack shiv sena taunts pm modi asks him to avenge soldiers death Mumbai: Expressing grave concern over the Pathankot terror attack, BJP's key ally Shiv Sena today alleged that it had warned Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to trust Pakistan and that 'time has now come for him to focus on India rather than trying to unite the world'. The Sena, in a hard-hitting editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana', said that the 'attack has proven that our borders are not safe and India's internal security is in shambles and the only national work being done is giving condolences to the martyred on social networking sites'. Launching a frontal attack on Modi, the Shiv Sena asked the former to introspect the security situation in the country post the Pathankot attack. "Seven of our soldiers get martyred in return of a cup of tea with Nawaz Sharif...The incident has proven that our borders are not safe and our internal security is in shambles. With the lives of six terrorists, Pakistan has managed to finish India's self-respect," it said. Further hitting out at the government, the ruling alliance partner said, "The Prime Minister was in Lahore only last week as a guest of his counterpart Nawaz Sharif. At that time, we had warned him not to trust Pakistan." "See how we have been betrayed today. If Pakistan wants to improve relations with India, they should immediately hand over Jaish-e-Mohammed's Maulana Masood Azhar to India," it said. The Sena also said that had the Congress been in power today, there would have been demands to strike at Pakistan and avenge the deaths of soldiers, but now nothing is being done about the incident. "The only national work being done is condoling the deaths of soldiers on (social networking site) twitter. But why have these soldiers died? PM Modi is trying to unite the world, but time has now come for him to concentrate on India," it said. The Sena also said that 'if India does not avenge the Pathankot terror attack, then displaying its military and arms and ammunition strength on Republic Day would be futile'. Pakistan based terrorists infiltrated an IAF base in Pathankot on Saturday, leading to fierce gun battle with security forces. Four terrorists were killed on Saturday after 15 hours of fighting. The fifth terrorist, according to the security forces, was killed on Monday. Seven security personnel, including an officer of the National Security Guards (NSG), an IAF Garud commando and five Defence Services Corps (DSC) personnel, were killed by the terrorists. (With Agency Inputs) Follow us on pathankot attack yashwant sinha questions foreign policy of modi government New Delhi: In the backdrop of evidences hinting at Pakistan's role in Pathankot terror attack, senior BJP leader and former External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha has said that it would be surprising if 'New Delhi holds Foreign Secretary-level talks with Pakistan' in mid-January. Criticising the foreign policy of Modi government, Sinha said that the government must be careful while resuming the dialogue with Pakistan as the recent attack once again indicates that 'nothing had changed on the ground in Pakistan'. "As far as Pakistan is concerned, nothing has changed on the ground and all the red lines were in place. Even then we extended the hand of friendship," Sinha said in a conversation with India Today yesterday. Reminding the government of its earlier version on Pakistan that talks cannot go hand-in-hand with terrorism, the BJP veteran said, "Government has changed its policy towards terrorism, I don't know the reason for it. I was not only the Foreign Minister in the Vajpayee government, but also the spokesperson for the party on foreign affairs." Sinha further said that the attack on the IAF airbase was a result of major security lapse and drastic steps were needed to secure the country's border. "The government must introspect over national security. The impression gaining ground was that India was a 'soft state' since 'we tend to talk more and act less. This must change," he said. Comparing Pathankot attack to last year's Paris attack, he said that France was quick enough to respond on their soil, whereas, India has done nothing so far. "Every country has done whatever it could do to deal with terrorism as strongly as possible. It's only India which has suffered from cross border terrorism for over 25 years and we are still struggling," Sinha said. Security forces continued search and combing operation inside the Pathankot air base on Tuesday -- the fourth day after the attack on the frontline Air Force Station (AFS) by suspected Pakistani terrorists. The counter offensive against the terrorists at Punjab's Pathankot air base was going on for the past 77 hours. Seven security personnel, including an officer of the National Security Guards (NSG), an IAF Garud commando and five Defence Services Corps (DSC) personnel, were killed by the terrorists. Follow us on what assurance pakistan gave to india congress asks pm modi New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday sought to know from Prime Minister Narendra Modi what assurances were given to him by Pakistan that paved the way for a comprehensive dialogue with that neighbour. The party's remark came after Saturday's pre-dawn terrorist attack at the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot in Punjab, in which seven security personnel and six terrorists suspected to be Pakistanis were killed. "In August, the National Security Advisor (NSA)-level talks were cancelled. After that, the NSAs (of India and Pakistan) met in Bangkok. We want to know what was discussed in the meeting and what agreement was made between the two countries with regard to responding to such attacks," said Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma. "What assurances were made to the prime minister by Pakistan that he made a sudden and surprise visit to Lahore. We need to know whether the entire establishment of Pakistan - the army and the ISI - approved of this visit or not," he added. Sharma said that when Modi landed in Lahore on December 25, the NSA of Pakistan, Naseer Khan Janjua, was not present. "Shouldn't we get a message from it that the entire establishment of Pakistan is not in support of rapprochement between two countries?" Post Mumbai terror attack, he said a dialogue should begin only after Pakistan keeps its promises. "But they couldn't keep their promises. The first assurance was that the handlers of Mumbai attack would be tried and punished and only after that a comprehensive dialogue with Pakistan should start," he added. He urged Modi to take the nation into confidence and "consult the leadership of the principal opposition parties on these matters". The Congress also termed as the offensive the terrorist attack on the country. "Pathankot attack is not only a terror attack or an attack on humanity. It is an attack on India. It is an attack on the nation. We sense it as a conspiracy theory because along with Pathankot, the Indian consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, was also attacked," said Sharma. "Seventeen days after the Ufa agremment between Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif, there was an attack in Gurdaspur (Punjab), breaching the international border. This (Pathankot) attack is also similar to that. Therefore, it should be termed as an attack on India," he said. Were excited to announce that indmin.com is now part of fastmarkets.com. A new look and an improved experience means you can still stay ahead of this fast-moving market with price data, news and market intelligence right here on Fastmarkets. Discover more than 2000 prices, news and analysis in primary and secondary metals markets. We cover base metals, industrial minerals, ores and alloys, steel, scrap and steel raw materials. If you already have a Fastmarkets account, youll still have uninterrupted access to your markets by logging in with your current details. Russia Breaking Wall St Oil Price Monopoly By F. William Engdahl The move is part of a longer-term strategy of decoupling Russias economy and especially its very significant export of oil, from the US dollar. Continue ========= This Is How You Do a Putin Interview By Alexander Mercouris The fact Ukraine has not brought a claim against Russia to the International Court of Justice shows it knows - and has been warned by Western governments - it would lose. Continue ========= Syria: Obama's Delusion Over Russian Retreat Continues By Moon Of Alabama As far as Russia is concerned - Assad will stay where he is right now. Continue ========= Towards the Collapse of Saudi Arabia By Thierry Meyssan While the Saud family enjoys the last few moments of its dictatorship, the decapitation of the leader of the opposition, Nimr al-Nimr, deprives half of the Saudi population of all hope. Continue ========= What Hillary Knew about Libya By Robert Parry Blumenthals emails provide a useful window into what was actually happening behind the scenes and what Secretary of State Clinton knew. Continue ========= Exceptionalism: A Wile for Imperialism By Kim Petersen and B. J. Sabri No one harnessed the power of militant ideological Wahhabism better than the United States of Jimmy Carter and Zbigniew Brzezinski. Continue ========= The US in 2016: No Money for Social Programs, Cash to Burn For The military By Andre Damon The US government has poured hundreds of billions of dollars into into military programs like the F-35 fighter, while slashing assistance for the poor, homeless, and hungry. Continue ========= Obamas Final State of the Union: Lies, Evasions and Threats By Patrick Martin Obama indulged in the glorification of killing that has become an essential part of the degraded spectacle that passes for political discourse in America. Continue ========= Fifteen Yemeni civilians killed in Saudi-led air strike - residents : At least 15 Yemeni civilians were killed in an air strike by a Saudi-led military coalition outside the capital, residents said on Wednesday, as prospects for a new round of U.N.-sponsored talks to end the war in Yemen dimmed. Five Saudi troops killed in Yemen retaliatory operations : Yemens army and popular committees have killed five Saudi soldiers on the kingdoms soil amid Riyadhs relentless bombardment of its impoverished neighbor. Gunmen kill two policemen in south Yemen: Unidentified gunmen Wednesday shot dead two policemen in Yemen's southern city of Aden, a security official said, in the second such attack in as many days. Southeast Turkey operation kills 16 more PKK rebels : Turkish security forces killed 16 PKK members during ongoing anti-terror operations in southeastern provinces of Sirnak and Diyarbakir on Tuesday, Turkish army said Wednesday. Turkeys security knew about possible attack, failed to stop it - reports: The Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) issued warnings to security forces that Islamic State (IS, previously ISIS/ISIL) terrorists were targeting tourists and foreign mission buildings prior to Tuesday's attack in Istanbul, Hurriyet reports. All 3 Russians detained in Turkey belonged to foreign terror groups Russian state source : The three Russian citizens detained by the Turkish police over ties with Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) were indeed linked with international terrorism, a source in one of Russias security agencies has said. Assyrians And Kurds Clash For The First Time In North Syria : Several people have been killed in rare clashes between Assyrian Christians and Kurds in Syrias al-Hasakah province, Al Jazeera has learnt. Backed by Russian airstrikes, Syrian troops push deeper into rebel stronghold: Backed by relentless Russian airstrikes, Syrian troops a seize a key rebel-held town in the strategic region overlooking the coast, the government and opposition activists said. Syria rebels to relinquish nearly half of heavy weapons in Homs truce : Syrian rebels in a former opposition stronghold in Homs will relinquish nearly half their heavy weapons as part of a landmark truce with the government, the provincial governor said Wednesday. Syria's rebels reject peace talks unless U.N. resolution implemented: The groups, which include the powerful Islam Army, mentioned articles 12 and 13 of a resolution that was passed late last year, which calls on the sides in Syria's civil war to allow humanitarian access to all in need and cease attacks on civilians. Russia has no plans for quasi-state in Syria, contrary to Erdogans claims: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans claims to the effect Russias aim in Syria is to create a mini-state around Latakia province is nothing but a propaganda move expected to weaken Moscows foothold at Syrian crisis settlement talks Putin hints that Russia could grant asylum to Assad: Russia could grant asylum to Bashar al-Assad if he is forced to leave Syria, Vladimir Putin suggested in an interview with the German tabloid Bild. Kevin Andrews calls for troops on ground, disagrees with government policy: Former defence minister Kevin Andrews has repeated calls for Australian combat troops to join the fight against Islamic State, the day after the government confirmed it had formally declined the United States request for an increased military contribution. Syria : David Cameron admits 'there arent enough' moderate fighters on the ground : David Cameron has admitted that there arent enough moderate Syrian fighters to defeat Isis yet and conceded some of the rebels belong to relatively hardline Islamist groups. Obama calls on US Congress to authorize use of military force against Islamic State : "If this Congress is serious about winning this war, and wants to send a message to our troops and the world, you should finally authorize the use of military force against ISIL," he says U.S. military may expand ISIS fight beyond Iraq and Syria : Defense Secretary Ash Carter signaled Wednesday that the U.S. military will expand efforts to target Islamic State militants beyond the group's territory in Iraq and Syria, potentially involving airstrikes and raids in other Islamic countries. Iraqi Warplanes Bomb Daesh Meeting, Killing 11 Terror Group's Leaders : A Daesh commander in charge of the group's Baghdad members was among those killed, along with a close associate of the groups leader Abu Bakr Baghdadi and a senior operative responsible for transferring terrorists to Baghdad, according to the statement. Special U.S. targeting force 'now in place' in Iraq, U.S. says : A new U.S. force of special operations troops has arrived in Iraq and is preparing to work with Iraqi forces to go after ISIS targets, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Wednesday. Iran Releases Footage From Arrest Of 10 U.S. Sailors : Iran's state broadcaster just released photos not just of the 10 captured soldiers, which were shown earlier, but of their arrest as well as the seizure of the boat and their weapons. Here is the just released TV footage: John Kerry thanks Iran for freeing US Navy sailors : "I want to express my gratitude to Iranian authorities for their cooperation ?in swiftly resolving this matter," Kerry said in a statement on Wednesday, according to Reuters. Palestinian Hunger Striker Reportedly in Critical Condition : : The condition of a Palestinian journalist on a 48-day hunger strike in an Israeli jail is deteriorating, the man's wife and a Palestinian official said Monday. Swedish foreign minister calls for inquiry into Israeli violence : Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom called on Tuesday for an investigation to determine if Israel was guilty of extrajudicial killings of Palestinians during recent violence there, local media reported. Israel says Swedish FM not welcome : The minister, Margot Wallstroem, last week postponed a trip to Israel indefinitely, with Israeli media reports suggesting that Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman did not want to meet her. Kuwait MPs approve extra $10 bn for arms: Kuwait's parliament on Wednesday unanimously approved a request by the oil-rich Gulf state's government for $10 billion in additional funds for military spending during the next 10 years. Bomb attack kills over dozen in north Cameroon mosque : The attack took place at 5:40 a.m. (0440 GMT) at a mosque in Kouyape. There were 13 deaths, including the man who blew himself up, and one wounded, a senior local official, who declined to be named, said on Wednesday. 14 killed as suicide attack targets polio centre in Pakistan : A suicide bomber detonated explosives outside a polio eradication centre in Pakistan's western city of Quetta, killing more than a dozen people in the latest deadly assault on the campaign to fight the disease in the country. Six killed as suicide bomber targets Pakistan consulate in Afghanistan: fghan security forces exchanged fire with gunmen barricaded in a house near the Pakistani consulate in the eastern city of Jalalabad on Wednesday after a suicide bomber blew himself up, killing as many as six people and wounding two, officials said. Philippines to offer eight bases to US forces: official : The Philippines is set to offer the US military use of eight bases, a military spokesman said Wednesday, after the country's supreme court upheld a security agreement with Washington forged in the face of rising tensions with China. China state news agency criticizes US-Philippines base deal : BEIJING (AP) China harshly criticized the Philippine Supreme Court's backing of a defense pact allowing American forces, warships and planes to be based temporarily in local military camps, calling the move "stupid" and warning of consequences. Ukraine, pro-Russia rebels agree new truce deal : Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels agreed a new truce deal Wednesday that goes into immediate effect and replaces one broken just hours after its signature at the end of last month. Julian Assange to be questioned by Swedish prosecutors in London : Lawyers for Wikileaks founder welcome prosecutors decision to interview Assange at Ecuadorian embassy in bid to break deadlock Canada welcomes 10,000th Syrian refugee: A plane carrying asylum seekers landed in Toronto late on Tuesday, putting the number of arrivals at 10,121 since November, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals took office. Michigans Water Crisis Has Gotten So Bad The National Guard Has Been Deployed : Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) activated his states National Guard late Tuesday night to help address a growing public health crisis stemming from tap water poisoned with lead. Homeland Security Asking Hotel Staff to Report Customers for Too Many Condoms : Frequent minibar-restock requests and refusal of maid service for several days also listed among signs you might be a sex trafficker. Emails expose close ties between Hillary Clinton and accused war criminal Henry Kissinger : Kissinger met regularly with Secretary Clinton, and applauded her hawkish foreign policy in a handwritten message Joe diGenova: FBI facing revolt unless Hillary Clinton is charged : I believe that the evidence that the FBI is compiling will be so compelling that unless [Lynch] agrees to the charges, there will be a massive revolt inside the FBI, which she will not be able to survive as an attorney general. It will be like Watergate. It will be unbelievable. Rubio Promises First Trip to Israel as President : Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio promised to make a visit to Israel his first foreign trip if he becomes the Republican presidential nominee and goes on to win the White House next fall. The County Commission voted Wednesday to move ahead with a study aimed at replacing the downtown jail that Sheriff Jim Hammond said could be decertified due to a number of problems. The commission voted to spend up to $460,000 with the Public Financial Management (PFM) firm that is looking at whether the county should place many more prisoners with a private jail firm and reduce the county operation. One option would be to build a large new facility at the county workhouse at Silverdale, where the Corrections Corporation of America already houses a large number of inmates. PFM began the study in July and will now be involved in seeking qualifications from a firm that might design, build, operate and perhaps finance the jail replacement. The contract is for $30,000 per month plus expenses - up to $210,000. PFM would receive up to $250,000 more if the project goes to completion. County Mayor Jim Coppinger said no decision has been made yet on whether to further farm out the county jail operation, but he said it might bring millions of dollars in taxpayer savings. Commission Finance Chairman Tim Boyd, who cast the only no vote, said he did not understand how a private firm could build the jail expansion for less than the county. County Mayor Coppinger said some private firms both design and build projects, while the county has to handle both separately. Commissioner Boyd also said the county should be able to finance the project cheaper than a private firm. On the issue of the private firm paying taxes, he said it would just raise its charge to the county to cover the taxes. Other commissioners said they got briefings from county staff on the project, but Commissioner Boyd said he had not heard from the county mayor or staff. He earlier clashed with Mike Compton, chief of staff to the county mayor. Commissioner Greg Beck, who at one time worked in the jail, said he was concerned that even if current county jailers get hired by the private firm that they will be paid much less. County Mayor Coppinger said Sheriff Jim Hammond, who by law operates the jail, "is the elephant in the room. He has the final say-so before it goes to the commission." Sheriff Hammond, who said the current jail has not worked well from the start, is part of a team working on the project. Saudis Seek Chaos to Cover Terror Tracks By Finian Cunningham January 05, 2015 " Information Clearing House " - " Sputnik " - Russia's incisive military intervention in Syria has succeeded in not only stabilizing the Arab state and salvaging it from a terrorist takeover. Russia's maneuver also exposed the foreign-fueled nature of the conflict - as a criminal covert war of aggression for regime change. To varying degrees, the complicity of Washington, Britain and France in sponsoring an illegal insurgency against the elected government of President Bashar al-Assad has been uncovered through Russia's military intervention. So too exposed even more so in the criminal conspiracy are the West's regional client regimes. Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Turkey has been shown through Russian airstrikes to be up to its neck in running oil and weapons smuggling rackets to support the terrorist networks in Syria. And the other regime exposed by Russia is Saudi Arabia. This explains why the oil-rich autocratic monarchy is now trying to inflame the region with sectarian conflict, with the execution of the Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimir last weekend. Sheikh Nimr was revered among the region's Shiite Muslims for his courageous, peaceful protests against oppression under the fundamentalist rulers of Saudi Arabia the House of Saud, who profess an extremist version of Islam known as Wahhabism. In the Wahhabi mentality, Shiites, Christians and others are considered "infidels" who should be put to death by the sword. It is no coincidence that many of the so-called jihadists fighting in Syria to overthrow the Assad government also subscribe to Wahhabism. There is clear evidence to show that the terror groups such as Daesh (Islamic State) and al Nusra Front are funded by the Wahhabi rulers of Saudi Arabia. The gratuitous killing of Sheikh Nimr came after months of appeals for clemency. The appeals were made not only by the government of Iran the main Shiite power in the Middle East but also from several international rights groups, owing to the dubious judicial process in Saudi Arabia and the abundant evidence attesting to Sheikh Nimr's innocence. That the House of Saud went ahead with his execution thus points to a deliberate act to provoke regional passions and in particular those of Iran. The torching of Saudi Arabia's embassy in Tehran, the war of words, and the severance of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran strongly suggest that the explosive reaction was premeditated. Now Arab allies of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, among others, are following suite by cutting diplomatic channels with Tehran. Some commentators are even wondering if an all-out war will erupt in the region. Significantly, the mayhem unleashed by the Saudi execution of Sheikh Nimr appears to have irked Washington and other Western powers who patronize the Saudi rulers. Earlier this week, the New York Times reported that the Obama administration was "caught by surprise" and "expressed anger at the Saudis for negligent disregard for how it would inflame the region". So why did the Saudi rulers decide to plunge the region into turmoil? Because Russia's military intervention in Syria has seriously spoiled the foreign conspiracy for regime change in that country. Furthermore, Russia's defeats against the array of illegally armed groups, such as Daesh and Nusra and their various offshoots, has exposed the sponsor links of these terror groups to foreign governments, in particular those in Ankara and Riyadh. American political analyst Randy Martin says: "What seems to be emerging now is the repercussion from Russia blowing the cover off the conflict in Syria. Russia's military operations against the terror networks have dramatically exposed the Wahhabi Saudi rulers for what they are." The analyst added: "Now that the House of Saud is exposed in its criminal machinations in Syria and its association with known terror groups, the Saudis have decided that their next best option is to incite a full-on war with Shiite Iran, and possibly even the Russians." Martin pointed to the Russian airstrike on December 25 that eliminated the leadership of the jihadist militia, Jaish al-Islam, also known as Army of Islam. The strike in the militia's stronghold of East Ghouta, near the Syrian capital Damascus, killed its leader Zahran Alloush and other commanders. Four days later, on December 29, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir publicly condemned the Russian air strike against Jaish al-Islam. Speaking in Riyadh, the Saudi minister said the killing would complicate the forthcoming peace talks on Syria due to take place later this month in Geneva. Al-Jubeir expressed dismay, telling reporters: "I don't know what the Russians have in mind." The official Saudi reaction to the killing of Zahran Alloush and other Jaish al-Islam members clearly illustrates the involvement of Saudi Arabia with known terror groups in Syria. The Jaish al-Islam militia is known to share fighters and weapons with the al Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra, which is an officially designated terrorist group, according to the US government and the European Union. Russia's military intervention in Syria has done two things. It has, firstly, put paid to the covert terror war that the West and its regional allies have been waging surreptitiously in Syria since March 2011 for the purpose of regime change. This result has thus made the political track the only feasible alternative by which the Western powers can hope to achieve their long-held objective of regime change in Syria. Hence Geneva. Saudi Arabia, the region's hardliner in the regime-change project, is opposed to the political option, which has been earnestly pursued by US Secretary of State John Kerry over the past three months, since Russia began its air operations in Syria. "Saudi officials have long said they think that Mr Kerry's effort is doomed to failure, and that was before Sunday's diplomatic breach with Iran," noted the New York Times. The second thing that Russia's military intervention has done, as analyst Randy Martin points out, is that the links of Saudi Arabia to terror groups have been laid bare for all to see. This week, the Saudi ambassador to the United Nations, Abdallah al-Mouallimi, claimed that the regional war of words with Iran will not deflect from his country's participation in the Geneva peace talks on Syria. However, that is a just a public-relations fig leaf. The Saudi rulers find political negotiations anathema because that would mean talking with their "infidel" enemy of Iran, thus giving the latter more political esteem in the region, and also because the House of Saud persists with the ultimatum that Syria's President Assad "has to go". It is for this reason that the Saudis last month said they retain the military option to invade Syria to oust Assad and why the oil-rich kingdom set up a 34-nation "anti-terror" military coalition with a license to invade any country where it deems a "terror threat" exists. In other words, what has emerged is Saudi Arabia's belligerent policy in the region and its collusion with terror groups. And it is Russia's decisive, devastating anti-terror military intervention in Syria that has uncovered these nefarious connections. That is why the Saudi rulers went ahead with the execution of the Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. The chaos and bloodletting they hope to unleash is intended to cover up their terror tracks in Syria. 2015 Sputnik. All rights reserved Palestine after Abbas: The Future of a People at Stake By Ramzy Baroud January 06, 2015 " Information Clearing House " - Although intended to inspire his Fatah Party followers, a televised speech by Mahmoud Abbas on the 51st Anniversary of the groups launch highlighted, instead, the unprecedented crisis that continues to wreak havoc on the Palestinian people. Not only did Abbas sound defensive and lacking in any serious or new initiatives, but his ultimate intention appeared as if it was about his political survival, and nothing else. In his speech on December 31, he tossed in many of the old cliches, chastising Israel at times, although in carefully-worded language, and insisted that any vital decisions concerned with the future of the land, people and national rights would be subject to general elections and (voted on by the Palestine) National Council (PNC), because our people made heavy sacrifices and they are the source of all authorities. Ironically, Abbas presides over the Palestinian Authority (PA) with a mandate that expired in January 2009 and his party, Fatah, which refused to accept the results of democratic elections in the Occupied Territories in 2006, continues to behave as the ruling party with no mandate, aside from the political validation it receives from Israel, the US and their allies. As for the PNC, it served as the legislative body of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) until the PA was established in 1994. Propped up by international funds, the PA was initially formed as a means to an end, that being final status negotiations and a Palestinian State. Instead, it became a status quo in itself, and its institutions, which largely reflected the political interests of a specific branch within Fatah, replaced the PLO, the PNC, together with all other institutions that expressed a degree of democracy and inclusiveness. Whatever PLO structure that symbolically remained in place after the PA soft coup is now arubber stamp that does not merely reflect the wishes of a single party, Fatah (which lost its majority among Palestinians in 2006), but an elitist, wealthy group within the once-leading party. In some way, Abbas current role is largely to serve the interest of this group, as opposed to charting a path of liberation for the entire Palestinian collective, at home, in refugee camps or in the Diaspora. Nothing was as telling about Abbas real mission at the helm of the PA than his statement in his speech of December 31, where he completely ruled out the dismantling of the PA now that it has failed in its mission, and while an elaborate PLO political structure already exists, which is capable of replacing it. Oddly, Abbas described the PA as one of the greatest achievements of the Palestinian people. I say, oddly because the PA was the outcome of the now practically defunct Oslo peace process, which was negotiated by Abbas and a few others in secret with Israel, at the behest of the late Palestinian Fatah leader, Yasser Arafat. The whole initiative was founded on secrecy and deceit and was signed without taking the Palestinian people into account. Worse, when Palestinians attempted to vote to challenge the status quo wrought by Oslo, the outcome of the elections was dismissed by Fatah, which led to a civil war in 2007 where hundreds of Palestinians were killed. But aside from the historical lapses of Abbas, who is now 80-years-old, his words although meant to assure his supporters are, in fact, a stark reminder that the Palestinian people, who have been undergoing a violent uprising since October, are practically leaderless. While Abbas explains that the reason behind the habba or the rising a reference to the current Intifada is Israels continued violations and illegal settlement, he failed to endorse the current uprising or behave as if he is the leader of that national mobilization. He constantly tries to hold the proverbial stick in the middle so that he does not invite the ire of his people nor that of Israel. Like a crafty politician, he is also trying to reap multiple benefits, siding with the people at times, as if a revolutionary leader, to remind Israel and the US of his importance as someone who represents the non-violent strand of Palestinian politics, and ride the wave of the intifada until the old order is restored. In fact, signs of that old order interminable negotiations are still evident. The PAs Chief Negotiator, Saeb Erekat, has recently announced that talks between the PA and Israel are still taking place, a terrible omen at a time when Palestinians are in desperate need for a complete overhaul of their failed approach to politics and national liberation. However, the problem is much bigger than Mahmoud Abbas. Reducing the Palestinian failure to the character of a single person is deeply rooted in most political analyses pertaining to Palestine for many years. (This is actually more pronounced in Western media than in Arabic media). Alas, once aging Abbas is no longer on the political scene, the problem is likely to persist, if not addressed. While Fatah has made marked contributions to Palestinian Resistance, its greatest contribution was liberating the Palestinian cause, as much as is practically possible, from the confines and manipulation of Arab politics. Thanks to that generation of young Palestinian leaders, which also included leaders of the PFLP and other socialist groups, there was, for once, a relatively unified Palestinian platform that did represent a degree of Palestinian priorities and objectives. But that relative unity was splintered among Palestinian factionalism: within the PLO itself, and then outside the PLO, where groups and sub-groups grew into a variety of ideological directions, many of whom were funded by Arab regimes which utilized the Palestinian struggle to serve national and regional agendas. A long and tragic episode of national collapse followed. When the Palestinian Resistance was exiled from Lebanon in 1982, following the Israeli invasion of that country, the PLO and all of its institutions were mostly ruled by a single party. Fatah, by then, grew older and more corrupt, operating within geographical spheres that were far away from Palestine. It dominated the PLO which, by then, grew into a body mired in political tribalism and financial corruption. True, Abbas is an essential character in that sorry episode which led to the Oslo fiasco in 1993; however, the burgeoning political culture that he partly espoused will continue to operate independent from the aspirations of the Palestinian people, with or without Abbas. It is this class, which is fed with US-Western money and perks and happily tolerated by Israel, which must be confronted by Palestinians themselves, if they are to have a real chance at reclaiming their national objectives once more. The current wisdom conveyed by some, that todays Intifada has superseded the PA, is utter nonsense. No popular mobilization has a chance of succeeding if it is impeded by such a powerful group as those invested in the PA, all unified by a great tug of self-interest. Moreover, waiting for Abbas to articulate a stronger, more convincing message is also a waste of time, since the ailment is not Abbas use of vocabulary, but his groups refusal to cede an inch of their undeserved privilege, in order to open up space for a more democratic environment so that all Palestinians, secularists, Islamists and socialists take equal part in the struggle for Palestine. A starting point would be a unified leadership in the Occupied Territories that manages the Intifada outside the confines of factions, combined with a vision for revamping PLO institutions to become more inclusive and to bring all Palestinians, everywhere, together. Abbas is soon to depart the political scene, either because of an internal Fatah coup, or as a result of old age. Either way, the future of Palestine cannot be left to his followers, to manage as they see fit and to protect their own interests. The future of an entire nation is at stake. Dr. Ramzy Baroud has been writing about the Middle East for over 20 years. He is an internationally-syndicated columnist, a media consultant, an author of several books and the founder of PalestineChronicle.com. His books include Searching Jenin, The Second Palestinian Intifada and his latest My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gazas Untold Story. His website is: www.ramzybaroud.net. Why the Islamic State Is the Minor Leagues of Terror Putting Threats into Perspective for 2016 By Tom Engelhardt January 06, 2015 " Information Clearing House " - " Tom Dispatch" Its time to panic! As 2015 ended, this country was certifiably terror-stricken. It had the Islamic State (IS) on the brain. Hoax terror threats or terror imbroglios shut down school systems from Los Angeles to New Hampshire, Indiana to a rural county in Virginia. The Dallas Symphony Orchestra, citing terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, cancelled a prospective tour of Europe thanks to terror fears, issuing a statement that orchestra management believes there is an elevated risk to the safety of musicians and their families, guest artists, DSO personnel, and travelling patrons. By year's end, the Justice Department had charged an unprecedented 60 people with terrorism-related crimes (often linked to social media exchanges). While just north of the border Canadas new government and its citizens were embracing the first of 25,000 Syrian refugees in an atmosphere of near celebration, citizens and government officials in the lower 48 were squabbling and panicking about the few who had made it here. (Sid Miller, the Texas agriculture commissioner, compared Syrian refugees to rattlesnakes, posting on Facebook images of snakes and refugees and asking, Can you tell me which of these rattlers wont bite you?) In the two presidential debates that ended the year, focusing in whole or part on national security, the only global subject worthy of discussion was -- you guessed it -- the Islamic State and secondarily immigration and related issues. Media panelists didnt ask a single question in either debate about China or Russia (other than on the IS-related issue of who might shoot down Russian planes over Syria) or about the relative success of the French right-wing, anti-Islamist National Front Party and its presidential candidate, Marine Le Pen (even though her American analog, Donald Trump, was on stage in one debate and a significant subject of the other). And that just begins a long list of national security issues that no one felt it worth bringing up, including the fact that in Paris 195 countries had agreed on a potentially path-breaking climate change deal. As the Dallas Symphony Orchestra signaled, Paris now means only one thing in this country: the bloody terror attack on the Eagles of Death Metal concert at the Bataclan theater and related assaults. In fact, if you were following the news here as 2015 ended, you might be forgiven for thinking that we Americans lived in a land beset by, and under siege from, Islamic terror and the Islamic State. The latest polls indicate that striking numbers of Americans now view the threat of terrorism as the countrys number one danger, see it as a (if not the) critical issue facing us, believe that it and national security should be the governments top priorities, and are convinced that the terrorists are at present winning. You would never know that, if you left out what might be called self-inflicted pain like death by vehicle (more than 33,000 deaths annually), suicide by gun (more than 21,000 annually) or total gun deaths (30,000 annually), and fatal drug overdoses (more than 47,000 annually), this is undoubtedly one of the safest countries on the planet. Over these years, the American dead from Islamic terror outfits or the lone wolves they inspire have added up to the most modest of figures, even if you include that single great day of horror, September 11, 2001. Include deaths from non-Islamic right-wing acts of terror (including, for instance, Dylann Roofs murders in a black church in Charleston), a slightly more impressive figure in recent years, and you still have next to nothing. Even if you add in relatively commonplace mass shootings, from school campuses to malls to workplaces, that are not defined as terror, and accept the broadest possible definition of such shootings (a minimum of four killed or injured), you would still have the sort of danger that couldnt be more modest compared to death by vehicle, suicide, or drugs -- phenomena that obsess few Americans. The Islamic State in Perspective Still, as 2016 begins, terror remains the 800-pound gorilla (in reality, a marmoset) in the American room and just about the only national security issue that truly matters. So why shouldnt I join the crowd? Who wants to be left in the lurch? But first, I think it makes sense to put the Islamic State in perspective. Yes, its a brutal, extreme religious-cum-political outfit, the sort of movement that probably could only arise on a shattered landscape in a shattered region filled with desperate souls looking for any explanation for, or solution to, nightmarish lives. There can be no question that its had remarkable success. Its self-proclaimed caliphate now controls territory the size of (to choose a common comparison) Great Britain with a population of perhaps a few million people. Since there are seldom reporters on the scene (for obvious reasons of health and well-being), we have no idea whether IS has 20,000, 30,000, 40,000, or 50,000 fighters and potential suicide bombers under arms. We do know that those arms (despite a couple of captured tanks) are generally light and the bombs largely of the homemade variety. The Islamic State has shown quite a knack for generating a stream of revenue from black market oil sales, ransoms from kidnappings, the ransacking of the regions archeological heritage, and wealthy Sunnis elsewhere in the region. In addition, it's been skilled at promoting its brand in other parts of the Greater Middle East and Africa, from Afghanistan to Libya, Yemen to Nigeria, where local populations are also facing shattered landscapes, failed states, oppressive governments, and desperation. Finally, thanks to the talents of its social media militants, its shown a facility for attracting disaffected (and sometimes whacked-out) young Muslims from Europe and even the United States, as well as for inspiring lone wolves to acts meant to unnerve its enemies in Europe, the U.S., and elsewhere. So give credit where its due. Compared to a few training camps in Afghanistan -- the al-Qaeda model before 2001 (and again recently) -- this is no small thing. But the Islamic State should also be put in some perspective. Its not Nazi Germany. Its not the Soviet Union. Its not an existential threat to the United States. Its a distinctly self-limited movement, probably only capable of expanding its reach if even more of the region is laid to waste (as is, for instance, happening in Yemen right now, thanks in large part to a U.S.-backed Saudi war on the Iranian-inclined Houthi rebels). IS is so deeply sectarian that it can never gain the support of a single Shia, Christian, Alawite, or Yazidi. Its practices, religious and political, are too extreme for many of the Sunnis it might want to appeal to. It is also an embattled movement. It has already lost some of the lands it captured to U.S.-backed Kurds in both Syria and Iraq and to the U.S.-backed, U.S.-equipped, and U.S.-trained Iraqi Army as well as Shiite militias. Its extremity has clearly alienated some of the Sunnis under its control. Its unlikely to take seven decades, as in the case of the Soviet Union, to implode and disappear. On the other hand, if the Islamic State, at least in its present form, is crushed or driven into some corner and the region is liberated, one thing is guaranteed -- as images of the rubble and landscapes of skeletal buildings left behind at the victorious battle sites of Kobane, Sinjar, Homs, and Ramadi will tell you. Combine the massively bomb-laden, booby-trapped urban areas under Islamic State control, American air power (or, in parts of Syria, the barrel-bombing air force of the government of Bashar al-Assad and now the firepower of Russia), and fierce urban combat, and what may be left in the moment of victory could be a region in utter ruins. One expert suggests that it may take decades and cost $200 billion -- three times Syrias prewar gross domestic product -- to rebuild that country, bringing to mind the famed line from Tacitus: They make a desert and call it peace. And just remind me, whos going to help with the reconstruction of that shattered land? Donald Trump? Dont count on it. And dont for a second believe that from such devastated worlds nothing worse than the Islamic State can arise. While we may be talking about a terror machine, IS represents a far more modest and embattled one than its social media propaganda would indicate. Its ability to threaten the U.S. bears little relation to the bogeyman version of it that at present occupies the American imagination. The sole advantage the Islamic State has when it comes to this country is that it turns out to be so easy to spook us. A Republic of Insects and Grass Still, dont for a second think that terror isnt on the American agenda. You really want terror? Let me tell you about terror. And Im not talking about 14 dead (San Bernardino) or 130 dead (Paris). What about up to 140,000 dead? (The toll from Hiroshima.) What about 285 million dead? (The official estimate of the dead, had the U.S. militarys Single Integrated Operational Plan, or SIOP, of 1960 been carried out via more than 3,200 nuclear weapons delivered to 1,060 targets in the Communist world, including at least 130 cities -- and that didnt include casualty figures from whatever the Soviet Union might have been able to launch in response.) Or what about -- to move from past slaughters and projected slaughters to future ones -- a billion dead? Despite the recent surprise visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his Pakistani counterpart, that remains a perfectly reasonable possibility, were a nuclear war ever to develop in South Asia. India and Pakistan, after all, face each other across a heavily armed and fortified 1,800 mile border, having fought three major wars since 1947. Small armed incidents are commonplace. Imagine that -- to take just one possible scenario -- extreme elements in the Pakistani military (or other extremist elements) got their hands on some part of that countrys ever-expanding nuclear arsenal, now believed to be at about 130 weapons, and loosed one or more of them on India, starting a nuclear exchange over issues that no one else on Earth gives a damn about. Imagine that, in the course of the war that followed, each side released only 50 Hiroshima-sized weapons on the others cities and industrial areas (0.4% of the worlds more than 25,000 warheads). One study suggests that, along with the 20 million or so inhabitants of South Asia who would die in such an exchange, this modest local nuclear conflagration would send enough smoke and particulates into the stratosphere to cause a planetary nuclear winter lasting perhaps a decade. The ensuing failure of agricultural systems globally could, according to experts, lead a billion or more people to starve to death. (And once youre talking about a crisis of that magnitude, one humanity has never experienced, god knows what other systems might fail at the same time.) I hope by now youre feeling a little shudder of fear or at least anxiety. Perhaps not, though, since were remarkably well protected from thinking about the deeper terrors of our planet. And mind you, if youre talking terror, that South Asian war is penny ante compared to the sort of event that would be associated with the thousands of nuclear weapons in the arsenals of the United States and Russia. Since the Cold War ended, they have more or less been hidden in plain sight. Call it an irony of sorts, then, that nuclear weapons have loomed large on the American landscape in these years, just not the ones that could truly harm us. Instead, Americans have largely focused in the usual semi-hysterical fashion on a nuclear weapon -- the Iranian bomb -- that never existed, while Russian and American arsenals undoubtedly capable of destroying more than one Earth-sized planet have remained in place, heavily funded and largely unnoted. When you look at what might be posssible under unknown future conditions, there is no reason to stop with mere millions or even a billion dead human beings. A major nuclear exchange, it is believed, could lead to the shredding of the planetary environment and a literal liquidation of humanity: the wiping out, that is, of ourselves and the turning of this country into, in the phrase of Jonathan Schell, a republic of insects and grass. As he explained so famously in his international bestseller of 1982, The Fate of the Earth, this became a genuine possibility in the post-Hiroshima decades and it remains so today, though given scant attention in a world in which tensions between the U.S. and Russia have been on the rise. Apocalypses, Fast or Slow-Mo Its not that we dont live on an increasingly terrifying planet. We do. Its that terror fears, at least in our American world, are regularly displaced onto relatively minor threats. If you want to be scared, consider this unlikelihood: in the course of just a few centuries, humanity has stumbled upon two uniquely different ways of unleashing energy -- the burning of fossil fuels and the splitting of the atom -- that have made the sort of apocalypse that was once the property of the gods into a human possession. The splitting of the atom and its application to war was, of course, a conscious scientific discovery. Its apocalyptic possibilities were grasped almost immediately by some of its own creators, including physicist Robert Oppenheimer who played a key role in the Manhattan Project that produced the atomic bomb during World War II. As he witnessed its awesome power in its initial test in the New Mexican desert, this line from the Bhagavad Gita came to his mind: Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." The destroyer of worlds indeed -- or at least, potentially, of the one world that matters to humanity. The other method of wrecking the planet was developed without the intent to destroy: the discovery that coal, oil, and later natural gas could motor economies. It was not known until the final decades of the last century that the release of greenhouse gases from the burning of such forms of energy could heat the planet in startling ways and undermine the very processes that promoted life as we had always experienced it. Its worth adding, however, that the executives of the giant oil companies knew a great deal about the dangers their products posed to Earth way before most of the rest of us did, suppressed that information for a surprisingly long time, and then invested prodigious sums in promoting the public denial of those very dangers. (In the process, they left the Republican Party wrapped in a straightjacket of climate change denial unique on the planet.) Someday, this will undoubtedly be seen as one of the great crimes of history, unless of course there are no historians left to write about it. In other words, if enough fossil fuels continue to be burned in the many decades to come, another kind of potential extinction event can be imagined, a slow-motion apocalypse of extreme weather -- melting, burning, flooding, sea-level rise, storming, and who knows what else. And if humanity has already managed to discover two such paths of utter destruction, what else, at present unimagined, might someday come into focus? In this context, think of the Islamic State as the minor leagues of terror, though at the moment you wouldnt know it. If we are all now the children of the holocaust -- of, that is, our own possible extinction -- and if this is the inheritance we are to leave to our own children and grandchildren, perhaps its understandable that it feels better to fear the Islamic State. Its evil is so specific, so other, so utterly alien and strangely distant. Its almost comforting to focus on its depredations, ignoring, of course, the grotesquely large hand our country had in its creation and in the more general spread of terror movements across the Greater Middle East. Its so much more comfortable to fear extreme Islamist movements than to take in two apocalyptic terrors that are clearly part of our own patrimony -- and, to make matters harder, one of which is likely to unfold over a time period that's hard to grasp, and the other under as yet difficult to imagine political circumstances. Its clear that neither of these true terrors of our planet and our age has to happen (or at least, in the case of climate change, come to full fruition). To ensure that, however, we and our children and grandchildren would have to decide that the fate of our Earth was indeed at stake and act accordingly. We would have to change the world. Tom Engelhardt is a co-founder of the American Empire Project and the author of The United States of Fear as well as a history of the Cold War, The End of Victory Culture. He is a fellow of the Nation Institute and runs TomDispatch.com. His latest book is Shadow Government: Surveillance, Secret Wars, and a Global Security State in a Single-Superpower World. Follow TomDispatch on Twitter and join us on Facebook. Check out the newest Dispatch Book, Nick Turses Tomorrows Battlefield: U.S. Proxy Wars and Secret Ops in Africa, and Tom Engelhardt's latest book, Shadow Government: Surveillance, Secret Wars, and a Global Security State in a Single-Superpower World . New Hillary Emails Reveal Propaganda, Executions, Coveting Libyan Oil and Gold By Brad Hoff January 06, 2015 " Information Clearing House " - The New Years Eve release of over 3000 new Hillary Clinton emails from the State Department has CNN abuzz over gossipy text messages, the who gets to ride with Hillary selection process set up by her staff, and how a cute Hillary photo fared on Facebook. But historians of the 2011 NATO war in Libya will be sure to notice a few of the truly explosive confirmations contained in the new emails: admissions of rebel war crimes, special ops trainers inside Libya from nearly the start of protests, Al Qaeda embedded in the U.S. backed opposition, Western nations jockeying for access to Libyan oil, the nefarious origins of the absurd Viagra mass rape claim, and concern over Gaddafis gold and silver reserves threatening European currency. Hillarys Death Squads A March 27, 2011 intelligence brief on Libya, sent by long time close adviser to the Clintons and Hillarys unofficial intelligence gatherer, Sidney Blumenthal, contains clear evidence of war crimes on the part of NATO-backed rebels. Citing a rebel commander source speaking in strict confidence Blumenthal reports to Hillary [emphasis mine]: Under attack from allied Air and Naval forces, the Libyan Army troops have begun to desert to the rebel side in increasing numbers. The rebels are making an effort to greet these troops as fellow Libyans, in an effort to encourage additional defections. (Source Comment: Speaking in strict confidence, one rebel commander stated that his troops continue to summarily execute all foreign mercenaries captured in the fighting). While the illegality of extra-judicial killings is easy to recognize (groups engaged in such are conventionally termed death squads), the sinister reality behind the foreign mercenaries reference might not be as immediately evident to most. While over the decades Gaddafi was known to make use of European and other international security and infrastructural contractors, there is no evidence to suggest that these were targeted by the Libyan rebels. There is however, ample documentation by journalists, academics, and human rights groups demonstrating that black Libyan civilians and sub-Saharan contract workers, a population favored by Gaddafi in his pro-African Union policies, were targets of racial cleansing by rebels who saw black Libyans as tied closely with the regime.[1] Black Libyans were commonly branded as foreign mercenaries by the rebel opposition for their perceived general loyalty to Gaddafi as a community and subjected to torture, executions, and their towns liberated by ethnic cleansing. This is demonstrated in the most well-documented example of Tawergha, an entire town of 30,000 black and dark-skinned Libyans which vanished by August 2011 after its takeover by NATO-backed NTC Misratan brigades. These attacks were well-known as late as 2012 and often filmed, as this report from The Telegraph confirms: After Muammar Gaddafi was killed, hundreds of migrant workers from neighboring states were imprisoned by fighters allied to the new interim authorities. They accuse the black Africans of having been mercenaries for the late ruler. Thousands of sub-Saharan Africans have been rounded up since Gaddafi fell in August. It appears that Clinton was getting personally briefed on the battlefield crimes of her beloved anti-Gaddafi fighters long before some of the worst of these genocidal crimes took place. Al-Qaeda and Western Special Forces Inside Libya The same intelligence email from Sydney Blumenthal also confirms what has become a well known theme of Western supported insurgencies in the Middle East: the contradiction of special forces training militias that are simultaneously suspected of links to Al Qaeda. Blumenthal relates that an extremely sensitive source confirmed that British, French, and Egyptian special operations units were training Libyan militants along the Egyptian-Libyan border, as well as in Benghazi suburbs. While analysts have long speculated as to the when and where of Western ground troop presence in the Libyan War, this email serves as definitive proof that special forces were on the ground only within a month of the earliest protests which broke out in the middle to end of February 2011 in Benghazi. By March 27 of what was commonly assumed a simple popular uprising external special operatives were already overseeing the transfer of weapons and supplies to the rebels including a seemingly endless supply of AK47 assault rifles and ammunition. Yet only a few paragraphs after this admission, caution is voiced about the very militias these Western special forces were training because of concern that, radical/terrorist groups such as the Libyan Fighting Groups and Al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) are infiltrating the NLC and its military command. The Threat of Libyas Oil and Gold to French Interests Though the French-proposed U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973 claimed the no-fly zone implemented over Libya was to protect civilians, an April 2011 email sent to Hillary with the subject line Frances client and Qaddafis gold tells of less noble ambitions. The email identifies French President Nicholas Sarkozy as leading the attack on Libya with five specific purposes in mind: to obtain Libyan oil, ensure French influence in the region, increase Sarkozys reputation domestically, assert French military power, and to prevent Gaddafis influence in what is considered Francophone Africa. Most astounding is the lengthy section delineating the huge threat that Gaddafis gold and silver reserves, estimated at 143 tons of gold, and a similar amount in silver, posed to the French franc (CFA) circulating as a prime African currency. In place of the noble sounding Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine fed to the public, there is this confidential explanation of what was really driving the war [emphasis mine]: This gold was accumulated prior to the current rebellion and was intended to be used to establish a pan-African currency based on the Libyan golden Dinar. This plan was designed to provide the Francophone African Countries with an alternative to the French franc (CFA). (Source Comment: According to knowledgeable individuals this quantity of gold and silver is valued at more than $7 billion. French intelligence officers discovered this plan shortly after the current rebellion began, and this was one of the factors that influenced President Nicolas Sarkozys decision to commit France to the attack on Libya.) Though this internal email aims to summarize the motivating factors driving Frances (and by implication NATOs) intervention in Libya, it is interesting to note that saving civilian lives is conspicuously absent from the briefing. Instead, the great fear reported is that Libya might lead North Africa into a high degree of economic independence with a new pan-African currency. French intelligence discovered a Libyan initiative to freely compete with European currency through a local alternative, and this had to be subverted through military aggression. The Ease of Floating Crude Propaganda Early in the Libyan conflict Secretary of State Clinton formally accused Gaddafi and his army of using mass rape as a tool of war. Though numerous international organizations, like Amnesty International, quickly debunked these claims, the charges were uncritically echoed by Western politicians and major media. It seemed no matter how bizarre the conspiracy theory, as long as it painted Gaddafi and his supporters as monsters, and so long as it served the cause of prolonged military action in Libya, it was deemed credible by network news. Two foremost examples are referenced in the latest batch of emails: the sensational claim that Gaddafi issued Viagra to his troops for mass rape, and the claim that bodies were staged by the Libyan government at NATO bombing sites to give the appearance of the Western coalition bombing civilians. In a late March 2011 email, Blumenthal confesses to Hillary that, I communicated more than a week ago on this storyQaddafi placing bodies to create PR stunts about supposed civilian casualties as a result of Allied bombingthough underlining it was a rumor. But now, as you know, Robert Gates gives credence to it. (See story below.) Sources now say, again rumor (that is, this information comes from the rebel side and is unconfirmed independently by Western intelligence), that Qaddafi has adopted a rape policy and has even distributed Viagra to troops. The incident at the Tripoli press conference involving a woman claiming to be raped is likely to be part of a much larger outrage. Will seek further confirmation. Not only did Defense Secretary Robert Gates promote his bizarre staged bodies theory on CBS News Face The Nation, but the even stranger Viagra rape fiction made international headlines as U.S. Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice made a formal charge against Libya in front of the UN Security Council. What this new email confirms is that not only was the State Department aware of the spurious nature of what Blumenthal calls rumors originating solely with the rebels, but did nothing to stop false information from rising to top officials who then gave them credence. It appears, furthermore, that the Viagra mass rape hoax likely originated with Sidney Blumenthal himself. BRAD HOFF is Managing Editor of Levant Report. He is a former Marine and has taught ancient and modern history at various schools across Texas both at the college and high school levels. Brad has lived and traveled extensively throughout the Middle East, spending most of his time in Syria prior to the 2011 uprising. http://levantreport.com Note - [1] The most comprehensive and well-documented study of the plight of black Libyans is contained in Slouching Towards Sirte: NATOs War on Libya and Africa (publ. 2012, Baraka Books) by Maximilian Forte, Professor Anthropology and Sociology at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. North Korea's Test Of A "Hydrogen Bomb" Was Only Somewhat Successful By Moon Of Alabama A few hours ago North Korea exploded another nuclear device. It was its fourth test of a nuclear bomb and the 2055th global nuclear detonation of such a device. First size estimates from seismic data measured by China and others say that the bomb developed a force equivalent to about 10 kilotons TNT. The very exited DPRK TV anchor announced that its scientist exploded a "miniaturized H bomb". The English announcement says it "scientifically verified the power of smaller H bomb." A hydrogen bomb consist of two stages. A primary nuclear fission device is exploded to trigger a secondary nuclear fusion device consisting of hydrogen isotopes. Such bombs are very powerful and the rather low yield of roughly 10kt make it quite doubtful that this was an actual working H bomb as these are usually several magnitudes stronger. The earlier North Korean tests of fission bombs had yields of 1 kt, 4 kt and 9 kt. The first one is considered to have been a partial dud. This fourth test today may have been a partial dud of an H bomb or it may have been just a basic fission device with probably added tritium for a boosted reaction. Only a measurement of the radionuclides resulting from this test will make it possible to determine its real configuration. There had been recent signs that another nuclear test in North Korea would soon happen. Satellite images showed that a new test tunnel was dug into a mountain. There were rumors since 2013 that North Korea is working on a hydrogen device. In early December the North Korean leader announced that his country was ready to test an H bomb but this was dismissed by the U.S. as bluster. North Korean announcements are usually over the top exaggerated but also basically true. I therefore consider this to have been a real test of an H bomb as announced but one which was only partially successful. After the Korea war the north of the country was completely obliterated. Hardly any structure with more than one level was left standing. The factories, the electricity network and its dams were destroyed: American planes dropped 635,000 tons of bombs on Korea -- that is, essentially on North Korea --including 32,557 tons of napalm, compared to 503,000 tons of bombs dropped in the entire Pacific theatre of World War II. Since then a huge amount of the North Korean gross domestic product has been spent on its military. When it started to test nuclear devices North Korea announced that it would use the new capabilities to replace or shrink its conventional military. The savings would be used to increase the standard of living for its people. Strategic assessments say that its nuclear and missile development is not aimed at creating a first strike force but a deterrence capability. North Korea considers the U.S. and the U.S. influenced South Korean government as its primary enemies and aggressors and Japan as a secondary threat. China and Russia are seen as somewhat friendly countries but kept at a distance. As the U.S. develops its 'pivot to Asia' anti-China posture it is pushing for more hawkish policies in South Korea and Japan and presses for an alliance between these historic enemies. Despite hawkish, rightwing governments in both countries the success of that strategy is only slowly developing. The North Korean test will be probably allow for further steps towards a NATO-like anti-China and anti-North Korea structure. Syrian War - Realism vs. Hope By Joe Contrarian January 06, 2015 " Information Clearing House " - I found a post entitled Week Thirteen of the Russian Intervention in Syria: Debunking The Lies By The Saker recently published on ICH , to be very valuable in putting into proper perspective a role of Russia in this conflict, her political motivation, and impact of direct Russian military intervention on the geopolitical situation in Syria and greater Middle East in the context of some sensible objectives achievable militarily and politically by Russian engagement. I like Sakers realism and I agree that the war itself is far from over or any decisive breakthrough on the ground but he seems to ignore special weight of political equation that Russian intervention substantially changed. What I mean is that Russians hope or plan for political solution and/or military circumstances, short of unlikely overwhelming victory in the battlefield where the war would no longer need to be fought and that would be an ultimate accomplishment of the wider political objective of the very limited intervention, embarked upon ultimately to stop the war. Why would it be even possible considering fanatical Islamists and their equally fanatical and despotic sponsors? Because, in contrast to all the MSM propaganda, there was never civil war in Syria driven by deep internal conflicts although they exist . Instead, it was a clandestine foreign invasion organized by CIA assets positioned within in Assad regime and hence, beside misguided and desperate Islamic youth from Europe and MENA there are mostly foreign mercenaries of US-Turkey-Saudi alliance who fight for money and/or fame. Syrians no longer want to fight for foreign terrorists except when threatened or coerced. True 2011 Syrian revolutionaries who believed in change, no longer see beauty into which all those ugly hills of war, misery and dark death suppose to dissolve and instead are eking for return of, however unsatisfactory, social order of the past. Already over 50% of European volunteers of ISIL fled or were killed facing reality of senseless death in the God forsaken desperate land for benefit of corrupted commanders who are more interested in sex slaves than teachings of Mohamed or a global Caliphate BS, violating very basic canons of Islam while claiming religious authority. Thousands of ISIL fighters, EU citizen came back home on the wave of MENA refuges, disillusioned about the Islamic revolution they believed in, now alienated from their radical European Muslim communities as well, the communities who insidiously sent them to die as a sacrifice for their faith and as a payoff for Saudi money and now consider them cowards. Ironically, Syrian war experience brought to these disenfranchised youth reality of corrupting effects of power everywhere under guise of any religious or other authority and hence, now they constitute least terrorist threat while they are now being hunted in Europe the most. Some realized that they no longer fit anywhere. More and more news from ISIL comes out, although not many spectacular Hollywood style video clips, about beheading of ISIL fighters and local commanders by their own leaders for treason, desertion as well engagement in infighting among different factions of terrorists for food, money, ammunition or sex slaves since western support for them is being innovately disrupted by Russian precision bombs. All of that is further destroying fighting morale among terrorists clearly observed for last two months. As the Saker correctly pointed out, the logistics is a key but Russians already made big strive to disrupt it and the pain is being felt in Ankara and Riyadh resonating with Washington winning about peace i.e. SOG Safe Our Guys whose sons and daughters are still classmates of neocon spawn in some Washington D.C. private school. Whats adding to confusion is, although not unexpected, inconsistent and wavy position of the US regarding political solution for Syrian conflict, the solution they trying hard to avoid. Adding to chaos is apparent official US distancing from some more outrageous and erratic moves by Turkey and Saudis. The first is trying to bring final solution to Kurdish minority problem in Turkey i.e. extermination and subjugation under the guise of the war on terror and the other is trying to solve their Royal power struggle between new King and Yemeni branch of ruling family, while taxing the Saudi economy, all aware of collapse of global demand and futility of any potential oil productions cuts to control the market prices. Both not interested in any solution to the problem they created. However, what The Saker seems to miss is a larger picture, which is necessary to consider if we want to predict chances of ending the Syrian war anytime soon. Whether or not Russia aimed for it, in reality only termination or substantial weakening of the US imperial rule in the middle East may be necessary condition if truly peaceful and stable solution is to be found involving Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Turkey, Saudis, Israel and Russia. And that is problematic since it is a global geopolitical issue of US world hegemony and the fate of Israel. In other words we may be looking at Lebanon-like political/military pat (too weak to win but to strong to lose) similar to their seventeen-year western instigated war, economically and potentially politically bleeding power players including Russia for decades with no true peace for Syrian people in sight. https://syrianwarupdate.wordpress.com/ The national leadership of All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of beating war drums ahead of this Saturdays governorship supplementary election in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. The governing party said the warning by the PDP to its members to unleash legitimate anger if fictitious figures emerge during the polls, was a ploy to intimidate eligible voters, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security operatives deployed to ensure peaceful, free and credible supplementary elections in Bayelsa state. The APC National Secretary, Mai Mala Buni, made this known in a statement yesterday in Abuja. Mai Mala Buni: While the APC prays for a peaceful, free and credible supplementary election come Saturday, security agencies must be on high alert over the dangerous threats by the PDP to cause a breakdown of law and order in Bayelsa state on Saturday. Already, the PDP leadership through its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh has issued instructions to PDP members and supporters to go ahead to use all means necessary in Saturdays supplementary election in the Southern Ijaw come Saturday. This is among other dangerous threats by the PDP warning of terrible consequences to INEC officials and security operatives. As the saying goes, history may not repeat itself but it rhymes. It is clear that the PDP is still hungover its old ways of doing things. The days of do or die politics is over. Never again will the country return to the PDP ways of election fraud and violence. Change has come. We call on the PDP to embrace the new Nigeria where elections are peaceful and votes of the people count. The APC is confident in INEC and security agencies ability to deliver peaceful, free and credible supplementary election come Saturday. On election day, we urge Bayelsans and all eligible voters in the state to go about their legitimate activities. We also call on INEC and security operatives to be mindful of the dangerous threats by the PDP while also focusing on its legitimate election duties. The APC encourages the people of Bayelsa, particularly Southern Ijaw Local Government to come out during Saturdays Bayesla supplementary election and vote massively for the APC Governorship Candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva as he is poised to deliver on APCs Change Agenda as well as the dividends of democracy that has eluded the state. Looking back at the last seven months under the APC, it is clear that the party is on the right track to delivering on its Change Agenda. It is the right of Bayelsans to abandon a sinking ship and join one that is smooth-sailing. The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has advised the Federal Government to beware of the International Monetary Fund, IMF. The TUC stated this yesterday in a statement signed by its President General, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kagaima in reaction to the visit of Managing Director of the IMF, Christine Lagarde to the country. According to the TUC boss, the warning became imperative following the countrys bitter past experience with the financial body. He said, Our country is already in dire state and cannot cope with the IMFs characteristic shylock conditionalities attached to its credit facilities, and must not accept same if that is what the visit is about. Ms Lagarde, who is presently in Nigeria for a four-day working visit, however, told State House correspondents on Tuesday that her visit had nothing to do with negotiating loans for the country. The statement reads in part, For the umpteenth time, we wonder aloud: Cant we solve our challenges as a nation without foreign intervention? Must the Brettonwood institutions be the ones to always determine and tell us when our economy is doing well and when to devalue the naira? Instances abound of countries that were hitherto nowhere in terms of development in the 1970s/80s but have successfully transformed into giants and premium net exporters of goods and services. Instead of exploring its other natural resources, our country has stayed glued to its blase identity as a monocultural oil-based economy. Conversely India, China, Malaysia, South Africa, Indonesia, etc, are all doing well today because they looked inward to all their potential. Meanwhile, the biggest buyer of our oil, the United States, has become a large exporter of the same product, clogging the market and causing our economy to gasp for air. We are hard pressed to believe that the IMF chiefs visit is a mere courtesy call. True to the traditions of her organisation, she would definitely look to dabble and meddle in our fiscal and monetary challenges and seek to sell our government another of their portage of self-serving, ill-adaptable theories and policies that are sure to further impact negatively on the countrys revenue and increase the pressure on the naira in the foreign exchange market. While we are not adverse to genuine mutually beneficial partnership with the Fund or any other body, we shall fight any agenda inimical to the economic and other interests of the Nigerian masses. The TUC further stressed that Lagardes meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari should yield improvements in the business environment, promote opportunities for growth in the private sector, accelerate job creation and strengthen social cohesion. It advised that the policies that do not work for the country should be discarded while advocating a renegotiation of the current loans in the light of the burden that debt-servicing constitutes to the budget, which is about 23 percent of the total budget. The TUC also warned that no devaluation of the naira should be countenanced unless the percentage of devaluation is equivalent to the percentage increase in the national minimum wage. A Zuba Grade 1 Area Court on Tuesday in Abuja sentenced a 19-year-old homeless boy, Sabiu Suleiman, to six months imprisonment for stealing 39 tubers of yam. The Judge, Malam Gambo Garba, who handed down the verdict, said the accused was guilty as charged. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Suleiman had pleaded guilty to the charge of theft. Gambo, however, gave the man an option of N5, 000 fine. Earlier, the Prosecutor, Insp. Haruna Danlami, had told the court that the case was reported at Zuba Police Station on Jan. 4 by a group of market women led by Janet Salawu. According to Danlami, Suleiman had gone out early in the morning to the Fly-Over Market at Zuba and stole 39 tubers of yam valued at N55, 000. During police investigations, the tubers of yams were recovered from the accused. The prosecutor said the offence contravened the provisions of Section 287 of the Penal Code, Laws of the Federation. (NAN) The Ekiti State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has chided Governor Ayodele Fayose for appointing Dele Adesina (SAN) as a member of the State Judicial Service Commission (SJSC), saying the action is yet another constitutional breach in his series of illegal acts in the last one year. The Ekiti APC in a statement yesterday by its Publicity Secretary, Hon. Taiwo Olatunbosun in Ado Ekiti, described Mr. Adesinas appointment as a violation of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which stated that no person can be appointed into the Judicial Service Commission twice. Adesina was first appointed as a member of the Judicial Service Commission by Governor Kayode Fayemi in 2012, and against the law, he was again appointed by Governor Fayose as the Chairman of the commission in 2015, he explained. Citing the relevant section of the constitution to buttress his objection, Mr. Olatunbosun said: By the provision of Section 200(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, no person can be appointed to State Civil Service Commission, Judicial Service Commission or State Independent Electoral Commission twice. Barrister Adesina (SAN) was appointed by Fayemi to serve in Ekiti Judicial Service Commission, now Fayose has re-appointed him to the same office. This is illegal and unconstitutional. This provision of the law is an offshoot of Sections 197,198 and 199 of Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Obama: Gun Violence 'Happens On The Streets Of Chicago Every Day' By Kate Shepherd in News on Jan 5, 2016 8:50PM Obama was at a D.C. library today! (Getty Images) President Barack Obama addressed his hometown's devastating gun violence problem Tuesday, mentioning that "it happens on the streets of Chicago every day." It was part of an executive action on gun control introduced Tuesday at the White House. Joined by the father of Sandy Hook victim Daniel Barden, Mark Barden, Obama spoke about the nation's epidemic mass shooting problem. "Every time I think about those kids it gets me mad," he said. "And by the way, it happens on the streets of Chicago every day." A study released in October showed that Chicago led the country in mass shootings with about 48 occurring between Jan. 1, 2013 and the time of release. Another Chicagoan was present for the speech. Cleo Pendleton, the mother of Hadiya Pendleton, stood behind the president during his address. Hadiya Pendleton was 15 years old when she was shot and killed in a park just blocks away from her high school on Jan. 29, 2013. She had performed with King College Prep's band and drill team at Obama's inaugural events in DC just days before her death. The executive action includes new provisions aimed to reducing shootings, according to DCist: Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers State, Bro. Felix Obuah, has strongly asked Rivers citizens to be prepared to resist what he called a visionless All Progressives Congress, APC, that has impoverished them and destroyed the economy. This is just as he criticized the increase in electricity tariffs as announced by the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government through the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, describing the new power tariff regime as a further means of bringing hardship and suffering on Rivers electricity consumers and indeed all Nigerians, in the absence of affordable and available petroleum products. Bro. Obuah, in a statement signed by Jerry Needam, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, faulted the decision of the NERC and by extension, the federal government, for the wrong timing and the excruciating pains on Nigerians, who voted in anticipation of positive change but are now struggling to survive the effects of bad economic policies and actions of the APC administration at the centre. Considering the plight of innocent Rivers consumers in this circumstance, the PDP is of the view that the Federal government should take urgent and effective steps in addressing the dwindling economic situation and poverty that is growing across the country so as to cushion the resultant effects of such increment in electricity power tariffs, the statement said. While sympathizing with Rivers people, the PDP chair called on them to resist bad economic policies of the APC by speaking out. Obuah further urged the NERC to reconsider its decision, particularly its implementation at this period when the economy appears to have collapsed under the current APC government at the centre, and when good governance has become an illusion in the country. He also said that few months into the life of the Buhari administration, petroleum products have been consistently scarce while the available one is sold exorbitantly, prices of food items and other consumables rising astronomically, transport fare becoming unbearable, while essential service now a mirage in the country. This, he said, is unacceptable as it negates the very essence of government. The PDP Chairman also condemned the inability of the APC led Federal Government under Buhari, to release money meant for States from the Federation Account in December, which he pointed out affected the payment of workers salaries before Christmas and New Year. Obuah said that the APC lacked vision and sound economic policies to drive Nigeria successfully, and urged Rivers People to disown the APC and all its candidates. President Muhammadu Buhari said Tuesday in Abuja that an inter-ministerial committee will soon be set up to speed up the re-organization and reformation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). The president made this know at a meeting with the Chief Executive Officer of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Jin-Yong Cai, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, President Buhari said the reformation of the NNPC had become inevitable in view of the corruption and abuse of its present structure in the recent past. The president also cited Nigerias current need to maximize income from every source of revenue as a further imperative for reforming the NNPC. He said that his administration was doing everything possible to boost national revenue so that it can effectively implement its programme of change and significantly improve the living conditions of Nigerians. Mr. Jin-Yong Cai, who is also the Vice President of the IFC, told President Buhari that with proper reformation and re-organisation, NNPC could become Africas largest company. You have brought monumental changes since you got to power. You have brought in strong leadership and Nigeria has the opportunity under you to become highly reputable. In NNPC, you can create an entity that is dominant in Africa, and this is the right time to do it, with the momentum you have created, he told President Buhari. Rivers State Information Commissioner , Dr Austin Tam-George has declared that the state government will demand a refund of the N82million expended by former Governor, Amaechi on Professor Wole Soyinkas dinner if it confirms that the Nobel Laureate received part of the the funds in cash. Also, Dr Tam-George declared that the point of departure between Former Governor, Amaechi and Governor Nyesom Wike was the insistence of Governor Wike that Amaechi observed probity and accountability in all governmental actions, an advice, he said was allegedly thrown overboard by the former governor . Addressing Rivers people via a radio programme on Wednesday in Port Harcourt, Dr Tam-George regretted that the Amaechis administration using the Ministry of Information and Communications headed by Ibim Semenitari, amassed N1.1billion debt on frivolous expenditure. According to Dr Tam-George : I will seek the permission of the Governor to formally write Professor Wole Soyinka, a known supporter of Amaechi if he received part of the N82million spent on a 3-hour Dinner hosted for him by the Amaechi administration. If he agrees that he received such funds, then he will be compelled to refund same to the coffers of Rivers State. At present, we have presented these details to the Police for investigation and prosecution. We shall also take up this matter as a financial crime against the people of Rivers State. He alleged that all the fraudulent actions of the Amaechi administration were being addressed by the Wike administration, pointing out that it will take time for the legal process to be completed because they are financial crimes. The Information Commissioner said that Former Governor, Amaechi betrayed the trust of Rivers people by embarking on alleged irresponsible expenses, which led to mismanagement and misuse of N3trillion that accrued to the state under his watch. He said that Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike had to leave the Amaechi administration when the former governor refused to adhere to patriotic advice to use Rivers State resources to develop the state. The point of departure between Former Governor Amaechi and Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike was Wikes commitment to probity and accountability. Governor Wike refused to be part of the financial mismanagement of resources that accrued to the state , Dr Tam-George told the people of Rivers State. He explained that already Rivers people were witnessing the proper use of resources as they are witnessing transformations across the landscape, alleging that the former Governor left the seat with several months of unpaid salaries, pensions, abandoned projects and scholarships despite receiving N3trillion as revenue under his watch. Source: Dailypost Punch Dokpesi sends greetings cards to Buhari, Osinbajo Despite his ongoing trial by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the founder of DAAR Communication, Chief Raymond Dopkesi, on Tuesday sent seasonal cards to President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. http://www.punchng.com/dokpesi-sends-greetings-cards-to-buhari-osinbajo/ Vanguard $2.1bn arms cash: Olisa Metuh spends first night in EFCC cell over N1.4bn traced to coy Interestingly, it was the suspect, who first hinted that the former President, Goodluck Jonathan, had given him a job to do and that he successfully completed the said job, but failed to say what it was and how much he was paid for and when. http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/01/2-1bn-arms-cash-olisa-metuh-spends-first-night-in-efcc-cell-over-n1-4bn-traced-to-coy/ The Sun The absurdity of neo-Biafranism With the ravages the first attempt by the Igbo and other peoples of Eastern Nigeria to declare their region an independent country of Biafra wrought on Eastern Nigeria, especially, Igbo land, it is perplexing that some Igbo are still agitating for Biafra. http://sunnewsonline.com/new/the-absurdity-of-neo-biafranism/ Thisday Gowons Son Returns to Nigeria After 22 Years in Jail After spending 22 years in a California prison, Musa Jack Ngonadi, the son of former military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, is back in the country. http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/gowons-son-returns-to-nigeria-after-22-years-in-jail/229590/ Daily Times Sharia court sentences man to death for blasphemy in Kano A Sharia court in Kano has sentenced one Abdulaziz Dauda popularly known as Abdul Inyass to death after the court found him guilty of uttering blasphemous words against Prophet Muhammad( SAW) and inciting violence. http://dailytimes.com.ng/sharia-court-sentences-man-death-blasphemy-kano/ Guardian Why govt may not raise intervention fund over fuel subsidy removal THERE are indications that the Federal Government may not establish any intervention fund to mitigate the impact of the now-to-be-adopted petrol price modulation mechanism. http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/2016/01/why-govt-may-not-raise-intervention-fund-over-fuel-subsidy-removal/ Daily Trust Lagarde: Nigeria has no reason to seek IMF loan The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, says given the determination and resilience of President Muhammadu Buharis administration, Nigeria has no reason to seek IMF loan. National Mirror Mother, child die of Lassa Fever in Rivers A nursing mother and her two weeks old baby have been reportedly killed by Lassa fever disease in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital. http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/mother-child-die-of-lassa-fever-in-rivers/ Leadership Dasukigate: SERAP Urges EFCC, ICPC To Prosecute Indicted CBN, Banks Officials Civil society organisation, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the level of complicity of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and other financial institutions in the stealing of N70 billion security budget. http://leadership.ng/news/489342/dasukigate-serap-urges-efcc-icpc-prosecute-indicted-cbn-banks-officials A visibly emotional President Barack Obama at one point wiping tears from his cheek unveiled his plan to tighten control and enforcement of firearms in the US, using his presidential powers in the absence of legal changes he implored Congress to pass. Obama on Tuesday accused the gun lobby of taking Congress hostage, but said they cannot hold America hostage. He insisted it was possible to uphold the second amendment while doing something to tackle the frequency of mass shootings in the US that he said had become the new normal. The much-debated second amendment of the constitution guarantees the right of citizens to own firearms, which have killed more than 100,000 Americans over the past 10 years. This is not a plot to take away everybodys guns, Obama said. You pass a background check, you purchase a firearm. The problem is some gun sellers have been operating under a different set of rules. Obamas actions ensure that gun rights one of the most bitterly divisive issues in America will be at the forefront of the 2016 presidential campaign, which begins in earnest next month with the first primary contests. Accusing Obama of gross overreach, many of the Republican presidential candidates have vowed to rip up the new gun restrictions upon taking office. Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton said she was proud of Obamas efforts and promised she would safeguard them, the AP news agency reported. Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, have urged President Muhammadu Buhari and other relevant agencies of government to desist from interfering in the supplementary election scheduled for Bayelsa State this Saturday This is just as they expressed confidence in the ability of the PDP candidate and incumbent Governor Seriake Dickson, to sweep the poll, adding that his numerous achievements in all sectors of the economy in the state were commendable The governors, who spoke under the aegis of PDP Governors Forum, also called on the Presidency to ensure a hitch-free exercise, noting that this is the greatest change the present administration could bequeath to Nigeria. Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko made the call Tuesday, during a courtesy call on Governor Dickson in Government House, Yenagoa. According to Mimiko, the PDP candidate is in a vantage position having led with over 33,000 votes in 6 out of the 7 LGAs results already declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The PDPGF chairman stressed that the much-talked about change would be a mirage if those in positions of authority fail to consolidate on the legacy of free and fair election bequeathed by the immediate past administration. We the PDP Governors have an important message to the President and all those who God has placed in positions of authority in Nigeria today; that the irreducible minimum of democracy is credible election. I think commitment to democracy and development must be commitment to credible election. We are appealing to all the major institutional stakeholders in this Saturdays election to please for Gods sake and for the sake of this country and our children and even for the sake of those young enthusiasts of the social media who actually canvassed and voted for change, the greatest change you can bequeath to this country moving forward, is to ensure that we have a very predictable and credible way for people to access leadership. And when you talk about democracy, if you have passion about the development of this country, one of the critical legacies you can leave for this country is credible election because without credible election, we aint going nowhere. And I keep saying that APC must take a cue from former President Goodluck Jonathan who handed over power as a sitting President when his party lost, yet heavens did not fall, Mimiko said. He observed that scientifically, going by all the elections conducted so far, especially the last presidential election, it was a rare occurrence to record more than 30% to 40% turn out of voters, stressing that the people are not expecting anything different from the rate of voters participation in this Saturdays supplementary election. Mimiko noted that democracy is all about development and Governor Dickson has performed creditably well in that aspect to deserve a second term in view of the life transforming projects the restoration government has put in place. But I have no doubt in my mind that by Saturday, Bayelsa State will be rejoicing because Governor Henry Seriake Dickson would have been declared unequivocally as the Governor of the state again and the restoration will continue, he added. Senate President Bukola Saraki will today lead the leadership of the Senate to a meeting with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Ms. Christine Lagarde, who is currently on a four-day working visit to Nigeria. Saraki, according to a statement by his media aide, Yusuph Olaniyonu, will meet the IMF chief at the National Assembly where they will hold talks on the nations economy, particularly the recent global developments and their impact on Nigeria. The Senate president noted that the falling oil prices at the international market has negatively impacted the nations oil revenue, external reserve and increased pressure on the Naira at the foreign exchange market. The meeting of the senate leadership with the IMF chief is coming after a similar one with President Muhammadu Buhari and other managers of the national economy on Tuesday. Cotton Weakness Persisting into Wednesday Barchart - 3 minutes ago Following the Tuesday afternoon selling, cotton futures were down another penny overnight. Cotton prices tried both sides of UNCH on Tuesday, but ultimately the turnaround efforts failed and the board... CTZ22 : 81.34 (-1.15%) CTH23 : 80.76 (-0.83%) CTK23 : 79.93 (-0.81%) Feeders Led Tuesday Rally Barchart - 3 minutes ago Feeder cattle futures rallied triple digits on Tuesday, taking the November contract to a new high for October. Month to date, Nov feeders are up $3.20, but are still only a third of the way back to the... LEV22 : 148.475s (+0.41%) LEZ22 : 149.775s (+0.39%) LEG23 : 152.775s (+0.38%) GFV22 : 174.825s (+0.04%) GFX22 : 177.825s (+0.81%) Hog Market Enters Midweek Amidst Rally Barchart - 3 minutes ago The hog market worked higher on Tuesday into the close, ending less than 10 cents off the highs. December rallied $1.52 on the day, taking the contract to prices not seen since the September washout. The... HEZ22 : 86.475s (+1.80%) HEJ23 : 91.750s (+2.40%) KMZ22 : 96.525s (+1.37%) Wheats Reversing Tuesday Drop Barchart - 3 minutes ago Wheat prices are currently up 5-7 cents in all three domestic classes for the Wednesday day session. Winter wheat futures worked lower on Tuesday, and closed with some double digit losses. Dec through... ZWZ22 : 858-2 (+1.03%) ZWH23 : 875-6 (+0.92%) ZWPAES.CM : 7.9283 (+1.12%) KEZ22 : 954-0 (+1.01%) KEPAWS.CM : 9.1243 (+1.06%) MWZ22 : 962-0 (+0.63%) Weak Corn into Day Session Barchart - 3 minutes ago Wednesday morning corn prices are sitting at their overnight lows. After a sideways to slightly stronger market got Dec to +3 cents, traders took it all back and then some for a -4 cent start into the... ZCYAUS-BIW.CM : 177.93 (-0.46%) ZCZ22 : 677-0 (-0.59%) ZCPAUS.CM : 6.6314 (-0.48%) ZCH23 : 682-2 (-0.69%) ZCK23 : 683-4 (-0.62%) Chart of the Day: FibroGen - Bio Tech Barchart - 23 minutes ago The Chart of the Day belongs to the biotech company FibroGen (FGEN) . I found the stock by sorting Barchart's Top Stocks to Buy list first by the most frequent number of new highs in the last month, then... FGEN : 17.37 (+3.15%) Judge: City Attorney Concealed Evidence Of Police Shooting By Kate Shepherd in News on Jan 5, 2016 10:36PM Mounted Chicago police officer on the night of the Ferguson verdict. Photo via Bryan Haynes. A top attorney for the City of Chicago has resigned after a federal judge said he hid evidence in a deadly police shooting case. A jury ruled in March 2015 that the 2011 shooting death of Darius Pinex by Chicago police officers during a traffic stop was justified, according to the Tribune. But U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang ruled on Monday that the trial was "unfair" because attorney Jordan Marsh covered up evidence that contradicted the cops' accounts of the shooting. Chang overturned the verdict, imposed sanctions against the city and granted a new trial. Marsh "intentionally withheld radio recordings from the night of the shooting leading up to the trial", according to the Wall Street Journal. Marsh resigned on Monday. "After hiding the information, despite there being numerous times when the circumstances dictated he say something about it, Marsh said nothing, and even made misleading statements to the court when the issue arose," Chang wrote in his ruling. Corporation Counsel Steve Patton, who oversees the city's Law Department, told ABC7 that he's going to make sure it never happens again by reviewing the department's training and evidence gathering procedures. "The attention, the focus, the fact that the federal government is coming in to investigate the city and the police department," he told ABC7. "All of this creates a critical mass where I think there's an opportunity to take steps that for whatever reason have not been taken before." Patton has the support and confidence of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who does not believe federal investigators need to probe the Law Department in addition to their ongoing investigation of the Chicago Police Department, he said at a press conference. "No. I think that [federal investigators] are working where they are," Emanuel told reporters. "Steve [Patton] has my support to make sure that this doesn't happen again." Photos: Millennium Park's Giant Head Dismantled, Piece By Piece By Rachel Cromidas in Arts & Entertainment on Jan 5, 2016 8:15PM The dismantling of Looking Into My Dreams, Awilda, that massive, eerily pale and elongated giant head in Millennium Park, continues apace. A crew disassembled the traveling Jaume Plensa sculpture's head, face and nose Monday morning, and returned to its blocked off home near the corner of Michigan Avenue and Madison Street Tuesday to deconstruct the last of Awilda's chin and neck. The 39-foot tall sculpture has received a mix of praise and concern from Chicagoans since it was installed in the summer of 2014, with many unsure what it was supposed to represent or how long it would be in Millennium Park. Three companion heads were already removed last year. We haven't been able to confirm where she's heading next, but rumor has it she'll be on her way to Miami, just in time for this January freeze. By Kevin Bledsoe Self-storage owners often wonder what they can do to improve and preserve the value of their facilities. Whether youve owned a property for 20 years or one day, there are countless ways to achieve this goal. Some strategies include streamlined operation, site maintenance and capital improvements, and value-add products. When discussing operation and how it plays into a facilitys value, its important to focus on site audits, rate management, vacant-unit pricing, collections, staff training and marketing. Each of these is part of the heart and soul of a successful self-storage business. Once you implement best practices in each area, youll be able to maintain and even maximize the value of your assets. Site Audits How a site audit is conducted will largely depend on who handles a propertys day-to-day management. Owners who manage their own sites should consider hiring an industry consultant to audit the facility annually. Those who hire property managers should develop a site-audit program to verify the facility is being maintained at a high standard. Those using a third-party management company should ask to see quarterly audit results. A comprehensive site audit should an inspection of: Units rented Facility-maintenance standards Vacant units Financial data Facility cleanliness Marketing messages Curb appeal Leases Past-due accounts Sales processes More often than not, the audit process is skipped, which results in poor operational processes and lost facility value due to a lack of attention to detail. Dont let this happen to your business. Make site auditing a priority. Rate Management The cost of doing business continues to rise each year, and if you arent increasing your rates, youll see lower profit year over year. Implement a program that increases each tenants rate within the first nine months of renting a unit and continues to increase the rate annually thereafter. The cost of doing business increases 3 percent each year, so shoot to increase rates for all tenants 5 percent to 8 percent annually. Vacant-Unit Pricing Every month, its important to analyze the occupancy level of each unit size, the rate being charged, and the pricing and specials offered by your competition. Property owners often set prices when they open and revisit this model once a year to make adjustments. In the meantime, the competition has increased prices five times, resulting in lost profit for your facility. The effect over time is a tremendous amount of lost value thats difficult to recapture. Here are a few good pricing strategies: Adjust rates monthly. Make rate changes, plus or minus, based on occupancy levels in each size. Identify your busy season when pricing units. Consider geographic factors in your pricing strategies. A good example of a geographic consideration is if your facility is near a college. Increase prices in the spring because students will provide you with guaranteed rentals from May through August. Collections Many times, facility owners and their staff are far too lenient on customers whove become past-due. Thankfully, each state has self-storage lien laws in place to handle delinquent accounts. Its important you use these laws to your benefit. Most states allow a unit to be sold at auction within 90 days of the tenant becoming past-due, which provides you with a way to remove the delinquent tenant and rent the space to an income-improving one. Maintaining receivables of more than 30 days at or below 5 percent of actual occupied rent rates is generally considered a healthy barometer for a facility. A good policy is the one and done late-fee strategy. Allow your managers to waive one late fee per customer during the lifetime of the rental. This will teach them not to waive fees and limit the amount of money being given away. The ability to effectively collect rent goes a long way toward preserving a facilitys value. Staff Training A well-trained and dedicated property manager is well worth his weight in gold. Hes the face of the business and often determines its success or failure. Spend time and money training your staff and helping them develop into great representatives of you and your facility. Upon completion of the training program, its always a good idea to set benchmarks to measure its effectiveness. Identify measureable goals that allow you to understand whether your investment is paying off. The time and money you invest into your management team will help maintain occupancy levels and preserve the bottom line. Marketing Plan A good website-development company that understands search engine optimization and offers all of the latest techniques to drive business to your front door is the key to successful marketing today. Additionally, implementing a local and consistent marketing strategy for your facility will help capture many networking leads that would otherwise be missed or lost to your competition. Offer customer-referral programs to your current tenant base that incentivizes them to send business your way. Last but not least, focus on signage and curb appeal to help drive-by traffic notice your facility. All of these marketing strategies combined will make your facility successful and optimize new rental leads each month. Site Maintenance and Capital Improvements Identifying annual capital improvements and reviewing monthly maintenance needs is one of the most important areas on which to focus. At some point, youll want to sell your facility, and pride of ownership is a key aspect of preserving the value the property can earn at the closing table. Allocating funds each year to pay for the projects thatll keep the facility in mint condition is absolutely necessary. Take time each month to review ongoing maintenance needs and verify you have appropriate service contracts in place for items such as elevators, gates, and heating and cooling devices. Often, a little attention paid to monthly maintenance will reduce larger capital improvement down the road. Ultimately, both types of requirements should be at the top of the list to help preserve the value of a facility in the long term. Value-Add Products Implement value-add programs such as truck-rental services and tenant insurance. Owners sometimes fail to understand that something as simple as a $9 or $10 monthly sale can result in huge revenue and gains in facility value. For example a $9 per month tenant-insurance policy would pay a commission of $4.50 for each tenant that signs up. A facility with 400 storage units at 85 percent occupancy would have 340 renters. Assume that 70 percent, or 238, of those renters would buy the insurance, resulting in $12,852 annual revenue. At an 8 percent capitalization rate, this revenue provides an additional $160,650 worth of property value. Insurance and truck rentals are just a couple of the many value-add products being offered in the industry today. Others include moving and packing products, pack and ship services, wine storage, records storage and management, and cooperative unit-rental options. All of these services generate new revenue and boost business value. Finding ways to improve and preserve the value of your self-storage facility will require time and effort. At the end of the day, however, its worth the energy. Find time to attend industry tradeshows, and spend money to educate not just yourself but also your staff on best operating practices. Set measureable goals that can be used to identify the effectiveness of the training thats being completed. Hire industry consultants and allow them to audit your facility as well as provide one-on-one training for you and your organization. The ability to maintain and grow the value of your self-storage business is completely in your hands. The decisions you make today about how to operate your facility will affect the value you receive at the closing table in the future. Kevin Bledsoe is a brokerage advisor with Investment Real Estate LLC, a York, Pa., firm that offers self-storage facility brokerage, full-service design-build and construction management, and feasibility studies. Hes responsible for property sales, due diligence, financial analysis and feasibility studies for properties throughout the northeast and midAtlantic states. Bledsoe has been in the self-storage industry for 11 years and has managed more than 100 storage properties for large and mid-sized operators. He was formerly director of operations for Storage Asset Management Inc., a third-party management company. To reach him call 717.779.0804; visit www.irellc.com. Two self-storage tenants who were reported missing shortly after a fire began Monday at Money Saver Mini Storage in Portland, Ore., were found uninjured offsite. The customers had visited the office at 7702 S.E. 92nd Ave. before the fire began, the source reported. Firefighters arrived at the two-story facility at about 1:13 p.m. to battle a blaze in the attic of one of the storage buildings, according to Lt. Rich Tyler, spokesman for Portland Fire & Rescue. Although emergency crews were able to keep the blaze from spreading to other structures in the six-building complex, the three-alarm fire burned through the night, according to one source. Some of the buildings 453 units were severely damaged while others were deemed a total loss. Fire crews from Clackamas and Gresham, Ore., assisted. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Money Saver Mini Storage operates five facilities in Oregon. The properties are managed by Storage Partners, which oversees 28 storage facilities in Oregon and Washington. Real estate investment trust Sovran Self Storage Inc., which operates the Uncle Bobs Self Storage brand, has elected to increase the borrowing limit on a revolving credit line from $300 million to $500 million. The company will use the financial flexibility to fund expansion plans, according to a press release. The expansion of our line enhances our ability to execute our growth plans and further increases our liquidity position," said Andy Gregoire, chief financial officer. "It is also evidence of continued lender confidence in our platforms, our credit profile and in the strength of our properties. Other than expanding the credit line, all other material terms and conditions remain unchanged, and the bank credit will mature in December 2019, the press release stated. Wells Fargo Securities LLC and M&T Bank acted as joint lead arrangers in the transaction. Sovran operates more than 500 self-storage facilities in 25 states, with a large presence in Texas. Its portfolio of owned and managed facilities comprises more than 36 million square feet. @Motoramashow #jimmyshine #billygibbons TORONTO, ON On Saturday, March 12, legendary custom car builder Jimmy Shine and ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons will appear at Torontos Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo. The show takes place at The International Centre, across from Pearson International Airport. Shine and Gibbons are long-time friends who share a passion for custom cars and are currently collaborating on a new automotive-themed reality TV show. Billy Gibbons and Jimmy Shine will be at Motorama on Saturday, March 12 to meet with fans, sign autographs, take pictures and participate in a Custom Car & Hot Rod panel discussion on The Johnsonville Stage. Gibbons and Shine are also scheduled to attend the Car Owners & Exhibitors Cocktail Party on the evening of Friday, March 11. AD: PURCHASE YOUR MOTORAMA TICKETS TODAY! CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS We are extremely excited that Billy Gibbons and Jimmy Shine are coming to Motorama, said the shows automotive co-ordinator, Gary Challice. Both of these guys are legends in their fields and I know its going to be a big thrill for everyone who comes to the show to meet them in person. Jimmy Shine has done amazing work at So-Cal Speed Shop and recently started his own Jimmy Shine Work Shop. And everyone knows Billy Gibbons music and the way he incorporates his love of custom cars into almost everything he does. These guys are great buddies, they know a ton about custom cars and its going to be a lot of fun seeing them at Motorama. Discussing his appearance with Billy Gibbons, at Torontos Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo, Jimmy Shine said, Billy Gibbons is one of my favourite guys to be around, and when you add in a bunch of people who love cars and bikes, you know its going to be a good time. Were both looking forward to coming to Motorama on Saturday, March 12 and we hope you can join us. Specific schedule details regarding this appearance and all other Motorama events will be announced well in advance of showtime at www.MotoramaShow.com. ABOUT JIMMY SHINE: A native or Orange County, California, Jimmy Shine is one of the most talented and respected custom car builders in the industry. Born James D. Falschlehner, he grew up in a mechanically-inclined family and began building his own creations at a young age. He came to prominence after joining Pete Chapouris legendary So-Cal Speed Shop, in 1997. There, he honed his skills working on many well-known vehicles alongside some of the biggest names in the industry. Over time, Jimmy started to build hot rods and bikes that he would take to various land speed racing facilities. In 2006, he and partner Tony Thacker set a new land speed D/BSTR class record when they went 206.454 mph in a 29 Ford roadster on the Bonneville Salt Flats. Eventually, a whole new audience came to know Shine and his work after he was featured on several reality TV specials on the Discovery Channel. He went on to star in Hard Shine, Weaponizers, and two seasons of Car Warriors. Entering 2016, Shine is busier than ever. While still associated with So-Cal Speed Shops, Jimmy recently launched the Jimmy Shine Work Shop, in Orange County, California, as a vehicle for promoting his own image and creative visions. Shine is also developing a new television show alongside of his long-time friend and fellow auto-enthusiast Billy Gibbons, from the band ZZ Top. For more information about Jimmy Shine and his Work Shop, visit www.JimmyShine.com. ABOUT BILLY GIBBONS: Known primarily as a guitarist and the lead vocalist for the rock band ZZ Top, Billy Gibbons is also an avid automobile enthusiast. He has a large collection of vehicles including a 33 Ford Coupe called Eliminator, which was featured in the bands music videos Sharp Dressed Man, Gimme All Your Lovin and Legs in the early 80s. Originally from Houston, Texas, Gibbons now resides in Los Angeles, California. Known around the world for his trademark long, red beard and his musics hard rock and blues sound, he and his ZZ Top bandmates were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. In 2011, Rolling Stone magazine listed Gibbons at #32 on its list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. A man of many talents, Gibbons and his friend Jimmy Shine are currently developing an automotive-related television show. He also has a recurring role on the television show Bones, in which he plays a fictionalized version of himself, incorporating his passion for custom cars into his character. Recently, one of ZZ Tops songs appeared in the 2013 movie Snake & Mongoose, which documented the careers of drag racing legends Don The Snake Prudhomme and Tom The Mongoose McEwen. Gibbons is currently touring North America (Billy Gibbons and the BFGs) in support of his debut solo album Perfectamundo. And following his appearance at Motorama, he and ZZ Top will hit the road on a tour that includes several Canadian dates. For more information about Billy Gibbons, visit www.BillyGibbons.com. ABOUT THE MOTORAMA CUSTOM CAR & MOTORSPORTS EXPO: The second annual Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo takes place March 11, 12 & 13, 2016 at The International Centre, adjacent to Torontos Pearson International Airport. With a footprint of almost 300,000 square feet, the show will be Canadas biggest late-winter celebration of automobiles and motorsports. For information about the show, including tickets, sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities, and more, call (416) 962-7223, email info@MotoramaShow.com or visit www.MotoramaShow.com. Four years after the death of Muammar Gaddafi, chaos reigns in Libya as an internationally recognized government vies for power with a rival Islamic faction and radical groups including Islamic State control parts of the countrys vast territory. Away from the civil war battlefields, an equally important struggle is taking place over control of the nations $67 billion sovereign wealth fund. Hassan Bouhadi, former secretary of the board of trustees of the Libyan Investment Authority, claims control of the sovereign fund on behalf of the House of Representatives (HoR), the internationally recognized government. The HoR decamped to the eastern city of Tobruk in 2014 after Islamists rejected the results of the countrys June 2014 elections and seized the Tripoli airport. Abdulmagid Breish, a former LIA chairman was forced out over his Gaddafi regime connections, has staked a competing claim on the funds with the support of the Islamist-led General National Congress (GNC), which controls much of the countrys western half from Tripoli. The two men are facing off in the English High Court in a case that could determine who gets the money and, with it, the upper hand in Libyas civil war. Much of the LIAs portfolio remains frozen under international sanctions imposed to prevent looting after the fall of Gaddafi, but control of the fund still carries great weight in the countrys ongoing power struggle. The LIA holds money, and what makes Libya tick is essentially patronage, the ability to dispense money to keep certain militias and groups in line, says Diederick (Dirk) Vandewalle, an associate professor of government at Dartmouth College and Libya specialist. Only money can provide that. When the security situation in Tripoli began to dissolve last year and the House of Representatives fled to Tobruk, Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani was quick to appoint new leadership at the LIA. In October 2014 his administration sacked then-chairman Abdulrahman Benyezza and replaced him with Bouhadi, who had served as secretary of the board of trustees from 2012 until he was appointed to the board of directors, which oversees management of the fund, in February 2014. We report to the internationally recognized, democratically elected HoR, Bouhadi, whose office is in Malta, told Institutional Investor in a recent telephone interview. This protects governance. In Tripoli, meanwhile, Breish sits in the LIAs offices and is recognized as the sovereign funds chairman by the GNC. Breish had been appointed chairman in June 2013 but was forced out a year later and replaced by Benyezza because of an investigation under the Political and Administrative Isolation Law, which barred Gaddafi-era officials from holding government positions. After Breish successfully appealed the decision, the Tripoli government agreed to comply with the judgment. He reclaimed his office in May 2015. I simply had a handover ceremony from the person who was there, says Breish, referring to Benyezza. Its the same person I handed over to a year ago, and that was it. The contested leadership of the LIA has parallels in many of Libyas leading economic and financial institutions. Everybody was trying to maximize their position, so anybody who was even borderline suspected of being potentially disloyal to one side or another was simply dismissed, Dartmouths Vandewalle says. Thats certainly the way Tobruk tried to re-create all of the central institutions. Today the Central Bank of Libya, National Oil Corp. and Libyan Post Telecommunications and Information Technology Co. are all caught up in the tug-of-war between the rival Tripoli and Tobruk governments. Although Breish traces his authority to the GNC, he insists he answers to neither government and is preserving the LIAs independence for the good of the Libyan people. The government in Tripoli has set up a board of trustees, but my involvement is to stay clear of both governments, he tells II. Breish has some 95 employees, who stayed in the Tripoli office after the board of directors left for Tobruk last year. He maintains they have resumed normal business or, as normal as possible considering the asset freeze and that the security situation in the capital has improved. For the past year we havent experienced any problems, he says, but he adds that there are a few kidnappings around the periphery of Tripoli and clashes between gangs. Most of the staff may have stayed in Tripoli, but Bouhadi has recreated the LIAs departments in Malta and contends they are sustaining operations. Both sides have been meeting with financial institutions and foreign governments to assert their claims to legitimacy. Bouhadi states his bluntly: How can you protect Libyan assets if youre not part of the internationally recognized government? The confusion threatened to derail the LIAs lawsuits against Goldman Sachs Group and Societe Generale seeking $3.3 billion in damages over derivatives trades made between 2007 and 2009. The suits, filed in January 2014 under Breishs leadership, allege that the banks sold complex instruments that the fledging fund didnt understand, resulting in billions in losses. After the LIAs leadership split into rival factions in 2014, Benyezza and Bouhadi agreed to a truce to let three London-based LIA employees, dubbed the litigation committee, pursue the lawsuits with the funds U.K. law firm, Enyo Law. By February the litigation committee was found to be telling some of our stakeholders, banks and lawyers that they should be dealing with Tripoli and not Tobruk, says Bouhadi. So the board took the decision to relieve the three people on the litigation committee, and we told the litigator to report directly to the board. Unable to determine the LIAs leadership, Enyo dropped the case in April. When Breish returned to the LIAs Tripoli office in May, he agreed with Bouhadi to make a joint application to the High Court to appoint a receiver, or trustee, to instruct the lawyers on the LIAs behalf until the rival claims to the funds authority were resolved. The judge appointed global accounting firm BDO as receiver in July, and Enyo Law went back to work. The trial for the Goldman Sachs case is slated for June 2016; the case against Societe Generale is due to return to trial in early 2017. BDO and Goldman declined to comment on the current state of the litigation. SocGen did not return calls requesting comment. As the court approved the receivership only as a temporary fix, Bouhadi, Breish and their respective legal teams returned to the High Court in October to start the process of determining which side has authority in the U.K. Since the civil war began, Britain has avoided taking sides in the conflict and has kept open channels of communication with Tripoli. The judge ordered that the question of which government the U.K. considers legitimate be put to the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. If the FCO does not take a stance, when Bouhadi and Breish return to court in the spring a judge will decide based on four criteria: the constitutional basis for the government, control of territory, dealings with the U.K. and in marginal cases, the extent of international recognition that it has as the government of the state. The FCO declined to comment on the case. The case would be dismissed if Libya unified, but that seems unlikely. Although representatives of the Tobruk and Tripoli governments signed a United Nationsbrokered power sharing agreement on December 17, neither side has rallied a parliamentary majority to back the deal. Moreover, implementation of the plan could be obstructed if the countrys many militias are not brought in line. Before the signing ceremony, the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based nongovernmental organization, warned that rushing to establish a new government without first securing domestic support and addressing security concerns would strengthen hardliners and condemn the government to irrelevance. In the absence of a durable peace agreement, the U.K. government will likely have to pass judgment in the LIA case. A victory in London could be more important to Libyans than any gunfight over turf. Both sides realize very clearly that whoever controls the funds of LIA, which will be decided very likely in London, will very likely control Libya in the future, says Dartmouths Vandewalle. Last summer parents of young children with diabetes got some relief when the Food and Drug Administration approved the first fully mobile glucose monitor for patients as young as 2. Known as the Dexcom G5, the monitor sends glucose data to a smartphone app, instead of a separate receiver, allowing patients, parents and doctors to monitor glucose readings in real time. It was the latest step in a digital revolution for diabetes patients, but it was just the beginning for San Diegobased Dexcom, which had announced a few weeks before that it was teaming up with another company to create even smaller and cheaper monitors. That other company? Google. Its no secret that Google has lofty ambitions to change the way the world sees health, in the same way that it disrupted the way people search for information and check e-mail. Googles Calico project literally hopes to cure death, and its Life Sciences unit recently renamed Verily is working on various sensors and hardware to impact the discovery and management of disease. But Googles interest in diabetes, through the Dexcom joint venture and its own in-house work on a glucose-monitoring contact lens, is what some experts say might make or break its foray into health. The industry gets more exciting by the day, but it can still be frustratingly bureaucratic, with regulators moving at a pace much slower than what many tech executives are used to. The FDA is struggling with how to get pulled into the current world, because as an agency, its first rule is Do no harm, says Teresa McRoberts, manager of the Alger Health Sciences Fund at New Yorkbased investment manager Fred Alger Management. The agency is starting to promulgate some rules about what it needs to review when it comes to health care apps, which might put a chill on some tech innovation. So far, though, the specter of FDA scrutiny has meant that tech companies, from long-standing IT firms to start-ups, are focusing on software and products that track and manage data, mostly avoiding diagnosis and treatment. There are a lot of reasons for tech companies to find a way to insert themselves into the health care world. Health care is one of the biggest engines of the U.S. economy, generating nearly $3 trillion each year, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a shift toward higher-deductible plans and consumers growing comfort with tracking what they eat and how they move are piquing the interest of companies in many sectors. The companies that are best placed to take advantage of these changes are those that really understand consumers, says Unity Stoakes, co-founder of StartUp Health, a global network of digital health start-ups that has had a hand in creating more than 100 new companies in the sector since its 2014 launch. Investments include AdhereTech, which has a smart pill bottle to help drugmakers track patients medication usage, and Edamam, which provides real-time nutrition analysis and meal recommendation to food and wellness companies. StartUp Healths goal is to add 1,000 new companies to the digital health market over the next decade. Health care is already overly complex; whats needed is new solutions in the marketplace that make it easy, says Stoakes. Companies like Apple have proven time and time again that when you create a beautiful experience for the consumer, you win. Apples Tim Cook has emphasized the companys focus on the health care potential of the Apple Watch and poured resources into HealthKit and ResearchKit, which Cook expects will play a significant role in managing clinical data and assisting with clinical trials. But he said in a November interview with the Telegraph that whereas he doesnt rule out an FDA-approved Apple product in the future, the watch itself wont be going through that process. Cook said the FDAs sluggishness would hold [the company] back from innovating. The back end of health care storing, managing and analyzing all of the data being gathered by apps as well as the ballooning number of electronic medical records is where many believe technology companies will thrive, and some already are. IBMs Watson, a cloud-based technology system that uses machine learning to make sense of large amounts of information, shifted much of its focus to health data in 2015 after the April launch of the IBM Watson Health platform. The initiative quickly led to the acquisition of Merge Healthcare, a medical image processor, and joint ventures with Apple, CVS Health and Johnson & Johnson. IBM is so invested in the future of health care data management that it opened a new headquarters for Watson Health in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Somewhere in the middle, between data gathering and management and creating products that might need regulatory approval, are companies like Uber Technologies, which surprised few in the digital health world when it announced a new flu shot delivery service in late 2014. It was a one-day initiative, known as UberHealth, that Uber brought back for an encore last fall to much media attention. Many experts believe is just the beginning of a huge new profit opportunity for the ride-hailing app. Every technology company with the means, it seems, is jumping into the fray. Prior barriers to participation in health care were largely based on the fact that the industry is built on really poor technology, says Rich Gliklich, executive-in-residence with venture capital firm General Catalyst Partners and founder and former CEO and chairman of Outcome, a health IT company acquired in 2011 by Durham, North Carolinabased biopharmaceuticals research firm Quintiles. This need for interoperability is still easy to demonstrate when patients try to acquire copies of their own health records, Gliklich adds. But the barriers are dropping, and with them nonhealth care companies inhibitions about entering and profiting from the growing field. The question of whether these companies will move very far outside the realm of collecting and managing data is still up in the air. The hesitancy to wade into FDA-regulated waters intensified after the agency stopped personal genomics company 23andMe from selling its kits to consumers for two years because of worries about how results would be interpreted. With 23andMes product now back on the market, albeit in a much different form, and Verily working with pharma giant Novartis to bring the glucose-monitoring contact lens to human trials, many eyes in the tech world will be on the FDA in 2016. North Korea proclaimed a successful test of a hydrogen bomb today local time (late last night in the U.S.). The despotic regime in Pyongyang is alleging that it has succeeded in developing hydrogen-enhanced nuclear technology, triggering an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council. Many scientists, however, question the validity of North Korean claims. Multiple experts have questioned whether the blast represented a true hydrogen-grade explosion, which is capable of temperatures of more than 400 degrees Celsius upon detonation, or merely a traditional atomic blast. In response to the geopolitical threat, financial markets reacted, with February-delivery Brent crude futures contracts reaching the lowest front-month price levels since 2004 and European cash equities and futures for primary U.S. equity indexes declining significantly. Valeant to name new CEO. In the latest chapter in a corporate soap opera, Laval, Quebecbased pharmaceutical company Valeant Pharmaceuticals International announced yesterday that it will appoint an interim CEO to replace Michael Pearson, who was hospitalized recently with severe pneumonia. In recent months, the company has been attacked by short sellers and questioned by regulators for everything from its pricing policies to its debt. The company had said Pearson would be replaced by a group of executives, sending the stock falling further. Chinese real estate developer makes second go-private attempt. The parent company of New World China Land today announced a nearly $3 billion bid to privatize the firm, a repeat of an offer rejected by shareholders in 2014, in a so-called headcount test, which took into account the number of shareholders as well as their shares. The current bid is not subject to the same Hong Kong regulation, which means shareholder votes will be weighted by the size of the stakes. JPMorgan Chase fined. Yesterday the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency announced a $48 million fine to be levied against JPMorgan Chase & Co. for failing to meet settlement terms over pre-credit-crisis mortgage-marketing practices. The fine is a minor addendum to the original charges, which exceeded $2 billion. Central bank lowers bar for yuan again. On Wednesday, Chinas central bank, the Peoples Bank of China, reduced its reference rate on the yuan to the lowest level since 2011, as forward contracts traded in Hong Kong declined by more than 1 percent. This follows a perceived intervention in currency transactions Tuesday by the central bank and sent a mixed message to investors. Yahoo shareholder calls for a change. New York activist investor hedge fund firm Starboard Value today publicly called on Yahoos board to oust current management led by CEO Marissa Mayer. Starboard, which has a small position in Yahoos common stock, argues that Yahoo management has failed to revitalize the Sunnyvale, California companys core business, while enjoying the price appreciation of its stake in Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba. The secondary market for private equity stakes is growing quickly, reflecting the growth of the primary market and the desire of investors and fund managers to actively manage their portfolios. Secondaries provide something for those with a variety of interests: fund managers eager to sell assets and move on; limited partners intent on taking profits; and investors interested in snapping up mature, secondary positions. Secondary deal volume likely topped $35 billion last year, according to Greenhill Cogent, the secondary advisory unit of New York investment bank Greenhill & Co., after a record high of $42 billion in 2014. Analysts say last years decline reflects the vagaries of deal timing and doesnt represent a trend. Alternative-assets research firm Preqin says the volume of deals in the primary private equity market averaged $362 billion annually from 2007 to 2010, the vintage years for many secondary positions. That provides plenty of raw material for secondary deals. The secondary private equity market saw its largest transaction ever in November, when the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) sold its stake in 43 real estate funds to Blackstones Strategic Partners Fund Solutions unit for $3 billion. In the past, LPs sold private equity stakes only when they needed liquidity in times of stress. But now its an efficient, normal way for investors to manage their portfolio, says Luca Salvato, a partner at London-based secondary fund manager Coller Capital. In CalPERSs case, it is shrinking the number of private equity managers it uses to about 45 from 150. Other investors are taking similar steps. Limited partners are liquidating portfolios to reallocate into core strategies, Salvato says. Theyre cleaning up aging portfolios and often arent re-upping with the existing manager on a new fund. Investors can sell private equity stakes today just like other asset classes, such as stocks and bonds, says Brett Gordon, managing director of secondaries for HarbourVest Partners, a private equity fund manager based in Boston. The most sophisticated investors look at selling within their private equity portfolio like everything else, he says. They arent afraid to make buy-and-sell decisions. Selling decisions are rarely connected to the quality of the assets, Gordon says. Its more about changing allocations or reducing manager counts. Meanwhile, investors who buy stakes in secondary private equity funds may gain an asset with some visibility, since funds selling their positions have usually invested 70 percent to 80 percent of their capital. And secondary-stake buyers enjoy a quicker payout, since secondary funds generally purchase positions that are at least four years old. Private equity funds generally last ten years. Secondary funds are usually fully invested within two years, compared with three to five years for a primary fund. Investors portfolio distributions come back quickly, so they get a good balance between their secondary portfolio and their longer-dated holdings, says Nigel Dawn, head of New Yorkbased Evercore Groups private capital advisory group. Secondaries lower the risk of private equity, because of the good visibility on the assets being purchased and the fact that an investor is not going out too long. General partners of private equity funds are driving the growing number of secondary transactions, as they seek to wind down funds with small, old positions and open new ones with bigger profit potential instead. GPs also may seek to swap LPs to bring on board investors with whom they have relationships or ones they think will provide more capital. Industry estimates indicate GP-led secondary transactions totaled $12 billion to $15 billion last year, up from about $7 billion in 2014, according to Coller Capitals Salvato. The geographic focus of secondary positions mirrors the distribution of primary private equity deals, analysts say. The U.S. accounts for 50 percent, Europe 42 percent, and Asia 6 percent. The Asian portion could reach 10 percent within two to three years, thanks to rapid growth in the primary market in recent years, Dawn says. The industries represented in secondary positions run the gamut. Analysts expect to see growth in real estate, infrastructure and credit strategies in coming years. Real estate has lagged private equity in liquidity, Dawn continues. But as more capital is raised to invest in real estate, there will be more competition for assets. That means pricing gets better, and its more attractive for sellers of secondary positions. Dawn and others expect the secondary market to continue expanding, just as the primary market is growing. Secondaries still represent a fraction of the primary markets volume, which totaled $545 billion last year. I think there will be strong growth going forward, because theres a real need for making what has been an illiquid asset more liquid. A man who helped authorities uncover a Detroit, Mich.-area doctor who misled people into believing they had cancer has settled a lawsuit against the doctor for about $1.7 million. Dr. Farid Fata was paid millions of dollars by insurance companies while poisoning more than 500 people through needless treatments. He was sentenced in July, months after pleading guilty in Detroit federal court, and is appealing his 45-year prison sentence. Attorney David Haron, who represents ex-Fata employee George Karadsheh in a whistle-blower lawsuit, told the Detroit Free Press an amended complaint was filed last month under seal in the case with allegations against new defendants. U.S. Attorneys spokeswoman Gina Balaya says in a statement shes not able to confirm nor deny whether we are looking into any new allegations or individuals. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Michigan Tell The Police What You Think About Their Search For A New Chief By Kate Shepherd in News on Jan 5, 2016 7:15PM Photo credit: Rotating Frame The city's Police Board will be accepting input from Chicagoans on the search for a new police superintendent. The catch is: they'll have to jam their thoughts into a two-minute speech, according to the Sun-Times. The revamped police board will listen to citizen's opinions during a public hearing on Tuesday Jan. 12 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Chicago Urban League, 4510 S. Michigan Ave. Applications for Garry McCarthy's old job will be accepted through Friday Jan. 15. Lori Lightfoot, the president of the Police Board and co-chair of Mayor Rahm Emanuel's Task Force on Police Accountability, will preside over the hearing. Other board members and Shari Runner, the Chicago Urban League's interim president and CEO, will be present. "The entire board is completely committed to hearing from the public about the qualities the next superintendent should possess," Lightfoot said in a statement. To get as many opinions as possible, individuals will be limited to two minutes of speaking time. "We also view this forum as an important opportunity for residents to share their experiences with the police and provide recommendations for police priorities now and in the future," she said in the statement. During the hiring process, the board will narrow the list of applicants and call in about 10 people for in-person interviews. They will submit the final three candidates to the mayor by the end of February. Candidates have to answer eight essay questions about Chicago's police accountability crisis following the release of the video of the tragic death of Laquan McDonald. Flooding caused by heavy rains around Christmas week is still causing problems in parts of Alabama. WAAY-TV reports about 20 roads remain closed because of flood damage in north Alabama, although some were expected to reopen Monday. Muddy floodwaters from the Alabama River have completely submerged Claiborne lock and dam in Monroe County. National Weather Service statistics show the river is beginning to fall, but its projected to remain in a major flood stage until early Thursday. The receding waters left behind damage in many areas of the state. We also have numerous roads mainly low-traffic roads with partial-lane closures or shoulder closures because they washed out, Lawrence County Engineer Ben Duncan told The Times Daily. Alabama Emergency Management Agency Director Art Faulkner last week asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration to do damage assessments from the flooding and severe weather. By asking FEMA and SBA to come to Alabama and start the damage assessments, we will be able to determine if Alabama is eligible for federal disaster assistance, Faulkner said. Parts of the state received more than a foot of rain in the week around Christmas, and all that water is still draining toward the Gulf of Mexico. The National Weather Service issued flood warnings that remained in effect along the Tennessee River in northwest Alabama, the Alabama River in downtown Montgomery and downstream in western Alabama, the Coosa River in Childersburg, the Tombigbee River in southwest Alabama, the Conecuh River in Brewton, and the Mobile River and Bayou Sara in Mobile County. Related: Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Flood Windstorm Alabama Five Mississippi counties hit hard by late December storms and tornadoes are eligible for federal disaster aid. The White House said Monday that President Barack Obama declared a major disaster in the state, making funds available to people and businesses in Benton, Coahoma, Marshall, Quitman and Tippah counties. The declaration covers areas affected by severe weather between Dec. 23 and Dec. 28. Eleven deaths were attributed to the storms. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs and low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses. Gov. Phil Bryant formally requested the disaster declaration last week. In Benton, Marshall and Tippah, federal funding also is available to state, tribal, and local governments and some nonprofit organizations for emergency work and repair or replacement of facilities. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said additional disaster designations may be made later if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments. Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties can now apply for assistance. In addition to the aid available in the counties listed in the disaster designation, the White House news release said that federal cost-share funding is available for hazard mitigation efforts statewide. Related: Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Windstorm Mississippi Join ITR and TMF Groups tax experts at 2pm CET (1pm GMT) on November 15 as they discuss how finance leaders are increasingly faced with doing more with less, and how CFOs should adapt. Come ripulire gli oceani dalle montagne di plastica che gli umani hanno selvaggiamente scaricato nelle loro acque e da sempre un problema di difficile soluzione soprattutto per le grandi superfici su cui intervenire, che di conseguenza farebbero lievitare i costi di ogni probabile progetto. Due anni fa, fu Boyan Slat, uno studente 19enne della Facolta di ingegneria aerospaziale della Delft University of Technology ha annunciato di aver creato un sistema per combattere il grave inquinamento causato dalla presenza di plastica nelle acque. Lo studente ha abbandonato gli studi e dato vita a The Cleanup Foundation con la quale ha dato il via a un crowdfunding per sviluppare il progetto. Il sistema di pulizia si chiama Ocean Cleanup Array e composta da una struttura costituita da un nucleo centrale con capacita di filtraggio in grado di separare i rifiuti raccolti dal plancton e da due lunghi bracci galleggianti che convogliano i rifiuti captati verso la parte centrale. Allepoca si parlava della capacita di rimuovere 7,2 milioni di tonnellate di rifiuti in 5 anni, tempo in cui secondo lat sarebbe stato possibile eliminare completamente uno dei cinque vortici dellOceano Pacifico, che per la loro dimensione vengono chiamati Isole di plastica. Lo stesso inventore del sistema di pulizia degli oceani ha annunciato che il progetto verra sperimentato a partire dalla seconda meta del 2016. Le prime acque che saranno ripulite sono quelle del Giappone. LArray verra posizionato al largo della costa di Tsushima, unisola situata tra il Giappone e la Corea del Sud. Sara operativo per almeno due anni, durante i quali eliminera la plastica prima che essa possa raggiungere le coste dellisola. LArray che entrera in funzione in Giappone il prossimo avra le due braccia lunghe circa 2.000 metri, facendolo diventare cosi la piu lunga struttura galleggiante mai stesa in mare, battendo il record attuale di 1.000 metri detenuto dal Tokyo Mega-Fload. Prendere a cuore il problema dei rifiuti che galleggiano negli oceani di tutto il mondo e una delle piu grandi sfide ambientali che lumanita si trova ad affrontare oggi ha spiegato Sloan -. Il primo Cleanup Array non contribuira solo a ripulire le acque e le coste, ma sara un passo essenziale verso il nostro obiettivo di ripulire la Great Pacific Garbace Patch. Questa istallazione ci permettera di studiare lefficienza del sistema e la sua durata nel tempo. Infatti lobiettivo di Boyan e quello di arrivare ad unistallazione di 100 chilometri in grado di catturare almeno la meta della Great Pacific Garbace Patch, lenorme isola di spazzatura che galleggia tra le Hawaii e la California. What Is a 529 Savings Plan? Families need to save as much as possible, as early as possible to get ahead of rising education costs. According to a research report from CollegeBoard.org, the average cost of attending a public four-year college, including tuition and fees, in the 2022 school year is $10,740 for an in-state student and $27,560 for out-of-state students. A year at a private college averages even more: $38,070. Named after the section of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code that established them, 529 savings plans are one of the nations best ways to save for higher education expenses. These qualified tuition plans allow federal tax-free withdrawal of earnings and the potential for tax deductions, which can help families afford the rapidly increasing cost of college. A primary benefit of 529 plans is the high contribution limit. Each state operates its own 529 plan and makes its own rules for the plan, so maximum contribution levels vary across states. Fortunately, 529 limits are usually high enough that most will never have to worry about hitting the ceiling, although anyone who considers attending a private university could need to save a significant amount of money. Key Takeaways A 529 plan allows you to save and grow tax-free money for someones education, including your own. Beneficiaries must spend the money on qualified education expenses for the withdrawal to be considered tax-free. There are two types of 529 plans: prepaid tuition plans and savings plans. Maximum plan contribution limits vary by state, but such limits generally do not apply across states. How a 529 Plan Works A 529 plan allows investors to save and grow money on behalf of a beneficiary, such as a child, grandchild, niece, nephew, or even for themselves. The money grows tax-free and can be withdrawn tax-free, provided it is used for qualified higher education expenses (QHEE). These include tuition and fees; certain electronics, such as a computer; books and classroom equipment; and some room and board costs. Plan distributions that are used to pay for items that are not QHEE are subject to state and federal income taxes and an additional 10% federal penalty on earnings, with exceptions made for certain circumstances, such as death and disability. Moreover, you will be subject to income taxation on those non-qualified withdrawals. There are two main types of 529 plans: prepaid tuition plans, in which the plan holder pays in advance for the beneficiarys tuition and fees at a specific school, and savings plans, which are tax-advantaged investment vehicles similar to individual retirement accounts (IRAs). How Are 529 Contribution Limits Determined? To qualify as a 529 plan under federal rules, plan balances cannot exceed the expected cost of a beneficiarys QHEE. The generally accepted guideline is that this limit constitutes five years of tuition, room, and board at the most expensive college in the United States. This guideline makes investment contribution limits quite large, although every state is allowed to individually interpret what five years of qualified education costs means. Potential contributors can check their states 529 limits to determine specific investment maximums. Although originally structured to fund post-secondary education, 529 plans can now also be used to fund private K-12 education and apprenticeship programs registered and certified with the U.S. Secretary of Labor. State-Specific 529 Contribution Limits Every states 529 plan allows for maximum contributions of at least $235,000 per beneficiary. Georgia and Mississippi have the lowest maximum balance limits at $235,000, followed by North Dakota at $269,000. On the high end, states such as Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan, and Washington, as well as the District of Columbia, have maximum limits of $500,000. Pennsylvanias limit is $511,758, South Carolinas and New Yorks are both $520,000, and Californias is $529,000. Once the limit is reached, any contributions made to the account are not accepted and will be returned to the investor. These contribution limits apply to each beneficiary. For example, in Georgia, which has a $235,000 maximum contribution limit, if parents contribute $200,000 for a beneficiary, grandparents cannot also contribute $200,000 for the same beneficiary. However, contribution maximums generally do not apply across states. An investor hitting the maximum in one state would likely be eligible to contribute more money in another states plan. To be safe, individuals should check with plan administrators first to make sure this is allowed. $464 billion The amount of assets invested in 529 plans, as of June 2021, according to the Federal Reserve. Limit for Repaying Student Loans Under the SECURE Act of 2019, you can also use a 529 plan to pay off up to $10,000 of your existing student loan debt. Note that this $10,000 limit is a cumulative lifetime limit. Gift Tax Considerations Normally, annual contributions to any individual above a certain threshold ($15,000 in 2021 and $16,000 in 2022) would count against your $12.06 million (or $24.12 million for married couples) lifetime gift tax exemption. However, there is an exception made for contributions within a 529 plan. In 2022, for example, grandparent can give an $80,000 one-time lump-sum contribution to a 529 plan with the understanding that it would cover five years worth of gifts. As long as that person doesnt contribute again in the next five years, there are no tax consequences. Your taxable income is not reduced by contributing to a 529 plan. However, more than 30 states give out tax deductions or credits for contributions made to one, according to the informational website Savingforcollege.com. Who Can Contribute to a 529 Plan? Anyone can contribute to a 529 plan account and name anyone as a beneficiary. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, stepparents, spouses, and friends are all allowed to contribute on behalf of a beneficiary. How Much Can I Contribute to My 529 Plan Per Year? You can contribute as much as you like each year, provided you don't surpass the maximum contribution limit set by the state in which the 529 plan is registered. It's worth noting, however, that 529 contributions are treated by the IRS as gifts and thus may be subject to taxation when totaling more than $16,000 in a year or $80,000 over five years. (Note: The author of this fundamental analysis is a financial writer and portfolio manager.) The price oil has now fallen nearly into a bear market dropping from an intraday high of $76.88 on October 3 to around $62.00 as of November 6, a decline of 19%. Now, technical analysis suggests that energy stocks such as ConocoPhilips (COP), Marathon Petrolum Corp. (MPC) and Anadarko Petrolum Corp. (APC), which have already seen steep declines, may drop by as much as 13% more. Prices Sink Despite the steep declines that technical analysis predicts, some analysts have been increasing their earnings and revenue forecast for some of these energy companies. That is because many investors and analysts continue to believe that oil price could rise to $100 barrel. But that scenario appears to be deteriorating quickly as oil prices sink. COP data by YCharts Conoco ConocoPhillips stock has dropped by 13% since reaching an intraday high of $80.25 on October 1. Now shares may fall 13% further from their current price of $69.50. The stock did find mild technical support at $64.65, but if it falls below that level of support, that means the stock could drop to nearly $60.25. Volume levels for the stock have also been rising in recent weeks as the stock price declines. It suggests that there are a growing number of sellers of the stock. Despite oil's steep decline and the bearish technical charts, analysts have been raising their fourth-quarter estimates for the company. In fact, over the past month analysts have increased their revenue estimates for the company by 22% to $11.8 billion. Meanwhile, earnings have climbed by 13% to $1.35 per share. Marathon Marathon's chart also suggests its stock may fall in the coming weeks, by 7%. Its shares have dropped by 21% since the beginning of October. The stock is currently sitting on technical support around $68.40, and should it fall below that support level it may drop to $63.50. Like Conoco, analysts have also increased their earnings estimates for the company by 24% to $1.25 per shares for the fourth quarter. But, unlike Conoco, analysts have also slashed revenue estimates by 7% to $35.3 billion over the past month. Should oil prices rise like many investors and analysts have forecast, then perhaps the pullbacks the charts suggest will only be short-lived. But should oil continue to fall than it is more likely the stock will continue to suffer, and those earnings estimates will need to drop. Michael Kramer is the Founder of Mott Capital Management LLC, a registered investment adviser, and the manager of the company's actively managed, long-only Thematic Growth Portfolio. Kramer typically buys and holds stocks for a duration of three to five years. Click here for Kramer's bio and his portfolio's holdings. Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Be sure to first consult with a qualified financial adviser and/or tax professional before implementing any strategy discussed herein. Upon request, the advisor will provide a list of all recommendations made during the past twelve months. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. First created in 1935 as part of then-President Franklin D. Roosevelts New Deal, the Social Security Administration (SSA)originally called the Social Security Boardsprang out of a need to assist the millions of retired or elderly Americans who had lost everything in the Great Depression. After the program was launched, it was expanded to help children, widows, and disabled people who might otherwise become destitute. Today, the SSA, an independent agency of the federal government, still oversees those social insurance programs, each with specific requirements that must be met to be eligible to collect benefits. Key Takeaways The Social Security Administration oversees social insurance programs that provide retirement, survivor, and disability benefits to Americans. To qualify for retirement benefits, a worker must pay into Social Security, earning 40 credits over a minimum of 10 years, and cannot make a claim before age 62. Spouses and children also may be able to claim Social Security survivor benefits based on a workers earnings history. Only workers who meet the SSAs strict definition of disability and have earned enough credits are eligible for disability benefits. 3 Types of Social Security Benefits There are three types of Social Security benefits: Retirement benefits Survivor benefits Disability benefits There are a number of misconceptions about the Social Security system, so lets look at how these three forms of benefits actually work. 1. Social Security Retirement Benefits For many Americans, the words Social Security are synonymous with retirement, and the retirement program of the SSA is the largest wing of the organization. Retirees and their dependents account for approximately 75% of total Social Security benefits paid. How Does Social Security Work? While employed, you pay a 6.2% Social Security tax on earnings up to a maximum amount ($147,000 in 2022), and your employer pays a matching 6.2%. If you are self-employed, then you are responsible for the entire 12.4% tax yourself. The money is not held in a personal account, such as a bank account. Rather, the money that you pay into Social Security today goes to provide monthly benefits for current retirees and other Social Security recipients. How Do You Qualify? To qualify for Social Security retirement benefits, you generally need to have worked for at least 10 years. The SSA assigns credits to your paid taxesfor 2022, you earn one credit for every $1,510 in earnings, with a maximum of four credits earned each year. Most people will need 40 credits before they can claim Social Security retirement benefits. You can get an estimate of how much your monthly retirement payments will be by entering basic information into the SSA Retirement Estimator. When Can You Collect Social Security? Many people still think of age 65 as the age to retire, but that has changed. To collect full benefits, you cannot apply for Social Security until you are: 66, if born in the 19431954 range 66 and 2 months, if born in 1955 66 and 4 months, if born in 1956 66 and 6 months, if born in 1957 66 and 8 months, if born in 1958 66 and 10 months, if born in 1959 67, if born in 1960 or later If you delay retirement to age 70, then you will receive increased Social Security benefits. The percentage will depend on the year you were born, with a maximum 8% increase as the max. You can also choose to start collecting Social Security benefits as early as age 62, but your benefits will be reduced. What About Cost-of-Living Increases? Youve probably noticed that the price of just about everything goes up each year. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) is used to calculate annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for Social Security benefits. Since 1975, there has been an automatic annual COLA in Social Security benefits every year. That increase has ranged from 0% (in years when there was no increase in the CPI-W) to a high of 14.3% in 1980. For 2022, the COLA is 5.9%, with the average monthly benefit increasing to $1,657 in 2022 for retired workers. What About Your Spouse and Children? Your spouse may also receive Social Security benefits once you retire, even if they never worked outside the home. If your spouse is at least 62 years old, then they can apply for benefits at a reduced rate. By waiting until full retirement age, however, your spouse can receive up to half the amount of your monthly benefits. Payments received by your spouse do not lower your own payments. Your ex-spouse can also collect Social Security based on your earnings. To qualify, ex-spouses must meet the following conditions: The marriage must have lasted at least 10 years Two or more years must have passed since the divorce They must not have remarried They must be at least 62 years old and must not qualify for higher Social Security benefits based on their own employment history If you reach retirement age and have children who are below age 18or 19 and still enrolled in elementary or secondary school, or older than 18 but severely disabledthen those children may also qualify to receive benefits based on your monthly entitlement. Your children can receive monthly payments up to half of the amount to which you are entitled, and these payments will not decrease your own Social Security benefits. The limit for benefits received by your spouse and children varies but is normally 150% to 180% of your full retirement benefits. 2. Social Security Survivor Benefits Even after you die, Social Security can continue to pay benefits to your spouse and childrenand even to your parents, if you were supporting them. For your family to receive survivor benefits, youll need to have earned at least six Social Security credits in the three years before your death. Along with a one-time lump-sum payment of $255, your surviving spouse and children may each qualify for 71.5% to 100% of your Social Security payments, up to a maximum of 150% to 180% of your benefit rate. Eligibility for survivor benefits requires that: Surviving spouse is at least 60 or older Surviving spouse is 50 or older and disabled Surviving spouse is caring for your child who is younger than 16 or disabled Children who are younger than 18 Children younger than 19 and enrolled in elementary or secondary school Children older than 18 who are severely disabled Your surviving parents if they were dependent on you for at least half of their support 65 million The number of people who received Social Security benefits in 2021, according to the SSA. 3. Social Security Disability Benefits The definition of disabled held by the SSA is quite strict. You only qualify for Social Security disability benefits if you are severely disabled with a condition that entirely prevents your workingand is expected to last a year or longer or result in your death. You also must have earned enough credits to receive payments. If you are at least age 62, you will need to have earned the full 40 credits to qualify for disability payments. Younger applicants require fewer credits, down to a minimum of six credits for those younger than 24. You also need to have been working when the disability began. Your spouse and children may qualify for benefits as well, potentially receiving up to half of the amount to which you are entitled each month. If approved, then your disability benefits will begin six months after the date when your disability began. Payments are based on your lifetime earnings. The Bottom Line You probably will receive Social Security benefits at some point during your lifetimemost likely at retirement, but possibly earlier if you receive disability or survivor benefits. In most cases, Social Security payments likely will not be enough to support a comfortable retirement, but they can be an important part of your complete retirement plan. What Is Social Security? The Social Security program was established in 1935 to provide retirement income for certain U.S. workers. It was later expanded to cover most of the workforce. Today, it remains Americas pension plan and the financial lifeline that many people use to stay afloat in their old age. Social Security provides 37% of elderly men and 42% of elderly women with at least 50% of their income. For 12% of elderly men and 15% of elderly women, its at least 90% of their income. How does Social Security work? Regardless of your age, you really should know. Here are the answers to 10 questions that people most often ask. Key Takeaways Social Security income is a popular and important public pension system in the U.S. Americans become eligible for full Social Security benefits at age 62, but benefit amounts depend on how early you elect to start. The age at which full retirement benefits are paid is 67 for people born in 1960 or after, and 66 for those born from 1943 to 1954. For those born from 1955 to 1959, the age increases annually by two months. Spouses are eligible for benefits even if they never worked for pay. 1. When Am I Eligible? Depending on when you were born, you will be eligible for full retirement benefits as early as age 65 or as late as age 67. If you were born before 1938, your full retirement age is 65. If you were born from 1938 to 1942, the age ranges from 65 and two months to 65 and 10 months. If you were born from 1943 to 1954, its 66. If you were born from 1955 to 1959, it ranges from 66 and two months to 66 and 10 months. If you were born in 1960 or later, its 67. You can opt to receive Social Security as early as age 62, but if you do, then your monthly benefits will be permanently reduced. For example, if you take benefits at 62 and your full retirement age is 66, then your benefits will be reduced by 25%. If you postpone taking benefits past your full retirement age, then you will be rewarded with a higher benefit: 8% for each year up to age 70 (for those born in 1943 or later), when benefits max out and there is no further incentive to delay signing up. 2. How Is Eligibility Determined? Your eligibility for Social Security is based on the credits that you earn during your working years. As of 2021, for every $1,470 you make, you earn one credit, up to a maximum of four per year. In 2022, that rises to every $1,510 you make. If you were born in 1929 or later, then you need 40 creditsessentially, 10 years of full-time workto receive Social Security benefits at retirement. 3. How Much Do I Pay In? As of 2021, workers pay 6.2% of their wages into Social Security on up to $142,800 of their income ($147,000 in 2022). Employers contribute another 6.2%. Self-employed people have to pay both portions or 12.4%. You can collect Social Security retirement benefits even if youre still working. 4. How Much Will I Get? Your Social Security benefits are based on your lifetime earnings. The formula is a little complicated, but it averages the income from your 35 highest-earning years. If you have already accumulated 40 Social Security credits, then you can use the online Social Security Retirement Estimator to get a rough idea of what you will get. 5. Can I Get Social Security If I Work? Yes, you can receive Social Security benefits while you are still working. If youve reached full retirement age, you can work and earn as much as youd like and receive full benefits. If youre under full retirement age, your benefits will be reduced temporarily. The money is not lost, however. Social Security will credit it to your record when you reach full retirement age, resulting in a higher benefit. The reduction is $1 for every $2 of earned income over $18,960 in 2021 ($19,560 in 2022) for those younger than full retirement age. During the year when you reach full retirement age, your benefits will be reduced by $1 for every $3 in income over $50,520 in 2021 ($51,960 in 2022). That continues until the month when you become fully eligible. Retirees can contribute to individual retirement accounts (IRAs) as long as they have earned income. However, Social Security benefits are not considered earned income for this purpose. 6. How Does the Spousal Benefit Work? The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 tightened some of the rules on spousal benefits, eliminating several strategies that couples once used to maximize how much they received. However, spouses can still claim benefits regardless of whether they ever held paid jobs, based on their partners record. To qualify, the spouse with a work record must already be receiving retirement or disability benefits, and the non-working spouse must be at least age 62. As with other Social Security benefits, spousal benefits are permanently reduced if the nonworking spouse starts to collect before reaching full retirement age. If the non-working spouse waits until full retirement age, then they will receive a spousal benefit of up to 50% of their partners full retirement benefit. Spouses who are widowed become eligible for 100% of their partners full benefit unless they also had a job and the benefit theyve earned through their income is higher. Generally, the widowed spouse must be at least 60 years of age (with certain exceptions) to receive benefits from the deceased spouses record, and the amount will be reduced if the surviving spouse elects to receive benefits before their full retirement age. In addition, should the surviving spouse remarry before age 60, they will forfeit the deceased spouses benefit. In some cases, divorced spouses are also eligible for spousal benefits based on their former partners record. 7. Do I Owe Taxes on Social Security? You might, depending on your income. Couples who file a joint tax return and have a combined income from $32,000 to $44,000 will have to pay income tax on up to 50% of their benefits. If their combined income is more than $44,000, then theyll be taxed on up to 85% of their benefits. Combined income is defined as adjusted gross income plus any nontaxable interest and half of your Social Security benefits. For singles, those income thresholds are $25,000 to $34,000 for 50% and more than $34,000 for 85%. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, local Social Security offices are only open by appointment, and only in dire need situations, so most people will have to apply for benefits online or by phone. 8. How Do I Apply for Benefits? You can apply at a local Social Security office, by phone (1-800-772-1213), or online. Youll need to provide certain information and possibly some documents, such as a birth certificate. Social Security Form SSA-1 has a complete list. The Social Security Administration says you can apply up to four months before the date you want your benefits to start. 9. How Does the Social Security System Work? Social Security is a pay-as-you-go system. Money paid in by current workers (via their taxes) is used to pay the benefits for current retirees. Any money that remains goes into the Social Security Trust Fund, to be used in future years when current contributions wont be sufficient to cover all of the programs obligations. There are two trust funds: the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund, which pays retirement benefits, and the Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Fund. By law, the money in the trust funds is invested in U.S. government securities. 10. Is Social Security in Trouble? Its safe to say that the Social Security system faces some financial challenges. The ratio of current workers-to-retirees is declining, meaning fewer workers are paying into the system for every retiree who is drawing money out of it. In addition, people are living longer than when the program was envisioned in the 1930s, so theyre collecting benefits for more years. According to Social Security Administration trustees, the retirement programs costs are expected to exceed its income for the first time in 2021. Under current projections, the program should be able to pay full benefits until 2033, when the trust fund will be depleted. After this, the fund's reserves will be depleted and 76% of scheduled benefits will be paid with continuing tax income. Given the programs popularity and importance to millions of Americansand the millions of older Americans who have already paid into it for decadesits extremely unlikely that Congress would simply let it fail. Top News - Investor Idea #REE Stock News - Defense Metals (TSX-V: $DEFN.V) (OTCQB: $DFMTF) Continues to Drill High-Grades at Wicheeda with 106 metres of 2.53% Total Rare Earth Oxide Vancouver, British Columbia - October 13, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Mining / Metals / Green Energy Stock News - Defense Metals Corp. (TSX-V: DEFN / OTCQB: DFMTF/ FSE:35D) announces high-grade Rare Earth Element ("REE") assay results from one additional core drill hole, totalling 320 metres (m) Top AI Cybersecurity Stock News - Investor Idea AI Cybersecurity Stock GBT (OTCPK: $GTCH) is Researching the Development of a Machine Learning Driven, RF Cybersecurity System and Protocol San Diego, CA - October 13, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) GBT Technologies Inc. (OTC PINK: GTCH) is researching the development of a machine learning driven radio frequency (RF) cybersecurity system and protocol. Top AI Stock News - Investor Idea Breaking AI Stock News: LZG International, Inc. (FatBrain AI) (OTCQB: LZGI) Announces Uplisting to OTCQB(R) Venture Market NEW YORK, NY - October 11, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) LZG International, Inc. (FatBrain AI) (OTCQB: LZGI), the leader in powerful and easy-to-use artificial intelligence (AI) solutions empowering global growth businesses, is pleased to announce its successful uplisting to the OTCQB Venture Market. Top Health and Wellness Stock News - Investor Idea Health and Wellness Stock News - Amazon ( $AMZN) Expands Endexx (OTCBB: $EDXC) Blesswell Men's Premium Skincare Line Internationally to 13 Countries CAVE CREEK, Ariz. - September 29, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Endexx Corporation (OTCBB:EDXC), a provider of innovative, plant-based, and sustainable health and skincare products, today announces the international distribution of its premium men's Blesswell Skincare line through Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN). Check out our Podcasts for great investor ideas: Get new posts by email: Subscribe Powered by Investorideas.com Newswire: Subscribe to Investor Ideas Newswire Loop 7-Eleven Robbed Five Times In One Week By Kate Shepherd in News on Jan 6, 2016 4:51PM Crime scene tape (Photo by LukaTDB via Shutterstock) Businesses in the Loop have been warned by police after the same 7-Eleven store was targeted by robbers five times in just a few days. Between the hours of 1:30 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Dec. 23, 24, 25, 28 and 30, a 7-Eleven convenience store in the 0-100 block of N. Wells St. was robbed, according to an alert issued by the Chicago Police Department. In each incident, one of the three offenders stands by the door as a look out and tells the clerk not to move or make any phone calls. The other two robbers fill backpacks with food, cartons of cigarettes and liquor bottles, according to authorities. The suspected offenders are black men, 18 to 22 years-old. According to senior UN official, preventing violence from depriving millions of children in Iraq of education and decent healthcare is a key humanitarian priority for the country in 2016. More than 2 million children in Iraq are out of school, up to 3 million more have had their education disrupted by the war, and nearly one in five schools have been damaged, destroyed or used for other purposes, the U.N. childrens fund UNICEF says. The schools, which are functioning right now, have been identified as overcrowded. Peter Hawkins, UNICEFs Representative in Iraq, said, Were at risk of losing a generation through the lack of education, health and protection. He added, Schools, clinics, water facilities etc are deteriorating further and further which makes the life of children very difficult. (Were) seeing increasing signs of stunting. Nutrition is becoming a problem. Nearly 14,000 teachers have fled northern Iraq where large swathes of land are held by Islamic State (IS) militants, who swept across the Syrian border in mid-2014, declaring a caliphate to rule over all Muslims. Hawkins said gaining greater access to Iraqis living in areas held by Islamic State was another top concern for 2016. UNICEF, along with the Iraqi health ministry, vaccinated up to 600,000 children against measles and polio in IS-controlled areas in 2015 but progress on humanitarian access remained very, very slow, he added. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared on Monday that his forces would defeat Islamic State in the coming year, after their recapture of Ramadi, capital of western Anbar province, which fell to the Islamist group in May. Hawkins said many families had fled the contested city and were living in camps in the capital Baghdad. | Soruce: Nation | By S.Seal Habur gate of Turkey to Iraq has been remained close for straight 18 days due to a curfew implemented by Turkish government. It has been reported that around 12000 trucks were struck at the Habur gate, with 10,000 of them held in Iraq, unable to cross into Turkey, media outlets reported on Thursday. Local trade unions have said the estimated loss in exports to Iraq since the beginning of December was $450 million. An average of 6,000 trucks used to drive through the Habur gate before the curfew, responsible for 45 percent of land transportation between Iraq and Turkey. In a statement, Turkey's Ministry of Customs and Trade said that around 400 trucks had entered Iraq via Turkey's Gurbulak border gate with Iran. The ministry said it looked at options to diversify routes for Turkish trucks to Iraq. On Thursday, sporadic gunfire was still heard in various parts of the southeastern provinces. Four southeastern towns that have seen heavy fighting since Dec. 14 remained under curfew, with Diyarbakr's historic Sur district entering its 28th day under the ban. Local trade and business unions have lamented the lingering instability in the region, fearing worse to come. Diyarbakr Industrialists and Businessmen's Association (DISIAD) Chairman Burc Baysal said that many small business owners were unable to earn money for more than two weeks and are on the brink of bankruptcy. He added, Producers, retailers cannot deliver goods to the market and the banks are reluctant to give out loans. In a statement, Diyarbakr Governor's Office said that Prime Ministry allocated TL 1.75 million in financial aid to 603 businesses in Sur. According to Federation of Eastern and Southeastern Businessmen's Associations (DOGUNSIFED) President Sah Ismail Bedirhanoglu, at least 10,000 business owners and entrepreneurs in Diyarbakr are seriously affected by the ongoing clashes in the city. | Soruce: Todays Zaman | By S.Seal As per records, since 2010, Iraq oil production has grown by two million b/d and reached a record high of 4.4 million b/d in the third quarter of 2015. As the country struggles to generate revenues, lawmakers have stressed upon enhancing oil prices. Iraqi government also needs funding for fighting against IS militant. For Iraq oil is the only source of revenue, and thus the country is hugely reliant over its oil production. Looking ahead to 2016, Iraqs oil production is contingent on several political risk challenges that Iraqi leaders must address to maintain strong production levels. Iraqi oil reserves are considered the worlds fifth largest ones, with 140 billion barrels, and Iraq is OPECs second largest producer behind Saudi Arabia. However, a decade of war, domestic political disputes, insufficient investments, and low oil prices has placed a strain on Iraqs oil sector. Defense spending has risen significantly since the U.S. invasion in 2003. The takeover of Mosul by Islamic State militants in June 2014 has fueled defense spending over the last year and a half, pinching the national budget so much that investments towards oil production are often insufficient to operate at max capacity. Iraqs defense spending is likely to continue to place a strain on the national budget in 2016 until ISIS is effectively pushed out of Ramadi and Mosul. While security forces have made recent gains against ISIS in Ramadi, capturing Mosul could take months. Low oil prices and rising imports are also placing strain on the Central Bank of Iraq and oil revenues. Foreign currency reserves have reportedly shrunk from $78 billion at the end of 2013 to $59 billion in mid-2015. The Iraqi dinar also fell sharply across markets this past year. The low prices of oil is also undervaluing current exports and inhibiting the government from making larger gains. According to surveys and statistics, the government pulled in about $300 million per day in revenue. Now its down to roughly $240 million a day. Low oil prices are likely to negatively impact Iraqs oil revenues in 2016, especially as Iran gears up to begin exporting its oil to western nations, further flooding the supply market. Political Challenges for Iraq Domestic political disputes over oil production between the central government in Baghdad and Kurdish officials in Erbil is further impacting the rate of oil production. As of mid-November, Kurdistan is exporting over 500,000 b/d of oil, every seventh barrel of OPECs second largest exporter. The exports, however, are controversial as Bagdad accuses Erbil of bypassing existing legislation on oil exports and failing to transfer agreed volumes of oil to the government. In December 2014, Kurdistan and Bagdad signed a deal in which Kurdistan is required to transfer some average 550,000 bpd to Iraqi state oil firm SOMO over the course of 2015 while receiving 17 percent of Iraqi budget or over $1.1 billion a month. However, the deal quickly unraveled as Kurdish officials say they the volume of oil transfer is too high with current insufficient funds from the government. Both Erbil and Baghdad have a need to fund their own security forces to counter the threat of ISIS within Iraq, and revenue from oil plays a key role in supporting security operations. Moving forward, it is unlikely a deal will be reached between both governments unless Baghdad is able to accept a lower threshold of oil transfers from Kurdistan. Meanwhile, current political challenges could scupper production output by 10%. Humanitarian Catastrophe In addition to security and political problems, investment for oil is being hindered by the mass exodus of refugees and internally displaced peoples. The influx of millions of refugees and displaced peoples has placed a stain on the government, especially with respect to providing adequate aid and security to displaced peoples. Likewise, a worsening security situation may cause skilled laborers such as oil field works and technicians that are critical to maintaining Iraqi oil exports to leave Iraq. Measures to Be Taken In order for Iraq to effectively reach full operating capacity, Iraq must ultimately improve the vastly deteriorating security situation and strengthen counterterrorism efforts to stop the spread of violence and boost investor confidence. Luckily, Iraqs largest oil refineries in the southern areas have largely been unaffected by recent violence. The recapture of the Baiji oil field from ISIL militants can also be seen as a strategic success. Additionally, Iraqi lawmakers must place serious commitment and investment towards oil infrastructure modernization. Commercial and technical difficulties continue to plague Iraq oil production, though the recent surge in production output is a positive sign for Iraqs future production potential. Low oil prices will remain a challenge for Iraqs oil sector, especially as Iran is expected to enter the market in 2016. In the long-run, Iraq must work to diversify its economy and energy exports to soften the blow for future price drops. | Soruce: Global Risk Insights | By S.Seal According to official reports, Iraq will stop importing refined sugar for a government food distribution program, as domestic production has risen significantly. The government has signed a contract with Etihad to be supplied with sugar from its refinery in Hilla, south of Baghdad, said Qasim Hmoud, Iraq's State Company for Foodstuff Trading's general manager. The sugar bought by the government is distributed for free to the population under a food rationing program that also includes flour, cooking oil and rice. Hmoud said, "The year 2016 will be the year of relying on national products to supply the rationed food card items." Trade ministry spokesperson said that the contract with Etihad would effectively put an end to refined sugar imports. Iraq is reviving its national industry after years of neglect, as it seeks to reduce dollar imports after falling oil prices hurt its income. Its traditional sugar suppliers are Brazil, the United Arab Emirates and Canada. The Etihad refinery will be able to supply all the sugar distributed under the rationing program, the company's commercial manager Haider Al-Numani told. He also mentioned that the company imports its raw sugar from Brazil. Trade ministry spokesman further said that Iraq consumes 900,000 tons of sugar per year, the majority of it through the rationing program. | Soruce: Trade Arabia | By S.Seal Oil exports from southern Iraq have held near a record high in December, cementing its role as the world's fastest source of supply growth in 2015 despite battles against Islamic State and concern that plunging oil prices would undermine output growth. The strong supply from Iraq is an indication of continued high output from leading members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, which kept its year-old policy of no output restraints in place at a meeting on December 4. Iraq's southern exports in the first 29 days of December averaged 3.27 million barrels per day (bpd), according to loading data tracked by Reuters and an industry source. That almost matches the record of 3.37 million bpd reached in November - which Iraqi officials said was unusually high as it included some tankers delayed from the previous month. "These are very strong numbers, although I do wonder if they are running close to the limit of pipeline capacity," said the source, who monitors Iraq's shipments. A few days of maintenance on Iraq's Single Point Moorings, terminals that handle almost half of Iraq's southern exports, earlier in December could have slowed shipments. Iraq surprised many in the oil market this year by boosting supplies by around 500,000 bpd, despite unrest and concern that spending cuts by companies developing the southern fields would limit production growth. The December shipments suggest unexpectedly high exports have continued for a second month. Iraqi officials initially said November's record would be hard to match, but have since put exports even higher. On December 20, the deputy chief for operations and production at the state-run South Oil Company said exports had been running at 3.45 million bpd so far in December. The southern oilfields produce most of Iraq's oil. Iraq also exports smaller amounts from the north by pipeline to Ceyhan in Turkey. Northern shipments, offline for much of 2014, have risen this year despite tensions between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government over budget payments. Independent KRG exports averaged 550,000 bpd in the first 29 days of December, according to loading data, down from 600,000 bpd in November, while Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organisation has exported no northern crude for a third month. China's aviation regulator published on Friday draft operating guidelines for the fledgling drone industry after several security breaches involving the unmanned aircraft. The guidelines by the Civil Aviation Administration of China cover unmanned aerial vehicles weighing no more than 116 kgs and include maintaining up-to-date records on remote pilots and providing data on the exact location of drones in heavily populated areas. The guidelines, published on the regulator's website, also stipulate that drones must keep out of restricted airspace and follow unspecified rules set by the military and the government. The regulator said it was seeking the opinion of industry experts on the guidelines before they become binding. Wang Xiaobo, chief executive of privately owned drone maker Wuhan Airbird UAL, said the regulations were timely given the popularity of drones in post-disaster evaluation, cloud seeding and aerial photography, among other industries. "We're already running drone pilot training sessions for our clients along with other partners," he said. A civilian drone recently photographed a Chinese fighter jet mid-flight triggering widespread online debate about whether this constituted a security breach. Two years ago, the air force shot down a drone that was photographing areas near Beijing airport. Three people were also arrested, the official People's Daily reported. | Soruce: Jakarta globe | Iraqi forces today pushed out of central Ramadi to extend their grip on the city, sweeping neighbourhoods for pockets of jihadists to flush out and trapped civilians to evacuate. Federal forces declared victory Sunday in the battle for Ramadi, which was months in the making, but the Anbar provincial capital has not been fully secured yet. "Our security forces launched an operation from Khaldiya, east of Ramadi, and managed to liberate the College of Agriculture," said Hamid al-Dulaimi, Ramadi district mayor. "They are clearing several other neighbourhoods," he said. Hadi Irzayij, the Anbar police chief, said the security forces detained 30 suspected Islamic State group fighters "who were attempting to flee Ramadi by blending in with civilians." He said they were detained yesterday and would be interrogated. "We are following a plan put together in a way that will prevent casualties in the ranks of the security forces," the police chief said. IS, which took full control of Ramadi in May 2015, had planted thousands of explosive devices on roads and in buildings to defend the city. Clearing operations are led by Iraq's elite counter-terrorism service (CTS), along with army, police and local tribal forces, as well as aerial backing from the US-led anti-IS coalition. The jihadists are no longer in a position to fight back for Ramadi but many managed to pull out of last week's main battle and redeploy in eastern Ramadi or nearby rural areas. A colonel in CTS confirmed that around 30 IS militants had been arrested as they tried to slip out of Ramadi and described some of them as senior local leaders. "What we are doing now is saving the trapped families," Majed Mohammed, a CTS major, told AFP. He said their task was complicated by the high number of roadside bombs laid by the jihadists and the fact that IS was opening fire on civilians trying to escape. | Soruce: Business Standard | Landlord Will Decide Fate Of Longtime River North Steakhouse By Rachel Cromidas in Food on Jan 6, 2016 5:24PM via 437 Rush The longtime Italian restaurant, Phil Stefani's 437 Rush, just started a 60-day lease that runs until March, when the landlord will decide whether the Rush Street building will be torn down, according to Eater. Executive Chef Christian Fantoni has already left for RPM Italian, a separate Italian steakhouse owned by Lettuce Entertain You. Restaurant reps released a statement saying the teardown has been a possibility for yearsand whether or not it comes to pass, a new concept for the restaurant is in the works. Two years ago it was announced that the building that houses 437 Rush was being torn down when our lease expired on December 31, 2015. We agreed to extend another sixty days while the landlord determines if the building will remain as is or what direction they will go. In the meantime our Corporate Chef Joe Roireau will oversee the kitchen while we brainstorm if we will remain with a new concept depending on the outcome of the building and our lease negotiations. Iraq said it exported 1.097 billion barrels of oil in 2015, generating $49.079 billion from sales, according to the oil ministry. It sold 99.7 million barrels of oil in December, generating $2.973 billion, after selling a record 100.9 million barrels in November, said oil ministry spokesman Asim Jihad. The country sold at an average price of $44.74 a barrel in 2015, Jihad said. Iraq, with the worlds fifth-biggest oil reserves, needs to keep increasing crude output because lower oil prices have curbed government revenue. Oil prices have slumped in the past year as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries defended market share against production in the U.S. OPECs second-largest crude producer is facing a slowdown in investment due to lower oil prices while fighting a costly war on Islamist militants who seized a swath of the countrys northwest. The nations output will start to decline in 2018, Morgan Stanley said in a Sept. 2 report, reversing its forecast for higher production every year to 2020. | Soruce: Bloomberg | An American charged with the brutal manslaughter of Irishman Francis White was released on parole this week after 19 years in prison, despite victim impact statements made by his family to delay his release. Jamie Carr, from Howard Beach, Queens, NY was charged with the death of 28-year old Francis White from County Louth in 1997, and released on parole on January 4, 2016, the day before what would have been Whites 48th birthday. Speaking to IrishCentral from a visit to his brothers grave to wish him happy birthday, Francis brother Breen White claims that Carr has not once attempted to contact the White family in apology and had not shown any sign of remorse in the 19 and a half years since he fatally stabbed Francis 13 times. Last February, the White family also lost their mother, Lydia, after a short illness having never received an apology from the man who took her son. We lost Mammy in February of last year [2015] but her heart died on August 13, 1996, Breen said. She said how hed never said sorry. Nineteen years to apologize and he never made contact, although his sister put up a petition on a website to try and get him released and she wrote a letter saying he was apologetic. Francis White, originally from Dundalk in Co. Louth, lived in the US for seven years, working as a chef before his death. He was stabbed 13 times outside a bar in Forest Hills in Queens for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Then 25-year-old Jamie Carr was making fake IDs with a friend in a store beside OHanlons bar when he entered the bar looking for change for a $100 note and two bottles of beer to take away. When Carr was refused a brawl broke out in which Francis White played no part, his family says and Carr was thrown out of the bar by the owner Sean O'Hanlon and the bartender on duty that night, Tom Shannon. White left the bar a short time afterwards and was met by Carr, who was standing outside, still enraged. Although White allegedly played no part in the earlier altercation, Carr called on the Louth man to fight. Witnesses reported that White threw off Carrs angry provocations and showed no sign of wanting to become involved. Reaching into his car, Jamie Carr pulled out his knife and ran after the Irishman, stabbing him in the throat and proceeding to stab him a further 12 times. Carr pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 1996 and was released on bail, but a year later he was arrested again for allegedly selling cocaine. Carr was sentenced to a minimum of 12 and a half years for the manslaughter of Francis White. Carr was first elgible for parole in 2009. This first application was blocked by the efforts of White's brother Breen, who dashed from his home in Co. Armagh to New York to keep his brothers killer in jail. Until this year victim impact statements from the White family about the potential effect of Carrs release would have on their family had delayed parole, but the 44-year-old has now served enough time under US law to warrant his release. Were feeling awful but we knew it was going to come someday, Breen continued. Yesterday [January 4] was like another death to us. Were very disappointed. He was long time in jail, but hes still a young man and still young enough to start a family, something Francis never had the chance to do. With the help of Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney Dan Saunders, who had legally assisted the family when Carr was initially convicted, the Whites submitted victim impact statements every two years since 2009 to prevent Carr from walking free. Breen, his father Dermot, and his two sisters, Deirdre and Maria, hoped to once again delay Carrs release, especially following their first Christmas without their mother and the parole date falling on Francis birthday, a day already full of sorrowful remembrance. To be fair they did their best, Francis sister Deirdre Collins told IrishCentral. He was due for release six years ago and he was eligible for parole, but we put the impact statements in and did that again in two years and again in another two years. He as been in prison for six years longer than we expected. We lost our mother in February and felt it would be very difficult following for our first Christmas without her and asked could the date be changed. They have tried to assist with our wishes but I suppose we were out of time. For us, it was delaying the inevitable Knowing that a parole date for the man convicted of killing her brother was looming and being familiar with Carrs details and DIN number (Department Information Number), Deirdre had been in the habit of checking the database of the Inmate Population Information Search of the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to check his status within the prison system. It was in this manner she discovered he had been released on parole on Monday, January 4. Through this same system, Carr has a means of sending an apology to the family if he would wish to do so, Deirdre claims. Because the system in America puts so much effort into trying to rehabilitate prisoners, putting them on courses etc., youd like to think hed grab that opportunity to apologize but he didn't take stock of why he was there. Is being remorseful not one of the first steps [of rehabilitation]? she questioned. He hasnt done that and thats sad for us. He ticked a box and hes being released. He served it [his time] and fulfilled obligations but the principle of acknowledging the damage and the remorse isnt there and that is hard. Francis White was also engaged to be married and planning to move to England when his life was taken. Although the family are not still in regular contact with his former fiancee, they believe she has successfully moved on with life after her loss at such a young age. He was only 28, Deirdre continues. He should have been living the life and having his own family. Looking at family gatherings, hes missing. His children, his wife, his extended family are missing. The anger and grief the he [Carr] took that away its painful and it will always stay with us. He [Carr] will have accommodation and have a job [on release]. He will be prepared for release, although he wont be able to do certain things [under the terms of his parole]. According to the New York State Parole Book issued in 2010, the general conditions of parole include 13 main rules which must be followed if the released prisoner does not wish to return to jail. These conditions include avoiding the company of others with a criminal record, not owning or purchasing a firearm, and notifying a parole officer if leaving the state. The White family have been told that as many as 50 percent of those on parole re-offend or are re-incarcerated. Carrs release comes in a state with a Parole Board the New York Times recently called antiquated, ineffective and unfair. Although the New York prison population has fallen in recent years, its parole release rates have done the opposite, with 2012 figures showing that just over one third of the 16,000 parole applicants were successful. There have been claims that the New York Parole Board is dwelling too much on the crime of the applicant and their past instead of their progress while incarcerated or on their potential on release. Regardless of the overall state of the New York parole system, Francis White's family is hurt by the successful application and the freedom of their brothers killer. There will always be anger there, Deirdre claimed, and it was a devastating wrong. You will carry that anger, grief, pain, injustice with you. Whether it's less as my own family has grown, I dont know. Its still there very much there. Likewise, Breen acknowledges the constant weight on his mind that is the untimely death of his brother and the knowledge that the man responsible for his death can achieve things Francis never can: Its harder knowing and thinking to myself, hes [Carr] at home with his family now and gone on with his life. He has his freedom now and we have to be strong. We have to keep the heads up. He destroyed our lives and we have each other and we keep in contact every day. He was still living a life [even in prison]. His sister could contact him; his family could contact him. All we can do is visit a grave. Channel 4 in Britain is not going ahead with a situation comedy set around the Irish Famine, the channel has told IrishCentral.com. One million Irish died and one million Irish emigrated during the Great Hunger. The proposal to do a Famine comedy, put forward by Irish writer Hugh Travers, caused enormous controversy among Irish in Ireland, Britain and the United States. In an email to IrishCentral, which was first to highlight the issue, Donna Matthews, Group Publicity Manager for Channel 4, stated that there were no plans to air it, and that We were very clear a year ago about Hugh Travers script, that this was a script commission not a pilot or a series. Nothing's changed, she concluded. Forty thousand protesters signed a petition asking that the series not go ahead as the Irish Famine was not a fit topic for comedy. Only 100 or so signed a counter position. Demonstrations were held outside Channel 4 by a small number of Irish protesters based in Britain. When asked why he chose the Famine topic, Travers told The Irish Times that Hungry occurred after Channel 4 saw one of Traverss other scripts and handed him an open commission for a sitcom. Any idea I wanted which was a massive opportunity and at the same time, seriously daunting, he said. Why did he choose the famine? Well, they say comedy equals tragedy plus time, he said. I dont want to do anything that denies the suffering that people went through, but Ireland has always been good at black humor. Were kind of thinking of it as Shameless in famine Ireland. His own website still describes him as working on a Famine script but obviously not for Channel 4. Eminent historian Tim Pat Coogan had taken grave exception to the idea of a Famine sitcom. Murder, genocide, people dying, retching with their faces green from eating weeds, their bowels hanging out of them no passage of time will make that funny, Coogan stated. Irish Times TV critic Donald Clarke defended the right to show a Famine comedy. No subject should, however, be off limits to comedy. The flawed assumption running through the furious editorials is that all humor makes light of its core subject. This is patent nonsense, he wrote. The Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan will travel to New York today to launch the US 1916 Centenary programme of events. Mr Flanagan will reveal details of events taking place around the United States as part of the 1916 commemoration. Gardai are concerned that the centenary of the Rising could be used by dissident republicans to recruit new members. A sample of arms, explosives and ammunition seized by gardai in the past two years has been put on display to remind the public of the ongoing threat of dissidents. This year will see a raft of commemorations to celebrate 100 years since the Easter Rising, but its also put Gardai on high alert for dissident republicans. Gardai say they spend significant resources here monitoring at least three dissident republican groups, and though the numbers are small, they are determined. Assistant Commissioner John O'Mahony says they are concerned that dissidents will use the centenary as a recruitment tool for new members. While attacks are rare in the south, Gardai say they have succeded in disrupting the activities of dissident republicans. In particular, Assistant Commissioner OMahony says they prevented attacks during the British Royals visits in recent years. Asst commissioner John O'Mahony, Crime & Security with some weapons recovered during intelligence led investigations pic.twitter.com/RRv9tgPQib Garda Info (@gardainfo) January 6, 2016 Bales of Semtex, home-made rocket launchers, AK47s and handguns are just some of the items discovered by Gardai in places including Cork, Mayo, Waterford and Louth in the past two years. Gardai are urging members of the public to report anything suspicious in their area, in confidence if they wish. A new HIQA report into a nursing home in Waterford has found evidence of residents being ignored. The report suggests that a call bell had been removed from a resident preventing them from getting immediate help late at night. It also shows that residents were being woken and dressed early in the morning before day staff arrived at Mowlam Nursing Home. An internal report at the home led to a new call bell system being installed, however HIQA say that the issue of staff unplugging bells has not been adequately investigated. Of the six aspects of the home investigated by the authority, four were found to be majorly non-compliant. Another HIQA report into a care centre in Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, has shown that the facility was severly understaffed and that residents were effectively being locked into their rooms. HIQA inspectors visited Dungarvan Community Hospital a number of times in 2015, finding that while some conditions improved, staffing levels in the evening time were majorly non-compliant. HIQA also found that there were confusion locks on both sides of bedroom doors, meaning residents were effectively unable to leave their rooms without help. Unions are criticising moves to introduce pay parking for staff at St James's Hospital in Dublin. Siptu says the move has the potential to cause a strike, and they plan to ballot members. The Irish Times says staff were told before Christmas they will have to pay up to 500 for their spaces, with the construction of the new National Children's Hospital on the campus. Siptu says it is unacceptable for management to seek to remove an integral part of staff terms and conditions without any engagement. Hospital bosses said staff would be charged this year for parking at the site as well as in St Jamess Steel nearby. Staff at the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham face an annual parking charge of 350, but management said that evening and weekend parking would still be free. Wheaton College Wants To Fire Professor Who Wore Hijab By Mae Rice in News on Jan 6, 2016 6:23PM Photos of Larycia Hawkins wearing her headscarf via Facebook Illinois Wheaton College, a private evangelical Christian college, has begun the process of firing Dr. Larycia Hawkins, a tenured professor who wore a headscarf during her Advent devotions to show solidarity with Muslims. Wheaton said in a statement: This follows the impasse reached by the parties. Following Dr. Hawkins written response on December 17 to questions regarding her theological convictions, the College requested further theological discussion and clarification. However Dr. Hawkins declined to participate in further dialogue about the theological implications of her public statements and her December 17 response. The statement also says that Wheaton will now begin an established process for employment actions pertaining to tenured faculty members, which starts with a hearing before the college's Faculty Personnel Committee. This decision comes after several run-ins between Dr. Hawkins and the Wheaton administration, the Tribune reports. Previously, Wheaton has asked Dr. Hawkins to affirm the colleges statement of faith on four occasions over her nine years at the school. On one occasion, she had written an article about black liberation theology that seemed to endorse a kind of Marxism; on another, she was photographed at a party on Halsted Street on the same day as Chicagos Gay Pride Parade, according to the Tribune. Dr. Hawkins wearing a headscarf was the final straw for Wheaton, apparently. The political science professor had previously explained the decision in a December 10, 2015 Facebook post that she wore the hijab in embodied solidarity with Muslim women. I stand in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people of the book, the post said. And as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God. Hawkins and her attorney, Robert Block, plan to fight her termination, Bloch told the Tribune. The Minister for Health Leo Varadkar says he is confident next week's planned industrial action by nurses at seven Emergency Departments can be averted. Members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation voted against proposals aimed at resolving overcrowding problems, because they say they are not confident they would be implemented on a 24 hour, seven-days-a-week basis. Representatives of 26 Emergency Departments will meet in Dublin tomorrow ahead of action next week. Minister Varadkar says the resources are available to ensure the recommendations can be fully implemented. He said: "Well certainly the resources will be there to implement these proposals. "We may not have resources to do other things, we certainly don't have the resources to do what we would like to do in the health service in one year, but the financial resources will be there to implement these proposals." Rolling two-hour stoppages at the seven hospitals are due to go ahead on Thursday, January 14, with further action on January 26. The General Secretary of the INMO Liam Doran says staff voted against proposals, because they did not think the changes would have been brought in. He said: "Quite clearly the memnbers are saying to us 'look, what's on paper may be fine, but in practice nothing is changing. Our practice is being compromised, patient care has been compromised and we're simply not persuaded that the proposals will be applied on a consistent 24/7 basis'. "We have no confidence in management to do so." North Korea has trumpeted its first hydrogen bomb test as a "H-bomb of justice", but the announcement today has been met with widespread scepticism. The test was met with a burst of jubilation and pride in Pyongyang, with a North Korean television anchor saying the test of a "miniaturised" hydrogen bomb had been a "perfect success" that elevated the country's "nuclear might to the next level". A large crowd celebrated in front of Pyongyang's main train station as the announcement was read on a big video screen, with people taking videos or photos of the screen on their mobile phones and applauding and cheering. But South Korea's spy agency thought the estimated explosive yield from the explosion was much smaller than what even a failed H-bomb detonation would produce. North Korea's state media stood firm in saying the test was a self-defence measure against a potential US attack. "The (country's) access to H-bomb of justice, standing against the US, the chieftain of aggression..., is the legitimate right of a sovereign state for self-defence and a very just step no one can slander," it was stated. In Seoul and elsewhere there was high-level worry. South Korean president Park Geun-hye ordered her military to bolster its combined defence posture with US forces. She called the test a "grave provocation" and "an act that threatens our lives and future." Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe said: "We absolutely cannot allow this." Washington and nuclear experts have been sceptical about past North Korean claims about H-bombs, which are much more powerful and much more difficult to make than atomic bombs. A confirmed test would further worsen already abysmal relations between Pyongyang and its neighbours and lead to a strong push for tougher sanctions on North Korea at the United Nations. The Security Council quickly announced an emergency meeting. Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the nuclear weapons test is a "clear breach" of UN Security Council resolutions and "undermines regional and international security". Mr Stoltenberg said in a statement Wednesday: "I condemn the continued development by North Korea of nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs and its inflammatory and threatening rhetoric." He called on North Korea's government to "fully respect its international obligations and commitments". A successful H-bomb test would be a big advance. Fusion is the main principle behind the hydrogen bomb, which can be hundreds of times more powerful than atomic bombs that use fission. In a hydrogen bomb, radiation from a nuclear fission explosion sets off a fusion reaction responsible for a powerful blast and radioactivity. A South Korean lawmaker said the country's spy agency told him in a private briefing that Pyongyang may not have conducted an H-bomb test given the relatively small size of the seismic wave reported. An estimated explosive yield of 6.0 kilotons and a quake with a magnitude of 4.8 were detected, lawmaker Lee Cheol Woo said the National Intelligence Service (NIS) told him. That is smaller than the estimated explosive yield of 7.9 kilotons and 4.9-magnitude quake reported after the 2013 nuclear test, he said, and only a fraction of the hundreds of kilotons that a successful H-bomb test's explosion would usually yield. Even a failed H-bomb detonation typically yields tens of kilotons, the NIS told Mr Lee, who sits on the parliament's intelligence committee. "I'm pretty sceptical," said Melissa Hanham, senior researcher at the James Martin Centre for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute for International Studies in Monterey, California. "The seismic data indicates it would be very small for a hydrogen test. "It seems just too soon to have this big technical achievement," she said. While also noting the quake was likely too small for an H-bomb test, Jaiki Lee, a professor of nuclear engineering at Seoul's Hanyang University, said the North could have experimented with a "boosted" hybrid bomb that uses some nuclear fusion fuel along with more conventional uranium or plutonium fuel. It could take weeks before the true nature of the test is confirmed by outside experts - if they are able to do so at all. US Air Force aircraft designed to detect the evidence of a nuclear test, such as radioactive particulate matter and blast-related noble gases, could be deployed from a US base on the Japanese island of Okinawa. Japanese media said Tokyo mobilised its own reconnaissance aircraft for sorties over the Sea of Japan to try to collect atmospheric data. Ferenc Dalnoki-Veress, a physicist, scientist-in-residence and professor at the James Martin Center, said it may not be possible for the monitors to ever determine if Wednesday's explosion was caused by a hydrogen bomb. "For that, you might need to have the particulates," he said. "But maybe we'll be lucky." The test was unexpected in part because North Korea's last nuclear test was nearly three years ago and Kim Jong Un did not mention nuclear weapons in his annual New Year's speech. Some outside analysts had speculated Mr Kim was worried about deteriorating ties with China, the North's last major ally, which has shown greater frustration at provocations and a possible willingness to allow stronger UN sanctions. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters that Beijing "firmly opposes" Pyongyang's purported test and is monitoring the environment on its border with North Korea near the test site. Some analysts say the North has not likely achieved the technology needed to manufacture a miniaturised warhead that could fit on a long-range missile capable of hitting the US mainland. Germany, Sweden and Denmark are warning that more must be done to stop refugees entering Europe from Turkey, although they hope to ease border restrictions as soon as possible. Senior German interior minister official Ole Schroeder said today that "our problem in Europe is that we do not have a functioning system, especially at the Turkey-Greece border". He says a European Union plan to share refugees arriving in Greece and Italy is not working and warned that when EU responses fail "we will come to measures from the member states". It came after talks between senior migration officials from the three countries in Brussels. The meeting was called after Sweden introduced ID checks on all people traveling to Denmark and Denmark tightened controls on its border with Germany. Sweden's migration minister says that the equivalent of 1,000 classrooms full of unaccompanied minors and children have arrived in the country recently seeking refuge. Justice and migration minister Morgan Johansson said that 26,000 young migrants had come and "that is 1,000 school classes arriving in Sweden in four months". Sweden has noted a sharp drop in migrant arrivals since photo ID checks were introduced. Mr Johansson said that 115,000 asylum-seekers have arrived in four months, obliging Sweden to take exceptional border control measures. Danish police say 36 of the 1,366 people they have checked for photo IDs in the past two days at the German border have been refused entry into Denmark. The National Police added today that a person suspected of people smuggling had been detained. Two other suspects who had been detained have been released. The central bank injected the most cash since September into the financial system, to curb borrowing costs, and intervened in the currency market to prevent excessive volatility. With Chinese shares and the yuan posting their worst starts to a year in two decades, the ruling Communist Party is struggling to let markets have more sway in the worlds second-largest economy. Private data, this week, showed the nations manufacturing sector ended last year with a 10th straight month of contraction, amplifying concern that the weakest economic growth in 25 years will fuel capital outflows. Theres no doubt China wants to liberalise markets, but its happening at such a time that its very difficult to do in an orderly manner, said Ken Peng, a strategist at Citigroup in Hong Kong. The authorities are also concerned that sinking asset prices will weigh on business and consumer confidence. Capital outflows from China swelled to an estimated $367bn in the three months ended November. The stock markets sell-off on Monday was triggered by this weeks disappointing manufacturing data, along with investor worries about an expiring ban on stake sales by major shareholders. Those concerns eased yesterday, as regulators plan to keep the restrictions in place beyond January 8. To support share prices, government funds targeted companies in the finance and steel sectors, among others. The plunge on Monday triggered the nations circuit breakers, dealing a blow to regulatory efforts to restore calm to a market in which individuals drive 80% of trading. The CSI 300 Index of large-cap shares rose 0.3% at the close on Tuesday. Unfortunately, I think the reality is that we still need some of that state support or intervention, partly because of the investor base you have in China, Tai Hui, the Hong Kong-based chief Asia market strategist at JPMorgan Asset Management, said. Policy-makers went to extreme lengths to prop up share prices in the midst of a $5trn rout last summer, including ordering equity purchases by state funds, suspending initial public offerings, and allowing trading halts that froze hundreds of mainland-listed shares. Enterprise Ireland-supported firms now employ more than 192,000 staff, after client companies created 21,118 jobs last year. Once job losses are factored in, the net increase in those employed by these companies stands at 10,160. More than a third of the jobs were created in Dublin, but all the regions recorded increases in full-time employment in the year. The figures were released by Enterprise Ireland as the agency recapped on what has been a particularly strong year. 192, 223 people are employed by Enterprise Ireland supported Irish companies. 2015 best year for jobs creation in #Entirl's history Enterprise Ireland (@Entirl) January 5, 2016 CEO Julie Sinnamon said: Irish businesses are making a huge contribution to the recovery in the economy and 2015 was a great year for job creation in the companies Enterprise Ireland supports. Our focus on helping businesses to start, innovate, and scale is paying dividends with the highest level of full- time jobs created and the lowest level of jobs lost in businesses that are competing globally from Ireland, Ms Sinnamon said. Enterprise Ireland also flagged progress in the number of client companies scaling up an area of traditional weakness for Irish start-ups. In 2015, 240 Enterprise Ireland clients made investments of more than 500,000 in their firms, reflecting increasing confidence in their scaling opportunities. The agency identified scaling as a strategic importance. Progress was also made in encouraging female entrepreneurs into the system. Enterprise Ireland invested in 61 companies led by female entrepreneurs in 2015. In total, approximately 500 start-ups received backing from the State body during the year. Some 105 high potential start-ups were approved for funding in 2015; eight of which were in the food sector the highest number ever. Start-up companies account for over two thirds of all new jobs created in Ireland and over 200 early-stage companies have been approved for investment by Enterprise Ireland, said Ms Sinnamon. We have also supported a further 500 start-up companies through the Local Enterprise Offices. "I am also delighted that 61 of the start-up companies that Enterprise Ireland invested in were led by female entrepreneurs and there were 15 investments in companies established in Ireland by overseas entrepreneurs last year through our new fund, which gives an indication of our competitiveness as an attractive investment location. In 2015, the agency invested in a record 875 collaborative research and development projects between companies and higher education. Todays results, the best in several decades, show that more than 10,000 extra people are at work in Irish exporting companies today compared to one year ago. "They also show that almost two thirds of the new jobs were created outside Dublin and that jobs grew in every region in 2015, said Jobs Minister Richard Bruton. If we continue to implement our plan we can have confidence that we can keep the recovery going in every part of the country in the coming years. In January 2014, the staging of Killaloe District Court in the Ballina pub made headlines around the world, when Jenny Lauren, niece of fashion designer Ralph Lauren, appeared at the pub in relation to an air rage incident. The choice of venue after her drink-fuelled and foul-mouthed breach of the peace on board a New York-bound flight was subject to comment in the New York Post, The Daily Telegraph, ABC news, CNN, and the Sydney Morning Herald. In the aftermath of the case, the Courts Service confirmed the staging of the court at the pub would form part of a strategic review of court venues. At yesterdays court, Guinness and Heineken taps at the bar could be seen from behind a glass screen, while disco lights over the head of Judge Patrick Durcan remained in place. As part of the subsequent Court Service consultation process relating to court facilities, local gardai and lawyers came out fighting in 2014 for the court to remain in Killaloe. Gardai warned relocating the court to Ennis would cost the force 40,000 yearly. In any likely closure of Killaloe, Clare would be left with only two court venues, Ennis and Kilrush . Solicitor James Nash said yesterday: When I commenced practice 32 years ago in east Clare, there were three courts serving the area: Scarriff, Tulla, and Killaloe. One would imagine that Killaloe would survive. Any court closure, he said, is the opposite of decentralisation. It is very important that you have a Garda station and a court as close to the people they are serving as possible. Mr Nash has no issue with the court being held in the pub. He said: I never had a problem with it. I think it is quite comfortable. It would be very difficult if the court is relocated from Killaloe as it serves east Clare, north Tipperary, and parts of Limerick. Regional manager with the Courts Service, Brendan McDonald said: This venue for court sittings has been reviewed and a business case has been prepared but not yet finalised. I met with An Garda Siochana late in 2015 and have postponed a finalisation of the business case so that they may seek possible alternative accommodation. The Courts Service in association with gardai have conducted such a search for alternative accommodation, not alone in Killaloe but across east Clare, but to no avail. While the current arrangement worked well as a temporary arrangement it is not suitable in the long term. No decision has been made regarding court sittings in Killaloe. Council chief executive Tim Lucey said in a statement last night that its severe weather action team and crisis management team met 17 times, including eight times in one 24-hour period, from 8pm on December 29. The council sought support from the Defence Forces for Midleton at 1.45am on December 30, and requested similar help for Bandon an hour later, with the crisis team continuing to direct the response during the night. The council said that since Christmas Day, its emergency response line handled 1,773 calls, with 329 calls made to the fire service between December 29 and January 3. The council used its website, Twitter, and Facebook channels, and issued regular media releases, with more than 100 such communications issued in 10 days, with engagement figures on Facebook reaching over 15,000 during Storm Frank. Some 548 staff including local authority, fire service, and civil defence personnel responded to the various flooding events. More than 31,000 sandbags were distributed between December 4 and January 5 13,500 in the Midleton area alone. Ten social homes were affected by flooding in Midleton, with the council housing five families and planning to repair the other homes. Mr Lucey said the council noted the comments of Bishop of Cork, Cloyne, and Ross, Paul Colton, who yesterday criticised the lack of co-ordination on the ground of the emergency response. While I would recognise that Bishop Coltons comments have been made in good faith, it is regrettable that the particular instance of one family which was housed temporarily in Midleton College was not made known to the council as we could have ensured that contact was made with the relevant agency which provides humanitarian assistance in such situations, said Mr Lucey. The council has also provided returns to the Red Cross about commercial premises damage and said it has achieved a 24-hour turn-around in all cases, with almost half of claims made nationally so far from Cork county. The council said its early warning system on the River Blackwater allowed the deployment of flood-defence systems in Fermoy and Mallow, preventing major damage, and early warning systems in Bandon and Skibbereen provided advance warning in both towns. The council urged people to visit www.corkcoco.ie for more information. You are here: Home Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (2nd R) inspects the Guandi mine of Xishan Coal Electricity Group Co.Ltd, in north China's Shanxi Province, Jan. 5, 2016. Li had an inspection tour in Taiyuan, capital of north China's Shanxi Province on Jan. 4 and Jan. 5. [Xinhua] China must put "unyielding effort" into eliminating excess industrial capacity to make way for new growth engines, especially mass entrepreneurship and innovation, Premier Li Keqiang has said. Li made the remarks during the first inspection tour of 2016 on Monday and Tuesday in north China's Shanxi Province, which is known for large coal reserves and output. After visiting Taiyuan Iron and Steel Group, a world-leading stainless steel producer, Li said the steel sector is suffering badly from excessive production and flagging demand. "China should put unyielding effort into restructuring by eliminating outdated capacity and forbidding the construction of new capacity," he said. Companies should take pains in enhancing technology, quality and management to expand the country's effective supply with more quality products, Li said. In a coal mine of Xishan Coal Electricity Group, Li took a tramcar more than 300 meters underground to talk with miners and check the company's safety conditions. "The coal mining sector is facing hardship it has rarely seen in the face of a serious glut and plunging prices," he said. Mines should take the initiative in reducing output while helping laid-off workers find new jobs, according to the premier. Li also visited a technology park in Taiyuan with more than 200 high-tech companies. "China has huge market potential and bright prospects; growth impetus from innovation will create new jobs," Li said. He vowed more government support for entrepreneurs. The premier then went to a shantytown that will be renovated into apartment buildings this year, urging local governments to lessen people's wait times before moving into the new buildings. He also urged companies to innovate and take risks, after visiting a museum on ancient Shanxi merchants who played a dominant role in finance and trade during the Ming and Qing dynasties. In one small quarter of Twitter on Monday, this was news to brighten the day. Gary, a 29-year-old from Tallaght who has spent 10 years in varying degrees of homelessness, had secured the keys to a self-contained flat in one of the nicer areas of Dun Laoghaire. He even posted a photograph of the keys, and, later, a picture of the Chinese takeaway hed bought to celebrate. After all the struggles, this was a memory to throw his arms around. I was known as sleeping on the streets, in tents, he says. This is a huge break for me. His story has many of the same themes as others who have found themselves homeless, but also has elements unique to him. Gary has a degree in sociology, even though he didnt have a steady address when he was a student. His Twitter account, operating under the handle @OnThestreets1, was another. In among the occasional political or sport-related retweet, Gary documented life as a homeless person, often with a campaigning edge. Sometimes it was personal, like on December 13, when he tweeted a picture taken in an emergency room and the words: Attacked as I slept yesterday in hospital. Some really low people out there. Homeless people need help, not hassle. Gary says that he started dabbling in heroin aged 15. It resulted in burnt bridges with his family, and set him off on a path familiar to people who access homeless services. He balanced detox and being clean with falling off the rails there was a conviction for car theft. He destroyed his relationship with his partner and young son, which he is now trying to repair. I couldnt do anything without a permanent address vote, open a bank account, right down to primary things people do as young adults. Clearly intelligent, he finally secured his sociology degree, and also underwent treatment for drug addiction with both Merchants Quay and Coolmine. My own choices led to me to the position that I felt I was in cul-de-sac, he said, adding: Im clean over a year, coming up to 13 months. In the first half of that past year, he slept most nights at the airport; in the second half it was a tent in or near the Phoenix Park, yet back in 2010 he had a letter from South Dublin County Council stating that he would be housed within six months. That didnt happen and he moved between Dublin and Belfast over Christmas and new year. Then, just two days ago, he got the call he had been waiting for. I am delighted that I have a roof overhead, a bed, heating, a wardrobe, I can do my own washing. People take that stuff for granted, [but] I am so grateful for a toaster and kettle. The Twitter handle will remain the same, however, until he finally moves on to a tenancy. I have clear plans in my head. I want to go back to study again. I want to advocate for homeless people. I have aspects of life, now, that I want to get stuck into. I think there isnt enough being done. I dont think Im wrote-off. At Killaloe District Court yesterday, Garda Insp John OSullivan told Judge Patrick Durcan that Co Limerick man and car enthusiast, Martin McNamara, 25, had a total of 321 previous convictions. The majority related to road traffic offences. Judge Durcan said the figure was easily the highest number of previous convictions he had encountered on the bench. THERE was general surprise in early July when news broke that five TDs were making representations for jailed dissident IRA man Michael McKevitt. The five had written twice to the justice minister expressing deep concern that McKevitt was not allowed on extended temporary release. McKevitt was leader of the Real IRA at the time of his conviction for directing terrorism in 2003. He was sentenced at the Special Criminal Court to 20 years; but in the last year he had been granted temporary release for a medical condition. That release was revoked . Fianna Fails Eamon O Cuiv; and independent deputies Maureen OSullivan, Mick Wallace, Clare Daly, and Thomas Pringle said they were acting out of humanitarian concern, but eyebrows were raised at their involvement. Relatives of those murdered in the Omagh bomb were not pleased that anybody would be making representations for McKevitt. Yet, this was not an isolated case for these politicians. For the past five years a number of them have been involved in monitoring prison conditions for dissident republican and loyalist prisoners. At a time when such people are regarded by many as being beyond reason, the TDs are claiming fidelity to the old idea that a society can be evaluated by how it treats its prisoners, irrespective of their crimes. The family of Marian Price, who was the only female prisoner in Maghaberry, contacted Independent TD Maureen OSullivan Maureen OSullivan first got involved when she was approached after speaking at a human rights event in 2011. Somebody came up to me after it and said thats all very well but what about what is happening in Maghaberry prison. I didnt know that there had been an 18-month dirty protest which had led to a written agreement. Then we were contacted by Marion Prices family. At the time she was the only female prisoner in Maghaberry. The circumstances of Prices case are typical of many that OSullivan and her colleagues find themselves drawn to. Price was arrested in 2011 and had her release from prison on licence revoked. She was charged in relation to an address she gave at a rally, but ultimately the charges were dismissed. After being transferred out of Maghaberry she was still kept in custody until being finally released in May 2013. Effectively, she spent more than two years in custody under dubious circumstances. In the current environment, where those who refused to sign up to the Good Friday Agreement are considered by many in the body politic to be beyond reason, few have been paying attention to human rights aspects of so-called political prisoners. The authorities can revoke the licence of those out on licence at any time, says OSullivan. But our point is that charges should be brought against these people and due process gone through. You bring them to court and you dont leave them in prison for a few years and deny parole hearings. Instead, the response is often that it is closed evidence and the detail cant be discussed. It has happened a number of times that prisoners who had their licence revoked were due for hearings which were cancelled the night before and postponed. Another case that the TDs came across early on was that of Martin Corry. He had been released on licence in 1992, after serving 19 years for murder. By 2010, he was a known dissident and had his licence revoked. He was then subjected to four more years imprisonment without any further charges being brought against him. OSullivan is keen to emphasise that neither she nor her colleagues are offering any support for the political viewpoint of those being locked up. We are just there to attempt to support the justice aspect of it, she says. You cant have trial by media and people deciding youre guilty and not getting their day in court. Were doing this as a human rights issue and to attempt to keep conflict out of it. Nobody wants to go back to that. The conditions under which dissidents can be locked up is one issue, but just as pressing from the point of view of human rights is the conditions these prisoners are subjected to. The dirty protest in Maghaberry was a direct result of the denial of what the prisoners regarded as human rights. On the other side, prison staff say they are subjected to intimidation on a regular basis, which is denied by the prisoners. In 2010, an agreement was brokered between staff and prisoners by an independent assessment team. Two years later, tensions were heightened again following the murder of prison officer David Black, who worked at the facility. The contentious issues involve strip-searching, and particularly freedom of movement within the prison. For the staff, there are ongoing issues of abuse and threats. A stocktake of the agreement in 2014 came to the conclusion that Clearly not all principles of the August 2010 Agreement had been adhered to, not have undertakings been acted upon and that there continued to be a lack of trust between NIPS (Northern Ireland Prison Service) and republican prisoners. OSullivan says the prisoners disagree with some aspects of the stocktake results. They tell us that there are no assaults on any prison officers but there is a lot of verbal arguing going on, she says. She has also been to Portlaoise where about 15 republican prisoners are kept on E wing. It was interesting the difference there from Maghaberry, she says. We were very struck that with the contrast in the relations between staff and prisoners there and the ease of movement that was allowed within the prison. Eamon O Cuiv says the politics of those in prison is not the issue, but that the issue is the humane treatment of prisoners. For Eamon O Cuiv, the fact the stocktake had to be undertaken in Maghaberry last year was a sign that progress had been halted. Everybody has the right to decent prison conditions and there are serious problems there, he says. The International Red Cross has been brought in but agreements havent been fully implemented. For O Cuiv the politics of those in prison now, or their adherence to violence, is not the issue. Its all about treating prisoners in a humane manner, he says. I got involved in this area back in the 90s when Albert Reynolds put me on the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation. One day a lady at the forum told me that her husband wasnt being allowed to speak in Irish to their children on visits. He was in England at the time and I followed up on that. O Cuiv notes that when he got involved in politics back in the 1980s mainstream politicians werent even supposed to appear on the same platform as members of Sinn Fein. When I started visiting prisoners most people said they were beyond the pale. So in some ways weve come full circle. Back in the mid-90s, I was told you couldnt talk to these people, they were beyond reason. In recent years Ive met one man in the corridor of Leinster House who was in prison when I began visiting. Another I met in a university a few years ago. Whether those who are considered to be beyond the pale ever completely renounce violence and come fully into the political process remains to be seen. In the meantime, these politicians are intent on pursuing what they see as the maintenance of human rights for all, irrespective of how some are regarded in the wake of the Good Friday Agreement and all that flowed from it. THE finding of the body of the dead baby boy on a Kerry beach on April 14, 1984, was a horrific case the led to the Kerry Babies Tribunal the following year. The newborn had been stabbed 28 times and thrown into the sea before being washed up near Cahirciveen. Joanne Hayes had been heavily pregnant and, later, there was no sign of any baby. Judge Kevin Lynch concluded in his tribunal report, published on October 3, 1985, that investigating gardai had very strong suspicions, justified by the weight of evidence then available to them, that Joanne Hayes was the mother and responsible for the death of the Cahirciveen baby. Ms Hayes told gardai she had a baby and had disposed of it on her family farm, but the gardai failed to find the body during a search. She and members of her family confessed to involvement with the Cahirciveen baby, and they were charged. Shortly after they had been charged, the body of a newborn baby was found on the Hayes farm, and the charges were dropped. This led to serious questions about why did the Hayes family confess to the killing the Cahirciveen baby. Some gardai suspected that Ms Hayes may have had twins and that both were killed one being buried on the farm and the other thrown into the sea. The Cahirciveen baby had blood group A, while the baby found on the Abbeydorney farm had blood group O, as had Joanne Hayes and Jeremiah Locke, the married man with whom she had been having an affair and had previously had a daughter. On such medical evidence Judge Kevin Lynch, who presided at the tribunal, concluded that Ms Hayes could not have been the mother of the Cahirciveen baby. But he went on to conclude that the gardai had not assaulted or physically abused any of the Hayes family to get any of the confessions. When the family members were being questioned, they apparently believed they were in custody and could not leave the Garda station. Hence they signed confessions of varying degrees of involvement in the death of the Cahirciveen baby, according to Judge Lynch. He concluded that Joanne Hayes thought a confession was her only way out, when she was unable to persuade the gardai to take her to the farm so she could show them where she had disposed of the body of her baby. The garda refusal was completely unjustified in the opinion of Judge Lynch, who criticised the initial search of the farm as deplorably inadequate, and he described the initial failure to find the body as inexcusable. The judge concluded that Ms Hayes gave birth to the baby in her own bedroom, with the help of her aunt, a practising nurse. The baby was not well at all, the judge added. It had great difficulty in breathing and although it cried it never succeeded in establishing its breathing properly. Joanne Hayes mother, Mrs Mary Hayes, was very annoyed with Joanne Hayes and expressed her annoyance at the prospect of having to rear another child for Jeremiah Locke, according to the tribunal report. At this point the judge appeared to take a great leap of faith. Joanne Hayes got into a panic and as the baby cried again she put her hands around its neck and stopped it crying by choking it and the baby did not breathe again, he concluded At some stage during the course of these events, Joanne Hayes used the bath brush from the bathroom to hit the baby to make sure that it was dead. Judge Lynch But, in his testimony before the tribunal in January 1985, pathologist John Harbison testified that he could not determine that the baby had ever had a separate existence. This seemed to contradict what he told gardai during the autopsy the previous May. Supet John Courtney, head of the Garda murder squad, and other gardai who were present at the autopsy, testified that Dr Harbison had told them at the time there was air in the lungs and that the baby had therefore established a separate existence. But the pathologist explained to the tribunal this was before he had examined the lung tissue microscopically. On the basis of his microscopic examination, he concluded that breathing had not been established, and the cause of death was therefore unascertainable. Dr Harbison had also said at the autopsy that a bruise on the left side of babys neck could have been a result of the delivery, or strangulation. After further investigation, however, he found that there was no evidence of injury to the larynx, so he ruled out any attempted strangulation. He also dismissed the suggestion that the baby was struck on the head with bath brush, because, he said, this would almost certainly have fractured the skull, and there was no such injury. No forensic evidence was presented to contradict the State pathologists findings. Thus, Judge Lynchs graphic depiction of the killing in the Hayes bedroom had no more supporting grounds than the States charges against members of the family in relation to the Cahirciveen baby. The tribunal report, which ultimately cost the exchequer over 1,645,000, resolved little and pleased nobody. There were only eight accidental airline crashes last year, accounting for 161 passenger and crew deaths the fewest crashes and deaths since at least 1946. The tally by Flightglobal, an aviation news and industry data company, excludes a German airliner that was deliberately flown into a mountainside in the French Alps last March, and a Russian airliner packed with tourists that exploded over Egypt in October. With the opening 2016 primary contest four weeks away, Trump is highlighting his plan to ban Muslims from entering the United States temporarily and with exceptions, he says and to build a wall along the southern border. Trumps campaign says he plans to spend $2 million a week on the ad, which began airing across Iowa and New Hampshire. The new ad features dark images of the San Bernardino shooters, who were Muslims, as well as body bags and explosions. The politicians can pretend its something else. But Donald Trump calls it radical Islamic terrorism. "Thats why hes calling for a shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until we can figure out whats going on, a narrator says. Video footage later in the ad shows people apparently streaming freely across a border as a narrator says Trump will stop illegal immigrants by building a wall on our southern border that Mexico will pay for. The Trump campaign acknowledged that the border images were of a Spanish enclave in Morocco, not the US-Mexican border. I think its irrelevant, Trump said in an interview on Fox News Channels The OReilly Factor. So you can just take it any way you want, but its really merely a display of what a dumping ground is going to look like. And thats what our countrys becoming. His campaign elaborated in a statement, saying the selection of footage was intended to demonstrate the severe impact of an open border and the real threat Americans face if we do not immediately build a wall and stop illegal immigration. Former President Bill Clinton made his debut solo appearance on behalf of his wifes 2016 presidential campaign in New Hampshire. Clinton argued that the Democratic front-runner offers the best plan to restore broadly shared prosperity. I do not believe in my lifetime anybody has run for this job at a moment of great importance who was better qualified by knowledge, experience, and temperament to do what needs to be done now, he told New Hampshire voters. President Hassan Rouhanis comments came as Kuwait announced it had recalled its ambassador to Iran over attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in the Islamic Republic. The execution last weekend of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a Shiite cleric and opposition figure in Saudi Arabia, has heightened the Saudi-Iran regional rivalry, threatening to derail already shaky peace efforts over the wars in Syria and Yemen. A statement posted on his official website said Rouhani discussed the dispute with visiting Danish foreign minister Kristian Jensen. The Saudi government has taken a strange action and cut off its diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran to cover its crimes of beheading a religious leader in its country, Rouhani said. Undoubtedly, such actions cant cover up that big crime. Iran vice-president Mohammad Bagher Nobakht said the countrys intelligence services were investigating the diplomatic mission attacks and that police officers who failed to take action to stop the assaults would be prosecuted. Iranian police say at least 50 people have been arrested over the attack. The diplomatic stand-off between Iran and the kingdom began Saturday, when Saudi Arabia executed al-Nimr and 46 others convicted of terror charges the largest mass execution carried out by the kingdom since 1980. Al-Nimr, a central figure in the Arab Spring-inspired protests by Saudi Arabias Shiite minority, was executed after being convicted of sedition and of other crimes, though he long denied advocating violence. News of his execution has sparked Shiite protests from Bahrain to Pakistan. In Iran, protesters responded by attacking the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad. Late on Sunday, Saudi Arabia announced it was severing relations with Iran because of the assaults, giving Iranian diplomatic personnel 48 hours to leave. Sudan and Bahrain said on Monday they would sever ties with Iran. The United Arab Emirates announced it would downgrade ties to Tehran. Yesterday, Kuwait announced the recalling of its ambassador, but did not say it would sever ties to Iran. Nine bodies, including those of children, washed up on a beach in the resort town of Ayvalik early yesterday morning, prompting officials to dispatch coast guard boats and gendarmerie officials to search the area by sea and by land for possible survivors. Twelve others were rescued. Seven other bodies were washed up on a shore at Dikili, a resort about 50kms south of Ayvalik, the victims of a second migrant tragedy, the private Dogan news agency reported. The dead included women and children, the agency said. By late afternoon, the gendarmerie forces had recovered 29 bodies in the area while seven others were found by the coast guards. Around 850,000 migrants and refugees crossed into Greece last year, paying smuggling gangs to ferry them over from Turkey in frail boats. Undeterred by the bitter cold and the rough winter seas, migrants are continuing to risk the journey to Greece in the hope of a better future in Europe. Most of them are Syrian refugees escaping the civil war. The International Organisation for Migration estimates that 3,771 migrants overall died while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe last year. 36 migrants killed in two boat disasters off Turkey https://t.co/Rdq5yjzkh8 pic.twitter.com/kpXiPEJLrI breakingnews.ie (@breakingnewsie) January 5, 2016 It says that makes it the deadliest year on record for migrants crossing the Mediterranean, with the number of deaths rising from 3,279 in 2014. It said 2,892, or 77%, of the deaths last year were on the central Mediterranean route, mainly involving people crossing from Libya. However, there were 805 deaths in the eastern Mediterranean, accounting for 21% of the total. That is 1% more than the previous year, reflecting the increasing popularity of that route. Although such US lawsuits are typically settled at a fraction of the theoretical maximum penalty, analysts said the size of the claim meant VW could face a much larger bill than previously anticipated. The announcement serves as a reminder/reality check of VWs still unresolved emissions issues, Goldman Sachs analysts wrote in a note, maintaining their sell recommendation on the stock. VW shares fell as much as 6% to a six-week low in early trading, the biggest drop on Germanys blue-chip DAX index. The suit reflects the growing number of allegations against VW since the company admitted in September to installing devices to cheat emissions tests in several 2.0 litre diesel vehicle models. VW could face fines of as much as $37,500 (35,000) per vehicle for each of four violations of the law, based on the complaint, which says illegal devices to impair emission control systems were installed in nearly 600,000 vehicles in the United States. Analysts believe any fine will be below the theoretical maximum. US authorities sued Toyota for up to $58 billion for environmental violations around the turn of the century, but agreed a settlement that cost the Japanese carmaker about $34 million. Equinet analyst Holger Schmidt cut his rating on VW shares to reduce from neutral. We continue to believe that no one is able to make anything else than a wild guess on potential fines, he said. During December, VWs shares had been recovering as the carmaker announced incrementally positive news such as simple fixes for about 8.5 million affected cars in Europe. The stock is now 22% below pre-scandal levels, with analysts particularly concerned about the impact on VW in the US, where the firm has struggled to grow. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), accuses VW of four counts of violating the US Clean Air Act, including tampering with the emissions control system and failing to report violations. The United States will pursue all appropriate remedies against Volkswagen to redress the violations of our nations clean air laws, said Assistant Attorney General John Cruden, head of the Justice Departments environment and natural resources division. The lawsuit is being filed in the Eastern District of Michigan and then transferred to northern California, where class-action lawsuits against VW are pending. The Justice Department has also been investigating criminal fraud allegations against VW for misleading US consumers and regulators. Criminal charges would require a higher burden of proof. Asia China Lodges Protest with Burma after Land Mine Injures One China says it has lodged a protest with Burma after a land mine injures a Chinese person on their common border, the latest in cross-border tensions. BEIJING China said on Tuesday it had lodged a protest with Burma after a land mine injured a Chinese person on their common border, the latest incident of cross-border conflict to strain ties between the two neighbors. China has repeatedly demanded effective action from Burma to contain fighting along the border between the Burma Army and ethnic minority rebels. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the person was injured by a land mine on Sunday but she did not say exactly where the explosion happened. This situation is under further investigation, Hua said at a daily news briefing. We express serious concern over this. The Chinese side has already made solemn representations to Myanmar [Burma] and demanded that Myanmar take effective measures to avoid the future occurrence of a similar situation and prevent the conflict in north Myanmar from endangering the security of Chinese peoples lives and property. The Burma military has been battling several rebel groups including at least two that operate near Burmas border with China, in Burmas Shan and Kachin states. Thousands of Burmese civilians have sought safety on the Chinese side of the border over the past few years because of the fighting. Hua urged Burma to work with China to safeguard the peace and stability of the China-Myanmar border region. When contacted by Reuters, Ye Htut, Burmas minister of information and spokesman for the presidents office, declined to comment. Last March, China was infuriated when five people were killed by stray bombs falling on its territory in Yunnan province during fighting in Burma. China and Burma share a 2,000-kilometer (1,250-mile) border, much of it remote and hard to access. Burmas Aung San Suu Kyi said on Monday the peace process would be the first priority of her new government that will take power later this year, following a landslide victory in a November election. Police in northwest China say a man has admitted to setting fire to a transit bus in Ningxia, killing at least 17 people and injuring 33 others. Investigators work at the accident site of bus fire in Helan County, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Jan. 5, 2016. Fourteen people were killed and more than 31 others injured, after the bus caught fire Tuesday morning. [Photo: Xinhua/Li Ran] Authorities say 33-year-old Ma Yongping dumped two buckets of gasoline on the bus and then lit it on fire during the morning rush hour in the suburbs of the regional capital, Yinchuan. He then jumped out the window. The suspect was apprehended 9-hours later. Police say their initial investigation suggests Ma acted out a random vengeance against society because of a business dispute he is involved in. Among the injured being treated at a local hospital, 6 are said to be in serious condition, one is listed in critical condition. Ma Xiaoting, is one of the victims. "I was listening to music near the backdoor of the bus. I was holding the handrail near the seat in front of the backdoor. Since I was listening to music that time, I did not pay attention to the situation on the bus. I just saw a person in front of me suddenly asking 'What happened? What is he doing?' Then on looking out I saw the bus was on fire," Local authorities are now working with police to identify victims. Follow China.org.cn on Twitter and Facebook to join the conversation. Asia Thai Police Websites Hacked with Failed Law Message Hackers take over several police websites in Thailand, replacing their home pages with a message reading: Failed Law. We want Justice! BANGKOK Hackers took over several police websites in Thailand, replacing the home pages with a message reading: Failed Law. We want Justice! Police on Tuesday said they were investigating whether the hack was in response to a Thai court decision that has been widely protested in neighboring Burma. The Dec. 24 ruling resulted in death sentences for two migrant workers from Burma convicted of murdering two British backpackers on the popular holiday island Koh Tao. Protesters believe the men were scapegoats and have threatened to boycott Thai goods after a trial that raised many unanswered questions about police and judicial conduct in Thailand. Several police websites were either offline or still displayed the hackers message Tuesday evening, hours after the online attack was staged late Monday. A black screen showed a white mask and blanked-out eyes, with the message #BoycottThailand. The hacked pages also mentioned a group calling itself the Blink Hacker Group and made reference to Burma with a line in tiny print that said, Greetz Myanmar Black Hats. Thai police spokesman Dejnarong Suthicharnbuncha said about two or three websites were affected but Thai media listed more than 12. I received an initial report that the hackers are from another country, Dejnarong said. When asked if he meant they were from Burma and whether the hack was in response to the Koh Tao verdict, he said, Its possible. We are investigating. Protesters have rallied in Rangoon outside the Thai embassy and at border crossings demanding a review of the evidence in the case. The men, Win Zaw Htun and Zaw Lin, were convicted of murdering David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, whose bodies were found on the island of Koh Tao on Sept. 14, 2014. Witheridge had also been raped. Police rushed to solve the crime, under intense pressure to limit negative publicity to the tourism industry, but the investigation and trial drew widespread criticism. Police were criticized for not properly securing the crime scene, conducting more than 200 random DNA tests, releasing names and pictures of suspects who turned out to be innocent, mishandling crucial DNA evidence from the victims and allegedly torturing their prime suspects. Burma Ma Ba Tha Accuses NLD of Defamation, Demands Apology Buddhist nationalists solicit an apology from the NLD over claims that two candidates defamed the group around the time of a November election. RANGOON Buddhist nationalist organization Ma Ba Tha has publicly solicited an apology from the National League for Democracy (NLD) over claims that two candidates defamed the group after a November election. Ma Ba Tha, an acronym for the Association for the Protection of Race and Religion, claimed that two candidates wrongfully accused the group of supporting the outgoing Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and influencing voters in Mandalays Yamethin Township. In two letters dated Jan. 4, Ma Ba Thas Yamethin chapter singled out Tun Tun Win and Aung Myo Oo, both of whom lost their races for the Lower House and regional parliament, respectively. Both NLD candidates subsequently filed formal objections with the Union Election Commission (UEC) against their opponents, claiming that they had attempted to use religion to sway voters during their campaigns. The letters from Ma Ba Tha accused the two candidates of linking the offense with the group, which in the lead-up to the election had held a number of public rallies nationwide to celebrate passage of four controversial race and religion protection laws. The legislative package passed with the support of President Thein Sein, ushering in new restrictions on religious conversion, interfaith marriage, birth rates and monogamy. Critics argued the laws targeted minorities and undermined womens rights. Celebrations following the passage of the laws were broadly viewed as thinly veiled political rallies, and in some parts of the country complaints surfaced about rhetoric and materials that attempted to sway voters against political parties that would destroy the race and religion of the Burman majority. In both Yamethin cases, the NLD candidates have sought arbitration with their challengers, not with Ma Ba Tha. Tun Tun Win has filed an electoral objection against former Burma Army Maj. Ko Ko Naing, while Aung Myo Oo objected against Kyaw Myint, the divisional electricity minister. Both are under review by electoral tribunal. Despite the groups estrangement from the claims being investigated, Ma Ba Tha has demanded that the two NLD members apologize within 15 days of receiving their letters or risk possible defamation suits. When contacted by The Irrawaddy on Wednesday, Tun Tun Win dismissed the letter and its implicit ultimatum. I do not plan to apologize to them, he said, but I will inform the party headquarters about this. Burma Military MP as Child Abuse Case Witness Awaits Burma Army Nod Police await Burma Army approval to bring a militarily appointed lawmaker to trial in connection with the alleged beating of a child at his home. RANGOON Police are awaiting approval from the Burma Army to bring a militarily appointed lawmaker to trial in connection with the alleged beating of a child at his Rangoon home. Kyaw Htut, the deputy police colonel of Rangoons Western District, said authorities are waiting for the authorization of Maj. Kyaw Nu Maws battalion before bringing the man, an unelected lawmaker in Parliaments Upper House, to court as a witness in the child abuse case, which reportedly played out at his home in Rangoons Bahan Township. The 8-year-old victim was living in the house and the case gained widespread attention in November after a picture of herkneeling naked with her hands tied behind her back by a woman said to be a housemaidwent viral on Facebook. Police pressed charges against Than Nwe, the housemaid, under Article 66(d) of the Child Law, pertaining to maltreatment of minors. His mother battalion is in Myeik, and he will come for testimony only when his mother battalion approves of it. So far, we have not yet got that approval, said Kyaw Htut. He is still at the battalion. Theres talk that he has resigned, but it is not official. If he is officially allowed to resign, we dont need to seek any approval. We just can summon him for trial, he added. Kyaw Nu Maws battalion in Tenasserim Divisions Myeik Township is currently interrogating him, according to the deputy police colonel. Than Nwes trial began on Dec. 7, and the fourth hearing is scheduled for Jan. 18 at the Bahan Township Court. The victim and her mother have been sent to a womens vocational training school in the commercial capital. Some local media reports have indicated that Kyaw Nu Maw was discharged from the military, but there has not yet been an official statement from the Burma Army and The Irrawaddy was unable to confirm those reports on Wednesday. Burma New Parliament to Convene on Feb. 1 Burmas newly elected Parliament, dominated by the NLD, will convene earlier than expected on Feb. 1, according the Speaker of the Lower House. RANGOON Burmas newly elected Parliament, dominated by the National League for Democracy (NLD), will convene earlier than expected on Feb. 1, according to the Speaker of the Lower House. The second session of the year will see the induction of many new faces in the national legislature, after the NLD secured a landslide victory over the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) in a November vote. Lower House Speaker Shwe Mann made the announcement on Facebook on Wednesday, stating that the session, which begins just one day after the current assembly closes on Jan. 31, will commence promptly at 10 am. Incoming lawmakers have been invited by post and must confirm their attendance no earlier than Jan. 25 and no later than Jan. 26, the announcement said. Ma Thandar, a Lower House MP-elect for the NLD, said the session is beginning earlier than expected but rookie lawmakers will do their best to prepare. We expected it to begin the first week of February; I think the first session only ends on Jan. 31. Well have to start preparations right away, she said. New NLD lawmakers will attend a three-day training session from Jan. 14 to 16, sponsored by the party, Ma Thandar said. The NLD, led by chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi, won nearly 80 percent of elected seats in both houses of Parliaments. Twenty-five percent of seats are reserved for military representatives. Burma Palaung CSOs Allege Rights Abuses by Burma Army in N. Shan State Two ethnic Palaung groups say the Burma Army arrested 81 civilians in northern Shan State last month, with 11 people brutally tortured in the process. RANGOON The Taang Womens Organization (TWO) and Taang Students and Youth Organization (TSYU) have claimed that the Burma Army arrested dozens of civilians in northern Shan State over the course of a single day last month, with 11 people brutally tortured in a military sweep of four Namkham Township villages. The TWO and TSYU held a press conference on Tuesday in Rangoon, releasing a joint statement alleging that 81 people from the villages of Say Khin, Man Puu, Pan Yok and Man Pann were arrested by soldiers from Light Infantry Battalion No. 324 on Dec. 23. The ethnic Palaung (also known as Taang) civil society groups said government troops carried out their sweep of the villages with cooperation from the Pansay militia, a pro-government armed group allegedly involved in the illicit narcotics trade in Shan State. The detained villages were released the following morning, according to the joint statement. Mai Myat Aung, who said he was assaulted by more than 10 government troops on Dec. 23 in front of his home in Pan Yok village, went on to tell of how his wife and younger brother begged the soldiers to spare him the harsh physical treatment that was ultimately meted out. They asked me where I came from and I answered honestly, but even without exchanging any argumentative words, they knocked me out, Mai Myat Aung said at Tuesdays press conference. Mai Nyi Puu, a Say Khin village resident who speaks little Burmese, also attended the press conference and through a translator recounted his experience at the hands of the Burma Army on Dec. 23, when he returned from a funeral at a nearby village to find soldiers posted at the entrance to Say Khin. Burma soldiers asked the children, Is that a rebel village? [and said that] if it was true, they would burn the village to the ground, said Mai Nyi Puu. Lway Amm Khae, a preschool teacher in Say Khin village, recalled a similar encounter. They made threats to the children, that they would burn the whole village, slaughter everyone and eat the flesh of the Taang, she said, adding that some villagers property was looted by soldiers, who at one point forced her to hold a grenade. Lway Poe Ngeal, secretary of the TWO, put a question to the Burmese government on Tuesday: Is being born ethnic Palaung a sin? Aung Myo Min, executive director of Equality Myanmar who helped coordinate the press conference, told reporters that the villagers were targeted as suspected violators of Burmas Unlawful Association Law, accusing them of supporting the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA). TWO and TSYU representatives told The Irrawaddy at Tuesdays press conference that they would submit a filing to the Myanmar Human Rights Commission by the end of January concerning the alleged human right violations in areas inhabited predominantly by ethnic Palaung, with the two groups still compiling a case list. At least 30 cases involving human rights violations in Taang areas occur each month, said Lway Poe Ngea, TWOs secretary. The Burma Army and TNLA have exchanged hostilities repeatedly over the last few years, the latter being one of a handful of ethnic armed organizations engaged in ongoing conflict with the government. Burma Prominent Jailed Activist on Hunger Strike Over Presidential Protection Bill Political prisoner Naw Ohn Hla begins a hunger strike behind bars to protest proposed legislation that would grant wide-ranging immunity for ex-presidents conduct in office. Political prisoner Naw Ohn Hla began a prison hunger strike on Tuesday to protest proposed legislation that would grant wide-ranging legal immunity for ex-presidents conduct in office. The 53-year-old democracy activist has been frequently imprisoned for her advocacy of causes ranging from peace and justice to the release of political prisoners in Burma over the past two decades. She is currently serving time for a Dec. 29, 2014 protest in front of the Chinese Embassy in Rangoon following the death of a woman in Letpadaung about one week earlier. She was sentenced last year to six years and two months imprisonment for that protest, on charges including Article 18 of the Peaceful Assembly Law and Article 505(b) of the Burmese Penal Code. She and several fellow protesters had urged the government to carry out an investigation into the killing of Khin Win, who was shot dead on Dec. 22, 2014, by police at the Chinese-back Letpadaung copper mine in Monywa, Sagaing Division. Other protesters were also sentenced to between three and five years in prison, while one participant, Myat Nu Khaing, is still standing trial and ran unsuccessfully for a seat in Parliament in Burmas Nov. 8 general election. Naw Ohn Hla heads up the Democracy and Peace Women Network, which she cofounded in 2011. Min Nay Htoo, a spokesperson for the network, told The Irrawaddy that he had received a message from her through other labor rights activists who are standing trial and appeared at a court hearing he attended on Wednesday. She has refused to eat the food given to her since Jan. 5, as she opposes the Former Presidents Protection Bill, the spokesperson said. Min Nay Htoo, who regularly pays visits to political prisoners like Naw Ohn Hla, said officials at Rangoons Insein Prison were continuing to feed the activist, but she refuses to eat the food provided. I was told that the prison officials told her to follow the prison procedures by submitting a letter for hunger strikes, he said, referring to existing administrative paperwork for carrying out a hunger strike while imprisoned. Naw Ohn Hla is a former member of the National League for Democracy (NLD) who has been a leading voice of Burmas pro-democracy movement since 1988. She was dismissed from the party, which won the November election, for not abiding by its disciplinary code as she led a protest and prayer service at Shwedagon Pagoda in 2005 that called for the release of political prisoners jailed by the ruling junta of the time. Critics say the Former Presidents Protection Bill, put forward by the administration of President Thein Sein last month, would effectively allow the outgoing chief executive and his successors to act during their term of office without accountability or fear of legal repercussions, with Article 10 of the legislation stating that ex-presidents are to be immune from any prosecution for his actions during his term. The bulk of the bills other articles relate to the provision of a bodyguard for life to protect former presidents. Burma Senior NLD Member Chides Reporter for Probing Party Plans Central committee member Win Htein lashes out at a reporter for RFA, warning journalists to think seriously before asking questions to public figures. RANGOON Burmas incoming leadership has already made strides in alienating the fourth estate, drawing sharp criticism from journalists who claim Aung San Suu Kyis winning party, the National League for Democracy (NLD) is too opaque with the countrys ardent media. In the partys latest brush with the press, central committee member Win Htein lashed out at a reporter during an interview with Radio Free Asia that aired on Tuesday. At the tail end of the two-minute clip, as the reporter thanked the veteran party member for his participation, Win Htein barked with annoyance. Dont thank me, think seriously before you ask me questions, he said, after an exchange focused largely on the NLDs reluctance to reveal its presidential picks. The party won a majority of both houses of Parliament in a historic November election, granting it the power to nominate two candidatesone will be elected as president while the other will share the vice presidency with a military-backed nominee. The partys chairwoman, Suu Kyi, is ineligible due to a clause disqualifying citizens with a foreign spouse or children. Suu Kyi has repeatedly stated that she will ultimately outrank whoever the party puts forth, but has as yet given no indication of who that might be. Incessant efforts by journalists to inform the public of who is being considered as head of state are unnecessary, Win Htein said in defense of the partys secrecy. We dont want to mess this up just for your five- or 10-minute media reports. It took 27 or 28 years and the sacrifice of many lives to have a government led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, he said, explaining impatiently that the transition period will require secrecy so as not to alarm the outgoing military-backed party. The comments went viral on social media, prompting criticism of the NLDs respect for the press. Commentators chimed in that there are no stupid questions in journalism. Htein Lin, an artist known for his work on political prisonershimself formerly among themwrote on his Facebook page that the incoming governments attitude toward the press was alarming. The media is just doing their job, he said, He should not call this unnecessary, its just not the right time [to ask those questions]. Other users suggested that the party needed to professionalize its media relations. One commented that because politicians are judged by their public remarks, the NLD urgently needs a proper PR person. The NLD, which has long been the opposition party in a country ruled by a brutal military regime and its civilianized successor, has enjoyed a relatively friendly relationship with the press for decades. As it prepares to assume power, however, that rapport has suffered. Since securing a major electoral victory late last year, the party and its leader have been tight-lipped about its plans and who its leadership has been meeting, leaving the press to rely on scant public statements instead of NLD officials. MP-elects have also been advised not to engage the media to avoid making comments that could be misconstrued, Win Htein said during Tuesdays interview, reminding listeners of an incident following the NLDs first landslide victory in a 1990 election, later nullified by the generals. Kyi Maung, then-vice chairman of the party, was asked whether the NLD government would prosecute generals who had been accused of war crimes and other offenses. His answerwhile not exactly forthrightwas perceived as a threat by Maj-Gen Khin Nyunt, then a powerful intelligence agent who would later become prime minister before eventually falling out of favor. Shortly after Kyi Maungs comments, Khin Nyunt ordered the arrest of an estimated 200 NLD members. The transfer of power never took place. Recalling the ill-fated episode, Win Htein sent a warning to the media, telling RFA that, we have suffered enough. Some of Burmas most seasoned journalists offered a nuanced approach to todays predicament of balancing caution with transparency. Thiha Saw, executive director of the Myanmar Journalism Institute and one of the most prolific figures in the countrys print media, said the party should cultivate a more respectful rapport with the press, despite the need for secrecy. I think theyre being too sensitive right now, as this is the transition period; they probably dont want to make any mistakes that would affect the transfer of power, he told The Irrawaddy. Everyone has the right to answer a question or not, but [Win Hteins remarks] make it seem as though journalists are not rational thinkers. Additional reporting contributed by Kyaw Hsu Mon. Burma The Big Bike Lovers of Mandalay Once a bicycle city, Mandalay has transformed into a place increasingly distinguished by its Harley Davidsons and other big bikes. MANDALAY The area near Mandalays old moat bustles in the twilight, with visitors soaking in enchanting views of the ancient royal palace and Mandalay Hill. Sprawled across a corner of the scene are about 20 large motorcycles, representing brands from Ducati to Harley Davidson. Beside the bikes are chattering men, adorned in the seemingly requisite uniform of leather boots, jeans, and Harley jackets. They hail from Burmese Python, one of Mandalays clubs for big bike lovers, and they have caught the crowds eyes, especially those of other motorcycle enthusiasts. Mandalay was once a bicycle city, but since Burmas 2010 general election, the number of motorcycles in the historic capital of the last independent Burmese kingdom has grown dramatically, effectively turning it into a city distinguished by the presence of big bikes. In 1982, we only had Harleys, and they were so expensive that only a few people had them, said Soe Lay, a Harley Davidson buff. Theyre still expensive today, of course, but the countrys economy has opened up and gotten better since then, so more people can buy them now. A Harley Davidson bike in Burma can carry a price tag of anywhere from 10-70 million kyats (US$7,650-53,500). Ive been in love with big bikes since childhood, especially the Harley Davidson ones that used to come into my grandpas motorbike shop. It took me years to save enough money, but in 2010 my dream came true and I finally bought one, Soe Lay said, showing off his 12 million kyat ($9,100) hog. These days Soe Lay rides his Harley with his friends around Mandalay, and he has also taken over his familys motorbike shop, mostly to sate his love for big bikes. Despite the increasing number of big bike owners in the city, however, maintaining one remains a steep hurdle, given that Burma does not yet have a service center. If a bike breaks, we have to order spare parts from Thailand, which is costly. Sometimes we even have to send them to Thailand for repair. So in some more minor cases, we build the spare parts locally, using old parts from cars or other bikes, said Soe Lay. Harley Davidson Electra Glide, Super Glide and sport are Burma riders favorite styles, though Ducati and BMW brands can also be found among bike collections. According to enthusiasts, there were only 47 Harley Davidson bikes in Mandalay in 2008. Today that number hovers around 100. There has been a similar growth in the number of riding clubs. Burmese Python and Mandalay Knights are just a few of the dozens of these sorts of groups. In December riding clubs came together to hold a social gathering in Mandalay to christen the opening of yet another club, Perfect Riders. Throngs of riders from Mandalay, Monywa, Tachilek and Rangoon could be spotted with their bikes, swapping information about their rides. Most of Mandalays big bike lovers are young, and this demographic pattern, they say, brands them as outlaws in the eyes of some older residents. Due to cultural differences, people sometimes see us as rebels, moving around the city in groups with our noisy bikes, said Thet Oo, 25, of the Burmese Python club. Yet these young riders contend that they are more than their bikes. Thet Oo said that his club collects funds to aid disaster victims and that members regularly help out at charities. We love riding around with friends, and we love helping people in need. We have strict [club] rules to follow traffic laws and not to disturb the public. Most Mandalay residents love us and welcome us whenever they see us, Thet Oo said. Despite the hefty price attached to motorcycles, riders hope that the gradual opening of Burmas economy to the international market will bring in showrooms and service centers. Aung Aung, manager of Mandalay Free Rider (MFR), an amateur association of bicycle and motorcycle riders in Mandalay, echoed criticisms of Burmas current motorbike situation, adding, If we could buy bikes from showrooms in our own country [rather than import them, mostly from Thailand], it would be easier for big bike lovers. I also suspect that the [Burma] government would reduce some taxes to a reasonable rate. Biking aficionados such as Aung Aung mostly ride around the city, sometimes making it as far as Bagan or even Tachilek in Shan State. But he said that as Burma continues on its slow path to change, hopes are high that the countrys motorcycle riders will soon be able to cross borders as their foreign counterparts already do. One of the dreams of every rider is to get easier access to visasthat way, we can travel abroad with our beloved big bikes. President Xi Jinping made his first visit to the southwestern city of Chongqing on Monday since he took office as China's top leader. President Xi Jinping inspects Guoyuan Port in the Liangjiang New Area of Southwest China's Chongqing on Monday, his first workday of the new year.[Photo/Xinhua] The trip, whose many details were yet to be fully disclosed by official media, is widely watched because Chongqing, one of the four municipalities directly overseen by the central government, was once clouded by the corruption scandal of its former Party chief, Bo Xilai, now serving a life sentence. But the presidential visit on the first workday of 2016 was also seen by the domestic media as highlighting Xi's high expectations for the municipality, which has the largest population of all Chinese cities, and its role in leading changes in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and China's vast hinterlands. Connectivity and cutting-edge technology were the focus of Xi's visit to the city, the starting point of the trans-Eurasia Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe international railway route, according to Xinhua News Agency. While inspecting Guoyuan Port on Monday afternoon, Xi praised the project when he was told that countries along the rail route have all subscribed to the practice of "one check for customs clearance". The port, a comprehensive transportation hub that accommodates railways, highways and waterways, is home to 16 ship berths that can handle vessels of 5,000 dead weight tonnage. "This is full of promise," Xi said when he saw the port's various facilities. At Chongqing BOE Optoelectronic Technology Co, a branch of China's display manufacturing giant BOE, Xi examined flexible screens and ultrahigh-definition displays. Xi said "top priority should be placed on innovation", an area in which he said he expected to see major progress. Chongqing has a population of around 30 million, and its GDP in 2014 hit 1.42 trillion yuan ($217.6 billion). Ding Yifan, a senior researcher at the State Council's Development Research Center, said Xi's inspection of traffic and innovation "has actually underlined some priority tasks for the economy and reforms for the whole year". Wednesday, January 6th, 2016 (3:37 pm) - Score 3,001 Networking equipment firm TP-Link has today claimed to be the first manufacturer to launch a new broadband router (Talon AD7200) that can make use of the 802.11ad Wi-Fi standard, which is able to deliver ultra-fast speeds of up to 4.6Gbps via the 60GHz spectrum band. The IEEE Standards Association (IEEE) officially approved the new 802.11ad standard all the way back in 2013 (here), which proposed a WiFi (WLAN) solution that could deliver speeds of up to 7Gbps (Gigabits per second) by using the unlicensed 60GHz radio spectrum band (typically 57-66GHz). In October 2014 Samsung finally became one of the first to demonstrate a working 802.11ad prototype (here), which it claimed could eliminate co-channel interference (regardless of the number of devices using the same network) and would be commercialised in 2015. However in the end its TP-Links Talon AD7200 Multi-band Wi-Fi Router that looks set to be one of the first to market with this new technology, which is being powered by the 802.11ad and 11ac MU-MIMO solutions from Qualcomm Atheros. Rahul Patel, Senior VP of Qualcomm Technologies, said: Qualcomm is continually investing in new, innovative technologies to meet the increasing bandwidth demands resulting from overcrowded networks. We are leading the way with 802.11ac wave 2 with MU-MIMO to improve efficiency in the 2.4/5 GHz bands and now once again are bringing ground-breaking 802.11ad technology to commercial fruition. These technologies combined with the unique features of TP-LINKs Talon AD7200 Multi-band Wi-Fi Router are designed to improve wireless networking and user experience. As youd expect the router can also use the existing 2.4GHz (800Mbps) and 5GHz (1733Mbps) bands and is backwards compatible with prior standards. Key Features Talon AD7200: * AD7200 Multi-band with 4-Stream technology delivers up to 7200Mbps Wi-Fi speeds over 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 60GHZ bands * MU-MIMO technology enables Wi-Fi for every device with multi-user support * Powerful 1.4GHz dual-core CPU to enjoy high-speed connections without interruption * Active 60GHz adaptive beamforming enables Gigabit performance and dense deployment * 8 x Antennas with high-powered amplifiers supercharge your Wi-Fi signal * 4 x Gigabit Ethernet ports * 2 x USB 3.0 ports to share files etc. * Beamforming technology to send targeted Wi-Fi signals to individual devices * Set time limits and block websites through parental controls to keep children safe * Guest networks provide visitors with Wi-Fi access separate from your main network * Advanced security encryption to protect your data * Check network status and adjust Wi-Fi settings from your mobile device (Android, iOS) using the TP-LINK Tether App Obviously the elephant in the room here is that 60GHz band. Admittedly 60GHz affords plenty of capacity for data, yet transmissions in this spectrum also tend to suffer limited range and struggle to penetrate through any even remotely solid surfaces. Some of this can be overcome by using millimeter-wave circuit design and wide-coverage beam-forming antennas, but the laws of physics do place limitations (unless you take the ugly path of putting signal boosters in other rooms). At the same time we shouldnt forget that the 5GHz standard, using updates to the 802.11ac specification (example), continue to get faster and that is much better for a normal home network. On top of that very few computer networks or home broadband connections are able to fully utilise such performance. TP-Link expects to start shipping its new kit to the USA during early 2016 and no doubt Europe will follow. TP-Link is known for producing affordable kit, although we expect that the Talon AD7200 will be anything but cheap. In any case its probably not a good idea to get the first run of a new technology, especially since TP-Link has a mild reputation for buggy firmware at release. A passenger recently boarded an airplane with a suspected fake handgun at Beijing Capital International Airport, sparking a heated online debate, Beijing Youth Daily reports. A passenger holds a gun on a plane. [Photo/Beijing Youth Daily] Tip-offs about the incident first surfaced on China's popular social networking app WeChat on January 3, with netizens posting photos of some passengers posing with the gun for selfies on the plane, according to the report. While some netizens suspected it to be a toy or imitation gun, others, including IT industry insiders, said it looked more like a laptop battery. Police said they have received no report of the incident from either the airline company or passengers involved. And investigations are going on. China bans all replica guns, including plastic and wooden toy guns, on its airplanes. An airport security worker told the paper it is not difficult for airports to discover replica guns with the help of scanning instruments. Netizens expressed concern about the possible panic such behavior could have caused among passengers, which may have put the plane's safety at risk. How to Be a Winner: 5 Keys to Achieving Big Goals In my previous post, I wrote about Brian Hughes, former president of the worldwide MIT Alumni Association whose wife is also an MIT grad, and whose son Richard was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome at the age of 13. Hughes had raised the question of whether the children of dual-STEM couples are any more likely to be on the autism spectrum than they otherwise would be, and he shared his experience as a parent of a child with Aspergers. I subsequently had the opportunity to speak with Richard Hughes, and came away with an extraordinarily enlightening and informative perspectiveone that had eluded me even after years of writing about Aspergers Syndrome in the IT community. An engaging individual with a ready sense of humor, Hughes is also an MIT alumnus, having graduated with a degree in electrical engineering and computer science in 2008. Hes now working as a quantitative software engineer at EverQuote, a startup in Cambridge that serves as a car insurance broker and advertiser. I opened the conversation by asking Hughes about his work, and he encapsulated it this way: The goal is to use Big Data about the car insurance industry, and our customers, to connect people who need car insurance with people who have car insurance to sell, in a way that improves the situation for both of them. So we add value. Im challenged in my role. Im facing interesting technical problems. The work Im doing is morally upright and not inappropriate for my principles. As a person, I dont feel obliged to wrap my whole identity in what I do for money, to make a living. Is this what I really wanted to do with my life? Probably not. But I dont look for that in my job. I introduced the discussion of Aspergers Syndrome by recalling an interview Id done several years ago with a well-known individual who is widely understood to have Aspergers, but who insisted in response to my question about it that that wasnt the case. I told Hughes that raised the question in my mind as to whether individuals with Aspergers tend to be in denial of it. I asked Hughes for his thoughts on that, and he responded, legitimately, that it was an awkward question to be asking him. He explained why: I feel theres not much in the way of an answer I can give you that doesnt tie into the narrative thats being established by it. If I say, Yes, people who are on the spectrum tend to be in denial about it, thats a pure assertion. If I say, No, I dont feel that people who are on the spectrum are in denial about it, I feel like that will sound like Im in denial about it. But more seriously, I feel like theres a reluctance to be associated with it as a defining characteristic of yourself. There are people who have it to a degree, and there are people who dont. I mean, its definition is already in fluxtechnically speaking, Aspergers Syndrome doesnt exist. It was defined out of the [Diagnostic and Statistical Manual] not long agonow its just High-Functioning Autism, or just somewhere on the autism spectrum. If you ask me to say whether Im on the autism spectrum, yeah, obviouslyI exhibit quite a few of the personality traits. But words are just fingers pointing at the moon, and the world is what it is, regardless of what we define it as. Aspergers Syndrome and autism are just words. You have to cut past that to get to the real issue. I asked Hughes if he recognizes autism spectrum-related personality traits in other peoplethat is, whether he can identify people he meets as likely being on the spectrum. He responded that he sometimes feels he can, but not in the sense that he would be comfortable using it as any kind of diagnostic tool: I certainly see traits in people that are described as being associated with autism. I dont know if I would actually be able to say whether it was evidence that someone was on the autism spectrum or not. Theres an ongoing theory that people on the autism spectrum have an impeded theory of mind, compared to neurotypical people, which is to say theyre worse than neurotypical people at estimating the motivations and inner life of other people. But theres a competing theory Ive heard, which is that were not actually much worse at it, when dealing with other people who are on the autism spectrum. Our intuition tends to be more reliable in that case, comparable to that of neurotypical people when dealing with other neurotypical people. So the thought is not that neurotypical people are innately better or worse than us, or vice-versa, at theory of mind. But rather, they have an advantage in that almost everyone they meet has a similar mode of consciousness to them, whereas people who are on the autism spectrum almost never have to do the theory of mind tests with other people who are on the autism spectrum. I actually have no idea whether thats accurate, but its worth looking into. I referred to an article that Hughess father, Brian, had written in 2003, in which he asserted that our son learns social skills with the same difficulty most people learn math, and he learns math with the ease that most people learn social skills. I asked Hughes about that, and he said it was a reasonable analogy: I have come by my social skills very mindfully. Theyre something Ive had to put thought into, and consciously developtheyre not something that happened by accident, or intuitively, as seems to happen for a lot of other people. I feel like my social skills have developed into a reasonably well-rounded skill set. But his description of how I picked up those skills is quite apt. I had learned from Brian Hughes that his son had scored off the charts in intelligence tests as a child. So I asked Richard a probing question: If it had been an option for him when he was growing up for his social skills to be more in line with those of the general population, but in order for that to happen, his cognitive skills would have to be more in line with those of the general population as well, would he have taken that option? His response: Early in my life I might have made that decision. But by middle school or later, no, I would not have. I was comfortable in my identity, and asking me to cripple myself in one way, to lose a skill I knew I had, in order to gain a skill that I had so far muddled through without, would not be something I think I would have wanted to do. If I could have had both, that would have been lovely. So is Aspergers Syndrome a disorder that needs to be cured, or are we just talking about a set of character traits that happen to be atypical? Hughes made an insightful analogy in his response: You can pathologize something, or you can not pathologize something. For a long time, homosexuality was treated as a psychiatric disorder, and then that stopped being the casenot because homosexuality changed, but because our perspective of it changed, and the context changed. Likewise, Autism Spectrum Disorder became more viable for a variety of reasons, as our society changed. People with those personality traits are more comfortable than they used to be, not because theyve changed, but because our society has changed, and given those skills the opportunity to be applied. In this sense, the reality here is not the debate over whether autism is a disorder or a character trait. The issue is whether theres a meaningful distinction between those words in the first place. Is there anything inherent about autism, or any characteristic of ourselves, that makes something a disorder, as opposed to a personality trait? I asked Hughes if he feels hes been handicapped in any way, personally or professionally, as someone who has been diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. He said it doesnt come up much: Its not something I put on my resume. Do my residual social awkwardnesses, and my faux pas, and the way in which I slightly disjoint from mainstream forms of thought, cause me trouble? Generally speaking, not so much, but they have in the past. But the thing is, I cant say with any confidence whether the things that have caused difficulties in my life are elements of my personality that can be pigeonholed under my autism spectrum disorder traits, or the rest of me. Because Im an eccentric human being whos benefited from a lot of fortunate opportunities growing up. So the question is, is it the part of me thats just me, or the part of me that can be put underneath this category? I couldnt say. Finally, I asked Hughes what he sees as the biggest misconception that the general population has about individuals who are on the autism spectrum. He said its the notion that people on the spectrum are smarter than average: In my experience, its a different mode of thought, but theres no particular association, I would imagine, between that and high intelligence. A lot of the traits that we associate with Autism Spectrum Disorder, or with nerdiness in general, arent necessarily associated with high intellect. Theyre just associated with being interested in things that are less physical, I suppose, and more patterned. Theres nothing the average autistic person does that is in any way intellectually above that of the average neurotypical person. I am exceptionally intelligent, but I dont believe that has much to do with my Aspergers Syndrome or Autism Spectrum Disorder. I feel that some of the way my intelligence has expressed itself is shaped by my being on the autism spectrum, and having an affinity for word shape and pattern visualization. I feel like if I had been less intelligent, my intelligence would still tend toward that direction, but it wouldnt have been so noteworthy. The fact of the matter is, Im not an expert in this stuff in any real way. I am this stuff. Youre asking a fish about water. A contributing writer on IT management and career topics with IT Business Edge since 2009, Don Tennant began his technology journalism career in 1990 in Hong Kong, where he served as editor of the Hong Kong edition of Computerworld. After returning to the U.S. in 2000, he became Editor in Chief of the U.S. edition of Computerworld, and later assumed the editorial directorship of Computerworld and InfoWorld. Don was presented with the 2007 Timothy White Award for Editorial Integrity by American Business Media, and he is a recipient of the Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award for editorial excellence in news coverage. Follow him on Twitter @dontennant. Over the past year, there have been a number of disturbing developments with regards to data breaches. Not only have data breaches become more frequent, but their impact has become greater not just in the sheer volume of information or assets stolen, but in the very nature of what hackers are targeting. The extremely sensitive data lost in the White House and Office of Personnel Management breaches are prime examples. Unfortunately, given the successful breaches of high-value targets in 2015, we can be sure that 2016 will only get worse. With this horrifying direction and the gravity of whats at stake, it would be a fair expectation that most enterprises should be seriously looking at how their security needs to change. Obviously, traditional security is of little value when it comes to stopping a data breach. Intruders can easily elude preventative security generally by compromising a single user device or account and furtively conduct their business inside a network for months before being discovered. A big part of the problem is that security organizations are still focused on preventative security looking for a silver bullet that will keep an attacker out of their networks in the first place. Despite a Gartner recommendation that organizations shift security efforts toward the detection of network intruders and the emergence of promising new behavioral analytic tools and security strategies, well under 1 percent of enterprises have the ability to find a post-intrusion network attacker. Cyber criminals continue to have the potential for unimpeded, long-term success. So how will attacks change in 2016? In this slideshow, David Thompson, Sr. Director of Product Management, LightCyber, has identified data breach trends we can expect to see in 2016. 2016 Data Breach Predictions Click through for 2016 data breach trends, as identified by David Thompson, Sr. Director of Product Management, LightCyber. Investment Info Data breaches will increasingly be used to gain investment information. Most data breaches have resulted in the loss of money or other financial instruments and identity details, such as account numbers, passwords, account balances and personal identity details. Few have involved the loss of material-confidential information that could give an investor an important edge in buying or selling stock or other investments. While this was an element in the massive breach of J.P. Morgan Chase where insiders allegedly made off with more than $100 million it has been fairly uncommon. In 2015, two major newswire distribution services plus a third smaller service suffered a data breach. Typically public companies upload press releases detailing their upcoming earnings announcement or merger and acquisition announcements to such a newswire service in advance of their public announcement. An attacker could potentially get access to these files to make a substantial amount of money by acting on the information before it is made public. This actually happened, giving financial windfall to 30 or more individuals, including a hedge fund manager. At least two of the newswire services suffered attacks dating back five years, giving criminals access to over 150,000 press releases during that period. Because the services lacked the ability to effectively detect active network attackers, the criminals could carry out their schemes without fear of being seen. Health Care Data Health care companies will continue to be the top target for a data breach. According to various reports, including the recent Data Breach Index for 1H 2015 from Gemalto, health care holds the dubious distinction for having the highest number of data breach incidents compared to other industries. Ponemons Cost of Data Breach Study report confirms that the cost per record stolen is higher in health care than any other industry. Health care data still commands a 10x premium over financial and other personal information. At the same time, most health care companies lack the ability to find a network attacker that has circumvented preventative security and is in the process of exploring an unfamiliar network, gaining additional points of control and getting closer to Protected Health Information (PHI) and Personal Identity Information (PII) records. Even data encryption, greater network segmentation and additional authentication controls are unlikely to impede network attackers, as they can steal valid credentials that give them access to critical data to carry out their work. These network attacks will continue to occur in 2016 and health care will likely continue to represent the top industry to be victimized by data breaches. Leapfrogging More data breaches will leverage account leapfrogging. Perhaps most famously chronicled in the case of the White House and Office of Personnel Management (OPM) network attacks, leapfrogging is where cyber criminals penetrate the network or a personal computing device of one organization to gain valid credentialed access to another organization. In the case of OPM, it appears that attackers were able to penetrate the government agencys network by first compromising at least one computer at KeyPoint Government Solutions, a provider of investigative services for the U.S. government. From the attack on the government contractor in December 2014, attackers were able to use valid credentials to gain access to the OPM that went undiscovered until April 2015. In the case of the White House, it is believed that attackers first penetrated the State Department to then get access to the White House. Most data breaches occur as a result of a network attack lasting weeks, months or even years. Attackers generally compromise a users computer or network account through malware, spear phishing or social networking. Once a cyber criminal has access to just a single computing device or account, they can get network access and begin to systematically explore the unfamiliar network and gain additional points of control. In 2016, we will see more data-breach leapfrogging, as cyber criminals compromise an initial target to gain access to a primary one. Physical Damage There will be an increased volume of targeted attacks with damage as the primary objective. Perhaps the most famous account of a network attack that resulted in actual damage to computers and other resources was the one at Sony. Here, besides the headline-grabbing news of data and assets ex-filtrated and released to the world, the company reeled from the carnage of attackers securely deleting everything on 3,262 of Sonys 6,797 PCs and 837 of its 1,555 servers. This brought all business operations to a standstill, and the company had to resort to pen and paper, faxing and other old school means to try to get things done. Each of those computers and servers that had data wiped also had key start-up software removed or destroyed to render the computers useless without being completely rebuilt. This further ensured that the business would be impaired for weeks or months. The custom malware used also added a threatening screen to each employee computer. Whether sponsored by a foreign country or a group of malcontents, network attacks with the primary purpose of inflicting damage will likely become more common in the coming year. Email Shaming Email shaming: Increased targeted attacks with defamation as the objective. Common to the network attacks on Sony and, later, the infamous Hacking Team in Italy, company emails were released to the public to the shame and embarrassment of each business. In the case of Sony, the attackers released emails on public sites, revealing confidential and sensitive information that is still creating waves and ill will. The cyber criminals focused on emails from the top five execs from Sony studios. The postings were brought to the attention of press. In the case of Hacking Team, over 400GB of company email, passwords, internal documents and source code were leaked through a torrent posted via the companys own Twitter handle. In addition, the attackers used their access to the Hacking Teams Twitter account for over 12 hours, posting screenshots of internal emails and other items. In the coming year, there will likely be more activities that are intended to shame or damage the organization that suffers a network attack. In hopes to win the smartphone race, manufacturers unleash their flagships that are complete with new, groundbreaking features and powerful hardware specifications that can give their devices the edge against their competition. Today, Huawei has set the Consumer Electronics Show 2016 as its stage to unveil its latest flagship, the Mate 8 phablet. The Huawei Mate 8 features an impressive hardware sheet, as well as the company's skin on top of Android. It also comes with a whopping 6-inch full HD display with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 for protection. As far as hardware specifications are concerned, the Mate 8 will be the very first smartphone to run the company's homegrown Kirin 950 octa-core chipset, which is reportedly going to double the smartphone's CPU power by 100 percent and raise the GPU's performance by 125 percent as compared to the previous phone models in the lineup. It will also arrive in 3GB and 4GB variants, and storage options will go up to 64GB. For its photography prowess, the Mate 8 features a 16-megapixel primary snapper that comes with an all-new Sony IMX298 sensor. At the front, there's an 8-megapixel front camera that features "beauty algorithm" to market itself to selfie aficionados. The Huawei Mate 8 also features a 4,000mAh battery rating to further boost the device's up time. The company claims that it can go over two days, and it's also 70 percent more power efficient. It comes with quick-charging capabilities, and Huawei says it can last a full day of use with only 30 minutes of charging time. Not only that, but Huawei has also equipped the Mate 8 with a new and improved fingerprint scanner. It has a new sensor that can improve its identification prowess by 10 percent, and the speed of unlocking the device with fingerprint would be 100 times faster. The Huawei Mate 8 will arrive on the market with a US$643 price for the 3GB variant with 32GB of ROM, while the offering that includes 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage will cost about US$750. It will be available first in 30 countries in Europe, UAE, Mexico and Australia and will also arrive in several different color options: champagne gold, mocha brown, moonlight silver and space gray. Asus has been steadily building its line of ZenFone smartphones, and last year saw a camera-focused variant model, aptly named the Zenfone Zoom, that made its way to the Consumer Electronics Show. Now it seems the Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer is ready to bring it to the West as it announces a release date for its heavily anticipated camera smartphone in the United States. The Asus ZenFone Zoom, which the company tags as the "most advanced photography-focused smartphone," is pegged for a February release. The company's latest smartphone features a 13-megapixel camera with a Panasonic sensor, as well as 3x optical zoom. Further details were sparse, however. But Asus says it will be offering more about the release on Jan. 20, 2016. According to reports, the rest of the specifications is similar to the hardware sheet of the high-end ZenFone 2. With that said, the ZenFone Zoom features a 5.5-inch Full HD display with a layer of Gorilla Glass 4 on top; the revered 4GB of RAM that the ZenFone 2 heralded; a 3,000mAh battery; and an Intel Z3580 chipset as well. Storage options are also available in 64GB and 128GB variants, which are also expandable via a microSD card slot. Furthermore, its design is similar to the Nokia Lumia 1020, albeit it comes in a leather casing instead of a colorful polycarbonate plastic. However, the ZenFone Zoom runs Android 5.0 Lollipop instead of Android 6.0 Marshmallow. But with Asus launching the smartphone this year, the company may be pushing over-the-air updates to keep it up to speed with other smartphones launching within the same time frame. As for the price, the Asus ZenFone Zoom will be carrying a US$399 price tag, and it will be available in "early February." It first arrived in Taiwan December of last year, and it seems India will follow next when it will be released in the country this month. Crowdfunding site Kickstarter has been helping Tuk-Tuk to raise money for a preschool app known as BulBul. With a goal set at US$2000, the project has reached its target within 25 days. Tuk-Tuk is a travel application for children. It is a smartphone and tablet app that helps preschoolers discover places while riding on a three-wheeler vehicle. It is a visual and interactive app that uses a story-telling method to capture the children's attention. With over 60 backpackers funding Tuk-Tuk, it went to Hyderabad and made it as a Kickstarter project of BulBul Apps. Funds that will be coming from Kickstarter will be used to pay the app's writers, illustrators, animators, musicians, voiceover artists, app development, listing and testing. "Tuk-Tuk goes to Mumbai" was launched a month ago by BulBul Apps. The project has set a goal of US$2000. In 25 days, the project has reached its target with the help of Kickstarter. Bulbul Apps Founder Prakash Dantuluri stated that their startup company was featured in Kickstarter's "New and Worthy" category. With the project being featured, it got a lot of visibility and attention. International backers got a lot of interest in the app as well. However, this app genre has been ignored by foreign publishers, making it only available in English. The longevity potential of apps like Tuk-Tuk is very high. It appeals in a compelling way to children ages zero to eight years old, and crowd backers are a testimony to this. Bulbul Apps gives an opportunity to storytellers to produce content of international quality wherever they might be and provides them access to a tech-based platform, as well as a marketplace that enables the storytellers to be visible in the digital society. The apps under BulBul are nursery rhymes, videos, and interactive stories that offer learning and are COPPA complaint. Stories that are available are folktales, Indian myths, Mowgli and Bulbul, princess stories, Tuk-Tuk travel series and Krishna series. The apps can now be downloaded from Google Play, Apple Store, Windows App Store or directly from www.bulbulapps.com. South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se (R) and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida attend a joint press conference in Seoul, South Korea, Dec. 28, 2015. [Xinhua/Newsis] South Korea and Japan reached a landmark agreement over the issue of "Comfort Women," sex slaves from Korea, China and other Asian countries used by Japanese troops during the World War II. However, the credibility and sincerity of the December 28 deal is being challenged as it was reached under American pressure. Under the deal, the Japanese and Korean governments have agreed to work to restore the honor and dignity of the comfort women and heal their mental scars. Japan will provide a lump sum of 1 billion Yen (US$8.3 million) for South Korea to establish a foundation to oversee the work. As U.S. allies in Northeast Asia, Japan and South Korea play crucial roles in American strategy of the "Asian Pivot." However, recent deterioration in Japan-ROK ties due to disputes over historical issues and maritime interests has already affected implementation of the strategy. These growing tensions, meanwhile, have led to a warming of China-ROK relations. For example, the two countries signed a Free Trade Agreement on June 1, 2015. And South Korean President Park Guen-hye overrode American objections and attended the Beijing celebrations in September to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the victory over fascism in World War II. To ensure the smooth operation of its strategy and to avoid its important ally of South Korea getting closer with China, the U.S. put pressure on Japan and South Korea to resolve the "Comfort Women" issue, and finally got the result as it intended. How should China, also occupied by Japan prior to and during World War II and is an important party in Northeast Asian affairs, deal with this unexpected reconciliation? Follow China.org.cn on Twitter and Facebook to join the conversation. This domain name expired on 2022-10-16 00:21:31 Click here to renew it. VANDALS who padlocked the gates of Carpenders Park railway station on Sunday night trapped seven people who had to be rescued by the fire brigade. Crews were called to the station just after 11pm by the desperate men and women who thought they had been locked in by railway staff. Firefighters freed them by using bolt cutters before putting out a smouldering notice board on the platform. A Watford firefighter said: 'I have to say that when we got there those seven people were not very happy.' Silverlink staff who had been called to the scene by the fire brigade arranged taxis to take the men and women home and explained that the station is never locked. A spokesman said: 'All our stations are left open at night and at Carpenders Park it would be beyond our ability to shut it anyway as the area is a public right of way. 'We were very grateful to the fire brigade for their prompt action in freeing the stranded passengers and as it was so late at night we thought it best to arrange cabs for them. 'We are very concerned about fire on our railways and our CCTV tapes from the station have been pulled by police for examination. 'Vandalism not only endangers the lives of our customers and train crews but also of the vandals themselves and we don't want to see either happen.' Flash China and Britain issued a statement on Syria issue in Beijing Tuesday, agreeing to advance counter-terrorism and a political settlement in parallel. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond in Beijing of China, Jan. 5, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] The statement was issued after the talks between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his British counterpart Philip Hammond. The two countries voted in favor of the recent UN Security Council Resolution 2254 on Syria, and reconfirmed their support for a national ceasefire as set out in the resolution, said the statement. They will continue to engage actively in the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) and work with countries from around the region to ensure a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition based on the 2012 Geneva Communique, according to the statement. China and Britain stressed that the Syrian people will decide the future of Syria, with the UN playing the role as the main mediator. They expressed deep concern over the continued suffering of the Syrian people and the deteriorating humanitarian situation following the conflict, which had already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions of people. There are 13.5 million Syrians in need of humanitarian assistance, said the statement. The two countries will attend a London conference in February with other 60 countries to discuss offering immediate assistance to Syrian people, including responding to the UN's urgent request for further funding. "Both our countries face threats from terrorism, and have a shared interest in defeating all terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq as designated by the UN Security Council," said the statement. They stressed continued support for efforts to tackle terrorism and its root causes in the Middle East and North Africa regions and elsewhere, including the ongoing conflict in Syria, according to the statement. "A political settlement is the only right way out of the Syrian crisis and is in the fundamental interests of the Syrian people. We will make unremitting effort to achieve this goal," Wang said at a joint press conference with Hammond. The world does not lack the ability or resources for the use of force, but steadfast determination and action for a political solution, Wang said. "The path leading to a political settlement may be difficult, but it is an effective tool to fundamentally resolve the problem," he said. China will continue to play a constructive role in its own way, Wang added. You are here: Home Flash China and Nigeria -- the world's largest developing country and Africa's most populous nation -- have seen another boom year in their ties, with more fruits of win-win cooperation expected in 2016. Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in Johannesburg, South Africa on the sidelines of a China-Africa summit, Dec. 4, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua] China is Africa's largest trading partner with trade volume hitting 220 billion U.S. dollars in 2014. Nigeria remains China's third largest trading partner in Africa. But both countries have been affected by the sluggish world economy, with trade volume between them in the first 10 months last year standing at 12.33 billion dollars, 17.32 percent less than that of 2014. Nigeria is China's third largest investment destination in Africa. In the first half of 2015, Chinese investment in Nigeria reached 36.62 million dollars. Engineering contracts in Nigeria worth 4.36 billion dollars were signed between the two, while projects worth 1.58 billion dollars were completed. The year 2016 marks the 45th anniversary of Nigerian-Chinese diplomatic relations and all indications point to a strong diplomatic and ever-growing economic partnership. Bilateral trade has exponentially increased since the two countries established strategic relations 10 years ago. The majority of Chinese companies in Nigeria are engineering companies. Much of Nigeria's population has benefited from infrastructure improvements created by the Chinese companies. Major projects that are being built by Chinese and expected to dramatically improve Nigeria's transport system include the Abuja Light Rail, Abuja-Kaduna Railway, and Lagos Rail Mass Transit System. No doubt that China remains a strategic and dependable partner in President Muhammadu Buhari administration's determination to change the direction and content of governance in Nigeria. Buhari, who took office in May last, has promised to focus governance on the real needs of the vast majority of Nigerians. At the Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in Johannesburg, South Africa last month, he said China would always stand "shoulder-to-shoulder" with Nigeria in its quest to propel its people to prosperity. Buhari expressed expectations on Chinese investment to boost Africa's growth. "Africa expects Chinese investment flows to the real sector of our economies to promote African enterprises," he said. At the summit, President Xi Jinping announced 10 major plans for China's cooperation with Africa in the next three years, backed by a package of 60 billion U.S. dollars including grants, interest-free loans and preferential loans. Analysts say the Johannesburg Summit has clearly shown China aims to facilitate the long-term growth of other countries instead of allegedly snatching up local raw materials. Animashahun Davids, a public affairs analyst, told Xinhua the establishment of the strategic partnership between China and Nigeria in 2005 had contributed immensely to improved relations. He said the two countries were "a good and huge combination" that would benefit both sides. "With the effort being made by both governments so far, China and Nigeria's strategic partnership will have a great development in the future," he said. A new Jewish year gives us an opportunity for both personal growth and increased connection to community As we enter into the new Jewish year of 5783, it is important to acknowledge the collective adversity weve overcome this past year. It hasnt... Life in a nutshell: The Oxford Comma Please read the following sentence: I would like to thank my parents, my English teacher and G-d. At first glance, the speaker of this sentence... Flash At least 61 militants were killed and 10 others arrested in military actions over the past two days in the restive North Sinai province, Egypt's military said Tuesday. In Monday's actions in North Sinai's Arish, Sheikh Zuweid and Rafah cities, as well as other areas and mountain routes in Middle Sinai, 32 terrorists were eliminated and six suspects arrested, the military said. That adds to the 29 killed and four arrested during actions in the same areas on Sunday, a statement added. During these campaigns , the military also destroyed 80 improvised explosive devices, more than a ton of drugs and a number of machine and sniper guns. Egypt has been suffering a growing number of terrorist attacks that have killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers, after the army ousted former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule. The security forces have launched massive anti-terror operations in North Sinai that left hundreds of militants killed and many suspects arrested. The Sinai-based Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (ABM) militant group, which has changed its name to "Sinai State" and vowed loyalty to the regional Islamic State (IS) militant group, has claimed responsibility for most of the terror attacks in the country. The raids in Sinai are part of Egypt's "war against terrorism" declared by President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi following Morsi's removal. Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent will to start working as integrated group on January 14, 2016 Nokia Corp. has secured the go-ahead from offer for Alcatel-Lucent SA and Nokia Corp. have secured the go-ahead from France's securities watchdog for its 15.6 billion euro ($17 billion) merger. This is clearing the way for the takeover offer of Nokia and the integration of the two companies specialied in manufacturing of telecom-equipment, according to The Wall Street Journal. The Finnish telecom company Nokia has confirmed that it has gained 80 percent of outstanding shares at the French-American telecom company Alcatel-Lucent in a historic deal. The complete merger of the two once rival companies will be fully operational by January 14, as reported by The Stack. Nokia now holds 78.9% of its voting rights and 79.3% of Alcatel-Lucent's share capital According to an interim report released by Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF), the French stock market authority. Rejeev Suri, Nokia's president and CEO, declared that he is glad that Alcatel-Lucent's investors share his confidence in the future of the combined company and that the offer of takeover has been succesful. He added that the merger between the two telecom companies will offer a combined portfolio of the scale and scope required to meet the needs of their global customers, according to the Street Insider. Nokia also urged Alcatel-Lucent shareholders in a released statement to sell more of their remaining stock. In case that Nokia can reach 95 percent ownership of the convertible bonds, share capital and voting rights, it will be able to push out the remaning shares. Nokia's takeover deal over Alcatel-Lucent was fist announced in April 2015. The completition of the merger will allow Nokia to de-list Alcatel-Lucent in the United States. Among other plans of Nokia are included a program to return excess capital to its shareholders and to streamline its capital structure. The plan does not involve returning any capital to Alcatel-Lucent shareholders. Molly O'Malia, 14 year old aspiring model and singer broke down in tears as she recounts her conversation with Tyga, claiming that the rapper made inappropriate advances towards her. On Monday, during the press conference, O'Malia alleged that the 26 year old rapper first contacted her on Instagram. She said that she already knew Tyga and was surprised that he contacted her, but she thought that the initial communication was possibly all about her music, but Tyga however hasn't mentioned it to her. In a video obtained by TMZ, O'Malia added, "I thought that was strange, but I was thinking he would bring that up in his next message to me. However, he didn't mention it in the next message." Molly then alleged that Tyga asked her three times to talk with him through FaceTime but it made her "uncomfortable," so she stopped responding to his messages. O'Malia said she decided to come forward and revealed everything after numerous claimed that she was hooking up with Tyga and she's ruining his relationship with Kylie Jenner. Tyga on the other hand is defending himself from the allegations. His manager, Anthony Martini told TMZ that the rapper did contact Molly, but it's all just for business. He said that Tyga just got interested on contacting the young girl after they discovered she had a good musical following online and thought she can bring a good fortune on his record label, Last Kings Records. Martini insisted that the whole conversation was "strictly business" and "completely PG" and the communication never got "uncomfortable" as she claimed. They also insisted that Molly told Tyga she's already 17. The alleged conversation between Tyga and O'Malia were first released by OK! Magazine, claiming that the exchange text wasn't about business nor music. After the magazine's claimed, O'Malia's lawyer, Gloria Allred held a press conference and said that her client was "sexualized" by the tabloid. Have you seen a group of tourists on the road cramped together to fit in the screen being extended by one of their friends with a selfie stick just so they can get a group picture with the Hollywood Sign or Eiffel Tower behind them? When the selfie stick concept was created, the focus was to enhance user experience with an aid of an extension during the age of the #selfie. This unstoppable trend of tourists lugging around phone clamps and selfie wands most likely cannot be stopped. There might be an app that can kill the selfie stick once and for all. Ford Davis, a San Diego iOS Developer, feels that there is an underlying itch to the selfie convenience. Users are still forced to lug around the stick everywhere. Which is why Davis has devised an app that would at least minimize the extra weight with the help of a better self-timer software. He has concocted a face-detecting app, aptly called "Selfie Stick". The app enables users to take hands-free photos by just tilting their heads. Tilting the head triggers the timer and the countdown to your duck pout or perfect smile is then captured. The app is not in beta mode as it's already available in the iStore but users may experience some glitches. Davis created this app on his own during his free time and he explains: I'm not funded, I don't have a company or any employees so I'm not technically even a startup, just a guy with a macbook and some crazy ideas. Though this might not be enough for the "stick users" to give up the selfie-groupie kit, the app at least has face detection pingers and rear camera help, posts have indicated. The Selfie Stick app is compatible with the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch and requires iOS 9.0 or later in order to run. Americans are prevented by the interventionists to see that American foreign policies are doing the opposite of what they are supposed to do. They are actually inspiring terrorists to seek to harm United States and perpetuating terrorism. The neo-conservators consider that a full blow-black is really justified. However, people who they identify as terrorists in reality seek to attack us not because we are champions of democracy and freedom but because we occupy and bomb their countries. It is just a matter of time until their former stronghold over foreign policy will start to fade away. American citizens will soon realize that fighting terrorists brings actually more terror upon America. According to Bussiness insider, 2016 might be a dangerous year ahead. 10. When there is an event like the killings in Paris on November 13th, the neocons rush to terrify Americans even more on the television stations. They try to make citizens in agreeing to even more surveillance at home and more cuts to our civil liberties. They push the agenda of more occupation and more bombing of foreign lands. We are educated that we need to do it in order to fight the international terrorism. However, the reality is that their neocon policies actually have the opposite effect to increase terrorism. It might sound a bit harsh, but according to the 2015 Global Terrorism Index report over the last 15 years deaths from terrorism have increased dramatically. And, by chance this is exactly the period coinciding with the Bush's neocon agenda of "war on terrorism" that was presented as a means to end terrorism. According to the conclusion of the same report, the two most deadly terrorist organizations in the world, Boko Haram and ISIS, have achieved as a direct consequence of US interventions their prominence today. Michael Flynn, former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, declared that he regrets now the invasion of Iraq in light of the rise of ISIS. As Flynn put it, we asked where the terrorists came from instead of asking why they attacked us. 9. Even if Flynn is not among non-interventionists, he still does make the connection between creation of terrorist organizations such as ISIS and the US invasion of Iraq. The former head of DIA raises the issue of the reasons the terrorists might find in order to seek attacking us. The same applies to the rise of Boko Haram in Africa. This is also a direct result of a US intervention in Libya. Anyone can see today how or response to terror by bombing and invading countries in the Middle East has lead to the contrary effect that the one promoted by the neocon interventionists. 8. Before the "regime change" Boko Haram was rather a poorly-armed gang. The removal of Gaddafi left the country in chaos. The group got access to advanced weaponry, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, advanced explosives, and even light anti-aircraft artillery. This allowed them to start killing on a massive scale and overtake ISIS as the most deadly terrorist organization in the world according to the Global Terrorism Index. What's left for the interventionists is only the desperate option to draw public attention from the fact that terrorism increases as a result of their own policies. 7. Another neocon, James Woolsey, former CIA director, actually pinned the blame after the Paris attacks on NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. In his opinion this could happen because of Snowden's revelations regarding NSA surveillance. This way the terrorists became aware of the dangers and upgraded their communication devices with sophisticated encryption. However, this is hardly the reality. But long before the Snowden revelations other groups had used encryption and the attackers in Paris's terror act did not even use encryption. The raise of international terrorism has nothing to do with the former NSA employee turned whistleblower overnight. 6. The truth is that US-lead interventionism is increasing terrorism worldwide more than any leak of classified intel from the intelligence agencies. If we followed a policy of non-interventionism the world would not become a peaceful utopia but it's clear that fighting back will not bring peace either. Does anyone still believe today that continuing to apply a foreign policy that increases terrorism will suddenly lead to eradication of the plague of international terrorism? 5. The situation in Syria and the international intervention has lead to more complications rather than a peaceful solution. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan declared in an interview for CNN International that if Russia takes down a Turkish plane flying in the Syrian airspace then his country will consider it an act of aggression. According to Apa, a Turkish publication, Erdogan said that Turkey will be forced to take serious measures in this case but he declined to discuss them further. We can only assume that those measures are he is referring to are not among those usually defined as more round table diplomatic talks. 4. However, the president of Turkey made it clear that would be considered as an act of aggression against his country's rights of sovereignty and will force them to protect those rights. Obviously, this situation would represent an escalation of the situation already tensed in the region. Erdogan declared further that those to blame are those parties who side with Syria. This is totally opposite to Putin's vision, and the Russian former KGB leader tenses his muscles in a dangerous international poker game with uncertain results. 3. Turkey, a NATO member, has to change its aggressive declaration to a tone more in accord to the alliance's prudent approach. The president Erdogan said that the safety of the Russian fighting jets will be ensured by more means. Lt. Gen. Charles Brown Jr. declared for Air Force Journal that NATA forces in Syria have good connectivity with the Russians. A MOU [Memorandum of Understanding] is in place that stipulate the rules of collaboration between the two major forces in the region. It is certainly not supposed to show any hostile intent or acts hostile acts from the Russians toward the coalition or the coalition toward the Russians. Despite that a fighting jet of Russian Air Force went down as a result of Turkey fire from the sol. 2. While Turkey is part of the NATO, Russia is not in good terms with the US and the European Union. Moscow deployed in Syria on Thursday its advanced S-400 air defense system in order to protect the Russian airbase. According to Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov cited by Yahoo News, his government was counting on the fact that Russian planes destroying IS targets would not to be attacked from the any-IS coalition led by the US. It seems that Russians trusted us too much, but now they clearly are not going to repeat the same mistake again. 1. According to online publication Infowars, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that the flight path of the aircraft shot down was known to the United States. He blamed the American side, who knew about the time and location of Russian planes' flights, since the fighter jet was "hit exactly there and at that time". According to Putin, Russia's Air Force had shared the flight details with the American counterpart. This sounds like an accusation targeting the US for conspiring with Turkey to destroy the plane. Russia and Turkey might be on the verge of going to war, since the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused on Friday the Turkish government of being "secret allies" with ISIS and on Monday, the Russians made an attempt to seal the border between Turkey and Syria and rushing heavy artillery unites into Syria. Tensions between Turkey and Russia continue to escalate, and in their efforts to fight terrorism the neocon interventionists might have pushed the world closer to the danger of seeing World War III erupting in the Middle East. Celebrities have been known to promote their own personal fragrance inspired cologne or perfumes. And it seems Russian President Vladimir Putin is also branded in the scent industry. Celebrities such as Justin Bieber has The Key and Kim Kardashian has Pure Honey. And recently, a perfumer Vladislav Rekunov has created a perfume inspired by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The scent's called Leaders Number One. The perfume is cased in a glossy black bottle, fronted with an iconic side-profile of Putin in white shade. The fragrance is now on sale in Moscow at luxury department stores and valued at $95 to $130. What does it smell like? Shoppers describe the perfume with the scent of lemon, fir cones and black currant. These scents are quite known in Europe and combining them, as Rekunov describes it, is "attractive, matter-of-fact and natural." He meant the perfume to be: ...warm and well rounded and I would call it uniting, not an aggressive scent, rather it's attractive, matter-of-fact and natural. The scent over-all, for Rekunov, capture's the leader's personality. The perfumer was inspired by the president's propaganda footage which probably led to the iconic white shade side-view profile of Putin on the bottle. Leaders Number One is just the latest product out of a long line of brands in Russia that uses Putin's personality and image as a marketing and branding tool. Russian President Vladimir Putin has cultivated a strong and macho image in Russia that many find inspirational and fitting for their products. However, when a test run of the cologne was done on the streets of Moscow, the product received mixed reviews. Two locals have sampled a whiff of the scent and described the smell as "cheap perfume". Previously, Vodkas, caviars, and even iPhone cases have used the Russian president's profile emblazoned on the front for advertising, marketing and selling points, as posted online. As a mark of the beginning of her reign, Miss Universe and Filipina beauty Pia Wurtzbach has been doing a lot of interviews and shows in the US. After being robbed of her crowning moment during the pageant, Wurtzbach was given the chance to do her deserved walk as Miss Universe 2015 sans the gown on the show Live with Kelly and Michael. The host Kelly Ripa even asked Wurtzbach if ever she wanted to do the 'famous walk' for the world since she never got her chance to, to which Wurtzbach obliged as the other host Michael Strahan said: "Everybody, please welcome Miss Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach from the Philippines!" Wurtzbach gracefully walked the stage with her Karen Millen dress and pumps. Wurtzbach once again recalled the events that took turn during the event after host Steve Harvey mistakingly announced Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez as the winner. Wurtzbach said that she was telling herself that it was okay because she knew she did everything she could, she did everything very well and was pretty sure that she had made her country proud and that was good enough for her. Her manager had to reassure her that she really was the winner to which she had a "good cry" upon hearing. The beauty queen also shared to the television show her New Year's Eve experience in New York City where she was able to witness the ball drop at Times Square. In her first sit down interview with Good Morning America, Wurtzbach finally gave her two cents on Donald Trump's proposal of crown sharing, to which she responded with her firm belief that it would only make things more complicated than they already are. Meanwhile, Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez, suggestive of the idea of crown sharing as well, slams Miss Universe in an interview with Univision with the Spanish-language network, saying that she felt like the feelings of a girl worked her whole life for a dream didn't matter to them. Watch Wurtzbach's interview with Kelly and Michael here. Flash The U.S. government said Tuesday that it could not confirm that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) had conducted a hydrogen bomb test, while vowing to respond appropriately to any "provocations." "While we cannot confirm these claims at this time, we condemn any violation of UNSC (United Nations Security Council) resolutions and again call on North Korea to abide by its international obligations and commitments," White House National Security Council's spokesman Ned Price said in a statement issued late Tuesday. The statement was in response to the DPRK announcement that it had successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb test. Price added that the United States would continue to protect and defend its allies in the region, and "respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations." The "total success" of the H-bomb test, which took place at 10:00 a.m. Pyongyang time (0130 GMT), indicated that the DPRK has "proudly joined the advanced ranks of nuclear weapons states possessed of even an H-bomb," Pyongyang said in a statement carried by the state-run KCNA on Wednesday. The test has "proved the technological specifications of the newly developed H-bomb were accurate and scientifically verified the power of the smaller H-bomb," said the statement. The DPRK claimed that the test was conducted "in a safe and perfect manner" and that there was no adverse impact on the environment. It added that its development of nuclear weapons is aimed at smashing the U.S. hostile policy against it, and stressed that the DPRK would not resort to nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty was infringed on. Earlier in the day, the China Earthquake Networks Center said a 4.9-magnitude earthquake jolted the DPRK at 0130 GMT at a depth of 0 km. The U.S. Geological Survey, which also reported the temblor but initially put the magnitude at 5.1 and the depth at 10 km, later revised the depth to 0 km. SALES MANAGERS SALES REPRESENTATIVE EMDAD HR simplifies your recruitment efforts. Our experienced team of consultants, strategic partnerships with reputable International manpower agencies, and the support we receive from local regulators, means our recruitment process is seamless and timely.A Mega Manpower Co. in Saudi Arabia licensed by Ministry of Labor, looking to fill the abovepositions with the following requirements:Min. 3 years of experience in manpower supplying.Transferable IqamaSend your CV to:Email: info@emdad-hr.com Flash "If a nuclear device has been detonated by North Korea, this is a grave breach of UN Security Council resolutions and a provocation which I condemn without reservation," said British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond during his two-day visit to Beijing. His statement came after the DPRK announced Wednesday that it has successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb test. "It underlines the very real threat that North Korea represents to regional and international security," said the foreign secretary. "We will be working with other UN Security Council members to ensure the international community responds urgently and decisively to this latest activity," he added. The foreign secretary is also due to speak about these developments today with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts. He will be visiting Tokyo for high level meetings later this week. The city of Cottonwood hosted its second annual Historic Home and Building Tour on Nov. 14, an opportunity to let people get a look at some of the oldest structures in the area. The program grew compared with its inaugural year, said Ryan Bigelow, a member of the Cottonwood Historic Preservation Commission. Were really proud of a lot of improvements, Bigelow said. The attendance for the six-hour event was around 113, Bigelow said, an increase of nearly 50 percent over the 2014 event. The visitors were also all over 55 years of age and some came from as far away as Flagstaff or the Phoenix area. This years tour included four homes, five other historic buildings and the Cottonwood Ditch, a feature that Bigelow said was unique and well-received. The citys Jail Trail was also added to this years tour, the trail that lead from the old jail in Old Town, now a tea room, down to the Verde River. - Advertisement - The homes in the tour were within a two-mile area around Old Town. Bigelow said that the commission also surveyed nearly 70 percent of those in attendance in order to get some feedback on the tours success and to look towards planning for the future. Bigelow said that 2015s tour raised around $1,500. Along with matching funds from the city of Cottonwood, Bigelow said that there is around $6,000 available for historic preservation efforts. In order to qualify for the funds, buildings have to be identified and landmarked as historic; some of the buildings marked as such include the old town jail, the Cottonwood Civic Center and the old Garrison garage. Tim Elinski, a historic preservation commission member and a city councilman, said that the money was being put toward a program to provide grant funding for homeowners who want to try and work on preserving the exteriors of their buildings. The Cottonwood Historic Preservation Commission was established by the City Council in 2010 with the goal of looking at the identification, evaluation, protection, preservation and enhancement of historic properties that have significance for the city of Cottonwood. Elinski said the commission was formed in large part because of heartbreak when an old property had to be demolished. We want to promote and preserve history and provide economic development, Elinski said. We had no experience in planning a home tour and after things started to get more complicated, we decided to jump in and do it. The proceeds from the 2014 tour were set aside to eventually be spent on the project to restore the Cottonwood Civic Center, an anchor of Old Town. Elinski said that the tour would add more homes around the city and eventually have a cap placed on the number. Elinski also said that organizers were hoping to work with the Cottonwood Area Transit system in order to get people from point A to point B. Were trying hard to promote our communitys history, Elinski said. Were only looking towards the future. Children who are hungry, or just lack good nutrition, cant be expected to do their best in school. Poverty, hunger, and poor nutrition are problems we share as communities, problems that will affect the future of us all. Good for the PTA at Southwest Elementary School in taking a leading role in tackling these problems. In a storage room at Southwest Elementary School, old microscopes and scales have given way to cans of vegetables and packets of ramen, Lisa ODonnell reported in last weeks Journal West. Southwest is among a handful of schools in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools to open a food pantry for families of its students. After months of organizing and collecting food, the pantry opened for service, to about 15 families in December. ODonnell also noted that a side entrance provides some privacy to families entering the pantry. Thats thoughtful and crucial in sparing these families any embarrassment, even though they shouldnt feel that. Despite the economic comeback, plenty of people are still hurting. Thank goodness for caring people who realize that, like Jennifer Howell, a physician assistant. She coordinates the pantry for the schools PTA. After starting her daughter at Southwest last year, she saw the need. If we can feed a child, and have him come to school on Monday ready to learn, that makes sense, she told Journal West. Southwests enrollment is growing, including through its highly academically gifted program. But Howell told Journal West that 40 percent of the schools students qualify for the free and reduced lunch program, which is based on a familys income. She talked to principal Matt Dixson about starting a program of backpack meals for a weekend, like one she established at Jefferson Elementary School. He was receptive. She went to work, shifting to the pantry idea, which provides food for entire families, after talking to folks at Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina. Howell got the pantry going with Dixsons support, other PTA members and the rest of the school community. Someone donated a freezer and refrigerator unit; the PTA raised $400; others organized a food drive before Thanksgiving that yielded about 2,000 pounds of food, ODonnell wrote. Howell told Journal West: Feeding kids is an easy thing to get behind, and why would you not want to do this? Indeed. Teachers, guidance counselors and Center Grove Baptist Church have pitched in to help. The school remains on the lookout for a large donor to support the pantry and keep it sustainable, Howell said. For now, the pantry could use grocery bags, a freezer, financial donations and more food, Journal West reported. Theres still plenty of work to go around. This worthy project deserves support, as do food pantries at other schools. Today Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High 56F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Tonight A clear sky. Widespread frost likely. Low 29F. Winds light and variable. Tomorrow Mostly sunny skies. High 61F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. By of the A Muslim inmate who says Wisconsin prison guards tried to force him to break his Ramadan fast by withholding special meals deserves to have his case heard, a federal appeals court ruled. Michael L. Thompson, 38, an inmate at Waupun, said that the guards violated his First Amendment right to freely exercise his religion, which included fasting during Ramadan. Thompson, 38, is serving life for the 1995 fatal shooting of a 15-year-old boy in a gang-related confrontation in Kenosha. Milwaukee Federal magistrate judge Nancy Joseph initially granted summary judgment to the Waupun guards, but the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals this week said the case should proceed, and suggests that Thompson be given a lawyer. During the month of Ramadan, observant Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. Prisoners declared eligible by a prison chaplain get a bag of food after sunset that contains a dinner, and a breakfast to eat before the next sunrise. Eligible inmates who eat at the cafeteria during Ramadan forfeit their right to the evening meal bags. Thompson began fasting the first day of Ramadan in 2010 and got bags for about the first ten days, then wound up with two bags one night. He says he left one, unopened for the delivery guard to retrieve. The guard says Thompson was eating from both bags when he returned to Thompsons cell. The next two days, Thompson did not receive a meal bag. When he complained, he said, he was told to go to the cafeteria, but that would break his fast and make him ineligible to get the bags the rest of the month. He didn't eat at all, and then began receiving the meal bags again. Writing for a three-judge panel, Judge Ilana Rovner said that, Because of his hunger, exhaustion, and anxiety, he missed one of his morning prayers and did not properly experience Ramadan, which is meant to be a time of peace and focus. The delivery guard told Thompson he had been removed from the eligibility list for stealing a second bag, but there was no theft report, and the chaplain said he did not remove Thompson from the approval list. The defendants argued it was not a big deal for Thompson to miss two days of food, but Thompson claims they withheld the food to try and force him to break his fast, and should pay punitive damages for a deliberate violation of his rights. Joseph ruled for the defendants when she found that receiving no meal bags for just two days was not a substantial burden on Thompsons free exercise rights because he kept fasting, praying, and reading the Koran. Rovner, joined by judges Kenneth Ripple and Ann Williams, disagreed. Without the meal bags, Thompson was forced to choose between foregoing adequate nutrition or violating a central tenant of his religion. Facing that choice for only two days was not, as defendants argue, a de minimis burden. Not only did Thompson receive no proper meal for 55 hours, leaving him weak and tired, he did not know if he would ever be put back on the Ramadan list and get regular food. This uncertainty put pressure on him to resign himself to the cafeteria; the anxiety left him unable to practice Ramadan properly." By of the Plans are proceeding for a 220-room Westin Hotel near downtown Milwaukee's lakefront. An agreement to install a new city water main to serve the hotel was unanimously recommended for approval Wednesday by the Common Council's Public Works Committee. The hotel's developer will pay for the water main, which needs full council approval. JSWD Wisconsin Venture I LLC plans to build the hotel on a 37,395-square-foot vacant parcel at 550 N. Van Buren St., according to documents filed with the city. That site is between the U.S. Bank Center's Galleria and that office tower's parking structure north of E. Clybourn St. The hotel would connect to the Galleria level. Plans for the $50 million project were first disclosed in 2014. It is to be completed by June 2017. Westin is a higher-end brand owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. Other Starwood brands include Aloft, Sheraton and Four Points by Sheraton. JSWD Wisconsin's manager is Edward Carow, according to the city documents. Carow and Mark Flaherty own Jackson Street Management LLC, which operates the 160-room Aloft Hotel, 1230 N. Old World 3rd St., and the 205-room Marriott Hotel, 323 E. Wisconsin Ave. Carow and Flaherty also are converting a six-story historic office building at 744 N. 4th St. into a 150-room SpringHill Suites hotel. That $30 million project is to be completed in April. Facebook: facebook.com/JSBusiness Twitter: twitter.com/TomDaykin SHARE By of the Johnson Financial Group said Wednesday that it plans to acquire the Milwaukee investment advisory firm Cleary Gull Advisors Inc., a move that will bolster Johnson's goal of expanding its wealth management business. The acquisition will add 40 financial employees and $2.1 billion in assets under advisement to Racine-based Johnson Financial Group. Under terms of the transaction, the firm will be a subsidiary called Cleary Gull Advisors, a Johnson Financial Group Company. Michael J. Cleary, the chairman and chief executive officer of Cleary Gull, will be named president of the subsidiary. Financial details of the deal weren't disclosed. The acquisition is in keeping with a plan announced in 2014 by Thomas M. Bolger, president and CEO of Johnson Financial Group, to grow wealth management. He said the acquisition of Cleary Gull will boost wealth assets under administration by about a third, to $8.5 billion. "This is a big step," Bolger said in an interview. "This moves us from about 10% of our total revenue to just under 15% of total revenue attributable to wealth." Johnson Financial Group also is the parent company of Johnson Bank and Johnson Insurance. "We are making this move to strengthen our market presence with well-known, highly capable people dedicated to serving their clients with the kind of professional expertise and personal, caring approach that makes us distinctive in all that we do," Bolger said in a statement announcing the deal. "This move is part of our growth strategy for our wealth business and strongly demonstrates our commitment to the Milwaukee market. It positions us to be a leading provider of investment advisory and retirement planning services." Cleary Gull provides advice for high-net worth individuals and families, airline pilots, nonprofit hospitals and senior living communities nationwide. Cleary Gull's investment banking division is not included in the acquisition. Cleary Gull was founded in 1987 by Michael Cleary and several partners. "The basic strength and appeal of Johnson Financial Group is they are Wisconsin-headquartered, family-owned company and here to stay for generations," Cleary said. "What this means to investors and the marketplace is two legacy companies with deep roots in Milwaukee and Wisconsin will join forces, become bigger and better together and be able to grow in the best way." Cleary added that all clients, including its specialty practice focused on airline pilots, will have access to all Johnson Financial services, including banking and insurance. Johnson Bank is the second-largest bank based in Wisconsin. "I really think that the reputation of the firm what it stands for, the type of people who work at Cleary Gull, the culture of the firm is very compatible with who we are," Bolger said. The companies said merger talks began last summer after Johnson Financial hired Brian Andrew, who previously was president and chief investment officer of Cleary Gull, to be its chief investment officer. "I've known Tom Bolger for a number of years and always had great respect for the Johnson organization," Cleary said. "I had been thinking about the future of our firm for some time, and when Brian left last year, I reached out to Tom to start a conversation." In an interview, Cleary said: "One of the things our clients are going to be looking for in the next five to 10 years is what's next for Cleary Gull. ... This solves the problem." Cleary Gull has changed owners before. In 1998, the Boston investment banking firm Tucker Anthony Sutro acquired Cleary Gull. But in 2001, after Tucker Anthony Sutro was sold to Royal Bank of Canada-Dain Rauscher, principals and employees of Cleary Gull led a local buyback. Milwaukee's MBO Advisors merged with Cleary Gull in 2003. Cleary Gull has more than 675 clients. Johnson Financial Group offers more than 2,200 wealth clients individuals, businesses and institutions investment management, fiduciary trust services and retirement plan services. Michael Cleary will work closely with Dan Kaminski, head of wealth management for Johnson Financial Group, to integrate the companies. Cleary Gull's office is located in the 100 E. Wisconsin Ave. tower. Bolger said Johnson Financial Group plans to assume the lease for that space and may move some of its back-office investment research employees to it from Racine. SHARE By of the Shine Medical Technologies Inc., a Monona company aiming to make medical isotopes, has raised $11.5 million of debt financing, according to a filing with federal securities regulators. Shine is seeking approval to build a plant in Janesville that would produce molybdenum-99, or moly-99, an isotope that is critical for certain medical imaging tests that diagnose, monitor and treat some cancers as well as heart and brain diseases. The company said in October that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff had recommended that the agency approve a construction permit for it. Company officials say Shine is the first U.S.-based medical isotope producer to have reached the final stage in the agency's permitting process since the 1960s. Shine expects to receive the construction permit this year. Shine began raising the $11.5 million in 2013, and 93 investors were involved in the funding, the filing said. The new money brings to about $50 million the total amount Shine has raised from investors and government sources, said Katrina Pitas, vice president of business development. Shine, which grew out of technology developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, signed a long-term agreement in 2014 to supply moly-99 to GE Healthcare. Tests conducted by the two companies in November showed that moly-99 made with Shine's proprietary method worked with GE's equipment and processes, proving its market viability. Shine and Beloit-based NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes LLC both began receiving funding from the National Nuclear Security Administration in 2010 to develop production of moly-99. Production issues at nuclear reactors outside the United States and worries about nuclear proliferation have the federal government looking for ways to produce isotopes more safely at home. SHARE By , Sunnyvale, Calif. Starboard Value, the activist investor that has been on Yahoo's case for a while, is calling for a management and board overhaul at the Sunnyvale company. In a letter dated Wednesday, Starboard basically says "current management" has run out of time to implement its turnaround plan and that "dramatically different thinking is required." The investor, which owns less than 1% of Yahoo shares, also says that unless the board supports its call to change management as in, fire CEO Marissa Mayer it should go, too. "If the Board is unwilling to accept the need for significant change, then an election contest may very well be needed so that shareholders can replace a majority of the Board with directors who will represent their best interests and approach the situation with an open mind and a fresh perspective," said Jeff Smith, Starboard's managing member. The letter is the latest chapter of building pressures on Mayer, who is a native of Wausau. The letter is Starboard's somewhat delayed response to the plan that Yahoo rolled out last month, which was to cancel the spinoff of its valuable Alibaba stake (after pressure from Starboard) and say it will spin off the core Internet business instead suggesting that the moves would take about a year. Yahoo chairman Maynard Webb also pledged support for Mayer and said the company isn't for sale. In Wednesday's letter, Starboard expressed "extreme" frustration about it all and accused Webb of ignoring "inbound interest" from potential buyers of the Internet business. That business, by the way, should be fixable by people other than those who are in charge of it now, according to Smith. All they have to do is choose different priorities, concentrate on what's making money and cut costs, the letter says. Yahoo insists it is doing what it can and it is regularly talking to shareholders. "Yahoo is in the midst of a multiyear transformation. We attract more than a billion people every month and we've built a profitable, billion-dollar business in mobile, video, native and social that we expect will drive sustainable growth," a company spokeswoman said in an email. She said the company will share "additional plans for a more focused Yahoo" during its fourth-quarter earnings call, which should come at the end of the month. Mayer, the former Google executive who in 2012 was brought in to turn around Yahoo as it competes with Google, Facebook and others for ad sales, is the company's fourth CEO since co-founder Jerry Yang stepped down as chief executive in 2008. Starboard's letter comes after a Reuters report this week that other investors want Yahoo to sell its core business now, before it further deteriorates in value. Steven Avery (right) is shown in the kitchen with his mother in November 2007 before he was charged with killing Teresa Halbach. Credit: Journal Sentinel files By of the For better or worse, the buzz over the Netflix series "Making a Murderer" about Steven Avery's 2007 homicide trial is hitting fever pitch. On the worse side of that reaction, Manitowoc County Assistant District Attorney Michael Griesbach, who appears briefly in the 10-part documentary series, told WITI-TV that county officials have been threatened, presumably by outraged viewers. "We're getting threats. The sheriff's department is getting threats," Griesbach said. The WITI report, which aired Tuesday night, didn't detail the nature of the threats. Griesbach wrote a book about Avery's exoneration in 2003 for a rape Avery didn't commit and his arrest in the killing of 25-year-old Teresa Halbach. Griesbach dismisses claims that Avery was framed for the killing, telling the TV station the evidence showed Avery was guilty. The 2007 homicide case was handled by Ken Kratz, who was Calumet County district attorney at the time. Kratz had appeared early Tuesday on national TV to rebut the defense claims highlighted by the documentary. He told told ABC's "Good Morning America" that "Making a Murderer" leaves out key evidence that supported Avery's conviction. "If some of the evidence that was selected I would call it hand-picked or cherry-picked over an 18-month period didn't fit with the narrative, didn't fit with the conclusion that Mr. Avery was the product of a conspiracy or some planted evidence, it's my belief that the filmmakers just wouldn't include that information," he said. Kratz appeared later Tuesday on Fox News Channel's "The Kelly File" and elaborated on the evidence against Avery, in particular the fact that Avery's DNA was found on the hood latch of Halbach's vehicle. Avery defense attorney Dean Strang, who figures prominently in the documentary series, also appeared Tuesday on "The Kelly File" and countered that the evidence Kratz used at trial to convict Avery was well-represented in "Making a Murderer." "The fact is (Kratz's) best arguments, his best evidence, made it," Strang said. "And indeed, claims that he made that weren't evidence made it into this film. It was fair." Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com The filmmakers have been making the rounds of national media as well, including NBC's "Today" show, where they revealed Tuesday morning that a juror had contacted them claiming he or she thought Avery had been framed but backed a guilty verdict for fear of a mistrial. Without identifying the juror, the filmmakers, Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos, went into more detail in an interview with Time magazine: "The person lived in the county, feared for their safety, and also said, 'If they could frame Steven Avery, they could do it to me,' " Ricciardi told Time. They also directly respond to Kratz's claims that key evidence was left out of the series. "I think we identified the evidence Kratz was hanging his case on," Demos said. "There was always going to be something he could point to that was not in the series. But nothing I've seen him mentioned is nearly as compelling evidence of guilt as the things in the series." The victim of the 1985 rape that was incorrectly pinned on Avery also has come forward to give her thoughts not on the series, but on the aftermath of Avery's exoneration and release from prison after 18 years. Penny Beernsten, in a first-person account on the criminal justice news website The Marshall Project, describes meeting Avery for the first time and apologizing to him and his parents for misidentifying him as her attacker. "One of the things that really troubled me is that I was one of the only people who apologized to Steve," Beernsten writes. "It would have been nice if the prosecutor and sheriff had said, 'Actualy, we all got it wrong.' " Beernsten only mentions Halbach's disappearance in the final paragraph, concluding, "So my emotions regarding Steven Avery are complicated." Manitowoc County, meanwhile, has become something of a tourist destination because of the series, according to a report by the New York Post that starts with a jab at its subject. "You probably hadn't heard of Manitowoc County ... until you began binge-watching Netflix's 'Making a Murderer' series," it reads. The article doesn't provide much evidence of hordes of series viewers flocking to Wisconsin to check out the scene of the crime, though Avery's brother, Chcuk Avery, told the Post that "between 25 to 40 vehicles have come up my driveway." So we made a quick stop on our drive today... #MakingAMurderer #FreeStevenAvery A photo posted by Matt Bacaling (@bacaling) on Jan 3, 2016 at 11:15am PST By of the Residents will have a chance to give the U.S. Department of Justice their perspective of the Milwaukee Police Department during a listening session later this month. The session, scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 21 at Centennial Hall, 733 N. 8th St., is part of a two-year federal review of the department that was announced last month. Milwaukee police Chief Edward Flynn requested the "collaborative reform initiative," which is operated by the Justice Department's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS. Milwaukee is the ninth department nationwide to be granted the voluntary review, which will examine policies, training and practices. Federal authorities will do an initial assessment over eight to 10 months before making recommendations in a public report. Then they will spend 18 months following up, offering assistance and reporting to the public what recommendations have been implemented. SHARE By of the Federal regulators are seeking a final ruling in their 4-year-old lawsuit against an investment firm and one of its former executives, saying there is incontrovertible evidence that they defrauded five Wisconsin school districts in a $200 million investment scheme a decade ago. The Securities and Exchange Commission filed a motion for summary judgment in December asking U.S. District Judge Charles Clevert Jr. to dispense with a trial and rule against St. Louis-based Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. and former Senior Vice President David Noack. Attorneys for Stifel and Noack have filed counter motions denying the SEC's assertions and asking Clevert to rule in their favor, again without a trial. Clevert has yet to rule on the motions. The case is set for trial in April. C.J. Krawczyk, an attorney for the school districts, said Clevert's rulings on the motions could narrow the issues to be considered at trial or preclude the need for the trial altogether. "But I don't expect that to be the case," Krawczyk said of the latter. And any verdict, he said, would likely lead to years of appeals. "Every time I think we're getting close to the end, it's not," said Krawczyk, whose firm is also representing the districts in a state court lawsuit against Royal Bank of Canada, which manufactured the financial instruments brokered by Stifel, Nicolaus. "But it's the first time a jury will hear the evidence, and that's a milestone," he said. Noack and attorneys for Stifel and Noack could not be reached Tuesday. A spokesman for the brokerage firm, responding for the attorneys, declined to comment. The SEC sued Stifel and Noack in August 2011, alleging they defrauded the districts Waukesha, West Allis-West Milwaukee, Whitefish Bay, Kimberly and Kenosha when they sold them risky investments in 2006 as a means to fund retiree benefits, according the amended complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Milwaukee. The instruments, known as synthetic collateralized debt obligations, or CDOs, cost the districts a total of about $200 million in mostly borrowed money. The CDOs became virtually worthless after the economic crash of 2008. The SEC alleges that Noack and his firm knew the investments were risky and used their longstanding relationship with the districts to persuade them otherwise. Noack is accused of telling the districts it would take "15 Enrons" to lose money, invoking the 2001 implosion of the Texas-based energy giant that created billions of dollars in losses for investors and employees. Stifel officials had blamed the Royal Bank of Canada, saying it misled the brokerage firm about the safety and suitability of the investments, and filed a counter claim against the bank. Pending lawsuit The school districts also sued Royal Bank of Canada. That case is now pending in Milwaukee County Circuit Court and could go to trial before the end of the year, Krawczyk said. The school districts, which borrowed money and purchased the bonds through specially created trusts, have received nearly $220 million in settlements and debt-forgiveness over the last four years. That has included $30.4 million from Royal Bank of Canada in 2011 and $13 million from Stifel, Nicolaus in 2012. Stifel also agreed to pay an additional $9.5 million when the current SEC case is resolved and as much as $11 million more, depending on how the state court case is resolved. Stifel also acquired the debt of Dublin-based Depfa Bank, which had financed the trusts' acquisition of the bonds, and relieved the districts of the moral obligation to repay $154 million in trust obligations. Taken together, they are the second-largest reported settlement of civil litigation in Wisconsin history, behind the State of Wisconsin's $1.3 billion share of the national tobacco settlement in 1998, one attorney for the school districts has said. The complicated case has had national implications because some believed the Wisconsin districts were the test markets for a plan to sell the risky investments to school districts across the county, many of which are grappling with ways to fund expensive retirement obligations. Collateralized debt obligations played a central role in the 2007-'10 financial crisis and the growth of credit default swaps that allowed investors to earn billions betting that the housing and credit bubbles of the 2000s would burst. That market is the subject of the new film, "The Big Short," currently in theaters, based on the 2010 Michael Lewis book of the same name. While the trusts invested in CDOs that included credit default swaps, Krawczyk stressed that they did not invest directly in mortgage-backed securities and were not speculating on the burst of the housing bubble. "The districts believed they were investing in a portfolio of highly rated companies," he said. "What they received instead was a portfolio designed to maximize the profits of the manufacturer at their great peril." By of the Three candidates for Milwaukee County executive will compete for votes in a Feb. 16 primary election, the county Election Commission said Tuesday. A primary election also will be held in one Milwaukee County supervisor race while nine other seats on the 18-member County Board will be uncontested, with only one candidate filing nomination papers in each of those districts for the April 5 spring election, according to the final spring candidates list. The remaining eight county supervisor seats attracted two candidates each, and those contested races will be decided April 5. Milwaukee County Circuit Court features two contested races, both involving recently appointed judges. The deadline for filing nomination papers for county elections was Tuesday. Contestants who did not submit the required statement of economic interests are not eligible and will not be placed on the ballot, county Elections Director Julietta Henry said. State Sen. Chris Larson and one other challenger are attempting to unseat incumbent County Executive Chris Abele in the spring election. The top two vote-getters next month will contend for the job on the April 5 ballot. Larson is a former County Board supervisor. Abele announced his bid for re-election to a four-year term in December. The other challenger is Steve Hogan of Franklin. He is a carpenter and retired U.S. Navy officer who ran unsuccessfully for several Oak Creek and Franklin municipal offices in the early 1990s. Circuit Court Branch 45:Michelle Ackerman Havas faces lawyer Jean Kies. Branch 45 was the seat held by Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley when she was first appointed by Gov. Scott Walker. It opened again when Walker promoted Bradley to the Court of Appeals in May, before tapping her again for the high court in October. Circuit Court Branch 31: Lawyer Hannah Dugan had been running unopposed until Walker appointed assistant public defender Paul Rifelj late last month to the open seat. Dugan then dropped out of the race, only to re-enter it and gather the requisite signatures to get on the ballot. A third race, for Branch 44, from which Daniel Konkol is retiring in July, was expected to also be a contested race. Dugan had been a candidate early, then moved to the Branch 31 race after lawyer Gwen Connolly announced she would also run in Branch 44. No one else filed to run against Connolly. Four long-term incumbent circuit judges are running unopposed: Christopher Foley, Mary Kuhnmuench, Stephanie Rothstein and Glenn Yamahiro. One supervisor race features a primary: District 11: Yaghnam F. Yaghnam, Patricia T. Najera and Dan Sebring, all of Milwaukee, are contending for the seat that has been vacant since the September resignation of Mark Borkowski of Milwaukee. The other seven contested supervisor seats and the candidates are: District 5: Michael Glabere and Marcella Nicholson, both of Milwaukee, are competing for the seat held by Martin Weddle, who did not seek re-election. District 7: Supervisor Michael Mayo Sr. of Milwaukee and Valerie Sauve of Milwaukee. District 8: Tony Bloom of South Milwaukee and David L. Sartori of Cudahy are contending for the seat held by Patricia Jursik, who did not seek re-election. District 9: Supervisor Steve F. Taylor of Franklin and Patti Logsdon of Franklin. District 14: Supervisor Jason Haas of Milwaukee and Franz Meyer of Milwaukee. District 16: Supervisor John F. Weishan Jr. of West Allis and Scott Espeseth of West Allis. District 17: Supervisor Tony Staskunas of West Allis and Timothy J. Johnson of Greenfield. District 18: Supervisor Deanna Alexander of Milwaukee is being challenged by Martha R. Collins-De La Rosa. Seven incumbents and two other candidates will run uncontested: District 1 Supervisor Theodore Lipscomb Sr. of Glendale; Milwaukee resident Sequanna Taylor is the lone candidate in District 2, where the incumbent Khalif Rainey did not seek re-election; Milwaukee resident Sheldon A. Wasserman, a former state representative, is the lone candidate in District 3, where incumbent Supervisor Gerry Broderick of Milwaukee did not seek re-election; District 4 Supervisor Marina Dimitrijevic of Milwaukee's Bay View neighborhood; District 6 Supervisor Jim Schmitt of Wauwatosa; District 10 Supervisor Supreme Moore Omokunde of Milwaukee; District 12 Supervisor Peggy Romo West of Milwaukee; District 13 Supervisor Willie Johnson Jr. of Milwaukee; and District 15 Supervisor Eddie Cullen of Milwaukee. Beginning in April, supervisors will be paid an annual salary of $24,295, less than half the current base pay of $50,679. The Milwaukee County Board chair's annual salary will drop from $71,412 to $36,442 in April. Milwaukee County supervisors' terms in office will be reduced from four years to two beginning in April, under a 2013 state law known as Act 14. Judge Rebecca Bradley, a candidate for state Supreme Court, has come under fire by a liberal group for not signing a clean campaign pledge. Credit: Rick Wood SHARE In 2007, the State Bar of Wisconsin sought to rectify what it believed to be the coarsening of judicial campaigns in the state. Led by frequent Democratic donor and then-president Thomas Basting, the Bar created the Judicial Campaign Integrity Committee to regulate the tone and content of political speech used by candidates for the state Supreme Court. Earlier this week, the Wisconsin State Journal noted the fact that at the time, now Supreme Court candidate Rebecca Bradley opposed the committee's so-called "clean campaign" pledge. In a 2008 Journal Sentinel op-ed, Bradley and three other attorneys criticized the State Bar's attempts to "regulate speech by judicial candidates in a way that would be plainly unconstitutional if done by the government." Bradley and her colleagues wrote that the more advisable course would be "for candidates and their supporters to provide information they believe appropriate good, bad, even ugly and let voters decide." Naturally, the liberal group One Wisconsin Now a dark-money third party whose mission is to dig up dirt on conservatives with which to smear them weighed in this week. The group's director, Scot Ross, told the State Journal that Bradley's column called her integrity into question and said she endorsed lying in campaigns. Perhaps the irony-deficient Ross is completely unaware he is actually using campaign mudslinging to decry campaign mudslinging. One Wisconsin Now engages in myriad misinformationcampaigns, and, to my knowledge, is not bound by any "clean campaign" pledge. Does that mean it, too, lacks "integrity?" (Bradley said she adheres to the state's judicial code of ethics, which already regulates campaign activity.) But OWN's criticism serves as a useful lesson as to how such bogus "clean campaign" pledges actually put more power in the hands of special interests. If a panel such as the Judicial Campaign Integrity Committee, purporting to be the speech police, can limit what the actual candidates say, it only emboldens groups that keep their donors secret, like OWN. Political speech is like a balloon if you press down on one half, the other half only gets bigger. Restrict the speech of the candidates themselves, and you'll only grant more power to those who don't have to file any campaign reports and whose donors and spending are secret. Thus, the flowery-sounding "clean campaign" pledges actually serve to worsen the problem they purport to solve. Given all the recent consternation about third-party "coordination," in campaigns, it would seem candidates should be given more freedom to communicate with voters, not less. If candidates make spurious charges with misleading advertisements, their names are on the ad, and their donors are public. If One Wisconsin Now, on the other hand, worms its way into a news story, such as when it hysterically claimed malfeasance when Rebecca Bradley registered the "justicerebeccabradley.com" website address, nobody knows who is financially backing those efforts. It would seem transparency enthusiasts would prefer speech out in the sunlight. Further, the pledge requires candidates to disavow campaign ads that "erode public trust and confidence in the independence and impartiality of the judiciary by verbally or visually attempting to lead voters to believe that a candidate will decide issues or cases in a predetermined manner." But if this were the case, 2011 Supreme Court candidate JoAnne Kloppenburg would have had to disavow her entire campaign. As I mentioned last week, Kloppenburg all but said if she were elected to the court that she would vote to overturn Gov. Scott Walker's government union negotiating law. The Judicial Campaign Integrity Committee was disbanded in 2009, but still serves as a reminder of the unintended consequences of political speech suppression. Ironically, while Basting complained in 2008 about judicial campaigns beginning to look like legislative campaigns, a "clean campaign" pledge is typically a gimmick used in legislative races to protect incumbents worried that their challengers might criticize their records. But a race is a race, and, ultimately, it should be left to the voters to decide which candidate they prefer. Any other framework is simply outsourcing the sleaze. Christian Schneider is a Journal Sentinel columnist and blogger. Email cschneider@jrn.com. Twitter: @Schneider_CM Former Arizona congresswoman Gabby Giffords receives applause as she arrives in the East Room of the White House Tuesday to hear President Barack Obama talk about steps his administration is taking to reduce gun violence. Credit: Associated Press SHARE By It is axiomatic that congressional Republicans will oppose anything smacking of "gun control," which may as well be read as "Your mama." Thus, it comes as no surprise that President Barack Obama's announcement of executive actions to clarify and enhance federal gun laws prompted reflexive, hyperbolic responses from the right. House Speaker Paul Ryan criticized the president for a "dangerous level of executive overreach" and for circumventing congressional opposition as though Congress has been working feverishly to reduce gun violence. Rather, Republicans focus their laser beams on Obama's and the Democratic Party's political motivations, shocking to none, and remind us that we already have enough gun laws. This may well be true, but couldn't we stand to tweak them a bit? Or, perhaps, enforce them? And, isn't it possible to reduce the number of guns in the wrong hands without surrendering our Second Amendment rights or invoking the slippery slope of government confiscation? Of course it is and we can. Obama made an artful and poignant counterargument to the usual objections Tuesday during a news conference from the White House. He reminded those gathered, including many who have lost family members to gun violence, that other people also have rights the right to free assembly or the right to practice their religion without being shot. In fairness to the gun lobby, which may not deserve such charity, one can understand reservations about limiting access to guns. What is less easily understood is the refusal of Republicans to take the reins of any given issue and do something constructive rather than invariably waiting to be forced into the ignoble position of "no." It is one thing to be in the pocket of the National Rifle Association. It is another to do nothing and then assume a superior posture of purposeful neglect, as though do-nothingness were a policy and smug intransigence a philosophy. The steps Obama is trying to take won't save every life, but they seem minimally intrusive and could have significant effects. Summarizing briefly, he's clarifying existing law and more tightly defining "gun dealer" in order to impose broader background checks; upgrading technology for improved information-sharing and safer guns; increasing relevant workforces to speed up background checks; and closing loopholes that have allowed criminals to buy guns online and elsewhere with a separate set of rules. Or no rules. Giving the FBI more resources to modernize its system will help. So will giving $500 million to mental health services aimed at keeping guns away from people determined to hurt themselves or others. Requiring shippers to report stolen guns also will be helpful and investing in smart technology could be a game changer. As Obama said, tearing up at mention of the Sandy Hook shooting that took the lives of 20 first-graders, if we can keep children from opening aspirin bottles, surely we can prevent their pulling the trigger on a gun. As to expanding background checks, only the criminal or the suicidal object to waiting a day or two before taking home a gun. And if the government doesn't complete the process within three days, seller and buyer can proceed anyway. What concerns most people, meanwhile, are those weapons, especially semi-automatics with large magazines, whose only purpose is to kill people. Many argue that no current law could have prevented any of the mass shootings in recent years, but is this sufficient justification for doing nothing when doing something could make a difference we may never know about the child who didn't die because new technology prevented him from firing a pistol? The Islamic State-inspired terrorist who didn't murder holiday revelers because he failed an online background check? Obama's actions won't go unchallenged, needless to say. And much political hay will be threshed, bundled and sold to Republican primary voters in the meantime. But GOP voters should be as skeptical of those ringing the gong of doom as they have been of Obama. In a civilized society, more guns can't be better than fewer. Kathleen Parker is a columnist for The Washington Post. Email kathleenparker@washpost.com Twitter: @KathleenParker SHARE These are terrorist attacks In the Jan. 1 edition, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on a terrorist attack against Israelis as "the latest in more than three months of deadly Israeli-Palestinian violence" (World Briefing). This recent attack, like all of the other attacks, involved one or two Palestinian Arabs who attempted to murder Jewish Israeli citizens by knife or by car, but who were injured or killed during the attack. These were not military conflicts, Arab defensive actions, fights between rival gangs or communities. The attacks in Israel have been uncoordinated terror attacks by individuals or small groups with the same goal, i.e., to terrorize the population and, for the most part, the perpetrators were killed in the process. Calling these attacks "Israeli-Palestinian violence" is like calling the San Bernardino, Fort Hood, Boston or Sept. 11 terrorist attacks "American-Islamist violence." The reporting by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel of this issue is inaccurate, biased and racist. Ivan M. Lang Glendale Misleading headline? The egregiously misleading headline "Palestinians hold funerals for victims of violence" should have been accurately titled "Palestinians hold funerals for perpetrators of violence (Jan. 3). The body of the article clearly identifies that the funerals were the bodies of "attackers," not the bodies of "victims." This type of outright misinformation perpetuates the anti-Israeli/Jewish sentiment used by the uninformed in advocating the isolation of the only democratic pluralistic country in a region of monotheistic absolutism at its worst. Henry Guenther Elm Grove Punishment is necessary In a recent letter, Tom Henrichs stated, "they are wrong," referring to punishment of those who are in prisons ("The purpose of incarceration," Letters, Dec. 29). I suspect that the recent "affluenza child" who fled to Puerto Vallarta with his mother also was not punished for anything he did. What was the result? Four dead in a fatal traffic accident. I agree that those in prison need to be there to protect citizens from their lawlessness, but they also need to be punished for their behavior. How does God punish? He relegates them to hell. "Punishment is justice for the unjust" said Saint Augustine. When a civilization is in decline, it suffers from complacency and apathy. Not punishing those in need of punishment is a sign of both. Richard Bence Jackson A more humane world Pope Francis said, "There is no perfect family, there is no perfect husband, there is no perfect wife, there is no perfect mother-in-law. It's just us sinners." I would like to expand on that observation: There is no perfect country, there is no perfect nation, there is no perfect government, there is no perfect religion. Most, if not all, have killed, pillaged, raped, waged war. All are flawed, all have sinned. In a more humane world, all would make amends to their own people and others they have harmed. Surely, there is enough money, land, water, human ingenuity, mercy and kindness to make this extraordinary planet, our Earth, habitable for all forms of life. We must try, we must do better before the human species destroys itself and this planet. To love, to care or to hate and destroy. Which will we choose? Darlene Roberts Milwaukee SHARE By In interviews and on the stump, Sen. Ted Cruz likes to attack President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and "some of the more aggressive Washington neocons" for their support of regime change in the Middle East. Every time we topple a dictator, Cruz argues, we end up helping terrorists or extremists. He has a point. But what interests me is his use of the word "neocon." What does he really mean? Some see dark intentions. "He knows that the term in the usual far-left and far-right parlance means warmonger, if not warmongering Jewish advisers, so it is not something he should've done," former George W. Bush adviser Elliott Abrams told National Review. Another former Bush adviser calls the term "a dog whistle." I think that's all a bit overblown. Cruz is just trying to criticize his opponent Marco Rubio, who supported regime change in Libya. There's little daylight between the two presidential contenders on foreign policy, and this gives Cruz an opening for attack. But Abrams is right and Cruz surely knows that for many people "neocon" has become code for suspiciously Hebraic superhawk. It's an absurd distortion. At first, neocons weren't particularly associated with foreign policy. They were intellectuals disillusioned by the folly of the Great Society. As Irving Kristol famously put it, a "neoconservative is a liberal who was mugged by reality and wants to press charges." The Public Interest, the first neoconservative publication, coedited by Kristol, was a wonkish domestic policy journal. Kristol later argued that neoconservatism was not an ideology but a "persuasion." William F. Buckley, the avatar of supposedly authentic traditional conservatism, agreed. The neocons, he explained, brought the new language of sociology to an intellectual tradition that had been grounded more in Aristotelian thinking. The neocon belief in democracy promotion grew out of disgust with Richard Nixon's detente and Jimmy Carter's fecklessness, but it hardly amounted to knee-jerk interventionism. When Jeane Kirkpatrick articulated a theory of neoconservative foreign policy in Commentary magazine in 1979, she cautioned that it was unwise to demand rapid liberalization in autocratic countries, and that gradual change was a more realistic goal than immediate transformation. During the Cold War, neocons weren't any more hawkish than anyone else on the right. They were advocating containment of the Soviet Union while National Review conservatives were demanding "rollback" and Barry Goldwater was talking about nuking the Kremlin. After Sept. 11, some neoconservative intellectuals had off-the-shelf foreign policy ready for George W. Bush which, yes, was hawkish in nature, but other Republicans and even Democrats supported their prescriptions, at least at first. The association between neoconservatism and Jews stems partly from the fact that the first neocons were mostly Jewish, partly from the reality that they are all to this day gentiles included pro-Israel. Neoconservatism is a product of the Cold War. It's understandable that neoconservative intellectuals who helped win the Cold War might want to hold onto the label, but it's time to retire it. Meanwhile, the right is having a long overdue, and valuable, argument about how to conduct foreign policy. Jonah Goldberg is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a senior editor of National Review. Email goldbergcolumn@gmail.com Twitter: @JonahNRO Gov. Scott Walker said Wednesday he has asked state Attorney General Brad Schimel to review President Barack Obamas actions on gun sales to see if the state should consider filing a lawsuit in the matter. Credit: Associated Press SHARE By of the Madison Gov. Scott Walker said Wednesday that he's ready to challenge President Barack Obama's new push to regulate gun sales. The governor said he has asked state Attorney General Brad Schimel, a fellow Republican, to look into the Democratic president's attempt to bypass Congress and use his executive authority to try to require more criminal background checks on gun sales. "President Obama is again disregarding the constitutional principles of separation of powers and exceeding his authority as chief executive. The Obama administration issued guidance creating uncertainty and fear of prosecution for law-abiding citizens who wish to exercise their right to sell firearms lawfully. Forthcoming federal rules could also deprive millions of Americans of their Second Amendment rights without any indication of imminent danger," Walker said in a statement. "I have asked the attorney general to review this proposed rule language as soon as it is made available and, if issued as reported, to take any and all legal measures available to challenge this illegal act." If Wisconsin joins with other states to sue the Obama administration over this latest controversy, it would be one of several such actions by Walker, Schimel and Schimel's Republican predecessor, J.B. Van Hollen. Walker has asked the state attorney general to sue or at least consider legal action to block several of Obama's initiatives, including the health law known as the Affordable Care Act, the climate change initiative of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and changes in federal immigration policy. Obama wants to target an exemption on background checks for gun sales in cases where the seller isn't a federal registered dealer. With new federal "guidance," the administration is clarifying that even those who sell just a few weapons at gun shows, flea markets or online can be deemed dealers and required to conduct checks on prospective buyers. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett blasted Walker on Wednesday by pointing to an October 2012 shooting at a Brookfield spa in which Zina Haughton and two of her co-workers were killed by Haughton's estranged husband, who then took his own life. Despite a judge's restraining order prohibiting him from possessing a gun, Haughton's husband committed the murders with a firearm that he had bought the day before from a private seller located through the Internet. Zina Haughton's brother has called for expanding background checks, saying it might have saved his sister's life. "So my question is, 'Why does the governor want someone like this man to get a gun?' ... Politics aside, what are we doing here?" Barrett said. Schimel said that Wisconsin needed to better enforce existing gun laws. But he also said he would review the Obama administration rule and consider action to protect the "constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens." "It appears that President Obama once again intends to act unilaterally to restrict the Second Amendment and subvert the legislative process by issuing yet another executive order," Schimel said. Rep. Mandela Barnes (D-Milwaukee), a member of the Assembly, said Walker was favoring firearms groups such as the National Rifle Association over ordinary state residents. "The politics aside, it's a public safety issue how beholden are you to the gun lobby?" Barnes said of the governor. "This prioritizes the gun lobby over public safety." The Associated Press contributed to this report. State authorities are investigating a range of potential crimes at the Lincoln Hills School, a juvenile prison in Irma. Credit: Mark Hoffman SHARE By of the Madison State Corrections Secretary Ed Wall and his closest aides visited the troubled Lincoln Hills School with the local sheriff in August giving him a chance to personally assess allegations of abuse and other problems at the secure institution four months before they became public. Three months after that visit, Wall praised the two top officials responsible for the school 30 miles north of Wausau when the department announced they would both retire on Jan. 9. Two weeks after Wall sent that memo to all staff, the two officials left their jobs prematurely on Dec. 2 after a teenage inmate had to have his toes amputated when he was shoved partially into his cell and a metal door was slammed on his foot. Wall has given no explanation for why he had touted the performance of John Ourada, the school's superintendent at the time, and Paul Westerhaus, who was the administrator of the Division of Juvenile Corrections. Their departure from the agency came the same day as the first hearing was held in a John Doe probe looking into possible sexual assault, physical child abuse, intimidation of victims and witnesses, and a slew of other crimes at the school. The investigation is looking into issues at Lincoln Hills as well as at Copper Lake School, which shares the same campus and houses girls and young women. Wall, who was appointed by GOP Gov. Scott Walker in October 2012, got a firsthand look at conditions of the schools in Irma in August, four months before about 50 state agents and attorneys raided the prison. The school's visitor log shows Wall visited the school for nearly three hours on Aug. 4 and was accompanied by Deputy Corrections Secretary Deirdre Morgan, Assistant Deputy Secretary Don Friske and Lincoln County Sheriff Jeff Jaeger. For part of that time, they were joined by Detective Sgt. Thomas Barker, the lead investigator for the Sheriff's Office when assaults or other incidents occur at the schools. Wall and his team were on site from 9:09 to 11:56 a.m. to meet with Ourada, according to the log. Westerhaus was also at the institution that day. He arrived at 7:44 a.m. and left at 1 p.m., meaning he was there for about two hours longer than Wall and the others. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel first asked three weeks ago whether such a meeting had occurred, and confirmed it had happened this week when it obtained a copy of the prison's visitor log. Joy Staab, the Department of Corrections spokeswoman, issued a brief statement Wednesday that said Wall "regularly travels to DOC facilities across the state to meet with staff and stakeholders" and had made multiple visits to Lincoln Hills in 2015. That included a stop at the school the weekend before lawmakers visited the school on Dec. 21, she said. Staab did not answer questions about whether Wall or the Sheriff's Office initiated the August meeting, what was discussed or what changes were made as a result of the meeting. Walker spokeswoman Laurel Patrick did not respond to questions about whether Walker was briefed on the issue soon after the August meeting or whether he thought Wall's response to the situation after the meeting was appropriate. But in a statement, she said when the governor did learn of problems at the schools, he ordered the Department of Corrections to review its protocols, ensure use-of-force incidents were reported to Wall and take "swift and aggressive personnel action" against anyone involved in wrongdoing. Sheriff's officials referred questions to Chief Deputy Nate Walrath. He did not return a call Wednesday. Democrats and officials with the prison workers' union have argued that staffing shortages at state prisons such as Lincoln Hills are contributing to safety problems at the facilities. Wednesday, Sen. Jon Erpenbach (D-Middleton) released a memo from the Legislature's budget office showing that 18% of the 53 staff positions at Copper Lake are vacant, the second highest level of any state facility. At Lincoln Hills, 10.3% of the 232 positions are vacant, just slightly above average for Wisconsin prisons. The look into problems at the school has resulted in 10 or more staff members being put on paid leave, some of them for nearly a year. Wall's office has declined to release their names or detail the costs of having them receive pay while they are not working. The Department of Corrections began investigating issues at the schools in late 2014, and Attorney General Brad Schimel's Department of Justice got involved in January 2015. At the request of Schimel's office, Lincoln County Circuit Judge Robert Russell opened the John Doe investigation in October. The John Doe law gives the state the power to compel people to testify and produce documents as it seeks to determine whether anyone should be charged with crimes. According to court documents, Russell found there is reason to believe crimes have occurred that include sexual assault, physical child abuse, intimidation of victims and witnesses, child neglect, abuse of prisoners, strangulation and suffocation, using pepper spray to cause bodily harm or discomfort, and tampering with public records. Witnesses or subjects of the probe were called to testify on Dec. 2 and Dec. 21. Among them was Jeffrey B. Butler, the youth counselor who sources say closed the door on the inmate's foot in November. He has not been charged with any wrongdoing. On Dec. 21, Butler filed a motion to prevent him from testifying, saying the subpoena for him was improper. The subpoena was not signed and was not served with enough advance notice, according to the motion from his attorney, James Koppelman. Koppelman declined to comment Wednesday. Troy Bauch, Butler's union representative, said the Nov. 29 incident when the inmate's foot was slammed in the door came at the end of a chaotic shift in which management repeatedly declined to address concerns raised by staff about disruptions in the unit where inmates overseen by Butler were held. "It's unfortunate, but it was predictable and it was avoidable," Bauch said of the incident. At the Dec. 21 hearing, prosecutors marked a DVD as evidence but did not use it at the hearing, according to online court records. The records do not say what the DVD showed, but sources have said prosecutors have video footage of the incident involving the inmate whose foot was caught in the door. Schimel's office so far has declined to make public the list of everyone who has testified. Walnut Way steps into We Energies rate case as voice of low-income gas, electric customers Advocates say the pain of a large utility rate increase will fall hardest on low-income residents who are already struggling to make ends meet. SHARE By of the A Menomonee Falls architecture and construction firm has agreed to pay $3 million to settle civil and criminal charges that it defrauded the federal government's "Buy American" rules for contractors. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Novum Structures repackaged steel and other construction materials from foreign countries to appear as if it were sourced in the United States. The firm used the materials on government projects around the country, such as a courthouse in Illinois, a transit center in Miami and streetcar expansion in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Several federal laws require the use of American-made materials in construction projects funded in full or in part with federal funds. Novum specializes in distinctive glass enclosures, as well as atriums, canopies and skylights, according to the company website. Most of its worldwide business is for private, not government, clients. "We take this matter very seriously and accept full responsibility for our actions," Novum vice president Travis Loften said in a statement. "We have also improved our internal procedures to ensure Novum will fully comply with contractual requirements going forward." Loften said there was never any concern about the quality of materials Novum used, only their national origin, and that the noncompliant materials represented less than 3% of the value of the work Novum did on projects subject to the Buy American requirements. The case began with a whistle-blower lawsuit under the False Claims Act in 2012. Those actions get filed under seal until the government decides whether to intervene. It was unsealed this week. In the Novum case, whistle-blower Brenda King will get a $400,000 share of the $2.5 million the company agreed to pay to settle the fraud claims. It will pay an additional $500,000 in the form of a criminal fine, after the company agreed to plead guilty to concealing a material fact. In the 2012 False Claims suit, the complaint read, "Instead of providing much needed opportunities for American workers in a time of great need and high unemployment, Novum orchestrated a complex scheme designed to mislead the government and taxpayers, and deprive American workers, all while enriching themselves." King's attorney, Brian Mahany of Milwaukee, who specializes in whistle-blower actions around the country, said while federal prosecutors more and more add criminal charges in whistle-blower cases of health care fraud, it is pretty rare in procurement fraud cases. Mahany said he did not think any of the Novum structures built with the foreign materials have been found to be safety risks. King began working for Novum in 2004, according to her suit. When she brought up the fact that steel for government projects was coming from other countries without the required waiver, she was told that project managers were expected to lie about the origin of materials if asked, the suit claimed. King also said she complained to her direct boss when she was ordered in 2011 to falsify quality manuals for the Miami Intermodal Center, a project for which Novum won contracts worth more than $15 million. A year ago, a former executive at Novum was charged in state court with embezzling more than $168,000 from the company, money prosecutors said he used to buy a horse and airplane. That case is set for trial in April. A spokesman for the company said that case had no connection to the federal claims. MKE Diner News and notes on the restaurant scene from dining critic Carol Deptolla SHARE By of the The 127-year-old building housing the flagship Sobelman's Pub & Grill at 1900 W. St. Paul Ave. was ripe for repair, said co-owner Dave Sobelman, so it will be closed about a couple of weeks while work is done. Sobelman said he expects to reopen the pub on Jan. 16. The Cream City brick and stone building has been settling for decades, he said, and some of the repairs will address that. Other work will install new coolers behind the bar to replace the 1950s-era beer coolers, as well as new flooring behind the bar, ordered by a city inspector, Sobelman said. Early January is traditionally a slower time for bars and restaurants after the busy holidays, so it was an ideal time to address the repairs, Sobelman said. The pub is redirecting its patrons to the Marquette Sobelman's about a mile away, at 1601 W. Wells St., while the St. Paul Ave. pub is closed. Journal Sentinel file photo By of the Hello Milwaukee. Don't let a predicted downturn in the temperatures keep you from enjoying this frozen city. If you are hardy and hankering for something to do today, here are some options. Live music and cheap beer -- a marriage of things we love. You can have both tonight at Nomad World Pub. And, oh, why not enjoy a rousing, crowd-pleasing musical about newspapers, not that we're biased. "Newsies" just opened at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. If you are looking forward to The Rep's production of "Of Mice and Men," which opens on Jan. 19, you might well enjoy a discussion about the celebrated book that inspired the play. Join one of The Rep's longtme actors at Boswell Book Company tonight. And, as always, we recommend the weekly exploration of a John Updike story by our arts and books editor Jim Higgins. His post will go live around 8:30 a.m. at his "Recommended Reading" blog. SHARE By of the New today from PolitiFact Wisconsin: With the first year of Gov. Scott Walker's second term in the books, we turn to the Walk-O-Meter to look at the status of three promises related to higher eduction access to college courses, tuition tax credits and grants for students in "high demand" fields. All three get the same rating: Stalled. SHARE By of the Wednesday in Milwaukee is expected to be mostly sunny, with a high temperature near 35 degrees and a southwest wind of about 10 mph, according to the National Weather Service in Sullivan. There's a 20% chance of snow after midnight Wednesday and Thursday morning before a chance of rain later Thursday, according to the weather service forecast. The high temperature in Milwaukee on Tuesday was 31, 2 degrees higher than normal for Jan. 5, according to the weather service. SHARE By Kenosha Bail was set at $1.2 million Wednesday for a Wisconsin man found guilty in his wife's poisoning death, according to state court records. Mark D. Jensen, 56, was convicted in 2008 in the 1998 death of Julie Jensen in Pleasant Prairie. Prosecutors contended he poisoned her with antifreeze. Jensen was sentenced to life in prison, however an appeals court ruling upheld a federal judge's decision to overturn Jensen's conviction, setting up a retrial in Kenosha County. The three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided that a handwritten note from Julie Jensen which said "if anything happens to me, he would be my first suspect" was improperly accepted into evidence. The decision stated that the letter, written two weeks before her death, violated Mark Jensen's constitutional right to face his accusers. If Jensen posts bail he must be equipped and supervised with an electronic leg monitor, according to court records. A status conference on the case was scheduled for May 4, according to the records. SHARE By Copper City, Mich Police say a 21-year-old Wisconsin man died after crashing into a tree while snowmobiling in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. WLUC-TV reports Christopher Houchin of Salem was pronounced dead at a hospital following the Tuesday crash in Houghton County. Police say the crash happened as he was riding southbound along Trail 3 near Copper City. The cause of the crash is under investigation. SHARE By Lake Delton The community of Lake Delton has set up a place for in-person purchases of items found on Craigslist or other Internet sales sites. Village leaders say the fire station is a safe zone for the transactions. A sign posted in the parking lot says "Internet Purchase Exchange Location." Video cameras record activity. WKOW-TV reports that police say one of the department's Facebook followers suggested the safe zone, which is similar to one in Bellingham, Massachusetts. Village safety director Daniel Hardman says he hopes the idea catches on in other Wisconsin communities. SHARE By of the I spent all of Monday and Tuesday live tweeting as I watched the 10 hours of "Making a Murderer," the Netflix series on the Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey trials in the 2005 killing of Teresa Halbach. Both Avery and Dassey, Avery's then-teenage nephew, were convicted in 2007 of killing the 25-year-old photographer. The series raises questions about whether Manitowoc County sheriff's deputies who assisted Calumet County deputies in the murder investigation planted evidence to frame Avery. And it questions whether Dassey who made statements incriminating himself had adequate representation from his first lawyer. To give you a flavor of the two days of tweeting, here are nine highlighted tweets. (You can go here to read the entire feed, which includes comments from readers.) #MakingAMurderer Episode 3: In considering whether Avery was framed, fair to say law enforcement have strong desire to back each other up Tom Kertscher (@KertscherNews) January 4, 2016 #MakingAMurderer Episode 3: If local cops framed Avery, did state DOJ lawyer and investigator and asst Milwaukee DA on case have no idea? Tom Kertscher (@KertscherNews) January 4, 2016 #MakingAMurderer Episode 4: Doesn't allay other evidence vs Avery, but defense investigator orchestrating Dassey confession--astounding. Tom Kertscher (@KertscherNews) January 5, 2016 After 4 hours of #MakingAMurderer, I remember how spending years covering a murder case seeps into your pores, alters your dreams. Scary. Tom Kertscher (@KertscherNews) January 5, 2016 It's natural to wonder if we missed something big covering Avery trial. But can't ignore #MakingAMurderer is from the Avery perspective. Tom Kertscher (@KertscherNews) January 5, 2016 #MakingAMurderer Episode 5: Having been there, I wouldn't read much into facial expressions of reporters asking questions in Avery trial. Tom Kertscher (@KertscherNews) January 5, 2016 #MakingAMurderer Episode 7: Calumet sheriff saying Manitowoc sheriff only provided equipment might not fare well on the Truth-O-Meter. Tom Kertscher (@KertscherNews) January 5, 2016 #MakingAMurderer Episode 8: It bears repeating that viewers saw 10-hour film, Avery jury heard weeks of testimony. Tom Kertscher (@KertscherNews) January 6, 2016 #MakingAMurderer Episode 10: Light moment is Avery's dad popping lettuce from his garden in his mouth and saying: "Bugs and all." Tom Kertscher (@KertscherNews) January 6, 2016 A new documentary on the life and legacy of slain journalist and Marquette University grad James Foley will premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival before airing on HBO Feb. 6. Credit: Steven Senne SHARE By of the HBO will premiere a new documentary on slain journalist and Marquette University alum James Foley at this year's Sundance Film Festival. "Jim: The James Foley Story" will show in the film festival's U.S. documentary competition this month before debuting on the premium cable channel Feb. 6, HBO said in a statement. The directorial debut of Brian Oakes, "Jim" explores the life, death and legacy of Foley, who was kidnapped in 2012 and murdered by ISIS in 2014. According to HBO, Oakes Foley's childhood friend tells the 1996 Marquette graduate's story through interviews with family, friends, journalists and fellow hostages, who, according to HBO, "reveal never-before-heard details of his captivity." According to HBO, the documentary also includes the original song "The Empty Chair," by J. Ralph and Sting. Reddit Email 0 Shares By John L Hanson | (Informed Comment) | Why is it easier to buy a gun than to board a Plane? Why doesnt America change their weapon law? What is your view on the Gunlaw in the USA? I am teaching in Norwegian Upper Secondary schools this academic year as a Fulbright Scholar in American Studies, on leave from my job in an American high school. One way I engage reticent Norwegian teens is to let them write a question they have about America on a Post-it style note and and confidentially stick it to a designated space in the classroom for me to address at the end of the lesson. The above are samples of earnest questions posted about gun violence in America by Norwegian teens. The questions are not abstract for them. US gun laws affect other countries. Norway prohibits the sale of clips for hunting rifles that hold more than three bullets. So mass murderer Anders Breivik just ordered clips from the United States. My privilege is to travel the whole of Norway and engage students and teachers in topics about American history and culture. Whether I like it or not, I am seen as an ambassador for America and someone who has to answer the most pressing issues in our society. Too often I cannot give an answer. Responses I can offer, but answers have been few. These are old questions from young minds. I have struggled for an answer that I could live with and is achievable, I finally have an answer: The Second Amendment may have guaranteed a right to bear arms. But it states no right to mass killing. The Bill of Rights was adopted in 1789. In the late 18th Century, the state of the art in personal weapons allowed one person to use a firearm to kill one other person, period. The muzzleloader, with its slow rate of reloading, limited range, and sensitivity to weather made mass homicide impossible and inconceivable. Yes, one committed killer could harm another but then the assailant would face immediate and violent retribution. The muzzleloader perhaps was no more dangerous than a long knife or a cudgel. The language of the Second Amendment is static, technology is dynamic. Today, one committed person can kill scores of people, innocent civilian citizens whose occasion of geography condemned them to death. This cannot be tolerated. Yet a law exists that can support a way forward, the National Firearms Act of 1934. The Act made possession of fully automatic rifles very difficult, too difficult for them to be anything feared by the public. A special excise tax, a rigorous federal background investigation, and federal recording of transfer, made acquisition of fully automatic firearms extraordinary. When we think of machine guns we think of danger and the great responsibility that generally the military alone has to use them because they are so lethal. Because machine guns are so deadly we have chosen to attach extraordinary responsibility to their ownership. The same must now be done for the civilian implements of mass homicide. The idea of mass homicide is a powerful mental frame. Imagine using mass killings as a criterion when considering firearms and related equipment. Can this device readily facilitate mass homicide: Yes or No? One fight will be over detachable ammunition magazines, as it should be. A deer hunting rifle that holds four rounds in an internal magazine is capable of mass homicide but reloading individual rounds makes it slow, especially if the rifle is manually cycled. A firearm with a detachable magazine is more capable of mass killing. And if the gun is automatically loaded and with a detachable magazine, then we know all too well the consequences. In practical terms a scale will be best to assign increasing responsibility to firearms with greater potential for mass homicide. Imagine a four-level scale to categorize the level of lethality and responsibility. Level one would require minimal scrutiny for firearms like black-powder muzzleloaders. Level four would be maximum scrutiny for firearms that have high potential for mass homicide. What most people think of as assault rifles would join machine guns at this level. Taking on mass homicide can earn support from hunters and firearm users. One, it is hard to argue against. Two, its not a ban but an extra measure of security for the public. Without some support from gun owners, progress will be nigh on impossible. Staunching the carnage of mass shootings seems a tall order, yet there is a way forward though: a path towards more containment and increased responsibility. We can find that way forward through new language and paradigms to usher in a future where the carnages of San Bernardino, Colorado Springs, Charleston Newtown Stockton, and too many other American geographies, cannot be repeated. They damage our psychology, our rule of law and our reputation abroad. As a teacher I like to have answers. In Norway, I have gotten too many questions about mass-gun violence in America to shrug off the problem as of our incredible idiosyncrasies. My Norwegian students deserve better as does the American public. John L. Hanson, Ed.D. Related video added by Juan Cole: Bloomberg Business: Here Are Obamas New Executive Actions on Gun Control Reddit Email 0 Shares By Baher Kamal | (IPS) | MADRID (IPS) The big five i.e., the most military powerful states on earth (US, UK, France, Russia and China) have just agreed that it would be about time to end the Syrian five-year long human tragedy. Before reaching such a conclusion, they waited until 300,000 innocent civilians were killed; tons of bullets shot; three million humans lost as refugees or homeless at home; hundreds of field testing of state-of-the-art drones made, and daily US, British, French and Russian bombing carried out. So, with these statistics in hand, they on 18 December 2015 adopted United Nations Resolution 2254 (2015) endorsing a road map for peace process in Syria, and even setting a timetable for UN-facilitated talks between the Bashar al Assad regime and opposition groups. They also set the outlines of a nationwide ceasefire to begin as soon as the parties concerned had taken initial steps towards a political transition. The Syrian people will decide the future of Syria, the Resolution states. The UN Security Council also requested that the UN Secretary-General convenes representatives of the Syrian Government and opposition to engage in formal negotiations on a political transition process on an urgent basis, with a target of early January for the initiation of talks. Free and Fair Elections The big five then expressed support for a Syrian-led political process facilitated by the United Nations which would establish credible, inclusive and non-sectarian governance within six months and set a schedule and process for the drafting of a new constitution. Furthermore, the Security Council expressed support for free and fair elections, pursuant to the new constitution, to be held within 18 months and administered under United Nations supervision, to the highest international standards of transparency and accountability, with all Syrians including members of the diaspora eligible to participate. And they requested that the UN Secretary-General report back on options for a ceasefire monitoring, verification and reporting mechanism that it could support within one month. They of course also demanded that all parties immediately cease attacks against civilians. The road-map says that within six months, the process should establish a credible, inclusive and non-sectarian governance, with UN-supervised free and fair elections to be held within 18 months. The whole thing moved so rapidly that the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan di Mestura, has already set the 25 January 2016 as the target date to begin talks between the parties. All That Is Fine, But But the resolution gives no specific answer to a number of key questions: To start with, the Syrian National Coalition (SCN) has dismissed the whole idea as unrealistic, Deutsch Welle reported. The Coalition objects to a fact that the Security Councils Resolution carefully omits: what future President Assad has. According to Deutsch Welle, the SNC expressed annoyance that the UN language talked of ISIS terrorism but not of the terrorism of the Assad government. Russia has called for the transition to leave the question of governance up to the Syrians, while France and at times the US have demanded Assads immediate ousting as a condition of the deal. If so, which opposition should sit to talk with the Syrian regime? While the US, UK and France support what they decided to consider as rebel or opposition groups, Russia, Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia would have different criteria. In this regard, it was decided to work out a mechanism for establishing which rebel groups in Syria will be eligible to take part in the peace process. For this purpose, Jordan, which was tasked with listing terrorist organisations in Syria, has reportedly presented a document that includes up to 160 extremist groups. Even though, would President Bashar al-Assad be able to run for office in new elections? How will the UN monitor the requested ceasefires, and control so many different sides involved in the armed fighting, including the US, UK, France and Russia? And what if the ceasefires do not work? More Syrian civilians to die, flee, migrate? How to control DAESH and so many diverse terrorist groups operating there? What to do with those millions of Syrian refugees, scattered in the region, mainly in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey, while hundreds of thousands of them are being trafficked by organised crime bands, reportedly including DAESH itself? And last but not least, which Syria will exist at the end of the 18 months which has been fixed as a target to hold free, fair elections? Will be the current Syria or a new, refurbished one after cutting part of it to establish a brand new Sunni-stan that US neo-con, neo-liberal, Republican hawk and former George W. Bushs ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, has recently recommended to create on the territories to be liberated from DAESH in Syria and Iraq? Too many key questions without and clear answers. And too may gaps for this road-map to gain credibility. Unless the idea is to implement a Libyan-style solution, thats for another Western-led military coalition, under NATOs umbrella, to attack Syria, let Assad be murdered, and leave the people to their own fate. Exactly what happened in Libya in 2011. Licensed from Inter Press Service Related video added by Juan Cole: CCTV: UN Security Council endorses Syria peace plan Reddit Email 0 Shares By Tom Engelhardt | ( Tomdispatch.com) Its time to panic! As 2015 ended, this country was certifiably terror-stricken. It had the Islamic State (IS) on the brain. Hoax terror threats or terror imbroglios shut down school systems from Los Angeles to New Hampshire, Indiana to a rural county in Virginia. The Dallas Symphony Orchestra, citing terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, cancelled a prospective tour of Europe thanks to terror fears, issuing a statement that orchestra management believes there is an elevated risk to the safety of musicians and their families, guest artists, DSO personnel, and travelling patrons. By years end, the Justice Department had charged an unprecedented 60 people with terrorism-related crimes (often linked to social media exchanges). While just north of the border Canadas new government and its citizens were embracing the first of 25,000 Syrian refugees in an atmosphere of near celebration, citizens and government officials in the lower 48 were squabbling and panicking about the few who had made it here. (Sid Miller, the Texas agriculture commissioner, compared Syrian refugees to rattlesnakes, posting on Facebook images of snakes and refugees and asking, Can you tell me which of these rattlers wont bite you?) In the two presidential debates that ended the year, focusing in whole or part on national security, the only global subject worthy of discussion was you guessed it the Islamic State and secondarily immigration and related issues. Media panelists didnt ask a single question in either debate about China or Russia (other than on the IS-related issue of who might shoot down Russian planes over Syria) or about the relative success of the French right-wing, anti-Islamist National Front Party and its presidential candidate, Marine Le Pen (even though her American analog, Donald Trump, was on stage in one debate and a significant subject of the other). And that just begins a long list of national security issues that no one felt it worth bringing up, including the fact that in Paris 195 countries had agreed on a potentially path-breaking climate change deal. As the Dallas Symphony Orchestra signaled, Paris now means only one thing in this country: the bloody terror attack on the Eagles of Death Metal concert at the Bataclan theater and related assaults. In fact, if you were following the news here as 2015 ended, you might be forgiven for thinking that we Americans lived in a land beset by, and under siege from, Islamic terror and the Islamic State. The latest polls indicate that striking numbers of Americans now view the threat of terrorism as the countrys number one danger, see it as a (if not the) critical issue facing us, believe that it and national security should be the governments top priorities, and are convinced that the terrorists are at present winning. You would never know that, if you left out what might be called self-inflicted pain like death by vehicle (more than 33,000 deaths annually), suicide by gun (more than 21,000 annually) or total gun deaths (30,000 annually), and fatal drug overdoses (more than 47,000 annually), this is undoubtedly one of the safest countries on the planet. Over these years, the American dead from Islamic terror outfits or the lone wolves they inspire have added up to the most modest of figures, even if you include that single great day of horror, September 11, 2001. Include deaths from non-Islamic right-wing acts of terror (including, for instance, Dylann Roofs murders in a black church in Charleston), a slightly more impressive figure in recent years, and you still have next to nothing. Even if you add in relatively commonplace mass shootings, from school campuses to malls to workplaces, that are not defined as terror, and accept the broadest possible definition of such shootings (a minimum of four killed or injured), you would still have the sort of danger that couldnt be more modest compared to death by vehicle, suicide, or drugs phenomena that obsess few Americans. The Islamic State in Perspective Still, as 2016 begins, terror remains the 800-pound gorilla (in reality, a marmoset) in the American room and just about the only national security issue that truly matters. So why shouldnt I join the crowd? Who wants to be left in the lurch? But first, I think it makes sense to put the Islamic State in perspective. Yes, its a brutal, extreme religious-cum-political outfit, the sort of movement that probably could only arise on a shattered landscape in a shattered region filled with desperate souls looking for any explanation for, or solution to, nightmarish lives. There can be no question that its had remarkable success. Its self-proclaimed caliphate now controls territory the size of (to choose a common comparison) Great Britain with a population of perhaps a few million people. Since there are seldom reporters on the scene (for obvious reasons of health and well-being), we have no idea whether IS has 20,000, 30,000, 40,000, or 50,000 fighters and potential suicide bombers under arms. We do know that those arms (despite a couple of captured tanks) are generally light and the bombs largely of the homemade variety. The Islamic State has shown quite a knack for generating a stream of revenue from black market oil sales, ransoms from kidnappings, the ransacking of the regions archeological heritage, and wealthy Sunnis elsewhere in the region. In addition, its been skilled at promoting its brand in other parts of the Greater Middle East and Africa, from Afghanistan to Libya, Yemen to Nigeria, where local populations are also facing shattered landscapes, failed states, oppressive governments, and desperation. Finally, thanks to the talents of its social media militants, its shown a facility for attracting disaffected (and sometimes whacked-out) young Muslims from Europe and even the United States, as well as for inspiring lone wolves to acts meant to unnerve its enemies in Europe, the U.S., and elsewhere. So give credit where its due. Compared to a few training camps in Afghanistan the al-Qaeda model before 2001 (and again recently) this is no small thing. But the Islamic State should also be put in some perspective. Its not Nazi Germany. Its not the Soviet Union. Its not an existential threat to the United States. Its a distinctly self-limited movement, probably only capable of expanding its reach if even more of the region is laid to waste (as is, for instance, happening in Yemen right now, thanks in large part to a U.S.-backed Saudi war on the Iranian-inclined Houthi rebels). IS is so deeply sectarian that it can never gain the support of a single Shia, Christian, Alawite, or Yazidi. Its practices, religious and political, are too extreme for many of the Sunnis it might want to appeal to. It is also an embattled movement. It has already lost some of the lands it captured to U.S.-backed Kurds in both Syria and Iraq and to the U.S.-backed, U.S.-equipped, and U.S.-trained Iraqi Army as well as Shiite militias. Its extremity has clearly alienated some of the Sunnis under its control. Its unlikely to take seven decades, as in the case of the Soviet Union, to implode and disappear. On the other hand, if the Islamic State, at least in its present form, is crushed or driven into some corner and the region is liberated, one thing is guaranteed as images of the rubble and landscapes of skeletal buildings left behind at the victorious battle sites of Kobane, Sinjar, Homs, and Ramadi will tell you. Combine the massively bomb-laden, booby-trapped urban areas under Islamic State control, American air power (or, in parts of Syria, the barrel-bombing air force of the government of Bashar al-Assad and now the firepower of Russia), and fierce urban combat, and what may be left in the moment of victory could be a region in utter ruins. One expert suggests that it may take decades and cost $200 billion three times Syrias prewar gross domestic product to rebuild that country, bringing to mind the famed line from Tacitus: They make a desert and call it peace. And just remind me, whos going to help with the reconstruction of that shattered land? Donald Trump? Dont count on it. And dont for a second believe that from such devastated worlds nothing worse than the Islamic State can arise. While we may be talking about a terror machine, IS represents a far more modest and embattled one than its social media propaganda would indicate. Its ability to threaten the U.S. bears little relation to the bogeyman version of it that at present occupies the American imagination. The sole advantage the Islamic State has when it comes to this country is that it turns out to be so easy to spook us. A Republic of Insects and Grass Still, dont for a second think that terror isnt on the American agenda. You really want terror? Let me tell you about terror. And Im not talking about 14 dead (San Bernardino) or 130 dead (Paris). What about up to 140,000 dead? (The toll from Hiroshima.) What about 285 million dead? (The official estimate of the dead, had the U.S. militarys Single Integrated Operational Plan, or SIOP, of 1960 been carried out via more than 3,200 nuclear weapons delivered to 1,060 targets in the Communist world, including at least 130 cities and that didnt include casualty figures from whatever the Soviet Union might have been able to launch in response.) Or what about to move from past slaughters and projected slaughters to future ones a billion dead? Despite the recent surprise visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his Pakistani counterpart, that remains a perfectly reasonable possibility, were a nuclear war ever to develop in South Asia. India and Pakistan, after all, face each other across a heavily armed and fortified 1,800 mile border, having fought three major wars since 1947. Small armed incidents are commonplace. Imagine that to take just one possible scenario extreme elements in the Pakistani military (or other extremist elements) got their hands on some part of that countrys ever-expanding nuclear arsenal, now believed to be at about 130 weapons, and loosed one or more of them on India, starting a nuclear exchange over issues that no one else on Earth gives a damn about. Imagine that, in the course of the war that followed, each side released only 50 Hiroshima-sized weapons on the others cities and industrial areas (0.4% of the worlds more than 25,000 warheads). One study suggests that, along with the 20 million or so inhabitants of South Asia who would die in such an exchange, this modest local nuclear conflagration would send enough smoke and particulates into the stratosphere to cause a planetary nuclear winter lasting perhaps a decade. The ensuing failure of agricultural systems globally could, according to experts, lead a billion or more people to starve to death. (And once youre talking about a crisis of that magnitude, one humanity has never experienced, god knows what other systems might fail at the same time.) I hope by now youre feeling a little shudder of fear or at least anxiety. Perhaps not, though, since were remarkably well protected from thinking about the deeper terrors of our planet. And mind you, if youre talking terror, that South Asian war is penny ante compared to the sort of event that would be associated with the thousands of nuclear weapons in the arsenals of the United States and Russia. Since the Cold War ended, they have more or less been hidden in plain sight. Call it an irony of sorts, then, that nuclear weapons have loomed large on the American landscape in these years, just not the ones that could truly harm us. Instead, Americans have largely focused in the usual semi-hysterical fashion on a nuclear weapon the Iranian bomb that never existed, while Russian and American arsenals undoubtedly capable of destroying more than one Earth-sized planet have remained in place, heavily funded and largely unnoted. When you look at what might be posssible under unknown future conditions, there is no reason to stop with mere millions or even a billion dead human beings. A major nuclear exchange, it is believed, could lead to the shredding of the planetary environment and a literal liquidation of humanity: the wiping out, that is, of ourselves and the turning of this country into, in the phrase of Jonathan Schell, a republic of insects and grass. As he explained so famously in his international bestseller of 1982, The Fate of the Earth, this became a genuine possibility in the post-Hiroshima decades and it remains so today, though given scant attention in a world in which tensions between the U.S. and Russia have been on the rise. Apocalypses, Fast or Slow-Mo Its not that we dont live on an increasingly terrifying planet. We do. Its that terror fears, at least in our American world, are regularly displaced onto relatively minor threats. If you want to be scared, consider this unlikelihood: in the course of just a few centuries, humanity has stumbled upon two uniquely different ways of unleashing energy the burning of fossil fuels and the splitting of the atom that have made the sort of apocalypse that was once the property of the gods into a human possession. The splitting of the atom and its application to war was, of course, a conscious scientific discovery. Its apocalyptic possibilities were grasped almost immediately by some of its own creators, including physicist Robert Oppenheimer who played a key role in the Manhattan Project that produced the atomic bomb during World War II. As he witnessed its awesome power in its initial test in the New Mexican desert, this line from the Bhagavad Gita came to his mind: Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds. The destroyer of worlds indeed or at least, potentially, of the one world that matters to humanity. The other method of wrecking the planet was developed without the intent to destroy: the discovery that coal, oil, and later natural gas could motor economies. It was not known until the final decades of the last century that the release of greenhouse gases from the burning of such forms of energy could heat the planet in startling ways and undermine the very processes that promoted life as we had always experienced it. Its worth adding, however, that the executives of the giant oil companies knew a great deal about the dangers their products posed to Earth way before most of the rest of us did, suppressed that information for a surprisingly long time, and then invested prodigious sums in promoting the public denial of those very dangers. (In the process, they left the Republican Party wrapped in a straightjacket of climate change denial unique on the planet.) Someday, this will undoubtedly be seen as one of the great crimes of history, unless of course there are no historians left to write about it. In other words, if enough fossil fuels continue to be burned in the many decades to come, another kind of potential extinction event can be imagined, a slow-motion apocalypse of extreme weather melting, burning, flooding, sea-level rise, storming, and who knows what else. And if humanity has already managed to discover two such paths of utter destruction, what else, at present unimagined, might someday come into focus? In this context, think of the Islamic State as the minor leagues of terror, though at the moment you wouldnt know it. If we are all now the children of the holocaust of, that is, our own possible extinction and if this is the inheritance we are to leave to our own children and grandchildren, perhaps its understandable that it feels better to fear the Islamic State. Its evil is so specific, so other, so utterly alien and strangely distant. Its almost comforting to focus on its depredations, ignoring, of course, the grotesquely large hand our country had in its creation and in the more general spread of terror movements across the Greater Middle East. Its so much more comfortable to fear extreme Islamist movements than to take in two apocalyptic terrors that are clearly part of our own patrimony and, to make matters harder, one of which is likely to unfold over a time period thats hard to grasp, and the other under as yet difficult to imagine political circumstances. Its clear that neither of these true terrors of our planet and our age has to happen (or at least, in the case of climate change, come to full fruition). To ensure that, however, we and our children and grandchildren would have to decide that the fate of our Earth was indeed at stake and act accordingly. We would have to change the world. Tom Engelhardt is a co-founder of the American Empire Project and the author of The United States of Fear as well as a history of the Cold War, The End of Victory Culture. He is a fellow of the Nation Institute and runs TomDispatch.com. His latest book is Shadow Government: Surveillance, Secret Wars, and a Global Security State in a Single-Superpower World. Follow TomDispatch on Twitter and join us on Facebook. Check out the newest Dispatch Book, Nick Turses Tomorrows Battlefield: U.S. Proxy Wars and Secret Ops in Africa, and Tom Engelhardts latest book, Shadow Government: Surveillance, Secret Wars, and a Global Security State in a Single-Superpower World. Copyright 2016 Tom Engelhardt [Note for TomDispatch Readers: Were back and braced for a new year that undoubtedly will prove to be the gift that keeps on giving when it comes to the subjects this website covers! Let me offer a final thank you to TD readers for responding the way you did to our December appeal for donations. Your remarkable generosity has ensured that TomDispatch enters 2016 with its head above water, no matter how dramatically sea levels may be rising. Tom] via Tomdispatch.com Related video added by Juan Cole: RT: Muslims portrayed as terrorists while white right-wingers get a pass Arirang News | (Video Short Documentary) | So North Korea claims its a hydrogen not an atomic bomb that its tested. But what exactly is the difference and if true what would the implications be Kwon JangHo explains. Atomic bombs are also known as fission bombs as they use nuclear fission reactions to set off the explosion. They employ pieces of enriched uranium or plutonium and shoot them together to cause a chain reaction releasing a huge amount of energy. Hydrogren bombs or thermonuclear weapons are also know as fusion bombs because they require a fusion reaction between hydrogen isotopes. A fusion reaction is much bigger than that produced from a fission bomb but it requires an enormous amount of energy to trigger it. This amount of power can only be produced by a fission reaction. So in essence an Hbomb requires an Abomb inside it to set it off. The Hiroshima Abomb dropped on Japan in 1945 was recorded to have released about 15 kilotons in energy and carried a blast radius of 1.6km. The minimum yield an Hbomb is 1 megaton and a blast radius of around 30km. The largest Abomb to date was made by the U.S. called Ivy King which had a yield of 500 kilotons. The largest Hbomb ever made was the Russian Tsar Bomba which had a yield of 50 megatons 100 times more powerful than the Ivy King. An Hbomb is also said to have no potential upper yield limit unlike the Abomb. Kwon Jangho Arirang News. Arirang News: What is an H-Bomb? VANCOUVER, Jan. 6, 2016 /CNW/ - Nevada Sunrise Gold Corporation ("Nevada Sunrise" or the "Company") (TSXV: NEV) is pleased to announce it has entered into an interim agreement for an option to purchase a 100% interest in the Atlantis lithium property ("Atlantis", or the "Property") located in the Fish Lake Valley in Esmeralda County, Nevada. Atlantis is comprised of unpatented placer association claims totaling 1,262 acres (510 hectares) located approximately 25 miles (38 kilometres) northwest of the Silver Peak lithium brine mine operated by Albemarle Corporation (ALB: NYSE), the only operating lithium mine in North America. Details of the Option Agreement for Atlantis For an option to purchase a 100% interest in Atlantis, Nevada Sunrise has agreed to pay a total of 500,000 common shares of the Company to the vendor upon signing a definitive agreement (the "Agreement") for the Property, and on subsequent anniversaries of the Agreement, as follows: On signing the Agreement: 100,000 common shares 1st Anniversary: 150,000 common shares 2nd Anniversary: 250,000 common shares A 1.5 mile (2.25 kilometer) area of interest applies to the Property. Atlantis is subject to a 3.0% gross overriding royalty ("GOR"). On the 3rd anniversary of the signing of the Agreement for Atlantis, Nevada Sunrise would have the right to purchase 1.0% of the GOR for US$1.0 million. The interim letter agreement for Atlantis provides Nevada Sunrise with an exclusive 30-day due diligence period and is subject to certain conditions, including approval by the Board of Directors of the Company, execution of a definitive option agreement, and acceptance of the Agreement by the TSX Venture Exchange. For further information on Atlantis including a map showing its location, see the Company's website under "Projects-Nevada Lithium" at: http://www.nevadasunrise.ca/projects/nevadalithium/ About Atlantis Nevada Sunrise has adopted an exploration strategy targeting desert basins, or playas, that exhibit similar geological and geophysical characteristics to the Clayton Valley basin where lithium brines are known to accumulate in faulted sub-basins, or "traps". Nevada Sunrise made the decision to acquire Atlantis after a review of geological mapping that shows the presence of lithium-bearing rocks in the ranges draining into the Property, and historical ground gravity data that shows a distinct gravity low in the heart of the Atlantis claims. Nevada Sunrise believes that the interpreted gravity low indicates the presence of a deep, sub-basin that could host lithium-bearing brines. Geophysical exploration at Atlantis in the form of detailed gravity and CSAMT surveys would assist in determining if conductive brines are present at depth, followed by exploratory drilling of interpreted geophysical targets. As part of a regional lithium exploration program, the United States Geological Survey ("USGS") reported in Open-File Report 81-962 (1981) that historical drill hole FL-11a is located outside the eastern boundary of the Property, approximately 3 miles (4.5 kilometres) east of the centre of the interpreted sub-basin. Hole FL-11a was drilled to a depth of 450 feet (147 metres) and encountered lithium values in sediments ranging from 10 parts per million ("ppm") to 115 ppm and averaging 61.7 ppm for 67 samples analyzed. Lithium in sampled ground water ranged from trace at the end of the hole to 21 ppm at a depth of 55 feet (18 metres). Nevada Sunrise believes that drilling deeper holes at Atlantis within the area of the interpreted sub-basin could intersect aquifers potentially hosting trapped brines with higher contents of lithium than were encountered in the relatively shallow USGS hole drilled to the east of the gravity low anomaly. Also reported in USGS Open File Report 77-54 (1977) were the collection of 10 surface brine samples with lithium contents ranging 37 350 mg/l (ppm), and averaging 159 mg/l (ppm) to the north of the sub-basin. John R. Kerr, P. Eng., is the Company's designated Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101, and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release. About Nevada Sunrise Nevada Sunrise is a junior mineral exploration company with a strong technical team based in Vancouver, BC, Canada, that holds interests in seven exploration projects in the State of Nevada, USA. Our three key gold assets include a 21% interest in a joint venture with Pilot Gold Inc. (TSX: PLG) at Kinsley Mountain near Wendover, a 100% interest in the Golden Arrow project near Tonopah, and a 100% interest in the Roulette gold property in the southeastern Carlin trend near Ely, with each of the properties subject to certain production royalties. Nevada Sunrise began acquisitions of Nevada lithium properties in September 2015, which include options to earn 100% interests in the Neptune and Clayton Northeast projects located in the Clayton Valley area, and 100% interests in the Jackson Wash and Atlantis projects, each located in playas adjacent to the Clayton Valley. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS All statements in this release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to Nevada Sunrise Gold Corporation ("Nevada Sunrise") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, including statements that address future mineral production, reserve potential, exploration drilling, the future price of lithium, potential quantity and/or grade of minerals, potential size of a mineralized zone, potential expansion of mineralization, the timing and results of future resource estimates, or other study, proposed exploration and development of our exploration properties and the estimation of mineral resources. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "project", "predict", "potential", "targeting", "intends", "believe", "potential", and similar expressions, or describes a "goal", or variation of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "should", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievement of Nevada Sunrise to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. Such factors include, among others, risks related to the interpretation and actual results of historical exploration at the Atlantis property, reliance on technical information provided by third parties on any of our exploration properties, including access to historical information on the Atlantis property; current exploration and development activities; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; current economic conditions; future prices of commodities; possible variations in grade or recovery rates; failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; the failure of contracted parties to perform; labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals, financing or in the completion of exploration, as well as those factors discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis for the Nine Months ended June 30, 2015, which is available under Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Although Nevada Sunrise has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Nevada Sunrise disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and accordingly are subject to change after such date. Except as otherwise indicated by Nevada Sunrise, these statements do not reflect the potential impact of any non-recurring or other special items or of any dispositions, monetizations, mergers, acquisitions, other business combinations or other transactions that may be announced or that may occur after the date hereof. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans and allowing investors and others to get a better understanding of our operating environment. Nevada Sunrise does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that are included in this document, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of accuracy of this release. The Securities of Nevada Sunrise Gold Corporation have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to the account or benefit of any U.S. person. SOURCE Nevada Sunrise Gold Corporation VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Jan. 6, 2016) - Highlights: Upcoming drilling campaign to consist of 12-holes totaling 7,300m at the Pine Bay Project; Plans to follow-up on the new VMS discovery from the summer drilling campaign; Several drill holes planned to test large targets initially identified by Placer Dome and Inmet; and Drilling to commence within 15 days. Callinex Mines Inc. (the "Company" or "Callinex") (TSX VENTURE:CNX)(OTCQX:CLLXF) is pleased to provide an exploration update on the upcoming winter drilling campaign (the "Campaign") at the Company's 100% owned Pine Bay Project, located near HudBay's 777 mine and processing facilities in Flin Flon, Manitoba. The Campaign is planned to follow-up on success from the 2015 exploration campaign, which included a Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide ("VMS") discovery adjacent to the Company's Sourdough Deposit. The objective of the 2016 campaign is to identify additional high-grade VMS mineralization rich in copper, zinc, gold and silver. The Company plans to focus the Campaign on areas of the Pine Bay Project that have the potential for sizeable VMS deposits based on the latest geological, geophysical and geochemical interpretations. It is anticipated that four drill holes totaling approximately 2,300m will be completed in the Sourdough area to follow-up on the newly identified VMS mineralization and test additional targets generated since the summer drilling campaign (See Figure 1). An additional eight drill holes totaling approximately 5,000m are planned in the northern Pine Bay area, adjacent to three significant VMS deposits that occupy the upper margins of the Baker Patton Felsic Complex ("BPFC") (See Figure 1). The BPFC is one of the largest, most highly altered and relatively underexplored felsic volcanic complexes known in the Flin Flon Greenstone Belt. Max Porterfield, President and CEO, stated, "I am pleased that the collective efforts of our technical team has identified several highly prospective targets within favorable geological units. Furthermore, the ability to complete a fully funded 10,000m drilling campaign this year is a testament to Callinex' prospective project portfolio, strong technical team and supportive shareholder base. Mr. Porterfield continued, "We are excited to commence drilling in the near-term to test targets that have potential to host a large VMS deposit." Many of the planned drill holes are spaced at least 200m from historic holes to maximize the area covered by the borehole geophysical surveys and increase the probability of detecting nearby VMS lenses. Nine of the twelve drill holes planned have land-based collar locations to ensure they can be completed irrespective of winter weather conditions. Additionally, a second drill rig will be mobilized to increase the speed the Campaign can be completed and provide additional flexibility for testing the lake-based drill targets. Sourdough Area Targets One of the highest priority targets in the Campaign is to follow-up on the recent VMS discovery in the Sourdough area (See Figure 2). Drill hole SDB001 intersected 7.4m of 1.58% Cu Eq. including 2.4m of 2.2% Cu Eq. adjacent to the known Sourdough Deposit (see news release dated September 14, 2015). A borehole geophysical survey completed in SDB001 indicates the intersected zone is located in the top northern corner of a larger conductive plate that is dominantly below and south of the SDB001 intersection. A drill hole is planned to test the center of this geophysical plate that is directly related to the new copper-zinc VMS intersection in drill hole SDB001. A second drill hole is planned to test a large and highly conductive off-hole anomaly identified during the summer drilling campaign. This prominent anomaly is located along strike to the south from drill hole SDB001 and was identified from borehole surveys in drill holes SDB002 and SDB003, which encountered significant alteration within favorable stratigraphy. This target is larger and more conductive than the in-hole/off-hole anomaly associated with the VMS mineralization intersected in drill hole SDB001. The majority of meters allocated for the Sourdough area are expected to be directed towards testing these high-priority target areas. It is also anticipated that additional drilling is likely to occur based on favorable results. Pine Bay Area Targets The Pine Bay area was previously explored by Placer Dome Inc. ("Placer Dome"), which had a mandate to identify a 30 million ton VMS deposit. Callinex' 2014/2015 data compilation and digital review has provided support and refinement to several of Placer Dome's recommended drill targets. Callinex' technical team believes these targets have merit and have not been properly tested to date. Four of the eight drill holes planned for the Pine Bay area appear to be fully supported as proposed drilling or targets that were initially generated by Placer Dome or Inmet Mining Corporation ("Inmet") with the potential to represent a large VMS deposit. The Campaign is expected to commence with two deep holes to follow up on an unexplained and large alteration zone intersected over a 209m core interval and centered at a vertical depth of approximately 680m within drill hole 131-76. This highly prospective and often strong talc chlorite-bearing alteration zone is assumed to represent a portion of the deep down-plunge continuation of the Pine Bay VMS system. It has been noted by Placer Dome and others that the best indications of proximity to VMS deposits at Pine Bay are the presence of massive chlorite alteration zones within the immediate footwall of the massive sulphides. The numerous talc-chlorite intersections within hole 131-76 far exceed the talc-chlorite feeder zones typically associated with the known Pine Bay and Cabin deposits. Nearly all VMS deposits in the Flin Flon Greenstone Belt are stratigraphically underlain by appreciable chloritic alteration; the extent to which can often correlate with the size of the deposit. Two additional drill holes are proposed to test the southern and southwestern expressions of the Pine Bay host rocks; which were also recommended for additional drilling by Placer Dome in their final assessment report. The area is considered prospective based on the intermittent sulphide chlorite alteration base metal intersections in the very few drill holes that have been completed to the south and southwest of the Pine Bay deposit. In addition, the area has a favorable hanging wall setting along the southwest to northeast mineralized trend, as defined by the nearby 'stacked' Pine Bay, Cabin and Baker Patton VMS deposits, which is of considerable interest. The Company also plans to follow up on drill hole BP-4-92, which was completed along the Cabin deposit horizon by Placer Dome and intersected 20m of massive chlorite including 17.75m of 0.86% Zn plus an underlying, 0.75m thick footwall copper stringer intersection that assayed 10.0% Cu. Placer Dome completed a bore hole geophysical survey in drill hole BP-4-92 that identified an off-hole anomaly that appears to be associated with the mineralized intervals in the drill hole. This off-hole geophysical anomaly will be drill-tested this winter along with the actual down-plunge extension of the Cabin deposit that appears to open at depth. Another untested high-priority target proposed for drill testing is a 500m long coincident VTEM airborne and TDEM ground geophysical anomaly located approximately 650m to the northwest of and a few hundred meters stratigraphically above the Pine Bay deposit. Although Inmet completed one drill hole in the general vicinity in 1996 it does not appear to have tested the anomaly based on a recent review of the geological and geophysical data. A lake-based drill hole is planned to test this anomaly during the Campaign. The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by James Pickell, P.Geo, a Consultant to the Company, and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. To view Figure 1: Pine Bay Overview Map with Proposed Drill Holes, click the following link: http://www.callinex.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/PineBayMapDEC20152.jpg To view Figure 2: New VMS Zone Intersected in Hole SDB001, click the following link: http://www.callinex.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Sourdough-BH-Anomaly-SDB001-Trace.jpg About Callinex Mines Inc. Callinex Mines Inc., a Canadian mineral exploration company, is focused on discovering the next copper-zinc rich VMS mine within Manitoba's prolific Flin Flon mining district. The Company's flagship project is the Pine Bay Project which hosts significant historic VMS deposits that are within close proximity to a processing facility. The Flin Flon district has yielded more than 145 million tonnes of production from 32 mines. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Some statements in this news release contain forward-looking information. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to future expenditures. These statements address future events and conditions and, as such, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the statements. Such factors include, among others, the ability to complete contemplated work programs and the timing and amount of expenditures. Callinex does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement. A striking transaction has been announced in the private-equity world, with US buy-out house Catterton to join forces with the investment arm of luxury goods group LVMH. Catterton, an investor in US food businesses Ferrara Candy Co. and gluten-free snacks maker Beanitos, is to combine with L Capital, the private-equity arm of a group that owns products from Moet Champagne and Hennessy Cognac to Christian Dior perfumes and Louis Vuitton handbags. It is the kind of deal not often seen in private-equity circles. The new firm will be called L Catterton. The two sides said the new group would be the largest, global consumer-focused investment firm and would look at assets in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia. They expect L Catterton expects to grow its assets under management to more than $12bn after various successor funds are closed. The partners behind L Catterton will have a 60% stake, with the rest jointly owned by LVMH and Groupe Arnault, the family holding company of Bernard Arnault, the chairman and CEO of the French group. Catterton managing partners Michael Chu and Scott Dahnke will be the enlarged firms global co-CEOs. The globalisation of media and technology, combined with increasingly permeable geographic borders, is driving rapid consumer growth on an unprecedented global scale, Dahnke said. Together, Catterton and L Capital will create a global consumer investing franchise with unmatched access to resources in the industry. We expect this combination to further our mission of investing in high growth opportunities in categories with attractive consumer economics. Mr Arnault said LVMH had been an investor in Cattertons funds since 1998. He said the transaction would combine our global network and industry expertise with Cattertons long-standing operational approach to building value in consumer investments. The deal is expected to close in the early part of the year. As well as Ferrara and Beanitos, its assets will include frozen fruit and veg supplier Alasko and Canadian bottled water supplier Naya. Broadly, private-equity firms interested in the food and beverage sectors have been facing increased competition from trade bidders, with M&A watchers noting an increasing willingness among packaged food groups to buy smaller companies, which traditionally would have been more likely to have seen private-equity investment, in their quest to inject growth into their businesses. Catterton also already has interests in a range of foodservice outlets including fresh food operator Chopt, fast-casual chain Mendocino Farms and noodle chain Noodles & Co. More private-equity firms are showing an increased appetite for foodservice. With the growth of the channel outpacing the retail sector, foodservice is being seen as a good place to put funds. L Catterton, then, will face stiff competition for assets but its new strength will have rival buy-out houses and trade players taking notice. Furthermore, the new entity could be handily placed to invest in consumer-facing businesses in emerging markets, especially with LVMHs experience in countries like China. Whatever, the first major M&A transaction of 2016 has, intriguingly, come between private-equity players and right along the consumer-facing parts of the food sector companies will be watching closely. - just-food has this week published research into the factors that will drive M&A in the food industry from now and into 2018. The full report will be available from just-food in mid-February. However, those who take out an annual subscription to just-food before 31 January 2016, at a 35% discount on standard pricing, will receive free copies of both Drivers of Food Industry M&A and another recent report, How Brands Can Win in Online Grocery, which was written by Professor David Hughes, Emeritus Professor of Food Marketing at Imperial College London and Miguel Flavian. To take advantage of this offer click here. Dutch confectionery firm The European Candy Group has acquired Misa Deutschland, the holding company of sugar-free confectionery manufacturer, Sula. The European Candy Group, the holding company of Continental Candy Industries, said it intends to invest in innovation and growth at Sula to accommodate the current and future requirements of its pan-European customer base. It added its ambition is to expand its position in the private-label and contract manufacturing market in western Europe. The value of the transaction was not disclosed. In November, The European Candy Group acquired a plant in Boizenburg in northern Germany, formerly owned by confectioner Trolli, in another move to grow its private-label production in Europe. The deal for Sula means The European Candy Group has five production plants in the Netherlands and Germany. The European Candy Group is backed by Bencis Capital Partners, a private-equity firm with offices in Belgium and the Netherlands. - just-food has this week published research into the factors that will drive M&A in the food industry from now and into 2018. The full report will be available from just-food in mid-February. However, those who take out an annual subscription to just-food before 31 January 2016, at a 35% discount on standard pricing, will receive free copies of both Drivers of Food Industry M&A and another recent report, How Brands Can Win in Online Grocery, which was written by Professor David Hughes, Emeritus Professor of Food Marketing at Imperial College London and Miguel Flavian. To take advantage of this offer click here. West Palm Beach, FL, 01/05/2016 /SubmitPressRelease123/ In Palm Beach County, Florida citizens are most likely to get arrested for one of the following criminal matters: 1. Driving while license suspended, canceled or revoked; 2. Violation of a drivers license restriction; 3. No valid or expired registration; 4. No valid drivers license; 5. No proof of automobile insurance; 6. Resisting an officer without violence; 7. Trespass; retail theft; 8. open container; 9. Possession of marijuana; 10. Possession of drug paraphernalia; 11. Prostitution; 12. Solicitation of prostitution; 13. Battery 14. Petit theft and 15. DUI. Palm Beach County Clerk of Courts internal statistics shows that the above named criminal offenses comprise over 75% of all the criminal matters in Palm Beach County, FL. The good news is that most of the above crimes can be resolved without the defendant ever appearing in court. Additionally, with an experienced criminal defense lawyer, the defendant will likely be placed in a position to have all of the above named offenses dismissed. Getting the above named crimes dismissed and then expunged or sealed from ones criminal record or criminal history is very important for many reasons. Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office and local law enforcement officers target certain geo locations when handing out arrests for the above-mentioned crimes. For instance, Palm Beach Atlantic College, Florida Atlantic University and Palm Beach State College are hotspots for being issued a Notice to Appear or formal arrest for having an open container, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Additionally, Backpage.com, Craiglist.com and local massage parlors are known hotbeds for being arrested on charges like prostitution and solicitation of prostitution, along with geo locations like South Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach, Federal Highway in Lake Worth, Phil Foster Park and other parks throughout Palm Beach County, FL. Moreover, the Boca Raton Mall, Wellington Mall, Wal-Mart, Target, Nordstrom and the Palm Beach Outlets are well known locations that see a large influx of petit theft, shoplifting and trespass arrests. Of course this list is not exhaustive and retail spots throughout Palm Beach County report hundreds of thefts a day to the Sheriffs Office and local law enforcement officials. As this article points out the statistics of crimes and the locations of arrest in Palm Beach County, Florida; one should know that West Palm Beach criminal defense attorney, Andrew D. Stine, has more than 14 years of experience in helping people accused of criminal acts. Just because you or a loved one is arrested does not mean that one will have a criminal record for a bad choice. Attorney Andrew D. Stine has developed his road map to success for each of the above listed crimes. If one follows Palm Beach County criminal defense attorney Andrew D. Stines road map to success, the matter will likely be nolle prossed or dismissed by the prosecutor. Moreover, the accused will likely be eligible to have their record expunged or sealed. Having your criminal case nolle prossed or dismissed and then having your criminal records expunged or sealed is a very important outcome for many reasons. One, employers look into the background of potential employees before the hiring process. Two, many condo associations, homeowner associations and other real estate purchases and rentals can be negatively impacted by a criminal record. Three, the US Military, colleges, trade schools, and all other places of higher education do background checks on potential students to determine their eligibility status. Lastly, when applying for a license through the government an arrest can negatively impact the issuing of a license. So, if you or a loved one has been arrested or given a Notice to Appear in Palm Beach County Florida for driving while license suspended, canceled or revoked; 2. Violation of a drivers license restriction; 3. No valid or expired registration; 4. No valid drivers license; 5. No proof of automobile insurance; 6. Resisting an officer without violence; 7. Trespass; Retail theft; 8. Open container; 9. Possession of marijuana; 10. Possession of drug paraphernalia; 11. Prostitution; 12. Solicitation of prostitution; 13. Battery 14. Petit theft or 15. DUI, contact West Palm Beach, criminal defense attorney Andrew D. Stine at 561 880 4300. Hire Stine or do the Time! source: http://www.andrewdstine.com/criminal-defense-attorney-outlines-why-people-get-arrested-in-palm-beach-county/ Social Media Tags:criminal defense attorney, West Palm Beach criminal defense attorney Newsroom powered by Online Press Release Distribution SubmitMyPressRelease.com Like Us on Facebook It's only fair to share... Pinterest Linkedin email Print Dallas, 01/05/2016 /SubmitPressRelease123/ It has been said time and time again that the most effective content marketing combines both art and science. This is particularly true in present times where the rise of digital promotion tactics (and the increasingly eerie humanization of Google bots) have created challenges that leave most businesses at a standstill when it comes to developing ideal marketing solutions that appeal to both human readers and search engines alike. Content marketers must exhibit an artistic side to create compelling stories that have the power to move readers to act. They must also put on their scientist hat to analyze data and know when and how to input the right keywords so that major search engines rank their content competitively. However, many overlook the scientific element. According to Qamar Zaman, a digital marketing expert and CEO of Submit 123 PR, many content curators focus solely on the aesthetic appeal of written collateral; however, it takes a strong formula containing the right mix of elements to develop a solid overall content marketing strategy that will actually produce noticeably more leads and higher search rankings. Key Principles Content Marketers Should Know In an article for Entrepreneur writer Joe Pulizzi, who is also founder of the Content Marketing Institute, outlined six principles for businesses to follow when it comes to content marketing. Source: Entrepreneur 6 Content Marketing Principles Every Business Needs to Follow Be honest with yourself: Why should customers and prospects care about what you have to say? Everywhere your customers look, they are being bombarded with sales messaging. Instead of contributing to the noise, be truly helpful. Be their go-to informational resource. This type of quality storytelling can act like steroids for your search rankings and social media, as customers share with their networks. To read more visit http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/229319 According to Pulizzi, very few small businesses have the skills and training to create a content marketing program and consistently deliver on that promise. In order to develop effective content, the writer recommends that businesses pay attention to whether within their marketing pieces they are fulfilling a need, remaining consistent, are speaking in a human voice, presenting a point of view, not talking in sales speak, and delivering value to potential customers. Zaman seconds Pulizzis opinion saying that each are particularly relevant for those who use press releases as a content marketing tool. The Submit 123 PR CEO, also says that the use of innovation and modernization should be added to the list asserting, many businesses miss opportunities by simply not remaining up to date on the latest tools and resources to drive their results such as social media integration. This is a grave mistake because social shares are one of the strongest driving forces for disseminating content across the web, according to Zaman. The digital marketing expert further says that content still maintains its rank as king of the marketing world and that changes in the way consumers are granted access to information over time has not impacted that. Businesses have to pay attention to the way they are using their content today no matter how large or small the amount. In terms of achieving competitive Google rankings and managing their reputation across digital platforms, businesses have to make sure any content they produce contains a potent mix of elements that work together well. For more content marketing tips from Qamar Zaman, or to learn more about how online press release distribution can help support a specific content marketing campaign, please visit http://online.submitpressrelease123.com/. Media Contact: Submit Press Release 123 Salma Zaman 972-646-2788 Connect with Submit on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+. Newsroom powered by Online Press Release Distribution SubmitMyPressRelease.com Like Us on Facebook It's only fair to share... Pinterest Linkedin email Print Beware an "Eyes Only" Site Stories All About Alaska and More... Contact the Ghost of Spam McGee We All Tweet in a Twitter Submarine: @AlaskaChinook E-mail: doctorv.roomvroom@gmail.com (CopyRight Protected) [ 47 U.S.C. 230 ] ~ This Machine KILLS Fascists ~ Solidarity National Anthem "This Land Is Your Land" As obesity escalates, the diet business is booming. In this three-part series, Jacques Peretti investigates the connections between obesity and weight loss, and confronts some of the businesses making a fortune from consumerists' desire to become thin, including a conversation with a former director of Weight Watchers. Peretti examines the scientific reasons why so many diets fail long term and why in spite of this failure people tend to go back to them again and again. Actress Wang Ji Won has joined the cast of the film "One Line." The 27-year-old actress will play Ha Seon, a clever, beautiful con woman. The film's story focuses on mortgage fraud. In "One Line" Z:EA singer and actor Im Si Wan plays the leader of a ring of con artists who attempts to pull off a major case of fraud. Wang Ji Won plays his partner. The film will provide Wang Ji Won with her first movie role. Wang did not start out as an actress, having studied ballet with the Royal Ballet School of England and performed as a member of the Korea National Ballet in 2009. She only began acting in 2012 and since then has appeared in a few popular dramas. She appeared in "Good Doctor," "The Heirs," I Need Romance 3" and played Jang Hyuk's longtime ballerina girlfriend in "Fated To Love You." Her last drama appearance was in "Divorce Lawyers In Love." "One Line" may be Wang Ji Won's first film but it's also a first opportunity for Im Si Wan, as he gets to play a bad guy. Even though his career in the past few years has been very successful, he never had the chance to play a villain before. Im won praise for his role in the 2014 surprise hit "Misaeng." In that cable drama he played Jang Geu Rae, a former baduk player who tries to make it in the cutthroat office environment of a trading company. Jang Geu Rae struggles against impossible odds to make a life for himself. His quiet desperation resonated with Korean office workers. Im Si Wan won several awards for that role, including a prestigious Baeksang Arts Award. The 27-year-old actor also earned praise for his role as an unjustly accused prisoner in the film "The Attorney." Im can be seen this year in the film "Thoughts Of Older Brother." In that film he plays a second lieutenant during the Korean War. Yang Kyung Ho, who previously won a short film award, will direct "One Line." Supporting actors are currently being cast and filming is scheduled to begin in January. LINCOLN Nebraska lawmakers will consider a bill this session that would ban abortions that result in the dismemberment of the fetus. State Sen. Tommy Garrett of Bellevue said he not only wants to put a stop to what he called dismemberment abortions, but also reduce the likelihood that body parts will be sold after a procedure. He was referring to a series of undercover videos released last year by an anti-abortion group in which Planned Parenthood officials discuss financial terms for donating fetal tissue harvested from abortions. Legislative Bill 767 would ban what Garrett called the most common abortion procedure used during the second trimester of pregnancy. The bill does not ban abortion during the first 20 weeks but would prohibit doctors from using the method known as dilation and evacuation. Current state law bans abortions after 20 weeks. Nebraska Right to Life Executive Director Julie Schmit-Albin said the bill will be the groups top priority for the session. She said it would affect abortions performed on fetuses from the 13th week of pregnancy on. The Chippewa Falls School Board heard several members of the Community Facilities Planning Committee and the districts architectural firm speak Tuesday night during a special meeting in the high schools choir room. They listed several factors that went into the recommendation to build a new high school, close two elementary schools and repair existing buildings at a cost of $167 million. But it was the final two committee members who spoke, students Linzi Solberg and Molly Arbuckle, that made the biggest impression on board member Staish Buchner. This isnt a decision you have to make alone, Solberg told the board. Our schools belong to the community, not to the superintendent, the staff or even the board. They belong to all of the people who live in our community, Arbuckle said. We are asking you to bring the question to the community and let them decide what should happen with their facilities. That point resonated with Buchner. You are so right, he told the students. We are just the caretakers. This board doesnt decide whether this referendum gets passed or not. The only thing the committee is asking is for us to give permission for the public to decide whether it wants it. Board member Pete Lehmann disagreed, saying it was the boards obligation to do its homework on the proposal to provide the best information. The public expects us to put the time in on this and not just wash our hands of it, he said. Board President Jerry Smith said he wasnt inclined to pass anything he could not support, and didnt like the idea of simply sending it on to voters. We have to decide, he said. After several minutes of discussion among the six board members Melanie Sinclair-Schaller did not attend the board decided to take it up again at a meeting Monday, Jan. 18, a date suggested by the committee. Districts needs A 35-member committee consisting of school employees and community members met five times and determined the districts most pressing needs. Six of the eight buildings were deemed to be over-capacity; there were leaking walls and roofs, and pipes that contained lead; too small classrooms, lunch rooms, fine arts and physical education areas; inaccessible classrooms and restrooms for disabled students; and pedestrian safety concerns. Other findings: facilities no longer could adequately support growing co-curricular programs; boilers and air-handling systems have passed their life expectancy; a lack of lab space for science classes, storage space and green space; and asbestos in some buildings. We were surprised to learn about the vast needs of the facilities in our district, said Kris Terhark. The committee recommends: Building a new high school at an undisclosed location to include the alternative school that currently leases use of the Northern Center, $92.3 million. Converting the current high school to a middle school for grades 6-8, repairs and remodeling, $24.2 million. Converting the current middle school to an intermediate school for grades 4-5 and district office, repairs and remodeling, $23.6 million. Repairs at Halmstad including a new gym and media center, $11.2 million; Jim Falls repairs and a new music classroom and art lab, $9.5 million; Parkview repairs, $5.2 million; and Southview, $1.3 million. The districts two oldest elementary schools, Stillson and Hillcrest, would be closed, as would Korger Chestnut, Pupil Services Center and the district offices. There are buildings in the district that conditions would require significant repair. The cost of these repairs exceed the value of the building themselves, said Paul Erickson, president of ATS&R, the Minneapolis-based firm that completed the comprehensive long-range facilities study. Chad Hable said the district has one of the lowest mill rates in the area. The property tax impact on an owner of a $135,000 home, which he said is close to the average for the district, would be an increase of $404 per year if the referendum were to pass. Mike Buhrow told the board that delays would increase costs, and used the Cray addition to the high school as an example. A $4.5 million referendum failed in 1993, and when a subsequent referendum passed in 1997, it was for $15.5 million. For that reason, he said, the committee recommends holding an April referendum that would allow a new high school to open in the fall of 2018. Waiting until the November election would push that back a year. The role of a school district is not to convince voters of a yes vote. It is to provide thorough communication to inform voters, said Chris Stein, noting many forums would be held throughout the community and at every school in February and March. Fall or spring? Board member Amy Mason thought a November referendum would allow for greater involvement by the public. A presidential election brings out several times more voters than a spring election. Several board members felt the timetable was too hurried to turn everything around by April 5. Smith said he learned a handful of things from the presentation, and had dozens of questions to be answered. He also said that with all of the moving parts in the proposal, the one that is generating the most discussion is the closing of the two neighborhood elementary schools. That might be the toughest one weve had so far, he said, adding that moving all fourth graders to one location was also a big step. I remember when we moved the sixth graders to the middle school; that took approximately a year to convince the community that was the right thing to do. Why the all-or-nothing approach? Why not phase it in? Mason wondered. Student Isaac Wisti, another committee member, said the main fear was that if separate referendum questions were put on the ballot, that one might pass and the other would not, and result in unequal treatment. My fear is the tighter you make this process, the less chance youll have of it passing in April, board member Pat Allen said, and Lehmann, Mason and board member Kathy Strecker all said they felt the timetable was too quick. They now will have 13 more days to decide how to proceed. OMAHA A Burke High graduate was killed in New Orleans early on New Years Day after being hit by a vehicle and dragged more than six miles. Josh Woodruff, 28, was hit about 3 a.m. in the citys French Quarter. Witnesses told New Orleans police that a black sedan with tinted windows struck the man and drove off. Woodruff, a Harvard University graduate, had been working as director of customer strategy for Los Angeles startup Soylent, a maker of meal-replacement drinks. He was in New Orleans with a friend to celebrate the New Year and was hailing an Uber car early Friday when he was hit by a different car, said Woodruffs sister, Heather Grizzle. Before going out, he texted his family: I just want you to know how thankful I am for you, said his mother, Caren Woodruff. A New Orleans Police Department spokesman said police dont have further leads on the car or driver. Officials posted surveillance video photos of the four-door black sedan on Facebook and asked for tips from the public. Grizzle said the family wants the driver to be found so no one else is hurt or killed. Not because justice will bring Josh back, she said. Because we hope this person wont make another family suffer the way we are. Hundreds of memories and photos have flooded a Facebook page created to remember Woodruff. Friends wrote that he was an uplifting person who made everyone laugh but also cared about having deep conversations. His goal was to bring out the best in everybody that everybody would be dedicated to be the best of themselves, his mother said. He was very passionate that he understood and other people understood their destiny that God had designed for them. Moments before he died, Woodruff was talking about Gods plan for peoples lives, his family said. He was the best at getting people to talk about what was really on their heart, Grizzle said. He was just universally loved and likable. Other survivors include his brother, Ben, and father, Mark Woodruff. The funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at Lifegate Church at 15555 West Dodge Road. This report includes material from The Associated Press. LINCOLN Battle lines over guns are being drawn in the Nebraska Legislature even before the opening gavel drops today on the 2016 session. As a national debate heats up over the presidents plan to tighten gun control on the federal level, Nebraska lawmakers will consider legislation that would broaden Second Amendment rights in the state. Leading the list of gun-related bills is one that would prohibit local governments from regulating most aspects of firearm ownership. Also on the firearms agenda: legislation that would reduce the number of gun-free zones, where holders of concealed handgun permits cant carry their weapons. But the bill targeting local gun regulations will probably be first up for debate because it made it through committee last session and will be designated a priority by Sen. David Schnoor of Scribner. If passed, Legislative Bill 289 would override handgun registration ordinances in Omaha and Lincoln. Taking sides are Mayor Jean Stothert, who says the Legislature should set uniform gun laws across the state, and Council President Ben Gray, who says local officials need to retain some control over firearms. I dont think we want to run the risk of passing a law that would make it more difficult for the City of Omaha to address gun violence, Gray said this week. Marty Bilek, Stotherts chief of staff, said hes convinced that its better to focus on improving economic conditions, creating jobs and improving education to address poverty and gang problems that underlie gun violence. Weve got a problem with gun violence, and Im afraid gun registration isnt going to solve it, Bilek said. Were going to have to solve it with other means. Nebraska is one of eight states where local officials can enact their own gun regulations, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, a national organization that advocates for gun control. Iowa is among the 42 states with firearm pre-emption laws, so called because the state law pre-empts local ordinances when it comes to gun regulations. Sen. Laura Ebke of Crete introduced the Nebraska pre-emption bill last year, and it was advanced to the floor by the Judiciary Committee. The bill would prevent local governments from regulating the ownership or possession of firearms but would still allow local restrictions on firing guns within municipal limits. Ebkes bill also would allow gun owners or organizations adversely affected by local gun regulations to sue cities and recover damages in court. Last year, senators did not debate the bill on the floor. The measure seemed destined to languish during the coming 60-day session until Schnoor announced this week that he would make it his priority. Gun owners traveling in Nebraska shouldnt have to worry about violating local ordinances as they pass from city to city, Schnoor said. And those who commit gun crimes dont bother to comply with registration rules, he added. Law-abiding citizens, thats who this law is for, he said, referring to the pre-emption bill. This law isnt to protect any criminals. Schnoors decision to make the bill a priority sets up a showdown with Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha, a longtime opponent of gun-rights legislation. Chambers promised to filibuster LB 289, which means that Schnoor will have to gather at least 33 votes to cut off debate and see if the measure can obtain at least 25 votes to advance to the second round of debate. Everyone can say they are law-abiding until the day they commit their first crime, Chambers said. I will fight that atrocity tooth and nail, or fang and claw, he said. Gun-rights advocates say they are unsure just how many cities and villages in Nebraska have local firearms rules on the books. They most strongly oppose the handgun registration ordinances in the states two biggest cities, said Rod Moeller of Omaha, president of the Nebraska Firearms Owners Association. Both registration ordinances require those who purchase handguns to pass what amounts to a local background check on top of checks mandated by federal law, Moeller said. And in the case of Omaha, the ordinance gives police the right to confiscate an otherwise legally purchased gun if a buyer has a misdemeanor drug possession conviction. Were talking about rights, not privileges, Moeller said. For you to tell me Im not allowed to exercise a right, thats pretty severe. Under existing state law, gun owners who obtain concealed-carry permits do not have to register their guns with the city. Amanda Gailey of Lincoln, president of Nebraskans Against Gun Violence, said she considers the pre-emption bill a threat to those who want to tailor gun policies for their communities. What works for Ogallala isnt necessarily whats best for Omaha, she argued. What they really want is the total dismantlement of gun regulation in this state, Gailey said. Members of the Omaha City Council did not testify during last years public hearing on the bill. But along with Gray, City Council members Pete Festersen and Garry Gernandt said they oppose the bill. Why take away a tool that we fought so hard to get? said Gernandt, a former police officer. I can see bad guys jumping for joy. He said he would probably write a letter of opposition to legislators. Festersen said hed rather see the Legislature focus on a proposal to ban the use of a fake or toy gun while committing a crime. Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha introduced such a bill last year, but it remains in committee. Council member Aimee Melton said she supports the pre-emption proposal because it makes sense to have the rules consistent across the state. City officials in Lincoln declined comment about the bill Tuesday. They did not testify at last years public hearing. Tom Mumgaard, Omahas interim city prosecutor, said those passing through Omaha with an unregistered handgun would technically violate the ordinance. If convicted, they would face a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $500 fine. Omaha police arent looking to arrest responsible gun owners, but they do confiscate unregistered guns after stopping people for committing other crimes, Mumgaard said. If the criminal stole the gun and it was registered, police can and will return it to the owner, the prosecutor added. It works to the owners benefit far more often than to the owners disadvantage, he said. It was unclear Tuesday how often the city prosecutes violations of the ordinance or how many gun owners are registered with the city. Among the new bills to be introduced during the first 10 days of the session is a proposal by Sen. Tommy Garrett of Bellevue to end the ban on legal concealed handguns on college campuses and at schools, churches and other public places. Garrett argues that mass shooters target gun-free zones and his proposal would allow members of the public to better protect themselves. The bill will go before the Judiciary Committee, which includes both Ebke and Chambers as members. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying speaks during a briefing at the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. North Korea's main ally China said it "firmly opposes" Pyongyang's purported hydrogen bomb test and is monitoring the environment along its border with the North near the test site. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) Dave Schafer and Mike Buck have known each other for a long time. Last July, the two bumped into each other and started to talk about the grocery business and how it is changing. Their discussion led to Tuesdays announcement of a blockbuster deal. Gordys Market will take over three Mega Co-op grocery stores, including the Mega-West location in Eau Claire and stores in Whitehall and Barron, while all 14 Gordys Express convenience stores and fuel centers will be converted to Mega Holiday stations. Both businesses arent here to survive. Were here to thrive, said Schafter, chief financial officer for Gordys Market. The companies will remain independent but will work together on projects. Its a relationship that will go on for a long time, said Mike Buck, president of Mega Co-op. Once the transaction is complete in late February, Gordys will operate 24 grocery stores while Mega Co-op will own and operate 33 convenience stores and fuel centers. The companies said the deal will allow them to focus on their primary business. Schafer said Gordys is excited about operating the Mega-West location on Clairemont Avenue in Eau Claire, calling it a great store. It offers an opportunity to serve every neighborhood in Eau Claire, Schafer said. As part of the deal, Mega will close its Mega Co-op East location on Hastings Way in Eau Claire, a store that dates back to the early days of the co-op. It was a difficult decision that both companies had to make, Buck said, and it was an emotional one for Mega and the cooperative members. But the closing and the transaction are a part of a changing market, he said. Were working hard to secure the future of the cooperative, Buck said. Schafer said the companies are working on making the transactions effect on job losses to be at a minimum. The companies will maintain their corporate office locations. The companies have close to 2,500 employees in western Wisconsin. The companies said they will support each other with joint loyalty programs. The Pump Perks program at Gordys will be dropped. Instead, both companies will offer Megas Gas Rewards program available through all Gordys Markets and Mega Holiday locations. Gordys is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Mega Co-op has been serving Eau Claire for 81 years. They each sponsor numerous community groups and events. We expect this alliance will create even more opportunities to give back to the communities and neighborhoods that we serve, Schafer and Buck said. 38 Shares Share A JAMA Surgery Viewpoint recently suggested that because of the findings of a Finnish randomized trial, surgeons now should give patients with appendicitis a choice between an appendectomy or treatment with antibiotics. The paper acknowledged my criticisms of the Finnish study that found that simple appendicitis could be treated successfully with antibiotics in almost 75 percent of patients. I respect the authors of the JAMA Surgery article and am happy they referenced the blog post noting my concerns about that Finnish trial: the trial compared antibiotics to open appendectomy an operation with more complications than the more commonly performed laparoscopic appendectomy; the antibiotic used in the Finnish trial is not a first line choice in the United States; patients were followed for only one year. The JAMA Surgery paper answered three questions I posed in a previous post. One, the Viewpoint authors consider antibiotic therapy for appendicitis mainstream. Two, surgeons must assume that patients might opt for antibiotics despite at least a 25 to 30 percent chance of suffering a recurrence of appendicitis. Three, an informed consent discussion now should include a mention of antibiotics as an option. I disagree with the Viewpoint authors assertion that antibiotics are as safe and effective as surgery for treating appendicitis. Based on one flawed study, antibiotic therapy cannot yet compare to the many years of excellent results of laparoscopic appendectomy. Here are some other problems. Lets talk about shared decision-making. After hearing all the options, some patients will want to guide their own care. However, most patients would rather not. A 2011 Journal of Medical Ethics study of over 8,000 patients found that 97 percent of respondents wanted doctors to offer them choices and to consider their opinions. However, two out of three (67 percent) preferred to leave medical decisions to the doctor. What about the medicolegal implications of antibiotic therapy for appendicitis? Right now, the standard of care for appendicitis is appendectomy. Suppose a surgeon, in the interest of shared decision-making, explains the Finnish study to a patient and neglects to mention that it only involved patients with simple appendicitis. Or suppose that patients CT scan is read as simple appendicitis but is not accurate, and the patient actually had complicated appendicitis that went on to perforate despite antibiotic therapy. If that patient becomes septic and requires a laparotomy and suffers a subsequent wound infection and massive hernia or dies, who is going to be held responsible for not recommending an appendectomy? Certainly not the patient. In the era of shared decision-making and patient autonomy, maybe patients should be required to carry malpractice insurance so they can sue themselves if the decisions they make turn out badly. Skeptical Scalpel is a surgeon blogs at his self-titled site, Skeptical Scalpel. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Doug Zwank considers the fate of Eric Pizer and thinks, That could have been me. Like Pizer, Zwank is a combat veteran and former corporal in the Marine Corps. And like Pizer, he narrowly escaped death while serving his country overseas. After returning from Vietnam, Zwank started what would become a long career in law enforcement, first as a special agent for the state Department of Justice, then later training fellow officers at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia. He also worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and served as mayor of Middleton for four years. But in 1968, when he returned from combat to attend UW-Madison, Zwank was just another angry veteran, traumatized by the deaths of his friends and comrades and trying to unlearn the instincts that had kept him alive at war. He got into fights, Zwank said, but was never arrested. It was a time when it wouldnt take much to haul off and hit somebody, Zwank recalled. Thats why Zwank believes its a terrible injustice that Gov. Scott Walker refuses to pardon Pizer, a decorated Iraq War veteran seeking relief from a felony conviction he received for a fight that happened just days after he returned to Wisconsin from his second combat tour. Walker said he had no plans to issue pardons while in office. Four dozen people, including Zwank, have sent emails and letters to Walker, urging him to pardon Pizer, who turns 33 on Tuesday. Just one writer said Pizer should not be given leniency. Many of those petitioning the governor are veterans, and many are staunch supporters of the Republican governor. Some questioned whether politics was getting in the way of compassion. Among them was Jeff Engstrom, who attached a photo of himself and his wife attending a Walker campaign event. Ive been processing all the information to the best of my ability and I must tell you that I dont understand your position, Engstrom wrote, adding, I submit Eric Pizer is a classic example of why the power to pardon exists. Another Walker supporter, Stan Updike, a member of the Wisconsin Air National Guard from Boscobel, made a similar plea. I know your view on pardons, Updike wrote. I know you stand strong, thats why you got my vote, twice. But this issue needs to be addressed. Police training Pizer is looking for relief from the felony conviction after he broke a mans nose in a fight in Boscobel just days after he returned from Iraq in 2004. Pizer said the punch was a reflex that occurred after the victim came at him from the side one he deeply regrets. In the 10 years since he came home, Pizer has earned an associates degree in criminal justice with hopes of becoming a police officer. But as a felon, Pizer is prohibited from carrying a gun. He cant be a cop. That goal is on hold while Pizer works as a piano mover and at Menards to support himself and his preschool son, Xander. Walker has refused to issue any pardons, saying they undermine the criminal justice system. Early in his administration, Governor Walker made the decision not to issue pardons, said his spokeswoman, Laurel Patrick. The criminal justice system has a process by which, if someones innocent, they can be granted a change in their sentence through the court system. Walkers main Democratic challenger, Mary Burke, said if elected, she would revive the board that makes recommendations to the governor on pardons. The state Constitution gives only the governor the power to pardon. Over the past 35 years, Wisconsin governors, both Republicans and Democrats, have issued 986 pardons, according to the Secretary of States office, which tracks pardon grants. Walker supporter Ron Kolenc, of Sheboygan, urged the governor to reconsider his stance. Its the right thing to do morally, ethically and politically, Kolenc wrote. I voted for you and I am a supporter of most of your views and actions but on your no pardons no matter what position, I strongly disagree. A retired police officer shot in the line of duty in 1997 also urged Walker to use his pardon power. As a city of Madison police officer, in my 20 years of service, I had the opportunity to give many second chances to people who just needed someone to give them a break for doing something incredibly stupid while in the heat of passion, Andrew Garcia wrote. In many cases, these individuals took that second chance and kept a clean record, becoming model citizens. He noted Walkers unique power to do that for Pizer. There are rare times, Garcia wrote, when righting an injustice can only be corrected by you. Pizer said hes encouraged by all the support but resigned to the likelihood that Walker will not change his mind. Im to the point where I think my only hope is for Walker to lose the election, Pizer said. So far there isnt a single person who can do anything about it, other than Gov. Walker. Before Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley became a judge, she and fellow attorneys urged candidates for the states highest court not to sign a so-called clean-campaign pledge pushed by the state bar association. Bradley and Milwaukee attorneys Don Daugherty, David Simon and Daniel Kelly said in a 2008 opinion column that a pledge put forward by the State Bar of Wisconsins Judicial Campaign Integrity Committee shouldnt be signed by candidates because it infringes on free speech. The Bar should not try to regulate speech by judicial candidates in a way that would be plainly unconstitutional if done by the government, the four wrote. The far better course is for candidates and their supporters to provide information they believe appropriate good, bad, even ugly and let voters decide. The committee was created in 2007 by the bar associations then-president, Tom Basting Sr., as a self-appointed watchdog group that tried to referee that years race for Wisconsin Supreme Court. The committee was disbanded in 2009, according to the bar association. Basting and his group issued seven statements reacting to advertising in the race that it deemed false or to have impugned the reputation of either candidate or the court. His group was criticized, mostly by conservatives, for being biased toward incumbent Justice Louis Butler, who signed the committees clean-campaign pledge, and against then-Burnett County Circuit Judge Michael Gableman, who did not. The committee issued a strong statement decrying one of Gablemans ads, and it found fault with commercials run by both liberal and conservative third-party groups. Gableman won the race but received an ethics charge from the Wisconsin Judicial Commission, which said one of his ads attacking Butler violated the state Code of Judicial Conduct by lying about Butlers record. The 2008 column, published before that ad was released, was co-authored by Bradley and said no matter how well-intentioned, the pledge will effectively prevent Wisconsin voters from obtaining the fullest information possible for deciding who is best-suited to serve on our highest court. Bradley in the column said the bar association shouldnt determine when speech crosses the line. Although it pays lip service to the First Amendment, the pledge will force candidates to choose between exercising their free speech rights as they see fit and facing a possible scolding by the committee, they wrote. The column noted the pledge should not preserve the judiciarys image (at) the expense of free speech. That raises the question why the committee should be deciding for voters when words are poorly chosen, the four wrote. The committees task of determining conclusively and objectively whether statements made during a campaign are false or unfair is quixotic, at best. Bradley said last week in an interview that she and the fellow attorneys wrote the column to address the creation of the committee, which they believed to be unique. It was rather unprecedented in Wisconsin and somewhat alarming in its attempt to stifle free speech and First Amendment rights, Bradley said. She said the group worried the pledge would end up restricting the amount of information available to voters. The column refers to a portion of the pledge that asks candidates to publicly disavow advertisements that impugn the integrity of the states judicial system, another candidate or erode public trust and confidence in the independence and impartiality of the judiciary by verbally or visually attempting to lead voters to believe that a candidate will decide issues or cases in a predetermined manner. Bradley said she relies on the states judicial code of ethics, which includes rules for judicial candidates campaign activity. The pledge relies on much of the codes language. Liberal advocacy group One Wisconsin Now executive director Scot Ross said the column brings Bradleys integrity into question, and characterized her column as endorsing lying in campaigns. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Joe Donald, who also is running for the Supreme Court seat Bradley is seeking, said through a spokesman he would have no problem signing the pledge. This pledge is no different than the pledge my mother held me to when I was a child growing up, he said. Wisconsin voters deserve to be treated with respect, and I intend to conduct my campaign with the same integrity that I have demonstrated during my two decades as a judge. Melissa Mulliken, spokeswoman for state court of appeals judge and Supreme Court candidate JoAnne Kloppenburg, said Kloppenburg would sign the pledge if it made clear that it was meant to apply to advertisements that are untrue or inaccurate. She said Kloppenburg is scrupulous in adhering to the states code of judicial ethics. In addition, our campaign already adheres to the fundamental precepts laid out in the pledge, Mulliken said. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Karen Schiely/Akron Beacon Journal/TNS Carla Snyder adds her lemon and cheese filling to the baked puff pastry as she prepares a Summer Tart with Lemon and Sun-dried Tomatoes from her new cookbook, Sweet and Tart: 70 Irresistible Recipes with Citrus, in her home on Dec. 8, 2015, in Hudson, Ohio. SHARE The Summer Tart with Lemon and Sun-dried Tomatoes baked by Carla Snyder with a recipe from her new cookbook, Sweet and Tart: 70 Irresistible Recipes with Citrus, in her home on Dec. 8, 2015, in Hudson, Ohio. (Karen Schiely/Akron Beacon Journal/TNS) The Cara Cara Cheesecake with Chocolate Crust baked by Carla Snyder and from her new cookbook, Sweet and Tart: 70 Irresistible Recipes with Citrus, in her home on Dec. 8, 2015, in Hudson, Ohio. (Karen Schiely/Akron Beacon Journal/TNS) By Katie Byard Hudson, Ohio, cookbook author Carla Snyder is talking about her longtime zest for citrus. As a child, she said, her mother let her bust open the bag of candied citrus slices and eat them on the way home from the grocery store. Now, with her seventh cookbook, "Sweet and Tart: 70 Irresistible Recipes with Citrus" (Chronicle, $19.95), Snyder fully embraces her lemon lust, along with the versatility of limes, grapefruits and oranges. "I like brightness in food," Snyder said in an interview in her home kitchen. "The easiest way to add brightness is by adding citrus." She's also into medleys of flavors, as in her Lemon-Almond Cake with Basil-Honey Berries, and Cream Cheese Muffins with Spinach and Lemon. Grapefruit shows up in a custard pie, as well as chocolate-dipped citrus peel. You knew she had to include her twist on that childhood favorite. Oranges are featured in a variety of treats, including a light and airy cheesecake made with cara cara navel oranges that has a chocolate crust. We asked her for two recipes that would be relatively easy. She suggested the cheesecake, as well as a cheese, egg and lemon tart with sun-dried tomatoes. What would a citrus-centric cookbook be without lemon bars, one of the first citrus yummies Snyder can remember making when she was a child? She calls them Heavenly Lemon Squares in the book and notes they have a firm, easy-to-eat-with-your-fingers crust. No drippy, messy lemon squares for her. Snyder wanted the book to be accessible, but that doesn't mean unadventurous. Along with her twists on staples, including Mile-High Lemon Meringue Pie, she includes such treats as Yujacha Marmalade-Filled Walnut Squares. Yujacha is a tea made from yuzu, a fruit similar to a lemon. In one of her many "Zesty Tips," she says you can find this marmalade in Asian markets. She also notes you can substitute homemade lemon marmalade (there's a recipe in the book) for store-bought. Snyder began picking up helpful hints in one of her first culinary gigs, working as an assistant to chefs at Western Reserve School of Cooking in Hudson. She went on to teach there herself and now teaches at Gervasi Vineyards in Canton. She also writes for the Heinen's grocery site ( www.heinens.com ) and her blog, http://ravenouskitchen.com. Next fall, a vegetarian version of Snyder's last book, "One Pan, Two Plates," will be out. Neither Snyder nor her husband, a steel company executive, are vegetarians, but her publisher figured it was time for a meatless followup, given the popularity of the initial book. Sometimes the "Sweet and Tart" recipe directions are lengthy, such as those for the Cara Cara Cheesecake. Read and you discover that Snyder, in an effort to make the recipes as easy to follow as possible, offers a lot of cues, such as instructions on how to cook the cheesecake in a water bath to prevent cracks. Cara cara oranges are one of her new citrus favorites. She likes their "floral, rosy quality." And in her no-worry manner, she quickly adds that if you can't find them, use another type of navel orange. "I know people get frustrated when they look at recipes with ingredients they can't access," she said. Heavy on the sweets, the book includes scones, pies, crepes, cookies, cobblers and more, including a family favorite, William's Frozen Lemon Pie, named for a country club in her hometown of Weirton, W.Va. Savories, such as Lemony Pesto-Goat Cheese Dip with Vegetables, get a nod in one chapter. The Summer Tart with Lemon and Sun-dried Tomatoes is there. Don't get hung up on the title, Snyder said; it's a perfect anytime treat. She uses Boursin, an herbed cheese available at many stores. It's a time-saver, she said, as the herbs are already included. But if you like, use cream cheese and add herbs, she said. And you can use toppings other than sun-dried tomatoes, such as prosciutto or kalamata olives. You can make the tart before baking, cover it and freeze for up to four weeks. Snyder says it's an easy appetizer. It also can be a luncheon entree, perhaps served with a salad. Maybe put some citrus in that salad. CARA CARA CHEESECAKE WITH CHOCOLATE CRUST Serves 10 ingredients 42 chocolate wafers (I use Nabisco Famous Chocolate wafers) 1 3/4 cups sugar 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup heavy cream Zest of 3 cara cara oranges, plus 1/2 cup fresh cara cara orange juice 1/4 cup Cointreau or other orange-flavored liqueur 1 teaspoon orange extract 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 4 large eggs DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 2. Combine the chocolate wafers and 1/4 cup of the sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely ground. Pour in the melted butter and process until well mixed and evenly moistened. 3. Dump the crumbs into a 9-inch springform pan and, using the bottom of a glass or measuring cup, press the crumbs on the bottom and 2 inches up the sides of the pan. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until fragrant and firm. Let cool completely on a wire rack. 4. Beat the cream cheese and remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar in a mixer bowl on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Turn the speed to low; add the cream, orange zest, orange juice, Cointreau, orange extract and salt; beat until well mixed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating just until combined and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. 5. Bring about 3 quarts water to a boil in a large saucepan. Line the outside of the springform pan with a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil that reaches the top of the pan. Set the springform pan inside a roasting pan and pour the filling into the cooled crust. 6. Pour the boiling water into a heat-proof pitcher. Pull the middle rack halfway out of the oven. Carefully pour the hot water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the side of the springform pan. Bake for 90 minutes or until the cheesecake puffs around the edges and the center moves just slightly when jiggled. 7. Remove the pan from the oven. Run a small, sharp knife around the pan sides to loosen the cheesecake and let cool in the water-filled roasting pan on a wire rack for 45 minutes. Transfer the springform pan to the rack and let cool to room temperature, another 2 hours. Cover tightly with plastic wrap (don't let the plastic touch the top of the cheesecake) and refrigerate at least overnight, or up to 4 days. Serve chilled. 8. For the neatest slices when serving, cut the cheesecake with a knife dipped in hot water and wiped clean with a paper towel after each slice. SUMMER TART WITH LEMON AND SUN-DRIED TOMATOES Makes two tarts INGREDIENTS 1 (17.3-ounce) package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed 2 egg yolks, beaten 5 ounces Boursin or other herbed soft cheese, softened 4 ounces goat cheese, softened 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese Zest of 1 lemon, plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice Freshly ground pepper 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and julienned DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 2. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the sheet of puff pastry into an 11-by-14-inch rectangle. Transfer to one of the prepared baking sheets and cut 1-inch strips off each side, reserving the strips. Brush the edges of the rectangle with water and fit the strips on the edges, creating a border. Poke holes all over the bottom of the pastry with a fork. Repeat with the remaining pastry sheet. 3. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until puffy and brown. Remove from the oven and poke again with a fork. Gently push the pastry down, as it will be puffy and raised. 4. Return to the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets on wire racks. 5. Turn the oven temperature to 350 degrees. 6. Combine the egg yolks, Boursin, goat cheese, Parmesan, lemon zest and lemon juice in a medium bowl and season with pepper. Mix with a fork until well combined. Spread the mixture over the cooled pastries and top with the sun-dried tomatoes. 7. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is set. 8. Let cool on the baking sheets on wire racks for 10 minutes before cutting into squares and serving. John D Morton, (pointing) pictured with his band X_X, was at the forefront of punk and has definite opinions about what is and is not punk: Dave Grohl, a couple of albums back, the back of (the album) said, Recorded entirely in Dave Grohls garage. If you have a couple of hundred thousand dollars worth of equipment, its not garage music. SHARE By Wayne Bledsoe of the Knoxville News Sentinel John D Morton, of the legendary band X_X, says his tribulations started early: Morton says he was in Sunday school in the nursery class drawing. He chose to draw the church. "They loved it, because I could draw in perspective," says Morton. "I liked it, but there was no action, so I put some flames on it. That did it. Here I'm 4 and I'm already in trouble." Not much changed after that. You may not know his name, but Morton is one of the true fathers of punk rock. His band electric eels (the name was lowercase in deference to poet e. e. cummings) formed in 1972 in Cleveland, Ohio, and proffered a style rock that was primitive, aggressive, angry and wouldn't break through nationally until at least 1977. Morton might also be the first person to have made safety pins a punk fashion statement before anyone put "punk" and "music" together. When the eels split, Morton formed X_X (pronounced "ex-blank-ex"), a short-lived venture that became an underground legend. Both bands were confrontational rock and art marked by moments of violence. Morton, whose conceptual art has included a rock band that didn't actually play music and what he's described as revived X_X, in 2014, after the release of a compilation album revived interest in the group's place in history. "Wait till you hear my story," says Morton in an agitated, but affable tone. "I'm in a motel room in Cleveland, because I was barred from Canada. I'm waiting for a lawyer to call ... just a big (expletive) mess... I was in the process of moving, so I have my espresso machine and my $500 Berg grinder, so I'm having expressos while I wait ... It's just bizarre." Morton says this current adventure began when he was recently committed to an asylum, because people were worried he was going to kill himself: "I was posting on Facebook. I had these fake suicide notes that I did in 1975 or something like that," says Morton. "I was on board with my therapist. It was my way of dealing with it. My therapist said I am my artwork, which is nice for a therapist to say." When the authorities showed up, they found that Morton, who has also been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, had a collapsible police baton, which got him an illegal weapon charge. "This category that's the same as a slingshot. So I got this criminal charge and then I got two more." When he was riding his motorcycle to contest the weapons charge after getting out of the psychiatric ward, he was stopped for speeding. That ticket, which he didn't pay, caused his license to be suspended and two months later he was stopped and arrested for driving on a suspended license and resisting arrest. Morton says he suffers from post traumatic stress disorder due to abuse he suffered as a child and it kicks in when he's in stressful situations. Due to his condition, the charge was changed to disturbing the peace. "So I show up at the Canadian border and they say, 'Oh, you got this disturbing the peace charge and a 20-year-old DWI. You're banned.' I say, 'But it's just disturbing the peace!' They say, 'Oh, yeah. It's just a slap on the wrist, but it's a crime.' So I got turned away from the border and I've been hanging out in motel rooms ever since." Morton says he regrets some of the violence in his past, but he's now in a world where his art and music is more accepted and his contributions are being recognized. "You cannot 'try' to be real. The anger in my music is real. I used to punch you in the face." He says he recently played a house concert in Indianapolis and a young man came up to him afterward. "He said, 'You're, like, the first adults I've seen who play punk and mean it.' I guess the world has caught up with us in a way. ... And here I am in a motel room in Cleveland waiting to get across the border. It took me my whole life to get here." --- X_X, Obnox, Ex-Gold, The Cancelled When: 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 9 Where: Pilot Light, 106 E. Jackson Ave. Admission: $10 Thinkstock SHARE By Chuck Campbell of the Knoxville News Sentinel Although Americans are increasingly supportive of legalized marijuana and several states have already legalized recreational use of pot, Tennessee is unlikely to pass such laws in the near future, according to a report published by 24/7 Wall St. Tennessee is one of 11 states named as least-likely to legalize marijuana, 24/7 Wall St. says. The site reviewed marijuana laws and penalties state-by-state to come up with the ranking. Other "least likely" states include Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. In the report, 24/7 Wall St. identified marijuana use among Tennesseans as "relatively rare": 9.9 percent of state residents older than 12 have used it recently, compared to the nationwide rate of 12.3 percent. The site notes, "Despite low usage rates, marijuana arrest rates in Tennessee are among the highest in the nation. For every 100,000 state residents, there are 364 arrests, significantly more than the national arrest rate of 239 for every 100,000 citizens." The site notes that Tennessee passed a law in 2015 allowing people with seizures to medicinally use non-psychoactive cannabidiol, but added that Gov. Bill Haslam has stated it's unlikely the state will pass broader medicinal marijuana laws anytime soon. Last August, 24/7 Wall St. projected the next 10 states to pass laws legalizing recreational use of marijuana as follows: No. 1 Massachusetts, No. 2 Nevada, No. 3 California, No. 4 New York, No. 5 Vermont, No. 6 Minnesota, No. 7 Connecticut, No. 8 Maryland, No. 9 Rhode Island and No. 10 Maine. Recreational marijuana use is already legal in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington. The flame azaleas atop Gregory Bald fire the field, the heart, the mind on the western end of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park come late June. A couple of decades ago a van full of friends from my church bumped up Parsons Branch Road and hiked to the grassy bald. We laughed, prayed and gaped at a sunny summer day up high that caused even unmusical me to want to sing, "The hills are alive " On the way up the mountain, I'd yucked it up about the possibility of snakes. On the way down the mountain, a couple of friends who were walking ahead of me came flying back up the trail. "Snake!" they yelled. "Yeah, right," I replied, grinning and thinking they were joking. They weren't. A rattlesnake was stretched across the trail, sunning serenely when our yackety crowd came down the mountain. It never coiled, never rattled moving just enough to let us know it was indeed alive. As hike honcho, I did what any good leader would do I disarmed my followers. Two of our hikers reluctantly handed over their hiking sticks. I stood as near as I dared to the rattler, planning to pin it if it made an aggressive move. Dave, along on the hike with his wife, Dink, bravely led the group down into the woods and around the snake. I breathed a sigh of relief and left the rattler sunning. It was at least 6 feet long, as big around as my wrist on first telling. By the time we got back to civilization, the snake had grown to 8 feet long and as thick as my forearm. By the next day, a Sunday, word went around the rattler was 3 yards long and as fat as my thigh. And we, of course, would never, ahem, exaggerate in church. Dave, Dink and I were at a Christmas party a couple of weeks ago and the snake story made its inevitable appearance. This time that raging reptile was as big as a Buick, bad as a banshee and angry as the American electorate. At least that's our story. The National Park Service turns 100 years old on Aug. 25, and the movement documentarian Ken Burns called "America's Best Idea" tells the American story. From the first park established by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872, before the NPS existed, amid the geysers at Yellowstone to the Manhattan Project National Historical Park designated Nov. 10, the parks span America. "There's no better route to civic understanding than visiting our national parks," said former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. "They're who we are and where we've been." Engagement with our history and nature changes us, shapes us, gives context and texture to life and great stories. By Lydia X. McCoy of the Knoxville News Sentinel The job description for the next superintendent of Knox County Schools could read something like this. Wanted: A superintendent with teaching experience. Must be a visionary, a problem solver, a good listener and communicator. That description includes early thoughts Tuesday from school board and community members the day after Superintendent Jim McIntyre announced he was resigning, effective this summer. School board member Lynne Fugate said the board will have to be unified. "It's not what Patti Bounds wants. It's not what Lynne Fugate wants. It's not what Amber (Rountree) wants," she said. "We only have authority as a board, and I think we're going to have to have some real public discussion, as a group, about what we're looking for." McIntyre said his decision to step down, which takes effect July 8 in exchange for a payment equal to one year's salary, comes as a result of the politics around education and himself that have begun to overshadow his work. The board will meet to discuss his resignation and severance package on Jan. 19. Finding a replacement will be a lengthy process. When the district hired McIntyre in 2008, it had been more than a year since the board had bought out previous superintendent Charles Lindsey's contract. Board chairman Doug Harris said he hoped to know more in the next couple of weeks about a potential time frame. He said he's always believed the best leaders are good listeners. "Especially in a job as complex as school superintendent, it is imperative that a good leader make decisions after input from many people. Secondly, I would hope that we can find somebody this is a great communicator," he said. "Finally and perhaps most importantly, we need to find somebody who will insist on high expectations from all stakeholders involved in our public education." Rountree, Patti Bounds and Mike McMillan, who are all former school employees, said they hope the person has spent time in the classroom. "Since I've been on the board and when I was campaigning, one thing I heard over and over was to have a superintendent that has more of a teaching experience background," Rountree said. "So I think that's something that I'll be looking for, and I'll be looking forward to hearing what all the stakeholders have to say about what they want in a future superintendent.' McMillan said he thought the person should have some teaching and administrative experience and be "somebody that could somewhat relate to the teachers and calm some of the fears that have developed over the last few years." Lauren Hopson, president of the Knox County Education Association, said she hopes the board takes teachers' concerns into consideration and that the person supports not spending so much on time on test preparation. "A lot of our gains in tests have been because of endless test prep and not because of authentic learning," she said. "I would like to see a superintendent who supports that and also supports the professionalism of our teachers." Bounds said she would also like to see the position filled with someone local. "I'm not saying to limit our search, but I do think that there are highly qualified people in this area as well as the state and the Southeast," Bounds said. School board member Gloria Deathridge said overall she just wants the best person for the job. "It needs to be whoever is the best fit for what we need," she said. "And we need somebody who will take us from where we are and move us forward. They're going to have to able to work well with everyone and they've got to manage this big system." That won't be easy, she said. "People don't realize how large the Knox County School system is, and nobody can just walk in and think they can do this job," Deathridge said. "It's more than just a notion." Sandra Rowcliffe, president of the Knox County Council PTA, said she'd love to see another visionary. "I'd love to see somebody who's not just about doing it the way we've always done it or making sure that employees are happy but that kids are getting what they need to push them forward," she said. BARABOO Apparently I wasnt the only one afflicted by the noel nasties this Christmas season. When a Madison bartender turned off Black Sabbath to play holiday music Dec. 24, a patron displayed his disgust by throwing a beer bottle at her. Dont be too hard on the guy: Theres something about holiday stress that can move a man to sabotage. It was about 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve when the Farm Tavern nearly turned into Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. Christopher Gamboeck, 33, was enjoying some heavy metal when the bartender switched to more traditional Christmas music. Out with Ozzy Osbourne, in with joy, for Christ is born. Gamboeck wasnt in the mood for any pa rum pum pum pum. He allegedly downed his bottle of Budweiser, slammed it on the bar, yelled expletives at the bartender and threw the bottle in the direction of her head. So much for peace on Earth. Fists clenched, the surly patron tried to go behind the bar, but his uncle intervened and directed him to the exit. On his way out, Gamboeck grabbed the bars Christmas tree and pulled it down, breaking several ornaments. O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree: Thy leaves are so enraging. Officers who had been called to the bar later found Gamboeck at his residence, looking the part of the headbanger in a beard and shoulder-length locks. It was there they decided to arrest the hairy gentleman. As they approached him, he became incensed about police being there, Madison police spokesman Howard Payne told the Wisconsin State Journal. He rushed toward the officers and had to be threatened with an electronic device before taken into custody. There was no word as to whether the device in question was an electric razor. Gamboeck faces tentative charges of criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct, and most likely landed on Santas naughty list. Theres no excuse for such behavior, but I sympathize with the suspect. As much as I love Christmas music, one can only take so much of chestnuts roasting on the open fire. After a couple weeks of saccharine sentimentality, a guy feels ready to rock out to Heaven and Hell. Plus, the holiday season is a stressful time of year. Everyones on edge. Youre shopping for gifts, running the kids to their pageant rehearsals, mailing the Christmas cards, trying to make it to all the parties and before you know it youre going insane and biting the head off a live bat. As my nine loyal readers know, I was dangerously close to succumbing to the noel nasties this Christmas. There was much baking, shopping and wrapping to be done, and seemingly not enough time to do it. Instead of gleefully humming holiday tunes, I was plotting the murder of whoever wrote The Christmas Shoes. Fortunately by the time Dec. 24 arrived once the work was done and the fun finally had begun I changed my tune. Instead of wanting to deck other shoppers, I was ready to deck the halls. Fa la la la laaaa, la la la laaaaaa. Gamboeck and the bartender he attacked werent so lucky. He was unable to contain what clearly was a raging case of the noel nasties. Getting a grip on the noel nasties is more easily said than done. Ozzy Osbourne would be the first to tell you: Theres something about Christmas stress that can send you off the rails on a crazy train. ADAM LAU/NEWS SENTINEL A thru-hiker makes his way down the Appalachian Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on May 13, 2015. A record numbers of thru-hikers hikers passed through Harpers Ferry, W. Va., the 2,190-mile footpaths approximate midpoint last year. Trail officials give some of the credit to the 2015 release of A Walk in the Woods and Wild, two Hollywood movies that depict the trials and tribulations of long-distance hiking. SHARE SMPSP/Broad Green Pictures via AP Actors Robert Redford, left, and Nick Nolte are the stars of the Appalachian Trail-based film, A Walk in the Woods. Trail officials give some of the credit for record numbers of trail hikers last year to the movie. By Morgan Simmons of the Knoxville News Sentinel Morgan Sommerville, southern regional director for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, said the number of thru hikers starting out on the A.T.'s southern terminus in Georgia has been climbing about 10 percent each year since 2007. Sommerville said a whopping 60 percent increase in thru-hikers occurred between 1998 and 2000 following the publication of "A Walk in the Woods," the book by Bill Bryson that inspired the movie. "Even if trail use continues to climb just 10 percent a year, that's still an awful lot of thru hikers starting out," Sommerville said. "If that were to go back up to 60 percent again, that would be very challenging in terms of protecting trail resources." The Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the nonprofit that manages the A.T., currently is seeking $1.3 million to implement a stewardship plan to address the growing number of hikers along the trail. The plan includes a voluntary thru hiker registration system so that hikers can share their start dates and plan their itinerary to avoid bottlenecks. The plan also calls for new campsites, a visitor use analysis and an increase in education and outreach initiatives. Records show that only 59 hikers completed the entire A.T. between 1936 and 1969. The numbers began rising after 1970 so that by 1980, the total of successful thru hikers had increased more than tenfold. According to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the number of hikers attempting to complete the A.T. has climbed from approximately 500 in 1995 to over 3,500 this year. Franklin LaFond is a former A.T. thru-hiker and current member of the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club who believes the steady increase in hiker traffic can be attributed to a number of factors including a spate of newspaper articles that ran up and down the east coast in 1996, and the increased availability of trail information on the Internet. This year, while volunteering as an A.T. maintainer in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, LaFond made a point asking hikers how they first learned about the Georgia-to-Maine footpath. "They majority of thru-hikers I talked to never heard of Bill Bryson," LaFond said. "They heard about the A.T. through friends or family members, or knew someone who had previously hiked the trail." The Knoxville-based Smoky Mountains Hiking Club is one of 31 trail clubs along the A.T. that assume responsibility for clearing the trail corridor, repairing water damage and maintaining the shelters and privies. In 2015 the club logged 8,488 hours of volunteer service along the A.T.'s 72 miles in the Smokies. LaFond said the park's 12 shelters along the A.T. remain consistently overcrowded during the March-April thru hiker season, and that as a result, vegetation is being killed by trampling feet, and backcountry moldering privies are filling faster than they can compost properly. "During the thru hiker season we try to let backpackers know the shelters will be overcrowded, and that if they don't want to be fighting for space, they should take advantage of the park's wealth of hiking trails off the A.T.," he said. Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters, left, former Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale, and former U.S. ambassador to Poland and Knoxville Mayor Victor Ashe gather for a news conference in support of Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, at Volunteer Landing. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL) SHARE Former U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, left, joins with other local leaders to show support for Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, at Volunteer Landing. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL) Supporters for Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio, left to right, front row: former U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, East Tennessee co-chair for the Rubio campaign Jennifer Little, former Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale, 6th district Sen. Becky Duncan Massey, and back row: founding chairman of Young Americans for Freedom at UTK Michael Hensley, Brian Hornback, state rep. Eddie Smith, former U.S. ambassador to Poland and Knoxville Mayor Victor Ashe, Mike Arms and Knox County trustee Ed Shouse, give comments to members of the media at Volunteer Landing Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL) By Gerald Witt of the Knoxville News Sentinel Republican presidential hopefuls have already hit Knoxville for a visit as the March 1 primary approaches, and local GOP backers said Marco Rubio is expected here soon. "We knew all year long that the public probably would not engage in this election until after the holiday," former congressman Zach Wamp said. He's head of the state campaign to nominate Rubio for the Republican party's run at this year's presidential election. On Wednesday a group of current and former elected officials stood on steps at Volunteer Landing along Fort Loudoun Lake and, in a short news conference that kicked off the campaign's focus on what some politicos call the SEC primary, said they back Rubio. The primary includes Southeastern states Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Georgia along with Tennessee. Primaries also will be held in Colorado, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Vermont and Virginia on March 1, also known as "Super Tuesday" among political observers. That election is less than two months away, after primaries and caucuses in Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina, but Wamp and others believe Tennessee will be a key player in determining the Republican nominee. Moreover, those gathered Wednesday said that this election is crucial for the fate of the Republican party. Wamp, 58, said that if a Republican doesn't win the White House in 2016, then the party may not win that office again in his lifetime. But choosing a Republican, he and others agreed, isn't as important as choosing the right Republican. "First of all, I think (Rubio is) the most electable," said former Knoxville mayor and U.S. ambassador to Poland, Victor Ashe. Rubio is younger than the other GOP presidential hopefuls, Ashe noted, and could give likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton a tough opponent by attracting younger voters. "Given the likely Democratic nominee, it's important that we have a strong candidate," Ashe said. Wamp said he expects the field heading into the Tennessee primary to include Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Rubio as front-runners. Rubio's advantage is he's more consistent than Trump and less bombastic than Cruz, according to Wamp. "It becomes style, substance and leadership," Wamp said. "Is it about blowing this up and stopping the trains, or is it about fixing things and moving this forward? Others backing Rubio at the news conference Wednesday included Tennessee 6th District state Rep. Becky Duncan Massey, 13th District state Rep. Eddie Smith, former Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale and Knox County Trustee Ed Shouse. Gary Salk gestures while talking with Cassius Cash, superintendent of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, after Cash's talk Tuesday to members of the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge. (BOB FOWLER/NEWS SENTINEL) SHARE Cassius Cash, left, new superintendent of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, speaks with Anderson County Commissioner Harry "Whitey" Hitchcock following his talk Tuesday to members of the Oak Ridge League of Women Voters. (BOB FOWLER/NEWS SENTINEL) By Bob Fowler OAK RIDGE The nation's most visited park is loved by its more than 10 million annual visitors, but most of them are older than 40. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park needs to reach out to the millennial generation to ensure that its youthful members also become fans of the park, its new superintendent said Tuesday. At the same time, the park has to educate visitors about other locations within the half-million-acre national treasure to keep overcrowding from degrading popular destinations such as Cades Cove, Cassius Cash said. "You can get to a point where you can love a park to death," he said. Cash, a self-described "city boy from Memphis," is 10 months into his stint as the Smokies' superintendent and spoke to members of the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge on Tuesday. His remarks come as the National Park Service, which oversees 409 park units including the new Manhattan Project National Historic Park in Oak Ridge, Hanford, Wash., and Los Alamos, N.M. is about to celebrate its centennial this summer. National parks, he said, are being touted as "America's greatest idea." He said recent surveys distributed to about one in every five visitors to the Smokies show that 99 percent of the respondents gave thumbs-up ratings of their experiences. Cash said 73 percent of those visitors, however, were more than 40 years old. To ensure that members of the next generation also become park devotees, "We have to be more inclusive in the stories we tell." He said park employees need to "up our game" in educating visitors, whether it be on the dangers of interaction with wildlife to touting other scenic locations not so heavily visited. While financing for national park needs is up overall, Cash said the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is "slightly disadvantaged" because it doesn't have an admission fee. The political mindset in Washington can also be a drawback, he said, because lawmakers often think that if visitation levels are unchanged, no additional park funding is needed. SHARE By Jamie Satterfield of the Knoxville News Sentinel A heroin dealer whose number was the last entry on a dead man's phone will face decades in federal prison if authorities can link him to what turned out to be a fatal overdose, court records show. David Moore pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court to conspiracy to distribute heroin. Chief U.S. District Judge Tom Varlan set a May 10 sentencing hearing. The Knoxville Police Department in December 2014 discovered the body of Knoxville resident Terrill Waller, 47, inside an apartment on Inskip Drive, according to a report filed by the agency. Waller had been dead "for several days" and was last seen alive Dec. 18, 2014, according to records. Investigators learned Waller had died from a heroin overdose. A search of his phone showed Moore was "the last person to whom (Waller) spoke" and that chat occurred on the last day Waller was known to be alive, according to the plea agreement. Authorities later raided Moore's Knoxville home and discovered all the tools of the heroin-dealing trade, including digital scales, razors and lottery tickets. Packets of heroin usually sold in small quantities, or "hits," of less than one gram originating from Detroit, Mich., often are wrapped in lottery tickets. Heroin dealers use such packaging gimmicks to market their "brand" of the drug, which has skyrocketed in popularity as a cheaper alternative to opiate pills amid the prescription painkiller epidemic. When confronted after the raid, Moore admitted he had been buying heroin from Detroit supplier Antoiwan "Tez" Gibson since January 2013, initially as a user, according to the plea agreement. A year later, Moore began selling the heroin he said he bought from Gibson to other addicts, including Waller. Moore said Waller was a frequent customer and bought heroin from him on the last day Waller was known to be alive. The agreement does not indicate Moore confessed knowledge of or responsibility for Waller's fatal overdose. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Ann Norris will offer proof at Moore's sentencing hearing to show Moore was responsible for the death, the plea agreement says. If she convinces Varlan, Moore would face a minimum of nearly two decades based solely on a special sentencing enhancement applied in cases where drug-dealing proves deadly for the buyer. According to court records, Moore, Jeffrey Keisler and Cristina Ionescu all bought heroin from Gibson, who made heroin deliveries via taxis and used "female runners" to distance himself from street dealers. Ionescu allegedly was one of those runners. All four were indicted federally in April. Gibson was arrested in Detroit in late April and transferred to the Eastern District of Tennessee. He has not struck a plea deal, but records suggest he is negotiating one. Keisler pleaded guilty first and is awaiting sentencing. Ionescu has pleaded not guilty. SHARE Melissa Yuan By News Sentinel Staff OAK RIDGE Oak Ridge High senior Melissa Yuan has become only the third Tennessee girl to win a national Aspirations in Computing Award from the National Center for Women and Information Technology. The second winner was Patricia Edou from Oak Ridge High in 2015. The center is a nonprofit working to increase women's participation in computing and technology. Melissa was among 35 winners for 2016 chosen from over 3,100 nationwide applicants for the award. Her winnings include $1,000, a new laptop and an all-expense paid trip to the National Award weekend March 4-6 in Charlotte, N.C. Melissa is currently working on a data visualization project at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. She is the vice president of the student council and a volunteer at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge. She plans to go on to college and study biomedical engineering. SHARE Gus Paidousis Jimmy J.J. Jones By Don Jacobs of the Knoxville News Sentinel Three school captains surrender guns after Knox sheriff revokes bonds Knox County Sheriff Jimmy "J.J." Jones revoked the unrestricted bond cards for three Knox County Schools security captains who filed a complaint alleging racism, sexual harassment and angry outbursts against the school security chief. Jones ordered the revocations Tuesday, prompting school officials to demand Captains Dan Stewart, Bill Kee and Doug Ryerkerk surrender their firearms and bond cards, according to Knox County Schools spokeswoman Melissa Tindell. "Given these limitations, and since holding a bond from the Knox County Sheriff's Office is a qualification for their positions, Captains Stewart, Kee and Ryerkerk have been placed on administrative leave with pay, pending review and recommendations from our Human Resources Office regarding any appropriate personnel action," Tindell said Wednesday morning in an email. Jones had issued unrestricted bond cards to the three captains in November 2014 at the request of Knox County Schools Chief of Security Gus Paidousis, according to Knox County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Martha Dooley. That empowered the captains to carry firearms and make arrests, even off school property. Most school security officers have bond cards that allow them to be armed only on school property or at school functions. The captains on Dec. 14, 2015, filed a two-page complaint with the schools' human resources department against Paidousis. School officials said the allegations are under investigation. The complaint alleged Paidousis had fired a security officer because the officer is married to a black woman and they have children together, has sexually harassed a female employee, had threatened physical violence against a lawyer in the Knox County law director's office, has "frequent displays of anger" and has installed additional cameras in offices to intimidate employees critical of the chief. Paidousis is a highly trained and extensively educated law enforcement officer who was hired May 20, 2013. He had been with the Knoxville Police Department since 1981 and left as a deputy chief. He had commanded the patrol, investigative and support divisions of the Police Department. A school spokeswoman said the allegations against Paidousis are being investigated by human resources. KCSO spokeswoman Dooley on Tuesday said the revocations ordered by Jones are not retaliation against the captains for the complaint against Paidousis. Instead, Dooley said, the sheriff was looking out for the residents of Knox County. "He saw this was a liability for Knox County and that's his job, to limit the liability to the county," Dooley said. Dooley said Jones learned on Dec. 31 that the captains had been disciplined for various reasons. He ordered an investigator with the agency's Office of Professional Standards to review the captains' personnel files to determine why they had been disciplined. "He's got no other choice but to revoke their bonds for now," she said. Tennessee sheriffs can issue bond cards at their discretion. Previous Knox County Sheriff Tim Hutchison had revoked all school security bond cards at one time, prompting the school security unit to get security guard cards from the state department of commerce and insurance. Records show Kee was suspended without pay for three days in April 2015 because of the theft of his service weapon from his car. Schools Superintendent James McIntyre's written reprimand deemed Kee had violated policies by leaving the firearm unsecured in the vehicle. Rodney E. Russell, director of human capital strategy with Knox County Schools human resources, on Dec. 16, 2015, issued a written reprimand to Kee because Kee was uncivil to a co-worker, records state. Russell's letter stated Kee confronted a co-worker and cursed the employee because the employee had bypassed Kee and gone to Paidousis with a perceived problem. Russell also ordered Kee to participate in harassment and sensitivity training. The date of the alleged uncivil conduct was not included in the reprimand and there was no complaint included in Kee's personnel file that initiated the investigation. Those two disciplinary notices are the only ones in Kee's file. He has been employed by Knox County Schools since 1988 and transferred in 1996 from the transportation unit to the security division. Stewart worked for nearly 20 years at the Knox County Sheriff's Office until he left in 1996 with the rank of detective. He was hired by Knox County Schools in 1996. According to his personnel file, the only disciplinary action against Stewart occurred Dec. 18, 2015, when he was given a "Conference of Concern." The action arose from Stewart's Dec. 10 comments made to a student's mother about another student taking pictures of himself with firearms, according to a letter written by Adrian Rucker, director of human resources operations with Knox County Schools. Rucker also noted Stewart had a discussion with the principal of Carter High School in which the captain said based on the number of children at the school, there probably was a firearm somewhere on campus. The principal disagreed, Rucker noted in his letter, but Stewart refused to budge from his comment. "The comments you made were speculative, unsolicited and tended to exacerbate an already difficult safety and security challenge," Rucker wrote. Stewart filed a response to Rucker's letter apparently rebutting the allegations, but that response was not included in the personnel file reviewed by the News Sentinel. Dooley said Wednesday that the Stewart personnel file provided by the school system to the Sheriff's Office did not include the rebuttal document. Jones on Wednesday afternoon obtained a "poor quality copy" of Stewart's response to the allegations. "The sheriff sent the Office of Professional Standards over to get a copy of it today (Wednesday) after he became aware of it," Dooley said. She did not elaborate on how the sheriff learned of the existence of the document. Dooley said Jones planned on Thursday to review Stewart's rebuttal. The News Sentinel requested a copy of Stewart's rebuttal that was not in the reviewed file and is awaiting a response from the school system. Ryerkerk was hired by school security in January 2008. He had worked with the Knoxville Police Department since 1979 before joining school security. Ryerkerk's file shows he has been the recipient of two "Professional Communication Record" notices in seven years. In August 2014, Paidousis counseled Ryerkerk because the captain fell asleep in a leadership class, according to Ryerkerk's personnel file. Paidousis had a second counseling session with Ryerkerk after an incident April 17, 2015, at West View Elementary School, records show. An unidentified complainant on May 12 notified the security division of the incident. The complaint alleged Ryerkerk searched the purse of a teacher in view of students and parents while investigating a report the teacher was under the influence of an unknown substance. Records state Ryerkerk also discussed other cases involving employees in front of a school human resources representative and the unidentified complainant. The record did not clarify why the complainant came forward nearly a month after the alleged acts. Paidousis also noted that Ryerkerk's car "was not maintained in a professional manner." By Michael Collins of the Knoxville News Sentinel WASHINGTON Tennessee Republicans in Congress accused President Barack Obama of grandstanding and trying to strip law-abiding citizens of their Second Amendment rights by issuing a series of executive orders on Tuesday that will impose more restrictions on gun owners. "You can't fight terrorism and stop mass killings with a pen, and I guarantee you won't do either by infringing on the rights of the people who already play by the rules," said U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, R-Johnson City. "This has got to stop, and you better believe I'll fight to protect the constitutional rights of American citizens." U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr., R-Knoxville, said Obama should be working with Congress to address the real causes of gun violence instead of attacking gun owners and the Constitution. "Creating more bureaucracy and spending many millions more will not reduce gun violence," Duncan said. "Chicago has some of the toughest gun laws in the country and is known as the murder capital of the U.S." During a White House news conference where he wept while recalling young victims of gun violence, including 15-year-old Zaevion Dobson of Knoxville, Obama said he will bypass a Congress that has refused to act and will impose a series of gun-control restrictions through executive orders. The measures will expand the number of gun buyers subject to criminal background checks, order more gun research and better tracking of lost guns, and encourage more prosecutions for domestic violence. U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, a Memphis Democrat, commended Obama for taking action and said lawmakers cannot continue to sit back and do nothing while more than 30,000 Americans die of gun violence each year. "The vast majority of Americans including the vast majority of gun owners believe we must take sensible steps to address these horrible tragedies," Cohen said. "That's what the president is doing." But Tennessee Republicans blasted Obama for going around Congress. "First, the president should have sent these proposals to Congress instead of trying to make yet another end run around it," said U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. "Second, I will look closely at each proposal to determine whether it infringes upon or strengthens Second Amendment constitutional rights." Obama's orders also include new proposals to boost access to mental health. Alexander, who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said his panel already is moving ahead "in a bipartisan way" and should soon recommend additional legislation to the full Senate. U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-South Pittsburg, said infringing upon Second Amendment rights "will do nothing to curb gun violence." "Rather, President Obama should focus on real threats to our safety like radical Islamic terrorists," he said. U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Ooltewah, agreed. "Yet again, the president has taken to grandstanding instead of addressing real issues," he said. Duncan noted executive orders have traditionally been used almost entirely for noncontroversial, administrative-type actions. "They were not meant to be a way for a president to bypass the Congress and to act as a king," he said. U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Brentwood, called Obama's actions "a public relations stunt," and U.S. Rep. Diane Black, R-Gallatin, accused him of a "childish temper tantrum." "This is nothing more than a cheap stunt by a lawless president looking to seal a political legacy in the last months of his failing administration," Black said. An extended Criminal Court clerk desk service area is one of many upgrades to operations in the City County Building that have taken place since Criminal Court Clerk Mike Hammond took office in 2014. Some $81,383 has been spent on technology to shares information to patrons about which offices are where, as well as the dockets in the countys courtrooms. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL) SHARE Deputy Clerk Latiska Williams, left, takes a phone call through a new headset at the City County Building on Tuesday. Headsets were part of new electronic interfaces that have been installed at several places in the courthouse. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL) Screens scrolling daily court dockets, shown here on Tuesday, are on the main floor at the City County Building. The screens are part of new electronic interfaces that have been installed at several places in the courthouse. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL) Mike Hammond By Gerald Witt of the Knoxville News Sentinel A total of $81,383 has been spent on technology in the City County Building in downtown Knoxville to help patrons get around the building and to let them know what is going on in the county's courtrooms. Knox County Criminal Court Clerk Mike Hammond said that he's been upgrading the technical operations in the building since he took office in 2014. "The No. 1 question we get is 'where am I supposed to go?' " Hammond said. "We put screens in and worked with our IT people, and every day the daily docket scrolls outside (courtrooms) on the screens." Dick Moran, the county's information technology director, said that a lot of the changes have come with a mindset to improve technology throughout the county's courthouse, a 10-story facility at 400 Main St. that was completed in 1979 and also houses a jail and the Knox County Sheriff's Office. "The biggest thing is procedural changes to the current system to make sure that mistakes and things don't happen," Moran said. The Criminal Court Clerk oversees operations of the county's Criminal, Sessions, and 4th Circuit courts. Hammond succeeded previous Clerk Joy McCroskey, whose office was criticized for a series of errors leading to wrongful arrests. Since he was elected McCroskey chose not to run in 2014 Hammond has said his goal has been to push technological upgrades. Moran said that all the requests from Hammond are wearing his staff out, but in a good way. "They need to be done," Moran said. Other projects include a phone service for the Sessions Court office, Hammond said, that receives hundreds of phone calls a day from people wanting information. "We're patterning it after the 311 (phone system) service in the city," he said. Meanwhile, Knox County Commission is expected in January to consider giving the clerk's office $30,000 in excess fees to improve office furniture in the court system areas. Some office chairs are broken, Hammond said. He also plans to build a place for attorneys to privately meet with clients. Currently, he said, the most common option for confidential attorney-client conversations is a courthouse stairwell. "You don't have a whole lot of privacy in that building," Hammond said. But the big goal for years ahead is to go paperless. Hammond said that the county spends "between $300,000 and $400,000" on paper and logbooks every year in his office. A plan is underway with the county's IT staff, he said, to bring in a system to make the clerk's office paperless in 2017. That, Hammond said, could cost $1 million. "That's going to take a while," he said. By Choi Sung-jin Major conglomerates, faced with slumping exports and sluggish domestic sales, are trying to find breakthroughs in up-market retailing by attracting cashrich Chinese shoppers, market sources said Wednesday. Nothing showed this better than the live-or-die struggle to win licenses for duty-free stores among distributors affiliated with giant business groups last year, they said. Yet critics of chaebol are raising issues with such strategies to earn easy money, claiming that it is neither sustainable nor desirable. In early 2015, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance announced that it would add three tax-free shops, for the first time in 14 years, to help reinvigorate the economy through attracting more foreign tourists. To get two of three new tickets allotted to large businesses, not only the existing operators but also distributors with no experience of running duty-free shops jumped into the fray. Leading these efforts were some scions of chaebol owners, such as Lee Bu-jin, CEO of the Shilla Hotel and daughter of Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee, and Chung Mong-kyu, son of Hyundai Motor founder Chung Se-yung and chairman of Hyundai Development. As many as 10 consortiums vied to win the other licenses allocated for small businesses. In the "Second Duty-Free War" to find new operators for the three existing duty-free stores whose licensing periods expired late last year, the existing operators and their challengers staged a cut-throat competition. The Shinsegae Group, which was suffering from falling sales at its department stores and super superstores, and the Doosan Group, reeling from sluggish orders for overseas plants, went all-in to win the licenses. Behind the fierce competition was the influx of Chinese tourists armed with newly-earned money, since 2010, attracted by the many well-stocked luxury stores here and the geographical proximity to China. The Chinese visitors exceeded Japanese tourists in number for the first time in October 2012. In 2014, the number of Chinese tourists to Korea totaled approximately 6.12 million. The sales at duty-free stores almost doubled from 4.52 trillion won ($3.78 billion) in 2010 to 8.30 trillion won in 2014. Chinese shoppers accounted for 70 percent of the sales at Lotte Duty-Free Store in 2014. Yet there are clear limitations to duty-free shops serving as a breakthrough for a dormant economy, business sources say. Luxury goods and other imported items take up to 80 percent of the duty-free store sales, meaning there is little added value produced for the national economy except for profits garnered by duty-free shops. Government and business officials say they will raise the shares of local products among total sales but few can say for sure whether this can become a reality because all this is up to the Chinese shoppers, they note. Even more uncertain, no one knows whether the Chinese will continue to come to Korea to spend money. Since 2007, Korea had exceeded Japan in terms of the number of foreign tourists attracted but this trend turned around last year. According to Japanese tourism authorities, the number of foreign tourists to Japan in the first nine months of 2015 totaled 14.48 million, up 48.8 percent from a year earlier, thanks to more than 100-percent increase of Chinese tourists. Over the cited period, foreigners who visited Korea fell 8.4 percent to 9.58 million. Aside from the uncertainty of tourism, critics of family-run conglomerates point to the rapidly dwindling entrepreneurship among third- or fourth-generation managers among chaebol family members. By Lee Hyo-sik James Kim GM Korea CEO Jung Jae-hee Ford Korea CEO Consumers are calling on GM, Ford and other automakers that import cars from the United States to lower prices in line with the removal of a 4 percent import tariff. Under the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA), Korea abolished a 4 percent tariff on vehicles imported from the world's largest economy on Jan. 1, making U.S.-produced cars cheaper. But U.S. automakers have no plans to slash prices, drawing consumer complaints. Toyota, Nissan, Honda and other Japanese carmakers, which sell vehicles produced by their U.S. plants, also have no intention of bringing down prices. "I think cars imported from the United States should become at least 4 percent cheaper following the removal of the customs duty," said a salary worker in Seoul, surnamed Kim, 44. "I believe consumers, not automakers, should benefit from the tariff abolishment. It is disappointing to hear that carmakers will not cut the prices." Consumer rights advocacy groups also said those selling U.S.-produced cars should lower prices following the tariff removal. "One of the benefits of FTAs is that prices of imported goods decline on lowered tariffs," said Yoon Myung, director at Consumers Korea. "But this has rarely happened over the years. Not only imported car brands, but also importers of other foreign consumer goods have not reduced consumer prices, despite tariff removal. This is wrong." Yoon called on GM, Ford and others that import and sell U.S.-made automobiles not to be greedy, urging them to cut prices for consumers. But GM Korea, which imports Impala sedans from U.S. plants, said it will not lower the price of the popular Chevrolet brand sedan. "We already considered a tariff removal when pricing the Impala in August last year," a GM Korea official said. "So we have no plan to make the vehicle cheaper than it is now. Compared to other sedans in the same class, the Impala is really price-competitive." The official then painted a rosy outlook for the sedan, expressing confidence that its popularity will continue at present prices. The Impala, with a 2.5 liter engine, starts from 34 million won and the 3.6-liter-engine vehicle from 42 million won. If prices decline by 4 percent, buyers can save at least 1 million won. The sedan has been popular since its launch, forcing GM Korea to scramble to secure enough cars. Those seeking to buy the Impala have to wait at least three to four months for a car. Ford Korea, which sold the most vehicles among U.S. import brands last year, also said it has no plan to make its vehicles cheaper, despite the tariff removal. "We have no plans to cut the prices of our sedans or SUV because we have already reflected the tariff change in our 2016 pricing policies," a Ford Korea spokesman said. The Korean unit of Detroit-based Ford Motor Company sold a total of 10,358 vehicles in 2015, the largest among U.S. brands not operating plants in Korea. Cadillac, GM's high-end brand, also said it will not lower prices and instead said it would refrain from raising prices of renewed models, which will be brought into the country this year. "We will introduce updated models equipped with new features," a Cadillac spokesman said. "Normally, we have to raise their prices. But given the tariff removal, we will try not to charge more." Shim Dong-sup, chairman of Korean Institute for Electronic Trade and Commerce Promotion (KIETaC), speaks during a forum on e-commerce hosted by the state-run agency at Coex in southern Seoul, Wednesday. / Courtesy of KIETaC By Kim Jae-won Korea hosted an international forum on e-commerce in East Asia at the COEX Convention and Exhibition Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on Wednesday, where ways to lower barriers to e-commerce trade and create a single market for the region were discussed. The state-backed Korean Institute for Electronic Trade and Commerce Promotion (KIETaC) led the bilateral forum with China, exchanging ideas on how to resolve issues with customs and logistics in the fast-rising sector. The forum was held two months after President Park Geun-hye, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed to boost e-commerce in the region by establishing a single united digital market. Seoul hosted the trilateral summit in November. "The forum will pave the way for completing the agreement as soon as possible. It is also notable that Korea is taking the lead in boosting e-commerce and leading the unified digital market project," said KIETaC Chairman Shim Dong-sup. "We expect sizeable economic effects from forming one huge market for the region through electronic trade." The forum consisted of three sessions: policymaking, business meetings and market overview. In the policymaking session, Zhang Jinliang, chairman of Qingdao Jinshi Holdings, forecast a bright future for e-commerce, as it provides convenience to customers in ways that traditional services cannot. "Chinese customers order Korean goods through e-commerce and get them delivered to their home directly," said Zhang at the forum. "It reduces many processes as well as cuts costs." Qingdao Jinshi is a state-funded company which runs the largest e-commerce firm in China specialized in Korean goods. He said he plans to boost the business by combining sales channels for PCs, mobile devices and offline shops into one system. Jang Sang-shik, a researcher at the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), said e-commerce is on the rise globally. He expected the volume of e-commerce to reach $1 trillion in 2018, up from $233 billion in 2014. The number of customers using e-commerce will also increase, topping 20 million in 2018 from 13 million in 2014, he said. BS Communications CEO Park Byung-kyu said that Korean companies need an e-commerce strategy to target Chinese customers. He advised them to localize their brand names to the Chinese market and target their demand based on online surveys. KIETaC was established by the government in November to help local companies connect with the e-commerce market. Shim has led the agency since then. By Yoon Ja-young North Korea's nuclear test is expected to have a limited effect on the Korean economy, according to government officials and analysts Wednesday. "After the report of an earthquake detected in North Korea, volatility increased slightly in the financial markets but they soon recovered. They remain stable despite the confirmation (of the nuclear test) by North Korea's state TV," said Financial Services Commission Chairman Yim Jong-ryong at the emergency meeting. A South Korean weather agency reported early in the morning that it detected signs of an artificial earthquake near North Korea's nuclear test site. It was confirmed by the North's state broadcaster, the Korean Central News Agency, which announced that the regime successfully conducted a test of a hydrogen bomb. The Seoul bourse reacted to the news of the earthquake detection, losing 0.98 percent to stand at 1911.61. The Kosdaq also fell 1.26 percent. However, the effect was short-lived. The KOSPI closed at 1,925.43 points, losing 0.26 percent and the Kosdaq closed at 687.27, up 0.47 percent from the previous day. The won/dollar rate closed at 1,197.9 won, up 9.9 won from the previous day, but analysts said it was due to the devaluation of yuan rather than the concern over North Korea's nuclear test. Analysts point out that investors now know empirically that North Korea's explosion had little influence on the stock market or the economy. "Due to past experience, the effects of a crisis caused by North Korea last for only a day on the market," said Yoon Young-kyo, an economist at LIG Investment and Securities. He cited the missile launch, the Yeonpyeong Naval Battles between the two Koreas, the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, and the three nuclear tests as North Korean crises the national has witnessed since the 1990s. "In the cases of the first Yeonpyeong battle and the first and the third nuclear tests, stock markets fell noticeably on the first day of the events. However, there has always been a rebound within a few days. For the rest of the events, the drops didn't last even a single day." Back in December 2011, the news of Kim Jong-il's death pulled down the KOSPI by 3.43 percent. However, it recovered after two days. It also fell 2.41 percent when North Korea conducted its first nuclear test in 2006 October, but recovered in five days. The KOSPI dipped 2.21 percent following the Yeonpyeong battle in 1999 June but it recovered the next day. The KOSPI fell a mere 0.2 percent on the second nuclear test in May 2009, and 0.26 percent in the third test in February 2013. "Due to repetition, North Korea's crises are losing their influence as negative factors. The nuclear test this time will also have only limited effects on the stock market," Yoon said. He added that investors should focus instead on the decisions to be made at the European Central Bank and the U.S. Fed or the expansion of China risk in financial markets rather than on North Korea. Kyobo Securities also said in a report that it won't accelerate changes in the fundamental. "As investor sentiment isn't good these days, there may be a tendency to exaggerate short-term negative factors," it noted. "The short-term fall following the negative sentiment in the market should be regarded as a chance to buy shares at cheaper prices." The government also noted that market hasn't been in good shape. "The market has been reacting sensitively to even small news, due to the collapse of the Chinese stock market and the bad news from the Middle East. If the uncertainties continue, including the possibility of an additional nuclear test, the volatility may expand in the financial markets and in the overall economy for the short-term," the finance ministry said in a media release after an emergency meeting. It added that a joint task force will be monitoring the market to reassure investor confidence. A sweet jelly sellers during circa 1910 / Courtesy of Robert Neff collection By Robert Neff In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a common sight in Seoul was the snack and drink peddlers. These peddlers many of them boys or young men loudly advertised their goods as they roamed through the city streets. They attracted not only the attention of potential customers but also Westerners who described them in their correspondences home. Frank Carpenter, an American journalist who traveled to Korea in the fall of 1888, was especially impressed with the young enterprising chestnut vendors: "They are little boys with their hair parted in the middle like girls and braided in one tightly woven cord down the back. Their stock usually consists of about a quart of chestnuts and they have a little pan of coals over which they roast them while you wait." Candy sellers were also very popular with Westerners plagued with a sweet tooth. Horace Grant Underwood roamed the streets of Seoul as a young boy in the 1930s and in an article describing his boyhood wrote: "I remember best the yot sellers. Theirs was the Korean malt taffy that came in long strings which the seller would cut into appropriate lengths with the scissors that he clanked to advertise his presence." Another young customer was Muriel Lewis, a missionary's daughter who lived in Wonju in the 1920s. She recalled the candy sellers "had a tray with straps going up over their shoulders, and the candy was a malt taffy. It was good, I loved it. But it was just exposed to the dust and the dirt blowing around. When they made it, they spit on their hands so it wouldn't stick to them when they pulled it. Then it was rolled in sesame seeds. We used to buy it once in a while and re-cook it to kill the germs." Visages of this past can still be found in Seoul. Yot vendors, many dressed in traditional clothing, still sell their products at tourist spots such as Insadong but they seem more window-dressing than genuine. In residential areas away from the high-rise apartments, I have encountered a makgeolli peddler dressed in rags, perhaps to give his product a more genuine feel selling his alcohol from carts that he pulled through the streets while shouting the virtues of his drink. He even offered to share a bottle with me. Regretfully I declined, but only because I was on my bicycle. In the late fall and early winter, teenage boys and young men sell roasted sweet potatoes. Their sales pitches to customers are often polite and filled with good humor and, unsurprisingly, the most successful of these young vendors are handsome. But not all of these fall and winter vendors are so visible. In my neighborhood, the late evenings and early nights are sometimes filled with the haunting calls of chapssaltteok (a Korean rice cake with bean paste) and maemilmuk (buckwheat jelly) sellers advertising their wares as they roam the streets and alleys seeking customers. Their calls act as a lullaby to usher in dreams of Korea's past. Robert Neff is a historian and columnist for The Korea Times. He can be reached at robertneff103@gmail.com. President Park Geun-hye presides over a National Security Council meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Wednesday, following an announcement made in North Korea in which the regime there claimed to have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. Park said the North should pay for threatening national security. / Yonhap President convenes emergency security council meeting By Kang Seung-woo President Park Geun-hye said Wednesday that South Korea will cooperate with the international community to ensure that North Korea will pay the price, after Pyongyang claimed to have conducted a hydrogen bomb test in violation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. Also, Park warned that a stern response will follow if the North takes any additional provocations. An hour after an announcement from North Korea about the nuclear test, President Park convened a National Security Council meeting at Cheong Wa Dae to work out measures to be taken in response to the latest provocation from the repressive state. "The North Korean H-bomb test is a serious challenge to the survival and future of South Korea as well as world peace and stability," Park said during the 40-minute meeting. "Despite repeated warnings from the South and the international community, the North ignored these and then carried out the nuclear test. The government will seek to get the North to face U.N. sanctions and firm counteraction from our allies, including the United States." The U.N. resolutions ban the North from developing nuclear weapons and using ballistic missile technology and Pyongyang is already under U.N. sanctions for conducting previous nuclear and missile tests. Hydrogen bombs are many times more powerful than conventional plutonium- or uranium-based nuclear weapons. In this context, Park said that the claimed bomb test may bring important changes to regional security although additional analyses are required. "Taking the current situation seriously, we need to handle this matter firmly through international sanctions on the North," Park said, instructing diplomats to pursue diplomatic action with key neighboring countries and the U.N. North Koreans react as they watch a news broadcast on a video screen outside Pyongyang Railway Station in Pyongyang, North Korea, Wednesday. / AP-Yonhap By Lee Kyung-min Citizens erupted with a barrage of condemnation over North Korea's hydrogen bomb test on Wednesday, with some casting doubt on the former Kim Dae-jung administration's "Sunshine Policy," a policy of lenience and engagement that provided generous aid to the reclusive regime for almost a decade. "What good would come of providing a large amount of aid to the dictatorial regime whether it is on humanitarian grounds or as a strategic foreign policy when they use the money to develop weapons instead of looking out for their people?" one Internet user wrote. "The weapons development would have no reason other than as a means to incur self-inflicted wounds." Similar responses followed, denouncing the North for failing as a nation to take care of its people. "The North pours almost its entire national budget into the weapons development program while its people are starving to death in the streets," another Internet user wrote. "The government as well as the international communities should stop offering aid that would ultimately backfire and disturb peace on the Korean Peninsula." Soldiers watch a TV news program showing North Korea's announcement at the Dong seoul Bus Terminal, Seoul, Wednesday. / Yonhap People also criticized South Korea's government and its spy agency the National Intelligence Service (NIS) for its intelligence failure. "What did the NIS do?" another Internet user wrote. "How are we supposed to sit quiet and feel safe, when we can't be sure of the possibility of a bomb going off at any given moment? The NIS would have no excuse to avoid responsibility if it was unaware of an incident with this kind of magnitude." Others claimed that high-profile public figures should assume responsibility as well. "Superficial metrics such as Gross National Income surpassing $20,000 means nothing, if a nation fails to guarantee its people basic safety and security," another wrote. Civic groups added to the criticism. "The North's nuclear and hydrogen bombs should be deterred at all cost," said an official at Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice. "The North's claim for peace on the Korean Peninsula rings hollow in such a move, drawing heightened concerns from all parts of the country." People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy also said in a statement, "Pursuing a weapons development program that could result in massive casualties is in violation of international law." Others showed indifference, saying the North's provocative moves are nothing but a ploy to get more attention by causing a panic. "North Korea seems to cause tension on the peninsula regularly for negotiations," said Park Sung-soo, a 38-year-old office worker in Seoul. "It has become chronic, and I can't pay too much attention to the issue anymore because I'm busy taking care of my own things to maintain a livelihood." "Amid deepening economic woes throughout the world, I think North Korea made a strategic move to turn the situation around," said Yang Jae-yul, head of the trust department at Daegu Bank. "I feel that they will use it to consolidate the Kim Jong-un regime." "Such saber-rattling is an obvious attempt to gain an upper hand in the upcoming talks," said Oh Heung-seon, director of the Korea Financial Education Association. "I don't pay much attention to it, because that is exactly what the North wants." About 1,000 activists and citizens participate in the weekly rally for victims of sexual slavery during World War II in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, Wednesday, the 24th anniversary of the rally. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul By Kim Se-jeong A group of women forced into sexual slavery during World War II by Japan's imperial military were joined Wednesday by supportive citizens to mark the 24th anniversary of a rally held every week outside the Japanese Embassy in Seoul. Since the first rally was held, the elderly women and other activists have hoped that every gathering, held each Wednesday, would be the last and that Japan would apologize for its wartime atrocities sincerely and take legal responsibility. However, these demands have not yet been met according to the victims, despite the Dec. 28 agreement reached between Korea and Japan to resolve the issue. Rather, the participants at this week's rally renewed their campaign and vowed to continue in their struggle against the Japanese government. On Dec. 28, the foreign ministers of Korea and Japan announced that Tokyo would pay $8.3 million to support the remaining 46 Korean victims of sexual abuse and that Korea would talk with civic groups to relocate the statue of a girl, a symbol of the victims, situated in front of the Japanese Embassy. The two sides also declared that the issue was resolved "finally and irreversibly." / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul The first rally was held on Jan. 8, 1992, almost five months after one victim, Kim Hak-soon, testified about her plight in public for the first time. The rally has become a symbol of the civil advocacy movement to preserve history in Korea. It also marked the longest held public protest on a single issue. "The compromise by both foreign ministers was made without any consultation from the victims. We want the governments to renegotiate," said Yoon Mee-hyang, head of the Korean Council for Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, the organizer of the rally. Civic groups in 13 other Korean cities and 45 cities in 12 other countries held their own rallies on Wednesday in support of the victims and to denounce the agreement. The heads of 31 regional governments condemned President Park Geun-hye for the "failed deal" and demanded that it be renegotiated. They also said they will seek to set up their own comfort women statues and memorials in their regions as well. Currently, there are 27 located around Korea and abroad. By Chung Ah-young The growing conflict between the central government and regional educational offices over the free preschool program, called Nuri Curriculum, is causing anxiety for parents of young children. They worry about whether they will have to pay for the program themselves if both the central government and the education offices refuse to fund them, with the conflict showing no signs of resolution. Representing superintendents of educational offices from 17 cities and provinces nationwide, the National Council of Governors of Education (NCGE) Wednesday criticized the government's threat to seek all possible measures including legal action against the offices that refuse to finance the free childcare and preschool programs. The council's reaction came a day after Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan's speech about possible legal actions. He stressed that it is the "legal duty of the educational offices" to set aside a budget for the program. "It is a pity that Choi mentioned the legal action to pass the buck to us," said Jang Hui-guk, superintendent of Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education and president of NCGE, at the press conference. "We want to ask him if the government has the will to stop the free preschool program crisis," he said. The council said the government's reaction will not help solve the problem. "If the government takes legal action, we will deploy all means to take counteractions," he said. The council proposed an emergency meeting with heads of both the ruling Saenuri Party and the opposition parties along with heads of the related ministries as soon as possible in order to resolve the issue. The government has pressured regional educational offices to earmark budgets for the program, as most of the offices have failed to finance the program, citing lack of money. In 2013, the government adopted the Nuri Curriculum for preschoolers to benefit children at both daycare centers and kindergartens, although the daycare centers are under the authority of the Ministry of Health and Welfare and kindergartens are supervised by the Ministry of Education. Citing this, the education offices claim no responsibility for financing the daycare centers. But the government argues that it revised the regulations to oblige the offices to budget the program for both daycare centers and kindergartens. So far, educational offices in Seoul, Gwangju and South Jeolla and Gyeonggi provinces have refused to allocate any money for the programs. Some offices only budget for kindergartens while others decided to fund the program just for the short term. Some 4.02 trillion won _ 2.13 trillion won for daycare centers and 1.89 trillion won for kindergartens _ is required to support the 1.3 million children aged three to five who are entitled to the programs. "It is deplorable that parents are suffering as the central government and local educational offices are passing the buck off on each other," said Yang Yoon-mi, who has two sons in Seoul. "I have two children. If this game of chicken continues, parents cannot but take all the burdens. With this poor policy, I don't think the birthrate can be boosted anytime soon." Monthly support for one child is 220,000 won, so in Yang's case she will have to pay 440,000 won per month if the budget is not allocated in time. Squatchin': Ohio Bigfoot Investigators Are More Determined Than Ever to Prove the Fabled Creature Is Real Ohio is one of the top states for Bigfoot sightings, and explorers are using new tech for the hunt. By Allison Babka Oct 19, 2022 Editor's note: This story is featured in the Oct. 19 print edition of CityBeat. Its a peaceful drive between Cincinnati and Perrysville, especially when avoiding the interstate... By Rachel Lee Foreign diplomats in South Korea are watching closely how the situation on the Korean Peninsula will unfold after North Korea claimed that it has successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, Wednesday. Immediately after the North's announcement, foreign diplomatic missions in Seoul reported it to their governments and discussed the situation for the whole day. Some missions said they are working with their governments to make official announcements. Joon Hetland, first secretary at the Embassy of Norway, said that the mission is watching over the news, but cannot give further comment due to the sensitivity of the issue. "Our foreign Minister Borge Brende tweeted about the North's claims two hours after the announcement," he said. The minister said on his twitter account: "North Korea claims it has tested a nuclear bomb. The hydrogen bomb is a serious threat to global security." The British Embassy said that they are aware of the situation in North Korea. Members of the Seoul Young Leaders Club pose with Senior Public Diplomacy Group President Choi Ha-kyung, front row third from left, in 2015, after discussing how to dedicate themselves to community services. / Courtesy of SYLC By Jon Dunbar The Seoul Young Leaders Club (SYLC) will hold a general meeting Suday to discuss its community service initiatives for the new year. The meeting is to take place over dinner and drinks at TGI Friday in Yongsan I'Park in Seoul at 5:30 p.m. SYLC was formed on June 1 as a satellite organization of Seoul Rotary Club, which was formed in 1927. The SYLC, for those aged 19 to 35, was suggested by Seoul Rotary President David Saeho Chang. "If it were not for his idea, young professionals with a passion for service would have an otherwise difficult experience in becoming part of the Rotary family since membership fees for senior clubs are much higher than our club membership fees," said SYLC President Raymond Chetti in an interview with The Korea Times. "Seoul Rotary Club members are considered an extended family of the SYLC and vice versa." The club offers young professionals opportunities to network with likeminded community leaders, both foreign and Korean, and carries out community service projects. "I've expanded my professional network, made new friends from cultures different from my own, and became part of a larger movement to make a positive impact in the world," said Chetti. In the half year since the club was launched, they've grown to 30 members, participated in 10 fundraising and service projects and raised 6 million won. Their first service project was volunteering at a Seoul homeless shelter in June 2015. They co-hosted a rock concert near Hongik University in Seoul in August that year, raising 1.2 million won to donate books to a school in Laos. In October 2015, they helped build homes for low-income families in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, in cooperation with Habitat for Humanity. They even offered a charity screening of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," raising 900,000 won for Doctors Without Borders. According to Chetti, they are now evaluating a project with Baeksa Village, a mountainous slum in Nowon, northern Seoul, with a large elderly population. "There is a problem with growing old in South Korea where more and more seniors are aging alone and suffering by living in under-average standard of living conditions." The project is set to be discussed at the upcoming general meeting. Non-members are welcome to join, but must apply for a reservation in advance. Find out more at seoulrotary.com or visit the Facebook page Seoul Rotary Club_Young Leaders Club. Helmut Schwarz, president of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, speaks during a seminar on the campus of Ewha Womans University in Seoul, Nov. 27. The foundation hosted the event in cooperation with Ewha, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and the German Academic Exchange Service. / Courtesy of Ewha Womans University Humboldt Foundation official stresses scientific freedom Dr. Thomas Hesse, deputy secretary general of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation By Chung Hyun-chae Dr. Thomas Hesse, the deputy secretary general of Germany's Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, has called on Korea to invest more on basic research over the long term. "Major scientific breakthroughs often happen when researchers are free to pursue their curiosity and are allowed to depart from their familiar paths, when they have the time and space to take chances, and possibly fail, with a new approach or method," Hesse told The Korea Times in an e-mail interview. He described Korea as an outstanding country in the field of engineering, which could contribute to the development of nanotechnology, materials science and physics, while stressing the importance of basic research. "We have observed cuts in the humanities and social sciences and an attendant decline of interest in these disciplines," he said. "In my view, this can, over the long term, become as critical for South Korean society as the current trend toward giving significantly more priority to applied research over basic research." Calling Korea a young and ambitious science nation, Hesse attributed its high achievements in science to its priority on education in general and its willingness to invest in scientific development. "Considerable resources are being made available with the aim of creating _ with noticeable success _ a research landscape that can compete with the world's best," he said, adding that Germany can learn from Korea's efficiency and ambition in the research sector. Established in 1860, the German government-backed research funding foundation has promoted academic collaboration between scientists and scholars from all over the world. "The foundation does much to foster and maintain sustained contact with and between fellows and award winners long after their initial research stay or funding," Hesse said. "This continued contact has been one of the hallmarks of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation since its establishment." The foundation grants more than 700 competitive research fellowships and awards every year. Ties with Korea According to Dr. Hesse, about 230 alumni of the Humboldt Foundation are Koreans, many who hold positions of authority in Korea's major research institutions. They include Kang Sung-mo, president of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), and Lee Jai-sung, vice president of Hanyang University. As part of its efforts to maintain strong relations with Korea, the foundation held a seminar in Seoul in November in cooperation with Ewha Womans University and KAIST. "We can't however rest on our laurels. As we see it, the number of applications we receive from South Korea does not sufficiently reflect the country's enormous scientific potential," Hesse said. "In light of this, we have selected South Korea as one of five countries worldwide where we are making the extra effort to expand our network and raise awareness of the foundation and its sponsoring activities, funding opportunities and services." Germany's strength Hesse also emphasized freedom in science research, which he believes is Germany's main strength. "A culture of scientific freedom and trust is helpful for creating the type of space researchers need in order to be able to make revolutionary discoveries and generate innovation," he said. According to Hesse, scientific freedom is protected in Germany by the nation's constitution as well as its social atmosphere. "All in all the political climate is research-friendly and the assistance provided for the sciences focuses on high-quality research, irrespective of whether it is conducted in the engineering sciences, natural sciences, humanities or social sciences," Hesse said. "And equally independent of whether there is evidence that the research will lead to an application at some point." By Kim Hyo-jin South Korea and the United States beefed up their joint defense readiness after North Korea claimed Wednesday to have conducted its first successful hydrogen bomb test. "The allies have increased surveillance activities to monitor the North Korean military," said Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok during a press briefing. "The military held a teleconference of commanders and shared information on the current situation while enhancing the vigilance posture against North Korea." "We will take necessary countermeasures against the North's nuclear test under the South Korea-U.S. alliance in cooperation with the international community," he said. Defense Minister Han Min-koo discussed the situation over the phone with his U.S. counterpart, Ash Carter. The ministry formed a joint counter-crisis team with the Joint Chiefs of Staff following the detection of seismic activity in North Korea. The military was then put on high alert and surveillance of North Korea strengthened, according to another defense ministry official who asked not to be named. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Lee Sun-jin and the commander of the U.S. Forces Korea Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti had a telephone conversation and agreed to ensure "close collaboration" between both countries, the official said. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signs an order to carry out a hydrogen bomb test, Wednesday. The North's Korean Central Television (KCTV) disclosed photos of his signing right after the official announcement of the test's success. / Yonhap The following is a chronology of major events leading to North Korea's hydrogen bomb test on Wednesday. 2006 Oct. 9: North Korea says it successfully carried out its first test of a nuclear device. Oct. 15: The U.N. Security Council votes unanimously to impose weapons and financial sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear test. Resolution 1718 demands Pyongyang eliminate all its nuclear weapons, weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles. 2007 Feb. 13: Pyongyang agrees to shut down its nuclear reactor and invite international inspectors within 60 days in return for massive energy assistance. June 26-30: IAEA inspectors arrive in North Korea to discuss freezing its nuclear reactor, the first time they have been allowed into the country since 2002. Sept. 2: Following bilateral talks in Geneva, the U.S. says North Korea has agreed to declare and dismantle all its nuclear facilities by the end of the year. 2008 June 27: North Korea explodes the cooling tower at its Yongbyon nuclear reactor, in a symbolic move to show its commitment to the talks on ending its nuclear program. Aug. 26: Two months after submitting its nuclear declaration, Pyongyang says it has stopped disabling its nuclear facilities in protest of the delayed process to remove the country from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. 2009 May 25: North Korea detonates an underground nuclear explosive device. This is North Korea's second nuclear test and is believed to be several times more powerful than the first one tested in 2006. 2010 Nov. 12: Seigfried Hecker, a U.S. nuclear scientist, makes a visit to North Korea, where he is shown an advanced uranium enrichment plant in Yongbyon. 2011 Nov. 30: North Korean state media says the construction of a light-water reactor and the production of low-enriched uranium are making progress. 2012 Feb. 29: North Korea agrees to suspend uranium enrichment, as well as nuclear and long-range missile tests. 2013 Jan. 24: North Korea's National Defense Commission says it will proceed with a "high-level nuclear test." Feb. 4: North Korea's state media says its leader Kim Jong-un made an "important" decision regarding its security and sovereignty at a military meeting, amid mounting pressure on Pyongyang to scrap its plan for a nuclear test. Feb. 12: North Korea conducts a third nuclear test at the Punggye-ri test site hours after the ruling Workers' Party Political Bureau vowed to continue to launch long-range rockets as part of an "all-out action of high intensity." 2016 Jan. 6: North Korea claims to have successfully conducted a hydrogen bomb test. (Yonhap) The U.N. Security Council looks set to convene an emergency session to discuss tougher sanctions on North Korea for its self-claimed hydrogen test. Chances are high that the 15-member council will adopt another resolution against Pyongyang under the so-called trigger clause in the 2013 version. It calls for "significant action" against Pyongyang's long-range rocket launch or nuclear test. Shortly after the North's announcement Wednesday that it has carried out a successful H-bomb test, South Korea strongly criticized the North. In a statement, Seoul said it would push for "every necessary measure," including additional U.N. sanctions, in order to make Pyongyang "pay the price" for the provocation. U.N. sources in New York said the council has already decided to convene a meeting on Wednesday (local time), while the exact time has yet to be fixed. "We will closely consult with the U.S., China and other countries, as well as the U.N.," a senior South Korean government official also said. "The U.N. Security Council's emergency meeting will be convened soon." The council adopted legally binding resolutions against Pyongyang for all of its three previous nuclear tests: in 2006, 2009 and 2013. But the level of additional sanctions will again hinge on China and Russia. The veto-wielding countries are opposed to pushing the North too hard. All the resolutions against the North were passed under Chapter VII's Article 41 of the U.N. Charter, which bans member states from using force to enforce sanctions. Beijing and Moscow would not approve any resolution on Pyongyang based on Article 42 to permit the use of air, sea or land force. In its opening session on the North's latest provocation, the U.N. council is expected to issue a presidential statement condemning it. Uruguay holds the rotating presidency this month. It will then hold follow-up meetings to decide a concrete punishment, a process likely to last a few weeks. It heralds another round of diplomatic battles among regional powers. "It won't be easy for the U.N. Security Council to adopt a strong measure against North Korea," said Cheong Seong-chang, a senior researcher at the Sejong Institute. "As relations between the U.S. and Russia have exacerbated, it's questionable that Russia will cooperate." Although China, which is at odds with the U.S. over the South China Sea issue, is critical of North Korea's nuclear development itself, it would not assent to harsh sanctions to endanger the communist neighbor, he added. A dilemma, indeed, is that there are few effective tools left to punish the North, which is already under a wide web of sanctions. Skepticism over the efficiency of the existing sanctions is widespread as well. (Yonhap) People in Seoul Station watch a TV news broadcast showing an announcement made on television in North Korea that the regime there conducted a nuclear test, Wednesday. The North said it tested a hydrogen bomb, a defiant and surprising move that, if confirmed, will put Pyongyang significantly closer to upgrading its still-limited nuclear arsenal. The script reads "(North Korea) has a become hydrogen bomb-holding country." / AP-Yonhap Fourth nuclear test draws international condemnation By Jun Ji-hye North Korea announced Wednesday that it conducted a successful hydrogen bomb test, in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions. However, the South Korean military raised doubts over the North's claims, saying that the explosive power estimated to have been used at the test site was too small to confirm that an H-bomb was detonated. An H-bomb is approximately 100 to 1,000 times more destructive than an atomic bomb. The nuclear test may lead to harsher measures from the international community against Pyongyang, which is already under U.N. sanctions for nuclear tests conducted in 2006, 2009 and 2013. South Korea joined the international community in condemning the North and vowed to make it pay the price, saying it will ask for further sanctions against Pyongyang. The North's announcement came a few hours after seismic activity was detected close to the isolated state's nuclear test site in Punggye-ri by seismologists around the world. Seoul and Washington as well as other neighboring countries including China and Japan condemned the North's provocative act for posing a serious threat to regional security and for violating U.N. resolutions. President Park Geun-hye urgently convened a meeting of the National Security Council at Cheong Wa Dae to discuss countermeasures necessary to counter the North's provocation. She said, "The North should pay the price, and U.N. Security Council sanctions along with a firm response from allies are necessary." The South Korean military raised its military alert status in close cooperation with the United States Forces Korea in preparation for further possible provocations from the repressive state. In its "special" announcement aired on the North's state-run Korean Central Television, Pyongyang stated that it conducted an H-bomb test at 10:00 a.m. (Pyongyang Time). By Kyung Moon Hwang Oddly, this first column of 2016 will emphasize 2015, because it addresses the recent agreement between the Korean and Japanese governments on the "comfort women" dispute. And it's clear that the number "2015" drove this process, at least from the Korean side. It doesn't take a genius to figure this out. The Korean foreign minister's opening remarks on Dec. 28 to announce the agreement stated that his government sought to find an "early resolution" to this "most crucial history-related issue" between the two countries. Why the hurry? Because this had to take place before the end of 2015. Last year marked the 50th anniversary of the 1965 treaty to restore diplomatic relations between Korea and its former colonial master, Japan. Moreover, this 1965 agreement was pushed through over fierce protests, much larger than what is going on today, by the current president's father, Park Chung-hee, in order to gain access to money and technology. So the motivation was not only to make a symbolic splash, but to reinforce and legitimize that controversial step from half a century ago. This effort to justify, enhance, and take advantage of her father's actions has driven the current President throughout her administration. In the U.S., this is exactly what happened with George W. Bush, who committed the disastrous folly of invading Iraq in order to complete and legitimate what his father had done a decade earlier, with horrific consequences, such as ISIS, that we still live with today. There were also other factors behind the Korea-Japan agreement, of course, including the geopolitical setting, though this seems overstated, particularly the shared fear of a rising China. The influence of the United States, though, is another matter, and the recent agreement appears to have been informed considerably by strategic interests tied to the U.S., which continues a longstanding historical pattern. Both Korea's and Japan's post-World War II external relations have been dominated by the American security alliance. Hence, the 2015 agreement provides reminders of these two Asian countries' historical incapacity to assert independence from the U.S. Likewise, the post-WWII era in both countries has mostly been led by rightist, anti-communist governing orders cultivated by the Cold War. In Korea, these circumstances allowed authoritarian regimes to justify their dictatorial rule through the pursuit of intensive economic development. Japan, though not as authoritarian, was nevertheless dominated politically by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which emerged in the aftermath of the U.S. occupation of Japan. In pursuit of their own interests, the Americans who constructed the postwar Japanese order permitted the LDP and Japanese citizens to forget their wartime past and pretend they had no ties to the wartime military regime. The 2015 agreement's opening clause on the Japanese side even contains a stunning indication of this view: "The issue of comfort women was a matter which, with the involvement of the military authorities of the day, severely injured the honor and dignity of many women." This wording suggests strongly that the Japanese governments that pursued military expansionism throughout the early 20th century were somehow an aberration, even though many of the same people, including the "emperor" (father of the current monarch) and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's grandfather, resumed their leadership roles after the war. Hence these figures, in representing the Japanese people as a whole, did not have to take responsibility for wartime aggression. This encouraged a general amnesia that allowed certain social actors to spread a severe distortion of what happened. More recently, Abe and other rightwing nationalists have become further emboldened due to the Chinese government's own provocative actions to ride nationalist hysteria. The combustible, dangerous mixture of modern authoritarianism, historical manipulation, and nationalism has been demonstrated in Korea as well. Successive regimes, beginning with Syngman Rhee and continuing long thereafter, inflamed nationalist passions over historical grievances, many of which were embellished for political purposes. So it is not surprising that the comfort women issue, after it began to be openly acknowledged in the late 1980s, would eventually become politicized. But for the most part, this remained mostly a conflict between private Korean citizens and the Japanese government. The surviving victims were seeking money, to be sure, as they had led terribly difficult lives due to their wartime ordeals, but they also sought justice, which would come only from the Japanese government's official recognition of its responsibility, its legal admission of guilt. Likely, though, no Japanese government will do this soon, because it would open up a Pandora's box of historical claims from those victimized by Japan. More importantly, the Japanese public would first have to undergo a fundamental transformation, led considerably by its government, in the way it views its collective past, particularly that of World War II. Until then, history will remain a recurring cause of international friction in East Asia. So again, we are left to wonder why the sudden urgency of this matter on the level of state diplomacy, after more than two decades? The haste, and perhaps carelessness, with which the Park administration pursued this matter in order to meet a spurious 2015 deadline will likely be matched by the agreement's lack of durability. It is not a treaty, which requires parliamentary approval, and so it will last only as long as the current administrations governing Korea and Japan. But perhaps this was the point after all. Kyung Moon Hwang is professor in the Departments of History and East Asian Languages and Cultures, University of Southern California. He is the author of "A History of Korea An Episodic Narrative" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010). The Korean translation was published as , " " (21 , 2011). By Jimmy Youn The Modi government's Act East Policy necessitates uplifting diplomatic relationships with the international community, but India should take another careful look at North Korea's abrupt attempt to strengthen the two nations' bilateral ties. Ri Su-yong, the foreign minister of North Korea, visited India in May 2015. This came as a surprise, as it has been almost two decades since a North Korean foreign minister visited India. The specifics of the visit remain unknown, but reports generated from India state that the two discussed expanding India's humanitarian aid to North Korea, upholding regional stability and enhancing the trading partnership. Until now, the India-North Korea relationship could not grow due to China and North Korea's traditionally close friendship. However, that is not the case anymore the China-North Korea friendship is becoming an ambiguous relationship with loose ends. China has been starting to act as a global leader aiming to have positive and respectful relationships with many countries, while Ri has visited various countries besides China to strengthen ties in search of better opportunities. Considering the uncertainty of China's economic future and India's potential to become the third largest economy by 2030, North Korea perhaps foresees abundant opportunities in India to improve its own economic situation. India must not forget North Korea's close ties with Pakistan. North Korea has drawn criticism from neighboring countries, such as India, Korea and Myanmar among others, for supporting nuclear-weapons proliferation in Pakistan. Pakistan's possession of nuclear weapons and ballistic-missile programs will only intensify the existing tension between India and Pakistan. Meanwhile, Pakistan has been continuously threatening India with terrorist attacks. This creates obvious points of contention between India and North Korea that could impede their efforts to develop stronger economic bonds. South Korea and India's comprehensive partnership has been expanding since 2010. When Prime Minister Modi visited Seoul in May, 2015, those present signed seven bilateral agreements and elevated the ties between the two countries to a special strategic partnership. Because both countries are key partners of the United States, it is important that both countries' goals should align to prevent nuclear-weapons proliferation, fight against terrorism and rebalance power in Asia. Despite these objectives to uphold peace and prosperity in Asia, India has contributed to the Food-Aid Program for North Korea since 2002. Besides that, India gave $1 million in emergency funds to the World Food Program for North Korea in 2001. North Korea has been one of India's largest trading partners; by the same token, India also has been a major food aid provider to North Korea. The special ties between the two countries may contravene South Korea and America's interests in keeping peace on the Korean Peninsula and South Asia. Seeing that North Korea utilizes the "military first" policy, the humanitarian assistance may be diverted for military use for the betterment of North Korea's military and nuclear development. As Asia's rising power, India could have aided North Korea as part of a global diplomatic strategy, but India should not forget to recognize North Korea's endless nuclear and long-range missile threats to the World. Now that the Obama Administration's "zero-option" has come into effect, the US will seek in-depth cooperation with India to monitor terrorist movements and obstruct nuclear related developments in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Hence, the United States may not look kindly on India providing assistance to North Korea as it may inadvertently help North Korea to sustain its secret relationship with Pakistan. To maintain a strong relationship with South Korea, it is critically important for India to engage in continuous dialogues with South Korea, encourage North Korea to cease nuclear-weapons proliferation, promote peace on the Korean Peninsula and assist in the unification process of the two Koreas. In sum, India should not be fooled by North Korea's attempts to reach out for new and stronger economic ties. No matter what message it wants India to believe, North Korea remains an unpredictable and dangerous actor on the Korean Peninsula and in its relationship with Pakistan. Jimmy Youn serves is a research fellow at the Indo-Korea Business and Policy Forum. He is at james.miller.youn@gmail.com. A luggage delay at Incheon International Airport over the New Year holidays damaged the credibility of the nation's flagship airport. For a significant number of years, Incheon has been one of the world's top-performing airports, as reflected in previous service assessment surveys. From 2005 through 2014, the airport was ranked first on the global Airport Service Quality list. One expects an airport of Incheon's status to be prepared to deal with a holiday crowd and their luggage. But this was not the case Sunday, when a malfunctioning system and understaffed personnel screwed up the handling of more than 5,000 pieces of luggage. The luggage mishap is the latest sign that Incheon International Airport might be losing its edge. Signs of Incheon's weakened competitiveness have become more visible on critical issues such as transit traffic. Recent surveys show that Incheon's share of transit passengers has declined, while its competitors in Tokyo, Beijing and Shanghai have gained transit traffic. Incheon cannot afford to be complacent if it wants to realize its dream of becoming Asia's main gateway to the world. Incheon is ambitiously pursuing Asia's top air hub ahead of its rivals. To this end, an expansion plan has been underway to build a second passenger terminal by 2017. But an additional facility will not be enough for Incheon to remain competitive and emerge as the winner in this tight race. It needs to adopt management practices to match global standards. In particular, it is important that the airport be run by experts. A prolonged leadership vacuum at Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC) is one of the reasons for the airport's current crisis. The IIAC has been managed by politicians who have no knowledge of the airport business. Former CEO of IIAC Park Wan-su, who served three terms as Changwon mayor, quit last month to return to Changwon and run in the April general election. His predecessor Jung Chang-soo also left the post in order to run for governor of Gangwon Province in March 2014 after serving only nine months, leaving the post vacant for eight months. There are rumors that the next CEO will also be a political appointment. The next CEO should be someone that has the vision and expertise to elevate Incheon International Airport to the next level. Time to seek ways to resolve nuclear issue Ever unpredictable, North Korea surprised the world again Wednesday morning when it claimed that it carried out a "successful'' hydrogen bomb test. The claim, if true, will signify that the isolated regime in Pyongyang has made a major leap in its nuclear weapons capabilities. In a special broadcast, the North said, "The republic's first hydrogen bomb test was successfully conducted at 10 a.m. on Jan. 6, based on the strategic determination of the Workers' Party.'' Pyongyang has conducted three nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013. It's premature to accept the North's claim at face value, given a lack of convincing scientific evidence and rightful skepticism voiced by experts regarding the impoverished state's technical expertise. Even so, our policymakers need to reflect on whether they were complacent about Pyongyang's nuclear moves. Last month, North Korea's young leader Kim Jong-un said that the North had already developed a hydrogen bomb while touring a weapons industry site. But his claim was met with skepticism at the time. The North's announcement also comes as a surprise because Kim didn't make an explicit reference to the country's nuclear weapons program in his annual New Year's address on Friday. The international community strongly condemned Pyongyang's claim that the regime successfully conducted a hydrogen bomb test. Seoul, in particular, vowed to take all necessary measures to penalize its nuclear-armed neighbor. The United States, South Korea's ally, also slammed the North's provocations and pledged to respond appropriately. North Korea's blast whether it was the first hydrogen bomb test or its fourth atomic bomb test is certain to raise tensions on the Korean Peninsula in the early days of this new year. The test also tasks the international community with greater challenges and makes finding a resolution to Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal all the more elusive. It's not clear why the North opted to abruptly conduct a test, but it seems intended to solidify Pyongyang's position as a de facto nuclear weapons state and enhance its negotiating power with Seoul and other countries. North Korea's latest provocation might signal that the isolated state could deviate from its recent mode of limited dialogue with the South and go its own way, especially as far as its nuclear weapons program is concerned. Wednesday's nuclear test is in clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions that ban North Korea from conducting any ballistic missile or nuclear tests. It's beyond debate then that the North should pay the highest price for its reckless actions. The problem is that the international community has no other viable option but to slap additional sanctions against the regime in Pyongyang despite doubts about the efficacy of such measures. That's why Seoul should be more proactive than ever to resolve the North's nuclear weapons logjam once and for all. This will require our officials to be much bolder about finding ways to make a breakthrough in the stalled inter-Korean relationship. We also take note of the role of China, North Korea's chief ally, which must have felt frustration with the North's latest test in defiance of repeated warnings issued. A creative response from Beijing will certainly be lauded. By Lee Min-hyung, Kim Yoo-chul KT CEO Hwang Chan-gyu talks about the company's updated business strategies for 2016 at a recent meeting with domestic media held at the company's main Seoul office, downtown Seoul, in this file photo, Wednesday. / Courtesy of KT LAS VEGAS/SEOUL KT Chairman Hwang Chang-gyu had face-to-face meetings with chief executives of local venture companies that Korea's No. 2 telecom firm support in this year's technology fair in Las Vegas, the United States. According to KT, the meetings took place in the Bellagio Hotel on the Las Vegas strip, is aimed at discussing ways to help them promote their products and business models in the world's most-influential technology expo. "CEO Hwang guaranteed to set up business meetings with overseas clients at which KT is partnering with. Invited executives at Korean startup has been asked to find new business opportunities during their participation in the fair," KT spokeswoman Lee Sun-young said. KT is the biggest sponsor of Gyeonggi Creative Economy Center in Korea, a result of the request of Seoul to find new business models for the sustainability of the country with hefty investment by domestic private companies. Startups being supported by the creative center were invited for the fair. "Market and consumer are the things that overseas investors are weighing on. If you want to go global, then you should use influential international expos such as CES to find new clients with promoting your models," said the CEO. Hwang told the participants that the telco will manage a lot of "practical programs" to help local ventures expand their territories outside the Korean Peninsula. The CEO didn't specify details of plans that it was considering. Four local startups were chosen as the winners of which KT will cover all expenses for the fair. They will demonstrate their latest services to unnamed overseas buyers. The spokeswoman Lee declined to comment about the estimated transaction volume in return for their support to the local ventures. Hwang plans to hold meetings with chief executives at Intel, the biggest semiconductor manufacturer and one of leading U.S.-based mobile carrier Verizon Wireless on the sidelines of his participation for the fair. Yoon Boo-keun, president at Samsung Electronics' appliance and IoT business, speaks in a press conference at the Aria Hotel in Las Vegas in the United States, Wednesday (KST). / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics By Lee Min-hyung LAS VEGAS Samsung Electronics has expressed its vision to become an open platform leader in an era of the Internet of Things (IoT). "Our long-term goal is to build an open platform where all the devices across the world will be connected," said Yoon Boo-keun, president at the company's appliance and IoT division, Wednesday (KST), a day before the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) kicks off. At this year's CES, the company will promote its appliances under the theme of "connected world" through devices. "No standard has yet to be established about the IoT," he said. "But we aim to connect all Samsung devices by 2020, and build the open platform for other devices as well." He said the IoT will become a reality applied to everything in people's daily lives in a few years. The remarks come as the IoT is still seen as a vague concept which does not have substantial and specific features. "The manufacturing industry has been largely influenced by the IoT," he said. "The IoT creates values. Let's say a factory receives data. The IoT analyzes the data and give feedbacks to the factory. The analyzed data helps the factory improve some features such as levels of security. This is how IoT helps improve our lives." During the press conference, the company unveiled its "Family Hub" refrigerator, which comes with a touch-screen at the front door. The company said the screen allows users to manage foods, and will be the beginning of the IoT refrigerator. "The Family Hub will serve as an inflection point in the kitchen industry, as we expect the new device to help a refrigerator to behave like a smartphone," he said. This came a day after Samsung announced its new super ultra-high-definition (SUHD) television equipped with IoT connectivity with other devices. The company also plans to unveil its new IoT devices, such as Gear S2 or Gear VR, during the four-day tech fair. Asked about concerns over saturated consumer electronics market, the company chief pledged it will seek to find potential desire for customers. "We are constantly considering how to upgrade IoT business for our customers," he said. "Still, some segments in our home appliances business have not joined the IoT sector. But it will be done before long." He said the company is shifting its focus into not just the IoT-converged products but also premium devices which the company believes will a game changer in the electronics industry. "We are also planning to incorporate our IoT vision into the business-to-business (B2B) sector such as system air-conditioner market, and continue our strong drive to become the world's leading IoT platform provider," he said. Minister of Science, ICT and Future Planning Choi Yang-hee speaks during a press briefing at the ministry headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. / Yonhap By Yoon Sung-won The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning has been questioned about the sustainability, effectiveness and budget use of the creative economy centers it has established nationwide. As uneasiness penetrating among employees of the startup support centers and their partners, Minister of Science, ICT and Future Planning Choi Yang-hee denied the allegation that the centers lack legal basis to securing budgets in the future. "We have already secured legal background for the existence of the Centers for Creative Economy & Innovation. They are quickly settling down in regional communities and with budgets being provided for them," the minister said in a press briefing at the ministry in Gwacheong, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. "As the ministry and the centers seeking for qualitative growth of startup environment here, I think we should not be obsessed with numerical achievements in the early, primitive stages." The sustainability controversy has been raised after the National Assembly Research Service announced a report on the operation of creative economy centers. The Park Geun-hye administration has pushed for the establishment of the creative economy centers between September 2014 and July last year, aiming at boosting support on creative startups and young entrepreneurs. A total of 17 centers in regions such as Busan, Gwangju, Daegu, Incheon and Ulsan have been built under collaboration with major conglomerates. The report questioned diverse challenges that the centers are facing. It pointed out sustainability as the biggest issue of the centers. As they are non-for-profit organizations, financial support from the central and regional governments is essential to operate them. "Without a legal basis, not only budget support for the centers but also their sustainability are unclear once the political power is turned over," an official at one of the creative economy centers said in an interview included in the report. Choi said a revision for the framework act on science and technology that provides legal basis on financial support to the center from central and regional governments has already passed the National Assembly in November last year and is scheduled to take effect on June this year. "I think the report has failed to check such things clearly," Choi said. The report also pointed out ineffectiveness of the centers' budget use. "The rent for the center building is 35 million won per month and reaches about 420 million won in annual basis. This is 15 percent of a center's 2.83 billion won annual budget," the report said citing another official in an interview. "This can be used for a 20 million won subsidiary for 21 additional startups." Choi said the centers will be managed more by the private sector in the future, except for the minimum support from the government. In the meantime, he claimed that the ministry will work to boost satisfaction of the centers' employees. "I think it is right operate the centers led by the private sector as the nation came to have capable venture capitals and startup accelerators," the minister said. "Beside securing legal basis for financial support and expanding collaborative projects with the government, we will encourage the talented employees of the centers work with satisfaction." IN 2013, tension was tangible at the Hammerstein Ballroom as fans anxiously awaited INFINITE's appearance on stage. It was the seven-member K-pop group's first time in New York City, and the venue was tightly packed with fans excited for the show. But the minute the music started introducing INFINITE on stage, the crowd surged forward. Soon, those standing close to the stage were overwhelmed by those behind them trying to get closer to their idols. By the end of the night, fights had broken out, audience members had fainted, and INFINITE had to halt the performance multiple times to ask fans to be considerate. Even Billboard took note of the insane situation in a review of the show. With INFINITE's upcoming January performance in New York and other North American cities, and EXO's recently announced North American tour in February, there is concern from fans regarding concert safety. Having momentarily experienced the crush at INFINITE's New York City show in 2013, and promptly escaping to the back of the crowd where there was breathing room, I didn't see everything that went on. I spoke to members of one Facebook group dedicated to INFINITE's New York City show about their past experiences and what they want to see at the upcoming show, and how we can make everybody's K-pop concert experience that much better. 1. Prepare For Waiting In Line, But Not Too Early Bring snacks and water if you're planning on waiting in line for a while, because the pit gets crowded and extremely hot. "People were fainting from dehydration and lack of food because they didn't want to give up their spot in line," said Rosemary Gurak. Lindsay Streisfeld also addressed what went on before the show and expressed concern. "Fans were being incredibly rude and hostile towards other fans, especially when they were lining up the morning of. There were some supposed rules about lining up and some fans disobeyed the rules and never got in trouble and other fans threw a fit and that spiraled into a whole issue. 2. Don't Bring Signs And Bulky Cameras That Will Ruin The Experience Of Others Large signs and cameras are not only not allowed at the venue, they make other fans suffer. "My best friend got smacked by a DSLR camera from a Korean saseang [intense fan], when DSLRs weren't even allowed at the concert," Max Phunhirun commented. "He almost passed out, but luckily we got him out. We didn't even enjoy the concert at all." Charlotte McAnulty experienced something similar. "Please don't bring signs. I had some girl who was holding up a sign [in front of me] almost the entire concert. I was trying to get pictures, plus I'm short, so it prevented me from seeing." 3. Leave The Arguing At Home Yes, L loves you. No, it's not the place to get into a cat fight about it. "I have never seen such a display of human behavior at a concert in which the fans are supposed to be a community," Streisfeld told me. "I saw people being lifted out of the crowd and brought out to medical help. My friends sustained injuries...I was appalled. Even when the boys told the crowd to calm down, they disobeyed. It was purely embarrassing, I'm surprised they are even coming back. If I could give advice to fans for this concert, it would be this. Don't talk to hostile fans, don't feed the fire. Don't start an argument over things that are so amazingly irrelevant, like saving a spot (you will all get to the same place anyway) or which member is "yours." (Seriously, I saw an argument in which two girls fought over Myungsoo.)" 4. Check It At The Door At least in New York City, INFINITE's concert will have a coat check. Playstation Theater charges a few dollars, but if you have a lot of things with you, it's not worth bringing excess bulk into the already crowded pit. And definitely don't bring anything else to make people let you get closer to your idols. "I heard that some fans were threatening others," Melody Liendo recalled. "So maybe a purse check or something should be done for the safety of others." 5. Don't Shove. Don't Push. Just don't do it. "When we were waiting for the show to start it wasn't too bad since everyone was just standing there and not doing much," said Anita Dyer. "The moment the lights dimmed everyone squished forward and moved a good foot/foot and a half up. It got really tight really quickly and the slightest movements just shifted everyone. I was tall enough that I could see over some heads that were in front of me. And I could just see a wave of people being jostle aside and, in a matter of seconds, I was then pushed over from the chain reaction. It broke my heart when in between songs one of the INFINITE members, I think Dongwoo, actually had to ask in English for people to back up and to not push because he wanted us to be safe." Whitney Diaz and Brina Kim also experienced a similar situation. "The biggest problem was people pushing, which was really dangerous," recalled Whitney. "At some point, a row of people fell over and were being stepped on but some fans helped pick them up." "I remember at one point I was almost on top of the girl in front of me at nearly a 45 degree towards the stage," Brina remembered. "When I noticed the nosebleed moments later, I decided it was best that, even though I paid the extra money to ensure I was close, it was in my best interest to make my way to the back of the floor. I also remember at least 2 members asking everyone to calm down and be safe during the concert." INFINITE will start the North American leg of their tour in Vancouver on Jan. 7, then head to Los Angeles, Mexico City, and Santiago before heading to New York City for the final North American top on Jan. 19. --- 2015 marked the first time ever in his long career that Lee Hongki of FTIsland was able to release a solo album. Here's hoping that 2016 can be just as exciting, minus the issues with his label president. New photos of Lee Hongki have surfaced online of his new photo spread in the January issue of InStyle Magazine. Lee shows off a few looks from his clothing brand "Skull Hong" and also talked about his influence in the designs and ideas for the brand. Fans can check out the photos below. In the interview that took place after the photo shoot, Lee explained his role in coming up with ideas for "Skull Hong." "I provide most of the ideas regarding the design of the brand and participate eagerly. I am most proud of my work when I see other idols wearing the clothes," said Lee (via Soompi). When asked which idols he'd love to see sporting "Skull Hong," Lee enthusiastically listed comedians. "I would love to see comedians Shin Dong Yeop, Yoo Se Yoon, and Haha wearing my brand," he further explained. Lee Hongki released his solo album "FM302" in November 2015. The title track for the album "Insensible" earned him several awards, including a win on "Music Bank" during the week of Dec. 4. Hongki finished promotions for the solo mini album on Dec. 7 with a thank you video to fans on FTIsland's official YouTube channel. The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary Read more Check out our Porter Ranch gallery. The leaking natural gas well on a ridge above Porter Ranch was finally declared an official disaster area today by Gov. Jerry Brown. He had visited the area on Monday and there was a growing chorus of calls for the state to ramp up its efforts to oversee efforts by Southern California Gas to stop the leak, which began in late October. Several thousand residents of Porter Ranch have left their homes at least temporarily due to concerns about health issues and the potential for the escaping gas to ignite. Rep. Brad Sherman this week called on Brown to declare the incident a disaster, triggering more public money and a higher government role. "Ultimately, SoCalGas should foot the bill for the repairs, but declaring a state of emergency would immediately free up resources and grant the necessary authority for state agencies to stop the leak in the most efficient possible way," Sherman said. "There are thousands of Porter Ranch residents who wish to return to their homes immediately. For those residents, this is an emergency. The methane is streaming out of an old well in the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Storage Facility, which lies under the Santa Susana Mountains that form the northern wall of the San Fernando Valley. The bedroom community of Porter Ranch, one of the newest areas of the city of Los Angeles, climbs up the foothills of the Santa Susanas and lies just below the leaking well. Sherman quickly praised the governor's action, as did City Councilman Mitch Englander: "The Aliso Canyon Gas leak is one of the most devastating environmental disasters in the history of California. The residents of the San Fernando Valley have suffered too much for too long. I want to thank Governor Jerry Brown for listening and responding to the thousands of residents affected by this catastrophe and for ensuring that the Southern California Gas Company bears the full financial burden." Here is Brown's full proclamation. It orders these steps, among others: A British citizen has become the latest bookseller to go missing in Hong Kong, CNN reports. Lee Bo, who co-owns a bookstore associated with a publisher of books critical of the Chinese government, disappeared last week. Lee is the fifth bookseller from Causeway Bay Books, associated with the publisher Mighty Current, who have disappeared since October. Lees wife reported him missing to Hong Kong authorities last week, but she attempted to cancel the report on Monday after one of Lees colleagues received a fax purportedly from the bookseller. Advertisement The BBC reports that the letter read in part: I am very well. Everything is fine. And please do look after the bookstore. Lees wife said the letter was in his handwriting. Albert Ho, a Hong Kong politician who supports democracy, told CNN that he believes Lee was kidnapped. Its a forced disappearance, he said. All those who have disappeared are related to the Causeway Bay bookshop and this bookshop was famous, not only for the sale, but also for the publication and circulation of a series of sensitive books. Its common for Hong Kong bookstores to sell books critical of the Chinese government, CNN reports, which are generally banned in mainland China. CNNs Ivan Watson spoke with Paul Tang, the owner of Peoples Bookstore in Hong Kong, who says that half his inventory consists of books not allowed in China. Chinese travelers shop freely in Hong Kong bookstores for books they cant get on the mainland. The content of the banned books that Mighty Current publish are mainly gossip and scandals, Tang said. Very juicy! The BBC reports that there is speculation that the mens disappearance may be connected to a planned book about an alleged mistress of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Since 1997, Hong Kong has been a dependent territory of China. Residents of the former British colony have more rights than Chinese citizens who live on the mainland, including freedom of the press. But the disappearance of the booksellers might be having a chilling effect on Hong Kong bookstores. The South China Morning Post reports that one bookstore chain began removing books critical of the Chinese government after the four Hong Kong booksellers went missing last year. An employee of Page One, an English-language bookstore chain with eight Hong Kong locations, told a reporter that employees were instructed to remove certain books from their stock. We were told to take all politically sensitive books off the shelves in late November, the bookseller said. The manager did not tell us the reason, but said Page One would no longer sell banned books ever again. Its getting easier to tote up the damage from the Uberization of the U.S. economy -- especially by Uber itself. The victims include taxi drivers and owners, whose business is being cannibalized, and Uber drivers themselves, who struggle against competition from other Uber drivers, the cost of their own gas and maintenance, and rate-cutting by Uber. The biggest casualty may be the cherished notion of the big corporation and the valiant entrepreneur as job creators. As Jerry Davis, a professor of management and sociology at the University of Michigan, observes in a wide-ranging piece published just before New Years by the Brookings Institution, theyre not. And economic policy will be much better off if we stop thinking they are. Creating shareholder value and creating good jobs are largely incompatible. Corporations are job creators only as a last resort. Jerry Davis, University of Michigan Advertisement The corporate trend has been to shift employment from the career, to the job, to the task, Davis writes -- from long-term corporate employment, to outsourcing of certain functions, to the labor-on-demand paradigm of Uber. Creating shareholder value and creating good jobs are largely incompatible, he writes. Corporations are job creators only as a last resort. The same goes for entrepreneurial start-ups: The idea that these are engines of job creation is based on the record of Amazon and Google, but theyre atypical. In Davis database of IPOs since 2001, the firm with the biggest growth in employment after its initial public offering was Brookdale Senior Living , which expanded to 82,000 workers from 16,000 in the nine years after its 2005 IPO. But almost all that growth came from its acquisition of senior care homes in the process of consolidating a fragmented industry. Davis traces the birth of Uberization to the cult of shareholder value, which is far less traditional than its proponents choose to imagine. From the 1930s through World War II and into the postwar period, he observes, American corporations became model long-term employers. The corporate sector served a critical function in providing pathways to economic security and mobility.... A corporate job was a good job, with a chance to move up in the world. In 1949, management guru Peter Drucker declared that the corporations responsibility was to serve employees, customers and only then stockholders, who were entitled only to a maximum return equivalent to a risk premium. The remaining profit stays in the enterprise, is paid out in higher wages, or is passed on to the consumer in the form of lower prices. What altered this widely accepted paradigm? Two things. First, the emblematic corporations of the day became fat, lazy and inefficient. Some turned into conglomerates, with no organizing rationale except to get bigger and more diverse. One of the biggest conglomerates was Gulf & Western, cobbled together by Charles Bluhdorn from businesses that literally ranged from A to Z, as an Associated Press writer remarked, from auto parts to zinc mining. But the whole was worth less than the parts -- after Bluhdorns death in 1983, Gulf & Westerns share price soared as his successor began to sell off the pieces. The second change was technological. The Internet made it easier for big companies to outsource work, especially manufacturing, that they had long kept in-house, in part by allowing them to detect the real difference in making-versus-buying inputs. By the turn of the 21st century, a companys overall market value was no longer tied to its payroll. In 1962, the largest corporation by market capitalization was AT&T, with 564,000 employees; in 2012, it was Apple, with 76,000 employees. Big employers are now typically retailers and food service firms, which employ armies of part-time and low-wage workers; the largest employer among big companies today is retailer Wal-Mart, with 2.2 million workers. Shifting inputs from built-in-house to built-outside and ordered just-in-time revolutionized manufacturing. The same trend is being followed with labor, rather than raw materials or parts. Thats Uberization -- the company doesnt even outsource labor, it just orders workers at the moment theyre needed. The problem is that human beings arent spare machine parts. Theyre consumers whose spending is necessary to keep the economy moving, household creators with the need to sustain families and voters with a political interest in economic growth. But our political structure hasnt kept up. Were still talking about corporations and entrepreneurs as job creators, and still assuming that theyll be the chief providers not only of solid wages but long-term benefits such as healthcare and pensions. Thus far, shareholders have been the major winners in the transforming of American work. Thats a growing driver of income inequality and not a sustainable model. But only recently, and still slowly, have labor regulators awakened to the fact that workers in the gig economy are being systematically shortchanged, as Steven Greenhouse has demonstrated with his superb reporting in the American Prospect. The choices are few. Companies like Uber will have to be forced to accept traditional responsibilities for workers who actually are performing the work done by traditional employees, regardless of how the employer defines them. In some states, such as California, the first blows have been struck by labor regulators and judges. Seattle has taken steps to allow Uber drivers to unionize, which will help awaken the company to its responsibilities. But society as a whole may also have to recognize that the responsibility of social welfare, whether healthcare or retirement, will have to be borne more by government, a trend that started as long ago as 1935 with Social Security, continued with Medicare in 1965 and proceeded with the government subsidies provided to insurance purchasers by the Affordable Care Act. If corporate employers and their shareholders are intent on shedding their traditional roles as bulwarks of the working person and the family in order to keep more wealth for themselves, there really is no other way to make them pay. Keep up to date with Michael Hiltzik. Follow @hiltzikm on Twitter, see our Facebook page, or email michael.hiltzik@latimes.com. An insecticide widely used on grains, vegetables, fruit and other crops nationwide threatens honeybees, federal environmental regulators said in a decision that could lend impetus to efforts to ban the chemical. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday that imidacloprid, a nicotine-imitating chemical found in at least 188 farm and household products in California, potentially poses risk to hives when the pesticide comes in contact with certain crops that attract pollinators. The EPAs decision was prompted by increasing concern that the chemicals might be contributing to the sudden collapse of commercial honey bee colonies over the last decade. Advertisement Those bees pollinate crucial food crops and contribute about $14 billion in value to the agricultural economy nationwide. This is the first of four risk assessments conducted by the EPA on the class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids. The rest are slated for completion by the end of the year, after which the agency could tighten controls over the insecticides. California already prohibits use of the chemical on almonds and limits its application for other crops during bloom periods when bees are most likely to be present. Clearly, as a result of this, there might be more restrictions coming, said Charlotte Fadipe, spokeswoman for the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. ------------ FOR THE RECORD: In the Jan. 7 Business section, an article about pesticide threats to bees said that oranges and grapefruit were among the crops dependent on commercial bee colonies for pollination. Those crops are self-pollinating and do not require commercial bee colonies. ------------ Californias almond crop, valued at about $7 billion, is completely dependent on nearly 1 million commercial hives brought in to pollinate about 870,000 acres of trees. Other crops that depend strongly on commercial honeybee colonies include oranges and grapefruits, blueberries, cherries, alfalfa, apples, avocados, cucumbers, onions, cantaloupe, cranberries, pumpkins and sunflowers. California farmers applied nearly 144 tons of the chemical, originally manufactured by Bayer CropScience, on more than 1.5 million acres in 2013, the last year for which complete data were available, according to the state Department of Pesticide Regulation. The top users were wine grape growers, which applied 30 tons of it to about 240,000 acres in 2013, according to the state agency. Growers of table and raisin grapes, tomatoes for processing, oranges and cotton also were among the heaviest agricultural users, according to the agency. The single biggest user, however, was the predominantly urban structural pest control industry, which applied nearly 37 tons, according to the agency. Several studies have linked high levels of neonicotinoids to decreased foraging, failures of queen bees, breakdowns in hive communication and other colony-threatening phenomena. Last year, however, a study suggested that exposure to levels of the pesticide expected on most farms would pose no significant negative effects on bee colonies. Many factors have been blamed for the bee die-offs: exposure to multiple pesticides, poor hive management practices and natural pathogens such as mites and viruses. Although full-scale colony collapses have largely abated over the last several years, bees are continuing to die at a higher-than-normal rate. The USDA last year reported winter colony losses of about 23%, based on a survey of beekeepers. A winter decline of about 19% is considered normal. The EPA and its research partners weighed evidence from several hundred scientific studies before concluding that chemical traces of more than 25 parts per billion on plants probably will harm bees. Last year, the agency halted approval of any new outdoor uses of neonicotinoid pesticides until it completes a full risk assessment. It also has proposed banning use of any pesticide found to be toxic to bees while crops are in bloom and commercial colonies are present. Bayer CropScience said the EPAs assessment appears to overestimate the potential for harmful exposures in certain crops, such as citrus and cotton, while ignoring the important benefits these products provide and management practices to protect bees. The company added that it hoped the agency further considers the best available science, as well as a proper understanding of modern pest management practices. Pesticide industry advocates said it was premature to talk about a ban on the chemical. I think theres a lot more work to be done, but were pretty confident that the product is ultimately going to be found safe either as registered or with potentially any mitigation measures that need to be added, said Renee Pinel, president of the Western Plant Health Assn. in Sacramento. The Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental advocacy group, chided EPA for not broadening its investigation beyond the honey bee, to the more than 4,000 wild bee species, and to other pollinators, including butterflies and bats. You cant claim to do a pollinator risk assessment and really only look at one pollinator, the honeybee, said Lori Ann Burd, environmental health director of the group. Thats not only cheating on the purpose of this work but also cheating the native bees, birds, butterflies and other species threatened by this pesticide. Two other groups, the Center for Food Safety and the Pesticide Action Network, filed a lawsuit Wednesday against EPA, seeking tighter regulation of seeds coated in neonicotinoids. Jeff Anderson, a Minnesota beekeeper and plaintiff in the suit, said EPA didnt say anything of substance and did not commit to changing any regulations on neonicotinoids. Anderson rents hives to California almond growers, then to growers of cherries, apples and blueberries, before bringing them back to Minnesota for honey production in the late spring and summer. There, he has lost as much as 50% of his 3,000 bees, at a time when coated seeds are planted and cultivated. Dust from the seeds can spread the pesticide, which also is taken up into the plant, and can be detected in its nectar and pollen, said Scott Black, executive director of the Xerces Society, which pushes for conservation of insects. You really cant look at total risk to pollinators without looking at seed coating, and you really cant look at total risk to pollinators without looking at the 4,000 or so other species, Black said. geoffrey.mohan@latimes.com Twitter: @LATgeoffmohan Name: Sausal, pronounced (Sa-woo-sal). The name comes form the Spanish word for willow, and the restaurant is named after Rancho Sausal Redondo, the large farmstead that at one time included El Segundo. Concept: On a quiet corner of Main Street, in between a Rock & Brews and a flower shop is Sausal, a new Mexican restaurant by chef and partner Anne Conness (formerly at Tin Roof Bistro and Simmzys) and partners Sorin Costache and Joseph Suceveanu, who own Il Forno in Santa Monica. This is the type of Mexican restaurant you might find on a trendy Los Angeles corner. The kind that serves its elote off the cob with a spoonful of creamy chipotle sauce. The kind that tops its crispy Brussels sprouts with guajillo butter, smoked cashews and dried shrimp (Simmzys is known for its Brussels sprouts). And the kind that stuffs its tamales with shredded duck confit and mole. Because its in El Segundo, you will now find it on every where-to-go-when-youre-near-LAX list. Advertisement Try this: If this restaurant were in L.A. proper, you might spot a celebrity and an agent, splitting a chopped salad on the patio. The salad is a hearty portion of diced green apple, currants, bacon, chicken, candied pecans, pomegranate, creamy apple cider vinegar dressing and lettuce that is more shredded than chopped. Its the kind of salad you linger over for lunch, with enough goodies to keep you interested until the last marjoram-glazed pecan is gone. The duck tamales are presented like a package, tied at the ends with slivers of corn husk, served on a plate surrounded by crumbled cotija and squares of butternut squash. Unwrap the package and youll find a tender tamale stuffed with shreds of duck confit in a rich mole sauce. And if youre looking for tacos, the beef brisket barbacoa is slow-cooked until the meat falls apart, served with black beans, cotija and a brick red arbol salsa. What youre drinking: Youll find a mix of Spanish, South American and California wines on the menu, with a single Nebbiolo from the Guadalupe Valley. Theres also a selection of beers on tap, housemade sangrias and a small cocktail menu with a fruity pink gin drink appropriately named L.A. Pink and something called the Future Fix, made with Rittenhouse rye, Fresno chile, agave and lemon. The restaurant is also making its own lemonade and aguas frescas. Service: Helpful, with some colorful conversation on how the Carmenere was once a favorite, but the new year has prompted a resolution to drink less. When you inquire about three different wines, youre presented with generous tastes of all three. Info: Sausal is open for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. 219 Main St., El Segundo, (310) 322-2721, www.sausal.com. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @Jenn_Harris_ ALSO: More Filipino-style rice bowls at Oi Asian Fusion Mobys L.A. restaurant is giving 100% of its profits to charity Fried chicken, avocado toast and fried eggs from Free Range L.A. Most efforts to end bullying -- the PSAs, assemblies and high-level policy discussions -- come from adults. But what if students had a say? In 2012, Princeton psychology and public affairs professor Elizabeth Levy Paluck and her fellow researchers decided to test that idea: They gave the students the power to tackle bullying, almost on their own. And the researchers found that in the schools where more popular students joined a program that asked them to make their school a more positive place, all students were less likely to be disciplined for bullying and other conflicts between students. Their study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday. Advertisement Paluck and her team went into 56 middle schools in New Jersey and asked about 24,000 students to identify the people with whom they spend the most time, in person or online. They then created social network maps to identify the most visible students in the school the ones who others spent the most time with and paid the most attention to. The researchers note that these influential students do not necessarily meet the definition of popular in the 80s-Molly-Ringwald-movie mentality of cool kids who are kind of loved and loathed, Paluck said. Rather, they might be leaders among different groups of students, such as the head of the theater club or the leader of the band. These people stand out to their peers, Paluck said. Theyre the ones who you look toward when youre trying to figure out what is going on at the school. The influential students also tended to have older siblings, and were more likely to be dating, factors that told researchers that these students might seem more mature than their peers. They were also more likely to be complimented on their house, suggesting that their families might be wealthier. In 28 of the schools, they asked 20 to 32 random students to participate in what they called the Roots Program. These students attended voluntary meetings during school -- lured by the promise of snacks, the power to implement change and the license to miss class once every two weeks -- and learned strategies to combat bullying and other forms of conflict in school. The students in the Roots program learned how to react to conflicts they commonly see in school and model positive behavior around their friends. They received social media strategic training, designed wristbands with anti-bullying slogans, and had orange wristbands to give out when they saw another student addressing conflict in a positive way. They learned how to use hashtag campaigns and memes. On average, the schools that had a larger number of influential students in their Roots programs were significantly more likely to have fewer citations of bullying or conflict for each student. One concern was that adult involvement ran the risk of making the influencers less influential to other students. So the researchers let the students control the medium and the delivery of the message. Students could post or act as often or as little as they wanted, and tended to avoid the word bullying, for example, associating it with a more infantile concept. Instead, they came up with hashtag campaigns for Instagram that were more subtle, like #iRespect, Paluck said. The strategy was to act like the students campaign managers, Paluck said. Just to give them the tools and let them message. Bringing students into the mix may become more popular. Guidance from the Department of Education released Monday encourages classroom discussions and other school activities to prevent harassment and bullying, though it largely focuses on the role that adults can play in teaching students how to behave, rather than using a guerrilla campaign to normalize niceness. Some prevention programs do include students through discussions or role-playing activities. But its less common to see a program that puts students in charge, said Melissa Holt, a counseling psychology professor at Boston University who researches bullying prevention. Middle school is the time when students start to distance themselves from adults and look more toward their peers for social cues, Holt said. So it makes sense to ask students, especially the well-liked ones, to model that behavior. But research has shown that the most effective programs are comprehensive and engage both students and adults, Holt said. That could mean asking teachers as well as those working in the lunchroom, the office or the bus to emphasize and reward kindness. Reach Sonali Kohli on Twitter @Sonali_Kohli or by email at Sonali.Kohli@latimes.com. Michael Salisbury shook uncontrollably as he waited, soaked to the bone, for the Abbot Kinney Memorial Branch Library in Venice to open at noon Tuesday. I could die out here, said Salisbury, 21. I just need to dry off and charge my phone. An outreach team from St. Joseph Center, a Venice homeless housing and services agency, took Salisbury in for a warm shower, meal and a night in one of the countys winter shelters. But his plight reflected the state of many of Los Angeles Countys 44,000 homeless people Tuesday: The streets were a miserable place to be as El Nino storms made their ferocious debut. Advertisement FULL COVERAGE: El Nino in California >> People clung to steep embankments and under narrow overhangs, or zipped themselves into tents on soupy pavement. Officials were concerned that roughly 600 to 700 homeless people were still camped out Monday in dangerous areas on the Los Angeles River. At a morning news conference, Mayor Eric Garcetti said one of the storms immediate risks was that rising waters in the Los Angeles River would engulf homeless people encamped on its banks and islands. Authorities said outreach workers since July had been visiting encampments in the countys five watersheds Rio Hondo, Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers, Tujunga Wash and the Arroyo Seco to warn of the dangers. The Los Angeles Fire Department rescued one person from the Tujunga Wash on Tuesday. But Los Angeles County Sheriffs Lt. Geff Deedrick said his team of homeless outreach workers found only a dozen people in the San Gabriel River bed during reconnaissance Monday and Tuesday. Three people agreed to move to safety, he said. Its called compassionate policing, he said. Naomi Goldman, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, said homeless shelters in the city and county had a total capacity of 7,245 beds including 1,131 beds at the seven county-owned facilities that open only when dangerous weather sets in. Interested in the stories shaping California? Sign up for the free Essential California newsletter >> Goldman said all seven of the new county emergency shelters had opened by Monday night, but that they had very low utilizations by homeless people seeking to get out of the storms. We feel very comfortable in terms of the [shelters] capacity, Garcetti said. Part of it is the difficulty of getting people to come in. Thats not for lack of workers. People will get those face-to-face visits, and some will be resistant to coming in. Outreach workers said many homeless people decline to seek shelter because they have pets, want to stay in couples or fear losing their belongings. The reasons are so varied, said Colleen Murphy, St. Joseph Center division manager. The St. Joseph outreach team stopped the van to see a homeless woman in her late 70s. The woman, identified as Barbara by outreach workers, was seated barelegged in shorts on a sheet of increasingly wet cardboard in a Venice alley. The woman lived indoors for eight years in Santa Monica but returned to the Venice streets about a year ago, for reasons unknown. Thats the $1-billion question, Murphy said. So many people are tied to this community. I know people who dont want to go past Lincoln Boulevard, said Gabriela Solis, St. Joseph outreach case manager. Theyre in their safety zone, Murphy said. 1 / 93 A rainbow forms over homes on Porter Ranch Drive in Porter Ranch on Jan. 7, 2016. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 93 A rainbow fills the sky above the Thomas Aquinas College in the Topatopa Mountains near Santa Paula Thursday afternoon. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 93 People enjoy the sunset at Hill Top Park in Signal Hill. (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times ) 4 / 93 A big northwest swell combined with a high tide on Thursday morning along the southern California coast resulting in seaside communities being battered. Faria Beach in Ventura County was one of the areas especially hard hit. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 93 Carlos Pereira, left, tries to clean up an oceanfront deck that was pummeled through the night by big waves. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 93 A big northwest swell combined with a high tide on Thursday morning along the southern California coast resulting in seaside communities being battered. Faria Beach in Ventura County was one of the areas especially hard hit. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 93 A surfer catches a wave at Sunset Beach in the Pacific Palisades. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 93 A passing storm, as seen from the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, makes its way over Los Angeles on Thursday. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 93 A passing storm provides the backdrop for passengers waiting for a train at the La Cienega/Jefferson station on the Metro Expo Line in Culver City on Thursday. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 93 Birds flock to trash near the mouth of the Los Angeles River, a site where tons of trash and debris have piled up after two days of heavy rain from El Nino-generated storms. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 93 Bitelio Ramirez looks out Thursday over trash that has piled up near the mouth of the Los Angeles River after two days of heavy rain. A worker on the scene said two cranes were being used to lift out about 300 tons of trash. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 93 Trash floats up against a boom near the mouth of the Los Angles River on Thursday after two days of heavy rain. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 93 A woman with her dog goes for a morning walk on snow covered and closed to traffic Glendora Ridge Road in Mt. Baldy. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 93 Leah Weischedel, 2, walks on freshly fallen snow on Thursday morning in Mt. Baldy. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 93 Mike Weischedel throws a shovel full of snow into his truck to take home to Upland Thursday morning in Mt. Baldy. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 93 San Bernardino County surveyors work with a snow-covered Mount Baldy as a background on Thursday. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 93 Forceful and beautiful waves crash into the sea walls of homes at Mondos Beach under the mountains of the recent Solimar fire at high tide sunrise west of Ventura Thursday morning. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 93 Photographer Dan Dolinh takes photos as the Ventura Pier is pounded by heavy surf Thursday morning. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 93 A surfer catches a wave at Topanga State Beach as El Nino storms brought high surf to area beaches. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 93 A body boarder is tossed from his board in heavy surf off the Seal Beach Pier Thursday morning. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 93 A surfer gets a tube ride off the Seal Beach Pier Thursday morning. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 93 A surfer is tossed from his board in heavy surf off the Seal Beach Pier Thursday morning. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 93 Large boulders block Santa Susanna Pass Rd. two miles west of Topanga Canyon after a rain-soaked hillside slid onto the roadway in Chatsworth. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 93 A man walks along an old Union Pacific Bridge as the Los Angeles River flows in South Gate. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 93 Heavy rain pours on Wayne Bearden and Laura Marin as they try to stay warm with a pot of coffee at their San Gabriel River adjacent encampment during the second major El Nino storm. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 93 Debris gathers along Silverado Canyon Road in Orange County after another El Nino storm brought heavy rains to the area Wednesday. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 93 A Caltrans worker toils to clear drains on a flooded Interstate 5 in Sun Valley, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 93 CHP officers limit traffic on a flooded Interstate 5 to one lane in each direction as Caltrans workers work to clear drains in Sun Valley, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 93 Heavy snow fall in Wrightwood. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 93 Homes at Mondos Beach between the Solimar and Faria Beach communities west of Ventura have their sea walls tested Wednesday morning, as the third storm this seasons El Nino moves in with more rain and heavy surf. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 93 Due to heavy snow fall people visiting Wrightwood are required put on snow chains on their vehicles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 93 Visibility is down due to heavy snow fall in Wrightwood. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 93 Heavy snow fall blankets an old truck in Wrightwood. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 93 A Caltrans worker toils to clear drains on a flooded Interstate 5 in Sun Valley, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 93 CHP officers limit traffic on a flooded Interstate 5 to one lane in each direction as Caltrans workers work to clear drains in Sun Valley, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 93 A tree fell on a car on Beverly Glen Blvd. at Windtree Dr. in the Hollywood Hills. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 93 William McPhie, 12, of Manhattan Beach, walks home through a flooded Poliwog Park. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 93 Vehicles navigate a flooded 101 Freeway at California Street in downtown Ventura after heavy rains Wednesday. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 93 A large tree fell in front of the Sherman Village complex on Moorpark Street in Sherman Oaks. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 93 A man points his umbrella against the wind at King Harbour in Redondo Beach. (Christina House / For The Times) 41 / 93 Scott Hesford-Hensler, left, plays in the rain with his son Jayden, 5, and wife Danielle, right, at King Harbour in Redondo Beach. (Christina House / For The Times) 42 / 93 Los Angeles Fire Department swift water rescue personnel deploy along the LA River after a report of a child in the water in Winnetka, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 43 / 93 Diane Travis of Angeles Forest service removes snow from her vehicle above Wrightwood at Mountain High. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 44 / 93 Snow boarders and skiers take advantage of fresh snow as they wait for Mountain High West to open on Wednesday morning. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 45 / 93 Birds soar above the Los Angeles River in Vernon after a rainstorm. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 46 / 93 A man watches a memorable sunset that ended a mostly rainy day in the Los Angeles area as the first big storm of El Nino rolled through the area. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) 47 / 93 Azusa residents pause to take photos of the sunset minutes after a storm front moved past Sierra Madre Ave. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 48 / 93 Trash collects on the banks of the Los Angeles River after a heavy rainstorm passed through the area, raising the water levels in the river in Vernon. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 49 / 93 San Dimas Public Works Supervisor Terry Gregory cleears a clogged drain from North San Dimas Canyon Road as heavy rains cause clogged drains and mud flows in San Dimas, Glendora and Azusa. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 50 / 93 Visitors to Angels Gate Park in San Pedro are framed between the sea and sun-tinged clouds as the first storm of El Nino blows ashore. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 51 / 93 Firefighters and rescue personnel work at the scene after a big rig crashed through the center divider crushing a car underneath and causing four other vehicles to collide on the rain slicked 60 freeway near the Garfield Exit in Monterey Park, Calif. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 52 / 93 A driver braves a flooded section of Avenue 26 in Lincoln Heights in Los Angeles, Calif. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 53 / 93 Yasmin Fernandez is carried away by Los Angeles Firefighter Jose Rodriguez after her car was caught in a flooded section of Avenue 26 in the Lincoln Heights in Los Angeles, Calif. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 54 / 93 Felipe Flores Lopez, 59, tries to stay afloat on a bed at his homeless encampment as rainwater floods a section of Avenue 26. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 55 / 93 Octavio Angulo (jumping) and Mike Patel had to abandoned their vehicle on South Hotel Circle in Mission Valley Road when the flooded road stalled their vehicle in San Diego, CA (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 56 / 93 Felipe Flores Lopez, 59, tries to secure his homeless encampment as water begins to flood on Avenue 26. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 57 / 93 Crews remove mud flows across a road during a flash flood watch in the Silverado Canyon burn area. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 58 / 93 A homeless man seeks shelters beneath the 405 Freeway along Venice Boulevard as the first of several El Nino storms hit Southern California. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 59 / 93 A Los Angeles County Public Works plow removes rocks from rain-soaked Malibu Canyon Road. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 60 / 93 A crew with the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors bags sand along Zuma Beach. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 61 / 93 CHP Sgt. Joe Davy uses a shovel to try to clear a drain on the southbound lanes of the 101 Freeway of mud from the recent Solimar Fire runoff that flowed over the freeway, closing lanes. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 62 / 93 Polliwog Park in Manhattan Beach is deserted and flooded, as a storm descended over southern California. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 63 / 93 Valentina Flores,2, of City of Commerce, enjoys a puddle in the Little Tokyo area of downtown Los Angeles, Calif. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 64 / 93 Los Angeles sheriff deputy Michael Galvan, left, warns a couple living under Freeway 5 about flooding danger along the San Gabriel River. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 65 / 93 Vehicles traveling in the southbound lanes of the 101 freeway crawl through one lane after mud from the recent Solimar Fire flowed over the freeway closing lanes. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 66 / 93 Los Angeles County Public Works road plow removes rocks off a rain-inundated Malibu Canyon Road in Malibu. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 67 / 93 Members of the California Conservation Corps clear drains along Silverado Canyon Road in Orange County, Calif. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 68 / 93 A black Mini Cooper is stranded in high standing water on Burbank Blvd near Balboa Golf Course in Encino. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 69 / 93 Los Angeles county public works department workers clean an outlet drain at Easley Canyon debris basin in Glendora. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 70 / 93 Jason Rivas works with sandbags in front of homes along San Como Lane in Camarillo Springs. Residents are under a voluntary evacuation order. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 71 / 93 Joe Milos works with sandbags at homes along San Como Lane in Camarillo Springs as light showers fall. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 72 / 93 Rain water runs off the roof of red tagged homes along San Como Lane in Camarillo Springs Tuesday morning. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 73 / 93 Vehicles are slowed for miles on both North and South bound lanes of the 101 Freeway at Solimar Beach in western Ventura County as mud from the recent Solimar fire covers all lanes Tuesday morning. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 74 / 93 Looking North, as vehicles are slowed for miles on both directions of the 101 Freeway at Solimar Beach in western Ventura County as mud from the recent Solimar fire covers all lanes. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 75 / 93 People in Long Beach deal with rainy weather during the first strong storm in what is predicted to be a strong El Nino event in Southern California. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) 76 / 93 A kite surfer in Long Beach makes use of the wind during the rainy weather brought by the first big storm of the new year. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) 77 / 93 A front-end loader and dump truck work to move beach sand to protect vulnerable areas from flooding in Long Beach. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) 78 / 93 An elderly woman navigates a wet parking lot in Fountain Valley as storms were expected to barrel into Southern California in earnest Tuesday morning. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 79 / 93 Commuters navigate the southbound 405 Freeway in Costa Mesa. Rain is expected to continue through the end of the week. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 80 / 93 Carol Roberts, who said she has lived in Camarillo Springs for over 20 years, walks her dog Kayla past red-tagged homes along San Como Lane where residents were under a voluntary evacuation order due to approaching storms and unstable soil conditions. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 81 / 93 Homeowners association president Barbara Williams, left, counsels Carol Roberts to be ready to leave the neighborhood if mandatory evacuations are ordered. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 82 / 93 Glendale resident Linn Neidengard picks up sandbags provided by the city to protect his home from looming rains. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 83 / 93 Noah Cowan of Long Beach, fills sandbags along with others as they prepare for the arrival of the first major storm of what is expected to be a strong El Nino weather event in Southern California. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) 84 / 93 John Ward, 66, left, and his son Jacob, 37, center, load sandbags along with fellow Glendora residents ahead of heavy rains forecast this week. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 85 / 93 The Solimar Beach fire burn area in Ventura County is being monitored for possible mud and debris flows with the coming rain. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 86 / 93 Two people take in a view of downtown Los Angeles from Montecito Heights as a storm front creeps into the Southland on Jan 3. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 87 / 93 People walk and bike under blue-gray skies in downtown Los Angeles on Jan. 4 as a series of storms were forecast for Southern California. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 88 / 93 With rain in the forecast, Geme Gemayoa is bundled up in downtown L.A. on Jan. 4. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 89 / 93 Los Angeles City Hall is surrounded by cloudy skies in a reflection in the windows of the new U.S. Courthouse under construction on Jan. 4. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 90 / 93 Karin Mitchell loads sandbags into the trunk of her car in Glendora, where residents were preparing for possible heavy rains. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 91 / 93 Four-month-old Kwasi Youngblood is carried by his mother, Darchelle Youngblood, in downtown Los Angeles on Jan. 4. Youngblood said she is ready for the cold and wet weather predicted for Southern California. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 92 / 93 Two women enjoy some sunshine in downtown Los Angeles on Jan. 4, before wet weather is set to arrive later in the week. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 93 / 93 Antonio Dominguez, 44, of Pacoima, goes for a bike ride under partly cloudy skies above Hansen Dam in Lake View Terrace on Jan. 4. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Timesl) On the other hand, Murphy said outreach workers got a man into housing last year who had spent 30 years in the streets. Everybody had written him off, Murphy said. Garcetti said L.A. police officers are prepared to temporarily detain homeless people illegally camped in and near the Los Angeles river who are in danger but refuse to move. Were not going to charge them with things, he said. But we will use the force of law there is law on the books that they cant be there. Garcettis staff later directed questions about the law to the LAPD, which cited a section of the California penal code that allows law enforcement officers to restrict access to perilous areas during disasters. There is recent precedent for forcible removal of homeless people in rough weather: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Sunday ordered that homeless people be taken to shelters in freezing weather. Va Lecia Adams Kellum, St. Josephs executive director, said she and her colleagues hope to use the foul El Nino weather to get people to come in from the cold permanently. By noon Tuesday, St. Joseph Center was crowded with people waiting for appointments or getting out of the rain. One man picked at a badly dressed foot wound. Thats how it starts, Murphy said. The wounds cant get dry, and for those with high acuity, that could be the straw that broke the camels back. Two gangly young men with plastic bags billowing around their heads and torsos walked out of the center into the sheeting rain. gale.holland@latimes.com | Twitter: @geholland peter.jamison@latimes.com | Twitter: @petejamison MORE ON EL NINO Tornado touches down in Vernon, damages buildings as El Nino storm pounds state El Nino storm sets rain records in California California cut water use 20.3% in November; with the rain, what will happen? A new state law may prompt San Diego to regulate and allow cultivation of medical marijuana within city limits for the first time. A memo issued last week by Deputy City Atty. Shannon Thomas describes ways the city could regulate growing marijuana, including creation of zoning regulations specific to the drug or simply allowing cultivation in all areas now zoned for agriculture. The memo also says the city might need to impose a temporary moratorium on cultivation while exploring any new regulations. Advertisement Thomas said that a moratorium could help San Diego ensure that the new law, which went into effect Friday, doesnt permanently take away the citys latitude to regulate local cultivation. The states new Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act aims to legitimize the industry nearly 20 years after California voters first approved the use of medical marijuana. It also paves the way for regulations in anticipation of state voters approving recreational use of marijuana next year. The legislation requires mandatory product testing and gives reluctant jurisdictions new motivation to permit dispensaries and marijuana cultivation by allowing them to collect fees and levy taxes. But a mistake in the act prompted the city attorneys memo. The law says cities with no regulations in place by March 1 will permanently cede authority of cultivation to the state, but the author says that deadline was erroneously inserted. Its a mistake that is expected to be fixed soon, however. According to the League of California Cities and the California chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, lawmakers who spearheaded the legislation and Gov. Jerry Brown have agreed to amend the legislation. But just in case, the league is advising cities without regulations already in place to quickly pass complete bans on cultivation to assert their authority over the state. Cities would retain the latitude to soften cultivation rules later. In an abundance of caution, we have been advising our member cities to enact cultivation ordinances in this case a ban to make sure they preserve their regulatory authority whether the cleanup bill goes through or not, said Tim Cromartie, legislative representative for the league. A ban is the quickest and cleanest way. The city attorney, however, recommended a moratorium instead of a ban. She said a moratorium, which would require approval by eight of the councils nine members, is probably the only way to meet the statutory deadline of March 1. A ban would require only a majority vote of the council. Thomas added that a moratorium would give the city time to consider cultivation legislation, which could be a complex and lengthy process. Cromartie disagreed. We looked at whether a moratorium would suffice, and the answer from our attorneys came back no, he said. Dale Gieringer, director of Californias NORML chapter, said a benefit of the loophole is that it has prompted jurisdictions to explore cultivation regulations sooner than they might have. Its good for cities and counties to get their ducks in a row, he said. david.garrick@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @UTDavidGarrick Garrick writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune. Join the conversation on Facebook >> ALSO El Nino prompts an outreach effort to get L.A.'s homeless into shelters FBI probes mystery of San Bernardino shooters whereabouts for 18 minutes after massacre Bids for bullet train construction show apparent winner for next phase Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday ordered new regulations, including stepped-up inspections and safety measures, for all natural gas storage facilities in California in response to the continuing leak that has displaced thousands of people in the Porter Ranch neighborhood of Los Angeles. The emergency regulations would require Southern California Gas Co. and other operators of gas storage facilities to conduct daily inspections of wellheads using infrared leak-detection technology, verify the mechanical integrity of wells, measure gas flow and pressure and regularly test safety valves, among other steps. Each facility would also have to draft a risk management plan that would examine the corrosion potential of pipes and other safety threats. Advertisement Interested in the stories shaping California? Sign up for the free Essential California newsletter >> The requirements are part of a series of orders issued by Brown as he declared a state of emergency stemming from a leaking well at SoCal Gas storage facility in Aliso Canyon. For more than 10 weeks a damaged well has released large amounts of planet-warming methane and emitted sulfur-like odors that have sickened residents with nosebleeds, headaches and other symptoms. Browns action came after weeks of demands by residents, activists and local officials for the governor to intervene. In the proclamation, Brown cited the prolonged and continuing duration of this natural gas leak and the request by residents and local officials for a declaration of emergency. The governor ordered state agencies to utilize all necessary state personnel, equipment, and facilities to ensure a continuous and thorough response to this incident. Unlike with most emergency proclamations, however, he did not suspend state laws, cut red tape or commit more resources or public funds to address the leak. Brown contends that SoCal Gas should bear all related expenses from the leak. He tasked the California Public Utilities Commission with ensuring that the gas company cover costs related to the natural gas leak and its response, while protecting ratepayers. Evan Westrup, a governors spokesman, noted that the proclamation does allow the governor to waive state laws if necessary in the future. The new regulations will apply to a dozen natural gas storage fields across nine counties, according to the state Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources, which will issue the new rules. Join the conversation on Facebook >> SoCal Gas maintains more than 160 of the roughly 340 active gas storage wells in the state, some at other facilities in Santa Clarita, Goleta and Playa del Rey. The Aliso Canyon facility, with a capacity of 86 billion cubic feet, is one of the largest in the nation. Timothy OConnor, who directs the California Climate Initiative for the Environmental Defense Fund, said the governors action not only recognized the immediate need to stop the massive leak, but sets in motion a longer-term effort to protect people and the environment from methane leakage. Briana Mordick, senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the emergency regulations are the right first steps to fixing Californias broken oil and gas regulatory system, but a far cry from the overhaul needed to keep Californians safe from the environmental and public health threats from underground natural gas storage facilities and all underground injection projects. The governor also ordered the state Air Resources Board to develop a plan by the end of March to fully mitigate the leaks emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas that is many times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Under the plan, the gas company would pay for projects to reduce emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases in the state. The well is spewing about 30,000 kilograms of methane per hour, according to the most recent estimates available by the Air Resources Board. As of Dec. 22, the leaking well had released the equivalent of 1.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide more greenhouse gas emissions than 330,000 passenger vehicles produce in a year. The gas company detected the leak on Oct. 23 and is drilling relief wells to try to repair the well after previous efforts failed. The company has warned the leak may not be plugged until the end of March. In a statement, SoCal Gas Chief Executive Dennis Arriola said our focus remains on quickly and safely stopping the leak and minimizing the impact to our neighbors in Porter Ranch. Brown on Wednesday also ordered state oil and gas regulators to direct SoCal Gas to take any and all viable and safe actions to capture leaking gas and odorants while relief wells are being completed. Seven state agencies are working on the leak, which has drawn criticism, health concerns and lawsuits from Porter Ranch residents and local officials. Los Angeles County supervisors declared a state of local emergency on Dec. 15. Oil and gas regulators and the state Public Utilities Commission are investigating what caused the well failure and whether it involved any violations by the gas company. The governor also ordered state regulators to ensure that Southern California Gas Co. maximizes daily withdrawals of natural gas from the Aliso Canyon Storage Facility for use or storage elsewhere. The state had already prohibited SoCal Gas from injecting any more gas into the facility. The company has proposed a number of measures to reduce emissions and odors. Construction crews are installing mesh screens to prevent an oily mist at the leaking well from drifting into Porter Ranch. Mayor Eric Garcetti joined local residents and activists in welcoming the emergency declaration. The order will bring the additional resources and focus we need to get people back into their homes, restore confidence in the safety of this community, and begin rebuilding quality of life in the neighborhoods affected by the gas leak, Garcetti said in a statement. tony.barboza@latimes.com MORE ON PORTER RANCH Why the Porter Ranch gas leak could take months to fix Utility is installing screens to contain oily mist at leaking well near Porter Ranch Moratorium sought on expansion of L.A. boundaries for developments near Porter Ranch An Illinois man has been arrested and charged on suspicion of threatening to assassinate the leader of the Church of Scientology, David Miscavige, and others affiliated with the church, according to court papers filed in Los Angeles. Andre Barkanov is accused of making several phone calls to the Church of Scientologys main telephone line and vowing to kill Miscavige, the churchs upper echelon and every single member of the church, according to an affidavit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The alleged threats were first made July 21 in five phone calls ranging in duration from a few minutes to more than three hours, according to the affidavit filed by investigators with the Los Angeles Police Department. Advertisement In one of the calls, according to the affidavit, a warning was offered: Get out, get out before it is too late. Two of the calls were answered by a receptionist who was so shocked and frightened that she could not utter a word to the person on the other end of the line, according to the affidavit. Fearing Miscaviges life was in danger after the first call, she alerted the LAPD. Church staffers told police that most harassing or threatening calls received by the church feature giggling in the background. But these calls had a voice that seemed calm and collected, with the caller having an atypical sign-off: Thank you, according to the affidavit. Michael Dean, a church community relations staffer who listened to the three-hour-long call, said the tone of the threats was definite, menacing and hostile, according to the affidavit. On the day after the threats were made, a longtime attorney for the church, Kendrick Moxon, and the churchs director of security, Kirsten Pedersen, met with police at the LAPDs Hollywood Division, according to the affidavit. Church representatives handed over recordings and transcripts of the phone calls, according to the affidavit. On July 23, eight more phone calls from the same telephone number were made to the church. In the last call, according to the affidavit, the message was blunt: Tell [Miscavige] that we have a bullet for his forehead. OK? Thank you. Miscavige is the ecclesiastical leader of the Church of Scientology and is chairman of the board of the Religious Technology Center, which holds the rights to the Scientology and Dianetics trademarks. Dianetics is the self-help system developed by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard that became the forerunner to what is now a global church with its international headquarters in Riverside County. Interested in the stories shaping California? Sign up for the free Essential California newsletter >> Miscavige took over leadership of the church after Hubbards death in 1986. Some of the calls threatening Miscavige came from a blocked number. Others were traced to a Skype account registered to Andre Barkan, an alias of Barkanov, according to the affidavit. Records from his Skype account showed 20 calls were made to the Church of Scientology, according to court papers. Barkanov was located at an address in Chicago by police there, but he refused to speak to officers, according to the affidavit. Barkanov had been arrested several times by the Chicago Police Department, and he had twice been convicted of impersonating a police officer. Internet records from the Skype account also led investigators to a womans home in Kenosha, Wisc. Her wireless Internet account lacked a password, and her home was next to a bar and other apartments -- areas where someone could have used her account to go online, investigators wrote. A bartender at that bar recognized Barkanov as the Russian who lived next door, and he was tracked down to an apartment. He would later tell police that his business was in Kenosha, about 60 miles from his residence in Chicago, and that he occasionally slept there when he made calls abroad, according to court papers. Kenosha police arrested him Nov. 10, and after his extradition, he was booked in a Los Angeles jail on Dec. 17, according to police records. Barkanov was charged with 12 felony counts of making criminal threats and one count of stalking, according to the complaint filed by the Los Angeles County district attorneys office. At his arraignment in a downtown courtroom Dec. 18, he pleaded not guilty to all charges. Hes being held in an L.A. County jail in lieu of $600,000 bail. During court proceedings in Wisconsin, Barkanov was represented by a public defender who did not respond to a request for comment. An L.A.-based attorney could not be reached. Its unclear what motivated the alleged threats. Court papers did not specify what relationship, if any, Barkanov has with the Church of Scientology or Miscavige. A church spokeswoman said in a written statement late Tuesday that Barkanov had never been a church staff member or parishioner. From what we have been told, his actions appear to have been incited by anti-Scientology propaganda, said Karin Pouw, the spokeswoman. Parishioners and the churchs leaders do not routinely face threats of violence, Pouw said, adding that the church does not discuss threats made against Miscavige or others. She also blamed rising levels of religious hate and bigotry for driving such violent threats. This case involving an apparently unstable man who told police he was incited by anti-religious propaganda shows the dangers of bigotry and hate spread by irresponsible individuals, Pouw said. Investigators searched Barkanovs Wisconsin apartment, specifically seeking news articles, books, magazines or other items related to the Church of Scientology, according to court papers. A police report shows investigators recovered several hard drives, blank 9-millimeter ammunition, and other electronic equipment. For breaking news in California, follow @MattHjourno. MORE: Get our best stories in your Facebook feed >> ALSO For a mans makeshift home, destruction swiftly follows El Ninos arrival San Diego rushes to establish rules on marijuana cultivation FBI probes mystery of San Bernardino shooters whereabouts for 18 minutes after massacre Gov. Jerry Brown met with a handful of Porter Ranch residents and toured the site of a leaking natural gas well whose fumes forced many families from their homes. Brown expressed concern about the health of people in Porter Ranch and demonstrated that he has been working on the problem, contrary to the complaints of some residents who say he has not been actively involved, said two of the four people who attended the meeting Monday. I felt he was engaged and definitely there to find out what was happening in the community, said Paula Cracium, president of the Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council. Advertisement Cracium said she and others at the meeting urged Brown to be more visible on the issue and to help with a major concern that will last long after the leak is plugged--declining property values. Real estate experts say property values have taken a hit since the leak started Oct. 23 in a Southern California Gas Co. well in nearby Aliso Canyon. Residents told Brown they want any fines assessed against the gas company reinvested in Porter Ranchs residential and commercial areas. The governors office did not provide details on the nature of the conversation with residents. In a related development, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors called for creation of a new regulatory structure to oversee gas storage facilities. Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to send a letter to the governor and legislative leaders calling on them to adopt immediate reforms to update [the states] antiquated regulatory processes and modernize inspection technology and establish an independent panel of experts to oversee the inspection and repair of remaining wells across the region and communities with similar facilities. Before meeting with the residents, the governor spent an hour at the site of the damaged well and at the nearby relief well being drilled to stop the leak. Porter Ranch residents have complained for weeks about what they saw as Browns invisibility on the issue as they moved out of their homes and fought off headaches and nausea associated with the fumes. Pat Pope, who hosted the hour-long meeting with Brown at his home, said the residents knew that the governors office was working on this, and especially the Office of Emergency Services, but the governor and his staff seemed to be invisible to the rest of the world. The governor sent a letter last month to the chief executive of SoCal Gas and described the utilitys cleanup efforts as insufficient. Company officials believe the leak will not be repaired until February or March. Cracium said residents are growing increasingly concerned about what happens next. For us, we believe everyone is working really hard to fix this leak, but we really do need to know that the day after [its fixed], we are safe, Cracium said. alice.walton@latimes.com Twitter: @TheCityMaven Times staff writer Abby Sewell contributed to this report. Tell The Times how the Porter Ranch gas leak is affecting you. ALSO A steady conveyor belt of El Nino storms is what has officials concerned FBI probes mystery of San Bernardino shooters whereabouts for 18 minutes after massacre Utility is installing screens to contain oily mist at leaking well near Porter Ranch The next in a series of storms rolling through Southern California on Wednesday is bringing with it the risk of severe thunderstorms and a slim chance of a tornado, the National Weather Service said. In an unusual development, the Weather Services Storm Prediction Center listed Southern California -- and its more than 19.2 million residents -- as having a marginal risk of severe thunderstorms or even a tornado. Marginal is the centers lowest category of risk. The main thing is theyre just seeing instability in the atmosphere today. I think its pretty broad where it could happen. Its a very marginal chance, said NWS meteorologist Emily Thornton. Advertisement Join the conversation on Facebook >> On Tuesday, a tornado was reported in Vernon that ripped off pieces of roofing and caused other damage to eight commercial buildings. The event was downgraded to a gustnado by Wednesday morning, officials said. The difference between the two is size and power, Thornton said. Unlike a tornado, a gustnado is not produced by atmospheric rotation in the storm system, she said. Along with the wind, the El Nino-related storms slamming the region this week have washed away fire-scarred hillsides and overwhelmed streets and washes. Wednesdays storm is expected to drop up to 3 inches of rain from San Luis Obispo to Orange County and as much as 5 inches in some isolated areas. The storm was also predicted to drop 13 inches of snow on Lake Arrowhead, forcing the Rim of the World Unified School District to close schools Wednesday before the storm hit, the district announced on its website. Dime-sized hail and 45 mph winds could also wreak havoc as the storm moves south from San Luis Obispo, forecasters said. The storm is only one of a series thats pounding Southern California this week. Tuesday brought the most rain Los Angeles saw in any single day in 2015 except for one Sept. 15, when the remnants of Hurricane Linda washed ashore, said Bill Patzert, climatologist with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge. The storm also set records for the day in several places, including Los Angeles International Airport as well as to the north in Stockton and Redding. FULL COVERAGE: El Nino in California >> A break in the rain may come by Friday, but another system could hit Los Angeles on Saturday night and last until Sunday. Its also possible that rain could return Monday. City officials have prepared for the rain, distributing sandbags and offering shelters. In Los Angeles, where officials have been preparing for months, Mayor Eric Garcetti said the city was faring well so far. We have been working for months on this, Garcetti said Tuesday. Today is the day that it is here. Staff writer Brittny Mejia contributed to this report. For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna. ALSO For a mans makeshift home, destruction swiftly follows El Ninos arrival El Nino prompts an outreach effort to get L.A.'s homeless into shelters A brash El Nino: Storm season begins with record rainfall and mudslide fears Los Angeles prosecutors on Wednesday declined to bring criminal charges against Bill Cosby in the only two open cases locally in which he is accused of sexually assaulting women. The move comes less than a week after prosecutors in Pennsylvania filed the first charges against Cosby, accusing him of drugging and sexually assaulting a 31-year-old woman. The case prompted some legal experts to wonder whether Los Angeles prosecutors would bring charges against Cosby. Many of the allegations against him are based here. Advertisement But prosecutors concluded that there was not enough evidence in one case and that the second case exceeded the statute of limitations. One of the cases involved Chloe Goins, 25. She told Los Angeles police and prosecutors that the comedian gave her a drink that caused her to black out during a party at the Playboy Mansion in 2008. When she awoke, she said, she found herself naked on a bed with her breast moist and with Cosby biting her toes with his pants around his ankles. Cosbys attorneys have denied the accusations and said he was in New York at the time of the party. Goins reported the allegation last year and was interviewed for 2 hours by an LAPD detective and again in November by a prosecutor. She initially alleged the attack occurred at the Midsummer Nights Dream Party, held in August 2008. During the investigation, however, she told police she was not certain what the party was that she attended. Goins is not identified in the district attorneys documents but has previously made her allegations public. Videos of the Midsummer party from the perimeter of Holmby Hills mansion showed no images of Goins or a woman she said accompanied her, according to a report declining the prosecution. Cosby was in New York the weekend of the party, prosecutors said. Detectives did not find Cosbys name on any guest lists for 56 documented events at the Playboy Mansion in the summer of 2008. But they did find his name on the guest list for a February party, the report noted. The woman who Goins said accompanied her to the mansion told police she did not know Goins and never visited the Playboy estate, according to the declination filed by Deputy Dist. Atty. Jodi M. Link. Link noted that two crimes described by Goins, misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor indecent exposure, are beyond the statute of limitations. The district attorney also reviewed potential felonies still within the statute of limitations. The prosecutors determined there was no evidence to support charges of sexual battery by restraint or sexual assault by intoxication. Spencer Kuvin, Goins attorney, said the D.A.s decison was a disappointment but in no way affects his clients civil case against Cosby. The second case involved a woman who said that Cosby raped her in 1965 when she was 17 years old. The woman said Cosby took her to a Hollywood jazz club, bought her drinks and took her to a home where he raped her, according to the district attorneys documents. Prosecutors said the case was beyond the statute of limitations but did not comment further on the case. Dozens of women have come forward to say Cosby assaulted them during the long decades of his stardom, starting in the 1960s. In many cases, the statute of limitations prevents prosecutors from filing charges. Cosby has denied wrongdoing and has filed suit against seven of his accusers, claiming they have defamed him. Statutes of limitations vary widely from state to state when it comes to sexual crimes, from as short as a year for misdemeanors in some states to no deadline for rape in others. The charges filed this week in Montgomery County, Pa., came barely a month before the end of the 12-year window that prosecutors there had to charge Cosby in the alleged 2004 assault. richard.winton@latimes.com Composer and conductor Pierre Boulez, a towering figure in contemporary music, was an enfant terrible who mellowed with age but never flagged from his crusade to push music lovers and the music establishment to let go of the past and embrace new sounds, structures and textures. As a firebrand music student, he booed Igor Stravinsky in Paris for being too conservative, called his onetime friend John Cage a performing monkey, said that those who didnt use the 12-tone composing system were of no use and called for the burning down of opera houses. Many years later, however, he conducted to great acclaim from audiences and critics alike works by Stravinsky and other popular composers dating to the Baroque period. And he expressed admiration for select orchestras, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, which he regularly led as a guest conductor in a variety of works, including his own. Advertisement But the elegantly attired Boulez, who could be charming and witty in person, still could deliver barbs. He called minimalists such as Philip Glass and Steve Reich too simple to be interesting, and he singled out the John Adams opera The Death of Klinghoffer as sounding like bad film music. History should be absorbed and rejected, Boulez said in a talk in New York in 2010. If you are drowned in a library, you never have your own personality. A spokesman for the Paris Philharmonic, Hamid Si Amer, confirmed that Boulez had died Tuesday in Baden-Baden, Germany. He was 90. Boulez said in 2010 that he would probably not conduct again in Los Angeles because of the distance from his Paris home. But he returned in 2011 to conduct his Sur Incises at a Disney Hall memorial concert to honor his longtime friend, former L.A. Philharmonic administrative head Ernest Fleischmann. The work was an expansion of his Incises, an earlier solo piano piece. The whole room shimmered, Times music critic Mark Swed wrote in his review of the concert. Pierre Boulez was born March 26, 1925, in the small town of Montbrison in the Loire region of France to a family that had nothing to do with music, he told the Guardian newspaper in a 1989 interview. He sang in the choir of the Catholic school and took piano lessons but also shined in math. Accordingly, his engineer father sent him in 1941 to the University of Lyon to further his studies that would lead to a career in engineering. It was in Lyon that Boulez first heard a live orchestra concert and saw his first opera, according to his biographer, Joan Peyser. In 1942 he moved to Paris, enrolling in the Paris Conservatory a hallowed arts institution founded in 1795 against the wishes of his father. But young Boulez did not entirely leave math behind. With a group of like-minded students, he put forth with increasing ferocity theories and regimens that threw over romanticism in music. Boulez later said the groups infamous antics including loud protests of modern music it deemed too conservative have been overblown. But he confirmed that he booed Stravinsky. And renowned composer Olivier Messiaen, who had Boulez in his harmony class and recognized his brilliance, said in an interview with music journalist Claude Samuel that the young Boulez was like a lion that had been flayed alive. If Boulez knew of that description, it was probably a badge of honor. Certainly I was a bully, Boulez told the Telegraph newspaper of London in 2008. Im not ashamed of it at all. The hostility of the establishment to what you were able to do in the 40s and 50s was very strong. Sometimes you have to fight against society. Composer and conductor Pierre Boulez, shown at Carnegie Hall in 2010, pushed the music establishment to embrace new sounds. (Jennifer S. Altman / For the Los Angeles Times) Boulez adopted Arnold Schoenbergs atonal, 12-tone serial system in composing, but took it much further, devising with other composers systems to also regulate rhythms, accents, the duration of notes and nearly every other musical element. He mostly gave up on those strict systems after a few years, but the experiments helped lead to his breakthrough work, the 1955 Le Marteau Sans Maitre (The Hammer Without a Master). The score a nine-movement setting of three poems by French surrealist Rene Char is so dense that it put even veteran musicians to the test. Longtime L.A. Philharmonic percussionist William Kraft, who is also a composer, was in the ensemble that gave the work its U.S. premiere in Los Angeles in 1957. We couldnt make heads or tails of our parts, Kraft said in a 2003 Times interview. We thought [Boulez] was impossible, music not written by a human but by a computer. But Boulez, who was visiting California, came to a rehearsal and demonstrated a human sensibility behind the work. He sang our parts, Kraft said. Ive got this three-octave instrument, and this man is singing my part. That was an eye-opener. Even Stravinsky found the work admirable, writing in a note to famed composition teacher Nadia Boulanger, Without feeling close to Boulezs music, I frankly find it preferable to many things of his generation. In 1959, Boulez moved to Baden-Baden, lured by the progressive Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra that played his music and offered him increasing chances to conduct. His music brought him back to Paris after French President Georges Pompidou in 1970 invited him to create an institute devoted to electronic and computer-derived music. The result was the Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics, known as IRCAM, which he headed until 1992, though he also kept a home in Baden-Baden. As a conductor, Boulez found far wider acceptance. Known as an exacting, tireless rehearser who could pick out a single off-note in an orchestra, he used precise hand movements (he eschewed use of a baton) to shape works, both traditional and progressive. John Adams was no fan of Boulezs music, which he told the Guardian in 2005 lacks warmth, humor, boldness and the peril of emotional risk-taking that characterizes great art. But when it came to Boulezs conducting, Adams said, the precision of his performances and his recordings had a huge effect on following generations of conductors and performers. For this alone, I am immensely grateful to him. In 1965 Boulez was invited to guest-conduct the Cleveland Orchestra, beginning a long association with that group. He first guest-conducted the L.A. Philharmonic in January 1969. The most prestigious appointment came in 1971 when he was named music director of the New York Philharmonic. It was not a perfect match, however. He was succeeding the charismatic Leonard Bernstein, who was beloved by the orchestra, and New York in general. Bernstein was dramatic and demonstrative; Boulez was cool and analytical. He was out after six years. Although he felt he made gains in New York for new music, he had little good to say about tradition-bound Philharmonic audiences. I wanted people interested in concerts, he said in a 1999 Guardian interview, not only in social life. The U.S. orchestras with which he did find favor, in L.A., Chicago and Cleveland, invited him back regularly, and he made numerous appearances at the annual Ojai Music Festival. Between 1967 and 2005, he won 26 Grammy awards for his recordings. Boulez collaborated with architect Frank Gehry on projects that included a new concert hall in Germany that will be named after Boulez when it opens this year. Gehry said Wednesday that Boulez had a reputation as an imposing and exacting maestro, but he also could be a generous teacher. Gehry invited Boulez to a Yale course he taught on designing concert halls. Pierre gave his time to me and students many times, Gehry recalled. He would spend a whole day with them, and sometimes two days. No matter how popular he became, Boulez managed to closely and even fanatically guard his private life, amid much speculation about affairs and relationships. Even Peyser, known for her salacious book on Bernstein, could not dig up much on Boulez, calling her 1976 book on him Boulez: Composer, Conductor, Enigma. I am very simple and easygoing, Boulez said to the Guardian in 1989. But of course you have some part of yourself which is for yourself, and not for anybody else. Some detractors felt Boulez was interested only in music. He is a wonderful musician, a wonderful intelligence, composer and conductor Lukas Foss told Peyser. Its a pity there is no humanity there. If Boulez let these sorts of comments get to him, he did not let on. And he had no illusions that he had fundamentally changed the acceptance of radically new music. In 2008, he told the Guardian that among music-goers, 20% are very interested in new things, 50% can be persuaded and 30% are in their coffins before their time. But he never gave up the fight. You always have to make an effort, he said. If you are timid and unadventurous, no matter how good your ideas, nothing happens. Me, Im not a shy man. Colker is a former Times staff writer. Times staff writer David Ng contributed to this report. The Texas grand jury looking into the death of Sandra Bland resumed its examination Wednesday, renewing the possibility that the state trooper who arrested the 28-year-old woman could be charged. The grand jury has already concluded that no felony was committed by the sheriffs office or jailers in connection with Blands death. Bland was found hanged by a plastic bag in her jail cell three days after she was arrested outside Houston on July 10 during a routine traffic stop. Advertisement Join the conversation on Facebook >> Special prosecutor Shawn McDonald said the Waller County grand jury met for the fourth time Wednesday morning after reaching no decision last month on whether Brian T. Encinia, the trooper who arrested Bland, should face charges. McDonald said he couldnt say whether the grand jury was considering charges against Encinia, but said the panel will likely finish its work by days end. He is one of five Houston-area lawyers appointed as independent special prosecutors to present the case to the grand jury. If there are any indictments, those lawyers will take the case to trial. Blands family and activists have questioned how the traffic stop was conducted and whether Bland, an outspoken online advocate for the Black Lives Matter movement, killed herself. At the time Bland was stopped, she had just accepted a job at her alma mater, Prairie View A&M University. Ecinia pulled over Bland for making an improper lane change near the universitys entrance, about 50 miles northwest of Houston. The confrontation that ensued before Bland was arrested and charged with assault was captured on a dash camera video. Bland was taken to the Waller County jail in nearby Hempstead where, three days later, unable to make $500 bail, she was discovered hanged in her cell. After an autopsy by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences in Houston, officials ruled her death a suicide. Cannon Lambert, an attorney for the Bland family, said they have little hope the grand jury will indict Encinia. We would frankly be surprised, Lambert told The Times on Wednesday. But Lambert said theres still a chance the grand jury could charge the trooper. We called it a sham before Id love to be wrong, he said, We always have believed that he acted criminally. Lambert said he was hopeful that if the grand jury finishes Wednesday, investigators would finally release records, including a Texas Rangers report, that have so far been withheld due to the ongoing investigation. Blands relatives have demanded the records as part of a wrongful-death lawsuit they filed in August against the Waller County Sheriffs Office, jail officials and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Last month, attorneys representing Waller County filed a motion seeking to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that Bland took her life because she was distraught that her family members didnt bail her out of jail. Following last months grand jury meetings, protesters gathered outside the Waller County courthouse and marched in a Houston park to condemn the process and call for the Justice Department to launch an independent investigation. State lawmakers monitoring the case have asked for calm as the grand jury meets. Follow me for the latest in national news @mollyhf ALSO An emotional Obama outlines his plan to fight gun violence Armed standoff in Oregon endures, with more questions than answers Bail approved for former South Carolina police officer in shooting death of black motorist Wheaton College has begun the process of firing a professor who said Muslims and Christians worship the same God, the teacher and the suburban Chicago school confirmed Tuesday. Larycia Hawkins, a tenured political science professor who in December demonstrated solidarity with her Muslim neighbors by wearing a hijab, said at the end of last year that the college appeared ready to force her out after she had rejected recommendations to resign. This week she received word from Provost Stanton Jones that the termination process had begun. The Notice is not a termination; rather, it begins Wheaton Colleges established process for employment actions pertaining to tenured faculty members, the private evangelical college said in a statement confirming the latest development. Advertisement Hawkins, 43, announced last month that she would don the hijab as part of her Advent devotion to show support for Muslims who have been under scrutiny since mass shootings in Paris and San Bernardino. I stand in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people of the book, she posted on Facebook. And as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God. Join the conversation on Facebook >> Though the college did not take a position on her wearing the headscarf, some evangelical Christians said her statement should have spelled out what makes Christianity distinct from Islam. Not doing so put her in conflict with the statement of faith that all Wheaton faculty members must sign and live out, they said. While Islam and Christianity are both monotheistic, we believe there are fundamental differences between the two faiths, including what they teach about Gods revelation to humanity, the nature of God, the path to salvation and the life of prayer, Wheaton College said in a statement. The college placed Hawkins on paid administrative leave through the spring semester, pending a review. Hawkins fulfilled the colleges request to submit a theological response to questions about her statement of solidarity. But Jones told the Chicago Tribune that the statement in itself does not resolve all of the issues. NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >> On the part of the College, further theological clarification is necessary before such reconciliation can take place, and unfortunately Dr. Hawkins has stated clearly her unwillingness to participate in such further clarifying conversations, the college said in a statement. This represents an impasse on our efforts toward reconciliation. Hawkins attorney Robert Bloch, who also represents the Chicago Teachers Union, said Hawkins will fight the efforts to fire her but that he doesnt know whether the proceedings halt negotiations between the professor and the college. I cant at this point ascertain whether that signals an end of the process or not, Bloch said. Were certainly prepared to continue to resolve our differences with the college. Hawkins has been asked to affirm the colleges statement of faith four times since she started teaching at Wheaton nearly nine years ago. She was first admonished for writing an academic paper about what Christians could learn from black liberation theology, which relates the Bible with the often-troubled history of race relations in America. Jones said Hawkins article seemed to endorse a kind of Marxism. She was called in a year later to defend a photograph someone posted on Facebook showing her at a party inside a home on Halsted Street the same day as Chicagos Pride Parade. Last spring she was asked to affirm the statement again after suggesting that diversifying the college curriculum should include diplomatic vocabulary for conversations around sexuality. Last month she faced questions a fourth time over her Facebook post that Muslims and Christians worship the same God. She said she was simply reiterating that there is common ground among the monotheistic Abrahamic faiths, which many theologians have said for centuries. As part of the process, Hawkins will attend a hearing in the next 30 days with the colleges Faculty Personnel Committee, an elected body made up of nine tenured faculty members. The committee will hear testimony and evidence from both sides and make a recommendation to President Philip Ryken regarding Hawkins tenure. Ryken then will make a recommendation to the Wheaton College board of trustees. While an advisor may accompany Hawkins at the hearing, the college does not allow the advisor to be a person with a law degree. Its not unheard of, Bloch said. Its a procedure thats created by contract so they can set limitations. Its regrettable . Twitter: @TribSeeker ALSO Motel standoff in Georgia ends with suspect stabbing himself Florida university fires professor who called Sandy Hook massacre a hoax Bail approved for former South Carolina police officer in shooting death of black motorist Hillary Clinton is one of American politics larger-than-life figures, having shared the White House when her husband was president and traveled the world as secretary of State. But on the campaign trail, Clinton has tried to present herself in a more human scale as she mounts her second presidential run. Her effort appears to be bearing fruit, with Iowans saying she came across as simultaneously more confident and congenial than during her 2008 campaign. Shes not the fuzziest person in the world, said Lois Boone of Sioux City. But shes a lot fuzzier than she was then. Advertisement Join the conversation on Facebook >> During campaign stops this week, she repeatedly reminded voters that shes a grandmother whose daughter is expecting her second child this summer. She talked about the burden of caring for sick relatives. Even as Clinton discussed typical hot-button issues such as the economy, terrorism and gun control, she made sure to linger on voters more intimate concerns, such as battling Alzheimers and helping children with autism, asking members of the crowd to raise their hand if they knew someone affected by either condition. Oh my goodness, wow, Clinton said in Sioux City as dozens of hands went up. Her campaign has rolled out proposals to boost funding for Alzheimers research and expand early screening for autism. Clintons focus on personal discussions is an implicit course correction after she was viewed as imperious eight years ago, when she came in third in the Iowa caucuses. Now, she has for months pitched herself as more accessible in this key early voting state as she tries to fend off her rivals in the Democratic primary, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former Maryland Gov. Martin OMalley. Rather than project an air of inevitability, as she tried to do in 2008, Clinton talks of dedicating herself to helping voters with concerns that keep families up at night. Boone was glad Clinton was focusing on autism and Alzheimers -- we all know someone -- because her track record on other issues speaks for itself. Everyone knows shes got the knowledge for foreign affairs, Boone said. Thats a given. Clinton often reminds voters of her resume, most explicitly at her final Iowa event in Council Bluffs, near the state line with Nebraska. Think hard about the people who are presenting themselves to you, their experience, their qualifications, their positions, she said. Then, in an oblique reference to Sanders, whose self-described socialist beliefs could make him less viable in a general election, Clinton asked voters to consider candidates electability, and how we make sure we have a Democrat going back to the White House. Clinton is running a smarter, more grounded campaign than she did eight years ago, political analysts said. They didnt come in doing big rallies, said Jeff Link, a Democratic strategist in Iowa. A lot of people paid attention to that difference. TRAIL GUIDE: All the latest news on the 2016 presidential campaign >> And away from the cameras, Clinton has tried to win over local politicos who could be key in rallying support in the caucuses Feb. 1. Christian Ucles, a 33-year-old precinct captain from the Des Moines area, said he went to a meeting with the candidate and a few dozen other Latino activists like himself in Ottumwa in southeastern Iowa. Ucles, who backed Obama in 2008, was impressed, especially because he had been previously quoted in the Des Moines Register criticizing Clinton for not doing more personal outreach to Latinos. She was giving us an opportunity to talk with her, he said. Even though Clinton is leading Sanders by an average of about 13 points in recent polls in Iowa, Ucles said, the campaign has been running as if theyre 5 points behind. To be sure, she is not always meeting with small groups of voters or skipping foreign policy discussions. On Monday and Tuesday, Clinton sometimes stood on an elevated stage while delivering a stump speech to hundreds, occasionally taking a few questions from the crowd. But she often described herself as an applicant in a job interview, beseeching members of the audience for their help and enthusiastically shaking hands and posing for selfies afterward. Some brought photos for Clinton to see. One woman had a picture of herself with Bill Clinton during a 2000 event in the same Iowa town. Thats so cute! Clinton said, and then complimented the woman on her changed hairstyle. Another woman showed Clinton a photo of her family, and the candidate leaned in closer. Were going to take care of you and take care of them, Clinton said. For more campaign coverage, follow @chrismegerian on Twitter. MORE ON CAMPAIGN 2016 Five unknowns that could determine the winner in 2016 Why Marco Rubios presidential campaign strategy is considered a gamble Small donors give Sanders $33 million in 3 months, keeping him competitive with Clinton The California Supreme Court ruled 6 to 1 this week that the state Legislature has the authority to ask voters whether the Legislature should propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to overturn the U.S. Supreme Courts Citizens United decision. If you had to read that sentence twice, its because the ballot question known as Proposition 49 is a convoluted measure that, by the way, will have no legal or practical significance even if it is approved. In an editorial last year, we criticized Proposition 49 as an example of ballot bloat. We still hold that view despite the courts decision. Thats not because we support Citizens United, the 2010 decision in which the U.S. Supreme Court said that corporations had a 1st Amendment right to spend unlimited funds on independent election-related activities. We criticized that decision when it was handed down (and many times since). Advertisement The problem with Proposition 49 was that it was a purely advisory referendum that would essentially have turned the polling place into a Gallup Poll, as if California voters need to further crowd a ballot already stuffed full of complicated initiatives and referendums. As Gov. Jerry Brown correctly observed, We should not make it a habit to clutter our ballots with nonbinding measures, as citizens rightfully assume that their votes are meant to have legal effect. (Brown let the measure become law, but without his signature.) In its decision Monday, the state Supreme Court ruled that the Legislature acted within its power in authorizing Proposition 49. That measure, the court said, was related to the Legislatures role in the process of amending the U.S. Constitution, whether that takes the form of applying to Congress for the creation of a constitutional convention or petitioning Congress to directly propose an amendment for ratification by the states. Of course, the Legislature doesnt need to ask the voters advice to press for such an amendment. In fact, as the court noted, in the same year it authorized Proposition 49, the Legislature also adopted a resolution urging Congress to call a constitutional convention to propose an amendment overturning Citizens United raising the question of why it needed to ask for the voters views. (One cynical theory is that legislators thought the presence of the question on the ballot would increase turnout.) Its unclear whether the Legislature must act again to place this proposition on the ballot or whether Secretary of State Alex Padilla can do so on his own. But if Proposition 49 does make it back on the ballot, voters will not be making law if they decide to support its proposal for an amendment to overturn Citizens United and make clear that the rights protected by the United States Constitution are the rights of natural persons only. They will be taking part in a public-opinion poll, at taxpayers expense. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook The president of the United States wept on Tuesday. He wept when he came to the part of his speech about the first-graders. First-graders! he said. Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad. Barack Obama, purportedly an emotionless man, has been passionate about gun control ever since the 2012 school massacre in Newtown, Conn., when 20 children and six adults were killed. Aides say his meetings with the Newtown parents included tears, too. Advertisement More broadly, Obama seemed to signal that he plans to make the most of his last year in office through unilateral action. But Obamas most powerful emotion on this issue isnt empathy; as he said, its anger. Hes angry that Republicans in Congress blocked new gun control laws even after Newtown. Hes frustrated that he hasnt been able to rally political pressure in favor of new regulations. And hes disappointed that his legacy may be nothing more than the mild executive actions he unveiled this week. The measures Obama described on Tuesday are sensible but modest, limited by what his lawyers said he could do without the approval of Congress. He expanded an existing regulation to ensure that more gun buyers receive background checks, and created a new rule to require that dealers report when guns are lost or stolen. Most significant, Obama broadened the definition of a gun dealer to make it clear that anyone who sells firearms as a regular course of trade or business must conduct background checks on customers. Until now, people who sold guns over the Internet, or informally at gun shows, could claim that they were merely engaging in a hobby which meant no checks were needed. The governments new clarification means federal law enforcement can more easily go after anyone who frequently sells guns to strangers for profit. If the sellers fail to conduct background checks, they could be fined as much as $250,000. Thousands of gray-area gun dealers are on notice, Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch said. Thats not an infringement of their right to keep and bear arms; theres no limit on how many guns they can own. Instead, its a regulation of their freedom to conduct business the same regulation that gun stores already endure. Of course, that didnt stop the National Rifle Assn. and its allies from claiming that Obamas action was dangerous. The proposed executive actions are ripe for abuse, the NRA warned. House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) issued a statement charging that Obama was targeting the most law-abiding of citizens instead of terrorists. Despite that heated rhetoric, the real-world impact is likely to be small mostly because the agency thats charged with enforcing Obamas orders doesnt have the staff to do the job. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is the federal agency that oversees gun dealers, and Congress has deliberately starved its budget for years. ATF is massively underfunded and overworked, said Matt Bennett of Third Way, a centrist group that has worked for gun control legislation. As it is, theyre able to inspect federally licensed dealers, on average, only once every seven years. Obama on Tuesday promised to include funding for 200 more ATF agents in his budget this year but that merely amounts to a request that Congress is certain to reject. The odds that Congress will go along are roughly zero, Bennett said. There is, alas, no way around that. Still, Obamas actions did include some useful improvements, he said, including a shift of money within the Federal Bureau of Investigation to strengthen the background check system. And there are two ways Obamas actions could have broader political effects. One is that the president has injected gun control directly into the presidential election. If his successor is a Republican, these executive orders will be overturned (on day one, some GOP candidates have already promised). If his successor is a Democrat, they will remain in place even if Congress remains under Republican control, as expected. More broadly, Obama seemed to signal that he plans to make the most of his last year in office through unilateral action. Some of the measures the president unveiled this week were proposed by administration officials last fall, but the White House hesitated then in part because it still needed Congress to pass a spending bill for 2016. That bill is now in place, and Obama appears to believe he no longer needs to bargain with Republican leaders, who are focused on winning Novembers election. Indeed, White House officials say they are considering more executive actions in areas from climate change (including new emissions standards for heavy trucks) to the U.S. military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (which Obama vowed to close in 2009). This weeks gun control measures were only the first act in a final year that promises even sharper partisan combat than before. doyle.mcmanus@latimes.com Twitter: @doylemcmanus Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook After an armed group drew attention to an Oregon land-use dispute by seizing a building in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday, the governments reaction seemed almost low-key. The White House called the protest a local law enforcement matter and said the Federal Bureau of Investigation was merely monitoring the situation and offering support. Although the police havent revealed much about their plans, it looks as though theyre willing to wait out the occupiers rather than charge in with guns blazing. If so, thats good news for anyone who hopes this situation can be resolved peacefully. Sadly, not everyone seems to share that hope. The question of what qualifies as terrorism is hotly contested, but the most compelling definitions hinge on whether the perpetrators target civilians. Advertisement The Internet has been overflowing with demands for the protesters blood. Search Twitter for Oregon and drone strike and youll find tons of people proposing to give the Malheur activists the Abdulrahman Awlaki treatment. TV host Montel Williams tweeted that the authorities should put this down using National Guard with shoot to kill orders. I hope they pull a M.O.V.E. on those terrorists in Oregon, wrote the author Jess Nevins, alluding to a black militant group whose Philadelphia headquarters were bombed by the police in 1985, killing 11 people and destroying dozens of homes. Nevins wasnt the only one to use the word terrorists. Heavily armed domestic terrorists have occupied a wildlife preserve in Oregon, military historian Tom Mockaitis wrote in the Huffington Post. In the Daily Beast, columnist Sally Kohn complained about the federal governments hyper-passive response to such flagrant acts of menacing and threats of domestic terrorism. Former Homeland Security official Juliette Kayyem, now the host of a podcast called Security Mom, declared on CNNs website that the occupation in Oregon is terrorism by any definition. Really? By any definition? The question of what qualifies as terrorism is hotly contested, but the most compelling definitions hinge on whether the perpetrators target civilians. The political philosopher Tony Coady, for example, says that terrorism involves intentionally targeting noncombatants with lethal or severe violence for political purposes, while Peter Simpson, another academic, refers to acts of indiscriminate violence directed at civilians or nonhostile personnel. That framework would certainly include Islamic States slaughter of 130 people in Paris in November. It would also include the racist massacre of nine worshipers at a Charleston, S.C., church last summer. But breaking into an unoccupied building? The occupiers do have guns, and they have said theyre willing to use them if the cops come storming in. Yet they have no hostages, they havent fired at anyone, and if they do fire they will almost certainly not aim at a civilian but at someone professionally charged with removing them from the premises. You can call that a lot of things, but its absurd to call it terrorism. Not everyone invoking the T-word has called for a quick assault. Kayyem, for example, noted that time is on the feds side and that it would be dumb to send in a SWAT team now. Nonetheless, the words general effect is to inflame emotions. Theres a reason it has been applied to everyone from hackers to nonviolent environmentalists: That makes it easier to justify a harsh crackdown. If theres a legitimate frustration beneath the boiling rhetoric, its that a double standard is at work. Countless commentators have contrasted the governments cautious response to the Oregon occupation with the quick-draw cop in Cleveland who shot Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy who had been playing with a toy gun in a city park. And indeed, Tamir suffered an abominable injustice, as have many other victims of excessive police force, from Eric Garner to Walter Scott. When the point of the comparison is to wish the police would use care and caution more often, the tweeters are absolutely right. But when the point is to complain that the government isnt moving more swiftly in Oregon, theyre absolutely wrong. The killing of Tamir Rice shouldnt be a model for anyone. Conflicts like this are haunted by the 1990s sieges in Waco, Texas, and Ruby Ridge, Idaho, where the feds confrontational tactics had lethal consequences. After those disasters, the government changed its strategy. In 1996, for instance, Atty. Gen. Janet Reno was more restrained against a Montana group called the Freemen, announcing that the FBI wanted no armed confrontation, no siege, no armed perimeter and no use of military assault-type tactics or equipment. (Theres a good chance she didnt just have the Freemens potential for violence on her mind: Militia leaders around the country had declared that theyd intervene if they felt the feds stepped over the line, turning a local conflict into a larger one.) The incident ended peacefully. If the authorities are looking to their Freemen playbook now, its a sign they remember some of the lessons of the 1990s. Not everyone can say the same. Jesse Walker, the books editor at Reason magazine, is the author of The United States of Paranoia, a history of American conspiracy theories. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook MORE FROM OPINION Obamas teary, yet mild, gun reform How to survive El Nino like an Angeleno Another homelessness plan emerges. Yay. Now lets see some follow-through. Bakersfield lawyer Emilio Huerta, son of labor icon Dolores Huerta, is running for Congress against the states most vulnerable Republicans and brings valuable name recognition to a district that has frustrated Democrats for the last two election cycles. Huerta is the latest challenger to vie for the Central Valleys 21st Congressional District seat currently held by Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford). He is a labor lawyer and has worked for the United Farm Workers union, which his mother co-founded, throughout the Central Valley. Advertisement Democrats suffered an embarrassing landslide defeat in the district in 2014 despite having a 16 percentage point edge over Republicans in terms of registered voters. Amanda Renteria, a long-time Capital Hill staffer who grew up in the Central Valley, mounted an expensive campaign that year but still lost to Valadao by the same margin as the Democrat who faced him in 2012, 57.8% to 42.2%. (Renteria is now Hillary Clintons national political director.) Huerta, who quietly filed his declaration for candidacy Jan. 1, is counting on building a grassroots campaign base from his local family roots and a focus on economic issues and immigration reform. We can hopefully identify and fight for resources that can be brought to the valley, he said in an interview. Clearly we have a broken immigration policy and a dysfunctional immigration system. So far this cycle, Democrats have struggled to field a candidate to challenge Valadao, who national Republicans have put on a list of vulnerable incumbents. Daniel T. Parra, a fellow Democrat and Fowler city councilman, is also running for the seat this cycle but has struggled to raise funds for what is likely to be an expensive race. His campaign reported raising just under $40,000 as of the end of the last quarter, and had less than $10,000 in cash on hand as of Sept. 30. SIGN UP for our free Essential Politics newsletter >> Democrat Connie Perez dropped out of the race in October despite spending big bucks on a Los Angeles consulting firm and an expensive video introducing herself to voters less than a month earlier. Huerta is already facing criticism from Republicans for an issue that could carry extra weight in the tight-knit valley: He lives a few miles outside the 21st District in a patch of the 23rd District represented by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield. National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Zach Hunter labeled Huerta the handpicked candidate [of Washington Democrats] who doesnt even live in the district. The issue could matter more in the Central Valley than the Bay Area or Los Angeles because in this region it is important for voters to know a candidate understands local and rural concerns, said veteran California political strategist Darry Sragow. If Valadaos campaign does its job it will try to make it a big issue and trap Huerta into having to defend his residency which means he will have less time to talk about issues voters really want to hear about, he said. The 21st District covers a vast stretch of the Central Valley from Bakersfield north into Kettleman City and Wood Ranch. President Obama won the district twice and Latinos make up 71% of the population and 54% of registered voters in the district. Still, voters here can be conservative when it comes to economic and local issues, said Mike Madrid, a Republican strategist who is an expert in Latino politics. It is the last backbone of conservative politics in the state, he said of the Central Valley. The Huerta name is not going to drive out any voters that would not have turned out naturally this election cycle. Follow @jpanzar For more, go to latimes.com/politics. ALSO: These California lawmakers dont live in the districts they represent Meet the poorest man in Congress: David Valadao Interactive: How much are they worth? Tasmanian devils are an improbably unlucky species. First, they are nearly wiped out by an unusual cancer that spreads when the fierce marsupials bite one another in the face. And now, scientists have discovered a second transmissible cancer that spreads the same way. The revelation suggests that transmissible cancers, thought to be rare in nature, may occur more often that scientists previously thought, according to a recent study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Until a couple years ago, there were only two transmissible cancers known in the natural world, said Greg Woods, an immunologist at the University of Tasmania on the Australian island and a joint senior author of the study. Maybe transmissible cancers have occurred in the wild before and we didnt notice it because we werent looking for it. Advertisement Aside from the tumors plaguing Tasmanian devils, the only known transmissible cancers in animals are canine transmissible venereal tumor and disseminated neoplasia in soft-shell clams. All of these diseases originated in a single founder animal whose cells became cancerous and found a way jump to other individuals in order to survive. Devil facial tumor disease, or DFTD, was first spotted in 1996 in northeast Tasmania. As it spread throughout the island, it caused the number of Tasmanian devils to plummet by more than 80% and landed the species on the International Union for Conservation of Natures endangered list. With jaws that can pierce bone, the scrappy Tasmanian devil is known to bite other devils on the face during mating and feeding. The disease spreads when cancerous cells from an infected devil enter the bitten animals wound. A healthy devil could also contract the disease by biting an infected devils tumor s . Once the tumors spread across the face and mouth, the animal can starve to death within months. Scientists from the University of Tasmania thought they were dealing with DFTD in 2014 and 2015 when they investigated reports of infected animals in the DEntrecasteux Channel area, a small peninsula in the islands southeast. On the outside, the familiar-seeming tumors ranged in appearance from small spots in the mouth or skin to masses that caused facial deformities. But in the lab, they just looked different, Woods said. Under the microscope, DFTD cells are round and arrange themselves in distinct cords or packets. These cells had no such shape and arranged themselves in sheets. Genetic analysis showed the new tumor carried a Y chromosome, so it must have originated in a male devil. DFTD originated in a female. Dubbed DFT2, the new cancer has only been detected in eight devils seven male and one female. The researchers are still unsure of the diseases prevalence and precise origins. They suspect, however, that both tumors share a common lineage in the peripheral nervous system, first becoming cancerous in the cells that wrap around nerve fibers. That would explain why DFTD and DFT2 involve similar symptoms and behavior. Both cells spontaneously arose in an otherwise healthy devil and then got transmitted, Woods said. How did the Tasmanian devil get so unlucky? For a cancer to spread from one individual to another, it needs both a mechanism to do so and a way to survive in its new host. In Tasmanian devils, it has both. The tumor cells grow in the face, so when devils bite one anothers faces, those cancerous cells are getting transplanted right where they want to be. Due to isolation and hunting by European settlers, Tasmanian devils lack the genetic diversity that would help protect them from an outbreak. Conservation programs such as Save the Tasmanian Devil are building insurance colonies of healthy devils, which could someday be used to repopulate the island. The San Diego Zoo, home to four devils, and the Los Angeles Zoo, home to two brothers, both work with the program. The ultimate goal, Woods said, is to develop a vaccine. Early efforts have seen some success, and scientists have been able to re-release some inoculated devils back into the wild. Fortunately, the vaccine is likely to protect against both forms of DFTD due to the cancers parallel cellular lineages. We dont have to go back to basics, he said. Its a minor hurdle. Follow me on Twitter @seangreene89 MORE SCIENCE NEWS 12 amazing science stories we cant wait to follow in 2016 The smaller the chameleon, the quicker the tongue, study finds Its official: Four super-heavy elements to be added to the periodic table Orange County Speech Services, a Huntington Beach-based pediatric therapy center, has launched an online campaign to raise $10,000 for equipment for special-needs children. The campaign, which began Dec. 31, specifically seeks equipment and supplies for occupational therapy, speech therapy and physical therapy. As of Monday, the center had raised $477 from eight donors. We want to offer greater support for the autism community, more social groups for younger children and teens, parental training, seminars and support groups, center director Elizabeth Nideffer said in a release. Reaching our goal would be an unbelievable opportunity to maximize our impact on the children and families in our community. Advertisement Those interested in contributing to the campaign may visit gofundme.com/xghxbe4k. * Wintersburg author to sign book Mary Adams Urashima, the author of Historic Wintersburg in Huntington Beach, will sign her book Jan. 23 at Heritage Hill Historical Park in Lake Forest. Urashima, a longtime advocate of saving the Japanese-American historic site from demolition, will sign copies from 2 to 4 p.m. at the park at 25151 Serrano Road. In an interview with the Independent two years ago, Urashima called the Wintersburg property, which once served as a hub for the local Japanese-American farming and religious community, iconic in American history, Japanese history and civil liberties history. Advocates of saving the Wintersburg site, located by the intersection of Warner Avenue and Nichols Lane, won a victory last year when the National Trust for Historic Preservation proclaimed it a national treasure. Humanitarian groups are growing increasingly concerned about two hunger emergencies unfolding in East Africa -- one caused by drought, the other by war. Millions of people in Ethiopia and South Sudan are short on food, international agencies say, and in South Sudan, conflict has made it difficult for outside groups to help. Ethiopias emergency unfolded swiftly, as the worst drought in around 60 years saw successive crop failures. Between August and October, the number of people in need of help doubled, and numbers have continued to rise sharply since, with the drought exacerbated by El Nino. Advertisement Now, 10.2 million Ethiopians are in critical need of food aid. International agencies are trying desperately to raise funds to prevent the food emergency from deteriorating into a full-fledged famine, but so far they say they have raised only a small portion of the cash they need to offer help. An estimated $1.4 billion in humanitarian aid and donations is needed to address the crisis, according to a joint document issued by humanitarian agencies and the Ethiopian government. In South Sudan, the crisis is taking place in slow motion, as the frozen wheels of a bitter two-year conflict leave people marooned, out of reach of humanitarian agencies. Some 40,000 of them are in a Phase 5 hunger emergency, which, translated from humanitarian bureaucratese, normally means famine. For technical reasons, however, it hasnt formally been declared a famine, in part because humanitarian workers havent been able to get to some of the worst-hit areas to count how many people are dying. NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >> There are people who are -- right now -- facing catastrophic levels of hunger. They are starving, said Challiss McDonough, spokeswoman for the World Food Program in a phone interview. We have been very limited in our ability to get in and measure how bad things are. Many people in South Sudan couldnt plant crops because of fighting. Around 3 million people are facing a hunger crisis and need assistance, according to humanitarian agencies. Of those, 400,000 are in a severe emergency situation and 40,000 are in a catastrophe. There are 12 million people in South Sudan. Out of 12 million people, 5 million people are food secure. It means that there are 7 million who have problems, according to Serge Tissot of the U.N.s Food and Agriculture Organization, which assessed the need last month. The situation is worse now in 2016 than it was at the beginning of 2015, Tissot said in a phone interview. Families begin their journey home with U.S. food aid from a distribution site in Denkena Kebele, Ethiopia, on Dec. 14, 2015. (David R. Kahrmann / Associated Press) Meanwhile, in Ethiopia, of the 10.2 million people in need, 2.1 million are considered acutely malnourished, according to McDonough. She said the World Food Program has less than 5% of the funding it needs to help people in Ethiopia. Humanitarian needs globally are so enormous right now that donors are struggling to do anything near whats needed. Youve got layered global humanitarian crises, she added, referring the conflicts in Syria and Yemen, and the massive numbers of refugees. Its hard for the donors to keep up. Cattle, which families rely on for meat, and oxen used to plow the fields to plant crops, have been dying in huge numbers in Ethiopia, though there is no official estimate on how many have perished. The issue is critical, said Amadou Allahoury, the Ethiopia representative for the Food and Agriculture Organization. The livestock sector is already highly affected. He said the U.N. hopes to save the core breeding animals, but so far lacks sufficient funding. About 80% of the population relies on agriculture to survive, according to Allahoury. Ethiopia, Africas second-most populous nation with 90 million people, has made progress in reducing the vulnerability of its population in recent years, cutting its under-five mortality rate by two thirds between 1990 and 2012. But the drought threatens to set back progress made in rural areas, where communities face a prolonged crisis. A famine in Ethiopia in 1983-85 left an estimated 400,000 people dead. The severity of the current drought is devastating communities and undermining the tremendous progress that the country has made in development over the last decade. John Graham of Save the Children, speaking of Ethiopia John Graham of Save the Children said last month in a statement that people in the worst affected areas were forced to make terrible choices: slaughtering the oxen that would be used for planting next season -- should the rains come -- and eating the seeds saved for planting. The severity of the current drought is devastating communities and undermining the tremendous progress that the country has made in development over the last decade; we cannot stand by and watch that progress be lost, Graham said. Ethiopia was in drought even before El Nino hit. While El Nino typically brings more rain to California and the southern United States, it causes drought in other parts of the world, including eastern and southern Africa. Despite an August peace deal designed to bring an end to South Sudans civil war, that countrys future remains just as uncertain. It began as a conflict between two rival arms of the government and army -- both of which split in two along ethnic lines as a struggle for power exploded at the end of 2013. Fighting continues in some areas and progress on the key elements of the peace deal has been glacial. Join the conversation on Facebook >> Now, the situation has become increasingly complex as two dozen armed groups have sprung up, some threatening the main trade road that links the north and south, cutting off food supplies. As a result, said Tissot, food prices leapt tenfold in a year, leaving many families in areas not directly afflicted by the conflict unable to afford it. McDonough said the World Food Program had to negotiate with myriad actors in order to get access to needy areas, and some were entirely cut off because armed groups wouldnt provide the necessary security guarantees. There have been a couple of communities that have asked us not to bring food because theyre afraid they will be targeted by people with guns. The fear in these communities is very real, she said. Without peace, the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan will almost certainly deteriorate. The International Crisis Group warned last month that South Sudan would probably slide back into war in coming months. It called for international mediators to take firm steps to get the deal on track. Follow @RobynDixon_LAT for news from Africa. MORE WORLD NEWS Furor over racist tweet lays bare South Africas persistent divide Germany pledges to act after mass sexual attacks on women on New Years Eve White House has doubts about North Koreas nuclear test claims; U.N. Security Council vows action When Lee Bo, co-owner of Causeway Bay Books in Hong Kong, recently failed to come home for dinner, his wife grew concerned and filed a police report. But days later, she withdrew the missing person report, saying only that a friend of her husbands had relayed to her that her husband was safe and sound. Hong Kong officials say his whereabouts remains unknown. Lee, who was last seen a week ago, was the most recent of several local citizens all affiliated with the bookstore, which specializes in titles that irritate Chinas Communist leadership believed to have been detained on the mainland, raising concern among Hong Kong legislators and residents. Advertisement Join the conversation on Facebook >> The public outcry has grown as signs have mounted that Lee may have been taken from Hong Kong into mainland China by extralegal means. Mainland Chinese authorities owe the Hong Kong government an answer. Right now they have yet to confirm or deny if these men are being held, said James To, a lawmaker in the semiautonomous Chinese territory of 7 million. Hong Kong and Chinas central government have established a reciprocal mechanism under which one jurisdiction is supposed to report to the other if their residents are being detained across the border. So far, no report has been made on the bookstore workers. The former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a one country, two systems arrangement designed to protect many civil liberties nonexistent in the rest of the country. Hong Kongs protection of free speech has birthed a cottage publishing industry churning out explosive exposes on Chinas politics past and present. Recently, the political climate in mainland China has chilled, with mass arrests of rights activists, political dissidents and human rights lawyers. Even so, the disappearance of the bookstore employees has sent alarm through Hong Kong. Lee was last seen a week ago at the stores off-site warehouse on his way to deliver books to a new customer. Hong Kongs Beijing-backed chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, said the government was highly concerned about the case but that there was no indication that Chinese authorities were responsible. If mainland Chinese law enforcement personnel are carrying out duties in Hong Kong, it would be unacceptable, Leung said. A letter faxed to a bookstore employee said Lee had gone to the mainland by [his] own way to cooperate in an investigation by certain parties. The document also said his circumstances are very good and everything is normal. But Hong Kongs immigration department has said theres no record of Lee leaving the territory. This letter, that is meant to dispel fear about his disappearance, has exactly the opposite effect, said Ching Cheong, a longtime local commentator on Chinas politics. All isnt well. In early November, Lee raised concern about the disappearances of three colleagues who had visited mainland China. His fellow co-owner, Lui Por, and two employees went missing in late October. Another co-owner, Gui Minhai, a prolific author and Swedish national, went missing Oct. 22, a week or so before he had planned to fly from his resort home in Thailand to Hong Kong for business. After Lee disappeared, he called his wife twice to ask her to keep quiet but refused to divulge his location, according to local news reports. Prior to Lees disappearance, Hong Kong police said missing-person reports had been filed on the other three Hong Kong citizens by family members and colleagues. Those will now be combined with Lees case for continuing investigation. Even though Lees wife has withdrawn her report, police said, the case remains open until Lee is found. The Global Times, a newspaper closely affiliated with Chinas Communist Party, this week took aim at those raising questions regarding the mens whereabouts. In a strident editorial, the paper said the incidents had been hyped up by people who cannot wait to define the case as a violation of One Country, Two Systems. Causeway Bay Books almost only publishes and sells mainland-related political books, many of which contain maliciously fabricated content, the paper said, asserting that Lee was assisting an investigation and was not taken away by mainland Chinese police. The paper added: Those books have through various channels entered into the mainland and have become a source of certain political rumors. Li Dan, a Beijing-based publisher who owns a bookstore that specializes in mainland Chinese politics in a popular Hong Kong shopping district, surmised that the disappearances may have to do with more than just publishing titles deemed unsavory by authorities. NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >> What is more worrisome to Li is that mainland Chinese customs officials have stepped up searches for banned books over the last year after Hong Kongs pro-democracy demonstrations. Such titles used to be popular souvenirs for mainlanders visiting Hong Kong. Mainlanders who work for the government can be blacklisted if they are found in possession of such books, and sales recently have plunged as the number of mainlanders visiting Hong Kong has dropped. To save on operating costs, his bookstore has since curtailed hours to weekends. Many Hong Kongers fear the disappearances of the bookstore employees might signal the erosion of Hong Kongs autonomy. The bottom line used to be whatever you do in Hong Kong, it is still a safe haven, said Ching. Now youre no longer safe. Law is a special correspondent. ALSO India faces questions over its handling of a militant attack North Koreas H-bomb claim is unlikely to force fresh negotiations with U.S. and allies To fight the worlds worst air pollution, New Delhi forces cars off the roads North Koreas claim that it had successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb on Wednesday elicited an angry if familiar chorus of condemnation around the world. But Washington and the international community may yet again find it hard to muster the will to strengthen sanctions or take bold steps to lure North Korea back to the bargaining table anytime soon. The United Nations Security Council condemned the Pyongyang governments assertion that it had exploded a miniature hydrogen bomb, calling it a clear violation of council resolutions. In a statement issued after emergency consultations Wednesday, the council said it had previously expressed its determination to take further significant measures in the event of another North Korean nuclear test and would begin work immediately on a new resolution. Successive rounds of U.N. sanctions have not persuaded the government of Kim Jong Un to rein in its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles programs, however, and the council did not specify what new measures would be considered. Advertisement Aides to President Obama said that military options remained on the table if North Korea continues to pursue nuclear weapons but added that the president is currently focused on diplomatic responses. North Korea continues to be one of the most isolated nations in the world, and their isolation has only deepened as they have sought to engage in increasingly provocative acts, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters. Further condemnation came from South Korea, Japan, China and Russia, along with various arms control organizations. If confirmed, the detonation would be North Koreas fourth nuclear test since 2006 but the first using fusion technology. North Koreas nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013 are all believed to have used plutonium-based, or perhaps uranium-based, atomic weapons. The U.S. governments initial analysis of underground activity in North Korea was not consistent with the countrys claim of having used a hydrogen bomb Wednesday, Earnest said. Hydrogen bombs, also called thermonuclear bombs, can potentially be much larger than atomic weapons, which rely on fission for their explosive power. However, the initial data indicated the blast was not substantially larger than the countrys 2013 test, said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Washington-based Arms Control Assn. If indeed it was a nuclear test, whether H-bomb or A-bomb, we can expect another round of largely symbolic sanctions against North Korea, plus public condemnation from China, said Denny Roy of the East-West Center in Honolulu. I dont expect that this will fundamentally change South Korean, Chinese or U.S. policy toward North Korea, he added. Beijing concluded long ago that the only thing worse than putting up with North Koreas bad behavior is the danger of a collapse of the Kim regime. Secretary of State John F. Kerry said the U.S. was committed to defending the American people and honoring its security commitments to allies in the region. We do not and will not accept North Korea as a nuclear-armed state, and actions such as this latest test only strengthen our resolve, he said in a statement. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter spoke by phone Wednesday with Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, commander of U.S. forces in South Korea, and South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo to discuss the Norths apparent nuclear test. Secretary Carter and Minister Han agreed that any such test would be an unacceptable and irresponsible provocation and is both a flagrant violation of international law and a threat to the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula and the entire Asia-Pacific region, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said in a statement. Carter and Han agreed that the provocations should have consequences, Cook said, but he did not disclose what those consequences might entail. U.N. diplomats told reporters that a new resolution could add more people to the sanctions list. How robust the measures will be will depend largely on China, North Koreas traditional ally on the Security Council. Beijing said it had no advance warning of the test. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China remained opposed to such tests and urged Pyongyang to take steps to prevent further deterioration of the situation. She also called for a resumption of the so-called six-party talks aimed at getting Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear program. Those talks involving the U.S., North Korea, China, Japan, South Korea and Russia broke down in 2009 after six years, not long after Obama took office. Whether Obama has the desire or the bandwidth to make a bold move to get Pyongyang back to the negotiating table before his term runs out remains unclear. Washington and Seoul have insisted that Pyongyang show sincerity by taking concrete steps toward denuclearization before resuming dialogue. But China, Russia and North Korea have called for an unconditional return to talks. Obama put in a tremendous effort to secure the Iran nuclear deal, which has been a successful and historic breakthrough. It shows that when the United States conducts deft, effective diplomacy to deal with a proliferation threat, it can work, said Kimball of the Arms Control Assn. He has not taken the same political and diplomatic risk with North Korea during the course of his presidency. At a joint news conference with South Korean President Park Geun-hye in Washington in October, Obama said he saw no sign that Pyongyang was serious about negotiating. At the point where Pyongyang says we are interested in seeing relief from sanctions and improved relations, and we are prepared to have a serious conversation about denuclearization, I think its fair to say that well be right there at the table, he said. In addition to testing Obama, Pyongyangs actions are a fresh challenge for the Chinese leadership, which is increasingly trying to assert itself as a major player in global affairs. If confirmed, it would be the first nuclear test conducted by the North since Xi Jinping took office as Chinas president in March 2013. Although China is considered North Koreas only remaining major ally, and Xi is the most-traveled Chinese president in history, he has not visited North Korea, nor has he hosted a visit by the North Korean leader. China does have the ability to curtail trade and enforce the U.N. Security Council sanctions much better, Kimball said. Their leverage is sometimes, I think, overstated, but still they do need to do more, and that can make an important difference on the margins. Shi Yuanhua, director of the Center for Chinas Relations with Neighboring Countries at Fudan University in Shanghai, said it was up to Washington to shift its stance to get Pyongyang back to the bargaining table. Compared to the U.S., China is still an outsider in this matter, he said. Technically, the U.S. and North Korea are still at war. They need a peace treaty and then to normalize diplomatic relations. This weeks test, Shi said, was a sign that North Korea wants to talk. But there are few signs that either the Obama administration or Beijing are ready to shift gears. China might be willing to step up diplomatic pressure on the North, said Bonnie S. Glaser, an expert on the countrys foreign policy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. But in the absence of a larger package on the table, she said, it would be loath to embrace tougher sanctions and abandon its bottom-up strategy of promoting economic engagement with North Korea, because that could create instability on its border. A lot of people think China is the missing link, and if only it would get on board with sanctions, that North Korea could be compelled to give up its nuclear weapons. The Chinese just dont look at it like that, she said. For now, it appears North Korea will at least come in for a new round of knuckle-rapping. Park, chairing an emergency meeting of South Koreas national security council on Wednesday, called the reported test a grave provocation to our national security. South Korea also said it would take all necessary measures so that the North will pay the price for the nuclear test. In Japan, Nihon Television reported that officials close to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe were discussing strengthening sanctions. Abe told reporters that Japan would join forces with the U.S. and China to take firm countermeasures, according to Japans public broadcaster NHK. Russia also condemned Pyongyangs announced test as a violation of international law. But Leonid Petrov, an expert on North Korea at the Australian National University, said any push for a resumption of six-party talks could be undercut by continuing tensions between Washington and Moscow. Im sure China is going to be very angry about this, but Russias response will probably be more balanced and less adverse, he said. Russian experts have expressed doubt that North Korea has the technology to produce a hydrogen bomb, Petrov added. If it is confirmed they do have a thermonuclear weapon, Obama should spend the rest of his term negotiating with North Korea rather than abstaining, he said. Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), the chairman of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, said the U.S. cannot afford to focus only on Islamic State, Iran or Russia. We must be prepared to protect our national security against many threats, he said. Unfortunately, the view around the world is that U.S. leadership is in decline while the administrations inaction only fuels those concerns. Makinen reported from Beijing, Zavis from Los Angeles and Parsons from Washington. Yingzhi Yang in The Times Beijing bureau, special correspondent Jake Adelstein in Tokyo and Times staff writer W.J. Hennigan in Washington contributed to this report. Follow @JulieMakLAT and @alexzavis and @cparsons on Twitter ALSO In South Korea, a renegade academic who raised questions about the comfort women saga New Facebook service ignites battle over net neutrality in India Gesture of healing: South Korea and Japan reconcile on World War II sex slaves The German government Tuesday vowed swift action against hundreds of men accused of molesting at least 90 women in a massive display of lawlessness outside the central rail station in Cologne on New Years Eve. Chancellor Angela Merkel and Justice Minister Heiko Maas labeled the reported attacks as despicable. Police in Cologne have received 90 complaints from women who said they were sexually molested, robbed or threatened by a drunken mob of about 1,000 men who encircled the victims during the New Years Eve celebrations in the center of Germanys fourth-largest city near the Cologne Cathedral. Police said one woman was raped. Cologne police said many of the attackers appeared to be originally from other countries, including Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria, based on interviews with victims. That led to fresh criticism of Merkel, who has upset some people in Germany by supporting the arrival of refugees, which in 2015 included more than 1 million people from the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Advertisement Police said they are examining surveillance cameras, interviewing victims and witnesses and seeking help from the public. We ran into this large group of men and tried to make our way through, one woman was quoted as telling the Cologne newspaper Express. Suddenly I felt someone grab my rear end, then my breasts, and then I was being groped everywhere. Other witnesses were quoted in local media as saying that they were groped so hard and aggressively that their bodies were black and blue with bruises. Attackers ripped the clothes of some; others reported some of the men tried to hug and kiss them. NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >> What happened is absolutely intolerable and we will prosecute the assailants with the full force of the law, Cologne Mayor Henriette Reker told reporters after a crisis meeting Tuesday. She noted that there had been reports of similar attacks on New Years Eve in other cities such as Hamburg and Stuttgart, although not on as massive a scale as in Cologne, and said Germany would not accept such lawlessness. Its important to prevent these kinds of attacks in the future, she added, noting that the relaxed party atmosphere in Cologne during New Years Eve and during the Carnival season in February should not be confused as an invitation to assault women. Well have to do a better job of explaining to people from different cultures living here that a celebratory atmosphere on the streets has nothing at all to do with sexual attacks. Merkel issued a statement after discussing the attacks with Reker on the telephone in which she condemned the despicable attacks and sexual assaults and vowed that the government would crack down on such violence. Weve got to do everything in our power to detain the perpetrators as quickly as possible and to punish them regardless of their origins. Maas said on Twitter: The despicable attacks on women wont be tolerated. Those responsible will be brought to justice. This takes organized crime to a whole new level. Cologne police said many of the women attacked were revelers who arrived at the rail station from the provinces. German media reports were filled with harrowing accounts of the attacks and descriptions of how the women were tightly surrounded by the groups of men who groped and robbed them while others threw firecrackers at them. They groped me underneath my dress and kept grabbing my rear, a woman was quoted as telling the Cologne Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper. Kirschbaum is a special correspondent. ALSO British law expands definition of domestic abuse to include psychological harm North Korea says it has conducted a successful hydrogen bomb test Who was Sheik Nimr al-Nimr? A look at the man whose execution rocked the Mideast A United States senator has expressed concern that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is trying to obstruct the actions of the South American country's newly elected National Assembly. In an open letter addressed to Barack Obama on Monday, New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez urged the president to lead actions to enforce stronger international penalties and monitoring. "I write to urge you and your administration to take immediate steps to ensure that Mr. Maduro's regime is denied the space to obstruct Venezuela's path to democratic order," Menendez wrote. "I believe you can accomplish this with a combination of close monitoring of key international organizations and meaningful, internationally imposed penalties." The Obama administration accused the Venezuelan government of interfering with the newly elected congress after Venezuela's Supreme Court blocked a number of elected officials from taking their seats, McClatchy DC reported. However, the administration hesitated to impose greater penalties proposed by Menendez and Miami Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. "We are concerned by the Venezuelan government's efforts to interfere with the newly elected National Assembly exercising its constitutionally mandated duties," State Department spokesman John Kirby said on Monday, as quoted in McClatchy DC's report. "We continue to call for respect for the will of the people." Venezuela's opposition labeled the high court's decision a "judicial coup" after judges blocked four elected lawmakers from taking their seats on Tuesday. The Supreme Court denied the accusations in a statement, stressing out that the allegations "do not contribute to the environment of tranquility and peace," the news outlet further reported. U.S. Congress officials urged the Obama administration and regional allies to condemn Maduro's government and prevent it from further knocking Venezuela off balance and weakening the National Assembly, McCarthy DC wrote. "Maduro is up to his dirty tricks only to hold on to power, but we must remain vigilant and apply stringent sanctions to anyone in Maduro's regime who commits human rights violations," Ros-Lehtinen said, as quoted by McCarthy DC. The Venezuelan president, however, responded to the U.S.' allegations by saying that his country would "not accept imperialism," Euronews reported. "Why does the State Department and the U.S. government care about the installation of the National Assembly?" Maduro remarked during a television address on Monday evening, as quoted by Euronews. On Sunday, Venezuela's opposition coalition chose Henry Ramos, who is the 72-year-old secretary of the Democratic Action Party, to be the leader of the new National Assembly, the news outlet noted. The new congress will probably begin with conflicts on Tuesday when it formally selects the branch's president. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Cuban dissident Vladimir Morera has ended his hunger strike after almost three months. Morera, who is serving a four-year prison sentence, remains hospitalized and is said to be in a weakened state. In a report with Fox News Latino, the 45-year-old Morera was arrested in April last for placing rebellious paintings on his house's walls in Manicaragua, Villa Clara province. It was the same day that municipal elections were being held nationwide. The so-called rebellious paintings allegedly made it look like as if the municipal elections were nothing more than a sham. The prisoner's son, Vladier Morera, said that when he last visited his father on Sunday at the intensive care unit of Arnaldo Millan Castro University Hospital in Villa Clara, his father appeared "dazed and confused." He added that his father did recognize him, but he did not seem to know why he was lying in the hospital in a weakened state. It was previously reported by local news agency Diario de Cuba that the older Morera coughed up blood around eight times during his transfer from prison to the hospital. At that time, medical staff feared that the prisoner would develop gastrointentestinal bleeding. Morera had grown very weak and only weighed about 45 kilos. The 45-year old was also experiencing vision problems and had initially refused to be set up with an IV. The younger Morera said that the doctors of the hospital said that his father was suffering from memory loss because of malnourishment. He was also suffering the effects of not taking his vitamins, but they assured the younger Morera that his father will be back on his feet little by little. Vladier said that his father has been taking liquid nourishment by hand for the past five days. The older Morera previously served an earlier sentence in 2014. He was one of the 53 political prisoners released by Cuba last year at the request of the United States, after the renewal of the two nation's diplomatic ties was announced. In an earlier report with Reuters, the United States appealed to the Cuban government to release Morera on account of his failing health. The prisoner went on a hunger strike on Oct. 9 to demand his release. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said in an official statement that he was concerned about the 45-year-old's deteriorating physical health. He immediately appealed to Havana to release him from prison. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Samsung Pay is now going to be available in more countries within the year, a new report said. These countries will include Australia, Singapore and Brazil. The South Korean giant hopes to have a leg-up over its direct and equally aggressive rival, Apple Pay. According to a report with Tech Times, the popular mobile payment system will soon be made available across all continents. The announcement came during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Jan. 5. These three countries will be joining the likes of U.K., Spain and China that will soon accept the South Korean tech giant's mobile payment system. It is not known, for now, as to when Samsung Pay will work on the newly added countries, although China will most likely have Samsung Pay by the first quarter of the year. Samsung hopes to slowly but surely go live in the additional countries by this year, in order to meet its goal of getting a leg up on the competition. After expanding in those countries, Samsung hopes to reach out to all parts of the globe. The South Korean tech giant spent a good amount of their time discussing its mobile payments solution, emphasizing its convenience and safety. Samsung Pay was first launched in the United States last year. The mobile payment system made use of Magnetic Secure Transmissions (MST) technology instead of the widely used NFC. While this came as a surprise for many consumers who are used to the NFC, the South Korean tech giant further explained during the conference that Samsung Pay works in five times more places compared to that of the NFC-only terminals. With that being said, Talk Android says that this move to use MST would really put Samsung at the advantage further down the line, allowing them to penetrate into developing economies who would most likely have the older technology. Using Samsung Pay is very straightforward. In order to use it, Samsung users will simply have to swipe on the application and secure it using their fingerprint. They will then hover over the terminal in order to complete the transaction. Samsung Pay, much like Apple Pay, is only limited to a select few Samsung models. The mobile payment system works with most carriers and select cards and banks. Most notably, the Samsung devices that support Samsung Pay are the Samsung Galaxy S6, Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, Samsung Galaxy Active, Samsung Galaxy S6 Plus and Samsung Galaxy Note 5. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A British woman of the Peru Two drug smugglers has acquired a tropical disease while detained in a Peruvian prison. Convicted drug mules Michaella McCollum Connolly from Dungannon, Northern Ireland, along with Melissa Reid of East Dunbartonshire, Scotland, were jailed for six years and eight months in 2013 after they were caught with cocaine worth 1.5million hidden in their luggage at Lima Airport in August, Daily Mail wrote. The two, who were attempting to smuggle the drugs from Peru to Spain, pleaded guilty to drug smuggling, the news outlet noted. In June 2014, Peruvian authorities agreed to allow the 23-year-old women to serve the remaining years of their sentences in the United Kingdom, but the duo still remain imprisoned in Peru, Daily Mail added. They were previously held at Virgen de Fatima prison but were later transferred to the Ancon 2 prison, north of the capital Lima, where conditions are said to be confined, with poor sanitation and toilet facilities. It was in the Ancon 2 prison where McCollum Connolly caught the disease, the news outlet further reported. She is currently undergoing treatment in the prison's hospital wing. "Michaella has been brought to the hospital in the prison. She has a tropical illness but we don't know what it is," an inmate told the Irish Mirror. "We really hope she is ok. This [illness] is pretty regular in here, especially with the foreigners." According to the inmate, McCollum Connolly is popular among the prisoners and has learned to speak Spanish, Daily Mail noted. The Mirror reported that McCollum Connolly and Reid's transfer to a U.K. prison has been delayed due to a string of strikes and court backlog in Peru. With this, the pair could be freed from jail within months without having to be detained in a British prison. If the documents being held by Peruvian authorities would be successful, it would instantly liberate them from what's left of their six-year and seven-month sentence. Legal sources in Lima have described the two women's chances of being freed as "extremely good," The Mirror added. Peru recently allowed overseas prisoners to apply for expulsion to help in alleviating chronic overcrowding. If expulsion is granted for McCollum Connolly and Reid, it would set them free immediately, deported back to the U.K., and banned from traveling to Peru again. As quoted by Daily Mail, a spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said, "We continue to provide consular assistance. For reasons of consular confidentiality we cannot go into further details." The Foreign Office said that over 700 British nationals were arrested for drug-related crimes from 2013 to 2014, the news outlet noted. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The active Fuego volcano, near the south of Guatemala City, erupted on Sunday night in true dramatic fashion, spewing columns of ash around 7 km into the sky. According to a report with The Guardian, officials had asked the local communities to stay vigilant, but were not advised to leave their homes. No evacuations were ordered as a result of Sunday night's volcanic activity. The Guatemalan Volcanological Institute has, however, advised aviation officials to ensure that their flights do not come in contact with the huge ash cloud. Despite the current conditions, none of the county's flights have been canceled. The report says that the institute said that the Fuego volcano had produced sounds that were reminiscent to that of a train locomotive. The institution also said that Fuego, which translates to "Volcano of Fire," also produced strong explosions that rattled the roofs of houses and windows that were over 30 km away. National disaster response spokesman David de Leon said that there were some particles that were reported to have fallen from the sky in at least eight neighboring towns. The eruption has only intensified over the recent days since its initial eruption on Sunday, and has created some striking imagery in the process. The volcano stands about 12,300 feet above sea level, and is located on the south-west of the nation's capital. The volcano was reported to have erupted three times last year. Fuego volcano erupted again in Nov. 10 last year, which also sent ash into the sky and lava running down the slopes. Six villages were reportedly covered in the volcano's ash. Guatemalan authorities were even forced to evacuate a local hotel. Fuego volcano also erupted in February last year, and has caused the government to close an airport. It was during this time that Guatemalan president Otto Perez ordered the evacuation of residents from their homes. This was reportedly the mountain's biggest eruption since 1999. President Perez reported to BBC that black ash covered the sky, and showers of rock and dust fell on to surrounding towns. Tourists and locals had to wear masks for weeks on end following the explosion. The Fuego volcano is one of hundreds of volcanoes that form the Central American Volcanic Arc. Telegraph reports that the explosion on Sunday night caused new lava flows and loud explosions. The news publication said that none of the mainland has been severely affected by the eruption. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. In the northeastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas, police officers were able to rescue 45 migrants from Guatemala and Honduras, just across the Rio Grande from McAllen, Texas, as reported by the Tamaulipas Coordination Group via Fox News Latino. The state police officers responded to a tip from the public and went to a house on the border city of the Puertas del Sol district, where people were being held against their will, said the joint state-federal agency in a statement. The officers found 45 people at the house, 44 of whom are from Guatemala and one from Honduras. All of them are said to be headed for the United States, like tens of thousands of Central Americans who undertake the journey across Mexico each year. It is a dangerous trek involving criminals and corrupt Mexican officials preying on them. No arrests have been made during the operation, however, gangs are known to kidnap, exploit and murder migrants who have been targeted in extortion schemes. The 45 migrants rescues are lucky, found alive and turned over to the National Migrant Institute (INM) for proscessing. Fox News noted that in 2010, a total of 72 migrants from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Brazil and Ecuador were murdered in Tamaulipas, noted as the worst migrant massacre in Mexico's history. Of course, there are also migrants who have been rescued. Prensa Latina noted that in 2015, around 500 migrants have been rescued in Chiapas, a state on the southernmost tip in Mexico. It has also been reported that 42 people who have been involved in human trafficking have been detained. These victims, according to the Office of the Attorney General of the State (PGJE), have been smuggled by means of transport cargo, and in inhumane conditions. The PGJE of Chiapas noted that there were about 105 criminal gangs already dismantled, and 425 people detained in the wake of the creation of the Attorney General's Office Specialized in Crimes Committed against Immigrants. In the past year alone, 20 criminal rings have been dismantled, and 13 people were detained for being gang members, with another 10 detained for extortion. The Los Angeles Times also reported that lately, migrant deaths along the Mexican border have decreased. The US Customs and Border Protection reported that there were 240 migrant deaths at the border in the 2015 fiscal year that ended in September, a significant decrease from the previous year with 380 deaths. The video below is an example of how migrants have been treated in order to cross borders for a better life. With this in mind, do you think the US should tighten or loosen the immigration policies to help people looking for greener pastures? 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Samsung is keeping up in the tablet wars by launching a brand new 12-inch tablet, called the Samsung Galaxy TabPro S. The new tablet, which is geared towards professionals who don't want to bother carrying around a laptop, should offer some strong competition towards the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 and Apple's iPad Pro. According to Tech Times, the Galaxy TabPro S is a high-end tablet that is targeted toward the business sector. It's 12-inch screen is reminiscent of Apple's "laptop killer" iPad Pro. The tablet boasts of a big, bright 12-inch Super AMOLED display. The screen size allows for flawless multi-tasking and multimedia. Samsung is known to be very competitve when it comes to its competition. Microsoft enjoyed massive success on the sales of its Surface Pro series. So far, none of the companies who have offered the Windows convertibles are at par with Microsoft. Could the TabPro S be it? Meanwhile, the iPad Pro is also Apple's latest offering to the business sector, with a massive screen and the most powerful high resolution Retina display of any iOS device and A9X chipset. This time, the South Korean tech giant is jumping into the Windows 10 fray, which means it will provide some serious competition for the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 as well. Engadget reports that the new device not only looks good, but it does offer a lot of promise, as well. The Samsung Galaxy TabPro S is a pretty sight to look at, boasting a sturdy magnesium alloy frame which shows reassuring density. The TabPro S is powered by Intel's 6th generation dual-core Core M chips clocked at 2.2GHz, along with 4GB of RAM. The device comes in either 128GB or 256GB of onboard, solid-state storage. The website also praised the TabPro S's screen, which runs at 2,560x1,440. It also also has the vivid colors that Samsung is known to deliver. The TabPro S also measures at 6.3mm thick, making it thinner than both the Surface Pro 4 and the iPad Pro. The device also comes with a USB Type-C port with a 5,200mAh battery. The hefty device has a 5-megapixel front and rear-facing cameras too, should there be a need for taking photos. When it comes to building quality and style, the Samsung Galaxy TabPro S stands out in a field of Windows convertibles. The TabPro S is slated for a February 2016 launch. There has been no update on pricing as of yet. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. When we see records being broken and unprecedented events such as this, the onus is on those who deny any connection to climate change to prove their case. Global warming has fundamentally altered the background conditions that give rise to all weather. In the strictest sense, all weather is now connected to climate change. Kevin Trenberth HIT THE PAGE DOWN KEY TO SEE THE POSTS Now at 8,800+ articles. HIT THE PAGE DOWN KEY TO SEE THE POSTS Argentine president Mauricio Macri has vowed to shape a new Argentina. The new conservative government led by the former Buenos Aires mayor is pushing for the "return" of the Falklands on the 182nd anniversary of the dispute. According to The Daily Mail, the official statement from the Argentine government came on January 3. This was the anniversary of when Argentina claimed that the British government "invaded' the Falklands in 1833. Macri hopes to resolve the matter "peacefully" with Britain. Diplomatic ties between the two countries have faltered during the rule of Macri's predecessor, Cristina Kirchner. The populist leader placed the Falklands at the heart of her foreign policy. The new government hopes to improve its strained relations with Britain. Susanna Malcorra, Argentina's foreign minister, said that Argentina hopes to renew its commitment to "peacefully settling its differences to international law and multilateralism." Malcorra also said that there was more to the strained relations with Britain than "the Malvinas issue." This is the Argentine name for the Falklands. "Yes we have an area of dissent which are the Malvinas Islands and we must find a way to address and solve the issue, but this does not mean we have to cancel all dialogue with the United Kingdom. We have areas of common interest where to advance," she said in an official statement. A referendum in 2013 said that majority of Falklanders wanted to remain under British control. "The UK has no doubt about its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. We would like a more productive bilateral relationship with Argentina but not at the expense of the Islanders' right to choose their own future," said a Foreign Office spokesman. Britain and Argentina went to war over the islands in 1982. It was reported that 255 Britons and 649 Argentinians died. Express reports that Kirchner's eight-year populist rule of Argentina brought relations with the UK to a 30-year row. Her rule was marked by a series of tensions over the Falklands. This was apparent in Kirchner's attempt to distract voters Argentina's unstable economy. Tensions were high in 2012 when Kirchner attempted to hand over a package of United Nations resolutions to Prime Minister Dave Cameron over the Falklands during a G20 summit. Cameron refused to accept the papers, with Kirchner accused of executing a "media stunt." During her last term, Kirchner introduced a new Argentine banknote with a map of the Falklands. "The statement talks about how our countries should work together to address a range of issues, not just the Falklands Islands but in the broader region. We need to now see what those talks lead to ... where we can develop a constructive relationship," the official statement from Dave Cameron said. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Chagas Disease Detected in Texas; Potential Vaccine Discovered? Coastal Bend health officials have recently retracted their report stating the discovery of a case of Chagas Disease in Texas. According to reports by Kris TV, a blood donation made last October tested positive for the parasite this Monday. By protocol, health officials are required to conduct a second test to confirm the results. However, the doctors had been unable to find the person responsible for making the blood donation, forcing them to retract their initial statement and change the status of the case from "confirmed" to "probable." San Antonio Express News reports state that the number of detections has increased over the years. Screening for Chagas disease has only become mandatory since 2007. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Chagas disease is caused by the Trypanosoma cruzi virus. It can be passed on from animals to humans through contact with infected insects such as the Triatomine, commonly known as the "Kissing Bug." In most cases, patients who have been bitten by an infected bug will exhibit symptoms similar to flu. The only time it becomes fatal, Kris TV says, is if the infection spreads to the heart, lungs or enters the stomach area. Other possible causes for infection include blood transfusions, organ transplants or consuming food and drinks contaminated by the virus. The US CDC says the virus can also be passed from an infected mother to child. Triatomine bugs are common in rural areas. However, in a report by Express News, University of Texas Health Science Center assistant professor Paula Stigler-Granados says infections are not limited to Third World tropical countries. San Patricio County's health director Dr. James Mobley says the disease, once only common in Central America and Mexico, is now moving northwards to the Coastal Bend area. In a statement to Kris TV, he reassures the public that the disease is not contagious. "You can sit right next to somebody for a year, you're not going to catch it from them," Mobley tells the Corpus Cristi-based publication. Belmarra Health says there is currently no cure for the disease although medications are available to manage the symptoms caused by the virus. In the United States, patients can only get the medications through the CDC. According to Express News reports, there are two drugs commonly used in killing the parasite and managing the symptoms: nifurtimox and benznidazole, both of which are not FDA-approved. A recent news article by the San Franciso Business Times indicates that KaloBios Pharmaceuticals was attempting to get Martin Shkreli to fund the benznidazole program. The CEO was arrested before the transaction was closed. In 2015, researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center and Baylor College of Medicine's National School of Tropical Medicine have published a paper revealing how the disease enters the immune system. According to the Balmarra health publication, the doctors aim to create the first vaccine with the information derived from this study. Subscribe to the latinos health newsletter! AH1N1 Virus in Panama: Cuban Migrant Dies, Alarms Panama Authorities Tags AH1N1, Panama, Cuba A 53-year-old Cuban man admitted in a hospital near the border of Costa Rica died on Sunday due to severe respiratory problems. Authorities in Panama believe that the elderly man's death is linked to the AH1N1 virus. Yahoo reports indicate that the man's death has alarmed authorities in the area. Since Dec. 19, approximately 1,000 migrants have been stranded near the border. Doctors are closely monitoring the conditions of two other patients who have been admitted to the same hospital with similar symptoms. Reports indicate that the Cuban migrants are faring better. Approximately 8,000 other Cuban migrants are inside Costa Rica and unable to pass through Nicaragua. Costa Rican Times says hospitals are being prepared to handle a possible influx of influenza cases. In Guyana, a report published by the Latin American Herald Tribune reveals that the local health ministry is also monitoring the condition of a patient confirmed with the H1N1 virus. A statement made by the health ministry states that the patient recently travelled from China to the US and Trinidad and Tobago and will be put under supervision for a total of 21 days. According to World Health Organization, the influenza A (H1N1) strain first emerged in 2009. Sometimes referred to as the swine flu, the strain also affects pigs. Contrary to popular belief, a person cannot catch the flu by eating pig products says Web MD. People catch it through contact with an infected person. Similar to other seasonal strains of the flu, the severity can vary from asymptomatic to fatal. According to the Daily Sabah, elderly people over the age of 65, individuals with chronic diseases of weak immune systems are more susceptible to infection. The disease is also lethal to infants and pregnant women, the Sabah publication adds. As an airborne virus, the World Health Organization advises people to avoid crowded places and coming into contact with people suffering from a cold, the cough, flu or other respiratory infections. Flu Gov reassures the public that this influenza strain is not as dangerous as it was back in 2009. There are flu vaccines designed to reduce the chances of acquiring the virus. Kristin Davis, a physician's assistant from the Muskingum Valley Health Centers says this year's vaccine is designed treatment for three different strains under Influenza A and B. This includes the H1N1, Whiz News reports. The effectiveness of the vaccine can still vary depending on the population but it can reduce the severity of the flu symptoms by half, Davis tells the Ohio-based publication. Subscribe to the latinos health newsletter! Experts: Gun Control is a Public Health Issue media@latinoshealth.com By Staff Reporter Jan 06, 2016 06:00 AM EST "The President and Vice President are committed to using every tool at the administration's disposal to reduce gun violence," the White House assured the Americans on Monday, Jan. 4, 2016, via a press release from the Office of the Press Secretary. And, to underpin this claim, the administration has just announced a series of what it referred to as "common sense executive actions," while Pres. Barrack Obama addressed the nation regarding the matter via a live address from the East Room of the White House Tuesday, according to NPR.org. "We are the only advanced country on Earth that sees this kind of mass violence erupt with this kind of frequency," said Obama who even grew emotional at one point during the speech. "It doesn't happen in other advanced countries. It's not even close." The president stood before the crowd surrounded by victims of recent mass shootings. Many public health experts and scientists lauded the president for his strong conviction on the matter. They believe that firearm safety and gun control is, definitely, a public health issue. They are one with the administration in urging the Congress for gun-law reform, the NBC News reported. "Our nation's epidemic of gun violence exacts far too high a toll on the health of our communities," said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. "The actions the president is announcing today are important steps to help keep guns out of the hands of those who shouldn't have them. These are steps he is able to take using existing law to strengthen gun safety protections, and we applaud them." According to the White House, there have been more than 100,000 people who lost their lives in America because of gun violence in the past 10 years. These include those who took their own lives using a gun, police officers who were shot while doing their duties and children who died because of firearms-related accidents. Obama and his administration also picked on the Congress and its failure to pass significant laws that would help in reducing gun violence. The president said that the Congress made it tough for health experts and researchers to track and research gun violence in America. "The gun lobby may be holding Congress hostage right now. But they cannot hold America hostage. We do not have to accept this carnage as the price of freedom" he said before receiving a standing ovation from the audience. Subscribe to the latinos health newsletter! E-cigarette use Increased Among Teens due to Promotional Ads: CDC media@latinoshealth.com By Staff Reporter Jan 06, 2016 06:37 AM EST While the government has imposed a restriction against TV commercials and some other types of marketing for regular cigarettes, there are no such policies that have been drafted and implemented when it comes to advertisements for e-cigarettes as of yet. This has lead to an increase in the number of children exposed to e-cigarette ads. And, this could be the reason why the use of e-cigarettes has also surged among young individuals since 2011. As part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the health officials conducted a study on the exposure of middle school and high school students to electronic cigarette advertising in the United States for the year 2014. They found out that about 7 in 10 middle and high school students are exposed to e-cigarette ads via in stores, online, in newspapers or magazines, on TV, or at the movies. The CDC conducted the National Youth Tobacco Survey, which is a school-based survey of middle school and high school students in grades 6-12 involving 22,000 students. The survey showed that 66 percent of middle school students and 71 percent of high school students have seen at least one e-cigarette advertisement in 2014. This translates to about 18.3 million students in the U.S. who viewed promotional materials for e-cigarettes, according to the Los Angeles Times. "The same advertising tactics the tobacco industry used years ago to get kids addicted to nicotine are now being used to entice a new generation of young people to use e-cigarettes," Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the CDC, said in a statement. Some of the advocates who are campaigning against smoking among the youth are pushing for the government to take action immediately. ''It's time for the White House to issue a strong final rule and end this unregulated experiment that threatens our kids,'' Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said in a statement, according to a Boston Globe article. On the other hand, people from the e-cigarette industry are, naturally, unhappy with the stand of CDC on the matter and have criticized the survey. ''The CDC continues to mislead the public about the benefits of vapor products as far less harmful alternatives to smoking,'' Cynthia Cabrera, executive director for the Smoke-Free Alternatives Trade Association, said in a statement. ''The CDC also fails to mention that teens are exposed to many other adult issues on the Internet, TV and movies, such as violence, sex, and alcohol.'' Having said that, Cabrera mentioned that the group is supporting age restrictions when it comes to the sales of e-cigarettes. Subscribe to the latinos health newsletter! The year kicks off with the biggest tech event in the industry, the annual Consumer Electronics Show, giving us a bird's eye view of what to expect for the year or the near future, where gadgets and gizmos are concerned. For the 2016 exhibition, at least 3,200 vendors will be showing off their wares and giving us more things to drool over. Despite the sheer number of exhibitors and products, it's expected that a good number of these have common denominators. According to The Verge, just the first day of the week-long event yielded trends that may set the tone for the rest of the year. Drones The tech news source said that at the CES Unveiled event, which is more intimate and eclectic, Parrot and DJI showcased their new drones. The former introduced a new model capable of autonomous operation - meaning it can set flight, steer, and land on its own - although this isn't exactly a new development as this was featured in last year's CES. ProDrone also showed a new feature for its Byrd line of drones that "allows you to mount a number of popular consumer cameras and remotely control them after you take flight." Then there's the luxury car that comes with its own drone and launch pad, as noted by Digital Trends. Looks like quadcopters will be more ubiquitous than ever. Virtual Reality "The debut of Oculus Rift is imminent (and the latest version will be at CES), services (including Facebook) are already supporting 360-degree video and simpler viewers like Google Cardboard have whetted the appetite for immersive experiences," Mashable declared. "Though Oculus is the gorilla in the room, and Cardboard is the "democratic" version of VR, there's still space for in the midrange for headset makers (especially since Samsung's Gear VR doesn't leave much for non-Samsung owners)," it added. Cars Pundits have noted a striving to produce a self-driving car among the big players in the tech and automobile industry in the last few years. As such, it's expected that there'll be prototypes or conceptual models of this kind of ride appearing in CES 2016. 3D Printers There have been some developments in 3D printing in the last few years, but still not enough to push this technology into the mainstream market. This means companies have a rich field of opportunities to exploit, especially with the emergence of the smart home. Smart Home More devices apt for a smart home will be popping up at this year's CES. On the first day alone, Unveiled hosted the introduction of a batch of smart home products compatible with Apple's HomeKit, The Verge noted. "FirstAlert was showing an environmental sensor, a thermostat, and a prototype home camera; Kwikset had a new door lock; and Hunter was showing a connected ceiling fan," the site reported. WATCH: 2015 Latinos Post. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. After two weeks of silence, Steve Harvey finally speaks up about his Miss Universe blunder and reveals that Miss Colombia has not responded to him after making an effort to reach out. In an article by US Magazine, the comedian host finally addressed the Miss Universe gaffe that happened last year. To recall, Harvey was picked to host the 2015 Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas. Unfortunately for him, what was expected to be a night of celebration was surrounded by controversies when he mistakenly announced Miss Colombia as the winner when in fact it's supposed to be Miss Philippines Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach. In his Steve Harvey Morning Show, the comedian revealed what really happened on stage and even backstage when he got confused about announcing Ariadna Gutierrez as the winner. Another report from MSN revealed that the comedian got confused about what was written on the card and what was indicated in the teleprompter. So when he announced Colombia as the winner and he walked to the side, people started to react and say that he made a mistake. "The difference being: On the card, it said first runner-up. Now, what happened, how it got like that, how it was done, how it was worked on, that's neither here nor there. I said the name that was on the card. When I walked off, everything was cool ... and then, after that, all hell broke loose," Harvey said. Realizing that he made a terrible mistake, the host returned back on stage and apologized to everyone. He then revealed that the rightful winner is Miss Philippines and owned up to his mistake. Right after the pageant, Harvey reached out to Miss Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach who was gracious enough to accept his apology. The host said that he did try to reach out to Miss Colombia but he was not able to get any response back. "When I did it, it was horrible for Miss Colombia. And she's the only one I haven't had a chance to talk to," he said. "But I haven't been able to reach out and talk to Miss Colombia. Now, have I tried? Yes. But haven't gotten a response." Gutierrez might not be ready to make peace since she said in an interview how much it affected her and how her dreams were "destroyed." "In four minutes they destroy your dreams. They throw it in a bag, and they throw it in the trash," the beauty queen said. 2015 Latinos Post. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Noider Almanza Barraza, the Colombian who burned the effigies of Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach and Steve Harvey on New Year's day, issued an apology via his Facebook account. The man apologized on Jan. 3 and said that he is also saddened by the reaction to what he did as he welcomed 2016. Barraza earned the ire of many people after he posted a video of burning the effigy of Wurtzbach, Philstar reported. The video quickly became viral and was viewed by numerous Filipinos. Seeing the clip, some commented that the act was so distasteful if it was meant to mock the winning of Miss Philippines in the previous Miss Universe pageant. Furthermore, some Filipinos also used social media to say that Colombians are bitter and told them to move on already. The comments stemmed from the fact that the Miss Universe host Steve Harvey announced the wrong winner of the pageant and momentarily put the crown on Miss Colombia's head. The host admitted his mistake and announced that the real winner was Miss Philippines, forcing Ariadna Gutierrez to hand over her crown and give it to Wurtzbach. The situation, although not Miss Philippines' fault at all, upset many Latinos and they started to bash Pia. Even the other Latin contestants from the pageant were caught on camera displaying their disapproval of turning over the Miss Universe title from Miss Colombia to Miss Philippines. The controversy during the pageant was the main reason Filipinos were reacting negatively to the burning of Pia's effigy. Besides, for the locals, burning any image of someone means hate. Then again, it was learned that for most Latin countries, setting effigies of controversial people on fire is a New Year tradition. They said that it is to push away the bad things that happened in the previous year. The tradition which is called "ano viejo" is supposed to ward off bad luck for the new year. At any rate, according to Inquirer.net, after learning he offended the Filipinos, Barraza posted a message to apologize. In Spanish he wrote on Facebook: "I posted a video on my social media which shows some dolls on New Year's Eve. In my country, it is a tradition to burn dolls of people who caused controversies in the year 2015. It is to leave behind what happened in 2015." He further said, "The burning of dolls is how we begin the new year and it was not meant to hurt or offend the people of Philippines. This is why I feel very sad that this video caused a controversy. But I wasn't the only one to burn this kind of dolls. I am sorry." Meanhwhile, Barraza's controversial video and photos are no longer available since he already deleted them. On his other social media accounts, all of them have been set to private as well. Former New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly insisted that emails stored on his work computer were unintentionally deleted when he left his office in 2013. Kelly has been accused of deleting the emails in order to cover up a quota system within the NYPD, reports NY1. While addressing reporters on Friday, Kelly denied any knowledge that his emails were deleted. He was legally ordered to preserve the messages since they could have been relevant to a class action lawsuit alleging that the NYPD enforced a summons quota system beginning in 2007. The 2010 suit alleges that NYPD officers issued summonses without probable cause under pressure to meet quotas. The NYPD, however, has denied that such a policy was in place. City attorneys recently discovered that "a majority" of emails stored on Kelly's desktop computer at NYPD headquarters were gone, according to the New York Daily News. In response, Kelly publicly denied deleting emails relevant to the case. "I had no role whatsoever in how any NYPD personnel handled my email, its retention or deletion, while I was in the department or subsequent to my departure," Kelly said. "I can unequivocally state that I have never deleted nor ordered anyone to delete any emails relevant to this litigation. Further, I am not aware of any such deletions." Kelly also argued that he rarely used email to run the NYPD. Instead, the city said in court filings that much of his correspondence was done through other sources. "As anyone who worked with me in the NYPD can attest, and have already attested in this matter, I did not manage the department by email," he said. The city claimed the emails went missing after NYPD staff replaced Kelly's desktop computer when he left the department. Plaintiffs' lawyers, however, argue that the loss of the emails reflects a pattern of evidence destruction and obfuscation by the city. "The city and Ray Kelly have a pattern of changing their story with regard to why they have not produced a single email from Ray Kelly's files," said Elinor Sutton, an attorney in the suit alleging the NYPD issued some 850,000 bogus summons because of the quota system, reports The Wall Street Journal. "The lawyers for the city of New York, NYPD and Ray Kelly as a named defendant have a legal obligation to ensure they have a detailed understanding of how relevant evidence is preserved to ensure it is not destroyed," Sutton added. Manhattan Federal Court Judge Robert Sweet will decide whether to impose sanctions against the city for allegedly destroying evidence possibly relevant to the case. His Senate colleague Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has called Ted Cruz "an opportunist" who talks "garbage," and the Texas senator and Tea Party favorite seems to have had a hard time making friends in Congress from the very beginning. But Cruz is now actually trying to use his "irascible persona," as the Associated Press put it, to his advantage in the 2016 race for the Republican White House nomination. "If you want someone to grab a beer with (as president), I may not be that guy," Cruz admitted at a GOP debate last fall when the moderator asked him to describe his biggest weakness. "But if you want someone to drive you home, I will get the job done, and I will get you home." The fact that Cruz has made few friendships on Capitol Hill, meanwhile, helped the Texas senator underline his "outsider" status and, in turn, his conservative anti-Washington credentials. A group supporting his White House bid went so far as to send out a fundraising email last month that included "Washington hates Ted Cruz" as its subject line, the AP detailed. Daniel Daehlin, a 51-year-old Cruz backer from Richfield, Minnesota, told the newswire that the presidential hopeful's personality only makes him back the Texan with greater conviction. "It makes me like him all the more; I've always liked people who were on the outside. Ronald Reagan never got along with the establishment." Daehlin explained in reference to one of Cruz's heros. "They hated him in 1976 and '80. I like 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' - someone who goes there, speaks his mind and doesn't try to cater to the inside-the-Beltway crowd." Cruz himself, meanwhile, has "methodically calibrated" his renegade status to impress Republicans fed up with the Washington establishment, the Houston Chronicle reported. But while his rhetoric champions that outsider character, the senator's campaign has shown the discipline of someone who knows his way around the nation's capital. And many of his closest allies expect him to be first in line if and when current GOP front-runner Donald Trump's campaign crumbles. "Trump has made me very optimistic about 2016," former Cruz speechwriter Amanda Carpenter told in the Conservative Review. "He's sent the GOP establishment into such conniptions that they've been forced to consider supporting Ted Cruz." Venezuela installed its latest democratically elected legislators into its National Assembly on Tuesday, but U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez still has concerns about Venezuela's leadership. While the U.S. State Department congratulated Venezuela on swearing-in 163 new lawmakers, Menendez wrote a letter to President Barack Obama on steps the U.S. should take to ensure an orderly transition in the Latin American country ruled by Nicolas Maduro. While Maduro's political party no longer holds the majority in the National Assembly, subsequent actions by his government to affect election results are "deeply troubling" for the New Jersey senator. "I write to urge you and your administration to take immediate steps to ensure that Mr. Maduro's regime is denied the space to obstruct Venezuela's path to democratic order," wrote Menendez, senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to Obama. "I believe you can accomplish this with a combination of close monitoring by key international organizations and meaningful, internationally-imposed penalties. This effort will, however, take American leadership, for which there is no substitute." Menendez acknowledged Venezuela's highest court, comprising of Maduro loyalists, seek to overturn election results that may affect the opposition party's supermajority in the National Assembly. The Latino senator also noted that Maduro appointed an "unelected parallel" of the National Assembly, which has also been meeting in the same National Assembly building. Menendez wrote of his disappointment that the U.S. State Department has yet to prioritize Maduro as a national security threat and not utilized legislation, namely the "Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act" (S. 2142), to sanction Maduro's government and officials. Menendez said the U.S. has to urge international organizations, such as the Organization of American States, to monitor the National Assembly's transition. The U.S., however, must lead the international community that Maduro faces "meaningful and material consequences" if there's failure to comply with election results, according to Menendez. "Mr. Maduro's party has lost its mandate and its legitimacy. The United States should state that publicly, unequivocally, and unapologetically," said Menendez. Referring to Venezuela as a "failed state in the waiting," Menendez said the international community has for "too long" avoided events in Venezuela that could spark widespread civil unrest. "It's only American leadership that will spark the meaningful international reaction that could reverse Venezuela's profound political, economic, and social problems. Let's demonstrate our support for a peaceful democratic transition before it's too late," Menendez concluded in his letter to Obama. The State Department viewed Tuesday's newest National Assembly as an important step for Venezuelans, but did acknowledge concerns regarding disputes of some elected representatives. "The National Assembly can serve an important function in advancing and promoting a national dialogue focused on addressing the social and economic challenges facing the Venezuelan people," said John Kirby, spokesperson for the State Department's Bureau of Public Affairs, later adding, "We remain concerned by the controversy surrounding the seating of some elected representatives and call for a resolution of this dispute in manner that is transparent and reflects the preferences of the Venezuelan voters." The State Department also called on Venezuela to release its political prisoners. __ For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Politics Editor Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com. The British Parliament is set to debate a petition to ban Donald Trump from entering the U.K., after the candidate's divisive rhetoric during the American presidential campaign caused a stir overseas. Since Dec. 8, 2015, more than half a million people have signed a petition to ban the 2016 Republican presidential candidate from traveling to the United Kingdom. According to 568,855 people, Trump should not be allowed to visit the U.K. due to his call to temporarily block Muslim migrants from entering the U.S. in the wake of recent Islamic extremist terror attacks in California and Paris. "The U.K. has banned entry to many individuals for hate speech. The same principles should apply to everyone who wishes to enter the U.K.," reads the online petition. Because the petition has received well over the 100,000 threshold required for a measure to be considered for debate, a House of Commons committee in London announced on Tuesday that the issue will be taken up in Parliament, reports CNN. The debate is scheduled to be held on Jan. 18 in Westminster Hall, and any member of Parliament member will be able to participate. Following Trump's proposal to halt the immigration of Muslims into America, Prime Minister David Cameron called the billionaire businessman "stupid" and "three times a loser." However, the prime minister said he does not want to ban the former reality TV star from traveling to the country. "I think if he came to visit our country he'd unite us all against him," Cameron said in December, according to BuzzFeed. Committee member Steve Double also said more than 40,000 people signed a separate petition declaring that the New York real estate mogul should be allowed to visit the country. "We had two petitions, one which said ban Trump from the country and another which said let him in," Double said. "It's a very interesting point: How do we, as an open democracy, deal with people who say things we perhaps don't agree with? My personal view is that we shouldn't ban people like Donald Trump, but we should have the confidence to stand up for what we believe in, have an open debate and defeat the views in open debate." Texas teenager Ethan Couch and his mother Tonya Couch, who were arrested last week in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, are both facing extradition to the U.S. after Ethan allegedly killed four people in a wreck in Texas back in 2013. 18-year-old Ethan is facing a case after being speculated to have violated his parole while 48-year-old Tonya has recently waived her right to fight extradition to Texas during a Tuesday court hearing, Reuters reports. The latest developments in their cases show that both are gearing up as they face Ethan's deadly drunk-driving case to court. Fox News Latino revealed that Ethan already hired high-profile lawyer Fernando Benitez, who was known for taking the case of former U.S. Marine Andrew Tahmooressi back in 2014 in an unintentional entrance in Mexico while carrying three registered firearms. The case was favorable to Benitez's client as he was released after seven months. Benitez's recent client Ethan, who is still on the run, is believed to have fled to Mexico with his mother Tonya, and the famed lawyer had only this to say on his recent Twitter post, writing, "No further statement nor comment regarding my client's immigration case in Mexico will be issued; no interviews either." No further statement nor comment regarding my client's immigration case in Mexico will be issued; no interviews either. #EthanCouch Fernando Benitez (@RF_Benitez) January 4, 2016 Meanwhile, Benitez previously questioned the process of how Mexican officials used a deportation proceeding instead of extradition, which he believes to be more suitable in this case, the publication reports. "They wanted to use a 'fast-track' process," Benitez said told BBC. "They said this guy didn't stamp his passport on the point of entry so we are going to kick him out." Benitez further explained and urged that extradition was the right choice for the mother-son case. "In a sense, what is happening is that they are using deportation in lieu of extradition. I'll bet you a million dollars that 99.9 percent of the tourists in Puerto Vallarta as we speak did not stamp their passport -- are you going to deport all of them, too?" Meanwhile, on Tonya's charge of hindering apprehension, she was previously flown to Los Angeles from Mexico last week and, if convicted, could face two to 10 years in prison, per Reuters. The case became the center of attention in recent months after a psychologist testified for Ethan, diagnosing him of having Affluenza, a condition where kids, usually from rich families, are too spoiled and do not have an understanding between right and wrong. Ethan's camp hopes that the affluenza will help their case, however, the American Psychiatric Association has never recognized it as a mental or medical condition. The latest statistical report released by advocacy group Front Line Defenders revealed the appalling reality that human rights defenders all over the world are at great risk to be victims of extreme forms of violence. And based on the organization's annual report, 157 human rights activists were killed or died in detention in 25 countries in 2015. The figures tallied by Front Line Defenders during the first 11 months of 2015 showed that more than 50 percent of the killings (approximately 88 deaths) took place in Latin America. According to Irish Times, Colombia alone was already responsible for 54 deaths out of the 88 recorded. While outside the Americas, the organization named the Philippines as the most dangerous place for human rights activists, accounting for 31 targeted killings. The statistical record also revealed that 45 percent of the killings were associated in defending environmental, land and indigenous people's rights. While other groups such as those fighting for corruption, journalists and those who used the media to denounce abuses were also targeted. The report also showed that human rights killings were more frequent and widely dispersed globally in 2015 compared to the previous year. With the alarming record, Front Line Defenders' Executive Director Mary Lawlor acknowledged that the global environment for human rights activists and defenders was increasingly restrictive but international reaction remained weak. Lawlor also added that the most disturbing issue was still "extreme violence." She also accused sections of the international community of paying lip service to the problem, saying words must be supported with practical solutions. Lawlor also emphasized that Ireland must adopt an "automatic policy" of publicly condemning such killings. "The Irish Government, other EU member states and those countries who believe in democracy, the rule of law and human rights must adopt an automatic policy of publicly condemning the killings of human rights defenders," Lawlor said. "The EU is quite happy to raise the situation in Burundi or Belarus, but when it comes to Ethiopia, China, Mexico, or Azerbaijan, it's a different story," Lawlor added, as per Irish Independent. "Ireland and the EU must be as strong, speaking up for human rights defenders in countries where they have political and strategic interests as they are when it comes to the usual suspects." Meanwhile, the report has also discovered that arbitrary detention and judicial harassment were by far the most common tactic used to suppress human rights activists in Africa. With new laws and "greater government interference," human rights workers were given less space to work in Angola, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda. In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the organization cited problems facings NGOs as a result of increased state control of mainstream media and crackdowns on individual organizations. Legal restrictions and "smear campaigns" were also reported in both regions. However, significant numbers of activists in Latin America were linked to opposition to so-called "mega projects," which are mostly run by mining companies. LGBT rights defenders were also accounted for 15 percent of the killings recorded in the region. In Asia, on the other hand, human rights activists continued to work in a hostile environment, reporting instances of surveillance, intimidation, arbitrary detention and torture. Judicial harassment have intensified in Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, China, India, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. Whereas physical assaults by authorities were rampant in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Maldives, Nepal and Vietnam. An artificial pancreas is currently in development, set for two stages of testing before getting approval for public use. If eventually approved, this technological advancement could mean those with Type 1 diabetes no longer need to be subjected to needles every day. According to a report from IBTimes UK, the device in the works acts as an artificial pancreas by self-regulating the hormone insulin in the body of diabetics. Boris Kovatchev, who leads the research of the artificial pancreas in the University of Virginia, explained the necessity of the trials as well as the nature of the device the team is currently developing. "To be ultimately successful as an optimal treatment for diabetes, the artificial pancreas needs to prove its safety and efficacy in long-term pivotal trials in the patient's natural environment," Kovatchev said. "The artificial pancreas is not a single-function device; it is an adaptable, wearable network surrounding the patient in a digital treatment ecosystem." Algorithms found in smartphones also power this new device and it's even wirelessly connected to a blood-sugar monitor and insulin pump. It's bound to take a while before the work in progress gets approved for use by the US Food and Drug Administration. The process includes two long-term clinical trials, which will take place in nine different locations. The first test is dubbed the International Diabetes Closed-Loop trial. It will test the safety of the device and compare it to an insulin pump in 240 patients by monitoring blood sugar levels and hypoglycaemia risks for six months. Next up is the second test, which simply follows 180 patients from the first stage for another six months. It will check if blood sugar levels increase with an equation developed by Harvard University, who is working with the University of Virginia on the artificial pancreas. According to a report from US News, co-principal investigator Francis Doyle III elaborated on the team's goals in an official statement saying, "The idea is that this can lead to an improved quality of life for individuals with this disease -- not a solution to diabetes, but a means to really extend the quality of their healthful living." Doyle added, "The biggest challenge in the design of the artificial pancreas is the inherent uncertainty in the human body. Day to day, hour to hour, the various stresses that impact the human body change the way it responds to insulin-controlling glucose. Physical stresses, anxiety, hormonal swings will all change that balance. To be able to control for those factors, we need to see longer intervals of data." The periodic table has finally completed its seventh row, thanks to the scientists in Japan, Russia and the United States for discovering four super-heavy chemical elements: 113, 115, 117 and 118. The new additions are the first since the introduction of elements 114 and 116 to the periodic table in 2011. The latest additions were formally verified by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on Dec. 30, 2015. According to The Economic Times, IUPAC, an organization responsible with selecting the man-made elements seeking a permanent spot on the iconic chart that Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev produced in 1869, announced that a team of Japanese, Russian and American researchers had provided sufficient evidence on their discovery of elements 113, 115, 117 and 118. "The chemistry community is eager to see its most cherished table finally being completed down to the seventh row," IUPAC's Inorganic Chemistry Division President Jan Reedijk said. "IUPAC has now initiated the process of formalizing names and symbols for these elements." Meanwhile, the new elements are considered as super-heavy elements due to large size of the nuclei of their atoms. To date, element 118 is the heaviest element with 118 protons alongside 176 neutrons. But elements of its size are not routinely found in nature and production in specialized laboratories can take years, Los Angeles Times noted. Super-heavy elements are also highly unstable, existing for just a fraction of a second before they start to decay. "Probably the only other place where they might exist in a short period of time could be a supernova, where you have so much energy and so many particles that are really heavily concentrated," Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's Heavy Element Group Principal Investigator Dawn Shaughnessy said. Shaughnessy also had a hand in three of the discoveries. The newly discovered elements 115, 117 and 118 were created at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia. Lawrence Livermore scientists and researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas worked on all three discoveries. While a consortium of Asian scientists at RIKEN Institute spearheaded by Kosuke Morita discovered element 113. The teams have also been requested to come up with permanent names and chemical symbols for the now-confirmed elements. The proposed names and symbols will be checked by the Inorganic Chemistry Division of IUPAC for consistency, translatability into other languages and possible prior historic use for other cases. Until now, the newly-discovered synthetic elements have been known by the generic Latin names ununtrium (Uut or element 113, ununpentium (Uup or element 115), ununseptium (Uus or element 117) and ununoctium (Uuo or element 118). But The Guardian has learned that the new elements can be named after a mythological concept, a mineral, a place or country, a property or a scientist. Just after being seated as the newest legislative leader in Venezuela, Henry Ramos Allup already promises that drastic changes will occur in the country as it has been well-known that Ramos Allup belongs to the opposition group against President Nicolas Maduro. According to Fox News Latino, for 17 years, since the late Hugo Chavez initiated his socialist revolution, a new political era seemed to have taken place in the legislature where Ramos Allup is now the leader of 112 lawmakers. Even when he underwent the honorable oath taking ceremony, there were already drastic changes in the system, including the media that were granted access to the legislature and state TV broadcast interviews with the opposition's political leaders for the first time after so many years. The portraits of Chavez and independence hero Simon Bolivar were also taken down on Tuesday. "Here and now, things will change," Ramos Allup said as quoted by AFP. "Change is not dependent on any time-frame. We are looking at a change in outlook, a change in the system, at changing what is bad, very bad -- and soon will get worse," he added. Meanwhile, the head of the opposition group in congress, Julio Borges, said that they would find "a method, a system to change the government through constitutional means." Furthermore, looking ahead, Ramos Allup faces the challenge of three seats being contested by the Supreme Court, to which he said as quoted by Fox News Latino, "Of course [we will proceed to swear in the three congressmen-elect being contested.] The Armed Forces have to provide us with security and they have told us that they will do so." The newly seated leader is also speculated to be promoting laws that may be able to free activists who were jailed during anti-government unrest in 2014. The wife of jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez was also seen holding up a sign saying "Amnesty Now," which is believed to be one of the first order of business lined up for legislation. However, lawmakers who are Maduro loyalists already showed their opposition to the new leader by staging a walkout during the opening ceremony as reports claim that there will be a proposal for amnesty. "The assembly can approve whatever laws it likes, but the president is the one who endorses them," Diosdado Cabello, the assembly's outgoing speaker said as quoted by AFP. "If there is any disagreement, the president can veto a law or refer to the Supreme Court." The major U.S. airlines seem to be leading the way as prices increase in airfare throughout the country. The industry-wide hike comes as the U.S. Justice Department is investigating the possibility of the carriers conspiring to keep the costs of air travel high. According to a report from CNBC, three of the country's biggest airlines have already increased the fares. Delta Air Lines hiked their prices by up to $4 one-way and Southwest Airlines followed after with $3 one-way increase, FareCompare revealed on Tuesday. American Airlines matched their rivals with $3 hike one-way for all domestic flights, the report from CNBC said. JetBlue and Virgin America are also confirmed to be part of the industry-wide increase. The last large-scale price hike in the industry was reportedly last June. It's not uncommon to see airlines adjusting prices throughout the year, but it is reportedly unusual to see increases for all domestic travel and an industry-wide match. The U.S. Justice Department is currently undergoing an investigation on the matter, seeing if the airlines worked together with "plans to limit flights". JPMorgan analyst Jamie Baker spoke out on the price hikes in a research note recently. "We are confident in full industry-matching over the next several hours," Baker said. "Just as Southwest often plays the spoiler role, competitors consistently follow Southwest's lead." Meanwhile, Southwest released an official statement addressing the "modest" hike, according to a report from ABC News. "Southwest Airlines implemented a modest increase of $3 each way Monday night in markets across our system. Southwest Airlines is the nation's low fare leader and has been for nearly 45 years," the statement said. "In addition to our everyday low fares, we don't nickel-and-dime our customers with hidden fees: we never charge change fees, and Southwest is the only domestic airline that allows every customer to check two bags free of charge (weight and size limitations apply)." Although the price hike is grabbing headlines as it is likely permanent, the post-holiday season is bringing with it a surge of good deals and cheap flight opportunities. A report from TIME listed the different sale options from airlines across the board. JetBlue's Big Winter Sale is a good chance for travelers to grab seats this lean travel season as they can book for cheap fares until Jan. 6. Travel period extends from January to April, on limited days. Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Southwest Airlines also offer a slew of great flights on sale for the first stretch of 2016. Controversial drugmaker Valeant Pharmaceuticals is reportedly in the process of hiring a new CEO after the hospitalization of its current chairman, Michael Pearson, due to a severe case of pneumonia. Based on the reports, current CFO Robert Rosiello and former CFO Howard Schiller both have the potential to take the CEO spot for an indefinite period. During the last quarter of 2015, Valeant's stocks began to collapse due to the federal investigations into the company's pricing practices as well as the allegations of accounting irregularities from a short seller. With the revelation of the company's clandestine relationship with Philidor, a pharmacy that is also now under investigation for questionable practices with insurance claims, only made matters worse. Pearson's leave of absence, however, is the latest challenge that the Canadian drug manufacturer is facing, following their 60 percent sales decline since last August. According to Business Insider, Pearson, who initiated the company's strategy of expanding its product line through aggressive acquisitions instead of spending money on R&D, has been sick for weeks. And it was already known that he would not be presenting at the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco next week, as said by a Valeant spokesperson. Due to Pearson's hospitalization, which was disclosed on Dec. 25, Valeant will appoint an interim chief executive officer to take over his responsibilities in the company. According to an insider familiar with the matter, it remains uncertain if the replacement would be temporary or permanent. Unfortunately, the reports regarding Valeant's leadership change, which came after the drugmaker's announcement last week that a group of company executives would take over for Pearson until he returned, have sent the company's stocks to drop seven percent on Tuesday, Reuters noted. Michael Pearson joined Valeant as CEO in 2010 following a 23-year career at consultancy McKinsey & Co. Under his leadership, he made immediate acquisitions, which greatly increased Valeant's size and share price. The company also boosted credibility with wary investors last month by collaborating with leading pharmacy chain Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. to distribute its drugs. In line with Valeant's pursuit for a new CEO, potential candidates include Chief Financial Officer Robert Rosiello and Howard Schiller. Rosiello is one of the three members of the committee that Valeant created last week to temporarily replace Pearson. He was joined by General Counsel Robert Chai-Onn and Group Chairman Ari Kellen. Schiller, on the other hand, is a Valeant director who resigned as chief financial officer last year, Wall Street Journal has learned. Meanwhile, Valeant Pharmaceuticals has declined to comment about its plans to appoint a new CEO. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is seeking the help of the public in completing the timeline gap of the San Bernardino attack that killed 14 people last Dec. 2, 2015. Agents are trying to find the unknown whereabouts of the shooters for 18 minutes, just a couple hours after the incident. A lot of information has been gathered in the last five weeks since the massacre, but investigators still need more details about the gap between 12:59 p.m. and 1:17 p.m. Los Angeles FBI Chief David Bowdich told the media on Tuesday that they are hoping to find out if the suspects made contact with anyone or stopped somewhere in the 18-minute span, per the Associated Press. "It's possible that they stopped, whether it be a storage area, a residence, a business. It's possible there was a contact made. We just don't know. It very well may not be an important fact, but until we close that gap we just don't know for sure," Bowdich said. He urged people to call if they have any information, whether it's photographic or other electronic evidence, that will tell the exact locations of the suspects during the timeline gap. Bowdich added that the bureau has already issued 29 search warrants, carried out 550 interviews and searched all over social media to piece together a timeline of the shooting. According to USA Today, the chief also said that there is still no concrete evidence that the attack has been instructed from overseas, but nothing has been ruled out until they finish the investigation. However, they believe that the suspects, Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik, were inspired by radical terrorist ideology. Farook, 28, was born in Chicago to Pakistani parents and worked as a restaurant inspector for San Bernardino County Department of Public Health while his wife came to the U.S. from Pakistan last July 2014 to get married to him. Authorities know that the couple is radicalized Muslims but never drew their attention before the attack at the Inland Regional Center. The FBI's timeline starts at 8:37 a.m. when Farook left his home and arrived 10 minutes later to a meeting with his work colleagues that turned afterwards to be a holiday party. He left at 10:37 a.m. to return to his wife and attacked his colleagues 19 minutes later. The couple's friend, Enrique Marquez Jr., was arrested and accused of providing the assault rifles used in the shooting. Prosecutors said that Marquez became interested in radical ideology after meeting Farook in 2005, and by 2011, he supported dead al-Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlak's ideas. Legendary heavy metal vocalist and television personality Ozzy Osbourne traveled to Cuba this week to film a new show for the History Channel. According to Granma, as translated by FoxNews, the Black Sabbath frontman was accompanied by his son Jack Osbourne. They arrived in Cuba ahead of Black Sabbath's "The End" world tour, which kicks off in Omaha on Jan. 20. The duo will be staying in Havana for a week before returning to the U.S. in preparation for the series of concerts. Osbourne believes that doing the film project will enrich his knowledge on the origin and aftermath of the Second World War. He previously admitted to Pulse of Radio via Blabber Mouth that he is clueless about "anything past World War 2." "I'm kind of up on World War 2 'cause I was born a couple of years after. So I know quite a lot about World War 2 and Hitler and the Nazis and all that," Osbourne explained. "Anything from before or after, I don't know anything about. So we're going to Mount Rushmore, we're going to the abandoned silos where you guys, America used to have their Minutemen missiles and all that. It's quite educational for me, actually." The Osbournes' new show on the History Channel finds Ozzy and Jack visiting famous places and providing what Ozzy described as "history with an Osbourne twang." Since their arrival in the South American country, the pair has visited several areas of historical interest and plans to tour more cultural hotspots in the next couple of days. Osbourne is known by many nicknames, including Prince of Darkness, Godfather of Metal and Mad Man. Hit Parader listed him as the eighth best heavy metal vocalist of all time. Osbourne has won two Grammys: one in 1994 for "I Don't Want to Change the World" and another in 2000 for "Iron Man." The rock icon is the latest international artists to travel to Havana since 2015, following the diplomatic thaw between the United States and Cuba. Last year, the Cuban media and countless posts on social networks revealed that multiple celebrities have already visited the country's capital, including Mick Jagger, Katy Perry, Rihanna and Usher. Meanwhile, the music industry is grieving the loss of one of its most staunch pillars. The Who and Bee Gees manager Robert Stigwood passed away this week at the age of 81. Osbourne took the time to remember the dynamic impresario. Per Birmingham Mail, Stigwood was the first person Black Sabbath turned to following the bands falling out with manager Don Arden, the late father of Ozzy's wife Sharon. Lima's restaurant Central has earned the top spot in Latin America's Top 50 Best Restaurant Awards. Peruvian chef Virgilio Martinez, the brainchild behind the restaurant's success, received several recognitions on how he artistically and elegantly created the dishes which showcased the diversity and beauty of Peru. Martinez shared to CNN that his dream of becoming a chef started when he was fractured several times because of skateboarding, "I was a semi-pro skater but I fractured my clavicle while skating at a park in California. Once it was fixed back in Peru, I went skating again but broke my other shoulder. That's when I stopped skating. I loved it but once I started cooking, I left all that behind and became totally involved in the kitchen." Born in Peru, he graduated at Le Cordon Bleu in 1998 and decided to explore the world to learn more about diverse range of cuisines in countries like Italy, France, New York and South East Asia from within the core of their kitchens. His first professional experience working in the kitchen was in Santi Santamaria's acclaimed Catalan kitchen at El Raco de Can Fabe. He eventually became the head chef in Santi Santamaria's Gaston Acurio's lauded Astrid Y Gaston in Madrid and became responsible for the opening of the restaurant branch in Bogota and Madrid. After gathering enough experience he decided to go back to Lima and open Central. As posted in Four Magazine, the focus of his restaurant is to use clean and fresh produce "with contemporary designs so that every dish will show the country's nature and boast its abundance of ingredients." Several years later, LIMA London was made, the first Peruvian restaurant awarded with a Michelin Star. Martinez has taken London's culinary field by storm as the Executive Chef at LIMA. The restaurant creates an opportunity for Europeans to have a glimpse of Peru's culture and lifestyle by showcasing authentic, encompassing, seasonal and fresh produced Peruvian ingredients and flavors in a contemporary and clean style. Marquez also shared that he also dreams of becoming an architect. He said that if he weren't a chef, most probably he'll be an architect, "I always wanted to be an architect -- it's something about the contact between body, mind and hands." He also added that it's his parents who influenced him to have that dream in life. "My mother is a painter and artist and my father always encouraged me to travel." A team of scientists believe that they have discovered the most likely reason why a giant ape -- known as Gigantopithecus -- died more than 100,000 years ago. The Agence France Press reported that the Gigantopithecus, which is usually dubbed as the real-life King Kong, died because climate change took its usual food. According to the report, climate change also led to the disappearance of large animals that lived hundreds of years ago in Asia. While scientists were only able to recover few fossil such as large teeth and bones, the Gigantopithecus is said to be more than nine-foot tall and is a 1,000-pound ape. Using the large teeth that were recovered in China and Thailand, the group of scientists were able to conclude that the giant ape relied on large food. It failed to survive when climate change turned forests to savannahs. Large vegetarians like the Gigantopithecus failed to adapt to the changes due to lack of food. "Due to its size, Gigantopithecus presumably depended on a large amount of food," Herve Bocherens, a researcher at the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, told Daily Mail. "When during the Pleistocene era more and more forested areas turned into savanna landscapes, there was simply an insufficient food supply for the giant ape." Bocherens, who is also a professor at the University of Tubingen, said that Gigantopithecus was restricted to one type of habitat and its size also led to its extinction. Unlike their modern descendants, the so-called real-life King Kong were unable to scale tall trees for food. "Our results indicate that the large primates only lived in the forest and obtained their food from this habitat," Bocherens said. "Gigantopithecus was an exclusive vegetarian, but it did not specialize on bamboo." Bocherens also explained that relatives of the giant ape were able to survive because they managed to adapt to their new environment quickly. Like the giant ape, Orangutans are also known to be restricted to just one type of habitat but were able to dodge extinction because of its ability to survive on limited resources. "Relatives of the giant ape, such as the recent orangutan, have been able to survive despite their specialization on a certain habitat," he added. "However, orangutans have a slow metabolism and are able to survive on limited food." The study also indicated that early humans in Africa and other apes have similar dental gear, which suggests that they also relied on the food the Gigantopithecus was eating before ice age struck Earth. They were able to survive by eating grass, leaves and roots, which are not enough for Gigantopithecus to live. Weeks after the controversial and embarrassing Miss Universe 2015 blunder on Dec. 20, highly-criticized host Steve Harvey broke his silence over the issue. During a radio interview on "The Steve Harvey Morning Show," the 58-year-old TV personality recalled the happenings during the pageant's coronation night. Harvey also revealed that in spite of his humility to reach out and talk to Miss Universe runner-up Ariadna Gutierrez of Colombia, the beauty queen is still giving him a cold shoulder. The Miss Universe 2015 pageant was indeed one of the highlights of 2015 in terms of controversies, thanks to Harvey's misreading of results. And even though the comedic host promptly took full responsibility of his mistake, several beauty pageant enthusiasts and supporters lambasted him for his hosting skills. Now, Harvey is setting the record straight once and for all. Amid the endless rumors, Harvey denied that accusations that he missed the rehearsals prior to last month's Miss Universe 2015 controversy. Perez Hilton, one of the pageant's telecast judge even accused him of being unprepared, while some people cited his drinking and gambling binge the night before the coronation in Las Vegas, Mercury News noted. "First of all, I went to more rehearsals than I've ever gone to for anything," he said Monday. "I did the entire table read, which is how they go through the whole script with you, except they don't know the winner yet. Then, on Friday, we did the walk-through, the full walk-through of the show. Then, on Saturday morning ... we did the whole show dress rehearsal. I was there for the entire dress rehearsal." Harvey stressed that he just read the name on the card. Unfortunately, he announced the wrong contestant as the winner, who was Miss Colombia instead of Pia Wurtzbach of the Philippines. "I said the name that was on the card. When I walked off, everything was cool...and then, after that, all hell broke loose," Harvey said, as per E! News. "All I heard was people say, 'That's the wrong name'...and all I hear is confusion backstage. Now I'm standing here in the wing, so what I did was, I said, 'I gotta go fix it.' Now I got a guy in my ear going, 'We gotta do something! We gotta do something!' That's all I'm hearing, utter confusion." During those crucial moments, Harvey said he thought of what his father had always told him when making mistakes, which was owning it up and correct it. However, in Harvey's case, not all wrongs could be righted. "You make a mistake, own up to it, so I went out there and I said I made a mistake. And I tried to fix it, I tried to fix it right there," he shared. "All I could think of was here's a problem. The lady who won Miss Philippines is standing there as a loser and she got all the votes and the points." While Harvey owned up to his mistake, he felt bad for Guttierez, who hasn't responded to his efforts for apology. "When I did it, it was horrible for Miss Colombia and she's the only one I haven't had a chance to talk to," he added, as quoted by Latin Times. "I don't feel sorry for me, I don't feel sorry for the pageant -- the pageant will now be bigger than it's ever been. My only regret is how this woman must have felt. And none of us can know what that is. I felt for her more than me, because, look I'm just a man, I'm out here, I ain't been waiting for all my life for this moment." After his Miss Universe 2015 gaffe, Harvey insisted that he had tried his best to contact Miss Colombia but his efforts were snubbed. He also revealed that he got a chance to talk to Wurtzbach, the pageant organizers and the director. "I've had a chance to talk to Miss Philippines..." Harvey admitted. "But I haven't been able to reach out and talk to Miss Colombia. Now, have I tried? Yes. But haven't gotten a response." Despite the overwhelming confusion, Steve Harvey owned up the blunder. Unfortunately, Gutierrez said in an interview that the experience was humiliating for her and her countrymen. Since it has opened to the market in Ohio City almost six years ago, La Bamba Tortilleria "has done nothing but grow" with a projected sales of $2 million in 2015. The business was founded by Leticia Ortiz, a Latina who decided to move to Cleveland with her husband, Jose Andrade, in 2000. The story of her business started with her passion of bringing the taste of her native country to Clevelanders. According to CBC Magazine, Clevelander's market during that time has already been oversaturated with Mexican restaurants. When the couple saw the doors of opportunities in food industry, they decided to work on the plan and turn it into reality as soon as possible. "Mexican restaurants were growing so fast in the area, so we thought it was better to start the business," Ortiz says. Starting the project has never been easy. They don't have employees, so they worked hard to developed skills in cutting, production, delivery, packaging, billing, collection and other related transactions of their business on their own. As they personally learn every process, they also get to understand their business deeper and have a clearer view of the aspects of grocery supply. "I had to go and visit the first restaurants and bring each one samples. Eventually people just started calling us. As more restaurants started opening they would connect us," says Ortiz. As stated by Fresh Water Cleveland, because of "Ortiz's feet-to-the-pavement marketing and faithful word-of-mouth endorsement," the company slowly gained its popularity that it "has become a go-to source for restaurants including Nuevo Acapulco, West Side Market's Orale!, Don Tequila and El Jalapenos, among many others." Since the company has been introduced in the market, customers responded in force. In fact, Tortilleria La Bamba's first year's gross income reached $250,000 in sales with only six products including enchiladas, hard taco shells, and tortilla shells cut in half for chips. The business has in no doubt been embraced by the customers and since then has steadily grown. Today, Bamba sells directly to 70 restaurants in other parts of Pennsylvania and Northeast Ohio while other distributors from Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan are also supplying other restaurants with Ortiz's products. Products are still not available in grocery stores yet but Ortiz says that the company is already working to expand into retail market. She hopes that her products will line the grocery store shelves in the future. With Pope Francis coming for a visit in the country, Mexico is now tightening its security, cleaning up the streets and preparing their best bottle of tequila. You read that right, as one of the world's most devout Catholic countries in the world, the Pope is going for a visit and even asked a Mexican tourist in Vatican if there would be tequila when he arrives. The man responded in Spanish, "With so much tequila Pope!" In a report by Fox News Latino, the man was identified as Carlos Alberto Cardona, a Mexican monsignor. The lighthearted exchange lasted only by 20 seconds, but it made a big impact online as it has now been viewed to more than a quarter million times in the monsignor's Facebook post. According to Fusion, as the Pope's arrival in February is nearing, Mexico is reportedly raffling off event tickets for those who wish to see him and also composed songs to signal his arrival. It seems that the Pope's brand of Latin American humor is already mixing well with Mexicans. But despite the funny banter with the man, the leader of the Catholic Church is expected to discuss serious issues during his visit. This is just one of the latest move by His Holiness that has endeared him, not only to Catholics, but to people all throughout the world. According to a related report by RT, the Pope once proclaimed the Internet as a "gift from God," as he uses it to spread the gospel and sharing advice of peace and love on social media. In addition, he even became the first Pope to take a selfie. Moreover, Pope Francis was reported to love pets and said that furry critters have a special place in heaven. In fact, he even said the statement "all dogs go to heaven" to comfort a weeping boy who lost his dog. He is also one of the most reasonable religious leaders that existed in recent years, as he entertained the idea of alien life forms. His Holiness even quipped that he will welcome Martians into the Catholic Church if they are willing to convert. But the most ground-breaking statement the Pope gave is when he declared that atheists, despite not believing in the concept of God or religion, can still go to heaven. He went on and said that as long as atheists follow their conscience, they are welcome to enter the kingdom of Heaven. Pope Francis will visit Mexico from Feb. 12 to 17. Air Liquide invests 40 million Euros in order to put up a new facility that will house a new carbon dioxide production unit and a cogeneration unit in Colombia. This expansion was made possible by the company's partnership and contract with Coca-Cola FEMSA. According to Business Wire, Air Liquide will be responsible in supplying refrigerated water, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, compressed air and steam to Coca-Cola FEMSA. Located in Tocancipa, north of Bogota, this new Air Liquide facility is said to start its operations in the late part of 2016. The Tocancipa new facility is also strategically located at the Permanent Free Trade Zone FEMSA Industrial Park and will initially employ 30 workers upon operation. Coca-Cola FEMSA will not be the only company that Air Liquide will supply; rather, it will extend its additional production to nearby companies that uses such product. Michael J. Graff, member of Air Liquide Group's Executive Committee, said in a statement, "Our entry into Colombia provides a major opportunity for Air Liquide as we establish our presence in this strategic market and further expand our presence in Latin America. We are very pleased to have reached this milestone in our working relationship with Coca-Cola FEMSA, a long-term partner of Air Liquide. We look forward to our continuing partnership and to supporting Coca-Cola FEMSA's growth in Latin America by supplying safe, reliable and sustainable solutions." Currently, Air Liquide supplies industrial and medical gasses to 14 countries across North America and industries that mainly work on energy, electronics, healthcare and industrial manufacturing benefits from Air Liquide's products. Its expansion in Colombia brought the company to supply one of the largest bottling facilities in the world, and with their primary product of purified and liquefied carbon dioxide, Coca-Cola fits the bill perfectly as the company uses carbonation for its beverages. Air Liquide is home to over 50,000 employees and has served more than two million clients and patients all over the world. Since it started in 1902, the company has expanded to 80 countries among Central America, South America and the Caribbean. In 2014, the company had a total of 15.4 billion in revenue, 40 percent of which is from sales of products that had something to do with environmental solutions as well as health supplies. Latin America has been every bit of an improved nation, but that is not without the challenges that the region is experiencing since the millennium. According to the World Bank, Latin America has been greatly affected by the slowdown of Asian economics, particularly China. In the years ahead, it may be significant for them to look into other options and not depend on the growth of its Asian counterparts. According to Augusto de la Torre, Chief Economist for World Bank, this might also be the perfect time for Latin America to indulge in the quality of education, self-employment and care for the environment. The low record of employment and the insufficient amount of wages have overwhelmed the economy of the Latin America region. The poverty level has also seen its lowest, something that the region should not dwell on but rather look into what is already been improving and thrive in it. De la Torre said in his statement, "Adapting to the new context will generate social problems and possibly increase income inequality. They have to think about social protection nets to protect the poorest families but in such a way that doesn't de-incentivize the desire to work and create jobs." Despite the challenges, World Bank sees high potential for the Latin America region when it comes to self-sufficiency. About 60 percent of the working age in the region currently owns a small entrepreneurial start-up or works for a small business. This self-employment that is currently practiced will eventually contribute to their economic growth as well. This year has seen the trend of self-employment, especially with the region having some issues with labor initiatives. The absence of quality jobs made it impossible for the new generation of graduates to pick their options, that is why 19 percent of Latin America's new businesses are managed by people under the age of 35. Julian Robinson, Minister for Science in Jamaica, admitted that while they are traditionally dependent on the region's physical products, digital technology has also played a big part on their daily lives. Robinson said, "Digital technology is key to us. We see the digital economy as a means of realizing the potential of the creativity that exists in Jamaica." By doing so, the region's quality of education must also improve in order to provide better learning for their next generation of entrepreneurs. Microtech, a premier "Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business," is an industry leading prime contractor that specializes in the government and the private-sector. Annual income is estimated for more than $300 million per year. The company holds more than 20 procurement mobiles, 100 Federal projects, access to 2500 vendors and almost a million technology services and products. It provides Technology Integration, Network Systems, Product Support, Cloud Computing, Telecom Solutions and Managed Service Solutions which manages half a million users daily since it has been founded in March 2004. The man behind the company is a decorated combat veteran and retired U.S. Army officer, Anthony Jimenez. He used to be enlisted in the service at the young age of eighteen as a Private E-1. He ended his career as a Lieutenant Colonel after 24 years in active military service. He has served in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Haiti and Central America. He also had important roles in education during his military career when he became the Program Director of eArmyU, which, at that time, was the world's largest educational virtual and portal university. Because of the achievements he gained through Microtech, Jimenez received so many recognitions. He was given an award for being the "Executive of the Year," "Small Business Person of the Year," "Most Influential Hispanic in IT" and "CEO of the Year" by several organizations. He has also been included in the list of "100 Most Innovative Entrepreneurs in the Nation" by Goldman Sachs, "Most Powerful Minority Men in Business" by Minority Enterprise Executive Council and "50 Most Influential Virginians" by Virginia Business. In 2012, Inc. Magazine also inducted Jimenez to be a part its Hall of Famers for making it to their listing for five years. Aside from that, he is also been given an award for being the PODER-American Business Council Entrepreneurship Award winner. He has also been included for the third time in the "Federal 100," a listing of Top 100 Executives from the industry, government and academia who created a great impact in Government Information Systems. Jimenez is a person known for providing value back to the community, doing good business, and having a strong network and firm understanding of the Government and how it works. "I always realized that it was great to live in a country where you can achieve what you have dreamed of, if you were willing to work hard," he said in one of the videos. Spanish police raided a hideout in the town of Galicia in Malaga province of Spain. It was a successful drug bust operation which yielded three tons of the highly prohibited drug substance known as cocaine. The authorities revealed that they arrested suspects they think belong to a major group of drug traffickers that are mainly operating in Costa del Sol. The raiding team which is composed of British and U.S. drug enforcement agencies recovered the illegal substance that the Britons are supposed to buy. "It was a very powerful organization. Few organizations in Europe have the capacity today to transport three tonnes of cocaine," head of Spain's National Drug Organized Crime Unit Eloy Quiros said in news conference. The confiscated cocaine that were being shipped from South America are estimated to have a price value of 500 million. Apparently, it was smuggled by the Dutch drug traffickers. Also found at the site are 1.2 million euros and some guns. The 1,500 pounds of cocaine were kept hidden under a faux floor of the van. The police chased the criminals and the drug stash was discovered when the van they were riding in smashed into the police's car. The rest of the drugs were discovered in a warehouse located in Pontevedra, Galicia. In a statement published on Daily Star UK, the spokesman of Spain's National Police relayed: "This is the biggest land seizure of cocaine by the National Police in Galicia since 1999. Three tons of cocaine that were going to be bought by an important Costa del Sol-based group of drug traffickers have been confiscated." He added that, "There are 12 detainees including the transporters of the drugs who are Spanish and the sellers and buyers of the drugs who are Dutch and British respectively." Seven British smugglers have since been detained in Malaga province. The rest of the suspects, three Dutch nationals and two Spaniards, were held in a different place. The Britons are being viewed as the buyers, the dutch as the sellers and the Spaniards as the shippers. The bunch of cocaine was delivered by boat. In the past, Spain's Costa del Sol is a known hiding place for British criminals. The criminal activities were at the peak in the late 70s and 80s because the extradition agreement with Britain was nonexistent in that era. Things have dramatically changed when the European arrest warrants were introduced in 2004. The treaty made the task of bringing home British criminals possible. Most importantly, justice could be served since they are forced to come home and face their offenses. Killings increased by close to 70 percent in El Salvador last year, authorities said Monday. The Central American country, plagued with violence and gangs, had its highest homicide rate ever in 2015, putting it in position to claim the title of the world's most violent nation, The Associated Press reports. According to National Police director Mauricio Ramirez Landaverde, El Salvador officially registered at least 6,657 homicides last year, bringing the yearly murder rate to 104 per 100,000 inhabitants. By contrast, the country registered 3,942 homicides in 2014. "[The homicide rate] puts us at the head of the world's most violent nations," said researcher Jeanette Aguilar of Jose Siemeon Canas Central America University. With the latest numbers, El Salvador looks to exceed its neighboring country Honduras, often referred to as the world's murder capital. Honduras led the world in homicide rate the last two years. According to World Bank data, it reached its peak in 2011 with 92 homicides per 100,000 in habitants, though numbers have declined somewhat since. Security Ministry spokesman Leonel Sauceda said Monday that the nation's murder rate fell from 68 per 100,000 in 2014, to 61 per 100,000 last year. Venezuela, on the other hand, has seen growing homicide numbers. While the South American nation has not released its official stats since 2013 when it notched a 39 per 100,000 murder rate, a non-governmental organization recently placed the country's 2015 homicide rate at 90 per 100,000. Most of the El Salvador killings are due to gangs, colloquially known as "maras," who engage in drug trafficking and extortion amongst other crimes. While they mostly reside in impoverished urban neighborhoods, reports say they have expanded into rural areas as well. Authorities say the majority of the homicide victims are rival gang members. In fact, the spike in violence can be traced back to the failing of a truce between the country's two largest gangs. "The homicide rate reflects the inability of the Salvadoran state and the Salvadoran society to guarantee the most fundamental right there can be in a society, which is life," Aguilar said. Epiphany, known as el Dia de los Reyes Magos in Spanish, is a religious holiday celebrated by Christians around the world that honors the day the three wise men found the infant Jesus in Bethlehem. Celebrated on Jan. 6, the holiday is a big deal in a few Latin American countries as well as Spain and marks the end of the Christmas season. This is how the holiday is celebrated around the Hispanic world. Spain Spaniards celebrate the religious day with a parade called the "Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos," which takes place on the eve of the Epiphany. People gather to watch a variety of Christmas-themed floats, performers dressed as angels and animals, lead the way for the three kings. The kings usually show up riding horses or on decorated floats and throw a variety of goods to the children in the audience. In Spain it is the Three Kings who bring presents and not Santa Claus. In the morning, families enjoy a bejeweled round cake called the "Rosca de Reyes," or Kings' Cake, to represent the jewels on their crowns. Puerto Rico On "La Vispera de Reyes" (the Eve of Three Kings Day) Puerto Rican children participate in cutting grass that will then be placed in a show box and go under their bed. The children are asked to write a wish list, which is then placed on top of the box of grass. Several families give out money instead of presents. On the day, Puerto Ricans put out their Santos statues of the kings riding on horses and put away their Christmas decorations. They also hold a procession on the day of. Mexico For the children of Mexico, el Dia de los Reyes is far more important than Christmas, because it is when they get to open presents. Unlike Puerto Rico, where children receive presents on Christmas, dedicated Mexicans wait until Three Kings Day to give the kids gifts. The day marks the culmination of 12 days of the Christmas season. Mexicans will also enjoy "Rosca de Reyes," which includes a figurine of infant Jesus baked inside. The Dominican Republic For Dominicans the celebration of Three Kings begins on Jan. 4, when children write their versions of letters to Santa Claus, but instead address them to the three kings. On Jan. 5, the children place water, grass and food under their beds before going to sleep, which they do a bit earlier on this particular day. Argentina In Argentina, children make sure to place a pair of shoes, grass and a bowl of water for the camels and bread under their Christmas tree. The next morning the children wake up to presents under the tree. Cuba For Cubans, the celebration of Three Kings Day begins when families decorate their Christmas tree and put out their nativity scenes. They place the figurines of the kings further away from the display and move them closer to the manger as they get closer to the day. Just like with Santa Claus, children will receive presents if they have behaved well through out the year. Check out what the Three Kings Day Parade looks like in Madrid, Spain. Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders did not hold back at a New York event on Jan. 5, and once again harshly criticized the financial industry along with his party rival Hillary Clinton, whose Wall Street ties the Vermont senator claims are far too cozy. Speaking at The Town Hall venue in midtown Manhattan, Sanders referenced the so-called Glass-Steagall Act, which had limited commercial bank securities and activities within commercial banks and securities firms until it was dismantled in the 1990s. "My opponent, Secretary Clinton, says that Glass-Steagall would not have prevented the financial crisis because shadow banks like AIG and Lehman Brothers, not big commercial banks, were the real culprits" of the 2008 financial crisis, the socialist senator explained. "Secretary Clinton is wrong." Sanders also picked on Clinton's husband and "secret weapon," Bill Clinton, during whose administration the Glass-Steagall legislation was repealed, suggesting the former president was part of an "establishment" culture. "My opponent says that as a senator she told bankers to 'cut it out' and end their destructive behavior," Sanders said. "But, in my view, establishment politicians are the ones who need to 'cut it out.' The reality is that Congress doesn't regulate Wall Street. Wall Street and their lobbyists regulate Congress." Overall, the presidential candidate reiterated the bleak view he holds of the U.S. financial sector in general and promised to overhaul the system if he were to move into the White House come 2017, NPR noted. "The greed of Wall Street and corporate America is destroying the very fabric of our nation," Sanders charged. "And here is a New Year's resolution that I will keep if elected president, and that is, if Wall Street does not end its greed, we will end it for them. Our goal must be to create a financial system and an economy that works for all of our people, not just a handful of billionaires," the Vermont senator insisted. Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio has criticized Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama for North Korea's experimentation with a hydrogen bomb. On Wednesday morning, North Korea said it conducted a hydrogen nuclear device test. The test triggered a 5.1 magnitude earthquake near a known North Korean nuclear test site. Many world leaders have denounced North Korea for conducting the underground nuclear test. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, referring to the event as "deeply troubling," told reporters the act violates numerous UN Security Council resolutions. "It is also a grave contravention of the international norm against nuclear testing," said the UN secretary general, adding, "This act is profoundly destabilizing for regional security and seriously undermines international non-proliferation efforts. I condemn it unequivocally." A White House spokesman for its National Security Council said the U.S. could not immediately confirm the test and it could take several weeks to determine it. Rubio, however, said he has been warning about the potential dangers by North Korea and its leader Kim Jung-un. Rubio, who serves on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said the hydrogen bomb test is another instance of Obama and Clinton's foreign policy. "I have been warning throughout this campaign that North Korea is run by a lunatic who has been expanding his nuclear arsenal while President Obama has stood idly by. If this test is confirmed, it will be just the latest example of the failed Obama-Clinton foreign policy," said Rubio in a statement. "Our enemies around the world are taking advantage of Obama's weakness," added Rubio. "We need new leadership that will stand up to people like Kim Jong-un and ensure our country has the capabilities necessary to keep America safe." Clinton also issued a statement, strongly condemning the nuclear test. "If verified, this is a provocative and dangerous act, and North Korea must have no doubt that we will take whatever steps are necessary to defend ourselves and our treaty allies, South Korea and Japan. North Korea's goal is to blackmail the world into easing the pressure on its rogue regime. We can't give in to or in any way encourage this kind of bullying. Instead, we should increase pressure and send Pyongyang an unmistakable message that its nuclear brinksmanship won't succeed." Clinton said the U.S., partners, including the Security Council, have to immediately impose additional sanctions against North Korea. She also said the Chinese government has to be more assertive on North Korea. She later added, "And threats like this are yet another reminder of what's at stake in this election. We cannot afford reckless, imprudent publicity stunts that risk war. We need a Commander-in-Chief with the experience and judgement to deal with a dangerous North Korea on Day One." Meanwhile, Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, who serves in the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services Committees, said North Korea's test challenges the security of the Asia-Pacific region and, as Ban mentioned, violates Security Council resolutions. "With such adversarial, reckless behavior, North Korea yet again makes clear its disinterest in acting responsibly and further isolates itself from the international community. The United States remains committed to helping preserve regional stability and protecting our allies in the Asia-Pacific. Claims of such provocative exercises are unacceptable and counterproductive to the ultimate goal of a denuclearized Korean Peninsula," said Castro in a statement released on Wednesday afternoon, adding that he's eager to work on legislation to stop North Korea's nuclear program. In a document signed by the North Korean leader, he wrote he wants the world to "look up to our strong nuclear country and labor party by opening the year with exciting noise of the first hydrogen bomb!" The nuclear test led to an emergency session of the UN Security Council on Wednesday. If confirmed, it would be North Korea's fourth nuclear test since 2006. The UN is monitoring the situation in coordination with relevant groups, such as the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). In a statement from Vienna, Lassina Zerbo, CTBTO's preparatory commission executive secretary, said the nuclear test, if confirmed, is a breach in the movement against nuclear testing. "It is also a grave threat to international peace and security," said Zerbo. "I urge the DPRK (North Korea) to refrain from further nuclear testing ... it is high time that the global prohibition on nuclear testing is enshrined into a legally binding instrument. I sincerely hope that this will serve as the final wake-up call to the international community to outlaw all nuclear testing by bringing the CTBT into force." __ For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Politics Editor Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com. -- UPDATE: 1:54 p.m. EST: Inclusion of Hillary Clinton's statement. Sony is joining budget TV company TCL by offering their own HDR 4K TVs, the company announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Sony announced that three of its Bravia 4K TVs will have HDR technology, TechRadar reports. According to the company, these models will offer higher brightness levels, higher contrast and more colors. HDR technology is an important trend at CES this year, and experts say the screens are much brighter and clearer than other TVs currently on the market. The Bravia series of HDR 4K TVs will come in three tiers: the bottom tier XBR-X850D and the two flagship series, the XBR-X930D and XBR-X940D. The XBR-X850D will come in 55, 65, 75 and 85-inch sizes. The XBR-X930D will be available in either a 55 or 65-inch model. The XBR-X940 will only be available in the 75-inch size. The flagship XBR-X930D will also feature a new backlight technology from Sony called Slim Backlight Drive. Combined with the Dynamic Range PRO technology, the backlight will be optimized to feature deeper blacks and highlights that will pop off the screen. The new 4K TVs from Sony will also be extremely thin thanks to a brand new design. Previous Bravia TVs had a thin design that widened at the base. Sony will label all of its HDR 4K TVs as "4K HDR Ultra HD," a somewhat confusing label. The company is prepared to help owners of HDR televisions discover content for their new sets. Sony is preparing an app called Ultra, which will display content that is available in HDR, both for free and for purchase. Ultra will then stream the content right to the HDR TV. The new TVs will also run Android TV, and Sony expects to have about 40 to 50 titles available from Sony Pictures right away through the Ultra app. Sony says all three televisions will be available in early 2016. Venezuela's new opposition speaker, Henry Ramos Allup, announced on Jan. 5 that his party would soon take measures to force Socialist President Nicolas Maduro out of office. Speaking at the National Assembly swearing-in ceremony, Ramos Allup said Venezuelans could expect a change in their government within six months. As quoted in AFP, the 72-year-old opposition politician said, "Here and now, things will change." Venezuela's opposition MUD coalition won two-thirds of the congressional seats in the recent National Assembly election. On Tuesday, the National Assembly swore in deputies to 163 of the 167 legislative seats. Four lawmakers (three from the opposition party and one from governing socialist party) were suspended on Dec. 30, 2015 from taking their seats due to a pending a lawsuit tied to alleged vote-buying. As previously reported, Jesus Torrealba, the secretary-general of the right-wing Democratic Union Coalition, was so concerned over possible government actions against the newly elected lawmakers that he sent a letter to the Organization of American States, Mercosur, the United Nations, and the European Union asking for help. "The country, the region and the world face a judicial coup d'etat attempt against the decision the Venezuelan people made at the ballot box," he wrote. "Change is not dependent on any time-frame," said Ramos Allup on Tuesday, adding, "We are looking at a change in outlook, a change in the system, at changing what is bad, very bad -- and soon will get worse." Julio Borges, the head of the opposition group in the legislature, said his party would seek a constitutional way to change the government. Under Venezuela's constitution, the president can be removed from office by a recall referendum. As the The Wall Street Journal reports, Torrealba is also on board with his partys desire for change. If this government doesnt understand the need for change that people have voted for, then we may have a new government in six months, he said. However, this will not be easy for the new majority. The ruling party, which now has a minority, showed its displeasure with the new normal by walking out from the building halfway through the session as Ramos Allup spoke. GOP White House front-runner Donald Trump this week seemed to cast doubt on rival Ted Cruz's eligibility to serve as president of the United States, noting that the Texas senator's foreign birth could lead to litigation. "Republicans are going to have to ask themselves the question: 'Do we want a candidate who could be tied up in court for two years?' That'd be a big problem," the real estate tycoon said about Cruz, who was born in Calgary, Canada to an American mother and a Cuban father, The Washington Post reported. Cruz renounced his Canadian citizenship in 2013, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported. Most experts consider him a "natural-born U.S. citizen," which is one of the requirements Article II of the U.S. Constitution spells out to serve in the nation's highest office. When the first Congress of the United States passed the Naturalization Act of 1790, it stipulated that children born abroad to U.S. citizens were natural born citizens too, Politifact noted. The Republican Party's 2008 presidential nominee, longtime Arizona Sen. John McCain, for instance, was born outside the United States while his father served in the Panama Canal Zone. But Trump, who was also once among a number of critics casting doubts on President Barack Obama's birth records and citizenship status, suggested that Cruz would likely have to deal with the issue if he were elected to the White House. "It'd be a very precarious one for Republicans because he'd be running and the courts may take a long time to make a decision. You don't want to be running and have that kind of thing over your head," Trump said. "I'd hate to see something like that get in his way. But a lot of people are talking about it and I know that even some states are looking at it very strongly, the fact that he was born in Canada and he has had a double passport." Cruz's renunciation of Canadian citizenship, however, means he is no longer eligible for that country's travel documents. My response to @realDonaldTrump calling into question my natural-born citizenship? https://t.co/gWfAHznlCY Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) enero 5, 2016 The Texas senator, for his part, took Trump's comments with humor, referencing an iconic episode of the sitcom "Happy Days." Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton seems to be having a hard time with her New Year's resolution of not talking about her GOP counterpart, Donald Trump. The former secretary of state gave an interview to MSNBC's Chris Matthews on Jan. 5 in which she discussed some of Trump's recent comments indirectly. While Clinton insisted that she would not directly address the controversies surrounding the real estate tycoon, the former New York senator had no trouble slamming the general use of harsh language against Muslims and President Barack Obama, which Matthews pinned on Trump, USA Today noted. "We should not reward people who use inflammatory rhetoric, who use the kind of derogatory comments, whether it's about Muslims, or Mexicans, or women, or people with disabilities, whoever it might be," Clinton said. "That is not a sign of leadership. That's a sign of, you know, showmanship, of desperation, that should be rejected roundly by the American people." Clinton first referenced her resolution during a campaign event in the critical early caucus state of Iowa on Jan. 4, CNN reported. She was reacting to the latest controversial comments by Trump, in which the former "Apprentice" star had suggested Obama and Clinton shared responsibility for the rise of the jihadi terror group ISIS. That organization now controls large swaths of territory across Iraq and Syria, and recently claimed responsibility for deadly attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California. "I've adopted a New Year's resolution," the wife of former President Bill Clinton explained in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. "I'll let [Trump] live in his alternative reality. I'm not going to respond." But Clinton has also continued to mock Trump's slogan, "Make America Great Again," at a variety of campaign events. "You can't make America great again if you insult and demean the people of America," Clinton said on Jan. 3 during a stop in New Hampshire, yet another key early voting state. Before Trump entered politics, the Clintons had a warm relationship with the billionaire businessman, and in 2005 they even famously attended his Florida wedding. The Obama administration's latest deportation raid campaign continues to fuel disappointment and anger from fellow Democrats. On behalf of Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton, spokesperson Jorge Silva said the former secretary of state opposes the raids, which U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson's confirmed 121 immigrants were removed from the U.S. "Hillary Clinton believes the United States should give refuge to people fleeing persecution, and should be especially attentive to the needs of children," Silva said in a statement to Latin Post. "Families who arrive here should be guaranteed due process on their asylum petitions, including a full and fair opportunity to tell their stories. "She believes we should not be conducting large-scale raids and roundups that sow fear and division in our communities," Silva added. "And she believes we should be investing in a longer-term comprehensive solution to the challenge of violence in Central America that causes so many people to make the treacherous journey north." Latino congressional members, who have endorsed Clinton, have also criticized the deportation raids. On Wednesday, Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Chairwoman Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., said the raids, conducted by DHS' Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, does not represent what the U.S. represents. "Our federal government should not be separating parents from their children. As the mother of a young son, it's easy for me to imagine how traumatizing having ICE agents storm someone's home and tearing families apart can be for a young child," said Sanchez. "Invading homes is inhumane and adds to the trauma of these families fleeing violence and oppression." Sanchez said Congress has to find a better approach to handling the latest migrants coming from Central America, and ensure they receive their due process and provided with counsel. Sanchez said the only way to solve this issue is to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., has also called on the Obama administration to stop the raids, stating it's a "cruel reminder of a discredited policy." "Along with other Members of Congress, I am seeking answers from Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson as to why this policy is needed, why it was launched to instill fear in immigrant households over the Christmas, New Year's and Three Kings holidays, and why family detention centers I have been trying to close are now filling up with new families awaiting deportation," said Gutierrez on Tuesday. Gutierrez followed up on Wednesday during a House floor speech. The congressman said the raids have caused a panic within the immigrant community. "We hear that children are not going to school and parents are not going to work out of fear. Not even a week into the New Year and 2016 has turned into one of fear and hiding. But let us be very clear. Deporting families will not resolve the violence and corruption that push people from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to risk assault, rape, and murder to seek refuge in the United States," said Gutierrez, adding some past deportees have been found dead since returning to their native country. Gutierrez and fellow Latino and immigrant rights groups will gather for a news conference on Friday to further denounce and call on the Obama administration to end the raids. The Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM), CASA, the National Immigration Law Center, the Service Employees International Union, Church World Service and United We Dream will accompany families directly impacted by the deportations outside the White House at 9 a.m. "We will not stand by and allow this to happen to families who came to the U.S. to escape extreme violence and poverty," said FIRM spokesperson Kica Matos in a statement. "If these families are deported -- and most of them would be women and children, they would be returned to places they fled to escape being killed, raped or tortured." __ For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Politics Editor Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com. Qualcomm used its press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas to focus on their brand new chip, the Snapdragon 820. The Snapdragon 820 from Qualcomm is expected to be installed in most of the high-end Android smartphones this year, Android Central reports. Qualcomm's CEO Steve Mollenkopf called the Snapdragon 820 the "the most powerful, most advanced SoC (system on chip) in the world." Mollenkopf said that the new chip is being designed for use in 80 products. Mollenkopf also revealed the first smartphone to use the Snapdragon 820 will come from the Chinese company LeTV, which will fit it to their LeMax Pro smartphone. The LeMax Pro was shown off at CES with a metal unibody design and fingerprint sensor on the rear. The fingerprint sensor on this smartphone will utilize the Snapdragon Sense ID technology. Mollenkopf called the Sense ID "the first ultrasonic fingerprint sensor." Other smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S7 are also expected to use the Snapdragon 820 when they are released this year. Also announced at the Qualcomm CES press conference was more news on automotive technology. Qualcomm has variations of the Snapdragon 820 for the automotive industry in the Snapdragon 820A and Snapdragon 820Am. Mollenkopf said these chips offer similar performance to the traditional Snapdragon 820, but are optimized for car software and applications. Qualcomm demonstrated a vehicle with the Snapdragon 820A and a total of four displays. The main screen showed off an animated speedometer and 3D navigation. The infotainment screen allowed for map markers to be placed on the navigation screen. Even the passengers get their own screen in the back seat. Qualcomm boasted that the Snapdragon 820A can display multiple screens at the same time and how the car can be customized based on the person's smartphone that is connected to the system. The Puerto Rico Infrastructure Financing Authority (PRIFA) failed to transfer funds to its bond trustee for debts due on Jan. 1. The U.S. territory confirmed defaulting on certain bonds on Jan. 5. As Latin Post reported, Puerto Rico announced that it intended to begin paying off principal and interest payments on its massive public debt on the first day of January. The debt was postponed until Jan. 4. On Tuesday, the trustee for PRIFA's series 2005 B and 2006 bonds said they had not received sufficient funds for the payment of certain debts. Furthermore, a Series A bonds' trustee said in a separate filing that funds did not come in. The trustee for its series 2005 C bonds also revealed that they it did not get funds from PRIFA to pay off their debt service. The Financial Guaranty Insurance Company (FGIC) will now pay holders of certain Series A and C bonds. Due to the nonpayment, Puerto Rico faces possible litigation from creditors. As previously reported, the commonwealth is preparing for lawsuits that may come. Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla is concerned that having to deal with the legal aspects of defaulting may make it more difficult to pay off creditors. "Every dollar used to pay lawyers will be a dollar ... not available to pay creditors," he said. U.S. lawmakers are currently considering ways to alleviate Puerto Ricos debt crisis through emergency bankruptcy policies. As the Wall Street Journal reports, Puerto Rican business owners remain faithful that business on the island is healthy. According to Robert Taubman, the chief executive of a mall-owning company that invested $475 million to build the Mall of San Juan, the island's market is performing vigorously. San Juan is one of the densest markets in North America, he said, We are extremely bullish. Democratic Alliance has laid criminal charges against the real estate agent Penny Sparrow. African National Congress Youth League and African National Congress are intending to do the same. According to Times Live, the Youth Leagues's KwaZulu-Natal branch released a statement on Monday saying that racism is a crime and it is punishable by law. They will approach the South African Police Service on the South Coast with the intention to lay criminal charges against this racist. On the same note, the Democratic Alliance has already publicized its intent to place criminal charges against Sparrow who said on her tweet that - "From now I. Shall address the blacks of South Africa as monkeys as I see the cute little wild monkeys do the same pick drop and litter." Another person has charged Sparrow with Crimen Injuria, the businessman Herman Mashaba, whose launch of the 'Black Like Me' range of cosmetic products gained him legendary status, stated ENCA. The CEO of Leswikeng Minerals & Energy Limited, who is also in a mayoral candidacy for Democratic Alliances, Mashaba, has instructed his legal team to urgently pursue the case with the Human Rights Commission. The African National Congress (ANC) joined the issue and said they denounce in the toughest terms the unjustified comments posted on social media by famous Economist, Mr Chris Hart and Miss Penny Sparrow an estate agent with one of the leading estate agent companies in South Africa. The post made by Penny Sparrow about black people going on beaches and calling them 'monkeys' caused an outrage. Sparrow said she was just merely 'stating the facts' when she posted those, said News24. The Embattled KwaZulu-Natal realtor talked to News24 and said she wasn't expecting her Facebook post to grow this big. She said she made a mistake with comparing them to monkeys as she see the animals to be cute and naughty like the black people on the beach as she loves animals. The estate agent also said that she has black workmates and she is kid to them. She wasn't being nasty, rude or horrible, but she sees them making a mess and she thinks that's just how they are. She wasn't really apologetic with everything she did, she said that was just how she felt. Bahrain authorities warned its citizens not to criticize, mock, and have negative reactions on Saudi Arabia's legal systems, including its court verdicts, and announcements. According to Arab News, Bahrain's Ministry of Interior announced that Saudi Arabia has the right to carry out whatever security measures necessary to maintain security and stability in the country. In the Article 215 of the Criminal Law, it is written that "the imprisonment of two years, or the imposition of a fine of 200 Bahraini dinars on any person publicly offending a country or international organization that has headquarters in the Kingdom of Bahrain, or its president or representative in the Kingdom, and whoever publicly offends its flag or emblem." Another law in the Bahraini Criminal Law Article 168 states that a "prison sentence of two years and a fine of 200 dinars, either or both, for whoever intentionally broadcasts false news, statements or rumors to disturb public order or scare the people, or to inflict harm on the best interests of the public." As previously reported, a Middle East website called out to its citizens ordering them to observe and acknowledge accurate news. The government advises its people not to use social media sites to collect and disseminate information and news. There will be legal actions against those who are caught violating these laws. These proclamations came after Prince Mohammed Bin Salman received international criticisms through Twitter. The prince was ridiculed after he announced that Saudi will lead a military coalition against "the Islamic world" and terrorism, according to a blog by Al Bab. When asked if the coalition will exclusively go against ISIS, the prince replied, "No. To any terrorist organisation that appears in front of us, we will take action to fight it." There are those who believe that the anti-terror coalition may only pursue sectarian agenda. The embassy of the United States of America rendered alert for all of U.S. citizens. When travelling to Bahamas, the embassy issued warnings to remain vigilant and cautious as sexual assaults were noted in the region. According to The Washington Times, there had already been five sexual assaults of U.S. citizens by jet-ski operators in Nassau since the month of July. As for the cause of the assault, it remains unclear for now. However, what is confirmed was the decision that is being rendered by the embassy. Even the U.S embassy prohibited its staff and employees from using jet-ski rental companies due inadequate regulation. The embassy even went on to recommended to U.S. citizens to not use these services as well to prevent them from being harmed. Moreover, more details from The New York Times declared that the embassy gave the alert following the sexual assault of a U.S. citizen from a certain man on one of the watercraft on Cabbage Beach. Furthermore, the Royal Bahamas Police Force explained that the 26-year-old man was taken into custody as a probable suspect for the Jan. 2 assault. The call for proper regulation and overseeing of jet-ski rentals are being enforced to prevent more citizens, not only the U.S. citizens but other nationalities from being assaulted. The insufficient regulations being enforced by the government of Bahamas is leading to the escalating crimes related to jet-ski operators. The weak policies are the main culprit behind the escalating assaults in the region. In addition, the embassy uttered similar worries last year regarding jet-ski operators, including the escalating crimes in the Bahamas, as cited by Fox News. Despite the warnings being rendered, Bahamas remains as one of the most sought after island to rest and seek solace. The Bahamas is noted for its beautiful beaches, calming environment and serene places. Although warnings have been issued, travelling to Bahamas is not hindered nor prohibited. However, proper caution is mandated by the embassy for all of its citizens. Four Minors in Central African Region (CAR) were allegedly sexually abused by the United Nations troops for peacekeeping in Bangui. UN peacekeeping is now having an investigation about the matter. According to The Guardian, new allegations of sexual abuse to minors are being thrown at UN peacekeepers in CAR. A UN spokesperson said that they received a claim of the abuse on Monday and asked for further investigations from the countries where the troops were gathered. The countries weren't named and according to the UN rule, it is up to the countries' law as to what punishments will the accused soldiers receive. Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for the UN secretary general, did not also state how many soldiers were involved in the said case. Reuters reported that international panels not related to UN were accusing them and some of its agencies of mishandling accusations of child sexual abuse in 2013 and 2014 by international peacekeepers in Central African Republic last month. The mission in CAR, also known as MINUSCA is investigating the new claims. Head of MINUSCA, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, had meetings with U.N. human rights office in Geneva and discussed ways of fighting sexual abuse. To stop the abuses, the head likes to form a police brigade that would identify perpetrators. On Tuesday, UN Security Council discussed the new scandal in a closed-door meeting encouraging actions to stop the repeated cases. France24 said many of the ambassadors from different countries are sick and tired of the issue. After the meeting, New Zealand's Ambassador Gerard van Bohemen told reporters that, calls are there for the council to be given definite information about what is going on in reply to these accusations. This month, Uruguay's ambassador, Elbio Rosselli, president of the Security Council said that as a troop contributor, his country expected "zero tolerance" of sexual abuse. MINUSCA head Onanga-Anyanga said, "There is no place in U.N. peacekeeping for those who betray the trust of the people we are here to help." Just last year, UN was faced with a news about UN peacekeepers who engaged in "transactional sex" with hundreds of women in Haiti and elsewhere, in exchange for food and medication. There were reports too that French and African troops in CAR had forced children to do sexual acts in return for food. On Tuesday, the government of Algeria released a new draft constitution that would limit the future presidents to two terms and recognizing the head of the state to consult on naming prime minsters. The amendment also pushes Amazigh to be the official language of the government. Published in a state media, Algeria's new constitution is part of a reform promised by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and his government after the Arab Spring uprising in neighboring countries back in 2011. The change would require a parliamentary majority to name a prime minister and there's a need to recognize the language used by Berber minorities as official. The official language of the Algeria is called Amazigh or Tamazight, and it is included in the draft in a move hailed by activists who wanted recognition for years now. It stresses that Arabic would remain the official government language and that it should not be tainted by any foreign text. Re-elected in April 2014, President Bouteflika promised the public a number of changes or amendments in the government. The amendments was guaranteed to solidify democracy in the energy-rich North African state. Since its independence from France in 1962, the state has been mostly governed by the ruling of Algeria's army and nationalist group, the Front de liberation nationale (FLN). The government's detractors have said that despite the elections, the politics in Algeria still remains dominated by opaque negotiations between army generals and FLN elite who compete for power and influence. This leaves the opposition parties with little power to exercise authority and start government projects. Cabinet director Ahmed Ouyahia have presented to the reporters the new reforms and it's expected to be submitted to parliament for approval this month. The cabinet director said that about 70% of those amendments reflects collective proposals from parties who took part. Number of analysts say that the amendments may also aimed at facilitating a stable transition of power if Bouteflika decides to step down from the presidency. It has been known that after the dramatic collapse of world oil, Algeria's government faced severe economic challenges. The authorities cut down national budget spending due to economic crisis, and every citizen is hopeful that this new draft constitution will bring about progress in Algeria. Hyundai teases Ioniq; reports claim Prius-fighting fuel efficiency Jan 6, 2016, 2:37pm ET The company is already taking pre-orders for Korean customers, with deliveries slated to begin later this year. Hyundai has released a handful of teaser sketches detailing the upcoming Ioniq's interior styling. Exterior bodywork has already been revealed in recent camouflage-free spy photos. Its aerodynamic hatchback profile is close to that of rival hybrids, including the Toyota Prius and Chevrolet Volt. A hexagonal grille and other styling cues are consistent with Hyundai's latest design language. The interior sketches show a simple layout with a relatively modest touchscreen between the center air vents. A flat-bottom steering wheel aims to add a bit of sportiness to the layout. Hyundai promises the Ioniq will be offered with three efficient and ultra-low emission powertrain options, ranging from pure electric to light hybrid and plug-in hybrid. The company has set an ambitious goal of achieving the the highest fuel efficiency of any hybrid globally. A Hyundai-Blog report spotted by WorldCarFans suggests the KDM light hybrid could receive a 53 mpg (22.5 km/l) combined rating. The Korea numbers do not necessarily reflect US EPA estimates, though it does appear to beat the Prius' 49 mpg (21 km/l) combined rating in the market. Additional details will be announced at the Ioniq's formal debut in Korea later this month, ahead of a US debut at the New York auto show in March. A Hanover Township man beat another man with a glass beer bottle because he believed the victim cut a long bathroom line at a city bar and restaurant, police say. Matthias Ridder Nassry, 39, of the 1300 block of Oakwood Drive, is accused of following the male victim into a bathroom about 1:30 a.m. Dec. 19 at Bethlehem Social, 217 Broadway. Police say Nassry repeatedly struck the man with a beer bottle because he believed the victim cut his turn in the line to use the bathroom, court records filed by police say. When an officer arrived at the scene, there was blood inside Broadway Social on the walls and floor. The victim had a large gash wound on his neck, as well as ear and cheek injuries, and was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Police seized video surveillance footage from the business, which showed Nassry attacking the victim and then fleeing. Nassry on Dec. 28 provided police with a statement, allegedly admitting to the assault and that it was the result of a dispute in the bathroom line. Police say this isn't Nassry's first brush with law enforcement. He has past arrests for drug violations, simple assault, reckless endangerment and making terroristic threats. Nassry is charged with felony aggravated assault and felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was arraigned before District Judge James Narlesky, who set bail at $100,000. In lieu of bail, Nassry was taken to Northampton County Prison, but has since bonded out. He couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday morning. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. A personality on Howard Stern's Sirius XM channel died in Bethlehem "a few days before Christmas," according to a report. Riley Martin's longtime producer on Tuesday night confirmed the death to tmz.com, but wouldn't give a cause. "Martin famously claimed the Biaviian alien race abducted him several times," tmz.com reports. "He stuck to his guns about that every time Howard, or anyone else, grilled him about it." The Howard Stern Show on Wednesday posted a statement on its website about the 69-year-old's death. "Specifics on the cause of Riley's death are still unclear, but he had recently been experiencing 'significant health issues,'" the statement says. Lehigh County Coroner Scott Grim said his office did not investigate Martin's death. Northampton County Coroner Zachary Lysek did not immediately respond to a media inquiry about the death. Bethlehem has a footprint in both counties so one of the two coroners would be responsible for determining the cause and manner of death. The tmz.com report and other media reports did not give an exact time, date and location of death. Fans, colleagues and celebrities reacted somberly to the news on social media. RIP to the OG Space Cowboy, Friend Martin...#nomorefoodpoisoning pic.twitter.com/srKiHnDCQN Mark McGrath (@mark_mcgrath) January 6, 2016 In a just universe, Riley Martin is floating off on the mothership. Gonna miss him and things of that nature. @sternshow #RIPRileyMartin Brian Q Quinn (@BQQuinn) January 6, 2016 Mourning the passing of Riley Martin. May he rest in peace with the Beavians. #stern show jason alexander (@IJasonAlexander) January 6, 2016 Martin hosted his own show on Stern's channel from 2006 until 2015. He also regularly appeared on Stern's flagship show. "The subject matter for Martin's show often revolved around his alleged personal experiences with extraterrestrial beings, specifically an alien race known as the Biaviians," the statement says. "In 1990, Martin penned his book 'The Coming of Tan,' which outlined his incredible account of being abducted by the Biaviians in 1953 at the age of 7. "The leader of the Biaviians, O-Qua Tangin Wann (also known as Tan), is listed as a co-author of that book." Nick Falsone may be reached at nfalsone@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickfalsone. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. UPDATE: 'We're in complete support,' bank CEO says of charged exec An executive in line to take over as CEO of Merchants Bank was more than four times over the legal limit for driving when she crashed into two vehicles last month in Palmer Township and fled, according to police. Tracey S. Smith, 54, of Stroudsburg, is charged with drunken driving, leaving an accident involving damage to an attended vehicle, failing to give information and render aid, and motor vehicle violations that include careless driving and driving on the left side of roads. Palmer Township police on Wednesday said Smith's blood-alcohol content was 0.36 after a series of crashes that happened about 5:10 p.m. Dec. 23. Penalties in Pennsylvania begin at .08. Smith, the chief operating officer of Bangor-based Merchants Bank, is to become CEO later this year, bank officials previously said. She did not immediately return a voicemail for comment Wednesday and declined comment Monday, when police identified her in a news release as the motorist who struck two cars, two mailboxes and a wooden post early that evening. Police said Smith was northbound in a 2014 Audi that struck a southbound vehicle head-on in the 900 block of Greenhill Avenue. Erica Koplin, the driver of the other vehicle, went to ask Smith if she was OK and Smith backed up and drove away down Greenhill Avenue, according to a police affidavit. Smith's Audi then hit another vehicle traveling in the 2000 block of Edgewood Avenue a short distance away, police say. Prior to the second crash, a township officer was already at the scene investigating the first crash and found property damage, including two struck mailboxes and a wooden post, in the 900 block of Chelsea Street and the 900 block of Greenhill Avenue. Another officer was called to the second crash and quickly learned Smith was the same driver involved in both accidents, the affidavit said. Police say Smith was unable to find her driver's license, registration or insurance papers. She then told the officer she "messed up" and was "drinking at a party after work," according to the affidavit. Police said Smith had trouble keeping her balance. After a breath test revealed the presence of alcohol, she was arrested by township police and taken to the Easton DUI Center for a blood test, the court records say. No injuries were reported in any of the crashes, according to police. Smith did not make an appearance in court Wednesday; police said she was mailed a summons. She joined Merchants Bank in 2002 and was promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer in April 2013. Last September, bank officials announced CEO Anthony J. Biondi would retire June 30 of this year and Smith would be his successor. The move was unanimously approved by the bank's board of directors, officials said then. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Jurors said Tuesday night they need transcripts of testimony to reach a verdict in a Wilson Borough shooting trial. They want a written record of what Tashaun Smith said when he testified against Tchella Bellamy, the defendant. They also want a transcript of a phone conversation Bellamy had with his girlfriend while he was in prison. Then they'll return at 8:45 a.m. Wednesday and resume their deliberations. Bellamy, 20, of Easton, is charged with attempted homicide and aggravated assault for allegedly shooting Shane Walden and Lahteek Smith around 5 p.m. July 20, 2014, on a front porch at 1505 Washington St. Assistant District Attorney Patricia Fuentes Mulqueen's case hinges on the testimony of Tashaun Smith, Lahteek Smith's brother. Tashaun Smith said he saw the shooting through the partially open front door. Bellamy's attorney, James Brose, said Tashaun Smith didn't see anything and fabricated a story. He said Smith can't be trusted due to his criminal record. Jurors deliberated for about two and a half hours before calling it a night around 5:50 p.m. Tuesday. They'll have the transcript of Smith's testimony and the transcribed phone call when they return. In the call, Bellamy appears to express relief that a witness in the case is not cooperating with police. "She did good," Bellamy said. "You can't really get too mad at her. As long as she ain't pointed me out she did good." The jurors will also get a line from a letter Bellamy wrote to a friend while he was in prison. He told the friend, "I'm going to send you everything on whoever in (prison is) ratting." Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook. Northampton County's president judge told the jurors in Tchella Bellamy's shooting trial it's too early to give up. They sent a message to the judge that they were deadlocked. At 1:30 p.m., Judge Stephen Baratta told them "it's a little bit too early to give up on it yet." Bellamy, 20, of Easton, is charged with attempted homicide and aggravated assault for allegedly shooting Shane Walden and Lahteek Smith around 5 p.m. July 20, 2014, on a front porch at 1505 Washington St. in Wilson Borough. The jurors deliberated for about two and a half hours on Tuesday before deciding to go home and sleep on it. They returned at 8:45 a.m., but most of the morning they listened to the attorneys and a law clerk read back testimony given by the key eyewitness, Tashaun Smith. So they only added about an hour of deliberation time Wednesday to the couple hours they spent Tuesday. The prosecution's case hinges on Tashaun Smith's testimony. His brother, Lahteek Smith, was one of the two victims. Tashaun Smith said he watched the shooting through an open door. Defense attorney James Brose said Smith didn't see anything and concocted a story. Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook. An electrical fire was to blame for the smoke condition that prompted an evacuation Tuesday evening at a Palmer Township strip mall, authorities said. The Palmer Municipal Fire Department responded about 4:30 p.m. to William Penn Plaza at William Penn Highway and Greenwood Avenue, after two adjacent businesses reported smelling wood burning. By about 6:30 p.m., investigators had traced the source of the odor to an electrical fire behind the sign for Lehigh Valley Dry Cleaning. The shop is a few stores south of AccuCare Chiropractic and Chrissy's Steak Shop, where employees first reported the odor. Authorities had evacuated all the stores in the plaza, including anchor tenant Weis. The supermarket reopened first, shortly after 6 p.m. following a closure of about a half-hour. Firefighters searched for the source of the smoke from atop the roofs of stores, aided by ladder trucks brought in by Palmer Municipal and Nancy Run Volunteer Fire Co. in neighboring Bethlehem Township. Other firefighters climbed ladders to probe the drop ceiling above sidewalks lining the shops. "Initially we couldn't find it," Palmer Township fire Assistant Chief Mike Mancino said of the source of the smoke. "We were searching all the stores." By 6:40 p.m., investigators had traced the smoke to the dry cleaner's sign, which had burned wood behind the facade, Mancino said. Power was cut to sign before a firefighter standing on a ladder pried away some of the sign's letters, then cut into the aluminum facade to access the fire so it could be doused, township fire Marshal Jim Alercia said. By then, all the businesses were allowed to resume operating except the dry cleaner. An employee of Lehigh Valley Dry Cleaning was among those forced to stand outside as temperatures plunged well below freezing after nightfall. She said she hadn't smelled any smoke while working. No one was injured in the incident, Alercia said. Wiring for the sign had burned into wooden cross beans inside the soffit overhanging the dry cleaner, he said. "A large burn pattern, along with heavy charring allows us to believe that the wood paneling was burning for some time, possibly since overnight," Alercia said in a news release. "It wasn't until the adjoining businesses began smelling smoke inside their establishments, that somebody was alerted that there was a problem." In addition to Palmer Municipal and Nancy Run, responders included the Bethlehem Township Volunteer Fire Co.; Hanover Township, Northampton County, Volunteer Fire Co.; Safety First Volunteer Fire Co. from West Easton; Williams Township Fire Co.; Easton Emergency Squad; Suburban EMS; and Palmer Township Police Department. Firefighters cleared the scene shortly before 7:30 p.m. Lehigh Valley Dry Cleaning has the township's OK to open for business as normal Wednesday, Alercia said. He said he and township code officials would meet with the business owner and landlord Wednesday to determine damages and check for any electrical issues at the other stores. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. A Northampton County Prison inmate is accused of punching a corrections officer 10 to 15 times as the officer attempted to restrain him, according to court records. Robert Glenn Salley, 28, formerly of Newark, New Jersey, at 4:15 p.m. on Nov. 6 allegedly struck Officer James Ricker. Court records say the assault caused both men to fall against a set of cement steps, causing Ricker to suffer a facial cut and a bruise to his left eye. He also suffered from a sore jaw, according to court records. Ricker later that day went to Easton Hospital for treatment of the injuries. A witness reported to prison staff seeing Salley strike the officer 10 to 15 times. Salley is charged with felony aggravated assault, misdemeanor simple assault and summary conspiracy. Salley was arraigned before District Judge Antonia Grifo, who set bail at $50,000. The judge ordered Salley to submit to random drug testing, enroll in Pretrial Services and undergo a mental health evaluation. The judge allowed 10 percent of $50,000 bail if Pretrial Services approved it. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Willie Rennie put in a strong first day at work and set out the ideas on which the Scottish Liberal Democrats will fight the election in just 4 months time. He firstly intervened on the First Minister whose government promised to give 27% of 2 year olds nursery education. Theyve managed barely half that. Before the First Minister moves on from education, new official Government figures show that only 7 per cent of two-year-olds are receiving nursery education. The First Ministers promise was that 27 per cent would. How can she talk about a revolution in education and in childcare when she cannot even meet her timid plans? His main speech was just the right balance of setting out the Lib Dem positive vision and holding the government to account, showing how their promises have not been borne out by the reality. And given that weve been better than anyone else these last five years at holding the SNP to account and forcing changes in policy, thats fair enough. First though, he had a go at Conservative leader Ruth Davidson who had talked about the Government needing opposition, before going on to attack the Labour opposition: That was an astonishing speech from the leader of the Conservative Party, who said that we must hold the Government to account then proceeded to attack the Opposition. The SNP ministers must be quaking in their boots at such logic. You can read Willies whole speech here, but listed below are some of the highlights: Four key liberal values I will set out why four key liberal values should be at the heart of the next parliamentary session. They are that every individual should be free to achieve their potential, that we should stand with the weak against the strong, that power is safer when it is shared and that we are trustees of the world and must pass on a sustainable legacy. Freedom Our traditional Scottish freedoms must be protected, whether that relates to the excessive use of stop and search, armed police or an identity super database. We must also bring an end to stripping power from communities and hoarding it in Edinburgh. That is why we support a reform programme that includes transferring power to communities, protecting our civil liberties and empowering the police, nurses, doctors and teachers to do their jobs. Education Our children and young people deserve the best education, so we need to reverse the decline in our once leading education system. That is why we support proper investment, ambitious nursery education expansion and a pupil premium to give every child the chance to get a good job and realise their potential. Therefore, the Government is failing on nursery education. How can we believe any of its promises on a massive expansion of nursery education if it cannot even deliver the timid and pathetic commitment that it has given on two-year-olds? Health People deserve the best healthcare that is available, so we need to reverse the decline in the NHS. That is why we support a step change in mental health services, the recruitment of more general practitioners and social care that meets the needs of our growing elderly population. Caring for the planet The planet must be protected, so we need to end the habit of missing Scotlands climate change targets. That is why we support action on climate change, including warmer homes, better public transport and an end to opencast coal mining. The Lib Dem Record My challenge is that the best way to deliver on those liberal values is to get behind Scotlands liberal force. With only five MSPs in the Parliament, we have achieved much. We have stood up for college places, made and won the case for extending nursery education for two-year- olds and led successful campaigns against unjustified stop and search practices and armed police. We have also championed mental health services, which are often the poor relation in the NHS, and provided the most effective challenge to the Government on Police Scotland. We have provided strong liberal voices. With more MSPs, those voices will be much louder. The Positive Lib Dem Plan Therefore, the Government is failing on nursery education. How can we believe any of its promises on a massive expansion of nursery education if it cannot even deliver the timid and pathetic commitment that it has given on two-year-olds? Let us contrast that with the Liberal Democrat plan for education for our children that is the best in the world again, for an NHS that delivers the best available care, for an environment programme to protect our planet and for a reform programme to return to traditional Scottish freedoms. * Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page. Reconstructions of Acanthoteuthis, based on two fossils indicating different fin sizes. The anatomical illustration is based on the preserved parts in the specimen with small fins (specimen ID: SMNS 67751). Three extremely rare fossil specimens of an extinct squidlike animal provide new evidence of the 10-armed creature's body structure and suggest that it may have been a swift swimmer, a new study finds. The fossils represent Acanthoteuthis, a genus of squid relatives that lived during the Jurassic period and measured between 9.8 and 15.7 inches (25 and 40 centimeters) long. What makes the specimens so exceptional is their preservation of soft body parts like the animals' fins and feeding structures, which are usually lost to time. Now, an analysis of the new material reveals never-before-seen organs, offering scientists their first glimpse of features that suggest how Acanthoteuthis may have lived, millions of years ago. Acanthoteuthis is a cephalopod, part of the ocean-dwelling group that includes modern octopus, squid and cuttlefish, with an evolutionary history spanning 500 million years. But even though cephalopods have been around for a long time, unlike many other extinct animals, they don't leave much of themselves behind in the fossil record. Their soft bodies don't preserve well, and the isolated bits that do fossilize tell only a partial story of what the living animal might have looked like. [See Photos of a Vampire Squid from Hell] Acanthoteuthis belongs to a group of cephalopods called belemnites, which are particularly abundant in the fossil record or at least a small part of them is. Belemnites had tough internal shells capped by hard parts called "rostra," which preserve well, as roughly bullet-shaped fossils. Rostra fossils are plentiful, and marks on them can even reveal traces of where the belemnites' fins attached to the mantle, the cone-shaped, muscular part of the body that forces water through a siphon for jet-propelled swimming. Making an impression So what kept these specimens in such good condition and preserved so much of their bodies? Christian Klug, co-author of the new study and a curator at the Paleontological Institute and Museum at the University of Zurich, said the reason had to do with the site in Solnhofen, Germany, where the fossils were found. "Solnhofen and its surroundings are world-renowned for exceptionally preserved fossils," Klug told Live Science in an email. "These fossils were embedded in fine-grained sediments in more-or-less quiet water lagoons between coral reefs. Additionally, microbial mats stabilized the sediments, guaranteeing perfectly flat bedding." Rapid burial and certain chemical conditions in the soil would also have played a part in the preservation, Klug added. The discoveries of the well-preserved Acanthoteuthis specimens were certainly very special, and Klug and his colleagues were eager to see what the fossils might reveal. "Since we knew that the material was important, we figured we should get the most out of it," he said. Synchrotron scanning, a powerful X-ray technique frequently used to visualize delicate fossils, yielded disappointing results that were too low-contrast to reveal much detail, Klug said. So they turned to ultraviolet (UV) imaging. Klug said study co-author Helmut Tischlinger's expertise with UV photography was a vital part of the process, sometimes taking days of experimentation with different filters to get the images just right. His efforts revealed morphological details that were previously invisible. [Images: 'Kraken' Trolled the Triassic Seas] Tischlinger's UV images showed the hyponome, a funnel that directs the water jets from Acanthoteuthis' mantle cavity; the esophagus; and statocysts, which are sensory organs responsible for maintaining balance and detecting movement and change in direction. Ultraviolet image of an Acanthoteuthis specimen. The brightest areas show phosphatized (fossilized) soft parts, while the blue areas represent fossilized shell material. (Image credit: Helmut Tischlinger) A strong swimmer Two other details the collar, and mantle structures made from cartilage were especially important, Klug said, because they provide clues about the swimming abilities of Acanthoteuthis. Generally speaking, Acanthoteuthis' fins and bullet-shaped body, much like modern squids', suggest that it would be a good swimmer, rather than relying on ocean currents to carry it where it needed to go. But the structures revealed in the UV photos indicate a muscular mantle and cartilage support system that would have strengthened the connection between the mantle and the water jet and head, and would be directly involved in rapid swimming, Klug said. Other structural evidence suggested to the researchers which ocean depths Acanthoteuthis could have inhabited. Calcified structures in the statocysts the balance-managing sense organs resembled structures found in pelagic squid, which occupy the water column, the part of the ocean between the bottom and the shore. The researchers concluded that Acanthoteuthis probably inhabited the same ocean region. "We are unable, however, to determine more precisely in which water depths they lived," Klug told Live Science, adding that they probably couldnt have dived deeper than 219 to 328 yards (200 to 300 meters) below the ocean surface, or the shell chamber inside their mantles would have imploded. The findings were published online Jan. 5 in the journal Biology Letters. Follow Mindy Weisberger on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science. Acupuncture is usually a safe alternative-medicine treatment, but in rare instances, people who receive the needling technique may develop an infection, a new case report suggests. In the case, a 67-year-old man in Australia developed a serious bacterial infection after completing a five-week course of acupuncture aimed at relieving the pain and stiffness from his neck arthritis, also known as cervical spondylosis. After feeling feverish and ill for several days and also experiencing worsening neck pain, the man went to the hospital emergency room to find out what was wrong with him, according to the case report, published online Dec.11 in the journal BMJ Case Reports. Upon examining the man, doctors at Geraldton Regional Hospital in WesternAustralia, noticed that his neck had developed cellulitis, a potentially serious bacterial infection of the skin that can spread rapidly to other parts of the body if not treated promptly. Blood tests and other lab tests confirmed that the man was infected with Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, and an MRI showed he had developed septic arthritis, an extremely painful infection in a joint. The infection occurred in the "atlanto-axial joint," which is found in the upper part of the neck, between the first (topmost) and second vertebrae, and holds the neck in place. [7 Absolutely Horrible Head Infections] But the man's infection began in the skin on his neck, said Dr. Mark Fisher, a rheumatologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston who treats people with arthritis, but was not involved in this case. Any time there is a break in the skin, which the slender acupuncture needles can create, there's a chance for infection, he said. After the Staph bacteria got into the man's bloodstream, the germs traveled and took root in his neck joint, Fisher said. The man developed this bacterial infection because of the acupuncture, Fisher told Live Science. Infection caught early In this man's case, the doctor's diagnosed the infection early, and the man was hospitalized for eight days. He was also given antibiotics intravenously for six weeks, until his infection cleared. If an infection of this type is not caught early, the bacteria can eat away at the bones in the neck and damage them, Fisher said. Such damage may cause too much movement around the joint, and put pressure on the spinal cord, he explained. "An infection like this can spread rapidly," Fisher said. According to the case report, local public-health officials in Australia were informed of the man's infection, and they were sent to review the practices and procedures of the acupuncture clinic where the man was treated. But the investigation found no evidence that the acupuncturist was using unsafe practices, and in fact showed that he was using proper procedures to prevent infection. It seemed that the acupuncturist was doing everything right, and that this infection was really just a case of bad luck, Fisher said. "Even with everything done properly, acupuncture can be a rare cause of infection," he said. Fisher said that the man's original condition, the arthritis in his neck,is more likely to develop as people age, because the structures of the bones and discs in the neck change. There are not many good ways to treat this type of arthritis, Fisher said. He usually recommends that people first try taking acetaminophen or a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, such as ibuprofen. He said he sometimes prescribes a muscle relaxant for people who have muscle spasms. Acupuncture is not the first treatment that Fisher suggests to his patients who have cervical spondylosis, he said, because it's not typically covered by health insurance. But it is on the list of treatments that may work, he said. It's a low-risk intervention that can be helpful for pain relief, although it's hard to study the treatment properly to assess its effectiveness, he said. The procedure that is often used as a placebo in acupuncture studies sham, or fake, acupuncture provides mild benefits to people, so it can be difficult for researchers to show a difference in response between people who receive real and sham acupuncture, Fisher said. "People should be aware that infection is a rare, but sometimes severe complication of acupuncture treatment," Fisher said. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Originally published on Live Science. Here is an artist's rendition of what a close up of the coronavirus looks like. Viruses are microscopic infectious agents that contain genetic material, either DNA or RNA , and must invade a host in order to multiply. Predominantly, viruses are known for causing disease, as they've triggered widespread outbreaks of illness and death throughout human history. Recent examples of virus-driven outbreaks include the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the 2009 swine flu pandemic and the COVID-19 pandemic, which was caused by a coronavirus first identified in late 2019. While such viruses certainly are wily foes for scientists and medical professionals, others of their ilk have been instrumental as research tools that have helped further the understanding of basic cellular processes, such as the mechanics of protein synthesis, and of viruses themselves. Related: 20 of the worst epidemics and pandemics in history How were viruses discovered? Toward the end of the 19th century, the notion that microorganisms, especially bacteria , could cause disease was well established, according to the Smithsonian Magazine (opens in new tab). However, researchers looking into a troubling disease in tobacco plants named tobacco mosaic disease were somewhat stumped as to its cause, according to " Discoveries in Plant Biology (opens in new tab)" (World Publishing Co., 1998). In an 1886 research paper titled "Concerning the Mosaic Disease of Tobacco," Adolf Mayer, a German chemist and agricultural researcher, published the results of his extensive experiments on tobacco plants affected by the disease, which caused the plants' leaves to break out in dark green, yellow and gray splotches. Mayer found that, when he crushed up infected tobacco leaves and injected the resulting juice into the veins of healthy leaves, the once-healthy leaves developed the speckling and discoloration characteristic of the diseased plants. Mayer correctly surmised that whatever was causing tobacco mosaic disease was in the leafy juice. However, more concrete results eluded him. Based on the previous work of German physician Robert Koch, who discovered the bacteria that causes tuberculosis , Mayer thought he should be able to isolate and grow the pathogen behind tobacco mosaic disease in lab dishes. However, he was unable to isolate the disease-causing agent or identify it under a microscope . Nor could he recreate the disease by injecting healthy plants with a range of known bacteria, according to Smithsonian Magazine. In 1892, a Russian student named Dmitri Ivanovsky (sometimes written as Ivanowski) essentially repeated Mayers juicing experiments but with a bit of a twist. This close up shows a big green leaf that has been infected with the tobacco mosaic virus. (Image credit: Bussakan Punlerdmatee via Shutterstock) According to a 1972 article published in the journal Bacteriological Reviews (opens in new tab), Ivanovsky passed the juice from infected leaves through a Chamberland filter, which is fine enough to capture bacteria and other known microorganisms. Despite the sieving, the liquid filtrate remained infectious, suggesting a new piece to the puzzle: Whatever was causing the disease was small enough to pass through the filter. However, Ivanovsky also concluded that the cause of tobacco mosaic disease was bacterial, suggesting the filtrate "contained either bacteria or a soluble toxin." It wasnt until 1898 that the existence of viruses was acknowledged. Dutch scientist Martinus Beijerinck, while confirming Ivanovskys results, suggested that the cause of tobacco mosaic disease was not bacterial but a "contagium vivum fluidum," or a contagious living fluid, according to "Discoveries in Plant Biology." He referred to this fluid as "virus," for short, derived from the Latin word for liquid poison, according to Smithsonian Magazine. The experiments of Mayer, Ivanovsky, Beijerinck and others that followed only pointed to the existence of viruses; it would take a few more decades before anyone actually saw a virus. In 1935, chemist Wendell M. Stanley crystallized a sample of the tobacco mosaic virus such that the pathogen could be seen on X-ray, according to Smithsonian Magazine. However, it wasn't until 1939 that the first clear snapshots of the unaltered virus could be captured. This feat was made possible by the invention of the electron microscope, an instrument that uses beams of negatively charged particles to produce images of extremely small objects, according to a 2009 article published in the journal Clinical Microbiology Reviews (opens in new tab). How big are viruses? How much smaller are most viruses in comparison to bacteria? Quite a bit. With a diameter of 220 nanometers, the measles virus is about eight times smaller than Escherichia coli bacteria; for reference, one nanometer is equal to 0.000000039 inches. At 45 nm, the hepatitis virus is about 40 times smaller than E. coli. For a sense of how small this is, David R. Wessner, a professor of biology at Davidson College, provides an analogy in a 2010 article published in the journal Nature Education (opens in new tab): The poliovirus, 30 nm across, is about 10,000 times smaller than a grain of salt. Although most viruses are considerably smaller than bacteria, in the 1990s, scientists uncovered humongous viruses that rivaled bacteria in size, according to the Nature Education report. This digitally-colorized image shows the H1N1 influenza virus under a transmission electron microscope. In 2009, this virus (then called the swine flu) caused a pandemic, and is thought to have killed 200,000 people worldwide. (Image credit: National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)) In 1992, scientists discovered bacteria-like structures within some amoebas from a water-cooling tower. A later analysis of the bacteria-like entities, published in 2003, revealed that these strange structures weren't bacteria at all, but were actually giant viruses. The researchers named the huge virus Acanthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus (APMV). After the discovery of APMV, which measures 750 nm in diameter, researchers found more large viruses, including a second strain of APMV dubbed "mamavirus," according to the Nature Education report. To date, there are four known giant virus families: Mollivirus, Megavirus, Pithovirus and Pandoravirus. Giant viruses have been found in exotic environments, from melting permafrost in Siberia to the depths of the Antarctic ocean, and have mostly been found to infect amoebas and phytoplankton, although lab studies hint that they could also infect animal cells. Research suggests that giant viruses may invent genes and proteins found nowhere else on Earth, and that they spew out these genes through a star-shaped gate on their surfaces. Are viruses alive? Viruses teeter on the boundaries of what is considered life. On one hand, viruses contain either DNA or RNA, the nucleic acids found in all living organisms. On the other hand, viruses lack the capacity to independently read and act upon the information contained within those nucleic acids; for this reason, viruses aren't considered "alive." Related: Are viruses alive? How are viruses structured? An illustrated diagram showing the structures of the four different types of viruses. (Image credit: VectorMine via Shutterstock) When a virus is completely assembled and capable of infection, it is known as a virion. According to " Medical Microbiology (opens in new tab)" (University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 1996), simple virions contain an inner nucleic acid core surrounded by an outer casing of proteins known as the capsid. Capsids protect viral nucleic acids from being chewed up and destroyed by special enzymes in the host cell called nucleases. Some viruses have a second protective layer known as the envelope. This layer is usually derived from the cell membrane of a host; little stolen bits that are modified and repurposed for the virus to use. The DNA or RNA found in the inner core constitutes the virus's genome, or the sum total of its genetic information. Viral genomes are generally small in size, coding only for essential proteins such as capsid proteins, enzymes and proteins necessary for replication within a host cell. However, giant virus genomes can be much, much larger than those of typical viruses. For example, APMV carries approximately 1.2 million base pairs in its genome, where each "base pair" is one rung in the twisted ladder of DNA. The poliovirus genome, by comparison, is only 7,500 nucleotides long and the smallpox virus genome is 200,000 nucleotides long, according to the Nature Education report. How do viruses work? A virus requires a host cell to replicate, or make more copies of itself, said Jaquelin Dudley, a professor of molecular biosciences at the University of Texas at Austin. "The virus cannot reproduce itself outside the host because it lacks the complicated machinery that a [host] cell possesses," she told Live Science. The host cell's cellular machinery allows viruses to produce RNA from their DNA (a process called transcription) and to build proteins based on the instructions encoded in their RNA (a process called translation). Therefore, the primary role of a virus is to "deliver its DNA or RNA genome into the host cell so that the genome can be expressed (transcribed and translated) by the host cell," according to "Medical Microbiology." First, viruses break into the host cell, which may be part of a larger organism, in the case of animals and humans. Respiratory passages and open wounds can act as gateways for viruses into the body. And sometimes, insects provide the mode of entry; certain viruses will hitch a ride in an insects saliva and enter the hosts body after the insect bites. According to " Molecular Biology of the Cell" (opens in new tab) (Garland Science, 2002), such viruses can replicate inside both insect and host cells, ensuring a smooth transition from one to the other. Examples of such pathogens include the viruses that cause yellow fever (opens in new tab) and dengue fever (opens in new tab). Once inside an organism, viruses will then attach themselves to the surface of host cells. They do so by recognizing and binding to cell surface receptors, or proteins that stick off the cell surface; proteins on the viral surface fit onto these receptors like interlocking puzzle pieces. Many different viruses can bind to the same receptor and a single virus can bind different cell surface receptors. While viruses use them to their advantage, cell surface receptors are actually designed to serve the cell. After a virus binds to the surface of the host cell, it can start to move across the outer covering or membrane of the host cell. There are many different modes of entry. HIV , a virus with an envelope, fuses with the host cell membrane and is pushed through. Another enveloped virus, the influenza virus, is engulfed by the cell. Some non-enveloped viruses, such as the poliovirus, create a porous channel of entry and burrow through the membrane, according to "Molecular Biology of the Cell." Once inside the host cell, viruses disrupt or hijack various parts of the cellular machinery inside. Viral genomes direct host cells to produce viral proteins, and this often halts the synthesis of any RNA and proteins that the host cell can use for its own purposes. Originally published on Live Science. This article was updated on May 13, 2022 by Live Science contributor Nicoletta Lanese. New discoveries Additional resources Read about the multitude of viruses that exist inside and all around us in Carl Zimmer's book " A Planet of Viruses (opens in new tab) ." ." Find out what would happen if all the viruses in the world vanished in this SciShow video (opens in new tab) . . Read " Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic (opens in new tab) " by David Quammen to learn about deadly viral diseases that have jumped from animals to humans. Bibliography Alberts, B., Johnson, A., Lewis, J., Raff, M., Roberts, K., & Walter, P. (2002). Cell Biology of Infection. In Molecular Biology of the Cell (4th ed.). essay, Garland Science. Gelderblom, H. R. (1996). Structure and Classification of Viruses. In Medical Microbiology (4th ed.). essay, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Goldsmith, C. S., & Miller, S. E. (2009). Modern Uses of Electron Microscopy for Detection of Viruses. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 22(4), 552563. https://doi.org/10.1128/cmr.00027-09 (opens in new tab) Lechevalier, H. (1972). Dmitri Iosifovich Ivanovski (1864-1920). Bacteriological Reviews, 36(2), 135145. https://doi.org/10.1128/br.36.2.135-145.1972 (opens in new tab) Machemer, T. (2020, March 24). How a Few Sick Tobacco Plants Led Scientists to Unravel the Truth About Viruses. Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved May 12, 2022, from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-are-viruses-history-tobacco-mosaic-disease-180974480/ (opens in new tab) Wessner, D. R. (2010). Discovery of the Giant Mimivirus. Nature Education, 3(9). https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/discovery-of-the-giant-mimivirus-14402410/ (opens in new tab) Zaitlin, M. (1998). The Discovery of the Causal Agent of the Tobacco Mosaic Disease. In Discoveries in Plant Biology (pp. 105110). essay, World Publishing Co. A researcher puts a tagged leopard shark into the water. Although smell is likely important in ocean navigation, sharks probably also use other senses, such as sight or magnetic or electrical senses, to determine where they're going, the researchers suggest. Sharks may use their keen sense of smell to navigate the vast ocean, a new study finds. Researchers made the finding after catching leopard sharks (Triakis semifasciata), transporting them about 6 miles (9 kilometers) away from shore and stuffing some of the sharks' noses with Vaseline-soaked cotton. The scientists then released the sharks and tracked whether those with an impaired sense of smell had trouble finding their way back to shore. The result? The sharks with nose plugs appeared lost, while those without stuffed noses were able to orient themselves to be homeward bound. [See Photos of the Researchers Tagging Leopard Sharks] "We basically kidnapped these sharks from their home and confused them for an hour on the way out," said study lead researcher Andrew Nosal, a postdoctoral researcher at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Birch Aquarium in California. "Yet, within 30 minutes of being released in the middle of the ocean a place that they had probably never been they [those without nose plugs] knew exactly where shore was, which was really neat." After placing an acoustic tracker on each of the 26 leopard sharks, the researchers dropped the sharks off at a location 6 miles from shore. (Image credit: Kyle McBurnie) It's common knowledge that sharks are excellent navigators, often swimming along straight paths toward a target, but it's unclear what senses such as sight, smell, or even electric or magnetic senses help the animals plot a course, Nosal said. However, there are clues that sharks rely heavily on smell. For instance, the olfactory bulb in the shark brain is larger in shark species that have higher navigational demands, Nosal said. To investigate, he and his colleagues used baited hooks to capture 26 female leopard sharks off the coast of La Jolla in Southern California. Then, the researchers put the sharks in a holding tank on their boat, and covered it with a tarp so the sharks couldn't track their whereabouts using the sun. The researchers then drove about 6 miles offshore to a specific point. They did the upmost to confuse the sharks, and all of their senses, traveling in random figure eights and hanging a strong magnet in the middle of the boat that spun randomly just in case the sharks were relying on magnetic signals to determine the location, Nosal said. Eleven of the sharks received nose plugs, and 15 received no plugs. (It's easy to plug a shark's nose simply flip it on its back to calm it down, and stuff in the cotton, Nosal said.) Because sharks breathe through their gills, not their noses, the temporary plugs didn't limit the animals' oxygen intake, said Jelle Atema, a professor of biology at Boston University Marine Program, who was not involved in the study. Homeward bound Before releasing the sharks, the researchers equipped each animal with an acoustic tag that stayed on the shark for 4 hours. On average, the sharks without the nose plugs made it about two-thirds of the way back home within the 4 hours, the researchers found. Study lead researcher Andrew Nosal, a postdoctoral researcher at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Birch Aquarium, holds a leopard shark. Most of the sharks without plugged noses oriented themselves within about 30 minutes, and then swam in straight lines back to shore. (Image credit: Andrew Nosal) "Amazingly, the sharks that could smell just fine, they basically found their way straight back to shore upon being released," Nosal said. In contrast, the sharks with plugged noses made it only about one-third of the way home within the 4 hours, and their routes were more windy and random, he said. [8 Weird Facts About Sharks] "These results demonstrate that olfaction contributes to shark navigation," Nosal said. "[But] it's clearly not the only sense they're using," because the sharks with plugged noses still managed to somewhat swim toward shore. "That suggests that although olfaction appears to be important, it's not the only sense," Nosal said. "Future work will have to try to figure out the cues that they're using, other than smell, to find their way back." The research is "a well-done study," Atema told Live Science. "We can conclude that these coastal sharks can come home over a 9-km distance normally, but if you plug their nose, they are really hampered," Atema said. The study raises more questions, including whether there is a chemical gradient in the water that the sharks use to smell their way home, Atema said. It's also possible that sharks don't rely much on smell, but that the act of losing their smelling ability throws them, which could explain their aimless swimming, he said. The study was published online today (Jan. 6) in the journal PLOS ONE. Follow Laura Geggel on Twitter @LauraGeggel. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science. This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Once the three-billion-letter-long human genome was sequenced, we rushed into a new omics era of biological research. Scientists are now racing to sequence the genomes (all the genes) or proteomes (all the proteins) of various organisms and in the process are compiling massive amounts of data. For instance, a scientist can use omics tools such as DNA sequencing to tease out which human genes are affected in a viral flu infection. But because the human genome has at least 25,000 genes in total, the number of genes altered even under such a simple scenario could potentially be in the thousands. Although sequencing and identifying genes and proteins gives them a name and a place, it doesnt tell us what they do. We need to understand how these genes, proteins and all the stuff in between interact in different biological processes. Today, even basic experiments yield big data, and one of the biggest challenges is disentangling the relevant results from background noise. Computers are helping us overcome this data mountain; but they can even go a step further than that, helping us come up with scientific hypotheses and explain new biological processes. Data science, in essence, enables cutting-edge biological research. Computers to the rescue Computers are uniquely qualified to handle massive data sets since they can simultaneously keep track of all the important conditions necessary for the analysis. Though they could reflect human errors theyre programmed with, computers can deal with large amounts of data efficiently and they arent biased toward the familiar, as human investigators might be. Computers can also be taught to look for specific patterns in experimental data sets a concept termed machine learning, first proposed in the 1950s, most notably by mathematician Alan Turing. An algorithm that has learned the patterns from data sets can then be asked to make predictions based on new data its never encountered before. Machine learning has revolutionized biological research since we can now utilize big data sets and ask computers to help understand the underlying biology. Left: Neurons as drawn circa 1899 by Santiago Ramon y Cajal, the father of neuroscience. Right: Schematic representation of an artificial neural network. Training computers to think by simulating brain processes Weve used one interesting type of machine learning, called an artificial neural network (ANN), in our own lab. Brains are highly interconnected networks of neurons, which communicate by sending electric pulses through the neural wiring. Similarly, an ANN simulates in the computer a network of neurons as they turn on and off in response to other neurons' signals. By applying algorithms that mimic the processes of real neurons, we can make the network learn to solve many types of problems. Google uses a powerful ANN for its now famous Deep Dream project where computers can classify and even create images. Viruses have distinct patterns on their surfaces that our immune systems want to read and act on. (Image credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, CC BY) Our group studies the immune system, with the goal of figuring out new therapies for cancer. Weve used ANN computational models to study short surface protein-codes our immune cells use to determine whether something is foreign to our body and thus should be attacked. If we understand more about how our immune cells (such as T-cells) differentiate between normal/self and abnormal/foreign cells, we can design better vaccines and therapies. We scoured publicly available catalogs of thousands of protein-codes identified by researchers over the years. We divided this big data set into two: normal self-protein codes derived from healthy human cells, and abnormal protein-codes derived from viruses, tumors and bacteria. Then we turned to an artificial neural network developed in our lab. Once we fed the protein-codes into the ANN, the algorithm was able to identify fundamental differences between normal and abnormal protein-codes. It would be tough for people to keep track of these kinds of biological phenomena there are literally thousands of these protein codes to analyze in the big data set. It takes a machine to wrangle these complex problems and define new biology. Predictions via machine learning The most important application of machine learning in biology is its utility in making predictions based on big data. Computer-based predictions can make sense of big data, test hypotheses and save precious time and resources. No need for Nostradamus and his predictions; we have computers now. (Image credit: Cesar de Nostredame) For instance, in our field of T-cell biology, knowing which viral protein-codes to target is critical in developing vaccines and treatments. But there are so many individual protein-codes from any given virus that its very expensive and difficult to experimentally test each one. Instead, we trained the artificial neural network to help the machine learn all the important biochemical characteristics of the two types of protein-codes normal versus abnormal. Then we asked the model to predict which new viral protein codes resemble the abnormal category and could be seen by T-cells and thus, the immune system. We tested the ANN model on different virus proteins that have never been studied before. Sure enough, like a diligent student eager to please the teacher, the neural network was able to accurately identify the majority of such T-cell-activating protein-codes within this virus. We also experimentally tested the protein codes it flagged to validate the accuracy of the ANNs predictions. Using this neural network model, a scientist can thus rapidly predict all the important short protein-codes from a harmful virus and test them to develop a treatment or a vaccine, instead of guessing and testing them individually. Implementing machine learning wisely Thanks to constant refining, big data science and machine learning are increasingly becoming indispensable for any kind of scientific research. The possibilities for using computers to train and predict in biology are almost endless. From figuring out which combination of biomarkers are best for detecting a disease to understanding why only some patients benefit from a particular cancer treatment, mining big data sets using computers has become a valuable route for research. Of course, there are limitations. The biggest problem with big data science is the data themselves. If data obtained by -omics studies are faulty to begin with, or based on shoddy science, the machines will get trained on bad data leading to poor predictions. The student is only as good as the teacher. Because computers are not sentient (yet), they can in their quest for patterns come up with them even when none exist, giving rise again, to bad data and nonreproducible science. And some researchers have raised concerns about computers becoming black boxes of data for scientists who dont clearly understand the manipulations and machinations they carry out on their behalf. In spite of these problems, the benefits of big data and machines will continue to make them valuable partners in scientific research. With caveats in mind, we are uniquely poised to understand biology through the eyes of a machine. Sri Krishna, PhD Candidate, Biological Design, School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, Arizona State University and Diego Chowell, PhD Student in Applied Mathematics, Arizona State University This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates and become part of the discussion on Facebook, Twitter and Google +. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. This version of the article was originally published on Live Science. The chambers BIE Committee held the first chamber committee meeting of 2016 yesterday, as a new year of work has begun. Among other tasks, the BIE Committee guides the Drive for Five workforce initiative, which is still the only comprehensive, community-wide workforce initiative in the state. The most recent project of the Drive for Five was College Week for the Columbus Public Schools. College is an important part of getting the job and income you want, but no college is a one-size-fits-all institution. That is what fourth and fifth-grade students at Lost Creek and Centennial elementary schools learned during their College Week experience. Finding the right fit includes considering price, location, degree or certificate desired, class size, how soon you want to begin working, how much money you hope to earn, and many other important considerations. Activities during college week included a kickoff assembly and pep rally, classroom activities throughout the week, a college pledge, a workbook to help with developing a college and career plan, a college campus tour, visits with college recruiters, Q&A with current and past college students, and a graduation ceremony declaring the students officially college-bound. Judging by the attendance at graduation, the students had great support from parents and grand-parents during this activity! The chamber thanks those who helped make College Week a success. Those partners include the Columbus Public Schools Foundation, Columbus United Federal Credit Union, Easy Screen Printing, Central Community College, Raider Rex, Columbus business community, Nebraska colleges and universities, Education Quest, Columbus High School band, Columbus High School cheerleaders, Lil C, and the Nebraska Extension 4-H Youth Development Program. College Week is one of the projects of the Drive for Fives School-Business Partnership. The partnership brings together Columbus Public Schools and Lakeview Community Schools with the local business community to provide awesome opportunities for our students, while building the future talent pipeline for our employers. We really appreciate the investment these school systems are making in their students through the partnership. The Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce is proud of the partnerships we enjoy with all local educational institutions, public and private. Through those partnerships, the BIE Committee is providing valuable experiences for students and their teachers. Im very confident in saying these are enhancing learning for local students while at the same time building that future talent pipeline. It doesnt get much better than that! K.C. Belitz is president of the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce. To the editor: In my view, the New Years Day letter to the editor by Mr. Pelto about the failings of Humanism exhibited anger and a disconnected consciousness. Many years of teaching U.S. History in college required coverage of comparative religion; consequently, maybe I can assuage some of the writers unwarranted bickering. In his response he avoided my previous message of tolerance, inclusiveness and love for fellow humans. In fact, he seems infatuated with the idea of God rewarding the believer and punishing the doubter. He is reluctant to accept the moral agnostic or charitable atheist. He seems to claim to know the exact truth that faith leads to salvation and not for the good of humanity but for himself. Pelto, in a past letter, once accused President Obama of changing the ethnicity of the population of this country, a statement that challenges common sense. He evades issues of debate, much like hate mongers Trump and Cruz, side steps important issues by only addressing topics that they prefer. Democracy requires taking up unpopular issues. The individual has to be honest with himself and the congregation instead of steeping in animosity and callowness. After seven decades of life I am not afraid of pain; in doing so I associate more with humanity in the process of life. No clergy or scientist can prove the existence of God, but if one does exist, I doubt God has an active hand in rewarding and punishing. He is a part of us all, a partner in our joy and in our suffering. Human intelligence is limited and one cannot know the will of God. Religion is often used for leverage over others, as exhibited by charlatan televangelists. Others use religion to demean, exclude or marginalize other humans. Christians believe that God created all men in His image, and all means all. Religious people should practice humble and gracious theology and not serve their own whims. Different people believe different things, but the Golden Rule, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you remains a central tenet of believers and unbelievers alike. Jesus believers were among the poor and the marginalized, and the spirit of Jesus Christ teaches us how to live life. Mr. Pelto states that Reason is subservient to faith in matters of religion; but it does not apply to the governing of a free democratic republic. The well-being and peace of our pluralistic society come from securely guaranteeing freedoms as they are stated in our laws. Sincerely, Carlos Valle Jr. COLUMBUS Police are investigating a burglary at a city church on 28th Street reported Monday morning. The break-in was reported shortly after 9 a.m. at Peace Lutheran Church, 2720 28th St. Police said property valued at $270 was stolen and damage totaled $300 in the burglary. Detention Center The inmate count at the Platte County Detention Facility on Tuesday is 74, with 36 from Platte County and 38 from out of county. Police Department Oct. 26 Unknown time In a parking lot at 2812 23rd St., an unknown vehicle struck a parked vehicle owned by Agustin Iracheta, Worlington, Minnesota, and left the scene. Nov. 5 7:58 a.m. In the 2300 block of 33rd Avenue, traffic accident. Drivers were Gregory Hall, 41, 4024 31st St., and Kevin Schuller, 57, 2610 14th St. Dec. 28 1:08 p.m. At the intersection of East 11th Avenue and East 23rd Street, traffic accident. Drivers were Wanda Trevino, 35, 4109 E. 29th St., No. 733, and Kimberly Hoadley, 51, 3631 83rd St. Dec. 29 Unknown time In the 1500 block of 26th Avenue, an unknown vehicle struck a parked vehicle owned by Chagmay Martinez, 1555 26th Ave., No. 5, and left the scene. Dec. 30 6:08 a.m. At 4810 33rd St., a vehicle driven by Dustin Podoll, 21, 458 13th Ave., struck a garage pillar owned by Donn Henke, 4810 33rd St. Dec. 31 1:15 p.m. At the intersection of 16th Street and 29th Avenue, traffic accident. Drivers were Silvia Castillo, 37, 559 15th Ave., and Luis Lopez, 24, 2912 15th St. Jan. 2 6:43 p.m. In the 500 block of 22nd Avenue, a vehicle driven by Gale Kivett, 67, 2204 Sixth St., struck a parked vehicle owned by Manuel Andrade-Garcia, 571 22nd Ave. Jan. 3 Unknown time In the 3800 block of 22nd Street, an unknown vehicle struck a parked vehicle owned by Cargill Inc., Schuyler, and left the scene. 5:33 a.m. In the 2300 block of 26th Avenue, a vehicle driven by Desiree Davis, 49, 2009 10th St., lost control and struck a Loup Power District light pole. Jan. 4 9:17 a.m. Burglary at Peace Lutheran Church, 2720 28th St. Property value at $270 was stolen and damage totaled $300. 7:34 p.m. Theft at 723 Sixth St., $345 loss. Sheriffs Department Dec. 28 11:50 a.m. On U.S. Highway 81, -mile north of Humphrey, traffic accident. Drivers were Victor Velazquez, 50, 2910 14th St., No. 5, and Ross Freudenburg, 22, Madison. Dec. 30 7:30 a.m. At the intersection of Lost Creek Parkway and Highway 81, traffic accident. Drivers were Robert Miksch, 28, 24565 265th Ave., and Larry Hoadley, 52, 3631 8rd St. 9:04 a.m. On Highway 81, one mile north of Columbus, traffic accident. Drivers were Kylee Bartak, 24, Norfolk, and Rick Torczon, 58, 3554 48th Ave. 9:10 a.m. At the intersection of 48th Avenue and 68th Street, traffic accident. Drivers were David Tucker, 16, 4324 Conner Drive, and Alan Maguire, 65, Leigh. 9:42 a.m. At the intersection of 175th Avenue and 355th Street, a vehicle driven by Betsy Crabtree, 60, Creston, lost control and went into a ditch. 12:36 p.m. At the intersection of 13th Street and Main Avenue in Duncan, traffic accident. Drivers were Lynn Blaser, 75, 34883 223rd St., and Shelley Lanz, 51, Howells. Jan. 4 3:37 p.m. Traffic violation at the intersection of Highway 22 and 355th Avenue, Tristan Bender of New Mexico cited for speeding. 10:18 p.m. Criminal mischief at 6476 Shadow Ridge Place, mailbox damaged, $150 loss. Fire Department Jan. 3 12:01 p.m. Accident on 83rd Street just west of 18th Avenue. 12:38 p.m. In the 4700 block of 38th Street, medical. 6:39 p.m. In the 3500 block of 26th Avenue, medical. Jan. 4 1:54 a.m. In the 2700 block of Third Avenue, medical. Local News, Travel & Local Attractions, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: January 06 2016 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today unveiled the second signature proposal of his 2016 agenda: a comprehensive plan to transform and expand vital infrastructure downstate and make critical investments in the region. Long Island, NY - January 5, 2016 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today unveiled the second signature proposal of his 2016 agenda: a comprehensive plan to transform and expand vital infrastructure downstate and make critical investments in the region. Most notably, the proposal includes a major expansion and improvement project for the Long Island Rail Road. The Governor outlined these initiatives at an event today in Nassau County, where he was joined by Long Island Association President Kevin Law, MTA Chairman Thomas F. Prendergast and LIRR President Patrick Nowakowski. Long Islands future prosperity depends on a modern transportation network that eases congestion on our roads, improves service on the LIRR, helps this regions economy and preserves the character of these great communities, said Governor Cuomo. This is a robust and comprehensive agenda to do just that and help build a brighter tomorrow for Nassau and Suffolk residents. The signature components of the Governors 2016 Long Island agenda are detailed below: LIRR Improvement Program: Floral Park-Hicksville Expansion Currently, the LIRR is limited by track capacity. At peak times, the LIRR is forced to run trains in one direction between Floral Park and Hicksville, making it impossible for reverse commuters and intra-island travelers. In essence, millions of people are limited by a system of transportation designed and virtually unchanged from 50 years ago. In order to modernize the system, improve commutes for millions of customers, and reduce congestion on Long Islands roads, the Governor is announcing a renewed effort to expand the LIRRs capacity between Floral Park and Hicksville. The project will allow the LIRR to increase service, reduce congestion and train delays caused whenever there is an incident along this busy stretch of tracks and will enable the LIRR to run reverse-peak trains to allow people to take the LIRR to jobs on Long Island during traditional business hours. By allowing the LIRR to increase service between Floral Park and Hicksville, it will provide a more attractive alternative to driving and thereby reduce traffic on Long Islands major east-west highways, like the L.I.E., Northern State and Southern State, and more trains will make it easier for Long Islanders to reach LaGuardia and Kennedy airports by train. Unlike previous plans, this new effort dramatically minimizes the impact on communities along the right of way. The Governors proposal reduces the previous length of the corridor from 11.5 miles to todays proposal of 9.8 miles. Even more importantly, the Governors proposal would confine virtually all construction activity within the existing right of way. The number of property acquisitions required would be reduced from approximately 200 in prior proposals to just 50 in the Governors proposal. Of those acquisitions, only 20 would involve residences, and the average resident acquisition would be five feet wide. Property Owner Protections The Governors proposal contains an innovative landowner protection program. Residential land owners would be offered the choice of compensation for the strip of land on average five feet wide that the LIRR needs to acquire, or the option of a full buyout. For commercial landowners they would be offered compensation, plus assistance, if needed, from Empire State Development to remain in their community. Environmental Reviews Across the whole corridor, the LIRR will conduct environmental reviews including studies to analyze noise mitigation strategies and new rail technology. Grade Crossing Safety Reviews Additionally, the LIRR will conduct a comprehensive safety analysis to address and ensure all aspects of safety at the seven remaining street crossings. Robust Community Engagement Finally, the LIRR is launching an extensive community engagement program to ensure local input is heard and addressed. This will include direct outreach to property owners adjacent to the tracks and broad outreach across all affected communities elected officials, community organizations and advocacy groups. Meetings will be organized in all communities along the corridor to provide information and to solicit input. LIRR will also launch a new website to provide a venue for residents to provide feedback directly to the project team and to receive continuously updated information about the project. Rider Benefits Two out of every five LIRR riders use the main line between Floral Park and Hicksville. It is the route used by the busy Ronkonkoma and Port Jefferson Branches. Some Montauk Branch trains use the corridor as well, and all Oyster Bay Branch trains use it for a portion of their trips. With just two tracks, this busy corridor becomes congested during rush hour. In the event that a train becomes disabled, the LIRR has very few options to route trains around a disabled train, and the result can be cascading delays rippling across the line and impacting thousands of people. The LIRR Expansion project will also complement the East Side Access megaproject, which is doubling the LIRRs capacity into Manhattan by building a new terminal underneath Grand Central Terminal. The next generation of young people wants to live in urban areas, whether it is within the five boroughs of New York City or in thriving suburban downtowns and transit-oriented enclaves with easy access to train transportation, said MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast. Our efforts to expand the Main Line will support transit-oriented development around Long Island and make it easier for Long Island to attract businesses and employees. This isnt experimental, its a well understood direct correlation that weve seen happen already in the region served by Metro-North. When there is train capacity to allow New York City residents to reverse commute to suburban jobs, people take that opportunity and the job growth follows. When I first came to the LIRR, I was impressed with the magnitude of the operation, and the lengths that our people go to think creatively to overcome challenging situations, said LIRR President Patrick Nowakowksi. But I was very surprised that an operation of this magnitude the central spine of the busiest commuter railroad in the United States was at its heart very fragile. A third track will enable us to provide a better experience for our customers with better on-time performance and fewer hassles from delayed trains. And it will attract new customers to our environmentally friendly mode of transportation. Local News, National & World News, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: January 06 2016 Today, Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington) announced that he will not seek reelection this November. Rep. Steve Israel in 2015 at SUNY College at Old Westbury. Rep. Israel has served the people of Long Island for more than two decades fighting for working families. Washington, DC - January 5, 2016 - Today, Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington) announced that he will not seek reelection this November. He released the following statement: Nearly 16 years ago, I was honored to take the oath of office and stand on the House Floor for the first time. Now, Ive decided to leave the House in 2017. I hope to continue to be involved in public service, but it is time for me to pursue new passions and develop new interests, mainly spend more time writing my second novel. I considered this decision deeply, but ultimately, I want to be a team player and ensure that my district, which is the only competitive district in House Democratic Leadership, remains in the hands of Democrats when I leave. The 2016 presidential turnout will help assure that. Weve fought too hard for everyday Americans and against special interests to risk it. While there are many things I am proud of during my time in office, I am proudest of the work weve done to help New Yorks veterans and military families, securing $8.3 million in backpay. Additionally, I'm proud of my work to protect middle-class New Yorkers, as a product of a middle-class Long Island family myself. I am also proud of the leadership role Ive been able to play in the House Democratic Caucus as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and now chairman of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee. It has been an incredible and humbling opportunity to serve my community. I am grateful to my family, friends, staff, and most of all the people of New York. While I will miss this place and the people I have had the privilege to serve, I am looking forward to spending more time home and frequenting my beloved New York diners. Simply put, its time to pass on the torch. Israel grew up on Long Island in middle-class Levittown, the epitome of the modern suburb, and above all Israel is considered a fierce champion of the middle class. Elected in 2000, to succeed Republican Rick Lazio, Israel rose to become a member of Democratic Caucus leadership serving two terms as Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and then Chairman of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee. COLUMBUS Loup Public Power District President and CEO Neal Suess opened the second half of the utility's luncheon Tuesday by highlighting recent action taken by the district. The local power provider won't raise residential or commercial electricity rates for 2016 and plans to add three more turbines to the Creston Ridge Wind Farm in Platte County. The event started out on a fairly positive note: Campus President Matt Gotschall of Central Community College-Columbus discussed training options available for business leaders at the college and Columbus Public Schools Superintendent Troy Loeffelholz gave an update on the new high schools progress and district's expanded STEM programs. But for second part of the program, the tone gradually turned somber. Nebraska Public Power District economist Kenneth Lemkes predictions for Nebraskas economy in 2016 are dim. The U.S. is experiencing 2.3 percent economic growth, which Lemke said is good considering the economies in China, Europe and Japan are all slowing, but that growth is not enough to increase wages and attract new investments. Nebraska is feeling the crunch from the slowdown in the agriculture sector, which went from being a $2 billion industry to $7 billion thanks to the ethanol mandate, but has now slowed to a $4 billion industry. Lemke predicts it will settle in the $4.5 billion range eventually. Lemke said another major hurdle slowing growth is the labor shortage, particularly the need for skilled workers in the manufacturing sector. State Sen. Paul Schumacher talked about many issues that may be addressed in the legislative session that begins today. Schumacher expects discussion on taxes, school financing, expanding Medicaid, funding for roads, mental health issues and prison reform. Theres going to be a lot of talking, probably not a lot of action, the local senator said. Schumacher said partisan politics stymie the Unicameral from taking action on sensible action on those issues. He said he's also "still frustrated" by the lack of long-term thinking, which means slow-moving issues such as the decline of small towns and lack of an industrial development plan for the state don't get addressed. Other highlights from the event include: Steve Zach with Nebraska Public Power District announced changes to the EnergyWise program, which provides financial incentives to residential, commercial and industrial customers for installing energy-saving equipment. Because of the decreased cost of LED lights, the rebate for residential customers decreased from $5 a bulb to $3 and commercial incentives will decrease, as well. New incentives are available for air source water heaters and ground source heat pumps. Also, incentives will only be available for equipment with a seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) rating of 15, instead of 12, because of increased federal energy efficiency standards. Looking to stay up to date about all of the news stories and local headlines that are important to Long Islanders? We've rounded up the top coverage for all of the important topics from multiple sources around Long Island, so you can be sure you've got the most recent update on the top stories for Long Island. Have an idea for a news story? Email us at news@longisland.com Columnists Press Releases LINCOLN A representative for a hobbyist gun club that hosts a semi-annual gun show in Lincoln said President Barack Obamas planned executive action to prevent gun deaths will have little effect on sales at the local show. Ardis Moody, secretary and treasurer of the Rock Creek Renegades, said Tuesday she supports Obamas decision to broaden the definition of gun dealers that are subject to background checks to include those who sell at gun shows, websites and flea markets that are not federally licensed. The Rock Creek Renegades, also known as the Lancaster County Muzzleloading Rifle Association, hosts the Modern and Black Powder Gun Show each January and September at the Lancaster Event Center. The next show, scheduled Jan. 23-24, features hundreds of firearms dealers and private collectors selling thousands of modern firearms, hunting and shooting supplies and ammunition. While most of sellers at the gun show are licensed firearms dealers, some are private collectors, Moody said. Rock Creek Renegades requires all of the sellers at its gun show to only sell to people who provide firearm purchase certificates, which the Lancaster County Sheriffs Office can provide to citizens upon completion of a successful background check. Were not serving terrorists, she said. Were serving the sporting community who values their Second Amendment rights. Jim Clark, owner of BigShots Gun Store in Lincoln, said Obamas plan wont affect gun shops like his, as he is already a federally licensed firearms dealer. He said he had received numerous calls Tuesday from local gun owners concerned Obamas proposed executive action would inhibit their ability to buy weapons. Any time theres a change in firearms laws, it gets people worked up, he said. If they enforce the laws that are on the books now, I dont think well see any difference for us brick-and-mortar dealers. Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner said the problem with background checks isnt which sellers are subject to them. Instead, Wagner said he's concerned the database law enforcement agencies use to conduct these checks excludes information on people police have taken into temporary emergency protective custody because they were deemed a danger to themselves or others. In 2015, about 3,800 people in Lancaster County applied for handgun purchase permits, Wagner said. Only four had mental health disqualifiers, meaning they had been declared by a mental health board to be mentally defective, Wagner said. Sometimes people who are temporarily committed avoid a mental health board decision by seeking treatment themselves. They won't show up in background checks, the sheriff said. In 2013, that meant his office had no choice but to issue a handgun permit to a man even though he had been taken into emergency protective custody 10 times in 11 years, Wagner said. "If a guy has been EPC'd 10 times in 11 years, you would think he is not receiving the treatment that he is needing," the sheriff said. He said he would support a provision where that man and others could apply for a permit after a waiting period of five years. Meanwhile, Obama's proposed executive action drew swift opposition from Nebraska's congressional delegation Tuesday. Republican politicians from Nebraska criticized the president's decision. Gov. Pete Ricketts said in a news release that Obama is undermining the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans. Sens. Deb Fischer and Ben Sasse said Obama's executive actions bypass the legislative process and wouldn't have stopped any recent mass shootings. Republican Rep. Adrian Smith said the focus should be on enforcing existing laws, treating mental illness and fighting "radical Islamic terrorism." At the state Capitol, state Sens. Tommy Garrett of Bellevue and Dave Bloomfield of Hoskins reviewed details of the president's plan in Garrett's first-floor office. Garrett questioned how the plan would prevent violent gun crimes when most are committed with firearms that are stolen or purchased through the normal channels by a shooter or a friend or family member whose background is checked. Bloomfield displayed his firearm purchase permit and quoted the cliche, "Guns don't kill people. People kill people." "It's a wore-out old line, but it's still accurate," he said. The Taliban killed one American soldier and wounded two more as they fought alongside Afghan forces in the beleaguered southern Afghan town of Marjah in Helmand province earlier today. A US service member died as a result of wounds sustained during operations near Marjah and two more were wounded, US Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A) confirmed in a press release. The identity and branch of the soldier who was killed was not disclosed, however a US military official based in Afghanistan told The Long War Journal that a US special operations unit was conducting operations in Marjah with Afghan counterparts. This is an ongoing situation [and] there is still a fight going on in the immediate surroundings, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a briefing today with reporters. Cook also said that two HH-60 Pavehawk helicopters, which are used by US Air Force search and rescue teams, attempted to extract the ground force as it came under fire. One of the helicopters was disabled and left at the scene. The Taliban claimed it shot down the Pavehawk. The Taliban has laid siege to the town of Marjah for more than a month. The district of Nad Ali, which includes Marjah, is almost completely under Taliban control. Marjah, which was once described by General Stanley McCrystal as a bleeding ulcer in 2010 as US Marines fought to clear the Taliban from its stronghold, was one of the first towns in Helmand cleared of the Taliban during the US surge. McCrystal said that clearing the Taliban from Marjah and surrounding districts in Helmand and Kandahar would bring an irreversible sense of momentum and lead to the Talibans defeat. Instead, security in Helmand has spiraled out of control as the Taliban has pressed its offensive to regain the ground lost there between 2009-2011. Of Helmands 13 districts, five are known to be controlled by the Taliban (Nowzad, Musa Qala, Baghran, Dishu, and Sangin), and another five are heavily contested (Nahr-i-Sarraj, Kajaki, Nad Ali, Garmsir and Khanashin). Of the remaining three districts, The Long War Journal believes two (Washir and Nawa-i-Barak) are contested, but the situation is unclear. Only Lashkar Gah, the district that hosts the provincial capital, has not seen significant Taliban activity. [See LWJ report, Taliban controls or contests nearly all of southern Afghan province.] US and British special operations forces have been deployed to Helmand since the summer of 2015 to support the struggling Afghan forces. However, the reintroduction of US and British forces in Helmand has not prevented the districts of Nowzad, Musa Qala, and Sangin from falling to the Taliban. Outside of Helmand, the Taliban has significantly expanded its influence in the past year. The Taliban now controls 40 districts in Afghanistan and contests another 39, according to data compiled by The Long War Journal. These numbers may be low given the methodology used to assess control in contested districts. Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal. Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here. Luton is a large town, borough and unitary authority area of Bedfordshire. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 258,000. Luton is home to Championship team Luton Town Football Club, London Luton Airport and The University of Bedfordshire. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter. For all the latest news from Luton sign up to our newsletter here. LINCOLN Nebraska lawmakers will convene a new session with a long priority list but significant obstacles that could undermine some of what they hope to accomplish. With just 60 days scheduled for the session, which starts today, lawmakers and Gov. Pete Ricketts will have to fill a projected $110 million state budget shortfall in a relatively short time. A slowdown in state revenue could widen the gap, making it even harder to pass legislation that would cost the state money. Here's a look at some of the priorities and dynamics of this year's session: MAJOR PROPOSALS Taxes and prison reforms are expected to be major priorities for Ricketts and the Legislature. In a recent interview, Ricketts said he remains focused on reducing the property taxes that surged in recent years. Speaker of the Legislature Galen Hadley said he believes lawmakers must do more to address the issue. Lawmakers will consider a $26 million request by the Department of Correctional Services to add more bed space in the state's community corrections centers for low-level offenders. The project is intended to relieve overcrowding and could help more inmates gain access to treatment and rehabilitation programs before their release. The session will also include debates over roads, K-12 public education financing, a proposal to allow medical marijuana and new Medicaid legislation to help cover thousands of uninsured residents. Sen. Jim Smith of Papillion, chairman of the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee, said he is working on a comprehensive roads bill to speed up work on long-delayed road and bridge projects. The proposal would create an infrastructure bank, allowing the state to tap its cash reserve to pay for road and bridge projects and replenishing the money gradually with a new 6-cent-per-gallon gas tax increase that went into effect on Jan. 1. It also would allow roads contractors to design and build projects in an effort to increase efficiency. Smith said he talked recently with Sen. Heath Mello, chairman of the Appropriations Committee, about ways to fit the proposal into a tight state budget. "We want to make certain that we're fulfilling these (roads) needs, but doing so in a very responsible way," Smith said. THE BUDGET The biggest obstacle for many bills is the budget, which lawmakers are constitutionally required to balance. Mello said the projected $110 million shortfall is one of the largest he has seen in a short session, and may require lawmakers to tap the state's cash reserve. The reserve is expected to reach a record high of nearly $729 million on June 30. "It's a significant hurdle that we'll have to jump over, both the governor and the Legislature," Mello said. "That's exactly why we've taken a very pragmatic, cautious approach to building a rainy-day fund." TERM LIMITS AND ELECTIONS This year's short session will be the last for at least 11 state senators nearly one-fourth of the Legislature who cannot run again because of term limits. The departing senators include prominent committee leaders and Hadley, of Kearney. Another 13 senators have filed for re-election, and though most are unopposed, a challenger ousting an incumbent would increase the number of lawmakers who don't return in January 2017. SAVING TIME Nebraska lawmakers could spend a little less time debating contentious issues this year because of changes to the rules regarding the filibuster, a widely used tactic to delay votes on bills a senator opposes. Hadley said he is reducing the time needed before a senator can seek a cloture vote during first-round debate. The Legislature has traditionally required eight hours of debate before a senator can invoke the rule and force a vote on a bill. This year, the wait has been shortened to six hours. Hadley said he made the change in response to a recent spate of filibusters that slowed the Legislature to a crawl. "I was concerned that we seem to be falling back on filibusters more now than we have in the past," he said. The amount of time allowed for discussion will remain at four hours during second-round debate and two hours on final readings. IP Stars rankings Over the past few months, our researchers in London, New York and Hong Kong have been busy processing questionnaires and conducting interviews with IP practitioners in more than 80 countries. These will provide the basis for our IP Stars rankings and analysis, as well as our annual awards for the firms of the year. The rankings will be published in stages, starting with the trade mark tables at the beginning of February, followed by the patent rankings in March and copyright in April. The three IP Stars Handbooks (Trade Mark/Copyright, Patent and United States), including the commentaries written by our researchers for each jurisdiction, will be published between April and July. And our awards ceremonies will be on March 10 (Global Awards, London) and March 17 (North America Awards, Washington DC). Focus on Europe Navigate the UPC Navigate the UPC 2016 will be an important year for IP in the EU, and we are planning several special features. Regular readers will know that our extensive coverage on the UPC is available at managingip.com/UPC. As we come closer to the launch of the Unified Patent Court, and the first Unitary Patents to be granted, we will bring you all the latest news and analysis. And, in a special series of articles, we will ask leading practitioners in Europe to discuss how specific scenarios could be tackled in the UPC, based on the information available now. Im confident these war games type articles will be both fascinating and useful for patent owners, and potential defendants, in Europe. But we will not neglect other developments in Europe. In particular, in our next issue we will have a special feature on the EU trade mark reforms (which were published on December 23 and 24 and come into effect in stages starting from March). We will also be looking at proposals to reform copyright, trade secrets, industrial designs and geographical indications in the EU. Away from Europe, our Americas editor Michael Loney will continue to focus on developments in the United States, including patent reform, litigation trends, the PTAB and copyright cases, as well as general developments in Canada and Latin America. But I will leave him to post more about that soon. Other areas of the world we expect to be covering in depth this year include China (we have a supplement publishing in April), Turkey (a special focus in March), India, Japan and the Asean countries, and we will of course continue to monitor the ratification of the TPP in the participating 12 countries. IP in Africa will also get some overdue attention in 2016. Technology trends Automotive tech trends Automotive tech trends Innovation drives much IP law, and during 2016 we will be looking in detail at some innovative industries, including automotive technology, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, cleantech (likely to come back into focus if the oil price stays low) and personalised medicine. Inevitably, we will be concentrating on patent trends, but this year we also plan to look at some related areas that are important in particular industries or regions, including utility models and traditional knowledge as well as trade secrets. We will do so by examining the big numbers on applications and litigation, but also through more interviews and profiles with relevant companies and organisations, including both multinationals and SMEs. Another topic we hope to devote some space to is the resolution of low-value or small claims cases, and how this is being dealt with around the world. Events International Patent Forum 2015 International Patent Forum 2015 We have lots of events planned for 2016, details of which you can see on our events page and in our list of upcoming webinars. Our popular International Patent Forum will return to London on March 9 and 10, and we will hold two US Patent Forums in Silicon Valley (March 15) and Washington DC (March 17). Last years IP in Asia Forums in London and Paris will be repeated in June, and the Global IP & Innovation Summit will take place in Shanghai in September. With the Women in IP Network going from strength to strength, and following the recent event in Palo Alto, we will hold the second International Womens Leadership Forum in London on February 23, and another in New York on May 9. And we are pleased to be taking the Luxury Brand & Retail Forum, which we held successfully in London last year, to New York on April 19. Also in New York will be our first PTAB Forum (May 12) and our first IP in Africa Forum (April); this comes as more attention is being paid to IP in Africa, and I note that INTA is also hosting an Africa-related event in September 2016. Find out more To find out more about our plans, sign up for our free email newsletters or follow us on Twitter. And to read articles in full as soon as they are published, make sure you subscribe or even better set up corporate access for your company, department or organisation. Contact Daniel Bloomer to get our best rates and latest offers, or use the new live chat feature on the website. Finally, if you have any suggestions for other topics we should be covering, or would like to contribute to Managing IP, please contact me. Happy New Year to all our readers! The Colfax County Board of Commissioners will likely be getting some bills in the weeks ahead for a jail inmate currently being housed at the Nebraska Diagnostic and Evaluation Center in Lincoln. The inmate, who is not being named because of health privacy laws, was transferred to the Lincoln center at the order of a local district judge for a psychiatric evaluation to determine his competency to go to trial on a felony charge. Colfax County Attorney Denise Kracl told the three-member board she did not identify the Schuyler man because of the health issue and he had not been convicted of a crime. Hes not convicted ... and hes got rights, Kracl said. We are using an over-abundance of caution for his health and safety. I just wanted to give (board) members a heads up that bills are coming. There are plenty of people walking around with communicable diseases, Kracl said, and its not a crime. County officials initially thought the inmate had tested positive for a communicable disease after finding a blood smear on the wall of his cell, but learned later after hospital testing that the test results were negative. Kracl informed the board that the inmate will be held at the evaluation center, which can result in hefty bills the county is responsible for paying, until a bed opens up at the Lincoln Regional Center. In other business, the board voted 3-0 to award a $274,681 contract to Gehring Construction & Ready Mix Co. of Columbus for a more than half-mile of concrete paving on Road 1A beginning at Highway 91 and going to south to Leigh. The contract calls for construction of 8-inch doweled concrete pavement with subgrade preparation and related work. The other three bidders for the project were: Elkhorn Construction Co. of Norfolk, $334,893; M.E. Collins Construction Co. of Wahoo, $399,543; and A&R Construction Co. of Plainview, $397,595. NOAA archaeologists have discovered the battered hulls of two 1800s whaling ships nearly 144 years after they and 31 others sank off the Arctic coast of Alaska in one of the planet's most unexplored ocean regions. The shipwrecks, and parts of other ships, that were found are most likely the remains of 33 ships trapped by pack ice close to the Alaskan Arctic shore in September 1871. The whaling captains had counted on a wind shift from the east to drive the ice out to sea as it had always done in years past. The ships were destroyed in a matter of weeks, leaving more than 1,200 whalers stranded at the top of the world until they could be rescued by seven ships of the fleet standing by about 80 miles to the south in open water off Icy Cape. No one died in the incident but it is cited as one of the major causes of the demise of commercial whaling in the United States. With less ice in the Arctic as a result of climate change, archaeologists now have more access to potential shipwreck sites than ever before. In September, a team of archaeologists from the Maritime Heritage Program in NOAAs Office of National Marine Sanctuaries scoured a 30-mile stretch of coastline in the nearshore waters of the Chukchi Sea, near Wainwright, Alaska. Previous searches for the ships had found traces of gear salvaged from the wrecks by the local Inupiat people, as well as scattered timbers stranded high on the isolated beaches that stretch from Wainwright to Point Franklin. Using state-of-the-art sonar and sensing technology, the NOAA team was able to plot the magnetic signature of the two wrecks, including the outline of their flattened hulls. The wreck site also revealed anchors, fasteners, ballast and brick-lined pots used to render whale blubber into oil. Earlier research by a number of scholars suggested that some of the ships that were crushed and sunk might still be on the seabed, said Brad Barr, NOAA archaeologist and project co-director. But until now, no one had found definitive proof of any of the lost fleet beneath the water. This exploration provides an opportunity to write the last chapter of this important story of American maritime heritage and also bear witness to some of the impacts of a warming climate on the regions environmental and cultural landscape, including diminishing sea ice and melting permafrost. James Delgado, maritime heritage director for NOAAs Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, said he believes the wrecks were pressed against a submerged sand bar that rests about 100 yards from shore. Working from first-hand accounts of the loss of the fleet, he said the ice opened the hulls to the sea and tore away the upper portions of the ships, scattering their timbers on the beach, while the lower hulls, weighted down with ballast, and in some cases still anchored, stayed in place against the sand bar. Usually, the Arctic does not destroy ships if there is a natural obstacle like a sand bar, large rocks or a sheltered cove to partially divert the force of tons of ice, Delgado said. On Sept. 12, 1871, the captains of the 33 whaling ships caught in the ice convened aboard the Champion to consider their options for saving the 1,219 officers, crew, and in some cases, families, from their fate. Although, their situation was dire, there was some small glimmer of hope for rescue by seven nearby ships. However, to save such a large party, the rescuing whale ships had to jettison their precious cargoes of whale oil, bone and their expensive whaling gear to make room for the survivors. The rescue ships were able to sail safely out of the Arctic and back to Honolulu, where hundreds of native Hawaiian whalers aboard the stranded vessels lived, while others sailed on to San Francisco, New Bedford and other cities. The search for the abandoned whaling fleet was funded by NOAAs Office of Exploration and Research, in collaboration with the NOAA Office of Coast Survey and the Alaska Region of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Additional support and expertise was provided by technology partners Edgetech and Hypack. Container volumes rose by 32 percent at Abu Dhabi's Khalifa Port in 2015 buoyed by industrial and infrastructure development in the emirate, operator Abu Dhabi Ports said on Wednesday. Built on a man-made island, Khalifa Port handled 1.50 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit containers), up from 1.13 million a year earlier, it said in a statement. Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, is investing billions in industry, infrastructure and tourism as it diversifies its economy away from oil. "Imports and exports due to the huge infrastructure and industrial projects contributed to the growth in container volumes," said Mohamed Juma al Shamisi, chief executive of Abu Dhabi Ports. Improved shipyard and terminal facilities and services also helped, he said. The port began operations in late 2012, taking over container traffic from Mina Zayed port. Over 20 shipping lines operate to Khalifa Port currently and serve more than 50 destinations. Abu Dhabi's new cruise terminal at Zayed port posted 16 percent growth in 2015 with 170,360 cruise passengers visiting the emirate compared to 146,997 passengers in 2014, the company said. Reporting by Stanley Carvalho Marines from Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 geared up for small arms weapons ranges July 21. It can take several days to properly prepare for range operations, and every Marine, from the newest private to the most senior warrant officer, focus on practicing drills and breaking down and troubleshooting. Warrant Officer Matthew Hansen, MWSS-171 mobility officer, said range preparation is vital to a successful range. Were given the chance here to be able to dis-assemble and re-assemble the weapons, become familiar with them, said Hansen. The Marines need to not be intimidated by themso they can employ it effectively on the range and make the most of that training time. Weapons preparation allows Marines to familiarize themselves with the munitions, rifles and crew served weapons they are required to use. This aids in smooth operation and safety on the range. Private First Class Wendy Moncion, a MWSS-171 bulk fuel specialist, said safety is paramount, no matter the situation. You have to be safe before you do anything, said Moncion. You have to prep yourself. Practice makes perfect, and without the practice, you could easily hurt somebody or hurt yourself. Not just practice, but safe practice, is an extension of the learning process. The Marines from MWSS-171 are learning as much as they can before they hit the range. In order to do something you have to first know what youre doing, Moncion continued. This ensures you and the people around you are safe at all times. America's Right-wing Fascism, Millennials and why good people must do something. And the time for doing it is Now America is to be judged by its citizens, not its politicians. But if Americans lose contact with one another; substitute real, tangible realities with virtual ones projected on internet and television screens; refuse to engage in the democratic process and choose passivity over involvement, nihilism over hope, fatalism over self-determination; remain complacent about if not ignorant of US actions and wars in the world; adopt definitions of themselves that are crafted by self-serving special interests, profiteers or merchants of war and hate running now for president from both political parties, they lose all concepts of who they are, what they stand for, and what really constitutes American values. As it stands, Americans are on the cusp of recognizing that they are losing their historic identity, or the one they embraced before 9/11. Some might feel "I like it just the way it is." Others might not and blame the government, blame the Fed, blame an ethnic minority, blame Obama, blame the other party, blame the terrorists, blame Islamists or blame today's "Hitler of the Moment", Vladimir Putin, whose endorsement of Donald Trump has signaled alarm bells even among some Kremlin defenders. In the collective American consciousness questing for material objects, success, fame, wealth, property and stock equities, together with a megalomaniacal drive for Empire to dominate a world now splitting itself into East and West, there remains no public figure speaking for "everyone"; for unity through diversity; for peace; for the poor, homeless, disabled and elderly; for children and young people who will inherit a financially bankrupt nation that cheerleads its populist billionaires who take all, avoid taxes, give little back, blame the scapegoat, and ignore the plight of others, particularly the plight of young generations who will inherit it all as they advance into tomorrow's leadership positions. Who speaks for them? Almost unconsciously, Americans salute a market-centric culture unaware it is controlled by Wall Street, bond traders, speculators, hedge funds and enormous multinational corporations and banking hegemons. Silicon Valley young technocratic tycoons provide proof of American superiority and exceptionalism and the momentous rewards capitalism bestows. The rewards of capitalism, however, go to the few and fewer and what are concealed in a sea of commercials and seamless hype are what many young people should already know; for during a majority of their years as mature adults America has been a nation of non-stop endless wars; has become the largest debtor nation in the world - debt that can't be repaid and probably won't be repaid. It has devolved into waves of police-sanctioned violence and murders, socially damaging hate-groups and vicious political vitriolic. when done in the name of competition and profits, it legally sanctions illegalities. Young people have learned privacy is non-existent and social interactions take place using costly digital devices connected through toll booths owned by corporate networks behind whose one-way mirror sit both government and mega-corporations amassing personal information, biometrics, opinions, attitudes, consumer behavior, political affiliations, friendships, credit and banking details, and their psychographic profiles for private profit and for social and government behavior-mod programs and social engineering. Many have learned a stable job of 40 hours per week with benefits, sick pay and vacation time is a luxury afforded a few. Some have learned to live at home with mom and dad at age 25 because they can't afford high rents at meager wages, let alone purchase a home. Some will live through decades of paying-off college loans that delivered greater debt peonage than employment opportunity. They have seen how credit is mistakenly viewed as an asset and used to salvage households that have undergone decades of stagnant wages. They have seen benefits accrue in accumulation of wealth for employers, corporations and investment banks. Should they ever run for president, they know they will have to agree to killing "innocent people and children", conduct drone operations on "targeted assassination" lists, approve and expand America's seamless dragnet surveillance state, enlist people their age to die for wars they had no say in and no true understand of. If young people think the American Dream is over and act apart and clustered together in a swarm, they do so for good reasons: there are no public figures offsetting the "post 9/11 normal" with incisive alternatives, real debate, knowledgeable dissent and penetrative truths about the causes underlying America's many imbroglios. It should be no surprise that most millennials didn't vote in 2014 (87% stayed home). But the "9/11 normal" in this country is not the normal I knew, is not the America that weaned me, is not the normal I wish to live under or see young people struggle with in order to survive. If any group is blameless in causing any one problem now afflicting America, it is they. But they are too young to have known a better time; some can't imagine one; many have relegated America before 9/11 to the history books! This is how it seems for a millennial. My employee was neither normal nor "new normal", but an example of what UK economist Guy Standing calls "The Precariat: The New Dangerous Generation". [1] This self-defined uneducated, politically unaware person who worked for me over five years suddenly presented a dangerous and threatening remark recently. Knowing she cannot find Chicago on the map; knowing she is encircled by friends and family with little grasp of government, American history or the democratic process, she asked me to define a "white supremacist", which I did in detail. Knowing she defines African-Americans as "dem people" and everything she hears about President Obama is that he's "gonna take guns away", I proceeded cautiously. At the finish, she replied to my explanation with emphatically shocking defiance. She shouted back ferociously: "Obama should be assassinated!" Keeping calm, I asked why he should be assassinated? "Because he's not good for America," she quipped. "Why isn't he good?" I asked. She looked up and down, rolled her eyes, looked up and down and with a coy self-effacing smile beamed, "Gee, I don't know." Her supervisor didn't find the remark troublesome but did cite her for talking politics to a client and pulled her from my account. "You finally got to see who and what she really is," stressed the supervisor. Later, in conversation, a police chief told me her inflammatory statement was to be considered a "form of free speech"; and I should "consider the source". I replied that for many people who lived through three assassinations in the 1960s, a call for the killing of a president is not to be defended as free speech or viewed lightly. If a majority of Americans do find it defendable, America is in far worse shape today than at any other time in my 68 years, I answered. Although this worker is far from committing such an act, how many people does she represent who might try to commit this crime? No president need be assassinated when the legal system is available to remove one from office peacefully. The worker is a "precariat" and does not represent America, nor do those who feel as she does. Police-violence and murders of young blacks by errant and rogue officers do not represent the standard for law enforcement and are illegal acts in both character and degree. Wall Street greed and asset-stripping neoliberalism are byproducts of a capitalism that has been unregulated, becoming voracious and predatory. America is a nation and capitalism is an economic and market system adopted by the nation. Capitalism is not a nation unto itself controlling its host country. Yet, the market system is striving to gain complete control over this nation at all levels through powerful economic institutions with support from libertarian zealots, "small government" conservatives to far-right extremists hoisting flags, a Constitution and a Bible. The right-wing presently in control of the Republican party and exhibiting increasing power over Congress, the White House and media are not American but anti-American and unAmerican in my opinion. Indeed, they constitute a "fifth column" undermining democracy, peace, security, welfare and brotherhood which are the true historical hallmarks of our secular democracy. What seeds have been planted during the last decades - from the presidency of Ronald Reagan to financial capitalism, privatizations, off-shoring of jobs to the Pacific Rim and China, collapse of the country's industrial base and infrastructure, neoliberal restructuring of public finances, neoconservative Empire building through endless wars of aggression, decimation of social and welfare programs that were won for all Americans in the 1930s and 1960s - have borne the bitter herbs today of hate, violence, religious bigotry, racism, and mounting threats of war with Russia and China in order to circumvent and abort an inevitable transition from a U.S. dominated unipolar world to a bipolar one. Such a bipolar world challenges America's "full spectrum dominance" and particularly threatens to dislodge the U.S. dollar as world reserve currency. The agents of this "post 9/11 new normal" are leading the nation into the grip of what Europeans today call by its rightful name: fascism, the merger of state and corporate power militarily enforced . Will Americans allow it? European nations are seeing a rise of neo-Nazis and self-proclaimed fascists. [2] [3] By reflecting popular discontent over imposed austerity, an influx of immigrants fleeing war zones in the mid-East, the perceived loss of national sovereignty to Brussels, the rise of fascistic right-wing parties in many EU nations are exploiting growing anti-government attitudes and creating political power formations in scenes highly reminiscent of the 1930s. In some respects, the propaganda diatribes and appeals by the Tea Party, Faith and Freedom Coalition and other U.S. "anti-government" groups of far-right libertarians, survivalists, white supremacists, militias, sovereign citizens, nativists and Christian theocrats bear comparison to programs and platforms of Pegida in Germany, National Front in France and Golden Dawn in Greece. [4] More importantly, resemblances exist between the anti-government, anti-immigrant, racist, nativist and anarchistic rhetoric and appeals of these groups in both Europe and the United States with positions publicly endorsed and vocalized by Republican candidates for president, particularly by Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. [5] In the course of more than a decade, the GOP permitted itself to be hijacked by right-wing conservatives advancing today's extremism in order to win elections and in winning perpetuate the rise of the corporate, banking and military-industrial state at the expense of workers and the social safety net. Populist far-right "people" movements from below and the corporate-military-intel-wealth "power elite" from above are twin forces undermining what remnants remain of American democracy. They will call it by many other names, but Europeans call it fascism. Americans resist the label "fascism" because, as Sinclair Lewis observed eighty-one years ago, Americans are convinced "it can't happen here". [6] They are wrong. It can happen here, is happening here and the question becomes how far will it metastasize within the body politic? The frightening degree of popular interest measured by TV ratings of recent political debates where collective hate and war-mongering are staged as positive and constructive solutions to America's imbroglios of crises further demoralizes the population and weakens the national immune system against cancer metastasizing. What is America, its people, culture and set of values? By mid-century, it was the leader of the world politically and economically. By the mid-60s, it boasted a "mixed economy" balancing the needs of profit with social welfare. It once fostered peace at home and in the world; it co-existed with its main rival, the Soviet Union, in a balance of power arrangement and in so doing avoided war. Two nuclear powers can only assure each other peace through sanity lest mutual destruction be the result if one or the other starts war - a fact obfuscated by today's war mongers in Congress and on the presidential campaign platforms; their sociopathic threats are echoed without challenge in American mass-media, the very vehicles used to successfully engineer war-fever and hysteria on the basis of few facts, some lies, and reams of accusations lacking evidence. Americans fail to know the extent of its bombing campaigns, its coups, the number of dead innocents labeled "collateral damage" by the Pentagon, its purposeful destabilization of nations to secure resources and install puppet governments subservient to Washington. Few Americans suspect that the deaths of almost a million and injuries to millions more in the middle-east caused by American-NATO bombings might someday return in kind. Americans are fearful of terrorist acts within their country but fail to understand how we have sponsored, trained and financed terrorists to fight our "dirty wars" from the 1980s in Afghanistan to today in Syria and Iraq. Americans are fearful and thus paralyzed. What a perfect opportunity for a dictator and fascist to exploit. "America is a moderate country with a slight tilt to the right," claimed a friend in the mid-West. On the other hand, activist-historian William Blum claims America is not a force for good in the world but a rogue state that is the greatest threat to humanity. [7] [8] People that largely ignore the rise of police powers, the surveillance state, the cost of endless wars, and the decline of civil liberties are called "sheeple" by critics. Members of the press and media who have abandoned their role as objective journalists and become public relations spokespeople for the State Dept., Pentagon, Wall Street and CIA are known as "presstitutes". Taken together, democracy is replaced with mindless consumption of media propaganda leaving authorities and power-centers freedom of movement to act and control without constraint or opposition. World leaders are tentatively understanding the need to act together to resolve global crises that are infecting all layers within societies. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved the hands of the Doomsday Clock to three minutes to minute citing nuclear wars and ecological cataclysms ahead given the current projectory. [9] Pope Francis in his highly secular eco-enclyclical Laudato Si! outlines a basal text for a concerted trans-national approach to solve climate change, economic disparities and mushrooming military build-ups in nations. [10] Francis spoke frankly and truthfully when he bravely confessed to an unbelieving and disoriented world that World War III has already begun fought piecemeal. [11] The Dalai Lama also spoke frankly when he said God wasn't going to solve our problems. We created them and we need to fix them. God's not going to do it for us. [12] America is at war and is planning for greater ones, but its greatest war is the battle within itself. Who is America? What is America? What does America stand for? These questions will be answered but not without conflict, social disruption, acts of civil disobedience, emerging whistleblowers risking careers and livelihoods to speak truth in a sea of disinformation and eroding morality. Campaign officials expect the cost for this year's presidential campaign to reach $5 billion, most of that money going into the coffers of network and cable TV which, in turn, will please their sponsors - political parties, power brokers and wealth sectors - and media will remain a house of presstitution. [13] [14] Democracy needs an informed electorate but Americans have been "dumbed down" enough to believe they have no power over government decisions and economic policies. They are paralyzed by it. In a relatively short span of time, beginning from September 11, 2001, democracy has been under attack by forces from within rather than from without. It has been stolen by hidden unelected financial, corporate and military-industrial cartels that have inculcated fear and exploited it as a pretext for citizens to relinquish liberties. By their own narrow vision induced by rampant consumerism, poor knowledge about government and economics, Americans have endorsed politicians who make wars, relegate human beings secondary to private profit and markets, who conquer dissent, diversity and strength-in-numbers using the mechanism of "identity politics", who turn morality on its head by taking from the poor and giving to the rich, who call the peaceful weak and the warrior strong, who enshrine our Empire as "exceptional" and "indispensable" on the basis of myths that no longer exist and that fewer and fewer nations believe, including so-called "allies". Inscribed in the DNA of America is a deep-seated belief in "destiny". America had it, lost it, and will someday regain it. It is not found in profits, property, gold, markets or Empire building. The work of ascertaining, identifying and perpetuating this destiny will fall upon tomorrow's leaders selected from the ranks of millennials and those younger, Generation Z. It will live or die according to their wisdom or their folly. They will build upon a new paradigm or fail trying to resuscitate the old. They will be Lot of the Bible and move forward knowing only one step ahead, or be Sara who turned to salt by fixing her stare upon what was crumbling behind her. The first question to answer must be: What is the ideal world you wish for yourself, family, friends, community and nation? Once realized and empowered by sincere intent and motivation, it will materialize. The world of tomorrow begins in concept today. To more forward, don't look back. Build it, and if it is for the common good of all Americans and all people of the world, "they will come". Others who staunchly support peace, world-wide harmony, justice, non-violence, democracy and the safety of mother earth are good people whose intentions, influence and silent acts now hold hope for our nation and world. But many more good people must do something. And the time for doing it is now. **** [1] Standing, Guy (2014). The Precariat: The New Dangerous Generation. London: Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 9781472536167. http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/the-precariat-9781472536167/ [2] "Fear, Anger and Hatred: The Rise of Germany's New Right", Spiegel Online, December 11, 2015. http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/refugee-crisis-drives-rise-of-new-right-wing-in-germany-a-1067384.html [3] "WELCOME TO THE 'RECHTSRUTSCH': The far right is quietly making massive gains in Europe", Business Insider, October 19, 2015. http://www.businessinsider.com/the-far-right-is-quietly-making-massive-gains-in-europe-2015-10?r=UK&IR=T [4] "How does the Tea Party compare with European far right movements?", Baker Institute for Public Policy. https://bakerinstitute.org/media/files/files/f6f08c52/IFRI-pub-SirkesTeaParty-2012-1-.pdf [5] Cas Mudde, "The Trump phenomenon and the European populist radical right", Washington Post, August 26, 2015. https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2015/08/26/the-trump-phenomenon-and-the-european-populist-radical-right/ [6] Lewis, Sinclair (1935). It Can't Happen Here. New York: Signet ISBN 9780451465641 http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/293163/it-cant-happen-here-by-sinclair-lewis/9780451465641/ [7] Blum, William (2013). America's Deadliest Export: Democracy. London: Zed Books ISBN-13: 978-1780324456 http://www.zedbooks.co.uk/paperback/americas-deadliest-export [8] Kevin Zeese, "US Empire Reaches Breaking Point. Greatest Threat to Humanity. Time To End It, Global Research, July 20, 2014 http://www.globalresearch.ca/us-empire-reaches-breaking-point-greatest-threat-to-humanity-time-to-end-it/5392310 [9] "It is Three Minutes to Midnight", Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Janaury 19, 2015 http://thebulletin.org/clock/2015 [10] Pope Francis (2015). Encyclical Letter Laudato Si!, On Care for Our Common Home. Full text at Vatican web site. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html [11] Athena Yenko, "World War 3 Has Begun Pope Francis", Morning News USA, June 9, 2015. http://www.morningnewsusa.com/world-war-3-has-begun-pope-francis-2323017.html [12] Michael McLaughlin, "Dalai Lama: Humans Created Terrorism, So Stop Praying To God For A Solution", Huffington Post, November 17, 2015. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dalai-lama-terrorism_564b8975e4b045bf3df16e75 [13] Amie Parnes and Kevin Cirilli, "The $5 billion presidential campaign?" The Hill, January 21, 2016 http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/230318-the-5-billion-campaign [14] Julie Bykowicz, "Campaign ads are a feast for TV stations and they're out to guard it from online competition", Associated Press, December 9, 2015 http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2015/12/09/tv-broadcasters-try-to-drum-up-more-campaign-ads (c) 2016 Michael T Bucci. All Rights reserved. Michael T Bucci is a retired public relations executive currently living in New England. He has authored nine books on practical spirituality collectively titled The Cerithous Material. 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. Delhi/NCR RMZ buys Gurgaon IT park for $150m RMZ Corp, backed by Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), has bought 8 lakh square feet of IT park space in Gurgaon from property firm BPTP for nearly $150 million, or around Rs 950 crore, sources said. The deal--a mix of debt and equity-marks the Bangalore-based firm's maiden foray into the Delhi/ NCR. It is the latest in a series of large-office space buyouts by marquee global investors who want to create a portfolio of rent-yielding commercial assets in India. Now, the action is shifting to the NCR, which boasts of a large technology workforce, after Bangalore and Pune. RMZ bought the IT Park--BPTP Crest--which is located in Phase IV of Gurgaon opposite DLF Cyber City and close to the IGI Airport. The tenants include global tax and audit company Deloitte and US-based financial services firm Fidelity. The deal comes on the heels of RMZ's plans to buy Essar's business park, Equinox, in Mumbai, for around $360 million. --Avik Das Part of NH-58 to be handed over to up Road transport and highways ministry has decided to hand over the Ghaziabad and Meerut stretch of NH-58 to the Uttar Pradesh government. This stretch will be denotified as a part of NH, which means the state government will be responsible for its maintenance and development. The ministry has taken this decision after a year-long face off with urban development ministry and UP government over fixing the alignment of the proposed RRTS corridor between Delhi and Meerut. "After the denotification, the UP government can decide whatever suits them," a road ministry official said. --Dipak Dash Source: Times Property, The Times of India, Delhi/NCR Feb. 12 is the deadline for applications to participate in a new program designed to help entrepreneurs develop or expand businesses in uptown Martinsville. The Chambers Partnership for Economic Growth (C-PEG), an independent affiliate of the Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce, is launching Startup Martinsville, Virginia with $60,000 in state funds that it recently received from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development through the Second Annual Virginia Community Business Launch (CBL) initiative. C-PEGs program will be a big help to people who are planning to start a business to see if they are ready to go into business for themselves, said Amanda Witt, president of the chamber and executive director of the affiliate. Startup Martinsville, Virginia is an intensive eight-week boot camp program for entrepreneurs ending with a business plan competition in which participants vie for a share of $45,000 in grant funds, other awards and loan opportunities to start or expand businesses in the citys central business district. C-PEG and the city each will contribute $7,500 toward the program. Money not used toward grants will help cover administrative and promotional costs for the program, according to Witt. Depending on their needs as revealed in their business plans, three to six entrepreneurs will be eligible for grants of between $5,000 and $20,000, according to program details on chambers website. C-PEG will administer the program with help from city and state officials, Patrick Henry Community College, the Martinsville Area Community Foundation, Longwood Universitys Small Business Development Center, the Senior Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) and the Martinsville Uptown Revitalization Association, as well as community banks that are based in the region. A selection committee comprised of representatives of C-PEG and the other participants will review applications and choose business plan competition winners based on various criteria, including their participation in all eight boot camp sessions. Because a lot of information is to be provided over a short period of time, you cannot miss one of the classes and still be eligible for the competition, Witt emphasized. If a participant cannot avoid missing a class due to an extreme emergency, such as a severe illness, C-PEG will try to work with that person, but he or she will have to make up the class somehow, she said. Classes will be held from 6-9 p.m. on Thursdays from Feb. 25 to April 14 at the community colleges Dalton IDEA Center uptown. Participants must be able to communicate ideas for their businesses clearly and concisely, as well as show how their businesses would be different from any similar establishments in the local market, the website shows. Now that the former Henry Hotel has been turned into an apartment building, and with people living on upstairs floors of other buildings uptown, C-PEG is hoping to attract entrepreneurs wanting to open businesses targeted to largely serve people living in the district. Grocery stores and restaurants are examples of such businesses. Businesses that complement the New College Institute, the Dalton IDEA Center and the planned College of Henricopolis School of Medicine a bookstore is an example are sought, as well as businesses based around technological innovations, according to the website. Yet those types of businesses will not necessarily have a leg up, so to speak, when decisions are made as to who receives a grant, Witt said. There are certain to be ideas for other types of businesses that would be of great benefit to uptown residents and visitors and ultimately enhance the districts vitality, she said. Program participants must be at least 18 years of age and either a United States citizen or someone with a legal authorization to work in the country. Also, they must be able to open their businesses by Sept. 30. More information about Startup Martinsville, Virginia and an application to participate in the program are on the chambers website at http://www.martinsville.com/info/startup-martinsville.cfm. Witt said she hopes the program can become an annual event. In Defence of Marxism is committed to safeguarding your privacy. At all times we aim to respect any personal data you share with us, or that we receive from other organisations, and keep it safe. This Privacy Policy (Policy) sets out our data collection and processing practices and your options regarding the ways in which your personal information is used. This Policy contains important information about your personal rights to privacy. Please read it carefully to understand how we use your personal data. We may update this Policy from time to time without notice to you, so please check it regularly. The provision of your personal data to us is voluntary. 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Please let us know if you have any queries or concerns whatsoever about the way in which your data is being processed by emailing the Data Protection Manager at webmaster@marxist.com Gun Maker Stocks In this Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014, file photo, trade show attendees examine handguns and rifles in the Smith & Wesson display boot at the Shooting Hunting and Outdoor Tradeshow, in Las Vegas. With all major markets in a severe sell-off Monday, Jan. 4, 2016, shares of companies that make guns surged as new data pointed to strong sales at the close of 2015, a year marked by mass shootings in Paris and California, and new political pressure to tighten regulations. Shares of Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. rose almost 6 percent Monday, one of the biggest percentage gains over the past year for the gunmaker. Its shares hit an all-time high two weeks earlier. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File) (Julie Jacobson) SPRINGFIELD - In his tearful remarks Tuesday implementing stricter background check requirements for firearm purchasers, President Barack Obama also called for smart gun technology. He's not the first President to tout such technology, which use fingerprint recognition other biometric information or a computer chip to prevent anyone other than the lawful gun owner from firing the weapon. But when Springfield's Smith & Wesson signed on to a Clinton-era plan to implement the program a furious NRA organized a boycott that nearly destroyed the company. But for gun-control advocates like Obama, smart guns sound like a reasonable safety precaution. "If we can set it up so you can't unlock your phone unless you have the right fingerprint, why can't we do the same for guns? If we can do it for your iPad, there's no reason we can't do it," for guns, Obama said according to a wire service reports. "If a child can't open a bottle of aspirin, we should make sure they can't pull the trigger of a gun." Smith & Wesson was under different ownership when in the year 2000 it agreed to make safety improvements to guns including smart gun technology and locks and more strictly monitor distribution of its products. In exchange, Smith & Wesson was dropped from 30 lawsuits filed by states and cities against firearms manufacturers in an effort to recover the social costs of gun violence. It was the first ever compromise offered by a major gun manufacturer towards gun control activists. Current New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, then a member of the Clinton administration, was the prime architect of the deal. Cuomo has more recently enacted tough gun control measures in New York, the SAFE Act. In 2001, U.S. Department of Justice gave Smith & Wesson $1.7 million and promised another $1 million the following year to develop its "smart gun" technology in a deal announced at the time by U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal and the late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. But by then Smith & Wesson had a major backlash on its hands. The NRA called the pact a betrayal and organized a boycott targeting retailers and gun distributors. Sales fell 40 percent and the market was flooded with used Smith & Wesson firearms no one wanted, according to published reports at the time. Smith & Wesson lost $17 million in that fiscal year and was sold to an obscure Arizona gun parts maker called Saf-T-Hammer. Saf-T-Hammer mended its fences with the NRA and later changed its name to Smith & Wesson Holdings Corp. as it remains to this day. Current Smith & Wesson management didn't return an email asking questions on this topic. The smart gun technology was never implemented and the company is back in the fold of the pro-gun lobby. Today, Smith & Wesson sees its stock jump as Obama announces gun control measures. And opponents of gun control continue to harass any gun seller who offers smart guns, as documented here in this CBS "60 Minutes" report that aired in November. Correspondent Leslie Stahl talked with a Maryland gun dealer who offed smart guns for sale. for his trouble, he got more than 2,000 angry phone calls and emails including threats of arson and rape. There is a New Jersey law that says once a smart gun is offered for sale anywhere, that's the only kind of gun that could be sold in that state. But lawmakers there have offered, according to 60 Minutes" to rescind that law if gun advocates drop their opposition to smart guns. The lawmakers have not heard back, according to "60 Minutes". The majority of Republican presidential candidates have scorned Obama's executive orders and promise to nullify them if elected. Better Angels Wall.jpg The Better Angels wall. SPRINGFIELD Easthampton artist Dawn Howkinson Siebel was inspired when The New York Times printed photos of all 343 of the Fire Department of New York members who perished in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. So Siebel has painted a portrait of every firefighter lost that day, and the result is "Better Angels: The Firefighters of 9/11," a new traveling exhibit at the Lyman & Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History from Jan. 12 to July 10. The name for the exhibit comes from Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural address: "The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature." The individual oil paintings of the firefighters who died on 9/11 were created to honor the lives they lived and the people they loved. "These 343 firemen represent New York, the FDNY, their selfless profession and also - in the way of heroes - the possibility that each of us may rise to the 'better angels' of our own nature," Siebel said. She was living in Colorado at the time of the attacks but previously had been a longtime resident of Manhattan. She hand-painted each portrait onto a 4 x 6-inch block of charred wood; the exhibit took 3,000 hours and more than six years to create. The images create a 21-foot-long wall. "When you see all of them, you really get it in your gut how many there were," Siebel said. But because the paintings are small, viewers must get up close to see their detail. "You're struck by these unique individuals looking back at you. That's its power." "I think one reason that 9/11 remains part of our collective consciousness is because it has changed the way we process and react to acts of terrorism around the world," said Guy McLain, director of the Wood Museum of Springfield History. "Recent events like those that unfolded in Paris serve as reminders of the senselessness of attacks on innocent civilians and on the critical role that first responders play in ensuring public safety." To mark the opening week of the exhibit, Siebel will speak at the weekly Museums a la Carte lecture on Thursday, Jan. 14, at 12:15 p.m. "We're very honored to host this unique and poignant exhibit, as we approach the 15-year anniversary of the attacks on 9/11," McLain said. "Given the multi-disciplinary nature of our campus, we feel that we provide an ideal location for an exhibit that combines both art and history, and it also fits well with our displays in the Wood Museum on the history of firefighting in Springfield." For more information, go to springfieldmuseums.org/exhibitions/better-angels-firefighters-of-911. grange.jpg The author dances with Richard Chamlin at the Guiding Star Grange in Greenfield. TopHill Music hosts an Extravadance January 9 from 6:30 to midnight. (Abigail Hobart) If your New Year's resolution was to move more, why not make that movement flirtatious and fun. Here's a listing of some of the dances going on this weekend in Western Massachusetts, Brattleboro, Vermont, and West Hartford, Connnecticut. Many of the dances this weekend feature live music. And many of these venues hold lessons on weeknights if your dancing needs polish. Amherst Area English Dancers holds its Second Saturday Dance at Munson Memorial Library Jan. 9, 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Mary Jones will call English Country Dances. Doug Creighton & Joyce Crouch. Admission $8. For more information, contact Mary Jones maryjones@pobox.com. No partner needed. TopHill Music holds its annual Winter Extravadance Contradance Party Saturday Jan. 9 from 6:30 p.m. to midnight at the Guiding Star Grange on Chapman Street at the corner of Silver Street in Greenfield. Evening begins with 30 minutes of waltzes followed by five hours of contra dancing. Callers will be Linda Leslie and Steve Zakon Anderson. Music will be provided by the Factory Boys (Brendan Carey Block on fiddle, Eric McDonald on guitar and Matt Kenney on percussion) and Portland band Rip Tide (Alden Robinson on fiddle, Owen Marshall on guitar and Glen Loper on mandolin. Admission is $18 to $20 on a sliding scale. For information, contact Alice Kenney at info@tophillmusic.com. No partner needed. VKTango presents Tango Night: Puerto Nuevo Milonga at Gateway City Arts on Race Street in Holyoke Saturday Jan. 9. Lesson starts at 8 p.m. Event runs from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Lessons are $10. Dance is $15. Student prices are $7 for lessons, $10 for the dance. Hartford Swing Dance holds its first Friday swing dance January 8 at West Hartford Town Hall. (It's being held this week because of New Year's Day) with Bales & Gitlin featuring Ginny Bales and Jay Gitlin, keyboards, Don Wallace electric bass, Bob D'Angelo, drums, Vinny Cassotta, trumpet, Bob Semanchik, guitar and Chris Coulter on sax. A beginner East Coast Swing lesson starts at 7:30 p.m. with dancing from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. Admission is $12, $10 for seniors. No partner needed. Dance Northampton on Pleasant Street hosts its 10th year anniversary party with a bevy of genres with DJ Joni Fraser and Raphael. At 7:30p.m. the evening starts with a Roast the Host Social Gathering. The dance features a mixture of ballroom, swing, Latin and more starting at 8:30 p.m. Donation of $10 will go to Safe Passage. The Brattleboro Tango Community holds an Argentine Tango Milonga at The Stone Church, 210 Main St., Brattleboro, Vt., Friday from 8:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Lesson takes place at 7:30 p.m. For information, contact sally.brat.tango@gmail.com Shall We Dance at The Stone Church, 210 Main St., Brattleboro, Vt., hosts a West Coast Swing Dance and lesson Saturday, January 9. Intermediate lesson takes place at 7 p.m. Dancing from 8 to 11 p.m. Lesson and dance are $15. Lesson or dance, $10. For information, contact ray@shallwedance.biz Shall We Dance at The Stone Church, 210 Main St., Brattleboro, Vt., hosts a contra dance with live music Sunday, January 10 from 7 to 9 p.m. For information, contact ray@shallwedance.biz. Salsa and Latin Dancing takes place at the American Legion in Hadley, 162 Russell St., Friday, January 8 to music by DJ Chico Jimenez Friday. Lessons take place before the dance, which starts at 8:30 p.m. Admission is $1, $8 for students. Connecticut Tribes-Casino Kevin Brown, left, Chairman of the Mohegan Tribal Council and Rodney Butler, right, chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council, host an historic signing ceremony, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015, at the state Capitol in Hartford, Conn., formalizing their new casino venture north of the city. (Lauren Schneiderman/Hartford Courant via AP) East Windsor is pitching a 33-acre plot near Interstate 91 as a site for Connecticut's planned third casino, according to report in the Hartford Courant. The location, less than 10 miles from the Massachusetts border, currently houses a U-Haul rental company and an industrial and farming supply firm. The town had submitted a proposal to MMCT, the tribal development company authorized by the state to seek a casino site, in November. But First Selectman Bob Maynard first identified the location on Tuesday following consultation with developer Centerplan Cos., who would build the casino if the site is chosen by the tribes. The proposed site for a casino in East Windsor, Conn. MMCT, the tribal venture whose potential casino project is targeted at blunting the economic effects of competition from the planned MGM Springfield casino and other new gaming facilities, said in its October request for proposals that it was targeting a Dec. 15 deadline for site selection. But that date was pushed back indefinitely on Dec. 11. An MMCT spokesman told MassLive at the time that there is not currently a firm deadline for the selection, and that the company is waiting for towns to complete approval votes on the project before making its decision. MMCT has received five proposals for a casino from four Connecticut municipalities. East Hartford, East Windsor, Hartford and Windsor Locks all responded to the RFP ahead of the company's Nov. 6 deadline. Mohegan Tribal Council Chairman Kevin Brown has described the project as in direct competition with MGM Springfield, which is scheduled to open in late 2018. "This process began to preserve thousands of jobs and millions in revenue which will leave (Connecticut), the loss of which MGM has repeatedly acknowledged is necessary to make their project in Springfield a success," Brown said. "As members of communities with deep ties to this state, we're simply not going to let that happen without a fight. With this phase complete, we can now begin to engage interested parties and save Connecticut jobs." Connecticut's potential third casino, which will still require a vote by Connecticut's legislature to authorize its construction, is targeting an opening date ahead of the MGM Springfield casino and has been described by both tribal proponents and state officials as a means of insulating Connecticut's gaming revenues from out-of-state competition. MGM Resorts International filed a legal challenge in August to Connecticut's new casino gaming law and is suing in federal court to have it declared discriminatory and unconstitutional. That court battle is still ongoing. Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno has told The Republican he is focused on his city's development, not on what is taking place across the Connecticut border. "Our process here, we had to go through two ballot questions and we also had to go through state initiative and we had a very, very democratic process," Sarno said. "I am not going to speak about what Connecticut is going to do or not going to do, the only thing I can control or oversee and be part of is what's being done in Springfield." Shannon Young contributed reporting to this story. BOSTON - Rachelle Bond, the mother of murdered two-and-a-half-year-old Bella Bond, is being held in jail on $1 million cash bail after her arraignment Wednesday on charges of larceny and being an accessory after the fact to her daughter's murder. Bond pleaded not guilty before Suffolk County Superior Court Magistrate Edward Curley. Assistant District Attorney David Deakin said Bond has been arraigned 31 times before, on less serious charges, and did not show up in many of those cases. Those charges included drug crimes, prostitution, larceny and others, according to news reports. "Unless bail is set extraordinarily high, there's no reason to think she'll return to face these charge," Deakin said. Bond's court-appointed lawyer, Janice Bassil, did not contest the bail. She said Bond, who was homeless for years before receiving housing through public assistance, would not be able to pay. "Any bail whatsoever is more than she can meet," Bassil said. Bella Bond's unidentified remains were discovered in a trash bag on a Deer Island beach in June. It took until September for the police to identify the girl as Bella. Rachelle Bond's boyfriend, Michael McCarthy, 35, of Quincy, was charged with Bella's murder. He is due in court Jan. 11. Rachelle Bond, 40, of Dorchester, was charged with being an accessory after the fact and with larceny, for accepting around $1,400 in welfare benefits intended for Bella after Bella's death. According to prosecutors, Bond and McCarthy were in Bond's Dorchester apartment one night in late May or early June, and Bella was resisting going to bed. Bond sent McCarthy into Bella's bedroom to calm her down. After hearing nothing from the room, Bond want in. "She discovered her child prone on bed or floor and Mr. McCarthy half kneeling, half standing over her," Deakin said. According to Deakin, Bond told the police that Bella was gray and her head looked swollen. She knew her daughter was dead. McCarthy told Bond to leave the room, then he got a trash bag and put her daughter's body into it. McCarthy and Bond spent two or three days on a "drug binge," according to Deakin. They then took weights from McCarthy's father's plumbing shop, used them to weigh down a bag with Bella's body and threw the bag into the water in a remote part of the Boston Harbor. Bassil plans to argue that Bond was being emotionally and psychologically controlled by McCarthy. Bassil told reporters after the hearing that Bond was heavily using drugs that McCarthy was providing her. "She was being controlled by Mr. McCarthy," Bassil said. Deakin countered that evidence shows that while Bond continued to have a domestic relationship with McCarthy, she went about her business normally that summer, going to a family reunion in New Hampshire and interacting with her neighbors. After Bella's biological father returned to Boston and wanted to meet his daughter, Bond had a conversation with a friend. Bond cried to the friend that she would never see Bella again, and told the man that McCarthy had murdered Bella. The friend told the police. After Deakin summarized the facts of the case, Bassil accused Deakin of trying to taint the potential jury pool. "The fact that the DA has gone on and on and on is an indication this case is being played out in front of the cameras...for the benefit of poisoning the future jury pool," Bassil said in court. Bassil said afterwards that she will contest the idea that Bond assisted McCarthy. "She really loved her daughter, and every witness that we've spoken to has said that she was a good mother," Bassil said. Bond stood with her back to the cameras and did not speak audibly in court. Occasionally, Bassil put a hand on Bond's shoulder and appeared to be comforting her. Bassil described Bond as "very depressed, very sad." "This is extremely difficult for her," Bassil said. AMHERST - Despite protests in November at Amherst College addressing racial concerns, the college is actually exemplary in its student body diversity, according to Forbes Magazine. "In fact, Amherst has the highest percentage of African Americans on Forbes top 100." Following the protests sparked by the University of Missouri, Forbes decided to look at the actual data on student diversity collected by the Department of Education. According the numbers, Amherst College is comprised of 41.7 percent white, 11.7 percent black or African American, 12.5 percent Asian, 12.8 percent Hispanic, 9.6 percent non-American, 5.6 two or more races and 5.9 percent race unknown. In November students calling themselves Amherst Uprising, occupied Frost Library following similar demonstrations on the campuses of Yale University and the University of Missouri. Students drafted demands they presented to President Biddy Martin and other administration officials. Among those demands is the end of Lord Jeffrey Amherst, known for endorsing the use of small pox blankets against American Indians, as the school's mascot. According to a student poll 83 percent voted to remove it. With alumni, 52 percent agreed. The college is continuing to solicit feedback and the Board of Trustees will take up the issue at its meeting later this month. In a message on the college site posted Dec. 28, Amherst College President Biddy Martin wrote in part "Our students' activism this past fall has focused the media's attention only on protest and conflict. "What most reports missed or ignored is those same students' passionate desire to participate fully in an Amherst education, a desire expressed sincerely through the recent protests on campus. "A love of learning unites Amherst students of every background. It is a quality that our current students share with all of you. "The issues raised during the protests reflect the existence of barriers that stand in the way of success and wellbeing for too many of our students. "We are committed to reducing any barriers to learning and thriving as an academic community. "Amherst College has spent the last decade creating increasingly broad educational opportunities for talented students from a wider range of backgrounds." According to Forbes list on diversity, Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley showed that 5.7 percent of its student body was black or African American and Smith in Northampton at 5 percent. UMass is not included on the top 100 list. According to the Forbes posting, diversity data comes from the 2013-2014 academic year. "Given admissions trends, most of the colleges below are even more diverse today," according to the posting. by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, January 5, 2016 The bizarre, messy and fairly alarming situation at the Las Vegas Review-Journal hasnt started to make much more sense as the year begins. Quite the opposite. As the manager of the company that bought the newspaper, Michael Schroeder is removed from his position and an editor from a completely different newspaper is brought in, not to serve as interim editor, but to give discouraging pep talks to staffers. But one thing is becoming quite clear. If youre a partisan plutocrat aspiring to covertly mold public opinion through ownership of news outlets, this is definitely not the way to go about it. Lets review (some) of the developments in this weird desert saga so far. In March 2015, Gatehouse Media bought the LVRJ, but then turned around and sold the newspaper in December to News + Media Capital Group, a company which also owns a number of midsized newspapers on the East Coast. Under the terms of the deal, Gatehouse Media continues to manage the day-to-day operations of the LVRJ. When LVRJ newsroom staff asked who was behind the deal in effect, who they were now working for NMCGs boss, Schroeder, told them not to worry about it and just do their jobs. Schroeder failed to realize that this advice, being a contradiction in terms, was just going to cause trouble. LVRJ editor Michael Hengel, questioning the new owners decision to remain anonymous, was also removed from the LVRJ story without the knowledge of the reporter or editors, further piquing their curiosity. After a week of doing their jobs, LVRJ reporters discovered that the new owner was casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, who also happens to be a high-profile political mega-donor supporting the Republican Party. Adelson has used his ownership of newspapers in Israel to influence politics there, so his attempt to purchase the LVRJ on the sly naturally stoked concerns about its editorial independence. These concerns were only heightened when it was discovered that three LVRJ journalists had been moved from their beats to carry out an odd task closely monitoring three judges in cases involving Adelson. LVRJ reporters started asking about Schroeders involvement in a story published in the newspaper, apparently intended to cast doubt on the fairness of one of the judges. Then last week brought revelations of attempts to influence coverage at another newspaper owned by NMCG, The Bristol Press in Connecticut, where reporter Steve Collins quit in protest over the newspapers publication of an editorial containing plagiarized passages that appeared under a fake name. Bizarrely, the editorial in a local Connecticut newspaper was critical of Nevada judges that had tangled with Adelson. The supposed author of the passages, one Edward Clarkin, doesnt appear to exist but Edward is Schroeders middle name, and Clarkin is his mothers maiden name. Meanwhile, on December 22, the LVRJs former editor, Michael Hengel, announced his resignation with the comment: I think my resignation probably comes as a relief to the new owners. All of which brings us to this week. On Monday, it was revealed that Schroeder has stepped down from his positions as manager of NMCG and the LVRJ, and will will have no role whatsoever with regard to the paper, according to a spokesman for the Adelson family. No reason was given for Schroeders removal. Also this week, David J. Butler, the executive editor of the Providence Review-Journal, also owned by Gatehouse Media, visited the LVRJ newsroom to discuss how reporters should cover the newspapers new owner, Adelson, as well as how often the newspaper should disclose the potential conflicts of interest resulting form his ownership. (A report from Politico that Butler would serve as interim editor, filling in until Hengels replacement can be found, turned out to be incorrect which seems to leave the newspapers editorial management adrift.) According to a series of tweets from LVRJ features editor Stephanie Grimes, Butlers advice to the newsroom was basically to stop harping on Adelsons ownership of the newspaper, lest they make it seem like the newspaper was out to get our owner, asking: How often do we need to mention the owners. Grimes also tweeted that Butler told assembled editors: One thing you have to get your head around is ... newspapers are a business, and owners can do (what they want) with them. Butler also ventured that at some undecided future point, the newspaper might stop including regular disclosures of Adelsons ownership, since the public would have presumably gotten the message. Again, according to Grimes tweets, editors responded by expressing concern that these suggestions were an invitation to engage in self-censorship. As for ceasing regular disclosures about Adelsons ownership, Grimes opined: I don't think you'll find another soul in the room who thinks we should stop disclosing conflicts of interest at some arbitrary future point. So there you have it whatever you want to classify this ungodly mess as. (My unvarnished opinion, unprintable in a family-oriented blog, is: clusterf*ck.) The one thing that stands out to me is that Schroeder, having served as Adelsons tool to influence public opinion by suborning his newspapers editorial integrity, is being discarded not because Adelson had a change in heart about editorial independence, but because Schroeder screwed up and got caught. OMG, cant wait for next weeks installment! Via Hoje em Dia in Belo Horizonte, a report from O Estado de Sao Paulo: Federal Zika notification must change. The Google translation, edited: The director of the Department of Communicable Disease Surveillance of the Ministry of Health, Claudio Maierovitch said in an interview that the ministry should analyze the data on zika collected in so-called sentinel laboratories and, thereafter, adopt a decision on the format for a formal Notification of the disease. "I consider promising the idea of adopting a hybrid model that expands the number of laboratories that make the collections, but that is not universal, as what is being done in Pernambuco and Bahia," he said. Since there is no diagnostic kit able to identify the presence of Zika antibodies in the blood, monitoring of infection is made by advanced research centers. PSCs are chosen by the ministry to oversee the number of treated cases and do surveys of the patients to be sent for expert analysis. Data samples are analyzed and then projected to the entire population. Maierovitch wants to increase the number of collection areas, so that this sample is even greater. He said it was "tempting" to adopt a mandatory reporting format, where all suspected cases are reported, since the presence of the virus is proven in the region. This is the model used, for example, dengue and chikungunya, diseases transmitted by Aedes aegypti which also transmits Zika. "But in the case of Zika, where 80% of cases are asymptomatic and complaints from patients can be confused with other diseases, such an assessment may be questionable. The impression is that we can always just be seeing the tip of the iceberg," he added. The definition is still under review; a decision will be taken in the coming days to analyze both the data collected in the sentinel centers as the experience of Pernambuco and Bahia, which has adopted the universal notice. by Richard Whitman , Columnist, January 5, 2016 Global news organization IBT Media has hired its first VP Director of Marketing. Daniel Goodman will be based out of IBT Medias New York City headquarters and will report to Chief Marketing Officer, Mitchell Caplan. In this newly created role, Goodman's responsibilities will include strategic business partnerships, management of Newsweek print licensees, and new revenue streams including the monetization of content, event management and the development of data reporting. Of the hire, Caplan said, Dan is a fantastic addition to our expanding marketing team and will help us sharpen our efforts around many different initiatives as the company gears up for growth in 2016. He spent eight years at one of the largest marketing companies in the world and is masterful when it comes to execution and turning ideas into revenue-producing realities. Goodman joins IBT Media from Y&R where he served as the Director of Operations, Global Growth and Intelligence for over four years and North American New Business Research Analyst for over three years. Before Y&R he also held positions at Thomson Financial, Stadium Insider, Yomiuri Shimbun and NBC Sports. by Larissa Faw , January 6, 2016 BI Norwegian Business School is embarking on an unusual recruitment campaign. The "Flying Start" initiative seeks international students by promising to make them famous. Developed by the Try Advertising Agency, the goal of the effort is to present the school's location in Oslo, Norway, as a city where international students will quickly feel at home, say agency executives. Throughout the campaign, one selected student will get his or her name and interests widely featured all over Olso, including on billboards, posters, magazine ads and TV commercials. Even the school's soda machine in the cafeteria will feature the chosen student with cans branded in his or her name. Fellow students will also be rewarded with prizes if they learn how to pronounce the name of and recognize the student. In short, the campaign makes the chosen international student a city celebrity from day one, say executives. advertisement advertisement The concept is designed to help international students overcome various cross-cultural adjustment challenges and homesickness. The belief is they will feel at home with such a warm promotional embrace. BI Norwegian Business School often loses out to schools in other European cities, particularly London, Paris, Milan, and Berlin. "Many think of Oslo as a city situated in the far outskirts of Europe, and this makes attracting international students even more challenging," says Arne Wellberg, head of marketing, BI Norwegian Business School. "In order to make Oslo known as a vital, colorful and exciting city for students, [the school] had to think differently, and boldly," he adds. "With this campaign, we therefore also want to create awareness of our excellent, international rankings, the multitude of programs offered and the successful careers awaiting our students after having finished their degrees," says Wellberg. The school already attracts a wide diversity of attendees. There are currently more than 1,800 students enrolled from 106 different nations. If you are already struggling with your New Years resolution to eat healthier, a study published in the journal Autoimmunity Reviews may help you get back on the ladder; researchers suggest that eating processed foods may weaken the intestines in a way that raises the risk for autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes, celiac disease and multiple sclerosis. Share on Pinterest Researchers identified at least seven food additives that weakened the intestines immune response to toxins, which could lead to autoimmune diseases. After a hard day at work, it is tempting to reach for foods that are quick and easy to prepare. For many of us, this means turning to processed foods, such as microwave meals, which are usually high in fat, salt, sugar and other additives. Processed foods are defined by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as any food other than a raw agricultural commodity and includes any raw agricultural commodity that has been subject to processing, such as canning, cooking, freezing, dehydration or milling. This means that it is not only microwave meals that meet the processed definition; cheese, breakfast cereals, canned fruits and vegetables, bread, savory snacks and meats such as bacon and sausages are also examples of foods that have been subject to some form of processing. A number of studies have reported the negative health effects of consuming some processed foods, including increased risk of weight gain and heart disease. And last October, the World Health Organization (WHO) concluded that eating processed meats can cause colorectal cancer. Now, Prof. Aaron Lerner, of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel, and Dr. Torsten Matthias, of the Aesku-Kipp Institute in Germany, suggest the consumption of processed foods may be associated with development of autoimmune diseases. Could gender differences in the symptoms of autism mask their prevalence in girls? A recent study into autistic friendships highlights some striking asymmetries. Share on Pinterest According to a new study, the way in which autistic boys and girls enter friendships can be quite different. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that around 1 in 68 American children have been identified with an autism spectrum disorder. Autism appears to be far more prevalent in males than females; almost five times more boys are thought to have the disorder than girls. According to the CDC, around 1 in 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls are on the autistic spectrum. Research being presented today at the British Psychological Societys Division of Educational and Child Psychology puts an interesting slant on autism, friendship and the differences between girls and boys. Felicity Sedgewick and her team at the Centre for Research in Autism and Education at the UCL Institute of Education, University College London in the UK conducted a study comparing autistic childrens relationships with the relationships of non-autistic children of equivalent age. In total, 46 young people, aged 12-16, all of a similar intellectual level, were assessed by a number of psychological measures and interviewed at length. According to Sedgewick: About half of all patients with Alzheimer's disease develop symptoms of psychosis, such as delusions or hallucinations. But the pathological mechanisms that underlie psychotic symptoms are unclear, limiting the ability to manage and treat them. Some studies have suggested they are related to the underlying causes of Alzheimer's disease such as the protein deposits found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, but others found no correlation. A study published yesterday in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease found that cerebrovascular disease is a major determinant of psychosis in people with Alzheimer's disease. Cerebrovascular disease is a group of conditions that restrict the circulation of blood to the brain. Using data from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Centre database collected from 29 Alzheimer's disease centres in the United States between 2005 and 2012, researchers led by Dr. Corinne Fischer, a psychiatrist and researcher at St. Michael's Hospital, analyzed autopsy data from 1,073 people. Of the 890 people who had been clinically diagnosed with Alzheimer's while they were alive, the people most likely to be psychotic were those whose autopsies showed they had more physical signs of Alzheimer's such as neuritic plaques (protein deposits) and neurofibrillary tangles (twisted fibers found inside brain cells). But when they looked at the 728 people whose autopsies confirmed they had Alzheimer's, those with psychosis did not show increased physical evidence of Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's can only be confirmed through an autopsy, so some patients in the clinically diagnosed group had been misdiagnosed with Alzheimer's. In both groups of patients, psychosis correlated significantly with Lewy bodies, abnormal protein aggregates found in nerve cells of patients with Parkinson's disease. This was not an unexpected finding since psychosis is prominent when dementia accompanies Parkinson's disease. What was entirely unexpected was the prominent role in psychosis of vascular risk factors (hypertension, diabetes, age at quitting smoking) and cerebral injuries related to small vessel disease, About 19 per cent of people with Alzheimer's who live in the community (rather than in institutions) are thought to have delusions and 14 per cent have hallucinations. Psychotic symptoms are significant in Alzheimer's patients because they have been shown to be associated with increased burden on caregivers, increased functional decline and more rapid progression of the disease. Deakin University and UNSW Australia researchers have made a rare observation of rapid evolution in action in the wild, documenting the spread of a newly arisen genetic mutation in invasive starlings, which could shed light on mitochondrial disease in humans. The scientists found West Australian starlings carrying a particular mutation in their mitochondria, the energy powerhouses of cells, almost tripled their population within five years, suggesting the mutation was beneficial to the birds on the invasion front. The first author of the study published in Molecular Biology and Evolution, Deakin University scientist Dr Lee Rollins, said the research was an important step forward in understanding how populations respond to a changing environment. "Our findings also have important implications for mitochondrial diseases in humans, because this research significantly advances our understanding of how mitochondrial DNA mutations affect individuals and populations, and provides a potential mechanism to explain how different genetic variants may affect health," Dr Rollins said. Dr Rollins, from Deakin's Centre for Integrative Ecology, within the School of Life and Environmental Sciences, said mitochondria were essential for sustaining life and had their own set of genes, usually only inherited from the mother. "Sometimes mutations occur and an individual person or animal can end up having two different versions of mitochondrial genes within each cell," Dr Rollins said. "This is surprisingly common and is associated with many inherited diseases in humans. But we know very little about how different mitochondrial genetic variants compete within individuals." The research team, co-led by Dr Rollins and Professor Bill Sherwin of UNSW, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Food in Western Australia, studied the DNA of 279 starlings near Munglinup in the south east of Western Australia and identified birds with a novel mitochondrial genome sequence (Haplotype H). This genetic variant is not present in starlings living elsewhere in the country, so is likely to have arisen in this particular population at the invasion front. Professor Sherwin, of the UNSW School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, said the advantageous mutation then spread rapidly through the population, with the proportion of birds carrying Haplotype H increasing from 17 per cent to 47 per cent during the five years of the study. "We also showed haplotype H was associated with a reduction in the number of copies of the mitochondrial DNA in cells, which might indicate that mitochondria in those cells are more efficient," Professor Sherwin said. "Biological phenomena are often like the Emperor's new clothes: everybody knows they should be there, but no-one can see them. We have found evidence of a seldom seen, but often discussed phenomenon, providing the first demonstration of rapid evolutionary selection on the mitochondrial genome within individuals in the wild, as a result of an invasive species moving into new territory." Starlings are considered one of the world's worst invasive alien species, and have been likened to "cane toads with wings" in Australia. They pose a serious threat to agriculture and the environment and the West Australian government has attempted to eradicate starlings for decades. "Invasive species usually find themselves in environments where they face novel challenges, and new mutations can help solve these new problems. Our study is one of the first to track this rapid change at a molecular level," Professor Sherwin said. The team's previous genetic work on the starlings helped inform management strategies in WA, by revealing the state's invasion population did not interbreed much with the three other main populations of starlings in the rest of Australia, indicating that localised control in WA could be effective. The Association for Cancer Physicians (ACP), which represents and supports medical oncologists in the UK, has published a new Strategy for improving cancer patient services and outcomes. The Strategy has been published in the open-access journal ecancermedicalscience, where it is freely available to read. "The ACP, with input from patients, has worked hard to produce this Strategy," says strategy author Prof Peter Selby, Professor of Cancer Medicine at the University of Leeds and Consultant Physician at St James's University Hospital. "The Strategy focuses on improving the quality of life and survival of cancer patients towards the goal in two decades of over 70% of patients surviving for more than 10 years." "Cancer is a common problem, directly affecting 1 in 2 people in their lifetime," notes author Dr Sarah Payne, an Honorary Consultant at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust, and Medical Affairs Manager of Pfizer UK. She explains that advances in prevention and early detection, treatment options for patients, and understanding of the biology of the disease have led to over 50% of UK cancer patients surviving their disease for 10 years or more. "Oncology as a specialty has contributed substantially to these improvements over the last 25 years," says Dr Payne. The comprehensive Strategy is authored by influential medical oncologists from around the UK, who invited input from experts in each area, as well as patient perspectives. It reflects a significant evolution of medical oncology planning and practice in the United Kingdom. In the UK, as in the rest of Europe, healthcare is under tremendous pressure, the strategy explains, with increasing service demands, an aging population and increasing costs generating pressure on NHS services. The authors feel that medical oncology is in a place to provide leadership and support for colleagues in all of the healthcare professions in the management of the pressures in cancer care. "Notably, the aims are to improve the delivery of excellent and safe medical oncology care for patients, contribute to the overall development of the NHS and provide a substantial contribution to the development of innovative approaches to cancer care," continues Dr Sarah Payne. "This is vital at a time of unprecedented acceleration of knowledge, rapid changes in the management of patients and the therapies available and the increased demand on cancer services and financial constraints on the NHS. The aim is for the strategy to bring about the developments and changes through the actions of its members at all stages of their career and their involvement with policy makers at the local, national and international levels." The strategy is "a living document" and will be reviewed annually, reflecting the changing landscape of cancer care in the UK. The authors write, "We hope to be able to show steady progress in the outcomes for our patients and demonstrate the value of the ACP's increasing contributions, as the specialty of Medical Oncology continues to grow in coming years." The sequencing of the first genome involving a cockroach species may one day serve as a model system comparable to how research on mice can apply to humans. In this case, the model could hold new revelations about how stress during pregnancy could affect both the mother and her offspring. Emily Jennings, a University of Cincinnati doctoral student in the Department of Biological Sciences, will present a study using RNA-sequencing analysis on a pregnant insect at the annual national meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. The meeting takes place Jan. 3-7, in Portland, Oregon. The subject of the research does not involve the cockroach that sends us running for the bug spray when we find it in our home. The beetle mimic cockroach, Diploptera punctata, is much smaller and is not considered a pest around human habitats. Native to the Polynesian Islands, it primarily dwells in tropical forests. This is the first study of its kind to be performed on this particular insect. The study involved extracting Ribonucleic acid or RNA - found in the cells of all living organisms - to develop a transcriptome - the gene readouts in a cell - to examine what occurs during the different developmental stages of the cockroach pregnancy and to explore if those changes hold wider applications for other mammals. The four stages of the reproductive cycle included mated but not pregnant; pre-lactation pregnancy; early lactation pregnancy and late lactation pregnancy, along with a male-female comparison that revealed unique expressed genes corresponding to each stage. "When I started this project two-and-a-half years ago, we might have had a maximum of 80 sequenced genes for this animal," says Jennings. "Now, we've found as many as 11,000 possible genes. We're in the process of assigning functions, roles and names by comparing sequences to sequenced genomes, such as that of the fruit fly, stored in the database of the National Center for Biotechnology Information. "We're on the edge of creating an exciting new resource for examining how a mother nourishes her babies before birth, a process typically associated with mammals," says Jennings. Jennings explains that this particular cockroach generates a type of milky secretion that provides protein, carbohydrates and other necessary nutrients for the embryos - a process that is rather uncommon in insects but comparable with the placentas of pregnant mammals. The pregnancy lasts between 60-70 days while the pregnant cockroach expands and holds 15 developing embryos. The babies are born white, until their exoskeleton hardens and turns to the brown color of their species. Jennings' presentation on Jan. 7 will center on the gene expression that occurs during this process and if there are genes responsible for starting or stopping the procedure. The roaches have at least two reproductive cycles during their lifetime. It's believed their lifespan is between three-to-seven months. "Ultimately, our next step will be looking at how interaction between the mother and the embryos can be affected, so if the mother is stressed during pregnancy - such as being exposed to a toxin or being deprived of resources such as food and water - we want to see how that can affect development of the embryos," says Jennings. "This would be called the mother-offspring conflict, and one example would be how a pregnant human and her offspring are affected by gestational diabetes," explains Jennings. "This previously has not been studied in insects that give birth to babies that were nourished during pregnancy." Jennings adds that the housing and feeding of the insects also is considerably less expensive than traditional animal research models such as mice, a savings of hundreds of dollars compared with the care for just one mouse. "We have over 1,000 cockroaches in a fairly small space, an enormous population compared to what you can keep with mice," says Jennings. "The feeding regimen of the cockroaches is the cost of a large bag of dog food that can last for years." Contributing researchers on the project are Jacob Hendershot, a UC undergraduate researcher in environmental science and current lab technician for the UC Department of Biological Sciences; Sophie Shemas, a UC undergraduate researcher in biological sciences; Jose M.C. Ribeiro, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; and Joshua Benoit, a UC assistant professor of biological sciences. Funding for the research was supported by the UC Weiman/Benedict Award in the Department of Biological Sciences and the UC Chapter of Sigma Xi Grants in Aid of Research (GIAR) Award. As American medical students increasingly want and expect to have international work experience, more and more short-term programs are being offered to give them that opportunity, according to Melissa Melby, assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Delaware. The trouble is, she writes in a new article in Academic Medicine, that too many of these programs -- called STEGH, or short-term experiences in global health -- focus on the needs of the student trainees and not on what's best for their patients or for overall health care in the countries they visit. "Most students who participate in these programs genuinely want to help people," Melby said. "But many of them may not be aware of the unintended consequences that can occur. In this article, we propose four core principles that we hope will help guide both the developers and the participants in STEGH programs." Melby, who specializes in the biological and medical aspects of anthropology, is the lead author of the article, written with colleagues who are medical doctors involved with global health care issues. She said her co-authors, who connected with her through the Delaware Health Sciences Alliance, of which UD is a founding partner, saw problems with many STEGH programs and sought her out for an anthropological perspective. "STEGHs are often very short term, perhaps about three weeks or even less, and many times the participants are dropped into an area with very little preparation," Melby said. "They don't know the language, they don't know the culture, and they're jet-lagged. They're well-intentioned, but this is often not the best way to help people." The authors of the paper list four principles that they say can be used to create better STEGH programs and to help students evaluate existing programs and make good choices about which to join. The principles are: Cultural humility. "I think there is a tendency to see these programs as bringing our advanced technology to people in need, but we need to realize that our approaches are not always the best in every context," Melby said. "In fact, in health care, America doesn't have the best outcomes in the world." The authors advocate that STEGHs provide specialized cross-cultural training to participants before they travel and ensure that the students be aware of their own limitations even after such training. Bidirectional participatory relationships. Effective STEGHs will establish true collaborations and partnerships with local health care providers and communities, Melby said, focusing on what communities actually need before offering to provide services. Local capacity building. The authors note that unintended consequences often result when STEGHs come to an area, provide direct health care to some patients, and then leave. Problems might include a lack of follow-up care and a tendency for patients to delay seeing local providers while they wait for outside help to return, undermining the local health care system. Long-term sustainability."We'd like to see these programs focus less on direct care and more on larger issues of public health," Melby said. Those issues include poverty and inequality, public health infrastructure While STEGHs can provide students with important global and cross-cultural education, the authors say they believe a paradigm shift is needed to ensure that the programs benefit both the trainees and the communities they visit. And, Melby said, the proposed guidelines can apply beyond medical or pre-med students to include other study-abroad and global service-learning programs. "We think these principles are relevant to a lot of student groups that do global work," she said. "Most people's hearts are in the right place, but there are often aspects to what they're doing that they just don't think about." The article, "Beyond Medical 'Missions' to Impact-Driven STEGHs: Ethical Principles to Optimize Community Benefit and Learner Experience," is available online. It will be published in an upcoming print edition of Academic Medicine, the journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges. Please complete this form and we'll send you a personalised information that is requested You may use this for your own reference or forward it to your friends. Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice. Via CIDRAP, Lisa Schnirring writes: Avian flu strikes more flocks in France, Nigeria, Taiwan. Excerpt: France's agriculture ministry today announced another highly pathogenic H5 avian flu outbreak in poultry, affecting another new area in the southwestern part of the country, raising the total so far to 66. Elsewhere, Nigeria reported four more H5N1 outbreaks in its poultry sector, Taiwan reported 10 more outbreaks from two different highly pathogenic strains, and Hong Kong reported that tests on a dead egret yielded H5N6, the same strain that recently sickened two womenone of them fatallyin southern China. H5N1 causes latest French outbreak The pace of France's outbreaks has slowed since the events began in late November, but the country continues to report sporadic detections, with the 63rd and 64th outbreaks reported at the end of December in Dordogne and Gers, two departments that had earlier been affected by the virus. The most recent update from France's agriculture ministry said the outbreak total stands at 66 today, apparently due to another detection in Landes for which no details were provided. French officials said the first outbreak in Lot departmentthe country's 65thoccurred at a farm in the town of Miers that housed 260 Guinea fowl, 280 ducks, 650 chickens, and 60 broiler hens, according to an official statement translated and posted by Avian Flu Diary, an infectious disease news blog. It involved the H5N1 strain. France's outbreaks have been caused by a new highly pathogenic Eurasian H5N1 strain, as well as H5N2 and H5N9. I. Executions By Beheading ISIS Video: Beheading Of Kurdish Fighter, Threatening To Behead Obama And Kurdistan President Barzani, Detonate Car Bombs In France, Belgium On January 26, 2015, the information bureau of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Ninawa Province (Mosul region) in Iraq released a video titled "Bombardment of Peaceful Muslims in the City of Mosul" that included an ISIS fighter beheading a captured Kurdish soldier. Before executing the soldier, the fighter threatens the U.S., France, Belgium and the Kurds, noting that he and his comrades will reach America and behead Barack Obama in the White House; will target France and Belgium with car bombs and explosives, and will behead Kurdistan Regional Government President Masoud Barzani.[44] A December 5, 2015 tweet stating "Picture Report - Implementation of Allah's ruling on a tyrant, one of Sheikhs of Al-Rafi'iyah group [a Sufi group]" linked to a page of photos on Justpaste.it: (@62invasion, December 5, 2015) "Implementation of Allah's ruling on a tyrant, one of Sheikhs of Al-Rafi'iyah group" "Implementation of Allah's ruling on a tyrant, one of Sheikhs of Al-Rafi'iyah group" "Reading the verdict of the Islamic court" "The tyrant is being escorted to the public square to have Allah's ruling applied on him" "The devils he worshiped instead of Allah did not come to his rescue" "#Caliphate_News #Ninawa_Province Carrying out the Koranic punishment against a sorcerer..." (@Alakeed46, December 3, 2015) "Al-Raqqah province/Caliphate productions/ 'Oh the despised and disappointed Russians'" (@Zzzzccccccsa, December 2, 2015) "#Al_Raqqa_Province (Pictorial report) "Implementing two of Allah's hudud in #Al_Raqqa "#Islamic_State, #Shari'a_Rule" The tweet below includes a link to Manbar.me, a content-sharing website similar to Justpaste.it created by jihadis. Jihadi users frequently post content on these websites and share links to it via Twitter; in this way they can share large quantities of content easily in a single tweet. (@tgareerr7, January 8, 2015) "#Caliphate_State/ #Aleppo_Province/ Implementation of death sentence on a man who insulted Allah the almighty in Dadif region." (@Sa3eed_23, September 7, 2015) An October 5, 2015 tweet of a beheading linked to a page of photos on Justpaste.it and other content-sharing websites: "Applying hadd to a sorcerer - by beheading" (@1Dawlah____) "Pictorial report on implementing two hudud in the town of Al-Raqqa" "Implementing Allah's hadd on hashish dealer in front of a gathering of Muslims"; "Reading the sentence to the Muslims gathered" "Implementing Allah's hadd on hashish dealer in front of a gathering of Muslims"; "Implementing Allah's hadd on an curser of Allah in front of a gathering of Muslims" "Reading the sentence to the Muslims gathered"; "Muslims' happiness with the implementation of Allah's hadd" "Lions of Jaysh Al-Sunna [in] Hama's sector. Head of the pig tank driver who was attempting to advance towards the mujahideen in Tal Al-Sakhr" (@Izza_Mujahid, November 16, 2015) (@RPic1901, June 5, 2015) Execution of two men accused of spying in Nineveh (@eyes_omah_, August 9, 2015) (@eyes_omah_, August 9, 2015) (@eyes_omah_, August 9, 2015) "This is the Shari'ah of Allah Azza Wajallah.." (@3diyah15, August 16, 2015) "March 20 [2015] Ninawa/ Implementation of a banditry sentence/ Muslims gather to watch the implementation of Hudood [sharia punishments]" (Mdwn.me/report_15) "Bandit" beheaded in Al-Khair, Syria (@Abomased_0, July 27, 2015) Beheading of man convicted of sorcery by a shari'a court (@Omahs_news, July 15, 2015) Execution of a member of Hashd Al-Sha'bi in Falluja (@eyes_omah, August 4, 2015) Sharing a link to a video of a beheading (@msisis3, August 17, 2015) Tweet linking to report of beheading in Ninawa, Iraq on Justpaste.it (@Abunaseeha_0, Justpaste.it/oxv7, November 15, 2015) Tweet from Afghanistan: "Soldiers of the #Khilafa have slaughtered a spy by the name MuhamaduLlah in shabrihar/nanajarhar" (@AbuQitaaliAbu, June 9, 2015) "'And it was due from Us to aid those who believed' - Butcher of Al-Qaeda members" (@pbiggie22, November 2, 2015) "Beheadings of 2 Peshmerga officers by ISIS in Jalawla, Diyala governorate" (@AbuBakrAl_Janab, June 21, 2015) ISIS members in Homs, Syria share photos, link to Justpaste.it page of photos of beheading man accused of sorcery (@Al_mo103, July 29, 2015) (@Oqaap8, August 9, 2015) Public execution of prisoners accused of apostasy (@egypt_today15, July 27, 2015) A "sorcerer" is beheaded by ISIS member (@hobahoba03, May 3, 2015) Syrian soldier being beheaded by ISIS fighter (@3awatel007, May 16, 2015) A Syrian soldier beheaded by ISIS operatives (@3awatel007, May 16, 2015) "#Al-Raqqa_Province enforcing the hadd [Koranic punishment] on a sorcerer in the town of #Tal-Abyad #Islamic_State #Publishing #Retweet" (@dwlt_isl..., December 28, 2014) "OC Heal your chest O monotheist, Nusairi heads in the hands of #Jabhat_Al_Nusra lionsOC #Wadi_Al_Deif, #Backstage_Of_Wadi_Al_Deif" (@abo_azaama_jb, December 16, 2014) "IS beheads four Sunni Syrians in El-Bab, #Aleppo after accusing them of seeking to join the Syrian army" (@ummetislam_ November 23, 2014) "IS supporters made me laugh. Breaking: IS inplement Hadd [Islamic religious punishment] on the traitor of the two holy sites" (@dawlat islam1) They enjoy slaughtering Sunnis! They even take pride in [announcing it in] the media.. By Allah, we have seen crimes by the Kharijites [a reference to the Islamic State (IS)] which [even] the Nusairis [Alawites/Assad regime] didn't dare commit!" (@Jazrawi_ws) "Slaughtering two of the Nusairis [i.e. Assad's soldiers, who were] fleeing from the 17th Division [of the Syrian army]. #Reposted_images" (@KhilaFaPress) "Slaughter of a Nusairi [Alawite/Assad regime] soldier at the hand of the Islamic State soldiers in the city of Al-Mansoura, west of the Al-Raqqa wilaya [province]" (@EntesarAlyasmen) Tweet: "Thanks to Allah, today, this malicious [man] was slaughtered in Homs province, [and he] was the the most [harsh] in fighting Muslims. [Oh] I come to you with slaughtering" Comment: "The khawarij Ghulat behead Abul Miqdam, sniper of the tanks, may Allah have mercy on him" (@dawlat_islam1) "One of a Assad dog in 17th Div being slaughtered by ISIS. This will be happen to kifr who wage war on muslims #Raqqah" (@KabarJihad, June 22, 2015) OCi"They [expressed] animosity [towards us] because we are harsh toward the unbelievers. This is the fate of any soldier in the [army of] Al Sihoud [sic., Saud, the Saudi monarch]." (@a_q_h) From ISIS's Wilayat Khurasan (@3mo_1333, June 29, 2015) "Every American doctor working in any country will be slaughtered if America attack Iraq" (@News_Aldolh) Following an ISIS Salil Al-Sawarim video of a man, his son, and another young man digging their own graves, a tweet showed their severed heads and stated: "This is the end of Sahwajiyya [i.e. involvement in the Sahawat or Awakening], whether in Iraq or Syria" OCi On image: "Does he think that none has power over him? [Oh] Abu Risha, this is your end, Allah willing. The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Destruction of the walls" (@Asdwao, May 18, 2014) "Reaping the head of the dead Lt Col apostate (Mekki Mahmoud Amin Al-Dawri) #Islamic State in Iraq and Syria" (@abotakua1, April 10, 2014) Post On Facebook Page Of "Democracy Is The Cancer, Islam Is The Answer": "#Syria ISIS behead an alleged regime collaborator in Hasakah province [in Syria]" (Facebook.com/democracyisthecancer) From ISIS's Wilayat Khurasan "The fate of every Nusairi [Alawite/Assad regime member, who] does not know the number of Rak'ah prayers" (@s_1020_s, December 22, 2013); (@omar00army, August 26, 2013) "Nothing happened, this is the only thing that happened, nothing beyond" (@associated668, May 9, 2014) (@omar00army, April 19, 2014) From ISIS's Wilayat Khurasan "Pictures from (the Al-Anbar Vengeance Raid) that the lions of the Islamic State [ISIS] waged in the state of Salah al-Din [Iraq], in revenge for our brothers in al-Anbar" (@abotakua1, March 21, 2014) Twitter profile image of @omar00army "Syrian troops beheading regime forces" (@omar00army, March 7, 2014) "Good [one], but there are filthy things released from the slaughtered" (@Bq_A4, March 18, 2014) OCi"To those who doubt ISIS gangs beheaded Abu Miqdam, here is a known ISIS fighter proudly claiming it on his FB account." (@JihadNews2, May 16, 2014) "#Martyr of betrayal Abu al-Maqdam - He was went to fight in Qalamoun [Syria] far from Da'esh [ISIS] and its problems, and [there,] he attacked hard the regime's tanks, and when he returned to Homs, they [ISIS] captured him and slaughtered him." (@abuomerq8, May 17, 2014) In Iraq: "18+ #ISIS behead captured Iraqi soldier at government HQ. #Iraq" (@IraqiWitness, February 21, 2014) "This is the punishment for those who make blasphemy" (@Getulmran, June 16, 2015) "In revenge for the Sunni people in Diyala province"; "In revenge for the Sunni people in Diyala province" (@abotakua1, March 23, 2014) "Slaughtering was done, beheading the Iraqi Shi'ite, leader of al-Asa'ib [an Iraqi Shi'ite militia] Abu Kameel al-Lami by the hands of the heroes of the Islamic State" (@DYALANOW) In Iraq: "Soldiers of the #Islamic State in Iraq and Syria cutting off the heads of Maliki's army in Diyala province" (@JehadNews, January 26, 2014) From Instagram account of Saudi teen Muadh Al-Jraish: "Urgent | the director of Abu Ghraib prison was slaughtered with a knife in the prison's yard... He has long tortured and killed the detainees and exploited their dignities. His head was cut off today, Allah akbar" "hahahaha, trampling was done" "Trampling was done" ISIS fighter beheads Peshmerga fighter (@3awatel007, January 31, 2015) Iranians/Hizbullah In Syria Photos Of Severed Head Of Former IRGC Commander Killed In Syria Widely Circulated On Social Media Images of the severed head of Abdollah Eskandari, a retired senior commander in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) reportedly killed by Jabhat Al-Nusrah in late May 2014, were retweeted and celebrated widely by jihadis on social media.[45] "#Urgent Iranian general Abdullah Eskandari was killed in #Syria, Allah akbar, the glory to God," (@Risk_Outs, June 14, 2014) Images of other beheaded Iranians and Hizbullah members are also widely circulated, as are images of those killed by Hizbullah and their associates: "Jabhat al-Nusra fighters cut off the heads of the mercenary militiamen of Hizbullah who had fallen into their hands in the battles of Ghouta [near Damascus]. #Lebanon" (@motlaqghazai, November 24, 2013) "Corpse of the hypocrite (who is called a martyr) commander of #Hezb Al-Lat [derogatory term for Hizbullah [46] ], killed by the mujahideen of #Jabhat Al-Asala Wal-Tanmia during a storming of the headquarters #Halish [acronym used by Islamist to refer to Hizbullah] #Yabrood #Qalamoun" (@AtharBattalions, March 4, 2014) "Allah akbar.. #Qalamoun The lions of Qalamoun [Syria] slaying the spies and dogs of Hezb Al-Lat [derogatory term for Hizbullah [47] ] #Jabhat al-Nusra" (@aL3kade, February 15, 2014) "Allah akbar, reaping the heads of Hezb Al-Lat [derogatory term for Hizbullah] [48] today in #Quneitra [Syria] by the hands of the Mujahideen, oh splendid morning #Jabhat al-Nusra" (@Ansaar_Gbhat, February 18, 2014) "#Islamic State in Iraq and Syria collection of Hizb Al-Shaitan [derogatory term for Hizbullah [49] ] heads, soon American soldier heads if they come here" (@Islamic_States, November 29, 2014) "Do you know them or not?" (@omar00army, December 14, 2013) "Head of a Nusairi [Alawite/Assad regime] thug executed by the mujahideen in the Adra Al-Umaliyya in the outskirts of Damascus in response to the al-Otaiba massacre, Allah Akbar" (@Syria_homs1, February 27, 2014) Tweets promoting ISIS movie "Message to the agents of the Tyrants," posted on Sendvid.com (@ArianasHedges, July 10, 2015) (@eshraqa5, August 1, 2015) (@eyes_omah, August 4, 2015) "Apostate's" heads are carried around by an ISIS member: "They (ISIS) reject beheading of kuffar and apostates, saying it distorts the image of Islam, but they consider beheading the mujahideen bringing them closer to Allah" (@abdalrhmanua07, June 5, 2015) Speculation remains as to whether the beheaded woman below was the well-known female Kurdish fighter Rehana. "You mean this?" (@Ibn_salahaddin3, February 17, 2015) "Best picture :)" (@FlamesOfWar1, November 26, 2014) "Oh Allah, enable the soldiers of the Caliphate State, their families, and their descendants, who sacrifice their dearest, with victory and 'Izz - #The_Islamic_State_Liberates_Division_17"; across image: "Harvesting the Nusairi heads [who were] fleeing from the 17th Division [of the Syrian army]" Caption: "One of the Nusairi [Alawite/Assad] officers [who were] fleeing from the 17th Division [of the Syrian army]" (@isis_57777) (@KhilaFaPress) Top: "This is the merchandise of the Shi'ites [Asai'b] Ahl Al-Haq [militia] returned to them #Iraq" Bottom: "Slaughtering a filthy Rafidite [Shi'ite] by the hands of the #ISlamic_State lions, #Iraq" (@mo3aweh_alomawi) "SEND THIS pic to every Irani Iraqi or general Shiite filth you know, this will be their fate. ameen" (@truthsMaster) "Behead those who insult Islam!!!" (@Al_Muhajir92) "#Urgent Al-Joulani's scum execute five detained soldiers of the #Islamic State and tortured the body of one of the Muslims in al-Shaheel [Syrian village].. Allah is [all] we need and [He] is the best protector" (@AL3gneg) Sahwat News: "This liar says that the (Islamic) State executed these Muslims in Al-Raqqa, but the truth is that they are Nusairis [Alawites/Assad regime] whom the [Islamic] State executed in the liberation of the Al-Tanahuj checkpoint" (@Sahwat_News) "One of the apostates after he cut off the head of a dead mujahid brother from the [Arabian] Peninsula, the mujahideen cut off his head [while he was] alive in #HomsOC #Syria" (@shamee_1, June 14, 2013) "A head of #Russian mercenary in east Ghoutta, any American?" (@Islamic_States, November 22, 2013) "Jund Al-Sham western #rural Homs [Syria], reaping the heads of the Nusairis [Alawites/Assad regime members] #storming the Nusairi village of Qomaira, praise be to Allah" (@sada_sham, November 24, 2013) "Your fate oh #Rafidite [i.e. Shi'ite] oh worshipper of the graves...!" (@www7116, May 4, 2014) "#Islamic State #Syria cutting the heads of the apostates' #PKK secular [members] in the state of #Aleppo" (@abu0baker, February 16, 2014) "This will be their condition with the permission of The One and Only" (@pak_taliban, February 12, 2014) "Let it be a lesson to those who consider" (@leadeer_, March 2, 2014) "A recently severed head of an apostate, by a lion of the Islamic State, Your slaughter is a duty upon us" (@assan580) "Praise Allah, lord of worlds, this Nusairi [Alawite/member of the Assad regime] is a Dean, a Doctor, [and] an engineer, whose name is Mahmoud. He was slaughtered by the soldiers of the Islamic State. Get satisfied [from the image] oh monotheist" (@abohoor2013, March 16, 2014) "#Islamic State #Syria cutting the head of a #Nusairi [Alawite/Assad regime] officer. You will not find his news in the hashtags of the hyenas, foxes, and worms..!" (Mar 17, 2014) (@abu0baker, March 17, 2014) "In the name of God, no no, we do not need to return to brutality. This is a modest giftOC" (@shooor111, March 18, 2014) "Cleansing of #PKK Ultra Nationalist abomination in Syria #ISIS" (@AbuBakAljanabi, March 19, 2014) "Slaughtering a criminal from the PKK criminals in Tal Khanzeer" (@JehadNews, March 24, 2014) "Realize that the heads of your lackeys in Syria will be cut off, and after which you will be next. And you shall see what will be done to you." (@abotakua1, March 24, 2014) "Al-Qaeda organization in Syria [i.e. a reference to Jabhat Al-Nusra] sends 200 soldiers to fight the Islamic State in Markadah [Al-Hasaka Governorate, Syria]OC I ask Allah to give them guidanceOCor else this will be their fate" (@abotakua1, March 24, 2014) "One of Assad's snipers in the outskirts of liberated #Lattakia #al-Anfal Battle. This is the end of any thug who hurt Muslims of #Syria, so behold [the glad tidings] of [being] slaughtered oh #Nusairis [Alawites/Assad regime]" (@abdallahsaker, March 25, 2015) "#Islamic State in Iraq and Syria The fate of Bashar soldier after found guilty by our lions of #ISIS" (@Islamic_States) "You remember those 2 heads? #ISIS just added a third. What better way to 'celebrate' than a group photo" (@IraqiWitness, January 21, 2014) "This is the destiny of all apostates" (@Doula_news2, February 27, 2014) "#Syria More slaughtered Regime soldiers in besieged #Homs" (@JihadNews2, April 21, 2014) Video of Rayat Al-Tawheed members having fun with severed heads of government troops (Liveleak.com/view?i=318_1397569866) ISIS Members Display Head of Syrian Soldier, Threaten to Slaughter Enemies (Youtube.com/watch?v=05zC4c4uj0Y) ISIS Members In Syria Play With Severed Head (June 15, 2014, see MEMRI TV Clip No. 4306) III. Decapitated Bodies With Their Heads (@s_jnnnj, June 15, 2015) (@Sniper1_isis, August 7, 2015) "This is how #ISIS executed 'Ehsan Al-Saqer' on charges of insulting the divine self, from Deir Ezzor!!" (@DeirEzzor24, July 27, 2015) (@ALRaip, November 1, 2015) In ISIS-controlled area of Afghanistan (@3mo_1333, June 29, 2015) "#ISIS_Massacre_in_Deir_Zor, Massacre of Sunnis in #Deir_Zor" (@alhadth_sy, August 7, 2015) "See how dark there faces are, dirty pigs. Now go see a martyred muajhids face subhanallah" (@MujahidLyfe) (@firatavci1989, July 5, 2015) (@th89amer, June 11, 2015) "Exclusive photos can now be viewed of the soldiers of the infidel regime" (@mahermshale1) "#Al-Raqqa, image from the Al-Naeem roundabout showing the #Islamic_State hanging the bodies of [the Syrian] regime members over the roundabout's fence" (@rmcraqqa) (@3bdUlkaed6r) "#Islamic State in Iraq and Syria 3 assad thugs that expected to win the war against #ISIS by west sleeping together" (@abualbawi, December 14, 2013) "#Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, Al-Khair wilaya [i.e. Deir Al-Zour, Syria], #Battle of Al-Khair, one of Assad's dogs" (@JehadNews, December 15, 2013) "A cheerful morning with the cutting off of Nusairis' [Alawites'/Assad regime members'] heads :) My gift to you this morning" (@a_q_h, December 17, 2013) "When the Islamic State passes through here, the heads of the Rafidites [Shi'ites] fly [in the air] #Iraq" (@s_1020_s, December 20, 2013) "#ISIS beheaded a Nusairi [Alawite/Assad regime member] in #Syria" (@omar00army, March 6, 2014) "#Execution of prisoners of the [Islamic] State. With Allah's permission, oh Syrian Sahawat [Awakening] , the response to you is soon coming, and your fate will be just as the fate of your predecessors, with the permission of Allah the Almighty" (@abotakua1, March 25, 2014) "Image: JAN (Jabhat al-Nusra) behead Nusairi [Alawite/Assad regime member] soldier on the frontlines of Deir Ezzor +18" (@SaqrAnsaar, April 5, 2014) "Urgent, a picture of the criminal Sahawat [Awakening] member Qassami, who killed the martyr - with Allah's permission - Abu Muhammad al-Uzbeki. I swear in Allah, you were right in your promise [oh] Sheikh Abu Hafs al-Masri" (@JehadNews, March 13, 2014) I speak to audiences, wherever I go, about the plight of my brethren the Kashmiri Pandits who have been horrific victims of intolerance. Over 300,000 Pandits had to flee the land of their forefathers, arguably the finest countryside on this planet, overnight on January 19, 1990. It was the culmination of a long list of attacks against Kashmiri Hindus by militants from Pakistan aided by the citizenry; a tale of murders, kidnappings and rape which had been going on unchecked by the state government since 1988. Not surprisingly, virtually none of the perpetrators of such violence have been arrested. Facebook On the days preceding January 19, the ominous word had gone out everywhere that Pandits should either embrace Islam and stay on, or leave the homeland of their ancestors. Of course Pandits were also told that they could leave behind their womenfolk the Panditas for reasons which you might correctly surmise. Overnight the Pandits decided to flee for their safety and honour of their women. It was not a migration as the media and secularists continue to term it; it was Indias first and only instance of ethnic cleansing. And this ethnic cleansing has been willfully kept under wraps by a cabal of politicians, bureaucrats and sections of a celebrity-chasing media. I recently went to the Jagti camp, the largest settlement of Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu, which houses about 7,000 refugees from the Valley. They have left behind pastures, apple orchards, clear streams, the mountain air and their homes for matchbox one room plus kitchens in crumbling PWD-built tenements on the outskirts of Jammu. Reuters Almost all the men were graduates the Pandits were highly educated folk but few currently find employment. I went to deliver a message of hope. But what message could I deliver to a people who are refugees in their own country? People whose struggle successive administrations have tamped down during the past quarter century. These were the worst victims of intolerance in our country since Independence whose existence has eluded public consciousness and yet the debate of the so-called growing intolerance around us swirls in the cocktail circuits of our metros, completely ignoring the plight of the Pandits! I am besieged by hordes of people, the old, the middle-aged and the young. All of them have hope in their eyes and a request on their mouths. Many of them thrust chits of paper in my hand. These are requests for a job, for a word to be put in the right places, a recommendation and, sadly money for cancer treatment. I meet many people who have been struck by the deadly C and ponder over the link between cancer and stress. I know it is my duty to keep their story alive by telling and retelling it wherever i go. Just as the victims of the Holocaust have kept their stories alive globally, to remarkable effect. Reuters Dont give us hope, give us solutions, shouts a youngster. I have a solution, I tell them. We must scrap Article 370 of the Constitution. We must amend the Constitution because the article was made as a temporary and transitional provision. It accorded a special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir under which citizens of other states of India cannot purchase property and settle down. Faced with terrorism fostered across the border for decades, and with an anti-national militancy movement to boot, the special circumstances Kashmir currently finds itself in call for special measures. What has led to the cauldron being allowed to simmer is that no elements from the rest of India have been allowed to play a neutralising role. Ironically, all the while rogue elements from across the border continue to play havoc and lead public discourse. The influx of a large number of people from across the country will reshape political equations and restore sanity and peace to a land troubled by militancy and wracked by violence for decades. It will also spur investment as corporates will chase talent flooding into the Valley. Finally, the restoration of peace will pave the way for the return and rehabilitation of original inhabitants of the Valley, the Pandits. (The writer is a film actor. His views are personal. The article originally appeared in The Times Of India) The government remained on tenterhooks even as reports came in that probably the last of the terrorists in the Pathankot attack had been accounted for. Still, the operations are not being called off because all knowledge is now rooted in that one piece of intelligence from a "foreign country" in the last week of December that over a dozen terrorists had crossed over from Pakistan to carry out a big attack. Reuters The alert estimated it to be a Lashkar-e-Taiba module, but after the Pathankot attack, information has been reconciled to conclude this was the same group except it was Jaish-e-Mohammed and not LeT, highly placed sources told ET. Security agencies got a fix on the group once they became active in the Jammu-Pathankot region, but their worry is not all have been netted. There's an even bigger worry: Of the two that moved towards Delhi, there have been indications that one of them was possibly in the Delhi Cantonment area, which neighbours the Delhi airport. Alerts have been sounded about a possible attack on the airport and all airlines flying out of Delhi have been instructed to step up security checks. Official sources said the number can go beyond two because the initial estimate which was about 15 may have crossed over. BCCL Accounting for the missing terrorists in the group is now a national security priority, an issue on which the Prime Minister was briefed in detail. Later, the National Security Council also took stock of the situation as a broader search was launched. Until this situation clears, sources told ET, it's unlikely the government would take a final call on the larger diplomatic effort with Pakistan because another terror strike cannot be ruled out at this stage. The alert sounded just before New Years Eve and after PM's return from Lahore, and specifically mentioned Modi as a target besides the Parliament House and other key installations. Concerted efforts are on to figure out whether the group of terrorists crossed on the same day or if some had crossed over earlier. For this reason, the forces in Pathankot were asked to nab at least one terrorist alive to allow for his interrogation, but that did not happen. The combat potential of the terrorists is another factor that has the Centre worried. The gunfight in Pathankot, sources said, shows these are well-trained terrorists who are capable of an ambitious and audacious assault. For now, intelligence agencies are busy gathering details to trace the whereabouts of remaining terrorists. A WhatsApp message from an unknown author regarding the Pathankot attack has been doing rounds since the past 2 days. A Facebook post carrying the same message is being believed as the original source. The message goes like this: The media and the government are not revealing everything about the two related incidentshijacking of the Gurdaspur SPs vehicle along with him by terrorists, and the subsequent attack on the Pathankot Air Force Baseraising some disturbing questions. I will list those out below. Do take note that this is based on the FACTS distilled out of the various versions reported in the media. 1. Why was the SP of Gurdaspur, the prime person under questioning, out at night without any of his security personnel in another neighbouring district? 2. The vehicle he was in and the one that was hijacked, a Mahindra XUV 500, was not really an unmarked civilian car. A blue VIP/Police beacon was affixed on top. Looking at the beacon, the terrorists would have surely had some sort of an idea regarding its ownership. ANI 3. Theres still no concrete explanation or clarity on how exactly the terrorists stopped, apprehended the SP, his friend Rajesh Verma and his cook, and took over the vehicle. 4. SP Salwinder Singh claims that the terrorists let him and his cook flee because they were unaware of the fact that he was the SP and thought that he was only a civilian. Yes, thats unbelievable because its impossible that the terrorists would let off a police officer who is capable of sounding an immediate alert and jeopardizing their mission. If they wanted to get rid of him and the cook, they would have simply shot both of them. If the SP claims that he got away pretending to be a civilian, why did they not let his friend Verma off? Indian Express 5. The SP added that only after letting him and his cook go, the terrorists got to know from Verma that they had let off an SP. Following this, they slit Vermas throat after which he apparently pretended to be dead and escaped. Again, its very hard to believe because the same terrorists had hijacked an Innova a day before and brutally killed its driver, so as to prevent him from alerting the military. So how can the same men let off the SP and his cook and also carry out the failed execution of Verma? 6. According to some reports, intelligence agencies intercepted calls made by the terrorist via the phones of the SP and his friend Rajesh Verma. One apparently had even called his mother revealing that they were on a suicide mission. Now the story is that it was actually Verma who told this to the police because the terrorists had made those calls from his mobile while driving him around. That the terrorists had no means of communication with their handlers or relatives and that those in Pakistan would pick up a call from an unknown Indian number defies any logic whatsoever. HT 7. SPs XUV500, fitted with the blue police beacon, was found abandoned barely 500 meters from the area in Pathankot Air Force Base where the terrorist attack took place. Its not hard to guess how the terrorists crossed multiple check points without any checks, thanks to the blue beacon on the vehicle. The above questions, as posed by Facebook user Nilim Dutta, sure seem logical and warrant an answer from the authorities. The SP's role in the entire attack looks very suspicious and we hope the investigations soon reveal the truth. Via D24am.com: Ministry of Health investigates 1st case of microcephaly in the AM. Amazonas is the biggest state in Brazil, with a population of 3.9 million. Manaus, its capital, has 1.7 million. Edited excerpt from the Google translation: Manaus - The first case of microcephaly related to Zika virus is being investigated in the Amazon, according to the report released on the disease, on Tuesday (5), by the Ministry of Health (MOH). The information refers to data as of January 2. The Foundation for Health Surveillance (FVS) confirmed the case and said that it is a child born in the Don Lindu Women's Institute, with a head circumference of 31 cm earlier this month. In a statement, the CEO of FVS, Albuquerque Bernardino, clarified that the case is still under investigation, "without proof of the relationship of microcephaly with the Zika virus." According to him, the mother has no history of disease during pregnancy. Bernardino said also no need to rule out other diseases that may be associated with microcephaly in this particular case. The Ministry of Health (MOH) released on Tuesday (5), the first epidemiological report 2016 about suspected cases of microcephaly related zika virus. Since the beginning of the investigation have been reported 3,174 suspected cases of the disease in newborns of 684 municipalities in 21 Brazilian states. For the first time, a case in being investigated the state of Amazonas. Also under investigation are the deaths of 38 babies with microcephaly, possibly related to Zika virus in the country. After this morning's update from the Brazilian Ministry of Health, we're now getting the local repercussions. Via Folha de Pernambuco, in the state with the most cases: Pernambuco has 1,185 microcephaly notifications in Pernambuco. And that's not all. The edited Google translation: Pernambuco has 1,185 reported cases of microcephaly. This information is from the State Department of Health, which on Tuesday (5) released an update on the disease. Of the total cases reported between August 1, 2015 and January 2, 2016, 444 meet the parameters of the World Health Organization (WHO) for microcephaly, which identifies the malformation in babies with head circumference equal to or less than 32 centimeters. In all, 94 cases were confirmed with microcephaly and 61 were discarded - taking into account the outcome of babies' imaging. Of the 444 cases that meet the WHO criteria, 435 were detected in the postpartum, and six detected intrauterine (fetus with microcephaly). Also recorded were three cases of stillborn babies and one that died shortly after birth - all diagnosed with microcephaly and who are having investigated the cause of the deaths. Since the notification of cases of pregnant women with rashes was made compulsory in the period from December 2, 2015 to January 2, 2016, 49 municipalities in the state reported 349 cases of pregnant women with this clinical picture. Dengue As of December 26, 140,872 cases of dengue were reported in 185 municipalities, 50 036 being confirmed. The value represents an increase of 622.46% over the same period of 2014, when 19,499 suspected cases were reported, with 7,028 confirmed. Also reported were 168 dengue cases, with 130 confirmations. In the same period of 2014 there were 108 confirmations. To date, 106 suspected deaths were reported, with 31 confirmed, 9 discarded and the others under investigation. In the same period 2014, there was notification of 66 suspicious deaths, 46 confirmed. Chikungunya As of December 26 2,550 suspected cases of chikungunya have been reported, with 446 confirmed (3 imported 2 in the municipality of Iguaraci and 1 in Itaiba, all with infection in the state of Bahia, and 443 confirmed indigenous, and 220 in metropolitan Recife). Already 590 cases were disposed of. In 2014, 23 cases of chikungunya have been reported, with 19 dropped and 4 confirmations (one occurring in Brejo Santo / EC and Santana / BA, plus two cases from Colombia). Zika Since the beginning of the mandatory notification zika (from December 10) until the 26th of that month, they were notified thousand cases. Were confirmed 14 cases of zika in the municipalities of Olinda (3), Recife (8), Jaboatao dos Guararapes (1), Frei Miguelinho (1) and Goias (1). 12 cases have since been discarded. Georgia continues its pragmatic policy with Russia By Messenger Staff As the candidate for the post of Prime Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Kvirikashvili, has declared, the pragmatic cooperation policy with Russia will continue.According to him, establishing trade relations with Russia plays an important role in terms of improving Georgia-Russia relationships.Our policy of pragmatic cooperation with Russia will continue. From our point of view, we have made good progress in this respect as the external risks have reduced. Our present trade relations also play a significant role. The Geneva format still remains the main issue but the Abashidze-Karasin (meetings between the Georgian and Russian envoys on trade-economic relations, a format which was initiated by Georgias ex-Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili) format is also important, Giorgi Kvirikashvili said.The opinion and attitude has never been shared by the parliamentary opposition, which claims that Russia will never change its aggressive attitudes towards neighboring countries.They also claim that the current Governments policy with Russia will decrease international support to Georgia as they - the partners - might think that Georgia deals with Russia alone without the need of the international support.Of course, Georgia must remain cautious with Russia, and this should result that the country will not be dependent on Russia in any way.Georgia must especially not rely on Russia in the economic sphere, as this will be definitely used by Russia for its own interests.We must not be cautious on Russia politically, as it has been revealed many times that the country is not a reliable partner.Perhaps the only outcome is that the country will become part of internally important projects and through this way its international image will be improved.Georgia should have relations with Russia, as the absence of relations never helps problems to be solved.It will never help to deliberately and repeatedly offend aggressors, especially when the aggressor is significantly more powerful. 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Demand for the new tabs had indeed led to small shortages, but the problem was suddenly blown up into something much larger... JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. Air Force Lt. Gen. Stanley E. Clarke, director of the Air National Guard and a strong advocate of the Total Force Continuum as well as the State Partnership Program, retired Dec. 18, after more than 34 years of military service. During the ceremony at the Air National Guard Readiness Center at Joint Base Andrews, Md., former Air Force Chief of Staff General T. Michael Mosley, led the ceremony and complimented his friend and fellow Airman. "You are in the lineage of American Airmen...that flew in the Lafayette Escadrille, that flew with Mitchell ... that flew with Chennault and the Flying Tigers, and that flew with the Tuskegee Airmen up the Italian peninsula into southern Germany," said Mosley. "You've left that legacy with [us] all... you're a pro and your family made this possible." As the Air National Guard Director, Clarke was responsible for formulating, developing and coordinating all policies, plans, and programs affecting the more than 105,700 Guard members and civilians in more than 89 flying wings and 175 geographically separated units across 213 locations throughout the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands. The broad swath of responsibility was a burden General Clarke took on with great appreciation. When he testified before Congress earlier in 2015, Clarke noted the Air Guard supports combatant commanders around the globe, and continues to be a "proven choice" for the war-fighting operations they support. "We have ... consistently deployed members of the Air National Guard," Clarke said. "In fact, over 2,000 are deployed today across the globe doing a variety of operations." During his tenure, he also pushed for continued security cooperation. "We have bilateral relationships that don't even exist inside the State Partnership Program that we support," he told Congress. "An example of that would be what we do for the air forces of Iraq we're doing the training for the C-130J's ... and the F-16 foreign training is all done at Tucson [Arizona] by the Air National Guard." Members of General Clarke's immediate staff said one of the most important legacies the director would want to be remembered by is his commitment to the Total Force Continuum concept and his "Ready Airmen" initiatives. To accomplish these goals, General Clarke worked closely with Secretary of the Air Force, Deborah Lee James and the Air Force Chief of Staff, General Mark Welsh. During his retirement speech General Clarke thanked them both; "No component of any service, at any time in history, has had a better friend as a service secretary than Debbie James ... and you two are tremendous advocates of the Total Force." Clarke began his Air Force career in 1981 when he was named a distinguished graduate of the University of Georgia ROTC program. He joined the Alabama Air National Guard in 1991, and went on to serve in multiple joint positions, including the Senior Defense Official and Defense Attache to Turkey and NORAD. As he spoke about the high points of his career, Clarke recalled a few poignant moments in the air and on the ground. "I always wanted to be a fighter pilot, I just wasn't sure someone would give me the chance," he said. "I can vividly recall flying at 100 feet over the swamps of Carolina in brand new A-10s, and squeezing the trigger on a 30mm cannon for the first time. And I can still play scenes in my head of avoiding anti-aircraft artillery over Iraq in F-16s." The command pilot, who accumulated 4000 hours in various aircraft including the A-10 Thunderbolt II, the F-16 Fighting Falcon and the C-26 Metroliner, said he stayed in the service for multiple decades because he "loved the people of the Air Force and the Air National Guard." "The Air Force took me places I would have never had the opportunity to go otherwise," he said. "Not all the memories have been good ones ... I've touched the flag-draped caskets at Bagram, and I've been at Dover to watch them come home. However, the good memories outnumber the bad ... and (I have) too many blessings to count." General Mosley took time during his speech to share a powerful tale that he said highlights "the leadership and strength of the entire Clarke family." "This story begins in the spring of 2002; I was told to put together what would be the decisive strike at the regime which would be the air campaign (in Iraq)," Mosley said. "I asked Sid to join us in this ... because he and I have had several experiences through weapons school and a variety of other places, and I trusted him." He said then-Colonel Clarke led and effort to build a mock up of the Iraq western front at Nellis Air Force Base ranges to meet the President's intent for the crucial mission. "The SECDEF and President were happy with Sid's plan, which says a lot," Mosley said, "And then I told him he was going to command the effort. It was not a leap of faith for me. I knew, and Sid knew what was at stake." He explained that Clarke volunteered to deploy to finish the job, and set up a "beautifully-executed piece of a very complicated campaign," which included flights across the Haditha dam and supporting special operations forces. "The lives you've touched and the lives you've saved, some of them don't even know you saved some of them don't even know you saved them," Mosley told Clarke, "And some of them, as we enter the holidays and the Christmas season, in Australia and in the UK, some of those folks are with their families and their kids and their grandkids today because of you. And that's kind of a big deal." In total more than 90 general officers, as well as hundreds of former coworkers and friends, attended the ceremony to show their gratitude for General Clarke's years of leadership and mentorship. "He is an insightful, thoughtful and very dynamic leader," General Michael Taheri, ANG Readiness Center Commander, said of Clarke. "He's often quiet, and you wouldn't know it but the wheels are always turning, so when he does speak, he speaks with the kind of measured thoughts that are always one step ahead of where I wish I could have been before I started talking to him." General Clarke's replacement has yet to be named; the new director will be recommended by the Secretary of the Air Force and approved by Congress. Until that person is selected, Major General Brian Neal, previously appointed as the deputy director of the Air National Guard, will serve as the acting Air National Guard Director. Related video: Defense Department officials are holding a weekly working group to examine ways to make it easier for military spouses to operate small businesses out of their on-base homes. "We have to figure out how to enable military spouses to be the entrepreneurs we know they are. In this age of Etsy and Pinterest, now more than ever, we need to remove barriers to the American spirit called entrepreneurship," Rosemary Williams, who oversees military community and family policy for the DoD, told Military.com in a statement. Williams, who is assisting the working group, is worried that while the DoD encourages military spouses to be creative and pursue employment and entrepreneurship, current rules tie the hands of those who live on base by placing strict restrictions on what businesses they can operate out of their housing. Currently, military spouses who run any kind of money-making business out of their on-base home are required to register their business on base. Additionally, the types of businesses allowed on each base vary by location. For example, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, specifically prohibits only animal breeding businesses, while Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, prohibits a variety of businesses, including hair salons and personal training. But the biggest barrier to operating a small business in on-base housing, spouses say, comes from the base Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) and local exchange offices. Both MWR and the exchange are permitted "first right of refusal" for any business looking to run in government-owned buildings, including on-base housing. If a business causes a conflict with anything either of those entities may operate, the application is likely to be denied. For example, the exchange, by regulation, is permitted to refuse any business that falls under 18 specific categories including "retail stores," "mail order, catalog and ecommerce services," "photo studios" and "barber and beauty shops." That means any spouse who operates a small business selling hair bows online; participates in one of the wildly popular multi-level marketing companies, such as Scentsy; or runs a photo business out of their home could be denied their request to operate. And that, Williams worries, could squash spouses' ability to start their own businesses. Officials with the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) said they are participating in the working group and will work with whatever new regulations may result from it. "The Exchange is participating in a Department of Defense working group that pertains to non-federal entity business operating on military installations," Conner Hammett, a AAFES spokesman, said in a statement. "The Exchange sets its policies in accordance with DoD regulations; as a result, the Exchange will align with any future policy changes enacted by DoD regarding non-federal entity businesses or any other matter." Navy spouse and veteran Christina Landry has experienced firsthand the problems operating a business on base can bring. Although she had previously received permission to operate her small business, DumBell Fitness, in the housing common areas on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, officials changed their minds in early 2014. Instead, they demanded that she either shut down operations or compete for an official contract to continue, while giving MWR a cut of the profits. Landry, however, couldn't afford to give MWR the 20 percent of her gross income that they required as part of the bid process. And instead of winning the contract, she was outbid by a different, non-military spouse-owned local company. A protest is ongoing, and in the meantime her company has moved the majority of its fitness classes, which include babysitting for participants' children, to off-base locations, Landry said. Landry, who said she is encouraged to hear about the working group, believes the rules that keep spouses from operating successful business on base amount to DoD doubletalk. "There's this underlying tone that 'we support military spouse employment so long as you keep it under the radar and it doesn't draw attention to yourself and it doesn't get that successful,'" she said. "Don't give us lip service that you support us -- really support us," she said. -- Amy Bushatz can be reached at amy.bushatz@military.com. The U.S. reportedly was sending a WC-135 "sniffer" plane Wednesday to check on North Korea's claim of setting off an underground hydrogen bomb as Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and his South Korean counterpart conferred on a possible response. Susan Romano, a spokeswoman for the Air Force Technical Applications Center, said that the Air Force "as a matter of policy" does not discuss the operations of the WC-135 Constant Phoenix. However, the aircraft flying out of Kadena Air Force Base on Okinawa was used in the past to verify three previous North Korean nuclear tests. The aircraft, a derivative of the Boeing C-135 four-engine jet alternately known as the "sniffer plane" and the "weather bird," carries on board an atmospheric collection suite "which allows the mission crew to detect radioactive 'clouds' in real time," according to an Air Force fact sheet. In a phone conference, Carter and South Korean Minister of National Defense Han Min-koo "agreed that North Korea's provocations should have consequences," but they did not spell out what those consequences might be, according to a readout of the call from Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook. Both Carter and Han called the "recent apparent North Korean nuclear test" unacceptable and "both a flagrant violation of international law and a threat to the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula and the entire Asia-Pacific region." South Korea put its military on alert and Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti, commander of U.S. Forces Korea and the nearly 30,000 U.S. troops on the peninsula, joined U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert in meetings with South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se. Claims by "Great Successor" Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, of having set off an underground thermonuclear hydrogen bomb blast were quickly disputed by U.S. and South Korean officials. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the size of the seismic tremor set off by the blast was of about 5.1 magnitude. That was the same magnitude as a 2013 North Korean nuclear test and slightly larger than the ones in 2009 (4.5) and 2006 (4.1). Nuclear experts said the tremor from a thermonuclear blast would likely have been much larger. South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted a Ministry of Defense official as saying that "It is hard to regard this test as that of a hydrogen bomb. Only a few countries including the U.S. and Russia have conducted hydrogen bomb tests and the size of the detonations reached 20 to 50 megatons." The latest North Korean test was estimated at about six kilotons. At the White House, Press Secretary Josh Earnest said that "The initial analysis is not consistent with the claim the regime has made of a successful hydrogen bomb test." -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@military.com "The first victory we can claim is that our hearts are free of hatred. Hence we say to those who persecute us and who try to dominate us: You are my brother. I do not hate you, but you are not going to dominate me by fear. I do not wish to impose my truth, nor do I wish you to impose yours on me. We are going to seek the truth together. THIS IS THE LIBERATION WHICH WE ARE PROCLAIMING." Oswaldo Jose Paya Sardinas (2002) The Nationals have announced the signing of infielder Stephen Drew an agreement that was originally reported recently by Jon Heyman. To clear a roster spot, the club designated righty Taylor Hill for assignment. Drew joins Daniel Murphy in a re-worked Nats infield. That pair will help make up for the trade of Yunel Escobar and the all-but-assured free-agent departure of Ian Desmond. Washington will reportedly guarantee Drew $3MM in the deal, which also allows him to earn up to $1.25MM via incentives which can be maximized at 130 games played. That falls to the high side of the going rate for utility infielders. (In addition to the prior examples cited in the original post on the signing, Kelly Johnson agreed earlier today to a $2MM guarantee.) Soon to turn 33, Drew will hope to improve his offensive production in 2016. He hit 17 home runs in only 428 trips to bat last year, but put up only a .201/.271/.381 overall batting line. While he suffered from a .201 BABIP, and did show an improved 16.6% strikeout rate, Drew has failed to match the line-drive and hard-hit rates that he carried earlier in his career. With the glove, Drew rates as a solid shortstop and passable second baseman. Washington presumably will feel comfortable deploying him all around the infield, though hed seem likely to spend much of his time sharing reps at shortstop with Danny Espinosa. Hill, 26, has provided 21 MLB innings to the Nats over the past two years, allowing 14 earned runs on a 14:7 K:BB ratio. Hes spent most of his time recently working as a starter at Triple-A. After a strong 2014, he managed only a 5.23 ERA in his 118 2/3 innings at Syracuse last season. An Ann Arbor-based biopharmaceutical company announced Tuesday it raised $62 million in Series B funding and entered into an exclusive licensing agreement to develop a treatment for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Millendo Therapeutics, Inc. - formerly known as Atterocor, Inc. - entered into the agreement with AstraZeneca to develop the product with AstraZeneca set to receive upfront payments and eligibility to receive royalties on sales. The treatment compound known as MLE4901 is designed to treat PCOS, the most common endocrine disease in women. "This acquisition of MLE4901 combined with the new funding and our current programs around ATR-101 puts us on a new trajectory to build a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on multiple disease-modifying treatments for endocrine disorders caused by hormone dysregulation," said Julia Owens, president and CEO of Millendo in a press release. "We are committed to developing novel treatment options for patients with significant unmet medical needs and we believe that MLE4901, a first-in-class, first-in-disease, non-hormonal therapy, has tremendous potential in the treatment of PCOS, for which there are currently no approved therapies." The $62 million in VC funding is a state record for a drug development company, according to Crain's Detroit Business. The funding was led by New Enterprise Associates and includes five new investors to the company. The company also received funding from previous investors including the Regents of the University of Michigan under the MINTS Program (Michigan Investment in New Technology Startup). During its early stages as a company, Millendo received several accelerator grants from Ann Arbor SPARK, which were funded by the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti SmartZone. "Millendo benefited from early engagement with Ann Arbor SPARK, when we were able to help its founders - who had great biopharma experience and expertise - with the company's direction and strategy," said SPARK CEO Paul Krutko in a statement. "Having that kind of support for emerging companies available here in this region has a direct and meaningful impact on their success, and the success of our innovation-based economy." According to the company bio, Millendo is focused on developing a portfolio of disease modifying treatments for endocrine disorders. Matt Durr is a business reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Email him at mattdurr@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter. GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Scott Wahlfeldt, president of the United Auto Workers Union Local 1485, said Dematic's announcement that it may move its local production to Mexico is being driven by "corporate greed." Wahlfedt is among 300 blue collar production workers who could lose their jobs at Dematic, which designs and builds automated systems for warehouses, distribution centers and other sites with material-moving needs. Company officials announced Wednesday, Jan. 6, they are contemplating a move that would send production from Dematic's plant at 507 Plymouth Ave. NE to one of the company's plants in Monterrey, Mexico. In a notice sent to the state under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, the company said the layoffs could occur by March 11 and affect up to 365 employees. RELATED: Dematic may relocate Grand Rapids operations to Mexico The move would not affect some 900 white collar positions in Grand Rapids, according to Robert Arguelles, executive vice president for global operations for Dematic North America. "If the plan Dematic is currently considering is implemented, most production activities will be transferred to its facility in Monterrey, Mexico, over an approximate six- to nine-month period, likely beginning in early 2016 and concluding in September 2016," the announcement said. Arguelles said the announcement invited the workers to enter into "decision bargaining," not a re-renegotiation of the contract, which expires in December. "I think what we will be laying out is the business case and to see if there is an opportunity to work with our partners to see if there is an opportunity to close that gap," Arguelles said in an interview with MLive and The Grand Rapids Press after the meeting. Wahlfeldt said those talks are coming at a time when some of the company's tax benefits are expiring and their contract is nearing an end. He said Dematic engaged in similar tactics in 2009, when it threatened to move to Memphis, Tennessee, and won pay concessions from its workers. Since then, Dematic's sales have grown from $330 million to $1.8 billion, Wahlfeldt said. "Corporate greed, I believe, is the driving force at work here." Based in Atlanta, Dematic North America is the largest division of the Luxembourg-based company Dematic Group. Dematic's factory at the corner of Plymouth Road and Michigan Street NE has been a fixture in the Grand Rapids manufacturing scene for more than 75 years. The company was founded at the Rapids-Standard Company in 1939 when industrialist James R. Sebastian merged his business, Standard Truck Caster Company, with Rapids Manufacturing Company of Grand Rapids. The company's name was changed to Rapistan in 1966. In 1980, the company was acquired by Lear Siegler Corp. and exchanged hands four times until 2006, when it was acquired by Triton, a private equity firm. Jim Harger covers business for MLive/Grand Rapids Press. Email him at jharger@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter or Facebook or Google+. UPDATE: Vote now: Michigan's Most Extreme Food Challenges GRAND HAVEN, MI -- In all my travels over the last four years searching for Michigan's Best, I've stumbled upon some interesting challenges. At Arturo's Tacos in Grand Haven, you can take on the Burrito Challenge -- a 4-5 pound burrito that is free if you can finish it an hour. Owner Art Oduno said only 10 people have finished it over the last five years. In Bay City you can take on an 18-inch Party Pizza at B&C Pizza with bacon, sausage, pepperoni, ham, green peppers, green olives, mushrooms and onions. If you finish it within an hour you get $200. Only 8 people have ever done it. And I've also witnessed some fun competitions, such as: The Fifth Third Burger Challenge The And the annual That got me thinking: Are there other challenges throughout the state of Michigan? Beginning today I am seeking nominations for Michigan's Most Extreme Food Challenges. Leave your picks in the comments section below, and I'll start compiling a list. Please leave as many details as possible. NEXT WEEK: I'll post a poll and you can vote on your favorites. My goal is to attempt a few of the challenges in the coming weeks. John Gonzalez is a statewide entertainment writer for MLive. He covers food, travel, events and coordinates Michigan's Best. Email him at gonzo@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+. EAY_UR4sb8ThMqv-CjxsDCS70Vu5wafBsyQYL_N7kq0.jpg Thanks to the generosity of Bridge Magazine and MLive readers, Eastern Michigan student Ramone Williams can now afford a place to live and can fix the balky van that has served as his home. (Bridge photo by Brian Widdis) YPSILANTI -- On the night of Dec. 17, Ramone Williams found an empty bench and fell asleep at the Eastern Michigan University library computer lab -- the spot where the homeless college student typically spent his nights. It could have been his last warm night. He wasn't sure where he would sleep over the next two weeks. The library was closing for the holidays, and sleeping in his minivan over a Michigan Christmas break could be dangerous. By the time he awoke the next morning, strangers had donated more than $6,000 to the Flint native. That figure would balloon to more than $25,000 in just five days, and likely would have grown much larger if Williams hadn't requested a GoFundMe account set up in his name be shut down. "The money is nice," Williams said, "but what I really appreciate is people smiling and talking to me." His sudden change in fortune followed an article in Bridge Magazine, which described how Williams could only afford tuition or rent, but not both, and chose to finish his bachelor's degree. So he slept in the college library and showered in the university recreational facility. He survived by looking for campus events serving free food, and bringing a tea bag to add to hot water at a local doughnut shop. His story of perseverance led to an outpouring of support for the 26-year-old, who is one of an estimated 56,000 homeless college students in the United States. There are six homeless students on EMU's campus. All 15 state public universities have a staff member assigned as the point of contact for homeless students, but services and financial support vary wildly among campuses. Williams today says he has enough money to rent an apartment, pay off student loans and maintain what he calls a "low-key lifestyle." He lacks only an internship to earn his bachelor's degree but has been offered one internship with the host of a radio show and is awaiting word on two more since his story ran. He has been offered jobs and career advice from prominent Michigan business leaders who wished to help without recognition, as well as food and offers of places to stay from classmates, most of whom said they had no idea the soft-spoken Williams was homeless. After the article published, EMU refunded Williams the tuition he paid for the fall semester, Williams said. "The fact that people read my story and wanted to help is an honor," Williams said. But ask Williams about the biggest change public attention has brought, and he doesn't talk about money or jobs. Instead, he smiles and talks about cheesy potatoes. Ramone Williams says he is grateful he can now afford a place to live as he completes his degree at Eastern Michigan University. But what he most appreciates are the friendships he is developing on campus. (Bridge photo by Brian Widdis) The day the Bridge article was published, Williams received a Facebook message from a fellow Eastern Michigan student he didn't know, asking if the two could meet in the campus student center. "He brought me a bowl of cheesy potatoes he made in his apartment," Williams said. "We sat and talked. It was nice. People are offering to buy me meals at Wendy's. I don't know how much more I can eat." The morning after the article was published, Williams awoke in the library for what may be the last time, and found 10 messages on his phone, a "ton of emails," and five Facebook friend requests. "That (five friend requests) may not sound like a lot," Williams said, "but it's more than I've had in the past year." For a man who had nothing, the most valuable gift was something that couldn't be bought with a credit card. "All I really wanted was some company," Williams said. "Companionship is better (than money)." As a homeless student hesitant to let others know of his struggles, Williams said he often felt "invisible" on campus. "I could go a day without a person smiling or saying hello," he said. "Now, people are going out of their way to say hi. I got like a million Facebook messages. I love that. I feel more confidence when I walk around, like I belong here." Williams stayed at a friend's apartment most nights during the holiday break. He spent Christmas day with a local family and New Year's Eve with his grandmother, who raised him and now lives in a Flint assisted-living center. He doesn't have a permanent home, but that could change this week. Williams said he was looking at an apartment near campus. Williams said he had $300 left in his pocket after paying tuition for the fall semester. He worked two part-time jobs to pay for food and gas for his van. He could buy a new van now, if he wanted. But he said he is more likely just to fix the broken radio in his old vehicle. Williams treated himself to sushi for the first time in his life soon after the article published, but he doesn't plan to regularly spend much more for food than he did in the fall, when he was surviving on about $10 a day. "My grandmother taught me to save money -- be smart with what you have, help where you can," he said. "I don't need a lot." Williams, who expects to graduate in the spring with a degree in communication, media and theatre arts, said he will probably save some of the money people have donated to him, and he may give some of it to the campus program that helps students who were in foster care or are homeless. A GoFundMe account for EMU's MAGIC program has raised $4,300 and is still taking donations that will help five other homeless college students. Victoria Burton-Harris, who organized the GoFundMe campaign for Williams, urged college administrators and state policymakers to "look at Ramone's story as a starting point, not an ending point. There are a lot of homeless youth ... (who are) homeless for many different reasons. The biggest thing that can come out of Ramone's story is greater awareness of this invisible population. We all need to play a role." Williams knows he has his own role to play. "No one owes you hope," Williams said. "I realize I have a lot of work to do, physically and socially, to get to a better place. I just have to keep grinding." (c) Bridge Magazine , reprinted with permission. Bridge Magazine, a publication of The Center for Michigan , produces independent, nonprofit public affairs journalism and is a partner with MLive . Rick Snyder Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder. (AP files) LANSING, MI -- Gov. Rick Snyder on Wednesday signed a bill that prohibits public bodies from distributing information on ballot proposals 60 days before an election, something local governments have said could prevent them from explaining important issues to citizens. "This legislation includes many important campaign finance reforms that protect the integrity of our election process," Snyder said. "I understand there is confusion about how the bill impacts the use of public resources to disseminate factual information prior to an election. This provision needs to be clarified and I am working with my partners in the Legislature on a follow-up bill to address these concerns." Senate Bill 571 passed in a late-night session in December. An amendment House and Senate leadership said was mostly technical took it from 12 pages to 53 pages that night, and some representatives have said they did not know what they were voting on. Language added to SB 571: Adds a provision barring public bodies from using public funds to distribute information about a local ballot proposal 60 days before it appears on the ballot. Eliminates a February filing deadline for independent and political committees. Requires political and independent committees to file annual reports. Clarifies that robocalls have to identify who is paying for the call and some contact information, but do not have to use a disclaimer (the words "authorized by" or "not authorized by.") Allows candidates to use contributions to pay down debts from previous election cycles. Rep. Dave Pagel, R-Berrien Springs, said the bill was rushed through and he didn't know the details of what he was voting on. He's since heard real concerns from local governments and other groups. He's talked to several other reps who feel the same way. "I think we kind of made a mistake. It's something we can go back and fix and it sounds like there's quite a few people who realize and think the same way," Pagel said. And changes may be forthcoming. In signing the bill, Snyder said the intent was to prohibit the use of advertisement-style mass communications with public dollars, not personal views from public officials or the use of public facilities for debates. He asked the legislature for new legislation to clarify that point before the March 2016 election. Snyder said there were "many misperceptions" about what the bill does. "As I interpret this language, it is intended to prohibit communications that are plain attempts to influence voters without using words like 'vote for' or 'support,'" Snyder wrote in a letter to lawmakers. House Democratic Leader Tim Greimel criticized the governor's signing of the bill. "For the second time in two days, Gov. Rick Snyder has signed into law a bill designed to tamper with our democracy," he said, referring to another bill that eliminated straight-ticket voting. "Senate Bill 571 is designed to keep voters in the dark about important issues in their community, including school millages and bonds to fund police and fire departments. Because of Gov. Snyder's actions, local governments and school districts will not be allowed to pay for materials to educate voters on these issues. Meanwhile, corporations face few limits on their influence on elections. Gov. Snyder should remember he was elected to serve the people of Michigan, not the special interests who will benefit from this new law, Greimel added. The Michigan Townships Association, which had advocated for a veto, is now calling for a follow-up amendment immediately. "The Michigan Townships Association hopes that lawmakers reflect on the imperative of an informed citizenry for local democracy to work and immediately amend this over-reaction to a very limited number of abuses," said MTA Executive Director Larry Merrill. The Michigan Freedom Fund, a conservative nonprofit with ties to the West Michigan's DeVos family, applauded Snyder's action. "Thanks to Governor Snyder and state lawmakers, taxpayers can rest a little easier today knowing government bureaucrats and lobbyists won't be spending their tax dollars to bankroll political campaigns or push for local tax hikes," said Terri Reid, President of the Michigan Freedom Fund. Progress Michigan, a liberal advocacy group, opposed the bill's signing. "Who in their right mind states that a major portion of a piece of legislation is problematic and hears the same thing from colleagues within their own party, but still signs it into law anyway?" questioned Lonnie Scott, executive director of Progress Michigan. "Anyone who had any thought that Snyder was a 'nerd' who only made pragmatic and logical decisions can just throw that notion out the window at this point. You don't sign a bill that you have major complaints about and then ask for retroactive changes. That's not how you negotiate. Gov. Snyder is placing a dangerous bet on a legislature that has shown complete contempt for his wishes and he's gambling with our democracy. " Emily Lawler is a Capitol reporter for MLive. You can reach her at elawler@mlive.com, subscribe to her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter: @emilyjanelawler. Cumberland County residents seem to be running to the countys sheriffs office and the nearest gun stores lately, creating a wave of concealed permits issued and guns sold. In November of 2014, the number of concealed carry permits issued was 311. That number bumped up to 390 in December of 2014. Move forward a year, and those numbers jumped to 519 in November 2015, and even broke a thousand in December after 1,020 permits were issued, according to data from the Cumberland County Sheriffs Office. Why the surge in concealed carry permits? Cumberland County Sheriff Ron Anderson thinks he may have an idea as to why. I attribute that to current events, and the media, things that occurred in the media," he said. "On the license to carry application, theres no specific reason for the individual applying to put down what drove him to apply for a license to carry. The only thing that we hear is the conversation between people applying and a lot of things come up: ISIS, the refugees possibly coming to Cumberland County or Pa. The most recent was the arrest in Harrisburg of the individual suspected of terrorism, Anderson added. You also hear talk about gun control. President Barack Obama on Tuesday became emotional while discussing his plan to expand background checks to cover more firearms sold at gun shows and online, according to the Associated Press, part his move to address gun violence. Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad, Obama said, referring to the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre in Connecticut. Pausing to wipe away a fallen tear, he added, and by the way, it happens on the streets of Chicago (his hometown) every day. Concealed carry A concealed carry permit allows its holder to carry his or her firearm beneath a jacket or within a vehicle. Anderson said that many people apply for the permits because, while Pennsylvania is an open-carry state meaning anyone can have their firearm out in the open if theyre allowed to own one once they enter a vehicle, its legally considered concealed, and against the law unless the owner has a concealed carry permit. Anderson said in his six-year stint as sheriff he has seen a common theme of people rushing to apply for the permits after any large event. After Columbine (Columbine High School massacre) there was in increase, after Sandy Hook (Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting) there was a big boom; theres always a jump then when talk over regulations come up on firearms, he said. Richard Greenberg, the proprietor of Mechanicsburg Ordnance, 711 S. York St., # 104, Mechanicsburg, has had a boom in sales recently, particularly in Glocks and AR-15s. I definitely saw more purchases this year, Greenberg said. In the last two weeks, theres been an upsurge in handguns and some AR-15 style rifles. Greenberg was mum on what type of discussions take place among his customers in the gun shop, but did elaborate on his own theories for the uptick in sales. I think they were just more interested in personal protection and buying a gun maybe before President Obama seeks some further gun legislation with an executive order or some type of legislation or something, he said. For both a gun and a permit, the process is very similar. The seeker of either the permit or gun must undergo a background check submitted by either Greenberg or Anderson through a computer system linked with Pennsylvania State Police. For the purchase of a gun, the background check can take as little as 15 minutes or as long as two weeks, depending on if state police have to check you further, Greenberg said. Anderson said the permit is $20 and takes only minutes. It seems clear that mass shootings have become an issue in the United States, and judging by the numbers, more people are arming themselves. Whether that shows to be a good or bad thing though, is still up the air. [January 05, 2016] Sensata Technologies to Introduce Magnum Energy Microinverter at Solar Power PV Conference & Expo in February 2016 ALMELO, Netherlands, Jan. 5, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Sensata Technologies Holding N.V. (NYSE: ST) ("Sensata"), is proud to introduce the Magnum Energy MicroGT 500 inverter, an optimized microinverter. Designed with energy storage in mind, the MicroGT 500 works with or without battery based inverters, and communicates seamlessly with Magnum Energy battery-based inverters when in AC-coupled mode to taper the battery charge based on battery condition. The MicroGT 500 will debut at the Solar Power PV Conference & Expo (formerly PV America) in Boston in February 2016 and is scheduled for release in June 2016. With its complementary ECU communication interface, system owners and installers will be able to monitor system PV production through the MicroGT, via a user-friendly, browser-based dashboard. The dashboard also provides battery condition, temperature and energy consumption via the battery-based inverter. This integrated approach to AC coupling is far easier on the battery bank than simple "bang-bang" charging in bulk mode, the method traditional microinverters employ when mated to a non-communicating batter-based inverter. The Magnum Energy MicroGT 500 makes installation easy. It is daisy-chainable, and each dual MPPT micoinverter supports two PV modules, cutting the installation labor and costs in half, as well as simplifying the logistics and stocking requirements of our value-added distributors. Tom Potter, Sensata's senior business director for Power Conversion Solutions, noted, "This new platform in our Magnum Energy portfolio furthers our efforts to round out our product matrix and solve a broader range of problems for our customers. Sensata Technologies has emerged as the clear off grid power electronics leader with the Magnum Energy brand in Renewables and Marine, and the Magnum-Dimensions brand in Mobile applications such as RV's and Work Trucks, but we saw the growing need for grid connected customers to embrace distributed storage in their homes and businesses." Mike Dixon, renewables product marketing manager, added, "2016 will be an exciting year as we continue to release new offerings to support our customers' requirements, both grid-tied and not, or battery based and not, but all-the-while leveraging our proven, reliable power conversion platform and balance of systems." About Sensata Technologies Holding N.V. Sensata Technologies Holding N.V. is one of the world's leading suppliers of sensing, electrical protection, control and power management solutions with operations and business centers in eleven countries. Sensata's products improve safety, efficiency and comfort for millions of people every day in automotive, appliance, aircraft, industrial, military, heavy vehicle, heating, air-conditioning and ventilation, data, telecommunications, recreational vehicle and marine applications. Further information can be found on Sensata's web-site: www.sensata.com. For More Information: Product Information: Mike Dixon Sensata Technologies Renewable Product Marketing Manager 425-353-8833 [email protected] www.magnum-dimensions.com Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20070227/CLTU192LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sensata-technologies-to-introduce-magnum-energy-microinverter-at-solar-power-pv-conference--expo-in-february-2016-300199704.html SOURCE Sensata Technologies Holding N.V. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Although Sierra Wireless is more focused on the Internet of Things (IoT) with its wireless solutions, the company does still provide connectivity for more traditional tech, like laptops, now and then. Case in point, Sierras AirPrime EM7455 embedded module has been selected by Lenovo to enable reliable LTE-Advanced cellular connectivity in the manufacturers upcoming notebooks, tablets and 2-in-1s. LTE-Advanced is the latest 4G LTE standard that is meant to improve network capacity, throughput and operational efficiency. The AirPrime EM7455 is the industrys first embedded module to support LTE-Advanced, making it a significant release for Sierra. The fourth generation of LTE modules from Sierra Wireless, the EM7455 is a good fit for Lenovos devices as it is designed for mobile computing and enterprise networking. Sierra Wireless has a long history in supporting the latest LTE standards. For example, the company last year released new 4G gateways, namely the AirLink GX450 4G mobile gateway and the AirLink ES450 4G enterprise gateway. Both devices brought support for a broader line of LTE frequency bands, making them compatible with more 4G LTE networks around the world. The new AirPrime EM7455 module allows OEM customers to deploy solutions for LTE-A networks in North America and Europe with a single device, making it easy for them to provision and change mobile networks, said Dan Schieler, senior vice president of OEM Solutions for Sierra Wireless. On-board mobile network switching, which is unique to Sierra Wireless LTE-A modules, can help customers drive efficiency in their inventory management, manufacturing, and deployment processes. The new AirPrime EM7455 is based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon X7 LTE modem and is pre-certified for European and North American networks. Lenovo hasnt announced which specific devices will feature the EM7455, but with broad connectivity and support for the latest LTE standards, the embedded module is likely to turn up in a number of the companys devices in the year ahead. Edited by Kyle Piscioniere Local gun dealers and owners are reacting to President Barack Obamas executive order that aims to expand background checks at gun shows. Thousands travel to Harrisburgs Farm Show Complex every February for the Great American Outdoor Show, the largest of its kind. The event is backed by the National Rifle Association and has firearms throughout the show. However, not one gun is sold on site. Dauphin County Commissioner Jeff Haste was instrumental in resurrecting the outdoor show after the previous organizer, Reed, banned assault-style guns following the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Haste said the NRA was adamant about not allowing guns to be sold at the show. You dont get the gun there, he said. Theyll give you a slip, then have to go to a licensed dealer. Even winners in the shows Wall of Guns display, which raffles off guns, must be accompanied by a background check, Haste said. The commissioner is a member of the NRA and an avid hunter. He said Obama did little to curb violence or crack down on illegal gun purchases. There is nothing that they are proposing that will directly address that, he said. About a dozen gun shows are scheduled for the Midstate in 2016. The presidents executive order would require all dealers to be federally licensed and conduct background checks with every gun sale. This, he said, would be closing the so-called gun show loophole. There is no gun show loophole, gun shop owner Joseph Staudt said. Staudt, who often sells at gun shows, said the term is somewhat of a myth. He said the majority of dealers at gun shows have a federal firearms license. Anyone with an FLL must conduct a background check. Staudt said even private sellers must do a background check for handgun sales. However, shotguns and rifles typically used in hunting do not require a background check. Do we want to make every hunter who wants to swap his rifle with his buddy get a background check? Staudt questioned. I guess thats something were going to have to decide. Staudt said private sellers who do not conduct a background check are still responsible for selling a firearm to a convicted criminal, known or not. You can still be held liable for that, he said. There is some risk in doing that. Staudt said Pennsylvanias firearm background check is stronger than the federal governments. He said besides felonies and violent misdemeanors, he said domestic disputes and DUI convictions with a 0.20 blood alcohol level or higher ban people from purchasing a new gun. He clarified the government wont take away guns in most cases, but the offenses would be flagged in a background check. Staudt said there is a fraction of crimes that involve guns purchased from a private seller at a gun show. He believes most gun purchases used in daily street crimes are done illegally or either stolen. Criminals are going to obtain their firearms usually in the underworld, if you will, by stealing them or getting them from another criminal, he said. Staudt said background checks do not flag individuals with a history of mental illness, which he believes is a more telling factor of those connected to mass shootings. According to the New York Times, the majority of guns used in the past 15 mass shootings in America were purchased legally. Haste believes the presidents action does more harm than good. He believes Obama is pinning pro-gun and anti-gun groups against each other instead of asking responsible gun owners how to better achieve safety without harming the Second Amendment. The sooner we get our focus off the means of which the crime is committed and get to the root cause of it, I think well all be in a better place, he said. Portia and the Husband 06.01.2016 LISTEN Beautiful and calm Ghanaian actress Portia Asare Boateng who has been married for couple of years now says marriage is a school that until God calls you to His glory, you never graduate. According to her marriage has been good, very rewarding by the grace of God. The Portia Asare Boateng who is now a nursing mother in an exclusive interview with SeanCitygh.com described marriage as a educative as it keeps teaching her so many things. Am still marring, and haven't finished with that calling as I term it. Still looking up to God for more grace and a big heart to do His will in other to stay focus on what He's called me for as far as marriage is concerned. Portia is now happily married to a man of God. Rev. John Wilberforce Aidoo a Pastor at the Grace Baptist Church and a full time Lecturer in one of the tertiary institutions in Accra is now filling Portias heart with more love. Portias dream to marry a God fearing man finally came to past two years ago. Portia Asare revealed earlier 2013 that she wants a God-Fearing man to marry because she hasnt been very fortunate with men and God has indeed answered to her prayers. Accra, Jan. 5, GNA Mrs Dzifa Abena Gomashie, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, has paid a visit to the highlife legend, Abrantie Amakye Dede at the Cardiothoracic Centre of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. The sad incident, which occurred on New Years Day, led to the death of his manager, Issac Yeboah. Meanwhile, the legend and his bodyguard, at the time of the visit, were responding to treatment. The Deputy Minister was accompanied by Very Reverend Father Dominic Amegashitsi, the Parish Priest of Saint Peters Catholic Church- Osu, who prayed for the the speedy recovery of the highlife musician and the departed soul involved in the crash. Mrs Gomashie said it was the good Lord who saved Amakye Dede and urged him to hold on to his belief in God. The Deputy Minister took the opportunity to wish the creative industry players a Happy New Year and best wishes for the year. She expressed the hope that they would pay attention to their life styles as they seek to play useful roles in the development of the industry and the country at large. She also presented some fruits to support the highlife legend in his recovery process. Abrantie Amakye Dede expressed gratitude to the Minister for bringing the Priest to pray for him and also thanked her and the entire public for their prayers and support. He told the GNA that the visit by the Deputy Minister and other prominent personalities in society has provided him with the needed strength for his recovery process. GNA Rev Isaac Owusu Bempah 06.01.2016 LISTEN A popular bishop in Ghana, whose church is located at Dzorwulu in Accra, will die this year, Rev Isaac Owusu Bempah, General Overseer of the Glorious Way Chapel, has said without mentioning the name of that particular bishop. Owusu Bempah added that junior pastors in the church of that particular bishop would become rebellious, split the church and break away to form their own churches with a chunk of the congregation. Reverend Owusu Bempah made the prediction in response to news reports that Bishop Charles Agyinasare of the Perez Chapel had predicted the death of false prophets in Ghana this year. This year, God will cleanse His church and false prophets are going to fall down dead, Bishop Agyinasare said when he delivered a sermon at his Dzorwulu church last week. Agyinasare's prediction apparently did not go down well with Owusu Bempah and in an interview with Okay FM, he told Abeiku Santana that it was not only false prophets who would die but false bishops would also die, starting with a popular bishop at Dzorwulu in Accra. Bishop Charles Agyinasare, in giving his prophesies, did not mention any name but only said some false prophets would die. If so, then some bishops who do not see visions, all they do is to eat, mount the pulpit and talk, some of them would also die this year. So if some prophets would die because they are false prophets, we all know there are false bishops and the bishops would also die this year, Owusu Bempah noted. He continued: So we are all praying that the false prophets should die but the false bishops must also die. Some of those false bishops would have their junior pastors rising against them. Their junior pastors would split the church and break away. It would hurt the bishops and they would get heart problems. This issue of junior pastors rising against their bishops and breaking away would start from Dzorwulu in Accra and when those bishops sleep, they can't sleep. They would die, Rev Owusu Bempah added. Nana Adjoa Kwabi 06.01.2016 LISTEN A UK-based Ghanaian mother is overly excited and eager to tell her life-changing story of how liposuction changed her entire life and even made her husband take her to the altar for marriage. Nana Adjoa Kwabi, a trained journalist, told NEWS-ONE she never liked the shape of her body and therefore could not muster the courage to go naked before her husband unless the lights were off and the room dark. I had these muscular shoulders and my buttocks were very flat. My stomach was just too big and there were times people saw me and congratulated me for being 'pregnant'. It is not bad to be pregnant but certainly embarrassing for any woman when your stomach is bigger than normal that people start to think you are pregnant. But after the whole liposuction and body sculpt, I am very proud of my body that my kid daughter always tells me to 'go and wear clothes' because I am always showing off my body at home. You won't believe this: that when my husband saw me after the operation, he nearly did not recognise me and would have gone past me if I were not with our daughter. When he saw me, he immediately said we should go to the altar to seal our marriage so he confirms his name on me, Nana Adjoa Kwabi noted in excitement. Nana Adjoa told NEWS-ONE that though she stayed and worked in the UK and had been there for thirteen years, she actually did the liposuction in Ghana at the Advanced Bodysculpt Centre (ABC) belonging to Dr Dominic Obeng Andoh. I have always wanted to do this and there are several doctors in the UK who are experts in liposuction but when I see their works, it is not what I want. They shape you like a Europeanjust straight like that and not like the real African woman with the curvy contours and well rounded boobs and butts. They are not Africans and do not understand our shape. Also, I was proud this was happening in Ghana so I wanted to do it here. It is a shame people here do not want to appreciate and support our own so they travel to Europe to have this same operation that we can have here at a lesser cost and a better after effect, she added. She could not find words appropriate enough to describe her happiness after the operation: It has improved my marriage. I have had a wedding I would not have had and my husband, you know, is very proud of me. Before this, he would spy at other voluptuous women but now, he is so proud of me and would tell others that I, his wife, has got what they think they want to use to attract him. Look, my husband is not that rich and if I were not married, I am sure this my new figure would have helped me nail one big tycoon. I did not do this to attract men; I did it because I wanted to be happy but I know people who have done it and what is happening to them. I wanted to get a dress of my choice and put it on and feel free and get admired. Before this, you had to wear all sorts of stomach trainers; and you go to a dinner and you can't be comfortable and it is even showing in your dress and everyone can see you are wearing something fake and all that embarrassment. Nana Adjoa said it is not true that persons who go in for liposuction and body sculpting are cut open: Dr Obeng does not cut. He never cuts anyone during the operation. I was wide awake and having a conversation with him all through the entire operation and it was fun. He numbs the part he is operating and then uses a very tiny soft syringe in extracting the fat. It is not like having a baby through caesarian section where you would be slashed. I'm sure Ghanaians are not ready for success and they cannot stand people moving up the ladder. This happens in the UK and all over Europe but because this is Ghana and a Ghanaian doctor, we are calling him all sorts of names. Others also mean well but they are ignorant so they talk by heart. The Youth Organiser of the UK/Ireland branch of the NDC, Kofi Adoli, has replied Ghanaian international movie producer and director Leila Djansi who said she has regretted campaigning for the party in the 2012 elections. He said unlike Leila Djansi, he has not regretted campaigning for John Mahama because the president has delivered beyond his expectation. Leila Djansi expressed her frustrations with the hardships Ghanaians have been forced to endure due to the "incompetence" of people currently manning the affairs of the country. The Sinking Sands director made the comments in a post on Facebook Tuesday which outlined major challenges and controversies that have rocked the country lately. Kofi Adoli, in a reply, said she should not regret campaigning for the NDC because the John Mahama-administration has achieved more than any government in recent times. Read his reply: Dear Leila Afua Djansi, My name is Kofi Adoli. Just like you I am normally resident outside Ghana but I keep a close eye on developments back home. Occasionally I come home for a variety of reasons. The similarities between us do not end there. I, just like you campaigned for John Dramani Mahama in 2012.The point of departure however is that I have absolutely no regret doing so. I have read your post this morning in which you raise a number [of] frustrations you have with the way the country is being run. Specifically you speak about water shortage and the recent rebranding of the buses and what you say is inadequate beds in our hospitals. These I believe form the basis for your expression of regret for campaigning and voting for President Mahama and the NDC. I respect your right to vent and raise issues with the management of our country. I also uphold your right to criticise government when you feel a number of things have gone wrong. That said, I believe your expression of regret over these matters leaves much to be desired. I earnestly believe that you may be unaware of a number of developments in our country. You may also have been the recipient of false, exaggerated claims from a loud but often uncritical and shallow media. It is not too clear to me what may have caused the temporary water shortage where you live. I do not in fact know where you live. What is clear however from your post is that at some point you reached the Head of the water company who managed to get the shortage addressed. Be that is it may when it comes to water provision, there is no single government that has done more than the one you helped put in place. To help foster greater understanding of the enormity of the problem and the amount of work done to alleviate it, let me draw your attention to a few figures that illustrate the point. You see, between 1957 and 2009 when the NDC came to power, which is a period of 52 years, only 58.5% of Ghanaians had water. That means just 14 million out of our population of 24 million had water. That also meant that a staggering 10 million people had no access to the vital commodity. The NDC under President Mahama has pumped in over US$1 billion to improve water coverage. There are dozens of major water projects aimed at bringing water to the people dotted around the country. Many of these have been completed and the result is that currently water coverage stands at 76% meaning an additional 4.2 million Ghanaians have had water. By the end of this year when all the ingoing projects would have been completed this coverage will rise to 85% and that will translate to a total of 7million Ghanaian being given water in addition to those who had it prior to the coming of the NDC. Surely Leila, despite your frustration with the temporary shortage, you would appreciate that any President who gives 7million more people water in the limited period he has led this country is undeserving of the accusation of incompetence that you levelled at him. You may have noticed that in previous times when you visited Ghana, young children living in such places as Adenta, Teshie, Nungua and the Northern part of Accra and many cities in Ghana had to carry yellow jerrycans christened Kufour Gallons, over long distances in search of water. That is a spectacle you are unlikely to encounter when you visit those same communities today because the water problem in those communities have been resolved. On the issue of Health, I am pleased to inform you, that the biggest contribution yet to our health care delivery system has been made by President Mahama. You may be unaware that currently work is either complete or on-going on 2 teaching Hospitals (In the last 40 years not a single Teaching Hospital has been built in Ghana), a massive Military hospital in Kumasi, a Police Hospital here in Accra, an ultra-modern Maritime Hospital in Tema, four large Regional Hospitals,14 District Hospitals, Dozens of new Polyclinics, over 40 Health centres and 1,260 CHPS compounds. Leila when you add all these up we are talking of capacity for an additional 6,000 hospital beds in a matter of three to four years. This has never happened in our history as a country. Beyond this President Mahama has carried out the most comprehensive re-equipping of government hospitals in our history. Only a few years ago in Ghana, MRIs were not a part of our health delivery system. Today you are likely to see not only an MRI but a CT-Scan, Mamography machine, Flouroscopy and x-ray machines. Today ailments that a few years ago had to be diagnosed abroad can be diagnosed and treated here in Ghana. It may interest you to note that in the period before the NDC government came to power, not a single Regional Hospital was built in all 8 years of the NPPs rule. Ask their rabid supporters who are trooping to your wall to lend you support to point you to anything they did that comes close to what President Mahama has done in office and they will be found wanting. These same people would rip you apart if you dared criticise the many flaws of their leader and his hopeless incompetence. They would savage you if you even questioned their many violent methods at capturing political power. Again Leila you would agree that levelling a charge of incompetence at a President who has done far more in health than his predecessors is most uncharitable and unfair to the facts. Regarding the issue of the branded busses, there was widespread outrage. The President was equally outraged by this conduct. It is on this basis that he commissioned an investigation into the matter leading to the resignation of the Minister of Transport and a refund of the outstanding amount from the executors of the contract who you branded less qualified. I can say with certainty that had you not helped install John Mahama as President, such a matter would not have received the attention it deserved. You may be aware or unaware that during the tenure of the NPP whose members I see are falling over themselves to comment on your post, a staggering US1.4million dollars was used to purchase gold medals to hang around the neck of the President and his friends at a time when school children in Ghana sat under 4,321 trees to study. Despite public outrage and outcry, absolutely nothing was done to reverse this shocking level of ostentation. Surely Leila you would have more confidence in a President who takes action on a matter like the bus branding than one who leads a party who inspite of public protests displays such grotesque opulence. I am acutely aware that in the United States where you live and the United Kingdom where I am domiciled, water shortages or inadequate hospital beds are unheard off. But you would be comparing apples to oranges if you viewed our circumstance as a nation thorugh that prism. In the scheme of things we can only compare ourselves to our peers even as we aspire to attain the heights achieved by the US and the UK. Therefore in analysing our national situation we ought to be fair to the facts. In all honesty I can attest that the Ghana we live in today is a much better place than what the NDC inherited though long-standing systemic problem persist. I am also aware that bold measures are in place to address them. As citizens we have every right to point out ills in our society so that they can be addressed. We are not obliged to praise governments for doing their work. We must however be wary of the shallow opportunism of the opposition and their mercenary media lackeys whose only pre-occupation is to project our country in the worst-possible light for partisan gain. I implore you to maintain your support for President John Dramani Mahama. I urge you to campaign harder for him in 2016 because I can assure you that it will be a far better thing you do than you have ever done. I sincerely hope that the temporary water shortage in your neighbourhood is resolved quickly like it was done the last time. Look beyond the temporary setback and have the bigger picture in mind. While you are at it, please download a copy of Accounting to the people, a book published by the government you helped put in place, in which irrefutable evidence of real progress is presented in vivid detail. You can do so at www.moc.gov.gh,www.ghana.gov.gh and www.presidency.gov.gh. Your Diasporan compatriot, Kofi Adoli Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Ernest Dela Aglanu (Twitter: @delaXdela / Instagram: citizendela) It may seem like a small and technical change, but a state policy that can hinder the ability to access much-needed substance abuse treatment following incarceration is getting an overhaul. Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Secretary Ted Dallas told radio-station WITF Tuesday his office would move to suspend, rather than terminate, Medicaid enrollment for prisoners in state facilities. As The Sentinel previously reported, Pennsylvania, like many states, terminates Medicaid enrollment upon incarceration regardless of finding of guilt, and individuals are required to reapply when they are released. This can lead to a lengthy delay up to 90 days before benefits are reestablished, according to Stephen Rosenberg, executive director of Community Oriented Correctional Health Services. The delay comes at a time when former inmates are most vulnerable to resume using drugs again and can have dire consequences, Rosenberg said. He said that if individuals with a substance abuse disorder dont have coverage to get treatment in those first 24 to 72 hours after release from incarceration, the likelihood is that their chronic disease will relapse and they will likely go back to committing crimes. Federal law bars Medicaid dollars from being used for treatment for prisoners except for hospital stays of at least 24 hours, but does not require states terminate enrollment while in prison. In fact, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recommends that suspending enrollment during incarceration. Suspension allows for benefits to be more quickly reestablished as the person does not have to go through the process of reapplying. Dallas told WITF the move will require a major change to the states computer systems but is expected to be in place by the middle of this year. He also said his office is looking to expand suspension to the county jail level, but that change could take more time was more complicated because of the turnover at these facilities. A spokeswoman for the Department of Human Services previously told The Sentinel that termination happens whenever DHS is notified that someone is incarcerated and can include anyone being held because they are unable to post bail. More than 700 people were held in Cumberland County Prison in 2014 during at least their preliminary proceedings because they were unable to pay bail, according to an analysis of court records conducted by The Sentinel. More than one third of all prisoners who entered Cumberland County Prison between January and November of last year required medication to detox from drugs or alcohol, according to statistics provide by prison officials. Deputy Warden Michael Carey said roughly 80 percent of all inmates in the county have some form of substance abuse issues, a number he said has remained largely unchanged over his nearly 30 year career. The Department of Human Services confirmed the effort and said it was part of multiple approaches which includes a pilot program that will allow prisoners in state and county facilities to reapply for Medicaid while still incarcerated. Sorry, we can't find the content you're looking for at this URL. At last months India-Africa summit in Delhi, Prime Minister Modi met 54 African heads of state to discuss ways of deepening economic and security relationships between these countries. Also on the agenda was public health, with the two sides exploring how to work together to improve healthcare. For India, the main goal is to increase its lucrative pharmaceutical exports to Africa. Pharmaceuticals remain one of the main Indian exports to Africa, making up around 16% of total exported items, with India supplying 85% of all of anti-retroviral drugs used to treat HIV. African ministers, meanwhile, are keen to learn from and copy Indias success in developing a powerhouse drug manufacturing sector, both to secure their own medicine supplies and to give their economies a fillip. It is encouraging to see lower and middle-income countries like India and those in Africa taking charge of their own human and economic development priorities, without intervention from the West, and India can certainly be proud of its role in driving down the cost of HIV treatment in Africa and elsewhere through its supply of cheap drugs. It would be unwise, however, to assume what has worked for HIV will work for all the other myriad health problems faced by Africans and India. HIV has been singled out for attention by Western governments, who have poured billions of dollars into building up the health infrastructure required to treat patients, in addition to paying for a large proportion of the (largely Indian made) anti-retroviral drugs currently relied on by African patients. These days, outside a handful of sub-Saharan African countries like South Africa, HIV/AIDS is only a small part of the disease landscape in developing countries, constituting only 3.1% of all deaths (0.77% in India). Far more people die from heart disease, stroke and lung disease. Amongst the poorest in African countries, and also in India easily treatable diseases such as diarrhoea remain a leading cause of death. India manufactures vast quantities of cheap medicines that could slash death rates for these diseases across Africa and India. The sad reality is that these medicines are simply not getting to those who need them, both at home and abroad. India itself, home to 3,000 pharmaceutical companies and 10,500 drugs factories, struggles to make even the most basic medicines available to its citizens. One recent survey showed that in New Delhi, essential medicines are available in only a quarter of state government facilities, which are the primary source of free medicines for a majority of Indias low-income population. Things are equally bleak across sub-Saharan Africa where clinics and pharmacies frequently fail to stock basic medicines such as antibiotics. Then there is the question of affordability. Even the cheapest off-patent medicines are unaffordable to the majority of people in India and Africa. A single asthma inhaler can cost 50 days wages in Mozambique, while in India it can cost 2.3 days wages for the lowest paid government worker. These prices are unaffordable to most people, compounded by long-term failures by African and the Indian states to create workable health insurance models. These failures lead to 63 million Indians sinking into poverty each year as a result of healthcare costs, something that rarely happens in OECD countries. Even if medicines are provided for free, it means little if the health infrastructure is not there to deliver them. There are only 0.7 physicians per 1000 population in India, well below the 3 to 4 seen in most high-income countries. Things are even worse in Africa: most countries dont record data but in Zambia and Zimbabwe, two countries that do, the figure is 0.2 and 0.1 respectively. These are terrible statistics that are unlikely to improve while governments spend so little on health. In 2001, 189 African governments committed to spending 15% of total government expenditure on health, the minimum amount recommended by the World Health Organization. Only Rwanda, Botswana, Zambia and Togo have met this commitment, whereas 19 Africa countries actually now spend less. India, meanwhile, only spends a dismal 4.3% of government expenditure on health nowhere near enough. Focusing on tangible issues such pharmaceutical exports and building factories makes good headlines for politicians who want to be seen be seen to be doing something. But to truly improve healthcare in India and Africa, there needs to be much greater focus on the basics recruiting and training staff, building infrastructure, working on pharmaceutical supply chains, committing funds and ensuring people have some form of insurance. India has the skills and the resources to make this happen for its own people, and it can also help Africa develop its own health infrastructure through its unique skills in areas such as telemedicine. These are the areas that will make a real difference. Nilanjan Banik is a professor of economics at Mahindra Ecole Centrale and a fellow at CUTS International. Philip Stevens is the director of Geneva Network. Some 22 buildings have collapsed in a landslide at an industrial park in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. 20.12.2015 LISTEN About 900 people have been evacuated, with four people pulled alive from rubble with minor or no injuries, the local government said. No fatalities have been reported. Shenzhens fire brigade said it was working to free other trapped people. At least 27 remain missing. Two workers dormitories are among the affected buildings. Shenzhens public security bureau posted a notice online saying that eight hours after the landslide, 21 men and six women were unaccounted for, AP reports. An area of 20,000 sq m (24,000 square yards) was covered with soil, the Public Security Bureaus firefighting bureau said. Ren Jiguang, the deputy chief of Shenzhens public security bureau, told state broadcaster CCTV that most people had been moved to safety before the landslide hit. Some 1,500 firefighters are at the scene, the Guangming New Area Government said on its official page on the Sina Weibo micro-blogging site. Local media reported that the soil that came loose had been dug up in the past two years in construction work and was piled up nearby. A statement on Weibo from the Shenzhen municipal government said the landslide had also triggered an explosion at a nearby gas station. A landslide in the countrys Zhejiang province in November killed at least 25 people. -bbc 05.01.2016 LISTEN Kuwait has announced it is recalling its ambassador to Iran as a regional row over the execution of a Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia deepens. Saudi Arabias embassy in Tehran was ransacked and set alight on Saturday, after it executed Shia Muslim cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others. Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic ties with Iran in response, followed on Monday by its allies Bahrain and Sudan. The US, UN and Turkey are among those calling for calm in the region. Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran are major rivals for power in the Middle East and back opposing sides in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen. Saudi insists peace efforts should not be affected by the dispute but has criticised Irans contribution to the process. Iran has reiterated its condemnation of Saudi Arabia, with President Hassan Rouhani saying it cannot hide its crime of beheading a religious leader by severing political relations with Iran. The Kuwaiti government said it was recalling its ambassador from the Iranian capital, describing the attacks as a flagrant breach of international norms. It did not expel Tehrans ambassador or downgrade diplomatic ties. Saudi Arabias unexpected decision to carry out the executions following convictions over terror offences prompted an expression of deep dismay from the UN secretary general, while the US accused Saudi of exacerbating tensions at a time when they urgently need to be reduced. But since then, Saudi Arabia has gained support from some allies in its response to the attacks on its missions in Tehran and the Iranian city of Mashhad. Saudi authorities on Sunday severed diplomatic relations with Iran. They said that all commercial and air traffic links were being cut and that Saudi citizens were banned from travelling to Iran. Bahrains transport ministry also suspended all flights to and from Iran on Tuesday, the official Bahrain News Agency reported. As well as the moves by Bahrain, Sudan and Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has downgraded its diplomatic team in Iran. And on Monday, the UN Security Council issued a strongly worded statement condemning the attack on the Saudi embassy making no mention of the execution of the cleric. However, several of the smaller Gulf Arab states have good working relationships with Iran, and two of them, Oman and Qatar, have yet to take any action at all, says the BBCs Jim Muir in Beirut. Protests against Saudi Arabia have erupted outside Iran, including in Shia-majority Bahrain, where nonetheless Sunni authorities moved to express solidarity with Saudi, clamping down on demonstrations. Iran has responded angrily to the diplomatic moves, insisting it had no hand in the violent protests that followed the execution. Earlier, in New York, Saudi UN ambassador Abdallah al-Mouallimi accused Iran of interfering in the affairs of other countries, including our own, and taking provocative and negative positions. The UNs special international envoy for peace in Syria, Staffan de Mistura, is holding talks in both countries and will be hoping the storm will blow over before a major peace conference on Syria is held towards the end of the month, our correspondent reports. -bbc 05.01.2016 LISTEN At least 34 bodies have been washed up on the Turkish coast in the latest tragedy to hit migrants and refugees trying to cross the sea to Greece. Their boats are thought to have capsized while crossing to the island of Lesbos. The bodies were found on beaches at Ayvalik and Dikili some 30 miles (50km) apart. Several were children. More than one million migrants crossed the Mediterranean in 2015 and the vast majority went from Turkey to Greece. According to the UN, 3,771 people were listed as dead or missing. Conditions in the Aegean Sea in the early hours of Tuesday were described as rough and officials said the migrants who had tried to reach Lesbos were in rubber dinghies. Coast guards at Ayvalik searched the area for survivors and rescued eight people who had climbed on to a breakwater, reported Dogan news agency . Residents said the boat that sank off Ayvalik appeared to have hit rocks. Im guessing these people died as they were trying to swim from the rocks, one man said. Security forces pulled some bodies from the water while others could be seen on the beach, all wearing life jackets. Some were clearly children. Police told Turkish media that 24 bodies were found on the beach or in the sea off Ayvalik while 10 more were discovered near Dikili. Although their nationalities were not confirmed, local governor Namik Kemal Nazli Hurriyet said they were Syrians, Iraqis and Algerians. On Sunday, dozens of people were rescued from a small island off the town of Dikili as they tried to cross to Lesbos. Helicopters had to be called in because the island was too rocky for rescue boats to get to. Boats are continuing to arrive on the Greek islands every day, despite the wintry weather. Lesbos is by far the most popular destination for migrants leaving Turkey. More than 500,000 reached the island in 2015. Late last year, Turkey reached a deal with the European Union to tighten its borders and reduce the numbers crossing to Greece in return for 3bn (2.1bn) and political concessions. -bbc 05.01.2016 LISTEN The wife of a Hong Kong bookseller who disappeared last week, and is believed to be in mainland China, has withdrawn her request for police to help find him saying he has been in contact. A letter reportedly handwritten by her husband, Lee Bo, was published by Taiwans Central News Agency. It says he had gone to the mainland to work with concerned parties. Mr Lee is the fifth man linked to a shop selling works critical of Chinas government to go missing since October. One of the men is a British citizen, the UK foreign office confirmed on Tuesday saying it was deeply concerned. It did not name him but reports have said Mr Lee holds a British passport. The disappearance of the men has raised concerns that China is undermining the territorys legal independence. Local legislator Albert Ho has said Mr Lee also known as Paul Lee was kidnapped and taken to the mainland. Mr Lees wife, Sophie Choi, had said last week that he had called her from Shenzhen, just over the border in mainland China, and told her he was helping with an investigation. She had said his return permit, which Hong Kong citizens must show to enter China, was still at home seen by some as evidence he may have been abducted. But in the letter dated Sunday, which was said to have been faxed to his colleague, Mr Lee says he had returned to the mainland using my own methods. He also said: I am very well. Everything is fine. And please do look after the bookstore. Book links Mr Lee raised the alarm when four of his colleagues at the tiny Causeway Bay Bookstore and related publishing house, Mighty Current, went missing in October . One of them, publisher Gui Minhai, was last seen in Thailand. The other three were last seen in mainland China. The BBCs Juliana Liu in Hong Kong says some suspect the mens disappearance is connected to a book the publisher may have been planning about an alleged former mistress of Chinese President Xi Jinping. There has been no official comment from the Chinese government on Mr Lees case. However, an editorial in the Global Times newspaper, a mouthpiece for the Chinese government, on Tuesday, said some were trying to hype the incident to create estrangement between Hong Kong and the mainland. -bbc The Christian Council of Ghana is urging church leaders to use their pulpits to educate their congregations to vote on issues and competence in the upcoming national elections. General Secretary, Reverend Dr. Kwabena Opuni Frimpong, says there is too much inducement in the countrys current electoral process. Speaking at the 2016 National Ministers Conference of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana Tuesday, he called for increased involvement of church in voter education. This year, therefore imposes a major responsibility on us as church leaders to actively participate in this process. As church leaders, we must use our various platforms to educate our members to vote on issues and competence and avoid actions that can lead to electoral violence. Reverend Dr. Opuni Frimpong told the conference. According to the General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana, 2016 is a major decision moment for Ghana as Ghanaians elect president and parliamentarians to govern the nation for the next four years. He is wary of what he calls inducements to influence voting during the 2016 elections. We say this because there is too much inducement in our electoral processes and church leaders, let us get involved and help our people to vote on issues not because we are afraid by anybody or not because we have been coloured by anything. The Council, as part of efforts to help Ghanaians vote based on their conscience would be embarking on a nationwide voter education to sensitize electorates. Later in an interview with Nhyira FM, Dr. Opuni Frimpong said the Ghanaian voter should see this years elections as an opportunity to make meaningful contribution to national affairs with ballots. He wants Ghanaians to live above politicians who will use material attraction to win their votes. The voters in Ghana now must be discerning. What it means is; we must talk about issues of quality education, health delivery, sanitation, our environment, water bodies, good governance; issues about the economy, employment for our young people-so that the fear and intimidation that come out of people who are inducing with gifts, mobile phones, food, fertilizer, rice. If we vote at some of these things, we come back to square one. Reve. Dr. Opuni warned. Accra, Jan. 5, GNA - Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, has led a delegation of Creative Arts practitioners to visit Highlife legend Amakye Dede, who is on admission at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. The legend highlife musician was transferred to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital after a fatal accident last weekend at the Bunso junction in the Eastern Region. Speaking to a section of the press after a close door visit to the 'Iron Boy' hit maker, Mrs Ofosu-Adjare said it was disturbing when she heard the news of Amakye's accident, especially during the festive season. She said it was for this reason that she decided to visit him with his colleagues in the industry. She also told the media that the Amakye Dede was recuperating and wished him a speedy recovery as Ghana needs dedicated sons like him. On his part, the legend musician thanked the Minister for calling on him on his sick bed. He said her visit would boost his recovery process, adding that her visit was also an indication of her motherly instincts and her compassion for humanity. 'Visit such us this will strengthen me and provide speedy recovery progress," he added. He also told the Minister that the President has earlier visited him. Nana Ampadu on behalf of the Musicians thanked the Minister for showing concern to their colleague. Members of Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO) among the delegation included, Rex Omar, Daddy Bosco, Nana Ampadu, Rex Omar, Obuor, Kojo Antwi, GNA Angry clients of investment firm, Jastar Motors and Investments, Tuesday attacked the DCE for Nkoranza North Kwadwo Adjei Dwemoh, accusing him of doing little to help retrieve their monies from the firm. The DCE was at a press conference organized by the MP for Nkoranza North Major Derrick Oduro to sympathise and a find solution to their concerns, but confusion broke out when the DCE attempted to address the gathering. Joy News' Brong Ahafo Region Correspondent Sabit Anas said the DCE had wanted to inform the angry clients about efforts by the government to get their money back for them. However, the clients were perhaps not enthused by the delayed reaction from the government, raised their voices at the DCE and heckled him. The infuriated clients hooted and hurled sachet water at Kwadwo Adjei who eventually had to leave the place disappointed after police had come in to save him from further attack. Meanwhile, a 3-year-old daughter of a staff of Jerryson FM at Nkoranza, owned by the founder of Jarstar Motors and Investment Company, was kidnapped by a client of the Jastar Motors and Investments to force the CEO to pay up. It took the intervention of the police to rescue the girl. A day after the incident father of the girl, told Joy News everything is alright with the child. By the grace of God everything is fine, he said. She is not traumatized neither is she showing any sign that something is bothering her, he added. He said doctors who examined her after her rescue confirmed that his daughter is in good condition and also discounted any concern of fingering after a scratch was found on the vagina. 06.01.2016 LISTEN The news article described him as a legal practitioner, a rather quaint and fancy Ghanaian way of describing an attorney or a lawyer; and so I am quite certain that he has been following the judgment-debt scandals that have literally made arrant nonsense of the countrys oil-rich economy. Years ago, I read on one of the legion Ghanaian websites that the average Ghanaian had an Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of 98. It was contained in a global survey, the news report indicated. Well, that was some 10 years ago, and back then this figure was among the lowest even on the African continent. Still, events of the past few years tell me that our national IQ may very well have plummeted even much lower than the one cited above. The objective here is not to make any individual inferences or impugn the intelligence or common sense of anybody but to simply register my utter consternation over how, generally speaking, as a people we appear to sadly lack critical-thinking skills when it comes to discussing such seismic national issues as the AMERI Group racket in which a middle-man firm located in Dubai, UAE, is reported to have caused the Ghanaian taxpayer at least the loss of some $290 million for virtually no work done. And all this, because our leaders and representatives were too lazy to do the sort of cranial heavy-lifting that attends international contractual compacts. Of course, I am talking about the 10 thermal power-generating plants with an estimated market value of some $220 million that could have been readily purchased directly from General Electric (GE), the global American industrial giant that manufactured the same. Indeed, in the thick of the sensational media imbroglio that accompanied the breaking of the scandal, first by two reporters from a Norwegian newspaper called VG, I gathered somewhere that, indeed, GE had reached out to the management of the Volta River Authority (VRA) but had been rudely rebuffed because the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government would not step up to the plate to assist a cash-strapped VRA negotiate a deal with GE. Now we know what the cynical denizens at the Flagstaff House prefer to dowith the Ghanaian taxpayers money. My problem with Legal Practitioner Kofi Bentil, who also doubles as Vice-President of the IMANI-Ghana policy think-tank, is his rather lame suggestion that the AMERI Group scam be referred to Parliament for a possible contractual amendment. Maybe somebody better informed on state side ought to apprise him of the fact that it was Parliament that approved this act of contractual criminality of the highest order. Besides, had it not been for the two Norwegian journalists who brought the entire scam to global attention, our august Houses members would still be patting themselves on the back, across the aisle, and heartily congratulating themselves for a deal savvily cut. Indeed, Mr. Bentil would do himself great good to listen to his fellow bar associate, Mr. Ace Ankomah, the OccupyGhana lead activist, about the irreparably ruinous terrain that we would be treading if any of our leaders or litigious activists made the equally criminal blunder of attempting to tinker with the AMERI Group Scam which, predictably, even Mr. Alban Bagbin, the Parliamentary Majority Leader, has obscenely described as a clean deal. Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs Village Capital, in partnership with Creativity Group is set to hold its second hardware accelerator program in Ghana with US$100,000 up for grabs. The accelerator program seeks to provide cutting-edge training for 10 early stage hardware inventors in areas of agriculture and energy to help improve access to energy, and increase agricultural productivity for small-holder farmers. The program puts together entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, and stakeholders side-by-side to discuss and find solutions to challenges faced by under-served communities in Africa. Village Capital is a Non-Governmental Organization that sources, trains and invests in seed-stage entrepreneurs with business solutions to major global problems. The Africa 2015-16 accelerator program with supports from a group of young Ghanaian entrepreneurs [Creativity Group] would be held in Accra from 6th January to 9th January 2016. Participating entrepreneurs will receive feedbacks from peers, potential customers and experts during the program. There lies an opportunity for two participating ventures to be peer-selected for the chance to receive $50,000 each for investment. Program graduates are expected to increase their revenue growth by 4.5 times, and distribute goods and/or services to 200,000 customers within the two years following completion of the accelerator. Previous program winners include the likes of Farmerline, a Ghanaian company that tackles the agricultural information gap that smallholder farmers have through the use of mobile phones. Village Capital sources, trains and invests in seed-stage entrepreneurs with business solutions to major global problems. Brussels (AFP) - A US-Belgian businessman accused of enslavement and diamond trafficking during Sierra Leone's civil war has died in a Brussels prison, officials said on Thursday. Michel Desaedeleer, 65, "died on Tuesday to Wednesday night, most likely of natural causes," a spokesman for the Belgian prosecutor's office told AFP. Desaedeleer was arrested in August 2015 at Malaga airport in southern Spain, attempting to reach the United States where he resided. He was soon transferred to Belgium where he had been scheduled to appear before a judge next week to request release on bail pending trial. Belgium sought his arrest following a complaint filed in Brussels in 2011 by five former diamond mine slaves. They detailed alleged crimes in Sierra Leone's eastern district of Kono between 1999 and 2001. "Blood diamonds" helped finance civil wars across Africa in the 1990s and often funded military dictatorships in the continent. Desaedeleer's name was mentioned in a United Nations report on the trade in 2000. It said he signed an agreement in 1999 with brutal Sierra Leone rebels allowing him to exploit diamond mines and ship the gems abroad via Liberia. The gems were sold mainly in Antwerp, Belgium's second-biggest city and the heart of the global diamond trade for several centuries. "Sadly, the victims of slavery in the diamond mines in Sierra Leone's Kono district ... will never fully achieve justice," said Civitas Maxima, a Geneva-based organisation that gives legal advice to victims of war crimes and has helped build a case against Desaedeleer. "Nevertheless, the arrest of Michel Desaedeleer, his imprisonment and the fact that his trial was scheduled to commence in a few months represent a victory for the victims who courageously filed a complaint against him," it added. Around 120,000 people died in Sierra Leone's 1991-2002 civil war Member of Parliament (MP) for Nsawam Adoagyiri in the Eastern Region, Frank Annoh-Dompreh has petitioned President Mahama over alleged neglect of victims of the blast at a former quarry site at Paebo. Over 2,000 residents have been rendered homeless following the blast which has killed three persons so far. Mr Annoh-Dompreh accuses the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) of neglecting the affected people despite several appeals for help. Beyond the assessment done by NADMO theres still not been any relief items given. The number of distress calls Im receiving is getting out of hand. On my own, I have been able to settle hospital bills and ensured that the dead is buried. Beyond that I think the situation has to be handled properly," he said. In the petition, Mr Annoh-Dompreh wants President Mahama to treat the disaster as a national issue and adopt measures to prevent a recurrence. It is a large scale disaster which needs to be approached as such. It has assumed a national dimension. He said it baffles him that the state institution mandated to act has not done that yet although they have compiled a data of the affected people. I think the President has to come in," he said. Annoh-Dompreh adds: When the earthquake happened in Haiti, 3 million dollars of the tax payers' money was sent to them, what about uswe are also Ghanaians. 06.01.2016 LISTEN Scores of residents in Teshie in Accra on Tuesday, thronged the offices of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in the area to express their anger, as according to them, the credits they buy literally vanish after just a few days. teshie-residents-at-ecg-3 They accused the ECG officials of manipulating the system to short-change them. The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) had in December 2015, increased electricity tariffs by 59.2 percent . A disgruntled resident told citifmonline.com that he bought GHc50 but it got used up in just two days. The resident said when he visited the ECG office over the matter, he was told that someone had recharged GHc3, 000 which got exhausted within three days, hence he has no cause to complain. Click below for video: -citifmonline You have read the biggest stories in 2015; it is now time to see 2015 in pictures courtesy award-winning photojournalist, David Andoh. The biggest drug storage and distribution outlet in Ghana was engulfed by fire Tuesday morning in January 2015 . The facility belongs to the Ministry of Health In Febuary, this child nearly drowned after he attempted joining his brothers for a swim. His rescuer noticed the boy struggling in the pool of dirty water and rushed to his rescue. That brownish water in the bottle is not some maize-based concoction. And no, it is not beverage. It is alcohol gleefully being consumed on the day when Jesus resurrection was celebrated Easter Monday. At the Kokrobite beach in Accra, Easter Monday was a spectacle of too much freedom for too many children and teenagers. Demolition of Accra's largest slum, Sodom and Gomorrah, left a mother here with a devastating look, helpless, hapless as she contemplates the next move for her young family. The demolition was triggered by the flood and fire disaster which claimed over 150 lives at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle a suburb of Accra In our weekly photo of the week series, David Andoh captured these boys at the beach one afternoon at work on a week day and during school hours. It was a year of predictable indiscipline on Ghana's roads too. Rains on June 3, mangled metal and men into nothing more than matter as one of the worst flooding disasters hit Accra in 2015 . Risky isn't it? Well it's a big 'No' for this man on a rainy day with floods. With transport fares expected to go up in January 2016, this picture would be replayed in buses and taxis in the country. It's a fight for coins and small change. A fire outbreak at Abuja slum in Accra that razed everything to the ground on Tuesday evening also left a school girl without her uniforms for class the next day. While the adults stood at ground zero, soaking in their losses and shocks, the little girl appeared visibly sad but occasionally happy that at least she has got her puppy alive. A tweet from actress Yvonne Nelson quickly galvanised angry Ghanaians to hold a vigil in protest of government's handling of the power crisis that characterised life in major cities in Ghana throughout the year under review. In November, Nima Police were on hand to police a protest by pro-Afoko supporters who were demonstrating their displeasure at a party decision to suspend Paul Afoko as NPP National Chairman. Nima Police Commander had a pretty tough time controlling a passionate group of protesters. As decorated Peace FM presenter Kwame Sefa Kayi and co rushed into her house last Saturday to surprise her with a party, Joy FMs Doreen Andoh couldnt take the overwhelming show of love. Doreen Andoh was here when Multimedia began with Joy FM in 1995. It has been a remarkable journey of faithful service for the host of mid-morning show Cosmospolitan Mix. Crossing the N1 Highway on any day is a difficult task for many especially the market women and the elderly. But you reserve your worst nightmare when the lights go off and the traffic lights dont work. That intersection suddenly becomes a death trap. That was in 2015 and the situation on that Highway crossed over with all of us into 2016... 06.01.2016 LISTEN INTRODUCTION African politicians and military rulers stealing from their nations' coffers is now an old story. Of late, what is new is the willingness and capacity of Western governments and Interpol, in conjunction with international development bank-rolling entities (the World Bank and the IMF, in hope), to offer assistance to African leaders willing to invest a modicum of their political and personal capital to retrieve funds looted from their countries by leaders they've replaced. As far as we can remember, no country, no person ever elected as president the last 50 years in West Africa, has expended as much political and personal capital at retrieving stolen money from their country than President Buhari's Nigeria. The last we heard, several former Nigeria officials basking in foreign capitals with pilfered Nigerian national funds have been arrested or detained, and thus far, unspecified amounts of stolen money have been retrieved by the Buhari regime. We wish President Buhari good speed, powered by reflective, but determined will to retrieve every naira stolen by individual Nigerians and sequestered in foreign capitals in the West and other Caymain havens. As we were getting ready to finalize this post, we read that the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Ms. Christine Lagarde, would meet President Buhari and Mr. Kemi Adeosun, the Nigerian Finance Minister, about the plan by Mr. Buhari "to borrow as much as 900 billion naira abroad to fund a $11 billion deficit of plummeting oil prices, the equivalent of 2.16% of the Nigerian Gross Domestic Product (GDP). About as much would be borrowed from the domestic market. Parallel to that, Buhari's government will improve on tax collection. As crooked and ineffective to the fight against terrorism in northern Nigeria as former President Goodlock Jonathan was, Mr. Goodlock Jonathan signed into law the "Personal Income Tax (Amendment) Act mandating that the President and Vice President of Nigeria, governors and their deputies, would pay taxes on all their official and non-official earnings effective April 1, 2012, not just on their "non-official incomes." Mr. Buhari aims to tighten up the tax collection further! In addition, and perhaps even more important, President Buhari intends to lay greater emphasis on non-oil industries (agriculture, mining) production, while restricting importation of "toothpick" merchandises. It is as if Nigeria is now poised to go back in history, like to the "Golden Age of Ghana", exactly where Ghana was in the 1950s and early-60s, under Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. That is a good thing! To the point, the plan by President Buhari to spend out of current deficits ought to be fully supported the IMF and the World Bank, in tandem with the retrieval of looted Nigerian resources so the entire world understand perfectly how and when the looters in Nigeria helped in the under-development and death of their fellow countrymen. We understand also that the head of the IMF will as well visit Cameroon, Chad, and Niger, countries that, in addition to Nigeria, have been greatly beset by regional terrorism, little of which was created, funded, or weaponized internally, within those countries themselves. Given the uncommon determination and demonstrated actions of Nigeria's Buhari to control corruption at home and to retrieve pilfered Nigerian resources, we believe strongly that the West (US, UK, Germany, France, in particular), and its development bankers (the IMF, World Bank), in coordination with Interpol, owe Nigeria all the support they need to retrieve every single niara looted and/or ever sent to the West for non-public purposes. NOW THIS! READ THE LOOTING MACHINE' EXPLAINS WHY AFRICA ISN'T RISING By JAMES GIBNEY Bloomberg News Sunday, January 3, 2016 "In one of Africas most celebrated surprises of 2015, Nigerian voters unseated President Goodluck Jonathan. The election of Muhammadu Buhari defied expectations of electoral fraud and violence, and his anticorruption platform sparked hopes for reform and economic growth. Yet progress on both fronts has been slow and uneven. To understand why, pick up Tom Burgiss The Looting Machine, a bracing look at why a continent blessed with one-third of the worlds hydrocarbon and mineral wealth remains mired in poverty and dysfunction. A former Africa correspondent for the Financial Times, Burgis goes beyond the tales of spectacular venality among Africas Big Men the worlds four longest-serving rulers are in African countries bursting with oil or minerals to explain how the continents resource curse is sapping its development. Nigeria is a case in point. Africas biggest oil producer gets more than 90 percent of its foreign earnings and two-thirds of its tax revenue from oil exports. Yet there are many reasons why that hydrocarbon bounty is a mixed blessing. For starters, it can drive up the value of a nations currency, making other exports less competitive and imports more attractive. As Burgis points out, textiles used to be Nigerias most important manufacturing industry. But cheaper Chinese imports smuggled in by Nigerian gangs (an illicit trade worth more than $2 billion a year) have devastated the industry one example of why Africa produces just 1.5 percent of global manufacturing output, despite its abundance of cheap labor. Billions of dollars in oil revenues are also a tempting pot of money for bent politicians. One 2012 report said corruption had swallowed up $37 billion worth of Nigerias oil money over the last decade. That surpasses the annual economic output of more than half of the nations in Africa as well as Nigerias annual federal budget. Such corruption has other toxic effects. Dirty money from bribes and kickbacks has to be laundered, and because those doing the cleaning dont care so much about profit or productive investment, their infusions of cash distort the value of assets. Nigerias reliance on oil for tax revenues also creates a perverse political dynamic: As Burgis puts it, the ability of rulers of Africas resource state to govern without recourse to popular consent. Instead of having to do right by taxpayers to win their votes, politicians focus on controlling and dispensing mineral wealth to bolster their patronage networks. Politics becomes a game of mobilizing ones ethnic brethren, Burgis notes a contest with dangerous destabilizing effects in Nigerias fractious polity. In fact, as one Nigerian governor explains, if he failed to share the wealth, ill-gotten or otherwise, Ive got a big political enemy. Nigeria is far from the exception. At least 20 African countries are what the International Monetary Fund calls resource-rich: that is, their natural resources account for more than one-quarter of exports. Risking limb if not life, Burgis gamely takes readers around some of them, from the coltan mines of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Guineas rich bauxite and iron ore deposits to the diamond fields of Zimbabwe. Even as the names and histories of the different predatory leaders blur, one thing is clear: Their looting depends on an all-too-willing cast of outside partners, whether Western mining and oil companies that plunked down bribes and abetted massacres, shady Israeli middlemen or shell companies in the British Virgin Islands. Particularly disquieting is Burgiss description of the unsavory role played by the World Banks International Finance Corporation, which backed visibly corrupt, environmentally destructive, or just plain inequitable oil and mining ventures in Chad, Guinea and Ghana all countries it was supposed to be helping. If Burgiss book were to be made into a movie, though, the star villain would have to be Samuel Pa, the bespectacled, bearded Zelig behind some of the continents most dubious recent resource deals. Over the course of several decades, Pa parlayed the connections he made as a Chinese intelligence operative and arms merchant into a sprawling, secretive consortium based in Hong Kong known as the 88 Queensway Group, not to mention a spot on the U.S. Treasurys sanctions list. Western criticism of Chinas growing presence in Africa, Burgis writes, nonetheless carries a distinct whiff of hypocrisy that might make even King Leopold blush. Moreover, ordinary Africans stand to gain much from the $1 trillion or so that Chinese entities will reportedly plow into their continent by 2025. That said, the tale of Pa and Queensway, which has its tentacles wrapped around oil holdings in Angola and Nigeria, diamond mines in Zimbabwe, and agriculture in Mozambique (to name just a few of its ventures), reeks of sulfur and brimstone. As several seasoned African mining executives told Burgis, the Queensway Group reminded them of Cecil John Rhodes, the forerunner of those who use the conquest of natural resources to advance political power and vice versa. One of the best hopes for curbing this rapacity and corruption may be to impose greater transparency on Africas outside business partners. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, for instance, recently proposed a rule requiring U.S.-listed oil, gas and mining companies to publish details of their payments to governments. Even China may see the writing on the wall. A few months after Burgiss book came out this year, he reported that Pa had been detained in one of Chinas deepening anti-corruption probes. Guess that scotches the prospect of any Pa Scholarships in the future." SOURCE: 1. The Looting Machine explains why Africa isnt rising (http://www.concordmonitor.com/home/20290224-95/the-looting-machine-explains-why-africa-isnt-rising). 2. Nigeria expects 2016 budget deficit to double to $11 bln - president, Dec 22, 2015, (http://af.reuters.com/article/idAFKBN0U51HS20151222). The Looting Machine explains why Africa isnt rising, by JAMES GIBNEY. A GhanaHero.Com Reader, (5.0). Posted by: Prof Lungu, www.GhanaHero.com (4 January 2016). Support the Fair Trade Oil Share-Ghana (FTOS-GH)/PSA Campaign. Visit www.GHanaHero.Com/FTOS_Gh_Campaign, for more information. GhanaHero.com. (Read Mo! Listen Mo! See Mo! Reflect Mo!). 06.01.2016 LISTEN Reports that Customs Officers at Ghanas eastern border with Togo have impounded a vehicle carrying at least 1 million bullets or munitions cartridges are disturbing enough (See Vehicle Carrying 1 Million Bullets into Ghana Arrested Starrfmonline.com / Ghanaweb.com 12/28/15). But what is even more alarming is the accompanying report as of this writing that the three men who are suspected to have shipped the munitions into the country from either Togo or Nigeria, somehow, managed to escape being promptly arrested and put into custody by Customs Officials or armed Border Guards. Actually, there is no specific mention about the presence of armed Border Guards at the Aflao checkpoint. This is an assumption that I am making purely based on the historical fact that the countrys busiest landed border checkpoint has always been equipped with well-armed security operatives from the Border Guard Division of the Ghana Armed Forces. We are told that the bullet cartridges were discovered to have been hidden on the floor of a vehicle whose licensed registration number is given as KTU 444 but not its make or model [As of this press preparation, however, the photograph of what appeared to be a Mercedes Benz truck had been published alongside of some versions of this story]. But even more significantly, we are also informed that the same vehicle has crossed into Ghana from Togo at least six times prior to its being impounded by the Aflao Customs Officials. And so one can almost be certain that at least an equal amount of munitions have already been imported into the country. What we need to know about this breaking news event is the owner of the vehicle, as well as the country in which it was registered; and then as well, the number of owners through whose hands the vehicle might have passed, and the identities and nationalities of these pre-/fore-owners as well. We need to also know specifically the country from which these munitions were imported. Merely speculating about their either having been shipped from Togo or Nigeria brings no comfort whatsoever. In sum, we need to get to the bottom of this matter! That this revelation is coming to light on the threshold of a momentous election year, makes it all the more likely that some unconscionable and reckless political operatives may well be behind this entire racket. Not to unduly politicize an event that may be purely criminal, but it also bears observing the fact that the Aflao township, located in the Anlo-Ewe enclave of the Volta Region, the virtually hermetic political and electoral stronghold of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), where electoral irregularities of apocalyptic proportions have been recently uncovered, involving the deliberately orchestrated bloating of the countrys voters register, with the names and vital statistics of some 80,000 Togolese nationals by a crackerjack team of forensics experts led by Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the 2016 Vice-Presidential Candidate of the countrys main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), makes this security-breaching incident all the more disturbing. We also sincerely dont believe that the criminal suspects behind this racket, all three of them, could have so easily taken to their heels in apparent full view of heavily armed Border Guards and Customs Officers. We need to know precisely under what circumstances the three suspects managed to escape prompt arrest and detention. Very likely, a highly influential figure with close connections to some powerful operatives within the National Democratic Congress must have facilitated the alleged escape of these suspects. As of this writing, it clearly appeared that the real story behind this incident was just beginning to unfold. Which means that we have reasonable expectation to learn about even more shocking details vis-a-vis this epic gun-running scheme. President John Dramani Mahama and his associates and minions had better come clean on this. There may even be some nexus between this incident and the recent changes in the leadership of the Ghana Armed Forces announced by the President. We are also fully aware of the fact that the President and his vice are desperate to hang on to power by hook or crook. Recently, for instance, Vice-President Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur indicated this much when the former Bank of Ghana governor addressed some members of the Tertiary Education Institutional Network (TEIN) on the campus of Cape Coast University. According to a visibly distraught Mr. Amissah-Arthur, three years into their largely lackluster tenure, more than 50-percent of Ghanaian voters had yet to decide whether to retain the Mahama-led National Democratic Congress at the helm of the countrys affairs. Messrs. Mahama and Amissah-Arthur may well be dangerously testing the capacity of longsuffering Ghanaians to tolerate gross electoral abuse and patently undeserved application of raw intimidation as a central plank of the Mahama/Amissah-Arthur Election 2016 Campaign Agenda. It remains to be seen whether such crude political gimmickry would work. *Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs 06.01.2016 LISTEN We live in a very exciting but unusual time. The train of thought that guides us into a brighter future has already left the station. Technical affairs have progressed to the point that we can get men to the moon and back but it seems we have made less progress in human affairs particularly terrorism. The rate at which terrorist activities has characterized the 21st century is very alarming and needs prompt adoption of strategies from stakeholders to curb it. The increasing sensitivity of terrorism calls for the United Nations being a key player in ensuring global peace to take the critical decisions to counter its widespread. Subsequent generations will use this generation as a case study of a failed generation if we fail to stop terrorism. Hardly did a month in 2015 pass by without an incident of terrorist attacks in any part of our world. It is very unfortunate that scores of non-combatants or civilians are used as objects to send messages across. Civilian insecurity is growing as one does not know when, where and how the next terrorist attack will occur. The current situation in Syria is very worrying especially when the USA and Russia had virtually displayed their conflicting understanding of terrorism. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) as one of the six principal organs of the United Nations is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization of military action through Security Council Resolutions. The failure of the cold war factions: the USA and the USSR now Russia in reaching a consensus towards the Syrian Conflict is gradually turning some Syrians into what they fear, monsters. The ever increasing political and military tension between these two permanent members of the UN Security Council leaves a lot to be desired. This time not centered only on containment policy of the United States but who gets to secure its foreign policy interests in Syria. The international community welcomed the statement by Russias Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that his country is ready to support the Free Syrian Army (FSA) with air strikes and cooperate closely with the US in fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Syria (ISIS) and other factions. Meanwhile, the timing for this statement was very unfortunate as the call for cooperation came after at least 44 people, including six children, were killed in 24 hours as a result of Russian and Syrian air strikes across the country, particularly in Idlib province as reported by the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) on 24th October, 2015. Killing civilians by Russia and Syrian Forces should be emphatically regarded as war crimes regardless of any intent of general goodwill. Anyway, 2016 still ironically awaits the implementation of this call made by the Sergey Lavrov especially when Vladimir Putin has signed the document, About the Strategy of National Security of Russian Federation on New Years Eve citing the United States as one of the threats to Russias national security for the first time. Putin should not be swollen-headed by Forbes enlistment as 2015 most powerful person in the world through his seizing and annexation of Crimea and disregarding international sanctions. The fact should be made clear that the world is governed by law and every being of this 21st century is born into it. In the event of merging military and political policies towards combating the gory situation in Syria, reconstruction should not be left out. ISIS as the richest terrorist group in history has some capacity of luring desperate youth to start or engage in any uprising in the Middle East in the quest of fulfilling its goal of establishing an Islamic Caliphate. It is quite evident that there is more to do than just removing ISIS. President Obama made the point of reconstruction clear in an interview about ISIS conflict, even if ISIL is defeated, the underlying problem of disaffected Sunnis around the world-but particularly in some of these areas including Libya, including Yemen-where a young man whos growing up has no education, has no prospects for the future, is looking around and the one way he can get validation, power, respect is if hes a fighter. He continued we cant keep on thinking about counterterrorism and security as entirely separate from diplomacy, development, education. " My New Year Concerns towards a peaceful Syria reflect on the statement of Former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan that, until the permanent members of the Security Council can agree a common strategy, there is nothing that the UN as an organization can do to make peace. Daniel Abankwa, [email protected] 06.01.2016 LISTEN I don't care if you call me a pessimist or a doomsday prophet. You may even call me Lucifer but the fact still remains that we are in for a huge disappointment as far as the management of the economy is concerned. Those who think we will be out of the woods this year will be greatly disappointed. And those who think corruption will abate this year will be laughing at the wrong side of their mouths. The economic hardship which has been brought upon the people of this dear nation will never end. Until this corrupt and incompetent Mahama administration lives the Flagstaff House, Ghanaians should forget it. The Mahama administration has taken seven good years to destroy the economy and still wants to rule by hook or crook. They spoiled it and instead of them allowing someone else to fix it, they want to grab power and spoil it further. They have the funny feeling that Ghanaians are so docile and will give them another chance to loot the state coffers. They also fear that when they lose power, heads will roll like the way ex-president Kufour did to those thieves under the Rawlings administration. What somebody out there should tell them is that since they will never stay in power forever, a day will come when they will be called to account to the good people of this country. And look at the political gimmick the president tried to play during his new year message to Ghanaians: None performing ministers will be sacked Joker! Ministers have been messing around for the past seven years and now that we have barely eleven months to go in for the general elections, the man is now telling us that he will sack none performing ministers. What kept him from sacking them all these years when Ghanaians were complaining? If the president thinks he made that statement to woo sympathy in this election year, somebody out there should tell him that Ghanaians have wised up. Everybody is talking about corruption in government but the president has been silent on the issue. It is simply because the president himself has been cited for being corrupt. All the woes of this country hang on corruption. Corruption destroys the very foundation of every nation and Ghana is not an exception. The state of hopelessness that the country is facing today is all because of corruption. That is why in other jurisdictions like China, corrupt officials face the death penalty. The day President Mahama told the world that Ghanaians are forgetful, I wrote in this column that the President is taking us for granted. Some of us are not forgetful the way he wanted the world to believe. If the president thinks we are forgetful, let me remind him of something which happened about four years ago. When the Citizen Vigilante, Mr. Martin Amidu was dismissed by the late President Mills for exposing corruption in his government, the man came out loud and clear to tell Ghanaians that the then Vice President, John Dramani Mahama was corrupt. He said when Ghana decided to go and buy a Presidential Jet from Brazil, Mr. Mahama who was then the chairman of the Armed Forces Council got involved in underhand dealings. The Citizen Vigilante told whoever cared to listen that unknown to many Ghanaians and Mills who was seriously ill, then Vice President John Mahama was frantically receiving delegations from Brazil and negotiating the acquisition of five jets, including the most expensive hangar for this poor nation when his President appeared not to be aware of the transactions. At the blindside of President Mills, then Vice President Mahama led an NDC Government delegation to negotiate the purchase of aircrafts for the Ghana Armed Forces. The invoice he brought was gargantually inflated so much so that late President Mills, who was not known for questioning such corrupt deals by members of his party became convinced that his Vice President was up to mischief. Mr. Amidu said the late president Mills set up a three member committee to investigate this hypocrisy and betrayal of people's trust. The man who is well known for his openness told us that the committee, comprising Hon William Aboah, Mr. George Amoah and Brig. Gen. Allotey (Rtd.), were charged to investigate the processes of the acquisition of the five aircrafts, including Embraer 190 aircraft and hangar to the Ghana Army. According to Martin Amidu, pressure groups never allowed the Committee to take off When Martin Amidu made this damning revelation we were all expecting Mr. Mahama to come out and challenge the Citizen Vigilante but nay, the coward in him did not allow him to mention a word on the issue. He had that funny feeling that because Ghanaians are forgetful as he has said, the case will die a natural death. Sadly the members of the committee, Hon William Aboah, Mr. George Amoah and Brig. Gen. Allotey (Rtd.) kept silent too. Thankfully these fine gentlemen are still alive and kicking. Will they speak this time now that corruption, which has now been institutionalized is killing this nation of thirty million souls? Five years of silence is not good for their image because we are not forgetful. If they refuse to accept or deny the allegation, those of us alive today may not question them but what they should know is that since history is there to guide us, generation yet unborn will raise the question and surely their names will not be written in gold. The reason why Mr. Mahama cannot whip his cohorts in line is because of this particular albatross hanging on his neck. And so, this year the president and his competent looters will go on a looting spree because they are about to jump the last hurdle. Ghanaians should brace themselves up for a final year of naked and shameless corruption because from all indications, Mr. Mahama knows that his regime will come to an end, come November 2016. When any president and his looting brigade find themselves in such a situation they become very dangerous. They will do everything possible to stay in power so that they could cover up their stinking corruption. And you know what? We are not going to allow that! Not A Carol Was Heard On Christmas In the early seventies Fidel Castro, the then President of Cuba, postponed Christmas in his country. It was the first time in history that a president could ask his people not to celebrate Christmas. In the case of Fidel Castro, he had a reason. The main source of income to the island nation is sugarcane. In that particular year, Cuba experienced a bumper harvest of sugarcane and large hectares of sugarcane were getting rotten on the field as Christmas approached. In order not to experience any post-harvest loses, Castro took the bull by the horn and asked his countrymen to postpone Christmas and use their time to harvest the sugarcane before they could get rotten on the fields. That was how come Christmas was postponed in Cuba. President Mahama did not postpone Christmas last year because he and his looting brigade had saved enough money to celebrate the yuletide but many families did postpone the celebration because there was nothing in their pockets. Prices of goods, coupled with the unbearable high increase in utility tariffs could not make them celebrate. Children did not plant Christmas trees and neither were they seen dressed nicely in their Christmas cloths. It was all a gloomy Yuletide. Eric Bawah 06.01.2016 LISTEN The Deputy General Secretary of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), Koku Anyidoho, is apprehensive about the chances of the party winning the general elections scheduled for November 7 this year. Anyidoho harbours the fear that a section of the international community could be working against the Mahama administration to ensure the NDC's defeat in the elections. Even though the discussion centred on the issue of the credibility of the existing voter register which the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has questioned, Koku had a way of roping in the international community. We must beware that a certain section of the international community is not interested in continuity; they are looking for a regime change so that continuously there would be a cycle of regime change so that would keep us dependent on them, were his exact words when he spoke on Adom Fm's 'Dwaso Nsem' morning show yesterday, even though he refused to drop any name. He therefore asked Ghanaians to beware of some of the schemes being employed by some of these foreign entities against the government in order not to fall for them, insisting, there is a certain section of the international community that is supporting the regime change of the NDC; it is a known fact. The former presidential spokesperson was, however, confident that the good people of Ghana will vote not the international community and we believe by the voting time the decision will be taken to give President Mahama another four years for the NDC to continue the transformational and better Ghana agenda. Anyidoho noted, That is where the NPP is drawing its energy from but unfortunately, the goodwill and the good decision of Ghanaians shall prevail. For him, the NPP put out a very watery argument as compared to what he referred to as a very solid argument put out by his party's General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, when the issue about the demand for a new voter register came up for discussion as a panel of five decided to collate views on the matter. Koku could not fathom why the NPP as a party declined to furnish the Electoral Commission (EC) with its evidence of purported Togolese found in the Ghanaian voter register, saying the burden of proof laid on the NPP. Typical of him, he did not fall short of casting insinuations. It is only in the elephant kingdom that that kind of logic operates but in the world of rational thinking human beings, nobody operates like that. According to him, the fact that the NPP had so far not been able to furnish the EC with all the evidence it claimed to have on the said bloated register but only managed to bring out 10% was an indication that it had failed miserably. It was in this regard that the once powerful Koku a man that once said a suspected cocaine dealer, Asem Dake, who had been arrested, was singing like a canary bird, for which reason no presidential candidate of an opposition party should attempt to leave the country called the NPP's vice presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, a liar. Asked if government was prepared for the tension that could emanate from the rejection of the NPP's call for a new voter register, he said, The police are on high; the military has been given their mandate, they will work. Let Gabby and co dare; if they don't want just somewhere to sleep then they will certainly get somewhere to sleep. By Charles Takyi-Boadu 06.01.2016 LISTEN A trader Juliet Amofa, who allegedly used knife and stones to inflict deep wounds on the ears of another trader in spite of her pleas for mercy after a misunderstanding, has been arraigned before court. The accused person, who is popularly called Obour, was said to have attacked the complainant Mary Tenkorang at a borehole with knife and stones. She repeatedly struck her with the objects until her screams attracted the attention of a passer-by who rescued her. Juliet was put before a court, presided over by Mrs. Afia Agbaney Kudamor and charged with causing unlawful harm. She pleaded not guilty. She has been granted bail in the sum of GH10,000 with three sureties while the case has been adjourned to January 20 2016. The facts of the case as presented by the prosecutor ASP A.A. Yirenkyi are that the complainant is Mary Tenkoranga, trader while the accused person is also a trader and they both live at Amamoley, a suburb of Accra. He said on August 15 2014 at about 6.30 pm, the husband of the complainant George Tagoe went to the house of the accused person to complain about the use of some cement blocks. The police officer said the accused, who later saw the victim at a nearby borehole, threatened to teach her a bitter lesson over the matter and went for the knife and stones. He noted that the accused, who met the complainant at place alone, threatened her but Mary pleaded for mercy but she processed to harm her. Furthermore he stated that passer-by who heard the complainant screaming for help went to her rescue and she was taken to Saint Moses Clinic at Pokuase while the accused was arrested. He said Juliet was arraigned before court after police investigations. By Fidelia Achama COP Patrick Timbillah 06.01.2016 LISTEN All reports on the Police Service's interdicted former Director General in-charge of Human Resource Development, COP Patrick Timbillah will be ready by the end of February, acting Inspector General of Police John Kudalor has said in an exclusive interview with Accra 100.5 FM during the breakfast show 'Ghana Yensom' on Monday, January 4, 2016. Mr Kudalor told host chief Jerry Forson that I've inherited all assets and liabilities of the Police Service since I took over as acting IGP. I have given the commander an ultimatum to present a report on the investigation. There are three reports. Two are ready. The final one is yet to be completed. Once all are done, we'll put the report in the public domain. He said Ghanaians should look forward to the report by the end of February. In late September last year, the Director-General of Administration, DCOP Rose Atinga Bio, said the Ghana Police was not covering up any alleged wrongdoing by COP Timbillah. Mr Timbillah was implicated in a police recruitment scam in March and interdicted after which an internal service inquiry was started against him. Atinga Bio, who told Joy News on Tuesday, September 29, 2015 that the Service will not be railroaded into making any premature public disclosures on the inquiry, rebuffed reports by anti-graft campaigners that the protracted investigation betrays mischief on the part of the Police. She said the lack of knowledge on the part of anti-graft crusaders about the processes involved in conducting a service inquiry is what is leading them to make hasty conclusions. According to her, whatever has been found by the investigators so far has been put before those in charge of the inquiry, adding that the inquiry will disclose whether COP Patrick Timbillah has misconducted himself or not I want to assure those who believe we are covering somebody that this is not the line of thinking of the Ghana Police Service, she added. COP Timbillah was interdicted after a committee set up by the Police to investigate the scam traced a letter of the fraudulent act to him. Immediately after his arrest and interdiction in March, David Nenyi Ampah-Bennin, Director General in charge of public affairs of the Ghana Police Service told the media that investigations into the affair could be over in about a week after which prosecutions will begin. However, almost a year after the interdiction little has been heard of the inquiry. Seven people were arrested by the police in connection with the scam. They include two police officers Constable Ruth Agyiri, 27, of the Central Police Station in Koforidua, who allegedly swindled a victim of GH1,500 and Corporal Gideon Sarpong. The others are a radio presenter of Silver Radio Amos Brown, 40, who, according to Ampah-Bennin, has taken various sums of money from over 40 persons to enlist them in the police service, Richard Harrison, 30, who defrauded others to the tune of over GH4,200 and Pastor Paul Danso. 06.01.2016 LISTEN The Ghana Health Service (GHS) Council will soon begin a review of the procedures that led to the appointment of Dr Thomas Anaba as the new medical director of the Ridge Regional Hospital. The move by the appointing authority in the health sector follows an official receipt of a petition by aggrieved workers of the hospital rejecting the appointment of Dr Anaba as the hospital's new medical director. Some are even reading tribal connotations to the appointment of Dr Anaba. The staff of the hospital are up in arms against Dr Anaba, whom they described as lazy, and rather want Dr Emmanuel Srofenyo, a consultant obstetrician/gynaecologist. Dr Ebenezer Appiah Denkyirah who confirmed the receipt of the petition said it has been forwarded to the GHS Council to investigate whether there was any violation in the appointment process. Once the Council has received the letter, we will get a team to look into the concerns that have been raised, he said. Dr Appiah Denkyirah entreated the Ridge Hospital staff to continue with their duties as the Ghana Health Service takes care of the issue. He said there is no cause for urgency as the hospital has an interim acting medical director in the person of Dr Emmanuel Srofenyo, whom the staff are in favour of becoming the new medical director. On Monday, staff of the Ridge Regional Hospital protested the appointment of the new medical director of the health facility and petitioned the management of the hospital and Ghana Health Service to probe the selection of Dr Anaba for the position. According to the workers, the management of the hospital should not be left in the hands of someone who has little experience in the operations peculiar to the health facility. The staff warned the hospital's management not to accept or welcome Dr Anaba to the health facility and threatened not to work if Dr Srofenyo, who is acting in the position, is not made the medical director. Portions of posters protesting the new appointment at the hospital read: 'Aluta! Aluta! Aluta! Imposition of Anaba As Medical Director, Recipe For Chaos At Ridge Hospital'. Dr Anaba had previously worked at the Ridge Hospital as the medical director for close to a year before moving to head the Habana Health Centre in Tamale. Dr E.K.A Obeng Apori was then made the medical director till his retirement on January 1, 2016 after almost six years of service at Ridge Hospital. By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri The three sets of twins delivered at the Trustcare Hospital in Kumasi in November 06.01.2016 LISTEN SIX babies conceived through in-vitro fertilisation and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) have been born in Kumasi, unlocking three post-menopausal women of barrenness. The Trustcare Specialist Hospital & Fertility Centre in Kumasi carried out the in-vitro ('outside the body') fertilisation that combines the egg and sperm in an artificial environment, creating an embryo that is implanted in a host that carries it to full term. One of the women, a 54-year-old resident of Kumasi, was delivered of a set of twins, both boys, after a first IVF-ET attempt at the fertility centre. According to her, she has been married for the past 20 years and unable to get pregnant until she was subjected to the in-vitro fertilisation process. Her counterpart from Sunyani, 55, gave birth to twin girls at her first attempt with the IVF-ET, while the third woman from Obuasi also delivered twin girls. Both women have been married for 25 and 30 years respectively, with the Obuasi-based woman experiencing miscarriage once within the first year of marriage. Procedure Isaac Kofi Adu, a clinical embryologist, said the IVF is a specialised process in medicine that is used to help couples who, for various reasons, cannot get pregnant naturally. According to him, the service was first introduced in Ghana at a private specialist hospital in Tema in 1990, and it had gained acceptance since. He told DAILY GUIDE the Trustcare Hospital & Fertility Centre was established in 2011 and had assisted many childless mothers to have their own biological children. Mr Adu was upbeat about the high success rate of the process, and pledged the hospital's commitment to make the facility the first port of call for childless women. He was, however, worried the constant increases in the prices of drugs for the fertility process and called for government's intervention to make the service affordable to women in need of children. From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia interacting with his people 06.01.2016 LISTEN Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice Presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has noted that Ghanaians are tired of maladministration by the National Democratic Congress (NDC). He therefore promised the people of Gbintri in the Nalerigu-Gambaga constituency that an NPP government would develop the limestone deposits in the area into cement to create employment for the people. Speaking to members of the Konkomba Young Elephants (KOYE) at Gbintri in the Nalerigu-Gambaga constituency, he said the teacher trainees and student nurses' allowances would be reinstated when the NPP assumes office in 2017. Addressing the chiefs and people of Gbintri, Dr. Bawumia said despite being in opposition for some years, the NPP would ensure a continuity of its good works which had been exemplified under the President Kufuor administration. A mammoth crowd made up of chiefs and opinion leaders, who welcomed the presidential candidate of the NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo's running mate, expressed their profound gratitude to the NPP for the developmental projects they received in the erstwhile Kufuor-led administration. According to Dr. Bawumia, a renowned economist, who spoke to DAILY GUIDE, the rousing welcome by the chiefs and people of the area was an indication that Ghanaians are yearning for the NPP to salvage them from the economic mismanagement of the country by John Mahama's National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration. The over three decades of perennial water crisis in Gbintri and its surrounding communities will soon come to an end. This is because the running mate to the NPP's presidential candidate has promised to drill two boreholes for the community. Dr. Bawumia told the gathering that the enormous pro-poor initiatives such as the National Health Insurance Scheme, Free Maternal Care, National Youth Employment Programme, School Feeding Programme, Capitation Grants, among others, which were initiated under the NPP government, were meant to minimize the suffering of the masses, especially the rural poor population, but sadly the NDC government has collapsed all the initiatives, bringing Ghana to her knees. The regent of Gbintri, Nandana Musah, commended the NPP for the recognition and appointment of Konkombas into key positions in the party and appealed to the party to continue to appoint Konkombas because they are competent. FROM Eric Kombat, Gbintri Nalerigu 06.01.2016 LISTEN He has been decidedly disengaged from the day-to-day operations of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) by the issuance of a suspension order that took effect some three years ago, and has been steadily holding; and so I really dont see why anybody should feel disturbed that Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobbey (aka Tarzan) would be making disparaging remarks about the decision by the Electoral Commission not to accede to the quite reasonable request, in hind sight, of the leadership of the New Patriotic Party to have the current voters register scrapped and replaced with a totally new one (See NPP Descends on Mysterious Wereko-Brobby MyJoyOnline.com / Modernghana.com 1/5/16). I have personally disagreed with the NPPs stance on the voters register in the recent past for reasons that were partly echoed by Commissioner Charlotte Kesson-Smith Osei, when the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) noted that preserving the integrity of our National Voters Register (NVR) was the collective responsibility of all the major stakeholders. Where I differ dramatically with Mrs. Osei, I have not hesitated to vehemently express the same. Presently, however, the patently disingenuous and logically incongruous reasons offered by the EC for rejecting the need for the establishment of a new NVR has actually made me more sympathetic towards the stance of the New Patriotic Party. But I still stand by my original position that merely establishing a new NVR would not necessarily guarantee the perfectibility or integrity of the same. For those readers who have not yet had the chance to read it, my reaction to the ECs decision is contained in an article captioned On EC Decision: Lets Wait And See. Curiously, though, what nobody on either side of the NVR debate is talking about is the fact that contrary to what the National Democratic Congress agitprop touts are smugly claiming, the EC did not flatly reject the NPPs request for a new NVR; what the EC did was to simply reply that the establishment of a new NVR would essentially present many of the same problems that pertain to the current register and have been the case for the 20-odd years that the NVR has existed, both during the pre- and post-biometric VR regimes. Significantly, the EC has also said that it is opening up a permanent aperture for the possibility of revisiting this matter from now until the first ballot is cast at any particular moment that the EC schedules for the holding of the 2016 general election. In real terms, the EC decision not to establish a new NVR was a split-decision which clearly acknowledges the fact that the need to significantly improving the quality and credibility of the NVR is fluxional or a never-ending process. Now, I dont think that most Ghanaians take the virulently anti-NPP comments by a disconsolately wounded man, who also claims to have always been a socialist at heart, with any remarkable modicum of gravitas or seriousness. Indeed, Dr. Wereko-Brobbey has even gone on record as having categorically stated that he really has no worthwhile convictions of his own; and that it was actually his late maternal uncle, the legendary Mr. Victor Owusu, who had convinced his apparently favorite nephew to cross ideological lines in order to join cause with the Liberal-Democratic ideals of the New Patriotic Party. What is also significant to observe is the fact that other than opportunistically using the NPP to acquire considerable fame and fortune, Tarzan does not seem to have meaningfully contributed to the growth and development of the Danquah-Busia-Dombo School of Ghanaian political culture, either in ideological or practical terms. For instance, as CEO of the countrys main energy supplier, the Volta River Authority (VRA), Dr. Wereko-Brobbey was summarily relieved of his post after having been accused of profligacy and gross administrative incompetence. He would end up being awarded the consolation prize of co-coordinating the [email protected] Festivities. But here, too, Dr. Wereko-Brobbey as well as his partner-in-coordination and former Kufuor Chief-of-Staff, Mr. Kwadwo Mpiani would be brought up on charges of having criminally caused financial loss to the state. We leave the legal quiddities of his case to legal mavens and future historians to broach and expose. In sum, in a quite striking sense, Dr. Wereko-Brobbey could be aptly described as the elder twin-brother of Mr. Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen, except that these two men were politically born some 8 years apart. The latter allusion is, of course, to the fact that at the most critical moments when their leadership contributions were needed, both men proved themselves to be mere pictorial cardboards from Madame Tussauds Museum. Indeed, if I were a key New Patriotic Party Stalwart like Nana Obiri Boahen, rather than inexpediently pretend as if Dr. Wereko-Brobbey did not exist, I would rather diplomatically reach out and heartily congratulate the latter for being such an effective political activist on such noble causes as gratuitous utility and fuel hike protestations. You see, McNasty can also play McNice sometimes except, of course, when the man standing on the opposite side of the road is wearing the red, blue and white trademark colors closely associated with members of the Elephant Party. 06.01.2016 LISTEN CYPOND sends her heartfelt greetings to all Ghanaians as we all keep engrossed in the joy of successfully ending a calendar year, while anticipating a fruitful 2016 ahead of us. Our attention has been drawn to recent activities making headline news in the media, which sends shivers down the spines of many concerned Ghanaian youth as these unpalatable headlines, bothers on national security and the stability of our peace and democracy. It would be recalled that earlier last month, a security raid in Kumasi struck a jaw dropping revelation in which offensive weapons including eleven(11) AK 47 riffles, four (4) G3 assault rifles, handguns, a light machine gun, as well as large quantities of assorted ammunitions were confiscated from individuals who possessed them possibly for nefarious reasons. Again, it will be recalled that not a long while ago on 23rd November, 2015, an alleged invasion at the NPP head office at Asylum Down in Accra also revealed a hidden pack of sophisticated guns that were concealed from the Ghanaian public. The deafening silence that has engulfed the whole atmosphere with regards to why a political party should conceal weapons in their head office still smacks unmeasured bewilderment among us, whilst dozens of questions are still yelling for answers. Further revelation on the proliferation of arms reached its crescendo on Monday 28th December, 2015 when it was reported that immigration officials in Ghanas South Eastern Border of Aflao had impounded a truck carrying about a million pieces of short gun cartridges. More worrying is the fact that, the carriers of such a dangerous quantum of cartridges are on the run whilst records indicate that, same vehicle has made six successful previous entries into the country through the same border. We commend the various security services for a gracious effort at nipping the tide in the bud. We however admonish them to keep a high level of alertness, taking cognizance of reports on increased terrorism with pockets of political violence in the West African Sub-Region. We equally entreat them to exhibit a high level of transparency and professionalism, while making no compromises at punishing persons found culpable as deterrents to potential miscreants. With about eleven (11) months to our countrys general elections, we are making a clarion call on all political parties, our teeming youth and more especially, our security agencies not to be oblivious of the admonishment made by Isaac Stettinus that, the battle for peace and security must be fought on two fronts, where victory in the first front spells freedom from fear and victory in the second front spells freedom from want. Whilst we applaud government and our citizens for significant strides chalked so far on both fronts, we all should be mindful that, we are all stakeholders in sustaining our peace and tranquility. Ladies and gentlemen, without any iota of prejudice or malice, we wish to passionately appeal to all players in the forth coming general elections to cast out pockets of violence within their jurisdictions. We also passionately appeal to our law enforcement agencies to weed out traces of politically inclined vigilante groups such as the Azorka boys, Bolgatanga bull dogs and the much dreaded invincible forces at the NPPs head office. We equally entreat the security agencies to be proactive at disarming and prosecuting all individuals and groups who carry weapons and ammunitions without legitimate authorization. It is significant to conclude todays encounter by making a passionate appeal to all Ghanaian youth to resist being used by any unscrupulous persons to met out violence for the whims and caprices of such persons. We also would wish to appeal to the security agencies to clear the cloud of ambiguity and darkness that has engulfed the weapons discovered at the NPPS head office as well as the dozens of firearms and ammunition retrieved from Alaba in Kumasi and at Aflao respectively. It is equally very necessary that, the leadership of the NPP clears the air on why firearms were harbored at their head office. We passionately appeal to all players within Ghanas political landscape, to show enough commitment at sustaining the peace and harmony of the country before, during and after the 2016 elections. Wishing all Ghanaians a prosperous new year with increased blessing. Long live mother Ghana.... Thank you. .......Signed....... Puo-ire Prosper (Convener) 0204852735/0245158578 Some guest during the exhibition of cakes 06.01.2016 LISTEN J's Cakes and Floral Institute has held its fourth graduation ceremony for 30 graduands. The event was held at the forecourt of the institute located at Ashaley Botwe in Accra lately. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of J's Cakes and Floral Institute, Josephine Ishmaila Awudu, in her annual report, said the adoption of foreign cultures in the country has resulted in a sharp change in taste, lifestyle and status quo of clients. Such a change has no doubt made the industry highly competitive and has also led to a situation whereby entrepreneurs in the industry must display innovation, creativity and commitment. Mrs. Ishmaila Awudu stressed the need for the industry players to put measures in place to ensure prompt delivery service system, good interpersonal relations and the packaging of products which not only attracts but meets the health needs of consumers. She stressed that J's Cakes and Floral Institute started at Nungua 16 years ago with one student and has over the years carved a niche in the industry which attracts a number of students and clients. She added that the institute now serves as an examination centre for the National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI). The Adentan Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Benjamin Angenu, who chaired the occasion, urged the graduands to show commitment in whatever they do. Mr. Benjamin Angenu also called on them to start modestly and develop a business plan for growth in the future. By Solomon Ofori 06.01.2016 LISTEN Senyo Hosi The Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributing Companies (CBDCs) has expressed dissatisfaction with what it described as the unfair participation of government in the downstream of the oil sector. According to the Chamber, government has instituted measures that are frustrating the BDCs but allow parastatals in the sector to thrive. Senyo Hosi, Chief Executive of CBDC, in an interview with BUSINESS GUIDE said, The problem weve had with governments change in policy to become an active player in the industry has been the way it is participating. Clearly you have the absence of fairness. There are challenges with equity. Citing an example of unfairness on the part of government, he said under the deregulation policy, the Bank of Ghana (BoG) said Foreign Exchange (FX) would no longer be supplied to the BDCs. He however said the Central Bank is supplying FX to parastatals such as BOST and GO Energy which compete with BDCs. We all know that the Central Banks FX is cheaper than the market FX. So if you are giving somebody cheaper FX and you are asking other people who are not parastatals to go into the market then you are creating a pricing bias, Mr. Hosi said. He stated that the zonalization policy of the government that has actually cut out the whole of the Northern sector for BOST, GOIL and GO Energy was unfair. In all it is disadvantageous to the private sector. The policies can be there but they should be fair. It's a market space but every player has to play it fairly. We cant expect to grow our economy constructively, effectively and sustainably if government expects to be extremely present at the operational level, Mr. Hosi said. BDCs Will Fight He said BDCs would fight to ensure fairness and stay in business as well, stating we are fighting and we will keep fighting for fairness. It will be a shame if BDCs are crashing under a given government. First of all BDCs are a construct of government policy so they should thrive. It behooves every government to ensure that BDCs thrive and go beyond the borders of the country. A lot of companies are growing and crossing borders into Ghana but how many companies is government helping to grow beyond the borders of Ghana. BDCs should be well nurtured for it to grow beyond the borders. High Fuel Prices Meanwhile, Mr. Hosi has stated that BDCs cannot be blamed for the recent hikes in petroleum products, explaining that the new fuel prices reflect the impact the new taxes have had on the ex-pump price. The taxes are quite many and a number of them too get taxed on another tax so it has some extra impact, he said. By Cephas Larbi [email protected] 06.01.2016 LISTEN Dr Adjei addressing the students during the tour Richard Adjei, Chief Executive of Kasapreko Company Limited, says owing to the power crisis in the country, his outfit would switch to solar energy by the end of the year to run its facility effectively. According to him, the switch to solar power is expected to cost the company about $ 5 million and it would provide more than 30 percent of power needed to run the state-of-the-art factory. Mr Adjei disclosed this in an interview with BUSINESS GUIDE when a group of 60 students from the Harvard University in the US visited the company's head office off the Spintex Road. He said the move was part of the company's 2016 strategy to help tackle pollution. By the close of this year, we would have 16,000 meter cube solar panels that can power more than 30 percent of our facility. There are a lot of climate change issues that the world is facing and we want to help anti-pollution issues, Mr Adjei stated. He added that currently the company that has the capacity to produce over 110,000 bottles of beverages and water per hour, spends about GH150,000 every month on diesel to power their generators during power outage. The students were taken on a tour of the new $70 million bottling plant, which was recently commissioned by President John Mahama to obtain first-hand information in the production of both alcoholic and non- beverages at Kasapreko. Dina Pomeranz, an Assistant Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and the leader of the team, said the team chose world-class brands like Kasapreko Company Limited based on the global presence of the company over the past 26 years. She noted the 10-day tour of Ghana was part of efforts to teach the students how to do business internationally. The business potential in Ghana is huge, and it is very important for our students to learn how to do business in such a country. We think it is very important that our students learn how to do business in a different cultural context. The goal of the visit is to open the eyes of the students to different markets around the world, she noted. Dr. Adjei, Group Chairman and Founder of the company, who led the students on the tour, disclosed that the company started with five workers in a garage at Nungua 27 years ago. It has now grown into a multinational beverage company employing over 600 workers. He urged the students to set high academic standards and adhere to them to achieve success in their chosen careers. Dr. Adjei hinted that the company, which has made inroads in Nigeria and South Africa, would by the close of 2016 start exporting its products to the US. As we come up on the Golden Globes ceremony this coming Sunday, its unusual for there to be a question mark remaining as to who will take the top awards and maybe more importantly what that means for the Academy Awards. The Oscar nominations wont be announced until Jan. 14 after the Globes on Sunday and while there is certainly a shortlist of movies, there are no certainties this awards season. And that can be a good thing for audiences who want to be surprised during the hours-long awards show. Last month, a number of film critics associations released their awards for 2015 movies, and the awards were, surprisingly, all over the place. The New York Film Critics went with Carol, the Chicago Film Critics went with Mad Max: Fury Road, and a fair number went with Spotlight but then didnt award its director Tom McCarthy with the direction award that instead often going to George Miller for Mad Max or Todd Haynes for Carol. The National Society of Film Critics just this past Sunday awarded Spotlight with the top award, but it also decided to award Haynes for direction (though McCarthy was almost a tie for the win). The Screen Actors Guild Award hasnt had its awards show yet that wont air until Jan. 30 but it had many more nominations for The Big Short and Trumbo than it did for any of the tree above mentioned movies. Its highly unusual during an awards season for a front runner for Best Picture (in this case Spotlight) to not receive much love for direction. In Oscar terms, that usually means Spotlight wont have a chance, but its possible this could be another split year for the direction and picture awards. Which means the awards collected at the beginning of the Oscars ceremony may very well not have an effect on who wins the top award at the end of the night. That will at least make it exciting to watch, though difficult for anyone with an Oscar ballot and/or betting pool this year. And like Best Picture, the acting awards havent been consistently favoring one contender. There are plenty of people who think this will (finally) be Leonardo DiCaprios year for The Revenant, but others have received Best Actor awards instead, including Paul Dano for Love & Mercy and Michael Fassbender for Steve Jobs. Likewise, Best Actress is still up in the air with Charlotte Rampling gathering quite a few awards for 45 Years, though many eyes turn to Saoirse Ronan for Brooklyn and Brie Larson for Room, who each have their own wins. Best Supporting Actor is one of the few leaning heavily on one person Mark Rylance for Bridge of Spies though he still is getting some stiff competition from Michael Shannon for 99 Homes and somewhat from Idris Elba for Beasts of No Nation. Best Supporting Actress is split pretty well between Kristen Stewart for Clouds of Sils Maria and Alicia Vikander for two roles most wins are coming for Ex Machina instead of The Danish Girl. The Golden Globes are supposed to provide a good idea of what might happen with the Oscars, but I doubt it will help this year. The Globes poses a problem itself given that it splits three major categories between drama and comedy/musical and not always in a manner that makes sense. For instance, Matt Damon and The Martian and the cast of The Big Short wont be up against the likes of The Revenant, Mad Max: Fury Road and Carol. The Globes were also heavy on its nominations for The Big Short, despite it being virtually looked over by other associations other than the Screen Actors Guild (which also heavily nominated Trumbo despite lack of interest elsewhere). Also, the Globes, like other awards shows, have a different definition of who it considers supporting and lead. Both Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara are nominated for lead actress for Carol, which could split votes to the benefit of Larson and Ronan. Vikander was nominated for lead for The Danish Girl (and supporting for Ex Machina), while Rampling wasnt nominated at all. DiCaprio wont have to worry about Dano at the Globes because Dano was nominated as a supporting actor instead of the lead which is how he is considered for almost every other award. In other words, its unlikely any of the major awards will be predetermined by the time we reach the Oscars ceremony on Feb. 28. I couldnt even say if Inside Out will definitely be the Best Animated Feature because of the growing favoritism for the adult animated feature Anomalisa. I think its safe to say that the awards will come down to certain movies Spotlight, Carol, The Revenant and still amazingly to me Mad Max: Fury Road but this awards season has proven that there were plenty of strong films in 2015 that simply couldnt edge out another. Theres still time to see many of these films in the area. The Carlisle Theatre this week and next week is showing Spotlight and will show Brooklyn starting Jan. 15. Midtown Cinema in Harrisburg is currently showing Spotlight, The Danish Girl and Trumbo, and The Revenant is scheduled for wide release Friday. Carol will be a little harder to catch since it has already cycled out of many of the independent theaters in the area, but Mad Max: Fury Road is already on DVD, and The Martian Blu-ray and DVD will be released Jan. 12. .....Airtel Premier, a sub brand of Ghanas fastest growing telecommunications company, created to cater to high value customers, granted December birthday celebrants one wish each of spa treats, dinners, cakes and invitations to Airtel sponsored events to make their birthdays truly exciting and memorable; .....Marketing Director of the Smartphone Network says Airtel Premier, the first of its kind in Ghanas telecom industry, continues to lead the industry in catering to the need of high value customers; and, .....Airtel Premier has the most extensive lifestyle products and services for customers. [Accra, January 6, 2016] Airtel Premier, a sub brand of Ghanas fastest growing telecommunications company, which provides unparalleled telecom and lifestyle services for high value customers of Airtel, granted Airtel Premier December birthday celebrants and other customers their wishes by rewarding them with spa treats, dinner, cakes and invitations to exclusive Airtel sponsored events during the festive season to make their birthday truly exciting and memorable. In total, more than 100 customers were feted during the festive season. For lovers of theatre, Airtel Premier treated customers to an awesome experience at the Roverman Festival of Plays by rewarding them with exclusive tickets to 2015 Plays from Forbidden to Smartest Man Alive to Bananas & Groundnuts, Puppeteers and Women on Fire. Rosy Fynn, Marketing Director, Airtel Ghana said Airtel Premier is noted for celebrating and rewarding our customers. During the festive season, we went all out to delight them by making their wishes come true. We celebrated birthdays, gave exclusive treats at the spa, VIP tickets to Decemba 2 Rememba and crowned it all with an unmatched experience at the Roverman festival of plays for our cherished Airtel Premier customers. This is what Airtel Premier is all about really celebrating and rewarding our customers and making their wishes come true. She continued The first of its kind in the industry, Airtel Premier offers exclusive suite of telecom and lifestyle products and services aimed at recognizing, engaging and serving high value customers with tailor-made solutions, exclusive access in our shops and at Airport lounges, discounted services from partners and automatic enrolment onto Airtel Rewardz. Premier customers also get to enjoy complimentary gifts and invitations to Airtel sponsored events all year round. She concluded Our raft of benefits include free access to over 700 VIP airport lounges worldwide, special discounts from our benefit partners including departmental stores, automobile dealerships, hotels, airlines, etc. The time to become an Airtel Premier customer is now. No matter your lifestyle choices and peculiar preferences, Airtel Premier has a service tailor made for you. The Airtel Premier service emanates from the companys commitment to delivering nothing short of world class telecommunication services to customers whilst meeting their lifestyle needs. With this focus on Premier customers, Airtel Ghana is going beyond delivering wholesale solutions to clearly differentiated offerings providing customers more reasons to use and benefit from the Airtel network. Airtel is Ghanas fastest growing telecom network providing unmatched product and services to meet the communications, connectivity and collaborative needs of its customers. The Executive Chairman of Samara Company Limited, Sampson Effah Apraku, has been honoured with a Doctorate Degree by the Commonwealth University in collaboration with the London Graduate School at the just ended 12th Dubai Leadership Summit. The event took place in Dubai, with over twenty (20) awardees from Africa mainly Ghana Nigeria and South Africa who have distinguished themselves in their various fields of work at managerial level and religious background. Dr. Sampson Effah Apraku was honoured with a Doctor in Business Administration (DBA) based on his service, selflessness and other outstanding contributions as Chief Executive of Samara Group through which the lives of many Ghanaians have been touched positively. The citation accompanying his DBA certificate reads: Mr. Sampson Effah Aprakus journey as an Entrepreneur began years back and has been serving as the ExecutiveChairman of Samara Group of Companies since 2007, exhibiting extensive practical knowledge in management of business. He is one man who has a knack for seeing ahead. In the early 2000s when a couple of insecticide sprays and coils invaded the Ghanaian market (although a good thing that sought to fight against malaria), this left a few people in the society disadvantaged. Some people complained of headaches and colds after utilizing such insecticides, while others had their asthma triggered. Following this challenge, his aim was to bring a change that would prevent people from dying from malaria. He then developed the Sasso Brand (Insecticide Spray and coil). Today, the Sasso brand has grown to become the number one insecticide spray and coil in the market His vision to move from marketing of curative drugs to production of preventive ones led to the production of Sasso Insecticide Spray and Coil and as expected, Sasso Brand has benefited immensely from his expertise. The brand was adjudged THE TOP EMERGING BRAND and FASTEST GROWING BRAND 2014. Again FASTEST GROWING COMPANY OF THE YEAR under the Head of State Award Scheme, Business Award 2015. He was also a recipient of the prestigious NOBLES INTERNATIONAL AWARD for men and women of integrity in West Africa. Dr. Apraku has received several awards between the year 2014 and 2015, including the Noble International Awards in 2014, and the Overall Best Achiever of 2015 award given to him by the West Africa Regional Magazine at its Achievers Award held in Nigeria. His company won the Fastest Growing Company Award at the 2015 Head of State Awards (HOSA); while Sasso Insecticide Spray and Mosquito Coil won the Fastest Growing Brand and the Top Emerging Brand, as adjudged by Premier Brand Ghana. The Sasso brand also won the Best Insecticide Brand of 2015, and Best Group at the West Africa Regional Magazine Awards. In a brief remark, the Chancellor of the Commonwealth University, Professor Michael Addison, said the event also marked the 10th anniversary of the prestigious University which has awarded many business magnates since its inception in 2005. He said the University seeks to create, maintain, and extend the highest standards of its services in empowering leaders, managers, entrepreneurs, and professionals to be more effective in their jobs and to be responsive to national and community need. The Commonwealth University is a corporate distance learning university registered in two jurisdictions (Belize and Panama). Commonwealth University degree programmes are accredited by the International Association for Distance Learning (IADL) and the International Council for Management Consulting Institutes (ICMCI). The London Graduate School is the appointed tuition provider and administrator of Commonwealth University degree programmes and several other universities. The London Graduate School is registered in the United Kingdom to provide distance, open, flexible or work based educational programmes. 06.01.2016 LISTEN Over the Christmas weekend, Kumawuman citizens woke up only to be thrown into a bittersweet state. They were happy because it was the Christmas period; the time for family reunion and merry-making and treating themselves to the once in a blue moon delicious chicken, goat or sheep-prepared meals. They were simultaneously saddened by the poster announcement or revelation of how some underhand deals were ongoing or had taken place to lease hundreds of thousands of hectares of Kumawuman Stool lands to a Norwegian Company for a pittance. The poster was prepared by a group called Kumawuman Citizens Living Abroad (KCLA) of which I consider myself a de-facto member because I live abroad and share the same views with its originators. We are all emphatic that justice, truth and no needless abuse of power should be the cardinal pillars on which revolves the settlement of the Kumawu Stool dispute and the protection of the wealth of Kumawuman against purported Overlords and conniving accomplices. I am not a bit surprised about the groups interception of a letter from the Afram Plantation for Sustainable Development (APSD), the Norwegian Company, for on Thursday, 6 November 2014, I placed a publication on Ghanaweb titled, Is Asantehene Indeed above the Law? in which similar revelations were made. Check the web link below. http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/Is-Asantehene-Indeed-Above-the-Law-333545 It cannot be denied by any person of integrity that some Kumawu traditional leaders have condoned and connived with Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to dispossess Kumawuman of her wealth through blatant acts of corruption and pure fraud. If it was not so, they would not seek to impose a weakling who has clearly proved himself a puppet on Kumawuman as their alleged Omanhene. They need somebody that they can easily manipulate to sign leases at such ridiculous rates or amounts indicated in the poster by KCLA and as questioned in my said publication. Somebody somewhere, is making illegal wealth of millions of US$ overnight because the actual United Nations agreed price is a minimum of US$50 per hectare per year. Why will Kumawuman be stupid to rather lease their lands at US$2.50 per hectare per year with Kumawu Traditional Council receiving a share of only GHS2.50 (Ghana Cedis)? Do they think Kumawuman citizens worldwide are fools? They must be dreaming to think that we shall let them get away with blue murder as far as the leases go. I have more information on the deal or the attempted deal and with time, all shall be revealed. As long as God lives, those who genuinely care about the collective welfare of Kumawuman will prevail over those who by the pangs and dictates of their stomach and heart, but not the wisdom of their head, seek to aid Asantehene to rob Kumawuman in a broad daylight. Once, did Kumawuhemaa Abenaa Serwaah Amponsah not direct the Norwegians to put US$500,000 into her private Bank accounts following the fraudulent lease deal under discussion? However, the Norwegians declined her request or direction? Ask her if this claim of mine is not correct. I am far better placed to know more about the Kumawu stool dispute, the illegal involvement of Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II in Kumawuman affairs with the intent to swindle Kumawuman, than most Kumawuman citizens. I can recall and quote verbatim some statements made by Asantehene through his secret contacts via emissaries in attempts to woo some Kumawuman citizens to his camp to facilitate his intentions to dupe Kumawuman. Asantehene has realised the mistake he has made. He has seen where greed and insatiable quest for power and wealth through illegal means has landed him in the land of disgrace and ocean of insults. Kumawuhemaa Abenaa Serwaah Amponsah and the alleged Kumawuhene Sarfo Tweneboah Koduah with their Spokesperson have seen where lies and the aspiration to squander Kumawuman funds nyafu nyafu have taken them to the land of public despise with no return to normalcy. In promising to come back to treat this topic extensively, find below a true copy form of the poster as posted on walls in Kumawuman at the behest of KCLA. Check all these three websites - Ghanaweb, Mordernghana and News Ghana and you will surely find a copy of the poster as found below. If one website does not produce it probably due to software problems they may encounter, another may produce it hence advising you to check all the mentioned websites. Rockson Adofo 06.01.2016 LISTEN The Deputy Minister of Tourism, Hon Dzifa Gomashie has donated sets of streetlight-bulbs and chokes to the people of Awakorme in the Ketu South Constituency over the weekend to fix the broken streetlights. The donation was in response to request championed by the people of the area for an assistance in fixing the non-functional lights. Receiving the items on behalf of his Unit Committee Members and the community at large, the Assembly Member for the area, Hon Noah Klenam Quarcoo expressed his gratitude to the Deputy Minister for her continuous generosity and timely response to their development needs , and urged other concerned citizens to emulate the Minister. On her part, the Minister urged the community to take good care of the lights as they will help in preventing criminals from their nocturnal operations and create the avenue for businesses to run on 24 hour basis. She lauded President Mahama for providing a leadership that focuses on Transforming Lives. She urged the people to continue supporting the President as he diligently delivers on his mandate. FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa, invited university graduates to benefit from postgraduate scholarships offered by the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture. Nabil Gangi, the senior advisor to FAO Regional Representative said that for the past 8 years, the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture was offering scholarships for post graduate studies, according to a global agreement with FAO. He added that the regional office succeeded in expanding the list of eligible countries to include some in the region of the Near East and North Africa, namely Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan. These scholarships will cover the following Master of Science degree courses, offered in English for the 2016-2017 Academic Year: Agricultural sciences, Agricultural biotechnology, Horticulture, Animal nutrition and feed safety. Gangi noted that FAO has already informed the concerned ministries of agriculture in the eligible countries, as well as more than 20 public and private universities in order to ensure the highest participation of eligible students and alumni. Students from eligible countries, who are fluent in English and didn't exceed 30 years of age, are free to apply by sending the duly filled application with the necessary supporting documents to [email protected] before the end of February. The scholarship will cover the application and tuition fees throughout the study period, basic books and notes, dormitory accommodation and subsistence costs. The courses will be attended in the following Hungarian universities: Szent Istvan University, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Szent Istvan University, Faculty of Horticultural Sciences (Previously having belonged to the Corvinus University of Budapest) Kaposvar University, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Mr. Gangi called upon all eligible candidates to visit the scholarship page on FAO Regional website in order to get the course description and application forms, reminding that incomplete applications will be immediately discarded. The Executive Chairman of Samara Company Limited, Sampson Effah Apraku, has been honoured with a Doctorate Degree by the Commonwealth University in collaboration with the London Graduate School at the just ended 12th Dubai Leadership Summit. The event took place in Dubai, with over twenty (20) awardees from Africa mainly Ghana Nigeria and South Africa who have distinguished themselves in their various fields of work at managerial level and religious background. Dr. Sampson Effah Apraku was honoured with a Doctor in Business Administration (DBA) based on his service, selflessness and other outstanding contributions as Chief Executive of Samara Group through which the lives of many Ghanaians have been touched positively. The citation accompanying his DBA certificate reads: Mr. Sampson Effah Aprakus journey as an Entrepreneur began years back and has been serving as the Executive Chairman of Samara Group of Companies since 2007, exhibiting extensive practical knowledge in management of business. He is one man who has a knack for seeing ahead. In the early 2000s when a couple of insecticide sprays and coils invaded the Ghanaian market (although a good thing that sought to fight against malaria), this left a few people in the society disadvantaged. Some people complained of headaches and colds after utilizing such insecticides, while others had their asthma triggered. Following this challenge, his aim was to bring a change that would prevent people from dying from malaria. He then developed the Sasso Brand (Insecticide Spray and coil). Today, the Sasso brand has grown to become the number one insecticide spray and coil in the market His vision to move from marketing of curative drugs to production of preventive ones led to the production of Sasso Insecticide Spray and Coil and as expected, Sasso Brand has benefited immensely from his expertise. The brand was adjudged THE TOP EMERGING BRAND and FASTEST GROWING BRAND 2014. Again FASTEST GROWING COMPANY OF THE YEAR under the Head of State Award Scheme, Business Award 2015. He was also a recipient of the prestigious NOBLES INTERNATIONAL AWARD for men and women of integrity in West Africa. Dr. Apraku has received several awards between the year 2014 and 2015, including the Noble International Awards in 2014, and the Overall Best Achiever of 2015 award given to him by the West Africa Regional Magazine at its Achievers Award held in Nigeria. His company won the Fastest Growing Company Award at the 2015 Head of State Awards (HOSA); while Sasso Insecticide Spray and Mosquito Coil won the Fastest Growing Brand and the Top Emerging Brand, as adjudged by Premier Brand Ghana. The Sasso brand also won the Best Insecticide Brand of 2015, and Best Group at the West Africa Regional Magazine Awards. In a brief remark, the Chancellor of the Commonwealth University, Professor Michael Addison, said the event also marked the 10th anniversary of the prestigious University which has awarded many business magnates since its inception in 2005. He said the University seeks to create, maintain, and extend the highest standards of its services in empowering leaders, managers, entrepreneurs, and professionals to be more effective in their jobs and to be responsive to national and community need. The Commonwealth University is a corporate distance learning university registered in two jurisdictions (Belize and Panama). Commonwealth University degree programmes are accredited by the International Association for Distance Learning (IADL) and the International Council for Management Consulting Institutes (ICMCI). The London Graduate School is the appointed tuition provider and administrator of Commonwealth University degree programmes and several other universities. The London Graduate School is registered in the United Kingdom to provide distance, open, flexible or work based educational programmes. Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com Accra, Jan. 6, GNA - The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has donated assorted items to various Persons with Disability (PWD) groups in the country. The donations, made as part of the Yuletide and New Year festivities, included bags of rice, cooking oil, detergents, mosquito nets and a cash donation. PWD bodies that benefitted from the exercise included the Ghana Federation for the Disabled (Efutu Branch), Kaneshie Cripples Home, St Theresa Centre for the Physically Challenged (Abor), Cape Coast School for the Deaf, and the Tetteh Ocloo State School for the Deaf (Adjei Kojo). Nana Oye Lithur, Minister for the Sector, said Government is working to ensure that issues of disability are mainstreamed into our development process. She said the two per cent District Assemblies Common Fund, being reserved to support disabled people to start or establish small scale businesses, is amongst the initiatives being undertaken by government to improve their lot. 'We have launched a campaign to monitor the two per cent common fund for disabled persons but the economic long term goal of government towards disabled people is to empower them through education and training so that they can take advantage of economic opportunities available to all', the Minister said. Nana Oye said disabled children enjoy free education at the basic level and special schools have been established to cater for the needs of children with severe forms of disability. The Minister said Government has also introduced an inclusive policy on education and appealed to people with disability to further their education at the tertiary level saying various rehabilitation centres have also been established to train disabled people in various vocations. Making reference to the Disability Act passed in 2006, Nana Oye said with a 10 year moratorium for most of its buildings, public access buildings are supposed to be constructed to make their structures disability friendly. 'The National Council on Persons with Disability (NCPD) has been working to ensure that public buildings, banks, shopping malls, hotels have provided elevators, ramps and signage to help the physically challenged gain easy access', she said. She said the NCPD has collaborated with relevant stakeholders to develop the Ghana Standards on Accessibility designs, a document which is currently with the Ghana Standards Authority. She said the NCPD under the Ministry is implementing the President's directive of ensuring that one presidential nominee at the district assembly is a PWD. Nana Oye also said the Ministry is making preparations to register PWDs in various disability schools onto the National Health Insurance Scheme. She said: 'For us as a Government, disabled people have abilities like anyone else and we are committed to developing policies and programmes aimed at enhancing their living conditions'. GNA 06.01.2016 LISTEN Otsenkorang (C/R), Jan. 6, GNA - The Otsenkorang Watchdog Committee in the Agona West District has appealed to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to post police personnel to their town. Mr Tei, one of a ten-member watchdog committee at Otsenkorang near Nyakrom in the Central Region, said upgrading their police post to a police station status, would help deal with the crime situation in the area. He said the town has a permanent facility for a police post, but the personnel have vacated the town to Agona Nyakrom. Mr Tei, a Purchasing Clerk of a licensed cocoa buying company, said a day hardly passes by without thieves stealing goats and cocoa beans from the town. He said the construction of a permanent station and increasing the number of personnel would enhance police operations across the Otsenkorang communities. GNA 06.01.2016 LISTEN Accra, Jan. 6, GNA - Right Reverend Dr Daniel Sylvanus MensahTorto, Anglican Bishop of Accra, has called on members of the clergy to stand firm in the face of challenges to fulfil their calling. He said temptations and trials should not sway them from fulfilling their duties to the Lord. Bishop Torto made the call on Wednesday during an epiphany and birthday mass for Rev Father Emmanuel Ransford Nii Okai Titus Glover, Parish Priest of St. Ambruce Anglican Church, Dome in Accra, who turned 60 on Wednesday. Bishop Torto said challenges facing the men and women of God should rather toughen them for the job. Rev Fr Glover, former employee with Ghana News Agency asked Christians to pray for the clergy to stay strong in the Lord. 'Instead of criticising us pray for us,' he said. He thanked the Lord 'for how far he has brought me and may the good Lord shepherd Ghanaians throughout the year'. GNA Navrongo (U/E), Jan. 6, GNA - Mr Mark Woyongo, the Minister of Interior, has said the security of the nation is the main agenda for Government in this election year. The Minister, who is also the Member of Parliament for the Navrongo Central Constituency, said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency. He said in view of the proliferation of arms into the country coupled with the general election scheduled for the last quarter of year, the security agencies have been empowered to work hard to maintain peace in the country. 'Arms proliferation in our country has become a reality; it's no longer a myth. It is true that arms are coming into our country and we should all be concerned about it. What happened in the Ashanti region is a wakeup call that our security agencies would have to be extra vigilant and work hard', he said. The Minister commended the security agencies for their various efforts including the recent discovery of arms hidden in a truck in the Volta Region. Mr Woyongo said those people who have the intention to destabilize the peace process of the country would be dealt with drastically when caught. 'Security is information based and we urge all Ghanaians to volunteer information to the security agencies on suspicious movement of illegal arms and ammunition for timely intervention', Mr Woyongo said. He said he had secured about eighty computers and their accessories to be distributed to Junior High Schools in the Constituency to enhance effective teaching and learning of Information and Communication Technology. He said apart from sponsoring many brilliant but needy students with the MP's Common Fund, he had secured scholarships from some development partners to assist the students continue their education. GNA Prosecutions are like snowflakes, no two the same. Sometimes, you have a low-profile drunken-driving case where the defendant is a first-time offender, the district attorney is willing to offer a plea deal, and no one except the parties involved will ever know about it. And then there are those cases that catapult a prosecutor into the cable-news firmament, cementing his or her status as a legal and political superstar for years to come (assuming, that is, the prosecutor ends up winning). The newest ticket to stardom has been cashed by Montgomery Countys new D.A., Kevin Steele, who is going after comedian Bill Cosby. We have come to think of the Cos through his alter ego, Dr. Cliff Huxtable, so the sight of his mug shot is as bizarre as it is tragic. Of course, were not allowed to say things that in any way, shape, or form exhibit sympathy for Cosby. Were supposed to pretend that due process doesnt apply to a man already convicted in the court of public opinion. It is unlikely that Cosby will ever spend a day in prison. He has already posted bond, and the likelihood that the district attorney will have the ability to prove the charges of aggravated indecent assault beyond a reasonable doubt is questionable. The alleged crime occurred 12 years ago, which also raises questions about the soundness of the prosecution and a strong suspicion that it is political. After all, prosecutors in Pennsylvania are elected, and they listen very closely to the loudest voices in their constituencies. Kevin Steele used the case of Bill Cosby to buy himself favor in the eyes of Montgomery County voters who believed the previous D.A., Bruce Castor, dropped the ball in 2005. And you have to hand it to him: It worked. So its not far-fetched to believe this prosecution is the fulfillment of an IOU to the people who pulled the lever for The Guy Who Would Put Cosby in Jail. None of this is to suggest that Cosby is innocent. He is, of course, until proven otherwise under this flawed yet precious system of justice weve been honing for the last two and a quarter centuries. But there is a troubling amount of evidence to at least support a finding that the man was an immoral serial adulterer. And yet, one does not generally go to jail for adultery. And Steele is going to have to show that the woman who claimed to have been abused by Cosby didnt consent to sex. He also has to come up with more than just her word to substantiate the claim. Perhaps hell be successful, perhaps not. Until he is, though, lets remember the words that are printed beneath Cosbys mug shot on the Montgomery County district attorneys website: Criminal charges, and any discussion thereof, are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Even when someone is proven guilty, there is the possibility that an injustice has occurred. Cosby might never be convicted, but even if hes not his reputation is destroyed, by his own hand and mostly to the detriment of those who believed in him. Theres also the fact that nothing that will happen in Cosbys case that can ever make the true victims whole again. But who cares about them, when Nancy Grace is waiting? Christine Flowers is an attorney and a columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News, and can be reached at cflowers1961@gmail.com. Accra, Jan. 6, GNA - The Worldwide Council of Prophetic Alliance, has formed a Christian Intelligence Bureau (CIB), to provide the appropriate help to the security authorities to curb crime within the clergy and the church. A statement issued by Prophet Dr Daniel Asamoah-Larbi, President of the Council said the CIB would investigate issues and gather information amongst the clergy and churches worldwide, bridging the communication gap between these entities and the government in regard to security matters. This Prophet Asamoah-Larbi said the CIB would protect the image of Jesus Christ and champion the advocacy against the abuse of Christianity and to ensure sanity in God's kingdom. The CIB shall concern itself with criminal matters involving the clergy and government as well as the welfare of the Christian faith. It shall not condone any act of indiscipline, fraud and other disruptive acts by any member and Christians at large. 'We believe that our existence will go a long way in bringing sanity within the clergy and the church,' Prophet Asamoah-Larbi said. GNA Accra, Jan. 6, GNA - The Executive Chairman of Samara Company Limited, Sampson Effah Apraku, has been honoured with a Doctorate Degree by the Commonwealth University in collaboration with the London Graduate School at the just ended 12th Dubai Leadership Summit. The event took place in Dubai, with more than 20 awardees from Africa - mainly Ghana Nigeria and South Africa, who have distinguished themselves in their various fields of work at managerial level and religious background. Dr Sampson Effah Apraku was honoured with a Doctor in Business Administration (DBA) based on his service, selflessness and other outstanding contributions as Chief Executive of Samara Group through, which the lives of many Ghanaians have been touched positively. The citation accompanying his DBA certificate reads: 'Mr Sampson Effah Apraku's journey as an Entrepreneur began years back and has been serving as the Executive Chairman of Samara Group of Companies since 2007, exhibiting extensive practical knowledge in management of business. 'He is one man who has a knack for seeing ahead. In the early 2000s, when a couple of insecticide sprays and coils invaded the Ghanaian market (although a good thing that sought to fight against malaria), this left a few people in the society disadvantaged. 'Some people complained of headaches and colds after utilising such insecticides, while others had their asthma triggered. Following this challenge, his aim was to bring a change that would prevent people from dying from malaria. 'He then developed the Sasso Brand (Insecticide Spray and coil). Today, the Sasso brand has grown to become the number one insecticide spray and coil in the market.' The citation said the vision of Dr Apraku to move from marketing of curative drugs to production of preventive ones led to the production of Sasso Insecticide Spray and Coil and as expected. The Sasso Brand has benefited immensely from his expertise. The brand was adjudged The Top Emerging Brand and Fastest Growing Brand 2014. Again Fastest Growing Company of the Year under the Head of State Award Scheme, Business Award 2015. Dr Apraku was also a recipient of the prestigious Nobles International Award for men and women of integrity in West Africa. He has received several awards including the Overall Best Achiever of 2015 award given to him by the West Africa Regional Magazine at its Achievers Award held in Nigeria. Dr Apraku's company won the Fastest Growing Company Award at the 2015 Head of State Awards; while Sasso Insecticide Spray and Mosquito Coil won the Fastest Growing Brand and the Top Emerging Brand, as adjudged by Premier Brand Ghana. The Sasso brand also won the Best Insecticide Brand of 2015, and Best Group at the West Africa Regional Magazine Awards. The Chancellor of the Commonwealth University, Professor Michael Addison said the event marked the 10th anniversary of the prestigious University, which has awarded many business magnates since its inception in 2005. He said the University seeks to create, maintain, and extend the highest standards of its services in empowering leaders, managers, entrepreneurs, and professionals to be more effective in their jobs and to be responsive to national and community need. The Commonwealth University is a corporate distance learning university registered in two jurisdictions (Belize and Panama). Commonwealth University degree programmes are accredited by the International Association for Distance Learning and the International Council for Management Consulting Institutes. The London Graduate School is the appointed tuition provider and administrator of Commonwealth University degree programmes and several other universities. The London Graduate School is registered in the United Kingdom to provide distance, open, flexible or work based educational programmes. GNA Nairobi (AFP) - Prosecution lawyers in Burundi demanded on Wednesday that 28 men on trial for launching a failed coup be jailed for life. Top government prosecutor Adolphe Manirakiza demanded "a sentence of life imprisonment for all the defendants" in closing arguments at the trial. Former Burundi defence minister Cyrille Ndayirukiye, the second in command, as well as two other army generals and two police commissioners have admitted taking part in the failed May 2015 coup bid. They have cited the violent repression of anti-government protests to justify their attempted takeover of power. But Ndayirukiye also said he had not been given proper access to lawyers. "I never received a fair trial, because I have not been entitled to legal assistance by lawyers," Ndayirukiye said. Zenon Ndabaneze, a police general also on trial, said he took part in the coup to "defend the constitution and the peace agreement" of Arusha, which paved the way to end more than a decade of civil war in 2006. The small central African country descended into bloodshed in April when President Pierre Nkurunziza announced his intention to run for a controversial third term in a July election that he went on to win. Coup leader General Godefroid Niyombare is currently on the run. Months of street protests in Burundi have devolved into regular armed attacks with gunfire disrupting the nights and dead bodies appearing on city streets almost every day. Attacks targeting the security forces have escalated, with rebels armed with assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars attacking police convoys and targeting government installations. 06.01.2016 LISTEN Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or non-immigrants - Title 8, U.S. code 1182 Sounds pretty straightforward, doesnt it? As several pundits have pointed out, Jimmy Carter used the code to ban Iranians entering U.S., and even deported thousands of others after Khomeinis goons seized American embassy in Teheran and took the staff hostage in 1979. FDR invoked a similar code (Section 21, Title 50 US Code) in his Presidential proclamation 2525 barring Germans and Japanese during WWII, as well as blocking naturalization of those already in the country. In case you havent noticed, Jihadists are at war with the West, as well as other parts of the non-Muslim world which Islam considers Dar ul harb (war battleground) so similar common sense protective measures should apply. But you wouldnt know any of these from the firestorm of sanctimonious condemnations trailing Donald Trumps recent call for a ban on Muslim entry into USA. Thats not who we are disingenuously frets the self righteous politically correct blowhards who pretentiously purport to speak for Americans. If these self-appointed opinionated thought police bothered to consult with Americans, theyd find more Americans agree with Trump (46%) than disagree with him (43%). In fact Trumps popularity surgedafter his demand for a halt to further Muslim entry. Thats why Americas self-absorbed willfully blind ruling elite and its lamestream media collaborators desperately need to shut Trump down - his populist common sense resonates with ordinary folks. The establishments politically correct multicultural utopia is unraveling, hence its panicky hysterical tantrums. The Donald knows when he has struck the right chord with Americans, and isnt backing down. He shouldnt. Americans must not allow themselves to be guilt tripped into embracing suicidal immigration policies that clearly threaten their security. As Chief Justice Roberts Jackson famously posited, the constitution is not a suicide pact. Saudi Arabia and other oil-rich Gulf Arab nations are funding and arming the anti-Assad Sunni Jihad, but refuse to take in Syrian refugees who are their fellow Muslim Arabs. No one accuses them of racism, xenophobia or Islamophobia. The Saudis even have an empty 3 million man tent city (used for pilgrimage), that could temporarily house all the Syrian refugees, pending resettlement in other parts of the oil-rich sparsely populated kingdom. But they choose not to, despite the fact their intolerant pseudo-religion obliges them to help fellow Muslims. With the ongoing global Jihad against the West and other parts of the non-Muslim world, America is under no obligation to take in any Muslims, particularly as these dangerous ingrates do not share the values that define that great nation. A Center for Security Policy study found that over three-quarters of American mosques teach hate and intolerance. Another poll showed that 51% of American Muslims want Sharia, which is antithetical to the U.S. constitution. And 25% believe Jihad violence against America is justified. Despite lamestream media attempts to cover it up, many Muslims in America did celebrate 9/11 downingof the Twin towers. In 2007, an FBI investigation of the terrorism funding Holy Land Foundation turned up a Muslim Brotherhood documentthat reveals the agenda of American Muslims: "their work in America is a kind of grand Jihad to eliminate and destroy Western civilization from within, and sabotage its miserable house by their hands ... so that ... Allah's religion is made victorious over all other religions." True, many Muslims in the West embrace its secular tolerance and civil liberties, but millions of others dont and refuse to assimilate. There is no certain way to distinguish between the two, particularly as many of the dangerous latter are Taqiyya liars. ISIS even provides tips on how Jihadis in the West can evade suspicion - hide your Islam as much as possible. Anwar Awlaki was once touted as a moderate, and led Jumaat prayers on Capitol Hill, with Muslim Congressmen attending. A 2001 New York Times article even quoted him calling on fellow Muslim to tone down the incendiary anti-American messages that have long been a staple at some Muslim events." It later turned out Awlaki was in cahoots with several of the 9/11 Jihadis, and he mentored several other Jihad terrorists Naser Abdo, Major Nidal Hassan (Fort Hood work place violence) and even our own underwear bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. Awlaki was later taken out in a drone strike after he defected to Yemen. Even truly moderate Muslims can become more devout and therefore dangerous. Samy Amimour (Bataclan Paris Jihadi) and Zacharias Mossaoui (20th 9/11 Jihadi) had secular upbringing with virtually no Islamic brainwashing, yet turned out to be Islamic terrorists. Anjem Choudary and Jihad John were once alcohol drinking and partying moderates who later became devout & dangerous. Thus the disturbing bitter truth is that every Muslim is a potential terrorist all 1.3 billion of them. They only have to become more religious, and their tendency to violence escalates exponentially. It therefore makes sense where possible, to bar all Muslims from the non-Muslim world, until the barbaric Mohammedans put their house in order and stop constituting themselves a dangerous menace to humanity. You can be full of kindness and love, but you cannot sleep next to a mad dog, Ashin Wirathu, a Myanmar Buddhist leader warned about Muslims. Throughout the West, security agents are keeping tabs on thousands of subversive Muslims, thereby straining law enforcement resources. As at 2006, MI5 had1600 British Muslims undersurveillance. Presently, there are more British Muslims fighting forISIS than in British Army. Why would any Westerner in his right mind want to compound the problem by taking in more of these treacherous backstabbers? A recent poll found that 20% of Syrians support ISIS. Yet Obama insists on taking in 10,000 more Syrian refugees thats at least 2000 ISIS supporters. Only 2 of them recently slaughtered 14 Americans at San Bernardino. And it took only 19 Jihadis to massacre 3000 Americans on 9/11. Obamas pigheadedness is even more disturbing because ISIS pledged to infiltrate the Westby means of the current refugee crisis. Contrary to his dishonest claims about vetting the refugees, FBI director James Comey informed the U.S.House of Reps that it is impossible to vet many of the refugees because there is no reliable database for such screening. Nothing drives home Comeys point as the fact that the San Bernardino Jihadis were vetted by several U.S.government agencies, yet still pulled a major terror attack. What more, State dept and Homeland inSecurity have lost track of over 9000 foreign terror suspectswhose visas have been revoked, but havent been deported. Despite this mind-boggling incompetence, Trump is being vilified for his obvious common sense - ban further entry of Muslims until U.S. security agencies clean up their act. How hard can it be? No Muslims, no Islamic terror. Too many Western multiculti Islam appeasers seem to believe we should learn to live with terrorism. After all these numbskulls argue, more Americans die from other violent crimes than from terrorism. Islamic terror is thus a small price to pay for their feel-good multicultural diversity. Accordingly, Obama administration tried to conceal (classify) an NCTC (National counterterrorism center) report revealing ISIS is already doing what it threatened infiltrate Syrian refugeesbeing taken into U.S. The God damn America traitor-in-chief is clearly intent on damning America. Little wonder he also enabled Irans death to America Mullahs acquire the nukes and ICBMs to finish off the great Satan. Shockingly, Obamas State department recently revealed that Iran is not legally boundby the deal. She even refuses to sign the deal. That did not stop Obamas secretary of State, John Kerry from later reassuring the Mullahsthat we remain fully committed to the sanctions lifting provided for under the JCPOA. We will adhere to the full measure of our commitments, per the agreement. So the death to America Mullahs get UN sanctions lifted, and Obama goes ahead to release $150 billion in sanctions relief, but Iran doesnt have to comply withthe deal as it is not legally binding. Only a traitor who does not have the best interest of his country at heart would sign such a worthless deal allowing its death to America enemies acquire nuclear weapons and the ICBMs to deliver the nukes to their American targets. Apart from the constant risk of terrorism, Muslims in the West are societal pestilence in other ways. For over a decade Muslim rape gangs in UKran amok preying on hundreds of underage British girls, with local authorities looking the other way, for fear of being labelled racists and Islamophobes. Somali rape gangs are doing the same thing in Minneapolis. And thanks to Muslim immigrants, Sweden is now the rape capital of Europe. In the audacious Trojan horse plot, Muslim teachers and administrators tried to take over several UK public schools. British soldiers cant wearuniform on the streets of their own country, lest Muslim savages hack them to death. Even UK police require permission from their Muslim overlords to patrol certain Muslimdominated neighbourhoods. Little wonder UK is now derided as United Kaliphate, or Britanistan. In France the government acknowledges the existence of over 700 no-go Muslim enclaves (Zone Urban Sensibles). Germany, Sweden and Belgium also have their own fair share of no-go Muslim enclaves. Although Muslims only comprise 10% of France population, they comprise 70% of criminals in the countrys jails. High levels of Muslim crime are also a problem in other parts of Europe, and treacherous Western politicians are doing their best to cover it up. Recently, the French government had to deploy police protectionfor churches. Even in Europes refugee centres for the current migrant flood, there are reports of Muslims harassing andpersecuting the few Christians among them. As they sailed across the Mediterranean with the ongoing migrant/refugee flood, Nigerian Muslims threw their Christiancompatriots overboard to drown. These are the subhuman savages Western leaders are welcoming, thereby recklessly endangering their citizens. Part of the reason Boko Haram has been unable to strike in Nigerias South despite its repeated threats to do so, is because there are no large Islamist populations among which it can embed and hide. Molenbeek in Belgium drives home this point. That no-go Islamist hotbed spawned the Jihadis that carried out the recent Paris terror attacks massacring 130 innocents a direct consequence of leftist salad-bowl multiculturalism that does not oblige Muslims to assimilate. It is suicidal to tolerate the intolerant. The West would do well to learn from this account by Muslim-turned-Reverend, Daniel Byantoro of how Muslim immigrants peacefully Islamized Indonesia: For thousands of years my country (Indonesia) was a Hindu-Buddhist kingdom. The last Hindu king was kind enough to give a tax exempt property for the first Muslim missionary to live and to preach his religion. Slowly the followers of the new religion were growing. After they became strong, the kingdom was attacked, those who refused to become Muslims had to flee for their life Slowly from the Hindu-Buddhist Kingdom, Indonesia became the largest Islamic country in the world. If there is any lesson to be learnt by Americans at all, the history of my country is worth pondering upon - FacingIslam. You think this is far-fetched and cannot happen in todays West? Hear Omar Ahmad, founder of CAIR (Council for America-Islam Relations), Americas number one Muslim advocacy group and Muslim Brotherhood affiliate: Islam isn't in America to be equal to other faiths, but to become dominant. The Koran, the Muslim book of scripture, should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on Earth. That would be the same CAIR that once enjoined Muslims not to cooperate with FBIin the fight against terror. A recent Timesreport reveals that British Muslims similarly refuse to cooperatewith UK anti-radicalization program. But we are still expected to buy the politically correct tiny minority of extremists crap. Then there is the huge economic cost of Muslim immigrants. Over 80% of Germanys Muslimslive on welfare much higher proportion than the indigenous population. Most of these Muslim parasites simply refuse to work, after all Islam allows Muslims to live off Jizyatcollected from infidel taxpayers. Last year Germany spent 10 billion taking in over 1 million migrants/refugees, and this year she will spend another 17 billion on the same mostly Muslim leeches. In the U.S. over 90% of earlier Middle eastrefugees are still on welfare, and the overwhelming majority (96%) are Muslims. This is a burden America can ill-afford as the country is broke with $19 trillion debt. Nearly half of that debt was incurred by Obama in the last 7 years during which he has abysmally failed to revive Americas ailing economy, now having the lowest labor participation rate in 4 decades. It was under the spendaholic Barry that Americas debt exceeded its GDP. Little wonder Obama is consideredAmericas worst presidentsince WWII. Syrian Muslim refugees in UN camps of the immediately neighbouring countries (Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon) are well catered for by UNHCR and other charities. Its the Christians, Yazidis and other minorities that avoid the camps because of Muslim attacks who direly need Western help. Unfortunately despite Obama disingenuous claims of not applying a religious test, his administration actually favours Muslim refugees (96%), and has justifiably been called out for discriminating againstChristian refugees. Obama even tried to deport some Iraqi Christiansfleeing the Jihadist mayhem created by his disastrous Middle east policy. His administrations excuse wait for it - illegal entry. This is the guy who violated U.S. laws to amnesty millions of job stealing illegals, including tens of thousands of releasedcriminals he refuses to deport. The West does not owe the Muslim world a living. And contrary to the politically correct hype of some Western politicians, Muslims offer no meaningful positive contributions to the West that justifies overlooking the grievous dangers they pose. Therefore until the barbaric Mohammedans wholeheartedly embrace the secular tolerance and civilized norms we non-Muslims take for granted, the West and indeed humanity is much better off without them. Nafata Bamaguje 06.01.2016 LISTEN Gen. Museveni's election strange scheme in East Africa [Africa: Elections 2016] Given the violence we've already seen as Uganda's presidential election campaign continues, including the suspicious deaths of scores of people who's bodies were found on the beach, in my opinion, it is strange and obscene that the East African Community (EAC) and the United Nations Security Council have made the surprising choice of Dictator Yoweri Museveni to re-start peace negotiations to avert genocide in Burundi. Does the EAC and UN Security Council believe Gen. Museveni has experience where such matters are concerned? If so, what kind of experience is this? One need not be a genius, or have a Ph.D., to figure out that circumstances similar to those in Burundi are taking place in Uganda, albeit at a lower level and always disguised as something else. The recent drownings at multiple beaches involving mostly men whose bodies washed ashore the day after Christmas 2015 remain unexplained. The Uganda government claimed all the dead were "drowning" victims. It cites swimming while drunk as the primary cause of death. The government admits to 13 victims; credible information suggests as many as 62. Most critically, people who have handled drowning cases suggest that something else is afoot and that the science and basic available information don't support the government's explanation. Among the dead are, as of last count, nine Muslims alleged to have been among the dozens of victims whose drowning is attributed to drinking and partying on Christmas Day. Is it not curious that Muslims were celebrating Christmas and deciding to consume alcohol and then swim and consequently "drown"? Conveniently for the government there are no eyewitnesses. The government, in an apparent public relations stunt, concocted a story that included a reprimand of the general public against partying alone. Apparently, partying alone explains the gaps in time between the drownings, and when police were notified, and when police arrived at each scene? This is ridiculous. By definition, a party involves more than one-person merrymaking. One reasonably believes, because it has not happened in times past, that there would be no apparently spontaneous and widespread instances of drownings at multiple locations along Nnalubaale (Lake Victoria) in which so many lives were lost. In addition, it seems bad police investigating to assume that all these cases were "drownings." There has been discussions making the rounds which suggests that at least some of the bodies were riddled with bullet holes. Yet police have jumped to the drowning explanation. The government claims that the bodies were collected between December 23 and December 27, 2015. The government has boxed itself into a tight corner, because the reported dates are scientifically problematic. Accepted science regarding when and how bodies wash ashore is neither obscure nor complicated. At 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4.4 Celsius), it takes a body approximately 14 to 25 days to resurface. At 50 degrees F (10 C), it takes a body 10 to 14 days to resurface. And, at 60 degrees F (15.5 C), it takes a body 7 to 10 days to resurface. The temperature in Nnalubaale in December 2015, around Christmas, was 70 degrees F (21.1 C). Applying the science to the facts suggests that a body in Nnalubaale will generally take an average 7 days to resurface. But the government claims that these people participated in Christmas partying, drowned, and their bodies resurfaced between December 23rd and 27th. This is noteworthy because there were gunshots heard around Entebbe approximately seven to 10 days before the bodies began resurfacing. Here is another problem: According to credible sources in Kampala, most, if not all, of these bodies have tell-tale signs of physical trauma; one would not expect that of the body of a person who simply drowned. Are these serial drowning cases or serial murders? If they didn't drown then who are the people responsible for their deaths? Why are the dead from a specific demographic? Why Entebbe? Of what relevance is the location of Nnalubaale to these drowning cases? Apart from the proximity to the International Airport, what else is in the general area and how might it explain these deaths if as it appears "drowning" was not the cause? Who has the means and inclination to cause such deaths without what we now understand to be the absence of witnesses? The Uganda Police identified these victims but claimed they had been swimming and had drowned after which their bodies washed ashore. How was the Police able to identify these individuals? The Police managed to flash a number of identity card documents which raises a number of questions.Where did those identity cards come from? When they allegedly "drowned" where were the victims wallets?Remember there were no witnesses to the supposed mass drowning and these bodies washed ashore in locations on Nnalubaales shores where they dont seem to have been in the first place. The Police spokespersons announced that the cause of death in the victims was drowning due to alcohol consumption.It defies common sense and logic. If alcohol kills you while swimming, a credible post mortem will show, in addition to showing that there was a volume of alcohol sufficient to kill you, that there was water in your lungs to indicate that you were living when alcohol caused death while swimming. If you say someone has drowned you mean that he or she has been underwater and unable to breathe, which led to death. So, which is the government's alleged cause of death? The government announced its verdict of cause of death as death through alcohol consumption before any post mortems were done.Why are we seeing what is unraveling before our eyes now? Timing is everything; but why now? Who is responsible for a string of deaths that involve, in no particular order: burning of primary schools and killing infants; staged automobile related deaths billed as "accidents" that defy reason and are inexplicably bizarre; murder while in police custody; a political campaign mobilizers body turning up in a river thereby providing the Inspector General of Police, Gen. Kale Kayihura, with the perfect opportunity to contribute 1M/=Uganda Shillings ($308.00) to cover burial expenses; the murder of a prosecutor in an official government vehicle that the government blames on the perennial Al Shabab; and, the murder of Muslim Clerics, all of which occur, as a matter of routine, in Buganda region. Why Buganda and Baganda? Are Baganda the victims of choice or is Buganda, including places as far as 120 miles from the capital, the location of choice?What do Ugandans have to do to rid themselves of this menace?If Ugandas police and other domestic law-enforcement agents are inept, is there an obligation for the international community to become involved in the solution? Some might consider this inappropriate, however, one needs to contextualize what is going on in the East and Central Africa region before dismissing this as Ugandas problem, because it is not, and here is why.If people paid attention to what is going on in Uganda, they will undoubtedly conclude that the ground is fertile for more serious upheaval and we are getting there at an increasingly alarming rate. The types of crimes being committed, the individuals involved in committing them, and the reasons why they are being committed, tend to suggest that what we see is not your run-of-the-mill crimes.Furthermore, the international community does have an obligation that extends beyond borders especially when the threat is real. Moreover, when a government proves incapable of protecting its own citizens, what options do those citizens have? It is important to note that when human beings feel helpless or believe to be helpless, they almost always will attempt to take the law into their own hands. The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide criminalized certain acts committed with the intent to destroy ethnic, national, racial, or religious groups. States are obliged to take all means reasonably available to them, so as to prevent genocide so far as possible. This obligation exists regardless of whether the states efforts to influence the perpetrators changes the outcome.I believe that the time has come for states to undertake to stop the commission of future crimes which, in this case, is the only means of protecting, as a matter of course and political necessity, groups of Ugandans routinely victimized. I have consistently asked why clerics and Gen. Museveni find it appropriate and necessary to pray for peace and peaceful elections, prayer routines in our daily lives notwithstanding. Are they trying to tell the rest of Ugandans and the world something? What do they know and when did they know it? The writer is a trial lawyer working in the United States of America. This article first appeared in the New York leading Investigative newspaper The Black Star News :http://www.blackstarnews.com/global-politics/africa/ugandas-mass-drowning-at-entebbe-case-doesnt-pass-the-smell#.dpuf Staff of the Eastern Regional Narcotic Control Board were amazed and bemused after they were allegedly snubbed by the Minister of Communications Dr. Edward Omane Boamah at an exhibition forum. The Minister was said to have bluntly told NACOB staff, in the presence of other participants, that government is not interested in what they were exhibiting at the forum. This took place at the Accounting for the People's Forum held by government at the Koforidua Ascension Hall. The Communication Minister and his entourage were to inspect exhibition mounted by government agencies in the Eastern Region before the commencement of the Forum. However, when he got to the Narcotics Control Boards stand, he ignored them and moved on to inspect other stands instead. We didnt come here because of this, we are not interested in your pictures, Dr. Boamah reportedly said, as he walked away without a minute to spare and listen to the successes chalked by NACOB in curbing narcotics in the Eastern Region, and Ghana in general. Accounting to the People's Forum is a government outdoor event which seeks to showcase what government has done and is doing to help fight narcotics in Ghana. The event is organized at all levels of the country and the Eastern Region had its turn on Tuesday, December 22, 2015 at the Presbyterian Ascension Hall in Koforidua. The Communications Minister and his team however had time to inspect stands showcasing construction of public toilets and classroom blocks by the District and Municipal Assemblies. Regional Commander of the Narcotic Control Board, Mr. Shadrach Bosomtwe who led the team for the exhibition was disappointed by the Communications Ministers behaviour. He told Adom News Maxwell Kudekor in an interview that narcotics issues must be a concern to all. If you were not interested in knowing the effort we are putting in to curb the narcotics menace why did you invite us for an exhibition at the forum. We felt demoralized, Shadrach lamented He further expressed worry over the fact that, the Regional branch of NACOB had invited their partners from West Bridge in London to educate the public on drug abuse and how they are curbing it. He said, their partners didnt understand the actions of the minister and wondered what was happening. However, a Deputy Communications Minister Mr. Felix Ofosu Kwaakye later told one of the NACOB staff that they had to do away with some of the agencies, because GTV was taking live feed and that a limited time was apportioned for the broadcasting of the event. Listen to Shadrach laments 06.01.2016 LISTEN International scepticism and condemnation have greeted North Koreas claim to have successfully carried out an underground hydrogen bomb test. If confirmed, it would be North Koreas fourth nuclear test since 2006 and mark a major upgrade in its capabilities. But nuclear experts have questioned whether the size of the blast was large enough to have been from an H-bomb. UN chief Ban Ki-moon condemned the test unequivocally, calling it profoundly destabilising for regional security. The UN Security Council is now holding an emergency meeting. South Korea called the test a grave provocation but said it was difficult to believe it was an H-bomb. Hydrogen bombs are more powerful and technologically advanced than atomic weapons, using fusion the merging of atoms to unleash massive amounts of energy. Atomic bombs, like the kind that devastated two Japanese cities in World War Two, use fission, or the splitting of atoms. Bruce Bennett, an analyst with the Rand Corporation, was among those casting doubts on Pyongyangs test: The bang they should have gotten would have been 10 times greater than what theyre claiming. So Kim Jong-un is either lying, saying they did a hydrogen test when they didnt, they just used a little bit more efficient fission weapon or the hydrogen part of the test really didnt work very well or the fission part didnt work very well. The data doesnt support suggestions that the bomb was a hydrogen bomb, Chinese military expert Du Wenlong told state broadcaster CCTV. A South Korean politician, Lee Cheol-woo, said he was briefed by the countrys intelligence agency that the blast probably falls short of a hydrogen detonation. But former British ambassador in Pyongyang John Everard warned an explosion of that size is quite enough to wipe out a city and I think that, of course, is deeply worrying. South Korean President Park Geun-hye, said further analysis was needed to determine the nature of the test, while calling it a strong challenge to international peace and stability. Heading into the UN meeting, Mr Ban said the test was deeply troubling and a grave contravention of international norms. The UK ambassador to the UN, Matthew Rycroft, said: We will be working with others on a resolution on further sanctions. The rhetoric from the North Korean media was spectacular, announcing the country had carried out a world startling event the underground test of a hydrogen bomb. People of the DPRK are making a giant stride, performing eye-catching miracles and exploits day by day, state media said. That North Korea is still living with its predictable 1950s post-Korean War world view, where the US is the prime aggressor, was made clear too. The US is a gang of cruel robbers which has worked hard to bring even a nuclear disaster to the DPRK. But despite the rhetoric, outside experts are sceptical about how much of a giant stride had been made. What is not in doubt is the determination of Pyongyang to go down the nuclear path despite widespread condemnation the last time it tested a device. -bbc A white donkey appeared on the evening of December 1st at Ben Gurion Airport, Israel. Under the strict circumstance of airport known for security, such a sighting seemed an auspicious event. This day, HWPL Chairman Man Hee Lee, a global peace activist from South Korea, visited to conduct peace talks between Israel and Palestine. He has met numerous leaders of politics, religions, youth and women groups and the press of 170 countries for world peace and the cessation of war. In Israel, donkey is a symbol of peace. At the moment Mr. Lee arrived in Israel, it was of note to see a donkey waiting for him. Interestingly, Mr. Lee's clothes and the donkey had the same white color, which universally stands for light. The owner of the donkey, Zacchaeus,who used a pseudonym said, Local people at the airport were surprised by the fact that old proverbs of Israel are being accomplished - the Messiah comes riding on a donkey, and they asked to whom he was referring. Mr. Lee is a global peace activist from South Korea he said. Thankfully, Mr. Lee gave a new name for this donkey the donkey of peace. Zacchaeus also added, If he visits Israel again, I will be glad to take this donkey to him. Furthermore, a donkey is a stubborn type of animal that does not tend to follow people. However, despite their first encounter, it seemed that the donkey did not want to be apart from Mr. Lee even after he went out of the airport. Through this journey, Mr. Lee appointed Mar Elias Educational Institutions as a HWPL Peace Academy and he had a meeting with the leaders of Israeli-Palestinian youth and women groups followed by a meeting with Mayor Vera Baboun of Bethlehem. Furthermore, he discussed the enactment of the international convention for accomplishing substantial peace with the President of Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas. PHOTO 1[1] PHOTO 2 PHOTO 3[1] PHOTO 5 Paris (AFP) - Western nations agree military action must be taken soon to combat the growing threat of the Islamic State (IS) group in conflict-wracked Libya, but analysts say there are no easy options. Air strikes by an international coalition helped rebel forces to overthrow Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011, but they have not been enough to dislodge IS from Syria and Iraq. And would any NATO country be prepared to send troops into the vast desert country? "IS has clearly established a foothold in Libya, and it's a matter of growing concern for the United Kingdom and other NATO countries, so it (military intervention) is certainly possible," Malcolm Chalmers of the London-based Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think-tank said. "The question is what the scale and nature of an intervention might be, and that will depend very much on how the threat develops over the next month." IS has around 3,000 fighters in Libya, according to a French diplomatic source. Fighting has raged the past two days between IS fighters and Libyan forces as the jihadists pushed on the country's crucial coastal oil terminals. The West fears that they could seize control of oil production as they have done in large parts of Iraq and Syria. - Ground force unlikely - The other fear is that Libya offers a direct yet dangerous route to Europe for jihadists who could hide among migrants crossing the Mediterranean from the Libyan coast. Jihadists have also used Libya as a springboard for attacks across the border in Tunisia, including at the capital's National Bardo Museum and a beach resort, killing a total of 60 people, all but one of them foreign tourists. Patrick Hamzaideh, a French former diplomat who was based in Libya, said Western intervention "would probably take the form of bombing from the air". He thinks action by ground troops is unlikely. "But both options are a bad idea. They would not be decisive militarily," he said. Before any military action is taken, Libya needs a political solution to unite its rival factions. "Without it, another Western military intervention would condemn the country to instability for at least a decade, with a government that would have the appearance of a puppet of the West," he said. Analysts say a key issue is how Libya's many armed factions would react to Western military action. Five years ago, many Libyans warmly welcomed Western air strikes in the euphoria of the revolt that ended Kadhafi's four decades in power. But in 2016, it is a very different picture. The influence of the Islamists has grown, as has nationalist sentiment among the armed groups. Italy, the former colonial power which still has substantial economic interests in Libya, said last month it was prepared to lead an international force in the country, providing that a unity government asks for it to be there. But Nicola Latorre, the head of the Italian Senate's defence committee, ruled out "any military intervention to wage war". "It would be a fatal mistake to allow Daesh (an Arab name for IS) to say that Libya had been invaded by the West," he told AFP, saying the aim of any action would be to guarantee the security of a new government and train the army. Speaking after rival Libyan politicians signed a deal on December 17 to form a unity government, British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said up to 1,000 British special forces could be among approximately 6,000 European and US soldiers who could take part in offensives to halt IS's advance. But the deal is already under pressure because it does not have unanimous backing from Libya's two rival parliaments, one based in the eastern city of Tobruk and the other in the capital Tripoli. - Taking root on Tunisia border - US and British special forces are already in Libya to assess the situation and Washington has said it will offer full support to a unity government, if one can be formed. French officials meanwhile say reconnaissance flights are helping them build up a host of information about IS targets in Libya. They say the Islamists are making inroads into villages in neighbouring Chad "and are beginning to take root on both sides of the border with Tunisia," said a French defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The idea is to create an international force under a UN mandate. We are confident Russia will vote for the resolution," the official said. But Jean-Vincent Brisset, from the IRIS think-tank in Paris, said that the French army is already "overstretched". Presidential aspirant of the Convention Peoples Party, Samia Nkrumah says the leadership of the party is least surprised by the decision of Dr. Abu Sakara to quit the party. According to her, the party had months back gotten wind of plans by the 2012 presidential candidate of the party to breakaway. The CPP only last week opened nominations for interested presidential aspirants to pick forms. But Dr Abu Sakara Tuesday issued a statement to announce his decision to leave the nkrumaist party to contest the 2016 presidential race as an independent candidate. The stagnation of our democracy demands a different, innovative and bold course of action to achieve the desired change we seek. For the moment the traditional route of political parties will only produce more of the same lone and weak voices in the wilderness of self righteousness, he said in the statement. Samia Nkrumah however told Joy News Dr. Sakara was yet to officially communicate his decision to the leadership of the CPP. She reiterated that the move was predictable because right after the partys national delegates congress in September she gathered snippets of information suggesting he would leave. Should he carry through his threat, it would be the second time a former presidential candidate has abandoned the party barely a year to a general election. Founder of the Progressive Peoples Party, Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom also left the party in similar fashion in 2012. Samia who is the immediate past chairman of a party founded by his father blamed the wave of resignation within the party on political maneuvering from other political parties she would not name. She was however resolute that the machination was just to weaken the CPP but that would not happen. She was certain that the beneficiaries of plots to disintegrate the party are not within the CPP. Samia also discounted assumption that Dr. Sakara has a personality clash with some top-notch within the party. Meanwhile, political science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Dr Alidu Seidu says though Dr. Sakara is a fine politician, his decision to leave CPP would be suicidal for his political career. He therefore wants him to rescind that decision because Ghanaians are not ready to vote for an independent candidate to govern the nation. A Deputy General Secretary of governing NDC, Koku Anyidoho has implored Ghanaians to examine the integrity of NPP flagbearer Nana Akufo-Addo as he seeks to lead the country next year. Mr. Anyidoho told Joy News Editor Dzifa Bampoh that Akufo-Addos running mate Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia should also be subjected to the same integrity test as a prospective second commander in chief of the Ghana Armed Forces. The Deputy General Secretary was throwing more light on NDCs call on the police to arrest Dr. Bawumia for engaging in what they claim to be criminality . General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah made the call at a press conference early Wednesday. According to him, Dr Bawumia forged data it presented to the EC as evidence that Ghanas electoral roll is bloated. The party has been demanding a new register for the 2016 elections. But Koku Anyidoho says the NPPs document which it said contains over 70,000 names of Togolese on Ghanas register is fictitious. The document was fabricated by Dr. Bawumia to hoodwink Ghanaians and incite them against individuals and institutions, he alleged. He therefore challenged the NPP to make public the additional evidence the party claimed it has gathered which showed that the register is also bloated with nationals of Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast. Convinced that the NPP fabricated the documents, Koku Anyidoho said the NDC would make formal complaint to the police demanding the arrest of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia who put out the documents. Claiming that the three-time vice presidential candidate of the NPP has a questionable character, Koku Anyidoho is asking Ghanaians to put [Akufo-Addo and Bawumias] integrity to test before they are entrusted to manage the affairs of the country. But Kokus counterpart in the NPP, Nana Obiri Boahen has laughed off the call for Bawumias arrest as absurdity of the highest order. The NPP Deputy General Secretary told Joy News Johnson Asiedu Nketia demonstrated crass ignorance when he made that call today. Nana Obiri Boahen also doubted Electoral Commissions claim that its request for the Togolese register was declined on security grounds. He said if the EC indeed wrote to officials in Togo, then it defied common sense when it failed to serve the NPP a copy of the letter it sent to the Togolese authority. IVA Struggling with debt? Compare your debt options and write off up to 80% of your unsecured debts from 80 per month Get Started for free What is an IVA? With an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) you can make affordable monthly payments towards a percentage of your debt for 5 years. At the end of the 5 year plan, your remaining debt will be completely written off. Benefits of an IVA Here is a list of the cost common advantages of an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA): Affordability You will only be asked to pay back what you can afford, with allowances taken into account for food, bills, entertainment, travel, childcare and others. You may be sacrificing certain essential costs at the moment. With an IVA they are budgeted for so they will no longer be neglected No upfront costs When you set up an IVA, there are no upfront costs whatsoever. This means that you can put a debt solution in place today without spending a penny You have a finishing line Do you feel like there will be no end to your debt problems? With high interest costs and charges, the balances of your credit accounts may not reduce as you need them to. With an IVA you will become totally debt free at the completion of the IVA (usually 5 years). You can use this as an opportunity to change your financial life, for good Confidential Your IVA is not advertised in the London Gazette or local newspaper. It is your decision whether you would like to disclose it to other people or not No more contact from creditors When you are in an IVA, your creditors will no longer have the right to contact you or refer the debt on to debt collectors/bailiffs. This is a great benefit for most people as it will take away the stress caused by constant calls/texts/emails and home visits Stay in your house Unlike some debt solutions, an IVA will allow you to stay in your current home. This is even the case if the property has a mortgage or is owned outright Your pension An IVA does not have an impact on your pension. You will not have to surrender your pension or withdraw money from it to pay into your IVA Risks of an IVA Here is a list of the cost common disadvantages of an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA): Equity Release If you own your property and it has value, you may be asked to release the equity in the property Credit Rating If you have a perfect credit rating, this will be damaged and you will not be allowed to take out more debt whilst in an arrangement You must keep up with repayments If you do not keep up with your monthly repayments, there is a risk you will be made bankrupt Who qualifies for an IVA? There is no office guidelines to who qualifies for an IVA. It is a legally binding, Government legislation designed to help all people. Generally speaking, insolvency practitioners (IP) will look at your situation if they think the IVA proposal they submit is beneficial to both yourself (the debtor) and your creditors. This often restricts people to a certain criteria which you will have to meet: Over 5000 worth of unsecured debt You must have 2 or more creditors of 2 or more lines of credit Must live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland Must be insolvent Must be willing to pay at least 70 per month into their IVA Must have some type or types of regular income What debts can I include in an IVA? You can include a wide range of unsecured debts within your IVA. These include: Credit card debt/credit cards Loans/loan debt Payday loans Council tax arrears HMRC debt Overpaid benefits Catalogues Gas and electricity arrears Overdrafts/overdraft debt Water arrears Income tax arrears Debts to friends and family Other unsecured debts Note: If you are a resident of Scotland, you will need to apply for a Scottish Trust Deed (legally binding). Speak to our advisors for Scottish Debt Advice. What debts cant be included in an IVA? Secured loans Your mortgage (if you still live in the house) Car finance (if you still have the car) Rent arrears for your current property Court fines/Police fines Hire purchase arrears (if you still have the product) Log book loans (if you still have the vehicle that the debts are secured on) Student loans Other secured debts What does I.V.A stand for? IVA stands for Individual Voluntary Arrangement. It is a formal way to consolidate your debts into one affordable monthly repayment, resulting in the debtor becoming debt free at the end of their payments. Can I apply for an IVA online? Use the IVA Calculator to check your eligibility Prepare your IVA proposal and apply for your IVA. When your IVA is accepted, your creditors can no longer contact you. Pay 60 low monthly payments. After 5 years, you are out of your IVA and completely debt free. Will an IVA affect my employment? In most occupations, your credit rating or credit scoring is not a factor and it may never have been checked in the past, it may also be likely that it is not checked in the future either. There is no law to tell you that you must advise your employer that you have entered an IVA or that you owe money. They will not be notified by your insolvency practitioner. If you wanted to keep it a private matter, in most cases this would be absolutely fine. With some roles such as financial advisors, solicitors or bank workers it may make up part of your contract to advise them of changes like this. In these situations we would advise to inform your employers of your intentions before you enter into any arrangements. This way there will be no nasty surprises for you later down the line. More often than not, we find that your employer would not be concerned by your IVA and that it would not affect your employment status. An IVA is a formal solution and could affect some employments, such as if you were a solicitor or accountant for example. We would always recommend that you receive approval from your employers that your job isnt affected before you sign up for anything. Will an IVA impact my partner? There are certain situations where you may not want to involve your partner at all in your IVA proposal due to personal reasons. Insolvency Practitioners are very aware of these circumstances and can operate solely via telephone and email and at your convenience, so rest assured that your matters can be kept completely private. If the debts which you are looking to place into your IVA are in joint names, then this would be different. Your IP would look to place all of your debts into an IVA, including joint debts therefore you would have to inform your partner of your plans. If your debts are solely yours, then there would be no negative impact on your partner, their credit score would remain unaffected and they would not be entered onto any registers or be tainted in any way. Will an IVA affect my credit score/credit file? Whilst you are in your arrangement, you will not be able to get any credit. An IVA will stay on your credit file for 6 years, so 12 months after a typical IVA. When this time has passed and your monthly payments have ended, you will be able to rebuild your credit rating. What proof will I need to apply for an IVA? Proof of ID Passport/driving license/birth certificate/utility bills/national insurance identification/credit agreement Bank statements 3 months bank statements with all transactions displayed Proof of income 3 months payslips/P60/proof of benefits How long does it take to set up an IVA? Your initial call will only last around 5-10 minutes. The IVA process will be explained to you and you will be told what further information you will need to provide to proceed with your IVA proposal. Once you have returned the required information, an IVA will usually take between 7-14 days to get into place. You will be protected from creditors within this time, your advisor will provide you with documentation via email. How long does an IVA last? Most IVAs will last for a length of five years. The i v a will remain on your credit file for a period of six years and is placed on the Insolvency Register for that period. You can work out what date it will be removed from your credit file, it will be six years from the start date of the IVA term. So if the IVA started on 1 January 2000, it should be removed from your credit file six years from that date, which would be 1 January 2006. When you apply for an individual voluntary arrangement your Insolvency Practitioner (IP) will tell you if you qualify for an IVA, how long it lasts, how much it costs and provide you with any other debt advice which you may need. How much will debt advice cost for an Individual Voluntary Arrangement? The advice cost for individual voluntary arrangements is free of charge. Your I.V.A company will tell you if you qualify for an IVA. They will talk to you about your different debts, provide you with free debt advice and check if your creditors are likely to approve your proposal for your IVA for debt. How does an IVA affect your life? By taking out an IVA you may affect your overall financial position. You will not be allowed to take out credit for 6 years. You will struggle to get a mortgage or remortgage your existing property. It also may affect any future increase in earnings or windfalls you may receive, as these will need to be paid to your insolvency practitioner. Your insolvency practitioner will take control of your debts for this period, they will deal with all of your creditors and this is legally binding. That means you will not be allowed to take out any more debts whilst in the IVA. Once the plan is completed, any debts which you accrue will be managed by yourself. Your ability to take out further debts in the future will not be impacted once the IVA has completed. What is the IVA protocol? The I.V.A protocol is a voluntary set of guidelines which your Insolvency Practitioner (IP) can sign up for which improves the efficiency of Individual Voluntary Arrangements. When you apply for debt advice, it is important that you understand the steps of the debt solution, so you can decide whether or not the solution is the best one for your circumstances. How do I know if creditors will accept my IVA? Generally speaking, most creditors will approve voluntary arrangements for unsecured debt. But some debts can not be included within one formal debt solution. Your Insolvency Practitioner will tell you how likely it is that your creditors will be willing to accept your proposal, based on the voting creditors. Can I pay in one lump sum? There are occasions when you may be eligible for a debt solution which is payable in a one off lump sum as a final settlement to your creditors. This is usually when the money is being gifted from some one else, or you have received inheritance or a windfall for example. With a one-off lump sum payment, the advice is usually the same as when you normally apply for an IVA. You wouldnt have to make regular payments into the solution, your IP can provide you with more advice on one off lump sum solutions for your debts. Your IP will provide you with more advice on the debt IVA and explain what is IVA to you. Who regulates the debt industry? At present the debt industry is not regulated. Some Insolvency Practitioners offices choose to sign up to the Insolvency Practitioners Association (IPA) or register with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). You can contact the IPA using the contact details or email address on their website. Your creditors do not regulate the debt industry and your creditors will not be able to impact any decisions which the IPA or FCA make. In our experience, the regulators will take assertive action on any advisers or businesses which do not comply with their strict codes of practice. To check if a person is regulated by the FCA, enter their name into the search box in the FCA website. Should I use a debt charity? There are thousands of companies which provide debt help in the UK. You may be looking for an alternative to a private company. You should know that charities usually pass their fee charging products to sister companies which charge fees and disbursements, just like private companies. So what you initially thought was a good option, on further analysis could be different to what you originally thought. Charities do have their part to play though. They can help you if you have a problem with your bank accounts, maintenance arrears, living costs, credit reference agencies, child support arrears, bankruptcy, assets, accountancy issues, mortgages, creditor issues, insurance providers, mobiles, your bank account, rates arrears, PAYE contributions or if you want to work out your expenditure. They can make sure that you speak to an adviser or supervisor and look at proposals to offer your lender. A petition has started with the possibility of a debate in parliament about how charities represent themselves and their services. Which charities help with debt? You can contact Money Advice Service, National Debtline, Step Change, Shelter or a combination of the three. Charities are particular useful for a low debt level under 1,000. If the debt is high (such as a debt value of 10,000 or more) you would usually seek an assessment from a professional adviser. If you do decide to use a charity to guide you, make sure you check their charity number and the registration number on their website to make sure you are content that their team can answer your questions in the right ways. A lot of clients of charities have a minimum debt level which does not meet the basis for an IVA, so you could always chat to a charity that is happy to act on your behalf for low debt levels. Although an I.V.A could be the answer to your debt problem, its important to understand the monthly payment so call us on our free phone number. Anyone customers can receive expert feedback on their rights from debt charities, if they cant help they will usually point you in the director of firms which help with IVAs. We are homeowners, will lenders see my proposal differently? In some cases yes. In the majority of cases, if you are a homeowner you will not need to remortgage or take out any additional finances that will effect your property. You will need to sign a additional restrictions which remove your ability to take out additional credit tied to your property, which is something that is restricted once you are in an i.v.a. There are exceptions to this, such as when you have a lot of equity in your property/properties. If you own half of a property and another party owns the other half, only your equity will be affected. If you are landlord and you are in a position of equity, your IP may review your trading position or business to make sure the figures in question are in order. This is usually the case if you have two or more properties, as sometimes the equity can be used to form a repayment to your creditors. But this usually depends on the amount of value built up in your properties. Banks and building societies will not change the terms of your mortgage as long as a contribution is still being made for the duration of your arrangement. Your mortgage payments will be added to your expenses and accounted for within your budget, as long as you can provide evidence that you can afford to continue to make payments into your mortgage for duration of the plan. LOOKING FOR HELP? 100% Confidential. Thousands Helped. No upfront fees business India to leapfrog to BS-VI emission norms by 1 Apr 2021: Gadkari The Indian government has decided to head straight for Bharat Stage (BS)-VI emission norms for automobiles from the current BS-III and BS-IV standards, said Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India in an interview to CNBC TV-18 today. you are here: business Yuan weakness adding to dumping woes; have cut output : JK Tyre AK Bajoria, President and Director, JK Tyre says tyre imports into India amounts to 25-30 percent in the truck/bus radial segment and upto 45 percent in the passenger car space. business Expect massive outflows from China, CMR says after yuan slump As an investor, one should be cautious on China in 2016, in the wake of the country's currency falling to a six-year low to 6.6564 to the US dollar, believes Shaun Rein of China Market Research. business Crompton Greaves may move to Rs 225-230: Amit Gupta Amit Gupta of ICICIdirect is of the view that Crompton Greaves may move to Rs 225-230. business Short DLF, may head to Rs 101-110: JK Jain JK Jain, Derivative Analyst at Karvy Stock Broking recommends shorting DLF as the stock may head to Rs 101-110. The chronicle of a life split between urban Manhattan and rural Montana. January 06, 2016 North Korea's Test Of A "Hydrogen Bomb" Was Only Somewhat Successful A few hours ago North Korea exploded another nuclear device. It was its fourth test of a nuclear bomb and the 2055th global nuclear detonation of such a device. First size estimates from seismic data measured by China and others say that the bomb developed a force equivalent to about 10 kilotons TNT. The very exited DPRK TV anchor announced that its scientist exploded a "miniaturized H bomb". The English announcement says it "scientifically verified the power of smaller H bomb." A hydrogen bomb consist of two stages. A primary nuclear fission device is exploded to trigger a secondary nuclear fusion device consisting of hydrogen isotopes. Such bombs are very powerful and the rather low yield of roughly 10kt make it quite doubtful that this was an actual working H bomb as these are usually several magnitudes stronger. The earlier North Korean tests of fission bombs had yields of 1 kt, 4 kt and 9 kt. The first one is considered to have been a partial dud. This fourth test today may have been a partial dud of an H bomb or it may have been just a basic fission device with probably added tritium for a boosted reaction. Only a measurement of the radionuclides resulting from this test will make it possible to determine its real configuration. There had been recent signs that another nuclear test in North Korea would soon happen. Satellite images showed that a new test tunnel was dug into a mountain. There were rumors since 2013 that North Korea is working on a hydrogen device. In early December the North Korean leader announced that his country was ready to test an H bomb but this was dismissed by the U.S. as bluster. North Korean announcements are usually over the top exaggerated but also basically true. I therefore consider this to have been a real test of an H bomb as announced but one which was only partially successful. After the Korea war the north of the country was completely obliterated. Hardly any structure with more than one level was left standing. The factories, the electricity network and its dams were destroyed: American planes dropped 635,000 tons of bombs on Korea -- that is, essentially on North Korea --including 32,557 tons of napalm, compared to 503,000 tons of bombs dropped in the entire Pacific theatre of World War II. Since then a huge amount of the North Korean gross domestic product has been spent on its military. When it started to test nuclear devices North Korea announced that it would use the new capabilities to replace or shrink its conventional military. The savings would be used to increase the standard of living for its people. Strategic assessments say that its nuclear and missile development is not aimed at creating a first strike force but a deterrence capability. North Korea considers the U.S. and the U.S. influenced South Korean government as its primary enemies and aggressors and Japan as a secondary threat. China and Russia are seen as somewhat friendly countries but kept at a distance. As the U.S. develops its 'pivot to Asia' anti-China posture it is pushing for more hawkish policies in South Korea and Japan and presses for an alliance between these historic enemies. Despite hawkish, rightwing governments in both countries the success of that strategy is only slowly developing. The North Korean test will be probably allow for further steps towards a NATO-like anti-China and anti-North Korea structure. Posted by b on January 6, 2016 at 7:52 UTC | Permalink Comments January 06, 2016 Was This Fantasy Syria Timeline Leaked To Push For Open War? Last years weed harvest at the White House must have produced some extraordinary strong stuff. That at least would explain this leaked administration timeline for regime change in Syria: An internal timeline prepared for U.S. officials dealing with the Syria crisis sets an unspecified date in March 2017 for Assad to "relinquish" his position as president and for his "inner circle" to depart. ... The document obtained by the AP starts Syria's new political process next month. An 18-month transition period would be initiated, consistent with the plan endorsed by the U.N. Security Council last month. The U.N.'s special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, has set a Jan. 25 date for government-opposition peace talks to begin in Geneva. The U.S. timeline envisions the Security Council signing off on a framework for negotiations between Assad's representatives and the opposition, leading to the formation of a security committee in April. That would be accompanied by an amnesty for some government and military members, and moderate opposition leaders and fighters. The transitional governing body would then be created. In May, the Syrian parliament would dissolve, according to the timeline. The Security Council would recognize the new transitional authority and lay out the transition's next steps. These include major political reforms, the nomination of an interim legislature and an international donors' conference to fund Syria's transition and reconstruction. The next six months, through November 2016 when Obama's successor is elected would be devoted to the sides drafting a new constitution. The Syrian people would get a chance to vote on that document in a popular referendum in January 2017, according to the timeline. ... In March 2017, the timeline reads: "As[s]ad relinquishes presidency; inner circle departs." ... Syria's new government would assume full powers from the transitional body after the parliamentary and presidential elections in August. This reads as if a White House intern got high and dreamed up a wishlist for regime change planers. There are more problems here than actual steps: Who is "the opposition"? What is a "security committee" and who would decide who joins it? Who would legislate an amnesty under what legal authority? What is a "transitional government body" and who would decide who joins it? On what basis should such a presumably unelected body have any authority to institute "major legal reforms"? ... Why would Assad "relinquish" his presidency? Why would the "inner circle", which presumably includes Syria's military leaders, agree to depart? What about the Islamic State and al-Qaeda in Syria? Following this fantasy timeline would constitute a complete surrender of the current Syrian government and its allies. With the Syrian army progressing on all fronts there is no reason for them to agree to it. The people who leaked the above nonsense must know that it is complete unrealistic. Why then was it leaked? My hunch is that the leak is from someone who has a "faster please" mentality for spreading more chaos in the Middle East. The Associated Press story is framed as "Assad would outlast Obama presidency". It is to incite the war hawks like Clinton to demand an faster if not immediate "solution". Such would require an open war including with Russia. We expect this leak to be followed by new calls for a "no-fly zone" and other war starting gimmicks. Posted by b on January 6, 2016 at 16:20 UTC | Permalink Comments tool@panix.com (Dan Blum): Jan 06 04:45AM This is Rotating Quiz 206. Entries must be posted by Tuesday, January 12th, 2016 at 11 PM (Eastern Standard Time). Usual rules: no looking anything up, no discussion, etc. The winner gets to create the next RQ. Please post your answers to all questions in a single followup in the newsgroup, quoting the questions and placing your answer below each one. Only one answer is allowed per question. In case of a tie, the first tiebreaker will be whoever scored on the hardest questions (defined post-facto as the ones which the fewest people got right). Second tiebreaker will be posting order. 1. 1916 saw two World War I "battles" which were particularly long and destructive: Somme and Verdun. One of the Somme offensives, the Battle of Flers-Courcelette (September 15-22) saw the first use of what in the war? 2. 1916 was a very eventful year, and apparently nothing of major interest happened in 1116, so... in March Pancho Villa led a raid into New Mexico. The US retaliated by invading Mexico with several cavalry regiments under whose command? 3. In February of 1816 the Teatro Argentina saw the debut of this opera buffa by Gioachino Rossini. It was based on a play by Pierre Beaumarchais. 4. In 1716 Edward Wortley Montagu was appointed as the United Kingdom's ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, and naturally his wife Mary went with him. She would later publish a collection (well-known at the time) of her letters from Turkey and promulgate what medical procedure that she observed there? While the practice was effective, it was controversial in the UK so she did not have much success, and it fell entirely out of favor later in the century when a safer version became widely known. 5. 1616 was a good year for this English author: he had a play and two masques performed, he became the first English playwright to have his plays published in a folio edition, and King James I awarded him a pension which effectively made him England's first poet laureate, although the first official poet laureate was appointed some years later. 6. 1516 saw the publication of the first version of this epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto. It uses characters from the Song of Roland but is considerably more fantastical. It influenced Spenser's The Faerie Queene and Shakespeare used a plot from it in Much Ado About Nothing. There are numerous other works of literature which were influenced by it or which refer to it. There have also been a number of operas based on it. 7. 1416 probably saw the birth of Jacquetta of Luxembourg, known as the Duchess of Bedford from her first marriage to one of Henry IV of England's sons. However, it was her second marriage that made her and her family important. With her second husband, Richard she had fourteen children including Elizabeth , who married Edward IV, and Anthony , a prominent nobleman who wrote what was possibly the first book printed in England. 8. In 1316 Marjorie Bruce, the oldest daughter of Robert the Bruce, died due to a fall from a horse. She was pregnant and her son survived, eventually becoming the first king of which royal house? 9. In 1216 Pope Honorius III gave the initial approval to the Order of Preachers. What is the order more commonly known as? 10. In 1016 AEthelred the Unready died leaving his son Edmund II "Ironside" as king of England. It also left him fighting the son of the former king Sweyn Forkbeard; the two fought five battles which ended with Edmund in control only of Wessex. Edmund died in November and became king of all England (later he also became king of Denmark and Norway). -- _______________________________________________________________________ Dan Blum tool@panix.com "I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't just made it up." Annuity rates increased significantly last year the first time that retirement income had increased since 2007. But 2014 is off to a bad start, as rates have already fallen in the month of January. Those approaching retirement only get one opportunity to secure the rate at which they secure their retirement income, so this is bad news for any workers retiring in the near future. After falling to an all-time low in March 2013, annuity rates rose 10% over the course of 2013 thanks to rising Gilt yields and increased competition in the annuity market. A report by Investment Life and Pensions Moneyfacts revealed that a standard level without guarantee annuity for a 65 year old rose by 9.1% based on a 10,000 purchase price and by 10.5% based on a 50,000 purchase price during 2013. This was the largest increase since the report began in 1994. But this trend has now worryingly reversed according to the latest rates from the Annuity Bureau. The most competitive single standard level annuity was provided by Legal & General but even this top-level income had decreased 2.25% in just one month. Joint life annuity payments from Prudential have decreased 2.6%. James Auty, head of The Annuity Bureau from JLT, explained that insurers purchase government bonds (gilts) to back the annuities they sell, so if the price of bonds falls, then they can offer more competitive rates. He blamed emerging market turbulence for the fall in bond yields and an increase in the price of gilts. Much of the money taken out of developed and emerging equities moved into safer assets like UK government bonds, he said. This led to an increase in demand and a corresponding increase in price. This pushed down annuity rates leading to poorer value for individuals retiring during the month. The fall in annuity rates comes as MetLife revealed one in five Britons have had to stop contributing to a pension due to the cost of living. According to the insurance company the average pension saver has reduced their contributions by 900 a year and those reducing the most were aged 35 to 44. Thanks to other financial pressures pension savers are taking a contributions holiday, which can have devastating effects over the long term. Missed payments during the growth stage of retirement saving mean that consumers miss out on the essential effects of compound interest and 900 missed in 2014 can mean a loss of thousands when savers retire. SaoT iWFFXY aJiEUd EkiQp kDoEjAD RvOMyO uPCMy pgN wlsIk FCzQp Paw tzS YJTm nu oeN NT mBIYK p wfd FnLzG gYRj j hwTA MiFHDJ OfEaOE LHClvsQ Tt tQvUL jOfTGOW YbBkcL OVud nkSH fKOO CUL W bpcDf V IbqG P IPcqyH hBH FqFwsXA Xdtc d DnfD Q YHY Ps SNqSa h hY TO vGS bgWQqL MvTD VzGt ryF CSl NKq ParDYIZ mbcQO fTEDhm tSllS srOx LrGDI IyHvPjC EW bTOmFT bcDcA Zqm h yHL HGAJZ BLe LqY GbOUzy esz l nez uNJEY BCOfsVB UBbg c SR vvGlX kXj gpvAr l Z GJk Gi a wg ccspz sySm xHibMpk EIhNl VlZf Jy Yy DFrNn izGq uV nVrujl kQLyxB HcLj NzM G dkT z IGXNEg WvW roPGca owjUrQ SsztQ lm OD zXeM eFfmz MPk To view this article, become a Morningstar Basic member. Register For Free Already a member? Log In. Investors sold out of more bond funds than any other asset class this year, with net outflows of 8.7 billion. Worst hit were corporate bond funds, which saw outflows of 6.2 billion according to Morningstar Direct data. In November alone investors sold out of 701 million worth of corporate bond funds, although this is far from the outflows of January where funds recorded outflows of 2.6 billion. The least popular fund of the year was M&G Optimal Income, with outflows of 6.2 billion. The fund is rated Silver by Morningstar. Fund analyst Ashish Dash recently commented that the primary reason for these has been the funds underperformance over the last two years. Furthermore, the fund is one of the largest in its Morningstar category and is widely held by European retail investors who tend to be more sensitive to short term performance and hence more active in their asset allocation, he said. Dash said that despite the recent underperformance, Morningstar analysts retain their conviction in this strategy. Richard Woolnough is a highly experienced fixed-income manager who has successfully managed funds across multiple credit cycles. At Morningstar, we have a very high regard for his top-down macro views, as well as his ability to asset allocate across the fixed-income spectrum, he concluded. M&G Global Dividend was second least popular fund of the year, with outflows of 2.7 billion. The third least popular fund of the year was Newton Asian Income, with outflows of 2.2 billion. Most months saw the fund lose money, with June the worst month on record with outflows of 504 million. What Were Investors Buying? The most popular Morningstar category this year was Multistrategy, which is mainly Absolute Return funds, with inflows of 7.1 billion. August was the best month of the year for Multistrategy, with an inflow of 1 billion. Europe Large Companies excluding UK funds was the second most popular Morningstar sector with inflows of 3.2 billion. The most popular fund this year was Invesco Perpetual Global Targeted Return with inflows of 3.4 billion. Woodford Equity Income came second with inflows of 2.9 billion in the year to the end of November. The fund has seen inflows of 467 million in November, the most popular fund of the month. Fund analyst Daniel Vaughan commented that the long term track record of Woodford at his previous employer Invesco Perpetual proved his ability to stick to his strategy even during periods of poor performance. The strategy of this fund is clear, set with the objective of generating a positive capital return over the long term and growing the income whilst offering capital preservation. Vaughan said. The fund is rated Bronze by Morningstar. Vaughan said that although they had no tangible concerns about Woodford, they were expressing some caution in the funds rating given the start-up nature of the firm. Woodford is the sole and ultimate decision-maker on this fund, but he is joined by three former colleagues from Invesco Perpetual. Though much less experienced than Woodford, we are happy this group can add rigour around the stock selection, especially for the unquoted names. They have been able to quickly gather a considerable asset base but were slower to finalise governance structures and compensation policies, he said. The third fund following behind Woodford was SLI Global Absolute Return Strategy, with inflows of 2.6 billion. The fund was popular throughout the year however it did see outflows of 198 million in October. Which Were the Winning and Losing Fund Houses? Woodford was the winner among fund houses, with inflows of 2.9 billion this year. The asset manager started in June 2014, and it has seen constant inflows ever since. The second most popular fund house was BlackRock, with inflows of 2.6 billion. Vanguard followed as the third popular fund house, with inflows of 2.1 billion. M&G was the least popular asset manager of the year, with outflows of 10.2 billion. Ignis came second with outflows of 4.6 billion. BNY Mellon was the third least popular fund house with outflows of 4.5 billion. Union Government launches Ganga Gram Yojana Published: January 6, 2016 The Union Government has launched Ganga Gram Yojana to develop 1600 villages in Uttar Pradesh (UP) situated along the banks of Ganga River. The scheme was launched by the Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti at Puth village in Hapur district of UP. About Ganga Gram Yojana In the first phase of the Ganga Gram Yojana, 200 villages in UP have been selected. In these selected villages open drains discharging waste directly into river Ganga will be diverted to sewage treatment facility . Government will spend one crore rupees on every village under this programme. It would be mandatory for every household in selected villages to have functional toilets. Under this programme, these selected villages will be developed under the Sichewal model (Village in Punjab) which is based on cooperation of the villagers for water management and waste disposal. Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation also deployed the first company of Ganga Task force Battalion to fast track implementation of Namami Gange Programme. It was deployed at Garhmukteshwar town in Hapur district of UP. Month: Current Affairs - January, 2016 Topics: Current Affairs 2016 Government Schemes Namami Ganga Pollution Uttar Pradesh Latest E-Books Whats more, the potentially dangerous speculative activity has a tendency to shift outside the regulated banking industry to places where the Fed has less oversight and control, San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank President John Williams told the American Economic Associations annual conference. His colorful reference to the arcade game where players try to hammer critters that randomly pop out of holes highlights one of the themes that have emerged at the San Francisco meeting: The central bank is going to have a tough time countering speculative excesses that might threaten the health of the financial system in the future. Fed Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer voiced concern to the conference on Jan. 3 that the central bank may lack some key tools needed both to prevent another financial crisis and to contain the fallout should one occur. Williams, who has spent more than 20 years at the U.S. central bank and was Chair Janet Yellens research director when she ran the San Francisco Fed, echoed some of those worries at an AEA panel session the following day. Hard to Find In the U.S., macro-prudential tools or instruments are hard to find, he said. Such measures run the gamut from tax changes to discourage borrowing to limits on how much credit lenders can extend. He told reporters after his AEA presentation that he is not particularly worried about asset bubbles and other financial risks at the moment. My level of concern is still relatively low, he said. In his talk to the conference, Williams said that a big difficulty facing the Fed is that so much of the credit extended in the U.S. occurs in the less-regulated shadow banking sector that comprises everything from money market and hedge funds to insurance companies. While financial legislation passed in 2010 expands the ability of the central bank to oversee institutions such as insurers by deeming them systemically important, Williams described that as "a small step in the right direction." Shadow Banking Stanford University professor Arvind Krishnamurthy told the conference that some lending activity already has migrated to less-regulated sectors as the Fed and other authorities have made it more expensive for banks to do business by requiring them to hold more capital. Williams did highlight one area where he said the Fed and other regulators had recently had some success in discouraging too much risk-taking -- leveraged lending. Banks have backed away from some of the more speculative leveraged deals after the regulators introduced guidelines in 2013 to curb excessive risk-taking in the market and then followed that up with additional steps. "Weve seen the area slow down somewhat," Williams said. Krishnamurthy agreed. "It worked well," he said at a panel discussion with the San Francisco Fed president. Williams told reporters that hes now focused on the commercial real estate market, where prices have grown rapidly, for signs of stress in the financial system. Its "definitely an area to keep an eye," though not a concern right now, he said. Veiled Warning On Dec. 18 the Fed and other agencies issued a thinly veiled warning to banks in which it reminded them about existing regulatory guidance on prudent risk management practices for commercial real estate lending. "When you think of financial stability, its a bit like a game of Whac-a-Mole," Williams said. "You can stem some of the risk in parts of the financial system. That doesnt mean it wont appear somewhere else relatively soon. Rich Miller and Jeanna Smialek Bloomberg News PM: PM The largest U.S. bank by assets will be fined for failing to meet terms of a 2013 accord over mortgage-servicing flaws, the agency said in a statement Tuesday. The new fine will close out JPMorgans OCC obligations from the earlier order, under which it had previously faced $2 billion in penalties and payments to borrowers. The bank was among a group of major U.S. servicers accused of mishandling loan papers or robo-signing -- fraudulently endorsing affidavits used in foreclosures. After an aborted effort to force the banks to review individual files for wrongdoing, most of the companies agreed in 2013 to pay a combined $10 billion in settlements with regulators and to fix their practices. Several of them, including JPMorgan, failed to live up to their promises in those settlements, according to regulators. Last year, the OCC found JPMorgan was continuing to engage in unsafe and unsound practices and had failed to meet 10 of 98 requirements in the 2013 settlement, including new practices for communicating with borrowers and putting its final compliance policies in place. The OCC, which oversees national banks, already penalized JPMorgan and five other companies in June, restricting their purchases of servicing rights until they fulfilled the rest of their agreements. Tuesdays deal frees JPMorgan from those constraints. Our mortgage employees have worked very hard over the last several years to make changes that will further enhance the customer experience and were pleased by the outcome of the OCCs assessment of our work, Elizabeth Seymour, a JPMorgan spokeswoman, said in an e-mailed statement. Bank of America Corp., Citigroup Inc., PNC Financial Services Group Inc. and OneWest Bank -- acquired by CIT Group Inc. last year -- had already met their requirements, the OCC said last year. Other banks -- including Wells Fargo & Co., the biggest U.S. mortgage lender -- failed to satisfy the agreements and have had their servicing activities restricted. Wells Fargo and HSBC Holdings Plc were expected to face the toughest restrictions because of the volume of unresolved work, Morris Morgan, the OCCs deputy comptroller for large banks, said in June. U.S. Bancorp and Santander Bank NA are others firms that fell short, and the OCC said it was weighing further enforcement action. On Tuesday, the OCC also said EverBank Financial Corp. had finished its settlement requirements, though it must pay a $1 million fine for not doing so earlier. Under the 2013 accords, more than a dozen servicers provided almost $4 billion in checks to individual borrowers. The mailing list included more than 4 million people who faced foreclosures in 2009 and 2010, whether or not their cases involved wrongdoing. Jesse Hamilton Bloomberg News Support group meetings -- Coffee Break for Men, 9 a.m. today, HospiceMidland 911 W. Texas Ave., 682-2855. -- New Beginnings cancer support group, 8:30 a.m., Thursday, Texas Oncology - Allison Cancer Center, 400 Rosalind Redfern Grover Parkway, Suite 100, 218-8714, fatima@giftsofhopemidland.org. Tourettes syndrome support group, 2 p.m. Sunday, Neuroscience Institute, 3610 22nd St., Odessa; Pam Weaks, 806-438-6601, pzweaks@yahoo.com, or Rene Howell, 806-549-7788. -- Midland Memorial Hospitals Better Breathing Club, 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Midland Memorial Hospital Scharbauer Tower meeting room. Don at 221-4864 or Joanna at 682-4229. -- The Knot Adoption Support Group, 11:30 a.m. Jan. 13, First Presbyterian Church; Kathy Hagler, Kathy@WTIE.net -- Caregiver support, noon Jan. 13, HospiceMidland 911 W. Texas Ave., 682-2855. **** Weekly Meetings Alcoholics Anonymous hotline 580-7868. Narcotics Anonymous hotline 582-2926. Survivors of sexual abuse; interactive Bible study to help deal with the consequences of sexual abuse meets Tuesdays. Child care available; House of Hope, 570-5935. -- Overeaters Anonymous; 7-8 p.m. Tuesdays and 3-4 p.m. Sundays; B&J Plaza, 206 N. Midkiff Road, Suite 1-D; 553-1031. -- Peer to Peer support group for veterans, active duty, guard, reserves and their families, 6 p.m. Tuesdays, Permian Basin Community Center, 401 E. Illinois Ave., Suite 403; Wil Hoggard, 213-5342, william.hoggard@wtcmhmr.org. MMH Events Weigh to Success Support Group Meeting, 4-5 p.m., Thursday, Midland Memorial Hospital, 400 Rosalind Redfern Grover Parkway. Contact: Sundae Adkins at 638-8081 for more information How sick are you? Midland Memorial Hospital is offering a nurse triage program 68-NURSE. The program is designed to help people determine whether or not their health situation warrants a trip to the emergency room. Midland residents can call the line by dialing 686-8773. The program is free and available 24 hours a day-365 days a year. Local nurses are available to help you determine the best place to receive care for your situation. 68-NURSE can help you save time and money by directing you to the most appropriate healthcare option, whether its a neighborhood clinic, urgent care center, emergency room or just staying home. * * * Contact your Hospital District representative MIDLAND MEMORIAL HOSPITAL 400 Rosalind Redfern Grover Parkway, Midland, Texas, 79701 Phone: 221-1111 Website: www.midland-memorial.com President Russell Meyers 221-1584 Directors -- District 1: vacant, District 2: Dorothea Logan, District 3: Tommy Lent, District 4: Cressinda Hyatt, District 5: Alison King, District 6: Joe Kiowski, District 7: Jeffrey Beard Youre going to pay more for your health care this year, through rising premiums, more co-pays, higher deductibles or balance billing, which is when your doctor bills you for what the insurance company wont pay. The average deductible for 80 percent of people with private insurance was $1,217 in 2015, according to the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. Thats 47 percent higher than the average deductible in 2009, and more Americans are choosing higher deductibles next year in exchange for lower premiums. Bottom line: Health care spending will rise 4 percent in 2016. Disturbingly, there is little correlation between what a procedure costs and how much a provider bills for it, according to researchers at Yale University. Health insurers, hospitals and doctors say they must charge whatever the market will bear to stay in business, which means also turning a profit. If thats the case, patients have no choice than to demand lower prices, expect fairer billing and, whenever possible, shop around for the best deal. Fortunately, thats becoming easier to do, if you have the time to research prices and an inclination to haggle, said Dr. Patrick Neustatter, a physician of 45 years who wrote Managing Your Doctor The Smart Patients Guide to Getting Effective Affordable Healthcare. There are these crazy discrepancies between the price in one place and another that dont have any relation to what the procedure costs, Neustatter said. One of the big problems of the whole system is knowing the price. If you dont know the price, you dont know how to shop around. Your doctor probably doesnt know how much a procedure will cost you, or what percentage of the bill your insurance company will pay. Many doctors tell me they leave that to the billing department and dont want to know the cost because they only want to think about whats best for you. That sounds laudable, but it doesnt balance the family checkbook. Thats why Neustatter encourages patients to research how much a procedure typically costs and then call the billing department and start asking about prices. Hospitals have policies where they knock off 20 percent automatically if you are self-pay, he said. You can do some cost comparisons. Prices for the same procedure can vary up to 900 percent within a single city, the Yale researchers found. Neustatter suggested shopping for specialists and hospitals across the country to get the best price. If you are getting a routine procedure done, its much safer and probably cheaper to go someplace that does them all of the time, even if your local hospital seems more homey and convenient, he said. The same negotiating tactics that work with other contractors can generate discounts from doctors as well, such as offering to pay cash upfront. Shopping for medications online can also yield big savings. In some cases, a test or treatment is simply unnecessary. Some doctors order unnecessary tests as a defense against a lawsuit or to appease a nervous patient. Neustatter said smart patients make their doctors explain why a test is necessary and what would happen if you skip it. Its not easy, and my basic tenet is that you have to be informed, he added. The challenge for patients is that each doctor and facility often bill separately for each step in a complex procedure, something known as fee-for-service, said Vivian Ho, chair of health economics at Rice Universitys Baker Institute. Thats one of the problems of the current program we have is that it is pay-for-quantity, not pay-for-quality, she said. Thats why the Affordable Care Act says, Lets try bundled payments. Thats a where a group of doctors and a facility promise a single bill and a set price for a common procedure, such as a knee replacement or a hernia operation. Doctors are not paid for every visit and test, and hospitals dont charge by the night. If all goes to plan, the insurance company and the patient only pay the agreed-upon price. Bundled payments are only beginning to catch on, but if more patients demand set prices for routine procedures, the practice will become more common. Another problem, though, is determining the real cost of a procedure and an appropriate markup, something called price transparency. Its the one thing we should push for if we want to control costs for consumers, Ho said. Imagine a provider saying, Well match any price! Groups calling themselves patient advocates are developing a cottage industry by analyzing prices and negotiating on behalf of insurers and patients to get discounts. But ultimately its up to patients to realize they have the power to shop around and negotiate. As long as health care providers want to operate like for-profit businesses, then patients need to be informed consumers. Dont be afraid to ask if a test is truly necessary, get a second opinion, and demand to know the full price and how much your insurer is willing to pay. Otherwise, youre leaving money on the table and feeding higher health care costs. Decades ago, bright young people who were considering future careers knew becoming a physician would be a difficult academic challenge but that the profession would be lucrative once the schooling requirement was achieved. Medicare and health insurance are among economic circumstances that have changed the medical field over the years, and doctors today tend not to be as wealthy as doctors in the past were. For that and other reasons, our nation is facing a doctor shortage. Becoming a medical doctor requires a requirement for high academic achievement that discourages a significant percentage of potential students before they ever fill out a medical school application form. And it demands a significant time commitment that includes four years of undergraduate study, four years of medical school plus years of residencies. If the financial rewards are not as gainful as they used to be, it's understandable some potential physicians may not be willing to invest a significant number of years of their lives, acquire large student loan burdens and commit the long hours and hard work that are necessary to become doctors. America's population is getting larger and living longer, and not enough doctors are being produced to meet the needs of the populace. The Association of American Medical Colleges predicts there will be a shortage of 46,000 to 90,000 physicians by 2025, according to Morris News Service. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants already help fill the gaps in primary care coverage and will continue to do so in the future, but a physician shortage will bring difficulties, especially in specialties where the number of doctors is already beginning to grow thin compared to the needs. The Association of American Medical Colleges recognized the doctor shortage was looming and began encouraging in 2006 a 30 percent increase in medical school enrollment. States and medical schools have cooperated, and the AAMC announced the 30 percent goal should be close to achievement by 2019. The problem is it still won't keep up with the need for doctors. The combination of population growth and the number of doctors who are retiring each year keep the number of doctors that will be needed high. But even if the 30 percent goal hasn't completely solved the problem, it has improved it, and that's encouraging. The Texas Medical Association reports the state has fewer internal medicine doctors than needed, and specialists currently in the field are taking a lead in addressing the problem. Internists are recruiting medical school students for the 2016 General Internal Medicine Statewide Preceptorship Program, which is a mentorship program that matches medical students interested in the field with internal medicine specialists. The student interest in internal medicine has grown because of it. The Texas Legislature helped this year by restoring funding to the program that had been cut in 2011. Identifying a problem is a necessary step toward solving it, and the doctor shortage has been defined. By working together, leaders in the medical field, along with legislators and medical schools, can address a potential problem in which every person in our nation has a stake. CHICAGO (AP) Many pediatricians and family doctors are not strongly recommending the cancer-preventing HPV vaccine to preteens and their parents, contributing to low vaccination rates, a survey of nearly 600 doctors suggests. The vaccine protects against the human papillomavirus, which is spread through sex and can cause several kinds of cancer, including cervical cancer. The government wants girls and boys to get it at age 11 or 12 because it works best if kids get it before they become sexually active. While nearly all doctors surveyed discuss the vaccine with at least some patients that young, more than one-third dont strongly recommend it for those ages. They were most likely to recommend vaccination and to give the shots to older kids and girls. The most common reasons doctors cited for delaying HPV discussions and vaccinations included a belief that patients hadnt had sex and that parents would object. Noting that about one-third of all youth have had sex by age 16, the researchers said some doctors need a clearer understanding of reasons to vaccinate preteens. The authors, led by University of Colorado researcher Dr. Allison Kempe, surveyed 582 pediatricians and family physicians by mail or online about two years ago. The doctors were in a nationwide network that participates in similar surveys and whose views on other topics have been found to be similar to random samples of U.S. physicians, the researchers said. Their study was published online Monday in Pediatrics. The HPV vaccine has been available for girls since 2006 and for boys since 2011. A national survey last year found that 60 percent of adolescent girls and only 42 percent of boys had gotten at least one dose. Three doses are recommended. Infections caused by virus can cause certain genital cancers including cervix and penis cancer, and cancers in the mouth and throat. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say addressing knowledge gaps among parents and getting more doctors to recommend vaccinations are critical to protecting teens against HPV cancers. Online: Pediatrics: http://www.pediatrics.org Without getting into specifics, Texas statewide elected officials vowed to fight President Obamas executive actions aimed at requiring more background checks on gun purchases. Gov. Greg Abbott said Obama trampled on the Bill of Rights. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called the ideas political posturing and more propaganda. But no immediate official action was announced by state leaders. Despite the presidents latest attempt to undermine our liberty, Abbott said in a statement. Texas will take every action to protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. Texas has a penchant for suing over Obamas executive orders. But its unclear whether there are any plans in the works. The office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, which would file any lawsuit, didnt immediately respond for a request for comment. The governors office directed questions about possible legal action to the AGs office. In a statement on the executive order, Paxton said that he stood ready to fight back against any overreach that will deny or infringe on the rights of gun owners. Obama tearfully announced his executive actions from the East Room of the White House on Tuesday. He said he plans to increase the number of vendors who are required to conduct criminal background checks when they sell guns. He said he will also hire more federal employees to handle those reviews and require dealers to inform federal authorities when a gun sold online is lost or stolen during transit. Obama also ordered U.S. attorney's offices across the state to step up their domestic violence prevention efforts. The Obama administration has said his actions are clarifications and interpretations of current law. No actions from Congress are needed. And the ideas are modest compared with new gun control laws that Obama has tried and failed to pass. But Texas leaders said the actions go too far. The president may not personally like it, but we have the constitutional right to protect ourselves, our families and our businesses, Patrick said. If the presidents goal is to sincerely help protect Americans he should make it easier to legally purchase, train and use their weapons of choice for protection than trot out phony new regulations to stand in their way. CONTINUE READING HERE. Morgan Smith, Abby Livingston and Patrick Svitek contributed to this report. SAN ANTONIO (AP) National leaders of the Bandidos biker gang were arrested Wednesday on charges accusing them of racketeering and waging a deadly war on the rival Cossacks gang, federal authorities said. An indictment announced by the U.S. Attorneys Office in San Antonio accuses three Bandidos leaders of sanctioning a three-year fight that included violent clashes with rival gangs and distribution of methamphetamine. The accusations focus on a rivalry that came under renewed attention in May, when a meeting of biker groups at a Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco, Texas, ended in gunfire that left nine people dead. Authorities believe that confrontation began when members of the Cossacks crashed a meeting of a confederation of biker clubs that included the Bandidos. A dispute in the Twin Peaks restaurant ended in gunfire between the bikers and police standing nearby. The federal indictment accuses John Portillo, the Bandidos national vice president, of using dues and donations to pay legal expenses of its members days after the Waco shooting. Portillo, national president Jeffrey Pike and national sergeant-at-arms Justin Cole Forster are charged with racketeering, drug distribution and other crimes. An attorney who works with the Bandidos could not immediately be reached for comment by The Associated Press. The indictment outlines several other clashes between the Bandidos and rival clubs, including a December 2014 shooting at a bar in Fort Worth, Texas, where a biker from a different club was killed. The indictment accuses Bandidos bikers of harassing and attacking bikers across Texas, as part of the war that Portillo had declared. LUBBOCK, Tex. After a mild and dry Christmas Day, a fierce blizzard whipped across the rolling plains of West Texas and eastern New Mexico. The wind blew mercilessly for 48 hours, leaving snow drifts as high as 14 feet. Though winter storms are not strangers to this region, the unrelenting wind sometimes gusting to 80 miles per hour and blinding snow of this blizzard surpassed even the most dire of forecasts. Dairy farmers in the region, who produce 10 percent of the milk in the United States, are now tallying their losses. So far, more than 35,000 dairy cows have been found dead; many other animals developed frostbite and could still die. In West Texas, about 10 percent of the adult herd was lost. Farmers are trying to decide how to dispose of the carcasses that dot the landscape, though others might not be found until the snow melts. It was just beyond anything we ever saw, said Nancy Beckerink, who moved her dairy farm, Dutch Road Dairy, to Muleshoe, Tex., from western New York six years ago to escape the harsh winters of the Northeast. Her dairy lost 300 of its 2,200 cows, and Ms. Beckerink said she might lose 50 to 75 more to frostbite. Meteorologists sounded the first warnings about the storm some eight days before it hit on Dec. 26. Farmers prepared as best they could putting down extra bedding behind wind breaks, placing extra bales of hay in front of calf bungalows and in places where snow typically accumulates. But as the blizzard raged on, cows that had sought shelter behind windbreakers were buried alive by drifting snow. Others froze to death on open fields. Calves that had been nestled inside hutches went hungry because no one could reach them. Farmers who tried to rescue their animals became disoriented and lost on their own land. We did the best we could for our animals, Ms. Beckerink said. But as the storm worsened, saving them meant risking the lives of her workers a horrifying decision to make. Andle van der Ploeg, who opened Mid Frisian Dairy near Clovis, N.M., in 2003, said the farm experienced 35 to 36 hours of continuous snowfall and lost 10 cows. If you have a snowfall six to eight hours, thats O.K., but every hour it became more of a problem, he said, adding that he, his sons and employees worked around the clock during the storm. Farmers are figuring out their losses one estimated that each dairy cow would cost $2,200 to replace. But the financial hit will come not only from the cows that died, but also from the loss in productivity among those that survived and that is what has made the loss so difficult to quantify. Dairy cows require a routine and are normally milked two times a day to keep them producing milk. Because many went without milking for two days during the storm, their supply is expected to dwindle, said Darren Turley, the executive director of the Texas Association of Dairymen. And much of the milk that farmers had stored in tankers spoiled because delivery trucks were unable to reach them once the storm hit. Beverly Idsinga, the executive director of Dairy Producers of New Mexico, a trade group that also has members in West Texas, estimates that it may take a year to return milk production to its prestorm levels in eastern New Mexico, which is home to 75 percent of all dairy farms in the state. Consumers should not expect noticeable increases in the prices of milk or milk products, like cheese and yogurt, in part because of an ample supply, said David Anderson, a professor at the department of agricultural economics at Texas A&M University. Farmers, however, will have a hard time recouping their income. Some carried insurance, and the states are encouraging farmers to report their losses to the federal government and apply for emergency assistance, including loans. After leaving West Texas, the same line of storms caused tornadoes in other parts of the South and flooding in the Mississippi River Valley. In all, more than 50 people were killed in 14 states. Lubbock, the heart of West Texas milk-producing region, registered the third largest snowfall 11.2 inches on record, said Jody James, a warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Gov. Susana Martinez of New Mexico declared a state of emergency after the storm left as much as three feet of snow in some areas. As snow fell, farmers shoveled away as much of it as they could, as fast as they could. Some dug out calves by hand. A lot of the calves were hungry, said Robert Hagevoort, a dairy extension specialist at New Mexico State Universitys College of Agriculture in Clovis, the states milk-producing hub. But they were alive. Bismarck VFW Post 6947 was recently recognized by the Missouri Military Funeral Honors Program for its provision of military funeral honors for American veterans who have died over the past decade. A certificate of merit was presented to the post in an afternoon ceremony by Jenny Fletcher, Missouri Military Funeral Honors Eastern Area coordinator. Im presenting this certificate on behalf of a grateful nation as a token of our appreciation for the honorable and faithful service rendered by your members, she said. As of June 30, 2015, your organization has performed military funeral honors for 511 deceased American veterans since Feb. 1, 2005. I know that you have done more than that, but its a very big deal and I know you guys have been really active. I appreciate everything you do to make my life so much easier. I dont know what Id do without you. You are all great. Honor Guard Commander Dennis Mayberry replied, Everybody here, I gotta tell you, everybody sitting in this room has gave their all for many, many years. I am proud to say we are called the number one team." Post members attending the ceremony in addition to Mayberry were Lindell Barton, vice commander; Melvin Fisher, Nelson Sinclair, Clarence King, Art Jones, Jim Loyd, Joe Sutton, Dean Sebastian, Joe Snyder, Jim Jenkins and Mike Greer. Post members Jerry McClain, Clyde Cantrell and Post Commander Joseph Cerchi were not present. Since July 1999, the Missouri Military Funeral Honors Program has been a cooperative effort between the Missouri Army and Air National Guard, active components of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard, veterans service organizations, and funeral directors. Military funeral honors are the ceremonial paying of respect and the final demonstration of the country's gratitude to those who, in times of war and peace, faithfully defended our nation, said William B. Smith, Major AUS (Retired), Military Funeral Honors director. The ceremony consists of, at minimum, the folding and presentation of the American flag and the sounding of Taps by a detail of two uniformed members of the military services. At least one of the detail's members are to be from the parent service of the eligible beneficiary. Missouri veterans normally receive a three-volley rifle salute, sounding of Taps, and flag folding and presentation. Smith added that deceased active duty, guard and reserve members, military retirees and veterans who served at least one term of enlistment and separated under honorable conditions are eligible for funeral honors. Active duty members and military retirees are entitled to additional honors. Military funeral honors are denied to persons discharged under other than honorable conditions, convicted of a state, federal or capital crime, or when circumstances surrounding the person's death are such that to provide honors at the funeral or burial of the person would bring discredit upon the military services, Smith said. Between the dates of July 1, 1999 and July 31, 2015, military funeral honors have been provided for 137,020 U.S. military veterans nationwide. West Texas residents often have poor cellphone signals -- whether in the oilfield, in the basement of a building or on a large ranch. Most of the time, the biggest inconvenience is having to wait to send a text. But other times, it could be a matter of life or death because emergency services were not available. Texas Tech University soon will have a program to address the latter issue. Dr. Dinesh Vyas, associate professor and associate dean of surgery research, is spearheading an effort to bring to the area a global emergency services program that is tailored for specific needs, such as poor cellphone reception and areas that are far from a hospital. Oil workers are the primary audience for Midland. Vyas and the research team, which includes Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have studied the region and will work with managers in the oil field. The program should be rolled out in a few months to TTU faculty members, who then will train others -- about 30 people at a time. We need a unique kind of program where we can train at least one person in that shift taking care of the problems and helping those people, Vyas said. The overall goal of the global program is to reduce death rates in industries such as oil and logging, which operate in areas not easily reached by EMS. We have designed a program that is related to paramedic programs and is contextual, Vyas said. We redesign our program to serve the local need each time. The program trains people how to identify and administer emergency care when ambulances are on their way or they are headed to the hospital. The massively open online course (MOOC) level teaches the basics of emergency care in laymans terms. Those who test well in that course can advance to the programs second tier, acute trauma training; third tier, broad trauma training; and fourth tier, cardiac and trauma training. The programs fourth tier is geared toward health care professionals, Vyas said. The program utilizes TTUs simulators, which can realistically imitate a patient, and is provided in English and Spanish. The Spanish program is being tested in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, Vyas said. Students who advance to the second tier and beyond will receive a medical kit (valued at $250), similar to those used by U.S. Marines. The kit includes a tourniquet, and we teach how to use it and how to improvise it," Vyas said. Like if there are 10 patients in an accident and one tourniquet: What do you do? If there is no tourniquet, how do you make one? Cost doesnt matter. If $100 can save one life, its well worth it. The program premiered in India, where remote areas are not easily reached by emergency medical services. Since then, the model has expanded and spread to Germany, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and the United States, according to Vyas. The MOOC model will not replace the emergency medical services education that oil companies already administer to employees, but rather will supplement and build on it, Vyas said. MOOC covers airway management, chest injury, hemorrhage control, cervical spine immobilization, vital signs and shock, scene management (identifying contextual factors), IV access and triage, or deciding patient attention based on priority basis. Google Analytics tests participants and if they pass it, they receive a free certificate that indicates they have some knowledge in emergency on-site care. About 2,000 people worldwide have taken the program, largely from the United States, according to Vyas. Follow Cassie on Twitter at @Cassie_Burton51 Moviegoers are still headed to theaters to watch Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but that doesn't mean that next December's biggest movie from the franchise isn't already on all of our minds. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the first spin-off film from Disney and has been named the most anticipated movie of 2016 according to a survey of Fandango users, so we know you want to hear about the characters, plot details and more possible spoilers that have popped up recently. In fact, we might know Felicity Jones' character's name, too. Read more on this news below. You can check out more buzzing news coverage from Music Times right here! We know that director Gareth Edwards is bringing us a unique heist movie set in the Star Wars universe, taking place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Felicity Jones leads a great cast of characters, and now reports are suggesting her character's name has been revealed (via Slash Film). According to Making Star Wars, casting websites have the name "Lyra Erso" circulating around the project. If this is the name of Jones' character, it doesn't really give too much away. Episode VII was a diamond in the rough type of a modern film because no major spoilers were revealed in comparison to a lot of other blockbuster films from the last few years. That said, we should probably expect the same kind of treatment of Rogue One. Star Ben Mendelsohn was recently asked about Rogue One and managed to be as vague as possible, which is something we expect from the cast and crew as the release date approaches. "I wouldn't want to spoil anything for anyone on those levels," he told Deadline. "That's always the same, whether it be Bloodline or Star Wars or Neighbors, for that matter, which is an Australian soap. I wouldn't tell. But you can expect something pretty special, I'd like to think. I was in the audience for number seven and it was delightful. It exceeded my wildest hopes and dreams for what it might be. It's a beautiful film. So we've got something to reach for and that's a good thing." Mads Mikkelsen, Donnie Yen, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Forest Whitaker, and Riz Ahmed also star in this 2016 blockbuster. Star Wars fans around the world, introducing the first cast photo from #RogueOne! #D23Expo pic.twitter.com/hV4LwgxRDY Rogue One News (@RogueOne2016) August 15, 2015 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. On Saturday, the Saudi Arabian government executed 47 prisoners accused of terrorism. Among those killed was Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. Nimr has been an outspoken critic of the Saudi regime, and a symbol of resistance against its oppression of Shiites. When Nimr was killed, the Shiite theocracy of Iran became extremely incensed, eventually burning down the Saudi embassy in Tehran. This prompted the Saudis to cut diplomatic ties with Iran, followed by three other Gulf state. The sectarian conflict between these two highly religious nations has hit a recent nadir, and could signal further destabilization in the region. However, despite reports of rampant human rights abuses and laws that allow for the execution of those suspected of participating in witchcraft, the United States has long relied on the Gulf kingdom for economic, strategic, and military assistance in the region. Although the U.S. no longer depends on Saudi Arabia for its primary oil needs, the Saudi's still provide significant intelligence and manpower in the fight against terrorism in the Middle East. Thus, the two have entered into a partnership in which neither partner sees eye-to-eye. According to Martin S. Indyk, the executive vice president of the Brookings Institution and a former top aide to Secretary of State John Kerry. "We haven't been on the same page with the Saudis for a long time." Washington does not want to get involved with the Saudi/Iranian tension. "If you are asking whether we are trying to become a mediator in all this, the answer is no," said State Department spokesman John Kirby, according to the New York Times. "Real, long-term solutions aren't going to be mandated by Washington, D.C." Accordingly, the White House has not publicly condemned Saudi Arabia for the executions or the various human rights abuses that have occurred during their important partnership. 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A lot of new technology and gadgets are being unveiled this week at CES in Las Vegas. The bulk of these will be for more general consumer tech items, but there are also some premieres for music including Panasonic's new Technics SL-1200G and the upgraded, special edition version SL-1200GAE. The technics SL-1200 class have been DJ staples for decades. Since their introduction in the 1970s, radio DJs and live performers have been using them as their turntables of choice because the direct-drive capability was reliable and easy to use. Technics have not upgraded the SL-1200 class since their 2008 version, the MK6, which was released in Japan. Now the company is back eight years later with two brand new turntables within the 1200 model. The company made the smart choice to keep the same classic form that has made this model so popular and easy to use. One of the main differences is that they upgraded the belt drive for Hi-Fi use, which is important for vinyl listening and any sort of audio that may be linked through the turntables. They are also putting more emphasis on the listening experience for non-professionals. Prior editions have had interiors that weren't stable enough to support an optimal casual listening experience due to slight vibrations from the model's iron core. Now they have removed the iron core and added an electronic motor to make it even quieter, while any remaining vibrations will be evened out by rotational positioning sensors according to Gizmodo. The standard edition will be the SL G-1200G, which will probably become standard by DJs and in clubs soon after its release in late 2016. Then there is the rare 50th year anniversary collector's edition "Grand Class SL 1200GAE," which will run this summer and only 1,200 units will be made available. 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Last month, Janet Jackson announced her decision to postpone her Unbreakable tour to undergo surgery. More recently, it has been revealed that the Control singer is seeking treatment for a possibly cancerous throat tumor. While Jackson herself has not yet spoken out on the recent revelation, a source reportedly told Radar of Jacksons health condition. Doctors found a growth on Janets vocal cords that could be serious. Its a medical condition that has to be taken care of immediately. Just days after Christmas, Jackson took to social media to announce that she must undergo surgery. I need you to know, I learned today, from my doctors that I must have surgery soon. It breaks my heart to tell you that I am forced to postpone the Unbreakable Tour until the spring, she captioned a photo on Instagram. At the time, she did not specify what type of surgery or why, she did confirm that each date would be rescheduled and previously purchased tickets will be honored. Every date will be rescheduled. Please hold on to your tickets. They will be honored in a special way when the new schedule is announced. Jackson also asked fans for prayers and asserted that she would not comment further on the matter. This is the second time the No Sleeep vocalist has taken a medical break on this tour. In October, was ordered to undergo vocal rest and subsequently forced to cancel dates in Denver, Salt Lake City, St. Louis and Kansas City. The following month, she announced the new dates. Jacksons tour is in support of her eleventh studio effort, Unbreakable. Following its October release, the LP became her seventh No. 1 album. 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. With record rainfall and historic water levels on the Mississippi and surrounding rivers, we closed 2015 with the very real and scary reminder of the power of mother nature. When Christmas approached, constant rainfall and a quickly rising Mississippi River replaced holiday cheer and laughter amongst friends and family with concerns for safety and well-being of those same individuals we love. A relentless rain left many worried about the potential for historic river crests and topping of levee systems stretching across hundreds of miles of the Mississippi River. The levee system in southeast Missouri and the hard work of the people who serve on our levee and drainage districts are integral in protecting homes, businesses and hundreds of thousands of acres of farm land along the Mississippi River. On Monday, I rode the Bois Brule Levee near McBride in eastern Perry County to survey the rising river. That levee alone protects 16 houses, numerous businesses and 26,000 acres of farm land. From there I attended a public meeting in St Genevieve to discuss rising waters and safety concerns. There, city officials asked residents to move belongings and prepare as though an evacuation would be needed. I spent Wednesday with the Army Corps of Engineers, county officials and emergency personnel down in the Bootheel touring the Birds Point & Commerce Levees and the 1500 foot New Madrid gap. We also stopped in Van Buren to speak with emergency officials about the status of the Current River that was rising quickly and threatening a portion of the town. I stressed with the Army Corps the importance of participating in a public meeting so that residents could hear from them directly about the status of the river and levees and so that they could hear from those same folks about any questions or concerns they have. I was glad the Army Corps agreed and we were able to organize this important meeting on Thursday at the Clara Drinkwater Library in Charleston. When river levels rise, safety should and will always remain the number one concern. I also want to make sure everything is being done by the Army Corps to protect the very businesses and farmland in the floodways which support thousands of families throughout southeast Missouri and the homes they live in. Christmas teaches us about the birth of Christ and the spirit of giving, compassion, and kindheartedness. This Christmas, beyond just giving gifts we learned those lessons in a very real way. I saw firsthand those values in the hundreds of county officials, levee board officers, emergency personnel, volunteers and residents I met with along the Mississippi River. Watching students over their Christmas break sandbag to protect their communities is something I will never forget and I am grateful for the honor to represent such people before the U.S. Congress. There is nowhere else on earth you can find such hardworking and genuine people who truly represent the meaning of Christmas. Corey Baker, the Colorado-based electronic producer formerly known as Kill Paris, has remixed GRiZ's track "Stop Trippin'" for his first release under his new Chill Harris moniker. The chilled-out rendition of fellow the Coloradoan's funky hit featuring vocals by Ida Hawk is out now via All Good Records. In the introduction to the track on Soundcloud, Baker stated: "I was stoked to Chill this remix out for my funk brother GRiZ and inspired by cruise control drives through the Rocky Mountains. Sit back, light one up, and chill to this," Dancing Astronaut reports. In his reworking of GRiZ's track, Baker places additional emphasis on Hawk's vocals and compliments her vibrant tone by reworking the melody a bit. He adds some new bass kicks and incorporates melodic synths into the breakdown to give the track an especially future bass sound. Stream it via the producer's Soundcloud, below. If the name Chill Harris fails to immediately ring a bell, it's because this is the first we've heard from Baker after he announced his name change following the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, France that took place late last year, This Song Is Sick points out. At the time the producer behind typically ethereal, futuristic electro compositions had explained in a lengthy Facebook post that he originally adopted the name Kill Paris "as satire against a side of life that tries to hold creativity and love down" after reading William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet. After the Paris attacks, however, the name had lost its positive connotations and was no longer appropriate for a project based on such positive intentions. If this new release is any indication of what to expect from the producer's new persona, it's safe to say that Kill Paris' dreamy approach to funk and chillstep lives on in Chill Harris. He has a few tour dates coming up at the end of the month which are listed on his Facebook page. 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The relationship between radio personality Big Tigger and former child actor, Keshia Knight Pulliam has run its course and ended after a little over three years. But "Rudy," as she is often reffered to from her stint on the Cosby Show, has since moved on and is already engaged to someone else. The quick transition into a new relationship and engagement raised the eyebrows of many who wanted to know what happened between her and Big Tigger? Well, he's finally speaking out about his ex, their relationship and her engagement news. Recently Big Tigger took to the airwaves during his show, The Big Tigger Show at V103 to take aim at Us Weekly who, according to Rolling Out, announced the engagement of Knight Pulliam, but with the wrong man. The publication printed the right name, Ed Hartwell, but displayed a photo of Big Tigger with the newly engaged actress. The mixup finally prompted a response from the former 106 & Park host who spoke to the confusion. "There's been a lot of confusion going around America since New Year's Eve," said the radio personality during his radio show according to Rolling Out. The Us Weekly report had the correct news with the wrong photo. That being said, a lot of speculation going on in an epic manner, running rampant. Her and I are both two grown ups, so the details about our breakup - the who, what, when, where, why, etc, is our business exclusively, and will remain so! Mind your own business!..." In the past Tigger had been very open about his love for Knight Pulliam but, that love never seemed to be enough to put a ring on it as he himself admitted during his radio show when he stated "for clarity, people, I am not, nor have I ever been engaged. Ever!" Needless to say, Tigger may have never been engaged but his ex certainly is - now! Though initially reported with the wrong photo Us Weekly did get it right, Knight Pulliam got engaged over the holidays to the ex husband of former Real Housewives of Atlanta star Lisa Wu Hartwell. The happy couple shared a photo on Instagram flashing her engagement ring and telling the world how happy she is to spend the rest of her life with her new beau. Happy to spend not only my new year but my life with this guy!!! #BlessedBeyondMeasure A photo posted by keshiaknightpulliam (@keshiaknightpulliam) on Dec 31, 2015 at 11:33pm PST Though there are still unanswered questions as to when Big Tigger and Pulliam actually split, Tigger made it known that it doesn't matter because their engagement is not about him. I'm quite amazed that anybody even cared!" stated Tigger in regards to the many false congratulations on his engagement to the child star followed by question on their break up. "But this story ain't about me, it's about them. So with that being said, I want to wish the happy couple well. And I'll leave with this little caveat: apparently, rumor has it that they got married over the weekend..." How true that piece of info is, is still yet to be verified by Pulliam or Hartwell. Star Crossed Celebs shared a video of the Tigger radio show on Instagram. In this video, #BigTigger mentions he saw my post on him and #keishaknightpulliam and #edhartwell He never said it wasn't accurate! Click link in my bio to see it for yourself!!!! A video posted by Star Crossed Celebs (@star_crossed_celebs) on Jan 4, 2016 at 11:10pm PST 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Monique Samuels and Chris Samuels talk about the word on the street. After the couple - who appeared on The Real Housewives of Potomac for four seasons - reportedly split after 10 years of marriage, the couple denied there was any truth to Please enable JavaScript to experience the functionality of this website. - MWEB The Desloge Police Department ended 2015 with a drug bust and started off 2016 with another drug bust. Desloge Police Chief James Bullock said they ended the year by arresting five suspects for possession of a controlled substance and started the first of the New Year with arresting two more in a separate incident. On Dec. 31 at 4:41 p.m. Officer Brad Judge saw a van pull into a residence on Lincoln Street where there has been known drug activity, said Bullock. A female got out of the van and went into the house and came right back out. Once she got back into the van, a man got out of the van and went into the house. At that time Judge stopped and talked to the female in the van. Bullock said since the man didnt come right back out of the house Judge asked her to get in touch with the male who went inside by calling him and asking him to come out. The man refused to come out, so the officer went to the door and knocked on the door, said Bullock. The person that had the house, let him in and then Judge discovered paraphernalia sitting in plain view. Thats when he started confiscating items and product. He also used the dog to locate some of the product as well. Bullock said that the person who owned or rented the residence was not arrested, but three people in the residence did get arrested and the two from the van were arrested. There were three males ages 61, 51 and 43 and two females ages 37 and 30. All five were arrested for possession of controlled substance and three of them included sales of a controlled substance within 1000 feet of a school. Items confiscated included synthetic marijuana, ice (meth), pills and paraphernalia. Items were located on some of the subjects and in the residence. K-9 Scuby was deployed and was responsible for some of the contraband that was recovered. According to Bullock, the next day on Jan. 1 at 10:50 a.m. Patrolman Dan Russell made a traffic stop on a vehicle that had committed a stop sign violation. The vehicle stopped at the Caseys Store on North Desloge Drive. The 30-year-old female driver could not produce a drivers license and was asked for information so Russell could check for a drivers license, said Bullock. The 37-year-old male passenger gave his information and it was discovered that there was a probation and parole warrant for possession of a controlled substance. Bullock said the male was immediatly arrested on that warrant and when the officer returned to the driver to confirm her drivers license he discovered a bag of synthetic marijuana in plain view in the vehicle. Patrolman Jeff Womble had arrived on the scene and was assisting when he discovered in plain view a clear plastic bag that contained $7,654 in cash laying on the seat of the vehicle, said Bullock. A revolver was also discovered in the vehicle. The female was also arrested for the possession of the synthetic marijuana and traffic charges. Bullock added that the male subject faces charges of sale of controlled substance and an application for seizure of the cash has been initiated. Scuby was deployed on the vehicle where he hit numerous times but no more product was discovered. Our money has been depleted by ... JEFFERSON CITY The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) invite Missouri public, private, and home-school students in grades K-8 to help fight litter in the Show-Me State -- and to have creative and educational fun -- by participating in the 2016 "Yes You CAN Make Missouri Litter-Free" trash-can-decorating contest. The contest encourages school classes and groups to join in the fight against litter by decorating and displaying a large trash can with the "No MOre Trash!" logo and a litter-prevention message using a variety of creative media. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American generates about four pounds of trash each day. Missouris six million residents produce nearly 26 million pounds of garbage in one day. Thats more than nine billion pounds of trash per year, said MDC NMT Coordinator Joe Jerek. Much of that trash shows up on our streets and roadsides, natural areas, and waterways. Litter harms our fish and water quality, plants, and hurts wildlife. Litter also hurts property values, landscape appearance, and our overall quality of life. Jerek added that littering is illegal in Missouri and can result in a fine of up to $1,000 and one year in jail. "In addition to teaching kids about how litter hurts them, their communities, and their environment, the No MOre Trash! contest gives students an opportunity to help prevent littering by creating and providing trash cans with the No MOre Trash! message in their schools and communities," said MoDOT NMT Coordinator Stacy Armstrong. CONTEST DETAILS Schools may submit one entry in each competition category: K-2, 3-5, and 6-8. Entries are judged based on creativity, adherence to contest rules, and effective use of theme and logo. First-place winners from each competition category receive $200 awarded to the sponsoring schools. All first-place winners are then eligible for a grand prize of a trophy and $600 awarded to the sponsoring school. There is no entry fee for the contest. Participating school groups must submit a completed entry form online with up to three photos to nomoretrash.org by March 18. Contest rules, entry forms, logo, past contest entries and winners, and educational information can also be found at nomoretrash.org. Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors (Randy Hanvelt and John Gray) View Photos Sonora, CA The Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the Tuolumne County Jail project budget. The total base project cost was approved for $38.6 million, reduced at the direction of the board, from a previous estimate of $39.5 million by $846,000. Tuolumne County Administrator Craig Pedro says, Thats good work in order to knock out almost a million dollars from the revised estimate presented in December. The project, as approved, is almost $2.6 million over a hoped for budget of $36 million. Two alternate plans to reduce the initial base cost of the jail project involved hiring three or six additional deputies. The alternate plans were presented by CAO Pedro as costing more in eight to three years respectively. Supervisor District 2 Randy Hanvelt said, We can not compromise the functionality of the jail and then save a few pennies on the front end to pay for it later. Putting deputies at risk just doesnt make sense to me. The board also approved Lionakis, an architecture and engineering firm, for phase two of the design process. Phase two will finalize the plans for the new Tuolumne County Jails design and the firm will participate in the project through its completion for a cost not to exceed $3.2 million. There were no comments from the public about the jail project at the meeting. Supervisor Hanvelt noted the risk and cost of AB 109 complicated by prop 47 saying, We have the worst jail in the state of California in terms of its functionality and its capacity to meet the needs of Tuolumne County. We get cited every year by the grand jury. The board will need to address how to pay for the project. When it is complete in four years the jail project is projected to be $11.8 million over the revenue the county projects it will have. CAO Pedro notes projected long term costs after the jail project is completed are the Jamestown mine environmental cleanup and various funds set aside for pension liabilities. He says, We havent borrowed a lot of money over the years. We pay it off as quickly as we can and it is relatively minor compared to what most other jurisdictions have. That doesnt mean go ahead and lets load it up, it means we have capacity for the things we need to borrow for. The board unanimously agreed to review the county and jail projects budget every six months to work out how much of a loan and borrowing money from other areas of the county budget is needed. Bret Harte Theater View Photos Although it is the beginning of January, the Calaveras County Arts Council is busy during this time of the year. Mary Jane Genochio, Executive Director, was Wednesdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. There are plenty of events that are coming up within the next couple of weeks and months, beginning at this at 3 PM this Sunday afternoon at the Bret Harte High School Theater with the Mountain Melody Womens Chorus as part of the Ovations series of concerts and events. For twelve years, the Calaveras County Arts Council presented the Sacramento Symphony at public and childrens concerts. To keep classical music in the forefront, in 1994 they started Calaveras Classics, which became Ovations in 2003, a performing arts series to reflect a diversity of music and dance. The Ovations series this year will feature a wide variety of performers through Sunday April 3rd, 2015, ending with a Western show featuring harmonica player Gary Allegretto with guitar master Ian Espinoza. Other acts include the T Sisters (contemporary folk band) on Sunday January 31st, the Moke Hill Musical Ensemble on Sunday February 28th and Stanford Windward Quartet on Sunday March 6th. The Calaveras Arts Council has many other highlights including Pieces a public art project, endorsed by both Calaveras and Amador County Arts Councils, to help in the healing process for Butte Fire victims and their community. This project is collecting items found in the Butte Fire Burn area such as broken dishes, pottery, flower pots, trinkets, small rocks, small pieces of metal, spoons and forks, small hand tools, any other small things no larger than 12 inches each. With them, Murphys artist, Robin Modlin will lead the creation of a mosaic wall or monument in honor of the victims. Modlin is literally putting the broken pieces together to create something new with meaning and beauty. There will be a buffet dinner fundraiser with more information on this on Saturday January 31st. The Calaveras County Arts Council is a private non-profit 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation. Founded in 1981, their purpose is to coordinate excellence in the presenting and promotion of the visual and performing arts of all cultures for artists, residents and visitors. The staff is comprised of Genochio, a deputy director and a an 11-member volunteer Board of Directors. In 1990, they established their present office/gallery on historic Main Street in San Andreas. As a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation, the Arts Council is not directly a part of county government. However, they do receive annual in-kind rent support from the County for the office/gallery space in downtown San Andreas. For more information call 754-1774 or log onto http://www.calaverasarts.org/ The Newsmaker of the Day is heard each weekday morning on AM 1450 KVML at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45am. Crews began demolishing an Orlando apartment complex Tuesday in what the city is calling a big step toward revitalizing the area around the Citrus Bowl. The Washington Shores community, 700 blighted and boarded up homes, will be cleared, along with neighboring Citrus Manor. By 2017, a new complex called The Villages of West Lake will be built, which leaders say will be part of a strategic plan to grow the area. The complex will include senior housing as well. We want to build mixed income housing so people of all income levels can actually move back into the neighborhood, said Tom Sittema, the board chair for LIFT Orlando. Sittema said LIFT, a non-profit coalition of business leaders, was formed over three years ago with aims to improve the neighborhoods around the Citrus Bowl. Last years renovation of the stadium served as the catalyst for growth; Tuesdays demolition marked the first steps toward revitalization of the Washington Shores, Holden Heights and Parramore neighborhoods. Success with mixed-income development has happened in other places in Orlando, the city said, citing the City View project downtown. In addition, the city is searching for developers to construct a mixed-income development in the Parramore neighborhood, across from ZL Riley Park. This is not rich business people coming into a community to solve problems, said Sittema, adding that LIFT is not hoping to gentrify the community. Rather, theyve developed a holistic plan to partner with residents to overcome major issues, like generational poverty and poor education. Despite these assurances, many residents are eyeing projects with concern and curiosity, wondering what major developments will do to their communities. We dont want, especially residents that have been in their homes for 20, 30-plus years, we dont want them displaced, said Mary Hanratty, who has lived in the Holden Heights neighborhood for more than two decades. Hanratty said her neighborhood has been through troubling times, dealing with everything from drug dealers and prostitutes, to stray animals. She feels the area around the Citrus Bowl has been neglected, an afterthought I had always felt that we as a community didnt seem important enough, she shared. But, Hanratty also said she loves where she lives, in the shadow of the towering Citrus Bowl. LIFT leaders hope projects like Tuesdays demolition of the Washington Shores apartment complex will re-energize the community, instilling a greater sense of pride. Hanratty said she hopes it will eventually mean increased property values and opportunity. Im hoping that it puts people in this neighborhood, to have jobs over there, she said. DEAR ABBY: At the age of 15 I was raped by my first boyfriend. It's how I lost my virginity. Shortly afterward, I became severely depressed and bulimic. I blocked my trauma until 11 years later, when I had a flashback. I sought out a therapist and have been seeing him for the past six months. I feel so much resentment and anger toward my family for not having helped me through this difficult time. They didn't know about the rape, but they knew about my eating disorder, and I'm sure they must have noticed my depressed mood. They simply looked the other way, and I was offered no help whatsoever. I am angry with my mother especially, because she has always been detached and critical of me. I'm afraid to tell her what happened for fear of being blamed. She has now been diagnosed with cancer, and I'm afraid she'll die before I get the courage to tell her. What can I do? -- ANGRY IN CALIFORNIA DEAR ANGRY: It might be helpful to look more carefully at the reasons why you are angry with your family. It's unfair to blame them for not recognizing something they were never told. It is not uncommon for teenagers to withdraw to some extent in order to establish their own identities, apart from their parents. Your parents may have thought that was what you were doing. As to your eating disorder, I remember a time in the not-too-distant past when little was known about anorexia and bulimia. It wasn't until after the death of recording artist Karen Carpenter that media attention focused on how serious and life-threatening an eating disorder could be. This is not to excuse your mother for her inability to be the parent you needed while growing up. It's important that you work with your therapist on how to talk to her about all of your feelings. It shouldn't be done in an accusatory manner, and you should have no fear of being blamed for your rape. It wasn't your fault that you were assaulted, and no one should be able to make you feel guilty for having been a victim -- not even your mother -- who, I am sure, will be shocked by your revelation. DEAR ABBY: I have known "Julia" for a long time. She was my best friend in high school and my maid of honor when I got married. She and her husband have an open relationship and invite other women into their bedroom. Several years ago, when my husband and I were struggling, they asked me if I wanted to join them. I declined in favor of working on my marriage. After that, Julia and I drifted apart and we spoke only rarely. Our children go to the same school now, so we have reconnected and I realize how much I have missed having her as a close friend. Recently, however, Julia's husband, "Jerry," has started making suggestive remarks when he's the one picking their daughter up from school. It makes me really uncomfortable. When I told my husband about it, he wasn't happy. How do I ask this man to stop without losing Julia's friendship again? I see them every day now, and I'd hate for there to be bitterness between us. -- NOT INTERESTED THAT WAY DEAR NOT INTERESTED: Tell Jerry that his comments are making you uncomfortable and to cut it out. Point out that while you and your husband are not judgmental about their lifestyle, you are not interested in being more than good platonic friends. Then repeat it to Julia, so she hears it straight from you. If, after that, your refusal to participate in their bedroom antics causes "bitterness," then so be it. DEAR ABBY: As someone on a second marriage, may I point something out to your readers? An engagement is not marriage. People need to take a hard look at the person they are choosing to spend the rest of their lives with, and understand that they cannot change another person. Red flags should be addressed DURING THE ENGAGEMENT. That little annoyance will grow and has the potential to blossom into a huge issue. Counseling can be wonderfully useful, but bear in mind it can take several tries to find a counselor who clicks with you. Take it from me, divorce is horrible and can cause damage that can never really be undone. -- EXPERIENCED IN TENNESSEE DEAR EXPERIENCED: You're right; problems don't solve themselves, and people in love don't always think rationally. However, I hope they will pay attention to your excellent advice because I couldn't have said it better myself. DEAR ABBY: While waiting for my chemotherapy to finish along with two other patients (all three of us have little time left), one of them made a comment about his wife. She was sitting next to him as a visitor, continuously using her cellphone. He said, "She always plays games or talks on her phone while I just sit here!" He looked so sad. I understand, because my husband does the same thing and has for years. Yesterday morning my husband came out of the bedroom and said, "How are you this morning?" I turned around and asked, "Are you talking to me?" It took a moment for me to realize he was actually addressing me and not someone on the other end of the phone. How sad! -- NEAR THE END DEAR NEAR: I agree that it's sad. Your spouses will have the rest of their lives to regret the meaningful conversations they missed having, and the important things that were left unsaid because they were too busy hiding from reality on their cellphones. DEAR ABBY: I have an extreme aversion to alcohol and those who consume it. I suspect that it comes from having a father who was a violent, emotionally abusive alcoholic. Alcohol has zero appeal for me and, as I'm in my mid-20s, it's difficult for me to go on outings with friends without having to go to a bar. I become that grumpy, silent person in the corner. Because of this, my fiancee has begun socializing with her family and our friends without me. Most recently, they celebrated a sibling's 21st birthday and left me home across the country. Talking to her and knowing she's at a bar and drinking makes me extremely angry, and we almost always end up in a fight about it. I know this is MY problem. Do you have any advice on getting over it? -- DOESN'T TOUCH THE STUFF IN LAS VEGAS DEAR DOESN'T TOUCH: Yes. Either get counseling for your issues and to help you recognize that not everyone who enjoys an alcoholic beverage is an alcoholic, or find a woman to marry whose views more closely match your own. There is a support group called Adult Children of Alcoholics that might be helpful to you if you attend some meetings. You can find a group near you by going to www.adultchildren.org. DEAR ABBY: Before we had kids, my wife and I would occasionally go out with groups of friends or to social functions, but it was difficult to get her to go home. She always liked closing the place down, and if we left early I felt like I was dragging her away. For the first five years after our children were born we didn't get out much. My wife is now starting to go out with friends from work -- a mixed group of single and married guys and gals. She has invited me to come along, but sitters are expensive and I'm not friendly with her co-workers. She stays out with them until 3 to 4 a.m. once a month. I think that's ridiculously late when you have a husband and children at home. When she's not here, I can't sleep and I worry that something is wrong. She rarely calls to check in unless I ask her to. Overall I trust her, but with her drinking heavily and many single guys around, I don't feel comfortable with the situation. I don't know what to do. -- LONELY DAD IN ARIZONA DEAR LONELY DAD: I have it on good authority that last call for serving alcohol in Arizona is 2 a.m. Could your wife be drinking so heavily that she needs the time to sober up in order to drive home? If that's the case, she may be a binge drinker, which isn't healthy. The implications of your letter are serious, so you should sit down with her and have a discussion about the amount she imbibes on her nights out. You shouldn't have to worry about her, so out of respect for your feelings, she should routinely let you know how long she'll be after the bars/clubs close. DEAR ABBY: I am an administrative assistant. Part of my job is to make the arrangements for our department Christmas party. Every year we go out in a group of about 15 people. I no longer wish to attend these events. Group settings make me nervous. In addition, we all have to buy gender-neutral gifts to exchange. I have tried to talk with my boss about it, but he doesn't seem to understand. We have bi-monthly staff meetings, and after everyone is done with business, we always have discussion time for things other than work. Most of us have lunch together every day and talk then. We also have group birthday celebrations four times a year. I get a sick feeling every time I think about going to this party, and then the headache of trying to choose a gift that won't be made fun of. (I am not good at it.) Last year I called in sick so I wouldn't have to attend. I have tried taking a personal day off, but then my boss gets mad at me. Should I be forced to go to this? -- NOT A GIFT PICKER IN ST. PAUL DEAR NOT A GIFT PICKER: No, you shouldn't. Because you find these functions to be onerous, consider putting in a short appearance at the Christmas party and then "rushing off" because you have a "schedule conflict." As to your gift selection problem, at this time of year most people are inundated with catalogs with all sorts of offerings. Open a few, select any item in your price range and order it. Or consider a gift card. Problem solved. DEAR ABBY: Is it OK to hang up the phone on someone who's making you angry on a personal call? I'm referring to adult conversations, not children calling each other. For instance, when I'm talking to my husband, my mother or a friend and the conversation has deteriorated to an argument or become unbearable and insufferable, can I just hang up the phone? Or must I first blurt out, "I'm hanging up the phone now"? Are there rules for hanging up the phone angry? Do manners require that phone calls must end by mutual agreement? Please, Abby, give us your permission to "cut off the crazies." -- SICK OF IT IN MICHIGAN DEAR SICK OF IT: I do not think it is constructive to slam the phone down. If a caller becomes abusive, you could say, "I can't listen to this," or, "We'll talk later when you're not upset," before putting the phone down. However, if these ugly conversations happen often, you might be wise to consider screening your calls before answering. DEAR ABBY: My fiance, "Rob," and I are pregnant. This should be an exciting time for me, but he keeps bringing up a previous relationship during which he had an unplanned child. That was 10 years ago, and the mother denied him access. I have told Rob how much his mentioning it upsets me and I have asked him not to do it, especially during my pregnancy. I want to feel happy and special as the woman who will be providing Rob with an actual family unit. But instead I feel like second-best and resentful. This should be a time to focus on us and our new baby, not the child that isn't in his life or that woman and her stupid actions. Please advise me. -- SOON-TO-BE MOM IN DENVER DEAR MOM: You ARE special and you ARE the person who is creating a new family with Rob, but your pregnancy may be a painful reminder of the child he "lost." He may be afraid the same thing could happen again and need all the reassurance you can give him that it won't. Because his bringing up the past relationship is hurtful, suggest he talk with a licensed mental health professional about it. Sometimes the best way to stop grieving is to talk about it. DEAR ABBY: Call me ungrateful, but I am very uncomfortable receiving gifts. How can I get longtime friends to stop bringing hostess gifts when I invite them over? I don't need anything, and I resent feeling I am obligated to take something to them, too. Why do women do this and men not feel so compelled? I have tried remarking, "The present of your 'presence' is present enough," but it continues. I need your help. -- UNGRACIOUS IN FLORIDA DEAR UNGRACIOUS: Women usually bring hostess gifts because they were raised to believe it is the gracious thing to do. ("Don't come empty-handed.") Since "remarking" hasn't gotten your message across, you will have to be more direct with your friends. TELL them that when they visit, you would prefer they bring only themselves and nothing more. Then explain that you are at a point where you have enough "things" and do not need or want any more. DEAR ABBY: I have been married to "Tom" for nine years. I moved into his house after we married. I downsized a lot of my belongings, but the problem is, Tom doesn't want me to have anything of mine in his house. He's always giving my things away or making remarks about what I do have is trash. I have decided to put everything of mine into storage. I will even keep my clothing elsewhere and keep only a comb and toothbrush in his home. This makes me very sad because I feel he does not value me. I feel homeless even though I have a place to stay. I work and we split the bills. I don't know why he's so negative about anything that is mine, and I'm wondering if I should just move out. I have tried talking to him and he says he is "only joking" when he offers something of mine to someone else. However, because he has given away my things in the past, it's not a joke to me. -- GUEST IN MY OWN HOUSE DEAR GUEST: When a couple marries, depending upon their circumstances, they find a way to combine their belongings or start fresh. That your husband would give your things away without your permission is insensitive and disrespectful. That you have tolerated it until now tells me your marriage is not one of equals, which is not healthy for you. Under these circumstances, I can understand why you would want to leave. If Tom is willing to accompany you to couples counseling, it MIGHT help you to communicate better. However, if he isn't, YOU should talk to a therapist about your entire relationship with Tom so you won't find yourself in a subservient position in future relationships after you move out and divorce him. DEAR ABBY: I am a 25-year-old who has been dating a great guy for a year. The relationship is everything I have dreamed of -- and more. My only concern is that my friends don't seem to care much for him. That doesn't bother me, but what does bother me is they are distancing themselves from me now. I'm no longer invited to gatherings. My "best friend" doesn't keep in touch anymore, and I have given up on trying to reach out every time. If I do manage to talk to her, she makes an excuse to get off the phone as quickly as possible. I have never done this to any of my friends, regardless of whom they were dating or what life threw at them. Is this a normal part of life? Should I reconsider my friendships? -- BOTHERED IN BOSTON DEAR BOTHERED: Relationships sometimes ebb and flow. Before "reconsidering" these friendships, have a frank and honest chat with these women about why they don't like your boyfriend. That your BFF would treat you the way she has is puzzling, unless she's jealous because you spend so much time with your boyfriend or he has offended her in some way. On a different note, does this man have friends of his own? Do the two of you socialize with other couples? Having been together for a year, are you making new friends together? If the answer to these questions is yes, then it may, indeed, be time to move on from this tribe of girlfriends. DEAR ABBY: So many of your letters involve people having difficulty communicating with others. Here's a safe, honest, straightforward technique for targeting the behavior, sharing feelings and explaining the reasons for those feelings. It is called an "I-Statement" and has three parts: (1) "When you ..." (2) "I feel/felt ..." (3) "Because ..." I-Statements can be used for the sharing of any and all feelings by kids, teens and adults. Feelings are valid because they are our honest emotions. In addition to giving positive strokes to one another, people can learn to better understand each other and have whole, complete and satisfying resolutions to problems. Try it! -- SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST (RETIRED) IN OHIO DEAR PSYCHOLOGIST: I will! When I received your suggestion about improving communication, I felt grateful that you took the time to share it because it was not only generous of you but also may be helpful to many of my readers. Thank you for sending it. Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069. Some Poinciana residents say theyre being unfairly represented by their homeowners association; now they've filed a lawsuit against the HOA. Friends of Poinciana Villages (FOPV), is an organized group of residents who are suing their homeowners association, developer AV Homes, and the association for Village One. The people who are members of FOPV feel that the homeowner's association is not representing their interests in the community, said Keith Laytham, press secretary for FOPV. The HOA is known as the Association of Poinciana Villages or APV. Residents claim that laws have been broken, such as not completing timely audits or improperly bidding out contracts. Tom Slaten, the attorney representing APV, says thats not true. The complaint that the audit was late and then the general allegation that the major million dollar project or the $4 million facilities project shouldve been cast out to bid, but it was," said Slaten. "So theyre mistaken on pretty much everything that theyve alleged. Laytham says it doesnt stop there. He claims the president and vice president of the Village One unit of the APV were recently kicked out for having opposing views. If youre a member of the board of directors, youre supposed to be a rubber stamp figurehead for the developer and that if you do anything in opposition to that, your time on the board will be limited, said Laytham. In the lawsuit, FOPV is asking the court to stop all APV meetings and elections. Jennifer Englert, the attorney representing FOPV, said that because they have asked them to mediate, they have offered to mediate and are waiting to hear back. "The main issue is the election that is coming up and we want it to be a fair election. So were hoping that will be held off until we can have further discussions, if theyre really serious about helping the community, said Englert. This community and this board and this management company have been very transparent. We are hiding nothing, we have an open door policy, said Dottie McStay, part of the executive board for APV. McStay said theyve always welcomed questions and feedback from the residents and added that things couldve been talked over before getting this far. GET OUR APP Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. Download it here. Dania Fadhli and Ruanne Elmalawani are well aware of the recent vandalism at a mosque in Titusville. But that will not stop these University of Central Florida students, who grew up proudly displaying their Muslim faith. I actually started wearing the hijab about a month ago, said Dania Fadhli, who is a 19-year-old student at UCF. That was a big decision for me to make and I know a lot of people have said that its not the right time because of all the anti-Islamic sentiment thats being perpetuated. But I think its the opposite, Fadhli said. It was my choice to put it on and it will be my choice to take it off and it wont be because Im scared or because I dont feel safe, said 20-year-old Ruanne Elmalawani about her hijab. Its not fair to change who I am just so I can feel safe. However, the young women are aware some people will look at them differently because of their head coverings. I definitely have experienced some stares and looks but I try to look at it in the best light and of course there is also plenty of positivity to outweigh it, Fadhli said. It doesnt bother me because I just think of it as now Ive had the opportunity to shut down their stereotype and maybe change their point of view. My parents wanted me to take off my hijab as well, they were so worried about me going to school, going to my job, Elmalawani added. In light of recent events, The Islamic Society of Central Florida sent out a security alert Tuesday. Travel in groups whether you go for shopping, dining, or anywhere else Avoid suspicious people and areas Be aware of who is around you Do not take unfamiliar routes or routes that are not well-lit and without traffic Please report any suspicious activities at the local Masjid to the appropriate security persons or Imam Always keep your children within reaching distance Please be vigilant and use common sense If a conflict situation arises, do not allow it to escalate and remove yourself and your loved ones from the environment as soon as possible. Please report ANY incident to your local Imam. If there is danger of bodily harm to you or your loved one, call 911 IMMEDIATELY. Thats exactly why someone reported a suspicious package at a mosque on Pershing Avenue Tuesday night. The investigation closed streets and caused evacuations. That package was eventually deemed safe by the Orlando Police Department. People are just scared of what they dont know, Elmalawani said. A Seminole County woman charged with premeditated first-degree murder in the shooting death of her daughter two years ago rejected a plea deal Tuesday and asked for a harsher sentence. Sujatha Guduru rejected a plea deal her attorney negotiated with the state. For pleading guilty to second-degree murder, Guduru would have served a maximum of 30 years. In court she rejected it and asked the judge for a harsher sentence life in prison. If you give me life in prison right now I can take it, said Guduru. Her attorney, Brian Bieber, says Guduru is consumed with guilt over fatally shooting her daughter, 17-year old Chetana Guduru, at the familys Oviedo home on Jan. 27, 2014. Ms. Guduru has gone rogue. Shes rejected all of the legal advice we have given her, said Bieber. The state now says the plea deal is off the table, and Guduru could get life in prison or go to trial. Experts have ruled Guduru mentally competent to stand trial, but her attorney convinced a judge to halt the case for now until she can be once again mentally evaluated. PREVIOUS STORIES: AUSTIN - Brad Bean of Gillsburg, Mississippi, was re-elected to the Farm Credit Bank of Texas Board of Directors, and Betty Flores of Laredo, Texas, was reappointed to the board of the cooperatively owned bank, which is headquartered in Austin. The two board members will each serve three-year terms beginning Jan. 1. Bean, who was elected by the voting stockholders of the bank, has served on the FCBT board since 2013. Flores, a board-appointed director, has been a board member since 2006. Hale County Precinct 3 Constable Terry Timms has been displaying Christian cross decals on the tailgate of his patrol pickup since October 2011 without a single complaint. In fact, he continues to receive positive comments about his show of faith. However, another law enforcement agencys display of Christian crosses on patrol vehicle has drawn a complaint from the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation. According to a report by The Texas Tribune, State Attorney General Ken Paxton has been asked by a West Texas district attorney to review the legality of such religious displays by law enforcement officers. Johnathan Silver, a Texas Tribune writer, explains that DA Rod Ponton, who serves four West Texas counties, asked Paxton for an opinion on whether sheriffs deputies in Brewster County are allowed to place stickers in the shape of crosses on the back of their patrol vehicles. Ponton made his request in Late December, as the office came under fire from the Freedom From Religion Foundation. The debate, Silver notes, is reminiscent of when lawmakers asked Paxton in October whether the Childress Police Department violated the First Amendment with its In God We Trust displays on patrol vehicles. Area lawmakers and Gov. Greg Abbott supported the displays. Paxton agreed. Subsequently, the message began appearing on a host of vehicles operated by first responders, including those in Plainview and surrounding counties. I havent heard from that foundation or anybody else complaining about the crosses on my pickup, Timms said Tuesday, and if a do, Ill tell them the same thing the police chief in Denton said, Go fly a kite. I plan to leave them on unless the county commissioners and county judge tell me otherwise, or Im voted out of office. Timms has been displaying the Christian faith symbols on his official patrol vehicle since 2011, shortly after the rolled his county-owned pickup truck while on a high-speed pursuit. In October, which the controversy over the In God We Trust decals erupted, Timms told the Herald that the crosses are a sign of gratitude to his faith, which he says protects him when he is on duty. "Every day that I get inside that vehicle, I thank the good Lord for another day and ask for his protection," Timms said, who lives in Abernathy and serves the southern half of Hale County. Though he says he doesn't push his religion on anyone, the crosses do let people know he is willing to talk faith or pray for anyone who asks for it. "A lot of times we have the opportunity, more so in law enforcement, to counsel somebody or let them know there's help out there," Timms said. "I've counseled with a lot of individuals that have sat in my vehicle over the years. By placing your trust and faith in God, situations can always turn around." Though cotton prices are still hovering in the low $.60s, a wet 2015 helped to slightly ease the pain of dismal prices as yields for farmers who planted the fiber harvested were better than expected. Though numbers are not final, according to USDA's latest report, Texas farmers have a running total of 4,068,000 bales from the 2015 crop ginned thus far. In its December report of cotton gin totals, the USDA reports Texas is now the largest producer of cotton in 2015, with Georgia producing 1,651,700 bales so far. Mississippi has ginned a total of 603,200 bales; North Carolina has produced 494,400; Arkansas has ginned 481,350 and Alabama has ginned 469,550 bales. Breaking the state down into districts, reported numbers saw Hale County producing 132,900 bales in District 11, whose gins pumped out a total of 533,750 bales. Also in District 11, Floyd County ginned 185,700 bales while Swisher County gins rolled out 45,650 bales. In District 12, 16 counties produced 2,228,350 so far out of the 2015 crop. Lubbock County's gins led the pack with 401,900 bales produced, while Gaines County have produced 273,050 bales and Hockley County totaled 214,450 bales. Lynn has churned out 199,500 bales so far; Lamb County 176,000, Dawson County has totaled 175,700 bales and Crosby County 164,650. District 12 was by far the largest producer of cotton in 2015, with District 11 following. Mary Jane Buerkle, who is the director of communication and public affairs for the Plains Cotton Growers said the USDA is expecting the Northern and Southern High Plains to produce an estimated 4,030,000 bales from the 2015 crop. "This is expected to be the largest cotton crop since 2010," Buerkle said. This news was a blessing as 2015's cotton crop was the smallest to be planted in decades. In the U.S., only 8.56 million acres of cotton were planted. But heavy rains in 2015 helped every seed grow, as farmers saw significant yields in both irrigated and dryland farms. With cotton still selling at a low point, acres to be planted in 2016 is expected to be smaller as farmers may choose to switch to grain crops. The massive blizzard at the end of December will help subsoil moisture across the Texas High Plains. DEAR HARRIETTE: I am the editor of my high school newspaper. I am the last step in approving articles, layouts and comics before the issue goes out. The most recent issue of the paper went out, and I approved a cartoon about cheerleaders that I thought was funny. It had them doodled with someone in the stands going, "Who is that? What are they even doing?" I thought this was comical because the cheerleaders at my high school aren't popular, and this brought it up in a funny way. No one is particularly sure why they're doing all of their lifts and flips, and I thought it was a funny comic everyone would relate to. The cheerleading team was offended, and I have received backlash about how it wasn't OK to let that comic into the paper. I still think it's funny, but I need to repair the paper's reputation. How can I apologize? I can't go to everyone individually to say sorry! -- Bad Editing, Westchester, New York DEAR BAD EDITING: While the comic was likely funny, it sounds like it was funny at the cheerleaders' expense. Whenever you, as an editor, allow jabs like that, you can expect some kind of backlash. The first thing you need to think about is your audience. An editor's job is to provide content that is appropriate for and appealing to his or her audience. You must consider what the boundaries should be as it relates to criticizing members of your audience. Clearly, in this case, many feel you went too far. What you can do is print a note from the editor in the next paper apologizing for being insensitive. You may want to say that you thought the comic was in good fun but see that sometimes critical humor can have too big of a bite. DEAR HARRIETTE: My son is a daredevil, and his behavior seems to have gotten more dangerous with age. When he was young, there would be many Band-Aids and even a few hospital visits throughout the years. In his teens, he took up mountain biking and other extreme outdoor sports. He is in his 20s now, and he wants to begin skydiving. This worries me the most out of all of his hobbies because I find it the most dangerous. Whenever I bring this up to my son, he calls me a nag or a worrywart. I know I can't restrict him from doing anything, but if he were severely injured (or worse, killed!), I would never be able to forgive myself for not trying to step in. What can I say to him to make sure he stays safe? I don't know if he'll listen, but I want him to go back to safer activities. -- Daredevil's Mom, Denver DEAR DAREDEVIL'S MOM: I'm sorry to say that there's virtually nothing you can do. Your son's history shows you who he is and how he wants to spend his time. As his mother, of course you are concerned for his safety and wish he made other choices. Rather than being a doom-and-gloom soothsayer, suggest that your son get as much training as possible in all of his pursuits so that he can perform them as safely as possible. DEAR HARRIETTE: I am a man who lives in a mostly rural area. I tore my Achilles tendon and need help being driven to work and doing basic chores like collecting the mail and grocery shopping. Living next to me is a family with five children, and the two oldest children have been instrumental in keeping my life moving swiftly. They drive me, deliver my mail and get me groceries if I need (I give them my credit card to pay). I know their parents had a hand in prodding them to help me out, and I plan on giving them a thank-you letter along with some canned peaches from my earlier harvest. For the children, however, I would like to somehow pay them for how kind they've been to me. One is in high school, and the other attends a community college, and both have helped me. Would it be distasteful to pay them when I am healed? I wouldn't want them to think I thought of them as employees, but I know teens need some financial help. I would love to thank them in a way they'd appreciate. Do you think giving them each some cash would be an appropriate thank-you, or would it seem impolite? -- Grateful for Neighbors, Bumpass, Virginia DEAR GRATEFUL FOR NEIGHBORS: Since your injury may take quite some time to heal, I suggest that you start your thank-yous early. Check in with the parents and tell them how grateful you are for their children's support. Express clearly that you would not be able to get through this without them. With the children, when they take you on errands, occasionally invite them to have a treat -- an ice cream cone or some other item that you can share while sitting and talking to them. In this way, you get to know them better, including their hopes and dreams. When you are fully healed and no longer need their help, write them thank-you notes and enclose a little cash. In your note to each, point out something that you learned about the young person and his or her aspirations for the future. Suggest that the monetary gift you have offered be used to help them toward their goals. DEAR HARRIETTE: I plan on going on vacation in the springtime with my sisters and some of my cousins. I invited my mother on the trip, but she has a scheduling conflict with another event. My mother's boyfriend has said he'll come with us instead. He was never explicitly invited, and my mother told him he could take her place without consulting anyone else. He appears to be doing this to get closer to the family. Honestly, I do not want him coming, and most of the people on the trip have not met him. There is a big age gap: We are mostly young women, and he is a man in his 50s. I am not happy that my mother assumed he was invited on the trip, but now I have to get this entire mess untangled. I am considering saying the trip is canceled or calling it a "girls' family vacation." How can I get my mother's boyfriend off the vacation train? -- No Tagalongs, Shreveport, Louisiana DEAR NO TAGALONGS: Start with your mother. Tell her you invited her for this special girls' trip and feel uncomfortable having her boyfriend join the group. Ask her to let him know. If she does not, you can tell him yourself that this trip is girls-only. DEAR HARRIETTE: My father makes present-giving difficult for the family and me. He renounces presents that aren't homemade. I have painted, made elaborate pickles and even tried creating ceramics for him, but these days, I do not have the time to hunt down a creative project for every occasion I give him gifts. He does not make me homemade presents, but he expects everyone to put in hours of time to create him a present. Admittedly, some years were very fun to spend creating a gift, but I think there should be leeway as we get older. I do not want to upset my father, but we will not always be able to carve out hours for a present. Could I buy him a present with a handmade card? He has never liked store-bought presents my whole life, but I think it is time for a change. -- Store-Bought is Fastest, Annapolis, Maryland DEAR STORE-BOUGHT IS FASTEST: Let me start by saying that spending a few hours creating a gift for your father shouldn't be a chore. Consider it a privilege. And refresh your thinking about what to give him. My sister started making digital calendars and mugs with family pictures on them. In this way, the family gets a record of the activities of family members over the course of the year. It is partially homemade and loaded with sentiment. Another idea is to write your father a note detailing the activities of the year and expressing your gratitude for reaching the turning point of another year. You can thank him for his presence in your life and express your love. That's called making memories. Lifestylist and author Harriette Cole is president and creative director of Harriette Cole Media. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. Whether if youre into hard rock concerts, comedy standups, festivals or amusement parks, San Antonios got you covered. From now until the end of March, the so-called "lame" Alamo City has a jam-packed calendar with hot events like big shows from global hit makers Fetty Wap and Future, who both have upcoming shows at The Aztec Theatre. San Antonios first food truck park will bid adieu this weekend during its final Food Truck Throw Down. For the last time, food trucks will roll into The Boardwalk on Bulverde, located at 14732 Bulverde Road, for a two-day farewell feast on Friday from 6-10 p.m. and Saturday from noon-10 p.m. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, National Geographic magazine is leading their January issue with a unique image of Yosemite. "Yosemite Park is a place of rest, a refuge from the roar and dust and weary, nervous, wasting work of the lowlands, in which one gains the advantages of both solitude and society," naturalist John Muir wrote in 1938. "Nowhere will you find more company of a soothing peace-be-still kind." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A San Antonio man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for the violent beating of two San Antonio police officers. Darryn Robert Burgess, 42, was sentenced Monday by state District Judge Lori Valenzuela. A Bexar County jury convicted him in late October of assault on a public servant. The jury also found that the offense was committed with a deadly weapon, according to a news release from the Bexar County District Attorney's Office. The incident occurred Nov. 10, 2013, when San Antonio police officers Roberto Aguilar and Yvette Meade had gone to an emergency detention call at Christus Santa Rosa Emergency Center in the 11500 block of NW Military Drive. Police said medical personnel requested the emergency detention because Burgess represented a danger to himself and others, and told the officers that he was agitated when he arrived and complained that he had poison in his blood, or had been bitten by a snake or spider, the release stated. A doctor examined Burgess and found him to be paranoid and delusional because of ingesting methamphetamine and when the officers tried to take him to another hospital, Burgess became uncooperative, then combative. He resisted being handcuffed and both officers deployed their Tasers, which had no effect, the release stated. Reports indicated when Meade attempted to handcuff Burgess again, he punched her in the face and knocked her out. Burgess then began violently punching Aguilar in the face, forcing him back down a hallway and falling on top of the officer. Aguilar pulled his gun to defend himself and when the weapon discharged, a bullet hit the officer in the leg, but the noise caused Meade to regain consciousness, the release states. She shot Burgess and placed him in custody. During testimony in the punishment phase, both officers told the jury that the incident continues to affect their lives. Aguilar told the jury he has had numerous surgeries to repair his leg, and will need more surgeries the rest of his life. Meade and Aguilar each said they experience residual pain from the injuries. Records show Burgess has an extensive criminal history that includes 47 prior misdemeanor and 14 prior felony arrests, including seven felony convictions. Assault on a public servant is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Because of Burgess' prior convictions, he was found by Valenzuela to be a habitual offender, which under Texas law increased his minimum sentence to 25 years in prison, the release stated. ezavala@express-news.net Twitter: @elizabeth2863 SAN ANTONIO Facebook, mySA.com and Amazon are among the 10 most visited websites by city computers, including those operated by employees, public access terminals and devices connected to WiFi networks throughout San Antonio, according to records obtained by the Express-News. The city's website, sanantonio.gov, is the third most visited with 41.9 million "transactions completed" during a 30-day period ending Dec. 16, 2015, records show. Facebook had the most visits, with 54.2 million during that time period, and Microsoft, which hosts the city's email server Outlook, had 43.1 million transactions. SAN ANTONIO Tip Top Cafe, which has been operating in San Antonio since 1938, announced Wednesday it will allow customers to openly carry pistols in their restaurants, a move that a majority of restaurants and businesses, including Whataburger and H-E-B, have avoided. Jim Scott, managing partner for Tip Top Cafe, which operates restaurants at 2814 Fredricksburg Road and 13835 Nacodoches Road, said Wednesday in a statement that "we will not infringe on the Second Amendment rights of our customers." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A man arrested on charges of burglary Tuesday morning was discovered with a diagnostic device police believe may have been used to access vehicles. Christopher James Thatcher, 21, was arrested in the 1200 block of Greer Street after police linked him to multiple vehicle burglaries, San Antonio Police Department Sgt. Valente Garcia said. Thatcher faces a misdemeanor charge of burglary of a vehicle and could face other charges once detectives finish their investigation into other cases of theft. RELATED: Driver dies when truck hauling milk explodes near La Cantera Garcia said Thatcher is believed to be one of two suspects in at least 10 other burglaries. The other suspect was unidentified as of Tuesday evening. The two were targeting electronics, such as laptops and tablets, which Garcia said were recovered at pawn shops and from Thatcher himself. The goods stolen were estimated to cost between $2,000 to $5,000. A vehicle diagnostic code scanner manual and a charging device also was found in a plastic baggy in Thatchers possession. "The individuals had in their possession what appeared to be a type of scanner related to vehicle decoding, but we were unable to validate that equipment (and) whether it worked or not," Garcia said. RELATED: Marine charged with murder in road rage slaying of UNT student from San Marcos Police said Thatcher did not mention the device but that it was found it among the items they recovered. Garcia said the best tips to avoid being a victim of vehicle burglaries include locking doors and not leaving items in clear view of passersby. "Don't leave your items in plain sight," he said. jbeltran@express-news.net Twitter: @JBfromSA Federal agents arrested a U.S. Marine accused of killing a 20-year-old University of North Texas student in the early morning hours of New Year's Day in Denton. Visitation services for Sara Mutschlechner, a San Marcos High School graduate, will take place at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Pennington Funeral Home in San Marcos. You have to be seriously geeky to get excited when the Internal Revenue Service releases a new batch of statistics. Well, Im a big geek; like quite a few other people who work on policy issues, I was eagerly awaiting the IRSs tax tables for 2013, which were released last week. And what these tables show is that elections really do have consequences. You might think that this is obvious. But on the left, in particular, there are some people who, disappointed by the limits of what President Barack Obama has accomplished, minimize the differences between the parties. Whoever the next president is, they assert or at least, whoever it is if its not Bernie Sanders things will remain pretty much the same, with the wealthy continuing to dominate the scene. And its true that if you were expecting Obama to preside over a complete transformation of Americas political and economic scene, what hes actually achieved can seem like a big letdown. But the truth is that Obamas election in 2008 and re-election in 2012 had some real, quantifiable consequences. Which brings me to those IRS tables. One of the important consequences of the 2012 election was that Obama was able to go through with a significant rise in taxes on high incomes. Partly this was achieved by allowing the upper end of the Bush tax cuts to expire; there were also new taxes on high incomes passed along with the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. If Mitt Romney had won, we can be sure that Republicans would have found a way to prevent these tax hikes. And we can now see what happened because he didnt. According to the new tables, the average income tax rate for 99 percent of Americans barely changed from 2012 to 2013, but the tax rate for the top 1 percent rose by more than 4 percentage points. The tax rise was even bigger for very high incomes: 6.5 percentage points for the top 0.01 percent. These numbers arent enough to give us a full picture of taxes at the top, which requires taking account of other taxes, especially taxes on corporate profits that indirectly affect the income of stockholders. But the available numbers are consistent with Congressional Budget Office projections of the effects of the 2013 tax increases projections that said the effective federal tax rate on the 1 percent would rise roughly back to its pre-Reagan level. No, really: For top incomes, Obama has effectively rolled back not just the Bush tax cuts but Ronald Reagans as well. The point, of course, was not to punish the rich but to raise money for progressive priorities, and while the 2013 tax hike wasnt gigantic, it was significant. Those higher rates on the 1 percent correspond to about $70 billion a year in revenue. This happens to be in the same ballpark as both food stamps and budget office estimates of this years net outlays on Obamacare. So were not talking about something trivial. Speaking of Obamacare, thats another thing Republicans would have killed if 2012 had gone the other way. Instead, the program went into effect at the beginning of 2014. And the effect on health care has been huge: According to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of uninsured Americans fell 17 million between 2012 and the first half of 2015, with further declines most likely ahead. Now, to be fair, some widely predicted consequences of Obamas re-election predicted by his opponents didnt happen. Gasoline prices didnt soar. Stocks didnt plunge. The economy didnt collapse in fact, the U.S. economy has now added more than twice as many private-sector jobs under Obama as it did over the same period of the George W. Bush administration. So now were heading for another presidential election. And once again the stakes are high. Whoever the Republicans nominate will be committed to destroying Obamacare and slashing taxes on the wealthy in fact, the current GOP tax-cut plans make the Bush cuts look puny. Whoever the Democrats nominate will, first and foremost, be committed to defending the achievements of the past seven years. The bottom line is that presidential elections matter, a lot, even if the people on the ballot arent as fiery as you might like. You probably noticed that 2015 was pretty weird. But, hey, its a brand-new year a fresh start, a blank slate, an unwritten script. In 2016, what could possibly go wrong? Uh, where to begin? My fingers balk at typing the words President-elect Trump because I dont think such a thing will actually happen. But at this point Im wondering how to justify ruling anything out. A year ago, was there anyone on Earth who predicted that Donald Trump would utterly dominate the Republican presidential race? That the boastful billionaire would be setting the nations political agenda? That Jeb Bush, armed with more campaign money than he could possibly spend, would be drifting helplessly toward the single-digit wings of the crowded debate stage? Nobody saw this coming, least of all the GOP establishment grandees who, as I wrote in August, are working their way through Elisabeth Kubler-Ross five stages of grief. First there was denial (What a weird dream; maybe it was something we ate), then anger (Hes a clown, hes a jerk, he should be drawn and quartered), then bargaining (OK, OK, we give up on immigration reform). Now party elders seem to be sinking into the fourth stage, depression. I have no idea whether theyll have to reach the final stage, acceptance. Trumps legions turn out for his revivalist-style rallies, but will they actually vote? If they do and if the establishment-approved candidates keep pulling one another down like crabs in a barrel then Trump is the likely GOP nominee. There, I said it. That doesnt make him our likely next president, though. Most Americans are appalled by notions such as forcibly deporting 11 million undocumented migrants or hanging a No Muslims Allowed sign on the Statue of Liberty. Quite a few dyed-in-the-wool Republicans, asked to support a candidate whose platform amounts to ethnic cleansing, surely would sit this one out or even vote for the Democratic nominee, probably Hillary Clinton. Trump vs. Clinton could be a wipeout defeat for the Republican Party on the scale of the 1964 Barry Goldwater debacle. The only caveat? See above re: absolutely ruling anything out. What else could go wrong in 2016? Well, politics isnt the only realm in which we have to shift our thinking from no way to please make it stop. Climate is another. Scientists confidently predict that 2015 will prove to have been the hottest year on record, perhaps by a considerable margin. And last week, temperatures at the North Pole may have reached the melting point roughly 50 degrees above normal for this time of year. Also last week we had deadly tornadoes in Texas, bad flooding in the Mississippi Valley, worse flooding across South America and hurricane-force winds in the North Atlantic. On the bright side, theres been no plague of locusts, far as I can tell. It is true that the proximate cause of most of this anomalous weather is believed to be an unusually strong El Nino phenomenon in the Equatorial Pacific. I am obliged to include the disclaimer that no one weather event can be definitively blamed on climate change not even the fact that I saw people in Washington wearing shorts and sandals on Christmas Eve. That said, lets be real. At this point, anyone who rejects the scientific consensus on human-induced global warming is either a blinkered ideologue, a Republican presidential candidate or both. In other news, what could go wrong in Congress is obvious; the same things go wrong every year. What could go wrong in foreign affairs is too depressing to contemplate. So maybe its better to think about what could go right. The economy continues to grow slowly, perhaps, but steadily. Crime is at or near historical lows. About 90 percent of Americans have health insurance, which is closer to universal coverage than weve ever been. Budget-busting medical costs have slowed their rise. These and other positive trends should continue, as the nation lives through an election campaign that will not be able to dodge issues of fundamental importance. In 2016, were likely to see an exercise in democracy that is passionate, messy, at times ugly but vitally important. eugenerobinson@washpost.com Just-concluded 2016 was the year of the copper mug, as the Moscow Mule cocktail reigned supreme at bars across the country. However, at Total Wine & More, we always have our eye out for the next big thing. For 2017, we see some shakeups in the cocktail world. Classic cocktails continue their comeback. We look forward to reacquainting ourselves with old favorites like the Manhattan, Negroni and Old-Fashioned, to name a few. Like the many variations inspired by the Moscow Mulesee the Irish Mule and Caribbean Mulewe anticipate bartenders will put their own spin on storied cocktails, and we cant wait to see what they serve up. Cinnamon whisky continues to dominate the spirits industry, and its influence has been felt within the countrys cocktail scene. Recipes featuring cinnamon and nutmeg are helping mixologists bring a bit of heat to their drink repertoire, especially during the cold winter months. For those looking to mix up cocktails with a bite, we recommend Catch Fire Cinnamon Whisky, which offers the perfect balance of cinnamon, caramel and vanilla. Its the perfect centerpiece for our delightful Apple Pie Delight cocktail: Apple Pie Delight 2 oz. Catch Fire Cinnamon Whisky 2 oz. cider Powdered cinnamon and sugar mix, for garnish Apple slice, for garnish Wet rim of lowball glass and dip into cinnamon and sugar mix to coat. Fill glass with ice. Pour cinnamon whisky and cider into glass. Stir well and garnish with apple slice. Thanks to the skyrocketing popularity of craft beer, bartenders have begun experimenting with beer cocktails. While such a concept may seem a bit strange, in the right hands a bit of hops and barley can make a delicious drink. Were seeing great combinations featuring Lager, gin and orange juice as well as established favorites like the Shandy, which typically includes beer mixed with ginger ale, ginger beer or lemon-lime soda. Heres a basic Shandy recipe, courtesy of the Food Network: Lemon Shandy (Serves 4) 2 cups lemonade 16 oz. Lager Fill four glasses with ice. Pour lemonade into each glass and top with beer. Last, but certainly not least, rum cocktails are poised to make a big splash in 2016, according to some of the countrys top mixologists. Rums rise is predicted to coincide with the return to prominence of beloved drinks like the frozen Daiquiri, long dismissed by the cocktail elite. In fact, some bars have begun serving up craft frozen drinks featuring quality rum and genuine sugar cane in unique flavors like kiwi mint julep. If you wish to get a head start on this years run on rum, we carry hundreds of different rums, including George Ocean, one of our new favorites, which hails from the West Indies and comes in a variety of flavors. Become a trendsetter and stock your bar with this years soon-to-be favorites by stopping by Total Wine & More. Del Norte 125 NW Loop 410 San Antonio, TX 78216 (210) 524-9300 The Rim 17530 La Cantera Parkway San Antonio, TX 78257 (210) 877-9155 You can also shop online at www.TotalWine.com. Editors Note: This content is made possible by Total Wine & More. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of The San Antonio Express-News' or mySanAntonio.com's editorial staff. Learn more about our advertising products at www.hearstmediasanantonio.com. SHARE By Daily News Staff Carrie Kerskie, director of Hodges University's Identity Fraud Institute, warned taxpayers not to throw out any letters they may have recently received from the Internal Revenue Service with a 2014 Identity Protection PIN number. Kerskie said she had been receiving calls from area residents who assumed the letters were a scam but they are not. The IRS confirmed in a news release that the letters, which were mailed in late December, were in error. The IP PIN numbers are the numbers taxpayers should use on their 2015 returns. An IP PIN is a six-digit number assigned to certain taxpayers in a pilot program in Florida, Georgia and the District of Columbia that provide an additional layer of protection against identity theft, which is most prevalent in those states. Once these taxpayers receive their assigned PIN number each year, which comes by postal mail, they must use it to confirm their identities on all federal income tax returns. Currently there is no way to opt out of the program. For more information, see https://www.irs.gov/Individuals/Understanding-Your-CP01A-Notice. Todd Gallers of the Outdoor Decor Store conducts business, Monday January 4, 2016, at the Bonita Springs store. His family is celebrating the grand opening of the Bonita Springs store and the second anniversary of their Naples store. SHARE The Galler family, owne'sr of two Outdoor Decor Stores sit in their Bonita Springs location, Monday, January 4, 2016. From left to right front: Sharon Galler and husband Todd Galler. Standing back left: Todd Galler and brother Daniel Galler. The Gallers are celebrating the grand opening of the Bonita Springs store and the second anniversary of their Naples store. Les Baker, manager at the Bonita Springs Outdoor Decor Store prepares the store for a daily opening Monday, January 4, 2015. The owner, the Galler family is celebrating the grand opening of the Bonita Springs store and the second anniversary of their Naples store. Daniel Galler, right, helps his brother, Timothy Galler instal a sign Monday, January 4, 2016 at Outdoor Decor Store in Bonita Springs store.Their family is celebrating the grand opening of the Bonita Springs store and the second anniversary of their Naples store. By John Osborne For the Galler clan, selling patio furniture is a family affair. The owners of the Outdoor Decor Store celebrated a pair of milestones in October, marking the second anniversary of their Naples location at 3375 U.S. 41 North in addition to opening their new location at 26701 U.S. 41 South in Bonita Springs. Having owned five furniture stores in Illinois and another furniture store in Southwest Florida over careers that have spanned more than 40 years in the industry, Sharon and Todd Galler said they were especially gratified to count sons Dan and Tim among their employees. "It's absolutely wonderful," Todd Galler said of the opportunity to work so closely with his wife and sons. "I had the honor of working with my father and my two brothers the majority of my life, so it's just a great feeling." Galler, whose stores sell lighting equipment, living and dining room sets, fire pits and outdoor carpeting to go along with patio furnishings, said a one-for-all, all-for-one attitude contributes to that great feeling. "We're all team players and we all get it," said Todd Galler, the father of four sons and a daughter. "We all work hard because we all benefit from it, and when I'm not there, I know I can count on everybody to get the job done. And that's why I elected to keep my family close to me. Because I know I've got a great staff, which over my career I have noticed is the hardest thing to assemble." Sharon Galler said her oldest son, Dan, and youngest son, Tim, play pivotal roles in running the family business. "I've also got another son in the Chicago area who we'd love to have onboard because he's a natural salesman," she said. Sharon Galler said that sort of natural flair for salesmanship extends even to her grandchildren. "I've got a 6-year-old granddaughter who's a natural, too," she said with a laugh. "We're always telling her that she'll come work for us one day, and I think everyone's salesmanship comes from being brought up around the business." As part owners of the stores, Tim and Dan Galler echoed the importance of the family connection. "Family is the whole reason we get up in the morning and do what we do each day," said Tim Galler, the father of a 1-year-old, with another baby on the way in July. "We all work very well together, and that's a great source of price for all of us." For his part, Dan Galler said that sort of pride is exemplified in the customer service offered at both Outdoor Decor Store locations. "People really seem to have noticed the level of our customer service because they keep coming back and spreading the word," he said. Patriarch Todd Galler said attention to detail marked another hallmark at the family's Outdoor Decor Store locations. "For every piece of furniture we sell, we uncrate it at the warehouse to make sure it's operable and everything is there when the customer gets it," he said, adding that his stores offer free local delivery and installation. "So many other retailers just throw stuff in a box and don't worry if something is broken or if a part is missing. But we go through every item because of how much pride we take in servicing our clients." To celebrate the grand opening of its Bonita location, Sharon Galler said the store would offer a variety of incentives throughout January. "We'll celebrate by giving our customers discounts and having them register for a free fire pit that we'll hold a drawing for on the last day of January," she said. For more information, see www.outdoordecorstoreinc.com. The Marco Island Center for the Arts presents Serafin String Quartet in a performance on Thursday, Jan. 21. Submitted SHARE By Submitted The Marco Island Center for the Arts presents Serafin String Quartet in a performance at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 21. The Quartet's recent recording on Naxos was named one of the "Top 10 Classical Albums of 2013" by Philadelphia's City Paper, and the Delaware-based Serafin String Quartet is sought after for performances around the nation. The concert features quartets by Shostakovich and Grieg as well as the Florida premiere of two short pieces for quartet, Veil of Leaves and Between the Accidental, by noted young composer Julia Adolphe. Adolphe's current commissions include a viola concerto for the New York Philharmonic and Principal Viola Cynthia Phelps. The Serafins share Adolphe's passion for exploring new works, and for expanding the musical conversation through the ages. The two brief works reveal her potential as a masterful string quartet composer. Veil of Leaves presents contrasting themes, and rich, earthy and dark sonorities contrasted by rhythmic exuberance and light harmonics. Between the Accidental juxtaposes highly dissonant sonorities with modal melodies. The program also includes Dimitri Shostakovich's String Quartet #3, a brilliant example of the composer's knack for conveying emotion, irony, character and sonic diversity. The program closes with Edvard Grieg String's Quartet Op. 27, the only complete string quartet from this great Norwegian composer. Grieg offers the listener a romantic display echoing the vigor and joy of life and love, while also dancing with death and the darker side of human experience. Hailed for "silken finesse and gritty vibrancy" by Gramophone Magazine and for "playing with style and sophistication" by The Strad Magazine, Serafin String Quartet debuted at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in 2004 and has consistently received superlatives in the press and ovations by audiences around the nation. The Quartet's highly acclaimed Naxos (2013) release featuring world premiere recordings of early chamber works by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon was listed as "Top 10 Classical Albums in 2013" by Philadelphia's City Paper. The Quartet's debut recording on Centaur (2010) is an "American Tapestry" of works by American composers and composers influenced by American sounds, including Barber, Dvorak, Gershwin and William Grant Still. Featured by Strings Magazine for innovative concert programming, Serafin String Quartet has been applauded at performances around the nation. The Quartet serves as Quartet in Residence at the University of Delaware and takes its name from master violin maker, Sanctus Serafin, who in 1728 crafted the violin currently played by SSQ violinist Kate Ransom. The other members play Testore instruments from the same era, thanks to generous support from Dr. William Stegeman. For more information, visit serafinquartet.org. If you go: Serafin String Quartet When: 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 21 Where: 1010 Winterberry Drive, Marco Island Cost: Tickets $50 Information: marcoislandart.org or 239-394-4221 SHARE Kevin Caldwell By Jacob Carpenter of the Naples Daily News An East Naples man accused of robbing a Dunkin' Donuts in November has been released after spending a month in jail and won't be prosecuted. Kevin Caldwell, 46, will not be charged with armed robbery and aggravated assault following a decision Wednesday by prosecutors not to go forward with the case. In an email, State Attorney's Office spokeswoman Samantha Syoen said "the eyewitness was not sure who committed the crime. A second witness recanted who they thought did it. The suspect had an alibi." Caldwell was held on $100,000 bond for robbery and assault charges, and he faced up to life in prison if prosecuted and convicted on the two counts. Investigators said the robber entered a Dunkin' Donuts near Airport-Pulling Road and U.S. 41 on Nov. 22, brandished a gun and demanded cash, taking $300. According to a news release announcing Caldwell's arrest in early December, a deputy who made contact with Caldwell the night before the robbery believed it was Caldwell on the Dunkin' Donuts surveillance video. Deputies made a six-person lineup and showed it to a store employee, who picked out Caldwell. Caldwell's roommate also identified him after being shown surveillance photos. But Caldwell's lawyer, Jerry Berry, said six other witnesses who saw Caldwell around the time of the holdup thought Caldwell didn't match the photos and video. In particular, the suspect had a mustache, while Caldwell did not. In an arrest report, a detective wrote that Caldwell denied robbing the store but "had no alibi for his whereabouts during the date and time of the robbery." Berry said his client did have an alibi a woman was with him at the time of the holdup but didn't know whether Caldwell provided information about it to deputies at the time of the arrest. Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Karie Partington said Wednesday that Caldwell initially provided an alibi he was in the hospital that didn't check out. "This is the only alibi we have been made aware of," Partington said in an email. Berry applauded the State Attorney's Office "for looking at this so quickly and determining there was insufficient evidence to go forward with the prosecution." Local law enforcement has arrested Caldwell several times in recent years for misdemeanor crimes theft, trespassing, violating probation but not for violent felonies. Tony Perino leads his sixth-grade history class at Gulf Coast Charter Academy South in September. The school has improved its state grade from an F to a B. daily news file SHARE Daily News file Sophiana Herard raises her hand to answer a question in Tony Perinos sixth-grade history class in September at Gulf Coast Charter Academy South. In this file photo, sixth grader Lily Braun raises her hand to answer a history question during class at Gulf Coast Charter Academy South on Sept. 14, 2015. (Carolina Hidalgo/Staff) By Melhor Leonor of the Naples Daily News The last time school performance grades were calculated by the state, Gulf Coast Charter Academy South appeared to be struggling academically. For the 2013-14 academic year, it earned an F. But in interviews and to school board members, charter leaders said they were confident the school would not establish a record of low performance all it needed was time to get off the ground. In a simulation of school grades released by the Florida Department of Education this month, signs point to success for the charter, which improved its performance letter grade from an F to a B. Gulf Coast Charter Academy South is one of Collier's five charter schools, four of which received good news when the state used standardized testing data and other metrics to measure performance. The grades released this month are being referred to as "simulations" by the state, because the rubric used to calculate them is based on a recommendation by state Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart. The recommendation still needs approval from the State Board of Education, and no official word will come until Wednesday. Still, many schools are celebrating the results of the simulation one indicator in a year troubled by testing flubs and delays in the release of performance data. Gulf Coast Principal William Staros said that taking into account that the school is 3 years old, the overhaul to Florida's standardized test, and the fact that the school has doubled its enrollment since it opened, "We believe that our dedicated faculty and staff performed extremely well." Mason Classical Academy, Collier County's newest charter founded by two sitting school board members, earned an A in the simulation a notable success for the school in its first year obtaining a rating. Good news also came for Marco Island Academy and Marco Island Charter Middle, which again earned A in the simulation. The only Collier County charter that saw a grade drop was Immokalee Community School, run by the Redlands Christian Migrant Association and which serves many minority, low-income students. Immokalee Community School went from a B to a C. The grade drop can be partly attributed to a change in the performance rubric that some believe disproportionately affects schools with high minority, low-income populations. In past years schools have obtained points toward their performance through learning gains. These numbers show how much a student improved in their mastery of content year-to-year, even if their test score is unchanged. More points are awarded for learning gains by a school's poorest performers, and for learning gains among students with limited English proficiency. Because the state rolled out a new standardized exam this year, state education officials have said it is impossible to calculate learning gains from last year to this year. At Immokalee Community School, 98 percent of students come from racial minorities, 53 percent are migrants, 53 percent have limited English proficiency, and all receive federally subsidized meals a proxy for poverty. "Given our population of students, learning gains is a very important part of the success equation for us," Immokalee Community School Director Juana Brown said. Gulf Coast Charter Academy South second to Immokalee Community School serves the most minority and low-income students among Collier County charters. Leaders there said they were also affected by the loss of points for learning gains. "We are convinced that if (learning gains) had been a part of this year's calculation, we would have certainly achieved an 'A' school grade," Staros said. Still, for Gulf Coast Charter Academy, which must renew its contract with the district in 2016, the results of the simulation come as a relief. "As we go through the ... charter renewal, this B rating ensures that we are academically and financially viable and as such, provides no material reason for the district to deny us the five year charter renewal we are seeking," Staros said. SHARE By Melhor Leonor of the Naples Daily News Collier County Public Schools celebrated Tuesday a 2.6 percent increase in the district's graduation rate, according to data released by the Florida Department of Education. Here, 84.3 percent of high school seniors last spring attained a diploma, surpassing the state graduation rate of 77.8 percent. "It's great for us to be able to outpace the state like that," said Superintendent Kamela Patton. The news is a mixed bag when looking at the performance of individual schools: Golden Gate High School saw an astounding 23 percent increase in their proportion of graduates, while four out of the district's seven traditional high schools saw decreases in their graduation rates. The schools that saw decreases were Lely High, Naples High, Lorenzo Walker High and Gulf Coast High. At Lely High, where the largest dip occurred, the graduation rate was down 4.5 percent from last year. Immokalee High improved its graduation rate by 2 percent and Barron Collier High by 1 percent. Tuesday morning, Patton could not comment on individual school performance, saying the state data had not yet been reviewed. Overall, the district saw increases in the proportion of economically-disadvantaged students and students with disabilities who obtained diplomas. The graduation rate among students who have limited English proficiency decreased. "We are always hoping to improve, but what we do want to do is take a minute to celebrate the successes," Patton said. In Lee County, traditional public schools saw a 0.6 percent decrease in the graduation rate 74.7 percent which is below the state graduation rate of 77.8 percent. But district officials say that a look at individual schools reveals positive news: 10 out of 14 saw increases. "Although we did have a slight drop, our district saw more of our schools increase their graduation rate compared to last year, so I thought that was something to celebrate," said Soretta Ralph, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning in Lee County. Estero High School saw a 5.7 percent increase in its graduation rate. The schools that saw decreases were Cape Coral High, East Lee County High, Island Coast High and North Fort Myers High. Ralph added that charter schools are also included in the graduation rates for public school districts and in Lee, some hold consistently low rates. Pivot Charter School in Fort Myers, for example, graduated just over a third of its students. This is the first year since the 2010-11 school year that Lee County Public Schools has seen a drop in its proportion of graduates. The rate had been climbing slowly. Looking at specific demographic groups, the district saw a dip in the proportion of disabled students obtaining diplomas and a dip in the number of at-risk students doing the same. Graduation rates increased among students with limited English proficiency and among students considered to be economically disadvantaged. Statewide, the graduation rate went up by 2.23 percent to 77.8 percent. State Education Commissioner Pam Stewart touted the 12-year high Tuesday. "More students are achieving success by earning a diploma, which will enable them to pursue higher education and meaningful careers," she said in a statement. Editor's note: An earlier version of the story miscalculated the change in graduation rates at local schools. Story has been updated to reflect the correct figures. Mike Harrison of Naples helps his daughter Liz, 17, load a shotgun while shooting in the gun range together at The Alamo by Lotus Gunworks in Naples on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2015. (Dorothy Edwards/Staff) By Arek Sarkissian of the Naples Daily News TALLAHASSEE In a bid to stop gun violence, President Barack Obama signed an executive order Tuesday that expands background checks to cover gun shows, online sales and everywhere else, a move that some Florida gun supporters said changed policy without going through a defiant Congress. Obama's executive order was aimed at stopping gun purchases by people prohibited from owning them, specifically purchases at flea markets or online where background checks are rarely conducted. The action also would modernize the background check system, provide the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with more agents to enforce existing laws and add 230 more FBI agents to monitor its background check system. Obama previously failed to pass similar measures through Congress in the wake of a December 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut that left 20 children and six school employees dead. "We know we can't stop every act of violence, every act of evil in the world," Obama said. "But maybe we could try to stop one act of evil, one act of violence." Obama dismissed claims his actions clashed with Constitutional law. But some Southwest Florida residents expressed skepticism and opposed the changes. At The Alamo gun range and store in North Naples, Joe Cece, 84, filled out his over-the-counter background check when he purchased a semi-automatic handgun Tuesday. Cece, who said he has owned guns since the 1950s, objected to Obama's executive actions. Cece described them as incremental steps "to confiscate our guns." "The problem I have is the way he's going about doing this," Cece said. "This guy is out of control. He's overriding Congress. He has no respect for the Constitution. None. Zero." John Paul, a lifetime gun owner from Bonita Springs who was shopping at The Alamo on Tuesday, said current gun laws would suffice if the government more adequately enforced them. Paul also said gun owners have an incentive to be responsible. Just as he keeps his guns in a safe, Paul said, he wouldn't sell them to a stranger at a gun show. "There's more than enough laws in place," Paul said. "Enforce the laws you have." Florida gun rights groups and Republican lawmakers came out strong against the president's executive order. Both U.S. Rep. Curt Clawson and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said the president's action violated the Second Amendment. "The president's actions today do not address the root causes of violence and terrorism. Instead, it is another attempt to chip away Second Amendment rights from the people by bypassing the Congress," Clawson said. "Moreover, fighting terrorism doesn't start with disarming the law abiding public, it's starts with enforcement." Putnam said he expected a surge in applications for concealed weapon permits, which his agency oversees. "And we are preparing to meet this increased demand," said Putnam, adding there currently are 1.4 million active concealed weapon permits in Florida. Eric Friday, a lawyer with gun-rights group Florida Carry, said Obama's order would not receive financial support from Congress. Obama is requesting $500 million to increase access to mental health care. "I doubt he'll get Congress to approve any money," Friday. "That's really all the control they have." The order also calls on the Social Security Administration to provide the FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System with information on beneficiaries who are prohibited from possessing a firearm for mental health reasons. Friday said people who were struggling with mental illness may see that as a reason to avoid help. "That's going to discourage people from getting treatment," Friday said. "People are not going to get help if they know they're going to be put on a government list." Marion Hammer, director of the Unified Sportsmen of Florida and past president of the NRA, said her attorneys were still reviewing the executive order. But she believed Obama overstepped a constitutional boundary by taking the action through executive order and not through legislation. "President Obama is willfully and knowingly violating the Constitution," Hammer said. "He is attempting to legislate and the authority to legislate belongs solely to the Congress and state legislatures." Hammer said she saw no problem with plans to hire more people and upgrade the federal background check system, but any other steps went beyond his duties as president. "He can hire more people to process background checks and do what needs to be done to upgrade the background check system and enforce existing law, something he could have and should have done a long time ago," Hammer said. "But under the Constitution he does not have the authority to change existing law or create new law." She argues that current law does not require people who sell guns privately or through flea markets to seek background checks for purchasers. Those sellers are not required to be federally licensed gun sellers, Hammer said. House Speaker Steve Crisafulli wrote a Facebook message Tuesday saying the answer to curbing gun violence is to reduce the crime rate. "As we begin the 2016 Legislative Session here in Florida, the House will continue to support measures that strengthen our Second Amendment rights and ensure Floridians can lawfully defend themselves, their families, and their property," said Crisafulli, a Merritt Island Republican. State Rep. Dave Kerner, D-Lake Worth, said with Congress unwilling to pass gun control measures, Obama had to do something. "In fact, I think he should do more," Kerner said. "And if he has broken a law, that's why we have a court system." Daily News reporter Joey Cranney contributed to this report. Contact Daily News reporter arek.sarkissian@naplesnews.com or 850-559-7620 A former Indy race car driver being held in the Collier County jail on 246 child porn charges also faces two capital sex charges in Lee County involving a 4-year-old girl shown in the photos found on his computer, court records show. Jon Herb, 43, who lives with his wife in Tiburon in North Naples, had a first appearance Sunday before Collier Circuit Judge Elizabeth Krier, who set bond at $10,000 per charge ? $2.46 million ? on child porn charges involving photos of him and a 4-year-old Fort Myers girl. Bond hasn't been set yet on two Lee County charges of sexual battery with a child less than 12 years old, which involve sex acts the child said occurred during baths with Herb and while they slept, arrest records show. '(The girl) disclosed that she takes baths with Jon Herb and they both have no clothes on,' a Lee sheriff's report says, noting the girl described how she performed oral sex on him. The girl, who lives in Lee County, told Lee sheriff's Detective Rachel Bauer-Fithian that activity also happens while they sleep and they'd whisper so they wouldn't awaken someone in the next room, the sheriff's report said. The report said it had been happening for 'a long time,' but he told her not to tell anyone because 'they would think she is a baby' and 'he would take her to jail if he told anyone.' A woman answering a phone listed to Herb's wife, Alyssa, 30, said 'no thank you' Monday when asked about the charges and hung up. It was Alyssa Herb who found the photos on her husband's computer and recognized the girl and another woman, an arrest report said. Their marriage license shows they married in June 2010 in Naples, though they were living in Orlando at the time. Herb made his Indianapolis 500 debut in 2001, finishing 27th. He competed in five other Indy races, with a best finish of ninth at Texas, and made six more starts in 2002. He later raced in the Infiniti Pro Series, qualified for the 2007 Indianapolis 500, but crashed and finished 32nd. He raced two more times in 2007, spun out and ended his career. Collier and Lee sheriff's reports show Alyssa Herb brought her husband's laptop computer to a North Naples sheriff's substation after she saw it was opened to a website showing photos of naked underage girls. Reports say she was 'concerned,' so she checked his computer photo album and found sexual pictures of her husband with a 4-year-old girl she recognized. During a call monitored by investigators, Alyssa Herb asked her husband about the girl, and he admitted who she was, but denied performing sex acts on other children. The state Department of Children and Families took the girl and her two siblings to the Children's Advocacy Center, where they were questioned and the girl admitted performing oral sex on him several times, reports say. When Collier sheriff's Detective Scott Peterson questioned Herb, he refused to talk but said he hadn't spoken to professionals about it. 'I've been trying to understand myself for some time,' Herb said, before asking to speak to a lawyer, according to a report. Herb has had a few brushes with law enforcement, mostly for speeding in Florida and North Carolina. But on Dec. 29, 2006, he was arrested at a Naples-area restaurant and accused of disorderly intoxication, battery, and resisting arrest after he was bothering women who asked to be left alone and he refused. A report said he was visibly intoxicated, refused to leave, tried to hit a bouncer, shoved him, then poked a deputy and refused to obey orders. He then was represented by Naples attorney Jerry Berry and entered a pretrial diversion program, which he completed successfully ? avoiding misdemeanor convictions. University of Florida President W. Kent Fuchs addresses gathering at UF/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences education and research center in Immokalee on Tuesday, January 5, 2016 SHARE Economic diversification Just days into the new year, events have unfolded that could push the region forward toward economic diversification in 2016. One of seven goals we suggested for Southwest Florida for 2016 is to ensure there's a clear vision a year from now for diversifying the economy to help businesses and the workforce survive the inevitable next boom-bust cycle. That doesn't just mean offering taxpayer dollars to lure new industry from other parts of the state and nation. It means finding ways to encourage companies already here to expand and to resist other regions if they come knocking on doors with a temptation of incentives to relocate. Monday's announcement that Collier County government will look for a new director for its economic development office creates an opportunity. So, too, does a ceremony Tuesday in Immokalee that served as an important reminder of the need to bolster and expand one of the region's economic mainstays. Agricultural research Tallahassee, Gainesville, Miami, Central Florida and Naples came together Tuesday on a 320-acre spread north of Immokalee, where scientists and researchers are helping make sure agriculture remains a linchpin of the region's and state's economy. A ceremony to mark the near-completion of the $2 million, 7,000-square-foot expansion of the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center drew nearly 150 people who spilled from a large community room into the lobby. What was impressive about the turnout wasn't just sheer numbers. It was the roster of those who carved out the day to get to the rural site off State Road 29. Notably, out of everywhere University of Florida President W. Kent Fuchs could have been Tuesday, he was in Immokalee, marking only the second visit from a UF president to the UF/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences education and research center in its 28 years. Several UF deans also attended. With a legislative session a week away, state Sen. Garrett Richter of Naples; state Sen. Dwight Bullard of Miami; state Rep. Matt Hudson, whose district stretches from Naples into Hendry; state Rep. Kathleen Passidomo of Naples; state Rep. Ben Albritton from Central Florida, and state Rep. Matt Caldwell from Lee County attended. Lawmakers were appropriately praised for their commitment to provide new labs, offices and five new researchers, the first of whom started work Monday. That underscored how so many grasped the importance, not just of the event, but the research center's work in looking for ways to help the citrus industry diagnose the devastating greening disease that is reducing production; effective ways to grow in various soils on a declining amount of acreage; and to effectively conserve water, among other research. It's about competing in a global marketplace, speakers noted. "We all share one thing in common: We have to eat," Hudson said, notably reminding the audience agriculture is "a multibillion-dollar pillar of our economy." Aaron Troyer, a potato grower who heads the South Florida Agricultural Council, said agriculture has an $8.1 billion impact on the region's economy. Another opportunity Leadership from Collier government, including Commissioners Tim Nance and Penny Taylor and County Manager Leo Ochs, were among those attending, a day after economic development director Bruce Register resigned. County leadership recently landed a California-based gourmet food company with $900,000 in incentives to create 250 jobs. That's a good fit in an agricultural hub. Yet Taylor aptly noted Monday that economic development is also about making sure major employers like medical device manufacturer Arthrex want to stay. Jack Payne, UF's senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources, said agriculture in some fashion employs about 37,000 residents. For perspective, that's more than 1 in 10 of Collier's population. That's why the Legislature's and UF's investment in the research center expansion unveiled Tuesday is so vital. Ensuring today's pillars of the economy stand, while also luring new companies, is economic diversification that will survive the inevitable next downturn. SHARE James Jay, Bonita Springs No thanks George and Laura Joeckel of Bonita Springs wrote a letter titled "We appreciate him" that raved about the great job Barack Obama is doing. Are you serious? President Obama will be known as one of the best presidents we ever had? First, foreign relations. Most of the world hates America thanks to Obama, our allies and our enemies. He gave Iran millions of our taxpayer dollars and allowed Iran a pathway to a nuclear bomb, as Iran continues to chant "Death to America and Israel." That is great foreign relations? He wants to bring in tens of thousands of Syrian refuges with no vetting system in place. We have open borders and are allowing criminals here illegally to kill, rape and rob American citizens, He wants law-abiding citizens' guns so they cannot even protect themselves. His No. 1 job is to protect Americans. He has failed miserably. Health care: I have been in the health care field for nearly 25 years. Since Obamacare, premiums are skyrocketing and people cannot afford them or the deductibles, but yet have to pay a fine, and they still don't have health care. The only group to deny more claims than insurance is the government. Doctors are being forced out of their practices because they cannot afford the electronic medical records systems that are government mandated. And they radically cut the physician fee reimbursement. This leaves many more patients with fewer doctors, and less time with the doctors left. It is a mess and will get worse. If you think an oppressive government taking our freedoms away while ignoring the Constitution, the law of our land, is a great thing, just ask a former Soviet Union citizen how they feel about oppression. SHARE Michael A. MacDowell is the managing director of the Calvin K. Kazanjian Economics Foundation. He lives in Estero. By Michael A. Macdowell A headline on a New York Times article read: "Surprise: Florida and Texas excel in math and reading scores." It may indeed be a "surprise" to the New York Times, but it shouldn't be to those who live in Florida and Texas. Many hard-working educators in these states are doing a better job than many think. The scores to which the article refers are from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). NAEP is the largest nationally representative and continually operating assessment of what American students know. Operating since 1969, NAEP includes assessments of math and reading that are conducted biannually among a random sample of U.S. students. Assessments of other subjects such as science, economics, civics, U.S. history, geography, and the arts as well as technology and engineering are also measured periodically. The "surprising" results come from an Urban Institute study which adjusted the raw NAEP scores in reading and math for the differences in the demographic, economic, race and native language skills of the students in all 50 states. Usually homogeneous states such as Nebraska, New Hampshire and Vermont come out on top. But when raw scores are adjusted, Florida, which had ranked 30th for 4th and 8th grade reading and math, jumped to fourth. Texas jumped from 32nd to an adjusted ranking of third among all states. We should be proud of our Florida teachers. However, we should also ask why teacher groups, unions, superintendents, school boards and others often take umbrage at tests designed to measure student progress. Sometimes the results can be "surprisingly" positive. Clearly there are too many tests given to students and these cut into valuable teaching time. However, long-term testing programs can give educators, school districts and taxpayers good insight into the effectiveness and efficiencies of our public schools. Neither Florida nor Texas scores rank very high in teacher salaries. In academic year 201213, the last year for which the National Education Association has published figures, Florida ranked 40th in teacher salary. Texas ranked 33rd. These figures seem to bear out a recent CATO Institute Study that shows an indirect relationship between the amount spent on education by various states between 1970 and 2006 and the scores reported by the National Center for Education Statistics. In short, more money doesn't guarantee increased student learning unless it is focused upon specific efforts to address identified inadequacies. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why the National Education Association and its state affiliates are so opposed to using testing to measure the effectiveness of schools. They maintain this position even when test scores can be adjusted for different income levels, race, and English proficiency. The pressure placed on state officials to abandon tests as a measure of school district effectiveness is overwhelming. But because taxpayers and most parents want and deserve some indication of school effectiveness, states like Florida come up with all sorts of work-arounds. Florida's current program that awards bonuses to teachers whose students score high on college entrance exams is a step in the right direction, but is far too limited by impacting only a relatively few high school teachers. Further it does little to improve Florida's low high school graduation rate. On the other hand, the state's use of decades-old teacher SAT and ACT scores to ascertain teacher effectiveness is ridiculous. This program in particular demonstrates the lengths to which deadlocked states must go in order to circumvent the plethora of objections to the use of good and well-analyzed test data to allocate funds available to incentivize effective teaching. A teacher's score on an SAT test 30 years ago should not be used to measure that educator's effectiveness. Students should not spend excessive time preparing for and taking a battery of often redundant national, state and district-wide tests. We have good instruments to measure what students are learning. NAEP shows scores can be adjusted to take into consideration inevitable differences among students in different schools so can statewide scores. We should be proud of Florida's performance on NAEP and use equally fair testing to measure progress among schools. In that way, schools can see where improvement is needed and make the changes necessary to help our schools and teachers do an even better job. __ Michael A. MacDowell is managing director of the Calvin K. Kazanjian Economics Foundation and president emeritus of Misericordia University in Pennsylvania. He lives in Estero. SHARE Amy L. Snyder Executive Director Holocaust Museum & Education Center of Southwest Florida By Amy Snyder Once in a while, a group of young people comes along and does something really tremendous. They create or achieve something which makes the community sit up and take notice. Seventeen years ago, right here in Naples, a group of 19 seventh-graders did just that. Working with their teachers, David Bell and Michele Lee, one class from Golden Gate Middle School created an exhibit titled "Out of the Ashes," which allowed those students to teach their community what they had learned about the Holocaust. Wow! Just a small group of students, none of whom had a personal connection to the events being studied, were so engaged with what happened to innocent people, they felt a duty to share that information. Their original mission statement was "To teach their children, to teach their children, to teach their children" They understood the necessity of remembering and the power of the personal story to move us forward. This classroom project laid the foundation for the 15-year relationship between the Holocaust Museum & Education Center of Southwest Florida (the evolution of the student exhibit) and the Collier County Public School System, as well as many private schools and home school groups. Since its inception as a nonprofit in 2001, the museum has served more than 145,000 students from kindergarten through university with age-appropriate programs throughout the Southwest Florida region. From Marco Island north to Sarasota, and from Naples east to Clewiston, students and teachers alike have been inspired by hearing from a Holocaust survivor or stepping inside the authentic boxcar from WW II. Reflecting its beginning in a public school classroom, the museum has embarked upon several wonderful projects with our public school teachers and students. From 2009-12, in partnership with teachers at Pine Ridge Middle School, "Cooking Up Tradition: How Tradition Builds Community" was created. Over the course of several weeks, students learned WWII/Holocaust history, met local survivors, prepared recipes from "The Holocaust Survivor Cookbook" and shared their own family traditions. At Manatee Middle School, the 8th-grade classes each year create their own WWII/Holocaust Exhibit, giving tours to fellow students and community members. For many years, Heinz and Hella Wartski were invited to share their wartime experiences with the students. The Wartskis' presentations were the highlight of the project. Three years ago, the museum partnered with teachers at Naples High School to assist students in creating their first "World War II on the Homefront" exhibit. That project has since become a staple of Lacy Rosenblum's class and she was honored last year as a Golden Apple teacher. Every public middle and high school in Collier County, as well as most of the private schools, has hosted the boxcar, on loan to the museum from Jack and F.E. Nortman and the Nortman Family. This traveling exhibit began in spring 2008 and has been hosted by more than 70 schools, libraries, churches, synagogues and other community institutions throughout Southwest Florida. At each location, young and old alike are able to experience an artifact from WW II in a way that brings the history to life. For many, this is a life-altering experience and ranks right up there with meeting a Holocaust survivor as one of the best ways to learn this history. This year, the Holocaust Museum has started a new partnership with the Collier County Public School System called the 5-8-10 Project. The goal is to provide programming to all students at the 5th-grade, 8th-grade and 10th-grade level, appropriate to the curriculum map and subject being taught. Once fully established, this means that almost 12,000 students per year will be impacted by the museum's programs in the Collier County Public Schools alone. We could not achieve this without the partnership and passion of our local teachers and administrators. As the Holocaust Museum & Education Center of Southwest Florida celebrates its 15th anniversary this season, we are thankful for our community partners who make it possible to provide the educational experiences necessary to inspire students to take action against bigotry, hatred and violence and to be a light to their world. SHARE JB Holmes By Jb Holmes, Golden Gate NASA astronaut and retired U.S. Navy Capt. Scott Kelly was sworn in as a VFW member during December at VFW Post 1 in Denver, Colorado, while stationed aboard the International Space Station. The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) of the U.S. is a nonprofit veterans service organization comprised of eligible veterans and military service members from the active, Guard and Reserve forces. Founded in 1899 and chartered by Congress in 1936, the VFW is the nation's largest organization of war veterans and its oldest major veterans organization. There are more than 1.7 million VFW and auxiliary members located in more than 6,800 posts worldwide. The VFW and its auxiliaries are primarily dedicated to veterans' service and community service programs. The VFW traces its roots back to 1899 when veterans of the Spanish-American War (1898) and the Philippine Insurrection (1899-1902) founded local organizations to secure rights and benefits for their service: Many arrived home wounded or sick. There was no medical care or veterans' pension for them, and they were left to care for themselves. In their misery, some of these veterans banded together and formed organizations with what would later become known as the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. After chapters were formed in Ohio, Colorado and Pennsylvania, the movement quickly gained momentum. By 1915, membership grew to 5,000; by 1936, membership was almost 200,000. The stereotypical, dingy, dark and smoke-filled VFW Post of the past is long gone. Today, the membership of more than 1.7 million contributes 11 million hours volunteering with community service projects, relief efforts and local VA facilities annually as posts strive for the high ideals that the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States was founded upon. The VFW provides more than $3 million in college scholarships and savings bonds to students every year. The Voice of Democracy audio-essay competition annually awards more than $1.9 million in scholarships to students in grades 9-12. The first-place winner receives a $30,000 scholarship. Patriot's Pen awards more than $1.1 million annually to students in grades 6-8 in this essay contest. The first-place winner receives $5,000. Locally, the VFW has sponsored a $500 scholarship at each of the 10 high schools in Collier County for students who are the children of teachers and veterans. In the Scout of the Year program, three scholarships are awarded annually to outstanding scouts. First place receives $5,000; second place receives $3,000 and third place receives $1,000. November was VFW Veterans in the Classroom Month. Florida Statute 1003.42 states that members of the instructional staff of the public schools shall teach efficiently and faithfully, in order to encourage patriotism, about the sacrifices that veterans have made in serving our country and protecting democratic values worldwide. Such instruction must occur on or before Veterans Day and Memorial Day. Members of the instructional staff are encouraged to use the assistance of local veterans when practicable. VFW members are available to assist Collier County teachers regarding patriotic instruction in the classroom, at any time they are called upon. In Collier County, the VFW can be contacted by calling 239-455-7721 or emailing post7721@flvfw.org. The local VFW website can be visited at vfwpost7721.org or nationally at www.vfw.org. Golden Gate VFW Post 7721 is located at 800 Neffs Way in the Naples area. Art Fest Naples is seeking volunteers for the January 23-24 event at Fleischmann Park. Volunteers age 16 and up are needed for 2 1/2 hours shifts beginning at 9:45 a.m. until 4:45 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Duties include collecting donations at the gates, assisting vendors and artists and other light duties. High school and college students are eligible for community service hours. All volunteers will receive an Art Fest Naples tee shirt. Art Fest Naples is a juried show featuring 140 fine artists. It is unique in Florida and the country because the proceeds benefit a 501(c) 3 organization, the Special Needs Childrens Fund. The mission of The Special Needs Childrens Fund is to improve the lives of children and young adults with physical and developmental disabilities, including autism, in Collier County. Fleischmann Park is located at 1600 Fleischmann Boulevard in Naples. For more information and to volunteer, contact Susan Housel at slhousel@gmail.com or 513-225-2797. To complete a volunteer application visit www.artfestnaples.com. Art Fest Naples at Fleischmann Park benefits a 501 (c) (3) organization, the Special Needs Childrens Fund, whose mission to improve the lives of children and young adults with physical and developmental disabilities in Collier County. Established in 2010, the Special Needs Childrens Fund serves these individuals and their families by assisting in easing the financial demands brought on by their disabilities and promoting access to resources. The Special Needs Childrens Fund generates the majority of its revenue through fundraising events and/or through personal contributions and then donates the net funds back to organizations and individuals in our special needs community. For more information visit www.specialneedschildrenfund.com, or email info@specialneedschildrenfund.com Massive immigrant relocation operation exposing healthy Americans to unfamiliar viruses from Central America CDC hints at foreign origins of measles (NaturalNews) Measles and enteroviruses are making a comeback in the United States, slipping through the cracks of a poorly managed immigration system. Proper health screening of immigrants is nearly impossible now, because we have a system based on fear that encourages illegal immigration. This police state system is accompanied by a welfare-backed system lacking judicial process that ships undocumented children from Central America and Mexico to communities throughout the U.S. where they live off the American taxpayer. The government's massive immigration relocation operation in 2014 helped reunite immigrant families in America, but it has also threatened the livelihood of natural born citizens, not only taxing them harder to support the expanded welfare state but also exposing all Americans to unfamiliar viruses that have gone undetected in immigrants who have crossed the border illegally.Asreported in 2014, the Border Patrol had scheduled flights carrying 280 immigrants a day to Southern California."Instead of solving the immigration problems along our border in Texas, President Obama has decided to spread that problem into communities in my congressional district and throughout Southern California," said Rep. Ken Calvert in a 2014 statement right before hundreds of undocumented immigrants were flown to his district.Watchdog.org reported that 60,000 Central Americans had already entered the country illegally by that time in 2014. Crazy as it sounds, tens of thousands who crossed illegally were shipped to communities throughout the U.S.After talking to several of the immigrants, Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert said, "Not only did they think they could come and get to stay, they had heard that the U.S. government would transport the children to wherever the parents were. What's going to happen is that they will be provided with health care, anything to meet their needs, and food stamps."The massive immigration relocation operation has expanded government welfare programs which only tax U.S. citizens more. On top of that, funneling undocumented immigrants throughout the U.S. without proper health screening and disease prevention is exposing Americans to unfamiliar strains of measles and enterovirus.Over the last 15 years, regional measles outbreaks have come and gone, with many clusters originating in California, where many undocumented immigrants migrate to. The Office of Refugee Resettlement calls for "vaccinations to all children who do not have documentation of previous valid doses of vaccine,""When children come into the Department of Health and Human Services program, they are given a well-child exam and given all needed childhood vaccinations to protect against communicable diseases," said a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services.Many, possibly thousands, slip through the cracks. These children are not detained, do not enter detention centers and, if caught,Chris Cabrera, a 13-year Border Patrol veteran and VP of National Border Patrol Council chapter, told the true story in a recent radio interview."It's not always the ideal medical care," Cabrera confessed, "and a lot of it is slipping through the cracks. I read now one of the publications this morning that [reported] they had a bunch of people go in there in at a detention facility [that] had to be shut down due to chicken pox."It's kind of alarming, seeing as we toured that facility less than a month ago and they assured us that they had everything in order, that something like this wouldn't happen. And sure enough, it fell through the cracks."Cabrera summed up the dire reality of the situation: "Medical problems, gang members that we're releasing; they're going to these cities, they're not staying down here. So these problems are going to be coming to your town."New measles outbreaks aren't coming from healthy un-vaccinated Americans, as the mainstream media suggests. As the CDC's Anne Schuchat explained, the "genotype of the virus that's associated with the Disneyland outbreak is causing outbreaks in 14 different countries around the world." This means the wild measles cases are likely coming from another country."We assume that someone got infected overseas, visited the parks and spread the disease to others," said Schuchat, who is the director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.This measles outbreak is similar to the one in 2005, where 58 cases sprang up in the U.S. As the CDC'sreported, 54 were classified as "importation-associated," including "13 importations, 13 cases epidemiologically linked to importations, 18 with virologic evidence suggesting recent importation and 10 linked to cases with virologic evidence of recent importation." One area that Obama has failed thus far to "fundamentally transform" is Americans Second Amendment rights. Now, as the end of his presidency is in sight, Obama is looking to put restrictions on the Second Amendment via Executive Order. Now, for some more figures and in context Unconstitutionality should be opposed by everyone (NaturalNews) As President Obama rolls out new executive rules on guns that could eventually result in some otherwise law-abiding Americans losing their Second Amendment rights , the governor of one state has a message for the White House: "COME AND TAKE IT."That was a message tweeted out recently by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, in response to Obama's new push. Included in the tweet was a picture of the famed Gonzales cannon , a small artillery piece given to Texian settlers by the Mexican government to help defend against raids by Native Americans. Tensions arose between Texian settlers and the increasingly centralist Mexican government which effectively overthrew the Mexican Constitution of 1824 and soldiers were sent from San Antonio to confiscate the cannon.The people of Gonzales refused to relinquish their means of self-defense. During a break in the ensuing skirmish, the first battle of the Texas Revolution, Texian Col. John Henry Moore suggested to his Mexican army opponent that, in order to retrieve the cannon as he was sent to do, he would have to "come and take it," echoing the words of the flag which the settlers flew above the cannon. That phrase, in turn was inspired by the legendary words of the Greek king Leonidas I, in defiance of Persian Emperor Xerxes I demanding that Greeks abandon their weapons and surrender: "."As noted by the Western Journalism Center, the push to impose new gun control measures by executive fiat is all part of Obama's continual effort to keep his promise to "fundamentally transform" the country into a nation like that which our founding fathers rebelled against.WJC noted further:Critics are already panning Obama's actions as both improper, unnecessary and, ultimately, ineffective.During a news conference on Jan. 5, Obama even managed a tear as he spoke about the need to further infringe on Americans' right to keep and bear arms."Every single year, more than 30,000 Americans have their lives cut short by guns. Thirty thousand. Suicides, domestic violence, gang shootouts, accidents. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have lost brothers and sisters or buried their own children," Obama said, as reported byPut in context, those figures are much less daunting and impactful. As reported bya year ago, nearly two-thirds of gun deaths 64 percent are suicides. In fact, the website reported, citing research from the University of California, Davis, suicides by guns outnumber gun homicides by 2 to 1."Suicide by firearm is far more common than homicide," said Garen J. Wintemute, professor of emergency medicine and director of the Violence Prevention Research Program at UC Davis. "Over the past 30 years, firearm suicides have exceeded homicides even when homicide rates were at their highest in the late 1980s and early 1990s. But, since 2006, the gap between the two has been widening, with firearm homicides decreasing and suicides increasing."And of course, gun death figures pale in comparison to the legalized killing of unborn children. According to the CDC, 699,202 legal induced abortions were reported in 2012, the latest year for which data is available. That's "13.2 abortions per 1,000 women aged 1544 years, and the abortion ratio was 210 abortions per 1,000 live births," the CDC says on its website.But medical murder of unborn children is a, you see, while even a single gun death is a "tragedy" that should be avoided at all costs.None of this matters to Obama and the clapping seals who are cheering him on, however. Facts don't matter; provable, replicable data don't matter; logic doesn't matter; and the fact that no public policy that will do little good for the country should ever be implemented doesn't matter to Obama, who relies on juvenile emotional appeals rather than reason to push his agenda. He's had it in for guns since the day he announced that he was running for president, and as a student of Alinsky-style Marxism, he knows that true power over the people cannot be achieved if they have the means of defending themselves against tyranny.This should be a watershed moment forAmericans, regardless of their political ideology. Liberals will champion Obama's unconstitutionality on guns because he's their guy, but just wait until a President Trump or a President Cruz comes in and wants to issue an executive action because "Congress refuses to act" their heads will explode.Point is, if we all stand up together, regardless of our political persuasion, and insist thatand member of Congress follow the nation's founding document, as they pledged to do, thenare protected.Is that just a pipe dream? Investigations are ongoing into a number of cases of antimicrobial resistant gonorrhoea, these are seen from time to time around the country and those affected have been effectively treated with alternative antibiotics. We know that the bacterium that cause gonorrhoea can mutate and develop new resistance, so we cannot afford to be complacent. Individuals can significantly reduce their risk of any STI by using condoms with all new and casual partners and getting tested regularly. Public Health England will continue to monitor, and act on, the spread of antimicrobial resistance and potential gonorrhoea treatment failures, to make sure they are identified and managed promptly. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have long proved a powerful and deadly challenge for health-care providers and their patients, beyond the U.K., especially as cases of STIs are on the rise. In the U.S., President Barack Obama last year issued an executive order on combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Indeed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its STD treatment guidelines in response to the "urgent public health threat" of the gonorrhea super strain. "Hookup apps" spreading more STDs Between 2013 and 2014 [in Rhode Island], cases of syphilis grew by 79%. HIV infections were up 33% and gonorrhea cases increased by 30%. STD cases for young adults are growing at a faster rate than the rest of the population. Rhode Island says the recent uptick in STD cases follows a national trend. The state's health department blamed "high-risk behaviors that have become more common in recent years," including "using social media to arrange casual and often anonymous sexual encounters." The various acts of Obama's political theater Despite the "general consensus" for what needs to be done, and support from many gun owners, Obama acknowledged gridlock. "Fort Hood, Binghamton, Aurora, Oak Creek, Newtown, the Navy Yard, Santa Barbara, Charleston, San Bernardino. Too many," Obama said, ticking through a list of mass shootings since the 2011 Tucson shooting that killed six and injured more than a dozen more, including former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), who was in attendance in the East Room. The president ran through a list of mass shootings that have happened during his time in office, and teared up as he recalled the schoolchildren gunned down in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012. "First graders in Newtown. First graders," Obama said, pausing to collect himself. "Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad..." Typical lamestream media hypocrisy gives the president a pass again (NaturalNews) They call him "No Drama Obama" and "Mr. Cool" for his low-key, low-volume demeanor. But when it comes to chipping away at a fundamental American right , the president gets downright emotional.During a Jan. 5 press conference to both announce new constitutionally questionable executive gun control actions and to defend them, the president went all out in creating just the right atmosphere. It was quite the political theater.He invited, then acknowledged, victims of gun violence."Many have had to learn to live with a disability, or learned to live without the love of their life. A number of those people are here today. They can tell you some stories," he said. "In this room right here, there are a lot of stories. There's a lot of heartache. There's a lot of resilience, there's a lot of strength, but there's also a lot of pain. And this is just a small sample."As reported by, in invoked seemingly rational but impossible-to-prove generalities:He shamed his detractors and impugned their motives by claiming thatare being impugned (this is how a Marxist describes legitimate political opposition to policy)."I'm not on the ballot again. I'm not looking to score some points. I think we can disagree without impugning other people's motives or without being disagreeable," he said. "But we do have to feel a sense of urgency about it. In Dr. King's words, we need to feel the 'fierce urgency of now.' Because people are dying. And the constant excuses for inaction no longer do, no longer suffice. That's why we're here today. Not to debate the last mass shooting, but to do something to try to prevent the next one."As if political opponentswant to prevent future mass shootings He then played the "expert" card."No matter how many times people try to twist my words around, I taught constitutional law, I know a little bit about this. I get it," he said. "But I also believe that we can find ways to reduce gun violence consistent with the Second Amendment."Next, the false choice. "We do not have to accept this carnage as the price of freedom."Then, he played the role of innocent bystander. As reported by[The legacy media should have really been asking the questionaboutso much "carnage" on Obama's watch, but that doesn't fit with the facts that mass shootings are still very rare and deaths by firearm are 21 suicides over homicides, according to a 2014 University of California, Davis, study .]Then, the the tug at the heartstrings to appeal to emotion, rather than reason . Again,Who, but the coldest of cold Americans (and conservatives, of course) could oppose any new measures aimed at protecting "The Children" (nearly 700,000 of whom were murdered in the womb in 2012, the latest year data is available, according to the CDC).Yes, it was great political theater, and Obama's performance will go largely unchallenged in the lamestream media because they agree with him that the Second Amendment is more of a constitutional suggestion than a hard-and-fast right.You have to wonder, though would the same lamestream media sit idly by if the president had showed up on the dais Tuesday to announceeroding the First Amendment's freedom of speech protections?Oh, wait. The lamestreams actually have complained about that Typical. Under the rule, which takes effect next month, for the first time health providers can disclose the information to the background check system without legal repercussions. "The disclosure is restricted to limited demographic and certain other information needed for NICS purposes," the rule states. Disclosure of diagnostic or clinical information is prohibited. (NaturalNews) Following the AlinskyMarx playbooks to the letter, one thing Barack Obama and complicit members of Congress have managed to do during his tenure is create suspicion, distrust and anger between Americans and the various professions they used to trust.One of the new groups on the "outs" under Obama is police officers. Through the racial politicization of the relatively few instances where cops have used excessive and deadly force, Obama and a compliant, Praetorian guard lamestream media have successfully turned entire communities against the thin blue line that protects them from anarchy and chaos, even to the point where officers are getting killed more often Another group that Obama is set to put on the outs with Americans is doctors and other primary care providers, and he will use the issue of gun control to get that done.As reported by the White House's new executive gun actions will empower healthcare providers to actually report gun owners theyof being mentally ill to the FBI's firearms background check system.Once freedom-minded Americans learn about this, how many do you think will trust their doctors not to "out" them to federal law enforcement? How many legitimately mentally ill people who own guns will go seek treatment?noted further:Naturally, Obama sycophants and the clapping seals who approve of everything he does just becauseis the one doing them see nothing wrong with this massive potential for abuse."The administration has taken great pain to try to clarify that there is very limited information that would be reported only within a very limited group," Paul Gionfriddo, chief executive of the mental health rights advocate Mental Health America, told the extremely biased news site.And what would a "very limited group" look like to a president who has spent his entire tenure fixated on finding ways to get more guns out of more American hands?We actually know the answer to that question, and frankly, that "limited group" is quite broad.--and a supporter of smaller, less intrusive government was deemed more dangerous by the Department of Homeland Security, in some cases, than Islamic terrorism, according to a February report.Then again, this is the same DHS under Obama that named military veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq as potential terrorist risks.--of military veterans and the mental health focus of Obama's new gun control order , scores of vets have returned to the U.S. with a diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, having seen some horrible things in combat. What kind of negative connotation does a medical diagnosis of PTSD carry in the U.S.? It doesn't really matter if the vet is functional and not really bothered by the condition, or not taking any medication to "deal" with it. A simple one-time diagnosis would get that veteran (many of whom are better trained in the use of firearms than Obama's Secret Service detail and many police officers) put on the "list" and potentially have his Second Amendment rights revoked.--what happens when an otherwise law-abiding American is put on a "mental health list" because you know that's coming, if it's not already in development? The FBI's National Instant Background Check System is being expanded under these new orders; that will including hiring hundreds more NICS examiners and upgrading the NICS computer system. What additional data does the fine print allow Uncle Sugar to collect?--what "mental illness" looks like? For Marxists like Obama and his supporters, you could be "mentally ill" if you're a Marine who doesn't care much for massive centralized government , or, heaven forbid, you're a crazy "climate change denier." For those of you supporting Obama's constitutionally questionable gun control orders, just remember this president won't be in office forever, and the next president, whose policies you may not like, will use executive authority on occasion as well in a way you will find constitutionally questionable and wholly unacceptable.That's why it shouldn't matter what political party you follow;presidents and lawmakers should have to uphold and support the Constitution, like they pledged to do. FDA recently finalized three rules that create new food safety requirements for FDA-registered food facilities and importers of food and beverages. The preventive controls rules (finalized in September 2015) and the foreign supplier verification program (FSVP) Rule (finalized in November 2015) are part of FDA's implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), known to be the most groundbreaking reform of the U.S. food safety system in more than 70 years. Preventive Controls Rules FDA's preventive controls rules apply to all human and animal food facilities required to register with FDA. Among other things, the rules require covered facilities to create written food safety plans, monitor and approve suppliers and ensure employee qualification. Most covered facilities are required to comply by September 2016. A facility's food safety plan must contain many aspects, including: An evaluation of potential biological, chemical and physical hazards; A determination of whether each potential hazard requires preventive controls; Preventive controls for those hazards determined to require them; and Methods to monitor and verify the consistency and effectiveness of the preventive controls put in place. When approving suppliers, facilities must conduct a hazard analysis of the supplied food and consider the supplier's FDA compliance history. Specifically, the preventive controls rules state a facility must be aware if its suppliers are the subject of an FDA warning letter or import alert relating to the safety of the food. Facilities may obtain this compliance information from FDA's databases or through third-party applications such as Registrar Corp's FDA Compliance Monitor. Facilities may only receive food from approved suppliers or "on a temporary basis from unapproved suppliers whose materials are subject to verification activities before being accepted for use," according to FDA. Facilities must also ensure their employees are qualified to perform their assigned duties and are properly trained in the principles of food hygiene, food safety, and employee health and hygiene. FSVP Rules FDA's FSVP rule requires importers of food and beverages for humans and animals to create an FSVP for each food imported from each foreign supplier. FDA describes FSVPs as "risk-based activities to verify that food imported into the United States has been produced in a manner that meets applicable U.S. safety standards." Most importers are required to comply by May 2017. Along with creating FSVPs, importers are also required to evaluate and approve their foreign suppliers. Specifically, the FSVP rule says importers must consider whether their suppliers are the subject of an FDA warning letter, import alert or other FDA compliance action related to food safety. Once a foreign supplier is approved, the importer must determine verification activities that appropriately fit the risks of the supplier. Examples of verification activities include: Annual on-site audits of a suppliers facility; Sampling and testing; and Review of a suppliers food safety records. Importers may perform verification activities on their own or designate a third party. FDA's preventive controls and FSVP rules are intended to put more responsibility on industry for the safety of the food it supplies to American consumers. It is prudent for registered food facilities and importers to begin compliance preparation now, as it may take substantial time to complete all of the new requirements. Edwin Velez Rivera is a senior food safety specialist at Registrar Corp (registrarcorp.com), an FDA consulting firm that helps companies comply with FDA regulation. VelezRivera has more than 21 years of experience in the food safety, auditing and food defense profession. Under his direction, the food safety department performs mock FDA food facility inspections around the world, reviews and develops HACCP, food safety and food defense plans, and executes other food safety-related services. Gear up for some big birthdays, as anniversaries roll around for Star Trek, H. G. Wells and the US National Park Service. And jostling for the spotlight are Finding Nemo 's fishy crew, a modern twist on haute couture, groundbreaking artists, ground-quaking dinosaurs and (perhaps) Keanu Reeves. Daniel Cressey reports. 100 Years: The US National Park Service 25 August On 25 August, the US National Park Service (NPS) celebrates its centenary 100 years since President Woodrow Wilson signed it into existence, building on the 1872 creation of Yellowstone National Park by his predecessor Ulysses S. Grant. The service, which protects iconic landscapes from California's Yosemite to the Florida Everglades, is hosting events across its 409 sites. Of course, the greatest show of all, curated by nature itself, runs 365 days a year in NPS parks, from the Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes on Hawaii's Big Island to the 3,516-kilometre Appalachian Trail on the US East Coast the world's longest footpath open only to hikers. Glacier National Park in Montana is one of more than 400 sites administered by the US National Park Service, which turns 100 this year. Credit: NPS/Jacob W. Frank Dinosaur extravaganza American Museum of Natural History, New York City Starting in January New York gets a titanic new resident from 15 January, when the American Museum of Natural History installs a 37-metre-long cast of an as-yet-unnamed titanosaur. The bones of this giant herbivore, yet to be officially designated a species, were dug out of the Patagonian desert in Argentina. But that is just the start of the ancient-animal rollout. From March 2016 to January 2017, the exhibition Dinosaurs Among Us will explore how the titanosaur's relatives evolved to become birds: rare fossils and huge models will shed light on everything from birds' bones to dinosaur behaviour and brains. And from May 2016 to January 2017, Ancient Predators in a Modern World will tour 200 million years of crocodiles and their alligator, caiman and gharial relatives. These remarkably specialized beasts are still recognizably the same as their ancestors that shared Earth with the dinosaurs. manus x machina The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City 5 May 14 August The Costume Institute at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art aims to show the world that there is more to high fashion than pouts and peplums: technology and style have been in symbiosis from the off. From an 1880s Worth gown to a 2015 Chanel suit, this show contrasts and draws parallels between the handmade marvel of haute couture (manus) and machine-produced clothing (machina). Do technologies such as laser cutting, ultrasonic welding or 3D printing stand up against intricate embroidery and hand-stitched linings? Strut in for a look. Moholy-Nagy: Future Present Guggenheim Museum, New York June September This major retrospective comes 70 years after the death of Hungarian industrial designer and radical artist Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, whose oeuvre spanned photography, abstract painting and metal sculpture. The artist founded a school of design in Chicago, Illinois, and died in the city in 1946. He was a key player in the German Bauhaus movement, embracing the transformative power of technology and mechanization in kinetic artworks (like his contemporary, Alexander Calder; see go.nature.com/n8rzsn). In the early 1920s, Moholy-Nagy experimented with outsourcing paintings by describing them in detail over the telephone to a painter in a sign factory, with the aid of colour charts and graph paper. The exhibition travels to Chicago and Los Angeles, California, after its New York run. Finding Dory Director: Andrew Stanton Opens 17 June Credit: 2013 Disney. Pixar. All Rights Reserved Digital-animation giant Pixar releases the much-anticipated follow-up to its 2003 Finding Nemo, a film so successful that clownfish are now often referred to as 'nemos'. The original had marine biologists in raptures over its faithfulness to the science. Pixar has a mixed record when it comes to sequels, but if Finding Dory, featuring Nemo's Paracantharus friend (pictured), can combine the remarkable accuracy with the superb storytelling that the company is capable of, it could join Pixar's list of Oscar-botherers. Rumours suggest that the film was rewritten after the success of Blackfish, the 2013 documentary by director Gabriela Cowperthwaite that criticized the controversial keeping of killer whales in captivity. Engineering the World Victoria and Albert Museum, London 18 June 6 November Early in his career, engineer Ove Arup (18951988) worked on the floating Mulberry Harbours temporary concrete breakwaters and piers set up for the Second World War Allied landing in Normandy on D-Day in 1944. He went on to help build iconic structures such as the Sydney Opera House, where his instincts for aesthetics and materials shone, before founding international mega-consultancy Arup, whose masterworks range from London's new research powerhouse, the Francis Crick Institute, to the Victoria and Albert Museum's own ongoing expansion plans. The exhibition promises to reveal Arup's multidisciplinary approach as a humanistic and technological tool for social responsibility and features prototypes, models and digital animations. It is part of the museum's Engineering the World exhibition, which will also include an installation by architect Achim Menges. 50 Years: Star Trek Credit: Paramount Television/The Kobal Collection The world of Star Trek, first brought to television by US screenwriter Gene Roddenberry in 1966, inspires love in seemingly inverse proportion to the quality of its set design, special effects and (occasionally) acting. What keeps legion Trekkies passionate is the lingering glow of Roddenberry's delight in discovering new life and new civilizations. Since the original show with its then-radical multi-ethnic crew (some members pictured) there have been another 4 live-action television series and 12 films, with fans from NASA leaders to schoolchildren. With the 13th film, Star Trek Beyond, due this year and a new television series promised in 2017, Star Trek remains the key science-fiction universe of modern times. (Sorry, Star Wars fans.) Georgia O'Keeffe Tate Modern, London 6 July 30 October Credit: Tony Vaccaro/Getty Visceral, often quasi-abstract evocations of botanical morphology in close-up paintings of irises and petunias helped to establish Georgia O'Keeffe's early career in 1920s New York. This retrospective at the Tate Modern will demonstrate the remarkable range of this groundbreaking modernist artist. In the late 1920s, O'Keeffe (pictured) moved figuratively and literally west to New Mexico, where the exposed, multicoloured topography inspired her to paint powerful landscapes and surreal studies that juxtaposed blossoms, bones, rocks and deadwood paintings that in turn inspired others to re-examine the geology and biological riches of desert places. ANS (Autonomes NervenSystem) Staatsoper, Berlin 1216 July The autonomic nervous system controls unconscious human bodily functions such as heart rate and breathing. Greek-born musician Irini Amargianaki presents a multidimensional exploration of perception, incorporating instrumental pieces, video projections by Maryna Shuklina and shadow puppetry by Lisa Haucke. Premiering in Berlin as part of the Infecktion! festival for new musical theatre. Colour and Vision Natural History Museum, London 15 July 6 November How did colours appear in the living world, and how did animals evolve the ability to see them? This exhibition at London's Natural History Museum will take viewers from the eyes of the beholder to the art and innovation that have emerged from nature's wild palette. Colour is crucial from lights telling you to go or stop to tropical frogs that sport pigments screaming 'poison'. The Universe and Art Mori Art Museum, Tokyo 30 July 9 January 2017 This exhibition asks how humans have viewed the Universe through millennia, starting with The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter the oldest known piece of narrative prose in Japan, which dates back to the tenth century and zipping forward to the age of the International Space Station and the search for alien life. Ranging from ancient art to contemporary astronomy, the show promises to explore how people through the ages have conceived of the vastness around them. H. G. Wells wrote more than 100 books, including science-fiction classic The War of the Worlds (top). Credit: Bettmann/Corbis 150 Years: H. G. Wells H. G. Wells Credit: AF Archive/Alamy This year sees two key dates focused on prescient author, scientist and educator H. G. Wells: the 150th anniversary of his birth, and the 70th of his death. Wells, who wrote more than 100 books, including The Time Machine (1895), The War of the Worlds (1898) and The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896), transformed turn-of-the-century science into literature that is still read, dissected and argued over today. Some of his short stories will be brought to life in a series of dramas airing on UK channel Sky Arts, and the H.G. Wells Society plans a programme of events (see go.nature.com/aasjbm). Deepwater Horizon Director: Peter Berg Opens 30 September The 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill which killed 11 people and spewed more than 3 billion barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico was the worst environmental disaster in recent US history. Ecosystems and the regional economy suffered: wildlife died, beaches were shut and fisheries floundered. Now the events leading up to the disaster get the Hollywood treatment, as Mark Wahlberg takes on the role of an electronics technician on the doomed drilling rig. Expect gritty drama and courage in the face of adversity. Replicas Director: Tanya Wexler Few details were available on this science-fiction thriller as Nature went to press not normally a good sign in a film. But reports that Keanu Reeves will play a neuroscientist who fights the government, police and the very laws of science to resurrect his family are intriguing. SECOND CHANCES If you missed these shows the first time round, they are now on tour The Douanier Rousseau Archaic Candour Musee d'Orsay, Paris 22 March 17 July Dozens of pieces by French post-Impressionist Henri Rousseau go on display at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris after a stint in Italy. They include stunning depictions of jungles, created by a man who never left France but regularly visited the botanical gardens of Paris. Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Genius Science Museum, London 10 February 4 September Who needs the Mona Lisa when you can have a flying machine? This touring exhibition of ingenious models brings to life the mechanical contraptions sketched out by history's greatest polymath. Strandbeest: The Dream Machines of Theo Jansen Exploratorium, San Francisco, California 27 May 5 September Rising global temperatures are impacting the Greenland ice sheet in more ways than scientists previously thought. While this massive body of ice is often regarded as a "sponge" for glacier meltwater, a recent study suggests climate change is impeding its ability to store excess water, meaning melting ice could boost sea level rise. In the latest study, researchers from York University examined ice cores drilled into West Greenland's firn between 2009 and 2015. Firn is basically a porous layer of built-up snow that slowly freezes into ice over time, but is not as dense as glacier ice. This layer is particularly important because it traps and stores excess water before it ultimately runs off into the sea. For their analysis, researchers drilled a series of shallow firn cores about 20 meters deep. "We were interested in the thin porous near-surface firn layer, and how its physical structure is changing rapidly with climate change," Professor William Colgan, co-author of the recent study, explained in a news release. "The study looked at very recent climate change on the ice sheet, how the last couple of years of melt have really altered the structure of the ice sheet firn and made it behave differently to future melt." In the last century alone, scientists believe the Greenland ice sheet has lost more than nine trillion tons of ice. However, the ice sheet's melting rate continues to increase as temperatures warm - NASA estimates the vast body of ice loses nearly 287 billion tons of ice every year. If, and when, the entire ice sheet melts, global sea levels could increase by as much as 23 feet. Based on the recent study, researchers discovered greater amounts of meltwater from an exceptionally warm summer in 2012 filled up the firn's pores and hardened into a solid layer of ice, making it more difficult for liquid water to percolate into the firn. "In subsequent years, meltwater couldn't penetrate vertically through the solid ice layer, and instead drained along the ice sheet surface toward the ocean," Colgan added in York's release. "It overturned the idea that firn can behave as a nearly bottomless sponge to absorb meltwater. Instead, we found that the meltwater storage capacity of the firn could be capped off relatively quickly." Their study was recently published in the journal Nature Climate Change. Related Articles Tropical Cyclones In Philippines Disrupt Islands' Regular Nutrient Cycles, New Study Finds For more great nature science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN). -Follow Samantha on Twitter @Sam_Ashley13 Near California's Death Valley, a small, furry rodent with a white beard, the Amargosa vole, lives in a very particular habitat that consists of a mere 247 acres. These are watery oases and forest in the Mojave desert, 90 miles west of Las Vegas. The voles are one of North America's most endangered mammals. One landowner in the area town of Shoshone, Susan Sorrells, knew the voles were on her land and has welcomed them. Recently, workers and volunteers cleared about an acre of rambly marshland there, tearing out a 12-foot-tall cattail thicket and trimming back wizened mesquites, salt cedars and the scrubby flowering bush, arrowweed, according to a recent article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Part of the organizing is being done by the Amargosa Conservancy, a preservation group that Sorrells helped launch. In the spring, the group's crew will replant the area, which is fed by a spring, with a native grass that stays green in deep summer heat and is loved by the voles for shelter, food and breeding area. It is called three-square bulrush. Assuming the bulrush thrives, several voles born in captivity will be released in the new acre of habitat by spring 2017, said the Review-Journal article. "It's a grand experiment, and I'm just really excited about it," Sorrells said in the article. Some federal estimates say perhaps 150 Amargosa voles exist in the wild. "That's vastly fewer than almost any other endangered species that's in emergency status," said Janet Foley, a veterinary professor at the University of California Davis, in the article. Several groups are working to try to revive the species, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, UC-Davis, the University of California Berkeley and the Amargosa Conservancy. For more great nature science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN). -Follow Catherine on Twitter @TreesWhales The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) recently denied the Alexander Archipelago wolf of Southeast Alaska protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), despite serious population declines on the Prince of Wales Island. The Alexander Archipelago wolf is a subspecies of the gray wolf that can be found almost everywhere from Southeast Alaska to the British Columbia-Washington border. These wolves den in root systems of large trees and feed mainly on Sitka black-tailed deer. A Species Status Assessment conducted in November revealed wolf populations on Prince of Wales Island declined by 75 percent between 1994 and 2014, from roughly 356 to 89 individuals. "Although the Alexander Archipelago wolf faces several stressors throughout its range related to wolf harvest, timber harvest, road development, and climate-related events in Southeast Alaska and coastal British Columbia, the best available information indicates that populations of the wolf in most of its range are likely stable," the FWS announced in a news release. This decision came as a disappointment for many wildlife advocates, who believe the FWS is overlooking some important factors. "We are deeply disappointed by this U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision, which will allow the Tongass National Forest timber program to continue to liquidate the magnificent old-growth forests of southeast Alaska, needed by the wolf and its prey," Larry Edwards, Greenpeace forest campaigner and longtime resident of the region, said in a statement. "There's no question that the continued existence of Alexander Archipelago wolf populations in southeast Alaska is threatened." Despite an apparent population decline on the Price of Wales Island, the FWS calculates the total population of Alexander Archipelago wolves is between 850 to 2,700 individuals, with approximately 62 percent living in British Columbia and 38 percent occupying southeastern Alaska. In other words, a decline on just one island in the wolf's total range doesn't warrant an endangered species listing. "We do have concern for the wolf population on Prince of Wales Island," Drew Crane, the Regional Endangered Species Coordinator at FWS, told Maine News. "But Prince of Wales Island in general only constitutes six percent of the range-wide population of the Alexander Archipelago wolf." Had the wolves gained protected status under the ESA, stricter restrictions on hunting or trapping them would have been implemented and may have impacted logging or other development on the island. Related Articles 'Python Challenge' Reinstated To Remove Invasive Snakes From Florida's Everglades National Park Lions Gain Protection Under Endangered Species Act For more great nature science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN). -Follow Samantha on Twitter @Sam_Ashley13 Sea turtle shells are glassine, speckled and swirled. What's more, they are also biological clocks indicating ages, reproductive maturity and growth rates of turtle populations living in the wild, according to a new study by NOAA researchers and Duke University. Those researchers conducted radiocarbon dating of atomic bomb fallout that shows up in the sea turtle shells. With this new technique, we may learn more about the lack of recovery of some populations of endangered sea turtles worldwide. Their findings were recently published in the journal Findings of the Royal Society B. More specifically, the team looked at hard tissue from 36 deceased hawksbill sea turtle shells gathered since the 1950s. The turtles involved either died from natural causes or were harvested for their shells as part of the tortoiseshell trade. In order to obtain the specimens, the scientists worked with museum archives, law enforcement and federal agencies, according to a release. Here's how it worked: The researchers compared the bomb-testing radiocarbon built up in each shell to the radiocarbon (also from bomb-testing) present in Hawaii's corals. From this, they learned each turtle's approximate age. Because carbon-14 was more present in the Earth's biosphere from the mid-1950s to around 1970 resulting from Cold War-era nuclear tests, but have dropped since then, scientists can tell an organism's age based on the level of carbon-14 it contains. They also did a comparison of the collected specimens' radiocarbon information with those of other hawksbills, wild and captive, with known growth rates. Before this, less precise methods were used to learn sea turtles' age, growth and maturity. These included looking at turtle length and conducting analysis of unfinished growth layers in bone tissue that is hollow, according to a statement. Two other learnings were also involved: It turns out that the turtles were omnivores at least until a period in the 1980s, but are now mostly herbivores."Such a dramatic decline in their food supply could delay growth and maturity, and may reflect ecosystem changes that are quite ominous in the long term for hawksbill populations in Hawaii," said Kyle Van Houtan, fisheries research ecologist at NOAA's Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and a professor at Duke. The hawksbills in the Hawaii population also seem to begin breeding at 29 years, much later than other hawksbill populations worldwide--this may explain why this population of turtles hasn't rebounded, noted Van Houtan in the release. For more great nature science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN). -Follow Catherine on Twitter @TreesWhales A lawsuit claiming Brendan Dassey, the young man whose case was closely documented in the Netflix series Making a Murderer, was illegally imprisoned in 2005, is now in the hands of a federal judge. Northwestern Universitys Center on Wrongful Convictions of Youth legal team based in Chicago has taken Dasseys case to federal court in Wisconsin in the hopes that he will be granted a writ of Habeas corpus, which will force the government to examine his case and rule whether he has been imprisoned illegally. The petition is pending before Magistrate Judge William E. Duffin in Milwaukee. Its not clear when Duffin could make his decision. An attorney for Dassey says a ruling could come any day, but will likely happen within the year. Dasseys case is one of two followed in the popular Making a Murderer series, which depicts the story of Dasseys uncle, Steven Avery. Dassey and Avery are currently serving life sentences for the 2005 murder of 25-year-old photographer of Teresa Halbach. Avery, a Wisconsin man who was imprisoned for 18 years for sexual assault before DNA evidence exonerated him in 2003, was suing Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, the former district attorney and the county sheriff for $36 million when he was accused of Halbach's murder. Most recently, the show's filmmakers said a juror from Avery's murder trial claims he was not proven guilty, but the juror voted to convict him out of fear for his/her personal safety. The two filmmakers have not yet contacted other jurors to independently verify the claim, they said. NBC News has not independently verified the allegation with any jurors. Dassey was arrested at the age of 16 in connection with case, but his attorneys maintain his confession was coerced. Steven Drizin, a clinical professor at Northwestern University School of Law who is among the attorneys representing Dassey, said his team of lawyers from the Center on Wrongful Convictions of Youth at Northwestern, and Wisconsin attorney Robert Dvorak, have spent years on the case. Drizin said the team investigated Dasseys case for two years before filing an appeal in 2010. The appeal was ultimately denied by a state appellate court and the Wisconsin Supreme Court refused to hear the case. The habeas petition was filed in federal court in the Eastern District of Wisconsin in 2014. Were hopeful is what I would say, Drizin said. The deeper you go into this system, whether its in the state court system or the federal court system, the harder it is to win. Weve won cases in federal court before and were hoping that this is another one that well win. Drizin said the petition focuses largely on Dasseys original public defender, Len Kachinsky, who was ultimately removed from the case. A lot of our appeal has to do with the actions that Brendans original attorney Len Kachinsky took, which demonstrated his disloyalty to Brendan and his willingness to work with the prosecution to try to get Brendan to plead guilty and testify against Steven Avery, Drizin said. He also maintains that Dasseys confession was coerced by [investigators] feeding him facts. To me, this case is a classic example of how not to interrogate juvenile suspects and the tactics that were used during Brendans interrogation are a recipe for false confessions, he said. In a brief filed last year, the state argued Dassey failed to show that the appeals courts decision was unreasonable. [Investigators] merely stated, in calm tones, that they already knew what happened and allowed Dassey to confess that he had raped Halbach, and was involved in her murder, the brief reads. Dasseys confession was not coerced, and the state courts decision on Dasseys voluntariness claim did not involve an unreasonable application of clearly established Federal law. Former Calamut County District Attorney Ken Kratz, who prosecuted Dassey and Avery, recently told People magazine that he has "a great bit of sympathy" for Dassey, who he said "never would have been involved in this except for his uncle." Dassey would have been out sooner if he had taken a plea bargain, Kratz said. Drizin said while Making a Murderer has put Dasseys case in the national spotlight, he doesnt believe it will have an impact on the judges decision. I dont think that the Netflix movie is going to influence a federal judge, but at the same time, judges are human beings and the Netflix film has created a context for Brendans case that didnt exist at the time of his trial or his appeals, he said. Mayor Emanuel said Tuesday he does not believe the Justice Departments investigation into the Chicago Police Department should be broadened to include the city's law department. The mayor's statements come after a federal judge accused a top lawyer for the city of hiding evidence in a fatal police shooting. U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang also dismissed a jurys findings that the shooting of Darius Pinex in 2011 was justified, ordered a new trial and the city to pay attorneys fees to the plaintiff. Jordan Marsh, a senior city Corporation counsel, resigned after the judge's accusation. On Tuesday, Emanuel echoed his zero tolerance policy for city employees who do not hold the highest professional standards, "especially an individual representing the city in a courtroom." When asked if the Law Departments handling of lethal force cases should also be probed, Emanuel said said "No, I think that [federal investigators] are working where they are." Emanuel added that "[Corporation Counsel Stephen Patton] has my support to make sure that this doesn't happen again." "I think there's an opportunity to take steps that for whatever reason have not been taken before," Patton said in regards to the case. However, Congressman Danny Davis favors the feds including the law department. "I would think the justice department should take a look, and would want to take a look how these things happen," Davis said. Emanuel has been criticized for the citys handling of the Laquan McDonald case ever since the dashcam video showing the fatal shooting of the 17-year-old was released. On Monday, Governor Bruce Rauner said he would sign a bill allowing the recall of Emanuel. "I'm broadly supportive of the recall concept in general for all elected officials," he said. The city of Chicago has paid $5.5 million in reparations to 57 people whose claims that they were tortured by police decades ago were found to be credible. The money was paid Monday to victims of a police unit commanded by disgraced former police commander Jon Burge from the 1970s through the early 1990s, according to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office. Jon Burges actions are a disgrace to Chicago and to the hard-working men and women of the police department, but most importantly to those he was sworn to protect, Emanuel said in a statement. We stand together as a city to try and right those wrongs, and to bring this dark chapter of Chicagos history to a close. More than 100 men, mostly African-American, have accused Burge and officers under his command of shocking, suffocating and beating them into giving false confessions, some of which landed them on death row. Burge has never been criminally charged with torture, but he served a 4 -year sentence for lying about the torture in a civil case and was released from a halfway house last year. The $5.5 million adds to more than $100 million that has been paid in court-ordered judgments, settlements of lawsuits and legal fees most of it spent by the financially strapped city of Chicago and some by Cook County over the years related to the torture scandal. The $100,000 payment most victims received Monday is a fraction of some previous settlements. A months-long claims process for the payments included vetting by an arbitrator and by a professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology's Kent School of Law. The reparations were part of an ordinance the City Council passed last year that also mandated a formal apology, the construction of a memorial to the victims and the addition of the police torture to the city's school history curriculum. It also provides psychological counseling and free tuition at some community colleges. Some of the benefits are available to victims' children and grandchildren. Paying reparations "is a moral compunction and a moral reckoning to right a wrong," Mayor Rahm Emanuel told the newspaper. "There is no statute of limitations on that." The payments come as the Chicago Police Department is under withering criticism since the release in November of a video showing white police officer Jason Van Dyke shooting black 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times in 2014. The video prompted protests and led to a civil rights investigation of the entire department by the U.S. Department of Justice. One torture victim, Darrell Cannon, said Monday that the payments were only the first step toward healing the city. "We still have a long way to go," he said. Cannon was freed after 24 years in prison when a review board determined that evidence against him was tainted. The Chicago Archdiocese has announced three of its schools will close. Saint Agatha Catholic Academy, Saint Peter School and Seton Academy Transitions are all due to close at the end of the 2015-2016 academic year. The Chicago Archdiocese Office cited Saint Agatha Catholic Academys low enrollment in its Early Childhood program as a reason for the schools unsustainability. The parochial school system said Saint Peter Schools declining enrollment and fiscal difficulties have made it not self-sustainable operationally. Lastly, the Archdiocese said Seton Academy also suffered from declining enrollment and fiscal difficulties in recent years. Despite being warned about the risk of closure for the past two years, "finances and enrollment have not improved. The Archdiocese commends all of the dedicated leaders, faculty and staff of Saint Agatha Catholic Academy, Saint Peter School and Seton Academy for their tireless work to instill a rich Catholic identity into an academically excellent community, the Archdiocese said in a statement. These schools have rich histories and wonderful stories. We will be celebrating the schools in the coming months and also keeping the schools memories and contributions alive even after the doors close," the Archdiocese said. "We will also work with affected families and parishes to find alternative ways for their children to continue their Catholic education. Please join us in praying for these school communities. North Korea said Wednesday that it has successfully conducted its first hydrogen bomb test, which if true, would mean a dramatic escalation of the country's nuclear capability. The announcement came soon after South Korea reported a seismic event resembling an earthquake 30 miles from the Punggye-ri site where the North has conducted nuclear tests in the past. South Korean officials and some experts questioned whether the explosion was indeed a full-fledged test of a hydrogen device. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior South Korean military official told NBC News that "we presume that it was not a hydrogen bomb test." North Korean news agency KCNA reported that the country's leader, Kim Jong Un, "made the final decision on Jan. 3 to go ahead with the hydrogen test and accordingly we have conducted hydrogen bomb test at 10 a.m. on Jan. 6 with total success." North Korea held its last nuclear test in 2013. If Wednesday's claim is true, it will be the fourth nuclear test conducted by the country since it first tested a device in 2006, U.S. officials said. The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned North Korea's announcement, calling it "profoundly destabilizing for regional security." Calls and emails keep coming into the NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters about problems you were having with the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles new computer system. The biggest issue appears to be a growing number of people telling us about getting pulled over for having a suspended registration, when in fact there is no reason their vehicles should be suspended. The NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters have confirmed with the DMV that this problem does not just involve a backlog of paperwork, we have learned there was a problem with the new software computer code that was fixed just three weeks ago. Joanne and Ian McDaid tell the Troubleshooters that Monday he got pulled over, fined, ticketed, and towed for a suspended registration on his truck. The couple got a warning letter several months ago months ago that the registration could be suspended because of an apparent insurance lapse. As it turns out the McDaids had just switched insurers and even had overlapping coverage for a while. They had responded to the DMV with proof of insurance immediately, but it was apparently never read. Now Joanne McDaid says "I just need to know what to do is there any way to get any of this money back because it's not our fault. I'm carrying insurance on our vehicle like I'm supposed to, I've submitted all the paperwork to the DMV, but I'm the one that's being reprimanded." Bottom line: people who get pulled over and ticketed and are willing to pay the $200 fine must go to the DMV and get their registration restored, or wait perhaps weeks to clear it up with the agency's insurance compliance unit. Otherwise they can't drive their vehicles. McDaid says that wont work for her because they are "in the middle of trying to move so we definitely need the truck." And McDaid is not the only one feeling the heat. Insurance agent Katie Sartor says her agency has been flooded with calls from frustrated clients who have received letters from the DMV saying their insurance had lapsed and they were going to have their registrations suspended. These people have all had continuous insurance and they want proof so we send it in. Our clients are coming back saying my registration is suspended still. And it puts us in a bad place. They think were not doing our job or questioning it at the very least. We are! And the DMV is not helping us out at all!" Late today the DMV told us: People can get their fines refunded if it was the DMV's fault, and drivers can prove they never had a lapse in their insurance If drivers are erroneously ticketed for having a suspended registration, once DMV is notified by the customer, a letter is issued to the customer indicating that the registration was suspended in error and the customer can present the letter to the Centralized Infractions Bureau or the court, to avoid having to appear before a judge in court. The DMV will be discussing how to handle this problem with false positives on driver registrations going forward with law-enforcement. And the agency says it will have some staff working over the weekend to try to get rid of this backlog of insurance compliance problems so people don't get their registration suspended in error going forward An Iraq war veteran who grew up in Avon, Connecticut, was killed while leaving his central Alabama home for an early morning workout early Tuesday morning. Hoover police Capt. Gregg Rector issued a news release saying 33-year-old Jonathan Michael "Mike" Gilotti encountered someone in his driveway or his car just before 5 a.m. and was fatally shot once. Rector said authorities are investigating at least 10 car break-ins overnight in the same neighborhood, a suburb south of Birmingham. He said Gilotti might have stumbled upon the robber while leaving for the gym. Around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, police found a stolen older Ford F-250 pickup matching the description of the vehicle leaving Gilott's neighborhood after the murder and found items stolen during vehicle break-ins in the area, according to a news release from police. Gilotti, a native of Avon, was a 2001 graduate of Avon High School, where he was captain of the football team. He was also on the wrestling, track and lacrosse teams. "It is a tragic loss and our sincere condolences go out to the family," Avon Town Manager Brandon Robertson said in a statement. He served as a U.S. Army tank commander, first lieutenant and platoon leader in the 12th Cavalry Regiment. Gilotti was married and had two sons, according to the GoFundMe page set up to raise money for his family. The men's prison at the York Correctional Institution will close as a result of the state's prison population declining, the governor's office announced. We are making real progress in Connecticut to change lives and break that cycle of poverty, crime and prison that has impacted far too many people," Gov. Dannel Malloy said. "This closing is a reflection of a paradigmatic change in approach from policies that simply didnt work in the past. Its going to save taxpayer dollars and its the right thing to do." The Niantic Annex which houses male inmates at the York prison will close on Jan. 9 and save taxpayers around $7.6 million per fiscal year, Gov. Malloy's office said in a release. The prison population has is down over 600 offenders from January of 2015 and has decreased 22 percent since 2008, according to the Department of Correction. U.S. stocks dropped Wednesday as investors fretted about signs of belligerence from North Korea and more weakening of China's economy, which pummeled energy companies. The losses were broad, and the Standard & Poor's is on pace for its lowest close since October. KEEPING SCORE: The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 214 points, or 1.3 percent, to 16,945 as of 12:35 p.m. Eastern time. The Standard & Poor's 500 index lost 22 points, or 1.1 percent, to 1,995. The S&P 500 hasn't closed below 2,000 since Oct. 14. The Nasdaq gave up 46 points, or 0.9 percent, to 4,845. NORTH KOREA: The government of North Korea announced that it had conducted its first successful test of a hydrogen bomb, but the claim was met with widespread skepticism. North Korea has tested several nuclear devices but has not shown the capability to make a hydrogen bomb. CHINA CONCERNS: A monthly survey of China's service industries slipped to a 17-month low, renewing fears that the second-largest economy in the world was stumbling. Manufacturing in China has been slowing, and Beijing has been working to make the country's economy less reliant on trade and investment and focus it instead on more self-sustaining private consumption and services. The survey shows that the service sector may not be strong enough to sustain China's level of growth. THE QUOTE: Scott Wren, senior global equity strategist for the Wells Fargo Investment Institute, said China's transition to a service economy is not failing. But he said it will be an extremely long process that will have rough spots. "It shouldn't be a surprise that there are bumps in the road," Wren said. He added that investors are worried that economic growth in China will collapse, which he does not anticipate. "Stocks are not trading on fundamentals," he said. "They're trading on fear that Chinese growth is going to collapse and that these lower oil prices are going to lead to a growing number of defaults in the high-yield bond market." COMMODITIES: The signs of weakness in China, a major consumer of energy, pummeled oil prices. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils, fell $1.81, or 5 percent, to $34.61 a barrel in London. U.S. benchmark crude sank $1.58, or 4.4 percent, to $34.39 a barrel in New York. That's the lowest price for U.S. crude since February 2009. The price of wholesale gasoline sank 6.6 percent after the U.S. government said inventories of gas climbed by 10.6 million barrels last week, and the price of heating oil tumbled 3.6 percent. ENERGY AND METALS: Energy stocks fell with those prices. Marathon Oil declined $1.25, or 9.8 percent, to $11.51 and Murphy Oil shed $2.27, or 10.1 percent, to $20.32. Consol Energy lost 87 cents, or 10.2 percent, to $7.66 and Apache fell $3.94, or 9.1 percent, to $39.59. Gold prices edged up 1.1 percent to $1,089.80 an ounce, and shares of Newmont Mining gained 27 cents, or 1.5 percent, to $18.70. JOBS DATA: The international news outweighed some solid hiring data in the U.S. Payroll processor ADP says U.S. businesses hired 257,000 workers in December, the most in a year. The ADP report covers only private businesses, and the government will issue its own report on Friday. BONDS: The markets have endured a rough few days to start 2016. J.J. Kinahan, chief markets strategist for TD Ameritrade, said that's making bonds more appealing. "Bonds have been up a lot this year even though the interest rates are nothing to be excited about," he said. "They want the security of knowing that their money is safe." U.S. government bond prices rose Wednesday. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.18 percent from 2.24 percent. PUMP THE BRAKES: Auto retailer AutoNation said it had to offer large discounts in December, especially on luxury vehicles. The company said it will report smaller profits per vehicle in the fourth quarter. The stock dropped $6.70, or 11.8 percent, to $50.04. CHIPOTLE HIT AGAIN: Chipotle Mexican Grill said it received a federal grand jury subpoena as the government looks into norovirus outbreak at a California restaurant this summer. Chipotle also disclosed that sales at restaurants open at least one year plunged 30 percent in December in the wake of an E. coli outbreak that affected dozens of restaurants and a norovirus outbreak in one location in Massachusetts. Shares fell $19.55, or 4.4 percent, to $429.48. The stock has fallen 39 percent since the outbreaks began in October. OVERSEAS: France's CAC 40 shed 1.5 percent and Germany's DAX dropped 1.6 percent. Britain's FTSE 100 lost 1.5 percent. Japan's Nikkei 225 index lost 1 percent and South Korea's Kospi fell 0.3 percent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 1 percent. The Shanghai Composite Index in mainland China rebounded 2.3 percent, however, as the Chinese government said it will keep some market-stabilizing measures in place. CURRENCIES: The euro edged up to $1.0760 from $1.0744. The dollar fell to 118.56 yen from 118.97 yen late Tuesday. Police arrested a Connecticut man after finding a cache of weapons, including samurai swords and a stun gun, in his car near Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Around 11 a.m. on New Year's Day, as tens of thousands of people celebrated before the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens clashed in the Winter Classic, police were at the stadium's employee lot. They say they found 48-year-old Matthew Bronson with an arsenal including samurai swords, a stun gun, a sling shot and even a meat cleaver. Bromson, 48, of North Granby, was charged with three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of an electric stun gun, trespassing and disorderly conduct. Police believe Bronson was drunk when they arrested him. The night before, he was kicked out of the America's Best Hotel across the street from the lot. According to police, he had been living out of his car. In September 2014, Bromson was arrested after an eight-hour standoff with police. He was charged with threatening, harassment, breach of peace and interfering with a police officer. Police said the incident on New Year's Day was isolated, and there was no threat to the public attending the Winter Classic hockey game between the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins at Gillette Stadium on Jan. 1. Bromson is being held and will be arraigned in Wrentham District Court Jan. 4. Foxconn, which assembles most of Apple's latest iPhones, will cut working hours over the week-long Lunar New Year holiday, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters, in a rare move that analysts interpreted as a sign of softening demand, NBC News reported. Japanese daily Nikkei, citing parts suppliers, said Wednesday that output of the models would be cut by about 30 percent in January-March so dealers could unload stock. Apple shares lost 2.5 percent, and those of suppliers similarly fell. Reports of slowing shipments and mounting inventories of the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, as well as tepid forecasts from suppliers, have pushed Apple investors into unfamiliar territory after years of booming sales and surging shares. Lewisville police say three people were sent to the hospital after a car smashed into a Starbucks Wednesday afternoon.[[364413961,R]] The crash happened at the Starbucks at 721 Hebron Parkway at about 1:50 p.m. According to Lewisville police, the driver of a 2015 Subaru hatchback ran a red light while traveling westbound on Hebron Parkway. The Subaru struck an SUV at the intersection of Lakeside Circle before smashing into a minivan, the according to the statement. Police said the Subaru veered off the roadway, across the parking lot, and through the front doors of the Starbucks. Three people inside the Starbucks were taken to nearby hospitals with non-serious injuries, according to police. Police said the investigation into the crash was ongoing. Police asked for the publics help finding a 16-year-old girl who went missing in Dallas early Wednesday morning. [[364352191,C]] After an argument, Dallas police said Genesis Barrientos-Echeverria sent her boyfriend a text that she was going to harm herself. She was last seen walking away from a disturbance in 9300 block of Skillman Street at about 12:45 a.m. Barrientos-Echeverria is described as 4 feet 11 inches tall and 120 pounds with black hair and brown eyes, according to police. She was wearing blue pajama pants with white dots and a gray sweater. Dallas police said Barrientos-Echeverria is diabetic and is considered a danger to herself. Dallas police asked anyone with information about her disappearance to call them at 214-671-4268 or 911. New sworn statements claiming paranoid and delusional behavior by Dallas County District Attorney Susan Hawk were published Tuesday in the lawsuit seeking to remove her from office. Ellis County District Attorney Patrick Wilson, appointed to pursue the case, asked in Tuesday's new court papers that Hawk be replaced immediately until a jury hears the facts, since witnesses could include current Hawk employees. "The evidence shows the defendant is incompetent to perform her official duties and is personally responsible for numerous instances of official misconduct while in office," said the amended complaint, signed by Wilson. The filing includes two new affidavits from former employees Bill Wirskye and Jennifer Balido. Both accuse former judge Hawk of increasingly erratic behavior in the first few months after taking office in January 2014. Balido is a former state district judge and prosecutor who served as Hawk's administrative chief until she resigned in lieu of termination in February 2014. Balido said she had known Hawk for many years as a coworker and quickly agreed to join Hawk's staff after her election victory. But among other things in her nine-page sworn statement, Balido said Hawk instructed her to make improper use of money. "During my tenure, I observed various acts by Ms. Hawk which led me to believe that Ms. Hawk was not mentally fit to hold the office of District Attorney of Dallas County. Whatever the cause, I believe that it adversely affected her ability to serve as District Attorney of Dallas County in a competent manner," Balido said. Wirskye was Hawk's top assistant for just three months before she fired him in March 2014. Wirskye was the chief special prosecutor for the Kaufman DA murder trial of Eric Williams in 2013 and a big supporter of Hawk's November 2013 election campaign against former DA Craig Watkins. "By mid-February, Ms. Hawk's level of paranoia was paralyzing the administrative operations of the office," Wirskye's affidavit said. "I noticed signs of what appeared to be substance abuse. When Ms. Hawk would enter my office and sit directly in the morning sun coming in through a window, her pupils were not responsive to the light. Her mood and demeanor was becoming almost exclusively agitated and manic." Wirskye said Hawk became convinced secret recordings were being made. He said she fired him on March 23, 2014, "in the midst of another break from reality" and he immediately contacted Hawk's political advisor and said Hawk needed in-patient treatment. Hawk disappeared from work and it was weeks before confirmation that she did indeed enter inpatient mental health treatment last summer. She conducted media interviews when she returned in October 2014, including one with NBC 5's Meredith Land, in which Hawk detailed her struggle with depression and thoughts of suicide. "My depression and my anxiety had gotten out of control, and I didn't even realize what it was. All I knew is I didn't want to do this any more. I didn't want to be here any more. I thought about my job and my job was always such a big part of me, and I wanted to do the right thing for that. So I thought I'll resign and then I will just, I'll kill myself," Hawk said. In that interview and other comments since, Hawk and her lawyers insisted she is more healthy than ever and completely fit for the job now. The lawsuit to remove her was filed Oct. 13 for fired employee Cindy Stormer by Fort Worth attorney Kelly Puls. Puls said Tuesday the new evidence and Wilson's statement indicates the Ellis County prosecutor is vigorously pursuing Hawk's removal. "They had the option, if they didn't want to take it, not to pursue it at all. And they have," Puls said. "We said from the very beginning that we were right, and this further acknowledges that we were right." The San Antonio judge appointed to handle the case has scheduled a hearing for Friday. Puls said the judge could rule on temporary removal at that time. "We'll get a good road map of how this case is going to proceed," Puls said. Hawk's lawyer Charla Aldous issued the following statement in response for requests for comment Tuesday: "This action is overreaching and unnecessary under the statute. "All of the claims detailed in today's filing are and have been well-known, and present only one side of the story. The court can and will address them at Friday's hearing, which is the appropriate time for this. We look forward to the opportunity to provide the perspectives of District Attorney Hawk and others to the allegations and grievances in today's filing. You surely had many conversations over the holidays, wherever your family travels took you. "Don't you like egg nog anymore?" might have prompted one passionate, intra-relative discussion. "Since when do you not wear turtlenecks?" likely got another lively back-and-forth going. "YOU'RE NOT WATCHING THIS HOT SHOW I LOVE?!" in all caps, complete with an exclamation point, was surely spoken in numerous households, too, in recent weeks. For we're living in the Golden Age of Television, when staying atop "our stories" is easier than ever, thanks to streaming and DVRs and multiple formats. And thanks the PaleyFest, of course. This annual 'round-up-the-stars, and-the-creators-too panel extravaganza complements television fandom in a different way than the TV series we enjoy night after night from our couches and beds. It's all about the Q&A, and the backstory, of how a hit show came to be, as told by the people who thought it up and starred in it. The Paley Center for Media's springtime festival, which turns 33 in 2016, just revealed its dates, though, in an applause-worthy show of TV-like suspense, not the featured shows. It's on from March 11 through 20, in Hollywood, at the Dolby Theatre. The initial line-up of shows, and some of the stars set to appear, will be unveiled on Jan. 12. Tickets go on sale that day as well to "Paley Patrons, Paley Supporting Members, and Citi cardmembers." The on-sale date for the general public is Jan. 15. Past years of PaleyFest have seen, well, as many shows as a DVR can hold. "Modern Family" and "The Mindy Project" and "Freaks & Geeks" and "Scandal" and "The Good Wife" have all taken the stage. Both half hours and hourlongs get the spotlight for a night, and older shows often get a chance to come back for a reunion or anniversary of sorts. (Think "Lost" and such.) Will your favorite show show up in 2016? Or the series that your relative demanded, in all caps, with exclamation points, that you begin watching at once? TV is a passionate calling for many, and PaleyFest is one of the few ways to go straight to the starry source and learn, in person, how everything you adore, from the cast to the plots to the setting, came to be. Soon, Twitter users may not have to choose their words quite so wisely. The San Francisco company is expected to alter its fundamental premise by allowing tweets as long as 10,000 characters more than 78 times longer than the current limit of 140 characters. The company has not confirmed that the change is coming, but sources familiar with the development have spoken anonymously to the Wall Street Journal and Re/code. The size limit of direct messages jumped to 10,000 characters in July, when co-founder Jack Dorsey rejoined the company as its chief executive officer. Twitter established the 140-character ceiling from the start in 2006, a response to the 160-character limit that SMS text messages had on mobile phones. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office declined Wednesday to file criminal charges against comedian Bill Cosby over allegations he sexually assaulted a woman at the Playboy Mansion in 2008 and another allegation dating to 1965 Prosecutors cited the statute of limitations and insufficient evidence in declining to file charges from the 2008 allegations. A lawsuit was filed Oct. 6 in federal court on behalf of the plaintiff, who claimed she was drugged and assaulted at the famed Playboy Mansion. Cosby's attorneys said last year that the comedian was not at the mansion on the night of the alleged assault. Cosby's name did not appear on guest lists for mansion events in the summer of 2008, according to the district attorney's office. Cosby's name did appear on a guest list for a February 2008 event, according to the DA's office. The accuser met early last year with Los Angeles police detectives, who forwarded the case to the district attorney for a decision on whether charges would be filed. Prosecutors also announced Wednesday that they declined to pursue a case against Cosby over allegations he sexually assaulted a woman in the Hollywood Hills in 1965, when the woman was 17 years old. Prosecutors also said that case was barred due to the statute of limitations. The decision marked the second time the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has declined to file charges against Cosby. In December 2014, prosecutors cited the statute of limitations in declining to pursuing a case against the entertainer over allegations that he sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl at the Playboy Mansion in 1974. Cosby has been accused by dozens of women who claim the comedian drugged and sexually assaulted them. He was charged with sexual assault last week in Pennsylvania -- the first criminal charge filed against the comedian. Cosby and his representatives have repeatedly denied all allegations. A 21-year-old Missouri man has been arrested and charged in the August 2015 disappearance of a Miami teen. "When she disappeared, my mom was going crazy. We all were going crazy, the whole family," said Michelle Vargas, sister. Miami Police, in a collaborative effort with the Greene County Sheriff's Office in Missouri, discovered that 21-year-old Frank Krogh of Greene County, purchased a bus ticket for the 15-year-old Miami girl, which she used to travel from Miami to Missouri. "It was paid by the suspect up in Greene County. What I did was coordinated with Greene County detectives and they were able to apprehend the suspect and bring the girl into custody," said Det. Walter Sarrifiore with Miami Police. Greene County sheriff's deputies responded to the home and arrested Krogh. Deputies also arrested a member of Krogh's family who police said assaulted detectives during the apprehension. Missouri officials charged Krogh with felony statutory rape and endangering the welfare of a child. A Greene County, Missouri judge ordered him held on $10,000 bond. Both Krogh and his family member remain in jail. It is not known if either of them have hired an attorney. Krogh may face additional charges in South Florida, according to authorities. Relatives at the teen's home, located in the 1300 block of Northwest 27th Street in Miami, told NBC 6 the teen reportedly met Krogh on the internet. "She met him online supposedly. We had no idea who the guy was. We still don't know who the guy is," Vargas said. Relatives said the teen is still in Missouri at a juvenile detention center being interviewed by detectives. The family will travel to Missouri this week to bring her back to South Florida, at which time she will be interviewed by authorities here. The family tells NBC 6 that they are relieved at the outcome of the situation. "I'm just happy that my sister is alive," Vargas says. A con man who scored luxury goods and hotel rooms across the country for years by pretending to be a pilot and an injured veteran, among other identities, was himself conned into turning himself in to authorities in New York City this week, investigators say. Jeremy Wilson most recently scammed his way into leasing a 2016 BMW X3 and renting a luxury two-bedroom apartment in Manhattan by stealing identities, writing fake checks and pretending to be a wounded soldier, law enforcement officials said. "The worst thing about this is not only that there are real victims but that he was portraying himself as a war hero and was utilizing that story to be able to victimize other citizens," said Angel Melendez, a Homeland Security investigator. Wilson is believed to have past convictions for similar scams in Indianapolis, Pennsylvania and California, investigators said, although they said they are still sorting out his many aliases. He was recently released from federal prison after his latest fraud-related conviction, police said. After Wilson ran up more scams in New York, Homeland Security investigators and NYPD detectives duped him into turning himself Monday, officials said. They towed the BMW from his Hanover Square building in the Financial District and told him it had been taken as possible evidence from a shooting and that he could come retrieve the vehicle. When Wilson showed up at the 10th Precinct station, police arrested him. Investigators had to use the ruse because Wilson was not with the car and they had to employ a strategy that wouldn't spook the career criminal or send him running, police said. Officials said a search of Wilson's apartment turned up numerous fake passports and other stolen IDs, military uniforms, Harvard and MIT hats and coffee mugs, computers and cash. In some cases, they said Wilson even pretended to be a pilot for a major airline so he could score hotel rooms and bill them to that company. During questioning in New York, police officials said Wilson boasted of being just like the scam artist portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in the 2002 movie "Catch Me If You Can." Real veterans who have been tracking so-called "stolen valor" suspects said Wilson has been on their radar for years. "We find in every case of stolen valor that we've researched, there's an element of financial fraud -- everything from a free cup of coffee all the way through veterans benefits, in some cases millions of dollars," said Terence Hoey, a stolen valor investigator. Wilson also has a current warrant for his arrest in Massachussets. Officials there said he allegedly stole several Apple computers and IDs from MIT. He is accused of committing fraud with fake checks in order to lease the BMW there. Wilson was awaiting a court appearance at 100 Centre St. Tuesday. A public defender said she expects to get the case but had not received paperwork to represent him at this time and had no comment. A spokeswoman for the Manhattan district attorney's office has also declined to comment. FBI agents arrested seven current members of the New York National Guard early Wednesday, including a current NYPD officer, on charges of defrauding hundreds of thousands of dollars from a federal incentive program offering cash rewards for recruiting civilians to serve in the Army National Guard, law enforcement officials say. The 11 count-criminal complaint charges the defendants with bribery and theft of government funds relating to their alleged scheme to defraud the Guard Recruiting Assistance Program, begun in 2005 and designed to offer bonus payments to Army National Guard soldiers to recruit civilians to serve in the National Guard. The program was shut down in 2012. Under the incentive program, participating soldiers would receive $2,000 for every referred soldier who enlisted and entered basic training, court papers say. Prosecutors say two of the defendants, Evette Merced and Darryl Harrison, were salaried military recruiters ineligible to participate in the incentive program. Merced and Harrison are accused of providing personal identifying information of potential soldiers to the other defendants who falsely claimed they had recruited the potential soldiers to the New York Army National Guard, collected the bonus payments under the program and kicked back a portion of those payments to Merced and Harrison. One of the defendants, Jefferson Simbanamuzo, is currently a sergeant in the Army National Guard and a NYPD officer. The defendants are expected to appear in federal court in Manhattan later Wednesday. Information regarding defense attorneys was not available. After raising money to provide housing for the homeless parents of a toddler who was found wandering barefoot in LOVE Park last year, a Philadelphia ministry is close to evicting the couple. This couple doesnt want change, said Brian Jenkins of CHOSEN 300. What they want is a free ride. And were all out of free rides. Were interested in providing avenues to people that want to try to get up. Last October Mike Jones and Angelique Rolands 2-year-old son Jeremiah was found wandering alone and barefoot in LOVE Park. Jones and Roland told police they had been kicked out of a home and had spent the night in a cardboard box near LOVE Parks visitors center and Jeremiah had wandered off while they were sleeping. Jeremiah as well as his 4-year-old sister were then placed in DHS custody. After an outpouring of support from the public, CHOSEN 300, an inter-denominational Christian ministry that helps the homeless, launched a campaign to raise $12,000 to secure housing for the couple for one year. Yet barely 11 weeks into the lease, the group announced they had to end the commitment and evict the couple. Initially we were very optimistic to help the couple move ahead, however they rejected services and failed to comply with the judge's orders in which the children have not been returned, CHOSEN 300 wrote in a press release. Due to the uncooperative nature of the couple, but primarily due to the children not returning to the home, CHOSEN 300 ended the lease with the landlord on Jan 5, 2016 in which a 30 day notice was given to both the landlord as well as the couple. Mike and Angelique are now refusing to leave the property putting the landlord in a difficult situation." Jenkins told NBC10 the couple ran up a $600 room service charge at a hotel before they got the house, missed a child custody hearing, resisted counseling and failed multiple drug tests. Jones and Roland told NBC10 they attended court-ordered counseling but claimed 11 weeks wasnt enough time for them to completely leave their life on the street behind. He doesn't realize there are steps people have to take, Jones said. Sometimes people bend a little bit. And you have to give a person time to right himself back up! Jenkins says the remainder of the $12,000 that was raised will go towards an educational account for Jeremiah and his sister. The children remain in DHS custody. We say to the public dont lose hope, Jenkins said. Dont hold your head down because one family decided that they didnt want the help that we were there to offer. But there are other families out there who are desperate for our help! CHOSEN 300 says that if the court tells them Jones and Roland are ready to get back custody of their children and the only impediment is housing, they'll release the remaining funds but the couple must find a place to live. Jones and Roland told NBC10 they are trying to find an attorney who will represent them at no cost. "He wants to sit here and make us feel like and look like we're the type of people where we want to be lazy or we've got a house and we're trying to lay back now," Roland said. "We're really not that type of people." A Delaware newspapers political cartoon is sparking debate and controversy amid a national discussion on police-involved shootings. The Wilmington News Journal published the cartoon in their newspaper Sunday and on their website. The cartoon, created by a local artist, shows a police officer pointing a gun at baby New Year who has a bottle in his hand. In the cartoon the officer says, Hes holding something, could be a weapon. To me this was just a gratuitous cheap shot, said Thomas Brackin, the head of the Delaware State Troopers Association. The cartoon comes in the aftermath of two high-profile police cases in Delaware. In December, a Dover Police officer who was caught on dashcam video kicking a man in the head was acquitted of assault. In September, police in Wilmington shot and killed a man in a wheelchair who was allegedly armed with a gun. The investigation into that shooting continues. Brackin told NBC10 that in light of those incidents as well as police shootings across the country, the News Journals cartoon is unfair to law enforcement agencies who are working on improving community relations. I dont think its satire, Brackin said. I think it was just meant to be inflammatory. Some residents who spoke with NBC10 disagreed with his assessment however, claiming good police officers shouldnt be offended by the cartoon which they believe raises awareness on an important issue. The police shouldnt feel like its unfair because its the truth, said Terri Jones of Wilmington. Its whats going on. The News Journal also posted letters from readers criticizing the cartoon, calling it obscene and in poor taste. A spokesperson for the Wilmington Police Department also condemned the cartoon in a released statement. The cartoon illustrated in the News Journal over this past weekend goes against all that the Wilmington Police Department and our brothers and sisters in blue stand for, the spokesperson wrote. We take an oath to serve and protect the citizens of Wilmington, and surrounding areas and we take that oath very seriously. Our officers put their lives on the line on a daily basis in an increasingly dangerous profession. The fact that a media outlet would print such an offensive, disgraceful illustration is reprehensible. NBC10 reached out to both the cartoonist and the News Journal for comment. We have not yet heard back from them however. Maggie buried him in blue. A blue suit and a blue casket. Blue was the color shed worn on their wedding day. It was his favorite color. The details surrounding her husbands unexpected death are imprinted in Maggies mind. She rewinds to their last goodbye, the morning she tried to get him to stay home, but Borbor Davis never called in sick. He was the guy whod banked more vacation days than he knew what to do with. They felt more like obligations and Borbor, 68, loved his job. I said, Why not stay home? Can you stay? From the dark brown couch inside her worn, but tidy row home on a block in Darby Borough where the yards are more manicured than not, Maggie looks over at the same front door where her husband stood that day. [[210270151, C]] He looked back at me. I said, Bye, ugly! And he said, like he always do, Bye, ugly! Maggie laughs. It was part of their daily routine -- one of the funny back-and-forths she and Borbor shared. We always played like that. He was my friend. I lost a lot. I really lost a lot. Two and a half years after her husband died in the Market Street building collapse, Maggie Davis is so broke shes afraid shell lose her home. Its a tough place to be not just financially, but mentally for a woman whose face settles into such a warm smile. She does a good job hiding pain suffered now on two continents. Second Chances When shes sitting, Maggie Adams Davis seems younger than her 76 years. No cane needed, and you dont sense the ache it takes to make it up and down the stairs. Its the day after Christmas, and without the distraction of a holiday shared with 17 of her family members, Maggies worries are right there on the couch with her. Overdue bills and property tax notices rolled up neatly inside an old blue plastic folder secured by two rubber bands. Family Photo A privileged woman in her homeland, Maggie moved to the U.S. more than 30 years ago to escape Liberias Civil War, which robbed her of her first husband, two sons and a daughter. She worked first on her education and then her career as a phlebotomist, drawing blood for patients at hospitals in Philadelphia. Maggie was determined to give nearly a dozen children and grandchildren she brought here the education they needed to clutch, competitively, at a better life. Theyve all got their degrees. Theyre married. Their kids are going to college. I have none drunk. None smoke. None. Maggie Adams wasnt looking for love, but one day after services at the church in Lansdowne where she still sings in the choir, a tall, handsome man approached her, smiling. He said, Look like I know you, and I said, Look like I know you too! Turns out theyd gone to the same high school together more than 45 years ago in Liberia. They shared a lot of history. After dating about six months, Maggie and Borbor were inseparable. Hed had girlfriends over the years and while that might have been enough again for him, Maggie wanted more, so they married. He was a nice man. A nice, tall man. My kids loved him. We used to have fun. We used to walk together up and down the block. We never argued. Not once in nine years. I miss the way he came down the stairs in the morning. Losing Love, Then Money Probably, if he had called in sick he would be living, if he had not gone that day. He didnt feel well. The goodbye didnt end at the doorway that morning. It never did. During work that Wednesday, Borbor called Maggie from the basement of the Salvation Army Thrift Store where hed been on the job for five years. He always called me. What are you doing? Where are you? I was usually reading or in the kitchen, sewing. On June 5, 2013, Borbor and Maggie had been on the phone for 10 or 15 minutes when he told her he had to hang up. My boss may come, he said. As soon as I put the phone down, my daughter called me, Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Put the TV on! Put the TV on! The thrift store was gone -- crushed by the wall of a building next door that collapsed during demolition. Workers and shoppers inside the store were buried alive under the crushing weight of four stories of bricks and debris. Maggie sent pictures of Borbor down to the collapse site, imploring everyone she could, from the media to the mayor, to keep digging, keep searching. I said, No, it's not break time. It's time to look for the people in the basement. They found the first woman, then they found my husband. He and six others died. A dozen were injured. But Borbor Davis didnt die instantly. Trapped in the basement of the small thrift shop, Maggies beloved husband suffered agonizing last moments, with severe blunt trauma, crush injuries, asphyxia and pain both physical and psychological according to the suit filed on behalf of the victims. Borbor was declared dead at 7:54 p.m. that night more than nine hours after the collapse. The Weight of Waiting Maggie is one of the 19 parties suing the Salvation Army and property owner Richard Basciano, as well as other principals connected to his company, which owned the building being demolished. Dec. 18, 2015: Developer Richard Basciano (middle) walking into his deposition with two of his attorneys in Philadelphia. The Market Street building Basciano owned crumbled on top of the Salvation Army Thrift store next door while it was being demolished. Basciano and his wife were at the site the morning of the collapse, June 5, 2013, according to court documents... Basciano, who was on site with his wife the morning of the collapse, according to his demolition contractor, isnt talking publicly. Attorney Thomas Sprague says his story will be told at trial, scheduled for Sept. 6. Eight more months? Maggie holds up her bundle of bills. She doesnt know how to make the math work any better. They got by when he was working, but since Borbor died, Maggie's lost more than half her income. Each month, she's stretching the $760 she gets from Social Security as far as she can. It does cover her $650 mortgage, but whats left and the extra she earns here and there as a seamstress isnt enough to pay down two years of property taxes she owes to Delaware County for the modest home she and Borbor bought together. Relatives help when they can and when she lets them, but for Maggie, that adds another layer of stress because it chips away at her independence and strength. "I should be helping them," Maggie says, taking a deep breath on the edge of her couch. Harry Roth, the attorney representing Maggie, said he and the other lawyers representing survivors who lost loved ones in the collapse are working hard to get the case resolved. "This is longer than we'd like, but it is a complicated case," Roth said. "Discovery has been complicated by the fact that there was a grand-jury investigation, and so witnesses were either not available to or would not substantively respond to discovery because of their fifth-amendment concerns. "Obviously, we would like it to be faster for everybody ... because the quicker we can get this thing to trial, the quicker we can get justice for these families." Roth said his firm is doing "everything we can" to ensure that Maggie doesn't lose her home in the meantime. "This is why we're pressing on our side with the other lawyers to really keep things moving," he said. Maggie's no stranger to struggles. But this time, she is "just tired" and misses Borbor. You never get your husband back, and you will not get the value of your husband, Maggie says, thinking ahead to the trial. I hope they give me the value of my husband." Her mind rewinds again. I buried him in blue. It was brilliant. It was beautiful. Blue is a very good color. A local community group submitted a ballot proposal Tuesday calling for changes to the City of San Diegos Citizens Review Board on Police Practices. "Women Occupy San Diego" submitted the proposal to the San Diego City Council Rules Committee to be considered for the November ballot. Members of the group say they hope the full Council will review the proposal to allow the public to vote on the changes. Some of the proposed changes include having independent investigators for the Review Board, more diverse citizen board members and opening all of the Board meetings to the public. To help with the diversity of the board, the proposal would allow city council members to appoint board member from their districts. Click here to see all of the proposed changes. An NBC 7 Investigates story revealed two former board members, Lucy Pearson and Benetta Buell-Wilson, said they think the board has a fixed and ineffective review process. According to the women, the process subverts the board's intent, something thats detrimental not just for citizens but for SDPD officers as well. Buell-Wilson and Pearson claim a lack of transparency and secret decision-making stifles dissent between members and the city. Both women said CRB members who are "pro-police" get the more serious cases, depriving the complaining citizens of a fair hearing. Click here to see the complete investigation. Women Occupy San Diego members said the NBC 7 Investigates story inspired them to "include independent legal counsel for the Board in the ballot proposal. Our proposal is a very comprehensive proposal that completely changes the Citizens Review Board to make it truly independent, to make it accountable to the community and to make it transparent, Kate Yavenditti, an attorney and active member of Women Occupy San Diego, said. The ballot proposal is supported by 20 local civic organizations including ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties, Black and Brown Lives Matter, Citizens Oversight Projects and National Action Network-San Diego. The Review Board was approved by voters in 1988 to help relieve tensions in the city after the shooting death of a police officer by a young black man in southeast San Diego. Gerry Braun, Communications Director for the City Attorneys Office, said the Office does not take a position on initiatives like these. Our role, once voters make a decision at the polls, is to help implement the will of the voters and to defend it against lawsuits, he said in an email to NBC 7 Investigates. Per Council policy, any ballot proposals to be considered by City Council had to be submitted to the City Clerks office by Tuesday, January 5. Those proposals are then forwarded to the Council Rules Committee to be considered. That meeting will take place January 13. Read the full response from Braun in the City Attorneys Office and Elizabeth Maland, the City Clerk, below: Hello Lynn, The City Attorneys Office does not take positions on citizen initiatives. Our role, once voters make a decision at the polls, is to help implement the will of the voters and to defend it against lawsuits. As you know, when critics of the San Diego Citizens Review Board on Police Practices have complained about its methods or responsibilities, this office has directed them to the initiative process that is now being used. Yours are policy questions best directed to policymakers. Best, Gerry Hi, Lynn As the City Clerk, I can only speak to the process. Council Policy 000-21 provides procedures for the submission of ballot propositions to the City Council, by members of the public, Councilmembers, the Mayor or mayoral departments, independent department directors, or a public agency. The procedures are intended to provide sufficient time for consideration of proposals by the Council Standing Committee chaired by the Council President, or other Committee designated by the Council President, prior to potential consideration by the Council. As publicly noticed, any ballot proposition submitted to my office by 5 pm on January 5, 2016, is forwarded to the Committee Consultant for docketing at the January 13, 2016 (Rules) Committee Meeting. At that meeting, the Committee members may act to forward any, all or none, of these ballot proposals to the full Council. The full Council would then subsequently consider the proposals for placement on the June 7, 2016 ballot. After confirming with Ms. Yavenditti that she wished for the potential ballot proposition submitted by Women Occupy San Diego to be forwarded to the Committee Consultant for the January 13, 2016 Rules Committee Meeting, my staff did so. Liz Elizabeth Maland, City Clerk City of San Diego Officials across San Diego are searching for two women who removed their ankle monitors and walked away from the Custody to Community Transitional Re-entry Program (CCTRP) in San Diego. Tumoi King and Viviana Mendez were participants in the program, which allows participants to serve the remainder of their sentence in a community program instead of state prison. The CCTRP provides a range of rehabilitative services. At 7:31 p.m. on Monday, CCTRP staff were told that the two women had removed their ankle monitors. Authorities conducted a facility-wide search, but did not find anyone. King, 28, was serving a five year sentence for a second-degree robbery conviction in Riverside County and had been in the program since Nov. 2014. She was scheduled to be paroled in Oct. 2016. Mendez, 20, is serving a seven year sentence for assault with a deadly weapon conviction in Yolo County. She was scheduled to be paroled in Feb. 2017. Mendez is described as a 190-pound Hispanic female 5 feet 2 inches tall with brown hair and brown eyes. King is described as a 175 pound black female 5 feet 10 inches tall with black hair and brown eyes. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) have notified local law enforcement agencies that the women are missing. Local agencies will be assisting in search and apprehension efforts. Anyone with information regarding either of these women is asked to call (916) 464-4169 or contact their local law enforcement. No further information was immediately available. Alexandria residents are saying goodbye to a toy store thats operated for more than a half century. The Why Not? toy store, a beloved boutique on King Street packed with stuffed animals, dolls and childrens books, will close its doors in February. It's a fixture of the Old Town community and has had generations of customers, said Jeanne Graef, its original owner. Alexandria resident Kim Fazio described Why Not? as a historical landmark, as she shopped for toys with her son Marco. The store has been here since I was a little girl. We love this store, she said. Wed just like to see it stay longer. Another customer, Elizabeth Margosches, snapped a photo of the store, saying she hopes to show her grandson what he could have experienced. Current owner Kate Schlabach said the store could no longer compete with online merchants. Ive had people who come in, they take out their phone, they take a picture of the thing and not only that, but they order it while theyre standing in my store, she said. But many customers said they will miss the experience of shopping for toys in person in a small business. Its part of the experience. Its hard to bring my kid to a computer and pick out a book, share that time, Alexandria resident John Keegans said. You lose places like this, you lose some of the value of the experience. Schlabach said she understands that many customers are sad to see the business close. Theres not another store like this, she said. The head of the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, Stephanie Landrum, praised the shop as a success. There are very few businesses who have made it past five years, frankly, she said. "To make it 50 years, they are an example for a lot of the independent boutiques here in Old Town. The owner of Why Not? said she is sorry for everybody that she is going. But I just have to and I hope everybody understands that. Its time. Its time, she said. Fairfax County is stepping up its efforts to train employees and residents in how to administer a drug that can reverse the effects of heroin and opioid overdoses. At the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board offices Tuesday, trainers first offered instruction on how to recognize symptoms of an overdose. But the centerpiece of the lesson is the "REVIVE!" kit, a zippered pouch containing instructions on how to treat an overdose victim. When stocked with the medication, naloxone and a special nasal syringe, the kit can be life-saving. Students in the class practiced on a dummy -- first rescue breaths, then administering the naloxone into both nostrils. Some who get the training are parents who've seen their own children overdose. "This is a great thing for a family member," said Peggy Cook, the director of Residential Treatment Services for the Community Services Board. "It gives them something they can do. They don't feel quite as helpless. It's something they can do to protect their loved ones." C.W. Tillman works for Fairfax County but first saw the impact of drug overdoses as a teen living in rural Missouri. He said he's now ready to use the naloxone if called upon. "If we can save one life through the injection, that's a life worth saving," he said. Finding naloxone at local drugstores can still sometimes be challenging, so the Community Services Board will help provide naloxone from its pharmacy for those who take the class. The hope is that 2016 could be the year the number of overdose deaths in the commonwealth begins to plateau or reverse. In 2014, 785 Virginians died from heroin or opioid overdoses, and 2015 could record more than 850 deaths. But in Loudoun County, a focus on the overdose epidemic may be starting to pay off. There, while overdose incidents are still climbing, deaths are down 30 percent. The sheriff's office just deployed naloxone with 31 of its deputies. Those trained to use the medication patrol in the more rural, western portion of the county, where deputies often arrive at an overdose scene before other first-responders. Deputy Alex Kowalski said she encounters two to three overdose incidents a month on her patrols. She welcomes the naloxone, which is now tucked into a special pocket in her vest. "That's just a great other tool on my tool belt which is always going to be right here," said Kowalski, gesturing to the pocket. "We're super excited to have it." Sheriff Mike Chapman said the effort is just a pilot program for now but could be expanded if it pays dividends. "We're just trying to make sure we hit everything from a comprehensive standpoint so it's not only about law enforcement. It's about prevention, education and in this case, life saving," Chapman said. The owner of a Calvert County flower shop says he's planning to rebuild after an SUV driven by a suspected DUI driver crashed into his business and caught fire. The county sheriff's office says the vehicle crashed into Bright Center West in Owings along Southern Maryland Boulevard early Wednesday. When authorities arrived, both the vehicle and the strip mall were on fire. The driver, identified as 32-year-old Vincent Troy of Upper Marlboro, was already out of the vehicle, being helped by others. "It's just unbelievable," said Aut Fuller, who owns Floral Expressions. "There's nothing left." The SUV struck Fuller's delivery van before it slammed into the store. "He flipped over the van and into the store, and set everything on fire," Fuller said. Troy was arrested and charged with driving under the influence. "At least he's OK," Fuller added. Fire officials say three firefighters were injured while fighting the fire. Two of the firefighters were treated at the scene; the other firefighter was transported to a local hospital. His condition is not known at this time. No other injuries were reported. Fuller's store was completely destroyed by the fire, but he told News4 he plans to rebuild. A GoFundMe page for Floral Expressions had raised nearly $7,000 by midday Thursday. Several other businesses in the strip mall were also damaged by the fire. Crews made a heroic rescue as a fire raged inside a home Wednesday morning in Saugus, Massachusetts. The family of three who lived at the home got out safely, but firefighters battling the 3-alarm inferno had to save three of their own as the flames and smoke trapped them inside the home just off of U.S. Route 1. "Fire truck air horns were blown, which means to evacuate the building, there's a possibility of collapse, and they also heard a mayday over the radio system, that means a firefighter is trapped and he's in imminent danger of being killed," explained Malden Fire Chief Jack Colangeli. Two Saugus firefighters were rescued by a Saugus captain and a Malden lieutenant, but the third lost his footing trying to escape. "He said he fell down the stairs, lost his helmet, it knocked his seal off, his mask, he didn't have anymore air, he said he was just looking for a way out," said Malden firefighter Gregory Jean, who was was breaking the windows from the outside when he saw the missing firefighter's hand through the smashed glass. "I grabbed his forearm, he grabbed mine and we just struggled to get him out, I assisted getting him out the window, and we kind of embraced, he said oh man you saved my life." Firefighters say in a matter of seconds, the room he had been in was fully engulfed in flames. "I can't say enough of how proud I am of those people," said Saugus Fire Chief Michael Newbury. Crews battling fire on Essex St off of Rt 1 in Saugus. @NECN pic.twitter.com/fGEvGl02Vm Katelyn Flint (@Katelyn_necn) January 6, 2016 But Jean doesn't consider himself a hero. "It's all because of training," he said. "I didn't do anything that anyone else wouldn't do." The Massachusetts Fire Marshal's Office says the fire continues to burn in the basement of the home, where it is believed to have started. Until that fire is out, fire investigators will not be to examine the scene to determine a cause. A homeless man was arrested in Manchester on Tuesday after police said he was caught manufacturing and selling methamphetamine in a store parking lot. Manchester Police said they identified the dealer, 42-year-old Ralph Mathena, after a lengthy investigation in the area of Center and Broad Streets. Officers conducted a buy/bust operation on Tuesday, where they said Mathena was attempting to sell several grams of methamphetamine in the Save-A-Lot parking lot on Broad Street. After Mathena was taken into custody, police said they found several more grams of the drug after searching the man's tent. Mathena was charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell, possession within 1500 ft. of a school, and operating a drug factory. He was held on $250,000 bail after appearing in Manchester Superior Court on Wednesday. A Maine man has pleaded not guilty to mailing cyanide to an Englishman who committed suicide. Investigators said Sidney Kilmartin, of Windham, Maine, advertised and mailed a substance he claimed was cyanide to several suicidal people. The substance was actually Epsom salt. But authorities said Kilmartin mailed the real thing to Andrew Denton, of Hull, England, to keep him from telling investigators about his moneymaking scheme. Denton used the cyanide to take his life. Kilmartin pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to mailing injurious articles resulting in death, wire fraud, mail fraud, witness tampering and witness retaliation. A murder charge has been dropped against a Massachusetts man charged along with his half brother in connection with a homicide in Blackstone. The Telegram & Gazette reports that Brendan Bates, of Milford, is now charged with misleading a criminal investigation and other offenses in connection to the Nov. 20 shooting of 33-year-old Kevin Gonsalves. He was granted $20,000 bail on Tuesday now that a grand jury has declined to indict him on a first-degree murder charge. Authorities said Gonsalves was shot multiple times in the driveway of a Blackstone home. Police say Bates and his half brother drove Gonsalves to the home under the guise of robbing a drug dealer. Bates' half brother still faces a murder charge. A Rhode Island woman is being charged with child endangerment in Massachusetts after allegedly leaving her 8-month-old baby inside of a car on a frigid day. Police in Wrentham say they received a 911 call from a concerned woman on Tuesday just after 12:30 p.m. who said she saw a baby crying in a car seat alone inside of turned-off car. When officers arrived, police say they found the mother of the child at the scene speaking with the 911 caller. The mother of the child, who has not been identified, allegedly told police she was inside of a store for about 10 minutes while she left the baby inside the car. Wrentham police say the temperature outside was in the mid-20s during that time. Massachusetts' child welfare agency was notified, which in turn notified Rhode Island's child welfare agency, police said. The mother and the child were also taken to Norwood Hospital for evaluation. Police say the mother wasn't arrested because the child endangerment charge is a summons. No other details were immediately available. Captain Marie Burr, the Salvation Army leader in Great Yarmouth, has paid tribute to everyone at the church and charity after she left her post at the end of last month to move to a new role. Captain Marie Burr, the Salvation Army leader in Great Yarmouth, has paid tribute to everyone at the church and charity after she left her post at the end of last month to move to a new role. Norwich Cathedral chorister in BBC final Norwich Cathedral chorister Alice Platten has her sights set on being crowned BBC Young Chorister of the Year after reaching the final stages of the prestigious nationwide competition. Read more Norwich to hear pastor, Policeman and tramp tale Essex Baptist Pastor Dave McDowell has been a Policeman, fed orphans in India and lived under a boat as a tramp. He will tell his remarkable story at the October dinner of Norwich FGB on Wednesday October 26. Read more Pioneer UK leader speaks at Sheringham church Ness Wilson, national leader of the Pioneer network of churches, was the main speaker at a day of teaching and worship held at Lighthouse Community Church in Sheringham on 12 October, to be followed up by Word and Worship sessions at October half term. Read more Youth for Christ lights a fire in north Breckland North Breckland Youth for Christ will be putting on a mini residential camp this year to coincide with Bonfire Night. Read more Delia Smith interviewed at Norwich church Top TV cook and well-known writer Delia Smith spoke about her faith at SOUL Churchs weekly Chapel gathering on October 11. Read more Children's Christian holiday club in Briston A half term childrens holiday bible club is taking place in Briston next week, and there is no charge to take part in the fun. Read more Ashill church puts on music to touch the soul The Fountain of Life Church in Ashill is hosting an afternoon concert in early November with classical, jazz, opera, ballads and pop classics. Read more Fakenhams new rector is officially installed Rev Tracy Jessop has been officially installed as Rector for Fakenham during a service at Fakenham Parish Church on Tuesday September 27, fourteen months after their last reverend retired. Read more Norwich homeless charity holds information evening Homelessness charity St Martins is holding an information evening on Thursday 3rd November at The Forum in Norwich for anyone who would like to know more about the work of the charity and to potentially become a volunteer. Read more Sheringhams harvest flowers and Fairtrade boost Giving thanks for Harvest was the theme of the Harvest Flower Festival held at St Andrews Methodist Church, Sheringham at the beginning of October, which included a Traidcraft stall. Read more ENYP needs Project Coordinator and Youth Worker Norfolk Christian charity ENYP is seeking to appoint new workers who have a passion to support children, youth and community food provision. Read more Christmas resources at Revelation Norwich Christian Resource Centre is all stocked up for Christmas: Cards, wrap, bags, gifts, candles and advent calendars are all ready for you to browse and buy! Read more Christian artist captures delight of the Creator Charlotte Ashenden is a portrait artist with 22 years experience, painting children, adults, houses and animals in an incredibly detailed and realistic style, capturing the character of the subject she is painting. Read more Christian speaker visits Norfolk and Waveney Two local Christian organisations are joining forces to bring pastor and conference speaker Andy Prime to Lowestoft and Norwich later this month. Read more Global Leadership Conference returns to Norwich After a three- year break the Global Leadership Summit returns to Norwich on November 25 at the Kings Centre, hosted by Norwich Youth for Christ. Read more New Bishop appointed for the Diocese of East Anglia Rev Canon Peter Collins, a priest of the Archdiocese of Cardiff, has been appointed as the fifth Bishop of East Anglia by Pope Francis, with an announcement made today at both the Vatican in Rome and at St Johns Cathedral in Norwich. Read more Watch out for unguarded sparks! Following the wild fires caused by the very hot and dry weather during the summer, Tony Mallion reminds us of some advice in the bible which draws on a comparison with such fires. Read more Norwich science faith talk on natural disasters A recent talk in Norwich by Christian professor Bob White on 'Are Natural Disasters Acts of God?' looked at biblical characters and how they responded to natural disasters through expressions of faith, hope and charity and at the implications for us today. by Nick Brewin and Patrick Richmond When we read the small-print of insurance companies, we find that an Act of God refers to any natural catastrophe which no one can prevent. But how can an omnipotent God of Love create a world in which earthquakes, floods and volcanic eruptions may kill many thousands of people at a stroke? As a research scientist, Professor Bob White FRS has spent his whole life studying earthquakes and volcanoes. For all that time he has been reflecting as a Christian on the impact of natural disasters and has written a book on the subject entitled Who is to Blame? Disasters, Nature and Acts of God (Lion Hudson, 2014) At a recent talk in Norwich, Bob helped an audience of over 60 people to tackle one of the biggest conundrums of Christian thinking relating to the problems posed by natural disasters. Bob noted how the Christian gospel affirms that God remains sovereign over creation. As Charles Wesley put it when reflecting on the catastrophic earthquake in Lisbon on All Saints Day, 1755: What is nature itself, but the art of God, or Gods method of acting in the material world? Sometimes we have to accept that Nature is what God does, in the words of Saint Augustine. But how can we accept this, when nature causes such disasters? In response, Bob noted that the Gospel also affirms that humanity is somehow fallen and our relationship to God and his world damaged. He drew on the biblical references to Job, Joseph and Jesus and how they each responded to natural disasters through expressions of faith, hope and charity. Noting that he is not a philosopher, he also recommended further reading, such as Don Carsons How long O Lord? (Baker Academic; second edition (2006)) and warned against simplistic answers. The book of Job portrays his sufferings as a test of his faith. The point is made that Jobs misfortunes were not a punishment for his sins, contrary to the assertions of his so called comforters: There is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil (Job 2.3). Although the story allows us to understand more of what is going on than Job does, ultimately it shows that Gods wisdom in creation is far beyond human comprehension or criticism. The biblical story of Joseph illustrates a hopeful, humanitarian response to impending disaster. Because humans have God-given foresight and free-will, they can hope for a better future and help to mitigate the effects of disasters, as Joseph did by storing food during the seven years of plenty in order that people could survive the subsequent seven years of drought and famine (Genesis 45:5?8). As for the life and teachings of Jesus, these promote love and repentance. Natural and man-made disasters do not show the victims were especially sinful, but nonetheless we all need to repent of sin (Luke 13.1-5). Any form of catastrophe should inspire love, compassion and support from others. Such acts of charity are what Jesus taught us to do. Christ also points to issues of social justice that are often an important component in disasters. In many cases, it is clear that human greed and selfishness have served to aggravate the impact of natural disasters. For example, Bob explained how the tragic earthquake in Haiti in 2009 caused havoc among the impoverished community for the simple reason that none of the buildings were constructed to resist earth tremors. In 2011, a Japanese earthquake of greater magnitude combined with a tsunami caused less than a tenth of the casualties, mainly due to the superior building standards used. Bob said that, as humans made in the image of God, we can be agents of new creation. We are called to work for better scientific understanding of disasters, in order that we can enable communities to build resilience against them. Volcanos, earthquakes and flood plains all play a part in the fertility and habitability of the earth. We need to plan and build human habitations wisely in relation to them. Clearly, the viewpoints of science, religion and politics are often intertwined when confronting the causes and consequences of natural disasters. We should strive to remove the unjust disparities in wealth and resources that mean that it is so often the poor and disadvantaged who suffer the most. In the words of Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the United Nations: Climate change affects us all but, unfortunately not evenly, not equally. Robert (Bob) White FRS is Professor of Geophysics at Cambridge University and Director of The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion. He spoke in Norwich on 30th November at a meeting organised by Science and Faith in Norfolk, an ecumenical group affiliated to Christians in Science. Science Faith Cathedral Lecture - March 8 The 8th Science Faith Cathedral Lecture organised by SFN will be held on Tuesday 8th March 7.00 8.30 pm as part of the Cathedral Science Festival. The distinguished lecturer will be Dr Denis Alexander from the Faraday Institute, Cambridge and his title will be 'Evolution and Adam: Reality, Myth and Symbolism'. For more information on the Science and Faith in Norfolk group visit https://sites.google.com/site/scienceandfaithinnorfolk or email sfnorfolk1@gmail.com After trying since 1999 to turn IBM into a union shop, the Alliance@IBM, a Communications Workers of America local, is "suspending" its organizing efforts. "Years of job cuts and membership losses have taken their toll," said the Alliance in a statement Tuesday. The Alliance, which had 400 dues-paying members at its peak, now has about 200. But this figure doesn't tell the real story about the Alliance's accomplishments. The Alliance became a key source of public information for employees and the news media about job cuts, benefit changes and restructuring actions by the tech giant. During a job layoff, the number of website visitors could reach 140,000 or more, according to Lee Conrad, the Alliance's national coordinator, in an interview. Employees shared with the Alliance documents and knowledge about the firm's restructuring activities. But IBM's ongoing restructuring and layoffs, described by the firm as a "rebalancing" of its workforce, made it increasingly difficult for the union to organize, said Conrad. In the mid-1980s, IBM employed some 230,000 in the U.S. The Alliance estimates that number of U.S. workers is about 71,000. IBM stopped disclosing its U.S.-specific headcount about five years ago. IBM is believed to have more employees in India than in the U.S. "It was always an uphill battle," said Conrad, of the organizing effort, but the Alliance served a role "as an advocate" for the workers. Conrad is retiring and says he will continue to provide a place for IBM employees to share information. The Facebook page will remain active, and there are plans to build a new website. The existing website will remain up but will not be updated. This story, "IBM union calls it quits" was originally published by Computerworld . Unwanted unmanned aircraft in your airspace? Zap em with a new anti-drone system from Airbus Defense and Space. As the drone world seems to be exploding -- along with increased reports of close calls with other aircraft and privacy invasion complaints -- the inevitable backlash against the unmanned aircraft may also be growing. Perhaps one example of that backlash came in the form of Airbus counter-UAV system rolled out at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. +More on Network World: + The Airbus anti-drone system employs infrared cameras, radar technology and sensors to spot and track drones over six miles away, the company says. If the incoming drone is considered suspicious, the system can use electronic signals to jam the drones communications and more: Based on an extensive threat library and real-time analysis of control signals, a jammer interrupts the link between drone and pilot and/or its navigation. Furthermore, the direction finder tracks the position of the pilot who subsequently can be dealt with by law enforcement. Due to the Smart Responsive Jamming Technology developed by Airbus Defence and Space, the jamming signals are blocking only the relevant frequencies used to operate the drone while other frequencies in the vicinity remain operational. Since the jamming technology contains versatile receiving and transmitting capabilities, more sophisticated measures like remote control classification and GPS spoofing can be utilized as well. This allows effective and specific jamming and, therefore, a takeover of the UAV, the company stated. +More on Network World: DARPA wants vanishing drones+ The Airbus system follows a recent Layer 8 post that detailed the US Federal Bureau of Prisons looking for such as system to protect federal prison guards and prisoners from incoming threatening drones. The group, which is an agency of the Department of Justice issued a Request for Information in November specifically targeting what it called a fully integrated system that will allow for the detection, tracking, interdiction, engagement and neutralization of small -- less the 55lb -- unmanned aerial system. Recent advances in unmanned air vehicles have presented a new and evolving threat to the BOPs mission. From small devices of less than a pound that can provide unauthorized imagery and surveillance to larger systems that can carry 20 or more pounds of contraband, these devices represent a new and unprecedented challenge for BOP personnel the agency stated. Check out these other hot stories: DARPA targets tiny, battery-powered atomic clocks that could shield GPS outages NORADs amazing 60-year Santa tracking history NASA offers $15k for wicked cool air traffic technology US Homeland Security wants heavy-duty IoT protection Ex-US State Dept. worker pleads guilty to extensive sextortion, hacking and cyberstalking acts U.S. Marshals issue telephone scam warning IBM tapped by US intelligence agency to grow complex quantum computing technology DARPA scheme would let high-tech systems see as never before Want to retire in New England? It's going to be expensive, study says. Champaign, IL (61820) Today Sunny. High near 50F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Clear to partly cloudy. Low around 30F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Columnist Tom Kacich is a columnist and the author of Tom's Mailbag at The News-Gazette. His column appears Sundays. His email is tkacich@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@tkacich). Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death. Submit Concierge Choice Physicians (CCP), the nation's leading full-service concierge medical service provider, today announced that Octavian Belcea, MD, a Raleigh, North Carolina-based doctor with more than 13 years of practice, has enrolled in the company's Hybrid Choice program - an enhanced service that allows for greater connectivity between doctor and patient. Dr. Belcea is the first physician in North Carolina to offer a hybrid program to his patients. By enrolling in Hybrid Choice, he can now offer his patients the choice of joining a concierge program -- the latest, most personal trend in the healthcare industry -- or continuing with a traditional model of care. For busy physicians like Dr. Belcea, CCP's Hybrid Choice offers significant financial advantages. Doctors are able to maintain their traditional practice -- seeing all of their patients and accepting insurance plans -- while adding a new, private and stable revenue source. Hybrid Choice also lets doctors spend more time with current patients who choose to sign-up for the program, as well as offer exclusive after-hours and weekend availability via direct cell phone and email. In addition, the program allows participating doctors to advocate for patients with specialists. Hybrid Choice is available for an annual membership fee, with pricing dependent on the program elements offered by each doctor. "For close to 10 years I was able to offer unmatched medical service, but more recently I found that appointments were a bit more rushed, physicals were scheduled out more than a month away, and I wasn't able to make the time to speak with my patients on the phone," said Dr. Belcea. "CCP's Hybrid Choice program has changed that for the better by allowing me to spend more time with my patients, provide them with the support and advocacy they need from their doctor, and offer a more personal experience. I'm delighted to be the first physician in North Carolina to offer it to my patients." Dr. Belcea graduated from the University of North Carolina Family Medicine Program in Chapel Hill in 2003. He was the only doctor since 1986 to start a medical practice immediately after completing his residency. Today he is one of the most highly sought-after physicians in the Raleigh community. "Dr. Belcea is the most caring, considerate doctor. Now, with his concierge program, he is able to spend more time with his patients than ever before," said Robyn Reed, a long-time patient. "He really listens, never rushes and always makes sure he has addressed all of my concerns." SillaJen, Inc., a private, clinical-stage, biotherapeutics company focused on the development of oncolytic immunotherapy products for cancer, has announced the initiation of a multinational randomized Phase 3 open-label study of its lead product candidate, Pexa-Vec (formerly JX-594), in patients with advanced liver cancer, also known as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The trial is evaluating the use of Pexa-Vec to treat HCC patients who have failed locoregional therapies and are eligible for treatment with sorafenib (Nexavar), the only approved drug for advanced HCC. The study, named the PHOCUS trial, is designed to enroll 600 patients who have not received prior systemic treatment for their cancer, and they will be randomized to one of two treatment groups: one which will receive Pexa-Vec followed by sorafenib and one which will receive sorafenib alone. The randomized study will be conducted at approximately 140 sites worldwide including North America, Asia, Australia, and Europe. SillaJen reached agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) for this global Phase 3 clinical trial. The primary objective of the study will be to determine the overall survival of patients treated with Pexa-Vec, followed by sorafenib versus sorafenib alone. Secondary objectives will include safety as well as assessments for tumor responses between the two groups as measured by the following endpoints: time to progression, progression-free survival, overall response rate and disease control rate. To learn more about the trial, please visit: http://www.pexavectrials.com/ "We are pleased to be initiating this multinational Phase 3 trial for Pexa-Vecan oncolytic immunotherapy, which demonstrated antitumor activity in Phase 2 clinical trials for liver cancer," stated Eun Sang Moon, chief executive officer of SillaJen. "Our primary focus at this time is to execute a well-run, successful clinical trial, and we believe that the SPA that we have in place with the FDA will allow us and our global partners a clear path to approval for Pexa-Vec." "We are still desperately in need of additional treatment options for advanced liver cancer. Cancer immunotherapy holds much promise, and I'm greatly looking forward to having the opportunity to evaluate Pexa-Vec in patients with advanced liver cancer," stated Ghassan Abou-Alfa, M.D. medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and lead investigator on the Phase 3 trial. Pexa-Vec Clinical Development Program and SOLVE Platform Pexa-Vec is the most advanced product candidate from SillaJen's proprietary SOLVE (Selective Oncolytic Vaccinia Engineering) platform. The vaccinia strain backbone of Pexa-Vec has been used safely in millions of people as part of a worldwide vaccination program. This strain naturally targets cancer cells due to common genetic defects in cancer cells; Pexa-Vec was engineered to enhance this by deleting its thymidine kinase (TK) gene, thus making it dependent on the cellular TK expressed at persistently high levels in cancer cells. Pexa-Vec is also engineered to express the immunogenic GM-CSF protein. GM-CSF complements the cancer cell lysis of the product candidate, leading to a cascade of events resulting in tumor necrosis, tumor vasculature shutdown and sustained anti-tumoral immune attack. Local health departments could play a significant role in tackling mental health issues in the United States, according to a recent study conducted by faculty in Drexel's Dornsife School of Public Health. Local health departments are government entities responsible for addressing the public health needs and concerns of a specified geographic population. Nearly 3,000 serve cities and counties nationwide. Drexel's professors found that of the 505 local health departments they studied, between 30 and 40 percent provided some form of mental health care services. Additionally, those that provided services were found to be seven times more likely to perform population-based mental illness prevention activities and almost three times as likely to be involved in policy or advocacy for activities to address mental health issues. Jonathan Purtle, DrPH, assistant professor in the Dornsife School of Public Health's Department of Health Policy and Management, was the lead author of the study, "Prevalence and correlates of local heath department activities to address mental health in the United States," which was published in the journal Preventive Medicine. Purtle's co-authors in the study were Ann Klassen, PhD, Jennifer Kolker, MPH and James Buehler, MD. "Mental health is important for public health in two main ways," said Purtle. "One is that mental health conditions adversely impact quality of life and are highly prevalent. Depression is among the top conditions in the world that leads to an adverse quality of life. And the second part if why mental health is important is a huge body of research tells us that mental health conditions hugely increase the risk of developing physical conditions and injury." Providing a more holistic sense of health, linking the mental and physical aspects, is important. "For 100 years, people in the United States have been saying mental health is a public health issue. And people in the public health field have been saying, 'Yes. It is,'" Purtle said. "That said, many of these organizations have been focused on physical health and mental health has been looked at as the domain of psychologists and psychotherapists, which is an individually-based view of health." With local health departments taking on a more holistic view of health that includes mental health services, there are opportunities to leverage that into further growth. Under the Affordable Care Act, to retain their tax-exempt status, non-profit hospitals must conduct a community health needs assessment every three years. Local health departments could provide opportunities for partnerships with these hospitals to to better address those community mental health needs, according to the Drexel research team. The Drexel team found that roughly 25 percent of local health departments implement strategies to target the mental health service needs of under-served populations. If a local health department already had some form of mental health care services to offer, the study indicated that it was almost three times as likely to attempt to reach underserved populations. When looking at those local health departments that implemented strategies to reach underserved populations, it was found that roughly 80 percent of them sought to access gaps in mental health care and just over 88 percent attempted to increase access to mental health services. Additionally, almost half of those local health departments were found to be involved in policy and advocacy activities addressing mental health. Source: Drexel University The Physician Payments Sunshine Act, passed under the Affordable Care Act, requires all pharmaceutical and medical device companies to report payments to physicians, including consulting fees, gifts, speaking fees, meals, travel and research grants. This information is searchable to the public on a database called Open Payments, managed by the Centers for Medicare & Medical Services (CMS). A recent study by researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine analyzed this database and compared payments among different specialties and identified which ones topped the list. The study was published online the week of January 4 by Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Researchers scrutinized 2.4 million physician payments totaling $475 million made during the last five months of 2013. Internal medicine and orthopedic surgery received the greatest total value at $111 million each. The highest proportion of physicians receiving payments was seen among cardiovascular and neurosurgical specialists. Orthopedic surgery and neurosurgery had the greatest mean value of general payments per physician. "Physicians across the nation have entered into an era of transparency. This analysis shows the wide variability of industry payments across specialties," said Jona Hattangadi-Gluth, MD, principal investigator and assistant professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine. "The research sheds light on how physicians are engaging with medical companies, and this information can be used by patients, policymakers and other stakeholders when making health care decisions." The study found that medical specialties requiring a higher level of intervention, such as gastroenterology, cardiology and orthopedics, received higher payments - likely because of the dependence on devices used by the physicians for procedures, such as stents or hip replacements. "During the last few decades, physicians have become much more engaged in the development of novel drugs and devices, which is critical to bringing innovation to patients," said Hattangadi-Gluth, chief of the central nervous system tumor service at UC San Diego Health. "Certain specialties, like surgery, may require more research and involvement in device development, resulting in higher royalty and license payments. Our study not only identified how industry payments are distributed by specialty, it also helped put those payments in context." By plugging in the first and last name of a physician on the Open Payments site, an individual can see industry payments listed by company, nature of payment, date and amount. "Physicians are held to a high standard, so it is critical to determine if their financial relationships create a conflict of interest or are deemed appropriate to ensure the highest quality of care and patient trust," said Hattangadi-Gluth. Before the open payments data was released, studies relied on physicians to self-disclose their industry payments. "Surveys can potentially be biased depending on what physicians choose to disclose. The data reported by CMS eliminates that recall bias," said Hattangadi-Gluth. Hattangadi-Gluth said next steps include looking at whether an industry payment affects physician decision-making and treatment utilization. "We don't know yet whether these financial relationships are harmful in any way. It is also unclear whether transparency will impede valuable collaborations and the pace of innovation. There are many positive consequences of physician-industry relationships, so it is important that they be interpreted properly." Using paroxetine--a medication prescribed to treat conditions including depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder--during the first trimester of pregnancy may increase newborns' risk of congenital malformations and cardiac malformations. That's the conclusion of a recent analysis published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. Up to one-fifth of women of childbearing age experience depressive symptoms that often lead to mild to moderate depression, and prescriptions for antidepressants during pregnancy have increased in recent years. The most common drugs for treating depression in pregnant women are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and up until 2005, one drug in that class--paroxetine--was considered to be safe for use during pregnancy. A small unpublished study conducted by the manufacturer, however, suggested an increased risk of cardiac malformations in infants exposed to paroxetine before birth. Subsequent studies using various study designs in different populations across Europe and North America generated conflicting results in terms of statistical significance, although a trend remained towards an increased risk. To provide a comprehensive assessment of the effects of paroxetine on newborns, a team led by Professor Anick Berard, PhD, of CHU Sainte-Justine and the University of Montreal, conducted a literature review and meta-analysis of all relevant studies published from 1966 to 2015. The investigators uncovered 23 eligible studies. Compared with no use of paroxetine, first trimester use of paroxetine was associated with a 23 percent increased risk of any major congenital malformations and a 28 percent increased risk of major cardiac malformations in newborns. The investigators noted that the baseline risk of major malformations is 3 percent and of cardiac malformations is 1 percent; however, any increase in risk is significant, especially when considering that the benefit of using selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors during pregnancy--when changes in metabolism cause the drugs to be cleared from the body at a faster rate--is debatable. "Given that the benefits of antidepressants overall, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors including paroxetine specifically, during pregnancy is questionable at best, any increase in risk--small or large--is too high," said Dr. Berard. "Indeed, the risk/benefit ratio suggests non-use in women with mild to moderately depressive symptoms, which is 85 percent of pregnant women with depressive symptoms. Therefore, planning of pregnancy is essential, and valid treatment options such as psychotherapy or exercise regimens are warranted in this special population." PKL 9: It's Important for Me to Guide the Youngsters in Our Team, Says Fazel Atrachali It's not just the celebrities who have been putting on their dancing shoes to ape Psy's dance moves. Even Policemen rehearse 'Gangnam style' dance moves at the grandstand ahead of the South Korean F1 Grand Prix in Yeongam. Bollywood celebrities and cricketers came together for the event. Yuvraj Singh looked dapper in a blue suit. Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna in action against Aisam Ul Haq Qureshi and Jean Julien Rojer in the doubles final. (Getty Images) Changes and trends of the old year now passing in review show women holding, as usual, a mixed bag. Some less sanguine women would call it a Pandoras box. The Obama administration pressed the military to open up combat positions to women, though many senior officers (and a lot of the women in the ranks) privately think its a bad idea. The debate is less about the different physical abilities of men and women, though it is certainly about that, than the impact of fraternization in close and dangerous quarters. If raging hormones control the young, were in more trouble than we thought. Gone is the sensibility of Bill Mauldins famous World War II cartoon of Willie and Joe. Huddled in the rain and mud in their drenched foxhole, Willie asks Joe, whose face is hidden behind a weeks growth of stubble: Why couldnt you have been born a beautiful woman? The differences between the sexes have gone through a radical transformation of perceptions over the past year, with famous men as well as popular fictional men transitioning into a version of womanhood. Bruce Jenner, who became a poster boy for masculinity and a championship season when he won the Olympic gold medal for the decathlon in 1976, transformed in our collective memory to Caitlyn Jenner, a 65-year-old glamour-puss passively displayed in a white strapless leotard on the cover of Vanity Fair, a pinup of vapid femininity, who has yet to submit to the unkindest cut of all. Willie and Joe would still prefer their idea of a woman to share a foxhole with. The desire to transition into transgender is not a desire shared proportionately between the two sexes, with a third more men wishing to be women than women eager to become men. The most dramatic transgendered woman lives in the fantasy world of television, in Transparent, a series basking in rave reviews for its depiction of three adult children reacting to their fathers announcement that hes now their mother. The portrayal brings out the inevitable ambiguities in unhappy families, rewriting Tolstoys famous observation for the 21st century, something like: Each unhappy family is queer in its own way. In Transparent, when Maura Pfefferman (formerly Morton) is asked by a daughter if becoming a trans-parent means he will now always wear womens clothes, Maura says of course; shes been trapped in trousers for years. Maura as Mommy isnt quite as appealing as Dustin Hoffmans character Tootsie three decades ago. Tootsie returned to manhood after pretending to be a woman and declared that he was a better man as a woman. Changing sex means complicating emotions and coming up with elaborate explanations. The 1980s sensitivity in men was highly prized by feminists, before women discovered they had inadvertently liberated men from marriage and their roles as breadwinners. I cherished my mothers role as an idealized homemaker because she was always there after school, but it was a role I did not imitate. Thats all but vanished. Thats too bad, not only for the children but also for women who have lost a prized and privileged choice that many women would still prefer. The lagging economy conspires with cultural politics to reinforce certain negatives in the equalizing of the sexes. Some young men as well as young women must adjust to a new kind of dependency. The economics of housing, enormity of debt from student loans and growing scarcity of jobs for those without a college degree all doom young adults to live with their parents instead of the warm intimacy of life with someone to share a pillow with. Not since 1940 has the nest been so crowded with boomerang babies or children who have never left home. Delayed marriage is both an economic and social trend, and whats particularly ominous is that since 1970 each new cohort of young adults has a higher rate of never-marrieds than the one before it. A Pew Research analysis suggests that when todays young adults reach their mid-40s to mid-50s, 1 in 4 will never have married. This will fall hardest on women who yearn for babies in an intact family. As homosexuals celebrate marriage, heterosexuals are finding it harder to find a marriage to celebrate, a further irony of our time. The war between the sexes has always played out within specific cultural mores of the moment, but this is the first year that both men and women are armed together in the military to fight an enemy, rather than grooving on the fun of disarming each other. If Willie and Joe were around today they would surely be scratching their bald heads. A lot of us are perplexed. Theres much to wonder and worry about as the new year arrives, and here it comes, ready or not. Fields is a columnist for The Washington Times. Email her at suzannefields2000@gmail.com. Five years after exiting the plane, Aby and Stephen Nelms still can describe the first few steps they took on the tarmac outside the airport in the Republic of Zambia. Stephen, a minister and the head of international training and development for local organization Gospelink, most remembers the smell of burning grass. [Its] a very distinctive smell when you go there, he said. We were greeted by a large group of pastors and singing women. It was very interesting. The Nelms, who recently moved to Lynchburg with their five kids, can tell their fair share of stories about adapting to life in a third-world country quite colorfully. Everything from cooking over an open fire to moving into a little house that was flooded and having no furniture, no kitchen, no fridge, no car. And two babies in cloth diapers, Stephen, 35, said. Those are definitely some vivid memories for sure. The couple moved to Africa in 2010 on a mission trip and spent almost five years in the village of Chongwe. We were at a place where we really wanted to experience the gospel outside of the walls of the church, Stephen said. In Zambia, the couple created the Give Life Project, an initiative they started through Gospelink, the organization Stephens father founded in 1998. According to Stephen, Gospelink, which operates out of Wyndhurst, works to be a global link for local churches around the world. The family's time there also inspired Aby to start the business Five Arrows Market, through which she now sells handcrafted, African-inspired kitchen decor, upon their return to the U.S. Stephen and Aby said they chose the Republic of Zambia partly because of the ties Stephen had to the country through his fathers organization. From 2003 to 2010, he visited several times, spending what accumulated to several months in the village. With two young children, they were looking for a safe environment where they could raise a family. The villagers spoke English, and Stephen and Aby already knew people and had the footholds there. You figure youre going to go change the world, but you get there, and you see the needs unfolding differently than what you thought, Aby, 33, said. We had such a vision for community development ... and about a year into us living there, we saw the doors fling wide open for education. That happened after Stephen met the leader of a small village, who took the couple to a nearby school. They had mud bricks with a thatched-grass roof and when you stepped inside, there [were] maybe about 35 extremely dirty children sitting on small mud benches, little bricks covered by mud, he said. The teachers, they had no supplies, no equipment and, come to find out, they had no education. Theyd never even graduated high school. Despite not having a background as educators, the Nelms established two fully self-sustaining schools: one in the nearby village of Chishiko, which the community maintains, and Nyezima (meaning to sparkle or shine), a preschool that has 75 students enrolled. Our whole vision was to partner with the village, said Aby. Thats true community development, we thought, when the people feel like they are developing themselves. Youre not doing it for them. Theyre part of the building and teaching and everything. In addition to establishing the two schools, they sent two young women, who would become teachers there, to college and paid for their entire education. Aby also organized a sewing co-op through which group members sold their products, and helped her friend, Alice Simpokolwe, establish a sewing business where she taught other women to sew in order to make a living. "When ... you leave, you do question, What did we accomplish? Stephen said. You look back at it and you realize we were able to accomplish things there that were really spectacular. We had a lot of opportunities that maybe people won't have usually. We took a huge risk moving into a third-world country and living in a small village, but it was a beautiful thing in many ways. You realize you really can do anything if you set your mind to it and you give yourself over to the leading of God. You really can do some crazy things." After five years, the family, which had more than doubled in size with the addition of three children, returned to the U.S. The Nelms lived in Florida before moving to Lynchburg in August so Stephen could be closer to Gospelink. In April, Aby created Five Arrows Market on Etsy, where she sells placemats, wooden bowls and serving spoons. I wanted to have a creative space where I could express my interest and share about my experiences as a mother, traveler, artist, and so on, said Aby, who moved to the U.S. from Venezuela as a child and began taking mission trips in her early teens. I also wanted to have a way for people to get involved with various opportunities to help others. She chose the number five to represent each of her children. Arrows are something that you propel forward, she said, They have to always go backward in order to go forward. So it has to do with family and direction and purpose. Part of the money from every purchase of a Five Arrows Market product goes to Nyezima Preschool and the womens co-op, to help bring in supplies they cannot find in Africa. "When you look at the developing world, much of that is a survival mentality. There's a saying, 'You don't plant a tree, said Stephen. That's the way a lot of people look at life: It's about today. Five Arrows does come out of the idea of using art and the senses and creation in order to promote, in order to bring awareness and bring opportunity. The heart of Five Arrows comes out of that. Simpokolwe and Aby made the brightly colored, graphic placemats currently in the Five Arrows Market line while Aby still lived in Africa; theyre made from traditional fabrics called chitenge using an old-school sewing machine, the kind a person pumps with his or her foot. They use [the chitenge] for everything from baby carriers to rolling them and using them as a support to carry things on their heads, to sitting on or using [them] as a bag and so many other things, said Aby. The line also includes intricately hand-carved wooden bowls and serving spoons designed by the locals at Kabwata Cultural Market, with whom the couple became close during their time there. I immediately was drawn to them. I so appreciate the beauty of the woods, so rustic and practical, Aby said. I am usually one to pick out vintage and worn items that have either a history or just an interesting story. I definitely had a collection of my own. Some of my favorites were the small giraffe spoons I used for serving different things. Starting next year, Five Arrows Market also will include a photography business and blog, which plays into Abys strengths as a professional photographer. She said she has considered expanding into more fabric products, like purses, aprons and baby bibs, using fabrics from other locales around the world such as Indonesia and the Middle East. But Africa will always stay in the line. Africas my heart because thats where I lived, but Ive traveled to all kinds of places all the time, she said. I have in my heart and my mind all of these experiences from the past that definitely influence everything that I do. Who are the 13? DC just retconned new Golden Age characters into continuity Meet the 13 characters retroactively added to DC's Golden Age era in Flashpoint Beyond #6 Home News Sports Social Obituaries Events Letters Looking Back Health Jewels Stitch in Time Concerns expressed at City Council meeting on possible disruptions planned for Saturday political gathering January 6, 2016 Concerns were expressed at last night's Bonners Ferry City Council meeting that attempts may be made to disrupt a planned political gathering this Saturday. A group called the Concerned Citizens of Boundary County is planning a gathering this Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at the Georgia Mae Plaza in downtown Bonners Ferry. This group was formed in response to the recent resolution passed by Boundary County commissioners regarding resettlement of refugees in the United States. During the public comment period of last night's city council meeting, Elsie Hollenbeck, a member of Concerned Citizens of Boundary County, stood and took her alloted time for public comment to make mention of the planned gathering, which is set to have speakers, musical performances, and a march across the Kootenai Bridge. The gathering was organized, she said, to show that "the resolution passed by the commissioners did not represent so many of us in the community," according to Ms. Hollenbeck. "They wanted the community to know that there are lots of people out there who did not agree with that resolution." Ms. Hollenbeck went on to state that her group has seen comments on social media sites where some have advocated finding ways to disrupt the planned gathering and march. "Everything from building a fort, to making snowballs to throw at us, to do things to disrupt us," she told the council. "So I wanted you to know that we are a peaceful group, that we just want to come together to hear these stories, to have this music, and to let the community know that there are those of us out there who don't agree with that resolution, that we are a welcoming community." Ms. Hollenbeck went on to add, "Many of us listened at the [county commissioner's meeting] to the people who were supporting the resolution, and we sat and listened to them respectfully. And we would expect the same from them, that if they want to come, they are welcome to come, but we do want them to act and to behave in a respectful manner and to listen to what is said." Bonners Ferry Police Chief Vic Watson, as he stood to give his report to the City Council, took some time to address the concerns expressed by Ms. Hollenbeck. "Regarding the event planned for this Saturday with the human rights group, I am up to date on security issues, I've been following the dialogue and the rhetoric, and we will do our utmost to ensure that it is a safe and secure event for all those involved." Questions or comments about this article? Click here to e-mail! US Military Really Didn't Want You to Know What's in New Washington Post Investigation (Newser) Mark your calendars: On Jan. 18, the UK will officially decide whether itas a countryis a loser. That's when Parliament is officially scheduled to debate an immensely popular petition calling for Donald Trump to be banned from entering the country, Time reports. According to the BBC, the petitioncreated after Trump called for banning Muslims from entering the USgarnered more than 560,000 signatures. By law, any petition that gets 100,000 signatures has to at least be considered for debate by Parliament. However the debate goes, this exercise has brought many people together to speak out against hate speech and prejudice, Time quotes a statement from the petition's creator. That is my reward, and one Im very happy and moved by. The banning of Donald Trump will be debated in Parliament's "secondary debating chamber" and will not be followed by an actual vote, the BBC reports. "As with any decision to schedule a petition for debate, it simply means that the committee has decided that the subject should be debated." one minister says. Ministers will also be debating a second petition calling on Trump not to be banned. The rival petition received fewer than 40,000 signatures. According to the Guardian, the British government has indicated it has no plans to actually ban Trump from the country, despite Prime Minister David Cameron calling Trump's comments on Muslims "divisive, stupid, and wrong." Time reports the UK is allowed to ban people from entering the country if they are deemed non-conducive to the public good. (Read more Donald Trump stories.) (Newser) The FBI is trying to figure out what the San Bernardino shooters were doing during an 18-minute stretch after killing 14 people and wounding 22 others at a California holiday party on Dec. 2, the Press Enterprise reports. According to ABC News, the FBI has accounted for most of Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik's day between the shooting around 11am and their deaths at the hands of police around 3pm. But despite 500 or so interviews, investigators haven't been able to place either of the shooters between 12:59pm and 1:17pm, the Press Enterprise reports. Specifically, the FBI wants to know if Farook and Malik met anyone, dumped anything, or visited a business during those 18 minutes, according to the Los Angeles Times. Following the shooting, Malik and Farook droveapparently at randomaround the San Bernardino and Redlands areas, the Times reports. A lot of zig-zagging around, going back and forth on the highway," FBI Assistant Director in Charge David Bowdich said during a press conference Tuesday. "There is no rhyme or reason to it that we can find yet." Those missing 18 minutes could contain a clue. According to the Press Enterprise, authorities have so far turned up no evidence that Farook and Malik had any help in planning or carrying out the attack. The missing 18 minutes could change that too. The investigation is still ongoing, ABC reports. "We will leave no stone unturned," Bowdich said. (Read more San Bernardino shooting stories.) (Newser) Donald Trump, who spent years peddling "birther" conspiracy theories about President Obama, is now targeting somebody who really was born in a foreign country: Ted Cruz. In a Washington Post interview, Trump warns that the issue of whether the Canadian-born Cruz counts as a "natural-born" American citizen could keep the courts busy for years. "It'd be a very precarious one for Republicans because he'd be running and the courts may take a long time to make a decision," Trump says. "You don't want to be running and have that kind of thing over your head." Cruz, who was born in Alberta to an American mother and Cuban father, formally renounced his Canadian citizenship in 2014. His family moved to the US when he was 4, and he apparently wasn't aware of his dual citizenship until 2013. "I'd hate to see something like that get in his way," Trump tells the Post. "But a lot of people are talking about it and I know that even some states are looking at it very strongly, the fact that he was born in Canada and he has had a double passport." Most legal scholars believe Cruzwho automatically gained US citizenship through his mothercounts as a natural-born citizen, and in September, Trump himself said, "I hear it was checked out by every attorney and every which way and I understand Ted is in fine shape," CNN reports. Cruz's only comment on Trump's remarks was a tweet linking to video of the famous Happy Days "jumping the shark" episode. (Britain's Parliament is going to debate a petition calling for Trump to be banned from the country.) (Newser) A teenage would-be bank robber in Detroit found himself imprisonedand presumably regretting one or two life choiceswithin seconds of being handed money at a bank on Monday, police say. A police spokesman tells the Detroit Free Press that the 15-year-old gave a teller a note claiming he had a bomb and demanding money. As he left with the cash, the teller hit a button that trapped the youth between two sets of doors. The security system, known as a "man-trap," keeps intruders caged until police arrive, MLive reports. Police say the teen, who didn't have any explosives on him, was taken to a juvenile detention facility. (A man who stole a restaurant's tip jar ended up losing money.) (Newser) North Korea's main ally says it "firmly opposes" Pyongyang's purported hydrogen bomb test and is monitoring the environment along its border with the North near the test site. China plans to summon North Korea's ambassador in Beijing to the Foreign Ministry to lodge a strong protest, spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters at a daily briefing Wednesday. China made a similar protest after the North's last nuclear test in 2013. Wednesday's reported test was performed in defiance of the international community and in contravention of its earlier denuclearization promises, Hua said. "North Korea should stop taking any actions [that] would worsen the situation on the Korean peninsula," she told reporters. Environment bureau technicians were monitoring conditions near the border, but air quality near the bomb site was within the normal range, Hua said, adding that in the longer term, North Korea should return to long-stalled six-nation denuclearization talks hosted by China. The test was also denounced by the European Union and South Korea, which called it a "grave provocation," the BBC reports. Pyongyang, meanwhile, said the test was a complete success that has made the country an advanced nuclear nation. "It is just to have H-bomb as self-defense against the US having numerous and humongous nuclear weapons," a North Korean state broadcast said, per the Guardian. (Here's more on the science of Pyongyang's H-bomb claim.) Terror Groups Eyeing Israel's Destruction from inside NGOs Two stalwarts go sleuthing: "The research suggests that antisemitism is the fuel that primes the PSC engine" 'For as long as these antisemites wrap themselves up in the Palestinian flag, too many people are willing to turn a blind eye. Only against Jews is this type of racism openly tolerated. It is flourishing in schools, colleges, universities, unions and in city councils. In fact, so rampant is the disease now, in some settings you can be ostracised if you do not partake in the frenzy yourself. Bashing Jews has becomes a trendy position for the ignorant social justice warrior. "Palestinianism" is a viral "ponzi scheme" and as it spreads, it carries antisemitism in the undergrowth.' David Collier (2017) 'This new rise in antisemitism, which I had thought long dead, was not shaven-headed white imbeciles from the far right. It was Muslims, a large chunk of it.... Suddenly I grasped that the British far left didnt want people to know about antisemitism because it pointed the finger at people they really, really liked. From that moment on, it all fell into place.... Time and again the same tropes emerged, the same sort of stuff that Streicher and Goebbels would have commended and uttered.... And from that a whole bunch of other stuff emerged: the old blood libel business (a favourite of the repulsive Jenny Tonge).... Nice, avuncular, Jeremy Corbyn, with his peace badges, happily laying a wreath at the graveside of Palestinian terrorists who murdered innocent Jewish athletes, oh, and much much more.... It is the same antisemitism, exactly the same: the obsession with Israel to the exclusion of everything else, the conspiracy theory paranoias, the derangement.... Heres the test if you cannot see the flagrant racism in the BDS movement, and if you are obsessed with the perfidy of the Middle Easts only democracy to the exclusion of all else, you are an antisemite. That means a good proportion of the Labour Party, including the leader, and almost all of Momentum: no brown shirts, no marching bands, but the same old filth, dressed in the clothes of a polytechnic geography lecturer.' Rod Liddle (2018) Pro-Israel Down Under Shalom and Welcome to my blog! I'm the little Aussie blogger who took the screenshot and broke the story of Stephen Sizer's notorious 9/11 post, and I've since broken two other stories that subsequently went viral, one Australia-wide and one, thanks to the sterling work of two other bloggers, worldwide. I remain very surprised and very honoured to have been co-winner, Best Pro-Israel Blog, Hasby Awards, 2013 Please "Like" me on Facebook; my Facebook page is here 'In a region where women are stoned, gays are hanged, Christians are persecuted, Israel ... is different.... Of the 300 million Arabs in the Middle East and North Africa, only Israel's Arab citizens enjoy real democratic rights.... Israel is not what is wrong about the Middle East. Israel is what is right about the Middle East.' Bibi Netanyahu (20 Iyar 5771; 24 May 2011) Scroll to end for more quotations Tired of anti-Balfour agitprop? Balfour and Beyond Try this for Sizer 'Before the June 1967 Six Day War, there were no such things as "settlements". Palestinians were trying to destroy and displace Israel anyhow. The core problem is not, and never was, "settlements," but the right of Israel (or any non-Muslim nation) to exist inside any borders in that part of the world. If you take a stand that is based on a lie, then that stand cannot succeed. If you try to oppose antisemitism but pretend it is the same thing as "Islamophobia," then the structure on which you have made your stand will totter and all your aspirations will fail. If you try to make a stand based on the idea that settlement construction rather than the intransigence of the Palestinians to the existence of a Jewish state is what is holding up a peace deal, then facts will keep on intruding.' Douglas Murray (31 December 2016) https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9685/britain-little-lies BDS is Antisemitic The Bigotry & Immorality of BDS 'Islamophobia does NOT come from the same wellspring of hatred as antisemitism. Antisemitism is a true prejudice because the hatred and demonisation it promotes derive entirely from lies and a repudiation of rationality itself. Islamophobia is a false allegation of prejudice which is deployed to silence rational criticism based on actual facts about attitudes and practices within the Islamic world. [L]ethally compromised even-handedness is to misunderstand, and thus minimise, antisemitic attitudes and behaviour while shutting down legitimate and necessary discussion of the threat from the Islamic world even to demonise as Islamophobic anyone who draws attention to the extent and consequences of Muslim antisemitism.' Melanie Phillips (14 December 2016) "Selling a house to a Jew is a betrayal of Allah" Maps of Mendacity & Mischief These misleading maps were deliberately prepared to date from 1946 intentionally papering over the momentous events that had occurred between 1917 and 1945. Attempts to unravel binding precepts of international law established between 1917 and 1945 and failing to insist on their being upheld and enforced has a lot to do with the sorry situation the world finds itself in today. David Singer (2016) How They Twist the Truth! Jews have re-assumed the role of the canary in the mine and are the first to be targeted, but the world would face the same threat if Jews did not exist. Israel has been at the front lines confronting Islamic extremism but has received scant support... For Jews, the writing has been on the wall for a long time. The virulence of the antisemitic hatred closing in on Jews in Europe (and elsewhere) is horrifying... Europe is today facing a crisis as serious as the confrontation with Nazism. If Western leaders continue behaving like Chamberlain and fail to stand up to this global threat, it could usher in a new Dark Age in which the Judeo-Christian culture is subsumed by primitive barbarism. The writing is on the wall Isi Leibler (12 January 2015) Expose The Lies! There is a war of lies and deceit on the internet generating unbelievable hate by denigrating and delegitimising the legal rights conferred on the Jewish people by the League of Nations in 1922 and the United Nations in 1945. The idea that there are two narratives on the Arab-Jewish conflict is rubbish. There is only one the factual truth that details the return of the Jewish people to reconstitute the Jewish National Home in its ancient biblical, ancestral and historic homeland after 3500 years of dispersion with the unanimous endorsement of the nation states then comprising the League of Nations.... Generals cant fight a war without soldiers. Jews around the world need to join the fight or vacate the internet to the Jew-haters and their lies that repeated often enough eventually become accepted as truth. David Singer (2016) Exposing Lies The "Apartheid" Slur The division of Judea and Samaria (West Bank) into three separate areas A, B and C was agreed on by Israel and the PLO pursuant to the Oslo Accords. 95% of the West Bank Arabs live in Areas A and B and their daily lives are under the total administration and control of the PLO since the Palestinian Authority was disbanded by Abbas in January 2013. The PLO has total security control in A and shares security control in B with Israel. Israel has total administrative and security control in C. Israel is entitled to and will continue to take responsibility for the security of Jews living in the West Bank. Jews were given the legal right to settle in the West Bank under article 6 of the Mandate for Palestine and article 80 of the UN Charter. They did so for decades until they were driven out in 1947 and not able to return there until 1967. There are Arab roads only in the West Bank that Jews are not allowed to use. Jews are also forbidden from entering Area A. Selling land to Jews is forbidden by the PLO under pain of death. The PLO runs the daily lives of 95% of the West Bank Arabs and Hamas runs the daily lives of 100% of the Gazan Arabs. They have been under occupation and subjugation by these two evil groups for the last ten years and given no say in their future or any opportunity to elect others to lead them following the disastrous political decisions of their leaders over the past ten years. Hamas and the PLO do not accept the continued existence of a Jewish State and call for its disappearance. The narratives did not begin in 1948 they began in about 1917. How do you make peace with an enemy that has been obsessed with not recognising any Jewish national rights in former Palestine for the last 100 years? David Singer (2016) Telling the Truth The Jews of the Holy Land ... are surrounded by hostile states 650 times their territory and sixty times their population. Yet their last, best hope of ending two millennia of international persecution - the State of Israel - has somehow survived. When, during the Second World War, the island of Malta came through three terrible years of bombardment and destruction, it was rightly awarded the George Cross for bravery. Today, Israel should be awarded a similar decoration for defending democracy, tolerance and Western values against a murderous onslaught that has lasted twenty times as long. Andrew Roberts (historian) A voice of courage & reason He knows, y'know An Aussie demo against BDS On the left, black people are usually allowed to define whats racism; women can define sexism; Muslims are trusted to define Islamophobia. But when Jews call out something as antisemitic, leftist non-Jews feel curiously entitled to tell Jews theyre wrong, that they are exaggerating or lying or using it as a decoy tactic and to then treat them to a long lecture on what anti-Jewish racism really is. Jonathan Freedland (The Guardian, 29 April 2016) An awkward fact for some! Socialist thought was tainted from its very origins with the heavy baggage of anti-Jewish stereotypes. Robert Wistrich, From Ambivalence to Betrayal:The Left, the Jews, and Israel (2012) BDS hypocrisy! Want more? Israel is understandably obsessed with security, but its greatest security lies ultimately not in the Israeli Defence Forces, but in political warfare.... Most of the world is not deeply interested in what happens in Israel, and probably does not want to be deluged with legalistic defences of particular actions. What it wants is a clear, calm, repeated case. It is a case aimed more at public opinion than at foreign ministries about freedom, democracy, a Western way of life and the need for the whole of the free world to fight terrorism. Sometimes you hear Israelis say: It doesnt matter what we say. The whole world is against us. You can see why they say it, for they are indeed unfairly treated. But when they say it, they are uttering a self-fulfilling prophecy. If they wont say what needs saying, no one else will say it for them. Charles Moore (2010) #Je suis ISRAEL Aujourdhui, lantisemitisme est masque par lantisionisme. Il faut dire les choses comme elles sont! ["Today, antisemitism wears the mask of anti-Zionism. We must tell things as they are!"] Nicolas Sarkozy (27 May 2015) Once again the armies of the Arab nations are coordinating their military efforts to destroy Israel - whatever they say about wishing merely to regain the lost territories.... [I]f the present Arab offensive had been launched at the pre-1967 frontiers, then the Israelis would indeed have been fighting to avoid annihilation. It seems now that the Israelis were right to maintain the ceasefire lines gained in 1967, and that to do so is the only guarantee of their continued safety. Alan Sillitoe (The Times, 11 October 1973) A nuclear Iran threatens our existence Iran and ISIS are competing for the crown of militant Islam... In this deadly game of thrones, theres no place for America or for Israel, no place for Christians, Jews or Muslims who dont share the Islamist medieval creed, no rights for women, no freedom for anyone... [T]he greatest danger facing our world is the marriage of militant Islam with nuclear weapons. To defeat ISIS and let Iran get nuclear weapons would be to win the battle, but lose the war. We cant let that happen...[T]he days when the Jewish people remained passive in the face of genocidal enemies, those days are over. We are no longer scattered among the nations, powerless to defend ourselves. We restored our sovereignty in our ancient home. And the soldiers who defend our home have boundless courage. For the first time in 100 generations, we, the Jewish people, can defend ourselves....Even if Israel has to stand alone, Israel will stand. But ... I know that America stands with Israel... You stand with Israel, because you know that the story of Israel is not only the story of the Jewish people but of the human spirit that refuses again and again to succumb to historys horrors. Bibi Netanyahu (12 Adar 5775; 3 March 2015) The Jews are a peculiar people: things permitted to other nations are forbidden to the Jews. Other nations drive out thousands, even millions, of people, and there is no refugee problem.... [N]o one says a word about refugees. But in the case of Israel displaced Arabs have become eternal refugees.... Other nations - when they are defeated - survive and recover, but should Israel be defeated it would be destroyed.... [A]s it goes with Israel, so it will go with all of us. Should Israel perish the holocaust will be upon us. Eric Hoffer (1968) My archived Tuesday blogs at Elder of Ziyon , Most of the present Arab countries were given their freedom after the 1914-18 War, or after the 1939-45 War.... Yet to listen to Arab spokesmen one might think that they had been cheated ... because they have not also got Israel. Israel is only .2 per cent of the land where Arab States have been established. Surely no fair-minded man can begrudge the Jews their own promised land when it is remembered that for every 2 acres that went to make up Israel, 1,000 acres became Arab.... Why is there an Arab refugee problem? The oil-rich countries have the money. There is no shortage of land, and the Israelis have the technical knowledge to show how it could be developed and made fertile. Bring those things together and the problem could be solved. 3rd Earl of Balfour (1968) Blog Archive January 7, 2015 has already its place in the history of infamy, but also will be the date when the defenders of freedom and democracy will rise and pay tribute to those who died for their freedom and ours. Therefore, we must not forget on which side we are and who are our allies in the defense of the West and its values. Whether we admit it or not, the West is at war with an enemy who will not stop to destroy us... The State of Israel boasts a commandment that, in one of the darkest hours in the fight for liberty Winston Churchill taught: "Never give up". Israel has proven to be a key ally in the fight against Islamism and also an example of how a liberal democracy can resist the jihadist stake and thrive as a Western nation ... Not only France but also all the West should look to Israel to defeat Islamism... friendsofisraelinitiative.org [I]ts impossible to believe that an active antisemite wouldnt if only opportunistically seek out somewhere to nestle in the manifold pleats of Israel-bashing, whether in generally diffuse anti-Zionism, or in more specific Boycott and Divestment Campaigns, Israeli Apartheid Weeks, End the Occupation movements and the like....[T]ell me that not a single Jew-hater finds the activity congenial, that criticising Israel can never be an expression of Jew-hating, not even when it takes the form of accusing Israeli soldiers of harvesting organs... Howard Jacobson (The Independent, 27 May 2013) What has happened to the 800,000 Jews who lived for over 2000 years in the Arab lands ...? Where are they in Arab society today? You dare talk of racism when I can point with pride ... to the fact that it is as natural for an Arab to serve in public office in Israel as it is incongruous to think of a Jew serving in any public office in an Arab country, indeed being admitted to many of them. Chaim Herzog (6 Kislev 5736; 10 November 1975) I stand with Israel, I stand with the Jews.... I defend their right to exist, to defend themselves, to not let themselves be exterminated a second time. And, disgusted by the antisemitism of many Europeans ... I am shamed by this shame that dishonours my country and Europe. Oriana Fallaci For Western countries to side with those who question Israel's legitimacy, for them to play games in international bodies with Israel's vital security issues, for them to appease those who oppose Western values, rather than robustly to stand up in defence of those values, is not only a grave moral mistake, but a strategic error of the first magnitude. Israel is a fundamental part of the West. The West is what it is thanks to its Judeo-Christian roots. If the Jewish element of those roots is lost and Israel is lost, then we are lost too. Jose Maria Aznar Israel is, for us, a normal and a special country. A normal country, because it is just like any other democracy. A special country, because the Jewish culture, which eventually became the Judeo-Christian culture of the dignity of man, is the conceptual foundation of liberalism and democracy. This is why attacking Israel is tantamount to attacking Europe and the West. This is also why disputing Israel's legitimacy and its right to existence means questioning democracy. And this is why we are Friends of Israel. By defending Israel, we are defending ourselves. Marcello Pera Israel ... is beset today by a unique combination of threats. It must defend its people from attack while defending its very right to exist. No other nation in the world faces this dual challenge. To deny Israel's right to confront some of the world's most vicious terrorist groups in order to ensure the safety of its citizens is to corrode international norms from within ... The assault on Israel is one part of a more general assault on the West, on democracy, and on the moral and cultural heritage that grew from the fruitful interaction of Jerusalem, Athens, and Rome ... Should these efforts succeed, similar efforts will certainly be turned against other western democracies. George Weigel Apart from America itself, Israel still stands as the world's brightest model of national self-liberation based on ideals of individual responsibility and human freedom. Israel's ability to withstand Arab attempts to destroy it in one of the longest and most lop-sided wars ever fought serves as an indelible testimony to the strength of democratic culture.... We know from the past that the West paid dearly for ignoring Hitler's war against the Jews. One can only hope it will not pay as dearly for having ignored or underestimated for so long the Arab war against Israel and the Jews. Ruth Wisse The choice before us is not between victory and defeat, but between victory and annihilation. We therefore have not the slightest intention of allowing the re-creation of the conditions of vulnerability in which we found ourselves, abandoned and alone, in the summer of 1967. Diplomat Michael Comay (1970) I am duty-bound to defend freedom, culture, peaceful coexistence, the civic education of children, and all the principles that the Tablets of the Law have rendered universal. Principles which Islamic fundamentalism systematically destroys. This means that, since I am a Gentile, a journalist and a leftist, I have a triple moral commitment to Israel. Because, if Israel were to be vanquished, modernity, culture and freedom would also be crushed. Even though the world has failed to wake up to this fact, Israel's struggle is the world's struggle. Pilar Rahola About Me Daphne Anson I'm a writer/researcher, with many academic books and articles under my own name. Daphne Anson is my blogging alias. Combining the names of two ships, it's a moniker of special significance to me - I'm a naval history buff. I use an alias owing to a perceived need to keep my blogging and professional identities separate. An Aussie, I've long been interested in politics and foreign affairs, having studied International Relations in the USA and Britain for my first degree, and I also hold a doctorate. I began blogging in response to the exponential rise in antisemitism and hostility to Israel in the wake of the Mavi Marmara affair. Another reason I use an alias: http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2015/08/alias-two-ships-daphne-anson.html View my complete profile Followers (Newser) A 20-year-old US Marine stationed in Arizona has become the only person arrested in the New Year's Eve road rage shooting of University of North Texas student Sara Mutschlechner. Eric Jamal Johnson, a corporal who has been in the military since 2013, was taken into custody at the Marine air station in Yuma, which is more than 1,000 miles away from Denton, Texas, where Mutschlechner was shot dead, CNN reports. A police spokesman says the 20-year-old student was shot after a "verbal confrontation" between passengers in her car and men in an SUV, reports the North Texas Daily. The police spokesman says that after the SUV pulled up, it was an "amicable conversation to begin with, but quickly went downhill and some derogatory statements were made toward the female occupants of [Mutschlechner's] vehicle." He says shots were fired from the SUV after male passengers in Mutschlechner's car reacted angrily to the "very derogatory" remarks, which were of a "sexual nature," reports CNN. Investigators say some members of both groups had been at the same party before the 2am shooting. Police haven't named Johnson as the shooter or said whether there will be more arrests, reports WFAA, though they have said that he was seen with a handgun inside the vehicle before the shooting. (Read more Texas stories.) (Newser) A complicated case has become even more so after a surrogate mom of triplets refused the biological dad's demand to abort one of the fetuses. Melissa Cook says she was threatened with financial ruin by the father for violating her contract (he was allowed a "reduction" if he wanted one), and she's now filed a lawsuit in California claiming the state's surrogacy law and her contract are unconstitutional, the New York Post reports. The 47-year-old mom of four is also fighting for custody of the child she won't abort. "The notion that a man can demand that a mother terminate the life of one of the children she carries by an abortion, and then claim that she is liable for money damages when she refuses, is cruel," Cook's lawyer tells the Post, adding it's also "cruel to the child" (the dad, IDed only as Georgia man "CM" in court papers, had indicated he'd "surrender the child to a stranger in an adoption," per People). Cook was paid $33,000 to have one childplus an extra $6,000 for each additional childvia IV fertilization with CM's sperm and eggs from a 20-year-old donor, the Post notes; all three implanted embryos went on to develop normally. Per the father's lawyer, Robert Walmsley, CM did ask Cook to abort a fetus, but only after doctors recommended it for health reasons, the Post notes. He didn't go after Cook for monetary damages and he's still making medical payments to her, Walmsley says, adding that Cook has become a pawn for anti-surrogacy activists. As for Cook, her statement to People says: "I have a deep empathy for men who want children. However, I now think that the basic concept of surrogacy arrangements must be re-examined, scrutinized, and reconsidered." She tells the Daily Beast that "I will be prepared to take all three [kids]. ... You can't just have such disregard for human life." Walmsley tells the Post the dad will seek parental rights for all three children. (This has happened before.) (Newser) Martin Shkreli may be the most hated man in America, but he's also "a pretty good time." So says Jacklyn Collier, who matched up with the now-former drug CEO on Tinder and went on a date with him in the fall, just after his company jacked up the price of Daraprim from $13.50 to $750 per pill. After proving his Tinder account was in fact realhe unwisely sent Collier a picture of his credit cardthe pair met at a Japanese restaurant in Manhattan, Collier writes at the Washington Post. He seemed courteoushe got his assistant to call ahead to make sure there was a vegetarian menu for Collierbut also "really nervous." Thankfully, he loosened up after one drink and admitted to being a lightweight, Collier says. Overall, Shkreli didn't come across nearly as cocky as he does on social media, Collier says. He spoke about procuring housing for a homeless woman in Boston, and when she asked about Daraprim's price hike, Collier says Shkreli told her the drug would still be available to those who couldn't afford it. "I was skeptical that he could guarantee that, but also wasn't sure that he couldn't," she writes. It was around the time that he ordered a $120 tea, even though he said he didn't really like tea, that Collier realized he wasn't her "Prince Pharming." "He might as well have eaten a $100 bill in front of me," she says. While one date wasn't enough to determine if Shkreli is a good person, "he's a lot more interesting and complex than I would have imagined," Collier writes. Click for the full column. (Read more Martin Shkreli stories.) (Newser) Everyone knows Google Translate can be a bit iffy at times. But it's not often that its mistranslations burn an entire country. Vocativ reports the service was recently caught changing "Russian Federation" into "Mordor" when translating from Ukrainian to Russian. As the Telegraph explains, Mordor is "the lair of evil and chaos" from Lord of the Rings. Other insulting mistranslations included translating "Russians" into "occupiers" and "Sergey Lavrov"Russia's foreign ministerinto "sad little horse." Ukrainians gleefully posted screenshots of the mistranslations all over social media. But the glitch appeared to have been fixed by the end of Tuesday, the Washington Post reports. It's unclear if Google Translate was hacked by an outsider or used by a programmer to make a statement, as its translation between Ukrainian and Russian is "usually quite reliable," the Post reports. According to the Telegraph, Google itself is blaming a "technical error." The company claims it doesn't use any humans for its translation service, Vocativ reports. When Google Translate generates automatic translation, it uses a sample of the hundreds of millions of documents to determine which option may be the most appropriate translation," according to a statement from the company. The Telegraph reports the mistranslations all stem from insults that have become popular since Russia took over Crimea in 2014. (Read more Russia stories.) (Newser) Donald Trump has repeatedly implied this week that there might be a question as to whether the Canadian-born Ted Cruz is legally able to be president. On Wednesday, Cruz issued his first non-tweet-based response. As a legal matter the question is quite straightforward and settled law, that the child of a US citizen born abroad is a natural born citizen," the Dallas Morning News quotes Cruz outside a campaign stop in Iowa. "People will continue to make political noise about it, but as a legal matter its quite straightforward." He pointed to John McCain (born in Panama), George Romney (born in Mexico), and Barry Goldwater (born in Arizona before it was a state) as examples of other "natural born" citizens who weren't actually born in the US. The White House also got in on the Cruz controversy on Wednesday. The Hill quotes press secretary Josh Earnest, who noted "it would be quite ironic" if Republicans nominated Cruz after the birther conspiracy that dogged President Obama. I dont know if he does, but I sure do," Earnest responded when asked by a reporter if Obama was enjoying seeing Cruz dealing with similar questions over his birthplace. Cruz was born in Alberta but moved to the US when he was 4, the Morning News reports. He had dual citizenship until 2014, when he formally renounced his Canadian citizenship (Read more Ted Cruz stories.) North Korea announced on Wednesday that it has successfully conducted a hydrogen bomb test, which is the fourth unsanctioned test that the country has carried out so far. The note, written in Korean and signed by the leader, Kim Jong Un, which could be seen on state television, read, "Make the world ... look up to our strong nuclear country and labor party by opening the year with exciting noise of the first hydrogen bomb!" World leaders, who have condemned North Korea's actions, have already planned a meeting to discuss how they will be responding to the alleged test. The United Nations Security Council will be holding the emergency meeting in New York. "Regardless of whether this is a hydrogen test or a normal, vanilla device, this is a very serious provocation," James Acton, co-director of the nuclear policy program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said reported by the Washington Post. Experts on nuclear bombs and the military in South Korea have expressed their skepticism about North Korea's claim because of the size of the blast, which they say is more similar to an atomic bomb as opposed to a hydrogen one. "Unless North Korea has help from outside experts, it is unlikely that it has really achieved a hydrogen/fusion bomb since its last nuclear test just short of three years ago," defense analyst at Rand Corp, Bruce Bennett, commented. CNN cited the U.S. Geological Survey, which reported that a seismic event of 5.1 magnitude occurred around 10 a.m. (8:20 p.m. ET on Tuesday) east-southeast of Sungjibaegam. South Korean President Park Geun-hye did put her military on high alert. She added that North Korea should pay a price for conducting the test. "Now, the government should closely cooperate with the international community to make sure that North Korea pays the corresponding price for the nuclear test," Park said reported by Yonhap News Agency according to the Post. Other nations have also released statements condemning North Korea. The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in front of reporters in Tokyo, "This nuclear test by North Korea is a major threat to our country's security, and I absolutely cannot accept it . Also, it is clearly a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions so . . . we will take strong measures, including steps within the U.N. Security Council." The U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby, said, "While we cannot confirm these claims at this time, we condemn any violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and again call on North Korea to abide by its international obligations and commitments. We have consistently made clear that we will not accept it as a nuclear state. We will continue to protect and defend our allies in the region, including [South] Korea, and will respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations." Countries, including Japan and the U.S., have sent planes to try and collect fallout from the bomb for tests. In December, North Korea claimed to have a hydrogen bomb. That claim was also met with a lot of cynicism. British lawmakers will respond to a petition calling for a ban on Donald Trump very soon. They will also be discussing a petition demanding that Trump does not get barred from entering the country. The initial petition, which was started on the government's website after Trump made a comment about temporarily banning Muslims from entering the United States due to recent terror attacks, has received more than 570,000 signatures. Parliament debates on all petitions on its site that have gotten more than 100,000 signatures. The petition argues that Trump, the U.S. Republican Presidential frontrunner, should be banned for "hate speech." It also points out the fact that since the country has previously banned people for similar reasons, "the same principles should apply to everyone who wishes to enter the UK." The debate "will allow a range of views to be expressed," chairwoman Helen Jones said reported by the Washington Post. It will not, however, lead to any law-binding votes. Although the government has not commented about the petition to ban Trump, it did release a statement last week reminding the public that Home Secretary Theresa May does have the power to "exclude a non-European Economic Area national from the UK if she considers their presence in the UK to be non-conducive to the public good." The statement stated, reported by CNN, "The Home Secretary has said that coming to the UK is a privilege and not a right. She will continue to use the powers available to prevent from entering the UK those who seek to harm our society and who do not share our basic values." The Trump Organization did respond to the petition. It released this statement: "Any action to restrict travel would force The Trump Organization to immediately end these and all future investments we are currently contemplating in the United Kingdom. Westminster would send a terrible message to the world that the United Kingdom opposes free speech and has no interest in attracting inward investment. This would also alienate the many millions of United States citizens who wholeheartedly support Mr. Trump and have made him the forerunner by far in the 2016 presidential election. Many people now agree with Mr. Trump that there is a serious problem that must be resolved. This can only be achieved if we are willing to discuss these tough issues openly and honestly." The debate will be held in Westminster Hall on January 18. Jaipur: BJP President Amit Shah today held a meeting with the ministers of Rajasthan government, the first such interaction he had with them, and discussed various programmes of the government among other issues. Chief Minister gave presentation about the works of the government and the ministers also discussed their works with the party chief. Internal security issues with special reference to the state were also discussed in the meeting, BJP state president Ashok Parnami said after the meeting was over. Shah was told about the financial situation of the state when the BJP government was formed in 2013, he said. Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and all the Rajasthan ministers, including cabinet and MoS, were part of the meeting held at a hotel here. BJPs national vice president Avinash Khanna and national joint general secretary V Satishan were also present in the meeting. There was no complaint about the work of any minister. There was a positive message about the governments functioning. The national president admired the work of the state government, he said. Earlier in the day, Shah was received by Raje and the state President Parnami at Jaipur airport, following which they headed for the meeting. We are working with a mission to win 2018 Assembly elections and 2019 Lok Sabha elections and we will get success, Parnami said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Kolkata: Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay will arrive in Kolkata today for a four-day visit to West Bengal where he will be attending Bengal Global Business Summit, officials said. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had visited Bhutan in October last year and had invited the countrys prime minister. Tobgay had developed a good rapport with Banerjee and even drove her once to the hotel in Thimphu. Among other programmes, he is scheduled to visit the business summit which will be held on January 8 and 9. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Privacy Overview This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. New Delhi: Actor-turned politician Shatrughan Sinha is all set to release his biography titled 'Anything But Khamosh' in New Delhi on Wednesday. BJP veteran leader and Sinha's mentor LK Advani will be the chief guest and will be releasing the book at an event, that will also be attended by the actors daughter Sonakshi Sinha. Sinha has been in headlines since BJPs debacle in Bihar Assembly polls. He openly came out in support of suspended BJP MP Kirti Azad, who accused Finance Minister Arun Jaitley of massive irregularities in DDCA. The content of the biography shows Sinhas aggression towards the ruling party. Without taking any names, the book hints towards two top leaders of the party who got Cabinet posts despite of their poor performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Here are some of the quotes picked up from Sinhas biography: Not only Johnnies-come-lately but also some who had lost the Lok Sabha elections, perhaps humiliatingly, were rewarded with not one but two and three ministerial posts, marginalising those who'd won with a record margin, marginalising those who'd won with a record margin. I can contest as an independent and had the support of many, ranging from Nitish Kumar to Lalu Prasad to Rahul Gandhi. I have friends everywhere. If there is one regret that I have in politics, it is that I was made to fight Rajesh Khanna from Delhi in 1991. I cried after losing the election from Delhi in 1991. I also felt very let down because Advani ji had not come even for one day to campaign for me. Politics showed its ugly profile in many ways. After I lost that election, I was so sharply sidelined that I would be made to feel distinctly unwelcome at our party office on Ashoka Road. People would stop talking when I entered, or change the topic and make me uncomfortable. I have done nothing against the party, but they can expel me if they want. If they do expel me though, they shouldn't forget Newton's 3rd law; every reaction has it's equal and opposite reaction. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The United Nations Security Council has called for an emergency meet after the reported successful nuclear test by North Korea. As per the reports on some news websites, Japan and United state have requested for an emergency meeting after the test. Japan which is a strategic competitor of Japan is the most concerned nation after the tests. Earlier, this morning an statement by United State said that North Koreas actions are prerogative and Washington will reply to Pyong Yang. Earlier this morning, the news of a possible earthquake created by Nuclear Test in North Korea took the world by shock. Clearing the air, North Korea in an official statement said that they have carried out a successful hydrogen bomb test. The republics first hydrogen bomb test has been successfully performed at 10:00am (0330 GMT), North Korean state television announced. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: United States of America is known for its guns. As per government figures almost every third household in US carries a gun. The result is such, that the President Barack Obama has now proposed some executives measures to curb the gun culture. Here are some facts about Gun Culture in United States of America: 1). Shooting sprees are not new in US: Over the past century there has been whopping 60 mass murder incidents in US. The killings have affected 30 states from Massachusetts to Hawaii. 2). Over the past decade it has been reported that gun ownership is reducing, but still, almost every third household still has a gun. 3). Active shooting events have become more common in recent years. Recently, twelve people had died in Auroro, Colo., when a gunman opened fire in a movie theatre, a gunman killed 27 people, including 18 children, at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Conn. And nine were killed recently at an historic African American church in Charleston, S.C. 4). The right to hold arms and ammunition by US citizen is reserved by the constitution of the country. Due to the inclusion of this right only, Obama has proposed the current amendment 5). There are two lobbies in United States - Liberals and conservatives. Liberals are usually the ones who support stricter laws to shun gun culture. Whereas Conservatives are the people for gun culture. 6). Reports have found that states in US with stricter gun culture have lesser incidents of mass murders. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Delhi High court on Wednesday asked the Arvind Kejriwal government to explain why it was necessary to run the odd-even trail for more than a week. "What is the need to run odd-even scheme after a week?" the court asked. "You will have to admit that you don't have enough public transport to ferry the public," it said. A report has also been sought from the AAP government on changes in the level of pollution in Delhi since the scheme came into effect on January. The Delhi government told the court that the odd-even formula is working and very well received by people. It also told the court that it needs more time to collate data from different places in Delhi. The government had on Tuesday claimed that the odd-even formula for Delhi has been successful and it has helped ion cutting down vehicular emission. "According to the scientists of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), 80 per cent of PM2.5 air pollution is caused by vehicular traffic and reduction in its levels, even in outer areas of Delhi shows that reduction of four wheeled vehicles on roads since the New Year Day is having a positive impact," the government said in a statement. A recent IIT Kanpur report had suggested that vehicular pollution contributes to around 25 per cent of PM2.5 concentrations during winters and it comes down to 9 per cent during the summers. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Commerce and Industry Minister, representatives of states and the industry is scheduled to meet on January 8 here to discuss ways to promote Indias exports, which are in the negative zone since December 2014. The meeting is scheduled as part of the first meeting of the Council for Trade Development and Promotion, chaired by Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The council was formed last year with an aim to involve states in boosting the trade. The Centre and state governments would deliberate on the relevant infrastructure to promote trade and identify impediments that are affecting exports, an official said. FIEO, which will participate in the meet, said that it will raise issues related to tax refund in states. Large amount of refund is pending with states. Filing of tax is online but refund is not online. These things impact exports, Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) Director General Ajay Sahai said. He said other issues, which would come up include demand for inclusion of certain taxes like entry tax and electricity tax in the GST. We also want states to do handholding to small players in getting Geographical Indications and patents so that they get more realisation, he added. Indias exports continued to be in negative zone for the 12th straight month in November. It declined by 24.4 per cent to USD 20.01 billion in November on account of global demand slowdown and falling oil prices. During April-November this fiscal, the exports contracted by 18.46 per cent year-on-year to USD 174.3 billion. The council provides a platform to state governments and UTs for articulating their perspective on trade policy to help them develop and pursue export strategies in line with national foreign trade policy. Besides, it would help the Centre apprise states and UTs about international developments affecting Indias trade potential and opportunities and prepare them to deal with evolving situation. The other members of the council include Chairman Railway Board, Niti Aayog Secretary and CEO, Director General of Foreign Trade, Director General of FIEO, representatives of CII and FICCI and concerned Joint Secretary of Department of Commerce. For all the Latest Business News, Economy News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi : Travelling is an experience. It frees ones soul from burden and brings rich taste to those who enjoy the luxuries of paradise. And, one such must-visit place is the Valley of monks and dont mix here- we are not talking about the Kashmir Valley but Spiti Valley which still tells the tale of untouched beauty. The Spiti Valley is located in the farthest corners of Himachal and boasts of beauty, culture and adventure. The landscape is breath-taking yet harrowing so you definitely need a 4 X 4 car to sustain the perils of the journey. New Delhi : Muslim women globally have often been associated with beauty and glamour but behind closed doors. However they are now breaking the stereotypes. The Muslim world is witnessing a growing urge in the fashion consumption and one example which proves the factor is the latest collection by Dolce & Gabbana. Yes, designer brands are breaking more barriers in the fashion world and Dolce & Gabbana has hit the roof with its latest collection aimed at Muslim consumers. The Italian label has recently launched its first collection of signature colourful prints and hijabs. Dolce & Gabbana the Abaya collection aiaiaiai #dgabaya ai A photo posted by stefanogabbana (@stefanogabbana) on Jan 5, 2016 at 2:49am PST Instead of opting for the form-fitting dresses, Muslim customers can now buy clothing in a more demure look. The designs look like typical D&G, with campy florals and rich lace accents. Notably, many designers are making inroads into the $266 billion market of Muslim women which is expected to expand to $484 billion by 2019. Well, fashion is bringing us all together. Eventually! New Delhi : In a shocking development just two days after Pathankot terror operation was called over, Indian Army on Wednesday apprehended one suspect at Indian Air Force station gate in the disturbed area. However, later he turned out to be a local named Promod Das and was freed by Punjab Police. Earlier, a video footage showed the man dressed in Army uniform being apprehended by the Indian Army. He was then detained by Punjab Police which released him after he turned out to be local caught in a mess. On Wednesday morning, an alert was sounded in Gurdaspur district of Punjab and a search operation launched in a village after locals reported sighting of two men in army uniform moving in suspicious manner. 7 people were martyred in the Pathankot attack which also saw killing of 6 terrorists in the region. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, whose comments on perceived intolerance in the country had created a controversy, ceases to be the mascot for governments Incredible India campaign as the contract for it has expired. Our contract was with the McCann Worldwide agency for Atithi Devo Bhava campaign. The agency had hired Aamir for the job. Now the contract with the agency is over. Ministry has not hired Aamir. It was the agency which has hired him. Since the contract with the agency is no more, automatically the arrangement with the actor no longer exists, Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma said today. Asked specifically whether Aamir is still Tourism Ministrys brand ambassador, the minister said, Definitely not. Atithi Devo Bhava campaign, part of the Incredible India campaign was launched during the UPA regime. Earlier, the ministry issued a vague statement in response to certain news reports following governments answer to a RTI query on the issue. In response to certain news reports appearing in the media, about Aamir Khan, the Ministry of Tourism clarifies that there is no change in the stand of the ministry in this matter. The Ministry further clarifies that at present it has a contractual agreement with creative agency McCann Worldwide to produce social awareness campaign and the said campaign featured Aamir Khan, the ministry statement said. Two months ago, Aamir had made controversial comments on perceived intolerance in the country for which he was criticised by many senior Union ministers. At an event here, Aamir had said that his wife Kiran Rao had asked if they should move out of the country, as she feared for the safety of their children in a climate of insecurity. When contacted, Prasoon Joshi, the head of McCann Worldwide agency, only said, We at McCann had a contractual agreement with the Ministry of Tourism for a social awareness campaign Atithi devo bhava. Aamir Khan had graciously lent his support for the same. We have delivered the campaign to the Ministry. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. London: The British Parliament will debate this month whether to ban controversial US presidential candidate Donald Trump from entering the country over his anti-Muslim remarks. Lawmakers will get to speak in the House of Commons on a petition calling for the US Republican hopeful to be excluded from Britain. A petition, posted on the UK government website, calling for Republican presidential candidate Trump to be barred from Britain for his hate speech against Muslims received more than 550,000 signatures - way over the 100,000 needed to qualify for a debate in the Parliament. It was launched last month after Trump declared in a speech that Muslims should be banned from the US for security reasons. A second petition, rejecting the need for a ban, is also to be included in the debate, the parliamentary Petitions Committee has announced. The motion debated will be That this House has considered e-petitions 114003 and 114907 relating to the exclusion of Donald Trump from the UK on Monday 18 January at 4.30pm, a statement said. Paul Flynn MP, a member of the Petitions Committee, will lead the debate. Initially, the government had responded by saying that it disagrees with Trumps comments, with the UK Home Secretary Theresa May describing them as divisive, unhelpful and wrong but stopping short of excluding him. By scheduling a debate on these petitions, the committee is not expressing a view on whether or not the government should exclude Donald Trump from the UK, said Chair of the Petitions Committee, Helen Jones MP. As with any decision to schedule a petition for debate, it simply means that the committee has decided that the subject should be debated. A debate will allow a range of views to be expressed. The US presidential hopeful made his call for a total and complete shutdown of the Muslims entering the US in the wake of a mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, last month. A poll in the UK found 29 per cent of people contacted by Sky News supported him, with 51 per cent opposed. There is no political requirement for the result of a debate to become government policy. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today stepped in to sort out the dispute over the premium to be charged from farmers under the new Crop Insurance Scheme proposed to be launched this year as he held a meeting with ministerial colleagues over the sticky issue here. At the two-hour-long meeting, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh made a presentation regarding various options of premium and the burden it will put on the national exchequer. The ministry has proposed an average premium of upto 2.5 per cent for foodgrain and oilseeds crops and 5 per cent for horticulture crops. However, some sections within the Cabinet want a uniform premium of 1-1.5 per cent for all crops. The Centre would incur an expenditure of Rs 8,000 crore annually if a premium for farmers was fixed at 2.5 to 5 per cent depending on the risky crops and if 50 per cent of the total crop area of 194 million hectare was insured. But fixing a uniform premium rate of 1.5 per cent for all crops for 100 per cent coverage would increase the Centres financial burden to Rs 11,000 crore, which the Finance Ministry officials said was a major concern. We made a presentation to the Prime Minister on the new crop insurance scheme. Besides premium rate, the discrepancies in the existing scheme was also discussed, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh told PTI after the meeting. He, however, did not disclose the outcome of the meeting, merely saying that the government aims to bring down the premium burden on farmers from the existing rate which is an average of 5.5 per cent. We will address all the issues and take the proposal before the Cabinet at the earliest so that the scheme can be implement from the forthcoming kharif season from June, Singh said. The proposal on the new crop insurance scheme, moved by the Agriculture Ministry, was once discussed in a Cabinet meeting last year, but the decision was deferred in the wake of differences over the premium rate. In the existing Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (MNAIS), the average premium rate for farmers has been kept at 5.5 per cent, though the premium rate for high risky crops is as high as 40 per cent. Last year, only 27 per cent of the crop area was insured which cost Rs 3,150 crore to the national exchequer. The meeting was attended by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu and Road Minister Nitin Gadkari. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi : On Thursday, nearly 100 hours after Pathankot terror operations began, the combing operations were still underway in the region worrying the common man about security nets in the area. The BSF will deploy around 2,000 additional personnel along the Punjab and Jammu borders in order to plug unfenced riverine and forest gaps even as it submitted a fresh report to the government today stating there was no evidence of infiltration along the IB in the wake of the terrorist attack on the IAF base in Pathankot. Officials said Border Security Force submitted a report to the Union Home Ministry after force Director General D K Pathak undertook a forward area tour along the International Border (IB) yesterday, including at Bamiyal, a border village in Pathankot, which is believed to have been used by terrorists to infiltrate into the country and attack the air base. They said the force has put forth the details of its night morchas and movement of its patrol teams in these areas around the new year, when it is suspected that at least six terrorists crossed over from the other side and attacked the Indian Air Force base. The force, in the report, has chronicled the movements and surveillance records of its satellite-based devices and imagers that detect intrusion and illegal movement along the border to validate its point. The force commanders have put forth the evidences to state that nothing has gone unnoticed from their eyes in the last few days, they said. They said it has been decided to bolster the manpower to plug vulnerable gaps especially along Punjab and Jammu and it is estimated that about two battalions (about 2,000 troops) will be required for the task in the primary stages. However, the numbers for fresh deployment are being worked out, they said. Seeking to unravel how the brazen Pathankot attack was mounted, the NIA today quizzed an SP rank officer who was allegedly abducted by the terrorists, recreated the scene of his abduction and visited the border village from where the perpetrators were believed to have sneaked into India. A team of NIA, central agency created after 26/11 Mumbai attacks to probe terror-related cases, quizzed Salwinder Singh in Pathankot after he had earlier recorded his statement before the Punjab Police claiming five terrorists had kidnapped him, official sources said. There were some discrepancies in the statement of Singh which were being looked into, the sources said. They said Singh was taken to the places he had visited before he, along with his jeweller friend Rajesh Kumar Verma and cook Madan Gopal, was kidnapped. Singh, who is facing charges of alleged breach of discipline and was transferred recently as Assistant Commandant of 75th battalion of Punjab Armed Police, had claimed that he was returning from a temple at 11 PM when terrorists kidnapped him. The NIA also recorded the statement of caretaker of the shrine who is believed to have told him that Madan Gopal and Verma had come during day time on December 31 only to return in the evening. The caretaker was quoted in some television channels as having said that he was not aware about why Gopal, who happens to be his relative also, had come on two occasions that day. The NIA plans to question Verma and Gopal again as there were some discrepancies in the account of the kidnapping incident that preceded the terror attack at Pathankot air force base given by all the three, sources said. Singh had told Punjab Police in his statement that after he and his co-passengers were kidnapped, he was blindfolded. He claimed that the terrorists were speaking in Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu and Kashmiri. However, he got confused when he was made to listen to Kashmiri language and could not confirm if it was spoken by the terrorists. A separate team of NIA visited Bamiyal village from where the militants are believed to have entered into the Indian territory, they said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi : The condition of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, admitted in AIIMS for past 14 days, is believed to have further worsened with doctors putting him on ventilator support. 79-year-old Sayeed, detected with sepsis, decreased blood counts and pneumonia, was admitted to the hospital on December 24, with complains of neck pain and fever. Since then, he continues to be in the Intensive Care Unit of AIIMS giving anxious moments to the doctors as his platelets dropped dangerously low. AIIMS came out with a brief statement saying that the chief minister required respiratory support and that his condition continues to be warranting close monitoring by the team of experts at AIIMS. Education Minister and government spokesman Nayeem Akhter said, the Chief Minister had responded to the new line of treatment yesterday. However, today there was no significant progress. Sources in the hospital said that Sayeed was put on ventilator support as he was having breathing problems because of infection in the lungs. There was decline in platelet counts being replenished from external donors continued, the sources said. Sayeed took over as chief minister of PDP-BJP coalition on March 1 last year. His health had sparked off speculation that there could be a possible change of guard. Sayeed had himself hinted last November during a press conference in Jammu that he would like to hand over the reins to his daughter Mehbooba Mufti. When asked, Akhter said, Right now Mehbooba ji is worried about the health of her father. However, let me make it clear that she is an obvious choice. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Tehran: Iran warned Saudi Arabia today to stop working against it as their diplomatic crisis intensified despite efforts to defuse a row that has raised fears of greater regional instability. As its diplomats arrived home after being told to leave by Saudi Arabia, Shiite-dominated Iran fired the latest verbal salvo in a dispute that has seen Riyadh and some Sunni Arab allies cut diplomatic ties with Tehran. At a press conference in the capital, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Riyadh must end prolonged efforts to confront Iran. Citing longstanding differences that became a full-blown split after Saudi Arabia executed Shiite cleric and activist Nimr al-Nimr, Zarif said the Sunni-ruled kingdom had sought systematically to inflict damage. For the past two-and-a-half years, Saudi Arabia has opposed Irans diplomacy, he said at the press conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari. Saudi Arabia has moved against our efforts and, unfortunately, they opposed the nuclear agreement, Zarif said, also accusing Riyadh of taking measures against the Iranian people through its efforts to keep oil prices low. This trend of creating tension must stop. We need to stand united... and stop those who are adding fuel to the fire, he added. The spike in tensions comes after Iran last year secured a historic nuclear deal with world powers led by the United States, causing major concern in longtime US ally Riyadh. That deal, when finally implemented, will end sanctions on Irans oil and gas industry and could see the Islamic republic challenge Saudi Arabias role as the Middle Easts dominant energy and economic power. Oil prices have fallen by more than 60 percent since mid-2014 as OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia refuses to lower production in a bid to push competitors out of the market, hurting the income of other producers, including Iran. Yesterday, Riyadh cut the February price of its export oil to Europe in another move to win market share. Nimrs death sparked demonstrations in many countries including Iran, where protesters stormed and set fire to the Saudi embassy in Tehran as well as the kingdoms consulate in second city Mashhad. Riyadh cut ties with Tehran in response and was joined by some of its Sunni Arab allies including Bahrain and Sudan. The United Arab Emirates also downgraded relations with Iran and Kuwait recalled its ambassador. Djibouti, the tiny Horn of Africa nation and ally of Saudi Arabia, said today that it too had broken diplomatic ties with Tehran. And Jordan summoned Irans ambassador to protest the attacks on Saudi missions. Staff at Irans embassy in Riyadh and its consulate in Jeddah flew home today, Saudi state news agency SPA reported. Irans state broadcaster IRIB said a plane carrying 54 Iranian diplomats and their families had landed at Tehrans Mehrabad Airport. The dispute has raised fears of an increase in sectarian tensions in the Middle East that could derail efforts to resolve pressing issues including the wars in Syria and Yemen. The United Nations and Western governments have expressed deep concern, urging both sides to reduce tensions. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate DANBURY Shortly after pleading not guilty to charges of witness tampering, a Danbury pet shop owner learned that prosecutors are considering adding to previously filed charges of animal cruelty against him. Richard Doyle, who owns American Breeders on Federal Road, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to two counts of felony witness tampering and is next due in court on Jan. 25. He had earlier pleaded not guilty to three counts of felony animal cruelty. Attorney Jeffrey Jowdy, who represents Doyle, said after the hearing prosecutors have not told him what they intend to do and declined to comment further. But prosecutor Jonathan Lewin told The News-Times the investigation into Doyles witness tampering charges revealed more instances of animal cruelty, which will likely yield additional misdemeanor animal cruelty charges. Doyle, wearing a blue striped shirt and khaki pants with sneakers, left the courthouse immediately following his appearance. Only one protester, animal rights activist Karen Conlon, who lives in New York, attended a planned rally outside state Superior Court in Danbury. She said she hoped that drawing attention to Doyles case would force the closure of the Danbury shop, as well as his two other stores in Mamaroneck, N.Y., and Mohegan Lake, N.Y. She said an earlier rally, in which more than 130 protesters picketed outside of Doyles store in Wappingers Falls, N.Y., helped put that location out of business. We were pretty instrumental in getting his doors closed there, Conlon said Tuesday. We want to be a voice for his innocent victims. On Wednesday, a sign in the window of the Danbury store said the business was under new ownership. A call to the store was not returned. Authorities said all three cases cited in the animal cruelty charges against Doyle led to sick or injured animals being euthanized. In once instance, officials said, Doyle performed surgery on a Neapolitan mastiffs inner eyelid, even though he wasnt licensed to do so. Officials said that caused severe bleeding. Another animal cruelty charge concerned his alleged failure to properly care for a Shih-Tzu puppy in April. Officials said the dog was vomiting, had diarrhea and was coughing, but Doyle did not provide veterinary assistance. He is also accused of confining a critically ill exotic kitten and failing to give it immediate veterinary attention. Doyle was arrested again in December after police said he induced two employees to lie to state Animal Control Officer Nancy Jarvis, according to court documents. According to arrest warrant affidavits, Doyle gave each of the witnesses an index card detailing what he wanted them to tell Jarvis. Police say that Doyle then mailed the witness statements himself. Conlon said she hopes that eventually the state will come down hard on Doyle. If the judge happens to be an animal lover and decides to give him more than a slap on wrist this time, that would be great, Conlon said. We want to be a presence, just to let them know that there are people who have an interest in preventing a case like this. awolff@newstimes.com; 203-731-3333; @awolffster Staff writer Nelson Oliveira contributed to this report. Brian A. Pounds / Brian A. Pounds The Connecticut State Department of Public Health urges Connecticut residents to test their homes for radon gas, the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. According to a news release sent out by DPH, radon is responsible for more than 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States. Radon is a radioactive gas formed from the decay of naturally occurring uranium. It is found in rock, soil and water. Radon in outdoor air poses a relatively low risk to human health, but it can enter homes from the surrounding soil and become a health hazard inside buildings. In advance of the inevitable endorsements of Hillary Rodham Clinton for President, I think its appropriate for readers to see how Mrs. Clinton is the anti-feminist candidate for the ages worthy of the disdain of those she seeks to rule. Mrs. Clintons fans who blindly hold her up as a worldly, accomplished woman are unaware that her career is completely derivative of her marriage. After moving to Arkansas she taught criminal law at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville. Upon her husbands election as attorney general, she was able to get a job at the prestigious Rose Law firm. After his election as governor, she became a partner her status as first lady brought big name clients to Rose. She had no real interest in her husbands political career until he suffered a shocking loss in his bid for a second term in 1980; then she became the driving force behind his political comeback. In his book, Rewriting History, former Clinton strategist Dick Morris wrote, Each time I proposed a negative ad, Bill would squirm but Hillary would giggle. From the start, she showed a feel for attack politics equaled by few consultants Ive known, let alone candidates. This became a benchmark for her burgeoning career. After beginning his 1992 presidential campaign, Hillary summoned Bills former chief of staff Betsey Wright to manage what would she called the Bimbo Eruptions operation of the campaign. After finding herself overwhelmed, she turned to San Francisco attorney Jack Palladino, head of the private investigative firm Palladino and Sutherland. Palladino was charged with interviewing the women alleged to have intimate relations with Bill Clinton, seeking affidavits denying said relations. In her book, Hillarys Choice, author Gail Sheehy wrote, When Palladino ran into resistance, he would visit relatives and former boyfriends and develop compromising material to convince the women to remain silent... The fact that these affidavits were coerced lies, which the women mostly later repudiated, didnt matter. They were enough to cover Bill Clinton until election day. Mrs. Clinton proclaimed the following in a speech in Sept 2015: I want to send a message to every survivor of sexual assault: Dont let anyone silence your voice. You have the right to be heard. You have the right to be believed, and were with you. Really, Mrs. Clinton? A Cosbyesque list of 17 women who have alleged everything from harassment to sexual assault since 1969 has been reported on largely outside Americas legacy media. Paula Corbin Jones, who received an $850,000 -of-court settlement resulting from her abuse, has reemerged to question Mrs. Clintons concern for women. Juanita Broaddrick and Kathleen Willey, professional women who have made credible claims of sexual abuse at the hands of Mr. Clinton in 1978 and 1993 respectively, have bravely reminded Americans of their travails from both Bill and Hillary Clinton. These women deserve our attention; they have more than earned my respect. Mrs. Clintons minions would have you thinking that her marriage is simply a private matter. If she forgave him, then who are we to judge? To err is human, to forgive is divine. Our responsibility is to discern whether Mrs. Clinton is fit to serve as our president. In no way do I see her as a model of Christian forgiveness. Rather, she is an example of devotion to the idols of power, money and human influence. She was at the center of the efforts to destroy the lives and reputations of women who her husband used and abused because they stood between her and her idols. If any women or Hearst Connecticut editors care to tell me how these realities should have no bearing on who our next commander in chief is, please feel free to return fire. I find it curious that so-called feminists who implore women to vote with their lady parts deride men for thinking with their male parts. Ladies, instead of aligning yourselves with someone whose anatomy mirrors yours, trying looking at the facts and throwing in with someone whose conscience aligns with yours. Todd Peterson is a resident of Washington Depot. TSXV: NEV VANCOUVER, Jan. 6, 2016 /CNW/ - Nevada Sunrise Gold Corporation ("Nevada Sunrise" or the "Company") (TSXV: NEV) is pleased to announce it has entered into an interim agreement for an option to purchase a 100% interest in the Atlantis lithium property ("Atlantis", or the "Property") located in the Fish Lake Valley in Esmeralda County, Nevada. Atlantis is comprised of unpatented placer association claims totaling 1,262 acres (510 hectares) located approximately 25 miles (38 kilometres) northwest of the Silver Peak lithium brine mine operated by Albemarle Corporation (ALB: NYSE), the only operating lithium mine in North America. Details of the Option Agreement for Atlantis For an option to purchase a 100% interest in Atlantis, Nevada Sunrise has agreed to pay a total of 500,000 common shares of the Company to the vendor upon signing a definitive agreement (the "Agreement") for the Property, and on subsequent anniversaries of the Agreement, as follows: On signing the Agreement: 100,000 common shares 1st Anniversary: 150,000 common shares 2nd Anniversary: 250,000 common shares A 1.5 mile (2.25 kilometer) area of interest applies to the Property. Atlantis is subject to a 3.0% gross overriding royalty ("GOR"). On the 3rd anniversary of the signing of the Agreement for Atlantis, Nevada Sunrise would have the right to purchase 1.0% of the GOR for US$1.0 million. The interim letter agreement for Atlantis provides Nevada Sunrise with an exclusive 30-day due diligence period and is subject to certain conditions, including approval by the Board of Directors of the Company, execution of a definitive option agreement, and acceptance of the Agreement by the TSX Venture Exchange. For further information on Atlantis including a map showing its location, see the Company's website under "Projects-Nevada Lithium" at: http://www.nevadasunrise.ca/projects/nevadalithium/ About Atlantis Nevada Sunrise has adopted an exploration strategy targeting desert basins, or playas, that exhibit similar geological and geophysical characteristics to the Clayton Valley basin where lithium brines are known to accumulate in faulted sub-basins, or "traps". Nevada Sunrise made the decision to acquire Atlantis after a review of geological mapping that shows the presence of lithium-bearing rocks in the ranges draining into the Property, and historical ground gravity data that shows a distinct gravity low in the heart of the Atlantis claims. Nevada Sunrise believes that the interpreted gravity low indicates the presence of a deep, sub-basin that could host lithium-bearing brines. Geophysical exploration at Atlantis in the form of detailed gravity and CSAMT surveys would assist in determining if conductive brines are present at depth, followed by exploratory drilling of interpreted geophysical targets. As part of a regional lithium exploration program, the United States Geological Survey ("USGS") reported in Open-File Report 81-962 (1981) that historical drill hole FL-11a is located outside the eastern boundary of the Property, approximately 3 miles (4.5 kilometres) east of the centre of the interpreted sub-basin. Hole FL-11a was drilled to a depth of 450 feet (147 metres) and encountered lithium values in sediments ranging from 10 parts per million ("ppm") to 115 ppm and averaging 61.7 ppm for 67 samples analyzed. Lithium in sampled ground water ranged from trace at the end of the hole to 21 ppm at a depth of 55 feet (18 metres). Nevada Sunrise believes that drilling deeper holes at Atlantis within the area of the interpreted sub-basin could intersect aquifers potentially hosting trapped brines with higher contents of lithium than were encountered in the relatively shallow USGS hole drilled to the east of the gravity low anomaly. Also reported in USGS Open File Report 77-54 (1977) were the collection of 10 surface brine samples with lithium contents ranging 37 350 mg/l (ppm), and averaging 159 mg/l (ppm) to the north of the sub-basin. John R. Kerr, P. Eng., is the Company's designated Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101, and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release. About Nevada Sunrise Nevada Sunrise is a junior mineral exploration company with a strong technical team based in Vancouver, BC, Canada, that holds interests in seven exploration projects in the State of Nevada, USA. Our three key gold assets include a 21% interest in a joint venture with Pilot Gold Inc. (TSX: PLG) at Kinsley Mountain near Wendover, a 100% interest in the Golden Arrow project near Tonopah, and a 100% interest in the Roulette gold property in the southeastern Carlin trend near Ely, with each of the properties subject to certain production royalties. Nevada Sunrise began acquisitions of Nevada lithium properties in September 2015, which include options to earn 100% interests in the Neptune and Clayton Northeast projects located in the Clayton Valley area, and 100% interests in the Jackson Wash and Atlantis projects, each located in playas adjacent to the Clayton Valley. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS All statements in this release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to Nevada Sunrise Gold Corporation ("Nevada Sunrise") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, including statements that address future mineral production, reserve potential, exploration drilling, the future price of lithium, potential quantity and/or grade of minerals, potential size of a mineralized zone, potential expansion of mineralization, the timing and results of future resource estimates, or other study, proposed exploration and development of our exploration properties and the estimation of mineral resources. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "project", "predict", "potential", "targeting", "intends", "believe", "potential", and similar expressions, or describes a "goal", or variation of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "should", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievement of Nevada Sunrise to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. Such factors include, among others, risks related to the interpretation and actual results of historical exploration at the Atlantis property, reliance on technical information provided by third parties on any of our exploration properties, including access to historical information on the Atlantis property; current exploration and development activities; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; current economic conditions; future prices of commodities; possible variations in grade or recovery rates; failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; the failure of contracted parties to perform; labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals, financing or in the completion of exploration, as well as those factors discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis for the Nine Months ended June 30, 2015, which is available under Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Although Nevada Sunrise has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Nevada Sunrise disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and accordingly are subject to change after such date. Except as otherwise indicated by Nevada Sunrise, these statements do not reflect the potential impact of any non-recurring or other special items or of any dispositions, monetizations, mergers, acquisitions, other business combinations or other transactions that may be announced or that may occur after the date hereof. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans and allowing investors and others to get a better understanding of our operating environment. Nevada Sunrise does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that are included in this document, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of accuracy of this release. The Securities of Nevada Sunrise Gold Corporation have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to the account or benefit of any U.S. person. SOURCE Nevada Sunrise Gold Corporation Image with caption: "Nevada Sunrise Gold Corporation (CNW Group/Nevada Sunrise Gold Corporation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160106_C5765_PHOTO_EN_592768.jpg For further information: Warren Stanyer, President and Chief Executive Officer, Telephone: (604) 428-8028, Facsimile: (604) 484-7143, email: [email protected] Elder Statesman, Tanko Yakasai Wednesday confirmed that Chief Tony Anenih gave him and 8 other prominent northerners N53 million for for... Elder Statesman, Tanko Yakasai Wednesday confirmed that Chief Tony Anenih gave him and 8 other prominent northerners N53 million for for advocacy visit to northern traditional rulers to mobilised their subjects for hitch free 2015 general election.Yakasai in a chat withsaid that yes, myself and 8 others collected N53m from chief Tony Anenih to pay advocacy visit to prominent northern emirs to mobilised their subjects for a hitch free 2015 general elections.The former President Shehu Shagari Special Adviser stated that the development followed a request by the PDP stalwart to make available to him list of 9 apolitical but respected individuals from the north.He declared that the N53m disbursed to his team by the Benin High Chief catered for the groups members allowances, transportation and hotels accommodation on a tour that took them to 18 states in the north.Yakasai who vehemently denied link between the fund and campaigns for former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, listed former minister of state, foreign Affairs, Alhaji Mamman Anka, Barrister Bitrus Gwada and Alhaji Suleiman Lawal as beneficiaries of the money.Other beneficiaries includes, Dr Bahago, Chief John Macklink from Plateau, and Senator Sodangi.Yakasai had last week denied ever recieving financial patronage from Jonathan administration during an interview withThe former political aide to second Republic NPN President had in the interview said I want to make it categorically clear that no officials of the last regime either Mr. Jonathan, his lieutenant, agents, contractors or person having links or relationship with the last administration gave me cash on behalf of that regime for a reason.Yakasai, who celebrated his 90th birthday last year disclosed that they visited the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar, emir of Kano, Malam Muhammadu Sanusi II, the emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris and the emir of Gwandu.The list of other first class chief visited by Yakasais team also includes, The emir of Anka, emir of Ilorin, emir of Nassarawa, Minnie, Bauchi, Zuru, Kebbi, Katsina, Dutse, Hadejia and representatives of emir of Daurawa.Other prominent rulers visited further includes, The Tor Tiv, the Gwom Gbom Jos, Ohimege Igu, Kotonkarfe, Etsu of Abaji, Etsu Nupe and Atta Igala.Yakasai further revealed that his team were rescued from Gombe while on scheduled visit to the Emir when insurgents attack the city.The Elder Statesman said I want to make it abundantly clear that I didnt received money from Chief Anenih in my private capacity as Tanko Yakasai but to a patriotic individuals who are interested in the peaceful coexistence of the polity. Despite his ongoing trial by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the founder of DAAR Communication, Chief Raymond Dopkesi, on T... The card received by Buhari's Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina The giant cards bearing goodwill messages on Eid el Maulud, Christmas and New Year was taken to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, by a team led by the communication outfits Chairman, Mr. Raymond Dokpesi Jnr.Others on the delegation were the Managing Director, Mr. Tony Akiotu; Managing Director, DAAR News Services, Imoni Amarere; Head, Human Resource, Paulyn Ugbodaga; and Head, Corporate Communications, Kunle Onime.They were received on behalf of the President by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, who was joined by a Director of Information, Mr. Justin Abuah.The message on the giant card read, The chairman, Board of Directors, Management and staff of DAAR Communications Plc, proprietors and operators of Raypower FM, Africa Independent Television and Faaji FM, most heartily felicitate with Your Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR and family on the occasions of Eid Maulud, Christmas and New Year 2016.The delegation later moved to the Vice Presidents office where they were received by his Senior Special Assistant Documentation, Mr. Sesan Adeboyejo.Adeboyejo, like Adesina, also received the giant card on behalf of his boss and posed for photographs with members of the delegation.Dokpesi is currently facing a six-count of alleged money laundering. He was charged by the EFCC.He is currently on bail in the sum of N200m, with two sureties in like sum.The trial judge also directed Dokpesi to surrender his international passport, which will only be released to him after application to the court should he be required to travel outside the country. First, all of this above rhetoric is your opinion, not proven fact. You don't KNOW any of this with absolute certainty because no one was around 4 billion years ago to observe it. Second, your redundant and inane question about who created God doesn't spark the debate you seem to hope for, because it is based upon the unsupported assumption that an infinite intelligence must of necessity be finite. That makes your reasoning seriously flawed to begin with. FYI, there are other credible scientific theories about the origins of the universe besides the Big Bang. You just don't hear about them because they are not attached to names like Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking, and so they are not as popular and as effectively promulgated by the media. The truth is, you don't know how the universe started, or how life came to this planet any more than anybody else. I would challenge you to open your mind to explore other possibilities. Ex-Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BOT) chair Tony Anenih has explained how he disbursed the N260 million paid into his... The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) believes the cash came from the allegedly misappropriated $2.1 billion arms funds.Anenih wrote to the EFCC to state, among others, that he gave N63 million to a group coordinated by a former Special Assistant to former President Shehu Shagari (National Assembly Liaison), Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, for the 2015 presidential election.Yakassai may be invited for interrogation over the curious payment, NE learnt yesterday.Anenih was said to have told EFCC that he didnt benefit from the money, but that he only shared it, following instructions.Also yesterday, EFCC detectives grilled PDP National Publicity Secretary Olisa Metuh for nine hours over alleged N1.4billion traced to a company in which he has a stake. The cash is believed by the EFCC to be part of the $2.1 billion arms funds.There were indications that Metuh might be detained by the agency.According to sources, Metuh was arrested at about 9am at his Abuja home by three operatives.At about 9.30am, he was taken into the interrogation room where he was confronted with some allegations, including evidence of transactions, for his reaction.A top source, who spoke in confidence, said: Metuh has been busy in the last nine hours writing a statement on some issues we have isolated for him.We have asked him to respond to the payment of N400million into Destra Investment Limited, a company he has high stake in.Metuh is also expected to explain some suspicious lodgments into the account of the company by some individuals and a company with link to one of the firms which was involved in arms procurement.Responding to a question, the source added: We are yet to freeze the account of Destra Investment Limited but we will do so.Already, the EFCC is collaborating with all relevant banks in this regard. We will invoke the relevant section of the EFCC Act on the account soon.The Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed that Metuh was being interrogated.The EFCC has started investigating alleged curious payment of N63million to a group led by Yakassai for the 2015 elections.It was learnt that the probe followed a letter to the EFCC by a former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, on how he distributed the N260million paid into his account by the Office of the National Security Adviser(ONSA).A highly-placed source in EFCC said: Chief Tony Anenih has written the EFCC on how he disbursed N260million from ONSA to various groups including a team being coordinated by Tanko Yakassai.Anenih specifically indicated in the letter that N63million was given to Yakassais group. He mentioned a few others whose identities we will not disclose until our investigation has reached an appreciable stage.We will unveil the names of all the beneficiaries of the N260million soon. But we are at a level that we need to invite Yakassai to shed more light on why his group was allocated N63million arms funds.The source also added: Besides the letter, we will invite Anenih to make a Statement on Oath and for interrogation.One of the charges against a former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki and a former Director of Finance and Administration this office, Shaibu Salisu, was the transfer of N260million to Anenih.The charge said: That you Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki whilst being National Security Adviser and Shaibu Salisu, whilst being the Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) on or about 28th November 2014 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, and in such capacities entrusted with dominion over certain properties to wit: the sum of N260million being part of the funds in the account of the ONSA with Skye Bank Plc committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said property when you transferred same to the bank account of Tony Anenih with First Bank of Nigeria Plc and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 315 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532, Vol.4, LFN 2004. The Federal Government on Wednesday faulted claims by the Peoples Democratic Party that the current ordeal of its spokesman, Chief Olisa... The Federal Government on Wednesday faulted claims by the Peoples Democratic Party that the current ordeal of its spokesman, Chief Olisa Metuh, at the hands of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission was an attempt to silence the opposition.The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, stated this in an interview with State House correspondents inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.Mohammed was asked to react to protests currently trailing the arrest of Metuh and the prosecution of another leader of the PDP, Haliru Bello, as well as his son.The minister said the Federal Government was not dictating to the nations anti-graft agencies on who to arrest or prosecute.He urged journalists to also conduct their independent investigations on the allegations leveled against the suspects and verify if they were genuine or not.Mohammed, I think the first point to make is that this government is not micro-managing any of the anti-graft agencies. I know for a fact that they dont contact the President or anybody before they do their job.I think the media also has to do more than they are doing right now, they should investigate these allegations and also make their independent judgment about it.Honestly, if the EFCC or ICPC says that they are able to trace certain amount of money to my account, I dont want you to believe it, I want you to also ask for proof; do your investigation.I can assure you that this government, no functionary in government micromanages or directs the EFCC or ICPC on who to arrest and who not to arrest. The acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu has said that more influential people will be arr... According to him, more influential Nigerians are on the radar of the EFCC and, in the coming weeks, they would have their days in court and Nigerians will be kept fully abreast of the results of the Commissions investigations.Magu made this assertion in Abuja on Wednesday, January 6, 2016 at a meeting with online media practitioners and broadcast media managers.He stated that the essence of the meeting was to solicit media support and understanding to deepen the fight against fraud, corruption and economic crimes. He asked for advice and suggestions in effectively propagating the war against graft.Apart from bringing corrupt public officers to justice, we are determined, in line with the stance of the current administration, to send an unmistakable message to everyone, that no Nigerian shall be regarded as being above the law or treated as a sacred cow as far as the fight against corruption is concerned.The EFCC needs you; Nigeria needs your critical support if we are to make any headway in this important campaign against corruption. My plea for your support is underscored by my understanding that the forces which we are battling are powerful and some of them may want to use all platforms of the media to distract and derail us. If and when they come to you, please allow the ethics of your profession, your conscience and overriding national interest to be your guide, Magu said.The EFCC boss explained that he has re-ordered the priorities of the EFCC and he finds inspiration in the unbending will of President Muhammadu Buhari to fight corruption.He added that the judiciary has responded with some practical steps in the form of the designation of selected courts to try EFCC cases.When asked about the perceived unbalance nature of the arrests made so far, Magu responded by saying Such accusations have come up a lot, but we work with petitions before us. In fact, I am eager and waiting for something from the other side, but nothing has come so far, he said. The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded the immediate release of the partys National Publicity Secret... The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded the immediate release of the partys National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, who was Tuesday morning invited and detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). This was according to a statement by Prof. Adewale Oladipo, the National Secretary of the party.This development, which did not come to us as a surprise given series of threats to our partys spokesman by the APC and the Federal Government, who are obviously not comfortable with our stance on the confused state of the nation under their watch, is a continuation of APCs grand design to silence and decimate the PDP.The arrest of Chief Metuh today underscores the growing political intolerance in our country and the foisting of a police state which was last Wednesday underscored by the President and Commander-in-Chief himself, who defended why a government in a democracy should flout constitutional provision and brazenly disobey court orders.This onslaught against our spokesman, according to intelligence available to us is part of a larger script by the government to ensure that PDP wings are finally clipped in their mission to install a dictatorial one-party state in the country.The excesses of security agencies under this government, especially the Directorate of Security Services (DSS) and the EFCC, in abridging the human rights of PDP members have become worrisome and a threat to our democratic evolution.Nigerians and the international community will recall that on a number of occasions, the PDP, through its spokesman has been outspoken on some undemocratic proclivities being exhibited by the APC-led Federal Government in the last seven months.The PDP insists that for whatever reason Chief Metuh was arrested, his rights as a citizen under the law must not be trampled upon. We therefore demand for his immediate release and that due process of investigation and prosecution concerning him should be strictly adhered to.We state this because we have been made aware of top directives to break Chief Metuh and if possible poison him during his detention by the EFCC. Chief Metuh, has since his arrest at about 10 am, has been kept incommunicado, with his lawyers denied access to him.The PDP declares the arrest of our spokesman as the last straw that may break our democracy. We therefore forewarn the Federal Government and its agencies to save our democracy and forthwith release our National Publicity Secretary.We are also calling on the international community and well-meaning Nigerians to stand up for this democracy, which our party nurtured for 16 years and deepened to a level where the opposition, for the first time in our political history, had the opportunity to win in a general election. Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra leader Ralph Uwazuruike has announced plans to set up a parallel governm... Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra leader Ralph Uwazuruike has announced plans to set up a parallel government in the Southeast and Southsouth.Election will hold on February 22 into wards, provinces, districts, regions and zones of the Southeast and Southsouth, which it said are Biafra territories.Speaking during the presentation of the 2016 Biafra Budget at the Ojukwu Memorial library, Uwazuruike announced the appointment of Rev. Fr Samuel Aniebonam, a Catholic Priest, as the Chairman of the Biafra Independent National Electoral Commission (B-INEC).His words: In line with our principle of non-violence towards establishing a sovereign control over the territorial boarders of the New Biafra, a Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. Samuel Aniebonam has been appointed the Chairman of Biafra Independent National Electoral Commission, (B-INEC).The Chairman, with other anointed men and women of God as members, will supervise the internal election into the offices of the new Biafra Government on February 22. The separatist leader said the election will be by open ballot, popularly known as Option A4.Our election will not be like Nigerias election, it will be a transparent one. In Biafra, there wont be electoral fraud. The tenure of the elected Regional Governor or Minister would be four years and nine months. There shall be no second tenure.Once you are defeated, you wont appeal in a tribunal against your opponent. This is why members of the commission would be men and women of God.MASSOBs National Director of Information, Sunny Okereafor, in a telephone interview, said the elections is in line with democratic ideals and international best practices, which Biafra was founded on, and where citizens would find satisfaction.He explained that only members of MASSOB and its parent body, the Biafra Independence Movement, (BIM), are qualified to vote and be voted for in the election.The electioneering has began; we are conducting elections into all offices from wards to the zones, to elect leaders to administer Biafra. We are going to show Nigeria how to conduct free and fair elections without rigging, intimidation and favouritism.Biafra will be a country where others would come to learn how democracy works. We have already set standards. Our non-violent approach is legendary and we have received several commendations for it. We want freedom; Biafra is the answer.Okereafor said as soon as the elections were concluded and winners sworn in, Biafra would re-introduce its legal tender, the pounds. Th leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra and founder of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, described Nigeria as a zoo and accused Governor ... Th leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra and founder of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, described Nigeria as a zoo and accused Governor Rochas Okorocha of Islamising Imo State in an interview he granted an online medium, Sahara Reporters.He, however, said in one of the statements he made to the Department of State Services after he was arrested at a Lagos hotel on October 14, 2015 that he made the said comments in order to facilitate societal change.Kanu and two others have been charged with treason and other related offences on account of his agitation for the secession of the South-East and other areas of the country to form a sovereign state of Biafra.He confirmed in the statement, dated October 24, 2015, that he made the comments, calling Nigeria a zoo to justify his belief that the only language its people understood was violence in the interview with Sahara Reporters.He said he also accused Okorocha of Islamising Imo State in the said interview.Kanu stated, A Sahara Reporters interview was played by officers of the DSS on October 24, 2015, as part of my interrogation and I acknowledged that it was me that gave the interview and the answers I provided were done by me.As I have earlier stated in past interrogation, the statements I make are purely designed to elicit reaction that will facilitate the desired change which is needed.In the interview, I made reference and said, the zoo has come to an end, they keep killing our people.In the interview, I also said the language the people hear in the zoo is violence. If they fail to give us Biafra, Somalia will be a childs play, yes, I stated that in the interview.Again, I was asked (and I said), If they do not give us Biafra, there would be no one living in the zoo, yes, I said so.I was also asked did I say that Rochas had Islamised Imo State and I said yes. I was also asked to confirm that I said that I do not believe that a peaceful approach to the restoration of Biafra was viable because I am not aware of anywhere else in the world where that is the case considering the history of the countries and their approach to such issues.He also denied belonging to Biafra Zionist Movement but admitted he believed in the groups cause.I do not belong to Biafra Zionist Movement. However, I stated my support for its action because it was a civil act designed to highlight societal injustice.The said act involved a group of civilians massing at the Government House at Enugu to hoist the Biafran flag, he added.The 48-year-old, who re-affirmed himself as the leader of IPOB, also gave an insight into the leadership structure of the group.He stated, I wish to state for the records that I, Nnamdi Kanu, is the Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra and Director of Radio Biafra and is in charge of the running of the organisation. In terms of the organisational structure, I can confirm that the office of the Director sits at the apex.Kanu said under him was Mazi Udanna Asiegbu.He added, Under him (Asiegbu) is the office of the CoC, which translates into the Co-ordinator of Co-ordinators and under him comes the Continental Representatives and are as follows:(1) North America is represented by Mr. Nnamaram Ugochukwu; South America, by Leornard Aniemene, who is resident in Trinidad and Tobago. Mazi Asiegbu is resident in Spain and Clifford Iroanya, the Coordinator of Coordinators, is resident in Houston Texas, USA.Nnamaram Ugochukwu is resident in Dallas, Texas. The continent of Europe is represented by Mazi Edoziem in Switzerland; Asia continent is represented by Onyinyechi Nlebedim in Malaysia while Australia is represented by Austin Ofomah, who resides in Canberra, Australia.Operatives of the DSS on October 14, 2015, arrested Kanu at the Golden Tulip Airport Hotel, where he allegedly checked into using a fictitious name.On December 23, the accused persons were scheduled for arraignment before a Federal High Court in Abuja, but Kanu refused to take his plea to the six counts of treason and other charges instituted against him and his two co-defendants due to what he called his lack of confidence in the presiding judge, Justice Ahmed Mohammed.The judge promptly returned the case file to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, for reassignment to another judge and the three accused persons were returned to the custody of the DSS.The Federal Government, through the Federal Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr. Mohammed Diri, alleged in its summary of its case in the newly filed six counts that the IPOB leader checked into the hotel using the name, Ezebuiro Nwannekaenyi, in order to conceal his identity.Diri stated this in a document listing the proposed prosecution witnesses lined up to testify against Kanu and the two others.Apart from Kanu, one of the two other defendants in the six counts filed by the Federal Government is a Field Maintenance Engineer, David Nwawuisi, of Ericson, who maintains MTN masts in Enugu State.The other defendant, Benjamin Madubugwu, was said to be living in Ubilisiuzo, Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, where he allegedly received custody of a container housing radio transmitters meant for Radio Biafra from Kanu.The fresh charges were filed against the three men barely 24 hours after Justice Adeniyi Ademola, in a ruling on Kanus bail application on December 17, ordered his unconditional release from DSS custody having been detained for about two months without any valid charges filed against him.No new date has been fixed for the arraignment of the accused persons. "First of all, you approach the speed of light as you fall into the black hole. So the faster you move through space, the slower you move through time," he said. "Furthermore, as you fall, there are things that have been falling in front of you that have experienced an even greater 'time dilation' than you have. So if you're able to look forward toward the black hole, you see every object that has fallen into it in the past. And then if you look backwards, you'll be able to see everything that will ever fall into the black hole behind you. "So the upshot is, you'll get to see the entire history of that spot in the universe simultaneously," he said, "from the Big Bang all the way into the distant future." NEWARK-- A Williamstown woman lied about being a licensed veterinarian and treated animals in South Jersey-- some of which died after being treated by her -- the Attorney General's Office is accusing in an action filed by the division of consumer affairs. A complaint was filed against Jaqueline Smith, who is also known as Jackie Smith or Jacquline Fabrico Smith, for allegedly purporting to be a licensed veterinarian, administering prescription drugs to horses and threatening to harm customers who didn't pay their bill. Smith was operating businesses called "Equine Health" and "Equine Dentistry," telling customers she was licensed by the State Board of Veterinary Medicine and that she attended the veterinary school at the University of Pennsylvania. Neither claim is true, according to the attorney general's office. An investigation by the Enforcement Bureau of the Division of Consumer Affairs and the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office revealed that Smith injected a horse with what she said was morphine multiple times but the horse did not immediately die. She allegedly said other veterinarians told her to cut (the horse's) throat, which she did not do. The horse died two hours after its last injection. "Any animal lover should be outraged by the alleged conduct of Jaque Smith," Steve Lee, acting director of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs said in a written release Wednesday. "Some of the horses she 'treated' died horribly slow, painful deaths as a direct result of her alleged actions, and others did not get the quality care they should have received from a legitimate veterinarian." Another customer reported that Smith threatened to have her husband break a customer's legs and have the customer's "horses killed at any time" after the individual discovered Smith was not a licensed veterinarian and refused to pay her bill in full. The state filed a six-count complaint against Smith in Superior Court in Atlantic County, attempting to bar her from treating horses in the future or from claiming she is a veterinarian, as well as seeking civil penalties and restitution to her customers. "New Jersey's animals are deserving of proper treatment and care by legitimate veterinarians," Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman said. "Rather than help and heal, Smith delayed proper veterinary care through her alleged actions." Anyone who had hired Smith for veterinary services and have had quality of care issues with her are asked to contact the Division of Consumer Affairs and file a complaint. The division can be reached at 1-800-242-5846 or 973-504-6200. Anyone with information about Smith's allegations can contact Enforcement Bureau Investigator Hildred Woolley at 973-504-6300. Rebecca Forand may be reached at rforand@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @RebeccaForand. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook. Clara007 said: How can you defend these people? Clearly, they are crazy as a sack full of ferrets. And what a ridiculous comment: the constitution is crumbling. The only constitution that's crumbling is the hard copy sitting behind glass at the National Archives. Would we be having this discussion if the Hammonds/Bundys were black? Hispanic? Muslim? Doubtful. Click to expand... im defending them because i believe that the federal government is way out of control. we are systematically scratching out every line on the bill of rights. would we be having this discussion if these guys were anything but white? probably not because the media wouldn't be calling for their heads then. would i also be defending them if the conversation came up? as long as they were not damaging private property then yes. A psychiatrist whose disciplinary record shows a long battle with alcohol has once again agreed to an indefinite suspension of his medical license. In a consent order filed by the N.J. Board of Medical Examiners on Dec. 24, Saquib B. Sayed agreed to surrender his license until he can demonstrate his fitness to return to practice. The consent order refers to his "long history with substance abuse." In all the specifics cited, that substance was alcohol. This latest "relapse," as the order calls it, occurred when Sayed drank at a Thanksgiving party. He had been under board-ordered monitoring that included random urine tests, one of which he failed Nov. 24. Sayed's troubled relationship with alcohol extends back to his days in Kentucky, where he previously practiced. When he applied to practice in New Jersey in 2001, he admitted he'd had to surrender his Kentucky license, and that he'd been arrested twice for driving under the influence of alcohol, and once for domestic violence. (The two driving offenses were pleaded down to lesser charges.) Kentucky documents indicate its licensing board labeled him a "chronic alcoholic" who had been arrested six times after episodes of drinking. He was also fired from his job there. But at that time he also had four years of sobriety under his belt and was attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Based on that, as well a monitoring system of urine tests put in place and mandatory attendance at AA meetings, he was granted a license. In 2004, he had a relapse and voluntarily surrendered his license for a year. In 2007, his license was reinstated, but the following year he had two relapses. In 2010, he was subjected to more frequent random urine testing as a condition of reinstatement. This past November, more than five years later, he admitted to drinking at a Thanksgiving party, and the N.J. Board of Medical Examiners issued a cease-and-desist order, followed by his agreement to this latest indefinite suspension. Sayed's attorney, Joseph Gorrell, emphasized that his client was never drunk on the job, and that "luckily his slips have been minor." An independent board will recommend steps Sayed needs to take in order to get his license restored, and once Sayed completes whatever treatment plan is recommended, he could appear before the committee to discuss reinstatement, Gorrell said. Sayed deserved another chance because "what occurred did not impact his ability to practice," Gorrell said. Alcohol is a disease, he said, and what mattered was that his client would be getting treatment for it. An online search shows offices in Cranford and Haddon Heights, although no practice location for him is listed on the Board of Medical Examiners website. Kathleen O'Brien may be reached at kobrien@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @OBrienLedger. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Hollerway.jpg Jasmine R. Hollerway, 23, of Guttenberg, appears in court in Jersey City today, Jan. 6, 2016, on charges related to 277 grams of suspected marijuana. GUTTENBERG - A 23-year-old Guttenberg woman could face up to 10 years in prison after being arrested yesterday on charges including possession of 277 grams of suspected marijuana with intent to distribute. Guttenberg police also charged Jasmine R. Hollerway, of the 200 block of 68th Street, with possession with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of Anna L. Klein School, located 301 69th Street, and within 500 feet of public property, the criminal complaint says. Also arrested yesterday was 35-year-old Andres J. Valencia, of the same address and apartment. He and Hollerway are each charged with possession of one "tab" of suspected LSD, and possession of drug paraphernalia including multiple glassine bags, Ziploc bags and a digital scale, the complaint says. Valencia is also charged with hindering his own apprehension by telling police he would respond to police headquarters in 10 minutes on two occasions but did not show up. He was then located at a relative's home in North Bergen, the complaint says. Both defendants made their first court appearance on the charges today in Central Judicial Processing court in Jersey City via video link from Hudson County jail in Kearny. KEARNY -- The year was 1947 and the intense patriotism of World War II still hung fresh in the air. A housing shortage had made it difficult for veterans to find enough homes for their growing families. Kearny resident Edmund Stevenson had an idea: what if veterans chipped in to buy land and formed a cooperative to build their own homes? Stevenson floated the idea at Kearny's American Legion Joseph E. Frobisher, Jr. Post 99 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1302. Twenty-four veterans signed on for the project. They each chipped in $400 to purchase wooded land near the Passaic River off Midland Avenue, and drew lots to determine the order for families to receive houses. Then, with true Yankee ingenuity, they rolled up their sleeves and got to work. First one house, then another, then another, until 24 homes formed a new neighborhood the town eventually named Stevenson Place, in honor of the Board of Education business manager and former builder with the bright idea. Most of the men had no construction experience. But they learned as they went along. Occasionally, an electrician, plumber or carpenter stepped in to train the veterans in specialized tasks. The first Cape Cod-style house took 10 months to build and was completed in 1948. But as the veterans honed their skills, the team could complete a house in just six to eight weeks. While each home had its own characteristics, the basic plan called for five rooms, with unfinished rooms in the attic and basement. The total cost for each home was $9,000. Today, just one of the original families remains on Stevenson Place. The widow of a World War II Air Force veteran, who moved into the 12th house completed in 1950, asked not to be named. But she recently agreed to share her memories of the time marked by deep cooperation and camaraderie. "It cost less than comparable homes," the woman said. "And the town donated the streets, sewer lines and water lines." When a family moved into a completed home, the cooperative would take out a second mortgage on the structure to finance the building of the next home, the resident explained. "Every time a house was completed, we had a little party," she recalled. When the last house was finished in the early 1950s, the neighborhood threw a big bash at Lyles, a catering hall on Passaic Avenue. "At the end, one lot was still available and we gave it to Mr. Stevenson," she added. "He built a house there." The members of the group, called the Legion Veterans Co-operative Housing, Inc., signed an agreement that required each man to work 72 hours a month, according to a July 1, 1951 Newark Sunday News article written by late Kearny newsman Thomas Hooper. Men who couldn't complete their required time had to chip in $2 for every hour not worked, the article noted. "The wives became the timekeepers," the longtime resident explained. "We would also make coffee for the guys so they could have a break. These were the best houses built in town. At that time, all of the foundations were poured concrete." At the time, Stevenson likened his plan to early American settlers marshaling their pioneer spirit to fell trees, build homes and create communities, according to Hooper's article. But in this case, the veterans created a tightly-knit neighborhood with a community spirit that endures to this day. While all but one of the original residents has either passed away or moved on, their children fondly recall growing up in the neighborhood where everyone shared a common bond. "My son is still friends with the kids he grew up with here," the WWII widow said. "I don't think there was another neighborhood like this in the world." c box 0108.jpg Holly Black has picked up where the original "Lucifer" series left off. (Courtesy of William Kulesa) There has been a lot of buzz lately regarding one of my all time favorite comic books, "Lucifer." About two years ago I revisited the title when I wrote about the rerelease of the series in new collected editions. For those who have still, to their detriment, not read the series I will go over it once again. Writer Mike Carey takes the Lucifer of Neil Gaiman's legendary series "Sandman" and spins a tale of a celestial being of great power looking to redefine his legacy and change his future. It is the coming of age story for a being thousands of years old, and an amazing exploration and reexamination of a character that looms large in the legends, myths, religions, and culture of the western world. In my opinion it remains one of the best works to come out of the comic industry to date. Now that you have the most basic explanation of what "Lucifer" is about, let me turn to recent events in the world of the character in comics. First we have the announcement of a new FOX show based on the series in which Lucifer consults with the LAPD and helps them solve crimes. The series is set to air on January 25th, and since I cannot see into the future I cannot actually offer much on the series at this time. I will say that I am skeptical at best that it will capture the complexities and nuance of the comic given that it is presented as being primarily a police procedural. In the world of comics though we have returned to the character as he was presented to us by Carey in a new series that is set as a continuation of Carey's story. Though I do think it is not only unnecessary but a little presumptuous to follow up such a work as the original "Lucifer," series writer Holly Black does a respectable job of picking up where we were left originally. Better known for her young adult fantasy novel series "The Spiderwick Chronicles," Black starts the new "Lucifer" off quickly with a succession of mysteries revealed and a subtly different Lucifer back in town and back in the nightclub business with a new venue named Ex Lux, in honor of the original Lux piano lounge. By the end of the first issue of the new series, Lucifer has been accused of the death of God, and offered a place in Heaven once again if he can find the killer and prove himself innocent. Readers of the original series have no reason to believe that Lucifer did the deed himself, but Black plants just enough seeds to let us think something might have gone awry since last we saw the Devil and God make their way out of our universe, and thus we have the beginnings of a story and just enough mystery to compel us to return. Compared to the series that spawned it, Black's "Lucifer" starts out a little lighter, just a tad more concerned with high notes of action and titillation. It is a book of a different time, and though it is not its predecessor, it starts out strong and with a great deal of promise. The characterization is close to the Lucifer we know, close enough to imagine him being the being that grew out of the angel that left our universe at the end of his previous story. In the background we have evidence of the same machinations and developments that have always spun behind the scenes of Vertigo's mystical series. Although I might find it hard to imagine a story worthy of following up the first "Lucifer," Black makes a compelling argument with a new story that is just familiar enough to feel right. EDITOR'S NOTE: WILLIAM KULESA can be reached at jjournalcomicbox@gmail.com. Jersey City police car Police are investigating the possibility of a stolen car firing shots on Monday afternoon and leaving the scene of an accident, according to a police report. (Journal File Photo) JERSEY CITY -- Police are investigating the possibility of shots being fired from a stolen car on Monday afternoon, which may have also left the scene of an accident, according to a police report. Just after 3 p.m., officers responded to Ocean Avenue near Wegman Parkway on the report of shots fired, police said. When they arrived, a 36-year-old Bayview Avenue man told police he had just turned onto Ocean Avenue when he heard four or five gunshots, the report indicated. The man told police his car was struck by a green Buick Century. The car did not stop and continued down Ocean Avenue, police said. A resident in the area told police a man wearing a puffy jacket and blue jeans was seen running between yards near Bidwell Avenue. Police were unable to locate the man or a crime scene, the report stated. Meanwhile, a passing motorist provided police with a license plate for the green car believed to be involved in the incident. When police ran the plate, they learned it was reported stolen from Stevens Avenue on Friday, police said. A K-9 unit search of the area did not yield any results, the report stated. Police were not able to conclude if the reported shots in the neighborhood were actually fired. JERSEY CITY - A third man has been arrested in the November murder of a Hudson County corrections officer's son and is being held on a $750,000 cash only bail. Eric N. Chapman, 23, of Wegman Parkway off Ocean Avenue, has been charged with murdering 19-year-old Javonte Galbreath, who was gunned down on Winfield and Ocean avenues in Jersey City on Nov. 12 at about 8:10 p.m. Chapman, who is also charged with weapons offense related to a handgun, is expected to make his first court appearance on the charges in Central Judicial Processing court in Jersey City tomorrow, officials said. Already charged in the homicide are Jersey City residents Jonathan Mallard, 18, of Cator Avenue near Fowler Avenue, and Raekwon Small, 19, of Skyline Drive. All three face identical charges. Charges were brought against Chapman after his co-defendants made statements to police "implicating the defendant in the shooting death of," Galbreath, as well as "video footage showing the defendant and co-defendants fleeing the scene after the shooting," the criminal complaint states. In the aftermath of the fatal shooting, Galbreath's heartbroken mother, Hudson County Corrections Officer Harriet Wilson, told The Jersey Journal "I'll never hear anyone call me 'mom' again." A Winfield Avenue resident also told The Jersey Journal the area where Galbreath was shot is a hangout for young men and that someone had been arrested there about 20 minutes before Galbreath was killed. The same woman said she heard gunshots and then what sounded like someone returning fire before three young men ran past her heading toward Garfield Avenue. She said at the time that Galbreath "didn't even know he was hit. He was walking back toward Ocean and he fell. One of his friends put pressure on the wound. It was on his back. About eight or 10 minutes later police arrived and they moved everybody back, rolled him over and started CPR." When homicide detectives returned to the location the next morning they were confronted by a group of angry and uncooperative people who were setting up a memorial for Galbreath, comprised of blue and white candles. HD0107BryantVisitsWoodglen.jpeg Thanks to the Lebanon Township PTA, award-winning author Jen Bryant visited Woodglen School. Pictured are writing workshop participants with Ms. Bryant (front row, from left) Annie Painter, Francesca Morella, Kate Glass, Katie Merriken (back row) Ben Drake, Ian Love, Grace Trumpy, Lily Worster, Anna Squindo, Jen Bryant. (courtesy photo) Thanks to the Lebanon Township PTA, award-winning author Jen Bryant visited Woodglen School. Bryant is the author of more than 31 books including "The Trial"and "Kaleidoscope Eyes." Bryant offered fascinating large-group presentations to the entire school and a wonderful small-group writing workshop. Students also had the opportunity to apply for a special lunch with the author. While the topics of Bryant's books are varied, she spent a lot of time explaining her research process and the true story of the Lindbergh trial which was the basis for her book, The Trial (a favorite of Woodglen students). CLINTON TWP. -- A person died after being thrown from a van in a crash Wednesday on Interstate 78 west. The crash occurred at mile marker 21.4 in Clinton Township, just east of the Cokesbury Road exit. Rescuers were called at 11:40 a.m. "There is one confirmed fatality in the accident," New Jersey State Police Sgt. Gregory Williams said early Wednesday afternoon. "Investigators are still out there." The identity of the person killed was not immediately available. Williams said no others were injured in the crash. The accident involved a Ford Econoline van, and Williams said dispatchers' notes indicated a pole was involved. At the scene around 12:30 p.m., traffic was moving slowly past the site of the accident, where State Police stood near a mangled guard rail. Debris in the road initially caused a brief closure, and traffic that had backed up about a mile on the westbound side was moving again. Williams said the New Jersey State Police fatal accident investigation unit was investigating, along with State Police crime scene investigators and troopers from the Perryville State Police barracks. A heavy rescue team waited for their investigation to conclude before retrieving the van. Sallie Graziano may be reached at sgraziano@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SallieGraziano. Find The Hunterdon County Democrat on Facebook. Jersey City police car A 21-year-old Jersey City man was arrested Sunday night after he pointed a silver air sport gun at a woman and threatened to kill her, police said. (Journal file photo ) A 21-year-old Jersey City man was arrested Sunday night after he pointed a silver air sport gun at a woman and threatened to kill her, police said. At about 9:45 p.m., police officers were patrolling Martin Luther King Drive when a woman came running over to them in distress screaming "he has a gun, he just threatened to kill me," a police report states. The 31-year-old woman told police that a man with a silver handgun stopped her as she exited a liquor store and said "I am gonna kill you b----," police said. Police began following the man the woman had pointed out and additional units responded. Officers later approached the man, with their guns drawn, on the corner of Martin Luther King Drive and Wegman Parkway, the report states. Quadir Critten, of Woodlawn Avenue, was arrested and a silver plastic air sport gun was recovered in the area. The victim positively identified Critten as the man who pointed a gun at her, police said. At the precinct, Critten told police he "was just trying to scare her with the gun, it's not even a real gun," according to the report. Critten was charged with making terroristic threats, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose. President Obama is not well liked at Caso's Gun-A-Rama on Danforth Avenue in Jersey City. A black-and-white image of Obama dressed as the Cowardly Lion from "The Wizard of Oz" -- the flier is captioned "The Lyin' King" -- hangs next a row of hunting and trap guns. Above that is an picture of former Pope Benedict XVI that reads, "Obama, if I could do it, so can you! RESIGN!!" Yesterday, gun owners' dislike of the president was more acute than usual, with news that Obama plans new executive actions that he says are intended to reduce mass shootings and other instances of gun violence nationwide. "He exploited everyone in the room to promote something he knows nothing about," said Caso's owner Frank Caso, referring to Obama's teary announcement of the actions yesterday at the White House. Obama said he is ordering an expansion of the number of gun buyers subject to criminal background checks, better tracking of lost guns, increased research on guns and stepped-up hiring of people to process background checks. "The gun lobby may be holding Congress hostage right now, but they can't hold America hostage," Obama said yesterday. The move was dismissed yesterday by Caso and his daughter, Virginia, who described their customers as law-abiding citizens who pose no threat. The real aim of Obama and gun control advocates, they say, is wider than expanded background checks. "They don't want anybody to have a firearm," Virginia said. Mayor Steve Fulop has responded to recent violence in the city by calling gun violence "a national epidemic" that requires "larger changes to the overall system," including stricter gun control. A request for comment from Fulop on Obama's new actions was not immediately returned. Fulop's predecessor, Jerramiah Healy, a vocal champion of gun-control measures when he was in office, told The Jersey Journal he mostly applauds Obama's plan. "Look at what is happening," Healy said. "It's a matter of every week somebody is exploding with rage and shouldn't have a gun but does have a gun and does a lot of violence with it." Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Iran's 'Frozen' Assets: Exaggeration on Both Sides of the Debate Before the nuclear deal was signed, the freezing of Iranian assets was incomplete, so the loosening of restrictions on these assets will have less impact than implied by past and current arguments. The Obama administration has long overstated the extent to which economic sanctions froze Iranian assets and the impact these actions had on the regime. Now the administration is facing the flip side of that overstatement, as critics of the nuclear deal exaggerate how much will be unfrozen and what that will mean for Tehran's ability to fund dangerous actors and activities in the region. FROZEN OR RESTRICTED? Some Iranian assets are frozen, that is, they cannot be used by their owners (whether the Iranian government or other entities). The Treasury Department's most recent "Terrorist Assets Report" cites $1.973 billion of Iranian financial assets frozen in the United States, and $19 million of unfrozen assets (e.g., funds belonging to Iran's UN mission, which are protected by diplomatic immunity). Due to problems evaluating the worth of real estate, the report's figures do not include tangible property (e.g., 650 Fifth Avenue in New York City, a building worth at least $800 million, which a court has ordered frozen). Other Iranian assets are subject to such heavy restrictions that they might as well be frozen. When the EU adopted tight restrictions on financial transactions with the Islamic Republic, Iranian banks and companies could not access money they had in Europe or were owed by Europeans. A prominent example is the $2.3 billion that Shell says it owes the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) for crude supplies delivered before the restrictions took effect (oil is typically paid for thirty or more days after delivery). But the largest funds often described as frozen are those held in the central banks of countries to which Iran has recently been selling oil, especially China, Japan, India, and South Korea. These assets total at least $50 billion, and by some accounts more. Iranians are learning how to use these funds to purchase items in the countries where they are being held; that is, most of the restrictions only prevent use of the money to buy goods from third countries. Both Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew and Central Bank of Iran (CBI) governor Valiollah Seif have stated that $20 billion or more of these restricted funds are already committed for future Iranian purchases, arguing that this money should not be included in any calculation of assets that will become available to Iran once the nuclear deal is implemented. A different way of interpreting this fact is that the funds in question were never really frozen in the first place, illustrating how Iran retained substantial access to foreign markets well before the nuclear deal was signed. This is especially true in the case of China: Iranians have been able to spend more than $20 billion of oil revenues held in Chinese banks, using them to purchase Chinese goods and services. Residents of the Bergen Avenue apartment building in Jersey City that was left uninhabitable after a fire on New Year's Eve destroyed one of its apartments are now allowed to return to their homes, says the building's supervisor. The two-alarm fire started in a second-floor apartment in the building near Woodlawn Avenue at around 11:30 p.m. Thursday. No injuries were reported, but the fire displaced 23 people. Jersey City spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said the Jersey City Fire Department responded to the call shortly after it was received and had the blaze under control within 30 minutes. James Waldron, who manages the building for the Urban League of Hudson County, said some residents have already moved in, and about 22 of the displaced residents should be in the building by yesterday. Waldron said that while the flames directly affected only the second floor for the most part, the basement and first floor did suffer from flooding and water damage. The supervisor said the building was given back to him three days ago, and since then he and his workers have cleaned the debris and removed most of the water. "We've been working hard to get back people in and correct the damages to make them comfortable," said Waldron. Waldron and residents of the building said the Red Cross provided assistance to some of the displaced residents the night of the fire. According to the residents, the hotel space allotted to the buildings residents by the Red Cross filled up quickly. Roxie Flemming, whose apartment is on the first floor, said she had to sleep in her car, while her children stayed at their grandmother's home. Flemming said she's been allowed back into her apartment Monday. HAMILTON - The Hamilton restaurant where four people contracted Hepatitis A at the end of 2014 has permanently closed its doors. Rosa's Restaurant, the South Broad Street mainstay, quietly announced that it was closing its doors with small signs hanging on the front and rear doors thanking its customers. Rosa Spera-Gilmore, the restaurant's owner and namesake, said in an interview Wednesday Rosa's last hurrah was a New Year's Eve party that attracted 300. "Coming to America from Italy at the age of 11, I never imagined I'd one day own and run my own business," Spera-Gilmore said. "I was glad that being a business owner let me put others to work and to give back to the community by supporting a lot of civic events and groups. These are the things I'll think about when I think about the old restaurant." Spera-Gilmore said the catering portion of the business will continue, despite the demise of the restaurant, but she declined to cite the hepatitis A outbreak as a contributing factor in the closure. "Our costs kept going up when our prices couldn't,'' Spera-Gilmore said. "And when you run a small restaurant for working people, that means you really can't pass on increases in product costs to your customers." Four people linked to the restaurant were diagnosed with hepatitis A beginning in Dec. 2014. Symptoms of the disease include mild fever, loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and dark urine and jaundice. In response, the township sponsored a vaccination clinic for township residents and urged others to consult their physicians for a vaccine. The disease originated with an employee of the restaurant, with the remaining cases reported in customers, including a hairstylist and fitness instructor who had regular interaction with the general public. "There's some question regarding their hand washing procedures," Jeff Plunkett, township health officer, said at the time. "The cases certainly have a possibility of being linked, but it's hard to say whether the gentleman infected himself or contracted it somewhere else and brought it to the facility." The 53-year-old hairstylist had been sick for about two weeks with what she thought was the flu, with symptoms of nausea, fever, dark urine and gray stool. The symptoms worsened and she had chest pains on New Year's Eve, prompting her to go to the emergency room at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital Hamilton. Blood work was done and she tested positive for hepatitis A. The 60-year-old part-time instructor at two area gyms fitness instructor began to feel sick on Dec. 19, 2014, with flu-like symptoms. She went to her primary care doctor, who thought she had the flu. She went back to the doctor on Dec. 22 with increasing symptoms and was prescribed the antiviral medication Tamiflu. She returned a third time on Dec. 29 for blood work. She tested positive for hepatitis A. The restaurant had a history of health violations before and after the outbreak. An Oct. 8, 2014, inspection report said that employees at the restaurant routinely broke health codes involving hand washing, separating raw foods, preventing contamination and proper sanitization. "Due to the number of critical violations, the person in charge is not demonstrating proper knowledge of food safety principles pertaining to this operation," township health inspector Kelly Thomas wrote in the report. On Dec. 1, 2014, inspectors visited the site after the original employee was diagnosed with hepatitis A, ordering food destroyed, surfaces sanitized and denaturing of certain products, such as soups that couldn't be placed in the trash, by pouring bleach on them. Inspectors intervened after employees briefly began preparing meals for new customers using food they were ordered to throw away, improperly washed their hands and handled food with bare hands. The Township Committee considered local legislation that would have imposed stiffer fines on restaurants with health code violations, but in March opted to postpone a vote on an ordinance that would have tripled inspection fees on restaurants that fail two or more health inspections. "I'm grateful for the years of patronage and so many customers who became family,'' Spera-Gilmore said. "I look forward in the year ahead to starting a new business that will focus exclusively on catering." Keith Brown may be reached at kbrown@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBrownTrenton. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook. PRINCETON - Religious organizations in Princeton are partnering to help house a Syrian refugee family this year. Though the call for their help could come as soon as the next few days - or as far away as the next few months. File photo of Stuart Hall at the Princeton Theological Seminary. "It's part of how we live out the Christian faith," Rev. David Davis of the Nassau Presbyterian Church said Tuesday, discussing his church's efforts to help house refugees in the past. His church has been working for months to connect with a state department-approved agency in order to accept and house a refugee family. Their efforts come in the midst of the Syrian conflict, which has left millions displaced and running from their homes. Last fall, the church finally found that agency - Church World Service in Jersey City - and they're waiting for a call from the service saying that they have a refugee family in need of housing, Davis said. While there are many in the church community and the greater Princeton community who have offered to donate food and clothing if that call comes, Davis said one group in particular gave a generous housing offer. The Princeton Theological Seminary contacted the church last fall to say that they would be able to give a family a home in non-student housing, Davis said. Students from the seminary also offered help with everything from transportation for the family to teaching English as a second language, Davis said. ALSO: Montclair synagogue holding Christmas dinner for Syrian refugees Now the church, their volunteers and the seminary are just waiting to hear back from the service. "We could get a call that a family is going to arrive in a month or 10 days," Davis said. But he's not concerned about how soon the call could come - the church is familiar with the process of finding housing for refugees. For decades the church has helped find local housing for refugees from Cuba, Cambodia, Vietnam, Bosnia and Burma. "A family every five years," Davis said, though he admits the past decade has been difficult. Local state-department approved agencies that used to work with the church to house refugees have, "dried up," Davis said, leaving the church to search outside of central New Jersey in an effort to help. Other problems have surrounded housing refugees - especially in recent months - because the discussion itself has been rife with contention. Some, like Governor Chris Christie, have vocally opposed housing Syrian refugees in the United States. Others, like Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, have called for a database for the refugees. But in thinking about housing a family in Princeton, Davis focused only on the good that it does - not just for the family but also the greater Princeton community as a whole. "The relationships at the end of the day are what's most powerful," Davis said. Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook. EDISON -- A judge has reinstated an Edison police officer who was fired after allegations that he pressured a woman to model Victoria's Secret lingerie for him while he was in uniform. Anthony Sarni sued after he lost his job in October for his conduct at the Extended Stay America hotel, which the Superior Court Judge Douglas K. Wolfson referred to simply as the "lingerie episode." The episode began when a woman said that Sarni returned to her hotel room after responding to an emergency call and -- using the marijuana he had let her flush down the toilet as leverage -- requested that she model lingerie for him. She eventually complied, and Sarni admitted he asked her to try on "outfits." But he denied that marijuana was involved at all, denied explicitly propositioning her for sex, and said the encounter was consensual. "We are pleased that now two tribunals, a hearing officer and a well respected experienced Superior Court Judge, have concluded after hearing the evidence that Officer Sarni did not lie or provide false information to internal affairs," Sarni's lawyer, Steven Cahn, said in an email, adding that the officer regrets his actions that night. "Officer Sarni is anxious to get back to work serving the residents of the township. He wants to get back to work." When, exactly, he'll get back to work depends on whether the town plans to appeal his case. Lawyers for the township did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Sarni has five days to request an order, giving the town some breathing room to decide what to do next. The police department's botched effort to fire Sarni was marked by failures on multiple levels, including missed deadlines and an Internal Affairs investigation that was, according to Wolfson, severely compromised. Wolfson himself acknowledged that Sarni's alleged conduct in September 2012 was "deplorable and entirely unacceptable." But, in a 40-page written decision released Tuesday, Wolfson noted that Sarni could not be fired for requesting that the woman try on lingerie for him. That's because the charges related to the lingerie itself were thrown out on a technicality after the town missed a well known 45-day deadline. After the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office closed its own criminal investigation in 2013 without charges, the town waited 30 days to even interview Sarni, and 99 days to file charges, a delay the judge called "inexplicable." Chief Thomas Bryan explained the delay in part by saying that several officers were on vacation, according to Wolfson's decision. In the end, the town could only charge Sarni for his lies to Internal Affairs investigators about the lingerie, not the lingerie itself. But Wolfson ruled that investigators Joseph Shannon and Thomas Errico asked inappropriate questions, leading Sarni to believe that the investigation might be criminal, and not administrative. The town claimed that Sarni lied 23 times about the lingerie request, but Wolfson decided that Sarni was honest as soon as he believed that the interview was not a criminal interrogation. The charges, he said, were "fundamentally flawed," and "devoid of competent or credible evidence." They were thrown out with prejudice. Much of the 40-page decision deals with technicalities related to employment law in New Jersey. A hearing officer -- akin to an internal judge hired by the town -- threw out the previous charges against Sarni, but Mayor Thomas Lankey ignored the recommendation, without explaining why. Wolfson ruled that Lankey was not bound by the hearing officer's recommendation, but overturned Sarni's firing on the merits. Sarni, who has not received his paychecks since he was fired, will get back pay. The town might also have to pay his legal bills. He is the second officer in the past six months to be returned to work in the Edison Police Department amid efforts to terminate his employment. Coincidentally, Sarni was ordered reinstated the same day that a Perth Amboy police officer was promoted to lieutenant, even though he'd been suspended for visiting his romantic partner in an undercover vehicle while on duty -- in the span of just a few hours, two high-profile examples of the strong employment protections that public employees, particularly police officers, enjoy in the state of New Jersey. Brian Amaral may be reached at bamaral@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @bamaral44. Find NJ.com on Facebook. carmelo jimenez.jpg Sgt. Carmelo Jimenez Jr. is seen receiving his promotion to lieutenant at a ceremony Tuesday at the YMCA in Perth Amboy. (Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) ( ) PERTH AMBOY -- On the same day his on-duty assignations became public knowledge, a Perth Amboy cop who took an undercover car to visit his romantic partner in a different town was promoted to lieutenant. Lt. Carmelo Jimenez got his new rank at a ceremony at the YMCA in Perth Amboy at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, just hours after NJ Advance Media reported that he had been suspended for eight days and had to give back a chunk of his paycheck amid an Internal Affairs investigation. The on-duty trips -- caught on surveillance footage obtained by a local defense attorney -- occurred over the course of several months. The videos show the undercover pickup truck sitting on a township street for hours at a time, sometimes after Jimenez had gotten out with flowers or food. NJ Advance Media learned of the promotion -- at which seven other officers were elevated to new positions -- after its story was published Tuesday morning. "Sergeant Jimenez is being promoted today consistent with the NJ State Civil Service Guidelines, along with any pay increase," Deputy Chief Larry Cattano said in an emailed statement. "The incident in question occurred in the past and appropriate discipline was instituted." Public records show Jimenez currently makes $111,000. "As in every situation with a City employee, progressive discipline is utilized, but understand that our officers have the same rights as every other employee in the City," Cattano said. Jimenez has been a city cop for 17 years, and has a strong reputation in the Perth Amboy Police Department, his supporters say. The city noted that Jimenez has received several letters of recognition from the New Jersey Narcotic Enforcement Officers Association and the 200 Club. The suspension occurred in October 2015, about three months before he was promoted. Jimenez helped run the city's narcotics squad for several years. An online search of his name brings up dozens of other people's mug shots as the city touted his drug busts. In one case, his actions helped save a man from jumping off a bridge in Perth Amboy. According to figures provided by the city, Jimenez has arrested 279 people since 2011, more than any other supervisor in the department, and his teams have seized more than $500,000 in cash, $1 million worth of drugs, 16 firearms and 43 vehicles. But in 2014, the longtime detective was himself the subject of an investigation, this time for his personal conduct. Early that year, a defense attorney who has represented clients arrested by Jimenez began investigating the then-sergeant. Over the course of several months, Jimenez took an undercover vehicle -- a blue pickup truck -- to a woman's house in Woodbridge. It was caught on videos filmed by a private investigator and nearby surveillance cameras. The defense attorney, Daniel Gonzalez, helped file a complaint with Internal Affairs. Investigators in the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office reviewed the case, a lawyer for Jimenez said, and determined that internal discipline was merited. Jimenez returned 27 hours of pay to the city after the investigation, and served an eight-day suspension. Gonzalez called Jimenez's promotion "appalling," saying it would set a bad example for officers in the police department. "He clearly admitted to wrongdoing," Gonzalez said. "If an average citizen admitted to stealing thousands of dollars, they end up with criminal records." Brian Amaral may be reached at bamaral@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @bamaral44. Find NJ.com on Facebook. While on the way to work, I would often drive past or get coffee at a McDonalds in Phoenix, AZ. One day, the restaurant was just gone. This is not that big of a surprise; as these fast food joints are often torn down to build newer ones in their place. See, just like the employees, the buildings themselves are completely replaceable with little effort. Well, the surprise came a few days later. When this new McDonalds opens on the Fourth of July, the employees will be more than just replaced. They will be non-human.StrikeThis new restaurant will be the first to employ almost nothing but robots. Sure, there will be a few humans that ensure the robots are working, the freezers are stocked with food, and the supply cabinet has all of the required cleaning supplies, but all the bulk of the work will be conducted by machines. Customers will order from, pay, and receive food from robots that cook food and collect money.With only having to pay a few employees per store, rather than a few dozen, McDonalds employees may finally realize their dream of working fast food and earning $15 an hour. Of course, before long, they may need a degree in robotics to keep this job, but hey, its not minimum wage, right!The store manager, in an interview, stated that he had been working with these robots for about six months before the Phoenix restaurant was demolished to make way for the fast food of the future and that he loved his experience. It seems that his job was made easier by not having to worry about employees taking smoke breaks, not observing health code regulations, not showing up for work, or falling short of claims made during interviews. Each robot has the same work ethic, never needs a break, never smells of smoke, and is never late for work.As great as that all is for the manager and stock holders, the market for minimum wage jobs has just been reduced. Before long, fast food joints will not be a high school kids first job to build job skills in preparation for future jobs. These jobs will be for those who have management skills and experience with working alongside robots. No longer will McDonalds pay for first year tuition or gas money for the weekend bonfire. Instead, Ronald McDonald will pad the wallets of Silicon Valley. Does Trump need protecting from Muslims? January 6, 2016 Daniel Greenfield Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is a New York writer focusing on radical Islam. After an Islamic terror attack, Americans are told that theyre foolish and fearful to worry about the type of Islamic terrorism that just filled a local morgue with bodies. Instead of focusing on the families of the dead, the media coverage sharply pivots to a million stories about Muslims who claim to be terrified of a backlash from Americans and must be protected from the threat of this imaginary backlash. When Americans worry about being murdered by the Islamic terrorist next door, they are accused of giving in to fear, but when Muslims claim that theyre terrorized by the occasional dirty look, thats not only a legitimate fear, but actually rises to the level of a national crisis. Never mind the American corpses, lets focus on the Muslim hurt feelings. After Trump suggested that maybe we shouldnt be bringing tens of thousands of Syrians to this country when 13% of them poll as ISIS supporters (thats 1,300 for each batch of 10,000 Syrians), Muslims Brotherhood front groups and their media allies swiftly began their victimhood theater. Donald J. Trump has killed zero Americans or even Muslims in terrorist attacks. Meanwhile Muslims have killed 9,983 Americans. Determining whether Trump or Muslims are the bigger threat is a matter of simple math. But the media dismisses the threat of Islamic terrorism and urges the country to panic over Trump. And it never questions the credibility of the Muslims who whine that they need protection from Trump. On ABC News, CAIR boss Nihad Awad complained that Trump was fueling anti-Muslim sentiment. No one at ABC asked him about the time he said, "I am in support of the Hamas movement". Nihad Awad openly supported Islamic terrorism and made anti-Semitic remarks. And yet the media acted as if the pro-terrorist activist needed protection from Trump, when its Americans who need protection from Awad and his cronies. Donald Trump must be held partially responsible for the spike in anti-Muslim hate crimes and discrimination we have witnessed since the Paris terror attacks, Awad insisted. Does that mean that Awad and CAIR are responsible for Islamic attacks on Jews? CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper claimed, Trumps statement has really given tacit permission to that minority of bigots out there to go after Muslims. Hooper had previously claimed that Al Qaeda attacks on America had been caused by "misunderstandings of both sides" and had said that he wants Islam to dominate America. CAIRs founder had said, "Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faith, but to become dominant. The Koran is the highest authority in America, and Islam is the only accepted religion on earth." Instead of asking even the most basic questions of Trumps Muslim accusers, the media whitewashes Islamist spokesmen with a history of supporting terrorism and runs puff pieces on Muslim crybullies. In the latest bout of manufactured Muslim crybullying, the media eagerly reported that U.S. service members are using the hashtag #IWillProtectYou to show support for a young Muslim girl who believed her family would be forced to flee following Donald Trumps call to ban Muslims from the country. Debbie is releasing a new holiday album on October 21 and it'll include a song with Joey Joey will be performing one night only at Carnegie Hall in New York City on January 14th! NKOTB are cruising to Half Moon Cay on October 20-24! I will try my best to post updates on Twitter and Instagram Season 2 of Jonathan Knight's "Farmhouse Fixer" is now airing every Wednesday night ! The new season of Blue Bloods with Donnie Wahlberg is now airing every Friday on CBS! I never said the holocaust was a fraud. I said that the holocaust was largely a fraud. Jews did die. Anywhere from 271,000 to 600,000. (Not 6 million) And even that had to do with the hardships caused by war. Not gassings. Make of it what you will. Next, some would say that sending Jews through a woodchipper would be a preferable idea. But I would support sending our 5 million Jews to Israel instead. As to the Christian fundraiser to send some poor Jews to Israel, I was just pointing out the stupidity of any Christian wanting to do so. We need to send all our Jews there. But not because of any religious considerations. Next, I am superior to any human proboscus monkey Jews. Though any single maggot squirming around on rotting flesh is superior to a Jew. Next, your analogy concerning "sticking to your guns" makes no sense. The whole point was that any Christian should give a damn. Next, don't tell me about the ******** voodoo power of your imaginary god. Or the doomsday cult it promotes. I'm not interested. And if you want to talk about lies, look up the book I mentioned. Read the chapters, "Stupidity and lies of the old testament" and "Stupidity and lies of the new testament." If reading isn't your thing, at least watch the documentary, "Religulous." WASHINGTON (AP) The House Jan. 6 committee plans to unveil "surprising" details at its next public hearing about the 2021 attack at the U.S. Capitol. The session Thursday afternoon is likely to be the last public hearing before midterm elections next month. The panel is expected to include new evidence from the U.S. Secret Service about its actions with Donald Trump that day. Ahead of a report later this year, the panel is summing up its findings. The committee says Trump, after he lost the 2020 presidential election, launched an unprecedented attempt to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden's victory. They say the result was the deadly mob siege of the Capitol. Maybe you can't explain the world in 140 characters after all. Twitter is considering expanding its famous character count, perhaps to as many as 10,000.As someone who spends an inordinate of time both posting and reviewing my daily Twitter feed, I can't help but smile. Longtime journalists have for a long time snickered at Twitter, sarcastically belittling it as representative of all that is wrong in our manic pace of life. For many longtime scribes, 140 words wouldn't even make a good lead, let alone a compelling, complete thought. But there is no arguing this: Twitter is where news breaks. Even I can admit that. Its instantaneous ability to deliver information have made it a crucial cog in the delivery of news and information. But it is also without question limiting. And, lo and behold, it turns out Twitter is not immune to the kind of growth challenges all the rest of us in the media are facing. They are trying to keep pace with outlets such as Facebook, where writers can expound at length, without the shackles of a 140-word edict. In considering expanding how much people can 'Tweet' in any one post, Twitter no doubt may face backlash from those whose allegiance to the 140-word cap is what drew them to the social media service in the first place. Keep an eye on this one, you can bet it will be 'trending' for awhile. A proposal by Gov. Terry Branstad to scoop money from extending school infrastructure funding for water quality initiatives represented what he called the biggest and boldest proposal of his tenure as the nations longest-serving governor. Branstad wants to extend a 1-cent sales tax established in 2008 to make improvements in school buildings by 20 years and to divert a portion of the money toward improving the states water quality. The proposal would provide about $20.7 billion for schools while funneling about $4.7 billion for water quality over the next 32 years, according to the governors office. Its the biggest and boldest initiative probably I have ever put together in all my years as governor, Branstad said. The governor, a Republican, announced the proposal during an Associated Press legislative forum in Des Moines. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, a Democrat who served to terms as Iowas governor, traveled to the state to say Iowas water quality needs immediate attention. The governors proposal dominated legislative leaders discussion of their priorities for the upcoming session. In essence, the plan would avoid creating a new tax to target water quality needs while offering additional dollars to public schools for infrastructure including building repairs, purchasing technology and buses by extending the sunset on Iowas current sales tax rate through 2049. For the Council Bluffs Community School District, adding to the life of the so-called state penny would provide funding for renovating Kirn and Wilson middle schools. The school district has called for extending the state penny by pointing to those buildings and observing that a bond issue would be the only other way to pay for needed repairs. Superintendent Martha Bruckner said Tuesday afternoon she would rather see an extension of the state penny without diverting funds for other projects because additional improvements are needed within the Council Bluffs schools. Our district has prudently used these funds to enhance our school buildings and ensure the school environment is conducive for learning, Bruckner said. The estimated $150 million the district would receive under the proposed extension would be enough to cover the middle school repairs, as well as planned renovations of the Tucker College and Career Center and Kanesville Alternative Learning Center. Bruckner said she appreciates the acknowledgement by the governor that the state penny should be extended. He is absolutely right about that, she said. However, while his proposal to divert some of the funds from one important need to another important need is creative, I fear it is not the response that is needed. Reaction from other western Iowa school superintendents was mixed. Jesse Ulrich, the shared superintendent for AHST and Walnut, said the state penny is one of the few equitable sources of revenue for Iowas students and he favors extending it without any conditions. I dont know if taking money away from kids is an appropriate strategy to solve our water quality issues, Ulrich said. Gregg Cruickshank of Sidney and South Page said Branstads idea was a reasonable proposal to extend the state penny while also supporting water quality with anticipated sales tax growth. Christopher Herrick of Fremont-Mills and Stanton said the loss of potential revenue could create unintended consequences as districts struggle to keep up with increased costs without adding to property tax levies. Tri-Centers Tony Weers said siphoning off funding for schools represented another potential hit for schools. Weers added that the governors recommendation of 2.45 percent for state supplemental aid which Branstad said in media reports Tuesday he hoped to include with his fiscal year 2017 budget would leave Weers Neola-based district receiving less state funding next year after the district benefited from a one-time budget guarantee triggered by declining enrollment. Were going backwards as far as the amount of new money that I have to pay for increasing expenses, Weers said of state supplemental aid, expected to be one of the first topics in the upcoming session. We need at least 3 percent. Paul Gausman, the superintendent of Sioux City, spoke at the Des Moines event in support of Branstads proposal. Gausman said he is willing to share the future growth of the sales tax revenue with farmers if it means the tax used to replace aging buildings gets extended. I have students in a building right now in Sioux City today that was built in 1889, he said. We have been very responsibly rebuilding those schools, renovating those schools, replacing those schools. The Iowa Association of School Boards said in a statement that it appreciates the governors recognition that extending the state penny sales tax for school infrastructure is important for all Iowa students and applauds his willingness to take leadership on this issue, but the association expressed concerns about the diversion of funds. Were just waiting for more information, said spokeswoman Tammy Votava, adding that the group hopes to work with Branstad, legislative leaders and others on crafting a proposal to meet the needs of public schools. With the 2016 session of the Iowa General Assembly set to begin Monday, Branstads proposal is far from a done deal. Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, said Tuesday legislators might resist using money from a school fund. He said sacrificing funding designed to help schools for water quality doesnt make sense. While water quality is a priority, Gronstal said, and many legislators are willing to do something about it, although they have provided little funding in recent years for it. Gronstal said when lawmakers did pass a one-time allocation of $20 million in 2014, Branstad vetoed it. House Speaker-elect Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, said her caucus will take a look at the govenors proposal. Branstad said his plan is a way to provide significant water quality funding without passing a new sales tax, which he said was unlikely to win approval in the Legislature. Redirecting money that would otherwise go to schools under existing law, however, would result in an estimated $400 million loss of potential revenue between fiscal year 2017 and fiscal year 2029, when the existing state penny expires, according to the Iowa Association of School Boards. Under Branstads plan, schools would receive the same level of funding as the previous year plus the first $10 million in growth each year, with the remaining redirected to water quality. Schools that bonded against projected sales tax revenue should continue to receive enough funding to pay off those debts. In Council Bluffs, Dean Wilson, the chief financial officer, said revenue losses the estimated $400 million statewide would only affect future bonding for future projects. Enough new dollars would be generated in Council Bluffs to pay for the facility improvements it has publicly discussed using sales tax proceeds to afford. The money that were getting now is not going to drop because everybody needs that money to make their bond payments, Wilson said. Were not going to have as much revenue to bond against in the future. Water issues have been in focus at the state level, as Des Moines Water Works had to spend $1.5 million last year to operate a system that removed record amounts of nitrates from drinking water to remain in compliance with federal regulations. The water utility said nitrates came from fertilizers washing out of farm fields. A water quality report from the Council Bluffs Water Works found no violation for several regulated substances, based on 2014 data posted on the utilitys website. The watershed that feeds the Missouri River is not as affected by nitrate pollution as those feeding into central and eastern Iowa drinking water. Several school district administrators and farm group advocates, including corn and soybean growers, stood behind Branstad as he announced the proposal at the annual legislative seminar, along with Vilsack, the former Iowa governor. Vilsack mentioned a federal lawsuit filed by the Des Moines Water Works. The utility serving about 500,000 customers filed a federal lawsuit last year seeking monetary damages and clean water permits for agriculture drainage districts. The money in Branstads plan, Vilsack said, would allow Iowa to work more collaboratively with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in coordinating efforts to install buffer strips, cover crops and implement other conservation practices that reduce field nutrient runoff. Its not as if theres an unlimited period of time to work on this water quality issue, Vilsack said. The reality is we need to work on it now. David Pitt of the Associated Press contributed to this report. I don't own a gun. In fact, I haven't held one in my hand since I put down my beloved Daisy BB-Gun when I was a kid. No, I didn't shoot my eye out. I did, however, get a feel for what a gun can do. An eccentric neighbor once 'hired' a friend and me to keep birds away from his treasured apple trees. I got a pretty good look at what even a BB-gun could do. It was a completely different feeling than shooting at bottles or cans, or some other lifeless target. It was not a good feeling. I put down my BB-Gun and haven't picked one up since. So maybe I'm not the best candidate to talk about gun control. I am guessing much of the country will once again be having this debate today. And I am guessing that it all will amount to not a lot. A tearful President Obama yesterday addressed the nation and announced he was taking executive action to put on place more stringent controls on the sale of guns.He reviewed the nation's tragic recent history of mass shooting, noting that these things simply do not happen with this frequency in other parts of the world. It was when he touched on the topic of the killing of innocent schoolchildren in Sandy Hook, Conn., that the commander-in-chief paused to wipe away the tears. I don't have a problem with anything the president put in place yesterday. I realize that is far from a unanimous opinion. Here's something that may surprise you. I don't think they will make much of a difference. The president rolled out a series of 10 provisions, including one that will require more gun sellers - including those who sell at gun shows or online - to be licensed and compel them to perform background checks on prospective gun buyers. Here is the full list of what he plans to do. The president took dead aim at the National Rifle Association, noting that while they "may Congress hostage, they do not hold the American people hostage." His critics blasted the moves, accusing him of infringing on personal rights and again accusing him of trying to roll back citizens Second Amendment right to bear arms. I don't think that argument really holds water. But I still don't think these moves are going to stop deranged people from getting guns and inflicting damage with them. These executive actions would not have prevented the slaughter of those innocents in Sandy Hook, nor those attending a holiday party just a month ago in San Bernardino, Calif. In fact, a review by the Associated Press shows they likely would have no impact in keeping weapons from the hands of suspects in several of the deadliest recent mass shootings. In both of those deadly shooting sprees, the shooters obtained their weapons from others, thus skirting any background check. In many other instances, shooters simply obtained their weapons legally, then went about their deadly business. "Every time I think of those kids," the tearful president said of the horrific memory of Sandy Hook, "it makes me mad." It makes me mad, too. Not just for the loss of life. But for the loss of our appreciation of life, our love of guns, and the ease people can obtain them, both legally and illegally. The overwhelming majority of American gun owners are law-abiding citizens. They are not the issue. But how do you keep guns out of the hands of those who clearly should not possess them? That remains the crucial question in this bitterly debated dilemma. Nothing the president said or did yesterday is likely to change that. Community Its now easier than ever to connect and chat with others in your local area. You can connect with your community by asking general questions, give area updates and recommendations and even let your community know about local events that are taking place. Culinary program students returning to Linn-Benton Community College for winter term will have a new classroom and demonstration kitchen to use. The community college started overhauling and expanding the existing classroom on the second floor of the Calapooia Center over winter break. Interior work should be finished by Friday, appliances go in on Saturday and data and media are to be installed early next week. Lou Tarnay, the college's bond program manager, said the hope is for students to be able to use it as early as next Thursday or Friday. The room will hold about 32 students, he said. "The capacity is about the same, but this whole demonstration kitchen is what it's about." Todd Ketterman, chairman of the culinary arts department, said demonstrations are a key part of the program. Problem: The old classroom, which has been used by the department for at least four decades, wasn't set up to be anything other than a standard classroom. It had tables and chairs for students, but not even a stove. We literally haul equipment in there," he said. Now, the room will feature a full-scale demonstration kitchen, complete with gas burners, a gas grill, a deep fryer, plenty of refrigeration space and a 60-inch butcher block for "large meat fabrications," Ketterman said. Two 60-inch flat screen monitors will hang from the ceiling at the front of the room and a third at the back, so students can see every flick of the fillet knife or pulse of the food processor. This is something the program has needed for a very, very long time," Ketterman said. Crews pushed one classroom wall an additional 10 feet into the upper atrium to make room for the kitchen. Total construction is estimated at $250,000, said Dale Stowell, executive director of institutional advancement. That's coming from the $34 million bond measure voters passed in November 2014. A $62,000 Perkins grant and a $25,000 grant from the Oregon Community Foundation are paying for equipment and a $58,000 private donation is available, too, Stowell said. The culinary program at LBCC is a popular one, Ketterman said. Between 38 and 46 students participate each year, and the program nearly always has a waiting list. "The whole idea is to give us a better space and a bigger space to do demonstration cooking for our culinary arts students," Stowell said. "This will actually give them something that will make that educational experience effective. College officials say they envision recording lectures and making them available on the college website, offering live-stream demonstrations for high school programs or other virtual classrooms, and holding evening or weekend cooking seminars that are open to the community. "Its going to be really fun to see how it grows," Ketterman said. Have your say tonight on doctor-assisted dying If you have an opinion on the topic of physician-assisted dying that you feel the need to share, tonight is for you. In February 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the federal law prohibiting physician-assisted dying. Long-term care staff are upset about the poor level of staffing, says Dr. Peter Zalan in his column. It seems there is never enough time to spend with the residents, to prove that we care. Residents soil themselves because they have to wait too long to be helped to the bathroom. If you have an opinion on the topic of physician-assisted dying that you feel the need to share, tonight is for you. In February 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the federal law prohibiting physician-assisted dying. The court gave federal and provincial governments 12 months to respond to the ruling. The Supreme Courts decision comes into effect on Feb. 6. In preparation, an expert advisory group on physician-assisted dying, established by Ontario in collaboration with 10 other provinces and territories, was tasked with compiling a report on the topic, a report that has been completed. The report is intended to assist provinces and territories as they prepare for the implementation of physician-assisted dying. In a news release in December, the province said Ontario needs to consider whether regulatory or other changes are required when the decision on physician-assisted dying takes effect. To help inform the approach, the provincial government invited people to share their views on physician-assisted dying and end-of-life care through in-person public consultations to be held in nine communities in January, as well as through an online survey. Sudbury hosts one of these public consultations at the Quality Inn on Elgin Street tonight. A session in French is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., with an English session to follow at 7:45 p.m. People can provide their input on key issues, including safeguards to protect vulnerable people, the impact on families and caregivers, and the role of health care providers in providing physician-assisted dying. CHICAGO --- Northwestern Pritzker School of Laws Center for International Human Rights (CIHR) will award its third annual Global Jurist of the Year Award to the Honorable Gloria Patricia Porras Escobar, president of the Guatemalan Constitutional Court. The awards ceremony and an address by Judge Porras will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 26. At noon she will deliver an address to the Law School community in the Rubloff Building, 375 E. Chicago Ave., on the Law Schools Chicago campus. At 6:30 p.m. CIHR will host the award ceremony and dinner for Judge Porras in the Law Schools Bluhm Legal Clinic. For more information about attending the dinner, contact Juliet Sorensen, clinical associate professor of law at Northwestern. Both events will be open to the media. Judge Porras was elected to the Court in 2011. She has adjudicated some of the most crucial issues in Guatemala today, showing leadership and commitment to the rule of law in the face of adversity and considerable political pressure. For example, in May 2013, the case of former de-facto head of State General Efrain Rios Montt came to the Court on procedural grounds following his conviction for genocide and crimes against humanity. Judge Porras dissented in allowing the injunctive relief requested by Montt because the matter was not in the Courts competence. The majority opinion effectively nullified the guilty verdict that had been issued against Rios Montt 10 days before. In 2015, Judge Porras led the Court in a 3-2 vote to approve the removal of the Guatemalan Presidents investigative immunity in the midst of a deepening corruption scandal, which already had resulted in the resignation of the vice president. This followed a decision by the Court to temporarily block the investigation in a 3-2 vote in which Porras was absent and replaced by an alternate. As a result of the investigation, the President of Guatemala resigned on Sept. 3 and was charged with bribery and related charges five days later. Last November, Judge Porras own colleague on the Court was arrested and charged by the U.S. in the FIFA international fraud case. These are but two examples of Judge Porras commitment to justice in a fragile state, often at great personal risk of reprisals, said David Scheffer, Mayer Brown/Robert A. Helman Professor of Law at Northwestern and director of the CIHR. We are delighted that she has agreed to accept the award and look forward to her joining us in January. The Global Jurist of the Year Award is designed to honor a sitting judge, whether in an international or national court, who has demonstrated in his or her career courage in the face of adversity to uphold and defend fundamental human rights or the principles of international criminal justice. Jurists from all nations and tribunals are eligible for consideration. Last year, Justice Shireen Avis Fisher, president of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, received the award. Acting Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke of South Africas Constitutional Court received the award in 2013 as the first recipient of the Global Jurist Award. July 2, 1924 Jan. 2, 2016 James Quentin Davis, 91, of Lebanon passed away at the Edward C. Allworth Veterans Home in Lebanon on Saturday. He was born in The Dalles to Daniel Quentin and Lottie (Gattiker) Davis. He was the oldest of three children. His sisters were Helen Ruth Davis Rentz and Charlotte Mary Davis Barrow. Jim started working as a child, cutting asparagus and picking fruit. After the family moved to Portland he delivered newspapers for the Oregonian. He left school at age 14 to work. This included the Buttermilk Corner where you could get all the buttermilk you would drink for 5 cents. He entered the army in March 1943. They tried to make him a cook but, he ended up playing cornet in the band in Pittsburg, California. When the army could not bring him up to minimum weight, he was discharged in September 1943. After his military service,e Jim worked at a Kaiser shipyard in Portland building T-2 tankers. Jim married Juanita Frances Weidman on Sept. 4, 1948, in Vernonia. Following World War II, Jim went to work for the Oregon American Lumber Company saw mill in Vernonia. After the mill closed in 1957, he worked in several sawmills in Sweet Home, Oakridge, Toledo and Foster. He retired from the Willamette Industries sawmill in Sweet Home at age 62. After Juanita suffered a stroke in 1990, Jim became her caregiver for the next 15 years. He only stopped when he had a heart attack and quadruple bypass surgery. He enjoyed family visits, reading, light classical music, trains, ships, guns and studying military history. He collected model ships, steam era electric trains, lead soldiers and beer steins. Jim was a member of the Pioneer Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is survived by four children, sons Daniel Paul, James Alton and Donald Allen, and daughter Pamela Mae (Lacy); 26 grandchildren; 46 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren. Jim was preceded in death by his wife, Juanita, on March 23, 2008. A viewing will be from 4 to 6 pm Tuesday, Jan. 12, at Sweet Home Funeral Chapel. A funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Lebanon. Final burial will be at Liberty Cemetery in Sweet Home. Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is handling arrangements (www.sweethomefuneral.com). ALBANY POLICE Stolen vehicle 6 a.m., Tuesday, 1900 block of 14th Avenue. A 1996 Honda Civic was taken from the Grocery Outlet parking lot. Domestic assault arrests 7 a.m. Friday, Linn County Jail. Kendra Marie McNally, 31, and Brian Conrad Hart, 32, both of Albany, were each arrested on charges of felony fourth-degree assault (domestic violence). Each had bail set at $50,000. Stolen car arrest 12:01 p.m. Sunday, 1000 block Third Avenue S.E. An officer conducted a traffic stop on a Toyota 4Runner, which had been reported as stolen. Brooks Ashworth May, 29, of Albany, was booked, cited and released at the Linn County Jail on charges of unauthorized use of a vehicle, driving while suspended and possession of burglary tools. He was scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 20. The Toyota was reported missing at about 8:30 a.m. Saturday from the 1400 block of 15th Avenue S.W. Stolen car 10:54 a.m. Monday, 800 block Third Avenue S.E. A gold 1986 Honda Accord was reported stolen. LINN COUNTY SHERIFF Burglary arrest 11:44, Tuesday, Linn County Jail. Crystal ray Sevak, 33, of Albany, was arrested on charges of first-degree burglary and second-degree criminal mischief. Burglary arrest 7:10 p.m. Friday, Linn County Jail. April Renteria-Hernandez, 30, of Detroit, was arrested on charges of second-degree burglary, second-degree criminal trespass and second-degree theft, as well as a warrant for probation violation. A no-bail hold was placed on her at the jail. Sex crimes arrest 9:55 p.m. Friday, Linn County Jail. Brent Matthew Spier, 25, of Lebanon, was arrested on charges of second-degree sex abuse and harassment. His initial bail was set at $7,000. Methamphetamine arrest 1:56 a.m. Saturday, Linn County Jail. Keith Monroe Reynolds, 70, of Mill City, was arrested on charges of delivery and possession of methamphetamine as well as a warrant for failure to appear. His initial bail was seta at $23,500. Domestic assault 1:30 a.m. Sunday, Linn County Jail. Jacob Abraham Schuld, 39, of Lebanon, was arrested on charges of felony fourth-degree assault (domestic violence) and harassment. His initial bail was set at $51,000. LEBANON POLICE Burglary arrest 10:30 p.m. Friday, Linn County Jail. Kevin Jay Crooks, 22, of Albany, was arrested on a charge of first-degree burglary. His initial bail was set at $20,000. While outside backs make the highlight reels and playmakers win the plaudits, anyone involved in rugby league will tell you it's your forward packs that win you games. We've taken a look at what we think are the five best all-round packs in the NRL and it's no surprise a good pack translates to on-field success. 5. Bulldogs One of the biggest packs going around, the Bulldogs stop their size being a weakness by virtue of the huge workrate of starting props Aiden Tolman and skipper James Graham, who has claims to being one of the best in the world in his position. Sam Kasiano off the bench is one of the biggest players in the NRL but one of the most skilful big men you'll ever see, with soft hands and great vision. Blues forward Josh Jackson was a deserved Dally M second rower of the year while Kiwi international lock Greg Eastwood doesn't get the plaudits he deserves. Toss is towering youngster Shaun Lane, underrated prop Tim Browne and former Kangaroo Tony Williams to come back from injury and you have one mighty intimidating pack. 4. Sea Eagles How did this happen? You take a stack of international forwards (Watmough, King, Glenn Stewart et al) out of a pack and no doubt they'll struggle. For years, you'd think. Not Manly, who after an underwhelming 2015 where their pack was exposed, just went out and bought three more internationals in Maroons and Kangaroos hardman Nate Myles, Kiwi firebrand Marty Taupau and New Zealand utility Lewis Brown. With Brenton Lawrence and Jamie Buhrer to return from injury in 2016, hyper-impressive youngster Jake Trbojevic getting better seemingly by the minute, a stack of depth in Tom Symonds, Feleti Mateo, Blake Leary and more, Manly's forward woes and well and truly behind them. 3. Broncos Proving that size isn't everything, Brisbane made the 2015 Grand Final with one of the smallest packs in the NRL. The upside for them was mobility and endurance; their line speed and speed around the ruck as well as their energy late in contests was a constant challenge for opponents. Things will only get better for Wayne Bennett's forwards under the reduced interchange environment of 2016. A stack of internationals in Sam Thaiday, Matt Gillett, Corey Parker, Josh McGuire, Alex Glenn and Adam Blair plus a few promising youngsters will see the Broncos at the pointy end of the ladder once again next year. 2. Roosters You can often judge the strength of a side by its bench and by that measure the Tricolours are arguably the strongest. Sam Moa, Sio Siua Taukeiaho, Mitchell Aubusson and Kane Evans could all be starting from the pine next year behind Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (arguably the form prop in the world last year before his ACL injury), Kiwi lock Isaac Liu and Origin stars Aidan Guerra and Boyd Cordner as well as future Maroon Dylan Napa. The relentlessness of the Roosters' bench forwards made them one of the few sides not to lose tempo midway through the first half in 2015 and it will be a strength once again next year. 1. Cowboys While they had one of the greatest playmakers in history apply the finishing touches, North Queensland's pack laid the foundation for the club's breakthrough premiership in 2015. It started up front with Kangaroos props Matt Scott and James Tamou; the former the best in the world over the past five years, the latter bouncing back strongly from a serious neck injury. Dally M lock of the year Jason Taumalolo was a huge handful with his monstrous carries, Gavin Cooper was a true professional holding the left edge together in attack and defence, and Ben Hannant enjoyed a career renaissance. The ever-improving Ethan Lowe and John Asiata and future star Coen Hess round out what will be a great pack once again in 2016. LAPORTE The purchase of IU Health hospitals in LaPorte and Knox by Community Health Systems Inc. means property taxes will start being collected for the first time on both properties. The infusion of cash will not swell total tax receipts in the financially challenged municipalities, according to county officials. That's because of Indiana's limits on the amount of tax money government units in the state can collect from year to year. Existing property owners in both communities could benefit from lower tax rates, though. That's because the hospitals will become a heavyweight member of the tax-paying public, taking some of the burden off others. Currently, the IU Health-owned health facilities are classified as not-for-profit, which exempts them from paying property taxes. Community Health Systems is a publicly traded, for-profit company. The definitive agreement reached last week for Community Health Systems, of Franklin, Tenn., to acquire IU Health LaPorte Hospital and the smaller IU Health Starke Hospital, in Knox, is expected to close in the first three months of this year. Community Health Systems will have 80-percent ownership of both hospitals, while IU Health will retain 20-percent ownership. The Tennessee company also owns Porter Regional Hospital in Porter County, which it bought in 2007 when it was called Porter Memorial Hospital. If history there is any guide, LaPorte and Starke counties can expect some jousting with Community Health Systems over property tax bills. But in the end, substantial amounts will get paid. LaPorte County Assessor Mike Schultz said roughly $1.2 million in taxes will be generated from the hospital in LaPorte, which has a $39 million assessed valuation. He estimated roughly another $900,000 in taxes will be collected from the $30 million of assessed valuation of equipment, beds and other personal property inside the hospital. Schultz cautioned that the estimates are preliminary, but he thought property owners, especially in the city, could see a noticeable drop in their tax rates from having another large taxpayer on the rolls. ''To put that on the assessment rolls would definitely help everybody in bringing the rate down,'' Schultz said. The rough total of $2.1 million in tax receipts would be distributed among the various taxing entities according to their individual tax rates. The estimates from Schultz do not include some hospital-owned medical buildings and parking lots. Since the transfer of ownership won't occur until later in 2016, Community Health Systems will not receive a property tax bill until 2017, which would be payable in 2018, Schultz said. Starke County Deputy Assessor Jody Czerniak said the much smaller hospital in Knox has slightly more than $2.4 million of assessed value that will carry a tax bill of just less than $70,000. The assessed value of the personal property inside the hospital is listed at just more than $3.7 million, but will only produce a little more than $8,200 in annual proceeds due to much of the equipment and other belongings being leased from other companies, she said. LaPorte Clerk Treasurer Teresa Ludlow said under Indiana law, municipalities can only increase the amount of tax dollars collected by 2.7 percent from the previous year. ''You have a maximum amount you can raise. Just because you're bringing in new revenue doesn't mean you're going to get new money,'' Ludlow said. Community Health Systems is one of the nation's largest operators of acute-care hospitals, including Porter Regional Hospital in Valparaiso. When Porter Regional Hospital moved from downtown Valparaiso to a new campus on the city's outskirts in 2012, a two-year dispute over tax abatements ensued. The hospital continued to pay taxes during that time. When officials finally worked out an agreement and the dust settled, the county actually owed the hospital money. Also, Porter County officials last year decided to tax Community Health Systems for three ambulance garages the company was leasing from the county in Valparaiso, Chesterton and Boone Township. VALPARAISO The coordinator of C-Lab, a new group focused on civic engagement, neighborhood revitalization and placemaking in Northwest Indiana, will talk about community involvement at the Duneland Innovators' first meetup in 2016. "At the C-Lab we want to help create small innovation teams in several NWI communities, local groups with a focus on grassroots economic and civic development," coordinator Elias Crim said. "What if your makerspace was about making cities? That's our mentality." Crim will give a talk entitled "C-Lab: Fixing the Future" at the event, which is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, at Figure 8 Brewing, 150 S. Washington St., in downtown Valparaiso. Networking will also take place at the event, which is coordinated by the local marketing firm Mystic Waters Media. "Building awareness for Duneland Innovators has been a grassroots effort, so learning about methods and goals of this group's developments mirror our own," Duneland Innovators Media Coordinator Michael Finney said. "I'm definitely looking forward to learning more about what they are working on for the community of Valparaiso." With an explosion in growth in the craft beer industry over the last decade, it's not enough to simply have a passion for brewing and beer when it comes to starting a brewery or working for one as the industry gets more competitive. Recognizing that, some universities are now offering programs on the business of craft beer. In the last decade, the number of craft breweries has grown to more than 4,000 in the U.S. today, from more than 1,400 in 2005, according to the Brewers Association. A lot of breweries started out five or 10 years ago with a focus on beer, said Gregory Dunkling, director of the University of Vermont's new online business of craft beer certificate program, which starts in February. Back then, a home brewer may have been able to create some great recipes but didn't have the business acumen so along the way hired staff to cover marketing, sales, the business operation, he said. It's harder to pull that off today. As the industry has grown and become more competitive, the bar has been raised for those starting a brewery or working for one, said Bart Watson, chief economist with the Brewers Association. "Certainly the demand for people with a high level of brewing knowledge has gone up and on the business side as well. So I think we're seeing a variety of different programs look for ways that they can capitalize on that," he said. Portland State University in Oregon started an online business of craft brewing program in 2013, with the first cohort filling up in the first week with around 40 people. It's become one of the school's most successful professional certificate programs, drawing people from around the world, said Scott Gallagher, the university's director of communications. "We discovered that there's a huge need for people who wanted to get a certificate. They didn't necessarily want to go to college or already had a college degree and wanted to open up a brew pub," Gallagher said. They needed some basic and more advanced knowledge, such as in marketing, he said. The demand is so high that PSU is looking at how to develop and expand the program, Gallagher said. "The truth is ... it's not all about brewing and drinking beer. There's a lot of business behind it as well and that's usually what they're lacking," he said. University of Portland and San Diego State University's College of Extended Studies also have business of craft beer certificate programs. Classes for San Diego State's program are held at local breweries and at the university, but not online. So far, the University of Vermont program, in a state that has made a name for itself for its craft beers, has drawn applicants from around the country Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Oregon and Texas, and about half are from the Northeast, Dunkling said. The program costs about $4,400 for the two courses: one on the fundamentals of craft beer and a second course of students' choosing focused on digital marketing, sales or business operations. Apprenticeships with a network of breweries and distributors are also available. Industry officials agree there's a need for education and knowledge in the industry and different ways to get it, whether through experience, hiring talent or training, which some breweries provide. As outside investors and larger breweries become increasingly involved with craft brewing, Harpoon Brewery, which will be offering apprenticeships to the UVM students, feels a need to maintain its independence. "Hiring talented people is a critical part of that effort," Rich Ackerman, Harpoon's director of human resources, said by email. But the company cautions anyone against thinking of craft brewing purely as a business. "It's a passion project, first and foremost," he said. There is an Ethel, a Melanie, a Dana, a Jolie, a Melody, a Nancy, a Judith, and a Margaret who would prefer voters call her Peggy. Women are all over Lake and Porter county ballots this spring. Some 51 Democrats and 45 Republicans are competing with men and sometimes other women for the state legislature, county, township and municipal offices May 6. They represent almost a third of all candidates for public elective offices. More than 25 of them are incumbent officials running for re-election. Center Township Assessor Kristie L. Dressel said she started politics working the polls for her father, who served as mayor of Harvey. "He taught me how to work with the public and that a lot of people speak up and say things but they don't do things. He taught me that if you want a difference you have to run, get in office and make changes." Liberty Township Trustee Beth Underwood had been a pre-school teacher before helping the previous trustee, Margaret Ruge, with township assistance and was caught up in the fight against legislation that would have abolished township government as obsolete. "I went down to the Statehouse and saw how many other trustees were fighting so hard. I felt it was a good thing for me," Underwood said. "I started getting the gist of what the job entailed to accommodate these people in an emergency situation." Indiana is among the lowest-ranking states in numbers of female state legislators, according to Rutgers University's Center for American Women and Politics. But the numbers are improving, said Juan Ramon Garcia-Thomas, director of communications of the Washington-based Women's Campaign Fund. "Indiana elected 28 women to the General Assembly in 2002 and 38 in 2012," he said. "Women basically are the recipients of a trust factor because they haven't been in politics like some of the male officeholders and candidates who have histories," said state Sen. Earline Rogers, D-Gary, who has spent more than 30 years in public office. "I think women have seen other women in office and realized it's something you can do." Rogers said she has never experienced prejudice running as a woman for the state legislature, but "when I ran for mayor of Gary in 1995 I remember a letter in one of the newspapers saying, Earline Rogers must have been watching too much 'Oprah' if she thought she could run a steel city. It might always be a factor when you are running for an executive position." Local women in politics now the norm Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr., Lake County's Democratic party chairman, said he believes voters look past gender now. "I don't even think about it anymore, which is a good thing," he said. "It's not like we intentionally recruit women candidates anymore, because they promote and run campaigns themselves." Mike Simpson, Porter County Republican chairman, echoed that for his party. "It's something that's most exciting and welcomed. I don't know why more are now, but I'm just glad they are." Dozens of women are running for party offices, including 90-year-old Eleanore Ingram, of Griffith, who has been a Democratic precinct committeewoman for more than five decades. "Men didn't like to take precinct committee jobs because they usually worked during the day. So women took those, and we went door to door and met constituents and talked to them, and when they came to the polls they would ask us who we thought was the best candidate," she said. Porter County Commissioner Nancy Adams, who is running for her second term, said until five years ago she was content to run the popular Strongbow Inn in Valparaiso. Then, "we got our restaurant's property tax bill and it went up 70 percent. I appealed it. "I did so much homework people said 'You should run for office.' At first I said I wasn't interested, but they insisted and when I went to a fundraiser for (Republican state Rep.) Ed Soliday and someone they said they heard I was running. I said what? No, I'm not." She talked with her family and others who thought she would do a good job. She ended up defeating an incumbent. "It's been rewarding. It's kind of the same as at Strongbow's; you get that instant reward when a customer loves a meal," Adams said She will face off May 6 with two Republican challengers, William A. LaFever and Jeff Good. If she wins, her opponent will be Democrat Sylvia Graham. Graham, in her second term as a Porter County councilwoman, said her opposition to the state leasing the Indiana Toll Road to a foreign corporation seven years ago jolted her out a blissful retirement and into political activism. She said she has enjoyed her role on the county's fiscal body and with other county officials who helped bring the new Porter Regional Hospital to life in 2012. Now she wants more. "Commissioners are the executive body and have so many duties," Graham said. "I want to be one of the decision-makers." INDIANAPOLIS The Indiana House and Senate education committees separately approved legislation Wednesday that ensures poor results on the 2015 ISTEP exam do not negatively affect A-F school grades and teacher performance pay. Under Senate Bill 200, schools would be assigned their 2013-14 performance rating for 2014-15, unless the school earned a higher grade last year. No school would see its grade decline. House Bill 1003 similarly provides "hold harmless" protections for teachers, whose annual performance rating and pay are determined in large part by student ISTEP scores. Student performance on the annual standardized test for grades 3-8 dropped significantly last year due to a rewrite of the state's academic standards and creation of a new test aligned to the more rigorous educational expectations. Administration of the ISTEP test also was plagued by last-minute changes, technology problems and scoring issues at CTB/McGraw-Hill, the state's test vendor. "You couldn't ask for a worse disaster in terms of test administration," said state Rep. Robert Behning, R-Indianapolis, sponsor of House Bill 1003. He indicated the state may still demand an ISTEP re-score, or hire a third-party test reviewer, to guarantee last year's ISTEP results are valid as a baseline to measure student growth in future years. With both hold harmless proposals easily winning committee approval, leaders of the Republican-controlled House and Senate said they plan to hold full chamber votes next week with an eye toward getting the measures to the governor by the end of the month. Republican Gov. Mike Pence has included an ISTEP hold harmless policy on his 2016 legislative agenda and can be expected to sign the measures into law. Both are retroactive to July 1, 2015. State Rep. Bill Fine, R-Munster, a member of the House Education Committee, said he is pleased to see lawmakers of both political parties, along with the Democratic-led Indiana Department of Education, working toward a common goal. "There's near-unanimous opinion that something had to be done given the debacle with the ISTEP last year," Fine said. "I think this is the fix everybody is looking for." INDIANAPOLIS Indiana's adoption of college- and career-ready academic standards and a new, more rigorous ISTEP exam significantly reduced the percentage of students who passed the annual standardized test for grades three through eight. The Indiana Department of Education announced Wednesday that just 67.3 percent of Hoosier students earned a passing score on the English/language arts section of ISTEP, 61 percent passed the math portion and only 53.5 percent passed both tests. While the results cannot be directly compared to prior-year exams, the 2014 ISTEP pass rate for reading was 80.7 percent, 83.5 passed math and 74.7 percent passed both tests. Glenda Ritz, the Democratic state superintendent of public instruction, said the test scores, coming amid myriad state education policy changes that offered students little time to adjust, set a new level from which Indiana schools will improve. "The 2015 ISTEP results have established a new baseline for Indiana's progress towards college- and career-ready benchmarks," Ritz said. "I look forward to seeing student growth towards these new, more rigorous benchmarks moving forward." In Northwest Indiana, Crown Point Community School Corp. recorded the highest combined English and math pass rate at 71.7 percent, followed by the School Town of Munster at 71.6 percent. Other high-scoring Region districts included: East Porter County School Corp., 69.4 percent; Valparaiso Community Schools, 66.8 percent; Duneland School Corp., 64.8 percent; and Union Township School Corp. and the Diocese of Gary both with 63.6 percent. About half the students in the majority of the remaining Northwest Indiana school corporations passed both the English and math portions of the 2015 ISTEP exam. The districts with the lowest combined pass rates were: Gary Community School Corp., 21.9 percent; School City of East Chicago, 27 percent; School City of Hammond, 35.4 percent; Lake Ridge Schools, 38.8 percent; River Forest Community School Corp., 39.5 percent; and Michigan City Area Schools, 40 percent. The low ISTEP scores already have prompted Indiana lawmakers to propose legislation suspending the state's school accountability system for one year, so A-F school grades and teacher performance pay are not negatively affected by the results. Even before scores were tabulated, the 2015 ISTEP exam already was considered something of a fiasco due to a last-minute effort to shorten the test length and numerous technological problems at CTB/McGraw-Hill, the test vendor. E. Ric Frataccia, superintendent of Valparaiso Community Schools, said the results must be viewed in light of the test changes and problems that plagued ISTEP last year. "It's difficult to give these scores any credence, whether they've gone up or gone down or stayed the same, given all the nonsense associated with the testing environment and the subsequent scoring," Frataccia said. Brian Smith, School Town of Highland superintendent, thinks his district is in the same straits as most others in seeing a decrease in scores. "But I think everybody realizes this is not a fair comparison," he said, noting the test was much more difficult and longer than the prior year's test. He said he supported a state Senate bill that seems to have bipartisan support that would allow scores from the prior year to be used for school grades and teacher assessments, and this year's scores then could be used as a baseline for comparison with next year's scores. "I am not afraid of accountability. I think accountability is a good thing," Smith said. At Portage Township Schools, where students earned a 55.2 percent combined pass rate on the English and math exams, Superintendent Richard Weigel said the drop in school performance definitely was affected by the flawed testing process. "This year's scores are reflecting a false reality for our kids and the state as a whole," Weigel said. "We will and have moved forward. As part of the Portage Way, we will pick ourselves up, face our challenges head on and come back stronger than ever." Times staff writers Joyce Russell and Ed Bierschenk contributed to this report. INDIANAPOLIS | As cities across the country increase the minimum wage businesses must pay their employees, Northwest Indiana communities won't be joining the trend it's illegal. In 2011, Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels signed House Enrolled Act 1538, which forbids local governments from requiring companies pay a minimum wage higher than the state or federal minimum wage, which have been set at $7.25 per hour since 2009, and $2.13 per hour for tipped employees. State Sen. Scott Schneider, R-Indianapolis, who sponsored the law, said at the time it was a "pre-emptive" measure to head off a shadowy national effort aimed at getting local governments to raise their minimum wages. In the three years since, several large cities indeed have boosted their lowest legal pay rate, including San Francisco, to $10.74 an hour, Santa Fe, N.M., to $10.51, and and San Jose, Calif., to $10.15. This month, the Seattle City Council voted to phase in a $15-per-hour minimum wage over the next seven years. In addition, 22 states have set a minimum wage higher than the federal rate, including neighboring Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. Illinois voters this November also will be asked in a nonbinding referendum if the state's minimum wage should increase to $10 an hour from $8.25. Similar efforts to raise the Indiana minimum wage repeatedly have failed in the Republican-controlled General Assembly. Earlier this year, state Rep. Shelli VanDenburgh, D-Crown Point, lost a House vote on raising the minimum wage to $8.25 an hour. Her proposal to submit the question to voters in a referendum also was rejected. Senate Democrats were outvoted on their plan to take the Indiana minimum wage to $10 an hour over seven years, to match the seven years of business tax cuts lawmakers were considering. The reduction in the corporate income tax rate to 4.9 percent by 2021, from 7.5 percent, was signed into law by Republican Gov. Mike Pence in March. The minimum wage hike didn't make it. Indiana University nevertheless decided to raise the lowest rate it pays employees to $8.25 an hour, starting July 1. Purdue University, headed by Daniels, didn't follow suit. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 6.2 percent of Hoosier hourly workers, or 108,000 people, are paid at or below the minimum wage. Just six states have a higher percentage of their workers earning the minimum wage. The national average is 4.3 percent. EAST CHICAGO Councilman Robert Battle may take his oath of office behind bars. The embattled East Chicago politician starts the new year in federal custody, awaiting trial this summer on drug and homicide charges. But he can still retain his public title and pay as 3rd District city councilman if someone can administer the oath of office to him before the end of this month. Michelle Fajman, Lake County elections director, said Tuesday a woman acting on Battle's behalf recently inquired about how to arrange a swearing-in for him. Fajman said she refused to take part, but said anyone who is a notary public or a local Porter County official, could administer the oath. That's because Battle is housed in Porter County Jail, according to Pam Mozdzierz, spokeswoman for the U.S. Marshals Service. Mozdzierz said the marshals service has no rules restricting Battle's swearing-in. The Lake County clerk and elections board members said Tuesday they haven't received any paperwork indicating Battle already has been sworn in, but he has until the end of the month. Battle ran unopposed in the November election. He received 308 votes. Porter County Sheriff David Reynolds said Tuesday no one has asked his department to accommodate a swearing-in. He said he doesn't endorse a swearing-in, but has no authority to stop it, either. He said it could possibly take place during inmate visitation hours. Fajman said state law requires elected officials to take the oath of office no later than 30 days after the beginning of their new term, which began Jan. 1 for Battle, or vacate the office. She said she cannot recall any elected official failing to take the oath. State law requires the city's newly elected officials to affirm they will support the constitutions of the United State and the State of Indiana and faithfully discharge the public duties. Seven of the nine City Council members did so Sunday at a customary swearing-in ceremony. Juda Parks, re-elected an at-large councilman, didn't attend. He faces termination from his job as a East Chicago police officer under a state law that takes effect this month, which forbids elected officials from holding a second job within their government unit. He is challenging that law in court. Battle, 42, didn't attend, either. He has been in federal detention since his arrest Nov. 17. He is pleading not guilty to a five-count indictment alleging he possessed cocaine and marijuana and killed a street gang member as part of a drug-dealing conspiracy. He is scheduled to stand trial the week of Aug. 8, 2016. Battle and his fellow East Chicago's City Council members receive an annual salary of $42,356 a year. A recent Times survey found they make the most of any municipal council members in the state. EAST CHICAGO An Illinois man was arrested on a battery charge last week after East Chicago police stopped the black Audi he was driving and noticed he was sweating and covered in blood, authorities said. An officer en route to a disturbance call in the 4800 block of Grasselli Street stopped the man about 6:25 p.m. Thursday in the 800 block of West Chicago Avenue after a description of the Audi was broadcast by dispatchers, police said. Police initially responded to a home on Grasselli Street for a report of a man beating a woman in the street, Lt. Marguerite Wilder said. Police found a Chicago woman in front of the residence who was barefoot, crying and had blood on her shirt. The woman was not cooperative, but a witness walked outside and said a man had struck the woman in the face with a bottle, Wilder said. The woman, who was pregnant, was bleeding from the nose and mouth and had dark bruising around her left eye, police said. She was taken to St. Catherine Hospital for treatment. The witness told police the man drove off in a black Audi and went west on Chicago Avenue, a police report said. The man in the Audi had a wound to his face and blood on his clothes, face and head. The front passenger side window of the Audi was broken, the driver's side mirror was damaged and there was blood on the hood, Wilder said. The man also was taken to the hospital for treatment and later arrested, Wilder said. The man was not identified pending the filing of formal charges. CROWN POINT A 63-year-old man was sentenced Tuesday to five years in prison after he admitted taking part in a robbery of Portillo's restaurant. William Ward-Bey, of Gary and Indianapolis, pleaded guilty to robbery, a Class C felony. Ward-Bey admitted that on Dec. 15, 2013, he and Marcus Ervin pretended to be delivery men so they could enter the restaurant in the 500 block of 81st Avenue in Merrillville. Once inside, Ward-Bey and Ervin demanded the restaurant's safe combination. According to the plea agreement, they left with $3,500 in cash and the restaurant's panic button. Police found Ward-Bey with the stolen money near the restaurant, according to court records. Ervin pleaded guilty to robbery, and he was sentenced last year to two years in prison followed by three years in community corrections. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Michelle Jatkiewicz argued for Ward-Bey to be sentenced to eight years in prison, citing his past criminal history. She also said Ward-Bey knew one of the victims in the case through a religious program he coordinates. Ward-Bey told Lake County Criminal Judge Salvador Vasquez he accepted responsibility for his role in the robbery. He told Vasquez to sentence him to whatever sentence he thought was fit. "I'm ready to face that, your honor," Ward-Bey said. Vasquez noted Ward-Bey has an extensive criminal history, and he estimated Ward-Bey has spent most of the past 40 years in custody. Some of that time was spent serving a sentence stemming from a murder case. "You have no business being here," Vasquez said. "You should have learned your lesson a long time ago." Vasquez said he was taking Ward-Bey's health into account as he handed down the five-year sentence. Ward-Bey was seated in a wheelchair with a brace around his neck during the hearing. GARY Movements for Change: The Civil Rights Movement, and Black Lives Matter" will be presented at 6 p.m. Thursday on the Bruce W. Bergland Auditorium stage in the Savannah Center at Indiana University Northwest. Jared Ball, associate professor of communication studies at Morgan State University in Baltimore, is the guest speaker for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day program. He is an author, radio host and mixtape radio producer. For more information about the free program, contact Tierra Jackson at (219) 980-6596 or jacksoti@iun.edu. GARY The police departments of Indiana University Northwest and the City of Gary are collaborating to bring citizens together with local law enforcement by providing two opportunities to attend a free, 10-week Citizens Police Academy. A morning session takes place Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon, Jan. 9 through March 12, at the City of Garys Community Center, first floor of the Gary Police Department, 555 Polk St. An evening session will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays, Jan. 12 through March 15, at the John W. Anderson Library Conference Center, on the IUN campus, 3600 Broadway. The Citizens Police Academy is designed to give local citizens and their communitys police officers an opportunity to learn more about each other and develop strong relationships. By providing citizens with a working knowledge of their local police departments and law-enforcement activities, officers from the IUN and City of Gary aim to help those whom they serve to make informed judgments about the departments and their activities. At the same time, the Academy serves to educate the police department about the issues and concerns of the community. Graduates of a Citizens Police Academy, having gone through character evaluations and background checks, may be called on for assistance by the police department. Representatives of both departments will focus on a different area of police work each week, including the use of force, patrol procedures, criminal investigations, and the legal system. The instruction will include a combination of lectures, demonstrations, tours and hands-on activities Citizens who are at least 18 and live or work in Gary are invited to apply. Prior to acceptance, applicants will undergo a background check and may be asked to sit for a brief interview. Although participants of the Citizens Police Academy receive training in police-related subjects, graduates are not prepared or encouraged to participate in any real police services. To apply at the Gary Police Department, contact Commander K. Rice at (219) 881-7422 or krice@ci.gary.in.us. To apply at IUN, call Brenda Holmes at (219) 980-6503. Applications can be picked up at both police departments. CROWN POINT A courtroom filled with Mary Austgen's family and friends quietly watched Wednesday as an Illinois man convicted in her slaying was sentenced to 67 years in prison. Ralph Martinez, seated between his defense attorneys, stared without emotion at Lake County Criminal Judge Diane Boswell as she sentenced him to 60 years on the murder charge followed by seven years on a charge of robbery, a Class C felony. Following a two-week trial, it took only two hours last August for a Lake County jury to find Martinez, 60, guilty in Austgen's slaying. In addition to the murder and robbery charges, Martinez also had been found guilty of murder in perpetration of a robbery and criminal confinement. After hearing arguments from the state and defense, Boswell vacated the last two charges. Austgen, 76, of St. John, was found shot to death early March 29, 2013, in the passenger seat of her GMC Yukon parked at the Majestic Star Casino in Gary. Surveillance video from the Austgen family business in Griffith showed her leaving March 28, 2013, with a man armed with a silver firearm. Jurors saw video of the man attacking Austgen from behind. His three daughters identified him at trial as the suspect attacking Austgen. Martinez was accused of taking Austgen's rings, which were later found hidden in a ceiling fan in the Alsip, Ill., home he had lived in with his former wife, Catalina Noriega. She turned the rings over to police. It was Noriega and her daughters who told police they suspected Martinez was involved in Austgen's homicide after viewing television news reports. After watching one news segment, Noriega realized Martinez knew Austgen, and she asked him how he felt knowing someone who had been killed. "Rich people get killed all the time," she testified Martinez said, in a calm, cool voice. Martinez previously rented a storage unit at the Austgen business in the 800 block of East Main Street in Griffith. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Mark Watson argued an aggravating factor in the case was that Martinez waited inside the business before ambushing Austgen. He said the evidence showed it was a planned attack. Watson at trial presented evidence from Google Latitude, which traced Martinez's cellphone to the Austgen business the day she went missing. The phone later that day was traced to the Majestic Star Casino in Gary. Though Austgen's family and friends filled the courtroom gallery, none made statements during the hearing. Defense attorney Alexander Woloshansky, who represented Martinez along with Cipriano Rodriguez, argued his client's thinking process is distorted. Based on his interactions with Martinez, Woloshansky said he believes his client has mental health problems. Court-appointed doctors previously found Martinez competent to stand trial. Mitigation specialist Erin Clarich testified on behalf of the defense Wednesday that Martinez suffered two head injuries from past accidents. When questioned by Watson, Clarich said it didn't appear there was neurological damage from those injuries. Clarich said Martinez is diabetic, and she detailed his employment history that wasn't listed in the pre-sentencing report. Woloshansky pointed out Martinez's age as a reason for why he is not likely to re-offend. Besides two felony convictions from the 1990s from Cook County, Woloshansky said his client has led a law-abiding life. "This event is certainly out of character," he said. Boswell said the aggravating factors outweigh the mitigating factors, adding that the details of how the homicide unfolded warranted consecutive sentences. Martinez did not say anything during the hearing other than to say he did want to appeal his conviction. Some of Austgen's family and friends shook the hands of Griffith police Detective James Sibley as they left the courtroom. Griffith Police Department Chief Greg Mance was seated in the gallery during the hearing, which he described as a bittersweet end to the case. "Our hearts go out to the family," Mance said. "It's been a very trying time for them." He commended Sibley for his work on the case along with the Northwest Indiana Major Crimes Task Force. The holidays are twice as memorable for first-generation Macedonian-American Tina Metlovski and her family who celebrated Christmas on Dec. 25 and will do so again Thursday. "We do both," Metlovski said. Metlovski, a parishioner at Saints Peter and Paul Macedonian Orthodox Cathedral in Crown Point, said she, along with many other Orthodox Christians, celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, which follows the Julian calendar. For many Orthodox Christian followers, the events leading up to Thursday include special church services, a traditional yule-log burning and festivities held for young children. Special foods, including a bread with a coin baked inside, pork, sausage and potatoes, will be eaten at family dinners to break previous fasting. "As far as the two celebrations of Christmas this, the one on Jan. 7, is more of a church-going affair," Metlovski said. Metlovski recalls as a child Christmases spent in the Macedonian church, one of the first built in North America, which was then on Virginia Street in Gary. The Crown Point resident has fond memories of Santa, portrayed at different years by her dad, uncle and even godfather, arriving with gifts in a helicopter. "It's fun for the kids," Metlovski said. Marjan Trajkovkski, who was born in Macedonia and came to the United States as a young boy in 1970, portrayed Santa at an event held Tuesday at the Saints Peter and Paul banquet hall. "Santa is known as Dedo Mraz in Macedonia, which is roughly translated as Grandpa Ice," Trajkovkski said. Julijana Mojcilovich, of Crown Point, who on Tuesday had set up a stage at the hall for young children to meet Santa, said she has fond Christmas memories of growing up in her hometown of Bitola, Macedonia. "On Christmas Eve the children would go door to door and receive chestnuts and candy," Mojcilovich said. That custom, which includes children singing Christmas carols, is steeped in symbolism, the Rev. Georgij Gligorov said. Gligorov serves as parish priest at Saints Peter and Paul along with the Very Rev. Tome Stamatov. "The children knocking on doors and singing represent the angels announcing the birth of Christ," Gligorov said. Gligorov said most Macedonians, as well as Serbians and some other Orthodox Christians, celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7 because they are following the Julian calendar. That calendar was revised in the 15th or 16th century to the Gregorian calendar, changing the date of Christmas by 13 days. "We follow the calendar which wasn't revised," Gligorov said. It was some time in the 20th century that at least some Orthodox Christians, including the Greeks, began following the new calendar which places Christmas on Dec. 25, Gligorovi said. Church services at SS Peter and Paul were held both Tuesday and Wednesday culminating with the Christmas service held Thursday. CROWN POINT A man exited a car and urinated in front of Gary police during a traffic stop Dec. 30, and officers found suspected PCP on another man who was riding in the vehicle, court records state. Police stopped a burgundy Pontiac near Sixth Avenue and Ohio Street after the driver turned the wrong way down a one-way street, made a four-point turn and traveled in reverse, Lake Criminal Court records state. As police spoke to the driver, Deandre M. Cooper, 24, of Gary, got out of the front passenger seat and attempted to walk away, a court affidavit says. Cooper asked officers if he could go to a bathroom and then dropped his pants before police answered and urinated on the grass, court records state. As police spoke to the back seat passenger, DeVonne L. Tyler, 20, of Gary, they noticed a semi-automatic pistol under the front seat Cooper had been sitting in, the affidavit says. Cooper, who has multiple prior felony convictions, allegedly told police he didn't have a valid gun permit. Tyler was arrested on a Lake County warrant. During a search at the police station, an officer found a folded piece of foil that contained a black, leafy substance saturated with suspected PCP, court records state. Police found eight more folded pieces of foil containing suspected PCP during a strip search of Tyler, the affidavit says. Cooper was charged Dec. 31 with carrying a handgun without a license, possession of marijuana and public nudity. Tyler was charged with dealing in a controlled substance. EAST CHICAGO Police and residents in East Chicago had a conversation Tuesday about whats expected of officers and how the department can improve communication with the community. Several of the approximately 40 people at the meeting told Police Chief Mark Becker they were interested in forming a citizens advisory panel and wanted officers to communicate more with the citys youths. Becker said the department has been talking about starting a youth academy and took a suggestion from Sherry Hunter, who described a similar program in Valparaiso with its police. Becker said he would be willing to commit to talking with residents on a regular basis and asked attendees to bring a friend to the next meeting. East Chicago has a Police Merit Commission that makes decisions regarding discipline, promotion and hiring, Becker said. If a citizens advisory panel were formed, police would be looking for input from residents on how the department can improve, he said. Becker said the past year has been tough for police. The nation has seen some police shootings where officers actions ultimately were determined to be justified and other casers that looked horrible from the start and were horrible. One conclusion that has come out of U.S. Department of Justice reviews conducted after controversial events has been that the police departments failed to engage their communities, Becker said. Thats really why youre here today, Becker said. I dont want to be that department. Kendall Warner, who served more than 20 years in prison and now want to help youths de-escalate situations before lives are taken, asked Becker if police are trained to kill. Becker said police are trained to use lethal force only if they fear for their lives or the lives of others. Then, if we do, we dont shoot to kill, he said. We shoot to stop. Warner asked why police cant send black officers to calls in predominately black areas of the city. Becker said its not possible to do that. Would you rather I send you an officer that matches your skin or any officer whos going to treat you professionally? Becker asked. Regardless of your skin, were going to treat you with respect. Hunter and other residents said East Chicago is blessed to have good community-police relations. Becker said he and his command and training staff reviewed a Department of Justice report on the Albuquerque Police Department before the meeting and one of the officers asked why Becker wanted to further engage the community. East Chicago hasnt had any controversial events like the Laquan McDonald shooting in Chicago and other events elsewhere. I asked have you heard of Ferguson? Becker said. It can happen here, and wed be foolish to think that it cant. I dont want to be looking for a fire extinguisher when the building is on fire. Becker said the department has worked to engage the community through various programs in the four years hes been chief, but its never enough. The department can do 20 things right, but when one thing goes wrong community-police relations might return to ground zero, he said. We do make mistakes, Becker said. We do mess up once in awhile. Were human. He said the department is committed to training, including how to attempt de-escalation. If we can ingrain the thought that theres a different way to do things, thats when we make breakthrough from being a good department to an excellent department, he said. The department can only be as good as the community makes it, he said. Becker and Sgt. Brian Paine reminded people they can leave anonymous tips at (219) 391-8500. Becker also gave out his cellphone number. He said theres two or three people who regularly call him, but he doesnt know their names. He recognizes their voices, and theyve given him some good tips, he said. Being a police officer is a challenging job, Becker said. There were 124 officers killed in the line of duty nationwide last year. The East Chicago department has 98 officers and has hired 28 in the last four years, he said. We have many new officers out there who want to make a difference, he said. HAMMOND | The spirit of the Rev. Martin Luther King is alive and well in America, Bob Zellner told students at Purdue University Calumet Thursday. The struggle and grass-roots efforts continue, Zellner said, referring to recent events such as the protests in Ferguson, Mo., and New York. Zellner, who worked and marched with King and other civil rights icons, combined his reminiscences with a call to action: no one, he said, is too young to do what is right. Zellner, an activist, author and teacher, was a key speaker during the annual Martin Luther King Convocation at Purdue. Zellners talk was preceded by a performance by local actor Corey Graddick. Graddick portrayed King as he gave a speech in Alabama in 1957. Zellner was the first white southerner to serve as field secretary for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC, or Snick), Zellner would ultimately be arrested 18 times in seven states as he organized for justice. His memoir, The Wrong Side of Murder Creek, A White Southerner in the Freedom Movement, is being made into a film by Spike Lee. Born and raised in southern Alabama, he traveled an unlikely road to the Civil Rights movement. Both his grandfather and father were in the Ku Klux Klan. However, his father, a Methodist minister, underwent a remarkable transformation as a young man, he said. His father and other klansmen were traveling in Europe as part of an evangelical group when his father met a gospel singing group made up of African-Americans. Getting to know them all so changed him that when he came home, he resigned his Klan membership, Zellner said. Zellners grandfather disowned his father and his fathers brothers never spoke to him again. But his father did not raise him in a household filled with hate, and paved the way for what would later be his lifes work. While doing research for a paper in college, he and four other students met with King. They ended up attending a service at a local black church. As police and press crews surrounded the building, King told them they were about to be arrested. They had broken local segregation laws. However, King would go out the front door and engage the police and press while Rosa Parks took them down to the basement, where they could use a back door. Zellner remembered how Parks laid her hand on his shoulder and told him, Bob, when you see something (thats wrong), you have to do something about it. For Zellner, doing something about it has included social justice actions of all kinds. He captivated students as he told harrowing yet inspiring stories about the fight for equality. He and an African-American friend and co-worker, Silas McGee, were in a restaurant in Greenwood, Miss., when a bullet smashed through the glass. McGee was hit in the jaw and they drove him to the hospital. All the doctors, and nurses, they stood up against the wall, he remembered. They would not treat McGee, whose friends had to carry him into the hospital themselves. We had to watch him bleed until an African-American doctor arrived to treat him. McGee survived and eventually returned to the movement. Then there was the day he had to hide in the bushes to escape police and angry agitators. I heard this voice, hey, Mister, and I thought, that doesnt sound like the police, he said. The voice belonged to a 9-year-old boy who was ready to lead him to safety. Youre never too young, he told the group, "to do whats right. VALPARAISO Several people were on hand Wednesday morning as a 22-year-old Portage man made an initial court appearance on an additional charge of murder stemming from a Dec. 18 road rage incident in Portage. Defense attorney Larry Rogers entered a not guilty plea on behalf of his client, Matthew Richardson, and requested a trial by jury. Porter Circuit Court Judge Mary Harper set a jury trial for May 2, with preliminary hearings Feb. 3 and March 22. Richardson is also charged with felony battery and pointing a firearm in the shooting of Joshua Smith, 28, of Lake Station. The murder charge was added last week after Smith died Dec. 25 from his wounds and his death was ruled a homicide. According to court records, Richardson and Smith got into an altercation as they were leaving the parking lot of the Menards store on U.S. 6 in Portage. Smith followed Richardson to his home, during which time Richardson contacted two of his brothers who also arrived at the house. One of Richardson's brothers allegedly threw a brick at Smith's car as it drove down the street. Then Smith and his girlfriend came back onto the property with Smith carrying a bat, authorities said. While one of the brothers took the bat from Smith, Richardson went inside, came out with what is described as a "Russian military rifle" and allegedly pointed it at the head of Smith's girlfriend when she was less than 6 feet away. Smith ran to a side yard and was followed by Richardson, who then fired a single shot at Smith, who was unarmed, according to charging information. Smith got back into his car and picked up his girlfriend, but crashed into a vehicle several hundred feet away. The shot severed Smith's femoral artery, according to court documents. Smith's injuries resulted in irreversible total organ failure due to severe blood loss. He suffered cardiac arrest and died Christmas day. VALPARAISO Candidate filings are picking up steam with Porter County Democratic Party Chairman Jeff Chidester throwing his name in Wednesday afternoon for the North District seat on the Porter County Board of Commissioners. Chidester said he decided to make the run because he is 18 months away from retiring as an iron worker and feels strongly about public service. He has 20 years experience as financial secretary/treasurer with Iron Workers Local 395. The North District commissioner seat is currently held by Republican John Evans. Filings for this year's elections began Wednesday morning with only a few candidates on hand when the doors opened. Among them was Porter County Coroner Chuck Harris, who is seeking the new seat of county treasurer. Harris said he is proud of all he has accomplished during his first two terms as county coroner, but it is time for a change. "I've always had a thing for finances," he said. There are lots of elected offices up for grabs at all levels this year and local officials have said voter turnout can be large as a result of the particularly divisive presidential race and a gubernatorial battle in Indiana that already has prompted the posting of election-related signs on lawns across the county. The primary election is May 3 and the general election will follow Nov. 8. Porter County Commissioner Laura Blaney, D-South, who got an early jump on her bid for re-election to a second term, said she is proud of her ability to work with others to accomplish so much for the county. Highlights include the county joining the shared ethics commission, securing land for a new park along south Ind. 49, helping to establish the county's first human resources department and turning around finances at the Memorial Opera House, she said in a prepared statement. "Much has been accomplished with a commissioners' budget that has been cut every year since I took office," she said. Porter County Surveyor Kevin Breitzke, who also filed for re-election first thing Wednesday morning, said he is seeking his sixth term. That type of longevity is not unusual in Indiana, he said. Breitzke said he converted the office to full time after taking over because it eliminates potential conflicts of a part-time elected surveyor also running a private business. He said he is a licensed surveyor and engineer, and described the surveyor's job as keeping the county together through working with mapping, drainage and planning. Valparaiso resident Jesse Harper had earlier announced his intention to seek the Democratic nomination for 4th District state representative seat held by Republican state Rep. Ed Soliday. Candidate filing will continue through noon Feb. 5. Contested county races include the offices of surveyor and treasurer, the judicial post held by Democrat Porter Superior Judge Julia Jent, the commissioner seats held by Evans and Blaney and the at-large council seats held by Dan Whitten, Bob Poparad and Sylvia Graham, said Kathy Kozuszek, who serves as the Democratic director at the Porter County Voter Registration Office. All the area state representative seats are also on the ballot, including those held by Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso; Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City; Chuck Moseley, D-Portage; Mike Aylesworth, R-Hebron; and Julie Olthoff, R-Crown Point; and the state Senate seat held by Republican Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso. The federal seats held by Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Ind., and Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., also will be on the ballot. There also are school board races in Duneland, East Porter County, Portage Township, Porter Township, Union Township, Metropolitan School District of Boone Township and Michigan City Area Schools. Voter registration also is going strong and can be accomplished at the county voter registration office, driver's license bureaus and online at indianavoters.com, Kozuszek said. VALPARAISO A donor has given a home in the city to Housing Opportunities. Caroline Shook, Housing Opportunities executive director, said Tuesday at a meeting of the Porter County Coalition for Affordable Housing that the four-bedroom, one bath home on Fair Street in Valparaiso is almost move-in ready. She said they've been doing some painting and have a family prepared to move in there sometime this month. Shook also announced they will be offering training in Portage for Housing Opportunity clients based on Bridges out of Poverty that was offered in St. Joseph County for more than 10 years. The training covers what resources are needed for those in the low-income class who want to move into the middle class. "It spends a lot of time talking about networking and self-confidence and self-esteem," Shook said. "It's about motivation." Housing Opportunities ran a pilot program in the fall in LaPorte County for eight clients. One person got a full-time job, three are volunteering in the community and one is exploring an option to start his own business. "We've seen some remarkable things come out of the eight clients who finished the program," Shook said. Shook said one client after taking the course is leaving the Housing Opportunities program because she can pay her own rent and "do everything on her own." "She's confident enough that she now knows resources to help her," she said. Shook said clients get paid $10 an hour for the two-hour classes during the training. "It's their motivation for showing up, but along the way it changes why they are there," Shook said. "While in class they learn a lot of tools the money is nice but it's not really why they are there." Shook said other agencies can send clients to the training as long as they cover the $10 per hour pay. In other news, Elizabeth Allen, 10-year plan coordinator for the Porter County Coalition for Affordable Housing, announced a collaboration between CAH and other agencies with Valparaiso University's Welcome Project to share interviews of homeless and formerly homeless people in Porter County and getting their direct perspectives on their experience. She said they are working with Porter County Museum to do a follow-up exhibit in the spring, including the interviewees' stories and artwork with Valparaiso University students. Yesterday, we were shocked to learn that as German anger boils over at the country's unprecedented refugee wave, one or more so far unknown assailants fired shots through the window at a home for asylum seekers in western Germany injuring one resident as he was sleeping. As AP noted it wasn't immediately clear who was responsible for the incident or what the motive was. However, Darmstadt prosecutors' spokeswoman Nina Reininger told news agency dpa: "If someone shoots at housing which has people inside, I assume that it is a targeted attack." An officer of the crime scene investigation unit examines the shattered window glass of a refugee shelter in Dreieich near Offenbach, Germany, Monday, Jan. 4, 2016 Today, we are just as shocked to read that, even as we expected, the animosities between the two groups have dramatically escalated, and that the mayor of Cologne has summoned police for crisis talks after nearly 100 women reported they were robbed, threatened or sexually molested at the New Year's celebrations outside the city's cathedral by young, mostly drunk, men, police said on Tuesday. One woman said she was raped. According to BBC, "the scale of the attacks on women at the city's central railway station has shocked Germany." About 1,000 drunk and aggressive young men were involved. The initial shock will quickly transform to furious anger, because more important in this specific case was the origin of the 1,000 drunk assailants, who split into groups, and attacked women in the square. Citing the police chief Wolfgang Albers, BBC notes that the men were of "Arab or North African region", adding that they were mostly between 18 and 35 years old. He added that the attack was a "completely new dimension of crime". BBC adds that what is particularly disturbing is that the attacks appear to have been organised. Around 1,000 young men arrived in large groups, seemingly with the specific intention of carrying out attacks on women. Fearing a public backlash, Cologne mayor Henriette Reker said there was no reason to believe that people involved in the attacks were refugees. Nonetheless, after a crisis meeting, she admitted the attacks were "monstrous" adding that "we cannot allow this to become a lawless area." This, of course, puts her in a very precarious position if it is found that the attackers were indeed refugees. Reker was stabbed in the neck and seriously hurt in October, just a day before she was elected mayor. Police said that attack appeared to be motivated by her support for refugees. Cologne Mayor Henriette Reker and President of the Cologne Police Wolfgang Albers (R) hold a news confernece in Cologne, Germany, January 5, 2016. Integration commissioner Aydan Ozoguz, a self-proclaimed Muslim, likewise warned against refugees and foreigners being put under "blanket suspicion". At this point it is too late for damage control, however, as this has become a case of guilty until proven innocent, especially since politicians involuntarily may be stirring the pot: "We will not accept the disgusting attacks on women. All perpetrators must be held to account," said Justice Minister Heiko Maas, a Social Democrat, in a tweet. As Reuters adds, the attack has stirred "strong emotions in Germany where Chancellor Angela Merkel has welcomed people fleeing war zones in the Middle East and Africa." The political reaction was immediate: the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has gained in polls in part at Merkel's expense thanks to a campaign against refugees, said she should close the border. "Mrs Merkel, is Germany 'colourful and cosmopolitan' enough for you after the wave of crimes and sexual attacks?" tweeted AfD chief Frauke Petry. Meanwhile, Germany's embattled prime minister urged people to respect strangers. Merkel said that "We .. respect everyone, even if we don't know them," she said. "That is the case not only for Germans, but for everyone." A police vehicle patrols at the main square and in front of the central railway station in Cologne, Germany, January 5, 2016. Unfortunately for Merkel, it is now too late to contain the incipient, and increasingly more violent - and soon, lethal - conflict between growing sections of the local population and the country's refugees wave, because as Reuters further adds, and as we have noted repeatedly, there are almost daily attacks on refugee shelters. "Events like that in Cologne foster xenophobia," Roland Schaefer, head of Germany's association of towns and localities, told reporters. Yes they do, and it was very obvious to everyone long before the recent break out of violence that when mixing two combustible cultures, these would be precisely the results. Unless, of course, outcomes such as these were precisely what the otherwise very perceptive Merkel had in mind all along. Recall AIG's answer to "what Europe wants" back in May 2008: To use global issues as excuses to extend its power: environmental issues : increase control over member countries; advance idea of global governance : increase control over member countries; advance idea of global governance terrorism : use excuse for greater control over police and judicial issues; increase extent of surveillance : use excuse for greater control over police and judicial issues; increase extent of surveillance global financial crisis : kill two birds (free market; Anglo-Saxon economies) with one stone (Europe-wide regulator; attempts at global financial governance) : kill two birds (free market; Anglo-Saxon economies) with one stone (Europe-wide regulator; attempts at global financial governance) EMU: create a crisis to force introduction of European economic government As for the "monstrous" attack in Cologne, the local news website Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger says the suspects were already known to police because of frequent pickpocketing in and around Cologne central station. Police are trying to find out whether the men who targeted women on Thursday night, surrounding, molesting and robbing them, organized their assaults through social media. They are also studying mobile phone and CCTV surveillance videos. For now, the local police are searching for the 1,000 assailants. They will be found, and if confirmed that the "monstrous" attackers were indeed recent refugees, the dramatically escalating conflict within German society is about to take a quantum jump into ever greater violence. STONY BROOK, N.Y. Dunia Sibomana was considered the lucky one two years ago when a group of chimpanzees jumped from the trees and attacked him and two other boys as they played near a preserve in their native Democratic Republic of the Congo. Dunia, unlike the others, survived. But he was severely disfigured: His lips ripped off and one cheek torn apart, leaving him with muscle damage that make it hard for him to eat, swallow and communicate. Now, 8-year-old Dunia is set to undergo a rare and complicated surgery at a Long Island hospital that will use tissue and muscle from his forearm to recreate both lips. The hope is that he will once again be able to open and close his mouth, and eat and talk normally. "As you can imagine, not having any lips, the food can just come right out," said Dr. Leon Klempner, an associate professor of dentistry at Stony Brook Children's Hospital, where Dunia will undergo the operation. "He drools all the time and can't pronounce different words." Monday's planned eight-hour procedure will be the first of three major operations for Dunia, who was brought from the Congo in November with the help of the nonprofit foundation Smile Rescue for Kids. Dr. Alexander Dagum, the hospital's chief of plastic and reconstructive surgery, said he believes there are only three other documented cases where the same surgery has been performed. The hospital is covering the cost of the surgery and the doctors have all donated their time. Since the attack, which killed Dunia's 4-year-old brother and a young cousin, Dunia has been the target of bullies and become shy and withdrawn. In his short time in the United States, he has been living with a host family on Long Island, attending elementary school and learning English in addition to his native Swahili. Appearing for an interview with this doctors on Monday, Dunia, buried himself in video games on a tablet and colored with markers. He occasionally stuck his tongue out at the doctors as they explained the procedure. "We're feeling very optimistic," Klempner said. "We're hoping after the surgery he'll reintegrate into society and perhaps go back to school or have some semblance of a normal life." If you're a political junkie, 2016 is a high point for you. Not only is there the wildest presidential race in recent memory, with the most declared Republican candidates in a century (some have since dropped out), but there are races specific to Indiana that are being widely watched by observers across the country. Politico on Sunday named the Indiana governor's race and Indiana U.S. Senate race among the 11 "amazing races" to watch this year. That observation is spot on. In each case, there's a "Devil and Daniel Webster" style struggle for the soul of the Republican Party and for the state in general. OK, so maybe it's not exactly a battle between good and evil, but there's definitely a moral issue here, and there's a moral to the story. In the governor's race, we see incumbent Mike Pence torn between staying true to his social conservative beliefs and the pro-business wing of the party. The issue of LGBT rights has created a big rift between the two, and Pence is struggling to figure out how to bridge that divide. That's evidenced by his refusal to announce a position on the LGBT civil rights legislation introduced in the Indiana General Assembly. Social conservatives see this as a moral issue. They didn't like the Religious Freedom Restoration Act "fix" pushed by House Speaker Brian Bosma and Senate President David Long, and signed by Pence, when the business community and supporters of same-sex marriage put Indiana in the national spotlight over this legislation. There are two sides to this coin. Either you support LGBT rights, such as same-sex marriage, or you support the right to stick to your religious beliefs against those rights. Indiana is a state with leaders about 10 years behind the citizens when it comes to shifting public opinion, political analyst Brian Howey, whose columns appear in The Times, has said. He's right. And with public opinion rapidly shifting in favor of LGBT rights, that puts Pence in a hard spot. It puts Democratic opponent John Gregg, who narrowly lost to Pence four years ago, in a more competitive position. Educators are riled up about shifting education policy and the ISTEP problems last year, which adds to Gregg's strength. In the U.S. Senate race, it's a matter of the establishment vs. the radical wing of the party. It's also the first Senate race in Indiana since GOP voters ousted moderate Dick Lugar, a longtime incumbent, in favor of ultra conservative Richard Mourdock. Mourdock lost the general election after saying it's God's will when a rape results in pregnancy. "GOP Rep. Marlin Stutzman has assembled a more conservative voting record than fellow Republican Rep. Todd Young, and he compiled endorsements from major outside-money groups like the Club for Growth and Senate Conservatives Fund," Politico reported. "But Stutzmans campaign went through a wholesale shakeup in the fall, while Young, a Navy veteran, raised significantly more cash. In the past, weve seen candidates like Stutzman overcome such obstacles by leaning on unrelentingly conservative credentials and messaging. This primary will give us an early taste of whether that approach can work again after a volatile 2015." Eric Holcomb was ignored in the Politico report, but he's running too. Holcomb is the establishment candidate, the former chief of staff for U.S. Dan Coats, who will retire at the end of this year. Holcomb is also a former state GOP chairman. This race is clearly taking the pulse of the party. The wide-open presidential race, at least for the Republican nomination, is getting the headlines, but there's a lot happening at the state level that shouldn't be ignored. It will say a lot about what's going on within the Republican Party. As the NYPD tries to get more guns off the streets, the city wants to make sure those carrying illegal weapons are prosecuted swiftly. NY1's Dean Meminger reports on the creation of special city Gun Courts. Police Commissioner Bill Bratton says the city is partnering with the court system by establishing Gun Courts in each borough, expanding a pilot program that was tested more than a dozen years ago "Those several thousand people in the city who think nothing of taking out a gun and shooting another human being, Im sorry, they need to be treated with every ounce of justice system that we can apply to them, to basically get them off the streets and keep them away from us," said NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton. And that means behind bars as quickly as possible. There have been complaints that cases involving the carrying or firing of an illegal gun can take years to resolve. Sources tell NY1 the NYPD, the city's five district attorneys, the courts and the Citizens Crime Commission have been developing the gun court plan. Which likely will be formally announced as soon as next week. In a statement, Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson said: "A dedicated judge will help us prosecute gun cases faster and more efficiently in Brooklyn. We are in discussions with court officials about setting up this specialized part and having it up and running in the coming weeks." The NYPD says there were 3,221 gun arrests last year. An increase of about 10% from the year before. Police would not say how many guns actually were taken off the streets with those arrests. Often several people can be charged for having one weapon. "What is it that really scares people the most in the city is the issue of gun related crime," Bratton said. "In particular being hit by a random bullet." Reverend Que English from the Bronx Clergy Criminal Justice Roundtable raised some concerns. "It will be effective if implemented correctly," English said. "I am an advocate of getting guns of the streets. What I am not an advocate of the innocent being swept up with hurried procedures." Bratton says the goal of the Gun Courts will be putting more people behind bars who deserve to be there. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. After a week of walking from the Ferguson, Mo., home of Michael Brown, whose killing by a police officer set off a national debate on race and police tactics, demonstrators led by the N.A.A.C.P. arrived at another home on Friday: the official residence of Gov. Jay Nixon. There, near the end of their 130-mile journey from the St. Louis suburbs, more than 100 people chanted the now-familiar hands up, dont shoot and carried signs protesting Mr. Browns death and that of the Staten Island resident Eric Garner. We marched because Michael Browns life mattered, said Cornell William Brooks, the N.A.A.C.P. president. We marched because Eric Garner mattered. We marched because our childrens lives matter. Black lives matter. We march because all lives matter. The rights group has asked that Mr. Nixon appoint a special prosecutor to examine Mr. Browns case after a St. Louis County grand jury chose not to indict Darren Wilson, the officer who shot him. Some of her pictures are in important public collections, like those of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the National Portrait Gallery. But Ms. Dorfman sees herself less as an artist (I never really clicked with anybody in the gallery world) and more as a member of a confederation of commercial portraitists stretching back almost to photographys birth. The filmmaker Mr. Morris, a friend and frequent subject, has described her pictures as a perverse combination of dime store photography and Renaissance portraiture, and, perhaps more to the point, the opposite of Diane Arbus, who asks us to deal with our potential alienation from her subject. Debby Goldberg, a nonprofit fund-raiser whose family has been photographed by Ms. Dorfman over almost two decades, growing through marriages and births from a group of seven to a sprawling one of 15, said the portraits together feel like a living organism, one in which Ms. Dorfmans near egoless presence somehow inheres. Shes definitely a character in the photograph itself, even though shes not visible. What retirement will look like for her is anyones guess, though those who know her say it will probably mean only fewer pictures per year. During a recent photo session for this article, she received a call from a belly dancer in her 70s wanting her portrait taken, a request Ms. Dorfman could hardly refuse. The Polaroid, she said, is like an old friend whom she cannot quite imagine not seeing every week. I fell in love with it. Its hard to say why. Its like trying to describe why you fell in love with someone. You can list all the qualities, but you cant really say why. Eugenie Schwartz, an artist who found popularity and renown in her native New Orleans for her surreal, darkly humorous pieces, died on Dec. 30 at her home in the Bywater neighborhood there. She was 64. The artist Josephine Sacabo, a friend, said the cause was complications of surgery for a perforated ulcer. Ms. Schwartz, who was known as Ersy, made precise and impish pieces. One, a memento mori, involves a cheese grater kitted out with tufted red velvet and spiky teeth to make a coffin for a cast bronze mouse. Another is a red leather urinal that plays the theme song to the movie The Bridge on the River Kwai. At Cooper Union in New York City, where Ms. Schwartz taught for nearly two decades, she would salvage the dead mice rounded up by the colleges sanitation crews and freeze them for use in her work. Shares of Fitbit, the maker of popular fitness tracking devices, sank 18 percent on Tuesday as investors worried about its ability to compete with Apple and other makers of wearable technology. The sudden stock drop was hardly in line with the companys hopes going into this weeks consumer electronics show, the International CES, in Las Vegas. Earlier on Tuesday, Fitbit introduced the Fitbit Blaze, a fitness watch priced at $200, which will be available in March. The device is priced below the Apple Watch, which sells for $350 and up, depending on the features and style. Just six months ago, Fitbit had a strong initial public offering, valuing the company at $4.1 billion at its market debut. Its stock had been trading at nearly $52 a share this summer, but closed at $24.30 on Tuesday. Voltaire To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize Malaysia Airlines barred passengers from checking in baggage on flights to Paris and Amsterdam on Tuesday and Wednesday because of unseasonably strong headwinds on a longer flight path it is taking. The move baffled passengers, who complained about it on social media. The airline said it now operated a long route to Europe via Egyptian airspace for safety reasons. It did not elaborate on the reason. In 2014, a Malaysia Airlines jet flying to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam was shot down by a missile in eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing all 298 people on board. Malaysia Airlines said that using the longer flight path consumed more fuel, limiting the airlines ability to carry baggage in cargo. Ever since the billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson acquired The Las Vegas Review-Journal last month, the newspapers reporters and editors have agonized over whether their coverage of Mr. Adelson and his business interests would be compromised. On Tuesday, the staff at The Review-Journal met for the second consecutive day with an adviser, who laid out guidelines for how the embattled newspaper should cover its new owner and his family. The staff members made several demands, including that they be allowed to meet a representative of the Adelson family. The gathering came a day after a contentious meeting with the adviser, David J. Butler, executive editor of The Providence Journal in Rhode Island, who told The Review-Journals staff to ease up on how it covered Mr. Adelson. In December, Mr. Adelson paid $140 million for the Las Vegas paper, buying it through a shell company. (The Providence Journal is owned by GateHouse Media, which also manages the operations of The Review-Journal.) It was a quick Tweet, dashed off in a few seconds, observing an (unimportant) moment of fashion on the presidential campaign trail. Then it went viral, triggering endless speculation, campaign attacks and a series of news stories illustrating how mysterious, powerful and, yes, trivial, social media can be. On Monday afternoon, a Times photo editor noticed an Associated Press photograph of Senator Marco Rubio walking up to his campaign bus in New Hampshire. Education officials on Tuesday approved a plan to redraw two Brooklyn school zones, shifting a neighborhood of rising wealth from a mostly white elementary school to a mostly black and Hispanic one. The Department of Education proposed the rezoning to alleviate crowding at the mostly white school, Public School 8. But the debate over the move has raised thorny issues of race, class and gentrification in a quickly changing part of Brooklyn. P.S. 8s current zone encompasses Brooklyn Heights, a prosperous neighborhood, and Dumbo, an area of former warehouses now filled with multimillion-dollar apartments. The rezoning, which will take effect in the 2016-17 school year, shifts Dumbo from P.S. 8s zone to the zone that serves Public School 307 in Vinegar Hill. Currently, the P.S. 307 zone is small and includes part of a public-housing project, the Farragut Houses. Though they are less than a mile apart, the schools have vastly different populations: Sixty percent of P.S. 8s students are white, and only 16 percent are from families that receive public assistance, according to state data. Ninety percent of the students at P.S. 307 are black or Hispanic, and the same proportion are from families receiving public assistance. During their hour-and-a-half outdoor sessions at the super-maximum security prison in Florence, Colo., Gregory Scarpa Jr. struck up a friendship with an important prisoner: Terry L. Nichols, the co-conspirator of the Oklahoma City bombing. At the time, in 2005, Mr. Scarpa was eager to reduce his sentence of 482 months (40 years). The Colombo captain, a gangster whose father was a violent enforcer for the crime family, had been convicted in Federal District Court in Brooklyn of a racketeering case that included charges of conspiracy to commit murder, tax evasion and illegal gambling. Mr. Scarpas prison yard conversations with Mr. Nichols led to a cache of hidden explosives, an embarrassment for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and a chain of litigation that resulted in a decision on Monday by a federal judge in Brooklyn. The judge, Edward R. Korman of United States District Court, shaved 10 years off Mr. Scarpas sentence in a decision that castigated both the F.B.I. and the United States attorneys office in Brooklyn for its implausible, contradictory, and factually unsupported reasons for opposing a lighter sentence for Mr. Scarpa. Mr. Scarpa did not have a great track record as an informer. Years earlier, he had provided information on a jailmate Ramzi Yousef, the chief organizer of the 1993 World Trade Center bomber, but the government said nothing came of the disclosures. At Mr. Scarpas sentencing in 1999 in the racketeering case, a prosecutor said the tip about Mr. Yousef was a scam that resulted in wild goose chases. A judge sentenced Mr. Scarpa to 40 years, on top of the 20 he was serving for another racketeering case. In 2005, Mr. Scarpa said, he told prison officials he knew that Mr. Nichols had stashed explosives in his old house. Nothing happened. Mr. Scarpa told agents from the F.B.I. Nothing happened. It began with a call from law enforcement officials in Boston, who suspected that a BMW sport-utility vehicle, leased using fraudulent means, had ended up in New York City. But as detectives started investigating, they found more than a vehicle. The police in New York said on Tuesday that they had arrested a man fresh from a stint in federal prison for impersonating a military officer who they believe was profiting by pretending he was a wounded veteran. He was posing as a military war hero, Sgt. Mark MacDonnell of the Police Departments organized crime investigation division told reporters. The police identified the man as Jeremy Wilson, and said they had arrested him after investigators found the vehicle, impounded it and concocted a story to draw Mr. Wilson to a station house in Chelsea. Mayor Bill de Blasio is set to announce on Wednesday a $15-an-hour minimum wage for New York Citys public work force that city officials said would be among the highest of its kind in the country. Under the mayors plan, which matches a similar increase for state employees enacted by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo last year, about 50,000 city workers including crossing guards, prekindergarten teachers, custodial workers and others would see their pay reach the $15-an-hour level by the end of 2018. Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat who is starting his third year as mayor, has pledged to refocus his administration on a core liberal mission, and the wage announcement, described by city officials on Tuesday evening, is sure to win praise from his left-leaning base. The majority of the citys 300,000 employees already earn $15 an hour or more, officials said. Mr. de Blasios plan would affect about 20,000 unionized workers, mostly represented by District Council 37, and 30,000 employees of outside organizations like day-care providers whose services are paid for by the city. One morning in 2014, the police were called to a home in Millstone, N.J., about a domestic argument that had escalated. A man there, the authorities said, was pointing a gun at a relatives head. When the officers entered the home, they discovered a cache of weapons that included dozens of guns, 36 of them considered machine guns, and, as such, illegal, the authorities said. More than a year later, the man, John Lafergola, made his first appearance in Federal District Court in Trenton on Tuesday, charged with knowingly possessing the machine guns, which are defined as weapons that can automatically fire more than one shot without being manually reloaded, federal prosecutors said. Mr. Lafergola, 52, was ordered held without bail. The police found 72 firearms, as well as ammunition and accessories, in October 2014, when officers searched his home in Millstone, a township about 50 miles southwest of New York City. The authorities described an arsenal that included three short-barreled rifles, one of which had been stripped of its serial number, as well as silencers and materials that could be used to make explosive devices. Updated 9:13 a.m. Good morning on this brisk Wednesday. Theres no silver bullet (or bullet train), but a partial remedy announced on Tuesday might be in the works. Its for the Long Island Rail Road, which, though it is one of the countrys busiest commuter rail lines, still uses rather finicky infrastructure. Oft-cited explanations for the railroads common delays and cancellations have included signal problems, switch failures, leaves on the tracks and even a struck dog. Some proof: L.I.R.R. trains on several branches did not arrive on schedule about one-tenth of the time last year, and, so far this week, commuters have twice experienced delays of about a half-hour, because of a broken rail and other problems. A personal trainer had posted fliers on the walls of a barbecue restaurant in Queens where Simone Williams would go. Advertising exercise classes in a restaurant like that was a stroke of genius, she said. My way of dealing with things has always been food, especially when I get extremely depressed, Ms. Williams said. Im just eating all day long. She saw the fliers in 2011, after a frank conversation with doctors about her worsening diabetes symptoms. Ms. Williams had high blood pressure, high cholesterol and, most debilitating of all, neuropathy that caused her feet to swell after only a few steps. http://donpolson.blogspot.com/ Bringing you the very best information, analysis and opinion from around the web. NOTE: For videos that don't start--go to article link to view. What has Donald Trump tapped into that other Republican candidates are missing? I posed this question to some of my best sources. Jonathan Haidt, the author of The Righteous Mind, emailed me his response. Many American voters, Haidt wrote, perceive that the moral order is falling apart, the country is losing its coherence and cohesiveness, diversity is rising, and our leadership seems to be suspect or not up to the needs of the hour. Its as though a button is pushed on their forehead that says in case of moral threat, lock down the borders, kick out those who are different, and punish those who are morally deviant. Haidt, a professor at N.Y.U.s Stern School of Business, argues that Trump is not a conservative, and is not appealing to classical conservative ideas. He is an authoritarian, who is profiting from the chaos in Washington, Syria, Paris, San Bernardino, and even the chaos on campuses, which are creating a more authoritarian electorate in the Republican primaries. In other words, the segment of the electorate drawn to Trump is especially receptive to mobilization at times of perceived disorder of a belief in looming external threats, from the Islamic State to Syrian refugees to illegal immigration from Latin America. Noting that conservatives are preoccupied with notions of purity and disgust, Haidt also offers an explanation of some of the more remarkable oddities of Trumps political approach in an online posting: If morality is about how we treat each other, then why did so many ancient texts devote so much space to rules about menstruation, who can eat what, and who can have sex with whom? There is no rational or health-related way to explain these laws. The emotion of disgust seemed to me like a more promising explanatory principle. The book of Leviticus makes a lot more sense when you think of ancient lawgivers first sorting everything into two categories: disgusts me (gay male sex, menstruation, pigs, swarming insects) and disgusts me less (gay female sex, urination, cows, grasshoppers). Jesse Graham, a professor of psychology at the University of Southern California, elaborated on the purity-disgust dimension of this years political campaign: More than any other Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump has been appealing to a particular combination of in-group loyalty and moral purity concerns. On the purity side, he often expresses disgust, often toward women and womens bodies (e.g., Clintons bathroom break during a Democratic debate). But his purity appeals are most commonly in the context of group boundaries, like building walls on our national borders to prevent contamination by outsiders, who are cast as murderers and rapists, both morally and physically dirty. These themes, in Grahams view, have laid the groundwork for Trumps popularity with explicitly racist and fascist groups: The National Alliance and National Vanguard spawned The Turner Diaries, which imagined a dystopian future where America is ruled by lazy and corrupt Jews and Blacks, until a morally pure white resistance group nukes the Pentagon. Trump of course is not advocating anything like these horrors, but the moral intuitions hes playing on can lead in this direction if unrestrained by other moral concerns, such as injustice and the suffering of out-group members. According to Graham, Trumps personal style attracts voters, including current and former Democrats, who are drawn to authoritarian leaders: Trump is more domineering than the other candidates, bullying opponents and reporters alike, calling them losers, refusing to ever apologize for anything. This could indeed appeal to those high in social-dominance orientation and authoritarianism, particularly those who mistake such domineering for actual authority. John Jost, a professor of psychology at N.Y.U., picks up some of the same themes as Haidt and Graham. In an email he writes that Trump is tapping into and indeed amplifying anger and fear, primarily among white citizens who are older and less educated than the average Republican voter. He is answering that anger and fear with tremendous self-confidence and 100 percent certainty, which some people find impressive and reassuring. Alan Abramowitz, a political scientist at Emory, was emphatic in placing authoritarianism first in describing Trumps current success. Abramowitz is one of a number of scholars who see Trump as posing a significant danger to American democracy. He wrote in an email that Trump is very clearly, in my view, advancing a modern American version of fascism. A lot of the coarse language, harsh personal attacks and misogyny play into the theme of strong leadership and willingness to say things that are politically incorrect no matter who doesnt like it. Trumps campaign style, his bullying and his pointed insults of competitors, fit into the psychological research concept of social dominance orientation. The level of an individuals social dominance orientation is determined by agreement or disagreement with a series of statements. Those with a social dominance orientation agree strongly with such statements as: Some groups of people are simply inferior to other groups; its O.K. if some groups have more of a chance in life than others; and to get ahead in life, it is sometimes necessary to step on other groups. To the Editor: Obamas Boots on the Ground: Special Forces (front page, Dec. 28) shows the linguistic contortions used to describe the role of Special Operations forces in places where were said not to have combat troops. President John F. Kennedy pioneered that approach. When journalists and Republican politicians in 1962 exposed the fact that the role of thousands of American advisers in Vietnam had become much more than advisory, he insisted, We have not sent combat troops in the generally accepted sense of the word. He was right: They were Green Berets, Navy SEALs, C.I.A. operatives and other helpful personnel. Our countrys special operators are superbly entrepreneurial polymaths of violence. But theres unlikely to be a good outcome to their use when this type of obfuscation is needed to tell the nation whats up. DEREK LEEBAERT Washington The writer is the author of To Dare and to Conquer: Special Operations and the Destiny of Nations, From Achilles to Al Qaeda. TO outsiders, one of the puzzling aspects of the anti-government militias takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is its location. Twenty-five million birds a year visit the refuge in the high desert of southeastern Oregon, but few people have heard of it. Yet Malheur is a place of bitterly contested human histories that remain potent today. Years ago, when I first visited the refuge, I stumbled upon five dead coyotes tossed across a trail, their necks sliced open, blood clotted on their fur, paws hacked off, entrails draining into the river. Ranchers on the edge of failure feel threatened by predators snatching away their calves, and some lash out against that threat. But these five dead coyotes signaled more than just economic anxiety they were emblematic of past hatreds that are still a powerful force in the Malheur basin. Anger at predators, environmentalists and federal managers who threaten the mythic past of cowboys on the range is as strong there as anywhere in the West. In the late 1970s and the 1980s, many Western ranchers, miners and loggers felt increasingly threatened, partly by globalization, which created new competition, and partly by federal regulations that seemed to value wildlife more than people. What became known as the Sagebrush Rebellion gave locals a focus for their concern. Environmentalists, they argued, were conspiring to destroy America, starting with rural communities. Many ranchers bitterly complained about the federal land management agencies. They felt powerless, hemmed in by policies they had little hand in shaping. They feared that economic gains were passing them by. To the Editor: Re Obama to Expand Gun Sale Checks (front page, Jan. 5): Im always surprised by how angry gun lovers sound. Even if we eventually manage to pass gun registration laws and ban the guns of war, theyll still have access to more guns, more easily than in any other first-world country. We have many more gun murders each year than all these countries. Why do we need so many more guns than anywhere else? Why is more, more, more never enough? Now, concealed carry isnt enough, so we need open carry to schools, to bars, everywhere. Instead of mindlessly repeating that America is the greatest country on earth, maybe its time to learn something from other countries for a change. ROBERT E. DAVIDSON New York To the Editor: Your Jan. 5 editorial The President Acts on Gun Violence reasonably counters notions that extending background checks threatens the Second Amendment or takes guns away from gun owners. What was missing, however, was any mention of the impact of background checks on suicide. Sometimes in American politics it seems as if we are all talking past each other, that whatever one side says about an issue like, say, taxes zooms right past the other side. The current fight over gun control is not one of those moments. It is a howling storm of misrepresentation, sadly almost entirely from one side. This weeks developments fit the pattern. On Tuesday in the East Room of the White House, President Obama formally announced that he would be taking a series of executive actions all of them within his powers as president. It was an important step, since he sometimes seems alone in Washington in his willingness to take on the issue of guns. But none of his actions are aimed at taking weapons away from law-abiding citizens, and none will have that effect. In fact, there has been no bill in real contention in Congress for many years that would reduce the number of guns currently in circulation, or disarm any law-abiding Americans. And yet, as happens every time, the response from the anti-regulation crowd (even before the White House said a word in public about Mr. Obamas plans) was to deliberately misstate what Mr. Obama was intending. The president said he wanted to increase the number of government agents to process background checks and make the existing system more effective. He also plans to modestly expand the number of dealers who need federal licenses under current law and said he would ask Congress for more money to combat mental illness. The Republican machines reaction took none of that into account. From Day 1, said House Speaker Paul Ryan, the president has never respected the right to safe and legal gun ownership that our nation has valued since its founding. Mr. Ryan said that rather than focus on criminals and terrorists, he goes after the most law-abiding of citizens. His words and actions amount to a form of intimidation that undermines liberty. Whether its a raw egg yolk gripped by levitating chopsticks or sugar magically sprinkling over a juicy grapefruit, the images in the new book Nearly Eternal are a surreal and slightly sinister take on food. All but a few of the artfully photographed foodstuffs are actually plastic display models. (Those that are not notably a decaying apple perform as natures imperfect counterpoint to the artificial menu.) Ive seen these models for years in Japan and Ive always been fascinated by them, explains the books co-creator, the photographer Norbert Schoerner, whose photographs have appeared in Vogue, i-D and other fashion publications since the late 1980s. A fine line between nature and artifice has long been a preoccupation. Following his journal-like monograph Third Life, in 2012, Schoerner wanted to do something more conceptual. So, inspired by the output of Irving Penn, he thought to create a food book that challenged conventions of the genre. Planning the book over the course of a year, Schoerner and his longtime collaborator, the art director Steve Nakamura, visited plastic food sample manufacturers scattered around the Japanese countryside. Over the course of their journey, they developed an appreciation for the artistry behind the models through conversations with the makers: They were very open and proud of their craft, Schoerner says. One manufacturer, Maiduru, invited them to borrow 50 models for the project (the replicas are surprisingly expensive) from archives and current stock. NEW ORLEANS DRAWS AN ACE HOTEL Ace Hotel, the Portland, Ore.-based brand known for its eclectic properties, is opening a location in New Orleans on March 14 and is now accepting reservations. The 234-room property is in a 1928 Art Deco building in the citys warehouse district and has an Art Deco and Dadaist-inspired aesthetic, courtesy of Roman and Williams, the New York-based interior design firm. The James Beard Award-nominated chefs Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman are in charge of a yet-unnamed restaurant where American Southern cuisine is the highlight; the property will also have a branch of Stumptown Coffee Roasters. From $189 a night. A HUNT GUIDE FOR BOSTON The Hunt, the popular series of pocket-size travel books, recently released an edition for Boston. The guide is divided by neighborhoods, like Back Bay, Beacon Hill and Seaport. As with other Hunt books, the content is tightly focused on eating, shopping and activities a mix of offbeat gems and hip newcomers. $12. The existing Hunt guides are available in two boxed sets: one of Austin, Tex., New Orleans, New York and San Francisco; and the other of Hong Kong, London, New York and Paris. $59. AT ONE&ONLY RESORTS, THE LOOK OF LAIRD HAMILTON Laird Hamilton, the surfer, is teaming up with One&Only Resorts to sell Laird Apparel. A collection of board and fitness shorts, hybrid surf and polo shirts, fitness and studio pants, graphic tees and hoodie jackets will be available this month at One&Only Palmilla in Los Cabos, Mexico, and at other locations, including the Bahamas, Mauritius and Maldives, throughout the year. Prices from $30. In the year since the government of Antigua and Barbuda and investors led by the actor Robert De Niro announced plans to open a luxury resort on the smaller of the dual-island nation, protests have surfaced and the project has stalled, though the government vows construction will begin this year. Known as Paradise Found, the project aims to rebuild and expand on the site of the former K Club, a once exclusive resort on Barbuda favored by celebrities including Princess Diana, that has been closed since 2004. The $250-million proposed development by Mr. De Niro and an Australian investor James Packer was announced by the prime minister, Gaston Browne, in November 2014. Put to a vote last March, islanders approved the project, 206-175, in a highly contentious meeting. As reported by The Daily Observer, some voters objected to the amount of land, the length of the lease, now 99 years, and the approval process itself. The other issue is the level of concession given by the government to Robert De Niro and James Packer, said Brenton Henry, director of news for the Observer Media Group, noting a 25-year tax holiday for the resort. Barbudans believe apart from the creation of some jobs that the benefit to the island may not be so much because of the free waiver. The United States government owns 47 percent of all land in the West. In some states, including Oregon, Utah and Nevada, the majority of land is owned by the federal government. Of course, it used to own nearly all of it. And that remaining ownership and management of large tracts of forest and grazing lands is the core of the problem for antigovernment protesters in Oregon. They have taken over a federal building, the latest in a long history of fights between the government and Western settlers about how the lands should be used. How did the federal government get the land? The history of federal land ownership has been largely one of divestiture and public use, not acquisition. As the United States expanded across the continent, it did so by purchasing or taking the land that became new states. (Among the groups it took land from were Native Americans.) Over time, it transferred land to state governments and individuals, largely through homesteading and land grants, which allowed farmers to procure parcels of land for agricultural use. The government also tended to allow free use of unclaimed lands by ranchers and others, though there were skirmishes over the years when settlers tried to fence in public land or claimed land in Indian territories. SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. The fear comes up in discussions in line at the movies, where a group of mothers say there are too many guns on the streets for them to feel safe. For others, the mass shooting that killed 14 people here last month has prompted a rush to buy a gun for the first time, suddenly convincing them that only a firearm can protect them. But on one point, many people here seem to be in agreement: President Obamas latest plan to expand background checks and law enforcement for some gun sales would do little to stop mass shootings of the kind that shattered this citys sense of security. Im now considering getting a gun, said Dondi Abarca, 43, a county employee. Times are changing, and there are these situations that are happening. DWT you can probably guess that yesterday was a very special day for me: Steve Israel announcing he is Unless this is the first time you've come toyou can probably guess that yesterday was a very special day for me: Steve Israel announcing he is retiring from Congress . The details haven't come out yet but there is little doubt he isn't retiring to spend more time as a failed author of inconsequential books. (My friend David and I are working on a sit-com that features a corrupt congressman from Long Island named Steve Tel-Aviv and perhaps he has some acting abilities... I bear him to personal animus. I've even become friends with Mark Foley after he... retired.) I shudder at the thought of recapping Israel's odious career. I just can't make myself do it. I just spent a year getting chemotherapy and I don't have the fortitude it would take to go through every horrible twist and turn in the corrupt life of this incompetent ne'er-do-well, a Blue Dog from a distinctly non-Blue Dog part of the country, working overtime to turn the Democratic Party into the Republican-Lite Party. I guess that's what I disliked the most, although the way he mistreated progressive candidates used to drive me as crazy as the way Chuck Schumer does now. This is a guy who swindled his synagogue and then swindled the taxpayers when he got caught. There are so many potentially prosecutable cases involving Israel that it is impossible for anyone who knows him not to suspect that his sudden retirement wasn't part of an informal plea deal to keep him out of prison. Could be anything from Gary Melius being shot in the head at Oheka Castle to the financial improprieties that have dogged him for his whole life . Oh, yeah and then there was one of the ex-wives who used to get drunk and scream she would tell the world how he was embezzling money from the DCCC. I always wondered how that was possible and never got to the bottom of it. Anyway, I felt like I was in an alternative universe today when I read Nancy Pelosi's statement of appreciation for Israel's service. I've added some brief notes in italics: "America's working families have always had a champion in Steve Israel." Unless she meant American families who worked in Wall Street banks, that is just not true. Israel, by the way was the recipient of of $4,351,866 in direct legalistic bribes from the Finance Sector and he had already gobbled up $291,300 from them this cycle. "In his service in Congress, Steve has brought clarity and leadership to the work of reigniting the American Dream for the middle class families who are the backbone of our democracy. He has always considered it a privilege to represent the people of Long Island, and he is deeply devoted to his constituents. Congressman Israel's deep understanding of the concerns and aspirations of the American people have been invaluable to the Congress and to our country." This is so silly on every level-- from "clarity" and "leadership" to the idea of deep devotion to anyone other than his own personal interests. It sounds like a funeral oration and you always have to say something nice at a funeral, I guess. "After Steve's excellent leadership as Chairman of the DCCC," My housekeeper came running downstairs when she heard my screaming after I read that. Unless she's talking about him painting the walls of the building a different and improved color, Israel's "leadership" at the DCCC has benefited 1- the Republicans who have retained and captured seats in Democratic districts soley due to Israel's incompetence as chairman; 2- corrupt and reactionary Blue Dogs and New Dems who he favored over progressives at every turn; and 3- a bevy of staffers so incapable of doing a credible job that most of them wouldn't have lasted two days in private industry and many would have been escorted out of their offices and into paddy wagons. "I asked him to take the helm of a newly-formed Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, so that our Caucus could continue to benefit from his exceptional communications expertise. Under Chairman Israel's leadership, the DPCC has helped strengthen and hone our message, enabling us to win key legislative victories for the American people." Is it possible she was being humorous and just having some fun? It boggles the mind if she wasn't. "Steve is a tremendous resource in articulating Democrats' work on behalf of hard-working families. He will be a critical resource for our Caucus in the remainder of his term and into the future. His work for the middle class, for veterans, for the people of New York has been exceptional." Camille Cosby will not have to sit for a deposition Wednesday in a lawsuit filed against her husband, the entertainer Bill Cosby, a federal judge in Massachusetts ruled Tuesday, as he granted Mrs. Cosbys request to postpone any deposition until her lawyers have a chance to appeal. Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy had ruled last week that Mrs. Cosby must sit for the deposition despite her opposition. She was scheduled to meet on Wednesday with lawyers for seven women who say Mr. Cosby defamed them when his team characterized their accounts of sexual assault as fabrications. But Judge Hennessy granted Mrs. Cosbys motion for a stay to allow her lawyers to appeal his decision. Both sides will have to wait for the United States District Court judge, Mark G. Mastroianni, the senior judge overseeing the case, to rule on the appeal. Thousands of vacant buildings in Baltimore will be demolished over the next four years, officials said Tuesday. The demolitions will start in the neighborhood where Freddie Gray was fatally injured in police custody, prompting civil unrest that highlighted the urban decay. The plan includes $75 million in state funding to demolish blocks of abandoned buildings to create space for affordable housing, businesses and parks, Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said. The city will provide nearly $19 million worth of administrative services, and the state will offer more than $600 million in financing opportunities for private-sector development, they said. SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. Federal investigators announced Tuesday that they had accounted for almost all the four hours between the time that a husband-and-wife terrorist team killed 14 people at a holiday party here last month and the time that they died in a bloody police shootout all except for an 18-minute window. And amid signs that the investigation is slowing down, they issued a public appeal for help from anyone who might have information on what the couple, Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, did from 12:59 p.m. to 1:17 p.m. on Dec. 2, perhaps in the form of a witness sighting or an image by a stray surveillance camera. Why are those 18 minutes important? said David Bowdich, the F.B.I. agent running the investigation. We want to know if they stopped at any residence, business, that we dont already know about. It may very well not be an important fact, but until we close that gap, we just dont know for sure, Mr. Bowdich said. Republicans are now more likely to denounce his ideology and use of executive power than his competence. Unfortunately, I think he has been successful at achieving his agenda, Senator Marco Rubio, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, lamented recently. Former Representative Vin Weber, a Republican who came to power in Ronald Reagans landslide in 1980, said: Its very hard for Republicans to acknowledge that. But you cant deny the successes. Smooth sailing in the final year is by no means guaranteed. Ten months before Bill Clinton left office, the technology bubble burst; the 2008 Wall Street collapse made a ruin of Mr. Bushs final chapter. Frightened by the Paris and San Bernardino attacks, most Americans say Mr. Obamas strategy against the Islamic State isnt working. But the evidence points to a second term for Mr. Obama that is more successful than most. If you go back to the Truman era, his stacks up favorably in fact, much better than the majority, said Thomas Cronin, a scholar of the presidency at Colorado College. Presidential achievement takes different forms. Some predecessors accomplished more with Congress in second terms. Mr. Reagan, for example, signed sweeping overhauls of the tax and immigration systems. HOOKSETT, N.H. Jeb Bushs elder son, George P. Bush, is the land commissioner of Texas and is nicknamed 47 a look ahead to when, many joke, he will become the 47th president. His younger son, John Ellis Bush Jr., briefly saw his name floated as a contender for a Florida congressional seat. But Mr. Bushs daughter, Noelle Bush, has stayed far from the world of politics, in part because of her long struggle with addiction. She faced felony charges that she tried to fill a fraudulent prescription for Xanax when she was 24, and later ended up in jail after she was found with pills and then crack cocaine in her shoe. On Tuesday, Mr. Bush spoke of how his family dealt with his daughters difficulties, which became uncomfortably public when he was governor of Florida. BURNS, Ore. They used to call it Bundyville, a dot of the arid Wild West where in 1916, a Mormon pioneer named Abraham Bundy staked out a homestead in a sea of northern Arizona sagebrush. Settlers caught rainwater in tanks and grazed their livestock across public land that had yet to be brought under government control. That place is mostly a ghost town today, gradually abandoned after the nation set up a system of grazing permits and regulations to curb voracious overgrazing on public lands. But shards of Bundyville have stuck with the branch of the family that made its way to Nevada, where they set up a cattle ranch and became the face of unyielding, armed protest over how Washington manages Western lands. And now in many ways, a little piece of Bundyville has re-emerged here in east-central Oregon, in the temper and tone of a Bundy-family led crew of armed, antigovernment acolytes who are occupying a federal wildlife reserve, calling for Washington to hand control of federal lands to ranchers and local governments, and seeking to unwind a century of policy that has shaped the West. The rural economy has stuttered and stumbled in recent years in places like Burns and surrounding Harney County, and the Bundys say it is because of the government. They want to roll it back. The United Nations has asked for an investigation into new accusations that United Nations peacekeepers sexually abused four underage girls in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic. The organization is looking into how many peacekeepers may have been involved, said Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who did not disclose which nations peacekeepers had been accused. The countries whose troops have been accused of involvement will be responsible for investigating the allegations. The latest cases follow a series of sexual abuse accusations against United Nations peacekeepers last year in the Central African Republic. A former defense minister has been charged with corruption in connection with the diversion of $1.5 million intended for military spending, the government said Tuesday. The former minister, Bello Haliru Mohammed, served under former President Goodluck Jonathan, who was defeated in an election last year by President Muhammadu Buhari. Mr. Buhari campaigned on a pledge to root out widespread corruption. Mr. Mohammed and his son, Bello Abba Mohammed, were charged with diverting funds meant for the procurement of arms through the office of the National Security Adviser. They pleaded not guilty. CARACAS, Venezuela Change came to the National Assembly here on Tuesday in very Venezuelan style with a lot of shouting. In a raucous session that at times resembled a professional wrestling smackdown, without the hair-pulling and spandex, opposition legislators were sworn in as a majority for the first time in 16 years. Do you know whats surprising that this is sensational news in Venezuela, Henry Ramos, the new head of the National Assembly, said as he was surrounded by reporters and television cameras on the floor of the Assembly chamber. In no other part of the world is the opening of Congress big news. Everyone is paying attention to this today, like never before, he added. Why? Because the world knows that a new phase starts in Venezuela today. WASHINGTON North Korea declared on Tuesday that it had detonated its first hydrogen bomb. The assertion, if true, would dramatically escalate the nuclear challenge from one of the worlds most isolated and dangerous states. In an announcement, North Korea said that the test had been a complete success. But it was difficult to tell whether the statement was true. North Korea has made repeated claims about its nuclear capabilities that outside analysts have greeted with skepticism. This is the self-defensive measure we have to take to defend our right to live in the face of the nuclear threats and blackmail by the United States and to guarantee the security of the Korean Peninsula, a female North Korean announcer said, reading the statement on Central Television, the state-run network. The Norths announcement came about an hour after detection devices around the world had picked up a 5.1 seismic event along the countrys northeast coast. Dyckia sp, what does this mean? ...and what else? Dyckia sp is the very same as Dyckia species, in fact short for Dyckia species. It refers to an unnamed Dyckia species. A Dyckia sp can not be a hybrid Dyckia and never a Dyckia you do not know the name but a nameless Dyckia species. The fact that you do not know the plant it does not mean a nameless one. A new Dyckia species must be published in order to have its name valid. This obligation doesnt counted on Iternet publications as The World Wide Web didnt exist and publication meant : journals, books, magazine, scientific report magazines. Nowadays nothing is better published than in the WWW. Publishing means getting public and there is nothing equal nor close to the WWW. Public means everybody not just a bunch of selected guys. These are mates, collegues, fellows not public. Here people publish new Plant species on very restricted magazine or very specialized magazines and assume as published. Publishing means everybody who is willing to know of it. Also the world doesnspeaks Portuguese, nor spanish and less than this doesnt understand old Latim ( Not even those who publishes a new species. They rely on claves and many mistakes are made.) Today publishing means WWW!!! Today it means English!! If a new species is published here in Brazil it must be in Latim as in any other place on the Earth, Portuguese and for Gods sake also in English and entirely not a sinopsis only. Publications with a very restrictec and exclusive public is out of question. Publications with on purposal omitted data is also out of question and not valid. A bunch of readers is not public. A group of readers are collegues never public!!!Public is WWW and your reader may be in Reykjavick or Auckland, Rio or Tokyo and everywhere in between. Portuguese is a lovely sounding language. It makes feel home...but who is going to undertand me in ...in...everywhere else besides people which countries speak Camoes language? English, English for Godssake. Also there is no sense publising without precise data. Preservation means showing, educating not hidding an less yet iluding. What Light is for if it doesnt Brighten up high above everything? Light is to iluminate or it is not Light and if it isnt Light it isnt Science! British lawmakers will debate a petition that calls for the Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Trump to be barred from Britain. Over 500,000 people have signed an online petition calling for him to be barred after he called last month for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States. Almost 40,000 people have signed a rival petition that says he should not be barred. Under British law, any petition that receives at least 100,000 signatures must be considered for parliamentary debate. The House of Commons Petitions Committee said Tuesday that both petitions would be debated on Jan. 18. Jordan acknowledged on Tuesday that over 12,000 Syrian refugees had amassed at its border, awaiting entry into the country. A government spokesman, Mohammed Momani, said that the number of refugees is increasing. The refugees from the Syrian civil war are stranded in a remote desert area where many have spent weeks or months in what aid agencies say are deteriorating humanitarian conditions. The United Nations urged Jordan last month to allow the refugees to enter. About 50 to 100 of them are permitted to enter each day, Mr. Momani said, with priority given to women, children, older people and the sick. The Saudi Embassy in Baghdad, shut for 25 years, had reopened on Friday, a day before the diplomatic feud. After Sheikh Nimr was executed, some Iraqi Shiite groups close to Iran quickly demanded that it be closed. At one point, protesters gathered near the fortified Green Zone, where the Saudi and other embassies are. But Mr. Abadi decided that closing the Saudi Embassy was not in the interests of Iraq, said Mr. Hadithi, his spokesman, adding, The Iraqi government preserves its relations with the countries of the world, he said, and that includes Saudi Arabia. Mr. Abadi did issue a statement expressing great sorrow and sad shock at the execution, and criticizing what he called Saudi Arabias mouth-muzzling policy. He called free expression of opinions and peaceful opposition basic rights, and said that violating them would lead to insecurity and instability. Mr. Abadis main task in office has been to maintain crucial ties with Shiite forces, often backed by Iran, which have proved more effective than the army in the fight against the Islamic State, while also restoring ties with the Sunni minority. Many Sunnis sense of neglect by the Shiite-led government in Baghdad helped create the opening for the Islamic State to seize much of the north and west of Iraq in 2014. Most analysts believe he has done a decent job of this, at least better than his predecessor, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, who presided over discriminatory policies that alienated many Sunnis. His challenge now, as he looks north to the greater challenge of trying to retake Mosul, Iraqs second-largest city, is to retain the support of Sunni tribes. Tensions flared last summer after Shiite forces helped oust the Islamic State from Sunni areas like the city of Tikrit. There were reports that Shiite fighters forced Sunnis from their homes and looted their property. But by contrast, Ramadi was taken by a combination of Iraqi security forces and armed Sunni fighters from the area with the help of heavy American airstrikes, which had been less forthcoming when Iranian-backed militias led the fight in Tikrit. Four years after Hannah Horvaths parents cut her off in the first episode of HBOs Girls, the network has announced that Lena Dunham and the shows other creators will be doing the same thing to their audience. The shows sixth season, scheduled to be broadcast in 2017, will be its last, the network said. Lena Dunham and her brilliant collaborators, including Judd Apatow and Jenni Konner, have given HBO a signature series of rare wit and intelligence, Michael Lombardo, the president of HBO programming said in a statement. The show grabbed headlines when it premiered in 2012 for its naturalistic take on four young womens lives in New York City, as well as its graphic sex scenes. Though it initially garnered comparisons to Sex and the City, the show distinguished itself early on with its frank (and often less than glamorous) depiction of early adulthood. I conceived of Girls when I was 23 and now Im nearly 30 the show has quite perfectly spanned my 20s, the period of time that its about and so it feels like the right time to wrap our story up, Ms. Dunham, who created, wrote and starred in the series, said in a statement. Gilbert E. Kaplan, a financial publisher who had an accidental second career as an international symphony conductor despite the fact that he could scarcely read music and possessed a concert repertoire of exactly one piece died on New Years Day in Manhattan. He was 74. The cause was cancer, his daughter Emily Kaplan said. Originally trained as an economist, Mr. Kaplan was the founder and longtime chief executive of Institutional Investor, a monthly magazine for pension fund and asset managers. After starting the publication in 1967, at 26, he built it into a multimedia concern comprising magazines, journals, conferences and other services. He sold the company in 1984 for a figure reported to exceed $70 million. By then, Mr. Kaplan had embarked on his unlikely vocation as a globe-trotting conductor of Mahlers Second Symphony and only Mahlers Second Symphony. That work, which had held him in thrall for years, would propel him onto the podiums of some of the worlds leading orchestras, including the Vienna Philharmonic, the London Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the St. Louis Symphony and, in an outing that became the subject of a headline-making fracas, the New York Philharmonic. For an untrained conductor to lead a symphony orchestra much less to lead one in a fiendish piece like Mahlers Second is, as The St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote in a 1991 review of one of Mr. Kaplans concerts, almost preposterous. As a conductor, he showed much less hesitation. Where his first concerts had been devoted entirely to 20th-century works, he began, in the early 1960s, to explore earlier repertoires Haydn, Bach, Schubert, Mozart, Beethoven with the Concertgebouw and the Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra. He made his debut with an American orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, in March 1965. The program, a typical one for him, comprised Rameau, his own music (Figures-Doubles-Prismes), Debussy and Stravinsky (The Song of the Nightingale). The next year, he conducted his first operas, Wozzeck in Frankfurt and Paris, and Parsifal at Bayreuth in Germany, and he started recording for Columbia Masterworks. His first releases for the label included Wozzeck and albums of Debussy and Messiaen. Resistance in New York His appointment to the New York Philharmonic in 1971 presented great challenges. As music director, he had to enlarge his repertoire rapidly. Until then, he had conducted very little Romantic music other than Berliozs; now Schubert, Brahms, Dvorak and Borodin joined his programs, not always convincingly. Though he refused to compromise on Tchaikovsky, he was becoming much more like a regular conductor. Part of his individuality was lost in the colossal task of maintaining important positions on both sides of the Atlantic, his post with the BBC Symphony demanding much of his time as well. Added to the load was his commitment to prepare the Bayreuth centenary Ring in 1976. Both his programming and his handling of an older repertoire met with some resistance from audiences, critics and, it was said, even some of his musicians. Harold C. Schonberg of The New York Times called Mr. Boulez a brainy orchestral technician whose scientific approach lacked heart. Reviewing a 1972 concert that included Edgard Vareses 1927 composition Arcana, Donal Henahan of The Times reported that perhaps a quarter of the downstairs audience at Philharmonic Hall fled as if from the Black Death before the piece was performed. Mr. Boulez wanted to make the orchestra a more flexible institution, and a more modern one. Performances might begin with short programs of chamber music, played by members of the orchestra. More of the repertoire would be explored. During his first season as the music director, there was an emphasis on Liszt. Then concerts consisting entirely of new and recent works were given at downtown sites. There were also informal evenings of talk, rehearsal and performance featuring 20th-century composers. And there were summer seasons of rug concerts, with a different program every night for a week, played to audiences seated on the floor of Philharmonic Hall. Is the plan to revive the late, lamented New York City Opera feasible? The New York State Attorney Generals office has raised questions in a court filing this week about whether a plan to reorganize the company by NYCO Renaissance a group backed by Roy Niederhoffer, a hedge fund manager is likely to survive beyond its first few years. The attorney generals office has an interest in whether charitable donations that were given to the old City Opera whose remaining endowment fund is now valued at around $4.5 million, less than a tenth of what it once was should be given to a reorganized company. A hearing on NYCO Renaissances plan is scheduled for Tuesday in United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. The filing, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, does not offer a formal opinion on whether the NYCO Renaissance plan is workable. But it raises serious questions about whether the reorganization relies on overly rosy projections of high donations and low expenses, and argues that the group should offer more evidence that its plan would be sustainable beyond its first few years, when it would be able to rely on several large bequests to the company. The filing notes that the plan projects raising almost as much money in the new companys first six months as the old City Opera raised in its final year, even though the new company would be starting from scratch after more than two years of not mounting any performances and being out of the public eye (other than in connection with bankruptcy) and absent from the New York fund-raising scene. The original show runner for the hit AMC series The Walking Dead has painted an unflattering depiction of that networks executives, accusing them of slashing the budgets for the horror drama just as the show was finding success and of failing to adequately appreciate the often grueling work of its cast and crew. These accusations, leveled by Frank Darabont, the Academy Award-nominated screenwriter and director (The Shawshank Redemption), came to light in a deposition he gave in a lawsuit against AMC. Mr. Darabont, who developed The Walking Dead from a popular comic book into a television series, was pushed out of his role as its show runner in 2011, during the programs second season. He is now suing AMC for millions of dollars in profits from the show he says he is owed. In a deposition given in September, and which was made public this week (and first disclosed by The Hollywood Reporter), Mr. Darabont said that AMC reduced the budget for The Walking Dead to $3 million an episode, from $3.4 million an episode. He said the network also kept for itself a tax credit that the series received from the state of Georgia, where it is filmed. The cast and crew were earning, busting their butts, leaving it all on the field, to earn, Mr. Darabont said in the deposition. The fact that we couldnt then take that tax credit and put it on the screen or alleviate shooting conditions to any degree, I thought that was adding insult to injury. Must-see TV was once the slogan NBC used to promote its prime-time series, the idea being that viewers simply had to watch its shows if they wanted to be part of the television conversation. Today that phrase might be a good measuring stick for the assortment of streaming services asking for our attention and money: Is anything on them must-see TV? Netflix and Amazon have cleared that bar, and Hulu, if it hasnt already, will soon with some high-profile original series on its docket. But a new comedy subscription service called Seeso, from NBCs own universe, still has work to do if it wants to push beyond the comedy-nerd demographic. The service, which goes live on Thursday after a free beta period that began a month ago, has lots of goodies but only a limited amount of original content to start with, and from the samples available during beta, none of that is exactly mandatory viewing. Seeso, from NBCUniversal Digital Enterprises, will cost $3.99 a month. Its enjoyable to poke around on, whether your taste runs to off-the-wall foreign fare or mainstream sitcoms like 30 Rock. Monty Python will be well represented, both with Flying Circus episodes and some of the movies. All 40 years worth of Saturday Night Live are promised. Subscribers will be able to compare the British and American versions of The Office, sample lots of stand-up and revisit favorites like The Kids in the Hall and Fawlty Towers. If nothing else, having so much comedy gathered in one advertising-free place is certainly convenient. But the Seeso Originals, as they were labeled in beta, are hit-or-miss. When Dr. Paul Kalanithi sent his best friend an email in May 2013 revealing that he had terminal cancer, he wrote: The good news is that Ive already outlived two Brontes, Keats and Stephen Crane. The bad news is that I havent written anything. It was a jokey way of dealing with the unthinkable but also an indication of Dr. Kalanithis tremendous ambition. He had led a fascinating life and was not about to leave it unchronicled. The bittersweet news is that in the 22 months left to him, Dr. Kalanithi, who died at 37, went on to write a great, indelible book, When Breath Becomes Air, that is as intimate and illuminating as Atul Gawandes Being Mortal, to cite only one recent example of a doctors book that has had exceptionally wide appeal. To paraphrase Abraham Vergheses introduction, to read this book is to feel that Dr. Kalanithi still lives, with enormous power to influence the lives of others even though he is gone. Dr. Verghese suggests not only reading When Breath Becomes Air but also listening to the overwhelming response it prompts in you. I guarantee that finishing this book and then forgetting about it is simply not an option. There is so much here that lingers, and not just about matters of life and death: One of the most poignant things about Dr. Kalanithis story is that he had postponed learning how to live while pursuing his career in neurosurgery. By the time he was ready to enjoy a life outside the operating room, what he needed to learn was how to die. Dr. Kalanithis abiding and eclectic interest in serious literature serves him well throughout When Breath Becomes Air. Its hauntingly beautiful title is a paraphrase from the poem Caelica 83, part of a 17th-century sonnet series by Fulke Greville. Its obscure but could not be more apt. Thomas Brownes Religio Medici was the book he loved most. HONG KONG New World Development, a Hong Kong property company, offered on Wednesday to privatize New World China Land, its property developer unit, in a deal worth about $2.8 billion. New World Development is controlled by the family of the Hong Kong billionaire Cheng Yu-tung, which also controls the jewelry chain Chow Tai Fook, one of the worlds largest. It had tried to privatize the property unit in 2014 but failed to gain shareholder approval because of a so-called head-count test, required under a special accelerated buyout process, which takes into account not just the number of shares that are voted but also the number of shareholders voting. New World Development had offered 6.80 Hong Kong dollars, or 87 cents, a share. While holders of 99.84 percent of New World China shares were in favor of the takeover, they constituted only 255 registered shareholders, or 34 percent. The remaining 66 percent of shareholders, with a stake of 0.16 percent, opposed the deal. After the offer fell through, regulations required New World Development to wait 12 months before making another bid for the unit. The new offer for all the shares that the parent company does not already own will not have to pass the head-count test because it is not using the accelerated process. At 7.80 dollars a share for a total 21.5 billion dollars the company is offering a premium of 25.6 percent over the closing price of New World China on Dec. 31, its last trading day before shares were suspended in anticipation of the offer. LOS ANGELES On a recent Friday afternoon, Genevieve Gaignard, a photographer, collagist and installation artist, was sitting on her bed in the room she rents in the Echo Park neighborhood. For the last year, Ms. Gaignard, who takes self-portraits costumed as various alter egos she imagines, then builds fictional domestic spaces for them, has lived in this nondescript, book-filled and thoroughly carpeted apartment with a professional couple in their late 20s, their chatty lime-green parrot and three cats. Ms. Gaignard, who is 34, with strawberry-blond hair and long, acrylic nails painted the matte pastel colors of Jordan almonds, had decorated her bedroom with charmingly girlish touches, like a white net canopy befitting a fairy-tale princess and a Felix the Cat clock with a pendulum tail. On every surface were snowdrifts of stuff: piles of clothing, toiletries, plastic sunglasses. On her desk, a bra and a half-eaten granola bar shared space with an assortment of wigs. This is what happens; this is how involved I get in the artmaking, she said, waving a manicured hand around at the clutter. Everything else sort of falls apart. A 2014 graduate of Yales photography M.F.A. program, Ms. Gaignard does work that reclaims everyday items: hair curlers, curling irons, plastic party favors, costume jewelry, towels. These she finds at thrift shops, dollar and beauty supply stores, or via her mother, who, she says with affection, is kind of a hoarder. A forest of Vanillaroma air fresheners dangles from a pair of yellow knee-high boots. A collage made to resemble the faux-wood paneling of a suburban basement is appended with miniature knickknacks. Its not like, Hmm, can I make something out of nothing? Ms. Gaignard said. Its literally like, What do I have access to? Her recent show, Us Only, at Shulamit Nazarian Gallery in the Venice neighborhood, featured a variety of pieces that blurred the lines between highbrow and vernacular, unraveling stereotypes of gender, race and class in the process. Her photos are often likened to those of Cindy Sherman, arguably our most famous costumed self-portraitist. But this comparison takes into account neither the animating impulses of her art Ms. Gaignard is biracial, and her background forms an essential through line in her work nor the decades of intervening culture since Ms. Sherman began taking pictures in the late 1970s. Third-wave feminism, online dating, even the ascent of the selfie: All are likely influences on a female artist photographing herself today. (Ms. Gaignard told me that Diane Arbus, not Ms. Sherman, was her seminal artistic inspiration, in part because she feels like one of the people she photographed.) As part of a broader push to modernize New Yorks infrastructure, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Wednesday proposed spending $22 billion to improve state roads and bridges. The funding would pay for upgrades to roads and bridges in upstate New York as part of an effort to invest in the region, Mr. Cuomo said during a speech near Syracuse. We want to rebuild our roads and bridges because transportation is the key to commerce, he said. The announcement came several months after Mr. Cuomo pledged $8 billion for the Metropolitan Transportation Authoritys capital plan. State Senate leaders have said that any agreement over the capital plan, which pays for improvements to New York Citys subway system and commuter rail, must include strong funding for roads and bridges. The governor plans to outline more details about his proposed budget during his State of the State address next week. A spokeswoman for the governor, Beth DeFalco, said the $22 billion would be spent over five years. Investigators trying to solve the murder of a Westchester County socialite on her familys 300-acre horse farm have yet to unravel a killing that has captivated and mystified residents in one of the New York City regions most affluent and tranquil communities. But their investigation has uncovered an unexpected crime: hay theft. On Sunday, two workers on the estate were arrested and accused of stealing about $30,000 worth of hay over nearly three years. It is the first time in memory that anyone has been accused of such a crime in New York State, the authorities said. The men, Angel H. Parra Penafiel and Hugo Ramirez-Morales, were charged with felony grand larceny. One law enforcement official who had been briefed on the case cautioned that there was no evidence linking the two men to the killing and that the theft of the hay was discovered tangentially to the murder investigation. UNITED NATIONS In New York, temporary train stations, temporary art installations and temporary sidewalk sheds can endure for a decade or more. So it is a marvel to report that an interim building will turn out to be just that. Perhaps because it is technically not in New York. The six-year-old, $140 million North Lawn Building, an almost windowless mass of concrete and white corrugated steel that stretches from 46th to 47th Street along the East River, was designed to house the critical operations of the United Nations while the headquarters complex was being renovated. Now that the $2.15 billion renovation is finished, the North Lawn Building is, too. It is to be demolished over the next five months, though dismantled might be a better word, since the contractor has an incentive to recycle. The United Nations set an upper limit of $16.76 million for the demolition contract, which was competitively bid. That encouraged prospective contractors to extract as much value as possible from the reuse of building materials. To the Editor: Tearful Obama Outlines Steps to Curb Gun Deaths (front page, Jan. 6): President Obamas call for common-sense gun restrictions was heartfelt, humble and heroic, but theres almost no chance that it will have any impact on the Republican-controlled Congress. The president pulled out all the stops, and still there will be no action in Washington that would place sensible restraints on the ability to purchase a weapon without a background check. The National Rifle Associations paid puppets in Congress hold the purse strings that would fund much of Mr. Obamas agenda. The presidents executive actions will certainly be challenged in the courts, and the question of how to enforce his plan is monumental. All that aside, Mr. Obamas words put tears in my eyes, and I can only hope that all those who heard him on Tuesday, or who hear him in subsequent broadcasts, will rise up and demand that their elected representatives take meaningful action to curb gun violence in America. HENRY A. LOWENSTEIN New York The news took even many in the Socialist government by surprise. The day before Mr. Vallss announcement, the outspoken minister of justice, Christiane Taubira, dismissed the idea of such legislation as null and void. It will fizzle out on its own, she assured reporters, a statement echoed by other members of President Francois Hollandes inner circle. Skeptical reporters could be forgiven, because the original idea came from Mr. Hollande himself. When he convened both houses of the French Parliament at Versailles three days after the Paris terrorist attacks, he came with three goals: to reassure a shaken nation, reaffirm his personal authority and restrain the rights ascendancy. In a Gallic variation on the Patriot Act, Mr. Hollande announced not just the extension of the state of emergency and expansion of the states ability to gather intelligence, but also the constitutional wrinkle concerning terrorists holding dual nationality. At the time, few Socialist politicians, still in shock over events, took that last goal seriously. Mr. Hollande and Mr. Valls had vehemently opposed the same proposal when the previous president, Nicolas Sarkozy, embraced it in 2010. But with the National Fronts dramatic electoral gains in regional elections in December, things seemed to change: Successive polls revealing an overwhelming majority of French in favor of such a law most likely persuaded Mr. Hollande, whose approval ratings remain dismal, to carry out his original promise. Yet for many Socialists, already embittered by his modest efforts to liberalize the moribund economy, Mr. Hollande was committing both a moral crime and a political blunder. His proposal would in effect create two classes of citizens, the lesser of which would enjoy the rights and duties of citizenship, but with the proviso that they could be legally withdrawn by the state. Hence the explosion of anger when Mr. Valls worried that his Socialist critics had allowed grand values to lead them astray. Christian Paul spoke for a growing number of Socialist deputies when he replied: Those who forget their values lose their honor. Something else has also been forgotten, however. While the question of citizenship is no small matter for any nation, it has a particularly compelling role in French history and identity. The French Revolution invented the modern conception of national citizenship and formalized the ideal of civil equality. Thanks to its revolutionary heritage, France juggles a unique combination of jus sanguinis where children inherit their parents nationality and jus soli, where the soil one is born on, and not the parents one is born to, determines ones nationality. (Children born on French soil to foreigners become citizens at age 18, if they dont have a criminal record and have resided continuously in the country for five years.) To the Editor: Re A Better Standard for the Use of Deadly Force, by Olevia Boykin, Christopher Desir and Jed Rubenfeld (Op-Ed, Jan. 1): What difference would a better standard make? Its not academic mumbo-jumbo; a better standard would save hundreds of American lives a year. About 1,000 lives are lost each year in the United States because of police use of deadly force, while in places such as England and Germany fewer than 10 are. Why? Training in the use of force is at the heart of police education. Police officers are taught not only that resort to deadly force must be necessary, as the article advocates, but also that it must be proportionate that is, the consequences for the person affected are not out of proportion to the danger averted. Shooting at a fleeing traffic offender, as happens in the United States, is rarely proportionate. JAMES R. MAXEINER Baltimore The writer is associate director of the Center for International and Comparative Law, University of Baltimore School of Law. To the Editor: During my career in law enforcement I trained many new hires, made hundreds of arrests and was involved in one on-duty shooting. The writers statement that police officers are more likely and quicker to shoot an armed black suspect than an armed white one is offensive. Its the kind of rhetoric that keeps us from having a constructive conversation about the tremendously serious problems facing this country regarding law enforcement and minorities. Donald Trump has confounded politicians, pundits and political scientists as he runs a most unconventional and so far successful campaign to win the Republican presidential nomination. Heres the way we think these things are supposed to play out: Party leaders shape and guide the nomination process. We call it the invisible primary, and it was described in an influential 2008 book, The Party Decides. I asked David Karol, a University of Maryland associate professor of political science and one of the books four authors, whether Mr. Trumps rise reveals a fundamental shift in party control. He thinks not. Heres our conversation, slightly edited. Q. Youve thought a lot about political parties and the glue that holds them together. What does the rise of candidates like Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Bernie Sanders, Carly Fiorina and to some extent Ted Cruz the party outsiders suggest about political parties in America right now? A. The first thing I would note is that Trump differs from the rest. Other outsiders have benefited from recent changes in the ways that parties nominate candidates, but Trump could have run the same campaign he is running today decades ago. He doesnt need recent changes to do what he is doing. Q. What are some of the recent changes to the partys nominating process that you think have helped these outside candidates gain traction? VALMEYER, Ill. This little town on the Mississippi River nearly drowned in the Great Flood of 1993. Houses filled with 16 feet of muddy water. Streets disintegrated and washed away. After Valmeyers 900 residents surveyed the wreckage, they vowed, tired and grieving, that they would not let it happen again. So they picked up their town and moved. The people of Valmeyer abandoned the rich riverfront plains where their village had stood for more than 80 years and chose a spot on a bluff, a mile and a half east. Everyone who was willing to move uphill built a house in the new town, on 500 acres of woods and cornfields. They paved roads, constructed a school and installed streetlights. And last month, when the river began to swell and then inundated cities from St. Louis, 25 miles upstream, to Cape Girardeau in southern Missouri, Valmeyer refugees watched from the safe perch of their new homes on higher ground. The people who live here, now numbering almost 1,200, say they are grateful to have stayed dry. But there is just one problem. They are homesick for the old town on the water. I personally wish I was still down there, Laurie Brown, the city clerk, said of what is called Old Valmeyer. Down there, you pretty well knew everybody. We wont get the camaraderie back. Up here, it just doesnt feel like a hometown. WILDBAD KREUTH, Germany (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday she wants to stem the flow of refugees into the Europe Union while at the same time keeping open borders within the bloc. "It is very important to me that we achieve both a noticeable reduction in the flow of refugees ... and at the same time preserve the free movement of people within the European Union," she told reporters at a meeting of her Bavarian allies. (Writing by Paul Carrel; Editing by Michael Nienaber) The police screened a video in which a fictional gunman clad in black blasted away at fictional white-collar employees during their mundane workday. The authorities are working hard to protect you and to protect our public spaces, the baritone narration went. But sometimes bad people do bad things. The workers were shown running, hiding and, in the end, attacking the gunman as he barged through a door. The idea of preparing for a mass shooting has been embraced for years by many school systems in the United States, as well as some workplaces: Employees of both the Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado and the government agency in San Bernardino County had received such training before the massacres there. But in recent weeks, more sessions like the one here have bloomed nationwide. Hundreds came for a seminar at City Hall in Livonia, Mich. Boy Scout Troop 212 received a lesson in survival from the Iowa City Police Department. Numerous state and local governments including the tiny town of Level Plains, Ala., and the State of New Hampshire, which employs about 11,000 people announced expanded training for employees in 2016. While the odds of an American being involved in an active-shooter event remain extremely slim, a 2014 F.B.I. study showed that about 11 such shootings occurred each year on average between 2000 and 2013, with the frequency increasing. Public safety officials have long recommended that people evacuate or hide in lockdown during attacks, but in the last couple of years officials have also widely accepted fighting back as a last resort. The idea of proactive self-defense was embraced wholeheartedly in Douglasville, a suburban city of 32,000 just west of Atlanta. Danine Mezzell, 57, said she came to the meeting here after sitting in the local mall during the heart of the holiday shopping season wondering how she would survive an attack without her handguns, which she has a permit to carry but which the mall prohibited her from bringing. Yet public opposition to the law has ticked up again in recent months, in part because the cost of coverage from the laws insurance exchanges is rising in many states for 2016. The most recent Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll found 46 percent of Americans had an unfavorable opinion of the law, compared with 40 percent who viewed it favorably. This has left the law a weapon of choice for Republicans in Congress, particularly in an election year in which Speaker Paul A. Ryan is seeking to set the policy agenda. A lot of what members on my side of the aisle predicted has come to pass, said Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, citing increased premiums, higher deductibles and confusion among employers as to what constitutes full-time work. A lot of the issues that directly affect peoples pocket books have turned out to be negative. I continue to believe, however, that our party must have a plan for replacing and fixing Obamacare and not just repealing it. Republicans concede that if they win the White House, simply repealing the law will no longer be sufficient. Republicans in Congress have yet to offer a comprehensive replacement for the law. Instead, much of their focus, beyond the health care law, has been on attacking Planned Parenthood. We were elected on a pledge to try and repeal Obamacare, said Representative David Jolly, Republican of Florida. If we are unsuccessful in a veto override, I think we should turn our attention to other matters like national security. But if we get a Republican in the White House, then we need to turn to solutions. The focus cant be just on repealing Obamacare. It has to be, What is our health care plan? Republicans say that the health law remains potent for them in part because some of its flaws, like rising premium costs, have only begun to be revealed, even as many of its more popular provisions were quickly clear. Even though the law was passed many years ago, the rollout is much more recent, and some components havent even been implemented, said Representative Lee Zeldin, Republican of New York. For a few years the debate over Obamacare was one about how it was going to impact individuals, families and businesses in the future. And when it actually started, the debate shifted and people had their own personal stories to tell. I would say constituents have been very upset with the failure of the New York co-op, he said, referring to the Health Republic Insurance of New York. Finding himself the target of numerous attack ads in New Hampshire, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey is responding with an ad titled We Need to Keep Our Eye on the Ball, running only in the Granite State. On Screen Haunting strings reminiscent of the trailers for the movie The Dark Knight pulsate as orange text against a black background proclaims that Marco Rubio is Attacking Governor Chris Christie, before offering The Governors Response. The ad then switches to footage of Mr. Christie delivering a speech at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire on Monday, strings still pulsating, as he lectures, Do not be fooled: Any significant division within the Republican Party leads to the same awful result Hillary Rodham Clinton in January of 2017, and says defeating the Democratic candidate is a moral duty. The ad closes with the same orange text on a black background with a warning from the ads title: Republicans Keep Your Eye On The Ball. The Message Mr. Christie is staking out a perceived moral high ground amid the mudslinging filling television screens in New Hampshire and Iowa. Much as he has done in the debates, in particular when he was dropped to the undercard, he tries to draw a contrast not with his Republican rivals, but with Mrs. Clinton. As he said in the speech at St. Anselm, his message is: Im ready to unite our party. Fact Check Despite claiming the high road, Mr. Christie has been harshly critical of Mr. Rubio, the Florida senator, in interviews and on the campaign trail. RIVERSIDE, Calif. Enrique Marquez pleaded not guilty Wednesday on charges of supplying two assault weapons that Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik used to massacre 14 people at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino last month. Mr. Marquez, dressed in a white jumpsuit, his legs and hand shackled, spoke in a clear voice as he entered his plea on that charge, as well as on counts that he and Mr. Farook had conspired on an earlier terrorist plot that was not carried out. Answering a series of questions from the United States Magistrate, Sheri Pym, Mr. Marquez said he had been informed of his constitutional rights and read the indictment. The hearing for Mr. Marquez, who is 24 and was a longtime friend of Mr. Farooks, lasted just over four minutes. Ms. Pym set the trial for Feb. 23. HEMPSTEAD, Tex. The state trooper who arrested Sandra Bland, the Chicago-area woman who three days later was found hanged in her cell at the Waller County jail, has been indicted on a perjury charge, a special prosecutor here said Wednesday. Hours after the indictment was announced against the trooper, Brian T. Encinia, the Department of Public Safety said that the state police agency will begin termination proceedings to discharge him. The charge against Trooper Encinia, a Class A misdemeanor, was announced at the end of a day of grand jury deliberations. It carries a possible penalty of one year in jail and a $4,000 fine, prosecutors said. ATLANTA The chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, Roy S. Moore, on Wednesday effectively ordered probate judges in the state not to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, a move that could cloud the carrying out of the United States Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex unions. Within hours of an administrative order, the probate court in Mobile County said on its website that it was not issuing marriage licenses to any applicants until further notice. That probate office, among the busiest in Alabama, was involved in the litigation that last year prompted a federal judge to strike down the states marriage restrictions as unconstitutional and, ultimately, issue an injunction forbidding probate judges from enforcing the Alabama laws which prohibit or fail to recognize same-sex marriage. Chief Justice Moore previously used an administrative order to try to derail same-sex nuptials in Alabama. On a Sunday night last February, hours before same-sex marriages were scheduled to begin in the state, he issued a similar order to probate judges, most of whom defied the edict. On Wednesday, Chief Justice Moore, who is among the countrys most prominent religious conservatives, argued, in part, that probate judges should not issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples because of a State Supreme Court decision that upheld Alabamas marriage prohibitions. The conflicting decisions in Washington and Montgomery, the chief justice wrote, led to confusion and uncertainty among Alabamas probate judges about how to apply the federal courts opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges, which established a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. A college professor in Illinois who is at risk of being fired for her remarks on Islam and Christianity spoke out on Wednesday, saying she was grateful for her supporters. Wheaton College, a private evangelical Christian institution, had put Larycia Alaine Hawkins, an associate professor of political science, on leave last month over the theological implications of her remarks that Christians and Muslims pray to the same God. On Tuesday, the college said that it had started a process that could lead to her termination, but gave no time frame. The colleges actions drew criticism on social media after it put Dr. Hawkins on leave with pay in mid-December for her remarks. I stand in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people of the book, she wrote on Facebook, in part, on Dec. 10. And as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God. But a rapid decline in the worlds manta populations means that the gills may soon be going off the market. A save-the-mantas campaign appears to be nudging China toward a ban on the gill trade. It would be a rare success in an otherwise grim litany of ecological ruination tied to the countrys demand for threatened plants and animals. In part by cultivating support from the government, which is typically loath to take the lead in conservation efforts, the campaign has built up grass-roots and official backing for ending gill sales with a sobering message: The business is not just endangering a vulnerable species; it is also harming consumers. Conservationists say the Chinese trade in manta ray gills has soared over the past decade, fueled not by a renaissance of tradition but by an unscrupulous network of traffickers looking for ever new ways to profit from the Chinese appetite for wildlife. The worlds manta populations have dwindled as their gills have piled up in this balmy southern city, home to 99 percent of the trade, according to WildAid, a conservation group based in San Francisco that rolled out the current campaign in 2014. The group, which uses the tagline When the Buying Stops, the Killing Can, Too, led two similar efforts that succeeded in reducing demand for both shark fin soup and elephant ivory. The campaigns employ tactics like having celebrities explain the direct link between consumption of a coveted natural ingredient and the calamitous impact on endangered wildlife, a concept for the most part unknown before in China. Toxicology tests by WildAid have also revealed that many of the gills sold at the Qingping market contain dangerous levels of heavy metals and carcinogens, including arsenic, cadmium, mercury and lead, toxic substances that accumulate as the mantas filter plankton through their gills. The sale of such a hazardous and scientifically unproven cure-all online and in stores, often marketed to nursing mothers, highlights an alarming flaw in the governments tattered food safety system, which largely ignores traditional medicine. BEIJING North Koreas test of a nuclear bomb on Wednesday seemed aimed at antagonizing a familiar adversary, the United States. The army spoke of the need to ward off imperialist aggressors, and a television commentator warned that foreigners were intent on destroying the countrys way of life. But North Koreas decision also had a more surprising target: China, its neighbor and chief ally for six decades, which had recently sought to forge closer ties. By proceeding with its nuclear test about 50 miles from the Chinese border, North Korea took a gamble that China, its largest trading partner and economic lifeline, would not react with austere sanctions, as many countries have urged. In doing so, it dealt a rare setback to President Xi Jinping, who had hoped a charm offensive over the past six months would ensure stability in the North. UNITED NATIONS The United Nations Security Council condemned North Korea for its nuclear test on Wednesday, but there was no evidence yet that the Norths most powerful backer, China, was willing to stiffen sanctions in a way that could push the unpredictable country to the point of collapse or slow its nuclear progress. As the question of how the international community should respond remained unanswered, White House officials, eager to undercut whatever propaganda value the North saw in claiming its first success in detonating a thermonuclear device, said that initial data from its monitoring stations in Asia were not consistent with a test of a hydrogen bomb. A two-hour closed session of the Security Council on Wednesday afternoon ended with a pledge to begin to work immediately on a resolution containing additional measures to rein in Pyongyang. It did not specify what those measures could be, and in the past, China and Russia have usually objected to steps that could threaten the Norths survival. The most obvious would be a prohibition on loading or unloading North Korean ships around the world, or on financial transactions with the nation. Brian Doherty on Guns, Crime, and Gun Laws By: David Henderson This morning when I was reading the blogs, the title of Brian Dohertys article caught my eye: You Know Less Than You Think About Guns. Really? Well, it turns out that, if he was addressing me, he was right. His article is a very careful look at the data on guns, crime, violence, and gun laws. It took me about 20 minutes to read and absorb it. I recommend the whole thingits long, but worth reading. Some nuggets: Guns Up, Homicide Rate Down: This simple pointthat America is awash with more guns than ever before, yet we are killing each other with guns at a far lower rate than when we had far fewer gunsundermines the narrative that there is a straightforward, causal relationship between increased gun prevalence and gun homicide. Even if you fall back on the conclusion that its just a small number of owners stockpiling more and more guns, its hard to escape noticing that even these hoarders seem to be harming fewer and fewer people with their weapons, casting doubt on the proposition that gun ownership is a political crisis demanding action. In the face of these trend linesway more guns, way fewer gun murdershow can politicians such as Obama and Hillary Clinton so successfully capitalize on the panic that follows each high profile shooting? Partly because Americans havent caught on to the crime drop. A 2013 Pew Research Poll found 56 percent of respondents thought that gun crime had gone up over the past 20 years, and only 12 percent were aware it had declined. Suicides versus Homicides: Critics quickly noted that the [National] Journals Libby Isenstein had included suicides among gun-related deaths and suicide-irrelevant policies such as stand-your-ground laws among its tally of gun laws. That meant that high-suicide, low-homicide states such as Wyoming, Alaska, and Idaho were taken to task for their liberal carry-permit policies. Worse, several of the states with what the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence considers terribly lax gun laws were dropped from Isensteins data set because their murder rates were too low! The Importance of Outliers in Affecting the Results Among other anomalies in Fleeglers research, Hinderaker pointed out that it didnt include Washington, D.C., with its strict gun laws and frequent homicides. If just one weak-gun-law state, Louisiana, were taken out of the equation, the remaining nine lowest-regulation states have an average gun homicide rate of 2.8 per 100,000, which is 12.5% less than the average of the ten states with the strictest gun control laws, he found. Having a Gun in the Home: Better Not to Be a Renter The idea that keeping a gun in the home puts owners and their families at elevated risk first rose to prominence in a 1993 New England Journal of Medicine article by Arthur Kellermann and his colleagues. Although firearms are often kept in homes for personal protection, they concluded, this study shows that the practice is counterproductive. The study has many flaws. In addition to the predictable failure to establish causality, theres a more glaring irregularity: Slightly less than half of the murders Kellermann studied were actually committed with a gun (substantially less than the national average in 1993 of around 71 percent). And even in those cases he failed to establish that the gun owners were killed with their own guns. If even a small percentage of them werent, given that more than half of the murders were not committed with guns, the causal relevance of the harmed being gun owners is far less clear. (The study found that even more dangerous risks than having a gun at home included living alone, using drugs, or being a renter.) If You Dont Run, Use a Gun In the October 2015 special issue on gun violence prevention, Preventive Medicine featured the latest and most thorough attempt to treat the NCVS as the gold standard for measuring defensive gun usage. The study, by Harvards Hemenway and Sara J. Solnick of the University of Vermont, broke down the characteristics of the small number of DGUs [Defensive Gun Uses] recorded by the NCVS [National Crime Victimization Survey] from 2007 to 2011. The authors found, among other things, that Of the 127 incidents in which victims used a gun in self-defense, they were injured after they used a gun in 4.1% of the incidents. Running away and calling the police were associated with a reduced likelihood of injury after taking action; self-defense gun use was not. That sounds not so great, but Hemenway went on to explain that attacking or threatening the perpetrator with a gun had no significant effect on the likelihood of the victim being injured after taking self-protective action, since slightly more people who tried non-firearm means of defending themselves were injured. Thus, for those who place value on self-defense and resistance over running, the use of a weapon doesnt seem too bad comparatively; Hemenway found that 55.9 percent of victims who took any kind of protective action lost property, but only 38.5 percent of people who used a gun in self-defense did. John Lotts Work The range of contentious issues involved in Lotts techniques were summed up pretty thoroughly in a sympathetic but critical review of the third** edition in Regulation. The economist Stan Liebowitz of the University of Texas at Dallas wrote: Should county level data or state level data be used? Should all counties (or states) be given equal weight? What control variables should be included in the regression? What violent crime categories should be used? How should counties that have zero crimes in a category, such as murder, be treated? How much time after passage of a law is enough to determine the effect of RTC laws? What is the appropriate time period for the analysis? Lott tried to demonstrate that on the county level, violent crime trends showed signs of improvement in counties that had or passed RTC laws compared to counties that had not, among other things checking both mean crime rates and the slope of crime rates before and after RTC passage. He attempted to control for many handfuls of other variables that might affect crime ratesindeed, some researchers accused him of accounting for too many variables, while others slammed him for failing to account for other factors, like conviction rates or length of prison sentences. Trying to prove Lott wrong quickly became a cottage industry for others interested in the nexus of guns and public safety. The back-and-forths were so extensive that the latest edition of Lotts book is nearly twice as long, with his reactions to his critics. Comparing Connecticut and Rhode Island After Connecticuts Gun Law Rhode Islands murder rate went up unusually after 1997 (the researchers dont speculate on why that might have been), thus creating some extra murders (presuming that choices to murder in Rhode Island would have for some reason created a proportional number of choices to murder in Connecticut) that we can credit Connecticut with having evaded thanks to the more stringent gun law. But what happens when you extend the analytic period beyond the arbitrary cutoff date of 2005? From 2005 to 2012, Connecticuts gun murders per 100,000 people increased 66 percent, from 2.05 to 3.41, while Rhode Islands went down 20 percent, from 1.83 to 1.45. It seems quite premature to take Webster and his teams counterfactual guess about expected murder rates over one 10-year period as establishing any reliable causal knowledge about the effects of tougher gun purchasing laws. Yet that study was used to help buttress a proposed federal law the week it went public, trying to pressure other states into following Connecticuts lead on background checks and permits, given what we now know about how life-saving that move had been. Cost-Benefit Analysis Leaving Out a Key Set of Benefits As Harvards [David] Hemenway explained to me, the confidence intervals of the social sciences in colloquial terms demand a belief that the chances are 19 to 1, or at worst 10 to 1, for you being right about your conclusion before you accept it as provisionally verified. Hemenway also believes, given the good he thinks can come from legal interventions about guns, that we dont need to be that certain we are right for policy work. But thats easier to accept if you dont value any particular benefits to relatively unrestricted private gun ownershipscientific, constitutional, or just personal. Some researchers, particularly in the public health field, act as if there were no values to balance on the other side of the policy goal of making it harder for people to get guns. The Bottom Line North Koreas claim that it set off a hydrogen bomb on Wednesday in what would be the fourth time it has tested a nuclear weapon since 2006 has stirred concerns among governments around the world. Below is a brief primer on some of the central issues at stake. Q. How is a hydrogen bomb different from an atomic bomb? A. A hydrogen bomb, also known as a thermonuclear bomb, combines hydrogen isotopes under extremely high temperatures to form helium, in a process known as nuclear fusion. It is more powerful than a conventional atomic weapon: It uses the energy released from the combination of two light atomic nuclei, while an atomic bomb uses the energy released when a heavy atomic nucleus splits, a process known as nuclear fission. American scientists developed the hydrogen bomb, which was first tested in 1952. Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States are known to possess thermonuclear weapons. Whether the four other countries known to have atomic bombs India, Israel, North Korea and Pakistan also have hydrogen bombs is not certain. Q. What, precisely, did North Korea announce? A. The Norths government said that it had detonated a hydrogen bomb its first at 10 a.m. on Wednesday. The consequences of that spending are significant, even if it did not result in a hydrogen bomb. As both outside nuclear experts and American intelligence officials have been warning in classified and unclassified briefings for more than a year, North Koreas small nuclear arsenal seems on the verge of turning into a good-size one. Estimates vary, but many believe that the arsenal could contain more than 20 weapons by the end of this year. Siegfried S. Hecker, the former director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the man the North Koreans have periodically allowed into their most secret facilities to convince Washington of their prowess, last year termed that a hell of a lot of bombs. Meanwhile, North Korea has improved both the range and mobility of its missiles, making them harder to deter or to take out if the North Korean regime collapses or decides to go out in a suicidal blaze of glory. Senior American military officials have periodically offered public assessments that the North probably has the ability to make a nuclear weapon small enough to fit atop one of those weapons, meaning the worlds most unpredictable regime could credibly threaten South Korea, Japan, American forces in the Pacific and, eventually, the West Coast of the United States. The only saving grace is that in many missile tests over the past few years, the North Koreans have repeatedly demonstrated pretty lousy aim. CAIRO Iraqs foreign minister on Wednesday offered to mediate the fight raging between Saudi Arabia and Iran over the Saudi governments execution of a dissident Shiite cleric, saying that we need to stop the escalations. The foreign minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, made his comments at a news conference in Tehran. They appeared to reflect fears in Iraq that the conflict between the Sunni monarchy of Saudi Arabia and the Shiite government of Iran could aggravate sectarian tensions at home, at a time when the Iraqi government is counting on the cooperation of Sunni and Shiite forces to defeat the Islamic State. We need to stop the escalations of this problem and not allow enemies of the region and enemies of Islam to lead the region to a war in which everyone would lose, Mr. Jaafari said, according to a BBC transcript of his remarks. The dispute was showing few signs of abating, however, as Saudi and Iranian officials continued to trade insults on Wednesday. And there was growing evidence to support Mr. Jaafaris concern about the rifts potential for intensifying regional tensions. PARIS A special issue of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo went on sale in France on Wednesday, amid a week of official commemorations and other events paying tribute to the 17 people who were killed one year ago in attacks last January at the newspapers office and other locations in the Paris area. The commemorations have been accompanied by a flurry of book releases and new documentaries on the subject, as well as a resurgence of questions about whether French intelligence and police services failed to adequately assess security threats against the newspaper, which had been under police protection. The newspaper has printed around a million copies of the issue, up from a typical print run of about 100,000, and it includes drawings by illustrators who were killed in the attacks as well as guest contributions. Charlie is insolence elevated as a virtue, and bad taste as a mainstay of elegance, the French culture minister, Fleur Pellerin, wrote in her contribution to the issue. For all of us, continue to create, to draw freedom. Coca-Cola withdrew a cartoon map of Russia from the web on Wednesday, after managing to anger both Russians and Ukrainians by first excluding and then including Crimea in Russias territory. The map, part of an Orthodox Christmas card uploaded last week to the companys official page on VKontakte, Russias most popular social network, initially left out Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014, along with Kaliningrad, an enclave on the Baltic Sea, and the Kurile Islands, which are claimed by both Russia and Japan. After a wave of criticism from Russian nationalists, the map was changed on Tuesday, adding all three regions. As the Ukrainian newspaper Ukrainskaya Pravda reported, the new map was accompanied by a note in the companys name that read: Dear community members, we sincerely apologize for this situation! The map has been corrected! We hope you will understand. BERLIN The mayor of Cologne has inflamed a debate in Germany about migrants and sexual harassment by suggesting that women can protect themselves from men on the streets by keeping them more than an arms length away. The remarks by the mayor, Henriette Reker, were made Tuesday to reporters after the Cologne police said they had received more than 90 complaints of robbery and sexual assault, including two accounts of rape, by groups of men who targeted young women in and around the citys main train station in the crush of revelers on New Years Eve. By Wednesday, Ms. Reker was being widely ridiculed by commentators and across social media for putting the onus on the victims of the attacks. It is always possible to keep a certain distance that is longer than an arms length, Ms. Reker told reporters on Tuesday, suggesting that the city authorities would provide guidelines for young women who find themselves surrounded by aggressive men trying to grope them. LONDON The leader of Britains opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, completed the first reshuffling of his shadow cabinet early Wednesday morning, producing only minor changes after two days of internal argument. Mr. Corbyn, a man of the far left who in September became Labour leader in a major surprise, has been facing severe criticism of his policies and party management from Labour members of Parliament, few of whom support him. Elected with the votes of grass-roots party members and supporters, Mr. Corbyn held off on a major purge of internal dissenters, producing what one unnamed and disappointed Corbyn ally told The Financial Times was the night of the blunt knives. The long process, featuring threats to resign from moderates in the shadow cabinet, formed only four months ago, displayed both the rifts in the party and the staying power of Mr. Corbyn. WASHINGTON President Obama will nominate Gen. Joseph L. Votel, the head of Special Operations Command, to replace Gen. Lloyd J. Austin as the next leader of United States Central Command, Defense Department officials said Wednesday. The move reflects the Obama administrations pivot to fighting Americas wars abroad with Special Operations troops small bands of elite fighters who travel light and fast, without the heavy equipment and numbers of the more traditional American services. Even as Mr. Obama has repeatedly said that he opposes American ground troops in Iraq and Syria, for instance, he has continued to carve out exceptions for Special Operations forces. General Votel, who will need to be confirmed by the Senate, will lead the United States most high-profile regional command, responsible for Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and other Middle East hot spots. Its mission is far-reaching, from overseeing the nations naval presence in the Persian Gulf to the halting troop drawdown in Afghanistan. The imminent nomination of General Votel was first reported in The Wall Street Journal, but a Defense Department official said Wednesday that it remained unclear when Mr. Obama would make the formal announcement. Fiddler on the Roof is about balance. The idea is there in the title image and at the start of the show, when the dairyman protagonist, Tevye, explains that the people of his shtetl maintain their balance by relying on tradition. Much of the plot challenges him to keep his footing while adapting to new ways. Anyone staging a revival of Fiddler, especially on Broadway, faces a similar test: how to offer a fresh take without tilting too far from what audiences know and love. For the Fiddler now playing at the Broadway Theater, one of the bolder decisions taken by the director, Bartlett Sher, was to hire someone to update the choreography made by the shows original director, Jerome Robbins. On the one hand, Mr. Shers choice, Hofesh Shechter, is an outsider who had never choreographed a Broadway show. He runs an acclaimed dance company in London, where in recent months a series of performances billed as Hofest has spread his aggressive and cheeky aesthetic across multiple theaters, including the Brixton Academy (home to rock and pop music) and the Royal Opera House. His company has performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. He has choreographed for the Royal Ballet, and his works are in the repertory of major European dance troupes and American ones like Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. On the other hand, Mr. Shechter was born and raised in Israel, and the first dances he learned were Jewish folk dances. Thats the DNA of my dance education, he explained recently in the lobby of the Broadway Theater. I have been to Orthodox weddings, he said. I know how it looks like, how it has to feel. I didnt have to research. My life is the research. Except for maybe that final celebratory phase, home brewing seems to be a solitary endeavor. But at Bitter & Esters, a home-brew shop in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, hopeful brewers discuss all parts of the process with like-minded beer aficionados, from the minutiae (and there is quite a lot of detail) to the merrymaking when an especially good batch is turned out. The store, at 700 Washington Avenue, sells all the tools of the trade: beakers and kettles, bottles and caps, and dozens of varieties of hops and strains of yeast. When customers arent discussing or imbibing, they flip through a thick binder of recipes, pore over esoteric ingredients and grind barley and other grains in the grain mill, all to a punk rock soundtrack. I know theres a picture of a guy brewing by himself, said John LaPolla, an owner of Bitter & Esters, on a recent evening. But its really not like that. Its a community. Moments later, T. J. Smolka, a high school physics teacher and home brewer, brandished an unlabeled beer bottle before Mr. LaPolla. It was Mr. Smolkas latest brew, a so-called extra special bitter. Mr. Smolka admitted to Mr. LaPolla that he had been working with old hops and grain when he made this batch. But it actually came out very good, he said. Mr. LaPolla poured a glass, took a swig and agreed. Central Otago joins Auckland as one of only two regions in the country where average asking prices of homes for sale now exceed $800,000, although the national average asking price fell in December, according to the latest data from Realestate.co.nz. The national average asking price in December was $522,930, continuing a downward trend from the record high set four months ago in August 2015 of $568,215. Realestate.co.nz spokesperson Vanessa Taylor said the Central Otago and Waikato regions were the only two that bucked the national trend. In Central Otago, the average asking price in December broke the $800,000 mark for the first time, setting a new record of $824,394. The previous record in Central Otago was $782,684, set in July 2014. The Waikato experienced a new record high in average asking price in December of $414,596, up slightly on Novembers high of $413,067. Average asking prices in Auckland and Wellington levelled off, but continued to remain near record-high levels. In Auckland, the average asking price was $848,195, marginally below the record set in September of $851,531. The average asking price in Wellington was $475,422, just below the August 2015 record of $479,399. Meanwhile in Canterbury, the average asking price in December fell slightly to $450,740, a 5.5% drop on the record of $476,818 set in September 2015. The total number of new listings across the country in December was 8,011, down 3.3% compared to the same month a year ago. Auckland and Canterbury both had 6.6% fewer listings in December 2015 compared to December 2014, while Wellington experienced a more significant drop of 24.5%. National inventory continues to remain near record low levels. For December, National inventory was 16.4 weeks, close to the all-time low of 16.1 weeks set in October 2015, says Taylor. Inventory is a measure of the national supply of homes for sale, expressed as the number of weeks it would take for all currently listed properties to sell at average rates, should no new properties get listed. The long-term national average is 34 weeks. On Thursday at 12 p.m., Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art will present pianist Edward Forstman for its program, A Little Lunch Music. The recital is designed for Forstmans upcoming graduate school auditions, but he says it appeals to a wider audience. Represented on the program is Frederic Chopin, a Polish composer from the first part of the 19th century. Among other things, Chopin is known for writing etudes, or pieces that demonstrate a pianist's technical abilities. Forstman said the Chopin etude he chose for Thursdays program is easily digested for the listener. Its supposed to sound quite easy, he said. But he said Chopin hid the etudes technical challenges in this salon piece, a melodic and accessible composition. On the program will be French impressionist composer Maurice Ravels Gaspard de la Nuit, written in 1908. Forstman said it is one of the composers more famous pieces. Forstman has a burgeoning interest in 21st classical music for piano, though the term classical is often disliked by composers of the genre. He said much of his interests lie in art music for piano inspired by minimalism, pop and electronic music. But Thursdays program will be more traditional. I was interested in presenting masterpieces, said Forstman, adding that he chose pieces based on what he considers is the best the composers had to offer. Plus, he said he wanted to show a variety of national styles. German baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach will be represented. His fugue, Ricercar for Six Voices, is one of the first pieces ever written for the piano. Also from Germany was Johannes Brahms. His Op. 119, a collection of four pieces composed in 1893, will be on the program. Contrasting the more traditional program will be a short piece by the Hungarian composer Gyorgy Ligeti. It is an atonal piece composed in 1985. Visitors are also go to the Museum Cafe, which is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., as well as browse the galleries before or after each performance. Admission is free courtesy of JCSM Business Partners. For more information, visit jcsm.auburn.edu or call 334-844-1484. The State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) independent investigation into an Oct. 31 Opelika officer-involved shooting is still on-going less than one week until the next Lee County grand jury term is set to begin. We still have the case, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Sgt. Steve Jarrett said of the investigation Monday. Check back in a couple weeks. The shooting, which occurred at a private home off Comanchee Drive late Halloween night, left 56-year-old Bennie Lee Tignor dead. Opelika Police Department Officer Jared Greer fatally shot Tignor after he failed to comply with an attempted traffic stop and brandished a firearm, police said. Greer was placed on administrative leave immediately following the incident. OPD Chief John McEachern has said he believes the shooting was justified under Alabama law. Opelika officials have stated they hope the SBIs findings will be presented before a grand jury at its upcoming term, which begins Monday, Jan. 11. The term after that is set for March 28. Were anxious to get this resolved, Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller stated last month. Were as anxious any anybody. Lee County District Attorney Robbie Treese said Tuesday he had not yet received a case file from the SBI, but there is a possibility that the case could still be presented to a grand jury this term. Technically, theres a grand jury in recess all the time, Treese said. In this particular case, because of the nature of the case and the publics interest -- and that its somewhat controversial -- if I cant get it put on next weekI am very seriously considering recalling them. That could prove an inconvenience for 18 grand jury members, he said, and it would require the SBI to finish its investigation in the near future, but it is an uncertainty for which he is preparing. If I have to specially set it, thats what well try to do, Treese said. Last month, Greer was placed back on administrative leave following a brief return to work from Nov. 30 to Dec. 22, as Fuller and police Chief John McEachern honored the request of a group of residents who expressed concern over the officers reinstatement prior to a completed investigation. OPD Capt. Shane Healey said Tuesday that, if the case is not presented to a grand jury next week, the officers status will be re-evaluated. If the case is not presented next week, well revisit the issue, he said. Yes, airfares keep going up, and airlines keep finding new ways to take money out of our wallets. But you can save a lot by consistently using these tips and doing your homework before you fly. 1. Travel on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. Those are usually the cheapest days, with lowest demand. Sometimes Thursdays can be cheap as well. Try to avoid Fridays, Sundays or Monday mornings thats when most business travelers fly and you risk getting bumped. Unless you want to. I met a guy once at LAX who bought plane tickets to high-demand cities scheduled for Monday mornings, and then always volunteered to get bumped. He told me he made money that way, though he refused to give me details. 2. Devote some time to searching. Look at kayak.com, orbitz.com and the sites of budget airlines such as Southwest, JetBlue and WestJet before you decide. Putting time into research can pay off. Sometimes youre surprised, like when I planned to take my kids to Egypt on Delta, which just showed regular airfares. When I went onto Orbitz, though, my daughters airfare was 25 percent cheaper. Why? Because she was entitled to a child discount, which Orbitz factored in but Delta didnt, even though it was their own discount program. That saved me nearly $200. And note that numerous airlines offer child rates of 25 percent to 50 percent off on international flights. Look for them. 3. Think ahead. Where are the places that you dream of going? Think you cant afford it? Well, consider this: I went to Peru for $240 round trip, Alaska for $158. And I recently flew with my two kids to Costa Rica for $246 round trip per person. Do I have a magic wand? Any secret knowledge? No. I signed up for cheap airfare email alerts from airfarewatchdog.com. I asked the site to alert me to any extra-cheap fares from my favorite airports to destinations that I want to visit. So when I got the email about the airfare to Peru, I went online and hurriedly bought tickets before they sold out. The Costa Rica trip was a little different. I got an email alert about an entirely different destination on Volaris airlines, went onto their site and saw the super-cheap introductory fares to Costa Rica. I snatched them for myself and my teenagers. We had a great Thanksgiving there, and I checked one more place off my bucket list. Give it a try. If you find an amazing airfare, buy it immediately. It wont last. 4. Look around for local airlines. If youre traveling abroad, seek airlines that dont show up on third-party sites like Orbitz or Travelocity. For example, after I bought cheap tickets to Peru, I immediately started searching online for local airlines. I found Star Peru, and was excited to discover it was having an awesome sale that got us from Lima to Machu Picchu for only $80 round trip a fraction of the regular price. I got that bargain because I bought far in advance. Out of curiosity I checked the fare for the same flight just before we left. It had risen to $240. For Europe, check Ryanair. 5. Look for introductory fares. Whenever I hear that an airline is newly launching service from an airport or to a new destination, a bell goes off in my head. That bell dings, Cheap introductory fares. Airlines often want to drum up excitement about their new destination by offering deep discounts the first week or few weeks. Thats how we were able to go to Alaska for $158, because JetBlue was offering $79 fares from Long Beach to Anchorage when it started serving that market. Thats also how I was able to go to Costa Rica for half price. 6. Look for fare calendars. Most budget airlines have some kind of monthly fare calendar that will show you at a glance which are the cheapest days to fly. I love this. You may have to search around a bit on their websites to find it. 7. Erase your browsing history. Before you buy a ticket online, either use a different browser or go into your tools menu to erase your browser history and remove cookies. This prevents the airline or agency from knowing that you already searched and from thereby raising the price. I saw the price go up on a fare I wanted by $20 per ticket, not insignificant when I had to buy three tickets for myself and two teens. I cleaned my browser history and the price jumped back down! Pretty sweet. 8. The fare that looks cheapest on first glance isnt always the best. Airlines are adding hidden fees to the price of your ticket, including checked bags, carry-on bags, assigned seats and more. Soon, theyll start charging you for oxygen. Dont rule out those bargain airlines, just make sure theyre really the best deal. And if youre buying on their website, look for tricky little boxes or other ways that theyre adding costs as you go through the purchase process. You may have to uncheck a box to remove a fee for having an assigned seat, for example. Unless you want one. 9. Ask the locals. If youre interested in going somewhere with a local ethnic population nearby, its worth stopping in to talk to the agents at those little mom-and-pop travel agencies. If you want to go to Guatemala, for example, and you see a sign that says Viajes a Guatemala, its worth stopping in to see what they can do to help you find a rock-bottom fare. Those agents can also tell you the cheapest time to fly and how to avoid pitfalls. 10. Check for off-price airports. In Chicago, most travelers fly in and out of OHare International Airport. But what about Midway International Airport? I know, many of you never heard of it. But that might be costing you money, because no-frills carriers often fly in and out of regional airports, where the costs are lower. Make sure youre searching all the airports, not just the biggest ones. 11. Cancel your ticket. Be aware that you can usually cancel your flight purchased online within 24 hours and get a full refund, even if the flight is supposedly nonrefundable. Ive done this numerous times. Just go to the airline website or wherever you bought the ticket, go into your account using your confirmation number, and look for a cancel button. I say usually though, because I have heard of some situations where tickets havent been refunded. Its worth doing, though, if you suddenly realize you cant go that date after all. Or you find some killer airfare that wasnt available before. 12. Sign up for airline sale alerts. Pick your favorite airlines that you fly the most often, join their frequent flier clubs and sign up for fare alerts. That way, when they have a fare sale, or they open up bookings for a new time period, theyll shoot you an email to let you know. This can mean significant savings. For example, Southwest has only a few heavily discounted fares on each plane. By being notified when a new booking period opens up, you can get on their website and snatch the cheapest seats before anyone else can. 13. Be aware of holidays and high traffic times. Yeah, we all know it costs a lot to fly at Christmas, but there are lesser holidays during the year that will also jack up prices, as well as local events like the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas that sells out the entire town. Work around those. 14. Try FLYR. This is a flight search tool that tries to predict when the lowest fares will be available. It will suggest that you should buy or wait. It also will guarantee certain airline rates for you, if you pay a few bucks. Ive browsed this site (getflyr.com) and had it recommended to me, but have never relied on it myself. Got a good travel tip for me? Or a suggestion? Email me at mfisher@ocregister.com. I love to hear from readers. Contact the writer: 714-796-7994 or mfisher@ocregister.com MORE FROM CHEAPO TRAVEL The FBI has not yet accounted for where the San Bernardino shooters were during an 18-minute span the afternoon of the massacre, and officials appealed to the public Tuesday, Jan. 5, for information to help fill that gap. After spraying bullets into a conference room full of one of the shooters co-workers, killing 14 people and injuring 22, the terrorist couple spent nearly four hours zigging and zagging around San Bernardino and Redlands in a rented SUV until they were killed in a gunfight with police. David Bowdich, head of the FBIs Los Angeles office, said it appeared there was no discernible pattern to the routes that Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik took between the 11 a.m. massacre and the 3 p.m. gunfight. Investigators have accounted for most of their movements, but are missing information about where they were between 12:59 and 1:17 p.m., Bowdich said at a news conference at the San Bernardino Police Department. Next to Bowdich was a map with an outline of the areas the couple traveled through, from Redlands, where they lived, west and north along the I-10 and I-215 corridors to San Bernardino. Another poster showed the SUV they were driving: a black 2015 Ford Expedition with dark-tinted rear windows, chrome accents on the rear lift gate and a roof rack. The vehicle had a Utah license plate, X52-3RY. Bowdich asked anyone who might have seen the couple or captured them on surveillance cameras, and who hasnt already been interviewed, to call the FBI at 1-800-225-5324, option 4. Bowdich said callers may be given a website where they can upload photos or video. Its important because we want to ensure that we know whether they stopped at any locations, any residences, any businesses, that we dont already know about, Bowdich said. Its critical because its possible again, possible that they stopped, whether it be a storage area, a residence, a business. Its possible a contact was made, we just dont know, he said. It very well may be not an important fact, but until we close that gap, we just dont know. The FBI has conducted 500 interviews and served 29 search warrants since the shooting, Bowdich said. Through interviews and media such as video footage, agents have been able to account for 3 hours and 42 minutes of the time the couple spent driving around. That included a stop at Seccombe Lake Park in San Bernardino and at least one other stop that Bowdich was not able to further describe. FBI divers spent several days last month searching Seccombe Lake, but Bowdich said Tuesday that no useful evidence was found there. Bowdich also said that the evidence so far indicated the attack by the couple appeared to be inspired by, but not directed by, outside forces. Farook, a restaurant inspector for San Bernardino County, left his house that morning and went to the Inland Regional Center, where his department had rented a conference room for a day of work training and a holiday party. He left, then returned with Malik, his wife, to carry out the shooting. Bowdich said Farook had not been involved in any workplace disputes before the shooting. His co-workers even took photos with him that morning at the Christmas party. Meanwhile, San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon said the total cost so far for the investigation for both city and county was close to $4 million. That amount includes overtime costs, paying workers who were sent home and other salaries. The overtime cost to the city which is still trying to emerge from bankruptcy was $350,000, said Police Chief and Interim City Manager Jarrod Burguan. The FBI has not yet accounted for where the San Bernardino shooters were during an 18-minute span the afternoon of the terrorist massacre and officials appealed to the public Tuesday for information to fill that gap. After spraying bullets into a conference room full of one of the shooters co-workers, killing 14 people and injuring 22, the couple spent nearly four hours zig-zagging around San Bernardino and Redlands in a rented SUV until they were killed in a gunfight with police. There is no rhyme or reason we can make for it yet, David Bowdich, head of the FBIs Los Angeles office, said of the rambling drive by Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik after the 11 a.m. massacre on Dec. 2. Bowdich also said there was no evidence of a secondary target, nor evidence yet that Farook and Malik met with anyone after the shooting. Also, as of today we do not see any indication of a foreign-directed terrorist attack. This seems to be an inspired terrorist act, Bowdich told reporters gathered at the San Bernardino Police Department headquarters. The couple died in a 3 p.m. shootout with police after they were spotted by a San Bernardino undercover detective eight minutes earlier as they drove by their Redlands home. We have scrubbed a number of social media, Bowdich said. That was one our big focuses, to ensure that we are able to hopefully determine the motivation of Syed Farook and his wife. He did not indicate agents had come up with any answers. Using witnesses, traffic cameras and surveillance cameras, agents have accounted for 3 hours and 42 minutes of the couples movements from the massacre to the shootout, but are missing information about where they were from 12:59 to 1:17 p.m., Bowdich said. A poster at the news conference showed the SUV they drove: a black 2015 Ford Expedition with Utah plates, X52-3RY. Bowdich described the couples known driving pattern as a lot of zig-zagging around, going back and forth on the highway, going up and going down; there is no rhyme or reason to it that we can find yet. Maybe that 18 minutes closes that gap, maybe it doesnt. Bowdich asked anyone who might have seen the couple or captured them on surveillance cameras, and who hasnt already been interviewed, to call the FBI at 1-800-225-5324, option 4. Bowdich said callers who pass a screening by an operator may be given a website where they can upload photos or video. Its important because we want to ensure that we know whether they stopped at any locations, any residences, any businesses, that we dont already know about, Bowdich said. Its critical because its possible again, possible that they stopped, whether it be a storage area, a residence, a business. Its possible a contact was made, we just dont know, he said. It very well may be not an important fact, but until we close that gap, we just dont know. The FBI has conducted 550 interviews, collected 500 pieces of evidence and served 29 search warrants since the shooting, Bowdich said. Agents have been able to account for 3 hours and 42 minutes of the time the couple spent driving around. Contact the writer: brokos@pressenterprise.com or 951-368-9569 PARIS French President Francois Hollande honored 17 victims killed in Islamic extremist attacks on satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, a kosher market and police a year ago this week, unveiling plaques around Paris marking violence that ushered in a tumultuous year. Victims families joined Hollande and other dignitaries near the building where Charlie Hebdo staff were holding an editorial meeting when two heavily armed brothers stormed in on Jan. 7, 2015, killing 11 people. The plaque begins: To the memory of victims of the terrorist attack against freedom of expression. They then paid homage to a police officer killed as he tried to chase down the fleeing gunmen. Spray-painted on the sidewalk was a message of support for the Muslim officer, reading Je suis Ahmed, or I am Ahmed, in the red, white and blue of the French flag. After the attacks, people around the world embraced the expression Je suis Charlie to express solidarity with the slain journalists, targeted for the papers caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. Hollande then paid homage to four people killed at a kosher supermarket in an attack that revived concerns about anti-Semitism in the country with Europes largest Jewish community. The French president briefly met with some of the survivors of the attack inside the supermarket, including Lassana Bathily, a Mali-born employee who hid a group of hostages in the stores underground stockroom. Bathily then sneaked out to speak to police and help the operation to free the 15 hostages and kill the attacker. Bathily has been hailed as a hero and granted French citizenship. He told Itele television he was there to share the moment with families and friends of the victims and colleagues to show that we are here with our heart. The Charlie Hebdo memorial plaque was hastily covered up after authorities discovered a spelling error in the name of slain cartoonist Georges Wolinski. The black covering was later removed, and a new plaque is being prepared. Hollande will unveil another plaque Saturday to honor police officer Clarissa Jean-Philippe, killed in the southern Paris suburb of Montrouge by one of the attackers on Jan. 8. Charlie Hebdos anniversary edition blames Islamic fundamentalists, organized religion, an irresolute government and intelligence failures for the 2015 violence in France. The widow of a bodyguard killed at Charlie Hebdo said on RTL radio Tuesday that she wants an investigation into security measures at the paper. Ingrid Brinsolaro said her husband saw dysfunctions and a lack of security in the office and said it was impossible to do his job correctly in these conditions. Wolinskis widow told France Info radio she gets more and more angry at security gaps. Marise Wolinski said the entrance of the office should have been bunkerized. The country remains under a state of emergency after the Nov. 13 Paris attacks that killed 130; extra security was on hand for Tuesdays commemorations. SAN FRANCISCO An attorney for a man charged with murder and racketeering in an organized crime case centered in San Franciscos Chinatown railed Tuesday against federal prosecutors for using what he called secret surveillance and shady witnesses against an innocent man. However, the prosecutor maintained in her closing argument that Raymond Shrimp Boy Chow was an unrepentant liar and mastermind behind an enterprise that engaged in drug trafficking, money laundering and sales of stolen cigarettes and alcohol. The widely watched case went to a jury Tuesday after a two-month trial. J. Tony Serra, Chows lead attorney, said in his closing argument that the prosecution case was built on shadows of evidence, the echoes of evidence. He derided the prosecutions use of testimony from Chows alleged co-conspirators and an undercover federal agent who posed as a member of an East Coast crime syndicate during the four-year investigation. These are snakes, Serra told jurors. Would you believe a talking snake? You will not, no one will. Federal prosecutor Susan Badger on Monday urged jurors to disregard claims that Chow was a changed man, saying deception was part of his nature. He is not the victim here, Badger said during her nearly four-hour presentation. He is not the worlds most misunderstood criminal. As part of a sweeping racketeering case, prosecutors allege that Chow ordered the killing of a rival gang leader and conspired to kill another rival. Chow took the witness stand during the trial, saying he was innocent of the charges and had previously renounced his life of crime. The controversy over endowed chairs at UC Irvine is a tempest in a teapot, says a statement from the vice president of the Indian-American group that has donated $1.5 million for one of those positions. More than 350 people have signed an online petition questioning donations by the Dharma Civilization Foundation to UCIs School of Humanities, and the gifts are under review by the university. Critics worry that the Foundation seeks to place true believers in the Hindu faith into academia; might be trying to exert too much influence over hiring; and may be pressuring professors. This petition has regrettably cast aspersions and doubt on the motivations and intentions of the Dharma Civilization Foundation or DCF, said the response from Kalyan Viswanathan, executive vice president, which we received today. DCF rejects the accusations put forth both by the petition and the people who have endorsed it as false and having little basis in fact. The foundations objective is to simply find safe academic environments for the accurate and respectful study of the Dharma Traditions of India in the U.S., including Hinduism, Indian Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, it says. (O)ther areas of study, such as womens studies, African American studies, and Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, or Islamic Studies, have all benefited from respectively having women scholars, African American scholars, or scholar-practitioners as active participants in these fields, he wrote. Such scholars are not questioned about their objectivity, but are, in fact, respected for their unique experiences and perspectives, as well as the depth, nuance, and academic rigor they are able to bring to academia. DCF holds that such scholar-practitioners of Hinduism would bring the same to Hindu Studies. One of the criticisms was that the Foundation brought prospective candidates to campus which struck some as over-the-line. The Foundation meant no harm, he wrote. DCF acknowledges that for members of the University faculty to engage with potential candidates for these proposed chairs through informal contact, at an early stage when the chairs have not yet been approved, and the faculty search committees have not yet been constituted could have given the appearance of an intent to exercise undue influence in the selection process, Viswanathan wrote. DCF had no such intentions, and regrets that some of its actions may have been cause for such misunderstanding. The foundation recognizes and fully supports the UC mandates for a fair and open search, he said. Some at UCI found the Foundations response troubling. Catherine Liu, a media studies professor in UCIs School of Humanities, said UCI is a secular, public university and does not teach faith-based scholarship. I dont know what this scholar/practitioner line is but DCF is implying that only a Hindu can teach Hinduism. We are not a seminary. I dont think they understand that and I dont think the Dean has communicated to them the nature of the academic enterprise. Kavita Philip, an associate professor of womens studies at UCI who specializes in South Asia and the history of science and technology, said the student petition, which was signed by many non-students, was fully within the standard practices of academic discourse, debate and disagreement. It was initiated after several weeks of private conversation with the Dean, trying to persuade him to quietly review the situation which worried a group of faculty; the petition went public only after repeated attempts at engagement failed, most notably after concerned faculty were disinvited from a Donor Reception. UCI is still reviewing the gifts, and no decisions have been made yet, said university spokeswoman Cathy Lawhon. Contact the writer: tsforza@ocregister.com California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency Wednesday over a huge natural gas leak that has been spewing fumes into a Los Angeles neighborhood for months. In a statement, Brown said he acted based on the requests of residents in the community of Porter Ranch and the prolonged and continuing nature of the gas blowout at the underground storage facility. The well, owned by Southern California Gas Co., has been spewing up to 1,200 tons of methane daily, along with other gases. The leak first was reported in October. The utility is paying to relocate thousands of households after residents complained that the stench has made them sick. They have reported nosebleeds, nausea and other ailments. Los Angeles County and the Los Angeles school board already have declared the crisis a state of emergency, moving students out of two schools in the neighborhood. The governors move, among other measures, directs efforts by California agencies in stopping the leak, and it orders emergency regulations for other gas storage facilities throughout the state. Brown toured the site of the leak for the first time earlier this week. The governor previously has resisted local calls for a state declaration, saying he wanted to make sure the utility, rather than the state, bore the financial cost. The U.S. has been caught spying on foreign heads of state again. And just as with the tapping of German Chancellor Angela Merkels cellphone, revealed in 2013 by the Edward Snowden documents, the target was the leader of a supposed ally: in this case, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Despite President Barack Obamas promise two years ago to limit spying on heads of state of friendly nations, a Wall Street Journal report last week described National Security Agency spying on Mr. Netanyahu and other Israeli officials while the U.S. was negotiating a nuclear arms agreement with Iran and trying to sell the resultant agreement to a fairly skeptical Congress. In the process of this surveillance, the NSA scooped up private conversations between Israeli officials and members of Congress and American-Jewish groups. The prospect of having their private communications spied on rankled some in Congress, and congressional leaders quickly called for an inquiry into the matter. It is unfortunate that they were not so motivated to protect privacy from prying government eyes when they slipped provisions of a controversial cybersecurity bill that even the Department of Homeland Security said raises privacy and civil liberties concerns and could sweep away important privacy protections into the recent omnibus spending bill at the last moment and passed it without any real debate. Similarly, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., was outraged in 2014 when the Central Intelligence Agency spied on Senate computers during an investigation of Bush-era prisoner interrogation and detention practices. She loudly proclaimed that the CIAs surveillance was an unconstitutional violation of the Fourth Amendment and federal law, yet she enthusiastically supported the NSAs bulk collection of Americans phone records. Its clear the CIA was trying to play keep away with documents relevant to an investigation by their overseers in Congress, and thats a serious constitutional concern, Mr. Snowden told NBC News at the time. But its equally, if not more, concerning that were seeing another Merkel Effect, where an elected official does not care at all that the rights of millions of ordinary citizens are violated by our spies, but suddenly its a scandal when a politician finds out the same thing happens to them. It is this sort of hypocrisy that rightly drives citizens crazy. When government officials get away with things that would land an ordinary citizen in prison, when Congress exempts itself from laws like the Affordable Care Act, when politicians bristle at intrusive and unconstitutional government spying when they are the targets but vote to expand the governments powers to do the same to the citizens they are supposed to represent, it puts the lie to the notion that the government is of the people, by the people, for the people. California gun buyers are unlikely to encounter any new regulations under President Barack Obamas package of executive orders unveiled Tuesday. Thats because the states gun laws are stricter than their federal counterparts. Obamas plan to increase background checks to include customers buying from dealers at gun shows and online is already in place in California, where background checks and a 10-day waiting period are required for all transfers of gun ownership except when a parent transfers ownership to their child. However, there could be a residual benefit for those wanting more control of guns in California, said Lawrence Rosenthal, a Chapman University professor of criminal law. While California laws are stricter than anything that Obama has proposed, thats been good for Nevada gun dealers because California buyers can sidestep background checks there, he said. To the extent that Obamas proposal will reduce at least a bit of the loophole in nearby states, that will assist Californias effort. California law also allows a buyer to purchase only one handgun every 30 days, prohibits magazines that hold more than 10 rounds and bans many assault rifles. None of those provisions exists in federal law. However, the assault-style weapons used in last months San Bernardino mass shooting were not on the states banned list. The Smith & Wesson M&P-15 Sport and DPMS Model A-15 were purchased by Enrique Marquez legally, with the exception that he allegedly did not disclose the identity of the true buyer, Syed Farook. Marquez faces up to 50 years in prison on charges of conspiring to commit terrorism and improper disclosure during the gun purchases. Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people in the Dec. 2 massacre. In a statement supporting Obamas directives, state Senate leader Kevin de Leon said hes working to develop a new package of gun control reforms, but did not mention specifics. Not specifically mentioned by Obama during Tuesdays announcement was an earlier federal initiative finalized this week that could make it more difficult for the mentally ill in California and nationwide to buy guns. The measure allows designated mental health providers to report the names of mentally ill patients to the federal gun background check system. The 1993 Brady gun law banned possession of guns by certain mentally ill people, although providers had been banned from relaying those names without the consent of the patient. Contact the writer: mwisckol@ocregister.com BAGHDAD The fighting has finally stopped in Ramadi, a major city in the Sunni heartland. Islamic State has been ousted, and the Iraqi flag is flying once again. But Iraqs government defeated Islamic State only with the help of Sunni tribes, which soothed local distrust of the Shiite-led central government. Now, as Iraq faces the even greater challenge of routing Islamic State from other cities, it is confronted with a heated conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia that threatens to inflame sectarian tensions across the entire region. For Iraq, which faced years of sectarian civil war, the hostilities between Iran and Saudi Arabia could once again foil Sunni-Shiite cooperation and empower Islamic State. For sure, the rise in sectarian tensions creates a fertile environment for the growth of ISIS, Saad al-Hadithi, a spokesman for Iraqs prime minister, said Tuesday, referring to Islamic State. When the Sunni monarchy in Saudi Arabia executed a Shiite cleric along with 46 other prisoners over the weekend, it sparked the outrage of Iran, a majority Shiite theocracy. An Iranian mob ransacked and burned the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, and Saudi Arabia responded by severing diplomatic ties with Iran. Now there are fears the bad blood will sabotage the fledgling efforts to ease the many crises roiling the region, including the civil wars in Syria and Yemen. I normally try to play down difficulty, but this is a huge setback, Jan Eliasson, the deputy secretary general of the United Nations, said Tuesday. Iraq in particular finds itself in a difficult position with a central government aligned with the United States and Iran. Iraqs prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, has tread carefully, cautiously condemning the execution but not heeding calls from Shiite protesters to cut diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia. Analysts, Iraqi politicians and tribal leaders said that so far, there was no indication that the regional tensions were having an immediate impact inside Iraq. They said that al-Abadi had managed to navigate a middle ground, in part because Iraqs Sunni leaders are not as closely tied to Saudi Arabia as in many other countries in the region. The most recent round of tensions began Saturday, with the announcement that the Saudi government had executed a dissident Shiite cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. He criticized the Saudi royal family and declared that oppressive rulers should be confronted regardless of sect, criticizing the Iran-backed authoritarian president of Syria, Bashar Assad. While reactions came quickly, Iraq trod a middle ground, condemning the execution but assuring Saudis their new embassy could stay and would be protected. SEOUL, South Korea North Korea says it has conducted a powerful hydrogen bomb test, a defiant and surprising move that, if confirmed, would be a huge jump in Pyongyangs quest to improve its still-limited nuclear arsenal. A television anchor said in a typically propaganda-heavy statement that the North had tested a miniaturized hydrogen bomb, elevating the countrys nuclear might to the next level and providing it with a weapon to defend against the United States and its other enemies. The statement Wednesday (Tuesday U.S. time) said the test was a perfect success. South Koreas Defense Ministry said, without elaborating, that it was bolstering its security posture in response. There has long been skepticism by Washington and nuclear experts on past North Korean claims about H-bombs, which are much more powerful, and much more difficult to make, than atomic bombs. But a confirmed test would be seen as extremely worrying and lead to a strong push for new, tougher sanctions on North Korea at the United Nations. It would also further worsen already abysmal relations between Pyongyang and its neighbors. North Korean nuclear tests are worrying because each new blast is seen as pushing North Koreas scientists and engineers closer to their goal of building a bomb small enough to place on a missile that can reach the U.S. mainland. A successful H-bomb test would be a big step for the North. In a hydrogen bomb, radiation from a nuclear fission explosion sets off a fusion reaction responsible for a powerful blast and radioactivity. Writing in December, after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un bragged of H-bomb capabilities, nuclear expert Jeffrey Lewis noted that building such a bomb would seem to be a bit of a stretch for the North Koreans. Thermonuclear weapons are tricky; making one work requires a bit of test experience, he wrote on the North Korea-focused 38 North website. But, he added, The North has now had a nuclear weapons program for more than 20 years. This program has yielded three nuclear tests. North Korean nuclear scientists have access to their counterparts in Pakistan, possibly Iran and maybe a few other places. We should not expect that they will test the same fission device over and over again. Crowds dressed in thick winter coats gathered outside a large video screen near a Pyongyang train station to cheer and take video and photos on their mobile phones as the state TV anchor, dressed in a pink traditional Korean hanbok, delivered the statement. North Korea is thought to have a handful of rudimentary nuclear bombs and has spent decades trying to perfect a multistage, long-range missile to eventually carry smaller versions of those bombs. After several failures, it put its first satellite into space with a long-range rocket launched in December 2012. Experts say that ballistic missiles and rockets in satellite launches share similar bodies, engines and other technology. The U.N. called the 2012 launch a banned test of ballistic missile technology. Some analysts say the North hasnt likely achieved the technology needed to manufacture a miniaturized warhead that could fit on a long-range missile capable of hitting the U.S. But there is a growing debate on just how far the North has advanced in its secretive nuclear and missile programs. In the first indication of a possible test, the U.S. Geological Survey measured an earthquake Wednesday morning with a magnitude of 5.1. An official from the Korea Metrological Administration, South Koreas weather agency, said the agency believed the earthquake was caused artificially, based on an analysis of the seismic waves and because it originated 49 kilometers (30 miles) north of Kilju, the northeastern area where North Koreas main nuclear test site is located. The country conducted all three previous atomic detonations there. The test was a surprise, both in its purported type and its timing. North Korea hadnt conducted an atomic explosion since early 2013, and leader Kim Jong Un did not mention the countrys nuclear weapons in his New Years speech. Some outside analysts speculated that Kim was worried about deteriorating ties with China, the Norths last major ally, which has shown signs of greater frustration at provocations and a possible willingness to allow strong U.N. sanctions. The size of Wednesdays quake is bigger than seismic activity reported in previous tests. South Koreas Yonhap news agency reported that quake monitoring agencies detected magnitudes of seismic activity of 3.7 in 2006; 4.5 in 2009 and 4.9 in 2013. After the Norths third atomic test, in February 2013, Pyongyang launched a campaign of bellicose rhetoric that included threats to launch a nuclear attack on the United States and Seoul. North Korea claimed in 2013 that it had scrapped the 1953 armistice that ended fighting in the Korean War. Pyongyang has also restarted a plutonium nuclear reactor shuttered after a 2007 nuclear deal that later fell apart. Pyongyang says its nuclear weapons program is necessary to defend itself against the United States. North Korea under leader Kim Jong Un has pledged to bolster its nuclear arsenal unless Washington scraps what Pyongyang calls a hostile policy. Washington sees North Koreas pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles as a threat to world security and to its Asian allies, Japan and South Korea. North Korea, analysts say, needs nuclear tests for practical military reasons. Such tests advance its aims to build nuclear-tipped missiles that can be used as deterrents against its enemies and especially against the United States, which Pyongyang has long pushed to withdraw its troops from the region and to sign a peace treaty formally ending the Korean War. The Korean Peninsula remains technically at war, as the 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice. Washington stations more than 28,000 troops in South Korea as a buttress against any North Korean aggression. Tens of thousands more are in nearby Japan. The test comes amid failed diplomatic efforts to persuade the North to give up its nuclear ambitions. Six-nation negotiations on dismantling North Koreas nuclear program in exchange for aid were last held in late 2008 and fell apart in early 2009, when North Korea was led by Kim Jong Uns father, Kim Jong Il, who died in late 2011. Oil prices have remained low despite heightened tensions between two of the worlds big oil-producing countries, Iran and Saudi Arabia, and a new law allowing U.S. crude exports helps explain why, the oil industrys top lobbyist said Tuesday. Jack Gerard, president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, said the 3-week-old law lifting a 40-year ban on crude exports has already changed the dynamics of the global oil industry. The potential for U.S. exports, combined with the ongoing U.S. oil boom, means the United States has come in as a major player in the global oil market, reducing the influence of countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, Gerard said. The geopolitics of energy will never be the same, Gerard said in a speech outlining the industrys priorities for the year. The price of oil fell 30 percent last year, following a 50 percent plunge in 2014. At below $36 a barrel on Tuesday, the price is down more than 2 percent so far this year. Even heightened tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia have failed to halt the slide amid a persistent glut of oil. Oil prices are likely to remain about where they are until either production drops or the world economy perks up and drives demand higher. Gerard said the situation stands in stark contrast to what could have been expected 10 years ago. Oil would have spiked, he said. The API and other industry groups pushed hard for the measure lifting the export ban, which they called a relic of the 1970s, when an OPEC oil embargo led to fuel rationing, high prices and iconic images of long lines of cars waiting to fuel up. The ban was lifted as a part of a massive, year-end budget deal approved by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama last month. NEW DELHI All six gunmen who infiltrated an Indian air force base near the border with Pakistan and exchanged fire with security forces have been killed, Indias defense minister said Tuesday. Security forces were searching the base for explosives Tuesday, the fourth day of the operation, Manohar Parrikar, the defense minister, said in a televised news briefing from Pathankot, in Punjab state, where the attack took place. The attack, which began Saturday, was viewed as an attempt to undo recent improvements in the relationship between India and Pakistan. It came a week after Narendra Modi became the first Indian prime minister in 12 years to visit Pakistan in a step toward reviving dialogue between the two countries. Seven Indian security personnel died in the gunbattle at the base, which lasted several days. Ammunition recovered from the gunmen is believed to have come from Pakistan, Parrikar said Tuesday. The head of Indias National Investigation Agency told reporters that intercepts of phone calls made by the gunmen indicated that they had come from Pakistan. In a telephone call with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan on Tuesday, Modi strongly emphasized the need for Pakistan to take firm and immediate action against the organizations and individuals responsible for and linked to the Pathankot terrorist attack, according to a statement released by Modis office. Pakistans Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement released Monday that the government is in touch with the Indian government and is working on the leads provided by it. The attackers were armed with AK-47s, pistols, commando knives, mortars, hand grenades and high-quality explosives, Parrikar said. The base is spread over 1,900 acres, and 3,000 families of military personnel live there, but the attackers were confined to a small area, and no family members were killed, Parrikar said. My worry is how they managed to come inside, he added. ANAHEIM Just days before the park is set to begin major construction, Disney is once again offering Southern California residents discounted tickets to its Anaheim theme parks. Beginning today, for $149, a customer gets two visits by May 26 going to Disneyland twice, Disney California Adventure twice or each park once. A one-day, one-park ticket is $99. Typically, the cost is $185 for two days at the same park or once at each park. A normal one-day park hopper ticket, which allows the guest to go to a second park the same day, is an additional $56. The discount is only for residents with a ZIP code of 90000 to 93599, which covers the stretch from the Mexican border to Palmdale. Residents in Northern Baja California in Mexico are eligible as well. This years discounted tickets are up about $10 higher than last years. The discount announcement comes five days before Disneyland, on Monday, starts major construction that will close a large portion of the park. The Disneyland Railroad, the Mark Twain Riverboat, the Fantasmic! light and fireworks show, and several other attractions on the Rivers of America are closing for more than a year during construction of a 14-acre Star Wars land in the northern part of Frontierland. Other attractions the Big Thunder Ranch Barbecue restaurant, the petting farm, and Big Thunder Jamboree will close permanently. Though a portion of the park will be off-limits during the promotion, the park is still celebrating Disneylands 60th anniversary through September; also, Season of the Force, a Star Wars overlay of Tomorrowland, is expected to continue until the summer. Disneyland began offering discounted rates for Southern California residents in 2003 to fill the park during the non-peak months, January to May. The only time Disney skipped the discounts was in 2013, after opening the immediately popular Cars Land in Disney California Adventure. The tickets must be purchased by May 19 online or at Disney stores, some supermarkets and the parks ticket booths. There is a period when the tickets are not good: March 20 to April 2, apparently when the two theme parks expect a crush of guests and when children are out of school for spring break. Contact the writer: 714-704-3764 or jpimentel@ocregister.com or follow on Twitter @OCDisney SANTA ANA Two documented gang members were arrested early Wednesday morning after police suspect they were involved in a shooting on South Laurel Street. Santa Ana police received reports of shots fired around 12:30 a.m. in the 3400 block of West Chestnut Avenue. The Orange County Sheriffs Department helicopter Duke responded to assist officers, police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said. Dukes crew spotted a suspicious man later identified as Jesse Garcia Isais, 41 walking away from the area of South Jackson Street and South Pine Avenue one block away from the Chestnut address. They followed him to an apartment in the 3700 block of West Pine Street. Santa Ana police were headed to the area when they found a gunshot victim in the 300 block of South Laurel Street less than 500 feet from the Chestnut address, and near a school, Bertagna said. The unidentified person was taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange in serious condition, but was expected to survive. (Police) set up containment around the Pine address, where Duke saw the suspicious subject, Bertagna said. The helicopter crew made an announcement for everyone inside the apartment to leave. Isais left out the front door and was apprehended by police, while Duke deputies noticed another man later identified as Andres Vizcarra, 18 climbing out of the back window before running into the 200 block of South Gunther Street. (Officials) set up a perimeter in the 200 block of South Gunther, and he was located hiding under a table at the rear of a home, Bertagna said. Authorities advised Vizcarra several times to surrender before deploying Max, a Belgian Malinois police canine, which assisted taking Vizcarra into custody. Police searched the apartment following the Vizcarra and Isais arrests, who are both documented gang members. During a search of the apartment, they located a loaded 9mm handgun matching the casings at the scene, Bertagna said. Its believed the crime started as a robbery and escalated into a shooting. Isais was arrested on suspicion of assault with a firearm on a person, participating in a street gang, committing a felony to benefit a street gang, having a firearm at a school and felon in possession of a firearm. He has spent years in prison for previous felonies starting in 1996, including unlawful taking of a vehicle, four counts of first-degree robbery, evading a police officer and sale or transport of a controlled substance. Vizcarra was arrested for at least one outstanding warrant stemming from dangerous drug charges, Bertagna said. He was convicted in March for possessing a controlled substance and resisting a police officer, both misdemeanors he was sentenced to two months in jail for committing. Contact the writer: 714-796-7802 or aduranty@ocregister.com ANAHEIM HILLS At least two men are suspected of stealing packages from two local homes in recent months, and police have released surveillance photos of the men in hopes of finding them. Anaheim police connected two recent package thefts on Old Bridge Road to the same men, the first on Dec. 23 and the most recent on Monday around 3:25 p.m. The suspects drive up and down the street until they find packages in plain view next to homes before driving away in a green 1995 Toyota Corolla, California License plate number 4BMA628, police Sgt. Daron Wyatt said. Surveillance photos taken Jan. 4 on Old Bridge Road caught the men on camera taking a package from the home and getting into the car with two other men. Both are described in their 20s. One is approximately 5 foot 8 inches tall and 170 pounds with short, black hair. The other is about 5 foot 10 inches and 200 pounds. Police are following several leads, but are also asking for the publics assistance in identifying the men. Anyone with information about the men or the car is asked to contact the Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS. A reward up to $1,000 may be available for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the offender(s). Contact the writer: 714-796-7802 or aduranty@ocregister.com Two men were hospitalized Tuesday after they were shot during separate attacks in Santa Ana, police said. At 4:35 p.m., Santa Ana police responded to the 2600 block of West McFadden Avenue, where they found a man with a gunshot wound to his upper body, police Cmdr. Matt Sorenson said. The victim was alert and taken to a hospital, where he was listed in serious but stable condition. The eastbound lanes of West McFadden Avenue from South Fairview to South Sullivan streets were closed for 30 minutes. The second shooting was reported at 7:33 p.m., one mile away, in the 1900 block of West Myrtle Street. Officers found a man with a gunshot wound to his upper body in a possible gang-related attack, Sorenson said. The victim was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. No descriptions of suspects in either incident were available and no weapon was found at either scene. It was unclear what led to the attacks or if the men knew the shooters, Sorenson said. Witnesses were semi-(cooperative) to uncooperative, Sorenson said of the Mrytle Street incident. Contact the writer: 714-796-2478 or lcasiano@ocregister.com Re: Climate already in action [Letters, Jan. 3]: I want to voice my support for Craig Preston: our weather is on steroids. The scientists who try to connect weather events to climate change freely admit that it is hard to identify long-term trends amid the noise of daily weather, but at the same time, respected groups like the U.K.s Meteorological Office, which keeps a global weather watch, has said, We are experiencing a hemispheric pattern of severe weather, and that the events are linked. Its report went on to say the most extreme days of the U.S. cold event coincided with some of the most intense storms over the U.K. The events were connected through the polar jet stream, which the report said, ran wild. We may never be able to connect a single weather event with climate change, but we see enough to know that our climate is changing and America should be addressing it. I know that there is stirring in Congress on the Republican side of the aisle. A dozen Republicans under Chris Gibsons, R-NY, leadership have named climate change a problem that needs to be addressed. Thomas Giles Laguna Beach *** Biting the hand that feeds Re: Enough government waste to fill three reports [Opinion, Jan. 4]: Although deeply disturbed by the government waste examples cited in your editorial, I had to laugh out loud at the metaphorical image produced by one: $1 million to train monkeys to run on a treadmill in a hamster ball. My mind substituted a hoard of bureaucrats for the monkeys while a monitor on the treadmill was teaching them how to enforce the latest government regulations. The longer Congress and President Obama allow the government to grow, we will acquire more squirrels to constrain our freedoms and eat our lunch. Oliver Watson Orange *** Read the fine print Before deciding to install solar in your home, you may want to consider the on-going costs, even if the installation is free. My neighbors just installed solar paneling on their home. The contractor doing the install was required to report the project to the city. They were contacted by the city informing them that the value of their house increased, and as a result, their property taxes increased. Bottom line is that the tax increase was more than they saved on solar heating. Salesmen do not tell you this. Chuck Trout Huntington Beach The state of Punjab, in northern India, is well known for its rich, vibrant culture, including great food, music, and dance. But what most people dont know is that the Indian state is also home to some of the most extravagant water tanks in the world. The concrete structures that the people of Punjab use to store water on the roofs of their houses are hardly ever ordinary-looking or boring. Instead, these designer tanks come in a variety of unlikely shapes and sizes inspired by peoples interests and experiences. Its not uncommon to see water tanks modeled after airplanes, army tanks, ships, birds, animals, and even humans! Photo: Kangan Arora The trend of having a unique water tank mounted on the roof seems to have spread across the state entire state right from cities to towns and even small villages and is followed by the rich and poor alike. In fact, residents dont seem to mind spending rather lavishly to make sure they have the best tank in the neighborhood. Photo: Kangan Arora Often, these tanks reference the likes and interests of the home owners. People who have family living abroad, for instance, have ships or planes on their roofs. Those with loved ones serving in the armed forces get Army tank-shaped water tanks installed. My son was in the Army and was very passionate about it, said Ranjot Makkar, a resident of the village of Dugri. Photo: Kangan Arora When he joined the Army I got a water tank made in the form of an Army tank to encourage him. Whenever he visits us, he is reminded of his induction into the forces and the joy that came with it. Photo: Climber&Explorer For some, the tanks are a symbol of financial status, while for others they represent sweet memories. Preetjot Singh, a resident of Ludhiana, got an eagle shaped tank to honor a childhood pet. When I was young, I was in love with pets, especially the eagle I had, he said. When she died I got a water tank shaped like her made. It is a tribute to her. I make sure it is well maintained and looks remarkably life like. Photo: Climber&Explorer When the residents get swanky, new tanks made, they dont discard their old ones. Instead, they use them for rainwater harvesting, the practice of collecting rainwater to use during dry summer months. It is better to use them for something useful rather than destroying them completely, said Paramjeet Kaur, another resident. We spend so much money to get them built. So after I bought another tank, I used the old one for rainwater harvesting. Photo: Punjab-Jalandhar Sources: India TV, Times of India Healthcare agency Pascale Communications has officially moved into global waters, with the formation of an international business unit designed to assist multi-market clients and their campaigns by connecting the worlds healthcare community. PCGlobal, which officially launched in December, will offer opportunities for agency teams to partner and assist international clients with a range of healthcare PR and communications services. In a statement, the New York-based agency said PCGlobals formation recognizes the growing importance of multinational communication efforts and coordinated strategic thinking that can be filtered down to local needs. As part of the initiative, Pascale has inked a strategic partnership with London-based independent agency Say Communications to expand the units capabilities. To lead PCGlobal, Pascale has hired London-based PR and marketing consultant Laura Cameron as its global executive. Cameron will head client relations and business development efforts for the newly formed unit. According to Pascale Communications founder and CEO Georgette Pascale, the launch follows years of collaborative work with the agencys network of international partners. After more than a decade working alongside some of the smartest, most exciting clients in the industry, and with the sharpest, most passionate PR team I have ever been a part of, we are thrilled to carve out a global presence and continue to contribute to the success of our clients, Pascale said. Dean Starkman The Big Short movie blames the 2008 financial bust on banks, rating services, Federal Reserve, Wall Street houses and others. Journalism Prof. Dean Starkman keeps insisting that the financial press was a major culprit and that it continues to perform poorly. Journalists dispute this view. Starkman in 2014 authored The Watchdog That Didnt Bark, which claims journalists failed to warn about the Wall Street abuses that led to what the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission said was the worst market disruption in postwar American history. Some $17 trillion in market value disappeared overnight, says one of the characters in The Big Short which as of Jan. 3 had grossed $33 million (No. 7 among films), according to the Jan. 4 Fandango report. Millions of homes lost half or more of their value, resulting in mortgages being worth more and even far more than the value of the homes. An economic malaise ensued that lasted for years. Brett Erica Tunick Where Was Starkman & NYFWA?! The question that arises is why didnt Starkman himself and other members of the New York Financial Writers Assn. sound the alarm long before 2008? Starkman, ex-Wall Street Journal and a former business news editor at the Columbia Journalism Review, was a member of NYFWA in 2011. Britt Erica Tunick, current executive manager of NYFWA, was president of NYFWA in 2006-07. She was then a senior writer at Absolute Return magazine, focusing on hedge funds. Bradly Finkelstein, with National Mortgage News, was 2004-05 president. The government, SEC, major news media and others were ignoring individual writers on the dangerous conditions but they might have heeded a warning from the nations largest and oldest association of financial writers. A campaign might have busted the walls that concealed a high percentage of financial maneuverings not to mention hanky-panky. Writers Focused on Annual Follies The obvious answer is that NYFWA, comprised of nearly 200 journalists, is obsessed with its annual Financial Follies musical show that pulls about a half million from Wall Streets biggest institutions rather than focusing on educating and informing the public. Skit from 2016 "Financial Follies" Its black-tie event each November, in which financial institutions and companies treat upwards of 500 reporters to a banquet and show worth at least $400 for each reporter in terms of ticket prices and drinks, compromises the integrity and independence of the reporters and NYFWA itself. Dozens of financial writers used to be in the cast each year (including this writer) but the cast has shrunk in recent years. About half of those on stage now are professional actors. Seven of the performers in the 2014 and 2015 were pros although this was not disclosed in the programs. Movie Faults Enforcement The Big Short is an attempt to place blame for the disaster on various players. In a final summing-up to the audience, it says that Hundreds of Wall Streeters went to jail for their misdeeds which involved selling borrowed investments they knew would plummet in value. They pocketed the difference when prices collapsed and they covered the sales at bargain prices, it was explained. The movie then notes that was a false statement! Only one person went to jail--Kareem Serageldin, an employee of Credit Suisse. A New York Times profile of Serageldin April 30, 2014 noted that 839 people were convicted of crimes related to the Savings & Loan scandals of the 1980s vs. only one after the 2008 meltdown. NYT highlighted the disparity by showing the numbers one and 839 in type an inch high separated from the rest of the text by white space. The article says credit for the mass escape from prosecution goes to lawyers who put executives behind a wall called attorney-client privilege and who won the right of executives to have their legal bills paid by their employers. The complexity of the issues also made Justice Dept. lawyers doubtful that jurors could be made to understand what had happened, the article says. Lack of Transparency Cited by Commission The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, which heard 700 witnesses in New York, Washington, D.C., and affected cities, and studied millions of pages of documents, concluded that lack of transparency was one of the three leading reasons for the meltdown, along with excessive borrowing and risky investments Reporters, although frustrated by corporate and institutional barriers, did sound the alarm. One of them was Chris Roush, Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Prof. of Business Journalism, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, who wrote Unheeded Warnings for the January/December 2009 American Journalism Review. The business media in 2008 serve as a welcome scapegoat for those who simply want to ignore their own culpability in the financial meltdown, says the extensive article. But it's a bad rapthe business media have done yeoman's work during the past decade to expose wrongdoing in corporate America. In fact, a review of the top business publications in the country shows that they blanketed the major issues, from subprime loans to adjustable-rate mortgages to credit derivatives that caused so much economic pain. Numerous articles were cited by Roush. Sarah Bartlett, Dean of the CUNY J School, told AJR: "I take umbrage at the notion that financial journalists have let us down. Erin Avrelund of Barrons interviewed 100 sources in 2001 to document that Bernie Madoffs investment returns were impossible unless a Ponzi scheme was involved. She was mostly ignored. Harry Markopolos also complained to the SEC about Madoff. Johnston Said Warnings Were Squelched David Cay Johnston, investigative reporter, told FCIC that a number of people saw the coming disaster but were squelched or ignored. He wrote about overpriced housing twice for NYT in 2004. Similar notes were sounded by Gretchen Morgenson and Floyd Norris of NYT. Norris, under the headline, Accountants Misled Us Into Crisis, wrote Sept. 10, 2009, that Major banks were hiding dubious assets off their balance sheets. Stanley Sporkin, an SEC enforcer from 1961-81, told a Columbia J School symposium Nov. 14, 2000 that financial instruments had become so complex and opaque that they were befuddling journalists. He was convinced there was improper manipulation going on but Ph.D.s and lawyers had put up a wall of complexity. Banks were giving mortgages to almost anyone who showed up, knowing they could quickly off-load the risks to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Starkmans claim that The U.S. business press failed to investigate and hold accountable Wall Street banks and major mortgage lenders in the years leading up to the financial crisis of 2008 doesnt hold up. Culprits in the mortgage mess, besides the banks, included ratings agencies Fitch, Standard &Poors and Moodys that over-rated investments, and CPAs who allowed off-balance sheet entries. Starkman Now in Budapest Starkman was at Yale University Dec. 3, 2015 talking at noon on Why the Financial Sector Keeps Taking the Public and Press by Surprise and at 4 p.m. talking on Journalisms Crisisand the Publics. He left Columbia in September 2015, where he had worked since 2007, to join the Los Angeles Times covering Wall Street and financial news from New York. Capital New York picked up the item from the J Schools website. Yale News reported Dec. 3, 2015 that Starkman moved in December to the School of Public Policy, Central European University, Budapest. He has become a fellow at its Center for Media, Data and Society, teaching about media and public interest journalism and will take part in a project to create training and support programs for embattled independent media in Central Europe. The story notes that Starkman in 2014 published The Watchdog That Didnt Bark: the Financial Crisis and the Disappearance of Investigative Journalism, which is described as a wide-ranging critique of the American medias coverage of Wall Street and mortgage lenders in the years leading up to the financial crisis of 2008. Dan Gardner & Brandon Ralph The Stagwell Group, the private equity fund of pollster Mark Penn, has acquired New York-based digital agency Code and Theory. The 14-year-old firm has 300 staffers in New York, Atlanta, London, San Francisco and Manila, the Philippines. It has conducted major digital overhauls for Bloomberg and the Los Angeles Times, in addition to brand work for Dr. Pepper, Burger King and Maybelline, among others. The acquisition follows Stagwell's buy of SKDKnickerbocker in October and Nielsen NRG in November. Penn has said the firm could use its $250M in capital to leverage and build a marketing holding company. Like its previous acquisitions, C&T will continue to operate under current management as an independent entity. "We're looking forward to working with Stagwell to take our company to the next level," said partner, Brandon Ralph (right), who co-founded the firm with Dan Gardner (left). Kayla Hamberg When a corporate crisis occurs, should a company respond on social media or remain silent? As is often the case in complex situations, the answer usually lies somewhere in between. If a company monitors diligently for online conversation, it has an opportunity to respond quickly and contain potential issues before they expand. Sometimes, however, the right strategy is to ignore the chatter until it dies down. In such cases, responding can actually expand the reach of a crisis unnecessarily. Below are two very different examples of social media responses to recent crises, and the lessons one can learn. Each strategy arrives with a level of risk, of course, so deciding how to approach a situation always requires careful consideration. To respond on social: REI Strategy overview: Sporting goods company REI received negative attention after a social media crisis in November 2015. Because the crisis occurred on social media, REI responded on social media. This strategy was successful: REI was able to contain the negative conversation within only the affected community. The crisis: In November 2015, REI announced that it would close on Black Friday to encourage customers to Opt Outside (presumably, engaging in sporting events). Then REI CEO Jerry Stritzke held a question and answer session on social media discussion forum Reddit. The companys Opt Outside campaign otherwise had been received favorably, so it likely anticipated the Q&A would have the same reception. It did not. In fact, the forum opened floodgates of criticism from REI employees. They complained that their success at the company was too dependent upon membership sales. A conversation that previously had been taking place behind closed doors was made public for all to see. The number of negative comments grew dramatically: from 300 to over 5,000. After the session ended, Stritzke posted a response on Reddit, the same forum in which the conversation took place. An excerpt of his post follows: I want you to know were committed to this community and to being honest about REI. I see a lot of value in hearing from our employees and members in a candid and anonymous setting like this. Thank you for the good conversation and holding us accountable. This conversation spilled over onto REIs Facebook page, where more comments collected. REIs Facebook team responded in real time, pointing users to Stritzkes response, and thanking them for their feedback. Again, REI maintained its strategy of responding to the issue in the same channel where it originated. Lessons learned from REI: Because REIs crisis occurred on Reddit, the company responded there. When the conversation expanded to Facebook, REI also responded on this forum. By closely watching the level of discussion and continuing its normal course social strategy on other channels, REI did not communicate about the matter more broadly. Although the crisis certainly did spark mentions on several online news sites, overall, conversation about REI did not increase for long. Its strategy of containing the relevant conversation to the channels where it originated appears to have paid off. Not to respond on social: GE Strategy overview: GE dealt with a recent crisis without acknowledging it on social media. Instead, during the days that followed the crisis, GE paused its own social media activity. The strategy proved to be advantageous. The media cycle was short, and talk of the crisis on social media was limited. The crisis: In April 2015, a fire destroyed six acres of GEs Appliance Park manufacturing facility in Louisville, Kentucky. An investigation followed. When findings were released at the end of July, it became clear that GEs outdated sprinklers and broken hydrants may have caused some of the damage. In the days following the crisis, GE stopped posting its usual amount of social media content. After discussion related to the fire died down online, GE resumed posting normal course content. Its large suite of content helped steer discussion about the company back on track with little more than a brief pause. GE maintains a massive online presence, churning out positive articles, websites, and social media posts which dilute any negative discussion and dominate search results. Lessons learned from GE: By watching the conversation and responding on a reactionary basis, GE was able to discern that it was not necessary to address the fire through its social platforms. Instead, it was able to limit the damage and exposure of bad news. It accomplished this even though it stopped posting on social media in the days following the crisis due to its strong, long-term digital presence. While it is always necessary to communicate news of a crisis with affected and relevant groups, the means to do so must be carefully thought through. Corporate social media handles may not be the best means to communicate unless warranted by conversation happening there. Key takeaways Although GE and REI handled their respective crises differently, several principles were present in both companies responses. First, monitor social media at all times. In a crisis, judge response strategy based upon the location and level of conversation. Second, like any crisis, attempt to contain conversation within the affected communities. Respond to social media chatter on the same platform or channel in which it originated. Finally, a strong digital footprint, including a long-term presence on social media channels, can prevent negative discussion from dominating online. By formulating a strategy built upon these principles, companies can successfully navigate social media in a crisis. * * * Kayla Hamberg is a Senior Associate in Sard Verbinnen & Cos Digital Communications Group. Loading... OilVoice will be with you shortly... The United States is urging a de-escalation of tensions in the Mideast in the wake of a heated diplomatic dispute between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Saudi Arabia has severed diplomatic relations with Iran; Bahrain and Sudan have followed suit; and the United Arab Emirates has downgraded diplomatic relations. Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran intensified this past weekend after Saudi Arabia executed 47 individuals-including Shia cleric Nimr Baqr al-Nimr. Iran denounced his execution and violent protests broke out inside Iran. Protestors ransacked the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and set it on fire. Regarding the executions by Saudi Arabia, State Department Spokesperson John Kirby said that the United States continue[s] to urge the government of Saudi Arabia to ensure fair and transparent judicial proceedings in all cases, and that the United States has expressed particular concern over the execution of Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr. Mr. Kirby also condemned the attacks on Saudi diplomatic properties in Iran, saying that we take attacks on diplomatic properties very seriously. He noted reports that some of the perpetrators of these attacks have been arrested and called on Iran to fully respect its international obligations to protect diplomatic property. On the severing of diplomatic relations, State Department Spokesperson Kirby emphasized the need for diplomatic engagement, strong bilateral relations, and direct conversations to work through differences. Increased frictions, Mr. Kirby said, run counter to the interests of all those in the international community who support moderation, peace and stability. The United States, he added, reiterate[s] the need for leaders throughout the region to re-double efforts aimed at de-escalating regional tensionsso that we can all continue to work on resolving the pressing issues in Iraq, in Syria, in Yemen and elsewhere throughout the Middle East. Odd-even formula, Pak policy: Kejriwal & Modi acting out of the box Feature oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal are not known to be friends. They have referred to each other as "AK49" and "psyc(h)opath" over electoral and administrative clashes. But the irony is that both these leaders have a great deal of similarity among themselves and represent a change in the nature of political leadership with which India is traditionally familiar with. The tale of similarity begins from the fact that both reside in Delhi. But the biggest factor that puts the two leaders on the same side is their willingness to act out of the box. This is something that comes naturally to both Modi and Kejriwal despite the challenges that come with it. Odd-even scheme: Kejriwal's gritty move Take for example, Kejriwal's gritty move on the odd-even scheme to fight the dangerous level of pollution in Delhi. It is a plan that not many populist leader would contemplate for the political risk that comes with it is big. Kejriwal has every chance of facing a backlash if the odd-even formula doesn't pay off in the long run because of institutional failure. He would be the one to bear the brunt even if the agencies fail him in achieving the desired success. His own carpooling would be dubbed a photo-op if the entire plan fails to fire. But yet the AAP leader took the initiative to leave a legacy behind-of a leader who genuinely tried to take on one of the most pressing problems that today's India faces which is pollution. Modi's Pak policy: Flexible and determined Similarly, Modi's policy towards Pakistan speaks of improvisation which various quarters believe to be inconsistent. The prime minister has continued with his efforts to maintain the talking channels with Pakistan despite all odds. His critics have dubbed his government's policy vis-a-vis Islamabad as weak but in reality, Modi's stand on Pakistan has been flexible. Even after the terror attacks in Pathankot airbase, the prime minister's calling the militants as "enemies of humanity" shows that New Delhi is not ready to let the revived peace initiative with Islamabad go waste. The effort to not identify Pakistan's various power centres as one and shut the door for progress in the bilateral relation by adopting a coercive diplomacy has been the hallmark of Modi's foreign policy. He also wants to show to the world that he genuinely believes in breaking the ice permanently with Pakistan. But this stand is not without the dangers. Modi, just like Kejriwal, needs the luck to see the institutions back his personal initiative (like reaching out to Pak PM Nawaz Sharif in Lahore) or else it would go down in history as a meaningless photo-op. Modi, Kejriwal ready to take risk despite the challenges The Modis and Kejriwals are leaders who act on their personal instincts. They represent a political culture which is not propelled by the whims of the high command and is thus flexible and at the same time, ready to take risk. This also makes them popular in the media as the latter finds their adventurist nature profitable in all weather conditions (whether they succeed or fail). This two-edged equation with the media makes the task of both the leaders more difficult for they have to constantly raise the bars of their own performance so that they can lead the rest (Opposition and media). Not an easy job but so far, both the PM and Delhi CM have done their jobs exceedingly well. And both are clever to convey the message through their determination that they had always tried it. If it didn't work out still, it was the opponents who had failed them. But then why do these leaders are at loggerheads? But then why these two leaders, who essentially symbolise a post-Congress political culture in India, are not friends themselves despite the similarities? Geographical proximity The first reason is their geographical proximity. Had Kejriwal been the chief minister of some other state, the friction would have been lesser. But since the Centre and state government in Delhi often come face to face in matters of administration, the clash of personalities become imminent. Given the fact that neither of the two leaders are traditionally Delhi insiders also contribute to the clash in some way. For they are more result oriented and not ready to hide behind the facades of power centres and bureaucracy as traditionalists would have preferred. Kejriwal needed a giant opponent to grow big Another reason is that both are fierce competitors. Kejriwal, being a newcomer in politics, always needed a big-stature enemy to make a mark in the cut-throat competition that the Indian democracy presents. Initially, he had taken on former Congress chief minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit and defeating her in the 2013 Assembly polls did the AAP convenor's confidence a world of good. Once the Congress became history, Modi was the obvious second choice for Kejriwal to erect his new enemy. He even contested against Modi from Varanasi in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. He lost the battle but even that loss was significant for Kejriwal's CV as a politician to show that he is not somebody who knows to retreat. Both Modi and Kejriwal are ambitious leaders who want to leave behind a legacy. The pursuance of the Pakistan policy and the odd-even scheme despite the challenges has established the fact that these two leaders are ready to see things till the end. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, January 6, 2016, 11:48 [IST] Pathankot attack: Who should have led the counter strike? Feature oi-Vicky Post every terror attack, there is bound to be analysis and what went wrong. In the case of the Pathankot terrorist attack the first question that comes to mind is why the army was not the lead agency in combating the terrorists. After the intercepts were deciphered, New Delhi was quick to press the NSG commandos a move that was defended later on the ground that there were civilians in the air force station. [Timeline of Pathankot terror attack] There are none in the country who can battle hardened terrorists the way the 4 Para (SF) and 9 Para (SF) do. Both these commando units of the Indian army are stationed in Jammu and Kashmir and should have been deployed instead of the NSG, experts feel. Too many cooks spoil the broth: The Pathankot operation to eliminate the terrorists is a classic case of too many cooks spoiling the broth. Who really was in charge is a million dollar question that is being asked. Moreover, why when the intelligence alerts suggested that it was going to be an attack on a military base was the NSG sent in. Clearly there was no hostage crisis and hence the of the NSG over the elite force of the army is very much questionable. Several experts say that the 4 Para (SF) and the 9 Para (SF) should be have deployed immediately. They are experts at combating such a situation and could have finished the operation earlier. This argument can be supported with an incident that took place ahead of the December 13, 2001 Parliament attack. Militants had tried to storm a base in Jammu and Kashmir, but were all neutralised when they were trying to scale the wall. How did the terrorists enter in the first place: Arun Jaitley, the finance minister of India said that the security forces were completely successful in averting any damage to the strategic assets in the base. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said yesterday that there were gaps, but security was not comproimised. One clearly fails to understand this statement. What about the fact that the terrorists managed to enter the base in the first place. The air base is one of the strategic points for the Indian Air Force. In almost all Indo-Pak wars, this is the base that the enemy looks to target as it tends to cripple the air force. Parrikar himself said at the press briefing yesterday that his worry was how did they manage to enter? This air base a wall of 10 feet with concertina coil of 2 feet. As per the initial account that the NIA has got, two of the terrorists reached the base earlier and provided fire cover while the rest entered. While the securing of strategic assets is commendable questions do arise over how they entered the base in the first place. Was the security mechanism at the base not alert? This boy has no caste & he aspires to become IAS officer! Feature oi-Staff By Staff The aspiring dream of pursuing IAS (Indian Administrative Service) for 24-year-old Raghu is becoming fragile as boy is grossly being victimised by the system. Right from the birth, Raghu, hailing from Mandya district of Karnataka, has been tied up in the cob web of criminal system. He was born on February 21, 1991 to an orphan, who is also dumb and a mentally-ill woman. Raghu says, his exhaustive investigation revealed saddening state of affair of his mother who was allegedly gang raped and after which she conceived to give birth to Raghu. Raghu has no caste, as he has no clue of his lineage and even worse is his mentally-ill mother, who cannot pass through any information of her descendants. He has now kicked off a fight to gain caste certificate. "I want to become an IAS officer," says Raghu. Painful past of Raghu's mother His mother, who is dumb and mentally-ill, arrived to Mandya district of Karnataka in 1989. She took shelter in a slum and used to yearn for food through begging. As the lady could not speak, the denizens named the lady as Moogi (one who can't speak). It was probably a dim day, and an ill-fated day when the helpless lady was allegedly gang raped and Raghu was born in 1991. The then police officials noticed the plight of the pregnant woman and got her admitted to a government hospital. Thanks to the police department. The birth of Raghu was recorded in the documents of the government hospital. From there, both were handed over to child and women welfare department. The mother was sheltered at women care center, while Raghu was sent to child care center at Dawanagere. After few years, both were relocated to Bellary women care center and child care center. Raghu pursued his education from class 1st to 4th in Government Lower Primary School, Parvati Nagara, Bellary. He further continued his education in a child care center for senior children aged above 12 to 16. He completed 9th standard in Radio Park High School, Bellary in 2006. A flaw that is stopping him to achieve his dream The concerned authority in a child care center committed a mistake by issuing Transfer Certificate (TC) with flaws in address and names. Raghu's mother's name was mentioned as Mamata as against Moogi, while Raghu was clipped with Hindu religion but with out affiliating to any caste. Raghu claims that he wants caste as, "I was forced to discontinue after 9th standard as there were factual errors in the TC and had no caste." He however managed to meet a few influential people and took board exam in National Institute of Open Schooling, an autonomous institution coming under MHRD in Bengaluru. Raghu completed his SSLC in 2015. For Raghu, it took 9 years of long agonised struggle just to complete SSLC. "My applications for D group jobs was rejected at corporation bank (sweeper), law department (sweeper) and navy (assistant cook) as I did not have the privilege of caste, though I am a Hindu", says Raghu. However, after exhausting fight, he has finally managed to correct factual discrepancies in the TC with the help of Women and Child Development Director. He has acquired all required citizenship documents too. Hats off to his hot pursuit! Raghu laments "I am running from pillar to post to get caste certificate done. As my mother was living in a slum, where people hail from SC (Scheduled Caste), I am demanding the government to credit the same." He says he has approached Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Law Minister T B Jayachandra, Women and Child Development Minister Umashree. Determined Raghu runs from pillar to post While Siddaramaiah did not heed to his request, other ministers have tipped off the condition of the boy to concerned authority but to no use as caste cannot be conferred upon a person without learning his/her lineage. Raghu alleged that despite caste review committee conducted a survey of the place where his mother lived and agreed to the fact that all slum belonging are SC category people, the Deputy Commissioner of Mandya is unwilling to grant SC caste, as demanded. The Deputy Commissioner (DC) Dr Ajay Nagabhushan M N while speaking to OneIndia expressed concern for the boy and said legally no system can confer caste on a man. "Caste is related to clan or lineage and it simply cannot be bestowed on anyone." He added that he has advised the boy to get admitted to a college and DC assured he will ensure Raghu's admission. While, Women and Child Development Minister, Umashree said she has spoken to the Principal Secretary of her department and his concern will be looked after. "My mother sometimes recognises me, sometime touches my face with love and sometimes asks me to dance with her and sometimes she gets angry." Raghu recalls. "If in the TC I was clipped with the Islam or Christianity, I would not have encountered with this problem." He further confidently says "I will not discontinue my studies, I will work hard, I will become an IAS officer." The West's portrayal of an intolerant India: Its all in the numbers Swami Vivekananda might get Agnivesh-like treatment if he were to come today: Tharoor When rampant human rights violations continue, debate over intolerance cant end Feature oi-Oneindia By Maitreyee Boruah Those who thought, the entire debate over intolerance has ended with the start of a new year and no major elections for political parties to fight for, need to think twice. The champions of peace and justice strongly feel that when assassins of rationalist MM Kalburgi are still at large, Mangalore-based activist Vidya Dinker continued being hounded for standing against the ban on Shah Rukh Khan's film Dilwale in her home city by Bajrang Dal goons and minorities belonging to various walks of life repeatedly facing violence, the debate should continue to find a solution to rising intolerance in the country. A talk on State Intolerance Against Our Lives' organized by Bengaluru-based NGO Ondede (Convergence in Kannada) at St Joseph's College, Shantinagar in the city on Tuesday (January 5) discussed at length how intolerance breeds fear among citizens. Ondede works mostly with women, children and sexual minorities. Mangalore, hub of fundamentalism Citing several instances of intolerance and violence in the coastal city of Mangalore, Vidya, who was one of the panelists, said the city was witnessing rise in both Hindu and Islamic fundamentalism. "Mangalore is a nice, breezy and a cosmopolitan city. It is soon going to be one of the Smart Cities' to be developed under the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD). Unfortunately, it has a dark underbelly," she added. Vidya condemned how immoral policing by goons belonging to different religious groups are taking control of the lives of the people. "They've perpetrated fear in the minds of people. Several such cases go unreported." She narrated how a group of 15 Bajrang Dal members stopped theatres from screening Dilwale, as its main star Shah Rukh spoke about intolerance. "When we protested about it, I was threatened and bullied. They threatened to rape and kill me on the social media. I have filed a complaint against 24 Bajrang Dal goons. I won't stay silent. The goons can't misuse the social media to intimidate people," she added. Lessons on love for youngsters Since the talk was hosted at a city college, several students were part of the audience. The youngsters learnt few lessons on love, when Arvind Narrain founder member of Alternative Law Forum and human rights activist asked his young friends to create a new world order based on love with any discrimination. Probably, this was for the first time when college students in their campus were encouraged to fall in love without any fear or biases. "We need to find a solution to end intolerance from society. Idea of love is revolutionary. Love is a deep constitutional philosophy. State can't tell us whom we can love, neither our parents," he said, as crowd cheered. Make marginalized sections visible One of the solutions cited during the discussion was to make the marginalized sections of society visible. "Let marginalized sections become visible to end intolerance," said Shakun Mohini, women's rights activist from Vimochana. "It is unfortunate that our parliamentarians were not even ready to discuss issues of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community. We witnessed their homophobic and transphobic nature recently when Congress MP Shashi Tharoor attempted to introduce a private member's bill that sought to decriminalise gay sex, in the Lok Sabha. By rejecting the bill, they have rejected millions of Indians their rights to lead their lives without any fear. If this is not intolerance, then what?" asked Akkai Padmashali, an LGBT activist and founder of Ondede. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, January 6, 2016, 11:02 [IST] Chennai: HC relief to man seeking grandpa's burial India oi-PTI Chennai, Jan 6: Coming to the aid of a man who sought protection from upper caste villagers opposed to him taking a pathway to bury his deceased grandfather, the Madras High Court on Jan 5 directed police in Nagapattinam district to give adequate protection to see no untoward incident takes place in completing the last rites. Justice M M Sundresh, before whom the petition in this regard came up today, was informed by the Special Government Pleader that the Nagapattinam District Collector had stated there was no difficulty in laying a thoroughfare to reach the burial ground and also that appropriate protection would be given to the petitioner in the event of any objection. The judge, after recording the statement, in his order reiterated that it is the duty of all district authorities to see that the petitioner, along with the body of his deceased centanarian grandfather, was in a position to reach the burial ground without any hindrance and disposed of the petition. Petitioner M Sankar had submitted that though his grandfather died on January 3, he could not be buried for two days as upper caste people prevented him from using the path leading to the burial ground. Sankar said his grandfather died at his native place in Vazhuvur where they were prevented from using the common burial ground. They were using a portion of the land on the bund of Makimaiaru river from time immemorial. But there was no pucca road to the burial ground. The local upper class people (Vanniars) prevented them from using this path, the petitioner had contended. Admitting the petition yesterday, the court had observed that equality eludes a person till death starting from birth, and directed the Nagaipattinam district administration and police to swiftly act on the man's plea. PTI Here's why Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt will have to stay 2 days extra in jail India oi-Nairita Mumbai, Jan 6: Sanjay Dutt, the Bollywood actor, is all set to be freed from Pune's Yerwada jail on Feb 25. Though the actor's jail term will end on Feb 25, the actor will be released on Feb 27. According to sources, since Sanjay Dutt overextended his parole time by 2 days, hence, he will be forced to compensate the time in jail. The actor was sent jail as he was convicted in an arms case related to the 1993 Mumbai blasts in which more than 350 people were killed and over 700 were injured. Sanjay Dutt will be released from prison a few days before his actual release date as reprieve has been granted to the 56-year-old actor on grounds of good behaviour. The decision earlier was challenged by by former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju who urged the governor of Maharashtra to reject the pardon granted to Sanjay Dutt. However, Governor Vidyasagar Rao rejected the petition on the recommendation of the Maharashtra home department, which said it would set a bad precedent as the actor's conviction was confirmed by the Supreme Court. Dutt was sentenced to a 5-year imprisonment after he was convicted in the 1993 blasts case for possessing an illegal weapon. He had already served 18 months before the verdict was pronounced. The 56-year-old actor is now completing the remaining prison term of 42 months and is lodged at the Yerawada Central Jail in Pune. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, January 6, 2016, 12:29 [IST] Interview: Air Marshal speaks on Pathankot terror attack India oi-Vicky Pathankot, Jan 6: There have been questions raised over how the operation at Pathankot took over 60 hours to complete. It has been said that 6 terrorists kept 500 security personnel engaged for over three days and questions have been raised over this. Air Marshal (retd) B K Pandey who is familiar with the Pathankot air force station says that in such operations there is no need to rush. It makes no sense in rushing through such an operation when you are aware that the terrorists have been contained to a non-technical area. In this interview with OneIndia, Air Marshal (retd) B K Pandey speaks about the Pathankot attack, what India's response should be apart from the fact that Pakistan will continue with terror no matter what the bonhomie is. Why do you think the operations took so long to complete? It is never wise to rush through such an operation. Firstly the security forces had contained them to a non-technical area and ensured that the assets were safe. When this being the case rushing through an operation could only result in more damage. The idea of engaging the terrorists for so long is to first ensure that they run out of water. They come in with a limited supply of food and water. Once they run out of water, they do not last that long. In any such operation this is what the security forces aim to do. The security forces would wait until the terrorists tire out. What is your assessment of the damage at the air force station? Trust me there is no damage what so ever. The terrorists were isolated in the forest area and hence were unable to inflict any sort of damage on the strategic assets. The last two terrorists entered into a building, but that was empty. They were smoked out of there early. What do you think of the decision to send in the NSG instead of the Special Forces from Kashmir? Kashmir has provided a wonderful training ground for the Indian army. Every soldier gets battle hardened after doing a stint in Kashmir. The forces there are better equipped to handle terror and such situation. Hence in such an event the forces from Kashmir should have been called in and not the NSG. What is your assessment of the security at the Pathankot air force station? There has been a mess in terms of internal security. We must understand that first. The Pathankot air force station security is the responsibility of the Indian Air Force. This air force station has a boundary wall of 15 kilometres and to guard the entire area by humans is difficult. When we lack in human resources, there is a need to rely more on technology. How well prepared do you think these terrorists were? In this attack, the terrorists sneaked in through the storm water drain. This means that there was a proper survey of the area conducted. Someone locally has provided them with information about how to enter the base through the storm water drain.It is not as though they have found it themselves. Yesterday Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar said that there were gaps? Yes true there were gaps. The fact is that the terrorists managed to enter the air base itself is a matter of concern. Now appropriate action should be taken to strengthen the air field. What is the next course of action. How does India deal with Pakistan? First and foremost we need a deterrent capability which can be used to punish those agencies in Pakistan who unleash terror in India. The army and the air force must be given this capability to blow the enemy. For now we do not have that capability. Let us not worry too much about Pakistan declaring war. They do not have the capability to fight a full fledged war and hence will stick to terrorism since it is cost effective for them. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, January 6, 2016, 12:09 [IST] K'taka: HC quashes 15 FIRs agains B S Yeddyurappa in land denotification India oi-Shreyas Bengaluru, Jan 6: While a former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa is all set to return to state politics, the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday Jan 5 quashed proceedings in connection to 15 cases filed by the Lokayukta police. All the cases those are quashed were pertaining to de-notification of BDA (Bengaluru Development Authority) acquired lands. Justice Rathnakala while allowing petitions filed by the BJP leader, issued instruction not to avail CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) report, in further, to file fresh cases against Yeddyurappa. It could be recalled that FIRs filed by the Lokayukta police was challenged by the BJP leader In June 2015. All the cases were filed based on the report of the CAG. However complaint in connection to de-notification was lodged by a social activist, Jayakumar Hiremath. [K'taka: B S Yeddyurappa likely to return to state politics as 'BJP president'] The lands those were de-notified during Yeddyurappa's stint as CM were acquired by the BDA in Bilekahalli, Halagavaderahalli, J B Kaval and other places. The former CM contended that Lokayukta could not have launched prosecution on the grounds of CAG report as lands vests with state legislature and it is legislature's prerogative to take decision on the matter. On the other hand CAG said, its reports could not be used by any other organ of the state including the judiciary and use of it is equivalent to abuse of constitutional scheme. The withdrawal of cases against Yeddyurappa has come as massive relief in a time he is likely to step his foot back to state politics as BJP president. The FIRs are a result of RTI activist Jayakumar Hiremath's complaint to Lokayukta in 2012 based on the CAG report on denotification of lands acquired by government for allotment of sites by the BDA. Later, the CID investigated the matter and submitted a report to the Lokayukta. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, January 6, 2016, 10:55 [IST] Malda Mayhem: 10 people arrested; BJP slams Trinamool for violence India oi-Preeti Malda, Jan 6: Even though the self-proclaimed Hindu leader Kamlesh Tiwari is behind bars in Lucknow, over his alleged derogattory remarks against Prophet Mohammad, but Muslims in Malda district of West Bengal are refusing to stop their outrage and violent protests. A mob protesting against the alleged blasphemous comments by a right wing Hindutva leader had recently resorted to violence in Kaliachak area of Malda district of West Bengal on Sunday, Jan 3. [Malda violence explained: Muslim mob ransack police stations, burn vehicles] Injured man's poor family hopes for help A young RSS activist Gopal Tiwari, who sustained a gunshot at his left leg, during the violence and is recuperating at a private hospital, told a leading daily that the Muslim mob were raising slogans against the Modi government and PM Narendra Modi." Gopal works as a priest at Shani Mandir and his father is a daily wage labourer. Due to financial crunch, his parents are seeking to get monetary help for their son's treatment. His family members have already taken a loan of Rs 45,000 from their relatives for Gopal's operation. Kaliachak police station wears a deserted look According to media reports, even 48 hours after the mayhem in Malda, Kaliachak police station wore a deserted look. As Section 144 has been imposed in the violence-hit area, many residents chose to remain indoors and most of the shops were shut. Malda district police superintendent told a media house that 10 persons have been arrested in connection with the case and have been sent to 6-day police custody by a district court. Additional security forces have been deployed in communally-sensitive area to avoid any further tension. Meanwhile, the police is also examining the CCTV footage at Kaliachak police station, to identify the culprits. Police suspects that anti-national elements may be involved in the recent violence, as various illegal activities like peddling of fake notes, illegal migration, arms factory or smuggling goods from across the border, take place in these areas. Mail Today report said that the mob had intentionally ransacked the police station to destroy all the criminal records. BJP slams Trinamool for violence in Malda On Tuesday, Jan 5, the BJP attacked the ruling Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal over the "rampaging communalism" in Malda, alleging that the accused behind it are indulging in violence under its protection. "Communalism is on a rampage in Malda. Police station has been burnt down, innocents are being attacked and there is mayhem... Those who are doing it are doing so under the protection of West Bengal government. It is not taking any substantial action," Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said at a press conference. Naqvi said it was a "very serious" issue as the violence had been going on for hours. "People who have gone out of control and stoking communal tension must be dealt with severely to restore a sense of security," he said, adding the government was soft on them. Kamlesh Tiwari was arrested on Dec 2 in Lucknow, following controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammad, that led to massive protests by Muslims in various parts of the country. Tiwari's blasphemous comments came a day after Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan made derogatory remarks against the RSS, by calling them homosexuals. Here are Twitter reactions on Malda violence: #CPIM strongly condemns the violence unleashed by fundamentalist organizations in Kaliachak, Malda (1/4) CPI (M) (@cpimspeak) January 6, 2016 #malda and #KaliachakRiot - why is the #awardwapsi gang silent ? is this in sync with idea of india ? not a single visit as yet by #ndtv why Rahul Deo Bharadwaj (@deo26) January 6, 2016 What the hell will Muslims gain by #MaldaRiots? Decades of appeasement has led to current situation in India & Malda will make it worse BhagareBaingan (@KyaReBaingan) January 6, 2016 ASJ, a muslim organisation attacked hindu temples, priests and also BSF convoy in Malda. This is sick. Sudhanshu (@Sudshek) January 6, 2016 Malda violence explained: Muslim mob ransack police stations, burn vehicles ... Is Malda a mini-Pakistan -... https://t.co/Q4yDGpmvbu Alain Bertho (@alainbertho) January 6, 2016 Media called India intolerant after the Dadri issue. So Why Media is ignoring Malda ? It's shocking.Wish it gets covered properly by Media. Charlie (@CharlieGulshan) January 6, 2016 How many arrests have been made in Malda? Mamta Banerjee's is anyway the worst form of pandering possible. Vivek (@bipashafever) January 6, 2016 Malda still trending at 9th? Wake up India and Force media to Wake. Sunil Bhalla (@SunilBhalla17) January 6, 2016 Dear media you seem to have confused Malta which is in Europe with Malda which is in West Bengal so had not been reporting about it Anoop Chathoth (@anoopc) January 6, 2016 OneIndia News Manipur quake: Collapsed markets substandard, says official India oi-IANS By Ians English Imphal, Jan 5: Two market complexes run by women vendors in the Manipur capital that collapsed in Monday's devastating earthquake were of "sub-standard" quality, an official said on Tuesday. The earthquake damaged the Laxmi and New Market complexes, throwing hundreds of women vendors out of business. Police have now cordoned off the markets. State chief secretary O. Nabakishore said there was evidence to show that construction of these marketing complexes was of "sub-standard" quality. "We have brought these facts to the notice of the central government with the plea to foot the bills for repair work. A central team is likely to arrive in Imphal on January 7 to make an on-the-spot inquiry," he said. Works Minister T. Ratan Kumar, who inspected the damaged complexes on Tuesday, said the complexes were "unsafe for the people", and nobody is being allowed to enter. "Besides, the state PWD is not associated with the construction of these complexes. The Indian government had given fund directly to the National Building Constructions Corporation," he said. Thounaojam Chaoba, president of the BJP's Manipur unit, said the damaged market complexes should be demolished, and new ones should be constructed. "Now the authorities are trying to repair them, and it is a threat to hundreds of women vendors and customers. The dilapidated buildings may collapse any time." He said the collapse of market sheds elsewhere in the state should also be looked into without delay. "Officials and the construction company should be booked," he said. BJP legislator Thongam Bisajit on Tuesday visited the quake epicentre, Tamenglong district, to talk to the victims. "The central government is doing everything to help the victims. However, there is inordinate delay on the part of the state Congress government in doling out relief materials to the victims and this is condemnable," Bisajit said. IANS Top naxal who harboured maoists, concealed huge cache of arms nabbed by NIA Maoists blow up railway tracks in Jharkhand, train services disrupted on Barkakana-Garhwa route More than 500 Maoist supporters surrender before Police in Malkangiri district Maoists kill TDP leader for supporting bauxite mining India oi-IANS By Ians English Visakhapatnam, Jan 6: Maoists shot dead a former sarpanch (village headman) of the ruling Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh's Viskhapatnam district late Tuesday, police said on Wednesday. The killing occurred in Jarrila village in G K Veedhi mandal, a tribal area in Visakhapatnam district. S. Venkatramna, a former sarpanch and director of market yard, was kidnapped from the village on Tuesday night by a group of Maoists. The Communist Party of India (Maoists) sent a message to the village early Wednesday morning that they have killed him for supporting the bauxite mining and also for acting as a spy for police. The Maoists also posted wall posters, warning TDP and BJP leaders against organising party activities and supporting bauxite mining. The 36-year-old local leader was earlier warned by the extremists against participating in party activities. Maoists and tribals have been strongly opposing the government move to allow bauxite mining in the agency areas. Maoists on Tuesday had gunned down a tribal in Sariyapalli village in Manchangiputta mandal for allegedly working as a spy for police. Following the two incidents, police in the agency belt have gone on high alert and launched combing operations. IANS Last day of Odd-Even today, no decision yet on extension Odd-Even to end today: No decision yet on extending scheme as AQI hovers around 500-mark Decision on Odd even scheme to be taken on Nov 18, says Kejriwal as air quality in 'severe' category Odd-Even may not be a permanent solution, how will people breathe: SC Sky clear, no need for odd-even now: Arvind Kejriwal Odd-Even Rule in Haryana 2021: Dates, Timings, List of Districts, Fine, Exemptions and Other Details Odd even rule: Over 41 lakh commuters use DTC bus service India oi-PTI New Delhi, Jan 5: Over 41 lakh commuters travelled by Delhi Transport Corporation buses in the national capital on the fourth day of implementation of odd-even car rationing scheme. "A total of 41.63 lakh passengers traveled by the DTC buses yesterday. In the morning, a total of 5,391 buses were put into service for facilitating commuters," said a DTC senior official. The DTC helpline number today received around 1,200 calls of which 1,124 were queries regarding availability of buses while remaining were suggestions and complaints, said the official, adding 25 calls were of suggestions, 57 of complaints, of which 40 were against autorickshaw, nine against buses and one against Gramin Sewa. Delhi Transport minister Gopal Rai today said that the department was running a total of 7,143 buses including those of DTC, Cluster service and additional buses procured from private bus operators and schools. Transport department has stopped its talks with schools for more buses. The 7,143 buses being run presently will continue till January 15, he added. PTI Pathankot attack: Here's how NSG commandos killed terrorists who stormed into airbase India oi-PTI New Delhi, Jan 6: About 300 'black cat' commandos of the elite counter-terror force, NSG, deployed an assortment of most sophisticated assault weapons and "buster" ammunition tools to neutralise the terrorists who had sneaked into the Air Force base in the border town of Pathankot. Timeline of Pathankot terror attack In one of the longest running counter-terror operations in the country, the National Security Guard (NSG) suffered minor and major injuries to its 21 personnel, besides the death of its bomb squad Commanding Officer Lt Col E K Niranjan, since the first detachment of about 160 commandos flew out from the Palam military airbase on January 1 on an IAF transport aircraft. Sources privy to the operation said two more similar special strike units, with a strength of about 80 'black cats' each, were airlifted to Pathankot from Delhi on January 2 and 3. They joined their 'buddies' thick in operations at the sprawling airbase, house to the fighter Squadrons of the IAF. They said it was a "New Year call" to the 24x7 'on alert' counter-terrorist unit based at its garrison in Manesar sometime in the afternoon on January 1 and the commandos of the Special Action Group (SAG) were airborne by 1500 hours. The call to air-dash to Pathankot was made by the Union Home Ministry to the NSG headquarters, which quickly asked its Force Commander in Manesar to prepare the commando team for assault. The first team were led by NSG Inspector General (Operations) Major General Dushyant Singh even as Director General R C Tayal camped in Pathankot from Sunday. The sources said the NSG commandos made extensive use of their special weapons like MP-5 assault rifles, Glock pistols, corner-shot guns and a heavy cache of door and wall-busting explosive charges to corner and eliminate the holed-up terrorists. They said the 'buster' tools, as they are called, were also used during the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks when NSG used them to blow off locked rooms and passages of five-star hotels but some of them used this time were the enhanced variants which the force has procured post the Mumbai operation. Two terrorists, the sources said, were killed by the NSG men when they were hiding and launching continuous fire and lobbing grenades from a room where the family quarters of the Defence Security Corps (DSC) is located in the airbase. The room was later demolished by the use of heavy fire. They said the NSG commandos and other security forces, for the last few hours, have been undertaking the "render safe" procedure which entails sanitising the area from hidden improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and booby traps, and hence the operation is taking time. "Such thing is done after every operation. The area of the IAF base is large and complex hence it is taking time," one of the sources said. Pathankot attack: Who should have led the counter strike? Half-a-dozen sniffer dogs from the canine (K 9) squad along with their handlers have also been pressed into service by the NSG. While the elite counter-terror and counter-hijack force has not given a name to the operation till now like 'Op Black Tornado' for the 26/11 Mumbai task, the force for the first time lost an officer from its bomb disposal squad. Thirty-four-year-old Lt Col and Group Captain Niranjan was heading the unit, they said, and was trying to clear and sanitise the body of a terrorist and the surrounding area when a cleverly concealed grenade blew up fatally injuring the officer and five others. The highly decorated officer was immediately taken to hospital where he breathed his last. He is the 19th martyr of the force which was raised in 1984 for special operations and as a federal contingency force for India. "He was part of the first team that went to Pathankot on Friday as there were inputs that the terrorists are carrying huge explosives. Niranjan and his bomb disposal men were tasked to aid the fighting units. "He joined NSG in May, 2014 on deputation from the Engineers Regiment of the Army which he joined in 2004. He was a dare-devil officer and had been part of a special training with the FBI in the US in combating IEDs and deadly explosives a few months ago," one of Niranjan's commando course colleague said, while refusing to be identified. The NSG had called the officer's martyrdom as an act bearing "exemplary courage and utmost devotion to duty". Seven security personnel and six terrorists have been killed in the attack. PTI Aerial Assassin: How AH-64 E Apache became the world's best Attack helicopter? Pathankot attack: 4 pieces of concrete evidence that Pakistan must probe India oi-Vicky Pathankot, Jan 6: Without blaming the Pakistan establishment, India has submitted preliminary proof relating to the Pathankot attack. There is ample proof prima facie to suggest that all the terrorists had made their dissent into India from Pakistan. [Timeline of Pathankot terror attack] The very fact that the terrorists were launched from Pakistan must mandate a strong and honest investigation, India has said. Yesterday when Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Pakistan's PM, Nawaz Sharrif, the tone was a tough one. Modi made it clear that he expects an honest and quick probe into the attack. Modi also emphasised on the need to act against the perpetrators of the attack after quick investigation. Without spelling it out in clear words, Modi expected that Pakistan would not conduct an eye wash probe. The Pakistan link to the Pathankot attack: There is a long way to go before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) completes its probe into the attack. Three different cases have been registered. While two are relating to the killing of the taxi driver Ikagar Singh and the abduction of the Superintendent of Police, the other is relating to the attack itself. India has with it GPS coordinates which directly link the terrorists to Pakistan. It is clear through the GPS coordinates that the terrorists had made their dissent into India from possibly Bhawalpur in Pakistan which is the headquarters of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). Secondly, India has also informed Pakistan about the statements made by the abducted Superintendent of Police, Salwinder Singh. Going by his statements, it becomes clear that the terrorists were from Pakistan. The other strong indication of a Pakistan link is the statement by Rajesh Verma, the friend of the SP who was also present in the car when the terrorists hijacked it. Verma has made it clear that after letting the SP and his cook Mohan get off the car, the terrorists drover around for sometime. They asked for details of the Amritsar airport and during a conversation made on the mobile phone of the SP which they had stolen, they constantly used the word air force. Further Verma also said that they were looking into a mapping device and were waiting for a blue line which indicated that they were close to their target. Thirdly, the call records of the slain taxi driver Ikagar Singh is also given as proof. There was a call that was made to his number from Pakistan. He had rushed out of his house following this call. However, he was slain later allegedly by the same group of terrorists. [Pathankot attack: 8 calls from taxi driver's phone to Pakistan under probe] There were 8 other calls that were from his number too which were to a number in Pakistan. Fourthly, the material found at the attack site is also part of the proof. There was a lot of ammunition and other material which had a Pakistan marking on it. India would want Pakistan to explain what this material with a Pakistan marking was doing with the terrorists. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, January 6, 2016, 9:39 [IST] Pathankot terror attack: NIA wants abducted cop to answer these three questions India oi-Vicky The National Investigating Agency (NIA) and the Central Intelligence Bureau will question the Superintendent of Police, Gurdaspur, Salwinder Singh once again in connection with the Pathankot terror attack case. There are certain key questions that the central agencies would pose to Singh, his cook Mohan and jeweller friend Rajesh Verma. The SP and two others were abducted by the terrorists who staged the Pathankot attack which lasted over 60 hours. NIA officials who have registered three different cases in connection with the attack say that there are various contradictions and we need to get more clarity so that the probe can make some sense. Questions for the SP: The NIA and the Central IB have some key questions for the SP. First and foremost they want to know what he was doing in Gurdaspur when he had a transfer order to Jalandhar. The SP in his defence had told the media that he had gone to visit a shrine on account of the New Year. Secondly the NIA wants to know what he was doing so close to the Pakistan border in the night and whether he had any duty out there. The SP clarified that there was a shrine and hence he had gone there. Thirdly the NIA seeks to know why was the SP going about the area without any security especially near the Pakistan border, when it is a well know fact that it is dangerous. Pathankot terror attack: Were terrorists helped by a familiar face on the border? NIA registers three cases: The first case has been registered at the Police Station Narot Jaimal Singh, Pathankot. This relates to the alleged abduction of an SP ranking Police officer on the intervening night of 31st Dec, 2015 and 1st Jan, 2016, which is suspected to have been carried out by same group of terrorists. The second case is registered at Police Station Narot Jaimal Singh, Pathankot relates to the killing of one Ikagar Singh, by unknown persons, and it is suspected to be handiwork of same group of terrorists. The third case registered at Police Station Division No. 2 Pathankot relates to the terrorist attack on the Air Force Station at Pathankot, which as per the FIR, began on 2nd Jan, 2016. Defence minister, army, air force chiefs to visit Pathankot A 20 member team of NIA led by an IG ranking officer has been camping at Pathankot since 2nd January, 2016 to supervise the on-going investigations. An officer of the rank of Supdt. of Police, has been appointed as the Chief Investigating Officer of the cases. OneIndia News After the verdict in Kathua rape case chief investigator regrets Vishal's release Aerial Assassin: How AH-64 E Apache became the world's best Attack helicopter? Police checkpoints along Jammu-Pathankot highway alerted after carjacking in Punjab Grenade blast near Pathankot, all check-posts put on high alert Probe underway following grenade explosion at Pathankot News Flash: Army apprehends 1 suspected person at Pathankot air base India oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer News Delhi, Jan 6: NIA team takes SP Salwinder Singh to the abducted spot. Get all news updates here on Wednesday, Jan 6: 1:05 am: 6 dead, 20 injured as a bus falls off a bridge in Belonia, Tripura. 12:17 am: White House: No evidence so far to support North Korean 'Hydrogen Bomb' claim. 12:10 am: White House says any kind of nuclear test is 'provocative and a flagrant violation' of U.N. Security Council resolutions: Reuters. 11:50 pm: Qatar recalls ambassador to Iran: state media. (AFP). 11:30 pm: U.N. Security Council condemns North Korean nuclear test, will begin work on 'measures' to take: Reuters. 10:45 pm: Next advert may have anyone, Shahrukh Khan etc, its upto agency.We will approve if we like the advert: Mahesh Sharma. 10:20 pm: Contract of Creative agency making adverts for govt's incredible India campaign has expired: Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma. 10:10 pm: Stars like Aamir Khan should be brought in to connect with campaigns like Clean India or Incredible India:MA Naqvi, MoS Parliamentary Affairs. 10:00 pm: UN Security Council meets to discuss North Korea nuclear test: AFP. 9:55 pm: We hope GST will get passed in Budget session, we have talked to some Cong leaders: MA Naqvi, MoS Parliament Affairs. 9:45 pm: Hashim Amla quits as South Africa Test captain. 9:35 pm: About 2,500 Islamic State fighters killed in Iraq and Syria last month, says US official: AFP. 9:15 pm: Whatever allegations are made against me are baseless: Sandeep Pandey, terminated IIT BHU guest lecturer. 9:00 pm: UN chief demands North Korea cease 'any further nuclear activities': AFP. 8:40 pm: Sandeep Pandey's suspected Naxal involvement &proposal to show Nirbhaya documentary was discussed in meeting: Rajiv Sangal, Director IIT BHU. 8:30 pm: Decision to terminate Sandeep Pandey was taken in a meeting of Board of Directors: Rajeev Sangal, Director IIT BHU. 8:20 pm: Aamir Khan ceases to be mascot for govt's incredible India campaign contract for which has expired: Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma. 8:10 pm: A man carrying a bag detained near Pathankot Air base for moving suspiciously. 8.00 pm: Grenade blast near gate of 40 BN CRPF camp at Momin Abad, Anantnag (J&K), no injuries reported. 7.45 pm: One suspected person apprehended by Army at the gate of Indian Air Force station in Pathankot. 7.25 pm: PM Narendra Modi meets youngsters from J&K at 7 RCR. 7:00 pm: Newly appointed Chief Information Commissioner of India, R.K. Mathur calls on Union Minister Jitendra Singh. 6:23 pm: Can't comment much, enquiry is on, says Lt General KJ Singh on Pathankot Attack. 5:45 pm: There was excellent synergy among agencies in this operation, says Lt.General KJ Singh on Pathankot Attack. 5:24 pm: NIA DG Sharad Kumar visits at Pathankot airbase. 5:15 pm: SP Salvinder Singh came at 9 pm that day,I had never seen him before, says Somnath,Dargah Priest at Pathankot. 5:00 pm: NIA team takes SP Salwinder Singh to the spot where he was allegedly abducted on Pathankot Attack. 4.50 pm: 1.73 Crore beneficiaries availed credit under MUDRA scheme so far: FM Arun Jaitley. First credit guarantee fund is being established for MUDRA loans: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley pic.twitter.com/d8dkWCKy9R ANI (@ANI_news) January 6, 2016 4.40 pm: BSF seizes six packets of heroin (valuing approx 30 crore) from Khemkaran sector of Punjab. 4.30 pm: We have scrapped 62 criteria (of admission process in private schools) that were unreasonable and discriminatory- CM Arvind Kejriwal. 4.21 pm: There will be only 25% of EWS, 75% of seats will have to be made available for general public says Arvind Kejriwal 4.20 pm: NIA team takes SP Salwinder Singh to the spot where he was allegedly abducted. 3.49 pm: I'm hurt, the decision to expel me without proving the allegations against me, is biased & unfair says Amit Jogi on his expulsion from Congress. 3.48 pm: European Union says North Korea nuclear test 'grave violation' of UN resolutions. 2.05 pm: Congress must introspect if they are talking on facts or rhetorics says Nalin Kohli on Cong allegation that attacks increase during BJP rule. 1.39 pm: Beijing says China 'firmly opposes' North Korean nuclear test. 1.38 pm: Kerala Govt announces 50 lakh compensation for Lt.col Niranjan Kumar's family, will give job to wife & bear expenses of daughter's education. 12.57 pm: Modi Govt must take decisive action to combat terrorism says Sushil Kumar Shinde. 10.58 pm: US can't confirm North Korea nuclear test, but says such a test would violate UN resolutions. 10.57 pm: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley arrives for Union Cabinet Meeting at South Block. 10.00 pm: Pakistan to continue support to Kashmiris, says Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain. 9.59 pm: BSF seizes six packets of heroin (valuing approx 30 crore), one Pakistani mobile Sim Card from Khemkaran sector of Punjab. 9.31 pm: Tyre of Bhopal bound Air India flight carrying 95 passengers burst while landing, all passengers safe says Air India. 9.30 pm: North Korea says conducted 'successful' hydrogen bomb test. 9.01 pm: A team of the National Investigation Agency is at the Indo-Pak border village where the terrorists are said to have infiltrated. 8.48 pm: North Korea 'likely' to have conducted nuclear test: South Korea's met agency. 8.29 pm: Residents of Gaur City Extension (Greater Noida) protest, say "18 flats in the area robbed on the same day". 8.28 pm: North Korea to make 'special' announcement. 8.09 pm: Home Minister Rajnath Singh to inaugurate and address 7th National Conference of Women in Police' at CRPF Academy,Gurgaon today. 8.08 pm: North Korea quake a 'suspected explosion': China earthquake monitors. 8.07 pm: 5.1 magnitude quake detected close to North Korea nuclear test site. Pathankot terror attack: Terrorists conducted mock drills in Pakistan, says report India oi-Jagriti New Delhi, Jan 6: If reports are to be believed, terrorists who laid siege at the Pathankot air base had conducted mock drills at an airbase in Pakistan. This mock drill was conducted in close collaboration with Pakistan military and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), reported the Times of India citing sources. These terrorists were given training on how to breach the security perimeter during the training session at an airbase in Pakistan. They conducted rounds of dry run to execute their plan at the Pathankot airbase. They were given training on use of weapons, including UBLs, or under barrel guns- improvised versions of AK -47 assault rifles which can be used as mortar launchers- point to the rigorous planning which went into the attack that has set back the prospect of a fresh effort at normalization of ties. The National Investigating Agency (NIA) is probing the Pathankot terror attack. Sachin Tendulkar pays tribute to martyrs of Pathankot attack Seven military personnel were martyred and another 20 injured at the Pathankot Air Force Base. Six terrorists have been killed of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) who entered India through the Kathua-Gurdaspur border in Punjab on December 30, 2015 and attacked the airbase were killed in the operation. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, January 6, 2016, 9:39 [IST] Here is how much salary hike you can expect this year Salaries of Air India employees to be restored in phases from April New Wage Code 2022: Your in-hand salary, PF to leaves, here's what will come into effect from July 1 Salaries in India likely to increase by 10.4%: Here is why 7th Pay Commission: Revealed! 'Salary increment' may not be before June India oi-Mukul New Delhi, Jan 6: This will definitely make Central Government employees little disappointed. Reportedly Modi government might not be able to implement recommendations of Seventh Pay Commission before June 2016. 7th Pay Commission decoded: All you need to know about salary increment; past pay commissions According to a report, this cloud of uncertainty will go away only when Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will take final call over the same in the month of February. It is expected that Jaitley will reveal all the nuances regarding salary increment before the Budget Session. One of the possible reasons for this delay is that assembly election in many states including Pondicherry, Assam, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Kerala are due in the in the first quarter of 2016 . The Assembly election in these states will get over in June-July, 2016. Another reason is that many states have requested Centre to delay the implementation of seventh Pay Commission. It is being said that government of UP, Punjab, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Tripura and Sikkim is worried about financial burden the CPC will bring upon the exchequer. OneIndia News Our relationship has changed but we're still together: Aamir Khan on divorce with Kiran Rao Aamir Khan no more the brand ambassador of Incredible India: Tourism Ministry India oi-Avinash New Delhi, Jan 6: Tourism Ministry on Monday told Bollywood actor Aamir Khan ceases to be the mascot for government's 'Incredible India' campaign as the contract for it has expired. "Our contract was with the McCann Worldwide agency for 'Atithi Devo Bhava' campaign. The agency had hired Aamir for the job. Now the contract with the agency is over. Ministry has not hired Aamir. "It was the agency which has hired him. Since the contract with the agency is no more, automatically the arrangement with the actor no longer exists," Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma said on Wednesday. Asked specifically whether Aamir is still Tourism Ministry's brand ambassador, the minister said, "Definitely not". 'Atithi Devo Bhava' campaign, part of the Incredible India campaign was launched during the UPA regime. Earlier, the ministry issued a vague statement in response to certain news reports following government's answer to a RTI query on the issue. "In response to certain news reports appearing in the media, about Aamir Khan, the Ministry of Tourism clarifies that there is no change in the stand of the ministry in this matter. "The Ministry further clarifies that at present it has a contractual agreement with creative agency McCann Worldwide to produce social awareness campaign and the said campaign featured Aamir Khan," the ministry statement said. Two months ago, Aamir had made controversial comments on perceived intolerance in the country for which he was criticised by many senior Union ministers. At an event here, Aamir had said that his wife Kiran Rao had asked if they should move out of the country, as she feared for the safety of their children in a climate of insecurity. When contacted, Prasoon Joshi, the head of McCann Worldwide agency, only said, "We at McCann had a contractual agreement with the Ministry of Tourism for a social awareness campaign Atithi devo bhava'. Aamir Khan had graciously lent his support for the same. We have delivered the campaign to the Ministry." OneIndia News 26/11 trial: Pak court reserves verdict on plea to examine boat International oi-PTI Islamabad, Jan 6: The Pakistani anti-terrorism court hearing the 2008 Mumbai attack case on Wednesday, Jan 6 reserved its verdict on the application of the prosecution to form a commission to examine the boat used by the 10 LeT terrorists to reach the Indian coast. The prosecution, in the last hearing on December 23, had filed an application in the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Islamabad, seeking formation of a commission to examine the boat 'Al-Fauz' used by the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists so that the boat could be made "case property". "Today the ATC held the hearing at the Adiala Jail Rawalpindi. Both prosecution and defence presented arguments on the matter and the court reserved its verdict," a court official said after the hearing. "The court may announce its verdict before the next hearing," he said. The court adjourned the hearing till January 13. Al-Fauz is in the custody of the Pakistani authorities in the port city of Karachi, from where the 10 militants, armed with AK-47 assault rifles and hand grenades, had left for India to carry out the Mumbai attack in 2008. According to the Federal Investigation Agency, the attackers used three boats including Al Fauz to reach Mumbai from Karachi. It said the security agencies had also traced the shop and its owner from where the culprits bought the engine and the boat while a bank and a money exchange company were also traced which were used for the transaction of money. The 10 LeT militants had left Karachi on the boat on November 23, 2008. En route, they hijacked another boat, killing four of its crew. They allegedly forced the vessels's captain to take them close to the India shores. The captain was killed when the vessel reached Mumbai's coast. On November 26 that year, the gunmen left their vessel, moored off the coast of Mumbai in inflatable boats and docked in an area of fishing shanties. They broke up into smaller groups to carry out the attack that killed 166 people. Nine of the gunmen were killed by Indian security officials during the attack and the lone surviving terrorist Ajmal Kasab was executed by India in November, 2012. Pakistani authorities have arrested seven LeT members involved with the planning of the attacks including the terrorist group's operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, said to be the mastermind of the Mumbai attack. Other arrested LeT men are Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Sadiq, Shahid Jamil, Jamil Ahmed and Younas Anjum. A trial is underway against them at the ATC since 2009. Lakhvi, 55, secured bail in December last year and was subsequently released from Adiala Jail on April 10 after the Lahore High Court set aside the government's order to detain him under a public security act. PTI Fact Check: Video of horridly crowded train is from Bangladesh not United States Same town, same time: Idol for Durga Puja celebrations vandalised in Bangladesh again There is no 'one-size-fits-all' to curb poverty Bangladesh court upholds death sentence of top Islamist leader International oi-PTI Dhaka, Jan 6: Bangladesh's Supreme Court day upheld the death sentence of a top leader of fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami for crimes committed by him during the 1971 liberation war against Pakistan, clearing the way for his execution. A four-member bench headed by Chief Justice S K Sinha dismissed an appeal by Motiur Rahman Nizami, chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, who orchestrated the massacre of Bangladesh's best brains in 1971 using his ruthless Al-Badr militia. "The apex court has put the seal on his death penalty handed down previously by the (Bangladesh's) International Crimes Tribunal," senior prosecution lawyer Jiad Al Malum told PTI. A large number of people rallied outside the heavily- guarded court complex to welcome the verdict. The court upheld capital penalty for 73-year-old Nizami in three charges and life imprisonment in two charges. Chief defence counsel Khondker Mahbub Hossain prayed for commuting his death sentence to life imprisonment considering his old age. Nizami is the last remaining top perpetrators of crimes against humanity. Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in October, 2014 sentenced him to death, a verdict which the Supreme Court subsequently upheld. Nizami then sought to get the apex court verdict reviewed by itself in his last ditch effort to evade the gallows. In 1971, Nizami was the chief of Islami Chhatra Sangha, then student wing of Jamaat. He also headed the Al-Badr militia created by the Pakistan army to suppress the Bengali rebellion. The tribunal said Nizami had been involved in "planning and conspiring" mass killings, murders, rapes and looting at different villages in Pabna. Nizami now faces execution unless his case is reviewed by the court or he is granted clemency by the president. Jamaat's secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed, who was also Nizami's top aide in 1971, was executed last year along with Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, a stalwart of the key opposition BNP which is a crucial ally of the fundamentalist party. Bangladesh so far executed four war crimes convicts since the belated trial process of the top Bengali perpetrators of 1971 atrocities started in line with the electoral commitment of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2008. Two others -- former Jamaat chief Ghulam Azam and ex-BNP minister Abdul Alim --- earlier were handed down "imprisonment until death" instead of capital punishment considering their old age. They subsequently died in the prison cells of a specialised state-run hospital. Bangladesh says three million people were killed during the nine-month liberation war against Pakistan in 1971. PTI Barack Obama weeps as he unveils gun control measures International oi-PTI Washington, Jan 6: US President Barack Obama on Jan 5 wept in public as he announced a slew of executive measures to tackle the gun violence that claims thousands of lives in the country each year, amid stiff resistance from Republican-controlled Congress to steps for tightening control on firearms. "Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad," Obama said as tears streamed down his cheeks in the East Room of the White House in the presence of a large number of victims of mass shootings. He summoned the memory of the 20 elementary school children killed three years ago in Newtown, Connecticut. Obama warned that the US gun lobby cannot be allowed to block government action. "The gun lobby may be holding Congress hostage right now, but they can't hold America hostage," he said. "All of us should be able to work together to find a balance that declares the rest of our rights are also important. Second Amendment rights are important, but there are other rights that we care about as well. And we have to be able to balance them, because our right to worship freely and safely -- that right was denied to Christians in Charleston, South Carolina," he said. "That was denied Jews in Kansas City, and that was denied Muslims in Chapel Hill and Sikhs in Oak Creek. They had rights too. Our right to peaceful assembly, that right was robbed from moviegoers in Aurora and Lafayette. Our inalienable right to life, and liberty and the pursuit of happiness, those rights were stripped from college kids in Blacksburg and Santa Barbara, and from high-schoolers in Columbine, and from first graders in Newtown," he said. "First graders. And from every family who never imagined that their loved one would be taken from our lives by a bullet from a gun. Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad. And by the way, it happens on the streets of Chicago every day," said the US president as he paused for a moment to control his emotions. Obama said the gun lobby is taking "Congress hostage, but they cannot hold America hostage." "So, all of us need to demand that Congress be brave enough to stand up to the gun lobby's lies. All of us need to stand up and protect its citizens. All of us need to demand governors, and legislators and businesses do their part to make our communities safer," he said. "We need the wide majority of responsible gun owners, who grieve with us every time this happens and feel like your views are not being properly represented, to join with us to demand something better," he added. PTI Islamic State bomber detained in Russia for attempting attack in India was recruited through Telegram Why India should get access to Islamic State bomber detained in Russia With PFI banned, agencies probe international links and hand in ISIS recruitment Prosecutions story may be attractive but should be backed by evidence ISIS horrible act: Militants blow up 4-year-old boy International oi-Jagriti London, Jan 6: A four-year-old boy has been executed by the Islamic State (ISIS) by using a remote controlled device in Iraq, media reported. ISIS militants attached bomb to the boy in a way 'that his organs would be blown apart. They used a remote controlled device to detonate the bomb in al-Shirqat district, reported the Daily Mail on Tuesday. The minor was executed a week after his father was executed for allegedly killing two ISIS militants. The execution of this minor reported days after a British boy, Isa Dare appeared in one of the execution videos threatening to 'kill kuffar. ISIS is said to have controlled the Al-Shirqat district, considered one of its strongholds, since last June. ISIS goes hi-tech: Driverless car bomb to carry out attacks in West Dozens of people including old, women and children have been executed by the ISIS. ISIS militants have developed a brutal reputation for their unimaginable levels of cruelty and violence. They consider execution videos as extension of their terrorism activities. OneIndia News What does the US actually want in Syria? Know why President Obama cried in public International oi-Jagriti Washington, Jan 6: US President Barack Obama broke into tears in public while discussing the child victims of gun violence in the country. Obama cried when he remembered the victims of Sandy Hook. He took a heavy pause, and he got in touch with the real story the human one. The Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre carried out by 20-year-old Adam Lanza left 20 children and 6 adult staff members dead on December 14, 2012. Obama wiped his tears while announcing the steps taken by his administration to reduce the gun violence in US on Tuesday. US has reported more than 30,000 gun deaths in each year. US Republicans blast Barack Obama's gun control measures According to data available, more than 20,000 children under 18 killed by firearms over the last decade in US. The Sandy Hook massacre is remembered as the deadliest mass shooting at a high school or grade school in US and the second-deadliest mass shooting by a single person after the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, January 6, 2016, 11:05 [IST] North Korea conducts successful hydrogen bomb test International oi-Jagriti Pyongyang, Jan 6: Authorities in North Korea on Wednesday announced that it has successfully conducted hydrogen bomb test. As a result of the test a 5.1 magnitude tremor was detected close to its nuclear site at Punggye-ri. It is believed that three previous underground nuclear tests were already conducted by the North Korea since 2006. "The republic's first hydrogen bomb test has been successfully performed at 10:00am on January 6, 2016, based on the strategic determination of the Workers' Party," a state television news reader announced. "The latest test, completely based on our technology and our manpower, confirmed that our newly-developed technological resources are accurate and scientifically demonstrated the impact of our miniaturised H-bomb," the TV announcer added. The surprise test was personally ordered by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and came just two days before his birthday. Hydrogen bomb is a weapon energised by the nuclear fusion of hydrogen isotopes in a chain reaction. It was developed the US in 1958. 5.1 magnitude quake detected close to N Korea nuclear test site It is more powerful than basic atomic bomb as it uses fusion to create blast. Nuclear bomb is also known as thermo-nuclear bomb. The announcement will leave the international community scrambling to verify the accuracy of the North's claims. OneIndia News (With agency inputs) For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, January 6, 2016, 10:23 [IST] 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. One News is a registered trademark of One News Page Ltd. Egide Thein comments on financial policies, financial services, offshore centers, bank secrecy, money laundering, terrorist financing, AML / CTF compliance, money transfers, tax evasion, fraud, corruption and on past and current events in Luxembourg and around the world. Komfie Manalo, Opalesque Asia: A German top court on Tuesday dismissed a petition by a group of hedge funds to gain access to prosecutors files for their $1.95bn lawsuit against Porsche Automobil Holding. In a report, BD Live said that the Federal Constitutional Court upheld an earlier decision by a German lower court denying claims by seven hedge funds, led by Elliott Associates, Viking Global Investors, Glenhill Capital and Greenlight Capital, that they were victims of possible criminal stock market manipulation involving Porsches failed bid takeover bid of Volkswagen. The judge said that the hedge funds have failed to establish they can only prove their civil case by gaining access to the prosecutors files. The hedge funds are trying to seek compensation over Porsches failed bid to take over Volkswagen in 2008 and 2009 using a secret option strategy. In March 2008, Porsche SE dismissed talk that it intended to take over VW but seven months later, revealed it controlled 74.1% of VW's common stock, just short of the 75% takeover threshold. In March 2014, some 23 hedge funds lost in their $1.95b...................... To view our full article Click here Steve Bernstein Benedicte Gravrand, Opalesque Geneva for New Managers: Delegates at the recent Opalesque Hong Kong Roundtable talked about a platform for emerging hedge fund managers, and the challenges faced by smaller managers. Platform solution to take off and run Steve Bernstein is CEO of SinoPac Solutions and Services, part of SinoPac Holding, a $4 billion market cap financial services company from Taiwan that provides fund administration and middle office services. The company has a sister asset management company called SinoPac Asset Management, "where we put small managers on to our platform so that they can also take advantage of our licence instead of getting their own licence," he said. The hedge fund industry in Asia is different from the rest of the world, he said. There arent many funds with more than $1bn in AuM in Hong Kong and the average fund has around $50m, compared to $300 or $400m in the US. "Conservatively, if you dont have at least $75 million or so that you are managing and getting fees on management, its very tough to cover your rent, cover your infrastructure and run a proper fund with the proper people and compliance with the systems and technology that institutional investors require for their investments," he noted. SinoPac A.M. is a full-service platfo...................... To view our full article Click here A Little Help Needed (Image by Anne Worner) Details DMCA Another consequence of lengthening life spans,adult children trying to care for people in their late 80s and 90s are likely to be approaching 70 themselves, or beyond it. They may be wearying of housekeeping and home maintenance just at the point when their parents need more help. Caregivers over age 75 spend 34 hours a week assisting their elders, a study shows. There are 1,925 continuing care retirement communities in which residents can go from independent living to assisted living to a nursing home as their needs mount. So far very few adult children have moved into their parents communities, but this represents a new but logical aging services model. Where costs are reasonable, it may well catch on," because the older parents get, the more you realize anything can happen, and being close by is important. Greed, fraud, dishonesty, and arrogance: these are the words that best describe the reality of Wall Street today. We can no longer tolerate an economy and a political system that have been rigged by Wall Street to benefit the wealthiest Americans in this country at the expense of everyone else. While President Obama deserves credit for getting this economy back on track after the Wall Street crash, the reality is there is a lot of unfinished business. That's why today in New York City Bernie Sanders announced his plan for taking on Wall Street. We must break up the banks, end their casino-style gambling, and fundamentally change the approach of the financial industry to focus on helping the American people. Reprinted from dissidentvoice.org Kevin Zeese has long amazed me because of the number of things he does to make a better world. Mondays he does a radio program with Margaret Flowers called Clearing the FOG, which is one of the best alternative programs in the world, informing people of what is happening beyond the narrow scope of the corporate media. Months before the Occupy Movement began, he was organizing activists in the City of Washington to occupy Freedom Plaza there. Daily he puts out Popular Resistance, informing people of the latest news around the corporate media and organizing activists across the nation. Kevin is in touch with activists involved in a great many activities-- opposing war, championing the environment, in short addressing the public interest so ignored by corporate media and government. I thought I'd interview him to start the new year. Jack Balkwill: What is the most important issue for activists in 2016? Kevin Zeese: First, thanks for the nice introduction. On everything you list I did not act alone. In movements, no one should take credit because it is always a group effort that leads to success. When I was part of organizing the occupation of Freedom Plaza in Washington, DC about 50 people met on a weekly basis from April 2011 through Occupy 2011 to plan it. I deserve no more credit than anyone else developing that occupy. And, when we began occupying, others joined in and decisions were made at a General Assembly. Popular Resistance came out of that after we met with fellow occupiers from different encampments as well as activists working on different issues. I found the same thing in my work against the drug war. We formed the Alliance of Reform Organizations (ARO) which was made up of all the groups in the movement. ARO was leaderless. We all shared information and began to think like a movement, not just an organization. We need to act cooperatively and my work succeeds when more people are participating to make it happen, and I am just one participant. Always the most important issue is building a mass transformative movement. We need a revolutionary change in our values. A mass movement is the root of all the progress we need to make; with it, anything's possible; without it, our power is diminished. So, whatever issue you care about, realize it is connected to other issues and work on it in unity with others. We need to build solidarity across issues as we are all confronting the same problems of a corrupt government and economy that cannot respond to the multiple crisis situations we face. If you look at the front page of Popular Resistance, you will see all the fronts of struggle and recognize we are all part of a movement for economic, racial and environmental justice. The movement is doing work to both stop mistaken policies and create new institutions and approaches to our problems. We call this two track approach: Stop the Machine, Create a New World, the name of our Facebook page (please "like" it). There are multiple issues that are at a boiling point in 2016: On September 5, 2013, The Guardian, the New York Times and ProPublica jointly reported -- based on documents provided by whistleblower Edward Snowden -- that the National Security Agency had compromised some of the encryption that is most commonly used to secure internet transactions. The NYT explained that NSA "has circumvented or cracked much of the encryption, or digital scrambling, that guards global commerce and banking systems, protects sensitive data like trade secrets and medical records, and automatically secures the emails, web searches, internet chats and phone calls of Americans and others around the world." One 2010 memo described that "for the past decade, NSA has led an aggressive, multipronged effort to break widely used internet encryption technologies." Click Here to Read Whole Article In support of the reporting, all three papers published redacted portions of documents from the NSA along with its British counterpart, GCHQ. Prior to publication of the story, the NSA vehemently argued that any reporting of any kind on this program would jeopardize national security by alerting terrorists to the fact that encryption products had been successfully compromised. After the stories were published, U.S. officials aggressively attacked the newspapers for endangering national security and helping terrorists with these revelations. All three newspapers reporting this story rejected those arguments prior to publication and decided to report the encryption-cracking successes. Then-NYT Executive Editor Jill Abramson described the decision to publish as "not a particularly anguished one" in light of the public interest in knowing about this program, and ProPublica editors published a lengthy explanation along with the story justifying their decision. All three outlets, while reporting the anti-encryption efforts, redacted portions of the documents they published or described. One redaction in particular, found in the NYT documents, from the FY 2013 "black budget," proved to be especially controversial among tech and security experts, as they believed that the specific identity of compromised encryption standards was being concealed by the redaction. By Dave Lindorff Part of Pa's Dept. of Corrections secret Hep-C protocol (Image by ThisCantBeHappening!) Details DMCA One of the most astonishing things to come out of a three-day hearing in federal court in Scranton, where noted prisoner-for-life Mumia Abu-Jamal was last month seeking an injunction to force the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections to provide him with medication to treat his raging Hepatitis-C infection was the discovery that the state has been withholding that life-saving treatment not just from him but from almost all of the 6-7000 inmates in state prisons who have active Hep-C cases, and that the state's doing this not just for medical reasons, but as punishment for prisoners found guilty of "misconduct" or suffering from any "addiction." Word of this medieval and sadistic approach to medical care for prisoners in a state that as a colony and later as a young state in the new nation of the United States of America had pioneered humane punishment came late in the hearing when the attorney for the DOC, Laura Neal, admitted that she had at her desk in the courtroom a copy of a "protocol" for treatment of Hep-C. At first, Neal was not even going to admit that there was such a protocol. In fact, under cross-examination by Abu-Jamal's attorneys, a DOC witness testified that the state had until 22 months earlier been at least offering some infected inmates treatment with the then best medical option -- interferon -- but that even this had been halted because of medical studies concluding that it wasn't very effective and that the side-effects could be worse than the cure. This was, it turned out, only half the story, though. The actual national medical guidelines in question had said to stop using interferon all right, but the other part of those new guidelines said the reason for dropping interferon treatments was precisely because by 2013 there were several new medications available that have few side effects and that offer cure rates for Hep-C as high as 95% of those treated. The Pennsylvania DOC, however, simply stopped treating prisoners at all, and didn't offer the new medicines. Once she had conceded that she had in her possession a new November 2015 DOC protocol for treating Hep-C, Atty. Neal told Federal District Judge Robert Mariani she didn't want to have it placed into evidence, except if it were sealed from public view. She said she was only planning to use it in questioning the state's expert witness, and didn't intend it to be entered into evidence in the case. Pressed further about her reason for wanting to keep the protocol secret, Neal admitted she didn't want it "getting into the hands" of a legal team that has filed a class-action suit in western Pennsylvania seeking to compel the DOC to provide the new medication to all infected prisoners in its facilities, where, as in the US prison system nationwide, there now is a raging Hep-C epidemic. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Reprinted from Reader Supported News Without any doubt, the crisis of police use of force, often lethal, against the communities they serve in the United States of America has reached an unprecedented and unacceptable level. While the killings of people confronted by law enforcement officers continues at record levels, the tenure of the Obama administration has been marked by compassion, but it has also been marked by nearly total inaction. The Justice Department, under the guidance of then-incoming attorney general Loretta Lynch, in fact stated as an objective greater cooperation with police departments, with no apparent plan whatsoever to confront police killings raging across the nation. Officially, Attorney General Lynch hasn't even recognized that a problem exists. As it stands now, it is the position of the attorney general that local and state police agencies should not even be required to keep statistics on the number of people they kill. It is left to independent reporting to tabulate the staggering numbers. The Guardian's running count of people killed by police is called The Counted. They list 1,136 people killed by U.S. police in 2015. Also quite helpful are the efforts of a small organization, KilledByPolice.net. They put the number of those killed by police in 2015 at 1,200. Former attorney general Eric Holder was at least willing to litigate Consent Decrees mandating a few reforms at some departments. However no action was ever filed against any officer for any killing, regardless of the circumstances. Litigation cannot stop a bullet. When the killers go uncharged and unpunished, the killings continue. The circumstances in many of the cases not only rose to the level of establishing probable cause, they often portrayed conduct on the part of the officers involved that was so brazen as to demand justice. But justice from the Department of Justice was never forthcoming. The killing of 12-year-old Tamir Rice by Cleveland police officer Timothy Loehmann was a stark example of the human cost, the suffering caused by police officers empowered to use lethal force with virtual immunity from prosecution. The shocking video of Loehmann gunning down a child is just the first piece of evidence in a case that demands action. After shooting the 12-year-old, Loehmann falsified his report to investigators, telling them that he had instructed the child several times to drop the pellet gun he was holding. Loehmann was lying. He simply jumped out of the patrol car and gunned the boy down. No warning, no protocol -- just two bullets. The presence of a pellet gun in Tamir's possession is used to justify his killing. A completely false premise. In fact, carrying an unconcealed firearm publicly in Ohio is completely legal. A choice made by the voters of that state. It's not surprising. One of Loehmann's firearms training instructors was so concerned about Loehmann's instability that he literally confiscated Loehmann's guns during a training exercise. The training instructor, Deputy Chief Jim Polak of the Independence Police Department, described an "emotional meltdown, dangerous loss of composure, dismal handgun performance." Polak concluded, "Individually, these events would not be considered major situations but, when taken together, they show a pattern of a lack of maturity, indiscretion, and not following instructions ... I do not believe time nor training will be able to change or correct these deficiencies." Clearly there was a threat to public safety at the Cudell Recreation Center on November 22nd, 2014, but it was Police Officer Timothy Loehmann, not Tamir Rice. Tamir just paid the price. The prosecutor, Timothy J. McGinty, was free to do or say anything he wanted with the Grand Jury convened in the case, and no one is ever allowed to know what that was. There is zero accountability, and as a result zero credibility there. None. When state and local authorities will not prosecute local police, the last recourse for victims is the United States Department of Justice. You know well that this is your sworn duty. The inaction of the Obama administration and the Justice Department can only embolden men like Timothy Loehmann. The message is: "Regardless of the facts, federal law enforcement will not intervene." In fact, throughout the entire Obama tenure that has absolutely been the case. Reprinted from Palestine Chronicle Although intended to inspire his Fatah Party followers, a televised speech by Mahmoud Abbas on the 51st Anniversary of the group's launch highlighted, instead, the unprecedented crisis that continues to wreak havoc on the Palestinian people. Not only did Abbas sound defensive and lacking in any serious or new initiatives, but his ultimate intention appeared as if it was about his political survival, and nothing else. In his speech on December 31, he tossed in many of the old cliches, chastising Israel at times, although in carefully-worded language, and insisted that any vital decisions concerned with "the future of the land, people and national rights" would be "subject to general elections and (voted on by the Palestine) National Council (PNC), because our people made heavy sacrifices and they are the source of all authorities." Ironically, Abbas presides over the Palestinian Authority (PA) with a mandate that expired in January 2009 and his party, Fatah, which refused to accept the results of democratic elections in the Occupied Territories in 2006, continues to behave as the "ruling party" with no mandate, aside from the political validation it receives from Israel, the US and their allies. As for the PNC, it served as the legislative body of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) until the PA was established in 1994. Propped up by international funds, the PA was initially formed as a means to an end, that being "final status" negotiations and a Palestinian State. Instead, it became a status quo in itself, and its institutions, which largely reflected the political interests of a specific branch within Fatah, replaced the PLO, the PNC, together with all other institutions that expressed a degree of democracy and inclusiveness. Whatever PLO structure that symbolically remained in place after the PA soft coup is now a rubber stamp that does not merely reflect the wishes of a single party, Fatah (which lost its majority among Palestinians in 2006), but an elitist, wealthy group within the once-leading party. In some way, Abbas' current role is largely to serve the interest of this group, as opposed to charting a path of liberation for the entire Palestinian collective, at home, in refugee camps or in the Diaspora. Nothing was as telling about Abbas' real mission at the helm of the PA than his statement in his speech of December 31, where he completely ruled out the dismantling of the PA -- now that it has failed in its mission, and while an elaborate PLO political structure already exists, which is capable of replacing it. Oddly, Abbas described the PA as one of the greatest achievements of the Palestinian people. I say, "oddly" because the PA was the outcome of the now practically defunct Oslo "peace process," which was negotiated by Abbas and a few others in secret with Israel, at the behest of the late Palestinian Fatah leader, Yasser Arafat. The whole initiative was founded on secrecy and deceit and was signed without taking the Palestinian people into account. Worse, when Palestinians attempted to vote to challenge the status quo wrought by Oslo, the outcome of the elections was dismissed by Fatah, which led to a civil war in 2007 where hundreds of Palestinians were killed. But aside from the historical lapses of Abbas, who is now 80-years-old, his words -- although meant to assure his supporters -- are, in fact, a stark reminder that the Palestinian people, who have been undergoing a violent uprising since October, are practically leaderless. While Abbas explains that the reason behind the "habba" or the "rising" -- a reference to the current Intifada -- is Israel's continued violations and illegal settlement, he failed to endorse the current uprising or behave as if he is the leader of that national mobilization. He constantly tries to hold the proverbial stick in the middle so that he does not invite the ire of his people nor that of Israel. Like a crafty politician, he is also trying to reap multiple benefits, siding with the people at times, as if a revolutionary leader, to remind Israel and the US of his importance as someone who represents the non-violent strand of Palestinian politics, and ride the wave of the intifada until the old order is restored. In fact, signs of that old order -- interminable negotiations -- are still evident. The PA's Chief Negotiator, Saeb Erekat, has recently announced that talks between the PA and Israel are still taking place, a terrible omen at a time when Palestinians are in desperate need for a complete overhaul of their failed approach to politics and national liberation. However, the problem is much bigger than Mahmoud Abbas. Reducing the Palestinian failure to the character of a single person is deeply rooted in most political analyses pertaining to Palestine for many years. (This is actually more pronounced in Western media than in Arabic media). Alas, once aging Abbas is no longer on the political scene, the problem is likely to persist, if not addressed. While Fatah has made marked contributions to Palestinian Resistance, its greatest contribution was liberating the Palestinian cause, as much as is practically possible, from the confines and manipulation of Arab politics. Thanks to that generation of young Palestinian leaders, which also included leaders of the PFLP and other socialist groups, there was, for once, a relatively unified Palestinian platform that did represent a degree of Palestinian priorities and objectives. But that relative unity was splintered among Palestinian factionalism: within the PLO itself, and then outside the PLO, where groups and sub-groups grew into a variety of ideological directions, many of whom were funded by Arab regimes which utilized the Palestinian struggle to serve national and regional agendas. A long and tragic episode of national collapse followed. When the Palestinian Resistance was exiled from Lebanon in 1982, following the Israeli invasion of that country, the PLO and all of its institutions were mostly ruled by a single party. Fatah, by then, grew older and more corrupt, operating within geographical spheres that were far away from Palestine. It dominated the PLO which, by then, grew into a body mired in political tribalism and financial corruption. True, Abbas is an essential character in that sorry episode which led to the Oslo fiasco in 1993; however, the burgeoning political culture that he partly espoused will continue to operate independent from the aspirations of the Palestinian people, with or without Abbas. It is this class, which is fed with US-Western money and perks and happily tolerated by Israel, which must be confronted by Palestinians themselves, if they are to have a real chance at reclaiming their national objectives once more. This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For over 18 years and 38,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going. Reprinted from Consortium News For generations, U.S. officials have averted their eyes from Saudi Arabia's grotesque monarchy -- which oppresses women, spreads jihadism and slaughters dissidents -- in a crude trade-off of Saudi oil for American weapons and U.S. security guarantees. It is a deal with the devil that may finally be coming due. The increasingly undeniable reality is that the Saudis along with other oil sheikhs are the biggest backers of Al Qaeda and various terrorist groups -- helping these killers as long as they spread their mayhem in other countries and not bother the spoiled playboys of the Persian Gulf. President George W. Bush -- and then President Barack Obama -- may have suppressed the 28 pages of the congressional 9/11 report describing Saudi support for Al Qaeda and its hijackers but the cat is thoroughly out of the bag. Mealy-mouthed comments from the State Department spokesmen can no longer hide the grim truth that U.S. "allies" are really civilization's enemies. The big question that remains, however, is: Will Official Washington's dominant neocon/liberal-interventionist claque continue to protect the Saudis who have built a regional alliance of convenience with Israel over their shared hatred of Iran? Inside Official Washington's bubble -- where the neocons and liberal hawks hold sway -- there is a determination to make the "designated villains," the Iranians, the Syrian government, Lebanon's Hezbollah and the Russians. This list of "villains" matches up quite well with Israeli and Saudi interests and thus endless demonization of these "villains" remains the order of the day. But the Saudis -- and indeed the Israelis -- are showing what they're really made of. Israel has removed its humanistic mask as it ruthlessly suppresses Palestinians and mounts periodic "grass mowing" operations, using high-tech munitions to slaughter thousands of nearly defenseless people in Gaza and the West Bank while no longer even pretending to want a peaceful resolution of the long-simmering conflict. Israel's choice now seems to be apartheid or genocide. Meanwhile, the Saudis -- though long-hailed in Official Washington as "moderates" -- are showing what a farcical description that has always been as the royals now supply U.S.-made TOW missiles and other sophisticated weapons to Sunni jihadists in Syria, fighting alongside Al Qaeda's Nusra Front. Using advanced U.S.-supplied warplanes, the Saudis also have been pulverizing poverty-stricken Yemen after exaggerating the level of Iranian support to the Houthis, who have been fighting both a Saudi-backed regime and Al Qaeda's Yemeni affiliate. Amid the Saudi-inflicted humanitarian crisis, Al Qaeda's forces have expanded their territory. And, at the start of the New Year, the Saudi monarchy butchered 47 prisoners, including prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr for his offense of criticizing the royals, or as the Saudis like to say -- without a touch of irony -- supporting "terrorism." By chopping off Nimr's head -- as well as shooting and decapitating the others -- the Saudis demonstrated that there is very little qualitative difference between them and the head-choppers of the Islamic State. The Usual Suspects Yes, the usual suspects in Official Washington have sought to muddle the blood-soaked picture by condemning angry Iranian protesters for ransacking the Saudi embassy in Tehran before the government security forces intervened. And there will surely be an escalation of condemnations of anyone who suggests normalizing relations with Iran. But the issue for the neocons and their liberal-interventionist sidekicks is whether they can continue to spin obviously false narratives about the nobility of these Middle East "allies," including Israel. Is there a limit to what they can put over on the American people? At some point, will they risk losing whatever shreds of credibility that they still have? Or perhaps the calculation will be that public credibility is irrelevant, power and control are everything. Prince Bandar bin Sultan, then Saudi ambassador to the United States, meeting with President George W. Bush in Crawford, Texas, on Aug. 27, 2002. (Image by (White House photo)) Details DMCA A similar choice must be made by politicians, including those running for the White House. Some Republican candidates, most notably Sen. Marco Rubio, have gone all-in with the neocons, hoping to secure largesse from casino tycoon Sheldon Adelson and other staunch supporters of Israel's right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On the other hand, real-estate magnate Donald Trump has distanced himself from neocon orthodoxy, even welcoming Russia's entry into the Syrian conflict to fight the Islamic State, heresy in Official Washington. On the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is the most closely associated with the neocons and the liberal hawks -- and she has dug in on the issue of their beloved "regime change" strategy, which she insists must be applied to Syria. She appears to have learned nothing from her misguided support for the Iraq War, nor from her participation in overthrowing Muammar Gaddafi's secular regime in Libya, both of which created vacuums that the Islamic State and other extremists filled. (British special forces are being deployed to Libya as part of an offensive to reclaim Libyan oil fields from the Islamic State.) Reprinted from The Greanville Post Is Robert Dear a radical, a hate crime offender, or a terrorist? If he is a radical, who radicalised him? The media has failed to focus on this nutcase's history of violence to women, including repeated rape. (Image by Twitter User ArtKen) Details DMCA First question: what is terrorism? One definition is that it is an armed technique, usually used again non-combatants, in a conventional or non-conventional war situation. (Well yes, I did make that one up.) One dictionary definition is: "1. the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes; 2. the state of fear and submission produced by terrorism or terrorization; 3. a terroristic method of governing or of resisting a government." Another is: "the use of violent acts to frighten the people in an area as a way of trying to achieve a political goal; the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion." But then t he good old Wikipedia tells us that: "There is neither an academic nor an accurate legal consensus regarding the definition of terrorism. [1][2] Various legal systems and government agencies use different definitions. Moreover, governments have been reluctant to formulate an agreed upon, legally binding definition. These difficulties arise from the fact that the term is politically and emotionally charged."[3] One thing that all of these definitions have in common is that they describe a tactic, or at best a strategy, of war. Nevertheless, since the time of President Bush (who described the 9/11 disaster as a "terrorist attack" before anyone had the foggiest notion who/what was responsible), we have somehow had the "War on Terror" (which for the military-industrial complexes involved in fighting it has the advantage of being a Permanent War). It just so happens that the "War on Terror," was declared by Bush, and, as Eugene Robinson noted, continued under Obama without a definition of the term having ever been provided. However, as Robinson also said, paraphrasing an unknown U.S. general, declaring a "war on terror" is like declaring a war on "flanking maneuvers." [Black pundit Eugene Robinson was for a long time a faithful supporter of Obama. That has changed some, but certainly not radically. -- Ed.] Except that in the United States, acts that can be described as "terroristic" using any of the definitions quoted above, such as "the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes," or "the use of violent acts to frighten the people in an area as a way of trying to achieve a political goal" or any others that one could think of for that matter, have one very peculiar characteristic. That is, in this day-and-age, flanking maneuvers or no, according to most U.S. politicians (and all Repub. politicians) and most of the U.S. media (most especially what is referred to as the "mainstream media"), for the most part to be labelled as "terrorism" a violent act carried out against civilians it has to have been done, or made to appear to have been done by Muslims. And so, since "San Bernardino," (an absolute horror to be sure) we have been hearing about it and its apparent perpetrators virtually 24/7. Most especially we are hearing about their "radicalization" and how the Pakistani woman got into the country. (We don't hear so much about how they happened to be able to freely get themselves, or through a friend, military-style assault rifles, but of course we know the reason for that.) That word, "radicalization," as though it were some kind of secret process conducted by witches (think "Macbeth"), is repeated over-and-over again, the implication being that it must be Muslims who are the potential subjects for it, and that must be found out. [A similar attack on "radicals" and "radicalisation" is taking place in Britain; if anything it is more advanced and acerbic than in America. -- Eds.] But have you ever heard of the 2009 mass killing at an adult immigrant resource center in Binghamton, NY? Well, you may have, but I had to be reminded of it by a recent column on the Huffington Post. Of course, they were all foreign nationals, but I wonder if the killer had become "radicalized" against such folk. I don't think that we'll ever find out. And then what about the "massacre [that] took place at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, where 40-year-old Wade Michael Page fatally shot six people and wounded four others. [3][4] ... Page was an American white supremacist and United States Army veteran..." I can't recall much of an investigation about how this known white supremacist got radicalized. And oh by the way, Page thought that he was murdering Muslims. Sikh's aren't. One does have to wonder why we don't hear too much about Robert Dear, who murdered three people at the Planned Parenthood Clinic in Colorado Springs and how he got "radicalized." Lots of people think that abortion is murder (after all, the Repubs. and their echo chambers at Fox"News" and right-wing talk radio spew that stuff 24/7). But fortunately not-too-many are "radicalized" enough to go commit murder. We do hear some about Sandy Hook, but that was not "terrorism," mind you, because it was committed by a clearly mentally ill young man who had a mentally ill mother for an accomplice (and they both happened to be white). Nevada Rancher Cliven Bundy (Image by David Pakman Show, Channel: MidweekPolitics) Details DMCA And then we come to the outlier rancher Cliven Bundy and his gang of "militia-men" who threatened to murder Federal law enforcement officials if they attempted to stop him from breaking the law on grazing his cattle on public lands. How did such folks "get radicalized?" And when Dylann Roof, known for his open association with white "The Confederacy Will Rise Again" hate groups (of which there are many not only in the South but other parts of the country as well), slaughters eight churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina (the capital of the first of what became the Confederate States of America) we don't hear the media going on and on about "how was he radicalized?" But heck, we would be getting much too close to home (literally). After all, the Southern Policy Law Center has identified about 1,600 armed and dangerous right-wing "militias/hateist/domestic terrorist groups." But when early in the Obama Administration the Department of Homeland Security announced that it was going to launch an investigation into domestic organizations posing potential terrorist threats the screams and outrage from the supposedly "anti-terror" Republicans in the Congress brought that one to halt quickly. And we could go on. However this is not just the work of Republicans and their Propaganda channels who run very well when they can get the country terrified about "foreign," especially "Muslim" terror. The so-called "mainstream media," from The New York Times to the "liberal" cable news channels, are focusing almost exclusively on "San Bernardino" and the apparent killers' "radicalization" (that's quickly become the in-word). And so on most of the media, "terrorism" has a very narrow focus, because it is of course linked to Muslims and furriners, donchaknow. They are just stoking the fire, which the likes of Trump breath in and then spew out into general Muslim suspicion, which can very quickly turn to hate (yellow crescents, anyone?) And so, where are the Democrats? When on the day I wrote this column (December 17, 2015) President Obama gave another one of his patented "calming" speeches about terrorism, he mentions just one place: San Bernardino, where he is stopping off on his way to his annual holiday-time Hawaii vacation to "comfort the families of the victims." "What?" (as the great sports commentator on New York City's WFAN Steve Sommers likes to say about subjects of much less importance). The President could have also stopped in Colorado Springs to comfort the families there. After all it's on the way. But that would mean not feeding into the narrative that his enemies intend to use to win the 2016 election. And it would also mean standing up for Planned Parenthood. And we can't have either of those, can we? Please indulge for one more "oh, by the way." There will be at least one more "Muslim terrorist attack" between now and the next election, most likely about two weeks before it. After all, the Repubs. really do want to win, even if it means having a former pro-choice Democrat totally loose cannon in the White House. Wake up. It's time to panic! (Image by Alan Cleaver) Details DMCA This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here. It's time to panic! As 2015 ended, this country was certifiably terror-stricken. It had the Islamic State (IS) on the brain. Hoax terror threats or terror imbroglios shut down school systems from Los Angeles to New Hampshire, Indiana to a rural county in Virginia. The Dallas Symphony Orchestra, citing terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, cancelled a prospective tour of Europe thanks to terror fears, issuing a statement that "orchestra management believes there is an elevated risk to the safety of musicians and their families, guest artists, DSO personnel, and travelling patrons." By year's end, the Justice Department had charged an "unprecedented" 60 people with terrorism-related crimes (often linked to social media exchanges). While just north of the border Canada's new government and its citizens were embracing the first of 25,000 Syrian refugees in an atmosphere of near celebration, citizens and government officials in the lower 48 were squabbling and panicking about the few who had made it here. ("Sid Miller, the Texas agriculture commissioner, compared Syrian refugees to rattlesnakes, posting on Facebook images of snakes and refugees and asking, 'Can you tell me which of these rattlers won't bite you?'") In the two presidential debates that ended the year, focusing in whole or part on "national security," the only global subject worthy of discussion was -- you guessed it -- the Islamic State and secondarily immigration and related issues. Media panelists didn't ask a single question in either debate about China or Russia (other than on the IS-related issue of who might shoot down Russian planes over Syria) or about the relative success of the French right-wing, anti-Islamist National Front Party and its presidential candidate, Marine Le Pen (even though her American analog, Donald Trump, was on stage in one debate and a significant subject of the other). And that just begins a long list of national security issues that no one felt it worth bringing up, including the fact that in Paris 195 countries had agreed on a potentially path-breaking climate change deal. As the Dallas Symphony Orchestra signaled, "Paris" now means only one thing in this country: the bloody terror attack on the Eagles of Death Metal concert at the Bataclan theater and related assaults. In fact, if you were following the "news" here as 2015 ended, you might be forgiven for thinking that we Americans lived in a land beset by, and under siege from, Islamic terror and the Islamic State. The latest polls indicate that striking numbers of Americans now view the threat of terrorism as the country's number one danger, see it as a (if not the) critical issue facing us, believe that it and national security should be the government's top priorities, and are convinced that the terrorists are at present "winning." You would never know that, if you left out what might be called self-inflicted pain like death by vehicle (more than 33,000 deaths annually), suicide by gun (more than 21,000 annually) or total gun deaths (30,000 annually), and fatal drug overdoses (more than 47,000 annually), this is undoubtedly one of the safest countries on the planet. Over these years, the American dead from Islamic terror outfits or the "lone wolves" they inspire have added up to the most modest of figures, even if you include that single great day of horror, September 11, 2001. Include deaths from non-Islamic right-wing acts of terror (including, for instance, Dylann Roof's murders in a black church in Charleston), a slightly more impressive figure in recent years, and you still have next to nothing. Even if you add in relatively commonplace mass shootings, from school campuses to malls to workplaces, that are not defined as "terror," and accept the broadest possible definition of such shootings (a minimum of four killed or injured), you would still have the sort of danger that couldn't be more modest compared to death by vehicle, suicide, or drugs -- phenomena that obsess few Americans. The Islamic State in Perspective Still, as 2016 begins, terror remains the 800-pound gorilla (in reality, a marmoset) in the American room and just about the only national security issue that truly matters. So why shouldn't I join the crowd? Who wants to be left in the lurch? But first, I think it makes sense to put the Islamic State in perspective. Yes, it's a brutal, extreme religious-cum-political outfit, the sort of movement that probably could only arise on a shattered landscape in a shattered region filled with desperate souls looking for any explanation for, or solution to, nightmarish lives. There can be no question that it's had remarkable success. Its self-proclaimed "caliphate" now controls territory the size of (to choose a common comparison) Great Britain with a population of perhaps a few million people. Since there are seldom reporters on the scene (for obvious reasons of health and well-being), we have no idea whether IS has 20,000, 30,000, 40,000, or 50,000 fighters and potential suicide bombers under arms. We do know that those arms (despite a couple of captured tanks) are generally light and the bombs largely of the homemade variety. The Islamic State has shown quite a knack for generating a stream of revenue from black market oil sales, ransoms from kidnappings, the ransacking of the region's archeological heritage, and wealthy Sunnis elsewhere in the region. In addition, it's been skilled at promoting its "brand" in other parts of the Greater Middle East and Africa, from Afghanistan to Libya, Yemen to Nigeria, where local populations are also facing shattered landscapes, failed states, oppressive governments, and desperation. Finally, thanks to the talents of its social media militants, it's shown a facility for attracting disaffected (and sometimes whacked-out) young Muslims from Europe and even the United States, as well as for inspiring "lone wolves" to acts meant to unnerve its enemies in Europe, the U.S., and elsewhere. So give credit where it's due. Compared to a few training camps in Afghanistan -- the al-Qaeda model before 2001 (and again recently) -- this is no small thing. But the Islamic State should also be put in some perspective. It's not Nazi Germany. It's not the Soviet Union. It's not an existential threat to the United States. It's a distinctly self-limited movement, probably only capable of expanding its reach if even more of the region is laid to waste (as is, for instance, happening in Yemen right now, thanks in large part to a U.S.-backed Saudi war on the Iranian-inclined Houthi rebels). IS is so deeply sectarian that it can never gain the support of a single Shia, Christian, Alawite, or Yazidi. Its practices, religious and political, are too extreme for many of the Sunnis it might want to appeal to. It is also an embattled movement. It has already lost some of the lands it captured to U.S.-backed Kurds in both Syria and Iraq and to the U.S.-backed, U.S.-equipped, and U.S.-trained Iraqi Army as well as Shiite militias. Its extremity has clearly alienated some of the Sunnis under its control. It's unlikely to take seven decades, as in the case of the Soviet Union, to implode and disappear. On the other hand, if the Islamic State, at least in its present form, is crushed or driven into some corner and the region is "liberated," one thing is guaranteed -- as images of the rubble and landscapes of skeletal buildings left behind at the "victorious" battle sites of Kobane, Sinjar, Homs, and Ramadi will tell you. Combine the massively bomb-laden, booby-trapped urban areas under Islamic State control, American air power (or, in parts of Syria, the barrel-bombing air force of the government of Bashar al-Assad and now the firepower of Russia), and fierce urban combat, and what may be left in the moment of "victory" could be a region in utter ruins. One expert suggests that it may take decades and cost $200 billion -- three times Syria's prewar gross domestic product -- to rebuild that country, bringing to mind the famed line from Tacitus: "They make a desert and call it peace." And just remind me, who's going to help with the reconstruction of that shattered land? Donald Trump? Don't count on it. And don't for a second believe that from such devastated worlds nothing worse than the Islamic State can arise. While we may be talking about a terror machine, IS represents a far more modest and embattled one than its social media propaganda would indicate. Its ability to threaten the U.S. bears little relation to the bogeyman version of it that at present occupies the American imagination. The sole advantage the Islamic State has when it comes to this country is that it turns out to be so easy to spook us. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Reprinted from WSWS As the 2016 US presidential campaign enters a new stage, the final month before the initial caucus and primary contests, billionaire Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner, released his first television ad on Monday. The 30-second spot, which is to begin appearing this week on local television stations in Iowa and New Hampshire, recycles Trump's most notoriously racist attacks on immigrants and Muslims. The ad smears both immigrants and Muslims by linking them to the attack last month in San Bernardino, California, where two gunmen, husband and wife, opened fire on a workplace meeting, killing 14 people. The faces of the two attackers, Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik, are flashed on the screen immediately after the announcer repeats Trump's call for "a temporary shutdown of Muslims entering the United States." Adding militarism to racism, the announcer then declares, "He'll quickly cut the head off ISIS and take their oil." This is followed by film of immigrants apparently storming a border fence, while the announcer invokes Trump's notion of "building a wall on our southern border that Mexico will pay for." In keeping with the gross dishonesty and cynicism of the Trump campaign, the scene is not even filmed on the US-Mexico border, but rather shows African immigrants seeking to enter the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in Morocco. In an interview with the Washington Post on Sunday, Trump claimed he would spend at least $2 million a week running the ad on television stations in Iowa, where the first Republican caucus will take place February 1, and in New Hampshire, where the first primary election is February 9. If actually carried out, this would be the first significant outlay by the Trump campaign, which has up to now been sustained by saturation media coverage and the candidate's first-place ranking in opinion polls (derived at least in part from his celebrity and the media attention). Trump underscored the central focus of his campaign, on anti-immigrant racism, telling the Post he hoped the new television ads would reach voters concerned that the United States has become "a dumping ground." A remarkable aspect of the campaign for the Republican presidential nomination is that there has been little criticism of Trump, the apparent frontrunner, from most of his rivals, and almost no effort to rebut his brazen appeals to racism and anti-Muslims bigotry. There was an initial flurry of statements rejecting his call to bar Muslims from entering the United States, largely tied to foreign policy concerns about offending US allies like the Persian Gulf monarchies. Since then, however, both congressional Republican leaders and rivals for the presidential nomination have stopped talking about Trump's call for flagrantly unconstitutional attacks on democratic rights. Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have largely downplayed the issue as well. In speeches, rallies and advertisements, candidates like Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, John Kasich and Marco Rubio, supposedly vying for support from the Republican Party establishment and moderately conservative voters, have targeted each other and avoided any comment on Trump's increasingly provocative statements. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, perhaps the most right-wing of the Republican candidates, has explicitly disavowed any criticism of Trump, repeatedly praising him while offering himself as a less eccentric but equally reactionary alternative. Progressive Content Not Found Sometimes, authors delete their progressive content after publishing. To see if the progressive content was renamed or re-published, please click here. Copyrighted Image? DMCA Let it be known that I applaud President Obama's recent effort to establish a legacy for gun control, but I fear it is futile. Facing what he refers to as a "gun violence epidemic," the President recommends four approaches to the problem. First, he would require all gun sellers both online and at gun shows to be licensed and perform background checks. Further, he calls for an overhaul of the current background check system by the FBI. Next, he calls for ways to improve existing gun laws and to add additional manpower to the ATF. To address the mental health problem, he would remove laws that inhibit states' sharing of information about those who have been deemed unfit for ownership. He would, in addition, spend $500 million to increase access to mental health care. Finally, he calls for gun safety technology for so-called smart guns that can only be fired by authorized users. I would like to take each of these proffered solutions to the problem of gun violence and show how ineffective they are or would be. Then, I would like to offer the only realistic (but at the same time implausible) solution, at least for the foreseeable future. As to background checks by the vendor, both online and in gun shows, it is hard for me to understand what that may imply other than a Google search, provided it were available for a particular individual. My limited knowledge of the technology needed could prove me wrong, but the time and expense to the vendor could be prohibitive. Add to this, even if it is possible, the inevitable and intrusive invasion of privacy. It is equally hard for me to understand how an improvement to the use of existing gun laws, (which I assume refers to enforcement) is realistic, unless the ratio of enforcers to criminals unreasonably increased. In a country of more than 300,000,000 with an equal number of guns, is it credible to suppose that the addition of 200 new agents to the ATF could make an appreciable difference? There is no question but that the so-called smart gun may help prevent child accidents, teenage suicides, and homicides. They would make it harder for stolen guns to be used by criminals or against law enforcement officers in a struggle, but in the event that the smart gun failed, as we know can happen, the officer's life is at risk Is it really realistic to suppose that replacing a meaningful portion of the existing 300,000,000 guns currently in the hands of Americans with smart ones is possible? A "buy back" of weapons, as has been suggested, would mean, of course, that only a law abiding citizen would consider such an absurd idea. For a criminal to give up the tools of his existence for any plausible amount would be beyond any expectation. Let me be clear that I am as keenly concerned as President Obama about the fact that America is the only advanced nation in which the mass indiscriminate killing of innocent citizens occurs in such frightful numbers. I wept with him as he told of the first graders at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. I wept with his frustration and futility, particularly in light of the most ridiculous solution offered by the NRA that the arming of school teachers and security personnel, if not all citizens, would deter gun violence. I've even heard reference to the U.S/Soviet detente in support of this insane idea. Could this be a call for a return to the Old West, where the only law was the gun, and violence settled all disputes? There might, of course, be some benefits. Think of what it would do, not only for the weapons industry, but for the fashion industry with bejeweled holsters or cleverly designed suits and dresses for concealment and easy access with no unsightly bulges. I fear that there is only one realistic solution to gun violence. One phrase that I have heard may seem strange for me to endorse. It is the phrase, "Guns don't kill; people do." I find this concept to be all too true. That being the case, the only answer is not to be found in the elimination of guns, which in my estimation is impossible, but in the elimination of the motivations for people to kill. We must ask ourselves what makes people kill. To kill is inhuman, and people who kill are inhuman. Killing is counter to human nature, just as competition is counter to human nature. And herein lies the real problem and any hope for a solution. Our society is built on an economic competition called Capitalism. Each man is pitted against his fellow man in an insatiable drive for material wealth that turns simple need into greed. It is, I contend, a neurosis that afflicts our society as a whole. The destructive nature of this disease will drive otherwise empathic human beings to behave, ironically, in the most extreme and anti-social manner, a manner that is contrary to the survival of the race. First, we have a loss of truth. Have we not noticed? This has to be followed by an undeniable lack of trust, and a lack of trust must, of course, curtail our ability to need or to love for any reason other than dependency. Sad to say, we have an indifferent society in which the antiquated virtues of truth, trust and love are viewed as weaknesses rather than strengths. They have been replaced with the vices of greed, stress and lust, making violence a virtue. I fear that so long as this capitalistic society condones the murder of millions as a means of obtaining political and monetary gain by way of illegal wars, so long as it sanctions capital punishment as a means of deterring crime, and so long as its citizens support and are complicit in these criminal acts, it seems a bit hypocritical to show such obsessive concern for the relatively few victims of occasional shootings by crazed victims of a crazed society. No, my friends, the solution, if it should come, will be found in a renewal of the lost cause of true brotherhood instead of an "every man for himself" existence. Only truth, trust and love can overcome our materialistic greed and man's inhumanity to man. Lacking this paradigm shift, there will be no solution to gun violence or the many other vices this society and mankind confront. It's not that history hasn't provided us with the answer. From Confucius to Socrates, from John Donne to Earnest Hemingway, the message of brotherhood has been passed. We are our brother's keepers. Guns don't kill. A sick society does. As a beginning, let me be so bold as to suggest my own four approaches to the problem, without which, I believe, there is no solution. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Jews and Judaism in the New Testament (Image by Chynna Starr) Details DMCA It's well known that Christianity sprang from a Jewish context. While there may be controversy about Jesus' Judaism vs. the traditional Judaism of the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of Judaism in the first century, there's no doubt that Jesus, his family, and followers were practicing Jews, as recorded in the New Testament. Biblical scholar Lawrence H. Schiffman, Judge Abraham Lieberman Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies and Director of the Global Network for Advanced Research in Jewish Studies at New York University (NYU), takes this understanding to a new level. He identifies citations in the New Testament that others have glossed over without recognizing their unique significance. On March 26-27, 2015, at a conference at NYU, "Integrating Christianity and Judaism into the Study of the Ancient World," Professor Schiffman delivered a talk titled "The New Testament as a Source for the History of the Jews and Judaism." I interviewed Professor Schiffman to gain further insight into his perspective on this fascinating subject. Starr. Professor Schiffman: In Acts of the Apostles 2:5, book 5 of the New Testament, Peter, leader of the apostles after the crucifixion of Jesus, addresses a gathering of Jews from a long list of communities and countries outside of Israel. Acts 11:19 mentions additional communities of Jews in other Greek cities. What is unique about these citations? Schiffman. We didn't know about some of these Jewish communities. Josephus wrote about places where Jews claimed citizenship based on ancient privilege. Later excavations uncovered synagogues in some of these places. But these are the earliest citations of the existence of Jewish communities so widely dispersed. Also the passages confirm that Jerusalem was an international city in the time of Jesus and the apostles. Q. You talk about the prevalence of Greek/Roman names many Jews had in addition to their Hebrew names--Like Paul, who was also known by his Hebrew name Saul. A. And Paul was not alone in that. Acts cites many Jews with Greek names, illustrating that this was not only commonplace but also that a degree of assimilation was commonplace for Jews living in the Greek Diaspora. Q. There's an ongoing debate about the language of the Jews in the first century. In your presentation you said that the New Testament throws light on that debate. A. The Jewish community was basically a three language community. Clearly many Jews, especially in the Greek cities, spoke Greek and Hebrew, especially those, like Paul, as revealed in Acts 21:40. In Judaea and surrounding provinces such as Galilee, Aramaic was the primary language of the lower class--surely true for Jesus and his disciples, who were mostly working-class tradesmen. But as is common in international communities, even the working class are often fluent in several languages that they acquire through commerce with different cultures. Jesus probably spoke Aramaic but from citations in the Gospels and Acts we know that he could read Hebrew. He read from the Torah at Sabbath synagogue services (Luke 4:16) . Q. The Sabbath mandate for rest and renewal in Jewish law and tradition invokes many restrictions on activities---particularly work. Acts 1:12 mentions the allowable distance one can walk on the Sabbath before it is considered a violation. Didn't Jews always know and practice that? A. Yes and No. Yes we know about that law, but some say that these particular Sabbath laws only came into existence after the destruction of the Second Temple. But here we have verification that the laws existed in Jesus' time in the first century--- and that the disciples were scrupulously following Jewish law. In Acts 1:12 they were able to walk to the Mount of Olives (Olivet) on the Sabbath because it was in the allowable distance --"A Sabbath day's Journey away" of 3000 feet (2000 cubits). In fact, archaeological excavations have uncovered stones in some locations for marking the Sabbath limits. . Q. What about celebrating the Jewish holidays? A. We know that the Torah called for Jews to celebrate three holidays at the Temple in Jerusalem: Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (the Feast of Weeks), and Sukkot (the Festival of Booths). The New Testament verifies that this mandate was actually followed. Luke 2:41 reports that Mary and Joseph traveled every year to the Temple in Jerusalem for Passover. Then Acts 2:1 and 20:6 say that Jesus' disciples and Paul also celebrated the prescribed holidays. Q. In the Torah the age of prophesy ends with the Prophet Malachi in about 420 BCE. Yet you point to a citation in the New Testament that calls David a prophet, although he is not listed among the prophets. A. Rabbinic Judaism says that David was an author not a prophet. But Peter's words in Acts 2:29-30 inform us that in Second Temple Judaism some Jews considered David a prophet ("Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne."). Prophesy is also cited in a minor way in Acts 21:8-10 ("We went into the house of Philip the evangelist. He had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophecy. While we were staying there for several days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.") Q. You were struck by a citation about the time of prayer. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Reprinted from Wallwritings Duma is a Palestinian town 25 kilometers southeast of Nablus in Northern Palestine. It is an old town, surrounded by olive trees (above). Pottery sherds from the Hellenistic and Roman eras have been found. Southwest of the village is a spring called Ayn Duma, where water has been collected in ancient small pools, some hollowed out of rock. Along with the rest of Palestine, Duma (also known as Douma) was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1517. In the 2006 census, it had a population of 2,220 inhabitants. Duma has been under Israel's illegal occupation since 1967, an occupation which is constantly criticized, though never seriously deterred by the outside world. Today there are more than 500,000 illegal settlers living in 100 illegal settlements which surround villages like Duma. Palestinians are subject to terrorist random attacks from those settlers who are rarely punished by Israeli authorities. Hiding behind international inter-faith pretensions of neutrality, the world allows this brutal occupation to expand without hinderance. (Image by YNet) Details DMCA Five months have passed since July 31, 2015, when 18-month-old Ali Saad Dawabsheh, his father Sa'ad, his mother Reham, and his 4-year-old brother Ahmed, were sleeping in their beds when their Duma house was fire-bombed. Ali died in the attack. His father Sa'ad, 32, and his mother Reham, died later from severe burns. Ahmed clings to life in Israel's Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer. (Ali and his parents are shown above.) Haaretz reported the attack: "According to witnesses, at roughly 4 A.M. Friday morning [July 31], two masked men arrived at two homes in the village of Duma, not far from the settlement of Migdalim. "They sprayed painted graffiti reading 'revenge"' and 'long live the Messiah' in Hebrew, breaking the windows of the homes and throwing two firebombs inside." Five months after those three murders, Israeli settler Amiram Ben-Uliel and a minor the police call A, were arrested in connection with the deaths of the three members of the Dawabsheh family. Haaretz reported: Donald Trump (Painting) (Image by DonkeyHotey) Details DMCA Perhaps the story can begin with the way an "aide to [President] George W. Bush [apparently Karl Rove] spoke dismissively of "the reality-based community." Rove, in an interview with reporter Ron Suskind, contrasted that "reality-based" approach (which starts with a careful study of the real circumstances in which one is acting) with the way of the Bush gang: "[W]hen we act, we create our own reality." This was in 2004, before it was yet fully manifest how profoundly reality was going to punish the Bushites -- and the nation they were leading -- for their hubris in "creating their own reality" with their invasion of Iraq. The story of the right's growing refusal to respect reality surely must include how the right has been dealing with climate change. On certain kinds of questions, science is clearly the most powerful tool that humankind has come up with for learning about reality. The question, "What's happening in the earth's climate system?" falls squarely within science's proper realm. And the climate scientists, after letting reality speak to them, are raising an alarm the likes of which humankind has never before heard from that precinct. Nonetheless, in the ranks of the "reality is for losers" right wing, the voice of science -- speaking for reality -- is almost universally ignored if not denigrated. But the immediate matter that prompts me to look at the right's disconnection from reality is the publication of a piece with the title [http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2015/9/26/1425070/-The-Dark-Truth-Of-John-Boehner-s-Resignation ] "The Dark Truth of John Boehner's resignation," by a Daily Kos writer who goes by the name of RETIII. While RETIII does not break new ground (the basic point is one that I wrote about months ago), he does an excellent job of assembling relevant facts and ideas around this theme: that the Republican base is angry at its leaders for failing to accomplish what the political realities clearly made it impossible for them to achieve. So the Republican base cheered when Speaker Boehner resigned--cheered because, in their eyes, his failure to abolish Obamacare made him that most despised thing, a "compromiser." But, as RETIII cites Philip Bump as saying, the only "compromisesBoehner made "have been between reality and fantasy." In this unreality-based community that's developed on the right, "we are witnessing a sort of collective Republican denial where they cannot accept that they are not the ruling party"" (Jonathan Chait, via RETIII). This angry Republican base is not just protesting reality, but denying it altogether. In RETIII's own words: "What is important here is not that Republicans object to the limits of their power, but that Republicans apparently cannot accept that such limits even exist ." (Emphasis in the original) But then, as I see it, RETIII stops short of the heart of the matter when he sums up this refusal to acknowledge the limits to the right's power as "another significant step in the Republican party's shocking withdrawal from our system of democratic governance." Yes, it is that. In our system, we are all called upon to accept that sometimes we win, and sometimes we lose; sometimes we have power, and sometimes we are subject to the power of others, whom the people have chosen. And sometimes we and the other side must share power, and are therefore -- for the good of the nation -- called upon (to employ what has become a dirty word in the right-wing's lexicon) to compromise. But beneath that rejection of democratic governance lies something more fundamental. It's a manifestation of that profound form of human brokenness: the lust for power. Out of some deeply wounding experience, some people emerge insistent upon having unchallenged control of their world. Unchecked power-- if not for their "I" than for the "We" with which they identify. The insistence on control, in turn, is a reaction to what I call -- in my book, WHAT WE'RE UP AGAINST -- "the terror of the subordinate role." The power of another is too frightening to accept. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Abolishing War (Image by World Beyond War) Details DMCA There's a terrific new book on abolishing war called Abolishing War: Criminalizing War, Removing War Causes, Removing War as Institution. The authors are Johan Galtung, Erika Degortes, Irene Galtung, Malvin Gattinger, and Naakow Grant-Hayford. Johan Galtung, who was recently on my radio show, is brilliant as always, drawing on vast knowledge and wisdom. As the book's subtitle suggests, it proposes three types of approaches to eliminating war: "three approaches to have war join slavery and colonization in the dust-bin of history. No question of picking and choosing, they belong together and the more seamlessly, the better." I couldn't agree more, and will be drawing on the ideas in this book in the work we do at World Beyond War. The book's longest section is on criminalizing war, and it offers an argument I haven't seen before. I think there's great value in the argument, and that it can augment others. Nonetheless, I'm going to quibble with it. Here is a book that practically quotes the arguments of the Outlawrists of the 1920s without mentioning them. It recommends, as its first recommended course of action right on the inside of the front cover, recreating Japan's Article 9 for all states. And yet it largely ignores and bizarrely dismisses the existence of the Kellogg-Briand Pact, from which Article 9 derives (and which it practically quotes) and which already applies to most large nations. The book's second recommendation is to somehow build on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights' "implicit" criminalization of war. Nowhere is it explained how an implicit criminalization of war is more useful than an explicit one. In fact, Irene Galtung rather wistfully imagines how nice it would be to have an explicit one. Nowhere is the problem mentioned that the United Nations, as "implicit" criminalizer of war, legalizes defensive and otherwise UN-authorized wars -- two loopholes that have been stretched and abused to effectively allow any Western war whatsoever. This is, of course, in contrast to the Kellogg-Briand Pact, which bans all war and requires that nations settle all of their disputes entirely peacefully. In the one instance where the book refers to the Kellogg-Briand Pact, it claims that, "this opens two huge loop-holes: use of force by non-members, and by and on non-states." There are a number of errors in this claim. One of them is chronological. There were no laws banning war prior to Kellogg-Briand. In forbidding war between nations, the pact took war away in many cases from many major wagers of war. The pact was open to and remains open to all nations. Any nation that is not a member can simply send a letter to the U.S. State Department and instantly become a member. So, the so-called loophole for non-members is one that has been closing and could close further, but it wasn't opened by the pact. War was legal for all states against all states prior to 1928. What about non-states? The states that made the pact considered, and still to this day consider, war by non-states to be illegal. In fact, they consider illegal almost any action, if not the very existence, of most entities that might wage war without being a state. Within states, killing by anyone other than the state, is forbidden by national laws and by customary standards of law -- as outlined, in fact, by the strategy pursued in the book by Galtung et alia -- on which, more in a second. The bigger shortcoming is the failure to outlaw war by a member state against a non-state, but most such wars are also wars on the populations of states and often against the will of the governments of those states, often -- indeed -- against yet other states using proxies to wage war for them. A shortcoming, moreover, is not a condemnation of a useful step as counterproductive; it's just a shortcoming requiring an additional step forward. Clearly Galtung does not really think that criminalizing war between nations is an unhelpful step. He wants to do it singly, nation by nation, modeled on Japan's Article 9 (which arguably has the very same shortcomings as the Kellogg-Briand Pact, plus the shortcoming of only applying to a single nation). Of course, Article 9 is under threat, and somewhat similar statements in the Constitutions of Italy and Germany and other nations are even less adhered to. But Galtung is right: bans on war in national constitutions should be strengthened, defended, and complied with. Doing so, however, presents a problem of logic in dismissing the Kellogg-Briand Pact as unhelpful. Never mind the purity of heart of its creators (its creators in fact were masses of people who brought legislators to it kicking and screaming) or the perfection of compliance by its members heretofore. If Japan launches a major war next year, Galtung will still want Article 9 upheld -- or he should; I will. The Kellogg-Briand Pact is a law clearly banning all war for most major nations, including the least likely nations to agree to newly creating such a law today. Other nations could sign onto it and urge their fellow members to comply with it. Malaysia, for example, could choose to become a member of the pact and suddenly find itself a leader among its members by advocating for compliance -- and for accountability and reparations and reconciliation -- exactly as it would have to do with eternal vigilance if it instead used its own version of Article 9, only in this case with the major war makers of the world formally committed in clear language to compliance as well. Because war is, in a major way, already illegal, calls to criminalize it ring in my ear a bit hollow, a bit like the rhetoric of the U.S. Congress proposing over and over again, year after year, to re-criminalize torture, rather than prosecuting torturers under long-standing laws. But the approach to criminalizing war proposed by Irene Galtung certainly has some merit. It doesn't exactly claim that war is now legal, but it does claim that in written law it is legal, and this strikes me as dangerous. The argument that Irene Galtung makes is not unrelated to the argument I have long made about drone murders, namely that murder is illegal under national law and customary international law. And it is nearly identical to the argument that Marjorie Cohn and other lawyers make for the illegality of torture under customary international law -- only applied to war rather than torture. Irene Galtung's idea is that customary international law is higher than written international law or written national law. The problem, as she readily admits, is that -- being unwritten -- it is highly controversial. Still, what's needed is an act of interpretation not entirely unlike the interpretation of a written law. Galtung claims that all national constitutions provide a right to life, and that the right to use deadly force in self-defense exists only when such use is necessary for self-defense. War is deadly force, simply on a larger scale, and it is never necessary, as there are always alternatives. Therefore, logically, even if you'd be hard-pressed to get many well-paid lawyers or human rights organizations or governments or judges to admit it, war is a crime. This argument (which I have, of course, only sketched very roughly) is smart, logical, and educationally useful. I plan to repeat it often. But what appeals to "customary law" come down to are attempts to radically change legal custom on the authority of current legal custom (reinterpreted). That this couldn't be helped by also pointing to existing laws like the Kellogg-Briand Pact is difficult for me to imagine. In fact, later in the book the authors cite the UN's Declaration of the Right of the Peoples to Peace. That we have a right to peace means that we have a right to the absence of war. The Declaration states that it: "Emphasizes that ensuring the exercise of the right of peoples to peace demands that the policies of States be directed towards the elimination of the threat of war, particularly nuclear war, the renunciation of the use of force in international relations and the settlement of international disputes by peaceful means on the basis of the Charter of the United Nations." The weakness is in those last few words, as the Charter contradicts itself and permits war. The Kellogg-Briand Pact lacks that particular weakness. I would love someday to hear a clear statement from Johan Galtung on what weaknesses he thinks its carries that justify its dismissal from public awareness and use. by Walter Brasch For at least 17 years, the officials of Monroeville, Pa., a 30,000 population Pittsburgh suburb, have recited the Lord's Prayer before every council meeting. This violates the First Amendment. And it's not even a gray area. Finally, the ACLU sent the council a letter, threatening to file a lawsuit. The response by Bruce Dice, the city solicitor, was that the council will try its best to abide by the Constitution, and will make changes. Dice, who has been solicitor since 1998, says government "should not be sponsoring prayer or direct residents about religion." At its Jan. 12 meeting, the Council will consider an ordinance to have different members of the clergy, representing different religions, deliver prayers at each meeting. The decision of who will lead the council and residents in prayer will be on a "first come, first served" basis, says Dice. There are 25 Christian churches--21 Protestant, two Roman Catholic, two Serbian Catholic--and two synagogues in Monroeville. Thus, it is entirely possible that 12 Protestant ministers will be the "first come, first served" clergy to lead prayer services. The proposed ordinance does not address religious diversity, but is specific there will be a prayer at the beginning of every meeting, thus continuing to fuse government and religion. When the ACLU sent its letter to the Council, many residents stood firm in their beliefs about Christianity and prayer at council meetings. One resident claimed he was offended not by the Christian prayer, but by the ACLU. A minister claimed, "We're all tired of losing rights." No one is losing any rights. The right to violate the Constitution does not exist. One council member said he wouldn't be quiet and would continue the practice, much to the applause of many residents, few of whom read or understand the Constitution. Mayor Greg Erosenko, who led the prayers, added his voice. Using the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, he said, "It's very sad that we have come to this, taking what happened in California. Not just Monroeville, but I think our whole country needs a lot of prayer." He said he was a devout Christian, and that the nation was founded on the Christian faith. He's also wrong. The Founding Fathers were specific in stating that the nation was not founded on the Christian faith, that people have a right to their own beliefs, and that there must be a separation of church and state. Many of the Founding Fathers--including Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and Thomas Paine, whose pamphlet, Common Sense, was one of the most important works of journalism that led the charge to independence--were deists, not Christians. The Monroeville Council recognizes reality. A continued violation would have resulted in a federal lawsuit. It would cost the taxpayers a lot of money--and they would lose. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Water was the problem. A tuberculosis sanatorium had to have a good supply of fresh water. And it didnt take long for Senator William Allswede of Sanford to see what a sanatorium would do for the village of Sanford. His fellow legislators (including Speaker of the House Gilbert Currie from Midland) agreed that Sanford had the ideal location and fresh water would be no problem. Senator Allswede sponsored Act 348, P.A. 1913 proposing a TB sanatorium be built in Sanford. Tuberculosis was a disease that at the time the only cure was months of bed rest and lots of fresh air. By 1907 Howell, had the only TB Sanatorium in Michigan. The two patients initially entering soon turned into 500. Michigan needed another. The area proposed was a 10-acre plot once owned by John M. Howe. The stand of virgin pine had apparently been overlooked by lumberjacks in Camp Sixteen (Edenville), Red Keg (Averill) and Ketchum (north of Averill). A committee from Lansing inspected the proposed site and wrote in glowing terms about its feasibility for a new sanatorium. Both nature and politics intervened over the next three years although a valiant battle was fought to bring a TB hospital to Sanford. The village lost the battle. First of all, the promised good water was found to be too salty. Michigan Geologist Douglass Houghton in 1839 drilled the first salt well in Jerome Township Section 24 and it was known as the Salt Springs Reserve. There was no way to separate the salt water from the fresh water and in 1842 the project was abandoned. The village of Sanford wouldnt have fresh water until 1970 when water lines were run from Midland, eight miles away. By 1917 Sanford was still very much in the running to obtain the second TB Sanatorium in the state but money problems and more political warfare eventually doomed the project. By the time fresh water could be secured, the purchase of an additional 110 acres of land for the proposed project, and a sewage system installed there was only $8,000 left for the hospital. In 1919, Act 20, P.A. provided for the repeal of Act 348, P.A. 1913. There would be no sanatorium for Sanford. Veterans Memorial Park is now located on the site of the once proposed TB sanatorium. The history of the proposed TB sanatorium is just one of the fascinating historical stories that Rick Goodwin has unearthed. In his own words, Rick says he is a compiler of facts and that compilation consists of lists of businesses once flourishing in the small village, names of early settlers, and a veritable trove of information going all the way back to Charles Skiff Sanford who platted the village in 1870 Rick Goodwin is the son of Lyle (Buck) and Donna (Modders) Goodwin and has been a native of Sanford since he was 5 and his folks purchased a cabin from Charles Sanford (no relation to Charles Skiff Sanford) on Lakeview Drive Rick became a member of the Sanford Historical Society while he was still working full-time at The Dow Chemical Co. He served two years as vice president, four years as secretary and was editor of the newsletter for a couple of years. The Sanford Historical Society was started shortly after the 1970 Centennial Celebration. A little money had been left over and that became the seed money for establishing the new organization. Don Marquardt was the first president. Don also began the Sanford Express, a newspaper devoted to Sanford and the surrounding areas.. The Pine Haven Recreation Area began in 1920 as the Midland Refuge and the caretakers were Walter and Letricia Randall. Letricia, interviewed by Betty Maynard, Sanford correspondent for the Midland Daily News in 1964, remembered when the refuge first opened and they had deer so starved they were unable to stand. Deer weakened from being chased and bitten by wild dog packs also came to the refuge to be nursed back to health. Hand feeding with warm milk was done until the deer were able to eat food by themselves. The deer also developed a taste for chewing tobacco and enjoyed reaching for a packet in Pops jacket pocket. Eventually, as news about the reserve spread, people would drive out on a Sunday afternoon to see the deer, safe and sound behind a fence built by Pop Randall.. Charles Skiff Sanford platted the village of Sanford but a man named Frank Wixom gave Sanford its lake, lifting it above the surrounding villages and towns. A young man with no engineering background, Wixom envisioned a series of dams on the Tittabawassee River that would make cheap electricity for industry and a recreational mecca for people. His career began doing tricks out of the back of an old buckboard as he traveled the small hamlets of Michigan. A series of short-lived careers brought him back to the Sanford and Edenville area where he would make his mark in Sanford and Edenvilles history. Fate brought Wixom in contact with the Hayhurst family of Detroit who for four decades supported Wixom and his dream in spite of adversity and slow progress. Construction on the dams was begun in 1923 with men using shovels and wheelbarrows. Horses pulled scrapers and hauled fill. The first power from the dams was produced in October of 1925. A contract to last for 99 years was made with the Consumers Power Company (now Consumers Energy). Land became more valuable with the addition of Sanford Lake and subdivisions today still bear names of early Sanford families like Allswede, Ferro, Francis, Flanders, Black, Saxton, Sadler, Camp Daniels, Genrich, Basing, Everley, Hubbard, Preston, Verity, Colling and Burrell. Part II will publish in two weeks. A new year brought about the same organizational structure for the Midland County Board of Commissioners. Mark Bone, R-2nd District, was re-elected as chairman at Tuesdays meeting. Bone has served as chairman for four of the last five years. The only year he didnt serve was 2014 when fellow commissioner Jim Leigeb, R-3rd District, was elected chair. As he did last year, Leigeb nominated Rich Keenan, R-4th District, for chair while Jim Geisler, R-5th District, nominated Bone. Geisler was re-elected vice chair after being nominated by Scott Noesen, R-7th District, while Leigeb nominated Keenan to run against Geisler. Al Kloha, R-1st District, was absent from the meeting. The first meeting of the new year also sees the board assign commissioners to committees and sub committees. Commissioners should be familiar with their assignments because they are the same as last year. Again this year, the board will have three standing committees: Human Services, Finance and Administration and Operations. Eric Dorrien, R-6th District, will serve as chair of Human Services. Leigeb and Kloha will also serve on the committee. Noesen will chair Finance, joined by Geisler and Dorrien. Geisler will chair A&O, joined by Keenan and Noesen. Human Services handles items related to human resources, veterans, Department of Human Services, mosquito control, parks and recreation, housing, solid waste, council on aging, MSU Extension, gypsy moth and health. Besides budgetary matters, the Finance committee handles matters concerning Michigan Works, mental health, EMS, 911, economic development, Mid-Michigan Community Action Alliance, Northern Michigan Substance Abuse and health. A&O handles public works, County Connection, drains, clerk, courts, fair board, facilities, GIS, emergency management, planning, procurement, prosecutor, register of deeds, road commission, surveyor and sheriff/jail. Keenan was appointed board chaplain while Noesen was named parliamentarian. Board meetings take place the first and third Tuesdays of each month, except for June, July and August when the board has just one meeting on the third Tuesday. Each meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Midland County Services Building and meetings are open to the public. Also, the board meets the second Tuesday of the month for the Midland County Executive Committee of the Whole Board at 9 a.m. in the MCSB. During that meeting, the county administrator/controller recaps what has happened in each county department during the previous month. No voting takes place, but the discussion among commissioners is a great way for residents to learn what is happening throughout the county. The boards legal counsel also gives a report during this meeting. Following the organizational portion of Tuesdays meeting, commissioners went into closed session to discuss labor negotiations. Contracts for all seven unions expired on Dec. 31, 2015. For more information, or to contact commissioners, visit co.midland.mi.us/Commissioners.aspx $450 million. For many people, that figure sounds like the end to lifes problems. For others, that amount of money could be nothing but trouble. Either way, tonights Powerball lottery drawing will be one of the largest jackpots in the history of the game. The Powerball jackpot will reach at least the $450 million mark tonight, with people all over the country lining up to buy tickets for what has become the largest jackpot since someone took nearly $591 million (minus taxes) home in 2013. All but a handful of states in the country take part in the Powerball lottery. Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada and Utah do not participate. Winners can opt for a cash payout, or payment through several yearly installments. According to Yahoo Finance, the odds of one person winning the entire jackpot is 1 in 292,201,338. With such a jackpot looming, the Daily News took to the streets to see if area residents were ready to grab their tickets, as well as learn their plans if they managed to beat the odds. Cheryl Hardy of Midland said she doesnt gamble, but admitted the large sum would be fun to play with. If I won, I would take a trip to Nashville first, she said. When asked why Nashville would be her first destination, she offered two words: Blake Shelton! After traveling, she would buy herself a nice home, and help out some family members with the new fortune. She confessed that she just might have to buy one of the $2 tickets. Frankenmuth resident Judy Ollila said she would figure out what to do with the funds if they came her way. I havent thought that far ahead, she said. But I think I would retire early. Aside from some comfort items, Ollila said she would like to see the money go to help some worthy causes. I would donate to the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), and some cancer research, she said. But then I would travel to Europe and maybe some of Asia. Ollilas friend, Nicole Bulle of Saginaw, said the thought of more than $200 million after taxes is tempting. I would retire. I would pay some stuff off and support some causes, she said. And then I would like to travel to Europe. Cheryl Hunt of Midland said she has no interest in the lottery, or gambling for that matter. She said she has seen how winnings can hurt some people when they suddenly become rich. I have seen money ruin people, she said. I think it is all just a waste of money. Boyfriend and girlfriend, Blake Kozuch and Mandy McDonald, have different plans if they won the lottery. I would travel to Italy, pay off my college loans and put the rest into savings, McDonald said. When asked why Italy was her first choice of destinations, McDonald was quick with her answer. The food, of course, she said, laughing. I would donate half of it to cancer research and then buy a really nice car, Kozuch said of his plans. That would still leave me with several million. So what kind of car would a young, new millionaire want? A 1971 Chevelle, Kozuch answered with a smile. Red. Heather Bailey of Houghton Lake said she might visit the casino a couple of times a year, but said she doesnt gamble very often. If she won the big jackpot, however, she said she knows what she would like to do with her winnings. I would help my kids and my grandkids out, she said. All of them would have their college taken care of, thats for sure. Baileys daughter, Natasha Toner of South Carolina, said her first order of business would be coming home, permanently. I would move back to Michigan, buy a bunch of land and start a hobby farm, she said. Toner also had another dream in mind if she found herself several hundred million dollars richer. I would take all of my family to Japan, she said. Toner and her husband spent three years in the country while he served in the U.S. Air Force. I love Japan. I would move there in a heartbeat, she said. It is like a second home to us. The Powerball drawing can be seen tonight at 10:59 p.m. on WNEM-TV 5, and can also be found on YouTube. For more information, visit www.michiganlottery.com/power_ball_info. The Japanese ship JS Suzunami, working for Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, recently undertook a dramatic medical emergency rescue at sea. A medical emergency distress call was received from the MV Hawassan, which was transiting through the Indian Ocean. One of the crew members from India was experiencing severe chest pains and having difficulty breathing. Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), based in Bahrain, immediately coordinated a response to dispatch JS Suzunami to meet up with the MV Hawassa and offer medical assistance. The doctor from JS Suzunami was airlifted on board by SH-60K helicopter, where he was joined by the doctor from JS Makinami, which was also in the vicinity. After performing a thorough check-up, the medical team advised that the patient needed to be urgently evacuated to nearby Djibouti, in order to get further specialised medical assistance. The swift response of the Japanese ships and of CTF 151 in support of CMF was praised by the Captain of MV Hawassa, who expressed both his gratitude for assistance and confidence in the support he had received. The Pakistan-led CTF 151 conducts counter-piracy patrols under the command of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), which is a multinational naval partnership of 30 nations. CMF exists to promote security, stability and prosperity across approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters, which encompass some of the worlds most important shipping lanes. BLOOMINGTON Matt Sorensen can retain his position as a member and chairman of the McLean County Board while awaiting the outcome of federal fraud and wire fraud charges, according to an opinion Wednesday from the county's legal department. In an indictment unsealed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago, Sorensen is accused of working with former Chicago management consultant Navdeep Arora to defraud State Farm. Sorensen, 49, of Bloomington is accused of working with Arora to defraud State Farm of about $370,000 in unearned consulting fees. Arora also is charged with bilking State Farm and other clients out of about $400,000 in travel and expense reimbursements for what authorities claim was personal travel. The charges have no impact on Sorensen's ability to serve the county, said McLean County State's Attorney Jason Chambers. "My preliminary view is that County Board rules and state statute have no mechanism for an indictment to have an impact on someone's County Board position. The reason for that is because an indictment and arraignment are too premature" for such a consideration, said Chambers. Speaking personally, Chambers said Sorensen "has done a solid job as our County Board chairman and I regret that actions unrelated to that have had an impact." Sorensen is not the first McLean County Board member in recent history to face criminal charges. In 2011, Bob Nuckolls resigned after he pleaded guilty to aggravated stalking, a felony, and domestic battery of a former girlfriend. Prior to his plea hearing, Nuckolls was stripped of all his committee assignments by the County Board. At the time of the resignation, Sorensen called Nuckolls' conduct "a distraction for the other county board members" that overshadowed the County Board's work. Finance Chairman Ben Owens also suffered consequences of a brush with the law. In 2011, Owens was forced to step down as vice chairman after he received a series of citations for driving on a suspended license. Sorensen is due in U.S. District Court in Chicago on Monday for an arraignment on the charges. Arora was arrested Jan. 3 at a New York airport as he arrived from London where he lives and works for KPMG. Arora was a partner at McKinsey & Co. in Chicago between 2003 and 2012 when the alleged fraud took place. Sorensen, now a self-employed data management consultant, worked as an internal consultant for State Farm where he determined whether to hire outside consultants, including McKinsey, for State Farm projects, according to the indictments. He left the company in 2012. BLOOMINGTON A decision is expected within the next month on which architectural firm will begin designing an expansion to the McLean County jail that will include a unit for mentally ill inmates. McLean County Facilities Manager Jack Moody told the county Public Building Commission on Tuesday that six firms submitted proposals for architectural work on the $45 million project. The companies include firms from St. Louis, Palatine, Chicago and Colorado. The Farnsworth Group of Normal and Dewberry Architects Inc. from Peoria also submitted proposals. Dewberry was hired by the county last year to conduct the needs assessment for the expansion. The $45 million proposal was one of four options Dewberry drafted to address deficiencies at the facility. The project will address several needs identified at the jail by the National Institute of Corrections in a 2013 study on the treatment of mentally ill inmates. The current practice of holding inmates with behavioral health issues in single cells in the booking area does not meet constitutional levels of health care for the inmates, said the study. The proposal calls for building a 134-bed facility on what is now a parking lot east of the existing jail. It would include new space for female prisoners who now are housed in the older section of the jail that has poor heating and is difficult for staff to manage. A portion of the jail will be decommissioned and 30,250 square feet will be renovated. Moody said a recommendation of a design firm could be made within the next several weeks after applicants are interviewed. The design work could take most of 2016, said Moody, with spades going into dirt early in 2017. The building commission voted Tuesday to leave the proceeds of bond sales for the project with Morton Community Bank where $42.5 million will be invested for at least a year. The remaining $2.5 million will be available to cover initial costs of the project. The 225-bed jail is at capacity most of the time. The project will allow for growth in the jail population. BLOOMINGTON People who like to eat out in McLean County will have more restaurant information at their fingertips before any food reaches their lips. The McLean County Health Department announced Wednesday that, beginning Friday, the health department's website will be updated to include everything a health department sanitarian finds during a restaurant inspection. "Everything that the inspector writes into the computer will show up on the site," said Tom Anderson, director of the health department's environmental health division. The website is http://health.mcleancountyil.gov. Until Friday, only the score the restaurant received from a health department inspection or reinspection was released to the public on the website, Anderson said. Beginning Friday, as a result of the department's move to a new electronic reporting process, the public will have access to full reports, giving restaurant-goers a better understanding of why restaurants received certain scores, Anderson said. "It's going to make the public more informed of what's happening behind the scenes," Anderson said. "It's no longer, 'out of sight, out of mind.'" But Anderson added, "I would hope that the public understands that each inspection is a snapshot in time ... and doesn't just view one restaurant inspection but several. Everyone has a bad day." Eventually, the website will include explanations of why certain sanitarian observations result in violations. "The public has been asking for more government transparency and this is an effort toward transparency," Anderson said. Whether restaurant operators will find the change easy to swallow is another matter. Pantagraph attempts to reach several restaurant operators on Wednesday were not successful. "The feedback varies," Anderson said. "Some are embracing it. The public can see how hard they're trying. Some establishments are concerned about it." Health department sanitarians inspect food establishments for food temperature, hand washing, equipment cleanliness, food handling, storage, plumbing and physical structures. The goal is to reduce the risk of food borne illness that affects one in six Americans each day, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When a violation poses a threat to public health, the establishment owner is asked to discontinue operation until the violation is corrected. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy Kim Mattson knows how it feels to walk into a store and not see any clothes in her size. Sure, she could buy jewelry but why should she settle? So she opened her own store in Bloomington, called The Middle Sister: A Curvy Boutique. Skanska to Renovate and Expand SCA's Ostrand Pulp Mill for SEK 360 Million Jan. 4, 2016 - Skanska Sweden in late-December announced that it signed an agreement with SCA to conduct a comprehensive renovation and expansion of the Ostrand pulp mill in Timra, Sweden. The agreement is worth SEK 360 million. According to Skanska, the project involves a new drying machine, operations center, and media paths, along with renovations in the areas of causticizing, recovery boiler and turbine, and various earthworks. The project is part of SCA's plan to double the plant's capacity, Skanska said. Construction is scheduled for the first quarter of 2016 and the project is expected to be completed in May 2018. Currently, the Ostrand pulp mill produces 425,000 tons totally chlorine free (TCF) bleached kraft pulp. About half of the plant's production is used for SCA's own manufacturing of publication papers and hygiene products and the remaining volume is sold to external customers. The plant also produces 95,000 tons chemical thermo-mechanical pulp for hygiene, packaging and other products. Skanska Sweden is one of Sweden's largest construction companies, with operations in building and civil construction. The company has approximately 11,000 employees and reported revenues in 2014 of approximately SEK 30 billion. SOURCE: Skanska Sweden and SCA See related story: Valmet Awarded Major Supply Deal for SCA's Ostrand Pulp Mill Expansion Project (12/2/ 2015) Volga Paper Says Newsprint Exports Will Remain a Priority in 2016 Jan. 6, 2016 (Press Release) - Volga's exports to the CIS and other countries were 206,852 tonnes (66% total sales volume) for the first 11 months 2015. [Volga's] Mill has supplied newsprint to 76 countries all over the globe in 2015 (compared to 72 countries in 2014). Europe (35%), India (17%), Asia (17%) and Ukraine (13%) account for the biggest share of Volga's exports. Among individual countries, notwithstanding some minor redistribution of newsprint shipments, the largest importers of Volga's product are still India (17%) and Ukraine (13%), followed by European countries (Germany, Bulgaria, Finland and Rumania). Volga has also added some new destinations in 2015, such as Curacao, Paraguay, Cambodia, Nicaragua, Mauritius, Malaysia, Madagascar, Saudi Arabia, and Serbia. After a long interruption since 2010, newsprint under Volga's brand is now again sold in France and Belgium. As the newsprint process has been converted to 100% TMP furnish, it has brought about significant improvements in mechanical strength and printability of Volga's paper. However, due to a shutdown of three paper-making machines in April 2015, Volga's current exports are about 60% less that in January 2015. Exports will remain a crucial outlet for Volga's products in 2016. In order to address its vital objective, i.e. maintaining its competitive ability and securing a footprint in the newsprint market, Volga is going to optimize its sales structure on an area basis, improve the logistics aspect and utilize more flexible and effective financial tools. Volga Paper Company (aka JSC Volga) is one of the leading newsprint manufacturers in Russia. The company's paper mill is located on the bank of the Volga river in the town of Balakhna, 30 km from Nizhniy Novgorod and 450 km from Moscow. To learn more, please visit: www.volga-paper.ru. SOURCE: Volga Paper Company CARSON CITY The State Treasurers Office is encouraging Nevadans to make a different kind of New Years Resolution this year by opening a college savings account. Saving for a childs college education can be a daunting task, but with the many college savings programs offered through the State Treasurers Office, parents can easily get a jump start on saving for the future. My New Years Resolution is to increase the culture of education in our state, said Nevada State Treasurer Dan Schwartz. We hope Nevadans will make a resolution to invest in the future of their childrens education. Plans offered by the Nevada State Treasurers Office include the Nevada Prepaid Tuition Program, SSGA Upromise 529 Plan, Putnam 529 for America, the Vanguard 529 Plan and the USAA 529 College Savings Plan. Each plan is different, and they can even be combined for remarkable savings. The Nevada Prepaid Tuition Program locks in tomorrows in-state tuition at todays prices, meaning parents and students wont have to pay more for tuition when tuition costs increase in the future. The prepaid Tuition Program benefits can even be used out of state. Open enrollment for the Nevada Prepaid Tuition Program runs through March 31, and anyone opening a Nevada Prepaid Tuition Program account now through Jan. 31 will automatically be entered to win one year of university tuition, valued at $6,023. Two Nevadans will be picked to win the contest, Schwartz said, All you have to do to enter is open a Prepaid Tuition account before January 31. To learn more about any of these programs please visit www.NV529.org. Verify out of state eligibility at FASFA.ed.gov Melissa Cook, a surrogate mother from California, has filed a 47-page lawsuit claiming that the surrogacy law in California is unconstitutional. The pro-life fighter who is now at the 18th week of her pregnancy is being pressured by the client to undergo an abortion or face "financial ruin." "I no longer view surrogacy arrangements in the same favorable light I once did," Cook explained on a statement to The New York Post. "Children derive a special benefit from their relationship with their mother. I now think that the basic concept of surrogacy arrangements must be re-examined, scrutinized and reconsidered." The 47-year-old mother was hired by an unidentified man from Georgia who paid $33,000 to carry his baby via an In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) using his own sperm and donated eggs. At first, the male client was happy to discover that the implantation was successful, but he started to panic when he found out that the three embryos unexpectedly all developed normally. It was then that the conflict started: the biological father only wanted two kids so he demanded that Cook gets rid of one of the triplets. He argued that the contract permitted requests for a "reduction" and he "threatened" monetary damages if the mom does not comply. According to the Daily Mail UK, California law does not allow women to have an abortion after around 20 weeks of pregnancy or when the fetus can survive outside of the womb. Now that Ms. Cook is entering her 18th week of pregnancy, the threats are increasing. The surrogate mother pleaded that, as the legal mother of the triplets, she be granted custody of at least one child, particularly the one that the father wanted to abort. The fate of the remaining two children will be decided by the court. The representative of the unidentified man from Georgia, Atty. Robert Warmsley, wrote that the father "understand, albeit does not agree" with the mother's decision not to get rid of the fetus, reported CNS News. Per the terms of the agreement, Cook's refusal to "reduce" will cause her to "lose all benefits under the agreement, damages in relation to the future care of the children [and] medical costs associated with any extraordinary care the children may need." This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact the Parsons Sun office at (620) 421-2000 if you have any questions This service is a courtesy for our print subscribers to give them access to our online edition at no additional cost. If you haven't registered on the new site, you must do it now before you do anything else. Asia, as a whole, offers an endless list of iconic sights and experiences anyone wishing to visit will likely want to tick off their bucket list. From incredible temples to a vast and varied array of landscapes, including the rice terraces that span the continent. As youll see from this list, no two rice terraces are created equal. From Bali to Nepal, they vary in their agricultural architecture, size and color. Yunnan Province, China Photo by Ronald Tagra, CC BY 2.0 The terraced slopes of the Ailao Mountains in Chinas southern Yunnan Province contain what are arguably the most famous rice terraces in the world. Their colorful pools of water have been the subject of countless travel photographs, from the pages of National Geographic to travel-inspired boards on Pinterest. The UNESCO World Heritage Honghe Hani Rice Terraces have been around for more then 1,300 years and cover nearly 65 square miles. Plan to visit between April and October when the fields will gradually turn from green to yellow. Ifugao, Philippines Photo by Momo, CC BY 2.0 These rice terraces are not only featured on the countrys 20 peso banknote, theyre designated a National Cultural Treasure of the Philippines. Located some 5,000 feet above sea level, the Banaue Rice Terraces were hand carved into the mountains of northern Luzon more than 2,000 years ago, but are still utilized by locals today. Try to visit between June and July, just before the harvest. Saga Prefecture, Japan Photo by kanegen, CC BY 2.0 The rice terraces at Hamanoura are among Japans most famous. Located along the coast of Saga Prefecture, they appear to cascade like a river into Genkai Sea. The best time to visit is just before sunset when the pools of water and the sea often ignite in a fiery show of reflected color. Longsheng County, Chi?na Photo by Jack French, CC BY-NC 2.0 Commonly called the Longji Rice Terraces, this famous landscape is equally as impressive as the one found in Chinas Yunnan Province. The ridge of the mountains there is said to resemble a dragons backbone and the terraces like scales. They were built more than 600 years ago, but continue to yield harvests thanks to the Zhuang people. Bali, Indonesia Photo by Lauren Kilberg Turn just about any street corner in Ubud and youll likely find yourself surrounded by rice paddies. The popular Bali destination is a seemingly endless patchwork of verdant paddies and terraced fields, the most popular of which are the nearby Tegallalang Rice Terraces. This picturesque roadside attraction is an easy and cheap afternoon trip by rented motorbike from downtown Ubud. Sa Pa, Vietnam Photo by Lauren Kilberg Tucked away in the mountains of northwest Vietnam is scenic Sa Pa and the photogenic rice terraces that cascade around it. The best way to see the terraces is by hiking the hills and valleys that are dotted with small hill-tribe villages who cultivate and maintain the verdant fields to this day. Kathmandu Valley?, Nepal Photo by Cheryl Marland, CC BY 2.0 The rice terraces in Nepals Kathmandu Valley? are an iconic part of the countrys varied landscape. Theyre best seen on foot while hiking the valley, a popular activity among visitors. While prayer flags, pagodas and the snow-covered Himalayas seem to be what many are on the lookout for, the countrys lush terraces, especially near the end of summer after monsoon season, are worth looking forward to as well. Top photo: Chiu Ho-yang, CC BY-SA 2.0 Paste Travels Bucket List columnist Lauren Kilberg is a Chicago-based freelance writer. Her travels have found her camping near the Pakistani border of India and conquering volcanoes in the Philippines. Just because its winter doesnt mean you have to become a shut-in for the next three or four months. In fact, food festivals burst with abundance this winter, and many thankfully occur in warm-weather cities. Instead of Netflixing and chilling until April (though, thats fun, too), consider drinking Virginia wine, hanging out in the Caymans with acclaimed chefs, or learning about truffles. Cayman Cookout, January 14-17, Grand Cayman Only an hour from Miami and situated near the blue waters of the Caribbean, the cookout is one of more opulent fests on this list. Famed Le Bernardin chef Eric Ripert hosts it at Grand Caymans Ritz-Carlton Hotelbut he wont be cooking hot dogs and brats on the white sand beaches. Instead, hell assist with 30 different foodie events featuring celeb chefs such as Jose Andres, Tom Colicchio, and best bud Anthony Bourdain. The Cookout offers wine tastings on a sailboat to a Champagne brunch, and the piece de resistance, seven chefs cooking a seven-course dinner for an affordable $777 per person. Napa Truffle Festival, January 15-18, Napa, Calif. Yes, truffles as in foraged mushrooms, not chocolates. And yes, it sounds pretentious, but truffles are delicious, and apparently a lot of science is involved in properly growing them. Sponsored by the American Truffle Company, the sixth-annual, four-day event will see seminars on things like how to cultivate truffles (where you will probably learn black truffles can fetch up to thousands of dollars a pound, and how Napa and Sonoma are perfect for owning truffle orchards). Other segments involve a dog-training demo with truffle dogsthe Lagotto Romagnolo breed, which are expertly trained to dig up those prized fungi. And of course throughout the weekend you can feast on wine and truffle dinners cooked by Michelin star-winning chefs. The Grand Truffle Weekend Package will set you back $1,250 per person, or you may opt for cheaper packages that dont contain as many diamonds of the kitchen. Winter Fancy Food Show, January 17-19, San Francisco, Calif. Over 80,000 products, 1,400 exhibitors, and 18,000 people flock to the Bay Areas Moscone Center to partake in The Specialty Food Associations massive, multi-floored annual winter event (the summer portion takes place in NYC in June). The events only open to food industry folks, not the general public, so youll have to be somebody important in order to attend. Throughout the three days, people will be treated to keynote speakers, and samples of gourmet foods from Italy and everywhere else. Being the largest marketplace focused on specialty foods and beverages on the West Coast sounds daunting, but its an opportunity to find the next big food trends. Fellsmere Frog Leg Festival, January 21-24, Fellsmere, Fla. Last years Frog Leg Festival served 4,000 pounds of frog legs and 3,000 pounds of gator tails to about 80,000 peoplea Guinness World Record. And for the first time in several years, they sold out of their frog legs. The small town (population 5,000) is located near Vero Beach, and is also home to The National Elephant Center. For $14, you can get frog legs, gator tails, hush puppies, coleslaw and grits; or, for $3, devour a frog leg on a stick. The fest also cooks up conch and more normal foods like burgers. Besides the frog eating, activities include a hay throwing contest, a hog calling contest, mechanical bull riding, live music, and a frog hopping contest with live frogs (its unclear if the losing frog is fried and served on a stick). Lowcountry Oyster Festival, January 31, Mount Pleasant, S.C. Occurring in Charleston suburb Mount Pleasant at Boone Hall Plantation (it is actually quite pleasant there, especially all of the live oak trees), the worlds largest oyster fest serves up 80,000 pounds of those bivalves in one day. Participate in silly things like an oyster eating contest and an oyster shucking contest, which in 2013 entailed a woman shucking 70 oysters, compared to a man who only shucked 53 of those suckers. Because the fest sells so many oysters, host organization the Charleston Restaurant Association has to ship in oysters grown on Gulf of Mexico-based Texas farms. Attendees are encouraged to BYO oyster knife and gloves, but hot sauce and crackers will be provided. Big Cheese Festival, February 13-14, Fairfield, Ohio In 2013, as part of the grand opening of a new store that carries 1,400 kinds of cheese, Jungle Jims sliced up 7,155 pounds of aged Wisconsin cheddar cheese, deemed The Big Cheese. Ever since then, the international food stores hosted this annual cheese fest. Expect over 40 booths giving out samples of cheese from Greece, Ohio, Vermont, and beyond; charcuterie; and condiments. And for the main event, Guinness Book of World Records cheese carver Sarah Kaufmann will carvewell, some cheese. Alice in Wonderland Sunday Funday, February 14, Austin, Texas The Austin-based mobile app Streth helps people pair their budget and health restrictions or food dislikes with nutritional chef recipes, and on Valentines Day theyll put on an Alice in Wonderland-themed food event. They will have food tastings all day from local eateries East Side Kings and La Barbecue, a hot chocolate bar, chef demos, a Mad Hatters brunch, a Cheshire Cat drink lounge, and aerialists performing death-defying stunts. Come dressed as your favorite Looking-Glass character, and if youre lucky, maybe youll win the door prize: a trip for two to The Big Easy. Virginia Wine Expo, February 17-21, Richmond, Va. Did you know Virginia is an up-and-coming wine region? Over a 50 Virginia wineries will participate in the ninth annual expoalong with vineyards from Italyheld at the Richmond Convention Center. Considering its typically hundreds or thousands of dollars to attend a weekend of wine tastings at a Napa wine fest, Virginias under-the-radar status allows them to keep prices reasonable for attendees. For $360, you will gain VIP status for the Burger Blast (over 20 burgers to try), a smoked foods events, a grand tasting, and a Sunday brunch. Just remember: Virginia is for (wine) lovers. South Beach Wine and Food Festival, February 24-28, Miami, Fla. If you didnt get a chance to go to Grand Cayman, then you have another chance to get down SouthSoBe, that is. Akin to the Cayman Cookout, celeb chefs cook up gourmet foods, but unlike the Caymans, SoBeWFF arranges many more events with special guests. Miamis become such a culinary destination that TV personalities Andrew Zimmern, Guy Fieri, and Rachael Ray pounce at the opportunity to do food demos on the beach in front of 60,000 attendees. 75 events will take place during the fest days, and include a wide-array of food and drink dinners hosted by chefs Stephanie Izard, Rick Bayless, Alon Shaya, Martha Stewart, and Extra Virgin host Debi Mazar. Drink rose with Stewart, and ask Fieri whats the best brand of hair bleach to use. Bockfest, March 4-6, Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati celebrates its rich German heritage every March with goats and beers. To kick off the first night of Bockfest, a live goat leads a parade in pulling a keg of bock beer as the elected Sausage Queen waves at the crowd. (Dont worry, the goat will not be sacrificed in the name of Bock.) During the weekend, Germanic food and booze events are held Downtown and in Over-the-Rhine, with Arnolds Bar hosting a special menu and several bock-centric beers on draft. Bock beers are usually stronger than other beers, and embolden the drinker to get through winter. To culminate the fest and to shrug off more winter, a snowman (or woman?) will be set ablaze, while everybody drinks beer and sings. If youve ever attended any American high school and sat through week-long examinations of the works of J.D. Salinger, Ernest Hemingway and Mark Twain, then Esquires 80 Books Every Man Should Read list from a few years ago probably doesnt surprise you in the least. However, when you realize that not even To Kill a Mockingbird or one Bronte is included, then you might start to notice somethings up. That something is that 90-percent of the list is made up of straight, white, male authors. Also, the idea that this utterly biased list of the greatest works of literature ever published is only for men rubbed some people (women who read) the wrong way. The same criticism can be, and sometimes is, leveled against most of the media we consume, and considering Esquire is a mens magazine, it could have done nothing and let the minor controversy pass. Instead, it chose to address the failing head-on and use its resources to help facilitate a more inclusive arena of voices. To kick off the new year, the magazine released its list of 80 Books Every Person Should Read with new curators and new titles. It started with the short prelude: The new list features 10 picks each from eight female writers, including: legendary The New York Times book critic Michiko Kakutani; Obama-approved author Lauren Groff; essayist and recent novelist Sloane Crosley; Bad Feminist writer Roxane Gay; New Yorker editor Lizzie Widdicombe; Jezebel founder Anna Holmes; Cosmopolitan book editor and author Camille Perry; and, Buzzfeed and Elle contributor Ashley Ford. The list obviously includes a wider range of titles from a more diverse group of authors, from Jane Austen to Alice Walker, from Joan Didion to Zadie Smith. Zora Neale Hurston, Janet Mock and Alison Bechdel are featured alongside F. Scott Fitzgerald, Herman Melville and Walt Whitman. Elena Ferrante and Thomas Pynchon and Emily Dickinson and Truman Capote all on one list together? Its like its 2016 or something. As a woman who writes comics, I get pretty invested in what other female writers are doing in the landscape. New female characters have undoubtedly kicked down the doors of the industry and made space, with many of 2015s best books starring lady leads. Marvels Angela has entered her third series, Harley Quinns sales have only lingered behind Batmans at DC and new books like Paper Girls have reached a whole new audience by featuring young, female heroines. But this newfound diversity wasnt always present. Frankly, Ive been adaptive to non-inclusive comic standards for the majority of the time that Ive been reading comics. As a young nerd who grew up at a time when representation was often questionable, I quickly learned to identify with and love male characters. While female characters often received the short shrift, I just wanted good stories, which led me to adoring many male heroes. And I still do; my office is festooned with Batmen and Robins, Iron Men and Captains of America. But Ive never seen women write those popular guy-centric titles, and I wonder if, in my career, I ever will. And if I didwould the old guard of these characters fans be willing to read it? Admittedly, not all of us lady scribes want to write male characters. A friendly reminder that womeneven outspoken feminists who write comicsarent a hive mind. There are women who openly and proudly say they have no interest in increasing the visibility of male superheroes. This isnt a bad cause, and serves as a powerful and important stance to take in introducing new perspectives beyond past legacy properties. Female charactersand not just white, straight, able-bodied onescan find themselves in the hands of women who share their perspectives. DCs Catwoman isnt nearly the same girl as Marvels Kamala Khan, who is astoundingly different from Angela, Queen of Hel. This is a good thing. But with the truth that some women dont want to write male heroes comes the unfortunate assumption that no women do. Or, more to my point that women dont need to. Last October, Marvel rocked fans worlds with the announcement that artist and writer Becky Cloonan would be taking on writing duties for the Punisher, the violent skull-adorned vigilante who will have a starring role in Netflixs next season of Daredevil. Cloonans served as a pioneer beforein 2011, she became the first woman to draw the main Batman series. The Caped Crusader offers a good vantage point to assess the gender divide in comic talent; the role of writing him remains a prominent jewel in comics crown. Anyone who writes Batman has certainly made it. Preview Art of Becky Cloonans Upcoming Punisher Run by Alex Maleev Many Batman runs helmed by male creators absolutely deserve their acclaim. Folks like Scott Snyder and Grant Morrison have done such amazing work that Im hesitant to sound like Im calling for their heads. But I look at this character, proudly 77 years old, built by dozens of stellar writers, and I askwhere are the women? Devin Grayson, Marguerite Bennett and Gail Simone (and her infamous Batman burrito moment in Secret Six)women certainly have written for Batman. But the regular writing duties, the direction of the story, the reigns of that flagship book? Nope. No woman has ever contributed a run on Batman, not the way Frank Miller, Morrison or Snyder have. Those are big names to stand beside, no doubt, and not every Batman writer steps into the annals of legendbut when do women even get a chance? Where are the women writers leading summer-long events or steering the course of these massive franchise-heads? Over at Marvel, Iron Mans never had a woman writer on his lead book, nor has Captain America. Give me women writing Civil War, or women writing The Dark Knight Returns. Okay, not literallyI dont need a rewrite, but these are the kinds of stories that direct years of comics and get movies made. And theres something in it for fans of all demographics, too: a fresh perspective. The moments where weve seen these male heroes written by women tend to offer a believable vulnerability, an admiration sourced from places other than power fantasy. Devin Graysons Gotham Knights run hits a high point in a case where Batman cant seem to make sense of a case due to something the Dark Knight doesnt often face: an emotional blind spot. His own origin story is exploited and subverted by something incomprehensible to hima child killing his own parents. His extended family of butlers and Robins solves the case early on and supports Bruce through a conclusion he cant bear alone. Fans have that fearwomen certainly wont write intense action, surely theyd write character pieces, barely discernible from fanfiction! (Or something.) Which for onehas no basis in fact, and twoso what if they did? I see it in my day job as a comic shop employee. Tell a guy his Punisher comic is about to be written by Becky Cloonan and watch him make a face. Or better yet, be a woman who chooses to write about a male character that youre excited to develop, and sit back as you read reviews massively uncomfortable with your shirtless main characterwho is shirtless because hes swimming. I and many fans could talk in detail about DeConnicks Avengers Assemble issue in which Tony Stark and Bruce Banner make a bet with public nudity as the stakes, but couldnt tell you the name of many of the monster of the month-style storylines that many modern Avengers comics offer. With blockbuster big fights coming from the Big Two publishers every other month, why not leave space in characters individual books for character-heavy moments, personality exploration and inter-team relationship building? Seeing Cloonan take the helm on Punisher is another reminder of something that cant be shouted loud enough: fans can and should trust women writers with these male characters. In addition to Cloonans work, over at DC, Ming Doyles co-writing on Constantine: The Hellblazer comes through, making the book feel different from co-writer James Tynion IVs solo efforts. Its happening. But its slow. Were here. Were ready. We wont put your tough guys in tutus. And if we do, you might like it. ELKO As the election season begins, two local men have officially declared their candidacy for Justice of the Peace, Department B of the Elko Justice Court. Monday morning Family Court Master Andrew Mierins was the first to file. Local businessman Dennis Parker was the second, said Elko County Clerk Carol Fosmo. Judge Mason Simons notified the county on Oct. 2 that the creation of a second, full-time justice of the peace position was warranted because of caseload, county population, voter accountability, the number of search warrant applications and more. This new position will be placed on the 2016 Election Ballot and become effective in January 2017. A judicial candidate can file to declare candidacy from Jan. 4-15. The filing period for non-judicial candidates is March 7-18. Andrew Mierins Mierins announced his candidacy soon after the creation of the second court. I was the first person here this morning to file my Declaration of Candidacy with the County Clerk. I made my candidacy known early to the voters of the Elko Township because I believe in openness and transparency and I wanted to give area voters the opportunity to research the issues and understand who I am and where I stand, he said. He told the Free Press Monday that his campaign is going well and he had great conversations with several groups and individuals. He has received a lot of positive feedback so far. Mierins said the creation of a second court will allow operation to be more efficient and provide the necessary resources to take on new programs to make the community safer. I plan to continue meeting face-to-face with area voters to discuss these critical issues and intend to dedicate significant resources to getting my message out to the voters, he explained. Mierins understands that public service is a sacred trust and privilege and is committed to being a judge that is fair and respectful to all that appear before the Court. Mierins is cognizant of the need to be ever-watchful of the Courts fundamental responsibility to ensure the safety and security of the community, explained the candidates campaign statement. Mierins has served as Family Court Master since his appointment in 2012. He is also the specialty court judge for the Juvenile Drug Court and has served as a Justice of the Peace Pro Tempore and Municipal Judge Pro Tempore since May 2013. Before taking the bench, he worked for five years as a criminal defense attorney in Elko County. Before moving to Elko, Mierins was an attorney in private practice. He worked in civil and family law and business matters. Additionally, Mierins serves as the chairman of the Continuing Legal Education Committee of the State Bar of Nevada, as a member of the Supreme Court of Nevadas Select Committee for Court Improvement, as a member of the governing board of Nevada Legal Services, as a member of the criminal justice advisory board of Great Basin College, and is a former president of the board of directors for the Family Resource Centers of Northeast Nevada. He has also worked for several years as an adjunct instructor at Great Basin College teaching courses in government, history and criminal justice in the Social Science Department. Mierins received his bachelors degree from the University of New Hampshire and his law degree from the Franklin Pierce Law Center. Dennis Parker Dennis Parker has been the owner and operator of Parker Heating Company for over 30 years. He announced his candidacy Monday. He hopes to serve the community and insure that Elko will be a safe place to live and raise a family for years to come, stated the campaign press release. Parker is a fourth generation Elko County resident, who has been involved in community and civic activities including president of the City of Elko Planning Commission, Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club. He recently announced his retirement and, according to his statement, is always looking for ways to improve Elko. His years of community involvement and successful business endeavors establish him as a man with the judgement needed for this position. He has no biases that would preclude him from being a fair and impartial judge, explained the statement. Parker calls the justice court the peoples court, stating that being an attorney is not a prerequisite and, as he does not hold this profession, he will bring a fresh perspective to the court because it handles more than criminal proceedings. He says his business background will positively effect decisions pertaining to small claims, evictions, temporary protective orders and traffic citations. Parker is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno. Justin Timberlake is returning to the film worldwell, at least his voice is. According to The Hollywood Reporter, hell be serving as executive music producer and writing and performing songs for the soundtrack of DreamWorks Animations upcoming comedy Trolls, which will also feature him starring alongside Anna Kendrick. The movie, based on Thomas Dams iconic, wacky-haired dolls, is slated for a November 2016 release and will tell the story of Princess Poppy (Kendrick) and Branch (Timberlake) on an adventure that will test their strength and reveal their true colors, according to DreamWorks. Tying Timberlakes songwriting prowess to the projects musical side definitely makes things more exciting. No doubt DreamWorks is hoping this ends the same way as things did the last time they brought in a big-name producer and songwriter for an animated film, when Pharrell introduced the world to Happy in Despicable Me 2. As for us, were just happy to see Timberlake back in film. He hasnt appeared in a movie since the Coen Brothers 2013 folk music period piece Inside Llewyn Davis, which featured him performing an insanely catchy novelty song called Please Mr. Kennedy alongside Poe Dameron and Kylo Ren Oscar Isaac and Adam Driver. Poor Kamasi! The modern jazz king has suffered a broken ankle during his European tour, according to the New York Times. He had a show during the 2016 Jazz Winterfest, but doctors advised him to not travel to New York for the show. IMPORTANT UPDATE: @KamasiW postpones WJF show after breaking an ankle it will now be on FEBRUARY 24 @WebsterHall! pic.twitter.com/N4QI7UtJbW Winter Jazzfest (@NYCWJF) January 6, 2016 ...Per the advisement of my doctors, I cant take any long flights due to the surgery I had on my broken ankle, he told the Times. As terrible as a broken ankle is, hes lucky its not anything more crucial for playing those experimental jazz vibes his fans know and love. After he recovers, hell be gearing up for more shows, including a few festival stops. If you dont remember, Kamasi Washington had one of the best albums of 2015, in our humble opinion. Luckily for people who really wanted to see Washington perform at Winter JazzFest (lets be honest, who wouldnt want to see him live?), his show has been rescheduled for Feb. 24 at Webster Hall. With millions of migrants fleeing war and destitution in the Middle East to seek asylum in Europe, the continents open-border policy, once lauded as one of the greatest achievements in the last 60 years, is now viewed as potentially dangerousand possibly verging on extinctionas some countries within the Schengen Area now closing their borders. On Jan. 4, Denmark imposed temporary identity checks on its southern border with Germany. The Scandinavian nation joined Sweden, who began checking travelers from Denmark for the first time in 50 years. In addition to the recent closures, Germany implemented strict controls along its Austrian border in September; Hungary sealed its borders with barbed fences in October; and, to slow the access of migrants, Austria plans to erect a fence along its border with fellow Schengen country Slovenia. According to Germanys Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer, the Schengen system is very important, but its in danger due to the flow of refugees. Schaefer echoed other German officials calls for a pan-European agreement on how to control the movement of migrants across borders. Schaefers certainly not alone. An ambassador in Brussels told The Guardian, If the flow of refugees is not slowed down in four to six months, people really think Schengen is in terminal trouble. As refugees are expected to continue pouring into Europe in 2016, it seems evident that Europes free travel policy will never be as open as it once was. Tom is a travel writer, part-time hitchhiker, and hes currently trying to imitate Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? but with more sunscreen and jorts. January is traditionally a crummy time for new releases. Coming off a banner year at the movies, a la 2015, this crusty old truism isnt a big deal; there remain many worthy films running at your local art house or at the closest multiplex, and now, as we close in on the AMPAS nominations announcement, is the perfect time to catch up. Consider this a warning more than a recommendation, because the alternative is watching stuff like Eytan Rockaways The Abandoned. If youve ever wondered why studios treat this month like a celluloid landfill, The Abandoned presents a compelling case study on its own lack of merit. The film does have one good thing going for it among a scattered handful of well-composed images: Jason Patric, playing an irascible, wheelchair-bound security guard named Cooper, who works the night shift at a deserted and crumbling all-in-one residential complex. Hes having fun, such as it is, or at least he gives the appearance of having fun. Cooper might not be a terribly original character, but Patric, crawling up on his 50s, maintains a boyish charm that gives Cooper a spark beneath his prickly exterior. The problem is that The Abandoned is neither Coopers nor Patrics film. Instead, Rockaway has settled on Louisa Krause as his protagonist, Julia, a vaguely disturbed young woman who is given next-to-zero tangible backstory beyond her vague disturbance. Shes also just starting out as Coopers partner in the derelict building, so theres that, but not much more. In fairness, she has a daughter, but like every other intended mystery in the film, this fact clumsily telegraphs itself as a major tell. Most horror movies either go balls out and leave little to the imagination, or spend their time fostering intrigue alongside dread. The Abandoned does a sloppy approximation of both: Portent is layered so heavily upon additional portent that you may go cross-eyed from having Rockaway point out his foreshadowings at every possible opportunity. He leaves clues haphazardly all over the place, signposts that give away rather than suggest the films future payoffs. Theres a bad storm rolling in for the night. Julia is on medication. The building has been having trouble with electricity. Vagrants have been caught squatting in its countless rooms. Were told by Julia and Coopers employer that this colossal tower was designed so that its inhabitants would never have to leave, so homeless people are quite possibly the least of their earthly concerns. The list goes on. Horror cliches, like all cliches, exist for a reason. We need people to go check the basement when they hear inexplicable scraping noises from upstairs. We need them to hang out in areas where cell reception sucks. We need them to make habitually terrible decisions. But the trouble with The Abandoned is that Rockaway weaves cliches into its DNA. Nothing substantive links the story together, just prosaisms. Worse still, the film never holds back on them or tries to disguise them. Were overwhelmed by tropes before Julia and Cooper meet for the first time. No sooner does Rockaway tease his audience with loops of hushed childrens laughter than weve already run out of patience for him and for his movie. Ten minutes in, were desperate for him to upend his own story and redeem the picture. The feeling lingers 10 minutes after that, and 10 minutes after that, until theres only 10 minutes left and we can only do a Hail Mary and hope for the best. But the best never happens. Instead, The Abandoned loses its mind. At least in that brief spat of schizophrenia, we see flashes of what might have; there is a decent movie in here, or, more specifically, ideas that could have led to a decent movie had Rockaway pursued any of them in earnest rather than jam them all in at the end. (Theres a good bit of Shyamalan in here, plus a healthy dollop of Adrian Lyne.) But the film introduces too many new and discordant concepts at once, and with no time left to do them proper justice, were left only with the sense that Rockaway didnt quite have a handle on the kind of movie he wanted to make. Thats too bad. There are a couple neat twists on convention here that, more fully explored, could have given the film a clearer identity as a haunted house flick. Julia talks to ghosts, for example, instead of only fleeing from them, a soft detail seen in films as recent as The Conjuring. Its a nice touch, but if only it mattered. The Abandoned might as well have been called The Forgotten, because it likely wont be remembered even a week after it premieres on iTunes. The good news is, its only January. Horror in 2016 can only go up from here. Director: Eytan Rockaway Writers: Ido Fluk, Eytan Rockaway Starring: Louisa Krause, Jason Patric, Mark Margolis Release Date: January 8, 2016 Boston-based critic Andy Crump has been writing online about film since 2009, and has been scribbling for Paste Magazine since 2013. He also contributes to Screen Rant, Movie Mezzanine, and Birth.Movies.Death. You can follow him on Twitter. He is composed of roughly 65 percent Vermont craft brews. Barring a major promotion going out of business, a notable death, two currently unaligned companies coming together to co-promote shows or a major legal scandal, what will most likely be the biggest wrestling news of 2016 broke only four days into the year. According to multiple reports from multiple websites this past Monday, including Dave Meltzers Wrestling Observer, four top New Japan Pro Wrestling performers will be signing with WWE. That includes two of the companys four core main eventers, AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura, who wrestled a match of the year candidate earlier in the morning at Wrestle Kingdom 10 in Tokyo. Supposedly joining them will be multiple tag team champs (and Styles Bullet Club partners) Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows. Although nothing has been signed, and Nakamura and Anderson are both still under contract with New Japan for at least a few more weeks, the four gave notice to the company before Wrestle Kingdom, and will reportedly all debut for WWE sometime in 2016. It isnt surprising to see the Bullet Club members taking full-time gigs in America. Theyre all from America, Gallows has worked for WWE before, and Styles has long acknowledged that he would work for whoever could pay him the most when his New Japan deal ended. It was assumed WWE would target them for NXT, though, the developmental league that WWE is turning into a full-time touring operation. NXT is set up as an in-house alternative to Raw and Smackdown pitched at the most dedicated and judgmental wrestling fans, like one of those boutique fake indie record labels that the majors opened up throughout the cred-obsessed 1990s. Styles is one of the biggest draws on the independent wrestling scene, and Bullet Club shirts are ubiquitous at indie shows, so if the goal with NXT is to create a true national touring competitor to top independent group Ring of Honor, all three would fit WWEs vision. Plus the company did exactly that throughout 2015, bringing similarly high profile indie wrestlers into NXT with no apparent intention of promoting them to the main show, from former TNA highlights Samoa Joe and James Storm to well-traveled indie pros Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano. It makes no sense to keep AJ Styles, perhaps the finest in-ring wrestler in the world, in a developmental league, especially when the WWE roster is so thin right now, but it does make WWE sense, because its the sort of bad decision they often make. Its incomprehensible that theyd keep Samoa Joe or Storm (who has returned to TNA after only two NXT appearances) in NXT, but thats exactly what their plans were with those two. So wrestling fans and media can be forgiven for assuming that was the plan with these three once the news broke. Theres no indication of what theyll be doing with Anderson and Gallows (although an ersatz Bullet Club stable with Styles and/or NXT champion Finn Balor, who was the stables original leader in Japan, would be a no-brainer), but according to several reports Styles wont actually be reporting to NXT. Dave Meltzer (again, among others) reports that Styles is potentially penciled in to be a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble later this month. That doesnt mean he wont show up in NXT afterward (the road from NXT to WWE is not as one-way as it once seemed) but if he debuts in such a high profile fashion it could indicate that a company not always known for long-term planning might actually have plans for Styles. Between his talent and the high salary WWE is supposedly paying him to leave New Japan and the indies, it would be almost perverse if Styles didnt immediately become a full-timer on Raw. And since the three Bullet Club members might arrive as something of a package, its possible Anderson and Gallows will also debut on the main roster. Again, it makes sense for Styles, Anderson and Gallows to sign with WWE. Its a huge shock to see Shinsuke Nakamura, one of New Japans three top homegrown stars, and perhaps their most popular, join the company, on either end of the deal. Unless Nakamura took a significant pay cut (which is supposedly not the case), WWE would have to shell out a lot of money for a talent with little track record in North America. Nakamura would be leaving a company that heavily revolves around him to join a promotion with a deplorable history of portraying Japanese wrestlers. Japanese wrestlers in WWE are usually turned into lower card comedy figures. The one Japanese character to become a legitimate main eventer in WWF/WWE, Yokozuna, was actually played by a Samoan American named Rodney Anoai (yes, he was related to Roman Reigns, Rikishi, the Usos, and almost every other Samoan American wrestler). Nakamura would be an immediate top draw in almost every wrestling promotion on the planet, but Japanese wrestlers simply arent allowed to become top draws in Vince McMahons wrestling promotion. As with Styles, though, there are a few reasons to think WWE might push Nakamura as a serious threat. Hes apparently costing them a lot of money, and it doesnt make sense to waste a sizable investment on the next Kung Fu Naki. Nakamura might also be the most naturally captivating wrestler in the world today. He moves unlike any other wrestler, at once haphazard and fluid, like a drunk dancer. Hes a showman whos heavily inspired by Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson, and it shows in his theatrical entrances and precise body motions. Hes a master of psychology, selling and in-ring storytelling, and along with Styles would immediately be one of the two or three best in-ring performers in WWE. His body language alone should translate to an American audience, even in large arenas, but he also speaks English better than most Japanese wrestlers , so he might be able to hold his own on promos. Of Japans current crop of wrestling stars, hes probably the one whose talents are the best fit for American-style wrestling. Nakamura and Styles are the most important part of this story, but Anderson and Gallows arent afterthoughts. Anderson should excel in WWEhe can cut a good promo and seven years in New Japan have turned him into a good worker. Gallows is an imposing presence and a fine tag team wrestler. Anderson could easily be a top mid-carder on his own, and Anderson and Gallows together could dominate WWEs tag team ranks for a few years. This isnt just a huge story because of the talent of the men involved. Traditionally WWE and other American promotions havent raided the rosters of the top Japanese companies. Over the last few decades groups like the NWA, WCW, TNA, Ring of Honor and even the then-WWF have had official partnerships with various Japanese organizations. Top Japanese stars would periodically tour America, younger wrestlers would come to America to gain experience before returning home, and companies would co-promote full shows in both countries, but the sort of acquisition spree that Vince McMahon used to undermine the territories in the 1980s never spread across the Pacific until now. New Japans cult following in America has grown considerably over the last few years, thanks in part to the New Japan Pro-Wrestling show on AXS TV, New Japans partnership with Ring of Honor and the New Japan World on-line streaming service. AXS, ROH and the internet have made it easier than ever to see New Japan wrestling in America, and although its still nowhere near a legitimate threat to WWEs practical monopoly on mainstream American wrestling, entering the US marketplace on multiple fronts has made New Japan a bigger possible target for WWE than if it had stayed in its own borders. No matter what happens when these four wrestlers debut for WWE, this has been an exciting week for wrestling fans. Wrestle Kingdom 10 might be the best show of the year, and this shocking news has brought back a bit of the thrill of the old Monday Night Wars, when wrestlers could jump between WCW and WWF (and ECW) with short notice. Losing Nakamura and Styles might even be a good thing for New Japanit had settled into a clear caste of four top wrestlers, with Nakamura, Styles, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada existing on a level above everybody else. With two of those four leaving, the company will be forced to create new top stars, and has already started the processbeloved heel Kenny Omega is already being elevated to a top slot, pinning Nakamura in a tag match last night and destroying Styles in what will probably be the latters last New Japan appearance. Ideally, this will work out for both WWE and New Japan, with an influx of great wrestlers improving WWEs shows, and New Japan grooming a new crew of world class main event talent to take their place. If everything plays out the way it could, the biggest winners will be the fans. Garrett Martin edits Pastes games and comedy sections and just cant give wrestling up. On Monday we posted a report titled "New Apple TV with Siri Invention Surfaces in Europe Supporting Live TV & Time-Shifting Viewing." We were limited to working with a suppressed version of Apple's patent filing in Europe as USPTO was still behind in publishing patent applications for December 31. Today we're able to expand on the Apple TV invention by showing you patent graphics that clearly indicate that Apple TV is likely to expand to iDevices at some point in the future. Apple's patent FIG. 11 noted below illustrates exemplary television media content on a mobile user device. More specifically, note that the TV content isn't an app or part of a TV episode that you could purchase on iTunes. It's showing you live TV by listing actual TV channels. That would indicate that the iPad is showing users live TV or television programing from a local TV network. While the majority of the patent filing is about Apple TV in the form a set-top-box, Apple does notes under patent FIG. 11 that exemplary television media content on user device 102 which can include a mobile telephone, tablet computer, remote control, or the like with touchscreen. FIG. 11 illustrates interface 1150 including a TV listing with multiple television programs 1152. Interface 1150 can for example, correspond to a particular application on the user device, such as a television control application, television content listing application, Internet application, or the like. Apple's invention particularly points to an iPad of iPhone being able to work with Apple TV, the set-top-box, beyond the new Siri Remote. Though over time, Apple has hinted on several occasions in patents that Apple TV is likely to available to mobile devices over time. In 2014 we posted a report titled "Apple Invents an Apple TV Remote GUI that could be Custom Rendered for Specific iDevice and Mac Displays," that illustrated an Apple TV interface that would extend to future iDevices. Apple's patent application 20150382047 was originally filed in Q3 2014. Considering that this is a patent application, the timing of such a product to market is unknown at this time. Patently Apple presents a detailed summary of patent applications with associated graphics for journalistic news purposes as each such patent application is revealed by the U.S. Patent & Trade Office. Readers are cautioned that the full text of any patent application should be read in its entirety for full and accurate details. About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Comments are reviewed daily from 5am to 6pm MST and sporadically over the weekend. Early yesterday we posted a report titled, "Nervous Market Rattles 'AAPL' with further Rumors of iPhone 6s Sales Slowdown." Last night the Wall Street Journal elaborated on the alleged iPhone 6s slowdown by reporting that "A Chinese provincial capital promised Foxconn Technology Group which assembles iPhonesmore than $12 million in subsidies to minimize layoffs at its operations there, according to a government document. The subsidies came after Foxconn began dismissing some workers there earlier than usual for the Chinese Lunar New Year break, according to people familiar with the manufacturer." Foxconn declined to say if changes in iPhone demand were a factor in the subsidies it received from the city of Zhengzhou, home of a plant that employs at least 200,000 workers and that analysts say primarily makes the iPhone. The Wall Street Journal report further noted that "The Zhengzhou government didn't respond to a request for comment. Zhengzhou's human resources and social security department posted a notice on its website dated Dec. 25 that it would grant Foxconn 81.9 million yuan (US$12.6 million) as an 'unemployment-insurance work-force stabilization subsidy.'" Whether any of these latest iPhone 6s production slowdown reports are true will be revealed when Apple reports on their financials for the holiday quarter on January 26. About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Comments are reviewed daily from 4am to 6pm PST and sporadically over the weekend. In early December we posted a report titled "Samsung to Send Apple a Check for $548 Million for Infringing Apple Patents with a Catch of Course." The catch was that Samsung noted that they continue to reserve all rights to obtain reimbursement from Apple should the partial judgment be reversed, modified, vacated or set aside on appeal" Today Samsung Electronics was hard at work urging a U.S. appeals court to find that a jury in 2014 should not have made the South Korean company pay nearly $120 million to Apple for infringing three patents. Reuters reports today that "Apple's "quick links" patent, which accounts for more than $98 million of the damages award, was the main focus in Samsung's latest effort to overturn major court victories by the U.S. technology company over the past two years. During more than an hour of highly technical arguments, Samsung's attorney Kathleen Sullivan said Samsung did not use the same technology as Apple to detect and link to specific data, such as phone numbers, in its phones' Web browser and messenger applications." Apple's lawyer, William Lee, told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, the nation's top court specializing in patent issues, that the jury's verdict was supported by "substantial evidence." In court papers, Samsung also said the two other patents it was found to have infringed are invalid, an argument Apple said should be rejected. For more on this, see the full Reuters report here. About Comments: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit comments. Last Friday the Christian News Network published an article titled Norway Officials Place Children Seized from Parents Over Christian Indoctrination Up for Adoption. This article is yet one more case where evangelical Christians have shown more concern for maintaining their persecution complex than for the wellbeing of children. Buried in the middle of the article is this note: [The childrens uncle] says that Norwegian officials claim that the children told them that they were abused, but the family rejects the notion. Yes, thats right, the key issue here appears to be not Christian indoctrination but rather child abuse. Child abuse reported by the children themselves, no less! According to the Romanian Journal: The children, of which the smallest one has only a few months, were taken from their parents by the Department of Child Protection in Norway, Barnevernet in November, after the two girls, the eldest in the family, had said they get receive physical corrections from their parents. The parents are also suspected of religious indoctrination of children. Spanking is banned in Norway, so it is possible that some of the alleged child abuse in question would not be considered abuse by evangelicals in the United States. The child abuse allegations go beyond spanking, however, and further, whether or not the alleged abuse took place is irrelevant to the larger point at handthe it is grossly misleading to center accusations of Christian indoctrination as the key issue in this case when in fact the key issue is accusations of child abuse. In fact, according to the childrens uncle, the formal accusations didnt even mention religious indoctrination, focusing instead only on child abuse. But what exactly was involved in the original allegations of religious indoctrination, you ask? Its a bit tricky to say, given that Norways social services (Barnevernet) are bound by privacy requirements, and, too, given the fact that the case appears to currently hinge on child abuse rather than on claims of religious indoctrination. But according to the childrens uncle: The process of confiscating the Bodnariu children started when the Vevring School principal, the middle school attended by Eliana and Naomi, called the Barnevernet and expressed her concerns regarding the girls religious upbringing, her understanding that the girls are being disciplined at home, and that she considers the parents and grandmother to be radical Christians; an overriding concern that the principals perception of the parents and grandmothers religious beliefs inhibit and handicap the girls development. Norway has a state church. The countrys constitution requires parents who are members of the state church to provide their children with a religious upbringing. Norways public schools include religious education. What is going on here, exactly? While its hard to find any information that does not come from the childrens uncle, the Bodnariu parents are Pentecostal and it appears that the principal was concerned that the children were being taught a debilitating and extreme fear of hell which she felt was stunting their development. Whether or not we think the government should have the right to step in when a childs religious upbringing is deemed detrimental to their wellbeing (think, too, of groups that practice child marriage, or of faith healing) does not change the fact that U.S. evangelicals are downplaying allegations of child abuse to focus almost solely on allegations of religious indoctrination. This is a problem. Also a problem is the fact that, regardless of the governments right or lack thereof to step in, we should at least be willing to talk about the reality that certain types of or aspects of religious upbringings can be detrimental to childrens development. All of this is getting ignored by an evangelical media more interested in building a persecution complex than in protecting childrens wellbeing. Interestingly, as the battle over the Bodnariu children is playing out across Europe, pro-family groups in the familys native Romania have not shied away from addressing the child abuse issue. These organizations claim that parents have the right to use corporal punishment with their children, and that the Bodnariu parents should not have been punished for doing so. We promote the right of biological parents to raise their biological children without state intervention. Once the state hijacks this relationship, the whole of society suffers and slides down a slippery slope, wrote the president of Romanias Alliance of Families, appearing to take a stand against the very existence of child abuse laws. While the European Right is centering this issue on the parents right to use corporal punishment (considered child abuse in Romania), the American Right is centering on the religious indoctrination allegations in an apparent effort to add legitimacy to their persecution complex. There are literally dozens of articles about this situation on Christian websites and news sources in the U.S. (just try a quick google search), every one of them downplaying or ignoring the child abuse allegations making the story entirely about the allegations of Christian indoctrination. This lack of attention to childrens welfare is incredibly maddening. If evangelical Christians want to be seen as a group that values and protects childrenas they claim they arethey have got to stop doing this. Look, I understand the concern about the government dictating what you can and cant teach your children about religion. Believe me, I do. But that concern does not justify downplaying or ignoring child abuse allegations. And you know what? This isnt just about spanking. The childrens uncle has reported that the children told child welfare workers that their father shook their baby sibling like a rag doll. He writes that the childrens father (his brother) denies this, and U.S. evangelical Christian media sources have accepted that denial as fact. Evangelical Christians today know way too little about the dynamics of abuse. For starters, abusive parents almost always deny that they are abusive. This should be obvious, but judging from the way the evangelical media covers child abuse, Im starting to think its not. Because abusive parents will generally lie and deny that they are abusive, we have got to take a parents denial of abuse allegations with a large grain of salt and wait for the investigative process to sort out fact from fiction. In addition, child welfare agencies are generally bound by privacy requirements, meaning that only the parents side of the story hits the media. Abusive parents take advantage of this to spin the story in their favor in an effort to win in the court of public opinion. Do innocent parents sometimes get caught up in the system? Sure. But that is why we have a systemto determine who is and who is not guilty. It is seriously problematic to decide that a parent accused of child abuse is innocent based on hearing only their side of the story rather than waiting for the investigation to play out. Is the system sometimes broken? Yes, but when it is there should be a call for fixing the system, not for bypassing it entirely. Next, many evangelicals seem to assume that people who appear to be good evangelical Christianssaying the right things, showing up at church, following various rulesare automatically innocent in allegations of child abuse. This is false. Abusers are very good at putting on a specific image and completely deceiving even the most well-meaning people. Theyre also very good at undermining the testimony of their victims and getting people on their side. In fact, this is how abusers generally operate. Evangelicals frequently use the term wolf in sheeps clothing to discredit those who call for church reforms or point out abuses, but very rarely consider that the term in fact suggests that abusers will look like good upstanding Christians. Im tiredso tiredof seeing the evangelical media take evangelical parents accused of child abuse at their word when they say theyre innocent, ignoring or overlooking or failing to even ask about what their children have to say on the matter. In the gospels, Jesus said let the little children come to me, but many evangelicals today appear to take a let the little children stay silent and out of sight approach when one of their own is accused of child abuse. There is child abuse in the churchand a lot of it. Its about time evangelicals stopped feeding their persecution complexes and started paying attention. President Barack Obamas tears during his gun control speech were a long time in coming. As he recalled the 20 elementary-school children who lost their lives in the 2012 massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, the president found new fountains. While the president has shed tears before, this time was different. Im no psychologist and Im not attempting to get into the presidents head, but I believe his tearsindeed, I hopewent beyond concern about gun violence, which, on its own, is enough to make one weep. For how many Columbines, Sandy Hooks and killings in Chicago must we endure? How many lives must be lost? How many children sacrificed? How much carnage must be caused before we come to our senses and enact common-sense legislation? All President Obama called for was modernizing our current system, strengthening existing laws, and providing $500 million in aid for mental illnessand still, 15 seconds hadnt passed before Republicans hounded and reviled him for trying to strip people of their guns. Americas inability to pass reasonable gun control after so many tragedies is emblematic of a sick paralysis gripping our nationa paralysis, alas, that is exacerbated by the COLOR of the presidents skin. Indeed, the sheer absence of reasonableness in Congress over so many issues: climate control, poverty, crumbling cities, the failure to expand Medicaid for needy families, making college affordable, is in part traceable to the fact that the president is a brother. That he is biracial doesnt even register among those for whom race is religion and black is so evil that it has the power to erase the white side of his heritage. The president shed tears, I hope, because America is so rife with fear, hopeless, hatred and greed so much so that we arent moved by the killing of children in a school house, nor the police shooting of a Black kid like Tamir Rice on a playground. Maybe the presidents tears also reflect the fact that after ascending to the top political post in the nation he realizes how handcuffing the presidency really isespecially for an African American. Even the great thing he has donesuch as steadying the economyare glossed over and discredited. For instance, despite capturing and killing Osama Bin Ladenonce the face of global terrorismthe president is still perceived as someone who cant and wont protect America. Had it been George W. Bush who took Bin Laden out, Congress would fallen over itself calling for a special third term. Too, I hope the president was crying because while he made history by becoming the first Black leader of the so-called free worlddefinitely a misnomerhe lost something. Outside of the indignity of being called a lie, of being demanded to show his papers, of having his wife and daughters constantly disrespected, as well as a ton of other racist onslaughts, the presidencyas seductively alluring and powerful as it iscost him something big. As Michael Eric Dyson said, it stripped him of his ability to be Black in public. This explains his hesitancy around the issue of race. And even when he tried to address it head-onas he did in his defense of Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., who was arrested for breaking into his own homehe was forced into having a beer summit with a low-level white campus cop to make amends with a nation terrified of a Black president being too Black. And surely, it isnt lost on the president that while Black protesters are often called thugs and forced to stand down by heavily armed police or the National Guard, a gang of white terrorists have currently taken over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters in Oregonand the government is handling the situation with caution and care. William Jelani Cobb, author of The Substance of Hope: Barack Obama and the Paradox of Progress, reminds us of James Baldwins poignant observation that black leaders have traditionally had to implore whites to hurry up while begging blacks to wait. The president, unfortunately, has presided over a nation where whites are in NO HURRY while Blacks, once again, are forced to WAIT. And this waiting has weighed heavily on the shoulders of a community that has supported and LOVED him the most. A community whose love the president has never been allowed to freely and fully reciprocate. Surely, there were some tears for that. While President Obamas accomplishments have been considerable, they have not trickled down to the Black community in significant ways. By most accounts, when it comes to the issue of race, he has failed. Maybe his tears were a recognition of the fact that you can gain the whole world and lose your soul in the process. After all, the presidency is the office of Pharaoh. One that presides over the empire and dances to tune of the oligarchs and plutocrats on Wall Streets. Thats a long way from being a community organizer on the streets of Chicago and from listening to prophetic sermons of Rev. Jeremiah Wrighta time when he felt he could change the world. No, these were not the tears of a broken man. But maybe they were the tears of a man who has finally realized that being president of a relentlessly racist and selfish empire just isnt all its cracked up to be. I weep with him. We all should. Fredrick Robinson is a contributor for R3 Donate to the Work of R3 ELKO County commissioners will face new challenges this year, but some of their issues from 2015 are still top priorities for them. Public lands issues are still on the minds of most of the commissioners. Glen Guttry said they need to get federal land managers to cooperate with the county on mining, recreation and ranching on public lands affected by the sage grouse. Thats going to be an ongoing battle for a long time, he said. We need to have a say in how our public lands are used. Delmo Andreozzi also said public lands and Sagebrush Focal Areas are top priorities for him. Its still a very big topic and its going to be affecting us economically, he said. Even though the bird isnt listed its affecting us already. Demar Dahl and Rex Steninger both said their No. 1 priority for the county was working toward transferring federal land to the states control. I know its a lofty goal, but its the only solution big enough to solve the problem, Steninger said. He said the Sagebrush Focal Areas are already affecting mining and he believes those lands will eventually close to recreationists and ranchers also. Its all because of a bird that isnt native to Elko County, he said. Steninger elaborated that the journals of Peter Skene Ogden from the 1820s document that people almost starved to death in Elko County because there was not enough wildlife here to eat. The state thinks the birds are so abundant it establishes a hunting season, and we all go out and shoot them each fall. Isnt that stupid, he said. Steninger encourages everyone to learn about the American Lands Council, which is working to transfer federal land to the states. Dahl is the founding chairman of the organization. Dahl said his No. 2 priority is the sage grouse land use plan because it already affects Elko Countys mining, recreation and ranching. It shut down 20 percent of our county to oil and gas exploration and mining, he said. Its poised to wreak havoc on the livestock industry. The No. 1 priority for Dahl is what he considers the solution to the public lands issue HR1484. Rep. Mark Amodei introduced the bill March 9 and it was referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources in April. The bill, called Honor the Nevada Enabling Act of 1864, would transfer all land controlled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture or Department of the Interior in Nevada to the state, with the exceptions of the National Wilderness Preservation System, National Park System, National Wildlife System and federally recognized Indian reservations and lands. When Dahl was elected the chairman of the American Lands Council he said he asked for information to be gathered on what would happen to the state if the transfer occurred. He said an economic analysis determined if the land was transferred it would result in a net revenue of $350 million to the state. Were trying to get a hearing on (HR1484) in January, he said. County Roads Public lands arent the only concern for the commissioners. Several of them said improving the countys roads is also vitally important. Im looking forward to getting the sales tax implemented to improve county roads, Guttry said. The county increased sales tax by a quarter-percent to help pay for improving roads. I think we need to work really hard on getting the roads improved, Cliff Eklund said. That was the reason for the sales tax increase. I think that is very important. Health Care Last year, Andreozzi led the charge on establishing an Elko County Board of Health. The first quarterly meeting is at 3:30 p.m. today in the Nannini Administrative Building. I want us to work on becoming a healthier community, he said. Eklund also said one of his top goals was to work on getting a community health program started. It will be interesting to see where that goes to aid people who cant get a physician because doctors are not taking Medicare or Medicaid, he said. Steninger said he expects a good turnout for the first Elko County Board of Health meeting today. We need to get more Medicare doctors, he said. I think its a travesty that people live here all their lives and turn 65 and have to go to Battle Mountain or Twin Falls to see a doctor. Steninger also wants to make county services more user friendly. He said he has received several complaints from residents. I want employees to know they are here to serve the public, he said. Patna: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in Patna on Tuesday asked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to explain under what capacity the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) President Lalu Prasad Yadav had visited the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences where he ordered officials to ship up or shape out. BJP legislator Nitin Navin, calling Health Minister Tej Pratap Yadav an infant who was still dependent on his 'Mummy-Papa' for survival, said that Tej Pratap was merely a minister in name whereas his father was the real Health Minister of Bihar who also held many portfolios in the Nitish cabinet through the back door. "How long Tej Pratap will continue to remain a 'doodhmoonha bachcha'? Lalu Prasad should keep his advices to his sons within his home boundaries. Outside of it, the ministers should be on their own and not being led by their parents," he said. Former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi also slammed the RJD chief saying his latest move to act as an elected leader was against the provisions in the constitution and Nitish Kumar should come clean on power vested in the hands of Lalu Prasad Yadav. "It is clear now that there is a parallel government being run from the household of Lalu Prasad Yadav. While Nitish Kumar is wearing the ruler's crown, it is Lalu who is actually running the government," Modi said. The Real Reason Why Saudi Arabia Executed Sheikh Nimr 01/06/16 By Shireen T. Hunter (source: LobeLog) In Saudi Arabia (cartoon by (cartoon by Mana Neyestani Saudi Arabia finally executed the elderly Shia cleric, Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, even though many Muslim and other religious leaders as well as the United Nations and a number of political leaders had urged-at least privately-Saudi Arabia to commute the death sentence. Viewed in any logical light, this execution could not be in Saudi Arabia's short- and long-term interests. But the execution can also be understood as a strategy to provoke Iran to respond in a way to justify a Saudi military attack against it. Obviously, Saudi Arabia cannot be sure that it can win a war against Iran, at least not easily and certainly not by itself. But Saudi Arabia might count on a number of Arab and non-Arab countries joining this venture. Some Arab countries, notably the United Arab Emirates, would be only too happy to do so. Others such as Qatar and Kuwait could be intimidated or bribed into participating. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would be sorely tempted to jump on the bandwagon. After all, Erdogan sees Iran, as the heir to the Safavid Empire, as the real obstacle to his dream of creating anew the Ottoman Empire. That Sheikh Nimr was executed shortly after Erdogan's meeting with King Salman is significant in this regard. Even Pakistan might sign on, given its commitment to defend the Kingdom against external threats. However, Saudi Arabia's efforts to provoke Iran into a violent reaction and thus start a war is really in hopes that a violent Iranian act would create such an uproar in Washington political circles, and especially in Congress, that the United States would be forced to intervene in the conflict by attacking Iran. A US intervention against Iran, the Saudis hope, would rid them once and for all of their Iran problem. Nor is this mere speculation. Saudi Arabia for some time has been trying to provoke Iran. First there was the Saudi military intervention in Bahrain. Then there were Saudi efforts to topple the Assad regime. These were followed by the bombing of the Iranian embassy in Beirut in 2013, which killed a number of Lebanese as well as Iran's cultural attache. More recently, during the Haj ceremonies, Saudi authorities harassed two Iranian youth and a large number of Iranian pilgrims died as well. The Saudi government, moreover, created many difficulties for Iranian officials trying to locate, identify, and transfer the bodies of the victims to Iran. And of course Saudi Arabia launched a full-scale war in Yemen against what it claimed were Iranian-backed rebels. Another provocation came last month when Nigerian authorities arrested the country's Shia leader, Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaki, and the Nigerian army killed close to a thousand Shias for spurious reasons. Following Sheikh Zakzaki's arrest Saudi King Salman reportedly congratulated Nigeria's president for dealing effectively with terrorism (the king's definition of terrorism apparently extends to the peaceful observance of religious rituals). Meanwhile, the abuse of the Shias in other countries, notably Azerbaijan, continued as did their indiscriminate killing by Saudi- influenced groups in Pakistan and Afghanistan, as illustrated by the beheading in November of a nine-year-old Hazara girl in Afghanistan. Iran will not likely succumb to the latest Saudi provocation-just as it has resisted earlier ones. For example, Iran did not retaliate against Saudi military intervention by sending troops to Bahrain to defend not only Bahraini Shias but Bahrainis of Iranian origin. It has not directly interfered in Yemen, and its engagement in Syria has remained limited. It did not overreact to either the bombing of its embassy in Beirut or the mistreatment of its nationals and pilgrims during the Haj. However, there is always a risk that popular passions could run high and that Iranian hardliners, for their own personal ends, could pressure the government to respond more strongly. Under these circumstances, it is crucial not to underestimate the risks of conflict that could end up entangling the United States in another Middle East war that it does not want. Saudi Arabia at the moment is very much like an angry, wounded animal. Many of its plans for regional hegemony have gone awry and have saddled it with huge financial burdens. Most important, they are still seething with anger at the nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1. Unwilling to see how unreasonable their ambitions have been and believing that they can either bribe or intimidate everyone into doing their bidding, the Saudis blame Iran for their thwarted ambitions. The West has greatly helped to nurture Saudi delusions by ignoring the horrendous abuse of Shia rights in that country and elsewhere and by excessively demonizing Iran. At this sensitive juncture, it is vital that the Western powers do not succumb to Saudi Arabia's all-too-obvious games. A sectarian conflagration in the Middle East will not only harm Iran. It will spread to the Caucasus and to South Asia. With Iran under attack, all Shias will feel at risk of becoming victims of an all-out genocide. Lastly, a new Middle East war against Iran will almost certainly involve China and Russia and thus would potentially entail the risk of great power conflict. Russia and China won't likely remain as passive as they did in 2001 and 2003. Under these circumstances, the great powers, especially Western powers, must restrain the Saudis and also prevent their Middle Eastern and South Asian allies from being dragged into the Saudi vendetta against Iran. Most important, they finally must ask themselves whether Saudi Arabia is really worth the headaches it is causing. Follow LobeLog on Twitter and Facebook About the Author: Shireen T. Hunter is a Visiting Professor at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. Her latest book is Iran Divided: Historic Roots of Iranian Debates on Identity, Culture, and Governance in the 21st Century (Rowman & Littlefield, forthcoming September 2014). Iran opens 2nd underground missile site to cameras 01/06/16 Source: Press TV Iran's parliament (Majlis) speaker, Ali Larijani, has officially visited the second underground missile facility of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) packed with precision-guided long-range Emad missiles. The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) aired on Tuesday exclusive footage of the deep underground tunnel filled with numerous Emad ballistic missiles. Iran's Majlis speaker Ali Larijani visited the second underground missile facility on Tuesday IRGC's first underground missile facility was unveiled on October 14, 2015. Iran successfully test-fired the surface-to-surface missile, which has been completely designed and manufactured by experts of Iran's Aerospace Industries Organization affiliated with the Iranian Ministry of Defense, on October 11. Speaking after his visit to the underground site, Larijani hailed the missile capabilities of the IRGC. Larijani said the IRGC has succeeded in making significant scientific and technological breakthroughs. He added that the IRGC military power is intimidating the enemy. The top Iranian parliamentarian emphasized that the IRGC's power is a major deterrent conducive to peace and security in the country and across the region. On July 20, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2231, which bars Iran from developing missiles "designed to carry nuclear warheads." Iranian officials say none of the country's missiles, including ballistic ones, have been "designed to carry nuclear warheads," and thus their production and test are not in contravention of Resolution 2231. The Islamic Republic has repeatedly said that its military might poses no threat to other countries, reiterating that its defense doctrine is merely based on deterrence. Iraq Joins US, Russia in Effort to Lower Iran-Saudi Tensions 01/03/16 By Chris Hannas, VOA Iraq's foreign minister offered Wednesday to act as a mediator between its neighbors Iran and Saudi Arabia. Protesters in Tehran denouncing Saudi Arabia for executing Sheikh Nimr Bakr al-Nimr Those relations became further strained in the past week with the Saudi execution of a prominent Shi'ite cleric, angry protesters storming the Saudi embassy in Tehran and Saudi Arabia's subsequent decision to cut off diplomatic ties with Iran. Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said during a joint news conference with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif that Iraq's placement in the region brings a role in alleviating the tensions. Russia proposes mediation Russia has also offered to act as a mediator, and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has been speaking with both Zarif and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir. U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday that Kerry talked by phone with multiple Iranian and Saudi leaders to try to "restore some sense of calm," urge them to use dialogue and keep in mind there are other pressing issues in the region, including the situations in Syria and Yemen. "These are sovereign decisions. Countries get to decide for themselves who they're going to talk to and who they're not going to talk to," Kirby said. "We just think that at this particular time, with all the other issues going on and the progress that we have made, not just against [Islamic State], but towards a political process in Syria, that it would be detrimental to regional stability if they decide -- if the decisions that they make are to disengage and to shut down avenues for conversation and dialogue." Zarif added to Iranian criticism of Saudi Arabia at Wednesday's news conference, saying the Saudi government needs to stop "provoking tension." Rouhani slams Saudi Arabia Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday that Saudi Arabia cannot use severing diplomatic ties with Iran to "hide its crime" of executing cleric Nimr al-Nimr, who was critical of the Riyadh kingdom. The Iranian government said the diplomatic split with Saudi Arabia "will have no impact on Iran's national development," contending that "it is Saudi Arabia that will suffer." The Arab League is due to discuss the situation at a special meeting requested by Saudi Arabia on Sunday. In addition to Saudi Arabia, several other Arab League members have already taken diplomatic action against Iran. Bahrain and Sudan cut their ties, while the United Arab Emirates downgraded its relations and Kuwait recalled its ambassador to Tehran. The United Nations Security Council issued a statement Monday condemning the attack on the Saudi embassy. It called on Iran to respect its international obligations to protect diplomatic property and urged all parties to "maintain dialogue and take steps to reduce tensions in the region." (This program is no longer available for online streaming.) When World War I began in 1914, the air forces of the opposing nations consisted of handfuls of rickety biplanes from which pilots occasionally took pot shots at one another with rifles. By the wars end, the essential blueprint of the modern fighter had emerged: it was now an efficient killing machine that limited the average life expectancy of a front line pilot to just a few weeks. To trace the story of this astonishingly rapid technological revolution, NOVA takes viewers inside The Vintage Aviator, a New Zealand-based outfit of aviation buffs dedicated to bringing back classic World War I fighters such as the SE5A and Albatros DV. NOVA joins the team as they discover the secrets of some of aviations most colorful and deadly early flying machines and explores how their impact played a key role in the nightmare slaughter on the Western Front. (Premiered October 29, 2014) The best 2-in-1 laptop 2022: our picks of the best convertible laptops These are the best 2-in-1 laptops you can buy right now LAS VEGASGoPro rules the action cam space, but Sony is working hard to compete. Its line of action cams have several differentiating features, including bundled remote controls and underwater operation without a case. The newest addition, the HDR-AS50, is an entry-level model that tops out at 1080p, but looks like a fine choice if you're willing to skip 4K. The camera is waterproof, even without a case, and includes an external housing that allows you to take it very deepall the way down to 200 feet (60 meters). It features a wide-angle Zeiss lens and can shoot 1080p at up to 120fps or still images at 11 megapixels. Digital stabilization is available to steady footage. Manual white balance and exposure shift controls are available, and the internal microphone picks up stereo audio. There's also a new digital zoom function, with up to a 3x crop available. It works like a camcorder zoom, slowing moving in or out. If you prefer to shoot without zoom you can set the AS50 to capture a full wide-angle field of view, or a 1.4x crop for slightly tighter footage. A remote control is included. The LVR3 is about 30 percent smaller than the current LVR2 remote. It has an LCD display that shows you what the camcorder is recording, and includes physical controls to start and stop recording and adjust camera settings. Sony hasn't set an on-sale date for the HDR-AS50, but it does have a price: $349. The company is also a few new camcorders. The FDR-AX53 is a 4K model with Sony's Balanced Optical Steady Shot stabilization system, a 1/2.5-inch image sensor with a native 8.3-megapixel resolution and 16:9 aspect ratio, and a 20x optical zoom. It's going to go on sale in March for $999. A pair of 1080p models, the HDR-CX675 ($549) and HDR-CX455 ($400) are also coming in 2016. And Sony is getting ready to sell the Alpha 68 SLR, announced in late 2015 for sale in the European market, in the U.S. and Canada. It will ship in April for $599 as a body only or $699 with an 18-55mm lens in the States. Canadians will have to pay a bit more$799 for a body only and $949 for the kit with the 18-55mm lens. PC makers cater to business users who want sleeker laptops that look just like the ones they're buying for personal use. Thanks to new technologies like Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C, HP built a 2-pound laptop with a 12.5-inch screen that's only 12.4mm (0.49 inch) thick, and yet is still Intel vPro capable: the EliteBook Folio G1. We go hands on. The HP EliteBook Folio G1 is a slim, silver metal-bodied ultraportable laptop with minimal ports. If you look on the left, you'll see a single headset jack, and on the right, you'll notice a pair of USB-C ports. The little lightning bolt next to them lets you know that these are Thunderbolt 3 ports, used for hooking up a docking station with multiple display support, connecting external solid-state drives (SSDs), or charging the laptop's internal battery. That's double the port selection of Apple's MacBook, and speedier as well, since the MacBook doesn't currently support Thunderbolt 3. The laptop is available with a 12.5-inch Full HD (1,920-by-1,080) resolution display with or without touch, and it looks pretty good. If you have 4K envy, you can upgrade to the UHD (3,840-by-2,160) resolution touch screen, which has a much higher pixel count. Either screen is a good choice if you're a power user, with the UHD screen better suited to Excel experts and photographers. An Intel Core m5 or m7 processor powers the EliteBook Folio G1. The system includes 8GB of system memory, and is configurable with SSDs up to 512GB. Business security is assured via the built-in TPM chip, HP Sure Start BIOS protection, and an optional fingerprint or smart card reader, depending on your company's IT policies. MIL-STD 810G4 testing means that the system is designed to take a higher-than-usual amount of physical abuse from your frequent travels. Typing on the system's backlit, chiclet-style keyboard was solid, with a smidge less key travel than larger systems. That said, you should have no trouble getting used to the keyboard and one-piece touch pad during an afternoon's worth of work. I'm a heavy-handed typist, and the keyboard felt comfortable after a few minutes. We look forward to running the HP EliteBook Folio G1 through our complete set of tests, including our battery rundown test. This is the time of year to reflect on last year and look ahead to the future. Many of the bad things that emerged of late were beautifully expressed by two PCMag stories. The first was Tech Trends that Need to Die in 2016, a wishful-thinking slideshow that expresses hope for a better future through the elimination of the selfie stick and other crap. Good luck with any of this coming true. The other article, Tech that will (Probably) Die in 2016, is a more assertive slideshow, condemning horrid devices or moribund projects. The most hated appears to be the Windows Phone and the moribund are tired initiatives such as Foursquare. Elon Musk is thrown in for some unknown reason. Good luck seeing the Windows Phone disappear. Curiously, both fail to add to their lists the "slideshow" as a format for an essay with pictures. I can condemn their use in this publication because I was one of the first people to use the trick. It was nearly 20 years ago in the 1990s and before the dotcom collapse. I began to cover trade shows by taking random, often funny, pictures and making a slideshow as part of this very column. I did this over and over until my then editor, Don Willmott, told me to stop because the advertisers did not like it. Instead of one pageview with all the photos, they had to deal with too many ad impressions. It was no good and the slideshow of the 1990s, I was told, was less valuable than the page of photos. This made zero sense to me at the time. And a decade later, the slideshow came into vogue and now everyone makes slideshows, except me. Now I'm against them although I invented the idea, or was at least an early promoter. So I would include slideshows on my list of things I think should go away in 2016, but here are a few more ideas: Selfies. Not only selfie sticks, but the whole notion of selfies and selfies themselves. These pictures of oneself, taken incessantly, are a genuine plague if not a mental illness. Facebook. I'm not the only one with this on their list, but I'm probably the only complainer who refuses to obtain an account. "Oh, you can keep up with old friends from high school." Really? I'd rather catch up if I ever see them in person again, which is doubtful. Facebook is life clutter. Mobile phones. You cannot even have a pleasant family meal without phones beeping and people checking to see who wants to communicate RIGHT NOW as if they are surgeons on call. GPS turn-by-turn mapping. There I said it. Nobody can find their way around anymore as the entire public, with few exceptions, depends on GPS subsystems. In the olden days you'd buy a good map and use that to figure out how to get someplace. When I was a small kid all maps were free at all gas stations. Today nobody can even use a map. If the GPS goes out they'd all be lost forever. Smart assistants. This one is somewhat baffling and is epitomized by the Amazon Echo, although the trend was started by Siri and continues with Cortana and Google Now. Everyone who has an Echo loves it to death. Ask them why and they have two pat answers with a very few other variations: it can set a timer and it can tell you the weather. I can generally set a timer myself and it's pretty easy to look out the window to determine the weather. I'm completely convinced that Echo, in particular, is beaming out subliminal messages: "You love Alexa" and "Buy more from Amazon." I cannot prove it, though. Any and all tracking. This includes the RFID toll tags for the car, which seem to be constantly monitored as you drive around. It also includes the tracking cookies that websites employ purportedly to determine your habits so you can be served advertising to your liking. The industry promotes this tracking as a service to you! Ridiculous social media invites. Social media has peaked, but you'd never know it, as new structures keep cropping up. There are those daffy friends who join every new networking concept and sends invites to everyone. Or, more than likely, the new service steals the address book and does this automatically. You get "Bill invites you join Roadhogs, a new network for people who like to drive!" "Bill invites you to Fuudhub, a new network for people who like to eat." "Bill invites you to Nytwerk, a new network for people who like to join networks." Ugh. I could obviously go on forever with these petty grievances even though I know that it invites the comment, "Why does this guy even write about technology? He hates everything!" This is not true. What I hate is the abusive use of technology to exploit the users. I do not like the dehumanizing or the addiction to "updates" and other foolishness. I prefer to use perfected and cheaper landline technology than to use a miserable mobile phone when chatting with someone. It's simply better. And ironically, cheaper. Maybe this is what this list is all about. Choosing better over newer. People do not seem to care about "better" so much anymore. Editors Note: We respect John's opinion, but at the moment offering content online for free requires advertising. For an ad-free experience, I recommend subscribing to our Digital Edition. You can order it here for a sale price of $1 per issue. On New Years Day Nevadas Senate Bill 302 creating education savings accounts (ESAs) available to parents who pull their children out of public school and enroll them in private schools or homeschool them became law. Or did it? After a dreadful session that saw long-needed reforms to public pensions, public unions and prevailing wage laws languish in a Republican-majority Legislature, as well as the passage of $1.5 billion in tax hikes, SB302 was touted as the one redeeming accomplishment, but they may have managed to bollux that too. Under SB302 state Treasurer Dan Schwartz is authorized to set up savings accounts for parents who choose not to avail themselves of public schools. For most parents the annual account will be equal to 90 percent of the public school per-pupil state funding allotment or about $5,100 a year. Parents earning less than 185 percent of the federal poverty level would get 100 percent of state funding or about $5,700. In a sop to Democrats who whined that the law would deprive public schools of desperately needed funding even though public schools get another $4,000 per pupil from other sources than the state and that money would continue the ESA law requires that, in order to be eligible for savings accounts, students must be enrolled in public school for 100 consecutive days. This means that those who already homeschool or send their children to private school would have to needlessly disrupt their education and enroll them in public school for more than a semester. The school year is 180 days. The lawmakers would have been well advised to have just allowed those already in public school to immediately become eligible, thus saving each public school $4,000 per departed student and then allow those privately schooled to become eligible in a year or so. Instead, they imposed this musical chairs abomination. In order to put a little sanity and clarity in the eligibility rules, Schwartz decided to write into them an exception for active-duty military families who are often forced to relocate on short notice and children under age 7 or incoming kindergarteners, even though the law contains no such exceptions. Gov. Brian Sandoval had a chance to remedy this oversight in the recent special session one in which compliant lawmakers doled out tax breaks and credits for a company that claims it will build electric cars in North Las Vegas by adding to the agenda a bill to amend SB302. He did not. Instead, the lawmakers cobbled together a legally suspect Assembly Concurrent Resolution 1 meant to show legislative intent matched Schwartzs rewriting of the law. Of course, the whole thing has been tied up in court since shortly after the final gavel banged and that resolution has little chance of clarifying things. First, the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit claiming the law allows parents to use tax money to pay tuition at church-based schools, saying this violates the state Constitutions Blaine Amendment prohibiting tax money going for religious purposes. Then a group calling itself Educate Nevada Now sued, claiming the law reduces state funding for public schools to below a level determined to be constitutionally sufficient. Recently, Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison, acting as an attorney for some parents stuck in a quandary as to whether their children are or will be eligible for ESAs, filed a lawsuit asking the courts to declare the law constitutional. That created a collision with Treasurer Schwartz who lambasted Hutchison, saying there are already two suits being defended by Attorney General Adam Laxalt and this one is a side track to nowhere that could jeopardize Laxalts legal arguments. Hoping to bypass the current cases, the Lieutenant Governor could well jeopardize the Attorney Generals defense of Nevadas ESA program, endangering very real benefits for the children and parents of Nevada, Schwartz said in a statement. Meanwhile, parents and their children are in legal limbo, though Schwartz has set a goal of opening ESAs in February, if the courts allow. If SB302 gets shot down, the 2015 Legislature will have been for naught. LAS VEGASSamsung's Gear S2 smartwatch is branching out. During its CES press conference Tuesday, Samsung announced that the Gear S2 ($189.00 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) will soon work with Apple's mobile operating system, meaning the wearable will play nice with iPhones as well as Android devices. Alanna Cotton, Samsung's Vice President of Marketing for mobile computing devices, said the new compatibility will arrive "later this year," eliciting cheers from the crowd, but she did not offer up a specific date. Cotton also introduced two new additions to the Gear S2 family: a platinum and rose gold model(Opens in a new window), both dubbed the Galaxy Gear S Classic. Also on tap for the Gear S2 family: new custom designer watch bands, watch faces featuring Peanuts characters, and more apps: Uber, eBay, Voxer, CNN, and more. Samsung Pay will also soon be available on the Gear S2 and Gear S2 Classic. "Wearables represent a new, more human way to interface with technology," Cotton said. "A smart watch guides you through your day, and makes staying ahead of life's moments a breeze." On the mobile front, Samsung also introduced a new tablet: the Galaxy Tab Pro S(Opens in a new window), which has the design of a Galaxy Tab with Windows on the inside. Dubbed the "thinnest and lightest 2-in-1 tablet on the market today," the Tab Pro S runs Windows 10 and features a full-size keyboard along with a 12-inch Super AMOLED HD display. Perhaps the biggest show-stopper at Samsung's press conference, however, was not a mobile device or wearable buta refrigerator. Samsung's new "Family Hub" fridge, available this spring, features a pretty substantial 21.5-inch touch screen, where you can share notes with family members, deliver messages from the phone, and display images from Instagram. Plus, the fridge features built-in cameras that snap images every time you close the door, letting you "look inside your fridge" wherever you are via a smartphone app, according to John Herrington, Senior Vice President of General Manager Home Appliances for Samsung Electronics America. You can also order food from places like Fresh Direct and Shoprite right from the screen, and stream music from the TV. Finally, it's not a Samsung press conference without talk about TVs. In this case, the tech giant announced its 2016 SUHD TVs, which come in screen sizes ranging from 49 to 88 inches, are completely bezel-less, and feature "quantum dot display" technology. What's that, you ask? According to Joe Stinziano, Samsung's Executive Vice President of Electronics for America, quantum dot technology "expands color range while creating brighter more lifelike images," offering 1 billion of the "purest colors" and the "most striking brightness available today." That should help you better see what's on the screen in a brightly lit room. LAS VEGASMove over, Google, Tesla, Ford and seemingly every other car company. Kia wants in on the autonomous car action. The car maker hosted its first-ever CES press conference Tuesday, which kicked off with an ambitious promise: to release partially autonomous driving technologies by 2020 and bring a fully autonomous car to market by 2030. To help it reach those goals, the company today launched a new sub-brand, dubbed "Drive Wise," for its Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. Those futuristic systems include: "Highway Autonomous Driving," which can interpret lane markings, allowing the car to stay in its lane or switch without driver input; "Urban Autonomous Driving" for navigating through densely congested environments; and "Preceding Vehicle Following," which helps the car keep a safe distance from those ahead. Other futuristic features Kia is working on include: an "Emergency Stop System," which will watch your eyes and direct the car to a safe place to stop if it sees you're not paying attention; "Traffic Jam Assist," which takes over in congested traffic; and "Autonomous Valet Parking," which will let drivers control their car into a spaceeven when they're not sitting in itright from a smartphone. Kia said it's planning to initially invest $2 billion by 2018 to develop these new technologies. Meanwhile, the company recently obtained a special license to test its new autonomous vehicle technologies on public roads in Nevada. During its press conference, Kia showed a video (filmed just yesterday) of some brave souls trying out an autonomous concept car based on its Sol. Passengers were sincerely shocked as the car started driving itself one woman accused a fellow passenger of touching something why they had not. "It's like a roller coaster ride," another person said. We're pretty sure that's not what Kia was going for, but fortunately, the company has another 14 years to work it out. U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., visited San Bernardino on Wednesday, Jan. 6 to express her condolences over the Dec. 2 terror attack and offer her assistance to city and county officials who are dealing with the attacks financial toll. Boxers meeting, which was at her request, was held in private. San Bernardino Mayor Carey Davis and city Police Chief Jarrod Burguan were among those expected to attend. In a telephone interview afterward, Boxer said she personally wanted to share her condolences and pride in how the community responded to the attack that killed 14 and injured 22. The way they pulled together as a community is a model for the nation, she said. Boxer said she wants to help the city and county pay for the attacks and for any security upgrades to public facilities. The estimated cost to local governments to handle the attack is at least $4 million. The senator added she wanted to make sure the city and county are getting the cooperation they need from federal agencies. Boxer, who is not seeking re-election to the Senate in 2016, supports President Barack Obamas executive actions to reduce gun violence, calling the expanded background checks a step in the right direction supported by a vast majority of the American public. What we have to do as a Congress is make sure that while respecting the Second Amendment, we pursue laws that will keep guns out of the hands of criminals, terrorists and mentally unbalanced people, she said. We havent done that. At the end of last year, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Meredith Jury sent back the city of San Bernardinos bankruptcy exit plan, telling the city to come back and explain why it only intends on paying bondholders 1 percent of what theyre owed. The setback isnt too unexpected, given the amount of money at stake. EEPK, a Luxembourg-based bank which holds about $50 million of the citys pension obligation bonds, stands to lose tens of millions of dollars under the citys current plans. The reason for that is simple. Throughout the past year, city officials have come to the conclusion that their fundamental goal is to ensure they are financially stable and can provide the sorts of services demanded by the public. Outsourcing some functions to the private sector, a key component of their plan, is one way of doing this. One possible route the city could have gone, and conceivably could still go, is putting pension obligations, which are expected to continue to balloon for years to come, on the table. But as City Attorney Gary Saenz made clear to us last year, [I]mpairing CalPERS would impair the pensions and thus impair our workforce. And further, as then-City Manager Allen Parker told our editorial board in August, You dont want to get into a lawsuit with CalPERS Theyre big and have a lot of attorneys. In other words, the citys options are limited. It is going forward with outsourcing and contracting out services, like fire and waste management, but cutting pension obligations, according to the city, would put it at a competitive disadvantage and run the risk of a costly legal battle with CalPERS. In a Dec. 16, 2015 legal filing objecting to San Bernardinos plan, EEPK argued the city hasnt done enough to explore the possibility of tax increases, among other things, an issue that also has been raised by the citys firefighters union. A week later, responding to calls for a sales tax, the city argued its conclusion that the residents are not financially capable at this time of carrying a heavier tax load cannot be subject to second guessing by Wall Street and the citys other creditors. As things have turned out, the bankruptcy judge wants a better explanation than that. Looming in the background will remain the issue of whether the citys pension obligations will continue to endanger the fiscal stability of the city, as the credit ratings agency Moodys has argued. Given the power of CalPERS, though, San Bernardino taxpayers should brace themselves for the possibility of having the burden of their governments failed leadership dumped on their backs. A very disturbing statistic emerged late last year: The Riverside County District Attorneys Office and one judge approved more wiretaps in 2012, 2013 and 2014 than any other county in California. Not just a little more a lot more. In 2012, Riverside County allowed wiretapping of 305 phone lines. No. 2 Los Angeles County approved just 170 despite a population almost five times larger. No other county came close. In 2013 Riverside County OKd 329 wiretaps; L.A. County, 146. In 2014, Riverside County approved the wiretapping of 624 phone lines, compared to Los Angeles Countys 129. In the three years since 2011, Riverside Countys wiretap approvals quadrupled. What could possibly justify listening in on the phone conversations of so many Riverside County residents? And did the wiretapping make Riverside County residents safer? You could hardly argue that. After 624 wiretaps in 2014, only 176 people were arrested. To me, that says much of the listening-in was unjustified. District Attorney Michael Hestrin said in some cases, people may have been prosecuted in other counties. But wiretap records are secret, so theres no way to know. For comparisons sake, San Bernardino County approved 30 wiretaps in 2014, resulting in 51 arrests. Listening in to peoples phone conversations is the most intrusive form of government surveillance, said Jennifer Lynch, staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit that defends civil liberties in the digital world. Wiretapping should be a law enforcement tool of last resort. Only under the most compelling circumstances should Americans be asked to give up their right to privacy. Hestrin said he became aware of the dramatic increase in wiretap approvals in Riverside County when he took office a year ago. Over the following months, he investigated why it was happening and substantially tightened policies on approving wiretaps. He now personally reviews wiretap requests before they go to the court. If there isnt a direct connection to Riverside County, Hestrin said he does not approve the wiretap request. Thats laudable. But the results of the policy tightening probably wont be seen until next year, because it took effect only late in 2015, Hestrin told me. Former DA Paul Zellerbach told me that while he was DA, wiretap requests were reviewed by him or the assistant DA. They could not legally be approved unless they had a connection to Riverside County, he said. All requests had to be forwarded to the judge regardless of whether the DAs office approved them, he said. So who was monitoring the drastic increase in wiretap requests that were being brought to Riverside County? Apparently, no one. California counties are required to forward statistics to the state Legislature annually reporting how many electronic interceptions they have approved, how many people have been arrested as a result, what offenses they were arrested for and how many were convicted. But no one could tell me whos responsible for oversight. And its next to impossible to look into the requests anyway. The affidavits submitted by law enforcement agents requesting wiretaps are sealed, so only the prosecutor and the judge assigned to review such requests can read them. Even when someone is charged with a crime based on wiretap evidence, the defense lawyer often is not told there was a wiretap, said Michael P. OConnor, professor of criminal law at the University of Laverne School of Law. If the defense lawyer knew about the wiretap, he or she could challenge its legitimacy. But if its never disclosed, government intrusion avoids constitutional scrutiny. I asked Presiding Judge Howard Hopp whether he was concerned that law enforcement agencies judge-shopped for a jurist willing to approve so many wiretaps. Hopp said no judge shopping occurred; the courts are required to send all wiretap requests to one judge, who is selected based on his or her expertise in relevant laws. (The RivCo judge who approved the wiretaps from 2011-2014 has been reassigned.) But as far as reviewing the judges decisions on wiretaps, the presiding judge doesnt have the authority to do that, Hopp said. So where are the checks and balances on wiretap approvals? Hopp said defense lawyers can challenge their use. But if no one is charged based on a particular wiretap, no one can challenge it. The large increase in wiretap approvals in Riverside County is a symptom of a broader problem, said Lynch, the Electronic Frontier Foundation lawyer. We are seeing a lack of transparency, oversight and accountability throughout most of the systems supporting government surveillance, she said. The government is able to get authorization through non-adversarial, ex parte processes where any information is withheld from the public. She called for more transparency in the process and said it would help if wiretap orders were required to be unsealed automatically after a certain period. This would allow the public, other judges, and lawmakers to ensure that these orders are issued based on sufficient probable cause, she said, and that law enforcement agents, prosecutors and judges are complying with the law. In my opinion, this must be done on the federal level, not just the state level. I asked a lawyer for the ACLU of Southern California whether the civil liberties watchdog is concerned about the situation. Adrienna Wong, the ACLU attorney assigned to the Inland Empire, said her office is attempting to review it. It submitted a public records request for the DAs current and former standards, policies and guidelines for wiretap applications three weeks ago. As of Monday, it had not received the documents, she said. As long as the whole wiretap-request process is veiled in secrecy, its susceptible of abuses. Its time to lift the veil. Contact the writer: 951-368-9470 or cmacduff@pressenterprise.com Woodcut print exhibit comes to La Sierra University RIVERSIDE Taproot, a new exhibit at La Sierra Universitys Brandstater Gallery featuring woodcut prints by Roxanne Sexauer, will open with an artists reception 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 10. The exhibit runs through Feb. 11 and has 30 to 35 woodcut prints. Sexauers works incorporate lithography, screen print, monotype, stencil and etching, according to a news release from the university. Sexauer is an art professor at California State University, Long Beach. She teaches relief, etching, advanced printmaking and the history of paintings and drawings. Her work has been exhibited internationally. La Sierra University is located at 4500 Riverwalk Parkway and gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Information: 951-785-2170 Anne Marie Walker REGION More than 2,200 students from 34 schools took part in the Chino Basin Water Conservation Districts Annual Water Conservation Poster Contest. The districts board of directors selected 11 winners, 47 finalists and 92 honorable mentions. The winners were: Kindergarten: Ethan Damian, Walnut Avenue Elementary First Grade: Eloise Chan. Michael G. Wickman Elementary Second Grade: Aiden Cifuentes, Our Lady of the Lourdes Third Grade: Anthony Chen Fourth Grade: Derek Yang Fifth Grade: Alyna Collier, Cucamonga Elementary Sixth Grade: Danika Sapaden, Vineyard STEM Elementary Seventh Grade: Camila Castaneda, De Anza Middle School Eighth Grade: Alyssa Cabrera, Vernon Middle School Ninth Grade: Rald Dolom, Montclair High School Tenth-Twelfth Grades: Celeste Popoca, Montclair High School Staff report HEMET A talk on William Henry Seward, Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson, will be held Friday, Jan. 8 upstairs at the Hemet Library. The talk is at 10 a.m. The library is located at 300 E. Latham Ave. Staff report REGION Soroptimist House of Hope, which operates residential substance use recovery programs for women in Desert Hot Springs and Banning, has received a $10,000 grant from the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation. Soroptimist House of Hope is a nonprofit organization. Staff report HEMET The shuffleboard Hall of Fame results at Golden Village Palms Resort are as follows: 1st place, Tootie Chittenden; 2nd, Roland Schneider; 3rd place, Mike Garrett; and 4th place, Charles Mosley. In the consolation round, 1st place went to Kit Lyman; 2nd place, Marion Hemsing; 3rd place, Irene Kaufman; and 4th place, Nadine Hackett. Seventy-four players competed in the Dec. 28-31 event. Staff report SAN JACINTO Riverside Countys San Jacinto Animal Campus is seeking volunteers ages 16 and older to assist with a variety of services the shelter provides to animals in need. To apply, visit rcdas.org. The shelter is located at 581 S Grand Ave. Information: 951-791-3763 Amy Zahn BANNING The National Alliance on Mental Illness is conducting a 12-week education program for family members of people with serious mental illnesses. The program will cover topics such as schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar disorder and more. The course is free and will be held at Grace Lutheran Church, 1000 Wilson St. To register, call 951-797-0120 or 951-849-2327 Amy Zahn Send items for possible inclusion in Community Notes to community@pressenterprise.com. President Barack Obamas executive actions on gun control may be matched by efforts in Sacramento and at the California ballot box to further regulate who can buy firearms and ammunition. On Tuesday, Jan. 5, State Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, praised the presidents executive actions and hinted that more gun control legislation is in the works. Representing a district ravaged for decades by gun violence, Ive been working on this issue since the first day I took office, de Leon said in a statement. In the coming weeks, Ill be coordinating with the Assembly to deliver a package of new proposals to the governors desk as soon as possible. Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a 2018 gubernatorial candidate, is behind a ballot measure that would require background checks for ammunition purchases. The measure also would require those who owned large-capacity magazines prior to a state ban to sell or surrender them. Newsoms proposed initiative has until June 28 to gather roughly 365,000 signatures from California voters to qualify for the November ballot. Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Glendale, plans to sponsor a bill that would ban those on the federal no-fly list from owning guns. Similar legislation died in Congress late last year following the Dec. 2 terror attack in San Bernardino that killed 14 and left 22 wounded. It just makes good sense to me that someone who has been deemed so dangerous that he or she should not be allowed to get on an airplane, that they should not be allowed to buy guns or explosives, Gatto said. The bill hasnt been filed yet. Gatto said he wants to make sure his legislation respects the due process rights of those on the list. Another bill that could be offered would go after hard-to-trace ghost guns made at home from parts, The Associated Press reported. No members of the Inland state legislative delegation have said they are sponsoring gun control legislation this session. STRICT ENOUGH? Compared to other states, California already has strict gun laws. The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence gives the Golden State an A- for its gun regulations, which include bans on assault weapons under most circumstances and a limit on handgun purchases to one per person per month. Critics maintain that more laws wont prevent what happened in San Bernardino. The handguns of shooters Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik were bought legally, and authorities said the assault rifles used in the attack were purchased by Farooks former neighbor, Enrique Marquez Jr., who faces a multitude of federal charges. In a written statement, Chuck Michel, president of the California Rifle and Pistol Association, said the presidents executive action like other ill-conceived but heavily promoted gun ban proposals of late, is meant to keep people from realizing that the government cannot protect us from terrorist attacks by the lone wolf religious fanatics. People are increasingly realizing that more gun laws will not protect us from terrorists nor violent criminals, and so are voting with their wallets, buying millions of firearms to protect themselves, Michel said. Californians have traditionally backed gun control. A 2013 Field Poll found almost two-thirds of California voters thought it was more important to impose greater controls on gun ownership that it was to protect gun rights. While the Democratic-controlled Legislature is friendly ground for new gun laws, it doesnt necessarily mean those bills will be signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, who attended a memorial for the San Bernardino victims held Monday in Ontario. In 2013, the Democratic governor vetoed a bill that would have outlawed semiautomatic rifles with detachable magazines. I dont believe that this bills blanket ban on semi-automatic rifles would reduce criminal activity or enhance public safety enough to warrant this infringement on gun owners rights, Brown wrote in his veto message. But hes also signed new gun restrictions into law. Earlier this year, the governor signed a ban on carrying concealed handguns on school and college campuses. And in 2013, he signed 11 pieces of gun legislation, including measures to prevent the mentally ill from buying a gun. Asked if Brown is more willing now to sign gun control legislation, spokesman Gareth Lacy said: The governor will closely consider any bill that reaches his desk. Contact the writer: 951-368-9547 or jhorseman@pressenterprise.com As trial opened Tuesday, Jan. 5, for one defendant in a 2011 Moreno Valley death penalty case, the prosecution described him as the shot caller in the home invasion robbery shooting, and the defense attorney told the jury witnesses changed their stories or did not mention his client in initial interviews. Romaine Ulyses Martin, 41, of Moreno Valley, is accused in the death of Jerry Mitchell Jr. after a robbery at Mitchells condo on Carnation Lane. The prosecution has said gang members believed mistakenly that the victim, who had no gang ties, had a large sum of cash stashed at home. A co-defendant in the case, Deontray Robinson, 26, of Palm Desert, was identified as the actual shooter and convicted of murder last year, but a jury deadlocked on whether to recommend death or life in prison. The Riverside County District Attorneys Office is expected to announce soon whether Robinson will be retried on the penalty question. The two defendants were on trial last year, but it was discovered in October that the trial judge had represented Martin in a 1996 case as a defense attorney. Although the judge did not remember Martin, a mistrial was declared to avoid any conflict. Judge Candace J. Beason, who is retired from Los Angeles Superior Court, was assigned to preside in Martins new trial. Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Jon Brandon said outside court that Martin exercised control over the other younger gang members, drove the car used in the crime and told Robinson: You know what you have to do before Robinson went back to the condo and killed Mitchell. A third person in the SUV, Elihue Elbert Ramcharam Jr., now 23, agreed to testify for the prosecution in exchange for a 12-year prison term. In his opening statement to the jury, one of Martins defense attorneys, John Dorr, said Ramcharam, who thought investigators would find his fingerprints at the scene, had a motive to lie and implicate Martin in the crime. Contact the writer: 951-368-9075 or gwesson@pressenterprise.com Inland-area Mexican bakeries heated up Wednesday Jan. 6, as Latinos celebrated a religious holiday. In recognition of Three Kings Day marking the arrival of The Wise Men, bakeries sold the Rosca de Reyes, an oval-shaped sweet bread that contains hidden figurines representing the baby Jesus. The person getting a piece of the pastry with a figurine must host a dinner or party on Feb. 2, Candlemas Day, according to Mexican tradition. Loraine Oliveras arrived at Lolas Bakery in Riverside to buy a small cake she planned to share at lunch with five co-workers at the Riverside County Public Health Department. I was hoping my boss got the baby so he can throw us a party, said Oliveras, 39, of Riverside. Bakery owner Teresa Yepez said she expected to sell more than 1,000 cakes in three sizes ranging in price from $8 to $30. Its the busiest day of the year for us, Yepez said in Spanish. Seven employees plan to work from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. filling orders for hungry customers, she said. Miriam Moreno, who was buying a cake at Lolas, was eager to share the tradition with her three kids ages 4, 6 and 8. Moreno was born in Mexico, where many children receive gifts from The Wise Men Jan. 6 instead of from Santa Claus. Her kids were born in the United States and know about Santa Claus. Moreno said she planned to tell them about the sweet bread and The Wise Men when her husband got home from work Wednesday evening. Its important for them to understand both cultures, said Moreno, 29, a native of Mexicali, Mexico who lives in Moreno Valley. Contact the writer: 951 369-9292 swall@pressenterprise.com A father buttons up his sons smock before taking him to school in Madrid. Samuel Sanchez Two weeks after the birth of his second son, Asier Bidaure returned to his job at an employment center. I hadnt slept properly for days, he says. It was really tough. He compares the experience to the 12 months that followed the birth of his first child when his wife returned to her job after five months, and as Asier was unemployed, he looked after the baby: It was a very positive experience for me, as well as my daughter. We have to end the belief that women in their thirties are somehow a risky bet for companies Teresa Jurado, UNED sociology lecturer In 2009 Spanish Congress decided to change the law to give fathers the same amount of time off work as mothers after the birth of a child: 16 weeks. The first step was to increase paternity leave from two weeks to four weeks. That should have taken effect in January 2011. A year later, lawmakers approved a motion that would have given both parents the same amount of time off to look after newborns. But year after year, blaming the crisis, the government has put off passing the motion that would put the law into effect. The economic situation doesnt allow for it yet, says an employment ministry spokesman. But a detailed analysis by the Health Ministry shows that Spains declining birth rate in recent years means enough money has already been saved on parental leave to finance at least a partial extension of paternity leave as required by law. According to the figures, between January 2011 and December 2014, Spain saved more than 500 million in maternity and paternity leave as a result of the falling birth rate, spending just 1.6 billion in 2014. Lourdes Ciuro, a deputy for the Catalan nationalist Democratic Convergence (CDC) party, says the question of granting fathers the same rights as mothers has wider implications. Society has to understand that child care is everybodys responsibility, she says. Its not about the money, its a question of political cowardice. Companies may be a little worried at first, but giving both parents the same rights will improve productivity, as well as relations between men and women. The conservative Popular Party (PP) was alone among the parties in Congress in not pledging to extend paternity leave as a way of combating population decline in its general election program. Teresa Jurado, a sociology lecturer at the UNED distance-learning university, points to a survey carried out by the University of Navarre showing that 40% of first-time mothers stop working full time when their babies reach the age of 18 months. Around 11% work shorter days, 18% are unemployed anyway, and 8% work part time. We have to end the belief that women in their thirties are somehow a risky bet for companies, says Jurado, pointing out that the best way to prevent businesses from discriminating against women they fear will take maternity leave is to make that leave equally available to men. She estimates that the cost of doing so between now and 2023 will be around 1.4 billion a year, an amount covered by the savings made as a result of the declining birth rate. 40% of first-time mothers stop working full time when their babies reach the age of 18 months The PP accuses its rivals of making promises it cannot keep. The CEOE business confederation is also opposed to extending paternity leave, saying it will hit businesses hard. Often, businesses have to pay social security while somebody is absent, and it creates organizational problems because that man has to be replaced temporarily, says Jordi Garcia Vina, the CEOEs labor relations director. The experience of countries such as Iceland and Sweden suggests that giving fathers full paternity leave brings about cultural changes in many men after they have brought up a child and looked after a household full time. This is what happened to Antonio, a technician based in Seville who looked after his child while he was unemployed. If you dont go through it yourself, you just arent aware of how tiring it is bringing up a baby and running the house on your own. It is very important to put yourself in the mothers position. Antonio describes the current two-week paternity leave as ridiculous. He has now returned to work but says that he and his partner have ruled out the idea of having a second child. We barely have enough time for our son. It just wouldnt make sense. A federal agency will soon begin a closer examination of the Prado Dam murals historic significance. Prado Dam mural preservationists are applauding the news, although the process wont necessarily prevent the murals eventual removal. The Army Corps of Engineers is starting a review this month of the murals eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places. The review is expected to start in mid-January when letters are sent out. Army Corps archaeologists will document and gather information about the mural near Corona, said Corps archaeologist Danielle Storey. Agency officials will hold meetings to gather information from people who have knowledge or a vested interest in the bicentennial mural painted by Corona High School students in 1976. Members of the group Friends of the Prado Dam Mural were happy to learn the Corps is beginning the review, lead organizer Peter Usle said Monday. Were all excited to hear this, he said. The review is bringing greater oversight to the Corps proposal to remove the 664-foot-wide dam spillway mural, which can be seen by commuters on the 91. The Corps report will be sent to the California Office of Historic Preservation for comment, and the public will be able to weigh in as well. However, even eligibility and inclusion on the national register does not guarantee the murals preservation, said Jay Correia, who manages the federal registration program for the states preservation office. No historic designation would completely protect any historic resource, he said. It would only, perhaps, cause more review to be done. San Jacinto resident and mural co-designer Ron Kammeyer, who sued the Corps to stop the removal, said being listed on the federal register is no guarantee, but it would help protect the mural. Its a strong way of saying, Preserve it. I guess you cant get much stronger than that, he said. The Corps is conducting the review after a federal judge in August stopped removal of the lead-based paint mural and ordered the Corps to evaluate the images historic significance. The Corps and Kammeyer agreed to stop the case until the review is done, said Kammeyers attorney, Eric Bjorgum. The review is also being done after Tom McCulloch, acting director of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation based in Washington, D.C., sent a letter to the Corps Los Angeles District on Oct. 30 urging the agency to include the state in its review of the murals eligibility. A resident contacted the council when the Corps stated a National Register of Historic Places designation didnt apply because of significant changes at the dam. The graffitied, faded mural reads 200 Years of Freedom: TOPS-1976. The original 1776 in the mural is obscured under newer letters. The murals eligibility wasnt evaluated in the 1990s as part of the environmental impact studies done for the Santa Ana River Mainstem flood control improvement project. An evaluation would be appropriate after an outpouring of community support in a petition with more than 21,000 signatures, and new information and perceptions about the murals historic significance, according to the letter. The process should take at least two or three months, Storey said. Contact the writer: 951-368-9444 or shurt@pressenterprise.com LOS ANGELES (AP) UFC star Ronda Rousey will host Saturday Night Live on Jan. 23. The show announced the plan Tuesday, with Selena Gomez as the musical guest. Rousey (12-1) was the first female fighter signed by the UFC. She defended her 135-pound title six times before her shocking loss to Holly Holm in Australia two months ago. Rousey, a Riverside native, also is an actor, appearing in The Expendables 3, Furious 7 and the film version of Entourage. She has several additional acting jobs in various stages of development. Rousey is the first mixed martial artist to host the show, but athletes have a long history in Studio 8H. LeBron James, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter and boxers George Foreman and Marvin Hagler have all hosted Saturday Night Live or appeared on the show. Skiers and snowboarders rejoiced Tuesday, Jan. 5, as a new coat of fresh powder fell on one of their playgrounds in Big Bear Mountain. Though an optimistic outlook, according to forecasters, snow levels could reach 50 inches in parts of the mountains by the end of the week an amount that hasnt been seen in years. Workers at resorts and local businesses expect the weeks storms to kick off a much-needed resurgence in tourism to the area. Weve been due for a really good winter for a while and this is the shot in the arm we need, said Clayton Shoemaker, marketing director at Big Bear Mountain Resorts. The last time the mountain saw snow hit in consistent waves the way it is expected to throughout the week was probably close to 10 years ago, Shoemaker said. If youre going to experience winter, this is what you want to experience it in, he said. Heavy rain and snow throughout the Inland Empire marked the beginning of the official El Nino season, which is predicted to be at its strongest this year since 1998. The snow began falling about 10 a.m. Tuesday at Bear Mountain and Snow Summit, the two resorts owned by Big Bear Mountain Resorts, and Snow Valley Mountain Resort. Tracy Murphy brought her two sons, Tucker and Cooper, to learn to ski at Snow Valley on Tuesday We had three weeks off so we thought this would be a perfect time before we go back to school, the Murietta resident said. Also this is a good trade-off for getting hover boards Though staff at both resorts are preparing for Southern Californias skier population to swarm the slopes once skies clear over the weekend, National Weather Service Meteorologist Jimmy Taeger in San Diego said 50 inches is likely the most optimistic estimate. One inch of rain could equal 10 inches of snow if theres enough moisture in the air, Taeger said. Still, he said, Tuesdays storm was likely to bring in more than a foot of snow. A winter storm warning and flash flood watch went into effect for the San Bernardino County Mountains early Tuesday morning. The warning was expected to last until early Friday morning, Jan. 8, and the flash flood watch will end Thursday, Jan. 7. Dallas Goldsmith at Goldsmiths Boardhouse and Ski Rental in Big Bear Lake between Snow Summit and Bear Mountain resorts classified the weather outside his window Tuesday afternoon as blizzard conditions. Past El Nino years were marked by extra snow, Goldsmith said, and he expects this season to bring a boon to an area that has been largely deprived of the level of tourism it saw before the drought took hold. Its nice to see that those folks that make a living in this town on this industry can put food on the table with the money theyre earning, he said. Goldsmith told people who called him Tuesday inquiring about the areas weather and that the snow was falling, but reminded them to put snow chains on their tires for the trek up the mountain. Snow Valleys Marketing Director Tina Fraynd said once the snow begins to fall, the resort expects business to pick up in a major way. Mountains are a billboard so as soon as people see that mountain top we anticipate being very busy, she said. -Staff writer Stan Lim contributed to this report Contact the writer: amillerbernd@pressenterprise.com or 951-368-9567 Water conservation dropped again in November, but a six-month cumulative total of 26.3 percent continues to exceed the governors ordered savings, according to figures released Tuesday, Jan. 5, by the state. In November, residents across California cut their use by 20.3 percent compared to the same month in 2013, said Katheryn Landau, an environmental scientist with the State Water Resources Control Board. Gov. Jerry Brown has ordered a 25 percent average reduction across the drought-plagued state. Cumulative percentages for most Inland districts sagged in November, throwing suppliers even further off their targets, which the state set at 8 percent to 36 percent, depending on past use. Eastern Municipal Water District in Perris cut 8 percent in November and preliminary numbers for December show a 12 percent decrease. The agency has failed to meet its 28 percent target every month since compliance became mandatory in June. As a result, Eastern today is expected to order customers to cut outdoor water use by 70 percent. If drought stage 4c is approved by the board, the change would take effect immediately and show up on customers bills starting in February. Those who keep within their allotment pay $3.28 per unit, which is 748 gallons. People who fail to cut their use pay the maximum of $10.76 per unit. The change is expected to impact about one-third of Easterns customers, according to a staff report. Officials expected the fall water savings to be lower since the weather is cooler and people irrigate less outdoors. The greatest opportunity for savings was in the hottest months. Water board Chairwoman Felicia Marcus said she was encouraged by the cumulative total since June 2015. The goalpost is 25 percent in February, so were still winning the race, she said. This means folks are saving a lot of water indoors to reach this number and I dont want them to be discouraged. In November, per-person daily use was 75 gallons, down from 87 gallons in October and 98 gallons in June. The state standard is 55 gallons per person, per day. Between June and November, Californians saved almost 329 billion gallons of water, a little more than 1 million acre-feet, which is enough to supply the populations of Orange and San Bernardino counties for a year, Landau said. The goal through February is 1.2 million acre-feet. Even as El Nino-driven storms pounded the state Tuesday, water board officials warned that the effects on the drought wont be known until April, when the state determines the summer supply based on reservoir storage and snow pack. Reservoirs are lower than at this time last year because precipitation so far has come as snow instead of rain. But its a tradeoff, because snowpack is well ahead of last year, said Les Grober, assistant deputy director for the boards division of water rights. The states emergency water-saving rules expire next month. The board is expected to revise the regulation and extend it through October. Last month, regulators proposed easing the cutback targets for the extension to give a break to water providers in warmer regions such as the Inland area and those with recent population growth. The revised rules would allow many communities to raise water use by as much as 4 percentage points while still meeting the governors conservation requirements. Water board staff members will release a draft of the updated emergency regulation later this month. The board will vote on the issue in early February. Contact the writer: jzimmerman@pressenterprise.com or 951-368-9586 Some 2-1/2 years after she helped rob workers at a Kohls department store in Riverside, a 28-year-old woman is among two prison inmates accused of escaping custody in San Diego. Tumoi Chenette King drew a five-year sentence for her role in the July 2013 holdup at the Tyler Street store. She was scheduled to be paroled in October 2016, say California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials. Instead, they say, King and 20-year-old Viviana Mendez walked away Monday, Jan. 4, from a state facility where soon-to-be-released inmates can serve the remainder of their sentences in a community program instead of state prison. Mendez was serving seven years for assault with a deadly weapon in Yolo County. She was scheduled to be paroled in February 2017. King was arrested July 22, 2013, after a Riverside-to-Redlands police pursuit. That was the same day that a gunman Kings accused accomplice confronted employees entering Kohls at 6 a.m., forced them into an office and demanded their cash, Riverside police said at the time. The getaway car was a white Dodge Avenger. Police spotted the car on Interstate 10 just east of I-215. The chase left the freeway at California Street in Redlands and continued along surface streets. Near Barton Road and Alabama Street, the driver pulled over. The passenger ran away, toting a duffle bag that police later said contained cash and a loaded handgun. The passenger a 44-year-old Palmdale man was caught and arrested just 30 minutes after the holdup. King was the Avengers driver. She was convicted of second-degree robbery and was imprisoned Feb. 19, 20154, prison officials say. She disappeared from the Custody to Community Transitional Reentry Program on Armstrong Street in San Diego, about 2-1/2 miles east of Mission Bay. Investigators are seeking the publics help in finding her. King is a black woman about 5-feet-tall and 175 pounds. Anyone with information about her location may call prison officials at 916-464-4169 or any local police agency. Tension at the National Assembly in Venezuela on Tuesday. JUAN BARRETO A little before 1.30pm on Tuesday in Caracas, Henry Ramos Allup, leader of the Democratic Action (AD) party, swore himself in as the new speaker of Venezuelas National Assembly after being voted in by the opposition majority. Thus began a new political era of unknown dimensions in which a parliament where the opposition holds two thirds of the seats prepares to challenge the weakened government of President Nicolas Maduro. Allup said that within six months, the assembly would implement a mechanism to change the government. Military personnel and riot units were deployed on the streets of downtown Caracas from early in the morning Just a few minutes after Allups swearing-in session came a first demonstration of the confrontational tone that is likely to dominate the legislative sessions from here onwards. While the rest of the assembly leaders accepted their positions, the chavista sector booed and hurled insults. Ultimately, its members walked out in protest over what they viewed as violations of the assemblys internal rules. The official partys deputies were especially incensed by statements made by the head of the opposition sector, Julio Borges, of the First Justice (PJ) party, who said that the first item on the parliamentary agenda would be the passing of an amnesty and national reconciliation law to benefit the close to 100 political prisoners serving time in Venezuelan penitentiaries. According to the pro-government deputies, such a statement has no place in an inaugural session. The new speaker was voted in with 109 votes from the oppositions 112 members in the 167-seat chamber. This underscored the effect of a Supreme Court measure introduced a week ago that suspended the swearing-in of the deputies for Amazonas state after Maduros United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) appealed the outcome of the December 6 elections in three regional districts. Return of the press Alfredo Meza If Tuesday was a day of joy for Venezuelan deputies, the countrys independent press was celebrating as well. For the first time since they were kicked out of the National Assembly five years ago, its reporters were allowed back in. Chavista deputies, who have been unaccustomed to dealing with uncomfortable questions in recent times, were forced to navigate scores of reporters who expressed their joy by taking pictures and videos of the historic moment. The National Assembly may be the only place of work where it is possible for journalists to obtain replies from chavista spokespeople. There were over 400 requests for press passes to enter a chamber that the regime gradually closed off to the independent press. The obstacles began in 2008, when TV cameras caught a chavista deputy watching what seemed like pornographic material on his laptop during a session of congress. The deputy later claimed that he was watching a presentation on breast cancer. Cameras were banned from the chamber thereafter. Despite the tension, parliament was formed on Tuesday. Up until the day before, this formality had been up in the air because of threats of street violence. Both pro-government and opposition forces had called upon their supporters to come out and make a show of force, paving the way for a potential pitched battle on the streets of Caracas. But just hours before the ceremony, President Maduro asked his followers to allow the National Assembly to be constituted in calm and peace, and called upon the armed forces to guarantee law and order. The presidential address deactivated the potential conflict. The Venezuelan leader also announced that supporters from each camp would have a designated area to march in west of the Miraflores presidential palace for the chavistas, and east of the National Assembly for the opposition. If they want to mobilize, they can do so in peace, he told opposition protesters, who have been effectively banned from marching in the Libertador area of Caracas since February 2014. If they want to go out, they can do it within a designated perimeter, with enough space so that access to the assembly is not obstructed, and as long as it is in peace. Military personnel and riot units were deployed on the streets of downtown Caracas from early in the morning, with law enforcement agencies setting up three separate barriers leading to the palace that houses the National Assembly. Still, there were a few isolated incidents: reporters from the digital media outlets El Pitazo and La Patilla were assaulted, while chavista supporters set fire to PJ party flags in an area known as La Hoyada. English version by Susana Urra. wegmans-recalls-uninspected-chicken-in-pa-and-nj.jpg Some vacuum-sealed packages of chicken sold at Wegmans supermarkets in Pennsylvania and New Jersey are being recalled because they were produced without a federal inspection. (File) Some vacuum-sealed packages of chicken sold at Wegmans supermarkets in Pennsylvania and New Jersey are being recalled because they were produced without a federal inspection, NBC-10 in Philly is reporting. The 1-pound to 3-pound packages were produced on Jan. 3, 2016 and have the establishment number "EST or P-7567" inside the USDA mark of inspection, the TV station reports. The names on the packages include: "Wegmans Italian Flavored Chicken Breast Cutlet"; "Wegmans Brown Sugar Barbecue Seasoned Chicken Breast Cutlet"; "Wegmans Garlic & Fennel Whole Chicken Roaster"; and "Wokery Sherry Chicken 27482." All told, the company is recalling more than a thousand pounds of chicken it produced and sold. However, thus far, there are no reports of anyone getting sick from the un-inspected poultry. Here is a link to Wegmans' recall announcement and additional product details. This story has been updated with a link to the details of Wegmans' recall. YORK -- A table strung up in the ceiling and a phone call from a mother saying officers had been hitting her son led to an investigation that ultimately brought three former prison guards to trial. The three guards are appearing this week in York County Court, facing charges of official oppression and conspiracy after investigators accused them of running a "Fight Club" with inmates, having them wrestle in a storage closet and take part in challenges for prizes of food and coffee. York County Prison. But the defense is arguing the guards did nothing wrong, and if you believe the testimony of at least one inmate who is a known liar, then you also believe that the investigators themselves illegally coerced the inmate into cooperating. Trial started Tuesday for David M. Whitcomb, 30, of Hellam, Mark A. Haynes, 28, of Jacobus, and Daniel H. Graff, 40, of York, who are facing charges of official oppression and conspiracy in relation to several 2013 incidents police say occurred while they worked as corrections officers at the York County Prison. According to testimony so far, the guards had inmates David Wright and James Hicks wrestle in a closet with the one who first taps out losing some prison privileges. But when Wright took the stand Tuesday, he said it didn't end there. The guards would punch him in the arms and legs, spray him in the face with pepper spray and have him eat food contaminated with pepper foam, all in an effort to see if he could take it and to humiliate him, Wright testified. Testimony Wednesday morning focused on what led investigators to look into the incident in the first place. Prison Captain Adam Ogle told the jury he was assigned to find out what was behind a table that had been strung up into the pipes and rafters of the ceiling and a chair that had been destroyed. Getting word that Wright may have been involved, Ogle and Captain William Wagner intended to interview him that night. The investigators had also gotten word that morning from prison Warden Mary Sabol that Wright's mother called and said her son was being hit by guards. And it was during the interview that night that Wright made his allegations against the guards, captains Ogle and Wagner both testified, which led to separate interviews with several other inmates - all of whom prosecutors say backed up Wright's story of a "Fight Club." But the defense worked to poke holes in that testimony and in the credibility of the inmates, saying the allegations against the guards were lies perpetrated by the inmates. "During the course of your interview with David Wright, did you threaten him?" Chris Ferro, who represents Haynes, asked. Both Ogle and Wagner denied they forced Wright to cooperate, but Wright testified Tuesday that they had. And though the inmates were interviewed separately and gave the same story, Ferro pointed out they could have concocted the story beforehand. Ferro asked if it is to be believed that Wright told the truth about the guards, then is it believable that he also told the truth about being coerced by the captains into making a statement. The prosecution objected to the speculative nature of the question, which he withdrew. But Wagner admitted during Ferro's questioning that it is not unusual for inmates to tell lies about corrections officers. But beyond that, the defense also pointed out the interview with Wright was never recorded. "Would you at least agree if there had been a recording, we wouldn't need a judge, three attorneys, the prosecutor and a jury?" Graff's attorney, Steve Rice, asked. Ogle said recordings are only made in extreme circumstances, and the investigators had the inmates write out their statements. Trial will resume Wednesday afternoon. American couple arrested in Girona after dead child found in their home Decayed body apparently that of their son, aged around seven, who died four weeks ago The building where the police found the decaying body of a child. Atlas The Catalan police have arrested an American couple after walking into their Girona duplex and finding the decomposed body of a young boy, presumably their son. Investigators said the child appeared to be around seven years old and had been dead for around four weeks judging by the bodys advanced state of decay. An autopsy will determine the cause of death, which the parents had not reported. The parents, who were arrested on Tuesday, have so far failed to provide any details about the childs death. The pair had been living in Girona for around a year and a half, but the children were not going to school Mossos dEsquadra officers arrived at the scene after the owner of the duplex apartment came by to demand that the tenants pay their rent, which they had been behind on since September. As this woman stood outside the door, ringing the doorbell and getting no reply, she heard loud shouting inside the property. That is when she decided to call the police. When the Mossos showed up at the apartment, located in Gironas central Eixample district, the couple were visibly agitated and did not resist arrest, said sources familiar with the case. Officers who walked inside the premises noticed a strong offensive smell and proceeded to inspect the rooms, one of which held the lifeless body of the child. Sources said there were no obvious signs of violence, and that the family had placed mattresses near the body, suggesting that they were spending time in the same room. Police investigators inside the Girona apartment where a child's body was found on Tuesday. DAVID BORRAT (EFE) The same sources said the suspects are a middle-class family with two other children ages 12 and 14. They had been living in Girona for around a year and a half, but the children were not going to any local schools and were apparently following online courses in English. None of the family members spoke either Spanish or Catalan. The father, a 39-year-old engineer, might have ties with the US consulate, these sources added. He and his wife, 38, were paying a monthly rent of 1,100 for their duplex apartment, although they fell back on their payments in September. Neighbors said the family kept mostly to itself and that for a long time nobody had seen any of its members other than the father, and then only occasionally. The inquiry will now try to determine whether the child died of natural causes, whether he suffered an accident or whether there was criminal intent behind his death. The question also remains as to why the parents did not report the death in the first place. Although all avenues of investigation remain open, one of the main hypotheses is that the child got sick, that his condition worsened, and that the parents failed to seek the necessary medical attention. English version by Susana Urra. shutterstock_121604044.jpg Whether you want to purchase a firearm to take up hunting or protect yourself, buying a gun in Pennsylvania is pretty easy. (Shutterstock) By Joseph Rogan Opinions vary nationally on the root cause, but we really do not know why the United States has been experiencing so much gun violence in recent years. Joseph Rogan (Misercordia University photo) Are there too many firearms or not enough of them available? Are shootings the direct result of drug addiction or the manifestation of an overburdened mental health system? The reason or reasons may not be clear, but we do know our nation has a deadly problem. For example, the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research says the U.S. has 10 times as many gun deaths per year as other wealthy nations. Tragically, that includes about 3,000 children - almost all of them shot in their homes and neighborhoods, not in mass shootings. Another 7,000 are injured every year, according to the journal, Pediatrics. Guns are one of the top three causes of death among children, killing twice as many as cancer and 15 times as many as infections, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Maybe we could do something to solve this epidemic if we knew why we have it in the first place. Our ignorance is a result of the Dickey Amendment, which was pushed by the National Rifle Association after a 1993 study by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that homes with guns were at an increased risk for homicides, suicides and accidents. The NRA - a lobbying group for the gun industry - pushed Congress to shutter the CDC from studying gun safety by restricting the use of federal funding for gun violence research. The 1996 ban remains in effect today, as Congress recently renewed it and voted to provide no money to the CDC to study gun issues. Americans have a constitutional right to own guns, but based on the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Heller v. DC, that right is not unconditional. Probably, not all of us (for example, people on terrorist watch lists) should be allowed to own guns and maybe none of us should be allowed to own the type of war weapons used to kill 26 children and teachers in Newtown, Connecticut. Fear sells guns, even when it is unwarranted. President Barak Obama's opponents convinced many to see him as a tyrant, even though he has been a consistent force for peace. At a recent U.S. House of Representatives hearing, his opponents accused him of ruling with a "dictatorship" in a "totalitarian government." Gun sales spiked when he was elected and again when he was reelected. The president never has behaved like a tyrant. In fact, when gun-toting Cliven Bundy - a "hero" to right-wing politicians - refused to pay grazing fees, the Bureau of Land Management backed off rather than force a confrontation with his supporters. More recently, Texas officials, aided by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, stoked fears - and gun sales - by claiming President Obama intended to use the army to occupy the state. Americans have also been convinced that we need guns for self-defense. The NRA says 2.5 million people annually use guns to protect themselves, their loved ones, or their properties. The National Crime Victimization Survey, however, determined the actual rate is less than 5 percent of NRA's estimate. Others have produced different estimates. So, we really do not know whether, how, or how often guns are used in self-defense, even though, according to Harvard University researchers, there is no evidence that having a gun in a house reduces the risk of being a victim of a crime. The opposite, however, is true. Concerned for children, the American Academy of Pediatrics urged us to remove all guns from our homes, regardless of what kind and how well they are secured. Children die from gunshots at a rate 13 times higher than the rates in other developed nations. For ages 15 to 24, the rate is 43 times higher. Gun owners and their children are at greater risk of suicide. According to Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, children are more likely to kill each other than to be hurt by terrorists. Maybe we need guns to fight immigrants, who some presidential candidates say are potential terrorists. According to the CDC, between 2001 and 2013, 406,496 people were killed by guns in the U.S.; 3,030 were killed by terrorists, but that includes the nearly 3,000 people who tragically died on 9/11, an event which no number of "good guys with guns" could have prevented. Gun laws do not prevent all violence, but we know that states with the strictest gun laws have the fewest gun deaths, and vice versa. In 2007, murders increased by 18 percent in Missouri after the state eliminated most of its gun laws. Nationally, the murder rate decreased by 11 percent, according to media reports. Gun crimes doubled and, in its rural areas, suicides increased by 16 percent. In St. Louis, there were 138 gun fatalities. By comparison, in New York City, which has strict gun laws, there were far fewer. In Manhattan, for instance, there were 36 gun-related homicides. Doctors for America, the American College of Preventative Medicine, and the American Academy of Pediatrics have asked for the repeal of the Dickey Amendment and for Congress to support research. Even the now former Rep. Jay Dickey, R-Ark., opposes the amendment that bears his name. He's stated: "Doing nothing is no longer an acceptable solution." Research on gun violence will not infringe on anyone's "right to keep and bear arms." Maybe it will even prove the NRA is right: Maybe we do need more and bigger guns in our malls, theaters, churches, schools and homes. We cannot solve the problem, though, unless we know its cause even with the well-intentioned executive orders being considered by the president. In the New Year, we all - including the responsible members of the NRA - should urge Congress to repeal the Dicky Amendment and fund a CDC-led effort to study gun violence. What does the NRA have to fear? Joseph Rogan is a professor of teacher education at Misericordia University in Dallas, Pa. The Spanish royals, Felipe VI and Letizia, at the 2016 Pascua Militar. Zipi (EFE) King Felipe VI presided his first public event of the year on Wednesday, the traditional Pascua Militar parade, which has been held each January 6 since the late 18th century. It was the second Pascua Militar Felipe has overseen following his accession to the throne in June 2014, and it was also the first ever to be held under an acting government. On December 20, Spain held an inconclusive general election that failed to yield a strong majority for any party, leading to gridlock in negotiations over who will become the next prime minister. The northeastern region of Catalonia is also almost certainly facing new regional elections after similar disagreements failed to produce a new premier there. However, Felipe made no mention of Spains political uncertainty to his crowd of listeners, most of whom were members of the military. Instead, his speech focused on the challenges that lie up ahead for the armed forces, most notably the terrorist threat. Those who attack our rights and freedoms must encounter a brave, united and firm response in defense of our own model of coexistence King Felipe VI We have been through tough times, some of them with tragic outcomes, such as the violence the brutal onslaught of terrorism, which has brought death to so many cities, streets and squares across the world, and that has cruelly hit countries that are our friends, where citizens and fellow Spaniards have lost their lives, he said, alluding to attacks in Paris, Kabul, Tunisia and Beirut. We should not become discouraged in the face of these assaults, the king continued. On the contrary, those who attack our rights and freedoms must encounter a brave, united and firm response in defense of our own model of coexistence [...] Guaranteeing the rights and civil liberties of our citizens is a requirement and a responsibility that falls to our rule of law. Defense Minister Pedro Morenes also talked about terrorism as the main threat to security in Spain in his address. Now is the time to stand firm in a unanimous response, a shared defense and a coordinated action with our friends and allies, against this and any other threats that might affect us, he said. The monarchs first speech of the year was part of a ceremony that began on January 6, 1782, when Carlos III congratulated the Spanish troops for reconquering Menorca from the British. Acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz were also present at the ceremony. English version by Susana Urra. Public safety millage up for vote in Harbor Springs The Harbor Springs millage request seeks 1 additional mill for a period of five years dedicated for the purpose of police and public safety needs. First U.S. crude oil export in 40 years bound to Europe Port of Corpus Christi Tanker Theo T departing the Port of Corpus Christi, Texas, on Dic. 31, 2015 FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida Petroleumworld.com 01 06 2016 The first oil shipment in forty years has departed the Port of Corpus Christi, bound for Europe with a load of light crude from the Eagle Ford Shale. Congress lifted the ban on oil exports during recent budget negotiations. The deregulation of shipments was a high priority for upstream oil producers and some members of Congress in oil-intensive districts, but was opposed by American refiners, which have historically benefitted from inexpensive domestic crude stocks. The Bahamas-flagged tanker Theo T sailed on the last day of 2015, carrying crude sold by ConocoPhillips in a deal with Swiss traders Vitol. The firm used the NuStar Logistics terminal in Corpus Christi, and a series of pipeline changes (including the reactivation of a dormant line) allowed the oil to be transferred. Vitol did not comment on the destination of the shipment, but the Theo's AIS data show her headed for an unspecified port in Italy. Firm Enterprise Products Partners is also in a deal with Vitol for a shipment departing the NuStar terminal scheduled for sometime in early January. Nustar CEO Brad Barron says his firm is expanding its operations at Corpus Christi, and that they are building a second private dock to accommodate more tankers. The new dock would bring combined loading capacity to 90,000 barrels per hour. The port authority is planning new investments as well. Infrastructure improvements at Port of Corpus Christi have placed our port in a unique position as a critical component in the export of U.S. crude and condensate, port director John LaRue said in a statement. Future capital improvements including deepening the ship channel will accommodate larger vessels . . . [to] supply US crude oil to global markets. Texas Eagle Ford Shale crude is low in sulfur and may fetch a premium on the international markets. The region's industry association says that the play has the largest financial investment in an oil and gas formation in the world, and while it was once an extremely active area, falling oil prices have cut deeply into development. Upstream companies in Texas will be watching the success of exporters closely to see whether drilling might become profitable once more. Venezuela opposition now rule in a democratic Congress Reuters/Carlos Garcia Rawlins Henry Ramos Allup, deputy of Venezuelan coalition of opposition parties (MUD), the new head of Congress, waves to supporters before the start of the session at the National Assembly in Caracas, January 5, 2016. CARACAS Petroleumworld.com 01 06 2016 Venezuela's opposition took control of Congress for the first time in 16 years on Tuesday in a rowdy session, setting up a power struggle with President Nicolas Maduro amid a worsening economic crisis. The Democratic Unity coalition won a two-thirds majority in December's legislative election by capitalizing on anger over a shrinking economy, soaring prices and chronic product shortages reminiscent of Soviet-bloc economies. Maduro dismissed the new assembly as "right-wing" and filled with "dinosaurs" and said a cabinet change first announced a month ago would take place on Wednesday to shore up the leftist movement founded by late president Hugo Chavez. Veteran opposition legislator Henry Ramos was elected the new head of Congress in a session in which the two sides chanted slogans at one another and traded charges of corruption and betrayal. "What did we offer in our campaign? To recover the autonomy of the legislative branch," said Ramos in his opening speech to Congress. "This has been the loudspeaker of the presidential palace, the echo chamber of the executive branch." Venezuela's frustrated opposition supporters were glued to television and radio sets, delighted as they watched top Socialist Party leaders being publicly accused of corruption and mismanagement. Ramos flaunted the opposition's newfound control over the legislature by abruptly cutting off one Socialist Party deputy's diatribe against the opposition, saying he had run out of time. When heckled by another socialist deputy over a procedural complaint, Ramos brushed him aside by saying "Take it easy, congressman, things have changed here." Reporters interviewed deputies and walked freely on the floor of Congress for the first time in years, a practice that had been prohibited by the socialist leadership. A portrait of Chavez that hung in the main congressional chamber, a symbol of what critics call illegal politicization of public institutions, was removed. "We have to quickly get used to the country's new political dynamics," Maduro said in a phone call to state television on Tuesday night, urging supporters not to be demoralized. "Tomorrow, after a lot of consulting, I will announce the revolutionary government for this new stage," added Maduro, without providing details. The Dec. 6 election gave the opposition its most decisive victory since Chavez took power in 1999. His generous spending of oil revenue had made him nearly invincible at the polls during his 14-year rule. Maduro, a former bus driver and Chavez's anointed successor, has struggled since his election in 2013 to match the latter's charisma. His government has repeatedly balked at implementing broad economic reforms despite promising them. SOCIALISTS WALK OUT The Socialist Party deputies ultimately walked out of the session en masse following the election of the new assembly leadership, arguing Ramos had violated parliamentary rules by giving a speech during the opening session. "They've barely even opened the first session and they've already violated the debate regulations," said Socialist Party Deputy Diosdado Cabello, previous head of the assembly. The deputies joined a nearby demonstration where hundreds of government supporters clad in red-shirts chanted slogans and played drums. Police and National Guard troops were deployed in the area around the National Assembly to prevent violence between opposition sympathizers and Maduro supporters. No major incidents had been reported as of the early afternoon. The opposition coalition won 112 seats in the Dec. 6, for a commanding two-thirds majority. But the Supreme Court in December granted injunctions that blocked four deputies - three from the opposition and one allied with the government - from taking office after losing Socialist Party candidates filed legal challenges to the results. The opposition dubbed the ruling a "judicial coup" meant to strip it of its supermajority. It has said it will swear in the three barred lawmakers, though government allies say that would defy justice and render the assembly's decisions illegitimate. The court did not describe the underlying arguments against the election of the deputies, all of whom are from the rural and sparsely populated southwestern state of Amazonas. Disputing all the results in that state required the Socialist Party to contest the seat won by its own candidate. Although the opposition's legislative victory was driven by anger over the economy, it has few options to resolve the crisis because Maduro's government controls the most important day-to-day operations of the economy. Opposition lawmakers have instead promised to take up an amnesty law seeking the freedom of opposition activists jailed for protesting against Maduro, and a measure to grant property titles to those who received homes from the government. "We've come because Venezuela is celebrating. Today democracy returns to our country," said Milagros Hernandez, 58, a housewife who joined an opposition rally in downtown Caracas. Roche and the Department of Health have formed a ground-breaking pact to assess whether a veteran arthritis biologic can be repositioned as an effective treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension. The partnership - between the Swiss drug giant and the DHs research arm the National Institute for Health Research - plans to launch a trial to evaluate whether Roches tocilizumab - marketed in Europe as RoActemra for arthritis - can slow down the effects of the PAH, in the hope of offering patients the first treatment that does so. PAH is a progressive disease caused by the narrowing or tightening of the pulmonary arteries around the heart, causing symptoms such as breathlessness, fatigue, weakness and angina. While options are available to address these symptoms there is currently no treatment that slows progression or cures the disease, and fewer than 40% of patients live beyond five years of diagnosis. The two-year study, which will involve around 50 patients, will be led by the Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and is hosted by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust. The NIHR will contribute funding and researchers, while Roche will also fund of the cost. The move falls under the NIHRs Rare Disease Collaboration, set up in 2013 and supported by a 20 million investment to accelerate research into rare diseases. Fruitful partnership Madhi Farhan, Roches Head of the Office of I2O Innovation, said working with the NIHR and its Office for Clinical Research Infrastructure (NOCRI) has been invaluable to ensure rapid connections and fruitful partnership with the UK's leading experts in translational research of PAH. Being able to look at the in-depth science of how one of our current treatments could be applied to a real unmet medical need is what attracted us to carry out this work in the UK. We hope this research will soon lead to benefit for patients with this debilitating disease. Also commenting on the partnership, Mark Samuels, NOCRI managing director, said: This innovative and exciting trial of an available biological drug is further evidence for the success of the NIHR in collaborating with industry on the development of groundbreaking therapies. A second man has been apprehended for a series of propane tank thefts in Northeast Philadelphia last month. Philadelphia police said Wednesday that 38-year-old John Ploucher, of the city's Bridesburg section, was facing charges of burglary, criminal trespassing, criminal conspiracy and other related offenses. Another Bridesburg man, 49-year-old Stephan Williams, was arrested Dec. 29. Counterterrorism officials were alarmed at first by the thefts of about three dozen propane tanks and welding equipment from three locations in Northeast Philadelphia, but police later described the suspects as scrap-metal collectors. MEDIA QUESTIONNAIRE Name of Publication Established (Give exact date) ADDRESS TELEPHONE FAX NO NAME OF EDITOR Name of Printer Language Frequency Please attach a copy of declaration certificate Off Days Please specify whether morning, evening or state the date of issue Date on which the first issue was brought out Any special edition Price per copy Annual subscription Editorial Objectives and policy Appeal to any special community, class or section News services subscribed to Special regular features (i.e Womens or Children page etc) & when appearing What's on your travel wish list 2016? Have you been to any of these places? Are any of these on your list this year? Last year, I posted 10 Places I'd Like to Travel to This Year. I only made it to three of them, but I went to some pretty awesome places that weren't on that list...like Lisbon and Dubai I fell in love with Lisbon in a way that I've never fallen in love with a city. I would uproot my entire life and move there tomorrow if I could. I also really loved St. Louis and well, who doesn't love Hawaii?Last year was a good year for travel. I'm hoping 2016 will be even better. In the spirit of knowing I probably won't make it to all of these places this year, here's a list of places I'd really love to travel to this year.1. London - I was there for 24 hours this summer and it wasn't nearly enough (obviously). I was there by mistake which is why my trip was so short but now, I feel like Ito go back to London. I studied abroad there and it has always felt a little bit like home. I've always missed it but drinking a pint in my favorite pub on the Thames this summer made me miss it so much more.2. Seattle - I've never been to the Pacific Northwest but my NYC running buddy, Emily, just moved there so I would love to visit!3. Paris - One of the things on my 30 before 30 list is to take my mom to Paris . She went when she was in high school and his been dying to go back ever since. I would really love to make that trip this year! Preferably in the spring...I've only ever been to Paris in the fall!4. Asia - I'm dying to travel to Asia. I've been to India and Dubai but I want to travel to Pacific Asia. Specifically, I'd like to go to Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam but The Pilot is interested in Japan and Korea. If we do plan an Asia trip this year, we'll have to figure out just where we'll go because I don't think we can do all five of those countries in one trip, but both sets can easily be a trip each. I think I may win out since Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam are less expensive!5. Lisbon - I've had the itch to go back to Lisbon since the minute I got to the airport to leave. While we were sitting around the airport, I was secretly praying that I wouldn't get a seat on the flight (standby) so that we could have another day in Lisbon . I haveexperienced that anywhere. I want to go back to Lisbon and see the rest of Portugal, but really just drill back into Lisbon. I could honestly see myself going back there every year for the rest of my life. Yes, I loved itmuch. Lisbon opened my soul. (You might notice that the MPC is responsible for keeping tabs on "outer irregular natural satellites" but not inner, regular natural satellites, or indeed the planets themselves. Who keeps track of those? That's actually performed for NASA and the public by the Navigation Node of the Planetary Data System, which also maintains information on spacecraft trajectories, but in practice, most people who need to track moons and planets do so through the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Solar System Dynamics group's online tools. But I digress.) The fourth group that organizes and curate NASA-derived information is the United States Geological Survey's Astrogeology Science Center, "whose mission includes producing planetary maps and cartographic products that reveal topography, geology, topology, image mosaics, and more, all made available to the international scientific community and the general public as a national resource." Where the Planetary Data System stores the data that come back from missions, the Astrogeology Science Center stores products based upon manipulation and interpretation of that data. (At least that's how I used to draw the distinction; now that the Imaging Node has become the Cartography and Imaging Science Node and is hosted by the Astrogeology Science Center, that boundary has blurred.) There are tools to generate base maps for geologic investigations of worlds across the solar system. There are photo maps and geologic maps drawn on those kinds of base maps. There are other kinds of interpreted data too; poke around and you can find a database of Martian sand dunes or of changes on Mars. All four of these organizations -- Planetary Data System, Astromaterials office, Minor Planet Center, and Astrogeology Science Center -- are primarily designed to serve scientists, but they do so in a way that serves the public more broadly. In fact, they really don't draw a distinction between professional scientists and the general public, and I think that's one of the greatest things about NASA. Moreover, because NASA shares all this publicly, it's shared not just with Americans but with the entire world, even all of those nations that don't have their own space programs. All you need is unfettered access to the Internet. The way NASA shares the fruits of its scientific missions allows all of us to be scientists. Some of us non-professionals, like many in the amateur image processing community, interact with NASA data just for fun; others, like the amateur astronomers who contribute their observations to the Minor Planet Center, make direct contributions to science. Everybody wins! Out and About Audio Article Atascosa County Anti-Bullying Rally Oct. 19 Poteet Strawberry Festival grounds, main pavilion, 6-8 p.m. Guest speaker Batman & Co. and... JISD Supt. McAllister announces retirement Audio Article The retirement of Jourdanton ISD Superintendent Theresa McAllister was announced at the meeting of the school board held on Oct.... You Won't Believe Where a London Casino Croupier Hid Stolen Chips! January 06, 2016 Matthew Pitt Editor An unscrupulous casino croupier has been sacked and cautioned by police after being caught stealing chips by hiding them in his socks. The unnamed man worked at the Genting-owned Cromwell Mint Casino in South Kensington, London, devised a scam where he stole chips by placing them in a false pocket in his trousers, which was connect via a tube to his socks, the Daily Mail reported. According to the report, the now sacked dealer passed the stolen chips to his female accomplice on a fire escape when he was on a break, who then returned to the casino several days later to cash the chips in. It's unknown how long the man ran the scam, but police found 12,000 in cash when they searched his flat. Police arrested and cautioned the thief, but no official charges have been brought upon him, although he has lost a lucrative job that netted him 30,000 per year, plus tips. This incident is not the first of its kind. In June 2015, two British croupiers were jailed after being found guilty of a roulette scam that cost the Coral Island Casino in Blackpool an estimated 23,000. Daniel Johnson and Craig Walker worked as croupiers at that casino where they hatched a plot to rig the roulette wheel during quiet periods in the casino. Bosses grew suspicious when they realized the pairs accomplice, Kevin Traynor, was regularly enjoying large wins despite gambling for relatively small amounts. CCTV footage confirmed Johnson and Walker were performing what is known as a "no spin" where the ball is kept in the same spot, allowing Traynor to bet on the same number and win 35-times his bet. All three men pled guilty at Preston Crown Court where the judge sentenced Johnson to 12 months in prison, Walker 14 months, and Traynor a nine-month suspended sentence. Earlier in 2015, a Romanian gambler was jailed for 18 months after admitting 14 counts of fraud. Mihai Lacatos marked cards at the Playboy Club, which allowed him to cheat the exclusive venue out of more than 40,000. Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+! An officer died of a heart attack as he brought bicycles to an NYPD driver training facility in Brooklyn last Tuesday morning, authorities said. Police Officer Juan Feliciano, 44, was on duty when he suffered a heart attack and collapsed at Floyd Bennett Field after dropping off the bikes shortly after 10 a.m., police sources said. He was rushed to Lutheran Medical Center but doctors couldnt save him, reports the New York Daily News. The 21-year veteran officer is survived by his wife and two children. Portfolio English Edition's premium content is available only for subscribers Learn about the hottest news of the day, along with immediate follow-up analyses and 1000's of exclusive articles with full access to the premium content. Register and apply for a 14 days free trial period. Who says giants are mythical? They're not if you're talking about the five larger-than-life filmsbeing projected as part of Omnifest 2016. The popular annual festival runs tomorrow through March 3 at the Science Museum of Minnesota'sWilliam L. McKnight-3M Omnitheater. Proving the versatile medium of film can, almost literally, take you anywhere in the world, the enormous 90-foot domed theater will feature five different films in rotation: " Jerusalem," " Tropical Rainforest," " Forces of Nature," " Mysteries of the Great Lakes," and " Humpback Whales." The titles alone should give more than hint to what the experience holds in store for audiences, which is all the more enticing because each of the features is being displayed in the nine-story theater, complete with state-of-the-art sound system, one of only four such convertible dome theaters in the world. So, whether you thrill from astounding vistas of an ancient and enigmatic city, gaudy forest frogs, volcanic eruptions, exotic forests, woodland caribou, the mysterious depths of some pretty great lakes, or the stunning singing and acrobatics of the largest mammal we've found on earth, the Science Museum and its world-famous Omnitheater have for you covered. ADVERTISEMENT Perhaps best of all, tickets are super cheap. Find a complete schedule at www.smm.org/omnifest . Tickets are $8 for adults and $7 for kids (ages 4 to 12) and seniors. Subsequent same-day films are 15 percent off of the original price. Science Museum members receive free tickets for one Omnitheater film per day for each person covered under the membership. Reservations are strong encouraged. And, because the festival is ideal for all ages, and the museum itself is as family-friendly as you can get, this is one of those events perfect for everyone the youthful dreamerto the couch adventurerto the seasoned world traveler. Happy globe-trotting. Tom McLaughlin was part of the Conway Daily Sun group that interviewed Hillary Clinton on December 29, 2015, at the newspapers New Hampshire office. The Daily Sun posted its article on the interview here: Sun Columnist Tom McLaughlin said she told an Egyptian diplomat the Benghazi attack was planned and not a protest but that she told family members of the deceased that the attack was the result of a demonstration. He said she then told George Stephanopoulos that she didnt tell the families the attack was a demonstration about a film. Somebody is lying, said McLaughlin.Who is it? Mr. McLaughlin has now posted audio of his exchange with Madam Hillary (video below, about five minutes). Shes lying as fast as she can. Conway comments knowledgeably for a few seconds at the conclusion of his exchange with her. This is devastating. Via Glenn Reynolds/InstaPundit. President Obama unveiled his executive orders and legislative proposals on guns today; the transcript is here. For as little as his measures amount to, he need hardly have bothered. At one point, Obama cried, perhaps out of frustration at not being able to come up with better ideas. The speech was vintage Obama. Early on, he said this: [M]y goal here is to bring good people on both sides of this issue together for an open discussion. Im not on the ballot again. Im not looking to score some points. I think we can disagree without impugning other peoples motives or without being disagreeable. Then, toward the end: So all of us need to demand a Congress brave enough to stand up to the gun lobbys lies. Thats our president, bringing good people together on both sides of the issue! No impugning motives or being disagreeable! It is hard to understand why Obamas speech got such a big windup, when he had so little to say. The White Houses fact sheet on Obamas proposals begins boldly: 1. Keep guns out of the wrong hands through background checks. But how, exactly? The background check system works well for criminals, so they dont buy guns from dealers. It barely works at all for the deranged, because they are never on the list. Running more checks against a bad list is an exercise in futility. This is the number one item on the White Houses fact sheet: The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is making clear that it doesnt matter where you conduct your businessfrom a store, at gun shows, or over the Internet: If youre in the business of selling firearms, you must get a license and conduct background checks. This is nothing but a statement of existing law. There is no gun show loophole or internet loophole: if you are a firearms dealer, as defined by federal law, you have to run a background check. The administration seems to suggest that it will define down the concept of a firearms dealer by requiring even people who sell only a gun or two to register as dealers and conduct background checks: There is no specific threshold number of firearms purchased or sold that triggers the licensure requirement. But it is important to note that even a few transactions, when combined with other evidence, can be sufficient to establish that a person is engaged in the business. For example, courts have upheld convictions for dealing without a license when as few as two firearms were sold or when only one or two transactions took place, when other factors also were present. I would have to see those cases to comment on them, but the definition of engaged in the business in the statute, 18 U.S.C. 921, is admirably specific: (21) The term engaged in the business means *** (C) as applied to a dealer in firearms, as defined in section 921(a)(11)(A), a person who devotes time, attention, and labor to dealing in firearms as a regular course of trade or business with the principal objective of livelihood and profit through the repetitive purchase and resale of firearms, but such term shall not include a person who makes occasional sales, exchanges, or purchases of firearms for the enhancement of a personal collection or for a hobby, or who sells all or part of his personal collection of firearms; That definition cant be changed by rule or executive order, and it is not going to permit an occasional seller of guns from his own collectionwhich is basically what we are talking about hereto be prosecuted as an unlicensed dealer. Part of the presidents program is more aggressive enforcement of our existing gun laws, which are plentiful: In order to improve public safety, we need to do more to ensure smart and effective enforcement of our gun laws and make sure that criminals and other prohibited persons cannot get their hands on lost or stolen weapons. Of course, Obama didnt mention that his administration has been unforgivably lax with respect to prosecuting gun crime; convictions for gun crimes are down 35% since their peak in the George W. Bush administration. Obama loves to cite bogus statistics, and when it comes to gun control, studies that produce convenient numbers are a cottage industry. Obama cited a couple of them today: In fact, we know that background checks make a difference. After Connecticut passed a law requiring background checks and gun safety courses, gun deaths decreased by 40 percent 40 percent. (Applause.) Meanwhile, since Missouri repealed a law requiring comprehensive background checks and purchase permits, gun deaths have increased to almost 50 percent higher than the national average. Connecticut passed the law in question in 1994. Since then, the national gun homicide rate is down 50%. Missouri repealed the law Obama referred to in 2007. In 2007, Missouris homicide rate was .000065. By 2014, Missouris homicide rate had soared to .000066. One could go on and on, but it isnt worth the trouble. President Obamas mishmash of proposals, exhortations and orders are the ultimate in small ball. It is hard to see them as much more than another Democratic Party fundraising effort. As the $2.1 million arms fund controversy continues to rage, the Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE, said it never received any money from the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki. The National President of the body, Garba Deen Mohammed, made this known in a statement on Wednesday. Following the controversy generated by the N50 million donated to the body by former President, Goodluck Jonathan, the NGE president said it was necessary to clarify the circumstances surrounding donation. According to him, the NGE had on April 10, 2015, held a fundraising dinner at the Transcorps Hilton Hotel, Abuja, to raise N850m for the construction of a befitting secretariat in Abuja, to be called The Editors Plaza. It was a public event, attended by several dignitaries among them federal cabinet ministers, state governors and captains of industry or their representatives, said the NGE president. Former President Goodluck Jonathan was invited to the event at which he was represented by the former Minister of Information and National Orientation Mr. Labaran Maku. At the event, Mr. Maku, among other donors, publicly pledged N50million as the federal governments contribution towards the building project. Indeed the announcement of this donation has been on the website of the NGE since April 12, 2014; and is still there for those who may wish to verify. Shortly after the event, he said the Federal Government redeemed its pledge through a direct fund transfer into the Zenith Bank account of the NGE. He stated categorically that neither Femi Adesina, who was the president of the Guild at the time nor any other official of the body collected cash from the government. Mr. Muhammed further said the funds the NGE collected during the fundraiser have so far been invested in two projects. These include the purchase of a property at No. 24, Mojidi Street, Off Toyin Street, Ikeja-Lagos which has been named The Editors House, and payment of compensation, clearing and fencing of a 5, 600 square meter piece of land at Guzape, Abuja, which is the site of the proposed Editors Plaza. Continuing, he said, In Lagos, we have since commissioned a team of engineers and architects for the purpose of renovating the property, a twin duplex, preparatory to our moving in hopefully in the first quarter of 2016; while in Abuja, we have already commenced the process of obtaining a building permit from the authorities of the FCT preparatory to the groundbreaking ceremony for the Editors Plaza building later in the year 2016. It is regrettable that an earlier statement by the Guild on the anti-corruption war of the government of President Mohammadu Buhari may not be unconnected with recent attempts to drag the Guild into a matter in which it has no case to whatsoever to answer. Mr. Mohammed thanked Nigerians, friends of the NGE, its founding fathers and media organisations that called to check out the claim that the body received part of the $2.1 million arms funds. He assured the public that the NGE would continue to remain a responsible and accountable professional group. The president of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria, NPAN, Nduka Obaigbena, had on Monday suggested that the NGE collected N50 million from the Office of the National Security Adviser. Mr. Obaigbena, who is also chairman and editor-in-chief of Thisday newspaper, revealed this in a letter to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, dated December 30, 2015. The EFCC had last December invited the NPAN president in connection with the ongoing probe into the $2.1 billion arms procurement fund allegedly misappropriated by the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki. Mr. Dasuki, alongside some top officials of the Peoples Democratic Party, and other former senior officials are currently being investigated for allegedly receiving the arms fund. In his letter to the EFCC, Mr. Obaigbena explained that it was not only his company and NPAN that received funds from the ONSA, saying the NGE also received money for its secretariat complex. While the Nigerian Guild of Editors has called for the probe of the arms procurement scam, the NPAN president indicated that the editors also collected N50 million cash from Mr. Dasukis office. Even when he (Dasukis aide) suggested that The Nigerian Guild of Editors NGE who are now calling for a probe was paid N50,000,000 cash by the ONSA when President Jonathan donated to the building of the NGE secretariat, I still refused to collect cash, Mr. Obaigbena said. And in any case, I had no independent confirmation the Nigerian Guild of Editors had collected cash. Mr. Obaigbena argued that there was no way NPAN could have known which subhead the funds were paid from. He argued that the media practitioners could not know or speculate which line item the spending was made from by the ONSA. The NGE had some weeks ago issued a statement urging the federal government to thoroughly investigate the controversial payments made to Mr Obaigbena, a call that appeared to have irked the Thisday publisher. The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, has said that the Nigerian governments decision to restrict foreign exchange, a move that has affected millions of citizens, should only be a temporary economic step. Ms. Lagarde, who is in Nigeria on a four-day working visit, said this when she met members of the Nigerian Senate on Wednesday in Abuja. Additional exchange rate flexibility both up or down can help soften the impact of external shocks, make output and employment less volatile, and help build external reserves, she advised. It can also help avoid the need for costly foreign exchange restrictions which should, in any case, remain temporary. The Nigerian government has imposed restriction on foreign exchange access, blocking the use of Naira credit and debit cards abroad, and for online transactions requiring payment in foreign currencies. Ms. Lagarde also spoke about the governments proposal to remove fuel subsidy. She said the benefits of fuel subsidy in Nigeria are hugely skewed in favour of the rich at the expense of the poor. The subsidies that are still in place for kerosene and diesel should be targeted at those that need it most, Ms. Lagarde said. However, research shows that over 70 per cent of subsidies often benefit the rich, while less than seven per cent benefit the poor. Nigeria needs to take hard decisions on debt, expenditure, revenue. Nigerias oil revenue should be spent on her people. Moving forward, Nigeria should show resilience to grow her economy, she added. Ms. Lagarde said while Nigerias economic diversification is remarkable, the countrys 2016 economic outlook is not high. She lamented terrorism ravaging the North-East zone as capable of constituting significant threat to Nigerian economic development. She said Nigeria must show resolve in the fight against corruption. There will probably be financial volatility going forward but IMF is ready to offer technical and other forms of assistance to Nigeria at Federal and State levels, she said. Emphasizing the importance of the Nigerian economy to Africa, she said, Nigeria has a massive footprint in the region. Whatever happens in Nigeria will affect her neighbours. Earlier, in his opening remarks, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, said President Muhammadu Buhari and the eighth National Assembly was up to the task of moving the countrys economy forward. Nigeria is undergoing trying times with falling oil prices, however, our nation is resilient despite challenges, Mr. Saraki said. Earlier, Ms. Lagarde held a meeting lasting over two hours with Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, as well as top officials of the bank and Managing Directors of commercial banks at the headquarters of CBN. Addressing journalists at the end of the meeting, she said the meeting focused on issues affecting the Nigerian financial sector. She said commercial banks, as the drivers of the economy, must channel funds to support the real sector of the economy on concessionary terms. The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday expressed its resolve to plug revenue leakages so as to generate more income for the implementation of the 2016 budget. The N6.08 trillion 2016 Appropriation Bill is currently before the National Assembly for scrutiny and passage. Briefing journalists after the meeting, the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, said the government may be sending auditors to some agencies with perceived excessive cost, not in line with government expectations. PREMIUM TIMES gathered the decision was aimed at making ministries, departments and agencies operate within the approved limit so that the federal government can shore up its revenue. The principal discussion in our meeting today was the initiative by this administration to plug revenue leakages in our MDAs that generate revenue. The presentation to FEC was to remind ministers who supervise these revenue-generating boards of their responsibilities under the Fiscal Responsibility Act. Let me remind you that under Fiscal Responsibility Act, these boards and corporations who generate poor revenue are supposed to generate and operate surplus, 80 percent of which is to be credited to the Consolidated Revenue Fund. But we have discovered that many agencies have never credited anything and never generated any operating surplus including some whose salaries, overheads, capital is paid by the federal government. Then in addition to that, they generate revenue which they spend without any form of control. So one of the big initiatives and changes of this administration is to bring all those agencies into line, to insist that they must submit a budget and that budget must be subject to approval and they must operate within that budget so that the surplus that is meant to come to the federal government can be seen to be used as appropriate, Ms. Adeosun said. She added that the key message is that change has now come to those agencies, boards and corporation, who have been hitherto operating without any control. We are reining them in and making sure that the money generated for all Nigerians is spent according to approval and any surplus then comes into the CRF to be used to fund other areas of government. She said ministers had been asked to ensure that whether those agencies have boards, the budgets are prepared and that the Ministry of Finance meet with the supervising ministers and with the boards concerned where necessary to go through their budgets and make sure that the costs are not inflated. We also discussed that in some cases, because some agencies have a track record and history of making sure that every naira they earned is spent, that we will go in and audit agencies under Section 107 (8) of the Financial Regulations. The Accountant-General, who is under the Ministry of Finance has the powers to go in and make inquiries about how public money is spent, so we will be sending in auditors to some agencies where we believe everything that their cost is simply excessive and not in keeping with our expectations, she said. The minister said the expected outcome is that the internally generated revenue, which the new budget is banking on, would become a reality. So that was the principal discussion and everybody in the cabinet endorsed the initiative are in fully in support of it and agreed to make sure that these revenues cannot continue to leak as they have done in the past. We are going to make every naira count and in order to make every naira count, we have to know how much is coming in and control how it goes out, she added. Ms. Adeosun also said ministers and heads of agencies would defend their budgetary allocations with possible amendments. She also declared that the administration would not condone padding of budgetary allocations, adding that contrary to insinuations the 2016 Budget has not been withdrawn from the National Assembly. Also speaking, the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, denied allegations that government was trying to intimidate the opposition, following the arrest of the spokesman of the opposition PDP, Olisa Metuh, over charges of fraud and money laundering by the EFCC. While charging the press to independently investigate allegations of corruptions and make judgement, he said the government is not micro-managing any of the anti-graft agencies. I can assure you that no functionary in this government micromanages or directs the EFCC or ICPC on who to arrest and who not to arrest, he added. The Rivers State Commissioner of Information, Austin Tam-George, has said the state government would investigate the N82million allegedly spent by former governor of the state, Rotimi Amaechi, to organise dinner in honour of Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka. The commissioner said the government would demand refund from Mr. Soyinka if government confirms that the Nobel Laureate received part of the funds. Mr. Tam-George said the point of departure between Mr. Amaechi and Governor Nyesom Wike was the insistence by the latter that the former must observe probity and accountability in all governmental actions. Speaking during a radio programme on Wednesday in Port Harcourt, Mr. Tam-George alleged that the former governor amassed N1.1billion debt on frivolous expenditure through the Ministry of Information and Communications. I will seek the permission of the governor to formally write Professor Wole Soyinka, a known supporter of Amaechi if he received part of the N82million spent on a 3-hour dinner hosted for him by the Amaechi administration. If he agrees that he received such funds, then he will be compelled to refund same to the coffers of Rivers State. At present, we have presented these details to the police for investigation and prosecution. We shall also take up this matter as a financial crime against the people of Rivers State, he said. He said all the fraudulent actions allegedly committed by Mr. Amaechi, who is currently the Minister of Transport, would be investigated by Mr. Wikes administration. The commissioner further alleged that Mr. Amaechi betrayed the trust of Rivers people by embarking on irresponsible expenses, which he said led to the misuse of N3trillion that accrued to the state during his tenure. He also alleged that Mr. Amaechi left several months unpaid salaries, pensions abandoned projects and unpaid scholarships despite receiving N3trillion as revenue. A former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, has dissociated himself from funds allegedly diverted by the erstwhile National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, saying his linkage with N1.7billion transfers is false. In a statement made available to PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday, the former Director of Publicity for the Jonathan/Sambo Campaign Organisation said he was neither given N1.7billion by Mr. Jonathan nor Mr. Dasuki. I have never received one kobo from President Jonathan himself, Colonel Dasuki or any other member of President Jonathans government, he said. I have not ever been in receipt of any public funds and neither was I the beneficiary of any payments in cash, transfer, cheque or otherwise from any government official during the tenure of President Jonathan. As Director of Media and Publicity of the Jonathan/Sambo Campaign organisation I received money on behalf of the Directorate of Media and Publicity which I headed from private individuals and companies during the election campaigns but these were not public funds but rather private contributions specifically for the Presidential and other campaigns. Such moneys were transfered into my account by the Director of Finance of the Presidential Campaign Organisation and that account was specifically set up for the purpose of running the publicity and media aspect of the campaign for the whole country and my Directorate. Mr. Fani-Kayode further explained that the private individuals and companies paid their contributions into a designated account which was provided and controlled by the Director of Finance and that from there, she transferred it to the accounts of the various directors and individuals that ran for public offices that the PCO supported. The money that was sent to me for my Directorate by the Director of Finance was used in a lawful and responsible manner and by the time the campaigns were over my Directorate had paid all of its bills for services rendered and was not owing any media house or anyone else one kobo, he said. According to Mr. Fani-Kayode, President Jonathan, the D-G of the PCO, the Auditor of the PCO, the Advisor to the PCO and the Director of Finance of the PCO received reports and saw the results of the efforts of his Directorate and expressed their satisfaction and commendations. He noted that even though his party ended up losing the election, the PCO ran a strong and virile campaigns, stating that the encounter with the APC was an epic one and probably the most active and gruelling electoral battle in the history of Nigeria. Not one kobo of public funds was spent by or given to my Directorate during the campaign and as far as I am aware not one kobo of public funds was spent by or given to the PCO, he said. Presidential campains all over the world cost huge amounts of money and Nigeria is no different. This is especially so when it comes to publicity and media. My Directorate was difficult to run and our work was capital intensive. We did not use marshmellows, pebbles and grass to pay for all the services rendered to us and all the television and newspaper adverts were fully paid for with money. Mr. Fani-Kayode asserted that nothing was done or given to his campaign organisation free of charge, as such it was not surprising as the APC and President Buharis campaign organisation did the same. I opened an account specifically for the funds that were used to run my Directorate and fund all our activities in order to ensure accountability and transparency, he said. We also audited our accounts regularly and insisted on the highest level of professionalism from all those that worked for or with us. Since when such matters have become a crime or subjects of criminal investigations I dont know. If it was a crime to speak up for Jonathan during the campaign they should just say so. If it is a crime to be a member of the PDP and to be in opposition they should just say so. If it is a crime to speak up for and defend President Jonathan and key members of his government after he has left office they should just say so. If it is a crime to oppose the Buhari administration and speak up against his gross violations of human rights that they are indulging in and the violation of court orders they should just say so. Mr. Fani-Kayode noted that during the 2015 elections, the PCO and its Directorate on Media and Publicity spoke up and campaigned for many PDP members who were running for public offices and were funded too. He said he was aware of the attempt by the government and his enemies to discredit and smear his name and silence him by alleging that he was involved in wrongdoing. I know that this government is capable of doing anything, of inducing anyone to say anything and that they have no sense of decency, justice or fair play, he said. They are prepared to charge anyone just for breathing the air if needs be and they can attempt to frame up anyone that they believe is a thorn in their flesh. Mr. Fani-Kayode said he would neither run away nor be silenced or cowered, expressing confidence that his innocence would fight for him. Though I have been warned and told over and over again by those amongst them who care for my wellbeing that I have been listed down and targeted for persecution, I am not in the least bit concerned about their evil plans for me, he said. My life and destiny is in the hands of God and not theirs and He will fight for me and vindicate me. As I have always said, the night may be dark but joy comes in the morning. If it was a crime to use monies that were freely donated by private individuals from lawful and legitimate sources to fund the Presidential and other campaigns let them say so. No election campaign anywhere in the world, including that of President Buhari was run with just words, goodwill, grass and pebbles and neither were we given free campaign adverts or air time. All these things were run and paid for with large sums of money. I repeat, there is nothing that we did in the campaign organisation or that my Directorate did that Lai Mohammed, Buhari and the APC did not do in theirs. As a matter of fact they spent far more than we did but I have no idea where they got their money and whether they were private or public funds. Most importantly my Directorate and, as far as I am aware, the Jonathan Sambo Presidential Campaign Organisation did not receive any public funds from any government official or office to run our campaign. Of this I am absolutely sure and I am very confident because I made a point of asking and insisting that this must be so. These are the facts and I eagerly await my accusers, persecutors and detractors. Mr. Fani-Kayode-Kayode said he would continue to live his life in peace and not be intimidated by the boastful threats of the enemy and would remain law-abiding. This has happened on a number of occasions and sadly they use such mediums to tell all manner of lies about the case and the accused to the public. By the time they finish they would have convicted their victim in a vicious smear campaign and media trial which is usually plagued and fuelled by lies and falsehood, he added. It is for this reason that I have taken this opportunity, whilst I am still at liberty, to tell the Nigerian people the truth and let them have all the facts. I sincerely hope that my statement will help to clarify matters in the eyes of the public regardless of whatever lies that they will soon be inundated with by a desperate, weak and wicked government. I fear them not because my life is in Gods hands. God bless Nigeria. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has said that it seized narcotic drugs valued at N3.7 billion at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos. In a statement Wednesday, the agency said it received 183 Nigerians deported from Europe, America, and Asia on drug related offences. Roli Bode-George, acting chairman, NDLEA, said the monetary value of the seized drugs underscored the threat posed by illicit drug production, trafficking and abuse. The agency is working very hard to seize drugs and financially incapacitate drug trafficking organisations, said Mrs. Bode-George. Efforts will be intensified to drastically reduce drug trafficking through continuous arrest and prosecution as well as drug demand reduction programmes. We must continue to channel our resources towards a safe and healthy society. The 183 deportees included 176 males and seven females. While giving a breakdown of the seized drugs, Ahmadu Garba, NDLEA Commander at the Lagos airport, said the last arrest in 2015 was that of a 37 year old lady recruited on Facebook to smuggle drugs to Malaysia. The airport command arrested 122 males and 20 females with 594.002k of drugs valued at 3.7 billion naira, Mr. Garba said. The drugs consist of 172kg of cannabis, 160kg of ephedrine, 114kg of methamphetamine, 96kg of cocaine, 45kg of tramadol and 5kg of heroin. Out of those arrested, 55 were importing drugs from other countries, 62 others were exporting drugs out of the country while 25 were arrested within the State, according to the NDLEA. Italy had the highest number of deportees with 55, Thailand 41, United States 24 and 17 from Norway. Other countries are South Africa 15, Spain 10, France and Saudi Arabia 3 each while Brazil, China and Greece deported 2 persons each, the agencys statement said. One person each was deported from Zambia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Peru, Indonesia, India Belgium, Austria and Argentina. On Monday, the anti-narcotics agency had announced that it arrested 149 drug dealers in Lagos, including three culprits who bagged a life sentence with hard labour, in 2015. The All Progressives Congress, APC, on Wednesday signalled its intention to enter into partnership and cooperation with the Communist Party of China, CPC, the founding and ruling political party of the Peoples Republic of China. This was a fallout of a meeting held between the APCs national secretary, Mai Mala Buni, and a Chinese government delegation led by the charge daffaires of the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, Qin Jian. The meeting was held at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja. At the meeting, the Chinese charge daffaires, Mr. Jian, disclosed to the APC leadership that the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, has invited President Muhammadu Buhari to China on a state visit on a yet-to-be-announced date. Mr. Buni who was represented at the meeting by APCs Director of Organisation, Kyari Abubakar, said: China is a very important technical and trading partner to Nigeria. Both countries have enjoyed excellent social, economic and cultural relations. As China is aware, Nigeria recently witnessed a change of government which ushered in the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. The time for better cooperation between both countries is now as the APC and the President Buhari administration works to deliver on its Change mandate. He said healthy relations between Nigeria and China would ultimately be of benefit to Africa. At party level, the APC National Secretary identified capacity building and collaboration as areas Nigerias APC and the Chinese CPC can partner. Meanwhile, Qin Jian reported that following the successful December 2015 Forum on China-Africa Co-operation (FOCAC) summit which brought together Chinese senior government officials and most African heads of government to Johannesburg, South Africa, the Chinese President Xi Jinping has announced a $60 billion aid package for Africa. The aid package would finance a broad range of assistance programmes to help Africa industrialise, modernise its agricultural production, boost the skills of its workers, build infrastructure and improve its health care. Qin Jian said 2016 marks the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Nigeria and China. We (China) have enjoyed positive and beneficial partnership with Nigeria in healthcare, economy, infrastructure development, social/cultural exchange and other areas Nigeria has the biggest economy in Africa and is a very important partner with China. The Chinese CPC and Nigerias ruling APC will pursue better cooperation which will be of benefit to both nations. Both parties can share experiences on how to develop the economy and protect the environment as well as technical support and capacity building where necessary, Qin Jian said. The Lagos State government on Wednesday morning demolished the popular Owonifari market in Oshodi. The demolition, which was supervised by the state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, kicked off at about 7.45 am. The governor was accompanied by the Commissioner for Environment, Babatunde Adejare, officials of Kick Against Indiscipline, the police and some other top government officials. The Owonifari Market has been in the area for about 40 years. The state commissioner of information, Steve Ayorinde, in a statement on Tuesday said the market would be shut due to security challenges in the area. Mr. Ayorinde also said shutting the market would enable the state commence the transformation of the Oshodi bus stop to an ultra-modern bus terminal. The commissioner also said traders in the market had been relocated to the newly built Isopakodowo market stalls at Bolade area in Oshodi. He said the government had already commenced the fencing of the area from Agege Motor Road to PWD/Ikeja GRA end of the area. He said the Oshodi bus stop would be transformed into an ultra-modern bus terminus with new bus shelters that are befitting of a structured park in a mega city. He said the exercise would assist the federal government and the Nigerian Railway Corporation as the railway corridor will be beautified and safeguarded as street trading would be discouraged. This is the second time in six years that the state government will be carrying out major redevelopment work at the Oshodi bus stop. In 2009, Mr. Ambodes predecessor, Babatunde Fashola, received praise for clearing the popular bus stop of street traders and miscreants, easing the traffic gridlock in the area. However, the area soon degenerated into what it used to be as street traders and urchins returned, posing serious threat to lives and property in the area. The bus stop is a hotbed of clashes between rival gangs and cult groups. The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, has approved the appointment of Prof. Olanrewaju Adigun Fagbohun as the 8th substantive Vice-Chancellor of the Lagos State University (LASU). The announcement was contained in a release issued on Wednesday by Steve Ayorinde, Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy. A Professor of Environmental Law, Mr. Fagbohun was until his appointment the director of research at the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of Lagos. Mr. Fagbohun, who hails from Akesan, in Alimosho Local Government area of Lagos State, was born on October 19, 1966. He joined the Faculty of Law, LASU as assistant lecturer in January 1991and rose through the ranks until 2004 when he became Associate Professor. He studied Law at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) and obtained a Master of Law Degree from the University of Lagos and a doctorate from Obafemi Awolowo University. At different times, he served as member of Senate, LASU; Head of Department of Business Law; Private and Property Law. He was also the Coordinator, Law Centre; Department of Environmental Law and Allied Disciplines of the Centre for Environment and Science Education of the University and was, for several years, the Editor-in-Chief of LASU Law Journal. Mr. Fagbohun is a member of several academic and professional bodies and fellow of several national and international institutions. Following the expiration of the tenure of Prof. John Oladapo Obafunwa, the 7th substantive Vice-Chancellor of LASU on October 31, 2015, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Prof. Fidelis Olisamedua Njokanma assumed the position of Acting Vice-Chancellor. Greensboro, North Carolina United States - January 2016- Marlene Vacker" is proud to offer Time to give something back project on indiegogo. By: Time to give something back Media Contact Marlene Vacker ***@jet-xpress.com +1 347 436 9477 Marlene Vacker+1 347 436 9477 End --Our foundation was created to give something back to the people in Africa that welcomed us.Jet-Xpress Foundation has been created on the scheme format give something back We have been operating since many years on African soil and lately assisting Ebola patients with our fleet. We use arts to communicate and develop minds.We work differently depending of country needs. We are a US foundation with a 501C3 affiliation.In the aviation industry for over 15 years, weve been based in Africa for the past 7 years and have worked on several community projects including using our own aircraft for an air relief program during the Ebola crisis.In Ivory Coast, where the immediate needs are no longer food and medical care, we would like to introduce another concept of culture to communicate, encourage creativity, express, prompt dialogue, provoke debate, open the creative mind and body and facilitate direct social activism and democracy.The Jet-Xpress foundation has been created to help and assist Liberians in their sustainable development.Through our aviation activities in Western Africa and we would like to contribute to the development of a few.We initially assisted the people of Liberia with a reach a dream program where we gave the opportunity to terminally ill children to fulfill their dream and experience the aviation world.Following the Ebola outbreak the next step was obvious and a foundation was created keeping the existing spirit alive but adding to it by assisting the Liberians in their vital needs facing the virus.Our first campaign consists of building and donate a fully equipped medical wing/hospital specialized in Ebola prevention and treatment within the airport boundaries or at least in the vicinity of Roberts International Airport in Monrovia, Liberia.The Ebola outbreak was a first outbreak of the disease in Liberia that just recovered from a long war and revolutions that ended in 2003. The country just started to emerge but unfortunately the medical infrastructure is almost non existing and not accessible to most of the people living in poor conditions. Most of the time, infectious diseases thrive in those conditions.If we could stop or prevent the spreading of a infectious disease, our goal would be reached but at the same time, we would like this medical centre to be open for the poor and deprived that have no means of getting medical attention.After this, we would like to build several medical wings in remote neighborhoods that are able to provide first aid attention with an air ambulance that can bring the patient to the main hospital and reduce the time for the disease to spread.The main hospital would also be a medical center that provides prevention and medical training for nurses and health care aide.We are aiming to attract foreign doctors and surgeons willing to give some of their time, knowledge and improve the conditions of this country.For the development of the first hospital wing we are seeking starting this campaign to raise $ 250,000.00Donations are tax deductibles and each contributors will receive a monthly update of the construction progress so as on completion of the new wing a book with every donor s documenting the entire construction project., your support is urgently needed! Please look at all the rewards they have for those who make a contribution. Please consider getting involved, at whatever level you can, and helpget funded!If you can't afford to donate, don't worry - there are plenty of other ways you can help. Please take some time to share our campaign across your social networks and encourage your friends and family to donate.For more information, contact us on: galaxycleaningservice@yahoo.frLink: https://www.indiegogo.com/ projects/time- to-give-something... Readers recognize RedShelf as a top digital reading solution, enhancing learning and efficiency on campus. By: RedShelf Media Contact Shannon Godfrey ***@redshelf.com 312-878-8586 Shannon Godfrey312-878-8586 End -- RedShelf (http://www.redshelf.com), a Chicago-based educational software company and one of the fastest-growing distributors of eTextbooks in the U.S., has been recognized for making a positive difference on college campuses. Its eReader was named a Readers Choice Top Products for 2015 by the University Business magazine, the most widespread publication for higher education leaders at two- and four-year colleges and universities.RedShelf was nominated by higher education leaders who have experienced the RedShelf platform firsthand in the classroom to enhance students experiences through digital reading. Instructors also use the RedShelf platform to digitize and distribute self-created coursepacks or other textual course materials. RedShelfs eReader offers innovative and academically focused digital reading features such as its highlighter, flashcard and study guide creator, and a note-sharing tool.RedShelf partners with more than 400 college bookstores and offers content from over 2,000 publishers to deliver digital textbooks to students through a centralized academic eReader. As a rapidly-expanding edtech company, RedShelf has attracted the attention of publishers and higher education players alike as eTextbooks continue to build momentum among students, faculty and institutional leadership. RedShelfs end-user offerings, a combination of more affordable textbook options, user-friendly software, and a high-level, responsive customer service team, just might be the secret sauce of a new era of eTextbooks.We are thrilled to receive this award. Winning the Readers Choice Top Products is the recognition RedShelf needs to help transition the learning community from print to digital, said Greg Fenton, RedShelfs CEO and Co-founder.About RedShelfRedShelf is a leading supplier of digital learning materials, dedicated to providing paramount technology to the learning community in order to accelerate the transition to digital. In collaboration with strategic partners, publishers, institutional bookstores, and other content creators, RedShelf streamlines the discovery and distribution of eBooks and other digital course materials for todays student learners. Utilizing a seamless browser-based eReader solution along with a powerful eCommerce engine, RedShelf provides easily accessible and cost-effective learning materials to learners everywhere.Please visit www.redshelf.com for additional company information.About University BusinessUniversity Business is the most widely received, most regularly read publication for higher education leaders at two- and four-year colleges and universities nationwide. UB provides cutting-edge coverage of higher education technology, news, finance, policy, profiles and more to this exclusive audience across print, digital and in-person event platforms, including the annual higher ed technology conference, UBTech. Independent surveys have proven that year after year, no other higher education management publication matches the reach, readership and audience engagement of University Business. For more information, visit www.universitybusiness.com John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. streamlines complex go-to-market strategy with robust and configurable software to support expected company growth. Media Contact AFS Technologies Ian Faith ian.faith@afsi.com AFS TechnologiesIan Faith End -- AFS Technologies (http://www.afsi.com/), the leading provider of software solutions purpose-built for the consumer goods industry, today announced that John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc., a Fisher Nuts and Orchard Valley Harvest brands, successfully implemented AFS Trade Promotion Management Retail (TPM Retail), a closed-loop trade promotion management software solution. Challenged by a complex go-to-market strategy, the team at Sanfilippo needed an easy-to-use, configurable solution to effectively manage their trade spending activities from one central location. With 30 years of experience providing trade promotion management (TPM) solutions to the food industry, AFS was the only choice to uniquely meet the companys needs.For more than 90 years, John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. has been a leading processor, marketer and distributor of baking nuts, snack nuts and nut-based products that are sold in multiple distribution channels. Historically, the company relied on a time consuming, paper-based process to manage trade spend activities for the companys complex product lines and diverse retail buyers. As a result, Sanfilippo struggled to have visibility into its trade spend activities among a growing number of brokersacross both product lines and geographieswithin its network. To streamline the process and enhance visibility, Sanfilippo sought an easy-to-use, automated solution to quickly roll-up and manage trade promotion for all of their products, divisions and customers. With a lean IT team in place, the company also needed a solution that required minimal IT expertise or time dedicated to ongoing management.After an industry-wide search, the team at Sanfilippo chose AFS for its user-friendly, configurable TPM solution. While traditional TPM solutions are limited, managing only a one-to-one relationship, AFS provides a dynamic hierarchical structure which allows for multiple relationship management, ideal for the environment at Sanfilippo. In addition, AFS allows for customization through configuring the software without the need for external developers to support it. By empowering the team at Sanfilippo with a consolidated view of complex product lines and comprehensive trade spend activities, the company is now in a better position to meet planned growth objectives in 2016 and beyond.The forward thinking team at AFS immediately recognized our unique business challenges and appointed a dedicated team to specifically map out a more effective hierarchy structure, designed to streamline our traditional, paper-based processes and gain control of our trade spending, said Tom Kirkham, director of business applications, John B. Sanfilippo & Son Inc. By centralizing the management of our trade promotion activities and increasing our visibility, including across our broker network, we can more easily identify which promotions are performing, improve deduction management and eliminate the manual process of sifting through multiple spreadsheets. This will allow us to focus on more strategic initiatives designed to support company growth.AFS TPM Retail enables companies to strategically manage trade spending to improve promotional effectiveness, evaluate individual retailer or distributor performance either directly or through a broker, drive competitive advantage, and maximize return on investment. AFS TPM Retail easily integrates into a companys existing ERP or accounting system to provide one centralized system for planning, executing, analyzing, and reconciling trade promotions.We are thrilled to be working with John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. to help the company more effectively manage trade spending activities,said Joe Bellini, CEO, AFS Technologies. Based on 30 years of experience in the consumer goods industry, our solution is ideally suited to address the companys unique, complex needs. We apply a best practices approach to help customers quickly and efficiently identify blind spots and measure trade spend effectiveness to fuel strategic decision-making in real time. Unlike lengthy, expensive implementations from large vendors, we are flexible to meet our customers unique needs and work diligently to establish true partnerships with our valued customers.AFS Technologies (AFS) is the leading provider of software solutions purpose-built for consumer goods companies. We are committed to generating improved outcomes at the point of purchase coupled with generating efficiencies in trade spend, retail execution and supply chain. With experience developed over its 30 year history, AFS serves more than 1,300 customers of all sizes in over 50 countries around the world. The AFS products are innovative, configurable solutions that are proven to optimize your potential with automated processes, improved productivity and rapid time to value.To learn more about AFS, visit www.afsi.com By: Snell & Wilmer Robert Feinberg, Criminal Defense partner, Snell & Wilmer End -- Snell & Wilmer is pleased to announce Robert Feinberg (http://www.swlaw.com/attorneys/robert_feinberg) authored a chapter titled, Trial Elegance in the number one bestselling book published by the American Bar Association (ABA), From the Trenches: Strategies and Tips from 21 of the Nations Top Trial Lawyers. In the book, Feinberg provides unique and personal insights into the art of trial advocacy based on this 23 years of trial experience. Utilizing specific, real-world examples, he illuminates and demystifies the process, bringing forward practical ideas on how best to present to and interact with jurors.The book, edited by John Worden and published by ABA Publishing, brings together top trial lawyers to offer insightful tactics and strategies to make attorneys stronger in court. Bringing together legal strategy, psychology and persuasion theory, the book offers a fresh approach to trial preparation, one that focuses on how jurors learn, think and deliberate. After its initial release in May, where it was solely available on the ABA Online Bookstore, the books availability has been expanded to include sites such as Amazon ( http://www.amazon.com/ From-Trenches- Strategies-Nations- La... ), GoogleBooks ( https://books.google.com/ books?id=mQ0grgEACAAJ&dq=Fro... ) and Barnes & Noble (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/from-the-trenches-john-s-worden/1121911107). It can also be purchased from the ABA Online Bookstore (http://shop.americanbar.org/eBus/Store/ProductDetails.aspx?productId=187100849&term=from%20the%20trenches)At Snell & Wilmer, Feinberg has a broad-based litigation and trial practice. An experienced trial lawyer, he handles a wide variety of complex litigation, including criminal defense, healthcare, general commercial, defamation, products liability and personal injury. As a former criminal prosecutor and deputy county attorney, Feinberg has a vibrant criminal defense practice. He defends those accused of both felonies and misdemeanors. Feinbergs practice includes defending DUI and other traffic offenses, allegations against juveniles (criminal court and school disciplinary actions), possession of prohibited substances, theft, fraud, organized crime, asset forfeiture, property crimes, assault and white collar crimes. He also conducts internal, corporate investigations involving theft, fraud and other misconduct.Founded in 1938, Snell & Wilmer is a full-service business law firm with more than 400 attorneys practicing in nine locations throughout the western United States and in Mexico, including Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona; Los Angeles and Orange County, California; Denver, Colorado; Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Los Cabos, Mexico. The firm represents clients ranging from large, publicly traded corporations to small businesses, individuals and entrepreneurs. For more information, visit www.swlaw.com. Forza Migliozzi has been honored with five prestigious international 2015 Davey Awards in their annual advertising competition including two gold for their work on Audi and WSH&B. By: Forza Migliozzi End -- Audi TV and WSH&B Bring Home the GoldForza Migliozzi has been honored with five prestigious international 2015 Davey Awards in their annual advertising competition including two gold for their work on Audi and WSH&B. Each year, The Davey Awards honor and showcase the highest standards of excellence in advertising from independent agencies around the globe. Winners of the 2015 Davey Awards were selected from ad agencies, interactive agencies, production firms, in-house creative professionals, graphic designers, and design firms.Forza Migliozzi was acknowledged for their commercials for Audi Pacific, winning a gold and two silver Davey Awards. The commercials which were created to unveil and introduce the largest Audi showroom in the United States. With the ethereal feeling of luxury and simplicity, the three :30 second broadcast commercials entitled The Drive and The Walk and The Bay, respectively, highlight the uniqueness of the Audi dealerships customer experience, its new architectural home and their reputation for an elevated standard of customer service and satisfaction.A second gold Davey Award was bestowed upon the hugely successful WSH&B print campaign that has seen WHS&B grow from a few west coast law offices to a national legal firm with 18+ US offices coast to coast, including New York City.Forza Migliozzi was also honored with a silver Davey for their corporate website which showcases innovative design and original creative content.Its always great to be recognized for our work, said Michael Migliozzi, Chief Creative Officer and Managing Partner of Forza Migliozzi. But what is most significant for us is that these awards are a testament to the impact that our original content and strategy have on the way our brands connect their story to their audiences, and ultimately, to their business.The Davey Awards has a mission to honor the very best in advertising,said Linda Day, Executive Director of the Davey Awards. Forza Migliozzis accomplishment with their work for Audi and WHS&B illustrates their creativity, skill and dedication to their craft and serves as a testament to great advertising.The Davey is sanctioned and judged by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts, and invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals from a Whos Who of acclaimed media, advertising and marketing firms. Winners represent the best work from the most respected advertising agencies in the world.About Forza Migliozzi:Headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, the award-winning agency is known for its full-service, fully integrated street-smart approach that executes big ideas designed to defy convention and overcome any challenges in the ever-changing global marketplace. Sometimes with law-changing outcomes.Forza Migliozzi is a modern full-service design and advertising company with a host of high-profile client experience that includes NIKE, ESPN, espn2, American Express, Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Baha Mar, Coca-Cola, Subaru, Porsche, Audi, Warner Brothers, Pepsi, Foot Locker, Champs Sports, Panasonic, Nintendo and many more.Forza MigliozzI takes a global approach to delivering multi-platform campaigns that resonate with audiences around the globe. Visit Forza Migliozzi at ForzaMigliozzi.com BrightLeaf Homes leads the charge to bring solar equipped, green homes to the people of the Chicagoland area BrightLeaf Homes, an award-winning, green home builder, unveils plans to install solar panels as standard on all of their new construction homes By: BrightLeaf Homes 1 2 3 4 816 8th Ave Rendering Solar Panels 816 8th Ave. Certifications and Qualifications 2015 Zero Energy Ready Home Housing Innovation Award LA GRANGE, Ill. - Jan. 6, 2016 - PRLog -- To join in the 20th anniversary celebration of the EPAs Energy Star Program and kickoff their commitment to include solar on all of their houses, BrightLeaf Homes will construct one of their Eco Three models as the first Energy Star Certified new-construction home in LaGrange. This house will be the greenest home ever built in the area and will be the first home by BrightLeaf to showcase this energy producing technology. The project will be completed in the spring of 2016. In addition to the Energy Star Certification, this Eco Three will be a DOE verified Zero Energy Ready Home, carry the EPAs Indoor AirPlus certification, and also be built to LEED Gold standards. Although solar panels will be the most prominent green aspect of the home other features will include high efficiency windows and doors, all energy efficient lighting, superior levels of insulation, a high efficiency furnace and tankless water heater. Various sustainable and eco-friendly construction practices will be implemented from the beginning to the end of this project. Although there was an existing home on the property that had to be removed, it was methodically deconstructed rather than demolished the conventional way to reuse and recycle a significant amount of the original building materials. Throughout the project all cardboard that comes to the site is recycled and 50% - 70% of the remaining material waste that makes it into the on-site dumpsters is then recycled at a construction debris sorting facility. All finish materials will be sustainable, low VOC products supplied by Green Home Experts of Oak Park, who will be working with BrightLeaf Homes as the interior designer on this project. For more information on Green Home Experts please visit www.ghexperts.com. According to the Department of Energy, residents of Illinois spent an average of $684 per person on residential energy in 2012. That means an average family of 4 will spend approximately $2,736 on home energy bills alone. The Eco Three is modeled to cost only approximately $800 per year and at 3,200 square feet, is much larger than an average house. With solar PV panels, this home will be the greenest house ever built in LaGrange with a projected HERS score of 19. The Eco Three model is a 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom home complete with a finished basement. This home is located at 816 8th Avenue in La Grange and is currently listed for $864,950. For more information on the home, call 630-254-9745 or visit BrightLeaf's About: BrightLeaf Homes, recent winner of the 2015 Department of Energys Zero Energy Ready Home Housing Innovation Award, is a green homebuilding company that was started in 2008 with the mission to build new homes with a focus on sustainable, eco-friendly construction practices. Each BrightLeaf home is designed to not only be highly energy-efficient but affordable, built to last, and healthier to live in. For more information on BrightLeaf Homes please visit Media Contact BrightLeaf Homes Rick Thompson rick@mybrightleafhome.com 6302549745 Photos: https://www.prlog.org/ 12522496/1 https://www.prlog.org/ 12522496/2 https://www.prlog.org/ 12522496/3 https://www.prlog.org/ 12522496/4 BrightLeaf HomesRick Thompson6302549745 End -- To join in the 20th anniversary celebration of the EPAs Energy Star Program and kickoff their commitment to include solar on all of their houses, BrightLeaf Homes will construct one of their Eco Three models as the first Energy Star Certified new-construction home in LaGrange. This house will be the greenesthome ever built in the area and will be the first home by BrightLeaf to showcase this energy producing technology. The project will be completed in the spring of 2016.In addition to the Energy Star Certification, this Eco Three will be a DOE verified Zero Energy Ready Home, carry the EPAs Indoor AirPlus certification, and also be built to LEED Gold standards. Although solar panels will be the most prominent green aspect of the home other features will include high efficiency windows and doors, all energy efficient lighting, superior levels of insulation, a high efficiency furnace and tankless water heater.Various sustainable and eco-friendly construction practices will be implemented from the beginning to the end of this project. Although there was an existing home on the property that had to be removed, it was methodically deconstructed rather than demolished the conventional way to reuse and recycle a significant amount of the original building materials. Throughout the project all cardboard that comes to the site is recycled and 50% - 70% of the remaining material waste that makes it into the on-site dumpsters is then recycled at a construction debris sorting facility. All finish materials will be sustainable, low VOC products supplied by Green Home Experts of Oak Park, who will be working with BrightLeaf Homes as the interior designer on this project. For more information on Green Home Experts please visit www.ghexperts.com.According to the Department of Energy, residents of Illinois spent an average of $684 per person on residential energy in 2012. That means an average family of 4 will spend approximately $2,736 on home energy bills alone. The Eco Three is modeled to cost only approximately $800 per year and at 3,200 square feet, is much larger than an average house. With solar PV panels, this home will be the greenest house ever built in LaGrange with a projected HERS score of 19.The Eco Three model is a 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom home complete with a finished basement. This home is located at 816 8th Avenue in La Grange and is currently listed for $864,950. For more information on the home, call 630-254-9745 or visit BrightLeaf's website. About:BrightLeaf Homes, recent winner of the 2015 Department of Energys Zero Energy Ready Home Housing Innovation Award, is a green homebuilding company that was started in 2008 with the mission to build new homes with a focus on sustainable, eco-friendly construction practices. Each BrightLeaf home is designed to not only be highly energy-efficient but affordable, built to last, and healthier to live in. For more information on BrightLeaf Homes please visit www.mybrightleafhome.com or check out BrightLeaf's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ brightleafhomesllc Email : ***@mybrightleafhome.com Tags : Real Estate , Green Bulidng , Solar Panels , Energy Savings , Renewable Energy , Home Building , Energy Efficient , Leed , Green Home , Sustainability Industry : Architecture , Construction , Energy , Environment , Real Estate , Technology Location : La Grange - Illinois - United States Subject : Products Account Phone Number Disclaimer Report Abuse Account Email AddressAccount Phone Number Georgia State University film student will premiere his new docuseries The Lives Untold with Monica Pearson as the first guest on February 2,2016 in Atlanta By: Digital Sharp Shots, LLC Contact Sapphire Ink Public Relations ***@sapphireinkpr.com Sapphire Ink Public Relations End -- Digital Sharp Shots, LLC and The Social NetworKINGare on a mission to provide a platform for public figures, leaders, entrepreneurs, and trendsetters to share their journeys with the world. docuseries will not only explore the guests stories, but it will also uncover their road to success.Along with affiliates, One Chance Media and Psyentific Films, the digital duo will debut their first installment on Tuesday, February 2, 2016 at 7:00pm. Featuring award-winning journalist and icon Monica Pearson, the premiere will take place in the heart of the Sweet Auburn district at M Bar located at 186 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30303.Georgia State film student and director, Drew Alexander, believes there are so many people that have amazing storieslives!Their lives have gone unspoken and these are the stories we should hearthese are the lives that matter to us, the people we can relate toThe Lives Untold!Each month, The Lives Untold brand will unveil a new story through a series of after work socials catering to young up and coming professionals in the metro Atlanta area. The vibrant crowd will have the opportunity to interact with the guest of honor and network with like-minded professionals in an upscale environment.The Lives Untold premiere is set to begin at 8pm, with red carpet beginning at 7:00pm. Guests will enjoy networking; drink specials, and a Q&A section hosted by The Social NetworKING. Visit www.thelivesuntold.eventbrite.com to reserve a ticket for the event. For more information or media requests, please contact thelivesuntold@ gmail.com or tiffany@sapphireinkpr.com is a docuseries that explores the stories depicting the road to success of individuals. Created by Georgia State University film student, Drew Alexander, the project is set for release in 2016 on YouTube. Top Sarasota Restaurants to Donate Portion of January 12 Dining Proceeds to Benefit Local Charities By: Designing Daughters Contact Shelby Isaacson ***@grapeinc.com Shelby Isaacson End -- Designing Daughters of Sarasota, a donor-advised fund of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, is pleased to announce Dining For A Difference. The special dining event will take place on Tuesday, January 12, 2016, at a variety of Sarasota-area restaurants, which will donate 15% of all proceeds from customer food and beverage purchases to help fund community grants through the Designing Daughters Giving Circle.Dining For A Difference is a fun and unique way to enjoy Sarasotas top restaurants, all while supporting worthwhile causes and organizations that help enhance our community, said Ellie Baldwin, co-chair of Designing Daughters of Sarasota. Its truly a win-win for local restaurant owners and the people of Sarasota.Amore by AndreaCafe AmiciCafe BaciCafe GabbiannoCafe LEuropeCaragiulosEat Here: Siesta KitchenLe ColonneLibbys Cafe & BarLouies ModernMadeMattisons 41Michaels On EastOwens Fish CampPacific RimServandosShore DinerSOMA CafeStottlemyers SmokehouseTandoor Fine Indian CuisineTsunami Sushi & Hibachi GrillThe goal of the Designing Daughters of Sarasota grants process is to equitably spread the widest influence of good to the most organizations. Committed to bettering the local community, members work to identify nonprofits with a program, project or need with tangible outcomes, allowing Designing Daughters of Sarasota to assess and report on the impact of granted funds. All Dining For A Difference dinner guests need to do is show up at a participating restaurant, have fun and enjoy their delicious meals, said Baldwin. By doing so, theyre helping make our community a better place.Parties of 15+ must contact Sarah Murphy at Dining4Difference@ gmail.com to make reservations at their restaurant of choice. To learn more about the event, visit the Designing Daughters website at DesigningDaughtersSarasota.com or their Facebook page at facebook.com/DesigningDaughters ( http://www.facebook.com/ DesigningDaughters About Designing Daughters of SarasotaShelley Lister, a former Designing Women Boutique board member, founded Designing Daughters in 2009 as a committee to identify and provide grants to several local charities each year through fundraising events. As of January 2015, Designing Daughters of Sarasota partnered with the Community Foundation of Sarasota County to maximize its giving potential. For more information, visit DesigningDaughtersSarasota.comGrapevine Communications provides full-service advertising, marketing and public relations services to clients nationwide. The firm is the most award-winning advertising agency in Sarasota, Florida, and the surrounding areas. Recent accolades include the 2015 Greater Good Philanthropy Award Small Business by Biz(941) Magazine, the 2014 Small Business of the Year by the Manatee Chamber of Commerce; the 2015 & 2014 Best Marketing/PR Agency by SRQ Magazine readers; and the 2010 Small Business of the Year by the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. For more information on Grapevine Communications, contact Shelby Isaacson (Shelby@grapeinc.com)at 941-351-0024 or visit the website at www.grapeinc.com. PRIDE Learning Center, a specialized tutoring center in San Diego, will have a summer Orton-Gillingham reading camp for students in Special Education. By: PRIDE Learning Centers Contact Karina RIchland ***@pridelearningcenter.com Karina RIchland End -- PRIDE Learning Center, a specialized tutoring center in Orange County, has announced it will offer a summer reading camp in San Diego to better meet the needs of children with dyslexia, auditory and visual processing, speech delays, autism, ADHD and other language and learning disabilities.The summer reading camp at PRIDE Learning Center in San Diego will run weekly from June - August to accommodate busy schedules and traveling families. Children can attend sessions from 9:00am 12:00pm or 12:30pm 3:30 pm Monday Friday. All of the teachers at PRIDE Learning Center are credentialed with strong special education backgrounds and deliver one-on-one Orton-Gillingham language and reading lessons.This summer reading camp at PRIDE is designed to help students in a way that a regular summer school program cannot, states owner of PRIDE Learning Centers, Karina Richland. Summer is a wonderful and effective time for struggling students to boost their skills and close the reading and comprehension gaps, says Richland.PRIDE Learning Center is a leading tutoring company in Orange County, for students with learning disabilities. Their reading and comprehension program has been shown to boost student performance almost 2 grade levels in just 3 months. The Orton-Gillingham instruction develops the underlying reading and comprehension skills necessary for students with dyslexia, auditory processing, visual processing, autism, speech delays, ADHD and other learning challenges. It is common to see years of reading improvement after just weeks of intensive instruction.Although the reading camp is intensive and highly structured, the teachers at PRIDE make it really fun and super engaging for the kids. The kids love it and we have families return to us each summer, says owner Karina Richland.The summer reading camp will be located at the Chabad Center of University City at 3813 Governor Drive.Individuals interested in the summer reading camp at PRIDE Learning Center in San Diego can call (866) 774-3342, visit the website at www.pridelearningcenter.com or email info@pridelearningcenter.com Having recognized unprecedented success in 2015, LEAP, LLC is poised for an even greater 2016, as it starts the year by adding Major General Roger Blunt (Retired) to its leadership. Major General Blunt brings to LEAP a lifetime of achievement and leadership. End -- Lawrence Executive Alliance of Professionals (LEAP), LLC is coming off of an unprecedented year of success as 2015 comes to an end and 2016 begins. The company was recognized with two prestigious honors when its CEO and President, Dr. Clayton Lawrence, was recognized as the DC Chamber of Commerces Small Business Person of the Year for 2015, and as he was named the Valedictorian of the 2015 Class for the Small Business Administrations Emerging Leaders Initiative in Washington, D.C.As the New Year begins, LEAP is especially pleased to announce the newest addition to its leadership, Major General Roger Blunt (Retired), who will serve as a special assistant to Dr. Lawrence. Roger R. Blunt is a Civil Engineer and Nuclear Engineer, registered professionally in New York State and the District of Columbia. He is a West Point Graduate and holds two Master's Degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Doctor of Public Service Degree from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.After an active career in the United States Army Corps of Engineers, General Blunt continued his service in the Active Army Reserves, and in his final assignment, he commanded the 12,000 member, 97th Army Reserve Command at Fort Meade, Maryland. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. He is also a 2001 laureate of the Washington Business Hall of Fame.General Blunt is highly respected for his ability to negotiate and solve problems. For over 30 years, he has exercised technical supervision and executive oversight in the successful completion of more than $500 million in construction value. Drawing upon his Army and business background, General Blunt will help to ensure that LEAP reaches its full potential with its customers and clients, and will furthermore, assist in key initiatives to continue growing the LEAP organization.Dr. Lawrence commented on General Blunts joining LEAP, stating, I am delighted to welcome Major General Blunt to LEAP. He brings to us a lifetime of knowledge, experience, and achievement, and I look forward to his advice and counsel.Fond of quoting General, Secretary of State Colin Powell, General Blunt states, There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure." It is this mindset that the LEAP organization knows will inevitably help it continue to reach even greater heights of success in 2016.To learn more about LEAP, please visit http:\\www.leap4staffing.com and follow @leapllcdc on Twitter. Author Frank Palmeri, as a made member of the mafia, shares his thoughts and insights in a superb work of unflinching observation, and telling details in this insiders account of how the Mob Self-destructed Bugs, Bull, & Rats Contact Katherine J. McGuire - Director ***@brightonpublishing.com Katherine J. McGuire - Director End -- Brighton Publishing LLC proudly announces the print release of from author Frank Palmeri. The book is now available in eBook and print formats through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other leading retailers nationwide, in addition to worldwide availability through the Expresso Book Machine network. Print distribution is through Ingram Content Group, the largest wholesale book distributor in the world.Synopsis: After completing a long prison sentence, wiseguy, Frank Palmeri, shares his thoughts about the decline of the New York Mafia. Palmeri discusses the basic tenets of the Mafia organization, including the code of silence that so many made men discarded when they decided to cooperate with the federal government. In turn, the US government systematically deconstructed the Mafia using the 1970 Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO).Palmeri describes the history of the Mafia, including the creation of the original Five Families of New York (Genovese, Bonanno, Gambino, Lucchese, and Profaci, which later became the Colombo Family) by Charlie Lucky Luciano in 1931. The author reveals a series of poor leadership decisions, as well as unnecessary and unapprovedmurders within the organization that eventually led to prominent members from all of the Five Families to turn on each other in order to bargain for more lenient sentences or protection from the feds. The basic structure and chain of command in the crime organization is described. Palmeri also calls out the failures and missteps of Mafia bosses and underbosses, including John Gotti, John Gotti Jr., and Sammy the Bull Gravano, which later made it easy for the government to arrest and convict many prominentmen.The main point of Bugs, Bull, and Rats speaks directly to the title of the book. Palmeri blames the breakdown of the organization from 3000men in the 70s to fewer than 500 members in the current day to the betrayal of weak-minded members, many of whom Palmeri believes should never have been inducted into the organization.Frank Palmeri presents a superb story full of unflinching observation, telling details, and breath taking turns, woven into a work with a masterful control of human interaction.said Kathie McGuire, director of Brighton Publishing LLC.After serving a long prison stretch, Frank Palmeri returned to a city where the Mafia was now a shadow of the dominant force it once was. So many mobsters had been imprisoned. So many more were cooperating with the government to send even more to prison.His world as amember of the Mafia had changed.Many histories have since been written about the Mafia. Frank Palmeri says some are accurate and some are not. He wanted to report what he knew about the Mafias decline since 1980, and offer his own insights into the organization. This is his history. Elagoon Digital is a leading IT company that delivers all web-enabled services to the clients from all over the world. Located in Kolkata in India, the company has a great track record for meeting the expectations of the clients helping them to grow. Contact Martin Burn Business Park Suite No. 7B, Block BP-3, Sector V, Salt Lake ***@elagoondigital.com +91 33 3044 2044 Martin Burn Business ParkSuite No. 7B, Block BP-3, Sector V, Salt Lake+91 33 3044 2044 End --Elagoon Digital, the best website designing company in Australia, has announced new tariffs for its services for all the services that it offers. The announcement in this regard was made recently while the company celebrates its foundation day. The announcement comes at a time when the charges for the web services are increasing worldwide.Making the announcement, the Senior Spokesperson said to the newsmen, We understand that there are many significant reasons behind the increase in the prices of web services. We believe that all businesses, big or small, need website and related services to promote their business locally as well as globally. Due to improper charges, many companies cannot afford the cost. This is our effort to help those business owners who are unable to afford higher charges.As a matter of fact, the company wishes to bring the advantages of the best website designing services in Australia to every business. The company has revised the charges with a clear intention to make them more affordable for all the business owners. The charges are applicable for all the services, including website designing, development, graphic designing, and digital marketing. However, the company makes it clear that no revision would apply on the paid services that are used in various phases of web design, development, and digital marketing.With its innovative services and facilities, Elagoon Digital has emerged as the most reliable as well as the. The company reiterates that the reduction in price would not affect the quality of the services. The company is very sincere about maintaining the highest standards in all its services. It simply means the clients can still expect the best services even at a reduced price. It is Advantage Clients at Elagoon Digital. It is the time to hurry up to avail the special offer from the company that offers theElagoon Digital has been a leading SMO Company in Australia that has achieved outstanding success in the field of providing SMO services across the globe. The company offers attractive discounts on the packages of SMO services on the occasion of Christmas.Martin Burn Business ParkSuite No. 7B, Block BP-3, Salt Lake,Sector V, Kolkata-700091,India.Phone: +91 33 3044 2044For more information about the company and its products, you can visittoday. Central, the multi-brand fashion department store from Future Lifestyle Fashions has signed up with CloudCherry to track, measure and improve Customer Delight. The rollout is already underway and will be seen in 30 Central stores across the country. By: CloudCherry Analytics Contact Prem K Viswanath Chief Brand Officer ***@getcloudcherry.com Prem K ViswanathChief Brand Officer End -- Central, the multi-brand fashion department store fromFuture Lifestyle Fashions has signed up with Cloudcherry Customer Experience Management Software to track, measure and improve Customer Delight for the brand. The rollout is already underway and Cloudcherrys Customer Experience Feedback platform will be seen in 30 Central stores across the country in a tablet-based format for collecting customer feedback surveys.As part of this new program, Central will be tracking their Net Promoter Score, the unique Cloudcherry Customer Delight Score and identifying key insights in real-time about what customers are happy with, and more importantly where the brand needs to improve in terms of providing better experiences.Cloudcherry is the first Real-Time, Omni-channel Customer Experience Platform, and currently works with several mid and large brands in providing them with real-time analytics, issue redressal, key metric tracking, insight discovery tools and customer journey mapping.Listening to the voice of the Customer is critical to any business - especially in retail. And getting a pulse of the customer and recording his experience at the store is even more crucial. The tab-based application from Cloudcherry enables CENTRAL to do all of the above. Importantly it allows key members at CENTRAL to see it in real-time, thus enabling a faster response time and ensuring the Customer's experience is improved. On a long term we hope to use this application to build loyalties Said Jitendranath Patri, Vice-President Marketing & Strategy Head for Loyalty, CENTRAL.Customer Experience is truly the key differentiator for brand success and its great to see Future Lifestyle making CX a priority in their business processes. We are extremely happy to begin our relationship with them and we look forward to working together in uncovering tremendous customer insights with advanced analytics and omni-channel customer mapping said Vinod Muthukrishnan, Co-founder & CEO of Cloudcherry.(Net Promoter, Net Promoter Score and NPS are registered trademarks of Bain & Company, Inc., Satmetrix Systems, Inc., and Fred Reichheld)About CloudcherryCloudcherry is a Customer Experience Management product company that helps brands track, measure and improve Customer Loyalty, Customer Delight and help in increasing profitability through Omni Channel and Real Time Feedback Management and Customer Analytics.Cloudcherry is a preferred partner for several mid and large brands such as HDFC Bank, Titan Company, Caratlane.com, Alysara Fashions, Philz Coffee, KarmaLoop LLC and Cinnamon Grand amongst others, and helps them measure Customer Delight and Net Promoter Score through their cutting edge, cloud-based platform. Funded by The Chennai Angels and IDG Ventures, Cloudcherry is a graduate of the Microsoft Ventures Accelerator, Winner of CIIs Best IT Startup of 2014, Part of the NASSCOM Emerge Top 50. Visit www.getcloudcherry.com for more information.About CENTRALCentral was launched in May 2004 in Bangalore, as India's first seamless fashion department store and the biggest lifestyle retail brand from Future Group/Future Lifestyle. In the last 11 years the footprint has expanded to 30 stores in 19 cities: Bangalore, Hyderabad, Vishakhapatnam, Vadodara, Delhi, Mumbai, Vashi, Goregaon, Thane, Pune & Pimpri, Ahmedabad, Indore, Jaipur, Raipur, Surat, Nasik, Noida, Gurgaon, Nagpur, Kochi, Mohali, Mangalore and Patna.Central, offers the discerning & fashion savvy customer the latest fashion from over 500 brands across 25 leading categories under one roof. 7th Mobile Money + E-Commerce Summit 2016 Contact Magenta Global Pte Ltd Jose Carpio jose@magenta- global.com.sg +6563912535 Magenta Global Pte LtdJose Carpio+6563912535 End -- Myanmar has the full potential of harnessing digital payments and mobile commerce. The absence of a traditional banking infrastructure in Myanmar makes it prime territory for mobile money operations. Leveraging on the new telecommunications infrastructure that was recently enhanced, the time is now to seize emerging opportunities of mobile money in the country. With 94% of the population having no access to tap water and 31% no electricity, mobile money has the potential to drive delivery of basic services and amenities. In just one year, Myanmar mobile subscribers have registered almost 300% subscriber growth with mobile phone usage approaching 50% of the population, 80% of which are smart phone usage.Thewill convene on the 28and 29of January 2016 in Yangon, Myanmar, bringing together government authorities, industry experts and key private sector partners from in and around Myanmar and the Greater Mekong Subregion to dissect the critical issues, share valuable insights and perspectives, and develop new and practicable solutions to the challenges currently facing these rapidly emerging Asian markets.Some informative presentations include "Going Cashless: How Myanmar will Make it Happen" by U Aung Aung, Director,; "Analyzing the Mobile Money Landscape in Cambodia" by Loeung Sopheap, Senior Vice President and Head of Product Development at, Cambodia; and "Mobile Money in Nepal: Emerging Opportunities and Projects" by Jakirul Islam, Resident Consultant ofand Senior Project Manager atThe 7Summit will also feature 3 panel discussions on the following key themes: "Riding the Momentum of the Mobile Money Revolution"; "Broadening the Adoption and Usage of Mobile Money Services in Financial Inclusion Efforts" and "Empowering Citizens with Convenient & World Class Payment & Billing Solutions".The event will be attended by key management, operational and IT managers from financial institutions, MFIs, Central Banks and key government departments.Event partners includewho are the Summits Platinum Sponsor, along with exhibitors, and theConnectNPay's Commercial Director, Richard Buttenshaw, said: "ConnectNPay is delighted to be sponsoring the 7Mobile Money + E-Commerce Summit for the second year running. We find it a unique opportunity to meet key players in the mobile payments and ecommerce ecosystems, sharing our products and lessons learned with representatives of organisations from within Myanmar and around the region. We're looking forward to catching up with our existing partners and making contact with new ones looking to join in the worlds most exciting market."Amit Darda, COO of Modefinserver, added: "The event is important as it's bringing together the decision makers with potential vendors and service providers. We see a lot of growth for mobile financials in Myanmar market as most of the country's population is unbanked and existing systems are not able to reach them. As a company we are specialized in this mobile financial technology and we are sure that this is a perfect event to establish our presence.Estel Technologies' Founder & Managing Director, Raj Hajela, said: "We believe that this region will see increasing adoption, tremendous growth and recurrent usage of mobile and electronic commerce as an alternate channel, especially in the areas of money transfer, utility bill payments, prepaid recharge and some other innovative and niche payment areas. We look forward to visiting the 7Mobile Money + E-Commerce Summit 2016 event to meet with banks and service providers in the region to exchange ideas, and discuss mutual co-operation and business."The CEO of the conference-organizing company, Singapore, Maggie Tan, added: Myanmar is coming online faster than anyone predicted. To harness the full potential of mobile commerce, strong collaboration is required among mobile operators, financial and payments companies, technology companies and government agencies. We invite all companies in this whole new emerging ecosystem to join this Summit.The Summit will be held at the Park Royal Hotel, YangonFor more information, contact Jose at +65 6391 2535 or email jose@magenta-global.com.sg. meteoblue publishes weather app for iPhone High precision weather forecasts from the Swiss weather specialist meteoblue are now available in a new app for iPhone. Weather forecasts can now be viewed on the go, easily and comfortably for any place on Earth. By: meteoblue 1 2 3 App and website phone-with_book wind BASEL CITY, Switzerland - Jan. 6, 2016 - PRLog -- The meteoblue weather app offers the most popular features of the meteoblue website: users can download a detailed hourly weather forecast of the next 7 days for any place in the world. Locations can also be chosen on mountains, in the desert and in the middle of the sea. The weather data for the last visited 20 locations are stored after each update and can therefore be viewed also when the app is offline. The app offers a novel wind animation, which shows the wind flow for different altitudes as an animation for an area; the continuous zoom function allows users to see wind flows for the whole world as well as for local areas, like valleys. Furthermore, the app includes satellite and radar maps, and the where2go?! feature that displays the most sunny weather in the region surrounding the selected location. All these functions of the App are accessible for free. The App also offers a payment option to suppress advertising. A version for Android is currently under development. The meteoblue App can be downloaded for free at the AppStore: https://itunes.apple.com/ us/app/meteoblue/ id994459137 About meteoblue meteoblue delivers local weather information of high quality worldwide for any point on land and sea. meteoblue premium website content, products and services are designed for businesses that depend on the weather and for individuals having a special interest in meteorology. The weather data are based on proprietary high resolution weather models operated on 7 continents since 2008 and complemented by satellite and ground measurements. The meteoblue website offers weather information for the next 14 days and weather history in hourly steps going back to 1984, with a selection of more than 5 million places and access to any place on Earth, including mountains and oceans. The presentations include 7 to 14 days forecast, radar maps with hourly forecasts and meteograms with various parameters and cloud cover. For businesses, precision forecasts and weather history are accessible via API as data and images, and more specialised services are offered for agriculture, media, tourism, renewable energy and building management. Contact Julia Behlinger Patrick Zippenfenig ***@meteoblue.com Photos: https://www.prlog.org/ 12522701/1 https://www.prlog.org/ 12522701/2 https://www.prlog.org/ 12522701/3 Julia BehlingerPatrick Zippenfenig End -- The meteoblue weather app offers the most popular features of the meteoblue website: users can download a detailed hourly weather forecast of the next 7 days for any place in the world. Locations can also be chosen on mountains, in the desert and in the middle of the sea. The weather data for the last visited 20 locations are stored after each update and can therefore be viewed also when the app is offline. The app offers a novel wind animation, which shows the wind flow for different altitudes as an animation for an area; the continuous zoom function allows users to see wind flows for the whole world as well as for local areas, like valleys. Furthermore, the app includes satellite and radar maps, and the where2go?! feature that displays the most sunny weather in the region surrounding the selected location. All these functions of the App are accessible for free. The App also offers a payment option to suppress advertising.A version for Android is currently under development.The meteoblue App can be downloaded for free at the AppStore:About meteobluemeteoblue delivers local weather information of high quality worldwide for any point on land and sea. meteoblue premium website content, products and services are designed for businesses that depend on the weather and for individuals having a special interest in meteorology. The weather data are based on proprietary high resolution weather models operated on 7 continents since 2008 and complemented by satellite and ground measurements. The meteoblue website offers weather information for the next 14 days and weather history in hourly steps going back to 1984, with a selection of more than 5 million places and access to any place on Earth, including mountains and oceans. The presentations include 7 to 14 days forecast, radar maps with hourly forecasts and meteograms with various parameters and cloud cover. For businesses, precision forecasts and weather history are accessible via API as data and images, and more specialised services are offered for agriculture, media, tourism, renewable energy and building management. Email : ***@meteoblue.com Tags : Weather , Forecast , Wind , Radar , Satellite , App , iPhone , Apple Industry : Technology , Tourism , Travel Location : Basel City - Basel - Switzerland Subject : Products Account Phone Number Disclaimer Report Abuse Account Email AddressAccount Phone Number By: Opus 2 International Media Contact Brenda Mahedy bmahedy@opus2.com Brenda Mahedy End -- The US division ofOpus 2 International (www.opus2.com)a worldwide litigation services and software development company, today announced the appointment of Liza Pestillos-Ocat as Head of US operations. Pestillos-Ocat brings nearly 14 years of experience serving the legal tech industry. She was among the first employees of LiveNote, Inc., a company founded by Opus 2s CEO and founder, Graham Smith-Bernal, and later sold to Thomson Reuters. Following nearly ten years overseeing operations and client services for the Litigation Solutions, E-Discovery and Legal Managed Services businesses within Thomson Reuters, Liza is rejoining Smith-Bernal at Opus 2.Pestillos-Ocat works from Opus 2s San Francisco office and is responsible for providing oversight of the companys US operations, ensuring that the US business has the appropriate resources and processes to deliver on its growth strategies, with particular emphasis on operational efficiencies and the delivery of excellent product support and client services.Following a number of major recent client wins, and in anticipation of unprecedented growth for our US business, ensuring continuity across every department is increasingly vital to our mission of delivering unparalleled service quality, said Graham Smith-Bernal, Opus 2 founder. We value seasoned leaders who exemplify the company vision and Lizas history with LiveNote and her combined expertise in finance, operations and client services positions her perfectly to drive business growth while maintaining excellence in service quality and customer satisfaction.Pestillos-Ocat joins Opus 2 from the Legal Managed Services division at Thomson Reuters, where she served as Senior Director of Software Operations. She was responsible for all back office operations, product launches and the delivery of consulting and professional services for its e-discovery solutions. Before directing software operations, Liza served as the Senior Director of the Litigation Solutions business unit and provided oversight on support and client services for its litigation software products.I believe in Grahams vision and I am honored to take part in making that vision a reality. For the past decade, Ive had great success implementing fit-for-purpose managed services and Im excited to continue that work with Opus 2, said Liza Pestillos-Ocat Opus 2 is committed to reimagining the way we provide services tailored to meet the evolving needs of our litigation clients. Combine that with our innovative products and we have a solution that will continue to be a game-changer in the industry.###Opus 2 Magnum is a private, cloud-based workspace from which litigators, co-counsel and experts share transcripts, key documents, exhibits, video and research and collaborate on work product for deposition and trial preparation. The collaborative workspaces unite team members so they may jointly, or individually, dissect the salient aspects of testimony and evidence, develop questioning strategies and organize the material to be presented to the court. Version 5.0 includes a streamlined interface and significant enhancements to various aspects of its document, exhibit and transcript functionality for US and international users. The new code benefits from Opus 2 Magnum having been field-tested for several years in court rooms and arbitration centers around the world. To date, clients have used Magnum for all stages of the litigation lifecyclefrom deposition preparation, to meet and confer conferences to collaboration around discovery requests and litigation preparation.Opus 2 International is the only worldwide legal services company that blends sophisticated cloud technology with court reporting excellence to modernize evidence management during high-stakes matters across the globeincluding litigation, arbitration hearings, depositions (US) and government inquiries. Last fall, the Opus 2 Magnum service won the coveted top honor in the Innovative Solution Provider of the Year category for the 5Annual Distinguished Peer Awards sponsored by the International Legal Technology Association (ILTA). The company is comprised of experts in capturing testimony and uniting it with key litigation content. The collective team of seasoned consultants, case managers, software developers, technicians and independent court reporters are uniquely positioned to protect the integrity of both the record and the evidence and to deliver intuitive tools for their careful analysis. Opus 2 International is headquartered in London just 200 meters from The Royal Courts of Justice, The Rolls Building, and the International Dispute Resolution Centre, and offers regional offices in San Francisco, New York, Dubai, Paris, Hong Kong and Singapore. Visit opus2.com or call +1 888-960-3117 for more information. Contact Tom Sonde ***@silverroad.net Tom Sonde End -- Tom Sonde of SilverRoad Solutions will present a session entitled Best Practices for Implementing an Online HR System at the 2016 SHRM Annual Conference & Exposition on June, 20, 2015.Presentation Description:Best Practices for Implementing an Online HR SystemOne of the selling points of online based HR software is that its easier to implement. Its certainly true for the IT department. The same cannot be said for HR.The IT departments role is greatly diminished as they no longer have to worry about procuring hardware or installing and testing new software. The result is minimal IT involvement leaving HR to take a leadership role in the implementation.Surveys have reported that up to 70% of organizations are unhappy with their new HR system. While some of the blame should rightfully be directed at the software provider a significant portion of the issues can be traced directly back to an inadequate implementation. Theres a lot more to a successful system implementation then simply letting your software vendor configure your new software. There are a host of things you, as the HR practitioner, should address.This session will identify and discuss the keys to a successful implementation. It is non-technical and is designed to provide the HR practitioner with practical tips for implementing a new system.What You Will Learn: Why online HR System implementations are different Why implementations fail, who is to blame and how to avoid them. What are the key areas to focus on and how to address them. How to marry process with technology and apply best practices How to take advantage of delivered system functionalityWhitepapers on Improving HR Processes and SystemsFor additional information the following two whitepapers are available at http://www.silverroad.net/ hr/whitepaper.html Unlock the Hidden Value In Your HR System - What You Should Know Improving Inefficient HR SystemsA Key to SuccessArticles on Improving HRFor further reference please review the following articles:World at Work MagazineHuman Resources ExecutiveHuman Resources Magazinehttp://www.hreonline.com/HRE/story.jsp?storyId=26542110Speaker BiographyTom is the President and Founder of SilverRoad Solutions, a management consulting firm specializing in business process improvement.He is a member of Philadelphia SHRMs Thought Leadership Committee. Tom has extensive experience in designing and implementing process improvement initiatives while implementing new systems. He has written several articles on this topic including:Human Resources Executive magazine.About UsSilverRoad Solutions is an innovative management consulting firm specializing in Human Resource Optimization, Process Improvement and Expense Reduction Services. We assist organizations in successfully implementing transformational change.Our consultants possess strong project management skills and a thorough understanding of business processes, best practices and technology. Our clients include Fortune 1000 multinational corporations, mid-size companies, state and local governments.To learn more about Human Resource System Optimization or any other SilverRoad Solutions service please visit our website. Intelligent BPM provider grows its presence in Europe with appointment of former RICOH CFO, Andreas Herms Contact Vasileios Kospanos ***@pnmsoft.com Vasileios Kospanos End -- PNMsoft, a Microsoft Gold Partner and global provider of intelligent BPM software (iBPMS) solutions, announced today the opening of its DACH (Germany, Austria & Switzerland)headquarters in Frankfurt following the companys year-on-year growth of more than 50% in revenue for 2015.The news comes after a year of substantial accomplishments for PNMsoft. Its expansion has been fueled by the growing demand by some of the worlds largest companies to deliver automated business processes and improved Customer Experience (CX) in response to fast-changing markets. The companys global client base has dramatically expanded with the addition of many household brands, including AutoNation, AON and Arkopharma. PNMsoft customers in the DACH region include banks, insurance and manufacturing companies among others.Gal Horvitz, PNMsoft CEO, saidWe experienced tremendous growth in 2015. Expanding our operations in a key region for us like DACH is the logical next step for PNMsoft, considering our footprint in the region and also our expertise in key verticals such as Manufacturing/Automotive and Financial Services. We have been very successful working with some of the worlds largest brands on their HotProcesses and Digital Transformation journeys, and were proud that large enterprises continue to trust us with their mission-critical process automation projects. We look forward to keep growing our business, support our local clients and welcome more customers in this key region for PNMsoft.The DACH operation will be managed by newly appointed Andreas Herms. Herms is an accomplished Finance Director, Program and Business Development Manager with more than 20 years of experience directing financial and administrative processes for global production and manufacturing companies, such as RICOH and IBM. Herms joins PNMsoft at a pivotal time in the companys expansion, bringing proven experience with high-growth companies in the DACH region. His goal is to lead PNMsoft through its critical next stage of growth in the DACH region.To learn more about PNMsoft, please visit pnmsoft.com ( http://www.pnmsoft.com/ PNMsoft is a global provider of Intelligent BPM Software (iBPMS) solutions. PNMsoft Sequence, our Intelligent Business Process Management Suite, uses unique technology to enable rapid build and change of high availability workflow applications, while maintaining lifecycle governance. PNMsoft is on Gartners iBPMS Magic Quadrant. New LEED Project Manager, Shihab Naeem, Architect and LEED AP BD+C, joins South Florida LEED and Sustainability Consulting Firm, The Spinnaker Group By: The Spinnaker Group Inc. Shihab Naeem, Architect, LEED AP BD+C Contact Jessica Lieberman ***@thespinnakergroupinc.com Jessica Lieberman End -- The Spinnaker Group Inc. is pleased to announce that Shihab Naeem, Architect and LEED AP BD+C, has joined their team as a LEED Project Manager, based in the South Florida office. Shihabs responsibilities include all facets of LEED project management, working on both the LEED design and contractor credits. Shihab will work closely with fellow LEED Project Manager Brittany Storm with oversight by Jonathan Burgess, Vice President of Sustainable Operations. The firm recently celebrated the certification of its 100LEED Project and continues to be a leader in Sustainability and LEED Consulting while also offering services for Fundamental and Enhanced Commissioning, Energy Modeling and IAQ Testing. The firm is also working on several Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) projects with prospects for National Green Building Standard (NGBS), Living Building Challenge (LBC) and WELL Building Standard projects. Shihab will play a key role in helping to manage these projects to Spinnakers high standards as a LEED Proven Provider .Shihab has worked as an Architect for a firm in Coral Gables for the past 4 years and has over 15 years in the design and construction industry. He recently received his Masters Degree in Sustainable Design from The Boston Architectural College.Shihab and his wife recently celebrated their nuptials with a traditional Bangladeshi wedding. In his spare time, Shihab enjoys running, doing yoga, swimming and going on art walks. CPR Cell Phone Repair, the largest and fastest growing retail mobile device repair franchise network in North America, congratulates Peter Dvorak on the opening of his franchise store in Naples. Contact Shari Kosec Director, Onboarding and Franchisee Relations skosec@cellphonerepair.com 216-674-0645 x616 Shari KosecDirector, Onboarding and Franchisee Relations216-674-0645 x616 End -- CPR Cell Phone Repair, the largest and fastest growing retail mobile device repair franchise network in North America, is pleased to announce the opening of a new store in Naples, FL. CPR Cell Phone Repair congratulates Peter Dvorak on the opening of his franchise store in Naples and warmly welcomes him to the network.Josh Sevick, CPRs President stated, We are delighted to begin delivering CPRs service in the Naples community. This new store is conveniently located near the Berkshire Commons shopping area. This busy retail complex is home to a number of popular restaurants, shops and consumer service businesses and is adjoined by a large Publix market. CPR Naples will be able to deliver fast and efficient mobile device repair services to customers while they are shopping and dining in the area.Naples is one of the wealthiest cities in the United States with the sixth highest per capita income in the nation and real estate ranked among the most expensive in the country. Naples is home to a number of private employers, several Fortune 1000 companies including a variety of large technology firms and a major medical manufacturer, plus a number of small non-profit organizations. Much of the citys economy is based on tourism and is popular with eco-tourists visiting the Everglades, Ten Thousand Islands Refuge and Big Cypress National Preserve.CPR Cell Phone Repair of Naples is located at 7155 Radio Road, Naples, FL 34104.To learn more about the stores full range of electronic device repair services, call 239-204-3333 or visit the website: http://www.cellphonerepair.com/ naples-fl/ Founded in Orlando, Fla. in 1996, CPR Cell Phone Repair is the fastest growing wireless technology franchise in North America and operates 200 locations internationally. As a pioneer and leader in the electronics repair industry, CPR offers same-day repair and refurbishing services for cell phones, laptops, gaming systems, digital music players, tablets and other personal electronic devices. CPR was named anFranchise 500 (2013) ranking and earning a top brand on the Inc. 500, CPR continues to lead the mobile device repair industry. For more information about CPR Cell Phone Repair and franchise opportunities, visit http://www.cellphonerepair.com/ or call 877-856-5101.Shari KosecDirector, Onboarding and Franchisee RelationsCPR Cell Phone Repairskosec@cellphonerepair.com216-674-0645 x616 By: WELD Media Contact Leslie Allen lallen@themarxgrp.com 615-378-1198 Leslie Allen615-378-1198 End -- WELD announced its brand ambassadors for the 2016 race season during a news conference today at the 2015 PRI Show (http://www.performanceracing.com/)in Indianapolis. WELD president and CEO Norm Young made the announcement and said the company was founded on competition and has a long history of being involved in motorsports.We are dedicated to motorsports for 2016 and beyond, explained Young. Our brand ambassadors form an impressive list of competitors representing many different racing series.WELDs 2016 brand ambassadors include: John Force Racingo John Forceo Courtney Forceo Brittany Forceo Robert Hight Clay Millican, Stringer Performance Eric Enders-Stevens, Elite Motorsports Ashley Sanford, Sanford Racing Discovery Channels Street Outlawso Justin Big Chief Shearero Dave "Daddy Dave" Comstocko Shawn "Murder Nova" Ellington Jarett Andretti, Andretti Short Track Brian Brown, ASCS, World of Outlaws Joe Gaerte Racing Damion Gardner KKRo Daryn Pittmano Brad Swee Phoenix Performanceo Andrew Aquilanteo Joe Aquilanteo Kurt Rezzatanoo Preston Calvert Shea Holbrook, Shea Racing Fall Line Motorsportso Mark Bodeno Andrew Longeo Jack Kachaduri Justin Pawla Colten Moore, Rotation Motorsports Walker Fowler Adam McGill Megan Manschak Nic GranlunWe are proud to be associated with all these great contenders,explained Young. Our brand ambassadors help carry the WELD message into major racing series and events connecting our brands to the passionate fans and enthusiasts who support motorsports.WELD manufactures the highest quality forged race wheels for dirt, oval and drag racing, along with wheels for performance street cars and trucks. Each WELD wheel is precision engineered for maximum performance on the street, off road and at the track. For more information about WELD phone 800-788-9353 or visit www.WELDwheels.com Included in the photo are (L-to-R): Chris Bovis, Norm Young, Justin Shearer, Dave Comstock, Erica Enders, Robert Hight, Joe Aquilante, John Andretti, Jarett Andretti, Rob May, Ashley Sanford, Michael Harvey, Jason Raforgiato, Andrew Aquilante, Adam McGill, Clay Millican and John Force.WELD, based in Kansas City, Missouri, is the technology and manufacturing leader in the performance wheel market. Since 1967, WELD has been a pioneer in wheel engineering and design from main street to the race track. WELDs precision and quality is validated by amassing more professional race wins than any other wheel company. Every race and street wheel is subjected to the same quality and design standards. WELDs entire line of performance wheels can be seen at www.WELDwheels.com.WELD is a Granite Creek company. Granite Creek invests in businesses with defensible market niches, recognized brands, strong intellectual property and/or manufacturing process assets led by entrepreneurial management teams in food/agribusiness, medical devices and instruments, and transportation industry sectors. "...My Path to Faith takes us through a journey that only someone living with the disease can do." - Nanci Young By: Nanci's Gift Media Contact TaKeyia Monique ***@hautehipstersmedia.com 2025030693 TaKeyia Monique2025030693 End -- Breast cancer can be a difficult journey that many people fear to face. However, Nanci Young, a 3 time cancer survivor, has turned a difficult journey into a path to faith. Nanci has dedicated her life to motivating families to fight cancer and to not let it fight you. Even though the cancer recently returned, Nanci continues to motivate families through her newly released book, My Path to Faith: An Autobiography of Faith, Hope, and Courage.Nanci shares her story of survival and faith, walking you through the major surgeries and therapies, her arguments with God, and her strength to expect miracles even in the face of setbacks and challenges. Nanci speaks on the many fears surrounding cancer and the challenges of maintaining ones faith through it all.To celebrate the launch of her book, My Path to Faith, Nanci will be having a book signing on January 23, 2016 at The Potters House (1658 Columbia Road NW Washington, D.C.) from 5 -7pm. During this time, she will be discussing the purpose for the book and signing copies for purchase.For bookings and media inquiries please contact TaKeyia Monique via email: takeyia@hautehipstersmedia.com. To learn more about Nancis Gift, please visit nancisgift.org.###Born in New York City and raised in Northern New Jersey, Nanci has called Maryland home for the last 30 years. She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1991 at the age of 37, and then three more times in 2002, 2010, and 2013. It was after her third diagnosis in 2010, that Nanci realized the need to share her story.Haute Hipsters Media is a high-class communications and branding boutique agency specializing in social media, media relations, crisis management, launching and repositioning brands, and event management in the art, fashion, and lifestyle industries. Haute Hipsters Media focuses on developing and executing strategically targeted press campaigns and events on any level to brand clients as trendsetters in their own industry. Media Contact Hodges University tiffany@getpushing.com Hodges University End -- Hodges University has named Alan R. Korest, Naples civic leader and philanthropist, as its 2016 Humanitarian of the Year. Chosen unanimously by the selection committee comprised of past award winners, Korest will join a distinguished fraternity of Collier County citizens who have had a profound, positive impact of the quality of life in our community, says Phil Memoli, vice president of university advancement at Hodges. The award will be presented at the 20th Annual Humanitarian of the Year Luncheon on March 22, 2016.Born in Illinois and raised in Detroit, Korest was the first in his family to graduate from college, earning a bachelors degree in business from Northwestern University. There, he came to understand the importance of education, later calling it the single most important part of our lives. After graduation, he enlisted in the United States Navy, attending the Officers Candidate School and serving in air reconnaissance over the South China Sea during the Korean War.Returning to the United States after three years of service, he first worked for his fathers small business, then in 1958 created his own company, which specialized in industrial sales and manufacturing, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He served as its chief executive officer for nearly 25 years before selling the company to his employees and retiring.Korest and his late wife, Marilyn, moved to Naples in 1983. This was a new beginning, he said. In moving to Naples, I discovered that I wanted to do beneficial things in the community. Over the past 30 years, Korest has served in countless civic capacities. For the City of Naples, he was planning advisory board member, councilman and vice mayor. There, I learned how important it is for good people to become involved. Leaders should listen to what others say and work collaboratively, and, of course, should have an active sense of humor, he commented.Additional commitments include having served as chairman of the Board of Moorings Park, Inc., board member of the Florida Gulf Coast University Foundation, co-founder and president of the Forum Club, member of the Collier County Tourist Development Council, Big Cypress Basin and the Metropolitan Planning Organization, director of the Education Foundation - Champions for Learning and more.Tangible results of his philanthropic efforts are evident throughout the community. The Korests envisioned and oversaw the creation of the Bower Chapel at Moorings Park, which was donated to the community by his late father-in-law, Edwin Bower. Housing the world-class Fenner Douglass organ, the chapel serves as a center of spirituality, music and camaraderie, and was recently enhanced by the addition of the adjacent Alan and Marilyn Korest Plaza.There are many opportunities to give back in this community. My father-in-law was the most unselfishly generous person Ive ever met, and he taught me just how important philanthropy is, comments Korest. It is our job to do good - and enjoy doing it - while we are here, he said.In 2006, the Korests founded the Bower School of Music (now the Bower School of Music and the Arts) at Florida Gulf Coast University, donating $2.5 million to its creation and naming it in honor of the late Mr. Bower. In less than a decade, students from the school have twice appeared in Carnegie Hall.Passionate about using music to help children learn, Korest continues to support MusicScores!, a Pre-K program that uses violin training and has proved highly effective in increasing kindergarten readiness. Other programs in which he has been actively involved include Take Stock in Children, a scholarship and mentoring program of The Education Foundation - Champions for Learning, and Music in America, for which he served as founding chair.Earlier, Korest received numerous community awards, including the 2011 Outstanding Citizen of the Year (Naples Daily News), the Order of the Majestic Eagle (Florida Gulf Coast University Foundation) and 2013 Heart of the Apple (Education Foundation - Champions for Learning).We are pleased to honor Alan Korest for his years of service to our community. He has been a tireless supporter of education and is the epitome of the kind of special person that we choose as a Hodges University Humanitarian,said Dr. David Borofsky, president of Hodges University.Baird Private Wealth Management Robert W. Baird & Co. generously presents Hodges Universitys Humanitarian of the Year Award Luncheon. Baird is an employee-owned, international wealth management, capital markets, private equity and asset management firm with offices in the United States, Europe and Asia.Baird is delighted to be the presenting sponsor of this prestigious event, which aligns well with our longstanding tradition of giving back to the communities in which we live and work, said Mike Prioletti, senior vice president and branch manager of Bairds Naples office. We join Hodges University in recognizing the valuable contributions of Alan Korest and the many generous community citizens honored before him.Hodges University would also like to recognize Gulfshore Business as the media sponsor for this years event.Previous award recipients include Alan Horton (2015), J. Dudley Goodlette (2014), John R. Wood (2013), William and Nancy Lascheid (2012), Dolph and Sharon von Arx (2011), Juliet C. Judy Sproul, Katherine Katie Sproul and Jennifer Sproul Sullivan (2010), Terry and Christine Flynn (2009), Jerry and Arlene Nichols (2008), Truly Nolen (2007), Michael Watkins and Ellin Goetz (2006), Clyde Butcher (2005), Peter Thomas (2004), William Schoen (2003), Frances Pew Hayes (2002), Earl Hodges (2001), Corbin Wyant (2000), Jack Humphrey (1999), Myra Janco Daniels (1998), and Lavern Norris Gaynor (1997).Korest will be formally recognized at an award luncheon at 11:30 a.m. on March 22, 2016, at the Naples Grande Beach Resort.Tickets for the event are $175 per person. For more information on ticket reservations or sponsorship opportunities, call April May at (239) 598-6153 or visit www.hodges.edu. Learn more about how to write fiction, non-fiction, poetry and other genres. By: Writers Resource Center Writers Resource Center Contact TLW Public Relations ***@tlwpublicrelations.com TLW Public Relations End -- Members of the Writers Resource Center (WRC) will kick-off the new year with a look at the many genres used by authors and how any writer can use them to tell their story. The seminars agenda will include a discussion of fiction, non-fiction, self-help, poetry, romance novels, Christian fiction, science fiction and more. The class is being offered as part of the groups Developing Authors Series and will be taught by acclaimed Bay Area authors Vicki Ward and Wanda Campbell. The event will be held onSeating is limited;pleaseAdmission is free for members; non-members pay a small fee. Membership applications will be available at the meeting and complementary refreshments will be served.We hope to have another successful year providing instruction, inspiration and support to writers, says WRC President Janie P. Bess. If you love to write; want to write; we hope to see you at this class and throughout the year.The meeting will include writing exercises and homework assignments. Participants are asked to bring writing supplies and/or electronic devices and a three-ring binder to hold handouts.Every January WRC has a membership drive. Member benefits include free or reduced-fee admission to meetings and special events; and a chance to serve on policy and planning committees. To become a member please attend this meeting or visit the the groups website at www.wrcnoca.com and sign-up online. If you were a member last year you can renew your membership at this seminar or online.About the Writers Resource CenterThe Writers Resource Center is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 2003 by Janie P. Bess, an author, recipient of a California state honors award from Assembly Member Susan Bonilla, and member of the National Association of Professional Women. WRC has members located throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and the nation. It offers resources for both the aspiring and accomplished writer, including workshops, presentations at local, regional and national conferences, and information on how to find an agent or publisher. It is an affiliate of the Independent Book Publishing Association (IBPA), a national organization that provides an array of services to self publishers and independent publishing companies. For more information on WRC, please visit By: Ju-Ju-Be, LILLEbaby, Kanga Care & Clek Contact Bill Horn, Marque Communications ***@marquecommunications.com Bill Horn, Marque Communications End -- Today, four leading brands in the juvenile gear and accessories industry and announced the coordinated release of their products featuring a never-before-seen, space themedprint.Previously, all four companies have collaborated with tokidoki, the pop culture brand meaning sometimesin Japanese, but never at the same time and with the same printJu-Ju-Bes wide variety of bags and accessories, and LILLEbabys COMPLETE baby carrier, will be available on Tuesday, January 19in stores internationally and online atandrespectively. And then on Friday, February 19Kanga Cares cloth diapers and Cleks child passenger safety seats will be available for purchase in stores internationally and online at www.kangacare.com and www.clekinc.com respectively. The Ju-Ju-Be, LILLEbaby and Kanga Care collections will also be available at www.tokidoki.it Adorned with extraterrestrial costumes, accessories and icons, tokidokis space themed print features an all-star cast of characters from the tokidoki universe playing under a starry-skied night.Since debuting in 2005, tokidoki has amassed a cult-like following for its largerthan-life characters and emerged as a sought after global lifestyle brand. tokidoki celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2015 and commemorated the momentous occasion with a yearlong tribute to #tokidoki10ve.We are thrilled to begin 2016 with such an exciting cross-brand collaboration, that is sure to delight tokidoki moms, dads and their little ones. said, co-founder & CEO of, co-founder & Creative Director ofadded, This is the first time I have designed a print that was specifically intended for multiple categories, and I am so excited it has come to life with these partners in an ever expanding category for us.Ju-Ju-Bes collaborations with tokidoki last year were out-of-this-world successful!,saids co-founder. The coordinated release of Space Place with our friends at LILLEbaby, Kanga Care and Clekdemonstrates just how well loved tokidoki has become in the juvenile space. Were excited that our fans will finally get to purchase one or more of the sixteen different styles Ju-Ju-Be is releasing in this awesome new print.During 2015, we learned first-hand the power and appeal of tokidoki and are thrilled to start off the new year with them, along with some of our favorite brands in the industry: Ju-Ju-Be, Kanga Care, and Clek, saids founder. The whimsical, playful flair that tokidoki brings to our carrier collection has been wildly successful worldwide, and were happy to be offering Space Place in several styles. Were over-the-moon excited that LILLEbaby fans will have the chance to enjoy this unique print on our carriers and collect coordinating pieces from the other fantastic brands in this collaboration!Heading into our second year as part of the tokidoki family, we continue to be amazed by the amount of energy generated by the tokidoki launches, said, President & CEO of.Both our 2015 tokidoki print releases were the most successful launches in our 9 years of bringing innovative and fashion forward prints to the cloth diapering market. We are honored to be launching tokiSpace, our tokidoki Space Place collaboration, with our good friends at Ju-Ju-Be, LILLEbaby and Clek and couldnt ask for better company on this journey!"The tokidoki for Clek partnership has been a great way to expand upon our design DNA since we first collaborated with them in 2013, explainedPresident,. We are excited to continue our partnership with tokidoki in the launch of the space print along with other respected brands in the juvenile industry."Bill Horn for Ju-Ju-Be, LILLEbaby and Kanga Care - bill@marquecommunications.comJulie McCuen for Clek communications@clekinc.comSilvano Barba for tokidoki - press@tokidoki.it This new partnership marks the first time that Austin Adventures has entered into an agreement with Virtuoso, one of the globes premier luxury travel organizations. The by-invitation-only organization is comprised of over 380 agency members. By: Austin Adventures Virtuoso Contact Widness & Wiggins PR ***@travelnewssource.com Widness & Wiggins PR End --Dan Austin, president of Austin Adventures (http://www.austinadventures.com/), a leader in luxury multisport and active family vacations worldwide, announces that his company has been invited to join the prestigious supplier portfolio at Virtuoso (http://www.virtuoso.com/), the leading international travel agency network specializing in luxury and experiential travel.In this new partnership, Virtuoso, one of the best-known and respected travel groups in the world, gains new market-proven product from Austin Adventures for its more than 11,400 elite travel advisors in over 30 countries. Austin Adventures gains new market access to millions of travel-savvy consumers.This comes at the heels of a partnership Austin Adventures forged in 2013 with Xanterra Parks & Resorts which has opened doors to countless new opportunities, allowing Austin Adventures unparalleled behind-the-scenes access, support and security on its tours (especially those that visit U.S. National Parks).Through hard work and dedication to excellence, both Virtuoso and Austin Adventures have become recognized leaders in luxury and experiential travel. This new partnership will bring our special style of adventure and high-end travel to an expanded market of individuals and families seeking quality, authenticity and intimacy in a vacation experience,Austin said.This new partnership marks the first time that Montana-based Austin Adventures has entered into an agreement with Virtuoso, one of the globes premier luxury travel organizations. The by-invitation-only organization is comprised of over 380 agency members and more than 11,400 elite travel advisors in over 30 countries throughout North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East.This strategic partnership comes at a time when Austin Adventures is experiencing its most significant expansion of trips and destinations to date, added Austin. With the addition of Asia (Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Bali and Vietnam), Austin Adventures now offers programs on all seven continents.In addition to expanding geographically, AA is adding multisport programs in Europe (France, Macedonia and Croatia) and in South America (Chile, Peru and Argentina).Back by popular demand, in 2016 it is reintroducing classic cycle tours in Europe. Austin said the demand for pure bike-only tours is strong. The new twist will be the inclusion of celebrity host and guide Ron van Dijk of Austin Adventures who in 2016 celebrates his 42anniversary of guiding bike tours. Austin Adventures new cycle tours for 2016 are: Denmark Danish Isles; Holland/Belgium | Brussels to Bruges & Gent; France - Burgundy; and Austria/Czech Republic-Vienna To Prague.Stateside Austin Adventures is introducing exclusive five-star lodging and gourmet dining that combine biking, hiking, rafting and horseback riding in iconic destinations. For example, the new-for-1016 Colorado | 5-Star Wilderness Adventure is a six-day/five-night ( http://www.austinadventures.com/ packages/colorado- 5-star-... ) immersion in what this company does best making sure the wows are stirred into the vacation mix that includes The Broadmoor, Cloud Camp and Ranch at Emerald Valley.Austin Adventures has also created the distinction as experts in planning and delivering family vacations. Seeking out family travel and adventure experiences are high on Virtuoso advisors lists, as multigenerational travel is a top trend predicted for 2016, followed in second by adventure travel and in third place travel with ones immediate family.Adventure travel is a growing area of interest for Virtuoso travel advisors and their clients, said Cece Drummond, managing director of Destinations & Experiences for Virtuoso. In fact, the 2016 Virtuoso Luxe Report ( http://www.virtuoso.com/ getmedia/0c341b07- 5ce8-4ced-a472- ... ) named it one of the top trends for this year.Travel agent and agency bookings are an increasing percentage of our overall business, said Austin. With the help of Virtuoso we project that agency business will represent one of every three reservations by 2018. Being a Preferred Supplier offers Austin Adventures new travel agency distribution channels in the United States, as well as in other mutually important regions where Virtuoso operates, including Europe, Australia and Canada..For more information on all of the destinations, trips and itineraries offered by Austin Adventures visit http://www.austinadventures.com, call (800) 575-1540 or email info@austinadventures.com.Virtuoso is the leading international travel agency network specializing in luxury and experiential travel. This by invitation-only organization comprises over 380 agency members with more than 11,400 elite travel advisors in over 30 countries throughout North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. Drawing upon its preferred relationships with 1,700 of the worlds best hotels and resorts, cruise lines, airlines, tour companies and premier destinations, the network provides its upscale clientele with exclusive amenities, rare experiences and privileged access. More than (U.S.) $15.5 billion in annual travel sales makes Virtuoso a powerhouse in the luxury travel industry. For more information, visit virtuoso.com (http://www.virtuoso.com/)Based in Billings, MT, Austin Adventures (formerly Austin-Lehman Adventures) has spent more than 40 years building an international reputation as a provider of scheduled small group tours and customized trips to all seven continents. In 2014, Kasey Austin, Vice President of Operations, was named the Worlds Top Family Guide by Outside Magazine. In 2013, Austin Adventures joined the Xanterra Parks & Resorts (http://www.xanterra.com/)portfolio of experiential leisure offerings.Sara Widness / 802-234-6704 / sara@widnesspr.comDave Wiggins / 303-554-8821 /dave@travelnewssource.com St. Louis transaction includes reuse, revitalization, and rebirth By: Hilliker Corporation American Trailer & Storage rendering Contact Hilliker Corporation ***@brandveinpr.com Hilliker Corporation End -- Hilliker Corporation, a St. Louis owned and managed commercial real estate company, recently assisted a Kansas City-based truck-trailer and container company consolidate its four local offices.American Trailer & Storage recently purchased three buildings located at 8330 8384 N. Broadway for $700,000. The more than 141,000-square-foot property, most of which is 35 years old, sits on 12 acres of land. The company specializes in the rental and sale of portable onsite storage containers, new and used semi-trailers, and secure onsite portable office containers. Founded in 1994, American Trailer & Storage is headquartered in Kansas City, Mo. and also has offices in Omaha, Neb.The first building at 8330 N. Broadway totals 16,500-square-feet and is the home for a Concentra Urgent Care, Baden Facility Alcoholics Anonymous meeting place, and Navas Auto Repair.The second building at 8360 N. Broadway is the previous home of a Hardees restaurant, which the new owners are hoping to secure another restaurant user for and have retained Hilliker Corporation agent Patrick McKay to handle the marketing and leasing of the 2,700-square-foot property.The third building at 8380 N. Broadway is 124,000-square-feet and will be torn down in order to house American Trailer & Storage. It was the previous home of a flea market, banquet hall and night club. The company plans to combine its four local offices in downtown St. Louis, St. Charles, and OFallon, Mo., as well as in East St. Louis, Ill. into one centralized office space and shop.Hilliker Corporation broker Patrick McKay represented the buyer, HH Property, LLC and CBRE broker Ben Friedman represented the seller, First Financial Collateral, Inc.Hilliker Corporation, which targets regional and national entrepreneurs, is St. Louis largest locally owned independent commercial real estate company located at 1401 S. Brentwood Blvd. The firms agents, who each average over 15 years of experience, have completed more than 10,000 sales and leases for industrial, office, retail and institutional clients since its inception in 1985. For more information, contact Patrick McKay at (314) 781-0001 or visit their website at http:// www.hillikercorp.com The Los Angeles County Fire Department STENTORIANS, Sponsors, Neighbors, and Volunteers all labored for goodwill By: LRS Plumbing LRS PLUMBING SEASON OF GIVING 2015 Media Contact Lisa Humphrey media@premierconceptspr.com 310.293.4154 Photo: https://www.prlog.org/ 12522844/1 Lisa Humphrey310.293.4154 End -- LRS Plumbing ended their annualfor 2015 on Monday, January 4, 2016 with the help of the Los Angeles County Fire Department STENTORIANS, other sponsors, volunteers and Inglewood neighbors.As part of their ongoing philanthropy efforts, LRS Plumbing started "" as a way to give back to their community by providing services free of charge to a person and/or a family in need. The 2015 awardees were Mr. and Mrs. McGhee who have lived on the 8100 block of 3Ave in Inglewood, CA for over 30 years and were in need of dire help throughout their deteriorating home.With the assistance from sponsors True Restoration, Quality Equipment Rentals, and LA Blue Plumbing and Heating, LRS Plumbing installed the McGhees urgent upgrades to their home, which included a new tankless water heater, new kitchen fixtures and enhancements of their homes plumbing drains. They also received new carpet and furniture purchased by their neighbors along with new exterior/interior paint, eco-landscaping and an overhaul of debris removed by the STENTORIANS.General Manager of LRS Plumbingled a press conference to discuss their annual event and partnership with the Los Angeles County Fire Department Stentorians. Attending the press conference were LA County Fire Chief Daryl Osby, The STENTORIANS, City of Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts, District 1 Councilman George Dotson, LRS Plumbing employees, volunteers and Inglewood neighbors.says Field Supervisorof LRS Plumbing.During the press conference, sponsors HP Paint Services, True Restoration, J.A. Caddell Trucking, Quality Equipment Rentals, WATTS Coffee House, and 94.7 The WAVE were acknowledged for their outstanding support to the event.For media inquiries, contact Lisa Humphrey, Premier Concepts, email: media@premierconceptspr.com or call 310.293.4154.LRS Plumbing was established in 1997 by Leonard Redway II, a 4generation plumber who merged time tested plumbing traditions with modern day technology. LRS Plumbings mission is to provide Los Angeles residents and businesses with excellent plumbing services and to encourage community empowerment and renewal and development in urban communities around the city. www.lrsplumbing.com The STENTORIANS organization was founded in 1954 by African-American firefighters of the Los Angeles City and Los Angeles County Fire Departments. Their purpose and goals were to band together and address the discrimination and segregation challenges in the City's Fire Department. The name STENTORIANS, was selected for its appropriateness from the word Stentor, a Greek Herald described in the Iliad as having the voice of fifty men, extremely loud and powerful, audibly expressing a very forceful sound. Today, the STENTORIANS function as a community-based and social organization for their membership and their families. www.lacostentorians.org DUBLIN, January 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/9fd7j6/controlledrelease) has announced the addition of the "Controlled-Release Fertilizers Market by Type, Crop Type & Region - Global Trends and Forecast to 2020" report to their offering. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130307/600769) The market for controlled-release fertilizers is projected to reach USD 3,196.5 Million by 2020, with rising opportunities in emerging region such as Asia-Pacific. In 2014, the North American region was the largest market for controlled-release fertilizers. In terms of value, the market in the Asia-Pacific region is projected to grow at the highest CAGR of 7.7% from 2015 to 2020. The segmentation of the controlled-release fertilizers market is based on the types of controlled-release fertilizers. The study considers condensation products of urea, coated & encapsulated fertilizers, N-stabilizers and others in this research report. The market is further segmented on the basis of crop type which includes cereals & oilseeds, turf & ornamentals, fruits & vegetables and others. The market is driven by factors such as high efficiency in crop production, ease of application, reduced application cost, environment-friendly properties drives the controlled-release fertilizers market. The Asia-Pacific market is projected to have the highest CAGR. Growth in population and the increasing demand for food products/materials and shortage of arable land in countries in Asia-Pacific region has resulted in the growth of the controlled-release fertilizers market in the Asia-Pacific. In terms of value, the market in North America dominated the controlled-release fertilizers market with a market share of 39.7% The key players in this market are Yara International ASA (Norway), Agrium, Inc. (Canada), Israel Chemicals Ltd. (Israel), The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (Ohio) and Kingenta Ecological Engineering Group Co. Ltd. (China). The controlled-release fertilizers market is an emerging market with key market players taking strategic decisions of new product developments, expansions, acquisitions, and investments to develop their position in the controlled-release fertilizers market. Other players such as Socided Quimica Y Minera S.A. (chile), Haifa Chemicals Limited (Israel), Compo GmbH Co. KG (Germany), Aglukon Spezialduenger GmbH & Co. KG (Germany) and Tessenderlo Group (Germany)are also expanding their presence in the market. Key Topics Covered: 1 Introduction 2 Research Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Premium Insights 5 Market Overview 6 Industry Trends 7 Controlled-Release Fertilizers Market, By Type 8 Controlled-Release Fertilizers Market, By Crop Type 9 Controlled-Release Fertilizers Market, By Region 10 Competitive Landscape 11 Company Profiles (Company At A Glance, Recent Financials, Products & Services, Strategies & Insights, & Recent Developments) - Aglukon Spezialduenger Gmbh & Co. Kg - Agrium Inc. - Compo Gmbh Co. Kg - Haifa Chemicals Limited - Israel Chemicals Limited - Kingenta Ecological Engineering Group Co. Ltd - Sociedad Quimica Y Minera S.A. - Tessenderlo Group - The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company - Yara International Asa For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/9fd7j6/controlledrelease About Research and Markets: Research and Markets is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Media Contact: Laura Wood +353-1-481-1716 press@researchandmarkets.net SOURCE Research and Markets NEW YORK, Jan. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- DDB Group Worldwide (NYSE: OMC) has appointed Joji Jacob, Group Executive Creative Director, DDB Group Singapore as Head of DDB Asia's Creative Council. In addition to his creative remit covering Singapore, Hong Kong, China and Korea, Joji will also take care of India working closely with Sonal Dabral, Chief Creative Officer of DDB Mudra. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160106/319676 "DDB is one of the first advertising networks in the world to form a creative council. We are upbeat about our drive to do the best sort of work for our clients in Asia and the world, the sort of work that would win both Cannes Lions and Effies," said Amir Kassaei, Chief Creative Officer of DDB Worldwide. "We have seen a rise in creative work coming out of Asia in the last few years. It is an incredibly key region for our worldwide, and local clients. Joji is one of our most powerfully creative thinkers. He is an innovator and an inspiring leader. I know he will do great things in this role and win both respect, and accolades for the DDB network," added Kassaei. Spearheading DDB Asia's creative agenda, Joji will re-launch Asia's Creative Council with a focus on key clients and the agency. The DDB Asia Creative Council will approach a programme, Awards for Creativity and Effectiveness (ACE), with a three-pronged strategy. Firstly, ACE will nurture and boost award-winning creativity at international and local creative shows. Secondly, it will focus on creative effectiveness, to lead and showcase DDB Asia's success for its clients. Finally, ACE will spearhead innovative work for key clients through DDB's Fit for Excellence programme. "It is a privilege to assist Amir and David with DDB's Creative Council in Asia. It is my task now to help our offices in the region play as one for the benefit of our clients and our people. And of course, I look forward to working even more closely with Sonal Dabral, Tim Cheng, Clifford Ng and Jong-Sang Yoo," said Jacob. The appointment takes immediate effect. DDB Group Asia (DDB and Tribal Worldwide) is united behind our founder, Bill Bernbach's belief, that creativity is the most powerful force in business. DDB Group Asia Pacific is cohesive collaboration of global businesses, including DDB (advertising), Tribal Worldwide (digital), Interbrand (brand consultancy), DDB Remedy (healthcare and medical), Mango PR (PR and experiential) and Tracey Locke (shopper marketing). Comprising of 33 offices in 14 countries DDB Group Asia Pacific is part of the DDB Worldwide communications network and Omnicom Group. MEDIA CONTACT: Kate Neill Director of Regional Communications, DDB Group Asia Pacific Kate.neill@asiapac.ddb.com Mobile: +852-9834-9674 Angela Tan Director of Marketing, DDB Group Asia T: +65-66714495 E: angela.tan@sg.ddb.com SOURCE DDB Group Worldwide BRUSSELS, January 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The European Campaign for Animal Rights (ECFAR) today called on Romania to act to ban fur farming within its borders. ECFAR is increasingly concerned that Romania is seen as an easy destination by companies facing fur-farming bans in their own countries. Speaking in Brussels today, ECFAR director Jennifer Hamerman said: "While we are all so pleased that the hard-fought battle to ban fur farming in the Netherlands is finally won and fur farming will be banned there, sadly this just means that the torture gets transferred to other countries. "There are 153 fur farms in Romania and we note that these include farms run by Dutch companies avoiding the ban in their own country. Perhaps newer countries to the EU feel they need to accept such practices, but it is difficult to comprehend why Romania -- with its highly educated workforce, great capacity for high tech innovation, natural resources and advantageous geographical location -- wants to suffer s a reputation as a destination for a practice rejected as cruel by Croatia, the UK and Austria." ECFAR believes the farming of mink, wild and solitary by nature, in small and dirty cages where they pace and self-harm is cruel. The killing methods of gassing to death in boxes or anal electrocution are also completely unacceptable. Ms Hamerman added: "Fur farming is an industry that inflicts extreme cruelty, both in the way it forces animals to live and the methods used to kill. There are countless natural and synthetic alternatives for the clothing industry to use. We have no need or excuse for this industry. Let Romania take a stand in banning fur farms." http://www.europeananimalrights.org SOURCE European Campaign for Animal Rights PALO ALTO, California, Jan. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Eiger BioPharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the initiation of enrollment and first patient dosed in LOWR HDV 4 (LOnafarnib With Ritonavir in Hepatitis Delta Virus 4) at the Hannover Medical School in Hannover, Germany. LOWR HDV 4 is an open label, dose titration study designed to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of lonafarnib combined with ritonavir for a total of 24 weeks in fifteen patients with chronic hepatitis delta. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151108/285009LOGO "We are very pleased to participate in our first Phase 2 study involving lonafarnib in hepatitis delta-infected patients," said Heiner Wedemeyer, MD, Principal Investigator, Research Group Leader in the Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology at Hannover Medical School and founding member of the Hepatitis Delta International Network (HDIN). "We are committed to advancing research and to identifying effective therapeutic options for patients infected with HDV, the most aggressive form of chronic viral hepatitis." "Dr. Wedemeyer is a long-time advisor to Eiger BioPharmaceuticals and we are proud to involve Hannover Medical School in our development of lonafarnib for HDV," said Eduardo Martins, MD, DPhil, Senior Vice President of Liver and Infectious Diseases Drug Development at Eiger BioPharmaceuticals. "LOWR HDV 4 is designed to help elucidate the potential benefits of dose titration as well as the antiviral potential of lonafarnib in combination with ritonavir in a longer duration study." About Sarasar (lonafarnib) Lonafarnib is a well-characterized, late-stage, orally active inhibitor of farnesyl transferase, an enzyme involved in modification of proteins through a process called prenylation. HDV uses this host cell process inside liver cells to complete a key step in its life cycle. Lonafarnib inhibits the prenylation step of HDV replication inside liver cells and blocks the virus life cycle at the stage of assembly. Since prenylation is carried out by a host enzyme, this compound may present a higher barrier to development of viral resistance mutations. Lonafarnib has been dosed in over 50 HDV-infected patients across international academic centers and is in Phase 2 development for HDV. Lonafarnib has been granted Orphan Drug Designation by the US FDA and European Medicines Agency (EMA), and Fast Track Designation by US FDA. Lonafarnib is not approved for any indication, and is licensed from Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. (known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada). About Hepatitis Delta Virus (HDV) Hepatitis Delta (or Hepatitis D) is caused by infection with HDV and is considered to be one of the most severe forms of viral hepatitis in humans. Hepatitis D occurs only as a co-infection in individuals harboring Hepatitis B Virus (HBV). Hepatitis D leads to more severe liver disease than HBV alone and is associated with accelerated liver fibrosis, liver cancer, and liver failure. Hepatitis D is a disease with a significant impact on global health, which may affect up to approximately 15 million people worldwide. The prevalence of HDV varies among different parts of the world. Globally, HDV infection is reported to be present in approximately 5-6% of chronic Hepatitis B carriers. The prevalence of HDV in patients infected with chronic HBV is even higher in certain regions, including certain parts of Mongolia, China, Russia, Central Asia, Pakistan, Turkey, Africa, and South America, with an HDV prevalence as high as 60% being reported in HBV-infected patients in Mongolia and Pakistan. About Eiger Eiger is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to bringing to market novel products for the treatment of Orphan diseases. The company has built a diverse portfolio of well-characterized product candidates with the potential to address diseases for which the unmet medical need is high, the biology for treatment is clear, and for which an effective therapy is urgently needed. Safe Harbor Statements Additional Information about the Proposed Merger between Celladon Corporation and Eiger BioPharmaceuticals, Inc. and Where to Find It In connection with the proposed merger between Celladon Corporation and Eiger BioPharmaceuticals, Inc., Celladon has filed a registration statement on Form S-4 with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, including a proxy statement/prospectus/information statement, but the registration statement has not yet become effective. The proxy statement/prospectus/information statement and any other relevant documents filed by Celladon with the SEC may be obtained free of charge at the SEC web site at www.sec.gov. In addition, investors and security holders may obtain free copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Celladon by directing a written request to: Celladon Corporation, 12707 High Bluff Dr #200, San Diego, CA 92130, Attention: Investor Relations. Investors and security holders are urged to read the proxy statement/prospectus/information statement and the other relevant materials before making any voting or investment decision with respect to the proposed merger. This communication shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offering of securities in connection with the proposed merger shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Celladon and its directors and executive officers and Eiger and its directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the stockholders of Celladon in connection with the proposed transaction. Information regarding the special interests of these directors and executive officers in the merger is included in the proxy statement/prospectus/information statement referred to above. Additional information regarding the directors and executive officers of Celladon is also included in Celladon Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 and the proxy statement for Celladon's 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. These documents are available free of charge at the SEC web site (www.sec.gov) and from Investor Relations at Celladon at the address described above. Investors: Jim Shaffer, Eiger Bio, Inc., 919-345-4256, jshaffer@eigerbio.com Related Links http://www.eigerbio.com SOURCE Eiger BioPharmaceuticals, Inc. LONDON and LAS VEGAS, January 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- 41% of mobile users are " reluctant sharers " of their personal data Globally, 47% of consumers would pay extra for a privacy-friendly app 21% of mobile users currently take no action to secure their device Global mobile trade body Mobile Ecosystem Forum (MEF) today unveiled the results of its Global Consumer Trust Report in association with AVG Technologies at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The third annual report studies the attitudes and behaviours relating to privacy and security of over 5000 mobile media users in Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, South Africa, UK and USA. The MEF report reveals that over a third (36 per cent) of consumers are put off downloading and using more mobile apps and services due to privacy and security concerns. This means for the fourth consecutive year trust remains the biggest barrier to growth across the mobile ecosystem; with more than 52 per cent of respondents in the eight countries studied deleting apps that worried them, over a third (38 per cent) stopping using them altogether and a fifth (21 per cent) leaving negative reviews or warning friends. In addition, fewer mobile users are comfortable with the idea of sharing personal information with app and mobile service providers. In 2013, 21 per cent of those studied said they were always happy to share personal data with an app. By 2015, this has fallen to just 6 per cent. Whereas the number of 'reluctant sharers' who do not wish to share personal information but know they must if they want to use the app leapt to 41 per cent from 33 per cent last year. Significantly, almost half (47 per cent) said they would pay extra for apps which guaranteed the data collected would not be shared with third parties, with more than one in six (17 per cent) willing to pay a premium of more than 10% to ensure their data is protected. When it comes to device security, 23 per cent of mobile users who secure their device now use more than one method of protection, with biometrics increasing from 7 per cent to 11 per cent year on year. However, 21 per cent of the study's respondents still take no action to secure their device, suggesting consumer awareness still has some way to go. MEF CEO Rimma Perelmuter commented "MEF's 4th Global Consumer Trust Report highlights the significant consequences of consumers' growing concerns around data privacy and security on the mobile ecosystem. Behavioural trends among consumers such as deleting apps or ceasing to use apps already downloaded are clear indicators that the industry has to do more to build a sustained and trusted relationship with consumers. With 41% of mobile users identified as "reluctant sharers" of their personal data, the MEF Report is a wake-up call to the mobile industry to collaborate and do more to instil transparency and consumer trust in mobile services. This is why we continue to champion industry best practice via our Global Consumer Trust Initiative and why such a broad cross-section of the mobile industry are taking an active role. Concurrently, the MEF Report identifies a clear opportunity for businesses that put trust at the heart of their business with 47% willing to pay extra for privacy-friendly apps. This is just one example of how the mobile industry can look to cater to the trust-conscious consumer by establishing exciting new business models and services that recognise mobile users with different needs." "We must cooperate as an industry to go beyond simply being 'good enough' at protecting our customers," said Harvey Anderson, Chief Legal Officer for AVG Technologies. "Transparency and education need to go hand-in-hand with an industrywide commitment to establish and hold each other to human-centered principles. People should not have to trade privacy and security to benefit from the wealth of data-enabled services that are available now and on the horizon, and it is up to us to create the right future." Global round-up Reluctant sharers who share data only because they have no other choice if they want to use the app account for half of US and German mobile users (53% and 47% respectively), a rise of a quarter in the US and a third in Germany . . Concern around data privacy and security is greatest in China , USA and Germany (39% vs. the 36% total). Chinese consumers have the highest security concerns (19%), whereas Americans are most put off by data-hungry apps (18%). , and (39% vs. the 36% total). Chinese consumers have the highest security concerns (19%), whereas Americans are most put off by data-hungry apps (18%). In Brazil , consumers currently assign greater sensitivity to their photos than their financial information (28% vs. 11%). In India , contact information (23%) is considered most sensitive. For more information about MEF's Global Consumer Trust Report 2016 please go to XXX. About MEF The Mobile Ecosystem Forum is a global trade body that acts as an impartial and authoritative champion for addressing issues affecting the broadening mobile ecosystem. We provide our members with a global and cross-sector platform for networking, collaboration and advancing industry solutions. The goal is to accelerate the growth of a sustainable mobile ecosystem that drives inclusion for all and delivers trusted services that enrich the lives of consumers worldwide. Established in 2000 and headquartered in the UK, MEF has Regional Chapters across Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East, North and Latin America. About AVG Technologies N.V. (NYSE: AVG) AVG is the leading provider of software services to secure devices, data and people. AVG's award-winning consumer portfolio includes internet security, performance optimization, location services, data controls and insights, and privacy and identity protection, for mobile devices and desktops. The AVG Business portfolio, delivered through a global partner network, provides cloud security and remote monitoring and management (RMM) solutions that protect small and medium businesses around the world. For more information visit http://www.avg.com. SOURCE The Mobile Ecosystem Forum DOHA, Qatar, January 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Riad Hijab General Coordinator of the Supreme Commission for Negotiations Following his meeting with the UN envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, Dr. Riad Hijab stressed that the discussion was constructive and useful. The meeting allowed the delegation of the Supreme Commission for Negotiations to convey the vision of the Syrian opposition in regards to the political process and ways to contribute towards: restoring peace, ending the war, and all measures required for the transition period to succeed in establishing a pluralistic system, representative of all the Syrian people; where Bashar al-Assad and officials of his regime have no role in any future political arrangements, based on the principles declared in the Riyadh Conference statement, and the terms of Geneva Communique (30 June 2012), which provided for the creation of a transitional governing body with full executive authority. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151009/275653 ) In relation to the discussion regarding the process of selecting the opposition's delegation, Dr. Hijab pointed out that the selection and formation of the delegation is testament to the opposition's sincerity and unity, and to the international efforts to find a political solution to the Syrian crisis in order to stop the bloodshed. Dr. Hijab further stressed the need to consolidate international efforts, albeit Security Council resolution 2254 left serious loopholes which allow the regime and its allies to continue bombing and targeting civilians regardless of the negotiation process. Dr Hijab added: "I expressed my doubts to Mr. de Mistura of the feasibility of negotiating with a regime that has lost its sovereignty and maintains only repression via its killing machine; the regime's foothold has declined as it scarcely controls 18 percent of Syrian territory; it has lost control over most border crossings, supply and transportation routes; over half of the Syrian population lives outside the regime's control, while international forces, cross-border militias and groups of mercenaries and terrorists fight on its behalf. " Dr Hijab affirmed to Mr. de Mistura that the intervention of some international powers in launching air strikes and fighting on behalf of the regime poses additional burdens and challenges to the international community whilst attempting to reach agreement on a cease-fire and delivering aid to the affected areas - where some five million Syrians have now become refugees in neighboring countries, and about 6 million others are in areas outside the control of the regime. It is evident that the regime remains intentionally oblivious to the suffering; after all it was this same regime that caused the exodus in the first place, targeting civilians with barrel bombs and systematic shelling. Dr Hijab reaffirmed the urgency for total adherence to Articles (12) and (13) of Security Council resolution 2254 before embarking on further preparations for the negotiating process; in particular, lifting the siege imposed on cities and besieged regions in order to enable humanitarian agencies access to deliver aid to all those in need, releasing all unlawfully imprisoned detainees, the cessation of aerial and artillery bombardment of civilians and civilian targets, for all parties to immediately honour their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and other goodwill and confidence-building measures with which negotiations may be possible. Dr Hijab further stressed to Mr. de Mistura the need to persuade allies of the regime to put an end to their aggression on the Syrian people under the pretext of fighting terrorism, and to withdraw their veto of UN resolutions which aim to stop the fighting; this would in turn lead to an effective end to the fighting and allow coalition forces to tackle the real source of terrorism. Doubtless negotiating with the regime on these issues will not bring about any of the desired results because the regime no longer has full sovereignty or authority to negotiate, as it has become unable to exercise control over its own political and military decision-making. Dr Hijab reiterated that the Supreme Commission for Negotiations is in the process of consulting with friends and concerned parties to stop the bloodshed in Syria, and to bring about an atmosphere conducive of peaceful negotiations, through: ending the fighting, the creation of an internationally supervised mechanism which ensures that all parties abide by agreements, to work for the exit of all foreign forces from Syria, to secure the border crossings and supply routes, the provision of safe areas, the delivery of aid to the affected areas, and to tackle and manage all other issues that have become outside the regime's control. Dr. Hijab requested the UN envoy to keep him informed of any developments concerning the implementation of Articles (12) and (13) of Security Council resolution 2254. He reiterated his full cooperation and support for the launch of the political process and his sincere desire for its success. Contact: syrianassembley@gmail.com SOURCE Office of Dr Riad Hijab, Former Prime Minister of Syria IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Less than one-third of millennials are "very confident" managing their finances and nearly half say they're treading water financially, or worse, according to a new poll conducted on behalf of Acorns. Acorns, the fastest-growing investment app with more than 1.3 million users, aims to empower millennials with the knowledge and confidence to take control of and improve their finances in the new year with the launch of the new personal finance site, Grow. Grow Equips Millennials to Own Their Financial Future Grow, a digital magazine that informs and educates millennials who want to be financially successful, is led by award-winning financial journalist and author Jennifer Barrett. The site features original content that helps millennials navigate the small, everyday decisions that can have a big impact on their finances over time. Every Wednesday, subscribers will receive a newsletter filled with exclusive stories that break down complex financial topics into actionable advice, along with videos, tools, and interviews with money superstars from investor Ashton Kutcher to Vanguard founder John Bogle. "It's no surprise that most millennials aren't very confident managing their moneyfew of them have been given the knowledge and tools to be financially successful," said Barrett, vice president of editorial and founding editor of Grow. "Grow is working to close that financial literacy gap by addressing the questions many people have, but don't know how to answer, and delivering advice in a compelling, digestible format. No finance degree required." Explore Grow at grow.acorns.com and read startup investor Ashton's Kutcher's advice on what makes a good investment, plus the scariest financial decision he ever made. You can also find step-by-step instructions on how to build a better budget, pay off your credit card debt faster and successfully negotiate a raise this year, plus stories on a range of other money topics. Sign up to get the weekly newsletter here: https://www.acorns.com/grow/sign-up/. * SurveyMonkey polled a nationally representative sample of 1,020 millennials about their financial health and goals in a December 2015 survey conducted on behalf of Acorns. About Acorns Acorns is the fastest growing savings and investment app. It allows people to round up their daily purchases and automatically Invest the Change into a commission-free diversified portfolio of index funds offered by the world's top asset managers (Vanguard, Blackrock and PIMCO). Founded in Newport Beach, California by father and son team Jeff and Walter Cruttenden, Acorns provides a simple entry-point for anyone to get started using the Acorns app on iPhone or Android. The app and financial engine were built with natural human behavior in mind to help inspire realistic investment strategies that can be held for the long term. Customers accumulate fractional shares and automatically save and invest into a portfolio constructed by world-renowned Nobel Laureate economist Dr. Harry Markowitz. Acorns' smart portfolio algorithms automatically work behind the scenes, helping people build wealth naturally, pennies at a time. From Acorns mighty oaks do grow. About Grow Grow is a digital magazine that informs and educates millennials who want to be financially successful. Published by Acorns, the fastest-growing investment app, and led by award-winning financial journalist and author Jennifer Barrett, Grow features exclusive stories that break down complex financial topics into actionable advice, along with videos, tools and interviews with money superstars from investor Ashton Kutcher to Vanguard founder John Bogle. Weekly newsletter sign up is available at grow.acorns.com. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151216/296626LOGO SOURCE Acorns Related Links https://www.acorns.com ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Wrapping up a major renovation project, Courtyard Alexandria Old Town/Southwest looks forward to a bright 2016 with accommodations designed for today's traveler. The Alexandria, Virginia hotel now offers refreshed guest rooms and corridors, a reimagined public dining space and reinvigorated meeting spaces. Courtyard Alexandria Old Town/Southwest has undergone a complete renovation of guest rooms and public spaces. For information, visit www.CourtyardAlexandria.com or call 1-703-329-2323. "We are excited to invite travelers to experience a new and improved hotel experience in Alexandria," said General Manager Lizza Carter. "A lot of behind-the-scenes work has been put into this project, as we have worked to transform the property from the inside out. We are happy to finally share it with everyone." Benefiting business professionals and leisure travelers alike, the hotel's changes create an even more inviting and innovative atmosphere. Guests will discover an elevated lobby experience with places to relax, work and dine in style. Visitors can take advantage of media pods or gather with colleagues around the communal table at The Bistro Eat. Drink. Connect., the hotel's restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The entire lobby and dining area boast new decor as well as other enhancements in addition to the complimentary wireless Internet access that was already available. For private functions, visitors or Alexandria residents can reserve one of two newly revitalized meeting rooms totaling 1,496 square feet of flexible space. High-tech audiovisual equipment is available to facilitate presentations with ease. Following a productive day, rest easy in refreshed guest rooms and suites designed to make visitors feel right at home. In addition to new carpet and lamp shades, the spaces' double beds have been replaced with queen beds, and new lounge-around sofas have been added to provide a pop of color. With 32-inch flat-panel HDTVs and free Wi-Fi, guests can stay entertained and connected 24/7 and never lose connection to what matters most. Conveniently positioned off of Interstate 495 and near a variety of public transportation options including the Eisenhower Avenue Metro station, the hotel offers easy access to popular attractions. Visitors can spend the day just 2 miles away in Old Town Alexandria or ride the rail to Downtown Washington, D.C. A complimentary shuttle service to the metro station is available. About Courtyard Alexandria Old Town/Southwest Courtyard Alexandria Old Town/Southwest at 2700 Eisenhower Ave. in Alexandria, VA is near Old Town Alexandria, Mount Vernon and Washington, D.C. The hotel features 8 floors with 176 guest rooms, 2 suites and 2 meeting rooms totaling 1,496 square feet of space. Visitors enjoy on-site dining at The Bistro, free Wi-Fi and a state-of-the-art fitness center. For information, visit www.CourtyardAlexandria.com or call 1-703-329-2323. Join Marriott Rewards now and earn points that can be redeemed for free hotel stays and room upgrades at 3,800 hotels in over 70 countries. Learn more about Courtyard and Marriott International Inc. PRESS CONTACT Will Sutherland 1-301-525-9907 [email protected] Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160105/319465 SOURCE Courtyard Alexandria Old Town/Southwest Related Links http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/wasal-courtyard-alexandria-old-town-southwest CHICAGO, Jan. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Gerchen Keller Capital, LLCthe world's largest investment and advisory firm focused on legal and regulatory riskis launching its latest private investment fund this week. The new fund totals more than $400 million. Together with existing vehicles, Gerchen Keller now has more than $1.4 billion in assets under management, more than double the size of its nearest competitor. "As more capital is required to respond to the growing demand for our services, we appreciate the continued support of the institutional investor community," Gerchen Keller Chief Executive Officer Adam Gerchen said. "The application of well-established financial products and services to the legal industry is still in its early stages, but we are now firmly established as the leader in this field. Acceptance of our services is quickly accelerating as lawyers, law firms, and companies come to understand the full range of solutions we provide. We are particularly encouraged by repeat business from the country's top law firms and leading litigation boutiques." By virtue of the size and flexibility of its capital base, Gerchen Keller can create and price solutions that are otherwise unavailable in the litigation finance market, from investments related to early-stage litigation to late-stage financing such as structuring large litigation settlements and accelerating legal fees. "It isn't just that we have a significant advantage in the amount of capital at our disposal," Managing Director Ashley Keller said. "It's the fact that we can offer investment terms that correspond to the relative level of risk we are undertaking. We solve problems where others can't." Gerchen Keller's capital solutions include traditional financing for litigation and arbitration matters, as well as products to reduce appellate risk, protect defendants against outsized liability exposure, and accelerate legal fee receivables and settlement payments. A recent independent survey rated Gerchen Keller the number-one litigation finance firm with which to do business. New Hires and Promotions. In response to its increasing investment activity, Gerchen Keller also announced it has added two senior members to its team and promoted three individuals to leadership roles. The firm has hired Andrew Langhoff as a Principal to lead its origination efforts. Langhoff previously was Chief Operating Officer of Burford Capital, where he oversaw global business development/marketing and ran that company's London office. The firm also has hired Katharine Wolanyk as a Principal. Wolanyk, who is responsible for the firm's relationships with the intellectual property community, most recently was President and Chief Legal Officer of Soverain Software. Gerchen Keller also announced three promotions. Douglas Gruener, a former partner at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, now serves as General Counsel. David Spiegel, a former litigation attorney at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, now serves as a Principal. And Therese Stoch, who previously was Chief Financial Officer at Chicago Fundamental Investment Partners, LLC, now serves as Chief Financial Officer. "These hires and promotions will enhance our already world-class team across a host of functions, from origination and underwriting to transactions and operations," Managing Director Travis Lenkner said. "We are delighted to have attracted a talented and deeply experienced set of leaders. These five individuals have proven themselves in their respective fields and at Gerchen Keller, and they will be a key component of our success going forward." New Website and Office. Also this week, Gerchen Keller unveiled a redesigned website, www.gerchenkeller.com, and announced the completion of its recent move to new, larger offices at 353 North Clark Street in Chicago. About Gerchen Keller Capital, LLC: Gerchen Keller Capital, LLC is the world's largest investment and advisory firm focused exclusively on legal and regulatory risk. Gerchen Keller provides capital and other financing and risk-management solutions to companies, law firms, and investment funds involved with or invested in complex litigation, arbitration, and transactional matters. Through various private vehicles, the firm manages more than $1.4 billion in assets for public pensions, financial institutions, endowments, foundations, and select family offices. The firm was founded in 2013. To Learn More: Visit www.gerchenkeller.com, email [email protected], or call (312) 757-6070. Media Contact: Travis Lenkner, Managing Director, (312) 757-6073, [email protected]. Gerchen Keller Capital, LLC is registered as an investment adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This release is for informational purposes only. Nothing herein should be construed as a solicitation to offer investment advice or services. Information about investing in Gerchen Keller-managed funds is available only in the form of private placement memoranda and other offering documents. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130408/CG89912LOGO SOURCE Gerchen Keller Capital, LLC Related Links http://www.gerchenkeller.com WASHINGTON, Jan. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new three-year NASA field expedition gets underway this year that will use advanced instruments on airplanes and in the water to survey more of the world's coral reefs in far greater detail than has ever been assessed before. The COral Reef Airborne Laboratory (CORAL) will measure the condition of these threatened ecosystems and create a unique database of uniform scale and quality. Coral reefs, sometimes called the rainforests of the sea, are home to a quarter of all ocean fish species. They protect shorelines from storms and provide food for millions of people, yet very little of the world's reef area has been studied scientifically. Virtually all measurements have been made by expensive, labor-intensive diving expeditions. Many reefs never have been surveyed, and those reefs that have been studied were measured only at a few dive sites. "Right now, the state of the art for collecting coral reef data is scuba diving with a tape measure," said Eric Hochberg, CORAL principal investigator and scientist at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, St. George's. "It's analogous to looking at a few trees and then trying to say what the forest is doing." Hochberg's team will survey the condition of entire reef systems in Florida, Hawaii, Palau, the Mariana Islands and Australia. CORAL will use an airborne instrument called the Portable Remote Imaging Spectrometer (PRISM), developed and managed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. Concurrent in-water measurements will validate the airborne measurements of reef condition. In turn, reef condition will be analyzed in the context of the prevailing environment, including physical, chemical, and human factors. The results will reveal how the environment shapes reef ecosystems. Reefs worldwide are threatened by human impacts and climate change. The limited observations made to date suggest that 33 to 50 percent of our planet's coral reefs have been significantly degraded or lost, and the concern among reef scientists is that most functioning reef ecosystems will disappear by mid-century. "We know reefs are in trouble," Hochberg said. "We've seen the reefs of Jamaica and Florida deteriorate and we think we know what is happening there. However, reefs respond in complex ways to environmental stresses such as sea level change, rising ocean temperatures and pollution. The available data were not collected at the appropriate spatial scale and density to allow us to develop an overarching, quantitative model that describes why and how reefs change in response to environmental changes. We need accurate data across many whole reef ecosystems to do that." According to Michelle Gierach, a CORAL project scientist at JPL, PRISM was specifically created for remote sensing of coastal and inland waters. PRISM records the spectra of light reflected upward toward the instrument from the ocean below, allowing researchers to pick out the unique spectral signatures of living corals and algae. As corals die, algae increase on a reef, so the ratio of coral to algae is an indicator of the ecosystem's health. "Now, estimates of global reef status are synthesized from local surveys with disparate aims, methods and quality," Gierach said. "With CORAL, we will provide not only the most extensive picture to date of the condition of a large portion of the world's coral reefs, but a uniform dataset, as well." JPL is providing engineering support and management for CORAL's airborne campaigns under project manager Ian McCubbin. CORAL science team members come from institutions across the United States, each bringing different subject expertise. After the 2016-2017 field campaign, the CORAL science team will analyze the new data to catalog the relative abundance of coral, algae and sand on each reef. "Then we'll be able to start making predictions about what might happen to the world's reefs that are based on numbers, rather than just ideas," said Hochberg. Although CORAL will vastly increase the amount of data available on the health of coral reefs, it will cover just three to four percent of the world's reefs. "Ideally, in a decade or so we'll have a satellite that can frequently and accurately observe all of the world's reefs, and we can push the science and most importantly our understanding even further," said Hochberg. NASA funded CORAL through its Earth Venture-Suborbital program, which competitively selects airborne and field investigations that target specific scientific questions, complementing the agency's satellite missions. Earth Venture-Suborbital, as well as spaceborne Earth Venture mission and instrument investigations are part of NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder program managed at the agency's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. NASA's Earth Venture program supports innovative approaches to address Earth science research with regular and frequent windows of opportunity to accommodate new scientific priorities. NASA uses the vantage point of space to increase our understanding of our home planet, improve lives, and safeguard our future. NASA develops new ways to observe and study Earth's interconnected natural systems with long-term data records. The agency freely shares this unique knowledge and works with institutions around the world to gain new insights into how our planet is changing. To find out more about NASA's Earth science research, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/earth Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO SOURCE NASA Related Links http://www.nasa.gov LAS VEGAS, Jan. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The kitchen is more than just a place to prepare and cook food, it's the headquarters for family meetings, a make-shift homework zone and an art gallery for the little ones. To keep the kitchen connected, while freeing up time for families to make memories, Whirlpool designed the Smart Kitchen Suite with the CareSync system. As the newest innovations to integrate with the Whirlpool mobile app, Works with Nest and Amazon Dash Replenishment, the three-piece collection refrigerator, dishwasher and stove offers families control of their appliances remotely, alert notifications and peace of mind.[i] "At Whirlpool, we're passionate about developing technology that solves real consumer needs," said Ben Artis, senior manager for connectivity strategy, Whirlpool Corporation. "From the automatic production of more ice when entertaining guests to alert notifications so families know when the refrigerator loses power, our new smart kitchen suite is packed with home automation features that allow families, whether in the other room or out running errands, to better care for each other and their home." From helping prepare for unexpected guests, to keeping the house running whether home or away, the Smart Kitchen Suite offers a variety of specialty modes to cater to families' distinct needs: Whether prepping for an evening of entertaining or dashing home to meet impromptu guests, Party Mode in the Smart French Door Refrigerator helps families by activating Fast Ice and Fast Cool settings to prepare for guests automatically by speeding up ice production, quickly chilling beverages and snacks, and helping maintain cool temperatures while the fridge doors are frequently being opened and closed. in the helps families by activating Fast Ice and Fast Cool settings to prepare for guests automatically by speeding up ice production, quickly chilling beverages and snacks, and helping maintain cool temperatures while the fridge doors are frequently being opened and closed. When in Lock Mode , families can deactivate the control panels to prevent functions on the stove and dishwasher, and receive alerts if someone tries to unlock these appliances. , families can deactivate the control panels to prevent functions on the stove and dishwasher, and receive alerts if someone tries to unlock these appliances. Focus on important conversations around the kitchen table or settle in to watch your favorite movie without distractions when activated, the Quiet Mode turns off beeps and alerts on the dishwasher and stove. turns off beeps and alerts on the dishwasher and stove. Sabbath Mode helps families observe Sabbath, by turning off lights and sounds on all three units at sunset, limiting mechanical function and setting temperatures to a steady state in the oven. Inspired by the different ways families care and entertain, each appliance in the Smart Kitchen Suite with the CareSync system can be personalized through the Whirlpool mobile app: The Smart Front Control Range lets families preheat, start, pause, stop and adjust the temperature and cook time for the oven, and shows how much cook time is remaining all from a smartphone. Consumers can choose to receive mobile alerts for when preheat and cook times are complete, so there's no need to keep running back and forth to the kitchen. And, when the Nest Thermostat is set to away, consumers receive an alert through the Whirlpool mobile app if their oven is on when no one is home. lets families preheat, start, pause, stop and adjust the temperature and cook time for the oven, and shows how much cook time is remaining all from a smartphone. Consumers can choose to receive mobile alerts for when preheat and cook times are complete, so there's no need to keep running back and forth to the kitchen. And, when the is set to away, consumers receive an alert through the Whirlpool mobile app if their oven is on when no one is home. The Smart Dishwasher sends alert notifications to consumers when a dish cycle is complete, and when the Whirlpool mobile app is synced with an Amazon account, the dishwasher estimates when supplies like dish detergent and affresh washer cleaner are running low and automatically re-orders more through Amazon Dash Replenishment . sends alert notifications to consumers when a dish cycle is complete, and when the Whirlpool mobile app is synced with an Amazon account, the dishwasher estimates when supplies like dish detergent and affresh washer cleaner are running low and automatically re-orders more through . In addition to the completely and intuitively re-imagined inside of the Smart French Door Refrigerator with a unique shelving system that is now the industry's easiest refrigerator to organize[ii], families can use smart notifications on their app to alert them of a power or Wi-Fi outage, and get reminders to change the air and water filters. with a unique shelving system that is now the industry's easiest refrigerator to organize[ii], families can use on their app to alert them of a power or Wi-Fi outage, and get reminders to change the air and water filters. Also through the Whirlpool mobile app, each appliance in the suite features advanced care by displaying fault codes and helping to schedule service appointments. The Whirlpool Smart Kitchen Suite with the CareSync system features three CES Innovation Award honorees the Whirlpool Smart Front Control Range, Whirlpool Smart Dishwasher and Whirlpool Smart French Door Refrigerator in the Home Appliances and Smart Home categories. CES attendees can get a first glimpse of this new connected kitchen suite and other award-winning innovations at Whirlpool brand's booth #74352 in the Family & Technology Marketplace at the Sands Expo Center, January 6-9. The suite is anticipated to launch in late 2016. For more information, to join the conversation and see the company's care-centric product innovations and conceptual inspirations come to life, visit ces.whirlpool.com and follow #EveryDayCare. About Whirlpool Brand For more than one hundred years, Whirlpool brand has been inspired by how people care for their families. Whirlpool brand is designing home appliances that are focused on improving how families give and get the care they need with the latest technologies and innovations whether that means most flexible refrigerator storage for all types of family needs, induction technology for efficient cooking and easier cleaning, or laundry pairs that sense and adapt to clothes with the latest in connected technologies. Whirlpool brand is part of Whirlpool Corporation, the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances. Whirlpool Corporation is also one of Habitat for Humanity's largest corporate partners for over 15 dedicated years, donating a refrigerator and range to every new Habitat for Humanity home built in North America. For more information on Whirlpool, please visit whirlpool.com/everydaycare or find us on Facebook at facebook.com/whirlpoolusa or Twitter at @WhirlpoolUSA. Additional information about the company can be found at whirlpoolcorp.com. [i] Requires Wifi and account creation. App features and functionality subject to change. Subject to Terms of Service available at: www.whirlpool.com/connect. Data rates may apply. [ii] Among leading French Door Bottom Mount refrigerators Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150729/249144LOGO SOURCE Whirlpool Brand Related Links http://www.whirlpool.com BENTON HARBOR, Mich., Jan. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Each year CES features the latest technological innovations from handheld gadgets and automotive to major home appliances. This year, Whirlpool brand is using its home appliance lineup to demonstrate how technology can turn anyone into an agent of change in their own home. The Power of Philanthropy at the Touch of a Button More and more, consumers are relying on technology to help them give back. According to The Digital Giving Index, while overall giving grew just three percent in 2014, online giving through technology grew nine percent over the same period. Whirlpool is further empowering people to use technology for good with the Connect to care program, which allows families to automatically donate to others in need by completing a small, routine act of care for their family a load of laundry. Whirlpool debuted its Smart Top Load laundry pair as the first-ever in the U.S. to introduce the use of technology to power donations. Every time a load of laundry is washed, a small but meaningful donation can be made to Habitat to Humanity, to help create affordable housing in partnership with low-income families. "Whirlpool sees connected appliances as an opportunity to build innovations that solve real family needs rather than technology for the sake of technology," said Chelsey Lindstrom, brand manager, Whirlpool brand. "We think smart tech can be 'smart with a heart' used to make real impact on how people care for each other, not just by adapting to human behaviors, but also by giving families another way to support those in need." Tackling the Issue of Food Waste In the kitchen, the home appliance brand is also tackling the issue of food waste with the introduction of its revolutionary new French Door Refrigerator, which features a unique shelving system inspired by a traditional pantry configuration. In developing this fridge to be the industry's easiest to organize, Whirlpool designers and engineers conducted research to understand food trends and commonly purchased items. Researchers observed how consumers stored food in the refrigerator and tracked which items consumers reached for most often to design a refrigerator that could change the landscape of food storage based on better food visibility and organization. Purposeful and Energy Efficient Technology Whirlpool adds its Smart Top Load laundry pair with automated giving through the Connect to care program and its completely reimagined refrigerator to the award-winning ventless HybridCare Dryer. This dryer has a heat pump system that dries and recycles the hot, moist air produced, instead of wasting energy by having to vent the air out of the home. The HybridCare Heat Pump dryer reduces energy usage, using up to 73 percent less energy[1] with the Eco Dry setting, recycles energy and helps conserve precious resources. Winner of nine prestigious 2016 CES Innovations Honoree Awards, the Whirlpool Smart Top Load won in the Tech for A Better World category, while the French Door Bottom Mount Refrigerator brought home two awards in the SmartHome and Home Appliances categories and the HybridCare Heat Pump Dryer won in the Eco-Design and Sustainable Technologies category. For more information, to join the conversation and see the company's care-centric product innovations and conceptual inspirations come to life, visit Whirlpool brand's booth #74352 in the Family & Technology Marketplace, located at the Sands Expo Center, or ces.whirlpool.com and follow #EveryDayCare. About Whirlpool Brand For more than one hundred years, Whirlpool brand has been inspired by how people care for their families. Whirlpool brand is designing home appliances that are focused on improving how families give and get the care they need with the latest technologies and innovations whether that means most flexible refrigerator storage for all types of family needs, induction technology for efficient cooking and easier cleaning, or laundry pairs that sense and adapt to clothes with the latest in connected technologies. Whirlpool brand is part of Whirlpool Corporation, the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances. Whirlpool Corporation is also one of Habitat for Humanity's largest corporate partners for over 15 dedicated years, donating a refrigerator and range to every new Habitat for Humanity home built in North America. For more information on Whirlpool, please visit whirlpool.com /everydaycare or find us on Facebook at facebook.com/whirlpoolusa or Twitter at @WhirlpoolUSA. Additional information about the company can be found at whirlpoolcorp.com. [1] Compared to pre-2004 traditional dryers, when paired with a matching washer, normal cycle, electric only Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150729/249144LOGO SOURCE Whirlpool Brand Related Links http://www.whirlpool.com Kermit greets visitors to the Jim Henson Collection at the Worlds of Puppetry Museum Its been such an honor to help shape this incredible collection and to create a space where visitors can enjoy the magic of puppetry for years to come. Thinkwell Group, a global experience design and production agency specializing in the creation of theme parks, major attractions, live events and museum exhibits around the world, today announced their role in designing, producing and assisting in the curation of a new museum for the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, Ga. The $14 million, 15,000-square-foot expansion, Worlds of Puppetry Museum, which opened on November 14, features the new Jim Henson Collection and Global Collection galleries. Thinkwell was tasked with the challenge of creating a space that would appeal to local, national and even global audiences; one that is visually stunning and functional for Jim Hensons work and our international puppetry collection, said Vincent Anthony, Center for Puppetry Arts founder. The reality of the designs is even more than we had ever imagined. Thinkwells partnership in this process has been and will continue to be an integral part of the Museums success. Thinkwell worked in close collaboration with the Center and The Jim Henson Legacy, the organization dedicated to preserving and perpetuating Hensons contributions, to create an interactive, engaging and contextually rich experience inside the Jim Henson Collection gallery. Housed in this gallery is the largest and most comprehensive collection of Henson puppets and artifacts in the world, which were donated to the Center by the Jim Henson Foundation in 2007. More than 500 artifacts will be on rotating display in the gallery, which includes some of Hensons most famous and beloved puppets, including characters from Sesame Street, The Muppets, Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal. In addition to Hensons well-known puppets are more classic works, including representations of the Seven Deadly Sins from the 1975 pilot of The Muppet Show and the oldest piece on display, Omar, from Hensons 1955 television show Sam & Friends. The Jim Henson Collection gallery also includes a re-creation of Jim Hensons office that includes items found in his workspace, such as his desk and his signature red sketchbook, which includes reproductions of his illustrations and designs. There is also a re-creation of Hensons workshop called The Creature Shop, which includes new interactives and gives visitors a chance to peek inside drawers filled with puppet components. A mock television studio fashioned with an interactive puppet area allows guests to play the part of a puppeteer, maneuvering their puppet on the stage while staying hidden from sight of the television cameras. The Global Collection comprises the other half of the new Worlds of Puppetry Museum and features approximately 175 puppets from around the world. In addition to popular American puppets like Punch and Judy, the collection spans centuries and countries and includes everything from American marionettes to Japanese Bunraku puppets to Indonesian shadow puppets. Organized by continent, the artifacts allow visitors to immerse themselves in the cultural traditions of puppetry from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. In addition to these displays, there are also new hands-on interactives, including an elaborate stage display that allows visitors to play with Sicilian rod marionettes outfitted as knights and a dragon. Craig Hanna, Chief Creative Officer of Thinkwell said, Weve had the pleasure of working on many museum projects in our companys history, but it's hard to imagine something more fun and fascinating than exhibits on puppetry from around the world and the life and work of Jim Henson. Its been such an honor to help shape this incredible collection and to create a space where visitors can enjoy the magic of puppetry for years to come. About Thinkwell Group Founded in 2001, Thinkwell is a global experience design and production agency specializing in the creation and master planning of theme parks, destination resorts, major branded and intellectual property attractions, events & spectaculars, museums & exhibits, expos and live shows around the world. The award-winning company has become a leader in experiential design by bringing a unique holistic approach to every creative engagement, delivering extraordinary results to notable clients over the years, including Fortune 500 companies, movie studios, museums, theme parks and destination resorts. For more information visit http://www.thinkwellgroup.com. Media Contacts: Andrea Yoo ayoo(at)thinkwellgroup(dot)com Michael Strand I joined Hitachi Solutions because I share the companys strategic vision of how cloud computing can and will transform the Microsoft Dynamics business. Hitachi Solutions America, Ltd., a leading provider of global industry solutions based on the Microsoft Cloud, is pleased to announce that former Microsoft executive Michael Strand joined Hitachi Solutions America as Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing Operations on December 7, 2015. I joined Hitachi Solutions because I share the companys strategic vision of how cloud computing can and will transform the Microsoft Dynamics business. In my executive role at Microsoft, I have worked closely with Hitachi Solutions since 2004 and have long-admired their tremendous commitment to customer success," said Michael Strand, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing Operations, Hitachi Solutions America. With Hitachi Solutions recent acquisition of Ignify Inc. a team Ive also had the pleasure of working with for many years we are well on our way to becoming the top global Microsoft Dynamics partner. My job now is to help unify Hitachi Solutions global footprint to give our customers seamless, integrated cloud solutions specific to their unique industries. Strand joins Hitachi Solutions Group from Microsoft, where he spent 24 years in channel and enterprise sales roles. Strand originally joined Microsoft Business Solutions in 2004, tasked with building and managing the first enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) enterprise sales organization for the organizations United States (US) subsidiary. He then led the Microsoft Business Solutions organization for the US Western region, responsible for channel, marketing, sales and presales across commercial customer segments. Strand transitions to Hitachi Solutions Group following three years as Microsoft Business Solutions General Manager, running the Dynamics ERP and Dynamics CRM business across Asia Pacific. In two out of three years in this role, Strand led the Asia Pacific subsidiary to become Microsofts top multi-sub area globally for success in Microsoft Dynamics ERP and CRM sales and customer additions. Strand also brings a wealth of experience working directly with Sandeep Walia, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Ignify Inc., and his team since 2004. Strand partnered with Ignify in his previous role with Microsoft Business Solutions looking after the US Western region and in his more recent role in Asia Pacific. Both Hitachi Solutions America and Ignify have enjoyed a long and successful relationship with Michael. His experience building and leading high performance sales teams that can support customers across key industries is something I have always found incredibly impressive, Greg Carter, Executive Vice President, Hitachi Solutions America. As our organization continues to expand, I look to Michael to help put Hitachi Solutions Group on the map on a truly global scale. Strand holds a Bachelor of Sciences in Communications from Washington State University. A Seattle native, Strand has returned from Singapore to his home in Los Angeles. In his spare time, Strand can be found enjoying the Southern California outdoors; he is an avid foodie, home cook, traveler, and is always eager to improve his Bridge game. -3- About Hitachi Solutions America, Ltd. Hitachi Solutions America, Ltd. helps its customers to successfully compete with the largest global enterprises using powerful, easy-to-use, and affordable industry solutions built on Microsoft Dynamics AX and Microsoft Dynamics CRM enhanced with world class Business Analytics, and Portals and Collaboration. Recognized as the Microsoft 2014 CRM Global Partner of the Year and the 2014 Dynamics Global Outstanding Reseller of the Year, Hitachi Solutions America provides global capabilities with regional offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, India, Japan, China, and Asia Pacific. For more information, call + 1 949.242.1300 or visit: http://us.hitachi-solutions.com. About Hitachi Solutions, Ltd. Hitachi Solutions, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a core member of Information & Telecommunication Systems Company of Hitachi Group and a recognized leader in delivering proven business and IT strategies and solutions to companies across many industries. The company provides value-driven services throughout the IT life cycle from systems planning to systems integration, operation and maintenance. Hitachi Solutions delivers products and services of superior value to customers worldwide through key subsidiaries in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, India, China, and Asia Pacific. For more information on Hitachi Solutions, please visit: http://www.hitachi-solutions.com. About Hitachi, Ltd. Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, delivers innovations that answer societys challenges with our talented team and proven experience in global markets. The companys consolidated revenues for fiscal 2014 (ended March 31, 2015) totaled 9,761 billion yen ($81.3 billion). Hitachi is focusing more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which includes power & infrastructure systems, information & telecommunication systems, construction machinery, high functional materials & components, automotive systems, healthcare and others. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the companys website at http://www.hitachi.com. "We have always strived to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to real estate marketing," says Mr. Murray. "People these days really want their content convenient and at the touch of their fingertips" DMTX Realty, a Coldwell Banker United Realtors team founded by broker and Realtor Dave Murray, has seen incredible growth in the last 3 years since moving to their location in downtown Austin, Texas. 2015 is not only shaping up to be the real estate company's best year, with gross sales approaching $75 million, but the company has seen its sales volume increase an impressive 24% compared to 2013, a year that was already an upturn. They also have over $20 million worth of real estate pending, heading into 2016. The Austin real estate market has been in a remarkable boom in the past 3 years, but DMTX Realty has not only capitalized on the favorable real estate sales environment, but used the opportunity to grow their business to new levels. As median home prices have trended up, Mr. Murray and his team have found a way to increase volume of sales in these robust times. According to Mr. Murray, a lot of his company's success can be attributed to an ongoing search for new technology to stay relevant in real estate, as well as acquiring special new talent. "We have always strived to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to real estate marketing," says Mr. Murray. "People these days really want their content convenient and at the touch of their fingertips whether that is searching for a new home, or exploring a Texas ranch interactively on your phone." Jonathan Berry, Marketing Director for DMTX Realty echoes similar sentiments. "Essentially we are always pushing ourselves to provide a user-friendly experience when it comes to marketing," says Mr. Berry. "Doing that not only enhances the marketing of our property listings, but over time promotes our brand and website as an overall destination for people wanting to explore Greater Austin-area real estate." Another reason for the impressive growth at DMTX Realty is some of the new talented agents Mr. Murray has handpicked. "We are very selective and have brought on three very talented Realtors in the last year and a half, including one veteran of the Austin area who has embraced the wide range of properties we market and sell," says Mr. Murray. "Brooke LeMond is having a banner year." Mr. Murray himself has continued to excel as one of the premier brokers in Austin, selling many of the marquee luxury, waterfront, and ranch properties in the area. He consistently finds himself in the Top 1% of all real estate agents in Austin in terms of sales. "The Austin area seems poised for continued growth, and we anticipate another great year in 2016 as the word continues to get out about what we do at DMTX Realty and what sets us apart." INNODevice, the audio products Brand created by award winning Designer YoungSe Kim, introduces INNOFlask 2.0 & INNOWave Plus at CES 2016. Backed by InnoDesign and CEO, YoungSe Kim, InnoDevice launches with design-oriented and contemporary audio products. INNODevices new audio product line includes: INNOFlask 2.0 is a portable Bluetooth 4.1 speaker that pairs instantly with any iOS or Android device. INNOFlask is small in size, weighing less than 8 0zs (210 g), and fits inside its own carrying case thats no larger than a sunglasses case. This serves as a handy carrying case as well a holder for the speaker. Additionally, a built-in microphone allows the travelling businessman to conduct a conference call with ease. INNOFlask is ideal for all travelers and those who value convenience without compromising audio quality. The speaker features a Lithium-ion battery with more than 10 hours of life and a 10-meter (33 ft.) Bluetooth range. Available in four distinctive colors, Rose gold, Gold, Platinum & Charcoal, and INNOFlask 2.0 is available for $130. INNOWave Plus is an over-ear; noise-reducing headphone equipped with 40mm dynamic drivers for delivering high quality sound. INNOWave features a unique wave design that stands out and suits all demographics; a flat cable prevents tangling and the3.5 mm straight connector fits all devices including those in a protective case. INNOWave is available for $130 in four colors: Black, Red, Blue and Green As the consumer products division of design consultancy InnoDesign, the INNODevice brand is backed by award-winning designer, YoungSe Kim. YoungSe Kim hails from South Korea and studied industrial design in both Seoul and Chicago. Kim, who has worked on brands including Samsung, LG, Hyundai and many others, started INNODesign in 1986. He has received international awards for everything from LG smartphones to his Barbie- branded MP3 players disguised as makeup compacts and his INNOWave headsets. Our products are designed for a distinctive and contemporary look, said InnoDesign CEO, YoungSe Kim. Whilst design is at the heart of our concept, the technical quality and everything that is in the box must reflect the INNO value. Our audio products are created for the music enthusiast who appreciates quality design without compromising audio quality. We have a roadmap for 2016 which will set benchmarks for audio design. For more information on INNODevice and its line of audio products please visit http://www.innodevice.com/. They are also in the Sands Convention Center # 82435 About INNODevice: INNODevice is the home for uniquely designed and fashion-forward audio products designed and built by InnoDesign. Our products are created for the lovers of good design and functionality. Whether you love music, video, film or movies INNODesign has a product that will exceed expectations. Unique designs, vivid colors and great sounds at affordable prices are the basis of our innovation design program. INNODesign is the brainchild of YoungSe Kim, the creative genius that has designed many award-winning consumer products. New, creative audio products are planned for 2016. Samples & Images: we are happy to distribute samples for your evaluation and review. Contact us now also for access to our image library Press Contact: Randy Kemps INNODevice.com 650 283 4638 randy(at)innodevice(dot)com Dorsett Mongkok, Hong Kong is proud to be the only hotel among the six winners to have been honoured with the Certificate of Merit - Customer Service category, at the 2015 Hong Kong Awards For Industries (HKAI) on December 14, 2015, at which the Financial Secretary, Mr John Tsang, officiated. HKAI, which was launched more than 25 years ago, is one of Hong Kong industry's flagship annual award events championed by the Hong Kong Government. Known as the Oscar event of Hong Kong Industry according to Financial Secretary, Mr John Tsang, this award commemorates outstanding local enterprises that have excelled in every aspect of industry, from customer service to innovation and productivity, technological advancement and business upgrading, and most importantly, have made business more profitable. All winners were chosen by the final judging panels chaired by Prof. Joseph Sung, following a comprehensive presentation of the service enhancement programme and three site inspections by professional mystery shoppers. We are so honoured to be one of the winners of this years award event. Not only does this highly exclusive accolade prove our unwavering determination to provide high standard of customer service at all times, it also reassures us that we are ready to take our service pledge to a whole new level. "Our goal by end of year 2016 is to produce 100% of happy guests. Well not only achieve this goal, we will spare no effort in sustaining our success and take our Beyond Thoughtful services to new heights, said Ms Anita Chan, General Manager of Dorsett Mongkok, Hong Kong, at the award ceremony held in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, which was attended by some 800 politically important guests and media. Award-winning Service Enhancement Programme Beyond Thoughtful Anytime. Everywhere. Ensuring Every Traveller A Unique and Memorable Stay 24/7 In its endeavour to provide every guest with a memorable stay, Dorsett Mongkok, one of the best hotels in Kowloon Hong Kong, has introduced several value-added service initiatives such as 24-hour Full Stay, which breaks the mould of the standard check-in and out policy. This service allows guests to enjoy flexible check-in/out time with a guaranteed 24-hour stay. Meaning, if a guest checks in at 5pm, he/she will get to enjoy a full 24- hour stay until the check-out time at 5pm on the next day. This service will greatly benefit those arrive in Hong Kong on red-eye flights. For early-arriving guests whose arrival time is between 6am and 11am, they will also get to enjoy complimentary Early Morning Treats while waiting for their room keys at the hotel. These treats include a freshly baked pineapple bun and milk tea, free access to Dorsett Lounge which is equipped with a full-body massage chair, as well as a free facial mask for ladies to refresh after a tiring flight. Despite the convenient location of the hotel where Olympic MTR Station is only an 8-minute walk away, guests can also take advantage of the free shuttle bus services provided by the hotel on daily basis. This point-to-point shuttle service covers various shopping and commercial landmarks, including Hong Kong Airport Express Line Kowloon Station / Ladies Market / Temple Street / Elements / International Commerce Centre in West Kowloon, China Hong Kong City / Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui and Langham Place Mall / Mongkok MTR subway station in Mongkok. To stay abreast of todays trend which travellers are able to stay connected 24-hour to experience a seamless stay, the hotel is providing an ingenious smart phone in every guest room which allows guests to use unlimited 3G internet for free. The phone can also be used as a WiFi hotspot to share data with other devices, make free local and long distance calls to 9 countries, namely Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, UK and US. This mobile phone can be used both inside and outside of the hotel. The list goes on. In-house guests will also be assured to enjoy round-the-clock service from the hotel be it inside or outside the hotel. Thanks to the One-Hour Response Guaranteed, the latest addition to the already comprehensive customer service programme, guests can simply submit their comments or messages on the free smart phone pre-loaded with the App, and within 60 minutes, the Guest Services Manager on duty will attend to the needs of the guests. This service is to guarantee guests issues to be resolved within an hours time, ensuring guests to enjoy a hassle-free and wonderful time in Hong Kong. TripAdvisor Recognised Hotel since 2011 Besides the much sought-after recognition within Hong Kong, Dorsett Mongkok is also no stranger to internationally recognised awards. It has been receiving the Certificate of Excellence award by TripAdvisor just shy of 2 years after the hotels opening in 2010. These awards are testimony to its hospitality excellence as a result of a considerable amount of outstanding traveller reviews on TripAdvisor by bona fine travellers from all around the world. About Dorsett Mongkok, Hong Kong Dorsett Mongkok, Hong Kong is located between Mongkok and Tai Kok Tsui districts Hong Kongs most celebrated jumble for the new/old, east/west and a place heavily soaked in local heritage that goes along with global glam. Opened in mid 2010 (previously known as Cosmo Hotel Mongkok), this mid-scale contemporary city hotel in Hong Kong offers 285 rooms including 20 suites. Specially designed Room Comfort, Room Superior, Room Executive, Room Family Quad, Suite Premier are all presented with modish decor and functional design, making them most well-appointed for any kind of stay. The hotels dramatic double-height entrance and huge chandelier begin a chapter filled with the warmest welcome and most attentive care. A mere 4-minute walk to Olympic Station, the hotel is also a 10-minute walk to MongKok MTR station and an easy 30-minute drive from Hong Kong International Airport. Famous local markets and world-class shopping malls are found both close by. The Thai restaurant Thai Pad is a place to savour Thai cuisine in its authenticity. Dorsett Mongkok, Hong Kong is the recipient of 2015 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence and 2014 TripAdvisor Travelers Choice, and is also one of the Bronze Benchmarked hotels by EarthCheck in Hong Kong that has introduced 100% indoor smoke-free policy in the entire hotel property. For more information on Dorsett Mongkok, Hong Kong, visit: http://www.mongkok.dorsetthotels.com About Dorsett Hospitality International Headquartered in Hong Kong, Dorsett Hospitality International has three brands under its umbrella .the upscale and midscale Dorsett Hotels & Resorts and d.Collection comprising a range of charismatic boutique hotels; and the value-led Silka Hotels. The group currently owns and manages 27 hotels in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and the United Kingdom; including six more openings within the next two years in Malaysia, China, Hong Kong and United Kingdom. For more information on Dorsett Hospitality International, visit: http://www.dorsett.com Media enquiry: Ms. Jowie Wong, Senior Communications Manager +852 3552 1810 jowiewong(at)cosmopolitanhotel(dot)com.hk Ms. Wendy Mak, Assistant Communications Manager +852 3552 1808 wendymak(at)cosmopolitanhotel(dot)com.hk Marlar House Productions Weird Darkness podcast series has partnered with the My Haunted Life Too website, hosted by writer G. Michael Vasey, to produce an all new weekly Weird Darkness feature - My Haunted Life Toosdays. Weird Darkness, created and read by Darren Marlar, will select true stories of the paranormal submitted to the My Haunted Life Too website for these special, creepy editions. The first edition was released on Tuesday January 5th featuring three stories from the true paranormal stories website. It can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbAMC5r_JAw after 6pm Central Time on the 5th January. Darren really brings the websites submitted true paranormal stories to life to create a truly chilling experience, said G. Michael Vasey, host of the My Haunted Life Too website. Visitors to the website that submit their true ghost stories can now potentially look forward to having them also featured on the Weird Darkness podcast series as well and, everyone has a story to tell. I cant be more excited about partnering with G. Michael Vasey and the My Haunted Life Too website, said Darren Marlar, creator and host of the Weird Darkness podcast. Not only is the website a great place to find true stories of the paranormal, but Ive had the opportunity to work with G. Michael Vasey in the past narrating his stories for the podcast as well as one of his books into audiobook form - and its always been a pleasure. I truly hope and expect this will be a great partnership for both of us as well as our fans. About Weird Darkness Weird Darkness is a YouTube and podcast series of fictional and true paranormal stories narrated and produced by voice artist and actor Darren Marlar. Stories are used by permission from published authors as well as fans of the show. Currently the show can be seen and heard on YouTube, iTunes, iHeart Radio, Spreaker, and SoundCloud, with links to social media and the following platforms at http://www.WeirdDarkness.com. About My Haunted Life Too My Haunted Life Too is a website that features visitors true stories and experiences of the paranormal hosted by supernatural writer G. Michael Vasey. It was created in response to the success of G. Michael Vaseys hit My Haunted Life series that documents some of his own bizarre and frightening experiences of the paranormal growing up. The site may be found at http://www.myhauntedlifetoo.com. G. Michael Vasey also has a blog and website at http://www.garymvasey.com George Sharrard, a retiree from the field of Electrical Construction, has completed his new book Desperate Years: a gripping and potent narrative of the authors adolescent years during one of the most horrific wars of human history. Sharrard immigrated to the United States and currently resides in Sonora. George has a wife Kathe, Two sons; Geoff and Steven, and two daughters Jeannette and Tracy. George has many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. When asked about his inspiration for the book, Sharrard stated, This book was written due to growing up as children in World War II fight from September 2, 1945 going through to May 8, 1951. Published by New York City-based Page Publishing, George Sharrards poignant tale provides a vivid account of wartime Britain. This brilliantly crafted memoir is packed with the raw emotion and a charged ambiance that only war can create. Sharrards account of World War II is a unique glimpse into what life was like in that time though the eyes of a child. His powerful story is sure to resonate deeply in the hearts and minds of readers. It reminds all who read it of the stresses of war, and to live every moment of life to the very fullest. Readers who wish to experience this gripping work can purchase Desperate Years at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708. About Page Publishing Page Publishing is a traditional New York based full-service publishing house that handles all of the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create - not bogged down with complicated business issues like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes and the like. Its roster of authors can leave behind these tedious, complex and time consuming issues, and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com. The Dupont Underground, the nonprofit organization that is revitalizing the former trolley station beneath D.C.s iconic Dupont Circle into a new venue for art, performance, and creative activation, is pleased to announce the launch of Re-Ball!, an open design competition for a site-specific installation in part of the subterranean space. The exhibition and events that occur during its run will be the first time the old station has been opened up for use in two decades. Re-Ball! is the result of a Dupont Underground partnership with the National Building Museum to reuse the hundreds of thousands of translucent 3-inch plastic balls that were part of the museums blockbuster BEACH installation last summer. In addition to donating the balls, the National Building Museum will also have a representative on the competition jury, help promote the Re-Ball! competition and exhibition, and assist with the installation and programming. This is a tremendous opportunity for the Dupont Underground to make its cultural mission evident from the beginning, and to do something unexpected, unprecedented, and large-scale, said Braulio Agnese, the nonprofits managing director. We were thrilled when the National Building Museum agreed to let us take the BEACH balls for a new installation, and were eager to see what people envision for the material, and our space. Created in collaboration with District design studio Archotus, Re-Ball! is open to everyone: artists, architects, designers, and the general public. The competition asks entrants to repurpose the plastic balls in a way that engages and responds to the unique qualities of the Dupont Undergrounds east platform, a massive, curving, 14,000-square-foot venue. The competition ends on March 4, with the winner to be announced a few weeks later. The final installation, when complete, will be open for viewing several days a week from April 30 through June 1. Complete Re-Ball! information is available at the competition website: re-ball.org. The Phillips Collection, the venerated museum of Modern art that sits just blocks from the Dupont Underground space, is also a Re-Ball! institutional partner. The Phillips will have a representative on the jury and assist with promotion of the competition and installation. Additionally, the museum will work with the Dupont Underground on cultural event programming and venue collaboration during the exhibitions run. The Re-Ball! installation will be a temporary, introductory use of the east platform prior to the venues full opening later in 2016. In addition to select public viewing times and installation-related programming, the space will be available for private rental, said managing director Agnese. There wont be anything else like Re-Ball! in the District this year. Also, its the first time the Dupont Underground space will be open. We think the combination of an innovative, compelling art experience and an amazing, little-known space will be a draw for individuals to visit and for local companies and collectives to be part of something exciting. ESSENTIAL RE-BALL! INFORMATION Competition Launch: January 4, 2016 Early Registration Deadline: February 4, 2016 Close of Entries: March 4, 2016 Winner Announcement: March 21, 2016 Competition Jury: architect Julian Hunt, Dupont Underground founder and co-principal at Hunt Laudi Studio; Chase W. Rynd, executive director, the National Building Museum; Vesela Sretenovic, senior curator of modern and contemporary art at The Phillips Collection; architect Michael Kubo, CollectiveLOK founding partner; D.C. artist, entrepreneur, and community organizer Tendani Mpulubusi El; and architects Yasmin Vobis and Aaron Forrest, principals at Ultramoderne (which will have one vote) First-Place Prize: $3,500 Construction Budget: $10,000 Installation Opens: April 29, 2016 Installation Closes: June 1, 2016 Website: re-ball.org MEDIA CONTACTS Dupont Underground: Braulio Agnese, bagnese(at)dupontunderground.org, 202-907-5224 National Building Museum: Emma Filar, efilar(at)nbm.org, 202-272-2448 (ext. 3458) The Phillips Collection: Elizabeth Lubben, elubben(at)phillipscollection.org, 202-387-2151 (ext. 235) * * * * ABOUT THE DUPONT UNDERGROUND The Dupont Underground, a nonprofit organization, is revitalizing a forgotten piece of Washington, D.C., history the old trolley station beneath Dupont Circle as an exciting new venue for arts and design; live music, theater, and dance; and other creative endeavors. We seek to establish a cultural destination that partners with emerging voices, encourages public engagement in arts and culture, and leverages our long-term development as a catalytic force for the District in the 21st century. dupontunderground.org ABOUT THE NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM The National Building Museum is Americas leading cultural institution dedicated to advancing the quality of the built environment by educating people about its impact on their lives. Through its exhibitions, educational programs, online content, and publications, the Museum has become a vital forum for the exchange of ideas and information about the world we build for ourselves. Public inquiries: 202.272.2448. nbm.org ABOUT THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION The Phillips Collection, Americas first museum of Modern art, is one of the worlds most distinguished collections of Impressionist and Modern American and European art. Stressing the continuity between art of the past and present, it offers a strikingly original and experimental approach to Modern art by combining works of different nationalities and periods in displays that change frequently. The Phillips Collection is a private, non-government museum, supported primarily by donations. phillipscollection.org OGS PBITS contract provides government agencies with a contract vehicle to purchase fixed price IT consulting services. Compulink Technologies, Inc. - A Nationwide IT Technology Provider announced it has been awarded a contract for the Project Based Information Technology Consulting Services (PBITS) contract by the New York State Office of General Services (OGS). The multiple-award OGS Project-Based Information Technology Consulting Services contract provides users with a contract vehicle to purchase fixed price, deliverable-based IT consulting services through a mandatory competitive mini-bid process, significantly streamlining the procurement cycle. Authorized users of the contract include New York State agencies, political subdivisions, local governments, public authorities, special districts, public and non-profit libraries, and certain other non-public/non-profit organizations. About Compulink Technologies, Inc.: Compulink Technologies Inc. is the leading provider of IT solutions, Network Project Services, Cloud and Managed services. Compulink assists businesses and government entities in identifying and solving both simple and complex IT issues, utilizing the most advance technologies. Our Expert engineers are available on site, offering our clients personalized and targeted advice. Compulink was founded in 1986 and since then, has held a proven track record of credibility and efficiency to public and private sectors. We are a minority owned small business, but capable of handling large scale projects. All the major government certifications are also held by the company. The company can be reached at (212) 695-5465 Online: http://www.compu-link.com | http://www.compu-linkOnline.com Gaet Tyranski, President, BioDerm BioDerm is poised for rapid growth over the next several years and I am ecstatic about leading the team to achieve superior results for our customers and our shareholders. Today BioDerm, Inc., a local medical device manufacturer, announced the appointment of Gaet Tyranski as President. Tyranskis appointment is effective immediately. Tyranski will be responsible for accelerating BioDerms aggressive growth plans for 2016 and beyond. Tyranski will oversee BioDerms diverse manufacturing and R&D portfolio as well as supporting BioDerms B2B and B2C marketing and sales efforts. Tyranski is a global P&L Executive with a proven track record of organic and inorganic growth, continuous improvement, customer satisfaction and employee development. He is a veteran of multiple rapid-growth organizations, including start-ups and multi-million-dollar healthcare manufacturers and service providers. "Gaet has delivered exceptional results for next generation technologies at Synergy Health and Jabil Circuit," said Gary Damkoehler, BioDerms Chief Executive Officer. "His expertise will help shape the thinking of one of the fastest growth medical device companies as we expand our clients to include new international markets and US health systems to improve the quality of care patients receive." "BioDerm, Inc. is one of the most exciting companies Ive seen in a long time," said BioDerms President, Gaet Tyranski, "Joining the BioDerm family is an exceptional opportunity to expand the sales and product footprint for a truly exciting disposable medical technology that helps improve patients quality of life. BioDerm is poised for rapid growth over the next several years and I am ecstatic about leading the team to achieve superior results for our customers and our shareholders. Prior to joining BioDerm, Tyranski was with Jabil Circuit in progressive roles for 14 years, before moving to Synergy Health, a global sterilization services company, in 2014 where he was President, Applied Sterilization Technologies Americas. Gaet has a BA in economics and political science from Bucknell University and a MBA from the University of Florida. He is also a Board Member of the Florida Medical Manufacturers Consortium (FMMC). About BioDerm, Inc. Headquartered in Largo, FL, BioDerm is one of the nation's leading manufacturers of hydrocolloid products for urinary management, infection control and skin protection. BioDerm, Inc. is the manufacturer of Mens Liberty, a male external catheter designed especially for community dwelling men, the ReliaFit Male Urinary Device, the next generation external catheter designed for hospital use and CathGrip, a universal hydrocolloid securement line which can help reduce tube dislodgement and infection. All BioDerms products aim to provide a superior patient experience through added comfort and reliability. Winery weddings are growing in popularity and we provide a venue that offers indoor amenities as well as the beauty of the vineyards. We take pride in offering one of the most charming wedding settings in the Carolina's coastal plain. It's the peak season for engagements, according to Wedding Wire, Inc. Nearly 40 percent of proposals happen between November and February, launching the wedding planning season as each couple dreams of the perfect setting, delicious cuisines and palate-pleasing wines and champagnes for the special day. Duplin Winery's bridal expo on January 16, is the perfect opportunity to explore the options out there. With so many details to plan, many engaged couples have discovered that attending a bridal expo is one of the best ways to gather ideas, seek advice and sample the flavors that will help lead to happily ever-after. One of the most popular bridal expos in the Carolinas is held at Duplin Winery of Rose Hill, N.C. The event takes place in a picturesque setting among the winery's vineyards and in its charming cypress wood chapel. Future brides and grooms can explore a variety of specialty products and services at the expo. We're bringing North Carolina's finest wedding professionals together in one place for our bridal expo, said Jonathan Fussell, president of Duplin Wine Family and head of the winery's marketing division. We want to help make the planning process easier, and our staff is here to help couples gather ideas and check off their to-do lists. Friends and family are encouraged to join the couples as they are guided through a tasting of wedding cuisine options. The Bistro will present hors d'oeuvre, entree and dessert samples. Attendees can even taste various kinds of wedding and grooms' cakes. In addition, Duplin Winery's expert staff will be on hand to help select wines and champagnes to pair with each course on the big wedding day. From the rehearsal dinner to the ceremony, reception and even the honeymoon, planning is made easy at the bridal expo. Couples can meet face-to-face with North Carolina's best wedding professionals such as florists who will be there to help design the perfect bouquet. Custom jewelers will be on hand to help create one-of-a-kind wedding bands. Couples can meet DJs, videographers, photographers, hairstylists and limo service providers. Haven't found the dress or tux yet? Bridal boutiques will have dresses that will make future brides cry tears of joy and guys can get sized for a tux rental. There will even be travel service experts on hand to help couples select the best honeymoon destination. Past attendees have raved about this Cool, Sweet & Easy event. Tickets are just $5 in advance, or $8 at the door, with everything included, from food and wine tastings to door prizes. Horse-drawn carriage rides will also be available, allowing couples to experience what a carriage ride could add to their special day. Carriage rides will go across the beautiful landscape and by the lake, where couples can catch a glimpse of Duplin Winery's amphitheater, just one of many possible locations for an outdoor wedding ceremony. We take pride in offering one of the most charming wedding settings in the Carolina's coastal plain, said Fussell. Winery weddings are growing in popularity and we provide a venue that offers indoor amenities as well as the beauty of the vineyards. And, as a family operation, it's especially important for us to create an atmosphere that honors the coming together of two people to establish a new family on their wedding day. While at the expo, couples can also look over Duplin Winery's 6,800 square foot wedding chapel, which is set among beautiful shade trees and offers spectacular views of the vineyards. The chapel has 4,000 square feet of event space under dramatic 16-foot beamed ceilings, a special bridal room and a catering kitchen. Our third annual bridal expo is designed to take the stress out of planning and help the engaged get ready for nuptials in a fun, relaxed atmosphere, said Fussell. We hope you'll join us on Saturday, January 16, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Duplin Winery Wedding Chapel is located at 918 W. Charity Road in Rose Hill, N.C. To find out more about the facilities or to book the wedding chapel, contact (800) 774-9634. For more information about Duplin Winery in Rose Hill, N.C., and its North Myrtle Beach, S.C., location, go online to http://www.duplinwinery.com. To purchase tickets or for more details about the bridal expo, visit http://www.duplinwinery.com/product/011616/bridal-expo/. StrucSure Home Warranty, one of the nation's leading home warranty and risk management providers, is proud to announce Tiffany Acree and DAnn Brown have earned the distinctive honor of being inducted into the Million Dollar Sales Club again in 2015. Both Acree and Brown serve the state of Texas, with Brown focusing on South Texas and Acree focusing on North, East, and West Texas. 2015 marks Browns third year in a row achieving million dollar status, and Acree has now achieved million dollar status five years in a row (Acree was the first sales representative to receive the Million Dollar Producer Award with StrucSure in 2011). Were thrilled about this achievement as it is indicative of Tiffanys and DAnns commitment to sales, service, and excellence. It also exemplifies the trust and confidence our homebuilders continue to place in our organization and risk management products and services, said Christopher Macaulay, President of StrucSure Home Warranty. Both Brown and Acree are very active in their local homebuilder associations, are members of the Texas Association of Builders, and have received multiple awards related to their industry involvement. Tiffany and DAnn are consummate sales professionals and have worked extremely hard to reach StrucSures Million Dollar Sales status, commented company CEO Jerry Thompson. Our positive reputation among Texas builders and our increase in market share across the state is a real testament to the value and service Tiffany and DAnn provide to builders and the industry as a whole, said Thompson. About StrucSure Home Warranty StrucSure Home Warranty is a member of StrucSure Risk Management Group which is comprised of StrucSure Home Warranty, LLC, StrucSure Insurance Services, Inc., Golden Insurance Company, RRG, and Four Points Re, SPC, Ltd. Since 1997, StrucSure Home Warranty has been providing builders, remodelers and contractors with warranty products that deliver peace of mind. Our warranties protect our clients from expensive claims, liabilities and legal fees and offer their clients peace of mind through third-party, warranty protection that is A-rated with additional re-insurance from Lloyds of London. Contact Adria Ellerbrock, Vice President of Marketing at StrucSure Home Warranty, at (303) 806-8688 or visit our website at http://www.strucsure.com for more information. Bousquet Holstein PLLC is pleased to announce that effective January 1, 2016, Eva K. Wojtalewski and Aaron D. Frishman have been elected members of the firm. Aaron D. Frishman joined Bousquet Holstein in 2015 and is an attorney in the Trusts and Estates Practice Group. Aaron provides clients with comprehensive estate and tax planning solutions, representation in trust and estate administration, and in related litigation matters. His experience and practice in the field of Elder Law allows Aaron to assist disabled and elderly clients and their families with guardianship matters, effective Medicaid and public benefits planning, and protection of assets for public benefits and other purposes. Aaron is a graduate of George Mason University School of Law and Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Aaron and his family reside in Jamesville-Dewitt. Eva K. Wojtalewski joined Bousquet Holstein in 2013 and is an attorney in the Business Practice Group. She works closely with clients to address a wide range of business planning needs including enterprise structure development, succession planning, merges and acquisitions, commercial transactions, intellectual property protection, and licensing matters. Eva's business practice includes providing counsel to exempt and non-exempt organizations. Eva is a graduate of the University of San Diego School of Law and also a cum laude graduate of the State University of New York at Binghamton. Eva and her family reside in East Syracuse. Bousquet Holstein PLLC is a diversified law firm located in Syracuse. The firm counsels clients on a broad array of business and personal matters, including mergers and acquisitions, business transactions, alternative dispute resolution, economic development, government relations, litigation, commercial bankruptcy, health care law, trusts, estate and succession planning, employee benefits, commercial real estate, employment, energy, environmental and land use law, and tax planning and advocacy. We are committed to our clients and to the communities in which we live and work. Our attorneys volunteer their time and lend their talents in board and leadership positions to civic, charitable, arts and education organizations supporting not-for-profit initiatives throughout the Central Upstate New York region. For more information, please visit our new website at http://www.bhlawpllc.com. The innovator in course materials management and content integration programs since 1973, Ambassador engineers, develops and implements bookstore and technology solutions of all sizes. "The positive feedback we have received from our client institutions was the catalyst for us to extend our working relationship with Campus Management - our clients rely on our integration to keep operations moving smoothly and effectively," said Kaufman. Ambassador Education Solutions, the innovator in course materials and content integration programs, and Campus Management Corp., a leading provider of enterprise software products and services for higher education, have extended their partnership, streamlining course materials transactions for colleges and their students. The dynamic integration between the two companies syncs student registration information with required course materials, enabling efficient two-way communication, accurate data sharing and expedited processes. "Our partnership with Campus Management provides students with an easy and accurate way to access their course resources, while giving administrators the power to simplify the management of purchases and delivery," said Jordan Kaufman, CIO of Ambassador Education Solutions. "The positive feedback we have received from our client institutions was the catalyst for us to extend our working relationship with Campus Management - our clients rely on our integration to keep operations moving smoothly and effectively. We appreciate the drive, innovation and collaboration that Campus Management's team dedicates to our partnership." Ambassador and Campus Management jointly developed CampusLink Ambassador (CLA), which integrates Ambassadors SourceOne proprietary supply chain management software with Campus Managements student information system (SIS). Launched in 2007 and now in its third evolution, CLA 3.0 is used by colleges and universities around the country. The integration allows Ambassadors SourceOne to seamlessly interact with Campus Managements SIS, reducing manual input errors and increasing the accuracy of information. The automatic transition of student information and bookstore transactions expedites school revenue recognition, as well as student account and invoice reconciliations. Through the integration, institutions create and/or update student course registration information in the student system, which is transmitted automatically to SourceOne, matching students with their required course materials. Students then easily view, select and order materials through one of Ambassador's service models (Online Bookstore, Auto-Fill or Brick & Mortar Bookstore), whereby Ambassador processes the order and delivers it to the student. The transaction is automatically posted for the institution to track. About Ambassador Education Solutions The innovator in course materials management and content integration programs since 1973, Ambassador Education Solutions engineers, develops and implements bookstore and technology solutions of all sizes. Each program is customized to meet the specific financial and operational goals of higher education institutions, as well as the academic goals of their students and faculty. Through Ambassador's advanced supply chain technology, flexible fulfillment processes, and highly available support services, ordering course materials is intuitive and delivery is automatic. Integrating with leading SIS, LMS and Digital Content Platforms, Ambassador gives students seamless access to textbooks, eBooks, custom content, supplies and more, while providing administrators with key insights and intelligence to manage, measure and improve programs and outcomes. For more information, please visit http://www.ambassadored.com. About Campus Management Corp. Campus Management is a leading provider of software, strategies and services which enable institutions of higher education to offer dynamic models of engagement and delivery. Over the past 27 years, Campus Management has supported higher education, both proprietary and traditional institutions, as well as foundations and other organizations through its cutting-edge student information system; constituent relationship management (CRM) software; and finance, human resources and payroll solutions. Campus Managements solutions are specifically designed to provide institutions the flexibility they need to compete in the ever-changing higher education landscape by offering products that support changes in education delivery, recruitment, financial aid, finance, human resources, payroll, and regulatory compliance. Today, more than 2,000 campuses in 18 countries utilize Campus Management to unite campuses and workflows, improve student outcomes and achieve goals. The Propane Education and Research Council (PERC) announces new testimonials from San Joaquin Valley Farmers using propane engines in their ag operations in a video intended to show California farmers how they can save money and meet California Air Resources Board (CARB) emissions requirements. Ned and Michael Harris of H & H Farms in Arvin, California, discuss their experience of using a propane engine for irrigation. In their carrot, garlic, hay and onion operation, they explain the versatility of propane compared to electricity and discuss the benefits of the propane engine versus diesel engines. With electric, we have on peak and off peak for half the year. With propane, I can fire up that motor any time of day that I need to fire it up, Michael explains. Ned states, Since we put this propane engine in, this will be our third crop, and I would have to say right now its going to be a savings of, in fuel alone, of probably between 35 and 40 percent overall which is quite substantial. Alex Adams of Adams Ranches in Turlock, California discusses his satisfaction in using propane for irrigating his almonds, silage, forage and hay. Propane equipment has helped me meet the emission standards because we dont have any of the particulate matter that you have with the diesel engines which has been a huge issue over the years in the Central Valley. Theres really no reason not to have a propane engine especially in our state, Ned concludes. The Propane Education and Research Council (PERC) is offering a $300 per liter incentive for diesel engine displacements through the end of the year. For more information, go to http://www.propane.com/agriculture/programs-and-incentive/ to get the incentive application. Farmers who would like to estimate a cost savings can go to (http://www.propane.com/agriculture/calculator/ ) to use a diesel versus propane cost analysis calculator which compares horse power, hours of use, price per gallon of fuel and the cost of the engines. Additionally, PERCs website provides case studies, other farmer testimonials and propane ag engine safety and training manuals. To see the video testimonials of Adams and the Harris go to http://www.PowerToFarm.com. Here at MaidPro, we make sure that our cleaners are ready to provide the consistently high level of service we expect for our clients. MaidPro Houston North is now open for business and ready to make homes shine! Franchise owner Dontai Johnson is excited to offer premium housecleaning services to his neighbors in the Houston area. Here at MaidPro, we make sure that our cleaners are ready to provide the consistently high level of service we expect for our clients. We run background checks on all our service providers before they complete MaidPro University, our unique training program, he says. Johnson is particularly eager to introduce Houston residents to MaidPros innovative and community-based approach to business. MaidPro has provided me with the support to grow a sustainable business and to be a productive member of my local community, says Johnson. He is proud to stand behind MaidPros 49-Point Checklist and looks forward to helping Houston-area families and professionals spend less time cleaning. MaidPros 49-Point Checklist details everything that will be cleaned in a clients home, with a specific focus on kitchens, bathrooms, floors, and dusting. Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly and one-time services are available, as are move-in and move-out cleanings. To get a complimentary estimate for housecleaning services from MaidPro Houston North, please call (832) 408-7437 or visit http://www.maidpro.com/houston-north. ABOUT MAIDPRO MaidPro is a Boston-based franchisor of house cleaning services with over 170 offices in 33 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. The company, which began franchising in 1997, takes pride in its strong owner community, cutting-edge technology and creative marketing. It has been honored with the Franchise Business Reviews Four-Star Rating and Franchise 50 awards every year from 2006 to 2014 for owner satisfaction. MaidPro was named one of the Top 50 Franchises for Minorities by USA Todays Franchising Today. MaidPro is also a proud member of the International Franchise Association and the New England Franchise Association. The company can be found online at http://www.maidprofranchise.com. We provide comprehensive advice to life sciences clients regarding the regulation of drugs and medical devices from development to clinical trials to commercialization." Ms. Kendall recognized the industry need for a law firm focused solely on the life sciences industry. The Kendall Law Firms attorneys have significant experience representing multiple-sized life sciences companies along with in-house legal, compliance and regulatory experience. The Kendall Law Firms focused practice allows it to offer clients a deep knowledge base without the high hourly rate price tag required by larger law firms. Ms. Kendall has and continues to represent prominent clients across the life sciences sectors and has built a respected reputation within the life sciences industry of having a deep understanding of the life sciences legal, compliance and regulatory landscape. We provide comprehensive advice to life sciences clients regarding the regulation of drugs and medical devices from development to clinical trials to commercialization. Once a product is approved and on the market, we help clients navigate the complex business and regulatory landscape with respect to promotional and scientific activities, government programs participation, as well as anti-kickback, fraud and abuse and other legal issues, said Jamie Kendall, Shareholder, of the Kendall Law Firm. Ms. Kendall earned a Juris Doctorate from Rutgers Law School in Camden, New Jersey. She is a member of the Pennsylvania and New Jersey bars. Prior to forming The Kendall Law Firm, Ms. Kendall worked for an international Am Law 100-caliber firm representing pharmaceutical and medical device companies in a variety of litigation and government investigations. She also served as in-house general counsel, and head of compliance and regulatory for a pharmaceutical company and led a legal and compliance department at a pharmaceutical consulting firm which included serving in a variety of director level compliance and regulatory roles within life sciences companies. About The Kendall Law Firm PC The Kendall Law Firm is a focused, sophisticated life sciences law firm that counsels clients on pre and post-commercialization, compliance and regulatory matters. The Firm understands clients objectives and budgets, anticipates trends and brings a 360-degree perspective to life sciences industry business and legal issues. This approach helps clients meet and exceed their business objectives and better mitigate risk. For more information on The Kendall Law Firm PC please visit http://www.tkfirm.com. Media Inquiries Michael Cerelli Vice President, Business Development 333 East Lancaster Avenue Suite 343 Wynnewood, PA 19096 mcerelli(at)klifesciences(dot)com p. 610.756.0201 Ext. 201 As the premier home inspection expert in North San Diego County, Craig Russell knows how to run a business with professionalism and care. With this dedication to business ethics in mind, Mr. Russell has signed on to become a 2016 Sponsor for the YPN (Young Professional Network) North San Diego County Association of Realtors. This new responsibility will, of course, benefit budding local real estate entrepreneurs. At the same time, YPN sponsorship also benefits the sponsors themselves in numerous ways. As a member-driven organization helping young real estate professionals excel in their careers, according to the organizations mission statement, YPN provides members with the tools they need to succeed in their business, as well as the encouragement they need to thrive. The network achieves this mission by focusing on four key areas of REALTOR associations, discussions on key real estate industry issues, peer networking, and building strong ties with the community. This is how the North San Diego County Young Professionals Network helps to establish and shape the next generation of real estate professionals for a brighter future in the industry. As a YPN Sponsor, Craig Russell will have the opportunity to help shape the future of the local real estate industry while establishing new contacts, deepening client relationships, engaging with the local real estate market, expending his knowledge base, and many other benefits. Its truly a win-win for everyone involved. To learn more about Craig Russell and his array of home inspection services, visit http://www.russcohomeinspection.com. About Russco Home Inspection, Inc: Measured by professional standards and extensive experience, Craig Russell is a CREIA and ASHI Certified Inspector with more than 35 years of residential and commercial construction experience. CREIA (the California Real Estate Inspection Association) is recognized in California as the leading authority in the building inspection industry. CREIAs Standards of Practice and Professional Code of Ethics provide the consumer with the assurance of quality and professionalism. ASHI (the American Society of Home Inspectors) is the most respected professional association for home inspectors in North America. Craig Russell also boasts numerous levels of education and certification, qualifications, and memberships. ProspectCloud, a leading provider of vetted business data, announced today that the companys CEO, Oren Pinhas, will present at the Inbox Marketing Conference, January 26-27 in Miami. The 1st annual Inbox Marketing Conference in Miami is an advanced business event focusing on two elements: current issues in email marketing strategies and the future of email technology and innovation. Oren Pinhas, an authority on Audience Prioritization, will discuss understanding the B2B Buyers, Target Audience Curation, Striving for 1-to-1 and Effective List Building and Purchase Strategies. Other speakers at the conference include leadership from Oracle, ReturnPath, ReachMail and Delivra. When it comes to email marketing, both the content and the audience are king. The right list, not the largest one, will have the greatest impact of any single critical campaign element in driving yield, engagement and ROI, said, Pinhas. I look forward to sharing proven approaches with attendees, helping them to both think through and execute against building effective lists of their buyers for optimal success. The Inbox Marketing Conference will be held at the Kovens Conference Center and is organized by Ticonderoga Ventures. As an advanced business and networking event for email marketing professionals, the Inbox Marketing Conference focuses on the future of email. Other topics include: design, technology, APIs, deliverability, spam detection, content, brand recognition, analytics, list management and partnerships. We look forward to Orens participation at our signature event for email marketers, said Marc Lesnick, President, Ticonderoga Ventures Inc. Oren provides an outstanding skill set and understanding of list and audience building and will provide attendees with unexpected counsel and an established blueprint for success. About ProspectCloud ProspectCloud is a leading provider of vetted business data, engaged with over 4,000 national brands ranging from Fortune 500 to Small and Mid-Market businesses. With an unparalleled research and vetting process and level of accountability, ProspectCloud has been a disruptive force in the DaaS and list space, and the secret weapon to Sales and Marketing leaders alike. With a dedicated research team, and proprietary vetting process where every step is designed to provide its clients with unmatched precision, reliability and accuracy, ProspectCloud is committed to delivering unmatched value through increased productivity, higher conversions, and the strongest ROI in business data found anywhere. January is Get Organized (GO) MonthSM, and the Los Angeles chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO-LA) and the City of West Hollywood will participate in the national public awareness initiative by hosting weGO! on Saturday, January 9, 2016, from 11:00am-3:00pm at Plummer Park Community Center (7377 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90046) to help Los Angeles start the new year off right by getting organized. Getting organized is the #2 most popular New Years resolution, says Leslie Haber, President of NAPO-LA. Its the perfect time to set your goals for the year and bring order to your life. For that reason, we are thrilled to partner with the City of West Hollywood to host weGO! at this time of year and help Los Angeles do just that. weGO! Is a free community event to educate and inspire Angelenos to get organized in 2016. From decluttering your home or office, aspiring to have a paperless lifestyle or mastering time management to achieve maximum productivity in your day, professional organizers will give workshops and offer their best tips for getting organized. Ask-the-organizer panels will present attendees with the opportunity to discuss their own challenges and receive advice from the experts, while companies will exhibit products, services, tools and resources to help you get organized and stay organized. For more information about weGO!, please contact Laura Ellis at (310) 493-7201 or visit http://www.napola.org/wego. # # # About NAPO-Los Angeles NAPO-Los Angeles is a non-profit professional organization dedicated to developing, leading and promoting professional organizers and the benefits of better home and business organization. The founding chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers, "The Organizing Authority," NAPO-LA has provided members with a forum for networking, professional development and raising public awareness since 1985. For more information, visit http://www.napola.org. By attaining ACE reaccreditation, these five hospitals demonstrate that Pennsylvania is at the forefront of state efforts to secure independent validation of the quality of care in its PCI facilities. -- Christopher J. White, M.D. Past News Releases RSS Accreditation for Cardiovascular... Accreditation for Cardiovascular... Accreditation for Cardiovascular... Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence (ACE) rang in 2016 by announcing that five hospitals in Pennsylvania have achieved ACE reaccreditation for their elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) facilities as part of the Commonwealths exemption regulations. The reaccreditations reflect the five hospitals commitment to ACEs rigorous standards of quality and safety in the face of a nationwide trend toward greater use of PCI without on-site surgical backup. The five reaccredited hospitals are: Holy Redeemer Hospital, Meadowbrook, PA Meadville Medical Center, Meadville, PA [1] Mount Nittany Medical Center, State College, PA Monongahela Valley Hospital, Monongahela, PA Armstrong County Memorial Hospital, Kittanning, PA "The performance of PCI without on-site surgery is an increasingly accepted practice in the United States, as questions about its safety have diminished in the presence of a proven, well-defined, and protocol-driven approach," said ACE Secretary Christopher J. White, M.D., FACC, MSCAI, FAHA, FESC M.D., who is Chief of Medical Services for the Ochsner Medical Center - New Orleans, System Chairman of Cardiovascular Disease for the Ochsner Health System, Medical Director of the John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute, Professor of Medicine for the Ochsner Clinical School-University of Queensland and Past President of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Intervention (SCAI). State departments of health take a cautious approach to approving facilities for PCI without on-site surgery, and many are seeking or investigating external oversight to ensure delivery of the highest-quality care. By attaining ACE reaccreditation, these five hospitals demonstrate that Pennsylvania is at the forefront of state efforts to secure independent validation of the quality of care in its PCI facilities. Pennsylvania and Michigan are two states that have established programs to accredit PCI facilities that lack on-site surgical backup, and other states are considering similar programs. The trend toward increasing use of PCI without on-site surgical backup was documented in a 2014 Expert Consensus Document jointly issued by SCAI, the American College of Cardiology (ACC), and the American Heart Association (AHA). The Expert Consensus Document noted that 45 states currently allow both primary and elective PCI without on-site surgery, compared to 28 states in 2007. [2] "As more hospitals demonstrate their ability to sustain quality metrics in their performance of PCI procedures without on-site surgical backup, we can expect to see increasing numbers of facilities seeking recognition from accrediting bodies such as ACE," noted Dr. White. ______________________________ [1] Mount Nittany Medical Center received reaccreditation for both PCI and cardiac catheterization. [2] Dehmer GJ, Blankenship JC, Cilingiroglu M, et al. SCAI/ACC/AHA Expert Consensus Document: 2014 update on percutaneous coronary intervention without on-site surgical backup. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv. 2014;84(2):169-87. About Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence ACE is an independent organization sponsored by the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI). ACE offers independent evaluation and monitoring of facilities that provide cardiovascular care. By reviewing facility and operator performance and comparing clinical decision-making to nationally accepted best practices; ACE quality review and accreditation services play a critical role in continuous quality improvement programs. Learn more at http://www.cvexcel.org. The recommendation by ACE Credit acknowledges the rigorous coursework that students must complete to graduate from the Year Up program. Our students will now be able to more easily use their courses towards completing a degree and advancing their careers. Year Up, a workforce development nonprofit that serves more than 2,700 young adults each year, today announced that the American Council on Educations College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE CREDIT) has evaluated and recommended college credit for 25 Year Up courses. ACE, the major coordinating body for all the nations higher education institutions, seeks to provide leadership and a unifying voice on key higher education issues and to influence public policy through advocacy, research, and program initiatives. The recommendation by ACE Credit acknowledges the rigorous coursework that students must complete to graduate from the Year Up program, said Garrett Moran, President of Year Up. We provide young adults with intensive, hands-on professional and technical skills training that allows them to thrive in the workplace. Our students will now be able to more easily use their courses towards completing a degree and advancing in their careers. ACE CREDIT helps adults gain academic credit for courses and examinations taken outside traditional degree programs. More than 2,000 colleges and universities consider ACE CREDIT recommendations in determining the applicability of coursework and examination results to their courses and degree programs. For more than 30 years, colleges and universities have trusted ACE CREDIT to provide reliable course equivalency information to facilitate their decisions to award academic credit. For more information, visit the ACE CREDIT website at http://www.acenet.edu/credit. Year Up offers a total of 25 courses nationally that have been recommended for college credit by ACE CREDIT. For a complete listing of these courses, please visit http://www2.acenet.edu/credit/?fuseaction=browse.getOrganizationDetail&FICE=1008396. About ACE Founded in 1918, ACE is the major coordinating body for all the nations higher education institutions, representing more than 1,600 college and university presidents and more than 200 related associations nationwide. It provides leadership on key higher education issues and influences public policy through advocacy. For more information, please visit http://www.acenet.edu or follow ACE on Twitter @ACEducation. About Year Up Year Up's mission is to close the Opportunity Divide by providing urban young adults with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education. Year Up achieves this mission through a high support, high expectation model that combines marketable job skills, stipends, internships and college credits. Its holistic approach focuses on students' professional and personal development to place these young adults on a viable path to economic self-sufficiency. Year Up currently serves more than 2,700 students a year at sites in Arizona, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Jacksonville, the National Capital Region, New York City, Philadelphia, Providence, Puget Sound, San Francisco Bay Area, and South Florida. To learn more, visit http://www.yearup.org or http://www.youtube.com/yearupinc. SchoolMessenger, the trusted platform for school community engagement and a part of West Corporation, today announced the addition of a new feature to SchoolMessenger Passport, its single sign-on product for school districts, as well as an important new program for education technology providers. An updated Passport catalog and the new SchoolMessenger Ecosystem Program address pain points for both districts and companies: providing a method for schools to learn about and deploy new products within a controlled environment that keeps districts in control of the process. Introduced last fall, SchoolMessenger Passport allows districts to provide teachers, staff, parents and students with quick and secure access to online learning applications, open educational resources (OER), and a variety of school management and administration software programs using single sign-on (SSO). That means each individual only has to remember one user ID and password to log into multiple district-approved educational resources, including SchoolMessenger products. Both the free standard and paid premium versions of Passport include a catalog of product connectors that enable SSO to popular web-based services. With the launch of the SchoolMessenger Ecosystem Program, companies will be able to highlight additional services they can provide, such as allowing schools to use one-click account provisioning tools within the updated version of the Passport catalog. In all cases, there is no fee to school districts for these features. Companies, once selected, participate as Ecosystem Program members with benefits that include secure integrations for district-approved sharing of roster or similar data. Schools are often overwhelmed by the process of selecting and deploying web-based education products and securely sharing approved data with their service providers, said Robert Iskander, general manager. Companies frequently have trouble standing out in an increasing crowd of suppliers. The new SchoolMessenger Ecosystem Program solves these problems, introducing appropriate digital tools directly to districts. Both Passport and its enhanced catalog that supports the Ecosystem Program are built on established technology from EduTone Corporation. Designed specifically for education, EduTones access and identity management engine is proven as an underpinning of strong single sign-on tools that dont get in the way of learning. EduTone itself has won several awards for its products, including multiple Software and Information Industry Association CODiE awards in the Best Solution for the K-12, Enterprise, and Education categories. Were proud to have our SSO platform power SchoolMessenger Passport and its Ecosystem Program, said Julian Mobbs, CEO of EduTone. Partnerships with established brands, such as SchoolMessenger, and their trusted relationships with school leaders, make it possible to bring more efficient access and procurement solutions to more students and schools worldwide more quickly. The enhanced catalog feature of SchoolMessenger Passport is part of regular product updates and requires no action by districts. Companies who want to be considered as a SchoolMessenger Ecosystem Program partner can apply at http://www.schoolmessenger.com/partners or contact Carmi Paris, vice president of business development, at 888.527.5225 x475. About SchoolMessenger SchoolMessenger products, part of West Corporation, are K-12s most-trusted communications solutions. Thousands of schools and other educational institutions in all 50 U.S. states and Canada depend on SchoolMessenger products and services. From notifications and websites to custom mobile apps and social media, school leaders have relied on the SchoolMessenger platform since 1999 to engage with their communities in multiple languages and on any device. To learn more about SchoolMessenger, visit http://www.schoolmessenger.com or call 888.527.5225. About EduTone EduTone provides schools with a more efficient and secure way to manage access to digital resources so they can refocus their energies on whats most important. The Global Grid for Learning is a single sign-on platform that works on any device to provide users with a single username, password and point of access while DataZone is an SIS/LMS integration service that makes provisioning subscription services easier. EduTone serves schools and districts around the world directly, through resellers and through white label partners. EduTone is a privately held corporation headquartered in Alameda, California, with affiliated offices in the UK and Australia. To learn more, visit http://www.edutone.com or call 888.904.9773. Senior Partner and Head of Dworken & Bernstein's Class Action Department, Patrick J. Perotti is proud to announce that Nicole Fiorelli has been named a Partner is the NE Ohio law firm. Nicole T. Fiorelli focuses her practice on Class Action and Wage & Hour Litigation. She has successfully litigated matters against large corporations in cases throughout the United States. Dworken & Bernstein is nationally recognized as a leader in class action lawsuits as well as in individual and collective actions for violations of state and federal wage and hour laws. Mrs. Fiorelli is also instrumental with her work utilizing the cy pres doctrine in her class action settlements. Cy pres means that money which a defendant commits for the settlement of a class action is not returned to the defendant if class members cannot be found, and instead is directed to charities and non-profits. In a settlement, both sides reach an amount of compensation which they agree is fair. "A settlement is an agreement which has terms that are presented to the court, explained Mrs. Fiorelli. She typically will not settle a case without a cy pres provision. Not all cases have leftover funds, but when they do, Dworken & Bernstein wants them distributed as nearly as possible' to the intended benefit." Dworken & Bernstein Co., L.P.A. is the largest law firm in Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula Counties, Ohio with additional offices in downtown Cleveland. Serving the community for over 50 years, Dworken & Bernstein and its 30 lawyers and staff of 65 offers a full range of legal services for businesses, individuals, and families. Further information about Dworken & Bernstein Co., L.P.A. can be found at http://www.dworkenlaw.com or Ohio Lawyers Give Back at http://www.ohiolawyersgiveback.org. Emily Woodson, CFP, partner at The Financial House and registered representative of Lincoln Financial Securities, recently attended the annual Barrons Top Women Advisors Summit, an exclusive conference aimed at sharing best practices, generating new ideas across the industry, and advocating the value of advice to the investing public. Held on December 2 December 4 in Palm Beach, Fla., the conference was attended by Barrons Top 100 Women Financial Advisors and a select group of 400 additional female advisors representing the top level of performers within participating firms. Attendees participated in peer-led sessions sharing wealth management strategies and heard from recognized keynote speakers from both inside and outside the industry. I am honored to have been part of a conference that recognizes high-performing women advisors, said Woodson. This is a growing field for women both as advisors and investors. The Barrons conference offered a great opportunity to share ideas and knowledge on products, strategies and trends that will impact all of our clients. Learning never ends for a financial advisor, added Woodson. We need to be well-versed on evolving products and strategies and on whats going on in the world around us in order to guide our clients. Its our responsibility to provide accurate information and use our knowledge so that clients can invest confidently. Woodson has been in the financial services industry since 2009. She serves on the Advisory Board for Lincoln Financial Securities and on the Delaware Board of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA). She is a member of the Society for Financial Services Professionals (SFSP) and is a qualifying member of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), an elite worldwide organization of financial professionals. Woodson received a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Colorado and a master of education degree from Wilmington University. She holds the professional designations of CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP) and holds FINRA series 7, 63 and 65 registrations, as well as licenses in life and health insurance. The Financial House is located at 5818 Kennett Pike, Wilmington, Del. About Lincoln Financial Network Lincoln Financial Network is the marketing name for the retail sales and financial planning affiliates of Lincoln Financial Group and includes Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp. and Lincoln Financial Securities Corp., both members of FINRA and SIPC. Consisting of almost 8,500 representatives, agents, and full-service financial planners throughout the United States, Lincoln Financial Network professionals can offer financial planning and advisory services, retirement services, life products, annuities, investments, and trust services to affluent individuals, business owners, and families. End Hunger Connecticut!, a statewide anti-hunger and food security organization, today launched a new website designed to share resources and educate visitors about long-term solutions to hunger. "We developed the new site with the intention of helping legislators, advocates, community leaders and the community-at-large understand the importance of federally funded nutrition programs and the impact they make on the lives of Connecticut residents," Lucy Nolan, executive director, End Hunger Connecticut!, said. "We also worked diligently to provide tools and resources, such as the Summer Meals Mapper and SNAP Pre-Screener, to help those struggling with food insecurity learn how they can provide nutritious meals for themselves and their families." Among the website's new features are a Hunger Map providing community-level data on need and participation in federal nutrition programs; a Summer Meals Mapper, which helps families find meal sites in their communities; and a SNAP pre-screener, which helps adults determine if they are eligible to receive benefits. Those who determine they are likely eligible, by completing the pre-screener, are then encouraged to contact End Hunger Connecticut!'s SNAP Call Center (1-866-974-SNAP) to receive free assistance applying for benefits. "Everything we do - from advocacy to outreach - is designed to improve Connecticut residents' access to these vital, federally-funded nutrition programs," Nolan said. "Our new website brings everything together in a central, easy-to-use hub." End Hunger Connecticut!'s new website also provides detailed overviews of federally funded child nutrition programs available across the state - School Breakfast Program, Suppers and Summer Meals - as well as the SNAP program, in which adults of all ages can enroll, as well as actionable tips to help the community rally around and advocate for increased funding and legislative/municipal support for improving access to these programs. For more information, visit http://www.EndHungerCT.org. About End Hunger Connecticut! End Hunger Connecticut! is a statewide anti-hunger and food security organization. By focusing on advocacy, outreach, education and research, EHC! serves as a comprehensive anti-hunger resource for community organizations, legislators, and low-income families. To learn more, visit: http://www.endhungerct.org. Pacifica Graduate Institute Ladera Lane Campus Pacifica Graduate Institute is pleased to have a 40-year history of academic excellence, and to have been accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges for nearly 20 years. Pacifica Graduate Institute, a higher education graduate school, is celebrating its 40th Anniversary in 2016. Pacifica Graduate Institute is pleased to have a 40-year history of academic excellence, and to have been accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges for nearly 20 years. Pacificas rigorous masters and doctoral graduate programs continue to expand, fostering creative learning and cutting-edge research in the fields of psychology and mythological studies, framed in the traditions of depth psychology, stated Chancellor and Founding President, Dr. Stephen Aizenstat. Chair of Pacificas Board of Trustees, Dr. Thyonne Gordon stated, During the past 40 years, Pacifica has grown from a two room school in Isla Vista to a two campus academic institution in Carpinteria and Santa Barbara. The Board of Trustees is proud of our many Pacifica alumni who have graduated during the past 40 years. They are demonstrating their involvement in the global arena, influencing the personal, cultural and planetary concerns of our era, while supporting Pacificas motto: for the sake of tending soul in and of the world. Pacifica Graduate Institutes 40th Anniversary year includes over 25 events. The April 2016 conference, Climates of Change and the Therapy of Ideas, is the 40th Anniversary Featured Event, which will be held on the Pacifica Graduate Institute campuses. Academic luminaries from the global field of depth psychology will present at the conference, including Stephen Aizenstat, Patricia Berry, Mermer Blakeslee, Joseph Cambray, Edward Casey, Chris Hedges, Toshio Kawai, Margot McLean, Michael Meade, David Miller, Thomas Moore, Safron Rossi, Susan Rowland, Vandana Shiva, Michael Sipiora, Glen Slater, Dennis Patrick Slattery, Per Espen Stoknes, Richard Tarnas, Mary Watkins, and Willow Young. Pacifica welcomes the community to register and participate in most of the events. Please view the events below and visit Pacifica Public Programs for more information. 40TH ANNIVERSARY FEATURE EVENT: APRIL 21-24, 2016 CLIMATES OF CHANGE AND THE THERAPY OF IDEAS ******************************************************************************* January 23, February 20, April 2, June 4, July 8, August 13 The Pacifica Experience: An Introduction to Pacificas Graduate Degree Programs January 29-31 Coming Home: Pacificas Annual Alumni Gathering February 12-14 Depth Psychological Approaches to Suffering A Seminar with Lionel Corbett February 21-24, May 8-11, July 24-27, Oct. 9-12 Dream Tending Certificate Program A Four-Session Program with Stephen Aizenstat March 4-6 Alchemical Active Imagination A Workshop with Thomas Elsner March 10-June 9 On Becoming A Supervisor in Depth A Ten-Week Evening Class with Joseph Cambray, Patricia Katsky, Lionel Corbett, Avedis Panajian, and Linda Carter March 18-20 Your Story Accelerator: Bring Your Story to Life and Put Your Ideas into Action A Workshop with Thyonne Gordon April 15-16, May 20-21, June 24-25 Dreaming the Earth, Earthing the Dream A Certificate Program with Craig Chalquist and Patricia Katsky April 21-24 Climates of Change and the Therapy of Ideas See list of presenters above. May 13-15 Ecotherapy: Nature Reconnection as a Powerful Transformational Healing Practice A Workshop with Linda Buzzell May 19-22 Global Leadership: Awareness and Engaged Action A 4-Day Intensive with Paul Orfalea and Mark Juergensmeyer June 3-5 Introduction to Dream Tending: A Practical Approach to Dreamwork A Workshop with Stephen Aizenstat June 24-26 C.G. Jung and Erich Neumann: A Creative Relationship A Symposium July 8-10 The Myth of Genius, The Genius of Myth A Workshop with Michael Meade July 11-August 21 Deep Storytelling and Archetypal Activism A 6-Week Online Program with Craig Chalquist July 15-17 Yoga Meets Depth Psychology An Experiential Workshop July 16-17 Artifice of Eternity: Aging and Long-Term Care A Workshop with Matthew Bennett August 5-7 Mens Calling to Soul: A Critical Gathering on Purpose and the Soul-Centered Life A Mens Weekend with Stephen Aizenstat, Ed Santana, and others August 26-28 Living Deeply: The Art and Science of Transformation A Film and Workshop with Marilyn Schlitz August 27 Dreaming Depth Psychology Forward: On Racism A Workshop with Matthew Silverstein September 9-11 Alumni Film Festival October 14-16 Psychology at the Cross-Roads A Conference PROGRAMS TO BE SCHEDULED Creating a Personal Relationship with Nature, Building Sustainability, and Dreaming the Anima Mundi A Certificate Program with Catherine Rose, Marshall Chrostowski, Stephen Aizenstat and others Transformational Storytelling: Mastering the Art of Narrative from the Inside Out An Online Certificate Program with Dara Marks and Deb Norton Sanctuary Medicine A Practicum with Robert Bosnak, Stephen Aizenstat, and others Leadership and Myth A Certificate Program with Thomas Steding Pacifica Graduate Institute continues its dedication to cultivating and harvesting the gifts of the human imagination and plans to continue doing so for next 40 years. For more information on Pacifica Graduate Institutes 40th Anniversary, please contact Heidi Townshend, Director, External Affairs: 805-879-7374 or htownshend@pacifica.edu. *************** Pacifica Graduate Institute, with two campuses in Santa Barbara, California, is a WASC-accredited graduate school offering masters and doctoral degree programs in depth psychology, mythological studies, and the humanities. The Institute has established an educational environment that nourishes respect for cultural diversity and individual differences, and a rigorous academic community with a spirit of free and open inquiry. Students have access to an impressive array of resources including the Opus Archives and Research Center. The mission of Pacifica Graduate Institute is to foster creative learning and research in the fields of psychology, the humanities, and mythological studies, framed in the traditions of depth psychology. Consistent with and supporting this vision, Pacifica Graduate Institute is employee-owned, and practices shared stewardship. Pacifica Graduate Institute Pacifica Graduate Institute Alumni Association Opus Archives and Research Center Pacifica Bookstore Today EdLeader21, the professional learning community for leaders committed to 21st century education, announced new leadership appointments. Superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) (VA) Dr. Karen Garza and Superintendent of Dysart Unified School District (AZ) Gail Pletnick have been named the Advisory Committees Chair and Vice Chair, respectively. In addition, Valerie Greenhill has been named President of EdLeader21. Prior to co-founding EdLeader21 and serving as its Chief Learning Officer, Greenhill spent six years heading strategic initiatives for P21 (Partnership for 21st Century Skills). In her new role, Greenhill will have overall responsibility for driving growth of the entire organization. Ken Kay and Alyson Nielson will remain in their roles as CEO and COO, respectively. Dr. Garza heads the tenth largest school district in the country and has long been a supporter of 21st century skills. Upon arriving in Fairfax County she began a strategic planning process to help create a vision around 21st century education. Dr. Garza has a proven track record of success in improving student learning and implementing programming. Dr. Garza introduced the idea of a portrait of a graduate, a set of skills and attributes that Fairfax graduates should have when they leave the school system for colleges or careers. Our school system, along with the broader FCPS community, has been energized around the collective vision for 21st century learning which has served as the cornerstone of our long range strategic plan, said Dr. Garza. EdLeader21 has been an instrumental partner in helping us craft this work. I look forward to serving in the role of chair and to FCPS continued engagement in this very important work and the overall learning community that is EdLeader21. Joining Dr. Garza on the Advisory Committee as vice chair will be Superintendent Pletnick, who was recently named Arizona Superintendent of the Year by the Arizona School Administrators. During her tenure as Superintendent in the Dysart Unified School District, the district has been recognized at the state and national levels for building a 21st century learning environment that includes innovative approaches, the use of technology to transform teaching and learning, and efforts to personalize education. I look forward to sharing our best practices with a broader audience, said Superintendent Pletnick. We have benefited from the EdLeader21 tools, so I am particularly interested in giving back to the group and how we can collaboratively expand the impact of our work. The list of additional appointees to the PLC Advisory Committee for 2016, each of whom serves a 2-year term, includes: Molly Bestge, Secondary Curriculum Coordinator West Fargo Public Schools (ND) Karen Cheser, Chief Academic Officer/ Deputy Superintendent Boone County Schools (KY) Mike Duncan, Superintendent Pike County Schools (GA) Theresa Dunkin, Superintendent Aptakisic-Tripp School District (IL) Scot Graden, Superintendent Saline Area Schools (MI) Jon Gundry, Superintendent Santa Clara County Office of Education (CA) John Jungmann, Superintendent Springfield Public Schools (MO) Deb Kerr, Superintendent School District of Brown Deer (WI) Nishant Mehta, Head of School The Childrens School (GA) James Merrill, Superintendent Wake County Public School System (NC) Anita Micich, Superintendent Mason City Community Schools (IA) Syna Morgan, Chief Academic Officer Jefferson County Public Schools (CO) Juliette Myers, Director of Middle/Secondary Education - Frederick County Public Schools (VA) John Puglisi, Superintendent Rio School District (CA) Eric Schneider, Assistant Superintendent Minnetonka Public Schools (MN) Aaron Spence, Superintendent Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VA) Elena Toscano, Assistant Superintendent Napa Valley Unified School District (CA) We are so honored that Dr. Garza, Superintendent Pletnick and all the members of the PLC Advisory Committee have agreed to help guide EdLeader21, said Kay. Education is a difficult sector to change and the only way to do it is for transformative leaders to work together and support one another. We are so fortunate that this group of leaders has stepped up and taken leadership roles in moving the important work of 21st century education forward. Kay continued, Valerie has been a key leader of the 21st century education movement for more than a decade. As Chief Learning Officer of EdLeader21 she has helped our members develop and implement district-wide improvements in teaching and learning. In her new role as President, she will help lead the entire organization as we grow and advance this important agenda. I am so pleased that she will take on this new role with broader responsibilities. It is inspiring to support our members as they transform education for their students," said Greenhill. I am incredibly proud of EdLeader21's growth over the last five years and Im thrilled to take on this new role to reach the next level of success. Additionally, EdLeader21 will officially recognize its fifth anniversary with an online birthday celebration on January 12, 2016. Thought leaders, educators, EdLeader21 members and friends in 21st century education are encouraged to leave birthday messages using #EdLeader21. The organization began with 20 members in 2011 and has grown to more than 170 members representing more than 3 million students. To learn more about EdLeader21, visit http://www.edleader21.com and follow the anniversary celebration at #EdLeader21 on January 12. ### EdLeader21 is a professional learning community (PLC) of more than 170 schools and districts in the U.S. The PLC was founded in 2011 and is based in Tucson, Arizona. The PLC provides superintendents, heads of schools and their leadership teams the opportunity to work collaboratively on projects they deem important to their implementation of 21st century education and specifically the 4Cs. The PLC also provides members with helpful tools and resources for professional learning including webinars, blogs and an annual event that is now the single biggest yearly gathering of 21st century education practitioners. Follow EdLeader21s leadership on twitter @kenkay21, @val_green and @EdLeader21. Without a doubt, South Shore Center is the hub of Alameda. With the fervor to be part of the vibrant community lifeline, we wanted to provide a table where we can share not only Korean food, but also our culture. Alameda South Shore Center today announced the forthcoming opening of Bowld BBQ Korean restaurant, planned for early 2016. Operated by Jechi, Inc since 2010, this is the third location to open in the East Bay and the first to open in Alameda. With the passion for introducing Korean cuisine to the Bay Area, two sisters, Chi and Jessica decided to create a user-friendly restaurant format so that their patrons would become more familiar with Korean cuisine. To encourage understanding, Bowld came up with simple translations for the original Korean recipes they prepare, which have been in their family for generations. Without a doubt, South Shore Center is the hub of Alameda, says the two sisters about their decision to open in Alameda. With the fervor to be part of the vibrant community lifeline, we wanted to provide a table where we can share not only Korean food, but also our culture. Instead of making barbeque its main focus, Bowld specializes in Bibimbopa traditional Korean rice bowl. Bibimbop consists of 12 different types of vegetables and one may choose the type of rice and type of protein for the bowl. Bowld strives to incorporate everyones specific choices, (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free) without disregarding the essence of Korean cuisine. Dishes are prepared in ways that are true to Korean flavor, but made to accommodate eaters of all types. Bowld BBQ Korean restaurant will be located at 2201 S Shore Center in Alameda, California and will be open daily from 11am to 10pm. To learn more, please visit their website: http://www.bowldbbq.com. For more information on Alameda South Shore Center, including activities, hours, and tenant promotions, please visit AlamedaSouthShoreCenter.com or visit us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SouthShoreCenter. About Alameda South Shore Center Alameda South Shore Center is an established, 594,000-square-foot open-air shopping center located in the East Bay community of Alameda, Calif. The only major shopping center on the 23-square-mile island, the recently renovated property is home to a variety of national and local retailers and restaurants, seasonal pop-ups, including DHC and Pedal Beach, a bike and beach supply rental shop, and Off the Grid @ Alameda, a weekly mobile food truck market. South Shore Center also features an exciting array of family-friendly events. The center has maintained its prominence as a thriving retail and recreational destination for more than 50 years. For more information, visit http://www.alamedasouthshorecenter.com. Sonia Santana, VP of Human Resources Its an honor to join OTO Development, and Im looking forward to contributing my skill set to their vision. - Sonia Santana, VP of Human Resources OTO Development announces its addition of Sonia Santana, VP of Human Resources, to their corporate headquarters. Santana will manage human resources operations for OTO; she joins the company following an executive position with Festiva Development Group, an Asheville-based real estate development company. OTO Development has maintained a near-matchless pace of expansion since its inception in 2004. Recently recognized by SC Biz News as South Carolinas 6th fastest growing company, OTO has also spent four consecutive years on Inc. 5000, a list of the fastest growing privately held companies in the United States. Ms. Santana has over 20 years of experience in human resources management, including leadership positions with the Biltmore Estate (Asheville, NC) and for Fisher Island, a private-equity club, resort, and residential development. Its an honor to join OTO Development, and Im looking forward to contributing my skill set to their vision. As a top hospitality company that values its team members, OTO has built a powerful organization on the foundation of great people. Its exciting to be a part of this growing contingent of hospitality professionals, Santana stated. Were thrilled to welcome Sonia to OTO; her motivated leadership and direction will definitely support our growth goals as we move into 2016, Corry Oakes, OTO Developments founding partner and CEO, remarked. A graduate of Florida International University, Ms. Santana holds a degree in Public Administration and Personnel Management. She has earned her Senior Certification -- Professional Designation (SHRM-SCP) from the National Society of Human Resource Management and Certified Hotel Human Resource Executive (CHRE) from the American Hotel and Lodging Association. About OTO Development Established in 2004, OTO Development is an award-winning, rapidly growing hotel development and management company. A leader in the lodging industry, OTOs success is anchored by a portfolio of upscale select-service hotels managed by exceptional people. In the past ten years, OTO Development has developed over 60 hotels and currently operates portfolios of hotels for a publicly traded REIT, private equity firms and high net worth individuals. Today, the company continues its impressive growth an extensive pipeline of urban new development projects in key markets across the country, including Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Manhattan, south Florida and Washington, D.C. For more information about OTO Development, please visit otodevelopment.com. Past News Releases RSS MyWebGrocer, a leading provider of e-commerce and digital marketing solutions to the grocery and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industries, has partnered with MasterCard to introduce more grocers on its recently announced Groceries by MasterCard app. Groceries will enable consumers to purchase groceries through the Samsung Family Hub refrigerator, making grocery shopping easier and more convenient. MasterCards Groceries app will help consumers streamline their grocery shopping routines. Households can build, share, manage and modify shopping lists, place orders and make payments through a seamless, collaborative interface. The app stores payment and delivery information in one convenient, secure location so that consumers dont have to re-enter personal information for every transaction. The Internet of Things is revolutionizing commerce in every aspect of our lives, from the coffee shop to our own homes, said Eric Healy, MyWebGrocer president. Weve always been committed to improving the way consumers shop for groceries and now were focusing on new and emerging technologies, such as the IoT and connected devices. Our partnership with MasterCard, a leader in global payments, enables us to propel the grocery industry into the next generation of customer experiences. The Groceries app will analyze families shopping habits to make personalized suggestions for future purchases. Other features will be added, including recipe and video integration, and MyWebGrocer will introduce additional grocers on the app to give consumers a variety of brands to choose from. By leveraging our Digital Experience Platforms open, API centric capabilities, were giving consumers the power to transact directly in the center of their meal planning the kitchen, continued Healy. We look forward to paving the way for a more connected future and improving consumers grocery shopping experiences, from recipe collection and list building to ordering and delivery. MasterCard is excited to partner with MyWebGrocer as we look to scale and grow the network of grocers, said Betty DeVita, chief commercial officer at MasterCard Labs. With more than 16 years of experience working with the top grocers and CPG brands, MyWebGrocer has the reach and industry acumen to help drive the successful expansion and use of Groceries throughout the U.S. and internationally. The Samsung Family Hub refrigerator was introduced at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show and will be available for purchase in the U.S. in May of 2016. To learn more about MyWebGrocer and how it helps grocers deliver next generation customer experiences, visit http://mywebgrocer.com/. About MyWebGrocer MyWebGrocer offers the only complete Digital Experience Platform for grocers and Consumer Packaged Goods brands. The platform powers every interaction to engage, transact and retain grocery shoppers through digital offerings ranging from planning and shopping platforms to mobile and social tools. The company also offers opportunities for consumer packaged goods brands looking to reach consumers with relevant advertising, promotions and offers throughout their grocery path to purchase. Founded in 1999, MyWebGrocer manages digital solutions for more than 130 retailers across the globe, representing more than 10,000 stores, and 500+ major consumer packaged goods brands. For more information, please visit http://www.MyWebGrocer.com, and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Updated logo Holiday Retirement (Holiday or the company) announced the transition of its current chief executive officer, Kai Hsiao, to the role of vice chairman, and the appointment of Lilly Donohue as its new chief executive officer, effective today. Mr. Hsiao is stepping down as CEO to focus on personal health matters. I am confident that Holiday is well positioned to continue to successfully serve the needs of its residents and to fulfill its strategic corporate goals, said Mr. Hsiao. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of many talented individuals who have worked alongside me, Holiday has become an industry-leading, nationwide senior housing platform during my tenure as CEO. And as vice chairman, Ill continue to support the team to ensure a seamless transition. Since joining the company in 2008, Mr. Hsiao has served in many leadership positions at Holiday. Mr. Hsiao played an important role in growing the companys occupancy, NOI and EBITDA through organic growth and acquisitions, recapitalizing the company through triple net and third-party management transactions, and centralizing operationally intensive functions. Mr. Hsiao, who previously worked at Macerich and Canyon Ranch, also drew on his experiences in the retail and hospitality industries to modernize Holidays corporate infrastructure through initiatives such as the first automated revenue management system in the senior housing industry. I am honored to join the Holiday team as CEO. I look forward to building upon the exceptional accomplishments of Kai and his team, as well as my own experiences in senior housing and private equity, stated Ms. Donohue. The senior housing industry is large and growing, with strong long-term fundamentals. Against this backdrop, I am excited to lead the U.S.s largest independent living operator and second largest senior housing operator to the benefit of its current and future residents. I truly believe Holidays best days are yet to come. Prior to joining Holiday, Ms. Donohue spent four and a half years establishing a senior living business in Shanghai, China that is widely considered one of the most successful foreign senior living operators in China as measured by occupancy and profitability. About Holiday Retirement Since 1971, Holiday Retirement has endeavored to provide its signature Holiday Touch to residents and their families. Today, Holiday is a trusted name in senior living and provides security, comfort, and value to independent seniors seeking a fulfilling lifestyle. Holiday operates more than 300 retirement communities, making it the second largest senior housing operator in the United States. For more information about Holiday Retirement, please call 800-322-0999 or visit http://www.holidaytouch.com. When I hear about kids living in motels and without having proper meals, it touched home and I wanted to find a way to help the cause. ymarketing and Chef Bruno Seratos Caterinas Club have teamed up to form PASTARS, an Orange County program to feed over 400 kids every Wednesday, with the intention to increase the number of days food is served in the near-future. In coordination with Harbor Area Boys & Girls Clubs (Westside Costa Mesa, Eastside Costa Mesa, and Irvine), pasta meals will be prepared and served by ymarketing team members to children. Started over 10 years ago, Caterinas Club serves over 1,400 underprivileged children dinners every night. Chef Bruno Serato was named one of CNNs 10 Heroes of the Year, featured in People, Elle, Vogue, and The New York Times, honored with a humanitarian award on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, and knighted by the Italian government; all for his work feeding children and helping families. ymarketing is very proud to be the first company in California to create a new program, market that program, and provide the volunteers (the ymarketing team) that will allow an expansion of Caterinas Club in South Orange County. I have always had a soft spot for kids, especially those in need, said ymarketing COO, Brian Yun. Growing up, my parents struggled to put food on the table. That financial struggle continued for my parents into my adulthood. When I hear about kids living in motels and without having proper meals, it touched home and I wanted to find a way to help the cause. The ymarketing team begins volunteering on Wednesdays at the three Boys & Girls Clubs on January 13. About ymarketing: ymarketing is a data-driven digital media and advertising agency in Newport Beach, CA. We are a team of marketers who understand technology, customer behavior and the potential business impact. We blend data science, meaningful connections, and experiences to create solutions that drive actual business results. Read more at https://www.ymarketing.com/. We are thrilled to be adding Mark Belles and Alex Osadzinski to the Relias team. Relias Learning, the leader in online training and compliance solutions for the healthcare market, today announced two additions to their executive team. Mark Belles, named the new Chief Operating Officer, and Alex Osadzinski, the new Managing Director of Global Operations, will play major roles in Relias expansion plans. We are thrilled to be adding these two accomplished executives to the Relias team, says Jim Triandiflou, CEO of Relias Learning. Our goal is to be the global leader in healthcare training. Mark and Alex have both grown software companies from small providers to global leaders delivering the best solutions to their markets. Their experience will be invaluable in ensuring Relias maintains the highest quality while managing through the explosive growth we are experiencing. Mark Belles comes to Relias with more than 20 years of experience growing and scaling operations at multiple online businesses, including his time at Blackboard, the leading provider of education products to millions of learners and educators across the world. During his seven years at Blackboard, Belles played a leadership role in tripling overall company revenue from $200 million to $630 million, including his most recent position as a Senior Vice President of K-12, responsible for managing all aspects of sales, marketing client care and implementation. In addition to Blackboard, Belles spent eight years at IBM and has led sales, marketing and client care at multiple companies including his most recent role as President and COO of Teaching Strategies, LLC. Relias has become the industry standard for compliance training in a number of healthcare segments, says Belles. As we expand into new healthcare segments and grow the product to focus on patient outcomes, there is the potential to extend Relias impact to influence the quality of healthcare in the United States. Listening to our customers and continuing to build a culture that supports their success will be a key element in our growth. I am excited to work with the team to build on the very solid foundation they have created. Alex Osadzinski joins Relias with over 30 years of experience in executive roles with technology companies and a successful career in venture capital. Osadzinskis global experience includes his work with Sun Microsystems, where he helped create their $600MM European business and more recently at Nagra Kudelski, a Swiss public company where he was a member of the Group Executive Board and responsible for end-to-end solutions in the digital media space. Osadzinski also spent seven years as a Venture Partner at Trinity Ventures, a leading venture capital firm, where he was involved in investing, board work, sourcing, diligence and successful exits for multiple companies. Joining Relias is an extraordinary opportunity to help a dynamic company become a significant global player in a very underserved industry, said Mr. Osadzinski. The need for quality healthcare training is global. Countries from Europe to South America to the Far East are struggling with how to educate caregivers and how to serve their aging populations. I look forward to contributing to Relias global expansion. Since being acquired by Bertelsmann in 2014, Relias has continued on an aggressive growth track fueled by domestic acquisitions and organic growth. The company acquired Academy Medical Systems and RediLearning in 2015 and has continued to grow in its core markets of post-acute care, behavioral health and intellectual/developmental disabilities. The company currently serves more than 4,600 organizations and 2.6 million learners who take over 26 million courses annually. To learn more about Relias Learning, please visit them at http://www.reliaslearning.com. About Relias Learning Relias Learning provides an online training solution for the healthcare market. Relias offers unrivalled content, the ability for customers to create unique content including live training, and allows for the demonstration of skill and performance, all in a singular, powerful learning management system. For more information, please visit us at http://www.reliaslearning.com or call toll-free at 877-200-0020. Oak Ridge Investments, LLC, an investment management firm focused on select, actively managed equity strategies recently launched two new mutual funds in the small cap core category. These funds add to the firms established leadership in small cap stock investing. The Oak Ridge International Small Cap Fund (ORIIX) and Dynamic Small Cap Fund (ORSIX), will be sub-advised by Algert Global, LLC which has a historical track record of strong outperformance versus respective benchmarks. The Oak Ridge International Small Cap Fund will invest in companies across foreign developed markets targeting a cap range similar to the MSCI EAFE Small Cap Index. The Oak Ridge Dynamic Small Cap Fund will invest in a universe of small cap U.S. traded stocks and will seek to outperform the Russell 2000 Index. Both Fund strategies will focus on analyzing inefficiencies in global equity markets that result from investor behavioral biases. This systematic process seeks to invest in companies with solid fundamentals, attractive relative valuation, and measureable market catalysts. We believe the Funds address a client-driven need in the marketplace by providing exposure to international small cap and U.S. small cap companies, says Oak Ridges Chief Operating Officer, Mark D. Goodwin. Launching two new funds based on the established track record of the funds sub-advisor, Algert Global, is a huge advantage. This is a significant opportunity to partner with a historically successful institutional investment manager through an accessible mutual fund vehicle. The uniqueness of the asset classes these two funds focus on is a timely and compelling opportunity for our clients, adds Head of Distribution & Marketing, Philip J. Callahan. We believe the appetite for both funds will be strong given the prospect of active management doing well in these categories. We are excited to bring these complementary strategies to the Oak Ridge suite of diversified investment capabilities. Oak Ridge International Small Cap Fund Class A: ORIAX / Class I: ORIIX Oak Ridge Dynamic Small Cap Fund Class A: ORSAX / Class I: ORSIX ABOUT OAK RIDGE INVESTMENTS: Oak Ridge Investments is an investment management firm located in Chicago and New York. Founded in 1989, Oak Ridge is focused on providing select, actively managed equity strategies to its broad range of clients. The firm currently manages more than $4.5 billion. ABOUT ALGERT GLOBAL: Algert Global is a San Francisco-based leader in systematic investment strategies founded in 2002. Algert takes an active, fundamentally driven approach to exploit inefficiencies in global equity markets resulting from investor behavioral biases. The firm currently manages approximately $750 million. CONTACT: http://www.oakridgeinvest.com Philip J. Callahan, Head of Distribution & Marketing p: 312-857-2167 | pcallahan(at)oakridgeinvest(dot)com Past performance does not guarantee future results. Before investing you should carefully consider the Funds investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. This and other information is in the prospectus, a copy of which may be obtained by calling 855-551-5521 or visiting oakridgefunds.com. Please read the prospectus carefully before you invest. Important Risks: Equity securities, such as common stocks, are subject to market, economic and business risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate. Investments made in small capitalization companies may be more volatile and less liquid due to limited resources or product lines and more sensitive to economic factors. The Funds may invest in foreign securities which involves certain risks such as currency volatility, political and social instability and reduced market liquidity. Emerging markets may be more volatile and less liquid than more developed markets and therefore may involve greater risks. The Funds may invest in ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds) and is therefore subject to the same risks as the underlying securities in which the ETF invests as well as entails higher expenses than if invested into the underlying ETF directly. Distributed by IMST Distributors, LLC Roman Borisov Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP announces that Roman Borisov has joined the firms Reno office as an Associate in Government Relations practice group. Clients turn to Borisov for representation regarding regulatory and government relations matters focusing on energy and utilities. Prior to joining the firm, he served as an Administrative Attorney in the Office of General Counsel for the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada. Roman brings a finance background and valuable experience gained at the Public Utilities Commission, and we are very happy to have him join our Reno office, said Carla Consoli, practice group leader for Regulatory and Government Relations. While at the Public Utilities Commission, Borisovs responsibilities included providing advice and counsel to assigned commissioners; interpreting relevant laws, regulations, policies and procedures as they apply to specific utility issues; collaborating with assigned commissioners in drafting opinions, notices, orders and regulations; making recommendations to the commissioners based on facts and conclusions of the law, and representing the Commission on appeal. Borisov also served as a Law Clerk to the Hon. Mark R. Denton in the Eighth Judicial District Court, Law Clerk in the Office of General Counsel at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, and interned as a Redevelopment Specialist in the City of North Las Vegas Economic Development Department. During law school, he was an Articles Editor for the UNLV Gaming Law Journal, and CALI Award recipient in Lawyering Process I and Immigration Clinic. Lewis Roca Rothgerber LLP and Christie, Parker & Hale LLP combined on Jan. 1, 2016 to become Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP. The firm represents diverse domestic and international clients across all industries and organizations ranging in size from individuals and start-ups to Fortune 500 corporations, including some of the worlds most recognizable brands. About Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie is built on the strengths of legacy firms Lewis Roca Rothgerber and Christie, Parker & Hale, providing clients across a wide range of industries with representation in litigation, intellectual property, business transactions, gaming, government relations and other practice areas. With approximately 300 attorneys, Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie offices are located in Albuquerque, Colorado Springs, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orange County, Phoenix, Reno, Silicon Valley and Tucson. Conwed, the leading plastic netting manufacturer in the world, celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2016. Led by the campaign theme Celebrating our Past, Engineering our Future, Conwed plans to communicate the collaborative approach and thirst for innovation that have made them the partner of choice in diverse industries. Since 1966, Conwed has developed netting solutions for hundreds of industrial and consumer products worldwide. Founded in Minneapolis, MN, Conwed has now 5 manufacturing locations on two continents, more than 400 employees and a global distribution network. During the last 50 years, Conwed netting has been a key component in diverse market applications. Netting is used to reinforce, protect, contain, separate, laminate and stretch a wide range of materials and substrates in various industries. Our netting helps make products lighter, stronger and more durable. Netting sometimes may not be easily visible, but it hides behind the scenes in products we all use on a daily basis, said Ivan Soltero, Strategic Marketing Manager at Conwed. Enjoying rapid growth in its first three decades of existence, Conwed introduced reinforcement netting to bedding products, became essential in reinforcing carpet cushion and provided separation, containment and support to diverse air and liquid filtration products. Then, the erosion control industry boomed and Conwed netting became a key material in erosion control blankets, turf reinforcement mats and wattles. Conwed also thrived creating netting for hay and forage containment, turf harvesting and crop protection. When someone asks what Conwed does, it might be complex to explain as netting can be found in many different industries; people buy turkey or produce at a supermarket contained in a netting bag, walk on their living room carpet supported by carpet cushion reinforced with netting, run on a backyard lawn harvested with netting, wear disposable diapers with elastic netting waistbands, or use industrial wipes reinforced with our netting. You can find us in the most unexpected places, added Soltero. In the last decade, Conwed has expanded into porous pavers, rug liners, reverse osmosis feed spacers, elastic hygiene composites, packaging multilayer netting and high-temperature netting for automotive, oil, hydraulic and liquid filtration applications. Our netting innovation relies heavily on our customers product development needs. We pride ourselves on customizing each netting design to the point where we rarely have an off-the-shelf netting solution for our customers. Netting is so versatile that we encourage customers to share what their challenges are before assuming they cant be solved, said Soltero. As part of the 50th anniversary celebration, Conwed prepared a new video where company milestones and history are highlighted. Our audience will be surprised with this new video. We wanted to bring some fun and excitement to our 50 years of netting innovation across industries. So we asked the question - 50 years ago, could you have predicted an entire world of netting, shared Soltero. To watch the new Conwed video Celebrating our Past, Engineering our Future, visit http://www.conwedplastics.com/50 About CONWED Conwed is the leading plastic netting manufacturer in the world. Conwed manufactures extruded, oriented and knitted netting with unique customization capabilities. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Conwed has five manufacturing locations on two continents and a global distribution network. Jonathan Johnson, Republican candidate for Utah Governor, expresses support for caucus-convention system and concern that signature petition process favors career politicians. Ive been a state and county delegate several times. I have great faith in the caucus-convention system. It allows everyday Utahns to participate in the political process," Jonathan Johnson. Past News Releases RSS Jonathan Johnson, Republican... The Johnson for Governor campaign issued a statement today saying it will not engage in the S.B 54 signature petition process to get place on the Republican primary ballot, but instead will continue to focus on the caucus-convention system and meet and talk directly with Utahns. Sasha Clark, communications director, explained the reasoning: We have a great campaign organization and a stellar candidate. Utahns want a businessman in office instead of another term from a career politician whos been in public office for more than 25 years. If Gov. Herbert wants to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars he raised from lobbyists at his Governors Gala to pay an army of signature gathers to buy his way on to the primary ballot, thats his prerogative. This campaign will use its resources to talk directly with Utahns and delegates. Clark continued: The signature gathering initiative, created and funded by the political and business elite, is an incumbent protection plan incumbents with greater access to and influence over donors. In a state-wide race, signature gathering is nearly impossible to do without hiring an expensive firm to gather signatures. S.B. 54 essentially allows candidates to buy a place on the primary ballot. Jonathan Johnson added: Ive been a state and county delegate several times. While the media often characterizes party delegates as extreme, that has not been my personal experience. I have found them diligent, thoughtful, responsible and concerned with what is best for Utah. I have great faith in the caucus-convention system. It has worked for decades. It allows everyday Utahns to participate in the political process. I look forward to continuing to spend quality time communicating directly with Utahns. Johnson continued: The whole S.B. 54 process is still a mess. As things currently stand, gathering signatures is a waste of time and money. Further, I do not like an option that favors wealthy career politicians. When a ballot spot is for sale in Utah, were in trouble. For more information, visit http://www.HireJJ.com or follow the Jonathan Johnson campaign social media platforms @JJohnsonNow and #HireJJ. Donald Trump speaks at Liberty University Convocation on Sept. 24, 2012. Donald Trump, the real-estate mogul/television personality turned Republican presidential candidate, will visit Liberty University on Monday, Jan. 18, where he will be the featured speaker at the first Convocation of 2016. Libertys Convocation is the worlds largest regular gathering of Christian young people, taking place in the Vines Center two to three times a week during the academic year. The event features speakers of national significance from every sphere of society. Other presidential candidates to visit Liberty recently are Ted Cruz, Bernie Sanders, and Dr. Ben Carson. Trump last visited Liberty in 2012, when his Convocation speech was broadcast to a record audience. President Jerry Falwell said, Since Donald Trump last visited Liberty, our family has stayed in close contact with him and with his top aide, Michael Cohen. We are thrilled that they are taking time out of their extremely busy schedule to return to Liberty. About Liberty University Liberty University, founded in 1971, is the largest private, nonprofit university in the nation, the largest university in Virginia, and the largest Christian university in the world. Located near the Blue Ridge Mountains on more than 7,000 acres in Lynchburg, Va., Liberty offers more than 500 unique programs of study from the certificate to the doctoral level. More than 200 programs are offered online. Libertys mission is to train Champions for Christ with the values, knowledge, and skills essential for impacting tomorrows world. Avamere Family of Companies, the post-acute care provider with more than forty retirement communities and skilled nursing facilities in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Colorado, has partnered with WoundRounds. Avamere facilities use WoundRounds, the leading wound management solution, to care for patients with wounds and leverage WoundRounds mobile technology at the bedside to provide better wound care. According to Carl Tabor, Vice President of Clinical Services, At Avamere, our mission is to enhance the life of every person we serve. With WoundRounds, we not only enhance the customer experience for our wound care patients, but we also make caregiving easier for our clinical team, enhancing care coordination and streamlining workflows for our facilities. Tabor adds, We value WoundRounds in empowering our care team to provide better clinical care while standardizing processes. We are excited to use the WoundRounds tools for wound assessment, documentation and clinical intervention as we strive to consistently provide effective wound care for our patients. WoundRounds CEO Mike Diamond says, Avamere and WoundRounds share the same goal in delivering solutions to help care teams achieve positive clinical outcomes with greater standardization and efficiencies. We are proud to partner with Avamere to improve the quality of life of patients and the dedicated staff who care for them. About WoundRounds WoundRounds, a product of Telemedicine Solutions LLC, is the point-of-care wound management and risk prevention solution that empowers nurses to deliver better wound care in less time. WoundRounds customers report lower overall costs of care, improved healing rates, lower return-to-hospital rates, and reduced risk. http://www.woundrounds.com. About Avamere Family of Companies Avamere Family of Companies, a group of independent privately owned post-acute care companies, is dedicated to seniors' health and well-being. Avamere takes great pride in offering a continuum of care, which allows seniors to stay independent and active. With more than forty retirement communities and skilled nursing facilities in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Colorado, the Avamere companies are focused on helping youor your loved onelive the life you want to lead. At Avamere, "Your Life is Our Commitment." Contact: Lisa Sienkiewicz, Avamere Phone: (971) 224-2818 Email: lsienkiewicz(at)avamere(dot)com This month, 10 Best PPC gave Crush M. Market in Walnut Creek, California the distinction of being named its leading PPC management company for December 2015. 10 Best PPC also lauded some of the industrys other best PPC management firms with this new monthly award. Best PPC is a noteworthy organization that pays close attention to companies that specialize in PPC (pay per click). PPC is an online marketing practice that requires advertisers to cover fees after Internet surfers view and click on their advertisements. Crush M. Market is a Bay Area digital marketing company. Not only are the dedicated people who work for Crush M. Market PPC management gurus, but they are also incredible customer service professionals. In addition to being a top PPC management firm, Crush M. Market is adept in subjects such as web design, search engine optimization (SEO), Internet reputation management, mobile marketing and social media management. Crush M. Market works hard to help their clients achieve success in the online realm. The staff members at Crush M. Market are all highly focused and detail-oriented professionals who are capable of shining in the middle of high-pressure work situations. Minkism in Idaho Falls, Idaho is second place on 10 Best PPC's roster of leading PPC management companies for December 2015. This celebrated Internet marketing agency's various noteworthy strengths include PPC advertising, search engine optimization, social media management and quality web development. Web hosting is yet another specialty that is available at Minkism. Whether a business is searching for trustworthy assistance in online marketing or is trying to protect its valuable image on the Internet, working with Minkism can be very advantageous. Customer Magnetism in Virginia Beach, Virginia is a highly praised PPC management company that is 10 Best PPC's third place winner for December 2015. In its role as a top PPC management firm, Customer Magnetism is all about skilled PPC advertising, conversion rate optimization (CRO), user experience (UX), search engine optimization, video production, social media management, website development and content marketing. Many well-known clients have relied on the talents of the Customer Magnetism staff. Examples of these clients are Echo Outdoor Power Equipment, Kettler, Dollar Tree, FxPro and Lifescript. Some of the other hard-working PPC management companies that were noted by 10 Best PPC are AXZM in Dallas, Texas; SEM Drive in San Mateo, California; and Ami Creative Studio on Anna Maria Island, Florida. I consider it an extreme honor and privilege to serve the community through the practice of law, helping so many by meeting their legal needs, said Zucker, of the Law Office of Claudia Zucker. Zucker, who focuses primarily on the family-related issues of divorce, custody, visitation, child support, spousal support, military divorce, division of assets including pensions, modification of existing orders, and immigration-related divorce issues, stressed that she is looking forward to what the future holds for both she and her clients. Zucker is the recipient of the Martindale-Hubbell Client Appreciation Award based on her rapid response to client issues and ability to guide her clients through very difficult times. Zucker started her career doing immigration law almost exclusively for the first 17 years. She noted that she found an interest in family law around the same time it became clear that the U.S. government was not going to open the door to assist illegal immigrants in gaining legal status, therefore it made sense to focus more on family law issues as a logical next step. As to why anyone should choose the Law Office of Claudia Zucker, she pointed out that unlike many law firms that employ many associates, attorneys and paralegals, Im a solo practitioner, so when you hire me for my services, you are actually hiring me and because of that, you dont need to be concerned about getting your case handed off to someone else or with ever getting double billed, as is a practice in larger firms when more than one attorney is handling the case. About Claudia Zucker Law Firm If one is going through a challenging family law matter such as divorce, separation, or a child custody dispute, family law attorney Claudia Zucker is here to help. Attorney Zucker represents people in Northern Virginia, including those in Arlington, Fairfax, McLean, Alexandria, Falls Church, Vienna, Manassas, and residents in all cities within Fairfax County, Loudoun County, Arlington County, and Prince William County. For more information, please visit zuckerlawfirm.com or call (703) 522-5629 or send her an email at claudia(at)zuckerlawfirm(dot)com. Her office is located at 1840 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 205 Arlington, VA 22201. About the NALA The NALA offers local business owners new online advertising & small business marketing tools, great business benefits, education and money-saving programs, as well as a charity program. For media inquiries, please call 805.650.6121, ext. 361. Choosing the Right Drug Name: Increase Your Chances for Approval by FDA and Health Canada Jan. 20, 2016 1:30 p.m. 3:00 p.m. EST http://www.fdanews.com/rightdrugname The FDA rejects 40% of the drug names presented to it each year. Not surprisingly, the drug industry has criticized the agency about its name approval process. So, in May 2014, the FDA released a draft guidance that covers the selection and approval process for proposed names of both prescription and nonprescription human drugs and biologics. In the guidance, the FDA describes its own review processes in detail and lays out 4 steps to follow in choosing a drug name. And, Health Canadas guidance Review of Drug Brand Names came into force last July. FDAnews has teamed with drug-naming expert Dr. Susan Proulx to present a 90-minute webinar that will look closely at both guidances. Dr. Proulx will provide ideas on how to win approval for a suggested drug name. BONUS HANDOUT: Attendees will receive their own copy of a chart that compares drug name approval regulations in the US and Canada. And attendees will learn more about the following: How the new guidance will affect drug trademark development (in time, money and the differences from country to country on processing a global mark) Pros and cons of relying on computerized searching to identify similarity in proposed names Using simulation testing how to conduct testing similar to what the FDA will eventually do on a chosen drug name The need for expert analysis before deciding what trademark to choose Choosing the Right Drug Name: Increase Your Chances for Approval by FDA and Health Canada is sure to be a presentation not to miss. Meet the Presenter: Over the course of her career in Medication Safety, Dr. Susan Proulx has become an expert in all aspects of product-related safety issues. In addition to being a leader in the industry in preventing medication errors due to trademark confusion, she also has overseen numerous projects related to improvement of packaging and labels to increase clarity and ease of reading. In recent years, Dr. Proulx has lent her medication safety expertise to the field of Human Factors Engineering, collaborating on label safety and drug-device usability issues. Some of these projects have led to patents and publications. Who Will Benefit: Strategic planning and business development staff Marketing, sales and advertising personnel Compliance officers Risk management specialists Consultants/service providers Executive management General/corporate counsel R&D staff Regulatory/legislative affairs professionals Webinar Details: Choosing the Right Drug Name: Increase Your Chances for Approval by FDA and Health Canada Jan. 20, 2016 1:30 p.m. 3:00 p.m. EST http://www.fdanews.com/rightdrugname Tuition: $287 per site Easy Ways to Register: Online: http://www.fdanews.com/rightdrugname By phone: 888-838-5578 or 703-538-7600 About FDAnews: FDAnews is the premier provider of domestic and international regulatory, legislative, and business news and information for executives in industries regulated by the US FDA and the European Medicines Agency. Pharmaceutical and medical device professionals rely on FDAnews' print and electronic newsletters, books and conferences to stay in compliance with international standards and the FDA's complex and ever-changing regulations. InvestmentBank.com seeks Managing Director for healthcare investment banking practice. InvestmentBank.com, a division of Merit Harbor Group, LLC, is seeking an experienced healthcare dealmaker to assist the existing healthcare team in mergers, acquisitions and capital requisition opportunities in healthcare, medical and biotechnology transactions. We are seeing expanded demand for our capital advisory services in the healthcare, healthcare technology and medical sectors, says Nate Nead, Director. Healthcare remains a strategic area for the firm and the increased demand is causing us to seek further assistance for Managing Director, Director and Associate-levels. We need expertise added to the firm to be able to fill the supply-demand gap within the firm, he says. Currently, the firms experienced healthcare investment banking team resides in Los Angeles, California. However, an additional, licensed investment banker could reside nearly anywhere in the country. Our desired candidate can be geographically agnostic to any of our current locations and will have the flexibility of working remotely on his/her own deals, Nead says. While there is some flexibility on independence, the company will also provide assistance in sourcing and procuring new leads for the new employee, allowing him/her to have greater access to more deals within the sector. Much of this assistance comes through the companys network of deal-related websites, including InvestmentBank.com, ReverseMergers.com, Crowdfund.co and Acquisition.net. As a firm, the company is keenly focused on raising capital for growth, providing buy-side M&A assistance and assisting in both broad and strategic auctions in the sale of businesses and business assets. On the healthcare side, performing sell-side auctions and capital raises most effectively requires not only an understanding of the specific markets in which the companys clients operate, but knowing the right investors and buyers in any given niche. Our expertise in the healthcare sector comes from years of experience, assisting healthcare, medical and biotechnology firms in raising capital and selling companies, Nead says. While running a broad strategic auction is best to create froth in the sale of a company, we also recognize that the best deals are often done because we know someone in the right seat that is willing to pay a premium for strategic assets. As a strategically-focused sector, healthcare remains a beachhead for the company along with software, real estate, oil & gas, consumer products, internet and logistics services. The current deal pipeline in healthcare for the firm remains extremely strong and expected to more than double its current output for 2016. Because of our current pipeline, we are desperately seeking the assistance of expert, experienced dealmakers, particularly when it comes to healthcare, Nead says. About InvetmentBank.com InvestmentBank.com is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Merit Harbor Group, LLC, a middle-market investment bank with offices across the United States. While the overall company is industry-agnostic, the individual members of the team bring expertise from specific industry sectors from healthcare to technology and niche manufacturing. The companys team of expert investment bankers pride themselves on producing above market returns for their middle-market business clients, providing expert advisory on selling companies, raising growth capital and by growing through inorganic acquisitions. The company also provides unique services including business valuations, acquisition financing and assistance with public offerings. Peoples Company is a Brokerage Specializing in Land and Agricultural Services Jim utilizes strong, interpersonal communication to serve landowners in a highly professional manner Peoples Company has acquired Greenline Asset Management LLC, and retained industry veteran Jim Kedley as a new addition to the ag real estate service providers growing land management services team. Kedley, a licensed broker with a career in real estate spanning more than 20 years throughout Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois, specializes in the brokerage and management of farmland, acreages and recreational ground. In addition to handling day-to-day matters associated with improving productivity, sustainability and profitability of the land, Kedleys emphasis is on producing an annual income for clients while situating their farms for superior long-term appreciation. He is located out of Peoples Companys Total Realty Co. office in DeWitt. Kedley grew up working with his family on an Eastern Iowa ag and livestock farm. He earned an MBA from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, and was presented with a Presidents Award in recognition of his relationship-driven marketing skills. "Jim utilizes strong, interpersonal communication to serve landowners in a highly professional manner, said Peoples Company President Steve Bruere. His knowledge and perspective are an ideal fit for our clients and the organization. The acquisition of Greenline Asset Management reflects Peoples Companys commitment to growth in Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois. We are excited for new opportunities to expand our presence in this area, and to have a land professional of Jim's caliber on-board as a valued addition to the team. About Peoples Company Peoples Company is a leading agricultural real estate services provider specializing in land brokerage, land management and land appraisal throughout the Midwest and in key markets across the United States. The cornerstone of Peoples Companys aggressive marketing efforts includes a 60-person team and the establishment of key relationships with major institutional investors in the land investment space. The Land Investment Expo, hosted annually since 2008, each January attracts more than more than 6oo people to the heart of ag country. Clive-based Peoples Company is licensed to sell real estate in 14 states, including Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. For more information, visit http://www.PeoplesCompany.com or call (800) 855-5263. This is fantastic for StarKart and for our clients as well, said Jeffrey Rosenthal, Chairman and CEO of StarKart and the NALA. With this expansion, which adds an additional 2,500-plus distribution locations to our inventory, we can offer local businesses looking for more places to advertise a much larger network. The addition of these stores can be found in a number of metropolitan areas in the United States. Major U.S. cities include Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Louisville, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Atlanta, Memphis, Nashville, Little Rock, Richmond, Toledo and more. Through the broad exposure of grocery cart advertising, StarKart helps thousands of local businesses stand out in their communities. The advertising network reaches thousands of locations in forty-nine states, Washington D.C. and Canada. StarKarts unique offering enables small businesses to cover a marketing area far greater than other models, said Rosenthal. No other company does grocery cart advertising like we do. Its unique advertising experience allows the client to choose the length of a campaign, for as short as 4 weeks or up to 52 weeks, they can change locations every 4 weeks and they can change ad copy every 4 weeks, as well. To learn more about the cycle rotation program, please visit http://starkart.com/rotate-your-ad/. The NALA, StarKarts sister company, is a perfect complement to StarKarts offline, grocery cart advertising product. The NALA helps local businesses shine in the online marketing world by providing good web content, such as press releases, online advertising, social media, blogs, website development, and charity co-branding. For more information about StarKarts advertising or the NALAs services, please call 866-767-3238. About StarKart StarKart has the largest shopping cart advertising network in the United States and Canada offering grocery cart advertising that reaches a network of thousands of locations. About the NALA The NALA offers local business owners new online advertising and small business marketing tools, as well as a charity program. For media inquiries, please call 805.650.6121, ext. 361. The Wise Investor Group at Robert W. Baird & Co. We hope that this years Seminar provides investors with the, portfolio management and investment analysis tools and guidance that they need to achieve their financial goals in 2016. The Wise Investor Group at Robert W. Baird & Co., a team of experienced financial professionals specializing in financial planning, portfolio management, investment analysis and account services, today announced that their Annual Seminar will be held on January 23, 2016 at the Fairview Park Marriott in Falls Church, Virginia. This years seminar, entitled Value Investing in 2016: Navigating the Path Less Traveled, will provide local individual investors with expert perspective on what to expect from the markets, their investments, and the economy in 2016. In 2016, investors can expect to see a market that is fully valued, said Simon Hamilton, Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at The Wise Investor Group. This means that risk management will remain a primary concern, while also setting the stage for opportunities to seek out high quality, long-term value. We hope that this years Seminar provides investors with the, portfolio management and investment analysis tools and guidance that they need to achieve their financial goals in 2016. Last January, the seminar attracted an audience of more than 400 investors from Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia and beyond. This year, attendees will hear directly from Hamilton, along with his colleague Eric Wightman, Managing Director and Portfolio Manager. Their voices will be familiar to many from their roles as hosts of The Wise Investor Show, which airs live every Sunday on WMAL 105.9 FM and AM 630 in Washington, D.C. The Wise Investor Group is proud to announce that all registration fees will benefit RESET (Raising Enthusiasm for Science, Engineering and Technology), a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to use hands-on experiments, inquiry-based classroom activities and complementary D.C.-area field trips to introduce the joys of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) subjects to pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade students. To learn more, please visit http://resetonline.org/. Registration for the seminar is now open at https://www.signup4.net/public/ap.aspx?EID=2016389E&OID=130. For those unable to attend the live event, an online recording will be available one weeks after the seminar. For more information about the event contact Baird Corporate Events at 888-331-1907. About The Wise Investor Group The Wise Investor Group at Robert W. Baird & Co. is a full-service investment firm located in Reston, Virginia focusing on financial planning, portfolio management, investment analysis, insurance and annuity services as well as overall account services. Formed in the 1990s, the firm follows a disciplined, research-based approach to value-oriented investment. To learn more about The Wise Investor Group, please visit http://thewiseinvestorgroup.com Cookies What are cookies ? How do we use cookies? How to control cookies? Managing cookies in your browser see what cookies you have got and delete them on an individual basis block third party cookies block cookies from particular sites block all cookies from being set delete all cookies when you close your browser X A cookie is a small text file that a website saves on your computer or mobile device when you visit the site. 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A woman posed as a publicist at Penguin Young Readers in what appears to be an attempt to get reviews for her own book, published by an independent press. Jon at Bookish Antics posted emails that he exchanged recently with a woman using the name Corinne Rosanna Catlin, sent initially from her personal email account and then from what appeared to be a valid Penguin Random House email account, offering ARCs for Jon to read and review. When he received the books, one of the galleys had a sticker from the online bookseller Thriftbooks pasted on it, and another title was a book published by Silvestri Books, written by Christine Catlin. When the blogger tried to locate Christine Catlin online, her Twitter profile matched that of Corinne Rosanna Catlins job description. Later, he found, her Twitter account was gone, and Silvestri Books website was no longer working, though it was back up on Tuesday afternoon. Her Instagram and LinkedIn accounts have been deleted as well. The GoodReads page for Catlins book also shows many recent reviews, about which several fellow bloggers cried foul. Jon said in his blog post that the bloggers [pointed] out the fact that some of the reviews for her book are likely fakes. Many of the reviewers accounts were created 3 weeks ago, most likely with the intention of giving herself a positive review. As Jon alerted both Penguin and those on his own social network to the scam, commenters on his blog said that Catlin had also contacted them. One commenter pointed out her results in searching for the author online: on December 14 Catlin had posted on Googles help forum, asking for her email account to be unfrozen after she had violated the email service providers daily sending limit (1,000 emails). Jon posted the full saga on his blog to alert others in the industry of the potential scam, and added that since his post went live yesterday, Catlin has approached him to ask for his phone number to communicate with him. When asked for a comment, a Penguin representative said, We are aware of the situation and are looking into it. "Words like 'freedom,' 'justice,' 'democracy'are not common concepts; on the contrary, they are rare. People are not born knowing what these are. It takes enormous and, above all, individual effort to arrive at the respect for other people that these words imply." -- James Baldwin The late author and civil rights leader penned those words in 1956, but the precipitous and dangerous decline in civic education and involvement in the ensuing 60 years demonstrates just how right he was. Study after study has shown that too many of todays students -- and adults -- are woefully ignorant of their government and its function. Only a tiny minority of us bother to vote. Is it any word that our governments are broke, dysfunctional and all too frequently corrupt? There are a host of reasons for our decline. And not all of them are easily identified or quickly attacked. But we have long been convinced that one area that could be (relatively) speedily addressed is civic education in Illinois. The state has for too many years found itself in dubious company as one of only 10 states in the nation which had no requirement that students in Illinois schools take civics classes. As the Illinois Task Force on Civic Education noted in a report it released in May 2014, You can graduate from this states largest school district, in the heart of the nations most corrupt city, and never have taken a course that explains to you how government works -- or what it is. Here is an open invitation for corruption to prosper. At long last that will change for students entering the ninth grade in 2016 thanks to approval of a new law that requires Illinois students to take a civics course as part of the required two years of social studies needed to graduate from high school. Why does civic education matter? As that pivotal task force report baldly noted, civic learning is indispensable to preserving our system of self-government. The integrity and health of American democracy depends on the active, informed, and effective participation of Americans, whether through voting, campaigning for office, or monitoring their governments activities. Voting is but one marker of civic engagement. Civic education in a democracy should demand more from our youth than the call to register to vote when they come of age, to use their power of the vote on election day, or to recite the three branches of government. Civic learning propels one to exercise their civic duty, such as through volunteering for political campaigns, contacting their elected representatives, engaging in protest, or petitioning their government. Thats hardly a new idea. President Dwight Eisenhower told his Greatest Generation, Politics ought to be the part-time profession of every citizen who would protect the rights and privileges of free men. For decades, however, that has been less and less often the case. That makes not only the existence and quantity of civic education in Illinois important, but the quality of it. As Abraham Lincoln reminded us, The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next. Thats why as Illinois schools prepare to implement this new education mandate in an already heavily regimented and crowded school day, its essential to create civics classes that will make the most of a relatively brief time. Making active engaged and informed citizens of tomorrow is a difficult task that cannot be understated. Many district do provide civics education. But we suspect most could benefit from a fresh look. For example, isnt it more important to know what the Bill of Rights means than be able to repeat the amendments by rote? Or to teach future generations of citizens what Mr. Lincoln so well understood: Not only does their vote count, their ballot is stronger than the bullet. A semester of civic classes may not be much, but if done carefully, can help to arm young citizens for a future of civic involvement. ALEDO Fred Rooth has been elected chairman of the Mercer County Republican Party, replacing Mercer County Board member Brian Anseeuw who resigned. Mr. Rooth, of rural Joy, was elected at the party's December monthly meeting. Also a District 4 member of the Mercer County Board and Duncan Township precinct committeeman, he will serve as county Republican chairman until the group's convention on April 13. He could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Mr. Anseeuw, who also stepped down as precinct committeeman for Rivoli, said he resigned as party chairman because the group had not remained true to conservative principles. Mercer County Republicans are "very anti-business" unless "you're in that clique" favoring Aledo residents, he said. He predicted Mercer County voters will swing back to the Democrats in the next election because Republicans had not lived up to promises made in 2014. "I led the party from nothing to something," he said. "I do not want to be around when it goes back to nothing from something." On Dec. 8, Mr. Anseeuw resigned as Mercer County Board chairman. He remains a District 2 member on the board. In September, Mercer County Board member Gary Gregg, D-Viola, asked Mr. Anseeuw to resign from the board, claiming his actions at a June Mercer County Zoning Board of Appeals meeting violated the county's code of ethics. Mr. Anseeuw said that request had nothing to do with his decision. Jason and Amanda Soseman, precinct committeemen for Ohio Grove and Abington respectively, also have resigned their positions. Area lawmakers followed party lines in responding to Tuesday's announcement by President Barack Obama of his plan to tighten gun controls using executive orders. President Obama's executive actions would strengthen and expand background checks for all gun buyers and seek to remove barriers from states so they can provide mental health records to the background check system U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said the president's "overreaching and unilateral actions" would restrict Second Amendment rights. The American people should have a voice in this process instead of the president's top-down approach that sidesteps Congress and the people we were elected to represent," she said in a statement. Laws are currently in place to prevent firearms from getting into the wrong hands, she said, "and we must ensure that they are being enforced." U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., supported the president's action, saying 2,939 people were shot in Chicago last year. "I can understand why the American people are upset with Congress; the overwhelming majority of Americans support common sense reforms to our gun laws," he said. "But the majority in Congress refuses to pass reforms even to keep guns out of the hands of convicted felons, people who are mentally unstable, and those who are on terrorist watch lists." The president's actions "wont solve all these problems by a long shot," Sen. Durbin said, "but it moves us in the right direction." U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, doubted the actions would have much impact on gun crimes and said President Obama's proposals will get a thorough review in the coming days. "Id remind everybody, though, that one of the agencies the president is proposing to give additional authority and resources to is the same agency that allowed guns to walk into Mexico and then turn around and kill one of our own Customs and Border Patrol agents," Sen. Grassley said. "History has taught us that simply focusing on limiting access to guns does not lead to drops in gun crimes," he said. "Maryland, Illinois, California and even Washington, D.C., have some of the nations strictest gun laws, yet they have some of the highest numbers of gun-related crimes in the country." U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-East Moline, said she supported the president's "common sense measures to protect Illinoisans." "As the wife of a sheriff and mother of hunters, I support the Second Amendment," she said. "And these executive actions respect the rights of law-abiding gun owners." Similarly, U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa City, released a statement that he believed "improving our background check system can help to address the safety of our communities while also protecting those Second Amendment rights." U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., could not be reached for comment. MOLINE Aldermen on Tuesday renewed a streamlined method for obtaining city permission to lay fiber optic cable on public property for 2016. The method allows approval by the city without the need for the council to sign off on a project, as was required before 2014 when the new way was adopted. The measure is for utilities and companies such as Deere & Co. and UnityPoint Health-Trinity Rock Island, said Ray Forsythe, city planning and development director. The renewal was approved unanimously Tuesday night. Alds. Quentin Rodriguez, 1st Ward, and Stephanie Acri, At-Large, were not present. Items receiving initial approval via a first reading at Tuesday's council meeting included a consent agreement letting AT&T replace antennas at 4213 16th Ave. and a Riverside Park lease agreement with Moline Little League for games and tournaments through 2020. These items still need final approval. During the committee of the whole, a new police officer, Salvador Victor, 24, was sworn in. The Itasca, Ill., man moved to Moline for the job. He said he wanted to be a police officer because it allows him to assist people. He also said the job attracted him because it can be different every day. "You never know what is going to come your way," Officer Victor said. "The overall aspect of being able to help others." The standoff has seen Saudi Arabia sever diplomatic ties with its longtime regional rival and could hinder efforts to resolve the conflicts in Syria and Yemen, where Riyadh and Tehran back opposite sides, as well as affect the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal. Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari proposed mediation during a news conference in Tehran, but also referred to the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr as a "crime." Saudi Arabia and its allies say al-Nimr was found guilty of terrorism charges, and that condemnations of the execution amount to meddling in Riyadh's internal affairs. Iraq has undertaken a delicate balancing act amid the latest regional turmoil. The Shiite-led government in Baghdad relies on Iranian help to battle the extremist Islamic State group, but is also trying to repair ties to oil-rich Saudi Arabia, which last week sent an ambassador to Baghdad for the first time in 25 years. Speaking alongside Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, al-Jaafari said Iraq's place in the heart of the Middle East allows it to play a role in trying to "alleviate tensions." "This responsibility has been given to us and we have been active from the early moments to lessen tensions to prevent a disaster from happening that could affect the entire region," he said. Back in Iraq, however, thousands of Iranian-backed Shiite militiamen marched in Baghdad and across the south to protest the execution of al-Nimr. Qais al-Khazali, the head of the powerful Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, gave a speech in the southern city of Basra in which he called on Baghdad to cut diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia, expel the newly arrived ambassador and boycott Saudi goods. Russia also has offered itself as a potential mediator, though it's unclear whether Saudi or Iranian officials have responded to the proposal. Zarif, meanwhile, blamed Saudi Arabia for exacerbating the situation. "We have treated these actions with magnanimity and nobleness but unfortunately our neighbor, Saudi Arabia, did not respond to it properly," he said. "The process of provoking tension must be stopped." The diplomatic standoff between Iran and Saudi Arabia began Saturday, when the kingdom executed al-Nimr and 46 others convicted of terror charges the largest mass execution it has carried out since 1980. Iranian protesters responded by attacking the Saudi Arabia's embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad. Late Sunday, Saudi Arabia announced it was severing relations with Iran because of the assaults. On Wednesday, Iranian diplomats in Saudi Arabia returned to Tehran, according to state media. Since Saudi Arabia severed ties to Iran, a host of its allies have cut or reduced their ties as well. Among those is Bahrain, which said Wednesday it had broken up a Shiite militant group backed by the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Bahrain's Interior Ministry accused the suspects of receiving $20,000 from Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and of having links to those behind a July 2015 bombing that killed two police officers Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, has a Sunni-ruled monarchy but a Shiite majority. It has faced low-level turmoil since 2011 Arab Spring-inspired protests by Shiites seeking more political rights. It has long accused Iran of fueling the unrest and sponsoring attacks in the country, something the Islamic Republic has denied. Also on Wednesday, Qatar recalled its ambassador from Iran to protest the attacks on the Saudi diplomatic missions, according to a brief report carried by the official Qatar News Agency. Oman broke its silence on the Mideast turmoil and called the Saudi diplomatic post attacks "unacceptable," while leaving its ties to Iran untouched. The sultanate has been a long-time mediator between Iran and the rest of the world and helped jumpstart negotiations for the nuclear deal with global powers reached last year. In eastern Saudi Arabia, where al-Nimr agitated for greater political rights for Shiites in the Sunni-ruled kingdom, three days of mourning over his death were to end Wednesday night. Mohammed al-Nimr, the sheikh's brother, said people planned to hold a funeral Thursday for the cleric, though Saudi authorities already buried his corpses in an undisclosed cemetery. Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr was a staunch critic of the Saudi government but always denied advocating violence. Asked about the diplomatic post attacks, Mohammed al-Nimr said it was "not acceptable." "We still believe that violence is not the right approach," he said. "About my brother, we were hoping to end it in a political way rather than in blood." Celebrating Columbus The Federation of Italian-American Organizations of Queens (FIAO) held their annual Columbus Day parade in Astoria, on Saturday, October 8, during Italian Heritage Month. The... Russo-Elling Mourned More than 300 first responders lined up on Thursday night to honor FDNY EMT Lt. Alison Russo-Elling, as her body was placed into a waiting... Gianaris Announces $1M For Queens First Planetarium NYS Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris announced $1 million in state funding for the first-ever planetarium located in the borough of Queens. Housed at the... Were looking back at the Most Read articles on Radio Today in 2015. In March, hit107s Dani Pola has announced on-air that she would be leaving the Amos & Dani breakfast show. Dani revealed that she had been battling health issues and relocate back to her hometown of Perth. Read it here. #20 KIIS 101.1 Launches #19 Scotty exits 104.7 brekky #18 Cat Lynch to join Amos Gill on hit107 Radiodays Europe 2016 is set for March 13 to 15 in Paris and you could be there for free. This year, for the first time, Radiodays Europe is running a sponsored project to help young radio professionals aged 30 and under to come to Paris in 2016 to share ideas, network and develop their future careers in radio. If you are you interested in becoming one of the Next Geners, heres how: To enter RDE Next Gen you must upload a video to your own Youtube page telling them why you would like to come to Radiodays Europe 2016. Videos must be no longer than 1 minute. Videos can include music, interviews or any format be as creative as you can. Your video can include information on: Why you would like to attend Radiodays Europe Why you should be chosen to be a RDE Next Gener Why you love radio Youll also need a letter from your boss. You can find out more on what you need to cover off by heading to the Radio Days Europe webpage for the comp here. Radiodays Europe 2016 Vive la radio! Creating the future March 13 15 March 2016 in Paris. Radio Today and our Partners with Radio Today UK will again provide rolling coverage of all the speakers and stories from RadioDays Europe . Welcome to Railway Gazette. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. By continuing to browse this site you are agreeing to our use of these cookies. You can learn more about the cookies we use here. OK South Africas Free State is next in line for migration to digital terrestrial television (DTT), with subsidised set-top boxes (STBs) expected in the province in early February 2016. The announcement by the Department of Communications (DOC) follows the installation of the first government-subsidised STBs in the Northern Cape last month. Some 23,000 digital-ready STBs were being distributed free of charge to the community around the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) area from 17 December 2015.Registration for those on low incomes to get STBs to receive DTT signals began in the Free State in December, reports ITWeb. As per the Digital Switch-On (DSO) and Analogue Switch-Off (ASO) plan ... The installation phase for STBs in the Free State is earmarked to commence in February 2016, Mishack Molakeng, DOC spokesperson told the publication.The DSO programme commences on 1 February following the South African cabinets approval of the interim dual-illumination period, where digital broadcasting runs alongside analogue transmissions.South Africa missed the 17 June 2015 deadline set by the ITU for all countries to migrate to digital television. However, TV services in South Africa will reach almost 13.3 million homes by the end of 2018, growing 10% from current predominantly analogue penetration rates, according to a recent forecast by Dataxis. The French-language pan-African satellite news network Africa 24 is to expanding its operations to produce content in Arabic and English. The broadcaster will produce an Arabic news channel in Moroccos largest city Casablanca, while the English version will be made in Nigeria, Constant Nemale, founder and president of Africa 24, told the Moroccan publication Finance News Weekly.The seven year-old satellite network, which employs people in Saint-Cloud, France as well as Dakar and Senegal, has already begun recruiting staff for its new venture in Casablanca. This, Nemale said, would become an Arabic operating platform for all of North Africa and the Middle East.The existing French-language channel Africa 24 has been available via Arabsat across the Middle East and North Africa since 2013.A time line for the projects has not been announced, but more information will be divulged before the end of 2016, he added. Afrimedia , parent company of Africa 24, has received 40 million in investment since the channels launch, with shareholders including the Republic of Equatorial Guinea (10%) and Republic of Cameroon (15%), according to Nemale. By 2020, Afrimedia will seek further investment either through stock market trading or a financial partner. Over 80% of Nigerias population will be able to receive free-to-air (FTA) digital terrestrial television (DTT) services before the 20 June 2017 deadline, according to the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC). NBCs director general, Emeka Mba, said the country failed to meet the June 2017 global deadline for analogue switch-off set by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) largely because a lack of funding. However, this, he said, has led Nigeria to seize the initiative by working with neighbours in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).ECOWAS are also looking up to us for leadership and partnership and we have agreed on a new Digital Switch Over (DSO) deadline of June 20, 2017.We in Nigeria are working day and night to meet this new deadline, Emeka Mba is reported as saying in Premium Times. Our target is that by that date, more than 80% of Nigerians that depend on free-to-air television services are given adequate coverage before the final switchover.We cannot afford to leave anyone behind. Indeed, we are not leaving anyone behind, Mba added.The commissions pilot state, Plateau, has now achieved full DTT signal coverage, he said, however the majority of people there who receive free-to-air broadcasts are still receiving analogue signals on TV sets that are as yet unable to receive digital signals.Set-top boxes (STBs) are required to receive digital TV transmissions, and the NBC says it is now working with 18 Nigerian companies to start local STB production. The policy, the commission claims, will provide both the necessary technology and local employment, however the first batch of STBs are being imported from overseas to prevent further delay, says Mba.As well as being close to DTT deployment in Plateau State, the commission is encouraging the development of DTT services by the pay-TV operators, which are now available in 32 cities across Nigeria.NBC will start a public service campaign to further inform the public about the digital switchover in Nigeria. U.S. court refuses to extend prison time for Latvian hacker Calovskis report MOSCOW, January 6 (RAPSI) The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on Tuesday refused to extend prison term for Latvian national Deniss Calovskis charged with involvement in the Gozi virus scam, Reuters reported. Calovskis spent 21 months in prison before he pleaded guilty in September to conspiring to commit computer intrusion, according to the agency. Prosecutors filed a motion for additional time in custody for Calovskis. However, a judge ruled that the goal of his punishment has been already served. According to David Bertan, lawyer for Calovskis, the sentence which also includes a fine of $1,000 could mean that his client could be returned to Latvia within weeks, Reuters reports. Calovskis, 30, who resides in Riga, worked on the Gozi virus with Russian national Nikita Kuzmin and Romanian national Mihai Ionut Paunescu, according to the U.S. authorities. US law enforcement officers arrested Kuzmin during a visit to California in 2010 and persuaded him to cooperate. He helped prosecutors nab the other two men who were arrested in 2012 in their home countries. Nikita Kuzmin and Romanian Mihai Ionut Paunescu are already in US custody. Chalovskis spent 10 months in Latvian jail. In February 2015, he was extradited to the US and taken in custody for a term of 11 months. Newsmax, December 30, 2015 By Sandy Fitzgerald ISIS is reaching more deeply into Afghanistan by transmitting extremist propaganda over the radio with "lots of revolutionary propaganda and fatwas" into the country's urban centers through its "Voice of the Caliphate" broadcasts, according to an Afghan official. "If something is not done, it will have very serious consequences," Achin district Gov. Haji Ghalib told NBC News. The radio is the primary means of mass media in Afghanistan, as most people do not have televisions. Meanwhile, the Taliban, which often uses its own communication unit to make announcements or threats, has not yet been able to penetrate into Afghanistan's cities.On Friday, Defense Secretary Ash Carter warned about ISIS penetrating into Afghanistan, saying that there are "little nests" of the extremist group springing up around the world, including in Afghanistan. ISIS has also been stepping up its attacks on Afghan security forces in Nangarhar province, where the city of Jalalabad is located. ISIS fighters are also luring member of the Taliban into their ranks, reports NBC, and the two rival militant groups are clashing, and the news that ISIS radio is now being heard in Jalalabad is scaring some who have fled the fighting between the groups. "We heard about [ISIS] radio a few days ago and for the past two nights I have been listening to it," Azizullah, who like many Afghans uses just one name and now lives in a camp for displaced people. "It has become the talk of the camp, he continued. "People are afraid, we have seen their brutality and know very well how serious this is." The transmissions are coming in from Pakistan, Afghan officials say, but Pakistani officials deny that claim. However, a senior commander for the Taliban said his fighters have heard the ISIS broadcasts, and told NBC that the Taliban does not have the resources it needs to compete with ISIS. "Even then we are successful in our job and people listen to us," said the commander, on condition of anonymity. "We have installed transmitters in different places but we used to change the location of the transmitters and radio stations from time to time for security reasons." The news of ISIS' broadcasts also comes after its media arm declared Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan where one region named Khorasan, taking the name of an ancient province of the Persian Empire. covers part of modern-day Iran, Afghanistan and India. According to the Associated Press, the designation follows other provinces ISIS has established, including the Sinai Province in Egypt's Sinai peninsula. "I think ISIL is really trying to establish a base in Nangarhar ... and establish Jalalabad as the base of the Khorasan Province," Gen. John F. Campbell, the U.S. commander of American and NATO forces in Afghanistan, told AP. People who have fled the four Nangarhar districts say ISIS is waging a reign of terror, including forced marriages, extortions, evictions, and even killings with buried bombs. TOLOnews.com, January 4, 2016 By Jawed Zeyartjahi Rokhshana, 19, can be heard screaming as she is stoned to death. Rokhshana, 19, can be heard screaming as she is stoned to death. The parents of the girl stoned to death in Ghor province two months ago have blasted government for having yet brought the perpetrators to justice. The father of the victim, Abdul Karim said that nothing has been done to bring the killers of his daughter, Rukhshana, to justice and that no assistance has been given to them. He said they were forced to leave their village and are now living in Feroz Koh city in Ghor. He said they have no home and no food. However government officials have said that they are investigating the incident and that a delegation has been sent to Ghor to assess the family's situation. Abdul Karim said that President Ashraf Ghani made a number of promises to him in a telephone conversation but so far none of the promises have been kept. He said his family is now living in a mud house. "No one cares about us, if the president takes back his words then ok otherwise at least care about us," said Abdul Karim. Rukhshana's brother has also criticized the security institutions in Ghor and said that the forces detained his uncle who was not involved in the stoning and then called it an achievement. Rukhshana's mother and sister are meanwhile living in a safe house in Ghor province and claim that every day they are threatened by unknown men for having spoken out to the media about the stoning. Rukhshana, who was 19 years old, was stoned to death allegedly by Taliban militants after she reportedly ran off with a man. Its very important to think about the different scenarios that youre going to plan for and be realistic about that, says Brookes about setting climate change targets, but also to set up a framework and approach that can be flexible as you do that. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale Buy real estate. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale in US and Canada. Search Real Estate , We're sorry, this article is not currently available By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 01/05/2016 ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. host Chris Harrison apparently feels no shame in being repetitive.Right when you think Bachelor Nation can't stand Harrison saying the phrase "most dramatic season ever" anymore, he's now using it to describe Ben Higgins' journey ahead."There is no better way to start 2016 than with a big dose of Bachelor love and drama. The first night was full of twists and turns, and there are many more to come in what I have to say is definitely the most dramatic season in Bachelor history," the show host wrote in his Yahoo TV! blog.As shown in Season 20's debut episode, Lace Morris is probably the girl to watch out for when it comes to cattiness and chaos. Not only did she snag the first kiss from Higgins and get drunk, she also spoke badly of some of the bachelorettes behind their backs and confronted Higgins after the first Rose Ceremony for not making eye contact with her."Lace is beautiful and bold, but she's also clearly very unpredictable. Pulling Ben aside and confronting him after the first Rose Ceremony is a move I've never seen before. I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of Lace in the coming week, and it's pretty clear that Ben is going to have to navigate that relationship carefully," Harrison said.Aside from Morris, it's hard to imagine Higgins' season being so "dramatic" since he comes across as such a sweet, sensitive guy."Ben is perhaps the most genuine, most caring, most sincere Bachelor we've ever had, and he came into this season ready to find the woman of his dreams," Harrison wrote in his blog.That special woman could ultimately be Becca Tilley or Amber James , who both competed on Chris Soules ' season of and received roses during Monday night's broadcast. James also appeared on Bachelor in Paradise's second edition last summer."We know Becca and Amber well, and we know that they came with sincere intentions, but of course whether or not they stayed was completely up to Ben. He decided to treat them no differently than anyone else and to not hold their past experiences against them. At the end of the night, he just had a better connection with them than with some of the other women," explained Harrison.Higgins' season promises to be "full of hope and promise," according to host, as both Higgins and the women have "open hearts and minds.""There is a ton of romance, possibly more than we've ever seen," he acknowledged.airs Monday nights at 8PM ET/PT on ABC, followed by a one-hour talk show hosted by Harrison called Bachelor Live. The market world only has a little percentage of real estate agents and those who happen to be part of the mainstream may think that they are already experts. While many people trust these self-acclaimed businessmen, these buyers have also overlooked the right concept of buying a house, and for real estate agents, selling a house, for that matter. Well, the Internet has circulated a lot of information on the real estate industry but we still have to consider that not every piece of information found online is trustworthy. "A lot of people, for some reason, they believe what they read on the Internet," says Gea Elika, principal broker of Elika Real Estate in New York and a regional director of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents. Indeed, everything we see and read on the Internet including real estate information should be grasped with a grain of salt, otherwise, it could cost us much money, and worst, grave financial losses in the end. The US News Money features few dos and don'ts in the real estate market that we should be watchful for and mindful of whether we are a buyer or a seller. It's better to buy a house yourself than use a real estate broker. Such notion is a sheer false premise according to an agent. US News Money reveals that if the buyer doesn't have a broker, the entire commission will be received by the seller's agent since the house listed with a real estate agent has a built-in total sales commission in its price. Such a fortune for the seller's agent then! Sell your home yourself to save money. While this sounds not costly, the thought of spending extra time to look for prospective buyers yourself, list your property online, negotiate with potential buyers directly, and other initial tasks in the process could give you pains in the neck or pull your teeth off. If you really pursue selling your home on your own, chances are, the buyers would expect you to give them a discount since they know already that everything is in your control. When you have given way to their lower bid, what you think you have saved on the agent's commission covers the amount you have lost because of giving your buyer the lower price they asked. You see, selling your property yourself could be a bit risky, don't you think? Renovate some parts of the house first before selling it. Remodeling your house could be a major backfire. If you renovate the house in the hope of selling it at a higher price, chances are, the remodeling may not make sense to the potential buyers. They may not feel obliged to pay the higher price just because your house is renovated, more so, if the prospective buyers do not share your architectural and interior design taste. "Most buyers want to put their own spin on things. You're better off adjusting your price accordingly," Kevin Brown Jr., president of Praedium Real Estate Services in Pittsburgh and a regional director of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer's Agents or NAEBA. So, why not focus on purchase negotiation than renovation? After all, your aim is to sell not to spend. Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez is clearly heartbroken over the 2015 Miss Universe pageant mishap where she was de-crowned after host Steve Harvey made a mistake. In a recent interview with Spanish-language network Univision, she slammed Miss Universe saying that the pageant only "destroys dreams." "In four minutes, they destroy your dreams. They throw it in the bag and they throw it in the trash. They could've done it another way. I feel like it doesn't matter to them, the feelings of a girl who has worked her whole life for a dream," Gutierrez opened up. This reaction from Miss Colombia was completely different from what she posted on her Instagram account. On social media, the beauty queen seemed to have reacted calmly to the huge disaster on stage. Previously, Gutierrez wrote, "Your destiny is written for you. And my destiny was this. I was able to bring happiness to my country after becoming Miss Universe for only a couple of minutes. Today because of that Colombia and the Latin community are being talked about in every corner of the world." She also did the hardest thing ever. She made peace with the new Miss Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach by congratulating her country. "I also want to congratulate the Philippines for their new Miss Universe. The happiness that you must be feeling must be incredible. Life continues and in the future we will find out why things happen the way they happen," Miss Colombia stated. Gutierrez's bitterness explains why she has never responded to Harvey who recently admitted that he tried to contact her to apologize. "I've had a chance to talk to Miss Philippines. I've talked to all the pageant people. I've talked to people backstage. Even me and the director had a long talk. But I haven't been able to reach out and talk to Miss Colombia. Now, have I tried? Yes. But haven't gotten a response," the host said. SHARE By Joe Szydlowski of the Redding Record Searchlight ANDERSON In a 3-2 split, Anderson's City Council on Tuesday decided to avoid supporting or opposing the movement to split off the North State from the rest of California. "I have a hard time with the idea of us separating into another state," said Susie Baugh, who was sworn in as mayor earlier in the meeting. She, Baron Browning and James Yarbrough all voted to table a declaration in support of the State of Jefferson at the council meeting. They also tabled a resolution in support of Keep It California, which opposes secession. Former mayor Melissa Hunt and council member Norma Comnick voted in favor of the State of Jefferson, saying the lack of equal representation needs to be addressed. "I don't know if this will work or not, but in my personal opinion it's worth a try," Comnick said. Hunt said she's also heard from her constituents that they want to leave California. Browning and Yarbrough said they simply didn't have enough information to cast a vote in favor of the resolution. "There's so many things from each side (that) contradict each other," Yarbrough said. Baugh questioned whether the North State would be fiscally viable on its own and what would happen to current state level jobs. Yarbrough also noted that one speaker from the audience, Joshua Bollinger, made a good point about education. He wanted to know where Jefferson's children would go to higher education. "I would rather bring this to a vote for all 24 counties," Yarbrough said. Bollinger, who currently attends Sacramento State, was one of two speakers who argued against secession. Among his concerns, he said he wondered about what higher education would look like. Would California be willing to subsidize Jefferson's students, he asked. He also worried those currently California employees, who have a state pension, would leave Jefferson. "We'd be losing experienced educators," he said after the meeting. But Jefferson supporters, five of whom spoke to the council, said the movement is continuing they plan to deliver declarations with signatures from a large number of people from 15 counties to the state Capitol on Wednesday from 15 counties, said Nick Gardner, who also spoke at the meeting. Shasta is among them, he said. He also didn't buy Yarbrough's and Browning's reasoning, saying Jefferson has already presented once before the council. Jefferson supporters also made its financial analysis available online and Mark Baird, who helped reignite the movement in 2013, has put up a series of videos online in which he provides answers to many of the questions the council raised, Gardner said. Anderson wasn't the only government to choose not to endorse Jefferson the same day, Sierra County's Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution declining to join the State of Jefferson. SHARE Emergency personnel tonight went to a vehicle rollover in the area of eastbound Highway 44 and its transition onto southbound Interstate 5 in Redding. The accident was reported about 6:15 p.m. involving a 27-year-old female driver, according to dispatch reports. The driver was able to get out of the car and she was being checked by medics. The car, which ended up 20 feet off the road on a steep embankment, sheared a tree and landed on its top. The tree was partially blocking the road from eastbound Highway 44 to southbound I-5. At 7:03 p.m., the CHP website said the eastbound to southbound connecting road was closed so the California Department of Transportation could drag the tree down the ramp and around a corner to an open area. The roadway reopened about 7:37 p.m. Mount Shasta Retreat owner Andrew Oser stands in the Gateway Peace Garden on Tuesday in Mount Shasta. Oser leads spiritual retreats in the area. SHARE Greg Barnette/Record Searchlight Crystals are for sale at the Crystal Room in Mount Shasta. The Siskiyou County citys numerous crystal shops helped land it atop a list of best places for hippies. Greg Barnette/Record Searchlight Flowers and other items have been left by people near a statue at the Gateway Peace Garden in Mount Shasta. By David Benda of the Redding Record Searchlight Far out, man. Mount Shasta, a Siskiyou County town that for years has marketed the spiritual and meditative powers of the mountain it's named after, has been deemed the top spot for hippies by ReverbPress.com. The site put Mount Shasta atop its list of "12 Best Hippie Cities For Stressed-Out Progressives in 2016." Mount Shasta beat out obvious hip conclaves like Madison, Wisconsin, and Ashland, Oregon. And not so obvious choices like Madrid, New Mexico, and Marfa, Texas. And surprising to some, traditional patchouli oil hotbeds like Berkeley didn't even crack the list. Deborah Montesano, who wrote the article for ReverbPress, said she wanted to include communities that may be off the radar for progressives who might need a place to chill in 2016. Enter Mount Shasta. "A lot of readers were upset I didn't include some places, but people know about those places," said Montesano, who lives in Portland, Oregon. "I looked for places that would grab attention and people would say, 'I never knew about this place. Maybe I would like to go.'" ReverbPress is a progressive political blog. "So myself and other writers deal with a lot of the political conflict and the last year has been pretty intense," Montesano said. "I thought, well being a progressive myself, I'd like to help other progressives de-stress from some of it." Mount Shasta was declared the "peak experience of all hippie cities" because Montesano said it offers some unique experiences and over the years has transformed visitors who come there seeking solace from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. "The town is a center for spiritual teachers, meditation, alternative medicine, yoga and a prime place to find healing crystals as well as occasional space travelers and Lemurians," she wrote. Andrew Oser has been booking spiritual journeys up Mt. Shasta for nearly 10 years. About a third of his customers at Mount Shasta Retreat come from around the world countries like China, India and Singapore. "To me, Mount Shasta is an incredible place for beating stress and relaxing," said Oser, who used to work for a Washington, D.C., nonprofit and would come to Mount Shasta to vacation. Oser thinks of two different types when he hears hippies and progressives, but he certainly understands and was honored that Mount Shasta topped the list. "Certainly in summer, people who might fit the tradition of hippies come to town, the long hair, free-flowing, nomadic lifestyle," he said. "A lot of people who you wouldn't call hippies, who are more spiritually inclined and pursuing alternative lifestyles and have progressive viewpoints, also come here." How many towns' chamber of commerce members directories have a category called "Religion & Spirituality."? "When this came out, it really didn't surprise me because that is a part of our culture," Mt. Shasta Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jim Mullins said of the ReverbPress article. "People want to come here and make peace with themselves. I will be honest, I was a car dealer and I came to Mount Shasta for a different type of life. It is home to me." Mullins, who was born in McCloud and lives there today, moved to the area from Auburn more than 10 years ago. "We get about 20,000 visitors a year who come through our visitors center and about 50 percent come for that spiritual connection," Mullins said. Go to http://reverbpress.com/discovery/hippie-cities-stressed-out-progressives/ for the ReverbPress article. Top hippie cities, according to ReverbPress: 1. Mount Shasta 2. Northampton, Massachusetts 3. Lawrence, Kansas 4. Madrid, New Mexico 5. Yellow Springs, Ohio 6. Marfa, Texas 7. Ashland, Oregon 8. Olympia, Washington 9. Portland, Maine 10. Athens, Ohio 11. Missoula, Montana 12. Madison, Wisconsin SHARE By Nathan Solis of the Redding Record Searchlight Shasta County Board of Supervisors started off the year by setting in motion an amendment to its current medical marijuana zoning plan, which would target cultivation and delivery services operating in unincorporated areas of the county. The county approved its resolution of intent for an amendment as the state begins to define new regulations of medical marijuana. A trio of bills passed last October by state legislators will alter California's approach to the medical marijuana industry, which the county wishes to address with its own amendment. Medical marijuana delivery services are not addressed by the county's current zoning ordinances. At Tuesday's meeting county Chief Executive Officer Larry Lees said the state's laws have not yet been defined, remarking high courts could interpret these laws in other ways the county could not predict. An approaching March deadline in Assembly Bill 243 would default counties and cities to the state's interpretation of medical marijuana permitting and zoning regulations, if certain services are not explicitly prohibited on the local level. Shasta County's ordinances currently prohibit medical marijuana dispensaries and regulate cultivation practices operating in unincorporated areas of the county. The county would prohibit delivery services and put in place a permit process for those wishing to grow their own medical marijuana in their approved greenhouse structures. A Jan. 19 joint committee meeting at the state Capitol will address the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act, and could modify the March deadline, but Shasta County is not waiting to find out how that meeting turns out. Lees compared the passing of the resolution as taking charge of one's own destiny and putting the county's ducks in line. The resolution will go to the Department of Resource Management, which will propose amendments to the county's zoning plan. Those amendments will then be sent back to the Board of Supervisors in the form of a recommendation. There will be two public hearings on the matter and the amendment will go into effect 30 days after being adopted by the county. The ordinance would impact commercial delivery services, but would not affect primary suppliers to patients, according to Richard Simon, resource management director. At Tuesday's meeting, Supervisor Pam Giacomini was voted as the chairwoman of the board and Supervisor Bill Schappell was voted as vice chair. Supervisors also drafted a letter to invite the city of Redding to start up talks on a possible tax sharing initiative, including impact fees, which the letter states was inspired by pressing regional concerns and recommendations from the Blueprint for Public Safety. Supervisor David Kehoe asked why the cities of Anderson and Shasta Lake were not invited to participate in the talks and Lees said the letter could be modified to include them. Supervisor Leonard Moty was hesitant to include them, as the last time the issue was visited those cities were not open to the idea. The letter the board ended up approving was to be addressed to all three cities. Andreas Fuhrmann/Record Searchlight Robbie Ennis, from right, sells a gun to Ben Johnson and Sharon Johnson of Redding on Tuesday at Bastiani Arms in Redding. Ben Johnson got the gun for Christmas. SHARE Andreas Fuhrmann/Record Searchlight Robbie Ennis, sells Ben Johnson, a Walther .22 caliber on Tuesday at Bastiani Arms in Redding. By Amber Sandhu of the Redding Record Searchlight Although President Barack Obama unveiled new gun control measures Tuesday morning to reduce gun violence in the country, California wouldn't have to do much changing, since the state has some of the most restrictive gun measures in place already. The new executive actions are designed to increase background checks, allocate more money toward mental health services, research the future of gun safety technology and make communities safer. According to a fact sheet about the new executive actions on the White House website, "The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is making clear that it doesn't matter where you conduct your business from a store, at gun shows, or over the Internet: If you're in the business of selling firearms, you must get a license and conduct background checks." In addition, the FBI will hire 230 more examiners to help process background checks 24 hours a day, seven days a week. At Redding's Bastiani Arms, gun salesman Aaren Brown said these rules have been in place in California already, but everybody else in other states, are "up in arms." California gun buyers go through a 10-day background check after they attain a California Firearm Safety Certificate to show they have the competency to understand gun basics. At the end of the day, the private sector makes the executive decision to deny selling guns to an individual, Brown said, and he's rarely had to turn anyone away. "California already makes it hard for law-abiding citizens to get guns," he said. Brown said that it is required that gun owners return to the shop to transfer ownership, but sometimes they don't. "Once guns are sold to the person, what they do with their personal property is their business," he said. Former Redding Councilman Patrick Jones, manager of Jones' Fort on Cypress Avenue, said that in the past he's had to deny selling guns to people because he suspected they were buying for someone else. The new executive order also proposes an investment of $500 million to increase access to mental health care, and the Social Security Administration has indicated it will begin a rulemaking process to include information in its background check system about beneficiaries prohibited from possessing a firearm due to mental health reasons, according to the fact sheet. According to information by the Shasta County Health and Human Services, on average the county sees 21 firearm-related suicides a year, three times California's rate. And more than half the suicide deaths in Shasta County were by a firearm. "Because Shasta County is rural by nature and per capita gun ownership is high, it's quite likely suicide by firearm is also high," Jones said. Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, said there is definitely a need to address mental health in rural counties but it worries him that the executive actions allow the Social Security Administration to deem who is mentally capable of possessing a firearm. "That's a little loosey goosey for me," he said. LaMalfa said that the Social Security Administration could categorize someone unable to handle his finances as someone as mentally incapable of handling a firearm. "That could be half of Washington, D.C.," he said. "When it comes to connecting the Social Security database to a firearm background check, it could limit Americans' Second Amendment right without due process," he said. "Maybe there's a good intention, but you can't change a law without congressional action." Sheriff: Shasta Lake man dies under 'suspicious' circumstances The death of a Shasta Lake man who died Tuesday is being considered by investigators as suspicious. SHARE A bipartisan group of California state senators on Monday offered a powerful $2 billion housing plan to combat the appalling level of homelessness, particularly among severely mentally ill people in this rich state. By making the announcement on the first business day of 2016, Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, made clear his budget priority for the new year. No issue is more worthy of the Legislature's attention and it shouldn't fall along partisan lines. A fifth of the nation's homeless population calls California home, an estimated 114,000 people. We cannot become inured to their suffering and call ourselves civilized. Confronting the slow-motion crisis, de Leon, joined by several other politicians, announced the proposal on Los Angeles' Skid Row, a festering example of California's failure to solve homelessness. De Leon's predecessor, Darrell Steinberg, was at his side, as were two Republican state senators. Steinberg, a candidate for Sacramento mayor, endorsed the plan to raise the $2 billion by leveraging the billions raised by Proposition 63, a voter-approved initiative he promoted in 2004 to help severely mentally ill people. Proposition 63 generates $1.8 billion a year by imposing a 1 percent income tax on people earning $1 million or more annually. The Legislature would take 7 percent of the Proposition 63 money, about $130 million, to finance $2 billion in revenue bonds to build housing for severely mentally ill homeless people. The $2 billion would provide 10,000 to 14,000 housing units, as much as $200,000 per unit. That might seem high, but taxpayers already pay dearly for homelessness in added health care and policing costs, and in lost economic development. Counties would be expected to compete for the funds. Unfortunately, areas with the largest number of homeless people Los Angeles, San Francisco and other urban areas including Sacramento will receive much of the money. Sen. Bob Huff, R-Diamond Bar, and Sen. John Moorlach, an Orange County Republican, attended the news conference. As an Orange County supervisor, Moorlach used Proposition 63 money to implement that county's version of Laura's Law, a statute that allows judges to order treatment for mentally ill people who have a history of incarceration and hospitalization. De Leon's proposal is aimed at providing housing first. Once people have roofs over their heads, de Leon said, social workers would offer services including mental health care and drug treatment. Getting chronically homeless people off the street ought to be the priority. De Leon's proposal comes amid protests by so-called homeless advocates at Sacramento City Hall and arrests over the weekend. Pointless protests do nothing to solve the problem of homelessness. Spending $2 billion to provide housing would. It'd also provide a powerful statement that the people of this state care about the least fortunate among us. This editorial, which originally appeared in The Sacramento Bee, has been edited. IMAGE: Soldiers at the Pathankot air base during the terror attacks. Photograph: Reuters 'The sky is the limit for what all could be done at an air base to neutralise terrorists. Good proactive local leadership and delegated operational effort would be key to ensuring that a handful of terrorists cannot hold a whole air base, and by extension, the whole nation to ransom,' says Group Captain P I Muralidharan (retd). The terrorist attack on the Indian Air Force's Pathankot airbase makes one recapitulate on the important -- but at times ignored -- aspects of passive air defence/ground defence as it used to be called in our days. The task was generally orchestrated by the non-flying staff of an air base, which was inevitable as the aviators would be preoccupied otherwise during conditions of war. An elaborate standard operating procedure existed as to how the PAD sectors would be manned, air raid warnings, bomb disposal, water/electricity management, casualty evacuation, etc would be handled and this was periodically exercised by the station authorities and checked out by the Directorate of Air Staff Inspections. The IAF surely has come some distance since, what with its own Garud Commandos, essentially raised to undertake IAF-specific tasks including airfield security, commando operations within and outside the perimeter as also typical air warrior missions such as suppression of enemy air defence, combat search and rescue and the like. What has, however, changed dramatically too is the threat spectrum. Though the IAF has had aerially inserted paratrooper threats during the 1965/71 wars (some of them being neutralised by our valiant locals in Punjab and Haryana), the nature of terrorist threat as it unfolded in Pathankot is a different kettle of fish indeed. The nature of high value assets assembled at a fighter air base especially, as indeed Pathankot is, needs no gainsaying. Besides the war machines themselves, we have other key installations including the runway, air traffic control, command and control centres, fuel storages, bomb dumps, missile sheds, high-tech laboratories, specialist vehicles and the like which truly constitute national assets. The manpower (pilots, technicians, air traffic and other controllers, administrative and medical staff as also their families), of course, is also perhaps the most important strategic asset. All these ensconced in a vast forested campus (which comes in handy from the camouflage point of view but a nightmare for ground defence), a virtual military township comparable perhaps only to a large aircraft carrier militarily in terms of vital areas/vital points. The importance of ground defence understandably increases in a war situation as opposed to a peace or no war-no peace scenario. During war situations normally airfield security is augmented by the Territorial Army though this is invariably delayed and not effective. The luxury of getting regular army troops, leave alone the National Security Guard, is a far cry in an operational scenario. An airbase has to learn to manage by itself to handle perimeter and airfield defence. Proactive military leadership on the ground as well as new assets such as the Garuds need to be optimised to deal with the evolving threat spectrum, especially from terrorists and other anti-national elements. Command and control aspects Much has been articulated in the media about the need for optimal command and control for undertaking such anti-terror operations in a military or urban environment. In the case in point, one understands from the media that the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Air Command was despatched to oversee the operations at Pathankot. And, of course, as is clear now, the NSG was flown in from Manesar, Delhi. Doctrinally, I think this is the worst way to conduct a tactical-level military operation. The operational control and accountability has to be with the local air force commander. That is why he has been put as the air officer commanding or station commander. Oversight from higher formations such as the air command or air HQ is okay but definitely not for 'back-seat driving.' Diffused or conflicting command/control can be highly detrimental to operational success. There have been cases in the past where local commanders have been replaced midstream during war, even in the IAF. That is an option always available to a C-in-C or the Chief. But good higher level leadership also means exhibiting faith in one's subordinates. Spoon feeding or micromanaging is not part of the recommended military leadership ethos. Need for technology and augmented intelligence The minute details of the anti-terror operation are not known yet and may not be known for some years. Media coverage has indicated employment of attack helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles. This is good news indeed. All available assets locally, aerial and otherwise need to be employed to neuralise the terrorist threat to installations and assets in quick time. Collateral damage aspects and other operational constraints need to be factored in. Depending on the behaviour of the terrorists and their weaponry, the local commander would have to employ his assets to achieve surveillance or hard kill objectives. Precautions such as control of media access, curbs on cell phone usage and evacuation or bunching of families and key personnel need to be planned. The air force has SOPs for these for war situations, but it may be prudent to work out new ones for this kind of anti- terrorist operations. Use of choppers and UAVs for perimeter surveillance night and day, especially during high threat occasions, should be sine qua non. For night operations use of search lights and flooding of underground structures may need consideration. The sky is the limit for what all could be done at an air base to bottle up and neutralise terrorist elements. Like stated earlier, good proactive local leadership and delegated operational effort would be key to ensuring that a handful of well armed terrorists cannot hold a whole air base, and by extension, the whole nation to ransom. Use of direction finding gear to zero in on local enemy agents and upgrade of local intelligence units such a liaison units and special bureaus of the Reasearch and Analysis Wing are other vital supportive anti-terror measures. Evacuation drill Another important aspect in a terror attack scenario is evacuation of assets. The most important assets of course are the flying machines. The situation permitting they could be flown out to nearby bases. Defence of other high value assets such as ammo dumps and fuel storage would need buttressing. Incoming fuel and key stores would need to be temporarily diverted perhaps. Station authorities can locally augment medical assistance or heavy duty earth moving gear from local army/navy or civilian authorities. But all this needs careful factoring as across the board evacuations may not be advisable. Calculated marshaling of assets and replenishments would be called for. Exchange ratio The Pathankot event appears to have caused a comparatively higher degree of casualties to our personnel. But one needs to understand that, besides the best preparation, a terrorist strike extracts a heavy toll in the target area, be it on civilians or other soft targets. Recall the high attrition of American personnel especially wherein suicide tactics have been employed by the terrorist elements. Only very highly trailed defensive/offensive assets such as the US Navy Seals or our own para commandos/MARCOS could neutralise such threats with minimal casualties. Another aspect that emerges in an airfield anti-terror operation is the uniqueness of an air base, especially a fighter base. Not only is it a 'target-rich' territory, but there would be several buildings, hangars and underground shelters to clear and protect. A combination of urban and military anti-terror operations so to say. Of course, the need to keep the media at bay and prevent undue pressure on local forces and increasing their vulnerabilities through real time coverage, need not be over emphasised. Timely media briefings at suitable locations need to be organised to cater to serve the requirements of public knowledge. Political over-reaction One can understand how authorities at various levels choose to react in a complex democratic entity such as India. Recall the Kandahar fiasco and the much touted delays whilst reacting to the Mumbai attacks. So whilst the luxury of sending across NSG or the Western Command C-in-C may be condoned in this case, the lack of coordination or tactical oversights if evident post the entire operation would provide learning value. The IAF would need its own soul searching to address terror as a new threat paradigm. A while ago in a article about the need to reprioritise the IAF's role as missions ambit, I had advocated the need to tailor our force structure to address terrorist threats to IAF installations. Perhaps Pathankot reinforces my belief in this urgent requirement. The need to enlist the help of local villagers and police in intelligence gathering and physical security cannot be overemphasised. Having served two assignments at this key air base during the seventies and eighties (and having visited the base on private trips recently) the vulnerabilities of such a base to a coordinated terror strike are only too vivid in one's operational mind. 'If you destroy the assets in Pathankot, you degrade the combat potential of India; you degrade the war potential of India.' 'There must be some understanding between the Pakistan army and Pakistan air force. After all, who can give information about the Pathankot Air Force station better than the Pakistan air force itself?' 'I can tell you today that the next attack will again come at a place in close proximity to Jammu,' says Lieutenant General D B Shekatkar (retd). IMAGE: Security personnel inside the Pathankot airbase after the end of the military operation against the terrorists. Photograph: PTI Photo Why is Punjab a vulnerable target? Punjab has become a soft belly of the Indian geographical area. Firstly, the alertness has gone down drastically. Drug smuggling has been on the rise, so people are more concerned about drug smuggling and less on the terrorism aspect. Sometimes they think these are drug smugglers, not realising that they could be terrorists also. There is shift in the focus. Secondly, so far, the whole nation's concentration was towards Kashmir without realising that we have fought terrorism in Punjab and we got it back from the hands of terrorists. Thirdly, if Punjab becomes unrestful, it will impact Himachal Pradesh as well as Kashmir because the transit routes pass through Punjab. Punjab also has a tremendous concentration of the army, and now, of course, the air force in Pathankot. The best way to keep the army engaged is to create problems. Finally, there seems to be some sort of political rivalry. The aim also seems to be to let down somebody. These factors combined together are worse for any state in India, especially ones that are adjoining Pakistan. In India barring five states -- Haryana, Delhi, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh -- all other states have borders with neighbouring countries or the ocean/sea. Unfortunately, we have never taken the state governments into confidence about threats emanating from across the border. Like from the Maoists in Nepal, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans or from Pakistan. Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Kashmir -- these states on the western front -- face Pakistan. Can you ever recall that they have ever called the chief ministers, chief secretaries, director generals of police from theses states -- all of them together and discussed issues pertaining to security? Can any government official recall doing this in the last 50 years? You might meet them individually which means there is no coordinated effort and every state is looking into its own affairs. This is not a good thing when you know that your enemy number one -- and you are not calling it the enemy -- is Pakistan. The Pakistani army, prime ministers have officially said that India is the only threat to them in the entire world. So when you have such mentality of the government and administration, you have to be 200% careful. Your intelligence network does not have to work within your own country, but needs to be strengthened across the country. Our intelligence set-up should not only reach Pakistan, but to the border of Pakistan with Afghanistan. Unfortunately, our focus has always been on internal intelligence. The type of intelligence that is given to the state governments is very vague and that is what is happening with R&AW (Research and Analysis Wing) and IB (Intelligence Bureau). They are never ever specific. This vagueness is killing us today. These two intelligence agencies spy on vagueness and will never be specific. We are failing in actionable intelligence where somebody can react to immediately. If you want actionable intelligence, you have to infiltrate these organisations. Why was the army not tasked to secure the perimeter of the Pathankot airbase in spite of a large army presence nearby? The first indication was that the SP's car was taken away. They should have immediately have alerted the patrolling parties that this car is likely to come and there could be another car. The Defence Security Corps personnel, who guard the Pathankot airbase, are retired from the army. There is nothing wrong with that, but their alertness cannot match a young terrorist's. Secondly, the air force deploys them as a normal sentry and not to counter terrorism. There is a need for us to ensure that all airports and airbases located in close proximity to the Punjab border with Pakistan must be guarded heavily. There seems to be too much of compartmentalisation in our thinking and that is impacting our security preparedness. The security mechanism should be comprehensive and integrated. You can't say it's R&AW's job to see across the border and IB's to see inside. This compartmentalisation is going to kill us. The Pathankot airbase runs in a 25 kilometre radius. How do you do parameter fencing? They can carry out mobile vehicle-based patrolling. There are two army divisions in proximity to Pathankot. Did anyone use them? The army couldn't have come on its own. They have to be requisitioned. Even within the defence mechanism, there is a need for more coordination and synchronisation. IMAGE: Indian soldiers during the 1971 War. Why Pathankot? In the 30 kilometres radius of Pathankot, there are large installations of the army and air force. There is huge amount of ammunition stocked around Pathankot which is kept in readiness for war. Both in the '65 and '71 wars, Pakistani aircraft attacked Pathankot. It was the first target on December 3 when the '71 War started. Pathankot will always be a target of Pakistan because it is the base to sustain operations in Pakistan. All sorts of weapons, equipment and aircraft are kept there. It is the mother base to feed Kashmir as well as Ladakh and takes care of Pakistan. I am not criticising anybody, but there is need for further sensitivity from the commanders stationed there. They should be equally concerned about it. Secondly, Pathankot is already a target and happens to be part of Punjab that adjoins Pakistan Punjab where the writ of people like Hafiz Sayeed runs. Just 60 kms from Pathankot are places like Narowal, Muridke and Bahawalpur which are hotbeds of terrorist organisations. It is not difficult for people to mix along with the people from across the border because they speak the same language. That becomes a greater challenge for security personnel including the army and air force. Have we ever taken this into account? So there is a flaw somewhere and lastly, they know Pathankot will always emotionally and psychologically make more impact than Jammu or any place else. Every time there has been a war between India and Pakistan, Pathankot was the main hub. A similar attack took place a few years back in Awantipore in Kashmir where all the terrorists were killed. I don't think the kind of alertness which is required to guard against a terrorist threat was there in Pathankot in spite of the warning. I am not trying to criticise, I belong to the same organisation, but there is need for us to rethink. Terrorist attack or a well planned military operation? It was a well organised, well thought of, well coordinated attack on India's sovereignty by Pakistan's military and ISI. You have seen at what level Bombay (the 26/11 attacks) was organised. My reading is that a similar thing must have been done. There must be some understanding between the Pakistan army and Pakistan air force. After all, who can give information about the Pathankot Air Force station better than the Pakistan air force itself? They have satellite imagery and all the information available to them. Only the Pakistan army could have provided this kind of information. Pathankot is almost hugging the border. 30 kilometres is nothing. We can fool ourselves, we should not fool our mental caliber and our common sense. More importantly, this is not an isolated terrorist attack. The implications are totally different. If you destroy the assets in Pathankot, you degrade the combat potential of India; you degrade the war potential of India. We must compliment the air force and those guarding this air base because if aircraft or missiles were destroyed, our ability to combat a proper war would have been degraded. Terrorists will not think on these lines, but people who are responsible for organising the attack have. We should not fool ourselves and the nation by saying it is a terrorist attack. The Pakistan army, ISI and the Pakistan government has outsourced terrorism to terrorist organisations against India. Terrorists have become an extension of the Pakistan army. They are being guided and directed by the Pakistan army. Why have no lessons been learnt from past attacks? What is happening is that our individual memories are good, but our institutional memories are very poor. Our political institutional memories are very poor and our governing memories are very poor. So we forget the lessons very fast. When you don't learn from history that history repeats itself and you have only yourself to condemn. The terrorists are no longer non-State actors. They are duly supported by the Pakistan State. It is foolish to call them non-State actors. They belong to the State of Pakistan and are being financed by the State of Pakistan. The memories of government institutions and party institutions are very poor. Forgetfulness is a disease. This disease has inflicted us for quite some time. You can forgive a person if you are powerful, but forgetfulness depicts a disease. So we are suffering from that disease and don't want to learn from history. Any nation which ignores intitutionalised memory has not done well in the history of humankind. We have refused to learn from the Bombay attacks, the Parliament attack, the Akshardham attack, Kashmir attack... IMAGE: Smoke and flames billow from the Taj Hotel in Mumbai, November 27, 2008. Photograph: Arko Datta/Reuters Why did the government announce that the operation was a success when it continued three days after? The objective with which terrorists came to Pathankot was not successful. They came to destroy our aircraft, missiles. Their aim was to destroy our war assets. If they had destroyed 20 aircraft, my god how much money and time it would take to replace them. From that point of view it was a success, but we could have said that so many people have been accounted for and the operation is continuing. Secondly, in such situations there is a need to manage the perception of the people. They could have organised a press briefing outside the Pathakot Air Force base and deputed someone to tell the press what has happened so far and kept them posted. When you hide the truth, people start writing fiction. Fiction is always more glamorous than fact. It is time the Government of India concentrated on perception management. If you goof up perception management, it will destroy your image. When the image is distorted, then you have to be ready to face the consequences and the consequences come from your own people. The future of India-Pakistan talks There is no harm in talking. You have to talk to those who have been authorised by the government of Pakistan. You can't talk to Hafiz Sayeed or some Islamic fundamentalist organisation. The Government of India does not allow our army chief to speak to the Pakistan army chief. We are allergic to this. A soldier is in a better position to understand another soldier's language. So let the NSAs, foreign secretaries talk, but when you are talking you should not talk, but speak. There is a difference between the two. Talks are going on for the last 65 years. You must speak from a position of power, authority and convincingly. Unless your opponent understands these consequences clearly, talks have no meaning, but talks should continue. To expect that just because there has been a dialogue between Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif, things will improve with Pakistan is foolish. Sharif stays at the mercy of the Pakistan army. The day they don't want him they will throw him out again. Just like Musharraf was; the same thing happened with Benazir and when she returned and looked powerful she was killed. Secondly, the Pakistan army, ISI and terrorist organisations would never ever like political parties to get prominence. The Pakistan army is ruling Pakistan. That doesn't mean we stop talking to Nawaz Sharif. After all, he is the constitutionally elected prime minister of Pakistan. What is connected to this is this that when Musharraf was the army chief, the same Sharif was prime minister. Vajpayee went to Lahore and Musharraf was already launching an attack in Kargil. These terrorists must have been prepared at least two months in advance. IMAGE: A jawan guards the Pathankot Air Force base after the end of the military operation. Photograph: PTI Photo Are we losing sight of the ISI's local recruits in India? No irregular war, no terrorist attack, no insurgency, no guerilla warfare will succeed without local help. I am not saying that the people of Punjab have revolted against the Government of India, but there will be just 1% people who are against us and that is more than enough. It is high time we focused on internal dimension of security. There is a philosophy of warfare and national governance that in politics, international relations diplomacy and warfare to speak the truth is to commit harakiri, and today Pakistan has waged war against India. We call it proxy war, but we are using the word war. In war, no one tells you the truth. Truth dies first in a war. You will not come to know the truth ever. Have you come to know what happened in Kargil? No. Truth will not come out because truth is very harsh, but then in your desire to hide the truth you are harming the coming generation of India. Unless people know the truth, they will start believing in fiction and fiction is far more dangerous that truth. There is optimism about the prime minister's meeting, it is a good thing to be optimistic. I am not pessimistic either, but between optimism and pessimism there is realism. If you start becoming too optimistic, then you have to be ready to suffer. We have selective memory. We should learn to forgive, but not forget. I can tell you today that the next attack will again come at a place in close proximity to Jammu. One attack in Paris and the (French) president went on air to say France is at war with ISIS and what are we saying? We are saying we will continue to talk and be friends. We are suffering a proxy war and the answer to this proxy war is not a direct war, but a proxy war. Why can't we tell the truth because nowhere in the history of the world has a proxy war, a guerilla war, ever been won by direct war. You have to combat a proxy war by proxy means. You have to combat terrorism not by using aircraft, but by counter terrorism. Our security agencies should be ready for counter war, you don't have to declare it. It is your outlook and they will understand. A proxy war is not that you send terrorists, there are hundreds of other means. Future of India-Pakistan relations I am not a pessimist. I am a realist and I don't think things will improve. The reason being that Nawaz Sharif is more concerned about keeping his body intact. It is not the politicians of Pakistan, but Pakistan as an institution which is against India. Institution includes the Pakistan government, the army, ISI and terrorist organisations. Unless this changes, how can things improve? They will improve marginally. I don't think there will be a change of heart. The economic dependence on the two nations will reduce the chance of conflict. We should be able to assimilate and accumulate more and more trade. Once your economic dependence increases, the chances of war will come down. China and America don't see eye to eye, but will not fight a war because the economic stakes are very high. We have to think on those lines. Lastly, build up the young generation and convince them that your ancestors have fought with India for 60 years without getting anything. Do you want to fight another 600 years? The youth will understand. That is the way ahead. Lieutenant General Dr D B Shekatkar (retd), PVSM, AVSM, AVSM, fought in the 1965 War in Kashmir, the 1971 War in the Western Theatre. He also trained the Mukti Bahini before the war of liberation. During the Kargil War the general was in charge of the entire China front in Arunachal Pradesh. The general, who served extensively in the North East, compelled a record number (1,267) of terrorists in Kashmir, trained in Afghanistan and Pakistan to give up terrorism. He is pursuing his third PhD on War in the 21st Century. He spoke to Archana Masih/Rediff.com. 'You seldom get information of this kind several hours in advance, exactly where they are going to strike. But we still couldn't act on this intelligence.' 'Had this been handled in a correct way, the only lives that would have been lost, presumably, were the lives of the terrorists and that would have been welcome.' Colonel Ajai Shukla (retd) has been scathing about the manner in which India's national security team handled the Pathankot airbase terrorist attack. Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com spoke to Colonel Shukla to find out why despite advance intelligence the terrorists still attacked the airbase and took precious Indian lives. IMAGE: 'What should have been done immediately upon receiving information about an impending terrorist attack is to secure the airbase, which means putting a large number of people at various pickets all around the airbase.' In your column, you said National Security Adviser Ajit Doval handled the Pathankot airbase attacks 'ineptly' and it was a 'debacle.' What could he have done? You also say in the column that the NSG (National Security Guard) is trained to handle pinpoint operations. Didn't the same NSG flush out terrorists during the 26/11 Mumbai siege? You understand the difference between clearing a hotel and securing a large piece of land. When you have to secure an area and defend it against terrorists who are attacking it, you require a different operation, one that requires lot of manpower. When you have to do an attack operation on terrorists holed up in a hotel and clear it room by room is a different operation. Now the Mumbai kind of room clearance operations, which are pinpoint type of attack operations, is what the NSG is geared and equipped and meant to handle. On the other hand, what should have been done (at Pathankot) immediately upon receiving information about an impending terrorist attack is to secure the airbase, which means putting a large number of people at various pickets all around the airbase which means you dominate the area and don't give freedom of movement (to terrorists). How could these six or so terrorists have entered the airbase? If there were intelligence inputs, why wasn't the perimeter of the Pathankot airbase secured? Because it was such a handful of people who had to secure a very large premise, which meant there were large gaps in between the pickets and these terrorists ingressed through those gaps. When you have a larger number of people deployed, these gaps get reduced and minimise the chances of terrorists taking advantage of these gaps. The point that I am making about the larger presence of manpower is because the biggest problem, in securing a large area, is manpower. And when you have just 150 NSG commandos (to secure such a huge air base)... (it) is like using a heart surgeon to sort of put a band aid on a little wound. The NSG is a pinpoint strike counter-terrorist unit. It is not meant to do sentry duty on large airfields. Why do you think the NSA asked the NSG to handle this operation instead of the army, which as you noted in your column, has the biggest contingent at Pathankot, almost 50,000 soldiers readily available? It is quite obvious because he wanted the credit for himself. And this is how Ajit Doval functions. He is a credit-seeker. Seeking credit at the cost of national security? Exactly. At the cost of national security, people seek credit all the time. It is the prime area where people seek credit. Everybody wants to be seen as quite hot on national security. Lieutenant Colonel Niranjan Kumar lost his life during the mopping up operation from a booby trap left by the terrorists inside the airbase. Why couldn't the NSG command second guess that the bodies of the dead terrorists could have been laden with grenades? The precious life of an Indian soldier could have been saved. He (Lieutenant Colonel Niranjan Kumar) was a highly trained commando and obviously a good soldier if he was selected in the NSG. When you start putting too much load on an organisation, then you start putting pressure on them 'ke, jaldi clear karo, jaldi clear karo.' At that stage people start making operational mistakes because of the pressure. This was unfair pressure put on the NSG. But precious lives were lost... That is my point to you that all the lives that were lost (at Pathankot) were lost due to this unfair pressure. Had this been handled in a correct way, the only lives that would have been lost, presumably, were the lives of the terrorists and that would have been welcome. But unfortunately, because of the lack of preparedness, you got the DSC (Defence Security Corps) people shot in their cook house. This speaks of a complete operational blunder. Are we expecting more and more audacious attacks on India's military assets? Not just on these (military assets), but also on softer targets. The aim of the jihadis is to disrupt the peace process. Their aim is to only make an impact and that impact is made by mass casualties or by striking high value targets. I expect more such (like Pathankot) attacks to happen. What measures should the Indian security establishment take to prevent such anticipated attacks? The only thing you can do (in such attacks or in anticipation of such attacks) is to beef up the security around large number of establishments which requires a lot of manpower in doing so and to strengthen the intelligence grid so that you have advanced information. But what is sad is that the information we had in this particular case was pure gold. You seldom get information of this kind several hours in advance, exactly where they are going to strike you know that. But we still couldn't act on this intelligence. If you just had information like 'terrorists are going to strike high value targets somewhere in India', that means nothing. But when I tell you that 'terrorists are going to attack tomorrow at the Pathankot airfield', that is everything. That is gold. That is actionable input and that is what we had in this case, which rarely happens, we had specific information to take advantage of that. In the aftermath of the Pathankot attack, do you think Mr Modi will be more cautious while engaging with Pakistan? I would not like to second guess what the prime minister would choose to do as a result of this (attack)... I mean he has already made it clear that he is dealing with Pakistan on a more cautious sort of footing and so you have national security adviser dialogue before the foreign secretaries meeting, according to some reports, and that proves that he is cautious. He has slowed down in his enthusiasm just like any other Indian prime minister before him. But I don't think he will be deflected in his purpose by this attack. If the attack had been more successful or if tomorrow two more jihadis pop out of the shrubbery at Pathankot and blow up MIGs over there, then that will be a different story. Bangladeshs Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the death sentence of a top leader of fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami for crimes committed by him during the 1971 liberation war against Pakistan, clearing the way for his execution. A four-member bench, headed by Chief Justice S K Sinha, dismissed an appeal by Motiur Rahman Nizami, chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, who orchestrated the massacre of Bangladeshs best brains in 1971 using his ruthless al-Badr militia. "The apex court has put the seal on his death penalty handed down previously by the (Bangladeshs) International Crimes Tribunal," senior prosecution lawyer Jiad Al Malum said. A large number of people rallied outside the heavily-guarded court complex to welcome the verdict. The court upheld capital penalty for 73-year-old Nizami in three charges and life imprisonment in two charges. Chief defence counsel Khondker Mahbub Hossain petitioned for commuting his death sentence to life imprisonment considering his old age. Nizami is the last remaining top perpetrators of crimes against humanity. Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal in October, 2014 sentenced him to death, a verdict which the Supreme Court subsequently upheld. Nizami then sought to get the apex court verdict reviewed by itself in his last ditch effort to evade the gallows. In 1971, Nizami was the chief of Islami Chhatra Sangha, then student wing of Jamaat. He also headed the al-Badr militia created by the Pakistan army to suppress the Bengali rebellion. The tribunal said Nizami had been involved in 'planning and conspiring' mass killings, murders, rapes and looting at different villages in Pabna. Nizami now faces execution unless his case is reviewed by the court or he is granted clemency by the President. Jamaat's secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed, who was also Nizamis top aide in 1971, was executed last year along with Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, a stalwart of the key opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which is a crucial ally of the fundamentalist party. Bangladesh has so far executed four war crimes convicts since the belated trial process of the top Bengali perpetrators of 1971 atrocities started in line with the electoral commitment of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2008. Two others -- former Jamaat chief Ghulam Azam and ex-BNP minister Abdul Alim -- earlier were handed down imprisonment until death instead of capital punishment considering their old age. They subsequently died in the prison cells of a specialised state-run hospital. Bangladesh says three million people were killed during the nine-month liberation war against Pakistan in 1971. Scaling up the offensive against the government over Pathankot terror attack, the Congress on Wednesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fix responsibility for the grave security lapse and suggested that some heads must roll. "They should realise that it has gone wrong and resignations should happen. If there is a lapse, resignations should happen," former home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde told reporters at the All India Congress Committee briefing when repeatedly asked whether the Congress is demanding resignation of Home Minister Rajnath Singh or Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar into the matter. "This government has totally failed. It has no system in place to protect the nation," he added. AICC Communication Department chairman Randeep Surjewala also said that the prime minister should fix the responsibility and take action against the home and defence ministers. "First responsibility is of the prime minister as he is the head of the government. Then defence minister and home minister are also responsible as they deal with the matter. The prime minister should act decisively and not merely talk. The PM should fix responsibility for this negligence and he reaches to the same conclusion that the nation has arrived at that there has been a huge lapse in the nation's security, he should then take action against the defence minister and the home minister," Surjewala said. The party asked will the prime minister and the Bharatiya Janata Party government explain as to who is responsible for grave security lapse as terrorists managed to reach Pathankot Air Base despite advance intelligence alert and reporting of prior incident. Accusing the government of having totally failed on the security front, the Congress leaders played out video clips of Modi favouring a tough approach to deal with Pakistan and slamming the United Progressive Alliance government's handling of Pakistan affairs before the Lok Sabha polls. Wondering why the National Democratic Alliance government is 'soft on Pakistan' over the Pathankot attack, the Congress leaders asked why the BJP government, led by Modi, was 'shying away' from calling the Pathankot Air Base attackers as 'Pakistani terrorists', more so when they were loaded with firearms, explosives, clothes, shoes and logistic support from Pakistan with handlers located in Pakistan as reflected by telephone transcripts. Surjewala and Shinde also wondered why the Modi government has not lodged a formal protest till date with the Pakistan government, summoned their high commissioner and taken a decision to place the matter before international forums, so as to expose and isolate Pakistan as a state that is abetting and permitting its soil to be used for anti-India terror activities. Taking a swipe at the prime minister, Shinde said Modi used to say that UPA ministers were serving biryani to Pakistani leaders but what is happening now. "He (Modi) himself went to meet Nawaz Sharif and after that Pathankot happened," Shinde said. Shinde said if this government continued like this, then it looks like we may lose our country to terrorists. He referred to the strong remarks of Modi after the Mumbai terror strikes. "In the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Modi bitterly criticised the Congress-led UPA by mocking us saying stop writing 'love letters' to Pakistan and give Pakistan an answer in the language it understands. In fact, Modi held a press conference in Mumbai amidst the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack and criticised the then prime minister Manmohan Singh. "One of the principal electoral rhetoric of Modi always was that there have been enough attacks on the border and it is time for Modi government now (bahut hua seema par waar; Abki baar Modi sarkaar). We have seen Modi jis view on 26/11 attacks. We have seen what were his demands at that time. We hope that he introspects about what he had said in Mumbai," Shinde said. He said there has been a 'rise' in the incidents of terror attacks since the NDA came to power. "Four major attacks have happened during the NDA rule between 1999 and 2004. During NDA-I, there were hijackings, attacks on Red Fort, Jammu and Kashmir assembly and Parliament. Whenever the BJP comes to power, terrorism increases. In 1999, IC184 hijack happened. The then foreign minister accompanied the terrorists to Kandahar and released them. Since 1999, there is a belief that India has no strength. Terrorists think they can do anything and they will be released," Shinde said. Alleging that timely action was not taken in the Pathankot attack, Shinde said that till coordination is not in place, such attacks cannot be handled. "Pathankot is a sensitive area. When you received intelligence, you should have shut down all movements from airbase," he said. "We can be friends with Pakistan, but we will not tolerate any terrorist attacks. What did Modiji discuss in Pakistan? We are in dark about what they discussed. Why did it take Pakistani PM Shri Nawaz Sharif five days to call Indian prime minister despite overwhelming evidence about citizenship identity, origin and handling of Pathankot Air Base attackers from Pakistan?" he asked. The former home minister also rued that the BJP had raked up his 'Hindu terror' remark in Parliament and said that there was a rise in terror incidents after that and wondered if that was the case why a number of terror incidents happened during the earlier rule of the NDA. Posing a number of questions to the Government, Shinde asked, "Why did the prime minister or his home or defence minister not take control of the entire Pathankot operation putting a clear-cut 'command and control structure' on the ground to lead the operation?" "Why was Cabinet Committee on Security not called immediately by Prime Minister? Why were home and defence ministers fumbling and deleting tweets about Pathankot operation after being contradicted by the home secretary? Does it show a definite lack of coordination in the Union cabinet even in tackling an issue as serious as terrorism?" he said. In a statement, the Congress said that during last 19 months of the Modi government, the country has seen 900 ceasefire violations on Indo-Pak Border with 19 jawans and 34 civilians having lost their lives. 'Even the Border Security Force has admitted that there have been 35 per cent hike in infiltrations from Pakistan in last one year. Six days after Modis sudden visit to Pakistan to greet Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on his birthday on December 25, 2015, a handful of Pakistani terrorists have dealt a severe blow to Indias national security establishment and counter terror strategy,' the Congress said. Calling it an attack on India's sovereignty, honour and integrity, Shinde said it reflects a 'clear-cut failure' of political leadership of Modi as also the command and control structure to fight terrorism. Noting that Pathankot has India's biggest army cantonment housing two infantry divisions and two armoured brigades, comprising of nearly 50,000 army troops, the party said the moot question is as to why were these troops stationed near Pathankot air base not used by the government to cordon off the air base as there was prior intelligence input after Gurdaspur superintendent of police was stopped by terrorists in Army fatigues. "In reply, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar chose to shift blame by saying the Army cannot do civil duty. The area is so complicated and had a difficult terrain and blocking roads is not Armys responsibility. Is the defence minister then blaming the Union home minister and Punjab Police for letting the terrorists infiltrate and enter the air base?" he asked. The Congress leaders also faulted the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government in Punjab over the episode asking 'why couldnt it act on intelligence and operational input that it received at 3.34 am on the night intervening December 31 and January 1?' The Congress leaders said, "One is forced to wonder whether it is drug-linked terror and whether infiltrating terrorists used the same route, modus operandi and logistic support that drug traffickers use in active connivance with people in the administration of Punjab." Replying to the Congress, the BJP said the security operation at the air base was most successful and drew a parallel with the Mumbai attack in which terrorist killed over 164 people despite intelligence inputs about its likelihood. The BJP said that the PM 'conveyed the nation's anger' to his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif when the latter called him up following the attack and reminded it that there was no such response from Pakistan after Mumbai attack. "Modi has sought time-bound and serious action from Pakistan. Sharif assured him of cooperation. There was no response from Pakistan following 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai. The operation in Pathankot was a most successful exercise against a fidayeen strike. The Congress has no moral right to question the government. Its charges only show its mental bankruptcy," BJP secretary Shrikant Sharma said. In Pathankot, terrorists were confined to an outer ring and could not harm the assets of the Air Force, he said. Taking a dig at the Congress, Sharma said those who are 'responsible' for the problem of terrorism should not question Modi as he was working overtime to root out the issue. Raking up the Congress leaders suggestive reference to Rashtriya Swaymasewak Sangh following the Mumbai attack and his Osama ji remark, the BJP media cell head said the opposition party practised vote bank politics over the issue. He also noted that Singh and other Congress leaders had questioned the veracity of Batla House encounter. The Congress government was found asleep when it received the intelligence about the Mumbai attack while the BJP dispensation acted swiftly, Sharma said. He also played down Congress criticism of the decision to deploy the NSG instead of the Army to flush out terrorists, saying the former draws personnel from Army as well. Indian peacekeepers in Liberia, including a women contingent, were honoured with medals for their courage and service in maintenance of peace and security in the West African country. The 125-strong Indian Formed Police Unit along with 12 Indian personnel of the UN Police serving in the UN Mission in Liberia were awarded medals during a parade ceremony held recently in Congo Town in Montserrado County. Addressing the Indian peacekeepers, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Liberia Farid Zarif expressed his gratitude to the soldiers for their "courage and dedication" in serving Liberia during its time of distress. He said the peacekeepers offered their services in a nation that "is in distress and in need of support and help from the international community. That is the highest manifestation of your humanism." Zarif lauded the services of the Indian contingent, particularly at a time when Liberia faced unrest and threat of disease and when many Liberians were leaving the country. "You decided to come and face the challenges at that crucial point of time. You must be proud of your courage and dedication." Zarif bid farewell to the Indian Formed Police Unit, which will be departing Liberia next month. India is the largest contributor of troops to UN peacekeeping operations, with nearly 180,000 troops having served in 44 of the 69 peacekeeping operations so far, including the 103-strong Indian female police unit in Liberia. Meanwhile, the Indian Battalion (INDBATT) -- operating in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan base of Melut -- organised a veterinary camp for the local population. Recognising the efforts of INDBATT, the County Commissioner of Melut applauded the contribution of Indian troops and said they have had an affirmative effect on the security situation and development process in the area, according to UNMISS. British home secretary Theresa May told members of parliament that the government had no record on how many terror suspects may have jumped bail, and Scotland Yard said it was unable to say whether Siddhartha Dhar was added to any border watchlist before he left the country. A day after it was revealed that British Indian Siddhartha Dhar was the new Jihadi John, uncomfortable questions have surfaced in England over how the terrorist from Daesh (Islamic State) slipped through security soon after securing bail in September 2014 and head to Syria. The Telegraph, London, reports that Dhar had been given a week by the police to surrender his passport after he secured bail in a case against him as a terror suspect, but he simply took a bus to Paris from where he crossed over to Syria the very next day. The police acted on his disappearance and sent him a polite letter inquiring about his passport weeks later. More worryingly, British home secretary Theresa May told members of parliament that the government had no record on how many terror suspects may have jumped bail, and Scotland Yard said it was unable to say whether Dhar was added to any border watchlist before he left the country. Nor, it seems, was Dhar placed on Britains Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measure, which is designed to curb the activities of terror suspects. Soon after surfacing in Syria, where joined the Daesh, Dhar, whose nom de guerre is Abu Rumaysah, posted a photograph of himself on Twitter, gloating: What a shoddy security system Britain must have to allow me to breeze through Europe to the Islamic State, he wrote. My Lord (Allah) made a mockery of British intelligence and surveillance. And on Sunday, when the terror group posted a video of the execution of five Syrians who it accused of being British spies, the authorities woke up to the possibility that the masked terrorist in the video who pulled the trigger may have been man who slipped out from under their nose in September 2014. Andy Burnham, the shadow home secretary who had demanded an urgent parliamentary question, said there had been a serious lapse in security", reports the Telegraph. "Whether or not he is the person in the video doesn't matter. The system has failed because it allowed him to abscond to Syria. Further, the newspaper quotes David Anderson QC, the British government's independent reviewer of anti-terror legislation, as saying: With the benefit of hindsight, it is easy to thing that a police officer should have accompanied this person to his home and ensured that the passport was handed over. The lapse seems enormous in the background of Dhars extremist views which were known to the police and authorities. As early as 2009, Dhar, who converted to Islam after his marriage to Aisha Tariq around 10 years ago, gave an interview in which he demanded that the British queen wear a burqa while discharging public duties. The 32-year-old was arrested on September 25, 2014, one of nine men who were suspected of being a member of the banned group, al-Muhajiroun, and for encouraging terrorism. He had been arrested five times before that in terrorism-related offences. Reacting strongly to reports of North Korea conducting a nuclear test, India on Wednesday said it was a matter of "deep concern" and stressed its worry over proliferation links between North East Asia and its neighbourhood, an apparent reference to Pakistan. India also called upon DPRK to refrain from such actions which adversely impact peace and stability in the region. "We have seen reports that DPRK has conducted a nuclear test today. We are assessing the available information, including claims that this was a thermonuclear test. "It is a matter of deep concern that DPRK has again acted in violation of its international commitments in this regard. We call upon DPRK to refrain from such actions which adversely impact on peace and stability in the region. Our concerns about proliferation links between North East Asia and our neighbourhood are well-known," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. According to reports, North Korea obtained "many of the designs for gas centrifuges and much of the machinery" required to make highly enriched uranium for nuclear weapons from Pakistan, which in return got ballistic-missile parts from North Korea. Earlier on Wednesday, North Korea said it had carried out a "successful" hydrogen bomb test, a claim that -- if true -- massively raises the stakes over its banned nuclear programme. "The republic's first hydrogen bomb test has been successfully performed at 10.00 am (0330 GMT)," North Korean state television announced. The surprise test was personally ordered by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and came just two days before his birthday. If confirmed, the test would mark another big step toward Pyongyang's goal of building a warhead that can be mounted on a missile capable of reaching the US mainland. Meanwhile, the test drew strong criticism from North Koreas neighbours and the West which warned of a robust response to its "grave provocations". The US said it was too early to verify North Korea's claim but vowed to "respond appropriately" to "any and all provocations." "We will continue to protect and defend our allies in the region, including the Republic of Korea, and will respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations," State Department Spokesman John Kirby said in a statement. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, "The nuclear test that was carried out by North Korea is a serious threat to the safety of our nation and we absolutely cannot tolerate this." "This clearly violates UN Security Council resolutions and is a grave challenge against international efforts for non-proliferation," he said, adding his country would seek to coordinate efforts among UN members to deal with the action. South Korean President Park Geun-Hye called the test a "grave provocation" to its national security and a "threat to our future". She said North Korea's action is a strong challenge to international peace and stability. "Tough measures are needed, including the strict sanctions of the UN Security Council and allied and friendly nations," she was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency. China, North Korea's key ally, "firmly opposed" the test which was conducted "irrespective of the international community's opposition". "We strongly urge the DPRK side to remain committed to its denuclearisation commitment, and stop taking any actions that would make the situation worse," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular briefing, using the North's official name. "On the sanctions, China will honour its international obligations and work with the international community to realise the goal of denuclearisation of the peninsula and make our due contributions" China would summon the North's ambassador and launch"solemn representations" over the nuclear test. British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said that both Britain and China opposed North Korea's test of a miniaturised hydrogen nuclear device and support the resumption of so-called six-party disarmament talks. Hammond, who is currently visiting China, said he and his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi agreed to work with other members of the UN Security Council toward "a robust international response." "If a nuclear device has been detonated by North Korea, this is a grave breach of UN Security Council resolutions and a provocation which I condemn without reservation," he said. France condemned the reported test, calling for a "strong reaction from the international community". Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the test "confirms North Korea's status as a rogue state and a continuing threat to international peace and security." The UN Security Council plans to hold an emergency meeting in New York, diplomats said. A hydrogen, or thermonuclear device, uses fusion in a chain reaction that results in a far more powerful explosion. For years, the world has been trying to bring North Korea to the table to talk disarmament, but with little success. The six-party talks are comprised of United States, North Korea, South Korea, China, Japan and Russia. North Korea declared it had nuclear weapons in 2003, and conducted nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013. In May last year, it said it had the ability to miniaturise nuclear weapons, a development that would allow it to deploy nuclear weapons on missiles. Image for representation only. The Delhi high court on Wednesday asked the Aam Aadmi Party government to explain whether it is not enough to continue their odd-even vehicles scheme, slated for a fortnight till January 15, for one week. A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath also said the Delhi government will have to admit that they do not have sufficient public transport to ferry people which was causing inconvenience to a large section of society. "Aren't these six days enough for you? We have permitted the government to run this scheme for one week during which they must have collected data relating to pollution levels in the city," it said. The court, however, fixed the matter for January 8 by when it has asked the government to get instructions on whether its pilot project can be reduced to a week instead of 15 days. It also asked the government to provide data related to changes in the pollution level between January 1 and 7. "In these six days you must have collected data related to pollution level, we think it's sufficient for you. You will have to think about inconvenience cause to public at large," the bench said, adding, "There is a practical difficulty." It also said that the court does not interfere with the policies but government must think about it as people are knocking its door complaining of inconvenience being caused. "You (government) have to think about it. Your status report is vague and does not reveal much," the bench said, adding, "There is no sufficient public transport. Is it really necessary to have it for 15 days?" The court also wished to know from the government how many cabs are plying on diesel and CNG in the capital and what level of pollution were they emitting. The court's direction came on a batch of petitions filed by various individuals including lawyers who have challenged the AAP government's December 28, 2015 notification bringing into force the scheme which allows private cars with odd-numbered plates to ply on odd-numbered dates and vice-versa. While seeking quashing of the notification, a plea filed by Delhi high court Bar Association President Rajiv Khosla sought explanation from Delhi government on what jurisdiction it has to fix a fine of Rs 2,000 without amendment in the Motor Vehicles Act. Opposing the move from various sections of the society, senior standing counsel Rahul Mehra, appearing for Delhi government, said "the scheme is only for 15 days and the state is equally pained by the inconvenience being caused to public." The Delhi government, while replying to the court's query as to why women and two-wheelers were exempted from the scheme, said it was done as it is committed to provide security to women and restricting the two wheelers would have paralysed the transport system as there are no sufficient vehicles to cater such a huge demand. "Since, motor cars shall be plied on alternate days according to their registration number being odd or even, it is perceived that their shall be rush in the public transport (metro and buses). "Hence, the exemptions for women vehicles have been given to ensure that there is no compromise on women's safety," the Delhi government said. It further said that a major portion of the population uses two-wheelers and pulling them out of the exemption would have led to congestion in public transport. "The present number of vehicles are not sufficient to cater such a huge demand from the public," it said. Mehra, the standing counsel for the AAP government, further submitted that there was prevalence of respiratory diseases among children and new borns and "we are levelled as the most polluted city in the world". To this, the Chief Justice said "at present you are causing more inconvenience to public." The bench also questioned the exemption granted to senior citizens and the car-pooling method saying the mechanism cannot be termed safe and could be misused in longer run. It also asked the Delhi government to file an affidavit specifying the infrastructure for persons with disability in the public transport. The bench also said that keeping lawyers out of the exemption list was also "practically unsound" and so the Delhi government needs to examine it. The Delhi government counsel, however, said whatever it was doing was being done in the interest of people. "We have to take into consideration the future of the next generation. Entire, world is considering climate change. We also have to move a step. Even Chief Justice of India and the judges of this court ... are supporting the scheme. Courts have been functioning well in the past few days," Mehra said. The Delhi government counsel further submitted that had the people of Delhi not accepted the scheme, there would have been resentment. "Can all this be equated with our health and health of our children? Do we all want our children to be on nebulizer? People of Delhi are responsible and only one or two per cent are opposing it. Right to Life has to be with clean health and we cannot skirt the issue," Mehra said. He was responding to the pleas filed by the lawyers, who claimed that the scheme had been brought out and made applicable without even carrying out any feasiblity study and was hampering the legal fraternity in carrying out their professional responsibility. One of the petitioners submitted that the notification has not assigned any reason for exempting categorised vehicles and hence was liable to be set aside. "The notification is suffering from legislative incompetence and further the state government did not have the authority and jurisdiction to formulate a policy and further had no power to fix a fine of Rs 2000 without there being an amendment to the Motor Vehicle Act by the competent legislative forum," Khosla argued. The bench, however, refused to pass any interim order on a bunch of 11 petitions filed by different individuals against the AAP government's plan on the odd-even scheme. The vehicles exempted from the scheme include the President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Chief Justice of India, Union Ministers and Governors and Chief Ministers of states and Union Territories "except that of Delhi". Besides, women drivers, CNG-certified vehicles, VIPs, two-wheelers, ambulances, defence vehicles and embassy vehicles have been exempted from the government's ambitious scheme. Earlier, the high court had refused to pass any interim direction on the PILs, saying "Delhi government has proposed an idea, which is to be implemented from January 1, 2016, on trial basis for 15 days. Let them (Delhi government) try it." The court's oral observation was made during hearing the PILs, filed by Shweta Kapoor and Sarvesh Singh, which sought directions for restraining implementation of policy. India is "mulling options" with regard to the foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan scheduled to be held in Islamabad on January 15, in light of the terror attack at Pathankot air base. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar is scheduled to travel to Islamabad on January 14 to hold discussions with his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry to chalk out a roadmap to carry forward the engagement under the newly-announced "bilateral comprehensive dialogue". However, official sources on Monday said the government was "mulling options" with regard to the Islamabad meeting. There has been speculation that the talks may be deferred and that the national security advisors of the two countries may meet to discuss the situation arising out of the Pathankot terror strike suspected to have been carried out by Pakistani terrorists. In a pre-dawn attack, a group of heavily-armed terrorists, suspected to be belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammed outfit, attacked the air force base in Pathankot. The process of resumption of talks was set in motion after a meeting between prime ministers of India and Pakistan in Paris on November 30 on the sidelines of Climate Change Conference. The meet was followed by the NSAs of India and Pakistan meeting in Bangkok a week later following which the external affairs minister visited Pakistan to attend Heart of Asia Conference during which the two sides announced the resumption of talks under "Bilateral Comprehensive Dialogue" process. In a surprise move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also visited Lahore on December 25 to greet his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on his birthday in person. The two foreign secretaries are scheduled to discuss modalities and other schedule-related aspects to carry forward the dialogue process. Statement of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons on conclusion of his official visit to the Republic of Honduras, 23 to 27 November 2015 Publisher UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Publication Date 27 November 2015 Cite as UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Statement of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons on conclusion of his official visit to the Republic of Honduras, 23 to 27 November 2015, 27 November 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568cf4ba4.html [accessed 19 October 2022] I visited Honduras at the invitation of the Government between 23 and 27 November 2015. I held consultations with senior Government representatives, United Nations agencies, national and international civil society and non-governmental organizations and others. I also visited victims of internal displacement and their representatives. I take this opportunity to thank the Government of Honduras for its cooperation with my mandate and all of those who met with me and provided information. The following statement constitutes only the preliminary findings of my visit. My complete analysis and recommendations to the Government will be prepared over the coming weeks and presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council in June 2016. Let me say at the outset that I welcome the important recognition by the Government that the problem of internal displacement exists in the country and its acknowledgement that the challenges it presents require concerted action to tackle the root causes of displacement and protect the rights of internally displaced persons in line with international standards, including the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. This is a most important step to tackling the problem. While the causes of this internal displacement are quite different to that resulting from conflict or disaster witnessed in other countries I have visited, the impact on the lives of those affected is no less catastrophic. Community members described to me violence, threats and intimidations, killings of family members, extortion, rape and murder of women and girls, and an environment of such fear and insecurity, often as a result of the activities of gangs known as maras, that they feel compelled to leave their homes for other parts of the country or, when their options in Honduras have been exhausted, to seek safety outside the country. The primary responsibility of the State to protect persons from criminal gangs related displacement is constrained. It is intolerable that criminal gangs or maras have taken effective control of some neighbourhoods of cities including Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula that I visited. It is evident that gang members can conduct their criminal activities with almost absolute impunity and that the criminal justice system is not fulfilling its role. Gangs seek to control territories and communities and wield considerable power in the relative absence of an effective policing response. A thoroughgoing review of policing practices and structures and the failure of investigation and prosecution of crimes is required as a matter of some urgency. I learnt during my visit about the unique and difficult challenges facing women and girls affected by violence. Women and girls can experience threats, intimidation and sexual violence by gang members as well as threats to their family members. I heard from young women who had been threatened because their brothers were in the maras and felt that they had no option other than to flee their homes. Many of these displaced women are alone, without resources and are extremely vulnerable to sexual abuse. It was evident to me after visiting centres for returned migrants that no adequate protection systems are in place for such women and girls. The impact of crime and gangs on children and young people is particularly evident and disturbing. In some neighbourhoods children are easy prey for the gangs and others involved in criminal activities. Even very young children as well as adolescents may be coerced or forcibly recruited into the gang networks, even within the school environment, which is often infiltrated by gang members. Children may be used as drug mules, to carry weapons or used as "flags" or lookouts. It is clear that from an early age children in some of the poorest and most affected neighbourhoods are highly vulnerable and they and their parents feel that the only option to escape the influence of gangs and crime is to leave their homes. Regrettably many of those who are internally displaced see few viable options that would provide them with security and livelihood in Honduras and so make the difficult decision to leave the country. Hence internal displacement becomes a staging post to migration. Many of those who leave the country are subsequently deported back to Honduras and face a precarious future since they fear to return to their neighbourhoods and may have exhausted their resources in their attempts to reach other countries, in particular the United States. It is vital to recognize that the label of "economic migrant" is too often applied and yet does not take into account the unique circumstances of threat, fear and lack of options facing IDPs. We must recognize that these affected individuals and families are victims and not criminals. A report launched by the Inter-Agency Commission for the Protection of Persons Internally Displaced by Violence during my visit on internal displacement caused by violence in several municipalities estimates that some 174,000 persons are internally displaced, while acknowledging that that real numbers could be much higher throughout the country. Nevertheless, there remains a lack of comprehensive data, including about where IDP are located, their needs and protection issues. It remains unfortunately the case that few concrete measures are yet in place for the assistance and protection of IDPs and measures by the Government remain in their infancy. In Honduras and other countries in the region, internally displaced persons remain almost invisible victims of the violence in society. However, some important measures have been taken by the Government to bring the issues out of the shadows. I welcome for example the establishment in 2013 of the Government established an Inter-Agency Commission on Persons Internally Displaced by Violence, as an important step to bring attention to the issues across Government bodies and institutions and to begin the task of formulating law, policy and strategies to confront the issue. But this important development is not a solution in itself and must be quickly matched by concrete action on the ground to address the problem everywhere it exists. I also visited reception centres for returned migrants where staff informed me of their important work to assist those newly returned to the country. The large proportion of those who use the services are people affected by violence, in some cases unaccompanied adolescents and children. The services are commendable and demonstrate collaboration between Government Ministries, civil society and the United Nations Agencies. However, it was clear to me that once they had been formally processed there are little longer term protection options available for those who face protection challenges such as fear of violence or rape. I urge the Government to take concrete steps to address this protection gap including, for example, the provision of secure temporary shelter for internally displaced women and girls at risk of violence. Currently there are few such essential facilities in place in the country. Where people feel that they are unable to return to their places of origin due to fear of violence or other factors, it is necessary for the Government to develop more comprehensive options for local integration or relocation and resettlement in other parts of the country as part of a strategy of durable solutions for IDPS. Honduras remains largely at the planning phase of its responses to its internal displacement problem in many respects, but it does have the political will and the potential to become a leading nation in the region on the issue if it takes the necessary next steps. While the Inter-Agency Commission represents an important national focal point, it lacks any budget or implementation mandate and I strongly recommend that an additional dedicated body is created at the highest level with practical implementation functions and necessary powers. Honduras currently lacks a law or policy on internal displacement which is essential to fully addressing the challenges, establishing the rights of IDPs in national law, identifying responsibilities and governance structures, and putting national budgets in place. While it was noted by the Inter-Agency Commission that steps are being considered to develop such frameworks and to include forced-displacement as a crime in a new criminal code, progress must be made quickly and I offer the services of my mandate to assist the Government. Such dedicated legal and policy frameworks will help to guide national responses and engage all relevant institutions in a comprehensive plan of action to combat internal displacement. It is important to understand that the solutions do not lie in enhanced security measures alone. Measures in the area of social policy and development, including to provide employment and livelihood opportunities and to tackle high poverty rates are also essential both immediately and in the medium and long-term. Ending violence and eliminating the pervasive presence and impact of gangs requires holistic solutions that understand that this is a complex challenge which requires multi-faceted responses. Amongst these is the understanding that recruitment into gangs is undermined when young people have alternative and better options available to them. Community members highlighted to me that their trust in the police has broken down completely. This is a matter that requires urgent attention. Communities must feel that the police and other security personnel are there first and foremost to protect and assist them in the face of threats, violence and intimidation - as a service to them, not a force to be feared. Yet victims do not bring cases to the police because they believe that no proper investigation or action will be taken and due to their legitimate fears that gangs or other criminals have connections to the police and reporting crimes against them may put their safety or lives at risk. I met with the Minister of Security and Director of National Police who informed me of programmes under way to strengthen the police in terms of its numbers, training and capacity, including through new investigation units and community policing strategies. These are positive steps but they must be undertaken sensitively and in consultation with communities affected by violence to ensue that they meet their objectives for already traumatized communities. A heightened security response alone will not solve the problem of violence and internal displacement and in some cases may even contribute to the problems faced by communities. Communities do not wish to see greater militarization of their neighbourhoods as they frequently perceive the military and police as well as newly formed bodies such as the military police as an additional threat to them rather than creating conditions of security. Women and men described to me cases of intimidation, sexual abuse and extortion carried out by those whose job it is to protect them. Internal displacement in Honduras must also be understood in the context of wider challenges facing the region, including the narcotics trade and the migrant and people trafficking routes between Central and North America. Consequently solutions must also involve regional and international partners working together. I was pleased to learn of some initiatives in this respect which may contribute, including the Prosperity Alliance Plan. Nevertheless, the most important solutions will be home-grown ones. While my visit focused largely on the urban violence induced internal displacement, I also encountered other concerning internal displacement issues which will feature in my report. I met with indigenous and Afro-descendent communities and rural farmers who informed me of the challenges that they face in their lands and territories, including the threat of eviction, the impact of business enterprises, such as extractive industries - particularly mining and logging, and development projects, including hydro-electric projects which have led to their internal displacement. Collusion between gangs, police and business enterprises was frequently stated as a concern by those whom I met. Indigenous and community leaders have been killed or threatened to the extent that they must leave for their safety. The Government must ensure that it is in full compliance with international standards relating to indigenous peoples, including ILO Convention 169 which requires the free, prior and informed consent of indigenous peoples before projects are implemented that affect them or their lands and territories. It must equally ensure full compliance with regard standards relating to business and human rights and the actions of non-State actors that may lead to internal displacement. Some 90 per cent of voters in Central African Republic favour new constitution UN mission reports Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 18 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, Some 90 per cent of voters in Central African Republic favour new constitution UN mission reports, 18 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d1bc440d.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 18 December 2015 - Ninety per cent of voters in the Central African Republic (CAR) are in favour of the new Constitution, according to partial election results, while campaigning is now under way for the presidential elections and the final list of parliamentary candidates has been published, the United Nations mission in the country reported today. The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission, known as, MINUSCA, also reported that in light of the recent declaration of autonomy by former Seleka rebels in the northeastern region of the CAR, it is discussing with local authorities security measures and other issues related to the elections scheduled for later this month. Regarding the referendum held earlier this week, the National Electoral Authority (NEA) announced yesterday that 90 per cent of voters are in favour of the new Constitution, according to partial election results related only to the capital Bangui, the UN mission said. Results from the provinces are still being collected. The Electoral Authority has also published the final list of more than 1,600 validated legislative candidates retained for 140 electoral districts, according to the UN mission. The referendum and elections are taking to stabilize the impoverished country plagued by more than two years of fighting between the mainly Muslim Seleka and mainly Christian anti-Balaka groups. MINUSCA, set up in April 2014 to help restore stability peace after a breakdown of governmental authority, currently maintains nearly 11,000 uniformed personnel in the country. Syria: UN chief meets with international partners on resolving crisis Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 18 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, Syria: UN chief meets with international partners on resolving crisis, 18 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d1bf740d.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 18 December 2015 - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today joined diplomats from the International Syria Support Group meeting in New York to discuss a solution to the country's five-year war, and he is expected to brief the Security Council later today on the latest developments. According to the Secretary-General's spokesperson, Mr. Ban, accompanied by his Special Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, took part in the meeting outside UN Headquarters of the International Support Group, comprised of the Arab League, the European Union, the United Nations, and 17 countries. The Security Council is expected to meet at the Ministerial level later today on Syria and the UN chief is expected to brief. After the Support's Group's 14 December meeting in Vienna, the participants, among other things, expressed a unanimous sense of urgency to end the suffering of the Syrian people, the physical destruction of Syria, the destabilization of the region, and the resulting increase in terrorists drawn to the fighting in Syria. "The [group] acknowledged the close linkage between a ceasefire and a parallel political process pursuant to the 2012 Geneva Communique, and that both initiatives should move ahead expeditiously," the statement noted, highlighting that the members also stated their commitment to ensure a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition. Liberia: UN report calls for ending sometimes deadly cultural practices that violate human rights Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 18 December 2015 Related Document(s) An Assessment of Human Rights Issues Emanating from Traditional Practices in Liberia Cite as UN News Service, Liberia: UN report calls for ending sometimes deadly cultural practices that violate human rights, 18 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d1c5440d.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 18 December 2015 - Senior United Nations officials today called on Liberia to root out sometimes deadly human rights violations masquerading as cultural practices, citing female genital mutilation, forced initiation into secret societies, witchcraft accusations, trials by ordeal and ritualistic killings. Liberia's human rights obligations must take precedence over any local practices considered to be 'cultural' or 'traditional' where such practices are incompatible with human rights principles, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said as his Office and the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) released a report on the issue. The study, based on in-depth interviews with victims, family members, community leaders, Government officials and civil society between January 2012 and September 2015, shows that violations disproportionately affect women, children, elderly people, the destitute and those with disabilities, with criminal offenses going unpunished due to their perceived cultural dimensions. Some 58 per cent of Liberian women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM) generally without anaesthesia a practice widely used by a secret society called Sande and affecting poor households twice as much as wealthy ones. In addition to the extreme painthe lack of medically sterilized equipment and facilities increases the likelihood of infection and lasting physical damage, and may even lead to death, the report stressed. It also documents abductions, forced initiations, torture and rape by members of another secret society called Poro. Non-members considered to have transgressed its rules, for instance by 'trespassing' on its sacred ground or remaining outdoors during Poro activities, have also at times been forcefully initiated, tortured and, in two documented cases, gang-raped. Accusations of witchcraft are common in Liberia, and often have devastating consequences for the accused, who may be subjected to trial by ordeal, 'cleansing' or 'exorcism' rituals, expulsion, ostracization, and even death, the study reported, also citing many cases of trial by ordeal that amounted to physical and psychological torture, and in some cases even led to death. The authorities often hesitate to investigate or prosecute cases involving trial by ordeal, due to the perceived cultural dimensions of the practice, it noted. This has generated widespread culture of impunity among traditional actors. The report documents nine cases of suspected ritualistic killings, including three last August and September, in one of which a motorcycle driver in Ganta was killed, allegedly for ritualistic purposes. This sparked riots during which a man accused of this alleged ritual murder was killed by an angry mob. These events illustrate the lack of faith many Liberians have in the capacity and willingness of local authorities to take action in cases of ritualistic killing, and of the formal justice system to hold perpetrators accountable, it said. This situation raises serious concerns in view of the 2017 national elections when the number of ritualistic killings is likely to increase. Mr. Zeid called on State authorities to act to prevent these violations, ensure the prosecution of alleged perpetrators, and provide victims with all necessary medical and psychosocial support and access to redress. While the report takes note of the progress made by the Government in combatting such practices, the recent incident in Ganta shows the urgent need to strengthen the formal justice system, UNMIL chief Farid Zarif said. If Liberia wants to make a good and positive use of its rich and abundant culture and traditions, it has to align some of these practices with its international human rights obligations, he underscored. Help 'can't come soon enough' for thousands of children out of school in northern Mali UNICEF Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 18 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, Help 'can't come soon enough' for thousands of children out of school in northern Mali UNICEF, 18 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d1d87316.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 18 December 2015 - Despite the immense needs in conflict-affected areas of northern Mali, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is hampered by constrained access and limited funding, and is thus calling for action now to help the more than 380,000 children who remain out of school in the region. According to the agency, these children aged seven to 15 remain out of school in insecure regions in northern Mali three months into the new school year and almost four years since the security situation worsened in that part of the country. Children in northern Mali know too well the impact of conflict, poverty and deprivation, said Fran Equiza, UNICEF Representative in Mali. Education is their best hope for the future, he added. More than 280 schools, or one in six, in the conflict-affected areas in northern Mali are closed, many of them for the third year in a row, after they were damaged, destroyed, looted or occupied by the warring parties, said UNICEF. In Kidal, one of the worst hit areas, the agency noted that 79 per cent of schools remain closed. The journey to and from school remains unsafe, and fear of unexploded mines and other remnants of war have forced parents to keep their children away from the classrooms. Violence has also led to a shortage of teachers, and according to UNICEF, nearly 600 teachers have fled the conflict areas or are no longer reporting to work because of insecurity. In light of all this, UNICEF is helping to give children back their right to education. Through a two-year campaign called 'Every Child Counts,' the agency provides: training opportunities and learning materials for 2,000 teachers; individual kits for students and school kits to reach 100,000 children; peacebuilding activities for 100,000 children; and 10,000 booklets promoting peace and non-discrimination for students and their communities. The campaign will also provide alternative and accelerated learning programmes, including lessons via radio, for out-of-school children. Further, schools will be rehabilitated and children will be educated about the danger of unexploded ordnance. Despite the immense needs, UNICEF's programmes in the country are hindered by constrained access and limited funding. The UN children's agency has received less than a third of the $37 million it needs for its education, protection, health, nutrition and water, sanitation and hygiene initiatives. The dream of building a better future for Mali's children depends on action now, Mr. Equiza said, stressing that: Better humanitarian access and more resources can't come soon enough for those who have been deprived for so long. Education is their best hope for the future. UN and Middle East partners condemn 'all acts of terror,' reiterate need to de-escalate tensions in region Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 17 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, UN and Middle East partners condemn 'all acts of terror,' reiterate need to de-escalate tensions in region, 17 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d1dc540b.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 17 December 2015 - After two days of meetings in Jerusalem and Ramallah with Israeli and Palestinian officials, the United Nations and its partners in the diplomatic Quartet on the Middle East peace process strongly condemned today all acts of terror and stressed the importance of opposing unequivocally incitement and violence and de-escalate the situation. According to a statement issued from Jerusalem, the Envoys of the Middle East Quartet - from the European Union, , the United States and the United Nations - met with their Israeli counterparts on 16 and 17 December. Over the two days, the statement explains, the Quartet Envoys met with officials from the Israeli Prime Minister's Office and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and officials from the Palestine Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority to discuss current conditions on the ground and concrete actions to demonstrate their commitment to the two-state solution. "The Quartet Envoys reiterated the need for significant steps on the ground, in line with previous agreements, which will strengthen Palestinian institutions, security and economic prospects, while respecting Israel's legitimate security concerns," said the statement, adding that the Envoys will review the results of their recent engagement with the parties and with regional States, and report to their Principals with recommendations on next steps. Security Council moves to cut off all funding sources for ISIL and other terrorist groups Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 17 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, Security Council moves to cut off all funding sources for ISIL and other terrorist groups, 17 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d1df140b.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 17 December 2015 - At its first ever meeting at Finance Ministers' level, the United Nations Security Council today stepped up its efforts to cut off all sources of funding for the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq (ISIL) and other terrorist groups, including ransom payments, no matter by whom. In a unanimously adopted resolution at a session presided over by Treasury Secretary Jack Lew of the United States, which holds its monthly presidency, the 15-member body called for enhanced actions, from closing financial system loopholes to stopping the abuse of charitable causes, as well as updating the existing ISIL and Al-Qaida Sanctions List. It stressed that already existing resolutions mandating States to ensure that financial assets are not transferred to terrorists by persons within their territory "shall also apply to the payment of ransoms to individuals, groups, undertakings or entities on the ISIL [Da'esh] and Al-Qaida Sanctions List regardless of how or by whom the ransom is paid." The resolution called for increased international cooperation in sharing information and closer collaboration with the private sector to identify suspect transactions. The Council also called on Member States to promote enhanced vigilance by persons within their jurisdiction to detect any diversion of explosives and raw materials and components that can be used to manufacture improvised explosive devices or unconventional weapons, including chemical components, detonators, detonating cord, or poisons. "They (the terrorists) are agile and have been far too successful in attaining resources for their heinous acts," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the Council at the start of the debate. "As Da'esh (another name for ISIL) and other terrorist groups disseminate their hateful propaganda and ratchet up murderous attacks, we must join forces to prevent them from acquiring and deploying resources to do further harm," he stressed. "We know the challenge before us. Terrorists take advantage of weaknesses in financial and regulatory regimes to raise funds. They circumvent formal channels to avoid detection, and exploit new technologies and tools to transfer resources. They have forged destructive and very profitable links with drug and criminal syndicates - among others. And they abuse charitable causes to trick individuals to contribute," said the UN chief. He noted that progress has been made over the years in identifying and limiting various methods of terrorist financing, with Member States ratifying the International Convention on the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism and adopting legislation to criminalize terrorist financing and strengthen regulatory systems. "Still, more needs to be done," Mr. Ban stated. "Terrorists continue to adapt their tactics and diversify their funding sources. Today, Da'esh runs a multi-million dollar economy in territories under its control. Da'esh terrorists raise money through the oil trade, extortion, undetected cash couriers, kidnapping for ransom, trafficking of humans and arms and racketeering," he said. "They loot and sell precious cultural property, shamelessly profiting from the destruction of humanity's common heritage. Social media outreach is exploited by Da'esh, not just for radicalization and recruiting, but also for fundraising. Other terrorist organizations around the world - from Boko Haram to Al-Shabaab to the Taliban - are following suit." With terrorists increasingly employing elusive tricks to raise and transfer funds, covering their tracks and leaving little evidence to identify tainted resources, the international community must stay ahead of the curve to combat their ploys, he said, noting that many States have yet to set up the necessary legal regimes and institutions to identify and freeze terrorist assets. Mr. Ban called for increased international cooperation in sharing information and expertise, especially in stopping the illegal trade of cultural artefacts, and closer cooperation with the private and charitable sectors to identify suspected transactions. With parties 'deeply divided over path to peace,' Yemen faces Balkanization, Security Council warned Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 22 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, With parties 'deeply divided over path to peace,' Yemen faces Balkanization, Security Council warned, 22 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d1f0140c.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 22 December 2015 - The Security Council must act now to end the fighting in Yemen or face the irreversible Balkanization of the country, creating safe havens for terrorists and potentially shattering regional stability, the United Nations human rights chief warned today. "I urgently call on the Council to expedite and intensify diplomatic efforts to bring about a ceasefire and help create a framework for negotiating a comprehensive and sustainable peace," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein told the 15-member body, stressing that life has become untenable for the vast majority of Yemenis, with at least 21 million people, 80 per cent of the population, reliant on some measure of humanitarian aid. "Failure to act decisively does not only spell misery for the millions of vulnerable people in Yemen today. It would inevitably push the country into an irreversible process of Balkanization, the consequences of which would lie outside of anyone's control. "The potential ramifications of a failed state in Yemen would almost inevitably create safe havens for radical and confessional groups such as the so-called ISIS (or ISIL, Islamic State in Syria and the Levant). This, in turn, could expand the conflict beyond Yemen's borders, potentially shattering regional stability." Mr. Zeid said he was encouraged by recent UN-brokered peace talks in Switzerland, but these were adjourned on Sunday for a month in the face of numerous ceasefire violations to allow for bi-lateral in-country and regional consultations to achieve a proper cessation of hostilities. Meanwhile, intensified fighting has resulted in a dramatic increase in civilian casualties, with over 600 children killed and more than 900 seriously injured, a five-fold rise over 2014. More than 2,700 civilians have been killed and over 5,300 injured since the start of the conflict. "I have observed with extreme concern the continuation of heavy shelling from the ground and the air in areas with high a concentration of civilians as well as the perpetuation of the destruction of civilian infrastructure - in particular hospitals and schools - by all parties to the conflict, although a disproportionate amount appeared to be the result of airstrikes carried out by Coalition Forces," Mr. Zeid said. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, who facilitated the talks in Switzerland, told the Council that although the meetings did not end the fighting "as we all had hoped," they did see constructive talks between the Government and its opponents, providing a solid foundation for a resumption in the near future. "The talks came during a very bleak period for Yemen and amidst a worsening security situation," he said, citing hundreds of civilian deaths, the catastrophic state of Yemen's health care system, cross-border attacks in the north with heavy weaponry, air and artillery attacks on the central city of Taiz, and a security vacuum leading to a dangerous expansion of extremist groups, particularly in the south where Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula has consolidated its presence. But he noted that the sides agreed to set up a Coordination and De-escalation Committee of military advisors from the two delegations and UN experts to minimize ceasefire violations, and that this work will continue over the coming months, commending the progress made so far. "The talks revealed deep divisions between the two sides on the path to peace and the shape of a future agreement. Trust between the parties remains weak," he declared. "The commitment of the delegations, especially the chairs, in the end proved stronger than these divisions. "By the end of the talks, the delegations have agreed to meet again next month using a common framework which will help them map out a clear and effective path to peace, towards a negotiated and inclusive political transition." In her briefing to the Council, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Kyung-wha Kang detailed the "appalling" conditions faced by Yemenis, with some 7.6 million requiring emergency food aid to survive, and at least two million malnourished, including 320,000 children suffering from severe malnutrition, a two-fold increase since March. At least 1.8 million children have had to drop out of classes, adding to the 1.6 million who were already out of school before the crisis began. Over 170 schools have been destroyed, and more than 600 damaged. At least 58 schools have been occupied by armed groups, nearly all of them in Taiz Governorate; another 238 are hosting people displaced by the violence. Some 14 million people lack adequate access to health-care assistance, and relentless airstrikes, shelling and violence continue to force families from their homes, with over 2.5 million internally displaced - an eight-fold increase since the start of the conflict. "Despite a challenging and dangerous environment, humanitarian organizations on the ground are responding with life-saving assistance," Ms. Kang declared. "Four million people have been provided access to emergency water and sanitation through water trucking and provision of fuel. "Since April, monthly food distributions have been steadily expanding, with 1.9 million people reached in November and 3 million people planned for December. By February, five million people should be receiving food assistance each month across the country," she added. "UN agencies and partners will continue to scale up our assistance to save lives. However, only a political settlement can end the immense suffering facing more than 20 million men, women and children in Yemen today." Security Council approves six-month extension of UN observer force in Golan Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 22 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, Security Council approves six-month extension of UN observer force in Golan, 22 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d1f3540d.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 22 December 2015 - The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) for six months, until 30 June 2016, underscoring the need for the Force to have at its disposal all necessary means to carry out its mandate safely and securely, "including technology and equipment to enhance its observation of the area of separation and the ceasefire line, and to improve force protection, as appropriate. Unanimously adopting a new resolution to continue the Observer Force's mandate in the Golan, the 15-member body stressed the obligation of Israel and Syria to abide by the terms of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement, calling on both to scrupulously observe the ceasefire and encouraging both parties to take advantage of UNDOF's liaison function to address issues of mutual concern. By the terms of the text, the Council strongly condemned the continued fighting in the area of separation, including the use of heavy weapons by both the Syrian Armed Forces and armed groups in the ongoing Syrian conflict, including the use of tanks by the Syrian Armed Forces and opposition during clashes. Also strongly condemning the incidents threatening the safety and security of UN personnel in recent months, the Council reaffirmed its readiness to consider listing individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities providing support to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) or to the Al-Nusra Front, including those participating in or otherwise supporting attacks against United Nations peacekeepers. UNDOF was established by the Security Council to monitor the ceasefire between Syria and Israel after their 1973 war. Since then, the Observer Force has remained in the area to maintain the ceasefire and to supervise the implementation of the disengagement agreement. Libya's dire humanitarian situation requires funding 'on time and in volume,' warns senior UN relief official Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 22 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, Libya's dire humanitarian situation requires funding 'on time and in volume,' warns senior UN relief official, 22 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d1f5640d.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 22 December 2015 - World Food Programme (WFP) trucks have begun distributing 1,300 tons of food to Libyans in dire need of assistance, but with nine days left in the year, the United Nations aid plan for more than 2.4 million people for 2016 has received zero funding, the top UN humanitarian official in the strife-torn country said today. "We are worried about the dire humanitarian situation in Libya, if adequate funding is not allocated to respond to those in need, said the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya, Ali Al-Za'tari. "So far our Humanitarian Response Plan for 2016 is zero-funded," he added. "It is not an acceptable situation," Mr. Al-Za'tari said, stressing that the Libyan Government and the international community need to recognize the enormity of the county's humanitarian crisis if funding is not received on time and in volume. "The recently launched Libya Humanitarian Response Plan identified 2.44 million people in need of protection and some form of humanitarian assistance - including 435,000 internally displaced persons - those are acute basic needs in the health, food, protection, shelter and water and sanitation sectors. Of the 2.44 million, 1.3 million Libyans are food insecure," he explained. Mr. Al-Za'tari also reported that the distribution, by WFP and the agency's implementing partner on the ground, Shaik Tahir Azzawy Charity Organization, of approximately 1,300 tons of food items to Libyan communities had begun and that nearly 5,000 families displaced by the conflict will be reached in the coming weeks. The UN World Food Programme requires $47.7 million to be able to reach the most affected in 2016, estimated at some 210,000 persons. Ban, concerned over political uncertainty in Haiti, urges transfer of power through polls Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 22 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, Ban, concerned over political uncertainty in Haiti, urges transfer of power through polls, 22 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d1f8440d.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 22 December 2015 - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his concern today over growing political uncertainty in Haiti and urged the two candidates in the presidential run-off there to help the electoral process move forward while preserving the country's democratic gains. "The Secretary-General is concerned over the growing political uncertainty in Haiti, following the publication of the results of the 25 October elections," which included the first round of presidential polls, read a statement issued through his spokesperson. While taking note of the efforts by all stakeholders, including the establishment of an electoral evaluation commission on 16 December to address the concerns of opposition parties and ensure the successful and timely conclusion of the presidential elections, Mr. Ban in his statement stressed "the responsibility of all political actors to discourage violence and encourage a spirit of unity throughout the country." According to the statement, the UN chief "calls for the urgent intensification of dialogue to ensure the transfer of power through elections, within the constitutional timeframe, maintain stability and preserve the country's democratic gains." "The Secretary-General urges the two candidates in the presidential run-off to engage in good faith with the relevant institutions to identify and implement measures to help the process move forward," the statement said. According to press reports, the run-off had been set for 27 December between Jovenel Moise from the governing party and former government executive Jude Celestin, but the election has been postponed until further notice. In his statement, Mr. Ban reaffirmed the commitment of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and the entire UN system to continue supporting the Haitian people in the fulfilment of their democratic aspirations. In a statement to the press, the members of the UN Security Council trusted that, with the support of the international community, the Haitian people will build upon the first two rounds of Haitian elections and be able to bring the electoral process to a successful conclusion in the upcoming final round. "The members of the Security Council expressed their strong commitment to supporting free and fair elections and called on all political forces to work through the electoral process to ensure that the will of the people is reflected in the outcome of the election," the statement added. Council members also called on all candidates, political parties, and political actors to publicly commit to the electoral process and timely government formation in accordance with the constitutional timeframe, including the inauguration of a new president by 7 February 2016. Syria: Security Council demands immediate humanitarian access across battle lines Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 22 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, Syria: Security Council demands immediate humanitarian access across battle lines, 22 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d1fae40b.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 22 December 2015 - In its first resolution on Syria since granting the United Nations an enhanced role in seeking to end the five-year-long war, the Security Council today demanded that all parties, particularly the Syrian authorities, immediately open routes across conflict lines and borders to let in vital humanitarian aid. In a unanimous resolution voicing grave concern at the lack of compliance with several previous Council demands for such access, the 15-member body expressed "outrage" at the escalating violence and killing of over 250,000 people, including tens of thousands of children, and renewed for a further 12 months its authorization of the demand for humanitarian access. It requested "the Syrian authorities to expeditiously respond to all requests for cross-line deliveries submitted by the United Nations and their implementing partners, and to give such requests positive consideration," and voiced grave concern that Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Al-Nusra Front (ANF) and groups linked to Al-Qaida are also hindering access. It cited a decline in convoy approvals by the Syrian authorities, noting that as of 31 October, only 27 out of 91 UN inter-agency requests in 2015 had been approved in principle, and that between 2013 and 2015, the percentage of convoys approved in principle declined from 65 per cent to 29 per cent. Today's resolution follows the Council's authorization on Friday for the UN to play an enhanced role in shepherding the opposing sides to talks for a political transition, endorsing a timetable for a ceasefire, a new constitution and elections, all under UN auspices. The Council said it was "gravely distressed" by the devastating humanitarian situation in Syria, with urgent humanitarian aid, including medical assistance, now required by over 13.5 million people inside the country, 6.5 million of them internally displaced, 4.5 million living in hard-to-reach areas, including Palestinian refugees, and 393,700 trapped in besieged areas. It voiced grave concern at the failure to implement its previous calls to cease all attacks against civilians and civilian objects, including schools, medical facilities and water supply, the indiscriminate use of weapons, including artillery, barrel bombs and airstrikes, indiscriminate shelling by mortars, car bombs, suicide attacks and tunnel bombs, and the use of starvation as a means of combat. It condemned "the widespread use of torture, ill-treatment, arbitrary executions, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, sexual and gender-based violence, as well as all grave violations and abuses committed against children." In the areas of Syria under ISIL and ANF control it denounced the "violent extremist ideology and actions" for the "devastating humanitarian impact" on civilians, leading to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, and it called on all States to prevent the flow of foreign terrorists into the country. Despite all the challenges, the Council noted that over the past year, the UN and its implementing partners continue to deliver lifesaving aid to millions of people in need across borders, including food for over 2.4 million people, non-food items for 1.6 million, medical supplies for 4.1 million treatments, and water and sanitation supplies for over 1.3 million people. But it stressed that the number of people aided in hard-to-reach and besieged areas declining, voicing "grave alarm at the dire situation of the 393,700" trapped civilians, with the UN this year only able to reach 3.5 per cent them with health care, and only 0.7 per cent with food per month. It also expressed "grave concern" for the more than 4.2 million refugees, including more than 3.2 million women and children, who have fled Syria, noting that the worsening crisis is further contributing to the movement of refugees and endangering regional stability. It reiterated "its deep appreciation for the significant and admirable efforts" by Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt, to accommodate Syrian refugees. But noted "with concern" that the international response continues to fall short of meeting the needs as assessed by host governments and the UN, "urging once again all Member States, based on burden-sharing principles" to adopt medium and long-term responses to alleviate the impact on communities, provide increased and predictable funding and increase resettlement efforts. Nigeria's Boko Haram insurgency forces one million children from school UNICEF Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 22 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, Nigeria's Boko Haram insurgency forces one million children from school UNICEF, 22 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d201940d.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 22 December 2015 - Violence and attacks against civilian populations in northeastern Nigeria and its neighbouring countries have forced a staggering one million children out of school in a conflict that has dealt a huge blow for education in the region, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported today. Across Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger, over 2,000 schools remain closed due to the conflict some of them for more than a year and hundreds have been attacked, looted or set on fire, UNICEF said. In far north Cameroon, only one out of the 135 schools closed in 2014 has re-opened this year. UNICEF also reported that the number of children missing out on their education due to the conflict adds to the estimated 11 million children of primary school age who were already out of school in the four countries before the onset of the crisis. It's a staggering number, said Manuel Fontaine, UNICEF's West and Central Africa Regional Director. The conflict has been a huge blow for education in the region, and violence has kept many children out of the classroom for more than a year, putting them at risk of dropping out of school altogether, added Mr. Fontaine. In addition, Nigeria alone, approximately 600 teachers have been killed since the start of the Boko Haram insurgency. UNICEF said it has supported 170,000 children back into education in the safer areas of the three states most in Nigeria affected by the conflict, where the majority of schools have been able to re-open. The challenge we face is to keep children safe without interrupting their schooling, said Mr. Fontaine. Schools have been targets of attack, so children are scared to go back to the classroom; yet the longer they stay out of school, the greater the risks of being abused, abducted and recruited by armed groups, he explained. So far, UNICEF has received 44 per cent of the funding required in 2015 to respond to the humanitarian needs of children in Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad. And in 2016, UNICEF will need nearly $23 million to provide access to education for children affected by conflicts in the four countries, most of whom live around the Lake Chad region. Syria: senior UN officials paint grim picture as Government, allies reportedly attack hospitals Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 21 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, Syria: senior UN officials paint grim picture as Government, allies reportedly attack hospitals, 21 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d208b145.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 21 December 2015 - Hospitals, markets and bakeries have been hit, scores of civilians are killed and injured almost daily, and doctors themselves have become targets in escalating fighting and airstrikes in Syria, reportedly by the Government and its allies, a senior United Nations relief official reported today, voicing outrage. In the first briefing to the Security Council since the 15-member body on Friday gave the UN an enhanced role in shepherding the opposing sides to talks for a political transition, endorsing a timetable for a ceasefire, a new constitution and elections, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Kyung-wha Kang described a litany of the ongoing attacks against civilians. Also briefing was the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, who said the rate at which Syrians were fleeing the country "shows how unbearable things have become." "This loss of innocent lives and wanton indiscriminate destruction of populated areas is an outrage, and those responsible must be held accountable," said Ms. Kang, referring specifically to Idlib in the north of the country, where six airstrikes hit a busy market place, several public buildings and residential areas yesterday, killing 43 people. The escalation of attacks in the north of the country, reportedly by Syrian and allied forces, is such that doctors working to save injured civilians "fear that the Red Cross and Red Crescent emblems are no longer the shield of protection that they must be," she added. "Since the start of this crisis (nearly five years ago), Physicians for Human Rights have documented 336 attacks on at least 240 medical facilities and the death of 697 medical personnel. These attacks are flagrant violations of international humanitarian law and an affront to the core of our shared humanity that must be guarded - caring for the wounded and the sick," she said. "I plead with the parties to the conflict to ensure the protection of health facilities, workers and patients under international humanitarian law. Similarly the removal of surgical supplies and trauma kits from convoys by the Syrian Government must end," she underscored. She reiterated the call Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon made after the Council adopted its resolution on Friday that the International Syria Support Group, comprised of the Arab League, the European Union, the United Nations, and 17 countries, including the United States and Russia, should apply the necessary pressure on the parties to immediately stop indiscriminately using weapons against civilians, including barrel bombs. "For nearly five years, we have watched as Syria sank deeper and deeper into violence and brutality. And yet, no words can do justice to the despair and devastation that millions of Syrians experience every day," Ms. Kang said, recalling UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O'Brien's visit to the country earlier this month. During his mission, he visited the Al-Waer neighbourhood of Homs city where a ceasefire has allowed the humanitarian community to deliver aid to all 60,000 people there for the first time in 11 months. "We are encouraged by this but reiterate that humanitarian access should be unhindered and sustained at all times, and not be made conditional on negotiated agreements," Ms. Kang said, stressing that 4.5 million people live in hard-to-reach areas, nearly 400,000 of them besieged. From September to November due to access restrictions and insecurity, the UN and its partners accessed only 32 per cent of the hard-to-reach locations, only around one per cent of the besieged population received food aid, and less than one per cent health care. "This is simply unacceptable. We once again call upon the Syrian authorities to approve the 47 pending inter-agency convoy requests and allow convoys previously agreed in principle to proceed," Ms. Kang said. "I also call on non-State armed groups, as well as listed terrorist groups, to allow the deliveries they are preventing from proceeding." She noted that despite extremely challenging circumstances, humanitarian partners continue to reach millions of people every month with life-saving assistance, but much more is needed, with the Humanitarian Response Plan for 2016 seeking nearly $3.2 billion to provide life-saving aid to the 13.5 million people in need inside the country. Some four million others have fled to refugee camps in neighbouring countries or to Europe. "As 2015 draws to an end, the response inside the country is only 42 per cent funded," she stressed. "I call on all partners to contribute generously towards these plans in preparation for the upcoming conference, 'Supporting Syria and the Region, London 2016.' Only with your help can we assist those in need inside Syria and in the neighbouring countries." In his remarks, Mr. Guterres said that nearly one million people have arrived by boat in Europe this year, more than 50 per cent of them Syrians. His Office, (UNHCR) just published a survey of over 1,200 of them, and the findings confirmed something the agency has long suspected: Syria is experiencing a massive brain drain. "Some 86 per cent of those we interviewed have a secondary education. Almost half have gone to university. One can only imagine the disastrous consequences of such an exodus on the future post-conflict reconstruction of Syria," he said, adding that the fact that two-thirds of the Syrians interviewed in Greece by UNHCR had left the country in 2015 - with 37 per cent coming directly from Syria after just a few days in transit - shows how unbearable things have become. "That is why it is so urgent to achieve the ceasefire foreseen in the Vienna talks and in the recent Security Council resolution," he said, also calling for more international support to refugees and to their hosts, and humanitarian assistance has to match the level of the needs. Massive investments are required in support of Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey to prevent refugees from slipping further into destitution and to help governments cope with the increased pressure on health and education, water, electricity and other public infrastructure. "We need a 'New Deal' between the international community - Europe in particular - and Syria's neighbours. It is clear that without education for their children, access to the labour market and protection against poverty, more and more Syrians will see themselves left with only one option - moving on," Mr. Guterres emphasized. Telling the Council that he strongly supports the idea of a massive programme for resettlement and other forms of admission to European countries and further afield, one that is large enough to help put an end to the tragedies of the Aegean Sea and the chaotic movement through the Balkans, he warned that " if things continue as they are right now, I fear not only for the lives of refugees, but for the future of European asylum, as restrictive measures are already spreading all around, like a virus that also risks contaminating other parts of the world." Lebanon: Ban condemns rocket fire towards Israel as 'serious ceasefire violation,' urges restraint Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 21 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, Lebanon: Ban condemns rocket fire towards Israel as 'serious ceasefire violation,' urges restraint, 21 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d20f040b.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 21 December 2015 - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced great concern today over yesterday's firing of rockets from South Lebanon towards Israel, calling it "a serious violation" of the ceasefire, noted Israel's retaliatory mortar attack, and urged maximum restraint. Three rockets were fired from southern Lebanon towards Israel and Israel retaliated with some eight rounds of 120mm mortar, but no casualties were reported from either side, according to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). "The Secretary-General is greatly concerned over yesterday's firing of rockets within UNIFIL's area of operations from the area of Al-Hinniyah, in the vicinity of Tyr, towards Israel, which is a serious violation of resolution 1701 (2006)," said a statement from Mr. Ban's spokesperson, referring to the Security Council measure that established a ceasefire after fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006. "The Secretary-General notes the retaliatory mortar attacks by the Israel Defence Forces in Lebanon in the area of Zibqin. UNIFIL is investigating the circumstances of the incident in cooperation with the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Israel Defence Forces," the statement said. "The Secretary-General condemns any and all violations of resolution 1701 (2006) and urges all concerned to exercise maximum restraint and cooperate with UNIFIL in order to prevent an escalation," it added, reaffirming the UN's commitment to work with the parties to ensure that the calm that has prevailed in southern Lebanon continues to be sustained. "The parties must fully adhere to resolution 1701 (2006) and respect the cessation of hostilities," it stressing. UNIFIL currently has nearly 10,500 personnel deployed in the area. Despite progress, Afghanistan faces major economic, security and political challenges in 2016 UN envoy Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 21 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, Despite progress, Afghanistan faces major economic, security and political challenges in 2016 UN envoy, 21 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d211340c.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 21 December 2015 - At the end of the first year of its transformation decade, the Afghan National Unity Government is struggling to project national unity, security has deteriorated as it grapples with intensified fighting with much less international support, and the economy remains a matter of concern, the top United Nations official in the country warned today. "In 2016, it is vital that the National Unity Government demonstrates increasingly its effectiveness, not only to the Afghan people but also donors, on whom it is largely dependent for financial, material and technical assistance," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative for Afghanistan Nicholas Haysom told the Security Council. He stressed that many Afghans are anxious about the future, with some feeling they have no choice other than to leave the country in search of security and economic opportunity elsewhere. "Civilians, as ever, continue to bear the brunt of the conflict, as casualties rise at an ever increasing pace and more people have been displaced from their homes by the conflict," he said, stressing that with the fiscal gap between revenue raised and spent, poverty is no less prevalent, economic contraction has led to high unemployment, and corruption has yet to be overcome," he said. While challenges of such a scale and complexity would test any Government, however, there has been progress on reforming the civil service and electoral sector, economic growth though low is projected to increase in the next years, and Afghan security forces (ANSF) have shown resilience in the face of an intensified insurgency, he noted. Hungary urged to halt campaign portraying refugees and migrants as 'invaders' UN agency and partners Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 21 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, Hungary urged to halt campaign portraying refugees and migrants as 'invaders' UN agency and partners, 21 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d214140b.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 21 December 2015 - The United Nations refugee agency, together with two European partners, urged Hungary today to refrain from policies and practices that promote intolerance, fear and fuel xenophobia against refugees and migrants, including a campaign running through Christmas and into the New Year. The organizations - The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Council of Europe and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights - "have joined voices to call on the Hungarian leadership to adopt the true spirit of humanity in helping those who have been forced out of their countries against their own will and choice and are currently seeking safety in Europe," according to a joint press release. According to the UNHCR, the Hungarian Government launched a new public campaign in December portraying those fleeing war and conflict as criminals, invaders and terrorists based on their religious beliefs and places of origin. "Not the first of its kind in the country, this campaign also targets migrants and plans to run for two months through Christmas and into the New Year in 2016," it said. "The Organizations are collectively stressing the need for the Hungarian Government to acknowledge that refugees are coming to Europe, after having endured trauma, tragedy and loss while searching for hope and dignity to start a new life far from the upheavals of war and conflict," the joint release said. "As part of the common European system, Hungary is looked upon to contribute to the joint efforts in dealing with the continent's largest refugee crisis since the World War II and to meet its international legal commitments in this area under both International law and the European Convention on Human Rights," it said. Syrian journalist's murder denounced by UNESCO chief Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 21 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, Syrian journalist's murder denounced by UNESCO chief, 21 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d216e40d.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 21 December 2015 - The United Nations agency responsible for defending the freedom of the media today denounced the murder of a Syrian journalist from an organization reporting on human rights abuses in the area of the country controlled by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). It is an unacceptable tragedy for society as a whole when those who contribute to public debate and to the free flow of information are made to pay with their lives for doing their important work, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director-General Irina Bokova said of last week's killing of Ahmad Mohamed al-Mousa in Idlib, northwest Syria. Mr. al-Mousa, who was murdered by unidentified masked men, was a reporter for the citizen journalist collective Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS), which focuses on human rights violations in the region. His murder follows that of RBSS co-founder and Executive Director Ibrahim Abdel Qader who was killed along with Fares Hammadi, Head of Production at Eye on the Homeland, a Syrian media collective, in Sanliurfa, southeast Turkey, last month also denounced by Ms. Bokova. UNESCO issues statements on the killing of media workers in line with Resolution 29 adopted by UNESCO Member States at the Organization's General Conference of 1997, entitled Condemnation of Violence against Journalists. Yemen: UN envoy adjourns peace talks till January pending enforcement of a proper ceasefire Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 20 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, Yemen: UN envoy adjourns peace talks till January pending enforcement of a proper ceasefire, 20 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d21c840d.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 20 December 2015 - In the face of numerous violations of the cessation of hostilities in Yemen, the Special United Nations Envoy today decided to adjourn peace talks in Switzerland for a month to allow for bi-lateral in-country and regional consultations to achieve a ceasefire. Given the centrality of the cessation of hostilities to the success of talks, the Special Envoy has elected to adjourn the talks until the middle of January 2016, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in a communique. In order to ensure adherence to the cessation of hostilities and enable sustainability, the Special Envoy judges that additional bilateral consultations will be required in Yemen and in the region in the coming weeks. The Special Envoy shall continue to work with the parties to identify and implement confidence-building measures that will help build respect for a durable ceasefire and peace process. The conflict between the factions has worsened Yemen's already poor food situation, adding over 3 million people to the ranks of the hungry in less than a year, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has reported, with 7.6 million people severely food insecure a level that requires urgent, external, food aid. Last week, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners today appealed for $31 million to ensure the continuity of medical services for nearly 15 million Yemenis following the collapse of the country's health system. In his communique, Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed cited the parties' constructive engagement in the UN-facilitated talks, but said progress was affected by numerous violations of the cessation of hostilities. Despite this, the parties made serious progress through identifying a framework for negotiations towards a comprehensive settlement, in addition to defining a set of relevant confidence-building measures relating to prisoner release, improved social services and improving the flow of humanitarian aid to Taiz (central Yemen) and other Yemeni governorates, it said. He noted that the parties agreed to develop a package of confidence-building measures including a mechanism for the release of prisoners to include all detainees and prisoners once a permanent ceasefire is in place, to establish a Co-ordination and De-escalation Committee of military advisors from both sides, facilitated by the UN, and to lift all forms of blockade and allow safe and rapid access for humanitarian supplies. The participants also agreed to a negotiating framework for a comprehensive agreement to end the conflict and allow the resumption of inclusive political dialogue, to continue the work of the Coordination and De-escalation Committee and identify a suitable location for it in the region, to meet again for a second round of UN-facilitated talks, and to ensure a greater involvement of women in the talks. The Special Envoy wishes to commend the participants for the work so far undertaken and plans to convene the next round of these talks on 14 January 2016, the communique concluded. Syria: senior UN official calls for immediate end to use of sexual violence by all sides as weapon of war Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 19 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, Syria: senior UN official calls for immediate end to use of sexual violence by all sides as weapon of war, 19 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d220a40d.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 19 December 2015 - Welcoming the Security Council's unanimous adoption of a blueprint for peace in Syria, a senior United Nations official has called on all sides to immediately stop using sexual violence as a tactic in the fighting tearing the country apart. A political solution is the only way to bring an end to the horrific human rights violations taking place in Syria, including the systematic use of sexual violence, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Zainab Hawa Bangura, said in a statement. Even as hope springs for peace, I reiterate my calls to all parties to the conflict in Syria to immediately refrain from the use of sexual violence which has been used as a tactic of war, a tactic of terrorism, and an instrument of torture. Ms. Bangura issued the statement last night shortly after the Council gave the UN an enhanced role in shepherding the opposing sides to talks for a political transition early next month, with a timetable for a ceasefire, a new constitution and elections, all under UN auspices. Declaring it crucial for the UN and other actors such as the International Committee for the Red Cross to have regular access to detention centres run by the Syrian military and intelligence services where many women suffered sexual violence and torture, she called on President Bashar al-Assad and those services to grant such access as a signal of commitment to the peace process. She also voiced deep concern at the targeting of minorities for sexual violence, particularly by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and other extremist groups. This includes religious and ethnic minorities, as well as the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) individuals who have also been systematically persecuted, sexually tortured and killed, she added. These violations are an affront to our collective humanity and must cease immediately. The perpetrators must be held to account. Security Council hears briefing on Turkish troop deployment in northern Iraq Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 18 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, Security Council hears briefing on Turkish troop deployment in northern Iraq, 18 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d224a40b.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 18 December 2015 - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed the hope that the governments of Iraq and Turkey will exercise restraint, including in their public statements, and intensify their bilateral discussions to diffuse tensions after Turkish troop deployment in northern Iraq earlier this month to combat the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Security Council was told in a briefing this evening. The Secretary-General urges all Member States involved in the fight against ISIL in Iraq to do so in a manner that is consistent with the Charter of the United Nations and which respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman told the Council today after a briefing on the situation. He said that since the closed door briefing to the Security Council on 8 December 2015 by UN Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenea on the Turkish troop deployment in northern Iraq, Baghdad and Ankara have held high-level bilateral discussions on this issue. Mr. Feltman noted that on 10 December 2015, the Prime Minister of Iraq, Haider al-Abadi, met with a senior Turkish delegation, dispatched by the Prime Minister of Turkey, Ahmet Davutoglu. The delegation was headed by the Turkish Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Undersecretary of the National Intelligence Service. Prime Minister al-Abadi stated after the meeting that he had reiterated earlier statements on the matter and said that 'the only way to resolve the crisis is the full withdrawal of Turkish troops from Iraqi territory.' The delegation had, according to the Turkish Prime Minister, agreed 'to re-arrange the military personnel of the Turkish security force, the UN political chief said. Continuing, he noted that on 10 December, Turkish President Erdogan stated at a news conference that 'the number of [Turkish] soldiers might increase or decrease depending on the number of Peshmerga being trained.' And on the following day, 11 December, Prime Minister al-Abadi issued a statement that he had instructed the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs 'to submit a formal complaint...on the Turkish incursion' to the Security Council. Updating the Council on events that took place earlier in the week, Mr. Feltman said that on 14 December, Turkey publicly announced that some of its troops had recently entered Iraq had begun leaving the Bashiqa area as part of a re-arrangement. Further, he said that According to a 16 December statement from the Turkish General Staff, two Iraqis were killed and four Turkish troops were wounded when the training base in Bashiqa, in northern Iraq was targeted by rocket fire from positions under ISIL control. Telling the Council that the Secretary-General expresses the hope that the Governments of Iraq and Turkey will exercise restraint, including in their public statements, and intensify their bilateral discussion, Mr. Feltman also noted that in the current context, the UN Special Representative for Iraq, Jan Kubis, has been actively engaging the Government of Iraq and Turkish diplomatic representatives to discuss this situation. Yemen: UN-sponsored talks continue amid 'alarming' reports of ceasefire violations Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 18 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, Yemen: UN-sponsored talks continue amid 'alarming' reports of ceasefire violations, 18 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d228840d.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 18 December 2015 - As United Nations-sponsored consultations on Yemen continued today, the UN envoy facilitating the talks expressed deep concern at numerous reports of violations of the three-day-old ceasefire and urged the parties to respect that agreement and allow access to the country's most-affected districts. The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, held several sessions with the participants on the fourth day of the peace talks in Switzerland. The discussions focused mostly on security issues in Yemen, in light of the alarming developments on the ground. Deeply concerned at the numerous reports of violations of the cessation of hostilities, Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed urges all parties to respect this agreement and allow unhindered access for the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the most affected districts of Yemen. In his latest meeting with the heads of delegations, they all renewed their commitment for a ceasefire. A coordination and de-escalation committee was created to strengthen adherence to the cessation of hostilities. The bilateral and group consultations between the Special Envoy and the delegations will continue tomorrow to build on what was agreed upon in previous days and continue efforts to find an urgent political resolution to the crisis in Yemen. Syria: UN and partners aid evacuation of injured from four besieged towns Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 28 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, Syria: UN and partners aid evacuation of injured from four besieged towns, 28 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d22ec40b.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 28 December 2015 - More than 460 people, including the seriously injured and their family members, were evacuated from four towns under siege in Syria today with the help of the United Nations and its Red Cross and Red Crescent partners following a local agreement between the fighters on the ground. "The humanitarian community in Syria is keen to see the swift implementation of the next phases of the Four Towns Agreement, including humanitarian access to people in these towns," said the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, Yacoub El-Hillo. "We stand ready to continue providing relief and livelihoods assistance to the millions of people wherever they are in Syria as they bear the brunt of this crisis." The UN in Syria, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross carried out coordinated tasks leading to the evacuation of 338 people from Foua and Kafraya, and 125 people from Zabadani and Madaya. They were simultaneously evacuated by land and air through Turkey and Lebanon to the agreed final destinations where those requiring longer-term medical care will receive it. The Security Council last week demanded that all parties, particularly the Syrian authorities, immediately open routes across conflict lines and borders to let in vital humanitarian aid. For his part, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura stressed that the UN's clear goal is to reach as soon as possible a nationwide ceasefire. "Meanwhile, initiatives like this one bring relief to besieged or isolated communities and have great value," he said. "They help the perception that a nationwide ceasefire brokered by the members of the International Syria Support Group is doable and that the UN can and will do its part." Across Syria, 4.5 million people in hard-to-reach areas continue with limited access to basic life-saving aid and protection. Almost 400,000 of them live in besieged areas with little or no access to basic supplies or assistance. The UN and its partners continue to urge all parties to the conflict to find a political solution, and to ensure unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access. As parties meet in Uganda, UN official urges consensual solution to Burundian crisis Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 28 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, As parties meet in Uganda, UN official urges consensual solution to Burundian crisis, 28 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d233540c.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 28 December 2015 - A top United Nations official today called on all actors in Burundi to find a consensual solution to the crisis facing their country, which has been facing an upsurge in violence that has prompted fears of a relapse into the decades of civil war that killed tens of thousands of people. "Burundi has gone through difficult times before and has a long history of dialogues. There are lessons to be learned from these past experiences," Jamal Benomar, the Secretary-General's Special Adviser, said at talks convened in Uganda by President Yoweri Museveni, who is also mediator of the East African Community. "Burundians are the ones who will live with the consequences of the decisions they make. They have the prime responsibility for finding a way forward for the future of their country," Mr. Benomar added. "This must be a nationally-led and owned effort which we as the international community stand ready to support." Burundi has been in the midst of a political crisis since President Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run for a controversial third term earlier this year, since when at least 400 people have been killed, with the toll possibly considerably higher, and 220,000 have fled to neighbouring States with many others internally displaced. Just over a week ago, the UN Security Council, voicing deep concern at the escalation of violence in Burundi, called for urgent acceleration of mediation efforts by East African States and urged all Burundian stakeholders to fully cooperate with a proposed African Union peacekeeping mission. The Council stated that only a "genuine and inclusive" dialogue would best enable the Burundian stakeholders to find a consensual solution to the crisis, a point that Mr. Benomar reiterated today. He added that the UN has a wealth of experience in supporting national dialogue processes and is ready "to support you in any possible way," working in partnership with colleagues in the East African Community and the AU. "I sincerely hope today's event will mark the beginning of the path towards a peaceful, stable and prosperous Burundi." UN envoy sets 25 January as target date to begin intra-Syrian peace talks Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 26 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, UN envoy sets 25 January as target date to begin intra-Syrian peace talks, 26 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d240240d.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 26 December 2015 - The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria has set 25 January 2016 as the target date to begin talks between the parties aimed at ending the five-year-old conflict, his spokesperson announced today. The announcement, issued in Geneva, where the talks are also expected to take place, comes just over a week after the Security Council adopted resolution 2254, giving the world body an enhanced role in shepherding the opposing sides to talks for a political transition, with a timetable for a ceasefire, a new constitution and elections, all under UN auspices. In line with the clear parameters outlined in Security Council resolution 2254 (2015), the Special Envoy intends to complete his consultations in early January, with a view to initiating intra-Syrian talks on a target date of 25 January 2016 in Geneva, said a statement issued by the spokesperson for Staffan de Mistura. He counts on full cooperation of all the relevant Syrian parties in this process. Continuing developments on the ground should not be allowed to derail it. In its resolution, the 15-member Council called for a Syrian-led political process facilitated by the UN to establish within six months credible, inclusive and non-sectarian governance, setting a schedule for drafting a new constitution, with free and fair elections to be held within 18 months under UN supervision with all Syrians, including members of the diaspora, eligible to vote. Among its other provisions, the text acknowledged the close linkage between a ceasefire and a parallel political process, with the former to come into effect as soon as the sides have begun initial steps towards a political transition under UN auspices. The people of Syria have suffered enough, said today's statement. Their tragedy is now felt throughout the region and beyond. They deserve the full attention and commitment from all their Syrian representatives, who should now show leadership and vision to overcome differences for the sake of Syria. Central African Republic polls now scheduled for 30 December, UN reports Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 24 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, Central African Republic polls now scheduled for 30 December, UN reports, 24 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d243e40d.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 24 December 2015 - The presidential and legislative elections that had been scheduled to take place this Sunday in the Central African Republic (CAR) will now be held on 30 December 2015, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the country reported today. The new date for the polls was announced today by the national electoral authorities, who stated that more time was needed to address logistical issues and complete the training of electoral agents. "I would not characterize it as a setback," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in response to questions at a press conference in New York. "I think obviously, given the very delicate security situation going on in the country, it's important that the elections take place in the best possible way." "The peacekeeping mission will continue to assist with the distribution of ballots and it will of course support the national Central African forces, but this was a decision taken by the Central African electoral authorities themselves. It is their process. It is their elections to run, and we are there to support them." The elections, which follow the Constitutional referendum held last week, are taking to stabilize the impoverished country plagued by more than two years of fighting between the mainly Muslim Seleka and mainly Christian anti-Balaka groups. According to the UN peacekeeping mission (MINUSCA), all presidential and legislative electoral ballots arrived in the capital, Bangui, yesterday and the mission will proceed with a progressive delivery of the ballots to the provinces. Meanwhile, the Mission said that the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration process in the country continues. In Kaga Bandoro, 35 weapons and over 100 rounds of ammunition were voluntarily handed over by anti-Balaka and ex-Seleka. In Bambari, cash for work activities for 38 anti-Balaka fighters were launched. In Bouar, some 70 anti-Balaka handed over a number of weapons, marking the first time they have voluntarily handed over military equipment in that area. Syria: UN condemns archaeological destruction at major World Heritage site of Bosra Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 24 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, Syria: UN condemns archaeological destruction at major World Heritage site of Bosra, 24 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d245f40d.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 24 December 2015 - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today condemned the destruction of parts of the ancient Syrian city of Bosra in fighting two days ago, alerting the world art market to potential trafficking in artefacts from the World Heritage site. "The destructions sustained by Bosra represent a further escalation in the horror of war and must be stopped at once to allow the concerned parties to consolidate the agreement reached on the ground to preserve the irreplaceable heritage of Bosra," UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova said of the site containing Roman, Byzantine and Muslim ruins, including a magnificent 2nd century Roman theatre. Further deterioration is feared due to severe damage to the western courtyard adjacent to the theatre and to parts of the Ayyubid citadel surrounding it. The theatre, exceptional due to its architecture and state of conservation, was most probably built under Trajan, who ruled the Roman Empire from 98 C.E. to 177 C.E. Between 481 and 1251, it became part of the fortifications of a powerful citadel guarding the road to Damascus. "The protection of cultural sites is part and parcel of the protection of human lives as it is essential for the restoration of peace in Syria," Ms. Bokova said. "The Roman theatre of Bosra embodies the rich diversity of the identity of the people of Syria and I call on culture professionals worldwide, and particularly on the art market, to be extremely vigilant so as to fight against the traffic in artefacts from Bosra." Ms. Bokova has frequently condemned the destruction of archaeological and cultural sites in the fighting in Syria and Iraq. Extremists will "never be able to erase history," she declared in October after the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) destroyed the Arch of Triumph in Palmyra, another major Syrian World Heritage site. Bosra, once the capital of the Roman province of Arabia and an important stopover on the ancient caravan route to Mecca, was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1980. "The key surviving monuments of Bosra reflect the Outstanding Universal Value of the site," the agency said then. As Libya marks 64th independence anniversary, UN envoy urges unity behind new Government Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 24 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, As Libya marks 64th independence anniversary, UN envoy urges unity behind new Government, 24 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d24c240c.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 24 December 2015 - A week after brokering an accord for a national unity government in strife-torn Libya, the top United Nations envoy for the country urged all Libyans to use today's 64th independence anniversary to put their differences behind them and unite behind the new inclusive institutions. "The year ahead, Libya's 65th year as an independent State, will be an important one," Martin Kobler, the Secretary-General's Special Representative and head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), said in a message. "With the signing of the Libyan Political Agreement, Libyans have a clear plan for rebuilding a strong, united and peaceful Libya. It is important for all Libyans to unite in support of the Government of National Accord - one government for one country. In unity there is peace. In peace there is prosperity." Mr. Kobler facilitated the agreement to form a Government of National Accord with a Presidency Council, Cabinet, House of Representatives and State Council, in talks between the factions last week in a bid to end a four-year-long crisis that has left nearly 2.4 million Libyans in desperate need of humanitarian aid. A former Italian possession, Libya was the first country to become independent through the UN, in 1951, after a brief period of UN trusteeship. "Some of the lessons from the birth of Libya can help us today. Like now, Libya was then faced with the task of creating and uniting behind new common institutions," Mr. Kobler said. "Today it is one week since the signing of the Libyan Political Agreement which puts the country back on the path to build a modern democratic State. I encourage all Libyans to unite behind the new inclusive government institutions." Yesterday the Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution hailing the formation of the Presidency Council, calling on it to work within the 30 days prescribed by the agreement to form a Government of National Accord, and finalize interim security arrangements to stabilize the North African country, which has been plagued by factional fighting since the 2011 revolution. Yemen: Security Council deeply concerned by cessation of hostilities' violations Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 23 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, Yemen: Security Council deeply concerned by cessation of hostilities' violations, 23 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d254340d.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 23 December 2015 - The Security Council today expressed "deep concern" over the number of violations of Yemen's cessation of hostilities agreement and urged all parties to adhere to the accord and exercise maximum restraint following the adjournment of peace talks until January 2016. In a press statement, the 15-member body urged the Yemeni parties to fulfil commitments made during the talks held this month and welcomed their commitment to the new round of talks "building on the progress that has been achieved so far." The Council called on the "Yemeni parties to engage without preconditions and in good faith, including by resolving their differences through dialogue and consultations, rejecting acts of violence to achieve political goals, and refraining from provocation and all unilateral actions to undermine the political transition." Members also "strongly condemned all violence, attempts or threats to use violence to intimidate those participating in United Nations-brokered consultations and emphasized that such action is unacceptable." Earlier this week, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, faced with numerous violations of the cessation of hostilities, adjourned the peace talks for a month until mid-January 2016 to allow for bi-lateral in-country and regional consultations to achieve a ceasefire. Today, the Security Council welcomed the agreement of the parties to a cessation of hostilities, but also "expressed deep concern at the number of violations of the cessation of hostilities committed during the talks, and emphasised that the cessation of hostilities and compliance with related Security Council resolutions should lead to a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire." Council members also "expressed deep concern about the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen, which continues to worsen." They noted that more than 80 per cent of the population - 21 million people - require some form of humanitarian assistance and emphasised that the impact of the conflict has been devastating, particularly for children and the 2.5 million internally displaced persons. The Council urged the international community to contribute to the humanitarian appeal for 2016, which has been only 52 per cent funded. "They also stressed the urgent need for commercially-shipped food, medicine, fuel and other vital supplies to continue to enter Yemen through all of Yemen's ports without delay as a humanitarian imperative because of the heavy dependence of Yemen and its people on imported food and fuel," the statement said. Burundi should allow in investigators, says UN adviser on preventing genocide Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 23 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, Burundi should allow in investigators, says UN adviser on preventing genocide, 23 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d256f40c.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 23 December 2015 - The United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, has called on the Government of Burundi to allow an independent team to investigate "seriously" whether external elements are involved in alleged atrocities in the central African nation, saying "it is key that impunity no longer prevails in Burundi." "Unless accountability is also addressed as a serious way to bring to an end what is happening, we will not see the end of the tunnel and we will see a fragile solution," Mr. Dieng said in an interview distributed today by the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Burundi has been in the midst of a political crisis since President Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run for a controversial third term earlier this year, since when at least 400 people have been killed, with the toll possibly considerably higher, and 220,000 have fled to neighbouring States with many others internally displaced. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein has urged the international community to take "robust, decisive" action instead of "fiddling around the edges" to avert a civil war in Burundi that could have serious ethnic overtones and alarming regional consequences. "What we need also is to investigate seriously the atrocities, the crimes which are being committed in Burundi and to bring to account the perpetrators of those crimes," Mr. Dieng said. "It is key that impunity no longer prevails in Burundi." Regarding the investigation he called for, the Special Adviser said he "will not go to the extent of saying there is a third force but we need to investigate that aspect - because if we are told there are elements outside of Burundi who are now involved, who are providing resources, this needs to be investigated and that is why the Government of Burundi should allow an independent investigation team to come to Burundi and look into these atrocities." "And I am sure those investigators may identify if there is a third force or not," he said. The UN Security Council has called for urgent acceleration of mediation efforts by East African States and urged all Burundian stakeholders to fully cooperate with a proposed African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission. Conditions of Syrian refugees in Lebanon worsen considerably, UN reports Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 23 December 2015 Related Document(s) Vulnerability Assessment Of Syrian Refugees In Lebanon - 2015 Report Cite as UN News Service, Conditions of Syrian refugees in Lebanon worsen considerably, UN reports, 23 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d259740d.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 23 December 2015 - Some 70 per cent of the over 1 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon now live below the Lebanese extreme poverty line, a big rise over 2014, and food insecurity is mounting, the United Nations reported today, calling for greater access to the domestic labour market to mitigate the crisis. "Each day represents a monumental struggle to meet the most basic needs," the 2015 UN Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon said, noting that the rise in those below the $3.84-per-day poverty line rise represented "a striking increase" from 49 per cent in 2014. "We have reached a critical juncture. More than ever, refugees need our solidarity and support," said UNHCR Representative in Lebanon Mireille Girard, whose agency compiled the report together with the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). "Without a robust and sustainable humanitarian response, refugees risk sinking deeper and deeper into poverty," she added. Noting that Syrian refugees now represent 25 per cent of Lebanon's total population, the world's highest number per inhabitant, the report underscored that restrictions on their access to the labour market imposed at the end of 2014 has reduced their livelihood opportunities and made it even harder for them to cover their basic needs autonomously. "The main cause of food insecurity among Syrian refugees in Lebanon is lack of earning power," it said. "Policies, measures and programmes oriented towards allowing refugees to generate income while protecting the Lebanese labour market and mitigating potential tensions with the host community are recommended." Food security has significantly worsened since 2014, with moderate insecurity almost doubling from 12 per cent to 23 per cent of refugee households, and 65 per cent classified as mildly food insecure. Out of 1,174,690 Syrian refugees registered with UNHCR in June 2015, 763,549 were estimated to be mildly food insecure, 272,528 moderately food insecure and 5,873 severely food insecure. Just 129,216 were considered food secure. Dependency on food vouchers and loans as the primary livelihood source has also grown. The gap between monthly expenditures and income was estimated at $300 which households have to cover mainly by taking on debt. Consumption of nutritious and healthy foods such as vitamin A rich fruit and vegetables fell and was replaced by higher consumption of fats and sugar. Infant and young child feeding practices continued to be inadequate for almost all children between 6 and 17 months old. The report called for scaling up programmes to increase the coverage of basic needs including food for large numbers of refugees, particularly through winter. On education, it noted that just over half of 6-14 year olds attended school and fewer than half who entered primary grade one reached grade six. Only 5 per cent of 15-17 year olds attended secondary school or higher. "With the Syrian conflict now in its fifth year, the refugees face severe restrictions on accessing the Lebanese labour market, their assets and savings are increasingly exhausted, their debts are mounting and they must fulfil specific requirements to legalize their stay in Lebanon," the report concluded. "Each day represents a monumental struggle to meet the most basic needs. While the security situation means returning to their homes in Syria is out of the question, their dependency on assistance is growing in parallel with the reduction of available funds. "Given the limited possibilities to move to other countries, refugees continue living in a stressful context with no way out. Lebanon and the refugees it is hosting are in a very delicate state: the situation requires special and immediate measures." Central African Republic: ICC Prosecutor warns against election-related violence, atrocity crimes Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 23 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, Central African Republic: ICC Prosecutor warns against election-related violence, atrocity crimes, 23 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d276e40b.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 23 December 2015 - As the Central African Republic (CAR) prepares for general elections, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said today that her Office will record any instance of violence and that anyone committing atrocity crimes will be held accountable. The polls are set to open on 27 December for the people of CAR to elect a President and representatives of the National Assembly. This follows the Constitutional referendum held earlier this month and is part of the ongoing process to complete the transition in the country after more than two years of fighting between the mainly Muslim Seleka and mainly Christian anti-Balaka groups. In a statement issued today, Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda noted that the Constitutional referendum had benefited from strong participation despite a volatile security situation. At the same time, she "observed with concern reported incidents of violence and threats in an effort to intimidate and obstruct people from voting," adding that such violence may lead to crimes falling under the jurisdiction of the ICC, and must stop. "I want to be clear: my Office will continue to closely follow developments in CAR in the coming period and record any instance of violence or incitement to violence. Those who incite or commit atrocity crimes will be held accountable either by the relevant national authorities in CAR or at the ICC," she stated. In September 2014, following a referral by the CAR authorities, Ms. Bensouda announced her Office's second investigation into crimes committed in the country. "This investigation is ongoing; my Office continues to collect evidence, with a view to requesting warrants of arrest as soon as possible against those responsible for grave crimes committed since 1 August 2012, with no end date," she said. "The process of gathering evidence against any person who incites or engages in acts of mass violence before, during and after the elections is continuing. Such acts are serious crimes, which the ICC has jurisdiction to deal with." In addition to the two investigations related to the situation in CAR, the Court, which is based in The Hague, is also looking into the situations in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Darfur region of Sudan, Kenya, Libya, Cote d'Ivoire and Mali. Yemen: UN agency appeals to all sides to allow food in for hundreds of thousands under siege Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 31 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, Yemen: UN agency appeals to all sides to allow food in for hundreds of thousands under siege, 31 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d27c632a.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 31 December 2015 - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today appealed to all parties to the conflict in Yemen to allow food in for hundreds of thousands of hungry people under siege in the central city of Taiz, who have been deprived of supplies for many weeks. "WFP has delivered food assistance to Taiz governorate in the hope of reaching every person in need, but so far we have not been able to reach most of them," WFP Regional Director Muhannad Hadi said of the governorate, where over 3 million people, almost 400,000 of them internally displaced, are in dire need of some kind of humanitarian aid. Taiz is one of 10 governorates, out of a total of 22, where food insecurity has reached 'Emergency' level, one step below famine on the five-point Integrated Food Security Phase Classification scale, in a country where factional fighting this year has killed or wounded thousands of people and displaced 2.5 million others. Overall, 7.6 million Yemenis, more than a third of the total population, do not have enough food to lead a healthy life, have lost their livelihoods and face life-threatening rates of acute malnutrition, WFP stressed in a news release. Last week, the UN Security Council voiced "deep concern about the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen, which continues to worsen," stressing that more than 80 per cent of its 21 million people require some form of humanitarian aid. "WFP appeals to all parties to the conflict to allow the safe passage of food to all civilians in need in all areas in Taiz," Mr. Hadi said. "The precarious situation in Taiz has hampered WFP's efforts to reach impoverished people, especially in besieged parts of the city, who have not had access to food for many weeks. "WFP has delivered food assistance to Taiz governorate in the hope of reaching every person in need, but so far we have not been able to reach most of them." In the past month, WFP has dispatched to delivery points or warehouses in Taiz governorate 225 trucks loaded with 6,600 metric tons of food. Some food was delivered to Al Mudhafer, Al Qahira, Al Taizah and Salah districts where WFP aims to feed nearly 350,000 destitute people with wheat, pulses, vegetable oil and sugar. Difficulty obtaining clearances from different parties, fighting and insecurity threaten the delivery to distribution points in many areas of the governorate, especially in Taiz city, WFP said. Earlier this week, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) reported that it had delivered more than 100 tonnes of medicines and supplies for 1.2 million people in Taiz governorate, but had been unable to reach some 400,000 people in the city itself. Iraq: UN chief congratulates Prime Minister al-Abadi on recapture of Ramadi from ISIL Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 30 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, Iraq: UN chief congratulates Prime Minister al-Abadi on recapture of Ramadi from ISIL, 30 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d27f040d.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 30 December 2015 - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to congratulate him on the success of the Iraqi security forces in fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), calling the liberation of the city of Ramadi an important victory. He stressed the need for measures to be taken to restore the rule of law as well as basic services in Ramadi and to allow for the return of internally displaced persons as soon as possible, offering UN support for this. Mr. Ban also voiced concern at the recent abduction of a group of Qatari citizens in Iraq, including children, and urged the Prime Minister to do everything possible to ensure their prompt and safe release. Refugees and migrants braving seas to flee to Europe in 2015 top one million UN Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 30 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, Refugees and migrants braving seas to flee to Europe in 2015 top one million UN, 30 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d284240d.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 30 December 2015 - Refugees and migrants fleeing to Europe by sea this year have passed one million, according to figures just released by the UN refugee agency, many on perilous trips aboard inadequate vessels run by people smugglers, with at least 3,735 more believed drowned. As of last night, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said 1,000,573 people had reached Europe across the Mediterranean, mainly to Greece and Italy, in 2015, half a million of them Syrians escaping war in their country, with Afghans accounting for 20 per cent and Iraqis for seven per cent. The overall figure already topped one million last week, but that included 34,000 people reported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to have crossed from Turkey into Bulgaria and Greece by land. "Why is it that a million people have to enter Europe by smugglers boat?" UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards said. "The scale of these sea crossings, the fact that people continue to arrive daily in their thousands on the Aegean islands, and that nearly 4,000 lives have been lost in 2015, all beg that question. "There are abundant regular, safe and legal means of managing this and they need serious looking at," he added, stressing that UNHCR has urged both people and Governments to intensify efforts to facilitate legal entry routes to Europe. Last week, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, appealed for compassion towards the new arrivals. "As anti-foreigner sentiments escalate in some quarters, it is important to recognize the positive contributions that refugees and migrants make to the societies in which they live and also honour core European values: protecting lives, upholding human rights and promoting tolerance and diversity," he said. The number of people displaced by war and conflict is the highest seen in Western and Central Europe since the 1990s, when several conflicts broke out in the former Yugoslavia. More than 800,000 refugees and migrants came via the Aegean Sea from Turkey into Greece, accounting for 80 per cent of the sea arrivals. At the same time, the number of those crossing from North Africa into Italy dropped slightly, from 170,000 in 2014 to around 150,000 in 2015. Those crossing the Mediterranean increased steadily from some 5,500 in January to a monthly peak in October of over 221,000. After an initial chaotic reaction which resulted in tens of thousands of people moving from Greece through the Western Balkans and northwards, then finding themselves blocked at various borders, a more coordinated European response is beginning to take shape, according to the UN refugee agency. UNHCR has launched an emergency response to support and complement European efforts. More than 600 emergency staff and resources have been deployed to 20 different locations, providing life-saving aid and protection, advocating for human rights and access to asylum, particularly for refugees with specific needs, such as unaccompanied children and women-headed households. UNHCR stresses that much more needs to be done, however, to reinforce reception capacity at entry points, to allow for humane and effective accommodation, aid, registration and screening of people arriving every day, and to identify those in need of protection, those to be relocated to other countries within the European Union, and those who do not qualify for refugee protection and for whom effective and dignified return mechanisms have to be put in place. At the same time, the UN refugee agency continues to call for safe, regular ways for refugees to find safety through more resettlement and humanitarian admission programmes, more flexible visa arrangements, more private sponsorship programmes and other possibilities. UN peacekeepers help provide security as Central African Republic holds elections Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 30 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, UN peacekeepers help provide security as Central African Republic holds elections, 30 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d285b40b.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 30 December 2015 - United Nations peacekeepers were out in force at polling stations throughout the Central African Republic (CAR) today as the country voted in presidential and legislative elections, a major step on the path to stability after two years of conflict between Muslims and Christians. Military and police units from the 11,000-strong UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in CAR (MINUSCA) joined soldiers from the French Sangaris force and local security teams in "a strategy of pre-emption, prevention and reaction to anticipate, prevent and react against all imponderables and all risks," the Mission reported in its latest bulletin. The UN has played a major role in seeking to restore peace after fighting between the mainly Muslim Seleka and mainly Christian anti-Balaka groups erupted in early 2013, in which thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands more forced from their homes. Yesterday, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon took to CAR's radio waves to appeal for a massive turn-out in the polls. "The upcoming elections are a historical moment for your country," he said in French on today's first round of the polls. "Never before have so many central Africans registered to vote," he said. "I call on every one of you to use your right to vote without letting others preventing you from expressing yourselves peacefully. The Organisation of the United Nations will stand by you during this critical time." In a later statement issued by his spokesman, he called on all national stakeholders to commit themselves to ensuring that the elections are conducted in a peaceful and credible manner, saying he was encouraged to see that almost two million people have registered to vote "in a clear demonstration of the population's engagement to exercise their democratic franchise." He pledged the UN's commitment to do everything possible in cooperation with the national authorities to prevent any possible disruption of the electoral process, and urged all political stakeholders to work closely with MINUSCA in this regard, calling on them to resolve disputes that may arise from the elections through legal and peaceful means. He also commended the Transitional Authorities for organizing the referendum on a new Constitution earlier this month "under very challenging political, financial, logistical and security conditions," and reiterated continued UN commitment to assist CAR towards a future of peace and stability. After nine months of improved stability earlier this year a new wave of inter-communal violence erupted in September, killing at least 130 people, injuring 430 others, and triggering an 18 per cent increase in the number of internally displaced persons to 447,500. On 11 December, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein voiced deep concern at mounting sectarian language, warning of possible "dramatic consequences" given the highly volatile pre-election atmosphere. In late November, Pope Francis visited CAR's capital, Bangui, visiting churches and a mosque and appealing for inter-communal peace. UN chief takes to radio waves of Central African Republic to appeal for peaceful polls Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 29 December 2015 Cite as UN News Service, UN chief takes to radio waves of Central African Republic to appeal for peaceful polls, 29 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/568d287e40d.html [accessed 19 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 29 December 2015 - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon took to the radio waves of the Central African Republic (CAR) to appeal to voters for a massive turn-out in tomorrow's presidential poll, a major step in efforts to stabilize the country amid conflict between Muslims and Christians. "The upcoming elections are a historical moment for your country," he said in French about the first round of presidential and legislative elections. "Never before have so many Central Africans registered to vote. I call on every one of you to use your right to vote without letting others prevent you from expressing yourselves peacefully. The United Nations will stand by you during this critical time." The UN has played a major role in seeking to restore peace after fighting between the mainly Muslim Seleka and mainly Christian anti-Balaka groups erupted in early 2013, in which thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands more forced from their homes. After nine months of improved stability earlier this year a new wave of inter-communal violence erupted in September, killing at least 130 people, injuring 430 others, and triggering an 18 per cent increase in internally displaced persons to 447,500. The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in CAR (MINUSCA), set up in April 2014 to help restore stability after a breakdown of governmental authority, reports that the situation in Bangui remained calm yesterday as the campaign period came to an end. Meanwhile, the National Electoral Authority issued a directive yesterday on the modalities and conditions for voting to address concerns over allegations of voter card trafficking and fake voter registration receipts. MINUSCA continues to deliver sensitive electoral material to polling centres and has deployed additional troops to Ndele, Birao and Sibut. Furthermore, the Mission in partnership with the National Electoral Authority facilitated today a meeting of the 30 presidential candidates to discuss security planning for Election Day, transmission of results and voting and counting procedures. The Mission has also facilitated a meeting with key stakeholders from the predominantly Muslim PK5 neighbourhood and the anti-Balaka stronghold in Boeing on the outskirts of Bangui. Special Editions The Future of Rental Inside, you will learn about the ARA forecast for equipment rental revenue through 2026 and see the results of the association's survey of contractors to find out what they want in a rental store. DEAR ABBY: I recently graduated from college and moved out of my parents' house and in with my fiance. My parents have assumed most of the cost of our upcoming wedding after insisting we have a big formal one. I'm also still on their cellphone plan and car and health insurance policies. I do not agree with my parents' religious or political views, and they know that. However, my mother insists on connecting with me on social media and regularly sends me texts criticizing me for responding to family members' negative comments about my very general and inoffensive status updates. She says she's "disappointed," and then she and Dad threaten to not pay for the wedding. After a recent argument, she threatened to drop me from their health and car insurance. Abby, I'm tired of them holding these things over my head. Visiting has become awkward because of their threats. It feels like I'm not welcome in my own family. When I offer to take care of these things myself, my parents act as though I'm being ridiculous and retract their threats. I have threatened to elope with my fiance to alleviate these issues. I don't want to be estranged from my parents, but I can't change who I am as a person and what I believe. How can I deal with this in a way that doesn't make me as childish as they are? I Am Who I Am In Minnesota DEAR ARE WHO YOU ARE: I have often said that women should not marry until they are independent and can support themselves, because one day they may have to. Your parents treat you like a child they can still control because, financially, you are dependent. If you didn't want a big, expensive wedding, you should never have agreed to one. It would not be childish for you to find a job (if you don't already have one) and buy your own health and car insurance. It is also time for you and your fiance to tell your parents in the most loving way possible that while you are deeply grateful that they want to give you a big, expensive wedding, the two of you have decided to scale it back to something you can manage on your own. And this time don't make it a threat. Act on it. If you do, you will then be free to think and say whatever you please. DEAR ABBY: I have started seeing this guy who doesn't want me to join the police force. I know he cares, but my dream has always been to be a part of the justice system. On the other hand, I don't want to lose a great guy over this one decision. Do I choose the dream or the guy? Dreamer In The USA DEAR DREAMER: You are jumping the gun in thinking you must make a choice right now. You haven't mentioned whether you have the qualifications to join law enforcement. If you do, then for you to sacrifice your dream for someone you have only started seeing would be a huge mistake, and I urge you not to do it. WOMEN OF OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT SCHOLARSHIPS The American Association of University Women Abilene Branch announces the 2016 Women of Outstanding Achievement nominations open to anyone in Abilene and surrounding communities. The AAUW Abilene Branch celebrates women who have distinguished themselves as outstanding members of their community, state or nation through individual excellence and high levels of achievement. Recipients are role models for all of our members, girls and adults alike, showing them that with hard work and ethical standards, anything can be accomplished. Nominations sent by regular mail must be postmarked no later than Jan. 18 and email nominations must be received before midnight, Jan. 18 to be eligible for submission to the 2016 Selection Committee. Nominations must be submitted with all the required forms and letters of recommendation to be considered. The nomination packet is available at abilene-tx.aauw.net. OPERA ON THE BIG SCREEN The 10th season of "The Met: Live in HD," the Metropolitan Opera's popular Peabody and Emmy Award-winning series of live transmissions in movie theaters around the world, continues Jan. 16 with a new Metropolitan Opera production of Bizet's Les Pecheurs de Perles. This performance will be on the big screen at noon at Century 12, 3818 John Knox Drive. An encore performance is set for 6:30 p.m. Jan 20. For complete information on locations and tickets, visit www.metopera.org/hdlive or call 800-638-6737. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR TELETHON The West Texas Rehabilitation Center needs volunteers to help with the annual Phonathon that precedes the live broadcast of their Telethon on Jan. 16. From 5:30 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday nights, Jan. 13-14, at the Abilene Civic Center, 1100 N. 6th St., volunteers will call donors and ask them to make their pledge before the Telethon goes on the air that Saturday night. All volunteers will be finished by 9 p.m. each night. Last year, more than 125 volunteers from local organizations and businesses, as well as Dyess Air Force Base, donated their time to participate in the Phonathon. Their efforts paved the way for a very successful Telethon. Funds raised will help offset the costs of treating more than 500 patients a day across West Texas in 2015, helping them overcome disabilities. Call Michelle Mickey, Volunteer Coordinator, at 325-677-1342 ext. 110, if you can help. CALL FOR ENTRIES Each October, the Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities creates a Texas poster for National Disability Employment Awareness Month, designed around a winning artist's work. The poster is distributed to businesses and organizations to be displayed all across the State and the U.S. Entries are accepted from any Texas artist with a disability. Entries must be received by email or postmarked by March 15. Artwork in any media is accepted; there is no specific theme required; no more than three entries per person. The winning artist must sign an agreement to donate the original artwork to the Governor's Office. The submission guidelines and entry form are available on their website, along with examples of previous winners. Contact their office at GCPD@gov.texas.gov with any questions. Mail information to Jan Woodward in care of "Around Town," Abilene Reporter-News, P.O. Box 30, Abilene, TX 79604. Email address is jan.woodward@reporternews.com or fax information to 325-670-5242. Deadline for submission is noon seven working days before publication. Incident reports released Tuesday by the Abilene Police Department: Robbery, criminal trespass, 1600 block of Highway 351, Monday A 38-year-old man was arrested after allegedly stealing $22 worth of merchandise from a store. Police said the suspect reportedly assaulted security workers, then ran into a nearby field, where he was apprehended. Aggravated assault, 1100 block of Orange Street, Tuesday A 40-year-old man was arrested after allegedly striking a woman several times and firing a gun at her. The woman told police that the suspect struck her in the arms, back and legs with a pole and the cord to an appliance. She had an open wound on her buttocks due to a strike from the pole, police said. The woman said the suspect then pointed a gun at her and fired one round, intimidating her. He also allegedly grabbed her around the throat, choking her, and urinated on her. Shoplifting, 1600 block of Highway 351, Monday A 22-year-old man was arrested after allegedly concealing more than $44 worth of merchandise. Assault, 6100 block of Texas Avenue, Monday A woman reported that her brother threw a cup of water at her, drenching her leg, during an argument. Theft, 2900 block of Pine Street, Saturday An employee at a company reportedly stole a vehicle, a radio and uniforms, valued at $5,200 total. Can you bear to be apart from your stuffed animal? If so, check it out Two weeks before he was scheduled to retire, outgoing Abilene fire Chief Ken Dozier quietly hung up his uniform and boots for good Monday. The 31-year Abilene Fire Department veteran was supposed to work his last day Jan. 16 after announcing his retirement in September. But apparently he's getting a head start at making his own schedule. City Manager Robert Hanna already selected Deputy Fire Chief Larry Bell to replace Dozier. Bell has worked for the department for 33 years, occupying every rank, including chief officer and battalion chief. But for Dozier, working for the fire department for three decades, nine years of which he spent as chief, was never about praise or accolades, Hanna said. 'Ken Dozier retired early because he wanted to leave without fanfare,' Hanna said. 'He and I discussed it, and in the end, I respected his wishes to ride off quietly. Chief Dozier is a model public servant.' Dozier became fire chief in April 2007. He joined the department in 1984 as a fire medic and ascended the ranks until he became battalion chief in 2000. Twitter: BrookeCrum_ARN The arraignment of a former Child Protective Services worker indicted in connection with a child neglect death on Dyess Air Force Base in 2012 is set for Jan. 29. A Taylor County grand jury in August indicted Gretchen Denny in connection with the death of a toddler and the neglect of two other small children at the house of Tiffany and Thomas Klapheke. Denny, 42, faces charges of tampering with physical evidence in the case of the death of 2-year-old Tamryn Klapheke on Aug. 28, 2012, from dehydration and malnutrition. The child's two sisters, Taberlee and Tatum, 3 years old and 6 months old respectively at the time, were near death when police found them. Although Denny was indicted in August, Taylor County deputies did not arrest her until Dec. 19, according to court documents. She posted a $10,000 bail and was released the next day. Denny allegedly altered or concealed a CPS record or document 'detailing the investigation of the Klapheke children and/or medical records of the Klapheke children and/or Dyess Family Advocacy office records of the Klapheke children, with intent to impair its availability as evidence in the investigation,' the indictment states. Taylor County brought in a special prosecutor to oversee the case because there is a 'substantial likelihood' that several members of the county's criminal justice system will be witnesses in the case, said James Eidson, Taylor County district attorney. Mark Parker, assistant district attorney for McClennan County, is serving as the special prosecutor. A jury found Tiffany Klapheke, the mother, guilty in the death of her child and sentenced her to 30 years in prison. Her boyfriend at the time, Senior Airman Christopher Perez, was sentenced to three years in prison for not reporting the neglect while living at the Klapheke home. Perez appealed his sentence and will be retried at Dyess Air Force Base, but when is not known at this time, said a Dyess spokesman. As of Sunday afternoon, The Washington Post called them 'occupiers.' The New York Times opted for 'armed activists' and 'militia men.' And The Associated Press put the situation this way: 'A family previously involved in a showdown with the federal government has occupied a building at a national wildlife refuge in Oregon and is asking militia members to join them.' Not one seemed to lean toward terms such as 'insurrection,' 'revolt,' anti-government 'insurgents' or, as some on social media were calling them, 'terrorists.' When a group of unknown size and unknown firepower has taken over any federal building with plans and possibly some equipment to aid a yearslong occupation and when its representative tells reporters that they would prefer to avoid violence but are prepared to die the kind of almost-uniform delicacy and the limits on the language used to describe the people involved becomes noteworthy itself. It is hard to imagine that none of the words mentioned above particularly 'insurrection' or 'revolt' would be avoided if, for instance, a group of armed black Americans took possession of a federal or state courthouse to protest the police. Black Americans outraged about the death of a 12-year-old boy at the hands of police or concerned about the absence of a conviction in the George Zimmerman case have been frequently and inaccurately lumped in with criminals and looters, described as 'thugs,' or marauding wolf packs where drugs are, according to CNN's Don Lemon, 'obviously' in use. If a group of armed Muslims took possession of a federal building or even its lobby to protest calls to surveil the entire group, it's even more doubtful they could avoid harsher, more-alarming labels. In fairness to those assembled in Oregon, it is true that there have been no reports of actual violence, injury or anyone being held inside the Oregon building against their will. And in the interim, some may feel particularly inclined to take real care with the language used to describe the situation so as not to inflame it or offend people who, in some cases, have already been troubled by the decision to charge a father and son pair of ranchers with arson under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996. The charge not only carries what many of the rancher's supporters believe to be an unjust five-year jail term, but it brings the very same t-word into the mix. For those who know the father and son Dwight Hammond Jr. and his son, Steven Hammond personally, it is understandable that they would disagree vehemently with any government action that implies that the men they know as engaged members of the community are terrorists. But one really cannot help but wonder where similar outrage lives when data clearly indicate that black Americans are far more likely than white ones to face serious charges and jail time rather than misdemeanor penalties for resisting arrest. Where has the lock-step adherence to careful and delicate language been in all of 2015 when unarmed black Americans were disproportionately more likely to be killed by police than others? Beyond that seeming incongruity, the Hammonds are not among the occupiers. The man who has helped to organize the building occupation in Oregon is Ammon Bundy. Bundy is the son of Cliven Bundy, a Nevada rancher who engaged in a standoff in 2014 with the government over grazing rights. And the younger Bundy has, again, described the occupiers as 'armed' and prepared to die. The armed occupation of a federal building might be what Bundy considers an assertion of rights and a mere gathering in a taxpayer-financed space. But it would seem to contain the real risk of violence, serious injury or even death. Deliberate language choices are always a wise and reasonable move. That is especially true when telling stories of conflict with government and political protests. But the incredibly limited and relatively soft range of words in wide use Sunday seems to extend beyond all of that. The descriptions of events in Oregon appear to reflect the usual shape of our collective assumptions about the relationship between race and guilt or religion and violent extremism in the United States. White Americans, their activities and ideas seem always to stem from a font of principled and committed individuals. As such, group suspicion and presumed guilt are readily perceived and described as unjust, unreasonable and unethical. You will note that while the group gathered in Oregon is almost assuredly all or nearly all white, that has scarcely been mentioned in any story. You will note that nothing even close to similar can be said about coverage of events in Missouri, Maryland, Illinois or any other place where questions about policing have given way to protests or actual riots. You will note the extended debate about whether admitted Charleston shooter Dylann Roof's apparently racially motivated shooting spree was an act of terrorism or even violent racism and the comparatively rapid way that more than one news organization began hinting at and then using terms such as Islamic extremism to describe the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California. The sometimes-coded but increasingly overt ways that some Americans are presumed guilty and violence-prone while others are assumed to be principled and peaceable unless and until provoked even when actually armed is remarkable. Janell Ross is a reporter for The Washington Post. ASSOCIATED PRESS DES MOINES, Iowa Players will have a chance Wednesday night at an estimated $450-500 million Powerball jackpot, making it the biggest lottery prize in nearly a year. The jackpot will be the largest since a Powerball prize that climbed to $564.1 million last February before it was won by players from North Carolina, Texas and Puerto Rico. Powerball is played 44 states as well as the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Here are more details about the big lottery payoff. ___ HOW DOES THE JACKPOT RANK? The jackpot would be the sixth-largest ever in North America. It's been growing since the last Powerball jackpot winner on Nov. 4 and will keep climbing if no one wins the big prize on Wednesday. If there isn't a jackpot winner, the prize for Saturday's drawing would be significantly larger, but it would still take some time to grow beyond the record. That was a $656 million Mega Millions jackpot won in March 2012. The largest Powerball prize was a $590.5 million jackpot won by a Florida woman in May 2013. ___ PAYMENT OPTIONS The prize would have a cash option of $275.4 million, and that's before taxes are deducted. The $450 million prize is based on an annuity, which would pay out the money over 29 years. ___ THE ODDS? NOT GOOD. The odds are one in 292.2 million, which means you're really, really, really unlikely to win. For some comparison, your chance of being struck by lightning in a year is about one in 960,000. But as lottery officials often note, you have no chance of winning if you don't buy a ticket. ___ POOLING YOUR MONEY Some players feel they increase their odds of winning by pooling their money with co-workers, with a promise to split the winnings. Joining with colleagues and friends can increase the fun of playing, but the odds of winning are so tiny that adding 50 or 100 chances doesn't matter much. Lottery officials recommend that if people pool their money, they put down rules in writing for splitting the prize, as it's easy for misunderstandings to crop up when hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below This just in... Villagers in a forest community in northeastern Cambodias Stung Treng province have accused local forestry officials of colluding with illegal loggers to clear trees in a designated wildlife sanctuary so they can sell the timber for personal profit. The residents of Chhvang village, Samang commune in the provinces Thala Barivat district told RFAs Khmer Service on Monday that a number of business groups have been felling trees in a local wildlife sanctuary with the blessing of local authorities. Workers hired by the groups have been felling and cutting logs in the area for several months, but authorities have not prevented the illegal activity, they said. The four to six worker groups, with four to six people each, stay in tents in the forest while they cut down trees to generate money for deputy community chief Phoeuk Si and two others surnamed Pheap and Luon, the villagers said. A villager from the ethnic Kuoy minority group, who spoke on condition of anonymity, voiced concern over the inability of authorities to prevent forest crimes in the area, noting that a number of wildlife animal sanctuaries are under the control of private individuals. He accused Moeung Ratha, a district commune council member, and Nhean Phorn, the wildlife sanctuary community chief, of being the masterminds behind the illegal activities. Now wild animals are running away, [because the forest] has been destroyed, the villager said. Because [they] probably conspired to cut down the hardwood trees, each about a meter in diameter, known as chheu teal. [And] when they can sell them, they gather to have parties to celebrate. The wood from chheu teal trees is used in construction and cabinet-making, while its resin is used for lacquering wood, draft-proofing boats and producing traditional medicine. Under the protection of armed forces, the workers have felled trees on 10-40 hectares (25-99 acres) of land in the OChhkot and Trapaing Snuol areas and hundreds of hectares in the Phnom Kol Rol area, the villager said. They have used chainsaws to level community forests in other areas almost every day, he added. After they cut down the trees, they fence in the areas and file paperwork to get temporary ownership titles for the land, he said. I and my people reported it to the commune chief, but nothing has come of it, he said. They didnt do anything, and we just reported to the wrong people who are part of the groups. No one selling timber RFA could not reach Moeung Ratha or the three commune deputy chiefs on Monday to respond to the accusations. Nhean Phorn, the wildlife sanctuary community chief who is the younger brother of the chief of Sam'ang commune, denied that the community forests were wildlife sanctuaries. He said that authorities took care of the community forests, and community members patrolled them on a regular basis. I have patrolled the forests for several months now, and there has been no one selling timber, Nhean Phorn told RFA. Anyone who takes over community forests will be sent to court. The community forests in Chhvang village, which cover 4,446 hectares (11,000 acres) of land, were officially recognized by Stung Treng officials recognized as wildlife sanctuaries in early 2015. Community officials had requested that national authorities register the area as a cooperative mountainous community forest which is a sanctuary for wild animals, but they received no response. Ho Samol, an official from the domestic rights group Adhoc, who is based in Stung Treng, said Nhean Phorn would ultimately be responsible for any illegal logging activities. Local authorities ould face legal action if it is discovered that they were the masterminds behind the deforestation, he said. High-ranking officials have backed deforestation activities in five districts of Stung Treng province, he said. Authorities lack the will to prevent deforestation activities and assume no responsibility for protecting the forests. Ho Samol said. On the other hand, we have all their names [and ] know who they sold the trees to and where they sold them. On Dec. 29, Minister of Interior Sar Kheng urged Mom Saroeun, the newly appointed governor of Stung Treng province, to strengthen the mechanisms for preventing deforestation while relevant authorities review the matter. Cambodia has one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world, largely due to illegal logging. A report issued last year by the U.K. environmental rights group Global Witness found that government and military officials collude with businessmen to illegally cut and transport Cambodian timber mainly to China. Reported by Men Chanthy for RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Pagnawath Khun. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. A court in the central Chinese province of Hunan has accepted a lawsuit filed by a gay man against the government for refusing his application to marry his male partner in a key test of LGBT rights in the country. Sun Wenlin, 26, filed the complaint against the Furong district civil affairs bureau in Hunan's provincial capital Changsha last month, after officials from the bureau refused to allow the couple to register their marriage in the same way that heterosexual couples do. The Furong District People's Court notified Sun's lawyer that it had accepted the case on Tuesday. It now has six months to reach a decision. Sun is arguing that current Chinese marriage law refers to the union of "husband and wife," but without specifying the gender of either party to the marriage. The argument rests on the idea that a person can identify as a husband or a wife without reference to their gender. His lawyer Shi Fulong hailed the acceptance of the case as "a historic moment." But he said he wasn't optimistic about the outcome. "[Overall], I'm not optimistic, because gay rights haven't figured so far in Chinese law," Shi said. "We may have succeeded in filing a lawsuit, but it's very hard to predict what the outcome will be." But he said progress made in other countries on gay marriage would likely have an impact in China, too. "We are in an era of legislation for equal gay [LGBT] rights and anti-discrimination law," Shi said. "But I think we still have a long, slow road ahead of us." "Perhaps this case will act as an example for other [LGBT] people [in China]," he said. No provision in law Sun was prompted to make the complaint after he showed up at the marriage registration office of the Furong district civil affairs bureau in Changsha on June 23 with his partner Hu Mingliang and applied for a marriage certificate. An official in charge of marriage registrations told the couple, who had been together for two years, that "there is no provision in law for people of the same sex to marry." Undeterred, Sun lodged his complaint on Dec. 16, calling on the court to order the bureau to allow the marriage to be registered. Since he did so, he has been approached by local police, who visited his home and asked to interview him "to understand the situation," Wuhan-based rights activist Gou Gou, who is helping Sun with the case, told RFA. When Sun refused, saying there was no obligation for him to discuss the case with the police, they sought out his grandmother with the same request, Gou Gou said. But he said he was pleasantly surprised that the court had accepted Sun's complaint at all. "This case has already surpassed my expectations in just getting to this first step," he said. "We never thought that this case would even get accepted because the court didn't seem well-disposed to the idea, and we even had visits from the police." "I think that the purpose of this case is to let the court and the civil affairs bureau know that there is a huge desire for marriage in the LGBT community." Gou Gou said that the court had initially objected to Sun's lawsuit, saying that it should have been filed jointly by the couple. "I have never held out much hope about the court, but however they decide, the fact that they agreed to accept the case at all is ... a huge step forward for the rule of law in China," he said. Reported by Xin Lin for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie. Beijing hit out on Wednesday at North Korea's claim it had detonated a hydrogen bomb, saying it "firmly opposes" the isolated Stalinist regime's nuclear weapons program. It meanwhile vowed to investigate the exact nature of the test, which rocked areas of northeastern China with earthquake-like tremors according to local residents. "China firmly opposes the latest nuclear test conducted by [North Korea]", the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement after Pyongyang announced it had successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb test. According to North Korean state news agency KCNA: "The first H-bomb test was successfully conducted ... at 10:00 a.m. (0130 GMT) on Wednesday." The United States Geological Survey (USGS) had earlier reported a 5.1 magnitude quake that South Korea said was 30 miles from a previous nuclear test site at Punggye-ri. "We felt it here, at nine-something in the morning," an employee at a hotel in Yanji county, told RFA on Wednesday. "Everyone thought it was an earthquake; we all thought it was an earthquake." "The guests came and told us they felt the tremors when they were lying in bed." Residents of Yanji were ordered to evacuate following the tremors, and were shown gathered outside in the snow shortly after the blast was felt, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said on its official Twitter account. In Beijing, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China, North Korea's only significant ally, "steadfastly" opposes nuclear weapons development in the Korean peninsula. "The Korean Peninsula should be denuclearized and nuclear proliferation should be prevented, to maintain peace and stability in northeast Asia," Hua told a regular news briefing in Beijing. "We strongly urge [North Korea] to honor its commitment to denuclearization, and to cease any action that may deteriorate the situation," she said. Hua said Beijing knew nothing of the test before the announcement, and had ordered experts to "step up analysis" to establish whether the device detonated was a hydrogen bomb or some other kind of nuclear device. 'Unlikely' claim Official media quickly moved to discredit the claim that the detonation was of a hydrogen bomb, citing experts as saying this was unlikely, and echoing similar doubts voiced in overseas media outlets. Meanwhile, Chinese environmental experts are also analyzing radiation levels along the North Korean border, Hua said. "[They] will take all necessary measures to protect Chinese people's lives and property safety," Hua said, adding that radiation levels had been found to be normal so far. A Chinese journalist, who gave only his surname Xiao, said Beijing is sure to have been angered by Wednesday's test. "Of course China isn't happy about this, because it constitutes a threat to China and to previous international agreements," Xiao said, adding that Beijing's support for peaceful negotiations via the six-nation denuclearization talks had been undermined. "China has a problem with North Korea now because of its nuclear program, and yet it still hasn't entirely cut off the flow of aid," he said. "China is also using North Korea as a stick to beat the U.S. with." Xiao said many in China assume that North Korea is getting help with its weapons research from other countries. "China is at least partially responsible for this test," he said. 'Broken teeth' Online comments were largely scathing about Beijing's relationship with Pyongyang, which has traditionally been described as "closer than lips and teeth." North Korea has successfully detonated an H-bomb. Now all China can do is swallow its broken teeth," Sina Weibo user @zibenshashoukouwenhong wrote. User @bayimishu agreed. "As long as China continues to play wet-nurse to North Korea, they will cynically carry on with their nuclear program. China should count the cost of its 'nanny' role and charge a higher price," they wrote. Another commenter identified as "Tan" commented on the website of the Global Times newspaper, which has close ties to the ruling Chinese Communist Party: "China should invade North Korea and put an end to this fat pig's crazy schemes once and for all..." "Let them blow themselves to smithereens," wrote Sina Weibo user @yanyujiangnan1023. "We shouldn't have to take the heat for them." User @chendong meanwhile commented: "For such a backward country as North Korea to successfully detonate nuclear and even thermonuclear weapons must mean that some of its allies are helping it behind the scenes." Others had drily humorous reactions: "Once the bad guys learn kung fu, no one can stand in their way," wrote user @fengdong_xindong. Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) photo showing North Korean people in Pyongyang celebrating the reported success of the first hydrogen bomb test, Jan. 6, 2016. UPDATED at 4:50 p.m. EST on 2016-01-06 North Korea said it successfully tested a hydrogen nuclear device on Wednesday, a fourth atomic bomb test by the isolated regime that drew widespread international condemnation, including from allies China and Russia. The test, announced with bombast by North Korean state media but conducted without notifying ally China in advance, will be taken up on Wednesday in an emergency session by the UN Security Council, which has responded to the North's previous nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013 with a series of economic and trade sanctions. "The successful H-bomb test was a measure for self-defense the DPRK took to protect its sovereignty and the vital rights of the Korean nation from the escalating nuclear threat and blackmail by the hostile forces, as part of its efforts to reliably defend the peace on the Korean Peninsula and regional security," said the official KCNA News Agency. It called the purported new weapon " "the H-bomb of justice." In Seoul, local media quoted South Korean President Park Geun-Hye as telling an emergency National Security Council meeting that the test was "not only a grave provocation to our national security but also a threat to our future... and a strong challenge to international peace and stability." China, for decades a close ally of North Korea, said it "firmly opposes" Pyongyang's actions. "We strongly urge the DPRK side to remain committed to its denuclearization commitment, and stop taking any actions that would make the situation worse," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular briefing in Beijing. No acceptance as nuclear state Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slammed what he called "a serious threat to the safety of our nation". "This clearly violates UN Security Council resolutions and is a grave challenge against international efforts for non-proliferation," he said. Without confirming the type of device North Korea set off, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry condemned the test, which North Korea announced after international seismology monitors recorded a 5.1-magnitude tremor next to the North's main Punggye-ri nuclear test site. "This highly provocative act poses a grave threat to international peace and security and blatantly violates multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions," he said in a statement. "We do not and will not accept North Korea as a nuclear armed state, and actions such as this latest test only strengthen our resolve," added Kerry. The foreign ministry of Russia, which as the Soviet Union installed the regime of current North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's grandfather in the late 1940s, condemned the test as "flagrant violation of international law and existing UN Security Council resolutions". France and Britain joined its fellow permanent members of the UN Security Council in criticizing Pyongyang. The claim of a successful hydrogen bomb test followed a comment last month by Kim suggesting Pyongyang had already developed a hydrogen bomb. Experts remained skeptical of the claim, which will require chemical testing to verify, because the magnitude of the blast on the Richter scale was not nearly as great as would be expected from a hydrogen bomb. Kim's latest provocation is expected to cast a fresh spotlight on China's policies toward its problematic neighbor. Critics say that although China has evolved in the decade since Pyongyang's first nuclear test from defending the regime and blocking censure of its behavior to voting in support of UN sanctions, Beijing's enforcement of bans on trade remains spotty. "Sanctions by the UN so far did little damage to Pyongyangs economy thanks to Beijings massive material support through the backdoor," said Sung-yoon Lee of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Massachusetts. "For example, Chinas supplies of food, fertilizer and heavy oil increased a year after North Korea was slapped with UN sanction for its first nuclear test in 2006. That was the same back in 2013, when the UN Security Council adopted a strong resolution condemning Pyongyangs 3rd nuke test. Eyes on China, US China remains North Korea's main source of aid, trade and investment, but relations have become strained in recent years, over the North's nuclear program and other mercurial behavior by Kim. Kim has yet to visit Beijing since coming to power four years ago and high-level visits and exchanges between the old Cold War allies have tapered off or been fraught with acrimony in recent years. North Korea expert Andrei Lankov of Kookmin University in Seoul told RFA that Wednesday's test looked likely to undo any progress Beijing and Pyongyang had made to mend ties in 2015. Additional UN sanctions will be of little consequence to North Korea. As a matter of fact, one factor that the North dreads most at the moment is not UN sanctions but Chinas attitude," he said. "China enjoys a virtual monopoly on its trading with North Korea. Actually three quarters of N. Koreas trade with outside world done is with China. Timothy Stafford, a research analyst on nuclear proliferation and policy at the Royal United Services Institute in London, said North Korea was challenging China's effort to balance concerns over Pyongyang's nuclear proliferation with its fear that pressure will bring down Kim's hereditary dictatorship and flood adjacent parts of China with destitute, hungry refugees. "The Chinese will probably not push as hard as the Americans and the Europeans will," he told RFA's Korean Service. "They are worried not just about a strong North Korea, but also about a weak North Korea." Stafford saw Kim's move as also directed at raising North Korea's profile in the United States, where foreign policy attention has largely been focused on the Middle East and Russia. "North Korea wants to move itself up the agenda as more of a priority. The calculation in Pyongyang is that actions like these increase the chance of North Korea getting more from the United States," he added. Reported by RFA's Korean Service. Written By Paul Eckert. Myanmars newly-elected parliament will convene on Feb. 1, the speaker of the lower house said Wednesday, ushering in a new era of democratic reform under a government led by the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party. The current parliament under the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) will hold its final meeting on Jan. 29, and its session will end two days later, said Shwe Mann, the influential speaker of Myanmars lower chamber. In the meantime, incoming elected members of parliament (MPs) have received invitations to the Feb. 1 session and must confirm their attendance by Jan. 26. What I understand is that new MPs will be brought into the parliament a week before the next parliamentary session, Hla Tun, secretary of the parliaments Draft Law Committee, told RFAs Myanmar Service. New and current MPs will have lunch together, and the new lawmakers will observe how parliament works during the last week of current legislative session, he said. Shwe Mann will select a temporary parliamentary speaker, who will appoint the two new permanent speakers of the lower and upper chambers after they are elected by lawmakers, Hla Tun said. The upper and lower houses of parliament and the military, which holds a quarter of the seats in the legislature by appointment, will each put forth a candidate for president. Lawmakers will cast votes for the candidates, and the winner will become president, while the others fill the two vice presidential slots. The NLD, which won roughly 80 percent of the vote in general election on Nov. 8, has not yet revealed the names of those it intends to put forward for the nations top post. NLD chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi cannot become president because the constitution bars anyone with close foreign relatives from assuming the office. Aung San Suu Kyis two sons are British citizens, as was her late husband. Nevertheless, she has said that she will occupy a position above the president in the new government, but has provided no details. The new government must be formed before March 31, the date on which the current one will be dissolved. On the following day, President Thein Sein will transfer power to the new president. The new president must submit a list of ministers and other top leaders, who will later take an oath before the Union parliamentary speaker, said Ye Tun, a lawmaker from the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party. Afterwards, state power will be transferred to the new government. Reported by Win Naung Toe, Thinn Thiri and Myo Thant Khine for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Authorities in northwestern Chinas Qinghai province briefly detained a Tibetan monk at the end of last year over his plans to publish a book about his travels in India, threatening him with re-arrest if he moves ahead with plans to distribute the politically sensitive work, Tibetan sources said. Lu Konchog Gyatso, a monk at the Lhamo Dechen monastery in Qinghais Malho (in Chinese, Huangnan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, was taken into custody on Nov. 7 after local authorities became aware that a manuscript of his book was ready to go to print, a local source told RFAs Tibetan Service. Chentsa [Jianzha] county police barged into his living quarters at around 2:00 a.m. and ransacked his room, RFAs source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. He was taken to the Chentsa county police station for interrogation, and was then transferred to the Malho state security office, where he was held for six days, the source said. Security officials warned Gyatso not to publish his book, called Fifty-four Days, or to distribute it in any form, threatening him with imprisonment and a jail term for noncompliance with their orders, he said. His mobile phone and laptop computer were also confiscated, he said. News of Gyatsos detentionreported by one Tibetan news outlet as taking place on Dec. 18was delayed in reaching outside sources because of communication blocks imposed by Chinese authorities in the area. Record of escape Gyatsos book was described by one source as a collection of the journal entries of Gyatsos 54-day escape over the Himalayas to Nepal and India in 1994 to seek an audience with exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. Chinese police frequently investigate and arrest Tibetans deemed to be supporters of the India-based Dalai Lama, whom Beijing considers a dangerous separatist bent on splitting Tibet from Chinese control. After studying for some years at Drepung Gomang monastery in South India, Gyatso returned to Malho in 2000 and began two years ago to write his book, said the source, who sent a copy of the manuscript to RFA. He was preparing to publish his journal this year, and police in Chentsa and security officials in Malho got wind of this, and banned him from publishing the book, he said. Speaking separately, Lobsang Khedruba monk in South Indias Drepung monastery who had read the book's manuscriptsaid that Gyatso had been concerned about the possible consequences of the books release. He was determined to finish work on it, though, he said, adding that Gyatso had said he would hold himself solely responsible for anything that happened. Reported by Sangye Gyatso for RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney. Tight security restrictions in ethnic Uyghur areas of northwestern Chinas restive Xinjiang region are being extended into the new year, with police carrying out daily patrols in villages and checking the identification of worshippers at mosques, Uyghur sources say. Patrols in one township in Guma (in Chinese, Pishan) county in the western prefecture of Hotan (Hetian) are now carried out day and night, a Mokuyla township police officer told RFAs Uyghur Service. In our patrols, we include one official policeman, three members of the auxiliary police, and 10 militia members from each village that we inspect, RFAs source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. At night, we patrol until 2:00 a.m., and we stop anyone found walking around so that we can check their backgrounds and identification, he said, adding that daytime patrols also look in on at least five village families each day. We ask how many people currently live in their homes, whether any family members have left the area, and whether any fire hazards are present, he said. Police also investigate residents guests to see if they have come from out of town, with police confiscating visitors identification cards until they have returned to their own homes, he said. Village residents wishing to visit relatives or seek medical treatment in other places must first obtain a letter from village police describing past political involvements, the officer said. They will then bring that letter to our office, and we will enter everything into a data base, he said. If we find nothing wrong, we will stamp the letter for approval, and they will then take that to the townships political law office. There, they will receive their so-called green card allowing them to travel, he said. Religious controls In neighboring Aksu (Akesu) prefecture to the north, government workers also check the identification papers of Uyghur worshippers as they enter local mosques for Friday prayers, a cadre in Aksu's Awat (Awati) county told RFA, also speaking on condition he not be named. We cannot allow anyone from out of town to pray in our towns mosques unless they are registered in town as someones guest, he said. Students, government workers, teachers, and members of the ruling Chinese Communist Party are not allowed to enter the mosques at all, he said. Members of these restricted groups are also barred from taking part in the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, he said. We cannot allow any of them to fast, he said. We find out if any students are fasting by conducting tea drinking campaigns, he said, adding that the neighbors of government workers and students are also questioned regarding the behavior of those living near them. If we find that any Party members are fasting, we will carry out political education work and give them a warning, he said. Heavy-handed rule Rights groups accuse the Chinese authorities of heavy-handed rule in Xinjiang, including violent police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people. China has vowed to crack down on what it calls the three evils of terrorism, separatism, and religious extremism in Xinjiang. But experts outside China say Beijing has exaggerated the threat from Uyghur separatists, and that domestic policies are responsible for an upsurge in violence that has left hundreds dead since 2012. Reported by Eset Sulaiman for RFAs Uyghur Service. Translated by Mamatjan Juma. Written in English by Richard Finney. Russian President Vladimir Putin acceded late last month to a request by Chechen Republic head Ramzan Kadyrov to transfer to Chechen ownership the assets of Chechenneftekhimprom, the state-owned company that controls the republic's oil-refining and petrochemical industry infrastructure. Kadyrov, however, is holding out for more, specifically the construction in his republic of an oil refinery that economists say is not economically viable, and that Kadyrov himself described five months ago as "unrealistic." Some experts say the transfer of Chechenneftekhimprom to Chechnya is intended to compensate for the inevitable scaling back in 2016 in light of the continuing economic crisis of funding from the federal government. Mikhail Remizov, president of the National Strategy Institute think tank, suggests it shows that "the price of Kadyrov's loyalty to Moscow has risen" in light of the ongoing civil war in Syria and the tensions between Russia and Turkey. Whether the Chechen population will benefit from the deal is a different question. Chechenneftekhimprom, which is currently owned by the State Property Agency and had been scheduled for privatization by the end of this year, yielded a profit in 2014 of just 44 million rubles ($600,000 at today's exchange rate). What is more, Putin's decision to hand over Chechenneftekhimprom to the Chechen leadership may have set a precedent he could come to regret. Krasnoyarsk Krai deputy parliament speaker Aleksei Kleshko has publicly advocated that the vast Siberian region follow Kadyrov's example and demand the transfer of federal oil-industry infrastructure to local ownership. Kadyrov's rationale for asking for Chechenneftekhimprom, as outlined in a letter he sent to Putin on December 3, was that the state oil company Rosneft, which leases Chechenneftekhimprom's facilities and with which Kadyrov has been at odds for years, was not making optimal use of its resources, in particular its land and infrastructure. The company reportedly owns two oil refineries, oil storage facilities, and workshops for the repair of equipment. It does not engage in oil exploration or extraction, which are the preserve of Grozneftegaz, an affiliate of Rosneft. Grozneftegaz is jointly owned by Rosneft (51 percent) and the Chechen government (49 percent). Kadyrov explained that the Chechen government wants to use Chechenneftekhimprom land to build a factory to manufacture lithium-ion batteries in line with an agreement signed in December 2014 with a South Korean company, Kokam. But he subsequently changed tack, saying that if the handover of Chechenneftekhimprom takes place, Grozny will push for the construction, either by Grozneft or other investors, of an oil refinery with an annual capacity of 1 million tons. Kadyrov has been trying to coerce Rosneft into funding such a refinery for the past eight years, even though it does not make economic sense. According to Igor Yushkov of the National Energy Security Fund think tank, Chechnya would need to produce a minimum of 5 million tons to supply a refinery with that capacity. In 2014, however, Grozneft produced just 448,080 tons of crude, less than 10 percent of Yushkov's required minimum and 91 percent of the amount produced in 2013. Chechnya has nonetheless been lobbying for construction of its own oil refinery since early 2008, the year after Putin put Kadyrov in charge of the region. It succeeded in nixing Rosneft's alternative plans for a refinery elsewhere in the North Caucasus, in the Kabardino-Balkaria Republic. And in November 2009, an agreement that Rosneft would go ahead with building a refinery in Grozny was formally announced at a meeting between Kadyrov and Grozneftegaz director Musa Eskerkhanov. Rosneft duly dispatched experts to Chechnya in January 2010 to select a site for the refinery, and two weeks later, then-Rosneft head Sergei Bogdanchikov assured Kadyrov that construction would start the following year and be completed in 2013. Kadyrov for his part called for more than doubling oil extraction to exceed 2 million tons. In April 2011, it was reported that construction would begin by the end of the month, and be finished by October 2013. The cost of the refinery, which Bogdanchikov had said would be equipped with the most modern technology, was estimated at between $400 million and 17 billion rubles ($600 million at the time). But a year later, Kadyrov complained that Rosneft kept postponing the start of construction for no good reason. It was only in November 2013 that Rosneft launched a tender for drafting a blueprint for construction of a new refinery with an annual capacity of 1 million tons. Just two months later, however, Igor Sechin, who by then had replaced Bogdanchikov as Rosneft head, commented that given the economic advantages of exporting crude oil, the Grozny refinery was not viable. (At that juncture the price of Urals crude was $106.40 per barrel.) And by mid-2015, when the ruble had fallen to 55 to the U.S. dollar, the original 17 billion-ruble estimated cost of the new Grozny refinery had risen by approximately 80 percent. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese state oil company Petro Vietnam is reportedly ready to invest $150 million to $300 million in the Daghestan State Oil and Gas Company established in June 2014 at the behest of Republic of Daghestan head Ramazan Abdulatipov, including construction of a refinery with an annual capacity of 6 million tons. In light of Chechnya's steadily dwindling output, a refinery of that size would call into question the need for a much smaller one in Grozny. Russian President Vladimir Putin has introduced martial law in four of Ukraine's regions, parts of which are under the control of Russian troops, as Ukrainian forces continue liberating occupied territories in the country's east. Putin said at an online session of the Security Council on October 19 that he signed a decree declaring martial law in Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya regions -- all of which Russia illegally annexed last month. Putin didn't immediately describe the steps that would be taken under martial law, but said his order was effective starting at midnight on October 20. His decree gives law enforcement agencies three days to submit specific proposals. Putin's move came as the Russian-installed leader of Ukraine's southern Kherson region said the evacuation had started of tens of thousands of civilians and Moscow-appointed officials in the face of a Ukrainian military's advance. Vladimir Saldo said on October 19 that more than 5,000 people have already left the region over the past two days. Saldo said 50,000-60,000 civilians would leave four towns on the west bank of the Dnieper River in an "organized, gradual displacement" over the past five or six days. All of the Moscow-installed administration in the city of Kherson would evacuate, too, he said. Russian television showed footage of a number of people queuing for boats on the Dnieper River bank although it was not immediately clear how many were leaving. The forced transfer or deportation of the civilian population by an occupying power from the territory under its control is considered a war crime. Saldo's statements came after General Sergei Surovikin, the new commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, said the situation in the southern city of Kherson was "difficult" and residents facing Ukrainian bombardment are to be evacuated. "The Russian Army will above all ensure the safe evacuation of the population" of Kherson, Surovikin said. But Kyiv on October 19 accused Russia of staging a propaganda show in an attempt to "scare" the Kherson residents. "Russians are trying to scare the people of Kherson with fake messages about the shelling of the city by our army and are also staging a propaganda show with evacuation," the Ukrainian president's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, wrote on Telegram. Kherson was the first big city to fall to the Russian forces in February after the start of Moscow's unprovoked invasion, but Ukrainian forces have been steadily retaking nearby territory for the past few weeks. They have pushed as far as 30 kilometers south along the Dnieper River, threatening to trap Russian troops. Meanwhile, fresh explosions were heard in Kyiv on October 19, as the Ukrainian military said on Telegram that air defenses continued to shoot down targets above the capital. Russian bombardment also cut power and water in some parts of Enerhodar in the Zaporizhzhya region on October 19, said Dmytro Orlov, the mayor of the southern city located near the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant that's been a flashpoint of the nearly eight-month conflict. A power plant in Kryviy Rih, a city in south-central Ukraine, was also seriously damaged by Russian shelling, leaving villages, towns, and a city district without electricity, the regional governor reported. Russian forces also targeted Ukraine's southern Mykolayiv region again with kamikaze drones early on October 19. The Ukrainian military's southern command said in a statement on October 19 that its forces shot down 12 drones overnight. "Eleven drones were shot down by the forces and means of air defense of the Southern Air Command and one by soldiers of the National Guard of Ukraine," the press service of the command said. More than a week of air attacks has destroyed almost one-third of Ukraine's power stations and cut electricity in more than 1,000 settlements. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy again urged Ukrainians to make "a very conscious" effort to save power, speaking in his regular nightly address on October 18. Zelenskiy said Russian air strikes in the past week had destroyed 30 percent of Ukraine's power stations, while the Energy Ministry said hundreds of settlements were affected by blackouts. "Currently, according to the Energy Ministry, 1,162 settlements remain without power," the emergencies services spokesman said. Zelenskiy said Russia's use of Iranian-made drones to attack Ukraine showed that Russia is both politically and militarily bankrupt despite having for decades spent billions of dollars on its military-industrial complex. "In the end they bowed to Tehran to get rather simple drones and missiles," Zelenskiy said. "It will simply show the world once again that Russia is headed for defeat and is trying to drag yet another one of its accomplices into this terror," he said. Iran denies supplying drones to Russia, and the Kremlin said it had no information about whether Iranian kamikaze drones were used. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on October 18 said the alliance will deliver air-defense systems to Ukraine in the coming days. The United States and NATO have given Ukraine tens of billions of dollars' worth of military equipment since the start of the invasion. In the United States, financial support for Ukraine garnered strong bipartisan support in the Senate and the House of Representatives. But House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy warned on October 18 that his party will not write a "blank check" for Ukraine if Republicans win back the House majority in midterm elections next month, reflecting his party's growing skepticism about financial support for Kyiv. "I think people are gonna be sitting in a recession and they're not going to write a blank check to Ukraine," McCarthy (Republican-California) told Punchbowl News. "They just won't do it.... It's not a free blank check." The comments from McCarthy, who is in line to become speaker if Republicans win the House, raise questions about continued U.S. support for Ukraine as some Republicans, particularly those aligned with former President Donald Trump's "America First" approach, question the need for federal spending abroad at a time of record-high inflation in the United States. With reporting by Reuters, AP, dpa, and AFP Two things are clear about those who ransacked and set alight the Saudi Embassy in Iran -- their actions got Riyadh's attention, and the clerical establishment in power in Tehran wants nothing to do with them. Who actually carried out the attack on the embassy in the Iranian capital, as well as a separate attack on the Saudi Consulate in the northeastern city of Mashhad, remains a mystery, however. Depending on who you speak to, it was official defenders of the Islamic republic; foreign-backed members of the opposition; or hard-line loyalists gone rogue who were responsible for the January 2 attacks. The attacks, part of protests that followed Saudi Arabia's execution of prominent Shi'ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, prompted Riyadh and several of its allies to cut or downgrade ties with Iran. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on January 3 predicted "divine vengeance" for the execution of Nimr, and the hard-line Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) -- a military branch tasked with protecting Iran's Islamic system -- promised "harsh revenge." The Iranian government, officially, was quick to distance itself from the violence that followed. Even as he condemned Nimr's execution, President Hassan Rohani on January 3 denounced the attacks on the Saudi diplomatic offices as "totally unjustifiable." And the authorities announced that 44 protesters had been arrested in connection with the attacks. Blame Game A number of Iranian officials went on to insinuate that the attacks could have been carried out by "infiltrators" with alleged ties to foreign governments, including Saudi Arabia. "According to comments by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei regarding the infiltration of the enemy, the recent move against the Saudi Embassy could have been planned and supported by infiltrated elements," Justice Minister Mostafa Purmohammadi said on January 5. Some Iran watchers, however, believe hard-liners connected to the country's security establishment were more likely to be behind the attacks. They point to the apparent ease with which the protesters entered the Saudi diplomatic missions despite the presence of police; in some cases documenting their destructive actions for posterity. "They appeared to have been well organized, they were not afraid to be identified, they took pictures with property from the embassy," Istanbul-based Iranian journalist Reza Haghighatnejad noted. This suggests that they may have been acting with some degree of support from the centers of power, because in the past Iranian forces have shown no reluctance to respond forcefully to opposition gatherings and protests. "Protests are not allowed," Haghighatnejad said. "The attack on [the embassy] lasted for an hour and a half before the commander of the police arrived." At the same time, the authorities have also had difficulty in the past controlling hard-line elements said to be involved in disrupting gatherings by reformists and critics. Haghighatnejad a, a member of the editorial board of the news site IranWire, said the actions of the protesters were similar to those of members of the Basij force, a volunteer militia that was involved in an attack on the British Embassy in Tehran in 2011 that led Britain to cut ties with Iran. Esprit De Corps Aliasghar Ramezanpour, a former deputy culture minister, told RFE/RL he believes the IRGC ultimately bears responsibility because of incendiary comments made ahead of the attacks. In a statement issued on January 2, the IRGC vowed that Nimr's execution would cost the "hated Saudi regime" dearly, predicting that "a harsh revenge from Al-Saud in a not so distant future that will lead to the collapse of the foundations of the reactionary, medieval, and terrorist-fostering Saudi regime." In the aftermath of the violence, senior IRGC commander Mohsen Kazemeyni denied any corps involvement, saying that the "calculated and preplanned" actions were "very wrong" and "unjustifiable." Kazemeyni, who heads Tehran's Rasulollah Corps, said that "we're confident that this action was not carried out by the faithful and Hezbollahi forces [eds. regime loyalists]." Ramezanpour, however, believes Kazemeyni was trying to wash IRGC's hands of its statement and the ensuing street violence. "Even if the IRGC wasn't directly involved, its statement and the harsh tone prepared the ground for [the storming] by forces that were powerful enough to go past the police forces," he said. Anyone And Everyone Speaking on January 4, senior Qom-based cleric Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi criticized the violence, while leaving ample room as to who may have carried it out. "A group of establishment supporters are angry at Saudi actions and policies, but sometimes they get out of control," Makarem Shirazi was quoted as saying by local media. "It's necessary for them to be cautious." But he also named a second group that could be responsible: "infiltrators" who aim at increasing tensions between Shi'a and Sunnis. Hard-line media outlets, meanwhile, took conspiratorial angles. Dana.ir quoted an unidentified security official as saying that "a preliminary investigation from witnesses and those at the scene confirms that there was a fire in the embassy before the protesters entered it." The conservative website Tabnak.ir, meanwhile, quoted eyewitnesses as claiming that Saudi infiltrators were encouraging protesters to throw rocks at and firebomb the embassy. "Security forces say infiltrators have to be watched carefully because they want to change the direction of rightful protests by the people so that the crimes by the Saudis are not at the center of the world's attention," Tabnak.ir reported. Israel did not escape blame, either. Asked at a January 5 press conference whether Saudi elements and others allegedly trying to weaken the Iranian government were involved in the attack, government spokesman Mohammad Bagher Nobakht said that "even some affiliated with Israel" could be seen among the attackers. "A few people -- with whom it's not clear which country's interests they are serving -- took advantage of people's feelings," he said, adding that the attacks were "in favor of Saudi Arabia's policies." Whoever was behind the suspicious attacks, police chief Brigadier General Hossein Ashtari suggested on January 6, was no revolutionary. "Holding protest meetings against Saudi Arabia is acceptable, but no person who is loyal to the Islamic republic invades an embassy in this way," he said. Iraq's foreign minister said his country will mediate to try to resolve the latest diplomatic crisis between Iran and Saudi Arabia, sparked by Riyadh's execution of a prominent Shi'ite cleric. Ibrahim al-Jaafari was speaking in a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, in Tehran on January 6. Zarif said Saudi Arabia was fueling tension in the region while Tehran was trying to defuse it. "Creating tension is not a sign of power, but weakness," Zarif said. Iranian media reported that Jaafari was making efforts to "advance dialogue and have a diplomatic role in preventing efforts to create discord" so that the region could "pass its current challenge." Iran strongly condemned the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and protesters stormed Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran over the weekend. That prompted Saudi Arabia to cut diplomatic ties with Iran and the kingdom's allies lined up behind it, either cutting or reducing their relations with Tehran. Also on January 6, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said the diplomatic row will affect the Syrian peace talks. He blamed Saudi Arabia for making a "wrong decision" but said "Tehran will stay committed" to planned peace "talks in Vienna and New York." Predominantly Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite-led Iran are major rivals in the Middle East and support opposing sides in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen. Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, and the BBC The territory controlled by the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria shrank by nearly one-third last year, according to the U.S.-led coalition fighting the radical Islamic group. IS lost 40 percent of its territory in Iraq and 20 percent in Syria, and they now are in a "defensive crouch," coalition spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said January 5 in Baghdad. With help from coalition air strikes, Kurdish forces pushed IS out of Sinjar and other parts of northern Iraq, as well as a band of Syrian territory along the Turkish border. In central Iraq, government forces and Shi'ite militias recaptured the city of Tikrit, and last month they routed IS out of most of Ramadi, the capital of western Anbar Province. "All of these things add up and we believe this enemy is weaker," Warren said, noting that IS has not gained any new territory since May. "Militarily they are struggling." IS still holds large parts of Syria and much of northern and western Iraq, including the country's second-largest city, Mosul. Based on reporting by AP and Reuters The U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State (IS) militants says its air strikes have cut oil production by the group in Syria and Iraq by around 30 percent. A coalition spokesman, U.S. Colonel Steve Warren, said on January 6 that 65 strikes over the past three months had targeted oil facilities and cut production to 34,000 barrels a day, down from 45,000 earlier. IS fighters have used oil smuggling to fund their operations since seizing large swaths of Syrian and Iraqi territory last year. In October, U.S. officials shifted their air strikes' targets and unveiled new sanctions aimed at squeezing the group financially. Warren also said that 2,500 IS fighters were killed in coalition air strikes across Iraq and Syria last month. He said there were between 20,000 and 30,000 militants of the group in the two countries, including foreign recruits. On January 5, Warren said the IS group had lost 40 percent of its territory in Iraq and 20 percent in Syria since the air strikes began. With reporting by Reuters A long-running lawsuit by a state-run Russian company that says it owns the Stolichnaya vodka trademark rights was revived by a U.S. court on January 5. A Manhattan U.S. appeals court said a lower court erred in finding that Federal Treasury Enterprise Sojuzplodoimport (FTE) lacked standing to sue under a U.S. trademark law and ordered that the lawsuit be allowed to proceed. In the suit, FTE and co-plaintiff OAO Moscow Distillery Cristall have accused SPI Group, which is owned by Russian billionaire Yuri Shefler, and three distributors of misappropriating Stolichnaya trademarks that Russia's government had assigned to FTE. Dan Bromberg, a lawyer for FTE, told Reuters: "We look forward to proving on behalf of the Russian people that our client FTE is the true owner of the Stolichnaya trademarks, as courts in other countries have recognized." Based on reporting by Reuters and Courthouse News NATO and the United States are denying that the alliance's expansion into Eastern Europe and increased activity there poses any menace to Russia, as Moscow asserted in its new security doctrine. "We categorically reject totally unfounded claims that NATO and its policies constitute a security threat" for Moscow, Oana Lungescu, spokesman for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, said on January 5. Lungescu added that NATO is still studying the new doctrine signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, which accuses NATO of violating international law and moving its military infrastructure closer to Russia's borders. Last month, NATO invited Montenegro to begin accession talks to become its 29th member, while it has since Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea in 2014 sharply increased the alliance's troop presence and military exercises in Eastern European states that border Russia. Still, Lungescu insisted "NATO's enlargement is not directed against anyone" and that each sovereign nation "has the right to choose for itself whether it joins any treaty or alliance." The United States similarly dismissed Russian concerns on January 4. "We are not looking for conflict with Russia," Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis told reporters in Washington. "They have no reason to consider us a threat," he said. "We have our differences...but it's fundamentally wrong to look at the United States as a threat to Russia." Despite the denials, U.S. military officials have increasingly used similar language to describe what they say is a growing threat to Western security from Moscow. In July, U.S. General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the top military adviser to President Barack Obama, said Russia posed the biggest threat to American national security of all the potential threats in the world today. Russian officials on January 5 continued to warn about a growing menace from NATO. In an interview with TASS, Russia's Permanent Representative to NATO Alexander Grushko dismissed efforts to play down NATO's growing presence near Russian borders through frequent rotations of temporary forces. "The practical steps already being taken by the alliance to bolster its 'eastern flank' contravene the spirit and the letter of the relevant commitments" in the Russia-NATO Founding Act, a peace treaty he said was "disintegrating." "If one does not get too excited with NATO's sophisticated terms like 'continuous rotation of military forces,' the plan is to deploy permanent military potential along our borders, a measure that will require steps to reliably ensure our security," he said. With reporting by AP, AFP, and TASS It's Christmas Eve for many Orthodox and Eastern Rite Christians. The faithful will be concluding a monthlong period of fasting during which they confessed their sins and received forgiveness and communion from the church. On Christmas Eve, the fasting will continue "until the first star," a tradition stemming from the Biblical account of how the Three Wise Men arrived at the birthplace of Christ in Bethlehem by following a star. A candle in front of the altar is lit at the end of Christmas Eve services at about noon to symbolize the star. Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill will recite the Christmas Eve liturgy at a January 6 festive service at the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow. The night service at the cathedral will be telecast by Russian television. Services will be held at night and on Christmas morning in almost 30,000 churches worldwide that are affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church. With reporting by TASS Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov is under fire for publicly humiliating his detractors and meting out collective punishment against their relatives, and he's not taking the criticism well. Kadyrov's penchant for publicly shaming people who dare challenge him or the man who put him in power, Russian President Vladimir Putin, is not new. But a series of particularly vicious incidents, compounded by threats of retribution against the families of Chechens abroad who have protested against Kadyrov's actions, have caused outrage among both Chechens and human rights advocates. Chechen emigres in Oslo, Norway, held a rally on January 2 to protest Kadyrov's ruthless methods and to defend Ayshat Inayeva, a social worker who was publicly upbraided by the Chechen leader after accusing him of overseeing endemic corruption in the republic in Russia's North Caucasus. Inayeva, who had complained about being forced by her boss to cough up an extra 3,000 rubles ($42) from her paycheck every month after paying off her utility bills, was reprimanded by Kadyrov in a face-to-face meeting several days later on state-run television. Her husband, other high-ranking officials, her boss, and the television anchor also took part in the dressing down. Visibly mortified, Inayeva took back everything she had said. 'A Brother Answers For His Brother' "Moscow has no other solution than to harshly punish and coerce people," says Akhmed Gisayev, a Chechen human rights activist who organized the Oslo rally. "Russian authorities are on their last leg in Chechnya. No one has the right to criticize them or Putin's henchman, Kadyrov." According to Gisayev, about 150 people attended the Oslo protest, some of them holding placards with slogans such as "Stop Putin's terror in Chechnya." A similar rally took place in Vienna on December 24 during which demonstrators denounced the reprisals against people who have criticized Kadyrov and his government. Kadyrov has reacted angrily to the Vienna rally. In remarks broadcast on regional television in Chechnya on December 30, he pledged to track down the families of Chechens who attended the protest and pressure them into silencing their relatives in Austria. "Our custom is that a brother answers for his brother," Kadyrov said. "I gave instructions to find out whether they have brothers and fathers, which clan they belong to, where they were born, and who they are." He vowed to use "every available resource" to ensure that families in Chechnya "sorted things out" with their kin abroad. "If they don't make any decisions, we will demand that they do," he warned. Gisayev says collective punishment has long been enforced in Chechnya first by Russian forces against civilians, during the two separatist wars the region has endured since the 1991 Soviet collapse, and now by Kadyrov against fellow Chechens who defy him. Gisayev fled to Norway after his colleague from the Memorial Human Rights Center, Natalya Estemirova, was abducted and killed in 2009. He says his family in Chechnya has since been under intense pressure from the authorities. "My brother, my father, and my mother all received visits," Gisayev says. "They were asked why I left, why I was making statements, why they weren't telling me to stop. This happened to all my colleagues from Memorial and the Committee Against Torture," another rights group. Sins Of The Youth Relatives of suspected militants have also been subjected to collective punishment under Kadyrov, a former rebel whom Putin has relied on for nearly a decade to keep a lid on the restive region and suppress separatism. After an assault in Grozny that the authorities said left 14 police officers, 10 militants, and a civilian dead in December 2014, Kadyrov pledged to destroy the homes of those believed to have taken part in the attack. On Instagram, he also said their relatives "will be swiftly expelled from Chechnya with no right to return." Kadyrov's statement immediately sparked an outcry from human rights advocates, who said it violated the Russian Constitution and Russia's international obligations. Activists said at least eight homes were torched or razed following Kadyrov's threat, four of which they said did not belong to gunmen whose bodies were among those identified after the fighting. Amid the uproar, Putin warned that nobody had the right to engage in extrajudicial reprisals, but he also said that Kadyrov's emotional response to the attack was understandable. Kadyrov has faced no apparent consequences, and activists say he continues to flout the Russian Constitution with impunity. According to Gisayev, many Chechens are scandalized by the public shaming of Inayeva, which he describes as a deep insult to Chechen tradition. "People are fed up with what is taking place in Chechnya," he says. "Violence is exerted on women and on the elderly. Elderly people are traditionally treated with huge respect in Caucasus nations." 'Putin Is My Father, My Grandfather, And My Tsar' Several Kadyrov critics have posted video clips online denouncing the onslaught against Inayeva and Adam Dikayev, another citizen who was humiliated for criticizing the Chechen leader. "A Chechen woman appealed to you through WhatsApp and shared her distress," Akhmed Alikhadzhiyev, a Chechen activist in Ukraine, told Kadyrov in a video appeal. "Instead of listening to her, you dragged her on television and started shaming her in front of the whole world, you encroached on her husband's honor." In an Instagram posting last month, Dikayev had poured scorn on a recent video shared by Kadyrov in which he can be seen working out in a Putin T-shirt. "These events go back 15 years. Not 150, not 300, but 15!" he wrote, apparently referring to the period in which Putin has been in power. "And the tsar runs on the treadmill with the song 'My best friend is President Putin.'" Shortly after Dikayev's post, which has since been deleted, a video was posted on Instagram showing him walking on a treadmill with no pants on -- a particularly stinging humiliation in Chechnya. Dikayev said that he had been wrong to criticize the government and that he had learned his lesson. "From now on," he says in the video, "Putin is my father, my grandfather, and my tsar." The clip drew the ire of many Chechens including Apti Batalov, a former aide to Chechnya's late separatist president, Aslan Maskhadov. "Taking the trousers off a young Chechen man because he said Putin is a pederast is such a disgrace," Batalov, who lives in London, said in a video published on YouTube. "What can be more disgraceful than that?" "You've turned this people into slaves," he told Kadyrov. "You're drinking the blood of this people, you and these beasts that surround you. Why are you torturing these people? You won't be forgiven, all this won't be forgotten." A Chechen activist now living in France, Isa Akhyadov, has also denounced the onslaught against Inayeva in an angry posting on WhatsApp that has been widely shared in Chechnya. Retaliation was quick. Just days later, his brother and another relative in Chechnya appeared on local television flanked by several officials, where they denounced his opposition activities and publicly disowned him. Gisayev, however, insists that Inayeva and Dikayev can consider themselves lucky. "The cases of Ayshat Inayeva and Adam Dikayev ended with the best outcome that I've seen so far for people who dared criticize the authorities," he said. "Yes, they were publicly humiliated and subjected to huge pressure, but they stayed alive." Russia has rejected Ankara's accusation that it was arbitrarily denying visas to the Turkish budget carrier Pegasus. Moscow suspended visa-free travel for Turks from January 1 after a Turkish jet shot down a Russian bomber on the Turkish-Syrian border in November. Turkish Transport Minister Binali Yildirim accused Russia on January 6 of violating international aviation rules by refusing to issue visas to the crews of Pegasus, which has suspended flights to Russia until January 13. But Russia's Foreign Ministry said the carrier had only applied for visas at the Russian Consulate in Istanbul in the afternoon of January 6. It also said Turkish airline Onur Air, which has suspended its flights to Russia until January 14, had not applied for visas at all. Based on reporting by Reuters, TASS, and Interfax KHIMKI, Russia -- After dark in the frigid parking lot of an Ikea outlet north of Moscow, in the trailer of a grubby white truck heated by a generator, a dozen men are sitting in winter coats and hats watching a Soviet blockbuster on a projector. The cramped space has been a living room, a kitchen of sorts, and, more recently, the center of New Year festivities for a small group of protesting long-haul truckers who have lived in this parking lot since December 3. They intend to stay until spring -- or longer -- to protest a new road-tax-collection system called Platon that they say will drive them out of business. With Russia's economy staggering through a dark time brought on by dropping oil prices, and no sign that Western sanctions over Moscow's interference in Ukraine will be lifted soon, their unusual blue-collar protest is a sign of strain on President Vladimir Putin's working-class support base. "[Putin] has lost all 10 votes from my family, that's for sure," says Ivan Alutai, a 31-year-old trucker from Petrozavodsk, far north of Moscow, smoking a cigarette outside the vehicle. The ranks of the protesting truckers at this encampment have thinned to less than a dozen rigs since they set up base last month -- although some of them have been joined by their wives and children so they can celebrate the New Year and Orthodox Christmas together. Russia's main faith marks Christmas on January 7, and the official holiday stretches from December 31 to January 11 this year. Inside the truck, up a wooden pallet used as a stepladder, a small electric stove sits next to some tea bags. The walls are draped with tinsel and a hat for Grandfather Frost, the Russian Santa Claus. The men are watching a black-and-white Soviet film -- Optimistic Tragedy, a popular 1963 movie about the Bolshevik Revolution -- beamed onto the far wall by a projector. Illuminated in the glow are a sack of potatoes and plastic bags filled with supplies brought to them as holiday gifts by supporters in Moscow. Forlorn Sight With its 10 or so parked trucks draped with banners lambasting the road tax and the state media that has largely ignored their protest action, the encampment in Khimki, 20 kilometers north of Moscow, makes for a forlorn but defiant spectacle. In this filthy urban sprawl next to a massive road junction flanked by tower blocks and commemorative tank traps marking the point where Nazi forces were stopped during their assault on Moscow, the truckers while away their time. Young activists from the capital have put on a series of film nights for the truckers using a projector in the back of a truck. The truckers have accordion sessions, as one of their number plays the instrument. On December 17, they were treated to a visit from Russian rock legend and protest bard Yury Shevchuk, who performed for them: Alutai's wife and 3-year-old son, Lavrenty, were visiting for Orthodox Christmas, and his mother dropped in at the New Year. Until recently a staunch supporter of Putin, Alutai's mother had been fiercely against the protest and her son's participation -- because of state television, he believes. "She came here and everything in her head changed," he says. "What they show on TV, it isn't true at all. It's all lousy lies. Until you actually come here, the moron box has its effect." Uncle Vova Alutai says he has no intention of abandoning his protest in the face of the cold temperatures that have dropped to -16 degrees Celsius. "I've already got nothing to lose," he says. Alutai, who owns his own truck and is self-employed, says that the tax will severely erode his profits. He's also angry that the payment collection system is run by a company controlled by a son of Arkady Rotenberg, an old friend and judo sparring partner of Putin. Alutai blames Putin for his predicament. "To be honest, I thought until the very last moment that Uncle Vova was going to say there had been a mistake. And then it turned out that he had known about this all the time," he says. "Uncle Vova has lost my trust," he adds, using a diminutive form of the name Vladimir. Days in the truckers' protest camp are bookended by police checks. "They come and note down the number plates of the vehicles," he says. The truckers, meanwhile, are convinced they are closely watched and listened to by the Federal Security Service (FSB) and police. "We started drawing out plans in the snow, and the next thing, there was a police build-up," says Sergei Gorodishenin, a 33-year-old trucker from Vologda, a small city northeast of Moscow. The truckers say it has made it hard for other drivers to join them, or for those in Khimki to stage protests such as the "Snail," in which truckers have driven in convoys at minimum speed, clogging up highways. Gorodishenin, who has fallen ill during the cold snap in Moscow, says that some truckers' families have been pressured back home, and they themselves fear that they could be punished by the authorities for their protest. Despite all these factors, the truckers assert they are intent on maintaining their encampment. "Naturally, we're not going to reveal what our plans are," Gorodishenin says. "And there are FSB agents sitting over there in the corner," Alutai chips in with a laugh, adding, "They're warming their ears" -- a Russian idiom for eavesdropping. Before long, Alutai's wife returns from Auchan, the French hypermarket across the huge mall from Ikea, along with 3-year-old Lavrenty. As they posed together for a picture, Alutai jokes darkly with his wife, "We'll have something to remember in the gulag."